《On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor》


 One

    One


    ¡°Damn, another day of drudgery awaits me.¡± I sighed, a long breath escaping from my mouth as I stared at the email on my monitor, scanning the contents.


    ¡°Another coding job. How dull. Still, the pay is adequate... damn, how I wish for a job that pays well, or even better, great!¡± Shaking my head I ran my hand through my short-cropped black hair, grimacing as sweat drops scattered all around me. It was baking hot, but running the air conditioner was a luxury I couldn¡¯t afford right now. The window in my small apartment was open, but the day was cloudless with barely a breeze, so that was hardly helping.


    ¡°Oh well, the sooner I finish this, the quicker I can relax.¡± I muttered to myself, getting to work quickly. Taking out a notepad I quickly sketched out a few ideas, and after a few minutes I was satisfied I understood how to go about meeting the client''s needs.


    For several hours the only sounds that could be heard in the small room were the clicking sounds of keys being pressed and the faint hum of the computer as I worked. By the time I was finished it was early afternoon, the sun beating down, turning the air hot and oppressive.


    ¡°Damn, that was harder than I thought it would be.¡± Sending the finished work back to the client, I stretched my arms above my head, trying to work my tired muscles. Standing, I glanced around the room, catching sight of myself in the mirror that was hanging in the bathroom through the half-open door.


    I was tall for a Japanese man, getting on for five foot nine inches in height, though that probably had something to do with my mixed blood, no doubt, not that it was easy to tell at a glance that I was half British. The clearest giveaway was the eyes, which were an unusual steel-grey colour, and shaped a little differently from the normal. Still, I thought I wasn¡¯t too bad looking, even if not everyone agreed.


    As if mirroring my thoughts an email pinged up on my screen, from Oshiro Sapphire Aiko, my sister. Glancing to the side of my workspace I looked briefly at the framed photograph that sat there, a few years old, of me in the middle, looking younger and shorter, while on one of my sides was my sister, with her striking and rare blue eyes and hair so black it was almost glowing blue, while on the other was a smaller girl, looking more classically Japanese, with her hair tied up into adorable pigtails. Cracking a wry smile I sat down again, clicking open the email. No doubt it would just be more complaints, but she was certainly adorable... in her own way. There was another photo next to it, of some old university friends too, but I didn¡¯t spare it a glance.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    Hey big bro moonstone, how¡¯s things? The first line read. I couldn¡¯t help but scowl. Man I hated that name. Oshiro Moonstone Akio, bright hero of the moon. I wasn¡¯t an idiot, I knew my mother gave us middle names as a tribute to her nationality based on the colour of our eyes, but when I got to middle school I had done a search on the internet and realised no-one in Britain ever did that anyway. Besides... Sapphire I can see, but Moonstone?


    Shaking my head, I realised I was getting distracted by stupid stuff again. I continued to read, trying to rein in my irritation. Are you going to be coming home for summer break this year, I haven¡¯t seen you in forever? Eri-chan is missing you as always, not that I can understand why. At that my eyes flickered over to the photograph again. The smaller girl was Eri-chan, childhood friend of me and my sister. We went everywhere together when we were young, my role to look out for them both, Eri-chan especially, as she was alarmingly timid and did not take to people easily. Still, she was cute even back then.


    Anyway, this year is my last year here, so I¡¯ve really got to start studying. It¡¯s just so hard, the weather here is perfect, summer''s already in full swing. I''ve been thinking I might want to try for a Tokyo university like you did, bro, but I¡¯m not really sure... I¡¯ve never been away from home longer than a few days before, and we don¡¯t really have the money so... Well, in any case, want to try being a useful big bro moonstone and give me some advice? If I did come to Tokyo I could stay with you, right? It¡¯d be a bit of a commute, but I¡¯d save loads of money on lodgings...


    That would be all I needed. I pinched my nose, feeling a headache coming on. It wasn¡¯t like I wouldn¡¯t be able to squeeze her in here if I had to, although charitably the apartment could be called cosy (and if I was being honest, cramped would be a better word), and as a plus it didn¡¯t allow pets, so no dogs, but living together with my sister would definitely have more minuses than plusses. Yes, she is pretty damn cute, and her eyes and hair really stand out, the blessing of being a half, I guess, but I¡¯m definitely not a siscon, so that¡¯s hardly an actual benefit. Besides, I worked from home most of the time, and having the space filled up with her crap... I mean her possessions would make it harder for me.


    ¡°I must be hearing things...¡±


    The Time Is Now. Your World Is About To Change. With Chaos And Danger Comes Opportunity. Will You Grasp It Or Let It Go Forever?


    Once more a voice came from behind me. Now I couldn¡¯t tell whether the beads of sweat sliding down my face were from the heat or this sudden fear that was prickling at me.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I asked, turning around slowly.


    Opportunity.


    The half-drunk bottle of tea fell from my hand, spilling across the floor. In front of me was a glowing figure, light shining a cold silver, washing everything in pale shadow, shrouding all detail except a vague shape. I staggered backwards, my feet soaked by the spilled tea and let out a hoarse gasp of alarm. As I was preparing to run, mind reeling, the ¡®figure¡¯ spoke once more.


    This World Stands At A Crossroads. Soon Great Change Will Befall It, And If Not Protected Only Ruin Awaits. Will You Refuse Fate¡¯s Hand And Allow Your World¡¯s Fate To Rest On Other Shoulders, Or Will You Reach Out And Take The Offered Hand And Protect That Which You Hold Dear?


    I was frozen mid-flight, gazing at the glowing figure, which was strange in itself being a light so bright it should have hurt my eyes, yet it had seemingly no effect, almost as if it was an illusion. As it stretched out a glowing arm towards me I was unable to move, mind racing.


    This World Is Now Open To A Higher Realm. But Fear Not, The Gods Are Not Cruel. We Have Been Sent By The Heavens To Open The Way For Those Who Have The Power Within To Defend This World. You Are One Such.


    I still wasn¡¯t sure I hadn¡¯t fallen asleep at my desk and was dreaming this whole thing, but to be honest with myself I¡¯d read enough Light Novels about other worlds and mysterious beings to at least give a little thought to the possibility this was all true. And if it was... could I forgive myself for passing up the chance to be someone who mattered, someone able to make a difference, strong enough to defend those I held dear? No, to be a hero?


    ¡°So... just what is this crossroads? How can I protect Earth?¡± I asked nervously, heart racing.


    It Is A Battle For The Astral Realm Above Through Which All Worlds Are Connected. You Must Gather Ether, Which All Covet, Until You Stand Above All Others With Enough Power To Repel Those That Would Take Your Planet For Their Own, Until You Stand Alone As An Astral Emperor...

 Two

    Two


    ¡°A battle?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be much good at that. I was always the artistic type. My sister was the sporty one...¡± Besides, after that one time...


    You Can Refuse. Your Fate And That Of Your World¡¯s Would Then Be In The Hands Of Others. Your Potential Is Sufficient To Participate. For Those Who Triumph, Rewards Are Many. Ether Is The Power Over All Things. With Ether All Wishes Can Be Granted.


    All wishes? Everyone has wishes, and I was no exception. It isn¡¯t like it didn¡¯t sting a bit when my sister laughs at the fact I¡¯ve never really had a girlfriend. It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m bad with women... after all, I got on really well with Eri-chan, even if she was younger, and at school and university I was hardly a loner. At the last class reunion I spent quite a while talking to some of the girls from my class without a problem.... Oh man, my thoughts are racing. Having a girlfriend isn¡¯t the only thing on my mind. Who wouldn¡¯t like a decent job, a nice car, big house, lots of money and so on...?


    ¡°I suppose there is great risk involved though?¡±


    All Life Caries Risk. Should Your Astral Form Be Destroyed Your Physical Form Shall Perish Also. But Death Comes Suddenly In All Worlds. Step Outside Your Door And You May Die Any Day. Or Your Body Could Fail From Illness Or Mischance. Such Is The Way Of Things.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really argue with that. The degree of risk might be wildly different though.¡± To be honest I still couldn¡¯t believe I was having such a conversation with a hollow-voiced glowing figure. Still, if I was dreaming this then it didn¡¯t really matter, did it? Besides, who wouldn¡¯t want such excitement in their lives? ¡°I''m not sure, but... the rewards seem like they would be something special if I succeed, right?¡±


    As I Have Stated, Rewards Are Plentiful For Those Who Succeed. Not Only Will You Save Your World But Powers Beyond Your Imagination Can Be Yours. I Sense Your Reluctance Though. This World Is But Freshly Opened To The Wider Planes. I Have Been Allowed To Show You A Brief Glimpse. You Must Then Decide.


    ¡°And how safe is this ¡®glimpse¡¯?¡± It was tempting, but as I thought earlier, I wasn¡¯t much of a fighter. My sister does traditional Japanese archery, Kyu?do?, as well as plays on her school volleyball team, so she got all the talent in our family. Father used to do kendo back in his school days and even won a couple of local tournaments, apparently, but me... I take after my mom I¡¯m afraid, and the most energetic thing she ever did was a local fun-run. ¡°I¡¯d be interested if you could guarantee my safety? Seeing it might make me more interested.¡±


    I Offer No Guarantees For There Can Be None In Life. However If You Do Nothing Truly Reckless I Can Return You To Your Material Body Before You Suffer Great Harm. Of Course, I Am Allowed To Do This But Once.


    That sounded fine. I wasn¡¯t particularly reckless. In games I was always one to grind up and over-level myself so as to crush challengers. I wasn¡¯t one to get in over my head. Although my sister would probably say taking the safe route is why I¡¯m stuck doing freelance work in a tiny apartment without a girlfriend... man, just thinking that irritates me. ¡°Sure, why not? I¡¯ll take your glimpse since it seems there is little to lose.¡±


    Very Well. A Wise Choice, For One Who Never Gambles Can Never Exceed His Limits. There Will Be Brief Pain As I Draw Out Your Latent Gifts And Activate Your Cord, And Then...


    ¡°Hey wait a second...¡± I interrupted. ¡°Pain? I¡¯m not really good with...¡±


    ... You Shall See The Boundary With Your Own Eyes.¡±


    It talked right over me! I was about to say more when suddenly I doubled over, tears streaming from my eyes as a burning pain formed between my legs. It was like someone had simultaneously rammed a hot poker into my guts while also kicking me in the groin. It was far from pleasant. As I crouched down, tears pouring down my cheeks, I let out a ragged breath. The pain spread, my heart and brain started to boil, combining the worst of a severe migraine and heart failure in a series of blinding waves. I tried to throw up, gagging reflexively, but just as I reached my limit the pain began to fade, luckily, as I wasn¡¯t sure how much more I could take. Blinking tears from my eyes I looked up accusingly at the shining figure.


    ¡°That hurt! Why did...¡± I paused. The figure had stopped glowing, and I could now see more clearly. The figure was covered by a shapeless black robe, long sleeves hiding their arms, and a hood shrouding their face so nothing could be seen, except for a faint few strands of what looked like hair, creeping out from under the cowl. The figure was humanoid in appearance, but other than that, no details could be guessed at. Still, if they have hair and two arms and two legs, they are probably not too dissimilar to me... damn, now I¡¯m super curious.


    ¡°You must try harder. Feel the flow. Once it begins it should become easier.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t particularly helpful advice. Still, here goes nothing. Shutting my eyes, I concentrated and strained for what seemed like hours. It was then that I felt a little twinge spreading from my lower body to my heart and head, as though the pain I remembered was returning. Reflexively I flinched back and the feeling was gone.


    ¡°There was progress. For a moment you were almost there. If you do not succeed in this manner, your performance will suffer in future.¡±


    ¡°In this manner?¡± I asked. ¡°So there is another way?¡±


    ¡°If it becomes a necessity, I can forcibly open your flow, but that way will cause your growth potential to be stunted. It is much better to allow your own talents to blossom rather than making irreversible changes to your subtle bodies, especially in your case now. That would increase the danger to you over time, and I understand you are very averse to such risks.¡±


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t wrong. I¡¯d like to take the safer, better path, even if it''s harder to start with. But we¡¯ve been at this for hours. If I don¡¯t get it soon won¡¯t this glimpse be over?¡±


    ¡°Time flows differently in the Boundary world. Sometimes slower, but usually faster. There is still time for you to succeed. However, the amount of aether you have is not unlimited. All intelligent life accumulates it over time, and you are currently depleting it. If you do not succeed before it runs out you will awaken back in the Material and your chance will be gone. If that looks like it will happen I will have to use the surer, yet weaker way.¡±


    Yes, definitely more talkative. Whoever they are, they like exposition a lot. Still, I guess that¡¯s to my benefit as well. Oh well, here we go, adventure awaits if I can grasp this... no hero would take the easy way that limits their growth before they even do anything. Besides, if I did and came up against enemies who took the harder, yet better way...


    Dredging up all my willpower, I thought hard. Visualise. Visualise. I do it all the time when I¡¯m programming or doing art for various projects. See the image I want, then feel it... it shouldn¡¯t be impossible!


    I concentrated for again what seemed like hours, gradually forming a sharper image of what I wanted. As I did so the sense of discomfort returned around my groin, growing stronger. It wasn¡¯t exactly pain though, unlike the first time. Concentrating harder I formed the image of a silver whirlpool in my mind, drawing in everything around it towards my fragile, near-transparent white cord.


    I think... I¡¯m getting it. The sensation was growing stronger, warmth spreading up into my stomach and upper chest. The sensation of pressure was growing, and the warmth reached my throat and spread through my head, until my whole body was tingling. Nearly... there...


    With one last surge I focused all of my efforts on the growing pressure spreading through my body, the sensation rising until I felt something give inside me. It was like a dam bursting, and the warmth felt like a tide of fire invading my body, hot yet comfortable. My eyes snapped open reflexively and I gasped in awe at the sight. The multi-coloured lights that my guide had conjured were rushing towards me and being sucked into my body through the white cord, which was again visible and now giving off a faint silvery glow.


    ¡°As I expected, you have succeeded.¡± The figure said, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was imagining it or not, but I felt I could hear a small note of satisfaction, and also relief, within its voice. ¡°With such dense ether scattered around, it is much easier to draw it in. Do not grow overconfident and expect such results when you go forth on your own.¡±


    I see, so those lights are made from ether. I guess it makes sense for it to provide more for me to absorb than relying on what is here in nature, since I¡¯m still learning...


    As I pondered that, the remaining lights were sucked into my body, and I was tingling from head to toe with a fiery wave of energy. I felt great. ¡°So, what next? Am I ready for this glimpse now?¡± It was very hard not to get excited about this. After all, if all of this was not a dream then I had just taken my first step to mystical powers. There isn''t a man alive who doesn''t dream of such things, and I''m no exception to that...

 Three *Contains Status – Akio 1*

    Three *Contains Status ¨C Akio 1*


    ¡°There is one last thing before we can continue.¡± The cloaked figure said, raising one arm outwards. ¡°This extra assistance I can provide, a tool to more easily understand your own latent power and place within this world. Knowledge is power, and this will aid you onto the path towards understanding yourself and your abilities, which comes before understanding all else. And using that knowledge, form a path to power that only you can walk.¡±


    As I watched, it brought its other hidden arm forwards. In a swift movement it struck, sending more than a dozen droplets of what looked like molten silver into the air. Aether flared white, and suddenly the droplets started circling each other, arraying themselves into a ring. Metal spread, and suddenly they had formed a bracelet made of a series of silvery balls, held together by glittering metallic twine. It floated over to me and the guide spoke again.


    ¡°Take it and place it around your dominant wrist. It will enable you to leverage your innate and awakened strengths into a form that is easy to understand, unique to you. Though whether you can truly harness such power as lies within depends on your own efforts and fortune.¡°


    I nodded and picked up the bracelet from where it was hanging in the air. It was cold to the touch, almost as cold as ice. As I slipped it over my wrist the fiery energy rushing through my body surged, focussing on my wrist. I jolted in shock as the silver droplets melted, seeping into my wrist, ice meeting fire. ¡°This is safe right?¡± I asked nervously.


    ¡°Of course, no harm will come to you by this bracelet. For now, it merely uses aether to augment your perception, allowing you to internalise your information in a form that is easy for you to understand. The exact mechanism is complicated, and it would serve no purpose to explain it, nor could you comprehend it yet.¡±


    Charming. Though I guess this is all new to me so I can¡¯t really complain. As the feeling in my wrist melted away, I spoke. ¡°So, just what do I do now?¡±


    ¡°Concentrate on your wrist and then when the feeling arises, direct your senses inwards, to feel your very essence. When you do this, information will be rendered into a format that you can understand.¡±


    That seems difficult. Still, I guess it¡¯s similar to when I started to absorb aether, so it should be possible. Oh well, here goes...


    I let my mind dwell in my wrist, trying to recapture the feeling, but for several minutes nothing happened, except I felt a vague prickling itch throughout my body. ¡°This is still pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°If I had forced the more damaging path upon you, you would be able to do this instinctively, without effort. Yet your heights would be mere shadows of those that growth can bring, your long-term potential imperfect. Persevere, and feel the flow of energy within you. Guide it to your wrist and pool it there. Your conscious mind should direct this flow. Only when you can command it as easily as breathing will you have reached the stage where you can start to exceed those who have taken the easier path, and find your own longer, higher road to ascend.¡±


    Yep, still talkative. I let out a long sigh and tried again. The heat within me trembled, and I wasn''t sure whether I was just imagining it, but it seemed like the warmth was diminishing, just a tiny, almost unnoticeable fraction. As I continued to will my mind into my wrist, I was sure. The heat was slowly fading away. In contrast, my wrist was itching, cold prickles stabbing me, causing a vague discomfort.


    Nearly got it... I think. After what seemed like an hour of struggle my wrist flared cold, a ring of silver threads encircling it. Momentary pain flashed at various points in my body, from my lower body, heart and through to my head, but it quickly diminished, leaving only phantom echoes behind.


    ¡°Now, move your mind and will inwards. Feel your nature and express it.¡± The figure declared.


    As I did so my mind was filled with silvery words, forming the above image. It was amazing how clearly I could see it, almost as if it was really there.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might38??? Fortitude35??? Intellect67??? Resilience63??? Alacrity43??? Precision64??? Aether85??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] White CordRank 1First NodeRank 1[Intangible Skills] [Perceptive Skills] Self-ExaminationRank 3[Level] 0


    White Cord- An incomplete Silver Cord, with poor Aether efficiency. As distance from the Material body increases more Aether is consumed. Travelling distances of more than a few miles from the Material form is not recommended as it may damage this body due to attenuation of Aether through the poor connection.


    First Node- The Aether centre of the body connected to the Silver Cord. This has only recently been opened and has poor efficiency.


    Self-Examination- The ability to assess Skills and Statistics one possesses in comparison to a standardised level. Since the Skill has increased in Rank it can provide additional information about the nature of Skills or Statistics possessed, yet due to its current low level, many Skills and Statistics will defy measurement and knowledge.


    ¡°I guess Self-Examination is like appraisal, which is a standard fantasy skill that gets overpowered quickly. But it seems it only works on me. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°While the Astral plane is a realm of information, and thus finding out the many secrets of the multiverse is possible, one must have a firm grasp of knowledge to access this. I imparted to you a fraction of knowledge I had gathered and placed it within the bracelet you have absorbed. This enables you to examine yourself and understand the knowledge. You should always seek out further knowledge and understanding wherever you can, as this will be both your power and your comprehension of the wider multiverse, and if you drink deep of the water of knowledge, and spread the soil that is power, perhaps you can grow insight far surpassing the initial specks of wisdom I have bequeathed you.¡±


    Okay then. ¡°I think I get that. I suppose I should thank you then, for your gift. But I can¡¯t help but wonder what you might be getting out of this generosity?¡± Just look at my sixty-seven percent Intellect go!


    ¡°A fair question. My Master has no desire to see this world fall to ruin, and though he is prevented from acting directly, he believes that doing nothing would be foolish, only strengthening his enemies and letting countless innocents die. He sends us to find promising candidates to impart brief wisdom to, which if limited in scope, can be permitted. Others of course also do this, though perhaps for different ends. Besides, should you excel and save your world, when the time comes you will no doubt remember this boon, and be prepared to join my Master¡¯s faction.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes a lot of sense...¡± I agreed. Though just what limits their master so, preventing other helping hands? Suspicious, if you ask me. I¡¯d like an answer. ¡°So, if Earth is newly connected and weak, then what is stopping other more experienced people such as you from coming down and taking over or wiping us out before any of us get a chance to grow our power and defences?¡±


    ¡°There is a consensus between the great Powers of the competing factions, that other than some small guidance and gifts at the beginning, these worlds are not to be touched until certain conditions are met, or enough time has passed. Of course, there are always those who would try and break such rules unnoticed, but by and large you will have a period of grace to acclimatise yourself to the Boundary world, and above it, the Astral. It is not trivial for us to act against that, even if we wish it so.¡±


    So it¡¯s kind of like noob protection in those online games eh? One that isn¡¯t absolute as well. I guess I¡¯ll need to be careful about getting ganked or scammed... oh mighty sixty-seven percent Intellect, please defend me!


    ¡°We must hurry.¡± The cloaked figure interrupted my thoughts. ¡°For under the agreement I have but this one time to guide you. You have already depleted some of your aether, and we have two tasks to ideally accomplish before your aether runs dry.¡±


    I could feel that there was less heat in my body than before. It hadn¡¯t dropped by a lot, but it was definitely a difference I could feel. ¡°All right then. So what are these tasks? Quests already, I¡¯m getting hyped up.¡±


    ¡°The first task is to establish your Territory, setting up an Anchor in the Boundary that allows you to gather ether and exert your control. Without such Territory you will not progress, instead merely stagnating as a helpless bystander. The second task is to gather enough strength to leave your zero state behind and truly begin to unlock your unique potential.¡±


    ¡°A Territory?¡± Man, that sounds bad-ass. After all, all I own in reality is a tiny apartment. Hell, I don¡¯t even own that, I¡¯m only renting. Although I suppose I shouldn¡¯t say reality, if this is also real... what was it they called it... ah, that¡¯s right, the Material world. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°You must gather a significant quantity of ether to create an Anchor. Once this is in place, as much as you found your own abilities to be in a form you can comprehend, so too will your Territory be represented in such terms, with the fragments of knowledge I bequeathed you able to aid you in your first faltering steps towards your own path. So, shall we begin? Your time is decreasing.¡±

 Four

    Four


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I smiled. ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    The cloaked guide beckoned me forwards and opened the door of my apartment with a gesture. ¡°First, we must gather ether, for ether is the primary building block and currency of the Boundary and deeper Astral plane. You can never amass too much ether, for it is required not only for building your Territory and sustaining it, but also for refining into aether so that you can enter the Boundary, as well as using powerful abilities. Gather all you can, for it will never be without use.¡±


    As I followed the guide outside, I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in awe. The world was alike to what I knew, yet different in many ways, some subtle, some not so minor. Like inside, I could see despite it being night. It was dark, yet a mysterious radiance was visible everywhere, dim but easily enough to see by. It was impossible to describe in words, but it was an incredible sight, especially the way the sky swirled with dark colours, impossible shades of blue and black all mixed together. There were lights above, mimicking our night sky, but unlike stars they didn¡¯t twinkle, and some were in colours not found in nature, such as vivid greens and vibrant purples.


    The scenery around my old, three-story apartment building was similar to in the Material plane, although there were some differences, like street lamps being in different places, and bushes and trees where there were none before, but it was still largely recognisable. A bit disappointing, I was hoping for more fantastical scenes. ¡°It seems pretty normal.¡±


    ¡°This is the Boundary. It is closer to the Material than the chaos of the higher Astral, having some small contact with the lower Astral. However there is plenty to see for those with a discerning gaze.¡±


    As my eyes became more accustomed to the strange sights here I found myself agreeing, regretting my earlier words. Things were drifting through the air, most just above the ground, pale, ethereal shadows, some human-shaped, others resembling four-legged animals, some, even more faded and translucent, were little more that faceless blobs. As I peered at them with interest, some of the faint figures began to drift towards me, picking up speed.


    ¡°Those shades are lesser spirits, faded remnants of thoughts and desires of living creatures. They will seek out aether in other beings as moths to bright flames, eager to absorb it and regain their intelligence. The strongest of these can succeed in reincarnating themselves into a higher lifeform once again.¡±


    ¡°All right, so what do I do?¡± I asked as the shadows closed in on me.


    ¡°You must drain their aether in turn. To achieve this the surest way is to defeat them. These are the weakest of all dwellers of the lower Astral and Boundary, as ubiquitous as rats in the Material. Should you not be able to pass this trial then you have no future as one who can safeguard your world.¡±


    ¡°No pressure then.¡± I swallowed reflexively, feeling a hot sensation in the pit of my stomach, making me feel slightly sick. Fighting wasn¡¯t a skill I had, but then again the lesser spirits didn¡¯t look that threatening. Still, my nerves were definitely getting the better of me. The first shadow came closer, shaped like a child had made a cat out of semi-transparent misty clay.


    ¡°All right then, what do I do? Using powerful abilities... Astral plane, world of dreams...¡± I sifted through the information my cloaked guide had told me and came up with a plan. Feeling the flow of warmth that was aether through my body I concentrated on the thought of fire, red and hot. There was a rushing sensation, the warmth within me moving outwards, leaving me, and there was a sudden muted roar and quick burst of pressure and heat as a small ball of fire incinerated the oncoming shadow, as well as a couple more that were drifting in behind it.


    ¡°That worked better than I thought, I expected that I¡¯d be able to use aether to do... that... whoa I feel... so... tired...¡± The warmth inside me had faded to almost nothing, and my vision was constricting, the dark light that filled the Boundary seeming to recede from me, leaving me surrounded by a ring of inky darkness.


    ¡°This is good progress. Your aether is recharged and you have cleared enough of the area surrounding here to be able to claim it. However, should you leave this place and other beings from the Boundary intrude, the Territory will be forfeit. An Anchor will upgrade your Territory to a state where it is possible to defend it, and thus should be the priority of any would-be Astral Emperor.¡±


    I nodded, but one thing had piqued my curiosity. ¡°What does it mean by my claim in the Material world?¡±


    ¡°The Material and Astral are as one, multiple facets of the same jewel, and can affect each other, though actions closer to the Material take colossally more aether to achieve. If you possess the same Territory in both worlds, they can benefit each other.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it. So because I''m renting in this area, I have a small claim, but because I don''t own it I suffer a penalty? Wow... just wow.¡± I used my sister''s favourite expression of surprise reflexively. There were three floors and a half-dozen or so rooms on each floor. So I''d have to buy all eighteen apartments to have full control of my Territory? Just how much would that cost? There''s just no way...


    ¡°A secure territory is paramount, for no empire can ever be formed without strong foundations, the World Tree does not grow without deep roots. You must collect enough ether to construct your Anchor before you run out of either aether here or time. Time moves faster here compared to the Material, and it becomes ever more rapid as the Astral deepens, but it is passing on the Material still. I suggest you move to an area with stronger foes who would reward you with greater ether on defeat. You can drain any lesser spirits you can see on the way, since your aether control has improved appropriately.¡±


    Those words sure dampened my enthusiasm. The thought of taking on more dangerous foes, ones that could seriously hurt me, especially when I''d been told that damage would pass through to my Material body, was enough to halt my feet. ¡°You can still save me if I decide things are getting too risky and want to drop this whole Astral thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, barring an improbable incident or behaviour that is truly reckless. But I believe you will make the right choice.¡± The figure pointed again. ¡°I sense some stronger presences that way. To build up enough ether merely draining lesser spirits is inefficient and will also not contribute enough towards increasing you from zero. To the victor shall go the spoils.¡±


    I stifled a sigh. In a game grinding low-level enemies wasn''t exactly fun. Still, I''d make sure to take down any lesser spirits I came across. After all, ether is ether, no matter where it comes from.


    Moving through the dark streets I absorbed what I could, adding to the orbiting cloud of ether. I recognised the route we were taking, and if the worlds were sharing so many similarities, then this way had to be...


    ¡°Are we going where I think we are?¡± I felt some unease. I didn''t see myself as particularly superstitious, after all, being half British I didn''t follow traditional Japanese beliefs as much as a pure Japanese person would (not that I showed my Japanese heritage any disrespect, just both mom and father had influence over me and my sister''s cultural growth) but there were some things that both cultures had in common.


    ¡°This is the local graveyard...¡± I looked up at the faded stone torii arch that held the wrought-iron gates. The strange darkness overhead was now very oppressive, rather than eerily beautiful. ¡°I''m not sure I want to know what is in there...¡±


    ¡°The lower Astral has seeped into this place, leaving some traces, making it more dangerous, yet more rewarding. Where the Boundary realm yields to the lower Astral, many beings of greater power lurk. Be vigilant.¡±

 Five *Contains Status – Akio 2*

    Five *Contains Status ¨C Akio 2*


    The gates creaked open slowly, the noise even more disquieting due to the muted nature of sound in the Boundary. The inside of the graveyard seemed darker than the surrounding land, the umbral light seeming to almost be alive, pooling in the shadows between family graves and the few skeletal trees that grew beside the bone-white gravel paths.


    ¡°This looks like a scene from a horror film.¡± I whispered softly, as I slowly entered, feeling like an intruder. A lesser spirit drifted towards me out of the dark, vaguely human in shape. Quickly absorbing its ether I continued, feet crunching gravel underfoot. More followed, mostly humanoid, but some were avian in structure, fast and darting around swiftly. One managed to strike me below the eye, sending a shockwave of pain through me. Aether drained from me, but I was able to quickly snatch it back and the spirit dispersed. Still, these seemed far more agile and dangerous than the lesser spirits outside.


    I continued to walk along the path between the trees, the cloaked guide behind me, ears straining to hear every sound over the faint crunch of gravel underfoot. There was an eerie wind blowing through the trees, smelling of decay, and in the distance I was sure I could hear the rustling beat of wings and the ominous cawing of crows.


    I do not like this. I do not like this. I repeated it to myself like a mantra. At this point taking my time grinding lesser spirits seemed a wonderful plan. The feathery touch of a nearby branch on my back made me jump, a squeal leaking from my lips. I thought I was good with horror, but I guess living through a horror movie is a little different to watching or reading about one.


    Steeling myself I pushed forwards, passing through the graves. It was getting darker as I went, and now I could see barely a dozen paces ahead. Lesser spirits still drifted from the shadows, and as I had less time to react I was finding it hard to drain them before they could strike me. Still, the comforting glow of the increasing orbit of ether around me was pushing back the encroaching gloom. Ahead of me a faint red glow was shining, throwing out long shadows. I hope that isn¡¯t a dragon or something outlandish like that...


    ¡°You will benefit from investigating that site.¡± The cloaked figure spoke for the first time in a while. ¡°That is the glow of an Etherite.¡±


    ¡°Etherite? Sounds like it has something to do with ether.¡±


    ¡°You surmise correctly. In areas of denser ether flow such as where the Boundary and lower Astral intersect, an Etherite ore may form rarely. They can be broken down into substantial amounts of ether or used in higher level Territorial constructions. They also have many other uses and are a valuable currency amongst more powerful Astral beings.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like ether is a hundred-yen coin, accepted and useful everywhere, but Etherite is large banknotes. That makes sense, I think.¡± I nodded to myself. ¡°Well since I¡¯m looking for a thousand ether quickly I guess that I do need it... but I bet it''s guarded.¡±


    Creeping through the darkness towards the red light, I crossed between several more graves. I murmured my apologies to any of the dead I disturbed as I passed through. The red glow was getting brighter, and after a few more dozen steps I came across a glowing red jewel the size of a finger lying unattended between the roots of an old cherry tree.


    ¡°That is an Etherite ore. The closer the colour tends towards violet, the more valuable it is for the more ether it contains. Red Etherites usually contain upwards of a hundred ether. As they grow more orange they contain up to twice as much, and the yellows four times that, and so forth. The rarity of such finds increases dramatically as well. Anything above blue is vanishingly rare, and even the upper Astral sees a violet ore but once in a thousand years, being so scarce as to be nearly a myth. Those with intelligence who dwell within the Astral will often seek them out. You must seize such windfalls when they present themselves.¡±


    Nodding, I moved forwards, picking up the Etherite. It radiated warmth, merely by holding it I could feel how much ether it possessed. I considered keeping it, but right now more than a ten-thousand yen note I needed a lot of small change. Concentrating intently on feeling the flow of ether within, I felt pressure building up inside it, stronger and stronger, until with an audible crack the Etherite shattered into a host of glowing white stars. They joined the orbit around me, and the darkness was pushed back.


    Curse my pathetic Might. I¡¯m so below average. If I somehow get out of this I¡¯ll start working out, I promise. My arms were burning, and not with the warmth of aether, but with strain. It wasn¡¯t going to work, as the zombie was closing in fast, arms poised to strike once more. With a flash of insight I had an idea that could save me. Concentrating hard, through the fog of pain from my injured body, I drew on my aether and imagined the flame again, this time tight and compact. Red flared and a flow of aether left me, as a wisp of flame, far smaller than I had imagined, but still serviceable, seared through the end of the branch, cleaving it from the tree, charring the end black.


    Even as I lifted this makeshift club, the zombie was upon me, blows hammering into my back and narrowly missing my head. It could move quickly, but luckily it wasn¡¯t particularly accurate, and the arm which I had cut with my summoned sword was lacking power. Rolling with the blows, I turned and brought down the makeshift mace upon the zombie, striking an upraised arm. I swung again and again, until my arms were shrieking with pain. The club was splintering under hard use, but I trickled aether into it, imagining, believing that it would hold together, and eventually the zombie fell to the ground, fractured skull leaking fluid which turned silver and faded into the air.


    Breathing heavily, I leaned on the branch that was serving as my club, watching as the zombie convulsed slowly on the ground. For a few seconds it remained writhing, before shattering into a cloud of silver ether, which quickly came to me.


    ¡°Damn, that was so scary. I really thought I was going to die...¡± I muttered between gasping breaths. Hang on a minute, this isn¡¯t the Material world, do I even need to breathe? I guess habit is a powerful thing. As I calmed down the voice sounded behind me again.


    ¡°You were in negligible danger. I would have safeguarded you from any harm that was not instantaneously lethal, as by the terms of our agreement.¡±


    Oh crap, I forgot about that. I smiled a bit shamefacedly. ¡°You¡¯re right. I should have thought of that. I guess I¡¯m not really cut out for fighting.¡± Looking down I could see that my stock of ether was lower than when I had started the fight, despite having collected what remained of the zombie. ¡°I really need to be more economical in using what I have... still at least I have a weapon now. Of course, something more usable would be better...¡±


    ¡°Fret not, your chance to accumulate more ether has presented itself. Make haste and you can restore your deficit.¡±


    As the cloaked guide spoke, another pair of zombies was shuffling towards me, one of which was little more than a skeleton wrapped in a few tattered rags of flesh and cloth, the other more complete like the first one I had just defeated, yet it was covered in green mould and clumps of fungus.


    ¡°Two at once...¡± my only saving grace was that they were coming from opposite sides, so if I could deal with one quickly enough... At least I¡¯m in little danger as the guide will save me unless I get insta-gibbed. Making my decision I rushed at the skeletal one, as it certainly looked more fragile. It came towards me with a rattle of bone and clacking of grinning teeth. One arm slashed out, but this time I was prepared for the surprising speed the zombies could display in bursts, and so I flung myself backwards. Skeletal fingers grazed me, inflicting slight pain, but I was largely unharmed. Hauling myself to my feet I brought the makeshift club I held down on one arm joint, feeling a satisfying crunch under the point of impact.


    The skeletal zombie shrieked, trying to kick me away but I was already behind it, club smashing down. After a few blows the skull cracked and neck vertebrae shattered, and more ether was around me, replenishing my losses. The second was closing in now, but with the one behind me down I was a little confident I could handle it.


    Several minutes later I was drawing in more long breaths as the zombie below me disintegrated. Tossing aside my now shattered club I watched as the ether joined me. I concentrated and some of it turned into aether, to replenish my supply that had been drained by the fierce battle. It was still a profit, but not by much. I still had a long way to go in terms of fighting experience.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Zero to One.


    The sudden row of silvery words that flashed in my vision was most welcome, and I felt a burst of warmth run through me. Quickly checking on my status I let out a pleased yelp.


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might38 42Fortune2Fortitude35 39Majesty1Intellect67 71Charm1Resilience63 67??? Alacrity43 47??? Precision64 68??? Aether85 89??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] White CordRank 1 Rank 2First NodeRank 1[Intangible Skills] [Perceptive Skills] Self-ExaminationRank 3 Rank 4Self-Examination, TerritoryRank 3[Level] 1[Territory Rank] 0

 Six

    Six


    Looking at the new information that had been revealed on my status, the first thing I noticed was that all my basic stats had gone up by four. That means that I¡¯ve gained four percent of a human¡¯s maximum capacity in every area... that¡¯s... pretty big, I guess?


    Of course, until I¡¯d run some tests I couldn¡¯t be sure just how much it would benefit me, but the golden rule of role-playing games was that stats and skills were king, so it definitely would help. What was more interesting were the three Intangible Statistics that had appeared. The numbers were low, just as my guide had predicted, but even so, I was extremely curious, as the names were... potent.


    Fortune- The power of one¡¯s luck made manifest. Unlike Material Statistics these are not based upon base human possibilities, but are effects of a non-Material, Intangible nature. The higher the number the greater the effect it has. Fortune will add positive effects to any action where there is random chance involved.


    Majesty- The force of one¡¯s personality unleashed. Majesty will increase the chances of people submitting to your will, and will view orders you give more favourably.


    Charm- The ability to attract others revealed. Charm will increase the attraction others feel towards you, people will view you in a more favourable light, and are more likely to offer you affection.


    Now those were... amazing. Even if the effect was small, everyone would want them. I had already gained beyond what I could imagine in just this one trip to this strange world. Even if I was to quit now I¡¯d still have benefitted hugely, but why would I, when my cloaked guide was still assisting me?


    There was no change in my Self-Examination, likely it was still too low a Rank to have changed much. As for Self-Examination, Territory...


    Self-Examination, Territory- The ability to assess the Rank of a Territory in comparison to known multiversal scales. Since the Skill has increased in Rank it can provide additional information about the availability, cost and abilities of available Upgrades, yet due to its current low Rank, many Upgrades remain unavailable, or with unknown abilities and Ether costs.


    Now this was another winner. As I concentrated on this ability I could feel a faint trickle of heat leave me, aether expended, and then a list of glowing silver words scrolled down my vision.


    Ether Spire Rank 1: Ether Cost 1500 - not available to construct.


    Barracks Rank 1: Ether Cost 2500 - not available to construct.


    Spawning Spire Rank 1: Ether Cost 1000 - not available to construct.


    ...


    Heroes Rank 1: Ether Cost 50000 - not available to construct.


    A dizzying array of options were presented before me. To think that they were only a fraction of what could be done! It gets my blood boiling with excitement! Concentrating upon one of them at random I brought up further details.


    Spawning Spire Rank 1- This Building allows you to summon up to ten degraded standard troops. Degraded troops are fixed at Level 0 and cannot grow. They can follow simple orders but do not have intelligence of their own. This costs 1000 Ether. You cannot construct this Building, as it requires Territory Rank 1.


    ¡°Wow, just like an RTS. Combining an RTS with an RPG, I guess this is a bit like Warcraft three?¡±


    I¡¯d played a fair few retro RTS¡¯ such as Command and Conquer, Warcraft 3, Total War and so on, and I liked to think I was pretty good at them. My excitement is really reaching maximum levels now. After all, with the benefits I¡¯ve already gained, and the possibility of more... I had to see this through to at least when my guide left, to get the maximum gain. Only then would I make my final decision whether to participate in this struggle to be an Astral Emperor.


    Shit, that was close. If Exposition-san hadn¡¯t said anything, that would have hit me in a vital spot. I wonder if that would count as instant death... I shivered, the confidence I had built up with my zombie-hunting withering.


    Rolling to my feet I took a good look at the foe before me, holding up my iron club in trembling arms. It was a zombie, so that shouldn¡¯t have been a great threat to me, however, this one... the aura it gave off was very different, I could almost see wisps of aether rising from it as it moved. It was a zombie, that was for sure, with pallid dead flesh with a green sheen of grave-mould, pale long tangled hair reaching down to her feet, for it was indeed a female, preserved in death. It wore a ragged white kimono, the hem soiled with grave dirt. One hand clutched a shining steel kitchen knife, the bright metal spotless, reflecting the orange light of the Etherite, its other hand empty, yet tipped with long jagged nails, yellow with crusted filth. The eyes were the most terrifying thing though. Unlike the other zombies, this one almost seemed to have intelligence, a faint glimmer of something lurking in her black eyes.


    ¡°You must be very cautious.¡± Exposition-san said behind me, its tone far more urgent than normal. ¡°This is either an elite zombie, a far cry from the weak ones you have destroyed earlier, or it is a different species altogether. It seems this area has a higher density of ether than your Territory, which gives rise to both Etherite ores, and also more powerful Astral predators. Should it strike you in a fatal area, I will be unable to safeguard you!¡±


    I knew that. The chill I felt when looking into the eyes of this zombie was the chill of death. I wasn¡¯t a hero, and I definitely didn¡¯t want to die. I had too much to live for. My family, Eri-chan... However, I wasn¡¯t dead yet. I¡¯d long since stopped believing this was a dream, it was too long, too consistent and too detailed, but since it wasn¡¯t it was a chance to really better myself, to experience the life I¡¯d always dreamed of, since I was a small child.


    One gamble, that is all it would take. If I don¡¯t get killed instantly, I can always be saved...


    Knuckles whitening around my club as I gripped it tightly, I surged to my feet with a roar. The zombie woman rushed to meet me, knife flashing. I ducked under her first thrust, and swung my club, smashing her in the ribs, knocking her to the side. She retaliated by sweeping out one leg in a flutter of dirt-stained burial clothes, catching me a glancing blow. Even that hurt, but I could bear it. My club lashed out again, catching her arm once more, bending it at an unnatural angle with the snapping of bone. Her other arm swung down, but I managed to dodge the knife once more.


    She let loose a horrible rattling breath from between her teeth, the stench of mould and rot causing me to gag, but I ignored it, pushing forwards, club striking her in the ribs once more, then coming down on the shoulder of her injured arm, pointed end digging in savagely, shattering rotted bone, sending dirty brown blood splashing into the air, sliver mist rising.


    I can do this! I can beat her! My arms were trembling with the strain, but I had disabled one of her limbs and dealt her damage, my experience of combating the other zombies before standing me in good stead. I swung my iron bar once more after digging it free and struck her ribs, cracking bone.


    Suddenly a cold lance pierced through me, a freezing chill swallowing the warmth of my aether. I turned, strength leaving me, to see that the zombie had somehow unhinged its elbow, the arm holding the knife twisting behind me and driving it into my shoulder.


    If that was a few inches higher or lower, either my neck or my heart... I shuddered as the shadow of death loomed over me. I wasn¡¯t sure of just how fragile the Astral body was compared to the Material one, but I doubted taking a knife in any of those areas would be anything less than fatal.


    ¡°I shall remove you to safety back to the Material world...¡± Exposition-san began, but I interrupted with a rasping plea.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I am going to win this fight. My blood was up, adrenaline surging, and despite the fierce flare of pain I felt I could still do it. Flipping the spiked end of my railing towards the zombie, I concentrated, cycling aether. ¡°Weight. Make it heavy!¡±


    With a gasping roar I thrust down with the spike, letting go of it as aether flooded it, growing its weight dramatically. As I did so I turned, grappling the arm that had stabbed me, ignoring the freezing pain of the blade gouging my back and shoulder. The railing plunged down, hammering through the zombie¡¯s hip and embedding through her leg and into the ground, ripping through dead flesh and bone, pinning her in place in a welter of brackish gore.


    The zombie roared again, spitting out a mouthful more of clotted blood. I used all my strength to lever at her broken elbow, forcing her to release her grip on the knife. As soon as she did so, I leapt backwards, reaching up to pull the knife free from my shoulder with a grunt of pain. The blade was still unmarked and pristine, the handle a carved ivory.


    I looked at the zombie woman, who was clawing frantically at her pinned leg with her broken arms, and I felt a brief moment of pity. Still, if she was a zombie then granting her rest and the chance to move on would be the best thing to do. I couldn¡¯t know for sure if she really was the soul of someone who had died unhappily on Earth, or if she was just a mass of ether this world had agglomerated, but either way, this would be a mercy.


    Channelling some aether into my wounded shoulder to drive away the chill, I clenched my fist around the handle of the knife and stepped forwards, dodging her frantic kicks with her free leg. She snapped her head forwards, trying to bite me, but with her restricted reach all she could do was snap at the air in front of me, wailing and howling.


    ¡°Go to your rest.¡± I said, quiet as a sigh, and I thrust the blade forwards, piercing her eye and jabbing up into the brain, dirty gore spraying from the wound. With one final howling wail she disintegrated into a bright cloud of ether, shining like stars in the shadows of the graveyard.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One to Two.

 Seven

    Seven


    As the silvery words formed in my vision, I slumped to the ground in relief. It was a frightening fight, but the heat of the moment had carried me through it. My hand holding the knife, which had survived the death, if that was the right word, of the zombie woman intact, was shaking violently, and I felt drained of all strength.


    ¡°Wow, that was... I don¡¯t know what I was thinking...¡± I scolded myself. I had told myself I didn¡¯t want to risk my life, and then when the time came and my life was definitely on the line, I did the stupid thing and fought. It worked out, and I had even managed to level up again, but if it had gone wrong, just a little differently...


    ¡°You have impressed me.¡± Exposition-san said, standing in front of me. ¡°In extreme circumstances you displayed surprising nerve and combat prowess. If you continue to do so, then a future as an Astral Emperor may not be out of your reach. Perhaps your world can still be saved.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d rather play it safe.¡± I muttered. ¡°I thought I had a chance there, but if I was mistaken... I think the safest way is to build up my power slowly.¡± I pulled myself to my feet and collected the ether the zombie woman had left behind, before taking up the orange Etherite and extracting the ether from that as well. Now the glow around me was very bright, and as the final orbs of ether joined my orbit more silvery letters flared into my vision.


    Your initial Territory Anchor will cost 1000 Ether. You currently possess 1021 Ether. You can construct your Territory Anchor in any Territory you control.


    ¡°I have enough... man that was hard.¡± I let loose a long whistle of exhaustion.


    ¡°It appears as if this was a zombie who was feasting upon others to try and break through its limits. No doubt the high ether density and quantity of Etherite ore is related to that. Should it have continued for longer it could have evolved to a leader class, able to use aether consciously. In that case I fear all that awaited you would have been annihilation. You must strive to quickly grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°I guess luck was on my side then.¡± I said wearily. ¡°Still, relying on luck is not the way to go, as eventually it always runs out. Any gambler knows that, and my life is a bit too much to gamble with. If I decide to continue this fight, I¡¯ll definitely make sure I stack everything in my favour wherever I can. No more leaving things to chance.¡± This reminds me too much of facing that dog when I was younger. I was wounded then too... still, that time I had no choice, or else...


    ¡°Maintaining safely is of course a prudent decision.¡± Exposition-san advised. ¡°However there are times to take risks. For example, those who build up a powerful Territory and let their armies fight for them will be inferior in personal power, while those who neglect their Territory will face other obstacles. Balance is the key.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, risk and reward. I get it.¡± I wrenched the iron railing out of the ground using both arms, as it had really sunk in under the effect of my increased weight attack. ¡°Time to go and place my Anchor... wait a minute...¡± Looking out into the blackness I could see another red glow in the distance. Another Etherite. Now that the elite zombie woman is dealt with, I can hopefully snatch it up for a quick ether boost.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to grab that Etherite quick.¡± I advised Exposition-san. ¡°After all, in an RTS, resources are king.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know.¡± I thought back to what I had accomplished. The strangeness of it all was the clearest thing, as if being conscious in a dream. But the highs of living through my own RPG was something I would probably always remember. Still, the lows were there too, especially the fear of death that pressured me when the zombie woman came so close to stabbing my vital areas. ¡°I think I need to have a think about it when I return to the real... err the Material world. It¡¯s too hard to think here, watching this.¡± Besides, there isn''t just me to consider...


    ¡°I understand. Your body will naturally accumulate aether through your Silver Cord, and after some time you will find yourself able to enter the Boundary again. Use this time wisely, to think and decide. Should you enter once more, I will be gone. However as you have managed to reach beyond your zero status, and consolidate a Territory, you have the basic platform needed for growth, and your potential is only limited by your effort and fortune.¡±


    As the liquid metal glow spread out further I decided to go outside and see if there were any lesser spirits to hunt. Once I left the apartment I could see the walls shimmering with a faint glow. It was quite the eerie yet beautiful sight. Still, there was no time to admire it, as I could feel heat slowly draining from my body.


    ¡°Time to restock.¡± I muttered, leaving the makeshift railing-club lying against the outer wall. I would make do with the kitchen knife I had obtained. Lesser spirits were coming, seemingly drawn to the waves of energy my Territory formation was giving out. Moving towards them quickly, they were helpless as I absorbed their ether, turning it into aether to keep stocked up. Behind me the silvery glow was intensifying, vivid flashes of red, orange and yellow shining out, with rarer ripples of green, blue and purple piercing the darkness. The sense of presence I could feel was growing, my Territory seeming more solid, more real, not only in the Boundary, but inside my mind.


    For hour after hour I fought, draining the lesser spirits that flocked towards my Territory. Luckily there seemed to be no end to them, wave after wave drawn in from the wider area. My arms and legs felt leaden, and the drain of energy was intensifying, a lesser spirit only enough to keep my energy topped up for a few minutes now. I had no way of telling the time other than by checking the progress of my Anchor. Anchor Construction 22/24 Hours.


    ¡°It should not be much longer.¡± Exposition-san said quietly, with a trace of respect in its tone. At least I imagined I could hear such. ¡°If you have any final questions for me, then now is the time to ask.¡±


    ¡°So, there will be others, right? Other candidates to be Astral Emperors, ready to defend the world?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I myself am far from the only one to be sent out to this newly opened world. My eight kin have also come to choose their Candidates, and other camps will likewise be selecting them. They will not be common, but in this nation alone there will be a more than a thousand chosen. Though not all will succeed, and many others will decline the honour. Still, for those that triumph, the benefits in both the Material and the Astral will be legion. Remember that, if naught else from this time. But also beware. Not everyone with the power to save will use it for that purpose. There will be some Candidates who seek ruin, to destroy the world, either because they have joined a faction of wickedness, or simply for the pleasure of it.¡±


    I understood the allure. Even just looking at the bonuses from my statistics alone, if they carried over to the Material world, they would be a huge boon to me. Imagine if one was to gain ten, or twenty, or even more Levels? They would be a superhero in truth. That was before whatever benefits a Territory granted were factored in. It was a tempting forbidden fruit indeed. One could be a hero of great virtue, or a villain of deep depravity. But I couldn¡¯t truly decide what to do right now. I needed to think about it carefully after the adrenaline of this strange experience had died down. ¡®Decide in haste, repent in leisure¡¯ as my mom used to say.


    Turning back to ask another question, I caught a hint of movement from behind another nearby building. There was a flash of light and suddenly I was struck with a flare of cold pain across my cheek. There was a thud, and behind me sticking out of a wooden post was a quivering arrow, the fletching smeared with scattered blood. Staggering backwards I could see a figure lifting up his bow and fitting another arrow to it, but what I could see defied belief. It looked like some sort of giant rodent, some five feet tall, with beady yellow eyes and fur matted with dirt. As it stretched back the bow its tail was lashing around, and its lips curled into a manic grin, exposing curved, jagged teeth.


    With a croaking laugh I could hear even at a distance it loosed an arrow, which flew towards me, metal head glowing in the light of my forming Territory...

 Eight

    Eight


    I immediately responded, concentrating on my aether and shifting the course of the oncoming arrow so that it would miss me. I felt aether flow from me, and then I felt searing cold pain as the arrow impacted low in my chest, hammering into a rib.


    Damn, not fast enough. It seemed my thoughts weren¡¯t quick enough to outpace an arrow. The giant rodent let loose a dirty chuckle and began stringing another shaft. I had to act fast or else I''d be overwhelmed. Moving towards the archer rodent I concentrated aether down to my feet, trying to accelerate. The world seemed to blur and I felt a pain in my legs, matched only by the feeling of aether draining from me. I was then right in the face of the rodent, watching surprise form in its eyes as it tried to raise the bow it held.


    ¡°Too late...¡± I croaked, stabbing down with the kitchen knife in my hand, jamming it into its eye socket and wrenching it about until the rodent fell with a pained grunt. Ether escaped its corpse, quite an amount, more than a standard zombie was giving, and I quickly processed it into aether to stem my losses. The arrow tumbled free as aether expelled it, hitting the ground with a thump.


    As I turned away, exhausted, my heart sank. Two more of the giant rodents were coming from the other direction, and one had picked up the iron fence railing I had left against the wall of my apartment block, and was swinging it with pleased vigour.


    Damn, what a blunder. Glancing down at the bow that remained after the rodent had turned to ether, I briefly considered it before shaking my head. I wasn¡¯t an archer, and my sister had told me how hard it was to accurately hit targets when she was just beginning, so I had no chance.


    Clutching the now bloody knife, I considered my options. I only really needed to hang on until the Anchor was finished, and then hopefully the power of the Territory would be enough to repel them. Still, at the noticeable rate my aether was draining I might not be able to last long enough without defeating a few more for their ether.


    ¡°Take-take him down.¡± One of the large rodents chittered, thrashing his tail impatiently. ¡°A new-new threat to our princess we cannot allow, our troubles are already too great.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, no choice then.¡± I muttered. At least if I wasn¡¯t instantly killed then Exposition-san would step in. I¡¯d have failed at the last hurdle, but at least I¡¯d still have my life. I raced towards the unarmed rodent, spending a little aether to arrive there faster, leaping off the ground.


    The rodent seemed surprised as I came flying down at him, but still managed to dodge the thrust of my knife. I kicked out but his tail slammed into my leg as a counter, numbing it. I barely managed to avoid his jaws as he tried to bite out my throat in return. Backing up I used the extra reach the knife gave me to slash at his arms, until his fur was matted with blood, silver and red steaming.


    The efforts seemed futile, but as the second giant rodent came up behind me and swung down the iron bar I was already moving, ignoring the wrenching pain in my head and the sick feeling in my guts. Sidestepping the blow I watched as it slammed down onto the upraised arms of the other rodent, shattering his already bloodied limbs.


    There was a pained, incoherent scream. ¡°Why-why did you do that?¡± the rodent chittered in agony. Before his companion could answer I had already darted past and slashed out his throat, and he staggered, blood pouring from his slit neck. Grabbing the falling iron railing I swung it, and it connected with the other large rodent''s skull with a satisfying crunch, bending a little. As the rodent fell I thrust down with the knife, piercing flesh. Both rodents flared into a surge of ether and I absorbed it, replenishing my aether supply, the warmth dampening down my nausea.


    ¡°Very clever. You widened your angle of vision so that you could observe the approach of the enemy from behind you and make your move with perfect timing.¡±


    I guess they don¡¯t know I have no idea how to shoot this thing... I dragged out the motion as long as I could and then loosed the arrow, watching in dismay as it went a few yards to the left before hitting the ground. Shit, my sister makes this look so easy.


    At my lame attempt at an attack, the three rodents burst out laughing, the big black one snickering in a very annoying fashion. ¡°Kill-kill him for the princess and our slain-slain brethren.¡± It said, raising one of his clawed hands and licking the talons suggestively. They then charged, coming towards me alarmingly quickly. I hastily loosed another arrow, and this one at least went in the right direction, but it lacked power and was swatted aside.


    If I only have a minute or so left before completion then it doesn¡¯t matter if I run dry of aether and am kicked back to the Material plane. If I stall them enough then I win! it would really gall me to lose now. There had been times I had almost given up, but at the last minute had pulled through, so surely I could do it one last time?


    Concentrating, I released a chunk of the little aether I had left and the arrow that was swatted aside suddenly sprang off the ground and went for the eye of the black-furred rodent. At the last minute it ducked aside so I expended just a bit more and the arrow changed direction once again, plunging into the neck of another behind him. It staggered and fell, gore spilling from its shredded throat. As it died ether spilled out and I quickly absorbed it, straining to pull it in at a distance.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Two to Three.


    A welcome notice scrolled into my vision, but it was not important right now. Taking the last of my aether I concentrated as hard as I could on the image of an explosion throwing back the approaching rodents. The heat within me died down to mere embers, but a roaring burst of pale red flames flared into existence and a wave of explosive force threw them back. It was all sound and fury, my aether too low to make it actually amount to any damage, but they were shaken by the noise and flames, halting for a moment. This gave me time to put another arrow to my bow, pointing it at them with what I hoped was a confident expression. For a long moment there was a stalemate, but then they began to move, splitting up to flank me. I loosed an arrow at the big black-furred one, causing him to duck back, wary of it changing direction once more.


    Dropping the bow from my exhausted hands I channelled the last of my aether at the smaller one, striking his legs with a small explosion, knocking him down. As I did so, the black rodent covered the last of the distance and reached out for me, malice in its beady eyes.


    It was at this moment when there was a blinding flash of prismatic light and a message began to run through my vision, which was already starting to fade. I could feel my consciousness leaving my Astral form, returning down to the Material. As my vision went dark I could faintly see the rodent scuttling backwards, annoyance on its face...


    The Territory Anchor has finished solidifying your grasp on this Territory. Your Territory has reached Rank 1. Basic defence wards have now been established. Due to your ownership level...


    The words faded from my vision. As the last of my vision failed, pitch darkness all I could see, I could hear several sets of words overlapping in my ears.


    ¡°Damn-damn. Another enemy has arrived. The princess will not be pleased, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Well done. This is farewell for now. You will have to forge your own destiny from here, without my assistance. Learn and grow strong, and if you do we shall meet again in the future. Many fall here at the first hurdle, and your hurdle will be towering indeed, but the second is just as high...¡±


    I felt some warmth towards Exposition-san. They had helped me to reach this point, but it was up to me to see how far I could go in the future. With that my consciousness cut off, and I knew no more...

 Nine *Contains Status – Akio 3*

    Nine *Contains Status ¨C Akio 3*


    I opened my eyes, finding myself lying at my work desk in the dark, head resting on my arms. Oh, so it was a dream after all...ouch!


    My thoughts were interrupted by a surge of aches and pains, especially in my shoulder and lower chest. Other places hurt too, but those were the worst agonies. I flicked on my desk light and then looked myself over, and I could see blood on my clothes. Panicked I pulled my t-shirt off to reveal a series of mottled bruises across my flesh, with a series of what looked like bloody bite marks across my shoulder, which were not deep but were tender to the touch. I also had several other cuts and arrays of bruises, overlaying a series of decade-old barely visible scars along my abdomen.


    ¡°Not a dream then...¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°It really happened.¡± Checking the clock next to my work computer I saw it was only just past four in the morning. I guess time really does flow differently in the Boundary.


    Despite the fact I had been unconscious I was feeling bone-weary, so I decided to see if I could sleep for a bit and then I would consider everything that had happened to me overnight under the light of day. As soon as I lay down on my futon I drifted off to sleep, my exhaustion dragging me down.


    ********


    I awoke to light streaming in through the window, the sound of birdsong loud in my ears. Glancing over to the clock at my desk, the time was nearing half past ten. I stifled a yawn and dragged myself up, still feeling a few twinges of intense pain.


    ¡°First thing is first, time for a bath.¡±


    Once I had sluiced off the sweat and blood and soaked my bruises I began to feel a little better. Drying myself off I sat down at my familiar desk and decided that the best way to clear my head was to take a crack at the outstanding work I had left. Once I had done that. I could consider my options carefully.


    For the next few hours I toiled away on my computer, clearing problem after problem. By the time I was done it was nearly six in the evening. Still, I was all finished. Wait a minute, I thought I had a couple of days¡¯ worth of work left, what with those new jobs that came in yesterday. How did I get it all finished, and so easily?


    It seemed that I could think faster and more clearly, easily finding the solution to issues that would have taken some thought before. My hands were faster too, flying over the keyboard and manipulating the mouse with speed and precision. A thought came to mind, one that was impossible to deny.


    This must be the result of status. I did gain several levels, boosting my physical statistics. If this carried over to the real... Material world as well, then every level is precious, making me better at everything!


    In fact, the wounds on my body seemed much improved too, the bruises starting to fade and the cuts and gouges already having scabbed over. Lifting up my computer I tried hoisting it over my head, and found that, while I still got tired, I was definitely stronger and had more endurance than before.


    Another interesting fact was just how easily I had performed the calculations. I had always been good at maths, but the speed of my working out was far faster than I was used to. What with all the data taken together, it was hard to deny that I had definitely gained quite the boost to my attributes.


    I stifled a yawn. I didn¡¯t feel too exhausted, perhaps because this was exciting, but there was no point tiring myself out. The final test would be to try the methods for Astral Projection I had discovered online and see if that managed to raise my aether. I would try the ones that more closely matched what I had been doing and would take it from there.


    Settling down in my chair I closed my eyes and began to imagine drawing energy through my Silver Cord into my Chakras, trying to feel the prickling heat of aether. I continued doing this for quite some time, having little success.


    It was so easy doing it in the Boundary, I guess down here on the Material there isn¡¯t much ether around to convert and draw in...


    Still, I wasn¡¯t ready to give up, and continued to try and draw in ether until sleep took me...


    ********


    I woke up again to the warmth of the early morning sun creeping through my window. Looking at the clock I could see that it was getting on for seven in the morning. I hadn¡¯t slept much but still felt reasonably refreshed. As I stretched I noticed the pain from my bruises had faded away to almost nothing. The benefits of having strengthened my physique, I imagine.


    Today I''ll try a new method to accumulate aether, and also do as much work as possible to... my train of thought was interrupted by the warm prickling of aether within me, concentrated around my lower body. It wasn¡¯t the roaring warmth of my time in the Boundary, but it was definitely noticeable.


    I must have accumulated it overnight. My Cord must pull it in automatically. That was the logical conclusion. Still, what I felt was only a puddle compared to the lake of before. I would persist with the training methods until I found one that worked. Only when I had accumulated enough aether could I finally make the decision as to whether I should continue or not.


    ¡°Back to testing then!¡± I said out loud, slapping my cheeks to motivate myself. I quickly made myself a basic breakfast of cup ramen, the breakfast of the lonely single man, and began to concentrate on my wrist, trying to push the aether there to activate my status.


    It was a strain, the aether not flowing smoothly as it did in the Boundary, rather feeling like trying to push syrup through a straw. I forced my concentration to a fine peak and continued to imagine the flow, concentrating so hard that I could almost feel it, and after what seemed like hours, but was probably no more than twenty or so minutes, I could feel a prickling warmth circulating to my wrist. As it reached there, a dim silver glow leaked out, and words scrolled across my vision.


    It worked! I celebrated what was clear proof that this was actually happening, and I looked at my updated status with great interest.


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might42 46Fortune2Fortitude39 43Majesty1Intellect71 75Charm1Resilience67 71??? Alacrity47 51??? Precision68 72??? Aether89 93??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] White CordRank 2First Node Base ChakraRank 1Crude Aether ManipulationRank 2[Intangible Skills] [Perceptive Skills] Self-ExaminationRank 4Self-Examination, TerritoryRank 3[Level] 1 3[Territory Rank]0 1

 Ten

    Ten


    The first thing I noticed was my Material statistics. They had all gone up by another four, but that was the same as going from zero to one. It looked like Exposition-san was right about that being the biggest jump. Still, four percent of the maximum possible was still quite an increase for the average person, as my physical testing had proved. As expected, the Intangible statistics had not improved either.


    The second was that ¡®First Node¡¯ had changed to ¡®Base Chakra¡¯. I concentrated on this and a description followed.


    Base Chakra- The first Aether centre of the body, connected to the Silver Cord. This has only recently been opened and the efficiency is bad. Can be trained to generate Aether from the surrounding Ether. As the foundation of the Chakra network, if this Chakra node is underdeveloped the rest of the system will be unstable and suffer poor, irregular performance.


    This was interesting. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it really followed the Chakra system I had researched online, or whether it had changed as that was the way I was thinking about it, but the extra information made me believe that there was definitely something deeper to be understood.


    There was also the new skill Crude Aether Manipulation, which was as below.


    Crude Aether Manipulation- A very basic grasp on using Aether to affect the higher realms, with terrible efficiency and weak potency. Easily suppressed by other Territories or strong Aether, and would not be effective in affecting the Material plane.


    That was harsh! Of course my skills weren¡¯t very good, I had only learned a day ago... still, I wondered if that applied both ways, and perhaps my Territory might be able to supress others? In any case, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited as it was time to examine the information on my Territory, I had lost consciousness as it was being updated in the Boundary, so I didn¡¯t manage to catch it.


    Territory Rank - 1.


    Territory Defence - Very Low. Your Territory will absorb Aether slowly from any hostile entities who enter it, increasing in potency as they near the Territory Anchor. A low level Aether barrier is generated around your Territory to defend it.


    Your Territory will draw Ether from the surrounding Astral, stockpiling it, though without suitable storage facilities this Ether may be lost over time. Your Territory also generates a small amount of Aether for you, which is transferred automatically through your Silver Cord/Chakra Network.


    Due to your claim on this Territory in the Material world you suffer a low penalty to your Territory''s abilities, and as you do not have total ownership you cannot synchronise it for greater bonuses. You are unable to affect the Material world with your current levels of ownership.


    You can construct various Buildings to improve your Territory¡¯s performance. You currently have zero facilities constructed.


    That was a lot of useful information. It looked as if it would now be harder for anyone to take my Territory from me due to the barrier, and the gain in ether and aether would be welcome. The most interesting thing was the ability to affect the Material world. I guess that was another reason to have full ownership of the Territory in both worlds. Damn, why wasn¡¯t I born a billionaire?


    No point crying over the impossible, this is still good. Still, despite the benefits I couldn¡¯t neglect what I had to do here. Going to the fridge I pulled out my last bottle of tea and took a swig. I would need to restock my food and drink supplies and then see if I had any more work coming in. If I did I could do that quickly and then concentrate on training my Chakra network.


    It was then my phone rang, which was unusual, as most people just emailed or messaged me. Picking it up I saw the caller ID. Surprised, I opened up my phone. ¡°So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?¡±


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know about that.¡± he sighed again, finishing off his cigarette and pulling another out of a case that was in his inside pocket. Lighting it with shaking hands he took another deep drag, before blowing smoke disconsolately. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand her. She¡¯s in high school, yet she dresses up all flashy-like, and she¡¯s always bleaching her hair and getting fake tans. She looks like a delinquent. There weren¡¯t girls like that in my day, I can assure you that! Why she can¡¯t be a proper lady like her mother was I don¡¯t know...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one of the fashions these days.¡± I ventured. ¡°They change over time. In a few years she¡¯ll be into a different look I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°You may be right.¡± Hashimoto-san said absently. ¡°Sometimes I wish I had a son instead, maybe I¡¯d understand him better. Oh, look at me rambling on, I¡¯m keeping you from your work. I have to go get changed soon anyway. Thanks for your time.¡±


    ¡°No problem. A good day to you Hashimoto-san. Make the most of the visit with your daughter, family is important.¡± I nodded to him and walked up the stairs to my room, shutting the door behind me. The temperature was beginning to build already, so I flipped on the air conditioning unit. It was an old model and a bit loud, but I had no intentions of slaving away in the heat today.


    The first thing I had to do was check my emails, so I switched on my computer. I had received a reply regarding the paid work I had done yesterday, a glowing bit of praise thanking me for getting the work done so speedily, and promising to bear me in mind when further work was needed. They also promised me swift payment, which would be nice. There were a couple of useless spam emails as well, but apart from that, nothing pressing.


    ¡°Oh well...¡± I said, stretching. ¡°I guess I can spend a bit of time trying a few more methods to improve my Chakras. A couple of hours won¡¯t hurt.¡± I gathered the printouts I had made yesterday and studied them, before deciding on a couple of the most promising to try. Settling down into my chair I closed my eyes and began to run through the exercises.


    For a few hours I continued to imagine various means of drawing in ether, with limited success. I could definitely feel the presence of aether, especially in the warmth within my lower body, but actually drawing in ether to convert was too hard. Still, I had only been trying for a scant few hours, so I refused to get downhearted. I had stopped when my email started pinging, so I decided to take a break to clear my head and see what I had received.


    There was a reply from my sister, complaining that I never visit home anymore, which I promptly ignored for now, as we had already had this discussion a couple of days ago. I would reply later. The other was much more interesting, it was from an old colleague and good friend of mine, one who I had worked with back on that software project along with some other freelancers, and had a good time at university hanging out with. It read...


    Word up my man, long time no speak. How¡®ve you been doing? It¡¯s me, Hayato! Just hitting you all up regarding a tasty opportunity I¡¯ve been able to grab hold of. I¡¯ve been employed in the outsourcing department for an up-and-coming new game developer, and shortly there will be a ton of coding, graphic design, 3D modelling and bug finding work available, enough to last us all for a few months. If any of you guys are interested, hit me back as I¡¯d rather give it to old friends I know can do the work than look for some newbies. That sweet yen could all be yours!


    I had to smile. Hayato-san was the real mood-maker of our little group of freelancers, and the one that suggested most of our social events. He was on first name terms with everyone within a week at university, even the more standoffish Hina-chan. In any case, this was a good, well timed offer. I should be able to blitz through work with my new abilities, helping Hayato-san out and making myself money at the same time. I fired off a quick acceptance, asking for as much work as he had going. Once that was done I was pretty much finished until some more work came in, so I decided to get back to training. It¡¯ll annoy Shiro a bit since I asked for it, but obviously her work is last priority...


    ¡°Sometimes I envy those with a steady job...¡± At least they had a regular wage. Still, it would be hard to train if I had to work all the time. Got to look on the bright side, right?


    Relaxing in my chair, I began to carry out the exercises that felt the most promising before, trying to raise my aether levels by dragging in the surrounding ether...


    ********


    The next few days carried on much the same, with me simply meditating to raise my aether levels. I wasn¡¯t having much success, but at least every day I felt more and more aether inside me, probably generated by my Territory. I also received a couple of bits of work while waiting for the tasks from Hayato-san to come through, and finished them in record time. My bank balance was looking a bit healthier at least. I had also made a start on the work for Shiro, modelling several items and writing the supporting code.


    On the fifth day the warmth within me had spread to most of my body, and this time when I tried my aether-building exercises I felt my consciousness start to come loose from my body. Concentrating on that feeling I focused my aether, and with a surge of heat everything went dark, my thoughts receding. Opening my eyes a moment later I found myself once again in the Boundary...

 Eleven

    Eleven


    I was still within my apartment, but now it had changed, appearing much larger, the room extending out to a distance of a dozen metres in every direction. Standing in the centre was a single metal spike, maybe five centimetres thick and two metres tall. It was a silvery metal, yet it glowed with a myriad of rainbow colours, like an oil slick on water.


    This must be my Territory Anchor... Still, it was interesting how the scale of my room had changed. If only I had this much space in the Material world... Looking around a bit more I found quite a pile of ether floating in the air around the room, and quickly gathered it in


    You currently possess 309 Ether.


    ¡°Nice, ether for doing nothing. I guess this is my base resource production, around fifty a day?¡± In any RTS getting resources faster than your opponents was the key to victory, and while I was still not sold on being an Astral Emperor and being embroiled in all sorts of life-threatening battles saving the Earth, I couldn¡¯t be sure my competitors would all be of the same (or even sane) mind, and Exposition-san made it clear there would be others.


    The first thing I needed to do was to narrow down my options in terms of what facilities to construct. My wrist glowed silver as I examined my Territory and checked out what options were available. After some pondering I picked the first four that I felt would give me the maximum gain.


    They were the Ether Spire, Silo, Spawning Spire, and Defensive Emplacement.


    The Ether Spire was a no brainer. Ether Spire Rank 1 ¨C At Your current Territory Rank you may place up to two Ether Spires. These Spires will increase the rate your Territory draws Ether from the higher Astral. If placed in an area of rich Ether the level of gain will be increased. In addition if placed in an area with abundant Elemental, ????? or ????? resources, then some of this will be accrued as well. Cost 1500 Ether.


    It was a shame my skill Rank didn¡¯t appear to be high enough for the full information, but what I could see was enough. The sooner I could build things to increase my ether gain, the sooner I would be able to afford better facilities.


    Silo Rank 1 ¨C This Silo will securely store up to 5000 Ether, protecting it from theft or loss. You may transfer Ether between yourself and this Silo at any time. Additional Annexes can be built to hold special resources. Cost 500 Ether.


    Spawning Spire Rank 1 ¨C This Spire can create up to ten basic-class troops based on those you or your forces have defeated. These troops are a degraded version of their base type, able only to defend themselves, the Territory and follow simple orders. They cannot gain experience and will not rise in Levels. You can currently create lesser spirits, graveyard zombies and weaselkin. Cost 1000 Ether.


    Putting down the branch I focused my aether and using all of my imagination unleashed fire. There was a series of buzzing hisses of flame and chunks of dark wood flew in every direction. Once the chaos had subsided I was pretty tired, so I absorbed yet more of my limited ether stocks. What remained was a six-foot long pole, made of dark wood burned an even darker shade by my flame. I was quite impressed by my workmanship, actually. I guess working on 3d art and design projects helps with this sort of thing.


    The next step was going to be much harder though. Taking up the iron railing I concentrated, this time using pure visualisation rather than converting aether into fire to cut with. I could feel my aether vanishing rapidly, and I expended ether quickly. The drain was still not slowing, so I fed it more and more of my dwindling supply until with a flash the iron bar disintegrated into a series of tough metal threads and a metal pin.


    Next was the knife. I used aether to bore a hole in the handle, as well as a matching hole in the wood. I then used my dregs to merge it all together, the ends of the pin flaring out to hold it in place, reinforced by the metal threads.


    And done, I have a spear. The wickedly sharp blade of the knife was the head, while the haft was the long smooth branch, trimmed into a pole. I took a few test swings and it seemed solid. With that I sat down with a thump, sweat dripping from me and vanishing into the air. As I expected. Certain things seem to have more of a reality than other things, such as the knife, so I can use those to make things that last here...still, it is not cheap to do so...


    You currently possess 21 Ether.


    That had drained an awful lot of ether. And what was worse was that I was pretty low on energy again. Absorbing the last of my stock, I grimaced. Starting from zero again was going to be a pain, but with my weapon I hoped I could make up for the losses quickly.


    In any case there is no penalty for getting kicked out due to lack of aether this time. My Territory should still be here when I charge up enough again. I think I¡¯ll stay away from the graveyard for a while, I¡¯d best not provoke the crows any more than I need to.


    Shouldering my spear I left my Territory, heading in the other direction. As I wound my way down the narrow streets towards the local store, there were a few lesser spirits to plunder, but there wasn¡¯t much else. It was then as I approached an intersection that I saw something. It looked like another zombie, though this one was a bit more hunched over. It was a man dressed in rags with a pale dead face and black eyes. It was rummaging through a dustbin, large hands tipped with long, discoloured nails digging right in. As I approached it, it raised its head, sniffing at the air. Suddenly it turned to face me, mouth gaping open to reveal an array of long fangs, slick and dirty with carrion.


    Moving my spear out in front of me, I took a defensive stance. It knocked aside the bin it was searching and loped towards me, strides long, arms swinging rapidly.


    Damn, this one is fast. It might be an elite zombie like the woman in the graveyard. As it surged closer I dropped low and thrust. My aim wasn¡¯t great but the spear stabbed into one arm, shredding it. The zombie reared back away from the blade, giving me time to strike again, blade punching through flesh and into its guts. Ropey, rotting intestines tumbled out, tripping it, giving me time to pull the blade free and hammer it into the zombie¡¯s face. It let out a final groan and collapsed, sparking into ether.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t as scary as it could have been. I definitely felt better being a couple of metres away from my enemy, rather than right up in its face. However, not having enough aether to use in emergencies is foolish. I had best build up a reserve before I worry about building up my Territory. After all, you only live once, right?

 Twelve

    Twelve


    As I finished the zombie off I could hear faint sounds coming from the next street over. Clutching my spear tightly I advanced around the corner, to be greeted by the sight of another enemy. This one was similar in appearance, and it let out a hungry hiss on seeing me.


    ¡°Time to do this.¡± I hyped myself up. It was unarmed, if one discounted its ragged claws, so I should clearly have the advantage again. As it began to lope towards me, dirty spittle flying from dead lips, I readied myself. Thrusting with the spear, I forced it back, knife-edge gouging along its ribs, spilling dark, rotten blood. The injury did not slow it though, and it came on, heedless of how the blade tore at its innards.


    I guess this is the problem with undead, they don¡¯t care about injury... my fist hammered out, smashing into its jaw, sending it reeling backwards. It was a nice hit, even if I said so myself, especially as I was so unfit normally. The way it reeled back showed I had some decent force behind the blow, even if it was rather off target from where I aimed.


    ¡°No time to admire my skills.¡± I muttered, dragging the spear free and thrusting again. The zombie was impaled clean through the middle. ¡°Got you... uh...¡±


    The zombie ignored the spear jutting from its chest and dragged itself slowly towards me, sliding up the wooden shaft. It was just like a horror movie... which made sense, considering it was a zombie. Letting go with one hand, I used the other to punch the zombie in the head until my fists were sore and it collapsed into a pool of ether. Breathing heavily, I leaned on the shaft of my spear, breathing deeply.


    As I was recovering, another noise behind me made me turn. Yet another zombie was coming fast, arms outstretched, jaws gaping wide. For heaven¡¯s sake, don¡¯t I get any rest?


    After a brief battle I managed to subdue it with the spear, though now all the muscles in my body were aching and burning from the over-exertion. I definitely felt a lot stronger and fitter, but even so my muscles, or at least the Astral representation of them, were still way out of condition. As I was pondering what to do next, my heart sank as this time a pair of the undead were coming towards me through a side alleyway. Handling one at a time was going well, but if one got past my guard while I was dealing with the other one...


    ¡°Shit. I thought I had Fortune on my side, yet my luck still seems bad.¡±


    Running towards them I entered the narrow alleyway, which was full of bags of rubbish and bins awaiting emptying. The scenery was rather depressing for a dream world, looking little different to the Material except for the strange lighting everywhere. There was even a large vending machine just up ahead, lights blinking softly, though a quick glance revealed it was empty, a mere fac?ade.


    The zombies had to bunch up to avoid the obstacles, coming in single file. My spear sang out, and as the zombie was jammed in, my blade pierced deep. Withdrawing and striking again I made quick work of it. As the first zombie fell dying I turned my gaze onto the second, only to scoot back in panic as it leapt up onto a bin and then over its fallen comrade, claws raking down at me. Instinctively I turned the shaft of my spear, blocking the claws, impact sending shocks through my body. Dirty drool splattered on me and my muscles strained as I was pushed back.


    Think. How do I get out of this? No use hoarding ether now... but I don¡¯t want to use too much...


    A memory of when I took on the female zombie in the graveyard came to mind, so despite the horrible outside stimuli of the moment I concentrated on my flow of aether, drawing in some of the ether that orbited me. The mass and hardness of my spear shaft increased, pushing back the zombie. There was a crunching sound as one of its wrists snapped, and I whipped around the spear, which was suddenly lighter again. The knife-head cut deeply, again with accelerated mass, and the zombie''s head rolled free, striking the ground with a thump before bursting into ether-light.


    In relief I slumped down against the bin, barely able to remain upright. My pounding heart slowly stabilised, and I took stock of my combat style. Increasing and decreasing the mass and hardness of an object uses way less aether than creating something such as a weapon or fire, but I still feel I¡¯m wasting loads with my sloppy imaging. It was definitely easier to imagine things here in the Boundary, so feats I could not perform back on the Material were possible, but doing it in battle was tough, dividing my focus, and that let even more aether leak away unspent. The clearer the image the less aether was used too.


    In terms of using the spear, my thrusts were getting better, definitely, but there had to be other ways to use it, such as more blocking with the shaft, or slicing with the knife edge. Practice would no doubt make perfect. As I rested, I could hear more groans coming towards me, coupled with the occasional sound of bins being knocked over.


    Damn it, how many of them are there? I suppose it¡¯s good, as I can get ether from them, but where are they all coming from? This isn¡¯t even a graveyard. It isn¡¯t Resident Evil, damn it! I pulled myself to my feet with a sigh and readied my spear. It was time to make some ether and develop my Territory!


    ********


    I thrust again, blade piercing the foe''s other arm, and with mass enhanced, the blade tore through, leaving it hanging by a thread. Maddened by pain the zombie barely had any intelligence left, and despite its grievous injuries it leapt at me using its one good leg. I ducked away as it careened into the wall, and used that opportunity to drive my spear up into its neck. Blood gouted, sheeting me, and it cried out once more, struggling to turn.


    ¡°Time for you to return to the grave!¡± I roared, using aether to maintain sharpness and increase mass. There was a brutal noise of shattering bone and the blade slipped up into the zombie''s large skull. It sagged, weight dragging the spear from my hands, and then it exploded into a bright shimmering cloud of ether, the most I had seen from a foe by quite some margin.


    You have seized a Rank 0 Territory by defeating the being who controlled it. Due to the distance from your Territory you may not amalgamate it. Since the distance is too far, you can destroy this Territory claim and absorb the Ether that resides within it. This will prevent further enemies from spawning here.


    Welcome words scrolled across my vision. Before I could decide, I had to clean up here though. I took up my spear and finished off the zombie that was trying to free itself from the bin that had slammed into it, and then I dealt with the last few who had arrived at the house. They were all milling around aimlessly, and offered little resistance as I put them down, turning them to ether.


    I¡¯ll take the ether. Consolidating what I have at the moment makes the most sense, I can worry about farming spots later. As soon as I thought this, there was a flash of silver light and the Territory of the zombie collapsed, flooding me with ether. With a final investigation of the area, I also found several red Etherite ores hidden amongst the debris, small but shining a pure red.


    I picked them up and considered how much ether I now had. While it was tempting to keep them, if I broke them down for ether I could set up both Ether Spires, and long-term that would benefit me more. Spend a little now to make a lot later. There''s only one real choice.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Four to Five.


    Another level up. I guess beating that huge zombie then destroying the Territory gained me a ton of experience. It had been quite a good day... if I discounted the many times I could have died, of course.


    ¡°Oh well, no point on dwelling on what is done, it is time to get building!¡±


    *****************


    When I returned to my Territory, I checked my stock of ether. It was nicely high. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle over how hard I struggled to make the thousand ether to set up my Anchor, when now I had over three times that. The zombies gave ample ether, to say nothing of the boss zombie and his Territory, plus those Etherites.


    It was time to begin. I trickled aether into my Territory Anchor and ordered construction. Silvery words confirmed my choices, as the surrounding ether was drawn in to begin the process.


    You have begun construction of an Ether Spire, an Ether Spire and a Silo. At your current Territory Level you can only construct or upgrade one Building at a time. It will take one Astral day to construct each building. You can spend further Ether to expedite this process. Ether Spire Construction 0/24 Hours


    ¡°Oh great, now we have micro-transactions and pay-to-win too.¡± I snorted. Still, this was just another indicator of why ether remained a currency in the Astral even at the higher levels. If it was like those mobile freemium games, construction and upgrade times at higher levels would be very long and require huge amounts of ether to speed up. Not that I would have to worry about that yet. I''m still very firmly in the newbie phase.


    A rainbow glow was spreading from my Anchor, starting to slowly coalesce into the shape of a tall, narrow needle. Since it would take three Astral days, so seventy-two Astral hours, to finish all my construction, I had to decide what to do now. I quickly decided against going out to gather more ether. Instead, I would use this time to hone my fundamentals. I didn¡¯t want to be in such a risky position again, if I was to fight such monsters I would need real skills backing me up.


    It was easier to visualise here, as opposed to the Material, so I would practice my Chakra-raising techniques until my aether ran out and I was returned to the Material world...

 Thirteen

    Thirteen


    I opened my eyes to the early dawn light streaming through my window. The ache of fading bruises stung a bit, but it was less painful than the last time. If anything I was more mentally tired than anything, as I had been practicing my Chakra training for well over a dozen hours straight in the Boundary. Unfortunately I had still not managed to make a breakthrough in terms of my Chakra nodes, however I felt that I could possibly see how a breakthrough could be made.


    After doing a few stretches to loosen up my stiff muscles, I went to my computer. I didn¡¯t feel fully rested, due to my long and action-packed trials in the Boundary overnight, but I could always grab a quick nap later. For now I needed to get things set in motion.


    While I could feel myself being a lot stronger and faster, it was obvious to me that this was purely down to the power I had gained from levelling up. It wasn¡¯t actual muscle strength or training. If I was to do something about that, then I thought my performance would likely improve. Running a few internet searches on spear martial arts such as So?jutsu, I turned up some interesting articles on using the spear in Chinese Bajiquan, as well as some schools of So?jutsu such as Fuden Ryu and Saburi Ryu. There were also some western spear techniques, although most of those were more skewed to fighting in an infantry unit.


    I continued to search, finding out information on which muscle groups were used in higher level spear combat, and then further searches were done on how to best train them. Several hours later I was on Amazon.jp looking at a shopping cart filled with weights and other muscle training equipment. The price was making me sad, though.


    Am I sure I really want to do this? All this stuff is expensive, and while I can afford it due to all the extra work I¡¯ve done recently, and the promise of more work to come through my old colleague, it will wipe out my extra earnings. Besides, I¡¯ve never been a fan of sport and physical activities... it wasn¡¯t that I hated sport, not really, I was just far more talented at artistic and intellectual endeavours. The fact that at our yearly town baseball matches, when I had been forced to participate I had sucked badly and been mocked for days afterwards each time, didn¡¯t help my liking any... My sister got all the energy and sporting talent in the family. Now if my sis had been the one chosen, she would have kicked that zombie''s ass without any problems. Give her a bow and she¡¯d have put an arrow through its head in a heartbeat...


    ¡°Oh to hell with it. I can always give the gear to her if I end up not using it.¡± With that I clicked on accept, and the order was placed for next-day delivery. It had been a very extraordinary week, equal parts exciting and terrifying. Still, I had the soul of an otaku, so I couldn¡¯t deny that being one of the chosen ones and battling for power to save the world appealed to me. If I was to decline, I would likely only end up regretting it later, especially if some of the other chosen ones turned out to be terrible people, greedy for power. If one of them ended up hurting my family, or Eri-chan, and I had the chance to stop them but didn¡¯t take it... I shook my head, clearing those gloomy thoughts.


    No, the safest course of action is to gather what power I can myself, and make all efforts to avoid getting myself hurt, or God forbid, killed! To that end, it is time to bulk up and turn into a pro athlete! Won¡¯t everyone be surprised when I next see my family?


    Next up was my emails, and there was one from Hayato-san, with a schedule of expected delivery of the upcoming work he was outsourcing. It looked like a ton of debugging was going to be available in the next couple of days, so I could certainly start making headway on that, while Hina-chan and the others cracked on with the 3D modelling and background touch-ups. There were a few other emails of some importance, but nothing else I needed to deal with today.


    Since I was free and my gym equipment hadn¡¯t arrived I moved on to the next stage of my levelling up plan. Visualisation seemed to be the key to using both aether and the Chakra network, so I would search online for the best methods. I had quite a visual mind, being artistic and into design, so I was confident that with the right method I could make headway on my difficulties opening the Chakra nodes.


    It didn¡¯t take too long to find a few usable ideas for increasing visualisation prowess online, and I quickly began to practice them. The one that I found the easiest was looking at an object, and then trying to remember and manipulate the image in my mind. This was probably due to my 3D work, which required good spatial awareness. As I continued with this for several hours I felt a slight prickling heat forming in the base of my body, faint but noticeable.


    Once this feeling was fully ingrained in me I returned to my methods of trying to stimulate the Chakras. It was definitely easier to imagine and feel the flow, prickling heat building, but it was still like trying to push syrup through a straw. I could definitely feel the heat building a little, a tiny few prickles even flowing higher up my body. Wiping sweat from my brow I opened my eyes and went to the fridge to get a drink.


    ¡°This is pretty hard. I guess those who had their nodes forcibly opened would not have to go through this, but if they have no room to grow then eventually I¡¯d surpass them if I train enough...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the shy one. How unexpected.¡± she giggled, amused by my behaviour. I moved over to her and leaned against the wall, taking a sip of the beer. It was refreshing and cold, just what I had needed.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the cause of this impromptu party?¡± I asked, taking another gulp of beer.


    ¡°Oh, work troubles. Man troubles. Just trouble.¡± She said with a sigh, lighting up another cigarette. ¡°My boss at work... he¡¯s really been chewing us all out recently, and it¡¯s starting to stress me out. It¡¯s hardly our fault he¡¯s going bald and getting divorced.¡± she said with some venom, clearly angry. ¡°Does he think I really want to be working at his dead-end company at my time of life? It¡¯s hardly going to help me land a man is it?¡± She chased her cigarrete with more beer and let out a rather unladylike belch. ¡°Excuse me. Anyway, my boss said...¡±


    I listened to her for a while, nodding sympathetically when required. Before I knew it I had polished off a couple of beers and she was still going.


    ¡°Let me tell you, having a good job is the foundation of happiness. If you have a terrible boss and crummy co-workers, then every day is miserable.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a freelancer myself for now.¡± I answered her. ¡°But I¡¯m building up a client base, so hopefully soon I can get steady employment.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you do. Nothing is sadder than being stuck in a dead-end job. Well, other than being single. Where have all the good men gone?¡±


    This was a dangerous subject, so I thought I¡¯d change it. ¡°Hashimoto-san from a couple of rooms over was having trouble as well. Daughter troubles, I think he said. I guess we all have problems.¡±


    ¡°Hashimoto-san huh?¡± Watanabe-chan snorted. ¡°He¡¯s a deadbeat as far as I can tell, no wonder his daughter is ashamed of him. Still, even he must have had a wife at one point... why is it so hard...?¡±


    I listened to Watanabe for another hour or so as she unloaded. In the end I bade her farewell with the promise of repaying her for the drinks at some point in the future. Hopefully that won¡¯t involve too much trouble. If I have to take her out to a pub she¡¯d eat me alive. She was looking pretty hungry at the end there...


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    I shuddered involuntarily at the thought. There was nothing really wrong with Watanabe-chan, even if she was quite a bit older than me. She wasn¡¯t unpleasant to look at or anything like that, and her boobs were decently sized, from what I could tell, but she seemed pretty needy. Although that could just be the booze talking, I guess. It seemed that everyone in this building had their own problems. Mine were still definitely the strangest though!


    Since it wasn¡¯t yet time for bed I grabbed a bite to eat and started working through my mental exercises. Tomorrow when my new equipment arrived I would be ready to really start working out!

 Fourteen

    Fourteen


    The next morning I woke to find my lower body prickling with the energy of aether. The flow was not strong, but I could definitely detect it, and it was spreading throughout me, up to my lower chest. It was a bit like feeling pins and needles, just without that unpleasant sensation, instead it was warm and somehow relaxing.


    ¡°I guess the training might be having an effect, that or my Territory is funnelling me more aether.¡± I muttered, before grabbing a rice ball from the fridge for breakfast. My muscles ached a bit from yesterday¡¯s jogging, but it was not unbearable. Starting the day with exercises in visualisation and then aether manipulation and trying to feel my Chakras, I passed a quick couple of hours. It was hard to be certain, but it did seem to me that the warm flow of energy was moving just a little better when I visualised it, as opposed to leaving it be.


    Once this was done I scanned my emails, and was pleased to see the first order of work had arrived from Hayato-san. It was a huge pile of debugging and event testing, probably enough to last me a solid month or two, normally. I briefly regretted asking for as much as he could give, but I needed the money, and hopefully with my newly earned Astral empowerment I could whizz through it. There was no time like the present, so I figured I might as well start. Opening up the first of the documents and the debugger, I began to scan it quickly.


    Several more hours passed as I worked, only pausing to take a few swigs of iced tea every now and then. It was progressing very well, time that I would ordinarily have taken to check terminologies and research libraries unnecessary, as my memory seemed almost effortlessly sharp. My hands flew over the keys, brain working quickly, and I estimated I had done well over a solid days'' work already, and to a high standard at that. As I was about to move to another file the doorbell rang.


    Opening my door I found it was the courier delivering my fitness gear from Amazon.jp. After exchanging a few pleasantries I moved it into my room, taking up an annoyingly large amount of my scant floor space. Once everything was unpacked, I decided I¡¯d do a bit more work on my assignment, as seeing it made my heart twinge at the amount I had spent.


    I squeezed out another few hours of extremely fast work before I started feeling mentally exhausted. I¡¯d probably done a solid eighteen to twenty hours of work at my prior pace in just under six hours. At that rate if I had enough work coming in I could actually earn a decent living... and would it increase further as I gathered more level-ups to buff my stats? There would have to be an upper limit though, in terms of how fast the computer itself can be used. I wonder just how far I can push it. Fourfold the speed, fivefold?Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com


    In any case, it was time to have a quick meal and then try out my new equipment. As I started boiling water for a cup ramen, I had another thought. Wasn¡¯t it important to eat the right sorts of food to improve muscles when working out? Damn, I bet the proper food is expensive too...


    With a shrug I figured I could worry about that later. I¡¯d test out the equipment first and see how well I could do. At first things went very smoothly, so I had to increase the weights to a bit past the beginner level. Even this didn¡¯t strain me too badly so I increased it a bit further. After an hour or so I was drenched with sweat, my muscles burning, protesting at my hubris.


    ¡°Damn, this is harder than I thought.¡± I gasped, setting down the dumbbells I was using. Though if you looked back at the me of a week ago I doubt I¡¯d have been able to last five minutes with such hard training.


    I couldn¡¯t face doing any more work for the day, so I decided to continue with my Chakra visualisations. Settling down into my chair I closed my eyes and revelled in the absence of strenuous exercise. After several hours, I had again made little progress, not sure if it was merely my imagination whether the flow of heat was increasing or not. As I was just finishing up I felt a little popping deep inside of me. I paused for a second, but couldn¡¯t notice any immediate difference.


    Oh well, I probably just imagined it. Yawning I headed to bed. It had been quite a productive day, yet also a tiring one.


    Checking my store of ether I was impressed to find it was a bit over a thousand. It seemed that the Ether Spires really did increase what ether I could gain. I immediately invested it in the Spawning Spire Rank 1, which began to build. I did notice that I had a new option available to me as well, Ghouls. I¡¯m guessing that they must have been the zombies I killed the other day then...


    Picking up my spear, which had remained with me in my Territory, I exited my apartment and climbed up to the roof. My Territory extended outwards for a hundred metres, only broken up by the buildings within it and the land surrounding them, which had not been made mine. ¡°First thing¡¯s first. I want to consolidate all of the buildings within my Territory under my control. It seems a bit risky to have gaps like that. Who knows what trouble it could cause?¡±


    Spear in hand I crossed over to the neighbouring building. It didn¡¯t feel like it was a Territory, but there was some resistance to my control. I booted open one of the doors and entered, only to find myself tanged in sticky spider webs. It was rather unpleasant. Cutting through it with the sharp knife-blade of my spear I continued in, eyes adjusting to the gloom only lit by the strange dark unlight that pervaded everywhere in the Boundary. Swarms of fist-sized spiders scuttled out of one corner, making me shiver.


    Damn, I hate spiders. Still, better them than dogs...


    On the large web opposite was a spider of sickening scale, the size of a small pony. Compound eyes gazed at me emotionlessly, and it let out a long hiss. Several smaller spiders came out from the shadows, still large but only the size of cats.


    I should have saved this one until later. Readying my spear I leapt to the side as the larger spider reared upwards on its hind legs and unleashed a gobbet of green venom. It sailed past me, sprinkles of it catching me and burning with a stinging pain. Behind me the wall was dissolving, acrid smoke rising.


    Remaining at a distance suddenly seemed a bad idea. Rushing in I stabbed my spear at one of the smaller spiders, impaling it. Legs twitching in its death throes, poisonous liquid seeped out, causing me to gag. The second smaller spider tried to bite me but I pivoted away and brought my foot down hard on its back, shattering its body into hideous goo.


    The larger spider was coming for me, scuttling across ceiling webs angrily, spitting more poison. Smaller spiders were accompanying it, also firing small drops of acrid venom. I defended with my spear and dodged the best I could but it was impossible to avoid them all and I was taking damage, my body going slightly numb, warmth within diminishing.


    ¡°Screw this!¡± I declared, channelling aether. At my will flame erupted, and the webs around me all caught fire. The shrill squealing of spiders surrounded me, as the fist-sized ones dropped to the floor, smouldering. Thick smoke filled the air and the large spider leapt at me, back legs on fire. It was fortunate I was already moving away from it, as it hit the ground in a squeal of snapping chitin, in range of my spear...


    One thrust and it was done, the spider dying under my blow and turning to ether. The last of the webs had burned away, so I staggered out of the room, coughing out dark smoke and nursing some light burns. My Territory had not quite swallowed up the building I had entered but it was now closing in against the walls. Judging by that, I guessed there were still other foes remaining inside.


    Just hopefully not more spiders. While they hadn¡¯t proved that hard to defeat, they were adept at causing mental damage, if nothing else. Besides, getting hit by a big glob of venom seemed a terrible plan as well. Steeling myself, I moved over to another door and kicked it open, spear at the ready once more...

 Fifteen

    Fifteen


    The inside of this room was filled with dog-sized cockroaches. I nearly vomited at the sight of them, barely managing to swallow down the acrid bile that rose up my throat. They were all black chitin and wavy feelers, and were totally disgusting. I¡¯d almost rather have the spiders...


    As they rushed me I hefted the spear and thrust, feeling hard shells give under the strike. Foul guts gushed everywhere, and as I swung and slashed, the air soon became unbearable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how good cockroaches may turn out to be in combat...¡± I muttered, almost choking on the stench. ¡°I¡¯ll not be having any spawned in my Territory!¡±


    With that I let out another cry and attacked once more, my spear dancing until my arms were leaden and the floor was covered in broken bodies. Each was worth little ether, only a bit more than draining lesser spirits, but they came in numbers. Fortunately, despite being vastly outnumbered, I had triumphed again. I repeated this process several more times in other rooms, coming across various other nasty insect monsters. The only time I was genuinely in danger was when a several-metre-long centipede dropped down from the ceiling and nearly ensnared me, but luckily I managed to spear its head quite quickly. Once I had cleared the last room I felt a surge of ether, at least several hundred points'' worth, and my Territory swelled, swallowing the building.


    So it¡¯s just as I thought. None of these are strong enough to form an actual Territory, but it is just like when I captured my own apartment building, I need to clear out the enemies within first...


    I moved to another building and proceeded to deal with everything inside. This one had a lot of lesser spirits, in addition to more insects. At the centre of the building in the superintendent¡¯s office there was another large spider, but again I dealt with it by torching the webs with a blast of aether. The building became mine and now there was only a couple left within my Territory that I needed to claim. One was a smaller building, a two-story single house rather than one of the many apartment blocks that filled the area. The other was another three story block like mine was. I decided to take the smaller one first.


    Moving to the front door I again kicked it open, only to be met with the barking of dogs and a volley of small steel-tipped darts flying at me. Swinging up my spear I deflected the ones headed towards my face with the shaft of my spear and dodged others, but several struck me, inflicting minor pain. Backing off I dodged another volley, darts hammering into the door and wall in front of me.


    ¡°Out, out!¡± someone barked. ¡°This is our hideaway. Safe here. Get out, get out!¡±


    This was followed by another volley of the darts. I swept them aside with my spear quite easily though. I supposed if they hit me in the eye or throat I might take some serious damage, but other than that they were only really a nuisance. I took a few steps inside and deflected more attacks, only to see a group of small dog-faced humanoids huddling in the corners of the room, piles of the small darts at their feet. The largest of them was about four feet tall, with a black dog-face and huge floppy ears. In its hand it clutched a crude pickaxe, the metal rusted and pitted with dirt. Okay... not a fan of dogs, but these guys don¡¯t feel threatening. I can deal...


    ¡°I told you to stay out, out!¡± it barked, hefting the pickaxe in the most aggressive manner it could muster. ¡°This is our place. Safe here from the other Seelie and the bad things. Go away, before we fight you, fight you!¡±


    Behind him the other dog-faced creatures started to bark and growl threateningly, but it came off as rather pitiful. This was really starting to sour my mood. Compared to the ghouls or weaselkin I had fought before these were... pretty weak, and could even be considered cute in a good light. More to the point, they can communicate and are clearly afraid. It really feels like I¡¯m bullying them. I¡¯m all for hunting monsters like the undead, and the weaselkin came for me first... but here...


    Lowering my spear I let out a long sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to fight you, but this building is within my Territory, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s safe for me to leave it unoccupied here. I can let you leave, it isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°Not leaving, our place. Safe here, not safe out there. Bad things like dead walking and night hunters kill kobolds. Seelie not protect us, just use us like slaves. Stay here and be safe. You go, you go!¡± snapped the biggest... kobold... I guess.


    I pondered as they readied another volley of darts. Making sure I made no threatening moves I spoke again. ¡°Well, how about you stay here but agree that this is still part of my Territory? You can... pay rent, I guess?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if what I was suggesting was possible, but having read the description of the Barracks it should have been.


    ¡°Not slaves, not for you. You leave now! Last warning!¡± he barked at me, the others nodding and growling furiously.


    ¡°As you can see, this is our Territory now. I just have to capture that last building and we will have consolidated the whole area. Feel free to go everywhere you like except for in there.¡± I pointed to my room. ¡°That¡¯s my headquarters so I need to keep it clear so I can build things. If you have a pressing need to go there just ask first, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we get it, we get it.¡± The miner barked.


    ¡°If you are happy with your Den in that building then we have no problems. I would suggest you look for a site for a Mine though, we would be much better off if you could find a good place for one.¡±


    At that the kobolds paused. ¡°Not working as mine slaves, no slaves!¡± the miner said with a wary growl.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I laughed lightly. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to keep a fair chunk of what you mine in the Territory. I¡¯ll need some, especially the ether and the Etherites, so we can build more facilities, but as for the gems and metals, you can keep a good amount, I¡¯ll only take what I need. Sound fair?¡±


    There was a long pause and the kobolds nodded, yapping excitedly. I spent another few hours showing the kobolds around and discussing our plans going forwards.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve agreed with all that you guys can relax. I¡¯m going to secure the last building, all right?¡±


    The kobolds agreed, returning to their Den, while I approached the last building. Once I had captured this, I felt I would have achieved most of what I had planned for this venture to the Boundary. Breaking through the first door, I prepared for battle...


    ********


    It took me a fair while to clear most of the rooms, as they were full of nasty bugs again, ranging from spiders and crickets up to more massive centipedes. They were not really a match for me with my spear though, although I shuddered to think of how unpleasant it would be having to take them on hand-to-hand. Since I had the clear advantage I took my time taking them out, practicing how to use the spear. It was too early to see the fruits of my muscle training, but I definitely felt a bit sharper in battle.


    As I prepared to enter the next room an announcement scrolled across my eyes. The Rank 1 Spawning Spire had finished construction. Checking out my list of options that I could summon, I decided to queue it to spawn degraded weaselkin, as they had given me the most trouble myself. I decided to set it to spawn them from my incoming supply of ether rather than from what I was holding, as I had almost accumulated enough for the Defensive Emplacement, which would finish off my first round of construction.


    These small buildings don¡¯t give anywhere near as much ether as the ghouls'' Territory did when I capture them, probably because they are not an actual Territory, rather just an occupied area, but even so, with the large number of insects filling them, even a bit of ether for each one quickly adds up.


    As I stormed the next room, spear stabbing out into the chitinous belly of a massive grasshopper, which fell with a squeal, I considered my next move. It might be prudent to try spending ether on upgrading the Ether Spires to Rank two, despite the large cost, as the sooner they are upgraded, the sooner they would start paying for themselves...


    Lost in thought I massacred the inhabitants of the building until it finally became mine, cleared out entirely. With that, the whole area was my Territory. My ether supply had also just reached a level where I could afford the fifteen hundred ether for the Defensive Emplacement. Heading to my room, I started construction, which would take two Astral days to complete. I set the construction point as the roof of my building, so that it would have a good field of view to attack intruders. My Territory was now generating more ether, even accounting for the drain of creating degraded weaselkin, as since I now occupied the full hundred-metre radius around my Anchor, the base generation was significantly higher than when it first started.


    Now that I had achieved my goals (and my stock of aether was starting to deplete at an accelerating, rapid rate as time passed) I decided to spend my remaining time practicing my Chakra exercises while I could take advantage of the easier visualisation and aether flow here. I continued for a couple more hours, until my aether ran dry and I opened my eyes back in the Material world...

 Sixteen

    Sixteen


    My daily routine was pretty much the same as always. When I woke up I would do some quick Chakra exercises, and then I would go for a jog and work my muscles with my gym gear. I would then do around three or four hours of debugging and coding (and sometimes a little bit of work for Shiro as a change of pace) and then there was more Chakra and physical exercises. This continued for a couple of days. By the morning of the third day after my training my body was quite full of the prickling heat of aether. It was definitely building up faster, and I could feel it pooling in three distinct places now.


    I¡¯m guessing those are the base Chakra, sacral Chakra and solar plexus Chakra if I go by the most comprehensive guide I¡¯ve managed to find...


    I probably contained enough aether to re-enter the Boundary, but that could wait until tonight. At least with all my training, I had managed to shorten the time it took to accumulate aether from five days to three, even if what I accumulated was barely a third of what Exposition-san had provided that first time. Still, with my Ether Spires working away providing ether, I should have managed to summon a stack of degraded weaselkin, so I could start a larger hunt to accelerate my ether gain and maybe think about adding more facilities or upgrading some to Rank 2. The RTS gamer in me was salivating at the thought of what I could potentially do to grow my Territory and secure more resources.


    ¡°But before that...¡± I said, stretching. ¡°Can¡¯t neglect the other things I have to do.¡± I did my morning physical workout, using slightly heavier weights and more repetitions than yesterday. I was definitely seeing gains.


    Taking a drink from the fridge, I wiped sweat from my brow. I had to give jogging a miss today as it was raining, but it was still warm. It would be summer break for the schools at the end of the week, and no doubt the temperature would really spike up by then, as usual. Looking up some quick data online about some usual gym routines, I could see I was already doing above the average, even if my focus was a little different, on the more combat-oriented muscles.


    ¡°I wonder... maybe I should try some spear training here in the Material?¡± I did a quick few searches online for suitable practice spears, and there were indeed some available, but they were... pricey, to say the least.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m


    ¡°Damn, I know I¡¯ll be earning with the project for Hayato-san, but what with my spending already on the gym gear...¡± That reminded me of something. One of the key ways to grow my Territory was to gain ownership of the land itself in the Material. Another quick search and I had seen the average prices of a block of apartments of similar size to the one I was in, and I nearly passed out from the shock.


    ¡°So many zeroes...¡± I muttered. There was just no way I could ever hope to earn such a sum of money with my freelance wages. Even if I had a top job at a gaming company or some troubleshooting firm it would still be well outside of my grasp.


    ¡°But I do so want to make my Territory as good as it can be... and having it affect the Material world as well, that would be awesome...¡± My abilities had all gone up, which had massively increased my work rate, but it didn¡¯t increase my earning potential by nearly enough if that was my goal. If all I wanted was to live normally, then yes, I could do it well, but I dreamed bigger dreams...


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to put some more thought into how I can leverage my talents and Territory to make some serious money. Oh well, in any case, it¡¯s time to earn money the old-fashioned way.¡±


    With that I began to work on my debugging, putting aside thoughts of being a multi-billionaire. By the time I was done, it was early evening. Something had been bothering me, something intangible but irritating, as though a thorn was digging into my skin somewhere. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but something was definitely bugging me.


    To shake off the feeling I decided to have a few cold beers. The weather is good, what could it hurt? Out on his balcony Hashimoto-san was already there, smoking one cigarrete after another. His face was pale, and his eyes were dark with exhaustion and fatigue. When he saw me he nodded in greeting. ¡°Oshiro-san. Good evening.¡±


    ¡°And a good evening to you, Hashimoto-san. Can I interest you in a cold beer?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can be persuaded.¡± he agreed quickly. I walked over and snapped a can out of the ring-pull and handed it to him. Opening my own I took a refreshing swig of the icy-cold beer and sighed in contentment.


    Closing my eyes I began to work on my Chakra nodes, figuring it may have something to do with them, especially as the feeling started down at my base Chakra. Energy flowed into me slowly, but this only intensified the feeling of discomfort, my head aching fiercely.


    ¡°Well, this confirms my hypothesis.¡± I muttered, voice thick. My vision was starting to blur, silver spots crossing my vision. It was almost as if... Hmm, this seems a bit like when words enter my vision in the Boundary. Making up my mind I began to concentrate on entering the Boundary once more. It was difficult to think through the painful fog in my head, but as I pulled in more ether and converted it to the needed aether my consciousness began to blur, and within a few moments my mind shifted...


    Opening my eyes inside my Territory in the Astral I was greeted with a blaze of bright letters across my vision.


    Your Territory is under attack. Immediate response is recommended. The strength of the defensive barrier is currently at forty-six percent. If the barrier is breached, then enemies will be able to enter your Territory and deal damage to the Buildings within. Buildings damaged in this way may be repaired with Ether, but fully destroyed Buildings will require reconstruction.


    All degraded forces are engaged in automatic defence. A rallying call has automatically been issued to your troops.


    This was serious! If I lost my Territory after all the effort I had taken to establish it, I would be extremely annoyed. Grabbing my spear from beside me I noticed another series of messages scrolling across my vision, explaining the gains and losses of my ether...


    An additional degraded weaselkin has been spawned at the cost of 30 Ether.


    Your Defensive Emplacement has unleashed a bolt of defensive Aether at the cost of 40 Ether.


    Your Territory has drawn Ether and Aether from the attackers and replenished 31 Ether.


    Your defensive barrier has been damaged and is now at forty-four percent.


    Your...


    In addition, when I checked the actual amount of ether I had in the Silo, it was changing regularly as well, dropping up and down. There was still more than I had expected, but I didn¡¯t have enough to feel complacent.


    Wow, how unfair. My Territory can be attacked even when I¡¯m not here. That makes things difficult.


    The first thing I needed to do was to get a handle on the situation. If the defensive barrier was holding, it would mean the battle should be taking place somewhere outside of this warehouse-like room, as the barrier was centred on my Territory Anchor and spread towards my borders. Steeling myself, I rushed towards the door and flung it open, stepping out into what could only be described as... pandemonium!

 Seventeen

    Seventeen


    My Territory was overrun with weaselkin, who were involved in a series of running battles with my own degraded weaselkin. The true weaselkin clearly had the advantage in terms of intelligence, but they were hampered by the defences of my Territory, ether and aether being drained from them, rising as silvery wisps into the sky, the fading strength of my Territory barrier keeping them scattered and away from anything crucial. As I watched this for a few moments a silver bolt of force discharged from above, streaking past me and hammering into one of the enemy weasels, exploding it into a cloud of ether which my Territory quickly drew in. As that weaselkin died its companion was suddenly barraged with a volley of small throwing darts, and as it staggered two of my own mindless weaselkin engaged it, dragging it down and finishing it off.


    Looking up on the roof I could see my Defensive Emplacement, a glowing orb of crystal floating on a metre-high platform. It was cycling up for another shot, gathering and converting ether. Thank the Gods I had the foresight to build defences. I guess all my hours of RTS play paid off. Turtling for the win!


    As I watched one of my kobolds ran up to me, panting in a rather adorable fashion, tongue hanging out. ¡°It¡¯s the Seelie, the bad ones! They come to enslave us again, again! Two of us already died, dead. Watch out for the big one, it strikes from afar, it does!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that some of you died. I¡¯ll do my best to protect the rest of you. Just stay back and throw your darts from a distance like you¡¯ve been doing. I¡¯ll back up our own weasels.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe, be safe!¡± the lead kobold, the miner said, as he clutched his pickaxe nervously. ¡°The Seelie are terrible, they¡¯ll show no mercy, no mercy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± I smiled as I grabbed my spear and leapt into the fray. My target was a large black-furred weaselkin who had just battered down one of my own weasels with a crude wooden club that looked as it if was just a torn-up tree root. Landing in front of it I thrust my spear out, draining a little aether to increase the mass. It barely managed to get its club in the way of my thrust, but the spear pierced through and tore into its arm, causing it to gape in pain, a long hiss leaking from it.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t have you invading my Territory and killing my precious subordinates.¡± I growled, feeling surprisingly aggressive. I kicked out, aether adding weight to my blows, sending my foe backwards. My spear tore free with a welter of gore, and with another quick stab I drove it backwards. As I did so another bolt of aether sped past me, sending another weaselkin flying like a ragdoll, tumbling to the ground where the kobolds surrounded it, hacking down with pickaxe and salvaged weaponry until it burst apart in a shower of gore and ether.


    Not wanting to be outdone I swung my spear like a club, driving back my foe, and as it backed up I had enough reach for a thrust once more, and my knife-head spear-point tore through its throat with extra weight and sharpness. It burst into ether with one final growl, and before my Silo could absorb it I converted it to aether, strengthening my dwindling supply.


    This is no time to be frugal. I can handle this invasion and worry about how much ether I have left later.


    Caught up in the battle I rushed to support my own beleaguered weasels and quickly made a couple of kills. Three degraded weaselkin had joined up with me at this point, one of which was armed with the damaged club from earlier. Moving as a group I directed them to support me and we quickly took down several more enemies, with my Defensive Emplacement managing to also score another couple of kills.


    ¡°This is going great.¡± I exulted as we engaged and drove back another black-furred foe. It really is advantageous defending a Territory and having troops. It¡¯s a bit of a pain having to direct them, but if they were from a Barracks it would be easier as they could act on their own. Still, this is going very well...


    The black weaselkin exploded into ether in front of us, along with one of my own weasels. The foe had leapt forwards with its dying breath and bitten out the throat of one of my retainers.


    Damn, I was getting a bit carried away there, forgetting about the danger. If that had been me... maybe I wouldn¡¯t have died, but it would have been risky, I doubt very much I''d fare any better with my throat shredded...


    As I was thinking, the very air around me shook and a warning scrolled across my vision, interrupting my musings.


    Your defensive barrier is now at thirty-six percent.


    Damn, it just dropped by quite a few percent all of a sudden. If we take too many more attacks like that, the barrier will collapse.


    What do I do? How do I get out of this? As I racked my brain the weasel raised one of his sickles and lashed out again, the green strike coming once more. Reflexively I thrust my spear out, even though the distance was too great, and I felt a heavy impact on my weapon as the jade light connected. Something passed to either side where my spear had struck and hammered into me, cutting and sharp. As I reeled in pain my stressed mind grasped one fact.


    I hit... something, but I didn¡¯t block it, instead it split to either side of my spear... whatever that green strike is, it isn¡¯t entirely tangible. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the weasel swing again and I threw myself down as green light flashed, feeling a faint tugging at my clothes before an impact sliced away again at the wall behind me, jade sparks scattering. Another bolt from my Defensive Emplacement streaked out, but again it faded away, the distance too far to reach.


    ¡°Too bad, you will die-die here. Nothing escapes my sickles.¡± With that he lashed out with both a clawed foot and one arm, and even though I leapt aside I was still caught hard by the glowing blasts, though this time I was expecting it so managed to channel aether to create an invisible wall to block it. As I fell down, lamenting the cost in aether my defence had employed, my memory was jogged by a word my foe had said.


    ¡°Sickles... hmm.¡±


    I remembered a story I had told my little sister and Eri-chan when we were all young to scare them. That of the Kamaitachi, the sickle-weasels that rode the wind and caused invisible injuries, like unseen knives. My sis just laughed it off, but I remember Eri-chan ended up crying and hiding under her bed. I regretted it after that...


    ¡°You¡¯re using the wind, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said as I got to my feet. ¡°The green lights are blades of air, that¡¯s why I can¡¯t block them.¡±


    ¡°You are a smart-smart one. Knowing will not help you though.¡±


    He was right. How was I going to get out of this one? If only my Defensive Emplacement could reach... damn, that''s it! I hurriedly connected myself to my Territory Anchor and read the options that scrolled across my vision quickly, the silver letters coming and going in a blur.


    Defensive Emplacement Rank 2- Upgrade cost 9000 ... too expensive! I didn¡¯t have enough ether so I blinked the info away.


    Defensive Emplacement Upgrade Rank 1- Sniper Mode- Upgrade cost 800. This upgrade reduces the firing rate of your Defensive Emplacement greatly, but greatly increases range and damage. This upgrade will take an Astral day to complete.


    This was what I needed. I immediately queued the upgrade, and when I was prompted if I wanted to spend more ether to upgrade it faster I screamed affirmatively inside my head and dumped my remaining stocks in. It was a gamble, but if it paid off I could salvage this dire situation...


    I leapt aside once more as the Kamaitachi struck, and my leg was blazing with pain, deep wounds gouged into it in a shimmer of verdant light. I stumbled and fell, barely dragging myself out of the way of another burst of green wind. As I did so the words in my vision announced the upgrade was complete.


    ¡°Totally worth it.¡± I muttered, linking my mind to the Emplacement.


    ¡°Your resistance is useless. You will die here for the glory-glory of our princess.¡± The Kamaitachi flailed again and wind darted at me. My spear spun in a desperate block which managed to divert most of it around me at the cost of serious damage to my hands, driving me backwards.


    ¡°A good effort, but now you die-die...¡± it said, just as a rapid bolt of aether stabbed out, using the newly gained stockpile of ether my Territory had drained from the rest of the weaselkin invading my domain. The bolt struck home, ripping one arm clean off the Kamaitachi, sending it slamming backwards into the wall, where it lay stunned.


    ¡°No, sorry. Now you die-die!¡± I retorted, dragging myself to my feet and hobbling over to the grounded Kamaitachi. My spear stabbed down into its dazed face, and it exploded into a massive cloud of ether, as well as a small shining ball of green light, which hovered there in the air, wobbling and drifting...

 Eighteen

    Eighteen


    Absorbing the plentiful ether I converted a modest amount to repair my shredded leg, visualising the wounds closing up. It itched infernally, but seemed to be working. Once more able to bear my weight, I looked at the ball of glowing greenish light that had also came with the ether, but was now swirling around me in wind-like streams.


    I guess this is wind energy? Makes sense as the sickle-weasel was using wind, but it doesn¡¯t seem like I can do anything with it?


    As I pondered that, a weaselkin was racing my way, fleeing my Territory at pace. The defeat of their leader must have panicked them. Hefting my spear I threw it, channelling a little aether so that it struck true, the knife-point piercing the skull of the retreating weasel, killing it instantly.


    ¡°Hang on, what if another comes running and grabs my spear?¡± Panicking, I raced over and collected my spear again, just in time as another couple of weaselkin appeared, being pursued by my own pair of remaining degraded weaselkin. It¡¯s lucky I can somehow tell which ones are mine, or this would get very confusing.


    I engaged them and quickly despatched them with a couple of sharp thrusts. They were too frantic to defend much, making it easy to win. Other weaselkin had escaped though, racing away from my Territory to the west. There were probably a dozen of them, most of them ordinary weasels, with a couple being the more elite, black-furred type.


    If I still had my Defensive Emplacement in normal mode, several of those would have been shot down as they fled. The sniper version is way too slow to recharge. If I hadn¡¯t reset the cooldown by upgrading it, it probably still wouldn¡¯t have fired a shot yet. Of course, if I hadn¡¯t upgraded it, the Kamaitachi would probably have diced me into pieces with its wind, so there is that...


    My Territory had weaker defences now overall, as a swarm of attackers, such as the weaselkin who had just fled, would be able to overwhelm my barrier long before the Sniper Emplacement had picked them all off. Still, it had other plusses... The best thing would be if I can scrape together the ether for another Emplacement, then I would have the best of both worlds.


    ¡°All right then. Since this is the second time they have been sniffing around my Territory, it¡¯s time I dealt with them once and for all.¡± I raced after them in pursuit, managing to take down several more weaselkin with swift attacks from my spear. I was definitely starting to get the hang of basic spear combat, the movements beginning to be ingrained into my body and mind.


    Practice makes perfect, I guess? Some of the weaselkin tried to slow me down, turning back to face me, throwing whatever items they had on hand at me, but I easily overcame them. This continued for ten minutes or so, until I was approaching the local park. As I ran between the last of the two apartment buildings before the open expanse of the park I stumbled, something slamming into me from behind.


    Barely righting myself I turned, only to see an arrow flash past my face and bury itself in the ground beside me. Pain flared as another fist-sized object crashed against my shoulder, a large, jagged rock bouncing off.


    ¡°Shit, an ambush. Cunning as weasels indeed...¡±


    ¡°All right then, you can go back to your lair. I¡¯ll have a think about how we can deal with the weaselkin threat for good.¡±


    As the kobolds left I checked what options I had available to build. It took quite a while, as I pondered each of the available choices carefully, before I settled on my next move.


    Spawning Spire Rank 2 ¨C Upgrade Cost 4000 - This Spire can create up to twenty-five Basic-class troops based on those you have defeated. The Spire can also create up to five Elite-class troops. These troops are a degraded version of their base type, able only to defend themselves, the Territory and follow simple orders. They cannot gain experience and will not rise in Levels. However they will be granted a small increase in all their Material Statistics when created. This will take four Astral days to upgrade.


    With these additional troops I would have support which would hopefully enable me to invade the weaselkins'' Territory. I had several options for Elite troops. Black weaselkin were probably the best option though. Still, I was missing something else as well. If my weaselkin had weapons...


    Armoury Rank 1 ¨C This Armoury can equip your troops with weapons and armour at the cost of Ether. At Rank 1 the maximum rank of weaponry and armour you can create is limited to Basic. Items that are not already a duplicate of those you possess will require additional Ether to create. Advanced equipment will require materials in addition to Ether. Cost 1200.


    Most of the enemy weaselkin had no weapons, other than a few with bows and crude clubs. If I could equip mine, then I would surely have the advantage. Now, the only barrier remaining was the fact I didn¡¯t have nearly enough ether. Despite my large gains for killing numerous weaselkin and even a Kamaitachi, I had fewer than two thousand ether in hand. I had pretty much run dry by rushing the upgrade to my Emplacement, and even after that, my Spawning Spire was replenishing my weaselkin slowly, which required more expense, as did the repairing of the defensive barrier.


    So, the first order of business here was to amass as much ether as possible. Gripping my spear I headed out in a direction I¡¯d not been in yet, and made sure to waylay and defeat every enemy I came across, draining all the lesser spirits too. Unfortunately this didn¡¯t amount to much, as the monsters in the area around my base seemed to be diminishing in number. This left me with no choice but to enter some other buildings outside the hundred-metre radius of my Territory. As I expanded my search area and plundered various places (even finding a few red Etherite ores along the way, which I quickly converted) my stockpile of ether rose nicely.


    Once my ether supply broke the four thousand barrier, I triggered the upgrade for the Spawning Spire. I didn¡¯t have the ether available to rush the build, and hopefully it wouldn¡¯t prove necessary. I was feeling tired, and my rate of aether drain was growing at pace as I had been in the Boundary for what seemed like a day of Material time, but I decided to push on until I had either gathered the rest of the needed ether or was forced out of the Boundary.


    Charging into another building I hefted my spear, just as the denizens attacked me. They were a group of giant ants, each the size of a big dog, covered in blackish-blue chitin. Damn, almost all of the monsters inside these places are insects or other creepy-crawlies. I guess it is better, as I don¡¯t feel good about attacking living things like the kobolds unless they attack me first, but even so... it¡¯s pretty nightmarish...


    My spear struck chitin, only piercing through as I added a little weight with aether, the usage draining several times more than normal, probably due to my long exposure to the Boundary on this trip. The ant reared and I dug deeper, shattering it into ether. I took some of it to restock and funnelled the rest to my Silo. More and more ants swarmed in on me, but with the extra reach of my spear and using the doorway to bunch them up I enacted a massacre, and soon they were all dead. During the skirmish I managed to level up again, going from six to seven. It seemed a bit quick, but then I had cleared out a fair few buildings, and also taken out the Kamaitachi, which was probably worth a ton of experience considering how much ether it dropped.


    Once the building had been cleared and I had maximised my gains I slumped down, exhausted. The battle with the ants had really taken it out of me. Luckily they were unintelligent, or I would have been swarmed and ripped apart. Despite that, I had reached my goal, and queued the Armory to be built after the Spawning Spire upgrade was finished. With a long yawn I closed my eyes, and with that I was back in the Material, once more safely inside my room.

 Nineteen

    Nineteen


    The first thing I felt was pain. My leg was throbbing, and the bare floor was spattered with drops of blood. Looking down I could see my leg was covered in nasty cuts. None of them were deep, but all of them were painful, my leg looking like it had been put through a blender. There were a few other aches and pains I was suffering, but this was clearly the worst. Damn, I haven¡¯t been this beat up since that time back in my hometown, all those years ago...


    ¡°Stupid sickle-weasel...¡± I muttered. ¡°It really did a number on my leg. If I was closer this could have ripped me apart.¡± The damage I experienced on my Material body was an order of magnitude less than I suffered in the Astral, but if my injuries were any deeper and more numerous... maybe I wouldn¡¯t lose a leg, but if the deep cuts hit a vein or artery... shit, I could bleed out and die before I woke up again...


    Shivering, I went to my desk and drew out a first aid kit I had bought from the convenience store after my last injuries. Wincing as I dabbed disinfectant on my wounds, I considered my last frantic battle and what it meant.


    I was scared, I know that. Who wouldn¡¯t be, after all, pain and death is frightening. But when the situation got serious I got caught up in the moment, adrenaline taking over, and I... I actually found it thrilling. Perhaps I¡¯ve been broken by my past experience... it was the same then, the fear... but I stepped up because I had to... and I survived, as did Eri-chan and my sis.


    It was all a bit surprising really, sure I liked games, but I was never big into anything scary. I knew some people were really into things that got adrenaline pumping, such as extreme sports like base-jumping and tombstoning, but I didn¡¯t think I was susceptible to the same. Still, that wasn¡¯t necessarily such a bad thing. It wasn¡¯t like this was Sword Art Online, I wasn¡¯t trapped in the world, I could leave it at any time. I just had to be more careful. The sickle-weasel had caught me off guard, but I wouldn¡¯t be caught again!


    Damn, like I thought earlier, sunk cost is a terrible thing. I had emotional investment in my Territory now, and seeing how happy the kobolds were to have survived, it was no longer just about the rewards anymore, nice as they were.


    I¡¯d really like to build it up and show it off. Man, my sister and Eri-chan would be so amazed. I could finally tell my sis that all my otaku hobbies she mocked had paid off! Hmm, since I am thinking of home and my sister... Ignoring the pain in my leg as I reached over and grabbed my phone I fired off a quick email.


    ¡°Hey little sis, just thought I¡¯d drop you a line. I hope you are getting ready for summer, make the most of it, next term you¡¯ll really have to knuckle down and get studying if you want to get into a decent university, although if you haven¡¯t been keeping up by now it might already be too late! The tests are brutal, trust me, I know!


    But enough small talk, it so happens I¡¯ve managed to do a little better than I had anticipated work-wise, so it looks like I should have a bit of free time to visit home during the holidays. I¡¯m not sure precisely when, but I¡¯ll let you know closer to the time.


    Hopefully you¡¯ll be pleased to see me! Let Eri-chan know I¡¯ll be visiting too, we can hang out, just like old times.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com


    Your big bro.¡±


    With that done, I¡¯d made a promise, and if I didn¡¯t follow through my sis would never let me hear the end of it. Thinking about my sister and her love for scary rides had made me nostalgic for home. A visit wouldn¡¯t hurt, after all, even with my expenditures I reckoned I would be able to finish off the stack of work Hayato-san had sent me to replenish my coffers, with enough left over for a trip home for a few days. What would be the point of getting these protagonist-like powers if I didn¡¯t enjoy myself? It¡¯ll be good to see everyone again. Last time was New Year, it seems forever ago...


    Like this, the next three days went past with a lot of physical training. The wounds on my leg had scabbed over, and I was feeling confident I¡¯d made some improvements, as it seemed my ability to learn through physical repetition had increased significantly, likely due to my greater abilities granted by reaching level seven. It was now time to enter the Boundary once more and do battle!


    Once my consciousness had moved to my Territory I quickly took stock of the situation. My ether supply was low, as most of it had gone into spawning and arming my weaselkin troops. The recruitment had not fully finished, I still had four more weaselkin to spawn, but even so, my army of five black-furred weaselkin armed with long wooden staves, and twenty one weaselkin with a motley variety of clubs, hatchets and a handful of bows, seemed quite impressive.


    ¡°All right then. While I wait for the last four to be spawned I might as well practice.¡± I clutched my spear and began my exercises, the heavier heft of the spear feeling more natural in my hands. The spear darted here and there, the thrusts having more accuracy, the stabs more power, and the slashes more finesse. My intensive routine had definitely paid off, I definitely felt more capable in combat.


    As there was still some time before the last couple of my weaselkin were spawned, I decided to round off my preparation with some Chakra exercises, so I closed my eyes and began to concentrate, wind energy swirling around me. Only when I received a message that all my troops were spawned did I open my eyes.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I said, linking my mind to my degraded troops so I could command them. ¡°It¡¯s time for battle.¡± I looked at the kobolds who had joined my army and smiled. ¡°However, you need to stay here and hold the Territory. If any invaders come, keep then at a distance and hopefully our Defensive Emplacement will slowly whittle them down. If the situation becomes too bad I¡¯ll return, but you would need to buy me time, all right?¡±


    ¡°You can count on me, on us.¡± The lead miner said. I noticed now that several of the other kobolds had pickaxes as well, maybe they had spawned them from the Armoury? Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much time to consider other matters. This was war. A nervous thrill was coursing through me, both frightening and anticipatory at the same time, and I wondered if this was the feeling my sis felt before competitions.


    ¡°Good, that is all I can ask.¡± I smiled. Raising my spear I gestured to the squad of weaselkin behind me. ¡°Then we move out. Our destination, the park! We will claim it for our own and end the Seelie attacks on our Territory!¡±


    There was no response from my weaselkin, but the kobolds cheered and barked excitedly. With that we set off, me in the lead, flanked by my black-furred Elites, with the others spread out behind in a formation to shield my few archers.


    It didn¡¯t take us too long to move under the strangely lit sky until we reached the area where we were ambushed before, bordering the park. This time I was prepared, and I had already sent my Elite black-furred weaselkin around the backs of the buildings with instructions to climb up and defeat any Seelie weaselkin waiting in ambush. My hands were sweaty on my spear, but my heart was resolute.


    I am going to win this. Definitely. I¡¯ve planned carefully and as long as I can find a way to counter the Kamaitachi, we should be victorious.


    As I moved forwards several shadows fell across me, the enemy weaselkin above looming over the rooftops, armed with bows and other ranged weapons. This was the moment I had been waiting for. With a swift mental command I ordered the attack.


    ¡°Here we go! The final battle!¡± I roared, bounding forwards towards the steps up one building. ¡°To victory!¡±

 Side One: Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One: Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Phew, all done.¡± I wiped sweat from my brow as I started to pack my bow away in its case. ¡°Wow it¡¯s hot. Summer sure is starting early.¡± Sweat was running down under my muneate chestplate, soaking the cloth beneath. I did really like Kyu?do?, Japanese archery, but doing it in the summer heat could be a little miserable.


    As I shifted my chestplate someone pushed a dry towel at me. Turning I saw that it was Eri-chan, holding out the towel with her typical gentle smile. Wow, like I know we are both girls and all, but Eri-chan is really cute. She gets prettier as she gets older. Shame she is so shy though, still I wonder if that is part of what makes her so damn cute?


    ¡°Thanks Eri-Chan.¡± I smiled and began to mop away my sweat with the towel. My robe was turning a little transparent due to all the sweat, but luckily our traditional archery classes, like all other sporting clubs, were separated by gender. It made sense, I guess, to protect the modesty of the girls, but in a school like ours with a low population, it meant that most clubs only had a handful of members. In the Kyu?do? club there was just me and a couple of other girls, one of which wasn¡¯t even here today.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I just arrived, so I thought you could use a towel. It¡¯s hot again today.¡± She shaded her eyes with her hands and stared up at the blue sky.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    Wow, yeah, totally adorable. If I was a guy, I¡¯d totally be into Eri-chan. Of course, she only has eyes for my brother, not sure why. I mean, big bro is pretty cool, but Eri-chan could be a model or an idol if she wanted... I guess the impact of that day was too much for her heart and she¡¯s been his ever since... his back, it was... kinda shining that day I admit... In a way they were both perfect for each other. Ever since we were kids I¡¯d been childhood friends with Eri-chan, so naturally my big bro was the one who had to look after us, and then who played with us when we grew older, making sure we were safe, whatever happened. Eri-chan had always been super shy, but my big bro was pretty much one of the only people she would open up to. Still, she never had the courage to say what was on her mind, and of course my bro was way too dense to notice. I¡¯m guessing he thought she just liked him as a younger sister would.


    So yeah, strangely enough they are perfect for each other. If only they would realise...


    My chest twinged a little. Maybe I¡¯d be a tiny bit jealous if they got together, as they¡¯d have something I couldn¡¯t be a part of, despite us sharing everything for all these years, but it¡¯d definitely be for the best. Otherwise my big bro is likely to die a virgin. I doubt very much he¡¯s been making many female friends on his own in Tokyo.


    ¡°Well, wow, you aren¡¯t wrong.¡± I replied as I cleaned myself up. My fellow club-mate was already in the changing room, no doubt hitting the showers. A cold shower sounded just heavenly to me right now as well. I couldn¡¯t go to class all stinky anyway. Wow, I¡¯d just die of shame if everyone thought I wasn''t a clean girl. ¡°Still, it¡¯s super nice of you to come and get me before classes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I always?¡± Eri-chan gave an adorable little giggle. ¡°I don¡¯t have any clubs to go to myself, do I?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not.¡± Eri-chan wouldn¡¯t get along well in clubs, and she leant more on academic activities anyway. The rare times when we weren¡¯t together you¡¯d most likely find her with a book in hand.


    We walked back together to the changing room. Opening up my wooden locker where my school uniform was hanging I noticed the message light on my phone was blinking. Pulling it out of my skirt pocket I took a look.


    ¡°Wow, a message from big bro moonstone. That¡¯s a rarity, he usually doesn¡¯t contact me first.¡± The insensitive idiot. Doesn¡¯t he know it¡¯s really rude to keep an awesome little sister like me waiting for news? It¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t talk to me or Eri-chan far more than he does, that jerk... As I scanned the message my eyes went wide. I couldn¡¯t help but grin, causing Eri-chan to ask me what was up.


    ¡°Wow, just wow.¡± I exclaimed in response. ¡°It looks like big bro can make it back for a few days this summer after all. That¡¯s awesome.¡± As I watched Eri-chan smile shyly I couldn¡¯t help but tease her. It would be criminal not to. ¡°You look pretty happy to get to see my big bro again. Maybe this time you¡¯ll finally tell him how you feel, right? He was asking after you, you know.¡±


    ¡°How... how... I feel?¡± Eri-chan stammered, flushing a delightful shade of red. ¡°I don¡¯t.... Akio-kun... and I...¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun, wow.¡± I interjected. ¡°Why don¡¯t you call him big brother like you used to?¡±


    Somehow Eri-chan managed to blush even redder, like a ripe tomato. ¡°I mean... I....¡±


    Wow, this is just too adorable. If we weren¡¯t both girls I¡¯d eat her up myself right now. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. Calm down. Besides, he might bring his girlfriend anyway, so...¡± I trailed off quickly after my joke as Eri-chan froze. Her head turned towards me almost robotically.


    ********


    As the bell rang for lunch and everyone started packing up around me Yae-san and Rika-san came over to my desk. I opened my mouth to speak but before I could Yae-san was talking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind us earlier, we were only having a bit of fun, right? Nothing else to do here but gossip, is there?¡±


    I let out a long sigh. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. But try not to tease Eri-chan too much okay? You know she doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t. Ri-Ri is simply too adorable. If she dressed up a bit more and used the right make-up there wouldn¡¯t be a boy alive who wouldn¡¯t fall for her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s a man she is after and not a boy though, right?¡± Rika-san interjected. I could see Eri-chan flushing at her desk so decided to change the subject, but before I could Yae-san ran off on a tangent.


    ¡°We should all meet up with your brother when he comes back.¡± she said, twiddling with her blond hair with one finger.


    Wow! That was unexpected. As I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel, she continued.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like many people from here ever get to move to Tokyo, let alone go to a university and get a job there. Plus he isn¡¯t that much older than us. I bet he can tell us all sorts of cool things, about karaoke bars, shopping malls, campus life...¡±


    Oh, so you meant that. For a moment I thought Eri-chan had a new rival. I should have known better, my big bro will never be popular with girls like these, they are way too up-front and pushy for a shy guy like him.


    ¡°Yoshida-kun¡¯s big brother went to live out in a large town...¡± Rika-san interjected.


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s hardly the same as Tokyo, is it?¡± Yae-san pointed out, to which Rika-san nodded. ¡°Anyway, be sure to let us know when your brother is coming back so we can plan something. Even better, get him to bring us some presents. He¡¯s working now, right, he must have the cash rolling in, not like around here where working on farms and boring stuff like that is the only thing to do.¡±


    ¡°I think you may be overestimating him a bit...¡± Wow, this is soooooooo annoying. I know everyone knows everyone in our local villages, but even so, they never showed much interest in him before. Still, I have to admit, getting to go to Tokyo is kind of cool. If all goes well I¡¯ll go to university there too. But then that means more studying if I want to pass the entrance exams... and then, can I actually afford it? Big bro had to work a ton to make up the fees... oh wow. So much to think about... having dreams is hard, just like bro says.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him.¡± I allowed, ignoring the pleading gaze from Eri-chan. Stay strong and I¡¯ll make it up to you later, I promise! ¡°I¡¯m sure he can tell some great stories about the big city. As for presents... well, do you think you are worth it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Any guy would love to give a gorgeous high-schooler like me a gift. Maybe if he¡¯s really cool now I¡¯d let him ask me out for the summer festival at Chairoakitara shrine.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you have a boyfriend already?¡± one of the other girls asked, laughing meanly.


    ¡°Yeah, but it isn¡¯t like we are serious or anything. Plus he¡¯s a bit boring. All he has going for him is he is a little bit good at baseball. All the boys around here are dull or lack ambition. I want a man who is going places, who has done things and will sweep me off my feet...¡±


    Groaning inwardly at the glares the boys in the room directed at us I sighed. Wow, I can feel a headache coming on. Plus Eri-chan looks like she is going to cry. How did today turn into this...?

 Twenty – End of Arc One

    Twenty ¨C End of Arc One


    The black-furred weasels I commanded bounded over the rooftops, staves in hand. The Seelie weaselkin turned from where they were bombarding us to react to this new threat but they were too late, as wood slammed into them with bone-crushing force. The squeals of the dying weasels rang out, shortly before they burst into ether, which I absorbed and converted to aether to make sure I was prepared for anything.


    ¡°Right, now for the hard bit...¡± I muttered to myself as my black-furred elites clambered down from the buildings they had just cleared of foes. ¡°...time to attack the park.¡±


    Gathering my weaselkin around me I looked at the open gap before the park. It wasn¡¯t long, but charging without cover against a Kamaitachi... there would certainly be casualties. I just have to really hope there is only one of them. If there are several we are going to be shredded by their wind blasts before we can even reach them...


    For a brief moment I considered calling off the assault and waiting until I had built up stronger forces and more defences in my Territory, but I quickly discarded that idea. It was a mistake to assume that the ¡®princess¡¯ the other weaselkin had referred to would be stupid enough to attack before she had made adequate preparations herself, thus it would just turn into an arms race, one I wasn¡¯t sure I could win. No, it was best to try and end it here, while I had momentum.


    ¡°All forces, attack!¡± I ordered, brandishing my spear. As they raced forwards, the lesser weaselkin in front, me in the centre and my elites on the flank, attacks started flying towards us. The front two weaselkin were shredded apart in an instant, billowing blades of wind effortlessly slicing them down. Another staggered and fell, struck by slung rocks.


    As expected. They are here...


    The sickle-weasel was standing on top of a climbing frame, grinning menacingly, long fangs exposed. Around it were gathered a dozen lesser weaselkin, armed with what looked like slings. As I raced forwards and crossed into the park they unleashed more rocks, felling another of my weasels and wounding another. As it turned into ether I tried to absorb it, but only managed to take a portion, as the rest evaporated into the air. I suddenly felt sluggish, my aether slowly leaking from me.


    Damn, invading other Territories is hard! It was no wonder I managed to fight off the Seelie weaselkin before, support from a Territory was definitely powerful.


    More of my weasels exploded into ether as the wind flensed them. If I didn¡¯t do something now the attack would fail. If the weaselkin weren¡¯t degraded versions they might have already turned to flee. As yet another fell, slain by the slinging weaselkin, I concentrated aether and surged forwards, moving at alarming speed, or at least that was what I tried to do...


    I felt aether flow from me, more than it would normally have required, but the speed I achieved, while fast, was barely half of what I had intended. I had leapt free from the pack of my weasels, but instead of reaching my foe and stabbing the spear in I was left exposed a half dozen metres in front of the Kamaitachi. Oh shit. That didn¡¯t go as planned.


    The sickle-weasel snickered, fangs glinting in the dark light of the lower Astral. ¡°You were foolish to believe you could defeat me, first servant of our-our princess.¡±


    With that it lashed out with its sickles and wind flew at me, glowing a baleful green. I hurled myself to the side, using some aether to give me a boost, but it was too slow, and the wind sliced into me. I raised the shaft of my spear to block, and it diverted some of the impact, but cold pain flared through me, silvery blood flashing into the air, only to be blown away by the rushing wind.


    ¡°Die-die, you vermin!¡± the sickle-weasel chanted, lashing out with one leg. Scythes of wind rushed at me as I staggered to my feet. The impact shook me, and I coughed blood. However the impact that should have split me in half was endurable, and I used the momentum to throw myself towards the foe. Behind me my other weaselkin had rushed in and were engaging the slingers.


    Rolling to my feet I thrust with my spear, driving the sickle-weasel back. It hopped away with a look of anger on its face. ¡°You should be dead-dead. How did... wait, the wind...¡± It glared at me in shock. I followed its gaze and saw that the wind energy I had absorbed from the previous Kamaitachi I had slain was circling around me. It must have diffused the blow. I guess my Fortune stat kicked in on that one, lucky... I felt sick at just how close I¡¯d come to serious injury, or even death...


    ¡°You won¡¯t be so lucky as to escape again-again.¡± It hissed, preparing to lash out.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I retorted, spear leaving my hand, hurled at short range, guided by aether. It buried itself deep into the arm of the sickle-weasel, causing it to miss with its wind scythes, the blast shredding one of my weasels, as well as the allied weaselkin it was fighting. As it reared back in pain I leapt forwards, unsheathing a club I had tied at my waist that we had gathered from the previous battles. It whistled down, striking the Kamaitachi on its other arm which it used to hastily block. I felt the impact spread through my own arms, and it squawked in surprise, spittle drenching me.


    It lashed out with a foot claw, but I saw it coming and swung away, dodging the blast that tore up the ground, sending earth flying everywhere. Another blow lashed into it as it hopped away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill-kill you!¡± it raged, causing me to smile.


    ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡± I merely said, as suddenly a pair of my black-furred Elites broke through and hammered it with their long staves. The sound of crunching bone could be heard as it fell limp to the ground, silver and red blood pooling underneath it.


    Sorry, but my plan to buy time for my weaselkin to mop up the enemy and reinforce me was a success. Around me I could see that the other enemies had been defeated. All that was left was for me to finish this foe. I strode over and yanked my spear out, ignoring its glare as I thrust downwards and dispersed it into a glowing host of ether, of which I collected all I could to replenish myself. In addition more green wind energy swirled around me, drawn from the fallen Kamaitachi.


    Looking around I had lost a dozen of my lesser weaselkin, about half of my numbers, but all of the Elites were still there. As time passed my Spawning Spire would top up the numbers, but I couldn¡¯t count on getting more than one or two more before the battle was over. I would have to deploy my forces more carefully. Still, I had now entered the park and defeated the biggest obstacle so far, so there was a chance of victory.


    ¡°Gather the slings and suitable rocks.¡± I ordered some of my troops. The extra ranged attacks would be useful. Against a Kamaitachi we would just be slaughtered, but against ordinary weaselkin every foe we could drop at range was a huge help.


    Ordering a couple of weaselkin to take point, we advanced in formation, me just behind the front-runners, a cluster of black-furred Elites around me. As we approached the climbing frame I could see what looked like a tunnel heading into the ground, the entrance dark and foreboding, the edges shimmering with a green glow that somehow shed no light on the interior. As I approached it I could feel the rate of drain of my aether slowly increasing. I guess this is where their princess lurks. If she is stronger than a sickle-weasel this will be one hell of a fight...


    Swallowing down my fears I followed my weasels into the darkness. There was a strange sensation in the base of my stomach, near where my White Cord and Chakra node was, a weird hollow wrench, and then I was in a long earthen corridor, the walls lit by faintly glowing orbs of green and purple. As I passed the green orbs faint flickers of light pulled off them, joining the green swirls around me, dimming the orbs slightly. I had little time to ponder what this meant however, as from up ahead a mob of weaselkin armed with crude spears and rusted knives had appeared, led by a huge black-furred weasel carrying a heavy looking axe, the crescent moon of the blade glinting menacingly.


    The princess opened her eyes shockingly wide as the spear disappeared, and she turned to her Kamaitachi, her mouth going equally wide to speak, confused. Time seemed to slow down, everything moving for me in slow motion, and I willed the spear to reappear, which it did, inside the whirling wall of wind, having somehow moved through the intervening space.


    One strike to the heart and she¡¯ll fall. As the Kamaitachi turned to throw wind out to defend his princess the dying black weaselkin who was fighting him grabbed on with his one arm and bit down on his shoulder, halting him. As the spear flashed towards her heart my remaining weasel moved forwards, axe raised, ready to kill the immobilised sickle-weasel.


    I win. The thought flashed through my dull mind. Yet a twinge of guilt was flickering. Killing a woman, even one such as the princess, didn¡¯t sit well with me. Damn, I¡¯m one of those beta Japanese protagonists that everyone hates... With an act of will I changed the trajectory of the spear slightly, so instead of piercing the heart it slammed into her side. Or was it even going to hit her heart anyway? It seemed a little off-target. No, that doesn''t matter. It was going to be a strike that could quite easily have been fatal... She went flying backwards, a bark of pain leaving her, and she landed on her back, blood staining the floor, spear sticking up from her like a mast.


    ¡°No-no, princess!¡± the Kamaitachi screamed. At that moment my other weasel caught up to him, axe raised, pointed at his head.


    ¡°You shall surely die-die for this.¡± The princess snarled, blood foaming on her lips and dyeing the amber fur of her face crimson, trying to lever up her bleeding body but failing, her limbs without strength. ¡°My father is a Prince of the Seelie; he will not-not rest until my killer-killer is slain.¡±


    ¡°I dare say that¡¯s true.¡± I muttered weakly. The green energy around me was being slowly drawn into me by my White Cord. I was unable to use it, but it seemed to be staving off my return to the Material. I walked over to the struggling princess and grasped the spear. The Kamaitachi tensed, ready to attack, even knowing the moment it did my black weaselkin would decapitate it. Despite that I made no move to strike further.


    ¡°On the other hand, I¡¯ve proved I¡¯m not weak, have I not? Why not join hands with me, and we can walk away from this bad ending?¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± The princess scowled. ¡°I, the daughter of the noble Seelie Prince Shaetanao would rather accept death than slavery. I can join my kin-kin and know that you will be tormented by my father until the end-end of your days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not offering slavery. We can work together. You did say you had enemies, such as that Troll... Grue, or whatever you said his name was? We could claim this whole area as our own.¡± The more I suggested it the more I warmed to the idea. If I had an alliance with her I could create real weaselkin from a Barracks, and she and her Kamaitachi would be a devastating asset in both defending our Territory and in offence. Besides, killing her didn¡¯t sit well with me, beta hypocrite that it made me.


    The princess turned her gaze to her Kamaitachi, who was trembling in rage, but with the cold edge of the axe against his neck could do nothing. He opened his mouth and spoke a few words, beads of blood trickling down his neck where the axe nicked it. ¡°If... if princess can survive without shame, we would wish-wish you to live on, and one day take your place at the top-top of the Seelie Court, as is your right.¡±


    The princess sighed, arms and legs limp. Blood was still leaking from her, though the flow was slowing. For a long moment she was silent, and I feared she had died, but then she spoke quietly.


    ¡°Defeated by my own arrogance once-once again it seems. I am a very slow learner. I looked down-down on you and I was bested, shaming my father and our proud Seelie kin. Very well-well. I will serve under you, should you meet-meet my conditions.¡±


    I was thinking a partnership, but serving under me is even better. ¡°All right then. I can do that. What are your requests?¡±


    ¡°I have three, as three is the sacred number of the Seelie. Firstly you shall-shall rid yourself of those soulless copies of my kin-kin. Even looking upon them turns my stomach. Secondly, you shall help me regain my fallen kin. And third-third, if you do not-not treat me or my kin with respect, I shall rise-rise against you and you will feel my wrath.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to help you regain your kin, but if you can tell me how I¡¯ll do my best. The other two are easy; I¡¯ll dismiss the degraded weaselkin when we are done here. As for the third, it goes without saying. I¡¯ll never mistreat my friends, and together we can be greater than we were apart!¡± Time to roll out all the anime cliche?s about the power of friendship and defeat equals friendship.


    ¡°Your path to the top of the Seelie world doesn¡¯t end here, no, this will launch you onwards to greater heights, you will see!¡±


    The princess closed her eyes and let out a long breath. With that she dragged her paw through the gore spreading beneath her and reached out. I offered her my hand and she took it, her blood staining me.


    ¡°I am Shaeula, daughter of Shaetanao, princess in direct line of Seelie royalty. On this day I make three pledges. I pledge I shall serve you as long as my three boons remain unbroken. I pledge I shall support you in your endeavours, so long as they do not-not go against my Seelie will, and I pledge that one day I shall use your aid to reach the throne of the Seelie.¡±


    At that warmth flared through me, starting from where her gore-stained hand touched mine, and soon it spread through me, driving away the pull of the Material plane.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Seven to Eight.


    You have joined in compact with a Noble Fae from the Seelie Court. Your Fortune, Majesty and Charm have increased.


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Fae-Bonded.


    Shaeula has conceded her Territory and its Ether to you. You have gained...


    As silver letters scrolled across my vision several things stood out, but the most interesting thing was... a Class?

 Arc 2 – The Weasel – Chapter Twenty-One

    Arc 2 ¨C The Weasel ¨C Chapter Twenty-One


    I quickly concentrated on the new information and this was what I saw revealed.


    [Level] 8 [Class] Fae-Bonded 0/20


    Concentrating on the Class brought up further information.


    By agreeing a covenant with a Noble-blooded Fae of the Seelie court of who has become your servant, you will gradually take on more of the aspects of the Fae, who are renowned for their great Fortune and Charm. ?????? will increase and ????? ????? increases more rapidly. There may be ??????????? depending on the Fae you are bonded with.


    Damn, I guess my Self-Examination Skill isn¡¯t high enough as there are still things I can¡¯t understand. Still, Fortune and Charm... those are pretty neat.


    ¡°Oh yeah, before I forget...¡± I concentrated on my Territory and with that dismissed my degraded weaselkin, who dissipated, axe falling to the ground with a clang. Now free, the Kamaitachi rushed over to the wounded Shaeula.


    ¡°Princess, are you-you going to die?¡± he asked, frantic.


    She smiled at him with as much energy as she could muster and responded ¡°I do not-not believe so. It hurts, but I think I will live-live.¡±


    ¡°You definitely will.¡± I promised. Concentrating I made the spear vanish from her body and re-appear just above her, withdrawn from her torn flesh, and I grabbed it. With that done the blood began to flow rapidly, causing her to groan and the Kamaitachi to try and staunch the flow with his own paws. Relax; I know what I¡¯m doing.


    With that thought I channelled most of the ether that she had bequeathed me with to aether, and with that I closed her wound, pristine fur and flesh covering it. As they looked shocked I grinned wryly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect job, restoring the blood lost is beyond me at the moment, but with some rest I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine.¡± To be honest I was a little worried that I hadn¡¯t fixed all the internal injuries, but luckily I remembered what I was taught in biology class so my imaging of injuries was decent, and I trusted that since she was a fairy of some kind... wait, they call themselves Fae... That aside, I had a feeling that once I had closed her wounds she would heal, even if the same would probably not be said if I tried the same thing on myself.


    As she struggled to her feet I looked around the cave we were in. Other than the chair, the table and the glass on it, the place was bare, the walls brown dirt, lit by the purple and green glows of the light-orbs. ¡°It¡¯s kind of... dingy... for a princess in here, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, provoking a scowl from Shaeula.


    ¡°We wanted to establish a firm control of this land before we brought over our Seelie treasures. Should any of them-them be stolen by other factions, or worse outsiders, then it would bring great shame-shame to us and my father.¡± I got the impression she was pouting, maybe I had touched a nerve. Her gaze was wandering a little too, suspiciously at that. Oh well, I guess it isn¡¯t my business.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± I nodded my agreement, trying to soothe her. ¡°Oh, I need to fully integrate this place into my Territory. Do you have a Territory Anchor here anywhere?¡±


    She looked at me strangely, a bit puzzled. ¡°I am not-not sure what you mean. But my Territory extends from this-this throne.¡± She gestured to the wooden chair she was sitting on earlier. It had survived the gales of wind she had called up before, which was a testament to her control.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°Very well-well then.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°In that case, what-what can I do for you now? Bear in mind I am injured, so do not-not treat me roughly.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± I replied. ¡°What I would really like is if you could teach me how to use the wind like you do?¡±


    There was a long moment of silence, and then Shaeula let out another deep sigh, longer than the others. She sure does sigh a lot.


    ¡°Well-well...¡± she allowed. ¡°It is not-not as though you can not-not, you have been drawing in wind elemental energy all this time-time. But it is not-not easy to learn this.¡± Her eyes glowed a pale amber as she looked at me. Another deep sigh followed. ¡°Your foundation is quite-quite terrible. Your Chakras are imbalanced, most-most of them barely active. The wind energy you have used recklessly has-has also corroded them. The network is also largely useless and full-full of damage, and strange routes and tangles. Were you self-taught? No, wait... that is strange-strange.¡± Her eyes went to my wrist where I had received the bracelet from Exposition-san. ¡°It looks like that did-did something to your root Chakra, allowing it to draw in aether... But it seems a strange way to go-go about it.¡° She took a harder look at me. ¡°Your teacher was quite-quite useless. I feel insulted that you managed to defeat me-me.¡±


    Behind her the Kamaitachi let out a chuckle, but it fell silent as she whipped her head around and glared at it.


    ¡°Sadly, I only had a very brief time with my teacher, so I suppose they did the best they could in the time they had. They did say they could have got my whole system set up, but it would have limited my growth in the long term.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so...¡± she allowed. ¡°But still, with such-such a lopsided balance you could suffer irreparable damage if not-not lucky or careful enough-enough. There is already much-much wear and tear. I will need to train you up-up from the basics until your Chakras and network stabilise. Then you can-can support elemental energy. If you continue as you are now-now it could cause you permanent damage to your higher self. The wind energy you absorbed earlier has done some-some harm to your root Chakra, as it was treating it like the pure aether. Still, it can-can be repaired.¡±


    ¡°I can see asking you about this was very wise. You seem to know a lot about how to use aether and elemental energies.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She crossed her arms and nodded, snorting. ¡°Of course, I am a princess of the Seelie court, were I not-not to know of these things I would bring shame to all-all of the Fae. But now...¡± she glared at me, her eyes glowing. ¡°Your lessons will have to begin another day-day. Your weak network cannot support your Astral form any-any longer. When you next return we shall begin your training. Work-work hard, because you need to be strong enough to keep-keep our Oaths. I will not-not hear any excuses you can not-not do it or it is too-too hard.¡±


    Tsundere much? ¡°Of course. I eagerly look forward to your teaching. It would be of great benefit to me, and thus to us, if I could master my abilities. After all, if we are to fight off this Grulgor, who is giving such a noble Seelie as yourself trouble, then maximising everyone¡¯s abilities is paramount.¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes, you speak the truth.¡± She allowed, pleased at my show of respect.


    ¡°I would ask that once I return to the Material you and your Kamaitachi clear out the route to the main Territory and connect it up. That will help us with defence in preparation for my Territory to merge with yours. If you can gather whatever ether you can that would also be great, as we will need it to build up our power base and speed the merger. Put your safety first though, it is more important that you remain unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Of course-course. I am much too valuable to risk in battle unless the need-need is great.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Still, if you could clear the buildings on route safely that would help a lot. If you find any intelligent beings that will join us, take them under your control. We already have some kobolds with us, and any extra forces will be a benefit to us.¡±


    ¡°Bah, dog-headed little pests. Still, I shall take-take your advice. I shall see it done.¡± She wasn¡¯t pleased, but agreed grudgingly.


    ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll be returning to the Material. I¡¯ll see you in a few days.¡± With that I stopped fighting the persistent and escalating drain on my aether and let myself lose consciousness, dropping back to the Material world.

 Twenty-Two

    Twenty-Two


    Once more I opened my eyes to pain, though my injuries were not severe and were already mostly healed. Thinking back on it, though there were many risky moments, like when Shaeula attacked with her wind-weasel snakes, I had suffered surprisingly few injuries. Maybe I¡¯m more cut out for this than I had thought? I then laughed, shaking my head wryly. No, I definitely wasn¡¯t some natural-born prodigy at combat, luck had definitely played a part, though my planning was also important. If I can just eliminate the lucky part from my battles with even better planning and preparation I can really make something of myself. I can¡¯t rely on luck to survive, like now, or that day back then...


    After making myself some breakfast I considered my plans for the day. I wouldn¡¯t be doing any Chakra exercises, as Shaeula made it clear I wasn¡¯t following the correct route for developing them. I surmised that was reasonable, as I was going by internet guides for a subject that was based on theory. I wonder if all those popping sensations I felt were signs of damage to my network? It sure would have been nice if Exposition-san gave me a decent hint on how to develop safely...


    Instead, I would be building up my aether naturally, which would likely take three or four days and take me to the weekend, which was the start of the summer break for students. Sadly, there would be no break for me. I could knuckle down and really grind out the work I had left, and I would certainly have to keep up with my physical conditioning and combat training.


    The next few days passed quickly, I had almost cleared the debugging work Hayato-san had sent me, which was surely pretty much at a world record pace. In addition I had got a firmer grasp on some basic spear moves, in addition to starting to practice some slightly more advanced techniques, though I wasn¡¯t having much success with them yet. I was doing these with my new training spear, which I had finally ordered. The cost hurt a little, but I was making an investment, and it definitely felt more realistic. Other than my workouts I exchanged a few messages with my group of ex-work colleagues about how their portions of the projects were going, as well as a few more with my sis, who was elated that her summer break had started and was already bugging me about when I was going to visit.


    Still, as the evening sunset leaked a ruddy light through my window I could feel the churning of aether in my body, enough to enter the Boundary. Closing my eyes I concentrated, and my consciousness shifted, and I was awake in the Boundary once more, next to my Territory Anchor in the heart of my realm.


    Checking my stored ether I was surprised to see that it was just a little over nine thousand! Based on the production of my Territory and its two Ether Spires alone it should have been somewhere between five and six thousand, so the rest... as I pondered Shaeula suddenly appeared in my room, followed by her Kamaitachi.


    ¡°Welcome back, master.¡± She said, eyes fierce. Man, being called master makes me itch.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me master, you know.¡± I replied to her. ¡°But it is good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did not-not grace me with your name, did you master?¡± she said, a touch coldly.


    Yep, definitely Tsundere. If she wanted my name she could have just asked without this delightful show of tsun. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I forgot. My name is Oshiro Moonstone Akio.¡±


    ¡°Moonstone?¡± she nodded. ¡°An auspicious name, for the Seelie are favoured by the moon-moon. I shall call you Moonstone from now on.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but wince. Please don¡¯t. ¡°That¡¯s a middle name. Here in Japan you would usually call me by my family name Oshiro, or my given name Akio. That would probably be better.¡±


    ¡°I see, as you wish. I shall call you Akio then, since you so-so dislike being called master.¡±


    ¡°On another note, my supply of ether is a bit higher than I thought it would be. You must have worked really hard.¡± I threw in some praise, figuring it was the best way to soothe her tsun mood. Still, it was deserved if they had managed to gather that much so quickly.


    ¡°I am rather-rather pleased you noticed. I withdrew some of the forces keeping Grulgor¡¯s trolls-trolls pinned down by the river. He is not-not the quickest of thought, so it will take him quite-quite some time to notice the pressure has been lessened. With these-these we managed to secure the areas as you desired, as well as seize some buildings from-from the surrounding lands.¡±


    No wonder that I have so much ether then, buildings are a pretty good source of it if they are occupied. ¡°Well, recruiting you seems to be a great decision.¡± I praised her some more. ¡°Did you find anyone else willing to join us?¡±


    ¡°Awful. Terrible. Pathetic-pathetic!¡± she barked. ¡°If the body is a great tree you are trying to support all its weight through the branches, rather than the main-main trunk. Forcing it incorrectly just causes the flow-flow to get twisted. Without all eight Chakra establishing the flow, all that happens is your lower Chakra pools-pools energy, and it is like a lake that overfills and floods, ruining all-all in its wake.¡±


    Eight Chakras? No, that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°So, what can I do to fix this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You need-need to use the main trunk.¡± She came closer to me, causing me to flinch back a little. This caused her to scowl dangerously so I allowed her to close right up to me. She placed her paw against my lower body, which caused me to quiver under her touch. She may be female but she¡¯s a weasel. Nothing to be alarmed about. I am calm. I am calm. Repeating that mantra in my head I tried not to react as she flicked out a claw and traced a path slowly up my body a few inches to the sacral Chakra. Her claw slid further up, past the solar plexus, up to the heart and it then traced a more irregular route around my body to my back, to a place above the heart. She then moved her claw around to my throat, up to my forehead and then to the top of my skull.


    ¡°This-this is the way your energies should flow.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°If you direct your flow through these pathways your circuits should-should balance.¡±


    ¡°All right... but I¡¯m finding it a bit hard to concentrate right now.¡± A weird scent of fur and girlish sweat was tickling my nostrils, and I could feel her breath on me. As she saw me flinching backwards she let out another one of her trademark long sighs. Looking at me with disdain she spoke.


    ¡°I believe you are a male-male, correct? Show some pride and dignity.¡± Stepping back she raised one hand and a swirling cloud of green energy formed. ¡°We can-can do it this way.¡±


    I twitched as a gentle crawling sensation moved up my body along the line she had traced earlier, between the root and the sacral Chakras.


    ¡°If you move-move your aether through this pathway your sacral Chakra should stabilise. Now begin-begin.¡±


    It was still very hard to concentrate, but I closed my eyes and tried to direct the flow along the path her wind was tracing. It was really difficult, as it kept trying to go down the pathways I had already created. As I struggled I heard Shaeula bark ¡°No-no, follow the pathway I am showing you.¡± I reeled as a sudden blast of air whacked me around the shoulders. My eyes snapped open and I saw her glaring at me, both hands raised.


    ¡°Do-do it right!¡± Shaeula snapped. ¡°No excuses.¡±


    Rubbing at my aching shoulders with one arm I proceeded to begin a hellish few hours of training, regularly interspersed by beatings with wind. My whole upper torso was bruised by the time I finally managed to connect the two by the proper pathway as she had indicated. At Shaeula¡¯s brief words of praise I sunk to the ground, exhausted.


    ¡°So, can you feel-feel the difference?¡± She asked, and I concentrated. I could feel the change, the two Chakras, the root and the sacral, were both synchronised, pulsing gently in time with each other, sending a steady flow of aether between them. It felt much stronger and also... somehow calmer... than my previous efforts.


    ¡°I can. It definitely feels stronger and more stable.¡±


    ¡°Good-good. Then, get up. You have no-no time to be resting on the floor. You need to link to the solar plexus Chakra next.¡±


    I let out a low groan. ¡°Can¡¯t I take a break? I¡¯m exhausted both physically and mentally.¡±


    ¡°I did say I would not-not go easy on you. The only way you will succeed is through pushing-pushing yourself.¡± She shot me down coldly.


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± I think she is enjoying this. I struggled to the sitting position and began again, a line of wind connecting the next two Chakras...

 Twenty-Three

    Twenty-Three


    ¡°Good-good. You have finally connected to the heart Chakra. If you are to master the wind element, then the heart-heart is the Chakra you will need to strengthen.¡±


    Feeling a bit of a warm glow at her praise I slumped to the ground. The heart Chakra had taken quite a while to link up. I had less trouble with my aether going down the wrong routes, but since I hadn¡¯t really used the heart before it required some significant effort to use the channel. Still, now four pulsing centres of aether were beating in time within me, and I felt full of heat, like I was sitting in the warm light of the summer sun.


    ¡°You can-can have twenty minutes. After that you will-will connect the lunar Chakra.¡± Shaeula offered me a brief rest, for which I was very grateful, but what was the lunar Chakra? Was this the eighth one she mentioned earlier?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what this lunar Chakra is. On the research I¡¯ve done the next Chakra after the heart is the throat.¡± I interjected, only to be shot down by her loud snort and a sharp whip of wind across my already badly-bruised shoulders.


    ¡°Silence! Just who-who is it who has helped you connect your Chakras properly? The throat-throat comes after the lunar. Every Fae knows that-that.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps-perhaps it is because he is not a Fae?¡± The Kamaitachi spoke for the first time since he had joined us. ¡°Humans might be different?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, that makes no-no sense. Without the lunar Chakra his power would be pitifully weak-weak. Besides, why-why should a mortal be different?¡± Shaeula didn¡¯t seem inclined to listen to her kin.


    ¡°Well-well, do you know any other humans? Perhaps it might be wiser-wiser to ask one of your siblings?¡± the Kamaitachi countered. ¡°You would surely be allowed to contact them for this, if you send a subtle messenger...¡±


    ¡°I am not-not doing that-that! I know-know what I am doing, I will not-not have my siblings think I do not-not know basic facts-facts!¡± Her speech quirk was coming through stronger than ever, she was clearly embarrassed. ¡°Besides...¡± she continued in a tone I could barely hear. ¡°I do not-not want them to know I was defeated and am now-now a servant of a mortal. Not after I was already...¡± At those words that crept out involuntarily, she jerked her head around to me, eyes glowing fiercely. Her face twisted into a scowl and she spoke harshly. ¡°Up you get. You do not-not have time to lie around.¡±


    I stifled a groan and hauled myself to my feet. That was definitely not twenty minutes. I caught the gaze of the Kamaitachi who shrugged his shoulders at me, with what I was sure was a wry expression on his face.


    The fingers of wind stroked me again, this time tracing a winding route along my body to where Shaeula thought the lunar Chakra should be located, and I began to cycle my aether. Despite my exhausted and bruised body I was far more proficient in handling it after my experiences of linking the other Chakras, so it gathered quickly. I then tried to follow the route, only to meet great resistance. Aether was spilling out in all directions, going down smaller, branching channels.


    ¡°No-no, wrong again!¡± Shaeula snapped, wind striking. ¡°It needs to move through your main circuit. Although...¡± she did sound puzzled, her glowing eyes looking me up and down. ¡°It is very-very poorly developed. Still, there is-is a route for the aether to take, so use that-that!¡±


    I spent the next agonisingly long stretch of time forcing my aether through the pathways Shaeula indicated. Several times she was forced to change the route of my main circuit, and after each time she looked more and more confused. Even so, as I was coming up to breaking point I managed to reach the spot where she believed the lunar Chakra should be. All I needed to do was pool the energy there to activate it.


    As I directed my aether I felt a great resistance, stronger even than during the early days of my self-experimentation. Still, under the barked orders from Shaeula I persevered, ignoring the strange sensation of pain that was spreading from my back until it gripped my heart. I opened my eyes and glanced at Shaeula, who was chewing on one of her paws pensively, her gaze troubled. As I opened my mouth to speak she lashed out with a rap of wind to my side, drawing a grunt of pain from me.


    ¡°Keep-keep pushing. It must surely start to fill soon. I can see the aether circling it, soon-soon it will resonate.¡±


    At her long, hissed exhalation of breath that answered my question, I knew I had made a mistake, even in my befuddled state. Her eyes somehow blazed ever fiercer, and I swallowed nervously.


    ¡°You gravely insult me.¡± she proclaimed coldly. ¡°We swore-swore three Oaths and you promised three Boons. To the Fae such things are inviolable. I am-am your servant, and will remain so as long as the Boons are paid, or until both of us choose-choose to annul it, though this is not-not something one of the Seelie, less one of royal-royal blood, would ever choose to do lightly.¡±


    She seemed somehow proud, angry and sad all at once. I bowed my head deeply in apology.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my head... I don¡¯t feel so good. I would never want to insult your noble pride.¡± I was a little touched as her resolve.


    ¡°See that you do not-not. I am only thinking of your wellbeing. Now, the sooner you link up your Chakras, the sooner you can rest-rest.¡±


    I had no answer to that. Gritting my teeth and gathering what little strength I had, I started moving my aether along the route Shaeula had indicated. Almost immediately I met fierce resistance, pain knifing through my whole body. This is going to be a long, torturous process, what a delight...


    ********


    Spitting more blood I finally managed to connect up my third-eye Chakra. I had been at it for what seemed like weeks, but was likely only forty-eight hours or so. Still, being awake for that long and in such pain, even with aether flowing through me, was taking a heavy toll. Even pulling all-nighters to meet deadlines for coding work was nothing compared to this. Although to be fair, if I hadn¡¯t had such experience with that I would never have managed this...


    ¡°Excellent, that makes-makes seven. Now only the crown Chakra remains. One final-final push and you can rest.¡± Shaeula tried to encourage me. She had stopped with her blows of wind, knowing I was trying as hard as I could. Besides, if she hit me again I¡¯d probably pass out...


    Connecting what Shaeula called the lunar Chakra to the throat Chakra was torture, feeling as if I was tearing a route through my body. It had taken hours. Connecting the throat to the third eye had been quicker, as I had experience and Shaeula was guiding me, but it was still a long process. Now the final stage awaited me... Finally, this torture can end.


    I listened to her instructions in a trance-like state, just concentrating on pushing the aether the right way, and before I knew it I felt a wave of energy pass through my skull, and then starting from my crown a tide of heat like magma pulsed through me.


    ¡°Good, well done. You have-have succeeded!¡± Shaeula crowed. ¡°Your Chakra network has all linked up properly.¡± She rushed over to me as I slumped down and helped me up. I was too tired and sore to even care that I was being pressed against her. Besides, she may be a girl, but she isn¡¯t human. Though some people with strange fetishes would no doubt love this. I knew I was thinking nonsense, but I couldn¡¯t help it, I was that exhausted, sleep-deprived and in pain, my thoughts scattered and incoherent.


    ¡°I suggest you return to the Material realm-realm and rest.¡± she said, her tone now kind. ¡°Be sure-sure to circulate your aether to stabilise the circuit in your Material body but go-go gently. Though it seems-seems to be working properly the lunar Chakra in particular is pitifully weak-weak. Do not-not push yourself and I will check you when you return.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Thanks for everything Shaeula, I really appreciate it.¡± I did appreciate it, even if she was a drill-sergeant of a teacher. The results were worth it, even if the mishap with the lunar Chakra nearly had terrible consequences.


    ¡°It was nothing-nothing. Just what I should do by Oath.¡± she said, turning her gaze away from me. Yep, now she is showing her dere side.


    ¡°Well, I still appreciate it. I¡¯ll see you when I next accumulate enough aether to return.¡± And with that I let my consciousness go, finally able to rest...

 Twenty-Four

    Twenty-Four


    I opened my eyes once more to pain. Damn, I¡¯m getting used to this. Blood was smeared down my chin and across my upper chest. Luckily there wasn¡¯t a large amount, but any blood from within surely wasn¡¯t good. My bruises ached a little, though nowhere near as fiercely as they did within the Boundary, but the greatest torment was coming from where my lunar Chakra was located. Assuming it really exists, of course.


    Shaeula had certainly tried hard, and had been a good, if relentless and uncompromising, teacher, as connecting up my other Chakra nodes had gone relatively smoothly. Even now I could feel the first stirrings of warmth filling my root Chakra, and I wasn¡¯t even meditating. However, her insistence on the eighth lunar Chakra had left me badly injured. Still, if we judge purely on results it wasn¡¯t a failure...


    Whether or not she had awakened a latent eighth node we all possessed, had created it from scratch or just caused some damage to my body, it would become clear in time. Getting up I went over to the window and drew the blinds. The bright early-afternoon sun shone brightly through my window. Glancing at my digital clock it was just gone two in the afternoon. Quite some time had passed in the Boundary, and that was reflected to an extent back here. Still, I was in there for more than two days in objective time, definitely. I¡¯ve never spent so long in there before, but time does seem to run at roughly a rate of two or three times faster there. I¡¯d now made more than a half-dozen trips into the Boundary, and I was starting to get a handle on how it worked.


    As my muscles shifted the bruises ached. I didn¡¯t feel like exercise or combat training in such a condition, so since it was the afternoon I decided to eat lunch and then do some debugging. After that I would do some light stimulation of my newly linked Chakra network, and see how things progressed from there. After having some food I settled into work, and for the next few hours I rushed through the debugging, completing task after task. As the light of the evening started to turn orange with the setting sun I finished for the day, letting out a satisfied groan.


    ¡°If this keeps up I¡¯ll be done by the end of next week. That¡¯ll be an easy month ahead of schedule. Hayato¨Csan will be very surprised.¡± In this business it was more common to overrun deadlines, not complete work so far in advance. It would certainly help him out a lot. And of course it¡¯ll earn me some sweet money. My expenses will all be well covered and I¡¯ll have cash to spare...


    My stomach rumbled again, so I decided to have some dinner and wash it down with a couple of beers. Luckily I had some suitable leftovers so it didn¡¯t take long to put something together. Once I had finished up the beers it was fully dark, the silence of the night heavy in the still hot air. ¡°Oh well, time to do some light Chakra training.¡±


    I settled down into a comfortable position, trying to ignore the pain around the lunar Chakra. My bruises had faded away during the day and no longer hurt, a fast recovery. As I began to channel the aether around me into my base... no wait, now it¡¯s the root Chakra isn¡¯t it? ... Anyway, now I gathered it in my root Chakra it quickly spread upwards, bringing the comfortable feeling of warmth. As it reached my lunar Chakra the pain intensified, causing me to break out in a sweat, needles of agony spreading from my back to my whole body.


    ¡°Damn, this hurts...¡± I muttered, but I continued moving aether, and it spread upwards through my throat, third-eye and finally to my crown. When it reached my crown my body suddenly felt as if I was immersed in a boiling shower, warmth cascading down my body. As it flowed the pain from my lunar Chakra diminished, fading to a manageable ache. I was buzzing with energy, in such a short time I had gathered as much aether as I would during a whole days¡¯ effort before.


    ¡°This is so much easier...¡± I crowed, and as I did silvery letters suddenly sprang into my vision, causing a small drop in the aether inside me.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from Level Two to Level Three.


    I don¡¯t think I could go this fast without aether, and not without consequence. The pain in my muscles was now being overshadowed by a fierce burning around my lunar Chakra, causing me to tremble uncontrollably. ¡°You flatter me too much. I think this was just a one-off miracle, and I think I¡¯ve done myself some damage. I¡¯ll be taking it much easier from now on.¡± I forced myself to my feet and staggered up the steps towards my room. ¡°Off to work today?¡± I asked Hashimoto-san as he eyed me with concern.


    ¡°Yes, I have a meeting with the top brass.¡± Pulling out a ratty cigarrete he lit it and took a drag, sighing mournfully. ¡°Targets, it¡¯s always about targets. Hopefully they won¡¯t chew me out too badly this time. I wish I could get another job, but at my age... it¡¯s too big a risk for me. Employers don¡¯t look favourably on quitters.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡± I reassured him, starting to draw in the faint surrounding ether to cycle to aether to try and calm my aching lunar node. As I did so Hashimoto-san shivered, frowning suddenly.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked, and he responded with a nod, rubbing his arm with his free hand.


    ¡°I am yes, I just felt a little woozy for a second there. Probably just the stress. Oh well, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have time to talk all day, Oshiro-san. Take care of yourself, but don¡¯t let this setback stop you. It looks to this old man that you have talent. I wish I¡¯d made more of my talents when I was younger. If you can do it once, even as a miracle from the Gods, with training you should be able to achieve it again, right?¡±


    Leaving me with those words of encouragement he left, and I staggered back to my room. What you can do once you can do again, eh? That¡¯s true. But I need to remember not to push myself so far my body or my Chakras break down.


    Taking an energy drink I settled down and continued to cycle energy until my Chakras stabilised, the ache of my lunar node fading. One thing this proved was that I could use aether in the Material world as Exposition-san had promised, and it was as draining and difficult as they said. Finished with my exercise for the day I decided to crack on with my debugging.


    ********


    For the next two days I continued this routine, gentle Chakra-work, physical training and debugging, until on the third night I had accumulated more than enough to enter the Boundary, with far less effort than it usually took. Sending back the finally completed debugging work via email to Hayato-san, finished a couple of days faster than even I thought I would, I awaited his shocked response with a sense of amused anticipation.


    Closing my eyes and getting comfortable I let my consciousness drift, and once more entered my Territory...

 Twenty-Five

    Twenty-Five


    Shaeula was there to greet me as soon as I entered the Boundary. Observing me with her glowing eyes she nodded in satisfaction. ¡°While there are some-some issues still, your Chakra nodes seem to have settled. The lunar Chakra is still-still peculiar, but aether is flowing to and from it normally.¡± She paused as her gaze fell on my right wrist. ¡°There is also a puzzling flow there-there, but it seems to be doing no harm-harm I can see, nor interrupting the cycle.¡± She paused, muttering something quietly to herself after that I didn''t quite catch.


    ¡°In any case...¡± she continued. ¡°Complete what business you have to do-do with your Territory and we shall-shall begin more training. Before you can master the element of wind-wind your Chakra network must be stable and stronger, and your lunar node must-must be fixed!¡±


    I thought you said it was just peculiar, not broken... With a sigh that matched her usual ones I nodded and assessed my Territory. We had just over eight thousand ether, which was a bit of a disappointing number considering it was less than last time, and in addition the upgrade to the first Ether Spire was finished.


    Seeing my disappointed look Shaeula spoke up quickly. ¡°We have already taken a number-number of the easy structures around this place-place, and we have had to spend time holding back-back the trolls of Grulgor. We have done all we can-can.¡±


    Thinking about it I could see she was right. While there were plenty of nearby areas to capture, our Territory was too close to the Territories of Grulgor and the Raven Knight, as well as several other areas that seemed dangerous. Our easy expansion had come to an end for the moment. While we could probably slowly raid a few more buildings, that couldn¡¯t come at the expense of allowing Grulgor or the Raven Knight to assault us while our defences were weak.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all done well.¡± I allowed. ¡°We will have to expand our ether supplies other ways.¡± With that I queued in an upgrade of the second Ether Spire. The only other way I could see to improve our output was to upgrade the Territory Anchor to Rank 2, as this would allow me four more Ether Spires and a higher level they could be upgraded to, based on the limited information I was able to get from Territory Appraisal. Sadly, that would cost nearly ten thousand more ether. To gather that would take either time or some hunting... still, it was a step I really wanted to take, so we would find a way.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯m ready.¡± I said to Shaeula, who nodded.


    ¡°Very well then, we shall-shall begin.¡± She replied. ¡°Guide your aether through your Chakra nodes and I shall see-see if there are any issues.¡±


    Following her advice I began to cycle the aether, converting some ether as necessary to top it up. As always it was much easier from within the Boundary, and I was marvelling at how smoothly it was flowing. As the warmth within me built to a molten heat my lunar node was sending pulses of pain through me, though this faded as the flow increased, down to just a dull, niggling ache.


    Shaeula looked into me with her amber eyes. ¡°I see-see. This is good. Your lunar Chakra is stabilising with the extra flow of aether. If this-this continues, soon you will have a fully functioning network. Continue to draw on aether for now-now.¡±


    The more aether I channelled the hotter my body felt, and the less my lunar node hurt, though when my concentration slipped spikes of cold torment did radiate out from it. The aether within me boiled more fiercely than ever before, and I felt that I would be much stronger in combat if I used it. Time passed as I continued to train, listening to the instructions from Shaeula, until the Kamaitachi burst in unannounced, looking panicked.


    ¡°What-what is it?¡± Shaeula snapped. ¡°Interruptions are no good.¡±


    ¡°It cannot be helped.¡± The weasel panted. ¡°One of Grulgor¡¯s trolls is about to enter out Territory and we do not have-have the forces to stop him.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula pondered briefly, before turning to me with a grin on her face. ¡°This will be the perfect opportunity for you-you to see what problems we face. If we are to defeat Grulgor you must-must know what we must overcome.¡±


    All this panic over one troll? ¡°All right.¡± I nodded, gathering my spear. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°That sounds pretty awesome. So definitely a buff. A buff is something that increases your abilities, while a debuff reduces them.¡± I might as well educate her in the combat lingo of the Material. After all, we should be working together for a long time.


    ¡°I see...¡± she said slowly. ¡°Well, in any-any case, let us destroy the troll¡¯s weapon and create an opening for you.¡±


    Wind flared at the inrushing troll, who was being constrained by the narrow, congested alleyways, an advantage a smarter opponent would not have afforded us. As he slowed slightly the Kamaitachi and Shaeula both attacked with the wind, and the sapling the troll was swinging exploded into splinters, leaving him holding only a stub. As it peered down at it, puzzled, I made my move, channelling aether to boost my speed. It was smoother than ever before and I was at the troll before it knew it.


    Thrusting out with the form I had learned from my spear practice I channelled more aether into making the blow strong and sharp, and it struck home in the troll''s huge chest. The blade dug deep, acidic blood splattering out on me, causing pain to sear through me where it touched, but what was worse was the solid shock my arms endured. The wooden shaft of the spear transmitted all the impact to my arms, which felt as though I had just slammed them into a wall.


    ¡°Gah...¡± I spat, dodging as it swung a huge hand at me. Wind was battering at it, some striking at the wound I had made, causing it to bellow even more furiously. I thrust again, piercing its thick thigh, and then a blow struck its gut, sending more blood flying. Still, it was like trying to take down an elephant!


    My arms were aching after several more strikes, hands numb. Blood was streaming from the enraged troll, who swatted me away furiously. I barely managed to block with the shaft of my spear, which shuddered with the impact, as I was blown backwards a dozen paces. It was at that moment Shaeula summoned her weasel-snakes of wind which tore deeply into the areas the troll was wounded. With another roar of agony it turned and ran, fleeing back towards its own Territory.


    I slumped down in relief. In that brief skirmish I had used up most of my aether, and we had little to show for it as the troll had escaped. Shaeula came beside me and looked down on me sympathetically.


    ¡°You see why-why we have struggled? Within a day or so those wounds will have fully healed and we will have to do it all-all again.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that Grulgor must be an idiot. If I had a half-dozen tanks like that I could rule this whole area.¡± I complained as I pushed myself to my feet. My body was protesting where I had been burned by the acid blood and I felt exhausted, but there was no time to feel sorry for myself. ¡°I think I may need to rethink my plans. We need more defences as soon as possible.¡±


    We could probably gather the ether needed to set up another Defensive Emplacement quite quickly, but setting it up towards this side so that it was in range of trolls coming from the river would leave it vulnerable when the trolls breached the defensive barrier, which was a recipe for having it wrecked. Upgrading the Territory Anchor would help with that issue, allowing us to better position Emplacements that could overlook enemy Territory, and also tied in with my previous plan, but would require lots of ether.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I decided. ¡°It¡¯s time to gather some ether.¡± I looked at Shaeula. ¡°Do you know anywhere where there are enemies we can defeat?¡±


    The Kamaitachi spoke up. ¡°There is a lair of quite-quite powerful monsters. We lost several of our kin investigating it before we joined you. They are strong, but not-not invulnerable like the trolls. It is dangerous, but-but if you are sure...¡±


    ¡°Having seen how strong the trolls are first-hand I don¡¯t think we can risk the chances that Grulgor can pull a few of them together to attack. You¡¯ve really been impressive holding them off all this time, but trusting that to continue forever isn¡¯t wise.¡±


    At my praise Shaeula puffed out her chest. ¡°Indeed-indeed, we have worked hard, you should appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°And I do.¡± I laughed, tickled by her reaction. ¡°Lead on, and we¡¯ll see just how much ether we can scrounge up...¡±

 Twenty-Six

    Twenty-Six


    The entrance to our local Tokyo metro station was a dark void, oppressive and murky. As we approached I could feel a chill hanging in the air, not unlike the feeling of the great tree in the graveyard, the Raven Knight¡¯s Territory.


    You have entered a Territory possessed by another. The Territory level is low so it has only a weak effect on you, but your Aether will be slowly drained...


    Familiar words scrolled across my vision. It was like the Territory of the zombies before. It wasn¡¯t a properly anchored Territory like mine, nor a strong Territory that only lacked an Anchor like Grulgor¡¯s or the Raven Knight¡¯s. Even so, it would still be disadvantageous fighting there.


    ¡°You need-need to stay alert.¡± The Kamaitachi warned. ¡°The enemies are numerous and surprisingly powerful.¡±


    As soon as he had finished speaking a small host of foes came scuttling out of the darkness. It was a mixture of beasts. There were some spiders the size of large sheep, though instead of spider heads they had faces that seemed a grotesque cross between spider and human, with arachnid fangs in a human mouth and a pair of human eyes under the cluster of compound eyes, glaring balefully. These spider hybrids also had wickedly sharp scythes of chitin on their front legs, held up like mantises. In addition to these there were the equally disturbing scorpion-beasts, larger and the size of ponies, with eyeless human heads in place of where their scorpion heads should have been, mouths stretched wide and drooling spittle incessantly.


    ¡°Wow.¡± I said, unconsciously imitating my sister. ¡°More insects, but these... ugh, my stomach hurts.¡± Swallowing down vomit at their disgusting appearance I readied my spear.


    ¡°Be very-very careful.¡± The sickle-weasel advised me, taking a defensive stance. ¡°They are far-far more dangerous than they appear.¡±


    ¡°They appear plenty dangerous to me...¡± I muttered, eyeing huge scorpion claws and stingers, and the venom dripping from the spiders¡¯ mouths. Several of the spiders advanced, and suddenly they were blasting out gouts of fire from their maws, the flames tinged with acrid vapour that stung on contact.


    ¡°See-see?¡± the Kamaitachi said, using his wind to deflect some of the flames to either side of us, where they burst in scalding explosions, spreading the toxic gases outwards. His attacks slashed towards them, glowing green, but more flames struck the wind, devouring it.


    ¡°All-all elements have weaknesses...¡± Shaeula said as she raised a vortex of wind to ward off the flames. ¡°Fire consumes wind, leaving us at a rather-rather severe disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± I said as I leapt forwards through the maelstrom of flame and wind. ¡°No fire without oxygen after all.¡± My spear stroke was true, piercing into the face of one of the spiders as it made ready to breathe poisonous flames again, ripping through and destroying it. As that one fell I leapt back as one of the scorpions came howling forwards, claws reaching for me, tail hammering down into the ground where I was standing, pincer piercing an impressive hole in the solid stone below.


    ¡°Oxygen...?¡± Shaeula asked, but I had no time to respond. Ducking under the writhing pincers, I cut with my spear, another move I¡¯d studied online, and the stinger on the end of the scorpion¡¯s tail was severed, black blood gouting. Leaping up I thrust down, piercing chitin and flesh. The scorpion fell, scattering into ether. Beside me the combined wind attacks of Shaeula and her sickle-weasel had managed to overcome the flames and shred a couple of spiders, but more were coming all the time.


    ¡°Time to run...¡± I muttered, as we were in danger of being surrounded. With one last frenzied barrage of stabs and slashes I managed to behead another scorpion as we retreated. Checking the messages about ether gain I was pleased to see we had accumulated a decent amount. Each of the monsters must have been an Elite-class enemy.


    ¡°I will cover-cover the retreat...¡± the Kamaitachi said, jade air swirling around him. Blades of wind lashed out, and another scorpion fell, bisected. Flames roared in response and he was driven back. The spiders were flanking us, and I stepped in front of Shaeula as flames cascaded towards her. Channelling aether I slashed my spear through the fires, scattering them, taking only minor damage. With a bold yell I charged, and the spider fell, impaled through the abdomen. I wrenched the spear in a circle as I tore it free to make the wound fatal, turning to see Shaeula beleaguered by another spider and scorpion. Her wind barrier was scattering the flames but it was fading, devoured by the toxic blaze.


    ¡°Please do.¡± I returned its grin. ¡°The more the better. I want to enlarge our Territory to relieve pressure on your forces.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we should-should continue your training.¡± Shaeula said to me, and I nodded. There was no point getting greedy and trying to attack the metro again, not until we had gained more power...


    ********


    ¡°I think-think this is the last one. We will search more but do not expect any-any.¡± The Kamaitachi said as he placed down a red Etherite ore. I absorbed it, as I had done the fourteen other ores he had brought. Of those two were orange, and there had even been a yellow one found deep within the domain Shaeula had claimed as her own. Combining this with the ether my Territory had generated over time, as well as the bounty we made from killing the monsters at the metro, and we had just under five thousand ether.


    Not enough to upgrade the Territory yet, but we can make a start...


    ¡°Pay-pay attention to your training!¡± Shaeula commanded, seeing me getting distracted. I flashed her a smile and queued in a building, passing her the command permissions to use it when it was completed.


    Barracks Rank 1 ¨C This Building can recruit up to ten Basic-class troops based on those who serve your Territory. These troops will gain experience and have a maximum Level of 2. You can currently recruit kobolds and weaselkin. Cost 2500.


    When I queued it in it would take two Astral days to complete, so it would be ready by the next time I was in the Boundary. Shaeula looked at me, eyes wide. ¡°With this I can begin-begin to restore my kin!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I reached over and rustled her furry head, causing her to squirm and bat my hands away with her own. ¡°And if we can upgrade it further you should be able to call upon stronger ones, even sickle-weasels.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not manhandle me, fool-fool.¡± She snapped, but she didn¡¯t look that unhappy. ¡°Still, I admit you are making progress on one-one of the Oaths we agreed. But enough of that. Your Chakras are starting to show signs of exhaustion, so it is time-time for you to return to the Material and rest.¡± She showed me some concern, but also praise, as she continued. ¡°Still-still, your progress is very fast. Your Chakras are enlarging and stabilising at a very-very rapid rate. Only the lunar Chakra is out of balance. Soon-soon you will be ready to attempt to harness wind energy. However, that takes much study and training, so do not-not expect sudden progress!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± I had been at my training for over a day of Astral time, so I was pretty tired. Still, feeling the tangible results was pushing me forwards. Drawing in aether was now almost as easy as breathing. I still felt pain and discomfort around my lunar Chakra at times, but as I worked this became less and less frequent and intense.


    ¡°While I¡¯m gone, as soon as we reach enough ether to upgrade the Territory Anchor you can start spending the rest on recruiting weaselkin to bring back your kin. With the extra numbers we should be able to deal with more threats and earn more ether. It¡¯s a virtuous cycle!¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Shaeula snorted at my words. ¡°Virtuous is not-not the way I might refer to you. Still, this humble servant will follow your-your orders.¡±


    Humble? Hardly. ¡°Great. Together we are stronger.¡± With that I let myself return to the Material plane, with lingering thoughts of how quickly I would be able to return to the Boundary and continue building my Territory...

 Twenty-Seven

    Twenty-Seven


    The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the blinking of the message light on my mobile phone. Flipping it open I noticed the time was eight thirty in the morning, a bit later than I normally got up, but more than enough time to do what I needed to. The second thing I noticed was the expected email from Hayato-san. That was quicker than I thought.


    "Hey man. I was shocked to get your completed work. I¡¯ve had a quick look through and it seems okay, but until the bigwigs finish their checks your payment will have to wait. I know you won¡¯t have done a bad job but... you finished over a month ahead of schedule. You must have pulled a series of brutal all-nighters, and even then..."


    As I continued to read I felt a little guilty. It had felt awesome using my new abilities to smash through several weeks¡¯ worth of work in just days, but I had forgotten how that would make people who weren¡¯t aware of my changed powers feel...


    "I hope you¡¯re all right, man. If you have money worries you can let me know and I can probably scrape a loan together for you. I¡¯m sure the others would come in on that as well. Please let me know, I can¡¯t let a good friend like you suffer in silence. In any case, why not take it easy and wait for the paycheck? If the work is good, which I have no doubt, seeing as it''s you, you¡¯ll have earned a tidy bundle of yen.


    Take care and hit me back soon, your old friend, Hayato."


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Hayato-san was a good friend. I shouldn¡¯t have made him worry. It was a good lesson. I made the same mistake when I ran too fast where people could see me. Having inhuman powers was great and all, but if I was careless about how I used them and the wrong people found out... I¡¯ll be more careful from now on.


    Firing off a reply to Hayato-san apologising and saying that I just had inspiration while working on it, and while I did indeed cram a few all-nighters to grind it out, it was only because I had an awesome flow going on, I hoped he would accept it. Logically there was no way I could have done that work so quickly under my own steam, but it wasn¡¯t something Hayato-san would likely give much thought. He was the kind of guy who would just believe what he was told, unless it was wildly implausible. He''s a man who will always give you the benefit of the doubt and be supportive...


    Finishing by thanking him for the offer of a loan but declining, I asked if he had any work going that no-one else needed at that point and promised I¡¯d deliver it to him quickly. With that done it was time for my normal morning routine. The gathering of aether through my Chakras flowed smoothly, the discomfort less than before. I then moved on to my exercise routine, and after that finished another job, but this time I kept it to merely fast, without being abnormally good. See, I can learn lessons.


    As I dried myself off after a hot bath to ease my aching muscles I saw I had another email from Hayato-san. It was enquiring whether I was really all right, but that if I was serious there was a couple of weeks¡¯ worth of redraws and re-renders of some background art that had been rejected by the dev team, which he could send my way if I was serious. I guess I really worried him if he is digging so hard. I sent back more assurances that I was all right, and got back a near-immediate response, along with the work to do. Settling down into my chair with a cold bottle of iced tea, I started to work on it, my hands flying across mouse and keyboard at extreme speed. This time though I¡¯ll sit on the work for a few days, so it doesn¡¯t seem as if I finished it so incredibly early... That would decrease my potential earnings, but I would not upset my friends, which was important too.


    ********


    The next day I carried on with my training, but as I was feeling full of aether due to my developing Chakra network I decided to add in a further experiment, based on using aether in the Material. After several hours I had discovered the following findings. Using it within my body, like when I exceeded my limits on my run a couple of days ago, still used a lot more aether than it would in the Boundary, orders of magnitude more in fact. Despite that, I could use aether to help me lift weights far heavier than I could unaided, or even crush a spoon within my grasp. Doing so caused spikes of pain to flare in my lunar Chakra and the surrounding body, but it was bearable.


    After that conversation I began to practice strengthening my Chakra network with the usual incisive help from Shaeula, her amber mystic eyes seeing the flow within me and allowing her to correct my problem areas. As I worked the molten warmth within me spread, until I was feeling a near uniform sensation of heat. The only island of lesser aether within me was my lunar Chakra and the surrounds, which occasionally pulsed stabbing needles of frosty pain through my back and upper body. Sadly, I was well used to this now so it barely slowed me down.


    This continued for hours under her tutelage, until something seemed to snap suddenly into place. It was as if my body pushed through some sort of barrier, the heat it felt all moving to my lower body, where my White Cord connected me to my Material form. I gasped in a combination of sensations, a mixture of pain and strange pleasure running through me.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from Level Three to Level Four.


    Your White Cord has evolved into a Silver Cord. This has strengthened both your Astral and Material forms. Aether can be utilised more efficiently with less waste.


    ¡°Oh, this-this is interesting.¡± Shaeula said, as my White Cord began to change, fragments drifting away into the air as if it was ash from a fire, leaving smooth shining silver beneath. Once this was done my body shuddered once, power flowing through it. The world seemed to be just a step slower around me, my mind working faster. Aether was flowing through me swiftly, with barely any resistance, and this was energising me. I felt like I had powered up, like going Super Saiyan. I¡¯m over 9000!


    ¡°Your Chakras have all-all changed dramatically. The energy they hold is now-now swirling like a whirlpool... all except the lunar node, and even that is larger and looks-looks more stable. You have made a breakthrough!¡± she observed. ¡°With these Chakras you should be able to take your first-first steps to harnessing the wind, but do not-not expect it to be easy, it should be far-far more difficult than reaching this stage!¡±


    I looked down at my Silver Cord, which was fading from view now that it had evolved. It was now more in line with all the literature on Chakras and Astral projection I had read, which had all talked about similar Silver Cords.


    ¡°So what my father said was true-true.¡± Shaeula said beside me. ¡°The Scotsman had a Silver Cord connecting his body to our world, and it shone like a silver-silver sun. I had wondered if the Scotsman was just special, or if you were not-not sufficiently strong enough. Now I know-know.¡±


    I¡¯m guessing this ability to evolve and strengthen my Chakras and my Silver Cord is why Exposition-san didn¡¯t force open my Chakra nodes before. Most likely I would have been at the same sort of strength level as I am now, but I might not have had room to grow... still, meeting Shaeula was a great stroke of luck, as without her mystic eyes giving her the ability to guide me, I would no doubt have not come anywhere near as far, I might have been struggling for weeks, months or even years to get to this point on my own, if I didn¡¯t ruin myself first with my fumblings...


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty much all thanks to you, Shaeula.¡± I praised her, causing her to fidget in embarrassment. ¡°Without your guidance it would have taken me a lot longer to reach this stage, if I even could with my pathways not using the main route through my body.¡±


    ¡°It is only-only natural for me to help my master.¡± she said, puffing out her chest proudly, showing her dere side once more. ¡°I did not-not do it because I particularly wanted to.¡± And there¡¯s the classic tsun. Man, she is textbook at times.


    With a wry smile I asked her how I could begin my training in wind elemental energy...

 Twenty-Eight

    Twenty-Eight


    ¡°The first-first thing you will need to do is find a suitable source of wind energy. Luckily you seem to have-have some aptitude.¡± Shaeula gestured at the faint wisps of wind energy that surrounded me, still there from where I had slain her Kamaitachi. To which I¡¯m feeling kind of guilty now I know her better, even though I shouldn¡¯t as it was either them or me...


    ¡°If we return to where-where my Territory was we will find-find a rich elemental wind blowing. You will need-need to absorb the wind inside you and guide it to your heart Chakra, for the heart is the Chakra that-that guides wind and its related elements. However, without a full understanding of the wind, you will not-not be able to attune your Chakra, to create the elemental energies yourself.¡± She finished her explanation, expecting a response.


    Knowledge of the wind? I reckon I know plenty about it, although maybe not in a mystical sense...


    ¡°All right, and then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That-that is all you need to do. It sounds simple does it not-not, but the simplest things are often the most difficult. Once your heart Chakra is attuned and creating wind it will grow-grow with use, and you can also strengthen it by absorbing rare wind energies and making them yours-yours. If you are diligent, you may even-even gain a unique wind like my fortunate winds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one you blessed me with before, right? The one that you said magnifies luck?¡± I asked, intrigued. This could aid the plan I was slowly putting together in my head.


    ¡°Indeed-indeed.¡± she agreed. ¡°The stronger one¡¯s luck, the more-more there is to magnify and the greater Fortune one has. It also helps one to know when their Fortune is at its peak-peak, and if one acts then good things are sure-sure to happen.¡±


    Yes, this is definitely going to help. My Fortune had increased when I became a Fae-Bonded, so with it enhanced, to say nothing of the knowledge of peak luck... I couldn¡¯t help myself, I started grinning, which confused Shaeula a little.


    ¡°Should you start-start to form such an ability, wind energies will also accumulate in your lunar Chakra, as that-that is the Chakra that governs unique powers.¡± She sniffed then, looking at me harshly. ¡°Of course, with your-your feeble lunar node, asking for such might be too much good fortune, even-even with my help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that...¡± I laughed, ruffling her furry head again, ignoring her weak protests. ¡°I¡¯ll get it sorted with your assistance. It¡¯s a miracle I owe to you I even have it, I don¡¯t think humans were meant to possess a lunar Chakra.¡±


    ¡°Bah, I know how-how these things work.¡± she protested once more, as we moved towards her old Territory in the park. Wind energy was visible in the air around us as a faint haze, flowing out from the dungeon in visible streams, winding high into the dark, false light of the Boundary skies. Now that I knew what I was looking for it was quite the pretty sight.


    That makes sense. It¡¯s the difference between a gun that only holds a few rounds of ammunition, and a laser that can create and fire its own bolts. ¡°So how do I proceed?¡±


    Gazing upon me with her mystic eyes she took quite some time to answer. When she did it was with a long sigh. ¡°Your drawing of the wind-wind is passable. With time and the improvement of your Chakra network you will surely grow more-more adept. But to generate the wind... only-only superb knowledge of the wind will allow this, as well as a deep link-link with your heart. You must feel-feel the wind as a part of you!¡±


    ¡°So, can you share your knowledge with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Surely that would help speed me along.¡±


    ¡°I can-can and I will, but knowledge told is less effective than knowledge you learn-learn yourself. Profound insight is required and such insights do not-not come easily.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we can¡¯t do too much other than gather ether while we wait for our Territory Anchor to upgrade.¡± I replied. ¡°While we are doing that I¡¯ll be more than happy to listen to all you know. If I can master the wind I think not only will it make me stronger, I think it can help with the next stage of my expansion plan.¡±


    ¡°Expansion plan-plan? No, never mind. I shall impart all-all of my royal wisdom to you. You had better be-be grateful that you are receiving teaching directly from a princess who is a master of the wind-wind!¡±


    For the next few hours I listened intently to her insights as we hunted what we could to gather ether. Unfortunately other than the occupied Territories around us pickings were slim due to the great work Shaeula and her kin had done clearing out anything they could defeat, but I did gain some valuable insights on the feel of wind and how it was born, grown and used. Unfortunately her knowledge on what the elemental energy actually was seemed lacking.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to return to the Material now.¡± I advised her, after we had spent quite a while finding little to hunt but the odd lesser spirit or mutant insect. ¡°We can¡¯t do much right now, and I want to master the wind as soon as possible. I¡¯m going to gain some insights.¡±


    ¡°Very well-well.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Work hard, and we shall do the same-same and gather enough ether so that more of my kin can return. We shall also protect your Territory while-while it slumbers.¡±


    I ruffled her head again before I departed. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    And with that I returned to my room on the Material plane, filled with both wind energy and enthusiasm...

 Twenty-Nine

    Twenty-Nine


    The feeling of the wind elemental energy inside me was different to the normal warmth of aether. This felt prickly and chilly, though the feeling was surprisingly comfortable. The area around my heart was the most concentrated, although I could feel the energy circulating within me throughout my body.


    ¡°Oh well, if I am going to put my plan into action, I need to see what I can do here on the Material.¡± After grabbing breakfast I pulled out a couple of hundred yen coins and some dice. Moving the wind energy as I would aether, I formed the image and released it. The flow was sluggish, and it took some effort on my part, but there was a flash of green and the coin balanced on my hand was flicked off and tumbled to the desk below.


    ¡°It does work. It seems to be less inhibited by the Material plane than aether too.¡± I wondered if that was because aether was a pure form, while wind was something that was already part of the Material world?


    For the next few minutes I continued to experiment, until the wind energy I had stored was all gone. Noting down my results I ran the numbers and was rather pleased. Even without being able to generate it myself I could still use the wind in my plan, but if I was able to generate it consistently, the efficiency would rise exponentially.


    Another benefit of this was I was getting used to how it felt to manipulate the wind energy. It worked similarly to aether, but there were definite differences. Aether responded to thought at a much higher efficiency, while the wind relied more on my moving it through my network and expelling it. This would take some getting used to, but once moving it became second nature to me it would free up my concentration, which would be very useful in combat.


    ¡°Oh well, time to do some research. If I need knowledge of the wind and air, then internet, here I come.¡±


    I spent the next few hours going over wind and what caused it. It was mostly related to temperature differentials causing atmospheric pressure, as I remembered from classes at school. There were some other factors such as the rotation of the earth and large geographical features, but that was basically it. I felt my understanding of that was about as good as it could get. Hell, I¡¯m even aware of super strong winds on Jupiter. Harnessing that sort of power would make me unstoppable...


    But I had the feeling that wind elemental energy was also more related to air, as per the classical Greek model. I knew the relative composition of air, most people did (those who paid attention at school, anyway) but what made air... well, air? After all, air here wasn¡¯t the same as air on Venus, or Jupiter, or those planets where the atmosphere was made of molten metal due to the heat of their sun.


    Perhaps the air element is merely the ability to manipulate the flow of any gases... it might even go further and allow one to affect further the properties of any gas. Remembering the way that the wind energy had felt as I used it to move the air around me to flip the coin and push the dice I had thrown, I felt like I was nearing a breakthrough.


    Closing my eyes while thinking about the wind I began to draw in aether. It was so smooth now that my network had matured, and I felt I could probably draw in enough aether in a single day to return to the Boundary now, rather than taking two or three. Of course, it was still far slower than it was in the Boundary, especially areas touching the lower Astral, but that was only to be expected, as the Astral was the realm of aether... wait, eureka!


    My eyes shot open and I bolted out of my chair, mind racing. If there is aether here, then surely there is wind energy too, after all, Earth has plenty of winds. It¡¯ll be typhoon season in a few months. Plus if it is air, we have a whole atmosphere of it!


    Thinking of it another way, every human was already making use of wind energy, after all, we needed to breathe to live. We could also cause wind by exhaling, or even a little by flailing our arms. It was the difference between a pebble and a mountain in scale, but still it was there. So if I could capture the feeling that the wind energy gave off in the Boundary when I was drawing it in, as well as when I was using it, I could find the energy here!


    I held in a laugh at her shock. ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t easy, but like you said, I gained an understanding of the wind and air, and here we are.¡± Of course, just generating the energy was only the first step, finding ways to use it effectively was even more important.


    ¡°Well, you are still-still weak compared to me.¡± she said, regaining her poise. ¡°But I will-will allow you show some promise. I expected no less.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Thanks for the praise Shaeula, but you should take a fair chunk of the glory. After all, it was your teachings that led me to the answers I was seeking.¡±


    ¡°Quite-quite. You do well to realise this. Of course, helping you is helping me, so I do not-not need your praise.¡±


    Although it looks like you still want it. ¡°All right then, so what is next?¡±


    ¡°You must absorb more-more wind energies to strengthen your heart Chakra. Finding a unique wind would be far-far better, but I have not-not seen one since the fortunate wind I found as a child. No-no, you will have to make do with a steady accumulation. With such a swift breakthrough that you have made-made, one unprecedented in all of the Seelie, I am sure-sure you will be stronger in little time.¡±


    Heeding her advice we went to the richest area of wind energy and I began to absorb it. The upgrade on my Territory Anchor still wasn¡¯t finished, so there was little else to do. Ether was building slowly because of my Ether Spires, even at the reduced effectiveness, but there was still not enough for an upgrade to the Barracks yet. Hmm, Ether Spires, that gives me an idea...


    Checking the data on them I noticed that they could accrue some abundant elemental resources. If I put down some new Spires when the Anchor levelled up I could probably cut out some of the tedium of gathering wind energy. Of course, I¡¯d need somewhere to store it. A quick search found the answer.


    Elemental Silo- Rank 1 ¨C This annex to a Silo will securely store up to 100 units of one type of Elemental essence, protecting it from theft or loss. You may transfer this essence between yourself and this Silo at any time. Cost 800.


    It seemed I would be able to absorb elemental wind without having to seek it out, once all the relevant Buildings were set up. The groundwork would place extra cost on my operations, but long term it was definitely worth it. Got to invest in infrastructure to win any RTS, at least ones where rushing isn¡¯t a thing...


    As I worked through my future plans and continued to absorb elemental wind we were suddenly interrupted by a weaselkin rushing in.


    ¡°Princess, bad-bad news. Another troll has broken our lines-lines. If we do not drive it back-back our Territory could be in danger!¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged long glances. Shrugging my shoulders I rose to my feet and grasped my spear. ¡°I guess this would be a good time to test out how much stronger I¡¯ve become. All right, let¡¯s go!¡± We can¡¯t afford to let it rampage now, not with the Territory undergoing an upgrade...

 Thirty

    Thirty


    Reaching the edges of our Territory we could see the huge grey troll, swinging massive fists at everything that crossed its path, punching craters in walls and even the ground. With one meaty thwack it struck a metal streetlight pole, bending it over at a thirty degree angle. Roaring at the pole that didn¡¯t fall he grasped it, stony grey muscles bulging, and tore it free, the base coming out attached to a plug of concrete. Hurling it away into a nearby wall which caved in under the force of impact, the troll looked around with bloodshot yellow eyes. It was then it saw us, and opening a yawning mouth filled with slab-like teeth it bellowed again, charging our way.


    ¡°Well at least this one isn¡¯t armed...¡± I said dryly, drawing my spear.


    ¡°I would-would imagine those fists count as weapons.¡± Shaeula retorted. ¡°If you are hit by them you will surely-surely die.¡± With that she invoked her blessing, lucky winds blowing around me.


    ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯d really like to avoid that.¡± In fact, the fear of death was rising within me again, but I swallowed it down. This is a managed risk. Trolls are stupid, so I can always flee again if I can¡¯t take it down. Besides, I have luck on my side...


    Drawing upon the wind energy I had accumulated it was time to test it. Racing forwards I used my greater speed and agility to duck under the troll¡¯s swinging arms, using a few threads of wind energy to lower wind resistance around me, speeding my movements significantly. Score one for battle shounen anime, using wind this way works.


    As the troll howled in rage and swung back towards me Shaeula and the Kamaitachi barraged it with their own blades of wind, doing little damage to its rocky skin but confusing and distracting it. As it was torn on which way to face I stabbed out with my spear, aiming for the back of one knee. This time though I wrapped the blade of my spear in a whirling cyclone of verdant wind energy, forming a spinning drill. The impact sent a shudder through my arms, and for a brief second the troll¡¯s skin held out, before it parted in a gush of acrid blood. The troll roared, falling to one knee as the windy drill ripped through, punching a great hole through the limb.


    ¡°My drill is the drill that shall pierce the heavens!¡± I shouted, drawing a withering glare from Shaeula. You just don¡¯t get the reference, every man dreams of shouting that one time...


    Unable to support its own weight the troll¡¯s leg tore, and it toppled to one side, thrashing about. One fist flew past my head, barely missing me, and I shuddered reflexively. Damn, getting cocky will be the death of me....


    Leaping back I threw my spear, again wrapped in a drill of glowing green air. The troll batted a fist at it from its half-sitting position, catching the blade. As it did so several fingers flew off, cut apart by the slicing winds that were whirling like a chainsaw. It works kind of like the Rasenshuriken from Naruto, all slicing wind. It¡¯s definitely effective...


    The blade had pierced deep through the troll¡¯s palm, and as the winds cycled it was shredded, after a few seconds exploding apart, drawing another roaring bellow, this one filled with pain and frustration.


    ¡°Impressive. Your-your mastery of winds exceeds mine already.¡± Shaeula said, amazed. ¡°It is rather-rather frustrating indeed though. I cannot help but feel shamed by my own lack-lack of skills.¡±


    I reassured the pouting Shaeula as I dodged around the troll, retrieving my spear by channelling aether to bring it back towards me. ¡°Well like I said, understanding things is kind of my speciality. I remember seeing videos of a compressed air cutter that would slice through thick steel like it was butter.¡±


    ¡°Videos?¡± Shaeula asked, and then she shook her head. ¡°It does not-not matter. I will be asking you more-more about this later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll be happy to explain how you can use your wind more effectively.¡± It would be a big help to me if Shaeula was stronger, as she could already handle more wind energy than me, so if she could use it better she would be a real asset in battle. In fact my wind energy was almost depleted, so I had perhaps one more strike left in me. It was time to make it count.


    Ether flowed into me, replacing some of what was expended, and out of the fiery hell came scuttling several hybrid-faced spiders and the big scorpions, shells ablaze.


    ¡°Fire at will.¡± I ordered, and Shaeula and the Kamaitachi began to attack with wind, whilst the dozen weaselkin behind us slung stones or shot arrows. Enemies were falling before us, unable to respond, and ether was quickly being amassed. I darted amidst the flames, using little bursts of wind to deflect the inferno, using my spear to take down whichever enemy was in front of me. The fight continued for nearly an hour, until the blaze had died down, leaving piles of hideous insectoid corpses lying charred amidst the blackened ruins of the web maze.


    Breathing in deeply, taking in lungfuls of hot air that tasted of ashes, I had another thought. Oxygen is a part of air right, so if I could raise the concentration of oxygen in my blood, that should give me a huge boost to my physical abilities?


    The idea was tempting, but a mistake could well be fatal, so I decided to put it on the back-burner until after some testing. Turning to my allies I ordered us all forwards, into the heart of the metro station dungeon. There was a brief sense of disorientation as we crossed the threshold, and we were then in a gloomy stone tunnel, sloping downwards into the inky darkness, the walls covered in thick spider webs where large spiders lurked, hissing at us, venomous spittle running from many open maws to stain the floor.


    ¡°Delightful place you have-have taken me to.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°You know-know how to treat a lady.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess this is a bit much for a princess.¡± I allowed. ¡°Still, once this lair is cleared out, we¡¯ll redecorate. In my Territory we¡¯ll only have nice places.¡± Using aether I created some balls of glowing light that hovered around us in the air, shedding a dull light through the tunnel.


    ¡°Admirable sentiments indeed-indeed.¡± she agreed, lashing out with blades of wind and decapitating several dog-sized spiders as they crawled closer. ¡°But that will not-not be easy. Whoever is at the centre of this maze-maze will be strong, maybe as strong as us. We should-should proceed with care.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing anything else.¡± My spear thrust into a dog-sized scorpion, piercing the shell and spilling its stinking guts. ¡°If I¡¯m to die, I definitely don¡¯t want it to be here, who knows what the insect monsters would do to my corpse...¡±


    ¡°Such-such a pleasant image...¡± Shaeula muttered behind me, as she swept the area with a burst of wind, slamming chitinous bodies into the bare stony walls, shattering them.


    As we continued to push forwards we encountered very few of the more powerful monsters. Those we did find we triple-teamed to quickly defeat, and after some time we reached a blockage, another thick wall of webs anchored across a series of maw-like stalactites and stalagmites, each as thick as a human leg. Within the webs a dozen of the spiders with the human eyes lurked, as well as something larger and darker, a huge ball-like creature with dozens of stubby legs. As we approached the ball split open, revealing a huge toothy mouth big enough to swallow a person whole.


    ¡°Well, this looks more challenging...¡± I said, readying my spear once more. Leaping forwards my spear was wreathed in glittering wind energy, which pierced through one of the spiders¡¯ torsos, the cyclonic winds blowing it apart in a welter of stinking gore. As I spun to the next target flames spewed from the arachnids¡¯ mouths, consuming my swirling winds, driving me back, heat stinging my exposed flesh, the smell of burning hair filling my nose.


    Damn, fire beats wind. I need to remember that...


    As one spider that was reaching for me with bladed forelimbs fell, head sliced apart by winds from the sickle-weasel, I could see in the dim light formed by my aether-balls that a group of scorpion-beasts was forming up behind the web, and amidst them was the shape of something larger and stranger...


    This is going to be a tough one. Oh well, with the rate of growth of this small Territory I can¡¯t just leave it be... Clutching my spear tighter in my sweating hands I thought of my next move...

 Thirty-One

    Thirty-One


    I¡¯ll need to burn the webs like before... that seemed the safest plan. If I could pull it off I¡¯d roast most of the enemies alive, and we could attack those behind. Gathering my aether I tried to form the image, but it met resistance, as if I was trying to push the image physically through a sticky wall of tar. Aether was leaking out from me, wasted, so I withdrew my attempt. As I did so the larger presence behind the web let out a cry of triumph, in a surprisingly feminine voice, and it raised a couple of multi-jointed chitinous arms (or maybe legs, it was hard to tell in the gloom) in victory.


    As if that was a signal the other foes redoubled their efforts, attacking faster and more fiercely, driving us back with surges of flame. Behind the web the scorpions began to shoot large bony needles through the gaps, each as long as a ruler and dripping with acrid venom. I barely managed to block one with my spear, and another grazed me, causing pain far more severe than the small injury would have suggested.


    As I clamped my mouth shut to keep in a groan I stole a glance at my companions. The sickle-weasel was unharmed, although his fur had been scorched a little, and Shaeula was fighting well, her snake-weasels of wind deflecting the incoming projectiles.


    I¡¯ll have to step it up. I might have been on par in terms of strength, better even in some areas, but I definitely lacked practical combat experience. Using the wind I darted about, striking blows with sharp drills of air wreathing the blade of my spear, and several of the spiders were killed. The larger orb-like creature moved surprisingly swiftly, large fang-filled maw snapping shut a mere inch from me, drenching me in burning spittle. Jerking away I barely avoided flames spewed from the lesser arachnids, and was hit several times in the ribs and thigh by needles from the scorpions. Pain flared, and I felt a chill spreading. Shit, they are probably poisoned.


    Using aether I ripped free the needles from my wounds and also spurted out the nearby blood, figuring that would work to remove any venom. Ignoring the wave of weakness I felt I channelled my wind into one sharp blade, slashing at where the webs were anchored to the walls and ceiling. The webs were strong, like steel cables, but against my vibrating wind blade that was viciously sharp they were unable to withstand the force and with several loud twanging noises the strands parted, the whole structure coming crashing down, entangling all of the spiders as if it was a net.


    ¡°How-how did you do that?¡± Shaeula asked, her wind weasel-snakes striking through the scorpions, now that the web that was shielding them had fallen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± I answered, rushing forwards behind her wind attack, using the opportunity to stab several spiders through the head as I passed. I slew one scorpion and was wheeling to face another when suddenly I felt a nagging sensation in my head, as though something was whispering to me... to jump and throw?


    All right. Leaping into the air I imbued my spear with most of my remaining wind energy and hurled it forwards into the darkness. As I cleared the ground the heap of webs quivered and then tore apart, the huge toothy orb surging upwards, snapping jaws shutting on where I was standing a moment before. The jaws closed on a helpless scorpion-beast and ripped it in half, a welter of gore spraying everywhere.


    Damn, that could have been me. I shivered in the air, even as I began to drop towards the spherical beast. Suddenly a beam of darkness shot forwards from the shadows, a series of inky orbs like a string of black pearls, devouring Shaeula¡¯s wind snake-weasels as it passed. It was heading towards me and I¡¯d have little time to dodge. Time seemed to slow as I searched my mind for a solution, but nothing was forthcoming...


    Suddenly there was a feminine screech of pain and the beam of darkness veered off course, slashing downwards and neatly bisecting the fanged orb, slicing it into two parts. As I landed between the halves, grimacing at the horrific stench, I sent forward my light orbs and I could now see the leader of this dungeon, who was clutching a pair of severed stumps, inky gore fountaining out. My spear was stuck in the ground beside it, covered in its blood.


    ¡°Time to dieeeeeee, invading maggotttttttssssssss!¡± the Jorogumo howled, words slurred, darkness forming again at the tips of her remaining spider-limbs. If I was to take another hit from that elemental attack it would be the end. I would have to close in fast and strike a fatal blow quickly... knuckles white as I clutched my spear I darted forwards, adrenaline surging.


    ¡°Go-go left!¡± Shaeula called from behind me and I instinctively pivoted, spinning to the left. As I did wind-snakes surged past me, battering into the Jorogumo, tearing cloth and the flesh beneath. A piercing scream rang through the air, followed by a second as blades of wind cut through another spider-limb. The darkness scattered and the foe reared backwards, gouting blood.


    ¡°You have done well-well lasting this long. We shall assist you!¡± Shaeula said proudly, as more wind lashed from her. Driven backwards the Jorogumo let out one more baleful yell, her gaze hot and dark. ¡°I shalllllll remember thisssss!¡± she spat, drawing her few surviving limbs around herself. Darkness flared, rising into a tower around her, and then she was gone, all that remained of her the puddle of blood where she was standing.


    You have successfully driven out the owner of this Territory. You have claimed the area and liberated the held Ether within. You have gained...


    The usual silver message scrolled across my eyes and I felt a rush of ether. The resistance I was feeling to using aether vanished as well, the comfortable feeling of being in control replacing it.


    ¡°That was quite-quite the battle.¡± Shaeula observed, gingerly stepping around the bloody puddles. ¡°We nearly did not-not win. She was a worthy-worthy foe. A pity she managed to flee.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I disagree.¡± I grounded the butt of my spear, using it to support my weight as exhaustion flooded through me. ¡°Of course, if I could hold as much wind energy as you, I¡¯d have finished her off before she could escape. I hope that is the last we see of her, but I doubt it...¡±


    ¡°You may-may be right. She did seem the vengeful sort-sort.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°As for the elemental wind, that will grow-grow in time. You have only just begun to cultivate it. I have-have been using wind for many years. And speaking of wind... that blade of wind you used-used, it was far more-more dangerous than it should have been, with the energy it contained within. How did-did you do that?¡±


    Letting out a tired chuckle I spoke. ¡°It¡¯s all about pressure and vibration. I¡¯ll explain it when we get back to the heart of our Territory. I think we are done with battle today...¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, see that you do-do.¡± She acquiesced. ¡°If I could do the same-same, I would be far-far more deadly in battle...¡±


    That would be of benefit to me as well. Forcing down my tiredness and all my savage aches and pains I followed her out of the now deserted metro station. It had been one hell of a fight, but it was hard to say it hadn¡¯t been worth it. We had dealt with a very real threat to our control of this region and obtained a wealth of ether and in addition to that, when our Territory upgraded this place would likely come under our control. It would soon be time to implement the next stage of my plan...

 Thirty-Two

    Thirty-Two


    I spent quite some time trying to teach Shaeula and her Kamaitachi about compression and vibration. They understood forming wind into sharp blades, which was a type of compression, but weren¡¯t really sure how they were doing it. I don¡¯t think she quite grasped it, but there would be time to expand on it further later. Returning to the Material plane I woke up to the taste of coppery blood, and stabbing daggers of pain all over my skin, as well as several more piercing injuries.


    Touching the skin of my face I winced. It was as if I was sunburned, the skin abraded and peeling. Damn, that Jorogumo did a number on me. Blood was staining the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing when I projected into the Boundary, and though the wounds underneath had scabbed over they were still hot and tender to the touch. Going to the bathroom I rinsed out my mouth, water turning pink from the dried blood. Looking in the mirror I could see I looked a mess, my hair untidy and burned in places, my skin pale and scabbed all over.


    Damn, I look like shit. I had plans today and they involved going out, but I couldn¡¯t like this, as I looked like a homeless person. Oh well, if I consider what I gained from the battle, this is a price worth paying... I guess.


    I ran a bath and spent a while scrubbing at my body, removing the scabbing and dead skin. The only areas I left were the ones with the deeper injuries. Applying some bandages I finished making myself look passable, though I would have to do something about my hair as well.


    Returning to my computer I dug out the required documents and went online. My plan was to re-open an old British bank account I had when I was younger. Since my mother was British it wasn¡¯t too much of a problem and it was quickly done. Now all that was required was transferring a suitable amount of seed funds. That would involve going out though.


    Fetching a hooded sweatshirt out of my closet, I grimaced as I pulled it on. Shit, with the heat of the day I¡¯m going to look shady as hell, and I¡¯m going to be really uncomfortable. Still, I look like crap and I don¡¯t want anyone I know to see me like this... I compromised by not wearing a t-shirt. Chugging an iced tea from my fridge, it was soon time to go.


    The heat was as oppressive as I thought it would be, sun beating down, causing me to sweat instantly, droplets running down my back and starting to soak my hoodie. If I could use wind energy to create a breeze it would be perfect, but unfortunately I had only regained a little after my battle with the Jorogumo. Jogging swiftly into town I boarded the metro which was quieter during the midday heat and watched the scenery pass by. Damn, this place gives me bad memories...


    Several minutes later I had arrived at my destination, about three miles from my apartment. It was a busier shopping district, an area that also housed my local bank, as well as various large department stores and a small handful of other facilities like a bathhouse and a couple of hotels for poor tourists and backpackers. The buildings were taller than the area around my home, although obviously not a patch on Tokyo-proper. In fact, looking into the distance the day was so clear I could just about make out the shadows of skyscrapers in the distance. Now if I was a rich man and one of those was my starting Territory, I wonder how much easier my life would be...


    Wiping sweat from my brow under my hood I began walking. There were a fair few people around, either shopping or grabbing some lunch, and I was feeling very self-conscious, hidden away in my hoodie in this sweltering heat. As I moved through the streets I noticed a barber shop, which gave me another idea...


    Twenty minutes later I was the in the chair, hood down, an older lady combing through my hair.


    ¡°My, my, what happened to you?¡± she asked, looking at the missing pieces and burned ends. ¡°It almost looks like your head caught fire...¡±


    ¡°Well, it was a work-related issue.¡± I deflected with a faint smile. ¡°But I know it looks stupid, hence the hoodie. I¡¯m not really enjoying walking around in this heat all covered up.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know it can be embarrassing when your hair doesn¡¯t look right, I definitely do.¡± She nodded. ¡°So, how would you like it?¡±


    ¡°Just tidy it up a bit, that¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± The hairdresser clicked her tongue ¡°That would be such a waste for a handsome man like you. You clearly look after yourself and work out, so your hair and personal grooming need to reflect that.¡±


    I look after myself? Work out? Following her gaze I looked at my bare arm which was out of the rolled-up sleeve of my hoodie. It did look pretty muscular, a fair difference from the thin arm I had only a few weeks ago. Glancing sideways at the mirror I could see my face had changed a bit as well. I was hardly fat before (I didn¡¯t eat enough for that) yet my cheeks were still a bit loose and flabby, but now if you ignored the lingering damage from the Jorogumo my face looked tighter and manlier.


    Holy hell. It really is different when you see yourself from someone else¡¯s perspective. I didn¡¯t really notice as I didn¡¯t pay much attention to myself, but I had definitely toned up. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say I had been going to the gym for months...


    ¡°Yes, I do try to keep in shape. For work and all.¡± I managed weakly, bringing another smile from the hairdresser.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me style you up, take advantage of your good features?¡± she asked, and I had no reason to refuse...


    **********


    ¡°I¡¯m being nice, lettin¡¯ you walk away here pal.¡± The man barked, spittle flying from his open mouth. It was remarkably unpleasant. ¡°The girl don¡¯t mind, she¡¯s just playing hard to get. It¡¯s what women do, not that a loser like you would know. So clear off, pal!¡±


    I let out a sigh, wiping my face. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. This is at best unwanted sexual advances. At worst... well, you don¡¯t need me to tell you that do you? Just let her go and we are all good here.¡±


    ¡°I warned you. Looks like you¡¯ll only understand if I beat it into yer.¡± The thug spat, swinging a fist at me from close range. Here we go. I guess this was inevitable. The fist flew at me slowly, almost as if it was a child taking a swing. Sliding to the side quickly I watched as the fist flashed past me, and then I retaliated, my own fist sinking into his gut with an audible thump, driving him to his knees, breath rushing explosively from his lungs.


    As I stepped over the doubled-over thug his companions looked shocked. One spoke in amazement before striding towards me menacingly, his other companion following behind. The last was still holding onto the girl, who was barely upright, her legs trembling.


    ¡°Shit, he took down Takema...¡±


    I¡¯ll take you pair down too. The first of the two came at me swinging as well, as if all they knew how to do was punch wildly, but I caught his arm and twisted, causing him to groan in pain. The second attacked from my other side but my elbow caught him in the face, breaking his nose with an audible crunch. Turning, I kneed the first foe in the groin, dropping him with a strangled yelp. All this had only taken a couple of seconds.


    Looking at me with disbelief the thug holding the woman released her, leaving her to fall to the floor, her legs giving out. She was looking at me with a dazed, dead expression, which was making me feel vaguely guilty. I did try and talk our way out of this. It isn¡¯t like I wanted to resort to violence or anything...


    My attention was diverted to the last thug, who had pulled out a switchblade, the edge glinting keenly in the afternoon sun. ¡°You think you can mess with us, you little shit? I¡¯ll teach you what happens to those who get in our way.¡± he growled menacingly.


    Now it is getting serious... I swallowed nervously once more as I looked at the knife. If I was to get stabbed with that here it wouldn¡¯t be like the Boundary. My blood would be red and the wound wouldn¡¯t be greatly reduced when I next woke up. However, I had come this far... If I back off now they¡¯ll no doubt take out their anger on the girl. In that case I¡¯d just have made things worse.


    ¡°Are you sure you can?¡± I asked. ¡°Your friends didn¡¯t do so well did they?¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± the thug roared, charging me, knife raised. For a moment I froze as the blade came towards me, an instinctive fear of being stabbed taking hold, but then I was moving, my experiences in the Boundary taking over. My hand struck out, knocking the blade aside, where it whistled past my ear, snagging on my hood and pulling it down. I jerked my head forwards, the hood tangling the knife jerking it from his hand with a ripping of fabric, and then my head slammed into his, sending him to the ground, blood spurting from his nose and mouth.


    Damn that hurt. I think I was supposed to use my forehead more...


    The downed thug scrambled for the fallen knife but I kicked it away down the alleyway and placed my boot on his outstretched hand, slowly increasing the pressure. Looking at the other three who had dragged themselves to their feet I scowled.


    ¡°I¡¯d think carefully about your next moves. We¡¯ve kept this friendly, but if you want to continue I will have to get serious.¡± Man I¡¯m such a badass. That¡¯s another line every man dreams of saying once in their life, especially in front of a woman. Lifting my foot off the thug I stepped away, towards the woman who was still sitting there dazed, shielding her.


    The one who I had disarmed stood up slowly, holding one hand to his face to staunch the bleeding. Glaring at me balefully he walked over to his gang and spat bloody phlegm. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this.¡± He said coldly. ¡°Ya think you can mess with us and get away with it?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this again?¡± I asked. After all, I had beaten them quite easily, so my confidence was high.


    ¡°Tch.¡± The man spat more red, staining the pavement. ¡°Just watch yer back pal.¡± With that they fled the scene, causing me to sigh in relief, my adrenaline fading, leaving me oddly exhausted. That was pretty nerve-wracking. Still, I doubt I¡¯ll run into them again so there should be no problem. Who knew there were so many stereotypical thugs in Tokyo, eh?


    Turning to the cowering girl I spoke gently, trying to reassure her. ¡°It¡¯s all right. They are gone now. I bet that was pretty scary, right?¡± I smiled kindly and held out my hand to her, ready to help her to her feet. She looked at me, then at my hand, and finally back at me. She then let out a panicked yelp and grabbed her handbag, not even caring that her purse and other contents were scattered around.


    Leaping to her feet she ran, not even stopping as one heel snapped off her shoe. Before I could react she was off around the corner, lost from my sight.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± was all I could say, puzzled.

 Thirty-Three

    Thirty-Three


    Trying to ignore the slight sense of hurt I felt at her reaction, I gathered up her scattered belongings. Her purse was small, and opening it up I could see her identification. I¡¯m really trying not to think about how much of a creeper this makes me look. Her health insurance card and student ID were both in her purse. She definitely shouldn¡¯t have run off without these.


    Looking at her student card I was surprised to have got her age roughly right, as she was nineteen. Her name was Konoe Ichika, and she didn¡¯t live too far away. I could drop them back to her, but the way she ran off... she¡¯s either not that good with men in general, or she¡¯s traumatised by this whole incident... which isn¡¯t that surprising.


    I supposed I could drop it into the police, but then they¡¯d probably want to know what happened, and they might have to talk to her... thinking about it I had a good idea. The safest thing would probably be to give it to a woman I knew to return it. That would be easy for her and she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about reporting the incident or anything else like that.


    Having resolved to get Watanabe-chan to help me out I headed back to the metro, picking up a case of beer and some snacks along the way...


    **********


    I spent the afternoon finishing off the last of the work I had for Hayato-san, which left just a little time to work out and do some spear training. Once that was done it was late evening, so I grabbed my case of beer and snacks and headed outside.


    Pausing outside Watanabe-chan¡¯s door I felt a touch nervous. Steeling myself I reached out and rapped on the door with my knuckles a couple of times and then stepped back, waiting. After a few moments I could hear the lock turning and the door popped open a few inches, Watanabe-chan peering through the gap. On seeing me her face twisted in curiosity, and she opened the door fully.


    ¡°Oshiro-kun? Isn¡¯t this a surprise?¡± she said. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Her gaze went to the supplies I was carrying.


    I struggled not to stare at her, not sure where to look. She was wearing casual clothes, not her business attire I usually saw her in. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts, showing off her pretty admirable legs and decent chest. As I floundered she let out a laugh.


    ¡°So, what can I do for you? Or were you here to ask me out?¡± she grinned.


    ¡°Oh sorry.¡± Her joke snapped me out of my daze. ¡°I was hoping to ask you for a favour, and I figured the least I could do when asking for one was to reward you suitably. Besides, I owe you a drink or two.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s a shame.¡± She pouted, but I was pretty certain she was just messing with me. ¡°Still, a favour you say? Do tell.¡± She joined me out on the balcony by her door and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it she took a deep drag, dirty grey smoke drifting out into the evening air.


    Steeling myself I began to explain, hoping she would be able to help...


    **********


    ¡°... so I was thinking she wouldn¡¯t want the police bringing up what happened, but there was no way I was going to take it to her myself after the way she ran off, so I figured I¡¯d need a girl to take her purse back, and you fit the bill.¡± I finished telling her my story (a slightly amended and less boastful version, anyway), waiting for a response.


    Finishing her can of beer Watanabe-chan sighed. ¡°You do know you could have handed it into the police and said you found it on the street. You didn¡¯t have to mention about the incident.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work tomorrow?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile myself. ¡°If we drink all night you¡¯ll get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about that? I hate my job anyway...¡± she said, opening one of the last beers and taking a big chug, foam splattering the front of her pullover. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s still early yet.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°Just a couple though. I¡¯d hate to be the cause of you getting fired.¡± After all, she did help me out, and it isn¡¯t like I have to work tomorrow...


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go out with me?¡±


    When my mouth gaped open, unsure of a response she burst out laughing.


    ¡°Only kidding! Now come on, let¡¯s go!¡± She downed her last beer noisily and pulled on my arm, leading me away. I hope she doesn¡¯t eat me alive...


    **********


    The next morning I opened my eyes to the sun streaming through the window, feeling fresh and rested. Which is a miracle considering how much we drank. I guess my increased stats are good for that too.


    The night had gone on much longer than I had planned, so much so that I was concerned Watanabe-chan would... wait, that¡¯s right, she asked me to call her by her first name... Karen-chan would not make work. Happily she had seemed to enjoy herself, becoming more relaxed as the drinks flowed, talking non-stop, a stream of complaints, questions and general banter.


    Of course I¡¯d rather forget when she asked me if I¡¯d fallen asleep under a sunbed with the way my skin looked... Still, she had also complimented my haircut and improving physique, so I couldn¡¯t say I was too displeased. Getting out of bed I splashed some water on my face and looked in the mirror. My skin was all healed up, and the greater wounds I had suffered were well on the mend, scabs fallen to reveal new pink skin underneath, merely a little sensitive to the touch. Stats again, no doubt...


    Since time generally flowed at roughly twice the pace in the Boundary, I figured by evening it wouldn¡¯t be too far off the time for my Territory Anchor to upgrade to Rank 2, giving me more options and pushing me a step closer to the next stage of my plan, as well as calming my nerves, as it was hell to know that my Territory was in such a vulnerable state. To that end I decided to concentrate on my Chakra network and wind energy once I had done my morning workout. That way I would have enough to enter the Boundary later.


    That evening I did so, and on checking it was just under five Astral hours until completion. Shaeula was waiting for me of course, looking quite excited at the thought of an upgraded Barracks that I had promised her after the Territory upgrade concluded. We spent some time practicing our respective wind elements, and while she still didn¡¯t fully grasp the concepts I was trying to teach her, the sharpness of her wind had increased a little. As for me, I could feel a modest difference in the flow of wind around my heart Chakra. It was small but noticeable, and if I kept it up... if I could use wind like Shaeula, I would be a lot safer...


    Suddenly I felt a strange sensation, as if my consciousness was expanding, spreading out over my Territory, and silvery words spread across my vision.


    Your Territory Anchor has been upgraded to Rank 2. This increases the control you have over your Territory and weakens intruders. This effect is limited in the Material by the lack of control you have of your Territory there. The area covered by your Territory has expanded to 1,000 metres and its defensive strength has increased. Defensive Emplacements will exert greater offensive power. You will draw more Ether from your Territory, and may now construct an additional four Ether Spires. Your Buildings can be upgraded further. You can now construct or upgrade two Buildings at once.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Nine to Ten.


    Perusing the text I was elated. Not only had I levelled up (though with all the monsters I had killed in the metro station that wasn¡¯t so surprising) but my Territory had a multitude of new benefits. I could feel many areas and buildings we had conquered previously now coming under our control. Looking at the ether I had stored up it was time to get started. Trying to ignore the expectant gaze of Shaeula from beside me I began to queue in new Buildings and upgrades...

 Thirty-Four

    Thirty-Four


    Returning to my room and looking at my stored ether, which was piled haphazardly around my Territory Anchor, the Silo having overflowed a while ago, I decided on my course of action. The first thing was to drop the four Ether Spires I was allowed, in the park area that was Shaeula¡¯s lair. Not only was the ether density higher there, and so would bring me more ether, I would be able to absorb the rich elemental essence of wind. That would require storage, so I would have to build an Elemental Silo as well. And now that I was dealing with larger quantities of ether, upgrading my Silo was also a must.


    Of course, I cannot neglect the Barracks, Shaeula is eyeing me with a pleading gaze, and she has been really helpful... long term it¡¯s necessary anyway.


    Once I had spent pretty much all the ether we had I checked the building queue. It was split into two now, which definitely made things easier.


    The first queue would build two Ether Spires, taking two Astral days, and then at a cost of twelve thousand five hundred ether it would upgrade my Barracks, over ten more Astral days. The second queue would build two more Ether Spires over two Astral days, and then an Elemental Silo and an upgrade to my Silo, taking four more Astral days. Once I had accumulated enough ether I would then drop an upgrade to the Elemental Silo into the queue, it then finishing one day earlier than the Barracks.


    Easy come, easy go I guess... I felt sadness as my ether was consumed, but the infrastructure was essential, especially with the extra Ether Spires. Once the Barracks are done, I¡¯ll upgrade the new Spires to Rank two as well. The quicker they can start generating me profit the better. Then I can think about Rank three now my Territory has been... holy crap!


    The cost of upgrading an Ether Spire to Rank 3 was seventy-five thousand ether, and it would take fifty Astral days! Checking the Barracks I saw that it would take one hundred and twenty-five thousand and one hundred Astral days to reach Rank 3. Each of those is pretty much more than I¡¯ve spent on everything else so far... It looked like when my Territory was upgraded the new levels of buildings cost way more than before...


    I guess I¡¯ll be sticking to Rank one and two Buildings for a while... though getting the Ether Spires to Rank three should be a priority, as I bet they generate a lot more ether and elemental essence... The only plus side was the Building I needed for my master plan, which had seemed ruinously expensive at fifty thousand ether for Rank 1, was now looking cheap in comparison.


    Shaeula was still looking at me anxiously, so I ruffled her fur and grinned. ¡°Relax. The upgrade is in the queue. The Ether Spires come first, but in a couple of days the Barracks upgrade will begin, and in ten more after that you can restore more of your kin.


    After a moment she shook my hand off. ¡°Hmph. I expected no-no less from you. I am pleased you appreciate the need for me to reclaim my kin-kin. Besides...¡± she continued. ¡°If we are to defeat Grulgor and claim his Territory too-too, to say nothing of the elusive Raven Knight, then we will need-need stronger forces.¡±


    ¡°That¡®s right, and to that end I have a plan as well.¡± I agreed. ¡°But before that, we need to train. If we improve even a little it will increase our chances of staying alive and becoming victorious.¡±


    ¡°Of course-course. We should return to my lair and continue to work on the elemental wind-wind!¡± she declared, seeming eager to get back to her studies.


    She¡¯s such a good student. I wonder if my sis pays enough attention at school? Unlike Eri-chan she¡¯s not exactly a model student, and her entrance exams are soon... Oh well, no use worrying, as it¡¯s too late to change anything now anyway...


    *********


    ¡°... I see-see.¡± Shaeula declared, amber eyes narrowed in concentration. ¡°So that is what you mean-mean by compression. It certainly seems-seems powerful.¡±


    I had used what little ether we had coming in to create some transient objects to aid in my explanations. A can of rocks, a can of water and a can of air, all with a sealed lid that could be pushed downwards, squeezing them. After some experimentation with this I had then recreated the classic experiment of the can with a flame inside that is crushed by air pressure, and shot several ball-bearings some distance with an air gun.


    As the remnants of these creations faded back into the wider Boundary I nodded. ¡°Air, if property compressed can hurl huge objects, rip apart steel and create huge explosions. Wind is just the movement of air, so most of your power will come from compression. If you can then add vibration as well then it can cut through most things, just like I did with the Jorogumo¡¯s webs.¡±


    ¡°I shall master it, have no-no fear.¡± She said proudly, puffing out her chest. ¡°I must experiment with this-this until I can compress my wind properly.¡±


    ¡°It is-is a possibility.¡± Shaeula agreed. Her amber eyes glowed as she peered into the glittering streaks of light snaking through the darkness. ¡°We may also have-have to manage without you for longer as time quickens here. Time-time you spend in the Material may pass quicker here-here for now.¡±


    I see. This was not necessarily a bad thing, as it would speed my construction and accumulation of more ether. However it would mean I wouldn¡¯t be able to respond to problems in a timely manner. Damn, this is where I really need that Building...


    ¡°Well, just do the best you can. It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t queue Buildings for me right now, but at least you can reinforce our weaselkin from the Barracks. If things look like they will get difficult I can always build some Defensive Emplacements next time I am here when we get more ether.¡±


    ¡°I will-will defend our Territory, have no fear.¡± She asserted. ¡°But enough of this-this. We must continue our duel. I am close to grasping the compression, I am sure-sure!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I laughed. ¡°We can keep going...¡±


    *********


    ¡°All right, I think this is a good time to stop.¡± I said, sweat dripping from me and vanishing. The announcement of my first two Ether Spires having been constructed scrolled across my vision, meaning that I had been training for a solid day without rest. I wasn¡¯t physically tired, but my mind definitely was exhausted, and my lunar and heart Chakra nodes prickled and burned uncomfortably.


    ¡°You could well-well be right.¡± Shaeula conceded, slumping down, exhausted. ¡°It is hard-hard indeed to match your compression.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I agreed, looking at the wall which was gouged with long narrow cuts. ¡°But I find it hard to match your boundless wind energy. Of course, I am confident we can both succeed. Me first, of course.¡± I teased her.


    ¡°Are you that-that eager to make me submit to your demand?¡± She scowled. ¡°Rest assured if you ask-ask for anything improper my father will have your head-head.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± I chuckled, causing her to cross her arms and scowl harder. ¡°Anyway, at least you can practice while I am gone. But don¡¯t forget to defend the Territory against any new threats that may arise.¡±


    ¡°I would not-not make such an error.¡± she stated coolly. ¡°We will-will continue to gather ether. It will be-be easier during the tide. Those crystals, the Etherites you mentioned before, more are always found-found after every tide. The palace at the Seelie court has a treasury full-full of them. I had thought them just pretty baubles to look-look at, but if they have use...¡±


    Well isn¡¯t that something? The Seelie court interests me more and more... ¡°I really need to get going now. Try not to miss me too much.¡±


    Not hearing her retort I let my tired consciousness sink and woke up back in the Material plane.


    The first thing I noticed was it was still dark. Glancing at my clock I saw that it was very early Wednesday morning. I had entered the Boundary late evening on Tuesday, and spent around thirty or so hours of objective time there. With the usual pace of time, that should have taken me through to Wednesday proper, a few hours from now. Was this the effect of the Etheric tide?


    If so, that has interesting implications and applications. Should I take two days to return to the Astral, which wasn¡¯t too taxing with my current Chakra network, then would six days or even more have passed for Shaeula? Assuming she can defend the Territory, which I can hope she will, assisted by what troops she has and my new stronger barrier, then my ether stocks should be starting to fill again...


    Dragging myself out of bed I made a few quick calculations based on various guesses about the rate of time dilation. Interesting. This could work for me. Looking at the calendar on my phone, on which I had marked a few potential dates for various important activities, I made up my mind. It was time to start putting my expansion plan into motion!

 Thirty-Five

    Thirty-Five


    The first thing I decided to do was have a nap. My body was rested from my time in the Boundary, but the fatigue was still piling up mentally, especially after all the intensive concentration required to train my Chakras. Setting my alarm for ten in the morning I quickly settled back into my bed and closed my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep...


    ... To be woken by my alarm what seemed only minutes later, though several hours had passed. Yawning I dragged myself out of bed and had some breakfast. Once that was done I went for my usual jog and then did several hours of practice with my training spear and weights. Once that was done it was lunchtime, so I had some rice balls and tuna, before doing a few more hours of raising aether through my Chakras, as well as gathering what wind energy I could.


    Once this was complete I settled down at my computer with a bottle of iced tea and some snacks. It was time to take a risk. Configuring a Virtual Private Network to set my location to The United Kingdom rather than Japan, I opened up a gaming site and registered. Entering my bank details from the account I had set up on my trip to the bank, I transferred out my funds. This was technically illegal in Japan, which had very strict rules on gambling, but I didn¡¯t feel too bad about it, as it wasn¡¯t hurting anyone, and was perfectly legal in my mom¡¯s country. So it is only half a crime at best.


    Clicking on the window to load up a roulette application I swallowed down nervous spit and waited for it to start.


    Man, this is risky, but if it works...


    The key here was my Fortune statistic. When it was at 2 I found it was roughly a four percent boost in games of chance, but now after levelling up my Fae-Bonded class it had reached 5 which in theory should be around a ten percent increase in my chances of winning luck-based games.


    Ten percent doesn¡¯t sound a lot, but in games like roulette and blackjack, where the house edge is only a few percent... I would be the one with an edge, so if I kept playing long enough I should show steady profits. Of course, luck was hardly absolute, and spiky clusters of random events did happen frequently, so without huge sums of money to smooth these out I could still lose everything. There are no guarantees. But with success I can cut down the time I need to work dramatically, which allows me more time to train my other skills...


    The first thing to do was to take it slow. I had a bit under two thousand British Pounds to play with, with each pound currently being worth roughly one hundred and forty yen. In wasn¡¯t a small sum, but it was one I could afford to lose, even if such would hurt me. Of course I can only think that due to the extra work Hayato-san passed my way...


    I had run over the calculations earlier. For example betting on red or black there were 18 numbers out of 37 that would double my money, or a 48.6% chance of winning. This meant the house had an edge of 1.4%. With my ten percent boost from my Fortune though, my chance of winning would be roughly 53.5%, which was an edge of 3.5%, more than twice what the casino enjoyed. On paper this meant I should clean up, but the table limits and capital limitations I had compared to the casino made it anything but a sure thing.


    Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I placed five pounds on black and watched the computer spin the ball. The result? Number 8, Black. Five pounds was mine.


    A good start. But I am a man of logic. I know that odds-on doesn¡¯t guarantee a win. Replaying the bet I watched the ball start spinning again, taking a mouthful of tea to steady my nerves...


    *********


    When I arrived the sky was riven with glimmering flecks of rainbow light, with what looked like coloured lightning shooting through it at a rapid pace. The white flakes were falling like quite the snow-shower, not thick enough to obscure vision, but definitely enough to be distracting. It was certainly beautiful in an eerie way. As I was checking my Territory to see how construction had progressed Shaeula arrived to greet me.


    Hmm, it looks like nearly eight Astral days have passed. Time has really sped up here... the secondary queue is complete and the Barracks has just over three days to go. My ether stockpiles have shot up too. Etheric tides are great!


    ¡°Akio, are you listening to me-me?¡± Shaeula grumbled, and I snapped back to reality.


    ¡°What was that, sorry? I was just admiring our ether stocks.¡± I apologised.


    ¡°Bah. You should-should listen to me when I am talking.¡± She complained. ¡°There has been-been trouble on our border with the Raven Knight¡¯s Territory. The Etheric tide-tide has stirred up some predators, and one attacked his lands. They beat it off but it may-may return.¡±


    ¡°I see. That would be troublesome. Do you think we should fortify that border? We can use that as a staging point for an invasion later anyway?¡±


    ¡°I think that would-would be wise.¡± Shaeula concurred. ¡°I fear the predator is beyond our means to kill-kill right now, so driving it off is the best-best we can hope for. As the tide deepens, more-more may descend as well.¡±


    ¡°Is the tide going to get much deeper?¡± I asked, interested. Time was tight if my plan was to reach fruition while leaving me time to visit my sis and Eri-chan back home as well.


    ¡°Us Noble Fae have a sense-sense for these things.¡± She replied proudly. ¡°It is a relatively shallow tide, but its peak will be a little deeper, within a few-few days. It will then decline and fade-fade away.¡±


    So if I assume a couple more days of acceleration... hmm... running the numbers in my head I came to a decision. ¡°All right then, time to get building.¡± The upgrade to the Elemental Silo was next as planned. I then queued in a couple of Defensive Emplacements to be built on the chokepoints near to the graveyard that served as the Raven Knight¡¯s Territory. I topped this off with the upgrade of two of my new Ether Spires, leaving me with just under a thousand ether left in the Silo.


    That left both queues running at ten or eleven days, roughly, and if the tide was deepening and I took two more days to return in Material time, they should be finished by the time I made it back here. That was still a little wasteful though. Ideally I could save up enough to queue in one or both of my last two Spire upgrades, to maximise efficiency...


    If time is running at roughly four to five times the Material at the moment, that means by morning on Earth two to two-and-a-half full days will pass here. It¡¯s going to be an endurance marathon, but I can do it...


    Smiling a wicked grin I turned to Shaeula. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve been practicing, because we are going to be veeeeeeery busy now...¡±

 Thirty-Six

    Thirty-Six


    ¡°You-you... are... a slave-driver.¡± Shaeula panted as the winged creature in front of her burst into sparkles of ether, which was quickly absorbed and sent to the Silo. Slumping down on her haunches she drew in long rasps of breath. ¡°I think-think... we should rest... a bit...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± I chuckled, though I was feeling rather drained myself. We had been hunting for well over a day of objective time, the hideous human-sized owls with wolf faces we had just dispatched the latest creatures to have descended near our Territory. ¡°Not only are we raking in the ether it is excellent training in how to use wind. Your last attack was particularly good, using rotation to drill into the enemy. If I¡¯m not careful you are going to win our little wager.¡±


    ¡°I am starting... to understand what-what you mean.¡± Shaeula¡¯s breathing had calmed down after the rest. ¡°Compression, rotation, vibration... all-all are ways to enhance the destructive force of the wind, without much-much greater usage of elemental energy.¡± She looked satisfied. ¡°With the wind energy drawn from the Ether Spires we can-can fight all the harder and longer, so we learn-learn at a rapid pace.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a real crash course. I am sure my heart Chakra is generating wind faster after all the usage. And in addition to that we make sure our Territory remains safe.¡±


    The intensity of the Etheric tide was still increasing, the sky awash with blazes of colour. In the distance large shapes could be seen, such as snake-like shadows many metres long, or tall thin giant-like beings striding across the land. Fortunately none of them had strayed our way yet, but flocks of lesser creatures were common, and some of them were surprisingly powerful. ¡°If this is a relatively shallow Etheric tide I¡¯d hate to see one of the deep ones...¡±


    ¡°Some-some of the most devastating tales of ruin-ruin are based on the deeper tides.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°The Moon-devouring Wyrm for one. Many nobles of the Seelie Court perished last-last time it appeared. There is also the Chimaera Swarm, The Frost Wraiths and many-many others.¡±


    ¡°They all sound pretty strong. Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t see any of those for a long time. Oh well, that¡¯s enough rest. We press onwards. We nearly have enough ether for our goal of queuing in the last two upgrades to the Ether Spires.¡±


    Things had progressed more smoothly than I had imagined they would. With the extra draw for my Rank 2 Territory, which was significantly larger than before, plus the four new Ether Spires being in a more ether-dense area, the rate of gain was greater than I had planned for, to say nothing of the large surge of ether generated by the Etheric tide. This had been supplemented by the high number of creatures the tide had dragged up, which we were blasting through at a rapid rate. I had even reached Level eleven recently due to the large influx of enemies.


    ¡°Monster...¡± Shaeula muttered, but she followed me as we circled our Territory.


    ¡°By the way, now you are starting to master the destructive wind techniques, how about the stealthy ones?¡±


    ¡°Stealthy? I do not-not quite understand what you mean.¡± she replied, tilting her head, which I secretly found rather cute.


    ¡°Well, why do we have all the glowing green light when we use elemental wind? After all, air and wind is usually colourless, right?¡±


    The next day was a Sunday so after my usual training I decided to take a bit of a break and treat myself to a few hours of relaxation. Picking up a couple of manga magazines from the local shop I spent a few hours reading them and forgetting my worries. I also answered a few emails from Hayato-san, as well as my sister, and let her know the timings of my return home. I planned to return on the twenty-second, and stay for five days, returning home on the twenty-seventh. Hopefully she would also be free on the weekend of the thirty-first, before the holidays finished, not that I mentioned that, as I wanted to surprise her. To that end I fired of a message to my mom, asking her to make a few preparations.


    Time was passing, so with a heavy heart I bit the bullet and started to gamble once more, hoping my bad luck had passed. To start with it seemed like my rotten luck was continuing, with spin after spin losing, but as I spun with a heavy heart I had a win, dropping a profit of over two hundred and fifty pounds on just one bet. After that I played for another hour, never losing that many spins in a row, steadily building profit until my pot stood at just over nine thousand pounds.


    Based on the numbers I had ran during my internet research while devising my master plan this wasn¡¯t going to be enough, so over the next week or so I would have to double that to be comfortable. I also had to perfect my control of fine invisible wind... Damn, I have all this spare time since I¡¯ve finished all my freelance work, but somehow I¡¯m busier than ever. I had a broad grin across my face though. All the challenges were worthwhile, as they produced tangible results I could actually see and feel, be that my Statistics rising, my Territory expanding or my bank balance blossoming.


    Gathering both aether and wind energy slowly from the surrounding atmosphere, it wasn¡¯t long before I was returning to the Boundary, to see how my Territory had developed...


    The first thing I did was observe the building queue. Roughly ten Astral days had passed, the Etheric tide still deepening, so as I had anticipated, one of my build queues was empty, the other with about three days to go to finish the last Ether Spire upgrade. My stored ether was similarly impressive, with around forty-thousand in stock. My newly enlarged Silo couldn¡¯t hold it all and it was glittering in a silvery halo around it like the rings of Saturn. Under the vividly bright colours of the Etheric tide and the constant fall of reflective white flakes it was quite the stunning scenery. My sis would love this. It¡¯s a pity she can¡¯t see it. Eri-chan too. She always liked pretty things. I remember taking her stargazing a few times, up on the mountains back home. Happy memories...


    As I was considering this Shaeula appeared before me, flanked by her Kamaitachi and a group of black-furred Elite weaselkin. Her face was positively beaming with joy as she greeted me.


    ¡°You look pleased.¡± I observed.


    ¡°Of course-course.¡± She said excitedly. ¡°More of my kin have returned to my side-side. How long-long before we can upgrade the Barracks again?¡± She spoke at a rapid pace, closing right up to me, face peering intently up at mine, causing me to flush and step back reflexively. Too close. Too close!


    I could see that most of the lights that had surrounded her, the spirits of her kin, had gone, only a small number of the larger lights remaining.


    ¡°My Sickle-Weasels need to return to me-me.¡± She continued. ¡°They would also be-be valuable assets to you. I think-think this should be your priority.¡±


    ¡°It is a priority, just not the priority right now.¡± I countered. ¡°The cost in both ether and time is massive. A hundred and twenty-five thousand ether and one hundred days. It will come, but instead we first need to build the last Ether Spire upgrade to take advantage of the Etheric tide to amass resources, and then I have to make good on my promise to you.¡±


    Shaeula looked downcast, making me feel a little bad, but she looked pretty cute as she cocked her head to one side in puzzlement. ¡°Promise? What-what promise?¡±


    ¡°Why, to get you a new throne worthy of you, of course!¡±

 Thirty-Seven

    Thirty-Seven


    ¡°Oh, yes-yes, you did promise me that.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I would rather-rather have my kin returned to me though...¡±


    Man she¡¯s cute. But I¡¯ll say it again, I¡¯m still definitely not interested in furries! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promised I would help you return your kin and I mean to keep that promise. But first we need your throne. It¡¯s an important next step in the plan. Long term I plan to use the second build queue to work on longer builds such as the Barracks upgrade, while the first queue works on quicker lower-level buildings.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± She shrugged sadly. ¡°I suppose it can not-not be helped. Besides, I do feel better now that many more-more of my kin have been reborn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious...¡± I had to ask a question. ¡°When all your kin are restored, can you still create more weaselkin from the Barracks?¡±


    ¡°I can-can.¡± She agreed. ¡°It is not unheard of for lesser Fae to be born-born from the fabric of the Astral itself, though no Noble Fae such as myself would be created in such a vulgar manner-manner. This is little different.¡±


    ¡°Good. That way we can build a great host. That¡¯ll surely impress your siblings, right?¡± I teased.


    Shaeula grew flustered, so I changed the subject. ¡°How goes your training? Have you made any progress?¡±


    ¡°Some-some.¡± Shaeula answered. ¡°I can not-not grasp your stealthy ways, but in terms of compression...¡± Green light flared around her and her weasel-snakes appeared, all knotting into one huge mass which then shrank down to the size of a single snake. It darted out and detonated in the air, the rushing force hitting me like a club, making me take a step back.


    ¡°Nice.¡± I applauded. ¡°And if you combine that with rotation and vibration you might even be able to take down Grulgor. A troll should surely be no trouble now, right?¡±


    ¡°Carelessness is the great-great enemy.¡± she replied primly, but I could tell she was pleased, her eyes shining.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± I had to laugh. ¡°But soon your power will be strong enough, without question. Anyway, have we had any problems while I¡¯ve been gone?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of note-note. The tide is reaching the peak-peak, and after a few more days it should start declining. Then we can-can relax. Some beasts drifted into our Territory, but we dispatched them without much-much problem. Larger beasts have been spotted in the Territory of the Raven Knight, and in the far-far distance, but none-none have come to bother us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. By the way, have we found many Etherite ores during the tide?¡±


    ¡°Some-some.¡± She allowed. ¡°All are the red-red ones though. This tide may not-not be deep enough or we may be too far from the centre to find-find many.¡±


    ¡°No matter. Every little helps. Fifty-seven and a half thousand ether is the goal, so we need just under seventeen and a half thousand more.¡± That doesn¡¯t seem so much now, yet when I started this a few weeks ago such sums were nearly unimaginable. Still, Rank three Buildings cost a ton and take ages, so I daresay I¡¯ll have to start spending further ether on speeding up construction...


    ¡°There are few monsters remaining from the tides-tides...¡± Shaeula said, pondering. ¡°I do not-not feel it is wise leaving our Territory now-now to go looking for more. While the tides are still shallow, anything could wash up-up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you are probably right.¡± I ran the numbers in my head. Ten Astral days had generated a bit under forty thousand ether, so at around four thousand a day, plus the gathered Etherite ores... yes, we can do it, the Throne at least. I want the upgraded Anchor, but it can wait a little if necessary...


    ¡°All right. We¡¯ll go back to training for now, but first I need to have a word with the kobolds. I have a task for them.¡±


    ¡°Those-those... beasts.¡± Shaeula scowled. ¡°I am not-not sure what purpose they could have...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t something you need to be concerned about. Go fetch the Etherites and I¡¯ll meet you in a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, the ether is climbing steadily. Etheric tides are great. It¡¯s like a compound effect, I get more time, and more ether is generated per unit of time. I wonder if all the other candidates for Astral Emperor are taking advantage of this too? If they miss out it¡¯ll hamper their growth quite a bit. I¡¯m going to run into another one sooner or later...¡± Ideally I¡¯d like to make an alliance with any candidates I find, just like I have with Shaeula, since the Earth is supposedly in grave danger, but that is obviously going to depend on them and their natures and ambitions...


    ¡°You should not-not be so flippant. The risks of tides are...¡± As Shaeula began berating me a shadow passed across us, long and massive. As I looked up the Territory shook, an impact slamming into the defensive barrier over my Territory with great force.


    Your Territory is under attack. Immediate response is recommended. The strength of the defensive barrier is currently at eighty-seven percent. If the barrier... silvery words flared across my vision as beside me Shaeula spoke urgently.


    ¡°See-see? Your mockery has brought trouble down-down on us.¡±


    The Territory shuddered again, a flash of rainbow light hammering down into the barrier, dropping it by another ten percent. My Defensive Emplacement with the Sniper Mode countered, sending a lance of aether up into the flying shadow, exploding with a bright flare, bringing a loud bellow of anger which hurt my ears, even at this distance.


    Taking hits like that the barrier isn¡¯t going to last. We need to do something now...


    ¡°What should we do? What do you think it wants?¡± I asked Shaeula as the shadow descended. It was a long eel-like creature, with dead-white scales and rainbow eyes. It must have been twenty metres long, and as wide as a car. Shit that¡¯s scary.


    ¡°It looks like-like some sort of wyrm. Usually they want to eat-eat.¡± The barrier rocked again as the wyrm opened its huge mouth and let out a blast of light. ¡°It might-might have been attracted by the ether we have here.¡±


    Damn. I did wonder why the Silo was necessary when the ether was kept within my Territory anyway. There goes my dream of queuing up the Throne of Heroes today... I accessed the Territory menu and added the last upgrade to the Ether Spire, seven and a half thousand of the over-spilling ether disappearing immediately. The wyrm paused for a moment, looking confused, before slamming its massive, sinuous body into the barrier shimmering over my Territory, knocking it down further.


    ¡°Whatever you are doing-doing is working!¡± Shaeula shouted.


    Hardening my heart I scooped up the remaining ether that wasn¡¯t protected by the Silo and channelled it into aether. My body was overflowing with force, my Chakra networks humming with power, my lunar node flaring with sudden needles of icy pain. The gaze of the wyrm swung to me, more ear-splitting bellows of rage erupting. Yes I know, your ether is gone now. But you¡¯ll have it shortly...


    Merging the aether with my abundant wind elemental energy I formed it into a great spear, and with a yell launched it high into the sky. With a whipping gesture of my hand I started it rotating, and it accelerated as it flew. The wyrm turned, but before it could the spear struck it low in the belly, ripping deep, scales flying, thick silvery blood raining down on my Territory, hissing and steaming. Screaming in rage it turned to bite at the stake tormenting it only to lose teeth and have its jaw shredded by the rotating winds.


    Howling in rage it let out one more blast of light, this one missing my Territory and soaring off into the distance to impact an apartment building with an explosive glow, before turning and fleeing, soaring up across the sky and into the distance, fading from view.


    Goodbye, over ten thousand ether... Exhaustion ran through me as the huge rush of ether and elemental energies left me, coupled with the mental anguish of expending such a huge sum of ether on an attack. All that was left was the twenty-five thousand ether that was protected by the Silo, although as spent energies rained from the sky some of it was absorbed and re-condensed, giving me a couple of hundred more ether back.


    Even so... damn that hurts me. Still, trying to see the best of it I considered that it was good practice in seeing the massive scale of aether-powered attacks. If an enemy Astral Emperor used that on me... I¡¯d die. I¡¯d definitely die...


    ¡°That was most-most impressive. Even my siblings would be praising that attack. The rotation made it very hard-hard to defend against.¡±


    I nodded weakly. I¡¯ve been too cocky with things going so well and me getting stronger. Death can still come with a moment of carelessness. ¡°You know I think I need to return to the Material and rest. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow to hopefully queue in the Throne of Heroes when we rebuild our ether stocks. Looks like the Barracks will have to wait a bit as well I¡¯m afraid, as our first Rank three building will need to be a Silo. We don¡¯t need this happening again...¡±


    That wyrm was on an epically different scale than anything around here. If we consider ourselves at Rank one or maybe two, that Wyrm was surely a three. To feel confident about taking on something like that I would need to be far, far stronger than now.


    ¡°Very well-well.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I shall set my kin to gathering up all the scales and teeth that have-have fallen. I will make sure our Territory remains safe-safe in your absence.¡±


    Ruffling her head absent-mindedly I nodded. ¡°I know I can count on you. Later.¡±


    And with that I returned to the Material, waking up shivering in the dark.

 Thirty-Eight

    Thirty-Eight


    By the time I had calmed my fearful heart it was morning. The combat itself had not been particularly frightening, the Territory barrier absorbing all the attacks, but the scale of it was what had unnerved me. It was one thing to clash in combat with similar-sized opponents, fighting with spear and wind, but to face such huge foes that could annihilate me without me being able to respond...Damn, that¡¯s just like those old-school MMORPG¡¯s that used to mix in high-level aggressive mobs in low-level areas...


    Cracking open a beer I downed half of it, feeling the warmth in my stomach. Still, it¡¯s only the tide that has brought such things to my door... the chances of running into something like that around here is slim otherwise... besides... I needed to construct the Throne of Heroes. Even was I to choose to stop now, if I managed to get that built I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about living a pretty decent life ever again... besides, I made promises to Shaeula, and she¡¯s really grown on me... I can¡¯t abandon her now. It¡¯s too soon to panic and give up. Countermeasures... that¡¯s what I need...


    I spent a few more hours thinking while sinking beers. I should have been pretty drunk by the time I had finished, but probably due to my enhanced Statistics I was merely a little tipsy. I had largely buried my fears, my mind working on plans. The first thing I needed to do was return as soon as the requisite ether had been gathered. Leaving it to build up more than I required could attract some dangerous predators. Since time was running at around a fivefold rate in the Boundary at the moment I couldn¡¯t really leave it more than a day here on the Material.


    To that end I decided to spend the entire day gathering aether, which should give me enough to enter my Territory. I quickly got to work, noticing that the flow seemed larger and smoother than normal. Energy was flowing around my lunar Chakra in particular, and also spreading to my heart node, generating noticeable wind energy. Since the accumulation of aether was going so well, it wasn¡¯t even nightfall before I had accumulated enough to comfortably enter the Boundary. Around sixteen hours had passed, so at a five-fold rate of acceleration a bit over three days should have elapsed in my Territory, assuming the tide had not declined. It might even be a bit more if the tide had not fully peaked.


    With that thought in mind I re-entered my Territory, to be greeted by the surprised Shaeula.


    ¡°You have returned quickly. I must-must say I am surprised. You looked rather-rather shaken from our encounter with the wyrm. It was sadly-sadly disappointing. My master must be made-made of far-far sterner stuff if he is to keep-keep his Oaths with me.¡± As usual when she was annoyed or disappointed her repetition of words had increased noticeably. Patting her head, causing her to flinch back, I apologised.


    ¡°What-what are you doing...?¡± she began, but I cut her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t as brave as your master should be. The scale of the enemy caused me to lose my nerve a little, but I¡¯m all good now. I¡¯ll step up my game and be worthy of your loyalty, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. See that you do-do. It is not-not like I care for your sake, it would inconvenience me greatly should you not-not show some backbone.¡±


    And there¡¯s the tsun. I missed that.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said wryly. ¡°Anyway, have there been any more attacks? I was worried the large build-up of ether may lure in more predators from the tides.¡±


    ¡°There were some-some incursions.¡± She allowed. ¡°However they were merely scavengers. Most-most of them we managed to lure towards the Defensive Emplacements on the border to help us deal-deal with them. The others I handled.¡± She puffed up her modest chest in pride.


    ¡°Good going. I admit to being worried.¡± Checking on my Territory I could see there was only one and a half Astral days left until the upgrade of the last Ether Spire, the other queue was empty. In terms of Ether we had just over forty thousand again. Back to where we were before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable with this sort of ether lying about. If that wyrm comes back I don¡¯t want to have to waste it all again. I wonder if there is anything we can do?¡±


    Shaeula gazed through the bright tumult with her amber eyes. ¡°Flying beasts. Not-not the ones I saw earlier... but we should-should still have the advantage.¡± With a gesture she attacked at range, tight javelins of rotating wind lashing out from her hands and soaring through the sky. ¡°How-how is that? I think I win-win our wager.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I chuckled, as the javelins missed. ¡°But damn, you are definitely close. As I am forever saying, I need to step up my game.¡± The flying monsters were clearly visible now, looking like large bats. Most of them were a dull grey colour barring their red eyes, but one was larger and covered in coarse black hair. ¡°So here¡¯s my attempt.¡± My own javelins of air shot out, and one bat disintegrated as it was pierced, flaring away into ether. The others scattered instantly, two of the grey bats protecting their seeming leader.


    ¡°Damn, I wanted to get two with that.¡± I complained, but the bats were manoeuvrable and agile. Arrows and sling stones from the Elites were flying out, but the bats evaded them effortlessly. Shaeula managed to down one with a slashing wind blade, and I dispatched a foe with another lance of air, but now they were close enough to fight back.


    ¡°Scatter-scatter...¡± Shaeula ordered, but her kin moved too slowly, and one fell, decapitated by an emerald blast of wind.


    ¡°Curse-curse you!¡± she roared, killing the attacker with her wind snakes, which were now more like tentacle drills, leaner, faster, more flexible and rotating cruelly. Two more perished with dying squeals as she ripped them apart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can bring him back...¡± I soothed, deflecting several blasts of wind that were aimed at her with my own elemental energies. Pushing back I shredded the wings from one bat, which fell with a pitiful wail, only to be bludgeoned to death by the remaining black weaselkin. I was about to attack again when the lead foe attacked, drawing in a breath and releasing it.


    ¡°Holy shit... is that a combo attack?¡± I channelled wind energy into a wall, shielding Shaeula and myself as best I could as the bat belched out a stream of wind energy... which was being consumed by fiery elemental energy, boosting the flames to a torrent. The sea of yellow and green energy pushed against my own green barrier, starting to eat into it, wringing drops of silvery sweat from my brow, vanishing as they fell to earth.


    ¡°I could... use some help...¡± I grated, as the remaining attackers swerved to engage the other weaselkin, one of which was already screaming in pain as the fires crept round my defences to burn him. With a wail his pain ended, a blade of verdant air slicing through him.


    Shaeula gritted her teeth and let out a rather menacing growl. Eyes flaring amber her wind drills condensed together into one and pierced through my barrier and the oncoming storm. Just as it looked as if it was going to fell the foe, the two bats guarding the leader threw themselves into the blade, being ground apart like mince. This bought enough time for the boss to flit away, flames dying down.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t...¡± I snarled, drawing in the wind barrier and converting it to numerous nail-sized small vibrating spikes. Sending them screaming forwards I barraged it like I was using a shotgun, punching numerous holes in its wings and drawing vile blood from its body. Injured, it fell from the sky, and I was there to meet it, my spear plunging deep.


    Behind me Shaula finished off the now leaderless bats, and we paused to take in our victory, which was hard fought. Two weaselkin had perished and another was injured. Regardless of the losses, in terms of ether we had made roughly three thousand. I guess those bats were Elite and the red one was a Leader class, like the Kamaitachi. It made sense, as they could use wind and even fire, plus they could fly... It¡¯s just a shame we couldn¡¯t persuade them to join us, if we could set up a Barracks for them we could have an air force...


    There was no use crying over what we couldn¡¯t have, so I shook my head, discarding that futile idea. Dismissing the weaselkin, allowing them to take the injured one home we spent some time hunting for Etherites and dealing with lesser enemies we encountered. We never ran into a pack as fierce again, nor did we see Grulgor¡¯s trolls.


    In the far distance we could hear faint howls and roars, and could occasionally see the shadow of the wyrm, but fortunately it never came our way again... and then it was time. Breaking down Etherites I accessed the build queue, silvery letters across my vision.


    Finally, the last piece of my puzzle is queued. In just ten Astral days, we can move to the next stage...

 Thirty-Nine – End of Arc 2

    Thirty-Nine ¨C End of Arc 2


    After grabbing a couple of hours of sleep to clear my racing mind I woke up and got dressed. It was still early morning, but already some of the more industrious of my neighbours were heading off to work.


    I¡¯ve done my hard work for the day last night. The Throne of Heroes was finally in the queue. Now all that remained was to wait for it to be built and then ride out the Etheric tides until things went back to normal. Until then the best course of action would be to keep up with my training. Going out for a jog I waved at Karen-chan as she headed off to work, looking ashen-faced and hungover. She returned my wave wearily, greeting me as I rushed past her, picking up the pace.


    I headed down to the troll bridge and then along the river, running up the hill towards the local shrine. As I took it at pace (though still remembering to keep it merely to the boundaries of what a normal person could do) I passed a group of girls dressed as shrine maidens, who were sweeping up and setting out charms and trinkets on several stalls that had been laid out. That¡¯s kind of a nice sight for a summer morning. Of course they were all a bit young for me, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t admire them, since they were certainly pretty enough, and their youthful vibes brightened up the drab, old-fashioned shrine.


    Passing by the torii gates I began my descent, picking up speed. This training is good, and I¡¯m definitely improving, I barely feel winded at this pace now. But I really need somewhere private to practice where I can really stretch myself. My body had gone from thin and weak to lean and muscular due to a combination of the exercise and my raised Statistics, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how far I could improve were I able to use my full potential...


    Oh well, no point worrying about that. If I draw too much attention to myself that would be bad... Reaching my apartment block I barely paused for breath before bounding up the steps to my room. Since I wasn¡¯t tired I spent a few hours working my body and practicing with the spear. My form was improving. Comparing my thrusts and strikes to the videos online I was getting pretty close to them. The more advanced videos were still beyond me though, as stringing together moves into combos or more complex attacks was proving too much. I could do them, but not at a speed that would be useful in combat.


    Still, practice makes perfect. I¡¯ll get them eventually. Checking my messages while enjoying a cold iced tea I clicked through the usual ones from my sister. There were also a couple of small job offers for me, which I accepted. They would hardly make me much money, but I could bash them out over the next couple of days without too much trouble now. Keeping my regular clients sweet made sense, even though now my bank account was fairly full from the gambling. Once that was done I still had a bit of time, so I went back to practising with my elemental wind, trying to draw it in, increase it, and use it in the Material. Using a set of dice of varying weights and several types of coins I tested manipulating them while trying to show as little of the green energy as possible. By the time I was done with this it was getting dark, and my brow was covered with sweat, my mind exhausted.


    Man, I¡¯m tired. It really takes it out of me manipulating aether and elemental essence down here on the Material plane. I think it is doing me some good though, like lifting heavy weights is more of a workout than dumbbells...


    Most of my energy was now drained, used in my experiments, and while my gathering speed was now significantly faster than in the past, it would still be tough to work up enough aether to return to the Boundary tonight... I guess I¡¯ll just relax, drink a few beers and rest up. Then tomorrow I will return, hopefully around the time the Throne finishes construction...


    Mind made up I reached for a beer and opened up an old browser game on my computer. May as well have some fun. I¡¯ve been so busy lately. Strangely, as I enjoyed myself I couldn¡¯t help but think I¡¯d been forgetting something recently, a thought niggling at the back of my mind...


    *******


    The next morning I was feeling full of energy, no doubt gathered from my Territory. I went through my usual routine and quickly cleared the work I had been sent by my contacts. There was easily a few days worth of effort there, but I squared it away in only four hours. Most of it required redraws and touch-ups, which normally took quite some time, but I was limited only by as fast as the computer could process my changes, making it incredibly swift. Of course it is too soon to send them back, I¡¯ve learnt from my mistakes with Hayato-san. I¡¯ll stockpile for a few days and return them when I send back his...


    I passed the rest of the day with some light aether and wind manipulation, focussing on the stealthy aspect of using it near-invisibly. It wasn¡¯t there yet, but some small progress was being made. Still, I didn¡¯t want to deplete my stores, as it was getting close to the time...


    Returning to the Boundary that evening I was greeted once more as usual by Shaeula. ¡°Welcome back-back Akio. Your timing is excellent.¡±


    Checking the building queue I couldn¡¯t help but agree. The Throne of Heroes had less than twelve Astral hours remaining. God damn I love this tide. Without the speed boosts and extra ether this would not have been possible. I pity any Astral Emperor-candidate who hasn¡¯t been able to take advantage of this...


    In addition my stockpile of ether was once more over-spilling. I quickly used the empty queue to lock in the upgrade of the Silo to Rank 3. The cost was twenty thousand ether and it would take forty days, so it was no short commitment, but when completed it would boost its protection and hold one hundred and fifty thousand ether safely. That way we won¡¯t have to worry regarding attracting attackers for a while, though of course the Etheric tide will be on the way out long before it gets done...


    ¡°All right, it¡¯s time.¡± I said grandly. Using some of my remaining ether I dropped an upgrade to the Armoury and a couple of Defensive Emplacements, to go on our border with Grulgor¡¯s Territory, into the now vacated queue, with an ETA of nine more Astral days for completion.


    ¡°Lead on, then.¡± she said, sounding excited. It didn¡¯t take us long to reach her old Territory, the park. Entering her cave she gasped in shock. The once-drab underground dungeon had been transformed with the walls having been quarried and carved by the kobolds into arching vaulted pillars. Sitting in the centre was a wood and iron throne, imposing yet tasteful.


    ¡°It is-is... impressive.¡± Shaeula admitted, eyes shining.


    If you think that¡¯s impressive... reading the silvery words in my vision I grinned.


    Do you wish to confirm Shaeula, Princess of the Fae as a Chosen Hero?


    Without hesitation I selected yes, causing both her and the Throne to glow brightly, the light outshining even the Etheric tides.


    ¡°Just what-what is happening?¡± she asked, sounding panicked.


    That was simple. Based on the description of the Throne of Heroes which was Throne of Heroes Rank 1 ¨C This Building empowers the Chosen Heroes of the Territory Ruler, granting them multiple benefits. They can exert greater control over the Territory, allowing access to the Territory build queues and other features. They will gain a small boost to all of their Statistics, which is greater within the Territory proper, and have a maximum Level of Five. They also have a slight chance to develop new special abilities and Skills. They can also manifest a Material body, or an Astral body, if they do not possess the ability to do this. Cost 50,000. It was easy to see that she was being empowered, and more importantly, gaining the ability to exist on the Material plane!


    After several seconds the light died down, and Shaeula was standing there, the energy within her greater than before. Even I could sense it.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from Level Five to Level Seven. As her glow dimmed this welcome message scrolled across my vision. Two Levels at once, that¡¯s massive. Maybe I¡¯ll max out this Class yet...


    ¡°I feel-feel... power brimming through me, and knowledge as well. I can-can see the whole Territory and the build queues you talked-talked about. So that is how-how it works. I want-want the Barracks, but...¡±


    As she rambled on I smiled like a proud parent. After a few minutes she quieted down, her excitement spent. ¡°Feel calmer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, not-not really. I feel so much stronger, and my blessing of wind has multiplied. Now that I can see what your Buildings do-do I can see why... but more importantly...¡±


    I cut her off, patting her head. ¡°I know what you want to say. But why don¡¯t we just test it instead?¡± I can hardly wait to see her in the Material plane. It¡¯s a shame she¡¯ll have to keep hidden, since we don¡¯t have any talking humanoid weasels in Japan, but even so she can enjoy eating and drinking mortal food, as well as enjoy all the technological delights modern Japan can offer...


    ¡°So shall we go?¡± I offered her my hand, which she took gingerly. And with that, we returned to the Material... together...

 Arc 3 – Securing The Borders – Forty *Contains Status – Akio 4, Shaeula 1*

    Arc 3 ¨C Securing The Borders ¨C Forty *Contains Status ¨C Akio 4, Shaeula 1*


    Waking up in darkness I felt the warm softness of a hand in mine. Turning my head to the clock beside my bed I could see that it was coming up towards midnight. I guess we only spent about ten hours in the Boundary this time... Reaching for the wall I pulled the light cord with my free hand, flooding the room with light... only for my mind to go blank for a moment.


    What the... hell...?


    Holding my hand was a short girl, a few inches under five feet tall, with long pale blond hair that had a faint golden-orange tinge. Her hair was framing a pretty, doll-like face, featuring a small nose and mouth, and a pair of pale amber eyes that were especially striking. Her body was small too, just a hint of a chest hidden within the folds of her bright yukata, a pale off-white colour covered with a series of golden weasels. This was topped off by delicate feet tucked into a pair of sandals and a large purple bow and sash around her waist.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    Releasing her hand I scooted backwards. ¡°Shae... Shaeula?¡± I managed to get out, causing her to snort in that familiar fashion I knew so well.


    ¡°Who else would it be? I am here-here as expected.¡± She paused and looked around my apartment. ¡±I must say, this is far too shabby for my master to live in. I can not-not help but feel rather disappointed in you.¡±


    It was her voice as well, but she looked so human. I mean, that¡¯s way better, she can go out like that, not having to worry about attracting attention... no wait, she¡¯ll definitely attract attention anyway... she¡¯s... well, pretty damn cute! I know my thoughts were racing, but after all I¡¯d just been holding hands with a really cute doll-like girl. The fact I knew what she looked like in the Boundary was irrelevant.


    ¡°Well...¡± I said, trying to get my thoughts in order. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m not rich yet. But it¡¯s only a matter of time. One of the reasons I called you to the Material was to help with my plan.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I have no objections.¡± She replied. ¡°But first, it would be nice-nice if you could get me something to drink. I find this Material body is giving off some strange-strange sensations¡±


    ¡°Oh of course, I¡¯m being rude. Why don¡¯t you sit down?¡± I got out of my chair and let her sit, which she did gracefully, her platinum-orange hair cascading around her. Going to the fridge I opened it up. ¡°Did you want alcohol, juice or tea?¡±


    ¡°A good question. As a Fae I can exist on the aether, yet as a noble princess I did enjoy the wines and other delicacies of the Seelie court-court.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Bring me one of everything and I shall try them all-all. When I have decided what I like best I shall have more-more of that.¡±


    Demanding, aren¡¯t you? ¡°Of course, princess.¡± I pulled off a passable bow then brought out some iced tea, orange juice and a six-pack of beer. Digging out a stool from my closet I sat down beside her and handed her the fruit juice. I need to get more furniture. Watching her face twist in pleasure as she took a swig I opened a beer and took a chug myself.


    ¡°This one is sweet, like the fruits of the many-many gardens of the Seelie Court. But you look like you are enjoying that. Give me some-some.¡±


    Wordlessly I handed her a beer. For a short while she stared at it, before remembering how I had opened it. One delicate finger popped the ring-pull, and she eyed the foaming beer warily. When the froth subsided she took a swig. ¡°Ugh. It is a little bitter. But it is not-not entirely unpleasant. I shall try some more-more.¡±


    As she drank more I finished my own can and started another. Getting out some rice balls I passed her one. She took a bite and smiled. ¡°Not bad. The mortal world does have its charms I see-see.¡±


    Hmmm something is off here. Wait... that¡¯s it. ¡°By the way, your verbal tic, the repeated words, it seems to be much lessened?¡±


    Shaeula flushed, her pale face going red, all the way down to her neck, visible in her yukata. Nope, I¡¯d better not look there, that¡¯s dangerous.


    ¡°I do not-not know what you mean.¡± she replied primly. ¡°I talk as I always have, with grace, elegance and charm-charm.¡±


    ¡°Three words that describe you well.¡± I conceded. ¡°Anyway, now that you are here I find my room is way too small. I¡¯ve no idea how my sister thought that she could stay here with me if she goes to a university in Tokyo. It¡¯d be way too cramped.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, your sister. You have mentioned her quite-quite a few times. Her and that Eri female.¡± Shaeula spoke, holding out a hand for another can of beer. I gave her one and she opened it quickly, having mastered the ring-pull. ¡°They must be good females indeed if they can put up with the likes of you. Yet perhaps sadly too kind for their own good-good.¡±


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might46 83Fortune2 5Fortitude43 80Majesty1 2Intellect75 102Charm1 4Resilience71 106??? Alacrity51 78??? Precision72 99??? Aether93 159??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] White Cord Silver CordRank 2Base Chakra Eight Moons Chakra Network Rank 2Crude Aether Manipulation Aether ManipulationRank 2Aether Combat TechniqueRank 1Heart Chakra Of WindRank 1Wind ManipulationRank 4[Physical Combat Skills] Spear TechniqueRank 3Combat TechniqueRank 1Wind Spear TechniqueRank 1[Practical Skills] Ether CraftingRank 2[Intangible Skills] [Perceptive Skills] Self-ExaminationRank 4 Rank 5Self-Examination, TerritoryRank 3 Rank 4Kin ExaminationRank 2[Unique Skills] ????????????????Rank 0????????????????Rank 0[Level] 3 11[Class]Fae-Bonded 7/20Territory Rank2


    The last skill was Examination, Kin, which was similar to my own examination Skills, but I could use it on those considered my ¡®kin¡¯ which seemed to be a concept similar to Shaeula and her weasels. Well, I might as well try it out. My aether was draining fast as I used all the examination Skills, but as we left the Boundary early I still had enough left.


    Shaeula Tu Shae DannanNoble FaeWind Aspect[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might32 +5Fortune5 +0Fortitude30 +5Majesty0 +0Intellect65 +5Charm5 +0Resilience28 +5???1 +0Alacrity67 +5??? Precision46 +5??? Aether304 +5??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] Silver CordRank 1Eight Moons Chakra NetworkRank 5Aether ManipulationRank 1Heart Chakra Of WindRank 4Wind ManipulationRank 2[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Mystic Eyes Of PerceptionRank ???Kin RestorationRank ???Blessing Of Fortunate WindsRank ???Blessing Of Befuddling WindsRank ???[Level] 0/5[Class]Wind Fae 8/10


    The most interesting thing about her Statistics was that her Aether stat was twice mine! The rest of her Statistics were modest though, especially her physical attributes. On checking the +5 and +0 bonuses I could see they were granted by the Throne of Heroes. It wasn¡¯t huge in terms of her Aether, but since her physical stats were weak it was quite the buff there. I wasn¡¯t able to look at her Skills, but I knew what all her Aetheric Skills did from my own versions of them. I also couldn¡¯t get information about her Class or the Intangible Statistic she had that I didn¡¯t. Still, it was enlightening.


    Looking up I saw Shaeula had turned away from the anime and was looking at me, shifting restlessly. ¡°What are you doing, Akio? I feel quite-quite uncomfortable all of a sudden, like you are staring intently at me-me.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry.¡± I apologised. ¡°I was just using my new Skill. It¡¯s nothing to worry about, and it¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She said, looking at me with suspicion before turning back to the screen, taking another sip of beer. ¡°Ask next time before you use whatever skill that is. I did not-not like the feel of it.¡±


    ¡°I will do.¡± I promised, contrite. I was done with her appraisal, so the last thing was to take stock of my Territory. Breaking it down, it had a Rank 2 Territory Anchor, Six Rank 2 Ether Spires, a Rank 2 Spawning Spire, Rank 2 Barracks, Rank 2 Silo, Rank 2 Elemental Silo, three Rank 1 Defensive Emplacements (one of which had a Sniper upgrade), a Rank 1 Armoury, a Rank 1 Throne of Heroes and a Rank 1 Special Kobold Den.


    In addition there was an upgrade to the Silo to Tier 3 queued in, an upgrade to a Rank 2 Armoury, and two more Defensive Emplacements planned.


    When you look at it, I¡¯ve built up quite the little empire. Where I go from here though... There were still many Buildings I wanted, as well as the obvious upgrading of the Ether Spires and so on. It was time to take stock of just what I had in hand.


    Barracks Rank 2 ¨C This Barracks can recruit up to twenty-five Basic-class troops and five Elite-class, based on those who serve your Territory. These troops will gain experience and have a maximum Level of 5. Troops produced from the Barracks will start at Level 1 rather than 0. Cost 12,500.


    Barracks Rank 3 ¨C This Barracks can recruit up to fifty Basic-class troops and fifteen Elite-class, based on those who serve your Territory. These troops will gain experience and have a maximum Level of 9. Basic-class troops produced from the Barracks will start at Level 2 rather than 0. Elite-class troops produced from the Barracks will start at Level 3. Cost 125,000.


    From the perspective of pure numbers ten Rank 2 Barracks would produce far more troops for the same building cost, but as the Barracks increased in Rank there were other bonuses, such as greater Level caps and higher starting Levels, which would boost their average strength. Besides, I wasn¡¯t sure if there were a maximum total number of Buildings I could construct at each Rank of Territory Spire, as Ether Spires were limited. I would consider building a few lower-level Barracks later for variety and backup, but once I had finished upgrading a few of the Ether Spires to buff my production I would then go for the Barracks upgrade. Plus Shaeula is asking me too, how can I refuse?


    Armoury Rank 2 ¨C At Rank 2 the maximum Rank of weaponry and armour you can create is limited to Normal-grade. Items that are not already a duplicate of those you possess will require additional Ether to create. Advanced equipment will require materials in addition to Ether. Cost 6000.


    I wasn¡¯t too sure about the differences between Basic and Normal-grade gear, but it seemed to be an improved Rank so should be better. It was already queued in, but at some point getting it to Rank 3, which also gave other bonuses would be sensible.


    Damn, I¡¯m going to need a shit-ton of ether for my plans. When the Etheric tide subsides the rate of incoming ether will drop significantly too... I¡¯m going to have to think outside the box for this one...


    Next was checking the upgrade to the Silo, which would be reaching Rank 3.


    Silo- Rank 3 ¨C This Silo will securely store up to 150,000 Ether, protecting it from theft or loss. It has greater security than a lower Rank Silo. You may transfer Ether between yourself and this Silo at any time. One additional Annex may be added to the Silo. Cost 20,000.


    The ability to build an extra Annex was useful, as I had my eyes on a store for Etherite Ores. There were also other storage Buildings that didn¡¯t link to the Silo, such as the Warehouse and the Treasury, which I also wanted to build. As for the greater security, that was good, but it did make me think that maybe having a Silo wasn¡¯t total protection for stored ether. I¡¯ll be sure to spend it as and when I can rather than hoarding.


    Elemental Silo- Rank 2 ¨C This Annex to a Silo will securely store up to 200 units of one type of Elemental essence in each of three storage units, protecting it from theft or loss. You may transfer this essence between yourself and this Silo at any time. Cost 3200.


    With this I could store multiple elemental essences (not that I currently had any but wind) or just load it with a ton of wind elemental essence to fuel my and Shaeula¡¯s attacks. A Rank 3 version would also be desirable, but it was a low priority until I started finding more elements to procure.


    With all this assessed I turned back to Shaeula, who was looking at me with an expectant expression, having finished off all my beer. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go out and get some more...¡±

 Forty-One

    Forty-One


    We spent the whole night drinking and eating, until the first light of dawn peeked through my window. Stifling a yawn I stretched, loosening stiff muscles. I wasn¡¯t particularly tired due to my high stats, so it wasn¡¯t a problem but... there are other problems...


    Shaeula was pretty drunk, lying on my futon, watching the anime on my monitor still. Every so often she would let out a cute giggle or an exclamation of surprise. What was worse though was that the way she was lying her yukata had rucked up, exposing a good expanse of her lithe legs and her tiny feet. Shit, I barely know where to look. From an objective point of view I had hit the jackpot, and if any of my fellow otaku could see me now, they would be shouting at me to die. However... life isn¡¯t quite as simple as that. It was pretty awkward as she was my subordinate, and was also really a faerie weasel. Still, I suppose that doesn¡¯t stop me from looking a bit... no, this line of thought is dangerous...


    I needed some exercise to clear my head. ¡°I¡¯m just going out for a run to work on my fitness.¡± I said. Shaeula replied without even turning around.


    ¡°I will leave the physical tasks to those best suited for it. I am too noble to work up a sweat-sweat.¡±


    How noble indeed. ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll only be a short while. Will you be all right?¡±


    She waved one small hand lazily in my direction. ¡°I shall be fine. While you are out can you bring me more snacks? I am running low-low.¡±n, you¡¯ve gone through tons of food. Where does your small body put it all? ¡°Yes, your Highness.¡± I said with a smile. After that I jogged around my usual route, watching as people started heading to work, ready for their Friday commute. I feel sorry for the poor suckers working in this heat. Still I¡¯ll be working too later... It may not have been typical work, but I was still going to earn money... and it was fairly nerve-wracking. I¡¯m not really cut out for gambling, but even so...


    It didn¡¯t take too long for me to return to my house, having also jogged along to the local store and purchased a few bento boxes and some crisps and other treats. The toll to my wallet was a little annoying, as her appetite was huge, but she would certainly pay for herself with her blessing of fortunate winds...


    ¡°I¡¯m home...¡± I said, stepping through the door and mopping my sweat with the towel I had left there ready.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± she drawled lazily. ¡°Did you get me what I asked for-for?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I passed her a bag of crisps and a bar of chocolate. ¡°This should keep you going, but for now we really need to get on with work.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she raised one thin eyebrow. ¡°I am sure I mentioned I would not stoop to physical labour, delicate as I am-am?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. All I need from you is your blessing of fortunate winds to increase my luck. Then I can work. You can do it here, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can, I am a noble Fae princess.¡± She waved her hand and I felt a shiver as a breeze blew over me. ¡°Though I must admit it takes far more of my strength to summon the wind here-here.¡±


    As Shaeula slurped away at the large steaming bowl of ramen I looked at the pile of bags around us. There was one large box, a rather nice HD Television, fifty inches, which was probably too large for my apartment, but I had been talked into it by the salesman, who knew how to cut a deal, as I had also bought a games console and several games I thought Shaeula might enjoy, as well as a couple of new top-of-the-line phones, one for each of my sister and Eri-chan. My sister has been saying her phone is old-fashioned for quite a while. Buying one for Eri-chan might come across as a bit forward, but I don¡¯t want to be a miser, and besides, I was offered it all at a significant discount for buying in bulk...


    All told after the discount my purchases had come to 380,000 yen, which was an unimaginable sum to waste on luxuries for me even a few weeks ago. Still, this would definitely be the last time I spent recklessly for a while, as the more I had for the next stage of my plan the better it would work. The blessing of fortunate winds had after all proved my plan could work...


    As I was watching Shaeula eat the old man who worked at the ramen shop tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see him grinning broadly at me. ¡°Your girl, she sure can eat for someone her size.¡± He said. ¡°She¡¯s awfully pretty too. You¡¯ve really lucked out there son, haven¡¯t you? Be sure to keep her happy, a man mustn¡¯t let the good ones get away!¡±


    Well, it isn¡¯t that she is my girlfriend... still, explaining that would be annoying so I merely nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m quite aware of how fine a lady she is.¡±


    ¡°With all the presents you¡¯ve been buying you¡¯ll keep her happy. But take it from an old man that knows, son. Flashy technology is nice, but girls appreciate clothes and jewellery a lot more. You don¡¯t often see those girls who wear the traditional clothing all the time, but I bet they must like fashion even more, right?¡±


    ¡°You could be right.¡± I agreed, finishing off the broth in my own bowl of ramen, which was now empty. Pushing the bowl to one side I pulled out some money to pay. ¡°I¡¯ll have a think about what might suit her.¡± It wouldn¡¯t hurt to get her some more modern clothes. Although I have to wonder, can she even take her yukata off, or is it a part of her Material form? Damn, that line of thought sure was dangerous.


    ¡°It must be hot in here, because you look awfully red.¡± The shopkeeper grinned. I smiled back sheepishly as Shaeula brought her own empty bowl over.


    ¡°That was good.¡± She said. Looking at my embarrassed face she raised one eyebrow. ¡°So what is going on here then? Have I missed something-something?¡±


    ¡°Just a chat between men. Nothing for you to worry about, young lady.¡± The old man said smoothly. ¡°Be sure to have your man carry the bags on the way home.¡±


    ¡°Of course, a delicate noble like me should not be subjected to manual labour. Still, I thank you for the food, this... ramen, was it? It was certainly pleasing to me-me.¡±


    ¡°You sure do carry this old-school style to its limit.¡± The old man chuckled. ¡°Noble indeed! Anyway, thanks for your patronage and I look forward to seeing you in my store again soon.¡±


    We said our farewells and went out onto the street, me laden down with a variety of bags and boxes. Damn, I feel like a pack mule. Even with my massively boosted strength it doesn¡¯t help with the awkward size of the television box... oh well, it isn¡¯t far to the station. There should be a shortcut down these back streets...


    As we passed down a narrow street, the back ends of various small stores and houses pressing in on us, we started hearing angry voices. Turning a corner I saw a group of familiar-looking thugs harassing a likewise familiar girl....


    Oh come on. Stuff like this doesn¡¯t happen...

 Forty-Two

    Forty-Two


    ¡°You¡¯ll be sorry for last time....¡± the lead thug was saying, his nose looking rather crooked, as if it had been broken and then poorly reset. He was holding a switchblade, though it didn¡¯t seem to be the one from last time. Around him was a motley assortment of seven delinquents, in a variety of styles, sporting piercings, bleached hair, Mohawks and even one with a facial tattoo, which was really rare here in Japan. What was more concerning though was that unlike last time they were all armed. Some had baseball bats, there was one with an iron pipe, and one even had a length of chain, like a biker from some old drama.


    I guess they¡¯ve learned to be more intimidating? Still, who would do this after last time? I mean, come on...


    Shaking my head to myself at people who didn¡¯t learn obvious lessons I observed the girl that was cowering against the wall, clutching her familiar red handbag to her chest, making herself as small as possible, like a frightened fawn.


    Is she the most unlucky girl in the world, or does she enjoy this? Stepping forward, Shaeula behind me, I coughed loudly then called out to the delinquents. ¡°Man, you guys really aren¡¯t good at learning lessons are you? I am sure I told you not to do things like this again.¡±


    As most of the thugs turned the leader with the broken nose glared at me before recoiling in shock. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± he spat out. ¡°It¡¯s you. I¡¯m going to make ya pay for bustin¡¯ up my nose.¡± He eyed me carrying all the bags and boxes with the logo of a large local electronics store. ¡°Those will do for starters. Then I¡¯m going to stomp in your face like ya did to me.¡±


    Putting down the heavy TV box and bags I was carrying I turned to Shaeula. ¡°Look after these for me will you? I¡¯m going to teach these idiots a lesson, and hopefully it will stick this time. Can you buff me with your wind again?¡±


    Shaeula nodded as she took the bags from me, a swirl of green energy flowing through me, barely visible under the light of the evening. As I turned back I noticed the thugs leering at Shaeula, who glared back, her amber eyes fierce.


    ¡°I tell ya what. I¡¯m feeling generous.¡± The leader said, licking his lips in a way that really made me want to punch him in the face. ¡°Leave your stuff, wallet and that girl behind and we¡¯ll call it even for last time. But if ya don¡¯t, we¡¯ll beat the hell out of ya and take her anyway. Make the smart choice.¡±


    ¡°That is disgusting.¡± Shaeula muttered behind me. ¡°Does that worthless scum really think he can touch me-me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I reassured her. Taking a step forwards, causing the gang to tense up, I smiled, though there was no warmth in it, my eyes like silver ice. ¡°Trying to extort me is one thing, but if you think I¡¯m going to let you hurt Shaeula or that other girl then you are sorely mistaken. And will soon just be plain sore. It won¡¯t just be your nose that gets broken this time.¡±Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com


    Man I¡¯m pissed off. I really hate scumbags like this. Once could be excused as a mistake, but doing the same thing again... besides, upsetting Shaeula is worthy of a beating... They were armed, which was giving me pause, but none of them looked particularly muscled or trained, whereas after checking my most recent stats I knew I fit the famous phrase ¡®peak human¡¯ to a tee. Besides, I have the blessing from Shaeula as well.


    Even so, it was quite scary to face a mob of armed villains. Five of them moved towards me, leaving the broken-nosed one and one other surrounding the cowering Konoe-chan. They spread out as much as they could along the cramped alleyway into a loose semi-circle. One knife, two baseball bats, a metal pipe and the old-school with the chain...


    ¡°Get that fucker...¡± the one with the chain spat. With his studded denim vest with the ripped sleeves as well as parachute pants I had no idea what style he was going for. His hair was bleached a messy blond and gelled up into spiky whorls. I couldn¡¯t help but leak a little chuckle, which infuriated them more.


    ¡°You think this is funny?¡± one of the ones wielding a baseball bat snarled, his red Mohawk giving him a dangerous look. ¡°See if you laugh when your girl over there is crying as we are riding her in front o.... gah!¡±


    Shut the fuck up, scumbag. Boiling with anger I moved quickly, a breath of wind leaving me, moving aside the air in front of my hand which had snatched a metal lid from one of the bins beside me. It soared through the air at an astonishing speed before smashing into the face of the one that was speaking such filth. There was a resounding crunch and he fell, bat spilling to the ground, alongside the now unconscious man and several of his teeth, which scattered from his loosely hanging and broken jaw.


    ¡°Crap, he took down our bro!¡± the chain-wielder said in shock. He wasn¡¯t there last time I think, so he doesn¡¯t know.... A couple of the others remember though. The one guarding Konoe-chan, with the broken nose, was looking a bit scared, as was another who was covering most of his face with a mask, like a classic school delinquent, or someone suffering from a cold, anyway.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be just him.¡± I snarled, moving rapidly, ducking low to snatch up the fallen bat and clashing against the masked one with the pipe. He blocked my first blow, but the impact jarred it from his hand with a clatter. ¡°Stop... wait...¡± he protested, before my bat slammed into his side, and my foot hammered into his groin. With a spray of vomit he passed out, tumbling to the ground in a heap.


    That¡¯s two. I turned, just in time to see the chain whirl through the air, missing my face by inches, the heavy links ripping chunks of stone from the wall behind me. The old-school delinquent whipped his chain around again, and I barely blocked it with the bat. Beside him another with a bat of his own was coming for me, with the one with the knife circling to my other side. Behind him a fourth foe was coming, wearing garish knuckledusters.


    ¡°Get the fucker! Mess him up!¡± broken-nose was yelling, while he held onto the arm of the limp and petrified Konoe-chan. ¡°Break his fucking legs and arms and let him watch as we ruin his girl.¡±


    Yeah, we are long past forgiveness for you pieces of trash now. Harassment is bad enough, but rape... I can see I was way too lenient last time. A mistake I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make again...


    Blocking a swing of the baseball bat I forced myself to remain strong as the one with the knife feinted in on me, spitting gobbets of dirty phlegm in my face. A punch from knuckleduster-guy whipped out at me, missing my face and clipping my shoulder, bringing a jolt of pain. Behind them the old-school with the chain was looking on, no room to swing but waiting for an opening. Even as I was observing this I had to dodge another swing of a baseball bat and took a minor cut in my arm as the knife ripped through my t-shirt, drawing blood from the skin underneath.


    Crap, I can¡¯t fight three or four easily in this narrow area, they keep surrounding me. But no way am I going to lose. Blocking another swing of the bat I let go of mine, darting forwards. My fist hit him in the stomach, and as he doubled over I jumped, my knee impacting his head hard, flipping him over to land in the garbage bins around with a resounding crash, lying still and limp, blood drooling out from his shattered face.


    There¡¯s one... shit.... Pain lanced through me as the chain lashed my back, sending me reeling forwards into a hard punch from the knuckleduster guy, my ribs creaking from the blow.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s it! Get the fucker!¡± broken-nose roared.


    As the one with the knife closed in, a wicked glint in his dark eyes, I skittered backwards, dodging the chain by a few inches again. This was getting bad...


    ¡°I have had quite enough of this sad display. Time to end it here and now-now.¡±


    I forgot Shaeula is here. Though even with her buffs from the Throne her physical stats are pretty poor. She could probably handle one of them if she had a weapon... huh?


    I felt Shaeula pull in wind elemental energy and ether from all around us, seeing a momentarily flicker of green around her outstretched hand. It was then that all of the thugs staggered, suddenly going dizzy.


    ¡°Yesh, mhe thoo.¡± slurred the other with a broken jaw, and the final conscious one nodded his agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll give up women and come clean to the police. I¡¯ll start over and stop being a delinquent.¡±


    Well that¡¯s going a bit far, but if it works... I exchanged a glance with Shaeula, who shrugged. ¡°In that case I¡¯m going to the payphone back at that department store and I¡¯ll phone it in. I¡¯ll take Konoe-chan with me. Can you stay here and watch them?¡±


    Konoe-chan looked at me, then across at Shaeula. ¡°Are... are you sure you should leave her there with them? What... what if they get free?¡± she was also slowly inching away from me. I¡¯d feel offended if I didn¡¯t know she just went through a frightening experience again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shaeula is tougher than she looks. Besides I roughed them up pretty well. I doubt any of them are in the mood to fight any more. Most of them need a hospital. They are doing a real good job not screaming in agony, I¡¯m pretty sure most of them have broken bones.¡±


    The wind swirled around them, tinged a faint, almost unnoticeable green in my vision, and they fell over themselves to offer up declarations that they would not resist and were waiting patiently to confess their crimes to the police. Hmmm.


    ¡°But... what if...¡± Konoe-chan continued, so I cut her off gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I assure you it¡¯ll be fine. After all, they may have looked scary, but they can¡¯t have been that tough as I managed to handle them, right?¡±


    Konoe-chan blinked in surprise, as if noticing me for the first time. She took in my injuries, minor though they were, my torn and cut clothing where I had been punched and nicked by the knife, the sleeve of my t-shirt stained with a little blood that had flowed from my already scabbed over cut, and the shirt on my back ripped open revealing bruised and torn skin underneath where the chain had scored me, and she bowed her head so low it was almost horizontal to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. You got hurt because of me.¡± Her voice was trembling with tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too bad. Nothing that a few days rest won¡¯t fix. Besides, any man worth the title would want to save a woman in distress right? Besides, I have a sister and a close childhood friend, so I really hate the thought of something like this.¡±


    As we walked back towards the department store I was at earlier to find a payphone, leaving Shaeula watching the thugs with a sour expression on her face, Konoe-chan spoke again. ¡°You also have such a cute girlfriend to look out for too. I bet you just wanted to show off in front of her.¡± she managed a weak smile.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not my girlfriend, we are kind of like work colleagues I guess?¡± I replied, hoping I wasn¡¯t blushing. I¡¯m a grown adult, not some teenage boy!


    ¡°Oh really.¡± Konoe-chan managed. ¡°And you just happened to be out shopping together during your day off?¡±


    ¡°It did indeed happen that way. Still, I have to admit we get on pretty well.¡± I smiled. ¡°Anyway, once I¡¯ve placed the call to the police and got an ambulance for those scum we¡¯ll take you home. You don¡¯t live too far away if I remember rightly.¡± Oh shit, I think that might have come across as a bit stalker-ish.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡± she refused, as I expected she would. We didn¡¯t speak any further until we reached the department store. I quickly entered and placed a call to the police, advising of the incident as if I was a witness who had come across the scene.


    ¡°All right then, all done. While I¡¯m here do you want to exchange phone numbers, just in case you run into any other problems?¡± Oh damn, that just slipped out. I was trying to be helpful but coupled with the comment before now I sound really creepy.


    ¡°I¡¯m... not sure I¡¯d need to...¡± she began shyly, but as she glanced at my face she must have seen something in my expression as she smiled weakly. ¡°But all right. I am grateful to you, Oshiro-san. I can have Shaeula-chan¡¯s number too, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhh... yeah, sure.¡± Now that¡¯s an oversight. ¡°While I¡¯m here I just have to get something really quick.¡±


    ********


    Returning to where Shaeula was keeping an eye on the thugs I noticed first how quiet they were.


    ¡°Uhh, they aren¡¯t dead I hope?¡± I asked, causing her to scoff.


    ¡°Hardly. I just told them to quiet down as their wails were annoying me-me.¡±


    ¡°I see. In any case we need to get going, I don¡¯t want to be tangled up with the police and Konoe-chan wouldn¡¯t want the hassle either. By the way, here.¡± I handed her the item I had bought at the store, a brand new phone that matched the ones I had bought my sister and Eri-chan, only this one was in orange as close to amber as I could find.


    ¡°Oh, this is one of those mobile phones you mentioned. As your loyal servant it is about time you rewarded me properly-properly.¡± She seemed pleased as she opened up the box, a tiny trail of wind energy slicing through the packaging.


    ¡°So she is a work colleague. I guess you are her boss then?¡± Konoe-chan giggled shyly. ¡°She seems like she is quite fond of you despite that though. Her Japanese is great but her word choices can be a little odd at times...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll fit in soon enough. She¡¯s a big fan of Japanese history, as you can tell by her dress sense.¡± I explained it away as best I could. ¡°Anyway, I think we should be going.¡± Gathering up all the bags and boxes I had bought earlier we left behind the now silent delinquents, as the wailing of sirens could be heard in the distance...


    Seriously, how did no-one else come running with all the shouting and screaming that those stupid thugs did? I know they were in the back alleys but still... has public order in Tokyo really got so bad...? Oh well, no time to worry about that now I guess.

 Forty-Three

    Forty-Three


    On returning to my apartment I slumped down, exhausted. Putting the TV and games console to one side I rolled out on my futon and yawned. It had been quite the day. Beside me Shaeula was playing with her new smartphone, slowly typing out a text to Konoe-chan, probably. In the end we had managed to get her phone number when we took her back to her apartment. She had even invited us in for a brief while.


    Shaeula wasn¡¯t shy though, she devoured the tea and snacks that Konoe-chan laid out, and complained there was no beer. I was mortified. Still, it was quite cute seeing the two pretty girls chatting together. Even if one is really a faerie weasel...


    Besides, now I have another couple of girls¡¯ numbers in my phone. My sister would be pretty proud of me, once she stopped making jokes at my expense, that is. Eri-chan would no doubt be amazed, too.


    Stifling another yawn I pulled myself to my feet and turned on my computer and scrolled down to the local daily news. Sure enough, there was a brief article on the incident with the thugs and Konoe-chan, stating just that the police had received an anonymous tip and found a group of men in an injured state chained up in an alleyway, surrounded by weapons, some with blood on them. It merely said that they would be making enquiries after they had questioned the men once their conditions were stable, and that they would ask for witnesses and review CCTV footage. Wait. CCTV footage? Were there any cameras in the area?


    I hadn¡¯t thought of problems like that. Still, while I had certainly been over-rough with the thugs, it wasn¡¯t like any of them were dead, and they were armed and I wasn¡¯t, so it was clearly self-defence. The only issue was the couple of attacks by wind elemental energy Shaeula and I had done. Still, even if there were cameras it was unlikely they would be in the position and quality to pick them up... Oh hell, no point worrying about it. If the police find me, I¡¯ll come clean about what I can. I acted to save a girl, I shouldn¡¯t get into much trouble... besides, there were more important issues to discuss.


    I went to the fridge and pulled out a pack of beer. Opening up a couple I took a long swig from one and passed the other to Shaeula, who had reached out without turning. As I drank the cold beer I suddenly started trembling, feeling dizzy. Slumping back to the futon I felt nauseous, barely keeping in bile that was rising in my throat.


    Shaeula, sensing my discomfort, turned to look at me. ¡°Are you well-well? You look pale.¡±


    ¡°I just feel... pretty shaken all of a sudden.¡± I replied, trying to control my trembling body. ¡°It¡¯s... well, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the events of the last few hours have caught up with you, Akio?¡± Shaeula came over and patted my hand reassuringly. ¡°You did not have to put your life at risk for a female you did not know, though I am pleased you did-did, for such savage males repulse me. Still, you are not used to fighting here on the Material, are you? Perhaps this experience has proved quite trying?¡±


    Washing down my nausea with beer I nodded. Yeah, to be honest... it was pretty scary. When I got into it I forgot about the consequences, but now my adrenaline has run out and I¡¯ve calmed down. I was tense all the while we were with Konoe-chan, and I finally just relaxed.


    Still... I let my eyes drift over to the picture standing on my table. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have sat right with me. Leaving her I mean. Like I said before, I have a sister and a good friend I care for a lot, and I wouldn¡¯t want them to go through such an experience. My sister might have been able to run away, she¡¯s pretty athletic and no shrinking violet, but Eri-Chan...¡± The picture of them was a year old, my sister had sent it to me saying I needed an updated one. Still, it really showed their characters, my sister outgoing as ever, while Eri-chan was timidly behind, though still looking lovely. ¡°...Eri-chan is a very shy girl and doesn¡¯t get on with people, especially men she doesn¡¯t know. That type of situation would have crushed her.¡±


    ¡°And of course you do not like the thought of that, do you-you?¡± Shaeula said knowingly, also peering at the picture. ¡°She is very cute, is she not-not?¡± she smirked, eyeing Eri-chan. ¡°You sister too, I see a little resemblance between you.¡±


    Really? I think Aiko got all the looks in our family.


    ¡°So, is that the type of girl you like?¡± Shaeula asked, finishing off her beer with a little burp and taking another can. ¡°She is very small and pretty, but if such is the case, perhaps I had better be wary-wary?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. I¡¯ve known Eri-chan ever since she was born. I see her as a little sister. Of course I worry about her, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°A little sister, hmm?¡± Shaeula raised one eyebrow as she eyed me quizzically. ¡°I see-see. And are you sure that she feels the same way-way? Perhaps she has other ideas of how you stand?¡±


    Eri-chan, and me? Being honest the thought had crossed my mind. After all, there were plenty of manga¡¯s about childhood friends and romance, but... Nah, no way, surely not. Eri-chan wouldn¡¯t be interested in that sort of thing, right?... although... My sister and family did make jokes about it sometimes, but Eri-chan always looked so uncomfortable...


    As I was lost in thoughts Shaeula patted me on the shoulder. ¡°All better now, master?¡±


    Huh? Realising that while I was lost in thought the shaking and nausea had stopped I gave Shaeula a grateful glance, causing her to flush a little.


    Closing the roulette app on my computer (from a new, second site) I considered my winnings. There had only been one scare, my luck working well, and in total I had recovered a bit over two thousand pounds. Still not what I¡¯ve spent today but not too far shy of it. I am best stopping here, no need to get greedy and blow it all...


    ¡°It¡¯s getting pretty late.¡± I observed as I sat down beside Shaeula, who was rolled up in my futon. ¡°It got dark hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has been quite the day-day.¡± Shaeula agreed, yawning cutely, wiping her mouth with one sleeve of her yukata. That reminds me...


    ¡°Don¡¯t take this question the wrong way...¡± I asked. ¡°But can you remove that yukata or is it a part of you? I don¡¯t mean anything lewd by this question, I promise!¡±


    ¡°I can of course remove-remove it.¡± Shaeula said, arching an eyebrow at me in surprise. ¡°Though you are correct in that it is a part of my Material body, so it would vanish when removed-removed.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Why, have you fallen for my many charms? Should you try anything perverted, my noble father would have you nailed to the great tree at the heart of the Seelie Court and tormented for eternity-eternity!¡± she smirked. ¡°Eri would no doubt be heartbroken too, I surmise.¡±


    ¡°I assure you my intentions are strictly honourable. I just thought you might like to buy some clothes, to have a few options. Girls like that sort of thing, right? Besides it would look odd if you wore the same thing all the time. Unless you can change your yukata yourself of course?¡±


    ¡°No, I believe I can only dismiss it or re-summon it-it.¡± she replied. ¡°So if you wish to treat your loyal and powerful servant to suitable attire, I would of course accept. I assume your work has gone well-well?¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I agreed. ¡°Most of what I spent today was recovered, so we are ahead of our minimum needs for the next stage. We won¡¯t push our luck too far, but hopefully we can add a bit more, with a little change to treat you for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°It is good to see you recognise that you have the most powerful and helpful of all servants you could have, a princess of such beauty you can hardly wait to spend your money on dressing her up-up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, enough teasing.¡± I laughed. ¡°In any case I think it is time to return to the Boundary and check on our Territory. I¡¯m a bit light on aether as I¡¯ve not been gathering and we used some up earlier, but I can supplement my supply from what our Territory has gathered. It¡¯s a bit inefficient, but I don¡¯t want to cause more trouble for my neighbours.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the amount of ether that you are drawing would have much effect over the short term. But if that is what my master wishes, who am I to argue-argue?¡± Shaeula shrugged. Putting away her phone she turned off the TV. She¡¯s got the hang of that quite quickly.


    ¡°It will be good to see my kin again. But I will miss this television thing. Perhaps there is a way to bring one to the Boundary? It would make passing the time there far more pleasant-pleasant. Besides, my siblings would be jealous...¡±


    She muttered the last sentence at a barely audible tone. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, only for her to dismiss it with a wave of her small hand.


    ¡°Oh well, I can imagine there would be a lot of problems with that, such as not having a power source, or even a signal, but maybe if we paired it with a Blu-ray player... hmmm.¡±


    ¡°So you do not think it is impossible?¡± Shaeula brightened up. ¡°If you could work on it, I would be most grateful-grateful.¡±


    ¡°All right I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± I ruffled her hair playfully, causing her to squirm a little. ¡°But it is low on the priority list for now. I want to get through the etheric tide first and get things back to normal before worrying about things like that.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. We should waste little time and depart immediately. My kin are waiting-waiting!¡±


    Shaeula was pumped up for this, bringing a smile to my face. ¡°All right then. Off we go!¡±


    And with that we departed for our Territory once more...

 Forty-Four

    Forty-Four


    Returning to the Boundary we quickly checked the status of our build queues. The upgrade to the Armory was nearly done, a bit under a day left. In terms of ether we had accrued a decent amount as well. I added a Warehouse and then queued in an upgrade to take it to Rank 2 as well.


    Warehouse Rank 2- At Rank 2 the Warehouse can store non-treasure items up to a volume of 3m by 3m by 3m. It will protect them from theft or loss.


    With this I¡¯ll be able to store the various parts of the wyrm from earlier. They will no doubt come in handy.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I said to Shaeula after finishing my business. ¡°How about we find some monsters the tide has washed this way and get you levelled up?¡± Wait a second. ¡±Hmm, aren¡¯t you going to go back to your weasel form?¡± I asked. She was still the Shaeula that had joined me in the Material.


    ¡°I can if that is what you desire. But I have no need to do so while you are around. I have no doubt you find this form pleasing, no-no?¡±


    ¡°Well, your other one was pretty cute too I guess... but whatever makes you happy will do for me.¡± Although I feel bad for admitting it.


    ¡°When I am alone with my kin I shall resume my prior form I have no doubts. But until then there is no need. This body is suitably strong-strong.¡± Looking up at the sky her eyes glowed, shining amber. ¡°The tide is beginning to abate I see. It is still quite high but has passed its peak. Soon normality will return to the Boundary so we should make the most of this chance-chance.¡±


    ¡°All right, I like that eagerness.¡± We joined up with her weaselkin and began to hunt. The problem was we didn¡¯t have many areas to expand to, as we were bounded by Grulgor¡¯s Territory and the Raven Knight¡¯s, and didn¡¯t want to provoke them. Still, there were a few open locations to move to, and the weaselkin had slowly been expanding our Territory in the safer directions.


    Heading that way we ran into a group of giant spiders. They were the size of horses and dripping venom from their open maws, looking quite intimidating. Still, size was all they had going for them, so we barraged them with blades and drills of wind, slashing through limbs and torsos in clouds of dirty ichor, blowing them apart into clouds of ether. Shaeula quickly levelled up, the silvery notification entering my vision, and she must have been notified too, as she exclaimed in excitement ¡°I am growing stronger! I have reached the first level-level.¡± As she spoke she continued to attack, compressing air down into a vibrating edge which chopped through the necks of two spiders who rushed us. ¡°And again. Now I have reached the second level. As expected from the noble princess of the Seelie court, I am a natural-natural!¡±


    ¡°Well it gets harder as you gain levels. I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t managed to level up.¡± I said as I boxed in the remaining spiders with a spray of vibrating air blades. These spiders are not as big as a threat as the human-faced ones with the jorogumo. They are elite-class at best, maybe even strong normal.


    ¡°You will gain a level in time I am sure-sure.¡± Shaeula said condescendingly, bringing a laugh from me. We continued to mow down the spiders, and then a small group of giant ants that had been attracted by the fighting. When we were done we rested, Shaeula proudly declaring that she had reached the third level. Level 3 eh? I wonder how much she has grown. On checking her status it looked like most of her material statistics had gone up by around eight each level. Overall it was a really good boost to her power. That will make her safer in combat. That sets my mind at ease a bit. Although if she keeps up that growth rate she will surpass me! I would really hate for Shaeula to get hurt now, I had grown very used to her. Besides, now she could come to the Material plane as well I would no doubt be spending a lot more time with her.


    Looking up at the beautiful rainbow-coloured skies full of glowing sleet I yawned. Starting to get a little tired, still, I reckon I can keep going a fair while longer. Just as I was about to suggest pressing on into the unclaimed areas for more hunting I was cut off by a warning flaring across my vision.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from eleven to twelve.


    ¡°I have reached the fourth level-level!¡± Shaeula said with satisfaction. ¡°I have grown much stronger. Now we can fight against Grulgor¡¯s trolls-trolls.¡±


    You aren¡¯t wrong. ¡°It looks like we might have to I¡¯m afraid.¡± The barrier was still taking damage, and even as I watched several more trolls of the stone type were rushing over, accompanied by another regenerating type, carrying a large branch as a club. ¡°And how do you think we¡¯ll do against Grulgor?¡±


    Behind the trolls loomed an immense figure, which must have been getting on for three and a half metres tall. He had thick stony grey legs and arms, his barrel-like torso green and warty, covered with patches of jagged stone-like grey protrusions. But it was his head that was the most intimidating, stony tusks jutting from a huge maw like daggers, eyes burning red with rage.


    At the sight of him Shaeula stepped back reflexively, going deathly pale. ¡°I fear ... not well-well. It shames me to admit it but Grulgor outmatches me-me greatly in terms of raw power-power and his tireless stamina. Were he alone and you joined with me, along with all our kin-kin...¡± shaking her head she let out a bitter sigh. ¡°... It would still be very hard-hard. As for him and his trolls...¡± she didn¡¯t need to say any more, her expression stricken. Seeing her so sad I took her hand in mine, squeezing it gently. It may be time to flee. We could return to the Material and try and rebuild the Territory afterwards... but wait, what will happen to Shaeula if Grulgor destroys the Throne? Shit, this is bad...


    I drew my spear from where I was carrying it on my back and began converting ether to aether. Sweat was running down my neck and my breathing was starting to speed up. Putting myself in front of her I made ready to hold back the onslaught, when a blinding flash filled my vision, the air filled with a huge roar.


    What the hell?


    I threw Shaeula down, cradling her from the impact, which was a wave of wind washing over us. No damage?


    The strength of the defensive barrier is currently at fifty-two percent.


    The last time we saw drops in strength like that... looking up from where I cradled Shaeula I saw what I had feared, hanging in the sky over Grulgor¡¯s Territory was a huge white wyrm, rainbow eyes glittering with malice. It swooped down, jaws biting, and suddenly it was dragging a stony troll into the sky, fangs biting deep into it. White energy flashed, and the troll exploded, the aftermath of the energy slamming into my defensive barrier, dropping it another six percent just from the leftover force.


    Well shit. The situation had turned to the worse by far. Fighting both the trolls and the wyrm would be impossible. Below me Shaeula was shaking, and the other weaselkin were panicking, looking to us for orders. Holding my spear tight I pointed it at the wyrm, catching sight of the jagged scar that ran across its body, where the scales had been torn by our previous huge attack. Of course it¡¯s the same one. Our ether stocks can¡¯t have attracted it this time, it is probably revenge.


    ¡°Well this is pretty bad. I don¡¯t suppose we have a choice but to fight.¡± If it looked terminal I would flee with Shaeula and risk the destruction of the Throne. It might be all right... of course, that is if Grulgor or the wyrm give us a chance to flee...

 Forty-Five

    Forty-Five


    The wyrm roared again, white energy slamming into the defensive barrier, shattering into glowing shards of light that bounced off the shrinking wall, several ripping into the attacking trolls, slicing through rocky flesh and drawing foul blood. This barely caused their attacks to falter however, and they continued attacking my weakening barrier with frenzied strikes. Behind them Grulgor was glowering at the huge wyrm, teeth bared in a grimace of rage. Reaching downwards he ripped up a solid chunk of ground that must have weighed near enough a ton, and hurled it upwards towards the wyrm. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work...


    Sure enough the mass of earth and stone only travelled up a few metres before crumbling apart and falling to the ground, showering Grulgor with debris. He¡¯s strong, but not very smart. Still, there isn¡¯t much they can do against an opponent that flies...


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Shaeula asked from beside me, her hand still in mine. ¡°This is very bad indeed. Soon our barrier will crumble and we will be overrun-overrun.¡±


    ¡°I guess we only have one choice. We need to team up with Grulgor and drive off the wyrm. Worst case after that we fall back to the heart of our Territory and use the defences there to fend off the trolls.¡±


    ¡°That will not be easy.¡± Shaeula lamented. ¡°Grulgor is not one to negotiate, for he only understands violence-violence.¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t fight both so I have to try.¡± I said. As we were talking rapidly a few more trolls had come from along the river. The wyrm turned towards one of them and unleashed white breath, a streak of light gouging out the ground and blowing the troll into a million glowing fragments. Swallowing down my doubts I strode forwards at pace, spear at the ready.


    ¡°Grulgor! We must speak!¡± I shouted towards him. ¡°We need to join forces to drive off this wyrm!¡±


    The huge troll turned to me, mad eyes glaring. ¡°Who you, little man-thing? Grul says he needs no help from puny man-things, nor little weasels.¡± He glowered at Shaeula who was nervously cowering beside me, pressed close.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I snorted as the wyrm sent out another beam, this one towards the bridge which made up Grulgor¡¯s Territory. Metal warped and twisted as the energy mauled it, and a cloud of flame exploded up on the other side of the river. ¡°And how do you propose to bring down something flying so high before it melts you all to nothing? Throwing the rock at it earlier didn¡¯t do much now did it?¡±


    Grulgor spat, gobbets of sizzling acid burning the ground. ¡°Grul says big talk from little weak man. Grul strong, Grul tough, Grul angry. Grul will fight until big snake is dead, then Grul will eat it!¡±


    ¡°I told you there was no point speaking to Grulgor.¡± Beside me Shaeula sighed. ¡°He has a brain made of rocks. He will not understand the urgency of our situation here-here.¡±


    Grulgor looked at Shaeula beside me, who reflexively shrunk back under his fierce gaze. For a second Grulgor looked puzzled, then he barked a harsh laugh.


    ¡°Is that you little weasel? Grul says he thought you died when your soft little kin stopped coming. Grul says they are easy to break. Grul would really like to break you too. Duke Formor would smile at Grul then.¡±


    Duke Formor? ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± I asked Shaeula, whose expression had darkened.


    ¡°He is one of the lords of the Seelie Court, though not as great as my noble royal father. He leads one of the opposing factions, that Grulgor is a part of-of.¡±


    ¡°Bah, Grul says Duke Formor far greater than your weak weasel-father.¡± Grul spat again. ¡°You want Grul to work with weaklings, you show Grul you stronger than he!¡± light cast Grulgor¡¯s scowling face in deep shadows as behind him a flower of white radiance blazed, a massive crater blasted into the ground by the wyrm. Several of his trolls staggered, blown by the gusting breeze, and my defensive barrier dropped another few percent from the shockwave.


    ¡°Grul says you fight me now, weak man-thing, little weasel. If you stronger than Grul then Grul will pledge to you. Else Grul says he will eat you both!¡±


    ¡°And how do we go about that?¡± Shaeula asked, deflecting some debris with a flare of verdant wind energy. ¡°Last time we could only wound it with your huge attack-attack.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll use our wind energy to bring it down. Call wind from above and direct it to the head of the wyrm. That should naturally force it lower.¡± I turned to Grulgor and his trolls. ¡°We are going to force the wyrm down. When it gets low enough grab it. If it keeps flying it¡¯ll just kill us from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Grul says do not tell me what to do! Grul is strong, Grul can kill the snake without weak man and little weasel.¡±


    ¡°Prove it then when we drive it to the ground with our own mighty powers.¡± I baited him. Grulgor turned away with a scowl, so I ignored him and turned back to Shaeula. Hopefully the idiot will do what I tell him. This is a serious gamble, but since we can communicate, we can work together...


    ¡°All right. We¡¯ve done what we can there, time for us to act. You are much better at using wind energy efficiently so you keep moving the wind down to his head from above. Draw out as much of the wind energy left in the Silo as you need.¡± I wish I hadn¡¯t of wasted so much farming those spiders earlier, but maybe the extra strength Shaeula has gained will offset that.


    ¡°And you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll compress it and direct it. I¡¯m a bit better at understanding the way the wind works, though I can¡¯t deny you¡¯ve made progress. It will be a combo attack, just like that magical girl anime you watched. If it goes well, we might just pull this off.¡± I glanced at the Kamaitachi. ¡°And you... if you see an opening, aim your wind blades at its eyes. If we can blind it we can use that to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°Very well master. I shall begin the attack-attack!¡±


    I felt the flow of wind energy as Shaeula coalesced a swirling vortex of wind above the wyrm, who was dive-bombing the trolls, sending them flying. The sky, which was a riot of rainbow colours shimmered green, like the northern lights were burning brightly. Sweat was running down her face, and her breath was coming in laboured gasps. This must be hard for her, she looks pretty fragile in her human form.


    ¡°I can... do this. I can! I have listened to your lectures on the wind many times now. I know what the air is-is!¡± she let out an impressive howl as she drew in yet more wind from the Silo, draining it nearly dry. She was also pulling in wind energy from all around us, the sparkling motes of white faux-snow that were falling due to the etheric tide turning green and being sucked in. Interesting. But I have no time to speculate now...


    ¡°You are doing great. Now it is my turn.¡± I ignored the burning of my heart and lunar nodes as I overstressed myself, drawing in what little wind energy was left in the silo and converting what aether I held to bolster my powers. Reaching up with my free hand, fingers spread, I made a grabbing gesture, closing my fist. As I did so the emerald waves of energy in the sky began to shrink inwards, collapsing into a spinning column of air rotating at a fierce speed. As the pain continued to build I pushed more and more air together, until I could hold it no longer.


    ¡°Now!¡± I cried. ¡°Jupiter Descending!¡± My tribute to the fierce winds of the great red spot. No-one else here will get it, though...


    Thinking inane thoughts I joined with Shaeula to direct the spinning vortex of compressed wind energy and air downwards. The wyrm must have sensed something was wrong, as he stopped his attacks on the trolls and fleeing weaselkin long enough to look up.


    Too late though... pulling ether from the Silo I burned it to wind energy, turning the tip of the massive flow of wind into a thin drill. The gale struck at the base of the neck of the wyrm, driving it downwards, blood and scales scattering.


    The impact of the blow caused Shaeula to lose control, staggering backwards, her strength spent. I struggled to keep the force together, slamming the wyrm to the ground with a crunch, dirt and rock exploding everywhere. Shit, if it hadn¡¯t moved then we might have decapitated it. Still, mission accomplished, the wyrm is down.


    As I opened my mouth to shout to the trolls to attack, the strain of keeping the wyrm pressed down causing me to cough silvery blood, the wyrm turned to look at me. Rainbow eyes shining it opened its mouth, and a surge of white light leapt forth...


    Oh... shit...

 Forty-Six

    Forty-Six


    My body and chakra network screamed as I forced the wind pinning the wyrm down to one side, turning its head. White light flared past me, detonating spectacularly, the force throwing me over, where I landed painfully. My grip on the wind energy was fading, air starting to escape, but I held on for dear life, blinking away the silvery notification that my defensive barrier had been destroyed.


    Shaeula hurried over and dragged me to my feet, her amber eyes radiating concern.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right...¡± I groaned, spitting more silver blood, feeling it running down the side of my face as well. Retrieving my fallen spear I looked over at the wyrm, who was being jumped on by the trolls, their fists pounding. Grulgor had ripped up a mangled lamp-post and was using it as a club, shattering scales wherever he struck.


    At least they are following my plan, even if I doubt it was because I said so... glancing behind me I saw the smoking crater where several apartment buildings were before. My Territory had suffered damage. Lucky that none of my constructed buildings were hit, otherwise my Territory would have taken a real beating. Still, with the barrier currently inactive the wyrm could do untold ruin...


    I forced the wind I had remaining, which was probably just over half of what we had called down, to turn the head of the wyrm away, keeping it pinned down. More searing light was unleashed, dissolving half of a troll that foolishly got too near the head, but the blast went wide of my Territory, back towards the river, blasting steaming water skywards, forming pretty rainbows in the air momentarily.


    ¡°I can only hold the wind for a short while longer.¡± I said. ¡°We need to keep it focused away from us and kill it then. I¡¯m going in. You look pretty tired, wait and recover a bit, then back me up okay?¡±


    ¡°I do want to fight by your side... but I admit I am feeling rather exhausted.¡± Shaeula said wearily. ¡°I shall remain here for now, gathering wind energy. Do nothing foolish, and I shall re-join your side for the end of this battle-battle.¡±


    Gripping my spear I rushed in, taking care to attack the side away from where the wyrm¡¯s head was pointing. My spear struck off the wyrm scales, doing little damage, merely gouging the rock-hard armour a little. Levering all my weight behind my next blow I thrust again, this time the spear penetrating a few inches, drawing blood, yet it was a mere pinprick to the large wyrm.


    This isn¡¯t going to do. My grip on the wind keeping it pinned down is fading, and it¡¯d take forever to kill it like this. I need to attack somewhere more vulnerable... There were several options, the scar where I had attacked it last time was a good idea, but it was close to several trolls. There was also the injury where this wind attack had gouged it. Then there was... damn, I don¡¯t like this.


    Gripping my spear I raced around to the front of the wyrm, my spear aiming for his face where the scales were weaker. My blade pierced six inches deep, sending blood spraying. The wyrm reared and tried to shake me off, fighting against the wind that was oppressing it, but it failed, as I clung on for dear life, my arms screaming. Wrenching the spear free I thrust again and again, gouging open its cheek to the bone.


    The wyrm finally managed to turn its head back against the force of our dwindling wind, mouth gaping open towards me, when a precise blade of air struck, ripping into its eye with a hideous squelch. Blood and vitreous fluid splashed everywhere and the wyrm thrashed, damaging itself against the remaining wind holding it down, shedding scales and blood everywhere.


    I turned around to see the Kamaitachi grinning at me, the glow of elemental wind fading around him. Damn, that¡¯s a good shot. Looks like I¡¯ll have to step up my game. Grulgor had inflicted quite some damage on the wyrm as well, scales shattered by the frenzied blows he was dealing with the now unrecognisable lump of metal. The other trolls were doing their best too, holding down the struggling wyrm as much as they could. One had even managed to clamber on top of it, but as it moved towards the head it was thrown off by the wind that was holding the wyrm down.


    So, not accepting the fact I killed the wyrm then. Not that it surprises me, it was just a way to get him to help with the battle. Now what do I do? I accelerated the pull of ether from the dissolving corpse of the wyrm, turning it to aether as fast as I could. There were also several wounded trolls who were recovering, if this dragged out any longer the situation would get even worse...


    A voice suddenly rang out from behind me, proclaiming loudly ¡°Emerald Wind Prison!¡± The trolls in front were swallowed up by a verdant wall of circling swirling winds, leaving only Grulgor and I free from the barrier. I turned and saw Shaeula standing proudly on top of a ruined building, drawing in wind energy not just from the surroundings and the etheric snow, but her Kamaitachi, who was releasing his wind energy into the air for Shaeula to absorb, giving me a toothy grin.


    ¡°Now is the time to defeat Grulgor and put an end to this. I believe you can do it, Akio-Akio.¡± Shaeula said, pointing at me imperiously. Though I do note her ears and cheeks seem a little pink. I guess she ripped off that name from the magical girl anime she was watching, and it embarrassed her. Damn that¡¯s cute. Giving her a thumbs up I turned back to Grulgor, who was still closing in fast, despite the fact he had not yet managed to climb back to his feet. Though he wouldn¡¯t be down for long, as his wounded leg which was only held on by slivers of bone and muscle was regenerating before my eyes.


    Shit, this isn¡¯t going to be easy. Still, if I can beat Grulgor here there will just be the trolls to worry about, and we can always wear them down with hit and run attacks... it would be better if he admits defeat and joins us, but that might be asking too much... even as I was thinking Grulgor was dragging himself along. He suddenly leapt, heedless of the way his regenerating leg tore, more blood spurting. Reflexively I moved my head, the huge fist narrowly missing me, but even the shockwave from the punch bit into my cheek, drawing lines of blood.


    As a counter I lashed out with my spear, but it merely chipped some rocky flesh from him, dealing little damage. I sprang backwards as he snapped at me with his slab-like teeth, nearly taking a chunk out of my leg. No time to think. I have to do this...


    Using what aether I could gather I imagined the blade of my trusty spear sharp and vibrating, fixing the image firmly in my mind. I also imagined myself as fast and agile, meeting no air resistance, my movements crisp and clean. Keeping all those facts and images fresh in my mind at all times was proving extremely fatiguing, my head hurting and back screaming, but I was just about managing. Darting forwards I went low and slashed at where Grulgor¡¯s leg was barely connected, severing it. I used the momentum to kick it away from him, ignoring the pain in my toes.


    ¡°Grul says you should die, little man-thing!¡± the troll howled. His brethren were howling too as they slammed and punched at the wind barrier, which was now turning brown with spilled blood, but they could not break through to come to his aid. Nice job Shaeula.


    ¡°Sorry, not dying today. I killed the wyrm, but I guess you still aren¡¯t satisfied. To be fair, I did sneak attack you so I understand. But strength is about winning, right?¡±


    I punctuated my words with a fierce attack, my blade aiming for his good arm from above. It bit deep, blood scattering, and Grulgor roared again. His leg came flying at me from behind but I expected that so leapt over it, striking down and inflicting another wound. I followed this up by aiming for the arm again. Blow after blow fell, surpassing the rate of regeneration. I struck blows at the stump of his other leg and arm too, slicing through hideous bubbling flesh as it tried to restore itself.


    Damn, his endurance and recovery is amazing. If he wasn¡¯t unable to walk he¡¯d have killed me for sure. With that thought I struck a final blow, severing the arm I had been attacking constantly. My spear was covered in gore up to the shaft, and was smoking lightly from the acid in his blood. More had splattered on me and I had been forced to use aether to flick it off, as it burned fiercely. Still, it¡¯s over now.


    Panting heavily I dodged the flailing leg and snapping jaws, pushing my spear towards his eye. I doubt even Grulgor can survive being impaled in the brain...


    As the blade descended there was a moment of silence, and then Grul spoke a few words, stopping my spear mid-descent...


    ¡°You win, little man. Grul yields.¡±

 Forty-Seven

    Forty-Seven


    ¡°You win, little man. Grul yields.¡±


    As Grul surrendered I stopped the blade of my spear. Looking at the limbless hunk of savaged meat that was Grulgor I let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I had to ask.


    ¡°Grul says you are strong. Grul cannot beat you now, therefore Grul will do as promised and pledge to you as master.¡± His beady eyes were looking at me with an expression I couldn¡¯t quite identity. ¡°Grul needs three Oaths. Grul says you must not oppose Duke Formor, for Grul is loyal. Grul says you must bring Grul and his kin foes to fight, crush and eat. And Grul must serve a master who is strong. No weak little man can be Grul¡¯s master.¡±


    Three Oaths for three Boons, just like Shaeula. ¡°Very well. Strong foes such as the Wyrm I have no doubt we will find in plenty, but keep the killing and eating to our enemies. I want no trouble between you and Shaeula. As for my strength... I intend to get much stronger. I need to if I am to protect those who rely on me and I care about.¡± The third oath to Grulgor was trickier. Still. ¡°As for Duke Formor, I will not go against him unless it is to defend those who are under my protection, or should he go against me first. And should that happen my response will be proportionate. That is the best I can offer I am afraid.¡± I would need to avoid a situation where Duke Formor could attack us at will and my hands were tied by my pledge to Grulgor.


    For a long moment Grulgor thought it over, and then he nodded his head. ¡°Grul says, I am Grulgor, mighty fist of Duke Formor, Seelie Lord. Grul makes three Oaths. Grul will shatter your enemies, Grul will slay your enemies, Grul will destroy your enemies, from this day until Grul is dust, so long as you are strong!¡±


    Once he had spoken the words I felt a shiver run through my lunar Chakra, cascading down the rest of my network, filling me with power. A message blinked up on my vision in silver, and it was welcome.


    You have joined in compact with a ranking Fae from the Seelie Court. By agreeing a second covenant, you will more rapidly take on more of the aspect of the Fae, who are renowned for their Fortune and Charm. Your ?????? will increase and your other intangible statistics increase more rapidly. Due to your lunar chakra you find it easier to acclimatise to the aspects of your bonded Fae, and have a higher chance of manifesting ?????????????.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 7 to level 8.


    Not only had my class levelled, I now understood more of the message that had been blurred last time, when I bonded Shaeula. Having my intangible statistics rise seemed a really good deal, and by ¡®other intangible statistics¡¯ I guessed that the first ?????? was an intangible statistic I wasn¡¯t aware of yet. Maybe the one Shaeula has?


    Turning to Shaeula and her kin I shouted ¡°It¡¯s all right. Grulgor has submitted. You can release the wind barrier now.¡±


    Shaeula was looking rather pale, sweat streaming down her as she had struggled to keep my enemies contained. Beside her the Kamaitachi was already slumped on the ground. With a sigh of relief she released the wind, joining her kin in sitting down. ¡°It is about time you won. Those trolls have such barbaric strength, it took a great effort to keep them penned in. You should be vastly grateful to me for my labours-labours.¡±


    As the winds dissipated, revealing the bloody trolls, who were now milling there uncertainly, making no moves to attack, I continued to shout to Shaeula. ¡°Oh I do appreciate it, you definitely saved us from disaster. That was some really quick thinking. You are getting really good with handling wind.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯m glad everyone agrees. In that case we will take some time to recover our Territory and get Grulgor and his trolls back to fighting strength again. I don¡¯t really feel like any extra combat after that draining encounter. Besides, I think that after that serious life-or-death battle and all the powerful attacks and even the combination attack with you, Shaeula, I¡¯m on the verge of a breakthrough. I think if I can hold onto what I felt during the fight against the wyrm I can improve.¡±


    ¡°It was indeed an enlightening experience.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Though you pushed me to the limits as ever, Akio. I too shall practice my skills. I cannot let you get ahead of me or my pride as a princess of the Seelie Court would weep-weep!¡±


    We returned to the centre of my Territory. Several of the wounded trolls had largely recovered by this point, sprouting new limbs and filling in bloody craters in their bodies with new flesh. Grulgor now had stumps where his missing limbs were, growing steadily, and the huge gouged hole in the centre of his body was filling in. It really is remarkable how durable these trolls are. I can¡¯t help but feel that the weaselkin are lacking in comparison...


    As I eyed the Kamaitachi, Shaeula smacked my shoulder with one hand. ¡°I feel you are thinking something rude about us. This does not please me-me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I had to laugh. ¡°I was just thinking those trolls really are something. Still, a tough foe can be stopped in many different ways rather than pure force. It is comforting to have them with us though.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I can not-not argue with that. Still, you will find my worth will outshine that brute Grulgor¡¯s like the difference between the sun and a star. After all I reached the fifth level during the battle with the wyrm-wyrm.¡± She said so proudly I was forced to pat her head in praise, causing her to squirm and blush. ¡°Stop that-that.¡± She shrugged off my hand, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice she let me do it for a few seconds first. ¡°If I am to grow stronger, which I must, if I am to realise our goals, then you must upgrade the Throne of Heroes so that my level can increase further. With each increase I feel so much more powerful-powerful.¡±


    Yeah, I do really want to upgrade the Throne. I could spend 50,000 ether and get Grulgor to the same state as Shaeula with a new Throne, but long term.... Damn, but 250,000 is a ton of ether...


    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but what with needing to upgrade that Barracks too... I think we are better off focusing on Ether Spire upgrades for now. After all, the huge bounty of ether the etheric tide has brought us will not last much longer, as the tide is dropping, right?¡±


    Shaeula scowled. ¡°You are quite correct. Still, when the tide recedes our Territory will be safer-safer...¡±


    With that decided I took a look at our stocks of ether. Even with the bounty from the wyrm we had a pitiful amount, as I had used what we had to attack the wyrm with my finishing blow. Our supply of wind elemental energy in the Elemental Silo was pathetic as well, as we had constantly been using that up too. Still, as a trade-off we got Grulgor and a half-dozen or so trolls, which is worth it.


    ¡°In any case, we might as well get to training, while the tide lasts.¡± I began to concentrate, drawing in ether and elemental wind from the air around us, working my chakra network hard. Flecks of the rainbow snow were drawn in and converted, filling me with power at a rapid pace. My network was stinging and prickling, like a muscle tired from overuse, but I ignored it as I gathered power.


    Beside me Shaeula was doing the same, though she was pulling in ether and wind at a far more rapid rate than I, probably due to her more developed chakra network and skills. As I watched it was almost as if I could see a nimbus of power around her. As we gathered ether the trolls and weaselkin kept bringing the piles of wyrm parts ready for the completion of the Warehouse. Since we had defeated Grulgor and brought him to heel there was no point having the Defensive Emplacements on that flank until we had expanded further, so I cancelled them. I got back most of the ether, though some was lost. Using that I rushed the Armoury upgrade and finished the Rank 1 Warehouse instantly. The power of pay-to-win strikes again.


    As the wyrm loot vanished into the Warehouse I turned back to Shaeula, who was channelling wind into fine compressed blades, sweat beading her brow, I suddenly had an idea.


    ¡°Hey Shaeula, you want to train together with me? I¡¯ve just thought of something good...¡±

 Forty-Eight

    Forty-Eight


    ¡°An idea?¡± Shaeula asked, losing concentration, her blades of wind scattering into the air in a flash of verdant light. ¡°You do have an excellent grasp of the power of wind, so I shall listen to your plan-plan.¡±


    I called over the Kamaitachi as well, and we sat in a circle. ¡°I saw you sharing wind energy between each other during the end of the fight with the Wyrm. That was a genius move, not that I would expect anything less from you, Shaeula. So that got me thinking... elemental energy and aether is a limited resource that we seem to have more of during this etheric tide. But we need to gather and use it to improve our skills. So I thought, if we cycled the energy between us, like you two did, then we can train that much harder. It would surely improve our skills too, as our combined attack on the wyrm was challenging, but I felt my talents improving as we used it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. Yes, that does seem like an excellent way to increase my proficiency in wind handling, while you can benefit from my greater ability to refine and produce the energies-energies.¡± Shaeula nodded her approval. ¡°A cunning move indeed, not that I would expect anything less from you Akio.¡± She returned my words with a cute grin.


    While Grulgor watched, disinterested, we began. I would start, drawing in and generating as much aether and wind energy as I could. I would then shape it into compressed blades and drills, trying to keep the shining green light of the elemental energy as faint as possible. I quickly discovered I could mask it by using aether, but it was much harder to make it invisible without that crutch, even knowing that the air itself I was compressing and shaping was colourless. Once I started to lose my grip on the energies I would reshape it to a mass of pure power, trying to reduce wastage as much as possible, which was even harder, bringing sweat to my brow as I struggled. Shaeula would then absorb it from me, and do similar exercises, before passing it to her Kamaitachi, who would then return it to me once more. Those that weren¡¯t currently using the energy would work on absorbing and generating more, to keep the flow topped up.


    Factory line-style training. It¡¯s tough but better than training alone...


    After many hours of this I was drenched in sweat, and my whole network was prickling even more painfully, but it felt good, similar to the tightness in my muscles when I went jogging or worked with weights. In a way it was quite an addictive feeling. The Kamaitachi had bowed out several hours earlier, exhausted, but Shaeula was still going strong, and was currently trying to make her compressed blades of air invisible. She could do it by using aether as well, though she found directing it a struggle, as Fae had aether flowing through them like mortals such as I had blood and air flowing through us, so they didn¡¯t really understand the concept of using it for specific purposes, rather they just used it instinctively. However, being able to form a Material body allowed her to feel it in a different way to her more ethereal kin.


    With my guidance she has begun to see the ways she can manipulate it consciously. That should magnify her prowess. Maybe I was doing her a disservice comparing her to Grulgor in terms of strength. Properly used Shaeula could be a beast in combat...


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I applauded, as several blades shimmered out of existence. ¡°Still, don¡¯t get too comfortable with using aether for this. We should be able to do it with just the wind energy, as the air we are manipulating is transparent. I wouldn¡¯t want to stunt our growth by relying on easy shortcuts.¡±


    ¡°Easy?¡± Shaeula complained, starting to lose her grip on the highly compressed wind and the aether shrouding it. Jade wisps were rising, fading away, so I tried to draw in as much of it as I could. ¡°This is hardly easy. None of the Seelie that I know would use the natural energy of the Astral in this way-way. Still I cannot deny that it is effective. It will prove a trump card for me should I ever need to battle other Fae-Fae.¡° She struggled to regain control, cycling her wind into a compressed ball, the light of aether shimmering.


    I watched her shape the wind into drills, blades and vibrating strings, before she finally released her grip, passing the torch to me. Closing my eyes to concentrate I wrung my tired mind and body out, drawing in what elemental energy and aether I could, though about half of it had escaped, lost to us. Combining what I had salvaged with the energy I had gathered while Shaeula struggled I formed an image of a series of fine wires formed from extremely thin vibrating wind. The image was difficult to maintain, requiring me to spend aether to stabilise it in places, but after some struggle I had the near-invisible wires around me.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it.¡± I panted, the stress of keeping the wires intact intense. ¡°At least if the area is small I can largely supress the glow.¡±


    Shaeula applauded, her eyes glowing amber. ¡°Very well done. I can not-not see the wind unless I use my mystic vision. Were I to charge you recklessly then I would be shredded to pieces. Now you must learn to draw out as much wind energy from your heart chakra as I do, as the drain of elemental energy you are using is great-great.¡±


    I had to agree. I doubted I would be able to maintain the wire defence for more than a few minutes. As I went to reply a great snort came from behind me.


    ¡°Bah. Grul wonders what you are doing. To be strong you must work your body. Grul says you should be fighting to grow stronger.¡±


    Turning to face Grulgor, who had largely recovered over the many hours we had been training, I sighed. Yes, he¡¯s a muscle-brain all right...


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I can¡¯t do any more.¡± I slumped down, the last of the energy leaving me. ¡°We¡¯ve been at this for what must be days.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed, looking similarly worn out. ¡°I am not used to such rigorous practice, though I feel it has been worthwhile training in the abundance of the etheric tides-tides. Shall we return to the Material?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± I turned to Grulgor, who had woken up from a long rest a short while ago, looking almost whole again. ¡°Shaeula and I are returning to the Material plane. I leave you in charge of the defence here until we return. Liaise with the weaselkin led by the Kamaitachi and try and reclaim your old Territory by the bridge for us. Don¡¯t push out too far and leave us undefended though. Who knows when the Raven Knight might strike?¡±


    ¡°Grul will handle it.¡± He slammed a huge fist against his now rocky chest. ¡°Come back safe master.¡±


    I nodded, and with that Shaeula and I returned to the Material plane. The light of early dawn was streaming in through the window, showing just how long we had spent in the Boundary. No wonder I¡¯m so tired.


    Beside me Shaeula stifled a yawn, looking around with bleary eyes. ¡°So, I have returned here-here.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°You want to grab a couple of hours¡¯ sleep? It should clear our heads and refresh us.¡± I asked, and she nodded. Ignoring the fact that a girl was lying beside me I closed my eyes, and due to my mental exhaustion I was soon asleep...


    ********


    I woke up about three hours later, and it was now early morning. Feeling more refreshed I got up quietly, leaving the gently snoring Shaeula to her rest. Turning on my computer I decided to finish up the last few jobs I had outstanding and get them all sent back to my employers. I was just finishing this up around an hour later when Shaeula woke up.


    ¡°Morning princess.¡± I said to her as she yawned, sitting up. ¡°Do you want some breakfast?¡±


    She nodded so I cooked something up quickly. She wolfed it down, washing it down with orange juice. It¡¯s too early in the day for beer. I had some myself, and then went back to finishing my work. Shaeula had turned on the TV and was changing the channel, looking for something she would like.


    ¡°You know, maybe you should try out the games console. You might find it fun.¡± I had set it up previously, so it didn¡¯t take long for Shaeula to be sitting in front of it, controller clutched in her small hands, at the title screen of a very popular modern RPG.


    ¡°So what do I do with this-this?¡± she asked, tilting the controller one way then another in her hands.


    ¡°You¡¯ll soon work it out.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Basically it¡¯s a fun game where you build up your skills and magic through battles and training. Really it¡¯s a bit like what we are doing in the Boundary. It¡¯s got some fun characters and interesting set-piece battles, so have a go and see what you think. But before you do, can I have the blessing of fortunate winds? I¡¯d like to make some more money for our plan.¡±


    Shaeula nodded and the wind enveloped me, seeping into me through my chakra network. As she began to play, occasionally asking me questions about what to do, I opened the roulette app and began spinning...

 Forty-Nine

    Forty-Nine


    Several hours later I had won around two and a half thousand Pounds, with only a single scare. The effect of the blessing of fortunate winds was definitely intense. Still, since we were now ahead of my target I didn¡¯t want to be greedy, so I decided to take a break. Shaeula was engrossed in the game, as I suspected she would be, so I decided to do some exercise, and then go shopping for ingredients for dinner.


    Working on my muscles and spear techniques, I passed several more hours. Shaeula was taking a break too, her fingers sore from the unusual stresses of using a controller for hours. She was currently drinking a beer, lying on her back on my futon looking up at my sweaty topless figure.


    ¡°You are looking more muscular, however do not overdo it, I would not like it if you became the same sort of muscle-bound brute as Grulgor. It would not suit you-you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not planning on becoming a bodybuilder. But I do need to be in good shape if we are to win against powerhouses like Grulgor. We can¡¯t solve everything with aether and wind, overspecialisation leaves one vulnerable. That¡¯s a hint for the game, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°I will bear that in mind and diversify my party-party.¡±


    This is pretty much every male gamers¡¯ dream, talking RPG¡¯s with a super-cute girl. If I was my past self right now I¡¯d be shouting at myself to ¡®die normie!¡¯, no doubt about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going for a jog and I¡¯ll buy some things for dinner. Do you fancy anything in particular? I made decent money again today thanks to your blessing, so we can treat ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I am not really sure what foods this mortal realm has to offer, but I would appreciate more alcohol. I find it very pleasant and calming-calming.¡±


    ¡°All right. But you have to drink in moderation; it isn¡¯t good to drink too much.¡± Although it might not have much of an effect on her constructed body...


    ¡°I am a princess of the Seelie, I can drink what I like-like.¡± she pouted. We exchanged a bit more back and forth banter before I left, jogging my normal route. This time when I passed the bridge I stopped to admire it. Soon this will be part of my Territory. The other side of the river was full of blocks of housing, all of which would no doubt yield decent ether when the inhabitants were dealt with. There may even be some more occupants who might join us, especially now we have the muscle of the trolls on our side. I decided to stop on the bridge and take in the view for a while, watching as people passed by going about their business. It¡¯s the weekend, I¡¯ve done all the paying work I¡¯ve had come in, and things are going well in the Boundary. I think we can take it easy this evening...


    I remembered there was a larger supermarket over the bridge. It was a bit out of the way compared to our more local store, but it had a wider selection. Jogging there would be a breeze for me now, and good training. I loped through the back streets, running at a frankly inhuman pace when there was no-one around, only slowing on more major roads or populated areas. I quickly reached the supermarket, and began to purchase food and drink. I quickly went overboard, buying beer, shochu, sake and even a quite expensive bottle of imported whiskey. I can afford it. Maybe I¡¯ll spend a few minutes winning this back with my luck anyway... for food I bought snacks, some decent meat, vegetables and even some cookware to prepare it with. I also got some chocolate, figuring that would please Shaeula.


    The supervisor at the checkout asked me if I wanted any help carrying all the bags to my car when I was done, but I declined. I don¡¯t have a car after all. Looking at the pile of bags I held in a grimace. The weight was quite impressive. Having a thought I remembered that this supermarket had a camping section, so I apologised to the cashier and picked up a backpack as well.


    Once I had paid for that and packed the heavier items into the backpack I was ready to go, though my arms were still full with bulky bags. Leaving the store I waited until I had left the main street, and then I began to run again. The extra weight and the irregular load made it awkward, affecting my balance. Still, it was excellent training, forcing me to use other muscles that weren¡¯t normally stressed to keep my balance. Even laden I was running at a professional pace. Soon I had reached the river again, and once across the bridge I slowed my speed, having learned from before. I was soon at my apartment block, and as I approached I saw that Karen-chan was out on the stairs, a can of beer in hand, looking rather disconsolate. When she saw me her expression brightened a little, and she gave me a wave.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Akio-kun.¡± She said as I approached. ¡°Been shopping have you? You look rather heavily laden.¡± She took a gulp of beer and then wiped the sweat from her brow. ¡°Are you having a party? I see new kitchenware and a lot of food.¡± She looked down at the pans and packs of meat sticking out of the carrier bags.


    Damn, I never thought of that. These old apartments are hardly soundproof. ¡°Well, yes, she is a girl. But the IT industry is pretty diverse nowadays.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s the issue here, is it?¡± she said.


    ¡°I tell you what, why don¡¯t you join us for a few drinks?¡± I conceded, seeing the way it was going. Let it not be said I couldn¡¯t read the mood. Now I just need to hope Shaeula doesn¡¯t say anything too strange.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask.¡± Karen-chan perked up suddenly. ¡°I need something to take my mind off my own troubles, and if you¡¯ve struck it lucky I hope some of your luck might rub off on me. Here, let me help you.¡± she bent down to pick up the rucksack, and I had to look away as the t-shirt she was wearing gaped at the neck, revealing an expanse of pale skin and the white strap of her bra.


    ¡°Wow, this is heavy. How much did you spend on this anyway?¡±


    ¡°Probably too much.¡± I laughed. ¡°But my colleague has taken quite a fancy to alcohol recently, and I wanted to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a big drinker eh? I¡¯d like to meet her, maybe she¡¯s someone I can enjoy a drink with now and then.¡±


    There¡¯s no way I can leave those two alone together. Shaeula hasn¡¯t really grasped the common sense of the Material plane yet... in fact, the more I think about it, the stupider this idea sounds. But there¡¯s no backing out now. My sister had always told me I was weak to the requests of women, always indulging her and Eri-chan, and I was starting to think she was right.


    Opening up my door I spoke. ¡°I¡¯m back, Shaeula. And I¡¯ve brought a guest over.¡±


    She was lying on my futon, legs in the air, yukata rolled up exposing a ludicrous expanse of her thighs as she continued hammering away at her controller with one hand, eyes on the screen, her other hand holding a bag of potato chips.


    ¡°Oh, you have returned? That is excellent timing.¡± she said without looking away from the screen. ¡°I need another drink. And can you tell me what I need to do to defeat this boss enemy? I have tried everything but it keeps wiping out my party-party.¡± She paused for a second, and then turned her head our way. ¡°A guest, you say? I was not expecting that.¡±


    As she looked at us I could feel a chill from beside me. Shivering I turned to see Karen-chan scowling at me, her phone in hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m calling the police, you pervert!¡± Karen-chan said coldly.


    What the hell?

 Fifty

    Fifty


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°You know what!¡± Karen-chan snapped. ¡°That girl is clearly underage. She doesn¡¯t even look old enough to work, never mind be your colleague. And you are plying her with alcohol, even hard stuff like whiskey? I¡¯ve sorely misjudged you. No doubt when her guard is down you¡¯ll take advantage of her and do all sorts of criminal things.¡±


    Uhh... shit. Didn¡¯t see this one coming, but I guess I should have.


    Ignoring Shaeula, who was looking at the situation with interest, I hastily explained. ¡°Hey, you have it all wrong. I swear she is older than she looks, she¡¯s twenty, she really is! Besides, she is my colleague; she helped out a lot in the big project we just finished.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have certainly won a great victory, have we not-not?¡± Shaeula said proudly, drawing a quizzical look from Karen-chan, whose hands had paused on her phone.


    ¡°She¡¯s foreign, so while her Japanese is really good she does say odd things occasionally, but please don¡¯t hold that against her, after all, she¡¯s learned our language, which is more than we usually do, right?¡± I explained her comment away.


    ¡°Twenty?¡± Karen-chan looked sceptical. ¡°She¡¯s so cute and small if she was in a high school uniform she wouldn¡¯t look out of place. Maybe even a middle school one.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny she¡¯s very cute, but I¡¯m not doing anything bad to her, I swear! I¡¯ve not taken advantage of her at all, I wouldn¡¯t even think it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I should say not, or my noble father and my siblings would have you executed, as well you know-know!¡±


    The tense atmosphere was suddenly cut by a burst of giggles from Karen-chan, her tense face loosening. ¡°Oh my, she is just so hilarious. Executed!¡± she laughed more. When she regained her calm she looked at me. ¡°Sorry about that. But you can¡¯t really blame me. Anyone would think that you were imprisoning a young girl in your room and keeping her occupied with games, ready to get her drunk and have your way with her.¡± as I nodded to accept her apology she turned back to Shaeula.


    ¡°Sorry about that. It¡¯s nice to meet any colleague of Akio-kun¡¯s. My name is Watanabe Karen, but since we¡¯ve met under such circumstances I think you can just call me Karen.¡±


    ¡°Very well then Karen. You may call me Shaeula. I am not from your country, so these... honorifics ... do not sit well with me-me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Karen agreed. ¡°Shaeula. That¡¯s a pretty name. Your eyes are a really unusual colour as well. You could be a model with those looks. I¡¯m not sure why you would want to work in IT, you could do better.¡±


    Now that the conversation was moving into safer topics I relaxed. Though I shouldn¡¯t be too relaxed. Shaeula is smart enough to not say anything too weird, but she doesn¡¯t have a full understanding of how the Material world works yet to know everything that is weird... to distract them as they chatted I pulled out the bottles of sake and whiskey, opening up the expensive single malt I had purchased. The rich aroma filled the room, causing Shaeula to stop her embarrassing explanation of how great the feat we had just achieved was and to turn to me, eyes bright.


    ¡°That smell... it is rather divine. Is it better than your beer-beer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an adorable verbal tic you have there Shaeula.¡± Karen giggled. ¡°So cute!¡±


    ¡°I do not understand quite what you mean.¡± Shaeula answered primly. ¡°I talk with perfect grace, as befits my noble status-status. But enough of this. I was asking you about the drink, Akio.¡±


    I also took out three whiskey glasses which I had also purchased, made from rather nice patterned glass, and slowly filled them up with the amber liquid. Once I was done I handed a glass to each of the women, keeping one for myself. Lucky the glasses came in a set of four or I¡¯d have been embarrassed here.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Though to be honest I did really kick their asses.¡±


    ¡°You are like some kind of action hero. I¡¯m jealous. I wish someone would do something like that for me...¡± Karen-chan continued, emptying her glass and waving it for a refill.


    ¡°Yes, Akio is quite the warrior in battle.¡± Shaeula agreed, also draining her own glass. ¡°His recent performances have been encouraging to me-me.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked Karen-chan, ignoring Shaeula¡¯s praise. ¡±You¡¯ve had quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stingy Akio.¡± She said without an honorific, though whether that was intentional it was hard to tell. She looks a bit drunk. She has been downing it quickly... ¡°A glass more won¡¯t hurt, and it isn¡¯t often I get to drink the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are sure. Don¡¯t blame me if you are horribly hungover tomorrow though.¡± I topped up their glasses and left them chatting as I continued to cook dinner...


    ********


    Shaeula finished her glass, lying on her back, looking up at me. ¡°That was most pleasing. We should do this more often. As a princess I am accustomed to such luxuries, poverty does not suit me-me.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If we continue to succeed we can.¡± I said, gulping down the contents of my own glass. Beside us the bottle was three-quarters empty, and an empty bottle of sake that we had drank with dinner accompanied it. The soft snores of Karen-chan who was lying in my futon were a background noise to our quiet conversation. I knew she drank too much. I didn¡¯t have the heart to move her. Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t wake up and think I did anything weird to her though. I was a perfect gentleman. Not that I could be anything else with Shaeula watching...


    ¡°This one was rather amusing. I have not known many mortals, but they are certainly... passionate indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula commented. ¡°I feel some shame I was so dismissive of their value-value.¡±


    ¡°Well she¡¯ll probably be really embarrassed about this in the morning, but it seemed she enjoyed talking with you. And you didn¡¯t let anything too weird that I couldn¡¯t explain away slip out, so we are all good.¡± I began to clean away the remains of dinner, impressed at the volume the two girls had eaten.


    ¡°Of course I would not. I am as wise as I am beautiful.¡± Shaeula boasted, her face flushed.


    And as drunk as you are cute, too. Shaeula could handle her drink, whether that was due to her Material body or natural talent I couldn¡¯t be sure, but even so she was feeling the effects. As for myself, my head was feeling a little fuzzy and I was pleasantly buzzed, but I felt fine otherwise. Guess my superhuman stats help my body take care of the alcohol.


    Once I had finished tidying and taken the bottle of whiskey away from Shaeula before she finished it all, I turned on my PC and opened up the roulette application. It only took twenty or so minutes to recover the funds I had spent on all of the shopping I had done today. I continued for another twenty, adding a few hundred more Pounds to the pot, before closing the application.


    ¡°No need to get greedy. I¡¯ll try again tomorrow.¡± I turned back to Shaeula. ¡°Well, we may as well head to the Boundary for a while. With the way Karen-chan is snoring I doubt she will wake up any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I am curious to see if those musclebound idiots have managed to understand your orders. I would not be surprised if Grulgor has done something foolish-foolish.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I think it¡¯ll be all right. Your sickle-weasel is there to keep an eye on him anyway. In any case, we need to take as much advantage of the etheric tide as we can before it ebbs out. I want to continue our training as well, it is really helping, and I feel a breakthrough is near.¡±


    ¡°In that case, shall we go?¡± Shaeula asked, and with that we entered our Territory, leaving me feeling vaguely uncomfortable that my Material form would be sleeping next to not one, but two women. I guess this is my time in the sun. Now if only it didn¡¯t make me so stressed...

 Side Two – Detective Kato Reiji

    Side Two ¨C Detective Kato Reiji


    ¡°Well, that was a distinct waste of our time.¡± Reiji sighed, pulling out a battered cigarette case from his pocket and removing a dog-eared roll-up. As he fumbled for a match a scolding voice from beside him cut in, causing him to wince.


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t do that, Detective.¡± The young woman said, gazing at him sternly, her eyes cold. ¡°This is outside a hospital, you have to respect the health of the patients. Besides, smoking is a filthy habit.¡±


    Reiji bit down on another sigh, as he looked at the junior officer who was accompanying him. She was young, in her late teens or early twenties, and pretty much fresh out of training. Her hair was bunched up into a short ponytail, giving her a stern look, her suit that she was wearing in lieu of her police uniform giving her a bit of a childish look, like she was still at school.


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    ¡°When you¡¯ve been at the job as long as I have you¡¯ll need to unwind. Smoking helps me do that. It helps me think too.¡±


    ¡°Well Detective, I haven¡¯t been at this anywhere near as long as you, but I¡¯ve been doing it long enough to realise this is a ¡®nothing¡¯ sort of case. Some street punks got the tables turned on them. No-one died and their injuries will all heal with a bit of dental work, so why concern ourselves with this?¡±


    Damn she¡¯s cold. A bit of dental work? One of them will have to spend a fortune on having implants to replace numerous missing teeth. Still... ¡°On the surface you are correct, Officer Usui. Normally this case wouldn¡¯t be of interest. But there were a few things that caught my eye.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Usui protested. ¡°Being so formal with me, it feels unpleasant, like I¡¯m itchy all over.¡±


    ¡°Hierarchy is important in society, and even more so in the police. If you get promoted to my actual assistant, rather than just being here for training, then we can loosen the formalities.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s how it has to be Detective, then that¡¯s how it is. So do enlighten me, just what about this fascinating case caught your eye?¡±


    Damn, cold and abrasive. My daughters are practically angels in comparison.


    ¡°At first glance I agree it looks like nothing out of the ordinary. A group of perpetrators, most known to us, starting with petty misdemeanours and gradually becoming more serious, moving from shoplifting and graffiti up to street robbery. Though stepping up to assaulting women is a big jump for them. Still, when you take a second look the discrepancies become clear. A large group of troublemakers, armed with a variety of weapons, all left with serious but not life-threatening injuries. What does this make you think of?¡±


    ¡°It sounds it.¡± Usui agreed. She then brightened, having had an idea. ¡°Well, can¡¯t we trace the call to the police to whatever phone made it? That shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡±


    ¡°Of course. That was covered in your training. That was one of the first things we did. The call was placed from a nearby department store. Even looking at around the time the call was placed the store was quite busy, with people coming and going all the time. There wasn¡¯t a camera on the payphone either. I suppose they had no reason to have one, they are more concerned with shoplifters.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case... they must have had some by the doors?¡± Usui was showing signs of interest, the puzzle getting her excited. ¡°If we checked the footage around the time of the call...¡±


    Good instincts. ¡°Yes, we did try that. there is a camera pointing towards the doors, though the angle is more suited to view those leaving, which makes sense from a crime prevention view.¡± He paused, shaking his head. ¡°Unfortunately the angle is not great, and several people around that time were looking away from the camera, talking to others or on their mobile phones. There were also a few people we couldn¡¯t get clear images of, and those we could match had no entries in our database.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s a shame.¡± Usui pouted. ¡°It would be difficult to get a warrant to pull information on them anyway... have you sent for fingerprinting on the payphone too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Though expecting clear prints on a public phone is a long shot. I know far fewer people use them now that mobile phones are in widespread circulation, but even so I am not holding out much hope.¡±


    As he finished speaking his phone rang. Excusing himself he took the call.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Just matches for the victims. A couple of unidentifiable partials? I see.¡± He kept listening. ¡°And on the payphone too? I¡¯ll be honest I wasn¡¯t expecting much. Thanks for your hard work.¡± With a sigh he rang off the call.


    ¡°As expected we could only pull some muddy partials. There isn¡¯t even enough to run through our database I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Usui frowned. ¡°So what now? Unless we can persuade the thugs to talk we seem to be all out of leads. And while the fear that is keeping their mouths shut may fade over time, even then all we are likely to get is a description. That isn¡¯t a lot to go on.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong, Officer Usui.¡± Detective Reiji fished out another cigarette, ignoring her glare. ¡°Still, my gut tells me there is more to this case than just a vigilante attack. Still, without further evidence we can¡¯t spend more time on it. I¡¯ll come back and interview them one more time before they are released. Other than that, all we can do it keep our eyes and ears open. Sometimes a case can be cracked by simple chance or an innocent mistake.¡±


    There is definitely something going on here. All my instincts from over twenty years in the force are screaming. I will uncover what lies beneath the fac?ade and reveal the truth!

 Fifty-One

    Fifty-One


    Shaeula and I returned to the Material after several days of time in the Boundary, waking in the early morning. Karen-chan was still sleeping, snoring away, which was good. You know, I¡¯m not sure what would happen if Karen-chan tried to wake me while I was in a higher plane. I guess it¡¯s a good thing we didn¡¯t have to find out.


    Shaeula yawned beside me, then spoke quietly. ¡°Working this hard is not entirely becoming of a noble princess of the Seelie, however I cannot deny that the results are worthy-worthy.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong.¡± During the gradually diminishing etheric tide we had continued our training with wind and aether as before, working ourselves until we were exhausted. Still, our abilities were improving noticeably, and I felt that much closer to a breakthrough in my skills. It¡¯s close, but I just need something... like an insight... to push me over the edge.


    Grulgor and his trolls had fully recovered, and as ordered had recaptured their old Territory and cleared several buildings further outwards from there. They had also battled enemies who had been washed up by the tide, earning us a modest amount of ether in the process. The Rank 2 Warehouse had also finished construction, and so we queued in a Rank 1 Treasury as well to hold the small number of gems and other treasures the kobolds had gathered. It would be a building that looked like a cross between a vault and a treasure chest. It started small, at fifty centimetres a side, but had excellent security options, supposedly.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com


    The other build queue was still filled with the upgrade of the Silo to Rank 3, but it was slowly getting closer to completion now.


    Looking at the time it was still early, so there was no point in waking Karen-chan up. Having nothing else to do, I decided to go for my regular jog to exercise my body. I can probably push myself a bit harder at this time of day as well, there should be few people about.


    Shaeula saw me off with a little wave, rummaging around for snacks, and I headed out into the warm early-morning dawn. I ran for longer than usual, covering multiple loops of my usual course, running at a breakneck pace, muscles burning, breath rasping in my lungs. By the time I had finished the sun had risen and there were a few people going about their business, even on a Sunday. Opening the door to my apartment I found Shaeula and Karen-chan sitting on my futon, Karen-chan looking hungover and embarrassed.


    Turning to me when I opened the door Karen-chan flapped her mouth like a goldfish a few times, struggling for words, going bright red, flushed even to the ears and down her neck. ¡°Uhh... Akio-kun... well, I...¡±


    I stifled a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You had a lot on your mind. It does good to unwind sometimes.¡±


    ¡°My god, I feel so embarrassed.¡± Karen-chan almost whimpered. ¡°Showing such a shameful side of myself in front of you and Shaeula. I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.¡± She clutched her head in her hands, which I found kind of adorable. The fact that her ample chest is straining against her shirt while doing that is... No, mustn¡¯t think of that now. ¡±Plus I drank so much of that expensive whiskey... ¡°


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I tried to placate her. I wasn¡¯t great at handling panicking women. ¡°If it was a problem I¡¯d have said so, Karen-chan. We are neighbours after all, who both know the hardships of work. We should look out for each other.¡±


    ¡°Neighbours huh?¡± Karen-chan said a few moments later when her hysteria started to calm down. ¡°If you are able to buy expensive whiskey and sake like that, to say nothing of decent beef, then maybe you¡¯ll be moving out soon and we¡¯ll no longer be neighbours.¡±


    As she talked I produced a glass of water and some painkillers for her, which she took gratefully, having largely calmed down. That was fast. Maybe I¡¯m finally learning how to handle women other than my sister and Eri-chan. ¡°Well, there is a long way to go yet before I would consider that. Still, things are looking up. Who knows, maybe your situation will improve too?¡±


    After having taken the painkillers she gave me a wry, sad little smile. Shaeula saw this, and patted her reassuringly on the back. ¡°If my master says so, then I am sure things will improve for you Karen. It will surely be just a matter of time-time.¡±


    ¡°All right then. We should get down to training. I¡¯m going to be doing something else as well though, during the gaps.¡± I announced, as I summoned a pile of wyrm scales, teeth and bones from the Warehouse. They piled up in front of me, eliciting a question from Shaeula.


    ¡°What are you going to do with those dregs?¡± Shaeula asked.


    ¡°Crafting. My spear has been of great help, but I realised our defence is lacking. I¡¯ll be practising keeping some energy back to work on this while we train in our usual fashion.¡±


    ¡°That sounds rather tiring-tiring.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°Are you sure you can handle it, Akio?¡±


    ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t go well I¡¯ll rethink it. But practising fine control is as important as working with large volumes of wind and aether. Everything we can do to improve ourselves is vital. We have the leeway because Grulgor is with us now, but we don¡¯t know when we will need to fight the Raven Knight.¡± Ideally I¡¯d like to defeat him before we head to my hometown, but that¡¯s just a wish, not a necessity.


    I started the practice, gathering what wind I could from the Silo, and then drawing in as much as I could from the diminishing etheric snow, I began to shape and compress the wind, rotating it while trying to keep the olivine glow as invisible as possible. The task was difficult, straining my mind and my chakra network to its limit, yet it did seem slightly easier than before. I guess all our hard training is paying off. Still, it is unrealistic to expect us to improve our skills too quickly. But every little helps in a life-or-death battle. I know a breakthrough is near, but it just keeps eluding me...


    I impressed myself a little at how I accepted there would be more life-and-death battles like the wyrm and Grulgor now. I also wonder at my sanity. For a while longer I controlled the wind, before the strain became too much. Now it¡¯s time to move to the next stage...


    Releasing the compressed energy to Shaeula, who tried to take in as much as possible before it was wasted and dissipated, I made sure to retain my grip on a portion of the energy, pulling it back into my chakra network, the wind energy swirling around my heart chakra. Ignoring the prickling burn of my lunar node I began to focus, directing the wind into a thin cutting wire like I had used on Grulgor.


    Taking a large scale into my hands I began to cut it with the wire, shaving away at it until I had a small leaf-shaped shard. I repeated this over and over, taking up new scales when each was processed, using aether sparingly to correct the wind when my control slipped. Damn, this is hellishly hard, using a different type of skill to our main training. It would probably have been easier to just use aether alone to do it, like I had with the metal railing from the graveyard to make the spear, but then that wouldn¡¯t have been as effective as training.


    My thoughts were interrupted by the Kamaitachi passing the energy over to me, his strength exhausted. I dragged in what I could and continued, sweat dripping from me and evaporating into silvery mist...


    ********


    Looking at the huge pile of leaf scales and thin bone needles I had carved from the bones and teeth of the wyrm, I exhaled a long breath. Shaeula was currently using the majority of the energy we had left, her eyes blazing with amber light. She was holding up well, her control skills far better than when we had first met. Still, I had no time to be impressed.


    Summoning the little wind I had remaining I compressed my vibrating wire of wind into a single point, like an oscillating dot. Using this I bored hole after hole into the small leaves. As I did so I threaded them onto the bone needles, forming a layered shape.


    The next bit I have to use aether for, as I¡¯m not skilled enough to do it with wind yet. Turning my attention to the pile of wyrm bones remaining I concentrated, picturing the image clearly, turning them into spools of coiled bone wire, just like I had when constructing my spear before it. Using the wire I anchored together the pile of pinned bone leaves, and after much painstaking work I was finished.

 Fifty-Two

    Fifty-Two


    As Shaeula passed the now far-smaller bundle of wind energy over to her Kamaitachi she slumped down beside me, panting heavily, obviously exhausted.


    ¡°I am not sure that even the guards of my noble father train as much as this to be strong-strong. You are a cruel slave driver, master.¡± Shaeula complained, though I was sure she looked a little happy.


    ¡°True, but that is why you¡¯ll soon surpass them. Talent is important, but hard work can either make up for a lack of talent, or polish talent until it shines brightly. Just think how surprised your family will be when you return to the Seelie Court so much stronger than before.¡±


    ¡°That thought is indeed pleasing to me-me.¡± Shaeula agreed, her eyes glancing constantly at the white heap beside me, agleam with curiosity.


    Taking the hint I picked up the bundle and passed it to her. ¡°Here, for you. I did say I wanted to get you some new clothes. It isn¡¯t quite the same but consider it a start.¡±


    Shaeula unwrapped the bundle, shaking it out, to see that it was a sleeveless dress of linked white leaves, forming a sort of scale-mail made from the durable wyrm scales.


    ¡°I call it the wyrmscale mail.¡± I said proudly. ¡°It was a pain to make and I had to use quite a bit of aether to smooth out the rough edges in the design, but I think it¡¯s turned out pretty well. It should protect you from damage and it looks pretty good too if I do say so myself.¡±


    Shaeula hurriedly put the mail on, draping it over her yukata. ¡°So, how does it look, Akio?¡± she asked, excited.


    I guess all girls, Fae or not, love pretty clothes. ¡°It looks good on you. Admittedly I reckon you could carry just about anything off well though, with your grace and figure. Well, except maybe a low cut dress, you don¡¯t have the body line for that. Not that I¡¯d be foolish enough to say it. The white scales seemed to shimmer around the edges in the light as she moved, and overall it was a tidy design, looking rather elegant.


    ¡°I accept your gift with approval.¡± Shaeula smiled. ¡°It is a dress worthy of a princess of the Seelie court-court.¡±


    ¡°Well, we will have to get you some nice clothes in the Material plane as well, though cuteness rather than defensive merits is the priority there. Anyway, your Kamaitachi is pretty much done, so bear with me a while...¡± I snatched the remaining energy from him, continuing our practice...


    ********


    ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m so tired.¡± I grumbled, back in the Material, the early morning sun shining through the window. We had spent effectively a couple of days there without sleep again, though this time a bit longer had passed in the Material. ¡°Maybe we should have a quick rest?¡±


    I did have plans for us for today, most of which should be simple, but one of which was causing me some concern. Still, we could spare a little while for some sleep.


    ¡°I agree. The training has exhausted me greatly. We should rest while we can, lest we be found wanting should an emergency arise-arise!¡±


    Since we both agreed, we had several hours¡¯ sleep, which refreshed us. I was still a little bothered by sleeping next to a cute girl, but maybe because I had done it a few times now it didn¡¯t embarrass me quite as much. Besides, there were two of them yesterday...


    We had breakfast and then I went for a quick run and did my weights and combat training, until early afternoon.


    I was soaked with sweat and ready to have a shower. Turning to Shaeula, who was once more playing her RPG, eyes glued to the screen intently, I was about to open my mouth when my phone rang. Hmm, that¡¯s unusual, I wonder who it is... ack!


    Answering the call I spoke as cheerfully as I could muster. ¡°Hey Shiro. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you what¡¯s up me, Aki!¡± her voice came loud over my speakers, as for some reason I must have left it on speakerphone mode last time I used it. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from you in weeks, and this is after you begged me to give you some stuff to do. Have you even done any at all? Is this some sort of neglect play to get me interested in you? Oh, and that¡¯s Shirohime to you!¡±


    Yeah, I admit I forgot to do any recently, I¡¯ve had other stuff going on... still...


    Beside me Shaeula piped up, still not looking away from the screen. ¡°Shirohime? White princess? There is only one princess worthy of your attention here, Akio. Do not forget that-that. This fake princess is not worth your time.¡±Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com


    Before I could respond to this my phone piped up. ¡°Woo, fake princess. Hurtful. Anyway, you¡¯ve got a girl there Aki? Is that your sister you always used to go on about? Everyone said you were a total siscon. Or wait... no, nooooooo it can¡¯t be! Is that your girlfriend? That childhood friend of yours? I always thought you were after me! I¡¯m so disappointed. Sob sob!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a co-worker...¡± I replied, well used to her antics by now. ¡°And as for you, who¡¯d be after you? Sure, you look cute, but your personality isn¡¯t cute at all.¡±


    ¡°Bleh...¡± Shiro made some fake retching noises. ¡°Seriously, this is why you are single. You can¡¯t tell a girl her personality sucks... even if you compliment her appearance she won¡¯t be happy. Besides, I¡¯m not cute, I¡¯m totally gorgeous!¡±


    Shaeula was snickering loudly behind me, causing Shiro to complain and ask for a picture of my ¡®co-worker¡¯ if she was so confident. Shaeula agreed with a shrug so I snapped a pic and sent it over.


    There was a long moment of silence over the phone before Shiro answered. ¡°Well. Yeah, she can laugh. So... that¡¯s your type eh? Guess I¡¯m too stacked for you then. But it¡¯s a little... lolicon-ny, isn¡¯t it? Go out to a bar with her and you¡¯d get arrested. With me you¡¯d get complimented.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, like I say, she¡¯s just a co-worker.¡± Man, talking with Shiro can be tiring. Her moods change as fast as her brains work... ¡°Secondly, if I went to a bar with you, I¡¯d only end up having to carry you home after you pass out. I haven¡¯t forgotten that time you dropped from exhaustion just walking across the dorm building....¡±


    ¡°Well, do forget it!¡± she replied. ¡°And now you reveal the truth of your master plan. You were going to get me blackout drunk and carry me back to your place and do this-and-that to me, all sorts of lewd and unspeakable things...¡±


    ¡°Seriously, can we stop this now?¡± Shaeula was rolling on her back, cackling uncontrollably and I was just mortified. Shiro was very beautiful, but was definitely not the elegant lady her fragile bearing would suggest. ¡°I have to go out shortly. I¡¯ll send you over the manifest of what I¡¯ve done so far...¡±


    Remembering the plan we had hastily discussed earlier Shaeula put on a sad expression, even managing to wring out some tears. ¡°I had always left those matters to my parents. They were rather overprotective as... I look so young.¡± Shaeula stumbled over those words a bit. ¡°But to think that I would need my family registry so soon afterwards, and to not have it-it. The fire took everything....¡±


    ¡°I understand how this might be distressing for you, Dannan-san, however there should have been records on our database in your locality, to say nothing of banking and school records. However when I did a preliminary search none of these were found.¡±


    Of course they weren¡¯t. This was of course the main stumbling block of my plan. Feeling the wind blow stronger around Shaeula and the clerk I played my hand. ¡°Yes, when we went to our local registry office in my hometown first they said there had been an issue in updating some of the registries and data was accidentally wiped during a changeover from paper records to digital storage.¡±


    ¡°That would be a significant problem.¡± the clerk pursed her lips. There we go, just as expected. ¡°I would expect there to be a notification of this on the system and measures taken to...¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve already seen notification of this-this.¡± Shaeula said, the power of the wind spreading through her breath. ¡°We had just been discussing this, and you have seen the copy of the document the local office gave me.¡±


    It was a barefaced lie on every level. Still, we only needed to convince her to create the record, and then her mind would rationalise away what she had done.


    ¡°I have...¡± she said slowly, scratching her head, eyes looking a little glazed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing...¡±


    ¡°You were just about to enter the replacement registry details.¡± Shaeula interrupted her.


    Holy shit this is scary as hell. If this goes wrong my reputation is going to be ruined. I¡¯ll be a damn criminal! I could feel the energy pouring from Shaeula, it being far harder to use wind here in the Material plane. Still, she had strengthened her control due to our training, so it might be enough...


    My hopes suddenly took a blow as the clerk shook her head. ¡°I... think I need to call for a supervisor, I feel light-headed. What did you say about a database error, I don¡¯t...¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s face was stricken as she struggled to befuddle the woman in front of us. Seeing her so tense sparked something within me. I could feel my lunar chakra pulsing, beating in time with Shaeula¡¯s.


    Maybe I can...


    My own wind energy cycled through me, moving from the heart to the lunar node. There it split into two rushing streams, one of which flowed into Shaeula, reinforcing her own wind. The other twirled around the clerk, trying to replicate the flow Shaeula was using. It was crude, but... if this doesn¡¯t work we¡¯ll use it to confuse her into forgetting this whole thing. Since we wouldn¡¯t be forcing her to break the rules and law that should be far easier to achieve...


    ¡°We have the details for the koseki here, as well as the family crest for her seal, and the postal order for her new residency record as you requested. I thank you very much for your hard work.¡± I passed over the paperwork that I had made earlier.


    The clerk took them, but she was struggling against us, her common sense telling her that this was wrong. Damn, it¡¯s going to take one more push. I started drawing in ether from around us, pulling from the clerk as well. As I gathered it I used it and the reserves I had within me to strengthen the wind, my enhanced mind picturing the effect clearly. Aether gushed from me, vanishing rapidly, having only a fraction of the effect it would have in the Boundary. ¡°Thanks for verifying the incident.¡± I gave it one last push. ¡°Dannan-san has suffered so much since she lost her parents. It is reassuring to know that the Japanese civil service is efficient and compassionate during her time of crisis.¡±


    ¡°We do strive... for excellence.¡± The clerk said, hands moving slowly towards the computer. I continued to draw aether from her, guessing that Shaeula would tell me if it became harmful to her.


    ¡°I feel... rather unwell...¡± the clerk muttered. ¡°I must not have had enough sleep last night...¡± her words were becoming fainter, but she had begun to type.


    ¡°I thank you for this.¡± Shaeula pushed out every ounce of her own aether now, adding a tiny trickle of extra strength to the befuddlement. ¡°The sooner you finish, the quicker you can get some rest-rest.¡±


    She nodded, eyes glassy as she continued to work. Several minutes later she went to the printer, official papers in hand. When it was printed and sealed, she finished inputting it to the computer and saved the data. Handing the certificate copy to Shaeula she spoke slowly, almost robotically. ¡°Dannan-san, your koseki has been updated on our system. Your juminhyo registry is updated to the same address as Oshiro-san here. I am sorry to hear about the death of your parents and the loss of your seal. Please apply for your replacement seal as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I am most grateful.¡± Shaula said. ¡°Now I suggest you forget about this trying visit and carry on with your day-day. Remembering this would only fatigue you further. By tomorrow all this will be is a faint dream you had-had.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wonderful.¡± The clerk agreed vacantly, and we showed ourselves out.


    As soon as the door shut behind us I let out an explosive sigh, sinking down against the wall. ¡°Man that was nerve-wracking. And now I¡¯m really spent after using all my aether and wind energy. You look tired too.¡±


    ¡°I am indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded, certificate clutched to her chest. ¡°But your plan worked. Somehow-somehow. Still, I hope you have seen how difficult it is to manipulate the strong-willed into doing something they know is wrong.¡± She smiled a bright smile tinged with exhaustion. ¡°So it is no use-use you trying to use the blessing to make females fall for you. That would take more power than you possess!¡± her tone made it clear she was joking at my expense, and my heart felt warm at the bond we shared, made from shared trials and spending time together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have enough of a time with just you.¡± I laughed back, causing her to blush. ¡°Now we just need to pick up your seal, and then we can submit your application for a passport...¡± Issues might come to light further down the line with the system alterations, but the Japanese civil service is renowned for their scrupulousness, so foul play is less likely to be suspected than simple error, and if we already have a passport issued by then it should be fine... I hope so, anyway.


    ********


    The long day was almost over, so I finally relaxed as we sat on the metro on the way back to our home. Shaeula was admiring her new seal, amused at the family crest, the kamon that I had chosen. In comparison to the wretched, stressful time we had getting the koseki created, ordering a passport was simplicity itself, as Shaeula was now an officially registered Japanese citizen, with a family history. Of course it probably wouldn¡¯t stand up to intense scrutiny, as her now sadly deceased parents were fake and thus only had their own barebones record we had forced the clerk to create, but looking into a routine passport application would rarely require that much research. Luckily almost all Japanese people were extremely law abiding, so they would be unlikely to suspect anything amiss with what was a valid koseki registered on the national system.


    We had paid the fees for an accelerated service, and it would be ready for collection when we returned from my hometown. Looking at the exhausted yet happy Shaeula I had a thought. ¡°Hey, want to stop off for something to eat and drink? I¡¯d say we¡¯ve earned it today, right?¡±


    ¡°That is a wonderful idea, master.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I could use a drink. Perhaps we should have some good whiskey to celebrate-celebrate?¡±


    ¡°A nice try! We¡¯ll see.¡± We got off at the next stop, which was the one before our usual station, and headed for a nearby pub. We were just about to enter when a sweet-sounding voice called out ¡°Hey Big Bro, wait up, wait up!¡±


    Eh?

 Side Three – Izumi Kana

    Side Three ¨C Izumi Kana


    ¡°I think those guys are checking us out.¡± Her friend said suddenly, going a little red. The other girl with them, a decently pretty girl with her brown hair cut boyishly short turned to look, watching the group of older guys across the street.


    ¡°I think you are right, Mio.¡± The second girl agreed. ¡°They are definitely looking at us. They are probably checking out Kana though, rather than us.¡±


    God, what a pain. Kana smiled sweetly at her two friends, ignoring the group of men across the street. ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t be like that Asami. You and Mio are plenty cute. I¡¯m sure any guys would be happy to hit on you. But I think we can do better than them. We should just ignore them.¡±


    Uhh, gross. If I was going to let some older men try and pick me up, I¡¯d expect them to be rich businessmen, not some poor college students or the like. Besides, they are all pretty average. They should know they don¡¯t have a chance with me.


    Showing none of those thoughts on her face Kana led her two friends away, chattering about what they planned to do with the rest of their dwindling summer break. A couple of the guys looked like they would come over, but Kana shot them a dirty look, her eyes hard, and they turned away.


    Know your place. I mean, come on. I am by far the most attractive girl in my school. Hell, I¡¯m probably the most attractive girl in this whole suburb. She didn¡¯t think she was being prideful either, just stating facts. Ever since she was a kid she had been praised for her beauty, just like that of a traditional Japanese maiden, with her long black hair, perfectly balanced features and slender body. Though not too slender. Damn, do I need to go shopping again? I keep growing...


    ¡°So, do you want to do karaoke or something?¡± Mio was asking, snapping Kana out of her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t.¡± she apologised. ¡°I have to work at the shrine tonight. There¡¯s a big meeting coming up in a few weeks, and my father and grandfather need help to get everything ready for our visit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s kind of cool and unusual. Are you going somewhere?¡± her other friend Asami asked.


    I bet you aren¡¯t really interested. I know I¡¯m not. God I hate having to do this shrine maiden stuff. I¡¯m always told we have a great lineage going back a thousand years, but why couldn¡¯t we be one with money as well? Again, showing none of her inner thoughts on her face with practised skill, Kana spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, we have to go to Kyoto. Apparently it¡¯s a really big deal for shrines, pretty much everyone across Honshu has been invited. You should see my father and grandfather panic. Still, I¡¯m just an apprentice so I don¡¯t have to go.¡± No, I¡¯m stuck looking after the shrine with a few other unlucky girls. Way to ruin what remains of my damn holiday. I wish I was rich, then I could leave all this crap behind.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± Her first friend Mio commiserated. ¡°I hear there is a lot to see in Kyoto. I didn¡¯t get to go on our school trip because of a family matter, so I missed out...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go either.¡± Kana commiserated. Why would I want to see more damn shrines, no matter how grand? The whole shrine and God thing is total crap. Okay sure, so we come from a long lineage which has mystical powers, but they aren¡¯t worth a damn. So our ancestor managed to fend off a roving gang of bandits by calling down a lightning strike on them, but considering that took all the spiritual energy he had gathered for well over a decade, it¡¯s hardly worth it. If I wanted to kill someone I could just buy a damn gun!


    Mio and Asami (who had been on the Kyoto trip) were chatting about what she had seen, causing Kana to grind her teeth. And as for my father, so proud that he can conjure a flame that is only good for lighting a cigarette after meditating for hours. Get a lighter you damn moron. Her own gift was suitably meagre too. When she was a young girl she had dreamed of being special, a magical girl or a hero, but being smart, unlike those idiots who spent all their free time meditating, she had quickly realised her gifts were useless.


    So I can tell if things are abnormal, and sometimes get a hint of what other people are thinking. Big wow. Anyone with half a mind can learn to understand others, and the only abnormal things I¡¯ve ever seen have been my idiot family and a few other shrine maidens and priests. Although... there was one time when she was very young she had seen a very pretty sight, a rainbow presence that had illuminated the centre of the shrine. Of course, right after that my head was splitting, so it was probably just a migraine.


    Rubbing her temples she interjected into the conversation her friends were having. ¡°Anyway, I really have to go. I¡¯ve had a lot of fun hanging out today, but if I don¡¯t help out with the preparations my father is going to be mad at me. I don¡¯t want another lecture.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a shame.¡± Mio said. ¡°But yeah, we wouldn¡¯t want to get you in trouble. Say hi to your folks for us. Maybe we¡¯ll come and visit your shrine again soon. You look so beautiful in the traditional outfit.¡±


    ¡°I want this one and that one. Since they do not have alcohol I will have one of those as well-well.¡± The young girl pointed to a brightly coloured drink. ¡°Get the girl something, compared to our expenses today it is nothing, is it not-not?¡±


    The man held back a sigh and nodded. ¡°All right then, you can order whatever you want.¡±


    Whatever eh? Don¡¯t mind if I do. ¡°I¡¯ll have the deluxe jumbo seasonal parfait with the extra side treats and toppings then. Oh, and I¡¯ll have the same drink as your girlfriend, that one is really good! Thanks big bro.¡±


    The man agreed and the waitress took their orders. What I ordered was nearly two thousand yen. Nice. Still, that isn¡¯t why I am here. Time to ease into it gently...


    ¡°So, did you take your girlfriend out shopping today? That suitcase looks brand new. Are you taking her on holiday? That¡¯s so lucky big bro!¡±


    The man looked a bit confused by her boisterous attitude but he answered anyway. ¡°Yeah, we were doing some shopping for clothes. We have a business trip planned so needed to pick up a few things.¡±


    Business trip? ¡°Oh cool, can I take a look.... Oh, I don¡¯t know either of your names. Mine is Izumi Kana, but you can call me Kana-chan, big bro!¡±


    ¡°Uhh, go right ahead.¡± The man said, passing her the suitcase. ¡°My name is Oshiro Akio, and this is Shaeula. She¡¯s only half-Japanese so she doesn¡¯t do honorifics. As for me...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep calling you big bro, that suits you best!¡± she jumped in. Unzipping the case she was greeted by the sight of a huge pile of clothing and underwear, all of which looked pretty expensive. ¡°Wow, you really know how to treat your girlfriend! I¡¯m jealous.¡± I¡¯m certainly jealous of how much you are spending on her. I need someone to treat me like that...


    ¡°Yes, Akio knows how to treat me right, as the princess I am-am.¡± The girl, Shaeula said. Now that I look at her, she has the most gorgeous hair and eyes. Still, a princess? How old is she, twelve? I¡¯ve half a mind to tip off the police... ¡°Still, I fail to see why you called out to Akio. I believe you should explain yourself.¡±


    Now, how to phrase this... ¡°Well... you know. I saw big bro walking along the street and he just seemed so interesting I knew I had to talk to him. You are pretty interesting yourself Shaeula-chan.¡±


    Shaeula-chan and Akio-san looked at each other, their expressions strained. Akio-san turned back to Kana, looking rather nervous. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean. I know Shaeula stands out a lot, but I¡¯m just an average guy. I¡¯m flattered by the attention, but I...¡±


    Bleh, he thinks I¡¯m hitting on him. Men are such pigs. ¡°No, no big bro, you misunderstand. My family runs a shrine you see, and I¡¯ve always been sensitive to people¡¯s auras. And your auras are quite magnificent. I wanted to have a talk with you about them, but it¡¯s kind of embarrassing bringing it up.¡±


    Kana looked downwards, just the hint of a blush on her cheeks. Perfect. No man can resist this look.


    Akio-san and Shaeula-chan shared another look. Way to be annoying. Shaeula-chan turned back to Kana, and suddenly the abnormalities around Shaeula were flushed with amber and gold, the white lights dyed, her eyes glowing like miniature suns. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Kana squirmed. What is going on here, I feel as though she is looking deep inside me. I don¡¯t like that at all...


    Nodding once Shaeula-chan smiled, though her eyes were a little scary. ¡°You do indeed have good eyes, do you not Kana? Akio, I believe we need to have a longer discussion with this girl. Get us more drinks and snacks. This may take a while-while.¡±


    Swallowing nervously Kana cursed inside her head. Damn, what have I got myself into here? I thought I could score some points with my father and grandfather if I brought them news of such abnormalities, especially with the big meeting coming up and the rumours that are flying about. Who knew I would end up so cornered? Still, I¡¯m committed now. I can always rely on my charm to get what I want, especially with men...


    Putting on her best charming smile Kana spoke brightly once more. ¡°Oh in that case order the crepe selection plate. It¡¯s pretty good to share with cute girls like us.¡± I need to ingratiate myself. An abnormality like this... I don¡¯t want to be hit by lightning... not before I¡¯ve enjoyed all life has to offer. ¡°So, what did you want to ask me?¡±

 Fifty-Three

    Fifty-Three


    Man, I¡¯m not sure how this has happened to me... The girl sitting in front of me at the fancy cafe? was super attractive. And super young. I would rate her as good-looking as Shaeula or Eri-chan, if in a different style. Her legs are so slender and look great in those jeans, and ... I swallowed nervously and looked away. I am not a pervert interested in hitting on high-school girls. Most definitely not. I am the perfect gentleman.


    Ignoring the awkward thoughts that had been repeating through my head since we sat down I looked across at Shaeula. ¡°So, what do you mean she has good eyes?¡±


    Shaeula grinned, finishing off her drink as I signalled over a waitress to order the crepe plate Kana-chan had requested. ¡°I mean she can see the aether. Not perfectly, I would wager, but enough to notice that we are constantly drawing on it-it.¡±


    I finished ordering and turned back to them. ¡°I see. So I guess shrine maidens are special, eh? I always thought it was a job young girls did to earn a bit of pocket money, not that it was genuinely spiritual.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is like that for a lot of girls, big bro. But my family has run the local shrine for generations. You may have heard of it. Shirohebizumi shrine.¡±


    Man, when she calls me big bro it feels itchy... I mean, I know my sister calls me that all the time, but that makes sense. Eri-chan did too, but we¡¯ve known her for ever. This girl I¡¯ve only known five minutes... plus she¡¯s hellishly attractive... no, keep it together.


    Trying hard not to blush I continued the conversation. ¡°Shirohebizumi? That¡¯s my local shrine. Quite the coincidence.¡± Damn, that was a stupid thing to say, we are only a metro stop away from it, so it makes sense...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? You must come and visit us big bro. It isn¡¯t just me, we have lots of cute shrine maidens. You¡¯d really like it.¡± She was fluttering her eyelashes and looking at me coquettishly. This was out of my area of expertise. Luckily I was saved from answering by the return of the waitress with the crepe plate and more drinks.


    ¡°I am very sure he would indeed enjoy looking at attractive young girls.¡± Shaeula slandered me, in between delicate bites of the newly arrived sweets. ¡°But that is not important. What is important are your reasons for accosting us. Curiosity, or-or...?¡±


    She trailed off, her amber eyes hard. The bright expression of Kana-chan slipped for just a second as she met her stare, but then she was smiling as if nothing had happened. Maybe it¡¯s my imagination.


    ¡°Well, as a shrine maiden to a distinguished lineage, we have our fair share of tales about spiritual abnormalities. And to see two just walking about as though nothing was unusual...¡± she leaned closer, conspiratorially, not seeming to care that she was showing quite the cleavage under her t-shirt. ¡°... There¡¯s a big meeting coming up between all the shrines in Honshu. It¡¯s a real big deal. Lots of rumours are flying around. And then I see you two. It makes me wonder, Shaeula-chan, big bro. You can¡¯t blame me for that, can you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Drop that ¨Cchan, I find it rather unbecoming.¡± Shaeula grumbled. ¡°I can understand your interest, but have you not considered we may be trying to keep our presence secret?¡± She scowled momentarily, before her expression changed to one of pleasure as she ate another bite of crepe. Feeling my wry look on her she flushed and went back to her interrogation. ¡°Do you not think perhaps confronting such ... abnormalities... as you called us, might perhaps be rather dangerous-dangerous?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Kana-chan said brightly. ¡°Big bro looks like the dependable type, and a girl as cute as you couldn¡¯t possibly hurt a kindred spirit such as myself. I just knew you were going to be friendly. You even treated me here, right?¡±


    Wow. That¡¯s a lousy reason. She¡¯s either super confident, or a total airhead. Either way, looking like she does with those character traits, I bet she must be popular with both guys and girls...


    ¡°Dependable?¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°Well I must admit he has proved useful up to now. So, the more pressing concern is what do you want from us now-now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know more about this aether. Is that like what we call spiritual power? My father can create a flame using only spiritual energy, though it¡¯s only enough to light a cigarette. But your abnormalities blaze far brighter than his.¡± Her eyes were gleaming with interest.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula nodded slowly. Turning back to me she sighed. ¡°So Akio, it is your decision what we do with this girl. I fear that the timing of her discovery is rather vexing though-though.¡±


    I merely smiled in response, flipping the knife towards Shaeula, who caught it with her own wind, keeping it motionless in the air for three or four seconds before letting it drift gently to the tabletop.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really moving objects with our minds.¡± I explained. ¡°Though we can do that with aether. This is manipulating elemental energies of wind. Really there¡¯s quite a bit more to it than this, but since we¡¯re all tapped out for today you¡¯ll have to take my word for it, give us a day or two and we could do something more impressive.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I could see her looking impressed. ¡°You can gather spiritual energy that fast huh? I¡¯m sure my grandfather would like to know about that.¡± She smiled at me brightly, causing my heart to skip a beat. Damn she¡¯s hot. But I need to stay focused. Shaeula is glowering at me.


    ¡°Yes well, I¡¯m not sure if we would be able to teach what we do, but I am open to an exchange of ideas.¡±


    ¡°In that case big bro...¡± Kana-chan said, taking her mobile phone from her pocket. ¡°How about we swap numbers, then we can arrange a time for you to visit our shrine? The bonus for you is you get to have a hot schoolgirls¡¯ number in your phone, so it¡¯s win-win for you, right?¡±


    ¡°If I want to get arrested, possibly...¡± I muttered, but we exchanged numbers anyway. Shaeula also took her number. As Kana-chan put her phone away she smiled at her. ¡°I would think you would already be in enough trouble with Shaeula-ch... with Shaeula here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know she¡¯s actually twenty-one.¡± I protested. I need her to be twenty-one for the business trip. ¡°She just looks young because she¡¯s small and pretty.¡±


    ¡°She is pretty. Now you know two of the prettiest girls in Tokyo. Still, twenty-one eh? If I put you in uniform you¡¯d easily pass in my school.¡±


    I decided to change the subject, as it was really embarrassing. ¡°So, when do you expect I¡¯ll hear from you?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say, but I expect it¡¯ll be soon.¡± Kana-chan said, finishing off her drink and moving for the last of the crepes. ¡°Are you that eager to get a text from me, big bro? I won¡¯t be sending you any selfies...¡± she grinned.


    ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± I gave up. ¡°Just let me know.¡±


    As I paid the bill the two girls finished off the last of the crepes, and after a little more uncomfortable banter I saw her off...


    ********


    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m beat after today.¡± I said to Shaeula as I slumped down in my chair. She was already on the futon, turning on her games console.


    ¡°I agree, it was quite the tiring day.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°We should unwind a bit before we enter the Boundary again-again.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± I agreed. As I did so my phone beeped. It was a text from Kana-chan. Wow, she¡¯s quick.


    I¡¯m going to talk to my grandfather now big bro. Expect a reply soon. Hope you aren¡¯t missing me too much! Teehee ~_^ ~_^ ~_^


    That¡¯s so... girlish a message. Leaning back in my chair I booted up my PC. Time to kill some time until we get an answer...

 Side Four – Izumi Kana

    Side Four ¨C Izumi Kana


    The shrine was humming with activity when Kana returned, several other shrine maidens sweeping up with traditional brooms, while another couple were washing down the torii gates and steps with blessed water. Ignoring them Kana passed through towards the main building, treading along the meandering gravel path, her footsteps crunching beneath her. As she neared the temple building she noticed one other shrine maiden there, her cousin, who was hastily applying red paint to several faded areas of the building.


    Damn, why go to all this trouble now? It isn¡¯t like they are holding the meeting at our shrine now is it? Such a waste of time...


    As she approached the main entrance her cousin turned to her, her brownish-black hair braided into pigtails, making her look even younger than she was. I can¡¯t help but notice you¡¯ve managed to get paint in your hair. Who even does that?


    ¡°Hey there Kana-chan. You finally made it back?¡± she said with her typical cheer. ¡°Your honoured father was looking for you. He seems pretty mad.¡±


    Isn¡¯t he always? I wonder what he is bitching about now? ¡°Thanks for letting me know Keomi-chan. But I don¡¯t have time to speak to him now, I have to talk to grandfather pretty urgently. By the way...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Keomi¨Cchan asked, tilting her head to the side, managing to drop red paint on her shrine maiden attire. Lucky it¡¯s already red...


    ¡°How did you manage to get paint all over you? Even in your hair?¡±


    ¡°Uwa?¡± Keomi-chan exclaimed, turning to look, only managing to get more paint on her, this time over the white part of her uniform. As she twisted and turned, paint flecks flying everywhere, Kana sighed, stepping back to avoid being soiled.


    Seriously, if I was as air-headed as that I wouldn¡¯t dare to show my face in public. Still, I bet the boys just eat that kind of thing up...


    ¡°Just be more careful, alright?¡± Kana said gently. ¡°You don¡¯t want to earn the ire of my grandfather, do you? His temper hasn¡¯t got any better as he¡¯s aged.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± Keomi-chan said, eyes tearing up as she began to sniffle. ¡°The honoured head of the shrine can be a bit... sharp. If you have to speak to him you¡¯d better go. He¡¯s pretty stressed with everything that¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Well if I¡¯m lucky what I have to say might cheer him up. Maybe.¡± Kana replied. ¡°Anyway, try not to make too much of a mess, all right?¡±


    At Keomi-chan¡¯s embarrassed reply Kana waved her hand in acknowledgement, and she entered the shrine, going through the ornate yet weathered doors. The interior also had a few younger shrine maidens that she didn¡¯t recognise, hurrying about on varying errands. Did we have so many shrine maidens? I¡¯m sure we only had Keomi-chan and the sisters? Has the old man dug into his pocket and hired us some more for this meeting? I don¡¯t get it...


    Kana walked across to the dilapidated building towards the back, where her grandfather¡¯s private quarters were. If I¡¯m lucky my father will be elsewhere... but when am I ever lucky? A girl as smart and beautiful as me deserves better...


    She forced her expression to remain calm as her father ducked out from a curtain over the door to her Grandfather¡¯s abode. When he spotted her his face hardened, his dark eyes grim. Running a hand through his black hair, which was starting to thin at the temples, he spoke harshly.


    ¡°Kana, where have you been? You knew we needed all hands to prepare the shrine as soon as possible.¡± He continued, his tone sharpening. ¡°I do hope you were not out playing with your friends. You are of the age to be responsible now, daughter. You have no time to be messing around when duty calls.¡±


    Oh great, when he starts calling me ¡®daughter¡¯ he is really pissed. But I am not in the wrong here! I was playing around, but I did it to gain information Grandfather would want, not just to get free sweets.


    ¡°Of course I wasn¡¯t.¡± Kana tried to look simultaneously offended and hurt. ¡°I know how important this time is to the shrine.¡± Well no I don¡¯t, not really... ¡°I see there are a lot more shrine maidens here today. I didn¡¯t think we had so many...¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Her father frowned sternly at her as she changed the subject, but he answered slowly. ¡°Indeed, we have had to get in some additional hands on a temporary basis. Your cousin was helpful in finding us some students in need of money who could do simple tasks such as cleaning and spreading the consecrated water.¡±


    Oh great, spending more money we don¡¯t have. If it was up to me we¡¯d sell off the spare land the shrine has. Even here on the outskirts I bet we could make enough money to do up this dump and still have enough to live on comfortably... but no, our land is precious and full of historic value...


    ¡°And this was no mistake?¡± he answered, sharing a glance with his son, who looked perturbed. ¡°Such powerful spiritualists... other than those who maintain legendary shrines like those at Kyoto... why would they be coming here, at this time? This could bode ill...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no mistake. I spoke to them, that¡¯s why I am so late.¡± I best not mention I was gorging on sweets at my favourite cafe? though... ¡°I saw them demonstrate the power of what they called ¡®elemental wind¡¯ to move a knife through the air, flipping it off a table and holding it in place.¡±


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Her father burst out, breaking her silence. ¡°Such feats that go against the laws of the world are difficult to achieve indeed. To think that you could persuade them to drain such huge reserves of spiritual power like that... you have done well indeed Kana. We must discuss this with our nearby shrines. Which shrine or temple were they from? We must prepare...¡±


    Kana interrupted again. ¡°They weren¡¯t from any temple. They were a man and a girl out on a date. Yet they were much stronger than any of us. They said they had already used most of their ¡®aether and elemental wind¡¯ that day, but if we waited a day or two for them to recover they could show us far more impressive things.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Her grandfather said coldly. ¡°I know not what this aether is... but the spiritual power to defy gravity and move objects is not so easily replenished. If it were then one could achieve truly miraculous feats and we would not have to hide our gifts...¡±


    ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t seem like liars.¡± Just a young girl and a pervert. ¡°But I would imagine it would be easy to prove. I got their phone numbers, see!¡± she flourished her phone with a cute ¡®taa-daa!¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll drop him a text.¡± She quickly typed one out and sent it. ¡°So since there is a meeting going on with all the shrines soon, don¡¯t you think the timing of finding such abnormalities is suspicious? Maybe they are connected?¡±


    ¡°That... is a good point.¡± Her grandfather conceded. ¡°Go and get changed into your shrine maiden attire and re-join us here. I will convene a meeting with the other local shrines so we can form a united front on how to proceed.¡± He smiled, the frost in his eyes melting away. ¡°It is good to see you taking an interest in shrine matters at last. As your grandfather I am most pleased.¡±


    I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sure why I approached them, it was just the shock of seeing such an abnormality I guess. It was... really pretty. Still, if you want to keep my interest why not treat me to lots of delicious sweets like they did...


    ********


    Kana stifled a yawn as the conversation around her went on and on. My legs hurt. Sitting in seiza on this hard floor sucks. I¡¯m regretting getting involved now.


    ¡°None of the major shrines of Tokyo were interested, as you knew they wouldn¡¯t be.¡± A thin man in priestly vestments said sullenly. He was flanked by a pair of young shrine maidens who looked as bored as Kana was. There were also several other heads of local shrines, each accompanied by maidens. ¡°I find it hard to believe someone with such spiritual energy could be wandering about so conveniently.¡±


    You old windbag, are you calling me a liar?


    ¡°My granddaughter would not be mistaken about this, not at so crucial a time.¡± Grandfather leapt to her defence. ¡°We are all aware of the great council coming. Every shrine in Honshu that has kept our legacy of faith is being invited. The last time this happened was a hundred and seventy years ago. There is no doubt that momentous times are here. To dismiss such portents as ¡®hard to believe¡¯ is insulting.¡±


    ¡°But such a thing...¡± another priest began, only to be interrupted by yet another. The hour had grown late, the shrine lit by flickering lanterns, and nothing had been achieved. Except to give me a headache. These morons have been arguing for hours. Maybe we should have monopolised the knowledge ourselves rather than calling in the local shrines.


    As the argument continued Kana shared some commiserating looks with the other maidens who were likewise suffering from the long period of seiza, when suddenly her head ached and her talent activated. Flecks of light were drifting around the priests and some of the shrine maidens, but around the weathered snake statue... rainbow light was blazing...


    Silence descended on the room as the still air was shifted by a sibilant hissing breeze, flapping the cloth banners attached to the ropes adoring the walls. It was faint, but within the susurration was a faint, inhuman voice, one dusty with age and slurred, though still somehow comprehendible. ¡°caaaaaaaaaalllllllllll theeeeeeeemmmmmm.¡±


    With that the wind ceased, and Kana slumped in relief as the blinding glow, which was a match for the one she had seen Shaeula sport earlier, faded away without a trace.


    ¡°An oracle... it has been so long.¡± Her father whispered beside her, voice choked with emotion.


    ¡°I feel that closes this discussion, does it not?¡± her grandfather said firmly. ¡°Could you not feel the presence of the divine, our Great White Snake-sama?¡±


    Murmurs of agreements and nods spread through the chamber, and her grandfather turned to Kana. ¡°Kana, you said you had their number. You have done extremely well. Please contact them at once!¡±


    Well this wasn¡¯t quite what I expected. I thought he might have been able to get support from my grandfather in exchange for knowledge, but this... oracle... I¡¯m going to demand he treat me to more sweets for this. Or maybe a new handbag... if he can buy Shaeula all those clothes he won¡¯t mind rewarding me for this...

 Fifty-Four

    Fifty-Four


    Shaeula muttered to herself as she controlled the large flow of elemental wind, twisting it into a drill shape, forcing the edges to be as dense and sharp as possible. Her tiny frame was trembling with the effort, yet her face was resolute, her eyes burning with willpower.


    ¡°A mere... fraction more and... I shall master it-it!¡± she said between breaths, a jade glow surrounding her. The wind drill shrunk further, compressing, and droplets of sweat were blown off her to disperse in the snow-flecked air of the etheric tide.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it, you are doing great!¡± I encouraged her, ignoring the weariness I felt myself, using the remaining fragments of wind and aether I held to shape our second set of wyrmscale armour, this time a sleeveless shirt for me. I had become faster and more precise with the drilling and carving, but even so it was tiring, meticulous work. Still, it would definitely be worth it in battle. Plus it looks kind of cool. I admired the scale dress Shaeula wore, as it fluttered gently in the great breeze she was raising.


    ¡°I feel I am nearing a... breakthrough.¡± She said through gritted teeth. ¡°It is distant, yet I can barely make it out, so... tantalisingly close to me-me.¡±


    I feel the same way. ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean. My body and chakra nodes feel like they are on the cusp of some sort of change. I can feel wind rising within me.¡±


    Our normal training regimen continued, leaving the challenge of expanding our Territory, defeating enemies and gathering any Etherite Ores found to Grulgor and his trolls. Having more personnel sure is helpful. I would like to gather even more if I can...


    After some time I finished the wyrmscale shirt made for me, and after putting it on I practised a few poses with my spear, earning an amused snort from Shaeula. Looking good, if I do say so myself.


    I had finished just in time, as it was my turn to practise with our gathered elemental wind energies. Taking it from Shaeula, concentrating on minimising the loss, I began to shape it into thin, almost invisible wires of wind blades, similar to the attack that had worked on Grulgor previously. As I worked up a sweat in the fading etheric tides Shaeula was sitting down watching me, her eyes glowing amber.


    ¡°I have not been able to master that technique you are using.¡± Shaeula pouted, watching intently. ¡°I can form a blade that is sharp and deadly, but stretching it into such thin shapes and still making it sharp is beyond me yet-yet.¡±


    ¡°I think a lot of it is the visualisation. I¡¯ve seen demonstrations of cheese cutters and other fine cutting tools, so it¡¯s easier for me to force the wind into the shapes and thicknesses I want. When we return search the internet for monofilament cutters, seeing some videos might help you.¡±


    As we bantered back and forth time passed. Our stocks of ether were rising nicely, and it would soon be time to queue in an upgrade to an Ether Spire. The cost may be massive, but it was necessary to increase our rate of gain. Our training was interrupted though, Grulgor and a couple of his trolls rushing back to us with worried looks on their faces.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I asked, reaching for my spear.


    ¡°Grul says he is not sure.¡± Grulgor said slowly. ¡°But a visitor has come, one Grul says we cannot ignore.¡±


    ¡°A visitor?¡± I asked, and Grul nodded. ¡°The big snake from the holy ground on the hill has come down with servants. Grul says they wait at the border and want to speak to ruler here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Turning to Shaeula I asked her advice. ¡°What do you think? It seems like it could be a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are quite correct.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°There were three of us from the lands of the Fae here, Grulgor and I from the Seelie Court, and that wanderer the Raven Knight, but the fourth corner of power in this area was the shrine, but they did not get involved in our battles, so we left well enough alone-alone.¡±


    ¡°So if we can get them onside, or at least keep a neutral stance, we would only have to worry about the Raven Knight. I¡¯d love to secure our Territory from local threats so we can expand with less worry.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Shaeula nodded once more. ¡°However do not forget that this snake will not be of the Fae, they will think differently to us-us. The Three Oaths and Boons will not be an enticement for them. I have little understanding of how the so-called ¡®gods¡¯ of this land thinks-thinks.¡±


    ¡°So caution is the watchword. Got it. Still we can¡¯t just ignore this. Japan may be lousy with gods, the eight million, but most of them would be closer to the Fae in terms of being spirits of nature or folklore. Barring the major gods I feel we would be decently matched. Still, a snake... I hope it is no relation to the wyrm we killed...¡±


    Turning back to Grulgor I spoke again. ¡°Very well then Grulgor. Lead us to this snake-god. Bring all your trolls as well. I hope we can resolve things peacefully, but if it comes to violence...¡±


    ¡°Grul says he understands, if the snake causes trouble, Grul says he will break it and eat it.¡± Grul gurgled darkly.


    It didn¡¯t take us long to reach the boundary of our Territory at the base of the hill. Waiting there for us serenely was quite the sight. A large white snake, much smaller in scale than the earlier wyrm, but still massive, standing as high as me despite being coiled up, was waiting, wrapped in ceremonial priestly vestments, a crown made of snake fangs resting on its brow. It was accompanied by a half-dozen smaller snakes, wearing less flashy vestments, carrying an assortment of rods and sceptres on velvet cushions. Well this is a sight you don¡¯t see every day. How the hell do they move in those robes, it isn¡¯t like they have arms or legs?


    ¡°Hmph. Be sure you recognise me as your senior, snake. You would do well to listen to me, for I have served Akio longest-longest.¡± Shaeula said grumpily.


    ¡°Have no fear, I undersssstand your clossssenessssss to him. Now, if you would...¡± The White Snake hissed.


    ¡°Be my guest.¡± I allowed it access to the Silo, and it began to consume ether, absorbing it. The snake glowed with a bright halo of rainbow light, and the air was filled with a sibilant hissing, scratching at the edges of understanding. This light grew brighter for a moment and then faded, leaving the snake with a drooping head, looking exhausted.


    Holy crap, that brief oracle cost nearly twenty-thousand ether. We are definitely going to need to increase our supply to support the snakes¡¯ goals. Still the benefits long term could be great.


    ¡°It issss done.¡± The White Snake spoke. ¡°My adherentssss will lissssten to you now. Sssshould I hear anything from my fellow kami regarding other ... asssstral emperorssss assss you called them, I sssshall advisssse you.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great. If we are forewarned we are forearmed.¡± I quoted piously. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a quick look over the new Territory if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The snake nodded and followed, his attendants also moving with us. The shrine looked pretty different in the Boundary. The same basic form was unchanged, torii gates and buildings, but they were more magnificent, more... real, somehow, the reds bright and vivid, inlaid with golds, the buildings not the ramshackle state they were in on the Material, but well cared for and maintained. Still, if the Astral is the divine realm too, it makes sense...


    The area of Territory we had gained overall was not inconsiderable, probably amounting to a sixth of what we had already controlled. Luckily the shrine was just within a kilometre of my apartment, so it was able to be brought under our control, though likely the Territory expanded out further than we could claim. There were snakes everywhere, most normal yet oversized, though a few other stranger forms were also lurking.


    As we crested the hill to the main side building an excitable bark stopped us short. It was the kobold miner in charge of the kobolds. He was being followed by the rest of his kin, armed with spades, pickaxes and crude wheelbarrows. They quickly gathered around me, barking joyfully.


    ¡°A mine, a mine!¡± the leader wagged his tail ferociously. ¡°A great mine is here. Just say the word and we can work on it, speak and we can begin mining!¡±


    ¡°Will it damage the area?¡± I asked, looking at the White Snake. ¡°This is a holy place, after all, we can¡¯t defile it.¡±


    ¡°We mine well, we dig clean.¡± The kobold insisted. ¡°A small door in the hill, that will be all, that is it.¡±


    ¡°In that casssse I allow it. But pleasssse show resssspect to my sssshrine.¡±


    ¡°We will, we will.¡± The kobolds agreed. ¡°We will offer tribute to the shrine too, offer wealth.¡±


    Oh yeah, the shrine has an offertory box here too. Looking at the shrine by the bells there was a large box, ornately decorated, much more so than the one I remembered from Shirohebizumi from the Material world.


    Now that was settled the kobolds began to dig, pickaxes and shovels working fast. As they did so ether was consumed, and my secondary build queue was filled with a Kobold Mine Rank 4 Special.


    Rank 4? That sounds pretty amazing. My other buildings are at best rank 2....


    ¡°Have you noticed?¡± Shaeula spoke from beside me. I hadn¡¯t noticed she had been quiet since we entered the area, so it came as a bit of a surprise. ¡°The elemental earth is strong here. It is an uncomfortable feeling for a wind Fae such as myself... but if the energy can be harvested... trolls are Fae of earth, so it could strengthen Grulgor and his troops-troops.¡±


    ¡°Can we not use it ourselves? Earth and air together could come up with some great attacks.¡±


    ¡°Earth and wind are opposing elemental energies.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°To master both in one body would be fiendishly difficult-difficult.¡±


    ¡°But not impossible?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Shaeula pondered. ¡°I would say it was not possible, yet you have surpassed my expectations with your knowledge of the wind. It may be possible for you, but the path to success would be hard indeed-indeed.¡±


    If it isn¡¯t impossible then with enough hard work it¡¯ll just be a matter of time... so I could really use some more Ether Spires so we can pull this earth elemental energy too. Maybe it would be better to upgrade my Territory Anchor to Rank 3 instead of the Ether Spire upgrade... though a hundred astral days of the Territory being defenceless... hmm, decisions, decisions...

 Fifty-Five

    Fifty-Five


    After returning from the Boundary I opened my phone to discover a ton of missed calls and messages from Kana-chan. I wonder... does it have something to do with the oracle? If so, that was fast...


    The first messages were cutesy, full of emoticons, asking if I was there and if I could call her ASAP. They got progressively shriller as I hadn¡¯t answered, and towards the end I could detect rather a lot of annoyance in the words. She should have just assumed we were sleeping.


    Shaeula was tapping away on her phone, no doubt responding, as she had also received a wall of texts and calls overnight. I think I¡¯ll just let her do it.


    Several seconds after Shaeula had responded I nearly dropped my phone as it started ringing. Sure enough, it was Kana-chan. Wow, she¡¯s keen. Did she even sleep last night?


    With a sigh I accepted the call. ¡°Hey Kana-chan, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°About time you picked up. I¡¯ve been trying to call you all night.¡± She was trying to keep her voice sweet, but wasn¡¯t doing that good a job. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say she¡¯s pretty mad...


    ¡°Is there any guy who wouldn¡¯t want to take a call from a beauty like me late at night? Don¡¯t go playing hard to get big bro.¡± she continued.


    ¡°Sorry about that. We didn¡¯t have access to our phones last night, that¡¯s all. We weren¡¯t ignoring you Kana-chan, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She answered after a moment. ¡°That or the two of you were too busy to pick up the phone, eh?¡±


    Despite myself I blushed, bringing a snigger from Shaeula. ¡°It was nothing like that, I assure you. Anyway, what can I do for you? It¡¯s still pretty early.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, about what we were discussing yesterday, about coming to the shrine to meet my grandfather... things have got a bit more urgent, so I was really hoping you could come and see us today, big bro? He really wants to talk to you about something that happened last night...¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯ll be about the oracle, right?¡± I replied, bringing a long silence from the other end. Eventually Kana-chan spoke, her tone strained.


    ¡°Uh, how do you know about that big bro? Did you not answer my calls because you were spying on me... that¡¯s... kind of creepy you know, girls don¡¯t go for that sort of thing, trust me.¡±


    Man, she sounds pretty creeped out. I guess that is a logical inference, if totally something I wouldn¡¯t do...


    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± I explained myself quickly, her disgust hurting me. ¡°I¡¯ve only just met you... although that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d stalk you if I knew you better... hell, what am I even saying...?¡± flustered, I ignored the little laugh from Kana-chan and a louder one from Shaeula, who was watching me with some amusement. ¡°No, seriously, I know because I met your shrine¡¯s kami last night. We came to an arrangement so he said he would send an oracle to your shrine to support us.¡±


    ¡°I think I find it easier to imagine you were stalking me.¡± Kana-chan said doubtfully. ¡°You can¡¯t just meet a god. Even in our shrines records, which go back over a thousand years, they only appear very briefly to pass on oracles or warnings. It isn¡¯t like you can have a chat over tea and cake.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can certainly explain all this, but it¡¯s pretty unbelievable.¡± I admitted. ¡°Still, a smart girl like you who knows about powers that most would imagine to be mere stories should be able to understand.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡± With that, Shaeula and I followed them into the main building. It looked as though they had been doing repairs recently, as the building smelled of fresh paint and there were signs of activity everywhere. It still looks pretty shabby though. The girls took us to a curtained-off area, and within there were a half dozen men, most of whom were in priestly garb, as well as another ten shrine maidens, including a very tired looking Kana-chan. Okay, she does look very pretty in that outfit. She wasn¡¯t wrong about that either.


    Sitting at the head of the group, beside an old-looking serpentine statue, was a stern-faced older man in priest attire. When he saw us he moved to speak, only to suddenly frown, expression grave. I¡¯m guessing this is Kana-chan¡¯s grandfather? He does look rather... imposing...


    ¡°Where are the other shrine maidens?¡± he asked, and behind me the two sisters flinched. This one is pretty much my fault so I¡¯ll throw them a lifeline.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I said apologetically. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t overstep my bounds but I sent them on a quick errand. They¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well, I suppose it can be allowed, circumstances being what they are.¡± The priest replied, though his attitude was frosty. ¡°In any case, I expect you know why you are here, do you not?¡±


    Wow, this isn¡¯t going quite as smoothly as I would have liked. Still, the potential rewards are huge, and the White Snake has given me his support so I can win them over. I can do this!


    ¡°I do indeed. However there seems rather a lot of people here. Who are they, if I may ask? I have information of a very sensitive nature to share, and at this stage the fewer who know of it, the better.¡±


    ¡°They are all priests of local shrines who we have a good relationship with. They are as trustworthy as us and all have histories that go back many centuries or more. Should my granddaughter be speaking the truth this matter concerns them as well.¡± Behind him Kana-chan was looking at me compassionately, shrugging her shoulders in shared sympathy, which caused her to... bounce... rather distractingly. I then held in a wince as Shaeula stamped on my foot.


    ¡°Pay attention, Akio.¡± She whispered. ¡°If we can gain support from all these here, and they too have enshrined kami, then if we make allegiance with them too our position will be secure-secure!¡±


    ¡°All right them, I¡¯ll cut to the chase.¡± I conceded. ¡°Your granddaughter has a talent to see ¡¯abnormalities¡¯, I believe she called it. She ran into us by chance, and this led to us discovering both sides have access to what she called ¡®spiritual¡¯ abilities, although again I would use a different term. This alone was enough to make us valuable, as currently a big stir is happening within the community of shrines and temples in Japan, which are more intertwined with far longer and richer histories than I was aware of. Am I right up to now?¡±


    ¡°Substantially.¡± Kana-chan¡¯s grandfather conceded. ¡°Our kami sent a rare oracle to us last night which advised us to ¡®call them¡¯ which could only mean to speak to you, as that was the matter we were discussing at the time. And when you finally answered this morning... my granddaughter says you already knew about the oracle.¡±


    ¡°All right then, time to lay my cards on the table.¡± I said. No risk, no reward. ¡°The reason that I knew about it was because Shaeula and I had met with the White Snake this shrine venerates and concluded an alliance with him, providing him with the aether he required to send the oracle.¡±


    ¡°Preposterous!¡± a thin priest countered, spittle flying from his mouth as he exclaimed in rage. ¡°I can believe you may have great spiritual powers, ours is not the only shrine to have such storied figures in our history, yet to meet a god... your words are clearly false!¡±


    I was about to respond when Shaeula stepped forwards, eyes blazing. ¡°How dare you malign my master? Foolish little humans who have barely scratched the surface of mystery, you would speak of falsehoods-falsehoods?¡± wind energy supported by aether flared around her, dyeing the air around her a rich jade, whipping the clothes of the priests and maidens around us into movement, as if a strong wind was blowing within.


    Wow, I know we didn¡¯t spend as long training last night as normal, what with the discussions with the White Snake and other matters, but even so to be able to affect the world around her on the Material to such a degree... maybe she¡¯s had the breakthrough she was searching for...?


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 8 to level 9.


    Silver words blinked across my vision as Shaeula raged. Most of the shrine maidens had scuttled to the far corners of the room, quailing beneath her fury, and even the priests looked shaken, all except Kana-chan¡¯s Grandfather, who was watching with a calm gaze.


    ¡°You... you are not human, are you?¡± he asked, filling the room with a sudden silence, only the sound of the wind blowing breaking the tension...

 Fifty-Six

    Fifty-Six


    ¡°I see at least someone here is capable of recognising my brilliance.¡± Shaeula said, staring at him. ¡°No, indeed I am not a mortal such as you. I am a noble princess of the Seelie, a Fae. We dwell in what you would call the realm of the divine-divine.¡±


    ¡°That... is not possible!¡± one of the other priests denied it, leaning forwards against the wind. ¡°Kami, yokai, spirits... there have been times when it is recorded they have walked the soil of mortal Japan, yet only at times of a rare alignment with the divine realm, and often lasting but minutes or at best hours. No spiritual being could walk around like this for days, going about their business as a normal human, to say nothing of them displaying such power! It goes against everything we know!¡±


    ¡°You would ordinarily be correct. However thanks to the master whom I have shared Oath and Boon with, Akio here, I can walk freely on the Mortal plane, unlike my kin who can manifest for but moments on the conjunction of the moon and tides-tides.¡±


    ¡°And what of you?¡± Kana-chan¡¯s grandfather asked me. ¡°Are you a human, to be the master of such a being?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I laughed self-depreciatingly. ¡°Up until just a few weeks ago I was as ordinary as the next person. Of course, now things have changed. But that is getting into the topic of the things we need to discuss carefully.¡± Tapping Shaeula on the shoulder I asked her to calm down, which she reluctantly did, the verdant glow dying down around her, the wind ceasing. ¡°I think you¡¯ve made a breakthrough haven¡¯t you? I guess you won our bet after all.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, eyes bright, though the amber fires within had died down. ¡°Indeed you are correct. Not only has my mastery of the wind increased, my ability to generate it has grown by leaps and bounds as well-well! I believe I have reached a clear new level in power!¡±


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve demonstrated what we can do, maybe we should all relax and talk about things calmly. The White Snake has offered us support, and so we would like your support too. In exchange we have agreed to help the White Snake as well.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Let us all regain our calm and discuss this carefully.¡± He gestured to his priestly colleagues.


    We all took our places again, everyone looking at us with scared eyes except for Kana-chan, who was looking at Shaeula with something like awe, and her grandfather and another man who bore a resemblance to Kana-chan. Perhaps her father?


    ¡°All right then. I suppose I had better start from the beginning. Though of course, I expect that this information will be treated confidentially?¡± There was silence again, except for Kana-chan¡¯s Grandfather, who agreed. ¡°By the way, my name is Oshiro Akio. What would you be called, honoured priest? I can¡¯t keep referring to you as Kana-chan¡¯s grandfather.¡±


    ¡°I am Izumi Masaji. You may call me that, I have no objection. Now if you would begin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, could you explain that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well think about it. I¡¯m not sure how many people the Gods have selected, and I doubt they are common, but there will no doubt be others in the Boundary fighting and gathering strength. Any one of them could come across Shaeula and her kin and kill them for ether. Or do worse...¡± I shuddered. ¡°To say nothing of the consequences in the real world. Not all people are virtuous, hell, I know I¡¯m not perfect, I want power and fame as much as most people, but if an evil person was to get a hold of such power... imagine it. I daresay if I had a weapon I could kill every man here and do what I wanted with the women...¡± as the temperature of the room dropped again and the shrine maidens stared at me I hastily spoke. ¡°... not that I would ever do such a thing, but there are likely those that would. When I think of Shaeula, or my sister, or Kana-chan over there, being subjected to the whims of the powerful... I think power counters power.¡± There was more to it of course, but there was no need to explain about the worries of those from other worlds invading further down the line, when the ¡®newbie protection¡¯ Earth enjoyed wore off. If the Earth truly was in as much danger as Exposition-san said, I felt I had to step up. With great power comes great responsibility after all, as a wise man once said. That day I wished I had the power so that my sister and Eri-chan didn¡¯t have to cry. Now my wish is coming true, abandoning that chance would be a mistake...


    The silence was now uncomfortable, stretching out painfully. More time passed and I was about to speak when suddenly the curtain burst open and the shrine maiden from earlier, Keomi-chan, burst in carrying several large bags, followed by the other maiden who was panting with exhaustion, carrying more. ¡°I¡¯ve got all the cake! Thanks for your generosity, mister!¡± she said brightly to me, only to grind to a halt as everyone in the room turned to stare at her.


    For a long moment, the scene persisted, Keomi-chan getting redder and redder, shrinking in on herself. ¡°Uhh, sorry, was this a bad time?¡± she said faintly. Damn, that¡¯s pretty adorable. I was about to speak up when Kana-chan suddenly burst out laughing, shattering the quiet.


    ¡°Oh my god Keomi-chan, you are so stupid.¡± She practically howled. ¡°But your timing is perfect. I¡¯ve been dying to try the cake in that box for an hour now. My grandfather and the other old men are thinking way too hard about this. I don¡¯t think big bro is such a bad guy, after all, if a woman as pretty as Shaeula stays with him, human or not, then he can¡¯t be all bad. Now let¡¯s see what we have...¡± she hurried over and opened the bags, crowing over box after box of expensive cake.


    A different sort of tension was running around the room now, the girls eyeing the cakes. With a chuckle I threw my hands up. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all take a break, have some cake and then start over. Maybe when we¡¯ve had something sweet we¡¯ll be more in a mood to discuss things?¡±


    ¡°I desire alcohol.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°It goes well with sweet things-things.¡±


    Some of the bolder shrine maidens had clustered around Keomi-chan and the other one, so the stillness was banished. Passing the bag I carried to Shaeula I looked at Izumi-san who nodded.


    ¡°Very well, we will take a short break. I dare say I can find some ceremonial sake and beer if I look hard enough.¡± As he stood he looked at me, his eyes hard. ¡°I am not entirely satisfied with your reasoning, and I cannot be sure of just what our Great White Snake-sama intended when he asked us to call you, whether it was to join you in an alliance as you claim, or to warn us against you and these other ¡®Astral Emperors¡¯ as you called them. But one thing I do know is that whatever the answer, we cannot go into this situation ignorant. If the Gods truly are trying to save the Earth, then we must answer their wishes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed, watching the gaggle of girls attack the many cakes Keomi-chan had purchased. ¡°The times are changing, and even if we do nothing, that won¡¯t halt it. All we can do is adapt, and do the best we can to make sure the times change to better ones.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± He agreed. ¡°In times of change great opportunities lie...¡±

 Fifty-Seven

    Fifty-Seven


    ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t know if my phone is broken or you started too soon, but that¡¯s amazing, mister.¡± Keomi-chan said, looking down at the timer on her phone, which had stopped at just over eight seconds. ¡°That¡¯s totally a world record right there!¡±


    Wiping a few drops of sweat from my brow I smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me mister. You can use my name you know.¡± As for the run I had just completed, a hundred metres marked out, I had certainly exceeded what was commonly possible for a human.


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of embarrassing.¡± Keomi-chan muttered. ¡°But you are incredible. You could be really famous if you wanted.¡±


    Indeed, I had been breaking records to demonstrate the power I had. Before the hundred metres I had shattered the world record in long jump, and had lifted heavy objects with ease. I guess all the stat boosts and physical training I have been doing have really shown concrete results.


    A gaggle of shrine maidens and the priests were gathered around Shaeula, who was demonstrating tricks with wind, her most popular one being slicing cakes perfectly with a fine thread of elemental energy. She didn¡¯t even need to do more research. Either she broke through because she mastered it, or breaking through allowed her mastery. Not that it matters...


    ¡°So I have to ask...¡± one of the shrine maidens from another shrine asked her. ¡°If Oshiro-san is your master, does that mean you have to do anything he asks?¡±


    ¡°Akio is not such a fool as to demand anything inappropriate with me. He may have bested me and won my loyalty, but I am pure-blooded royalty of the Seelie, a princess, daughter of the great Shaetanao. Were he to abuse me, my father would not remain silent-silent.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you still let him buy you underwear, don¡¯t you?¡± Kana-chan chimed in, shooting me a sly look. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s pretty inappropriate. I bet you even let him choose?¡±


    ¡°Is it not natural for a master to provide for his servant, especially one as excellent as me in all regards-regards?¡± Shaeula asked, bringing giggles from the girls around.


    ¡°I always thought you were a bit of a pervert, big bro.¡± Kana-chan said. ¡°Still, I like you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, leaving aside my dignity that is now in tatters...¡± I tried to change the subject, flushed with embarrassment that caused Keomi-chan and the others to laugh at me. ¡°... Now that you have seen more proof of the powers we hold have you had any more thought about an alliance?¡±


    ¡°I have a question of my own first.¡± Izumi-san asked, coming over with the sister shrine maidens and his son in tow. ¡°While I have seen your abilities and can only conclude there is much truth in your words, and I can see the benefits our shrine could reap from an association with you, I would ask can you not bring our Great White Snake-sama to the mortal realm, as you have for Shaeula-sama?¡±


    Shaeula frowned at the honorific, but I guess it made sense that a devout priest would see a noble spiritual being such as her as something sacred.


    ¡°Well...¡± I began, not sure of how much to reveal. I had been careful to limit information on just how my Territory functioned in case talks fell through, as there were other Astral Emperor-candidates out there and some may have connections with the temples and shrines of Japan. In fact, if the greater Japanese gods were involved, I should expect that. ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t impossible, but I used up a significant proportion of my resources granting Shaeula the power of a mortal body. Over time I could gather further resources, although I do have other issues that require them. But perhaps...¡± I ran some quick calculations. ¡°...by Christmas I think that¡¯s doable.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is interesting. And could this boon be extended to other kami, such as those of our fellows? Faith that we have hoarded for a thousand years has been dwindling in this modern era, but with concrete proof of the divine...¡±


    ¡°This all seems rather sudden. With a great conclave called, it seems rash to agree to such things before we find out the reason why. It could well be to address these so called ¡®Astral Emperors¡¯ could it not?¡±


    ¡°It certainly could.¡± Izumi-san agreed. ¡°However we are all smaller shrines, with little influence despite rich history. What power we have has been maintained by working together. This is a chance to massively increase our standing within the entire conclave. It will take place before Christmas, so until then we have only a co-operative relationship, which we can break off if either side needs to. I fail to see the issue here.¡±


    ¡°Well, may I suggest this then?¡± I said, pleased that the scary grandfather of Kana-chan had come on board. ¡°Until the White Snake kami can be brought to the Material plane to vouch for me, we will work together loosely. In exchange for your influence we will undertake training of a few people per shrine. Information on Shaeula and me will be restricted to between us, and as for the conclave... perhaps I can attend? That way I can address any concerns and support your attempts to gain influence. Everybody wins, right?¡±


    ¡°That does sound... reasonable.¡± The last holdout conceded.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. How does two from each shrine sound to start with then?¡± Izumi-san suggested. ¡°We could start today.¡±


    ¡°About that...¡± I said apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m heading to my hometown over the weekend, and then next week I have a business trip abroad to raise funds for the next stage of my plans. I could start after that though?¡±


    ¡°That seems acceptable.¡± The priests exchanged looks and all nodded. ¡°But first, if I may ask, what town are you from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little place called Nishimorioka up in the mountains of Aichi prefecture. It and a couple of other villages are the only thing around there, unless you like mountains and trees. It¡¯s pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but its home.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. Fetch the list.¡± Izumi-san ordered his son, who raced off into the main building. As I waited, wondering what they were doing, I couldn¡¯t help but admire Shaeula who was at the centre of the group of shrine maidens, like an amber dahlia amidst a sea of white and red petals. It might be nice if she made some more friends... I daresay some of these girls will be coming for lessons. Wow, now I suddenly feel nervous...


    Kana-chan¡¯s father returned, looking pleased. ¡°They are listed. The shrine at Nishimorioka is a true one.¡±


    ¡°I see then.¡± Izumi-san turned back to me. ¡°In that case, we will pen you a letter to take to your home shrine. While I am loathe to disclose information of you yet to other shrines, the support of your hometown shrine would carry weight with the conclave. Come, we must pen a suitable missive.¡± He gestured to the other priests who followed him to the main house. As they left an older woman who looked quite a lot like Kana-chan appeared, holding a covered basket.


    ¡°So you must be Oshiro-kun.¡± She said, giving me a bright smile. She¡¯s pretty hot. If that¡¯s Kana-chan¡¯s mother then Kana-chan is going to stay pretty as she gets older... ¡°I am Izumi Nagi, but you can call me Nagi. Thank you for listening to my daughter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem Nagi-san.¡± I answered, nervous. ¡°She¡¯s quite the persistent girl. But she seems well mannered. She¡¯s a good daughter I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Oh you are a very polite one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nagi-san said gently, handing me the basket. ¡°Take this as a sign of our goodwill. It¡¯s some spirits we have brewed using the produce from the shrine. Your companion looks as though she enjoys alcohol. Though at her size I would suggest moderation.¡± She winked at me.


    ¡°Thanks for the gift. She¡¯ll definitely appreciate it. Don¡¯t worry, if your daughter is one of those who comes to our teaching we¡¯ll look after her and treat her well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Nagi-san agreed. We talked for a while, waiting for the letter, while Shaeula exchanged numbers with all the shrine maidens. It was late afternoon by the time we had received our sealed letter, exchanged various phone numbers with the priests and agreed a schedule for our first training session. Walking down the hill back towards our home I felt drained, yet full of a sense of accomplishment. The alliance is still fragile, but if I can convert it into a firm one... who knows what we can achieve...

 Fifty-Eight

    Fifty-Eight


    After a relaxing afternoon, during which we were too drained to do much more than relax and play around, watching TV and gaming (although I did have a quick spin on the roulette, adding another fifteen hundred Pounds to the pot) we entered the Boundary. The tide was diminishing even further, the sky looking almost normal (for the Boundary, anyway) and the flakes of rainbow snow were much diminished in frequency.


    On our return I called for all our forces, as it was time to prepare for the final task before heading to my hometown, defeating the Raven Knight and securing the area. As they arrived, Grulgor and his trolls, The White Snake, the kobolds and the weaselkin, I received a shock. There were now two Kamaitachi!


    Shaeula puffed her small chest proudly. ¡°When I increased my power my ability to restore my kin improved and I was able to return one of my fallen sickle-weasels to life-life!¡±


    ¡°Good job!¡± I approved, activating my ability to see Shaeula¡¯s prowess, to sate my curiosity about how much stronger she had become.


    Holy crap! No wonder she was so powerful when she got annoyed at the shrine. Most of her stats have almost caught up with mine, to say nothing of the epic boost to her Aether! And the jump in her skill levels... My skill levels had gone up too, and I was feeling pretty good about that, but Shaeula¡¯s had soared. I guess that¡¯s her natural talent, being a noble Fae of the wind. Still, without my training regimen and the knowledge I had imparted to her she never could have grown so much. That¡¯s right. She¡¯s worked hard but I can take some credit too I think!


    ¡°You are looking rather smug, Akio. I do not think I approve-approve.¡± Shaeula sniffed, breaking my reverie.


    ¡°I was just admiring how strong you¡¯ve grown.¡± I praised her wryly. ¡°I really thought I¡¯d have a breakthrough first, and while I have improved, you have surpassed me. You win our bet, so I¡¯ll do anything you wish. What would you like?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me think about what I wish from you. I shall decide in due course-course.¡± She responded, eyes gleaming.


    Hmm, I¡¯m totally not nervous at all about what she is going to demand. Anyway, enough worrying. Clearing my throat awkwardly I outlined the objective and the plan for the mission. ¡°I think it is time we dealt with the Raven Knight and made this area secure. I don¡¯t expect it will be easy, but with all of us working together it should be possible. I¡¯ll leave the kobolds in charge of the Territory while we are gone. As for the rest of us, we will advance on his territory en-masse.¡±


    ¡°Grul says he approves of the plan.¡± Grulgor gurgled. Behind him his trolls were working themselves up into a frenzy at the thought of battle. ¡°Grul says he will crush the annoying little bird-man once and for all!¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯ll get your chance. Since you are the strongest of us all and hardest to injure you¡¯ll be leading the charge. I want our weaselkin, especially the Kamaitachi, to support with ranged attacks. Shaeula and I will be flexible, responding to unexpected circumstances, and attacking as appropriate.¡±


    Immediately everyone took up their weapons, only for sudden screams and howls of pain to ring out. Giant ravens were swooping down from the sky in large numbers, supported by shadowy humanoids kept aloft on large black wings of razor sharp feathers. Several weaselkin fell, though they did manage to defeat some ravens with their retaliation.


    ¡°Watch the skies!¡± I ordered, sweeping out with wind, joined by the two Kamaitachi and Shaeula. The fog blew away, revealing a host of flying creatures. My blades slashed one of the winged humanoids, felling it, while several more were slain by my companions. Even as those did though, others were coming, soaring up high above us, large boulders clutched in their clawed feet. The enemy Territory was resisting us, making our attacks harder to manifest, and in addition the cloying air of darkness was hampering us further.


    ¡°Oh shit. Scatter!¡± I ordered, as the bombardment began. Boulders streaked down like meteors, hammering into the ground with an earth-shaking roar, sending lethal debris made of shattered walls and tombstones everywhere. The white snakes brought forth shields of mud and rock with their powers, but even so several trolls were injured, and more weaselkin fell.


    This is one hell of an ambush. Even as we struggled more ravens and winged fiends left the sanctuary of the dark oak, and their true terror was revealed. Dark feathers started to cloud the sky like barbed arrows, launched at high speed, raining down on us incessantly. One struck my shoulder, grating off the wyrmscale mail, but several others pierced one of the Kamaitachi beside me, leaving one arm dangling useless, blood splattering the ground.


    ¡°We need to press the attack. The tree itself will offer some cover.¡± I advised, and we hurried through under bombardment, only the earthen shields conjured by the white snakes allowing us to get there with relatively light casualties. It was then, as the first trolls and Grulgor lumbered into safety, I realised I had made another mistake...


    ¡°Grrrr... Grul says he is stuck. There are giant webs here...¡± Grul thrashed as thick sticky ropes tangled his arms and legs. Beside him other trolls were flailing about too, but were unable to break free. Hidden by the darkness and fog a giant web had been set up between the tree and the ominous mausoleum at the centre of the graveyard, and it had caught us like flies...


    ¡°We need to cut the trolls free as quickly as we can, else they will be worn down and slaughtered.¡± Shaeula quickly made her move, using the new thin blades of air she had mastered to start slicing the ropes. Even as strong as her blades were they slid through slowly, taking several seconds to cut each strand. ¡°We must beware other foes. The Raven Knight proves clever indeed-indeed.¡± she gave grudging praise, as troll blood slicked the floor, many of them looking like birds themselves they were stuck with so many barbed feathers. I joined my efforts in freeing Grulgor and he soon staggered out, bellowing, while the Kamaitachi tried to slay as many of the fliers as they could. Feathers were deflecting from Shaeula¡¯s and my armour, though she had a cut across one sleeveless arm from a glancing blow, while I was limping from where shrapnel from a boulder had shredded the flesh on my lower legs.


    Just as we were starting to make headway the next trap sprung, graves bursting open to disgorge a swarm of shambling zombies. They were not a large threat though their numbers could certainly prove a problem, but what followed was a series of giant spiders and scorpions with mutant human faces clambering out after them, using the corpses as shields and belching out poisonous flames.


    Damn, it must be... even before I could finish my thought the outline of the enemy I suspected was visible on the roof of the mausoleum, glaring at me hatefully. She gestured, and with that contemptuous wave another group of a half-dozen even larger spiders scuttled out of the building, being ridden by swarms of winged humanoids, these ones armed with spears, axes and swords.


    This looks really bad... I turned, looking at our avenues of retreat, but great webs had been hoisted up all around the battlefield, trapping us like it was a cage match. Wicked laughter rang out, and with another curt gesture she sent a rain of sticky strands outwards, carried by the many ravens, falling down upon us and binding many of our troops in place again, where they started to fall to the aerial threat.


    What do we do, what do we do? As I searched frantically for a solution another figure mounted the mausoleum. This one was tall and slender, human-shaped yet shrouded in a voluminous cloak. Behind his back lay a pair of jet black raven wings, and peeking from the hood of his robes was an ornate metal beak, perhaps from some sort of helm. He raised the staff he clutched in one hand high and declared for us all to hear.


    ¡°Welcome to my little trap, foolish little half-Fae.¡±

 Fifty-Nine

    Fifty-Nine


    ¡°Just who are you, you knave-knave?¡± Shaeula spat in response, eyes glowing with fury at the mocking tone the Raven Knight used. ¡°To know of me...¡±


    ¡°Oh, who does not know of you, little half-breed whelp of Shaetanao, the most pathetic of the Seven Royal Bloodlines? Why do you think you were allowed, nay forced to come to this country where the Seelie Court holds little sway? And with such poor retainers at that.¡±


    It was impossible to see his face under the hood and mask, but I could just tell the Raven Knight was wearing a cruel grin. Still... Shaeula made great pains to tell me repeatedly she was a pure-blooded princess... I guess maybe there is more to her story than I know...


    Even so, there was little time to think about that. We were still massively outnumbered, and while we had paused for conversation, the aether drain of his Territory and the darkness was slowly weakening us. Stalling for time only helped him, not us.


    I turned to Shaeula, who was biting her lip so hard blood was leaking from it. ¡°Ignore that jerk. We¡¯ll beat him down and find out all we need to know then, all right?¡±


    She looked at me gratefully and nodded. ¡°Very well, my master. We shall destroy his plans and have him beg to be our slave-slave!¡± with that she raised her hand and unleased the move she had used in the battle against Grulgor and his trolls.


    ¡°Emerald Wind Prison! Second Form!¡±


    Second form? Wasn¡¯t that from a magical girl anime she was watching the other day?


    A shimmering sphere of wind swallowed the sky. It was far less dense than the wall that had restrained Grulgor¡¯s trolls, though it covered a much wider area, snaring in most of the crows and quite a few winged monsters. For a moment I couldn¡¯t work out what her aim was, but then the sphere began to contract, pushing against the crows. Some of the winged monsters broke free, taking minor damage from the sharp blades of wind that comprised the shining sphere, but the crows were too weak, and as the sphere constricted further even the remaining winged beasts could not escape, buffeted back by the now deadlier condensed wind energies...


    ¡°Do not... slander... me-me!¡± She grated, closing her first, the sphere collapsing in on itself, air rushing in to fill the sudden gap, crackling like a sonic boom. Black feathers and gore rained down from the sky as the sphere exploded, and as a silvery message I had not seen for a while crossed my vision I caught the staggering Shaeula, but she pushed me aside with only a short ¡°I am fine-fine!¡± and she conjured another Emerald Wind Prison, this time as a long wall, blocking us off from the spider and scorpion monsters.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from fourteen to fifteen.


    Every boost here was key to us getting out of this alive. The Raven Knight was ordering the jorogumo to unleash flames against the wind wall to consume it, but our white snakes were throwing up earthen barriers to block the attacks, buying us time. Our forces were struggling free of the sticky strands they had been trapped in, and in the skies there were less than half of our foes left...


    Hurling some attacks of vibrating jade wind blades at the Raven Knight, who dodged them with ease, I prepared an invisible attack. After my next volley was also evaded I unleashed it, a stabbing drill that was aimed at his chest. Got you!


    ¡°Yes, why do that, foolish mortal?¡± The Raven Knight tilted his head quizzically, the protruding beak mask making him look much like the bird he shared his name with. ¡°Why save this little half-Fae who was sent out to this foreign land virtually alone? Should you not be more concerned with the oncoming destruction of this rotten world?¡±


    Even as he spoke some flying creatures divebombed towards us and the snakes, but I was done with being pushed back. Aiming to kill Shaeula had definitely crossed my bottom line. No more kind Japanese protagonist for me. I needed the information he had, and then I was going to pay him back in kind. Patting Shaeula¡¯s back with one hand to reassure her, I swung my other and a series of fine vibrating threads of wind sliced through the air, bisecting many of the fliers, scattering the others.


    Even as the slain foes were falling, dissolving into ether, I asked the Raven Knight a question. ¡°So you know about the danger I¡¯ve been told will befall the Earth. Don¡¯t you care? Won¡¯t you be in danger as well?¡±


    ¡°You think I fear doom little mortal? I, who have lived longer than your family has history? Besides, your efforts will amount to naught in the end. Those fools who call themselves Gods may try to stave off the inevitable with puppets such as you and others, but this world has lost too much to endure. No, I will simply enjoy watching everything burn, and then I shall leave, satisfied. There are other worlds than these in the Astral. I dare say I can find one more to my liking than this world of faded myth and false legend, where lies are oft truth and truth but bitter falsehoods.¡±


    Damn, I wish he¡¯d say what he knows instead of just hinting about it like some third-rate underling...


    ¡°Seems pretty short-sighted if you ask me. If you don¡¯t like the world, then change it, don¡¯t just sit there complaining. Besides, what does that have to do with Shaeula?¡± I was pretty pissed off. Shielding her, I continued to attack, scooping what little ether I could from the fallen monsters, though most was gathered by the Raven Knight as it was his Territory, and it was barely enough to offset the drain in aether I was suffering from. Flames gushed from my imagination, aether turning into a blaze that ignited several webs, burning the spiders there alive. Still, it did not spread as I wished, the darkness seeming to close in on the fires, smothering them.


    ¡°The half-Fae? That was mostly a pleasure. Though there are certainly those who wish to see her... disappear. But what of it? You think you can hold out much longer? I think not.¡±


    As he spoke I looked around. The two Kamaitachi were both in bad shape, though still fighting against the remaining fliers. Most of the weaselkin were dead though, orbs of light constantly joining the faintly glowing constellation around Shaeula. Grulgor was now engaged with the jorogumo, though she was dancing around him, her darkness-imbued legs ripping great rents in his flesh. And the White Snake kami was putting up a good fight, spikes of rock impaling many scorpions and spiders, yet several of his kin were dead, as was one troll, who had finally stopped moving, chopped into multiple pieces, each pulled apart by webbing. Several others were running out of ability to regenerate as well.


    I looked Shaeula in the eyes and she nodded, once more gnawing on her cut and bleeding lips. This bastard keeps saying the very things that hurt her. I¡¯m going to rip that mask off so she can find out who he is... ¡°Right, we are going to have to risk it all to take him down. Otherwise this won¡¯t end.¡± With that said Shaeula unleashed what power she had remaining, her wind wall dying off. The crumbling rock walls exploded, turning into a massive shotgun-style blast of corroded shrapnel. Grulgor and a couple of his trolls caught in the blast staggered, and even the jorogumo could not avoid being hit, one of her legs severed by the debris.


    Ignoring the dead and dying mass of spiders I raced forwards, leaving Shaeula to back up the rear. My spear slashed out, spearing and killing several wounded foes as I passed, my aether combining with my wind to create a burning shroud that cut through the lingering webs. Leaping up onto the mausoleum several winged foes dived down to stop me but I expelled my fiery aura in a halo, burning them and some lingering corpses to ashes.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from fifteen to sixteen.


    Another timely boost. I felt my strength increase a little, so with a final push I crested the crumbling edifice in front of me, spear shimmering with vibrating wind energy. I¡¯m going to make you beg for forgiveness at Shaeula¡¯s feet, you bastard...


    Suddenly I ground to a halt, weapon held in front of me. The Raven Knight had jumped to the back of the mausoleum and was a few metres away from me, just out of reach of my spear. In his hands were a half dozen glowing crystals, their rich red glow muted by the darkness. Oh shit...


    ¡°You recognise these, yes? I thought a puppet would. Most of the Seelie think these but pretty trinkets washed up on the etheric tides, but you know better, yes?¡± he let out a dark chuckle. ¡°You have exceeded my expectations indeed. Had I not formed an alliance with the jorogumo you failed to finish, this might have turned out very differently. But still, you chose poorly. Farewell, mortal puppet. That half-Fae and stupid troll will join you soon after. Second Weal, Second Woe!¡±

 Sixty

    Sixty


    The Raven Knight gestured, and several of the red Etherite ores disintegrated, strengthening the surging power that surrounded him. ¡°Second Weal... Darkness Drawing!¡± at his words the night around us shivered, and suddenly the darkness energy he had buffed the jorogumo and the spiders with was drawn out of them, converging on the Raven Knight, wreathing him in boiling shadows.


    This can¡¯t be good... clutching my spear I resolved to try and strike him down before he could make his next move, but even as I was moving the Raven Knight shook his masked face at me. ¡°Second Woe... Jaws of the Questing Beast!¡± The already dark surroundings went as black as the deepest starless night as the remaining Etherites melted. I stumbled to a halt as in front of me reared a massive wall of inky darkness. Turning my head quickly I could see that these walls went around me in a full unbroken circle, towering five metres into the sky, studded with sharp, metre-long teeth along each sixty-degree angle, and topped with three-metre fangs at the top. It seemed a cross between a snake and a fictional sandworm...


    Shit, if that closes in on me I¡¯m done... as time seemed to slow down for me as I wracked my brain for a way out, the Raven Knight spoke again. ¡°Be swallowed up and die to the wrath of the Unseelie¡¯s favourite hunting beast. Despair, knowing that after your death that half-Fae trash and all your other motley allies will follow you soon...¡±


    Think, he¡¯s giving me time by bragging... can I jump out? No, it was too high, even with an aether or wind boost... cut my way out? No, the power radiating from the Jaws is far too strong...


    ¡°Now die. Devour him!¡± at his shout the walls of darkness surrounding me collapsed inwards, sharp fangs of darkness seeking my heart...


    Without thinking I went for the only move I could make, one last desperate gamble on surviving. Channelling what power I had left I struck downwards with the combined force of wind and aether, shattering stone. Then the jaws slammed shut, darkness scattering like inky blood, forming a dome of midnight hue.


    ¡°Nooooooooo, Akio!¡± I could faintly hear the anguished wail from Shaeula, drifting in from what seemed like miles away, as I lay wracked with pain. Wait, pain and her voice means I¡¯m still alive, right? Looking up I could see darkness above. From above. With barely any thought I¡¯d reacted and made the only move that could save my life. The Jaws had formed a cylinder around me, so the only way of safety was down. I had blasted at the monument under my feet, shattering stone and dropping me painfully to the ground below, leaving me under the closing Jaws and safe for now. Though I am running dry on aether and wind, barely any left, and that is being pulled away by the enemy Territory...


    ¡°You monster, Raven Knight. I¡¯ll kill-kill-kill-kill you!¡± Shaeula was roaring, her voice pained. Hearing her anguish I dragged myself to my feet, wincing as everything ached. I reached for my spear, only to find it was now a foot of shattered black wood, the top having been eaten by the Jaws. Damn, that¡¯s been with me since pretty much I started... Still, I had no time to waste. Hearing the cruel laughter of the Raven Knight and the wails of Shaeula I smashed my way through the crumbling stone walls of the mausoleum and staggered out into the chaos.


    Shaeula was throwing out attacks, her eyes wild. Beside her was only one badly injured Kamaitachi, the second having returned to death after only having been restored to life recently. She was taking attacks from spiders and scorpions, though her wyrm-scale mail was preventing fatal wounds. Damn, this is hard to watch...


    ¡°Shaeula, calm down! I¡¯m all right. we need to keep a cool head, it¡¯s time to retreat!¡± I didn¡¯t want to run, it would mean our heavy sacrifices here would have been for nothing, but what else could we do?


    Shaeula paused, frozen, as she turned towards me. ¡°Akio!¡± she cried, suddenly overjoyed. ¡°You are alive-alive!¡± for a moment she seemed to forget where she was, racing towards me, before several undead zombies shambled into her path.


    ¡°No, that cannot be. How can you have escaped the Jaws of the Questing Bea... ack...¡± the Raven Knight said incredulously, before exclaiming in agony. His beak mask shattered, blood splattering and evaporating into the darkness, and there was the sound of breaking bones. One arm was torn free, and his wings were stripped of feathers by an unseen force, leaving spurs of bare bone behind.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 9 to level 10.


    Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm and ?????? have increased.


    Why? What is going on... Still, there was no time to worry about such matters. With the Raven Knight having taken huge damage from nowhere this was our chance. As I was about to call out to my allies Shaeula let out a great peal of laughter. ¡°Not so brave are you now, Unseelie dog-dog? The fate backlash of failing to pay the Woe has rebounded upon you threefold. Die, like the worthless traitor you are-are!¡±


    Fate backlash? Ignoring that for now I shouted to my allies. ¡°Shaeula, Grulgor, kami, can we still fight on?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are asking, master?¡± Shaeula grinned, her mood restored despite the blood running down her body from her many injuries. ¡°Now that this cowardly... crow...¡° she spat, tauntingly. ¡°...has suffered his just deserts for going against us, we shall surely prevail. I would like a crow-head mounted on the wall above my throne-throne.¡±


    As the rewards scrolled through my vision, I slumped to the floor, spent. Finally. I know I¡¯ve said this before, but never again. We were too overconfident, attacking another Territory is overwhelmingly more difficult than other fights. I nearly broke my sister and Eri-chan¡¯s hearts by dying. Shaeula¡¯s too, though if I had died, most likely Shaeula and the others would have followed me. No, now that we have secured this area, it is time to stop rushing ahead and consolidate.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t lie to myself. While I continued to strive, death was an ever-present spectre hanging over us. Still, would stopping now only doom us to death later anyway, as the world grew more dangerous and other candidates for Astral Emperor-hood started running amok?


    My thoughts were interrupted by Shaeula, who sat down beside me, her body trembling with exhaustion. The kami was watching from a distance, and Grulgor was busy stomping around, bellowing incoherently.


    ¡°So, we won.¡± I said, deadpan.


    Shaeula snorted a laugh. ¡°So we did, so we did. Though I admit I thought we were all going to perish for a moment there-there.¡±


    ¡°You seemed particularly sad when you thought I¡¯d died. What was it... Nooooooooo, Akio!¡± I mimicked, causing her to blush and hit me repeatedly with her small fists.


    ¡°Of course I was sad, Akio you fool-fool!¡± she sulked, but then froze as I pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment before leaning into me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve learned from this. Now we have removed the nearby threats we¡¯ll take our time and build a steady foundation before we take risks like this again. I don¡¯t want to lose you... or Grulgor or the kami. When your kin return, this time they won¡¯t die so easily!¡±


    ¡°I believe that is for the best.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Akio, what that filthy Unseelie said...¡± she trailed off, nervous.


    I hugged her tighter and with one arm ruffled her hair again. ¡°It¡¯s all right, you don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to, you are a princess to me, nothing has changed. Though I do have one question first, if I may?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll talk about it. The time for it is now-now. What is your question?¡±


    ¡°Just why did the Raven Knight get injured so badly. One minute he was totally in control of us, and the next he was suddenly a wreck. You said something about fate backlash and woe rebound, I think I heard?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Like the Three Oaths and Boons of the Seelie, the Three Weals and Three Woes of the Unseelie is a part of their very soul-soul. The Weal gives great blessing, but it must be paid by inflicting a great Woe upon someone else, as befits such vile, dark creatures. When you evaded the Woe of the Jaws of the Questing Beast, the Woe went unpaid, and the backlash is threefold-threefold.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that seems pretty risky. I wouldn¡¯t use such skills at that cost.¡±


    ¡°All dark abilities come with risk, yet the power is devastating. Those Jaws would have killed a fresh Grulgor in one blow-blow. It could even have slain that wyrm, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°That does indeed sound powerful.¡± I agreed. To survive such a magnified backlash, the bastard must be proud of his toughness... I made to release her and stand, but Shaeula snaked her arms around me.


    ¡°Not yet. It is time to talk about... my father and my place in the Seelie Court-court...¡±

 Sixty-One

    Sixty-One


    Clutched in my arms, Shaeula began to speak, her voice faltering. ¡°My Father, Shaetanao Gar Shae Dannan, is indeed a noble prince of the Seelie, lord-lord of one of the seven remaining branches of Fae Royalty. So I am definitely a noble princess.¡± Her voice regained some strength as she looked at me, eyes expectant.


    I rubbed her back gently, reassuring her. ¡°I¡¯ve never doubted that for a moment. So, remaining branches?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We are from the branch of the Beastkin, though that itself is a consolidation of other branches, some of which are lost-lost...¡± she paused for a moment, before stealing herself to go on. ¡°...and others became Unseelie, the traitorous scum-scum.¡±


    ¡°So the Unseelie are mortal enemies of the Seelie, from what I¡¯ve gathered?¡±


    ¡°Indeed-indeed. In the distant past, before even my noble father was born, all Fae lived in harmony, not only with each other, but with you primitive humans-humans. The Material world was closer entwined with the Boundary and deeper Astral, and many Fae would live in the forests and mountains, in deep hidden places-places.¡±


    ¡°I guess that would explain where tales of faeries, gods and other mythical beings come from. But there seems to be an issue if we compare that to what Exposition-san told me.¡±


    If the world was already connected to the Astral in the past, then why was the world not destroyed then? But I doubted Shaeula would lie to me... Exposition-san was only with me a short time... while their help set me on this path, there was definitely a lot they were keeping from me...


    Seeing me lost in thought Shaeula pinched my cheek, which hurt! ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m listening, I promise!¡±


    ¡°As you should-should.¡± She continued. ¡°Back then there were many other branches of the Fae, and not all were satisfied with the world. Most Fae love trickery, us weaselkin are such, and over time the tricks escalated. Stealing shoes or souring milk were common pranks-pranks, but eventually leading humans over cliffs to their deaths, or stealing children and replacing them with changelings grew more common-common.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, quite the escalation there, from harmless to deadly.¡±


    ¡°Indeed-indeed. Even so it did not threaten our cohabitation. Fae were usually living away from most humans, who had built villages and towns, taming the wilds-wilds. But then, as the Scotsman told me when I was young...¡± she looked at me, her eyes serious. ¡°... the humans started to hate us. Some say it was the Gods, beings who had little to do with the Fae, that turned humans against us-us. Though none knows for certain. Any mortal who knew Fae-craft or arts using aether were outcast, or worse, tortured and slain-slain.¡±


    Has she mentioned the Scotsman before? Before I could ask Shaeula spoke. ¡°The Scotsman is one of the old mortals, one who knows the way of power. He lives in the timeless realm of the Seelie Court, aging not-not, and is one of the advisors to the king-king. There are other rumours too...¡± Shaeula flushed then, I could see red running down even to her collarbones peeking from her yukata. ¡°... but we have no time to speak of them here-here. In any case, once the humans who trafficked with us were gone-gone, the others turned their gaze upon us-us. Many Fae perished under blades of cold iron and fire-fire.¡±


    ¡°Did you fight back?¡± I asked, holding her tighter. The tale was both thrilling and sad.


    ¡°What could we do-do? While there were Fae of great power, their numbers were few-few indeed. You humans breed at an inexhaustible rate, so even if we slew all in a town, within a few short decades there would be more than before-before. And we have children but rarely, so each Fae slain left us weaker.¡±


    ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, it doesn¡¯t make sense that Duke Formor and Grulgor are in that faction?¡± I asked, puzzled.


    ¡°I did not say they were rational, did I-I?¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°Anyway, I still am descended from royalty, two lines in fact-fact, yet there are some that feel my blood is filthy. My brothers and sister have tried to look out for me, but in the end it was decided I would come to the land of my mother-mother, and find my own path to glory here.¡±


    So that explains why she is accompanied by Kamaitachi, who are definitely Japanese spirits. They must be from her mother...


    ¡°So, where¡¯s your mother?¡± I asked. ¡°If I was a worse person, or you weren¡¯t smart enough to surrender, you... well, you¡¯d be dead now, let¡¯s not hide it.¡±


    ¡°My mother has many duties, she has no time to coddle me, alas-alas. She did assign me some of her kin as guards, and surely she could not have foreseen the changing tides that led you to me-me. Still, indeed-indeed, I have been poorly served by both my father and mother, in terms of protection. No doubt-doubt they have their reasons...¡± her face fell as she considered it, so I held her tighter, as if to drive away her sadness.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair, I guess. So what does the Aggressor faction want? You also mentioned a third major faction, right?¡±


    ¡°The Aggressors seek to punish the Unseelie traitors, as well as reclaim the lands we used to hold before you mortals drove us out-out. A fools¡¯ errand if you ask me-me. The other fools are the Isolationist faction. They seek to leave everything behind and venture into the upper Astral, to find a new world to make our own, free of the Unseelie and mortals who persecuted us alike-alike.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess even if that was possible, the chances of finding somewhere better at the other end of the journey seem slim.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°I feel the same-same. So... do you now understand why the Raven Knight hates me so-so?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s a total moron.¡± was my answer. As she looked at me I smiled. ¡°In human terms, it¡¯s like the Princess of The United Kingdom married the son of the Japanese Emperor. The child born would be of noble blood indeed. Just like you. A princess of two royal bloodlines is surely twice as good as one.¡±


    She opened her mouth to speak but I continued. ¡°Let the idiots mock you if they want. We both know I¡¯ve promised to always have your back. Grulgor is already bound to us, and the Raven Knight talked big, but we sent him scurrying away ruined and broken. And this is only the beginning. Stick with me and we¡¯ll go all the way to the top!¡±


    Shaeula giggled, her sorrow blown away. ¡°You certainly talk a good battle, Akio-Akio. But I, as the princess of both the Seelie and this foreign land, will remain by your side until the end-end.¡±


    Now that Shaeula was feeling better, we could move to the task at hand, which was deciding the direction of our Territory. Still, I had learned a lot of new information, and it did not fit with what I already knew. I need to find out more. Growing stronger is great, but if I am misinformed about how everything works, strength alone will not be enough... I would try asking the White Snake kami to see what they knew, as Grulgor would no doubt be useless in this regard...


    Seelie factions and the Unseelie court. I get the feeling I¡¯ll be more involved with them in the future. Shaeula¡¯s mother and her group too... It looked like busy times were ahead.

 Sixty-Two

    Sixty-Two


    As I suspected, talking to the White Snake kami yielded little of value. He was a minor deity, closer to a Fae in terms of divinity, and only concerned with his shrine and the dwindling number of adherents and their belief. Still, they did promise that should I succeed in reinvigorating the shrine, they might be able to contact some of the higher kami of the snake family, who would know more.


    Well I was going to do it anyway, so some added incentive never hurts.


    Putting all the new information I had gleaned aside for now, it was time to finish consolidation of our Territory. Back at our Anchor, the Silo was surrounded by a tide of glowing ether. Defeating so many elite monsters, to say nothing of the large bounty of ether we had gained absorbing the Territory of the Raven Knight, had pushed us over the hundred thousand ether we needed to upgrade the Territory to Rank 3. We were practically drowning in riches. I opted to upgrade, only to hit a snag...


    Damn, it won¡¯t let me upgrade while there is still something in the build queue, as everything shuts down while the Territory is in the process of upgrading...


    The Kobold Mine was not an issue, as that had just a few hours left to go before being complete, but the Rank Three Silo still had a bit over sixteen days left. And since I was leaving for home the day after tomorrow... there was only one answer. I quickly hardened my heart and rush-built the Silo, only to discover the efficiency had gone WAY down compared to the Rank 1 rush builds from earlier. They could be sped up 100% with the initial cost, but at Rank 3, 100% of the initial cost (in this case 20,000 ether, or the cost of one oracle for the White Snake...) would only achieve a 33% time reduction, in this case thirteen and a third days. Yeah, I thought before ether always being in demand seemed a little odd, but with ever growing costs, build times and worsening efficiencies, gathering ether in sufficient quantities will become a nightmare...


    Still, there was no other way, so I dropped the twenty thousand, and with a bright glow of ether being sucked into it the Silo expanded, and it now had a bit under three astral days remaining. Our ether reserves were now just too low to upgrade the Territory, but over the next few astral days our Ether Spires and the new Rhyming Tree should push us over the top...


    That left some other tasks to do. Firstly I made sure Shaeula¡¯s wyrmscale mail was undamaged, I had to replace a few broken scales and torn wires. Next I had to spend some time replacing a whole section of mine. That just left me needing a weapon, since my spear was ruined. Sorting through the materials we had, I settled on using a wyrm-fang for the spearhead, and another branch from the Rhyming Tree. The work was painstaking and very tiring, and over the several hours of intense concentration it took, the Kobold Mine Rank 4 Special completed, and as a side bonus the Kobold Den upgraded to a Rank 2 Special, as the population of kobolds living in our Territory had expanded quite a bit.


    Finally finishing my spear I began to test it out. The balance was different to my previous one, making my movements rather clumsy, but over the next few hours I quickly worked out its quirks and was passable again. Wiping silvery sweat from my brow I turned to find Shaeula watching me, several restored weaselkin behind her.


    ¡°Not bad indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°You are growing more skilled. You would make a passable warrior in times of old.¡± She walked over to me, patting my shoulder gently. ¡°I have been looking at the Barracks queue and if we wait to upgrade until we leave for your home, then many of my kin will have been returned to us-us. Our forces will be rather light to defend the Territory in our absence, but I suggest leaving the snake in charge. If you leave our defence to Grulgor... well, I shudder to consider it-it.¡±


    She did in fact shudder, which was rather cute. Yeah, I forgot that if we queued in the Territory Anchor upgrade it would lock the Barracks as well. Good thing I waited, more luck (or perhaps Fortune) than judgement though...


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± I agreed. Our forces would consist of the kobolds, who could barely be counted, Grulgor and his remaining trolls, which were strong fighters but tactically useless, and the White Snake kami and his surviving kin, plus the Kamaitachi and the weaselkin we could restore in time. It was definitely on the scant side, but it was all we had to work with. Hopefully with all nearby threats now neutralised, it should be enough for now... Yeah, no way the Raven Knight will recover from those injuries quickly, and his forces were decimated. We should be able to hold him off if he returns, I hope...


    Feeling exhaustion throughout my whole being, as the frenzied battle and struggle for survival had been followed by some tough crafting, I called over our leaders and assigned our defence strategy going forwards, before returning to the Material, spent...


    ********


    Upon waking up I squinted my eyes at the sunlight streaming through the window. Beside me Shaeula was still asleep, snoring gently. Getting up quietly so as not to wake her I glanced at the clock. It was still early, though I could still hear people coming and going outside the apartment.


    Since they are working hard, I guess I should too. Silently, I opened up the work I had remaining for Shiro and began to race through it, my fingers blurring over the keyboard, yet each tap gentle and quiet, only making a whispered clicking. Damn, gaining four levels has pushed me even further, I think I¡¯m nearing the limits of what the computer can handle in terms of input...


    While I was working on this I had a second window open to roulette, and perhaps because my fortune had improved by a couple of points, even without the blessing of fortunate winds I didn¡¯t really have any scares, quickly amassing a tidy sum. Which of course is perfect, as I have something I need to buy today. I¡¯d have to waste money getting it done as a rush job, which was poor planning on my part, but I could bear the expense.


    After a couple of hours Shaeula stirred, blinking her amber eyes blearily at me. ¡°Master, you are awake? After our fierce struggle you should have taken more rest-rest. Exhaustion is the enemy of success.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I stifled a yawn. ¡°But we don¡¯t really have much to do other than relax over the next few days. Tonight we¡¯ll enter the Boundary briefly to queue the upgrade, then it¡¯ll be some fun in my hometown. I¡¯ll catch up on my rest then.¡±


    Shaeula shrugged, then got out of her futon, heading to the fridge. Gulping down some juice she asked me what was for breakfast, so I threw us together a quick meal.


    ¡°I can hear you, you know.¡± I said dryly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes it fun Akio-kun. Anyway, you really must be doing well for yourself if you are getting suits tailored, even at somewhere like here. And paying rush fees too...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, business is looking up, and we have to dress to impress the clients.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what about poor Shaeula here. I know she looks like a beautiful doll in everything she wears, but shouldn¡¯t she have a suit too? I notice they have a ladieswear department here too...¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s eyes brightened at the thought of new clothing, so I was unable to say no. Thinking of the damage to my wallet, I was glad my luck was so good this morning...


    The rest of the time in the tailors¡¯ passed quickly, Shaeula and Karen-chan being hustled off by an older woman to get Shaeula measured, and by the time we were done I had ordered a pair of suits for me, along with shirts, cufflinks and ties, as well as sunglasses and a couple of watches, as well as a pantsuit and a suit with a skirt for Shaeula, along with all the accessories and shirts she would need as well. I also got myself a few casual outfits off the shelf to boost my anaemic wardrobe. Coupled with the rush fees on the suits to have them ready in a week, which was half again as much as the suits cost, I had gone WAY over budget. Still, we got a bit of a discount from the very large sum we spent in total. The staff¡¯s bonuses are probably secure this month... My morning winnings were almost completely swallowed up. Still, I¡¯m ahead of target, and there¡¯s still a bit over a week to go...


    ¡°But spending so much money and still living in our run-down apartment block.... The lifestyle doesn¡¯t fit.¡± Karen-chan sighed.


    ¡°Well, the work came suddenly, so I¡¯ve been focussing on doing what needs doing first.¡± I deflected. ¡°Anyway, I hope it wasn¡¯t too boring for you spending your afternoon here.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. It isn¡¯t every day I get to see someone looking as cute in a suit as Shaeula. She could definitely go pro modelling. And you aren¡¯t so bad yourself either, are you? But if you really want to make it up to me...¡± she winked. ¡°... how about you treat me to a late lunch somewhere nice? Advising you on what suits is hungry... and thirsty work.¡±


    Since Karen-chan seemed to be feeling better I could only shrug, and we headed off to a nice nearby eatery. If it improves her mood, it¡¯s a small price to pay.


    ********


    Once we saw Karen-chan home I spent the rest of the evening working on Shiro¡¯s game, leaving Shaeula to play games of her own and watch anime. It was getting on for eleven at night when I finally finished her work, and if it was anyone else, I¡¯d leave it until the morning to send it, but knowing her there was no way she was asleep.


    I was proved correct when moments later my phone rang. It was of course her.


    ¡°Hey Aki. I can¡¯t believe you did it all so fast. There was a ton of work there. Are you trying to impress me? Well it worked, but I still won¡¯t date you, I promised to only date a billionaire with Hollywood looks, so too bad so sad for you! Still, I¡¯ll let you take me out for a drink to celebrate. You can bring that cutie who I can hear laughing in the background too, I¡¯d love to meet her. Cute girls are justice after all.¡±


    I stifled a sigh. This girl was decidedly not cute. ¡°I only wanted to clear it all as I¡¯m away for a while. As for going out for drinks you just want someone to carry you around when you collapse. But... and I do mean but, if you behave yourself I can organise a night out with some of the old Uni gang when I get back. At least that way Hayato-san can take some of the blame when you crash and burn...¡±


    ¡°Hmph, how rude. Being all tsun with me won¡¯t win my heart, you¡¯ll have to try way harder... and be way richer!¡± she retorted, and we went back and forth for a while until she was done. Putting down the phone and ignoring Shaeula¡¯s sarcastic comments, we entered the Boundary briefly.


    Finishing off the Silo upgrade with a few thousand ether, we queued in the Territory Anchor upgrade to Rank 3, which was a hundred astral days. It was going to be a stressful period, but doing it now made the most sense. Checking my Territory with Appraisal, I noticed that the penalty to Ether Spires and other passive buildings was even higher than last time while the upgrade progressed. If that trend continued...


    Oh well, no time to worry about it now. Returning to the Material after going over our defensive plans one last time, Shaeula and I went to sleep, to recover our energy ready for our trip to my hometown tomorrow...

 Side Five – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Five ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    I wiped sweat from my brow as I looked out across the rundown main street of Nishimorioka. Wow, so hot, just sooooooooo hot. It¡¯s even hotter than last year, global warming, I guess?


    Sipping on the lukewarm mixed fruit juice from the glass that was sitting on the white-washed wooden table I was sitting at I sighed in pleasure. Fruity. Wow, nothing beats a sweet drink on a hot day. The drink and the shade from the multi-coloured parasol that was offering some cover was all that was making the summer heat bearable. Beside me sat my best friend, Eri-chan, also basking in the shadows outside of the one cafe? in our backwater town. She had barely touched her juice though, and was fiddling with the blue smartphone she had been very surprised to receive in the post recently. Her and me both. I was immensely surprised to receive such an expensive gift from my brother, to say nothing of Eri-chan getting one too.


    Finding myself grinning I pulled out my own phone, a brand-new model, a flame red the same colour as my favourite bow. Wow, big bro must be doing really well for himself nowadays...


    While I had thanked him for the gift by calling him the day I got it, and sent him plenty of messages since, he didn¡¯t always reply quickly. Which won¡¯t make him popular with girls. No way I can let him get snared by a gold-digger if he is raking in the cash now. Yeah, wow, no way in hell.


    Deciding to send him another message warning him about bad girls I began to type away on the touchscreen, marvelling at how smooth and responsive it was. Not like the old-fashioned heap of junk I had before. Finishing quickly I took another long slurp of my juice. As I did so Eri-chan looked up at me and flushed shyly. Wow, such a cutie as always. My brother needs to snap her up before someone else does... still, there are obstacles...


    ¡°Still enjoying having a phone that can actually do stuff, eh Eri-chan?¡± I gently teased her.


    ¡°Well yes...¡± she agreed. ¡°... though I can¡¯t help but feel guilty. I shouldn¡¯t be taking such expensive presents. It isn¡¯t right...¡±


    Wow, here¡¯s the obstacle. She is soooooooo not honest, if she wasn¡¯t my best friend it¡¯d be really annoying. ¡°I don¡¯t see why. Isn¡¯t it a guy¡¯s duty to be nice to their childhood friend? Besides... it isn¡¯t like you don¡¯t like him, so what¡¯s the harm? In fact...¡± I paused for effect. ¡°... How about the day of the festival. It strikes me as the perfect night to confess. Wow, it¡¯d be just perfect, yukata¡¯s, lanterns, food stalls and fireworks. Can it get more romantic than that? Just take him somewhere quiet, watch the fireworks and tell him how you feel. You¡¯ll be dating by the end of the night!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that. Akio-kun and I...¡± Eri-chan began her usual denials, so I stopped listening. Wow, same as ever. But time is running out for honesty... I finished my drink and waved to the old waitress inside, signalling I wanted another mixed juice. Seeing Eri-chan had trailed off, red as a ripe tomato, I looked at her seriously.


    ¡°All right, if you don¡¯t feel that way then that¡¯s it, my poor big bro loses out. But even so he wouldn¡¯t begrudge you his gifts. Speaking of...¡± there was something else unusual. Apparently, big bro had asked our mother to sort out a passport for me, and keep next weekend free. What else could it be, but an overseas trip? Wow, that¡¯s totally exciting. I wonder where he¡¯ll take me...Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    ¡°... you got your passport, right?¡±


    ¡°I did, yes.¡± Eri-chan said timidly, hurriedly taking a gulp of her own juice as the waitress brought out two more for us. After thanking her she continued. ¡°It came yesterday. But are you sure you should be asking Akio-kun if I can go? It¡¯s probably a family thing...¡±


    Akio-kun, Akio-kun. Wow, annoying. She should definitely go back to calling him big brother like she used to. Keeping the annoyance (well, hopefully, anyway!) off my face I nodded. ¡°He won¡¯t mind. As far as I can tell our parents aren¡¯t going, so it¡¯d just be me and him...¡± Unless he brings a girlfriend back. Wow yeah, like that¡¯ll happen. Though maybe if he did it might motivate Eri-chan a little... ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be delighted to go with you as well. Wow, he¡¯d better be, as I¡¯m not giving him the choice. If he¡¯s making money he can spend some on us! Two beautiful flowers on each arm, I wonder if we¡¯ll be going somewhere with a beach? I bet he¡¯d love us in our swimsuits. Wow I bet that¡¯s it, he wants to ogle his cute little sister in her skimpy bikini.¡±


    Eri-chan burst out laughing. ¡°Oh, Aiko-chan, you should be careful teasing him or he¡¯ll get mad.¡±


    ¡°Oh damn, Ai-chan, your brother isn¡¯t just a siscon, he¡¯s a pervert lolicon too. Who knew!¡± Yae-san cackled uncontrollably.


    ¡°He is not!¡± Eri-chan snapped. ¡°He likes normal girls, you shut up!¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, Ri-Ri¡¯s getting all bold...¡± Rika-san teased, only annoying Eri-chan more. I guess when it comes to my brother she can stand up for herself at times... if only she could talk to him like this...


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s ignore the peanut gallery. So, err...¡± Damn, I don¡¯t know her name...


    ¡°Oh, my apologies senior.¡± The polite young girl bowed. ¡°I am Takeyabashi Marika. I am sorry for interrupting you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no problem, don¡¯t give it another thought. You can call me Aiko, I don¡¯t mind.¡± I waved away the polite girl¡¯s apologies. ¡°Anyway, so what can I do for you? Do you know my big bro?¡±


    ¡°No, I have not yet had the privilege of meeting your honourable brother, Aiko-sama. But if I could ask you to advise him to attend our shrine at his earliest convenience when he arrives in town. I would be ever so grateful.¡± She bowed again.


    Wow, Aiko-sama. That makes my skin itch. Toooooooo formal. Anyway, more importantly... ¡°Sure I can do that, but what does the shrine want with my brother? I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid I cannot say.¡± she apologised, looking down. ¡°If I could beg your consideration this time it would be appreciated.¡±


    Wow, I just want to poke her cheeks, she¡¯s adorable. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. Though I am super curious now...¡± making up my mind, I smiled. ¡°But if you can¡¯t say you can¡¯t say. My big bro can¡¯t keep secrets from me or Eri-chan so I¡¯ll just ask him. Anyway, you look hot in that get-up. Why not have a drink here with us. my treat.¡± My purse was light, but since my bro seemed to have hit it big I¡¯d get him to give me some pocket money to refill it.


    ¡°Hey, us too?¡± Yae-san interjected, having finished an argument with the annoyed-looking Eri-chan.


    Cheeky much? ¡°Bah, what the hell. It is summer break. Yes, you two as well. But I want you to treat me at the festival, all right?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, just so long as you make sure we can hang out with you and your brother.¡±


    As I ordered some more drinks, making sure to ignore the attempts to decline from Takeyabashi-chan, I found myself really looking forward to tomorrow and the next weekend. Wow, this summer is going to be hot in more ways than one...

 Side Six – Treyvon James: Black Wolf Company PMC – End of Arc 3

    Side Six ¨C Treyvon James: Black Wolf Company PMC ¨C End of Arc 3


    The lights of the club were muted, casting long shadows across the bar and the longer stage that occupied a good chunk of the floor area. Standing on the stage a gaudily-dressed dame was singing an old country song, warbling about ¡®living in an old caravan with three bratty kids and a no-good drunk of a husband¡¯.


    Not my type. I like my men strong and handsome. Still, his singing voice isn¡¯t so bad... Captain Treyvon admired the cross-dresser who was occupying the attention of the other patrons. Raising one large hand he took hold of his drink, a garish cocktail in a tall glass, and took a healthy swig, feeling the burn of strong liquor mixed with the hit of fruity sugars. Still, I¡¯m not here entirely to socialise. Duty calls...


    Looking over at his sister who was sitting beside him, cocktail also in hand, flipping idly through a bunch of files on the table, he spoke. ¡°Hey Aliyah, so what do you think? Anything worth our time?¡±


    She turned to him then, the brightly coloured beads in the braids of her hair jingling softly, the sound drowned out by the music. Once more Treyvon was struck by how... big... his sister was, in all the right places too. Not that I have any more than an academic interest. His sister was an inch over six feet tall, and muscular, though not in a way that made her look unappealing. And her chest... well it was straining against the military-camo t-shirt she was wearing, her bottom likewise tight in her skinny jeans. Yep, she¡¯s big, even for a typical African-American.


    Seeing his gaze she frowned. ¡°Where do you think you are looking, moron? You aren¡¯t even into girls, so my chest should be none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, sis.¡± Treyvon sighed. ¡°I was just wondering why you aren¡¯t more popular. You are fit and seriously stacked. We make good money too...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± She scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t think being a mercenary puts people off? Oh, sorry, a Private Military Contractor. Have to get the lingo right, after all...¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe if you weren¡¯t such a massive...¡± as his sister¡¯s gaze hardened he swallowed down what he was going to say, taking a swallow of his cocktail, draining it, changing the subject. ¡°Uh, never mind. My bad. So anyway, much going on?¡± he gestured to the handsome man behind the bar who promptly brought him another brightly-coloured drink. Damn, he¡¯s hot. Could use more muscle though... a shame.


    ¡°Depends what you are looking for. Some of these are clearly a load of crap... take this one...¡± she too finished her drink, and as the barman walked over she asked for a large whiskey on the rocks. Not a feminine drink. That probably puts your type off as well...


    ¡°Not bad, not bad? I should have known, that was all you could say two years ago as well. I should have known better, you never study!¡± she took a swing at him with her solid fist, and he ducked back, swaying out of the way.


    ¡°Hey, watch it sis, you nearly injured my face. I can¡¯t be having that, can I?¡±


    ¡°Oh just shut it. Luckily mine isn¡¯t terrible, and a few of the lads speak it passably... anyway, take a look at this.¡± She passed over the photograph that was with the file. It was a long-lens shot of a young girl with two adults that might have been her parents. The girl was small and pale, with porcelain white skin, long silver hair and pink-red eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s a bit young, but a real cutie.¡± Aliyah approved. ¡°Looks like albinism by her colouring though. A shame... anyway...¡± reading from the file she spoke. ¡°Ilya Alexandrovna Kuznetsova. Daughter of a pair of famous scientists. Born with a rare recessive albinism. Found to be a genius. Graduated from the prestigious Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology aged 13 with a PhD in Advanced Robotics and Cutting Edge AI. In the year since she has released several papers revolutionising the study of said fields. Yeah, genius is right, this kid is abnormal.¡±


    ¡°So, let me guess. Kidnapping or assassination, right?¡± Treyvon asked. Shit, no wonder the money is so good. I¡¯m not down for killing kids.


    ¡°You got it. Full extraction, she is wanted alive. The money is spectacular, but the risks... nah, I think we should pass. The file says she is constantly guarded by a team of elites. Money can¡¯t buy you life, right?¡± she finished her third whiskey, starting to look tipsy.


    Oh damn, if my sister doesn¡¯t cool it on the hard stuff she¡¯s going to start doing that again. We like this bar, I don¡¯t want us to get barred. It¡¯s always a pain finding somewhere comfortable not too far from HQ...


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a couple of files left.¡± He prompted. ¡°Maybe one of them will be a winner?


    Opening up the next file Aliyah smiled. ¡°Well Trey, looks like you can be right once in a while. This one looks right up our street. The pay isn¡¯t spectacular, but the destination is sweet. An investigative mission, with a potential bonus should there be a valid target to capture. It¡¯ll tide the squad over until a better job comes along, here, what do you think?¡±


    Treyvon took the file and scanned it. Yes, I see. This might be just what the Black Wolf Company is looking for. Feeling glad that he had an excuse to interrupt his sister¡¯s drinking, he stood. ¡°Come on, we should look into this one a bit more, find out the details.¡±


    ¡°Oh and I was just about to start looking for some fun. There must be some cuties somewhere...¡± Aliyah complained, but he stood up, bringing the confidential files with her.


    Damn, that was great timing. This place was nearly history...

 Arc 4 – Past Ties, Present Progress – Chapter Sixty-Three

    Arc 4 ¨C Past Ties, Present Progress ¨C Chapter Sixty-Three


    ¡°So you¡¯ve got everything you need?¡± I asked Shaeula, who was wheeling a medium-sized suitcase along the pavement behind her. She was wearing the summer dress she had taken a fancy too, as well as a broad-brimmed straw-style hat and a pair of sunglasses. It¡¯s a fresh and cute look, it really suits her.


    ¡°Of course I have. You have asked me that a half dozen times so far-far. You worry too much master.¡± She answered as we approached the metro. I of course was dragging a much larger suitcase behind me, as well as having a small holdall slung over one shoulder. Still, with my new strength it was hardly an issue. I myself was in much tidier clothes than I usually wore, no more faded tracksuits and t-shirts for me. Still, I did feel what we were taking was excessive to say the least, but then my sister did say girls tended to pack a lot. Taking her games console though... I doubt she¡¯ll have the time to play...


    ¡°I know, but don¡¯t underestimate just how ... well, empty my hometown is. If we need to buy anything we¡¯d probably have to get the train out a fair way.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, it is all in hand.¡± Shaeula reassured me, and a few minutes later we were out of the sun and onto the metro. Unlike before where we were only going a handful of stops, this time we were going right into the centre of Tokyo for our large train out to the hinterlands. As the train rumbled along, Shaeula peering out of the window with interest, I killed some time playing roulette on the app I had downloaded onto my new phone (and of course I was using a VPN to make it work too).


    I was jolted out of my concentration by Shaeula tapping me repeatedly. Turning to look at her bright-eyed excitement I smiled. Before I could ask what was up, she launched into an excited tirade.


    ¡°Those buildings are so tall and pretty-pretty. Very impressive. Even our Seelie Court cannot match them for grandeur. We should be living in one of those-those, not your rundown shack!¡±


    ¡°Well, have patience and we will.¡± I smiled. ¡°Besides, just seeing them from the train isn¡¯t the same as being amidst them. Just wait until you see Akihabara. When we go out drinking with Shiro and the guys it¡¯ll blow your mind.¡± To say nothing of our foreign destination next week... I can hardly wait to see how she¡¯ll react to THAT...


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°Mortals are not the barbarians I had been led to believe-believe. Perhaps I have been too sheltered. If they can build such wonders, there must be those of worth amongst them. You have taught me that too, master.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯ll make me blush if you praise me so.¡± I retorted, checking how far we had to go. It was almost our stop.


    ¡°My pride was too high-high.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°Such boastfulness is unworthy of true nobility. I let myself get carried away-away.¡±


    ¡°I can see why you did. Your bloodline is a sore subject to you. But now you know, you can behave in a way befitting your royal status. Be regal, yet modest. That¡¯s true nobility, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°I shall bear your thoughts in mind.¡± She agreed, and a little while later the train pulled up. Getting off at our stop we strode out into the bustling centre of Tokyo, which was thronged with people as you would expect of the morning commute. Beside me Shaeula grasped my hand in hers, nervous of the huge crowds.


    ¡°So many... you humans multiply like rats-rats...¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry, you are here with me. Besides, right now you have a human Material body, don¡¯t you? You are just another face in the crowd. Well, a very pretty one, but a face nonetheless.¡±


    My jokey compliment lifted her spirits, and we walked to Tokyo station, where we would be boarding a larger train, headed for Aichi prefecture. She chattered away excitedly at all the sights, and had endless fun working the ticket machine to get her own pass for the journey. We bought some treats for my family and Eri at one of the station shops, as well as some bento and drinks for the train. Got to have bento on a long train journey, that¡¯s quintessentially Japanese.


    ¡°Yeah, like it¡¯s fair to compare my sister to a who-knows-how-many-hundreds of years old Fae prince who probably grew up with bow in hand. Still, she¡¯s got talent, so if nothing else she shouldn¡¯t disappoint.¡±


    ¡°You do love your sister so. Ichika told me there was a word for that-that. Siscon, I believe she said.¡±


    ¡°And just what have you been talking about with her?¡± I said, mock-stern. The awkward mood had dissipated, and we spent the rest of the time until our stop bantering back and forth...


    ********


    The train shuffled through the mid-afternoon heat, the air conditioning making a painful hissing noise as it struggled to cool the boiling carriage. We were the only people on the train now as we approached my hometown, so Shaeula was spawled out across the seats, fanning herself in a decidedly un-regal manner with her hat.


    ¡°This train is far less pleasant.¡± She groused. ¡°Are we nearly there yet-yet?¡±


    I was about to answer her when the train made an announcement. ¡°Next stop Nishimorioka, Nishimorioka.¡±


    ¡°Good timing. As you can hear, yes we are. I thought I recognised the scenery. We should be pulling in any minute, so you might want to neaten up a bit.¡±


    She shot me a look, but did as I suggested, straightening her dress, putting on her hat and making sure her face was clean. As she finished that the train pulled into the one-platform rural station that served our town and the nearby villages that dotted the mountains.


    ¡°Well then, shall we go?¡± I offered her my hand as she grabbed her suitcase, and as the doors squealed open we stepped out into the hot afternoon sun, that was blessedly cooler than the stuffy train. As I led her out of the small station onto the far end of our towns¡¯ main street, the impressive view of mountains and small forests came into view, birds circling overhead lazily on the thermals. It¡¯s not Tokyo, for sure, but I¡¯ve missed it, at least a little...


    Dragging my suitcase with one hand while pulling Shaeula along with the other, I smiled when I saw two girls waiting for us. First was my sister Aiko, wearing sporty shorts and a tight patterned t-shirt, showing off her toned arms and legs. Seeing me she smiled brightly and waved, coming towards us quickly. ¡°Hey big bro, long time no see!¡±


    Beside her, trailing in her wake was Eri-chan, wearing a rather fetching long layered skirt in a soothing pale blue, as well as a light cardigan over a pale shirt. She too smiled, though a bit more hesitantly.


    Before she could speak Aiko had caught up with us. ¡°So, how have you been, have you brought me any souvenirs, have... hey. Hang on.¡± Her rapid torrent of questions halted, as she turned to see the girl whose hand I was holding. ¡°Who the hell is this, big bro? You brought your girlfriend?¡±


    Eri-chan immediately stopped coming towards us, frozen and immobile, her mouth dropping open, eyes wide.


    Oh, yeah. This was going to happen, wasn¡¯t it? Well, crap...

 Sixty-Four

    Sixty-Four


    ¡°Seriously, wow big bro, she¡¯s super pretty. How the hell did you get a catch like her? How¡¯d you meet? How far have you gone? I feel bad for Eri-chan, but I did warn her...¡±


    My sister was spewing out questions like a gatling gun, and I could already feel a headache coming on at the misunderstanding. Shaeula was looking between her and me, open-mouthed. I guess she wasn¡¯t prepared for my sister...


    ¡°Calm down all right, please?¡± I asked. ¡°I think you are seriously misunderstanding something here...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to misunderstand? You brought a really cute girl home, and you are even holding her hand all lovey-dovey-like? Wow, just wow. I didn¡¯t think you had it in you, big bro. but then, you seem to be mysteriously popular at the moment. Wait, now I look at you, have you been working out? You look way hotter than I remember...¡± she paused her rapid-fire comments to smirk at me, nudging me in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°I guess with a hottie like that on your arm you had to man up, eh, or was it your new buff looks that won her over?¡± she turned to Shaeula with a bright grin. ¡°What¡¯s your name sister-in-law? And how old are you? You look pretty young. Are you foreign? That hair and eye colour... ouch...¡±


    My sister only stopped her tirade as I knocked one fist down on her head, causing her to look at me accusingly.


    ¡°What did you do that for, big bro moonstone? That hurt. If you¡¯d have damaged your precious sister¡¯s head, wow, there¡¯d be hell to pay...¡±


    ¡°You are being rude to Shaeula here, as well as misunderstanding things badly. Besides...¡± I smiled gently at Eri-chan, who was staring at us, unblinking and immobile. ¡°I think you¡¯ve over heated Eri-chan.¡±


    Aiko sighed, still rubbing her head, even though I of course went easy on her and only gave her a light tap. ¡°Shaeula eh? Wow, that¡¯s a pretty name. Pleased to meet you. And as for Eri-chan...?¡± she cast a glance at her best friend. ¡°If you think it¡¯s me that has short-circuited her then even getting a girlfriend hasn¡¯t made you less dense, big bro.¡± Turning back to Shaeula she smiled charmingly. ¡°Shaeula-chan, eh? Nice name. Pleased to meet you anyway.¡±


    Shaeula nodded back politely. ¡°I too am pleased to meet the sister Akio has been so complimentary of.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you call him without honorifics already eh? Must be serious. Mom and dad are going to be so happy...¡± behind us Eri-chan had squeezed shut her eyes. This is going ... worse than even I thought? I need to clear up the misunderstanding as soon as possible...


    Before I could speak, Shaeula was talking. ¡°I am not one of you Japanese-Japanese, so I do not care for these honorifics. Please call me Shaeula, and I will call you Aiko. Is that acceptable to you-you?¡±


    Aiko nodded brightly. ¡°Wow, oh my god, I get why girls want to call other girls onee-sama now! You are just so adorable, and that vocal quirk! Sure, call me Aiko, though sister-in-law is good too!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, calm down. Please sis. I¡¯m wishing the earth could swallow me up right now. If I can get a word in edgewise, let me reassure you she isn¡¯t my girlfriend, she¡¯s a co-worker who I¡¯m looking after, so I brought her along.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Aiko said dubiously. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to hold hands for that. Besides, a co-worker? She¡¯s high school age, right? You can¡¯t fool this sister of yours, no matter how hard you try.¡±


    ¡°Well as you can see, she¡¯s not Japanese, so she isn¡¯t used to things here, so I was just making sure she didn¡¯t get lost. And she is most definitely an adult, or she wouldn¡¯t have guzzled beers on the train down here.¡± Actually why am I holding her hand? In Tokyo it made sense. Damn, must have been habit...


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Aiko repeated, her tone losing life. ¡°Well that¡¯s disappointing. I have my suspicions, but... so my dreams of such a cute sister-in-law have died, and you are back to big bro moonstone I know and despair over. Wow, what a let-down...¡± she turned to Eri-chan. ¡°There you go then, you can stop dying inside Eri-chan, you are still in the game...¡± she then muttered something quiet, but with my enhanced perception I could hear it easily. ¡°... hopefully this scare will make you finally confess to my stupid brother. For some reason girls seem to be interested in him now, and he¡¯s not the weedy beanpole he used to be... damn, he¡¯s kinda hot now... I don¡¯t know how to feel about that...¡±


    Confess? I looked at Eri-chan. I mean, I had a feeling she liked me, but I felt it was more a brother thing, after all, we¡¯ve been childhood friends since forever... still, my sister is pretty sharp so... how did I feel about Eri-chan? She was fiendishly cute, and could give Shaeula a run for her money, but I treated her like she was my sister, just like Aiko, so romantic feelings... no, that was a worry for later. I¡¯d really have to think about what I would do if she did confess, but looking at Eri-chan, that looked unlikely...


    ¡°Just a work colleague?¡± Eri-chan said, light returning to her eyes. ¡°Not your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Seriously. Do you think I can get a beauty like Shaeula? Since when have I ever been popular with the ladies?¡± I feel bad saying this, as it seems since last month I¡¯ve been surrounded by gorgeous girls and women, but reassuring Eri-chan takes priority. She¡¯s always been easily upset...


    ¡°Indeed, do you think a proud princess such as myself would debase myself in such a manner-manner? No, he is simply my master.¡± Shaeula said proudly.


    We talked about this. Colleague, not master!


    ¡°Master?¡± Eri-chan said, tone dead.


    ¡°Indeed yes, Akio defeated me and now he is my master. We work together for our common goals-goals.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence where we were all trying to work out what to say, then Aiko burst out laughing. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s hilarious. You call yourself a princess. Well I admit you look pretty enough to carry it off. But you need to work on your Japanese a bit. it¡¯s senior or senpai, not master. If people hear that, they¡¯ll think my brother is forcing you to do ... perverted things...¡± she smirked. ¡°Not that he has the guts!¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do something like that, would you Akio-kun?¡± Eri-chan asked, looking pale.


    ¡°I swear I am not forcing Shaeula to do anything like that at all. Come on, you know me better than that, right?¡±


    Eri-chan smiled suddenly, her face flushing. With a nod she looked up at me shyly. ¡°Sorry Akio-kun. I don¡¯t know what came over me. Welcome back home, it¡¯s been too long. And to you too Shaeula-chan... err sorry, you don¡¯t like formality. Shaeula. It¡¯s nice to meet a friend of Akio-kun¡¯s from the city.¡±


    ¡°Hey mom, can I have a beer?¡± Aiko interrupted, only to be shot down by my father. ¡°Of course not. You are far too young yet for alcohol, so show some class in front of our guest.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that sucks, big bro and Shaeula are enjoying themselves...¡± she whined, causing Eri-chan to laugh.


    ¡°So, my son has finally become a responsible adult at last.¡± Father continued. ¡°I did have my doubts when all he was doing was freelance work after finishing University, but it seems he is turning his life around.¡± He gazed at me with his dark grey eyes, which were unusual and gave him a perpetually hard glare. ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally started looking after your body too. Good, a man should be strong in both body and mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah that reminds me...¡± Aiko interrupted, excited. ¡°Tomorrow is the big baseball game out on the green. Some of the girls from class were wondering if you were going to play, big bro? Since you¡¯ve been working out, maybe you¡¯ll give everyone a shock?¡±


    ¡°Baseball? What manner of challenge is that-that?¡± Shaeula asked, helping herself to more food and alcohol.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know baseball? Just what country are you from? Even I know it, and us Brits hate American sports.¡± My mother chuckled, genuinely amused.


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s a game played with two teams who compete with bat and ball skills. It¡¯s pretty popular. Anyway every year our town and the surrounding villages get together and have a match, with the winners getting bragging rights for the whole year.¡± My sister chimed in. ¡°I think big bro should show off.¡±


    ¡°I see-see. No master of mine should shy away from a challenge!¡±


    You are saying it again...


    Luckily no-one seemed to notice. ¡°Oh well, I guess I might as well give it a go while I¡¯m here, not that I have any fond memories of years past. I wasn¡¯t exactly.. sporty like you, sis.¡±


    ¡°Well I think you¡¯ll do just fine, big brother.¡± Eri-chan said loyally. ¡°Besides, sporting talent isn¡¯t everything.¡±


    ¡°I resent that, you¡¯ll deny my whole existence, wow!¡± my sister complained, bringing laughs from everyone. ¡°Anyway, while the guys all play us girls watch and cook up a big feast. Then afterwards we all party. Then the leftovers go into Saturday¡¯s big festival at the shrine. So you in, Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I do enjoy a royal feast; it is only fitting for me-me!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the shrine...¡± Eri-chan tugged at my sisters¡¯ arm, reminding her of something.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± my sister said. ¡°So when did my sly dog of a brother start hitting on elementary schoolers?¡±


    What the hell... I nearly spat out my beer in shock. ¡°Err, what? I¡¯m not guilty, whatever you are talking about...¡±


    I could feel the inquisitive gaze of my mother and the burning gaze of my father on me as I protested my innocence.


    ¡°Wow, your conscience hurting, big bro? Seriously though, when did you meet Takeyabashi-chan from the shrine? She¡¯s certainly a little cutie, but too young for you, big bro! I know you like them young and adorable like Shaeula and Eri-chan, but your sister will not allow you down this path of evil!¡±


    ¡°Aiko-chan!¡± Eri-chan protested, embarrassed.


    ¡°Seriously, I have no idea what you are talking about...¡±


    ¡°We were out at the cafe? when Takeyabashi-chan came up and asked if I was your sister. She told me to tell you to visit her at the shrine at your earliest convenience. Wow, what else is there to say?¡±


    Okay, making sense now. Going to my holdall I retrieved a letter from it. ¡°It¡¯s probably something to do with this. We¡¯ve been doing some work with some shrines in Tokyo and they wanted us to deliver a letter to the shrine here. I guess they called ahead or something?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were an IT guy?¡± Aiko asked. ¡°What does that have to do with shrines?¡±


    ¡°Even shrines need websites and things like that nowadays, right Aki?¡± Mom said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, modernisation and all that. Anyway, I¡¯ll head over later I guess. We have to finish our dinner, right?¡± I don¡¯t really want to get into this subject any more...


    ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± Aiko shouted. ¡°Eri-chan, Shaeula, why don¡¯t you pour my big bro another drink?¡±


    Watching Eri-chan blush and Shaeula nod drunkenly I stifled a laugh. Spending time with family and friends sure was nice. Clenching one fist, I reminded myself of just why I had to risk my life and grow stronger. No danger to the world would be allowed to hurt those I loved!

 Sixty-Five

    Sixty-Five


    The meal had concluded, everyone satisfied. My father was leaning back on his cushion, another glass of whiskey in his hand, while my mother was talking animatedly to Shaeula and Aiko, waving her hands around. ¡°... you know, I always thought that Aki would get married to Eri-chan, since they were always close as kids, but now a strong new rival has arrived. Shaeula, dear, can you tell me more about yourself, if you are going to join the family...¡±


    ¡°Mom, you are embarrassing Eri-chan...¡± Aiko hissed, looking at her friend who was hiding her red face with her hands.


    Yeah, mom still can¡¯t handle her drink, unlike father. Ironic, considering British people were supposed to be far better drinkers than the Japanese... I eyed the beer cans lying empty beside her. Never mind embarrassing Eri-chan, I¡¯m feeling pretty shamed myself... having my mother insisting to their faces they should be my romantic partner must have been torture for the poor girls, it certainly was for me!


    As I tried to think of a tactful way to stop her, my father spoke. ¡°So, son. I think we have something else to discuss.¡± He sounded serious, so I unconsciously sat up straight.


    ¡°Yes father?¡±


    ¡°Aiko now has her passport, as you suggested, but just where were you planning to take her? If it is a business trip, it is surely unprofessional to have family along. If you are now finally reaping the benefits of your hard work, it would be a shame to spoil it now, would it not?¡±


    At his firm advice everyone else had stopped talking, merely looking at me in silence. Well, all except Shaeula, who is ignoring the mood and is still drinking...


    ¡°Well, yes it is business. Shaeula and I have some tasks to complete, though it should still leave plenty of time for leisure. But you know, I thought I¡¯d be a good chance for Aiko to see what travelling abroad is like, since it isn¡¯t like we¡¯ve had much opportunity unfortunately.¡±


    At that Aiko raced over and pulled me into a hug. ¡°Thanks big bro. you¡¯re the best brother a girl could want.¡±


    ¡°I know I am, but please... get off...¡± I flushed as I pushed away my clingy sister, who chuckled and told me to not be so embarrassed.


    ¡°But that still hasn¡¯t told us where we are going, big bro. Okinawa or somewhere similar I¡¯m guessing?¡±


    ¡°Well actually... Las Vegas. You know, the USA?¡±


    At that everyone went silent, and Aiko¡¯s face fell, Eri-chan suddenly looking as if she was going to burst into tears. The hell? I don¡¯t get it...


    Shaeula, once more not reading the atmosphere, frowned. ¡°Is there something wrong with this Las Vegas-Vegas? Everyone seems rather downcast.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s not that, dear.¡± My mom said to Shaeula. ¡°Las Vegas isn¡¯t... exactly cheap, you know.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Yeah...¡± My sister said mournfully. ¡°Sorry big bro, but I thought that I could talk you into taking Eri-chan along. We used to go on trips together as a family all the time before you moved to Tokyo, so I thought I¡¯d be really nice if she could come with us, just like old times... but...¡± she trailed off, and Eri-chan took over.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry big brother. It was selfish of me. I can¡¯t afford such a trip...¡±


    Ugh, this atmosphere, it was supposed to be a happy reveal... I was silent as I considered the options. I could certainly spare the cash, my luck on the train ride in alone would more than cover it with significant spare funds, but would it be appropriate to travel with Eri-chan, considering she was a young girl not yet out of school...


    Seeing my silence everyone else grew more despondent, my father shaking his head, my mother patting Eri-chan on the shoulder comfortingly.


    ¡°I fail to see the issue here-here.¡± Shaeula broke in again, reaching for the nearly empty bottle of whiskey. As she poured herself another glass she grinned. ¡°Akio here can easily support the cost. Such matters are trivial to him-him. I for one see no problem in having Eri accompany us.¡±


    ¡°Really, it¡¯ll really be fine big bro?¡± Aiko was giving me puppy-dog eyes, the look of hope in them almost painful.


    ¡°Yeah, why not, whatever. I can amend the reservations I¡¯ve made and book the flights. I guess it would be good to have Eri-chan there so Aiko isn¡¯t causing trouble all alone...¡± I mean, I would have invited Eri-chan were it not for the fact that she¡¯s of an age where being out unsupervised with a guy, even one as gentlemanly as me, really isn¡¯t appropriate... But since everyone seems to think it¡¯s not an issue...


    ¡°Wow, rude much! I never cause trouble!¡± Aiko pouted, a broad grin across her face.


    ¡°Are you really sure?¡± Eri-chan asked, and I reassured her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If I couldn¡¯t do it I¡¯d say so. Like my troublesome sister said, we always used to go to the beach together when we were young, right? Besides, you¡¯ve never been abroad either, have you? You might as well make the most of this chance.¡±


    ¡°I have heard much from Shirohebizumi shrine about the oracle, and other matters.¡± The priest said. ¡°I believe you should have a letter for me?¡±


    I handed it over and waited in silence as he read the contents. Takeyabashi-san returned with three steaming mugs of tea, as well as a plate of mochi treats. Kneeling down beside me in seiza she passed me a mug with a polite bow, before taking one herself and blowing on it adorably to cool it.


    I absentmindedly munched on a mochi while we waited. Hmm, this isn¡¯t half bad... after taking a few sips of the hot tea, the priest put down the letter and looked at me.


    ¡°I see, it is as expected. It has been fifteen-hundred long years, but finally the shrines will rise again.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen-hundred years?¡± I asked, and the priest explained. Apparently millennia ago the shrines wielded real power, their maidens and priests able to use wonderous abilities, guiding the faithful and communicating with the kami and greater gods. However, over a period of a few hundred years long ago the gods fell silent, and the kami withdrew, having less and less contact with the peoples of Japan. The abilities of the bloodlines of the true shrines (a term I had heard at Shirohebizumi) had also gone into decline, and now only a few had some minor powers, like Kana-chan¡¯s sight, or her father¡¯s flame.


    This is strangely similar to the tale Shaeula told of the Seelie and their withdrawal from human lands...


    ¡°So, are there many true shrines left?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not as many as there once were. Those that remain do stay close-knit, and when great events occur that affect the gods we are summoned to a great conclave at Kyoto, site of many of the holiest, most powerful shrines. One has been called, which is no coincidence. No doubt it related to what is written in this letter, the time of great danger, and the rise of heroes.¡±


    Beside me Takeyabashi-san was looking impressed, gazing at me with bright eyes, which made me a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°I see. The priests I met at Shirohebizumi shrine thought it would be important for me to be recognised by the shrine of my hometown for the conclave. Would you be open to that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. It would be in our shrine¡¯s interest as well. There are of course some matters to discuss... such as an oracle. Would it be possible to hear the voice of our kami, as did those of the White Snake?¡±


    ¡°Well it isn¡¯t impossible, but there are issues. I did intend to meet with the kami of this shrine tonight, with my companion Shaeula, and secure his support...¡±


    ¡°You can meet Chairo-sama?¡± Takeyabashi-san burst out excitedly, before realising what she had done, blushing and covering her mouth with her small hands. I had to laugh.


    ¡°If he wants to meet me, then yeah, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. As for the oracle, it requires quite a chunk of spiritual resources, so right now it isn¡¯t a good time, but as I told the other priests, if all goes well by Christmas I should have a surplus and it¡¯ll be a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The priest looked over at the still ripe-red Takeyabashi-san. ¡°And my second request is for Marika to join this study group. She is my only granddaughter who showed any interest in taking on the responsibility of the shrine here. Her sisters follow my daughter-in-law, and only care for secular matters. Such a disappointment. Still, she carries a small gift of spiritual energy within her, minor though it is. She is an eager child, and will not balk at any teaching, no matter how difficult.¡±


    She bowed then in a proper fashion, fingers flat on the floor, her posture impeccable. ¡°Please, Akio-sama. I implore you, allow me to learn the ways of the gods, so I may properly serve Chairo-sama as did my ancestors. I will do anything that is required of me, no matter how difficult it may be!¡±


    Girls really shouldn¡¯t offer to do anything for a guy... still, she really is earnest. But the problem is...


    ¡°Well, the teaching itself isn¡¯t a problem, but I am not going to be able to spare the time to come here often, which might make it difficult...¡±


    ¡°Pay it no mind. I will arrange for Marika to lodge at Shirohebizumi shrine, so she can be trained with the other priests and maidens of our alliance. It would not do to have our shrine fall behind. I only ask that you take care of her, as she is unfamiliar with Tokyo or other big cities.¡±


    ¡°Yes Akio-sama, please look after me. I will be no bother, and will follow any instructions you give me.¡± She said while still bowing. ¡°If I could be granted one boon though, I would dearly like to meet this Shaeula-sama, a kami that walks among us. It would be such an honour.¡±


    ¡°I too would like to meet this mighty being, as well as have a demonstration of the spiritual powers you showed before the other shrines.¡±


    Kami? An honour, mighty being? Shaeula would be proud as hell to hear such praise. It doesn¡¯t quite fit if you ask me, though... ¡°Well, she¡¯s not quite what I¡¯d call a kami, but close enough, I guess. She intends to enjoy the festival at the shrine though, so I¡¯ll make sure to bring her to meet you then. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get along with Takeyabashi-san just fine, she likes cute girls...¡±


    ¡°Cute...?¡± Takeyabashi squeaked. Raising her head she looked at me shyly. ¡°If I am to be under your care, honoured sensei, please call me Marika.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Okay then Marika-chan.¡± I switched to a more informal address like she wanted. ¡°If you just want to see a demonstration of aether and wind, I can do that now...¡±


    I spent a while demonstrating some tricks, earning rapt applause from Marika-chan and praise from her grandfather. By the time I returned home it was pitch-black out, the clear night sky shimmering with stars, reminding me of my childhood here, nights spent playing with Eri-chan and my sister, looking up at the skies in wonder...

 Side Seven – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Seven ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    I took the hands of Shaeula and Eri-chan and ushered them towards the bathroom. Behind me mom giggled.


    ¡°Your father and I will clean up, you girls go have some fun. But don¡¯t stay up too late, we all have to help clean the shrine for the festival in the morning. Your party until dawn will have to be put on hold, I¡¯m afraid!¡±


    I know, I know! ¡°Yes mom, we¡¯ll get some sleep, I promise. But first...¡± I led them into our small bathroom. Eri-chan and I had bathed together many times in the past... ¡°Hmm, I guess we are too big to fit in our small tub together. I guess if we all wash each other off and take a quick soak, then we can make it work.¡±


    I released their hands, pulled out some bath stools and set them up. ¡°You know where the shampoo and stuff is don¡¯t you Eri-chan? Can you get those while I finish here?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before we had everything we needed, and I started to remove my clothes. Seeing as the others hadn¡¯t moved I decided to motivate them. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be shy, we are all girls here. And if we don¡¯t finish up before my big bro comes back, he might try and peek...¡± Nah, he wouldn¡¯t have the guts. Well, to be fair, my big bro isn¡¯t the sort of bad guy who would do such a thing...


    Taking off my underwear I was now naked. Folding it neatly I looked at Shaeula, who had taken off her dress and was removing her own underwear, which looked pretty fashionable. And expensive. Wow, I feel kinda inadequate now.


    Feeling her gaze, Shaeula looked over, making no effort to hide her own nakedness. She was eyeing me up and down, which made me feel hot. Wow, I hope I¡¯m not blushing, that¡¯d be embarrassing, we are all girls here. But wow, just wow, she has the body of a model. Her skin is flawless!


    ¡°Your muscles are impressive indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula said, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°I can see you have put much effort into your arts.¡± Shaeula strode over, naked and unconcerned, to suddenly grab my arm and back with her small, pretty hands. Wow, so sudden. And her hands are so smooth... wow, where are you touching?


    I bit down on a squeal as one hand slid down my back, stopping just above my buttocks. Her other hand was touching my arm in various places. ¡°Wow, I know we are all girls, but that¡¯s bold, Shaeula!¡±


    Eri-chan was laughing openly at me, now in her own plain underwear, causing me to pout. Wow, I¡¯ll have my revenge, see if I don¡¯t!


    ¡°Akio mentioned that you practiced the arts of archery.¡± Shaeula said, stepping away, satisfied. I let out a sigh of relief, yet... wow, for some reason I feel empty. I¡¯m not into girls, seriously. But if I was... shaking my head to clear those intrusive thoughts I replied.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been doing it since elementary school. I tried kendo and judo as well, and they are kinda fun, but archery is the best fit for me.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s even been in tournaments.¡± Eri-chan piped up, looking proud. ¡°She didn¡¯t win, but she¡¯s always done well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to win one before I finish high school, but if not maybe I can join a Kyudo team when I go to university. I¡¯ll stick with volleyball too, it¡¯s nice to be on a team.¡±


    I sat Shaeula down on one of the stools, Eri-chan on the other, and I started washing her long pale blond hair, which seemed to be tinted with orange and gold. I¡¯d never seen hair quite like it, and it was gorgeous, feeling like fine silk. Shaeula squirmed a little under my touch, giving me the urge to tease her, but I held back under Eri-chan¡¯s knowing gaze. Spoilsport. But I guess you know me too well...


    ¡°You know, I always used to be pretty confident in my looks. My mother is gorgeous, and I got the best of my appearance from her. Eri-chan is probably the cutest girl in town, but I never felt I couldn¡¯t measure up. But seeing you... that hair, those eyes. You could be a model.¡±


    ¡°You should not speak such foolish words.¡± Shaeula twisted to look at me, her amber eyes peering directly into mine. ¡°You are quite the attractive girl yourself indeed-indeed. And being a skilled warrior is far more important than trivial appearances.¡±


    Skilled warrior? Does she mean... my archery? I was puzzled again by this mysterious girl my brother had brought home with him, but when she said I was attractive, there was no mockery in it, no looking down on others like people who knew they were gorgeous often did.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri-chan agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought you were wonderful and pretty. Besides...¡± she laughed softly. ¡°... plenty of the boys in town really want to go out with you, Aiko-chan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do tell. This sounds interesting, I would know more about my master.¡± Shaeula said, cracking open another beer.


    Maybe she¡¯ll give me one if I ask her nicely? And why does she keep calling him master, I¡¯ve noticed it a few times. ¡°Oh, when we were young... around six or so, Eri-chan, my big bro and I were all out playing. Eri-chan and I had wandered away, when this huge dog came out of nowhere and tried to attack us. We screamed and my brother came running. He was always pretty scrawny as a kid, and he didn¡¯t have any weapon or anything to use, but he threw himself in front of us, taking a blow from the dog¡¯s huge paw. I thought he¡¯d fall, but he took one look at Eri-chan and me, gritted his teeth and stood up, facing the dog. It hit him again and again, and in the end even bit him pretty badly, but he never let it get past him, he just kept hitting it in the face with his fists, elbows, even his head.¡±


    As I recounted the tale, remembering my brother as he stood against the wild dog, smiling so as not to worry us despite the pain he was surely feeling, Eri-chan began to cry.


    ¡°He... he... I thought he was going to die.¡± Eri-chan wailed, lost in her own memories. ¡°His side was torn open, there was so much blood. His head too, it had split where he had struck the dog. He was so hurt... but when he saw us crying he patted us on the head and told us it¡¯d be all right, that he¡¯d always look out for us... I remember blacking out, then when I woke up... I found out he was hospitalised... protecting us.¡±


    I made to hug the suffering Eri-chan, but surprisingly Shaeula-chan beat me to it, enfolding her in a warm embrace, patting her back gently. ¡°There, there Eri.¡± She said gently, and I thought I felt a soothing breeze stir in the room, rustling our hair and clothes. I must have imagined it... surely. Wow, she must just be that comforting...


    ¡°A deed like that is more than enough to win the heart of a young woman-woman.¡± Shaeula continued, gently wiping away Eri-chan¡¯s tears with one soft hand. ¡°And he has always been there for you since, I presume?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been shy... and my family is poor.¡± Eri-chan continued when she stopped crying. ¡°Other girls bullied me for my looks and the boys would ... well, they weren¡¯t kind...¡±


    Yeah, every boy that reached the age they started to take an interest in girls wanted to date Eri-chan. But then I got my fair share of attention too. Strange, now I think about it, this town seems to have way too many attractive girls for its size... even that shrine maiden elementary-schooler was really cute... wow, getting off track here a bit...


    Eri-chan was continuing. ¡°But Akio and Aiko-chan would always protect me, and they never left me alone. Our families were close, so we did everything together. I thought we¡¯d always be together... but then Akio got accepted to a university in Tokyo and moved away. It was then I knew... I wasn¡¯t good enough for him, and I¡¯d always hold him back... so... I had to let go...¡±


    So that¡¯s it. I thought you were just shy.. and well, you are... but your insecurities are deeper than that. You know, I always thought we¡¯d be together forever too, the three of us, and it hurts to think that isn¡¯t the case...


    ¡°He comes back when he can, like now...¡± Eri-chan was pouring out her heart in Shaeula¡¯s arms, perhaps because she was a rival who understood her love for my brother? ¡°But... it isn¡¯t enough. But if I can¡¯t... be his support, like he has been for me... I should let him go. But it¡¯s hard. I don¡¯t... want to...¡±


    She started crying again. ¡°I want him to be mine, only mine! But you¡¯ll take him away from me, I just know it!¡±


    Worried at what Shaeula might say I opened my mouth to speak, only for her to gently rub her head. ¡°Hush now, foolish little Eri. I have no intentions of taking him away from you-you. A man of such calibre as Akio would hardly be satisfied with just one woman. My father, he has many concubines and brides. Those of power are always well-loved by women-women. It is the natural order of things.¡±


    Wow wow wow wow wowowowowowowowowwwwww! What did I just hear? Shaeula thinks my brother needs a harem, and she¡¯s putting herself and Eri-chan forwards for it? Oh damn, I¡¯m red hot. I¡¯m so blushing right now. I feel faint...


    Eri-chan was looking at her, dumbfounded. I doubt she expected the answer she received. But Shaeula continued on anyway.


    ¡°My meeting with Akio was as dramatic as your dog. I made three oaths that day, which my people do not break, and I shall stand beside my master until the end. There shall be no other. That is all I shall need-need.¡±


    ¡°Wowowowowowowowowowowowwwwwwwww!¡± I couldn¡¯t keep in my squealing this time. ¡°That... that was a proposal. I thought your father wouldn¡¯t let you...¡± I trailed off as Eri-chan had gone limp, the shock too much. ¡°Eri-chan, don¡¯t die, it isn¡¯t worth it. You can propose too! The festival... or Las Vegas! You won¡¯t lose!¡± What am I even saying? I think my brain has melted...


    Shaeula laughed. ¡°I find you both very amusing indeed-indeed. You are both much as master said you were. As for my father... for now we do not have sufficient power. But in time, we shall exceed even royalty and take what we desire. As for you, little Eri... I do not feel you would hold back Akio, and he cares for you deeply, even if he is too dense to realise this-this, but if you feel you are unworthy... then simply become worthy.¡± She took Eri-chan¡¯s hand in hers. ¡°Let us both aim for what we desire. For in life, no-one will give you what you wish for, you have to take it-it.¡± With that Shaeula released the dazed Eri-chan and finished her drink. ¡°Now, I grow weary of talking about this. We should be playing should we not? I can fetch my games console should you wish-wish?¡±


    Uhh... yeah, I think we need a subject change. I wanted honesty, but there was... a little too much of it. Wow, how will I face my big bro when I see him next after this?

 Side Eight – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Eight ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°I win again-again. I fear games of chance against me will only lead you to despair.¡± Shaeula crowed as she won another hand of cards. Wow, no kidding. Her luck is off the charts. She always ends up with great hands.


    Eri-chan had recovered from earlier, though her eyes were still red from crying. She looked better though, I thought, as though getting her true feelings off her chest had lifted a burden from her. Though of course she still needs to tell my big bro, which is a higher hurdle. She seemed to have formed a truce with Shaeula too, probably because Shaeula seemed genuinely concerned about her, despite being a rival. But... can you imagine my brother marrying both Eri-chan and Shaeula? I know that in some foreign countries polygamy is legal, but this is Japan... but then, I¡¯d have two of the most beautiful sisters-in-law in the world... wow I¡¯m so confused.


    I took another swig of beer that I had persuaded Shaeula to give me, savouring the taste. It was kinda weird at first, a bit bitter, but it¡¯s growing on me... I let out a giggle.


    ¡°Your father is going to be really mad if he finds out you¡¯ve been drinking...¡± Eri-chan warned, but I waved it off with another giggle.


    ¡°He won¡¯t know unless we tell him, will he?¡± I followed Shaeula¡¯s gaze to where my bow was resting. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve seen it, eh? That¡¯s my kyudo Yumi. It cost a small fortune, I remember my big bro donating six months of his allowance towards paying for it, though that was a drop in the ocean. Still, it was the thought that counted, right? I remember having to go a year with only old clothes and stuff to make up for the cost...¡± Wow, the memories...


    ¡°I think Aiko-chan shines the most when doing archery, or playing volleyball. She has to be doing sports. She¡¯s always been super athletic. When she pulls back on that huge bow, the look on her face before she shoots the arrow is beautiful.¡± Eri-chan was telling Shaeula seriously, embarrassing me.


    ¡°Oh come on, please stop. I just got all the physical talents in the family, my big bro got all the brains. And you are smart as hell too. Really I¡¯m nothing special. Although...¡± you know what, that reminds me... ¡°Seriously, has my brother been working out, Shaeula? He¡¯s... weirdly ripped. And is it me, or does he look way better than before? Even his face seems a little different. I mean, it¡¯s... it¡¯s him, just better, you get it?¡± I hope someone gets it, because I kinda do, yet I don¡¯t... it¡¯s like a feeling when I look at him...


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Eri-chan replied. ¡°I was thinking it was just me. He¡¯s definitely been doing some exercise, but it isn¡¯t just that. When I saw him at the train station, my heart skipped a beat, my chest felt hot and... awawa... what am I saying?¡± Eri-chan hid her face again as she realised what she had been saying. Still, I was happy. Looks like the honesty is sticking.


    ¡°So there you have it. He¡¯s like... more charming now? Do you know what I mean, Shaeula?¡±


    She turned back from admiring my Yumi. ¡°Of course I understand it, for I have seen his growth first-hand. He trains his body every day, and he practices his spear arts without pause-pause. It is only natural you should see him as more charming, as a man should be strong and resolute-resolute.¡±


    ¡°Spear arts? He¡¯s taking up combat sports now? Damn, big bro is stealing all of my charm points. If I¡¯m not the sporty one I¡¯ll have nothing left! It¡¯s too late for me to try and go the studious route now. Wow, I¡¯m screwed!¡± I¡¯m joking, but... I do feel a little conflicted. Ever since big bro protected us from that dog, I¡¯ve never wanted to feel weak and helpless again. So I worked on my body and got stronger... but to find big bro is doing the same...


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that Aiko-chan.¡± Eri-chan commiserated with me. ¡°You are hardly a dummy, your grades are average in class. Besides, you speak perfect English, that¡¯s something hard, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s only because mom and dad both speak it at home a lot, and as a half it¡¯d be stupid not to. Besides, you speak English really well too, don¡¯t you? At least we¡¯ll be fine in Las Vegas, which is nice. Anyway, we are getting off-topic again. I¡¯ve heard something I can¡¯t ignore. You say you¡¯ve seen his growth first-hand, Shaeula? Just where...? You also said you were in his care before. Did you mean in a work sense, or...¡±


    ¡°Akio of course looks after me, like the princess I am.¡± Shaeula said proudly. ¡°His house is rather small and cramped, but we hope to rectify that soon-soon.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hold on... you¡¯re living with my brother? Like together? Alone? In that tiny apartment?¡± It was shock piled on shock. Eri-chan had shut down again, her eyes spinning. If Eri-chan hadn¡¯t faced her feelings earlier, I think this might have finished her off.


    ¡°Yes, alone. I fail to see the issue with that-that? It is the duty of a master to provide for his servant. I eat good food and drink fine alcohol. There is nothing to concern yourself with-with.¡±


    Wow, I think there is! ¡°So you live alone with my brother, and you get drunk together? And you are sure you aren¡¯t dating? This is the room for honesty, remember!¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I have not raised the subject to Akio as of yet-yet, for I fear it is still too soon. Your brother can be somewhat dense when it comes to understanding the feelings of fair maidens, can he not-not? So we stand at the same place Eri-Eri. Hold to your courage, lest you regret your silence evermore.¡±


    ¡°... Akio... would like you like... dinner... or a bath.. or...¡±


    ¡°Oh god, I know what dream she is having. Wow, she¡¯s a little pervert. Guess the beer brings it out in her.¡± I laughed quietly, so as not to wake her. Looking at Shaeula, who was watching Eri-chan fondly, I smiled. ¡°You know, thanks. I mean it.¡±


    Shaeula raised one eyebrow. ¡°I am sure I do not know just what I have done to deserve your thanks-thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh I think you do. Thanks for not being cruel to Eri-chan. Seriously, she¡¯s my best friend in all the world, and I love her. But she isn¡¯t brave and isn¡¯t strong. She¡¯s loved my brother for as long as she can remember, so you showing up, so close to him... it could have crushed her. But you were so kind...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I merely spoke what was on my mind, this honesty you demanded.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°Akio and I... are not like that yet. So I have no right to stop her. Besides...¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. You seem weirdly okay with sharing. Even so, you¡¯ve given her the push she needed. I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t slip back and regret it. You know... I think I like you too. My big bro is such a lucky dog. When will someone come to sweep me off my feet?¡±


    ¡°I suspect you would have little trouble finding a decent male-male.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°But until then, why not let your brother spoil you? I do believe he is what this country calls a... siscon, is he not?¡±


    Wow, oh my... that came from nowhere, and now I¡¯m all embarrassed again. It must be the beer why I¡¯m feeling hot, right? I was about to retort when there was a soft knock on the door and my brother¡¯s voice called out softly. ¡°Shaeula, you awake in there?¡±


    He didn¡¯t hear any of the conversation we just had did he? I hope not or I¡¯ll die... ¡°What time do you call this? It¡¯s so late...¡± I replied grumpily.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. My business ran longer than expected. I was wondering if Shaeula was still up?¡±


    Getting up I opened the door to let him in. He came inside looking apologetic, smiling as he saw the sleeping Eri-chan. ¡°Guess she got all tuckered out by the girl talk?¡± he said.


    ¡°She sure did.¡± I agreed, not mentioning the can of beer. She¡¯ll be mortified to hear my big bro saw her sleeping in such an undignified fashion. Oh well, her own fault. ¡°So, what do you need Shaeula for?¡±


    ¡°I just want to borrow her for a bit to discuss something about work. It shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°Oh, at this hour? Can¡¯t it wait?¡± I protested. ¡°it is work-related right, you aren¡¯t going to be doing anything... lewd... with Shaeula are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on sis, you know me better than that. Besides, I told you, she isn¡¯t my girlfriend, she isn¡¯t into me, we are work colleagues. Can you cut me some slack?¡±


    Yep, he may have got hot and fit, and have girls flocking around him, but he¡¯s still the same old dense brother I¡¯ve always known. That makes me feel good, somehow...


    ¡°Fine. You can borrow Shaeula. But don¡¯t keep her up too long all right? We have a busy day tomorrow. And no lewd activities, all right?¡± I teased.


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± He sighed as Shaeula snickered at our banter. As she left with my brother I turned to Eri-chan, who was sleeping peacefully and spoke quietly, as my own eyes began to close, the beer catching up with me. ¡°Goodnight Eri-cha...n, goodnight... Shaeul...a, goodnight, big... br...¡±

 Sixty-Six

    Sixty-Six


    ¡°So, how was your girl talk?¡± I asked as we headed to my room. ¡°I hope you had fun.¡±


    ¡°I found it rather amusing indeed-indeed. I learned many things about you, my master. You are surely well loved-loved.¡±


    Well loved? ¡°I... see...? So, how did you find Aiko and Eri-chan? I hope you three can get along.¡±


    ¡°There are no issues.¡± Shaeula sat down on the edge of my bed. ¡°Your sister was just as you described-described. And Eri... I perhaps understand her better than she understands herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then. In any case, sorry I¡¯m back so late, I ended up finding out quite a bit of information from the priest at the shrine.¡±


    ¡°It matters not-not.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°Though Aiko was sure you were only flirting with a young shrine maiden while you were there-there. I believe you will have much explaining to do-do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, enough of that. Anyway, when we enter the Boundary we¡¯ll be heading up the mountain. We need to make contact with the kami of the shrine.¡±


    Calming my mind I channelled aether though my chakras, and with that I entered the Boundary away from my Territory for the first time. Seeing Shaeula waiting for me, still wearing her wyrmscale mail, I realised I was wearing mine too, the spear beside me.


    ¡°Hmm, so why does our gear come with us? Do you know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have never really considered it-it.¡± She answered. ¡°Perhaps it is our belief that we should have such things with us that makes them remain-remain?¡±


    Oh I see. Like why the kitchen knife I used for a while, or items I have made myself don¡¯t fade away, but if I conjure a weapon out of aether to fight with, it disappears when I stop concentrating on it... ¡°Oh well, unless we find someone more knowledgeable, I doubt we¡¯ll find out for sure.¡± Outside our house the mountains stretched out into the distance. Lesser spirits were drifting about, glowing orbs of light and half-shapes swirling lazily on the breeze. There were significantly less than my first forays into the Boundary in Tokyo though. Seeing us, the spirits began floating our way, but it was trivial to drain them, converting them to ether.


    ¡°Well, shall we go?¡± I asked, and we set off for the shrine on the mountain under the dark-lit Boundary skies. As we went we continued to talk about our day. I explained meeting Marika-chan and her grandfather, and how she would be coming to Tokyo to study under us, which brought a knowing smirk from Shaeula, while she talked about Eri-chan and my sister.


    ¡°Eri does not believe in herself. A shame-shame.¡± Shaeula was saying, surprising me.


    ¡°Eh, really? I know she is shy, but she¡¯s model-pretty, and smart too. That doesn¡¯t make much sense...¡±


    ¡°You still struggle to understand the heart of a maiden, my master.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°What one feels has nothing to do with what one is-is. After all...¡± after a meaningful pause she spoke, her amber eyes gazing deeply into mine from only a few inches away, causing me to flush despite myself. ¡°... was I not too consumed by the status of my own birth-birth, wallowing in thoughts I was somehow unworthy, fighting back only with misplaced pride-pride? Eri is similar. She sees you as someone great, shining, someone forever out of her reach-reach... yet she longs to grasp hold of you. I cannot speak for her taste...¡± Shaeula grinned, stepping back from me. ¡°... but she believes in her heart she is not worthy of you, the poor girl-girl. Still, just like you told the foolish me you would sweep away my doubts and stand beside me as I rose to rule the Seelie, all she requires is for you to say those words that her heart needs to hear-hear. Give her a reason to believe she can be of use to you and her heart will heal-heal. There is an obvious answer. Surely no master of mine would allow his precious friend to suffer so?¡±


    Yeah, okay, I can¡¯t pretend I haven¡¯t noticed any more. If what my sister and Shaeula both say is true... Steeling myself, I nodded. ¡°Soon. Either while I¡¯m here, or in Las Vegas. I¡¯ll make things clear.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± Shaeula gestured and wind swept from her hands, vaporising a swarm of monstrous birds that had swooped down on us from the sky. As they shattered to ether I sent the stock back to our upgrading Territory, only to discover something interesting. The Silo could still receive, but I could not withdraw. That means prolonged activity in the Boundary would be heavily dependent on what aether we can create as we go, no relying on restocking from our reserves...


    Damn, I knew that attack made no sense... if I wasn¡¯t there, my sister, Eri-chan... I shuddered at what could have happened. And now that the Boundary is closer to the Material... will Yokai and other myths return? If so, then the danger to the world is real...


    ¡°Grr, indeed. For many years we kami have been drifting in and out of slumber, watching over only our most faithful worshippers. Yet the tides of the spiritual world have strengthened this past decade, and they only continue to deepen. The time for renewal is coming.¡±


    The kami squeezed shut its eyes. ¡°Grr, when I watched you stand firm against the jaws of the beast, I felt pride, that a child of this mountain I have watched over for so long had the tenacity that I am worshipped for. So I bestowed my blessings upon you, in the scars you proudly obtained. Now you have come to me, I can unlock the power your honourable scars held, grrrrrrrrrrrr!¡±


    At that, before I could speak his eyes snapped open, this time glowing like rainbow metal. I felt a searing pain where the faint scars were on my Material body, and I slumped to one knee. Beside me Shaeula was watching with her own glowing eyes of amber, and she was doing something with her wind, small knives of green cutting into my Astral form.


    ¡°Grr, your help is appreciated, foreign spirit, you understand his form very well indeed.¡±


    The pain was fading as a wave of energy spread from my mental wounds, sucked into my chakra network and cycling, energy collecting in my lunar chakra.


    Your Determination has significantly increased.


    Determination?


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 11 to level 12.


    ¡°Now take the favour of the kami, champion we have chosen. May our favour bring you to new heights and restore the balance that has long been lost to the world, grrrrrrrrrrrr!¡±


    You have gained a class. You are now a Kami-Blessed.


    Your Class, Kami-Blessed, has increased from level 0 to level 4.


    Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm and ?????? have increased.


    Your Aether has dramatically increased.


    As energy surged through me I listened to the pleased howls of the many dog spirits that attended the Brown Dog kami. Surprisingly I did not feel as dreadfully uncomfortable with them as I would have just moments ago. Behind me Shaeula patted my back, directing wind to soften the remaining pain.


    ¡°Well done, Akio. Though I am loathe to share you with the Snake and the Dog, I am a woman who knows well how to swallow her feelings and support her master-master. This power... surely it will help us achieve our dreams.¡± Her smile was radiant, causing my heart to skip a beat.


    Damn, so cute...

 Sixty-Seven

    Sixty-Seven


    Shaking off Shaeula¡¯s cuteness, I started to assess the significant gains I had made. Silvery letters scrolled across my vision as I used the Self-Examination skill. First up was Determination...


    Determination- The power of one¡¯s will made manifest. Determination will increase your power when facing great adversity, and will reduce the power of any negative effects others attempt to inflict upon you.


    Well, that was certainly useful. Debuff resistance and a situational buff? At least facing off against the Yokai-hound gave me a tangible reward... Although protecting Aiko and Eri-chan was reward enough...


    Next was...


    By gaining the blessing of an enshrined kami, you will gradually raise your spiritual calibre, increasing your ?????????. In addition, Fortune, Charm and Majesty will increase, and your ability to use aether will strengthen dramatically, growing further as your ???????? rises.


    Kami-Blessed was a twenty level class like Fae-Bonded, and it seemed there were no issues with having two classes at once. My status sheet was definitely looking better, but I¡¯d go through it in detail later, as a question occurred to me.


    ¡°So, why did I only get Kami-Blessed now, not when the White Snake kami supported me?¡±


    ¡°Grr, I must apologise, for the gift of power I left within you as a child may have refused the power of the rival kami. Now that it has been properly assimilated within you, such is no longer a concern.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I guess I shouldn¡¯t complain too much, since you gave me a gift... oh yeah, you keep calling me a child of the shrine, but I didn¡¯t even move here until I was a few years old. I¡¯m not exactly pious either, I... well, you know I am not good with dogs, right?¡±


    ¡°Grr, All beings of spirit have laws they abide by, tied to their very existence. The traveller from a distant land beside you knows this well.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°Of course, Three Oaths for Three Boons. That is the way of the Seelie.¡±


    ¡°Grr, a strange covenant. However...¡± the Brown Dog of the Mountains sniffed at Shaeula. ¡°... I smell something nostalgic on you, a presence long forgotten.¡±


    I guess that might be Shaeula¡¯s mother. She said she was of a noble bloodline of Japan, so I wonder if her mother was a kami too? I¡¯m curious but it¡¯s a really sore subject for her, so I¡¯ll wait for her to open up...


    ¡°So, I¡¯m a child of this shrine?¡± I continued, and the Dog nodded.


    ¡°Grr, yes, this was the first shrine you made prayer to, long ago. When one offers their prayers to an enshrined kami, their spirit becomes bonded to it. One¡¯s home shrine, shrines related to one¡¯s work, or related to their hobbies and talents... any shrine and kami that influences aspects of one¡¯s being have... grr, far greater significance than any other.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it. So since Shirohebizumi has no real overlap with my nature, it carries less importance spiritually? That would be why having the support of my home shrine would carry more weight to the other shrines... hmm, then if I could get support of shrines with significance then not only would I have a stronger support base, but my Kami-Blessed class would level up too?¡± I could think of several shrines and their kami that would fit the bill, but some of them were... quite major, and probably out of my reach for now... still, it never hurts to plan ahead...


    ¡°I¡¯d admit I¡¯d feel more confident if she was... well, less shy, more social. She clings to my sister a bit too much. But she¡¯s still young...¡±


    ¡°Young, yes, but old enough to...¡± not even my enhanced hearing could hear the final words Shaeula spoke. I was about to question her when an orange glow caught my eye. I gestured to Shaeula and we moved over carefully, only to find an orange Etherite ore amidst the boulders. Nice.


    ¡°I guess there isn¡¯t someone like me going around and collecting them all around here... it¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t take it back with us, but I could always break it down for ether... or...¡± an idea suddenly came to me. ¡°Shaeula, let¡¯s look around for a few more ores. If we can find another one or two I think that¡¯ll give us the safety net we need...¡±


    It only took a few minutes to find a couple more ores, this time the more common red ones. I gave those to Shaeula and explained my idea to her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise when she heard. ¡°That is quite the bold idea, master. Still, yes, it should work-work.¡±


    Reaching the forest where the kami said its foe lurked, the air began to change, the faint smell of burning wood and seared meat hanging heavy, the trees gradually becoming more and more charred, dead branches forming a series of skeletal profiles. Ugh, so creepy...


    Shaeula must have felt the same for she took my hand in hers. ¡°This place reeks-reeks of something foul. It is not Unseelie, yet it has the same feel... of... wrongness, corruption.¡±


    ¡°True, but even though we may be at an elemental disadvantage, I doubt it can be any more dangerous than the Raven Knight, right?¡± I tried to lighten the mood. It worked as Shaeula grinned.


    ¡°True, but now it is but the two of us-us, before we had that idiot Grulgor, the snake and many others to be our... hmm, how did the game I play put it, ah yes, as meat shields-shields.¡± She snickered, looking so cute I couldn¡¯t help but ruffle her hair, causing her to flush pink again.


    Wait, am I getting too used to casually touching her? I¡¯m pretty much like her boss now, so isn¡¯t that sexual harassment?


    I quickly removed my hand, and Shaeula was pouting now. That was close, I nearly annoyed her.


    Putting that aside we continued to advance, and as we pushed through the scorched trees I felt my aether start to be drawn from me. It was minor but noticeable. Shaeula was grimacing beside me, so she must have been feeling it too.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve entered enemy Territory. It doesn¡¯t feel too strong, definitely a level 0, but even so, be on your guard.¡± I warned. Just as I finished speaking we could hear sizzling cries from in front of us, as several of the burned trees wrenched themselves out of the ground, fissures opening in their trunks to reveal burning fires within. Blackened roots snaked through the soil and rock below us, bursting out like twisting tentacles. Acting quickly I stepped in front of Shaeula and wielded wind, slashing through the black tendrils, bringing shrill cries of pain from the tree-beasts. No tentacle play on my watch!


    ¡°Above us!¡± Shaeula wielded her own wind as she cried out, eyes blazing amber. Flying beasts looking like birds of bone and yellow flame were diving down, and in addition to that the trees were firing their leaves at us, spinning discs of flame racing towards us like gatling fire. Green wind formed a dome and repelled them, birds raining from the sky, fires dimming.


    ¡°Good job, you protect us from ranged attacks and fliers, I¡¯ll deal with the trees.¡± Racing in, I channelled aether, making the sharp wyrm fang that tipped my spear vibrate, and it effortlessly pierced the first tree, which collapsed into ether with a grim yell. Flickering tongues of flame scattered, burning me, but I turned aether into a cooling breeze which softened the pain. I could use more to heal the burns, but they aren¡¯t major, I can live with the pain...


    Severing branches and roots I struck down a second tree, wheeling to face a third, only to have it split open wide and gush out a storm of yellow fire at me. I reflexively used wind to defend it, but the flames consumed it, growing in intensity... shit... leaping backwards I realised I would not make it, only to be thrown sideways by a sudden impact, Shaeula having blown me out of the way with her own wind. As I landed heavily the tree that attacked me exploded, Shaeula breathing hard as she used a compressed wind drill to tear it and several other trees apart.


    ¡°Do not be careless, master!¡± Shaeula warned, every enemy around her exploding into fragments of wood and bone as her wind blades danced.


    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± I charged, and another tree was pierced. The battle settled into a rhythm, Shaeula and I destroying wave after wave of burning bone birds and smaller rodent-like animals, while taking out any trees that began to move or spit flame at us. Our aether supply was stable, as even in this territory we could replenish by harvesting the slain foes, but more pressing was our reserves of wind energy... would they last us or should we retreat?

 Sixty-Eight

    Sixty-Eight


    As I considered our options Shaeula cried out. ¡°Master, beware-beware! A powerful presence is approaching rapidly!¡± She threw up a green barrier, only to see it shattered into clouds of glowing jade, which quickly winked out of existence as yellow sparks of fire consumed it. A great roar filled with crackling heat sounded through the wilderness, setting what little grass and undergrowth was surviving on the barren soil ablaze.


    Around us the skeletal trees waved their branches in glee, more cracks opening to furnace-yellow glows on their seared bodies. They almost seemed to be... saluting?... the huge presence that had charged us.


    Ugh, that¡¯s... just... I can feel my sanity points going bye-bye... cracking a joke to myself I regarded the monstrous beast, spear at the ready. It was a cross between a skeletal bear, whose bones were wreathed in yellow flame, and a blackened tree that was growing through it, dark roots tangled through its ribcage and down its limbs, holding it together like a pinned dinosaur skeleton I once saw at an exhibition with Hayato-san and the gang. The tree itself was around five metres tall, and its trunk was split in three places, forming blazing yellow eyes and a sneering mouth of flame.


    ¡°Foul perversion. Such an abomination should not be allowed to exist-exist!¡± Shaeula cried.


    ¡°I agree, but do you have a plan?¡± I asked, dodging as the skeletal bear raised its skull and exhaled a blast of flaming gases that exploded violently. Leaves were being shot from the tree too, sharp and hot. One just missed my eye, drawing a painful line along my cheek, and several gouged my arms and side. As silvery blood scattered free I tried to circle it, only to be attacked by roots and branches from some of the surrounding enemies. Several burning rodents leapt at me, and I barely fended them off, stamping on them as they fell to the ground.


    ¡°Of course I do-do, I am a proud princess of the Seelie, such abominations are nothing to me. I have done more than play games in your room, master, I have studied too-too!¡± she shouted proudly, bone birds raining from the sky around her. ¡°But I shall need some time-time, the execution is... challenging.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯d be a poor master if I couldn¡¯t match your resolve.¡± My spear killed a tree, and then I ducked aside as one massive bone paw from the bear raked past me, slashing four burning furrows in the rock. Tendrils whipped at me, but channelling aether I called up a sharp sword in my left hand, severing them. As the sword dispersed once my concentration was elsewhere I counter-attacked, my spear wreathed in vibrations stabbing bone, breaking some of them, but more roots snaked out from the tree, holding it together. Branches then struck at me, and I barely blocked with the haft of my spear, staggering me. Leaves rained down like bullets, but with the little wind energy I had left I deflected them all. That¡¯s it, I¡¯m dry...


    Using aether I ripped free chunks of the stony ground and flung them, shattering bone and wood alike, but the tree-bear of flames barrelled towards me, shrugging them off. It was then Shaeula unleashed her attack, consuming the two Etherites she was holding to empower it, as the Raven Knight had done before.


    So you did use my idea... nice.


    ¡°Smother and fade away-away!¡± Shaeula intoned, as green energy spread from her like a nova. Where it touched yellow flames instead of being consumed it extinguished them, bone beasts falling apart, the trees collapsing under their own weight.


    The tree-bear shuddered, fires dimming, one limb disintegrating, roots releasing their grip. It refused to die though, flames drooling from more cracks in the trunk. It dragged itself towards me, leaving trails of flame which winked out of existence rapidly. Branches speared towards me, but Shaeula had weakened it enough. I too was holding an Etherite, this one orange.


    ¡°Great job, you lived up to your boast.¡± I approved. ¡°Be crushed and die!¡± I copied Shaeula¡¯s line from earlier and drew on what aether I had left, supplemented by the power of the Etherite. The ground exploded into a series of stone pillars around the tree-bear, which then closed in with a sickening crunch. Stone fractured, as did wood, and it all collapsed into a pile of scorched rubble.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from eighteen to nineteen.


    The message was doubly welcome. Thank god, it must be over. As I slumped to the ground, barely enough aether to keep me in the Astral, I felt the Territory collapse, bestowing me with several thousand ether, plus more for the tree-bear. Changing some to aether so I was not returned to the Material, I then noticed a glowing yellow ball moving towards me, where it began to orbit, giving off a crackling warmth. Is this... fire energy?


    It had been a while since I first secured elemental energies from the Kamaitachi I had defeated. Now I had gained some more.


    She looks pale. And she should show some modesty. She¡¯s too old to be running around the house in her pyjamas.


    ¡°Shaeula is here! I knew she never came back to my room last night.¡± My sister continued. I could see Eri-chan behind her, peeking around the doorframe, eyes anxious. From what I could see, she at least was properly dressed.


    ¡°So, what did you get up to?¡± my sister closed in on me, staring right into my face. ¡°You... you look different this morning. It¡¯s hard to describe, but did you get cooler? Wow, I knew it. The ¡®fashionable duo¡¯ always says when a guy gets some love action they end up looking all satisfied and hot. I¡¯m disappointed in you, big bro moonstone. To do such things here when you know Eri-chan is waiting...¡±


    Behind her Eri-chan was waving a frantic arm to stop her talking, face crimson. Of course, my sister paid her no mind. Ugh, your breath reeks of beer, you¡¯ve been drinking, haven¡¯t you? Father is going to kill you... and probably me too, since he won¡¯t be able to take it out on Shaeula, as she¡¯s a guest...


    ¡°Not now, Aiko-chan...¡± Eri-chan hissed, and when her gaze met mine she ducked back behind the doorframe with an adorable yelp. It was at that moment Shaeula woke up, yawning cutely. Rolling over onto her back her yukata slipped a little, revealing her white shoulders.


    ¡°Is it morning already? Good morning to you, Aiko. I hope you slept well-well.¡±


    ¡°Eyes up here, buster.¡± My sister grabbed me. ¡°So, just why is Shaeula in your room when she was supposed to be sleeping with me and Eri-chan, just us girls? What sort of business did you have to take care of?¡±


    Shaeula burst out laughing. ¡°You are indeed adorable Aiko. We talked of this last night, did we not-not? I will not step in front of Eri, should she gather her courage. I am a patient woman.¡±


    Letting me go Aiko let out a very unladylike sound. ¡°Tch, I guess so. And you two do live together right now, so if you were doing those things... ugh, my head. I think I¡¯m going to have a cold shower...¡±


    ¡°That would be a hangover.¡± I advised her, getting a glower in return. ¡°Still, it happens to us all. Just try and keep it from father, okay?¡±


    At that Eri-chan popped her head around the door again, having composed herself. ¡°Emily-san told me your father is suffering himself, drinking all that whiskey with Shaeula over dinner. He¡¯ll be staying in bed until we have to go out and start preparing for the shrine cleaning and baseball.¡±


    ¡°In that case you lucked out, sis. I¡¯ll make sure mom prepares you a breakfast that¡¯s easy to digest. I¡¯ve got some painkillers too here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Wow, cheers big bro.¡± she thanked me. ¡°It was fun drinking with Shaeula and Eri-chan, having a girly night, but maybe I¡¯ll stick to one can like Eri-chan did next time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you need to build tolerance before hitting it hard.¡± I ruffled her hair until she waved me off. ¡°Eri-chan did the right thing, not that I¡¯d expect anything less, she¡¯s pretty smart, unlike you.¡±


    As Eri-chan looked down embarrassed, my sister complained that I was calling her dumb. Shaeula joined in, and with the sound of laughter we headed down for breakfast. It would be a long but hopefully fun day ahead...

 Sixty-Nine

    Sixty-Nine


    My sister joined us at the table, hair still wet from her bath. Wordlessly I passed her a glass of water and some painkillers, which she took from me with a muttered thanks and downed quickly.


    ¡°Wow, yeah, I feel a little better now, but my head still hurts...¡± she complained, sitting down between Eri-chan and Shaeula.


    Our mom brought over breakfast, bowls of steamed rice, miso soup and plates of grilled fish, along with some side sauces and vegetables. I had offered to help, as had Eri-chan, but mom wouldn¡¯t hear of it, treating us as guests.


    ¡°This looks pleasing indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula smiled, digging in with her chopsticks. At first she had struggled with them, but with a combination of practice and her improved motor skills from levelling, she now ate like a traditional Japanese. ¡°I worked up quite the appetite last night-night.¡±


    ¡°Oho, really?¡± mom said, eyeing her. ¡°How very bold of you Shaeula dear. Eri-chan really has to up her game or she¡¯ll be left behind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find that funny.¡± I admonished my mother, as Eri-chan hid her face again. ¡°You know we didn¡¯t do anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a spoilsport. A mother is supposed to embarrass her children. Besides... I don¡¯t think I could say for certain you wouldn¡¯t, could I? A mother can tell, and this one knows you like each other more than you let on!¡± she put her hands on her hips in a pose of triumph. Shaeula snorted in laughter even as she was stuffing her face with food, unconcerned.


    Beside her my sis let out a long sigh. ¡°Oh wow, my head hurts too much for this so early in the morning. Can we give it a rest please. Big bro has already told us they just slept, he wouldn¡¯t lie to me... he better not, anyway!¡±


    ¡°Poor little Ai!¡± my mother commiserated. ¡°Today you are British, I remember the first time I drank underage... I was sick everywhere and my parents were not happy at all. You¡¯ve done better than I did. Still... your father is very strict on rules, so it¡¯s lucky Shaeula here drank him under the table and he isn¡¯t here to see this...¡± she looked at Shaeula again. ¡°For someone so small she can sure tuck it away.¡±


    ¡°She sure can.¡± I agreed. I remember myths saying that the fair folk or faeries were very fond of alcohol, I guess they might be right...


    Over the rest of breakfast we talked and joked with each other, Aiko gradually perking up as having some food in her and the painkillers had started to clear her hangover. As we cleared the dishes (I insisted I would help, and Eri-chan also joined in) we started to discuss the upcoming game.


    ¡°So, you are definitely in for the baseball game?¡± my sister asked. ¡°I know a few people who¡¯d want to see that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why anyone would be interested in me, but yeah, I might as well since I¡¯m here.¡± Besides, it¡¯d be a good chance to run another test on my improved stats. This year I wouldn¡¯t get laughed at for being so bad at sports...


    Perhaps seeing what I was thinking my sister grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t be getting a big head bro, you may have been working out, but that won¡¯t make you any better at baseball. Just don¡¯t embarrass me okay? If girls were allowed to take part I¡¯d show up most of those idiots...¡±


    Oh yeah. My sister didn¡¯t really get on with the baseball team. She was in the volleyball team, their rivals, for one, but worse... a lot of guys on that team tried to ask her out, some more than once. My sister hated pushy guys. She turned them all down of course, but some of them didn¡¯t appreciate being snubbed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be on the town team then.¡± Mom said. ¡°We almost never win against the ¡®pro¡¯ team, so don¡¯t feel too bad when you lose.¡±


    ¡°Lose?¡± Shaeula spoke up from where she was lying on some cushions, patting her stomach contentedly. ¡°What foolishness. There is no way Akio can be defeated-defeated. Not by such rabble.¡±


    ¡°Well damn, big bro.¡± Aiko was impressed. ¡°No way you can suck with such high expectations weighing you down. Best of luck I guess...¡±


    My mother laughed too. ¡°Oh, such pure faith. It¡¯s very romantic. You had best do your best then Aki.¡±


    Beside us Eri-chan also spoke up, her words tumbling out of her. ¡°I know you can do it, big brother. I believe in you too, more than Shaeula does!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up Oshiro-san? It¡¯s been a long time.¡± A fairly handsome guy in his early twenties approached, accompanied by a younger woman, who was decently pretty enough, holding a baby that looked only a few months old in her arms.


    ¡°It sure has, Imai-san. Not since the class reunion a few years ago I think.¡± Imai-san was in the same class as me back in school here, and we were, if not friends, definitely acquaintances, we used to hang out with a few other guys now and then. He was always more popular with girls than me though, and it doesn¡¯t look like that had changed. Seeing where my gaze was going he smirked.


    ¡°You might not remember Chiyoko, she was in middle school still when we all graduated. But yes, we are married.¡± He showed off his wedding ring. Chiyoko-san bowed politely to me and gave a soft greeting. ¡°And yes...¡± he continued. ¡°We do have a kid. We hit it off after the last class meet. I was going to say you should have spent more time mingling too, rather than hanging around your sister and her friend, but...¡±


    He looked at me, a flower in each hand. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve grown up after all. I was worried you¡¯d just throw yourself into your job and die a lonely old bachelor.¡±


    I could see from Chiyoko-san¡¯s nervous smile she was worried her husband was being too rude, but I waved it off with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve not changed at all, have you Imai-san? It¡¯s almost refreshing.¡±


    ¡°No, I have not. So I¡¯ll be blunt. Which one¡¯s your girl then? No way you have the guts to two-time them to their faces, right?¡±


    Ouch. Everyone around us was working away under Marika-chan¡¯s instructions, but I was sure I could tell everyone was straining to hear. My sister and Marika-chan looked particularly interested.


    ¡°They are just good friends. You know I¡¯ve been friends with Eri-chan forever, and Shaeula here is a work colleague.¡±


    Eri-chan¡¯s hand tightened in mine uncomfortably for a moment, but when I looked over her face was blank. Behind me my sister sighed loudly.


    ¡°Oh really? Sure doesn¡¯t look like just friends to me.¡± Imai-san then grinned. ¡°But you know, it is the festival tomorrow. I think I get it... should be a bloodbath, we¡¯ll have to go watch it, right darling?¡± He said to his wife, who bowed apologetically again.


    Man, his wife is wasted on him. ¡°Oh yeah, that reminds me...¡± Imai-san continued. ¡°I hear that you¡¯ll be playing baseball this year. I¡¯m on the town team too. I hope you won¡¯t drag me down, those damn idiots on the ¡®pro¡¯ team have been really annoying as usual. I want to teach them a lesson.¡± He looked me up and down. ¡°I can see you¡¯ve finally stopped being a scrawny punk and put on some muscle. No wonder you are more popular with the girls. Still, I remember your sporting talent.. or should I say, shocking lack of it?¡±


    Word travels fast it seems...


    ¡°Of course Akio will triumph.¡± Shaeula piped up, defending me again. ¡°Compared to the foes he has faced down, these... pro-pro fools will be ground to dust.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, she¡¯s really into you.¡± Imai-san laughed. ¡°And she¡¯s gorgeous too.¡± He earned a sharp look from his wife at that.


    ¡°This is all well and good...¡± I interrupted, feeling the hot gazes of everyone around on us. ¡°...but I did come up here to help with the preparation for the festival, and I haven¡¯t done anything yet...¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I cannot in good conscience ask you or your honourable friends to labour here, Akio-sama.¡± Marika-chan said. ¡°Please take a seat and relax. I shall bring you all some tea and snacks.¡± As she was going to hurry off I grabbed her arm.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you need to do that... we don¡¯t need special treatment.¡±


    ¡°Akio-sama? What the hell...¡± Imai-san burst out laughing, causing his child to wake up and start crying, annoying his wife. Around us people were sniggering, and I wished that something, anything would be a distraction from this...


    ¡°Oh cool, Ai-chan and Ri-Ri are over there with .... Whoa, is that Akio-kun? No way!¡±


    Looks like wishes do come true...

 Seventy

    Seventy


    Two flashy young girls who looked high-school age were approaching up the shrine stairs, accompanied by a pair of similarly aged boys with shaven heads and wearing our school baseball uniform. The lead one who was wearing a pretty short skirt and fashionable-looking long boots was waving at us cheerfully.


    She picked up her pace and hurried over, the other three trailing in her wake. She stopped in front of us and looked me over, eyes wide when she saw I was holding hands with two beautiful girls. ¡°Oh my, Ri-Ri, how very bold of you. Guess you showed some guts after all.¡± Turning to Shaeula her eyes went wide as she took in her looks. ¡°And just who is this? You¡¯re a real beauty. Just what do you use on your hair? I wish I could get mine that colour.¡± She went to touch Shaeula¡¯s hair, only to have it batted away by Shaeula¡¯s free hand.


    ¡°I do not recall giving you permission to touch me-me.¡± She snapped, eyes cold. At that the girl squealed in delight. ¡°Oh god, so cute. That stutter... so adorable!¡±


    As the chaos continued her friend joined her, followed by the two boys, who were eyeing Shaeula, trying (and failing) to be subtle about it.


    ¡°Sorry about Yae, she can be really hyper during festival season.¡± The newcomer said apologetically. She was wearing skinny jeans and a very tight t-shirt, her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. ¡°I¡¯m Masui Rika by the way. I don¡¯t know if you remember me, I¡¯ve been in the same class as your sister and Ri-Ri for years.¡± She looked at me again, face a little pink, perhaps from her exertion. ¡°You are Akio-kun, right? You¡¯ve really been hitting the gym...¡±


    The other excitable gal-girl turned away from Shaeula and agreed. ¡°Oh man yeah, looking good Akio-kun. I guess guys who move to Tokyo really are special...¡±


    At that one of the boys coughed loudly, drawing her attention. ¡°Oh, sorry Masaki-kun. I didn¡¯t mean to ignore you.¡± she turned back to me. ¡°I¡¯m Chihiya Yae, also friends with your sister and little Ri-Ri. You can call me Yae.¡±


    Friends? If I recall it wasn¡¯t as if my sister disliked them or anything, but they weren¡¯t close... still, I gave a professional smile I used while doing business and greeted them. ¡°Yae-san, Rika-san, nice to meet you again. Thanks for always looking out for my sister and Eri-chan.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± I heard bitter grunts in stereo, as both boys made a rude sound, but so did my sister. Ignoring them I continued talking. ¡°So, what brings you to the shrine today? If I recall, the ¡®pro¡¯ team just has to get the green ready for the game?¡±


    My sister was whispering something to Shaeula, right in her ear, and it was quiet but I could just about pick it up. ¡°... asked me out before. Such a jerk, I hear he had girls before and cheated on them. As for the other...¡±


    Ouch. So it looked like Masaki-san asked out my sister before he started dating Yae-san, not that she told anyone, and the other one, Kenji-san, is pretty much a playboy... well, not people I want to spend any time with.


    I was especially unhappy about the way Kenji-san was eyeing my sister, though it seemed his lack of faithfulness was shining through, as he was gawking at Shaeula plenty as well, drawing a frown from her.


    ¡°So Akio-kun...¡± Yae-san continued. ¡°You¡¯re playing in the match for the town team right? You¡¯ll be up against Masaki-kun and Kenji-kun. I hope you give a good showing.¡± She reached out and grabbed my bare arm below the sleeve of my t-shirt. ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve got some nice muscle tone here...¡±


    Okay, these girls are very bold...


    ¡°Hey Yae-chan! What are you doing?


    ¡°You get your hands off big brother right now!¡±


    Angry words from Masaki-san and surprisingly Eri-chan overlapped, causing my sister to laugh loudly. Striding over she removed Yae-san¡¯s hand from my arm and rapped Rika-san on the head as she continued to try and touch Shaeula¡¯s hair.


    ¡°You pair are being rude to my big bro and Shaeula, to say nothing of your poor boyfriend, Yae-san. Sorry for her behaviour.¡± My sister apologised for them, and Masaki-san blushed, Kenji-san looking really annoyed behind him. Over to the side Marika-san was looking between the two groups in confusion, while Imai-san and his wife had backed off, Imai-san still smirking at my discomfort.


    Why do I keep getting caught up in this stuff? I don¡¯t recall being so in-demand before...


    ¡°Yeah, my bad.¡± Yae-san said, and Rika-san stuck her tongue out to laugh it off.


    ¡°Anyway, yes I¡¯ll be competing. I hope to do better than my usual shameful showings. I¡¯ve been working out, as you can see.¡±


    ¡°We sure can.¡± Rika-san agreed. ¡°So, serious talk...¡± she noticed I was still holding hands with the two girls. ¡°You finally dating Ri-Ri then? Or this other stunner with the gorgeous hair and eyes?¡±


    Before I could answer my sister stepped in. ¡°It¡¯s the festival tomorrow. You know what that means, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is eh?¡± Rika-san looked at the two girls smugly. ¡°Well, good luck to you both.¡±


    ¡°However many shall come is however many you shall defeat, master.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Why not humour the boy-boy? But there must be a fair wager this time.¡±


    She is really competitive... maybe they remind her of her brothers or something...


    ¡°All right, if you insist. But what are your terms. Bear in mind you don¡¯t want to make the same mistake as ... him.¡±


    ¡°You can wager money. And I¡¯ll wager one date with Yae-chan.¡± He replied proudly. Once more everyone froze.


    The hell? Was I this stupid as a high schooler? I saw Imai-san giving me a wink and a thumbs up from the side-lines, while Eri-chan spat out a cold howl of refusal. Shaeula however looked like she was having the time of her life.


    ¡°Why not, she seems presentable enough-enough. My master should be able to charm any number of women.¡± She looked at Masaki-chan, who looked away, smitten by her looks. ¡°One hundred thousand, same as before, for one long date with this Yae.¡±


    ¡°Uh, don¡¯t I get a say?¡± Yae-san said huffily. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot less valued than Ai-chan here and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Rika-san leaned over and whispered something into her ear, too quietly for even me to pick up, and Yae-san brightened a little. As she did so Masaki-san looked at her apologetically. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. There¡¯s no danger of me losing to him, he¡¯s got no skills, I remember people laughing at him in the past. And when I win I¡¯ll take you out to the city. We¡¯ll go to Inuyama and I¡¯ll buy you something nice!¡±


    ¡°You can afford to pay both of us, right? You won¡¯t go back on your word?¡± Kenji-san sneered. In response I gestured to Imai-san, who brought over the extremely confused and somewhat thrilled Marika-chan, who was caught up in the unusual excitement.


    ¡°My word is always strong as steel.¡± I snapped back. ¡°Marika-chan here is witness to our wagers as the shrine maiden of Chairoakitara. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, anything for you, Akio-sama.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Besides...¡± I gestured to the watching crowd. ¡°As an adult, I have to follow through. It¡¯s only children who get to make bold claims without consequences.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sick burn, Oshiro-san.¡± Imai-san laughed. ¡°But don¡¯t bully the kid too much, okay?¡±


    ¡°There you have it then. I would say may the best man win, but I don¡¯t feel like offering you any hope at all.¡± I glared at Kenji-san. Turning to Masaki-san my expression softened. ¡°You I¡¯ll wish good luck, but I can¡¯t say I respect using your girlfriend as collateral. It¡¯s a bit shitty and she deserves better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just playing the odds.¡± He smiled. ¡°When I win she¡¯ll thank me.¡±


    ¡°Just to warn you...¡± Yae-san said. ¡°I put out on first dates. I put out hard. So if you don¡¯t win who knows what Akio-kun will get to do with me...¡± she smiled at me coyly, before turning to the annoyed Eri-chan and winking.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose, don¡¯t worry.¡± He went to take her hand but she dodged him.


    ¡°Ah no, not until after the game.¡± She giggled. ¡°After all, I¡¯m now in limbo. I don¡¯t know whose girlfriend I am until after your duel.¡± With that she hopped over to my sister. ¡°Should be a fun game right?¡±


    ¡°You are going too far...¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°But it was not she who offered, it was this Masaki, was it not-not?¡± Shaeula pointed out, and my sister had to agree.


    ¡°Wow, so much going on. The hangover hurt my head less than this...¡±


    Beside Yae-san, Rika-san was telling her she was such a tease, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree. Still, as a perfect gentleman there was no danger of anything going down on the date, I could just take her for a meal or something...


    Trying to ignore the mix of gazes both curious and hostile, I once more apologised to Marika-chan for not helping with the preparations. The sky above was clear and blue, perfect for a game of baseball...


    Win or lose, people are going to talk about this game for years... I think we are about to go down in the history of our town...

 Seventy-One

    Seventy-One


    ¡°You know, you overreacted a bit there, big bro.¡± My sister whispered to me as we descended the steps in a big group. ¡°It was only a date... it isn¡¯t like I was going to be his girlfriend or anything.¡±


    ¡°I heard you whispering to Shaeula. He sounds like the kind of trash I shouldn¡¯t let anywhere near you. Besides, he looks the sort to get handsy and insistent on going further than he should. I know you can look after yourself, but the thought of it... ugh...¡±


    ¡°Wow, you have sharp ears. I¡¯ll have to be careful what I say around you.¡± She paused for a moment, gathering her words. ¡°Seriously though, thanks big bro. I¡¯m always happy when you get angry for my sake. You never back down when it is for me or Eri-chan. Just like back then.¡± Serious talk over, she smiled. ¡°One last thing. You shouldn¡¯t call him trash when you have Eri-chan and Shaeula hanging all over you. That¡¯s two-timing, big bro. if Rika-san has her way, you might even be three-timing, and going on a date with Yae-san. And what about that little shrine maiden? If anything, you look the bad guy here, bro.¡±


    Ouch, that hurts. Even though I haven¡¯t done anything, I admit it looks really bad... still, Eri-chan is Eri-chan, and Shaeula doesn¡¯t mean anything by it, so I think it¡¯s fine... at least she seems to have calmed down from earlier, but I¡¯m going to have to come up with something to tell her, as I can¡¯t keep all this secret from her forever... oh well, baseball first...


    The town was bustling, with most residents out and about, including those from the nearby villages that were also served by our towns¡¯ school. The town sports field was near the school where I went when I was young, the series of buildings there comprising of an elementary, middle and high school, as our town and the surrounds were not populous enough to require separate facilities.


    Around the field a large crowd had gathered, and already the women of the town were setting up various tables, barbeques and other necessities.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to stuffing my face after the match.¡± My sister said, eyeing the large coolboxes of meat that were being carried over. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be eating as a loser. You will win, right big bro?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he can do it.¡± Eri-chan said quietly. ¡°After all, when has big brother ever let us down?¡±


    ¡°I can think of a few times...¡± my sister teased. ¡°But when it counts... he is pretty reliable.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll win, after all, he¡¯s going up against Masaki-kun and Kenji-kun, two of the stars of our baseball team, but considering he can win a date with me, I bet he¡¯ll be giving it his all, won¡¯t he?¡± Yae-san winked at me, ignoring the scowl from her boyfriend.


    ¡°Well, whoever wins we should keep things friendly.¡± Rika-san said. ¡°And you don¡¯t want to go too mad on the food Ai-chan, boys won¡¯t like you if you get fat!¡±


    As the girls bantered, I saw my mom and father waiting by the side of the field, along with Eri-chan¡¯s parents. Seeing me my mom waved cheerily, and my father smiled a little, still looking a bit worse for wear. I left the girls and walked over to them, Shaeula following me quietly.


    ¡°Mom, Father. Uncle Mori, Auntie.¡± I greeted them all. Turning to my father I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°How are you feeling? I heard you were a bit hungover.¡±


    My father had the grace to look embarrassed. ¡°I must admit I have felt better.¡± He looked at Shaeula who was standing behind me. ¡°I am amazed that you seem so bright this morning, Shaeula. You have such a slight frame, yet you matched me drink for drink...¡±


    My mom elbowed him in the ribs. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, darling. You shouldn¡¯t talk about a young girl like that, you¡¯ll embarrass her.¡±


    My father grimaced in apology. As he did Auntie Mori looked at Shaeula with interest. ¡°So you must be the Shaeula I have heard about. You certainly are a pretty one, I¡¯ll admit. Still, my little girl doesn¡¯t lose to you!¡± Before Shaeula could answer Auntie Mori turned to me. ¡°It¡¯s been too long, little Aki. You really need to keep in touch more. My little Eri misses you terribly.¡±


    Ugh, I hate that nickname. Still, Auntie Mori has known me ever since I moved back to Japan, so I guess it is unavoidable... still, I hear Shaeula snickering behind me...


    ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯ve been pretty busy building up my business in the city. I¡¯ve not had much time to get back really.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡± Uncle Mori said, looking at me with an appraising eye. ¡°You seem to be doing well for yourself now, right? Been working out too, I see. And here¡¯s me thinking you were going to be a beanpole forever.¡±


    Imai-san was already there, along with a couple of seniors who I remembered from school. They were studying the documents with interest. On seeing me, Imai-san waved me over. ¡°Hey Oshiro-san, good timing. They have just sent over the order of play for the pros. Looks like your bitter rivals...¡± he paused to snort with laughter. ¡°Are playing in innings four to six. I guess you¡¯ll be up then, right?¡±


    I glanced over toward the ¡®pro¡¯ team. There was around thirty of them, mostly kids from the high school baseball team, some graduates who were members of the team while they were at school, and a few of the adults who were best at sports. Since they had the better players, they had to set their players in advance, unlike us who could change at will during innings. It was pretty much the only way to accommodate the large number of players both teams had. In terms of batting orders, both teams also had more flexibility than was traditionally allowed.


    Still, it isn¡¯t as though this is an officially sanctioned game, so having variant rules is no big deal, but can we even really call this baseball?... ugh, I wish he wouldn¡¯t look at me like that...


    Noticing where my gaze was going, to Kenji-san who was scowling at me, Imai-san slapped me on the back. ¡°He sure is glaring at you like you killed his parents. Seriously, what a kid. You going to show him what¡¯s what, eh Oshiro-san?¡±


    ¡°Just what is going on here Imai?¡± one of the seniors asked, looking over to the ¡®pro¡¯ team with interest. ¡°That kid over there is really giving us the stink-eye. And it isn¡¯t like Oshiro here to take part in this unless he has to...¡± he paused. ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯ve been exercising. Good for you. A man should be fit. But don¡¯t think that putting on some muscle will help you be a better player.¡±


    True, but it isn¡¯t just muscle I¡¯ve added... all around me the team was listening with interest, waiting for Imai-san to speak. Relishing the spotlight, dragging it out, Imai-san gestured expansively.


    ¡°Get a load of this. Our Oshiro-san here shot down that poor boy over there when he tried to hit on his precious sister. We all know what a siscon our dear Oshiro-san is, right?¡±


    I was annoyed at the nods and murmured agreements that greeted that statement. That¡¯s a false charge. I¡¯m just looking out for her, like any decent brother would.


    ¡°You do know your sister will die alone if you keep warding off every guy who approaches her. Though she does have a habit of comparing every boy she meets to you... before now I¡¯d say that was okay, but if you get fit as well... alas poor Oshiro-chan, she¡¯ll die a virgin.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not finding that funny...¡± I complained, bringing laughter from everyone. A couple of guys were even slapping me hard on the back, though I got a brief flash of pleasure from the fact they had pained expressions afterwards.


    ¡°Anyway... for once I agree with Oshiro-san here, the kid is no good. He tried to bet a date with Oshiro-chan on their performance in the baseball game. He didn¡¯t even really have much to offer himself for his side of the bet. What a clown.¡± Imai-san continued. ¡°You should have seen Oshiro-san go off, hell it was scary, I almost pissed my pants, man. Anyway, he chewed him out and instead bet a hundred thousand yen and the losers¡¯ pride. Tomorrow at the festival the loser has to take to the stage and humiliate themselves.¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s harsh.¡± One commented. ¡°You sure about this? Not to be mean, but... you kind of suck, Oshiro-san. You always had the brains, but to call you sporting, even as empty flattery... well, I can¡¯t do it...¡±


    ¡°It gets better.¡± Imai-san chuckled. Kenji-san had turned away and was talking to Masaki-san, though every so often he shot me an angry look. ¡°... seeing the chance to get in on a hundred thousand yen, which for a town kid is big money right, his friend Masaki-kun bet him too... and get this, he threw in a date with his girlfriend as the collateral. He thinks he can¡¯t lose, and maybe he¡¯s right... but even so... man, his girl was pissed. Cracks me up thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Has anyone told you your personality sucks, Imai-san?¡± one guy teased him, and he agreed.


    ¡°Still...¡± another senior said. ¡°It gives us another reason to stick it to those annoying jerks who think they are so much better than us. rivalry is the spice of life...¡±


    ¡°Oh hell yes.¡± A third cheered. ¡°Don¡¯t let us down, Oshiro-san. We¡¯ll pencil you in from four to six. And when you win, be sure to romance that girlfriend good.¡±


    More laughter broke out. This is getting bigger than I thought. Still, losing isn¡¯t an option. Shaeula believes I can do anything...


    ¡°Of course he¡¯ll do his best. His sister is here watching after all. you think the biggest siscon in the mountains would want to look bad in front of her?¡±


    There was yet more laughter until the team captain came over to break it up. As we headed for our side of the field, I could see my sis and the girls had joined our families and Shaeula on the sides. Seeing me looking Shaeula gave me a little wave. Clenching my fist I smiled to myself. If you think I am who I was before then you¡¯ll be very surprised. Kenji-san, Masaki-san, prepare to be defeated...

 Seventy-Two

    Seventy-Two


    The first innings was a reasonably tight affair, with a lot of our better players acquitting themselves reasonably well against our opposition. Still, we were 3 to 2 behind after the first, and this increased to 5 to 2 by the end of the second innings. We had a bit of a comeback in the third, and it was 6 to 4, with two outs for our team.


    ¡°Same pattern as always... bunch of jerks...¡± Imai-san grumbled beside me, from where we were watching our teammates struggle valiantly against the superior ¡®pro¡¯ players. ¡°They always go easy on us for the first few innings so we don¡¯t get discouraged. Come the later ones they¡¯ll turn on the skill and rub our noses in a massive defeat like normal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man...¡± another of our team said, eyeing the sorry sight of our batter whiffing at his first swing. ¡°... same old, same old. They make us waste our best players early, then they give their kids a chance to whip us, before finishing strong... I hate getting mocked at the festival every year...¡±


    Our batter missed his second swing, if he missed next ball he would be out and it would be innings four. And then I¡¯ll be on the field...


    Glancing over to where the players who were due to take the field next were warming up, I could see Kenji-san still scowling at me. Catching his eye I glared back, until he looked away. He grabbed his bat and started doing practice swings, looking as if he wished he was hitting something else instead of the ball. At least Masaki-san is warming up normally...


    ¡°And that¡¯s a strike. Out! Fourth innings next, change players. ¡®Pros¡¯ to bat first!¡± the umpire called, as our batter was outclassed and again flailed wildly at the ball, not making any contact.


    ¡°Looks like we are up, Oshiro-san.¡± Imai-san said, giving me a few hearty slaps on the back. ¡°Now is your time to shine! Even if we can¡¯t beat those smug bastards, at least we can trample on the dignity of a couple of kids, eh?¡± he winked at me.


    ¡°You definitely do have a bad personality.¡± I joked. ¡°What would your wife say if she heard you?¡±


    ¡°She would forgive me, as she loves me deeply!¡± Imai-san replied, but before we could continue our team coach came over and chastised us.


    ¡°All right, enough you two. On the field with you.¡± the old man said. He was the owner of the largest bar in town, and so carried a lot of sway. I think his name was... Higuchi-san? He was a bear of a man, big and burly, with a gruff attitude to match. ¡°For now, you go to first base Imai-san, do your thing like usual. And you... Oshiro-san...¡± he pondered.


    Yeah, normally I suck, so he¡¯ll stick me somewhere out of the way to minimise my uselessness...


    ¡°Since you have that silly bet, when the two kids come up to bat you can pitch... just try not to give them easy hits, all right? Until then you can hang out in left field. Just don¡¯t be a liability.¡±


    ¡°Ouch, I find your lack of faith disturbing...¡± I quoted, feeling the sting, but all I got in return was a flat look. Maybe the line was different in the Japanese dub?


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get you down Oshiro-san.¡± My classmate consoled me. ¡°Just concentrate on beating down those two little punks.¡±Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    With that we took our positions, me quite far back behind third base, Imai-san on one of the prime spots for action. Normally I¡¯d have been spacing out now if forced to play, but I was feeling sharp and hungry. Think you can make a move on my sister with that attitude, Kenji-san? Well think again...


    Our pitcher was a senior I recognised from school but never had much to do with. His first pitch was good, but the second wasn¡¯t great and the batter, (another kid from our school¡¯s baseball team), made it to second. This pattern continued, and they accumulated three more points with no outs, so it was now 9 to 4. Imai-san was trying to pump up the rest of the team with some crazy antics on base, but me... well, I¡¯d had nothing to do, no balls coming my way.


    Looking to the side of the field, I could see my family and friends, Shaeula was looking on with great interest. When she saw me looking she gave me a wave, and I could hear the guy on third base laughing at me. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget that...


    Others were agreeing, congratulating me. ¡°First that catch and throw, now this... you really are Oshiro-san and not some imposter right?¡± another joked.


    ¡°Oh come on guys... like I said, I¡¯ve been working out and doing combat sports. It was bound to buff up my reflexes. Besides...¡± I shot a gaze at the retreating Kenji-san. ¡°... that kid isn¡¯t so hot...¡±


    ¡°Sick burn. He really pissed you off, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Before I could answer Imai-san the coach came over. ¡°Okay, so when do you want to bat?¡± he asked me. ¡°Normally I¡¯d stick you at the tail end, but you¡¯ve earned the right to choose.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go third.¡± I decided. That was the best place to ensure I got a shot at taking on Kenji-san at batting too. With that decided we had a quick drink and then our first batter went up.


    He was quickly struck out, their pitcher not even trying to hold back now. I guess we made them mad last innings. They still scored three points, what more do they want...


    Second managed to bunt it and get to first, so now I was up. Before their pitcher could take action, Kenji-kun came and took the ball, his face twisted into a snarl. As the umpire signalled, he took a pose and then threw a fierce pitch towards me. Hmm, not bad. I do him a disservice, he¡¯s actually got a few skills... but against the current me...


    The meaty sound of bat hitting ball echoed across the still field. Starting to walk slowly around the diamond I watched as the ball fell outside the field. A clean home run.


    As I followed my teammate home and bagged us the two points I high-fived everyone, leaving Kenji-san alone and forlorn on the pitching mound. Nah, I won¡¯t feel sorry for him. He dug his own grave on this one...


    We managed to get one more point before we were all out, so at the start of innings five, we were trailing 9 to 7.


    This time both of the batters ahead of me managed to claw their way to the bases, so as third batter out we had bases one and two loaded. This time Masaki-san was up to pitch. I considered going easy on him and only hitting it so I could make base, but a glance at my rapt family and friends dissuaded me. It feels pretty good my family being proud of me... It isn¡¯t only my sister earning the plaudits this time. For once she can praise me!


    My swing was clean, and while I didn¡¯t demolish the ball like I did against Kenji-san it was still good enough for us all to score safely, putting us in the lead at 10 to 9.


    ¡°Damn, Oshiro-san, I¡¯ve misjudged you.¡± Higuchi-san praised. ¡°When you stop by my bar later, drinks are on me. But now they look in danger they¡¯ll stop going easy on us...¡± he turned to the rest of the team. ¡°Try and score a couple more before we get out. That¡¯ll give us something to defend. If Oshiro-san here can strike out the two kids, then we have a shout at restricting their next inning score...¡±


    I relaxed as our team managed to do better than we expected, scoring three points before we were out, as our rivals were suffering from my unexpected support. At 13 to 9 we had something to defend, and as I stepped up to pitch Masaki-kun was ready, nervously glancing over to the side of the field. Following his gaze I nodded to myself. Oh yeah, Yae-san. He¡¯s probably thinking about losing the bet now... which is a bad idea. It¡¯ll only hurt his performance...


    Feeling a bit sorry for him I pitched a relatively kind ball, but he mishit it and it flew back towards me, where I caught it pretty much by reflex. Oops. Oh well...


    As Masaki-san trudged off, despondent, Kenji-san stomped out. A few minutes later he was back on the side of the pitch, head in his hands, after a clean three strikes. I think I might be overdoing it a bit here...


    Coach wanted me to keep pitching, but I made excuses that I was feeling a bit drained, trying to downplay my skills a bit. He was disappointed, but conceded. Imai-san stepped up, and due to the other team being rattled we managed to get an out by a catch, ending their innings with a shutout.


    Innings six was about to begin, and this would settle the bets. Though of course by this point it is pretty much in the bag...

 Seventy-Three

    Seventy-Three


    I had been moved from the outfield to the infield, and capitalised by catching out one batter, though they still managed to score twice. But then it was time for Kenji-san and Masaki-san to bat, so I was up again. Kenji-san was beaten, barely even swinging, and was already trudging off before the umpire even called the third strike. Masaki-san put up more of an effort, but even so, it was to no avail...


    With the changeover I once more batted third, and this time neither Masaki-san nor Kenji-san came out to bowl to me, instead it was the top pitcher of the ¡®pro¡¯ team. It made sense, as if I hit another home run, with two bases ahead of me, we¡¯d score three again... But since this is likely the last time I¡¯ll bat... that means I definitely won both bets...


    The ball was pitched, and I sent the ball sailing with a vicious swing, sending the ball flying out of the field once more. There was silence and I cursed myself for instinctively getting carried away again, even as I jogged around the diamond. Damn, combat instincts are a dangerous thing in the Material...


    Fired up and shame-faced, the ¡®pro¡¯ team pulled out all the stops, only conceding one more point before getting the three outs they needed to end innings six. It was 17 to 11, a position our team never thought they¡¯d be in at this stage. As we celebrated and worked out our team line-up for the next set of innings, the coach of the ¡®pro¡¯ team, who was the teacher in charge of most of the male sporting teams at our school, came over to talk to us. He must have remembered me from school, as he gave me a searching look.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. Who knew that you¡¯d ever be this good at baseball? Such a waste. With skills like that you could have been a professional.¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    Hardly, as I didn¡¯t have those skills until recently... Channelling all the politeness I could muster (as I remembered him too, especially the way he used to treat me like crap for not being interested in any sort of exercise...) I demurred. ¡°No, I think a lot of it is just luck. I will admit to being fitter and sharper, but Kenji-san and Masaki-san weren¡¯t playing to their potential. Guess they need to work on handling pressure...¡±


    The coach snorted rudely. ¡°Sure, if you say so. Anyway... I wanted to talk about the last innings. I¡¯d like Oshiro-san to sit them out. I know the rules say he can play as much as he wants, but...¡±


    Our coach was going to protest, but I stopped him. ¡°That seems fair to me. After all, both teams have been very good letting us settle our silly bets. Besides, I¡¯ve been using muscles I don¡¯t normally, so maybe I should take a break...¡±


    Higuchi-san frowned, and as he was about to speak Imai-san cut in. ¡°How about this? Oshiro-san can sit out the next two innings. Your team always keeps the best until last, so we¡¯ll do the same. Then we can truly see whether it was luck my man here was showing, or whether he has been keeping his skills hidden all this time...¡±


    After some back and forth everyone agreed, so I went over and sat down, taking a well-deserved rest, trying not to meet the sparkling gazes of my friends and family. Yae-san¡¯s was a particularly hard gaze to meet, as every time our eyes met across the field she blushed and looked away. I¡¯ve got too hooked on gambling recently... this bet will be the end of me... unless I can get out of it somehow?


    The ¡®pro¡¯s¡¯ were all fired up, and over the next two innings they bullied us relentlessly. We were shut out in the seventh and only scored one in the eighth, while they racked up points, and were now behind 18 to 20. Still, this was the closest we¡¯d been to victory in years as the town team.


    ¡°All right then...¡± I muttered, stretching. ¡°Time to show what I can do...¡± Win or lose, I¡¯d done what I needed to, but now it was so close it would be a shame not to go for the win. Masaki-san was sitting with his team looking very gloomy, but Kenji-san had left after the sixth innings, storming off the field despite his team-mates trying to stop him.


    Up first to bat, this time Higuchi-san decided on an all-or-nothing play. I would go in fourth, and we would try to load the bases if we weren¡¯t able to score beforehand, of course. Unfortunately it didn¡¯t go to plan, and our first batter was struck out. Even so, the next two managed to get to bases, including Imai-san, who was grinning at me from first base.


    The pitcher threw a good ball, and I actually missed it. Wow, nice pitch. Guess I¡¯m not infallible...


    Giving me a look, the pitcher threw again, this one a sharp curve-ball. But this time there was no mistake and I middled the ball, bat sending it soaring out of the field. Cheers erupted all around us as I jogged to the finish, taking us a point ahead of the other team.


    Sadly after that we had two quick strikeouts, so went into the final confrontation in a very precarious position.


    ¡°No way. I won¡¯t stand for it!¡±


    Two voices rang out their objections at the same time. One was Shaeula¡¯s, and the other was... Yae-san? Uh.. what?


    ¡°An oath is a solemn thing, not to be disregarded for petty reasons-reasons.¡± Shaeula said sharply. ¡°Both sides pledged in good faith-faith, and so must honour their vows. Besides...¡± she grinned then, amber eyes looking at Yae-san, who blushed. ¡°It is the right of a great male to secure any female of worth he wishes for-for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right... err, not about... the... err, securing...¡± Yae-san said haltingly. Masaki-san tried to grab her hand but she brushed him off. ¡°I agreed, I said I¡¯d have a date with you if you won the bet, and I don¡¯t want to be a liar, or make Masaki-kun a liar either. So...¡± she bowed her head to me. ¡°Please go out with me!¡±


    Masaki-san pulled a bitter face, while my sister choked out a shocked response. ¡°Wow, you made that sound different than it should. You mean for one date only. Right?¡±


    Eri-chan was hiding her face, Shaeula hugging her, while my family and Eri-chan¡¯s parents were laughing uproariously... You know what, this isn¡¯t so bad. This is why I need strength, so I can protect those I care about and their peaceful days...


    ********


    The celebration on the green was winding down, everybody stuffed. The remaining food was being taken away, ready to be transferred to the stalls at the festival for tomorrow. I had spent a very pleasant couple of hours chatting with everyone, and had tucked away a surprising amount of meat and rice. Damn, using strength in the Material really burns the calories...


    Talk naturally turned to what we would be doing that evening, My father suggested we should spend it at home with the Mori¡¯s, but before I could answer Imai-san and several of the team approached us.


    ¡°Sorry old man Oshiro.¡± Imai-san said, his wife roiling her eyes behind him and making gestures of apology for his rudeness as my father frowned. ¡°But we will be taking our MVP to the bar. Higuchi-san is breaking out the good stuff. You are more than welcome to come along for a few, but we can¡¯t spare the man of the hour.¡±


    ¡°Oh go on darling, let Aki have some fun.¡± My mom smiled. After a while my father nodded. ¡°It cannot hurt, I suppose, to be on good terms with your fellows, however, it is the festival tomorrow, so do not get too drunk. You will have to escort the girls properly.¡±


    Drunk, like you did with Shaeula? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sensible.¡±


    ¡°I shall come along as well-well.¡± Shaeula declared, only for my sister to shake her head.


    ¡°No, no you will not, Shaeula. Not tonight. We need to have a talk. So you will be coming with me!¡±


    ¡°A girl¡¯s talk? Sounds awesome. I¡¯m in!¡± Yae-san shouted, and Rika-san agreed. ¡°Me too!¡±


    My sister sighed, but after some back and forth banter she agreed they could come, the five of them going somewhere together. With that I was pulled away from the crowd, heading into town with Imai-san and the gang... It¡¯s going to be a long night...

 Side Nine – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Nine ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°So, you said you wanted to see where I practice my traditional archery.¡± I spoke to Shaeula, who was eyeing our school grounds with interest. ¡°The range is over there. We should go take a look.¡±


    Our school was pretty small, even though it catered to students of all ages. I wonder what schools in the big city are like? I bet my big bro would know... no, this isn¡¯t the time for distractions.


    The main building which was three stories and in a more traditional design housed the high and middle school students, while a smaller building off to the side housed the elementary division. Since all three schools were in one, they shared various facilities such as the sports hall, playing field, archery range and kendo dojo, as well as various other smaller buildings dotted around.


    Still, most clubs are dead. Even my own kyudo club only has a handful of members. Maybe if they didn¡¯t split them by gender... ugh, no, I¡¯d rather have few members than have to put up with annoying boys all the time...


    Seeing that I had fallen silent, Yae-san teased me relentlessly. ¡°What¡¯s up, Ai-chan? Worried you are breaking the rules by sneaking into school after hours? It isn¡¯t like you to be so daring.¡±


    Wow, annoying much? It was getting late, summer evening twilight drawing in, and technically yes, we weren¡¯t supposed to go to school unless we had club activities during the summer holidays, but it isn¡¯t like they ever bothered to lock anything up or patrol, especially not this weekend. It wasn¡¯t like the city, where you might get crime or vandalism. ¡°Bah, who asked you to come along? I¡¯m being super nice letting you pair join us. I wanted to have a talk with Shaeula and Eri-chan.¡± Making my displeasure clear I pouted, only for Yae-san to laugh at me.


    ¡°You can do that any time, you and little Ri-Ri are joined at the hip anyway. Besides, we want to talk to Shaeula too, she¡¯s adorable. You know we want to know all about her relationship with your brother Aki.¡±


    Wow, damn you are so rude. You aren¡¯t friends to use a nickname with my big bro.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my big bro would appreciate you being so... close... with him. He doesn¡¯t like cutesy nicknames.¡±


    Rika-san giggled. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so jealous. People will find it weird.¡±


    ¡°Besides...¡± Yae-san broke in. ¡°I do believe Aki and I are dating now. You were there, right?¡±


    I can feel my temples throbbing. This brazen hussy... glancing to my side I could see Eri-chan clenching her fists. She¡¯d been pretty unhappy ever since my stupid big bro moonstone won that bet. Not that I wanted him to lose or anything, but... he just looked too damn pleased with himself. I mean, when you have a girl like Eri-chan just desperately waiting for you to pop the question, why would you want anyone like.. her... wow, I just don¡¯t get guys... I looked over at Shaeula, who was fussing excitedly over everything, peering through windows and admiring the grounds. Even Shaeula is super cute. If he doesn¡¯t want Eri-chan... Uhh, even thinking about it makes me sad... no, we had a good talk in my room, but we... need to clear the air. Something is going on, I know it!


    ¡°Do not be so full of yourself.¡± Shaeula suddenly declared.


    Wow, way to go Shaeula, put her in her place!


    ¡°While you may indeed be going on this... date... with Akio, you should not grow conceited. Should you wish to be one of his women, you will have to polish yourself far more-more. Only the best women will suit him.¡±


    Yes, you tell her... err, one of his women? This again....Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°I think I polish up pretty nicely thank you very much.¡± Yae-san retorted, striking an admittedly attractive pose. ¡°Aki will be head over heels for me after our date. who knows how far I¡¯ll let him go with me. I¡¯m feeling a bit easy recently...¡± she winked. ¡°But one of his women eh? You throwing your hat in the ring for some cheating there Shaeula? How bold.¡±


    Having no choice I cleared my mind, fixed my breathing and strode up to the mark. Looking out at the practice target, which was twenty eight metres away, and rather small, only a few dozen or so centimetres in radius, I hefted my practice Yumi, the bow overtopping me in height. On my right hand was a glove, the Yugake, which helped with the pull. Taking a long breath I entered a state of readiness, where only the target, the bow, the arrow and I existed. I can do this. I am not merely going to hit the target, I shall pierce the target...


    With a smooth motion I released, and the arrow soared through the air, hitting home with a meaty thud in the lower part of the target. Not bad, but off-centre...


    Thrice more I fired, and all four arrows were soon buried in the target, the last just shy of dead centre. Feeling the trembling of my arm muscles, I sighed and put down my Yumi, offering a quick prayer of gratitude for the experience.


    I was then jolted out of my trance by loud applause. Shaeula was clapping her hands together while Eri-chan looked on proudly.


    ¡°Most excellent.¡± Shaeula approved, still clapping. ¡°Your skills are true, it seems. I feel something spiritual from the way you wield your bow-bow. It could be turned to combat use rather easily, I feel-feel.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange compliment, Shaeula...¡± Eri-chan said, puzzled and nervous.


    It is. And that reminds me of why I brought her out here. Wow, this is it. I need to know, but... I¡¯m also kind of afraid to know the answers...


    Wiping beads of sweat from my brow I turned my sapphire gaze, for which I was named, onto Shaeula, who started back with her own gorgeous amber eyes. ¡°Yes?¡± she raised one eyebrow, asking what I wanted.


    Well, here goes. Taking a deep breath I spoke. ¡°There is so much that is strange. I just don¡¯t get it. My big bro... he¡¯s... well he¡¯s changed. Not just his looks, or the fact he¡¯s somehow turned into a pro athlete that makes me feel like a nobody just looking at him... oh wait, that came out wrong, I am not jealous of my bro, no way... ugh...¡± taking a deep breath I brought my palms to my cheeks with a loud clap, wincing as my now reddened cheeks stung.


    ¡°Seriously. Who are you, Shaeula? One thing is for certain, my big bro is lying through his teeth when he says you are his co-worker. Do you even know anything about IT at all?¡±


    ¡°How rude. I can play these computer games just fine-fine.¡± She sniffed.


    ¡°My point exactly. When we were talking in my room, and again right now... you mentioned combat skills... and my brother said he was doing combat sports now too... I like you Shaeula, and I want to be your friend, but I need you to be honest. Are you getting my brother involved in anything illegal? Is it dangerous? Why else would he be so strong now, and have so much free money? Please, I need the truth.¡± I could feel droplets of water leaking down my reddened cheeks, soaking the collar of my keiko-gi. I¡¯m crying. Wow, lame. But I... I can¡¯t bear it if my big bro is putting himself in danger. I hate that I couldn¡¯t do anything that time, when he was so hurt saving us... I refuse to sit back powerlessly and watch as he gets hurt again, or maybe.. maybe worse. Fists clenching I took a step closer towards Shaeula, who was still starting at me calmly.


    ¡°Aiko-chan, are you all right?¡± Eri-chan mumbled, but I put her aside for now. Sorry Eri-chan, but this is in your best interests too...


    ¡°Illegal? I do not believe your mortal laws have much to do with this-this.¡± Shaeula said, undaunted by my anger. ¡°Danger? I fear I must admit that danger indeed does threaten Akio. Yet should he stand aside and flee from it, all that would remain for him would be bitter regrets-regrets.¡±


    ¡°So you are leading my big bro into danger. I thought better of you...¡± I began, but Eri-chan had rushed to my side and was gripping my sleeve. I looked down to see I had picked up one of my arrows unconsciously, and was holding it like a dagger, ready to strike. Wow, when did I...?


    ¡°I think we should... all calm down.¡± Eri-chan said quietly. ¡°Before ... you do something you¡¯d regret. You have faith in big brother, Aiko-chan, I know you do. I do too. And Shaeula... I won¡¯t let her have him, but she... she has faith in him too. I can tell. So... please let her speak. We can decide what to do then.¡±


    Oh Eri-chan. So strong at the strangest of times... well, only when it involves my big bro, I guess. Wiping away my tears with my free hand I looked at Shaeula, who was waiting for us to finish. ¡°All right then, talk. I want to know everything my brother wants to hide. I¡¯m tired of being protected. I, no we want to be the ones to save him this time.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. I applaud your resolve-resolve. I shall speak of what I know, and should you wish it, you too can support my master as he strives for victory over this world.¡±

 Side Ten – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Ten ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Where to begin, indeed.¡± Shaeula pondered. ¡°I was not there at the very beginning, but we have talked about it, and I have gleaned some knowledge of how it began for him-him.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you tell us who you are first?¡± I asked. ¡°After all, with talk of your father being a powerful man with many wives... you must be someone important too, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am, but that is for later. I would speak, if you will let me-me?¡±


    ¡°Stop interrupting her.¡± Eri-chan hissed. ¡°Let Shaeula tell her story. We don¡¯t have too long before those two will come back...¡±


    Damn, that¡¯s right. The vending machines are in the main school building a way from here, and I doubt they¡¯ll hurry, but even so...


    ¡°In that case, I shall continue. This world that you know of as Earth, it is but a facet of existence. You dwell on the Material plane, a plane of firm laws and rules-rules. Yet there are other... more malleable realms, where other brings dwell.¡±


    ¡°Like Yokai and monsters. I get it. But those are all stories for entertainment. There are no magical beings.¡± Where is she going with this. I don¡¯t... Huh... wha.... Wowowowowowowow!


    Interrupting my thoughts Shaeula raised one hand and suddenly the air around us burst into motion, our clothes and hair blowing in the breeze, a faint glow of green surrounding us. This continued for a handful of seconds until Shaeula lowered her hand. Even then her summer dress swirled in the still air, dancing as if guided by invisible hands.


    ¡°Are they now indeed? I stand before you, a true Fae, noble Seelie. I am not but a story-story. But I am now part of Akio¡¯s tale indeed.¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    Eri-chan had sunk to the ground beside me, eyes as wide as they would go, mouth open foolishly. I knew how she felt. My world... it is coming crashing down... was that... magic? Is she a magical girl? No freaking way. Wow, wait, she said she was a Fae... I remember that from some of my mom¡¯s children¡¯s books. Faeries... mischievous and magical beings ... it... wow, it kind of fits her...


    ¡°I shall continue. Akio was chosen to protect the world, by some strange being of significant power. To do so... well, there lies the danger-danger. He must strive to increase his strength, raise a Territory, recruit trustworthy allies and crush his foes. I stand here proud as one of his allies, bound by three Oaths and three Boons. Thus I shall never leave his side, so you should forget getting rid of me, Eri, for I am here to stay-stay.¡±


    So... what? My big bro just lucked out into some crazy powers... that... doesn¡¯t make sense, but his performance today... how else could I explain it? And he won¡¯t tell me anything... that ... hurts...


    ¡°Hmph, wow. My bro is lame. I was really proud of him when I saw how much he¡¯d changed, how fit and sporty he had become. When I saw everyone cheering for him at the baseball game I was... I was happy. But now I discover it isn¡¯t his power, he¡¯s just been given it by some stupid alien being... how... wow, I¡¯m speechless with disappointment.¡±


    Shaeula looked at me as though she was looking at something unsightly. I was going to defend myself when she raised one hand and in a flash of green something struck me across the face. It wasn¡¯t hard, but it stung, and I glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t hit me with that ungodly power of yours...¡±


    ¡°Children who say foolish things should be chastised, should they not-not?¡± Shaeula would not back down. Eri-chan made to get between us, but Shaeula took her arm gently and pushed her to one side. ¡°To think Akio¡¯s sister is so small-minded. After all his praise of you I had expected more-more. Did someone simply hand you the ability to use your bow-bow? I think not. Though fates or the gods, if you prefer, they did give you the talent. The same is true for Akio. He was chosen yes, and others were not, but how is that different from being born gifted?¡±


    ¡°I see now...¡± I marvelled. It all makes sense. ¡°I think I resented my big bro for going on ahead of us... though... that¡¯s so not cool. I thought I was a better sister and loved my big bro unconditionally. Wow, I suck...¡± It¡¯s never easy finding out you aren¡¯t as nice as you thought you were...


    ¡°So to hear that my big bro is going even further, beyond human...¡± I snorted a weak laugh. ¡°... and worse, he¡¯s in danger, and could be gone out of my reach forever... I blamed him. When I should be blaming myself. I see why you feel you don¡¯t have the right to stand beside big bro now, Eri-chan. We... we always let him spoil us. And it made us weak. We didn¡¯t say what was in our hearts.¡±


    ¡°It is natural to be spoiled by one¡¯s older siblings. Mine are... well, they can be somewhat aggravating, for varying reasons-reasons. Still, now that you have realised your feelings, I will say this. Akio is making a mistake. He wishes to coddle you both, keeping you from harm. But such is a foolish hope, for harm oft comes unbidden, all Fae know this well-well. So, if you would wish to learn more about the world Akio sees, and no longer merely walk behind him, but stride forwards and stand at his side, then speak, and I shall teach you-you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. If... if I miss this chance, then... big brother will be taken from me. I¡¯ll even learn from you... until I can surpass you and make big brother mine. Tomorrow I will tell him how I feel. At the festival. You¡¯ll never have him, Shaeula. But...¡± and with that Eri-chan looked away, blushing adorably. ¡°I thank you for thinking of me. Maybe... we can.. be friends. I just... can¡¯t compromise on big brother.¡±


    Wow. I think she¡¯ll do it too. We really have to go all out tomorrow then... this is her once in a lifetime confession. It is way different hearing from others that someone loves you, than hearing it from her own lips. No running away this time, big bro. No running away...


    ¡°As for me... I¡¯m a failure of a sister, but now I know... please teach me. Like Eri-chan, if I want to be a part of big bro¡¯s life forever, I have to work for it.¡±


    ¡°Good, it is a pact then. In exchange... you shall not stint in your efforts to support us-us. I shall be harsh, but you shall reap the benefits, I assure you both-both.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, a double love confession, to a love rival, no less. How thrilling.¡± We all jumped as Rika-san spoke from behind us, cans of drinks clutched in her arms.


    ¡°It sure is.¡± Yae-san agreed, also carrying cans.


    Wow, how many did they buy? Wasteful... that was my money. No, wait, that isn¡¯t what is important here...


    ¡°I was expecting little Ri-Ri to go for it this festival, if seeing Shaeula didn¡¯t make her feel the pressure she doesn¡¯t deserve a shot at love... plus of course his hot upcoming date with yours truly...¡± Yae-san continued. ¡°...But for Ai-chan to confess too...¡± she put on an annoying voice, making me wish I still had my arrow to stab her, but I¡¯d let it fall earlier during the hug. ¡°... oh I can¡¯t ever be separated from my big bro... I¡¯d just die if we were apart...¡±


    Wow, I so did not say that... jerk...


    ¡°Yeah, we all know the pair of them are hopeless. Maybe Ri-Ri will lose to forbidden love...¡±


    As we continued to bicker I wondered just how much the pair of them had heard before coming in. Not too much, I¡¯m sure... I hope... oh wow, they wouldn¡¯t believe what we were talking about anyway... my big bro, a saviour of the world with magical powers. I barely believe it, and I¡¯ve seen the proof in Shaeula and her mysterious winds... wow, damn you big bro, I know you meant well, but hiding this from us... you¡¯ll have to repay us, and it¡¯ll be expensive...!


    As if guessing what I was thinking, Shaeula grinned at me. Flushing, I turned away. Tonight then... I feel drained from all these heavy emotions, but... wow, Eri-chan and I are going to be magical girls... I¡¯d have to be dead to not get a little excited about that, right?

 Seventy-Four

    Seventy-Four


    ¡°So come on, it¡¯s just us guys here.¡± Imai-san was shouting in my ear, trying to make himself heard over the rowdy celebrating that was going on around us. Not everyone looked so happy, the adult players from the ¡®pro¡¯ team looking a bit melancholy, but certainly us from the ¡®town¡¯ team were partying hard.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I shouted back, taking a swig from the decent cup of sake Higuchi-san had pushed into my hand as the last one was emptied.


    ¡°So which one will you be going out with, Shaeula-chan or Mori-chan?¡± he continued, causing me to nearly spit out the sake I was drinking. As I looked at him incredulously, he continued. ¡°It has to be one of them, right? Before today I was sure you¡¯d get together with Mori-chan in the end, after all, she always used to follow you and your sister around like a little puppy. Still, that Shaeula-chan... got to love foreign girls, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, yeah man.¡± Another of our team draped his arm over my shoulder, his face red from the booze, his breath reeking. ¡°My little bro is in your year, he was always moaning you had that little cutie interested in you. I told the little brat to get a life and find his own girl, but you know...¡±


    Ugh, this is hell. Why do I have to be embarrassed like this. I thought I was supposed to be the MVP, show me a little consideration... sighing I downed the rest of my sake, feeling a little buzzed. No sooner had I done so than Higuchi-san was at my side, refilling it from a rather expensive-looking bottle.


    ¡°Put a smile on your face, champ.¡± He laughed at me. ¡°The man of the hour shouldn¡¯t look so glum...¡±


    ¡°I would, if everyone would stop ribbing me about my love life, or lack thereof.¡± I took another mouthful. Damn, it¡¯s harder to get drunk with my great stats. This sucks...


    ¡°Take it as a sign of affection.¡± Higuchi-san continued, making sure everyone had plenty to drink. ¡°We aren¡¯t big city folk like you, Oshiro-san. We don¡¯t have much to talk about here other than sporting rivalries and who is dating who. Besides...¡± he paused meaningfully. ¡°... it isn¡¯t like it is unusual to get hitched to a childhood friend here out in the boonies. I met my wife the same way.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Imai-san declared drunkenly. ¡°Well, she was a junior at school, which is almost the same. She¡¯s a real beauty, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, we know. You tell us that every time you get drunk.¡± Another man teased him.


    ¡°True, but... isn¡¯t it a bit hard, seeing them as anything but a sister?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the age gap right?¡± Imai-san asked. ¡°I guess being so much older, you naturally end up in the older brother role. But, the gap is... what, five or six years, right?¡±


    I nodded, and he continued. ¡°That may sound a lot, but it is pretty normal. Women mature faster than men, right? My darling tells me that all the time. So a girl of high school age... well she¡¯d have no problem dating a university kid. Happens all the time in the big city. And by the time she¡¯s graduated high school... well the gap won¡¯t mean a thing then...¡±


    Yeah, I get that. Someone of 24 dating an 18 year old doesn¡¯t seem particularly strange, to say nothing of 20 and 26, or 30 and 36... It¡¯s just...


    Before I could finish me thought one of the ¡®pro¡¯ team came over. He was a few years¡¯ younger than me, and had recently graduated high school. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear that big mouth shouting.¡± He gave Imai-san a side-eye, only for Imai-san to make a rude gesture back. As everyone burst out with drunken laughter I waited for him to go on. ¡°My younger sister is the year below your sister and Mori-san. She says it¡¯s common knowledge amongst the girls that Mori-san doesn¡¯t see any other guy than you. The girls all laugh at the boys who think they have a chance with her. And I still remember my parents talking about the dog incident. As a kid, I thought it was something like a hero would do... though of course I wouldn¡¯t have got injured like an idiot...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Imai-san agreed. ¡°My darling told me even one little thing can win a girl over, and that was hardly a little thing... your fate is sealed, tough guy. Just accept it. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this is the festival she goes for it... the only problem is Shaeula-chan...¡±


    ¡°And why are you on a first name basis with my Marika?¡± she cut in coldly.


    Ugh, again? Smiling, I felt the build-up of aether within me. Drawing on all the charm and presence I possessed, I smiled. ¡°Since I am helping with the move I will be making sure Marika-san has no inconveniences in either her living arrangements or schooling. If she does she can come to me and I¡¯ll get them sorted. I¡¯ll also be more than happy to keep you informed as well. This is a great opportunity for her, I¡¯ve been told. She might even be able to run a prosperous city shrine when she is older...¡±


    Takeyabashi-san looked down, reddening. She took a long drink from her sake cup, before looking up at me again, face still red.


    ¡°Well... that... I guess that makes sense. But I still worry she is too young... and being a shrine maiden is hardly a stable job, or even important in the modern world...¡±


    Seriously? Did I go overboard? ¡°It isn¡¯t like she is moving away forever. She¡¯ll be visiting often, and you can even come out to Tokyo to see her, though the shrine she will be staying at is on the outskirts, so I have to admit it isn¡¯t that impressive... besides, I¡¯ve met some of the other shrine maidens she¡¯ll be studying with, and they all seem nice girls.¡±


    ¡°Even so, this all seems very strange to me...¡±


    She isn¡¯t wrong. A month ago I wouldn¡¯t believe this either... I spent the next hour reassuring Takeyabashi-san, finishing off the sake. She was somewhat tipsy by the end, so I ended up having to call her husband to come walk her home. That was an experience I didn¡¯t want to repeat, for sure. After agreeing to talk to her again with her daughter tomorrow when I visited the shrine for the festival, I saw her off.


    Cheers and jeers from the drunk patrons chased me back inside, and I spent the rest of a rowdy night getting laughed at unmercifully.... Still, at least the drinks were decent...


    ********


    Knocking quietly on the door to my sisters¡¯ room I whispered ¡°Shaeula, are you awake?¡±


    The door slid open and Shaeula was there, looking sleepy-eyed and adorable in the yukata she used for her pyjamas. Seeing me her nose wrinkled. ¡°You smell-smell terrible.¡± She muttered. Closing the door behind her she followed me back to my room. ¡°Just how much did you drink tonight?¡±


    I¡¯m pretty buzzed, even with my tolerance. So too much, I¡¯d say... ¡°Oh, plenty. It was quite the rowdy get-together. So how was your evening? Did you have fun with my sister and the girls?¡±


    ¡°Indeed I did-did. I saw your school, and Aiko showed me where she practices her archery. She has beautiful form indeed-indeed. And then...¡±


    After a while of such pleasant small-talk, which made me relax after the trials of my night at the bar, we entered the Boundary. Shaeula said she was tired, and I was too, so we agreed to only dive in for a few hours, since tomorrow was the big festival. We spent most of our time exploring, hunting down the foes we came across who were not in alliance with Chairoakitara shrine. In addition we found several Etherites, and while it was regretful not collecting their ether, we used them to practice our skills...


    In the end it was a reasonably productive few hours, and I had levelled up once more before we called it a night...

 Side Eleven – Detective Kato Reiji

    Side Eleven ¨C Detective Kato Reiji


    ¡°Ugh, working on a Saturday, and so early... there should be labour laws against this sort of abuse...¡± Officer Usui yawned, rubbing at her tired eyes.


    Reiji shook his head. Looking at his unruly subordinate he bit down on what he wanted to say. No point being too harsh. Her personality is what it is. I took on the role of mentoring her, so I¡¯ll do the best I can. I could kill for a smoke though... ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the job of a Detective is not nine to five, Monday to Friday. Crime doesn¡¯t wait for normal working hours. I¡¯m sure they should have covered that during your training?¡±


    ¡°They did.¡± She agreed. ¡°I can¡¯t say I was overjoyed then. But more to the point...¡± she gestured around her. ¡°Why us? This area is out of our jurisdiction, isn¡¯t it? Shouldn¡¯t someone from this ward be handling the case?¡±


    Tch, sharp as ever. ¡°Indeed, you are correct, Officer Usui. This is out of our ward. However, the case has some... peculiarities that caught my interest. Moreover, it is the second such case over the last week or so. The first was handled before I was made aware of it, so I was... eager, shall we say, to take a closer look at this. Hence why we are here bright and early on this Saturday morning.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d have known, I wouldn¡¯t have stayed up so late...¡± she yawned again. ¡°But...¡± she frowned, her eyes sharp as she gazed around the untouched bedroom of the victim, grimacing at some of the items on display. ¡°What about the death of this... ugh... gentleman... has caught your eye?¡±


    Nice work on not saying something unflattering about the deceased there, Officer. You never know who is listening. Looking at the rather overweight corpse on the bed, he used his gloved hands to shift the body a little, rolling the large man onto his side. Seeing what he had been clinging to, officer Usui turned away, muttering under her breath.


    So this is what people are into these days. Who knew? Ignoring the long hugging pillow with a garish anime character with clothes in disarray printed on it, he gestured to the bloodstained sweatshirt the victim was wearing. It was sodden, blood having soaked through to the mattress below, yet the material was intact. ¡°Take a closer look and tell me what you see, if you would.¡±


    Pursing her lips disapprovingly, Officer Usui pulled on a pair of gloves of her own. Gingerly touching the side of the man she frowned, not having found what she expected. Steeling herself, she rolled up the sweatshirt, exposing the pale torso of the overweight man.


    Good job, you can do it when you try... ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Looks like some sort of bladed weapon. Four long cuts, into the internal organs. Doesn¡¯t look like a knife though, the cuts are too ragged, not clean... and...¡± she paused. ¡°The fabric of his clothes wasn¡¯t damaged at all. Was his shirt pulled up before the wounds were inflicted, or...¡± she looked around at the room, her face cold as she took in figurines, posters and various other items that most girls would find repulsive. ¡°... he¡¯s a lump of lar... umm, he is a bigger male. With no signs of struggle it would mean he was either unconscious, or the cuts were dealt through the cloth...¡±


    Reiji winced. Beating down a few punks? A rather... unprofessional way to put it. Still, she¡¯s not wrong... damn, I need a cigarette. We should wrap this up... ¡°Look at you, Officer Usui. MO indeed. You are right in that they appear very different crimes, but both... feature rather strange wounds with no explainable cause.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I told you to stop speaking to me so formally. It makes my skin crawl.¡± She complained.


    ¡°And as I told you, formality and hierarchy is vital to a successful working relationship and properly run force. Now onto the wounds themselves. The first victim, the businessman... most of the wounds looked like this, some sort of blade wounds. Yet on investigation they ended up being closer to claw wounds, such as by a bear. Of course this is impossible, and while it may be that someone has knives shaped like bear claws, they would be custom made, and likely traceable, right? These are definitely caused by the same sort of weapon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Officer Usui protested. ¡°That is nothing like the injuries those street punks received. Those wounds were unexplainable, but these have one, even if it makes no sense, right? You seem to be stretching things to try and connect the cases. Maybe you need some time off before you go crazy?¡±


    Cheeky brat. Even my daughters wouldn¡¯t speak to me like that. ¡°I would appreciate it if you maintained proper working respect, Officer Usui. I am a tolerant man, but you¡¯ll never get ahead in the force unless you learn to keep proper manners.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind.¡± She agreed, stifling a sigh. ¡°So, can you explain why you aren¡¯t obsessing over that case and making leaps of logic with no basis?¡±


    You aren¡¯t bearing it in mind at all! ¡°Firstly, the timing is suspicious. These deaths occurred soon after the incident with the thugs. Before that I couldn¡¯t find any record of incidents where the injuries were attributed to impossible implements. Secondly, the ease in which the attackers left no clues. There was no evidence in the first clash despite there being multiple surviving witnesses and it taking place in a public area, albeit one off the beaten track. And these two murders are even worse, with not a speck of evidence of any perp. Thirdly, and this is the most important...¡± he paused for effect. ¡°Intuition. When you have been doing the job as long as I have, you learn to spot patterns subconsciously, and my mind is telling me they are related somehow.¡±


    ¡°Intuition. Riiiiiiiight. Let me make a note of that.¡± She replied. ¡°So, what you are saying is we are looking for a magical clawed bear who can pass through walls, cause mysterious wounds and terrify victims to silence? Shouldn¡¯t be hard to spot in a crowd.¡±


    When you put it like that, it does seem a bit stupid... ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t the same perp, there is definitely a connection. We¡¯ll have to see what my contacts in the Bureau turn up, but until then we need to keep our eyes and ears open. Hopefully there won¡¯t be any more unexplained deaths...¡±


    All right, time to leave. We¡¯ve done all we can here... but what is the connection? There must be something I am overlooking...

 Seventy-Five

    Seventy-Five


    Waking up I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through my window. Blinking sleepily I yawned and stretched, feeling an unpleasant grittiness in my mouth. Ugh, yeah, drank too much. As I got up to head to the bathroom I noticed Shaeula was no longer there, having already left. Once I had rinsed my mouth, washed my face and cleaned my teeth to get rid of the taste of stale alcohol, I headed downstairs, to where my sister and Shaeula were hunched over her mobile phone by the breakfast table, listening to some sort of pop music.


    On seeing me my sister waved at me cheerfully. ¡°Oh hey big bro, finally up, you sleepyhead? Mom was going to call you, as breakfast is nearly ready. Or...¡± she grinned. ¡°... I get it, just like those anime you like, you were waiting for your adorable little sis to come and wake you up. Well, no such luck for you I¡¯m afraid. Such a shame!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too.¡± I had to smile. ¡°So, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an idol group that is really popular at the moment. I was just showing Shaeula. They are performing in Tokyo on Christmas Eve. I wish I could go... still, they are way cool, and beautiful. The outfits are pretty too...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Idols huh. Wouldn¡¯t have pegged my sister for a fan of those. Still...


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too enthused big bro. Wow, I¡¯m shocked. With your taste I would have thought you¡¯d be all over cute girls. Well, maybe Eri-chan, Shaeula and I are enough for you? Oh, you are making me blush.¡±


    I rapped her head with my knuckles gently as I sat down beside her at the table. She pouted for a moment before giving me such a sunny smile I was momentarily taken aback. What¡¯s got into her today?


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t say this enough big bro, but... I¡¯m really grateful you are my brother, and for everything you do for me. Seriously, thank you. And you know... I am going to move to Tokyo like you did when I graduate, and I¡¯ll be living with you then. No objections okay? After all, you live with Shaeula already, right? So how can you turn your adorable sister who loves you very much away?¡±


    ¡°Indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula piped up. ¡°His house is quite... modest in scope. However soon we shall secure a residence of size and splendour worthy of us-us and you will be most welcome.¡±


    As my sis hugged Shaeula, who tried to throw her off, I shook my head. Yeah, seriously, what has got into my sister? Still, if she does come to Tokyo it would be better to keep an eye on her, especially now... ¡°Enough playing at the table.¡± My mom warned as she started bringing in our traditional breakfast, rice, soup and side dishes all being lined up. ¡°Your father won¡¯t approve.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it mom.¡± My sister agreed, releasing Shaeula, who straightened her clothing and sat on her cushion. Soon my father joined us, and we had a lively breakfast, talking about the baseball game yesterday and the upcoming festival. Once we were done Shaeula held out her hand to me. I looked at it, then her, a bit puzzled.


    ¡°I require money. We have much to prepare-prepare.¡± She told me, so I took out ten thousand yen and handed it to her, only for her to scoff at me.


    ¡°Do not be stingy. You can not expect me to make do with such a meagre fortune. Be generous, as my master should be-be.¡±


    Really now? Over laughter from my mom and sister I let her empty my wallet. As she did so she waved one small hand, and I felt the breeze wash over me, fortune favouring me. With that done she turned to my sister. ¡°Come then Aiko. We must meet with Eri and acquire what we need with all haste-haste!¡±


    With that and barely a goodbye my sister and Shaeula left the house, leaving me rather nonplussed.


    ¡°Oh poor little Aki, did they leave you behind? Don¡¯t feel too bad, you can help your mom clear up the dishes and we can have a nice long chat!¡±


    ********


    After some catching up with my parents I opened up my phone and began to gamble, figuring that was why Shaeula had left me with her blessing. Of course, she might have just felt guilty that she emptied my wallet...


    I quickly accumulated decent gains, and over the course of the day put nearly six thousand pounds into my account via several different online casinos. Still, just doing this was a bit boring, so I alternated it with some exercise until I heard the voices of Shaeula and the girls. They sounded pretty excited, chattering away. I wonder what they could have needed all that money for. It isn¡¯t as though our town has much in the way of shopping options...


    Going downstairs I could hear my mother too, talking loudly. Sliding open the door... I paused.


    Wow, that¡¯s... quite the transformation.


    Shaeula, my sister and Eri-chan were fully dressed up in gorgeous yukata, their hair had been done elaborately and pinned with ornate hair sticks, and they had extremely impressive makeup applied. Whoa, they look like idols. I had seen Shaeula¡¯s yukata before, as I bought it for her, but just where did the girls get theirs?


    ¡°Wow, O.M.G. Can you be any cuter?¡± My sister gushed, and Eri-chan was also smiling. We continued to banter along, moving between the stalls, getting other traditional fare such as shaved ice, noodles and various dishes made from the leftovers from the baseball game. Soon only Shaeula was still eating, washing down her food with several beers we had bought her (and it was quite the ordeal convincing the stall-holder she was old enough to drink...). Now we were looking at a stall selling plastic masks, Shaeula pouting at the selection.


    ¡°This is most disgraceful. Why is there masks for foxes-foxes and none of glorious weaselkin? I refuse to wear such a mask, it reminds me of that scoundrel Duke Vulpatrius.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is, but there are plenty of other nice masks here. Why not try on this one?¡± my sister said, picking out a cat mask for her. Soon we had all bought some cute masks and were about to move on when Yae-san and Rika-san arrived.


    ¡°Oh wow, I¡¯m feeling a little outclassed here Rika-chan.¡± Yae-san said as she saw the girls all dressed up.


    ¡°I know what you mean, Yae-chan.¡± Rika-san agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve put a lot of effort into our outfits, but we can¡¯t match that...¡±


    Rika-san and Yae-san were indeed all dressed up in decent yukata, their blonde hair arranged prettily, but their style was indeed inferior to the three flowers I was with. Still, now with the five of them I was really standing out...


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why Akio-kun wouldn¡¯t give you your date during the festival?¡± Rika-san teased her friend, and Yae-san pouted in mock-anger.


    ¡°Hmph, Aki just wants to do it right, I¡¯m sure. You wouldn¡¯t back out on me now, would you Aki? After all...¡± she sighed then, looking a little annoyed. ¡°I had to give Masaki-kun the push. I guess guys our own age are no good after all, it¡¯s all about older, more mature men. He started getting all insistent about us going out together, and he wouldn¡¯t even apologise for betting me on that stupid wager. Ugh, he is just the worst. ¡®I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d lose, it was a sure-win, easy money!¡¯ he said, as if that makes it any better... ¡®I did it for you, why can¡¯t you see that?¡¯ ... sure you did. I know I¡¯m not smart, but he must really think I¡¯m dumb. Luckily I found out he was useless before we went too far...¡±


    ¡°Hey, too much information there Yae-chan!¡± her friend advised her, and I had to agree. ¡°Anyway...¡± Rika-san continued, looking at the girls. ¡°They look like Yukata from Goto-san¡¯s place. I looked at them, but even renting them was pricy. Did... did Akio-san pay for them for you?¡±


    Yae-san was also waiting for my answer, eyes bright. Before I could speak my sister piped up. ¡°He sure did. And we didn¡¯t rent them, we bought them! All the accessories too. All Eri-chan and I had to say was ¡®please big bro, we want to look our best for you!¡¯ and he pulled out a whole stack of yen for us to go shopping with. He bought Shaeula¡¯s too, from Tokyo no less!¡±


    Looks like my sister is having a good time teasing them. Maybe they are better friends than I thought? I am not sure how to feel that Yae-san keeps calling me by a nickname though. I had only spoken to them a few times before this visit home. We aren¡¯t that close. Damn that stupid wager...


    ¡°Oh man, I am so jealous.¡± Yae-san admitted. ¡°Ai-chan and little Ri-Ri get all the luck.¡± She peered at me, head tilted seductively. ¡°When you take me on our date you¡¯ll treat me too, right? I¡¯ll definitely make it worth your while.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point to having a date now.¡± Eri-chan broke in. ¡°If you have broken up with your boyfriend, surely that is loss enough for him. Dating you now would be pointless for Akio.¡±


    Everyone froze for a moment at her unexpected assertiveness. Shaeula, who had put the mask over her head, leaving her face visible, stepped in. ¡°Eri, all oaths must be upheld-upheld. To break given word is to defile the self-self. Akio will give her this date-date, and as expected from my master, it will be magnificent indeed-indeed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are just too adorable.¡± Rika-san went to hug Shaeula, but she dodged aside, graceful even in her yukata and geta sandals.


    ¡°Yeah, I love the way she sometimes calls him master.¡± Yae-san agreed. ¡°It¡¯s such a cute way of calling someone a senpai.¡± She then turned back to me. ¡°I¡¯m looking forwards to it. But until we have this date I¡¯m technically your girlfriend, so don¡¯t leave me hanging, okay Aki?¡±


    ¡°Monday then. I was planning on taking the girls into town to do some shopping for our trip, so if you come along I can take you out afterwards.¡± I gave in as there was no way I could break my word, Shaeula would not tolerate it. I¡¯m not insensitive, I¡¯ll give her some good memories to soften the blow of her break-up.


    My sister was hugging the pouting Eri-chan, who was directing a very... intense... gaze at Yae-san. As Yae-san thanked me, moving in for a hug like Rika-san had, which I also dodged, Rika-san piped up. ¡°We seem to be drawing a bit too much attention. Shall we head up to the main shrine? There are a lot of games and stuff to play up there. Besides...¡± she smirked fiendishly. ¡°Kenji-san will be up there somewhere, ready to pay for his idiocy...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡± My sister shrugged. ¡°All right, against my better judgement you can hang out with us...¡± she told them. ¡°But come the fireworks... you better keep clear, okay?¡±


    Yae-san and Rika-san exchanged a look. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like that is it? I guess today is the day.¡± Rika-san said, glancing behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a shot, haven¡¯t I, Aki?¡± Yae-san had grabbed my arm while I was distracted, pushing it into her decent chest. Damn, yukata barely conceal anything, I can feel her... assets.


    ¡°I¡¯m still a very attractive girl, and I¡¯m not shy, I¡¯ll show you how fun it can be to go out with a younger girl who knows what to do.¡±


    ¡°All right, enough of that!¡± my sister complained, tugging at Yae-san¡¯s other arm. As we bickered good-naturedly we were definitely drawing too much attention, so we continued up the steps, reaching the temple plaza.

 Seventy-Six

    Seventy-Six


    Up here the crowds were dense, and we had to carefully wind our way between groups of revellers. We drew a lot of attention, and not just for the five very pretty girls I was with. I heard people talking about my stellar turn at the baseball, and a few people even congratulated me, causing my sister and Shaeula to both look as pleased as if it was they who were complimented.


    After talking to one such well-wisher, Shaeula came over and dragged me away, over to a stall where a load of goldfish were swimming around. ¡°What is this, Akio? Is it another food stall-stall?¡±


    At the question the owner managed to look both amused and horrified, so I corrected her quickly. ¡°No, it¡¯s a classic festival game, goldfish scooping. You use one of these fragile paper scoops to capture the fish, then you get to keep them as pets. Want to have a go?¡±


    ¡°Very well, I shall try-try it!¡± she declared, and quickly broke her scoop. ¡°Hmm, it is indeed rather feeble-feeble. But now that I know... another go-go!¡± she adapted quickly and began scooping out fish one after the other, the onlookers very impressed.


    ¡°I can do that too!¡± my sister declared, and she managed to flip out several before her paper broke. Rika-san and Yae-san cajoled me into trying too, and with my enhanced skills I quickly amassed many successes. All in all we decimated the fish supply, though I took pity on the owner and we only kept five fish, one each for the girls, returning the rest, to rounds of applause from the onlookers.


    ¡°So, what is next-next?¡± Shaeula looked around, very excited. Man, she¡¯s like a little kid, but then I guess everything on the Material is new to her. Man, it gets me right in the feels, she¡¯s so cute...


    There was a toy rifle range with some cuddly toys and other items for prizes, as well as ball scooping, yo-yo fishing and katanuki, the cutting out of shapes from sugary candy sheets with a needle. Shaeula hopped wide-eyed from game to game, and I was again forced into trying them out, as well as paying for the girls to do so. Quite a crowd was following us, egging us on as we cleaned out stall after stall, Shaeula and I winning many prizes, and my sister taking a few for her trouble. Once we had finished with the last stall, where I took the best prize for carving out the most complicated, nearly impossible shape (thanks to my Precision and Alacrity) the crowd once more applauded us as we scuttled away, embarrassed by all the attention.


    ¡°Are you sure we can have these?¡± Yae-san asked, looking at the stuffed bear she was holding. Rika-san had one too, as did all the other girls, as well as keychains, badges and other small prizes. As with the fish scooping, we had returned most of our winnings, as I would have felt bad taking everything from them. Of course now the question was, who was going to receive the largest prize I had won, an extremely large and fetching dog plushie, modelled on the kami of the shrine? Of course it had to be a dog... though admittedly this is more a cutesy design than a realistic one, so it¡¯s bearable, I guess...


    Everyone was eying it, but Shaeula spoke first. ¡°I think Eri should have it. Perhaps it will be a good motivation for her to do her best-best.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± My sister agreed, and while Yae-san and Rika-san looked a bit disappointed, they also agreed. Eri-chan tried to refuse but I wouldn¡¯t have it, insisting she take it.


    With the dog plushie in her arms she gave me a brilliant smile, causing my heart to skip a beat. ¡°Thanks Akio. I¡¯ll treasure it, and when I look at it I¡¯ll always think of you, and that time you saved me. That day... I think it was destiny. I will never, ever forget it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, little Ri-Ri delivered that bold attack with a killer smile.¡± Rika-san goggled, while beside her Yae-san agreed sourly.


    Scratching one cheek while my sister and Shaeula congratulated Eri-chan I looked away, embarrassed all over again, only to see Marika-san coming through the crowd towards us, accompanied by her mother. When Takeyabashi-san saw me her gaze hardened, and she quickened her stride, Marika-san struggling to keep up. Oh great, just what I needed...


    ¡°Oshiro-san, I don¡¯t know how you convinced me last night, but I will not be fooled again...¡± she launched into an angry tirade at me, her daughter looking on apologetically from behind her.


    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Yae-san asked.


    ¡°Nothing of importance.¡± Shaeula san answered. ¡°I believe these... fireworks... as you call them, will start soon, no-no? We do not have time to waste here. I shall speak with her.¡±


    Hearing Shaeula talk, Takeyabashi-san turned to her. ¡°And just who might you be, young lady? You should be silent when adults are talking...¡±


    ¡°No, I feel it is you who should be silent and listen to me-me...¡± Shaeula retorted, and under the hanging lights of the festival I could see flickers of green rising from her.


    Should she be doing that in public? That¡¯s pretty careless...


    Luckily no-one else seemed to notice as Shaeula began to talk to Takeyabashi-san, using her befuddling winds to defuse her anger and persuade her to comply. I¡¯ve thought this before, but that is a very dangerous power. If others have similar abilities but aren¡¯t as kind-hearted as Shaeula... ugh, I shudder to think at what might happen.


    ¡°I apologise for my mother, Akio-sama.¡± Marika-san said sadly, offering us a deep bow. ¡°She does not understand what an honour this is, and how important it will be for our shrine. My father... he tried to reason with her, but when mother sets her mind to something...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine then. I didn¡¯t understand.¡± Takeyabashi-san was saying. ¡°In that case I am more than happy to leave my daughter in Oshiro-san¡¯s care.¡±


    Marika-san froze at this strange situation, eyes wide, then understanding dawned and a shy smile spread over her face. Bowing again to Shaeula, she turned to us. ¡°I¡¯ll be dancing the Kagura dance shortly. I would be honoured if you could come and see it, especially you, Akio-sama, Shaeula-sama.¡± Ignoring Shaeula¡¯s grumbles about honorifics, her smile turned impish. ¡°Afterwards that boy who lost the bet with you should be taking the stage. I heard he tried to renege on his bet with you, but some seniors from the ¡®pro¡¯ team said doing so would make them look bad, and he had to ¡®man up and take the loss like an adult.¡¯¡± She giggled then.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t care about that absolute clown, so long as he gets the message and stays away from my sister.¡± I spat. ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my precious time watching him. But of course we¡¯ll come see your dance. Just let us grab some drinks first, okay?¡±


    As Marika-san rushed off happily, Shaeula and my sister went to purchase some drinks for us... as well as more food. Wow, they are bottomless pits, where do they put it all?


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this about then?¡± Yae-san asked as Marika-san left. ¡°Just what have you done to upset her mother so?¡±


    ¡°She seems to be another love rival.¡± Rika-san said. ¡°She¡¯s cute and all, but if you go for girls her age you¡¯ll get a bad reputation, Akio-kun. Stick to high-schoolers like us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t what you think...¡± as I explained as best I could the circumstances that led to me taking charge of Marika-san¡¯s relocation we all headed to the shrine proper, enjoying our drinks and snacks. The night was clear, the stars burning brightly overhead, and sounds of merriment were coming from the crowds around us. This is... nice. I¡¯m glad I came back home. I should do it more often. But will I get chance now? If I have to build my Territory, being away from it makes me feel nervous... oh well, if I find more trustworthy allies and build my forces, as soon as the upgrade is done and everything is functioning again it should be okay for a few days, surely...


    As I was lost in thought a collective noise of appreciation went up around us. Marika-san had taken the stage, wearing a very ornately embroidered chihaya over her usual shrine maiden attire, the long white sleeves flapping, showing glitters of silver and gold thread in the light of the lanterns that overhung the stage.


    ¡°I am very curious to see this traditional dance to honour your local Gods-Gods.¡± Shaeula whispered to me. I nodded in response, eyes glued to Marika-san. She saw us standing at the front and smiled, before calming her nerves, face expressionless.


    She then began to dance, the ringing of the brass suzu bells she held in one hand the only sound that could be heard in the suddenly still night air. Her movements were sure and elegant, and it was hard to believe she was still so young. The dance continued, everyone mesmerised, and I felt a stirring within me, almost as if I was circulating aether, though I was not. As I continued to watch with rapt attention, she struck one final pose, bells ringing, sweat dripping from her brow. Looking directly at me, she smiled again, in relief for a perfect performance.


    ¡°She said that if you loved me you would make me happy. I felt that what she said was selfish, as why should.. why should you put my happiness above yours? But then she answered me, and I knew deep in my heart she was right. I¡¯ll make you happy, my big brother, my Akio, my hero. If it isn¡¯t you, I could never do it. I¡¯m scared of other boys, they make me feel unwell. I¡¯m too shy, I know, if you and Aiko-chan hadn¡¯t been in my life... I don¡¯t know if I could have made it this far. I want to return the kindness you¡¯ve always shown me. Shaeula told me if I wanted happiness from you, I would have to give back double. ¡®A male must make those females who deserve him safe-safe, loved and fulfilled.¡¯¡± She giggled as she mimicked Shaeula, speech quirks and all. ¡°¡¯But a female has it simpler. A good female makes sure-sure the male never regrets loving her¡¯. The sentiment. It was so beautiful. I cried then, and made up my mind today I would tell you how I felt.¡±


    She looked up at the sky, the light of the stars reflected within her dark orbs. ¡°I swear it, on a promise as unbreakable as any Shaeula has ever exchanged with you, that if you will love me and be my boyfriend I¡¯ll never make you regret it. I¡¯ll get better, I¡¯ll grow stronger, I¡¯ll be more beautiful if you want me to be. But one thing I¡¯ll never do is hurt you. So please, please...¡± her eyes met mine again. ¡°... love me like I love you.¡± with that her arms circled me and she buried her face in my chest, trembling, waiting for an answer, one that would lead her to happiness or shatter her fragile resolve.


    Just what have you been telling her, Shaeula? No, I¡¯ll deal with you later...


    With a gentle sigh I tilted up her head so we were once more face to face. Gently I rubbed away the tears that had covered her cheeks. ¡°Man, your makeup is a fright now. Such a shame, you looked so mature before.¡± My tone was quiet, almost... hesitant. ¡°You know something? I¡¯ve never been good with girls. I¡¯m no loser who freezes and can¡¯t talk to them, in fact I have quite a few female friends I made at University, and we keep in touch sometimes. But... I never felt comfortable trying to take things further. I guess... I guess I¡¯m surprisingly shy myself, in some ways. My sister was always more outgoing than us, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Eri-chan... no, Eri was watching me in silence, mixed hope and dread warring in her eyes, not sure where my rambling was going. ¡°I honestly think you are beautiful, Eri.¡± Hearing that and the way I said her name her eyes widened, and she was biting down on her lip so much it had started to bleed. ¡°Maybe I still think of you too much as a little girl, but seeing you tonight... no, you are a woman. A woman that I love.¡±


    She gasped, though she still knew I could reject her. Still, hope was welling in her, I could see it. ¡°As a sister, as a woman. Love is still love, right? And you aren¡¯t my sister. That means... even if I was to love you as my sister... I could also love you as more, couldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Thinking about it, this is really the only way. I could never bear to leave Eri unhappy and alone, and no man could hate being with someone so beautiful and loyal. My only worry is... the upcoming struggle in the Boundary... I don¡¯t want to put her in danger...


    ¡°Then that means...?¡± Eri said, voice trembling.


    ¡°That means I need to stop overthinking. I love you too Eri. And if you need me in your life to be happy, then there was never any doubt I¡¯d be there for you. however you needed it.¡±


    ¡°So... that¡¯s a yes then?¡± she insisted.


    ¡°Yes, Eri. I¡¯ll be your boyfriend. I¡¯ll make sure you have.. what was it? Safety, love and fulfilment.¡±


    ¡°And I... I¡¯ll never make you regret it. If I do, I¡¯ll die ashamed. I swear it!¡± Eri started to cry again, this time silvery tears of joy. Standing on tiptoes she reached up towards me, lips puckered for a kiss.


    Shit, I¡¯m embarrassed, it seems a bit soon, uh, men must be brave... leaning in I pushed my closed lips to hers, where they met, transmitting a soft sensation to me that made my legs quiver. As I was going to pull away Eri grabbed me tightly and her tongue pushed its way between my lips, forcing them open. I reacted instinctively, and as my mouth opened she entwined our tongues, greedily seeking my warmth, her slender body pushed against mine.


    My reason fled me, and I too slurped at her, my hands circling her, clutching her tightly. For what seemed like an age but surely was no more than a minute or so we kissed deeply, only for us to separate as we struggled to breathe, a thin, wet line of saliva connecting our mouths as we parted. Eri released me, in a daze, her hand going to her lips.


    ¡°My first kiss... it was... so much better than in my dreams...¡± she giggled.


    Hey, that was mine too, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Yeah, it was pretty... nice.¡± I said lamely, my brain struggling to catch up, even with my enhanced alacrity.


    ¡°Nice? Is that it? Maybe we should try it again, so you can say something less lame, Akio. My Akio,¡± she spoke dreamily, and once more we kissed deeply.


    Yeah, nice doesn¡¯t cut it.


    Once we parted, I took her hand. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say it was spectacular.¡± I joked. ¡°But I think we should be getting back now. The others will be worried about us. They knew you were going to confess, right?¡±


    She nodded, and as we were about to return to the festival a voice stopped us.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, big bro Casanova.¡± The familiar voice of my sister said, as she, Shaeula, Rika-san and Yae-san emerged from some trees and bushes on the hillside. ¡°Unless you want to worry about all the pain you caused Eri-chan. Instead of dragging it out you should have said yes right away!¡±


    Why didn¡¯t I sense them? Oh, right... Shaeula. I bet she did something with her winds...


    ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about the fact we saw you making out. That was some intense kissing.¡± Rika-san said. She was sweaty and flushed, fidgeting restlessly.


    ¡°This is a setback. Ri-Ri beat me to the punch.¡± Yae-san complained. ¡°Still, I have my date, and if you think that kiss with Ri-Ri was hot, wait until you get a taste of my technique.. uh... wait...¡± she trailed off, stepping away as Eri approached, her face smiling, but her eyes weren¡¯t.


    ¡°I have to put up with you having this date as it¡¯s payment for a wager, a promise, and it¡¯s bad to break promises.¡± She said flatly. ¡°But there will be no cheating. You can go get some food somewhere and receive a little gift, but Akio is mine. Find your own boyfriend or get back with that... whatever-his-name-was.¡± Eri tossed her head dismissively.


    ¡°Wow, Wow, Wowowowowowowow!¡± my sister exploded into laughter. ¡°Eri-chan, your personality has totally changed. Is this the legendary yandere, like in the books my brother used to read?¡±


    ¡°A female grows proud and strong when she has to defend her male-male.¡± Shaeula joined in the laughter. ¡°And trying to claim Akio for herself will be a task like no other-other, as such a strong male will only attract many lovers. Still, she who makes first claim has many privileges. But I must say, Eri, you look a fright right now-now. Your face is a mess.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you are up to.¡± She glared at Shaeula, though there didn¡¯t seem to be real malice in it. ¡°It is you I am most wary of. After all, you get to live with him while I am still stuck here, away from Akio. I am grateful for your advice, and the push you gave me, and I hope we can be friends, but Akio... my Akio is off-limits!¡± with that she pulled me down and kissed me again, showing off to the onlookers.


    This is... yeah, nice. And hot. And pretty much what I dreamed of... but also... really embarrassing too...


    As my sister covered her face with her hands, yet somehow still leaving enough room to peek through, and Shaeula snickered away, Rika-san consoling the annoyed Yae-san, I imagined that tomorrow would bring even more chaos.


    Oh god, I have to tell mom and father, and Uncle and Auntie Mori... this was going to be ... interesting...

 Seventy-Seven

    Seventy-Seven


    At the breakfast table the next morning I looked at my parents, my father reading the morning paper, mom bustling about making sure we all had everything we needed. Clearing my throat loudly to attract their attention, I spoke. ¡°Mother, father. I have... something I need to talk about.¡±


    Beside me my sister was grinning broadly, enjoying my discomfort, while Shaeula was looking on with interest.


    ¡°Mother? Why so formal Aki? Hmm, could it be...?¡± my mom began. Father neatly folded his paper and laid it down, looking at me with his usual stern expression.


    ¡°So, what is it, son? We are listening.¡±


    I swallowed nervously, but steeling myself I got out the words. ¡°So... last night at the festival... I decided to go out with Eri. We are together now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, congratulations!¡± my mother clapped her hands. ¡°I thought it could happen now she has a rival in Shaeula on the scene to force her hand. How was it, was it romantic?¡± she giggled.


    I pondered how to answer, but my Father spoke first. ¡°So, I won¡¯t say this is entirely unexpected, but have you thought this through? Mori-san is still at school, while you live in Tokyo now. It is quite difficult to have a long distance relationship. And as for the future... is your work stable enough to support her too?¡±


    All things I had considered in the past. There was always good reason to not return her feelings, but... I guess that isn¡¯t so important now...


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t be such a wet blanket, darling.¡± My mom was saying. ¡°You know she really loves our Aki. And our boy is smart, he¡¯ll make it work. Love conquers all, or we would never have got married, right?¡±


    ¡°I have thought of these things myself in the past.¡± I admitted to father, face serious. ¡°When I first moved I kept in touch a lot more, scraping up what money I had to make the train fares to come home during breaks at Uni... but as time went on I had less and less time to come home, I was always studying or working... then I decided to remain in Tokyo after graduation...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you could definitely have stayed in touch more, big bro...¡± my sister complained. ¡°But... it was pretty cool, the way you made it to the big city. Everyone pretty much just stays here in town all their lives, or a few move to another town or the city nearby, even if its barely more than a big town itself... Eri-chan and I were pretty envious of you... we wanted to follow in your footsteps. And now we will!¡±


    ¡°What I do not-not understand is why you spoke to each other so rarely. These mobile phones, as you call them, are very easy to use. And in all the time I have been with Akio, when we have been idling, he has spoken much about you and Eri. Obviously you both have never left his heart-heart.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you are making me blush Shaeula.¡± My sister giggled. ¡°Well, Eri-chan... she didn¡¯t want to be a bother. She¡¯s always felt a bit... well, she sees you as something shining, big bro, something she wanted to reach out for, but was afraid she¡¯d get burned. So while she treasured every contact they had, she was afraid of holding my big bro back. Until you came along, and gave her the push she needed. I know I¡¯ve already thanked you for that, but thanks again. Eri-chan is a precious sister to me, so I wanted her to reach for her dreams, even if she failed.¡±


    ¡°Pay it no mind-mind.¡± Shaeula waved off her thanks. ¡°I found her reluctance rather depressing, a female should reach out for what she wants and take it-it. Besides, I found her rather charming, and you as well, Aiko. She and my master are well suited.¡±


    ¡°Poor Shaeula, looks like you are out of luck then.¡± My mom teased, but Shaeula merely shrugged.


    ¡°A great male attracts the interest of many. Eri shall have many rivals, but a female must be strong to manage such things-things.¡±


    Entering their main room Uncle Mori and Eri were at their table, Eri looking very pretty in her best summer dress. On seeing me her eyes lit up. ¡°Akio! You came!¡±


    ¡°Well of course I came.¡± I smiled at her, feeling myself flush hot. ¡°I¡¯d be pretty awful not to after... well, you know.¡±


    Auntie Mori joined us at the table, insisting I take some of the mochi sweets they had laid out. Taking a bite of one I chewed it, using a moment to gather my thoughts. As the silence stretched out, I turned to Uncle and Auntie, before bowing low.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯m here today to tell you that I¡¯ve started going out with your daughter. Eri and I are together now.¡±


    ¡°About damn time.¡± Uncle Mori said gruffly, yet his voice was hiding deep emotions. ¡°My little girl has been waiting years for you to say that.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on dear, don¡¯t be mean to little Aki. Eri had to grow up first, didn¡¯t she?¡± she turned to me. ¡°When I saw our little Eri looking so happy I knew this would be why. For a while when you moved to Tokyo I thought her chance had passed, especially when I heard you brought back another girl with you.¡± she wiped a tear that was forming away, sniffling a little. ¡°But I had faith Eri would marry her childhood sweetheart, just as her parents did. Oh I¡¯m so happy for her...¡±


    ¡°Mother...¡± Eri sniffed, and she too was shedding tears as they hugged. I turned away, giving them some privacy, only for Uncle Mori to look at me searchingly.


    ¡°So, when will the wedding be? We need time to prepare accordingly, but we shouldn¡¯t leave it too long.¡±


    Wedding? Uh... a bit soon, right?


    Eri obviously thought that same, as she choked out a ¡°Dad... stop embarrassing me... we only started going out yesterday...¡±


    ¡°In my eyes you¡¯ve been going out since you were a little girl.¡± He countered. ¡°Besides, you are old enough to get married with parental consent, and Akio here isn¡¯t going to break up with you, is he? Therefore why not get married sooner? I¡¯ve always dreamed of seeing my little girl in a wedding gown...¡±


    ¡°Uh, well... yes. I have no intention of making Eri unhappy. But I still think it is too soon to think of marriage. She should graduate from high school first and figure out what she wants to do with her life, whether that is University or something else. That gives me time to finish setting up my business and buying a suitable place for us to live...¡± Thinking about it, this is it, my life is all planned out. I¡¯m a normie now, a girlfriend and a home... if it wasn¡¯t for the fact I was chosen to protect the Earth from dangerous invaders, I¡¯d be living a true riajuu lifestyle right now...


    ¡°You hear that, little Eri?¡± Auntie Mori enthused. ¡°Little Aki has it all worked out. I think your life together is going to be wonderful. And you have the trip abroad to celebrate next week. it¡¯s like a honeymoon.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that...¡± Uncle Mori said. ¡°You should be careful. I know you are just recently together, and passions are high... just, be sensible, all right?¡±


    Ugh, now I remember our kisses last night and I can feel myself blushing even harder. Who knew getting a girlfriend would be so... emotional.


    We spent the next few hours being embarrassed by Uncle and Auntie as they told tales of our childhood, including some that I had forgotten, and more that I wished I had forgotten. Though somehow during that time Eri had moved next to me and our hands were entangled under the table. Her palm was warm within mine, and as she smiled sweetly at me when our eyes met, I felt peace in my chest. Yeah, I thought too much over the years. This does feel right. Making sure Eri and my sister are safe and happy is all that matters. Shaeula too. Those who I care for need protection, and if the very planet is in danger, then who but I can make sure they are safe?


    Clenching my free fist I vowed to myself that I would strive ever harder, grow ever stronger. Invaders? Hah. Try and threaten those I love and I¡¯ll crush you!

 Seventy-Eight

    Seventy-Eight


    ¡°So, I can¡¯t help but feel like a fifth wheel here...¡± Rika-san said sadly, looking around. ¡°Still, at least I¡¯ll get a free lunch out of it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you totally weren¡¯t needed.¡± Eri complained. ¡°I am sad enough we had to let... her... come with us.¡±


    ¡°I have a name, little Ri-Ri...¡± Yae-san countered. ¡°And your personality has done a real one-eighty since last night. I don¡¯t think it suits you. Besides, I think I¡¯m the one who should be unhappy here... you cut in line ahead of me before I could get my date.¡±


    Yae-san had dressed up for the day, in a pretty nice denim miniskirt and fetching tight pink t-shirt. She had also changed the way she had her blonde hair, framing her face which was made-up to look more mature. Coupled with colourful earrings she looked like a young and fashionable college student.


    ¡°Well I still don¡¯t like it.¡± Eri sighed, clutching onto my arm possessively. ¡°If Shaeula didn¡¯t insist on this I¡¯d have sent a thieving cat like you packing...¡±


    Thieving cat? I never could have imagined I¡¯d hear Eri say something like that. Still, this... is kinda nice... Eri was pressing her body against mine, and she was also dressed at her best, in a long skirt and light jumper. Yesterday after the nerve-wracking experience of confessing our relationship to our parents, once we had finished being humiliated by stories of our youth, Eri had come over and spent the day at my house. She had slept over with Shaeula and my sis, so we only had a short time hunting and practising our skills in the Boundary that night. On the plus side, that does mean I¡¯m fresh for today...


    ¡°Oh whatever.¡± Rika-san threw up her hands. ¡°If you two want to fight all day get on with it. I¡¯ll just enjoy window shopping in the city with Shaeula and Ai-chan. You understand my pain, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The streets of the nearest city, Inuyama, were full of people going about their business. It had taken us a decently long train ride to get here, and of course I had paid for everyone. Still, my sister and Eri had to get a few things for our trip, and getting them in our town would have proved difficult, so... I guess I can treat my girlfriend to a few things while we are here too...


    ¡°Speak for yourself. I¡¯m happy to see big bro getting on so well with Eri-chan.¡± My sister answered her, looking around excitedly. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no way my bro would do anything he shouldn¡¯t with Yae-san later. So I¡¯m not concerned. It is a teensy bit annoying with all the flirting, but I¡¯m a good sister, so I¡¯ll overlook it.¡±


    ¡°I find it rather amusing indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°It is indeed heart-warming, too.¡±


    ¡°Bah, I bet you are jealous really.¡± Rika-san replied.Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Not at all-all. Tomorrow I shall be back in Tokyo with Akio, so I shall have him all to myself then-then.¡±


    ¡°See, you should be picking on her, not me!¡± Yae-san moaned. ¡°She¡¯s the thieving cat if ever I saw one!¡±


    ¡°All right, we might want to cool it, we¡¯ve got a lot to do today.¡± I calmed everyone down, Eri still walking arm-in-arm with me. ¡°But we might as well have fun while we are here. And I do appreciate you coming, Rika-san. I prefer you to go home as a bigger group, it¡¯s safer. After all I can¡¯t look after you all when I¡¯m with Yae-san.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are going to thank me, I guess I don¡¯t mind. I did get a free trip out here after all. And I suppose I owe Yae-chan some moral support...¡± Rika-san twirled her hair, seemingly pleased.


    ¡°So, where to first bro? I expect you have a plan?¡± my sister asked, and I did indeed have one. Bringing up the map on my phone I pointed down the street. ¡°There should be a decent clothing store just down there, way bigger than anything we have back at our town. You¡¯ll need outfits for the holiday right?¡±


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so jealous...¡± Yae-san muttered. ¡°Going on a foreign trip and getting treated to new clothes. Working guys are so hot...¡±


    The store itself was a multi-story building. Inside it even had air conditioning, a far cry from the little shops back home. It was almost like being back in Tokyo. Once inside the girls scurried off to look at various outfits, leaving me feeling more like I was chaperoning a load of excited kids rather than a group of teenage girls. Good job I won all that money the other day, as I suspect my wallet is going to take a beating...


    The girls chattered excitedly as they viewed dresses, trousers and other clothing. Even Rika-san and Yae-san were getting involved, helping my sis and Eri pick out outfits that would suit them, though a lot of them were flashier than they were used to. Soon the girls were trying on various outfits in the changing rooms, and I was of course forced to give my opinions on each one.


    ¡°So big bro, what do you think of these?¡± My sister was wearing a pair of brand-name skinny jeans, showing off her athletic legs nicely. ¡°I think I look pretty good...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and if you pair it with a belt like this...¡± Rika-san brought over a leather belt with a crystal-studded buckle. ¡°It¡¯ll be hot. She¡¯ll be fighting the boys off...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure that I want her to be attracting such bothersome flies...¡± Although if it was a good guy... maybe that¡¯d be fine... still, anyone that hurts my sister won¡¯t live long enough to regret it. Shaking off those gloomy thoughts I continued. ¡°But if you like it then buy it. We are staying in a fairly decent hotel so we can¡¯t look out of place.¡±


    Interesting. It looked a pretty old store, the wooden frames of the door and windows faded with time, varnish peeling. The window itself was pretty dirty, and in it sat various old items, such as rocking horses, carved statuettes, old plates, and one rather weathered old doll, looking like a girl around eight to ten years old, dressed in a faded lace dress with tattered ribbons in her hair. It was also surprisingly large, getting on for life-sized.


    ¡°There.¡± Shaeula pointed, right at the doll. Her eyes blazed amber and she studied it for a moment. ¡°I see now-now. We should go inside.¡±


    Opening the door, a bell chiming to alert the owner they had a visitor, she went in, with me following. The interior was certainly mysterious too, the inside lit only by a few lamps and what light could filter through the grimy window. Clutter was everywhere, old chairs, display cases full of knick-knacks and faded china, dilapidated furniture and more clogging up the interior. Shaeula ignored it all though and went to the doll, reaching out. As her hand made contact with it she let out a dull hiss, jerking it away, before touching it again. She sat in silence for a moment, eyes glowing.


    ¡°Can I help you two?¡± I heard a voice ask, as a surprisingly young woman came over to speak to us. She looked to be in her late teens, with long black hair down to her waist, worn around her almost as if she was using it as a cloak. Her face was pretty too, with very pale skin, as though it had not seen sunlight in ages, and her eyes were dark, yet somehow sharp. ¡°it¡¯s rare we get youngsters like you pair in our shop.¡± Youngster? I look older than you...


    ¡°Oh, I saw the shop as I was walking down the street with my friend here and decided to pop in on a whim. Are you the owner?¡±


    ¡°Who, me?¡± she smiled. ¡°No, my aunt owns the store. My sisters and I help out sometimes. So, have you satisfied your curiosity, or are you here to buy something? Perhaps your family would like a gift...¡±


    ¡°We need this-this.¡± Shaeula said, bringing over the doll, which was half as tall as her, so it looked like she was carrying a little sister. ¡°Master, please buy it for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your girlfriend here is adorable. And she has a... good ... eye.¡± Takakura-san said. ¡°That doll is quite the antique. My aunt says it comes from a very noble family, and it was played with by children for hundreds of years. It is a bit ... in need of restoration, but a piece such as this... you won¡¯t find it just anywhere.¡±


    Starting the hard sell already, huh? Taking a look at the price tag I let out an involuntary yelp. HOW much? Look at those zeroes. 800,000 yen, that¡¯s... wow, obscene.


    ¡°Uh, well, it is a nice doll, but like you said, it needs some restoration, so surely we can ... discuss... the price a little, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, already driving a hard bargain. Do I look such a frail girl I can be bullied?¡± Takakura-san smiled gently, and we began haggling. After a round of strenuous bidding I managed to get the price down to a still punishing 600,000 yen. Paying by card I asked if I could have her phone number in case she had any other similar pieces in.


    ¡°Oh my, trying to hit on me in front of your girlfriend, after making my heart shake with such a hefty purchase. You are a sly one aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I started to stammer a denial before she burst out laughing. ¡°I am only teasing you. You can have the store number, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t give out mine to customers, even handsome ones like you.¡± giving me the digits she turned to Shaeula. ¡°You look after that doll now. Your boyfriend paid a lot for it. It is quite old, but it¡¯s been treasured by many children. Maybe your own will treasure it too, someday.¡±


    Our children? Is that even possible? No, I¡¯d be having children with Eri anyway... ugh, so not the time for this.


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡± I asked, and after bidding Takakura-san farewell we left the store, but after only a few steps outside Shaeula winced.


    ¡°It is no-no good. The spirit is tied to the doll, but also is trapped in the store somehow. If I take the doll too much further away it will suffer-suffer.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We must enter the Boundary and free it there as well-well.¡± She declared. ¡°I expect no master of mine would abandon such an opportunity... it would be such a waste too-too, as this is a doll our children will cherish, correct-correct?¡± she smirked at me, and I blushed. Damn, you can be wicked...


    ¡°So... what to do...¡± I pulled up my phone and searched quickly, mindful we left the girls shopping. ¡°There¡¯s a public toilet at the end of the street. Is that close enough?¡± I asked.


    Shaeula looked at the doll once more. ¡°It should suffice. Let us hurry-hurry.¡±


    Entering the toilet I realised we had a problem. Shaeula had followed me into the male toilets. Luckily there was nobody else around, but still! If anyone was to catch me with her in here, they could only think one thing. I¡¯d be finished socially!


    ¡°We need to find somewhere to enter quickly.¡± She hissed at me, so admitting defeat I pulled her into the cubicle and locked the door, where she and the doll were squeezed up against me intimately. Sorry Eri, I think this might count as cheating, but I¡¯ll make it up to you! Ignoring the warmth of Shaeula as she pushed against my lower body I closed my eyes and circulated my aether.

 Seventy-Nine

    Seventy-Nine


    The first thing we noticed was that the Boundary was empty... it was devoid of any sort of being whatsoever. There were none of the usual drifting lesser spirits, nor any other creatures. The toilet block we had entered within was a bare skeleton of charred rubble, exposing the sky filled with dark auroras, and all the surrounding buildings were shattered shells too. The ambience was rather chilling. The second thing we noticed was...


    ¡°What the hell?¡± I looked down at the doll that was pressed against me. It was now covered in a disgusting black liquid, almost like tar. It was starting to scorch my wyrmscale mail where it was touching me, discolouring it with baleful sizzling sounds, an acrid steam rising. Shaeula let out a panicked cry, dropping it to the ground, shaking off the muck that was covering her.


    ¡°Ugh, so disgusting indeed-indeed.¡± She whimpered.


    ¡°Just what is going on here?¡± I asked as I summoned wind energy to try and blow away the black slime from the doll. ¡°Everything seems dead. A city like this should be... well... not like this, right?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, having scattered away the filth that covered her. She looked over back towards the antiques shop. ¡°Something is there... something... terrible indeed-indeed.¡±


    At her words the doll trembled. It didn¡¯t seem to be alive, but it wasn¡¯t exactly dead, either. Hang on a minute... ¡°Isn¡¯t this doll a Material item? So how is it here in the Boundary?¡±


    Shaeula paused to consider as she continued to clear away the hideous ooze around us. ¡°Hmm, I have heard tales of Fae who have been trapped inside cages of cold iron-iron, forever bound in place, helpless for eternity. My sister used to revel in telling me such tales, hoping to frighten me-me. Perhaps this is somehow similar?¡±


    I¡¯m not sure, it doesn¡¯t feel quite the same... if anything it reminds me more of stories of Tsukumogami, items that become spirits with use and love... but even that seems off... ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. The girls will miss us if we are gone for too long, and worse...¡± Our aether was being absorbed from us, the polluted air hampering our movements. This is the Territory of... something. Something bad.


    The doll was shivering, making small but noticeable movements. As we approached the Boundary version of the antiques shop that we purchased it from the motions increased in intensity, until it was shaking fiercely, soiled hair swinging and joints rattling like chattering teeth. Shaeula was walking behind me, peering over my shoulder at the building, which was made from dark, corroded metal, oozing foul liquids, the space where the window was in the Material merely a dark, lightless archway. ¡°Okay, are you sure we need this doll?¡± I asked. I was feeling intense pressure, and as we drew closer the oppression of the Territory was increasing. ¡°Whatever is in there is definitely Raven Knight class, or worse...¡±


    Shaeula looked troubled, glancing down at the doll that was once more in her arms. ¡°I feel we do-do.¡± She sighed. ¡°My winds of fortune are blowing around it, as if... as if they have found a kindred spirit-spirit.¡±


    ¡°... lp... ple...¡± ¡°...I... hel... ase...¡± when she finished speaking faint, almost inaudible whispers were heard, coming from the store. Listening closely, holding our breaths we could finally hear it clearly. ¡°Help me, please. I¡¯m so scared... help me. It¡¯s been... so long in the dark!¡±


    ¡°You heard that too, right?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded. Grimacing, my hands gripped the shaft of my spear, knuckles whitening from the force. ¡°Shit, I don¡¯t really want to go in there, but...¡±


    I was moving even before she shouted, having had a very bad feeling. Tentacles of foul jelly shot from the ceiling, piercing deeply into the ground where I was standing mere moments before. My spear was being swallowed up by the muck on the ground, as I had dropped it to catch the girl, and the situation was rapidly turning for the worse as creatures of slime, looking like featureless, overweight humans, were spawning from the coated floor.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to kill it. Let¡¯s just go!¡± I shouted. I channelled aether, fighting against the owner of this Territory, barely managing to snatch my spear. Setting the girl over my shoulders, where she clutched me around the neck, still laughing madly, sparkling tears falling, soaking my shoulders, I spun for the exit, only to find it entirely blocked by a waving, writhing mass of tentacles.


    Ugh, it¡¯s hentai hell in here. Shaeula attacked with her wind-weasels, who had grown more terrifying now that she had mastered compressing, rotating, and vibrating, and gaps were ripped open in the squirming mass, but as she cleared them more spiked tendrils lashed down from the ceiling at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Hang on little girl!¡± I shouted, using wind to boost my jump, spear slicing through the attacks. As I landed the jelly humans rushed at me, and I engaged in a rapid exchange of blows, hacking them to pieces while my wyrmscale mail soaked up hit after hit, starting to fall apart.


    Ugh, I only just fixed this. It¡¯s good gear, but still doesn¡¯t cut it against the tough opponents. The slime-men were slithering together and reforming, so this was a battle I was not going to win. Concentrating a chunk of the aether I had left I pushed hard against the drain and imagined fire. A blaze leapt from my hands, engulfing the slimes, but all it did was release noxious smoke, they came on regardless.


    ¡°Curse you disrespectful brutes-brutes!¡± Shaeula was yelling. She had used her Emerald Wind Prison, and the cutting edges were facing outwards, shredding the multiple tentacles that were diving towards her. One managed to pierce through without being completely destroyed, and she swung at it with the dagger she had found, which slashed through it with ease, a burst of bright light momentarily illuminating the darkness of the shop.


    Racing towards her, I conjured my own wind attacks, thin strings of vibrating air spreading out in a net, dicing up the mass of foes and tendrils coming my way. Reaching the edge of her air barrier I could see the doll Shaeula was holding struggling to free itself from her grasp, arms reaching out to the hysterical girl on my back. Shaeula released it, and it started to stumble forwards, crossing the slick floor unsteadily. Opening the wind wall to allow it to pass Shaeula continued to fire off wind blades at the bulging ceiling, sending clumps of foul matter raining down.


    ¡°We... shall never see the ... light of the sun... again. Oh, how I wanted... to have a home... once more!¡± the girl was wailing.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve suffered in here, but it is too soon to give up now. We will escape here. I promise.¡±


    The doll slid forwards, small legs pumping with audible cracking noises. It stretched out one faded hand towards the girl on my back, who through her sobs noticed it coming closer. Her red eyes dimmed, and she stretched out a timid hand, delicate fingers reaching for carved ones. They were mere moments from touching when suddenly...


    The slime on the ceiling split, revealing a huge yellow eye, repulsive and reptilian. Shaeula let out a cry of warning and as I turned to gaze up at it, the girl on my back spun away from the doll, and a volley of tentacles speared out from beside it, slamming into me, scattering silvery blood everywhere.


    The girl was flung off my back, towards Shaeula¡¯s remaining wall of razor-sharp wind, while I fell, blood pooling from the many new injuries that suddenly afflicted me... as I hit the ground I could hear the despairing cries of Shaeula, and see the grin in the eye of the master of this prison of torment...

 Eighty

    Eighty


    Landing heavily the breath was knocked out of me. Pain seared through my body as ribs creaked under the impact, my wyrmscale mail completely giving up the ghost and shattering apart. Rolling in the acidic slime which sprouted tentacles to try and drag me under I channelled most of my remaining aether into closing up the worst wound I had suffered.


    Shit, if I¡¯d not moved my leg at the last moment I¡¯d have lost it... Even so a large gouge had been bored through my upper thigh, and silvery blood was spilling out, draining my strength. The wound slowly started closing as I poured my aether into it, keeping a strong visual image, even as I struggled free, lines of burns seared into the flesh of my torso and upper arms where the slime tendrils were grasping me. I really hope I¡¯m not bleeding out in the Material. If the girls find me dead ... ugh... no time for this...


    Shaeula had dropped her wind barrier and caught the screaming spirit. Even as she did so her amber gaze was fixated on me as I tore to my feet, trailing streamers of blood and slime. Tentacles surged towards her, chased by the slime-men, but she paid them little heed, merely flapping one hand at them, a volley of air drills ripping them to pieces.


    ¡°Master, are you unhurt-unhurt?¡± the dagger in her free hand lashed out, cutting down the goop in her path.


    ¡°Hardly unhurt...¡± I grated out, still closing the wound in my leg. Every time I tried to put weight on it I nearly collapsed as it buckled, so I was using a breath of wind to hold me up. ¡°But not out of the fight.¡± Glaring back at the smirking eye in the ceiling I unleashed invisible air blades. For a moment I thought I had it, until a web of tentacles formed a wall in front of it. They were shredded apart, vile ichor dropping down, but the eye had time to disappear back into the mass of ooze, reappearing on one wall.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t get out of here soon we are done...¡± I looked around. The spirit was struggling in Shaeula¡¯s arms, striving to reach the doll. Behind Shaeula a tide of slime was rising, forming a giant hand. There wasn¡¯t time for Shaeula to react so I launched my spear, which exploded through it, leaving me unarmed.


    ¡°Get the spirit to the doll. We can¡¯t defend both!¡± I cried. Tendrils were trying to cage us in, and towards the exit additional slime-men were forming. The situation was getting more and more dire by the moment, but at least I¡¯d managed to largely close the wound in my leg. Damn, wish I could regenerate like a troll, that¡¯d be super handy about now...


    Looking around at the accumulated junk in the lair of this beast I spotted a wooden handle buried in the muck. Reaching in I yanked it free, using small blades of air to sever tentacles that rose to stop me. On pulling it out the handle was attached to a series of bells, carved from some sort of pink stone. Damn, I was hoping for something more... weaponlike...


    A slime-man rushed at me and I struck down with the bell-stave, crushing the head. The delightful chimes the bells gave off was quite soothing, but I wasn¡¯t looking for relaxing music right now. The crushed slime-man burst apart into a mass of tentacles, and only a quick slide backwards prevented further injury.


    I could create a weapon through imagination, but with the aether I have left it won¡¯t last more than a handful of seconds... using the bells as a club I applied a mini version of Shaeula¡¯s wind barrier to it, turning it into a vicious grinder. Fending off more and more attacks my wind energy was depleting. I once more tried to take out the eye with attacks from multiple angles, blades of sharp wind rushing in like boomerangs, but it again shielded itself and disappeared into the muck, appearing back on the ceiling again.


    As I was fighting Shaeula had grabbed both the doll and the spirit, leaving herself open. The spirit stopped its wailing, ruby eyes looking into the lifeless black eyes of the doll, before it tentatively stretched out one hand. Its fingers met the carved ones of the doll, and it let out a truly beautiful smile, childlike and joyful. ¡°At least... I won¡¯t... have to feel... anymore...¡± it muttered, before vanishing, leaving only the doll behind.


    ¡°Behind you!¡± I roared as a mass of tentacles spiked towards her. Racing over as fast as I could I was still too late, and the writhing snakes of ooze hammered into her, sending her flying away against the wall, where she was splattered by disgusting burning goo.


    You... you mother fucker... something snapped in me then and I dived to where the doll had fallen, face down in the muck. Beside it was the knife Shaeula had acquired. I grabbed it, heedless of the acid staining my hand, and raced over towards the still Shaeula. Tentacles flashed in from all directions but with the staff in one hand and dagger in the other I cut my way to her, flashes of light and echoes of music accompanying my charge.


    ¡°I have a bad-bad feeling about this. We should flee now, while we still can!¡± Shaeula warned.


    Yeah, this is bad. I mean, really, REALLY bad... the oppressive air of the enemy Territory had not faded, if anything it was growing stronger. Still clutching the doll and the dagger I fled towards the exit. ¡°We are running. Grab anything you can and we¡¯ll get out of here.¡±


    The tentacle mass that blocked the window was surging towards us, but Shaeula¡¯s wind and my new stock of ether was enough for us to start hacking our way through. We suffered numerous small injuries and impacts, but we were making headway... and then the whole building... shuddered.


    ¡°Faster!¡± I croaked out, dagger slicing through the wall of ooze that trapped us in. Looking back I wished I had resisted the urge, as another large eye appeared in the filth, followed by another, and another. Soon the wall was covered by a myriad of baleful eyes, like some nightmarish vision of Lovecraftian horror.


    Oh fuck, no way we are beating those. It has pretty much killed us taking out one eye... and even that took way too much luck for comfort. The eyes started vibrating, generating a buzzing that seemed almost like laughter, as the tentacles began to writhe faster, men of slime rising, this time in larger, more demonic shapes...


    ¡°I will not-not die here.¡± Shaeula muttered, swinging the bells, wind roaring around her. ¡°Not until I have climbed to the top of the Seelie and proved my bloodline is as noble as any-any, and not before...¡± she glanced at me. ¡°Wind, come forth and destroy!¡±


    The wriggling mass in front of us exploded, and the window was visible then, reflecting darkness. Even as the way was cleared tentacles were growing anew, spearing towards us, so with a muttered apology I slammed into Shaeula, using my greater mass to hurl her through the window. Tentacles slashed at me, one piercing home into my lower body, and as it tried to drag me back I let out a pained moan, dagger slashing down to sever it. Closing the wound with aether I strengthened myself and leapt out, still holding the doll that we had struggled so hard for.


    Shaeula was waiting for me anxiously outside, and as I tumbled out into the dead, still Boundary she sighed in relief. Her joy was short-lived, however, as tentacles began crawling out of the building after us, tipped with barbed hooks and unblinking eyes.


    ¡°Give me a break...¡± shoving the dagger in the waistband of my ruined trousers I grabbed Shaeula¡¯s hand with my now free one. ¡°I think we need to run...¡±


    ********


    Several minutes later we were hunkered down in a burned out building, watching nervously as tentacles snaked about the streets of the Boundary, some as large and thick as tree-trunks. Eyes were looking everywhere, but it seemed their senses were not so sharp outside their lair, as they were blinking and leaking disgusting poisonous fluids.


    Shaeula was generating a little wind around us to keep us from being heard or smelt. Leaning in close, she whispered to me. ¡°I fear we need to return to the Material now-now. We are separated from our other bodies, and should those... things...¡± she spat angrily. ¡°... have a means to see the Silver Cord and damage it...¡± she gestured to where my cord was, not that I could see it unless I really concentrated. ¡°... only death awaits us. There is some risk that we will be noticed as our bodies merge, but to stay... it is death-death.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. What the hell even is that thing, and how can it be so strong?¡± Praying we would be safe, and that our injuries had not killed our Material bodies, I felt my consciousness slipping, light rushing into my Silver Cord and carrying me away...

 Eighty-One

    Eighty-One


    Opening my eyes I bit down on a pained moan, fresh torment all over my battered body. I guess pain is a good sign, at least it means I¡¯m still alive. How... how is Shaeula? As I looked at her, pushed close against me in the tiny toilet cubicle, she let out a long breath and opened her eyes. Seeing me looking down at her she forced a smile, heedless of the blood that was staining her mouth.


    ¡°So, you are not dead than, Akio. I am pleased to see it-it.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure yet.¡± I was engulfed in throbbing waves of pain. That was by far the worst I¡¯d ever felt, even worse than when I had been mauled by the dog, saving Eri and Aiko. Looking down at the ground I could see it was puddled with blood, and my trousers were also soaked through, as was my t-shirt.


    Ugh, so much blood. No wonder I¡¯m feeling light-headed. This doll had better be worth it, because there are certainly easier ways to grind a few levels. Coughing, tasting iron in my mouth, I looked down at the doll. It wasn¡¯t moving, but one thing I noticed was the eyes were no longer dark, they were now a bright red, matching the spirit that was trapped in the Boundary.


    ¡°So, did we... free it?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded, wincing in pain as she did so.


    ¡°I believe so-so. Though it seems to be dormant, lying silent within this doll shell. Perhaps it will awaken in time-time, or perhaps it will sleep forever. It will be at peace, regardless.¡±


    ¡°I suppose being... ouch...¡± I groaned, my leg buckling under me. I could still feel wetness running down my thigh. This is bad. ¡°... the same type of being, you wouldn¡¯t want to leave it to suffer. That¡¯s very kind of you, but I don¡¯t want you putting yourself at risk again.¡±


    ¡°All life carries risk. I will always take the path I believe in-in, no matter what.¡± She retorted. Sniffing, her nose wrinkled at the reek in the air. ¡°But for now, we must tend-tend to our injuries. Recriminations and retrospectives can wait until later.¡±


    Listening out I couldn¡¯t hear anyone else using the male toilets, so I opened the door gingerly, staggering out, supported by Shaeula, who was unsteady herself. Once outside I looked at us in the light of day and was horrified. We looked like victims of a slasher, covered in blood-soaked clothes. Unsteadily lurching behind some large bins left out by one of the stores backing onto the alleyway I slumped to the floor, air stinging my many burns and abrasions. Shaeula crouched down beside me, using a little wind to slice open the leg of my trousers, to reveal a brutal wound.


    My thigh had been laid bare to the bone and had bled copiously, the tissue inflamed. Still, it had missed the major arteries, preventing me from bleeding out. Bruises were winding across the rest of my leg, along with burns, though they were superficial, more painful than life-threatening.


    ¡°This-this will not do.¡± Shaeula muttered, stripping off my sodden t-shirt. As she did so I shivered, cold air hitting my ravaged skin. Her touch was light and tender, feeling around my ribs where I had been punctured.


    ¡°I think-think you are fortunate. The blow has struck bone rather than penetrating your innards.¡± She let out more wind, soothing my sweating brow. ¡°Your body is strong, you will heal. However...¡±


    However? As Shaeula tossed my shirt aside, my phone rang.


    Oh yeah... the girls. Taking out my phone I saw we had been away from them for nearly half an hour, and I had missed several calls and messages. Yeah, now I¡¯m screwed. Explaining this is... well, impossible.


    ¡°Hi sis. What¡¯s up?¡± I said as I took the call, trying to sound as bright as possible.


    ¡°What do you mean, what¡¯s up? Wow, are you trying to be a jerk, big bro moonstone? You ditched us and went off with Shaeula, making Eri very jeal...ouch, I mean very sad. Wow, don¡¯t hit me...¡± her voice went muffled for a few seconds before she resumed. ¡°Anyways, wow, yeah... where the hell did you two get to bro? We have lots to pay for here, and we are just left hanging. So not cool, bro!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that. Shaeula remembered there was something she just had to buy, so we went to get it, but then some stuff happened and...¡±


    ¡°Stuff, what stuff?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Thinking quickly I looked for a way out of this mess, my thoughts sluggish from blood loss and pain.


    ¡°So, when are you getting back bro?¡± My sister inquired insistently.


    ¡°Oh, yes, this way.¡± Professionalism won out over surrealism and with that I quickly bought new jeans, a long-sleeved high-neck shirt and some gloves, putting them on. After paying at the checkout I went upstairs and also paid for the very large collection of clothes the four girls had purchased. Holy hell, with this and the doll, I need to win some more cash before the trip next week. Well, honestly I had enough for my goals, but even so, spending so much in one day hurt...


    ¡°We must remain calm-calm here.¡± Shaeula said as we took the lift to the cafe? on the top floor. ¡°You do not want to alarm them unnecessarily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, not sure how well we¡¯ll manage to pull that off.¡± I moaned. Fortunately I didn¡¯t have to carry all of the bags of clothes as the store clerk had them taken downstairs for us to collect when we were leaving.


    Stepping into the cafe? I saw the four girls at a table, enjoying crepes and parfait. Eri was the first to see us, and she waved brightly, her face lighting up, only to cock her head and adopt a look of puzzlement. At her gaze the other girls looked over, to mixed reactions.


    ¡°Wow, what the hell bro, you¡¯ve changed clothes? I mean, they look good, but... why? Suspicious if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he vanishes with Shaeula, then comes back with new clothes... huh, Shaeula¡¯s changed as well. That¡¯s one cute yukata though, so adorbs. Still...¡± Rika-san said, eyeing us. ¡°...and what the hell is with that huge doll?¡±


    ¡°Smells like cheating to me. Why else would they have changed their clothes?¡± Yae-san pouted, standing up to hug Eri, who dodged her with a glower. ¡°Oh come on Ri-Ri, we need to commiserate each other. Aki has been sneaking off to cheat on us.¡±


    ¡°Us, there isn¡¯t an us. Akio is my boyfriend!¡± Eri fended her off.


    ¡°Wow, enough messing around.¡± My sister complained. She too stood, hand on her hips, glaring at me. ¡°So come on, fess up big bro moonstone, what is going on?¡±


    Man she looks pissed. Makes sense, I don¡¯t really know how I can explain this. Hell, it might even be easier to pretend I was cheating...


    ¡°There is no need to make a scene-scene.¡± Shaeula said primly, though I could see her arms tremble under the weight of the doll. She must still be in pain. ¡°I simply had to buy this doll, it was a fated purchase, one might say-say.¡± At those words my sister and Eri looked at each other for a moment, before turning back to Shaeula. Their gazes locked and Shaeula nodded slightly.


    With a sigh my sister sat back down. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped then. If it¡¯s something fated then what can we do? Right Eri-chan.¡±


    Eri pouted but agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s all very well, but that doll looks old, how much did it cost?¡± Rika-san asked.


    I shuddered then with a different sort of pain than my injuries. ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Even after extensive haggling... my wallet cried.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s buying you really expensive presents... and that yukata too, I guess, away from his girlfriend?¡± Yae-san was still annoyed, it seemed. ¡°Dressing up another girl when you have a beauty like little Ri-Ri already, that¡¯s bad. If you wanted to cheat you could have asked me...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I waved her off, wincing as the fabric of my shirt pulled at my wounds. Hopefully no blood comes through, Shaeula wrapped the injuries pretty well... ¡°Seriously there was no cheating, the shop that had the doll had some yukata too, and Shaeula really wanted it, so I bought it. Then Shaeula thought it would be good if I changed my image a bit, so we got me some new threads. Simple as that. Speaking of buying things, I¡¯ll cover lunch while we are here, sound good?¡±


    My sister and Eri were looking at Shaeula, waiting for her nod. When she gave it, they relaxed a little.


    ¡°Do you... want to share this?¡± Eri pointed at the menu to a jumbo parfait that was supposedly ¡®a treat for couples.¡¯. Her gaze was boring into me, expectant, so I nodded, ignoring the laughter around me, and the muttered complaints of Yae-san, who was still insisting nothing added up...


    Well why would it? I¡¯m just amazed Eri and my sis are taking my crappy story so well. Maybe it¡¯s Charm at work?

 Eighty-Two

    Eighty-Two


    The rest of the afternoon passed me by in a blur. My wounds were alternatively aching and itching fiercely, making it very difficult for me to pretend everything was fine. I tried using aether to close my wounds like I would in the Boundary, but I had too little and it used orders of magnitude more in the Material, so it was a futile effort. A useful side effect of this though was after an hour or so I managed to turn down the pain, though I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was interfering with the nerve signals or affecting my own brain. Still, after this I was able to move more or less normally.


    We went from the cafe? to several other stores, shopping for various bits and pieces Eri and my sister would need for our trip. In the end we also ended up in a store selling jewellery, and I while I was there I bought Eri a rather attractive pendant, sapphire and ruby, sapphire being her birthstone (her birthday was in September) and ruby to symbolise first love. The price made her wince, but if she was going to be my girlfriend, I wasn¡¯t going to treat her poorly. I also bought something else, too, but I kept that in my pocket when no-one else but Shaeula was looking.


    As the afternoon wore on it was time for my date with Yae-san, so I saw off Aiko, Eri and Rika-san, Shaeula acting as their security, not that the other girls were aware of that. My sis did make a retort at how they had to carry all the bags back with them, but since it couldn¡¯t be helped she left it at mere grumbles. As the girls caught the train back to our town we waved them goodbye, me trying not to show my injuries. Beside me Yae-san was eyeing me strangely, face pensive.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked gently, giving her a reserved smile.


    ¡°Err, well, it might be a bit late to say this, but I¡¯m starting to feel a little bit guilty. I know I pushed for this date, but... I feel kind of bad for little Ri-Ri.¡±


    ¡°Well, too late now. Besides... Shaeula is right. Promises should be kept. It isn¡¯t like we are going to be doing anything improper, so you might as well just enjoy it, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess...¡± she agreed. ¡°I mean, whatever happens, I¡¯ve had fun with the girls today, plus you bought me some nice gifts, so I¡¯m already pretty satisfied... besides...¡± her gaze turned stern. ¡°You aren¡¯t fooling anyone. Just what happened to you? I¡¯m not sure why Ai-chan and Ri-Ri ignored it, but you¡¯ve not been right since you returned with Shaeula and that doll.¡±


    Ugh, she¡¯s got sharp instincts. But then I guess it isn¡¯t so hard to see something is up, with the change of clothing and all...


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s... a bit hard to explain. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could just overlook it for now, and I¡¯ll do my best to at least make the date memorable.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s been memorable enough already.¡± Yae-san giggled. ¡°But... you aren¡¯t getting involved in anything shady are you? You¡¯ve come back to town with an awful lot of money. I mean, adult circumstances like that are hot, but little Ri-Ri will worry. She isn¡¯t very brave... though I guess she¡¯s changing a bit now you are going out.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you I didn¡¯t do anything illegal today. Like I said, it was an unavoidable accident.¡±


    ¡°Well, can you at least take off the gloves? They really don¡¯t suit you, and I wanted to hold hands like on a proper date. I promise I won¡¯t say a word to the others.¡±


    Sighing I removed the gloves, revealing my scraped and burned hands. Over a few hours the worst of it had recovered thanks to my superhuman status, but even so they looked a bit of a mess.


    ¡°Uh, wow. You really did hurt yourself. You were limping earlier too and moving very stiffly. I kind of want to ask you to take your jeans off so I can have a check, but Ri-Ri would probably kill me if she found out you were in your pants with me. She¡¯s got the makings of a very possessive girlfriend you know, but I think it¡¯s too late for you to do anything about it now!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, a freak accident.¡± Looking at the clock on the station wall I held out my hand to her. ¡°Look at the time. We don¡¯t want to be late for what I have planned. I won this prize, so this evening you are all mine.¡±


    Yae-san blushed then, looking away embarrassed. On turning back she reached out and grasped my hand in hers. ¡°You are such a smooth talker, I don¡¯t remember you being like this the last time we met. My heart skipped a beat then. You know what, you are right. I earned this date too, by letting Masaki-kun bet me... I guess it doesn¡¯t matter what you and Shaeula were doing, now you are with me!¡±


    With that we strode off hand-in-hand towards the first destination I had planned. Her hand was soft in my palm, and her skin was warm. Sorry Eri. I¡¯m really not cheating on you, I promise. It¡¯s only handholding...


    ¡°Can I open it?¡± she asked, and at my nod she unwrapped it, revealing a nice hairclip, studded with semi-precious stones.


    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s lovely.¡± She fastened it in her hair with a shy smile, then leaned in close to me. ¡°Take a look, does it suit me?¡±


    As I admired it I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it does. It¡¯s pretty, and so are...¡± my words were cut off as she leaned in for a kiss, but with my reactions I was able to put my hand up between us, blocking her. As she stepped back, flushed, I smiled gently.


    ¡°Sorry, but I really can¡¯t go any further than this.¡±


    ¡°I... got caught up in the moment.¡± Yae-san said shyly, looking away, up at the sky. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot. I¡¯d feel bad for Ri-Ri too...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m at fault here too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did promise I¡¯d put out when the bet was made, didn¡¯t I?¡± she giggled quietly. ¡°Just keeping my promise, which we all agreed was important. Still... I¡¯ve had a lot of fun and felt like a princess with you. I guess boys really don¡¯t measure up to men. I¡¯ll remember this date for a long time...¡±


    ¡°Sure, you do that. But...¡± I spoke gently, but she cut me off.


    ¡°Yeah I know. You are Ri-Ri¡¯s boyfriend. And you don¡¯t even live locally anymore. I guess it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Still...¡±


    ¡°A girl like you will be able to find a decent boyfriend easy.¡± I reassured her, and she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident in my looks and personality. But I guess I can¡¯t beat a cute childhood friend. I¡¯m not stupid...¡± she sighed, then looked at me, eyes bright, expression impish. ¡°But if you ever do feel the need to cheat on little Ri-Ri, I can keep a secret. I won¡¯t tell them about your messed up hands either!¡±


    ¡°Yeah whatever.¡± I laughed then, the tension deflating. ¡°If ever I feel the need to be an utter bastard and cheat on my beloved childhood friend, you¡¯ll be the first I call.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise then.¡± She touched her hairclip. ¡°Seriously though, thanks for today. It made breaking up with my boyfriend a whole lot less painful. I¡¯ll try and find a good man and you¡¯ll be jealous you missed out on me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do that. I promise to regret it, if even a little.¡± I¡¯m a man after all. I don¡¯t want to do anything to hurt Eri, but I can¡¯t help but wonder what kissing Yae-san would have been like. She¡¯s pretty cute...


    ¡°You¡¯ll be coming back to town more now that you two are together, right? If so, don¡¯t be a stranger. We should hang out, even if it¡¯s all six of us, like today. And one last thing. Enough with the Yae-san. It may have been mostly a joke, but we did have one romantic date, didn¡¯t we? Call me Yae from now on, please.¡±


    ¡°Okay then Yae, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Man, that is difficult, lucky I had the practice with Shaeula. Calling a girl I barely know by her first name without honorifics is quite the hurdle.


    ¡°Oh, that gives me shivers.¡± She smiled once more. ¡°So, shall we go?¡± holding out her hand to me I took it again in mine, ready to head back to the train station, after a long, eventful and heart-racing (in more ways than one) day...

 Eighty-Three

    Eighty-Three


    On returning home that night the girls were still up, Eri having stayed over again at our home. I was given the third degree about the date with Yae, though since my conscience was clear I fielded their insistent questions with dignity. Eri still looked a bit flustered, but after some more kisses she calmed down and accepted it was over.


    Ignoring the mocking jeers from my sis and Shaeula, I went to bed, leaving the girls to their slumber party. I was too exhausted and pained to consider entering the Boundary, so I simply had a quick shower, careful to dispose of the bloody shreds of Shaeula¡¯s dress by hiding them in my luggage. Once that was done I dragged myself to bed and slept soundly until the morning.


    On opening my eyes to bright sunlight streaming through the window I held in a groan as my wounds still ached fiercely. Still, looking down at my hands they had largely recovered overnight, as had most of the minor burns and abrasions. The wound in my thigh and side had definitely improved too, though some fresh blood had seeped out and ruined my pyjamas. Luckily the futon itself seemed okay.


    The major injuries do look better though. It is as if several days have passed, or more. New flesh was growing in the wounds and scabbing and scarring looked quite advanced. Still, I wouldn¡¯t be doing any jogging or combat training for a while yet. Using aether in the way I had discovered yesterday to numb my pain sensations, I used my ruined pyjamas to construct fresh bandages, before dressing the wounds and putting on some clothes that covered me properly.


    Going down for breakfast I found Shaeula with Eri and Aiko. For some reason my sister and Eri looked absolutely exhausted, dark circles around their eyes, skins pale. Probably stayed up too late, doing girl talk... I hope it wasn¡¯t all about me...


    Once breakfast was done I had a talk with my parents about the trip at the weekend, before walking Eri back to her house. There I was forced to have tea with uncle and auntie Mori, listening to their warnings about ¡®not taking things too far, but if I did I was to take responsibility¡¯, with emphasis on the ¡®taking responsibility¡¯ part. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that they were secretly hoping that something would happen, as Auntie Mori especially seemed keen on a big wedding.


    Eri and I exchanged looks, sharing our mutual embarrassment, before I set off for my final errand of the day, which was to arrange Marika-san¡¯s transfer to the shrine at Shirohebizumi. I was not looking forward to this, as her mother was a bit of a pain. Eri had offered to accompany me, but I wasn¡¯t going to put her through that, so she stayed home, while I called up Shaeula to assist me. Heading up to the shrine we met Marika-san, her mother, and the priest of the shrine, her grandfather.


    Fortunately the conversation was not as difficult as I had been expecting, the effect of Shaeula¡¯s befuddling winds holding. She was still terse and a bit argumentative, but she was not going to stop her daughter making the move to Tokyo. I ended up swapping phone numbers so that we could keep in touch to discuss matters of Marika-san¡¯s welfare, and after handing over the details of the train tickets I had booked for her, I agreed to come and collect Marika-san the weekend after my return from Las Vegas.


    With all our tasks done, Shaeula and I returned home to collect our luggage, and my family and Eri saw us off at the station, Eri giving me another long kiss before we parted, which brought a lot of teasing from my mom. Saying our goodbyes we boarded the train, ready for the lengthy journey back to Tokyo...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back...¡± I sighed as I put down our bags. Behind me Shaeula was already headed for the fridge to get a beer.


    ¡°Now, do not be like that, master.¡± Shaeula snickered at me. ¡°I know you had much-much fun spending time with Aiko and Eri. You certainly seemed to enjoy all the kissing. Is it that good, I wonder-wonder? I can not help but be curious.¡±


    I think I¡¯d better change the subject... ¡°Sure, if it¡¯s with someone you care about... it¡¯s pretty nice I guess. Anyway...¡± I stripped off my clothing to reveal my bandaged wounds, wincing as I unwrapped them. ¡°Enough about that, I can finally relax without worrying my family... damn, I hope that doll was worth it.¡±


    I eyed the large doll which was sitting in the corner beside Shaeula. The lifeless red eyes were a little ... creepy, I had to admit. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but remember the desperate sadness the spirit had displayed while trapped within the inky sludge hell that was the Boundary version of the antiques shop.


    ¡°Grul says you have come back.¡± He observed. ¡°Grul reports little man-things came so he broke them. Be pleased.¡±


    Uh, not very helpful... ¡°Can you explain?¡± I asked, and the kamaitachi took over, after bowing to Shaeula.


    ¡°While you have been gone we have-have defended the Territory as you requested. It has been mostly calm-calm, only a few stray beasts to defeat, yet over the last few days more and more roving bands of pig-headed monsters have been spotted to the north. They appear poorly co-ordinated but many-many, and Grulgor and his trolls... they grew tired of ignoring them and wiped out several gangs of them.¡±


    I turned to look at Grulgor who only appeared proud. Damn, he really is a bonehead. We are trying not to draw attention to ourselves while the Anchor is upgrading, as our Territory is a sitting duck. Speaking of... I quickly checked how long the Anchor would require to upgrade... Ugh, nearly 88 astral days still... this sucks...


    ¡°That is typical of you stupid trolls.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°Always thinking with your fists, not your brains-brains.¡±


    ¡°Enemies must be crushed, Grul says. Break them, stomp them, smash them!¡±


    Before the situation could escalate further the kamaitachi intervened. ¡°The situation is not so dire-dire. Grulgor was roaming about outside the Territory, so-so the battles happened quite some distance from our borders. We may-may have passed undetected. The enemy did not seem organised, merely roaming at random.¡±


    I see. I¡¯m not happy Grulgor was out looking for fights while he was supposed to be defending our base, but... hmm, poorly co-ordinated disorganised forces en-masse... it couldn¡¯t be, could it... it may just be... If my hunch was right this meant trouble.


    ¡°All right then, no more hunting trips, got it Grulgor? We have to keep a low profile. I don¡¯t want to draw attention to us yet, until we are ready. When we are I daresay you¡¯ll have all the battles you¡¯ll want.¡±


    At his grumbled complaints I had to sigh, but still... He only needs to behave while Shaeula and I are in Las Vegas. When we get back we can keep an eye on things until the upgrades are done...


    ¡°Is there anything else we need to know about? If not we have things to do.¡± I asked.


    ¡°There wassss one thing.¡± The white snake kami spoke up suddenly. ¡°The koboldssss working the mine at my sssshrine wissssh to ssssee you. They have tribute to offer.¡±


    ¡°Tribute? Fitting indeed for such lesser Fae to give gifts-gifts to their princess!¡± Shaeula preened.


    You know, I think they are giving it to me, not you. but whatever, you¡¯re cute, anyway...


    ¡°All right then, let¡¯s go see what they have for us.¡±

 Eighty-Four

    Eighty-Four


    Before I visited the kobolds I decided to check out the stocks of ether we had accumulated. Unfortunately my Territory Appraisal skill, despite having increased recently, was still unable to provide all the information I wanted, which was annoying. I mean, come on... stuff like ether draw rates per Spire and upkeep costs should come as standard. If this is a mobile-style gacha game it is very poorly designed...


    In addition since my Territory seemed to produce ether based on the area under my control, and also defeating foes added more, getting an accurate figure was impossible, to say nothing of the variances within the etheric tides that complicated things further. Oh and there is apparently a fairly chunky reduction in the ether my Territory and Ether Spires produce while the Anchor is upgrading, muddying the waters further... also where the Spires are situated matters as well...


    Damn it, I was going to have to work on my Appraisal skills, they were seriously lacking. I needed to learn how to Appraise items too...


    Still, from what I had observed I could say that with six Rank 2 Ether Spires and the Territory at the size it was now, with the tide having diminished to a more normal level I was pulling in roughly between two thousand five hundred and three thousand ether a day just from those. Now I had a Rank 3 Dark Rhyming Tree that would grow as well... though that was being offset for now by the current production drop...


    Checking the Silo I found a balance of a bit under half of the maximum capacity of the Silo, around sixty-five thousand ether. That wasn¡¯t bad for while I was gone, and must have been supplemented by the ether Shaeula and I had gained, and Grulgor too. Still, that meant at least my Silo wouldn¡¯t be full before I returned from Las Vegas. I don¡¯t wany any more Wyrms looking for easy lunch, nor do I want to attract the attention of whoever was sending those pig-faced troops out. I guess they must be orcs? Japanese orcs anyway, I think western ones are different...


    Shaeula followed me out to the shrine on the hill, where a large group of kobolds greeted us. Bowing down before us they offered me a portion of their spoils. There were several handfuls of pretty looking gems which I gave to Shaeula since she appreciated the sparkly stones, along with some more useful things. First there was a stack of Etherite Ores. Most of them were red ores, but there were a couple of orange ores too. Since breaking them down now would be foolish I entrusted them to the white snake kami so I could use them later.


    There was also some metals. I recognised iron, copper and silver. But there was one I had never seen and suspected was no mere periodic element, a blueish-silver metal that was giving off a strange feeling. Intrigued I channelled a little wind energy into the metal and it greedily sucked it up, holding it within.


    ¡°That is kobold bluesteel, our prized ore, best metal.¡± The kobold overseer barked. ¡°We find blue gems that we need to grow stronger, become mightier, but we use some to make this metal. Very nice, very special.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of this metal.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°My sister has a spear made from it-it. It can hold elemental essence and use it to strengthen itself. It is as good as some dwarf-made weapons, so she says-says.¡±


    Hearing her words of praise the kobolds looked elated, even forgetting for a while that they were usually deathly afraid of her. With words of thanks we took their offerings and returned to the wind-rich area near Shaeula¡¯s old dungeon.


    All right then, a lot to do... what to start with...


    My Astral body was still carrying the scars of the wounds inflicted by the black ooze, so I decided to use aether to close them. As I did so, I wondered. Wounds inflicted on the Astral body affected the Material body, and vice versa, so surely I could use that link to heal my Material wounds? But how? My Astral body was repaired, but I had a feeling it was not reaching down to the Material. How could I make it work?


    I relaxed, gathering more aether while I waited for Shaeula to return. When she did, carrying a few severed branches, she asked me why I was so pleased with myself. When I told her I¡¯d gained a new skill as well as a level up of my Silver Cord, she applauded me.


    ¡°Excellent indeed, I fear you are putting me to shame-shame, I must work harder myself. These new weapons are... quite special indeed. I shall master them soon, have no fear.¡±


    Reassuring her she would certainly be an expert in them in no time, I started work on a weapon of my own. Once more it was a spear, my third one... Damn, I wish bastards would stop ruining them... this one made of a mixture of Rhyming Wood, Wyrm materials, various metals and, to finish it off... Yes, this bluesteel will do nicely.


    In addition I made several devices out of the remaining bluesteel, imitating a manga I had read recently, as well as crafting Shaeula and I yet another set of wyrmscale mail, using up most of our remaining materials. This time though they had additional metal reinforcements and just a dash of bluesteel. I guess I¡¯ll have to thank the kobold miners. Letting them use the Spawning Spire to make more diggers they can order about was a good move too...


    I would be able to do more crafting when the kobolds excavated more ores for us, but until then, this would have to do. Still, coupled with the bells and dagger Shaeula had, we were now pretty well equipped. I was even confident we wouldn¡¯t be bullied by that black ooze so easily again. Well, at least not when it was just one eye... we¡¯d still get flattened by the whole nest...


    I spent a while recovering, watching Shaeula practice her new attacks. She was also using the bells to good effect, and they combined especially well with her new gear. Hang on a minute? Could I even beat her in a fight now? I¡¯m not so sure...


    For some reason that thought hurt my pride a bit, so I threw myself into more healing, until I had exhausted both my aether and my concentration. Returning to the Material once more I opened my eyes... only to find far less pain than I was expecting.


    It worked, I knew it!


    The wound in my abdomen had largely healed, only a shallow hole left, while my thigh had changed from an angry red mess of scabs and torn flesh, healthier pink skin starting to fill in the sides of the gash, the scarring diminishing. It was still a nasty wound and still hurt, but it was as if I had spent a week or so in hospital recovering.


    Shaeula came over and looked at my injury, face rather too close to me for comfort, especially as I was naked except for my underwear. Looking at the wound she smiled. ¡°Yes, that looks much better. I would feel rather sorry-sorry for Eri if you were left with a scar. I would have to apologise, which sits poorly with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was hardly your fault was it?¡± I glanced over at the motionless doll. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d blame you, would she?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would not be so sure. Eri is quite the strong-willed female underneath it all... oh my, you must control yourself, my master. Have some shame-shame.¡± She smiled at me, her face pink. I followed her gaze, to see she was looking at my groin, where a certain morning physiological issue was cropping up. I let out an undignified squawk and hastily covered myself, blushing far redder than Shaeula had. I grabbed for my trousers as her laughter followed me...


    Damn, I won¡¯t forget this!

 Side Twelve – Zhao Heng, Master Of The Incorruptible Jade Sect

    Side Twelve ¨C Zhao Heng, Master Of The Incorruptible Jade Sect


    ¡°Patriarch Zhao, the Party is once more demanding that you send your daughter to attend the meeting. They are warning of dire consequences should you choose to be reluctant about this matter.¡±


    Zhao Hang, Patriarch and Sect Master of the famed Incorruptible Jade Sect, looked down at the sect elder grovelling in front of him and held in a sneer. Turning away he gathered his thoughts, admiring his reflection in the priceless mirror that stood in one corner of the lavishly decorated villa, hidden away in the mountains of Shaanxi Province. The priceless carvings of jade dragons, qilin, phoenix, and other mystical beasts wound around the golden frame, reminding one of the true power their Sect was meant to possess.


    Indeed yes, our Sect has remained uncorrupted by the passage of time, just as the finest imperial jade never loses its lustre. Looking at his flawless pale skin and night-dark hair, muscles strong under the sleeves of his ceremonial robes, he grinned. Lesser men for lesser times. But we were meant for the greatest of ages.


    Turning back to his cowering subordinate, Zhao met his gaze, channelling a little Qi through his gaze, causing the elder to shudder uncontrollably, his spirit overpowered. ¡°Consequences? Consequences? Those upstarts who only care about money and comforts? Bah, they forget who built this country, who has kept it safe for over two thousand years...¡±


    ¡°Yes but...¡± the elder choked out. ¡°... Our arts... they are nothing in the face of modern weapons. A single attack helicopter could destroy everything here... we cannot refuse...¡±


    Zhao put more Qi into his gaze, causing the elder to start choking, writhing in pain. ¡°Our arts? Nothing? You are a disgrace to the sect, such a fool. My father was blind to tolerate your insolence all these years. But father is gone now, and I am the Master of this Sect.¡± Zhao Heng stroked his well-groomed beard with one hand idly as he thought, heedless of the fact the elder had started to vomit, a sodden mess spilling out across the tiled floor.


    It is certainly true that we are unable to oppose the military that now rules this sacred land. Not until the holy land of Kunlun once more returns. For two thousand years our Sect has kept the sacred knowledge alive, cultivating as best we could in a world nigh-devoid of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Even managing to reach peak Qi Refining is a sign of a genius, and to break through to the Foundation stage... other than Heaven-blessed prodigies like my daughter, it is but a distant dream...


    ¡°Much as it pains me, you are right.¡± Zhao withdrew his Qi, and the elder let out a relieved wheeze as the pressure within him faded. Tch, pathetic. All we can do with Qi is strengthen our bodies or inflict injuries to the internal meridians of another. Long gone are the days when we could soar through the skies and call down lightning to face off against those who would oppose us. The days of Saints and Immortals have long passed. They ended when the cowards who ran the former Great Sects sealed off Kunlun from the outside world, in an effort to keep as much energy as possible from fading into the void.


    ¡°However... we cannot simply bow to their demands without question. They give us no face whatsoever. How I hate these... civil servants that know nothing of tradition or honour. Money-grubbing merchants, the lot of them.¡± Just thinking about the state of modern China was enough to make his blood boil. Luckily, despite being one of the lesser Sects the powers of Kunlun had abandoned, fortune had still favoured them. A sacred scroll had detailed a Dao-prophecy, stating that in the distant future the energy of the Heavens and the Earth would rise again, far more pure and potent than before, and the way to new worlds with new resources would open, heralding in an era of glory for the strong who followed the Path of Cultivation.


    And that time is surely now. But only those who have the wisdom and knowledge of the past should have the right to seize it...


    ¡°Call in my daughter. I would speak with her.¡± He ordered the grovelling idiot, who promptly bowed and scuttled away, leaving soiled footprints on the floor as he went.


    Unfortunately, the Heavens have chosen poorly in their choices of new champions. Although of course, one was chosen correctly...


    ¡°Of course, for you, my Disciple, I will do all I can.¡±


    ¡°We seem to be missing some key parts of the older scrolls. Perhaps if we could arrange a trade with some of the smaller Sects who have not been chosen, to acquire the missing pieces?¡±


    Hmm, a troubling request indeed, and my daughter knows it well, based on her hesitation. Ordinarily I would have to refuse, but right now...


    ¡°It would cost us dearly in resources, that ordinarily we would hoard jealously for our own benefit... but... I judge their loss worth the price, if it can guide you past the Foundation realm, and bring back the lost techniques.¡±


    ¡°I thank you again, Honoured patriarch. I shall now take my leave.¡±


    ¡°You are dismissed, Daiyu¡¯er.¡± As he waved her off he considered his daughter, his pride and the hope of the Cultivators, whose place was ever shrinking, driven into the fringes of society by the ever-growing beast of science. The Heavens love the beautiful, and my Daiyu¡¯er is as precious as the black jade she is named after. She will restore our Sect to glory, and when Kunlun returns, she will stand amongst the greatest of Cultivators. Nothing will be off limits to her. Not the Saint Realm, nor Immortality. However...


    His thoughts turned to the gathering of the chosen, Heaven scatters its blessings but scarcely, and the Dao does not seek but is sought. Even so, China is a country of teeming masses, there will be many with new gifts. Some will have to be... pruned, others brought into our fold. It is like walking along the edge of a blade, one misstep and all is lost. Still, if anyone can achieve it, she can.


    Putting down the bell he had used to shield his... treasonous... order, Zhao took to his seat. A breakthrough in the Foundation realm... he licked his lips greedily. His daughter was a prodigy indeed, Low-stage Foundation at just sixteen years of age. Still, he himself was Peak-stage Qi Refining, just bottlenecked before reaching the Foundation realm, and thus no weakling. If I was chosen by Heaven... If it was not to be, it was not to be. But if the ancient scrolls were to be believed, as the energy of Heaven and Earth returned, then Cultivation would be once more rejuvenated.


    Perhaps it is not too late for me yet. The higher realms extend life, so...


    As leader of one of the new Five Great Sects that were the strongest Kunlun had excluded, he was naturally aware of the chosen in the other Sects. Three had declared their own chosen to match Daiyu¡¯er, while one had remained adamant they were not so blessed. But do I believe it? I fear they may be trying to steal a march on us...


    Yes, playing the pig to eat the tiger. That was likely their aim. Still, when one realised the pig had fangs, such a stratagem could only lead to the pig being roasted over the flames...


    Our Sect will be the true power in China, no, the world. And those who would stop us from leading the rebirth of Cultivation, they... they will realise their eyes could not see Mount Tai...

 Eighty-Five

    Eighty-Five


    Wednesday dawned and I woke up early, having a lot to do in preparation for our trip tomorrow. After a hasty breakfast with Shaeula we set off for the city proper. First on the agenda was to pick up Shaeula¡¯s passport and a few other documents. We then had to grab a few final bits and pieces, and as Shaeula was often reminding me, replace that dress of hers she liked that was ruined bandaging me up.


    On our train ride back to our nearest metro station, Shaeula was grinning at her passport, constantly flicking through it. I wasn¡¯t sure what was so entertaining about boring documents like that, but since she seemed to be having fun I let her be, trying to ignore all the gazes from the surrounding commuters. Well, we do stand out. Shaeula was definitely eye-catching, and since my Charm had increased a lot I had noticed more and more people looking at me. It¡¯s honestly a bit disconcerting, but it can¡¯t be helped...


    Getting off at our local station we dropped the various items we had bought back at my apartment, before setting off for the most important task of the day, at Shirohebizumi shrine. As we were about to leave a door opened a bit away from us, and a rather dishevelled Karen-chan peeked out. On seeing us her expression brightened a little.


    ¡°Back from your trip home then?¡± she asked, her voice hoarse. Wow, she doesn¡¯t sound well.


    ¡°We are indeed. I found Akio¡¯s hometown rather fascinating. And of course the festival was especially entertaining for me-me. But that aside...¡± she gazed at Karen-chan with concern. ¡°Are you well-well? You seem down...¡±


    Karen-chan smiled, though it looked forced to me. Opening up the door she stepped outside. She was wearing sweats and an old t-shirt, and her face was devoid of make-up, which was not like a working woman such as Karen-chan, who liked to take care of herself. ¡°Thanks for your concern, but I¡¯ll be all right. I¡¯ve just... not been so well recently. It¡¯ll pass, it always does.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Well, if you need anything, let me know. Although saying that, from tomorrow we will be away again until early next week.¡±


    ¡°You are always so busy nowadays. Must be nice to enjoy your work.¡± She looked down, before plastering another smile on her face. ¡°When you get back we should go out again. Your treat of course, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, that¡¯s fine.¡± I agreed. ¡°You just take care of yourself and don¡¯t push too hard, okay?¡±


    Shaeula echoed my sentiments, advising Karen-chan to rest, and as she closed her door, retreating to her apartment, I wondered just what was up. First she skipped work to go to the city with us, now she¡¯s not well. I hope she¡¯s all right... Sadly I couldn¡¯t solve the problems of everyone I knew, so putting that aside I made a resolution to treat her to a decent meal out and some drinks when we returned to cheer her up.


    ¡°All right then, off to Shirohebizumi shrine. Once we¡¯ve done our business there, we can do our last efforts in our Territory and we are ready for the off!¡±


    ********


    As we ascended to the shrine I noticed that it was looking far more... well, tidy... than normal. All the torii had now been freshly painted, the steps had been scrubbed until they gleamed, and fresh lanterns and other adornments were everywhere. There were also a fair few shrine maidens working, using traditional bamboo brushes and other tools, including a few I recognised from the meeting before.


    As I crested the top to the shrine-building-proper, a young-looking Shrine maiden came racing over, pale with breathlessness. She gave me a rather cute grin and a little bow, before looking at me with her big eyes. ¡°Hey Akio-kun, hey Shaeula. What brings you to the shrine today?¡± she said brightly.


    Akio-kun, hmm. She¡¯s pretty forward for a younger girl, but then Keomi-chan is kind of an airhead from what I¡¯ve seen and heard... I don¡¯t suppose it matters.


    ¡°Oh, I was hoping to have a word with Izumi-san, the head of the shrine. Is he about?¡± as I asked her, I could feel a strange gaze on me, it was causing my back around my lunar chakra to prickle strangely. Shaeula too must have felt something as she was looking around, her eyes glowing amber in the sun.


    ¡°Hey, you are a pretty one. You must be the spiritual being. Want to hang out?¡± Ren-san asked, eyes wide at her appearance.


    ¡°No Ren-sama...¡± the girls hissed together, flushing with shame. There was a long pause before Shaeula burst out laughing.


    ¡°You are a funny male, little boy-boy. No, I shall remain by Akio¡¯s side for now. I have little time nor inclination for this hanging out, as you call it-it.¡±


    As Ren-san looked annoyed, opening his mouth to speak, Shaeula raised one of her small white hands to stop him. Her eyes glowed and she made a strange sound. ¡°However, you seem to be gifted, are you not?¡± she asked him. ¡°A gift... of light? Interesting.¡± Her gaze passed to the twins. ¡°You as well. Though I can not-not discern your talents, you have a small spark of the divine it seems.¡±


    The two girls nodded warily, and Ren-san spoke up. ¡°Yes, you can recognise my brilliance. I have one of the strongest talents in all the shrines of Tokyo.¡± He puffed up with pride. ¡°Your eyes must be special indeed.¡±


    Shaeula flipped a hand and suddenly a gust of wind blew, forcing the boy back a step, the skirts of the girls fluttering wildly. Yep, white. I looked away but not before catching a glimpse of something I probably shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Such arrogance. Talent is nothing-nothing without discipline. The world extends far beyond the walls of your little shrines.¡±


    Ren-san¡¯s face twisted into one of annoyance, the twins shying away. I was about to step in when Izumi Masaji-san, Kana-chan¡¯s grandfather and head of the shrine, appeared with a devilishly handsome man in his mid-thirties, who was likely the father of the children we were arguing with. All around us the shrine maidens who had stopped to watch our argument went back to work with a vengeance, trying to avoid attention.


    ¡°That is quite enough of that. I fear you are being rude to Akio-sama and Shaeula-sama.¡± Masaji-san said. Ignoring Shaeula who was annoyed by the honorifics, I turned to them and bowed in apology.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we got a little carried away. Though there is no harm done, I assure you. We were just getting acquainted is all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± The newcomer laughed. ¡°Knowing my boy, I doubt he was being humble. Anyway, a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Hikawa Hiroto, head of the Hikawa Kawagoe shrine. This is my son Ren and my daughters Chiaki and Chiasa.¡± Ren-san scowled at me as he gave greetings, while Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san both bowed politely, while still holding hands.


    Hikawa Kawagoe? That¡¯s a big shrine indeed, with a really old history... what are such big fish doing in our small pond?


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± I returned the greetings. ¡°I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Please ignore my stupid middle name, I¡¯m a half, you see. And this is Shaeula. My... compatriot and friend.¡±


    Shaeula likewise smiled back politely.


    ¡°So, I see, I see. Looks like my lovely daughters were right on the money as always. It¡¯s a blessing to have talented children, is it not?¡± Hikawa-san said happily. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a treat? I think it must be fate that we have this second chance.¡±


    Second chance? Now I¡¯m lost...

 Eighty-Six *Contains Status – Akio 5*

    Eighty-Six *Contains Status ¨C Akio 5*


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow.¡± I admitted. ¡°What second chance? I don¡¯t think we are acquainted in any way?¡±


    Hikawa-san continued to smile brightly, patting his daughters reassuringly on the back as he passed them, coming closer to me and Shaeula, who he was eyeing curiously.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°No, no we are not.¡± He agreed. ¡°Still, I had heard of you, when messengers from Shirohebizumi shrine and some other... more rural Tokyo shrines claimed to have a ¡®chosen one¡¯ who could speak to the kami. Now, I¡¯m a man who can believe much, especially when I was already aware of such from our Faction, but I figured any such person who didn¡¯t arise from within the temples and shrines was likely to be rather... unimpressive. No offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± I responded automatically. Faction?


    ¡°Besides...¡± he continued, backing up as Shaeula¡¯s face was turning stern from his inspection. ¡°And of course this is a matter of secrecy, but I figure I¡¯ll be open with you. Kiyomizu-Dera temple in Kyoto has a ¡®chosen one¡¯ already and is already expecting my support... at the upcoming conclave I¡¯ll have to declare it.¡±


    Another big shrine. And as suspected the conclave is about ¡®chosen ones¡¯, candidates to be Astral Emperors...


    ¡°I see, and what does that have to do with me?¡± I asked, readying wind just in case.


    ¡°Whoa there, calm down, sport.¡± Hikawa-san said, seeing me tense up. ¡°No need to get all defensive. Like I said, I felt you would likely be no big thing so I turned down the offer of this shrine to support you, but...¡± his gaze strayed to his daughters. ¡°My girls here, they go to school with one of the shrine maidens that was at the meeting here. They talked about the two of you, and it was... rather more shocking than I was expecting. My girls you see... they can tell when someone is lying to them.¡± He scratched one cheek gingerly. ¡°It can be a pain at home, but it has its uses...¡±


    Wait, what... isn¡¯t all this supposed to be secret? We agreed word shouldn¡¯t get out... Seeing my gaze Izumi-san sighed.


    ¡°My apologies. The girl who talked is being soundly punished. But she was not foolish enough to speak openly about it. She knew that the twins here are daughters of a true shrine too, so could in some regards be trusted... it was a mistake, but do not think we are spreading knowledge carelessly.¡±


    Well, it was always going to be impossible to keep the Boundary under wraps, as even if I don¡¯t spread it, others will... but the longer I can operate in secrecy the bigger my advantage. I need at least until the Territory upgrades and isn¡¯t so vulnerable, as well as securing my next plan here in the Material... It¡¯s still annoying we have loose lips here though, but will it be to my advantage, or...


    ¡°Yeah, go easy on the girl. It all worked out. Must be the guidance of Kushinada-Hime, I¡¯m sure.¡± Hikawa-san said piously. ¡°Anyway, when I heard I just had to see for myself. And now I have... yeah, you two are fascinating. There was no mention of the Kiyomizu-Dera ¡®chosen one¡¯ or any of the others having such a beautiful spiritual companion. It really is a wonder. And so stable here outside the spiritual realm too.¡±


    Others? ... ¡°So, where do we go from here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard many interesting things from Izumi-san here. Submitting a request to the conclave was clever, but small local shrines without Faction backing are unlikely to get much support or traction. Home shrine support is good and all, but what matters is the prestige and history of the big guys... lucky for you, our shrine is a major one.¡±


    At that Ren-san looked proud. The little sod does have quite the ego...


    ¡°So, let me get this straight. You want to offer us backing? Sounds too good to be true to me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Something for nothing is always suspicious. Boons must be matched to have value.¡±


    ¡°I can see why you would think that.¡± Hikawa-san agreed. ¡°And to be honest, we are not backing you, as we will likely be committed to supporting the candidate at Kiyomizu-Dera. We are happy to support you, though, in exchange for some mutual aid. With our support you and your allied shrines will have an influential voice in the conclave and within our Faction.¡±


    So there is some give and take. But... ¡°The thing is, I don¡¯t know much about your politics, and less about your ¡®chosen one¡¯. Maybe we wouldn¡¯t be a good fit, and who knows, maybe I¡¯m a better candidate? After all, I have Shaeula, like you said that puts me in a strong position.¡±


    As he looked through the documents, Izumi-san was frowning. Beside him Hikawa-san was eyeing them with interest, muttering ¡°I see, I see.¡± Shaeula was busy trying to talk to the twins, while Ren-san was butting in, trying to impress her to little avail.


    ¡°Ambitious. But not cheap, especially if you want to make swift progress.¡± Hikawa-san mentioned.


    ¡°True, but I¡¯m expecting some money soon. I believe you have some old buildings that are in disrepair? Kana-chan mentioned them before. We could spruce them up for now and make do until construction is done?¡±


    At mention of his granddaughter, Izumi-san agreed. ¡°But these are just wish-lists, not detailed plans... and there is consent, taxes... it is no small undertaking. And the benefit to you is small, compared to what we would gain...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why while we are away you should consult an architect to get detailed plans drawn up and start the ball rolling. I¡¯ll cover the bill of course. On my return... I should have the funds to start the project. As for my gain... I suspect it¡¯ll increase my support within the conclave, right?¡±


    ¡°Very clever.¡± Hikawa-san agreed. ¡°You know what, I think I like you, Oshiro-san. I think we will work well together...¡±


    ¡°Oh, and while I remember, Chairoakitara shrine is sending a shrine maiden here to learn and support the alliance. We need to make arrangements for her...¡±


    As we made further plans and shared words of alliance, Keomi-chan returned with cake. The twins and Ren-san enjoyed some with Shaeula and the other shrine maidens, and later when Kana-chan returned she too joined in...


    ********


    ¡°So, tomorrow is the day.¡± I said, releasing the last of the wind energy to the sky of the Boundary, green wisps floating away. ¡°A shame, as I¡¯m so close to finally increasing my ability to create wind energy. Just one more push...¡±


    ¡°You can not-not help it if you are inferior to my majesty, master.¡± Shaeula patted me gently on the head, reversing our usual roles. ¡°You will succeed in due time-time. Until then merely remember you owe me a boon, for I won our wager.¡± With that said her eyes went to the dark Boundary skies. ¡°I can hardly wait to fly on this aeroplane. I have seen them on your television, and am most curious as to the experience. I look forward to seeing Eri and Aiko again. Eri must be missing her beloved too-too.¡± With that she snickered nastily.


    ¡°I guess. I¡¯d be happy to see her too.¡± It¡¯s a strange feeling. Me, a girlfriend. And it¡¯s Eri. Even so, things don¡¯t feel too different between us. After all, I¡¯ve always liked her from a young age... oh man, I¡¯m no good with this sort of thing...


    Putting thoughts of budding romance out of my head I decided to take a look at my status. There was little else to do but train in the Boundary, as the Territory was still a long way from upgrading to Rank 3. Here we go then.


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might83 128Fortune5 10Fortitude80 123Majesty2 5Intellect102 147Charm4 9Resilience106 154???2Alacrity78 121Determination3Precision99 142??? Aether159 370??? [Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills] Silver CordRank 2 Rank 3Eight Moons Chakra NetworkRank 2Aether ManipulationRank 2 Rank 3Aether Combat TechniqueRank 1 Rank 2Heart Chakra Of WindRank 1 Rank 3Wind ManipulationRank 4Ether HealingRank 1[Physical Combat Skills] Spear TechniqueRank 3Combat TechniqueRank 1Wind Spear TechniqueRank 1 Rank 2[Practical Skills] Ether CraftingRank 2 Rank 3[Intangible Skills] [Perceptive Skills] Self-ExaminationRank 5Self-Examination, TerritoryRank 4 Rank 5Kin ExaminationRank 2 Rank 3[Unique Skills] ????????????????Rank 0????????????????Rank 0[Level] 11 22[Class]


    Fae-Bonded 7/20 12/20


    Kami-Blessed 5/20


    Territory Rank2


    It made welcome reading. All of my physical stats were shattering human limits, and my aether had massively improved, though of course Shaeula still owned me hard in that regard, as she reminded me with a chortle when I shared my figures with her. My Fortune was giving me a 20% boost to acts of random chance, which Shaeula could double with her winds, putting me in the right place for a trip to Las Vegas! I also now had much higher Charm, which while nice was a bit of a double-edged sword. No wonder Yae found me so appealing, it didn¡¯t make much sense otherwise...


    In addition I now had Determination, and ???, which was possibly the same ??? as Shaeula had.


    Skills-wise the picture was decent, but it was very hard to raise skills. I was close to Heart Chakra Of Wind Rank 4, I could feel it, but I just needed an insight or something to push me to a breakthrough. It seemed that each level of a skill was an order of magnitude harder than the last to gain, and at Rank 5 it really slowed to a crawl even more. My unknown Unique skills were still Rank 0, and I was eager to know what they were, but alas, it seemed not to be time yet.


    Turning back to Shaeula I decided to call it for the night, as we had a busy weekend ahead of us... Las Vegas, here we come!

 Side Thirteen – Uchida Ren – Master Of The Kiyomizu-Dera

    Side Thirteen ¨C Uchida Ren ¨C Master Of The Kiyomizu-Dera


    In the flickering lights of the many candles set around the inner sanctum of the shrine, Uchida Ren, master of the Kiyomizu-Dera temple and shrines and head of the Susanoo faction of the true shrines and temples of Japan stared at the documents his son had brought him.


    ¡°Are you certain of this, Yamato? If so, this could be... problematic.¡±


    His son nodded, bowing low. ¡°Yes father, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s true. Luckily the... incident... didn¡¯t happen in our faction, so we¡¯ve lost little.¡±


    Oh really, lost little? Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance. His son was smart, that was for sure, being a student at Kyoto university, and his looks were acceptable, but he had no... no delicacy. It is not all about profit and loss... Even being chosen by the Gods has done little to change that.


    Looking at the great golden statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, with her serene expressions on her eleven faces, he put aside his anger and allowed his intellect to prevail. Yes, this is not the time for irrational emotion. Cool heads are needed.


    ¡°So, just to confirm... the shrine maiden of that shrine is dead, found... horribly mauled and mutilated, and worse... the sacred statue in the shrine had shattered. And the Diviner stated that the kami within had perished, never to return?¡± It sounded ludicrous, how could a kami, a God, perish? Still, the Diviner would have no reason to lie... even now, if trust in her was lost it would hurt her Faction too much... ¡°The Gods aren¡¯t even able to come down to the world any more, you should know that better than anyone, Yamato.¡±


    His son agreed. ¡°Yes, it seems that the Gods are too powerful to manifest, even in the Spiritual World. Most of the Gods enshrined in Kyoto are too mighty, ours included. But perhaps... if I was to hazard a guess...¡±


    ¡°Go on, I would hear what you have to say. You are the most well-informed of our entire Faction on these matters.¡±


    ¡°Since she was belonging to a smaller shrine, and the kami within was minor at best... I wonder if she was a ¡®chosen¡¯ and made contact with her kami. Then she tried foolishly to expand her sphere of influence and ... ran afoul... of some of the many dangers that lurk in the Spiritual World. Since Kyoto is an old and deeply spiritual place, the dangers I have seen here...¡± Yamato shuddered, and his father sympathised. ¡°... if the kami manifested, maybe it too was devoured...¡±


    Such foolishness. The loss of a precious irreplaceable kami, and for what? Misplaced pride and self-belief... ¡°This is why we need to pull together. We should have already had the conclave, but those bastards from the Amaterasu faction are constantly pushing... they already claim to have two ¡®chosen¡¯ in Kyoto. I thought that would pressure Kudou-san and his fence-sitters to support us, but now it¡¯s devolved into a three-way deadlock, with every Faction eying the others warily. Madness.¡±


    Why do people not think? If Japan was experiencing a resurgence in the spiritual then other countries would be doing so as well. And while we are bickering, our potential enemies may be uniting... Tales of yore, such as the horrors of facing Chinese Cultivators, or the darkness of the Night Parade... if such things were to happen to a disunited Japanese community...


    ¡°It will be all right, father. I have good news. I have solidified the sphere of influence around our temple to the Second Rank. With the gift I was granted, I can call upon the Golden Warriors to defend us should anything go wrong...¡±


    Yamato was trying, he could hardly fault his son for that. Forcing a smile, he congratulated him, though understanding how the spiritual world could be controlled was beyond him. ¡°Well done, Yamato my boy. We need to stand firm, or the other Factions will walk all over us. Still... I hope you are right, and we don¡¯t have some crazed killer loose in Kyoto. Far better to assume it was just a greedy fool getting in over her head...¡±


    ¡°Ah, Uchida-san, it¡¯s been too long. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling so late, Takakura-sama. Still, in times such as these, sleep is a luxury we cannot always afford.¡±


    ¡°Quite. Well, do go on.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if you had given any more thought to my request? It would be most helpful if I could count upon the support of the Three Houses, and considering your influence with them...¡±


    ¡°I have broached the subject with them, of course, and the three Grandfathers are certainly considering how this matter will influence Japan and their duty in the future. However, I suspect they feel it is much too soon to intervene one way or the other... besides...¡±


    Besides...? Ren stifled a gulp.


    ¡°... I have been approached by several others seeking... similar assurances. Therefore it is tricky to know quite where to place my influence. I would suggest, and this is echoed by the three Grandfathers, that you do not let this matter break out into open chaos. Preserving the precious past and legacy of Japan is important above all.¡±


    ¡°You suggest? Not... order?¡±


    ¡°... goodness no. the Shrines and Temples of Japan are one of the three pillars, us Nobles are merely the second pillar, no more important than the first. But losing what we have striven for centuries to protect over... infighting... would be disappointing. And worse...¡±


    Worse?


    ¡°... we have more interests and contacts outside of Japan, and we have heard... troubling... rumblings from America and China. We would not want to be caught flat-footed here. I do not claim to understand the particulars of this ¡®Spiritual Awakening¡¯ the world seems to have undergone, but I do understand that if we are divided, stronger more united powers will reap the benefits. I hope you will take that to heart.¡±


    With that the call was over, leaving Ren unfulfilled and irritated. Still, it was not entirely unexpected. Of course the others would have reached out to the Nobles as well. That makes securing some trump cards ever more important. First, this ¡®chosen one¡¯ from Tokyo. He should be within our hands. Secondly, there must be others, hidden away. We must secure as many as possible for our own ends...


    The temples and shrines would reclaim their rightful place as those who guided Japan. And Japan would surely guide the world. But who would guide the temples and shrines? Only I am fit for that role. I and my son... After all, we serve Kannon, Goddess of Mercy. And what does the world need more than ever now, but mercy? If dark times and darker beings are coming, the light of true faith and mercy shall light the way...

 Side Fourteen – Mori Eri

    Side Fourteen ¨C Mori Eri


    ¡°Hey Eri-chan, why are you grinning like an idiot? Are you that happy to be having new clothes... nah, that can¡¯t be it, you are just so excited about getting to go on holiday with big bro, right?¡±


    The voice of my best friend Aiko-chan startled me. Looking up from the suitcase I was holding I smiled at her a little. ¡°I think it¡¯s you who is excited, Aiko-chan. Ever since Akio returned to Tokyo you¡¯ve been restless. Really you love Akio a lot, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Aiko-chan has always been very fond of Akio. Everyone at school always used to laugh about it. Still, Akio loves her very much as well. I think it¡¯s nice...


    ¡°Wow, Eri-chan is making fun of me. That¡¯s unusual. I guess finally dating my bro has made you grow up. Who¡¯d have thought a few kisses would mature you so?¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    Reflexively I touched my lips, feeling my face heating up. Kisses... I found it hard to believe I could be so bold, but when the moment came, I couldn¡¯t stop myself... muttering an embarrassed reply back to Aiko-chan I let my mind drift back...


    I had always been really shy as a child, which was strange, as my parents were outgoing. They always tried to encourage me, but other people... I found them scary. I¡¯d rather shut myself away, and read or play with toys. But my parents were friends with another couple, the father had grown up as childhood friends with them, and after working abroad he came back with a foreign bride and a young son. They had a daughter about the same time as I was born, so it was only natural that Aiko-chan and I would be thrown together...


    I don¡¯t remember it well, but it took me a while to warm up to Aiko-chan, or so I¡¯m told. Still, eventually we became good friends, toddling about and doing things young children did. There was always someone else there though, someone older. A boy. Again, at first he must have frightened me, but seeing how Aiko-chan obviously adored him, I eventually lost my wariness.


    As we start to get to the age I can remember, Akio grew larger in my thoughts. He was always watching over us, and if Aiko-chan or I was too tired to walk home after playing he would carry us, or if other kids came over and scared us, he would fend them off. In time I just... expected... him to be around. And then...


    The dog... I still remember it now. the huge dog, towering over us, eyes mad with rage... sharp teeth. I shuddered uncontrollably, just thinking of it.


    ¡°Hey, are you cold?¡± Aiko-chan asked. She was rummaging around in her case for snacks. ¡°Want me to get some hot tea when the vendor comes around?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. A bit tired but... just... just thinking of the past.¡± Looking out of the train window I cast my mind back again. I remember screaming and wetting myself, too scared to move. Aiko-chan was crying beside me... it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if we died there that day. Yet Akio... I remember his back, shielding us from harm, as the dog tore into him... I remember blood, so red, bright under the sun, and the sound of screams. Then I fainted and I knew no more until I woke up that night...


    When I next saw Akio he was all bandaged up and pale, yet seeing me he gave me a smile and asked if I was all right. I think it was then I first knew love, though at the time I had no name for the feeling.


    School started then, and it was hard for me, as people frightened me still, especially other boys. I was pretty, everyone told me, my parents, even Aiko-chan, though I always felt Aiko-chan was prettier than me. I wished I had her eyes, blue as the sea... still, Aiko-chan was always in my class and shielded me, and if there was ever any real trouble... Akio was always there.


    For years I followed at his back, only feeling relaxed when I was with him and Aiko-chan. As puberty hit the boys became more aggressive, trying to ask me out or worse, but Aiko-chan and Akio always helped me. I never really understood love, yet I did understand that Akio would always be there for me...


    Until he left.


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay, Eri-chan?¡± Aiko-chan asked, and I nodded, stifling a yawn, as we had only slept a little last night.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sob in such a monotone way.¡± I laughed, the mood brightening. ¡°You know I don¡¯t mean you, Aiko-chan. You, me and Akio, the three of us, we are going to be together forever... or until you find a man. It isn¡¯t just me who is popular, you know. Since you are so outgoing everyone likes you. Just look at Kenji-san.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± Aiko-chan said primly. ¡°That guy is garbage. As for a man... well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not interested in romance, but our town has no-one worth dating. Besides... I want them to be at least as good as my big bro. I¡¯m not settling for someone worse than you!¡± she poked my cheek. ¡°So maybe I¡¯ll just be a mean sister-in-law and let you and my bro take care of me for life.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind, if that¡¯s what you wanted, but you¡¯d worry Akio like that. Still... I don¡¯t want other girls hanging around him, especially ones as beautiful as Shaeula.¡± Ugh, jealousy doesn¡¯t feel good, and its worse as she has... been nothing but good to us.


    ¡°Yeah, but should she count? I mean, is Shaeula even really a girl? After all, she isn¡¯t human, is she? Wow, can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seriously saying that. How can a week turn our lives upside down like this? I knew it, we are definitely strange.¡±


    I still don¡¯t feel I¡¯ve earned Akio¡¯s heart. I still feel I forced him, though everyone tells me that isn¡¯t true. But Shaeula was right about one thing. All I have to do is make sure he never regrets loving me, returning twice what I receive. And I can do it. After all... this has always been fated, has it not?


    I smiled then, genuinely. Putting my thoughts in order had helped a little, though knowing me I¡¯d be ruminating on the same thoughts again soon enough. ¡°Oh she definitely counts. The way she talks to him, looks at him... smiles at him. She¡¯s a girl, no matter what. It¡¯d be easier if she was a bad person, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve only known her a few days, but I consider her a friend.¡± Aiko-chan agreed. ¡°But to think she¡¯s a magical non-human princess. My brother has done really well resisting her until now, so cut him a bit of slack. Anyway, to think she is teaching us magic. Wow, my heart races at the thought of it. Not that I really get it, do you? I¡¯m pretty dumb after all.¡±


    I hate it when you say that... ¡°You aren¡¯t dumb at all. it¡¯s just Akio is more focused on academics, so in comparison...¡±


    ¡°Wow, academics, yeah. Did you see the baseball game? Can¡¯t say that about big bro anymore. Still... I¡¯m not really grasping what Shaeula asked us to do. I can get the visualisation, that isn¡¯t too different to kyudo, but what good does that do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Shaeula did something to us both that night, and it really hurt, leaving us crying in pain for ages on the floor, clutching our lower bodies. Once we recovered she taught as a visualisation technique where we had to imagine and even feel energy being drawn into a point on our lower bodies. It didn¡¯t make much sense, but Shaeula seemed sure it would work...


    ¡°I know-know what I am doing, it will work. I am not mistaken like I was with Akio, but never tell him that-that!¡± Aiko-chan mimicked, mirroring my thoughts. As I too giggled I touched my lower body. Sometimes I felt a faint prickling there after the exercises, and I did it as often as I had free time. if ... if Akio was going to face danger, I would never allow him to face it without me, not alone with Shaeula, that was for sure!


    ¡°Still, she seems cautious. If we get a strong feeling there we are to stop, otherwise it might damage our bodies. It isn¡¯t like those anime where she just gives us power.¡± Aiko-chan observed.


    ¡°I trust her, because Akio does, and she trusts him too.¡± I declared. I want Akio to trust me too. I¡¯ll be of help to him, I know it. ¡°Maybe we should practice on the train. We have time?¡±


    We spent the next few hours on the train alternating visualisation and chatting. I could feel faint prickles of something in my lower body, like small needles jabbing me, but it was faint, perhaps just an illusion? As the train pulled into Tokyo station I looked out the window, my heart skipping a beat.


    He''s here. Akio. I¡¯ve looked at your back all these years, yearning... but now I¡¯m finally catching up... Even seeing Shaeula beside him couldn¡¯t dampen my mood. No more withdrawing. I¡¯ll fight for what I want... never again will I let him leave me behind. I¡¯ll walk beside him from now on...


    The feeling of needles in my body increased, faint warmth spreading, though it was drowned in the warmth I felt in my heart, seeing Akio again...

 Side Fifteen – Fujiwara Shige, Head of Fujiwara House

    Side Fifteen ¨C Fujiwara Shige, Head of Fujiwara House


    The old man shifted in his padded chair, old bones creaking. Damn, when did I get so old? I remember the days of my youth, when Japan was recovering after the disaster of World War Two...Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    Shaking his head to clear such unproductive thoughts, Shige glanced at his reflection in the unlit video-screens in front of him. Despite being in his eighties, he still looked robust and muscular, though his once-dark hair had long since turned a pale silver-white. His eyes, they still retained strength though. Strength I need now more than ever. Have the times ever changed this much? Even the war...


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± He said to his butler, who was standing ramrod-straight beside him, impeccably attired as always. At his word, delivered in a still-powerful voice, the butler operated his remote control, and the two screens in front of him burst to life, displaying two similarly old men.


    The first was a bald man, lean and tall, with eyes as piercing as a raptor. He raised a hand in greeting. ¡°Shige, Itsuki. It¡¯s been too long... since the dance recital for your granddaughters I believe? Mine isn¡¯t interested in traditional dance, all she cares about is business, and she¡¯s stopped listening to me. A shame, as I¡¯d have loved to see her all dressed up. Still, your granddaughters were spectacular.¡±


    The man on the other screen spoke, hollow-cheeked and pale, his hair a yellowy-white that looked sickly. He was hunched over, and in-between some hacking coughs got out his words. ¡°Kira, Shige. Good... to see you all again. Excuse my ... ill-health. Summer fevers can be a pain at our age.¡±


    Shige nodded his greetings in return. ¡°Kira, Itsuki. Yes, I am rather proud of my granddaughters, they have been raised to be the perfect examples of Japanese women. Yours was quite lovely too, Itsuki. As for your granddaughter, Kira, my oldest will be hosting a party soon, she should come. I¡¯d be happy to give her some advice on business. Perhaps coming from me, it would resonate with her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± Kira laughed. ¡°After all, the power and lineage of Fujiwara house is to be respected. Still, enough small talk. We have to discuss important matters, no?¡±


    Traditional belief is important, the shrines, temples and old ways should, nay must be preserved. But balance is important. If only the shrines have access to this new, world-shaking power...


    ¡°So, where do we go from here?¡± Kira asked. ¡°From what Takakura-san has said, the shrines and temples themselves seem to be at odds with each other over how to proceed and who shall lead? I know us nobles have our own disputes, but the three of us have kept everyone united all these decades... is it too much to ask that they manage the same in this time of crisis?¡±


    ¡°Could... we not... throw our support behind one group to resolve... this crisis?¡± Itsuki asked haltingly.


    ¡°I am wary of treading into such a quagmire, I feel we should take the advice of Takakura-san on this.¡± Takakura house is even older than ours, and has always been tied to traditional faith. They even have their own impressive shrine and priests. It is a pity none of them have experienced this strange new awakening... still, as one of the major houses, if below us in importance, they can be trusted to act with prudence on this matter. ¡°Instead, I suggest we concentrate on discovering everyone in Japan who has access to this new power. If upstarts like the Yakuza, or worse, potential terrorists, had access to abilities beyond what we commonly understand... the very stability of Japan could be threatened. But there is an even more frightening possibility...¡±


    ¡°Foreign powers. It could become an arms race... and if that leads to war...¡± Itsuki muttered, no doubt remembering how the last war led to the precipitous decline in his houses¡¯ fortunes.


    ¡°Indeed. It is hard to say what these changes will bring, as even Takakura-san has limited information on what abilities those chosen are granted, but should they prove great... well, other countries are not as wise as we are. We should keep a close watch on our allies and enemies alike. I have heard rumblings from my connections at the US Embassy that make me suspect the US Government is already aware of this phenomenon. Our Diet remains in the dark, however. To an extent, we are already behind....¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t had the details, but since we are deep in the military trade little rumours from the American Army and Pentagon have come our way. Nothing concrete, but it doesn¡¯t take an oracle to guess that the US Military will weaponise this if it can be.¡± Kira agreed.


    So, how best to proceed. We are all on the same page it seems. ¡°In that case, we must pool whatever information we can find. Knowledge is our first need, and most important bulwark against the changing times. There is no way we can allow a Third World War, for if our houses fall, all that is good about our country will be lost... I shall set my Fujiwara Security Services to seeking out any who can be found. Also, we need to monitor banks and other institutions for suspicious dealings, and also make connections with the Police and Public Security. In addition we should gather our subordinates and branch families, and set them to the task. Are we in agreement?¡±


    As his two old friends agreed with him, Shige turned his mind to the future. Our children, our precious grandsons and granddaughters... without this new power, how will they fare in this world? Is it something that can be obtained, or are their chances gone forever? In any case, I¡¯ll not let all we have struggled to preserve fail. May I live long enough to see the end of this crisis...

 Eighty-Seven

    Eighty-Seven


    As Eri and Aiko got off the train I waved at them. ¡°Over here you two!¡±


    Eri came scuttling towards me, face red, and before I could react she had her arms around me, pulling me close, before planting a kiss on my lips. It wasn¡¯t a deep one, but nonetheless I was feeling both embarrassed and warm. Wow, kissing in public. That¡¯s so bold... still, this feeling, is it... contentment?


    Eri released me, blushing furiously, not listening to Shaeula¡¯s cackles or the wolf-whistles my sister was performing. As she stepped back her gaze dropped down my body. Hey, where are you looking? Reflexively I tightened my leg. The injury had healed even more, as during my training last night I had been sending aether down my Silver Cord to try and repair my body, causing the wound to shrink even further, new tender flesh filling the gouge. It wasn¡¯t healed by any means, but it was now bearable, even without numbing my pain senses. I guess I still feel guilty keeping it hidden from them. Still, it¡¯s for the best...


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you too, Eri.¡± I said, patting her on the head gently. ¡°So, are you two looking forwards to the trip? It should be fun.¡±


    ¡°Sure am bro, sure am.¡± My sister said brightly, handing the suitcase Eri had dropped in her haste to rush to me back to her. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that we can¡¯t check out your Tokyo pad while we are here, but we have a plane to catch, right Eri?¡±Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve never been on a plane before. I¡¯m very curious.¡± Eri said, looking around at the large crowds at Tokyo station. She moved to my side, and I reacted instinctively, draping an arm over her shoulder, and pulling her close.


    ¡°Indeed. I too am very curious about how a giant metal bird can fly so high-high.¡± Shaeula agreed from behind me. ¡°I feel seeing it may give me some precious insights on the nature of the wind.¡±


    Uh, less talk about Astral stuff in front of my sister and Eri please! Although I guess that was pretty vague, so only people in the know would get it...


    ¡°You¡¯ve never flown then, Shaeula? So how did you get to Japan then, you are a foreigner right?¡± My annoyingly perceptive sister asked. As I struggled for a response she shrugged with a giggle. ¡°Never mind. Doesn¡¯t matter really does it? Hey big bro, we should stock up on supplies for the train to the airport. No time to waste, we are in Tokyo, there must be nice stuff!¡±


    ¡°The train to Haneda airport is only an hour. You won¡¯t need much. But we can grab some bento I guess.¡± I led them to a store selling some pretty nice boxed lunches and paid for us all, as well as grabbing some drinks, though Shaeula moaned when I wouldn¡¯t let her have any beer.


    ¡°You can¡¯t get drunk before getting on a plane.¡± Eri advised her as we descended to the platform we needed. ¡°They are really strict about that. They serve drinks on the flight though, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They sure do. It¡¯s a twelve hour flight, so we¡¯ll get meals as well. Though ironically due to the time difference we¡¯ll end up landing before we set off, if that makes any sense.¡± I laughed.


    I had explained this to Shaeula before, and it took a while before she had understood the concept of time-zones. Still, it meant that we¡¯d be arriving around lunchtime Thursday at local Las Vegas time.


    As the train we needed pulled up, I asked Eri and Aiko if they had stayed up late like I had advised.


    ¡°Yep, don¡¯t worry about it big bro. We only had a couple of hours¡¯ sleep, so I think we¡¯ll be able to get some more on the flight. How about you two?¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t do anything special, but with my abilities, going without sleep for a while is no big deal, the same for Shaeula. ¡°Yeah, I might sleep a little. Anyway, make sure you have everything.¡± I grabbed Eri¡¯s suitcase with my free hand, lifting it in, even though it was pretty light, as we were only going for a few days. My sister pouted as I didn¡¯t take hers, but I laughed it off as the duty of a boyfriend to carry his girlfriends¡¯ bags.


    On the train we chatted away, the four of us attracting attention from some of the other passengers. Well, I was surrounded by three very pretty girls after all, one of them foreign in looks. We ate our bento boxes, which were as nice as they were expensive, and discussed what we were going to do when we arrived.


    We bantered on as time passed, enjoying a few more drinks while Eri and Aiko slept peacefully. Luckily the flight was smooth, with little turbulence. I wasn¡¯t sure what I expected, but it was surprisingly relaxing. Though I guess the company helps...


    ¡°You know what, I was wondering...¡± a sudden thought occurred to me. ¡°What do you think would happen if we entered the Boundary now?¡±


    Shaeula paused, glass of beer raised to her lips. Gently she lowered it and looked at me, her amber orbs gazing into mine. ¡°I suggest... we do not try anything foolish, my master.¡± She shuddered then. ¡°I suspect all that would await us would be a very long fall-fall. Perhaps there might be lands or dungeons in the skies, but if not...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought it would be a lousy idea. I was just curious.¡± With that our conversation became lighter, and we passed another few hours before my sister stirred from her slumber. Opening her eyes she glanced around, seeing Eri still sleeping, and Shaeula and I enjoying ourselves with beer and some spirits.


    ¡°No fair bro, why do you pair get to drink and have all the fun?¡±


    ¡°Well, the perks of age, I guess?¡± I raised my glass to her sardonically. ¡°America is even stricter than Japan, so no beer for you, which is probably good after your hangover last time. Still, I expect you¡¯ll have more than enough fun without it. Maybe if you are a good girl you¡¯ll find a way later...¡±


    Aiko joined in our chat, and around an hour later Eri woke up too. We ate dinner and passed the time reading, chatting and watching some in-flight movies, until our captain announced that we would be landing shortly.


    Eri, Aiko and Shaeula all crowded the window, watching as we descend to the airport. In the distance the tall, exotic buildings of the Las Vegas strip could be made out, prompting expressions of delight from the girls. Once we landed we headed to passport control, where I discovered that Shaeula could speak English as well, though she didn¡¯t seem to be aware she was talking a different language. That makes me wonder if Shaeula is actually speaking any language at all... maybe it¡¯s like telepathy... but that wouldn¡¯t explain how she understands the written word or the TV... hey, maybe because I speak both languages, and she¡¯s bound to me and my Territory...?


    The customs officer smiled at us as he checked our passports and other paperwork. Impressed by our excellent English, he asked what our purpose for visiting was.


    ¡°Well, us two are here for business. But I thought I¡¯d bring my sister and my girlfriend...¡± I still blushed saying it... ¡°... along for a short holiday.¡±


    ¡°Well, welcome to Las Vegas, Sin City. Don¡¯t be leading these cute girls astray now, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it. Anyway, where can...¡± I asked a few questions about getting a taxi and so on, and soon we were through customs and driving towards the strip, a very chatty taxi driver showering us with compliments, my sister talking back excitedly. I hadn¡¯t told the driver which hotel we were staying at, only to drive to the strip, as I wanted to surprise them. As the girls gawked at the impressive showpiece buildings around us I too admitted I was impressed. Damn, this place is something special... a month ago, who¡¯d have thought this is where I¡¯d end up?


    ¡°So, which hotel you guys staying at?¡± The taxi driver asked now we were at the main strip. I replied, ¡°MGM Grand, please.¡± And the driver took us there, in front of the massive building. As I paid the driver and gave him a suitable tip he flattered the girls outrageously, saying that he would likely not see passengers as cute for a long time. Yeah, Americans sure are more forward than us Japanese. Still, seeing Shaeula puff up with pride and Eri writhe in embarrassment, I thought it wasn¡¯t so bad.


    Entering the impressive hotel we approached the desk. I leaned in and spoke to the receptionist while Eri and Aiko were looking around, captivated by the hustle and bustle, a far cry from the quiet town life they had known. The receptionist noticed the room we were staying in, and raised an impressed eyebrow. ¡°Nice. Living the high-roller life I see.¡±


    ¡°Sure am. My first time here, so I thought we might as well make the most of it.¡± As I took the keys she signalled over a porter to carry our luggage. Following us to the lift we went up to one of the upper floors. As we got off my sister was becoming more and more excited. ¡°Uh, big bro... just what room are we staying in? Aren¡¯t the nicer rooms towards the top? You can afford this, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, all will be revealed.¡± I said, checking the key. ¡°Here we are. You can drop the bags here thanks.¡± I told the porter, giving him a few dollars, and he headed off with a smile and a wave. Unlocking the door I pushed it open, revealing a four-person suite room, with an expansive seating area, two large bedrooms with massive beds, and even more...


    Sure, this was expensive as hell, burning through a ton of cash, but considering the plan, it¡¯s insurance...


    ¡°Wowowowowowowow!¡± my sister had broken, rattling out her signature verbal tic at a rapid rate. ¡°You must be joking bro. we are staying here? Seriously?¡±

 Eighty-Eight

    Eighty-Eight


    ¡°O.M.G O.M.G wow! Just look at the view.¡± My sister was entranced as she looked out over the strip from the massive windows. Eri was looking around too, shocked at the luxury, while Shaeula was already lying on one of the massive king-sized beds, her shoes off, pale feet wiggling in the air. Uh, from that angle I can see up your skirt...


    Aiko skidded around the room, admiring the layout, cooing appreciatively at the second bedroom, which had another king-sized bed, as well as a smaller one I¡¯d asked them to add for the duration of our stay. ¡°Look at this Eri-chan! So huge! We can cuddle up like princesses!¡±Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    ¡°I am the princess here-here!¡± Shaeula muttered. ¡°Finally Akio is showing me the luxury I deserve!¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, wow, there¡¯s a big swirly hot-tub in the bathroom!¡± my sister was shouting. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s room for us all if we want. I knew it, big bro just wants to get us in our swimsuits and ogle us! But a suite like this... sure, you can ogle me all you want bro!¡±


    Eri looked at me, concerned by the opulence. ¡°Um, Aiko-chan asked earlier, but you can afford this, right? You aren¡¯t getting into debt just to impress me, are you? I don¡¯t care if we are poor, as long as I¡¯m with you... I¡¯d go anywhere.¡±


    Oh shit, my heart seriously skipped a beat then. Is it me or is Eri getting cuter? ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I pulled her in for a hug, feeling my heart beating fast. ¡°I¡¯m not as stupid as that, I promise. Though I admit, I do want to show you all good things. Seriously, this is a business expense.¡± Surprising myself I leaned down and kissed her fleetingly on the lips.


    ¡°Get in here, Eri-chan, Shaeula! We need to take pictures, pictures! I want Yae-san and Rika-san to squirm and die of jealousy! Hurry, hurry!¡±


    ¡°At least put your luggage away first...¡± I chided, but it was a lost cause, as my sister was insanely hyper, and quickly dragged Eri and Shaeula into her orbit. With a resigned shake of my head I unpacked my clothes, including the suits I had brought, putting them into the wardrobes. I had just finished doing the same with Shaeula¡¯s, marvelling at the rather attractive swimsuit she had bought, when my sister came back in. Seeing me unpacking, she grabbed her bag, as well as Eri¡¯s. ¡°Hey, no peeking at our swimsuits. You¡¯ve already spoiled Shaeula¡¯s surprise, but not ours. Go sit down over there or something while we unpack!¡± she pointed at the TV, so Shaeula and I sat down on the very nice sofa and watched some American television for a few minutes until the girls were finished.


    ¡°All right then, all done. So, what¡¯s the plan bro? You have some work meetings here or something right, but when are they?¡± my sister asked.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, they are later on this evening.¡± I lied, feeling a little bad, but there was no way I was going to explain we were here to gamble with far higher stakes than we could ever do online. Over the last few days I had gambled during my free time, and had more than replaced the ludicrous spending on the antique doll, so my war-chest was full. ¡°Until then... why don¡¯t we take a bath, get changed and have some lunch. Then maybe check out some sights around the strip? You wanted to take photos, right?¡±


    ¡°A bath... you want me in there already?¡± my sister hugged herself, shivering theatrically. ¡°Wow, such a perv. But I did promise, so...¡±


    ¡°Come on, you know what I mean. You girls can go in together if you want, then I¡¯ll go after.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, come on Eri-chan, Shaeula, let¡¯s get cleaned up and dressed up! This is Las Vegas! Las Vegas! Wow, I¡¯m hyped just thinking about it...¡±


    She ushered the other two to the bathroom, and a short while later I could hear splashing and giggling coming from there, so I went to the fridge, finding some complimentary cold American beers. Cracking open a bottle I took a long drink, looking out over the strip. Well then, time to play...


    Seeing my dazed expression she flushed and giggled, kissing me again, though this time it was a fleeting brush of our lips. Other diners were smiling at our antics, and my sis and Shaeula started their customary teasing. After a dessert where I was sharing a parfait with Eri, we decided on our next plan. We would head back to the Grand and get changed for the evening, and since there was a famous magician running shows every few hours, Eri and Aiko would watch while Shaeula and I had a ¡®business meeting¡¯.


    Handing Eri and my sister some money they were surprised at how much I had given them, five hundred dollars each. ¡°Err, bro, not that I¡¯m not grateful, but that¡¯s like... 50,000 yen or so, right? Are you sure I can have this much?¡± beside her Eri nodded.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ve been through this. If I couldn¡¯t afford it, I wouldn¡¯t give it. Besides...¡± I looked at them both. ¡°I feel better knowing you have money on you in case anything happens. Nothing should, but if you need to get back to the hotel after getting separated or you need to get in somewhere, I¡¯d like you two to be able to.¡±


    With the serious talk over, I lightened my tone. ¡°Besides, if you see something you want, like souvenirs, that way you can get them.


    ¡°All right then, I¡¯m not going to be shy, since you insisted.¡± My sis leaned in for a hug. ¡°Come on Eri-chan, you too. Your big spender of a boyfriend needs his reward.¡±


    Eri joined us, her arms around us, and Shaeula was grinning broadly behind us. With that done we returned to our room, where Shaeula and I changed quickly, polishing off a couple of beers while the girls spent their time picking out what they wanted to wear. I myself was in a decent shirt and designer jeans, while Shaeula was in an evening dress in a fetching pale ivory.


    ¡°Wow, you two look pretty sharp. You¡¯ll impress your clients for sure!¡± my sister said, coming out in the expensive skinny jeans I had bought her, pairing it with a patterned t-shirt. Eri followed her out, wearing a long skirt and loose top in grey and blue, matching the colour of my and Aiko¡¯s eyes. I wonder if she did that on purpose?


    ¡°Yeah, you two are definitely cute.¡± I said, earning bright smiles. ¡°I¡¯m one lucky bastard, having the cutest sister and hottest girlfriend in Vegas.¡±


    ¡°And what-what am I, Akio? A pebble on the roadside?¡± Shaeula pouted. With a wry laugh I bowed to her.


    ¡°Hardly. Surely the cutest co-worker, without question. Anyway, shall we go?¡±


    We took the girls to the show, agreeing to meet them outside in two hours. With that done we headed to the casino floor. Shaeula was carrying a good chunk of my funds, while I had the rest. There¡¯s a slim chance we both go bankrupt here, which will pretty much ruin the rest of the trip, but at least the hotel is paid for, so worst case we can lounge about for a few days...


    Taking her hand in mine, we stepped through the entrance, immediately surrounded by the glowing neon of signs and slot machines, accompanied by the buzz of excited people and jolly music. Shaeula looked around, entranced by the spectacle so far removed from the Seelie Court, while I felt excitement rise within me. This is it. The start of the next phase of our plans.


    ¡°Shaeula, your winds...¡± I asked, and with a green glow swallowed by the garish lights of the casino her blessing enveloped us both. ¡°It¡¯s time then. We have two hours. You know what to do?¡±


    At her nod I smiled broadly. Let¡¯s get ready to gamble!

 Eighty-Nine

    Eighty-Nine


    Shaeula headed off one way, while I moved towards the roulette tables. Even though it was still early, the hustle and bustle of the many eager gamblers was intense, people celebrating the joys of a big win or commiserating their losses. Grabbing a beer on the way I took a pleasant swig of the cold alcohol, before sitting down at the most expensive table, which was a minimum bet of a hundred dollars a chip. Dropping a roll of bills I received a large pile of chips, and when there was a lull between spins, several gamblers beside me sighing as their chips were taken by the dealers, I placed my first bet.


    ¡°Twenty-Eight, Black, Even.¡± Came the voice of the dealer, and with a smile I watched as he added two hundred to my chips. A promising start. Taking another long swig of beer I pushed some more chips onto the table...


    I noticed as time passed and the wheel spun that the blessing of fortunate winds seemed to be whispering to me, giving me brief flashes of inspiration. It wasn¡¯t like the solid knowing I felt the first time I won big on roulette, or when I was fighting the jorogumo for the first time, but when it came down to chances where the odds weren¡¯t too long, I was winning more than I would have expected, even taking into account my Fortune statistic. Soon a rather generous helping of chips had piled up in front of me and the half-dozen people around me, most of whom had started to follow my bets as well.


    The dealer is looking rather pale. I guess I¡¯ve been too lucky... don¡¯t want to push it.


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ve rode my luck enough for one night.¡± I smiled to everyone around me, ignoring their cries of disappointment. ¡°Besides, I have to meet my girlfriend after this, so...¡±


    ¡°Oh come on man, you never quit while you are on a heater.¡± One guy said, and several echoed him, but I waved them off apologetically. Counting up my chips I swallowed saliva nervously. Nearly sixty thousand dollars in profit in just under two hours... Shit, that¡¯s insane...


    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t hassle the man. We¡¯ve all made out like bandits chasing his luck, right? Let¡¯s not be ungrateful.¡± One man, a tall, blonde American said. He turned to me and winked. ¡°So, you sticking around in the old City Of Sin for a while, or is this it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for the weekend.¡± I admitted, bringing a bright smile from him. He draped an arm around me, which I felt was a bit forward, but I guessed that Americans were pretty informal when it came to physical contact.


    ¡°Oh, I see, I see. Well, if you are feeling really lucky and want to try for some big money...¡± the American grinned. ¡°... how are you at poker? I¡¯m a man who trusts my gut, and my gut tells me you are someone I should get to know. So if you think you know your way around a deck of cards, there¡¯s a fair few big tables going down tomorrow, and a tournament at the Casino El Diablo as well. Hundred grand buy-in minimum, but with your winnings, you could afford it. The pot for the winner should be in the millions... sound good? It should, even hearing about the tournament at El Diablo shows that you¡¯ve caught the eye of someone big in Vegas...¡±Upstodatee from


    Poker hmmm? I had tried to test my Fortune with cards and luck definitely helped change the odds, but then poker was far from all about luck... still... It can¡¯t hurt to ask... I wonder where Casino El Diablo is? I haven¡¯t heard of it, must be a smaller one...


    As we discussed it, discovering that the first tables would be starting at 9pm, I agreed to take part should nothing else come up. The American looked pleased, and hoped we would meet in the final table. As we were finishing up Shaeula came back, looking pleased with herself. I guess things went well for her, too?


    ¡°Oh, so this is your girlfriend, huh?¡± The American, who told me his name was Buck, misunderstood, but since it was a pain I let him think what he wanted. ¡°Pretty nice looking, if I do say so. How you doing there, doll?¡±


    ¡°Doll?¡± Shaeula frowned. ¡°I suppose it is of no matter-matter. How fares your fortunes, Akio? I have performed well, as can be expected.¡± She showed me her hands, full of chips too.


    ¡°Hey, guess your girl is as lucky as you, eh? I can¡¯t wait to see if your poker skill is as great as your luck. I knew my instincts weren¡¯t wrong. Always trust your gut!¡± he chuckled, patting his stomach.


    Ignoring the buzz of my fellow gamblers Shaeula and I went to cash out. She had made just under thirty thousand dollars of chips as well, and as we received our winnings Shaeula chatted excitedly about the various games she had played. Not knowing the rules that well she had observed others, then placed bets almost at random, winning more often than not.


    It''s a great start, better than I¡¯d hoped, but to put in place my plans for Shirohebizumi shrine... far more was needed. Poker sounds like a good way of making big money... Perhaps it was fate, or my Fortune at work, meeting Buck...


    Looking at Eri and Aiko, snuggled up together in the king-sized bed in our suite, I shook my head wryly. ¡°The poor girls are all tuckered out. It makes sense, it¡¯s been a busy day and all that after a long flight. We¡¯ll let them get some rest, so they are all fresh for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°So, what shall we do now-now?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°We could return to the casino and triumph some more-more, or perhaps we could visit the Boundary and train?¡±


    The Boundary, huh? I am pretty interested in seeing what it¡¯s like out here in the American desert...


    ¡°Well, the plan for tomorrow was to do a lot of gambling, and now we have this poker tournament to check out, so we can probably give more gambling a miss for tonight. Let¡¯s check out the Boundary here. Who knows, it might be a valuable experience, right?¡±


    With a snort of agreement Shaeula joined me in our room, she took the king-sized bed, while I took the smaller one. Cycling aether we were soon within the Boundary, only to feel oppressed and weak.


    Damn, I never really thought this would happen... Aether was drifting slowly from our bodies, depleting into the air, so I concentrated, trying to hold it in as Shaeula joined me, peering around at the rather horrific room we were within, spikes of bone and chitin jutting out from the walls, making us feel we were within the jaws of some malevolent beast.


    ¡°This building must be a Territory here-here...¡± Shaeula said, eyes shining. Luckily the suite room still had a solid door of hardened shell barring the rest of the building from us, but from outside I could hear malevolent clicking noises and the clink of bone on bone, growing in intensity and number. With a solid thump the door shook, as if something heavy had banged against it. From within the room there was a series of chittering noises and a swarm of hand-sized spiders of bone scattered, scuttling in all directions.


    Ugh, gross. What is this, Silent Hill? Another series of thumps shook the door, dead white dust falling from the ceiling under the vibrations.


    ¡°So, are we going to counterattack?¡± I asked. ¡°I forgot that large buildings seemed to house denizens of the Boundary more often than not. You think we can handle whatever is out there?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps-perhaps.¡± Shaeula replied. ¡°But this is not our home ground, and we are trapped within. The master of this place will surely have great advantage over us. We could return to the Material, or...¡± her eyes fell on the great window occupying one side of the suite in the Material. Here it too was a window, but one surrounded by bone hooks and spines.


    ¡°Clever. But we are quite high up. Oh well...¡± I walked over to the window, which was covered in filth and dust, and with a blow from my new spear shattered it, large shards of soiled glass falling to the warped street below. As the window was opened a breeze blew in, filled with shimmering motes of elemental wind, and hints of elemental fire.


    Wow. ¡°this is... quite the view...¡± for a moment I forgot about the oppressive weight of the Territory and the ever-increasing cacophony outside of the malformed apartment. The sky was full of shining aurorae, rippling with the brilliant green of wind energy. All around us tall buildings were seen, some looking like their Material counterparts, neon lights joining the non-light of the Astral, while others were like the building we were in, changed and shocking in appearance. The Bellagio, for example now looked like a series of antlers rising into the sky, while there were others that were like giant slimes or rusted iron golems towering above the landscape. Further out, beyond the changed strip, the Nevada deserts stretched out endlessly, pillars of shimmering stone rising from the sands, great plumes of green and yellow energies flickering in and out of existence.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m glad I got to see this.¡± I muttered, before Shaeula slapped me on the back of the head, jolting me back to reality.


    ¡°You can admire the view later, master. For now, I fear we should be going-going, no?¡± Behind us the door was starting to crack, and through the tears I could see yellow eyes glaring.


    ¡°Yeah, I think you are right. Let¡¯s hope there is a way down. We are up pretty high...¡± Looking out of the window I could see the outside was also covered in large bone spikes, so it was possible, if rather scary, to climb down, assuming one had suitable strength. Hang on, I think we have something that will help us as well...


    ¡°Shaeula, it¡¯s your time to shine!¡± I smiled at her, and for a second she didn¡¯t seem to realise what I meant, before returning my grin...

 Ninety

    Ninety


    Shaeula jumped down from the jutting spine of faded bone, landing in my arms. I staggered back for a step, then lowered her gently to the ground. My gaze drifted upwards, to the climb we had just endured. Up high above with my greater visual acuity I could see various bone-white monstrosities peering out of the window at us, eyes yellow and rheumy, mouths dripping disgusting yellow and green ichor. Yeah, I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t stay and fight... Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com


    The climb down had been equal parts exhilarating and terrifying, but there were ample hand-and-footholds to use, plus Shaeula had been able to support us with her new toys. Now that we were down we backed away from the building into the centre of the strip, leaving the Territory behind. A few lesser spirits drifted towards us, only to pop into tiny orbs of ether from our strong presence, but the numbers were... Hmm, a place like Vegas should be full of lesser spirits, right? This reminds me too much of Inuyama...


    ¡°There are many Territories here-here...¡± Shaeula muttered, looking around. ¡°But one... one is very strong. As strong as ours. I can feel it...¡±


    ¡°Well, we should stay away from that one then.¡± I said. ¡°How about we go out into the desert? I dare say we can find things to hunt, I could use a few more levels. And if we find sources of elemental energy, all the better. Deserts should have fire, right? Or maybe earth...¡±


    Shaeula took a while to respond, before nodding slowly. ¡°Yes, it is prudent to avoid courting trouble. We are alone here. We should not bite off more than we can chew-chew. That... creature... from before that wounded you badly should be lesson enough.¡± With another long, pensive look into the distance of the strip, we crossed out into the desert, which was somehow more... primal... than the Material. There were patches of rainbow sand, glimmering like jewels, while massive rock formations towered into the sky, some nearly as high as the hotels of the strip. In addition large otherworldly cacti were growing in small forests, green and grey, needles as long and sharp as spearheads.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly pretty out here, in a rather rugged way.¡± I observed. Mixed in amongst the dunes I spotted a red glow, and quickly found a Red Etherite buried in the opalescent sands. Crushing it for ether, we continued to move out into the desert.


    Rock pillars jutted up around us like teeth, strange long-leaved ferns dangling over the edges, hanging down like kelp, drifting in the non-breeze of the Boundary. Shaeula gazed out over the fields with her gleaming amber eyes, deciding on our route.


    ¡°This way-way.¡± She advised. ¡°I sense great wind energy, as well as elemental fire. It should suit our needs-needs.¡± As we moved further away from the Las Vegas strip I found several additional Red Etherite ores. I¡¯m jealous. All these resources ripe for the taking. As I dug out another from the sands I opened my mouth to express this, but Shaeula held up one pale hand to silence me.


    ¡°Quiet-Quiet.¡± She hissed softly. ¡°I hear something coming...¡±


    We hunkered down in the shadows of the rock formations, as a group of large desert hyenas padded across the terrain. They were a dirty grey-brown colour, with mouths full of sharp fangs. They were also huge, the size of small ponies. Hmm, native monsters, or... no... They were wearing collars, great bands of rusty spiked metal. That means there must be some intelligence guiding them...


    The beasts were sniffing the air, acidic drool smoking on the sands below. Shaeula was letting out faint wisps of elemental wind, preventing our scent from leaking out, but our hiding spot was not exactly great. Drawing out my new spear I gestured to Shaeula, and she nodded. With that her wind changed, blowing strongly, and the faint shield she had conjured blew out, changing into a volley of razor-sharp vibrating blades, slashing into the hyenas. Several fell instantly, decapitated and bursting into shimmering ether. Several others fell, howling in pain, as limbs were severed and torsos sliced open.


    I raced out, wind accelerating my own movements, and one hyena died instantly, as my new bluesteel spear tore into it, the edge of the blade humming. Yeah, this is damn good. God bless the kobolds, I hope they can dig us up more of this... A second hyena died, and as a third leapt at me, I slid aside and pierced its heart, slaying it. Shaeula was also reaping a toll, but a hyena at the back of the pack let loose a loud howling laugh, echoing across the desert.


    Yeah, taking them all out before they could alert their handlers was always a long shot... Even so, we did not stop attacking, and the rest of the enemies were taken out. I scooped up the ether, transferring most of it to our Territory and burning the rest to aether to restore my supplies, then turned to Shaeula. ¡°I think we should go...¡±


    We sprinted out across the desert, my leg still aching a bit from the nearly healed wound I had suffered in the Boundary at Inuyama. Shaeula followed, her short legs churning the desert sand. Her yukata wasn¡¯t really made for running, so I had to slow a bit to allow her to catch up. As I did so a volley of barbed arrows struck the sands where I was about to be. I staggered to a halt, Shaeula bumping into me. Wow, lucky. Fortune strikes again...


    From the surrounding terrain a mob of creatures appeared, looking like some sort of dog-beastmen, though they were nothing like kobolds. They were kind of cute, these... not so much...


    They stood over six feet tall, with dirty grey-brown fur covering their human-like bodies, though they had massive, twisted hands, and their heads were those of hyenas, with staring yellow eyes, filled with madness. They carried bows, spears and other melee weapons, and were wearing armours made of dirty hyena pelts reinforced with rusted metal plates. They had surrounded us from multiple sides, and were barking out disgusting laughter. Another pack of hyenas were held in chains by several of the monsters, straining to be let off.


    Picking up the pace we hurried across the sands towards it. As we moved across the dunes we noticed that the encounters with native beasts dwindled to nothing. The sands themselves were now devoid of rock formations, just endless shimmering grains, which seemed to be... vibrating?


    The view is stunning. I wish Eri and Aiko were here to see this. Though I guess that the danger kind of outweighs the spectacle... As we continued to run across the shivering sands a faint rumbling, grinding noise could be heard, a series of vibrations running up through my legs, making it hard to walk. Beside me Shaeula was stumbling to a halt, her legs cramping.


    I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this. Wait, sand, vibrations... oh shit... Grabbing Shaeula quickly, heedless of where, I suddenly jumped, channelling wind and aether to take us further into the air.


    ¡°Where are you touching, you brute. If Eri knew you were molesting my chest, she...¡± Shaeula began squawking, but I silenced her.


    ¡°No time for this. Start using your wind to push us towards our destination. I¡¯ll keep us in the air.¡±


    The mental image of keeping us lighter than air was quite tiring, and consumed a decent amount of aether while holding it. Seeing the deadly-serious expression on my face Shaeula complied and we began to drift through the air. As we moved the ground erupted where we had been standing, a huge eyeless maw ripping out of the sands, vast circular rows of teeth grinding like a drilling machine. Yep, called it. Bloody sandworms! Is this Dune?


    The massive beast thrashed around, swallowing up mountains of sand, before sliding back into the ground, unsatisfied. As it vanished from view, leaving a great crater that quickly filled in, I was reminded of the Jaws of the Questing Beast that the Raven Knight almost killed me with. Yeah, I am definitely not good with huge toothy maws.


    ¡°Your instincts are good as always, master. I would not have liked to have ended up as food for such a disgusting creature. Such an end-end would not be befitting a princess such as myself. Still, perhaps you should... move your hands, yes?¡± she gazed at me and I realised one hand was cupping her bottom, my other on her rather modest chest. Flushing, I shifted my hands to a safer spot.


    ¡°Sorry, that was an accident. I just wanted to get us airborne as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Shaeula was flushed too, and she looked away, chewing on her lip nervously. ¡°For your honour I will believe you this time, my master. Though you should be sure to compensate me with delicious alcohol when we return-return, else I might have to make mention of this to Eri. She would be most wroth with you, I fear-fear.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be sure to treat you tomorrow. We¡¯ll hit a bar when the girls are doing something else.¡± Changing the subject I looked down at the dancing sands. ¡°Still, I guess that everything has a downside. There may be plenty of prey out here, but there are also monsters like that which dwarf anything I¡¯ve seen in Tokyo. That was white-wyrm-class for sure, and I doubt there is only one...¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we should be grateful for what we have-have.¡± Shaeula agreed, forehead covered in sweat from moving us rapidly through the air. Below, the ground was starting to become rocky again, white and brown stones rising from the sands, so it was likely safe to descend. As we reached solid ground we both sighed in relief.


    ¡°So, just where...¡± I trailed off, as now I could more clearly see where we were headed to. A vortex of green and yellow energies was swirling high into the air, like a waterspout, only of jade and citrine.


    Now that... that IS a sight to see.


    Beside me, Shaeula grinned. ¡°It reminds me of the lands of the Fae. It is rare to see such rich elemental seams here in the Boundary. Normally they lie-lie deeper within the Astral proper. Yet here it is, ours for the taking, no?¡±


    Looking upon its splendour I could only nod. Yeah, I want it. With such energies I could make the breakthrough I am so close to... ¡°All right then, lets claim it.¡±

 Ninety-One

    Ninety-One


    As we approached the swirling vortex of elemental energies the temperature rose, the air dry and hot. The Boundary seemed to reflect environmental conditions in a different, more muted way to the Material, the deserts of Nevada being somewhat cooler than expected, so it was strange for the temperature to rise to what one would expect. There was a strange smell on the hot breeze too, a faint hint of smoke and spices.


    Picking our way over rocks and around pillars I noticed that there were quite a few Etherites scattered around. I quickly gathered a half dozen red ones, as well as a couple of oranges. It¡¯s a free-for-all loot party. Damn, I wish I could set up an Ether Spire here, I bet it¡¯d pull in a ton of ether and elemental essence. Putting aside what we could not have, we carefully made our way closer. There was a ring-like wall of bare stone around the epicentre, jagged stone teeth rising into the sky, reminding me again of the sandworm. Ominous ... Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t get swallowed up...


    There was little life around, a few palm-sized scorpions scuttling away, no threat to us. A few dead fern-like trees and dried-out cacti were clinging to the bare rocks, but other than that the place was desolate, flecks of green and yellow energy drifting down on the hot breeze like confetti.


    ¡°We should remain cautious.¡± Shaeula intoned, her amber eyes scanning the area. ¡°I am struggling to perceive any dangers we might face-face, the glare from the elemental energies is quite blinding.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we are pretty low on our own elemental essences too.¡± Flying had left us short, though I still had a trump card or two left in reserve. A series of cold shivers ran through my lower body, at odds with the heat of the elemental winds, and Shaeula eyed me quizzically.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Come on. You might want to ready your weapons in case.¡± I brandished my spear, and at my words Shaeula brought out her bells and dagger we had obtained from the dark realm within Takakura Antiques. As we reached the jagged spires I retrieved another orange Etherite, breaking it down for more aether, filling my body with power. Well, we are as prepared as we can be...


    Looking at the walls in front of us I sighed. ¡°I guess being small is an advantage after all.¡± I joked. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a real tight squeeze for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I am not small, merely delicate and refined, as a princess should be-be.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°I shall go on ahead and you can follow.¡± With that Shaeula squirmed herself into a crack between two of the stone fangs. As she clambered through, muttering to herself, her yukata rode up, but like the gentleman I was I looked away. White today I see...


    Once she was through Shaeula called to me. ¡°Come quickly master, for I require your assistance now-now.¡±


    Squeezing my own way through the gap I winced as I scraped against the rocks. Soon my head was through, and I could see Shaeula engaging in battle with... with some very strange creatures. There were large human-like figures made of heaps of stone, clumping slowly across the ground towards her. As I watched Shaeula unleashed a blade of air, but it merely bounced from the stone with a dull whine, barely scouring a faint line in the rocks. As she clicked her tongue in disappointment and backed away, other figures came forwards, beings of swirling winds and air. Several strands of Shaeula¡¯s hair were floating in the breeze as a slashing arm of air narrowly missed her, striking shards from the rock walls behind her.


    I discharged the wind the battery had absorbed, using it to slide along the ground behind one of the rock elementals. Slamming the battery against its hard back I began to drain it, though since I had no real affinity for earth it was a slower process. Even so, the stone turned brittle, flakes falling away as red energies leaked out.


    ¡°I can not-not!¡± Shaeula protested. She slashed her knife with another flickering burst of light, biting into stone, then rang her bells, the wind she summoned flooding into the crack before exploding outwards, finally shattering into a shower of stone, elemental energy and ether. As the earth energies leaked outwards Shaeula darted away, avoiding them with a sour expression on her face.


    ¡°I am a Fae of wind, earth energies are inimical to me-me!¡± her gaze turned to the vortex of wind energy. ¡°If only the wind here was not tainted with fire, I would easily be able to deal with these slabs of rock-rock.¡±


    ¡°Fine, well I guess you are doing okay. Don¡¯t lose focus and get caught, keep kiting them...¡±


    ¡°Lose focus? How insulting, it is you who lets their attention slip at crucial moments. Have no fear, I am now a master of kiting-kiting and all other forms of tactical combat!¡± Shaeula seemed proud she got the reference, as she led the half-dozen stone elementals away. I finally finished draining the one I was fighting, and it collapsed, energies captured by my battery. I wish I understood earth better, it isn¡¯t as easy to grasp as air or fire... oh well, that¡¯s for later. Since I¡¯m not trying to draw it inside me, only direct it, I can manage somehow...


    Under the strange light of the vortex we fought a series of running battles, avoiding the slower moving stone creatures, gradually grinding them down until all that remained was a pair of full batteries shining with a red glow. Shaeula was slumped down, exhausted, and I was covered in bruises where shattered stone had bounced off my armour. Leaning on the haft of my spear I surveyed the vortex now that we had time to take a breath. The green and yellow energies were pouring out of a dark rift in the ground, the edges covered in a variety of gem-like crystals, some of which looked like Etherites.


    ¡°I think it is what you would call a dungeon, like my Territory was-was.¡± Shaeula muttered. ¡°Energy must be leaking from higher up in the Astral, distorting space itself. No doubt-doubt those strange creatures are simple manifestations of the overflowing elemental essence. I have heard tales of true elementals, and these were but pale imitations. Had we met once such, our fates would have been quite different indeed-indeed.¡±


    Yeah, they were strong to be sure, as they didn¡¯t have bodies that felt injury like other creatures, but their attacks were simple, almost instinctual. If they had worked together we would have been finished... Still, it¡¯s another valuable lesson. Getting a couple of levels earlier made me complacent again. How many times am I going to have to go through this?


    I gathered a number of red and orange Etherites that were sprouting from the crystal formations around the rift. Breaking them down I refilled my aether, the rest going to my Territory. Some of the other crystals looked useful, but it wasn¡¯t like I had some sort of Item Box skill or a Spatial Ring, so I limited myself to snapping off a few samples for the kobolds. All right then. My supply of wind was low, so I decided to draw from the gushing geyser of essence in front of us. As I did so, green flooding into me, I suddenly felt a burning pain within my network, flecks of yellow energy reacting violently.


    ¡°Fool-fool. Release your control now.¡± Shaeula bolted upright, slapping me on the head. ¡°Did you not listen when I said the energies were tainted? They are impure, mixed. And fire feeds off wind. Trying to use it is folly-folly.¡±


    Oh yeah, you did say that. I was pretty busy at the time though... As I struggled to convert the rampaging energies into aether without sustaining damage to my network, I was forced to listen to Shaeula¡¯s lectures for nearly ten full minutes...

 Ninety-Two

    Ninety-Two


    ¡°So, what do we do now? I¡¯d really like to investigate what is causing this.¡± I looked down into the gushing geyser of elemental energies. There was room to clamber down the side of the pit, and I could make out faintly glowing points of red and orange further down that might be more Etherites. It can¡¯t hurt to fill up our coffers, as when the Territory is upgraded we¡¯ll have a LOT of things we¡¯ll need to build, and that all costs ether...


    ¡°I find myself curious as well-well.¡± Shaeula admitted. ¡°The wind may be tainted, yet it also has a remarkable flavour. Perhaps it is a unique wind at the core of this. Obtaining such can only strengthen us greatly.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve come this far, braving sandworms and elementals, so turning back now wouldn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± I mopped sweat from my brow, feeling the strange cold shivers at my core again. Seriously, what is that?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first then, and you follow.¡± I said, starting to scale down the series of ledges and jagged outcroppings that made up the side of the pit. Shaeula followed me, and I quickly realised another issue. Every time I looked up at her I could see up her yukata. Such a luxurious problem to have... Since she didn¡¯t seem to have noticed I turned away my flushed face, taking a detour to gather up some more Etherites. After descending perhaps a couple of hundred metres we could see the bottom, a small roughly circular room, filled with crystalline outcroppings and winking Etherites. Rocky creatures and beings of wind were filling it, as well as some flickering flame-beings. Fire elementals, I guess.


    ¡°All right then, since we¡¯ve picked up a load of Etherites and I have aether to spare...¡± I once more imagined the white-hot blaze, this time as a fine rain, and sizzling flames fell in the narrow chamber, quickly cascading destruction down over the area, the air elementals disintegrating violently. I had to crush two orange Etherites and some red ones to keep topped up, which pained my heart, but it was better than getting caught by highly mobile flying enemies while we were stuck climbing.


    Sadly I also discovered another problem, as several Etherites below were struck by the falling flames and shattered, their ether content spilling free. I was too far away to grab most of it, so a good chunk of it was wasted.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re up.¡± I said, and from above Shaeula chimed her bells, sending down a blast of wind, driving back the earth elementals, though the winds died, consumed, when they made contact with the flaming humanoids. Still, it bought me time to drop down to the ground, aether softening my fall to a mere painful jarring of my legs and back. Releasing the earth energy stored within my batteries I had a brief moment of regret, but quickly shrugged it off. Not like I can use it yet anyway, and there is earth essence at Shirohebizumi anyway...


    The room was small, and the centre was occupied by the gushing energies, so I had to quickly deal with the elementals. Darting in I thrust my battery into the nearest fire elemental, while wreathing my arm with ice using aether to protect me from getting burned. Damn this is uncomfortable... A second fire elemental was closing in, so I slammed it with the second battery. Shaeula was keeping the earth elementals at bay with a wall of wind, so I had time to work. Dodging searing hot swings from the foe they burst apart.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from twenty-four to twenty-five.


    As the message scrolled across my vision I started discharging the fire energies from the batteries. I had practiced with fire before and had almost grasped how to use it, so it only took a little aether to guide it into doing what I wished. Flames gushed over the stony foes who were hemmed in by Shaeula, heating them up and melting their exterior. When they met the colder winds barring their passage they cooled rapidly, starting to crack and splinter.


    Not enough. But... channelling ether to aether by grabbing what was being released from the shattering Etherites that were destroyed in our struggle I called forth my own wind, filling it with an arctic chill. Stone exploded, and one after another elementals shattered. More xp for me.


    A flash of light left Shaeula¡¯s knife as she landed beside me, severing a fire elemental in half. It halted for a moment before the two sides squirmed together, but in that pause I used my batteries to drain it dry. Finishing off the remaining broken earth elementals, we secured the area, scooping the remaining ether.


    ¡°Good fight.¡± I said dryly, ignoring the numbness in my arms where I had wrapped them in ice, and the many smaller burns that dotted my body. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was good at science at school. Thermal expansion is very effective against stone and metal.¡±


    ¡°I do not quite get it-it, but perhaps I will check it on my phone tomorrow.¡± Shaeula said, stepping across the ground which was covered in shattered stone. She bent to pick up one of the few Etherites that had survived. ¡°This one is yellow. Quite the rarity indeed.¡±


    We gathered up the other few ores before finally taking the time to check out why we had come. At the centre of the chamber was a crack in the ground, from which was gushing fiery yellow energies. However wedged in the crack was a green gem-like shard the size of two fists. A green Etherite? No, something different... a plume of wind energy was rising from it, the source of the vortex. Flame energy was being drawn in and carried up out of the rift as well, likely the source of the taint.


    So what, did this green meteor fall from the sky and pierce down to the naturally occurring fire energy?


    ¡°Do not reject my energies. Remember how I have assisted you in awakening your lunar chakra and stabilising your network? I have practiced since-since, and I am confident that together we can succeed. Have faith in me.¡±


    She¡¯s practiced since? No, that isn¡¯t important. ¡°Have faith in you? Don¡¯t insult me, I have more faith in you than anyone else you know.¡± I grinned through the pain.


    ¡°You are a hundred years too early to be so cocky with me-me.¡± Shaeula said, her free hand on my back, on my lunar node. The green gem was starting to shatter, energies consumed by the flames and drawn into me. As they passed through my network they congealed in the lunar node. The pain increased again, but Shaeula intensified her support, and for a moment I was sure I could see some of the energies leaking out of me, to be absorbed by her.


    Is that safe? There¡¯s a lot of fire in that energy. She was worried about suffering damage before...


    ¡°Shaeula, be careful, there seems to be a lot of fire...¡±


    ¡°Silence now.¡± She cut me off, her own brow now equally drenched with sweat, her eyes bright with pain. ¡°One final push, no time for hesitation.¡±


    I can feel it... but I can also feel Shaeula through it. We are linked, our lunar nodes pulsing in harmony. ¡°All right then. Here we go...¡± concentrating all my will to one point I forced the energies inwards. The strange gem of wind shattered, shards sucked inside me, absorbed into the surrounding flames.


    ¡°Wait, stop... this isn¡¯t... it... it is penetrating my very soul... I feel... you... my kin-kin!¡± Shaeula started babbling incoherently as chunks of green energy shimmering with fiery yellow shot through my network and were guided into her own. Still, I had no time to pay attention to her, as everything was burning within me...


    Your Skill, Eight Moons Chakra Network has advanced from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your Chakra network has strengthened, better able to handle aether, and has taken on aspects of the Fae. Your Material and Astral bodies have become more integrated and ???????? ???????? ?????????.


    You have gained a skill, Lunar Chakra Of Wind And Flame Rank 1. Your Lunar Chakra has now stabilised and opened fully, resonating with the elements within you. This further increases the aspects of the Fae within your Material and Astral bodies, and it will generate additional elemental energies. It has also ???????? with your bonded Fae, resonating and increasing your ????????.


    You have gained a Unique Flame, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze. This unique fire has long dwelt within the earth, but it was made impure by the addition of a foreign wind that drifted in from the higher Astral. With unexpected assistance you have purified it and taken it within you, and you can now call upon its fury.


    Your Unique Skill, ????????????? has increased from Rank 0 to Rank 1. It has evolved from Kin Restoration to Kin Bonding and Restoration. It ???????? ????????? ???????? ?????????. Resonance has occurred with your Bonded Kin, strengthening her ??????????? and ?????????.


    Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm, ??? and Determination has increased. Your Aether has significantly increased.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 12 to level 15.


    Your Fortune and Charm have further increased.


    The huge slew of messages flooded through my brain as the pain within my body suddenly vanished, leaving me feeling fantastic, burgeoning with power. I¡¯d never seen so many boosts to me all at once. There were some real shocks, but was this the start of my rise to a true powerhouse OP protagonist? Before I could thank Shaeula for her help she looked at me, eyes wide, then she slumped against me, losing consciousness...

 Ninety-Three

    Ninety-Three


    I held Shaeula gently in my arms as I considered what to do next. I could somehow feel that she was going to be all right. It was almost as if there was something connecting us, our lunar chakras beating in time with each other like synchronised clocks. Hmm, it¡¯s got to have something to do with Kin Bonds and Restoration, right?


    Taking a moment to inspect the skill, the first obvious thing was it was clearly a version of the Kin Restoration Shaeula possessed, which allowed her kin to be reborn over time. Even now, I suspected the souls of some of her dead kin were circling her, awaiting their next chance at life. As I thought this, I could faintly see some of the ghostly lights around her. It was quite the pretty sight. Wait, does that mean...


    Checking the skill I realised what a bombshell ability it was. it allowed one to take possession of the very soul of a slain kin, sheltering and nurturing them with spiritual energies until their Astral forms could be restored. Astral forms eh? Shame, that means that if my sister or Eri were to die... ugh, it makes me sick to think about it, but still... yeah, it doesn¡¯t bring back Material forms, so it wouldn¡¯t work on them... I could feel a faint tickling deep within my lunar node when I thought about Eri or Aiko, but when my thoughts turned to Shaeula... suddenly a link similar to the silver cord that connected my Material and Astral bodies formed between us. Fire energy started flowing out of me, burning away the excess boiling winds that were wreathing her core. In exchange some of her wind energy was also flowing to me. It was a unique... feeling for sure. Yeah, this is in no way embarrassing... or kind of lewd. It felt almost like kissing. Ugh, my heart hurts, I feel sorry for Eri. But she wouldn¡¯t want Shaeula to suffer, she¡¯s always been a kind girl. I guess I¡¯ll make it up to her...


    The link must have been the ¡®bonding¡¯ part of the unique skill. Most of the description was just question marks, alas, but it did explain that I would be linked to my kin through our lunar nodes, and we could share elemental energies, aether and some other things hidden behind yet more question marks. I can clearly see the use of it, but the drawbacks... oh well, it¡¯s Shaeula, I¡¯ve no worries being bonded with her...


    As Shaeula settled under the care of my energies, I looked at the diminishing tides of green and yellow that filled the cavern. The jade vortex was failing fast, now that the source of the wind was within us, and the citrine energy, while still plentiful, seemed to be noticeably declining. Emptying out my batteries I filled them with some of the remaining essence, figuring it would be foolish not to. As I was finishing up Shaeula opened her eyes from my lap. Her amber gaze met mine and she blushed a deep red.


    ¡°Welcome back, sleepyhead. You feel all right?¡±


    ¡°Akio... I...¡± she suddenly bolted out of my grasp, settling a few metres away from me.


    Well, this is new. She¡¯s never been this shy before. ¡°What¡¯s up? You seem tense.¡±


    Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to get words out. She swallowed gingerly, then nodded. ¡°It is nothing-nothing. Merely a strange fancy. Though...¡± she paused, shutting her eyes and concentrating. As she did so our lunar nodes were connected again, and energies started flowing between us. Yeah, the sensation is very lewd. I feel hot around my chakras, and some of them are positioned very... delicately...


    ¡°This connection. It seems you are now one of my kin, which should-should be impossible....¡± Opening her eyes again they flared a bright amber once more. ¡°And...¡± she looked away, flushed once more, scratching at one cheek nervously. ¡°Your scent... it is reminiscent of the Fae... your looks too...¡± she said, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she continued. ¡°... your very aura-aura is that of a noble Fae... ... ...¡± her words trailed off to near inaudibility ¡°... very appealing...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite catch that. But she¡¯s talking about my odour? Weird. But I guess I have taken on more aspects of the Fae, apparently. Still, that isn¡¯t important.


    ¡°It seems that somehow I¡¯ve managed to get a copy of your Kin Restoration skill. It¡¯s even evolved.¡±


    ¡°I see-see. Mine too has evolved, I thought it most strange.¡±


    ¡°A lot has happened, hasn¡¯t it? I worried a bit when you fainted, but if you are all right...¡± I thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d love to test the limits of Kin restoration, but a skill that works on the dead... no way I¡¯m killing you to find out if I can bring you back...¡±


    ¡°I should think not-not.¡± She sneered in response. ¡°To suggest such a thing to such a royal princess is folly itself. Still...¡± she strengthened the link between us, more used to the skill than I was, clearly. ¡°... it is strange. Through you I can feel faint traces of other souls. Perhaps... can you feel the souls of my kin-kin?¡±


    Concentrating, I reached out through Shaeula, finding that I could feel her emotions. Not thoughts, they were closed to me, but I could feel her embarrassment and another, more suppressed feeling, that caused me to itch uncomfortably. Spreading out my consciousness she started to squirm and twist, turning away from me. I need to expand... outwards... aether was draining from me slowly as I concentrated. Her kin are connected to her, and I am connected to her, so surely I must be connected to... wait, there... It was a fleeting feeling, brushing against a dormant consciousness. Reaching out again it slipped away, then a third time, but then...


    My eyes widened as I could now clearly see the glowing orbs around Shaeula, spirits drifting like foxfires or will-o¡¯-the-wisps of myth. As soon as I could see and feel them all, like faint half-heard thoughts in the back of my mind, I felt energy leaving me in modest trickles, seeping out into them, causing them to grow ever so slightly brighter.Upstodatee from y kin... are your kin!¡± Shaeula panted, bright crimson and sweating. ¡°And you too can feed their dormant souls! With us both joined as one, surely they will return to us soon-soon!¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s jaw was straining, her teeth locked together as she fought against the pain. I gently wiped off the sweat and tears from her face, ignoring the faint stinging as the expelled energies discharged. Her gaze flickered to me momentarily, before she resumed her struggles. More and more energy was being absorbed, it was now flowing through her entire network, yet it was not a smooth flow, as citrine met emerald it often consumed it, growing in scale and starting to burn her from within. As soon as these areas of danger erupted she smothered them with her aether, similar to how I used it to guide my own flows.


    ¡°Gah... Ugh... just ... just a bit more...¡± she spat fiery blood all over me. I could somehow feel her aether fading, burning through the dwindling stocks of her vitality. Still, despite her pain she was squeezing my hand reassuringly.


    Fuck. No way. I pushed her to this, and even if it is for her long-term good, I¡¯ll be damned if I let her cripple or kill herself for this... Opening the bonds between us, our lunar chakras were joined, and I felt a rush of jumbled fire and wind flow into me, along with the sensations of pain she was feeling.


    ¡°Holy shit... fuck... you are... enduring this?¡± I gasped, momentarily overwhelmed by the feeling of all my veins and arteries boiling.


    ¡°I... must follow... my master. Even unto... the... end...¡± She gasped out, the pressure lessening as the overspilling energies gushed into me. ¡°Only by being strong... can I stand... at your side....¡±


    Idiot. My eyes were spilling hot tears now, and not just from the pain. Pouring out my own aether to her, shattering what Etherites I had left and absorbing it as fuel for us both, I leaned my head in close, our foreheads touching. Shit, she¡¯s so hot, her chakras are scalding.


    As more aether flooded her, she continued to try and stabilise the rampaging energies clashing within her. Her whole body was convulsing now, muscles spasming and teeth chattering.


    I remember... how her wind was used to soothe me, and direct the flow... now it is my turn to help her! Besides, I even have our new Bond, surely I can manage! I sent in my own energies, wind to replenish her where her stores had been consumed, flame to consume wind that was scattering in all directions, as I had before, and aether to guide the flows where she was weak. She was panting and moaning, and I too was suffering, the feelings of agony she was enduring echoing to me, but I merely bit down on my lip, blood flowing, and carried on. Shaeula was clutching my hand so hard I thought my bones would crack, her hot breath scorching my face.


    For what seemed like an eternity but could surely have been no more than a few minutes we struggled against the tide, before she loosened her grip with a final long gasp of breath. Going limp she released my hand, topping backwards, our Bond dimming. I quickly caught her, panicking, but she looked up at me weakly, barely able to move. And then she smiled, a beautiful pure smile of sheer relief and joy. It was then a bright star of yellow burst into bloom in her solar plexus, her lunar chakra a mixed aura of jade and citrine.


    Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 15 to level 16. Your class Fae-Bonded has evolved to Fae-Souled. The aspects of the Fae you embody have been strengthened significantly. Those who are bonded to you can accept a deeper connection, sharing both blessings and misfortunes.


    Your Majesty and Charm have significantly increased. Your Aether has dramatically increased.


    Your Foresight has increased.


    Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan has accepted the connection of your souls. May you experience much weal and ward off all woe.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled has increased from level 16 to level 17.


    Your ??? has significantly increased.


    As my vision was flooded with a series of powerful messages I looked down at her, only to be met with her arms snaking around me in a hug. Her voice was hoarse, her agonies still not fully faded, but her voice was as sweet as I had ever heard.


    ¡°Akio, my master, my true kin, my second self. I have succeeded! No longer am I bound by the element that makes up my being-being, I am free to grow, unhindered by anything but our bound souls!¡±

 Ninety-Four

    Ninety-Four


    ¡°Uhh, you might want to calm down a little.¡± I said, trying to untangle myself from her arms, but she merely gripped me tighter, putting all her strength into it. What the hell just happened? My class upgraded, then Shaeula accepted something... I could feel a bond with her still, but now it was deeper, more real.


    ¡°Do not be like that, my master-master.¡± Shaeula snickered, still hugging me. ¡°I am merely delighted beyond measure that I survived. Truthfully... I expected to die here-here.¡±


    What the hell? I was shocked at the revelation, and as my attention wavered Shaeula tipped me over. I fell, hitting the ground painfully, leaving her straddling me. As she looked down on me tears fell from her amber eyes again, this time tears of relief rather than scalding pain.


    ¡°What do you mean? Why would you die? Okay, I get it was risky, but we studied and took precautions. Sure, it was far more... gruesome than I envisaged, but...¡± she placed a finger over my lips, shushing me.


    ¡°We Fae, we are creatures of spirit, of the soul, as you mortals would term it. Our Astral bodies are far closer to the root of the soul than the Material bodies you mortals wear-wear, though of course they still are not the soul itself, that surely dwells elsewhere, perhaps in a realm high above the Astral...¡± her gaze momentarily rose to the skies above, barely visible out of the deep chasm we were within. ¡°Our bodies are the stuff of aether and essence, unlike the matter that makes up your forms. As such, they are fragile indeed-indeed. When you mastered two elements, despite the fact that fire consumes wind, I realised... though your mortal forms are clumsy and blind to the higher mysteries of the Astral tides... they are robust and malleable indeed-indeed.¡±


    This is fascinating and all, and information I¡¯m fairly sure I needed before this, but... ¡°Okay, I get how we are different, but what... what does that have to do with you dying? If you¡¯d have said, I would never have forced you... do you think I don¡¯t care about you, and just think of you as a servant, a slave?¡± Damn, my heart was aching, this felt really bad.


    ¡°Such a fool.¡± She whispered. Then, her voice strengthening, she made her resolve and continued. ¡°You wound me, my Akio. Of course I understand that you treasure me. How could I not-not? You have tried your best to abide by the three Oaths you swore to me, you have fed me, given me much alcohol and many gifts, even brought me to meet your own kin, which is a sacred act to us Fae. Even before our lunar nodes were bound, I knew-knew...¡± she looked away for a moment, before turning back, her eyes set with conviction. ¡°I am such a fool-fool, you see. Sent to the lands of my mother, with little aid. Even my overbearing siblings were unable to support me. The Seelie Court is rife with intrigue and turmoil, and as I am not pure-blooded Fae...¡± her face twisted in anguish. ¡°... I am ripe to be a pawn in games of politics. Such was to be my fate-fate. Still...¡± she raised her hand and a small yellow flame bloomed on it. ¡°... fates can be overturned. You did not-not even understand what we swore, did-did you? After all, I used one of the Boons I should have given you to enslave you to my naive dream of one day ruling the Seelie. In fact, I swore very loose oaths, with many-many loopholes. Us Fae are cunning folk indeed-indeed. Had I wished, I could have betrayed you at any time, my conscience clear and Oaths unbroken. And yet...¡±


    This is heavy stuff. I¡¯ll be honest, I never really thought about the content of her Oaths too much. But thinking about what she¡¯s said, she¡¯s right.


    ¡°And yet... you have fought beside me, taken injury meant for me, showed me nothing but respect and kindness, and put your faith in me-me... I felt bitter at my duplicity, despite it being our ways. Even that oaf Grulgor left himself a way out-out with his requirement you ¡®not oppose Duke Formor.¡¯ After all, what is opposition? But no, I made a proper third Oath, one that I did not tell you about-about. I would follow you, even unto death. My third Boon shall be that I will always act in your interests, even should it cost me my very soul-soul.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far. I¡¯d be heartbroken were you to die. And I will see my promise to you fulfilled. You will be...¡± again she cut me off with her gentle hand.


    ¡°I am weak, even now, compared to my father, let alone the Queen, I am nothing but a little child shouting into the wind-wind, throwing but a tantrum. I have hardly grown at all-all since my misplaced pride led me to my banishment in the land of my mother-mother. But you... you have gone from a nobody that barely defeated me through luck and my own hubris, to someone who can defeat Grulgor in combat. Your will to grow stronger, to protect those you love-love, to see what lies at the end of strength... all that, I find it so very blinding. And so, if you wished for me to plunge my essence into the flame, to burn away to ashes ... I would do it gladly, for I have no wish to be a weak burden that always walks behind you. No, I would stand by your side, or I would blaze away to nothing, the fate your aid deferred claiming me at last-last.¡±


    She¡¯s shining now, and not with fire. Her pride, her nobility... she truly is a princess. Still, I can¡¯t let this stand.


    Shaeula yelped as I stood suddenly, picking her up and lowering her to the ground. I patted her head, ruffling her hair, causing her to squint in pleasure. I then suddenly tugged at her long hair, causing her to yelp and scowl at me. ¡°Bad, bad Shaeula! You need to TELL me these things. If you had died here, I would have blamed myself. I thought that because I could do it, you would surely be able to, as you are far more talented than I. But still...¡± I enfolded her in a warm hug. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you didn¡¯t die. No more risks like that, okay? The end of our journey may be shrouded in darkness, the fate of the Earth and of us all unknown, but I shall walk it together with you, and your kin, and Eri, Aiko, my family and friends, even that damn fool Grulgor. If we aren¡¯t all together to walk it, why would I even care about saving the world? I¡¯m no hero, I¡¯m pretty damn selfish. I only care about those I love being happy.¡± I paused for a second then. ¡°Uhh, speaking of Grulgor... shit, I think I can link to his lunar node as well. It feels disgusting. Still, at least he didn¡¯t ¡®accept the connection of our souls¡¯ like you did. So what¡¯s up with that anyway? I can¡¯t slacken the bond like I could before, it seems to be a permanent connection.¡± The words poured out of me, in relief that Shaeula was both alive and had finally truly opened her heart to me. I had thought that when she told me about her mother we had finally fully trusted each other, but... to think there was still this much more in her heart. Women, even Fae-women, truly are deep creatures...


    ¡°Hah, that idiot Grulgor would not accept such a bond, all he seeks is foes to crush and enemies to eat-eat. As for me... as I said, we Fae are creatures much closer to the soul than you mortals. As you join your Material bodies with those that you love-love, we blend our Astral forms, our lunar chakra overlapping and mixing. It is a sign of the greatest trust. I never believed that you would become so like the Fae that it was possible for us though-though.¡±


    Foresight, hmm? I received some of this myself... might as well check it out.


    Foresight ¨C One¡¯s attunement to the flow of fate and destiny. It manifests as a sixth sense that gives a limited prescience to events that strongly affect one¡¯s future.


    Okay, now that is cool. Though I bet we would need a ton of Foresight to get much of value, otherwise It would be busted as hell...


    I quickly checked through her Unique skills. All of them were pretty powerful, but I knew that already. Foehn though, it was situational, in fact nearly useless most of the time... but against the right foe... it was truly worthy of being a trump card.


    Then there was her new skill, Aetheric Chirurgeon. Aetheric Chirurgeon is the ability to use aether and elemental essences to heal and repair damage to Material and Astral bodies, as well as support and develop chakra networks and chakra nodes. This skill reduces the resistance of the patients¡¯ body to such invasive acts and accelerates stabilisation and healing of modified chakras. I guess she got that skill from working on me? It¡¯s a good one, I want it too... still, it¡¯ll be really useful for our training school at Shirohebizumi shrine. Anyway, moving on...


    Her Fae class merely offered bonuses to her aether and strengthened her elements, which was not a small boon, but Pledged One... I hesitated before inspecting it. Here goes...


    Pledged One is a token of the unbreakable bond freely given by a Noble Fae and gratefully received by the recipient. It is a mingling of souls, a deep bond. When one falls, so shall the other perish. Strength flows between those so bound, and skills known by either partner are easier for both to grow, as knowledge is shared on a spiritual level. As this class grows, ???????? will ??????? ???????.


    Damn, more question marks. And gratefully received? Come on... although... I have to admit, I doubt I¡¯d have refused was I offered the choice... I¡¯m such a bad person... I never thought I¡¯d be this... well, unfaithful... although, no, it isn¡¯t entirely my fault, is it? Yeah, let¡¯s go with that...


    ¡°You can praise me now.¡± Shaeula intoned, and I patted her head.


    ¡°Good job, good girl. Who is a little badass, you are, yes you are! Anyway, might as well check out my growth while I¡¯m here, since this has been one hell of a productive night...¡±


    Oh how sweet my status was. My Aether had nearly doubled, I¡¯d earned new skills and even my lowest ability was 187% of human maximums. I was now well into superhuman Territory. I think the tutorial is over and Shaeula and I have graduated from noobs to experienced players. I wouldn¡¯t say we are powerhouses yet, as a single punch from Grulgor could no doubt still kill us, but even so... it feels good to have grown! Yeah, focus on the positives, that¡¯s what I need to do right now...


    Turning to Shaeula I spoke jovially. ¡°So, it¡¯s getting late and we should be headed back to the Material, we don¡¯t want to keep Eri and Aiko waiting for breakfast, but then... they were really tired so are probably sleeping in. How about we quickly test out our newfound powers? Are you game?¡±


    She returned a broad grin, and on one palm surged citrine flame, on her other a gust of olivine wind. I guessed that was answer enough...

 Ninety-Five

    Ninety-Five


    We headed back towards the Boundary version of the Las Vegas strip, careful to avoid the sandworms lurking within the sparkling dunes. In the distance the jagged rock formations were rising from the earth, towering into the sky. Using aether and wind we raced across the sands at a rapid speed, passing by small groups of scuttling scorpions and hyenas, but since we didn¡¯t have much time we bypassed them. I want to end the night with a bang...


    Reaching the rocky part of the desert we slowed down, safe from the dangerous worms. Behind me, Shaeula spoke. ¡°They were most unpleasant indeed-indeed. I would have enjoyed exterminating such abominations, but I fear we do not have time...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. She sure has become more aggressive now she¡¯s mastered the fire. Perhaps her personality has turned fierier too... ¡°Yea, I bet they¡¯d have been quite profitable to kill, but to be honest I think that earth element would be better against them.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I shall follow you as always.¡± She agreed. ¡°I shall find us some suitable prey-prey.¡± She gazed around, her eyes burning bright. As she looked around her expression turned troubled. Noticing this I asked her what was wrong.


    ¡°There are many powerful elemental essences I can see-see. Most of them seem to be converging on one location. And in that place I see a rare element indeed. Elemental lightning.¡± She pointed, and following her gaze I could see one rocky spire towering over the others in the distance. Squinting, I could just about make out flashes of something from the sky, followed by a dull rumbling noise a moment later.


    ¡°I see. Are there any better targets?¡± I asked, thinking. I know I¡¯m eager to maximise our gains, but being too greedy could be poison...


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°There are smaller groups of those with strong essence I can spy-spy, though my mystic eyes can only observe those who have strong spiritual properties at this distance. I can not-not predict how many others will be accompanying them.¡±


    She still looked unsure, so I asked her what she wanted to do.


    ¡°Elemental Lightning... it is a composite element, and one the Queen herself wields-wields. It and Nature, which I have heard some mortals refer to as Wood, are considered the Royal elements within the Seelie...¡±


    Oh I get it... ¡°So, since it is of Royalty, you¡¯re curious, right? I guess it would be a rare opportunity to observe it... Oh well, If you want to see it, I guess we can. We can watch from a distance, and if the situation looks bad we can always cut the night short and return to the Material, right?¡±


    As I spoke, my body shivered, cold around my lower body. I guess I am pretty nervous. If I know my anime and manga, lightning element would be fast and deadly... Putting that aside I asked Shaeula a question that had been on my mind a while. ¡°Your eyes are pretty special, aren¡¯t they? It¡¯s been a huge advantage for us, you being able to see hidden things and essences. We wouldn¡¯t have come so far without them. Are they common in the Fae?¡±


    We started racing towards the distant conflux of strong opponents, bypassing the smaller groups Shaeula had observed. As we ran, wind behind us, Shaeula answered me. ¡°Both the Queen and King of the Seelie have such eyes yes. My father too, and my sister and youngest brother. The Fae can often see what others can not-not. The Unseelie... they too have many bearers of mystic eyes amongst them-them...¡± she spat, expression disgusted. ¡°However, their eyes bring naught but destruction.¡±


    ¡°So, they are common then?¡± I confirmed, and Shaeula scoffed.


    ¡°Yes, but not in the way you are thinking, master.¡± She was proud, striking her chest with a small fist. ¡°My eyes are potent indeed-indeed. Few can see the hidden as well as I. And...¡± she looked at me, smiling. ¡°They have been growing in strength ever since I was chosen as your ¡®hero¡¯ when you gifted me my new Throne. Back then, my gaze would not have extended over such a distance... I suspect as we continue to grow in power-power, so too shall my eyes continue to strengthen.¡±


    It makes sense. I wasn¡¯t able to see the level of her Unique skills before, but her other skill levels have gone up a lot, as has her Aether...


    ¡°Are you not grateful you met me, Akio?¡± she gloated, and I agreed with a smile. We were coming up on the lightning now, seeing forked bolts of varicoloured energies flashing down, striking the ground with a roar of thunder. Rock pillars were lying shattered on the stony desert, tipped over, and the cries of battle could be heard in the muted air of the Boundary.


    Most of the hyena-beastmen turned to face me, distracted, but the Thunderbird and the assortment of ¡®soulless abominations¡¯ continued their battle.


    The massive hyena-beastman on his giant lizard looked at me, sneering, yellow spittle flying from between his fangs as he turned to his followers. ¡°Fresh prey for the master, grr. Kill it.¡±


    So much for trying to negotiate. I was trying to be nice and pick up some info at the same time. Oh well... I could just feel Shaeula looking at me with scorn.


    ¡°I think you are making a mistake...¡± I warned them as forces peeled away from engaging the Thunderbird to move towards me.


    ¡°No mistake, grr.¡± The shaman-like hyena-beastman coughed, waving his staff at me. I reacted quickly, darting out of the way as the ground exploded, jagged stone spikes rising from the sands below to impale me. ¡°If we kill you, master will reward us. Much prey, many treasures, grr.¡±


    Well, I guess their master could well be another candidate then... ¡°I guess negotiations have broken down. Last time I try to be nice... oh well, my aim for coming here was to test out my new powers, anyway. Try not to regret this...¡±


    My stores of fire element were low, as I had only just awakened my solar plexus chakra with flame, but I had a back-up plan. The two bluesteel batteries on my back were shining yellow with energy. Pulling it out I focused on the unique flame I had absorbed within me to my lunar node. Raising one hand I gestured towards the oncoming pack of hyenas and their beastmen handlers.


    ¡°Time to burn. Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze!¡± The energy was consumed, turning into an amazing scene. A roiling mass of yellow, orange and red flames rolled out like a cloud, setting everything in its path ablaze. The hyenas squealed and barked in pain as they were seared down to the bone, their following handlers also engulfed, thrashing and burning. The tide continued, heading towards the shaman and his followers, who raised barriers of earth and stone to block the torrent. The flames rolled up the wall, clinging to it, and some scattered over the top, landing on the arm of a beastman, setting it alight. As it frantically tried to put out the fire burning it with desperate, exaggerated gestures all it did was spread the flames further, setting fur and flesh to flame.


    As the initial tide died down, leaving dozens of charred corpses and a lot of ether, which I gratefully accepted, the very ground was still burning, yellow flames giving off acrid smoke and joining the hideous smell of charred flesh. It was like a vision of hell. Ugh, if I was back in the Material I¡¯d be vomiting by now. Still, Foehn is scary... it was like a cloud of napalm...


    The beastman riding the huge lizard let out a roar of rage as many of his allies were reduced to smouldering ruin. Gathering his own forces he turned away from the Thunderbird and charged me, cruel harpoon ready to impale me, his lizard riders following.


    Any time now...


    ¡°Grr, I¡¯ll take your head to our master and he¡¯ll mount it on his throne!¡± it growled. Behind me the shamans were trying to smother my flames with summoned dirt and sand, but it just squirmed through the gaps, continuing to burn.


    And there we go... right on time, reliable as ever!


    ¡°Silence, little doggy-doggy. It is your head that will be resting below my throne!¡± Shaeula spoke proudly, as a series of thin cords wound around the charging beastman and his lizard. ¡°Farewell-farewell.¡±


    With a tug she pulled at the metal handles she was holding in each hand. There was a brief whining noise, and suddenly the beastman burst apart, body sliced into numerous pieces, metal armour falling with a clang, sliced like cheap tin, and the head fell clean off the giant lizard, landing on the ground with an audible thump before scattering to ether.


    Shaeula grinned at me. ¡°That was too easy. These ¡®pinwheels¡¯ are a most noble weapon indeed-indeed.¡± She tugged on her handles again and a pair of shining blue metal disks, made of multiple overlapping blades, like the pinwheels children were given at festivals, were hanging in the air, exuding jade wind energy, trailing fine metal wires. ¡°So, who is next?¡± her gaze went across the battling horde, gaze hungry.Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com

 Ninety-Six

    Ninety-Six


    ¡°I suggest you surrender, for I am in no mood-mood to be merciful.¡± Shaeula crowed, her pinwheels spinning in the air, throwing off sparks of emerald energy, the ultra-fine wires of bluesteel that unwound from their spindle-like structure hanging in the sky, vibrating menacingly.


    Bluesteel may not be the strongest of metals, in fact, it was worse than steel in my tests, but when I discovered that it had the ability to easily absorb and hold elemental essences, I had a few ideas...


    As the shocked hyena-beastmen looked on, frozen momentarily, the Thunderbird used that freedom to launch more lightning down at the soulless scorpions, cacti and other beasts that continued to assault it, turning more into ashes.


    ¡°Too late. Since you seem to wish for death, I shall grant you the honour of dying at the hands-hands of true Seelie royalty.¡± Shaeula gave them little time to consider, shocking me a little with her ruthlessness. Her pinwheels suddenly changed directions, spinning outwards to drag their razor-sharp vibrating wires across the bodies of the foes, slicing them apart in a welter of gore.


    Ether was flooding me and I could see silverly letters confirming level-ups blinking across my vision, but I had little time for that. The remaining beastmen, led by the shaman with the staff, were finally free of the Foehn¡¯s deadly spread, and were barking orders at the forces they commanded, trying to reform the shattered ranks.


    ¡°Grr, slaughter the interlopers. The bird can wait. Master will be displeased, but we cannot fail here, growl. The proud Wyrmtooth Gnolls cannot fall here, our ancestors would cry out in bitter shame, grr.¡±


    Gnolls huh? I¡¯ve heard of them in fantasy stories before, but they aren¡¯t as common as orcs... nah, who cares, it doesn¡¯t change what I have to do... Trying to ignore the bright laughs of Shaeula, who was twirling her pinwheels through the enemies with reckless abandon, sending severed body parts flying everywhere, I clutched my spear and raced towards the lead shaman. A cactus-creature stepped in front of me, showering out a volley of needles but I evaded them, my spear tearing through it, the edge sharp with wind. Yeah, the bluesteel really makes my wind techniques stronger...


    The ground erupted, stone turning into spikes pointed at my heart, and a few others conjured dust storms that hampered my vision. Several more cactus-needles bounced off my new armour, and a scorpion reared out of the sands, stinger poised to strike me. Too slow. I swept to the side, my spear piercing the head of the scorpion, easily killing it, before looking up at the gnoll shamans. They were barking and growling in rage, keeping well away from the still-burning tongues of Foehn that littered the desert.


    All right then, here we go... I had only a little fire element left, but I poured it into the head of my spear. The blade began to heat up, yet the effect was minor. Still, I had a way to strengthen it. Pouring in most of my remaining wind energy the fire devoured it eagerly, and the spearhead shone a vivid yellow, the head wreathed in fires that fountained out into a half-metre long blade of scorching energies. Running with all my strength, consuming aether to increase my speed I raced through the burning sands (careful to avoid what was left of the Foehn, as there was no way I wanted to die to my own ability...) and swung my fiery blade, bisecting several gnolls that stepped in my path to block me from the shamans.


    Ignoring the smell of roasted meat I continued my charge. Thrusting my spear forwards I released the fiery energies and they shot out like wyrm-breath, turning a half-dozen more foes into corpses.


    ¡°Pathetic. If this is the best you can do-do, I would be ashamed to be your master. But then, your master, unlike mine, must be worthless if he is saddled with you trash-trash.¡± Shaeula was getting carried away, taunting them. Her pinwheels were slowing down as her wind energy diminished, but the design was amazingly efficient, so she would be able to keep up her massacre a bit longer. I staggered a bit as the aftermath of another stormy tornado from the Thunderbird buffeted me, but righting myself quickly I engaged the first of the shamans. They were so... slow... compared to me, it was almost as if I was playing a video at half speed. My spear, now wreathed in wind, my fires spent, quickly penetrated, and I was onto the next one. Stone spikes rushed at me once more, but yet again I dodged, and a second fell, head exploding. I speared a third quickly, leaving it dying, before coming face to face with the larger shaman with the tall staff.


    ¡°Grr, I¡¯ll stake you out in the desert to die, until nothing is left of you but... grr, bleached bones! Come forth, my stone...¡± the shaman began to draw on earth energies, the ground trembling, but his spell was cut off suddenly, only howls escaping from his maw. I had thrown my spear, and it had pierced through its shoulder, before discharging the wind energy it contained, blowing its arm clean off. Dropping the staff it fell to its knees, clutching hard with its remaining hand in a vain attempt to stem the blood pouring from the injury.


    I still had my wyrmfang javelins left, not having had chance to use them yet, so I pulled them free, holding one in each hand. Behind me, the cries of battle were dying down, and a third level-up message graced my vision. Okay, pitched battles are the way to go. Levels, ether... it¡¯s all so very profitable... I threw one of my javelins, head-shotting the last of the gnoll shamans. There were still a handful of gnolls left, but they held back as I advanced on the writhing head shaman and grabbed my fallen spear, holding the point to its neck.


    ¡°Well, I think we won here, haven¡¯t... holy shit...¡± I trailed off, surprised. What I looked out over was the scene of a massacre. Shaeula was standing amidst a massive ring of blood-soaked sand, severed body-parts and diced lizards everywhere. Her pinwheels were circling around her, humming, and the remaining handful of gnolls who had survived were keeping their distance, hissing and growling. Scorpions, hyenas, cacti... all of the ¡®soulless abominations¡¯ had continued to rush to their deaths, not intelligent enough to evade without specific orders, and Shaeula had butchered them, the Thunderbird slaying those that lagged behind.


    The fallen shaman was glaring up at me with hatred in its eyes, but I couldn¡¯t worry about that. ¡°All right then, if you surrender and give me some information, you can still get out of here alive, that cool with you?¡±


    My gaze went to the Thunderbird, which let out a warbling hiss of aggression, wings lifted up to make it look larger and more threatening. It then strayed to the pillar holding its nest, where the chicks were still chirping in fear, one lying down, injured. Shaking my head I let out a long sigh.


    ¡°I know what you mean, but I can¡¯t do it. If it attacked me first, then sure, like the wyrm, but it has chicks, and we fought on the same side here... sorry, but I have to draw the line at this. My conscience couldn¡¯t stand it.¡±


    ¡°Soft-hearted as ever, my master.¡± Shaeula mirrored my sigh. ¡°But still, that is why Eri and Aiko are so fond of you, is it not-not? I admit, it would not sit well with me either, to slay such a noble creature, but as a princess, I could harden my heart and do what benefits us-us...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve achieved more than enough today, besides, I also like your kinder side.¡± At my words Shaeula looked down, blushing a little.


    Walking towards the Thunderbird, I made sure to stow my weapons and give off no hostile intent.


    ¡°What are you doing Akio?¡± Shaeula asked, following. She was holding her pinwheels in her hands, but had not put them away, ever ready to respond to a threat. As we approached the Thunderbird it began to summon lightning, the air filled with the tang of ozone, but I made soothing noises and talked to it calmly.


    ¡°I might be able to help your injured chick. Just trust me.¡±


    The Thunderbird seemed to understand, though it was wary, and a small bolt of lightning landed by my feet. Shaeula made to respond but I held her back. ¡°If it wanted to attack us it could have. I think it¡¯s just warning us.¡± I clambered up to the nest using the footholds left in the pillar by the gnoll harpoons and reached the nest. The Thunderbird flapped up painfully behind me, droplets of ruby blood falling to the ground. Shaeula let out a muted yelp of surprise, her eyes glowing, and then she began to gather the blood-soaked sand below.


    Reaching the nest I climbed in, the chicks backing off, hissing frantically, all but the wounded one, which was in a lot of pain and immobile. Ignoring the warning cries from the Thunderbird I went to the ostrich-sized chick and pulled out the cactus-spine that had wounded it. The bird yelped, cheeping mournfully, but I ignored that too, concentrating, pouring in aether and using my Ether Healing skill. Yeah, this is tough, but also informative. This bird contains some lightning energy, as well as wind and fire...


    Static was crackling over my armour and my hair was standing up crazily as the Thunderbird watched nervously, but I persevered, and a few minutes later the chick sat upright, warbling in surprise, flapping the wounded wing.


    ¡°There. All better.¡± I smiled, the good deed soothing my heart over the massacre Shaeula and I had committed earlier. Turning to the Thunderbird I smiled at it. ¡°See, now your chick is fine. I think you should find a new nest though, this place is hardly safe. If you¡¯ve caught the eye of an Astral Emperor-candidate, then when they replenish their forces, they¡¯ll likely try again...¡±


    With that I climbed down and returned to Shaeula, who had torn off the hem of her outfit and made a crude cloth bag to hold the bloody sand. I suppose we did collect the wyrms¡¯ blood too, not that we found a use for it yet...


    ¡°We should return to the Material. Eri and Aiko will be wondering why we are not awake-awake.¡± Shaeula said, and I had to agree. Still...


    ¡°No, just one thing to do first.¡± I pointed at the distance, where a few ¡®soulless abominations¡¯ were coming from, seemingly respawned. ¡°We¡¯ll quickly follow their route until we find out the location of their Territory. Then tomorrow night...¡±

 Ninety-Seven

    Ninety-Seven


    ¡°About time you pair woke up. Just what were you doing last night to leave you so tired, big bro? I bet you couldn¡¯t wait until we went to sleep so you two could have some privacy, right?¡± My sister was smirking at us as we exited our room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that Aiko-chan.¡± Eri said from where she was sitting by the huge window that made up one wall of the suite, admiring the morning over the strip. ¡°I trust Akio, and Shaeula too. If they were going to do that then they wouldn¡¯t have brought us on holiday with them would they?¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at you Eri-chan. When did you get so calm and collected? I guess it¡¯s true what they say, when girls get a boyfriend they mature a lot. Still, I guess you are right, big bro wouldn¡¯t have the guts to cheat on you. But...¡± she smiled then, her tone teasing. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me who had my ear against their door this morning, trying to hear if they were getting frisky in there, was it?¡±


    Eri went bright red, shaking her head in denial, and then we were all laughing with her. On checking the time it was a bit after ten in the morning. Ouch, cutting it a bit fine for what I have planned for us today, but we can still make it. Before we had left the Boundary we had tracked back the waves of creatures to their source, making sure to polish them all off for ether, of course. Upon reaching near the edge of the strip we ran into a defensive barrier of a Territory, and since our way was blocked, we returned. Still, we know where to start tonight. But before that...


    ¡°Let¡¯s grab some breakfast down in one of the hotel restaurants. Then... well, I think you¡¯ll all enjoy what I¡¯ve got planned.¡± I checked the guide for things you have to do in Las Vegas and this was near the top, so I made sure to pre-book it.


    ¡°Oh, I can hardly wait. It¡¯s been pretty amazing so far.¡± My sis giggled. ¡°We got a reply on group chat from Rika-san and Yae-san when they saw the pictures we posted. They are just dying of jealousy.¡± My sister ran up to me and threw her arms around me exuberantly. ¡°I love you big bro, now I can lord it over that pair forever!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean, Aiko-chan.¡± Eri snickered. ¡°Still, it did make me feel good when Yae-san was forced to look at pictures of me and ... and my boyfriend.¡± She blushed once more, adorably.


    ¡°All right then, glad everyone is happy. But we don¡¯t have time to dawdle, so let¡¯s go grab some food, then get changed and go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so exciting.¡± My sister crowed, as I ushered us all out of our plush suite. ¡°But it better live up to the hype, or I¡¯ll be disappointed in you, big bro. And I know you don¡¯t want to make your adorable little sis that you worship disappointed...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Wow, okay, it lives up to the hype.¡± My sister shouted, conceding. Spread out down below us was the majesty of the Grand Canyon, a sight we could never have seen back in Japan. The helicopter we were riding in was soaring over it, though it was noisy and shaking a little.


    Beside me Eri was clinging to me, her skin cool from anxiety. Even so, she was entranced by the views, her face a mixture of nervousness and joy. On the other side Shaeula was fiddling with her phone, taking pictures, no doubt to send to her friends like Ichika.


    ¡°Wow, yeah that¡¯s a great idea Shaeula, I should be taking pictures too, or maybe some videos. I can really stick it to those two with those...¡± her gaze went to Eri, and she raised an eyebrow sardonically. ¡°Pretty bold, Eri-chan. Using your nerves as an excuse to cling to my big bro like that. Still, I guess it¡¯s allowed, you are together now. Nice job!¡± she finished with a thumbs-up.


    God knows what the pilot thinks of us. We are quite the group. Still, we went for the luxury tour, so it¡¯s clear we have money so we¡¯ll get no disrespect...


    Patting Eri absentmindedly on the head I pondered what it would be like to control the Grand Canyon in the Boundary. I bet it is full of powerful adversaries, and rich in resources... oh well, I can¡¯t have what I can¡¯t have. There are plenty of places in Japan that would be as good...


    Relaxing in the enjoyable atmosphere of spending time with those I loved, I let my own gaze wander out across the impressive landscape. Tonight would be high-stakes, so for now I would just take it easy...


    ********


    ¡°So, what are we going to do for lunch, big bro?¡± Aiko asked, seated at the table watching TV in our suite. ¡°I¡¯m pretty hot and sticky after that excursion, so I could use a bath before anything else. Why don¡¯t we all use the hot-tub? I¡¯m sure you have just been dying to see us in our bathing suits, right?¡±


    Why would I want to see you in your bikini? Come on... Shrugging I asked the others if they were up for that, not wanting my little sister to steamroller them into doing what she wished.


    ********


    ¡°Go easy on the booze. We are seriously breaking the law here.¡± I warned, but my sister waved me off with a drunken giggle, splashing me with water as she reached for the bottle of rather nice champagne on the serving cart beside us.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only had a couple of glasses bro, don¡¯t be a killjoy.¡± She pouted. ¡°You never ask Shaeula to stop, do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, Shaeula is twenty-one, so she can drink legally.¡± I tried to explain, but my sister merely grabbed my arm and climbed on top of me, pushing me down into the foaming waters of the massive bath we were all in. Hugging me, she smiled.


    ¡°Oh come on, no one is going to know, are they? Besides, it¡¯s a good way to score some points with your adorable sister, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I don¡¯t think you should be clinging to me like that in your bikini. I can feel everything.


    ¡°Oh Aiko-chan...¡± Eri giggled. She had also broken the law, but had only had one glass, being more sensible than my sister. Still, she was definitely tipsy, as she had loosened up, her shyness diminished. Proof of this was the way she was leaning against me, giving me a spectacular view of her cleavage every time I looked down. ¡°... if only the boys at school could see you now clinging to Akio like that, it might shatter their poor glass hearts...¡±


    At that my sister only clung harder, blowing a raspberry at her friend. ¡°You just wish you were doing it yourself, Eri-chan. You have to be bold, my big bro is dense, you know that. Unless you throw yourself at him, he¡¯ll be the perfect gentleman forever.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m his girlfriend now... after all these years...¡± Eri stuttered. ¡°He knows I¡¯m ready to do... girlfriend... things... with... him...¡± her voice got smaller and smaller towards the end, and she was as red as boiled lobster.


    ¡°Oh really, girlfriend things, huh?¡± My sister snaked her arms around me. I thought she was going to hug me, but instead she snatched my half-drunk glass of champagne from the side behind me and downed it quickly, before letting out a charming little burp. ¡°Oops, that was an indirect kiss, wasn¡¯t it? Oh well, it¡¯s with my bro, so it doesn¡¯t really count...¡±


    ¡°Aiko-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!¡± Eri growled mock-menacingly, shoving her off me with a splash. She then promptly sat on my lap, leaning back into me. She tilted her head up towards me, blushing, so I gave her a brief peck on the lips. As my sister squealed Eri was a bit more bold, locking lips with me again for a long moment.


    Shaeula was looking on with some amusement, but chose to remain dignified, if you could count the amount of food and booze she was tucking away as dignity. Carefully, she took her phone from the side and snapped a few pictures of us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t send them anywhere...¡± I warned, not wanting pictures of my sister and girlfriend in their swimwear to be seen by others, causing my sister to hoot in amusement and Eri to snuggle up against me more. I looked down and realised I could see something I perhaps shouldn¡¯t be able to from this angle, as her swimsuit was becoming slightly loose.


    ¡°It must be nice to know big bro is so possessive, right Eri-chan?¡± Aiko smirked.


    ¡°Uhh... something... is pressing against my bottom...¡± Eri had gone from lobster-red to almost purple in embarrassment, yet she didn¡¯t move. Looking down in shame she let out a squeal as she noticed what was being revealed and where my gaze kept flickering.


    ¡°Oh my god, big bro you super-mega pervert!¡± Aiko teased me as Eri let out another little squeal and tightened the straps of her top. Still, she remained pressed against me, which was quite the feeling.


    As Shaeula chimed in with her assertions that yes, I was a fiend for beautiful women, and their laughter echoed across the bathroom, I grimaced. I¡¯m a healthy guy, and any that wouldn¡¯t... have a certain physiological reaction in these circumstances isn¡¯t interested in women! Besides, she¡¯s my girl... it¡¯d be more hurtful to not be interested in her that way, right?


    Taking the empty glass that my sis had left I filled it with champagne and started quaffing it. The fun and laughter with the three beautiful girls carried on for a while yet...

 Ninety-Eight

    Ninety-Eight


    Eri was looking at me with sparkling eyes as I adjusted my tie and cufflinks in the mirror. Once we had finished the long, playful time in the hot tub, we had all refreshed ourselves and started to change, ready for the evening ahead. I had dressed in the expensive suit I had rush-ordered, as well as all the matching accessories such as a rather nice watch, and if I did say so myself I thought I looked rather dashing. Eri also seems to think so.


    ¡°You look so good Akio.¡± Eri gushed then, unable to hold herself back from giving me another kiss. She was wearing a very pretty evening-style dress, a far cry from her usual attire, one that I had bought her on our shopping trip to Inuyama. As her arms snaked around me gently, careful not to crease our outfits, she let out a hot sigh as her kissing became more aggressive, the alcohol still in her system perhaps making her bold. As wet sounds echoed around the room I felt warm inside, until my sister slapped us both across the back of our heads, breaking our kiss.


    ¡°Bad bro, bad Eri-chan. Have you forgot Shaeula and I are watching? Man, I¡¯m not prepared for seeing that...¡± Aiko was fanning herself, face flushed. ¡°I¡¯m all embarrassed now, but it was kinda hot... no, wow, what am I saying?¡± she shook her head to clear the fog. She was also wearing an evening dress she had bought in Inuyama, again in dark blue. Eri was wearing purple, so the two looked a bit like sisters. Cute, definitely cute.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, you were complaining but a short while ago-ago that Eri was not being aggressive enough in her pursuit of greater closeness with Akio, were you not-not?¡± Shaeula interjected. She had also worn her suit, her legs wrapped in dark tights and a charcoal pencil skirt, the matching jacket over a crisp white shirt and slender amber tie, her wrist wearing a matching ladies¡¯ watch to mine.


    ¡°I did yeah, my big bro is past his prime, if someone doesn¡¯t push it he¡¯ll miss the boat and stay a virgin forever, but...¡± she trailed off then, realising she was effectively telling us, her brother and best friend, to... well, to put it bluntly, make love. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m happy that Eri-chan and my bro can get that passionate, but please, we are right here! Have a heart!¡±


    I blushed to match Eri, causing Shaeula to snort laughter. Trying to change the subject I complimented them on their looks, borrowing my sisters¡¯ turn of phrase. ¡°Wow, Eri, Aiko, you two look like a pair of sister supermodels. Those dresses really suit you, well worth the price. And you, Shaeula. There is something really sexy about a girl in a nice suit, but few can carry it off like you.¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s petite and doll-like, which juxtaposes with the fact that it is usually older women in suits. As for my sis and Eri, the slightly daring dresses also balance their youth and good looks. They¡¯ll be the prettiest girls in Las Vegas, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°Do I really look good in it?¡± Eri asked me, seeking reassurance, and I kissed her again, careful to make it a modest one.


    ¡°You sure do. I have no need to lie. You should be more confident in yourself. After all, you did bag a big catch in me, so you are set for life now, right?¡± I winked, and the room was filled with yet more happy laughter.


    ¡°Seriously, photo time!¡± my sister said, lining us up to take a series of shots, firstly me and Eri, then her and Eri, then me and Shaeula, her and the girls and lastly all of us together. ¡°We need to have records to remember this day! Besides, we can show these off back at school and everyone there will know we are the true princesses of Nishimorioka. ¡°


    ¡°Just don¡¯t boast too much.¡± I warned. ¡°It¡¯s important to keep your friends...¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Wow, just let me have some fun, all right? Anyway...¡± she looked at Shaeula and I in our business attire. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for this evening big bro? You¡¯ve got business, have you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Well, in a bit Shaeula and I have a client meeting. But that should only take a few hours. After that Shaeula will come back and meet you two, and you can have some fun together, while I have a solo meeting with another executive.¡± We had decided that since Shaeula was not really suited to poker, that after we had done some gambling before the tournament at Casino El Diablo she would return to have some fun with the girls while I hopefully cleaned up in the tournament. After all, If I can win that, our financial goals should be cleared easily enough. Worst case scenario we have most of tomorrow to gamble hard. I want the girls to make as many precious memories as possible while we are here.


    ¡°That sounds great. I¡¯m sure Eri-chan and I can kill some time while you two are busy. Then we can have a girly night again. We have lots to talk about, right Eri-chan, Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Sure, that sounds lovely.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Though I was hoping to spend more time with you Akio...¡±


    Ugh, my heart... that sweet look in her eyes. She always used to be cute, but she¡¯s grown up so well...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll have time tomorrow for that. Anyway, we have a couple of hours¡¯ first, what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, I know!¡± my excitable sister chimed in once more. ¡°We have come all this way to Las Vegas. We need to gamble! It¡¯d be stupid not to, right?¡±


    Shaeula met my gaze and we both held in smiles. Yeah, we know. That¡¯s why we are here, little sis. ¡°You can¡¯t, you are under twenty-one.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you two can, right? We can just watch. It¡¯ll be fun, right Eri-chan?¡±


    ¡°Sure, we can get the publicity shot, but can I bring my sister and her friend? They are underage, but for this they should be able to access the floor, right?¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Sure, it¡¯ll make the photo look better. A real family affair, lives changed and all that...¡±


    I hurried back to the table, my sister and Eri showing relief when they spotted me. ¡°Hey what¡¯s going on big bro?¡± Aiko asked, and Eri echoed her, saying she was worried when I ran off.


    ¡°Err, well... come this way. Shaeula had an incident...¡±


    ¡°An incident. She¡¯s okay, right?¡± Eri asked, concerned. I merely patted her head gently.


    ¡°I say incident, but I mean a win. A big one. Come on, we are getting a publicity photo taken.¡±


    Ushering them through the crowd, security clearing a path, we lined up with Shaeula, as the casino staff took our picture several times, arranging us artfully.


    ¡°Yeah, you are all so pretty and handsome.¡± The photographer admired us. ¡°This story should be worth the losses. If we can have a few words after this, get your thoughts, that would be great. If you do, food and drinks are on the house all night, VIP treatment guaranteed!¡±


    ¡°So, wow, this... uh... seems a big deal bro.¡± Aiko said, nervous. ¡°Just... just how much did she win?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯ll have to pay taxes when she takes the money back to Japan, but after that...¡± I dragged it out, causing Aiko to punch my arm. ¡°... around two hundred million yen, give or take?¡±


    ¡°Wowowowowowowow. I think I misheard you. Did you say... two hundred... million... yen?¡±


    Beside me Eri looked faint, so I put an arm round her, shielding her from the crowd.


    ¡°Yep, a bit over two point seven million dollars, though thirty percent of that¡¯ll be taxed away. Guess she hit the jackpot.¡±


    ¡°So... wow. Yeah. Just wow.¡± Aiko swallowed. ¡°That¡¯s... that sure is something. But hang on a minute...¡± she suddenly flashed a malicious smile. ¡°That¡¯s got to be bad for you, big bro. With that sort of money Shaeula doesn¡¯t need to work for you anymore. She¡¯ll kick you to the curb, right?¡±


    Eri shook her head. ¡°Shaeula won¡¯t do that. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, how could you say such a thing, Aiko?¡± Shaeula protested, having overheard. ¡°I shall stand by Akio until the end-end. This is but the beginning of our rise to power!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m joking... I¡¯m joking. Wow, my head has gone funny. I can¡¯t keep up with this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± I agreed. ¡°Makes my winnings look positively anaemic in comparison.¡± I took out the mound of chips I had accrued. ¡°I only made around two hundred and ten thousand dollars. I¡¯m such a loser...¡±


    Eri and Aiko looked at me, then at each other, then back to me, who was grinning victoriously. ¡°Your big bro can pull off a win too, can¡¯t he? You can¡¯t have it now, but each of you can have ten percent when we get back. Save it and don¡¯t spend it recklessly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eri asked and I held her closer.


    ¡°Of course. After all, wasn¡¯t it thanks to you two we decided to gamble here today? Besides, sharing the wealth is what family does, right? Anyway, shall we go? I think that the staff want to interview us and sort out the details...¡±


    Following the casino staff through the excited crowds to a private room, we spent some time sorting out the particulars, answering some questions and saying what we would do with the money. At some of Shaeula¡¯s answers the man looked puzzled, but even so we managed to get through it without embarrassing ourselves too badly...

 Ninety-Nine

    Ninety-Nine


    We left Eri and Aiko behind in the Bellagio, they were going to kill a few hours in the VIP restaurant, admiring the views of the fountains outside. The staff had assured us that in return for our stories and extra promotional photographs they would take care of them until Shaeula returned, so that was one worry off my mind. Shaeula had also received her cheque, which I was looking after. We would need to open her a bank account on our return, since I had been handling all her money up to now, but we could worry about that when we got back to Japan.


    Crossing the strip we moved away from the main, well-known casinos and hotels, to a more well-worn area, with smaller and less fancy establishments. Still, the sights were impressive in their own ways, and Shaeula, hand in mine, was looking around with great interest.


    ¡°Hmm, Casino El Diablo should be around here somewhere...¡± after a few more minutes we turned down a side road and a building came into view, with a large, stylised statue of a devil in a sombrero holding a pitchfork standing by the entrance. Uh, the de?cor is... unique, certainly...


    On closer inspection, a series of illuminations spelled out the name ¡®Casino El Diablo¡¯ across an array of lanterns trapped within glass flames. But there was something else... off... about the place. ¡°You feel that too, right?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded, gaze fixed on the building in front of us.Upstodatee from


    ¡°Indeed I do-do. It feels like a Territory.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I thought so too. But we are in the Material, so that shouldn¡¯t be possible, unless...¡± Thinking back to the description of my own Territory when using Self-Examination, Territory, an idea occurred to me. That makes sense, but I can¡¯t be sure...


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°Shall we proceed as planned-planned?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no deviation in the plan.¡± I confirmed. ¡°If anything, this is now an even better chance to find out more about other candidates. It¡¯s too much of a coincidence to assume that the Territory we faced last night and this one here aren¡¯t connected, right? But we should be careful. We don¡¯t know what might happen.¡±


    Walking to the entrance we passed by several security guards, and once we crossed the threshold, several strange, uncomfortable sensations assailed us simultaneously. It¡¯s draining aether from us, just like a Territory would in the Boundary... The effect was weak, and we were able to suppress it with our strength, but for the average person...


    ¡°You are correct master.¡± Shaeula guessed my thoughts as I looked around the casino. It was full of patrons like any other, people betting endlessly on slot machines, table games and other gambling, while others were drinking at the bar or eating in the restaurant, but everyone looked... vacant, somehow. Their eyes were cloudy and their movements slower. ¡°Aether is being continuously absorbed from everyone here and funnelled somewhere else-else. We are strong enough to resist it, but those with no such prowess will find themselves weakening, their minds fogged by aether depletion.¡±


    That was what I worried I was doing to those around me when I was practicing in my apartment, so I stopped. But my occasional drains would be nothing compared to this constant one.


    ¡°Yeah, everyone looks out of it. It can¡¯t be good for them, can it?¡±


    ¡°Should they leave here-here, their bodies will draw in ambient aether to replenish themselves. They may be mentally feeble for a few days or more-more, but they shall recover. Though if one was to stay here for many days, or be of a weak constitution...¡± she frowned. ¡°... it would be rare, but sickness or death could potentially follow. The damage to their chakra networks would prove too much. But that is not all-all, Master. You have noticed it as well, I believe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard to miss.¡± The fortunate winds that were draping us were struggling against something opposite, a dark feeling that was the antithesis, a misfortune made manifest. Our winds were stronger, keeping us from suffering the full effects, but I definitely felt some of my Fortune being suppressed.


    I re-joined Shaeula, feeling gazes upon us, to find she had amassed nearly three hundred thousand more. When she saw me coming she let out a bright smile. ¡°My luck is in tonight Akio. It seems I can not-not lose!¡±


    Yeah, nice acting. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been lucky myself, but we shouldn¡¯t push it.¡± Checking my watch I saw it was a quarter to nine. ¡°I need to save some luck for the poker tournament! With the winnings I made here I can have some extra buy-in!¡± I spoke loudly so the aggrieved security could hear, mollifying them. If every game here is crooked there is no way the poker tournament isn¡¯t. And as I found from blackjack, card games are the hardest to overcome the cheating. They¡¯ll expect me to lose our gains back...


    ¡°Very well then. I am afraid I must leave now.¡± Shaeula said to her fellow gamblers, who looked sad to see her go. Taking her chips we went and exchanged them all for cash. Shit, I feel really unsafe carrying all this around with me...


    ¡°Well, we have time for a quick drink before the start of the tournament, you game?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. Winning is thirsty work.¡±


    We grabbed a couple of very expensive whiskey on the rocks from the bar and downed them, enjoying the fiery heat. The time was coming up to nine, so I saw Shaeula off, giving her a warning to stay safe.


    ¡°You worry too much-much, my master.¡± She retorted. ¡°You are holding our winnings, so there is no reason for anyone to come after me-me. I shall spend the rest of the evening enjoying the company of Eri and Aiko.¡±


    I can think of one reason other than money to pursue you. ¡°All right then. I¡¯m not sure how long the tournament will run, so stay up, all right?¡±


    ¡°I dare say the girls will want to make the most of tonight-tonight. We shall no doubt be waiting for you.¡±


    With that I saw her off. Moving to the VIP area at the back of the casino I was stopped by a beautiful American woman in a bunny suit. Damn, I¡¯ve only seen those in manga. It¡¯s hot in real life... Still, I wasn¡¯t letting my guard down, as I could see several burly security guards hiding behind pillars. Is that a pistol at their side? Scary...


    ¡°This is the VIP area. We have a poker tournament tonight. The buy-in is a minimum of one hundred thousand dollars, and increases in the same increment. Are you here to compete?¡±


    Making sure to appear a bit slower and more lethargic than I felt, to better match those being drained, I nodded, showing off my winnings. ¡°I sure am. Can you take me to a table?¡±


    Now that I was confirmed to be playing, the expression on her face changed to a hearty smile. ¡°Of course, this way.¡± She took me by the arm, and as another man came up behind me to join another bunny girl appeared from the back and started talking to him too.


    So, here we go. I wonder, can I beat the cheating and the other players, and if so... how much could I win?

 Side Sixteen – Treyvon James – Black Wolf Company PMC

    Side Sixteen ¨C Treyvon James ¨C Black Wolf Company PMC


    Watching my sister as she scowled at the sharply-dressed Asian who walked past us, I appraised him with interest. Not bad, not bad. I think he might be my type...


    ¡°Oh come on Aliyah. Why so frowny? You¡¯ll ruin the effect of that dress. You are really quite something in it.¡± She certainly was. It wasn¡¯t often I could get her in more feminine clothes, but the mission profile called for it, so she was wearing a party frock with a plunging neckline, making the most of her ample assets.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± She scowled. ¡°He was totally staring at my chest. Ugh, Makes me fucking sick.¡±


    ¡°Harsh as ever, aren¡¯t you? He didn¡¯t look trained, his movements were unpolished, but my eyes don¡¯t lie. He had good muscle under that suit. You never know, he might be your type if you gave him a chance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. Projecting much, moron? No, if I was talking about my type, the girl he was with...¡± she licked her lips seductively, as she gazed over at the small blonde girl who was taking up a spot at a table, wearing a snappy suit. ¡°... small and cute, it really gets me going. Maybe I could go up and...¡±


    ¡°No way. Mind on the operation.¡± I shot her down, sighing. The last thing we needed was more trouble when we had finally got a decent lead on our target. ¡°I don¡¯t want you causing a scene trying to hit on a girl. Maybe if we have time later...¡± She was adorable for sure, the sort of girl I bet would be fun to drink with, unlike my sister. Speaking of... Oh Lord have mercy, we are on mission!


    ¡°Go easy on the booze sis, I know we are trying to blend in, but we can¡¯t afford to have you go berserk here.¡± she was quickly draining her whiskey, the ice tinkling in the tall glass.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± She replied with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll have to hit the tables if I can¡¯t drink, we have to maintain our camouflage. But that¡¯ll be such a damn waste of money.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no shit. The cheating in here is blatant. But even so, did you notice?¡± I asked her. ¡°Even when there isn¡¯t any cheating people seem to be losing way more than they should. It¡¯s totally weird.¡±


    ¡°Sharp as ever Trey. If only you would put your brain into learning Russian and Chinese like you are supposed to, rather than stupid shit like this and hitting on worthless guys. Everyone seems so ... God, it¡¯s like the opening to a zombie flick in here. Gives me the fucking creeps.¡± She swallowed the rest of her whiskey and let out an unladylike belch.


    Seriously, acting like that you¡¯ve no chance of getting a cute girl to pay attention to you. ¡°Yeah, you got that right, Aliyah. You can see it in their eyes and the way they move. It¡¯s like they are all under the influence of some strong drugs. And not the usual drugs people take at a casino. I¡¯m starting to get a bit of a headache myself...¡±


    Of course we did, a hundred grand is quite the chunk of change to wager on the off chance of running into the target, and whoever goes in will have to go without backup... ¡°Yeah, there is a lot of security back there, and they are packing heat. Any attempt to secure the target would be risky...¡±


    ¡°Unless...¡± Aliyah smirked. ¡°... we had someone else to distract them? I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯ve been doing it, but that guy and his cutie have been out-cheating this dump left and right. Like you said, there¡¯s something really odd going on here, and I reckon that they know what it is. Best case, we can use them to flush out our quarry and distract the security. Worst case and I can just extract information from him directly. It¡¯s a win-win.¡±


    But a hundred grand... that¡¯s a good chunk of our operating budget... ¡°It sounds feasible, I admit. But why you sis? I¡¯d feel better going in myself, I¡¯m better at CQC if it comes down to trouble. You hit hard, but...¡±


    ¡°Oh come on Trey, you may have a good brain for spotting patterns, but your poker-face is shit. You always get cleaned out when we play with the guys in the barracks. Besides...¡± she crossed her arms under her ample chest, causing it to rise up alarmingly.


    Shit, whoever makes her bras should get an award, that¡¯s solid engineering.


    ¡°... You know most of the people in that tournament will be guys, and I have... ways... of distracting them. Besides, that Asian was checking me out too, so since he¡¯s a secondary target now, all the better if I do it. I can get close and extract information with ease.¡±


    True, and I¡¯m sure it has nothing to do with the fact he¡¯s with that petite girl... still, it makes sense. But man, a hundred grand...


    ¡°All right. But it¡¯d sure be great if we walked out of this with any of this cash left.¡± I made a few hand signals discretely, and over the next few minutes various big guys brushed past, dropping envelopes into my pockets. Retrieving it I counted out a hundred thousand dollars in used banknotes. Passing them to Aliyah I asked her one last time to be cautious.


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you. The whole operation could hinge on this. Otherwise it¡¯s an all-guns-blazing scenario, and I don¡¯t want the fallout.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got this Trey.¡± She boasted. ¡°You just keep gathering info and make sure we¡¯ve got the movements of security down. I¡¯ll keep in contact, and if I see a chance at the target I¡¯ll call.¡± She tapped the extremely discrete earpiece hidden behind her ear that we had sourced from a contact at DARPA. ¡°Besides, I have other weapons in here than my chest.¡± She patted her side.


    ¡°All right then. Good luck and give ¡®em hell!¡± with that I watched my sister stride confidently over to the VIP room at the back, and after a brief discussion she was escorted inside.


    Damn, now I need a drink too, but I have to be fresh for possible combat black-ops. But my head and stomach hurt like a bitch. I¡¯d love to know what tech is causing this so I can bust it up. Oh well, one beer to take the edge off of it can¡¯t hurt...

 One Hundred

    One Hundred


    The inside of the VIP area had eight tables set up, each paired with a dealer. Six of the tables were already full, with six to eight players seated at each. Towards the back of the pretty nice-looking room, which was decorated with images of various devils and similar iconography, was a private bar, from which various bunny girls were ferrying trays of drinks and snacks to the gamblers.


    ¡°So, how much will you be exchanging?¡± the bunny girl beside me asked. A massive security guard had brought over three large holdalls, and as he placed them on the ground I could see rolls of banknotes within.


    ¡°Oh, I guess three hundred thousand?¡± That would be a good chunk of what Shaeula and I won, and should keep the casino security happy...


    ¡°A most excellent decision.¡± She approved, bowing to me, giving me a look at her nice body in the bunny suit. I never thought I¡¯d see real bunny girls at a casino, I thought that was Hollywood fiction. The security guard took the money, dividing it into four piles, as I was given two hundred and eighty five thousand dollars¡¯ worth of chips. Three piles were split between the holdalls, and the fourth the security kept.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°We are taking a five percent cut for running the tournament.¡± The girl explained. ¡°And the prize pot is sixty percent first place, thirty percent second, and ten percent third place. There will be eight tables, and the winners of each table will join the final table to play for the money. It¡¯s standard Texas Hold¡¯em poker, with big blind ten thousand, little blind five thousand on the eight tables.¡±


    Hmm, I see. So I need to come at least third to make my money back, but second or above...


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t my new best gambling lucky charm, old Akio!¡± a voice boomed and I was slapped heartily on the back suddenly. I had sensed him coming, but since I had felt who it was I pretended I didn¡¯t notice. ¡°I could have used you earlier, I¡¯m down a ton before we even started the poker. Just lost some chips on the last hand of cards too, so thought I¡¯d go to the restroom to clear my head.¡±


    Buck looked a little drained, whether that was due to the pressure, the alcohol or whether the aetheric drain was having an effect I couldn¡¯t say. ¡°Well, I did say I¡¯d be here. You going to be all right to reach the final table, as I plan to?¡± I boasted, wringing a grin from him.


    ¡°Oh, confident, aren¡¯t you? Yeah, I may have just dropped some chips, but I¡¯m still in it. I¡¯m on table three, and it could go to anyone at the moment, there¡¯s no clear chip leader. But you...¡± he leaned in close, and I could smell strong spirits on his breath. ¡°A lot of noise is going about in Vegas this evening. Seems the progressive slots jackpot was claimed earlier. And wouldn¡¯t you know it if the description of who won doesn¡¯t match your little girlfriend to a tee. Happen to know anything about that, Akio my man?¡±


    Word gets around, huh. I did hear that a lot of the slot machines are linked across venues though, so... as I was wondering how to answer someone else spoke up from behind me, a newcomer who had just entered and exchanged her chips.


    ¡°Oh cool, can I hear about that too?¡±


    It was the large black woman from earlier, who had scowled at me when I checked her out. This time she was smiling sweetly at me, though I perceived something a bit artificial about it. She was leaning in, emphasising her assets, and I couldn¡¯t help but look. This time she didn¡¯t glare at me though, only tilting her head coquettishly, her hair beads clinking musically.


    ¡°I saw her with you earlier, I think. She won money on the tables too, right? She must have amazing luck.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, miss, you don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± Buck laughed, also checking her out. She scowled at him in return, before smoothing out her expression. It happened so quickly I doubt Buck noticed, but she couldn¡¯t fool my eyes. ¡°This guy, he¡¯s a lucky swine too. They both won big yesterday and I made bank following his bets. So, come on, fess up. It was your girl, right?¡±


    Everyone misunderstands Shaeula and me, oh well... ¡°Yeah, well, she was born under a lucky star. She didn¡¯t even really know how they worked, but ... beginners luck I guess?¡±


    ¡°Oh hell, I¡¯m so jealous.¡± Buck sighed. ¡°I hear it was over two million. But I¡¯m not beaten, this poker game is far from over.¡±


    ¡°Oh while I remember, is it usual to have the winnings for the games be handed out in cash?¡± I asked the question that had been on my mind a while.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t unheard of for smaller games, but you got it, normally they¡¯d cut the winners a cheque. But this is one of the selling points of this tournament. Who doesn¡¯t like the thought of walking out with a big bag full of Benjamins? I know I...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± A bunny girl, different to the first, interrupted. ¡°You are needed at your table, you¡¯ve been away long enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry Akio, miss.¡± He said to us. ¡°Got to go and win my way to the final table. See you there!¡± with that he was escorted back to his table, where he was quickly dealt cards and the game resumed. The girl then returned and spoke to us.


    ¡°You are on table seven, and then the game can start.¡± She pointed me to a nearby table with seven players sitting around it, piles of chips ready to go. ¡°And table eight for you, ma¡¯am.¡± Table eight had three people sitting there already, and another couple of people were exchanging cash for chips behind us. ¡°Your game will start shortly too. If you need any food or drinks signal one of us and we¡¯ll bring it over.¡±


    I was on my third whiskey, not only because I wanted to appear drunk, but also because it was damn fine, and I had paid enough of a commission to justify it. Buck was down to the last opponent on his table, and the girl was still hanging in there on hers. Several other tables had concluded, and disappointed losers were headed to the bar, all the poorer.


    During the next hand the dealer once more tried to cheat, and this time I let out wind in a way that he fumbled the cards, forcing a reshuffle. Looking at my cards I placed a bet, and by the end of the hand the Asian high-roller was being escorted away from the table, all his chips now in my possession. He was complaining bitterly, so was taken to the bar to placate him, the two burly (and armed) security guards more than enough to stop his protests.


    After several more hands it was just me against the cheater, and I had a substantial lead. It would take two failed all-ins in a row for me to lose. So of course that¡¯s what they¡¯ll go for. But I¡¯ve marked half the cards by now, so...


    Once more as the dealer tried to manipulate the dealt cards I channelled wind. It only took a little pressure to ruin his trick-dealing, and it was surprisingly easy to use wind here, closer to what I would expect in the Boundary than on the Material.


    Let¡¯s see. Five, king, both spades. Nothing special. But both of his cards are marked. Queen and jack, both Diamonds. This is going to be interesting...


    We both called the blinds, staying cautious. The Flop dropped and it was Ace of spades, ten of diamonds, six of spades. So, both of us are on for flushes, but mine is looking better. I¡¯d win on high card though. I decided to bet cautiously, drawing him in, and a few chips were added to the pot. After that the next card helped neither of us, so he folded, visibly annoyed.


    I hid my smile with another gulp of whiskey. He¡¯s rattled now, the cheating isn¡¯t working. As I ordered another drink I saw Buck at the bar, and he gave me a thumbs up. I guess he won then and made the final table...


    This time the dealer tried a different tactic, I could see their shuffling was designed to order the cards. I let it slide and lost a few chips a couple of times in a row, allowing their confidence to grow, before on the third hand I used a little wind to subtly slide in an extra card, meaning our hands would be reversed. I¡¯m so glad I practised these sleight of hand tricks for cards, dice and roulette... and I don¡¯t even feel bad, cheating cheaters.


    My cards were pocket queens, his pocket jacks, judging by the markings. Yeah, this is an attempt to get me to go all in. Shame it¡¯ll backfire.


    The flop was a three, a queen and a jack. So we were both on three of a kind, and you¡¯d have to be a fool not to go in with three jacks at this point. So of course we both did. When we turned over our cards though the dealer paled, swallowing nervously. Yeah, got you.


    With shaking hands a four and an ace followed, and I had won, removing one cheater from the fray.


    ¡°We have a winner, congratulations!¡± the dealer declared, putting on a brave face. The cheater stood and after a brief handshake left, heading towards the back of the VIP area. Not subtle man, not subtle...


    Counting my stacks I had twenty one stacks of chips for the final table. That¡¯s like two million dollars. Holy crap. If Shaeula hadn¡¯t won the jackpot earlier my hands would be shaking now. No, they still are a little...


    Joining Buck who was celebrating at the bar, I ordered another whiskey.


    ¡°Better go easy on the hard stuff, you need to keep a clear head.¡± He said, his words a touch slurred, his face pale and fatigue in his eyes.


    ¡°Right back at you man.¡± I answered. Only two tables were still playing, and one of those was the one with the girl who had spoken to us before the tournament. ¡°So, she¡¯s doing pretty good too, right?¡±


    Buck nodded. ¡°Yeah, but her opponent sucks. I wouldn¡¯t get fooled by such a simple trick.¡±


    Yeah, it¡¯s quite the underhand strategy. She was tugging at the neckline of her plunging dress, claiming to be hot, showing ample cleavage, disrupting the mental state of her opponents, making them bet recklessly. With a grin she went all in, and soon her last opponent was defeated, leaving her the winner.


    So, the three of us eh? What are the odds. But I am pretty sure that they aren¡¯t in on this cheating at least.


    The last table had finished as well, and now the eight finalists were decided. As if that was a signal the doors at the back of the VIP lounge opened, and out came an overweight middle-aged man wearing a very expensive tailored suit and a watch that looked like it was worth a ton. I¡¯ve only seen those in movies. Is that a Patek Phillipe? He was flanked by two more guards and a bunny girl was following him, holding a bottle of vintage champagne.


    With a smile he clapped his hands, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Well done, the first round is over. Now the battle between eight skilled and lucky players for the chance to win one of the three sets of bags full of sweet, sweet money. Take a brief break to have some food and drinks, and we¡¯ll get the top table set up. Those of you who lost, feel free to watch with envy at our open bar! Let the best player win!¡±

 One Hundred And One

    One Hundred And One


    I watched the owner retreat back to his private room with interest. Yeah, he is way stronger than he looks. He must be the Astral Emperor-candidate that owns this Territory. So I guess this confirms my earlier guess...


    If he owned the Casino and it was his Territory in the Boundary as well, then he could exert some effects on the Material as well. It was matching up with what I had learned, and was one of the reasons I was trying to gather money myself. Hmm, I¡¯m getting a bad feeling here... Reaching into my pocket I turned on the recording function of my phone.Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com


    Beside me the African-American girl was looking at the retreating man, her expression unreadable. She¡¯s trying to hide it, but she¡¯s looking like she¡¯s very interested in him. I wonder why. I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t a plant...


    ¡°Well, looks like we have twenty minutes. Want to grab some food?¡± Buck asked us, draping an arm around my shoulder. ¡°You really are my lucky charm Akio my man. But there¡¯ll be no friendship on the final table. I¡¯m taking home the big money. You in too, doll?¡±


    ¡°Doll?¡± the woman snorted. ¡°I¡¯m no doll. I¡¯ve got a name. You can call me Aliyah.¡±


    ¡°Sorry miss. I meant no offence. I¡¯m Buck.¡± He replied. ¡°This here is Akio, my new good luck charm.¡±


    We made small-talk as the organisers were setting up the final table. A single, very glamourous female dealer wearing a red ballgown was opening up several packs of casino playing cards, while security had moved the bags of money to a podium nearby. I glanced at the other competitors, and seeing my gaze Buck started telling me who a couple of them were.


    ¡°Looks like we have some competition. You see that man sitting over there?¡± he pointed at a Hispanic man wearing a tidy tracksuit, drinking from a glass of iced water. ¡°That¡¯s Bernardino Fuentes, the Brave Bear of California. He¡¯s pretty well known on the World Poker Tour. Seeing him here is a bit of a shock. He must have been in Vegas, as this was a word-of-mouth thing, not really advertised.¡±


    So, a professional? He¡¯d be unlikely to risk his career rigging a game...


    ¡°And the second fellow is... oh, I see he¡¯s spotted us too.¡± Buck finished, as another player walked over. He was a fairly tall and lean man, with tanned skin and a tattoo of four playing cards around a snake on one of the well-muscled arms sticking out of the sleeves of his silk shirt. He approached us, running a hand through his dark-blonde hair and greeted Buck with a hearty handshake.


    ¡°Well as I live and breathe, I thought I saw you there, Buck Kelly, you old rascal. So you won through as well eh? And who are your friends?¡±


    After we introduced ourselves, Buck returned the favour. ¡°This here is another familiar face and quite the rival of mine. I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t see him earlier, must have been keeping a low profile. You may have heard of the DJ Brewery and Restaurant chain? This here is David Jacobson. Built them from the ground up. They¡¯d be bigger if he didn¡¯t lose all his money gambling though.¡± Buck grinned. ¡°It isn¡¯t like you to actually win, now is it? Normally you¡¯d be a half a million dollars poorer and crying into your beer.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you wound me, Buck. My heart is in pain. I¡¯m just as good as you. Your friends here must have some skills if they can make it to the final table too. Pleased to meet you ma¡¯am.¡± He nodded to Aliyah, who returned it.


    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m more lucky than good.¡± I laughed, as we exchanged a handshake.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know the half of it...¡± Buck said, regaling him with tales of Shaeula¡¯s winnings earlier. As it was closing in on the time for the match I observed our competitors. Buck and David seemed tired but still mentally sharp, and Aliyah was showing no obvious ill effects from the aetheric drain. Bernardino seemed pale, but the other three, all men of varying ethnicities, who had already taken their seats at the table... Hmm, interesting...


    On the flop a third ace dropped, along with a pair of kings. I now had a full house, aces over kings. Do I raise or not? Before I could David raised by a hundred thousand. Bernardino folded, and I then raised it by three hundred thousand. David then went all in. Unless he has a pair of kings I should be good...


    Flipping the cards I revealed my pair of aces. While David had... a King and an Ace. As his face fell I drained my whiskey to cover my relief. Now the only card that could beat me is the last king. The odds of this are tiny. I¡¯m guessing the fortunate winds are finally proving useful...


    The turn was a seven, and the river a two, meaning I had cleaned out David entirely.


    ¡°And we have our first loser, well played but unlucky! That was some serious misfortune, but anyone else would have played the odds just the same!¡± the owner boomed, leading a round of applause from the watching crowd.


    ¡°Better luck next time, but it¡¯s good to see you back to losing ways!¡± Buck crowed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the bar after, win or lose.¡± He answered, waving tiredly to the crowd as he left the table.


    So, that¡¯s one recognisable player eliminated. I now have a ton of chips to play with, but it¡¯s also good for the casino...


    After another hand which sucked more money from Bernardino, who was swearing in Spanish, I believed I had finally figured out their basic signals. Angelo, Emilio and Simon were clearly working together. If you added the one that I had eliminated, that meant that at least half of the original tables had insiders. They were signalling to each other whether to bet small, big or fold, using that knowledge to drain cash from us other players.


    Still, that doesn¡¯t explain everything. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d think they could see my cards somehow. That or... no ... maybe...


    The deck was changed again, and watching closely, wishing I had Shaeula¡¯s eyes, I nodded despite myself. Holy shit she¡¯s good. The other dealer I could see through, but even with my Perception this woman is nearly unbeatable...


    The cards had an incredibly faint set of markings along one edge, an almost imperceptible series of indentations leaving an identifiable pattern along the sides, which she was feeling using a small groove cut into a fingernail on her dealing hand. She was then near-perfectly shuffling them into the order she wanted to deal them out. I wasn¡¯t sure I could do that even with my abilities. She wasn¡¯t able to control the entire order, but getting decent cards to one or two of the plants was possible. So how the hell do I counter this? She must have been practicing his trick for years. It¡¯s really the perfect scheme, and no wonder my Fortune is failing me. After all, she¡¯s stripped a ton of the randomness out of the game, so it¡¯s no longer about chance. And combine it with the field of misfortune permeating the place, the fact that everyone is being drained of aether, mentally tiring them, and the three stooges there are co-operating... shit, our odds of winning are rock bottom. This bastard has planned it well indeed.


    Aliyah managed a modest win, her first action in a while, and the game after Bernardino was all in, having been goaded in by Emilio and Angelo. Poor fool. You¡¯ve fallen into their trap...


    As the cards were flipped over, Bernardino let out a fist pump, as it seemed he had the advantage. But his face soon turned to horror as the river flipped to an ace, which was the only card that could see him lose. As he watched his chips were taken away and he was out.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s a shock!¡± the owner announced. ¡°The famous Brave Bear of California is out! I suspect those of you betting on the side-lines have suffered on that one! Oh well, that¡¯s the joy of gambling and why we are all here! Why not try and recoup your losses, we still have six competitors left!¡±


    Yeah, and three of them are in your pocket. Chewing my lip nervously I considered my next move. I don¡¯t HAVE to win here, I can swallow the losses, but damn me if I don¡¯t really want to. But how can I beat the dealer and their team plays?

 Side Seventeen – Mori Eri

    Side Seventeen ¨C Mori Eri


    I watched the fountains send jets of water high into the sky in ever more complex patterns, the illuminations of the LED lights making it a true spectacle to behold. The table we were sitting at had one of the best views out of the huge glass windows of the Bellagio, and beside me Aiko-chan was in rapt fascination with the display, despite us having watched it quite a few times now.


    I nibbled away at the plates of finger-food and snacks that we had been provided with, free of charge, while I drank a variety of sparkling fruit juices. It really was the VIP treatment. To think we¡¯ve earned all this thanks to Shaeula. She really has come into our lives like a storm... Everything had changed for us, and so quickly too. I was having a hard time processing it, but... it certainly isn¡¯t all bad, no, not at all... I reflexively touched my lips, as I had many times over the past week. Feeling myself heating up, my face flushing, I bit down on a sigh. Even thinking about it makes my heart race. I wish I was more composed, like Shaeula. She¡¯s so...Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    My thoughts had turned back to her again. A gnawing combination of envy and worry was poking at my heart, and it made me feel just awful. I hate the feeling of jealousy. It¡¯s just the worst. Especially when she¡¯s just so kind...


    Not only had Shaeula told them the truth about the secrets Akio was keeping from them, she had offered her support in helping them step up to the same stage as him. But most importantly... despite clearly loving Akio herself, she had offered her full support to me, one of those that had given me the push I¡¯d needed to do what I had put off for too long. She is... stronger and more generous than me. If our situations are reversed, I couldn¡¯t do the same...


    Ever since Akio had changed his mind and let Aiko-chan know he was coming back to Nishimorioka for a visit, my life had turned upside down. The grey murk of despair and loneliness had been blown away. First we started getting along better with some of the girls in our class, and then Akio was back, bringing Shaeula. I was scared of strangers, but in but a single day it was as if she had been our friend forever, and I found myself admiring her sheer boldness.


    Ugh, having her for a rival is making me feel insecure. I know that Akio won¡¯t forsake me, he loves me... but Shaeula is by his side in places I cannot yet go, and she doesn¡¯t seem to care that she won¡¯t be his one-and-only. She even encouraged Yae-san and Rika-san. Is it because of her father and his... his harem... or because she is not a human?


    As I sat in silence, I realised Aiko-chan was looking at me, an amused expression on her face. Blushing again I lowered the fingers that were once more touching my lips.


    ¡°Seriously, Eri-chan.¡± Aiko-chan sighed as she took a sip of her own drink. ¡°Thinking about big bro and Shaeula again? I can see why you¡¯d feel a bit hopeless, considering she just won all that money and didn¡¯t bat an eye about giving it all to him, but you need to have more faith in yourself. You confessed, my bro finally accepted you, and now your happy life is just beginning. I¡¯m jealous, to be honest. At least you have a man in your life. There¡¯s no-one worth it on my horizon.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± I complained, pouting. Aiko-chan was the only girl I could show my true emotions to... No, that isn¡¯t true now is it, Shaeula is also easy to talk too, and I¡¯ve laughed, cried and fought with her too... ¡°But if you were in my shoes, wouldn¡¯t you feel pretty bad? I mean, I¡¯m not complaining, this last week has been just so perfect. Akio came back, we had fun, I confessed under the fireworks and I... I kissed Akio for the first time. And now this trip. I never dreamed we¡¯d be able to go abroad, let alone to somewhere as amazing as Las Vegas. I have beautiful new clothes, he buys me gifts... it¡¯s everything I ever dreamed of when I was younger, but had given up on when Akio moved away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it sure is amazing.¡± Aiko-chan agreed, stuffing her face with the snacks. ¡°Just a week ago, who¡¯d have thought we¡¯d be doing this? So, if you are happy, what¡¯s the problem? Just enjoy your new lovey-dovey life with big bro.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± I gathered my thoughts, reaching the heart of the problem. ¡°... after this trip, we¡¯ll go back home, but Shaeula and Akio... they¡¯ll go back to Tokyo, living together, fighting together in a world we can¡¯t see...¡± In his mind, I¡¯ll grow faded and distant, while she will remain bright and shining, walking hand in hand with him. I guess it isn¡¯t just jealousy, it¡¯s fear too... I had almost given up on Akio, and while that hurt, once you reach acceptance it gets easier. But now... now I just don¡¯t want to lose him again...


    ¡°Wow, I get it, I really do.¡± Aiko-chan sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve known you ever since we were born, and we are always together, It¡¯s like I can read your mind. I guess that even finally getting my bro isn¡¯t magically going to cure your chronic shyness or anxiety. Just think of it this way. Firstly, things have changed. You¡¯ll be seeing a lot more of big bro than before, and we have money now, so you can even visit him in Tokyo during the holidays. But more importantly... Shaeula promised she would help us enter that ¡®world we can¡¯t see¡¯ as you put it. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m more scared or excited at the thought, but you and I agree on one thing. We¡¯ll never let my brother sacrifice himself for us again. We¡¯ll stand by him, no matter what it takes! You know I have a lot of the same insecurities as you do, and wow, it makes me feel so shitty, but that makes it so much more important that we do it, not just for my brother, the overly kind and naive fool that he is, but for ourselves too. You need to love yourself more Eri-chan. That¡¯s all. If you love yourself, then big bro will love you more too.¡±


    Love myself, huh? It¡¯s that simple is it? I guess... I don¡¯t like myself all that much. I thought that if I poured everything into loving Akio that would be all I needed, but...


    ¡°Love myself? I¡¯ll try. Thanks for your advice Aiko-chan. I love you too.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so embarrassing. That must be the alcohol we had in the hotel talking.¡± Aiko-chan waved away my compliment. ¡°Anyway, Shaeula should be here soon, it¡¯s been two hours. I wonder what she was up to...¡±


    I wonder too. So, as a first step... I¡¯m going to ask her outright...


    ********


    Shaeula was drinking some sort of strong spirit, sighing appreciatively, licking her lips. She¡¯s so beautiful... I can see why in English such beauty is called fairy-like. She IS a fairy after all...


    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡± Aiko-chan asked. ¡°You handle everything you needed to?¡±


    ¡°I have done my part-part.¡± Shaeula said, nodding. ¡°I was late in my return as the owner of this place dragged me off for more photographs and another of these interviews. Still, I am now free of that nuisance. I shall drink as compensation!¡± she downed another gulp of her drink, the ice in the glass clinking rhythmically.


    All right. I can do this. I need to take the first step... ¡°Uh, Shaeula... can I ask... what are you and my brother really doing here? It¡¯s got nothing to do with any sort of normal business has it? It¡¯s... it¡¯s to do with the other world, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Shaeula seemed a little surprised I would ask her so directly, but she smiled broadly and replied. ¡°You are quite correct, Eri. We came here simply to raise funds for our Territory. I am very lucky, as you now know. Akio too. And as we grow, so does the blessing of fortune that envelops us-us.¡±


    I may not be able to beat Shaeula, but if I can at least stand on the same stage as her... I¡¯m sorry, I feel really happy when you say I¡¯m not your rival, but to me... Akio is mine, and I¡¯ll not give him to you!


    ********


    The hour was growing late, and most of the tables in the VIP restaurant were full now. We attracted a lot of curious looks, being very out of place here, and being cute girls at that, but as promised the staff made sure no-one bothered us, giving us true VIP service. My mother and father will be very jealous. We don¡¯t have the money to eat out, and here I am living like a queen. I¡¯ll have to use some of the money Akio is giving me to treat them... oh wait, I need to concentrate...


    Closing my eyes for a moment I continued to visualise drawing energies through my lower body and up through it in order, from the base of my spine, through my lower body, to the solar plexus, then up to the heart, the throat, my forehead and eventually the crown of my head. I was feeling tingly, almost as if I had pins and needles throughout my whole body. Aiko-chan was doing the same, her facial expression rather funny, but she had it easier than me, as she practised visualisation during her kyudo. Still, if I can¡¯t make it through talent, I¡¯ll just work harder. I can work as hard as I need to!


    Shaeula occasionally touched us, poking and prodding at various points on our backs, muttering to herself. I had nearly jumped out of my seat when she slid her small hand down the back of my dress, caressing my spine, but then I felt a warm glow spread through me, down to my heart and up to my throat. She had looked at me, her eyes seeming as bright as the full moon over the mountains of our hometown, and had said something I could barely understand. ¡°...can use my Aetheric Chirurgeon to create pathways to the lunar chakra, but without a constant flow they will decay. Master was right-right, humans don¡¯t have a lunar chakra, yet without it their networks will not achieve their full potential...¡±


    She had looked at me so intently I blushed, squirming under her gaze. She then shook her head and moved to Aiko, also touching her bare back, muttering about ¡°... not forcing a lunar chakra like with master. If Eri or Aiko was injured I would have no right to stand before him...¡±


    Anyway, I just have to keep doing the exercises, as often as I can, whenever I can. I have faith in Shaeula that it must be achieving something. And at least we have a distraction...


    There was a comedian performing in the VIP lounge, quite a famous one, even I recognised her name. She was talking about the difference between men and women, and making jokes about what each gender was seeking. Her accent is a bit puzzling, but luckily my English is really good. I grew up learning it with Aiko-chan, and I¡¯m glad I did. It makes English classes at school so effortless, and I¡¯ve had no problems on this trip at all.


    Aiko-chan was still devouring the free food. Her appetite surely was something amazing. I wonder how she stays in shape considering what she eats. Is it doing sport that helps? I was merely occasionally taking a drink as I concentrated, half-listening to the comedian talk.


    ¡°Women are complicated creatures, unlike men. We want all sorts of things. Nice clothes, good food, to look beautiful, to be respected by our peers... it¡¯s really hard being a woman. Being a man on the other hand, that¡¯s really easy! Most men are perfectly happy to wear old t-shirts and scuffed jeans, are happy to just grab takeout instead of cooking, don¡¯t even shave half the time, looking like some homeless bum, and as for respect of their peers.... Ugh, us women shouldn¡¯t try and understand the way men bond with each other, unless of course we are talking what the Asians like to call ¡®boys love¡¯. That¡¯s kind of hot... but only in 2d. In fact, most men are better left in 2d... if the world was full of only women, oh what a paradise it would be...¡±


    I let out a little giggle in spite of myself. Akio did always dress lazily in the past, and not take proper care of himself. Though now... he dresses so well, and looks so much more handsome than I remember... The thought of Akio in his suit was filling me with a different sort of warmth than my visualisation exercises.


    ¡°... so, what do guys really want? They are simple creatures, unlike women, who have evolved to be better, men are still stuck in the past. A modern man isn¡¯t so different to being a caveman. It¡¯s all primal. Women are smart, wanting to improve themselves and their environment, while men... men just want their urges satisfying. They should stay in 2d! down with all men, I say! I can see you men in the audience grimacing, but you girls agree with me, don¡¯t you?¡± she began to talk to the audience, going back and forth. A lot of the banter was amusing, but when she turned to us...


    ¡°And just look at the table over there. You three cuties don¡¯t have a man with you, so you get what I¡¯m saying, don¡¯t you? I bet you get hit on by men aiming to fulfil their urges with you all the time, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sure we do. We are all gorgeous.¡± Aiko-chan shouted back. ¡°I had some jerk even challenge my brother to a bet for a date with me last week. I¡¯m not a thing, I¡¯m my own woman.¡± Aiko-chan crossed her arms under her chest in annoyance. Then her face lit up, her bright grin drawing attention from all the men in the room. ¡°Still, my big bro sure did put that loser in his place. He crushed him ruthlessly. So while I agree men are trash, my big bro stands alone.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve not met your brother, so I¡¯ll take your word for it, but you lead me on to what men really want. Thanks for that, you¡¯ve been a great sport, hope you enjoy the rest of your night, lovely girls. Anyway, like I said, it¡¯s all primal. This girl¡¯s brother was showing the caveman urge to protect what is his. Since he sees his sister as someone to be protected, especially from a rival male who might take her, it¡¯s all ¡®time to club him down like he¡¯s a tiger straying into my cave.¡¯. And then...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way she¡¯s talking about my big bro..¡± Aiko-chan complained. Shaeula merely laughed, lounging back on her chair, her bottle almost empty. She was flushed and reeking of alcohol. If she was a human girl of that size, she might be unconscious already...


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know Akio.¡± I defended him, agreeing with Aiko-chan. ¡°If Akio was here the way he was earlier, she¡¯d be charmed by him, I¡¯m sure!¡±


    ¡°Ever the loyal girlfriend.¡± Aiko-chan giggled.


    ¡°... so it basically boils down to a full stomach, lots of sleep and sex. As long as those three needs can be met your average guy won¡¯t even care about anything else.¡± The comedian continued, to laughter and cheers from the women and boos from some of the men. ¡°and if those needs are threatened, they get all ¡®me caveman, me crush you, you no take my woman!¡¯¡±


    Really? Well Akio is extremely protective of Aiko-chan and I... he always has been. Does he... does he want those things too? Food, sleep and... sex? I¡¯m not very good at cooking, but I could learn... but, just maybe...


    I felt a shiver go through me, my body hot, like needles of fire deep inside. My legs squirmed and I pictured myself... no, I can¡¯t even think about it, my face is on fire. But... I do want to find out what I can give to Akio...


    Trying to clear my head I shut out the surrounding noise and concentrated on my visualisation exercises. But it was a struggle, vivid images creeping back into my head whenever my concentration slipped. Just... just what do I do...? I didn¡¯t even notice I was touching my lips again, fingers stroking them softly...

 One Hundred And Two

    One Hundred And Two


    The next few hands were cautious, the three stooges forced to shuffle money around between each other since Aliyah, Buck and I weren¡¯t biting. I did have one decent hand, but seeing as the dealer had dealt specific cards to a couple of the plants, I wasn¡¯t going to risk getting suckered into a fatal all-in.


    So, just how do I pull myself out of this hole? I could keep it tight, but sooner or later Buck and Aliyah will be wiped out, and as one against three I¡¯d be next. Besides, I think it¡¯s only fair to shoot for a 1-2-3 finish with all of us legitimate players... now how can I make that happen?


    The next hand my cards were unexceptional, but Buck, looking rather pale, started to raise. Aliyah folded, and I followed suit. Shit... this is bad. If he goes all in he¡¯ll be wiped out. Luckily when the flop came out and none of the cards helped him he folded. Still, it was more chips for the enemy.


    All right, if I can¡¯t cheat myself, since her shuffling is so tight I don¡¯t think I can manipulate the cards with wind unlike against the first crooked dealer, can I make it so they can¡¯t cheat either? Drawing deeply on the wind energy within me I let out a gentle gust, masking the glow.


    Beside me Aliyah looked up, suddenly alert to something. Her gaze roamed around between me and the dealer, who was shuffling the cards, her facial muscles twitching slightly. After a short delay she started dealing, and I took my cards, very careful to look at them in a way that would prevent any hidden cameras from seeing them, just in case. Seven and eight of spades. Not awful, but not amazing. Still... with my perception I could see the dealer was definitely perturbed. One other thing I noticed though was the casino owner was also looking a little puzzled, glancing around, and Aliyah had fixed her gaze on him, not even checking her cards.Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    Judging by the hand signals and body language of the three, they were unsure of how to proceed, and so a few chips were cast into the pot. Aliyah folded again, as did Buck. On the flop it was seven, eight and king, giving me two pairs. Now one of the stooges started raising, and I re-raised, and soon we had both added around seven stacks. The turn came out, and it was an eight. Okay, now I am good for it.


    I tried another raise to bait him in, but alas he folded. I had taken a fair few chips, but it wasn¡¯t a killing blow. As the dealer changed decks, opening a fresh pack of cards I stifled a grin. That won¡¯t help you...


    Wind blew again, gently and subtly, and I was gratified to see a droplet of sweat drip down her perfect face. She dealt with noticeable hesitation, something Aliyah seemed to have picked up on as well. This time when I checked my cards I was gratified to see a pair of kings. If I return the game to randomness then it comes down to luck, and even with the bad fortune of this place I¡¯m thoroughly confident.


    Aliyah was big blind, so after going around the table she had the chance to raise, which she did after glancing at me. I¡¯m sure she can¡¯t read me, so... this led to Emilio and Simon to checking her bet. I considered raising them, but I decided against it in case I scared them off.


    The next cards that came out were two queens and a ten. Now I had two pairs, but if someone had a queen... Simon raised several stacks, and Aliyah folded. Her chips were diminishing quickly, but she didn¡¯t seem concerned. I checked the bet, and then Emilio came in hard, with five more stacks. Still, when he did so I noticed his hand trembling. Is that excitement or worry? I can¡¯t tell...


    Emilio had an eight and a ten of spades, while Buck had an ace of hearts and a six of hearts. The flop was king of hearts, two of hearts and nine of spades. Then the next card was a two of diamonds. Buck was winning on a pair with high card ace, but a lot could change on the final card, the river. It was dealt and... it was queen of hearts! Buck roared in delight as he scored the flush, more than doubling his chips, putting him back in the game.


    Finishing my beer I continued to swirl my winds gently around the dealer. If her ability to feel which card is which relies on such sensitivity, if I create a series of differing, jumbled sensations, it completely blinds her...


    Looking at my cards, I felt the winds surge once more. It was time! Simon was betting well, drawing out my chips, and going all in, he forced my hand. I felt fortune surge, and as we flipped our cards I met his gaze. Simon was well ahead, a pair of kings against my seven and eight, matched by the king six and ten on the table. He had three of a kind, while I had nothing. Still, there were two cards left and I was feeling very lucky. A two came out on the turn, and Simon¡¯s grin grew more vicious. And on the river... a nine of clubs! I had done it at the last moment, filling an inside straight on the river. It was a foolish gamble, the odds in my favour slender, but to the fortunate winds... even as I celebrated, the winds died down, their fight against the misfortune in here spent, and I suddenly felt as if my skin was crawling with something damp and fetid. Ugh, the unlucky aura in here feels disgusting...


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s half our players down, in this exciting August Apocalypse secret invitational!¡± the owner was saying, egging on the crowd. ¡°At the halfway stage, just one more to go and we¡¯ll know the players who will be walking away with the prizes.¡± He gestured to the bags of cash on the podium. ¡°These are just a taste of the riches for the winners. Now to announce the rankings going forwards.¡±


    ¡°In first place...¡± he looked at me, eyes burning with hatred. ¡°Our dark horse from Japan, Akio Moonstone Oshiro! An unusual name, but is it bringing him good fortune?¡± his gaze lingered on me, and I met it calmly, feigning disinterest.


    ¡°In second, some way behind, is Emilio Domingo, a poker player from sunny Mexico. He¡¯s closely followed by an old hand at poker, winner of several tournaments on the strip, owner of the famous Kelly¡¯s Rest chain of Irish-themed bars, of which one of the finest lurks on our own Las Vegas strip, Buck Kelly!¡±


    He was waving happily, in contrast to Emilio, who seemed tense.


    ¡°Lastly, bringing up the rear as our short-stack, with a lot of work to do if she wants to win, it is a rare flower, a woman who can mix it with the best of the men, Aliyah James, a New York girl in what she tells us is her very first poker tournament. I think we¡¯ll see her again, right people? Now, eat, drink and make merry, and be sure to get those bets in. You may have all been beaten by these four champions, but you can still make some money!¡±


    He is so damn insincere. If people weren¡¯t so drained, they¡¯d notice for sure. Though it does seem he can selectively choose who he absorbs from. The dealer, his plants, the security... none of them seemed to be weakened. Whereas next to me Aliyah was digging her nails into her palms to keep focused, fighting against lethargy.


    ¡°Very well, dealer, open a fresh pack and start the next hand. We have a tournament to finish!¡±


    As the dealer did as instructed, the owner gazed at me again, his lips quirking into a slight smile. It was then I felt an oppressive weight settle over the table, the feel of aether in the air. My wind died away instantly, and as I tried to call it out once more I realised it was being blocked. Trying to keep calm, I looked at my dealt cards, mind racing. Well shit, I guess he can use his abilities too...

 One Hundred And Three

    One Hundred And Three


    That smug shit... I groaned internally, as I tossed my cards aside, folding again. Glancing over at the master of this casino, as he sat at the podium, I could see he was barely holding in his glee. And why not? I had just lost my third hand in a row, Emilio eating into my lead steadily. I had tried to raise wind, but whatever the owner was doing to supress it was effective. I could manage a little breeze around my hand, but projecting it towards the dealer was impossible.


    As the next set of cards was dealt, I had already contributed my blind. Looking at them cautiously I saw they were again nothing special. Beside me, Buck was frowning at his cards.


    ¡°I¡¯ll raise...¡± Emilio said, pushing forwards another stack of chips. Aliyah folded, as did I, but Buck, his hand trembling a little, pushed his chips in to call the bet. The dealer then showed the next three cards. Emilio raised again, and Buck... don¡¯t do it, it¡¯s a trap...


    Unfortunately he had no way of knowing my thoughts, as he went all-in, sensing an opportunity. With a smug grin Emilio called, and Buck was committed to an all-or-nothing bet. Face up, there was a pair of sixes and a nine. Buck flipped over to reveal a six and a king, while Emilio had a queen and a nine. For a moment Buck looked pleased, sensing victory, until the next card came out another nine. The final card was a four, and with that Buck was defeated, Emilio further increasing his lead.


    ¡°And there you have it!¡± The owner crowed to the audience. ¡°A crowd favourite, Buck Kelly, bows out just before the money! Better luck next time Buck. Still, now we know who will be taking home their share of the prize money. But who will be number one?¡±


    Seriously, it should be obvious as hell that they are cheating, there is no way they can win so many hands in a row without it, but... my eyes surveyed the crowd. Some of the losers had already left, feeling weak and drained, but the remainder were pale, eyes unfocused. As he stood, Buck came over and shook my hand. ¡°Oh well, so close, hell, just a bit more luck and I¡¯d have been right back in it there. Still, you go ahead and clean up, Akio. I¡¯ll be cheering for you, and I¡¯ll see you at the bar afterwards, win or lose. Same to you, Aliyah.¡± He nodded at her too.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± My plans of a 1-2-3 were ruined, and looking at Aliyah, she had almost no chips left... Ugh, think, how can I get through this?


    The next hand I actually had decent cards, an ace and a king. Looking at the dealer, I also didn¡¯t see her mess with the card order. That¡¯s odd... Putting in a modest ten stacks to test the waters, Emilio folded, saying out loud that his cards were bad. I get it. The dealer must have signalled him this round is a dud to make it look less suspicious. As I pondered this Aliyah matched my bet, taking a chunk of her remaining chips.Upstodatee from


    As the next cards came out it was a queen, jack and ten. I now had a straight. Damn, that¡¯s a really good hand... but how will Aliyah play it? I decided to scare her off with a thirty stack bid, but she smiled sweetly at me and went all in, pushing her chips to the middle.


    Damn, do I call, or fold and let her restock? It might buy me time to think of a way to overturn the cheating but... I¡¯ve got nothing...


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t regret this...¡± I mouthed at her, matching her bet. She had a queen and a ten, giving her two pairs. She was behind, but there were still cards in the deck that could beat me. The next card was... a three. And the final card was... another three. And with that Aliyah was beaten. Giving a shrug which set her ample assets bouncing, she waved to the crowd. ¡°I guess third isn¡¯t bad, now is it?¡± she said, and a round of weak applause came back from the losers.


    ¡°And so we have our third place decided.¡± The owner said, gesturing to security, who picked up one of the large holdalls. As he opened the zip, I could see it was full of rolls of bills. ¡°Taking home, in sweet cash, ten percent of the prize pool, which amounts to one point seven million dollars!¡± Pausing to let that sink in, he was silent, then he gestured, and the guard brought it over to Aliyah, who took it, her muscles flexing at the weight. ¡°Our rare flower from New York, Aliyah James, third place in her first tournament. We hope to see you again, should word reach you!¡±


    So, just you and me, Emilio. Well, really it is you, the dealer and the owner against me... so, what now?


    ¡°If you could wait until the game is concluded, so we can get interviews and photographs with the three winners, I would greatly appreciate it.¡± The owner was continuing, and Aliyah agreed, heading for the bar, heavy bag in hand.


    ¡°All right then, the final battle between two unknowns, making a meteoric entrance to the Las Vegas circuit, begins! There can only be one winner! Dealer, shuffle those cards!¡±


    The next few hands were cagey, and my eyes had become accustomed to seeing when the dealer was cheating, but that didn¡¯t help me much, as Emilio was quick to only lose a handful of chips on those hands. Soon I was running low, completely outmatched. Wind is useless, can I do anything with fire? No, setting the table on fire won¡¯t do anything... damn, this is SO frustrating...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m also here with my sister and another girl, but they aren¡¯t old enough to drink, so I don¡¯t know if that...¡±


    Buck cut me off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. As long as they aren¡¯t drinking alcohol I can cover for any trouble. Don¡¯t be letting me down, you¡¯ll hurt my feelings. You can come too if you want Aliyah, I¡¯ll get you some fine whiskey to celebrate your third place.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Aliyah replied, rubbing at her ear absentmindedly.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll take you up on your kind offer.¡± I told Buck, who grinned. Well it would solve an issue, as I was NOT expecting to have this much money... I told Buck I was staying at the MGM Grand, and agreed he would contact his acquaintance and have them visit in the morning.


    After that we enjoyed a few drinks and made small-talk, the crowd of defeated players thinning out. It was then that the owner came over, smiling greasily. ¡°If I could have a little time, Akio, Aliyah. I¡¯d like to get the formalities over. If the rest of you could head out to the main casino, I¡¯d appreciate it. There is still plenty of fun to be had, I assure you.¡±


    As Buck, David and the others said their goodbyes and filed out of the VIP area, I watched as a burly security guard shut the door. So, here we go then...


    ¡°You are really very interesting, aren¡¯t you, Akio?¡± the owner leaned in much too close, so I took a step back. ¡°I definitely feel you are someone with... special... skills. You do seem awfully lucky, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think so? Well, I¡¯d say that I¡¯d need to be. There is definitely a real aura of misfortune here in this Territory... oh sorry, your casino.¡± I probed him, trying to gauge his response.


    ¡°Well who knows, there are a lot of tall tales regarding ancient Indian burial grounds, maybe this casino was built on one.¡± The overweight man giggled. ¡°Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you both on your winnings.¡±


    ¡°So, where is Emilio, the true winner?¡± Aliyah asked suddenly. ¡°I don¡¯t see him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, since his bags of money were too heavy to transport easily he¡¯s taken them to the back. I¡¯ll have someone courier them to his hotel.¡± He said. ¡°I am more than willing to do you two the same favour. After all, it¡¯s been a profitable tournament for me.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡± I declined. ¡°It¡¯s a bit heavy sure, but my Material body is strong, I can handle it. My hotel isn¡¯t too far away anyway.¡±


    This guy just oozes sleaze. I¡¯ve seen more trustworthy con-artists trying to sell paintings and vases to gullible Tokyo tourists. Glancing around I assessed the situation. There were a dozen security guards around, and all the dealers had left. In addition, several of them were carrying pistols.


    Does he know Buck is going to send someone to my hotel tomorrow? Does he even care if he knows? That was the problem with gaining supernatural powers, it did tend to skew one¡¯s perspective, something I often had to reflect on, mostly unsuccessfully, alas. Behind me Aliyah was watching intently, tapping at her ear, perhaps a nervous tick of some sort.


    If something happens to both of us, that would surely be too suspicious...


    ¡°So, Akio, Aliyah. How about a drink, one for the road, to celebrate?¡± he went behind the bar, and now I noticed even the barman was absent. Pulling out a sealed bottle of a golden-brown whiskey, he put out three glasses. Opening the bottle he poured us some generous measures over ice. Lifting his glass, he gestured to us. ¡°To victory, and all the spoils it brings.¡±


    Aliyah and I lifted our glasses, and we clinked them together. ¡°Yeah, to a good game.¡± I said, sarcasm seeping into my voice. The owner wasn¡¯t drinking, so I took a small sip of the whiskey. It was a good one, to be sure, but it was also... Yeah, there¡¯s something in this drink. It¡¯s spiked...

 Side Eighteen – Aliyah James – Black Wolf Company PMC

    Side Eighteen ¨C Aliyah James ¨C Black Wolf Company PMC


    I just wish I knew what was going on here. That fat swine is surely our target, all the intel we gathered and the data points towards him. So just who is this Akio guy? Aliyah reached for her glass, trying to focus her thoughts. Her body felt listless, a nagging ache in her skull. Fucking gas or whatever. I feel vile. Even alcohol isn¡¯t helping...


    Akio took a sip of his whiskey in front of her. Her sharp gaze that was focused on the fat sack of shit that was the cause of all her hardships picked up a sneer that momentarily crossed his face. At that moment Akio somehow tripped over his own feet, his elbow flashing towards her. What, so fast? An attack...? She tried to react but before she could the glass was struck from her hand, shattering on the expensive marble floor, spilling amber liquid everywhere.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me. I¡¯ve been feeling weak for a while, my legs just went from under me.¡± He apologised, meeting her eyes, but his gaze was trying to convey something. You are spouting bullshit. You don¡¯t look affected by the gas to me. Oh, and don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you checking out my cleavage then too... god, do men ever think of anything else?


    Forcing herself to stay in character, she forced a smile. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. Luckily you didn¡¯t get it on my dress.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it might be my medical condition acting up I¡¯m afraid. I have Aether depletion. It¡¯s very rare.¡± His eyes had flickered to the fat turd, it was subtle but he couldn¡¯t fool her senses. He is probing him. He¡¯s said several strange things, trying to feel out my target. Just who is this guy, and more importantly, who does he work for? He speaks flawless English so he could be one of ours, but this mission was passed our way. Did someone fuck up in the planning stages?


    ¡°Let me get you another glass, we shouldn¡¯t ruin this toast.¡± The ball of lard said unctuously. Nah, I think I¡¯ll pass...


    ¡°No, I think I¡¯ve had enough actually. I¡¯ll be carrying a lot of money back to my hotel, I¡¯d best keep a clear head.¡± As she finished a hint of anger was seen in his eyes. Yeah, the drinks must be spiked and that guy noticed. Probably why he is now taking really small sips...


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± The slug agreed, smiling falsely. ¡°I should have thought of that, sorry. But I do hate the thought of a young woman such as yourself taking such a heavy bag home alone. Las Vegas is pretty safe, but if something happened to you... why I doubt I could forgive myself.¡± He turned to Akio as well. ¡°As for you. That¡¯s an awful lot of money. Feel free to leave it here and I¡¯ll have it ferried to your hotel tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline. Buck has already sent round someone to pick me up.¡± Akio lied. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Yeah, he¡¯s definitely suspicious of the worm. Ugh, god I wish I was in a bar, drinking and looking at beautiful girls. Men are such... ¡°Yeah, my brother is waiting for me. He¡¯s a big guy, he¡¯ll deter any muggers. So I¡¯m good too.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well that is a shame. Anyway, if I could prevail on you just a bit longer...¡± as he stalled, Akio tensed, and Aliyah also noticed the movements of the security change. Fuck. Looks like it¡¯s time. My plan to infiltrate went way better than I could have imagined, but this Akio is a rogue element...


    Tapping on her earpiece she sent the signal for operation start, and suddenly noise and chaos could be heard outside. Suddenly the sealed door burst open, and a security guard rushed in, panting. ¡°Sorry boss, some fights have broken out on the floor. They¡¯ve accused us of cheating. We could use more security to damp it down.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, now of all times.¡± The tub of shit scowled. Gesturing, he sent four of his guards out with him. As the door shut and the bolts within engaged, the remaining four guards were approaching slowly, trying to look natural.


    ¡°Well, this didn¡¯t go as I wanted. You...¡± he glared at Akio. ¡°You are responsible for foiling the dealer, aren¡¯t you? Still, you were no match for me, here in my own castle. And you were overconfident. There¡¯s a powerful soporific in that drink, you should already be getting dizzy. If you¡¯d just lost like you were supposed to then I wouldn¡¯t have to do this. I need money, as much of it as I can get, and I¡¯ll do whatever it takes.¡± Towards the end he was raving, spittle flying from his mouth. Ugh, he¡¯s third rate, blabbing his crimes like an idiot. Has he forgot I¡¯m here? Oh well, if he¡¯s this talkative now, we should get plenty of info from him later. Tapping the earpiece again she signalled for the next stage of the plan. Suddenly the lights and power went out, plunging everything into darkness. Aliyah moved, remembering where the guards and the fat bastard were from memory. Dropping behind the bar she hid herself from view.


    The emergency lights then flickered back on to see that Akio had moved towards the back door during the power cut. Still, the four security guards had moved his way, surrounding him, two with guns, the other two producing long-handled metal batons.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a shame. You are going to be found dead in an alleyway, your money gone. Las Vegas is pretty safe, yes, but... besides, I heard you talking to that Buck Kelly. There is no car. You think I¡¯m easy to fool, here in my castle? I don¡¯t need to be near you to hear you!¡±


    ¡°Yvoo von¡¯t get avay vith ¡®is.¡± Akio slurred, unsteady on his feet, the massive weight of the heavy bags of money he was carrying weighing him down.


    ¡°Oh, so the drugs are kicking in. About time. All right then lads, a bonus to the one that retrieves my money! Try and make it look like a robbery gone wrong, then dump the body in the back alleys.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on, sis?¡± Trey asked, seeing me strangling the jerk and four unconscious and wounded guys over by the now-open exit.


    ¡°Long story.¡± I replied. ¡°But first do you mind slugging our target here? He¡¯s annoyingly tenacious, who would have thought a corpulent shit was this tough?¡±


    ¡°Sure. You two, go out back and pull some of the vans round. We¡¯ll load them in and take them away. They might know something.¡± Trey stepped up and slammed the fat weasel with a couple of pinpoint strikes to key points of his body, and he finally fainted, allowing me to let go. My arms were trembling from the effort of choking him.


    ¡°So, now that the situation is contained, what happened here?¡± he asked, surveying the chaos.


    ¡°First tell me everything is going to plan?¡± I retorted. Going behind the bar I helped myself to an opened bottle of whiskey and took a swig. That¡¯s better. Fuck I feel like shit. I hate this place and this shitty job. Still, on the home stretch now...


    ¡°You have to have more faith in us, Aliyah. To be honest our part was easy, you had to infiltrate and make an opportunity. I¡¯ve no idea how you pulled it off to be honest, I was expecting a hot extraction. Guess I shouldn¡¯t underestimate you, sis. Anyway yeah, our guys are being thrown out by their security as we speak, tying them up, and we cut the main power circuit. The backup generators fired, but without a reset the security systems and cameras are down. We should get out clean.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Taking another swig she retrieved her holdall of money, which she tossed to Trey. As he unzipped it, surprised, she smiled. ¡°I got third place. Over a million and a half in there. Not bad eh?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit Aliyah, not bad at all! That money was a sunk cost for the mission. Shit, drinks are on you...¡± as we talked more of our people had entered through the back door, dragging off the guards. We locked the door to the main casino and jammed it, rendering it inoperable, before bailing out of the back and boarding the van. As the doors slammed shut and we drove off, our target and his lackeys secured, I turned to Trey once more.


    ¡°Things got pretty complicated in there. I think other agencies are sniffing around, probably foreign. There was this Japanese guy, pretty sharp, took down those idiots over there.¡± She jerked her head at the fallen security, who were now tied up, thick masking tape used to tie their hands and legs behind their backs and gag them. ¡°Fast and strong. He¡¯d give you a good fight. He seemed to know something we don¡¯t too, I got some coded language, like Material, Aether, misfortune field...¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s not good. You reckon he¡¯s part of a team? If so, they might try and extract the target?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go for that. When he fled the scene I felt he was giving the target to us. I find it frustrating, but we succeeded. Still, we could really use what he knows.¡± I feel we only know a fraction of the bigger picture. Sure, we are only the hands and feet of the government, but even so...


    ¡°So, what do we know about this guy?¡± Trey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a name. it might be fake, but it was so unusual I doubt it. Akio Moonstone Oshiro. From Japan. I also got his hotel. Plus... I reckon I could get more, if we needed...¡± Kelly¡¯s Rest. If he¡¯s laying low he won¡¯t be seen in the open, but ... if he wanted to make contact with us...


    As I pondered Trey asked if we should raid him at his hotel, shake him up a bit, but I shook my head. ¡°No way. I¡¯m not sure how true it is, but I heard he¡¯s with his sister and some other girls, and they aren¡¯t even old enough to drink. I know you wouldn¡¯t be up for that. Shit, I¡¯m not...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not down for collateral damage on kids. It¡¯s not in our mission spec anyway. We got what we came for. We¡¯ll pull out clean tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stay behind. Leave me one of the girls and I¡¯ll follow my lead tomorrow. If I get any extra information, then all¡¯s good. If not then I¡¯ll count it as a reward for my hard work.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sounds good to me. You reckon you¡¯ll have any luck?¡±


    I remembered Akio as he left, warning me, seemingly genuine about not wanting me to get in trouble. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Trey. I don¡¯t know. But...¡± I have a feeling our paths are going to cross again. And in this business, you always go with your gut, as those that don¡¯t... well, they don¡¯t live long, do they?

 One Hundred And Four

    One Hundred And Four


    As the doors of the MGM Grand shut behind me with an audible hiss, I suddenly staggered, the high tension that I had been feeling leaving me all in one go. Hell, that was intense. Going from a rigged gambling tournament to a confrontation with another Astral Emperor-candidate and then a battle with security, some armed with pistols... It¡¯s been a series of nerve-wracking events, one after another. And in addition... being poisoned wasn¡¯t the most fun thing either. Still, my body was now capable of processing harmful substances rapidly and repairing any minor damage near instantly (which made me sad when it came to alcohol, of course) but that didn¡¯t change that it really wasn¡¯t a good feeling to be drugged.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been involved in fights with other humans, I did beat those thugs down who were harassing Ichika-san, but this was taking it to the next level. Sure, in terms of abilities I could easily handle several trained security or soldiers in hand-to-hand combat, my reaction speeds and strength went far beyond what they could hope to achieve, but... guns is taking it too far! I¡¯m Japanese, we don¡¯t have to worry about such things! One thing I was sure of was that even with my stronger body, bullets would still blow holes in me, and while I was technically superhuman now, I wasn¡¯t Superman, and I certainly wasn¡¯t faster than a speeding bullet. Still, when a fight started and I concentrated my superior Alacrity kicked in, and time almost seemed to slow a little, giving me more time to think and move. Realising I had no way out of the situation but to fight, I relied on the fact that while I couldn¡¯t dodge bullets, I could move faster than the guards could aim, and once I was close... well, that combat training hadn¡¯t been in vain. Still... Yeah, I¡¯m still stressed out over it, I feel sick...


    The feeling of bone crunching under my blows was very different to that of when I defeated monsters in the Boundary with my spear and elemental attacks. It wasn¡¯t so much the sensation, as the mental feeling... Again, it¡¯s hypocrisy, those gnolls for example, they were just as alive and sentient as the security guards, and I didn¡¯t even kill the guards... these unproductive thoughts were getting me nowhere, so I started heading towards the elevator, pushing the disquieting feelings into a corner of my mind, to think about later.


    Seriously though, that girl, Aliyah... she was a total badass. She had the owner captured with ease, before I had even noticed. She was a real stunner too, big ... big everywhere... Hopefully she won¡¯t have done anything stupid like finish strangling the guy though. After all, it wasn¡¯t like eighty or so people didn¡¯t not only know we were there, but have our names too. To say nothing of the load of cameras that would no doubt be all over the VIP room. It was a casino after all.


    My self-defence was going to be caught on camera for sure. Luckily they made the first move, and I had the good sense to start recording before things went south... I patted my pocket, feeling the comforting weight of my phone inside. She did say something strange though. ¡®I¡¯m a professional, like you¡¯. Did she mistake me for some sort of secret agent or something? And surely that meant she was one too. CIA or FBI? Surely she¡¯d have shown some sort of government ID and have had more backup if that was the case... maybe some off-the-books black ops team like in Hollywood blockbusters? Shaking my head I dismissed that line of thought. I had no way of knowing for sure. Still, it did seem she was on alert the whole time she was playing poker, particularly keen on observing the owner and me. If that meant what I thought it meant... yeah, no secret stays hidden forever, especially not one with some many holders of it... Still, I¡¯ve got carried away and been too visible. I need to be more cautious, draw less attention...


    As I approached the lift, heavily laden, a concierge came over and asked if he could help carry my bags up to my room. I didn¡¯t need to, as the weight was manageable for me, but I figured I wouldn¡¯t deprive him of his job. As he took the first bag from me, staggering, he made a joke about there being gold bars in it or something. He isn¡¯t too far off. With a smile I watched as he retrieved a luggage trolley, and with that we took the lift up to our suite.


    At the door I took back my bags and tipped the guy a hundred, which he accepted gratefully. He insisted he could carry the bags in, but I declined as the girls were probably back now, it being quite late. As he departed I opened the door, stepping inside and letting the heavy bags fall to the floor with a meaty thud.


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± I called softly, and Shaeula and Aiko looked up from where they were sitting on the comfortable sofas.


    ¡°Oh hi big bro, welcome back. You are pretty late. By the way... those look like heavy bags. Been buying us more gifts?¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Not exactly, no. Though tomorrow we should go shopping. We have to take back souvenirs anyway, so I don¡¯t mind treating you girls to something nice.¡± I tossed aside my suit jacket, took off my tie and loosened my shirt, undoing a few of the buttons, happy to relax at last.


    Shaeula rose from the sofa, a little unsteady, and she tottered over to me. I could smell the booze from here. ¡°Hey, Shaeula, just how much did you drink? You look wasted.¡±


    ¡°I admit to having partaken in rather a large amount of fine alcohol-alcohol.¡± She let out a small belch. ¡°Still, as we were the... VIP¡¯s, as they called it, I would have been rude indeed-indeed not to make the most of their hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it sure was fun, big bro.¡± my sis agreed. ¡°I wish I was old enough to drink though, Shaeula looked like she was having an awesome time.¡±Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Sure, why not, we are celebrating, I guess. But only a glass, I don¡¯t want you hungover tomorrow. If you ruin the last day of the trip you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I get it.¡± She agreed, taking the glass I poured her. Shaeula had also come over, hand out, and I gave her a glass too.


    ¡°Seriously, you are a lush, Shaeula. I don¡¯t know where you put it all, you are pretty small.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s harassment, big bro!¡±


    As we laughed and drank, I regaled them of a somewhat edited tale of my poker heroics, one that would be safe for my sister to hear about. It was then that the door to Aiko and Eri¡¯s bedroom opened, and Eri pattered out slowly. I turned to greet her, only to pause, open-mouthed, face going red. Uhh... just what... is she wearing?


    ¡°Welcome back, Akio.¡± Eri said shyly, wearing a nearly transparent nightgown over her body, through which I could see her underwear, a pair of white panties and... shit, she isn¡¯t wearing a bra. I can see her chest... her surprisingly-decent assets were fully on show to us, and her skin through the transparent fabric was flushed red, perhaps with embarrassment, or...


    ¡°Eri, what are you doing?¡± I choked, averting my eyes. Shaeula was snickering away drunkenly, and Aiko was blushing too, letting out a dull whistle.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got so bold, Eri-chan.¡± Aiko said, once she had recovered her wits. ¡°But... you know that big bro can see your... well, wow, your tits, your tits!¡±


    Stop saying tits, a young girl shouldn¡¯t be so vulgar... uh, so, did she not think I was back? But we haven¡¯t been that quiet. So if she does know I¡¯m here, then... my thoughts were racing uselessly, but my eyes had gone back to Eri despite my best efforts, and I was seemingly helpless to look away. Eri and Aiko both blushed all the harder at my stare. I get why Eri is embarrassed, but why Aiko...


    Looking me in the eyes despite her shame, Eri walked over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling my arm up to her chest. As I sank into her soft flesh, I could faintly feel her body heat through the thin fabric we both wore. I could feel my own brain heating up, especially as Eri let out a long sigh that sounded extremely alluring.


    ¡°Akio is ... is my boyfriend, so this is nothing strange.¡± Eri responded, voice faltering a little. It seemed she was forcing herself to act boldly, and I opened my mouth to say something, but Shaeula beat me to it.


    ¡°So, you have made up your mind, have you, Eri? Your resolve is indeed quite splendid to see-see.¡±


    ¡°Uh, hey, so what resolve? What¡¯s going on? Eri can¡¯t be drunk as we weren¡¯t allowed to drink alcohol in the Bellagio...¡±


    Ignoring the two girls beside us, Eri looked into my eyes, faint tears glimmering in hers. ¡°I need to talk to you, Akio. Please come with me...¡± and with that she led me into the bedroom she shared with Aiko, with me seemingly unable to resist, my thoughts racing pointlessly. As she shut the door behind her, the conversation from outside fading to mere background noise, I had one lucid thought. Who would have thought that Eri would be so warm?

 One Hundred And Five / Side Nineteen – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko – R18 chapter/contains sex

    One Hundred And Five / Side Nineteen ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko ¨C R18 chapter/contains sex


    Eri led me to the king-size bed, and we sat down, my arm still in hers, pressed to her chest. As we sank a little into the soft mattress she let out a damp sigh. Looking at her, I once again marvelled at her beauty, her dark hair black as night, matching her obsidian eyes. Her face, which was upturned, gazing up at me, was like someone had crafted it, her skin without visible flaws. If Iife was a Chinese novel, no doubt she¡¯d be described as a peerless jade beauty. And further below... I swallowed nervously, keeping my gaze on her face.


    ¡°So... uh, don¡¯t you think you should be covering up?¡± I asked. ¡°What happened to your normal pyjamas?¡± Damn, that was a stupid thing to say. This situation is throwing me off balance...


    Eri giggled then, her arm tightening. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so freaked out, Akio. It isn¡¯t like you haven¡¯t seen me naked before.¡±


    Wait, what? No I haven¡¯t... oh wait, does she mean...? ¡°Yeah, but that was back when you were an early elementary student. Just a child. Sure, I helped you and Aiko clean up and bathed with you a few times, but... that¡¯s different, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t understand women, do you Akio? I used to think you knew everything, and it¡¯s nice to know there are some things I understand better than you.¡± Eri smiled then, her face still red under the muted lights of the bedroom. ¡°I still remember, and it¡¯s the same to me... besides... if it¡¯s my... my breasts... didn¡¯t you see them this morning?¡±


    Oh... you noticed. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be embarrassed. It was only a little gap under your swimsuit anyway...¡±


    ¡°I was embarrassed. I could feel... that... poking at me.¡± She giggled nervously. ¡°But I was happy too. I was so worried that you didn¡¯t desire me, but your body, it¡¯s honest isn¡¯t it? You know, you can touch me if you want, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m dressed like this for you. I¡¯m not an adult, but I¡¯m old enough to get married if I wanted, so doing this... it¡¯s fine.¡± She whispered, her voice shaking yet somehow shockingly erotic.


    This is escalating very quickly. It¡¯s a good job I was still wearing my suit trousers, as if I was in my own sleepwear, a certain... reaction... would have been clearly seen. ¡°Seriously, just what has got into you Eri? This isn¡¯t like you, and I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°Worried? I don¡¯t want you to... be worried.¡± She sniffled, her eyes shining again. ¡°I want you to be... happy... I want you... to want me!¡± It was then tears started spilling from her dark eyes, running down her pale cheeks, dripping to the near transparent gown she wore. ¡°I dreamed of being your girlfriend for all these... years, and...¡± she paused to sob. ¡°... I got my wish, after ... nearly giving up... but now... I¡¯m more scared than ever... I hate it!¡±


    Putting my other arm around her I pulled her close, her head in my chest. Freeing my arm from her chest I rubbed her head gently, whispering into her ear like I did when she was young and scared of something. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right Eri. I¡¯m your boyfriend, I¡¯ll be by your side always. We have all the time in the world ahead of us. You don¡¯t need to do... this...¡±


    ¡°... this? Don¡¯t call it this. It¡¯s love!¡± Eri insisted. ¡°I know you care about me, even love me. I don¡¯t doubt it. I can¡¯t. if I doubted it I wouldn¡¯t be me! But we¡¯ll be apart for so long again, you in Tokyo, me in Nishimorioka. I know you¡¯ll visit, but... but...¡± crying tears freely now her voice was loud. ¡°I need it. I want it. A connection between us no-one else has! If I have that, I can hold on while we are apart! Besides...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea, Eri. Sex is... well it¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be done so carelessly. You should only do it when... owwww...¡± I let out a yelp of pain as Eri reared up and bit into my lip, my blood scattering. As it flowed she inserted her tongue into my mouth, and even as she cried she aggressively kissed me, her body heating up. Mine too. It¡¯s... she¡¯s... very hot. My body is reacting too...


    ¡°You... you can be an idiot sometimes Akio.¡± She cried as she released my tongue. ¡°It isn¡¯t just that. Not just a connection. I¡¯m not yet an adult, legally, but I¡¯m not a young girl either.¡± She sniffled, and with that she slid down the shoulders of her gown, her bare breasts exposed to the air. Her nipples are hard... and damn, I can see a stain on her panties... oh god...


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I dreamed of the day when you¡¯d hold me like the prince I always thought of you as? A romantic first love, like in a storybook? Well let me tell you girls want it just as much as boys. Besides, not only do I want it, but...¡± she angrily wiped away her tears with her now freed arm, and gave me a most brilliant smile. ¡°I think it¡¯s the ultimate expression of love for a woman, to offer themselves to the man they are going to spend the rest of their life with. And make no mistake, we¡¯ll be together always. You promised me, and I¡¯m promising you.¡±


    With that she guided my free hand to her chest, and it was warm under my palm, and so soft. I swallowed nervously. I can feel her heart beating. If I¡¯m honest... Looking at the desperately embarrassed, yet agonisingly cute Eri in front of me, it was impossible to say I didn¡¯t want to... still my last reason intervened. ¡°Well... sure, I can see that you have thought this through, and aren¡¯t doing it for the wrong reason, or just to please me... but... well, I promised Uncle and Auntie Mori that I wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid while we were away. You wouldn¡¯t want... owwww!¡± she bit me aggressively again, kissing me sensually, her hands unbuttoning my shirt, exposing my sweat-slicked chest, her hands running over my body, giving me shivers. The juxtaposition with the usual terminally shy Eri and this mortified yet aggressive one was sparking warmth within me, and my own breaths were also coming in hot gasps, matching hers. As our lips parted she spoke words that crushed my last bastion of reason.


    ¡°They said you just had to take responsibility, didn¡¯t they? Were you planning to dump me after all? The Akio I love wouldn¡¯t do that, right, right?¡±


    Well, no. I didn¡¯t accept her lightly, even if the decision was one I wrestled with. But... ¡°No, I promised you to be your boyfriend and to make you happy, always. But... if we cross this line... I can¡¯t see you as a childhood friend anymore. Our relationship will change. And I find that both somehow sad and also frightening.¡±


    Eri nodded, her pert breasts jiggling. ¡°I understand. I really do. I¡¯m scared too. But not of you, Akio, or of what we are going to do here... I¡¯m scared that when I become your lover... I¡¯ll love you too much. I think... if you ever abandoned me, I¡¯d die...¡±


    Uh, she¡¯s very intense. It¡¯s pretty worrying really. But I guess this was destiny in a way. Everything was leading up to this moment. Kissing her again, this time gently, I laid her down on the bed. Looking down at her, who was looking up at me, her onyx eyes reflecting a mixture of anxiety, arousal and happiness I asked her one last time. ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s no going back after this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of this as I¡¯ve never been as sure of anything in my life.¡± She answered. ¡°I am going to seize the happiness I want, and I¡¯m going to give you twice as much as I receive. But since I receive such an infinite amount just knowing that you¡¯ll be with me, I guess we¡¯ll have the same amount of happiness!¡±


    Oh fuck, that line was so corny, but... feeling my own tears I hastily scrubbed them away. Leaning down to kiss her once more I then pulled away, turning towards the door. ¡°I think there was some condoms in the bathroom. This suite has everything...¡± before I could finish she pulled me down beside her, angrily pouting.


    ¡°No condoms. Not the first time. I won¡¯t allow it!¡± she shouted, face red with anger this time.


    So annoyed all of a sudden... ¡°But... what happens if you get pregnant? How would we face our families? And what would you do about school? You have University entrance exams coming up soon, so if you were to...¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I would ever survive at University? I am scared of people I don¡¯t know, especially men. It¡¯d be hell for me. Besides, we could never afford it, you know how poor we are.¡±


    ¡°I have money, I could...¡±


    ¡°If you are going to spend money on me, I¡¯d rather just be your wife, waiting for you when you come home. I¡¯ll learn how to cook and clean and how... how to satisfy you in bed.¡± She smiled. ¡°It all starts here. But I¡¯m not a fool. Just... just this once let fate decide it. If I get pregnant this time we¡¯ll accept it, and if not then we can use protection until we are both ready. You believe in fate, right?¡±


    More than you know. This last month has shown me many things I wouldn¡¯t have believed in before, but this night... perhaps it is the most surprising yet... instead of answering I lay beside her once more, and our lips met, tongues entwining, our hot breaths merging as one...


    ********


    ¡°So, wow, you think... you think they are going to do what I think they are going to do?¡± I asked Shaeula, taking another big gulp of champagne. ¡°I know Eri-chan has been volatile ever since you and my big bro came to Nishimorioka, but this... it seems... well, I don¡¯t want to say out-of-character, as she adores my bro and would readily give herself to him if he wanted... but ah that¡¯s it. Bold. It seems wildly bold for her!¡±


    ¡°I believe she has just found the shape of the happiness she is aiming for-for.¡± Shaeula answered. ¡°She wanted to know what she could do for Akio, and she has decided she can be his lover. It is not so complicated. Besides...¡± Shaeula grinned at me. ¡°I feel we both know she wants this herself. Those who are shyest are often the most... forceful when the time comes-comes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... I know they¡¯ve been kissing and all, but... ugh wow, I need more booze. I know I said only one glass, but...¡±


    ¡°Feel free.¡± Shaeula slid me the bottle and I poured more of the delicious fizzy liquid. ¡°I would not worry too much though, Aiko. After all your brother is quite the coward. He has not even tried to push me down, despite seeing me naked several times-times. Perhaps I was too harsh with him at the start when I suggested that my father and siblings would have his head cut off and spiked on the ramparts of the Twilight Gate if he touched me inappropriately. How regretful indeed-indeed.¡±


    Wow, hang on... I can¡¯t let that slide. ¡°Seriously, no joking. You.. you want my big bro to... do that with you? I know you¡¯ve talked about a harem and not minding sharing him with Eri-chan, but... I kinda thought you were joking, at least a bit.¡± Plus he¡¯s been seeing you naked? Damn, my brother really is soaring up the steps to adulthood. Wow, I feel both happy and sad.


    ¡°Every day I become more sure he is the other half of my soul, the full moon to my new moon. Still, I am a patient one-one, I can wait until I have won Eri over too. And then... just a gentle push. Besides, we have already...¡±


    ¡°No condoms. Not the first time. I won¡¯t allow it!¡± the shout echoed through the closed door, and I reacted by spitting out a mouthful of champagne, spraying it all down the front of my pyjamas. Wowowowowowowowowowow! What? That was Eri-chan?¡±


    ¡°What are these condoms?¡± Shaeula asked, straight-faced, and I turned purple, writhing in embarrassment.


    ¡°That¡¯s your question? Really?¡± I choked out. ¡°It¡¯s a tool to prevent pregnancy, the man wears it on his... oh you know what, I am NOT talking about this now. They are going all the way, going to do it! My brother and best friend will finally be adults. Eri is going ahead of me! Wait, shit! That¡¯s my bed too... I have to sleep there tomorrow night. Oh I feel sick. Please Shaeula, let me room with you from now on!¡±


    ¡°So they will become as one? A bold move. I am very happy for her. She has decided what she needs-needs to do to banish her fears.¡± Shaeula raised her glass to the closed door.


    ¡°Well yeah, really, I¡¯m shocked, but I¡¯m happy for them too. They are perfect for each other. My brother has a lot of love to give and is very protective, and Eri-chan needs to receive love and be protected. But to think she¡¯d be so bold... just... oh god, my dad is going to freak out...¡±


    Besides, I can¡¯t believe they¡¯d do it while we are here listening. Shaeula seems amused, but I¡¯m half-convinced she doesn¡¯t know what sex is anyway, but I do! I know damn biology. Wow, these two are going to owe me bigtime tomorrow...


    ********


    My tongue rolled on Eri¡¯s breasts, licking around the nipple, feeling it hard against my lips. She had a sweet taste, a mixture of light sweat and lemon. It was hard to describe, but it made my heart race. This may not be the right thing... but I admit I want this now... the thought that she¡¯s a sister to me is fading as I lose my reason.


    Under me Eri was moaning, fidgeting restlessly as my hands and tongue roamed over her body. Sliding further down I licked along her stomach and then into her navel, causing her breath to come in short gasps. I slid lower then, my tongue sliding over her white panties. Now that I could see them closely they were very mature, patterned silk that was now almost transparent with her love nectars, clearly outlining her most private area. I stroked my tongue on her wet patch, doing what seemed natural, and she let out whimpers of pleasure as I stimulated her gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s sour...¡± I muttered, and she clutched my head with her arms, her moist gaze watching as I toyed with her.


    ¡°That¡¯s... so... embarrassing. I¡¯m ashamed... yet... I can¡¯t stop...¡± she gasped, as I intensified my probing, my hand on her breast, the other sliding under her to caress her ass. She had a fairly small bottom, yet it was tight and soft to the touch. I never knew...


    I¡¯m discovering so much I never knew about you.¡± I marvelled, feeling lightheaded, my blood rushing from my head. ¡°Your taste, your feel, your pleasured moans...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ... it¡¯s scary, yet so, so right. Learn everything about me. Everything no one else ever will!¡± Eri squealed, her voice shockingly loud. ¡°Devour me, eat me up, make me yours for ever!¡±


    Her gaze was driving me beyond reason, my body ready, so my hand tugged and her panties slid down over her thighs, revealing her fully. She had pure black pubic hair, not much, just a small neat patch above her leaking slit, which was closed shut and cut like a knife-wound, perfectly straight against her smooth white flesh. Love nectar had already soaked through to the sheets below, darkening them.


    As I was forced to listen to stereo moans and wails of pleasure from either side of me, Shaeula suddenly sat bolt upright, her face flaming. ¡°This... I can not-not believe it. Mmm, I can... barely move-move, but... ahh... help me Aiko, we must go to Eri-Eri now...¡± she staggered to her feet and nearly fell on me, unsteady and still shaking from reflected pleasure.


    ¡°Why, is Eri-chan in trouble?¡± I asked, suddenly alert, the drunken and annoyed feelings I had vanishing.


    ¡°Trouble-trouble? Ahh, no, not... maybe... but not-not... ahh, if we... mmm... can adjust it-it.¡±


    Suddenly I heard my brother cry out in ecstasy, followed by Eri screaming too. ¡°I... my chakra network... it... I feel it flowing. Your energy, so warm, so full of care for me! I love you Akio, now and forever!¡±


    Shaeula let out a low growling moan, convulsing, and the room was suddenly filled with a sour scent, unpleasant to my nose.


    Wow, I¡¯m glad she loves my bro, but I did not need to hear the two climax... I think I¡¯m put off sex for life... and now the room stinks, I think I got a three for the price of two... still, it seems something weird and magical is going on... grabbing Shaeula by the arm, who shivered, moaning at my touch, I helped her to the door, which we flung open, greeting us with a sight that I did NOT need to see, but would likely never forget... not even if I batter my head against the wall until I pass out... yeah, I am NOT sleeping on that bed anymore...


    ¡°Master, Eri, allow me-me... oh ahh... mmm... to assist! This-this turn of events is-is... unprecedented, but... mmm... most welcome!¡±


    ********


    ¡°Oh, Akio... I love... love...love you!¡± Eri was panting as I thrust away at her. I was rising towards climax, I could feel it like a hot lump in my belly. All thoughts of what my parents and Uncle and Auntie Mori would say were driven from my head, although it was truly too late to care about that now.


    ¡°I love you too!¡± I answered. My body was boiling, my chakra network working overtime. I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but it felt amazing. If I knew sex was this good, I¡¯d have spent more time wooing girls at Uni. Although it¡¯s probably because there is love. That must be it...


    ¡°What¡¯s ... happening to me... Akio? I¡¯m soaring, the world is going white... I... ahh, think I am... going to fly!¡±


    ¡°Me too... I can feel it rising. I¡¯m... I¡¯m going to cum. Are you sure you want to risk it, I could do it ... outside?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no... risk at all!¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s fate! One day I¡¯ll bear your child, and we¡¯ll raise it... ahh, mmm, ahh, with love. If it¡¯s now, it¡¯s now!¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± I kissed her again, my mouth stinging from all the intense sucking. ¡°... I¡¯m cumming. Eri... I¡¯m cumming!¡± Hot white liquid surged from me, pumping inside her. With a squeal she shuddered, her womb twitching in response to the hot jet that soaked her deepest insides as she reached orgasm.


    ¡°It¡¯s all white, I feel like warm... ahn... water is poured inside me... I¡¯m ... I¡¯m... wait, it¡¯s yellow and green and hot... it¡¯s surging... within me... like I... my chakra network... it... I feel it flowing. Your energy, so warm, so full of care for me! I love you Akio, now and forever!¡±


    Huh, chakra network? How the hell do you know about that, Eri? Still, she was right, I could feel aether, elemental wind and fire pouring freely from me, sloshing into her like water from a jug, saturating the area around her non-existent lunar node.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m flying again!¡± she orgasmed a second time, this driven by the energy that was violating her. Her skin was flashing between pale and flushed, sweat springing out of her every pore.


    Suddenly silver flames burst across my vision, forming familiar words. Why? I don¡¯t get it... but... as Eri shuddered under me again, seeking my tongue, I reciprocated, concerned at the sudden scalding nature of her skin and insides.


    Your Skill, Kin Bonding And Restoration has advanced from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your Bonds are stronger and it further ???????? ????????? ???????? ?????????.


    Mori Eri has accepted your kinship, becoming bonded to you.


    Resonance has occurred with your Bonded Kin, strengthening their ??????????? and ?????????.


    Wait, Eri is now my kin? I welcome it, but how the hell did that happen? She shouldn¡¯t have any abilities, and doesn¡¯t even have an Astral body...


    ¡°I¡¯m... I dreamed of this so long... now... I¡¯ll no longer fear that you¡¯ll ... abandon me. And I¡¯ll... never let you be alone again.¡± Eri was muttering weakly, her second climax having left her exhausted, the raging energy also cascading through her.


    Suddenly the door slammed open, and my sister was there, supporting a flushed and exhausted Shaeula, a trail of sour fluid splashed down her bare legs, her yukata damp and pungent. ¡°Master, Eri, allow me-me... oh ahh... mmm... to assist! This-this turn of events is-is... unprecedented, but... mmm... most welcome!¡±


    Just what the hell have you been doing? But still... Eri is suffering, no time to worry. ¡°Yeah, something is wrong with Eri. Kin Bonding has triggered, but that should be impossible, right? She also seems to know about chakras. Anything to say?¡±


    ¡°Later-later. I expect you are wroth with me-me... mmm, I feel so drained... but Eri comes first-first. Help me over, Aiko.¡±


    As Aiko helped Shaeula over to the limp Eri she saw the sheets, stained with blood, love nectar and semen, and turned her nose up at me, glaring. ¡°We are going to have words about this later, but... Akio, Eri. Congratulations. From boyfriend and girlfriend to lovers. Now you¡¯ll never break up, or my dad and uncle Mori will kill you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I laughed tiredly. Leaning down I kissed Eri on the forehead and held her hand once more. ¡°Hang in there, Shaeula knows what she is doing, she¡¯ll fix you!¡±


    ¡°I know... she will. I could feel her... with us... at the end. We¡¯ll have to... do something... about that in future, but now...¡± her voice was fading, her strength all but spent.


    ********


    I watched Shaeula fuss over Eri-chan, her eyes glowing mysteriously. My brother, still holding Eri-chan¡¯s hand, which I found rather sweet, I¡¯ll admit, turned to me. ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing you know about chakra and aether too?¡± his tone was fed up, but he seemed a little sorry for not telling me. I¡¯m not letting you off the hook that easily though, big bro. You owe me for that, and tonight too!


    ¡°Yeah, Shaeula told us the night of the baseball match. Don¡¯t be mad, she said you were not sure of whether telling us was the right thing to do anyway, and... seriously bro, are you an idiot? You came back with such a pretty foreign girl, tons of money, and were hot and fit, like a superstar athlete. You think your sister and the childhood friend who has loved you forever aren¡¯t going to notice something is up? We asked her and she had no way of brushing it off. So if you treat her badly because of this I won¡¯t forgive you, and your lover will be pissed too, all right?¡±


    My bro nodded to me. ¡°Sure, I get it. But that begs the question, what will you do now? This isn¡¯t a game. I almost died earlier tonight due to this power. I met a rival, and he was going to have my body dumped in an alleyway as a robbery victim. I don¡¯t want you to suffer such a fate.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I get it, you are so overprotective but I don¡¯t hate it. Still though...¡± my gaze had wandered and now I regretted it. ¡°Can you like... cover your dick, bro? As your sister I do not need to see it waving about all erect and covered in Eri-chan¡¯s stuff. Does this hotel sell brain bleach?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, sorry. I forgot, I was too worried for Eri.¡± He grabbed his underwear and pulled it on.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t get upset if you are worrying for Eri-chan. How is she Shaeula? You... you can help her, right?¡±


    ¡°I can-can and will!¡± she said firmly, masking her own post-orgasm exhaustion. Energy was leaving her hands and saturating around Eri-chan¡¯s chakras. ¡°I fear though I made the same error again-again, I am so ashamed. I set up branch routes to where the lunar chakra should be, and it has poured energy there-there instead of cycling it through the other seven. Still-still, a bond has been established between the sea of rampaging energy and your own lunar chakra, Akio. I believe I can tame it and create a sort of false chakra for now-now. She should make it through this unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank god. You are the best as always, Shaeula.¡± My bro said, taking Eri-chan¡¯s hand again and squeezing it reassuringly. Eri-chan returned a smile, so achingly pure and beautiful despite being so weary that I was mesmerised for a second, blushing. Wow, Eri-chan is my childhood friend and big bro¡¯s lover. Don¡¯t go getting crazy now... still, I guess becoming a woman really does make you beautiful, if It¡¯s with someone you love. Lucky, I¡¯m jealous...


    ¡°It was my error, I shall fix it-it no matter the cost!¡± Shaeula insisted, taking Eri-chan¡¯s other hand in her small one.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard your answer. What will you do now?¡± my bro said, jolting me out of my reverie.


    ¡°About these strange powers? It¡¯s obvious. I want to help you, Eri-chan too. No matter the danger, we remember how you saved us from the dog. Our days of letting you shed blood for us as we cower are over, right Eri-ch... oh, wait, you are now my sister in truth, right? Can I call you Eri, like my bro does? You can call me Aiko too, if it isn¡¯t too embarrassing for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind... Aiko. Wow, that is embarrassing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eri smiled.


    ¡°So, in that case... if you truly want to step into this world, knowing what risk it entails, then I cannot stop you. But you have to follow my orders and keep margins of safety at all times. Shaeula and I have come too close to death too many times in just a short month.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think we need to hear about this so we can scold you pair, right... Eri?¡± wow, feels weird without the honorifics, but I feel closer to her than ever...


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll never allow you to die, my Akio!¡± Eri insisted.


    ¡°Fine, you can learn from our mistakes at least. I guess Shaeula was right too, strengthening you before you run into problems is the right decision.¡±


    ¡°And I have succeeded!¡± Shaeula suddenly piped up. ¡°The rampaging energies have been contained. I fear Eri and I shall be-be spending the night trying to fully balance her chakras but the worst is over.¡±


    I¡¯m so relieved, big bro too. ¡°In that case... how about we drink the night away? I don¡¯t even care if I¡¯m sick tomorrow anymore, tonight has been enough of a shock for me to last a lifetime. And shit bro, put on more damn clothes. And cover Eri too, be a gentleman!¡±


    My brother chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I should.¡± As he covered Eri with a blanket, firming up my decision not to sleep in that bed ever again, he turned to me. ¡°Now you know about aether, I can probably heal your hangover as long as you drink plenty of water. Just don¡¯t drink so much you get alcohol poisoning and it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a practical use of magic eh? Cool. Well, we have a long night ahead of us then, right? Time to party, we have to celebrate big bro and Eri¡¯s eternal commitment, right?¡±


    Laughter filled the room, tired but happy, and I felt that all was right with the world again...

 One Hundred And Six

    One Hundred And Six


    ¡°I guess this is the beauty of staying in a very expensive Suite room. Twenty-four hour room service.¡± I poured my sister another glass of champagne from the fresh bottle that I had brought to us. ¡°Still, you definitely pay for convenience.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find that convincing coming from someone who has two bags stuffed full of money just lying about their room.¡± My sister retorted, taking a sip. ¡°So why¡¯d you fetch it from outside? The poor guy looked put out until you tipped him.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± I snorted. ¡°You think I can let him come in? This place smells like a damn brothel.¡±


    ¡°And just how do you know what a brothel smells like, eh big bro? You haven¡¯t been keeping secrets from us, have you?¡±


    ¡°It was a figure of speech, all right? You know I¡¯m not interested in that sort of thing.¡± I responded, protesting my innocence, only to be met by a vicious grin from my sis.Upstodatee from


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m just messing with you. I think you owe me that much after tonight, right bro? If I was to tell our dad just what you got up to here...¡± she winked at me slyly.


    ¡°I get it, I do. This wasn¡¯t the time or the place for... for Eri and I. I said I¡¯m sorry, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯ll have you both make it up to me. Shaeula too. I thought I was safe out here, and then...¡± she flushed, covering her embarrassment by taking a long sip of the champagne. ¡°Hey, this is really good. Did you get an expensive one?¡±


    I had to smile at her reaction. But yes, It was expensive. ¡°Only the best for my very forgiving sister. So anyway, you wanted to ask me some questions, right? I suppose I can answer them while Shaeula works on Eri. I had dressed myself in casual clothing, and Shaeula had helped the exhausted Eri put on pyjamas, and they were now using the small bed I slept on in the other bedroom, Shaeula working intensely on stabilising the wildly overloaded chakra network Eri had awakened through our love-making and Kin Bond.


    ¡°Wow, oh where to begin? I have so many questions, they¡¯ve been running through my mind non-stop all week. It¡¯s good school hadn¡¯t restarted yet, or I¡¯d have flunked my entrance exams, and it would have been your fault that everyone would have said I was a dumbass. Anyway, first I guess...¡± her gaze went to the closed door, behind which Eri and Shaeula were working. ¡°... just how the hell does this chakra stuff even work? I mean, if it was as easy as just the visualisation exercises Shaeula makes us do, then magical girls and wizards would be everywhere, right? Come on, explain it to me bro, you should know.¡±


    I sure wish it was that simple. Wow, this champagne is really good... Taking a drink I nodded. ¡°Oh, there is more to it I¡¯m sure. I guess I¡¯ll have to start from what I¡¯ve been told by Shaeula, and also priests and kami from the shrines.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, back up. You¡¯ve spoken to kami? Like, actual, honest-to-goodness real gods? Wow, that¡¯s... I can¡¯t even deal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you are so shocked. I think Shaeula is close enough to what we would call a kami, isn¡¯t she? I¡¯ve not met a major god from myth or anything like that... but we are getting off topic. Basically, and get ready, for I struggled to process this one myself... our ideas of history seem to have some major flaws.¡±


    ¡°Not just history, science too, I¡¯d say. Hey, you think if I wrote a paper on all this I could win a Nobel prize or something? The first Nobel prize-winner in magic... sounds cool, huh?¡±


    ¡°I think you might be drunk.¡± I reached out and put my hand on her forehead, trickling in aether. As she shivered as warmth permeated her, I carried on talking. ¡°Anyway, it seems that up until around fifteen hundred years ago, give or take, there was a lot more spiritual presence to the world. I don¡¯t want to make it too complicated, but there is at least one more reality that is connected to our own, called the Astral, as opposed to where we live, the Material. And it used to be overlapping far more than it does now, so a lot of tales of faeries, yokai, kami and sorcerers... they had some basis in truth.¡±


    ¡°I see. So something changed, right?¡± she asked, leaning into my hand.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure what, but it seems that humans started persecuting those that had powers or were spiritual beings. There were wars and horrible genocides on both sides... but in the end it seems humanity won out. Whether that caused the Astral to recede from the Material, or it was this recession that weakened the mystical and emboldened us humans... well, unless we find someone or something old enough and wise enough to ask, we can¡¯t know for certain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like a manga.¡± My sister sighed. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t answer my question about how it all works though.¡±


    ¡°Well, spiritual power seems to be connected to the Astral... well, the Boundary, we call it now, the point where the edge of the Astral and our Material worlds meet. As it has declined, so has the abilities of those born with special powers. It may shock you, but magic did exist still, even before this, even if Kana-chan does say it¡¯s pathetic, it¡¯s only use to get you captured and dissected as a guinea pig in some underground laboratory.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s cool and all, but who is Kana-chan? Is this another one of your girls, big bro? You¡¯ve committed to Eri now, best get rid of any temptations hanging around!¡± my sister pouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. She¡¯s a shrine maiden at the shrine near my house in Tokyo, and she¡¯s from a long bloodline of mystics. Her gift is the ability to see spiritual strangeness, so she spotted us one day and from there I was introduced to the shrine.¡±


    ¡°Got a thing for shrine maidens, haven¡¯t you bro, you big perv. That one at our shrine too. Though I bet Eri would look gorgeous in a shrine maiden cosplay. You¡¯d like to see that, wouldn¡¯t you bro? I bet you¡¯d have her in bed in... ugh, oh god, now I¡¯m thinking of that again! My poor brain!¡±


    Actually, yes I certainly would. Shrine maiden attire looks best on traditionally beautiful Japanese girls, and Eri fits the bill perfectly. But that¡¯s for another time... ¡°Cheer up sis, I said I¡¯d make it up to you. Tomorrow you can go wild when we go shopping.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that bro. anyway, you were just telling me about your insatiable lust for shrine maidens...¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I was. But anyway... it turns out that the shrines have been keeping the bloodlines of those who can use mystic abilities from disappearing. They have almost no power, but it does tie in to what you¡¯ve asked me, I think. Anyway, the shrines that do have old blood, going back to fifteen hundred years ago when everything changed, they keep in contact with each other, and so that¡¯s why I¡¯m now heavily involved with them. Not to hit on girls, okay?¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll believe you. for now, anyway. So, sum it up for me bro, I¡¯ve heard a lot of interesting history, but not much about how magic works?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think that those who have mystical abilities have a rudimentary chakra network already. I think we all have the potential within us, but without a functioning root chakra we can¡¯t draw in any energy to stimulate it. So Shaeula uses her own aether, which is what we call the form of the energy we use, to kickstart your root. From there on you do the exercises to draw in aether from the surroundings, gradually activating the rest of your chakras. After all, the Astral, from where aether flows down into the Boundary and then a trickle comes to the Material, seems to be a realm of the mind. Your strength of mind, insight and mental image are what gives aether form and compels it to act.¡±


    ¡°I see. That... kind of does make sense. It¡¯s a little similar to the stages of kyudo, I thought that before. Although I¡¯m only at the second stage, and even then only sometimes. When I am in that zone, where the arrow truly pierces the target, the Kanteki, it feels a bit like when I am drawing in this aether, like Shaeula taught us.¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡± I confessed. ¡°I think it is the skill I got from Exposition-san, that it turns everything into a system I find easy to understand, which helps me grow stronger. He did say that if he gave me too much strength it would hamper my growth, so that¡¯s my surmise. Plus it comes with Appraisal, which is a standard cheat skill in these tales, right? Although mine is determined to hide any useful information under a whole bunch of damn question marks...¡± I coughed to cover my embarrassment as I ranted on a sore subject for me. ¡°Anyway...¡± I continued. ¡°Without knowing what powers other Astral Emperor-candidates have, I can¡¯t be sure. Maybe they all have a system like this and I got cheated? I¡¯ve only met the one so far, and I don¡¯t know his powers, although...¡± I smiled maliciously. ¡°After he tried to kill me, I really want to go and bust up his Territory to teach him a lesson. Getting away with the money wasn¡¯t enough, I won that despite his massive amount of cheating!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe we should teach him a lesson indeed, as a warning to him-him.¡± Shaeula nodded, then her gaze turned on me, amber eyes looking predatory, more like a lion¡¯s than a weasel¡¯s. ¡°That skill, Lovers¡¯ Link. I have been stuck at level five-five for quite some time. I believe if I was to acquire this skill, the extra...¡±


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t.¡± my sis rapped her on the head with her knuckles, stopping her tirade. ¡°I know where you are going with this, but you are not having sex with my bro too.¡±


    ¡°I do not see-see the problem. Eri would forgive me for this, would you not? It is for our growth.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula... dear...¡± Eri said, her voice bright yet brittle. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be appropriate. Akio is my boyfriend, not yours, and if you do sex purely for gain, it is nothing but prostitution. A princess shouldn¡¯t be a whore now, should she?¡±


    Uhh... that¡¯s so... I can¡¯t believe Eri said that...


    ¡°Wow, oh my god, sick burn Eri. But... even I think... that¡¯s kind of harsh...¡± my sister agreed with me.


    Shaeula tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°It would not be purely for gain though would it-it? I would not offer myself to any other purely for this. I find Akio rather splendid after all-all...¡±


    ¡°The answer is still no!¡± Eri snapped, grasping me tight. ¡°We¡¯ve only just given each other our virginities, so now is not the time for this, all right?¡±


    ¡°Very well-well, you are rather fraught right now, I concede.¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°Another time perhaps.¡±


    Eri¡¯s face says ¡®no¡¯, but at least we are off this topic...


    ¡°I believe that when we punish the fool who attacked you, master, we should take Eri along with us-us. It should be of little difficulty for her to gain those levels while under our protection, and the strengthening would make her network more-more stable, I have little doubt.¡± Shaeula offered a suggestion, and Eri jumped in.


    ¡°You¡¯ll protect me, won¡¯t you Akio? I¡¯ll be safe with you, and if I can see the world that you see... I¡¯d do anything for that. We¡¯ve promised each other our everything, remember, and this strange world is also a part of your life now.¡±


    If it is just gaining a few levels... ¡°Not on the Territory assault, you¡¯ll have to return before that but... getting you to level three should be fine.¡±


    ¡°I love you Akio!¡± she kissed me again, this time deeply, and I reflexively started groping her, leading to hot sighs leaking from her lips.


    ¡°Hey, stop that, you can¡¯t right now, remember! Besides, you forgot I exist again!¡± Aiko was annoyed and rather drunk, finishing off another glass of champagne. ¡°I¡¯m left out again. I¡¯m starting to feel really upset, you know.¡± And with that her eyes filled with moisture. ¡°Now even Eri gets to go with you, while I¡¯m stuck all alone... it isn¡¯t fair. I want to be with you too, big bro, Eri, Shaeula...¡± she sniffled, a few small tears leaking out.


    Disentangling myself from Eri, who nodded reassuringly at me, I walked over to my sis and patted her head in consolation. ¡°Oh come on sis, we aren¡¯t excluding you. I¡¯d take you in a heartbeat if I was able to, you know that, right?¡± Is there another way to accelerate her growth? Hmm, there is one, but...


    ¡°I¡¯ve an idea, it isn¡¯t going to be easy but...¡±


    Before I could finish Aiko gasped drunkenly. ¡°Wait, big bro, you can¡¯t mean...? No, no, NO!¡± she flushed crimson and scuttled back out of my grasp. ¡°We are brother and sister, we can¡¯t do that. Wow, that¡¯s just ... ewww. I¡¯m flattered you¡¯d go that far for me, and if you weren¡¯t my big bro moonstone I¡¯d totally think about it, but... and what about Eri? It¡¯d be cheating on her! We can¡¯t have sex bro, no way, lecher, pervert, cheater!¡±


    We all watched her dumbfounded as she rattled on, before she paused, realising she had completely misunderstood. With a groan she hid her face, lying face down on the sofa, kicking her legs like a toddler. ¡°Just kill me okay? Please? I don¡¯t know what came over me...¡±


    ¡°I do, you are absolutely hammered.¡± I sighed. ¡°Me, do something so base with my beloved little sis sapphire?¡± I stole and reversed her usual putdown, inflection and tone perfect. ¡°No way. Seriously, keep up with your training, and when my Territory upgrades... I think I can find a way to help.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll hold you to that bro. and sorry again. I know you aren¡¯t a cheater. Just a lecher and a pervert.¡±


    As we laughed at my sis and her attempts to lighten the mood after her implosion, I shared the last bottle of champagne with Eri and Shaeula, and we talked and joked until tiredness inevitably dragged them down, my sis passed out on my bed in a drunken stupor, Eri sleeping quietly in my arms. As I carried her gently to bed and tucked her in, Shaeula watched me with a solemn expression.


    ¡°I find myself very pleased to be here, master. With you, Eri and Aiko. I would not-not want you to forget that, nor mistake my motives. I do not deny I perhaps was rather too greedy at the thought of being able to strengthen myself, but-but...¡± she paused, and her eyes met mine, her gaze serious and pure. ¡°... I am no harlot, offering my body to gain favour or rewards. I say it now-now, and I mean it, I swear upon my Oaths and the Throne of the Seelie itself, you are the only male I desire.¡±


    It was impossible to look away, or somehow pretend I didn¡¯t understand. Still... I have Eri now, and...


    My unproductive words were cut off by the feel of her soft lips on mine, as she stood on tiptoes to reach my face. I blinked for a moment, shocked, and she pulled away, running her fingers over her now wet lips. ¡°Mmm, that was indeed quite something, I can see why Eri likes it so-so.¡±


    Before I could protest, Shaeula grinned at me. ¡°Small compensation for my aid in repairing the damage to Eri. I shall content myself with this for now-now, and surely Eri cannot begrudge me this small favour.¡±


    I think she can... but, I guess I can¡¯t pretend I don¡¯t understand Shaeula¡¯s flirtations any more. The dense protagonist route is too hard, when the girl kisses you and says you are the only man she wants, it¡¯s impossible to twist it to anything but love, isn¡¯t it? For now... for now though, the best thing is to stay as we are. I am not going to hurt Eri, I promised. So... Lost in thought I gestured to my side. ¡°It¡¯s a couple of hours until dawn. We don¡¯t need much sleep with our stats, so did you want to watch the sunrise with me?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, coming over and taking my hand in hers. ¡°I would like that, Akio. I would like that very much-much.¡±

 One Hundred And Seven

    One Hundred And Seven


    After watching the sun rise with alcohol in hand, Shaeula and I had spent an amiable few hours just relaxing while Eri and Aiko were sleeping. We could easily manage a few days without sleep, and the plane journey back the next day would be a perfect time to catch up on our rest.


    I was idly watching a show on TV, barely paying any real attention, Shaeula beside me on the sofa, when our room phone rang. Standing, I quickly picked it up.


    ¡°Hello? Can I help you?¡± I said, and after a moment came the reply from the receptionist.


    ¡°Good morning Mr Oshiro, I hope I didn¡¯t wake you?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, go on.¡±


    ¡°Oh, in that case, you have some visitors. There¡¯s a group of staff from Chase here to see you. Can I send them up?¡±


    What? Chase? It doesn¡¯t ring any bells... oh, wait. ¡°Would that happen to be a bank?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chase Bank.¡± The receptionist confirmed. ¡°They said that they had an appointment with you this morning. I can send them away if you want...¡± she sounded a little worried.


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine. A friend of mine arranged an appointment for me, but he forgot to tell me which bank. Send them up, I¡¯ll handle it, and sorry for the trouble.¡± As I hung up I frowned. I guess Buck did what he said he would. I glanced at the two big holdalls full of money. I guess it does make sense to do something with the cash, I can¡¯t exactly take on 50kg of dollars in carry-on luggage...


    A couple of minutes later there was a knock on our door, and I opened it carefully, after gesturing for Shaeula to remain on the sofa, but to be ready. They probably are the bankers that Buck was going to send me, but there¡¯s still a small chance that it might be a ploy from that bastard at the casino. He should have overheard me telling Buck where I was staying...


    ¡°Good morning. You would be Mr Oshiro, I presume? I have come from Chase Bank¡¯s outreach department, Midas Gold. Here is my business card.¡± A woman was outside, flanked by two very burly men in sharp suits, carrying large briefcases and several bits of equipment I didn¡¯t recognise. The woman herself was quite tall, her dark brown hair pulled tight into a bun, her stern face complimented by round, horned-rim glasses and light make-up. She looks like the spitting image of one of those governesses you¡¯d see in the old British dramas my mother used to import. Well, apart from the suit that is... She was wearing a black suit and white shirt, one that I could tell at a glance was way more expensive than the ones Shaeula and I had.


    Taking her business card I apologised that I didn¡¯t have my own on me, which was a failure as a Japanese man. She merely waved it aside professionally. Looking down at the card as I gestured for her to come in, I saw that in gold lettering it had her name and position.


    ¡®Jennifer Connors, Chase Bank Outreach, Account Manager, Midas Gold¡¯


    ¡°Sorry to bring you over so early on the weekend.¡± I apologised. ¡°But Buck... that is Mr Kelly, I guess... he insisted, saying I¡¯d be foolish not to consider proper financial planning. Can I offer you a drink or anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must decline.¡± Jennifer said primly, further reinforcing the strict governess image. She wasn¡¯t particularly pretty, but she was striking in her own way. ¡°I need to keep a clear head at work. As for the inconvenience... I am an Account Manager for Midas Gold, the personal touch is to be expected, and to be honest I owe Mr Kelly quite a bit.¡± She gestured, and the two men set down their burdens before retreating outside the room, standing guard in the hallway.


    ¡°Back when I was working for a different department at JP Morgan, I was having a very bad run of luck. And then a man crossed my office door, with a failing business he had taken a gamble on. No other bank or department would stump up the funds that he requested to turn that chain around. But I liked his proposal, and was also ready to take a risk to vanquish my own failing luck. And after that, the rest is history, as they say. Kelly¡¯s Rest is one of the biggest chains of Irish Bars in the whole of the USA, and plans to expand overseas are well under way. I made up for my losses, and was shifted to Chase Bank, as one of the managers of the Midas Gold programme. I¡¯ve worked with Mr Kelly for a long time now, and occasionally he has sent people my way. And he is seldom mistaken.¡± She looked at the bags of cash that were lying carelessly in the room. ¡°Mr Kelly has seen something in you, call it an instinct. Ordinarily, your holdings are a bit below what we could consider for Midas Gold, as our clients tend to have at least ten million dollars, quite often much more. Still... as a favour and betting on your future prospects ... here we are.¡±


    Shaeula snorted. ¡°I am more than satisfied to see my master and Eri united.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so magnanimous...¡±


    As the two girls bantered I retrieved more of our winnings. I kept a hundred thousand dollars for today, but added the rest to the pile. As it was sorted Jennifer let out an impressed exclamation. Well, over the weekend we did win rather a lot...


    ¡°Surprisingly, you haven¡¯t fallen much short of the ten million after all.¡± She observed, as she ran the cheque through another piece of kit, adding it to the next case. Taking out a laptop she began entering some details. Soon she had printed out documentation and given me a sleek black bank card, with golden lettering proclaiming I was a client of Midas Gold.


    ¡°When I return to the bank I¡¯ll sort out your tax liabilities and forward the funds to a holding account to make paying your government easier. I suspect you are looking at one point six million dollars, or roughly a hundred and sixty million yen at current exchange rates. Still, it is a much more pleasant figure than the liabilities if you had merely repatriated the dollars.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s... just the tax bill? You¡¯re rich now aren¡¯t you bro? Damn I¡¯m so jealous of Eri all over again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You know I¡¯ll look after you and our parents. Uncle and Auntie too. I¡¯m not heartless. Oh, speaking of... is it possible to get bank cards made up for Shaeula, my sister and another girl? Call it a limit of fifty thousand dollars¡¯ equivalent?¡±


    ¡°Fifty-thousand?¡± my sister choked. ¡°You said we could have twenty one thousand...¡±


    ¡°Well, the plan has changed. Since our money is of a higher scale. But don¡¯t waste it all, okay? There won¡¯t be any more until my next venture takes off.¡±


    ¡°I can do that, of course. I¡¯ll need their ID again.¡± Jennifer answered, and I sent Aiko to retrieve Eri¡¯s. Soon three more bank cards were made, these blue, signifying they were linked to a main account. My sis was holding hers, inspecting it dreamily, muttering about how much money she was holding...


    ¡°So, how much do I owe you for these services?¡± I asked, and Jennifer shook her head, as she gave the last of the equipment back to the burly staffers, who were now carrying my money.


    ¡°We are treating it as merely a time investment in a potential new success. Midas Gold is prepared to take a risk rather than let a future golden goose get away. We also have international branches, including in Japan. There are ones in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other major cities. I have the card here for Midas Gold in Tokyo. Contact this man should you need any assistance.¡± She handed me another business card, which I kept. ¡°We also have connections to legal, real estate and other industries. Mr Kelly thinks you¡¯ll go far, so feel free to use our services for your next venture...¡± as she had finished packing up she asked me one final question. ¡°So, what is your next step? I understand you seem to have great fortune, but luck always betrays you in the end. How will you be investing your gains?¡±


    My sis was also interested in this, and she perked up, listening closely.


    ¡°Well...¡± I allowed. ¡°I have a quite expansive long term strategy...¡± Investing in my Territory, not that I can explain that... ¡°But to start with, I have contacts in a very... traditional... industry who have a large amount of unrealised Tokyo land, which I am hoping to acquire and develop for a steal. Being in business I think you can appreciate the land shortage in Tokyo.¡± Shirohebizumi shrine has a ton of land around it... and when other shrines see what I plan...


    ¡°I see. Real estate. It certainly is a growth market, with potential for explosive gains in prime areas. And if you think that you have access to some at a decent price...¡± she nodded. ¡°Interesting. I can see that Mr Kelly was right to bring you to my attention, Mr Oshiro.¡± She held out her hand again, and we shook once more. ¡°If your project bears fruit and you need to invest your gains, call us and we¡¯ll make sure to maximise your portfolio. Anyway, do enjoy the rest of your vacation, and pass on my best regards to Mr Kelly when you see him later.¡±


    With that Jennifer and the staff from the bank left, leaving us alone once more.

 One Hundred And Eight

    One Hundred And Eight


    ¡°So...¡± my sister put away the bank card in her purse, her hands trembling a little. ¡°... what are we doing today then? You said we were going to go shopping for souvenirs, but that won¡¯t take all day, will it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did have one event organised, but that is in the early afternoon, so we have plenty of time yet. I guess we¡¯ll wait for Eri to wake up, get some room service, then see where the day takes us. We are heading home early tomorrow, so we have to make all the memories we can today, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but... it won¡¯t be the last time, will it big bro?¡± my sister asked. ¡°This has been really fun, and I¡¯m grateful, but now I¡¯ve tasted this life, I¡¯d be sad if I never got to do it again... save me from that cruel fate bro!¡± Aiko leapt over and hugged me. ¡°I¡¯ve become accustomed to luxury! You¡¯ve ruined me, so take responsibility!¡±


    ¡°Akio is already taking responsibility for Eri. He has none left for you!¡± Shaeula snickered. ¡°Besides... you are his sister, I believe he can not-not marry you.¡±Upstodatee from


    ¡°Wow, I knew you didn¡¯t forget my mistake last night, but to think you¡¯d be so mean. Big bro...¡± she turned to me, putting on a whiny voice. ¡°Shaeula is bullying me!¡±


    As we laughed and played around Shaeula asked me how much money I had left on me. I pulled out a hundred thousand dollars and she smiled. ¡°There is one of these casino places in this hotel, is there not-not?¡± she asked. ¡°We may as well have some fun while we wait for Eri to wake. I shall send her a text to let her know to call us when she rises-rises.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be addicted.¡± My sis warned. ¡°But I guess we do need to kill some time. Let me have a quick wash and I¡¯ll get changed. You... you two should probably wash too... you reek of... ugh, don¡¯t make me say it...¡±


    ¡°We should all go in together. I shall wash your back for you-you.¡± Shaeula offered magnanimously.


    ¡°You can, but not big bro! I haven¡¯t bathed with him since elementary, and I¡¯m not starting again now!¡±


    ¡°I do not understand.¡± Shaeula was puzzled. ¡°You were fine yesterday were you not-not?¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± My sister buried her head in her hands and let out a long, painful groan. ¡°I made the same mistake again. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with me! I thought you meant... naked... That¡¯s it. I will accompany you to the bath Shaeula, and you can drown me. I need to die to forget my shame!¡±


    ¡°You seem to have much on your mind since last night. Perhaps it was rather too stimulating for you-you?¡± Shaeula grinned, patting her gently. ¡°But death is not necessary. Akio thinks no less of you, I am sure-sure.¡±


    With that we had a quick wash in the hot-tub, in our swimwear of course, and after changing we headed down to the casino. My sis watched from some seats outside the gaming floor, while Shaeula and I headed for the tables, fifty thousand each in hand.


    Is it me though, or are people looking at us? I can hear them whispering too. Focusing my superior hearing I could make out them calling Shaeula ¡®That girl who won the slots jackpot¡¯ and me as ¡®the guy on a mad heater the other night¡¯. I guess word travels fast. At this rate we¡¯ll be barred from all the casinos on the strip. Lucky this is our last day...


    We both attracted a crowd, and freshly blessed by the fortunate winds again we both won regularly, and those that followed us also profited. Still, security were keeping an eye on us almost from the start, so I settled for winning a quick twenty thousand, and went to drag Shaeula away from her sport. As people begged her to stay I had to apologise, saying we were going to meet our family, and it was good timing, because we received a text from Eri saying she had woken up.


    Taking Shaeula to change our chips, my twenty thousand was added to the thirty-five thousand she had won in short order. Damn, it¡¯s so easy to win with our epic luck and these high-stakes tables... still we must be due a loss sooner or later... although when buffed with the winds our luck was in the fifty-percent increased ballpark, which compared to the casino house edge of less than ten percent on most games... it was as if we were running a crooked game ourselves. Speaking of crooked... tonight I am going to make that bastard regret trying to kill me... it would have been better if I could have silenced him, considering... but there was no way... I shocked myself even considering it, but if being soft could put my family and allies in danger...


    ¡°So, how much?¡± my sister asked and when I told her we had made over fifty thousand in well under an hour she whistled. ¡°Damn big bro, Shaeula. They¡¯ll be throwing us out at this rate.¡±


    Beside me Eri nodded. ¡°You... you aren¡¯t thinking of training the girls like you did with me are you?¡± she was smiling, but there was doubt and anger in her eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like that at all, no, not at all. I¡¯m the only one you can do that with. I¡¯m your lover!¡±


    Her jealousy... it¡¯s actually kind of cute, and I know she doesn¡¯t really think I¡¯d do that.


    ¡°Of course not Eri. Shaeula has us covered. They¡¯ll just have to learn like my sis there will have to. Lovers¡¯ Link is a sealed skill, have no fear. It may be on my sisters¡¯ mind, but...¡±


    ¡°I told you to forget that!¡± she pouted, and again more good-natured laughter filled the suite. ¡°Seriously though.¡± Aiko continued. ¡°So Shaeula has her future sorted. And Eri... I think you¡¯ve made up your mind about yours, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Eri nodded, her arm in mine, which was making it a little bit hard to eat, but she was still feeling the need to cling to me after last night, so I let it slide. She feels so soft anyway... all my fellow otaku would condemn me to death if I complained about this...


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve no wish to go to University. Once I graduate I¡¯ll move to Tokyo to be with Akio. I¡¯ll work for you!¡± she smiled up at me. ¡°In the day I¡¯ll be under your care, and at night... you¡¯ll be under mine.¡± Her voice dropped with embarrassment at the end, her face flushed.


    ¡°Adorable, Eri.¡± Shaeula tittered. ¡°My best regards to you then, we shall be comrades under master!¡±


    ¡°So, what about you then sis?¡± I asked. ¡°I know you said you wanted to try for a Tokyo University. Money might have been putting you off before, but now I can certainly give my adorable little sis a stipend to make it work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ve been thinking...¡± she began slowly. ¡°... there¡¯s been a lot on my mind recently, thanks to you three. I¡¯ve not come to a decision yet, but I do have an idea of what I might want to do, and how I can repay you, big bro, for always having my back.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to...¡± I began, but she cut me off.


    ¡°Wow, annoying. I hate it when you do that, don¡¯t you Eri? I bet it pisses Shaeula off too, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he is too humble. A male should be more bold-bold.¡±


    ¡°Right. When we tell him we are grateful for what he has done for us, it¡¯s rude to dismiss it out of hand. We aren¡¯t making it up, we feel that way!¡±


    At their retorts I sighed. ¡°Sorry. I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s a guy thing, okay. Us Japanese men are too modest. But I¡¯ll try to bear it in mind. Anyway, you were saying?¡±


    ¡°I think I need to discuss it with our parents, and I¡¯d like you to be there for moral support, bro. But yeah, I¡¯m close to a decision.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know I¡¯ll back you a hundred percent. Unless it¡¯s you are quitting school to get married to some jackass like that Kenji prick.¡± I made a joke, and Aiko flushed, embarrassed.


    ¡°Wow no, that¡¯s disgusting, unless I can get a guy as good as Eri did, no way...¡±


    As we finished up our hearty breakfast I checked the time. ¡°Well, we should be heading off soon, if we are to make it for what I have planned. But before that... there¡¯s somewhere else I¡¯d like to go...¡±

 One Hundred And Nine

    One Hundred And Nine


    ¡°So, why are we at a jewellery store, bro?¡± Aiko asked.


    ¡°I would have thought that would have been obvious?¡± I replied. ¡°Anyway, shall we go in?¡± I asked the girls. Shaeula had little interest, but Eri was looking at the very expensive-looking store with sparkling eyes.


    Upon entering the store a smartly-dressed man came over, to ask us what we were looking for. I answered that we were looking for rings, and at that point Eri let out a gasp. Aiko shot us both a wry look. ¡°Moving a bit quick here big bro. You aren¡¯t doing what I think you are doing are you?¡±


    Ignoring the girls I asked the man where the engagement rings were. His gaze flickered over the three girls with me, no doubt wondering which one I was buying the ring for, but the way Eri was bright red and smiling hugely probably gave it away.


    ¡°I see-see. He is moving quickly indeed.¡± Shaeula smirked as we followed the clerk.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s smart, big bro? I mean, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll dump Eri, but... you¡¯ve only been going out a week. Still, you have known her forever, so... ugh, it¡¯s just one shock after another this week. I know I said you were my sister now Eri, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d make it true. But hang on a minute...¡± she paused. ¡°If you are seriously getting Eri an engagement ring, does that mean you are proposing? If so you are doing a really bad job. You are supposed to get the ring by yourself... uhh, this is more like the big bro moonstone I love and despair over. Sorry he¡¯s blowing your once-in-a-lifetime proposal Eri! Shaeula and I will beat him soundly later!¡±


    The clerk looked rather bemused as we had lapsed back into Japanese. We¡¯d been speaking English for most of the trip other than when we were in our room, out of habit since the people around us were, but now she was excited it came out naturally. Apologising to him I turned to Aiko and Eri. ¡°Yeah, you could be right. But I wanted to make sure that whatever ring I got for you would be the one you really wanted. Is that so wrong?¡±


    ¡°So...¡± Eri muttered, barely able to meet my eyes. ¡°You... you are proposing? I¡¯m not misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Well, not here, sis is right and it isn¡¯t exactly romantic. But yes, I will be. I promised your parents I¡¯d take responsibility if something happened, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Eri¡¯s face fell, and Shaeula looked away, scratching at one cheek in an attempt to look uninterested. My sis was livid though, suddenly booting me in the shin. She yelped, hopping on one foot as tears sprang from her eyes.


    ¡°You moron, big bro moonstone. And just what are you made of? I think I¡¯ve broke my toes!¡± she let out a shrill growl of annoyance. ¡°You don¡¯t even get why we are so pissed off with you, do you? I can see it in your dumb grey eyes!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a ring. Let¡¯s just go...¡± Eri said, deflated, and I was very confused. I thought she¡¯d be delighted to get an engagement ring. Okay so I didn¡¯t think I was screwing up the proposal, but even so...


    ¡°Have mercy on the poor fool-fool.¡± Shaeula asked them. ¡°Expecting master to understand the hearts of females is asking for the sun not to shine-shine.¡±


    Wait, it¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it...? I¡¯m not as insensitive as they think. ¡°Look, please don¡¯t be mad Eri. I¡¯m not getting it just to take responsibility, okay? I did promise Uncle and Auntie, but even so, even more so... didn¡¯t we share everything last night? It¡¯s only obvious we should take the next step, right?¡±


    Eri paused, turning back to me. ¡°I don¡¯t want you pitying me, or feeling like you have to because you promised. If you do that... one day... there¡¯ll just be regret.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that at all.¡± I assured her. ¡°I did say to Uncle Mori that getting married would be way too soon, but I guess... you are more mature than I thought, and we... did that, and I do love you, and we¡¯ll be together forever, and...¡± I was rambling, desperate and suddenly Eri burst out laughing, her good humour restored. Coming over she took my hand in hers.


    ¡°Oh Akio. You can be such a fool sometimes. How can you be so romantic and cool one moment, and ... such a boy the next?¡± Looking up at me with her dark eyes she asked me again. ¡°Are you proposing to me?¡±


    I paid, and my prior savings and extra earnings from all the jobs I had done in the last month vanished. As the jeweller placed the two rings in beautiful display boxes, I turned to find Shaeula and Aiko there with pendants and bracelets of their own.


    ¡°Sure I get it, I can take a hint.¡± And with that I paid using the Midas Gold card.


    ¡°Cheers big bro. I feel less annoyed now. especially when I imagine showing this off to those two back home.¡± She giggled maliciously. Shaeula was also likewise infatuated with the torc-style golden armlet, that she said reminded her of what nobles wore in the Seelie court. Taking the engagement rings from Eri, who pouted, I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°Later. Like I said, I may have blundered and ruined the surprise, but at least you got the ring you wanted. I¡¯ll try and do a proper proposal in a bit.¡±


    With that I checked my watch. ¡°Oh, look at the time. Shopping with girls takes a while. We need to get a move on.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Rude.¡± My sister complained. ¡°You were making sure you got Eri the perfect ring to make up for your earlier moonstone-class hurtful blunder. No complaining!¡±


    ********


    ¡°Wow, this is damn awesome big bro! I can forgive your many, many indiscretions, just this once!¡± my sister cheered as she pulled the trigger on the assault rifle she was holding. Bullets sprayed out and peppered the target, most of them hitting it in vital areas. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m a natural at this!¡±


    Beside her on the next range Shaeula was firing away as well, though her shots were far less accurate than my sisters¡¯. Still, she was finding the experience fascinating. ¡°Can you not-not make such weapons with what those dirt-grubbing canines dig up for us?¡± she asked, captivated by the noise and power of the rifle in her hands. ¡°If we had these-these, our enemies would be but chaff in the breeze.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy.¡± I replied, lining up my own shot. I squeezed the trigger and put a bullet right through the head of the target at long range. My second shot went through the heart of the target.


    ¡°Oh man, nice shot. You a pro?¡± the safety instructor asked me, impressed.


    No, I just have cheat stats. ¡°I wish.¡± I returned. ¡°I¡¯ve just got decent eyesight and steady hands.¡±


    Eri was hesitant at first, but when Shaeula whispered something to her, she took up a pistol and was firing away. Her accuracy was actually pretty good, but her arms tired easily, so she was currently resting. Seeing my gaze she smiled back. ¡°This is interesting Akio, if a little loud. Still, Aiko really likes it, I can see why you brought us here.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are going to go to America, you have to shoot some guns right? After all, we don¡¯t have them in Japan. I know it may not be your thing, but Aiko has been through a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°She sure has.¡± Eri nodded, a chuckle leaking from her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. Shaeula explained that I¡¯d need to get used to weapons if... if I¡¯m going to be a help to you.¡±


    That Shaeula... ¡°Well, technically she isn¡¯t wrong. Anyway, why not try something larger while you are here? The instructors are pretty good. Take a leaf out of my sis¡¯ book. She¡¯s like the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger right now.¡± she was whooping and hollering as she fired an anti-material rifle, watching it blow a hole in a car door and clean out of the other side. Yeah, this was worth the money.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. And you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Me? I have to make a call, so I¡¯m stepping away for a minute. Have fun, okay?¡± I gestured to the instructor and he started talking to Eri about heavier guns. With that I left the noise of the range and dialled a number I had looked up earlier. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m interested in seeing if you have any availability for an Engagement package, around about seven? You do? Great. Can I request it then? There¡¯ll be a party of four, obviously only two of us getting engaged though... yeah, that¡¯s right... great. We¡¯ll be there.¡±


    With that task done, I returned to the range to let off some steam with an assortment of heavy weapons. My heart was racing though. Damn, ever since I finally realised how I felt about Eri, life has been a real rollercoaster of emotions. It¡¯s no bad thing though... I know I said it was too early for thinking of marriage, but that was before last night... I¡¯d be a fool not to grip on tight to a girl as wonderful as Eri... but to keep her, I¡¯ll have to be strong enough that no evil can threaten us. Or rather, to make any evil that does... disappear. I looked at the gun in my hands, and then to the girls unloading onto the targets across the range. Firepower. Can I make it work...?

 One Hundred And Ten

    One Hundred And Ten


    ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe they even had bows for sale.¡± My sis looked down excitedly at her purchase. It was an Olympic-style recurve bow, along with all the required accessories. ¡°I don¡¯t get why you wouldn¡¯t let me use the card you gave me though. why give me money if you aren¡¯t going to let me spend it, bro?¡±


    ¡°That money is for when you need it. This holiday is my treat so let me cover things while I¡¯m here. I won¡¯t always be around, will I?¡±


    We had spent the afternoon after our fun time at the shooting range exploring all of the many shops that the Strip had to offer. We had burned through quite a chunk of the earlier winnings, but the girls had bought lots of clothes and accessories, as well as specialty items, like Aiko¡¯s new bow. It was painful when they were shopping for underwear and swimsuits. The looks I was receiving from the staff and other shoppers... It didn¡¯t seem fair, as I was about to be an engaged man, out shopping with my fiance?e, but I guess they didn¡¯t know that... Guess now I¡¯m in a couple I¡¯ll have to get used to it...


    Still, I had to do shopping of my own, getting souvenirs for our families, as well as acquaintances such as Rika-san and Yae-san, and Karen-chan. I ended up with so much (mostly alcohol as it happened) that I had to use my phone to book us extra luggage capacity for our return flights. Still, it sure is great having money...


    What had been a little bit of a strain though was the fact that Eri seemed to be waiting expectantly. It¡¯ll be soon, just hang on... her gaze every time we passed a place that was even slightly romantic was quite the burden.


    Seeing as the sun was slowly starting to set over the Strip, the many illuminations that adorned it like jewels beginning to spring to life, I checked my watch. Twenty past five. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s about time we took our spoils back to the hotel and then had some dinner. I¡¯ve made us some reservations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have, have you big bro?¡± My sis asked slyly. ¡°Somewhere nice and romantic, I imagine?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Somewhere nice at least.¡± I agreed. With that we hailed a taxi and returned to the hotel to quickly change, ready for our final evening in Las Vegas. I was wearing a new smart-casual outfit the girls had picked out for me, with trendy jeans and a flashy shirt, while the girls... It takes them forever to get ready...


    Shaeula was first out, and she was wearing a new summer dress, a pale ivory with orange highlights. She was wearing her new armlet, as well as a pendant hanging around her neck. ¡°So, how-how do I look? You are mesmerised, yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but you look very cute.¡± I agreed, and she returned a smile. Next out was my sister, also in new tight jeans and a pale blue shirt with a feminine cut and some frills, giving her a bit of a tomboy look yet still making it clear she was a pretty girl.


    ¡°Looking good there big bro!¡± she gave me a thumbs up, then paused, obviously waiting for my compliment, so I obliged her, advising that she looked very dashing.


    Finally Eri emerged from her room, wearing a stunning white dress that she had purchased earlier. It was cut quite daringly, and she had paired it with a glittering necklace we had bought, as well as having changed her hairstyle, putting it up and pinning it with an ornate hairpin. She was looking far more mature and totally captivating. I found I was staring despite myself.


    My sis coughed to snap me out of my delirium as Eri flushed under my searching gaze, and I smiled, embarrassed. ¡°Sorry Eri, you were looking so beautiful I was lost in thought there for a moment. I¡¯m such a lucky guy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± she looked down shyly. ¡°You look very handsome yourself, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m being love poisoned again...¡± Aiko complained, but her tone was light.


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡± Shaeula asked, and I nodded. Offering an arm to my girlfriend, we headed out, leaving for our destination.


    ********Upstodatee from


    ¡°You sure Shaeula and I should be here, bro? I can¡¯t help but feel we are cramping your style.¡± My sis joked. ¡°Still, the view sure is amazing. The food too.¡± She was taking pictures and videos on her phone, the view from the revolving restaurant on the observation deck of the massively high tower, the Strat, was stunning. Shaeula had been thrilled at first as well, but now she was tucking into the wide selection of food we were provided, washing it down with glasses of fine wine. I was staying off the drink though, my nerves shot.


    ¡°We got really carried away, didn¡¯t we?¡± she giggled, her hand warm in mine.


    We made comfortable small-talk for a while, until I could see a smartly dressed waiter heading our way, with a silver tray holding a pair of glasses, one filled with champagne, and the other with a non-alcoholic version. Also there was a familiar ornate box. Here we go then...


    As the other tables saw the waiter coming a muttered buzz of anticipation started up, as they knew what was coming. Eri was gazing into my eyes, her dark orbs reflected in my grey, and as the waiter handed us our glasses and placed the box down on the table between us I started to feel a bit sick. Pull it together man. No backing out now, not that you want to...


    With that I took the box, walked over to Eri and knelt down beside her. Speaking in English, since I felt it was only fair to share the same embarrassment as the other couple who shared a proposal while we were there earlier, I took her hand once more and smiled. Opening the ring box with the other I presented it to her.


    ¡°Mori Eri, my darling childhood friend, you¡¯ve been by my side for many years, through sunshine and storms, happy times and sad. But that¡¯s not enough. I want you to be by my side always, hand in hand, until the sun ceases to shine, the moon is dark and the stars fall from the sky. Even under utter darkness I¡¯ll keep holding your hand, never letting you go. Eri... will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Oh Akio...¡± she was crying now, silvery droplets of joy. ¡°... I¡¯ve only ever heard those words in dreams, and when I woke up I was so terribly sad that it wasn¡¯t real. I want to spend forever with you too, never letting you go again... yes, I¡¯ll marry you!¡±


    And with that I slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her, the restaurant bursting into applause. Yeah, it¡¯s embarrassing, but I just don¡¯t mind...


    ********


    We spent the next hour drinking our champagne (again, non-alcoholic for Eri) and reminiscing about our happiest memories. A third couple proposed too, and we joined the applause, feeling very close to them somehow. The view over the Strip was now breath-taking, it was lit up like a celestial orrery.


    After a time Shaeula and Aiko returned. Seeing us sitting next to each other, the ring sparkling on her friends¡¯ hand, my sis came over and high-fived us both. ¡°Congrats you two. I¡¯m happy. Seriously. If not a little jealous. Still, my big bro is finally a real man, and my best friend is now my sister in truth. So how was the proposal, did he screw it up?¡±


    Eri shook her head. ¡°No, it was very romantic and everything I dreamed of. Just looking at the ring, proof I¡¯m not imagining it, I feel all warm...¡±


    ¡°Excellent. May your union be blessed by the full moon and fertile-fertile.¡± Shaeula said something which sounded a bit like a Fae benediction, and Eri blushed.


    ¡°Fertile? Uh... well it¡¯s up to chance...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we heard last night. Every. Damn. Word.¡± Aiko said flatly. ¡°Still, enough of that. Get this bro, Eri. Shaeula got asked to leave the casino. Apparently she was winning too much, and word has gone around about you two. Since she wasn¡¯t cheating they couldn¡¯t take her winnings, but she¡¯s been politely advised to not come to any casinos again and just go home. They don¡¯t complain when people are super unlucky and lose all the time, do they?¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s just the way it is. So I guess your time was fruitful?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have secured more funds for you, master.¡± Shaeula responded proudly, puffing out her chest. ¡°Are we done-done here? The view is spectacular, but this is our last night, we must have more to enjoy, no-no?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°There was one place I promised to go, to meet a new friend and repay a debt...¡±

 One Hundred And Eleven

    One Hundred And Eleven


    The bar looked as if would fit right at home in the land of my mom, though if I remembered correctly the Brits and the Irish didn¡¯t always get on, so I¡¯d probably best keep that thought to myself. Loud music was coming out, full of fiddles and other exotic instruments, and drunken revellers were constantly coming and going.


    ¡°So, this is a bar?¡± My sis asked with interest. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go to one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly... loud.¡± Eri said, clinging in on me. Her dislike of people and noisy places was present, but since she was with me, she didn¡¯t look as afraid as she normally would have.


    ¡°Bars are supposed to be, but then I heard that the Irish and Irish-Americans really like to party.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Anyway, this place is owned by Buck Kelly, the guy who sent us that banker this morning and saved us hundreds of millions of yen in taxes. The least we can do to thank him is accept his invitation gratefully, right?¡±


    I approached the doorman, who quickly stopped us. ¡°You look underage. ID please.¡± He said firmly.


    With a smile I produced mine, and said that I was here to see Buck. For a moment the bouncer looked puzzled and then on seeing my passport his eyes lit up. ¡°Oh yeah, The boss did say he had a couple of guests coming. If you come this way, Mr Oshiro and party.¡±


    With that we were led inside, through the crowds of revellers who were watching a band play, fiddles, drums and whistles over rich English lyrics, singing about the fair Emerald Isle. Shaeula was particularly impressed, nodding approvingly.


    ¡°The Seelie Court often alights in that land. Though...¡± she said, expression darkening. ¡°Many of our fiercest Unseelie foes also hail from the Astral of that land. The Giants, for one...¡±


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t see any here tonight.¡± I patted her reassuringly. Eri pouted and pulled me away, and my sis gave me a look of commiseration. We were then led to a back room, where Buck was sitting at a table, an opened bottle of Irish whiskey on the table, a half-filled glass next to him. On seeing me his expression brightened, and he stood, beckoning us over.


    ¡°Good to see you Akio, Shaeula. And you two lovely ladies.¡± Buck put on the charm. ¡°A good thing you weren¡¯t caught up in that mess last night, hey? Still, I guess you really are lucky, Akio my man. Fancy a drink? You too Shaeula. I¡¯m afraid you ladies will have to settle for something non-alcoholic, as you are under legal age, right?¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    He poured Shaeula and I a whiskey, before fetching some soft drinks for Aiko and Eri. ¡°Quite the shock, everyone is buzzing about the raid last night.¡±


    Raid? Why do I have a bad feeling? ¡°I must have missed that. Care to fill me in?¡± I asked casually.


    Buck burst out laughing. ¡°Man, you are the limit Akio. Cool as a cucumber and as lucky as a four-leaf clover. Seriously, what happened after we were kicked out of the VIP room last night?¡±


    Putting my poker-face to good use I lied. ¡°Nothing much, just the three of us had our photos¡¯ taken and gave a quick interview. We had some nice whiskey and then I headed home, as I was exhausted after the tournament. Why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Why he asks...¡± Buck shook his head, downing his whiskey and topping up his glass. ¡°There was some sort of break-in that night. I did wonder when there was a brief power cut, but it seems that someone cut the main lines and broke in through the fire exit. The owner and some security vanished, and there was just blood on the floor left behind. The police thought a robbery at first, but a huge amount of cash was found, so it doesn¡¯t seem to be the motive. I did worry you¡¯d been caught up in it, until Ms Connors dropped me a text to say she¡¯d met you this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯d already left before anything happened. Just lucky, I guess.¡± I laughed it off.


    ¡°Damn me if you aren¡¯t right about that.¡± Buck agreed. ¡°Anyway, enough small-talk. Why not introduce me to the lovely ladies. Shaeula I know, but these two... one is your sister, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is my sister, Aiko. She¡¯s a handful, but don¡¯t hold that against her.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t be telling tales about me bro.¡± she pouted, before nodding to Buck. ¡°I¡¯m Aiko, pleased to meet you. I hear you¡¯ve done a lot for my bro despite only having just met him. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you just darling, doll.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m a man of instincts, I always go with my gut, and when I saw the luck of Akio and Shaeula here, I knew they¡¯d be doing great things. Ms Connors tells me you are entering real estate as well. I knew my gut was on point as always. We should hit the casino again after this!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve already been politely advised to not return to them.¡± My sister chuckled. ¡°I guess they don¡¯t like the way Shaeula and my bro keep cleaning them out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a damn shame. Guess you had even more luck eh?¡± Buck shrugged. ¡°Oh well, next time you are on the Strip, if I¡¯m about hit me up. I split my time between here and New York, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if the opportunity arises.¡± I answered in the classic Japanese fashion, not promising anything as I wasn¡¯t sure when I would return. ¡°Anyway, lastly, this is Eri. She¡¯s... well, we just got engaged earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy to see some cute girls, is that so wrong?¡± Aliyah pouted. ¡°Won¡¯t you have a drink with me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m underage.¡± Aiko declined. ¡°Drink with my bro if you want.¡±


    ¡°I do not mind-mind sharing a drink with you.¡± Shaeula piped up, from where she was talking with Luciana.


    ¡°Yeah, you should.¡± Aliyah was gazing at Shaeula hungrily. Taking a stiff drink she licked her lips seductively. ¡°I¡¯ll show you how to have fun, us girls should stick together.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her, Akio...¡± Eri whispered, and Aliyah must have caught it, as she turned, looking hurt. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯re a shy one, right, but we are both girls, there isn¡¯t any need to worry.¡± Her gaze flickered over Eri. ¡°Come sit with me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m here with my fiance?.¡± Eri flashed her ring and clung to me. Aliyah opened her eyes wide in shock, before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Oh well, a shame. How about you?¡± she asked Aiko again, but she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with my bro, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Why do you...¡± she began, before swallowing her words. Then she paused, reaching a shocked realisation. ¡°Hey, fiance?? But I thought you were with the girl here.¡± she gestured to Shaeula.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a friend.¡± Eri insisted, clinging to me as if to ward off the intruder. ¡°I¡¯m his girl.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a lucky guy. You are very adorable.¡± She turned to Aiko then. ¡°You too, sister. That look suits you, I dig it.¡± She looked at me, her gaze hot, and I looked away, uncomfortable. I can¡¯t get a read on her. Both of us are in the dark regarding the other, yet she seems way calmer than me...


    She walked back to where Luciana and Shaeula were talking, she dropped an arm around each of their shoulders, very casually. ¡°So, about that drink, girls?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Luciana shrugged herself free. ¡°Perhaps I shall talk to these others. Have fun though. but remember...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know, god, you and Trey, you both worry too much. I won¡¯t drink too much.¡± Her arm was sliding down Shaeula, who suddenly disentangled herself as well, leaving Aliyah puzzled and empty-handed. Shaeula brought up her drink and clinked the glass against Aliyah¡¯s, moving before she could respond.


    ¡°I fear I do not like to be touched-touched unless you are truly close to me. My apologies.¡±


    Aliyah seemed flustered for a second, before leaking out a rather seductive sigh. ¡°My bad, my bad. I can¡¯t help it, when I see someone cute I want to get to know them. You¡¯re gorgeous, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am quite aware that I am-am beautiful. Akio has made much mention of that fact-fact.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I thank you for the complement. You are rather impressive yourself, are you not-not?¡±


    Aliyah barely choked down a delighted squeal, before looking visibly embarrassed. ¡°Thanks, cutie. Well since we are both amazing, why don¡¯t we have another drink? This guy¡¯s treat, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    She pointed to Buck, who was laughing uproariously at the chaos.


    ¡°Sorry about her.¡± Luciana was saying to my sister and Eri. ¡°She¡¯s just in high spirits. She did win quite a lot of money last night, and she... well, you know.¡±


    ¡°I think I do.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing against it, I get that most guys are like human cockroaches, but I don¡¯t swing that way.¡±


    ¡°You have sharp instincts, girl. But relax, even so, she won¡¯t do anything... unless she gets too drunk, but she was warned by Capt... err, Treyvon, her brother, not to drink too much... oh hell. That woman, she is the limit, Eres una tonta, Aliyah. Mierda!¡±


    Aliyah and Shaeula were gulping down whiskey like it was water, and as I watched Luciana cursing out Aliyah in a mixture of accented English and Spanish, I turned to my sister and Eri, who were looking at me, bemused.


    Not exactly how I expected our next meeting to go. Last time I saw her she was strangling that fat guy like an assassin, and now... she was darting behind Shaeula, trying to avoid the annoyed Luciana. I don¡¯t know what to think. It¡¯s... almost cute...?

 One Hundred And Twelve

    One Hundred And Twelve


    ¡°So, I just don¡¯t get it...¡± Aliyah was complaining, scowling at me, her hair-beads jingling as she tossed her head. Luciana had tried to stop her drinking, confiscating her glass numerous times, but Buck had found it rather funny, so he kept giving her more. Eventually Luciana gave up, and she was now talking with Buck and the girls, leaving me to the ¡®tender mercies¡¯ of Aliyah, who was glaring at me harshly.


    ¡°... what the hell is up with that fat lardball? You know something, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m not stupid, you better spit it out. We had him in restraints, yet the obese fuck managed to get an arm free and knock out one of our guys. That¡¯s no mean feat, you know! It shouldn¡¯t have been possible!¡±


    She was right in my face now, drunkenly spitting all over me, her voice elevated. Some guys might approve of a beautiful woman getting so close to them, but I¡¯m not enjoying this at all... swallowing a sigh, I leaned back a little. ¡°You might want to keep the volume down a bit.¡± I advised. ¡°I¡¯m sure your organisation wouldn¡¯t want to involve bystanders in their troubles, would they?¡± Not that I know what organisation you are part of...


    ¡°Oh shut it, pretty boy. I hate you. Why are all those gorgeous young girls interested in a ... a man... like you? Beautiful girls should stick together. I¡¯ll leave the men for Trey...¡± with that she took another big gulp of her whiskey and swung a punch at me, the air whistling as she struck.


    She may be drunk but that¡¯s quite the blow. I angled my head and her fist went past, and as she stumbled I caught her by the shoulders to prevent her falling. Parts of our body made unavoidable contact, and she hissed at me, her knee aiming for my groin, but again I dodged.


    ¡°Pervert, groper... touching me up with your fiance?e there. She should dump you. I¡¯d console her...¡± she elbowed at me, and I caught her arm, then dodging a headbutt. ¡°Let me fucking hit you, you smarmy handsome fuck.¡±


    Wow, she¡¯s got a vile tongue. Not at all like she was during the tournament... after a while more of dodging blows, my sister, Eri and Shaeula looking on with amusement, Buck perplexed, and Luciana burying her head in her hands and muttering in Spanish, Aliyah finally staggered to a halt, her t-shirt soaked with sweat, clinging to her. Yeah, she has a great figure. Her muscles are tight, nothing like the girls I know. Her personality wasn¡¯t one I was used to either. Japanese girls would never act like that.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I hit you?¡± Aliyah complained, pulling off her sweaty t-shirt, slumping down and taking another hit of whiskey. ¡°Even Trey can¡¯t evade all my punches...¡±


    Buck was looking away like a gentleman, while Eri was glowering me, as I happened to glance at her ample chest in her simple black bra. Yeah, her muscles are better than mine. She¡¯s got one hell of a six-pack.


    ¡°Sorry about that... well, actually no, I¡¯m not that sorry, I don¡¯t see why I should let you beat me up. But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve been undergoing some pretty intense training recently, so don¡¯t feel too bad. You¡¯ve got some pretty good moves.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that from you...¡± she pouted. ¡°What¡¯s so good about you anyway?¡± she turned to the girls. ¡°Seriously. Why won¡¯t anyone come play with me? Luciana, they are being mean to me!¡±


    Luciana actually facepalmed. Wow, I¡¯ve never seen anyone do that in real life before. Who knew it was a thing. With a sigh she spoke. ¡°You promised your brother you would take this seriously. Ugh, Por que? yo? At least put on your t-shirt... not this again... we aren¡¯t in the barracks now...¡±


    Aliyah looked down, and then up at Luciana for a moment. She looked down again, then at me. Buck had slipped out while Luciana was chewing her out, and I was now regretting I hadn¡¯t followed suit. I guess age does bring wisdom...


    Ducking backwards I dodged another punch, trying not to be distracted by how other things were swinging at me. After another few moments of this Aliyah slumped down, shaking her head. ¡°Fuck, can¡¯t beat you. I never thought I¡¯d find a man who could dodge all my attacks. Maybe I¡¯m drunk and it''s throwing off my aim. Hey Luciana, am I drunk?¡±


    Luciana went into a tirade of rapid Spanish then, which I didn¡¯t understand, but I¡¯m guessing the content was along the lines of ¡®Yes, you are very drunk¡¯. Before anyone could react, Eri was there, and she had draped the cardigan she was wearing over her dress around Aliyah¡¯s shoulders, covering her.


    ¡°Very well-well. I shall accept your challenge.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°But know that I do not intend to be defeated!¡±


    ¡°Well shit, I knew I liked you! Hey, Buck, get us another bottle, Shaeula and I are going to borrow that room...¡±


    As Buck laughingly complied I turned to Luciana. ¡°Want to talk about it? looks like you are having a hard time...¡±


    ¡°Santa Mierda, you do not know the half of it. still, at least she is not harassing me like normal. For that I am slightly grateful. Still...¡± she eyed me warily. ¡°... you seem awfully composed, despite this... caos.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been an interesting month.¡± I conceded, watching as Shaeula kept dodging Aliyah¡¯s attempts to grab her playfully as they entered the other room. God, I hope nothing bad happens.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± she said. ¡°Well, I am sure that you would not be able to talk about your... work here. But...¡± as Eri and Aiko joined us she smiled at them. ¡°I would ask that you give me your contact details, for... networking purposes, if nothing else.¡±


    Seeing Eri glower at her sourly she shook her head. ¡°I have no interest in your man, I am no desvergonzada, a homewrecker. It is a happy day, no? If you are engaged now, I offer my congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Well thank you.¡± Eri bowed shallowly. ¡°It is a happy day, and I¡¯ll not let anything spoil it.¡±


    ¡°How about this then bro? She and I can swap numbers, that way everyone is happy.¡±


    ¡°I would find that acceptable.¡± Luciana agreed.


    But do I? They have the wrong idea about me, but they totally know I have some knowledge they don¡¯t. Is it in my interests letting them find out more about us? Shit... Aliyah knows my full name after the poker tournament, and while there are probably other Oshiro Akio¡¯s in Japan, there aren¡¯t any other Moonstone¡¯s about, that would be too weird... whereas I don¡¯t know if Aliyah James is a real or fake name, and even so... James is a really common US surname... our information balance is very skewed to their favour...


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t something you can agree to, I understand...¡± Luciana conceded. ¡°After all, in our business mission secrecy, it is paramount, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about it. Not sure what you are talking about really, but my big bro... his business is his, and mine is mine.¡± With that they exchanged numbers, and I was about to speak when a loud cry of disappointment came from the back room. Fearing the worst, Buck beat another hasty retreat.


    ¡°Call me when the festivities are over.¡± He said. ¡°Discretion is the better part of valour after all, and I wouldn¡¯t want to see the girls in... compromising positions... you would do well to duck out too, Akio, my man. Your fiance?e there won¡¯t be happy...¡±


    Yeah, I think you are right. Good advice...

 One Hundred And Thirteen

    One Hundred And Thirteen


    ¡°How do I keep losing?¡± Aliyah was shouting. ¡°I¡¯m even trick-shuffling on my turns... are you out-cheating me?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I am simply blessed be the moon, my Fortune is great-great.¡± Shaeula answered. ¡°You have little left to lose, so how about we try this. Oh and master...¡± she shouted out to me as I made to open the door. ¡°No running away-away, else it will be the worse for this girl here.¡±


    Letting go of the doorknob with a regretful sigh I mourned my chances of getting out of this unscathed. Eri was pouting sourly, but in a great act of willpower didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Maldita suerte! I am deeply sorry about this. Aliyah is very good at her job normally, but she.. she cannot hold her liquor. Captain Treyvon often scolds her, but she is not big on listening. I pray you forgive her for this...¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s hardly her fault alone. Shaeula is definitely egging her on. She¡¯s always ready to leap on anything that seems fun. But I¡¯m happy, and aren¡¯t you too Eri?¡± as Eri looked at her puzzled my sis continued. ¡°After all, isn¡¯t every day fun and full of joy now? Compared to just a week ago? It feels like we¡¯ve had a lifetime¡¯s worth in just this short week, right?¡±


    Eri looked down at her engagement ring, and she smiled. ¡°Yes, compared to how I felt when I had given up... I¡¯m so happy I could just die. Even so... it made me realise I¡¯m a greedy woman. I¡¯m so frustrated that all these other women are hanging around you Akio. I don¡¯t like it!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry about Shaeula, but...¡± I glanced over at Luciana, not willing to give much away. ¡°As she is helping me out on a few projects, she has to be in my care...¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± Eri agreed, though she still pouted cutely. ¡°But what about Rika-san and Yae-san? You are way too nice to a couple of girls you don¡¯t even know, just because they are young and a tiny bit cute.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to that.¡± I promised. ¡°I am just happy that you are making more friends, and I want to thank them for looking out for you and my sis.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if that¡¯s all it is, I don¡¯t need them. Wipe them from your mind. I¡¯ll do the same.¡±


    Aiko burst out laughing and even Luciana joined in the merriment. ¡°Oh my, you have my condolences, Akio. Your fiance?e, she is a ... I think heavy woman? Is that how it is said?¡±


    ¡°I am not... I just...¡± Eri floundered, Aiko pounding her on the back heartly.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Oh you are, you are.¡± She grinned. ¡°But my bro loves you anyway, so relax!¡±


    ¡°WHY CAN¡¯T I WIN?¡± Aliyah was cursing. ¡°I had a full house and you still beat me. I thought I¡¯d get to see you take off that dress...¡±


    ¡°I fear only those worthy can see-see my beautiful naked body.¡± I could hear the smirk in Shaeula¡¯s voice from here, she was definitely enjoying messing with the drunk Aliyah. I just hope she doesn¡¯t go too far. ¡°I am as merciful as I am beautiful though, so I shall give you one final chance to overturn my blessing-blessing. If you win I shall discard my clothing to match yours, but if I win...¡± her voice quietened, and we couldn¡¯t hear what she said, but Aliyah agreed, sure she would win sooner or later.


    ¡°I thought she was quite a good gambler when I saw her at the tournament.¡± I said to Luciana. ¡°Maybe I was wrong and it was all luck?¡±


    ¡°As I said, it is the drink... as well as her weakness for pretty girls. Please do not let it dismay you. We would like to be amistosa... amicable, moving forwards. Her brother hopes that we can be on good terms, should our paths cross again.¡±


    ¡°I like this one. She¡¯s very polite.¡± My sis said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you now.... Read the cards and weep!¡± Aliyah shouted, only for Shaeula to immediately deliver her defeat.


    ¡°It is you who should be weeping indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula taunted her. ¡°Though they should be tears of joy, for I am giving you an opportunity to repent your insults to my-my master.¡±


    ¡°I... do I really have to... come on, have a heart! A beauty like you shouldn¡¯t be so petty. God I need more booze, give me that...¡±


    ¡°Given words should not be broken, it corrupts the soul.¡± Shaeula was unrelenting. ¡°Now honour your wager!¡±


    ¡°Do what you need to. Shaeula went too far in her playing, and since I¡¯m... well, kinda like her boss I guess, then that means I should take responsibility for her.¡±


    ¡°No takebacks then, all right?¡± Aliyah began winding up a punch, swinging her arm (and other things too, I couldn¡¯t help but notice).


    ¡°No, wait, you maldita tonto! I know you are upset, but the mission...¡± Luciana tried to stop her, but It was too late.


    ¡°Take this, the cost of a free show from me! Stupid pretty boy, I hope you like a broken face!¡± her fist struck out, cannoning into me with great force. Quite the punch, she sure is something, still, it hurts way less than when I was impaled by those tentacles in that antiques shop...


    ¡°Wow, you actually took it, I was sure you wouldn¡¯t...¡± Aliyah said smugly, before pausing, seeing me still standing. ¡°No way... even Trey can¡¯t take one of my punches head on...¡±


    Sorry, but I¡¯m a bit beyond losing a fistfight now. I turned my head to the side, feeling a bit of an ache in my cheek and nose where she had hit me, and I spat a few droplets of blood, before rubbing at my face to soothe it. ¡°Yeah, that was a good punch. You are quite the fighter.¡± I said. ¡°So, could you please forgive Shaeula? I think if she didn¡¯t like you she wouldn¡¯t tease you so.¡±


    ¡°Well, this female is entertaining indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula grinned, having forgotten her scolding from Eri already. ¡°And while there are many of the Seelie who find those of the same gender enchanting, and I do not disparage it-it, those who do not find Akio alluring are foolish, and should be helped to see the error of their ways.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula!¡± Eri growled. ¡°It only matters that we know how wonderful Akio is. I don¡¯t want more rivals, I have enough. Sure, I hate it that she was looking down on him, but there¡¯s no cause to go this far just to prove a point... huh?¡±


    Aliyah had burst out laughing, howling until tears were streaming down her face once more, this time from laughter.


    Wow, drunks sure are changeable.


    ¡°All right, all right...¡± Aliyah said when she could finally breathe again. ¡°Fuck, I get it. I lose. I¡¯m the idiot for letting that little cutie Shaeula cheat me, and you did let me hit you, which you took like a boss... fine. We¡¯ll call this a draw and pretend it never happened, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, please, gracias a Dios por eso.¡± Luciana rejoiced. ¡°Let us end this madness here.¡±


    ¡°You should probably get dressed now.¡± Eri said, going to scoop up Aliyah¡¯s discarded clothes. ¡°Akio can still see you...¡±


    ¡°Eh, fuck it. Done is done.¡± she shrugged, bouncing spectacularly. ¡°You should count yourself lucky, I take pride in my body. Make the most of it, as you¡¯ll never see it again.¡± She turned then, following Eri to the back room, her ass swaying as she walked, showing me everything. I swallowed, feeling warm, but with supreme will my body stayed calm. Thank god that¡¯s over... what a shitshow. But... man, she sure was stacked...


    ********


    Once Aliyah was decent and drinking water now (as Luciana was insistent no more trouble happened) I went out to fetch back Buck. He laughed uproariously when he heard a version of the tale, nearly earning himself a punch from Aliyah. We made more small talk, and in the end I caved in and gave Aliyah and Luciana my phone number. It was risky in a way, but they already had such a good lead on my identity that having theirs in exchange might be worth it. I don¡¯t really say anything I shouldn¡¯t on the phone in any case, I¡¯ll just have to remember to be extra careful.


    Now that her attitude towards me had thawed, Eri and Aiko weren¡¯t so standoffish with her, so the girls had some fun chatting for a while, until Aliyah and Luciano had to leave. I had caved in a dropped a few... loaded words... to them, in exchange for finding out they had taken the casino owner to a location a few hundred kilometres away. Which meant... yeah, he shouldn¡¯t be able to reach his Territory, even if he enters the Boundary. Which I don¡¯t know if he even can. They¡¯ve let slip enough to me to guess they are definitely some sort of military unit, so I expect they will be keeping the guy up to interrogate him... so this is an opportunity...


    After that I had a couple of drinks with Buck, before asking for a small favour. ¡°I¡¯d like to borrow the back room for an hour or so. Can I ask that no-one bothers us for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, but keep it clean, okay?¡± Buck joked and I nodded. ¡°Will do. Thanks for the favour again, and the ... interesting... night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, never a dull moment with you is there Akio? Anyway, I¡¯ll go see the band for a bit, let me know when you are done and I¡¯ll see you and your ladies out.¡±


    All right then. Time for the final task of this trip...

 One Hundred And Fourteen

    One Hundred And Fourteen


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up bro? Why do we need a room?¡± my sis asked, curious. ¡°If you wanted to have some more... fun... with Eri, our hotel room is better, right? Oh my god, you aren¡¯t turning into exhibitionist pervert moonstone now you are an experienced man are you? Say it isn¡¯t so, big bro!¡±


    ¡°It is not so.¡± I replied deadpan, lightly bopping her on the head. As she mock-pouted, I told her more seriously. ¡°Anyway, you know Eri and I can¡¯t, well... you know. Not until she¡¯s more stable. I am not going to put her in danger just to wallow in some pleasure. No, it¡¯s time... to take Eri to the Boundary.¡± I turned to Eri, my gaze serious. ¡°Are you ready for this Eri? I¡¯m loathe to put you in any danger, but Shaeula is right. If we can help you this way...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... definitely nervous.¡± Eri said, betraying her unease as she unconsciously clutched herself tightly. ¡°But... if I¡¯m with you, I¡¯ll go anywhere, do anything... besides...¡± she looked at Shaeula, who was making herself comfortable on one of the chairs. ¡°... I don¡¯t like it that there is a world only you and Shaeula knows. If it is a part of your life, it needs to be a part of mine, too.¡±


    ¡°Damn girl, you keep surprising me over and over. Where has timid little Eri-chan gone? Now we have feisty brave Eri instead. Everyone at school is going to be shocked at your transformation. And the boys are going to hate big bro even more now...¡± Aiko laughed. ¡°... I¡¯ve got to admit though...¡± her face fell. ¡°... being the only one who can¡¯t go to this place is making me super jealous. Why is it that I am the only one that can¡¯t go yet? It¡¯s way not fair bro!¡±


    Shaeula spoke up before I could, grinning in her usual amused yet mocking way. ¡°Master could always ask Buck if he has a room with a bed in it. It did not hurt-hurt Eri too much, so...¡±


    ¡°Eww, no, no! Why do you keep suggesting that? Gross!¡± my sister spat. ¡°I¡¯m jealous, but I¡¯d have to be a moron to... yeah, no way. Big bro is big bro. We aren¡¯t a pair of perverts like you Shaeula!¡±


    ¡°Shae-u-la!¡± Eri said, her face like a frozen arctic sea, radiating cold annoyance. ¡°We just had this conversation a few minutes ago. I don¡¯t find your jokes funny, even though it¡¯s about Aiko, so it could never happen. Akio is mine, you hear me? I am going to be his wife, and I¡¯ll take care of all his needs. You... you just do your job and follow his orders, after all, you are his servant, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s super pissed off. I get it this time though, I don¡¯t appreciate that type of joke myself. I know Shaeula doesn¡¯t mean any harm by it, and as she gets to know Aiko and Eri better she enjoys teasing them, but still... over the line. I love my sister, but yeah, that is a no go!


    ¡°Many apologies Eri, I may have-have been too crude, as ill befits a princess.¡± Shaeula tried to apologise, but Eri wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°I know your father has many women, and while I think that¡¯s wrong, it isn¡¯t for me to tell him how to live his life. But I think it has skewed your perceptions. We only get one husband or wife. So even in the worst, most cruel of times when Akio...¡± she looked at me then, and I couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty. ¡°... if he has another woman... then...¡± she brandished her ring in Shaeula¡¯s face. ¡°... they are at best a mistress, a concubine. I am his wife, and I will be obeyed. Not that I¡¯ll allow other women to have even a taste of Akio.¡± With that she hugged me tightly, as if to replicate what Aliyah had done earlier at Shaeula¡¯s behest.Upstodatee from


    Although she¡¯s still wearing clothes. Oh damn, got to get that image out of my head... my body reacted, and Eri flushed, some of her anger dissipating.


    ¡°Seriously though Shaeula. I do like you, and you¡¯ve supported Akio through a dark time, I know that and I¡¯m grateful. But please... stop causing trouble with other women, even as a joke. That poor Aliyah girl, sure she was annoying, but even so... she didn¡¯t deserve that prank you pulled on her. I bet she is mortified now she has sobered up...¡±


    ¡°Very well. I shall consider your words and take them to heart-heart.¡± Shaeula nodded, looking a little contrite. ¡°But I can not-not accept that you shall monopolise Akio, for he is my other half, and so destined to be mine also. However... I am patient, and I concede that you have made him yours-yours.¡±


    Before Eri could get into another round of arguments I hugged her tight, kissing her to mollify her. Aiko took her cue and also changed the subject. ¡°Wow, we got heated here, and way off topic. Anyway, I¡¯ll swallow my tears and hold the fort here. But when you find a sensible way to help me, I want it right away, okay big bro, Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula was also grateful for the subject change. ¡°Though in the meantime you must continue to practice. Merely being able to enter the Boundary only puts you at risk, strengthening yourself is vital too-too.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that dangerous?¡± Eri asked. ¡°I¡¯ll still go, I will, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it definitely can be.¡± I agreed. ¡°This is why we aren¡¯t going to take you in back at our hotel. Larger buildings have a presence in the Boundary, and are often home to... well, nasty things. Our hotel sucks... best we take you in here. I expect it to be a quick visit, you only need to gain three levels after all.¡±


    ¡°So how long will I have to stand guard? I don¡¯t think Buck is the sort of guy to try anything, but leaving your poor little sister to guard you all alone... I think you owe me bro.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll reward you properly, I promise. Time tends to flow differently, so it¡¯s hard to say, but maybe an hour or two?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Well, all right. I¡¯ll do my part. I¡¯m still jealous though...¡± her pout was adorable.


    ¡°In that case Eri, follow my words carefully.¡± Shaeula instructed. ¡°You should perform your exercises while you guard us too Aiko, use your time well-well.¡± With that Shaeula talked Eri through the process of raising aether within her. Since it was just an extension of trying to create a functioning network (and Eri had been very dedicated to doing her exercises before) it proceeded swiftly. Still, she was at a similar stage to me in my first days of being an Astral Emperor-candidate, when it took me days to raise enough aether with my poor cobbled-together system of chakras. Still, we had an advantage now...


    Shaeula used her abilities as an Aetheric Chirurgeon to supplement her aether, also making minor adjustments and repairs to her foundation. As Eri felt energy prickling hot within her she gasped, sweat springing from her skin.


    ¡°Go on ahead and make sure it is safe, my master.¡± Shaeula advised. ¡°Eri is nearly ready to enter.¡±


    ¡°No way...¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯d never make you fight something so brutal unaided. You need to get as strong as Shaeula and I first. No, you are just having a power-levelling trip today. Shaeula, go ahead.¡±


    At my word blades of air severed the legs, claws and stinger of the scorpion. It fell to the sands, hissing, blood splashing outwards. ¡°There. I have rendered it harmless for you Eri. Deal the finishing blow-blow.¡±


    Seeing Eri frozen in fear and revulsion, I put my arm around her, guiding her slowly closer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m with you. You¡¯ll never need to fight in this world alone. But even without ever returning to the Boundary, if you succeed here your life will change.¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°I... I know you¡¯ll never let me down. You never have... except when you decided I didn¡¯t need you so you stopped calling and visiting.¡± She managed to get one barb in, though her nervous smile robbed it of its sting. The scorpion tried to stagger towards us, causing Eri to shy away, but my hand went over hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, you can do this.¡± I assured her. ¡°I¡¯m holding your hand, so I¡¯m with you.¡±


    With that, Eri nodded. She thrust the spear with shaking hands, and it bounced off the shell of the foe, nearly jolted free from her weak grip.


    ¡°Steady. Try again.¡± Another thrust, another fail. But after a half-dozen attempts Eri landed a true blow, piercing an eye. She gagged at the blood and the smell, but at my whispered encouragements she shoved with all her might, and the scorpion melted away into ether.


    Shaeula topped up the aether within Eri that she had lost during our brief sojourn here, and I asked her did she feel like she had levelled up.


    ¡°I do feel something inside, but I can¡¯t see this status screen you are talking about.¡± Eri said, puzzled. I quickly used my own Kin Appraisal, causing her to fidget restlessly, and I nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve reached level one. All your stats have gone up by a couple, except for aether which has gone up a little more... oh, and you¡¯ve gained some more Charm too... I always knew you were charming indeed, it¡¯s why I asked you to marry me!¡± I joked around to relax her. ¡°And some Determination.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m stronger now? Better able to help you?¡± she asked, leaning in close, happy at my words.


    ¡°A little, don¡¯t get carried away.¡± I warned, and Shaeula also added her own warnings.


    ¡°Indeed Eri, you are but a fledgeling compared to me-me. You have much distance to travel on this path yet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But now I know I can walk it. After all...¡± she looked at us both, her dark eyes meeting our grey and amber, resolute, sure of herself. ¡°... I¡¯ve taken the first steps. I am charming and determined after all, am I not?¡±


    After that we hunted another scorpion and several desert jackals, until I had determined Eri had reached level three. She was mentally and physically exhausted, her arms trembling as she handed me back my spear. Lying in my arms, gazing up at the impossible sky, she sighed, her eyes moist. ¡°That was frightening. But even so... because I was with you Akio... and I guess you, Shaeula... I was able to do it. Thank you.¡± with that we kissed, our first in the Boundary, and whether it was because it was a higher world, more malleable to the mind, our kiss was much more intense, sending shivers through us both. As we parted, streams of silvery moisture between our mouths, Eri grinned. ¡°I will never get tired of kissing you. I love you so much Akio. And to know I¡¯m the one that is with you... I¡¯m so happy I could just explode.¡±


    ¡°Well, me too. But... even though time passes slower here, we need to get back to Aiko. I don¡¯t like leaving her to look after us alone.¡±


    ¡°Aww, I wanted to spend more time kissing.¡± Eri sighed, but she nodded. ¡°I know though. We¡¯ve done what we had to, right?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though when we return to the hotel Shaeula and I have to do something else.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t go?¡± her hands still shook as she offered, putting on a brave face. So adorable.


    ¡°No.¡± I said gently. ¡°This is a Territory raid, not something you are ready for. You¡¯ve done well, but you need to be eased into this gently. ¡°Still, the owner is away, so I don¡¯t want you worrying. Shaeula and I should be able to handle it, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Looking at her stats I observed the changes as we prepared to return.


    I still worried about her poor physical condition, but even so, she had made gains. I should suggest she does some exercise with Aiko as well, the strengthening from her levels should make it easier to gain tangible physical strength too...


    ¡°All right then, let¡¯s go back.¡± I said, satisfied, and with that we let the remaining energy deplete from Eri, returning her to the Material, Shaeula and I following after...

 One Hundred And Fifteen

    One Hundred And Fifteen


    On returning to the Material, we said our farewells to Buck, and I agreed to stay in touch. We took a taxi back to the MGM Grand, and during the journey I could see that my sis was desperate to talk to us about the Boundary, but because we were in company she was holding her tongue. Still, her expectant gaze was painful...


    As soon as we entered our room, Aiko bounded over to Eri, her excitement spilling out. ¡°Wow Eri, you look so satisfied. What was it like? Have you got all super strong like big bro now? Don¡¯t keep me hanging!¡±


    Shaeula and I watched with amusement as Eri shrank back under her bombardment. Opening up some decent wine we had collected from room service on the way up, I poured us all a glass. After all, this is the final night...


    ¡°It was... very strange, yet somehow also beautiful.¡± Eri finally spoke. ¡°The sky was lit with colours I don¡¯t think I can even describe, and the desert sands sparkled like jewels. Still, it wasn¡¯t all pretty and nice. There were monsters there...¡± she shuddered, remembering. ¡°Scorpions rose out of the sands, as big as the taxi we just rode in.¡±


    ¡°Wow, no way?¡± Aiko was enthralled. ¡°And big bro made you fight those? I¡¯m disappointed in him!¡±


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t ... well, I guess we did, but we made them safe first.¡± I protested. ¡°Shaeula and I disarmed them with our elemental wind. Eri just finished them off. She was very brave, even when her hands were shaking she managed to spear the beasts.¡± I walked over and handed them the full glasses. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you Eri, you did better than I, when I first was thrown to the Boundary. Anyway, a toast, to our final night in Vegas!¡±


    ¡°I could only do it because you were there with me, Akio.¡± She answered shyly. ¡°No matter what, I know I¡¯ll always be safe with you!¡±


    ¡°Damn right. That¡¯s why I fight. To ensure that those I love are all safe and can fulfil their dreams. That goes for all three of you. And tonight was a big step towards that goal.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m all left out again. But I know you¡¯ll find a way for me too, I can¡¯t wait to see these impossible sights... I wonder if I could use archery there? Anyway, seriously, I trust you, bro. And thanks for always looking out for Eri. Though I suppose that¡¯s a given now.¡±


    ¡°It is. Anyway. To our trip to Las Vegas, and all the many benefits it has brought! Cheers!¡± I said, and the three echoed me with words of their own.


    ¡°To all that wonderful money and really shoving our fun time in the faces of Rika-san and Yae-san. Cheers!¡±


    ¡°To our mastery of the flame and the ether we will doubtless reap tonight! Cheers-cheers!¡±


    ¡°To Akio, my fiance?. I don¡¯t need anything else. Cheers!¡±


    As we drank, my sister started ribbing Eri about her toast and how it was very different to ours. We ended up telling them both more about the strange world of the Boundary, and an hour passed.


    ¡°Well, Shaeula and I need to get going. Are you two going to stay up? Don¡¯t forget we are flying out early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I want to talk with Eri a bit more bro. so you do what you need to. We¡¯ll sleep when we are tired, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. I want to savour this as long as possible. After all...¡± Eri smiled impishly. ¡°I¡¯m very fond of this place. It is where my love with Akio finally bloomed.¡±


    ¡°Wow, lewd! This new Eri is like a whole new person. Anyway, you two be good, and do what you need to. I¡¯ll just satisfy my curiosity and see if Eri really has got stronger.¡±


    As we headed towards the Boundary location of Casino El Diablo, which was almost certainly the heart of our target Territory, I thought about it. ¡°Well, the most obvious thing is the temperature. The hotter the flame, the more damage it¡¯ll do, and far more quickly too. Still... other than that...¡±


    Yeah, wind and air is more complicated than it sounds, but compared to fire... after all, fire is actually an oxidation reaction, so maybe other damaging ones could be used...


    I tried explaining possible acidic reactions amongst others to Shaeula, but as expected she didn¡¯t get it. She had studied a little on the internet, but it was more on the colours and heat of flames. In the end she started pouting after I advised her of the need for a further course of study.


    ¡°Still, we should discuss this later.¡± I said, and Shaeula agreed, as we had reached our destination. For a while we could feel a pressure on us, aether being leached away, and now... well, now our path was blocked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a Territory barrier.¡± I said, as the invisible wall in front of us barred our path. Shaeula checked it with her eyes and nodded. ¡°It is sturdy, but I believe we can destroy it.¡± She raised her hand, and the wind-weasels, which I had not seen for a while, soared out, slamming into and across the barrier, grinding into it. I joined her, striking blow after blow with my spear, feeling each hit shaving off a little of the defence, the barrier trembling near-imperceptibly.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t so bad.¡± I chuckled as we pushed onwards foot by foot, until suddenly a storm of arrows and spears flew at us, swarms of gnolls pouring out of the surrounding buildings, barking angrily. There was scorpions and cacti too, being directed by the leader, a huge black gnoll wielding a fierce two-handed sword.


    ¡°And here¡¯s the welcoming committee.¡± I said as Shaeula swept her wind across us, deflecting the incoming projectiles. ¡°I guess even without their boss, the gnoll can lead. I guess he¡¯s their Grulgor.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully he is not quite so annoying as that useless oaf-oaf.¡± Shaeula scoffed, her weasels of wind this time being charged with fire, exploding brightly against the barrier with a roar, noticeably weakening it. Shaeula turned to me, expecting praise. ¡°Was that not impressive master? I used the wind to feed the flames, creating quite the explosion!¡±


    ¡°Yep, you¡¯ve learned well.¡± Actually, she¡¯s got a more instinctive grasp on it that me. I reason my way through, but she understands the more spiritual aspects of the elements... my compliments were cut off as a variety of monsters surged out of the barrier to engage us. Those that had ranged weapons such as the cacti and their needles were still bombarding us safely from within though. Yeah, that gnoll is no fool.


    Charging my spear with wind I started slashing and piercing through the oncoming hordes. As they fell before us I snatched what ether I could, though most was absorbed back into the Territory, streaming away towards the casino. More explosions from Shaeula rocked the barrier and disintegrated those foes that stepped outside it.


    ¡°Grr, where is the master?¡± the gnoll was barking, waving his blade to direct the troops. More reinforcements were streaming from the Territory, replacing those we killed. ¡°He should be here to aid us, grr.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but he¡¯s not coming back.¡± I shouted, my spear driving into the gut of a gnoll. It barked out a pained howl before falling over. Ruthlessly I speared it in the head, killing it. ¡°You are on your own, and can¡¯t beat us. Why not surrender and serve under me instead?¡± It¡¯s worth a shot, surely. Not sure how I¡¯d get him back to my Territory, but still...


    The gnoll howled in refusal, enraged. Ordering more forces forwards a squad of armoured gnolls with long spears started thrusting them through the barrier, attacking us in a way that prevented us responding. Shaeula clicked her tongue and leapt backwards, unsheathing her bells and dagger.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go full force! We need to get the barrier down before we get overwhelmed!¡± I shouted, remembering my own barrier collapsing under the attacks of the wyrm. While we had only a fraction of the power the wyrms¡¯ breath had, we were able to attack many more times in quick succession, so... hang on, I think I can kind of replicate a big attack, wyrm-style...


    ¡°Shaeula, can you pour wind into your bells then feed it into the flame I am about to unleash?¡±


    Dodging spears and arrows, her dagger of light bisecting several rushing jackals and scorpions, she nodded. ¡°I shall follow your lead, master.¡±


    ¡°Fine, be ready to retreat too, if you get caught up in this it won¡¯t be good!¡± at her nod I reached down into my reserves of fire elemental energy. I generated it much more slowly than wind, so this would be a single-use attack...


    ¡°Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze!¡± the roiling mass of orange and yellow napalm slammed into the Territory barrier, and as it did so Shaeula fed it, a huge tidal wave of jade energy sucked within it, causing it to flare up, spreading like oil over water. As droplets of searing flame rained down around us we retreated, careful to not get caught in the downpour. The enemies outside the barrier were not as lucky though, and they fell, screeching and rolling, trying to put out the clinging fires, but to no avail. As they exhausted their life screaming in fiery agony, I swallowed grimly. Yeah, this isn¡¯t a vision of hell or anything, is it?

 One Hundred And Sixteen

    One Hundred And Sixteen


    The searing blaze was giving off immense heat, and the gnolls that were thrusting their spears through the barrier at us panicked, several dropping their weapons and fleeing back to safety, but others jerked their spears back through the barrier. Somehow this meant that the Foehn was no longer an enemy attack and blocked by the wards, and so the flames were brought within, droplets scattering everywhere and igniting a half-dozen gnolls, their fur catching ablaze, spreading voraciously, burning sparks falling on the stony ground and creating new tongues of fire, greedily reaching for fuel.


    Yeah, shit, that stuff is evil... I was shocked at its power when fully fed by wind, as it had exceeded even my expectations. It was fortunate that we weren¡¯t caught up in it ourselves. I can see why napalm is considered a war-crime back on the Material. Still... from our safe distance I watched as the barrier was sustaining constant damage over time, the fires eating into it, pushing it ever inwards. It was too useful an ability to seal away, but it would definitely require more caution going forwards. Another entry for the manual, no doubt...


    ¡°Most impressive, my master.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°Even those stupid fire-foxes would be impressed. Perhaps one day I will have the pleasure of seeing you demonstrate it on them-them personally.¡±


    Fire-foxes? I doubt she means a web browser. Still, that doesn¡¯t matter now. The black-furred gnoll commander was sending his forces away from the flames on either flank, and as their ranks reformed they began to pepper us with arrows and other projectiles again. Cacti needles were also raining down, but they were lighter and easily defeated by wind.


    ¡°We need to finish breaking the barrier. I doubt the Foehn will be enough alone.¡± With that I drew on the wind energy within the batteries that I had stored while we were helping Eri level. They were far from full in such a time, but it was enough for some attacks. I focussed my air into a vibrating drill, driving it into the weakening barrier, scattering more flames.


    Shaeula joined me, adding her wind that was amplified by the pink jade bells to my own, the weakening barrier seeming to give under the ever-increasing pressure. Her left hand held the dagger, and it gave off a burst of light, slamming the barrier and passing through, turning a cactus-creature to dust.


    ¡°It¡¯s breaking...¡± I drew on aether too, ignoring the fact it was taking me significantly more to use at the borders of enemy Territory. Using it to grab hold of both our workings, I increased the speed and power, just like I did against the wyrm. Energy flared up into the sky, a cascade of olivine and jade, before I released my remaining dregs of citrine fire energy, guiding some of the fading flames of the Foehn up into the swirling winds. Seeing what I was doing, Shaeula intensified her support, feeding in her own wind and fire energies. As the twister of green ignited, flaring yellow, I pulled on the threads of aether I had snared it with, and unleashed it with a great yell.


    ¡°Jupiter Descending! Blaze Mode!¡± Sure the name was lame, but it was important to shout it with conviction!


    The barrier gave out a shrill humming noise as the powerful blow struck the already weakening shell. Energy was being pulled in from other parts of the ward, but the throughput of the barrier was unable to sustain the rapid relocations of energy needed, and with one final shattering noise, filling the air like breaking glass, the whirlwind of blazing ruin cascaded through, cutting a burning swathe across the grounds, engulfing and consuming most of the cacti and any gnolls who had not heeded the order to flank us. Yes! Now we have a chance! Still, with one more trick up my sleeve before being forced to fight a conventional battle I focussed. ¡°Blossom!¡±


    The fiery wind detonated outwards, sending energy skittering in all directions. Most of the gnolls were out of range, but some were cut down or covered with burning tongues of Foehn. Looks like we have cut their numbers. Without anyone actively controlling the Territory, we shouldn¡¯t face any surprises either. Though the lack of Defensive Emplacements is a factor... are they hidden somewhere waiting to strike, or...?


    ¡°Marvellously done, my master!¡± Shaeula was enthused. ¡°Even my eldest brother, who is a master of the elemental arts-arts, would be impressed.¡±


    ¡°Damn, too rough. I need more polish.¡± I grated, jumping back myself as the gnoll kicked at my spear. When he was off balance I threw my second javelin at him, but his sword deflected it. He then roared in rage and rushed me. I slid to the side, faster again, but the gnoll barked in joy, eyes narrowing. He had anticipated my evasion, and his foot slammed me in the ribs. I had managed to see it coming and bend away, robbing the blow of much of its power, but I was still winded. He¡¯s not as strong or as fast as Grulgor, far from it, but even so, he¡¯s stronger than me, and only a bit slower...


    As we exchanged a series of feints, I weighed up my chances. He was much larger than me, though despite that our reach was about the same, as I was using a long spear. Still, he was definitely more used to real one-on-one combat, as evidenced by the fact he was evading all my attacks and managing to counter me. My armour took a glancing blow from the tip of his sword, bruising me, and as I made to retreat he leapt, powerful muscles driving him forwards.


    Well shit. Maybe I¡¯m too predictable... I threw myself to the ground, hitting it hard and rolling clear. The ground cracked where the gnoll stomped at me, and as I staggered to my feet I took another glancing strike, rattling my ribs and robbing me of breath.


    The gnoll was grinning at me, confident. ¡°Grr, you talked big, little intruder. I shall have your woman ye... argh!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, trash!¡± I spat coldly. Over our exchanges of blows two things had happened. The first was that my heart and lunar chakras had regenerated a little wind energy, and secondly I had worked out the one advantage I had. Greater cunning. Sure, I want to test myself, to improve my combat skills, but mostly I want, no NEED to win.


    The gnoll staggered back, one eye a bloody ruin, his throat leaking blood, as he had rushed into the thin string of wind I had cast out in an attempt to decapitate him. Still, he had animal instincts and quick reactions, which had saved him. I pressed my advantage, surging forwards, spear jabbing out repeatedly, scoring several light hits. As I started to focus entirely on the battle ahead of me, the sounds of slaughter around us as Shaeula rampaged began to fade away, muted, and all I could see was the opponent I was engaging, the now one-eyed gnoll raging as he swung his mighty sword.


    The blade of my spear still had wind within it that I had put in earlier, just enough to offset the weakness of the bluesteel and give it a sharp cutting and piercing head. The gnoll rushed me once more, leveraging his now furious strength. This time he swung from overhead, forcing me to slip aside, straight into a leg strike again... or so he thought.


    I don¡¯t fall for the same trick every time... his leg met my spear, and it sheared into his calf, severing several key muscles. The bastard howled and I returned a smirk. ¡°The only thing you shall have of mine is the end of my spear, dog.¡± As I leapt forwards to push my advantage I managed to get several hits in, but he dodged and weaved, somehow keeping upright on his mangled leg through force of will. Still, he¡¯s slowing. And... my nascent combat instincts were sparking. As I dodged his next swing, I realised that his strength had dropped too, as he couldn¡¯t anchor himself solidly. The next blow I turned aside, still feeling the heavy impact on my arms, but I was able to push through it, using the momentum to turn me into position to strike, just like some of the Chinese martial arts I had studied. My spear struck, and it sank right into one of his elbows, shattering bone.


    At that the beast let out a great cry, calling to his allies. A trio of gnolls rushed me with their own spears, but I quickly slew the first with my own thrust, slipping past theirs, which was so slow in comparison. I kicked aside the spear of the second, as the gnoll I had been fighting before had done to me, and one more thrust felled my enemy. The third... well the third was decapitated, but not through my efforts, a pinwheel flying past, the vibrating wire slicing through flesh, cartilage and bone with equal ease, like the finest of bonesaws.


    ¡°Sorry, where were we?¡± I slid forwards instead of back or to the side as the gnoll tried to blindside me, swinging his blade one-handed. I couldn¡¯t use my spear so close, but in a brawl.... I leapt, slamming my head into his chin, transmitting the impact through his jaw and into his brain. As bone cracked he stumbled, and I dropped low, my spear rising. It punched into his neck, through the broken bone and up into the skull. Wind discharged from the bluesteel, and the gnoll simply... exploded.


    As the now headless gnoll fell, a cry of despair went up from some of the survivors, and a large portion of the others became disorganised, merely rushing at Shaeula and I heedless of strategy or tactics. Wiping the gore from my face, I smiled balefully at the oncoming enemies. Perfect. More training...

 One Hundred And Seventeen

    One Hundred And Seventeen


    After Shaeula and I cleared out the remainder of the foes, their coordination shattered, reduced to rushing at us blindly, I paused for breath, muscles burning. I had gained a level mopping up, as well as a decent amount of ether, which was split between refuelling me and sending it back to my Territory.


    Still, perhaps the best gain was improving my combat senses... Fighting a number of foes with just my spear and physical abilities, I had grasped a few insights that I had been wrestling with, and my movements were smoother and more responsive. Of course, only a few of the remaining gnolls showed anything like true intelligence, the rest were mostly reactive...


    Turning to Shaeula, who had stowed her pinwheels, the makeshift sack of bloody dirt that was tied around her shoulders making her look rather odd, I checked to see she was unharmed.


    ¡°Of course master. Such barking dogs are no threat to me-me.¡± She scoffed, and yes, it was true. Her pinwheels were devastating in open combat, the wires effortlessly cutting foes apart. Still, we had noticed some weaknesses that could be exploited against it. It was strong yes, but by no means perfect, though they were worries for another time...


    ¡°Shall we press on then?¡± I asked her, and she nodded. Moving further into the Territory a dark oppression spread over us, similar to what was occupying the Casino El Diablo. The winds around us shivered, fighting against the ill-fortune, which grew stronger with every step we took.


    ¡°I do not-not care much for this place.¡± Shaeula sniffed sourly. ¡°I will not be sorry to see it gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty unpleasant. Still, it makes me curious. Is this some sort of feature of his Territory, or his own ability?¡± I looked around, and I couldn¡¯t see any buildings of the sort my Territory possessed. They could be hidden within the Boundary-versions of the Material architecture that was mirrored here, but... I don¡¯t think so. Something is definitely off here...


    Several hyenas flanked us from one side, rushing at us mindlessly, but I didn¡¯t even have time to react before Shaeula had dispatched them, winds gusting into sharp blades. Still, it was a lead...


    ¡°We should trace back their route.¡± I said, and she agreed, her eyes burning amber. As we followed a side street, another hyena raced at us. After spearing it, we turned in the direction it had come from, further into the malaise of ill-fortune that hung everywhere. After a few more minutes, we found our destination...


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, puzzled. There were several ... well, vortexes, for want of a better word, of silvery energies hovering around head-height in the air. As I watched, perplexed, ether was sucked into one of them, and out popped another hyena, seemingly generated from nothing. It saw us and reacted, but Shaeula swatted it like a fly.


    So they are similar, but different... I tried to use my Territory appraisal skill, but since it wasn¡¯t my Territory, of course nothing happened. Damn, useless again... Shaeula offered more help though, her mystic eyes once more proving perhaps her most useful asset.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± She said after a moment of study. ¡°These rifts in the Boundary, they are very similar to your own buildings. This one...¡± she pointed at the swirling silver that had materialised the hyena. ¡°... produces those soulless creatures. And that...¡± the second vortex. ¡°... is almost identical, but-but there are subtle differences in how it should function.¡±


    ¡°I see, so like a Spawning Spire and a Barracks, you think?¡± I asked, picking up on her meaning. ¡°We should test it, we have time.¡±


    We waited, and after dispatching several more hyenas from the first vortex, out of the second a gnoll appeared, and this one reacted with intelligence, panicking as it saw us in the heart of its Territory. A second later and it was dissolving into a mist of ether, our speculation confirmed.


    ¡°So even if the form is different, the effects are the same, I see.¡± I nodded to myself. ¡°It poses some interesting questions, but for now... might as well wreck them. That bastard that tried to kill me should suffer the consequences.¡±


    We tried striking at the vortexes, damaging them as we would my buildings, but there was little effect. Switching to wind and flame we discovered that worked much better, and in short order they collapsed inwards, gushing out significant ether, although I was only able to liberate around half for my use. Still, it was a welcome few thousand.


    Heading deeper in we found more of the vortexes, the majority of them spewing out creatures, though we did find a couple that drew in ether from the higher reaches of the Astral, similar to my Ether Spires. When we found these we destroyed them, siphoning off the ether, and my mood was improving rapidly, despite the cloying aura of unluckiness that was growing ever stronger, now powerful enough to offset my Fortune entirely. ¡®Lucky¡¯ for us that without any real opposition, it doesn¡¯t matter how much misfortune we have, we won¡¯t be stopped...


    After destroying more of his Territory, Shaeula stopped me, pointing to the sky. ¡°Look-look. That seems most fascinating. I believe we should investigate further.¡±


    Together we started attacking the rift that was the Anchor for this Territory. It was much more resistant to damage than the others, but soon it was starting to shiver, rippling like mercury. ¡°Keep attacking, we can do this!¡±


    With a final surge of wind energies assailing it, the Anchor collapsed with a whine that seemed to pierce through my very soul. As it shattered the baleful aura emanating from it vanished, and the other rifts exploded into ether, a vast amount flooding me. This time I was able to recover most of it, the pull of the Territory dissolving like ice under sunlight. As I was flooded with tens of thousands of ether, funnelling it to my Territory, I also felt strength coursing through me.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from twenty-nine to thirty-two.


    Three levels at once! And I had recently levelled up too! It seemed taking out Territories was very profitable. As I turned back to Shaeula I suddenly went blind, silver obscuring my vision, my right arm burning fiercely around my wrist where Exposition-san had gifted me the bracelet. I staggered and fell, landing in her arms as she caught me.


    The silver melted away, forming a cascade of question-marks, and as Shaeula was asking me what was wrong some of them started to resolve themselves into legible writing, forming a single sentence.


    You have gained a class. You are now a Conqueror.


    In addition, my head was splitting, my arm blazing with phantom pain. For a moment I seemed to be connected to someone, no... two someone¡¯s. I caught a brief glimpse of flaming red hair and golden eyes, in a face so beautiful as to be clearly artificial. It was then gone, and there was another, a flash of blue eyes, cold as winter. Then it too vanished, leaving me drained and aching, my chakra network throbbing. My lunar chakra was also working overtime, knives of pain that I hadn¡¯t felt in quite some time returning.


    Blinking away imaginary tears I patted Shaeula to assure her I was okay. ¡°I just got a lot of strength at once, I think that overwhelmed me.¡± I said, shaking my head to clear the last of the silvery fog. ¡°I got a class too, but... there was something else, a connection to something, or someone. It¡¯s gone now, still...¡±


    ¡°When you fell I could see something, though it was a working of great subtlety and craft, beyond my eyes to unravel.¡± Shaeula said, helping me to my feet. ¡°I am concerned though. It seemed connected to your chakra network, tangled deep-deep. I fear it might bode ill for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can look into it later.¡± I said in reply. ¡°My head is a bit of a jumbled mess still. But we¡¯ve achieved what we came for and then some. His Territory is ruined, he¡¯ll have to rebuilt it from scratch.¡± If he even can, assuming that Aliyah and her group lets him free... ¡°I just have to check my class details...¡±


    The first thing I noticed was it was a fifty level class! I was at level two, so it would be a slog. But the description was... less than useful.


    As one who has conquered the Territory of another, less worthy soul, you will slowly strengthen your ???????????? ??????????? ?????????????. Your ?????? increases, as does ??????????????. As you conquer more and more of the unworthy and solidify yourself as a true ??????????? you will find it easier to reclaim more ether from destroyed Territories, as well as have greater chances to extract ????????? ????????? and make it your own. Go forth and Conquer, your path to Astral Emperor is one of battle, and only the strong can stand against what is to come. ????????? ????????? ????????.


    So many question marks! But that isn¡¯t important... ¡°Here¡¯s a question for you, Shaeula.¡± I asked, and she perked up, ready to share her wisdom. ¡°If we are trying to protect the world from outside threats, shouldn¡¯t we be working together? What benefit would it be to pit us against each other? I don¡¯t get the endgame Exposition-san is trying to set up here...¡±


    Shaeula pondered, chewing on one finger adorably as she thought. After a while she shrugged. ¡°Without knowing this Exposition-san, all I can surmise is... a small number of the powerful can defeat any number of the weak-weak. You could pit a thousand of us against the Queen of the Seelie, and she would turn us to ash with her noble lightning with nary a pause-pause. Still, I have to wonder...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, agreeing with her previous thoughts. It does make sense in that regard. After all, in stories, fodder enemies are quickly exterminated by heroes and villains alike, so I get it, but still, working together with Shaeula has made us both far stronger than merely killing each other ever could, so that can¡¯t be all there is to it...


    ¡°There may be more to this we have not been made aware of-of. After all, you spent but a short time with this Exposition-san, and seeing the strange connection to your chakra network, which had hidden from even my eyes until now-now... I believe we should re-evaluate everything we know.¡±


    Yeah, I have my own doubts certainly. But it¡¯s hard to think right now...¡±We¡¯ll put sorting everything we know on our to-do list. But for now... I¡¯ve had enough. We did what we wanted, so let¡¯s return...¡±


    With that Shaeula and I returned from the Boundary, finding that Eri and Aiko were asleep, having tired themselves out talking. Checking the time I could see it was almost morning, so with that I headed to bed, hoping to grab a quick few hours of sleep to ease my discomfort...

 Side Twenty – Treyvon James – Black Wolf Company PMC

    Side Twenty ¨C Treyvon James ¨C Black Wolf Company PMC


    I looked at my sister and one of our better female operatives, Luciana, as they sat at the small metal table, nursing mugs of hot coffee, looking exhausted. Still, I guess they did have to travel through the night after completing their mission. I¡¯ll cut them some slack.


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡± I asked them. ¡°You didn¡¯t run into any problems I hope? It was pretty crazy here, so I¡¯m looking for some good news.¡±


    Aliyah and Luciana exchanged a long glance, Aliyah¡¯s face twitching. Others might not have been able to pick up on it, but we had been together forever, so I was easily able to see her tells. And this one wasn¡¯t a good sign. Oh god, I can feel another headache coming on... tell me you didn¡¯t get drunk and blow everything.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Trey, god, you can trust me to get shit done when I need to!¡± Aliyah said proudly, sticking out her chest.


    That doesn¡¯t work on me...


    ¡°Indeed yes, no hay problemas. We achieved the mission goals and made contact. As for the providence of what we gathered...¡± she looked back at Aliyah. ¡°I leave it to you two to judge.¡±


    Yeah, something happened that Aliyah has bullied Luciana into keeping quiet about. Still, if the mission was a success, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter... but I¡¯m still going to be pissed if she did something dumb. After all, she managed to stay sober enough during the casino operation...


    ¡°All right. In that case you can go Luciana. I expect you want a shower and your bed, it was a long drive out here.¡±


    ¡°I am most grateful. Gracias. Well, until later, Aliyah.¡± With that she scuttled out, coffee in hand, as if eager to escape from any possible interrogation.


    ¡°So, want to tell me what really went down sis? You aren¡¯t fooling me. Like you said, I¡¯ve sharp eyes, and I always know when you are trying to bullshit me. Out with it, I promise not to be mad, so long as you got what we needed.¡± Oh, I¡¯ll still be mad, but...


    Aliyah took a long slow drink of her coffee, trying to keep herself calm, but... hmm, she seems... embarrassed. Odd... I didn¡¯t think she could even look shy...


    ¡°Okay, okay... I admit I had too much to drink, I couldn¡¯t help it all right, Trey! The girls there were just adorable, so totally my type. And there were three of them! God, if you¡¯d have been in my place and there were three hot guys, you¡¯d have been making a fool of yourself too. But I got the job done, so please... just don¡¯t fucking ask, okay? We both agreed to forget it, so it didn¡¯t happen. Just let me give you the info!¡±


    Yeah, she is definitely embarrassed. That¡¯s just darling. If my sister was like this all the time, more girlish, rather than a rough and tumble tomboy, maybe those girls she fancies would like her for once... I¡¯m curious about what happened even more now, but screw it, mission first...


    Bullshit, sis. Total grade-A bullshit. Your eyes are swimming, something really went down that you don¡¯t want to tell me. I guess I can ask Luciana later, but...


    ¡°It isn¡¯t all bad though!¡± Aliyah offered to change the subject. ¡°I managed to get his phone number, as well as his sister and that devil Shaeula! We swapped for mine and Luciana¡¯s, but of course we used our backup burner phones, so there should be little danger of any shenanigans.¡± She downed the rest of her coffee, putting down the cup.


    ¡°Nice. Good news at least. Still, I daresay they are using burners too, so...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. Him and Shaeula, maybe, but the sister... not sure how much use it¡¯ll be, but I daresay if we ever did need to contact them for any reason...¡±


    My sister was rubbing at her ass with one hand, while the other was stroking her lip. It didn¡¯t seem she was aware of it though. Shit, she¡¯s acting strange. I know she really fancied this Shaeula girl, but she¡¯s also calling her a devil? What did she do? Oh well ... more importantly...


    ¡°One thing. Early this morning our target went mad, thrashing about in his bonds like a damn madman. If we hadn¡¯t learned from before and upped his restraints to a stupid level, he might have got out again. He was raving about ¡®some fucker destroying his Territory, ruining all his hard work and hoarded resources¡¯ before he passed out. He still hasn¡¯t woken up.¡±


    ¡°Territory hmm, yeah, that fucking guy... I mean, the person I went to meet, he mentioned Territory in response to the casino. As for the ¡®resources¡¯, want to bet that¡¯s the ether, the bioweapon maybe? Yeah, shit, I bet that¡¯s it. That bastard, and the devil... they asked me if we had taken away our target and seemed really pleased that he was going to be hundreds of K¡¯s away from Vegas... I bet they went and destroyed his hidden stockpile while we were doing their dirty work. Fuck, really pisses me off. Makes me wish I hadn¡¯t forgiven him for... but no, it was half my own fault for getting drunk and tricked... still, it makes me so fucking mad...¡±


    Filtering out all the angry incomprehensible ranting I considered the likely scenario. If we assumed this was some sort of experimental bioweapon that could weaken and make people susceptible to being tricked, then... perhaps the casino owner had bought if off terrorists and was spreading it around his casino to facilitate the cheating. A totally inane small-scale use of a dangerous weapon for sure, but then, most people were fucking idiots... Though there was something still nagging at me. Oh yeah... the odds... I¡¯d always had a knack for seeing patterns. I wasn¡¯t as quick to violence as my sister, though I could certainly put the hurt on when times called for it, but I was more alert, usually. Coincidence? It could be, the sample size was small... Still, that wasn¡¯t really much to do with the mission. We¡¯d identified the mysterious target, captured him and even brought back some extra info. We¡¯d get our money, and with the winnings my sister managed to bag, which was a small miracle in itself, as unless she was cheating she was nothing special as a gambler... Yeah, we are going to be able to refresh some of our out-of-date gear, give everyone a bonus and have a nice vacation...


    ¡°Well then, I guess that this Seele or whatever must have got word of the bioweapon and sent out some agents to the US to destroy it. Guess we were on the same team in a way. No point worrying about it, is there? We can hand off our target to the client and take a nice long break. Anywhere you fancy?¡±


    Aliyah looked down, deep in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know Trey. Let me think...¡± she was rubbing her bottom and face again absentmindedly. ¡°Maybe... somewhere abroad for a change?¡±


    Sure, sounds nice. Being a group of tourists for a while might be fun.


    ¡°In that case, sure. Why not ask the guys what they fancy? As for the other organisation... we¡¯ll make brief mention of it on the final report, but I don¡¯t think we need to go into too much detail. Sticking our nose in where it isn¡¯t wanted is bad for us smaller PMC¡¯s. Curiosity killed the cat and all that...¡±


    ¡°It sure did, Trey. It sure did. Besides, might be nice having that shit owing us a favour. Just how will I collect? Hahahaha!¡± she was clenching and unclenching her fist, magnificent muscles tightening.


    Shit guy, you may be handsome but you sure don¡¯t have any brains if you¡¯ve managed to rile up my sister this much. I¡¯ll pray for you man, I hope you don¡¯t meet her again, or else she¡¯s going to kill you...

 Side Twenty-One – Mori Eri

    Side Twenty-One ¨C Mori Eri


    When I woke up, having fallen asleep talking to Aiko, who was excitedly inquiring about my experiences in this... Boundary, until the early hours of the morning, I found that Akio and Shaeula had returned. Asking them about their endeavours Shaeula assured me it had been a total victory and really profitable, but Akio... there was definitely something wrong. He seemed out-of-sorts, distracted. Still, when I asked him, he did explain, at least a little, not that I understood it.


    Something about his worries about the goals of his benefactor... Still, the fact that he tried to explain honestly, it made me happy.


    Packing our luggage, including a ton of souvenirs for our family and friends back home, we said goodbye to our suite, Aiko very sad at leaving behind our weekend of luxury. It brought a smile to my lips, seeing her acting so. Aiko was always cheerful, but this last week... it was like we were young again, back in Nishimorioka, every day together. And that ends soon, Akio and Shaeula will go back to Tokyo. But... I was not going to dwell on it. Things had changed. After all, we had... Blushing, I touched my stomach. Now Akio and I are one. And we won¡¯t be apart for long... No, no dwelling on it. None... at all...


    ********


    Next to me, Aiko was asleep, snoring gently. It has been very exciting, and we barely slept last night. I¡¯ll leave her to it. Turning my gaze, Akio was also asleep, resting peacefully, looking so handsome I could just... Ugh, it¡¯s embarrassing, but since... since we did that I¡¯ve been more conscious of him than ever before. Still, since he had a lot to worry over, the sleep would do him good. Seeing my gaze, the last member of our party smiled at me, putting down the glass of alcohol she was drinking.


    ¡°Are you perhaps bored, Eri?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°The novelty of this great metal bird-bird has worn off, it can be rather boring, and alas, you can not-not drink like me. Perhaps some conversation would be in order?¡±


    Once more I was struck by how simply gorgeous she was. But more than that... She¡¯s so confident in herself, so sure of her worth. She¡¯s a princess for sure. And she loves Akio too. Can I... can I complete with that?


    Shaeula sighed, interrupting my internal monologue. ¡°I fear you are thinking something worthless again-again, are you not Eri? Really, the three of you are so easy to read, so similar. It amuses me indeed-indeed, yet it is also rather sad. We should talk, just the two of us, while Akio and Aiko can not hear us-us.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± was all I could say.


    ¡°So, a question.¡± Shaeula continued, either not sensing, or more likely just ignoring, my hesitation. ¡°Why did you make love to Akio? Wait, perhaps that is the wrong way-way of asking. I believe I mean, why so quickly? After all, you have been together for but-but a week now. I am no expert on mortals, but it seems rather rapid, no?¡±


    You are asking me that? But you... you encouraged me? Feeling a surge of indignation, I answered, my tone harsher than I intended, my inner thoughts leaking out. ¡°You told me I should give back twice what I received! Why are you complaining about it now? Are you jealous that Akio chose me, not you?¡± Even as I said it, I knew it was an unworthy thing to say. Still, Shaeula had been pushing all weekend, wanting Akio for herself, so my nerves were raw...


    Shaeula snorted, taking another long sip of her drink. Shutting her eyes for a second she remained motionless, before letting out a sigh. Her eyes then opened, her amber gaze meeting mine, so... so pure.


    ¡°Am I jealous of you, Eri? Why yes, of course I am, though not-not in the way you are of me.¡± Her gaze was boring into mine, and I knew if I looked away, I would somehow have lost something, so steeling myself I met her head-on.


    ¡°I do not-not need to monopolise Akio, we have discussed this. I would be satisfied were he to consider me in the same light he looks at you-you. But that is not what I asked. I do believe you should give back twice what you receive, for that is the way of a proud female. I also applaud your resolve, to give your everything to Akio. However... I worry that perhaps you have mistaken your own reasons? I had believed that you chose this to overcome your fears, yet your gaze looks to me-me unsure yet again. If that is true, what more-more can you do to bind yourself in his heart?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I just wanted to find something I could do for Akio, and I don¡¯t regret it!¡± I kept my voice down so as not to wake them, but it was hard. Her question was somehow... really annoying. ¡°I¡¯m not scared, I¡¯m happy... I know he won¡¯t leave me behind... he won¡¯t... We¡¯ll be together forever!¡± my voice was hoarse, and ... I believe it, I do... but...


    ¡°I know-know, you seemed very happy afterwards. But... I can not-not help but think there is more to it. I do not claim to understand mortals...¡± she snorted self-deprecatingly, ¡°...but having known Akio for some time now and discovering you and Aiko are also rather similar, I believe there is more to this.¡±


    More to it...? I swallowed nervously, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. ¡°I... don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh you do. I am no fool, Eri. You seek a bond that is so deep it can not-not be broken. And the deepest bond you know, it is bearing a child, is it not-not? You believe that if you do this, then Akio can never leave you. Perhaps you think you trust him, and yourself, but-but... fears are not so easily conquered, are they?¡±


    Her gaze was stern, but to me it looked accusatory, as though she was looking deep within me. Under the pressure I faltered, biting at my lip. ¡°I... I... look, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± I retorted, feeling disgust at how I was treating her. She¡¯s a rival, but... without her pushing me, her help... I¡¯d have let happiness slip through my grasp again. I shouldn¡¯t be so aggressive but... My thoughts were a churning mess, as they had been ever since Akio came back to Nishimorioka. ¡°I¡¯ve known Akio forever, so it isn¡¯t sudden. I just... just wanted to make it clear to him... and myself... that I intend to spend my life with him, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°I see, so I was right-right and you still have not overcome your biggest worry then?¡± Shaeula let my barbed rejoinder slide off her, and the concern wounded me again. ¡°Poor Eri. Though much of the fault lies with Akio too, I fear-fear, since it seems you and Aiko have learned your worst traits from him.¡±


    Huh, what do you mean? I¡¯m not like Akio, I¡¯m not brave or...


    ¡°Let me ask you this.¡± She continued relentlessly. ¡°When Akio was leaving for Tokyo, did you ask him not to go? When you started to miss him and he did not-not contact you as much as you wished, did you talk to him and ask him to keep you in his thoughts? When he returned on his infrequent visits, did you ever say that you missed him, that you wished-wished he would spare you more of his attention?¡±


    I swallowed then, feeling sick. To reassure myself my hands went to my lips, where we had kissed, and my belly, where perhaps even now... My hands froze at the look of triumph that crossed her face.


    ¡°No... no I never asked. It wasn¡¯t my place to...¡± I whispered. ¡°Aiko didn¡¯t either, really. She still talked to him occasionally, but...¡±


    ¡°Indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°I know she talked about coming to Tokyo to live with him, but from what I have gathered, up until we returned to Nishimorioka but a week ago, that was a mere fantasy, unlikely to ever happen. It was but-but a mask for her feelings. Yes, Akio has much to answer for, raising you two into his mirrors.¡±


    Mirrors, I don¡¯t get it...


    ¡°Let me ask you another question. Why do you think that until you, Akio has never had a girlfriend? He is rather handsome, is he not-not, and I know he has female friends that he still talks to, such as the so-called ¡®white princess¡¯.¡± She scoffed at the name. ¡°At this University place, he had a circle of friends, some of whom were females. I believe he could have seen some success. Tell me, what was Akio like back at your village?¡±


    ¡°He... well... most of his time he spent with us, though at school he did have some people he hung out with. He was... normal, I guess?¡± Akio never had problems socialising, he was way more confident than I, if not so bright as Aiko. I am the only shy one, scared of everyone else and my own shadows...


    ¡°Aha, I believe I understand now!¡± Shaeula said in triumph. As the drink trolley passed she got more alcohol, as well as a bottle of iced tea for me, which I took gratefully.


    ¡°What... what did you get?¡± I asked, feeling a little curious, but frustrated as well. What does she know of us? It¡¯s only been a week...


    ¡°You were thinking something foolish like-like ¡®I am the only coward¡¯ or ¡®Akio and Aiko are better than me¡¯ were you not? I sympathise, I do, for I too... well, we shall talk about me momentarily. But I am not wrong, am I?¡±


    Taking a drink of the tea to hide my flushed face of shame I nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hardly, after all, did you not boldly offer your purity, seducing the man you love, heedless, nay, even wishing for the risk of birthing new life?¡± At her words I blushed harder. It was embarrassing, and we weren¡¯t alone here. Luckily the noise of the plane masked us from being overheard.


    ¡°Yes but, that¡¯s...¡± She¡¯s right. I had resolved to love myself more, to trust in Akio, and I should have been secure, now I¡¯m his girlfriend. Akio is no liar, he¡¯s always looked out for me, he won¡¯t abandon me, but even so, I got scared, Shaeula is just... she¡¯s someone I can¡¯t beat... if he was to choose her... still, I did want to give him my love, that part is no lie, but I felt that if I gave him my virginity, if I was pregnant, he wouldn¡¯t turn to Shaeula. Gods, I¡¯m so horrible...


    Tears started to form then, diamond drops that leaked from my eyes. As I began to re-tread old ground, all my self-loathing and anger coming out, Shaeula reached over, wiping away my tears and patting my head, shocking me.


    ¡°Foolish Eri, still so fragile. Yet for little reason. Look, you feel yourself not as elegant or beautiful as I-I, do you not? Not as smart or as brave as Akio, not-not as friendly and cheerful as Aiko... what foolishness. From where I sit, you are beautiful indeed, and with a heart so very pure. Yet pure things are fragile. Were I to ask Aiko...¡± she looked at the sleeping figure, who was drooling, her face set in a broad smile even as she slumbered.


    She¡¯d be embarrassed if she knew.


    ¡°...Well, you heard her back at her home, when we had that ¡®girl¡¯s night¡¯, did you not? Aiko feels that you are far more beautiful than her, that she is stupid in comparison, that all she has is her energy, which Akio has now surpassed...¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true!¡± I snapped, defending her by reflex. ¡°Aiko is more beautiful than I, and everyone loves her, unlike me! She isn¡¯t stupid either, it¡¯s just Akio is a tough act to follow as her brother, and...¡± seeing Shaeula looking at me in triumph I trailed off.


    ¡°So if I asked Aiko the same about you-you, how would she answer?¡±


    At that my head dropped, conceding the point, even as my heart railed against it.


    ¡°So you see... should you ask Akio about himself... well, he views himself very differently to how you two see him-him.¡± She took another drink, smacking her lips in pleasure. ¡°He knows he is not brave, merely reckless when it comes to those he needs to protect. He also knows that you overvalue his intelligence indeed.¡±


    As I was about to protest she stopped me. ¡°Make no mistake, Akio is no fool, and has a certain level of low cunning-cunning, yet he is not this genius you and Aiko believe him to be. No, you both only see twisted reflections of your own fears in him, feeding your own inadequacies. This I know, for I too am similar. Since you were inseparable as children, your formative years, it is only to be expected I fear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always liked the night sky. When I was a child, I often looked up at the stars, imagining what they were like, whether people like me lived there. I hoped that they didn¡¯t, so I could have them all to myself, just me, Aiko and Akio.¡± God, so embarrassing. Shaeula was just nodding in interest, beckoning me to continue.


    ¡°One night, I must have been seven or eight at the time, just a young girl, I decided I wanted to see the stars up on the mountains, where the view would be better. It was such a clear, cold winter night, my breath frosty in the air. Still, my parents said I was too young to go up the mountains. There are animals out there, and it can be pretty dangerous at night. I was sad and I remember crying. I used to cry a lot, sorry Akio.¡± No more tears unless they are ones of joy. Now Shaeula has shown me how I put pressure on him, despite not needing to, I can learn to be better...


    ¡°Anyway...¡± my throat was parched too, so I finished my iced tea. ¡°I went crying round to Akio, so he of course took me where I wanted to go, Aiko tagging along. He dressed us up all warmly, then packed a late-night picnic, then took us to the mountain. It was cold, yet warm at the same time, and the sky was so beautiful. The stars were like a river of diamonds, shining. Of course... we got caught. My parents were pretty mad, and scolded Akio, but that was nothing compared to his father. Oshiro-san can be very scary when mad... oh no...¡± I paused, horrified, a thought that hadn¡¯t crossed my mind leaking in. ¡°When he finds out what Akio and I did, he¡¯s going to kill us!¡±


    ¡°Hardly!¡± Shaeula scoffed at my panic. ¡°It is always the male that is punished in these circumstances. You will receive his sympathy. Akio though...¡± she laughed. ¡°... yes, he will no doubt receive quite-quite the retribution. But...¡± she looked at me so kindly. ¡°... he will not regret it. After all, I believe he rather enjoyed the experience with you. I must admit I am curious myself-myself...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± I protested, face on fire.


    ¡°Anyway, I shall now tell you my tale, of when Akio and I were drinking with his neighbour, Karen. It was most-most fun...¡±


    I listened to her tale, trying not to feel bad that Akio was having fun with other women. It was just some drinks. Nothing happened...


    ¡°So, now I shall ask you...¡± Shaeula said, eyes serious. ¡°... and be honest. If you remove Aiko from your story, or Karen from mine-mine, would it be less fun, less special?¡±


    ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t be the same without Aiko.¡± I agreed. As I did so her grin broadened.


    ¡°Now if I were there on that mountain that night, watching the stars with you all-all, and you were with Karen and I, drinking merrily, would it not be more fun-fun?¡±


    ¡°It would, but...¡± I began.


    ¡°Well then, is that not the same-same?¡± she argued passionately. ¡°I will be a sister you can trust, an ally, a friend, loving the same male, sharing everything. It takes nothing from you, in fact you shall find our love stronger than ever-ever.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t work like that. Love isn¡¯t meant to be shared that way...¡± I stubbornly protested. ¡°... Besides, spending time alone with the one you love, it¡¯s special. There are... things... you can only do together.¡±


    ¡°I would say that is not entirely true.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°Besides, do we not have a long life ahead of us-us? I will not steal from you, should you give me your blessing. After all, I shall be working with my master from now on, so our time together is decided, in any event.¡±


    She¡¯s convincing, but I know it isn¡¯t supposed to be that way. It isn¡¯t even my jealousy, it¡¯s just...


    ¡°I am a Fae, my lifespan is not the same as you Mortals. We live long indeed, assuming no misfortune befalls us-us, and with master watching my back, I have no fears. I could-could allow you to have a life with Akio, and when you eventually depart from this world, I could have him for my own-own. But...¡± she looked at me, eyes deadly serious. ¡°If you were I, would you make such a choice-choice?¡±


    ¡°But Akio won¡¯t live that ... wait, will he?¡± Can that mysterious world really extend his life, like she¡¯s clearly implying?


    ¡°He will, should we succeed. Already his subtle bodies are changing, becoming more like a Fae. So if I were patient, I could have his love. Yet... am I such a monster? He loves you, Eri, and I would see you too stand at his side for a long life-life. So sparing some time for me and Akio... surely you can do this?¡±


    Stop being so... so damn nice. I... I feel awful...


    ¡°It just isn¡¯t right...¡± I protested, trying to hold on to my resolve. ¡°I believe in faithfulness. What happens if you found another man who pleased you like Akio does. Would you want to love him too?¡±


    ¡°A fair question.¡± She replied, giving it serious consideration. ¡°Many of the Fae have multiple lovers, in their long, almost endless lives-lives. Even the Queen herself has her paramours, such as the Scotsman. After all, near-eternity is long, loves can fade-fade...¡± her gaze hardened. ¡°But not mine-mine. Akio, he is my master, my other half-half. I dearly love him, just as you do. Would you deny me the succour of love, feeling as you do? If I had been introduced to you as Akio¡¯s woman, would you have given up?¡±


    I would have... then. I would have died inside though. Now, knowing the true happiness of what it means to love Akio, to be loved... no, I couldn¡¯t... even so, I don¡¯t want to compromise...


    ¡°So if there was another man, a man who loved me, would you be happy if I asked Akio to share me with him? It¡¯s no different, is it?¡± I put forth my argument triumphantly. Beside me Aiko rolled over, and for a moment I thought I had woken her, but she then sighed and settled back to her rest.


    ¡°Is there such a man? If you truly loved him and he loved you... I would understand. As for Akio... for males it is different, they are more-more possessive than females in general. My father is like that, he would defend his females to the death. Only my mother left him, and perhaps she now-now has a new male. I know not. It would pain him, I know for certain. Now you have joined your bodies, he sees you as his and he as yours-yours. But would he relent, allow you to love both? Perhaps. I have no wish to put this to the test, but his love for you is deep. If it was required to make you happy... still, your feelings are too strong for such, are they not-not?¡±


    The thought of it makes me sick. I want Akio, I¡¯ve only ever wanted Akio... but... would he allow me to betray him like that? I pictured his face, his kindness, the... the feeling of his warmth inside me. He would, though it¡¯d break his heart, destroy him. Am... am I so small?


    ¡°You think too much Eri, as always, too bounded by the mundane life you have lived until now-now.¡± Shaeula said gently. ¡°Were Akio just a normal male, then the life you seek is one I can applaud. However, he will be a legend, living a long life you could only have imagined in dreams before this-this. He will need many allies, many loves at his side. Rejoice that you are the first he loves-loves. I will never betray you, I will always give you your due, but I beg...¡± Shaeula bowed to me then. ¡°... offer me the chance to love him at your side. I did not-not know I would ever find such love, especially with a mortal. Our lives will be filled-filled with happiness such as you can only imagine. After all, has this week not been one of joy for you?¡±


    Don¡¯t bow to me like that, it¡¯s crushing my heart. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve wormed your way into my friendship, our lives in such a short time, but now you look so regal, so tragic and beautiful, and I feel my resolve faltering...


    ¡°What¡¯s the land of the Fae like?¡± I asked suddenly, trying to sort out the tangle of my thoughts. A bit confused by the change of subject, Shaeula answered.


    ¡°You like the stars yes-yes? Well in the night of the Fae realm, there are no stars, just the moon, so big it covers much of the skies-skies. Yet the night is beautiful. On rare occasions the darkness is broken by a rain of shooting stars, and it is said those born under such are gifted with fortune and power-power. I had thought this but a myth, for I was born-born under such a starfall. Until now I had rued my lack of power and fortune, yet meeting Akio, and you, and Aiko, and many others... perhaps I was indeed born blessed.¡± Her smile was bright, and I fought the urge to look away.


    ¡°It sounds nice.¡± I answered at last. ¡°I wish I could see it...¡± She loves Akio as much as I do... I¡¯ve known him longer, but her experiences with him over this month... they are like I experienced with the frightening dog, just even more striking. No wonder she fell for him... I can¡¯t hate her for it.


    ¡°You shall see it, for as you stand at Akio¡¯s side, when I prove to all the Seelie Court I am worthy and take my place there, he shall be at my side-side. I respect your love and devotion, and I promise I shall never forsake Akio or you. But imagine the life we could... no the life we will lead. Every day full of struggle yes, yet so much joy.¡±


    It''s hard to argue against, but my heart aches, and the black feeling of jealousy, it¡¯s swelling up inside me... I don¡¯t like this at all.


    ¡°Wow, oh come on Eri, don¡¯t get lost in your head. You don¡¯t have to decide now, but at least think about it, okay?¡± Aiko suddenly said, opening her eyes, causing the words I was searching for to be lost.


    Aiko turned to Shaeula and winked. ¡°You know, hearing you talk like you did about us, a lot more makes sense to me. I don¡¯t know if you are right about everything, about how my big bro feels, and whether we did put too much pressure on him with our expectations, but... I think you were right about me. I have always felt I wasn¡¯t good enough, so I¡¯ve always tried to be a sister that my bro would like, would want to always take care of. Not as smart as my bro, or as pretty as Eri... it¡¯s so stupid. After all, I¡¯m gorgeous.¡± She let out a short laugh. ¡°I feel kind of bad mocking my bro all this time for being a virgin loser with no girlfriend if it was down to us that he avoids intimacy though. I guess it¡¯s a good thing I can¡¯t use that joke anymore, right?¡±


    Oh no, how long as Aiko been awake? We were talking about things I don¡¯t want anyone else hearing, my petty and ugly side...


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been awake a while.¡± Aiko said, interpreting my look of horror. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all been rather fascinating. I feel bad though. I don¡¯t want you to feel like my big bro is cheating on you, no-one more deserves happiness and love than you, Eri, but hearing Shaeula talk... I feel really sorry for her. You do too don¡¯t you, Eri? I was moved when she said that she could wait us out and have Akio when we were dead, but that she didn¡¯t want to do that and would help you too. Wow, so magnanimous, to her rival in love! I think I almost fell for her myself then, she¡¯s so kind. One thing though, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being left out again, wow, so cold. Where am I in your new long-life Faerie love-in?¡±


    ¡°I am not so kind and magnanimous as you think, Aiko.¡± Shaeula sighed honestly. ¡°I only realised how I truly felt just before we visited your hometown, when I thought Akio was slain-slain by the Raven Knight. I was then sorting through my feelings and finally met you and Eri. Should she have not shown the will to deserve my-my master, I myself would have done everything to make him mine, though honestly...¡± she looked at Aiko and me, her expression strange. ¡°... it might not have gone well. I think it had to be either you or Eri confessing, else it would not have helped resolve the issues that have plagued him ever since the dog, so long ago. As for being left out, perish the thought-thought. I am sure Akio can open his arms for you too, Aiko, for he has enough love to spare for all!¡±


    ¡°Eww, gross. Why do you keep shipping everyone with big bro, even those who are clearly inappropriate, like me! I love my bro, sure enough, but... ick. We have laws about that sort of thing!¡±


    ¡°What are laws in the face of love?¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°A male is measured by the calibre of the females he makes happy, while a female is measured by how-how she supports her male. Akio can love and make happy all of us, I believe. In all seriousness, you will not be left behind, Aiko. I shall train you, and you will grow stronger, and live longer, and see me take my place amidst the Seelie, Akio and Eri also by my side.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s a sexist view... still, I don¡¯t entirely disagree. BUT no matter how much I love my big bro, no way, no how, to that! I do want to see you and Eri walking with my big bro though. Wow, sorry Eri, I guess in the end I¡¯m a terrible best friend. It¡¯s just... I think you could all be happy. I know it¡¯s different for me, he¡¯s my brother, so my love is different, but still... at least... think about it, okay?¡±


    Aiko too? I feel a little betrayed... still, I was feeling other emotions too, blended into my jealousy and insecurity. I felt warmth, and hope, and confusion. Would it really be all right, would I still be happy, if I was to share?


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything.¡± Eri said slowly. ¡°All I can promise is... I¡¯ll search my feelings. But in the end, I will never give up on Akio. I don¡¯t even know myself entirely why I gave myself to Akio, but I do know I don¡¯t and won¡¯t regret it. I¡¯m happy now, and I don¡¯t want to jeopardise what I¡¯ve gained after all this time, and I want to make Akio happy too. Twice what I receive. Three times, no, even more... if I helped make Akio sad in the past, even if I didn¡¯t mean to, then I¡¯ll overwrite those memories and fill them up with joy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but you did say one thing earlier that was true I think you might have forgotten. Dad can be really scary when mad! Akio might not survive the fallout when he finds out you might be pregnant!¡±


    I swallowed nervously, while Shaeula burst out laughing. Looking over to Akio, who was still sleeping peacefully, I tried to gather my thoughts. Just what is right and what is wrong? What will make Akio happy, while keeping my own newfound happiness? Can I accept Shaeula too? I just don¡¯t know...

 Side Twenty-Two – The Raven Knight

    Side Twenty-Two ¨C The Raven Knight


    The full moon hung heavy and massive in the black sky overhead, looking like a flashlight shining through an obsidian sheet, not a trace of stars visible in the infinite skies. The bright reflection in the lake below rippled and shimmered as the figure bathing within moved lazily, bare limbs breaking the surface of the water, orange sparkles breaking free and floating into the air like a spectacular display of fireflies.


    The Raven Knight let out a bitter growl, watching as his dark feathers floated on the surface of this sacred lake, hidden away at the edge of the Fae lands, the forests and halls of the Seelie Court distant, but needling at his heart and consciousness like a barbed thorn, the injury minor but unable to be forgotten. Below the silver waters of the lake were a dozen trees, somehow surviving, no, even thriving despite being continuously submerged. Their leaves were giving off the orange balls of light, concentrating the already dense ether in the surroundings, dyeing it with the orange hue of water energies.


    ¡°Master Raven, are you well? Your expression is pained.¡± A melodious voice asked, and he turned to see a beautiful young Fae woman, a water nymph, draped in blue and orange cloth that covered little, her silvery hair flowing down into the water. ¡°I shall encourage the water essence to soothe your wounds, please be patient.¡± With that the gorgeous nymph gestured, and her hair wrapped around him gently, across his back, upper torso and lower face, where the remains of the Woe Backlash, the burned scars, were slowly fading.


    One would think that being so tightly bound over such wounds would be naught but pain, yet... her hair drew the water essence from the surroundings and guided it to his wounds, speeding the recovery, fighting against the lingering taints of the Woe and the dark energy that it was bound to. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction despite himself, he quickly felt anger. This... Fae creature... may be my ally now, but she reminds me of... her, and my detestable aunt. If she still lives, I would love to have her flayed alive and kept that way for aeons, to punish her betrayal... by the fates, of course she still lives. That dark bitch is a mighty sorceress, and knows many Dark Fae in the Unseelie Court, who would be only too happy to extend her life for... favours. Like all Fae, they do love beauty...


    Feeling melancholy and bitter hatred in equal measure his gaze went to the small island at the centre of the lake, ringed by Rhyming Trees of different elements, their energy shimmering like a mirage, or perhaps the northern lights of the Material. Behind the trees he knew lay a small mausoleum, where his foolish father and even more foolish mother lay entombed, their mortal remains brought to the lands of Fae by his aunt for purposes less than charitable. Hence why I am this bastard half-Fae form... Upstodatee from


    Neither fully mortal or fully Fae, ever bound to stay in twilight, orphaned and cursed. Grinding his teeth under the replacement raven-mask he wore, he clenched his fist. And worse, the Dark Rhyming Tree I stole from the Unseelie at great cost, it is taken from me by that Mortal fool and his by-blow whore of a half-Fae. Finding a place to plant the tree where it could draw in the essence it needs to survive, that was not already monopolised by someone or something stronger than I, was a great labour, and the fact that I could kill the whore daughter of that conniving weasel Shaetanao was a pleasing coincidence. Yet now... damn, all my plans are set back once more...


    She had been wracked with terrible pain, her already battered body gouting blood and ichor everywhere, her joints cracking. Still, she had survived, the healing of the lake enough to restore her, and spiders and their mystical equivalents did heal very quickly. It was quite envious. Afterwards though she had set up her own little arachnid kingdom in a corner of his demesne. It is not a problem for now, but should she draw unwanted attention my way...


    The Raven Knight knew he was skilled and strong in his domain, but compared to the full might of the Seelie or Unseelie, as well as some of the sole wanderers that dwelt within the lands of the Fae... No, I survive by keeping hidden where possible, and choosing my allies carefully. When I am healed, there will have to be a reckoning, and I shall show her why I am the only one fitting to be a master here...


    As the song ceased, the last sad notes fading away into the stillness of night, the nymph withdrew her hair, seeing the Raven Knight breathing more naturally, lost in thought. Silently she retreated, leaving him alone, eyes reflecting the moon.


    I was so close... if I could have grown the tree enough to be able to survive here, I could have brought it back and begun the ritual. But now, all that effort is wasted. His heart told him that revenge on those who had thwarted him was necessary, yet his head spoke wisdom, saying that revenge could wait until after the plan was back on track.


    The Unseelie will not welcome me, not after I betrayed them to steal their Arts and Tree. The Seelie are also unforgiving, and have few if any Dark Rhyming Trees... The surest way to victory was to seize back the Tree in the Boundary, but over time that would likely prove more challenging, as the Mortal was seemingly blessed by the Gods and Goddesses of Fortune themselves, lucky breaks falling into his hands one after another...


    I could search the Boundary for naturally-occurring Rhyming Trees of the Dark Element. There surely must be some... yet again, just as areas of Dark Elemental Energies are often occupied, any such Trees will be guarded and exploited. Is my only option to attack those fools again after all...?


    His gaze straying back to the island, where his mother and father lay in their cold tombs, unmourned and slandered by the cold lies of history, he spat, black bile staining the pure water of the lake before dispersing. Nothing will stand in the way of the goal I have laboured for these many long years... If it was an attack that was required, he would make it. Yet failing again was not to be countenanced. Allies, I will need allies. Perhaps... yes... Under the mask he smiled for the first time in days. Perhaps there was a way to succeed, and get revenge on the Mortal brat and that half-Fae bitch at the same time...

 Side Twenty-Three – Fujiwara Shige, Head of Fujiwara House

    Side Twenty-Three ¨C Fujiwara Shige, Head of Fujiwara House


    Shige kept his displeasure deep within, his face impassive, though there was no concealing the anger boiling in his steely gaze. The score or so of men sitting around the table were still arguing after this proposal, splitting into factions, each wrapped up in their own interests. It is quite the disappointment. Just how long must I... no, to dwell on that now is just needless.


    Beside him, sensing his fatigue one of his two security guards, the giant half-Japanese and half ¡®something¡¯ man, who towered over everyone at nearly half a foot over six feet tall, handed him a mug of coffee. Taking a sip he held in a sigh. Kona. The US president is said to drink little else. It is good, but cannot staunch my worries alas.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know if this is a joke.¡± One executive was saying. He might be wearing an expensive suit from a well-known London tailor, but it wouldn¡¯t make him look anything but a balding man trying to appear important. ¡°Surely this must be some sort of test, right, right?¡± he was appealing to the other executives, who like him, almost to a man, were wearing similar attire, with expensive watches and ties, each striving to show off how impressive and essential they were. It is enough to make me despair. Still, there were a couple of exceptions.


    ¡°Enough, if you really think Fujiwara-dono would do such a pointless thing, I worry for your sanity.¡± The man, Harada Koji was saying, trying to rein in the quarrelling. ¡°Just because we did not see it coming or think it impossible, if we are asked to do this, then we should respond with our best efforts.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    If only Koji-kun was my son... he was currently the acting leader of policy decisions in the Fujiwara group, and at his words a half-dozen around the table nodded agreement.


    ¡°Yes, Honoured Father wouldn¡¯t lie to us.¡± a man in his fifties said. His hair was dyed, and his suit was extremely extravagant, paired with a watch that Shige had given him on his twentieth birthday, quite the antique. Yet I note he has had it restored. Typical. Too fearful of me to wear a different one, but too proud not to have it changed to his tastes.


    ¡°Indeed, a very good point Hidemasa-sama!¡± one oily executive agreed, trying to earn points with him no doubt. ¡°It is wisdom like that which shows you are indeed Fujiwara-dono¡¯s oldest son. I don¡¯t see Kazuhito-sama here. could he... not make it to such an important meeting?¡±


    ¡°No, I fear he had to work. Apparently he is meeting a Russian delegation regarding international co-operation on trade or some such. A worthy goal no doubt, but...¡± Hidemasa said doubtfully.


    To think I¡¯d have lived so long as to have to deal with this. Barring Koji-kun and another man who was standing almost unnoticed in the shadows, everyone here was a Fujiwara family descendant, from either the main or the branch lines. Once that meant they would be resolute, powerful and dedicated to the country, but over the last few generations, since the war... If only we had not engaged in such folly. All three pillars that supported Japan nearly fell, and after the rebuilding... Decadence was proving even more destructive than outright war...


    Gesturing to his imposing guards, simply known as ¡®Left¡¯ and ¡®Right¡¯, they stood taller, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°I find this argument unseemly.¡± Shige said, his voice quiet yet still able to dominate the rich executives, including his son. ¡°While I do not encourage blind obedience, when I give an order I expect it to be treated seriously. Right now, every one of the Fifty-Seven and most of the Three-Hundred will be holding similar meetings and looking at where to go from here. This will be our sternest test since the war, and I have no wish to see us fail here.¡±


    Indeed, after none in the houses of nobility, neither new nor old, had owned up to developing these new abilities, Itsuki, Kira and I decided to establish countermeasures and bring everyone together. It could be the catalyst to either rebuild the nobility back to past glories, or...


    ¡°Of course Honoured Father.¡± Hidemasa gushed. ¡°But still, since none of us have seen or heard of such things... it is hard to comprehend. Still, I am sure we can come up with a plan to satisfy you!¡±


    As more pointless discussion followed, Shige half-listened, while pondering his own plans. How I envy Kira with strong young heirs. He can leave this to them should he wish. As for my sons... one was dead alas, his eldest, who he had invested much effort into raising as his successor. By comparison his other two were left to their own devices, and had become spoiled and rebellious respectively. Still, they had done one thing right.


    ¡°How about we survey every employee of the Fujiwara group?¡± one was saying. ¡°Our subsidiary businesses employ over a hundred thousand people. Surely we would unearth one or two if they exist?¡±


    Taking the tea he sipped it. Perfect as ever. How my Granddaughters came from the loins of my two sons, well it is a mystery as great as these new strange powers that the Shrines advised us of...


    ¡°It is most excellent. I dare say you are the star of the tea ceremony club.¡± He said, placing the cup on its saucer. ¡°By the way, how is school? Are you getting on with the other daughters?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Grandfather.¡± She nodded, placing down her own saucer. ¡°We speak little, but I have served many during tea ceremonies, and they often come to watch me dance.¡±


    Oh yes, I remember the last dance recital. ¡°And your cousin? Unfortunately Miyu is not present today, as her father has his own matters to attend to.¡±


    Honoka paused, before smiling prettily. ¡°I have little contact with her, as she is in High School, yet during dance classes we do speak. I have no complaints in our relationship. Our bodyguards are sisters, so occasionally we might cross paths elsewhere.¡±


    I... see. It was too late to regret the choices they had made in the education of noble daughters. Itsuki and Kira agreed with me. All nobility benefits when their wives and daughters are true Yamato Nadeshiko. But it is a lonely path, with no room for friendship...


    Feeling strangely guilty, he asked a question that had been on his mind more often recently. ¡°Your fiance? has already been chosen, do you not wish to know of him?¡±


    ¡°If you wish to speak of him, then of course I will listen, grandfather.¡± Honoka smiled brightly, bowing deeply. ¡°I am sure whichever husband you have chosen for me will be suitable for a daughter of Fujiwara house, and I have been training in the bridal arts to be a perfect wife. I know that Miyu feels the same, though her marriage will no doubt come sooner than mine.¡±


    A perfect answer as always, radiating elegance. Still... my old heart does ache. If only my remaining sons... no, I cannot fix what cannot be fixed.


    ¡°So, tell me more about school.¡± He said, and she started talking joyfully, topping up his tea periodically.


    How wonderful would it be if one of my granddaughters was chosen to bear this new power? Alas, it was not to be. Still, that gives me an idea... ¡°I am thinking of having a shrine maiden assigned to you and your cousin, to help you understand more about the spiritual side of our country. I believe it will be of benefit to your growth. She will stay by your side, like your bodyguard does. Would you have any objections to this?¡±


    She looked puzzled for a moment, before shaking her head, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall behind her. ¡°Of course not grandfather. I would be honoured to learn anything you feel I should, to make me a better wife and daughter of Fujiwara house. I will welcome this shrine maiden into my life, and listen earnestly to anything she can teach me.¡±


    As he smiled at her perfect response, his mind was whirring. Even if they have not been gifted with powers themselves, if they are guarded and taught by those who do have them, then perhaps... is this what we have been missing in our plans? He would have to owe Takakura-san a favour, but no doubt he would be able to mediate some suitable personnel. They would have to be refined, and able to attend the same school as his granddaughters...


    As he pondered he continued to make pleasant small-talk with Honoka. As his time with her drew to a close he left her with some words of encouragement, before being escorted back to the meeting room by Left and Right. Hopefully they would have come up with something useful in his absence. Granddaughters are a joy indeed, and I love them dearly, but their fathers...

 Side Twenty-Four – Revelation-Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice

    Side Twenty-Four ¨C Revelation-Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice


    ¡°So, we have gathered, yet alas, some of our faithful are missing, I see.¡± As he glanced around the room, Revelation-Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice noticed that of the thirteen souls that should have been occupying the decorated podiums carved out of the stone of the surrounding catacombs, faced in marble and chased with gold, only eight, including himself, was present.


    ¡°Non importa. Such is to be expected. For we have waited long for this day.¡± His piercing hazel eyes surveyed his fellows. ¡°Still, for those of us that have made the journey under the auspices of the one and only God, I offer you benvenuto. welcome.¡± Despite being Italian, and that being the main language of the Catholic Church, he spoke flawless English, for that was the word of True Revelation.


    ¡°It has indeed been too long.¡± The speaker was old, his hair a snowy white, yet his body was still muscled, lean and tanned. He was wearing vestments as would any other Cardinal, yet they were armoured with plates of a golden metal, and in his sash was belted a sword, old-looking, the hilt a cross, yet the blade was bright and free of rust, shining under the many candelabra that lit the hall. ¡°I knew when I heard the voice of Metatron in my dreams, and Crucis Purgationis started waking from its slumber, that the time long prophesised in the true book of Revelations has come. Praise be to God, amen!¡±


    Lorenzo echoed the amen, as did the others around the room. The wielder of the blade, the Crucis Purgationis, was Inquisitor-Cardinal Maximillian Meyer. I had thought him dead, having not heard of him for so long and his advanced age, but I am happy to be proved mistaken, for he is one of the more staunch of the True Believers.


    ¡°I too heard the voice.¡± A small dark-skinned man said, seemingly overwhelmed by his ceremonial finery. Beside him lay a whip, the material a strange dark fabric, and even here Lorenzo fancied he could smell the blood. Fighting an urge to cross himself, he listened to the words of his long-time colleague. ¡°To think that it would be us, who would be witness to the End Times.¡± His English was spoken with a Spanish lilt, making it a little hard to understand, but all were brothers and sisters here under God, so even without words... All of us are thinking the same. Commandment-Cardinal Ortiz speaks for all of us.


    ¡°I tremble at the thought, yet we must do what needs to be done.¡± an old rasping voice said, and everyone turned to see a withered old crone, a large musical horn beside her. As she spoke she shook, and she surely was not long left for this world, unless... unless of course her Hallowed Ground can renew her. Verum Lore has much to say on the effects of the Hallowed Ground... why else would God choose now to start the march to Armageddon, with many of us so old?


    ¡°Indeed, your words spark both hope and joy in me. Amen.¡± After a brief round of prayer, Lorenzo asked his colleague, who despite the teachings of the mainstream church was of course female, a question that was on his mind. ¡°So, saggia donna, my old friend. I am sure under the grace of God I need not ask, but the Choirs, they remain prepared?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She rattled, making the sign of the cross. ¡°I have been training them for nearly eighty years, my bones may be old, but my spirito, it does not falter. My future successor, who I have been pouring my wisdom, she oversees the grand work now. Our numbers are perhaps not what they were, but the quality, the fede in Dio, faith... it remains pure.¡± She coughed, her lungs hissing. ¡°And as a great blessing, she dreamed of a Seraph, and has found her own blessing from God. Several others in the Choir have seen lesser Angels...¡±


    ¡°I see, that is grand news indeed.¡± A youthful voice said, and everyone turned to the newcomer. She was comely and fair, young too, probably no more than twenty, with long blonde hair down to her knees and stunningly bright green eyes like emeralds. Her vestments were adorned with rows of small crystal bells, and as she spoke they tinkled calmingly. On one finger was set an ornate golden ring, made up of a series of interlocking knots.


    Konstantin nodded, opening his mouth for all to see the stump of his tongue. Still, his gaze was firm, pleasing to the eye, and full of faith. Hmm, the old Cursing-Cardinal was Arabic. There is a story here. But that is for later.


    ¡°So, we have all gathered then, those of us who are able. I believe that the Faith-Cardinal passed several years ago, and the Seminary was destroyed. A vile blow. Those unbelievers will pay a high toll now that the time for true Revelations has come. Amen. Does anyone know of the others? Can we still hold out hope?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother told me that the Charity-Cardinal was waylaid in the Far East. I believe she said it was Cultivators, if you can believe that nonsense.¡± Mary Stuart made a sign of the cross and spat in disgust.


    ¡°Such trash do exist, though like the cowards they were, most fled nigh on fifteen-hundred years ago.¡± Luca stroked his wheel. ¡°Now all that are left are a few vermin who practice their ungodly arts in secret, hiding from their equally faithless government. If we have to start a purge before Armageddon, I suggest we start there. I know that the Charity-cardinal was old like the rest of us but tale follia, such a disappointment...¡±


    ¡°Do not be so harsh on our fellows.¡± Maximillian said suddenly. ¡°In my youth I duelled a pair of these Chinese Cultivators when I did missionary work. They were quite annoying. One even got away. The other is currently where he belongs in Hell, though...¡±


    ¡°Enough. Peace.¡± Lorenzo sighed, unamused at the bickering. ¡°We will make do with what we have. The Choir still stands, even if we have lost the Seminary, and several of the Orders. And with God on our side, what do we have to fear? The Pontiff, God rest his nai?ve soul, is too wedded to peace and reconciliation to understand the threat. I do not blame him, successive generations have softened their stance, leaving it to us in the shadows to make sure that the sacrifice of our Lord, separating this world from the sinful, protecting this Garden of Eden, is not in vain. As time passes and the chaos begins, more will flock to our banners and faith will be rekindled, as is stated in the True Revelations. But first, we must take stock. As is in the Choir, others will have heard the call of God. We must gather them, before they use their Hallowed Ground. I trust you have all refrained until now?¡±


    As everyone nodded, Lorenzo was pleased. The temptation to deploy Hallowed Ground and reap the benefits was immense, but as men and women of faith, they resisted, as they would the whispers of the Devil himself.


    ¡°Excellent. We need to carefully choose where we call upon them. As Armageddon approaches, only under Hallowed Ground shall the faithful be saved. We must protect the worthy and the sacred.¡±


    But to do so, one must dip their hands in the filth of the returning sinful lands. Yes, God¡¯s mansions truly are now filled with abominations...


    Clapping his hands together, the sound echoing around the catacombs under the Vatican, Lorenzo smiled. ¡°Go with God, my friends, my brethren. Go with God, and save those of worthy faith. We must also recover the lost treasures our missing brethren were entrusted with, for should they fall into the wrong hands...¡±


    With Armageddon fast approaching, every grace God left us must be used. We cannot, no WILL not fail him.

 Side Twenty-Five – The Widow Of Nails – End Of Arc 4

    Side Twenty-Five ¨C The Widow Of Nails ¨C End Of Arc 4


    ¡°No... please stop... have... aaagh... mercy, forgive meeeeeeeeeeeee!¡± the pitiful cries coming from the next room, punctuated by pained, damp gasps and the sounds of heavy blows striking soft flesh, were quite off-putting, yet the woman sitting placidly in the comfortable chair paid it little mind, merely playing with a four-inch-long rusted nail in her long and pallid hands, flipping it between her pale fingers idly. She was wearing a kimono, a faded grey that might once have been white, and the ragged hems and sleeves were covered in some sort of dark dirt, as were her fingernails, looking as if she had been digging through soil with her bare hands.


    An outside observer would wonder what a woman wearing such poor clothes was doing sitting in quite the opulent room, but on closer inspection one would see other things somehow... off... about her. She had floor-length long black hair, but it too smelt of grave-soil. Her skin was white, but not healthy, instead waxy and untouched by the sun.


    ¡°Uhh, ahh... please... I... stop hitting... aaagh!¡± the cries were getting weaker, the sounds of struck flesh and bone growing ever louder, matching the rapidly increasing sounds of obscene grunts from another throat. Hideous slapping and squelching noises could be heard, as well as pained gasps from both a male voice, and a weakly fading female one.


    Ignoring the spectacle, the pale woman continued playing with the nail, careful to avoid clinking it against the pale gold band around her ring-finger. As the ring entered her gaze, she reflexively cast her black, lifeless eyes to the entrance of the room beyond. Such a brute. All men are. To think I am forced to yield to such a monster. The world would be better when all men disappear...


    As if to support her words a throaty yet languid roar came from the male in the room, drowning out the weeping cries of the woman. There was one final, awful sound of snapping bone, cutting off the cries of the woman, then a heavy thump, as though something... weighty... had hit the ground hard.


    Moments later a man came out of the room, naked and reeking, covered in sweat and other secretions. He was tall and well built, his closely cropped black hair, well-defined features and muscular arms gave him the image of a Yakuza, or perhaps more charitably a soldier. On seeing the pale woman his eyes narrowed, and his grin was disgusting, provoking a wave of revulsion to run through her. ¡°Ahh, Kiku. Perfect timing. There¡¯s another one. Can you... handle disposal and convert her to a servant? I need to have a shower.¡± He ran one hand through his hair, and she noticed that his knuckles were starting to swell, and were stained with the dark red of blood.


    Again? The vile animal. He cannot restrain his appetites, spreading ruin wherever he goes like a filthy wild boar, rutting and ravaging the landscape and innocent girls... Still, she was unable to say this out loud, bound as she was to his service. And he casually calls me by my given name. Only my husband did that... still... the nail she was twirling clinked against the old gold band on her finger, snapping her out of her thoughts. Putting on the best smile she could manage, her expressionless, placid mask of a face twisting into an approximation of a smile, she bowed, her hair falling in front of her face like a funeral shroud. ¡°As you wish, Kondou-dono. It shall be done.¡±


    ¡°So, is it done?¡± he asked lazily, not even offering her any alcohol. Though perhaps he feels I might be satiated, after my... bitter feast...


    ¡°I have... cleaned up. She has joined her sisters in the higher realm, and merely awaits my... I mean your orders, master.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, and don¡¯t forget it. How goes the war?¡± he said, eyeing her coldly. ¡°We have not made progress these last days.¡±


    ¡°It is challenging, Kondou-dono. The enemy is not numerous, yet they have some powerful beasts. Your own... forces...¡± she hated calling them allies. They were but monstrous creatures, which looked at her and her daughters with foul, lustful eyes, even if it was simply by instinct, not intent... still, some of them were useful... if only in death...¡°... while unending in numbers are no match for them. However we push further in each time, so it is only a matter of when...¡±


    Her master scowled, his somewhat handsome features twisting. Yes, that looks more like his true self. A mad beast...


    ¡°I do not need excuses. I am already wasting significant effort continually replenishing my army. Their defences are non-existent, we should be able to overrun then with ease. We should be crawling over them like army ants. Even the biggest prey will be devoured by the swarm. And as for your servants... why are they so weak in battle? You would think since they cannot be hurt, they¡¯d be of more use...¡±


    ¡°They gather valuable knowledge for us, Kondou-dono. They have also managed to assassinate a few of our enemies. As they had little strength in life, in death...¡± Even in death, us women have no peace. Her face remained expressionless, but the fondling of her nail increased in intensity. ¡°... we will do better.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± He sighed, relaxing. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be impatient. It is going my way. And this weekend there is a gathering of business leaders I have managed to get an invite to. Some of the new Nobility will likely be there.¡± he grinned, and she wished she could step back, as it was repulsive and full of envy, greed and lust. ¡°All the daughters and wives are gorgeous. If only I could have one of those for my own...¡± he muttered to himself ¡°... sadly, as our wealth only comes from my father¡¯s generation, we were not considered... but then... none of them have the power I now wield... so maybe...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, I shall now withdraw, my master.¡± Kiku bowed and left him to his vile machinations. Once the door was shut, she let out a bone-weary sigh, nail once more scarping a gouge in her gold ring. He is strong yes, to have bested me, yet if he lays his hand on any Noblewoman, he is sure to meet his end. Of that, I am sure nothing about Edo has changed... she broke out in a vicious grin, her mouth full of metal teeth. And if he falls, I shall be sure to show him tender mercy, as I did my husband, so long ago...NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

 Arc 5 – Thirteen Days Of Terrible Trouble – Chapter One Hundred And Eighteen

    Arc 5 ¨C Thirteen Days Of Terrible Trouble ¨C Chapter One Hundred And Eighteen


    When I woke up the flight was almost over. I guess I did need the rest, I have a lot on my mind... Eri and the girls were up too, talking to each other about trivial matters, laughing and joking playfully, but my keen senses picked up... something... off about them all, an undertone, some sort of emotions I was unable to decipher. Still, when I asked about it, all I got was laughing denials and advice that talk between girls was no place for a man to butt in on.


    Deciding to heed their wisdom, I joined the harmless talk, reminiscing about the trip and what we were going to do next. The flight was due to land in a couple of hours, late afternoon Monday in local Japanese time, unwinding the advantage of the time difference we had enjoyed in the other direction. The original plan was for Eri and Aiko to head home once we reached Tokyo, but now they seemed opposed to that idea.


    ¡°No way bro, we can take a train tomorrow, you can afford new tickets, right?¡± My sister was complaining. ¡°School doesn¡¯t start in Nishimorioka until the fourth, so that leaves tomorrow free. There¡¯s no way that while we are here we are going to miss out on seeing the little love-nest you share with Shaeula, right Eri?¡±


    At the term love-nest Eri and Shaeula shared a look, their expressions hard to interpret. Still, Eri isn¡¯t reacting as defensively as I¡¯d expect...


    As I was pondering that I nearly missed the final words from my sister. ¡°... and wow, I really want to put off getting home for as long as possible. It¡¯s going to be so awkward. It isn¡¯t fair I have to explain it first to mom and dad...¡±


    Oh yeah. I got engaged. And... yeah. That. My father is going to be really angry, especially as he warned us. I don¡¯t regret it, but even so... ¡°Yeah, my bad. Just get them to call me, I¡¯ll... take care of it then, as best I can, anyway.¡± Eri shot me a sympathetic look, and I returned her smile. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have trouble with your parents too, right Eri? Though probably of a different kind. If anything, they¡¯ll be trying to get us to set a date for the wedding, right?¡±


    As Eri nodded, giggling, I turned back to my sister, who was grinning at my discomfort. ¡°And it isn¡¯t a love-nest. Shaeula doesn¡¯t have anywhere else to live here on the Material. Now we have money, if she wants to move out, she can. There isn¡¯t anything to see, really, it¡¯s just a pokey apartment out in the boonies. Nothing exciting at all, really.¡±


    ¡°No, I shall not-not be moving out. Though we will be relocating soon, will we not-not, my master?¡± Shaeula added her own comment.


    ¡°Yeah, assuming I can persuade Shirohebizumi shrine, we¡¯ll be making that our base of operations both in the Material and Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m feeling left out again bro!¡± my sister complained. ¡°Come on Shaeula, I need more advice. How can I get this to work so I can join you all in that mysterious world?¡±


    As we shared more laughter and I advised her sternly that the Boundary wasn¡¯t a holiday destination, but a place of risk and danger, the captain announced that the plane would be coming in to land shortly. Yeah, the trip was awesome, in more ways than one, but I¡¯ll be glad to be home. I hope nothing has gone wrong in our absence...


    ********


    ¡°Yeah, you weren¡¯t kidding when you said it was pokey bro. It¡¯s smaller than I thought it would be. If I ended up staying here with you, you¡¯d just end up being a lucky pervert all the time.¡± she shuddered mock-theatrically. ¡°Now I see why you¡¯ve seen Shaeula naked, accidents are bound to happen in this tiny room.¡±


    ¡°Aiko! Don¡¯t be crude!¡± Eri warned her, flushing.


    Ignoring their banter I dropped off all the bags, which I had ended up having to carry myself. It wasn¡¯t too heavy for me, even with all the souvenirs, but I still only had two hands, so it was as awkward as hell.


    ¡°And why is what little space you have filled up with all this... junk?¡± Aiko persisted, eyeing my shelves full of manga, anime and figurines. ¡°I¡¯d say this is definitely the room of a virgin loser, but I guess now I¡¯d be wrong, wouldn¡¯t I? Are you sure you want to marry my big bro?¡± she teased her best friend, while Shaeula laughed uproariously.


    As Eri tried to push the clinging Aiko off, Shaeula used her vision to assess the state of their networks. Once they had settled down she watched as they practised raising aether, and after giving them some advice on how to proceed, Shaeula and I entered my Territory for the first time in a while.


    The expanded version of my apartment was empty of our troops, the slowly upgrading Territory Anchor giving off a bright glow of rainbow hues. Checking quickly I discovered there was still seventy-four days remaining. In addition to the iridescent lighting, there was also a constellation of glowing orbs around the Anchor and the Silo, significant amounts of ether having overspilled. I guess the multiple massacres we committed in the deserts of Las Vegas, as well as taking the enemy Territory has really paid off. While I was checking the bounty, Shaeula had stored her makeshift sack of Thunderbird blood inside the Warehouse, and with a snort of relief reformed her yukata, once again looking gorgeous.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that we have so much ether unprotected, but at least the etheric tide is over. I guess worst case scenario, if we have to we can dump it into speed-building the Anchor. It¡¯ll be a waste but it¡¯s better than losing it. Anyway, shouldn¡¯t someone have come to greet us by now?¡± I asked, looking around.


    Shaeula nodded, eyes glowing. She suddenly let out a gasp, grabbing my hand. ¡°Quickly now, master. There is much trouble-trouble!¡±


    Trouble? Letting her lead me out we emerged, only to see damage in all directions. Rubble and collapsed buildings were everywhere, though luckily they weren¡¯t constructed buildings, just the Boundary versions of the Material dwellings. Hang on, wait a second... Checking the details of my Territory I could see I had lost a Defensive Emplacement somehow. A second, the one that should have been with it, towards the edge of my Territory, was also showing significant damage.


    ¡°Shaeula, we need to head this way. Something happened there.¡± At her nod we raced towards our border. As we did so suddenly a pair of kobolds came scuttling towards us, fear in their eyes. They were being pursued by... some sort of ghost?


    Even as we watched the ghost, which looked like a misty, indistinct woman, vanished, reappearing and thrusting a taloned hand into the skull of one kobold, who died with a pained shriek.


    ¡°Vile spectre, slaying my masters¡¯ vassals. You shall pay!¡± Shaeula snapped, a blade of wind bisecting the ghost. It faded away, and Shaeula clicked her tongue in satisfaction, but the kobold barked a warning, still running. ¡°No, it will not die, can¡¯t be killed. Attacks do not work on it, strikes fail!¡±


    Shaeula cocked her head, confused, when suddenly the ghost reformed behind her, clawing at her throat. She jumped back, yelping, and I lashed out with my spear. It passed through harmlessly, and the blurred face of the wraith came close to mine, a narrow gash of a mouth opening into an approximation of a pained grin, long spectral hair flailing at me.


    Wind cut into it in a series of jade blasts, and separated into six parts the mist evaporated, only to reform yet again.


    ¡°Just what-what is happening here?¡± Shaeula asked the kobold, shaking it angrily.


    ¡°It is war, many attacks. For several days fighting, many battles.¡± The kobold cowered.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Kamaitachi? Grulgor, or the White Snake kami?¡± I questioned him.


    ¡°Still fighting, at the front lines, battle edge. Many pig-faced monsters come, with weapons of bright steel, cruel iron. Drive them off, kill many, but they return again and yet again.¡±


    ¡°Below you!¡± Shaeula called then, as the ghost slid out of the ground, hands reaching for me. Shit, looks like leaving my Territory undefended was quite the risk after all... still, we are back, stronger than ever, so we can turn the tide, I know it. The Anchor is still ours...


    Leaping away I called on the fire inside me. ¡°Foehn! Burn to nothing you bitch!¡±


    Flames orange as the setting sun cascaded over the wraith, and it began to scream, a silent yell that made no sound but was agony inside our heads. Its form wavered before turning to specks of spectral ash, drifting off into the sky, leaving behind only a pile of ether and a still-burning patch of blazing ground.


    ¡°That finished it.¡± I said with satisfaction, though I would have to be careful using Foehn, as the last thing I wanted was to torch my own Territory. ¡°Now, we need to find someone who is organising the defence. Come on.¡± I said to Shaeula.


    As the kobold scuttled off to safety, she nodded. ¡°Indeed. Let us punish those who would try and destroy what is ours-ours!¡±

 One Hundred And Nineteen

    One Hundred And Nineteen


    Heading for the border we ran into a couple of weaselkin. They were wounded, one dragging a leg limply, the other with crude bandages wrapped around their bloody torso, the armour they were wearing dented and cracked. On seeing us their expressions brightened.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Princess! You have returned-turned!¡± one chittered. ¡°And the master as well!¡±


    ¡°What is the situation here?¡± Shaeula asked, concerned at their injuries. ¡°Where is my Kamaitachi? Where-where are the enemies?¡±


    ¡°We are making a stand-nd by the shrine.¡± The weaselkin answered. ¡°We are ferrying weapons and arrows from the Armoury-ry, since we are too injured to fight properly. Still, many of us do not-not return, dying in ambush...¡±


    As if their words were prophetic, another female wraith materialised out of the surrounding rubble, hands sharpened into ethereal claws, reaching for their necks. I was about to unleash my Foehn when Shaeula beat me to it, raising her hand and calling forth her own flames. An explosion rocked the wraith, which let out a dying scream before turning to ashes and leaving behind some ether.


    I guess that Foehn was overkill then. Thinking about it, fire is usually good for purifying undead in stories. Light too, so maybe her dagger would have worked as well...


    As I was thinking that, the two weaselkin were looking at Shaeula, awe in their expressions. She puffed up proudly as they began to praise her, amazed she could call upon the fire despite being a Fae of wind.


    ¡°I am not-not the princess you knew.¡± She crowed. ¡°Along with my master, I have grown strong indeed-indeed, as these knaves who would dare intrude on our Territory and harm our subjects will no doubt find out-out!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we can gloat later. We need to head to the shrine. We have to make sure your old territory is safe too, we have a lot of Ether Spires, and more importantly, the Throne there.¡± I warned.


    At her nod we raced off to the shrine, the weaselkin following behind us. As we approached, the damage to the surroundings was magnified, and most of the streets were choked with rubble. Ahead of us a group of monstrous orcs were gathering, several dozen strong. They seemed to be split up into three distinct groups, one group well armoured and carrying heavy swords and axes, another more lightly armoured group with spears and pikes, and lastly a smaller group with heavy crossbows.


    Crossbows, hmm? We could use those ourselves...


    ¡°Pig-faced abominations.¡± Shaeula sneered. ¡°Not even the Unseelie court would use such brutes.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, Japanese orcs are rather more... uh, well let¡¯s just say the tales they feature in are rather different in genre, and seldom for the ladies.¡± I managed lamely, noticing that the armour of the orcs was very... bulging... down below.


    Shaeula retrieved her pinwheels, and after charging them and the metal coils with verdant energies she sent them out, whirling at the orcs from behind. They heard the humming and some of them turned, only to be neatly bisected, armour and all, with a baleful whining of shredded metal and shattered bone.


    One of the orcs who was better dressed than the rest in heavier armour, carrying a massive two-handed bastard sword, tried to strike at the wires, only to look foolish as they swept away from the blow, then flitted back in, slicing through his arms.


    The numbers seem low, but I guess they¡¯ve done well to hold out without us.


    ¡°Welcome back my liege, it isssssss good to seeeee you both ssssssafe.¡± The kami hissed sibilantly. ¡°Your return issssss timely indeed.¡±


    ¡°indeed, princess. I had feared if you did not return soon-soon there would be little to return to....¡± He trailed off, looking puzzled. ¡°Something seems different about you, princess... wait, what is this?¡° his eyes narrowed, and he flicked out a red tongue, tasting the wind.


    Well, that¡¯s pretty disgusting. Shaeula was glaring at him as well.


    ¡°You... you did not, did you-you?¡± the Kamaitachi looked distressed. ¡°How will I explain this to your honoured mother? To think that you would choose this mortal who defeated you as your mate-mate, and even go so far as to bind yourselves...¡±


    ¡°Oh, do be silent.¡± Shaeula snapped. ¡°I have not ¡®gone all the way-way¡¯ as the mortals would say, though we are connected now and I shall have no other. In due time...¡± she looked at me, her expression bright, yet somehow alluring, her eyes watery and her face flushed.


    Looking away I coughed. Sorry, I¡¯m with Eri. Stop looking at me so hopefully... but... I owe you a lot... ugh... this is not the time for this drama.


    ¡°... besides, what mother would not wish her daughter to snatch such a fine male-male?¡± she continued. ¡°I will speak to her when next we meet, and Akio shall win her-her approval. I have much to discuss with her anyway. It has been long, and her neglect pains me-me.¡±


    ¡°If that is your wish...¡± the sickle-weasel said doubtfully. ¡°But even if your mother approves, your noble father, and your siblings... they will be most-most wroth...¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes-yes. Indeed they will be. My sister and Shaeraggo especially. They do dote on me-me, as they should for I am adorable. Yet they-they treat me as a fool, as a weak little doll to be protected. Yet where are they now-now, when I am in need?¡± she spat. ¡°Nor could they protect me when my foolish pride led to my exile here-here. Only one could, Akio. Is it so wrong to crave he who defends and cherishes me-me? If my father or siblings take issue, then I shall have to educate them-them.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s quite the speech... I could feel myself heating up, embarrassed. Technically she was right and I had crossed the line with her, but it was to save her life, so... But then I did push her into the situation where she needed saving...


    ¡°If that is your will I shall say no more-more...¡± the Kamaitachi let out a long and bitter sigh. ¡°Just try not to regret this.¡±


    ¡°I regret nothing.¡± Shaeula said pridefully. ¡°In fact, my siblings and noble father will be awed at how-how I have matured!¡±


    Feeling a little sorry for the long-suffering Kamaitachi, who had been with me since near the beginning, I changed the subject, to more pressing matters. Behind us the weaselkin had dumped off their loot, and I threw down the bolts and bows I was carrying too. ¡°Anyway, can you fill us in on what¡¯s going on? The place is a wreck, though luckily damage to the Territory-proper seems minor.¡±


    The sickle-weasel nodded, relieved to be on a safer subject. ¡°A few days prior, the roving bands of foes that were to our north organised, their numbers swelling. They then-then invaded, and with our forces we could do little to stem-stem the tide...¡±


    I see. A full-scale invasion, and from fighting the orcs they seem like produced troops from a Spawning Spire. It¡¯s Las Vegas all over again, only this time I¡¯m the defender, and the timing couldn¡¯t be worse, with the Anchor upgrading, meaning that anything we lose stays lost, and our defences are pitiful... That fat bastard from the casino would no doubt laugh at me if he knew I was now in his position...

 One Hundred And Twenty

    One Hundred And Twenty


    ¡°So, seriously, just what is the situation?¡± I asked. ¡°I get that we are under attack, but why is the defensive line here? If the Anchor is destroyed it¡¯s over, or if we lose the assets in Shaeula¡¯s old dungeon... I get that this place seems defensible, but...¡±


    ¡°If I may explain...?¡± the Kamaitachi asked, as he seemed to be in charge of the defence. The kami hissed assent, and the weasel continued. ¡°When the initial enemy forces attacked us-us, we did indeed try to hold the area around the Anchor. However, they also have giant siege-beetles, which have destroyed every building in their path-path. I realised quickly though that-that they were just puppets, dolls like the little dogs are using to mine with-with.¡± He gestured with one long sickle to the small group of kobold miners that were listening to our conversations intently. ¡°Their orders seemed to be to attack where resistance was strongest, so instead of trying to hold the Anchor, we risked luring them to here-here...¡±


    A risky play indeed... still, my Anchor still stands, so I can¡¯t get too mad. Thinking about the dangers of upgrading the Territory, there can¡¯t be many who are going to risk Rank 3 until they have significant forces. I was too overconfident.


    ¡°That strategy is quite the bold one-one.¡± Shaeula agreed with me. ¡°Much could have gone wrong, and all my master has worked for would have been ruined. I would not-not have been pleased by such an event. If they had beings who could reason, such as us, this plan would have failed miserably.¡±


    ¡°True, but our options were limited. Grulgor and his trolls are incapable of following our orders to defend-defend, so we let them roam freely, destroying all they come across. The pig-beasts are well armed, but against the might of the trolls they are no match-match.¡±


    ¡°So, that further spreads their forces, right? But what about these ghost girls?¡± I asked, getting to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°They also seem to have little consciousness.¡± The Kamaitachi answered. ¡°Though they appear and disappear at will, and we have proved unable to defeat them, our attacks useless-useless. We have lost weaselkin and kobolds to their ambushes, but they pose little threat to trolls or us-us.¡±


    ¡°We ussssssssed the power of earthhhhhh to create a ssssssacred sssssssalt barrier around the sssssshrine. Thisssssss preventsssssss their ingressssssss, and reinforccccccesssssss the idea the Anchor isssssss here.¡± The White Snake kami interjected, and the Kamaitachi nodded.


    ¡°Yes-yes, they cannot breach the salt barriers, It is divine arts-arts, very clever. It further serves to draw the enemies to us, where they can do little harm-harm.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded, having got a grasp on the situation. ¡°Well, if we can continue to lure their forces into thinking that we are based here, that¡¯s a good thing...¡± Luckily I had built all of my assets indoors, apart from the Defensive Emplacements, and one of those was gone already. Since the Anchor room had turned into a pseudo-dungeon as well, similar to where Shaeula¡¯s lair was, that meant it was hard to discover. Although if these siege-beetles hit the building by chance...


    Clapping my hands together I looked at my subordinates, everyone waiting eagerly for my orders, especially Shaeula, who was looking at me with expectation, eyes agleam with orange light.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done good work, and I apologise for leaving you to handle this alone. Still, we are back now, stronger than ever, and we¡¯ve also found that we can defeat the ghosts. They are vulnerable to fire, so Shaeula and I can keep them at bay.¡±


    ¡°Fire?¡± the Kamaitachi blinked. ¡°What does he mean, princess?¡±


    ¡°Ohohohoho!¡± Shaeula gave a laugh that a rich young girl might in a certain sort of anime, hand held to her face in a haughty manner. No doubt she¡¯s picked that up from some show she¡¯s watched...


    ¡°Yes, bow before my newfound glory-glory!¡± she crowed. ¡°My mother, my father, my siblings... all-all shall be amazed that I have transcended the bounds of my limits as a Fae, and I now wield the flame!¡± she raised one hand and a rich yellow bloom of fire winked into existence before detonating in a shower of bright sparks.


    Grulgor looked down at the warped handle of his now headless axe in puzzlement before tossing it aside. ¡°I have come to crush and eat these bugs! Grul likes strong foes.¡± He intoned, his voice booming. He stomped on the head of the fallen beetle I was broiling, and with a sickening crunch that head burst too. Yeah, every time I see Grulgor in action, I¡¯m reminded that being strong is nice, but I¡¯m still at the level one blow can end me...


    I turned to the third beetle, expecting a tough fight, only to find it gone, pieces of shell and a puddle of ether all that was left, Shaeula holding her pinwheels and looking on in satisfaction. Hang on, didn¡¯t you switch weapons a second ago?


    Seeing my gaze, she puffed out her chest in pride. ¡°I was-was going to use my blade to slice it, but then I had a thought, master. If the beetle resists by using the wind-wind, then surely...¡±


    Oh yeah, that... ¡°Clever. I am impressed you thought of it in the heat of battle. It worked, judging by the debris?¡±


    ¡°It did indeed, better than even I expected.¡± She stowed her weapons, surveying the area. Grulgor was complaining, missing out on killing the third beetle, but there would no doubt be plenty more foes to take down...


    ********


    Several hours later we had secured the Territory once more, waves of enemies dealt with. I had even gained a level during the final stages, as two more of the beetles were accompanied by a wave of orcs. We never did see any of those wraiths though... either their numbers are small, or they got scared after we finally slew a couple and pulled them back...


    We had gathered up what weapons and materials we could and distributed them, storing what we didn¡¯t need in the Warehouse. Grulgor had commanded his trolls to protect around the Anchor and the Throne, and what weaselkin we had left were armed with crossbows and pikes, also ready to ambush any attackers.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve done what we can. How often have the attacks been coming?¡± I asked the Kamaitachi.


    ¡°A big wave like this-this... it is unlikely we will see more this day. We might see a few smaller groups, but they will likely retain their might for another large push tomorrow.¡±


    Seems about right. If I make an estimate of the number of Spawning Spires and their ranks for a force this large... the speed of replenishment is... hmmm...


    ¡°In that case, Shaeula, want to pop back to the Material for a bit to see Aiko and Eri? They¡¯ll be worried if we don¡¯t explain the situation and you don¡¯t return.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She nodded. ¡°I should not like to let them leave without a word-word, though I will see them again soon I have little doubt. I can also check their training and give them some final advice.¡±


    ¡°So, Shaeula will return shortly to lead the defence, and I¡¯ll return where and when I can as well. I¡¯ll be gone some of the time, but with Shaeula here only an assault in force led by the enemy Candidate and his best troops, assuming it is one we are up against, would have a chance against us.¡±


    As we exchanged our brief farewells, Shaeula and I returned to the Material, ready to explain the situation to the girls in a... tactful... manner.

 One Hundred And Twenty-One

    One Hundred And Twenty-One


    ¡°So, you two have fun?¡± Aiko asked as we opened our eyes, back in my tiny apartment. Eri was close to me, looking directly into my face, and I flushed and looked away. Behind me, Shaeula yawned, stretching.


    ¡°Not really.¡± I admitted. ¡°Looks like we ran into a few problems that cropped up while we were in Las Vegas. Luckily we got back in time though, so with some effort we can fix it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are all right?¡± Eri asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep secrets from us anymore.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much-much.¡± Shaeula said, getting up. ¡°As Akio says, trust us to handle it. I have returned to say my farewells, as I shall be returning to our Territory shortly and will make sure the... obstacles... are removed. But I had little wish for you to return to your hometown without saying farewell.¡±


    My sis got up and hugged Shaeula, who squirmed in her grasp, trying to escape. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cute of you! We¡¯ll miss you, but it won¡¯t be for long, right? Eri¡¯s birthday is in three weeks, you¡¯ll be visiting then for sure, right?¡±


    Shaeula finally slipped free, huffing. ¡°Of course, should the situation permit. Eri is my dear friend and rival-rival, I would of course celebrate the day of her birth. But first, for now... I shall instruct you in your training regimen while I am absent. I expect progress to be made-made!¡± she said sternly.


    ¡°Wow, the sudden shift from adorable to stern leaves me a little weak... I get the urge to call you onee-sama for some reason. I did always want an older sister...¡±


    Laughing at Aiko, who¡¯s brain had short-circuited, we started to watch Eri gather aether. I could feel a tiny tugging on my network and the surrounding ether, but it was still small, her botched-together chakras functioning, if barely. Beside me, Shaeula was peering deep into her, eyes aglow with mystical amber radiance.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°I see-see. Yes, the problem is simple.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°It is a shame that we can not-not take Eri to our Territory, it is far easier to draw in aether there, and progress would be rapid... still, it is currently too unwise for that...¡±


    ¡°Hey, we agreed I didn¡¯t want to be the only one left behind!¡± my sister protested.


    ¡°Fear not Aiko, I shall advise you in turn.¡± Shaeula grinned at her discomfort, but refrained from teasing her about a possible method for once. Turning back to the expectant Eri she reached out, and for a moment everyone wasn¡¯t sure of what she was doing. Her small hands worked quickly, and with a tug she pulled open the front of Eri¡¯s pyjamas, revealing her upper body.


    Well, she doesn¡¯t sleep with a bra on I see. I knew I should be looking away, but...


    Eri let out a gentle squeal, flushing all the way down to her chest, which was an interesting view. Beside her Aiko protested. ¡°Hey, what are you doing Shaeula? Lewd!¡±


    ¡°It is only us girls and Akio here. He has seen far more of Eri than this, am I not-not mistaken? Now Eri, watch closely.¡± She poked one finger into her reddened lower body, just above the waistband of her pyjamas. It then slid down, into her leggings. Eri shivered at her touch.


    ¡°There. This is where your root chakra is located. You need to pool energy here to stabilise it. Normally it is not-not advisable to gather energy recklessly, as it can overspill and damage the routes through your subtle body. But your case is special, as thanks to Akio, you have a complete network, even if it is-is fragile as glass. Try raising aether, while focusing on the location I am touching.¡±


    All of us were red-faced and embarrassed by the intimacy of the moment, but Eri met my gaze, swallowed nervously then shot me a smile. Closing her eyes she concentrated, and I could feel the pull of her chakra, a little stronger this time. Shaeula¡¯s finger them moved up again, reappearing, to reach the sacral chakra, just below her navel. ¡°Can you feel-feel energy trickling up to here?¡±


    Eri nodded, still concentrating. Shaeula¡¯s finger traced a route across her body, finally reaching her crown. ¡°You are luckier than Aiko, your pathways are set, if feeble. As your ability to raise aether increases and your chakras and networks absorb more-more of it to strengthen themselves, the branching routes will also form, and you will be able to master it-it. Remember the route I have traced and the locations of your chakras. Spare no effort in improving them when you have time-time.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Eri nodded. ¡°Thanks again... for everything.¡± she said quietly, and Shaeula snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Now, on to Aiko.¡± She turned to her, hands reaching out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Eri grinned. ¡°I¡¯m way stronger than I was before, right?¡± she flexed one cute arm jokingly.


    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that much different yet. Anyway, seriously, give father a call when you are close to home and get him to help carry the stuff. It¡¯s the least he can do considering all the booze you are bringing back.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing bro, will do.¡± The train doors opened, and I helped the girls carry on the luggage. There was still a few minutes before the train departed, so we said our final goodbyes.


    ¡°Take care of yourselves. I¡¯m not going to be a stranger, things have changed now, so I¡¯ll definitely be seeing you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better. Eri will be pissed if you miss her birthday, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri agreed, gazing at my coyly. ¡°I... maybe if I practice hard enough... we can... celebrate... you know.¡± She was tomato-red, and just so cute I had to lean in and kiss her, though since we were in public it was just a peck on the lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± I told her, patting her gently. ¡°Your health comes first.¡±


    ¡°Oh god... I¡¯d been trying to put it out of my mind but... how are we going to explain this to mom and dad?¡± Aiko was panicking. ¡°Dad is going to hit the roof...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well... just tell him to speak to me about it. Neither of you are to blame for this. I¡¯m the adult here, so I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, I wanted it! I am just as...¡± I hushed her with a gentle finger across her lips.


    ¡°No Eri.¡± I told her gently. ¡°In this case it is pretty much always the man¡¯s fault. Besides, you are still a minor, even if as you said you are more than old enough to get married with parental consent, which knowing Uncle and Auntie Mori that won¡¯t be an issue...¡±


    The train only had a minute or so to go so I sped up my goodbyes. ¡°Just tell father to call me. I¡¯ll handle it then. I need to discuss some other things anyway. Still, that can wait. You¡¯ll miss the train if we don¡¯t wrap this up!¡±


    ¡°Sure. See you later big bro!¡± my sis gave me a brief hug, and Eri followed, pecking at my lips again after a tight embrace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell my parents we didn¡¯t decide this lightly!¡± Eri said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you can call me any time you like, I have a decent phone now. No more distancing yourself from us, all right?¡±


    ¡°I get it, I do! Anyway, farewell, talk to you soon!¡±


    With that the doors to the train slid shut, and moments later it was pulling away from the station, Eri waving at me through the window. Ignoring the snickers of a few commuters around me, I headed for a different platform, to take the train back to Shirohebizumi shrine.


    Deciding on the journey to show I was a changed man, I actually sent Eri and Aiko some quick emails, getting rapid responses in return. There, communication. I¡¯ve accepted that while I still feel they need other friends... only I can guarantee them a life without sadness in this changing world. All my reasons for staying away were now worthless, in fact, if I did, I¡¯d actually be more likely to bring them grief, especially Eri...


    Lost in thought, I watched the Tokyo scenery pass by, until I was at my stop. Getting out, I made the brief journey to Shirohebizumi shrine, and as it came into view I couldn¡¯t help but think of Shaeula, alone in our Territory. No, wait, she has allies there, like the Kamaitachi, Grulgor and the kami. She¡¯ll be all right. When we had agreed to make sure one of us was there at pretty much all times I had made her promise that should it come down to the Territory or her life, she would always safeguard herself. I could rebuild, but replacing her?


    With those final thoughts, I climbed the steps, reaching the shrine proper, it being even better kept and more maintained than ever, the fresh paint and repairs making it look almost... almost... respectable...

 One Hundred And Twenty-Two

    One Hundred And Twenty-Two


    On reaching the shrine building I knocked on the door. Since it was a small local shrine and the middle of a working day, there were no worshippers around, nor any shrine maidens on duty. They¡¯d all still be at school, I guess? Most Tokyo schools started this week I think.


    After a moment the door opened, to reveal Kana-chan¡¯s mother, Nagi-san. She was in casual clothes, jeans and a light cardigan over a t-shirt, looking fashionable and surprisingly youthful. Yeah, she¡¯s a fine looking woman. Kana-chan¡¯s future seems bright. ¡°Good morning.¡± I said, bowing politely. ¡°I¡¯ve come to discuss shrine business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oshiro-kun.¡± She smiled professionally at me. ¡°You did say you would be back from your trip this week. I hope it proved fruitful?¡±


    ¡°It did indeed. Is Izumi-san in, the elder, I mean? I¡¯d like to get down to business.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d like to come with me I¡¯ll fetch father-in-law and Daichi.¡± She led me to the back of the shrine and seated me at a small table. I shifted to a more formal seiza position and waited, feeling uncomfortable. Okay, this is still pretty nerve-wracking. It isn¡¯t as dangerous as fighting enemies, but real-world negotiations aren¡¯t my forte...


    A few minutes passed, and then both Izumi Daichi-san and Izumi Masaji-san entered, dressed formally as priests. Daichi-san took a position to the side of the table, while Masaji-san sat opposite, kneeling in perfect seiza despite his advanced age, expression stern.


    ¡°So, alone today I see?¡± Izumi Masaji-san said, not bothering with pleasantries or greetings.


    ¡°Yeah, well, Shaeula is taking care of some... spiritual... matters that can¡¯t wait. Still, I thought we should get the ball rolling over here on fulfilling my promises.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Masaji-san nodded. ¡°I expect it is nothing too... problematic?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest it is annoying, and is setting back my plans a bit, but nothing Shaeula and the White Snake kami, your enshrined deity, can¡¯t handle. I¡¯ll be offering my assistance too, when I¡¯ve wrapped everything up, so I¡¯m eager to get started.¡±


    As I finished speaking Nagi-san returned with a tray on which sat four mugs of tea, as well as some snacks. Placing them gracefully down on the small table she sat on the empty side, giving us all a smile.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said, taking a sip of the tea. It¡¯s pretty good.


    ¡°In that case, I shall not beat around the bush.¡± Masaji-san said. ¡°We did as you asked, and spoke to an architect that we were introduced to by the head of Hikawa Kawagoe shrine. It drained our funds significantly, so I would appreciate the payment you promised speedily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll sort that today. So, is it feasible?¡±


    ¡°We had an initial survey carried out on the land we own surrounding the shrine.¡± Masaji-san confirmed. As he was talking his son and daughter-in-law merely watched us, taking sips of tea. I followed suit, and tried one of the sweet buns Nagi-san had laid out. Damn, this is good too...


    ¡°It would take a bit of extra expense, but they can stabilise the ground enough to support your plans, and the underground area too. We owe more money for this survey, incidentally.¡± He warned me, and I shrugged. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ve got it covered, I won¡¯t leave my allies out of pocket. So, the final verdict?¡±


    ¡°We are looking at a hundred million yen minimum, likely more, and should you accelerate construction as you planned... well, it can be finished at great speed, but the cost will double or even treble. Surely this is not within our means.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure.¡± I pulled out the documents I had brought with me this morning, that I had received from Ms Connors. With the eye-catching logos of Chase Bank and Midas Gold prominently displayed, I caught their interest. I then brought out my phone, and brought up my account balance. All three of them leaned in, despite themselves, and Masaji-san let out a breath, stunned.


    ¡°Oh my... maybe Kana should be trying harder to get close to you, Oshiro-kun.¡± Nagi-san said with a wry grin. Opposite her Daichi-san was looking lost in thought, rubbing at his chin.


    Damn, if I¡¯m stuck here to defend the Territory I can¡¯t go and pick up Marika-chan from Nishimorioka. I¡¯ll have to put it off, or something... but I should check just in case...


    ¡°The shrine maiden from my local shrine, Marika-chan. You¡¯ve made arrangements for her to stay here, right?¡±


    Nagi-san nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t luxurious, but we have a small room we¡¯ve been using for storage at the back of the shrine. She can use it as a bedroom, and it is close to our bathroom, so... well, I¡¯m sorry we can¡¯t do better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, she¡¯s an earnest girl, she¡¯ll be fine. If you need money to make it as nice as possible let me know and I¡¯ll cover it. Speaking of, can I check out the outbuildings so I can see what is needed to make them liveable?¡±


    ¡°Daichi, Nagi-san, take him to inspect them. I have much to think about.¡± Masaji-san answered. ¡°I have misgivings, but Nagi-san is right, you have no need to extort us, and would lose the chance of Hikawa-sama¡¯s connections should you prove untrustworthy. I shall meditate on it, but for now... you may proceed with the agreed plan.¡±


    With a bow I thanked him for his support. ¡°Thanks. Time is not on our side, so I¡¯d like to get results fast. Anyway, please show me the way.¡±


    Nagi-san was quite talkative as we crossed the grounds to the pair of dilapidated buildings that dotted the hill behind the shrine. Daichi had cooled his temper and now looked somewhat sheepish, realising he had let his anger loose on a potentially very important ally. Don¡¯t worry about it. I know it doesn¡¯t sound good...


    ¡°We are here.¡± Daichi said conciliatorily. ¡°One of these buildings used to be a dwelling, many years ago, so while there is no gas, electricity or plumbing connected, it should be reasonable to do so. If you could show him around, Nagi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, husband dear.¡± She smiled, leading me in. The first building was pretty large, with ample space to live, should the rooms be partitioned better. It needed painting, plus work done on the walls, floor and roof though, as the bare boards were worn and cracked in places. In the back there was a room with a very large old-style bathtub and a traditional washiki toilet. Yeah, the large tub is great, though we could use a new one. That toilet has to be Westernised though. Yeah, no way I¡¯m using that...


    Seeing everything I needed to, I followed Nagi-san and Daichi-san into the second, slightly smaller building. It was an old storehouse, and was full of ancient junk, the walls and roof in a poor state, but again it had plenty of room. Yeah, it¡¯ll make a decent office space and can take care of our needs while we are working on the new building...


    ¡°All right, it¡¯ll work for me. I¡¯ll make arrangements now. Do you have any preferred contractors who work on shrines? If so I might as well use them.¡±


    Daichi-san gave me some names and numbers, and I called up several services, Daichi-san taking the phone when necessary. We arranged builders, plumbers, electricians and also an expedited fibre engineer for the internet to come out, all as rush jobs. The cost... was by no means small. Ugh, good job I won way more than I was expecting in Vegas. Otherwise I might have come up a little light. Maybe I¡¯ll do a little online roulette later, top up a bit, lessen the sting...


    Daichi also called the architect that did the survey, and after I transferred over a down payment of a shocking fifty million yen, their firm would start work tomorrow, once they had secured materials.


    By the time all this was done most of the afternoon was gone, and as we walked back to the main shrine to report to Masaji-san that work would be beginning, we ran into a familiar face, now in her school uniform, which I hadn¡¯t seen before. Yeah, she looks good in it. It¡¯s quite a modern one, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t big bro!¡± Kana-chan gushed, twirling around to show off her uniform, which was a tidy crimson blazer and waistcoat over a white shirt, paired with a red ribbon and a red and white chequered skirt. She was also wearing black knee-socks. ¡°Like what you see eh? I¡¯ve always liked this uniform.¡± She giggled. ¡°By the way, I got some of the pictures Shaeula sent me from Las Vegas. I¡¯m so jealous big bro. Where was my invite?¡± she tilted her head cutely, eyelashes fluttering, and once more I couldn¡¯t work out whether she was cunning, or just airheaded. In any case, she¡¯s definitely cute. Still, I¡¯m an engaged man now, so that doesn¡¯t matter to me...


    ¡°You are being rude, Kana dear.¡± Nagi-san said with a smile. ¡°Now apologise to Oshiro-kun, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sorry big bro! I was just so jealous. You¡¯ll forgive me, right?¡±


    I could only shrug in response, a grin on my face. Yep, definitely cute!

 Side Twenty-Six – Izumi Kana

    Side Twenty-Six ¨C Izumi Kana


    ¡°Sorry big bro! I was just so jealous. You¡¯ll forgive me, right?¡± I said, fluttering my eyelashes at him and taking up a cutesy pose in my school uniform, which he was totally checking out. Yeah, everyone likes our uniform, it¡¯s cute, but I¡¯m cuter. Still... my gaze roamed over the man I hadn¡¯t seen in a week or so, finding it strange that... Just what was he doing in Las Vegas? He¡¯s more ripped than ever, and disgustingly handsome... ugh, I thought he looked good in the pictures Shaeula sent me, but in person...


    Seeing I had fallen silent, Akio-kun spoke up. ¡°Umm, are you all right Kana-chan?¡±


    Kana-chan, normally I¡¯d hate it when an older guy calls me all friendly-like but... realising my thoughts were tangling up again I forced my mind back on its rails. Damn, I¡¯m not an airhead like other girls at school, won over by a pretty boy... ¡°Oh sorry, just lost in thought, thinking back to all the pictures I received. You sure looked like you were having fun with your girls big bro, it made me wish I was there.¡±


    That sure is true. Not to spend time with him of course... no, I just wanted to experience the luxuries Shaeula was taunting me with, not that it seemed she meant it that way. Plenty of uppity bitches at school were all too keen to lord it over me for being poor, showing off their own holidays and purchases. They only hate me because I¡¯m the prettiest girl this side of Tokyo. Really, only Mio-chan and Asami-chan are even bearable... I hate my school so much. The only blessing is it doesn¡¯t have any guys other than the teachers to annoy me... well, that and the gorgeous uniform, though my middle school one was good too...


    ¡°Well, it was pretty fun.¡± Akio-kun laughed, running a hand through his hair as he tossed his head back and I felt my face heating up a little. Shit, what is wrong with me? ¡°You¡¯d definitely have enjoyed yourself, but I had enough trouble chaperoning around three girls.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on big bro, you can¡¯t lie to me like that.¡± I forced out a bright giggle. ¡°Shaeula said you had the time of your life with them! Seriously though, the pictures of that suite... I dream of the day someone will take me to somewhere like that.¡± No kidding. I¡¯m not going to stay in this dirt-poor shrine forever. I deserve better. Ever since I¡¯ve been a child I¡¯ve been forced to go to shrine-affiliated schools. It sucks. I am going to hook me a rich man who¡¯ll look after me and treat me right for sure!


    ¡°It was a time enough for a lifetime, sure enough. And yes, the suite was pretty bad-ass, I admit.¡± He shrugged. ¡°The girls really seemed to like the hot-tub for some reason. Anyway, before I forget, here. A souvenir. Shaeula thought you¡¯d like it.¡±


    I froze, momentarily thrown off. Is he... hitting on me? No way, he¡¯s close with that Shaeula, and the other girl who wasn¡¯t his sister seemed suspiciously happy when she was in photos with him, definitely something going on there... wait, does that mean he¡¯s just another playboy, two-timing women like toys? If so... I am wildly cute, gorgeous even. He¡¯d definitely fancy me... everyone always does. What do I...?


    I was snapped out of my next embarrassing pause by a burst of demure laughter from my mother, who was holding one hand over her mouth, trying to prevent her giggles. ¡°Oh my Kana, are you all embarrassed that a man is giving you a present? That¡¯s so adorable!¡±


    No, no way! It isn¡¯t that. Guys offer to buy me things all the time when they see the three of us out and about. It¡¯s gross and annoying. I¡¯m used to that crap. No, this...


    ¡°Aww, she¡¯s blushing. I think you made her happy, Oshiro-kun.¡± My mother continued.


    I am so not blushing. I thought you were the only one on my side, mother!


    ¡°Sorry, Shaeula thought you¡¯d like it. I guess it was pretty forward of me, bringing you a present back, but we have you to thank for our potential alliance here, and...¡± he lowered his gaze, clearly embarrassed.


    ¡°This is all very well, and I can see my daughter is taken with your generosity...¡± my father said, interrupting me, for which I was ever so slightly grateful, as it gave me time to get my red face under control. ¡°... but did you not have much to do today? I will manage here, and the builders and other tradespeople will be directed to start work as soon as they arrive. I shall keep you appraised of their progress, and you can check it at any time. As for the... other matter... of ownership of the shrine and surrounding lands. Honoured Father and I shall discuss it, but since you have advised us we have a month...¡±


    No way. Are they really going to construct such a fancy building on our land? I sneaked a look at the plans when the surveyor and builders came out, and it looked awesome... a gym, even a swimming pool... no way. He can... Akio-kun can afford that? And owning the shrine? He¡¯s buying us out? Oh White Snake kami, have you finally answered my prayers and we¡¯ll sell this dump and I can live a life a beautiful girl like me should?


    ¡°Yeah, damn, I do have a ton to do, and Shaeula is handling matters alone for now. Plus I have a phone call later with my father I¡¯m not looking forward to at all...¡± as Akio-kun¡¯s face fell at the mention of his father I felt sympathy for him. It was a good feeling, making me feel closer to him. Having a tough father can really suck. I wonder what yours is like... wait, that isn¡¯t important right now. I need details. But if I ask father...


    ¡°I did notice Shaeula wasn¡¯t with you, big bro. I hope you didn¡¯t do anything to upset her. Girls can be terrible when annoyed.¡± I giggled, again shifting position to show off my legs.


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. I really do.¡± Akio-kun sighed. ¡°Still, it isn¡¯t that. I dare say you¡¯ll see her again soon, Kana-chan. But now I really need to go.¡± He turned and bowed to my father and mother. ¡°It¡¯s been a productive meeting. If there are any problems with the work and more funds are needed just let me know and I¡¯ll provide them. Anyway, later Kana-chan. I¡¯m glad you liked the souvenir.¡±


    With that he hurried off, receding into the distance, leaving my final farewell unheard. Rude. You may be busy, but let me finish my goodbyes...


    ¡°Sooooooo...¡± my mother drawled, amused, clearly at my expense. ¡°I guess you like the hairclip then? You were blushing adorably, you aren¡¯t normally this cute. He is pretty handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ugh, why are you picking on me today? ¡°Mother, please! Don¡¯t embarrass me! Seriously, anyone would like such a gift, especially when it came from nowhere. I mean, it isn¡¯t as though I know Akio-kun that well, is it?¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun? It is more respectful than calling him ¡®big bro¡¯ in such a sugary tone. Still, I feel you should show him more respect.¡± Her father complained. ¡°Do not let such a gift go to your head. He is a benefactor of our shrine, and potentially our entire faction.¡±


    Tiresome old windbag. I pray you don¡¯t have to endure as much nagging on your call, Akio-kun. ¡°I think he likes it, so don¡¯t worry.¡± I said, tossing my head in annoyance. ¡°More importantly... seriously? Is he buying our shrine? For how much? I bet we could get a ton of money for it. I want to go to Las Vegas too, do what Shaeula and the other girls did... oh gods, let it be true...¡± I trailed off as my father glared at me, white-faced and furious.


    Ugh, got carried away again and forgot my father is such an old bastard when it comes to shrine business... I¡¯m in for it now... wincing, I stepped back, ready for a lecture, but my mother broke in.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that, Kana my dear.¡± She smiled, and I was once more thankful I had my mother¡¯s looks. ¡°It would be more a change on principle, we would still live here and run the shrine. Although he could afford to buy us out if we were selling. He¡¯s a rich man now.¡±


    Seriously? What a let-down. But he could afford it? Land, even out here it costs a ton... so you are that rich are you, Akio-kun? I touched my hairclip, feeling the smooth platinum on my fingertips. I didn¡¯t even realise I was smiling, until my mother laughed, snapping me out of my thoughts...

 One Hundred And Twenty-Three

    One Hundred And Twenty-Three


    I had spent quite a bit of time sorting out all of the details at Shirohebizumi shrine, but at least everything was about to start. Running into Kana-chan was a bit of a surprise, but at least she liked her present. Shaeula insisted we got gifts for pretty much everyone she knows, and not cheap ones at that. Still... considering that a good chunk of our winnings, plus most of our luck all came from her, it really would have been churlish to refuse. Besides... It does feel good to make people smile, especially cute girls. Cute girls...


    I let out a long sigh, thinking of Eri and the conversation I was going to have to have with my father later, about her. The train journey back to Nishimorioka from Tokyo was an annoying one, with changes and slow local trains through the mountains, so they shouldn¡¯t be home yet, but still... I looked at my watch and guessed I would have some time. I do want to go to the Boundary and support Shaeula, but if I miss my father¡¯s inevitable call... Yeah, that didn¡¯t bear thinking about.


    Might as well keep on with the gift-giving then. I remembered the couple of bottles of very expensive whiskey I had bought for Karen-chan, since she enjoyed the last bottle I had, and as I reached my apartment, the run barely tiring me at all, I opened my door. Shaeula was still lying there, motionless, and it made me feel uncomfortable... somehow. After all, since I completed the Throne of Heroes weeks ago, we had always been in the Boundary together and returned together, so I had never seen her Material body... like this.


    Moving closer, I placed my head very close to her face, ear turned to her mouth. I couldn¡¯t feel or hear any breath. Taking her wrist I also couldn¡¯t feel a pulse. It was like an empty shell, honestly creepy. Patting her head gently I made sure she was still covered with a blanket. Even empty, that¡¯s still Shaeula¡¯s precious body. My eyes were drawn to my posters and figurines, and a bad thought occurred to me. Damn, I bet there¡¯d be a real market for ... perfect sex dolls... I felt nauseous, and obviously would never demean her so, but if another Astral Emperor-candidate could use a Throne to grant pretty spirits Material bodies, then sent them back to the Boundary... shit, that¡¯s fucking sick, but the world is fucked up enough for someone to think of it, I bet that the owner of Casino El Diablo would go for it...


    The laws of the world as they stood would not be able to keep up with the changes. Hopefully most candidates would be reasonable, but... the shrines have influence, but do they have enough to reach the lawmakers and politicians of the country, and convince them of the need for laws covering this new paradigm? I could certainly prove such powers existed now with ease, but I didn¡¯t want to be the first man out of the trenches, so to speak. My position was still too weak, in terms of Territory, finances and potential weaknesses. If someone was to go after my family, or Eri, when I¡¯m not about to protect them...


    I would always put my loved ones above strangers, so the issue would have to be put on hold for now. Spotting the nice decorative bag containing the booze, I grabbed it. Since Hashimoto-san had told me that Karen-chan had been off work, she was probably in need of cheering up, and should be in. I went out of my apartment and over to her door, knocking politely. I waited, the still evening air crisp yet still warm. And waited. And waited...


    Maybe she¡¯s asleep? I probably shouldn¡¯t wake her, but... I decided to try once more and if there was no response I¡¯d come back another day. Rapping on her door a bit more forcefully I was greeted by the sound of something heavy hitting the door, which trembled under the impact, flecks of paint knocked free from the cheaply painted wood. It was followed by a snarling, muffled voice, full of anger and other heavy emotions. ¡°Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off! I told you, I quit, I¡¯m never coming back you fucker! If you don¡¯t stop hassling me...¡± I heard a choked sob, the thin door barely muffling it. ¡°.. I¡¯ll go to the police, I will! I¡¯ll fucking sue you, scumbag!¡±


    Uhh... what? I rapidly considered the situation, but all my pointlessly efficient stats could give me was that Karen-chan sounded really bad, and the sobs were now full-on tears. Yeah, no way I can let this go, not after I set her off. Something terrible must have happened at work, since she says she quit...


    Knocking on the door again I spoke loudly. ¡°Karen-chan, it¡¯s me, Akio. Don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t your work. I came to see if you needed some cheering up, but... I could come back later if you want? Though by the sounds of it you could really use my company and what I¡¯m carrying.¡± I kept my voice kind, as if I was talking to a child, aware I was being patronising, as Karen-chan was probably a bit older than me. Though I¡¯m not a big enough fool to question a woman¡¯s age.


    For a long moment there was nothing I could do but listen to her crying. I was about to walk away, when I started to hear motion through the thin walls and door. I heard the drawing of a metal bolt, squealing shrilly, and then the door opened a crack, her face peeking out from behind it.Upstodatee from


    Gods, you look awful. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to air that thought out loud, but it wasn¡¯t wrong. From what little I could see she was a mess, her face pale, her eyes red raw from crying, her hair unkempt and tangled. It was not her usual stylish appearance at all.


    ¡°Well, I brought you a gift... from Las Vegas.¡± I held up the bag lamely. ¡°It¡¯s really good, and you look like you could use a stiff drink, and maybe someone to talk to?¡± I offered. ¡°I can wait if you want to take a shower or something though. I might have caught you at a bad time.¡±


    She looked at me for a while, and then, biting her lip, anxiety plain, she opened the door some more. ¡°Akio-kun...¡± she managed, choking out some words. Furiously she rubbed at her face with her hands, as if to wipe away evidence of her tears, if that was possible. I noticed the clothes she was wearing were just an old t-shirt and sweatpants, and they were... well, sweaty. Just how long has she been sitting there? For days?


    ¡°Sorry... about my behaviour. I¡¯m sorry you had to hear that. I... I...¡± she started to tear up again, before looking down, defeated, her face deathly pale. ¡°... maybe you should go... or... I...¡±


    She seemed confused, not sure of what she wanted. Still, it was a good sign that she had at least opened the door. Although... God, the smell. It hasn¡¯t been aired in days, and the summer heat still hasn¡¯t died off yet. The place wasn¡¯t clean either, clothes and other items tossed everywhere, alongside empty beer cans and bottles of water. No food packages though... with my high Alacrity I could quickly identify everything in an area. Including things I shouldn¡¯t, like her underwear lying tossed in the corner. I¡¯d better not say anything.


    ¡°No, seeing you like this, how could I just leave you? Shaeula would be super mad at me if I did. It¡¯s a shame she¡¯s at work now, or she could have kept you company too. Still, why don¡¯t we take a seat?¡± I shut the door behind me and turned on the light, since the blinds were drawn. The room looked little better illuminated, and she looked away, eyes dark and lifeless. So, my first time in her room, and it¡¯s in this state... anyway, I can¡¯t really just leave her like this. She¡¯s an acquaintance, and a neighbour, and Shaeula considers her a friend, and any friend of Shaeula¡¯s is important to me too.


    ¡°I can see what you¡¯re thinking, but I¡¯m no blushing schoolgirl. I¡¯ve been around a while. I knew if I gave in then it wouldn¡¯t be a one-time thing, I¡¯d just be his toy. And the others, they¡¯d just...¡± she slammed her fist down, nearly spilling her drink, but I caught the toppling glass deftly, securing it.


    ¡°... Still, there was an ultimatum. He cornered me, and said if I didn¡¯t sleep with him, he¡¯d frame me for gross misconduct and have me ruined. So I told him to get fucked. Then he...¡± she took a long deep breath to steady herself. ¡°... then he tried to... tried to rape me.¡± She shuddered, crying again. ¡°Luckily he¡¯s out of shape and older, so I managed to fight him off. I did knee him rather hard in his fat guts. So I fled the office and quit, and I¡¯ve been hiding at home ever since. I¡¯m fucked now though. No reference, no job, no savings. No future. A couple of times he¡¯s called me up to say if I go crawling back and .... become his mistress officially he¡¯ll let me work again, but... I have my pride. My dignity. I¡¯d rather die here in this shithole than give in. Then when you knocked on my door, I thought it might have been him or some of the other bastards. Sorry about that.¡± She shot me a wan smile, terribly fake.


    Okay that was heavy stuff indeed. That¡¯s it, I¡¯ve decided. Again, what good is power if I can¡¯t make those around me happy? I¡¯m not going to try and help everyone in the world, but those within my sight who have been good to me, Shaeula, or any of my precious people...


    At my silent thought, Karen-chan spoke weakly. ¡°I bet I disgust you, don¡¯t I? I¡¯m pathetic. Some woman guys think they can abuse and play with who won¡¯t be able to fight back. Pride, dignity, it¡¯s all a sop in the end, maybe I¡¯d have been happier as his toy, at least for a while... gods, it isn¡¯t like anyone else cares about me anyway. I just... I hate to give in. Why the fuck should I?¡± At that the tears came again, and this time they were a great cascade, great heaving sobs that shook her whole frail body. Yeah, you¡¯ve not been eating, have you? Well, I¡¯ve made up my mind.


    As I stood she suddenly flinched back. Dropping to my knees before her, looking into her bloodshot eyes I smiled. ¡°Right, that¡¯s it. I¡¯m taking you out to dinner. No refusing. On me of course.¡±


    She leaned backwards, her face twisting into a mix of wariness and rage. ¡°Oh, so you hear my story and you think I¡¯m easy, down on my luck and ready to fuck too, do you? Well, unlike my boss and the worms I worked with, you may be hot, but I¡¯m not so cheap.¡± She threw out the words to hurt me, gain some satisfaction that she had been denied against her ex-colleagues, but I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to bite. I merely continued to smile gently while I pulled out my phone and opened up an image. She watched me, wary, confused and at her last tether.


    ¡°See here? Look.¡± I showed her a picture of me and Eri, photographed in the Strat, engagement ring on her finger, us tight together, looking overjoyed.


    ¡°What...?¡± Karen-chan said, puzzled at the direction this was going.


    ¡°I got engaged in Las Vegas. To my long-time childhood friend. That¡¯s Eri. She¡¯s gorgeous isn¡¯t she? So I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m off the market. No way I¡¯d cheat on her. Besides, you are a good looking woman normally, but right now... sorry, but I think you need to look in a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations?¡± she answered instinctively. Then her thoughts caught up and she squawked indignantly. ¡°What, are you saying I¡¯m not good enough for you? Not even when I¡¯m down on my luck and vulnerable? Bastard...¡±


    ¡°I think your pride is getting angry at the wrong things.¡± I chided her gently. ¡°Seriously though, isn¡¯t she gorgeous?¡± I bragged about Eri, this time as a fiance?e, not a childhood friend like I used to. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to rub it in, but if you think I¡¯d put that at risk for a quick bout of pity sex with you, you don¡¯t think much of my intelligence or faithfulness, do you?¡±


    As she was unable to protest, I pointed to her bathroom. ¡°Seriously, you are a friend of mine, a neighbour, and Shaeula often brags about the times we¡¯ve been drinking. My work is going well, so let me get you a meal at least. You¡¯ve not been eating, I can tell. And while we are out, you can tell me about the name of the man I need to kill...¡±


    She smiled then, a genuine one for the first time since I had entered. Dashing away her tears she sniffled, snot running down her face and soaking her clothes. ¡°I think... I wouldn¡¯t want you to go to prison for me, and I definitely wouldn¡¯t want to make your fiance?e sad.¡± She sighed, heavy feelings leaving her. ¡°Seriously, congratulations. I¡¯m glad at least one of us in this shitty apartment is a winner at life. Maybe it isn¡¯t too late for me yet.¡±


    ¡°Just go and clean yourself up. Do your hair and makeup, put on your best dress. While you are doing that, I¡¯ll tidy up this shitty mess, if you¡¯ll pardon my swearing, and make a reservation somewhere decent. Don¡¯t worry, I promise I won¡¯t steal your underwear or look at things I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    The only thing I had to wait for was a call from my parents, so I could take that here or at the restaurant if necessary...


    ¡°Pfft, hahahahaa. I don¡¯t think you need my underwear if you are marrying a girl like that.¡± She laughed, her gloom receding, at least a little. ¡°Still though, no peeking while I¡¯m in the tub, okay? Else I¡¯ll make sure she finds out.¡±


    ¡°As if a gentleman such as I would do that. Now, go, and you¡¯ll feel better for it.¡±

 One Hundred And Twenty-Four

    One Hundred And Twenty-Four


    After making a suitable reservation, I started tidying up her room, all the while trying not to be distracted by the sounds of Karen-chan washing up in her bath. I bagged up all her empty beer cans and other trash, and folded her discarded clothing, the bits of it that were safe to touch at least. Those other items I carefully picked up and placed in one corner for her to sort later.


    Once she was done I settled down to wait, finishing off my glass of whiskey. I couldn¡¯t help but glance at my watch too. It was around about the time my sister and Eri would be making it back to Nishimorioka. I think Eri would want to talk to her parents before she talks to mine, but still... could be any time now...


    My palms were sweaty, and I was starting to feel a little bilious. I¡¯d always had great respect, and no little fear of my father. He was a hard man, stern yet fair. I¡¯d had my share of scolding from him, which continued even to this day. And he had specifically asked me not to... well, exactly what I did with Eri. Still, I would face what came of my choice with my head held high, to do anything else would be to trample on Eri¡¯s feelings. Still, that didn¡¯t make the wait any easier...


    As I was lost in thought the door to the bathroom area slid open, and Karen-chan was there. Seeing her tidied state I gave her a thumbs-up of approval. ¡°Not bad. You pass.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky little sod.¡± Karen-chan said, but at least she was smiling now, even if there was still a shadow of worry in her eyes. ¡°I can still look good when I try.¡±


    She was wearing a black skirt and white floaty top, coupled with stockings and matching white high heels. Her hair had been untangled and washed, and her nails... well, I guess she can¡¯t fix everything. Like a gentleman I pretended not to see that her nails were merely filed flat, still showing signs of damage, and that she was wearing only minimal make-up. Still, she appeared decent enough to go out.


    ¡°Yeah, a very professional look.¡± I approved. ¡°Well then, shall we go?¡±


    ¡°We can, but where?¡± she asked, still a touch hesitant.


    ¡°I booked us a table in one of the restaurants down in Niku Yokocho in Shibuya. I have a craving for meat, and I think you could use the energy... oh, there is one more thing while I remember. I will probably have to take a phone call during the meal, sorry about being rude, but...¡± my facial expression must have been funny, as she started snickering.


    ¡°Not one you want to take? I get that, I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, my father is a very strict man. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love and respect him, but... he has quite the temper when angered, and I did just go and get engaged, despite him telling me not to do anything hasty.¡±


    As we walked towards the station in the cooling evening, she looked at me slyly. ¡°I don¡¯t see why getting engaged is such a big deal. Unless... hmm, if you did that, I¡¯m surprised that you didn¡¯t just go for a shotgun marriage. I hear Las Vegas is famous for those, right?¡±


    ¡°That, huh...¡± my stats failed me as my face started burning up.


    ¡°You did, didn¡¯t you? Oh god, that¡¯s the funniest thing I¡¯ve heard in weeks... well, congratulations again. There¡¯ll be no escape for you now, will there?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to escape anyway...¡± I protested, and her laughter continued for quite some time, her haunted expression slowly starting to relax a little...


    ********


    ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± I asked Karen-chan as she stuffed steak into her mouth, barely even pausing to chew.


    ¡°Look, your food is getting cold. Eat, and I¡¯ll explain. Firstly...¡± I slid my phone across, the picture of Eri once more displayed. ¡°You can have my fiance?e¡¯s phone number as insurance. Hell, my father¡¯s too if it would make you feel better. If I tried anything unpleasant, you could ruin me in return. Sound fair?¡±


    At that she nodded, and her hands resumed, eating once more. I ordered another bottle of wine, and after that was done, I resumed my sales pitch.


    ¡°Secondly, by unexpected requests, I mean things along the lines of... oh, for example... I might ask you to research if it was possible to somehow gain token ownership of a park near our apartments. As long as we had ownership of it legally and technically, it wouldn¡¯t matter if we were unable to make any changes, sell it, or even had to pay fully for its upkeep, freeing up taxpayer yen. See what I mean? Odd I know, but things like that might crop up a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is a strange one. How would anyone benefit if you can¡¯t do anything with the land, even paying your own money out? I think you¡¯d go bankrupt quickly, and then I¡¯d just be fired again, back where I started.¡±


    ¡°A fair point, but at least I¡¯d launder your employment history and give you an awesome reference.¡± I joked. ¡°Still, it won¡¯t come to that, a lot of other ventures are likely to be wildly profitable. In fact, I have a deal with Shirohebizumi shrine. I¡¯m moving out to a place there this week. In fact, that¡¯s where head office will be, so you¡¯d have a sweet commute!¡± I grinned at her as she ate, still unconvinced.


    ¡°Seriously, what have you got to lose? I can pay you what you were getting before, in fact, ten percent more for the extra responsibility. I can also throw in bonuses for completed unexpected requests. Overtime would be in crisis situations only, and it¡¯d be fully paid, and no pressure to drink after work with the boss, unless you fancy some relaxation with Shaeula and I. I won¡¯t claim my offer isn¡¯t entirely unmotivated by the fact I know you and you are down on your luck, but this is a chance to prove yourself, and more importantly, to stick it to your bastard boss and ex-colleagues.¡± I let that sink in, and I could finally see the spark of life in her eyes again. She hastily devoured her food, and finished her wine with a gulp.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be good enough. I mean, our company was shady as hell and I was just a secretary, though I did do some overtime in accounting occasionally. Unpaid, of course...¡± she spat bitterly. ¡°... to be honest, I¡¯d love a job, I thought my life was over. Normally, if it was someone else, I¡¯d snatch their hand off, but...¡± she looked me right in the eyes, deadly serious. ¡°... despite only being neighbours, this last month has been fun, I consider you a friend now. I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll let you down, and if you are really doing big things, well...¡± she trailed off, her voice becoming almost inaudible. ¡°... I¡¯ve seen what happens to those who fail important, powerful people...¡±


    ¡°I get that, I do, and I want you to succeed, because then I succeed. But seriously, if you do your best, I¡¯m sure you can do it. If you say yes, then your first task will be to head to Shirohebizumi shrine tomorrow and make sure everything is going smoothly with the refurbishment of my new home and office buildings, as well as make sure there are no problems with the contractors coming out to start on a major building project there.¡±


    ¡°That shrine is notorious for not selling land. People have been after it for years... so, how...¡± she asked, but I cut her off with a wave.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t accepted my offer yet.¡± I winked at her. ¡°So it¡¯s a trade secret until then. But if you accept, then tomorrow is your first day on the clock. Hell, I don¡¯t mind having you start today, since this could count as a business dinner.¡±


    Karen-chan grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. Taking a big swig, she nodded. ¡°All right, I get it, I do.¡± Reaching out one hand she held it out to me, and I took it, giving her a firm handshake, pretending I didn¡¯t feel how she was trembling. Poor woman, she¡¯s had it rough. But seriously, I have a ton of tasks I can delegate, giving me more time to help Shaeula in the Boundary, and even when this is resolved, I can still use her...


    ¡°Welcome aboard.¡± I said, and she returned my greeting, bowing in a polite business fashion.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here. I won¡¯t let you down. Thanks. For having faith in me.¡±


    I was going to answer when my phone, which I had left out on the table, started to ring. Looking at it I could see the caller ID was ¡®Father¡¯. Well, shit.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to take this. Sorry.¡± I sighed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you order some pudding or something, and a whiskey to wash it down? My treat still, to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing boss.¡± She waved over at the waiting staff. Turning back to me she smiled, the brightest one I¡¯d seen from her so far this evening, her eyes finally looking resolute and back to her old self. ¡°You sure have it tough, Akio-kun. Still, she¡¯s really cute, so just think she¡¯s worth it, all right?¡±


    At that I could only nod. With that I picked up my phone and answered. ¡°Oh, good evening, father. I was expecting a call...¡±

 Side Twenty-Seven – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Twenty-Seven ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°That looks very nice, Ai dear. Did your brother get you that?¡± my mom asked as I was unpacking my new bow and all the related gear, spreading it out on my bed. I nodded, remembering how excited I was when I saw it.


    ¡°He sure did, you know big bro is always eager to please me and Eri.¡±


    ¡°Eri, huh? That¡¯s strange, what happened to Eri-chan? Did you get closer on your trip? Or...¡± as my mom seized on a point I didn¡¯t want to talk about I wondered what to say. Luckily she rapidly changed the subject, as mercurial as ever. ¡°... so, how much did all that cost? Taichi has been working out just how much that whiskey you brought back is worth, and well... Aki has been spending rather too much, hasn¡¯t he? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I love the perfume and make-up, but when you add it together...¡± she leaned in close, whispering in my ear.


    ¡°You can tell me, Ai. I promise not to get mad, and I¡¯ll listen to what you have to say with an open mind. Best you tell me, before Taichi finds out. Has... has our Aki got involved in something... criminal? It¡¯s not drugs is it? Please tell me he isn¡¯t smuggling drugs...¡±


    At her words my mind went blank, quickly filled with the fire of angry rage. I¡¯m not going to listen to that, not even from you, mom!


    Jerking back away from her I glared at her, our blue eyes reflecting each other. ¡°No way! How could you accuse big bro of something like that? I¡¯m disappointed in you, mom.¡± I could feel tears welling up, and they started running down my face, a mix of frustration and anger. ¡°He¡¯s been working hard, real hard, all these years, and now his effort has finally paid off, and this is what you think? I thought you were better than that, mom!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Aiko, don¡¯t be like that. You know I believe in both of my children.¡±


    When she called me by my full name, it was always a sign she was serious. Still, crying and angry, I wasn¡¯t going to back down, not on this, no way, no how! ¡°I get it, I do. I was shocked myself when big bro came back looking all hot and with Shaeula on his arm. For a moment I thought ¡®where did big bro go, who is that?¡¯. But still, no matter how much he¡¯s changed, and will change in the future, I know one thing. He¡¯d never betray his family or Eri by doing something so wrong!¡±


    As I tried to evade my mother, scuttling across my bed, I was too slow, and she grabbed me in a hug, and started ruffling my hair, like big bro used to. ¡°Shush now, shush my Ai. Stop crying. I believe you, I do! My Aki is a good boy, you know that better than anyone, don¡¯t you? After all, you and Eri-chan always used to hide in his shadow.¡±


    ¡°I know, we did. We still do.¡± I wiped away the tears, unable to squirm free. My mom had quite the grip. ¡°But I realised... we never did anything but take from him. No wonder he left. Still, Eri, Shaeula... they showed me it isn¡¯t too late to do better. Come on, let me go!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will, Ai dear. I missed you while you were gone, and worried, since it was your first time abroad.¡± She pressed my head into her ample chest, and for a moment I wondered stupid thoughts like whether I would get so big, before squawking indignantly.


    ¡°I said get off, let go. Damn, mom, you are smothering me! This isn¡¯t how I wanted to go, at least not to my moms¡¯ big chest!¡± As I managed to break free, face red, I decided to get serious. Big bro you idiot, now I¡¯m having to cover for you! Shaeula too, you may be a princess and probably used to lavish wealth, but we aren¡¯t! We got carried away, no wonder mom and dad are suspicious!


    ¡°Okay, firstly, there was no need to worry. We all speak English, don¡¯t we? Besides, with big bro about, there was never any danger. That¡¯s one thing that¡¯s never changed. Eri and I were perfectly safe all the time, and we had more fun that I dreamed possible. So lay off my big bro! Secondly...¡±


    Okay, okay, we¡¯ve had some good talks, like on the plane, and I am NOT as stupid as I always tell myself I am. So I can think of a way to handle this... ¡°... yeah, secondly, I can¡¯t really talk about it too much, since it¡¯s big bro and Shaeula¡¯s business, confidentiality and all that, but I was feeling a little... off-colour...¡±


    At that my mother tittered a little, amused, probably guessing I was hungover, since I had been when bro and Shaeula had visited us before. Ignoring her, I continued.


    ¡°... I was in our hotel when his banker visited. So it¡¯s all legal, and he¡¯s earning decent money. As for how it all works, you¡¯d need to ask him, but just... stop doubting him, please!¡±


    ¡°All right, I believe you¡± she tried to snuggle me again, but I leapt from my bed and raced over to the other side of the room. She pouted, but didn¡¯t follow, instead looking down at the Olympic-style bow I had received. ¡°This is a very nice bow isn¡¯t it? Your brother still loves you a lot. Isn¡¯t that nice. So if you got this, what did Eri-chan get? Oh wait, should I be calling her Eri too now?¡± she grinned wickedly, bringing up the point I had hoped she had forgotten.


    Mom may act an airhead at times, but she¡¯s sharp. Oh well, best get this over with. After taking a deep breath, I smiled as disarmingly as I could. ¡°Yeah, of course he does. A big bro moonstone who doesn¡¯t dote on his sister is clearly an imposter. As for Eri... well, I expect we should set the table for six tonight. Eri, Uncle and Auntie will be coming over I¡¯d expect.¡±


    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s like that is it? My Aki¡¯s all finally grown up. Still, I don¡¯t think Taichi is going to be happy. Especially not if Aki has finally succeeded in getting a career...¡±


    A career? If only you knew. Damn, I hate keeping secrets. Big bro really needs to tell our parents the truth, but until then, not my problem... with a shrug of my shoulders I went back to sorting out my luggage, happy mom hadn¡¯t seen my other presents...


    ********


    The six of us were around our dinner table, a traditional meal laid out, bowls of rice, miso soup, grilled fish and more. Still, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t the usual lively one, and I shared a commiserating glance with Eri, who looked nervous as hell. Still, when she reached for her soup I could see the lights of the room sparkling off her engagement ring, which she was still wearing. Pretty bold...


    ¡°So, my son was foolish it seems, despite my warnings. You have my apologies. Despite our long friendship...¡± my dad bent down in a low bow. Mom clicked her tongue in annoyance, and Uncle Mori rapidly tried to raise him up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, Taichi! There is no need to bow to us.¡±


    ¡°But my foolish son...¡± he began, only to be cut off by Auntie Mori, who was all smiles. As expected, they¡¯ve wanted Eri and my bro to get married ever since we were kids. No way they would be too upset about this turn of events.


    ¡°What foolishness? You can¡¯t expect two young people in love not to... fool around. Little Eri has shown me some of the pictures, and if they didn¡¯t get romantic in such a lovely place, well I¡¯d think they were not suited for each other after all. Besides...¡± she looked at her daughter fondly, and down at her engagement ring. ¡°Little Aki is taking responsibility, so how can we complain? Oh, I can hardly wait for the wedding, we have to set a date...¡±


    She rambled on for a bit, before my father spoke again, his mood still sour. ¡°I have my worries. All of this money he has coming in, it seems suspicious and strange considering he was barely making ends meet only a few months ago.¡±


    ********


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I am satisfied by your explanations.¡± My father complained, on the phone to big bro, a near-empty glass of whiskey beside him. Mom was talking to Uncle and Auntie about wedding dresses and other things that was causing Eri no end of torment, leaving her twitching with embarrassment, but she deserved it for being all lovey-dovey with my bro.


    ¡°Well, school finishes early this week on Friday since it is the first week of term, and since there is a reduced class on Saturday she would miss little... so, we shall all be travelling to Tokyo to see you. What, yes, yes, you can make the arrangements for accommodation. It doesn¡¯t need to be anything extravagant. It just needs to be clean, as your mother and the Mori girls will be there.¡±


    Hey, what about me? No fair leaving me out. As I met dad¡¯s gaze pleadingly, he sighed, listening. ¡°Yes, you are correct. Your sister clearly wants to come too. Fine, fine. I shall allow it. Make the arrangements... wait, you want me to bring who? The Takeyabashi girl from the shrine? Why? Business-related? I¡¯ll understand when I see your new workplace? You had better be convincing, I am full of misgivings...¡±


    As the conversation continued, my dad giving my bro a real hard time, not that I expected anything else, I made up my own mind. This was as good a time as any to discuss my future. Eri, my bro and I, we were the three musketeers of Nishimorioka. And I didn¡¯t want that to end any time soon. One day, maybe, but not yet. No, there¡¯s still too much to see and do, more than I ever could have dreamed of a short few weeks ago. And I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m not there seeing it with them... and not just to be the perfect sister for Akio, the one I thought he wanted. No, because I want to, for me, for Eri and for him...


    ¡°Very well, I am trusting that you are not being foolish and can shoulder this. I admit, it will be nice to return to Tokyo, it has been quite a while, and the Mori¡¯s could use a break. Very well. Yes. Yes that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll bring the shrine girl, once I have spoken to her grandfather. All right. I shall see you Friday then.¡±


    Ending the call my dad looked tired. I decided to score some points before my own bombshell, so I topped up his glass from the bottle and handed it to him. ¡°There you go dad, that sounded tough. About Takeyabashi-san though, we were there for some of it. Big bro has a lot of work with traditional shrines at the moment, so it¡¯s legit, promise.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense, how does his industry connect with...¡± before dad could get off track, I held up a hand.


    ¡°Hey, everyone. I¡¯d like to discuss something myself, if I may?¡±


    ¡°Oh god, tell me you aren¡¯t pregnant too, Ai! My heart couldn¡¯t take the shock!¡± Damn, mom¡¯s drunk. She never could handle her booze. And plus, we don¡¯t know if Eri is pregnant yet. It usually takes more than one go, doesn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Eww, gross, no way, I¡¯m as pure as winter snow!¡± I protested. ¡°No, I just have been giving my future some real thought. I think... no I know...¡± everyone was watching me, making me nervous, but the smile Eri was giving me, it was a knowing one. She mouthed something silently at me then.


    ¡°Do your best! I¡¯ll... no we... will support you!¡±


    Thanks. I guess we added a musketeer, just like in that film with D¡¯Artagnan. Add Shaeula and there are four of us now...


    ¡°So, I¡¯m going to try for a sports University in Tokyo. I¡¯d like to get a scholarship if I can, since it¡¯s expensive but... if not I can keep costs down living with my bro and Eri. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±


    Eri shook her head. ¡°Not at all, we¡¯d be happy to have you.¡±


    ¡°Before it was just a pipe-dream, I¡¯ve seen his old apartment, and it¡¯s really small. But now things are looking up... besides, I think I can do it. I¡¯ve always loved sport, moving my body. I¡¯m not so smart... hey, I know I¡¯m no dummy, don¡¯t get me wrong, but I¡¯ve always been more of an action girl, right?¡±


    My mom nodded, and the gaze of my dad was painful, yet he remained silent, judging my sincerity. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t make it to the top, which to be honest, I doubt I will, after all, I¡¯ve not actually won any tournaments yet, even if I¡¯ve been to some...¡± Though if I could just enter that world, that might change... big bro did...


    ¡°... well, there¡¯s still sports coaching, dieticians, physical education teachers... there¡¯s lots I could do, and I think I¡¯d like.¡± More importantly, I can be of use. We¡¯ll all stand together, having each other¡¯s backs.


    ¡°... besides, what¡¯s true for Eri is true for me too. After all, what future is in this town for the young, really? Getting married to one of the guys around here? Eww, no way. I want someone at least as good as Eri has bagged.¡± She winked. ¡°For the sake of my love life I need to move to the big city anyway. Don¡¯t get me wrong, there are things to like here, but now that I know what¡¯s out there, I need to see it for myself!¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± Uncle Mori nodded. ¡°We weren¡¯t all as lucky as your father, going abroad and finding a beautiful wife there. Not that I¡¯m dissatisfied with you, my dear!¡±


    Auntie Mori snorted. ¡°I should think not. Still we get it. we want little Eri and you, little Aiko, to have lives better than we did. I think you are both doing very well towards that goal.¡±


    My mom nodded reassuringly, and my dad was just looking at me. In the end he nodded, and I felt relief rush through me.


    ¡°It will be hard.¡± He said sternly, and I agreed.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m ready for that. So long as I¡¯ve got Eri, and big bro, and you guys, and even Shaeula in my corner, I can do it!¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll support you. But just words are easy. I want to see actions. If I think you are not serious...¡±


    ¡°I get it, I do, I do!¡±


    Wait for me, big bro, Shaeula. For Eri too. We¡¯ll catch up, even if we have to work ourselves to the bone!

 One Hundred And Twenty-Five

    One Hundred And Twenty-Five


    ¡°Ahahaha, you got royally chewed out!¡± Karen-san was laughing as she swayed about, drunkenly leaning on my shoulder. Shit, when she relaxed after accepting my offer she got hammered...


    ¡°You looked like a deer in the headlights. Yes father, sorry father, no father, I understand, father! Pfft hahahahaha!¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s a truly, truly annoying drunk. Still, I can¡¯t blame her, and I¡¯m happy to see it. Looking at her, all beaten down and having given up on life, well, if this is the other option I¡¯ll take it, even if she is spitting and drooling all over my shoulder.


    ¡°Whoopsie!¡± she sniggered as she stumbled, her heel catching on the pavement. I caught her, careful not to grab anywhere I shouldn¡¯t, and set her upright, which brought more laughter.


    ¡°You can laugh all you want, but...¡± I said, ready to get my own back. ¡°... come the weekend, there¡¯ll be your first unexpected request.¡±


    ¡°What, you want me to go on a date with you? We already did hahaha! Oh god, ugh...¡± suddenly her laughter was interrupted as she turned green and staggered to the side. Bending over she was noisily sick, the tension and alcohol having proved a bad combination. After spending some time patting her back while she was unwell, eventually she had emptied her stomach.


    ¡°Feel better?¡± I asked her, getting her a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine. As she took a drink and used some to wash her face, she sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, my bad. I¡¯m not fired on my first day, am I?¡± she gave me a wan smile.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll be sure to forget everything. but in exchange, you¡¯ll carry out your unexpected and unusual request, which is, you¡¯ll have to meet my father and reassure him I¡¯m not doing anything shady. That¡¯ll be punishment enough...¡±


    ********Upstodatee from


    After seeing Karen-chan home and putting her to bed, leaving her some food and water I bought from a twenty-four hour supermarket, I returned to my own room and undressed, throwing my soiled top into the bathroom for later. It was time to re-join Shaeula in my Territory.


    Hopefully everything is okay. She¡¯d surely have retreated if not...


    The Anchor still stood, the halo of ether around it a shining silver constellation. There was even more than before, probably from all the invaders we had killed. Checking the progress of the Anchor upgrade, there were still 72 days remaining. I hate the Territory being defenceless, but then I need at least 250,000 ether for my next plan, ideally I¡¯m going to need another 150,000 or so on top of that for the quick build of a new set of Ether Spires to start raking in the ether as soon as possible...


    Yeah, it was a thorny problem. Still, leaving all this ether out and unprotected could potentially lead to enemies finding my Anchor, so... Oh man, this hurts my soul, but... Most of the ether around the Anchor and Silo were suddenly absorbed into the Anchor, a hundred thousand of my stock vanishing nigh-instantly. The glow around the Anchor intensified and the shaft thickened and lengthened, small buds forming at the bottom, three of them, the purpose as yet unclear. Checking my Territory again I sighed. 61 days left now. A full hundred thousand, and all it gets is eleven days. Most of the bounty I had gained in Las Vegas was gone now, though luckily I still had a full Silo. Oh, and some Etherite ores too. Mustn¡¯t forget them.


    Having made my decision, and feeling a twinge of regret at spending the money for a slender gain, I left and headed for the shrine. As I did so I was met by Shaeula, who had sensed my entry and had hurried over.


    ¡°Master, are you well-well?¡± she asked. ¡°I felt the Territory tremble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I decided to use some of our excess ether to try and speed up progress. I may regret it later when I¡¯m poor again, but for now... sixty-one days. I could bring it to an even fifty, but that would leave us way too lacking in ether...¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± She nodded. ¡°Well, whatever your decision is, Akio, I shall-shall support it. Now, to business. We should return to the shrine and hold council. We have this area under watchful eyes, have no fear-fear.¡±


    At her words I glanced around and could see several white snakes hiding amidst the rubble, their innate earth essence helping them blend in. ¡°I see. Clever. Have there been problems with more ghosts?¡±


    With some effort I expelled the rampaging crimson light, and staggering away from the source I slumped down, beaten, feeling like I had terrible cramps all through my body. Shaeula came over and pulled up my head, sliding it onto her lap, where she began patting my head gently. ¡°Poor Akio. I suspected so, but it was too much, even for you-you. Trying to balance three energies, both opposing and consuming... such a feat is unprecedented.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I groaned, my throat raw, the tang of scorched soil and hot wind in my mouth. ¡°I also realised I didn¡¯t know enough about earth after all. I thought I did, but well...¡± I wanted to get up, but my body was aching and it was pretty comfortable, lying on her legs. ¡°I wonder... what does darkness oppose? Light, I¡¯m guessing? Maybe I could master that...¡±


    ¡°Foolish master, ever eager to push your limits.¡± She said fondly. ¡°But before, you knew little of shadow and darkness. Has this changed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid not. If it was light, then I reckon I¡¯d know pretty much everything about it. Darkness to me is just absence of light. Still, maybe if I try to take in a little it¡¯ll spark something, some breakthrough or even just a hint. I think it¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    ¡°Very well, but you must first recover, your network was not damaged for you wisely stopped your efforts, yet the energies within are still turbulent indeed-indeed. I will allow though...¡± Shaeula gazed into my eyes from above, amber meeting moonstone. ¡°... seeing your efforts first-hand has proved rather enlightening. I still would perish, trying to mix stone and wind, yet... perhaps a path does exist...¡±


    ¡°Cool. Well, I¡¯ll hear your insights another time. For now I¡¯m just going to enjoy the momentary peace.¡± We spent a little time making cheerful small-talk about trivial things, until Shaeula advised me I was stable enough to attempt my next feat. Somewhat regretfully I got off her lap and we headed towards the graveyard. Her legs were soft, and she smells good... smell huh... damn, I do love thinking of pointless things. Besides, I shouldn¡¯t be smelling other girls... sorry Eri.


    The graveyard was as I remembered it, and since it was unlikely to be targeted since the tree seemed to be a naturally occurring thing, we had left it unguarded. Although thinking about it, the tree is probably providing something like half of my incoming ether right now... ¡°I think we need to make sure the Rhyming Tree doesn¡¯t fall to the enemy. It¡¯s too valuable.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°I shall have some of my kin stationed here. Should there be an attack they can raise the alarm, or should-should the worst happen, I shall know if they fall in battle. So, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡± I said, taking my place under the gloom of the tree. Adopting a meditative pose, I couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°You know, in certain Eastern stories, people meditate for years under trees like this to gain wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would like my master to be wiser indeed, yet we do not-not have years to spare, so do your best!¡± Shaeula snarked.


    All right then... grasping at the darkness energy that permeated the surrounding space, I started to absorb it. Unlike the prickling of wind, burning of flame, or solidity of stone... this was... intangible somehow, both cold and hot at the same time, hard yet also soft as finest silk, an impossible dichotomy. As the dark energy trickled in I could see that it wasn¡¯t in fact black at all, no, it was a deep blue. The energy started moving to my throat, and the chakra there began to absorb it.


    So, darkness. An absence of light. In fantasy stories it is often used by necromancers and other beings. It also doesn¡¯t seem to have much interaction, if any, with the wind and flame energies...


    As I wracked my brain to come to an understanding with it my lunar chakra started burning, spikes of pain jabbing into me everywhere. Still, Shaeula motioned for me to continue, so I struggled to draw in more, grasping for understanding.


    Darkness and Light. Yin and Yang. Female and Male. Dark is more associated with females in cultivation myths. Yin also tends towards the emotions of turmoil and chaos...


    I meditated under the tree for several hours as the pain continued to build, until finally I was defeated, expelling the darkness from my chakra network as best I could, helped along by aether to cleanse it. As I staggered to my feet, the torment diminishing, Shaeula commiserated me.


    ¡°A noble effort indeed, and one much more successful than with that vile earth energy.¡± She said, taking my hand in hers.


    ¡°You think? I guess I didn¡¯t do myself any damage, not that I made much progress.¡±


    ¡°I believe I told you when we first met-met. It takes a great deal of time to master the understanding of an element of the four, let alone a rarer one such as this darkness. Only by understanding the essence of it will you tame it-it, and if you do not know, then slow, incremental steps, by taking in and feeling the nature of it, is the only path to mastery.¡± She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. ¡°We have time yet, master. If it takes you months, or years, or even decades, I shall be here-here, watching.¡±


    ¡°I hope it is quicker than that.¡± I returned the squeeze, grateful for her support. ¡°Still, that¡¯s enough for now. Time to find out where our enemy is lurking. I would love to refill our ether stocks...¡±

 One Hundred And Twenty-Six

    One Hundred And Twenty-Six


    ¡°But before that, while we have some peace I want to see if we can further improve our gear, and maybe make something for Grulgor too.¡±


    ¡°That oaf-oaf?¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°He is hardly worthy of your largess, yet...¡± she let out a muted sigh. ¡°I suppose it makes sense, he is an asset to us, even if I can-can barely stand the sight of him.¡±


    I¡¯m proud of how you keep growing. I must have had a fatherly smile on my face, as Shaeula flushed.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that-that. I am not-not so shallow I can not-not appreciate his efforts.¡± She protested, and so I rubbed her head, causing her to let out small noises of embarrassment, but she made no effort to shy away.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Yeah, her verbal tic still spikes up when she is excited or embarrassed. Knowing better than to say it, we returned to the shrine, where I called over the kobold miners. As expected their haul was lower, but we still had materials, so I quickly started processing them. Iron was converted to steel just by adding charcoal by burning some wood from around the shrine with flame essence. We also had quite the pile of smashed armour and useless weapons that the orcs had so graciously left us after their defeats. Melting this all down into ingots and adding around 3% carbon, which was the ratio I remembered from school for ¡®spring steel¡¯, allowed me to create a metal flexible and hard to deform. As I worked, I could feel my abilities in Ether Crafting growing a little, giving me deeper understanding of iron and steel. I wonder if iron counts as part of the earth element?


    Grulgor returned as I had a large pile of steel ready to go. He still had the crude plates hammered into his body, providing decent protection, but with proper armour... yeah, he¡¯d be an unstoppable tank. Over the next few days I can armour up the other trolls too...


    Once the plates were stripped from Grulgor I spent time shaping an extremely thick armour for him, full-plate style, though he had an open-faced helm, as when I went for a narrow slit he started roaring about not being able to find or see his foes. When he was done he looked... well, like a three metre plus giant of cold steel, an iron golem. The armour didn¡¯t have any fancy decorations, but it was solid, and gleaming brightly. Grulgor was puzzled at first as I was dressing him, and it took me a while to figure out how to make straps of metal to hold the weight together, as leather would be useless. In the end they were supplemented by spikes sticking into his body, holding them in place. His own regeneration then locks it to him, making it nigh-impregnable.


    Once that was done, it was time to make him a weapon. Forgoing finesse, I made him a long-handled flanged mace, the head many kilograms of hard steel. Anything Grulgor hit with that would be leaving nothing but a mist of blood and ether behind, that was for sure.


    ¡°Grul likes this. Grul will use it to smash and crush and kill!¡± he gurgled, picking it up and swinging it around. Yeah, I pity his foes, no question about that.


    ¡°Cool, glad you approve.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll run maintenance on it from time to time, but try not to break it. I¡¯ll also make these...¡± I quickly turned a portion of the steel into large balls that could be thrown by him and the trolls. Portable troll artillery...


    Grulgor grabbed a handful of the ammunition and was off, eager to whet his new equipment in the blood of our foes, so I turned to our most important task. I first ran maintenance on the pinwheels, repairing the slight damage to the wires that functioned as the weapon. Once that was done I crafted a harness for Shaeula out of lightweight materials, making sure to make it pretty. It had three open slots on the back, and those I filled with new and improved bluesteel batteries, having a greater capacity than mine. I made myself a similar harness, though more rough and ready, and also recycled my batteries, ending up with three new ones myself.


    By the time I was done many hours had passed indeed, so it was probably morning over in the Material. I hope Karen-chan isn¡¯t too hungover and made it to the shrine... I¡¯ll check later.


    ¡°All right then, this is a scouting mission, to find the enemy Territory. Shall we go?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, leaving the defence to the kami and her Kamaitachi. We headed out, moving rapidly with our high stats, and were soon out of my Territory, heading in the direction we suspected most of the attacks were coming from. As me moved north towards the distant Setagaya ward, we discovered a lack of any sort of life. There were a few scattered enemies, and we could sense presences in buildings, but... Shouldn¡¯t there be other Territories? If there are ... how did Exposition-san put it, several thousands in this country alone... call it three thousand then, though it may be a few more or less, then that¡¯s about nine hundred in Tokyo. Shouldn¡¯t there be some around here? Although I suppose Tokyo is pretty massive...


    Picking up my thoughts, Shaeula agreed. ¡°This area has been scavenged dry, master. Perhaps there were other Territories, but they have been plundered, only a few remaining. I fear our numbers are woefully few, compared to our enemy, so while we can hold-hold our own in battle, we can not-not expand rapidly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s like we are playing Warcraft 3 with just a bunch of high-level hero units. Sure, we can spam ultimate skills and wreck mobs of normal troops, but we can be outmanoeuvred and can¡¯t be everywhere at once.¡± I made the simile, and she looked puzzled.


    Looking at the dropped armour and weaponry there were only a few pieces, the gear of our foes definitely suffering. There was of course one... downside... to that, in that the orcs¡¯ lower bodies were only covered by cloth. It was enough to make me wince, so it must have been far worse for Shaeula. They need to die for soiling her eyes, if nothing else.


    ¡°Think that we were spotted by any ghosts?¡± I asked, and Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°I did not-not see any nearby. I believe we simply intercepted a force on route to a staging point near our Territory. This should have relieved the pressure on our kin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but just how long can the candidate running this keep up the pointless losses? I mean, I¡¯m grateful for the ether and xp, but if it was me, I¡¯d have got frustrated and come up with another plan by now. They must be really hands-off.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We should make haste and use our advantage before our foe-foe becomes desperate.¡±


    Pushing forwards towards a pocket of high-rise hotels and shops that catered to tourists from poorer counties that had quite the chequered reputation with Tokyo residents, being well known as a hotbed of crime and ... adult activities, we spotted another pack of a dozen orcs coming our way. I barely had time to react before Shaeula sent out her wind-weasels, blasting through them, bodies tumbling, torn apart, to burst into glimmering silver rain.


    Yeah, she really, REALLY hates these orcs...


    Pressing onwards we collected out bounty, and then a pair of the giant beetles were next, lumbering down the highway to our left. They were a bit away from us, but we could handle them easily, with Shaeula¡¯s ability...


    ********


    ¡°Look out!¡± I said, slamming Shaeula to the ground, shielding her with my body. It had been pure chance I caught sight of the bolt of aetheric light flying our way, and without thinking I knocked her aside instinctively. The bolt shot through where she was standing moments ago, impacting the ground with the noise of a car crash, blowing a crater in the pavement, showering us with debris, the shockwave buffeting our hair and clothes.


    Sniper Emplacement? Stronger than mine, for certain. Maybe Rank 2 or more?


    Helping Shaeula to her feet, we darted for cover. No more bolts came, but we couldn¡¯t be careless. We crept closer from another direction, darting around the back of various shops and offices to keep us out of line-of-sight. After some careful minutes of this, we ran into a defensive barrier, the force stopping us in our tracks. As the message scrolled silver across my vision warning me, and the slow trickling drain on my aether reserves started, more bolts of energy came darting at us. These were slower, but still hard to dodge, sending cracks through stone and iron of the buildings around us.


    ¡°Back into cover!¡± I ordered, and we retreated, the bolts of bright aether chasing us away.


    ¡°So, looks like we found it.¡± I said, eyeing the near-invisible barrier that was keeping us out. ¡°And unlike ours, this Territory isn¡¯t upgrading. And unlike Vegas, this person didn¡¯t neglect their defences. This is going to be a problem...¡±


    ¡°They can not-not protect everywhere, can they?¡± Shaeula suggested. ¡°We should explore the extent of this Territory and find areas where their defences fail them. That can then be our-our ingress.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We might have to watch for the Sniper, but that¡¯s our best bet. All right, keep your eyes open and if we see any opportunities to cause damage we¡¯ll take it...¡±

 Side Twenty-Eight – Mori Eri

    Side Twenty-Eight ¨C Mori Eri


    I tried to stay strong as everyone had gathered around me as soon as homeroom ended. Aiko was there beside me, looking pretty mad, but before she could start shouting at our classmates I raised one hand. Of course, it was the one with my engagement ring on. My second ring anyway. The plain band with delicate engraving was nice, and I loved it because Akio bought it for me, but it wasn¡¯t the one I truly loved, no, that one was safe at home. I will put it back on tonight, after school.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°All right, I can tell you want to ask me, so I don¡¯t mind. Just... don¡¯t all crowd me and talk at once, okay? You may not know it, but I¡¯m pretty bad with crowds, right?¡± I managed a slight smile, despite the knots in my stomach. I can handle this. Compared to fighting massive scorpions, this is nothing. I do wish Akio was here with me now though, or even Shaeula.


    ¡°Little Ri-Ri made a joke! The world is coming to an end!¡± Yae-san said, surprised. That reminded me, Aiko had brought their souvenirs, not that I felt they deserved any. Still, Akio always was kind, and since they spent some time with him, he¡¯d grown attached to them a little. Annoying, but they aren¡¯t a problem really. After all, I¡¯m engaged to Akio, and they are nothing.


    ¡°I do have a sense of humour.¡± I muttered. ¡°I just don¡¯t waste it on people that don¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Yae-san reeled back, while Rika-san was laughing heartily. One of the guys in class... Was his name Tomo-san... Err Todo-san...? Never mind, I don¡¯t need to know his name anyway... said ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a sick burn, Mori-chan. So, anyway, we are all dying to know.¡±


    My face twitched as he called me Mori-chan. So annoyingly familiar. Aiko was right when she said most men are cockroaches. If only we had some pest control in here...


    ¡°Hey guys, guys. Come on, let the girl speak. And you, Tomoya-kun, back up, you are invading her space.¡± Aiko said fiercely, windmilling her arms to shoo them off.


    Oh, Tomoya-san... I was close, I guess?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to know, but yes, Akio did buy me this ring, and yes, it is an engagement ring. So sorry, none of you boys have any business with me anymore. I¡¯m taken.¡±


    ¡°Not that you had any before anyway. Everyone knew it would come to this.¡± Yae-san said, twirling her blonde hair idly with one finger as she looked pensive.


    ¡°Yeah, no question about it. big bro and Eri are a fated couple.¡± Aiko nodded.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t stop you trying your luck, did it?¡± I complained to Yae-san, who titled her head and giggled, trying to look contrite.


    Around me the girls in class were smiling or looking at me in shock. The pervert was wilting under my gaze, but seeing support from his partner-in-crime, he swallowed and spoke cruelly. ¡°All right then. You did it with Oshiro-san, didn¡¯t you, Mori-chan? You had sex with him. I hear you might even be pregnant! That¡¯s filthy, and totally against school rules!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Aiko began to move towards him, ready to start a fight, but I stopped her with a gesture. If I back down here, then I¡¯ll never change. I¡¯m a woman now, not a girl. Besides, hearing Akio¡¯s name come from his fat mouth makes me ill.


    ¡°See this, you dumb idiot? It¡¯s. An. Engagement. Ring. Stupid.¡± I punctuated every word with withering contempt, using it to prop up my small reserves of courage. ¡°How can it be wrong for someone engaged to sleep with their partner? With parental consent it¡¯s totally within the rules. My only regret is I can¡¯t wear my real engagement ring at school, I miss looking at it, having to make do with this plain one. And if I¡¯m pregnant, so what? I¡¯m engaged, get it? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing anything immoral. I wasn¡¯t ever going to go to University anyway, so why worry about it? As soon as school is finished I¡¯m moving to Tokyo, to be with Akio, and then we¡¯ll be married. And lastly, why should I care what you think? I can¡¯t even remember your name, and looking at you turns my stomach.¡±


    Finishing my pointed rant I was breathless and dizzy, but it sure did feel good. I think I¡¯ve grown up a bit. I think some of Shaeula and Aiko is rubbing off on me.


    For a moment everyone was in silence, before laughing and cheers broke out, the girls clapping. As they praised me, the two perverts slinked back to their seats, mortified and humiliated, while the other boys were looking at me differently, not with the usual dark gazes of lust that I so hated, but perhaps... maybe even some respect?


    ¡°Shit, Mori-san, that was one hell of a smackdown there.¡± One of the other boys said. His name escaped me, if I even knew it, but I smiled politely and nodded. ¡°It was pretty cool. I guess it changes a girl, getting... well, you know.¡± He blushed, and I thought it a little endearing, surprising myself.


    ¡°It does. It was a magical experience.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a damp sigh, face flushing. ¡°But only if you love the other person, so don¡¯t all be experimenting, okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, who would have thought little Ri-Ri would be lecturing us about sex?¡± Rika-san giggled, her new earrings shining on her ears, throwing off sparkles of green. ¡°Still, you look super cute right now, even more than usual. Makes me jealous. What about you Ai-chan?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m happy for my best friend and bro of course. Only downside was I was in the suite when it happened. And just listening to it scarred me for life. I might be ruined.¡±


    ¡°Aiko! You can¡¯t say that!¡± Now I was flushing from embarrassment again, not arousal.


    ¡°Get a load of these pictures.¡± Aiko was saying, and everyone crowded around. ¡°Although the ones of us in swimsuits are for my bro¡¯s eyes only alas. Still Vegas was something else...¡±


    I somehow ended up swept along into the group, looking at pictures and talking until the teacher for our next class came in. Afterwards, I still felt uncomfortable, but it was... well, better. I had talked to a lot of people I wasn¡¯t comfortable with, got angry with a boy, and more...


    I can change. Aiko too. As the teacher started the lesson, which luckily was English, I let my mind drift, not needing to pay attention. My ring glittered in the sun, just like my future was glittering now. Closing my eyes, I began to practice pulling in ether and raising aether. That was a goal I could work towards, something tangible as proof of my growth...

 Side Twenty-Nine – Izumi Kana

    Side Twenty-Nine ¨C Izumi Kana


    Kana looked at the empty chair a few spaces in front of her and held in a sigh. Still not back huh? I guess her dad is still...


    Seeing her pensive gaze, her friend on the desk next to her, Asami-chan, spoke up. ¡°Yeah, Kikuchi-san still isn¡¯t back. Her father is still in that coma, ever since early summer break. Must be hard for her, since she doesn¡¯t have a mother.¡±


    I can¡¯t say I ever liked Kikuchi-san much, despite her being from a true shrine, and it has nothing to do with that stupid faction crap my family cares so much about. She was always so... ugh... Kikuchi-san was one of those girls who was quiet and always had that annoying ¡®I¡¯m so troubled¡¯ expression on her face. Really, she was the worst. Still... yeah, she doesn¡¯t deserve that...


    ¡°It must be hard. I think her brother has come back from University to look after her and her shrine. You remember when he came to our school festival last year? He was .... unique, right?¡±


    As Asami-chan giggled softly, I couldn¡¯t help but agree. He was rocking the tortured artist look, all black clothes and hair done like a fool... he was really keen on chatting up younger girls too. Though I¡¯ll give him credit, when I told him to get lost, he did... I always appreciated it when guys realised I was out of their league.


    ¡°He sure was. Still, they must be struggling to make ends meet. Having her dad in a coma for so long, the hospital bills are surely eating up what little money they had...¡± I could feel their pain, as the shrine of the Jade Sentinel Beetle kami, Hisuikomushi, was even poorer than my own shrine. If such is even possible. They don¡¯t even have our excess land, and the location...


    Hisuikomushi shrine was in a rough area, catering to poor foreign tourists and, to put it bluntly, the adult trade. Some uncharitable rumours had gone around saying that Kikuchi-san¡¯s mother might not be dead, but was ... a lady of a certain profession, so was too ashamed to come home. Not that I had any part of such rumours. I hate such things.


    Still, since this was a shrine-affiliated school, stupid though that was, the few girls from true lineages came together to quash such rumours. There were a dozen or so girls in the upper and lower years, and one of them led the student council, so... Shrine-affiliated schools, what a joke. All it means is that there are a few extra-curricular clubs, and some of the teachers had an awareness of our cultural significance. I¡¯m not getting involved in any of that. My dream is to get out and get rich, and if I can bag a handsome husband along the way, so much the better...


    I was about to say something when the glare from our homeroom teacher cut me short. It was time for class to start... I wish I was born to a noble family. Unlike our crappy makeshift schools, where ninety percent of the students are just ordinary, if I was a noble, I could go to their school for girls, where all the beautiful and rich people go. I¡¯d even have attendants and bodyguards. Still, it can¡¯t be all sunshine and rainbows... I could dream, but I liked to think I was a realist. Those girls probably had problems too... paying attention to the teacher I held down a sigh. If only my parents sold the shrine. Akio-kun has the money, and he wants the land... Idly twirling my hair with one hand while I took notes with my other, I tried to put the thought out of my mind...


    ********


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been dying to ask, but... what¡¯s with the hairclip? It¡¯s new right?¡± Mio-chan, my other best friend asked and beside her Asami-san nodded. As I took out my bento box, seeing that inside was some of my mom¡¯s homecooked food, I tried to hold back a smile and failed.


    ¡°It looks really expensive. Did a man give that to you? You don¡¯t normally accept gifts.¡± Mio-chan continued.


    ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t hot guys with money and good taste get me presents?¡± I said proudly.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s his sister. He was working, he¡¯s a graduate, but he still found time to take his sister along. Look at the suite they are staying in...¡± I found some more pictures where Shaeula and the other girl... Mori-san, was it...? ... weren¡¯t in shot, such as various panoramic views, as well as some other photos of the drop-dead gorgeous suite.


    Everyone was very impressed, and it further added to my reputation that a guy of looks and taste was giving me gifts. I didn¡¯t think he was particularly into me or anything, especially since it seemed in the photographs there was something going on between him and that Mori girl, but he still checked me out when I made sure to give him a glimpse of cleavage or legs, just like every guy, and he seemed to get a kick out of me calling him big bro... I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get such a wonderful gift for my efforts, but it¡¯s probably the heavens compensating me for the crap I have to go through every day.


    ¡°Oh look, she¡¯s grinning.¡± Mio-chan laughed. ¡°She¡¯s definitely thinking about him!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, friends shouldn¡¯t bully each other.¡± I said, tossing my head adorably, bringing out more merriment from those around. The rest of lunch was spent talking playfully about romance and what foreign trips we would like, and I basked in the respect of my classmates, not that any of them were of any use other than Mio-chan and Asami-chan...


    ********


    The school bell rang for the final time, signifying the end of classes. Hiding a yawn behind my hand I started packing away all my books and stationary. Mio-chan and Asami-chan came over, asking if I was free to hit a cafe?.


    ¡°After all, we don¡¯t have a hot, rich guy after us, do we? We need to put ourselves out there.¡± Asami-san said slyly.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯ll pass on that.¡± Mio-chan shuddered theatrically. ¡°Boys that hit on girls when they are out and about suck.¡±


    Well, the shrine will be full of construction and noise right now, so... yeah, why not. My father and grandfather might complain, but it isn¡¯t exactly like I¡¯m useful back at the shrine, the training hasn¡¯t started yet, and if they need shrine maidens, Keomi-chan and the sisters can handle it...


    ¡°Sure, why not. I could use a break. Besides, it¡¯d be a sin not to show off such a cute accessory, right?¡± I smiled winsomely, and I could hear a sigh coming from a girl at the desk behind me. Yeah, I know I¡¯m hot, but I¡¯m not into other girls, tough luck.


    ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯d just love to hear more about your new ¡®big bro¡¯!¡± Asami-san teased gently.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll spill, promise, but you¡¯re buying the parfait!¡±


    Yeah, I don¡¯t know what training plan Shaeula and Akio-kun are planning, but hopefully it won¡¯t eat up all my free time. I should make the most of things for now, just in case...

 Side Thirty – The Widow Of Nails

    Side Thirty ¨C The Widow Of Nails


    ¡°This is unacceptable!¡± Kondou-dono snarled, face white with anger. He swept his arm out, striking his porcelain mug off the table to shatter on the floor, the hot tea within splashing over Kiku and seeping into her threadbare kimono, burning the flesh beneath.


    As she bowed, trying to assuage his anger, she thought that it was a bitter irony that most of the feelings she could once more experience were painful ones. Pain is all Kondou-dono can gift us with...Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you do anything right, you useless bitch?¡± he was ranting, his fist striking the table and denting it in, the expensive wood splintering. ¡°The amount of resources we are wasting on this war, only to lose again and again...¡± he kicked out, and the table struck her as she was bowing low, near-kneeling on the floor. ¡°... now the rats are at my own borders.¡±


    Feeling sluggish black blood tricking from her mouth, she touched the floor with her forehead, hoping to calm him and escape his retribution. ¡°I understand, Kondou-dono. However, without leadership, the ... these orcs...¡± Filthy beasts, even mindless they disgust me. Oh, my lot in life as a woman is to suffer... ¡°... they cannot compete with the enemy. They have some powerful warriors, perhaps even another one such as yourself, my master. If only you would take the field yourself, then...¡±


    His eyes were as hard as her nails, and she realised she had made a mistake. Suddenly pain was roaring through her, her mind reeling, thoughts scattering away like spiders into the darkness when a lamp was lit. She gagged, a mixture of bile and blood rising. ¡°Master... Kondou-dono... please...¡± she reached out a pale hand towards his boot, only for him to stamp on her, and she felt bones grind under his tender care...


    ¡°You do not order me, woman. You belong to me, you obey me!¡± he snarled, crushing her underfoot, while pain boiled through her. ¡°I am the only god you shall need, the only master you¡¯ll serve. And I¡¯ll go into battle when I am damn well ready, and not before.¡±


    His rage exhausting itself, he looked down on Kiku as she thrashed around. Gradually the pain started diminishing, leaving her limp and trembling.


    ¡°If our forces need direction, you can command them in person.¡± She spat. ¡°After all, your minions are proving a disappointment. How can ghosts who can hardly be hurt be so... so... pathetic? If you need further strength, we could always use those two that we bound... that would bolster our offensive power.¡±


    For someone with such a gift of pain, you are quite the coward, Kondou-dono. My husband was no coward, though he was quite the savage. She was rubbing her golden band, her thoughts foggy. He is eager to bully the weak, but if he was to come up against a rival who could match him... gritting her teeth, tasting bitter metal, she proffered a warning... ¡°I understand, master, I do. But if we were to lose the bound ones, our strength would be much diminished and...¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Pain knifed through her again, though mercifully brief. ¡°Still, we can¡¯t have intruders running around my domain. They probably cannot breach our defences, but should they do so... no, you handle it. I will not allow any excuses or failures.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Kondou-dono.¡± Kiku gasped. ¡°I shall attend to it at my own discretion...¡± If he does not allow that, then I shall be forced to use my...


    ¡°See that you do. I want those rats dead, and their domain under my control. Our other avenues of growth have been choked off by this wastefulness.¡± He cut her off, and she hid an expression of relief, her hand still fondling her ring.


    ¡°I shall make sure of their defeat.¡± Kiku promised.


    ¡°Good. But before you go, clean up the back room. You can use her, if you want.¡±


    Not enough, not nearly enough. Some of her projectiles were deflected by the gale, but more passed straight through, aimed at her face and body, like knives seeking her life. Soon you shall be one of my daughters, and all the pain you will have to face shall never come to you...


    ¡°Look out!¡± The man shouted, leaping in front of her, spinning his spear. Nails clattered against the blade, scoring it, and several hit him, the sound of breaking metal ringing out.


    ¡°Master, are you unharmed?¡± the girl cried, and he nodded. ¡°Yeah, my armour held as I reinforced it with aether at the last second. Bloody hurt though, like wearing a bulletproof vest and getting shot.¡±


    Kiku gaped in surprise. The man would take a hit for his woman, his servant? Her metal teeth gnashed as she started biting on her fingers, teeth digging into her ring. This was not right. No, this is not right at all. Orcs were falling, most of them diced apart by wind and some strange whirling contraptions of wire and blades the girl was wielding. One staggered back towards her, both arms missing, falling in front of her. She looked down, and then a nail appeared, thrusting into its skull.


    Useless, useless, useless.


    Out of the corner of her eye she saw a prismatic light, then a vicious bolt of energy flew from the heart of Kondou-dono¡¯s demesne. They dodged, and the bolt carried on, to explode violently behind them. She clicked her teeth, enraged. If her master had entrusted her with the ability to command his defences she would be able to oppress the intruders, but he was too controlling, too dismissive of women. I only oversee the transfer of resources from the lands of the nailed ones I have enslaved. I do not want to bring them to the battle, but if I cannot win here without them...


    Her thoughts were interrupted as the barrier shuddered, shrinking inwards under a great blast of wind. The positioning of the defences had left large gaps, only the strongest one able to range over the entire Territory.


    Howling, she called upon her gifts and metal nails, each as long and thick as a spear, tore free from the ground under her foes. Somehow they managed to avoid it, and in return came great gouts of yellow fire, causing her to flinch back, afraid. That could hurt me... I remember when my husband held the flame to my... ugh, no, not now, not again... her metal teeth bit to her fingerbone, the cool of gold in her mouth driving away the fog. There was nothing to fear now, anyway. I am no longer that meek woman...


    The flame had burst against the barrier, weakening it still further, but unable to break it down. As droplets of molten energy rained to the ground she cast out more nails like bullets, and called forth more spikes from the ground and surrounding buildings.


    ¡°She is most powerful indeed-indeed.¡± The girl complained, her metal wires shimmering with energies as they sheared through the spikes that burst at her. ¡°She could grace the dark court of the Unseelie, she resembles the banshee my sister told me tales of as a child to scare-scare me, though she feels even fouler than that-that.¡±


    Me? Foul? Insolent child, you shall have long to repent spurning my embrace... Kiku hurled handfuls of nails one after another, demolishing the surrounding terrain. Bright flame and wind exploded, a mushroom-cloud of force and debris rippling out, shivering the barrier once more. When it died down the intruders were gone, leaving behind a battlefield studded with spikes.


    ¡°So, they fled... but I did not kill them. I cannot return yet, not since Kondou-dono gave his foolish command.¡± The beasts were useless. The beetles... there were reserves that could be tapped, though they were to be used for future expansion, as they were harder to replace...


    Perhaps I will have to use... that... after all... but the risk... It was powerful, to be sure, but if it was to fall, their power would be diminished. No, not our power, his power. The other alternative was chasing them outside the barrier and hunting them down, but that... remembering the fire she quivered, nails scratching her ring.


    No, not yet. the pair will have to return soon, lest we attack them once more. And when they do... this time they shall not escape...

 One Hundred And Twenty-Seven

    One Hundred And Twenty-Seven


    As the explosion of verdant energies died away, the air swirling around us, volleys of metal darts began flying at us again, forcing us to take cover. As we retreated I had a sudden bad feeling, so grabbing Shaeula I leapt, and the ground erupted into sharp cones of bloody metal, the steel thorns chasing us into the sky. My own energies replied, and as threads of razor sharp wind slashed through the attacking spines, severing them, we landed safely on top of a nearby one-story building.


    ¡°She¡¯s back again.¡± I muttered, putting Shaeula down. As she tugged at her yukata, straightening it carefully and adjusting her sash, she nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, she is quite the tenacious female. I can not-not say I approve.¡± Shaeula retaliated with some blades of wind, but the enemy defensive barrier easily shrugged them off once more.


    ¡°Yeah, having ranged attackers within the barrier is cheating. Still...¡± we had spent hours racing around the boundary encompassed by the defences of my rival candidate, and had established quite a lot of useful information. Dropping down behind the building we scampered away to a patch of bare earth, in which I began drawing a crude map with my spear.


    ¡°The area the enemy controls is roughly circular, though there are some jutting parts sticking out. It seems to be an area of a bit under eight hundred metres in radius, so nearly the full extent of a Rank 2 Territory. The barrier feels about as solid as ours was, or the one in Vegas.¡±


    I had no way of being sure that every Territory followed the same rules, though there seemed to be a lot of similarities. This definitely felt like a Rank 2 one for sure...


    Up overhead a ghostly woman was drifting, keeping an eye on us, and Shaeula clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°I believe I can snipe her-her.¡± Shaeula told me, not for the first time. ¡°If I wrap my flames in wind and launch it, I believe it would reach.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. You are really starting to grasp the fire and air combination attacks. Still, I don¡¯t think we should tip our hand just to eliminate a few scouts. That would just waste our advantage. No, when the time is right, then we¡¯ll blind them and make our move.¡± In the same way, I had rejected the idea to use the combo attack we had done to breach the barrier in Las Vegas. Foehn, boosted by her wind and the pink jade bells, was certainly a powerful attack, and as it could cling to anything, even intangible barriers, it was able to deal damage over time in addition to the first strike, so it chewed through defences extremely well. But if we do that, then they might come up with a way to counter it, and breaking the barrier now is premature. No, best to finish our scouting. Besides... the wraith woman who was constantly trying to impale us on dirty metal spikes was a real threat. I felt Grulgor-level power from her, so if I was going to use Foehn, the Inextinguishable Blaze might best be served sending her to her rest, down in Yomi-no-kuni.


    ¡°I understand, I do.¡± Shaeula was pouting. ¡°But I dislike being so oppressed by her-her. My pride demands we strike back.¡±


    ¡°And we will. But not right now.¡± I continued to draw, mapping out a picture of the area based on what we had covered. It was like a pie chart, we¡¯d explored around seventy percent of the circumference of the barrier. Sketching on some marks to symbolise Defensive Emplacements, I drew out arcs of fire from what we had experienced. ¡°There is at least one, maybe two at most, of the Sniper type. They can fire over pretty much the whole area so far. We¡¯ve had a few close calls. In addition, there are others, shorter-ranged less powerful ones. The numbers are unknown, but their firing arcs are here and... here.¡± With cones dug in the dirt, we could see the best approaches. There were whole stretches of blind spots in the lesser defences, but what was interesting was...


    ¡°As we approached the northern end, we were forced to retreat-retreat.¡± Shaeula observed, using wind to draw her own jagged line on my map, demarcating the border where incoming fire was fiercest. ¡°The spectral female became angry when we moved this way too.¡±


    At that point orcs had flooded out as well to drive us off, and we had slaughtered many during our retreat. I had even gained a level-up out of it, which left me in a good mood. Still... she may be strong, but she¡¯s no tactician.


    ¡°Yes, I agree with you indeed, my master.¡± Shaeula nodded, once more having guessed my thoughts. Is it me, or is that happening more lately? She definitely seems to get me...


    ¡°She is a failure as a strategist.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°My brothers would never have made such a blunder. She is screaming to all who would listen that-that there is something that must be protected to the north.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we need to know what it is.¡± I agreed. ¡°We need to finish mapping their defences too, then we can return to Shirohebizumi shrine and plan our true offensive. She¡¯s strong, all right, but if the boss doesn¡¯t show themselves, I think we can win.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then we can call upon that brute Grulgor and his trolls-trolls. With their aid we should be able to destroy the barrier and rampage within.¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the plan.¡± I patted her head cheerfully, keeping half an eye on the scouts above. ¡°Anyway, shall we go?¡±


    Orcs were mounting the buildings around us, crossbows releasing a rain of sharp quarrels down at us, and I was struck by several, my armour holding. Whips and blades of wind were falling around us, and even the Territory defences were joining in, bolts of light narrowly missing us.


    ¡°A perfectly executed ambush. She¡¯s a better tactician than we gave her credit for...¡± I muttered, as we ran deeper into unknown lands, desperate to escape...


    ********


    Putting Shaeula down gently, I then collapsed to my knees, spent. I had finally managed to shake our pursuers, though some of that was by luring them into areas where other beings held control. Yeah, seeing a dozen orcs simply ... consumed... by some massive toothy octopus-type thing was not high on my wish list to experience...


    She was looking flushed, and her leg was slick with blood. ¡°Does it hurt? Sorry, let me take a look.¡± I reached over and pulled up her yukata, getting a yelp in response.


    ¡°No time for modesty, you¡¯re hurt.¡± I chided, gently feeling around the wound. Luckily the nail had missed bone, going straight through her flesh, but it was ugly, skin and muscle caved in and clotted with blood. How the tables have turned. It reminds me a little of Inuyama...


    Ripping the sleeves off my shirt, I used them to wipe away the filth, before shredding the rest of my upper clothing to make bandages. I worked as gently as I could, but even so, she was still in pain, flinching at my touch. I used Ether Healing to trickle in energy, accelerating the recovery of her wound, and while I felt resistance doing this, the make-up of her body strange, the angry inflammation around the edges of the hole diminished, and she started breathing easier.


    ¡°My thanks, Akio. I was-was careless. That female, I shall make her pay in kind for this insult.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t expect her to have a hidden army. Those beetles are dangerous. Individually they aren¡¯t a patch on your Kamaitachi, but in a big group... yeah, any assault we make is going to have to consist of our elites only. Otherwise we¡¯ll just be getting them killed for no gain.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡± Shaeula forced a grin, despite the still lingering pain she felt. ¡°... we have achieved our objective, have we not-not?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That we did. There are a few blanks in the map of their defences we are missing, but in general we have avenues to attack, as well as discovering one of their weaknesses. The shrine. If we can take that...¡±


    ¡°... then they will likely lose the siege beetles and those hideous beetle-men.¡± She finished for me.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± I patted her head gently. ¡°All right then, get on.¡± I patted my back, and she looked at me, confused.


    ¡°You can¡¯t walk back, can you? So it¡¯s a piggyback ride all the way to our Territory. Come on, don¡¯t be shy.¡±


    She looked away for a moment, before nodding and holding out her arms. I let loose a chuckle, before picking her up and setting her on my back. As she snaked her arms around me, I could feel her blonde hair tickling me, her breath hot on my face. I still don¡¯t know why we breathe here. One day I¡¯d like to find out if we even need to, but I guess old habits die hard, maybe?


    ¡°Master, are we going?¡± she asked, and I realised I had been lost in thought over stupid things again.


    ¡°We sure are, so hold on tight.¡± My own hands were under her thighs, and I realised it was rather immodest, but... What can I do? It¡¯s my fault she got injured, I should have protected her better...


    ¡°All right then, off we go!¡±

 One Hundred And Twenty-Eight

    One Hundred And Twenty-Eight


    After seeing Shaeula safely back to our Territory via a very circuitous route, I left her in the care of her weaselkin and returned to the Material plane. My body was stiff and aching from my long slumber, and looking at the clock beside my bed it was after six in the evening. That reminds me...


    I reached for my phone, opening it up, to find quite a few messages from Karen-chan. The general gist of them was asking where the hell I was, but that she had made it up to Shirohebizumi shrine and taken charge of the work, as I had requested. Well, that¡¯s one problem solved at least...


    Now I had something more important to focus on. Going over to where Shaeula¡¯s Material form was lying motionless in her futon, I pulled up the blanket, suddenly letting out a hiss of displeasure at the scene revealed. The cloth below was soaked with blood. Pulling up the hem of her yukata I could see a mirror to the wound she suffered in the Boundary, her flesh torn.


    Sure, it isn¡¯t as bad, but it¡¯s still ugly... the flesh was ripped and ragged, covered in scabbed blood and half-healed flesh where my Ether Healing had trickled down to her. Getting some water I gently washed away the muck, tenderly cleaning the injury. Once her pale flesh was revealed, I started using my ability again, aether seeping into her body, the hot red swelling of torn flesh diminishing, the edges starting to heal, nearly imperceptibly, but still visible to the naked eye.


    I continued this for several hours, and while I was doing this I also spent the time productively. I did a bit of online gambling for the first time in a while, making a decent profit, and then I made a call to Eri, surprising her. Got to prove I¡¯m a changed man, after all.


    She was shocked and delighted to hear from me, and we made some happy small-talk for a while. I was pleased to hear she was making more of an effort to fit in with others at school, and she grilled me over how things were going here. When I told her Shaeula was injured she actually got angry at me, saying I should have protected her better, and since I couldn¡¯t disagree, I apologised. She made me promise to take Shaeula out somewhere nice when our troubles were concluded again. We finished the call by looking forward to the weekend, when I would be meeting her again, along with our parents. To discuss... well, the upcoming wedding, I guessed. Well, that¡¯s my future decided, oh well...


    I had pretty much exhausted my aether, as working in the Material was tough, but the leg wound definitely looked less angry, the edges healing nicely, new pink flesh forming. What was even better though was the reward my efforts had gained.


    Your Skill, Ether Healing has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You can more effectively heal your own injuries and those of others, repairing damage to subtle bodies. Your subtle bodies will draw in an increased rate of ether from their surroundings and automatically repair themselves. You also have a minor resistance to harmful substances and foreign matter.


    When comparing the difference between Shaeula¡¯s Boundary and Material forms, I had gained a greater understanding of the intricacies of each, and when also compared to healing myself, I had suddenly found it significantly easier. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I had another breakthrough soon too, I¡¯m just missing that last spark of insight to push me further...


    As I contemplated this my phone lit up again, with another message from Karen-chan. This time I replied, and a few moments later there was a response, asking if I was up for a drink. Smiling to myself, glad she was better, I took a six-pack from the fridge and headed over. Can¡¯t have her coming here. Explaining the seemingly dead Shaeula, with a bloody wound in her leg... nah, can¡¯t do it, she¡¯ll call the police for sure...


    Karen-chan opened the door, dressed in casual clothes, but at least this time she looked clean and well groomed. If still a little pale. Guess she was pretty hungover after last night. On seeing me she raised one eyebrow quizzically, before gesturing for me to come in.


    ¡°The place is a lot cleaner than last night.¡± She snorted, taking a seat at her low table. ¡°I appreciate you picking up after me. I¡¯m not sure your fiance?e would approve of you tidying another woman¡¯s underwear though.¡± She teased.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe not, but it was an emergency. So, anyway... how was it?¡±


    She took one of the cold beers from me, cracked the ring pull and took a deep sip, sighing contentedly. Once she gathered her thoughts she spoke. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad, though I was hungover like you wouldn¡¯t believe... err, not that I should be telling my boss that, right?¡±


    Behind me I could hear the snickering of weasels, and I turned to see... two Kamaitachi once more.


    ¡°Yes-yes, I have been reborn, thanks to my princess... and you.¡± The newcomer snorted, face twisted into a grin of mixed bitterness and respect.


    I recognise this one. The one that I killed attacking my Territory. He nearly had me, back when I was just starting out...


    ¡°It is quite-quite the strange feeling.¡± The Kamaitachi continued. ¡°Though as my soul slept I saw flashes of what the princess felt... until recently, when I could feel-feel you too.¡± He shuddered theatrically.


    ¡°Do not be rude-rude to Akio.¡± Shaeula pouted, causing the kamaitachi to snicker once more.


    ¡°I would not dream-dream of insulting the chosen husband of the princess.¡± It gloated, causing her to flush, shame-faced. ¡°Though your mother will likely have much-much to say.¡±


    ¡°If she wishes to complain, she can come here-here and say it in person.¡± Shaeula replied, tossing her head in annoyance. ¡°Still, it is good that you have returned. Now only two-two more remain.¡±


    Yeah, the one that came back before and was killed again in the battle with the Raven Knight, and one other. Each Kamaitachi was a very valuable asset in combat, and more importantly, leadership, as I could trust them to follow orders and manage the trolls as much as possible.


    ¡°Right, well, now that we are prepared, we have to decide our next move. That spectre is powerful, and the Territory still has solid defences. The way I see it, we have two options. Firstly we can make a hard strike either now, or after they fail their next attack on us. We smash down the defensive barrier, and then pile in, doing as much damage as we can and hopefully taking down the Anchor, defeating it in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°There is risk there-there.¡± Shaeula pondered. ¡°Still, I believe we would have a chance indeed, should the master of that Territory continue to remain uninvolved.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the other option is to start harassing them from all angles, constantly hit-and-running the barrier, gradually wearing it down. If we attack seemingly at random from multiple positions, they won¡¯t be able to respond to a real attack, and after doing it a while their vigilance will have to lessen...¡±


    ¡°I favour that scheme.¡± She answered. ¡°I am not at my best still-still.¡± She looked down at her injury. ¡°And we can let that fool Grulgor and his trolls take this role at first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a bit like they did to our Territories in the past.¡± I agreed. ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll spend some more time working on healing your injuries, while we commence pulling their attention in every direction. The endgame goal is to either break through and destroy their Anchor, or if that looks too hard, we can seize the shrine they hold.¡±


    With that decided, I began to pour aether into Shaeula¡¯s wound, the Kamaitachi behind me trying to marshal the trolls... I don¡¯t envy them. Trolls sure are powerful, but are really hard to use to their full potential...

 Side Thirty-One – Zhao Daiyu – Incorruptible Jade Sect

    Side Thirty-One ¨C Zhao Daiyu ¨C Incorruptible Jade Sect


    The hall was decked out in an opulent yet terribly commonplace style, and Daiyu felt distinctly unimpressed, though she hid it well, her beautiful face an expressionless mask. Red and gold drapery was everywhere, along with flags of the Party and the Country. Gaudy statues of founding Party members and heroes were placed at strategic points, and the expensive crystal chandeliers that lit the hall were decked out in full with brightly blazing candles, and along the sides of the room were an array of tables, upon which sat opulent collections of dishes and drinks, whole roasted animals beside towers of champagne glasses and other such delights. Ready to serve, handsome waiters and beautiful waitresses were decked out in pristine uniforms, and already some of the less nervous or wary guests were talking to them, partaking of the largess.


    Of course, behind them is a different display of power, one that serves as a warning to all, should they not be blind to it. She observed the burly soldiers in their perfect uniforms standing to attention, automatic rifles by their sides. There were even a couple with handheld RPG¡¯s, which was overkill for such a task. Holding in a sneer and a sigh, Daiyu looked away, allowing herself only an imperceptible shake of her head.


    Since they know there will be Cultivators here, they are taking no chances. Still, against automatic weapons even I would stand little chance, and against so many... Qi could not stop steel, not now, anyway. Perhaps in time the old arts would be revived, and new ones learnt, but until then... no, I need to show willing, while offering as little aid as I can get away with. My Honourable Patriarch demands nothing less.


    Once more casting her gaze over the hall she realised she could see several Cultivators, though few of note. On meeting the gaze of one, a handsome young man, with short black hair and hazel eyes, who was wearing a suit that looked out of place on him, she smiled slightly. Not that I look any more comfortable in this gown.


    The man sauntered over, though his eyes were constantly darting about, taking in the positions of every possible threat. Wise. He is a true adherent of the Path of Swords. Still, he was unable to bring one today...


    ¡°Beautiful Daiyu¡¯er, what a pleasure to see you here.¡± He said, bowing to her. ¡°I had heard rumours you had been gifted by the Dao this new opportunity. Of course, I expected no less, after all, if not you, then who?¡±


    He was Wei Feng, a Peak-stage Qi Refiner from a sect that had associations with her own. To have reached such a stage at the tender age of twenty made him one of the prodigies to be watched. Though he is of course inferior to my talents. Still, it is heartening to see one I am not at odds with here...


    ¡°Likewise, Brother Wei. I trust your sword remains as sharp as ever?¡± she replied politely. ¡°I also expected that those of us who have the favour of the Heavens and the Dao would be called.¡±


    ¡°My sword is not at hand, yet it is within my heart.¡± He said piously, forming his hand into a fan shape, mimicking a blade. ¡°And it is sharper than ever. It will need to be too.¡± He remarked cautiously, seeing the crowd of people in the hall. Already there were nearly two thousand people there, ranging from nervous-looking peasants to civil servants, military men and women, and even bureaucrats.


    ¡°Yes, there is quite the attendance here. If all have been granted the blessing, then the Dao is quite profligate with its gifts.¡± She said, unable to keep the biting ill-humour from her voice. I hate it here, it has no elegance, not like the halls of my sect. Besides, I was nearing a breakthrough, so to have to spend my time on such pathetic matters...


    Before she could speak though, the door at the back opened, and a score of people filed out. Some of them were clearly very high ranking members of the Party, while others... her eyes widened involuntarily at a couple of the faces, escaping even her rigid control.


    Surely not... this is... troubling. My Honoured Patriarch must be informed, for he could not have foreseen this...


    Behind the lead figure, who was wearing the formal military dress of the Party, his uniform decked with numerous medals, were two very familiar faces to her.


    Chong Gui, master of the Unquenchable Sun, one of the Five Great Sects. Long-time rival to our own Incorruptible Jade. While it was hardly proper to hold... hatred... for a member of another Great Sect, in these trying times where their influence was low, she found it hard to deny she loathed the old swine. Even at age sixty he retained a muscular figure, but his long white beard and moustache that he thought gave him a patrician air only made him resemble the old pervert he was. Tales of his libido and... casual disregard for consent... were legendary amongst the Sects, and rumour had it he had sired over two hundred children, of which dozens had some degree of talent. Still, that was not what had made her eyes widen in shock.


    He has broken through to the Foundation realm? She could feel the Qi in him, far stronger than before. Like her Noble Father, he was stuck at the bottleneck of Peak Qi Refining, but now... He is blessed and my Honourable Patriarch is not? The Heavens are cruel... also, he was not the one that his Sect admitted to, so either they were lying, or there is another blessed within their ranks...


    Behind and beside him was Xiao Xia, another leader of a Great Sect, the Emerald Lotus. She was in her forties, but had lost none of her beauty, and the green gown she wore was scandalously cut, and very out of place here.


    Beside her, Wei Feng spoke in a whisper, trusting her ears to pick it up, his hand obscuring his face lest anyone read his lips. ¡°Two of the Five stands with the Government? That bodes ill indeed.¡±


    That it does, that it does. The situation is worse than my Noble Father thought. It might be coincidence that the Party asked for her by name, or one of the present Sect masters might have sold out their fellow Cultivators, but... there are people from all walks of life here, even peasants and farmers. Without some way of divining the blessed, this would not be possible. My Noble Father is right. I need more information and trusted allies before acting...


    Even with her might, she was unlikely to come out best in a fight against two Sect Masters. Raw power could be tamed by the crafty, and she had no wish to hunt the cicada, only to be taken unawares from behind.


    ¡°So, I think we are natural allies in this situation.¡± Wei Feng continued, and she muttered her approval near-silently.


    Going through the information that this new Department was requesting once more, Daiyu was both alarmed and impressed. They obviously have a thorough understanding of the Spirit realms, perhaps even better than my own... and worse, they know what questions to ask to expose our own understanding and assets there...


    She was drinking wine, careful to let her Qi accelerate the functions of her liver to break down the alcohol quickly. It was a waste, but she could not afford to be drunk, not now. The taste was delightful, and beside her Jang Huifen was eating, hunched over like a small mammal trying to make themselves inconspicuous in front of predators. In contrast Wei Feng was like her, drinking with seemingly no cares, though he too would be making strides to maintain his readiness.


    It was then she picked up on a weak source of Qi moving her way, only to see a young man approaching. He was wearing casual clothes, jeans and a loud shirt, but pinned to his collar was a golden badge of a stone with a tail of flame. Golden Starfall Sect. One of the Five Great Sects. But this one is weak... Early stage Qi refining, Middle stage at best...


    Seeing her gaze the young man strolled over. He was nothing special to look at, plain for a Cultivator, but Daiyu was still wary. Wei Feng had also picked up on his approach, and while he was apparently unconcerned, his free hand was ready to strike.


    ¡°Peace, I want no trouble here.¡± The man said. ¡°I simply felt the need to see the famous Black Jade that is Ever Beautiful. Where else would such an unworthy disciple such as me get an opportunity?¡±


    I dislike him already... she thought sourly. Ever Beautiful Black Jade was the moniker she had been given by the elders of her own Sect, and it had spread far and wide, causing her no end of embarrassment. I am beautiful, yes. But I wish to be known for my talents, not my looks. ¡°Well, you have seen me, disciple of the Golden Starfall. Have I satisfied you?¡±


    At her pointed tone, Jang Huifen picked up on the suddenly strained atmosphere, and she backed away a little, making herself even smaller. Seeing this, Daiyu reined in her disapproval as best she could. Drawing attention to themselves was foolish here. ¡°Well, you did not answer my question, are you now satisfied? I do not see the Master of your Sect, is he not here?¡±


    ¡°No, I fear my Noble Patriarch was not called to this gathering, much as I don¡¯t see your father here.¡± The man answered flippantly, further raising her ire. ¡°Still, yes, I am satisfied, as any man would be. One would have to be blind not to appreciate your beauty, and more importantly... your influence.¡±


    At his sudden change of track, Daiyu paused, momentarily unsure of how to proceed. Seeing this, the man¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°Well then, this humble disciple is Tang Bai. My skills are modest, yet my mind is sharp. It is a pleasure to meet you here, fellow Cultivators.¡± He nodded to Wei Feng as well. ¡°Would that we met under better circumstances. The Party is giving us no face and little honour. This sits ill with me and my Venerable Patriarch. I expect the Masters of your Sects feel the same?¡±


    Wei Feng nodded, and Daiyu was forced to agree. ¡°Of course. We are not civilians, to come when called like dogs, to answer questions on our most private talents and gifts. Still, what choice do we have?¡±


    ¡°None, since somehow this Qin Wang lei knows who is and who is not swept up in the tides of change. Therefore I feel we need as many friends and allies as we can gather. A united front.¡± His gaze also strayed to the two Sect Masters who stood as vice-ministers. ¡°I have orders from my Patriarch to find such friends in this trying time. No doubt you are carrying out some tasks of your own?¡±


    Before Daiyu could answer, there was more loud clapping, and the Shang jiang in charge started talking once more, an array of black-suited secretarial staff behind him having analysed the answers the crowd had given.


    ¡°I am most pleased at your honesty.¡± Qin Wang lei said, the two traitors behind him all smiles as well. ¡°Only through sharing a common purpose and with each citizen working as needed can we prosper, protecting ourselves from threats both home and abroad, and now even in strange, mystical lands.¡± He strode up and down the stage, hands clasped behind his back, radiating an aura of authority.


    ¡°Over the next few days orders will arrive for each of you. You will move your areas of influence in the Spirit realm to the designated locations, and concentrate on gathering resources as specified in your tailored plan. When resources are gathered they will be funnelled to your designated liaison. Some of you will have the opportunity to be liaisons yourselves, those whose loyalty and civic spirit meets the standard that the Party expects.¡±


    He then went on to discuss allocation of funds for any required relocations in the Mortal realm, as well as various other matters, but what it all boiled down to was... Curse him and his Department to Diyu... may they suffer all eighteen torments!


    ¡°I see. They plan to have the pigs eat us tigers. As my Patriarch and no doubt yours suspected.¡± Tang Bai grimaced. ¡°All the more reason we need to stick together.¡±


    ¡°I see that the Party has learned well from the ways of Cultivation.¡± Wei Feng sneered. ¡°I thought that their goal was prosperity for all, but instead they are stealing from us to give to their favoured pets.¡±


    ¡°And if we roil over and show our bellies in submission, we could be one of their lapdogs too.¡± Tang Bai concurred. ¡°Well, Golden Starfall cannot be stopped by the wishes of mortal men.¡±


    ¡°And our Jade never tarnishes, staying perfect for all eternity.¡± Daiyu made up her mind. Indeed, it is quite the malicious ploy. All our work will go to bolstering another, creating those of great influence over the Spirit realm, whilst we have to fight over the scraps remaining, like starving curs. No, this will not stand, not at all. But as of yet, we cannot oppose them. Not with the traitors, and the unseen hand who has found all of us, despite our gifts being hidden...


    Seeing her fellow Cultivators waiting for an answer, she bit down a sigh and nodded. ¡°Very well. We shall share information and work together as best we can. However, with my standing, I shall be in command. I will brook no argument on this. Someone must lead, and I am qualified. After all, if we work as with one heart, we can even move Mount Tai.¡±


    As they agreed to her proposal, only one person was looking confused. Speaking up tentatively, as if wary of being scolded, Jang Huifen raised one hand. ¡°Err, I don¡¯t mind joining up with you, you all seem nice, not that I know what¡¯s going on... but... err, what¡¯s my area of influence?¡±


    Daiyu bit down on a sigh. It will be interesting to have the perspective of an ordinary human, and those traitors will never expect us to consort with such, so it is worth doing, but still...


    ¡°We shall explain it to you. After this farce of a meeting is over, we shall pool our knowledge and resources. A successful working woman such as yourself will grasp the intricacies in no time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Well, I¡¯m grateful!¡± she bowed repeatedly, and once more Daiyu wondered what she was doing here. My Cultivation was soaring to new heights. Damn you all who interfere with my path to enlightenment... If she could find the one who discovered her blessing and gave her name to this Department, she could quite cheerfully wring their neck like killing chickens...

 One Hundred And Twenty-Nine

    One Hundred And Twenty-Nine


    ¡°It seems to be going all right.¡± I observed from my vantage point overlooking the enemy Territory. Shaeula was behind me, still favouring her injured limb, although my efforts and her natural recovery had left it in much better shape.


    ¡°Well, one thing you can rely on trolls for-for is destruction.¡± She sniffed. Down below several trolls were making use of their great vitality and the heavy armour I had gifted them with, slamming into the defensive barrier with reckless abandon. Orc corpses were diminishing to ether, where they had foolishly challenged the trolls. Bolts of aetheric light were occasionally slamming into our forces, but even the more powerful bolt of the Sniper Emplacement was not enough to bring a troll down, though the armour was starting to look ragged, punched full of metal craters.


    Damn, I¡¯m going to have to fix them all later, aren¡¯t I? A leaders¡¯ work is never done...


    Still, with several smaller groups of Trolls and Grulgor attacking other places, the defenders were stretched thin. And when enemy forces gathered to repel one attack en-masse, that was when Shaeula and I started our own assaults, blasts of wind and fire weakening the barrier. Defensive barriers were strong, but against such persistent attacks, it was already starting to collapse in places. Still... Yeah, breaking the barrier is the easy part. Once in the Territory we¡¯ll be weakened, and have to fight against that wraith on her own terms. Still, I¡¯ve kept Foehn hidden for that reason...


    Shaeula lowered her hand, spears of wind slamming down on the barrier in multiple places, shards of emerald energy pushing through and blasting the ground within. ¡°No need to overthink things Akio. We do not-not need to rush. Once the foe is exhausted and overstretched, then we should strike!¡±


    I nodded, ruffling her hair. ¡°Yeah... the only concern is if the master of the Territory comes forth, but then... beating him head-on offers several outcomes which could benefit us.¡±


    ¡°In that case-case, you should return to the Material. You have been here long, your fatigue is showing.¡±


    I was pretty tired. I had spent much effort on Ether Healing, in addition to my crafting exploits. The enemy Territory on my borders was a niggling thorn, one that I wished to excise as quickly as possible, but unless the situation changed we had reached a sort of rough stalemate, so another day to let Shaeula fully recover and get me to peak condition was probably wise. Plus I always have things to do back at the shrine...


    ¡°Good advice. You are in charge then. Now that we have a second Kamaitachi to support you, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I would be fine-fine even if I was alone, who do you think I am?¡±


    After some more banter we retreated to the shrine, following the trolls who had also withdrawn, though they headed off to attack another location. I then returned to the Material plane.


    Opening my eyes in my shabby apartment, I realised that soon I¡¯d be waking up elsewhere. Surprisingly, I found I¡¯d actually miss it a little. Checking the clock it was just after midday. My phone was also blinking at me, no doubt with missed calls or messages from Karen-chan. Getting up I stretched and ran through a quick workout to loosen my muscles, and while I was winding down my phone rang. Picking it up I was surprised to see the caller wasn¡¯t Karen-chan, but...


    ¡°Afternoon, so to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?¡± I answered, getting an indignant squawk from the other end.


    ¡°Less with the sarcasm, buster.¡± Shiro replied. ¡°You know that there are no end of guys who would love to hear my sweet voice in their ear to enliven a dry, dull afternoon. And I know you are one of them, Aki!¡±Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah, well that¡¯s only because they don¡¯t know you, right?¡± I teased her. ¡°I do, however. And while you may be beautiful, you make up for that by causing trouble. Every time we go out you end up collapsing, and Hayato-san or I end up having to look after you. So, anyway, what¡¯s up? You never answered my question.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you are just an Aki, you don¡¯t get to talk down to a princess like me! It isn¡¯t my fault I¡¯ve always been frail. Men are supposed to like protecting fragile girls, right, right! So appreciate me more!¡± She groused, causing me to smile. Shaeula and Shiro, what a pair...


    ¡°My bad. So, seriously, why are you calling? I¡¯ve got a lot on, so if it isn¡¯t important...¡±


    ¡°Whoa, everything I want is important. Besides, did you forget? You said when you got back from your trip we¡¯d all get together, the old gang. Besides, apparently Hayato has some news to share. I think you can guess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so I won¡¯t tell anyone why you can¡¯t make this weekend.¡± Shiro finished up. ¡°We might as well have two happy surprises as well as one.¡±


    Is it really a surprise when you already told me about Hayato-san and Hina-chan? Not that it matters, I guess.


    ¡°Yeah, well, the drinks¡¯ll be on me.¡± I promised, bringing a happy agreement from Shiro. ¡°Just... try not to collapse this time, okay? Hayato-san and I shouldn¡¯t be carrying pretty girls around anymore, we are taken.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, Aki has a big head. Fine... I¡¯ll be on my best behaviour, talk to you later, anyway...¡±


    With that call finished I decided to treat myself to a beer. I had to admit it felt pretty good finally having a rebuttal to her teasing. Still, Shiro was a long-term friend, so I didn¡¯t really mind it, it was all in good humour. Opening up a can with a satisfying ting, I took a swig. My phone had other messages, from Karen-chan, as I suspected, so I gave her a call as well.


    ¡°Oh, Akio-kun... err, sorry, manager...¡± Karen-chan began, but I cut her off.


    ¡°Akio-kun is fine. No need to stand on ceremony. It¡¯s just you and Shaeula working for me right now, and she¡¯s not big on formalities, so no worries. Anyway, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here at the shrine, having tea and sweets again. It¡¯s nice, but... well, I feel a bit like a wage thief. There isn¡¯t really much for me to do here, the building work seems to be going smoothly. The plumbers are replacing the toilet and making sure the bath works, as you requested, and over on the main construction site machinery and supplies are being unloaded on schedule. Still, I¡¯ve got to say I¡¯m impressed you knew about the obscure planning laws that allow shrines special privileges. Otherwise there¡¯d have been no way you¡¯d have got permission to build here, not for months or even years...¡±


    Wait, what? I didn¡¯t even think of planning laws... ¡°Yeah, things worked out perfectly.¡± I chuckled nervously, bluffing. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about it, just enjoy the downtime, you will be busy in the future to make up for it. Hey, that reminds me...¡± That¡¯s right. I might as well put her to use...


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all ears, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a shrine a bit to the north...¡± I explained about the location of the shrine that matched up with the one our enemy controlled in the Boundary. ¡°... so I¡¯d like you to find out all the information about it. Nothing is too trivial. And if you get chance, you can also scour for rumours about any strange happenings in the surrounding area.¡±


    ¡°... Well, you are the boss. It¡¯s certainly a strange request though.¡±


    ¡°I did say there¡¯d be a few of those, didn¡¯t I? But it¡¯d be helping me out, so I¡¯d appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Well, like I said, you are paying my wages. I¡¯ll get right on it. Will you be visiting Shirohebizumi today?¡±


    I thought about it before shaking my head. ¡°No, not today. I have other stuff to do. So I¡¯ll leave you to get on with things.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Akio-kun.¡± And with that she hung up.


    Looking down at my thigh, there was a patch of pale, mostly healed skin, all that remained of the wound that I had suffered in the Boundary version of Takakura Antiques. It was healing at a rapid rate, bolstered by both my Ether Healing and high stats. Though I think I can fix it fully. I don¡¯t want Eri to see my body full of scars after all.


    The only ones I would leave would be the faint ones on my abdomen that the dog had left long ago, as they were wounds of pride. Other than that... time to get to work. I¡¯m close to improving the skill again...

 Side Thirty-Two – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Thirty-Two ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Mori-chan, you¡¯re good at maths right? Can you explain this to me, I didn¡¯t really get it?¡± One girl said, coming over to Eri¡¯s desk. Beside her another girl piped up. ¡°Yeah, please help us, Mori-chan! It must be nice to be smart, share the wealth!¡±


    I was about to intercede as Eri was looking a bit flustered, but she took a long breath, calming herself down and ventured a slight smile. ¡°All right then. I guess I can help a little. I¡¯m not going anywhere until Aiko finishes her practice so I have some time.¡±


    Wow, surprising. It looked like I wouldn¡¯t have to intervene after all, and several more girls and even one of the boys from our class joined them, watching Eri as she tried to explain how to use the formulas to solve the equations they had been given.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s nice.¡± Yae-san said from beside me. Rika-san was nodding along too, looking at Eri like a proud mother seeing her daughter make friends, which was rather strange. Wow, hey, Eri is my friend, not yours!


    Before I could respond someone else interrupted me. It was Tomoya-kun, one of the guys in class. He wasn¡¯t anything special, but at least he wasn¡¯t as annoying as those two. My gaze strayed to the two empty desks at the back of the class. Since Eri had chewed them out yesterday they had been leaving the moment classes finished, which was pretty much a relief to everyone, especially the girls.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s changed completely. It¡¯s pretty incredible.¡± Tomoya-kun observed.


    I shot him a harsh look. ¡°Don¡¯t be getting any ideas now. I know she¡¯s cuter than ever, but she¡¯s taken. If my big bro finds out you¡¯ve been ogling his fiance?e he¡¯ll be really mad...¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like that!¡± he protested, holding his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m a boy, I like looking at cute girls, your brother would understand that. But I¡¯d never do anything inappropriate. I don¡¯t think anyone would. But you know, seeing Mori-san take an interest in other people, it¡¯s good to see. I know you two are close, but everyone needs more friends, right?¡±


    Well yes, of course I worried about how shy Eri was. still, it isn¡¯t like that has changed... I nodded despite myself. ¡°... Still, Eri hasn¡¯t changed as much as you think. She¡¯s suffering a bit there, I can tell.¡± She was a bit pale, and speaking slower than usual. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s making an effort. She knows if she¡¯s going to be an adult now, she can¡¯t just shut herself away in the house, waiting for big bro to return. That¡¯d just worry him. Besides, she wants to grow as a person. It isn¡¯t all for my brother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yae-san agreed. ¡°I like to think that we know each other a bit better now, right Ai-chan? After all, we are close friends, even your brother thinks so, right?¡± she grinned impishly. ¡°Little Ri-Ri simply realised she had to grow up. It happens to a girl in love. Even I grew up a bit when I started dating. Although...¡± she sighed. ¡°... a shame all my boyfriends were rubbish. I envy her, I really do. A real man is very different to childish boys.¡±


    ¡°Well if you are looking for a...¡± Tomoya-kun began, but Rika-san cut him off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get full of yourself.¡± She warned. ¡°We are in the market for real men, who¡¯ll treat us like princesses, right Yae, Ai-chan.¡±


    ¡°Leave me out of it!¡± I protested, but the mood had shifted, which was a relief. Looking back at Eri, surrounded by students, I kind of understood the smile Rika-san gave her earlier. Sometimes I forget, but Eri is a little older than me. She always seems younger because she¡¯s so shy, but...


    ¡°So yes, if you substitute that here, the answer is either...¡± Eri finished up, and around her there were murmurs of comprehension.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°If that¡¯s everything, I¡¯ll be going then. I want to go and watch Aiko practice.¡± Eri said, making to stand up. Before she could, one of the girls in class asked a question.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been dying to ask...¡± she said, looking flushed. ¡°If you really are... are pregnant, how are you going to...¡±


    Wow, what a stupid question. I was sure we¡¯d been over this yesterday. I should definitely stop this ...


    Yet again before I could, Eri spoke up, interrupting the girl and my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m not pregnant.¡± She said, her voice a bit above a whisper, but as the room was silent, waiting for her answer, everyone heard.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t? But...¡± the girl continued, but shut up as Eri started at her, eyes hard.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. You¡¯re a girl right, you get it.¡±


    ¡°Oh... ah, yeah.¡± She stammered, flushing. Around her several others tittered maliciously at her humiliation.


    Wow, so... really? You never told me... I¡¯m a little hurt...


    Seeing my gaze, Eri looked down, a little ashamed. ¡°I was going to tell you later, I was. This morning, well... ugh, this is not a conversation I wanted to have again. It was bad enough with my mother. I¡¯ll be going to Inuyama later. So I wanted to watch your practice first. After that would have been the best time to say.¡±


    The girls were looking knowing, and the boys were embarrassed. Tomoya-kun had backed off, finding the insides of his school-bag suddenly interesting, and a couple of other boys had left. Yeah, girls¡¯ biology is a mystery to boys, and that¡¯s the best way...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure whether to congratulate or commiserate you, little Ri-Ri.¡± Yae-san shrugged. ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s probably for the best. You have all the time in the world for motherhood later, right?¡±


    As murmured agreements all around, Eri sighed. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t say I was thinking clearly. Akio and I should have a child when the time is right, and now... it probably isn¡¯t. He has a lot going on, and I¡¯m not... not yet good enough. Still...¡± she smiled then, and I blushed at the allure of it. ¡°... I have a lot to look forward to, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°If Ai-chan ever does decide to go for girls maybe I¡¯d snap her up.¡± Rika-san giggled. Turning more serious, she addressed the guys. ¡°All right, it¡¯s time to let this go. It all got... so messy. That stupid wager. It was funny and all, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just let it drop.¡± I agreed. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m not into you, Kenji-kun, but there are plenty of other girls out there.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look happy (in fact he looked like he was chewing on a sour fruit) but he forced a nod. Masaki-kun also agreed with a sigh. Still, he couldn¡¯t resist one last parting shot. ¡°Err, Yae-chan, if we are friends again, if I became a better man, would you consider going out with me again?¡±


    Yae-san shrugged. ¡°No promises, but if you wow me, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    With that the chaos came to an end, the girls in the room relaxing again. Yeah, that did get annoying and heated.


    ¡°Umm, Aiko, I was going to tell you later about... well, you know.¡± Eri touched her belly and I got it immediately. Wow, you silly girl. I¡¯m not mad...


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be like that. Chances are you wouldn¡¯t be anyway, if it was that easy, Japan wouldn¡¯t have a population crisis, right?¡± I grinned. ¡°Still, these last couple of days you¡¯ve been very bold, I think the other girls might be starting to look up to you as a guru on love matters!¡± I teased her, earning pouting protests in return.


    ¡°Come on then. I¡¯m late for practice. I had a good feeling earlier until those boys ruined my mood. Maybe I can get it back?¡±


    ********


    Damn, it just doesn¡¯t feel right again. The arow had hit the target sure, but that was only the first and most basic stage of Kyudo. Only Eri was waiting now, the other girls having gone home. I know she has to go to Inuyama with her parents. Birth control. Thinking about it makes me remember that night... I pulled at the front of my chestplate, fanning air down my hot body. I guess it¡¯s lucky big bro gave her that bank card. Otherwise the Mori¡¯s would struggle to pay for them... damn, I¡¯m just accepting they are going to carry on... ugh. Not my problem, definitely not my problem. That¡¯s for them.. and maybe Shaeula... to worry about. No... I need to focus on...


    My archery was suffering, and I wasn¡¯t making enough progress on mastering the abilities my bro and Shaeula had. Still, the visualisation of both was similar in a way, and even if Eri got a very unfair boost I couldn¡¯t take advantage of, she was learning the same way I was and managed, so I could definitely succeed. Willpower and sporty energy. That¡¯s what I need and what I¡¯ve always been good at. I can do this!


    First, I closed my eyes. It was easier to visualise the techniques Shaeula taught me, doing that. It might seem stupid loosing with my eyes shut, but I need to grasp the feeling first... I took the first stance, placing my footing, the Ashibumi. All the while I concentrated on the feeling of drawing energy into me, moving it as Shaeula had indicated. I had to fight the embarrassing thought of her running a finger over my bare skin though. Lewd.


    Next I arranged my body into position, the Do?zukuri, and while doing this small prickles of hot and cold were pooling in my lower abdomen. It made it hard for me to concentrate on the position of my body, but I felt I was getting my best results with the training while doing Kyudo, so I would not stop.


    The three phases of Yugamae were next, orienting my hands on the bow correctly, while moving energy up to my heart. This was as far as Shaeula had instructed me, as she was worried by the lack of my lunar chakra, whatever that was. Big bro and Eri had one though, so why couldn¡¯t I manage? I¡¯ll show them I won¡¯t be left behind...


    Raising the bow, the Uchiokoshi, I paired with raising my energy, and the prickles grew in intensity, feeling strangely warm and heavy. Ugh, it feels like I need the toilet now... no, no getting distracted. This is the sharpest I¡¯ve felt all evening...


    Drawing the bow, the Hikiwake, I could feel the honest burn of strain in my muscles. I loved sport, I really did, moving my body. It went even beyond getting strength to protect myself, Eri and my brother. That was important too, but I wanted to express myself through sport, to find something I was good at, that I enjoyed... forcing my mind ever inwards, the weight in my lower body was spreading to my heart, my lungs feeling damp and weighty.


    Undeterred, I moved to the Kai, drawing my bow fully. My parents had scrimped and saved for this bow, my brother contributing too, so I¡¯d always looked after it. My hands were sweaty, my breath coming in hot gasps, yet despite that I felt full of energy. Now it was time for...


    Hanare... the release. Opening my eyes I released the arrow held taut against the string of my bow. It streaked towards the target, and it almost felt as if... something... was lifting free from me, streaming out of my lower body, following the arrow. I felt hot in my lower body, the pressure, the weight diminishing, and the final stage, the Zanshin, where I should remain joined with the shot, my consciousness with the arrow, shattered completely. Wow, shit. No way. I didn¡¯t wet myself did I? Even if only Eri is here, my life would be over at that point...


    As I was thinking stupid thoughts, checking my lower body, finding in relief I was still dry, the arrow struck home in the target with a distinct thud. Prickles of energy were still moving through me despite my concentration having stopped, and as I went to retrieve my arrow I was surprised to see it having penetrated far further than normal. It was quite the effort pulling it free, the edges where the arrow had bit in were cut smooth like glass.


    Well, that¡¯s pretty odd. Hmm... A sudden pain sparkled in the centre of my forehead. Perhaps I had been pushing myself too hard. I was slick with sweat and exhausted, so I decided to call it a day. After all, Eri had things to do as well. As I returned, bow in hand, Eri raced over with a cold towel.


    Taking it, I grinned at her. ¡°Tomorrow we get to see big bro again, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t wait.¡± She agreed, smiling broadly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be fun for Akio, talking to our parents, but if we have time to spend together, I¡¯d be happy. Maybe Shaeula even has a solution for... well, you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, you still have tonight to practice. The quicker you can master it, the quicker you can go back to snuggling my bro.¡± Snuggling was a euphemism of course. I have some delicacy. And wow, some trauma too.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that I want...¡± she protested weakly, and we shared more laughter. ¡°Oh by the way Aiko, that last shot... it was the best I¡¯ve ever seen. It almost seemed to shine in the setting sun. You looked so pretty taking your stance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure why, but it really went in deep. Maybe I¡¯m just that good?¡± I chuckled, the hole in the target fresh in my mind, while my body still tingled, somehow itchy within...

 One Hundred And Thirty

    One Hundred And Thirty


    After returning to the Boundary I had linked up with Shaeula again, pleased that she had fully recovered from her wounds. I had succeeded in removing my scars as well, so was feeling quite positive, until we ran into a problem. Several new Defensive Emplacements had appeared in the enemy Territory, which made our avenues of attack narrower.


    The spectral woman was also proving problematic still, her attacks vicious indeed, and even Grulgor was forced to retreat from her overwhelming wave of attacks, his armour dented and scratched. Which of course I had to fix...


    I was unwilling to try a full-on attack, since the casualties were likely to be heavy win-or-lose, and while we could bring back the weaselkin, we had already lost too many trolls and white snakes in the past, so losing any more would be unacceptable. With that said, I put my time to use, once more trying to master earth and dark elemental energies, though once again I failed, merely gaining slight, barely noticeable insights into their nature.


    The upgrade was also slowly ticking towards completion, and ether was starting to pile outside my Silo once more from natural accumulation and our kills, though it was still far from the large amount we had prior to my spending it. Fifty-two astral days to go. Nearly half done... If our Territory was Rank 3, I was confident that would be more than enough advantage to win, but it was not to be, not yet. Still, as long as the stalemate continues, our advantage grows. Or it would, if only... Sadly my Anchor was in a place far too hard to defend. When the Territory upgraded I would definitely see if I could relocate it...


    After bidding farewell to Shaeula once more, I returned to the Material, where the local time was early Friday morning. I spent a little time practising martial arts and spear techniques, before grabbing a quick shower and getting dressed in comfortable clothes, because today was the day I was going to move to the Shrine. It¡¯s also the day my parents and the Mori¡¯s are due to arrive... ugh, my stomach hurts...


    Opening the door to my apartment I ran into Karen-chan, who was dressed in her work clothes, a white shirt, charcoal skirt and jacket pairing. On seeing me her expression brightened. ¡°Good morning Akio-kun. Are you heading to the shrine today? I was just going there now. My office needs setting up. I can then get to work on your... unusual request.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah, assuming everything looks good I¡¯ll move today.¡± I said as we walked. We passed by a listless-looking older man who was peering out of the window at us with lifeless eyes. I think that was Tanaka-san, right? I heard he was let go by his company a few weeks¡¯ back...


    Karen-chan averted her eyes. When we were safely away from our apartment block she let out a sigh. ¡°It makes me feel bad, seeing him. That was me, just a few days ago... poor bastard.¡± She turned to me then, expression serious. ¡°I won¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve done for me, Akio-kun. A second chance is a precious thing. I won¡¯t let you down, I promise!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡± I smiled wryly, and I realised that I was half-reaching out for her head, to stroke it and ruffle her hair as I would have done for Eri or Shaeula. Changing the motion into brushing back my own hair at the last minute I thought I had managed to get away with it unnoticed. Damn, what was I thinking? Karen-chan is no young girl. I¡¯d never have lived down the shame. I¡¯ve spent too much time with girls who like that recently. Damn, I¡¯ve become such a normie...


    We made small-talk until we reached the shrine. There were dozens of workmen everywhere, and the noise of heavy machinery could be heard, roaring and growling away. My interest piqued, I went over to the proposed site of the new training facility, to find several industrial diggers scooping out vast masses of soil and rock, while other workers were drilling down metal foundation struts into the bedrock, following a series of marked-out areas.


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s pretty noisy. I feel bad for the Izumi¡¯s.¡± I half-shouted over the noise as I backed away, heading towards the outbuildings at the other side of the hill. ¡°Sorry it isn¡¯t the best working conditions for you, Karen-chan. I¡¯ll consider that when your monthly bonus is calculated.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t so bad. it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m taking phone calls or anything like that yet, so I can just listen to music. Besides, it¡¯s a little quieter over here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, yeah, it is.¡± I agreed. We could still hear the construction clamour, but at this distance it was merely loud background noise, like sitting next to a major road. It should be bearable living here... and once the foundations are set, it should be better...


    ¡°So, you want to take a look?¡± Karen-chan asked, seeing me eyeing the outbuilding I had designated as my new home. ¡°I made sure everything was done, so I think you¡¯ll be satisfied.¡± She smirked then. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you ordered a big bed. Definitely room for two. Planning on having a fun time with your childhood friend? I get to meet her later, right? I can hardly wait. Who knows what I¡¯ll say?¡± she grinned.


    ¡°You can say whatever you like, as long as you can help convince my father what I¡¯m doing is on the level here. I don¡¯t envy you; you¡¯ll earn your bonus this month.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t be that bad.¡± She said as she opened the door and we stepped inside. ¡°It isn¡¯t like you are doing anything illegal, so he should be pleased, right? I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on myself, but I¡¯ve spoken to the family that owns the shrine, so I know it¡¯s legitimate.¡±


    ¡°If only that was the case. My father ... well, you¡¯ll see.¡± I bit down a sigh. Looking around I was impressed. The interior was cleaned up and had been aired out, the splintered and faded walls replastered and painted, the floor now polished wood, with matting laid down over it. Even the cracked windows had been replaced.


    Yeah, it¡¯s big. Nice. Opening the doors and checking out the other rooms, I could see the master bedroom, which indeed had a large bed, fit for two. There were also wardrobes and other furniture that I had ordered. There was two smaller bedrooms, which were also furnished. One for Shaeula, and eventually for my sister too...


    There was also an office room, and I could see that the internet had been connected, ready for when I moved my PC in. The kitchen and dining area was also refurbished, with new appliances plugged in. The final room to check was the bathroom, and as I entered I let out an exhalation of pleasant surprise.


    ¡°So, I believe the shrine you mean is Hisuikomushi, it matches the location and description.¡± Karen-chan continued. ¡°It¡¯s a minor shrine with no notable deities, and the area of Tokyo it is in has an... unsavoury... reputation, with organised crime and poverty rife. It¡¯s like a mini-slum.¡±


    Reading the documents I could see she was right. Police reports of local gang-fights, prostitution and more. But what was interesting was... yes, these Facebook posts...


    ¡°Quite the coincidence, isn¡¯t it?¡± Karen-chan looked at me, pondering. ¡°Were you expecting something like this?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± I admitted. ¡°But... good job finding this. So, the master of the shrine, Kikuchi-san, is in a coma, and has been for quite a while.¡± The timing is very suspicious. The start of summer break isn¡¯t that long after I was visited by Exposition-san...


    ¡°Yes, I feel sorry for the children. They have no mother according to posts I found, and the son had to come back from University to look after his school-age sister. But they are poor, so... those hospital bills must be ruining them...¡±


    ¡°That is odd, yes.¡± I wonder how they are paying...


    ¡°So, was this the kind of thing you were looking for?¡± Karen-chan asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, not bad, not bad at all. I wouldn¡¯t have thought to use Facebook and social media. See what else you can find out next time, but for now, take a break. I¡¯ll let you know when you need to meet my father.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± She saluted lazily. ¡°Well, until later then.¡±


    After she left I considered the information. Very suspicious. I thought maybe the master of the shrine was my rival, but now... that seems unlikely. I would have to see if Hisuikomushi was a true shrine. No doubt Izumi-san could tell me...


    ********


    ¡°So, about an hour then?¡± I said, and the girl on the other end of my phone, Eri, spoke brightly.


    ¡°Yes, we are on the last train before Tokyo station. So, have you finished moving?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everything went smoothly. So, do you think you can find the shrine, or should I come meet you all?¡± Damn, the time of my doom is approaching...


    ¡°I think we can manage. It¡¯s near where we stayed before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You just take...¡± I explained the route to the shrine, and where my new abode was.


    ¡°Great! Well, we¡¯ll see you soon, Akio. Love you!¡± she said, and I flushed at her open affection, especially since I knew my parents were listening. Still, I was a changed man, not repeating past mistakes so...


    ¡°Yeah, I love you too. I¡¯ll show you my new home, I think you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    After she hung up, I let out a long sigh. The time was approaching, so I dropped a text to Karen-chan to get ready, and also brief Izumi-san on what he needed to say. Checking on Shaeula, her body lying still in her own room, I made sure that the door was shut tight, to prevent any mishaps.


    Once I¡¯ve survived this, I can concentrate on dealing with my enemy in the Boundary. I had thought thinking that would make me feel better, but the knots in my stomach were still there like lead. Old fears die hard, I guess... Making one last check of my new home to make sure everything was in order, I decided to have a few fortifying shots of hard alcohol to steady my nerves...

 Side Thirty-Three – Three Factions Of Faith

    Side Thirty-Three ¨C Three Factions Of Faith


    First - Uchida Yamato, Chosen Of Kannon? ¨C Susanoo Faction


    The flickering lights of the shrine shone golden, illuminating the great statue of Kannon. Here in the Spiritual realm it was somehow even more magnificent, and Yamato felt a surge of pride within, knowing that he had been called by his kami, the Goddess of Mercy.


    The braziers that lit the abnormally large chamber, which dwarfed the true size of the Kiyomizu-Dera in the Mortal realm, were colossal, giving off a bright metallic light that no mortal lamp could shed. In the deep shadows cast by the illumination waited his golden warriors, the servants of Kannon that he could now command, six golden golems each two metres in height, their faces sculpted into expressions of pity, charity, love, hope and more...


    I am one who is to save the world. I always thought I was destined for bigger things. If only the others could see that too. He frowned, remembering the clash he had with the adherents of the Amaterasu faction. It had not come to violence, in the end, but it was a close-run thing. The divine land of Kyoto, second only perhaps to the sacred mountain Fuji, it had a wealth of spiritual beings and treasures, all of which would be needed to stave off the oncoming disaster the kami had prophesised.


    Yamato had backed down first, though it was with heavy heart and gritted teeth. Nothing is served fighting each other, not when there are many present threats here that challenge us. Still, to surrender to the aggression of Amaterasu is unbecoming of those of us in Susanoo faction...


    The silence of the great Kiyomizu-Dera was unnerving. The temple should have been full of lesser kami, serving Kannon, yet none of them were present. Instead, Yamato had to face the trials of the Spiritual realm alone.


    Alone. Ugh. He shivered, remembering the battle he had endured with a pack of yokai that made the spiritual Kyoto their home. In the end he had won, his golden servants tearing several of them apart, forcing the others to flee, yet he had suffered numerous wounds, the pain rocking his very soul. And when he had returned to the realm of mortals, his body was wounded, torn flesh and bright blood greeting him, as well as the pain.


    The pain... I thought I was going to die... as he exited the temple, emerging out into the heavily-charged air of Spiritual Kyoto, he remembered his wounds. While he was now a chosen of Kannon, up until only a few scant weeks ago, he was just a student in Kyoto university. A smart and handsome one to be sure, and of a powerful bloodline, but the most fighting he had ever done was a brief skirmish over a girl in a bar, and that had only left bruises.


    Even though he recovered from injuries far faster than he ever had before, it had still shaken his resolve, and it had taken a week before he had dared to venture back into the Spiritual realm. I need to be stronger, only then can the true glory of Kannon shine again in these dark times. And I shall be the new champion, who protects humanity, praised and respected by all.


    The outside of the temple was also more magnificent, a towering edifice of gold and red. Great sprays of indigo light were fountaining out from the ground and spreading into the sky, raining down like shimmering snow. Breathing deeply Yamato drew in the light, feeling energy spreading through his body. Behind him came his golden warriors, forming up on either side of him, also drawing in the pure energies.


    Looking out across Kyoto there were many wonders, more than could be seen in the mortal world. In addition to the many shrines and temples, all of which were more splendid and opulent than could have been imagined, there were also natural wonders, such as great surges of elemental energies, forests of living trees, and lairs of yokai only dreamt of in myth. Still, they were not what he was seeking. There. Still working well, at least...


    A small collection of golden hands, each the size of a person, were gathered on the border of his spiritual sphere of influence. As he observed, a skittering creature, a cockroach the size of a large pony, slithered its way along the white-paved street. The golden hands reacted, flying out and slapping at it, and the cockroach burst apart in a spray of gore and spiritual energy, which was quickly absorbed by his area of influence, passing on some back to him, and he felt a slight strengthening.


    Widening my sphere of influence would be suicidal right now, since Kyoto is crawling with such things... and those from other factions cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of us all. Why father is so concerned about the losses of our enemies is beyond me...


    Still, even if such was beyond him right now, once the Conclave was held and everyone fell behind him, he would be able to draw on their support to quickly purge Kyoto of yokai, beasts and those who were standing in his way. I know it¡¯s politics, but when irrefutable proof of my blessing is available to all, I can¡¯t believe that we are still delaying, jockeying for benefits. Following me is the only wise path.


    The golden hands were slaughtering more beasts, pure spiritual power their reward, and Yamato had to decide how to deploy his reserves. Concentrating he sent up a brief prayer to his kami, and one of the hands was enveloped in a brilliant glow, shrinking in on itself, going dormant.


    Strengthening the Hands of Forgiveness takes priority. I can always expand later. Father was preparing support for him, and letting others take the risks was wise, as clearly Yamato was too valuable to lose. Once more he remembered the injuries he had taken. Yes, never again.


    Still, even if he did not expand, there were benefits to be had absorbing such rich spiritual energy. Making up his mind, Yamato retreated back to the temple proper, his golden guardians silently following...


    ********


    Second ¨C Kudou Yasuhide, Master of Ryo?an-ji Temple, Tsukuyomi Faction


    Overlooking the impressive rock gardens of Ryo?an-ji, the many visitors from both Japan and abroad enjoying the magnificent spiritual scenery, old man Kudou stroked at his long beard, the wispy white strands making him look aesthetic, his sparse and gaunt frame belying the muscles that still hid within his Buddhist robes.


    To think that Uchida-san and Saionji-san are squabbling over such trivial matters in these times. The young really have little insight. Still, with the grand Shrine at Ise in his corner, with her as a priestess chosen, Saionji-san has the momentum, and it isn¡¯t in his interest to allow opposition to crystallise against his dominance...


    Still, even though he could understand it, that didn¡¯t mean he was any more pleased with it. Others from his moderate faction had urged him to throw in with Uchida-san and force through the Conclave, claiming it should have already been done, and a unified front should be arranged, but...


    Much as I sympathise with Uchida-san¡¯s position, and I do believe that pushing back the Conclave again and again is a mistake, I find it hard to deny that with her... besides, there are other concerns only I know of... It all came down to a matter of strength, and while Uchida-san¡¯s young pup was from a good bloodline and was apparently making solid progress, it was hard to deny that Susanoo faction was clearly the weakest currently. And of course, it isn¡¯t just the case that we have to worry about whatever calamity the kami wish to prevent...


    She nodded, her veil dancing. ¡°I see six figures, each corresponding to a Buddhist Realm, though this may well just be a Divine conceit, not that they are such beings. I believe they are women. I cannot see all of them clearly, four are in deep, impenetrable shadows, yet I can see two. Princesses, one of Beasts and one of Humans. And grave danger approaches them both, creeping ever closer. Should they not be saved, then not only will Japan fall, but the very world...¡±


    ¡°Princesses? Is the Lady of Ise... no, surely not...¡± he pondered, but she was not done, and her strange voice continued.


    ¡°I see the first sunrise of a new year. And reality itself shudders, something breaking through. If any of these six figures has perished, then ... I fear that night shall fall upon humanity.¡±


    ¡°And how does this tie into your pervious visions?¡± he asked, cursing that even with her ancestral powers strengthened by Tsukuyomi, her words were still unclear. ¡°What can we do to forestall this?¡±


    ¡°For the Princess of Beasts, a great black giant is creeping closer, ready to devour her. For the Princess of Humans, she is surrounded by many false friends in masks of white, blank expressions hiding malice, hands clutching daggers dripping poison behind their backs. In the shadows I see other calamities, yet they remain veiled from my sight. The only way they can be saved is by one who holds darkness in one hand, light in the other, and twilight within. And should we not delay the Conclave, the darkness will instead slip away, vanishing....¡±


    Darkness, Light and Twilight? Clearly a Divine metaphor. So the Conclave must still be postponed...


    Seeing that the Diviner was obviously exhausted, her body language clear beneath her obscuring robes, old man Kudou rang a bell, summoning a pair of shrine maidens to assist her to her rest.


    Six Realms of Buddhism? A good omen for this shrine. But a giant of darkness that devours, and blank-faced false friends of poisonous blades? I must do research. They do not remind me of anything, yet the Diviner is never wrong, less now she has been chosen...


    ********


    Third ¨C Saionji Gin ¨C Master of Kinkaku-Ji, Amaterasu Faction


    ¡°... and that¡¯s my report. Unfortunately it is unlikely he will survive, his wounds are too severe.¡±


    Gin clicked his tongue, annoyed. The priest before him bowed before scuttling off, relieved to be out from his burning gaze. Drumming his fingers reflexively on the polished surface of the antique table that served as his desk, he considered the problem.


    I can¡¯t believe that one of my own faction would be so foolish as to go against me. Even that fence-sitter Kudou is giving me support, wondrously unlikely though that is. Still, not only do we have the most of the chosen in our faction, the Shrine Maiden of Ise Grand Shrine awakened, and while I cannot truly claim her as one of our own, as she is bound to remain neutral in these disputes, as the enshrined Deity there is Amaterasu, naturally her achievements reflect on us, and many consider her still in our faction.


    ¡°That damn imbecile. I warned him not to push his luck, the dangers of the Spiritual realm are not to be trifled with. It seems that we are disadvantaged as the kami of Kyoto and their servants are largely too powerful to manifest in the Spiritual realm as of yet. Slow and steady to win the race, especially since we hold all the advantages.¡±


    The biggest one of all being the secret that Gin himself had received the call, the shining golden light that matched the golden coat of Kinkaku-Ji, the touch of Avalokiteshvara itself upon him. Keeping it from all but the most trusted members of his faction, he had been leveraging it to his advantage, using the chosen he controlled to support expanding his sphere of influence in the Spiritual realm, growing it around the magnificent golden edifice that was the Spiritual Kinkaku-Ji. Of course this means that only I am truly fit to lead the faithful in these new times. Just like Kinkaku-Ji, which was rebuilt from the flames of disaster, Japan will rise through this, stronger and better, standing above all other nations.


    It was a bit disappointing that the Diviner was not under his control, but the old fox Kudou was being supportive, to an extent anyway, so it wasn¡¯t out of the question that he could take her in... Everything was running so smoothly...


    To think that one of his own would disobey him, trying to strengthen his powers while not giving Gin his due. At least his foolishness received a fair reward. Leaving the shelter of one¡¯s shrine to raise influence outside seemed a good idea, but things lurked out there, things of dark myth and legend that were said to even rival the kami themselves. He had seen them, on occasion, when he visited the Spiritual realm in secret. That dark parade, passing through the streets, destroying anything in their path. No, to expect a fool to survive an encounter of such magnitude would be insane.


    It wouldn¡¯t be possible to keep his demise a secret, much like news of that foolish girl who had died doing the same greedy thing. That was why a firm hand was needed, lest enemies both spiritual and human take advantage of their weaknesses.


    ¡°If I delay the Conclave until a good chunk of Spiritual Kyoto is under my control, then it would be impossible not to concede to my leadership. And progress is being made to that end, even if it is slower than I would wish...¡± he mused. ¡°... still, this setback is vexing.¡±


    Surely there was some way to expedite things, as he was running out of reasons to delay, and Kudou could change his mind at any time. Wait, that¡¯s it! Of course! Eyes straying to his phone, he reached for it, quickly dialling a number. This is a risk, a big one... but if it pays off... well, I won¡¯t even need to buy time...


    ¡°Good afternoon. Please forgive me for calling so abruptly, but I have a very important matter to discuss....¡±

 One Hundred And Thirty-One

    One Hundred And Thirty-One


    Well, here we go then. Steeling myself for what was to come as I heard the voices of my family and the Mori¡¯s approaching, I once more cast my gaze around the room. Yeah, everything is in order. Karen-chan and Izumi-san are available for when I need them... I can do this.


    Opening the door to my new home I smiled brightly. ¡°So you found the place all right then? Come in, I¡¯ve got some snacks and drinks ready.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great, Akio. The trains here are really tiring.¡± Eri said, rushing over to give me a hug. As she pressed against me, her face pink with embarrassment over showing such affection in front of her parents, she gave me a little kiss, just a peck on the lips. ¡°I know it¡¯s only been a few days, but I missed you.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± I replied. ¡°But absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m feeling a little sick now. So much sugar.¡± My sister shuddered theatrically. ¡°You two lovebirds can surely manage to go five minutes without flirting, right, right? Seriously though...¡± she looked around at the repainted and repaired building. ¡°This place is way better than that tiny room you were living in before. I like it, I know I¡¯ll enjoy it here.¡±


    I know I said she could move here if she needed too, but still...


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice.¡± Eri agreed sweetly. ¡°Our home.¡±


    Before I could answer that one, my father cleared his throat. ¡°I understand you are happy to see my son again, Eri-san, but we should continue this inside.¡±Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Ignoring the smiles of her parents and my mother, Eri nodded, letting me go, though she still clung to my hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, father-in-law. But like I¡¯ve said before, you should call me Eri, there¡¯s no need for formality between us, after all, I¡¯ll soon be your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± My father nodded slowly. ¡°My son and I have much to discuss regarding that matter, but for now...¡± he turned his gaze to the young girl who was hiding behind everyone else, looking extremely nervous. Seeing all our gazes go to her, she bowed low, her pigtails bouncing.


    ¡°Akio-sama, thank you for looking after me. I shall work as hard as I can to serve both you and the needs of Chairoakitara shrine and our noble kami.¡± She spoke very seriously, her determination to be mature forcing a smile from me. Aww, she¡¯s so serious. It¡¯s pretty cute. But I don¡¯t like being called Akio-sama, it does not suit me.


    ¡°Well, I made promises to your mother and grandfather that I¡¯d make sure you were well taken care of. Besides, I think you¡¯ll like it here. The big city is a far-cry from Nishimorioka, and even if Shirohebizumi shrine is a little... rustic... we are also doing business with Hikawa Kawagoe shrine, so I daresay we can visit. There¡¯s a couple of shrine maidens there, twins, only a bit older than you. I dare say you can be friends.¡±


    ¡°Hikawa Kawagoe?¡± Uncle Mori said, surprised. ¡°Even I have heard of them, it¡¯s one of the shrines you think about when you talk Tokyo. See, Taichi, I told you there was nothing to worry about. Son-in-law is a smart boy, he can handle things just fine.¡±


    ¡°Err, excuse me, but perhaps I should not be listening to matters of family, your private business?¡± Marika-san asked, still nervous.


    Poor girl, I bet she had to listen to no end of talk on the journey. Sparing her an understanding grin I patted her on the head, causing her to blink in surprise. Eri¡¯s hand tightened on mine a little painfully, but I squeezed her back reassuringly. You don¡¯t have to be jealous of her, she¡¯s just a kid...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If anything, we should be apologising to you for making you uncomfortable. I¡¯ll take you to the room you¡¯ll be living in later, it¡¯s in the main shrine. It¡¯s furnished, but if you need anything else, anything at all, let either me or someone from the shrine know, and I¡¯ll make sure you get it. My secretary Karen-chan is available if you have any problems. But for now...¡± I wanted to make sure she was relaxed. I still felt bad bringing Marika-san away from home at such a young age, even if the experience benefitted me and should be a memorable one for her. ¡°... I have tasty treats ready, so you might as well enjoy some with us.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure, Akio-sama...¡± she began, but I cut her off.


    ¡°Please, I know you were raised very politely, but I¡¯m no-one so special as to be a -sama. I¡¯d really appreciate it if you could use a more... informal... way of speaking.¡±


    She looked doubtful, but then Auntie Mori chimed in, cackling heartily. ¡°You see that, Daichi, Emi, little Aki will make a wonderful father, he¡¯s so understanding of younger children, especially girls. I suppose that¡¯s only natural, considering he looked after little Ai and my Eri all these years.¡±


    ¡°Mom, so embarrassing!¡± Eri protested while Aiko giggled at the scene. Eri snuggled in against me, trying to hide her flushed face.


    ¡°You see Marika-san?¡± I grinned, a bit shamefaced. ¡°I¡¯m just like anyone else, at the mercy of teasing from his family. Anyway, everyone should come in, no point standing around outside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if it¡¯s a nice inside as out, I can hardly wait.¡± My sis exclaimed.


    It sure should be, considering the scandalous fees I spent getting a rush job on the repairs and refits. On the brighter side though, I had nothing to do but drink and wait for them to arrive, but after a few to steady my nerves I realised meeting my father drunk would be stupid, so I distracted myself by gambling, and even without the fortunate winds I won a decent amount.


    Guiding everyone inside I gave them a brief tour, though I obviously skipped Shaeula¡¯s room. My sis was very pleased with the room I had set aside for her should she choose to come to Tokyo in the future, and when everyone saw my room... well, didn¡¯t think this through all the way...


    ¡°My, that¡¯s quite the large bed there, isn¡¯t it little Aki?¡± Auntie Mori was teasing me. ¡°Whatever could you need it for?¡±


    ¡°Come now, don¡¯t tease him too much, dear.¡± Uncle laughed heartily, slapping me on the back. ¡°He¡¯s a healthy young man, and our daughter is ...¡±


    ¡°Mom, dad! Shut up!¡± Eri was purple with shame, while Marika-san was looking perplexed.


    ¡°Indeed, this is not a subject for in front of a guest who has been entrusted to my son.¡± My father stopped the conversation, and I let out a grateful sigh.


    ¡°Yeah, seriously. Not a talk for now, right? Sorry about that Marika-san. I¡¯ve got some cake, I have it on good authority from the shrine maidens here that it¡¯s really good.¡±


    ¡°Oho, that sounds interesting. I¡¯m sure you want to hear all about these shrine maidens, right Eri?¡± my sister interjected, and as Eri nodded, her gaze on me, I bit down a sigh. Why do I feel guilty? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong...


    ********


    Eri nodded fiercely, and Auntie Mori laughed at the sight. ¡°The wedding will be the talk of our town for seasons to come!¡± she agreed. ¡°Now we just need to set a date!¡±


    Uncle and my father were letting the girls talk, but father was not pleased, his expression grim, yet in the festive atmosphere he was unable to scold me. Although it¡¯s coming, it¡¯s definitely coming. He did warn me not to do anything foolish, and Eri might even be pregnant... I¡¯ll be in for it later...


    ¡°Eri-san... Eri...¡± my father changed his method of address at everyone¡¯s gaze. ¡°Eri should finish her education first, even if she is not intending to go on to further education. It would be shameful otherwise. I still recommend that she thinks of her future with more clarity, but...¡±


    ¡°I thank you for your concern, but I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± Eri stood up to him, though her hands were white and trembling a little with the effort. ¡°But I agree. Now isn¡¯t the time for our wedding. I should finish school, and Akio needs to make sure his work is going well.¡±


    ¡°Little Eri is all grown up.¡± Auntie Mori praised her, eyes bright with unshed tears. ¡°A mother always waits for this day.¡± she glanced at my mom. ¡°You¡¯ll have it too, Emi dear, when little Ai finds love.¡±


    My sister scoffed loudly, but before she could speak Eri continued.


    ¡°We... might have had to rush, since...¡± her voice shrank, but since Marika-san was with Kana-chan in the main shrine, it was just us family here, leaving her free to speak. ¡°... since we were hasty, but since I¡¯m not pregnant...¡±


    Wait, you aren¡¯t? I mean, I guess it¡¯s a good thing, now isn¡¯t a good time, but... I must have looked strange, as Eri started giggling, while my sis and mom were laughing openly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Akio, I only found out yesterday. I didn¡¯t think I should talk about it until we were face-to-face. I should have picked a better time though...¡±


    I shook my head, dismissing her apology. ¡°No, that¡¯s not important. So, you¡¯re all right?¡± My words had a double meaning, as I was not only concerned about her physical health and state of mind, but the state of her chakra network also worried me.


    Picking up on that, she smiled, reaching over and taking my hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. We both know why we were so careless. I think this way is better. I want children, but not yet. I¡¯ll... take care of things... in the future, until things have settled down and we are both ready. I¡¯m sorry for being so insecure and immature. I¡¯ll do better.¡±


    Her hand was warm, and I could feel her pulse. Taking it with my other hand as well, I leaned over and kissed her gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I am just as much at fault as you. I¡¯ll be a man who always makes you feel safe and protected.¡±


    With a wail of emotion my mom grabbed Eri in a hug, Auntie Mori following, her unshed tears finally breaking free. I excused myself while the three women clutched each other, full of emotion. My sis was making gagging motions, showing her displeasure, but I guessed it was fake, judging by the expression on her face.


    ¡°Oh, Eri, my little girl. I¡¯m so happy for you!¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t argue with that, can we Taichi?¡± Uncle Mori said, a wry expression on his face as he watched his wife and daughter, together with my mother. The floodgates had broken and they were all crying happily. ¡°Your son is a man now, and my daughter is a woman. No point blaming them for growing up. Both of them are deadly serious about the future.¡±


    My father sighed, but after a long draught of beer, he nodded. ¡°It seems so. And there is no rewinding time. What they¡¯ve done can¡¯t be undone. At least the worst scenario was avoided, so...¡± he raised his half-empty can in a gesture to me. ¡°... congratulations, my son. Still, do not let it go to your head. You¡¯ll still need to support her, so work hard with this rare chance you¡¯ve been given.¡±


    Yeah, just like father. Even his prise comes with caveats. Still, I¡¯m pleased we earned his acceptance. I¡¯m even more pleased I might have avoided the brutal lecture...


    Returning his toast, Uncle Mori joined in, my sister looking on enviously as we drank...


    Seriously, haven¡¯t you had enough hangovers? Oh well...


    ********


    ¡°... we can¡¯t accept this. Seriously.¡± Uncle Mori was looking at me over a row of empty glasses. ¡°I know you are marrying my little girl, but even so. We may be poor, and your parents have helped us out a lot in the past, but we still have our pride.¡±


    So how am I going to convince them? My father was frowning as well, decidedly unimpressed with my proposal. After seeing the girls back to their hotel, father, Uncle Mori and I had all gone out to a nearby izakaya, a traditional Japanese pub. I had thought that the atmosphere was perfect, so I had broached the subject of providing them with money, for my peace of mind, but... damn, I forgot how stubborn they can be.


    ¡°You have already given the girls so much.¡± Uncle Mori continued. ¡°Eri won¡¯t tell me how much you gave her, but it¡¯s enough to pay for... well, certain essential medicines. I remember when she would tell me anything... she¡¯s all grown up.¡± He was maudlin, but still resolute in refusing me. ¡°But even so. I may be your father-in-law, but I don¡¯t need your charity. Just look after my little girl, make her happy. That¡¯s all I need, and my wife would say the same.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± My father agreed with him. ¡°You will need to save money. With a wife to support, you need all the insurance against hard times you can gather. We know it well.¡± Beside him, Uncle Mori was nodding, wholeheartedly supporting him.


    It would be so much easier if I could tell the truth. ¡°I know, I do.¡± I said, choosing my words carefully. ¡°This opportunity came to me out of the blue, and I¡¯m extremely thankful for it. It might not last forever, and I could be back to my previous unstable lifestyle as a freelancer. Even so... I want to make sure I¡¯ve provided for my family. And that family now includes you, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s too much. We don¡¯t need...¡± he began again, but I was resolute.


    ¡°Seriously, I know what I¡¯m doing. Eri and I can have peace of mind knowing that we¡¯ve taken care of you all. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not going to keep throwing money at you.¡± I grinned to rob the words of any sting. ¡°I intend to treat Eri to a better life. But when the next wave of projects is signed off, I¡¯ll be making plenty of money. So at least let me do this. If you are really concerned, then don¡¯t spend it all right away. It¡¯s for emergencies and necessary expenses anyway. That way if it all goes wrong for me, you can give some of it back. Not that I¡¯m expecting that.¡±


    ¡°Son, are you sure about this?¡± My father asked. ¡°I respect that you are thinking of your family, that is what a good son should, but I don¡¯t want your sudden good fortune to go to your head, ruining you and leaving you with nothing.¡±


    Wise words, if not so much about the money as... other concerns. Like my enemy who threatens my Territory. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have everything under control. My secretary will arrange the transfers next week. I¡¯m deadly serious about the future. After all, I have responsibilities. So believe in me!¡±


    My father and Uncle Mori couldn¡¯t stand against my intensity. I could tell they had reservations, but so long as they accepted my goodwill, I could rest assured that my family was looked after, whatever happens. I need to arrange a will too, to make sure they get any remaining money in case of... the worst case scenario. I have no intention of dying, but I can¡¯t rule anything out... Surprised at how accepting I was of the danger, compared to my nervous fumblings of the early days, I ordered us another ground of drinks to celebrate.


    Small victories. My father wasn¡¯t as fierce as I expected. Perhaps I¡¯m finally earning his respect? Taking a drink I was lost in thought, listening to the idle chatter that passed between my father and Uncle Mori...

 One Hundred And Thirty-Two

    One Hundred And Thirty-Two


    The next morning I was greeted by my father and Eri, who had returned from their hotel. My father was looking a little worse for wear, probably because we did pack away quite the large amount of booze in the izakaya, and once the issue with money was sorted and the drink had loosened his reserve, he and Uncle Mori had spent quite the time bending my ear over my future relationship with Eri.


    Yeah, I did not need uncle Mori telling me that Eri had a prescription for... contraception... so we had nothing to worry about. I mean, I know he and auntie have always wanted us to get together, but even so, shouldn¡¯t a father be less enthused about his daughter having relations... and as for my own father...


    Mom had often bragged that father had only ever had one woman, her, and my father expected the same for me. He had advised me at length that now we had entered into an adult relationship he wouldn¡¯t tolerate us not sticking it out. He said I had made my bed, and now had to lie in it. British idiom aside that he had no doubt picked up from mom, my gaze strayed to the brightly smiling Eri, who was looking adorable in a long pleated skirt in a pale grey, coupled with a white t-shirt and cardigan combination. Well, at least my bed is beautiful...


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I greeted them, satisfied that my Ether Healing had robbed me of any hangover, a small bit of satisfaction against my father. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be sightseeing, since you are here another day.¡±


    ¡°I intend to re-join my family and the Mori¡¯s as soon as I drop off Eri here.¡± He stumbled over her name without an honorific a little, but he would have to get used to it. ¡°It isn¡¯t wise for a young girl to travel alone, even in a safe country like this.¡±


    I nodded in agreement, remembering the trouble Ichika-san had with those thugs. Speaking of, I haven¡¯t heard from her in a while. No doubt Shaeula has been texting her though, so no need to worry...


    Eri¡¯s gaze hardened a little, as if she could read my mind, and I put such extraneous concerns aside. Agreeing with my father I answered. ¡°Yeah, good call. This area isn¡¯t the worst part of Tokyo, not by a long shot, but there was still some trouble a few weeks ago. So, Aiko not with you?¡±


    Eri let out a laugh. ¡°No, not today. She wanted to come and hang out, but our mothers insisted she should spend some time with the family, since she already had a trip with you last weekend. So, just us today!¡± her cheeks were flushed, and I had to repress the urge to kiss her there and then. Yeah, not in front of father.


    ¡°Well, it makes sense. Did you want anything to eat or drink before you go, father? I can whip something up.¡±


    He declined, still looking pale and washed out, and after a brief exchange he departed, leaving Eri to follow me inside. I led her to the kitchen area and made her a light breakfast. ¡°So, what do you want to do today? I have some things to take care of, which makes spending time with you a bit difficult, but since you came all this way...¡±


    As she ate the grilled fish and rice I had prepared for her, she praised my cooking, which felt pretty good, as it was a skill I had to pick up when I became self-sufficient. After a little more thought, she shook her head. ¡°Well, I want to spend time with you, but if you really can¡¯t then I can just stay here for the day. I know times are tough for you right now, I want to be your support, not a burden.¡± She finished up, thanked me for the meal and then looked around. ¡°So, where¡¯s Shaeula? Is she still not back yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I was just going to do some quick exercise to hone my body and skills, and then return to the Boundary to reinforce her. We don¡¯t exactly have a wealth of trustworthy personnel to rely on.¡±


    ¡°That sounds interesting. I¡¯ve been doing my own training, just like Shaeula showed me, but maybe watching yours would help me too?¡±


    Well, I don¡¯t have a problem with that. ¡°Sure, why not. I do a little bit of chakra work while I train, so if you pay attention you might learn something.¡± One good thing about my new home was it was way less cramped, so I could practise with my training spear a lot more freely, as well as some of the martial arts that required more space.


    For the next hour I ran through the forms I was training, my motions smooth blurs that exceeded human limits, all the while continuing to circulate aether around my chakra network. I was also using a little of the energy to amplify my muscle movements, a very crude first step to some sort of body strengthening art. Though pushing it too far might prove an issue, so...


    Eri watched me, rapt and hungry, as I sweated and strained. When I was finally finished she gave me a round of gentle applause, then brought over a towel and wiped the sweat from my brow and upper torso. ¡°That was so impressive!¡± she gushed. ¡°You¡¯re like one of those action movie stars, so fast and strong.¡± She then looked up at me, her gaze impish. ¡°If you want to take a bath before you go, I can wash your back for you? I can wash... other places too...¡± her voice quietened towards the end, but her eyes were clear and determined.


    Before I could respond, and I was very tempted, despite the fact it was too risky to fool around, soft footsteps could be heard from the other room. The door then sprung open, revealing Shaeula, still in her sleep yukata, her hair dishevelled. ¡°Ahh, Eri. I thought you might be here-here.¡± She said. ¡°Akio did say you were visiting this weekend.¡±


    She¡¯s back? What about the Territory? Still, she wouldn¡¯t leave it unguarded recklessly...


    ¡°Oh do not-not worry.¡± She waved away my worries with one slender hand, as if reading my thoughts. Is that something all girls can do, as it seems to be happening to me a lot lately?


    ¡°We have repelled another major assault, this time one from two sides at once-once. Our enemy grows more cunning. But they shall not be able to marshal further forces for a while, so I felt the need to come see Eri and Aiko. Is she not here?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s with our family. They wanted to spend time with her.¡± Eri said, before rushing over to Shaeula. ¡°I heard you were injured, are you all right? Akio should have done better keeping you safe, I¡¯m going to scold him later. How is your leg now?¡± she bent down and lifted the hem of her yukata, inspecting for wounds, but after my efforts it was smooth pale flesh, healed and unbroken.


    Shaeula pulled her leg aside, though gently, and reached down to pat her head as she knelt. ¡°I am fine, I am very strong, as you know-know.¡± She puffed out her chest pridefully. ¡°Besides, Akio tried his best. In battle there is always danger. Still, he did-did repay me by helping to heal my injury, for he would not wish to have my beautiful flesh marred by unsightly scars.¡± As she finished Shaeula suddenly realised what she had said, but surprisingly Eri didn¡¯t react to the implications, only nodding.


    ¡°Well, even so, I want you to look after her more, Akio. I don¡¯t want my friends to get hurt, it makes me sad.¡±


    Friends, huh? They do seem to be getting on better since we made it back from Las Vegas. That¡¯s good, I don¡¯t want to see them fighting.


    Shaeula smiled brightly at bring called a friend, before turning back to me. ¡°So as I did-did say, the situation is in hand. The salt wards protect the shrine from their ghosts, and my Kamaitachi are conducting the defence. I felt the need for you to spoil me for a bit, master. It has been hard-hard, being away from mortal comforts so long. I demand food and drink!¡±


    Damn, I can¡¯t say no to that. It¡¯s been necessary, but I¡¯ve definitely left her to shoulder most of the burden in the Boundary. ¡°Fine. You¡¯ve missed breakfast, but I can whip you something up. There¡¯s beer and spirits in the fridge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Eri said, and with that we started preparations...


    ¡°Well done indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula praised. ¡°You managed to utilise aether, even if it was but a feeble speck.¡±


    ¡°Phrasing.¡± I chided Shaeula gently, before going over and giving Eri a hug. ¡°If you are going to praise her, do it properly. I thought you¡¯d grown out of being tsundere.¡±


    Shaeula recognised the term from anime and protested, while Eri giggled in my embrace. She reached up and kissed me, this time aggressively, the feeling of success making her bold. As she withdrew, saliva dripping from her lips, she looked at Shaeula, a complicated gleam in her eyes. ¡°I know, it was weak. Compared to you or Akio... I¡¯m still pathetic. But I won¡¯t be beaten, I won¡¯t stop, until I¡¯m strong. But thank you. I can feel warmth within me, and it hurts less. If you continue to guide me, then...¡± she blushed. ¡°... then Akio and I can be together. So thank you, Shaeula. I mean it, I do.¡±


    Shaeula turned away, flushing and embarrassed herself. ¡°Bah, think nothing of it-it. I promised you, did I not, during our talk? Together, the world will be far more fun-fun.¡±


    Good sentiments, and very cute as always. Still, I¡¯m really curious as to what they talked about, the atmosphere has changed. Before I could ask, a troll, armour ragged and torn, came pounding up to the shrine, frantic.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Eri choked out, stunned by the massive brute as it barrelled towards us. She burrowed into my grip, scared, but I merely murmured that it was one of ours and nothing to be scared of.


    ¡°Just what-what is the meaning of interrupting our tender moment, brute?¡± Shaeula growled, her dislike of the trolls making her harsher than usual. ¡°Akio, Eri and I were sharing a moment.¡±


    ¡°No time for whining.¡± The troll grated, acidic saliva splattering the ground. ¡°Huge army, many enemies come. From the south.¡±


    ¡°The south? Did that ghostly coward outmanoeuvre us-us?¡± Shaeula grimaced. ¡°I was sure they had suffered too many losses in our last battles to be ready so soon-soon.¡± Her angry gaze at the troll softened a little. ¡°You have done good work for once-once. Find Grulgor and bring him, we will need his strength.¡±


    Eri was in my arms, looking scared. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. But you¡¯d better get ready to return. Luckily you don¡¯t have much aether left, so...¡±


    ¡°Grul will come. Grul loves crushing weak weasels. We shall break them and eat them!¡± the troll agreed, gurgling happily.


    Wait, what? Weasels? The hell?


    Shaeula had picked up on it as well. ¡°Weasels? Are your brains rocks, fool-fool? You need to kill the orcs, not us-us!¡±


    The troll was puzzled, his small brain overtaxed. ¡°But foes come, big army, many weasels. Soon be here. We must crush them.¡±


    ¡°We need to check it out.¡± I said quickly. ¡°The troll might be confused, or...¡±


    ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Eri piped up, straining to hear. ¡°I can hear... music?¡±


    ¡°I hear it too.¡± Shaeula agreed, nodding. ¡°It seems rather... familiar. And it comes closer. We have no-no barrier to stop intruders...¡±


    The sound of drums, flutes, harps, horns and other such instruments was growing ever louder, playing a melancholy tune that was ethereal, unearthly. It was accompanied by the sound of many feet striking the ground, a host vaster than the orc attacks we had suffered previously.


    ¡°Will you be able to fight them?¡± Eri asked, shaking with fear. I squeezed her reassuringly and put on my bravest grin. Beside us Shaeula also struck a noble pose, looking heroic and battle-ready. ¡°Have no fear, we shall defend our Territory until the last.¡± She said proudly. ¡°My master and I have invested too much to let anyone take it from us-us.¡±


    ¡°Well said. Although...¡± I looked at my fiance?e, trying to be the epitome of calm. ¡°... we won¡¯t die for it. if the odds are impossible, we¡¯ll run away and start again. It¡¯ll hurt, but...¡±


    ¡°...but you¡¯ll have me and Aiko to help you.¡± Eri finished, nodding. ¡°Just promise me, no foolish heroics, okay? This isn¡¯t like that time with the dog...¡±


    ¡°This moment is touching indeed, and I feel the love-love you have for each other, but they are here.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°Now let us see our foe...¡±


    A great force had penetrated our lands, heading for the centre. Several dozen musicians were playing instruments as they marched at the front, followed by scores of archers, spearmen, armoured warriors, what looked like mages, carrying staves and wearing robes, and other stranger forces. At the centre was a palanquin being carried on the shoulders of burly guards. Seated there was two figures, one black-furred and green eyed, a great bow slung over one shoulder, the other white-furred and blue eyed, carrying an ornate staff topped with glittering jewels.


    What in the world? Before any of us could speak, the black-furred one gestured, and several musicians blew their horns, raising a deafening racket. He then called out, his voice loud across our Territory. ¡°Little sister, little sister, where are you? Why will you not come to greet-greet your brother? I have come to see you, I was worried about you! Little sister, answer me! Don¡¯t keep-keep your brother waiting!¡±


    Shaeula froze. ¡°Brother Shaeraggo?¡± she called out uncertainly, her face cramping.


    Well, this was unexpected...

 One Hundred And Thirty-Three

    One Hundred And Thirty-Three


    ¡°Brother Shaeraggo?¡± Shaeula¡¯s uncertain words were quiet, yet somehow echoed across the Territory. On the palanquin the black-furred weaselkin perked up, his gaze searching.


    ¡°Little sister, thank the King and Queen! Your brother has come to see you! Will you come and greet me?¡±


    ¡°So... not an invasion then?¡± I asked Shaeula, whose face was running through a rapid gamut of expressions, from worry, to uncertainty, to resignation.


    ¡°You know I was banished here, with few retainers and less-less safety.¡± She said quietly, ignoring the cries of her brother as he sought her out. ¡°My siblings tried to persuade my father to refuse, but I now understand why he could not-not. Still...¡± she bit her lip nervously. ¡°... if my brother is here because things have changed back at the Seelie Court, or if he has come in secret, disobeying our-our father over the need to protect me...¡± she sighed bitterly. ¡°... either way, it is not-not good for us.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Eri asked. The vast host trampling across our Territory no longer terrified her as much, now she realised they were led by Shaeula¡¯s brother, but she was still wary, the unusual situation more than she could process quickly. ¡°It sounds like he cares a lot for you.¡±


    Shaeula conceded the point. ¡°True, he and my sister are the most ... oppressive... in their care-care. But remember but a few hours ago, you chastised Akio for not respecting your will-will and not allowing you to pursue what you must-must. Well compared to Akio here...¡± she rolled her amber eyes, annoyed. ¡°... Brother Shaeraggo would keep me locked away with only my maids for company, and treat me as but-but a child for all eternity.¡±


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t you talk to him? He might understand like Akio did.¡± Eri asked, ¡°Maybe... I mean, I could... talk to him... for you if it would... help...¡± She stumbled over her words, clearly frightened at the prospect, yet willing to assist her friend.


    She shook her head in response. ¡°I could not ask you to do such for my sake, though I appreciate the gesture.¡± She reached out and placed her hand on Eri¡¯s lower body, eyes gleaming as she recharged her aether.


    ¡°What are you doing? Eri should...¡± I began, before stopping myself. ¡°No, wait, I get it. Eri can make the decision whether she wants to go herself, since as of yet, there is no danger. Sorry Eri.¡± I apologised, earning a brilliant smile that cut through her fears in return.


    ¡°See, if Akio can learn, maybe your brother can.¡± Eri laughed a little, feeling the spreading warmth all through her body. She winced as her half-formed network processed the energy, but she was unwilling to retreat, not and leave Shaeula and Akio alone to deal with Shaeraggo.


    ¡°Even so, when Shaeula or I tell you it¡¯s time to return, you don¡¯t hesitate.¡± I warned, and she nodded agreement.


    ¡°Little sister, why will you not show yourself? Shaeula, come forth!¡± Shaeraggo¡¯s forces had reached the foot of the hill, where several weaselkin were waiting, nervous and unsure of how to handle the situation. His army formed up into glittering ranks of well-drilled soldiers, many hundreds strong, musicians on one side, mages on the other. The palanquin was lowered, and Shaeraggo descended. He was bigger than Shaeula, as tall as me in fact, and more muscular. He was followed by the white-furred... weasel? No, it¡¯s similar, but not the same. Definitely a related type of Fae, but... the build was feminine, and the glittering orange and white robes she wore paired nicely with the long twisted staff she carried, topped by matching crystals of great size.


    ¡°You stand before Shaeraggo Gul Shae Dannan, true-blood royal of the Seelie. Show respect before your betters and kneel-kneel.¡± At his regal tone, the weaselkin dropped to the ground, heads bowed. At this he was satisfied, and he once more shouted. ¡°Shaeula, my dear little sister, come forth and let me see you! Oh how I have missed you. It pained me to allow you to come to such-such a dangerous place, but have no fear, your steadfast brother will...¡±


    Shaeula sighed again, strength leaving her. ¡°We can-can delay this no longer.¡± She gestured to her Kamaitachi, as well as the White Snake kami, organising them into a welcoming committee. ¡°We must deal with him. Eri, stay amidst our forces and do not-not draw his attention. Be vigilant and flee to the Material should you sense any danger. Now go and bring him to us-us.¡± She finished, sending one of the Kamaitachi down the stairs.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    I grabbed Shaeula¡¯s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Eri looked away unhappily, but said nothing. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. Together we¡¯ve faced many tough foes. This is family. It might be annoying, but what is the worst that can happen? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to attack us.¡±


    Shaeula looked away, and I suddenly had a very bad feeling about what was to come. The Kamaitachi reached the bottom of the hill and bowed to Shaeraggo. ¡°Welcome, noble brother of my mistress. If you-you could follow me, I shall take you to the princess.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, one of her mother¡¯s kin.¡± Shaeraggo nodded excitedly. ¡°Very well, I shall come-come. I expect my little sister is preparing a suitable welcome for me. No doubt her clear amber eyes are weeping crystal drops of joy at the thought of seeing her dear-dear brother again.¡± He turned to the white-furred mage. ¡°You shall come with me of course. You must simply meet my little sister. As for who else...¡± his gaze strayed over his forces. ¡°We must simply have music. Tillyae, bring several of your best.¡±


    A female weaselkin with muddy brown fur nodded, gathering several to accompany her. As they formed up, Shaeraggo turned to the imposing leader of his armed forces, a massive two and a half metre tall humanoid badger, who was wearing a golden breastplate, greaves and armguards, as well as carrying many weapons, a spear, great sword, axe, mace and more... ¡°Ulfuric, I expect no trouble, but...¡± he wrinkled his nose. ¡°This place reeks of unclean and slithering things. Most-most disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Your will, my prince.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, his deep voice seeming to shake the very ground.


    With the selection made, Shaeraggo and his retinue began to ascend the steps, and I could feel Shaeula¡¯s hand trembling in mine as we watched their climb.


    ¡°So vulgar. I do not remember you being this way-way. This human has corrupted you. You are blinded by him. If I remove the problem, then you can go back to being my little sister we all adore. You are too weak to be all alone out here-here. We tried to stop father, but...¡±


    ¡°But you did not-not.¡± She snarled. ¡°I do not-not blame you, the politics of the Seelie Court is poisonous, and I made myself an easy target for the enemies of our father. Still, my death was certain. Our enemies made their move. I was alone, with few allies, surrounded by those that would slay me-me. And then you dare... you have the sheer nerve... to come and threaten the one who saved me-me, who has shared Three Oaths and Three Boons... the one who has captured my heart... saying we tried to stop father... words-words are nothing, my heart sees only deeds.¡±


    Eri¡¯s gaze was boring into Shaeula, and her hands were balled into fists, thin rivulets of blood trickling between her tightly clenched fingers. I understood what she must be feeling. That¡¯s definitely a love confession. But... she knows I have Eri... but I know she loves me too, I¡¯m not so dense to be able to ignore her words and actions up until now. Ugh... is there any way to resolve this without anyone getting hurt? But this isn¡¯t the time...


    ¡°Akio is the only one who will stand at my side. I am a female, my brother, proud and resolute in the male of my-my choosing. I would hope that you can accept that. For when the etheric tides blow in, I shall choose him over you-you.¡±


    Oh gods. That was pretty much the worst thing you could have said. I may joke about being a siscon at times, and sure, I¡¯m closer to Aiko than many brothers are to their sisters, but I know she needs to live her own life, find love... but Shaeraggo... he¡¯s... uh, well, damn, I¡¯ve only seen such hardcore love for one¡¯s sister in manga and anime...


    There was silence, everyone waiting for his response. Beside him, the white-furred female was patting his shoulder, muttering reassuring words. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be enough though...


    ¡°This will not stand!¡± he roared suddenly, snatching his bow free. ¡°Little sister, you have been blinded, and only I can set you free from this ... this mortal incubus who has toyed with your pure heart and soul!¡± he turned to his allies. ¡°Tillyae, prepare Song of Woe. Ulfuric, take down this usurper. I shall slay all these others, including the worthless-worthless weasels who have failed my sister in her time of need. She does not-not require such useless retainers.¡± He smiled at Shaeula then, though the expression chilled me to the bone, as his smile was grim, and his jade eyes were filled with chaos. ¡°Fear not, my little sister. One day you will thank me for this-this. I cannot take you back to the Seelie Court, you were right, I cannot show you that deed, but I shall hide you somewhere safe, until the storm in the Seelie Court passes.¡± He turned to the white-furred mage. ¡°Selensha, my love. Use your waters to render my sister into merciful dreams. When she awakes, all this-this will be but a bad memory, to be forgotten.¡±


    My love? So... she¡¯s with him huh? No, not the time for that. My gaze strayed to Eri once more, and I was ready to give her the order to return to the Material. This open warzone that was about to break out was no place for her. I¡¯m not even sure Shaeula and I can get out of this. If we... if we are to fall here, I¡¯ll be damned if Eri perishes with us... I took a ready stance opposite Ulfuric, though he made no move, merely watching me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea. We should talk things...¡± the mage began, when fighting also started down below. Horns were blown, drums were beaten and the clash of steel on steel could be heard.


    ¡°You see, my love, the treacherous scum are attacking our troops below as well. This mortal has no honour or pride-pride.¡± Shaeraggo gazed down at his bow with his bright eyes, and suddenly an arrow of sharp, swirling winds was nocked, ready to be unleashed. One of his weaselkin reached the top of the steps, winded, blood trailing down one side of his furred face. ¡°Trolls are attacking. It¡¯s Grulgor! Though he wears some powerful armour, our weapons are-are ineffective!¡±


    ¡°You see?¡± Shaeraggo spat. ¡°Open your eyes my dear sister! This mortal is allied with the foul minions of Duke Formor! All that awaits you with him is misery and death. What are you waiting for? Ulfuric, Selensha, we must act now!¡± he pointed his bow at my forces, the arrow aimed at the White Snake kami and Eri, who was sheltering behind them. ¡°Once these are dead, I shall engage Grulgor, and this time he will perish! My father will be most-most pleased!¡±


    I don¡¯t want to fight Shaeraggo, not just because it looks like a fight I¡¯ll lose, but because he is Shaeula¡¯s brother, and even though he seems to be a total moron, I can tell from previous times she has mentioned her siblings that she has fondness for them. Still... no way I¡¯ll let Eri and the others suffer and die... I made ready to leap at him, to deflect the path of the arrow if nothing else, but as I did so something must have given me away, as Ulfuric took one step to the side, neatly cutting off my path of attack.


    ¡°I fear you shall not succeed. Prince Shaeraggo shall not be halted by you. Though I commend your bravery. I shall give you an honourable death.¡± Ulfuric raised his spear, the cruel point glittering green under the glow of the arrow.


    Damn, damn, damn. Think. In only moments this whole place will go to hell, and even if we win we still lose...


    ¡°I SAID ENOUGH! EVERYONE PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS! ARE YOU ALL-ALL FOOLS? I AM A PRINCESS OF THE SEELIE! SHAEULA TU SHAE DANNAN, TRUE DAUGHTER OF PRINCE SHAETANAO GAR SHAE DANNAN! UNDER THE OLDEST WAYS-WAYS, I CHALLENGE YOU, MY BROTHER, ON BEHALF OF MY MASTER, MY BELOVED, OSHIRO MOONSTONE AKIO, TO A TRIAL OF THREE! SHAERAGGO GUL SHAE DANNAN, I DEMAND YOUR ANSWER, AS A PRINCE AND MY NOBLE YET OVERBEARING BROTHER. DARE YOU IGNORE THE WAYS-WAYS OF THE KING AND QUEEN? WHAT SAY YOU, BROTHER MINE?¡±


    Once more Shaeula¡¯s voice exploded outwards, carried on waves of verdant wind. I stumbled backwards from the force of it, and Eri was down on her knees, covering her ears, tears streaming from her eyes. What¡¯s a Trial of Three? It has to be something big...


    Indeed, everyone had stopped moving, even Grulgor down below, the sounds of battle replaced by a loaded silence. The arrow of wind Shaeraggo was about to unleash had vanished, scattering to the skies, and his eyes were open wide, fixed on Shaeula and I. Slowly he stepped forwards, until he was standing right in front of us both.


    ¡°Is this truly what you want, little sister, vile human?¡± he asked, his tone shockingly cold. ¡°Well, it-it is too late now, either way.¡± Behind him Selensha gulped nervously, and Ulfuric looked at the heavens. The musicians had ceased playing, and were waiting like everyone else. ¡°Under the oldest of ways, when the tides of the Astral were deep and mortals were little more-more than primitive animals, I accept the Trial of Three you offer. Under the moon I so swear.¡±


    Shaeula suddenly collapsed, as relief at the break in hostilities robbed her of strength. I caught her in my arms, marvelling at how light she was. She weighed less than her human form, so fragile. ¡°I thank you, brother. For accepting our challenge.¡±


    ¡°Do not thank me yet-yet.¡± He said, his tone growing softer, a bitter sigh escaping his lips. ¡°A Trial of Three is no simple matter. Both sides are duty bound to demand three things of the loser, and I fear you will regret the price you will pay-pay.¡±


    She shook her head, then climbed back to her feet, standing proud, dignified. ¡°We shall see, my dear brother. Akio and I may surprise you yet...¡±

 One Hundred And Thirty-Four

    One Hundred And Thirty-Four


    ¡°So, just what is a Trial of Three?¡± I asked Shaeula. Eri, who had come a little closer, yet was still keeping her distance, scared of Shaeraggo and the others, also expressed her interest with her eyes.


    Before Shaeula could answer Shaeraggo scoffed, his gaze still hot and full of rage. ¡°Little sister, what a fool you are staking everything on-on. To think he knows nothing of our ways. Is this truly the one you have chosen?¡±


    ¡°Why would he know-know?¡± Shaeula laughed scornfully, causing her brother to twitch in annoyance. ¡°What do you know of the mortal world-world, my brother? Still, he will learn, will you not, Akio?¡± her gaze on me was full of warmth and affection, serving only to aggravate Shaeraggo further.


    I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s such a grand idea... ¡°Of course. What is important to Shaeula is important to me.¡±


    ¡°Three is a sacred number to the Fae, as you may-may have divined from the Three Oaths and Three Boons.¡± Shaeula began explaining. ¡°And just as the Boons and Oaths are intertwined with our very natures, our souls-souls, so is the right to challenge a Fae in times of desperation. Three riddles, three challengers... many Faerie tales in the lands the Seelie Court has passed through are still told-told, are they not? I believe there is even a famous one concerning a troll.¡±


    Yeah, Three Billy Goats Gruff. I remember my mom telling Aiko that one when she was young. ¡°I see, so just what will the challenge be? I¡¯m pretty bad at riddles you know...¡±


    ¡°Oh, it shall not be so... kind.¡± Shaeraggo snapped. ¡°But before we select the Trials, first we must agree the Three prices the losers must pay-pay. For my first, I demand that you sever your Oaths with this vile mortal, my little sister. You shall both do so willingly.¡±


    ¡°So cruel, my brother. You know that if we were to abandon our Oaths and Boons, never-never again could we restore them. Do you wish to separate me from Akio so greatly that you would even force me to abandon my pride and forfeit pledges I have sworn on my honour as a princess, no, even as a female?¡±


    ¡°I will not be moved by your pleas, little sister. Our father and our other brothers and sister would say-say the same. Oaths and Boons are not to be sworn carelessly, you are too-too young for such commitments.¡± He glared at me, jade eyes furious. ¡°Agree to the terms, then state your first price-price. No doubt you wish for the many treasures of the Seelie, or an extension to your pitiful lifespan. All mortals are the same, greedy and corrupt.¡±


    Well, I¡¯ve heard in tales that the Fae treasures are just glittery baubles of little value, fools¡¯ gold. As for lifespan... if they can grant it... nah, without those you love also living long, what point is there in it? Besides, I know what we need most of all...


    At the mention of longer lifespan I noticed Eri looking downcast, and Shaeula was also smiling a bit guiltily. Not sure what that is about, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Shaeraggo was watching me, still waiting, and so I made my choice, giving Shaeula¡¯s hand another squeeze, earning his ire.


    ¡°Our price is that you won¡¯t be able to tell anyone what happened here, or where Shaeula is.¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable!¡± he spat. ¡°I cannot agree to such a price.¡±


    Shaeula understood why I had asked, and she took up the mantle of convincing him. ¡°Do not-not be such a fool brother mine, you are ruining what good impression of you I have-have remaining.¡± Her words were scathing, but she was right, hence why I asked for this price. Without it, any other reward would be worthless to us. ¡°If you do not-not agree such a price, then even when we win you shall simply tell my sister or brothers, and we will have to face this all over again-again. No, you must agree, else we shall battle you here and now-now, and you can lament over my grave-grave, for Akio and I shall not be halted until death claims us.¡±


    I nodded, giving her my full agreement and support. I have no intention of dying, but... the promises I had made Shaeula, the Pledges, they were as important to me as the oath I had made with Eri, that of requesting her to marry me. I could be a bit flighty and immature at times, but when I gave my word, I kept it.


    ¡°It is far from my place to speak here.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, surprising everyone. ¡°But your sister¡¯s resolve is praiseworthy. She has grown much in a short time, perhaps despite all odds this exile has been good for her? I feel you can compromise, my prince.¡±


    Beside him, Selensha was nodding. ¡°Your sister may have angered you, but you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t show some leniency here. After all, weren¡¯t you looking forward to seeing your little sister again after so long apart?¡±


    Shaeraggo grunted, conceding the point. His gaze softened a little, before once more seeing us holding hands. ¡°Bah, three of your human moons. That is all I can allow. There is no way-way you can win, but even so... three moons. Do we have agreement?¡±


    ¡°Thank you brother.¡± Shaeula smiled at him genuinely for the first time, which paused his aggression. ¡°That will satisfy us, will it not, Akio?¡±


    So a moon... I guess that means twenty-eight days on the Material... so eighty-four days. Our Territory will be functional then, and we¡¯ll have time to add key facilities and defences so... I guess it¡¯ll do. ¡°We have an agreement then.¡±


    Down below at the foot of the mountain a sudden bout of angry bellowing could be heard, with the clash of metal on metal and the discordant sound of instruments. I guess Grulgor is acting up again.


    Shaeraggo had come to the same conclusion. ¡°Ulfuric, go and put an end to Grulgor and his trolls. Sending his head to Duke Formor as a warning not to threaten my dear sister will-will prove most satisfying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do stop worrying. Akio, go and fetch him and his trolls. We can not-not have them causing strife while we agree the terms of the Trials.¡± At her words I headed down the steps at a rush, once more admiring the large host that Shaeraggo had brought. They were armed with many weapons of what seemed like silver, bronze and other more esoteric metals. Not much iron or steel to be seen. The chaos down below was a melee, with Grulgor swinging his massive mace, yet his movements seemed slow, ponderous, and the weaselkin were keeping him at bay, though they could not breach his massive steel armour.


    ¡°All right, Grulgor, enough. Stop fighting. We are not enemies.¡± Not yet, and if we win, not ever, I hope... ¡°Come with me up to the shrine, all right?¡±


    ¡°Grul smash these puny weasels. Grul can do it!¡± he growled, but again I talked him down. I also addressed the forces of Shaeraggo, advising them that we were currently negotiating the prices of the Trial of Three. With a growl Grulgor shouldered his mace, and followed me back up the stairs, accompanied by several of his trolls.


    ¡°... cannot believe you managed to defeat Grulgor and bind him-him under Three Oaths and Boons.¡± Shaeraggo was listening to Shaeula¡¯s explanation, surprised. ¡°This mortal is dangerous indeed, but if you speak true, he did save your life. For that, if nothing else, he has my gratitude.¡± His tone held a tiny trace of respect. ¡°Still, this cannot stand! Duke Formor must be held to account, it is clearly treason against us to send Grulgor here to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Feel free to protest to him, brother of mine.¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°He will not tell of what has happened here, so it would not-not be violating the price.¡±


    Grulgor stomped past Shaeraggo, spitting angrily, his spittle burning the ground. Eri backed away from the massive mountain of rage, sidling closer to me and Shaeula.


    ¡°You may have matured a little, but you are still as prideful as ever-ever.¡± He sighed. ¡°Set what price you will, for the victory shall be mine. For my second price...¡± we waited for what he would ask for.


    ¡°... I have prepared a mansion hidden on the edges of the Fae realm. I had-had intended to bring you there to hide you until such time as you could return safety to the Seelie Court.¡± He continued. ¡°The second price is that you shall come to the mansion and remain there until I give you leave-leave to vacate it. Have no worries, it is a comfortable place, one you shall find has no lack of comforts. Servants, music, banquets, you shall have them all-all, like you used to!¡±


    Shaeula beamed at her, as if she had heard something wonderful. She turned to go, but Eri grabbed the sleeve of her yukata, gripping tightly, and her expression had changed, to one of jealousy. Shaeula swallowed softly, eyes wide.


    ¡°... ... this about defiled... ... indecent... cheating on me? Well, tell me?¡±


    Ugh, Eri is really, REALLY mad. We really haven¡¯t done anything to be ashamed of though, I swear!


    Shaeula said something back, I think it might have been along the lines of ¡°to save her life¡± but she continued to speak, and Eri finally nodded, releasing her arm.


    ¡°... trust you... still doesn¡¯t make me happy... but... ... ... never want you to die, so I forgive...¡±


    They exchanged a hug, and Shaeula came back over. Her brother was clearly curious, but before he could ask about Eri, Shaeula spoke. ¡°Very well brother. Your terms are harsh, but we can accept them-them. Assuming you can meet my price of course?¡±


    Seems like Shaeula has a plan. I can leave it to her then. I want to know what she talked about with Eri, but I also don¡¯t want to at the same time...


    ¡°Akio was wise when he demanded I receive my due in terms of subordinates. I shall follow his lead. I wish for my fair-fair share of the treasures of our family.¡±


    At her words Shaeraggo was puzzled for a moment, before erupting in anger again. ¡°So the mortal brat does wish for our wealth! How base, putting my sister up to begging for hi...¡± he was halted by Selensha, who gently bonked his head with the heavy crystal staff she carried.


    ¡°Listen to your sister, please. Don¡¯t let your fancies run away with you. it¡¯s a bad habit of yours, my husband. She doesn¡¯t seem like she is under any duress. As one in love, I can recognise the same in her eyes.¡±


    ¡°My foolish brother seems to have chosen his female wisely.¡± Shaeula remarked. ¡°You would do well to listen to her-her. I am not-not talking about the trash that we used to fool mortals with, or trinkets with no value other than looking pretty. Akio can give me as much of that as I wish for-for.¡± She seemed proud for some reason. She gestured to one of her Kamaitachi, who hurried off. ¡°No, we need items of power, so I request my share of the treasures such as weapons, wonderous items of providence, and also...¡± the Kamaitachi hurried back. Carrying an Etherite, shining red in his paws.


    ¡°... these. As many as you can spare.¡± She took the Etherite and showed him. ¡°Green and Blue ones would please me most-most, but I shall take any and all that can be given.¡±


    ¡°I see. The vault is full of such-such. I can concede them, but...¡± Shaeraggo turned to look at his wife, who gave us a searching look.


    ¡°We use these stones of concentrated ether to work certain arts and they can be used to strengthen equipment. While many of them rest in our stores, awaiting times of war when they are used in abundance, even now in times of peace we still use them to fortify wards and repair artefacts. As such, you can¡¯t have them all.¡±


    ¡°I merely wish for my fair share.¡± Shaeula reiterated. ¡°Also, this talk of strengthening items intrigues me-me. You should throw in someone versed in such arts-arts to teach Akio and me. It would be but for... let us see. Three mortal moons. That works with your first price, does it not-not?¡±


    ¡°I can accept the pri...¡± Shaeraggo began, but Shaeula cut him off.


    ¡°Wait my brother, wait. You are an archer, are you not-not, and one of some renown?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He puffed up pridefully, displaying his silver bow. ¡°I am-am one of the greatest hunters of the Seelie Court. You know this. What of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, you have many worthy bows in your collection, I remember you showing them to me when I was younger, not-not that I had much interest at the time, hunting is such a foolish pursuit...¡±


    Ouch, sick burn. That¡¯s like my sister calling all my manga, anime and figurines ¡®otaku crap¡¯. It kind of hurts...


    ¡°You wound me, little sister, though I cannot expect you to understand the thrill-thrill of the hunt, for that is the purview of males. But what of it-it?¡±


    ¡°I need you to include a bow for someone of this size, with a reach like so...¡± she gestured with her arms, sketching out someone¡¯s size. Is that... Aiko? It must be...


    ¡°Make sure it is one of your finest, I will not-not accept anything less.¡± She finished.


    ¡°To ask for my bows, which I cherish as my prized possessions.... You have grown bold indeed, and were you not my adorable sister, I would strike you down-down.¡± He said grimly. ¡°Your attitude requires much correction, when you are in the mansion I have prepared for you, we will have-have ample time to recover the closeness we shared.¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes, if you say so, my big brother.¡± She did not back down. ¡°But do you accept our price?¡±


    ¡°I accept your final price. So, all is agreed. I so pledge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, all terms are agreed. You must also pledge agreement, Akio, since I challenged on your-your behalf.¡±


    ¡°I agree all the terms. I pledge this.¡± I said, and when I did, that nauseating, uncomfortable feeling of something ill-omened moving closer to us in the future returned, stronger than ever, as if we had just taken another step towards it...


    Ominous. Hopefully this wasn¡¯t a mistake. No, I trust Shaeula, and if she thinks this is the best way...


    ¡°So, what are the challenges we shall be undertaking? I guess we have to agree those too?¡±


    ¡°We do indeed.¡± Shaeraggo grinned savagely, and I took a step back involuntarily at the wild glee he showed. ¡°Yet the challenged party has more say... so, my sister, foolish mortal scum, shall we... agree?¡±

 One Hundred And Thirty-Five

    One Hundred And Thirty-Five


    ¡°My Selensha is truly a talented wielder of the water element, as well-well as being well-versed in many unique Fae magics.¡± Shaeraggo bragged. ¡°She is also one of the finest healers in the Court. She was even called to see the King once, though she cannot talk about it-it.¡±


    ¡°That is very impressive, sister-in-law.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I daresay that Akio would be fascinated to learn of your-your insights into water. He is quite the wielder of the elements himself.¡± Not to be outdone, she bragged back about her own partner, even if I wasn¡¯t her romantic match, despite her words.


    ¡°Never. I will not have Selensha tainted by this disgusting beast who has stolen your good sense-sense.¡± Shaeraggo spat, before forcing himself to calm down, a predatory glint in his eyes. ¡°No, that does not matter right now. The reason I mention this-this, is that one art she knows is a water barrier, Moonlight Mist Realm. It is... quite specialised, more a work of-of wonder, rather than being practical. Perhaps you have heard of it, my little sister?¡±


    ¡°I can not-not say I have. What is your point, my brother? Surely you have one?¡±


    He does. Selensha looks uncomfortable, as does Ulfuric. I¡¯m hardly the expert on Fae facial expressions, but I¡¯m sure I can see resignation in his gaze.


    ¡°Moonlight Mist Realm creates a space where those Fae who agree a pledge to the spirits of mist and water Selensha calls upon-upon will become as a fog, real, yet not. While what happens within feels as one would expect, sensations and feelings reproduced, that is not the case. When the veil of mist lifts, much harm is undone, that which happened under the fog vanishing as mist under a gentle breeze. Though not all-all, of course...¡±


    Wow, that sounds a really powerful skill, but with the drawback being you have to agree it, it can¡¯t be used in battle to defeat an opponent. At least I think it couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°That sounds far-far too mighty, how-how could we ever lose to the Unseelie with such magic?¡± Shaeula was also sceptical.


    ¡°Well, the Moonlight Mist Realm only works if everyone within pledges, else the spirits will not manifest their arts.¡± Selensha explained. ¡°So it is mostly used for training, or...¡±


    ¡°... or Trials of Three.¡± Shaeraggo finished, pleased. ¡°Anyone should be able to use the barrier, though those who are not Fae would not benefit from its protection. Still, I am sure that any male you chose would not be so cowardly as to abandon you because of the risk of death.¡±


    Bastard. No, I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°So, trial by combat then it seems. Well, I guess I¡¯m no good at riddles, so...¡±


    ¡°Wait, why would you go so far, brother? You know I will not-not allow you to kill Akio, for...¡±


    ¡°Enough my sister. I have no intention of killing him... though accidents do happen.¡±


    ¡°The Mist isn¡¯t infallible.¡± Selensha said worriedly. ¡°Even those Fae under protection, never mind still feeling the pain and damage until the barrier is dispelled, if they take critical damage or too much at once, then the spirits can fail to prevent it. If injured repeatedly and excessively, the barrier can also be bypassed. I can heal those who survive, but...¡±


    ¡°So, everyone shoulders fair risk.¡± Shaeraggo finished for her. Selensha shook her head, aqua eyes downcast.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.come more than others perhaps, but you challenged me. If I had my way-way, little sister, I would have crushed this feeble Territory and all your worthless followers, killed this mortal and took you home by force. When a child errs, one must correct them-them after all. Instead, you brought us to this. So it is only right that the challenger, your... Akio...¡± he spat, as if the name itself was filth. ¡°... shoulders the greater challenge.¡±


    I pulled Shaeula into a hug, not caring that it would make him angrier. ¡°He¡¯s right you know. It may be a way of the Fae, but we have a chance to win, whereas if we faced all of his forces head on...¡± we looked out across the ranks of his forces. ¡°... well, I wasn¡¯t confident.¡±


    ¡°If you accept it, I shall too. So, speak, my brother. What battles will you have us fight?¡±


    ¡°Such loyal followers. You see, you have nothing to fear.¡± Shaeraggo was delighted. ¡°I shall give them a chance to redeem themselves for their failures in your care-care. I and this mortal shall not compete, and obviously Selensha is needed to wield the barrier and heal afterwards... I am also not without mercy, so I shall limit the forces I send against you. I would not wish to tire you, my love. Such barrier magic is harsh indeed.¡±


    As he flirted with his wife, Shaeula and I discussed our options. ¡°We have Grulgor, and his armour is quite powerful. A Fae of old bloodline would never-never be able to wear such a suit, for weakness to iron is in the blood. Newcomers inducted to the Seelie Court over time have less of the old vulnerabilities. With him we have a chance, for he can match Ulfuric, and we have his trolls too...¡±


    ¡°Still, you¡¯ll be massively outnumbered...¡± I warned. ¡°And you¡¯ll be tired from your previous battle.¡± Assuming you aren¡¯t even too hurt to fight. No, I won¡¯t dwell on the worst-case scenarios. I¡¯ll have faith in you, just like you do in me.


    ¡°Did you forget?¡± She pulled out her pinwheels. ¡°Numbers mean nothing to us. I shall-shall mow them down until we are victorious. And I must, because...¡± her amber eyes were wavering, and I could see that her bravado was a front to push down her fears. ¡°... if the final Trial is as I fear, I need to win-win, before you face him...¡±


    As if waiting for her words, Shaeraggo spoke. ¡°And so, the final Trial. A fitting clash between the mortal snake who has deceived, despoiled and deluded my precious little sister, and her noble big brother, who will crush-crush him underfoot and retrieve her.¡±


    ¡°I must win our first two Trials, for my brother may be arrogant indeed, but-but he is a mighty hunter, that is no lie. He is blessed with mystic eyes, those that can-can see and control the wind, and his skills with the bow are great. I know you are powerful, I have seen-seen your growth, but still you fall short of my brother in skill at arms. Should you face him, especially without the grace of this Mist barrier.... I fear my brother will...¡±


    ¡°Your big brother will fight fairly, as a true noble prince of the Seelie.¡± Shaeraggo spoke. ¡°As I told-told you, my dear sister, I shall not set out to kill this mortal, much as I would wish to-to. However, if he proves a weakling, and my arrows take his life... well, blame his misfortune for daring to defile you.¡± he turned to me then, and as if daring me to back down, he strode forwards, until we were almost touching, his green eyes boring into mine.


    ¡°My sister insists you are her male, and a good, strong, brave one at that...¡± his face twisted sourly at the words he was speaking. ¡°... so surely you will not disgrace her and you-you, by backing down. Should you do so, all agreements are void, and I will take back my sister here and now-now. Make your choice, mortal.¡±


    ¡°Choice? There isn¡¯t a choice.¡± No, not if I¡¯m to stay true to myself. I could feel a phantom ache in the faint scars the dog had left on me that day, long ago. Now it was Shaeula that was being menaced, her brother scheming to snatch away her freedom, through well-intentioned but ruinous foolishness. And just as I stood up to protect Aiko and Eri then, those precious to me, I would stand in front of the arrows of her brother to protect Shaeula, even if my body was pierced, my blood spilled, I would never give in!


    ¡°We accept your Trials. Though let me make one further proposal, in the way of mortals, not the Fae.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I shall humour you, since you have so-so bravely pledged to face my arrows, assuming of course that my little sister can even manage to win one Trial beforehand.¡±


    Arrogant shit. We¡¯ll see who laughs last. ¡°Well in the human way, how about a wager? If I can defeat you, then you have to accept that I am worthy to stand by Shaeula¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Laughable. To think you were that foolish. So if I defeat you, then what?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I lose, I¡¯ll never see Shaeula again, which is punishment enough. But... let me see... before you cripple my Astral body, whatever that entails, I¡¯ll get down and grovel before you, making myself the wretched vile mortal you claim me to be.¡±


    ¡°Akio, I can not-not let you lose your dignity...¡± Shaeula began, as Eri also shouted her denials, but I silenced them both with a raised hand.


    ¡°Sorry girls. This is a wager between men. So, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Bah, for a second there-there I almost found myself respecting you. Very well. I shall enjoy seeing you kiss my feet. It is decided then. I also accept the Trials.¡±


    ¡°I accept the Trials.¡± Shaeula said in a small voice, angered by my wager.


    She doesn¡¯t understand. If I lose, my pride is worthless anyway. It¡¯ll hurt, Eri seeing me that way, and she may even lose all respect for me, may even stop loving me, but if I fail Shaeula, maybe I deserve such a fate. No, who am I kidding, Eri will still stand by me, she¡¯s too good for me... but pride cuts both ways. If I win, and we can get Shaeraggo to at least accept me as her ally...


    ¡°Very well then. Selensha, my dear wife, please prepare the Moonlight Mist Realm. Ulfuric, my little sister. Prepare yourselves. Under the old ways of the Fae, we shall compete to see which of us is right and worthy of the price paid...¡±

 Side Thirty-Four – Mori Eri

    Side Thirty-Four ¨C Mori Eri


    The scene in front of me was incredible. It was one thing when I was taken by Akio to this strange place when we were in Las Vegas, but then there was only the deserts and nasty giant scorpions. Here there was... well... how could I even explain it?


    ¡°Come forth, spirits of water who serve the King of all the Seelie, Monarch of the Fae!¡± the strange white-furred ... person... Selensha, I think it was... was chanting rhythmically, voice pitched with strange cadences. Swirls of orange light were circling around Shaeula, who was standing proudly at the centre of the surrounding crowd. Next to her was a very intimidating opponent, who was well-armed and muscular. He¡¯s like a badger. Quite often they could be seen in the mountains, though I had always stayed away from them, as they could be aggressive. Aiko had a picture book with talking animals in it, her mother had given it her as a child. And the badger in that looked a lot like this one, though... Far less terrifying. His armour is glittering gold under the light, and he has a lot of weapons...I swallowed nervously, my hands sweaty.


    ¡°Swear to the spirits, that you shall accept their benevolence, that you may battle in the dream of the mist under the moon...¡± Selensha continued, her husband, Shaeula¡¯s brother, looking on pridefully.


    Shaeula wasn¡¯t lying when she said her family had multiple wives... Still, that wasn¡¯t important, what did matter was that he was really scary. Not his appearance, as that was more strange, maybe even a little comical, but his... his intensity, his anger. When his glare had caught her, his green eyes piercing, she had cowered, hating herself a little for it. But Akio... he had met him head-on, not backing down an inch. Shaeula too.


    As Shaeula and the badger Ulfuric both said their vows, the orange lights intensified, and a great billow of mist blew down from the skies above, blanketing the field momentarily. I shivered again, from the cloying damp sensation as well as fear of this unknown situation and the aggression directed at us I was hardly used to. It was then I felt the warm touch of a hand in mine. I turned, to see Akio looking at me, concern in his gaze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here with you. Whatever happens, you¡¯ll be safe. Besides, Shaeula taught you how to expel your aether in a flash, right?¡± He said, his smile kind, and my heart skipped a beat, as it seemed to be doing more often as I spent longer with him.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said slowly. ¡°But... I don¡¯t understand. Why does Shaeula, do you...¡± the thought of Akio having to grovel before that unpleasant brute that was Shaeula¡¯s rude brother made me mad, my stomach aching fiercely. But even worse was the thought of them getting hurt. I didn¡¯t have many friends, but I couldn¡¯t lie to myself. Shaeula was one, and a better friend than I deserved. If only she didn¡¯t love Akio too... ¡°... have to fight? Don¡¯t you want to stop this?¡± All the talk of Territory and other strange matters went over my head, it was a world apart from what I knew. I did want to know, to be a part of every aspect of Akio¡¯s life from now on, but if at every turn was danger... ¡°I worry Shaeula is going to get hurt or worse. I mean, look at him!¡±


    His hand tightened on mine, and I followed his line of sight, to Shaeula, who was exchanging words with Selensha and Ulfuric, her expression relaxed. Though I know her better than that I think. Her posture was stiff, betraying her nerves. My own vision strayed back to Akio, and at the complicated mixture of anxiety, pride and other emotions, I couldn¡¯t help but lean in close to share my own meagre warmth in return.


    ¡°Oh, of course I don¡¯t want Shaeula to fight. But this is something she believes in. I didn¡¯t want you to come to the Boundary today either, did I? But didn¡¯t you tell me that while you loved me, that didn¡¯t mean you had to do everything I say?¡± he forced a smile, but underneath it was pain. ¡°You were right of course, if you care about someone, you have to let them do what is important to them. Though if this was truly dangerous, I would have stopped her. This Moonlight Mist Realm means that they shouldn¡¯t suffer permanent injuries, and Shaeraggo... well, no matter what I think of him, he does love his sister so wouldn¡¯t do her harm. I¡¯m sure of it...¡±


    Indeed, the black-furred weaselkin was approaching Shaeula, and I was again struck at just how adorable she looked in her true form. If she stayed like that all the time I wouldn¡¯t be threatened by her. But as a girl she¡¯s gorgeous, so pale and doll-like, with unique eyes...


    ¡°It is not too-too late, my little sister. Your insolence has no doubt been caused by this lowly thief of a mortal. When you are separated from him, you shall see the error of your ways.¡±


    Shaeula merely scoffed at him, not deigning to answer. Shaeraggo was annoyed, continuing to browbeat her. ¡°Once a Trial of Three has been agreed there can be no-no withdrawal, that is true. But you can still concede your challenges, and allow me the victory. I shall rid you of your-your corruption and we can go back to how things were. Do you not miss us, your siblings? Why stay here away from the glories of the Court?¡±


    Uhh, I think Shaeula¡¯s brother is a bit dumb. I¡¯ve heard the stories from Shaeula and even here. She can¡¯t go back yet, that¡¯s the point. I bet Aiko is glad Akio isn¡¯t that way...


    Shaeula seemed to feel the same, as she yawned ostentatiously, and I had to stifle a laugh behind my free hand.


    ¡°Oh please, brother.¡± Shaeula said when she was done taunting him. ¡°Do not-not look so foolish in front of your new wife, it shall sour her opinion of you-you, and she seems too talented to upset.¡± At her praise Selensha puffed herself up taller, and Shaeula spared her a smile. ¡°I shall never concede, not-not even if my body is broken and my soul is shattered.¡± She turned away, back to us. ¡°Akio, have faith in me. I know-know you had little wish for me to endanger myself, but this is the path I, no we, have chosen. We can not-not shy away from trials, not-not if we are to honour our Oaths and Pledges. But rest assured, I shall take as a few risks as I can.¡±


    Akio nodded, clearly choked with emotion, worry writ plain on his face, easy for me to see, as I had been watching him all these years. As he replied with words of encouragement, as much for himself and me as Shaeula, her gaze strayed to me, and her placid amber orbs seemed to peer into my very soul. She smiled, mischievously and also with trust, and I was forced to remember the words we had shared only a short while ago, hidden from Akio, and I felt my fears return, face paling, body shaking. At that Shaeula merely shook her head, signalling me to be strong.


    ¡°Are you really sure about this?¡± I had asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to end this way, not... not and lose you. Akio, he couldn¡¯t bear it either...¡± Shaeula merely patted me on the shoulder, her touch kind. Her words had then rocked me, shaking loose tears of guilt and fear. ¡°You do care greatly for Akio, you truly deserve to stand by his side. But I am just as pleased you do not-not wish me gone. I feel I now have a place in your heart as well-well.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll never wish you gone! It would wound Akio for ever. I¡¯ll comfort him as best I can, I love him, but if you are gone... it¡¯ll make him sad. To him... it isn¡¯t just me who is important!¡± After our talk on the plane I could say it. My jealously and insecurity wasn¡¯t gone, far from it, like she said, it would take time to heal slowly, but I could accept that Akio cared for others. His family, Aiko... Shaeula. And if she was to be stripped from us, then Akio would grieve. I would do my best to heal him, but compared to not suffering the pain at all, I know what I wanted for him... I had angrily dashed away my tears of weakness trying to gather my strength.


    She had nodded her approval, which somehow made me angry. ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll forgive you if only you just win! I don¡¯t want regrets!¡±


    At that she had smiled so beautifully, so full of surprise and joy. And for a moment I felt it might be all right to walk along side her, me on Akio¡¯s right, her on the left. Then the moment was gone as she turned away and I remembered something her brother had said, something disquieting. I had grabbed her yukata and brought her close, my jealously surging up as if it was rebelling against my previous wishes.


    ¡°So, do tell me, what is this about being defiled and corrupted? Have you been doing indecent things with Akio, betraying my trust and cheating on me? Well, tell me?¡± At the thought of what I had said I flushed shamefully. I was so low, getting worked up at such a crucial time, even when Shaeula had defended me when Akio had tried to refuse my request to train here. But some things were important...


    ¡°Pay that no-no mind.¡± Shaeula had said, without a trace of guilt. ¡°Yes, we shared our essences, which is considered something one would only do with those they truly trust and admire, but-but...¡± she had locked eyes with me and I could see no falsehoods, only deadly seriousness. ¡°Akio did that but-but to save my life. The flames were consuming my very being, and he poured himself within to stabilise me-me. He saved my life, and had no thoughts of intimacy. I swear on my very pride this is true.¡±


    She was no liar. I knew that. She might enjoy teasing and playing tricks, but she would not have lied to my face. I believed I meant more to her than that. She meant more to me!


    ¡°I trust you, I do, though the thought still doesn¡¯t make me happy, but I guess it might be like CPR? I¡¯m a little upset, but Akio, Aiko and I, we would never want you to die, so I forgive you both. You owe me though, all right?¡±


    She had clasped me in a warm hug then, and whispered something into my ear. ¡°I shall spend my whole life making it up to you and Akio. So have faith in me-me, and look on with eyes unclouded and see that I am worthy to stand by your side... and if not...¡±


    Even after her words I had struggled to believe, but seeing that Akio was torn as well, desperate to protect her from harm yet unwilling to trample her autonomy, and that he had learned to do that from me... there was no more time for tears. I would watch and engrave it into my heart, the bravery and pride of the woman who was my rival, but wanted to be my friend. She had said something else then too, words too painful for me to even recall right now. No, they won¡¯t come true. They can¡¯t...


    ¡°Ulfuric, you can teach my foolish little sister a hard lesson.¡± Shaeraggo was finally tired of her taunts. ¡°Do not kill her of course, or leave her scarred. She is too beautiful to be any further marred. Still, only when one is burned will they truly have appropriate fear-fear of the flame it seems.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my prince.¡± Ulfuric turned to Shaeula, bowing to her gracefully, despite his bulk. ¡°Well little princess. I remember you watching your sister and brothers spar with me in the courtyard of your father¡¯s castle. You had quite the attitude even then. It is both a relief and a shame to see you have changed little due to your hardships.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have changed much-much.¡± She disagreed. ¡°But I remember those times fondly, Master Ulfuric. You looked very dashing in your armour of gold-gold, wielding many weapons with ease. You used to carry me on your shoulders when I asked and none of my maids-maids were looking, as I recall. Fond memories. Alas now, I have precious memories I treasure far more. So I shall show you just what changes these hardships have brought to me-me.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I applaud your courage. It truly befits the daughter of Prince Shaetanao, and your noble mother too. Still, I fear you do not understand that bravery does not trump power. Forgive me, little princess, for this lesson is liable to hurt.¡± The giant badger unstrapped his spear, carrying the cruel, bronze-tipped shaft of ash in his massive hands.


    ¡°True, and power is what I shall display.¡± Shaeula withdrew her own weapons, the strange festival-toy windcatchers I had seen her with, attached to long metal strings. ¡°Sister-in-law, if you could do the honours?¡±


    Selensha looked at both her husband and Akio, and at their nods (Akio clutching my hand tighter as he gestured) she raised one hand, before letting it fall, a surge of orange energy cascading upwards. ¡°Begin the first Trial of Three. May the gaze of the King and Queen fall beneficently on the victor, and mercifully on the loser!¡±


    ¡°I shall start then!¡± Shaeula shouted, and dazzling jade blades of wind slashed out from her across various angles, whistling through the air.


    ¡°Hmm, not bad, you have improved a touch, little princess.¡± Ulfuric observed, looking unruffled. Using speed belying his frame he dodged many of the attacks, the cleaving blows tearing up the ground. Several others he deflected with his armguards and greaves, the blows rocking him a little but doing no damage. ¡°But you need more than this to challenge me!¡±


    Ulfuric darted forwards, his spear making probing thrusts, the point moving quickly, my eyes struggling to keep up. Still, Shaeula was dodging, hopping backwards gracefully, not letting up with the torrent of jade light.


    ¡°Is... is she going to be able to hold him off? Her attacks aren¡¯t hurting him.¡± I asked, and Akio nodded.


    ¡°Shaeula is keeping it cagey to start. She¡¯s showing off more power than she used to have, but it¡¯s a far cry from what she can do now. Besides, she hasn¡¯t even used her pinwheels yet.¡±


    Ulfuric must have agreed, as his spear was accelerating, pressuring her. ¡°You need to use your strange weapons soon, little princess. You cannot hope for your wind to check me, with this little power.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Shaeula scoffed, six serpentine coils of wind forming around her, swelling in size, weasel-heads that seemed to resemble her own face at the head of the winds. Ugh, not sure that¡¯s a good attack, it looks a bit creepy...


    ¡°The same trick just larger does not work, little princess.¡± He warned, swinging his axe, aiming to finish the fight in one blow.


    ¡°Oh I know indeed-indeed.¡± She chortled, and suddenly within the verdant light yellow flames blossomed, like the rising of the sun at dawn. Ulfuric¡¯s swing went wild, surprise robbing his moves of grace, and Shaeula deflected with her pinwheels, moments before the fiery weasels descended, drowning the place in flame, gleaming citrine explosions echoing through the stunned stillness.


    Even as the fires exploded, Shaeula was not done. Leaping into the air she vaulted over the roiling flames, and in her teeth was clutched a set of strange pink stone bells, making a pretty singing sound. Swinging her head, making them chime, she drew in a mass of wind energy, before raining it down in a series of gleaming green droplets.


    Pretty... I was captivated by the sight, the brawl momentarily forgotten. But then Shaeula landed, and the jade precipitation flared, bursting into flames.


    ¡°I-I leaned this one from Akio...¡± Shaeula tried to explain to the watching Selensha, her mouth still full with the handle of the bell, muffling her words adorably. She had been watching the exchange of elemental battles with rapt interest, and I felt I could see respect for Shaeula growing within her. Not that I can blame her. She¡¯s so impressive.


    Not everyone was awed though. ¡°You... you are a Fae of wind no longer! Wind and Flame, what madness is this, little sister? How, why?¡± Shaeraggo was using his mystic eyes to fully observe her, and was shocked by what he saw.


    ¡°You only now noticed, my brother?¡± Shaeula muttered, continuing the fiery rain over Ulfuric. ¡°Perhaps you were too shocked by my bond with Akio to see-see deeply. I have grown, no longer a child. I would be pleased if you would see-see that. Flame is now also my power.¡± She forced down the grin that was building so that she wouldn¡¯t drop her bells. ¡°Perhaps one day soon-soon I shall master the lightning as well.¡±


    At that Selensha and several others gasped. I didn¡¯t get it, but it seemed a big thing. I looked at Akio, who whispered in my ear. ¡°It seems that lightning is a rare element, one the Queen of the Seelie uses. I guess she¡¯s making a bold claim here...¡±


    ¡°Do not let your pride blind you.¡± Ulfuric suddenly rumbled, crashing through the flames, axe held high. ¡°You were doing so well up to now, little princess.¡± His fur was charred, one eye milky white and weeping hot pus, but he was also covered in a layer of stony dirt, giving off a dull red glow. ¡°I truly never expected you to be one of the rare few who were capable of transcending their elemental limits, but alas... earth feeds upon the flame. Your luck has run out...¡±


    I gasped, heart within my mouth as the axe neared her legs, ready to slice them apart. Beside me Akio was looking on, his hands balled into fists, blood leaking from where he was gouging his own flesh. As time seemed to slow down I wished, wished so hard, that my prayer would be answered. Come on, please. Shaeula, you have to win! You¡¯ve fought so hard, you can¡¯t lose now!


    ¡°I am blessed by fortune! My luck... never... runs out!¡± Shaeula¡¯s back gave off a bright yellow glow, almost seeming to have wings as the glittering light shone behind her.


    ¡°Of course, the batteries...¡± Akio muttered.


    ¡°... now shine brightly. Lunar Flare!¡± she shouted triumphantly. Even as she did so she used strange footholds of air to boost her elevation a little.


    Lunar flare? Uh, that naming sense is a bit... my thoughts were swallowed by the sudden light, bright enough to blind me, needles of pain stabbing into my eyes. All around I could hear other cries of protest, and also a gasp of pain from Shaeula, the sound of more breaking bone.


    As the light died down, I could see Shaeula lying on the ground, looking up at the towering figure of Ulfuric above her. The bells had scattered free from her mouth, leaving her bloody, and her pinwheels were lying discarded, her one good hand outstretched in the air towards them. And her left leg...


    No, it¡¯s ruined! I choked back a sob as I saw the mangled state her leg was in. Even taking a hit from the flat of the axe had shattered it, bone visible under torn flesh. Still, somehow... she was smiling as she looked up at the colossal, looming presence above her.


    The field was frozen, everyone motionless. Akio was watching, a dull look on his face, one I couldn¡¯t identify.


    ¡°Ulfuric, you disappoint me-me!¡± Shaeraggo was shouting, dismayed at the state of his sister. ¡°You went too easy on her and she has been injured to such-such a degree. I wanted her to learn a lesson, not be tortured! Finish it now, enough of this-this... nonsense!¡±


    He stood there, silent, merely peering down at Shaeula below him. Seeing that he was not answering, Shaeraggo turned his attention to his sister. ¡°Little sister. Shaeula. I admit you have done well, but know when you are beaten-beaten! And just think! With your element of flame, I can use it to persuade father¡¯s enemies to relent and let you return! Just say you are defeated, and this can all end-end as it should!¡±


    That¡¯s true, she could go home, but... Out of the corner of my eye the expression of Akio¡¯s face had changed, and it was now calm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s resignation... it looks... pleased?


    Shaeula turned her head, all she could muster the energy to move, towards her brother. Her amber gaze was still bright though, as it had been ever since I met her. ¡°I would like to go home...¡± she began, and her brother brightened, but as she continued his face twisted into a scowl. ¡°... but to visit, for this is where-where I belong now. As for Ulfuric...¡± her outstretched arm twitched, and suddenly I jumped as the head of his battle-axe slid off, striking the ground loudly, standing upright. ¡°... He is indeed stronger than I, much stronger, but not-not only power...¡± she returned his words from earlier. ¡°... matters, but wit and cunning too. And Akio is a master of that, and has taught me well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, little Princess. I never expected this...¡± Ulfuric rumbled. ¡°It is beyond my expectations.¡±


    ¡°My foolish brother hampered you.¡± She continued. ¡°Had you treated it as a battle, rather than-than a mere tool of chastisement, I should have stood little chance.¡±


    ¡°I shall not make such a mistake next Trial then, little... no, princess.¡±


    Shaeraggo was looking on, eyes glowing, his face shocked. I turned to Akio and asked him what was on my mind. ¡°What... what happened? Shaeula and Ulfuric are talking... talking like Shaeula won?¡±


    The sudden explosion of joy on his face warmed me. Akio looks so handsome when he¡¯s happy... no, he always looks handsome... pushing down the useless thoughts I listened to his explanation.


    ¡°She has him wrapped in ultra-fine threads of wind, like he is trapped in a spiderweb. It¡¯s a bit like her pinwheels, just more of them, so many he is totally trapped. If he moves or tries to use earth to counter... well, I¡¯m not sure even Selensha could patch him up. She learnt it from me, you know!¡± he seemed proud, and ... and so was I. My friend, Shaeula... she had done so much, fought so hard...


    Making sure to sear the result of the fight into my eyes, I fancied I could see winking green lights glittering around his throat, arms and legs. Shaeula twitched her arms, and faint droplets of blood leaked from Ulfuric, the stony armour he had conjured already sheared through.


    ¡°Very well then, I yield. If I move, I shall fall.¡± He said. ¡°Very well done princess. Your parents will be proud.¡±


    ¡°The first Trial is over. Winner, Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan!¡± Selensha called, releasing the spell. Mist billowed, and the worst of the wounds faded, leaving them merely exhausted and battered. Shaeula was too drained to stand, but as Akio rushed over I followed, feeling hot wetness running down my face.


    ¡°Well then, Akio, Eri. I won, as I promised. Now give me-me a chance to rest and the second Tria...¡± before she could finish I flung myself on her, choking and sobbing. As I hugged her small body tight, she patted me on the head, like Akio did to us.


    ¡°I¡¯m so ... so glad you weren¡¯t hurt worse. It¡¯s my fault, if I¡¯d have let you get that skill...¡± I couldn¡¯t even feel embarrassed about soaking her yukata, though a tiny, dazed corner of my mind did wonder just why I was crying and snotty, here in a different body in another world...


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. I understand.¡± Shaeula soothed me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Akio said, picking us both up in his arms and carrying us to the side, where Selensha was waiting to give healing, having already repaired Ulfuric with her water arts. ¡°I¡¯m sure Shaeula is just happy that you care so much about her. I know I¡¯m happy. I care for you both, and think you should be friends forever.¡±


    ¡°We will be, right Eri?¡± and once more I remembered some of the words we had shared, this time during the journey back from Las Vegas.


    ¡°He loves you, Eri, and I would see you too stand at his side for a long life-life. So sparing some time for me and Akio... surely you can do this?¡± she had said, and I understood she meant well, in her own strange, fey way. So still weeping tears of confusion, guilt and joy, I smiled, bringing a gasp from Akio.


    ¡°Of course. Friends forever! So... so don¡¯t scare me like that again, all right. and whatever you do... don¡¯t lose and go away from us!¡±


    ¡°It is a promise then! I shall sweep our-our foes away, win these Trials, and grow ever stronger. Together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± I whispered as my voice failed, and the warmth of the arms of Akio and Shaeula around me felt so comforting, driving away all my fears...

 One Hundred And Thirty-Six

    One Hundred And Thirty-Six


    Eri was still crying, her arms tight around Shaeula. As they were still wrapped within my own embrace, I gestured to Selensha, who had finished restoring Ulfuric to good health. She quickly strode over, and wielding her crystal-topped staff she began to channel elemental energies, the orange of water shimmering around us, a throng of bubbles that reflected the dark un-light of the Boundary into a series of shimmering rainbows, with colours unseen by mortal eyes.


    That really is an impressive working. It makes my uses of elemental abilities for attack purposes look crude... and it works way better than my Ether Healing skill... I wonder... as I watched, the bubbles sank into the remaining wounds, rapidly growing new flesh and fur to replace her damaged body. Shaeula shivered at the touch, but her eyes were gleaming, watching as intently as I, hungry to learn.


    Releasing Eri and Shaeula, I turned, as I felt a burning gaze upon us, my senses tingling. It was as I suspected, and Shaeraggo was glaring at me, his face twisted into an expression of annoyance and shock. As I met his eyes he looked away, before striding towards us, his sight on Shaeula. Seeing that, Selensha looked tense, while Shaeula herself passed Eri to me, standing tall and waiting for her brother impassively.


    ¡°Little sister, your victory was unexpected indeed-indeed!¡± he declared. ¡°Your skills, while still immature, they have definitely blossomed. Please, I will-will ask again. Return with me to the mansion I have prepared, and I shall go to my father. Together we can overturn your cruel exile! It will be better for you-you. Kinder too.¡±


    Shaeula shook her head, declining once more. ¡°We have been through this, brother Shaeraggo. Once the Trials have been declared, they shall not-not be halted. Besides...¡± she cocked her head adorably, looking like a small animal (which I guessed right now she was), and even Eri giggled a little through her dwindling tears. ¡°... I still fail to see why you have-have such an issue with my choice. Have I not proved that I have grown, in both will, pride-pride and strength? Have I not-not achieved all my father sent me out to do?¡± she looked at Ulfuric, who was watching silently, the neat, armoured ranks of the weaselkin knights now formed up behind him, giving off an intimidating air. ¡°I can hardly claim to be at Master Ulfuric¡¯s level, not-not now anyway, but give me the three moons you have promised as price, and when-when you return, I shall have grown once-once more.¡±


    At her words Ulfuric nodded. ¡°Indeed, princess. I know your tricks now, so you will need to have greatly improved. I look forward to seeing it.¡±


    Selensha was opening and closing her mouth, no sound coming out, looking as if she wished to say something, but the tense atmosphere seemed to be stifling her. Indeed, the shrine grounds were awash with the forces of both sides, and a mistake could easily lead to conflict. Maybe I had better do something about this. He is her brother, and we don¡¯t want to ruin their relationship, family is important after all.


    ¡°Prince Shaeraggo...¡± I tried to make things as formal as possible. After all, he seemed to be the sort that relished his nobility. ¡°... Shaeula has been trying exceptionally hard to master new powers and strengthen those she has. We have pooled our Territory and are working on strengthening it, and should any political enemies try to harm her, well, you have my word we will deal with then like we did with...¡± Oh yeah, mentioning Grulgor here will probably set him off again. He was pissed about it before, not that I blame him... ¡°... suffice it to say, we accepted this Trial of Three to prove ourselves to you, and reach common ground. I am sure Shaeula would love you to support her, as a brother should for his adorable sister.¡±


    Shaeula was nodding agreement, but this only seemed to make him angrier. ¡°You dare speak to me, usurper!¡± he spat, his tone arctic. ¡°My beautiful sister, she truly was a miracle, with her fur as bright as the sun, her eyes as gold...¡±


    Oh god, this is going beyond siscon and into... gods, I don¡¯t want to know what it is getting into... I gently gave Eri a push behind my back and she understood, scuttling away and hiding with our forces, surprisingly close to Grulgor, who had terrified her before. Maybe she had improved her opinion of him after the first Trial...


    ¡°... too many crawling insects surrounding her like flies-flies on an apple. But we siblings decided that only the most-most worthy could ever be her match. And you... mortal...¡± the word seemed to taste vile to him, his mouth twitching as he said it. ¡°... you dared reach for the moon.¡±


    Okay, maybe I see how to get through to him. ¡°I can understand how you feel...¡± Well, perhaps a little, not to the crazy extent here... ¡°... I have a sister too, and she is very important to me. I have to say though, she also has very pretty eyes, but if I was to go on like she has eyes as blue as the sky, or a figure lithe and sporty I think she¡¯d be pretty mad, and really creeped out. So maybe cut back on that a little? Just some advice from one brother to another. Anyway, why not praise your sister for what she¡¯s achieved, she¡¯ll be far happier...¡±


    ¡°You wretched crawling filth! How dare you compare our perfect Shaeula with your mortal wench of a sister... if it wasn¡¯t for the Trials I would put an arrow through your worthless heart now and...¡±


    ¡°Enough, brother.¡± Shaeula snapped, and behind her Selensha was nodding rapidly for emphasis. ¡°I can forgive you treating me as a child, though it pains-pains me. But enough of this witless foolishness. Should you continue to be so abusive towards Akio, or insult Aiko, I shall-shall say this, and I shall swear it on the Throne of the Seelie. Even should you defeat us here-here and take me back to this mansion of yours, I shall never-never consider you or my other siblings kin again. And no price you have demanded can force my hand. So show me the brother I used to respect.¡±


    Her words caught him off guard. His deep green eyes went wide, and for a second he blinked stupidly, before gnawing at his lip in frustration. Ouch. Checkmate. Even thinking of Aiko talking to me that way and saying such things...


    ¡°Very well then.¡± After a long moment of thought, he agreed. ¡°I shall... moderate... my dislike of this wort... this wretche... this mortal. I have been foolish.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I do not-not hold it against you, should you mend your ways, for I too have made mistakes...¡± Shaeula began, relieved, giving her brother a smile for once, but he was not done.


    ¡°If we win here, we shall be triumphant, and while they recover, we shall have our new troops to help us defend. If we lose here, and ... and you face my brother and are defeated... then it will matter not-not either way.¡±


    ¡°Oh Shaeula...¡± Eri said, leaving safety now that the enemy was gone and hugging her. ¡°... I believe in you, and in Akio. We¡¯ll win!¡±


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. So will this mortal be fighting too? Most interesting...¡± Ixitt chortled, eyeing her while he was behind Shaeula, touching her pinwheels curiously. Shaeula let out a gasp of annoyance and leapt back, carrying Eri with her.


    ¡°Hands off, ratkin. Just wherever did my brother dredge you up from-from?¡±


    ¡°Are ratkin unusual?¡± her tone was strange, so I had to ask.


    ¡°There are very few in the Seelie Court. Most of them, like the Trolls and Giants, they joined the Unseelie long-long ago. So they are somewhat rare, yes.¡±


    ¡°Keh-keh. I like rare. Rare things and mortal things. These use kobold bluesteel though, am I right? Keh-keh-keh.¡± Ixitt continued. ¡°I have never seen the like, but it gives me such ideas. If only your brother... sorry, keh-keh, Prince Shaeraggo, was more understanding of his sister, I would have loved to remain and discuss mortal secrets. After all, their guns and explosives are so wonderful, keh-keh-keh. So unlike the Fae.¡±


    Eri was a bit unnerved by this burned mad-scientist rat, so I stepped in front of her. ¡°Careful, you are scaring Eri. And to answer your question, no she¡¯ll not fight. She¡¯s only observing.¡±


    ¡°Eri, is it? Many apologies, keh-keh. I have a bad habit of getting excited and losing... keh... myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She said, gathering her courage. ¡°I¡¯ve just... never met someone like you before.¡±


    ¡°Well, guns are a wonderful thing. So very flashy.¡± Shaeula agreed, drawing his interest. ¡°We had a grand time in Las Vegas firing many different types, did we not-not Eri? Aiko especially loved them-them.¡±


    Ixitt and his weaselkin perked up at that. He gazed at Shaeula manically, and I reflexively sheltered her behind me as well, but Ixitt wove a hand to signal he meant no harm. ¡°You have seen guns? Used them? On the Material Plane? Keh-keh-keh! Such impossible wonder! How could it be true? I am so keh-keh envious!¡±


    Shaeula suddenly transformed, returning to her human guise. ¡°My Akio, he has allowed me to walk the mortal world freely. It is quite-quite marvellous indeed, with many delights and strange fancies. You would no-no doubt find much to interest you. But alas, until I defeat my brother and end this farce, such wishes are futile.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I agreed, putting aside the crazed enthusiasm of the ratkin. ¡°So, you, Grulgor, his trolls, your weaselkin and two Kamaitachi. It doesn¡¯t look good. Can you handle it?¡±


    Beside me, Eri echoed my sentiment. ¡°Please... don¡¯t get hurt again. If you can¡¯t win then...¡±


    ¡°No, Eri.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I will win, I must win! I was not-not embellishing the truth when I said my brother is a great hunter and warrior. You are strong indeed, my Akio, yet should it come down to you against my brother, well-well, I fear for your safety, never mind-mind our victory. Brother Shaeraggo is coldly furious now-now, I have never seen him so wroth. No-no, it is on me, and I shall deliver the victory I have promised, Akio, Eri.¡± She finished her long speech.


    ¡°Now, time Is short!¡± she then called to our forces. ¡°If we are to stand any chance of victory, then-then we must...¡±


    As I listened to her plans I was impressed by their cunning and ingenuity. She¡¯s really been learning. You know, I think we might just have a chance... I clasped Eri by the hand once more, and together we watched warmly as Shaeula, imperious and gorgeous, rallied her troops, a true princess on the battlefield...

 One Hundred And Thirty-Seven

    One Hundred And Thirty-Seven


    As our forces trooped towards the hills at the back of the shrine where Shaeraggo¡¯s host waited, Shaeula turned to me, an amused expression on her face. It¡¯s good to see she is relaxed, but...


    ¡°You were mistaken when you spoke to my brother. Why should you not-not be able to praise Aiko just because she is your sister? It is hard for me to understand. If you find her eyes beautiful, would she not-not be happy to hear this?¡±


    Oh come on... I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s messing with me...


    ¡°Shae-u-la!¡± Eri intoned. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you know it¡¯s saying things like that which makes me get angry. Those are the sort of compliments you give a lover, not family...¡±


    Shaeula shrugged. ¡°I think you mortals worry too much over the difference. I do not-not understand why I would be displeased if Shaeraggo calls me beautiful. I am indeed gorgeous. Still, there is much brother Shaeraggo is doing that-that causes me grief...¡±


    ¡°Oh Shaeula...¡± Eri changed her expression, going from stern to amused, letting out a giggle. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll never change. Just... just try to be a little more understanding of our ways, all right, else you¡¯ll embarrass Akio or get him into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I should be aware of that.¡± Shaeula conceded.


    ¡°Kek-keh-keh. You are all so very entertaining. I had heard the, keh-keh, rumours of the youngest daughter of Prince Shaetanao, but they have not done you justice. Keh-keh-keh.¡± Ixitt chimed in. He had pulled a contraption down over his head, looking like very old-fashioned spectacles with multiple lenses, ringed with brass and silver, something like an Ophthalmologist might use. ¡°I hope to see more wonders during the Trial, keh-keh.¡±


    Oh yeah, him. I had put him out of my mind, worry over how Shaeula and our troops would fare the only thing I was thinking about. I didn¡¯t know what to make of him, especially since it seemed most ratkin were Unseelie, but... ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, but shouldn¡¯t you be with Shaeraggo?¡±


    Before he could reply an angry shout echoed across to us from the hills where the orderly ranks of Shaeraggo¡¯s army were formed up, a far cry from our disordered march. ¡°Little sister, are you trying to-to anger me? Why must you take that form, mocking me with its vile mortal visage?¡±


    Well, that¡¯s just a side benefit. Shaeula thought if he was enraged, he might give worse orders. Worth a shot, I guess, after all, he can¡¯t hate me any more than he does already...


    Giving her brother a sweet smile, yet one with steel hidden within, she reached out and took my hand, causing him to hiss bitterly. ¡°Why should I not-not take whichever form I so please, dear brother? Both this and my Fae form are me, and I can change much as I choose to change my clothes. Besides, this-this mortal form has other benefits.¡± She turned to me then, face pink. ¡°With this hand, I can better feel your warmth.¡±


    Beside me Eri was also blushing, clenching and unclenching her fists with emotion, while I could hear Shaeraggo grinding his teeth from here. He turned away, glaring at his unfortunate wife, who was trying to make herself smaller, hunched behind her great staff. ¡°Enough of this farce. Come forwards and start the ritual. I want this to be over-over.¡± He growled. ¡°Only when you have been suitably punished and this... malign influence removed can you return to the sweet sister you are-are.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there is no-no point delaying this. I am well prepared. But before I go... for good fortune, my Akio.¡± With that she leaned up on tiptoes and brushed my lips with hers. Wait, here? She had kissed me once before, and I felt bad about it, though it was hard to refute that she had saved Eri at that time so was due a reward, but...


    After some wet noises she pulled away, wiping her damp lips with her free hand. ¡°Indeed-indeed. That gives me courage. This battle will be hard, but I shall, nay must, obtain victory. I shall win before you are forced to face my brother in deadly combat.¡± She turned to Eri then. ¡°Watch well, for you wished to be strong. If your true desire is to stand beside Akio, to protect him, then you will-will need to steel yourself.¡±


    With that she released my hand and led her troops to the site of the Moonlight Mist Realm without looking back, where Selensha was organising everyone to prepare for the second Trial.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry Eri. I shouldn¡¯t have done that, I hope you can forgive...¡± she placed her hand on my mouth, sealing my speech.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°It... it doesn¡¯t feel good seeing you kissing another girl, cheating.¡± She admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t want you cheating on me. No more than I would on you. But...¡± her gaze strayed to Shaeula, who was arguing with Grulgor about something. ¡°... she¡¯s fighting so hard so that she can protect you. And I... I once felt no-one could love you more than I did. I still think that¡¯s true. But... just maybe...¡± her onyx eyes softened as she looked at her rival. ¡°... just maybe, someone else can love you as much...¡±


    ¡°Out of the way, or suffer the consequences!¡± Shaeula called to her brother¡¯s forces, as she darted through the rain of heavy shafts gracefully, only suffering some minor rips in her yukata. Pinwheels in hand she sent them spiralling out, and the frontline in front of her went down, crying in pain, as Selensha furiously worked the sorcery to eject the fallen before Shaeula¡¯s wires inflicted injuries they could not recover from.


    I think Selensha deserves a nice break after this. She¡¯s doing most of the work. I glanced over to Shaeraggo beside her, and he was standing there, annoyingly composed as Shaeula tore through the ranks and the trolls continued to advance. Yeah, he looks confident still...


    ¡°One thing I have learned, dear brother...¡± Shaeula was flanked by a troop of the armoured weasels with swords and heavy shields, forcing her back away from the musicians, who were now switching from horns and flutes to a series of bronze cymbals and leather drums. ¡°... is that trash mobs aren¡¯t worth my time!¡±


    Beside me, Eri giggled, cutting through her nerves a bit. ¡°That sounds like something she would say. She even brought her games console when she visited us. She really does have a cute side...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and under that she hides her claws. She¡¯s got the royal imperiousness of a princess down...¡±


    Verdant wind blossomed, and the armoured weasels were driven back, several falling where the wires got past their shields, and then she swept her arms in a wide arc, and Selensha panicked, shouting out a prayer. Mist billowed, and the scores of spear-weasels were gone, ejected outside the barrier, leaving her blades to hum through the suddenly damp air uncontested.


    ¡°Please be careful...¡± Selensha panted. ¡°The Moonlight Mist Realm isn¡¯t strong enough to restore someone cut into pieces...¡± she slumped to the floor. ¡°... some of them would have died.¡±


    Shaeula barely spared her much attention, seeing the way to the musicians open, only a few armoured warriors there to bar her path, which she quickly swatted aside with a dazzling array of jade, emerald and olivine blades of wind, targeting their joints and other weak points, dismissing them from the battle. ¡°My brother chose this-this. As the challenged party he had-had most say. I have no wish to kill my fellow weaselkin, but for Akio, Eri and my dream... I would become as ruthless as an Unseelie, should it keep them safe-safe.¡±


    Shaeraggo drew in a sharp breath, shocked. I also responded similarly. From what I had gathered, Unseelie were taboo and considered shockingly evil. To say that for us, she¡¯d even fall so low... Damn, and my resolve from earlier... no, I am a man of my word. The two things I hate more than anything are liars and those that abuse women...


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it...¡± Eri said, her gaze also on Shaeula, contemplative and warm. ¡°But... I guess that¡¯s like saying she¡¯d become a monster or a killer for our sake, right? She really is...¡± tears began to fall from her eyes then, and I went to hold her, but she shook her head, smiling through them. ¡°... I¡¯m not sad, not really. I¡¯m just... other than you and Aiko, I never had anyone willing to go so far for me... for us. I think I¡¯m beaten. I really am.¡±


    Beaten? In what? No-one expects you to be able to fight like her... even I can¡¯t yet... I cocked my head in puzzlement, waiting for her to clarify, but she still kept smiling that mysterious smile, her tear-filled eyes back on Shaeula.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. The princess does indeed have the noble bearing of a girl in love. It is quite charming. Keh-keh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you were still here.¡± I said to the watching Ixitt, who was making notes with a strange quill-style pen on a waxen tablet.


    ¡°Keh. Yes, no getting rid of Ixitt, I fear, keh-keh.¡± He grinned, the scars and burns on his face looking quite frightful. ¡°My wives were the same, way back then. A woman shines most brightly when in love. You are the same, mortal girl. Keh-keh-keh. You are quite the lucky man, to have such flowers in your hands. This Territory though, it is rather ill... keh-keh... ill-befitting such grace. I have many, many daughters, and not keh-keh-keh...¡± another fit of coughing burst free from his throat. ¡°... keh-keh. My pardons. Many of my children do not wish to become mortal engineers. Keh. I could pick out some of my daughters as maids, keh-keh, for you. They would be happy to serve I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯d need to discuss that with Shaeula...¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer. Suddenly my attention was taken by two things happening at once. Firstly a massive wave of explosions rocked the battlefield, showering us with dirt and debris even here. I felt the traces of wind energy disperse under the impact, and several trolls were down, alongside numerous other weaselkin who had been tying them up with wave tactics. The mist descended and then they were outside, Selensha once more struggling to heal the more serious wounds.


    The second was a ripple of discordant sound, metallic and harsh. The musicians were beating their gongs, drums and cymbals, generating a noise that was physically pressing Shaeula back, blood dripping from her ears. She staggered a little, before turning her head and spitting out silvery blood, staining the ground. Wiping at her mouth delicately with the back of her hand she frowned. ¡°Such unpleasant music. I much-much prefer the sounds of the Material. A nice restaurant, quiet, yet elegant music, us all-all eating and drinking together. Yes. That would be perfect.¡±


    I was about to shout my encouragement, but once more I was too slow. Beside me, Eri called to her. ¡°That sounds lovely. We can go together, just you, me and Akio. Let¡¯s do it tonight! But first...¡± she said, her damp eyes fierce, a fire lit within. ¡°... but first, you have to win! Don¡¯t let them push you around, you are Shaeula, proud princess, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± As another wave of the weaponised sound hit her, a glow of green shimmered in the air like a curtain, and suddenly there was silence. ¡°Burn into your eyes what happens when I get-get serious!¡±

 One Hundred And Thirty-Eight

    One Hundred And Thirty-Eight


    The musicians were panicking as their destructive resonance was fading to stillness as it approached Shaeula. She opened her mouth to explain it to them, but all they could see was her mouth moving, sound silenced.


    ¡°This is a thin wall of ... vacuum. Yes, I believe it was that-that.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°After all, wind is but the movement of air, and without air-air, there can be no sound. And...¡± she strode ever closer to the panicking orchestra, the lime shield of vacuum pushing ahead of her, pinwheels dancing in the misty air behind her, thin metal wires whirring softly. ¡°... with no sound, you have no hope!¡±


    Her pinwheels took an irregular route, sweeping to either side of her vacuum barrier before converging on the weaselkin who opposed her, wires at neck-and-chest-height taut and lethal. Selensha yelped at the danger and with further effort, the sweat dripping from her to evaporate into silvery mist, she manipulated the ritual to swallow them in mist, eliminating that batch of musicians.


    She¡¯s stealing all my tricks. I guess leaving her to defend the Boundary while I took care of other tasks has given her time to consolidate what she¡¯s studied... Beside me Eri was cheering her on, and Shaeula paused to wave at us, before turning to the remaining armoured weasels who were trying to pin her down.


    ¡°I fear you are next!¡± Shaeula glared, eyeing the dozen or so opponents, calculating the angles she would need to use. As her pinwheels swept in her eyes went wide in alarm suddenly, glowing amber. The pinwheels suddenly swung back towards her, forming a barrier of wires, and she channelled her wind into a familiar shape. ¡°Emerald Wind Prison! Second Form!¡±


    The dome of wind formed around her and her wire wall, the swirling razor-sharp winds now facing outwards. Moments later massive explosions rained down on the area. The nearby weaselkin that were slowing her movements were caught in the barrages, mere sacrifices to take her out, and as they were eliminated, the mist shielding them, the punishing barrages of wind continued to fall, the high pressure of the impacts scattering debris in all directions. The Emerald Wind Prison held, wobbling, fragments of jade energies flaking away, drifting into the mist, but eventually the fusillade stopped.


    Beside me, Eri was clutching her ringing ears, while Ixitt was muttering to himself, impressed, taking more notes.


    Damn, that was brutal. Each individual attack was only nasty, but combined into that carpet-bombing style onslaught... the power of numbers, I guess. There was probably a couple of score of weaselkin mages grouped up in a defensive formation behind a transparent green barrier, and while individually a Kamaitachi was stronger, there wasn¡¯t too much in it.


    ¡°Do it. The longer this goes... on...¡± Ulfuric ordered, his voice booming across the battlefield. His armour of stone was shattered in places, though he continually refreshed it, a ruddy, ruby light flickering across him. Still, he was holding his own against Grulgor, his mace fending him off, adding another massive crater to his thick steel armour, the sound like a massive church-bell booming over the battlefield as he staggered, momentarily drowning out the slow, peaceful music of pipes, flutes and whistles that a second group of battle musicians were performing. Damn, I¡¯m going to have to iron out all those dents afterwards...


    Speaking of the Kamaitachi, one was down in a pool of blood. Not dead, but clearly out of the fight. The second was still fighting valiantly, and the number of archers he was facing was much reduced, but he was studded with shafts, and his fur was soaked with blood.


    The mages were gathering energy again, and I hoped Shaeula¡¯s barrier could hold, but I wasn¡¯t confident. Shaeula far outstripped any of them individually, but her reserves were far from infinite. The verdant wind gathered in front of the unit of elementalists, and instead of being unleashed into more explosions they formed into narrow spears of compacted air. They were crude, lacking rotation and vibration like we used, but even so...


    The spears lanced forwards, cutting through the sky with a whistling sound. The first couple smashed against the Wind Prison, unable to penetrate, but the third ripped through the weakening dome, followed by two more. I heard a cry of pain, and then the Prison shattered, emerald energy raining down prettily as more and more spikes crashed through, peppering the interior.


    After the passing of the blast wave, all that remained over the battlefield was a painful silence. No-one was moving, everyone wanting to see what happened next. It was then Shaeula staggered to her feet once more, her eyes on the handful of archers that remained. They saw her furious amber gaze and felt their courage leave them, and some started to retreat, wanting to be anywhere but in front of her anger.


    ¡°Farewell.¡± was all she said as she swept her remaining pinwheel over them.


    ¡°She... she can¡¯t go on, can she?¡± Eri asked me, and I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer. In the end, all I could do was shake my head. No, she¡¯s done better than I ever could have imagined, but... even for her, it¡¯s impossible...


    Shaeula could hear music, soothing, restful and haunting, pipes and flutes performing a lullaby that was dragging her down into sleep, fanning the flame of the overwhelming exhaustion within. Blinking sleepily she could see Tillyae and her orchestra ahead of her, and she knew she should be using a vacuum to silence the sound, but thinking was so very, very hard...


    ¡°No, this is the end.¡± I agreed with Eri, as the battlefield had changed, and not in our favour.


    Shaeula, unaware of this, was fighting desperately to resist the slide into oblivion. Remembering several scenes from anime where the protagonist had broken attacks on their mind by pain, she slowly raised her hand to her mouth and bit down hard, her small teeth piercing the skin. She tasted blood, before a surge of agony drove the fog from her brain. Quickly she wove a vacuum around herself, plunging into eerie silence, and surveyed her surroundings, only for her heart to sink.


    ¡°A very noble effort, princess. But in war, there is only so much one combatant can do, even if strong, like you.¡± Grulgor was at his feet, unconscious, the constant barrage of mental attacks the instrumentalists had been throwing at him finally weakening him enough for Ulfuric to neutralise him. Still, judging by the wretched state Ulfuric was in, one arm and many ribs broken, blood matting his fur, he had put up quite the fight. The other trolls had already been eliminated as well, either by the firepower of the mages, or by sheer weight of numbers.


    ¡°Oh Shaeula...¡± Eri whispered, heartbroken, and I shared her sentiment, but... I had a feeling it would come to this. We were at too much a disadvantage. But it¡¯s not all over. I looked over at Shaeraggo, who didn¡¯t seem sure whether he was pleased at his victory, or upset at the harsh wounds his sister had suffered. Perhaps it¡¯s both...


    ¡°So in the end, Grulgor could not-not defeat you. No matter then. I shall.¡± Shaeula said, ignoring the hundred or so remaining weaselkin, mostly musicians, though there were a few scattered archers, warriors and so forth remaining. ¡°My forces gave a good-good account of themselves. I shall have to reward them later. I do not-not suppose you would care for a duel, Master Ulfuric? Taking you all at once would be... tiring.¡± She sighed, more blood running from her mouth, her hands slick with her own fluids.


    ¡°Do not be foolish, princess. I may not be at my best, but even now I can handily defeat you, even without the remainder of our forces. Unless you have one last trick, I suggest you forfeit. Your noble brother does not wish to see you like this, and if you do not care for his feelings, what about those of your allies?¡± she followed where he was pointing to us, and her eyes went wide as she saw the agony and sorrow writ across our faces at the beating she had taken.


    Shaeula looked away, swallowing, before seeming to make up her mind. She dropped her bells and pulled out another weapon, one I recognised. It was a long ceremonial dagger. ¡°I agree, it does not-not feel good seeing them so unhappy. So I shall defeat you quickly. Prepare yourself!¡±


    ¡°Foolish. You may have grown, princess, but you are still too childish!¡± he hefted his mace one-handed. ¡°I shall at least make this quick...¡±


    Light flashed from her blade and Ulfuric grunted, blood spraying. He surged towards her and was about to strike when I called out two simple words. ¡°We concede!¡±

 One Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    One Hundred And Thirty-Nine


    ¡°The second Trial is over. Winner, Shaeraggo Gul Shae Dannan!¡± as Selensha¡¯s relieved voice rang out across the battlefield Shaeula froze, momentarily unable to process what had happened, but when she saw Eri and I rushing towards her, compassion and sorrow writ over our faces, she collapsed to her knees, strength finally leaving her, knife and pinwheel falling from her grip.


    ¡°Shaeula, are you all right? You¡¯re hurt really bad!¡± Eri was sniffling, trying to hold back further tears. ¡°There¡¯s so much blood!¡±


    Shaeula allowed Eri to fuss over her, merely meeting my gaze. All she said was a single word. ¡°Why?¡±


    Why? WHY? Damn, I¡¯m furious now! ¡°What do you mean, why? You think I... we... can sit back and watch you kill yourself? This mist barrier isn¡¯t perfect! If you were to die, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do...¡±


    I trailed off as Shaeula burst into tears, and the sight surprised me. For a long time she just wailed and sobbed, and we simply held her, me cradling her head, Eri patting and rubbing her back soothingly. Once she quietened down, she looked at me, amber eyes dull, lacking their usual sparkle.


    ¡°I am sorry. I could not-not keep my promise. I did not-not take victory. I so...¡± her lip started trembling again, eyes brimming with more tears. ¡°... I so wanted to win. I do not-not want to be taken from you, from Eri, From Aiko, or Karen, or Ichika or any of the other friends I have made-made. And worse...¡± she whispered, her voice sinking so that we had to lean in to hear. ¡°You will be stripped of all your power, your efforts squandered due to my loss-loss, and Eri will be forced to carry the burden of your protection. I... owww...¡±


    Shaeula let out a pained yelp as Eri flicked her forehead hard. ¡°Where did the fearless, proud girl who blazed into our lives like a storm go?¡± Eri asked her. ¡°This isn¡¯t you at all! So you didn¡¯t win, so what? We aren¡¯t done yet. Don¡¯t break down and do nothing but wallow in misery because things didn¡¯t go your way. That¡¯s just what I did, and it was you who came and dragged me out of that! And let me tell you, it won¡¯t make you happy! Nothing feels worse than giving up on what you want, watching as it all just disappears.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± I echoed. ¡°You did your best, you really did, and I¡¯m proud of you.¡± I ruffled her hair, trying to soothe her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how it ends, if you¡¯ve given your all, then don¡¯t regret it. Besides, Eri is right. It¡¯s only one apiece. This is far from over.¡± It¡¯s all up to me now. And just looking at Shaeraggo and his smug expression, it really makes me want to teach him how to be a decent brother...


    ¡°From the moment Shaeraggo turned up with such an army while our Territory was indefensible, we were defeated. It was only thanks to you and this Trial of Three that we even had a shadow of a chance, and not only that, you put yourself at risk not once, but twice, to secure us a path to the final battle. Without your efforts, we¡¯d be done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Now don¡¯t give up, trust in Akio. After all, he¡¯s the man you love, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Eri? It was unusual for Eri to say such things, but she seemed to want to cheer up Shaeula as much as I did, so I didn¡¯t comment. ¡°I know you fear for me against your brother, and I¡¯m under no illusions I¡¯m his match, but... well, I just have to follow your lead and get creative. After all, you did defeat Ulfuric, right? There¡¯ll be time to mourn if we lose, but rest assured, I have no intentions of letting Shaeraggo stomp all over our dreams for such a petty reason. Now smile, for me, please? Not to sound like your idiot brother, but I want the Shaeula I know back!¡±


    ¡°So... so... stupid, both of you-you.¡± She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. ¡°And I as well, it seems. You are right.¡± She shook herself, wincing at her remaining injuries, the worst of which were still weeping blood down her abdomen. ¡°You have performed miracles before, and I have feared you lost also. Yet you came back to me-me. What is one more unlikely twist of fate?¡± she turned to Eri then. ¡°You have my thanks for reminding me of what is important. Besides...¡± she managed a faint smile. ¡°You are not-not yet ready to take my place in protecting Akio. So we must strive until the bitter end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll ever be ready, so you had better stay with us to train me.¡± Eri replied tenderly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get you to Selensha, she can heal you. those wounds must hurt.¡±


    ¡°They do-do indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I was trying to maintain my royal dignity, but I suppose I have failed.¡±


    The mood was still brittle, fears under the surface in our hearts, but at least we could move forward. Helping Shaeula to her feet, Eri and I took one side each and carried her gently over to where Selensha was applying healing to the remaining injured from the last Trial. Even with the decrease in damage, there were still many who were hurt, Shaeula included, though most of the blood on her was from wounds that had vanished. This is going to take a while... still, it gives me time to finalise my plans for Shaeraggo. He¡¯s an archer, so I¡¯ll need to close in fast...


    Selensha was back at the main shrine building, working healing on Ulfuric, who was standing stoically, not making any sounds of pain as she repaired his broken arm, which had persisted even after the battle. Our Kamaitachi were already healed, though they still looked pained and weak. I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t die again... On seeing us carrying over Shaeula, they hurried over as fast as they could. ¡°Princess...¡± the first spoke. ¡°... I am-am afraid we were unable to carry you to victory. Please forgive our incompetence.¡± The second echoed his words, also begging pardon.


    ¡°Fools.¡± Shaeula scoffed, a little of her spirit returning. ¡°You fought well-well, I have no complaints. If you still feel shame at our-our loss, then you can make it up to me in our battle against the foe from the north. But for now-now, you should rest. You did not have the benefit of the Moonlight Mist Realm...¡± at that she glanced at me, and guessing what she was worried about, I once more rubbed her head reassuringly.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking, and if it¡¯s a lunar chakra that makes one a Fae, then just maybe I might be able to benefit from the barrier too. But it doesn¡¯t matter. Whatever happens, I will face your brother, and when it¡¯s all over, he¡¯ll be apologising to you, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I shall be doing what-what?¡± Shaeraggo sneered as he strolled over, looking far more relaxed. He had his bow ready, and his deep green eyes were glittering menacingly. ¡°At least you have courage, if nothing else, mortal.¡± Ignoring me after that, he looked at his sister. ¡°Was it worth it, going against me, little sister? Your defeat was certain, all it earned you was pain-pain. It wounds my heart to see you so injured, but remember it-it is for your own good. I do not enjoy such chastisement, but as your older brother it-it is my duty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a load of crap.¡± Eri suddenly snapped. ¡°Sure, if your sister is taking the wrong path, you should definitely help her see that, but this...? It isn¡¯t chastisement, merely the worst form of cruel bullying. And you never made any effort to listen to Shaeula or her own views. I think it¡¯s you who needs correcting, and Akio will do it!¡± she glared at him furiously, her face white with anger. Even when he turned to her, eyes glowing a baleful jade, she did not take a step back.


    Well, she can¡¯t as we are still supporting Shaeula. But... shit, shit, shit... she¡¯s really got his attention now. This can¡¯t be good...


    ¡°I have been wondering this a while now.¡± Shaeraggo spat coldly. ¡°Just who are you, girl? You seem to be a mortal, so why are you here-here? And what gives you the right to speak to trueborn Seelie royalty in such a disrespectful manner. I have taken heads for less-less.¡±


    ¡°Who am I?¡± Eri said, her voice trembling a little, but she wasn¡¯t backing down. ¡°I would have thought that would have been obvious. I¡¯m Akio¡¯s first wife.¡±


    Wait, what? First? I wondered if I had misheard, but in my arms Shaeula let out a gasp, her eyes going wide, staring at Eri.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Shaeraggo scoffed. ¡°So, little sister, you aren¡¯t even this worthless thief¡¯s¡¯ first wife? Pathetic. You lose to a mortal of all things, one who-who can barely even maintain her subtle body? You have sunk lower than even I had imagined, my disappointment in you is immeasurable.¡±


    ¡°I think Shaeula got all the brains in your family.¡± Eri snapped, unwilling to back down. ¡°First? Second? Does it matter so long as there¡¯s love? Don¡¯t you think you are being rude to Selensha over there, do you care for her less just because she wasn¡¯t first?¡± the edge in her voice was brutal, and it reminded me of the times my sis said Eri could be quite cutting if she actually was provoked enough... I closed my mouth, since the words I were going to say had pretty much been said by Eri anyway.


    Eri and Shaeula continued to talk, mostly Shaeula remonstrating her for her actions, but as I concentrated Selensha whispered something to me in a small, almost frightened voice. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate Shaeraggo. I know he¡¯s angry, but never doubt he does dote on his sister. He and his siblings have been beside themselves with worry ever since she was sent into exile, and he was excited to finally see her again, only to find... sorry, that doesn¡¯t matter. The politics of the Seelie Court is shifting rapidly, and Prince Shaetanao¡¯s faction is beset from all sides. Her exile was just one of a series of plots designed to wreck their influence. So Shaeraggo is quicker to anger than usual, especially around matters of family or nobility.¡± My wounds had mostly closed up, and I marvelled at how massively better her healing skills were, orders of magnitude more effective than mine, for certain.


    ¡°Well, I get that, but if only he would actually talk to her, see what she wants...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when she¡¯s safe at the mansion he has prepared for her, things will all work out. She has grown stronger, both in body and spirit, and so he¡¯s confident that in time, he and his siblings can heal her wounded heart, and she can return to the Seelie Court with her head held high, and take up the life she was always supposed to have. As for you... you will always have your first wife, she seems a good girl, so forget about Shaeula, and live the best life you can.¡±


    Forget about Shaeula? Impossible. ¡°So, you are saying that Shaeraggo will win then? I wouldn¡¯t be too sure of that.¡±


    She shot me a piteous look. ¡°False hope is only painful. Shaeraggo is a master huntsman, no prey can escape his arrows. I would have said your battle was madness, that without the protection of the mists you would surely die, but...¡± she paused, curiosity replacing sadness on her face. ¡°... for some reason you seem very much like a Fae. Perhaps you are one of the rare changelings, half-Fae, that I have heard tell of. Is that why Shaeula is fond of you?¡±


    So I was right. It¡¯s probably down to the lunar chakra, plus my class skills said I would become more like the Fae. Knowing that, I can fight to the fullest. Not that I¡¯d have let mere fear of injury stop me. Eri was right. Shaeula¡¯s tears were terrible, I never want to see them again...


    ¡°How about a wager between the two of us then?¡± I whispered, and she cocked her head quizzically. Yeah, I guess mages are all the same, very curious. ¡°If Shaeraggo defeats me, before I am banished, I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know. But if I win, I want you to help us convince Shaeraggo to listen to his sister and understand her position. There¡¯s no point in a victory that doesn¡¯t mend the rift between them. She may complain about them, but I know Shaeula loves her siblings. And as someone who cares for her, I want them to reconcile.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°I so pledge. I would be happy to see the two of them go back to the way things were. But against Shaeraggo...¡±


    ¡°Just you let me worry about that.¡± I cut her off, flexing my now-healed hand. ¡°Wow, good as new. But you look wretched. Are you going to be all right doing the final Moonlight Mist Realm?¡±


    She laughed nervously. ¡°I feel like I could sleep for an entire moon.¡± She admitted. ¡°Still, this is the final one, and as it is for two combatants, it should be far less taxing. Even so, I shall need a brief break to recover my energy. Perhaps you should spend your time with your wives. For your time remaining with Shaeula is brief.¡± With that she strode off, back towards her husband, who was staring moodily into the void.


    My wives? Ugh, if Eri did mean that when she said she was my first... I don¡¯t know what to do. I hate seeing Shaeula pining for me, but we have laws, and moral codes, and my father would kill me...


    ¡°... so I do not-not want to see you doing such foolishness again, understand? Oh, Akio has returned.¡± Shaeula saw me and brightened up. Beside her Eri was downcast, yet on seeing me a small smile crossed her features.


    ¡°I have. Good as new and ready for the final Trial.¡± I showed off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry again...¡± Eri began, but I shook my head, stopping her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy, you could have been hurt or worse, but... you did it because you care about us. I¡¯m not heartless enough to disregard that. Just... if you are going to fight, you need strength.¡±


    ¡°I know. We were talking about that too.¡± Eri replied. ¡°Akio, I... I don¡¯t know the answer to your question. If you had to offer me to someone else... for... ugh, even saying it makes me feel sick. But if I could make you stronger, I don¡¯t know... maybe there isn¡¯t an answer. But that isn¡¯t the question you should ask. It¡¯s Shaeula, not just some stranger. And the question that matters is... will we be happier?¡±


    ¡°Eri... do you mean it?¡± Shaeula asked, hope in her eyes. ¡°I would not-not wish for you to regret...¡±


    ¡°You promised me. And you said that Fae are bound by their promises, right?¡± Eri looked at Shaeula, then at me. ¡°You felt it too, right? When Shaeula was so heartbroken, crying because she thought she¡¯d failed you, that she¡¯d be parted from you... I couldn¡¯t bear to see it. I know I¡¯m selfish, and I do want you to myself, Akio. But... I think it would eat away at me, knowing that Shaeula was...¡±


    ¡°Enough chatter.¡± Shaeraggo interrupted, shouting over. Our forces had gathered into two opposing rings around the shrine once more, with Selensha in the middle. Damn, didn¡¯t give her much time to rest, did you? Treat your wife better, man! I can see we are going to have to talk about more than Shaeula when this is all done... she met my eyes and gave me a tired smile.


    ¡°I grow weary of waiting. I would like to put you in-in your place, so that I can take my little sister home, where she belongs. Let us end this farce.¡±


    Shaeula grabbed one of my hands, while Eri took the other. What am I going to do about this mess? I¡¯m not sure what the right thing to do is. No, never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter for now. If I can¡¯t beat Shaeraggo, then it¡¯s all meaningless... ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure what we should do.¡± I admitted, and they both squeezed me reassuringly. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be in this sort of situation, a bona-fide harem protagonist. I mean, I¡¯ve always liked the stories, and I¡¯ve felt bad for girls who never got the guy they loved, but I also felt bad the girls had to share. It wasn¡¯t fair. I just... well, unless I can defeat Shaeraggo, it won¡¯t matter either way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So do your best, my husband.¡± Eri said, her dark eyes glaring at the imperious Shaeraggo. ¡°And when you win, we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, eyes glittering, a thin tear leaking from one eye, running down her cheek like a crystal. ¡°I... no, I will have faith in you. And tonight...¡± ignoring her fears, she forced a mysterious and alluring grin. ¡°... I have been very curious about it ever since Eri made love to you. What would it be like, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Shaeula! Now isn¡¯t the time!¡± Eri chastised her, flushed red, and I could feel my own face flaming.


    Seriously, we haven¡¯t even discussed it yet. I haven¡¯t agreed. Uh, time to get my head in the game. That sort of talk has only made Shaeraggo angrier too...


    Indeed, he was grinding his teeth, hand tight on his bow, while his deep green eyes were trying to bore a hole through me. Swallowing down my nervousness, I gathered my spear and strode over to them, ready to begin the final Trial...

 One Hundred And Forty

    One Hundred And Forty


    Selensha was sweating as she conjured the water element required to recast the Moonlight Mist Realm. Under the orange flickers that dyed everything around like a mortal sunset, I and Shaeraggo exchanged some final words.


    ¡°So, just what is all this about? Your anger seems wildly disproportionate to the situation. Shaeula had told me that you were always doting on her and treating her like a child, coddling her, but even so, this seems too far.¡±


    ¡°Just what would you know of anything, wretch? And why should I tell-tell you? Once I have ground you into the dust, your existence will cease to hold any meaning for her. Assuming you survive.¡± His glare was cold.


    ¡°Well, if you are so confident, then what harm does it to humour me? I know you Fae don¡¯t think the same way we... mortals... do, but having spent a decent amount of time with Shaeula, I can say we have more in common than not. So, why the overreaction? You seemed enraged when you saw her.¡±


    ¡°To see my precious little sister sullied by a mortal, essences mixed... Your wife...¡± his face twisted at the word. ¡°... she said you were a brother too. Tell me, if your sister was-was placed in danger, sent away to a hostile land where we could not reach her... oh how many long nights we suffered, wondering if she-she was well, or whether she had suffered injury or worse... only to find that when you finally managed to sneak out to see her, she had been... taken... by some lowborn scum, quite beneath her station... well mortal, could you have kept the anger that boiled within you leashed? Or like me, would you have wished to destroy the object of your ire, the beast that laid his hands upon your adorable little sister?¡±


    ¡°I guess I can see your point, a little.¡± I conceded with a sigh. ¡°But damn, you really do take being a siscon to unheard of levels. Seriously, my sister is free to date whoever she wants. Sure, I¡¯ll check the guy out, and if I think he¡¯s no good, well, I¡¯ll be sure to tell her. But when it comes down to it, I can¡¯t run her life for her, only help out where I can. And if she makes a bad decision... well, I¡¯ll do what I can to prevent her, but it¡¯s her life. I¡¯ll be there in the end to pick up the pieces for her. I¡¯ll probably kill the bastard afterwards though...¡± I finished, earning a snort of amusement in return.


    ¡°I can ill-afford to be as lenient as you-you.¡± Shaeraggo continued, as the ritual came to a climax. ¡°Our sister already has much slander and derision cast at her due to her bloodline. It is foolish, as her mother¡¯s pedigree is noble, just not of the Seelie. If it was found that she dallied with mortals as-as well... her position truly would be cruel and untenable. I have no choice but to remove you from her life and hide her. The very fact Duke Formor sent his trolls here is proof-proof that her life is in danger! When I return, I shall call him out...¡±


    ¡°See, this is what I don¡¯t get. Instead of starting a war and taking her by force, why didn¡¯t we just talk it out? Maybe I don¡¯t get the ways of the Fae, but forcing my sister to fight, to suffer such hurts... even if it was for her own good, I don¡¯t know if I could do it. I¡¯d always look for another way.¡± It was the reason I was still struggling with allowing Eri and Aiko to train with aether. In my heart, I wanted to keep them safe and protect them. Shaeula too, to be honest. But... I think there was a line in a story I read, I think it was a Chinese one... ¡®the only sin in the Apocalypse is being weak...¡¯ I want them to be able to protect themselves and each other, even should something happen to me, or I¡¯m not there... ¡°Besides, Shaeula isn¡¯t the weak girl you remembered, is she? She¡¯s grown strong.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised.¡± Shaeraggo admitted. ¡°To see that she has transcended her being, and-and is now a Fae of Wind and Flame... and that she has a new... or no, perhaps two new powerful winds... as her brother that does make me proud, as was the way she defeated Ulfuric, though in a battle to the death she would not be so fortunate. Still, my little sister has always been proud and stubborn. She will not easily change her mind unless forced to-to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. Okay, when I met her she was quite the character, insisting on her nobility every chance she got, and haughty with it. But she¡¯s matured. We¡¯ve been through a lot together. I would say I now know her better than you, so...¡±


    ¡°Silence, mortal. I have humoured you long enough. Besides, the ritual is complete.¡±


    ¡°You both need to swear to the spirits of the mist.¡± The tired Selensha muttered, sagging on her staff, the butt ground into the earth all that was keeping her upright.


    ¡°I swear this is my will.¡± Shaeraggo said, and I echoed him. As I did so some of the orange water energy entered me, drawn to my lunar node, and as the mist enveloped me, I had a sudden thought. Using Self-Examination I tried to track down the sorcery itself, and the effect it was having on me.


    Moonlight Mist Blessing ¨C This ???????? water elemental spirits ???????? ???????????? natural water elemental energy, but also ??????? ????????????? ???????????????????? lunar chakra, allowing ?????? ??????????? ??????? ????????? ???????????.


    Oh come on, don¡¯t be so bloody useless! All I¡¯ve been getting recently is endless question marks. This is NOT how appraisal is supposed to work it¡¯s supposed to be a damn cheat skill. I focused my aether and will, trying to understand, to push through the lack of knowledge. My right wrist was cramping, no... burning... with some sort of pain. And then, my concentration peaking...


    Your Skill, Self-Examination has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first bottleneck. You now have a greater ability to analyse information regarding yourself to a known multiversal standard. [Class: ???]


    Bottleneck? Class? That was all new stuff, and it would be fascinating to check all my details again, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Shaeraggo was clearly getting impatient, so I would have to make do with quickly checking the blessing again...Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Moonlight Mist Blessing ¨C This ritual of water elemental spirits draws upon both natural water elemental energy, but also ??????? which, when powered by consent of all parties, links their lunar chakras, allowing ?????? and restoration of severe wounds. However, ????????? ???????????. [Class: ???]


    Yeah, wow, that¡¯s so much better. Still plenty of details missing, but if I can get that much more...


    ¡°Are you having second thoughts, mortal?¡± Shaeraggo snarled. ¡°I grow impatient to defeat you and take back-back my darling little sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Yeah, I¡¯m ready now. I was just momentarily distracted. Do continue.¡±


    At my words Selensha raised her staff, causing the now familiar cascade of orange energies and mist. ¡°Begin the third and final Trial of Three. May the King and Queen grant the winner the grace of victory without regrets, and may the loser find peace in their choices!¡± With her task done, she staggered out of the battlefield, to slump down wearily beside Shaeula and Eri.


    Before we could start our battle. Shaeula tried one last time to reach her brother. ¡°Brother Shaeraggo, please. I know that once a Trial of Three is agreed it can not-not be overturned, but... the three prices you have to pay are meagre, are they not-not? If you forfeit, Akio and I can swear to return the treasures and followers, and we can discuss this. I have grown stronger thanks to Akio and my new experiences, and if you would just give him a chance then...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± he snarled. ¡°You were alone, in a land surrounded by enemies, without even your maids or servants to care for you-you. Beset on all sides by foul scum such as Duke Formor¡¯s dogs, it is no wonder your heart shattered and you fell prey to the wiles of this slimy human incubus. But have no fear, I will save you, even if I must treat you harshly. It wounded me more than you, to see you hurt-hurt, but I shall harden my heart and do what needs to be done. Even should you resent me and pretend we are siblings no longer, I know in time you will forget these mortals and come around. Please sister, do not force me-me to chastise you further. Remember your royal pride, your duties... now watch, as I remove this obstacle to your rehabilitation!¡±


    ¡°But brother... listen to me!¡± Shaeula raged, but a wind blew, carrying her voice away.


    ¡°Enough of those distractions. Are you ready, mortal?¡±


    ¡°You know, when we talked just before the start of this Trial, I can¡¯t say I agreed with you, but I could see where you were coming from, even a little. But hearing you shout down your sisters¡¯ heartfelt pleas... nah, screw that. I can see that I¡¯m going to have to beat respect for your sister into you. So yeah, I¡¯m ready. So damn ready!¡± He¡¯s just a domestic abuser. Parroting the old crap ¡®why did you make me hit you?¡¯ as if it is some hardship. Still, kin is very important to Shaeula, so my only answer is reforming him. Just another reason to win here, not that I needed one! ¡°In fact, there¡¯s another matter I need to settle. I still need to thank you for trying to hurt Eri. I¡¯ll be sure that you remember the lesson.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Shaeraggo scoffed, readying his bow as I hefted my spear. ¡°She attacked me, so who can complain if she reaps the-the reward of her insolence? Besides, you intervened did you not?¡±


    ¡°Eri has always been a kind girl. I don¡¯t think she could bear to see you treat Shaeula like that. I¡¯ll be having words with her later though.¡± At my criticism Eri looked abashed, though she was happy that I was angry for her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she isn¡¯t strong enough to be settling grudges. I however... for Eri, for Shaeula... I¡®m going to make you yield!¡±


    ¡°Talk is cheap, mortal usurper. Let us begin!¡±


    ¡°So be it then-then. I have allowed your insolence to continue for too long. Winds, heed me, devour this fool who thinks he can claim my sister as a prize!¡± the deep green aura of his eyes spread around him, turning into a whistling array of emerald and jade.


    ¡°Brother, no, you can not-not do this!¡± Shaeula started to protest, and Selensha also spoke.


    ¡°Are you sure, my love? My Mist Realm will not be able to...¡±


    Their words were drowned out by the howling gale as the swirling green essence formed into a giant weasel-head, several metres across, maw big enough to swallow me whole. Shit, that looks dangerous. It¡¯ll take more than a little fire to consume that...


    Still, it was my one chance. I turned to look at Eri and Shaeula, and Eri nodded, seeing my resolve. As she did so Shaeula suddenly started to shout over the tumult, her words shocking me to the core. ¡°Brother, no, we forf...¡± before she could finish Eri clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing the words. Instinctively Shaeula bit her, and Eri cried out before swallowing the pain. Shaeula was trying to wrestle free, causing Eri some injury, but Eri was resolute, ignoring the blood dripping from her bitten hand, whispering soothing words in Shaeula¡¯s ears.


    Good job Eri. And Shaeula can¡¯t use all her strength or she¡¯d really hurt you... you¡¯ve bought me enough time for one last reckless gamble.


    ¡°How unfortunate for you-you.¡± Shaeraggo scoffed, his bow straining under the massive gale-arrow that was ready to annihilate me. ¡°Your wife has cost you your life, silencing my little sister. It is not too-too late for you to concede. You would have a small victory to console yourself with, knowing I was unable to destroy you as I wished.¡±


    ¡°What victory would there be in losing Shaeula? No, I¡¯m not beaten yet.¡± I drew on my wind and flame energy, a radiance of yellow and green surrounding me. ¡°Even if Shaeula was to end up in hell, I¡¯d follow her down to stamp out the flames.¡±


    ¡°Words, words, words.¡± Shaeraggo scoffed. ¡°Now die-die!¡± he loosed the arrow and the massive gust whipped towards me, tearing up all in its path. Shaeula finally struggled free and cried out in sorrow and fear, and even Eri, cradling her torn hand, was white with terror.


    Sorry about this. I hate making you worry, but... ¡°This is the time to give everything I¡¯ve got! Foehn, blaze forth and consume, body and soul!¡±


    Foehn, fed by much of my wind energy, erupted outwards like a tidal wave. It slammed into the oncoming attack, exploding into a cloud of devouring droplets of brilliant yellow. The massive wind arrow started breaking apart, the blaze rapidly feasting on it, converting the wind to more spreading flames. The battlefield was showered in cascading napalm, setting the very ground alight. I did say I¡¯d follow Shaeula to hell if necessary, but I¡¯m pretty much creating hell here instead... oh god, it hurts so bad, it makes my previous injuries feel like nothing...


    ¡°What is this?¡± Shaeraggo was shocked as his prized attack burst apart under the devouring fires, but he was a consummate hunter, so readied more arrows, launching them through the maelstrom, even as he scuttled backwards. Still, the arrows were quickly scattered by the roiling cloud of flames, their energy not able to overcome their poor affinity with fire.


    ¡°Did you commit suicide... wait... what under the moon...?¡± Shaeraggo panicked as something outside of his expectations occurred. A shadow crashed through the roaring fires, trailing clinging flames. For a moment he was motionless, and in that one brief moment of hesitation another explosion of flame rang out, and the blazing figure was hurled forwards, latching onto him, arm wreathed in flame clinging around his neck. ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡± I moaned, gasps of pain escaping my scorched throat.


    Shaeraggo let out a yelp of pain, fiery droplets of Foehn leaking off me and onto him, the smell of scorched fur and flesh sickening. ¡°You are insane! Get-get off me!¡± Shaeraggo threw aside his bow and started striking me, but every time he struck me more Foehn spread to his fists and arms. The blows were powerful, rocking my consciousness, but I was determined to hold on, and just like Shaeula managed to fend off the musical debuffs by pain, I was able to maintain my consciousness despite the savage beating by focusing on the torment searing me... I prepared for this to limit the damage, but even so...


    ¡°Insane?¡± I croaked, winding my legs around him as well, clinging like a limpet as behind us the windstorm finally collapsed, showering more flames everywhere. The air was full of smoke and the scent of char, and the onlookers were watching in horror. Eri was crying, Shaeula had fallen to her knees, forlorn, and Selensha was frantically reinforcing the Moonlight Mist Barrier with what little strength she had remaining.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not insane. I¡¯m merely... prepared to...¡± it was hard to get out the words, but I needed to say them. ¡°... do anything, if it is for Shaeula, for Eri, for my family and ... my dreams. Can you... say the same?¡±


    My armour had entirely burned away, and Shaeraggo¡¯s was quickly igniting. He flailed at the fires, trying to scatter them, but that was a mistake. The more he struggled the more the Foehn burned. ¡°I think you... might want to surrender...¡± I advised. ¡°You¡¯ve already... seen how far I... will go.¡±


    ¡°You fool-fool. Surely you will succumb to the fires before I do-do...¡±


    ¡°You asked for this then...¡± fires dripped from my burning hair, running down my face. Winding back my neck, I then slammed forwards, my fiery forehead slamming into his nose. Shaeraggo squealed, and I slammed him once more. ¡°This one¡¯s... for Eri, don¡¯t point an arrow... at her, jackass!¡±


    My head slammed into Shaeraggo again and again, staggering him. Selensha, seeing us wreathed in flames cried out in terror. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him! That flame is dangerous, I¡¯m not sure the barrier can mitigate it! If you don¡¯t stop, you¡¯ll both die!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Going to. Kill him.¡± I punctuated each couple of words with another headbutt, flames scattering. ¡°He¡¯s. Shaeula¡¯s. Brother. But he. Needs to learn. How to be. A decent one.¡± After another half-dozen headbutts my own skull felt as if it was fractured, it was like slamming concrete, but Shaeraggo was in an equally bad state, numerous greedy fires burning him.


    ¡°I hope. You feel. Regret at...¡± I continued.


    ¡°I... I yield!¡± Shaeraggo croaked desperately, flames even burning his eyelids as he desperately tried to protect his mystic eyes. ¡°I surrender, you mad-mad abomination!¡±


    Cries of relief came from the watchers, and the crying Selensha waved her staff. Mist with an orange glow descended, and I desperately released the last of my wind energies, destroying the vacuums I had created around my body to shield me from the worst of the Foehn, hurling it away like burning meteorites. Releasing Shaeraggo I collapsed to the ground, staring up at the spectacle, orange mists meeting the slowly vanishing citrine flames of the Foehn as the Mist Barrier started dismissing it.


    Fuck, I hurt so bad. Even with the amelioration of my injuries I was still banged up and burnt. Tears welled up in my eyes finally, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was from the pain, or relief that I¡¯d won, and our dreams were safe for now. Shaeula and Eri was racing over, dodging between the remaining flames of Foehn, and as they approached a silvery sheen that wasn¡¯t tears appeared in my vision...


    Your Class, Fae-Souled has increased from level 17 to level 19.


    Your Foresight has significantly increased.


    Your...


    Spoils of war, eh? Still, seeing the looks of mixed joy and concern on the faces of Shaeula and Eri, I felt that was a greater reward...

 One Hundred And Forty-One

    One Hundred And Forty-One


    ¡°Are you still with us, master?¡± Shaeula said, looking down on me as I lay there staring at the dark aurora in the skies. Beside her Eri had seized my hand with hers and was holding it tight, and I could feel the warmth of both her hand and the blood she had shed keeping Shaeula from surrendering. Even just holding hands hurts a bit, damn...


    I let out a long groan, my burned skin paining me, before nodding as gently as I could. ¡°Yeah. Somehow.¡± Lifting my less-damaged arm, I managed to make a victory sign. ¡°I told you I could do it...¡±


    ¡°Oh Akio...¡± Eri sighed, clutching my hand to her chest. ¡°You got so hurt...¡±


    ¡°Indeed... indeed.¡± Shaeula was struggling for words, her emotions raw. ¡°I did not-not want this, not at all. Now I understand why you forced me to forfeit in the second Trial-Trial. Even defeat might not-not be this painful...¡± the look in her amber eyes was sad, and I didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Eri, can you lift me up? I don¡¯t really feel up to moving right now.¡± I asked, and she gently pulled on my arm, wincing every time I let out a grunt of pain. When I was sitting upright I draped my arms around them, a gentle hug.


    ¡°Smile. Please.¡± I asked them both, forcing a smile of my own, ignoring the aching tug of my seared flesh. ¡°We won, somehow. I don¡¯t know what will come next, whether Shaeraggo will be reasonable, but for now... the worst is avoided. Isn¡¯t that something to be happy about, Shaeula? We don¡¯t have to lose you yet.¡±


    ¡°I am happy...¡± she muttered, her voice small and weak. ¡°I did not-not wish to leave. But the price...¡±


    ¡°If the price was just some pain, I am happy to pay it. well, not happy...¡± I managed a dry chuckle. ¡°... but it was totally worth it. you think the same, right Eri?¡±


    Eri nodded, and Shaeula looked down at her hand, face paling as she remembered what she had done. ¡°Oh Eri, I am so ashamed, I have injured you! I did not-not mean...¡±


    ¡°Hush now, foolish girl.¡± Eri shook her head, exasperated. ¡°You were just scared for Akio, how can I criticise you for that? Like he said, it was worth it. If you¡¯d have managed to say those words... well, we¡¯d all be crying different tears now, right?¡±


    ¡°Good girl, that¡¯s exactly right!¡± I approved, managing to raise my arm just enough to stroke her head.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh, you really are quite the amusing group.¡± Ixitt chuckled, watching our heartfelt scene. ¡°You really, keh-keh, look like a victim of Unseelie curses right now. That fire of yours... Foehn, keh-keh, was it? Most fascinating. It had a presence that matches the, keh-keh, Moonlight Mist Realm. Quite spectacular. Even the spirits were unable to fully supress it. Keh-keh-keh.¡±


    I turned my head gently, looking around at the devastation of the shrine summit. Oh shit. The kami is not going to be pleased... The first battle between Shaeula and Ulfuric had done little damage to the grounds, but our battle... craters were everywhere, the ground was scorched black, having vitrified to glass in places, and pockets of Foehn were still burning even now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Eri consoled me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can rebuild, right? At least none of the shrine buildings were damaged... well, much.¡± She laughed nervously, and I could see some of the Torii gates were damaged, gouges and slashes in their paintwork.


    ¡°Before that, you need-need healing.¡± Shaeula said, turning to find out where Selensha was. ¡°Stop with my fool-fool of a brother and come heal Akio. He won-won, so should be treated first!¡±


    Selensha was drinking from an ornate crystal bottle, bright orange liquid inside slipping down her throat. It couldn¡¯t have been pleasant, as she was shuddering, eyes squinting. ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can, I had to use all my remaining power preventing his fire from destroying the Moonlight Mist Realm... ugh, this Faerie Dew is vile...¡± she shivered all over, gagging.


    Beside her Shaeraggo was sitting, merely staring at us. The damage to his face had been largely restored, but he still had significant burns along his arms and torso. I met his deep green eyes with my steely grey ones, and for a moment we communicated without words, before he looked away. Yeah, he¡¯s not happy at all. This isn¡¯t over.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I managed to say. ¡°Naturally she wants to make sure her husband is healed first. It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m dying so I can hold on. It feels like it though.¡± I grinned bitterly. ¡°Besides, while I¡¯m waiting I can take a look at the spoils of battle. I¡¯m not sure why, but I got a couple of level-ups on my Fae-Souled class, and some other goodies too.¡±


    Your Class, Fae-Souled has increased from level 17 to level 19.


    Your Foresight has significantly increased.


    Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 2 to Rank 3, having now fed on the power of water as well as wind. The hunger of Foehn knows no limits, and it desires to feast on further elements to grow ever-stronger. [Class: ???]


    Your Skill, Flame Manipulation has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your understanding of flame has significantly increased, and you can handle flame with less wastage and greater efficiency. [Class: ???]


    ¡°I do, for I cannot go against the laws of the Seelie. Three moons of grace you shall have-have, but... I cannot accept this! I shall ask you one last time, little sister. Shaeula. Please, return with me! I will even leave this vile mortal unharmed out of deference for your wishes, but...¡±


    ¡°Hah. Hah. Hah.¡± Gurgling laughter sounded, and I turned to see Grulgor and his trolls, now awake and fully recovered, all hooting and jeering at Shaeraggo, Grulgor particularly amused. ¡°Little weasel is pathetic. Grul says master beat you until you begged for mercy. Now you try and ... hah... weasel... out of promises? Grul says Unseelie have more pride than you!¡±


    Shaeraggo puffed himself up, hand going for his bow, before he realised it had been damaged by the Foehn before and wasn¡¯t currently usable.


    ¡°You also made a wager with Akio.¡± Shaeula reminded hm, remembering herself. ¡°At the time I thought it reckless, but... well, this is why you are the one I chose.¡± She gave me a bright smile, licking her lips lasciviously, until Eri bopped her gently on the head.


    ¡°No time for that now.¡± She sighed. Turning to Shaeraggo though, she glared at him. I hope she isn¡¯t going to try and stick an axe in him again...


    ¡°I remember you were going to make Akio... what was it, ah yes, you¡¯d enjoy seeing him kiss your feet. But if you lost, you had to accept Akio was worthy of Shaeula. So do it! Are you a man or just a beast who doesn¡¯t know how to keep his word? I thought Fae had to do that?¡±


    Shaeraggo ground his teeth, and Selensha reached out a hand to comfort him. As she did so she met my gaze, and understanding dawned in her eyes. Yep, I had a bet with you as well. So pay up.


    ¡°My dear, you¡¯ve lost. Can¡¯t you see just how hard they¡¯ve fought for each other? This Akio is no ordinary mortal, look how far Shaeula has come under his care. You promised them three moons of grace, so why not let it go, at least for now? You don¡¯t want your sister to hate you, do you? She¡¯s a proud princess, she¡¯ll keep her promises to disown you all should she have to...¡±


    ¡°I will indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Brother, show me your dignity and grace in defeat. I wish-wish to be able to respect you again.¡±


    Eri was watching the situation and she whispered in my ear. ¡°Can¡¯t we do something? We won, but it still isn¡¯t going well. I don¡¯t want Shaeula to have to give up her family, that¡¯d be too sad...¡±


    I know. I don¡¯t think I can fix this, but if I can buy us time... ¡°I¡¯m prepared to compromise.¡± I said, drawing all eyes to me, pausing the family squabble. ¡°You promised us three moons, that¡¯s eighty-four days of Material time. So how about this. You give us that time to become stronger, and we¡¯ll not only make our Territory more worthy of her, but the both of us will grow our strength greatly. I¡¯ll show I am able to protect Shaeula. If I can¡¯t show results, then I¡¯ll admit she¡¯d be better off without me.¡±


    ¡°I have no wish to leave you-you!¡± Shaeula protested, and I gently stroked her head.


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll do everything to strengthen ourselves, so that when the time comes, even Shaeraggo will have to admit we belong together.¡±


    ¡°Belong together.¡± Shaeula blushed brilliantly. ¡°We do-do. Yes, I can agree to that. So brother, what do you say? Pay the prices you have promised, then I shall respect you as my brother once more-more. And I shall prove, since you are not-not satisfied with my glorious feats so far, that at Akio¡¯s side is where I belong. I shall not-not be gone forever, for I have unfinished business in the Seelie Court.¡±


    ¡°If you are worried about her, which I get, you are welcome to visit our Territory at any time. We aren¡¯t always here, as we have business in the Material a lot as well, but you are welcome nonetheless.¡± It¡¯s a bit sly, but if he visits us, that¡¯s an extra layer of security, as I bet he wouldn¡¯t allow enemies to endanger his sister...


    Shaeraggo looked at his sister, me, Selensha, the grinning Ixitt, Ulfuric, even Eri. Looking up to the heavens, he let out a long sigh. ¡°Bring my Fae Pouch.¡± He ordered a weaselkin, who raced off back to the troops. ¡°I hate this-this. I hate it very much. But I can see your resolve, sister, mortal ... no, Akio. I could twist the prices paid-paid, for that is the way of the Fae, but... I cannot bear to cheat my own sister, nor go against my wife. Three moons. But should any harm-harm befall my sister, I shall not accept a Trial, I am a hunter, all you will know will be my arrow taking your heart!¡±


    ¡°I thank you, brother Shaeraggo.¡± Shaeula said, taking his hand. ¡°You will not-not regret this. And when I am stronger, I can-can aid our father against his foes. We have already peeled Grulgor away from Duke Formor. We can do much-much more!¡±


    At that Grulgor grumbled sourly, complaining that he still owed Duke Formor his respect and loyalty, but we ignored him. Shaeraggo¡¯s weaselkin returned, carrying a small velvet pouch, ringed with golden threads. He took it, and opened it to reveal a strange mushroom. It looked poisonous, with a bright red cap, spotted with bumps of various colours. ¡°I shall need to trade for another one of these with those crazy plant spirits...¡± he muttered. ¡°... they are always so greedy.¡± Looking around he headed over to the back hills, where Earth Energy was still spreading freely from the ground. Bending down, he inspected the fissures and their ruby-red fountains.


    What is he doing?


    Suddenly one of the venting plumes of elemental energies dried up, before a ring of mushrooms, each as tall as a person, larger versions of the small one he had held, burst out of the ground and started giving off a scarlet glow.


    Your Territory has gained a Faerie Ring Gate Rank 3 Special.


    A Faerie Ring Gate? What the hell is that?

 One Hundred And Forty-Two

    One Hundred And Forty-Two


    Appraising the Faerie Ring Gate, I was very surprised by the description.


    Faerie Ring Gate Rank 3 Special- Special Rank facilities cannot be levelled up by ether, they level as their requirements are met. Faerie Ring Gates draw upon abundant natural elemental water or earth to create a mystical gateway that connects two points of the lower Astral, allowing transportation between. They can also ??????? ???????? ????????.


    Well, it¡¯s a bit dubious I can¡¯t get a full description, but Shaeula should know what they are, and she doesn¡¯t seem too concerned. ¡°So, this isn¡¯t part of the prices you had to pay. Not that I¡¯m complaining, we¡¯ll take any freebies, right Shaeula?¡±


    Before she could answer, Shaeraggo let out a long sigh. His gaze was still far from friendly, but at least he wasn¡¯t at my throat like before. ¡°I had intended to set this Ring in my estate, so I could travel to her mansion whenever I wished-wished to see my sister. Now I will have to get another pair to set up-up. So very aggravating. Still, with this, you can travel to the mansion whenever you wish. It is on the very outskirts of the Seelie Court, bordering other Fae lands, so it-it is somewhat humble, but I have tried to make it a worthy home for her to hide in.¡±


    Wow, so we can get into the lands of the Seelie through that? I think that¡¯s way deeper than the Boundary isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t Shaeula say once it travels through the lower Astral?


    ¡°So if you ever wish to abandon this mortal...¡± Shaeraggo continued. ¡°... you will have a place to go-go. Some of your servants and maids are residing there, so you will be comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I shall not leave his side.¡± Shaeula insisted, puffing out her chest. ¡°But I do-do miss the lands of the Fae.¡± She spoke to Eri then. ¡°I did-did say that one day I would show you the moonlit Fae realm, did I not-not? This day will perhaps come sooner than we thought. The dark night is rather... romantic, I feel.¡±


    ¡°You had best beware, princess.¡± Ulfuric warned, finally breaking his silence. ¡°You are still exiled in all but name. You should keep a low profile and not draw attention to yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I shall bear that in mind, Master Ulfuric. I have not-not forgotten, not even for a moment.¡± Shaeula turned back to her brother. ¡°So, three moons. Now for the second price. Forces worthy of my pedigree, I believe it was, no-no? I would not-not claim to demand forces like you command, yet the pitiful handful of troops I was sent to this land with is a great insult. I look forward to you rectifying this-this.¡±


    Damn yeah, I was so caught up in wanting to protect Shaeula that I wasn¡¯t focussing on what else we would gain. This timing is perfect, as we are embroiled in a running war with the Astral Emperor-candidate from the north. With extra forces we can protect our Anchor and attack hard at the same time...


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Shaeraggo looked at his army, which was still neatly lined up around the edges of the shrine, the yellow light of the still-burning Foehn casting glittering reflections over their neat armour and weapons. ¡°If too many of the troops I brought are missing, it will-will weaken my position at Court. Still...¡± he gave orders, and several-score each of spear-weasels and archers were ordered out, as well as Tillyae and a third of her musicians. A female weaselkin mage called Danaera was also picked out to lead twelve mages, and we were also granted a score of the more heavily armoured weaselkin warriors. All in all, a very welcome boost to our power!


    ¡°I trust this will suffice?¡± Shaeraggo asked Shaeula, trying to ignore me as much as possible. ¡°You are worthy of more, but for the moment...¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, keh-keh-keh. I too shall stay.¡± Ixitt broke in, and behind him his fellow mortal engineers seemed resigned.


    ¡°You?¡± Shaeraggo asked. ¡°But your research...¡±


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. The others can take care of it, they know what to do, keh-keh. As for me...¡± his eyes lit up as he surveyed us. ¡°... I believe I will be able to push my craft, keh, to new, keh, heights here under this mortal and your sister. Do not deny me, keh-keh, this chance to further our knowledge. Why, there is so much to see and learn... keh-keh-KEH...¡± he nearly choked on his words, coughing up blood before finally recovering. ¡°I shall send for my wives and children who do not have jobs when I am, keh-keh-keh, more settled. I trust you have no objections?¡±


    ¡°Just... try not to cause any problems, all right?¡± I gave in. He would probably be an asset in combat, judging by the way Shaeraggo had described him, and if he brought his (large-sounding) family, well, we could probably put them to work somehow...


    ¡°I am satisfied you have upheld the price.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°We would struggle to command more-more, and I would not strip away all your troops, dear brother.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you are strong, the both of you, yet you lack experience in leading armies.¡± Ulfuric spoke, his deep voice booming. ¡°That is why I shall remain here. After all, princess...¡± he smiled, his grim expression momentarily washed away. ¡°... you did manage to defeat me, even if circumstances favoured you. I shall lead your host.¡±


    ¡°You will, Master Ulfuric? That is aid unlooked for, but most welcome indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula was delighted, having a fondness for the huge badgerkin from her childhood in the Seelie Court.


    ¡°Hmph, at least we agree on something.¡± Shaeraggo said. He then turned to Eri, surprising us. ¡°So, I never did catch your name, first wife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Eri.¡± She said nervously, clutching my arm for support.


    ¡°Well then, Eri. Do treat my sister well. Being the first wife-wife can be very challenging, managing the infighting and factions. If you neglect my dear Shaeula, then know I shall not let it pass.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m ready for it.¡± Eri said resolutely, shocking me once more. ¡°Besides, we made a promise. And I¡¯m not any worse at keeping those than you Fae.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯ll be fine. Did they not prove themselves against your anger, dear husband?¡± Selensha soothed him. Turning back to us, she bowed. ¡°I can¡¯t say I wish to go through such a Trial again any time soon, but your methods of healing and using elemental essence were fascinating. I can see why engineer Ixitt wishes to stay.¡±


    ¡°Well, feel free to visit again, sister-in-law. Your knowledge of water will prove helpful when we master it ourselves!¡± Shaeula declared.


    ¡°Such ambition. I¡¯d like to see that...¡±


    As our final bout of small talk concluded, Shaeraggo and his army departed, leaving behind our new troops. Ulfuric had formed them up into ranks, and we strode forwards to address them.


    ¡°We welcome you all-all, my new kin.¡± Shaeula opened with. ¡°Some of you may be dissatisfied, serving under me, a young female, with few honours and a poor reputation. But fear not-not, you will soon see that under us, only glory awaits. But first, to demonstrate our power...¡± she raised one small hand, and I suddenly felt a weight pressing down on my spirit. It was as if... no, it was... that I was suddenly connected to Shaeula, and through her to many, many more souls. The bonds of my Kin Bonding and Restoration were straining, a constant pressure spreading through it and into my chakra network.


    Shaeula too had gone pale, the stress of adding such a number to her kin no doubt weighing heavily on her too, but she stood tall, showing no weakness. ¡°We will defeat our enemies, but know this-this! Even should you fall, as our kin, Akio and I shall restore you to life, without fail!¡±


    The troops gave a gentle cheer, still uncertain due to the strange turn of events that had led them to changing masters in a few scant hours. Still, despite her supposed shortcomings, Shaeula was still a daughter of prince Shaetanao, so they were not unwilling.


    ¡°So now, we must discuss our plans...¡± Shaeula continued, beckoning me over. Eri followed, though she had little to say as we brought the leaders of our forces together, including the White Snake kami, Grulgor, the Kamaitachi, Tillyae, Danaera, Ixitt and of course Ulfuric. Once we had explained the situation with our opponents, Ulfuric decided (after some significant verbal sparring with Grulgor, who was clashing with him at every opportunity) to put together a flexible plan for attack and defence, based on the intel we had already gathered.


    ¡°You have done very well, princess, consort.¡± He rumbled.


    Consort? What¡¯s... oh wait, yeah, isn¡¯t that a royal thing? I think that was the spouse of a monarch or royal, wasn¡¯t it? There was some trouble in Great Britain regarding one of them a while back, if I recall correctly. I guess he treats Shaeula as she has the higher position, I suppose it makes sense, considering who he is...


    Shaeula had puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, but didn¡¯t say anything, merely letting him continue.


    ¡°With a disadvantaged position you have leveraged your own combat strengths to supress far greater numbers. However, this was only possible due to your enemy being... well, bluntly, a fool.¡± He continued. ¡°And you can ill-afford to rely on such favourable happenstance. Still, this will be an opportunity for you both to learn the true arts of war. I shall draft our plan of engagement once I have fully evaluated all our troops.¡±


    Leaving Ulfuric to handle it, we headed back towards the main shrine. The fires of Foehn still had not died out entirely, though they were slowly dwindling. ¡°God, this place is a mess. I know it was my only shot at victory, but still. I feel bad...¡±


    ¡°You do not-not have time for such concerns.¡± Shaeula said, grabbing one arm and pulling it to her modest chest. Beside me Eri grabbed my other. ¡°We have much to discuss, do we not-not, Eri?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She agreed, her face red. ¡°Akio, we need to talk... it¡¯s too painful to wait any longer.¡±


    Oh god, it¡¯s going to be about that. What... what do I do? I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s the best thing for Eri, for Shaeula... for everyone...

 One Hundred And Forty-Three – R18 Chapter/Contains sex

    One Hundred And Forty-Three ¨C R18 Chapter/Contains sex


    The inside of the shrine building in the Boundary was quite different to what I had seen in the Material. It was richly decorated with white and crimson hangings, as well as golden ropes. It almost looks the part of a major shrine... I wonder what a huge shrine like the ones they have in Kyoto would look like...


    My mind was wandering a little, the situation rather uncomfortable. Still, I was unable to escape as Eri and Shaeula each held one of my arms, guiding me towards the back of the shrine until they found a suitable room. Entering, I swallowed nervously, as the small room was cosy, and contained what looked like a pile of blankets, again in white and crimson.


    ¡°This will suffice, will it not-not, Eri?¡± Shaeula asked, and Eri nodded, still pink from nerves, but her face was resolute, dark eyes showing strength.


    ¡°Yes, we... we can talk here.¡± She answered, and she pulled us down, so we were all sitting on the blankets, still tight together.


    Well, I¡¯m going to have to grasp the nettle here... ¡°Eri, when Shaeraggo asked you who you were, you said that you...¡± I began, but Eri tightened her grip on my arm, forestalling me.


    ¡°Please, this is hard enough. Just let us speak, all right?¡± Eri said, and beside her Shaeula nodded agreement, her own amber eyes shining with emotion.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m a selfish and possessive girl.¡± Eri smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I used to be, but finally getting what I wanted, who I loved, after having given up... well, it¡¯s changed me, maybe. Or perhaps it just brought out who I¡¯ve always been. Now I won¡¯t ever let you go.¡± She looked down at her bare finger. ¡°I hate it that my engagement ring isn¡¯t here... I look at it all the time, and it reminds me that the dark times are over, that we¡¯ll always be together...¡± she turned her gaze on Shaeula, who was listening quietly, though her tension was plain to see, her hand gripping my arm so tightly it was a little painful, and I could feel faint tremors in her fingers.


    ¡°... if it wasn¡¯t for Shaeula, and Aiko, and my parents, and even those two idiots back home, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have had the courage to take the final step and finally tell you how I felt. And if I didn¡¯t, you never would have either, would you?¡± her obsidian turned, peering into mine so fiercely it was like she was seeing my soul. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. I don¡¯t. Though it does make me feel a little sad.¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak again but she blocked it with her free hand. ¡°Shush now, I said we are talking. I get it, I do. Aiko and I, I guess we always remembered that day back then, when you stood against that dog, protecting us. And many days after, always there, looking out for us. You became something giant in our eyes, a hero. So we never saw that you were suffering too, that you were fragile and in pain deep inside. Even if I could have...¡± she paused, shaking her head in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m pretty selfish deep down, I¡¯m not as nice as everyone thinks. I love you, Akio, I think I always have, even though when I was young I didn¡¯t understand what that emotion even was. So I think...¡± a trickle of tears leaked from her eyes. ¡°... even if you only agreed to be with me because you felt sorry for me, or because you thought you had to, I¡¯d have accepted it, and I¡¯d still have been happy. Though I¡¯d have always been left wanting more. Like I said, I¡¯m pretty selfish.¡± Her smile was brittle, and I shook free of her restraint, knowing I had to speak now.


    ¡°No, Eri, no. no!¡± I protested, somewhat annoyed. ¡°You think I¡¯d marry you just out of sympathy? Out of obligation? That isn¡¯t true at all.¡± Not now, anyway. But if I¡¯m being honest... at first...


    ¡°You are a poor-poor liar, my Akio.¡± Shaeula piped up from where she was watching in silence. ¡°True, I can tell you have always deeply cared for Eri, and she surely is quite-quite beautiful, any male would be happy to court her, but at first, that night under those fireworks... you were simply carried away with thoughts of what would make Eri happy, were you not-not? Rather than your own happiness?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± true, it was very hard for me to see her as anything but a sister at first, but that quickly changed.


    Seeing me pause, Shaeula smiled in triumph. ¡°Do not-not mistake our questioning. We understand now that genuine love has bloomed. It is easy to see-see from the way you look at Eri. Those feelings of being a brother, wanting to protect, they have changed. Now you wish nothing more-more than to have Eri by your side, to love and hold her, spend your life with her. I am not-not wrong?¡±


    How could you be wrong? Going on genuine dates, spending time doing things lovers do... making love... I could feel my body heating up at the memories of Eri lying naked below me, so passionate.


    ¡°It¡¯s those eyes. I see it.¡± Eri said quietly. ¡°When you look at me like that I know you truly want me, truly love me, not as a child, but as a woman. When I see them, I¡¯m deeply happy. The world just seems perfect, bright and full of hope. But...¡± I was drawn in by her poise. She looked so fragile, yet also so resolute. ¡°... I see you looking at Shaeula with those same eyes. It¡¯s hard.¡±


    I was shocked. I¡¯m looking at Shaeula with eyes of love? ¡°No, you must be wrong. Eri, when I promised to be your boyfriend, and later, when I asked you to marry me, I promised you I¡¯d always love you, always be faithful. I¡¯m no liar, I meant every word. I¡¯ll never betray you. how could I? I¡¯m in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I do, and it makes me so happy to hear it. I¡¯m the same Akio, I¡¯ll always love you too, I¡¯ll never let any other man touch me. The very thought sickens me. I also want to spend the rest of my life with you! But...¡± she turned to Shaeula, who was still extremely nervous, her breath coming fast. ¡°... Shaeula loves you too. As much as I do.¡±


    I know. I¡¯m not an idiot. When she¡¯s spelled it out so much, and even kissed me... but I¡¯ve already...


    ¡°You remember on the flight home from Las Vegas?¡± Eri continued. ¡°You looked so cute sleeping.¡± She giggled. ¡°But we had a talk. Shaeula and I. Later Aiko joined in. Hmph, your sister, do you know what she said?¡±


    No, how could I? I shook my head.


    ¡°She said that she loved both me and Shaeula, and since she couldn¡¯t decide which of us she wanted as a sister-in-law, she thought you should choose both of us. She¡¯s such a bad friend, isn¡¯t she?¡± Eri¡¯s laughter was mirthful, but with an edge of sadness.


    ¡°She seriously said that?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°She did indeed.¡± Shaeula joined in. ¡°Your sister is wise, seeing past the bounds of your mortal conventions. I shall be proud-proud to have her as a sister-in-law.¡±


    Whoa now, you are getting ahead of yourself...


    ¡°Anyway, we talked, and we realised a lot, about ourselves, each other. You.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°It¡¯s pretty similar to the horrible question you asked me earlier. If we could benefit from ... ugh, if I had to touch.. do... things with another man... could I accept it, could you accept it?¡± she shuddered, biting her lip.


    She was still holding my arm tight, but I managed to manoeuvre it around her, pulling her deeper into my embrace. ¡°That¡¯ll never happen. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eri said tearfully. ¡°But if I thought it would save you, I could do anything, even that. Afterwards I think the guilt would eat away at me, and I think... I think I would... not be able to live with it. Live at all...¡±


    ¡°No, just like we said to Shaeula, you can¡¯t kill yourself.¡± I knew how her mind worked, and I needed to make it clear. ¡°Even something like that, we could get through it. It¡¯ll never happen, I promise, but I¡¯d spend my life healing your heart...¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s just why I can¡¯t return Shaeula¡¯s feelings. Do I... do I like Shaeula? Yes, she¡¯s adorable, loyal, haughty yet kind, her dreams are grand... Do I... do I love her? It doesn¡¯t matter. I can¡¯t. ¡°I already made my choice, Eri. And I don¡¯t regret it. if I did, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to anyone. If I imagine how bad I would feel if you were to... well, you know. So I could never put you through the same feelings of pain and helplessness that I would feel. I love you way too much to ever do that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you were to cheat on me with some.. some whore...¡± she said the foul word with venom. ¡°... I¡¯d be crushed. I¡¯m so happy you love me enough to see that. But... do you really think Shaeula is just some vile woman like that?¡± she had more tears in her eyes as she turned to Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I called you those terrible things in Las Vegas. I wanted to say that for a long time, but... no, I need to be braver, face what has to be faced. So, can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°It is all-all in the past.¡± Shaeula patted her head with her free hand. ¡°I understand your emotions were running high then. And I know you do not-not truly despise me. When we talked on that plane, you listened, even though you did not-not wish too. And when you called yourself Akio¡¯s first wife... Eri, thank you for accepting me. I have pledged you shall not regret it, and I mean it!¡±


    ¡°Just hang on a minute...¡± I broke in, panicked. ¡°We were just saying there is no way I could ever put Eri through something like this...¡±


    ¡°And I am just saying Shaeula isn¡¯t like anyone else!¡± Eri was starting to get annoyed, red-faced and tearful, and my heart jumped at the sight. She¡¯s beautiful even when angry. ¡°We all have to be honest here. Otherwise we¡¯ll regret it for ever. When you saw her tears, when she thought she had failed, had lost you... Akio. Don¡¯t lie to me, to us. Akio, you love me, right? As a woman.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°And... you love Shaeula, right, as a woman? It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s allowed, or whether you can. Just say the words. Until we reach the truth we can¡¯t solve anything.¡±


    God, now I feel like the younger one. She¡¯s being so mature, even though it hurts her. So, do... do I really love Shaeula as a woman? I¡¯ve lived and fought with her for so long now, laughed and cried with her, our dreams are intertwined. And the soft, wet feeling of her lips, the touch of her hand... Fuck, I¡¯m such a cheating wretched bastard. I¡¯m the worst. But...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Eri. I know it¡¯s not really cheating, but... I¡¯m my heart I¡¯ve been unfaithful. I do. I do love Shaeula as well. We¡¯ve been through so much, I don¡¯t think any man could have resisted falling in love...¡±


    At my words Shaeula started crying. She had told me several times I was the only male for her, but I had never explicitly returned any feelings. Shit, that just makes me feel worse... I¡¯m only making everyone sad...


    ¡°I don¡¯t need excuses. I¡¯m a little... well, no, a lot jealous, but... like I said, I can see it in your eyes when you look at me, there¡¯s love for me, more than I deserve. So now, let me be clear. Akio. I love you as a man, as my soon-to-be husband. And Shaeula...¡±


    Shaeula mopped away her tears and waited, barely able to contain herself for the words that were about to be spoken.


    ¡°... you are a friend who is starting to be as precious to me as Aiko. I¡¯ll never forget how you pushed me towards this happiness, how you¡¯ve started training me to defend Akio, how you said you¡¯ll make my life full of joy... so I accept you. I accept us. I¡¯m still first wife though. A privilege of being the childhood friend. Now, what do you say?¡±


    Wait, this is moving way too fast, and nobody is asking for my input...


    ¡°I love Akio as a male. I want him to be the only one. He is the other half of my soul, the full moon to my new moon. I have told him this, but his loyalty to you-you is too great, Eri. I am a little envious of you. As for you... you are a precious friend to me-me, and I believe that together with Akio, our futures shall be bright indeed-indeed.¡±


    ¡°So, there. Everyone has spoken. So we all know. There¡¯s no point hiding it any further, is there?¡± Eri said. ¡°As first wife it¡¯s my job to manage these things, so Akio... you love Shaeula, so don¡¯t make her suffer any longer. Just... just don¡¯t neglect me either, all right? The wrath of a first wife is a terrible thing, right Shaeula?¡± she winked.


    ¡°If Akio is such-such a fool, I shall punish him myself.¡± She approved, her smile radiant.


    No, no. no. Harems only work in stories, in real life it¡¯s just cheating. It won¡¯t be acceptable, even if Shaeula isn¡¯t human. She¡¯s living as one most of the time so it¡¯s still...


    ¡°Stop thinking too much. I¡¯ve said it isn¡¯t the same. Sure, I doubt everything will go smoothly. There¡¯ll be hard times and tears, jealousy and worry. But... just like when you fought Shaeraggo, and hurt yourself so horribly...¡± her arm tightened, remembering the state I was in. ¡°... as long as in the end we are all far happier than the sadness caused by the pain, we win, right?¡±


    ¡°A male is judged on the calibre of the females he makes happy. I have said this often.¡± Shaeula said, her gaze hot and intense. ¡°You feel selfish, unworthy, I know. You think I would be happier having a male to myself. But you are still a fool-fool. You are ten times the male any other I have met is. So even split with Eri, that still means I have five-five times the joy.¡±


    ¡°If you feel unworthy, just... be better.¡± Eri echoed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you can be, as we already love you so much. But if you just try... you¡¯ll come to accept this. Even Aiko wants you to romance us both!¡±


    ¡°I can see your reluctance. It hurts my heart, and I am not-not happy. But I suppose your deep loyalty is part-part of your charm, and something I can respect as a Fae, bound to honour given word. But allow me to remove your last excuse. You remember when we were both training our talents with the wind-wind?¡±


    Of course I do. It was gruelling, but without that, the foundation would not be set for us to... oh, seriously? She wouldn¡¯t!


    ¡°I triumphed, and you promised to honour one request I shall make without question, did you not-not? And now... my request is, please grant Eri¡¯s wish, and do not-not feel ashamed or guilty. It will be an act of love, for both Eri and for me. It shall be the first step on your path-path to greatness as a male.¡±


    ¡°Akio. My love. My wish is, you¡¯ll always love and treasure me, and will marry me. And you will also always love and treasure Shaeula. You¡¯ll marry her too, though how we¡¯ll make it work... wow, I wonder what a Faerie wedding is like?¡± in the moment she subconsciously imitated Aiko, which cut the tension.


    I surrender. Eri, Aiko, Shaeula. They are the three most important people to me in this world. And they all want this. And it... it isn¡¯t as though it is some hardship, is it? I feel shitty, like I¡¯m taking advantage of them, yes, but Shaeula is right. If I become a man that can love them both and make them happy, what¡¯s the problem? And if I¡¯m honest... I¡¯ve long looked at Shaeula with lewd eyes. She¡¯s stunningly beautiful and very exotic... I¡¯ve... well, I¡¯m a healthy guy, of course I¡¯ve dreamed of doing lewd stuff with her!


    Seeing me turn over the thoughts in my mind they both waited, Shaeula looking tense, Eri more relaxed, a knowing look in her eyes. Yes, she¡¯s known me forever, she can read me too well...


    ¡°I hope you two won¡¯t regret this.¡± I said at last, my mind made up. It was fighting the tide, which only ever ended one way, and besides... honestly, if Shaeula told me she was marrying some other guy... I¡¯d hate it. Yeah, I just have to face facts. I¡¯m as bad as any other man, wanting every beauty that comes my way...


    ¡°We won¡¯t, so long as you put in the effort. And you can do that for us, right?¡± Eri said, letting out a long, tense breath.


    ¡°Akio can do anything he puts his mind to. I have seen him work-work miracles. Loving such beautiful, charming females as us should be no hardship in comparison.¡± Shaeula was crying again, this time bright droplets of joy. ¡°So, it is settled, no?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± I was beaten. ¡°I apparently did a bad job of Eri¡¯s engagement by taking her to get a ring first, so it¡¯s only fair I blow yours too, Shaeula. Will you marry me? I¡¯ll figure out how it all works later.¡±


    With my Mystic Eyes I could see two streams of power, the first coming from Shaeula, flowing from her lunar chakra, down through her network and then out through the swirling vortex of her sacral chakra, flowing into mine. This was joined moments later by a flow from me, following the opposite path through to her body. That energy spread throughout her body, soaking into her network, absorbed into the flow.


    ¡°So warm inside-inside...¡± Shaeula sighed, letting out a long breath of release. ¡°... and I can-can feel energy flooding within. I can see-see mine flow to you as well...¡± she pulled my head down to her chest, where I could hear her racing heart, as well as the faint sizzling of aether and mixed elemental energies.


    I was exhausted, which was strange, as the physical exertion should have been nothing to me now, but the tiredness seeped into me, and for a while I lay there in Shaeula¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°I now believe I understand what happened with Eri.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°I do not-not know how, yet when you took-took my Kin Restoration and changed it-it, it became a skill that not only connected the soul, but the body-body as well. And so when your body and soul joins with another, it releases your own-own energies, the essence of your body and spirit, in response.¡± She had an expression of wonder on her face as she gently stroked my hair. ¡°And my skill too-too, it has become the same. So as you release to me-me, I release to you. It is yet a further bond between us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, is it?¡± I managed, concerned, remembering that Eri had issues, but she shook her head, sweaty amber hair tickling my bare skin.


    ¡°No-no, it is not as long as one has-has a network that can contain the sudden flow of power. In fact-fact, I believe I now know why Eri was rendered so unstable.¡± Her expression changed, her one of spent lust replaced with inquisition. Raising her voice, she called out. ¡°Eri, I know-know you are listening. Please come in-in. We must speak.¡±


    The sliding door creaked open, and Eri peaked in, as flushed as we were, her onyx eyes darting about. She saw us lying naked and exhausted, and an expression of envy flickered across her features before she quashed it with force of will. Oh Eri. I¡¯m sorry. You are trying hard.


    ¡°I hope-hope your heart could bear this.¡± Shaeula giggled. ¡°I found it quite-quite the burden in Las Vegas, listening and unable to be a part-part of it.¡±


    ¡°My heart could, but I still hated it!¡± Eri somehow managed to turn even redder, now looking like her skin was scalded. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but the more lewd things you started doing, I could feel... oh I don¡¯t want to talk about this. Can we change the subject? Anyway... congratulations Shaeula, I guess I should say, though I don¡¯t feel like it!¡±


    My Mystic Eyes seemed to be fading, as I could barely observe the subtle workings of Eri¡¯s Astral body, but I could see that her dwindling stocks of aether seemed to have increased, pooling around her sacral and lunar chakras, mostly. That¡¯s odd...


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Yes, I felt-felt the same during your time, Eri. Did you satisfy...¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Eri cut her off, curling in on herself, mortified. ¡°That¡¯s only for Akio to... ugh, gods, why are you being so mean to me? Haven¡¯t I sacrificed enough?¡±


    ¡°Sorry-sorry!¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°I just wished to confirm... Akio, can you move for a-a moment?¡±


    I rolled off her, and she got to her feet, still naked, a dribble of blood and semen running down her thighs. Seeing where my eyes were drawn to Eri scowled, but Shaeula padded over to her, still smiling. ¡°If you are jealous, then I believe it is only fair-fair to let you have a turn. Akio can manage, can you not-not?¡±


    Before I could answer, Eri shook her head. ¡°I thought you said it¡¯d be dangerous to expose me to much more energy? I mean, I want to, of course I do, but...¡± she seemed unsure, but Shaeula patted her on the head, comforting her.


    ¡°Now-now I have seen how it works with my own eyes-eyes, I believe I can-can manage it. And here, in the Boundary, my ability to fortify your subtle body will be-be much greater. I believe it would be to your benefit. Perhaps we can-can resolve the issue entirely?¡±


    ¡°If we could sort it, I¡¯d feel more assured.¡± I said, making up my mind. I sat up, patting the sheets beside me, though I soon realised they were rather stained with... various secretions. ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about your body, and ... well, you are my fiance?e. Of course I¡¯d feel sad if I can¡¯t hold you close, love you.¡± Damn, it¡¯s still hard to be so bold about it, especially since I¡¯m sitting here fresh from deflowering Shaeula. But it¡¯s how I really feel. I do want to love Eri, bring her joy...


    ¡°So, um, of course I want to make love to you again, Akio, after all...¡± her voice dwindled. ¡°... I can¡¯t fall behind.¡± She gathered her courage. ¡°But... does that mean you¡¯ll be watching, Shaeula? That¡¯s... really embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. We are females of the same male. There are no secrets between us-us.¡± She grinned wolfishly. ¡°The first time is a sacred thing so-so should be done in private, but now-now... what have we to hide? Yes, I shall need-need to watch, to perform Chirurgery on you to integrate the energy Akio will pass you from his heart and soul-soul. I believe it will work, and if not-not, I can vent the energy from you, so there is little-little risk.¡±


    Shaeula seems really pumped up. I think it¡¯s worth it, there¡¯s no better time... besides, seeing the red-faced and clearly aroused Eri was stoking my own flames of passion again. If I am going to be a bastard shitty harem protagonist, I¡¯m going to make sure I love my girls as much as I can. No stringing them along or making them feel unwanted...


    ¡°I want it too then. Come on Eri, you decided this was what you wanted, remember? Shaeula gave you her reward and you asked for this. It¡¯s too late to worry about it now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried!¡± she protested, creeping closer, and my nose could pick out her aroused smell too. As if she could sense this, she looked away, pouting. ¡°I just didn¡¯t think it would be so embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Come now-now, no need to be shy.¡± Shaeula pushed Eri gently, and she stumbled towards me. I caught her in my arms and pulled her down to me, resting her in my naked lap. Our lips met, and her tongue sought mine, aggressive in her embarrassment. That stimulated my own lust, and my penis rose, ready for action once more, tangling in her clothes, my precum soiling the fabric.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Eri breathed as our lips parted. She looked down, seeing my erect member, and flinched a little, though her dark eyes were starting at it fixedly. She reached down a gentle hand and started stroking it, sending more shivers through me. Her touch was different to Shaeula¡¯s, touching different places, giving a different feeling of pleasure. Still, it was magical. Unable to contain myself I started stripping her, and soon she was down to just her bra and panties. Unhooking the bra, I started sucking on her breasts, and Eri gave out whimpers of pleasure, her hand moving faster and faster on my penis.


    Oh shit, that¡¯s good... no, wait, time out...!


    ¡°Eri, hang on, you should... too late, oh, cumming, I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried, Eri¡¯s stroking hand enough to make me erupt. Pearly fluid splattered all over her thighs and underwear, mixing with her own liquids that were soaking through her panties. Eri looked down in shock, while Shaeula burst out laughing.


    ¡°I believe you pleased him greatly Eri. That seems-seems such a waste though.¡± Shaeula dropped a hand to Eri¡¯s thigh and scooped up some of my semen. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it gingerly, before dabbing at it with her pink tongue.


    ¡°Shaeula, what are you doing?¡± Eri asked, but Shaeula merely continued to lap at it, her expression a mix of curiosity and wonder.


    ¡°It-it is harmless enough is it not-not? I was just curious. You should try-try some. It is our Akio¡¯s precious love, after all.¡±


    Okay, Shaeula is extremely aggressive sexually it seems. Whether that¡¯s because she¡¯s a Fae or not, I don¡¯t know...


    Eri steeled herself, and as Shaeula held out her hand she stuck out her tongue, scooping up some of the liquid. Swallowing it, she pulled a face. ¡°it¡¯s bitter...¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I apologised, but both of the girls laughed at me.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get used to it, I guess.¡± Eri said. ¡°Still, I¡¯m glad this is that weird Boundary place. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if I had to return to my hotel with my panties covered in your... ugh... your cum.¡± She was adorable as she said dirty words, the gap with her normal image truly moe?.


    ¡°Yeah, my bad. Well then, we¡¯ll just have to take them off.¡± I pulled down her underwear suddenly, exposing her drenched pussy. I bent down and started slurping at it, tasting her sour nectars. Unlike last time though, this time I also exposed her clitoris, remembering how it had driven Shaeula to ecstasy. Using her own love juices to lubricate it, I started working it with my finger, and Eri responded, her body spasming.


    ¡°I¡¯m so... so embarrassed! Akio¡¯s... Akio¡¯s eating me up, and Shaeula issssssss watchinggggggggggggg!¡± her words turned incomprehensible as I brought her to an orgasm. She convulsed, back arching, her arms still holding my head to her groin. ¡°I¡¯m... leaking...¡± she whimpered, and suddenly a stream of hot urine sprayed into my face, surprising me. Yeah, this tastes... funny...


    Closing my mouth after gulping down the first surprise I endured as Eri¡¯s bladder emptied. Again, super weird that she can do that with an Astral body. I really need to unravel the mysteries of this place... well, that¡¯s for later. Right now...


    Eri was face down, hiding in the sodden sheets. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± she commanded. ¡°I¡¯m a grown girl, and I wet myself! I don¡¯t think I can live with the shame.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, well I¡¯m no expert, after all, you are Shaeula are the only girls I¡¯ve been with, but I¡¯ve certainly heard other guys talking, and they say that girls can do that when they experience too much pleasure. So... it¡¯s kinda like a compliment, I¡¯m not upset or disgusted.¡± Beside me Shaeula giggled, and was pointing at Eri¡¯s lower body. I understood what she meant.


    ¡°So anyway. Eri. I love you. So come on, show me your smile, and let¡¯s have sex!¡±


    Eri turned over, face still teary. Still, her onyx orbs were shining. Reaching up, we entwined our fingers, then started kissing. Gently I moved my penis to her entrance. It wasn¡¯t exactly rock-hard, but I guessed it would still do, yet before I could move Shaeula had grabbed my penis, stroking it once more. I quickly felt blood rushing down below, and soon I was fully ready to go again.


    ¡°I shall be watching.¡± Shaeula smirked, backing off. Eri and I exchanged glances, and then I started sliding into her. She moaned, but this time there was little discomfort, her hymen already gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Eri moaned. ¡°Just... just go. I want you to feel good!¡±


    ¡°How could I not, together with you?¡± I queried, sucking on her tongue, licking her lips and teeth, smearing my saliva into her mouth which she greedily swallowed. I began to piston, my penis sliding in and out of her soaked pussy, precum mixing in, lubricating her insides. Wet, obscene sounds echoed, followed by Eri¡¯s moans.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream...¡± she muttered between kisses. ¡°If it was just once I could have imagined it, but no, I¡¯m here, one with you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if it is a dream, it¡¯s one that will go on forever!¡± I panted, the now-familiar feeling of nearing climax rising once more. I changed angle, thrusting deep into Eri, rubbing against her more sensitive spots, and she too was nearing her orgasm.


    ¡°I want... I want it inside me, like before!¡± Eri shouted, the emotions and pleasure of the moment catching up with her. ¡°I want it!¡±


    I want it too... with a last burst of activity I ground against her insides, repeatedly thrusting, and Eri exploded with pleasure, drool leaking from her mouth, which I licked at greedily. I could feel it... not just my semen, but all the energy within me was rushing down to pool around my sacral chakra and sexual organs. I let out a yell, and my sperm, the volume somewhat diminished after my previous discharges, gushed into Eri¡¯s body.


    ¡°Yes, I remember this feeling. Like hot water poured inside me...¡± Eri gasped, the afterglow of her orgasm joined by the sensation of my own ejaculation, as well as the sudden outrushing of energy from my body that poured into her. During the course of our sex, I had completely lost the ability to see using the Mystic Eyes, but Shaeula was ready.


    ¡°Yes-yes, it is happening as I expect. Fascinating, I have never-never heard of such a phenomenon before.¡± She placed her hand on Eri¡¯s belly. ¡°Have no-no fear, now I understand what I am dealing with, I can make adjustments properly.¡± Her amber eyes blazed as she started weaving aether into Eri, using her Chirurgery.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling weird.¡± Eri said as Shaeula worked. ¡°It¡¯s like when I do the exercises you taught me, but it¡¯s so much more intense.¡±


    I had pulled away from Eri, letting Shaeula work, so I just watched in silence as the two naked girls talked, Shaeula moving her hands to various places, face twisted into an expression of intense focus. ¡°Indeed-indeed. Your Astral body is at the fore-fore here, and it is much-much closer to the power of aether, the spiritual. Still, I must-must work on your Material body as well-well. It is quite the challenge, yet having experienced the-the burst of energy first-hand, I can-can better manipulate it.¡±


    The Chirurgery continued for a while, Shaeula being exhausted by the end of it, so now she was resting, her head in my naked lap. She¡¯s still naked too. Damn, I¡¯m starting to feel horny again... no, I¡¯m going to have to hold it in, we¡¯ve done enough.


    Eri was flexing her body, again, also still unclothed, an expression of wonder and joy on her face. ¡°I can feel it, the flow of energy, no, aether, isn¡¯t it? And it¡¯s so easy to draw it in!¡±


    ¡°Well it would-would be.¡± Shaeula answered, her voice cracking with exhaustion. Yeah, you fought two hard battles, made love to me in both the Fae and mortal ways, and then did really hard surgery on Eri. No wonder you are tired... I stroked her head gently as she talked, and she squirmed into a more comfortable position.


    ¡°Using the aether that Akio instinctively poured into-into you, and my not inconsiderable talents...¡± she couldn¡¯t resist boasting, but it was warranted. ¡°I have-have managed to stabilise your chakra network. It is weak-weak indeed, but fully functional, with one exception...¡± she pouted, annoyed. ¡°Your lunar chakra would not-not become solid, despite my efforts. Still-still, I believe that just like Akio¡¯s did, if you continue to train, it will settle.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let up.¡± Eri promised. ¡°How could I, after seeing this world? If I am going to be the first wife, I need to be at least as strong as you, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°You can dream-dream, Eri.¡± Shaeula scoffed, but her humour was gentle. ¡°You will have a long-long road ahead if you wish that.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll walk it, the three of us together, right?¡± Eri said solemnly, and we both nodded. Then she giggled. ¡°Aiko is going to be so jealous, I¡¯m even further ahead of her now!¡±


    ¡°Well, that-that is easily rectified, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°I believe that Akio would pour power into her-her if they were to...¡±


    ¡°Shaeula, no! Bad, bad! No more girls other than us, especially not Aiko! You know that¡¯s so wrong!¡± Eri protested, and Shaeula burst out in wicked laughter. As they continued to squabble, I looked down at Shaeula in my arms, then over at Eri. What a day this has been. Battles, near-death experiences, Shaeula. Eri. I don¡¯t know whether this is right, but I know that here, in this moment... seeing them fight playfully... it feels right. Once more I confirmed my resolve. We would need strength, so much so that neither anyone on Earth, nor any future threat, would be able to hurt us...

 Extra One – Mori Eri and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan – R18/Contains Sex

    Extra One ¨C Mori Eri and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    As we returned to the Material, Shaeula let out a little groan, hand going down to her groin. Pulling up the front of her yukata and pulling down her panties in front of me she winced, seeing the trickle of blood that stained her. Eri flushed and quickly tried to pull down the hem of her clothing. ¡°You can¡¯t be so immodest!¡± she protested, but Shaeula merely gave her a quizzical look, had tilted coquettishly.


    ¡°Why? There is none here but-but us, and we have shared everything, no?¡±


    Eri paused, unable to argue the point.


    ¡°Would you take-take a look, Akio?¡± Shaeula asked, and she went over to the large double-bed in my room. Sitting down she spread her legs. I gently opened the lips of her vagina, and a little more blood trickled out. Ugh... that doesn¡¯t look too great...


    ¡°It looks like not all of the damage to your hymen was transferred to your Material body. It¡¯s ripped a bit, but still there. I bet it stings...¡±


    ¡°It does-does.¡± Shaeula nodded. Then she smirked, reaching for me. ¡°So I suggest you fix-fix the issue by loving me the mortal way again.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you are so greedy.¡± Eri protested, crossing her arms under her chest, pouting. She wasn¡¯t wearing her cardigan, just the pleated skirt and white t-shirt, so this amplified her assets, her bra-line visible under the taut fabric.


    ¡°As are you, I can tell.¡± Shaeula laughed, holding me close. ¡°Why not-not have a turn yourself? After all-all, perhaps it can strengthen the Lovers¡¯ Link skill?¡±


    Before we had returned to the Material, after we had dressed ourselves and returned to our leaders, advising them we would be taking a brief break in the Material while Ulfuric was assessing our plans for the upcoming battle, Shaeula radiant and confident after our lovemaking, me and Eri embarrassed and worried if they would notice our sexual deeds, Shaeula had bade me check her and Eri for the Lovers¡¯ Link skill. I had quickly established that Eri¡¯s had increased, raising her maximum level, and Shaeula had also gained the skill.


    Before Eri could answer, Shaeula pulled down my pants, exposing my penis, which was erect and twitching, the sight of Shaeula¡¯s bare pussy exciting me, despite my earlier indulgences. Damn, I¡¯m a horny wretch. As soon as I accepted Shaeula, I¡¯ve done nothing but bang her... makes me feel a little shitty...


    ¡°Well, I would like to be stronger, and yes I always want to be with Akio, but... wait, what are you doing?¡± Eri squealed, matched by my moan of pleasure as Shaeula stuffed my penis in her small mouth, licking and sucking on it like it was an ice cream.


    ¡°I ... mmm.... just... felt like... mmm... it-it.¡± Shaeula muttered in-between slurps. ¡°... you ... mmm... can... too.¡± She slid her mouth out and started licking the sides and my balls greedily, while patting the other side of the bed, opening up a space.


    Eri looked torn for a moment, before slowly taking off her t-shirt, revealing her cute white lacy bra. Her skin was flushed and sweaty, but her dark eyes were clear as she looked at me. She unhooked her bra, sliding it off and tossing it aside, her cute breasts springing free, her pink nipples hard. Dropping her skirt to the floor, revealing matching white panties, she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get your cum all over my clothes again, Akio. I¡¯ve learned my lesson, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m seeing our parents stinking of semen! Aiko would laugh herself to death too!¡± with that she pulled off her panties, revealing her slit, which was seeping a clear fluid, her arousal plain.


    ¡°Most clever.¡± Shaeula agreed, and her yukata and underwear vanished. ¡°That would not-not be amusing.¡±


    Eri slid onto the bed next to us, and she too started licking at my penis, her tongue feeling different to Shaeula¡¯s. Slipping my glans into her mouth she sucked on it, pulling a face at the taste. ¡°It¡¯s salty and bitter...¡±


    ¡°I think-think I am growing attached to the taste.¡± Shaeula grinned, before her tongue darted in again, and then she started sucking hard on my balls.


    As the two girls fellated me clumsily yet with great fervour, I felt my arousal soar. There were giggles as their heads bumped together as they both tried to lick my tip at the same time, before they readjusted, and two tongues were licking next to each other, damp sounds ringing out.


    Damn, so beautiful. Oh god, here we go... With a final thrust I came hard, once more soaking her insides. I wasn¡¯t done, so I slammed our hips together several more times, emptying myself out. My sacral chakra was gushing aether, and Eri¡¯s network drank it greedily, just as her womb wriggled, drinking my flooding cum.


    ¡°How rude-rude. I am here.¡± Shaeula interrupted us, though her words carried no criticism. Her amber eyes were watching us, satisfied. ¡°Mortal love is very amazing. And your ability to share energy with your lover-lover is even more so.¡±


    Yeah, there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t understand about my abilities, how they work, why they work, just what Exposition-san was aiming for... but right now, if I think of things other than my two beautiful wives-to-be, I¡¯m doing them a disservice.


    I kissed the limp and sweaty Eri on the forehead, before taking her lips, our togues twining together without urgency, languidly, sharing and revelling in each other. When I pulled away, Shaeula was waiting, legs spread out on the big bed, her pussy soaked, damp patches on the sheets already. ¡°I am ready, Akio. Make this Material body yours-yours as well.¡±


    Fuck, that¡¯s hot... her lascivious, imploring look and dripping body was incredibly arousing. Still, my penis was limp, having only just discharged for a second time. Seeing it, Shaeula rolled towards me, hands grabbing it. ¡°Poor-poor Akio. You are tired I see. Allow me to-to restore your vigour.¡±


    She worked my penis between her hands and used her mouth and tongue too. Eri choked out a few embarrassed words on seeing Shaeula licking me. ¡°No, oh god, I¡¯m embarrassed. Don¡¯t taste me...!¡±


    That¡¯s so silly, but just like her. I thought fondly, then groaned as Shaeula¡¯s tongue found a sensitive spot under my glans and attacked it, small tongue darting to and fro.


    ¡°We are true sisters, bound-bound to Akio. I see no reason to be shy.¡± Shaeula consoled her, finishing licking my dick with one final greedy slurp, her hands sliding off my shaft. ¡°There, all strong again, Akio. Take me-me once more!¡± She rolled back and spread her legs, her slit now gushing, twitching, waiting for my insertion eagerly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to make it hurt.¡± I promised, sliding into her slowly, carefully. Shaeula moaned lasciviously, only stopping to whimper a little as my penis reached her torn hymen. Steeling myself I pushed through, tearing it off fully now.


    ¡°Ugh, that was not-not so bad...¡± Shaeula reassured me, her hands seeking my back. We kissed, and I was surprised at the amount of saliva she was producing. Still, I drank it down as I sucked on her tongue. My own hands started touching her breasts as I started thrusting, each one dragging a pleased moan from her. Her nipples were rock hard, and after playing with them I moved my head and started biting them, while my hands began squeezing her buttocks, marvelling at the feeling.


    ¡°Yes-yes, I love this. Oh Eri, are we not-not the most fortunate of females? We shall live long-long, and have many years of such joy ahead of us-us!¡± her words came in a hot stream, and as I penetrated her, my penis reaching all the way to her deepest core, I couldn¡¯t resist biting her nipples more, aroused by her exaggerated reactions.


    Hang on a minute. Her Material body is so like a human¡¯s that she even had a hymen. Can she... get pregnant? That¡¯d be weird, right? No, her body is pretty much in stasis like death when she¡¯s in the Boundary, so that wouldn¡¯t work. Oh fuck it, I¡¯ll consider this later, right now...


    Shaeula was looking at me as my thrusts slowed down as I was lost in thought for a few moments, so I kissed her to drive away my thoughts, this time pouring my saliva into her, which she swallowed, small throat gulping. I sped up as I ploughed her, our bodies making wet noises as she gushed sticky love juices, her smell blending with mine and Eri¡¯s.


    ¡°I can feel it-it again!¡± Shaeula moaned. ¡°Are you-you ready, Akio?¡±


    ¡°Nearly!¡± Yes, my dick was pulsing, nearly ready to blow. ¡°One last spurt!¡± I gouged out her tight insides, lubricating fluids scattering, and Shaeula began convulsing, soaking wet. Unlike with Eri, Shaeula¡¯s orgasm sent energy scattering into me through her sacral chakra, it blending into mine. That was likely something important, but reason was gone from me. As Shaeula howled in pleasure I too orgasmed, depositing a diminishing yet still hefty load of sperm into her small body, followed by my own aetheric energies inundating her network. I then sagged down, exhausted by three consecutive ejaculations in short order. Not wanting to crush Shaeula under my weight I rolled to the side, only for Eri to slide her arm and leg under me, propping me up, her expression warm. With my other side on Shaeula, I was sandwiched by my girls once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m still jealous, but it really doesn¡¯t burn like I thought it would.¡± Eri mused, kissing me on the lips gently. ¡°I think Shaeula was right. if we do this together, it makes us feel closer.¡±


    We lay together, just basking in each other¡¯s presence for a while, before I grinned. That gives me an idea. But first, we need to get cleaned up. Lying here with my girls is awesome, but...


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve worked up a sweat, haven¡¯t we?¡± At my comment the two girls agreed, giggling. ¡°Well then, why not break in the new bath? It hasn¡¯t been used yet, and it just so happens it¡¯s a big one that can easily fit the three of us...¡±

 One Hundred And Forty-Four

    One Hundred And Forty-Four


    We splashed around in the big bathtub, washing each other off with hot water. The girls insisted on me cleaning them myself, while they washed me, bubbles foaming up as they rubbed me with sponges and their bare hands. As I ran my own sponge down Eri¡¯s back, before washing the front, making her moan gently, I thought the situation was very arousing again.


    Of course, I¡¯m pretty satisfied after our previous bouts of lovemaking. Not only had I consummated with both of them in the Boundary, on our return Shaeula had convinced us all to make love again, saying it might help improve our strength. Though I think she just wanted to do it... still, I didn¡¯t exactly take much convincing. Anyway, it was due to that I could handle the sensual situation here without getting too heated up.


    ¡°It was very wise of you to have this large bath installed.¡± Shaeula observed, her verbal tic back to normal frequency now that the excitement of my finally accepting her as a lover and our sex had calmed down. ¡°Your old dwelling was clearly not-not sufficiently spacious for a princess such as me!¡±


    ¡°I like it too. It reminds me of our suite in Las Vegas.¡± Eri finished washing the soapy suds off me. ¡°There we go, all clean. We should dry off.¡±


    I nodded, and after finishing rinsing Eri and Shaeula we all got out. Shaeula spread her arms wide, and for a moment I stared at her naked body, puzzled, before I got it. ¡°Damn, you are acting spoiled now. I guess it¡¯s cute...¡± taking one of the towels nearby I dried her off. Once I was done she materialised her underwear and yukata, which was as always a very handy trick. I turned to Eri, expecting her to want me to do her too, but she was already mostly done.


    Seeing me looking at her she blushed a little. ¡°I did want you to dry me, but I¡¯m a grown woman, I can dry myself just fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh Eri.¡± I grinned, pulling her into my embrace and kissing her gently. I then made a point to watch as she dressed herself, and though she was embarrassed, she gave me quite the show, dressing clumsily yet somehow seductively. I pulled on my own clothes, and we went back to the living room, since the bedroom was still... fragrant.


    Sitting on the comfortable sofa, the girls on either side of me, I took a look at the time. It was late afternoon, so Eri didn¡¯t have to go meet her parents yet. ¡°Hey, since... well, since we are celebrating, did you two want to go out for a meal? Somewhere really nice. After all, you need to make the most of being in Tokyo, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She agreed sadly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m really happy, it¡¯s just... I¡¯ll be going back to Nishimorioka tomorrow, while Shaeula... you¡¯ll be here with Akio, and you can do all sorts of things...¡±


    ¡°All sorts of things?¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°You mean sex, right-right?¡±


    As Eri nodded shyly, Shaeula took her hand and patted it gently. ¡°Worry not-not. We shall hardly have time for love as much as you are thinking. We have much to do, and great battles to fight. I will not-not say we will not join ourselves when time permits...¡± she grinned wolfishly. ¡°... but cheer up. Is it not-not your birthday soon, Eri? We shall visit, surely, and since it is a celebration for you, Akio will spoil you rotten, I have no doubts.¡±


    ¡°I sure will.¡± I agreed, rubbing both of their heads, causing them to purr with pleasure. ¡°So don¡¯t worry Eri. Besides... in just half a year you¡¯ll have finished school, right? Then... then you can move in with us.¡±


    ¡°I know. I can bear it. But I wish the time would go faster...¡± Eri pouted.


    Shaeula giggled a little, before caging the subject. ¡°Anyway, Akio, we must get to the main subject. Tell us-us, have we grown stronger?


    Eri agreed too. ¡°I want to be of use. So tell us.¡±


    ¡°All right then...¡± I used Self-Examination on myself first, draining some of my aether, but now I was much stronger such a trickle was barely noticeable. I¡¯ve come a long way in a short time, considering to start with, using it in the Material would really tax my reserves... ¡°So... I¡¯ll read out my own stats first...¡±


    ¡°You have grown stronger again.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°The benefits of gaining these levels is immense. I hope-hope I can finally grow past this level five I have been stuck at for an eternity.¡± Seeing Eri¡¯s guilty expression, Shaeula sighed. ¡°That is over with. Any regrets you have-have should be banished. After all, you have accepted me. I ask for no greater gift.¡±


    Before they could spiral around past mistakes again, I interrupted. ¡°Yeah, though Shaeula gets more stats on a level-up than I do. I think, from what I remember from before I met Shaeula, where I was only getting a few, and likewise when you only got a few Eri, the biggest factor seems to be the level of the Silver Cord and the Chakra Network. As they improve, the gains seem to grow.¡±


    ¡°I believe that makes sense.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°The Chakra Network is the foundation of the subtle bodies, and the-the Silver Cord is what mediates both transfer of aether between bodies, and efficient absorption of ether. Strengthening the foundation makes for-for a stronger building, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Aww, then I have a long way to go to catch up.¡± Eri pouted, so I kissed her gently to relieve her disappointment. When our lips separated, I spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve only just taken your first steps. You¡¯ll get there if you take it slow and steady. Anyway, I noticed one thing that was really interesting.¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°This League, yes?¡± she cocked her head, thinking. ¡°I believe I have heard my father mention such before, it is something to do with the-the soul.¡±


    ¡°Well, time for my new Rank 6 Self-Examination to work for me. Let¡¯s take a look...¡±


    League- The calibre of one¡¯s existence. League is a measure of the force of your existence, and perhaps can even be considered the ???????? of the soul itself. League adds positive benefits to every action one undertakes, and if one¡¯s League is higher than an opponent it will suppress ?????????. If this difference is significantly greater, then ?????????????????.


    ¡°Wow, okay League is pretty powerful it seems.¡± I channelled Aiko involuntarily. ¡°Still question marks, but... hmm, wait, there¡¯s further information I can dig into it seems...¡±


    League Classification (imperfect):


    0-2 Dull: You have little to no comprehension of the mysteries of true ???????????.


    3-7 Spark: Your existence exceeds the mundane. You have a higher grasp of ???????????.


    Yeah, stabilising her chakra network and getting her cord to silver has given her a huge boost. ¡°Yeah, I think if any of the boys at school give you any trouble, you¡¯d have a fair shot at beating them up, now. You¡¯ll be a match for Aiko in sports too, probably...¡± I trailed off as Eri had a face like thunder, her dark eyes flashing angrily. ¡°... err, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I had noticed I was thinking more clearly, and I felt less tired than I usually do. But... I¡¯m so pissed off!¡± she snarled. ¡°Why is my Lovers¡¯ Link skill lower than Shaeula¡¯s? That¡¯s a load of shit, she doesn¡¯t love you more than me! Your stupid skill must be wrong! Check again!¡± she had actually grabbed me by my t-shirt, pulling me closer.


    Before I could speak Shaeula placed a small hand on her shoulder. ¡°Calm down Eri. The skill makes no judgement on your love, nor do-do I or Akio. I believe it is simply that I have an extra connection with him.¡±


    ¡°What connection?¡± she snapped reflexively, before realisation struck, and she let me go, looking contrite. ¡°Sorry Akio, I got a bit carried away there. I¡¯m so ashamed. Can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to forgive. You were cute. And how could anyone not feel loved when you were so fervent?¡± I pulled them both into a hug, feeling like a harem king for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s the Fae way of bonding, right?¡±


    ¡°I suspect so.¡± Shaeula acknowledged, burrowing into my embrace. ¡°So you-you can do it too, once you have trained, Eri. At least I believe it should be possible with a lunar chakra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll train every moment until I can do it!¡± Eri swore, pumping her fist. She too snuggled closer. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve also grown so strong. Aiko will definitely be amazed, and super jealous. Still, I can get seven more levels, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, looks that way. And that isn¡¯t all.¡± I asked Shaeula a question. ¡°You said Eri seems to have aptitude with Darkness elemental energy, right?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, the way it was being naturally drawn to her.¡± She teased Eri then. ¡°You should be less gloomy, you would not-not wish for people to call you a dark woman.¡±


    ¡°People used to call me gloomy and shy all the time, I¡¯m used to it.¡± Eri hit back jovially. ¡°But the past is behind us. Now I feel sunny just lying in Akio¡¯s arms.¡± She looked up and kissed me, this time quite fiercely.


    ¡°I see. I am quite defeated.¡± Eri shrugged. ¡°But yes. Eri, when you are next here, and our Territory is safe, you can-can meditate under our Dark Rhyming Tree and perhaps learn Darkness. It would strengthen you greatly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have the time or the security right now. While we do have extra forces, with those ghosts about, and the tree being outside the salt wards, no way. We can¡¯t chance it. You can level up next time you are here too.¡±


    At my words Eri looked down, deep in thought. After a moment she asked Shaeula a question. ¡°So, now my network is stable, if I gather enough aether through your exercises I can enter the Boundary, right?¡±


    ¡°I see no reason why you could not-not. I would need to teach you a little more, but it should work.¡±


    ¡°Great. in that case, teach me, okay?¡± she looked at us both, her onyx eyes resolute. ¡°When I return to Nishimorioka, I can enter the Boundary and level up there, right? I¡¯m a little afraid to kill things, but if they are hideous insects and stuff like Las Vegas... for you, for me, for us... I can do it.¡±


    No way! On her own, with few skills and poor stats... that¡¯s way too dangerous. Feeling my face harden I tried to speak as gently as I could, but it was difficult, the thought of Eri getting hurt or worse terrifying. ¡°I think that¡¯d be foolish. There¡¯s no need to take a risk, as when it¡¯s your birthday I can help you level.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to wait!¡± Eri protested, head against my chest, clutching my hand tightly. ¡°I want to get stronger as fast as I can. I love it that you worry about me, and I¡¯m prepared to take precautions to be as safe as possible, but... I need to do this. Before... I would have been happy receiving your love, even if it was out of pity or obligation. I was shallow, pathetic. But now... now I need more. I want your true genuine love, and more... I need to feel I¡¯m worth that love.¡±


    ¡°You are, I promise.¡± I hugged her head, wondering what expression she was making.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m competing with Shaeula now, aren¡¯t I? Besides, we talked about this when you took me to your Territory earlier. I love you and want to listen to you, but sometimes you have to listen to me, let me decide, right? Love goes both ways.¡±


    ¡°She is correct again, as before.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°You are very overprotective of us-us, Akio. It was why you fought my stupid brother so bravely, so recklessly. But we also wish to be your strength, right Eri?¡±


    Eri murmured her agreement.


    Ugh, yeah, we just had this discussion only a few hours ago, but so much as happened it seems an age ago. ¡°All right. But... you need to learn from Shaeula before you return, and you must maintain as many safety precautions as you can. Let me see... why not speak to the priest at Chairoakitara shrine? He can lend you a room, and if you enter from there, you can get the kami there to help you grind. You are a child of the shrine, so he¡¯ll not threaten you, and if you tell him you¡¯re... you¡¯re my fiance?e he¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± Eri disentangled herself from my embrace, looking at me with a happy smile. ¡°And if you gave me a gift of a weapon before I go home, that¡¯d help, right?¡±


    ¡°Damn, you really want that present!¡± I could do that overnight and if Shaeula charged her up we could exchange it in the Boundary quickly. I would feel better if she was armed. ¡°Seriously though, I think this is a mistake, but I¡¯m here to support you. If you want to try, so long as you promise me you¡¯ll stay safe I can allow it.¡±


    ¡°I will. After all, if I¡¯m hurt, it¡¯ll cause you pain, and I¡¯ll never do that.¡± Eri promised. ¡°Thanks for supporting me Shaeula, I do appreciate it, always.¡±


    ¡°I must of course back the first-first wife.¡± Shaeula chortled.


    ¡°One thing though.¡± I remembered something. ¡°Just how will you know you levelled up? You don¡¯t have a way to check.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That is a problem.¡± Eri mused. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something though. ¡°I¡¯m Intellect one hundred now, right? I must be smart!¡±


    Yeah, I thought like that back at the start. We really do think alike...


    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s decided then. Anyway, why don¡¯t you teach her what she needs to know, Shaeula? I¡¯m going to see about finding somewhere we can have a nice dinner.¡±


    The girls waved me off and I headed to my bedroom, ready to look up top restaurants in Tokyo. This is a celebration. Technically I got engaged again, after all...

 One Hundred And Forty-Five

    One Hundred And Forty-Five


    While Shaeula was in the other world teaching Eri the final techniques for converting her accumulated aether into the ability to enter the Boundary, I pushed down my misgivings over her eagerness to fight alone and considered where to book. I could ask Karen-chan to find me somewhere... no, that¡¯s no good. It¡¯s Saturday, and I promised her I wouldn¡¯t make her work overtime unless it¡¯s an emergency, and this isn¡¯t...


    Opening up the browser on my phone I searched for high-class restaurants in central Tokyo. There were a lot of choices, but it was a Saturday and it was pretty short notice. Still, I wanted to take the girls somewhere nice. I made a call, and unfortunately all the tables were booked. This repeated twice more, my only reward some apologies from the polite staff on the other end of the phone.


    Hmm, this sucks. I knew that Eri and Shaeula would be happy with anywhere, really, but what was the point of earning all that money if we couldn¡¯t spend it to have fun? Idly scrolling down the list I started feeling a strange sensation. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say I was under the effect of Shaeula¡¯s fortunate winds... The feeling is much less pronounced, but... I¡¯m just feeling lucky.


    My screen had stopped on a restaurant in Shinjuku, which was the sort of area they would find interesting. It was the Park Hyatt Hotel, their New York restaurant. It had a series of great reviews, and was apparently a top dining spot for those with deep pockets. This would be perfect, but it¡¯s popular, so I doubt I¡¯ll get a table... still, it wasn¡¯t like I had anything to lose, so I made a call.


    Upon being greeted by the refined-sounding lady on the other end, I enquired if they had a table for tonight for three. There was a long pause, before she came back to me, sounding a little surprised. ¡°I have just had a cancellation. It so happens we do have an available table for tonight.¡±


    My luck strikes again! ¡°Excellent. In that case can I book it under Oshiro. That¡¯s great. We look forward to dining there, I¡¯ve only heard good things.¡± I said my thanks and flattered her shamelessly, considering she had got us in, and with that I hung up, satisfied. Great, that¡¯s sorted, but now there¡¯s one other issue...


    Shaeula and Eri returned while I was thinking, Eri with a triumphant smile on her face. She raced over and hugged me, burying her face in my chest. ¡°I get it, I do!¡± she proclaimed. ¡°Now it seems so easy in comparison to before! I can finally stand beside you!¡±


    ¡°She is indeed a fast learner.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But such teaching makes me hungry and thirsty. Have you succeeded in-in securing us a place to feast?¡±


    ¡°I did but it¡¯s quite the fancy place. I mean, you look gorgeous in that casual outfit Eri, and I love it, but did you bring any of the dresses you had for Las Vegas?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need them.¡± she said, and Shaeula frowned, thinking.


    ¡°I would lend you one of my dresses Eri, but we are not-not the same size.¡± Then she brightened. ¡°Well then, you know what this-this calls for. Shopping, does it not-not? I am jealous of your engagement ring Eri, surely Akio would not deny me one?¡±


    I was going to buy you one actually, but... ¡°I¡¯m not that insensitive, it was on my to-do list. The only issue is you can¡¯t wear it around my family. Or Eri¡¯s, I guess. Well, Aiko doesn¡¯t count though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that could lead to... awkward... questions.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Umm, is the place that fancy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the number one spot in Tokyo, but it¡¯s definitely highly rated. Don¡¯t worry, we are with a princess, so it¡¯ll be fine, right?¡±


    As we shared laughter over my joke, we decided to head into central Tokyo for some shopping. Eri and Shaeula quickly found suitable stores for dresses and jewellery online, so with that we headed out. I¡¯ll change the sheets on my bed later. Hmm, maybe I need to hire a cleaner? I mooted that with the girls, and Eri pulled a face. ¡°That¡¯s mean, Akio. You want some poor girl to have to touch those sheets?¡±


    It doesn¡¯t have to be a girl you know... ¡°I guess not. Oh well... that¡¯s a problem for later.¡±


    The late-afternoon sun was still warm and bright, and the view from the hillside was pretty. The scenery was spoiled a little by the constant noises of construction filtering over from the site of our training facility, since I had paid rush fees for overtime work at weekends, but even so, it was a far-cry from my crappy apartment.


    Heading for the stairs down to the streets below, walking arm-in-arm with each other, we were interrupted by a cheerful voice calling out to us. ¡°Big bro, Shaeula, good afternoon!¡±


    It was Kana-chan, in her school uniform. She must have spotted us from the shrine. She was smiling prettily, though I noticed a dark expression flicker over her face as she looked at Eri, who was clinging to my arm, her own expression stiff.


    ¡°Oh, hey Kana-chan.¡± I said, noticing the atmosphere suddenly taking a turn for the worse. ¡°Finished with your Saturday classes?¡±


    ¡°Yep, all done. I wish we didn¡¯t have school on Saturday. I hear in other countries they get the whole weekend off. That¡¯d be so nice, right?¡± she asked Eri, who merely shrugged a little in response.


    Ugh, this is uncomfortable. Time for a subject change. ¡°So, Kana-chan, how is Marika-san settling in? I hope there¡¯s no problems. I feel bad her being so far from home, starting at a new school so late in the year...¡±


    ¡°Oh, her. She¡¯s a cute little thing isn¡¯t she? So polite and old fashioned.¡± Kana-chan tilted her head and giggled, using her hand to shield her mouth. It was quite the cute affectation, but when she did so Eri tightened her grip on my arm. If my stats weren¡¯t so high I imagined it would be rather painful...


    ¡°She¡¯s settling in just fine.¡± Kana-chan continued. ¡°Keomi-chan is playing... err, helping her right now. After all, they both have the same mental age! They are going to go shopping for things they need. I¡¯m a bit jealous though big bro!¡± she leaned in, emphasising her bodyline, and her eyes were moist. ¡°You should treat me as well! It¡¯s no fun being poor. After all, didn¡¯t I help introduce you and Shaeula to my parents, which led to our alliance?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you go with them and look out for them you can treat yourself to a few things, I don¡¯t mind.¡± It isn¡¯t as though I¡¯m short on cash, though I guess I¡¯m going to need to go back to online gambling to top up...


    ¡°Thanks big bro, you¡¯re the best! And you are looking especially handsome today for some reason. No wonder Shaeula and... what was your name again... are holding you tight.¡± Even I could hear a bit of a bite in the way she addressed Eri. Girls can sure be scary. My arm is starting to go numb from Eri clutching it.


    ¡°Me? Who am I?¡± Eri said frostily. ¡°I¡¯m Akio¡¯s fiance?e. My name is Mori Eri. I dare say you¡¯ll be seeing a lot more of me. When I finish school I¡¯ll be getting married and moving in.¡±


    ¡°Fiance?e huh?¡± Kana-chan tilted her head adorably. ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t bad looking I guess. I remember you from the photos¡¯ Shaeula sent me, I did wonder if there was something going on. You do like schoolgirls after all then, big bro. I¡¯ll have to watch myself when I¡¯m with you or you might sink your fangs into me too!¡± she smiled brightly. Returning her gaze to Eri, she continued. ¡°Congratulations. Big bro here is quite the catch. So, can I call you Eri-chan?¡±


    ¡°Kana-chan is just friendly.¡± I said, and Shaeula echoed me.


    ¡°Indeed. Kana likes to be cute, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you two.¡± Eri sighed again. We reached the restaurant, marvelling at the view from the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. I spoke to the mai?tre de, who confirmed our reservation and called over a waiter to take us to our table. It was tucked in one corner, candles already lit, and surprisingly romantic. It also had a stunning view of the city.


    Ordering a bottle of wine for Shaeula and I, and a sweet mocktail for Eri, we took our seats. The restaurant sure is busy today, and everyone looks rather wealthy. Every other table was full of well-dressed men and women. Luckily we didn¡¯t feel out of place, as the outfits we now wore... yeah, not thinking of the price.


    ¡°Seriously.¡± Eri continued. ¡°She may be a flirt by nature, but the way she looks at Akio. It isn¡¯t innocent. And I can tell she is very mercenary. I worry she¡¯ll try and latch on to you for your wealth. You need to keep bad girls like that away from Akio! He¡¯s ours!¡±


    The waiter brought over the wine and uncorked it, pouring it out for us to sample. The flavour was deep and pleasant, so I accepted the bottle. He also placed Eri¡¯s brightly coloured drink in front of her with a bow and handed out the menus. As I scanned through them, Shaeula answered Eri. ¡°Well, I shall listen to your wishes, Eri. But-but I fear that if you wish to keep females from noticing the supremacy of our Akio, you shall fail-fail. All females seek superior males, and is there one more superior than ours? I think not-not.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s not ruin the mood over Kana-chan. I have the two most beautiful brides-to-be in the land, so why would I be interested in her? She¡¯s just an acquaintance. So, why don¡¯t we order?¡± I changed the subject, my compliment earning a pair of sunny smiles.


    ¡°Yes, I am famished.¡± Shaeula grabbed the menu, flicking through. ¡°I shall have the Kobe sirloin, and the whole grilled Canadian lobster.¡±


    ¡°So much? You¡¯ll get fat...¡± Eri warned, paling at the cost of those dishes. I¡¯ll...¡± as she pondered I leaned over and kissed her cheek.


    ¡°No worrying about price tonight. It¡¯s a celebration, remember! Besides, if I made you uneasy by being so friendly with Kana-chan I¡¯m sorry, and I have to make it up to you, right?¡±


    Eri brightened. ¡°Fine. You win. In that case I¡¯ll have the Hokkaido crab and seafood selection...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Well, that was quite magnificent.¡± Shaeula pushed aside her second empty plate, fragments of lobster shell piled in one corner. Taking a swig of rich red wine from her glass she leaned back contentedly. ¡°Finally I am starting to live-live like the princess I am.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I hope you have room for dessert.¡± Eri gently poked fun at her. She had finished her food a while ago, and was just enjoying her mocktail, soaking in the atmosphere and admiring the impressive views out over Shinjuku and the Tokyo skyline. ¡°I was a bit uncomfortable at first, I didn¡¯t feel like I fit in, but...¡±


    It''s understandable, but I don¡¯t like it when Eri puts herself down. The days of poverty are over. ¡°We don¡¯t look out of place at all. We are as well-dressed as any in here.¡± I cast my gaze round, and the nearest table was also a table of three with two young girls and one older guy. ¡°In fact, that girl there probably isn¡¯t even your age.¡±


    The youngest girl there was wearing a vivid purple dress that looked expensive, as well as being a little daring for her age. Her long black hair was also dressed in an adult manner. She was pretty damn attractive. Beside her was an older girl, probably Eri¡¯s age, she was a bit stone-faced, but not unattractive. Still, she was wearing a suit, not a dress. The guy was older still, a university student or similar, and he looked a lot like the younger girl. Her brother, maybe?


    ¡°Hey, who are you looking at?¡± Eri pulled at my sleeve. ¡°You don¡¯t need to... oh, wait, my phone is ringing. It¡¯s Aiko.¡± Embarrassed, she accepted the call, speaking quietly. Luckily since it was a very classy restaurant the noise was muted, merely light background music and the buzz of quiet conversation.


    ¡°Yes, yes... I¡¯m sorry, but it was a celebration for me and Shaeula... yes, yes...¡±


    Eri and Shaeula had both sent Aiko pictures of the view and our food. It seemed that she had finally had enough and decided to call us.


    ¡°Well, shall we order desert then?¡± Shaeula asked, and we gestured for a waiter.


    ¡°Yes. I... we... look, are you alone?¡± Eri asked, nervously. When she got an answer in the affirmative, Eri whispered into her phone. ¡°It happened. You... you have another sister-in-law now, you awful friend!¡±


    ¡°WHAT? SERIOUSLY? BIG BRO WENT AND DID IT?¡± Aiko shrieked, her voice coming shockingly loudly out of the phone. Eri flushed and waved apologetically to the surrounding diners. ¡°Quietly...¡± she hissed down the phone. ¡°We are in company...¡±


    Shaeula and I shared a fond look. The trio on the table next to us looked over disdainfully at our display, before going back to their own quiet conversation. Perhaps because I was observing them, what they were talking about drifted into my ears, my excellent hearing picking it up.


    ¡°... can¡¯t believe my cousin asked me to look into whether our company had any people who have ¡®strange powers or abilities.¡¯ Really. If it wasn¡¯t my cousin who asked, I¡¯d think she was playing a mean trick on me.¡± The younger girl was saying as she elegantly carved up her meal, showing grace and refinement.


    ¡°I know.¡± The man said, while the other girl in the suit remained impassive and alert, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. ¡°But it isn¡¯t just Takatsukasa House, Ichijou and Fujiwara have also been placing this as a top priority. All of the Three-hundred have been asked to look into it as a matter of urgency. I mean, Grandfather Takatsukasa isn¡¯t what he was, but can you see Ichijou-sama and Fujiwara-sama mobilising all this manpower for a prank or a mistake? Besides, the promised boost in status makes it worth a search anyway. What do we have to lose?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± The young girl acknowledged. ¡°Still, it all seems like a fantasy to me. Ugh, after the foul time I had at the party, it¡¯d only be fair for life to compensate me by having one of these ¡®magical people¡¯ fall into my lap...¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged a look. Seriously? Was my luck not about getting us a decent meal, but this?

 Side Thirty-Five – Fukumoto Hinata and Fukumoto Hiroto

    Side Thirty-Five ¨C Fukumoto Hinata and Fukumoto Hiroto


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe just how miserable that party was. Seriously, there were so many nobodies and suck-ups. I should have gone to the one hosted by Mayumi-sama. She did give me an invite.¡± Fukumoto Hinata pouted as she took her seat at the table by the large windows overlooking the Shinjuku area. Lights winkled below, looking rather pretty. ¡°Ugh, even this restaurant isn¡¯t the one I wanted to go to, but the families of the Fifty-Seven have booked up everywhere truly noble.¡± She sighed in an unladylike fashion, slouched arrogantly in her chair, crossing her long, slender legs, the hem of her rich purple dress riding up a little.


    ¡°Hinata-sama, you need to be more dignified. People are watching.¡± Her bodyguard, Onoue Kasumi said dryly. She was tall and athletic, and dressed in a suit she was quite dashing, but her usual stone-face was a little off-putting. Still, Kasumi has always been loyal, ever since my father employed her at my request. Of course, technically as one of the Three-Hundred rather than the Fifty-Seven she wasn¡¯t allowed to have a bodyguard at school, but since her mother was the sister of the current acting head of the Takatsukasa house, one of the three most distinguished and ancient lines of nobility remaining in Japan barring the Imperial family itself, the school and most of the nobles looked the other way. Still, it did cause problems with the other girls. Damn I hate this stupid system so much!


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. You worry too much, Kasumi. There isn¡¯t anyone here from the nobility. They are all still at the stupid parties, or at better restaurants than this.¡± Still, she uncrossed her legs and smoothed her skirt, sitting properly.


    ¡°Come on, Hinata dear. Kasumi-chan is just looking out for you. And you shouldn¡¯t be so dismissive of our cousin. Sakura-sama is doing her best, but compared to Ichijou or Fujiwara house... well, you know.¡± Her brother interrupted. ¡°Times are hard, and they don¡¯t have the money they had before the war.¡±


    Hinata had to agree. Picking up the menu she opened it and carefully scanned the contents. ¡°I know Hiroto. You don¡¯t have to keep reminding me. When it comes to wealth, our family clearly outmatches them. After all, Nichibotsu Technology is one of the richest companies in Japan. I know all that. Even so... some of the guests there looked downright criminal. I especially didn¡¯t like the way one of them was leering at me.¡± She shuddered. ¡°His eyes looked like rotten sewage. Just what was their security thinking, letting in such trash?¡±


    ¡°The person in question has some minor connections with some of the families in the Three-Hundred.¡± Kasumi stated. ¡°He is the owner of a small nationwide chain of budget hotels that cater to foreign backpackers. There are rumours that he is involved with organised crime though. Don¡¯t worry, Hinata-sama, if he attempted to approach you, I would have dealt with him harshly.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She asked, impressed. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you knew the information about such a small-fry.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am well aware of all of the Three-Hundred and the Fifty-seven, as well as those they deal with. Besides, I was able to get a copy of the guest-list in advance from Takatsukasa house, and those of a problematic nature were highlighted.¡±


    ¡°If they know there are troublesome people then they shouldn¡¯t have invited them in the first place!¡± Hinata grumbled. ¡°Oh well, I want to put that party out of my head. We left as soon as we could. To think those strange rumours were fact...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult for them right now.¡± Hiroto said again, having decided what he wanted from the menu. His dashing good looks had attracted a lot of attention from some of the female diners, and Hinata had to agree her brother was handsome. But then, most people descended from nobles are considered very attractive. I¡¯m no exception. Still, she hated it when people looked at her with perverted eyes. One thing that school taught her was that girls were constantly in danger from predatory men, and having seen some of the looks she received during the party, she was coming to believe it.


    As the waiter took their orders, Kasumi as on guard as always, she noticed another group entering the restaurant. They then sat at the tale nearest her. Hmm, their group is like ours. Oh well... paying them no further mind she decided to enjoy her meal, hopefully washing away the bad feeling the party had left her with...


    ********


    ¡°This wine isn¡¯t bad.¡± Hinata observed, taking a sip of her white wine, as she savoured some of the expensive truffle desert she was eating. Of course, she was a minor, and not legal to drink, but with her family¡¯s status, the waiting staff were more than happy to turn a blind eye to such minor matters.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s pretty good.¡± Hiroto agreed, seeming a bit distracted. Following his gaze, Hinata held in a sigh. He was checking out the two girls on the nearby table. Her brother had always been a bit of a flirt. He kept it quiet, but from what she had heard, he was regularly dating and womanising at university. Holding in a sigh, Hinata wished her brother would be more... well, discreet. I know that men are taught different lessons at school, but even so, if he is careless and gets someone pregnant, it would ruin our family honour, and could have an impact on any inheritance later...


    One of the girls was on her phone, which was quite the breech of etiquette, and Hinata curled her lip disdainfully. She may be pretty, but she has no class. A shame.


    ¡°Perhaps you should keep your eyes over here, Hiroto-sama?¡± Kasumi gently steered the conversation. ¡°I notice both girls appear to be wearing rings on their fingers. Engagement rings, probably, looking at the position and type.¡±


    As sharp as ever. Hard luck, brother. Impressed all over again at her bodyguards¡¯ skill, and her foresight in hiring her, she took another long sip of the wine. Thoughts of the party were creeping back into her head, the tall tale she had been told and task given when she had been invited to speak to Uncle Takatsukasa playing on her mind. It must be some sort of joke... but it also can¡¯t be. I¡¯m so confused...


    Hiroto was likewise pondering it. He pulled his gaze away from the girls and spoke. ¡°So, Hinata, what did you make of it? Really? Me... I think it¡¯s stupidly far-fet...¡± he as interrupted by a loud screeching noise coming from the phone of the girl on the next table. Everyone looked over, and mortified, she waved an apology. Yes, beautiful, but lacking in class. Anyway, what we were told...


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my cousin asked me to look into whether our company had any people who have ¡®strange powers or abilities.¡¯ Really. If it wasn¡¯t my cousin who asked, I¡¯d think she was playing a mean trick on me. But I guess Sakura wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± No, Sakura is a gentle, kind girl, very popular at school. She isn¡¯t one for pranks... it isn¡¯t fair though. I¡¯m her cousin, yet she... never mind. She turned her attention back to her brother.


    ¡°I know. But it isn¡¯t just Takatsukasa House, Ichijou and Fujiwara have also been placing this as a top priority. All of the Three-hundred have been asked to look into it as a matter of urgency. I mean, Grandfather Takatsukasa isn¡¯t what he was, but can you see Ichijou-sama and Fujiwara-sama mobilising all this manpower for a prank or a mistake? Besides, the promised boost in status makes it worth a search anyway. What do we have to lose?¡± he emptied the rest of the bottle of wine into his glass. ¡°After all, aren¡¯t you eager to be recognised as a noble as worthy as any from Takatsukasa house? Poor Sakura, you tend to treat her rather roughly, I hear...¡± his voice trailed off at the end, and Hinata flushed, annoyed.


    ¡°True. Still, it all seems like a fantasy to me. Ugh, after the foul time I had at the party, it¡¯d only be fair for life to compensate me by having one of these ¡®magical people¡¯ fall into my lap. Still, what are the chances of that happening? Don¡¯t we donate heavily to Kanda-Myojin shrine though? If anyone should know about it, shouldn¡¯t the shrines and temples?¡±


    Her brother was going to answer when Hinata noticed Kasumi stiffening, taking a defensive stance. Surprised, she looked up to see the three on the next table that had that graceless girl, had approached their table. Such bad manners. Ugh, this is the party all over again. Those rotten eyes, I still remember them. He gave me the creeps. Still, Kasumi will run them off, and this hotel has decent security...


    ¡°Back off, Fukumoto-sama has no wish to speak to the likes of you.¡± Kasumi declared, her voice cold. For the first time, Hinata paid attention to her neighbours. The ill-mannered girl in the white dress was indeed very pretty, and she looked nervous, ill at ease. The other girl had amazing amber-honey hair and eyes, and was wearing a daring green dress. She was ... somehow elegant, radiating the same sort of bearing that the high-ranked daughters of the Fifty-Seven showed in social situations. She might be a noble, maybe? But I don¡¯t recognise her. If so, maybe that made the man accompanying them her bodyguard, and the girl in white an attendant, maybe?


    ¡°Sorry, we mean no disrespect or trouble.¡± The man said, his voice calm and strong, sending tingles through her. ¡°We merely heard you mention something interesting, about... ¡®magical people.¡¯.¡±


    Seriously? Are they going to make fun of us? And who lets a bodyguard speak for them... uh? Hinata looked at him properly for the first time and was dumbstruck. For some reason her face was red and hot, and her chest started pounding. He¡¯s handsome... really handsome. And he has a very noble bearing. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, and cursing herself internally for showing weakness, as she was taught at school to always be composed and impeccably polite, especially around unfamiliar nobility, she managed to raise her hand, stopping Kasumi from taking more aggressive action.


    Kasumi was clearly surprised, though as always her stony mask of a face showed nothing. She merely shifted position a little, still ready to move to protect her if needed, yet now a little further from imminent violence.


    ¡°I do not recognise them.¡± Kasumi mouthed at them, and taking his cue from that, Hiroto started questioning the interlopers.


    ¡°I do believe it¡¯s quite rude to eavesdrop.¡± He said with dignity, impressing his sister. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been acquainted, which house are you from?¡±


    ¡°House?¡± the man looked puzzled, and beside him the girl in green smiled.


    ¡°Oh, I believed you were nobility, since you look rather majestic... err, never mind that.¡± Hinata flushed again. If she looked at him she found herself lost for words, it was most infuriating. ¡°If you are not, then you have no business with us. My father is quite clear that I am not to speak to unfamiliar men. So please cease bothering us.¡±


    ¡°Confident aren¡¯t you?¡± he responded, taking another long draught of wine. ¡°And what would you want in return? Just be aware, my sister is off-limits. She¡¯ll be married to someone out of your league.¡± He couldn¡¯t resist getting a dig in, as he had noticed his sister seemed to find this Oshiro-san rather attractive, the first time he had seen her act that way. I mean, I don¡¯t have a problem with my sister finding love, but... it¡¯ll only lead to heartache and scandal if she does something foolish. The world of nobility is strict, and harshest of all on young unmarried girls. It¡¯s all shit, but what can you do? Grandfather and father are very keen on entering that world...


    ¡°Your sister is indeed rather beautiful, and I can understand why you would think I might be making a play for her.¡± Oshiro-san shrugged. ¡°But rest-assured, I¡¯m already engaged.¡±


    Oh. I see. ¡°May I ask which one of the lovely ladies you were accompanying is the lucky girl?¡±


    Oshiro-san looked embarrassed and guilty at that. ¡°That¡¯s... a hard question to answer.¡± He finally said.


    A strange reaction? Which one is it? ¡°So, just what are you looking for from us? If you hold such knowledge, surely you expect a return on it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m looking for friends. It¡¯s a changing world, right? it¡¯d have to be, if the things we are looking into are true. And while we haven¡¯t reached a deal, I can say for free that it is indeed true.¡±


    ¡°Well, that does interest me.¡± Hiroto admitted. ¡°Still, what¡¯s to stop us just reneging on any deal we make when you give us what we want? I wouldn¡¯t of course.¡± Hiroto leaned back, smiling. ¡°But you must worry about it. Information is harder to trade safely than any other commodity, as you can¡¯t take it back when it has been sold. My Grandfather taught me that. We lost out on several valuable patents and designs back in the day to espionage and poor decision-making.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a concern.¡± Oshiro-san agreed, and Hiroto saw him wince briefly, perhaps regretting similar failures. ¡°However...¡± he continued. ¡°I have reason to believe that when you see what is on offer you wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯d be you losing out, as our friendship would sour quickly if you are just conning us, trying to get at our money or my sister. So, what type of friendship are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°True. I can prove the veracity of our information very easily, and as for my needs... well, support, basically. I make a good friend, and I hope my friends can help me in return.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He¡¯s being cagey. I don¡¯t blame him, but... ¡°Well, we have a bit of a problem, because without you telling us anything, it¡¯s hard to believe you. Besides, we have to pass the information on to others. That makes payment... difficult, right?¡±


    ¡°I get it, although I would appreciate it if you present the same offer to those you are beholden to. I¡¯m looking for allies in exchange for this information. As for proof...¡± Oshiro-san thought for a short while, sipping his wine quietly. ¡°... damn, this is a hard one. How about this. Do you have any coins?¡±


    Where¡¯s this going? Hiroto opened up his wallet. Damn, I don¡¯t really keep much change. He pulled out four coins.


    ¡°All right. here.¡± Oshiro-san handed over his wallet. ¡°Fish out a half-dozen coins and check them.¡±


    Where is this going? Hiroto did so and handed back the wallet. Oshiro-san then asked him to toss the coins. They landed on the table and bounced a bit, before landing various faces up.


    ¡°Four numbers up.¡± Oshiro-san noted. ¡°So, watch this.¡± Tossing the coins into the air they landed, some bouncing very strangely, before all landing with numbers up. ¡°So, what are the odds. Two to the power nine I believe. Impressive, no?¡±


    ¡°Uh, are you saying you are...¡± Hiroto began, leaning forwards, only for Oshiro-san to toss the coins again, getting the same result after some odd bouncing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything. All I¡¯m saying is I can introduce you to the people you are looking for. How about we exchange numbers, and you can think about whether you want more information? After all, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just you looking for it, right? It¡¯s a sellers¡¯ market for this sort of information right now.¡±


    If that¡¯s a trick, then it¡¯s a pretty good one. ¡°All right.¡± Hiroto said, fishing out his smartphone. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to my father and get back to you...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, Hiroto, you talked to him. What did you think?¡± Hinata asked. Mori-san and Shaeula had left, after exchanging numbers, though obviously she hadn¡¯t given her own number, that would be foolish and was one of the first things school warned the girls against. No, Kasumi had produced a special backup phone that was bought from the Fujiwara Security Services, with security features to prevent tracing and other problems. That Shaeula was a very interesting girl. I¡¯m a good judge of character, she knows what we need to find out, and that Mori-san too.


    ¡°I¡¯m at a loss. I think it¡¯s worth reporting. I got his number anyway, if we want what he knows. Still... yeah, he showed off a crazy trick. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a clever con-artist, but... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s up to us to decide. Still, finding a lead is much better than asking every employee in our company bizarre questions, it¡¯d damage trust in our leadership. I know father really doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Did you use a Fujiwara phone?¡± Kasumi asked, and Hiroto winced.


    ¡°No, I forgot and used my own. It doesn¡¯t matter, I have university friends on my phone anyway.¡±


    Kasumi said nothing, but I could tell she was a bit annoyed at his carelessness. ¡°So, what was the trick?¡±


    ¡°Well, he could toss coins and they would always land the same way up.¡±


    ¡°Anyone can do that with enough training.¡± Kasumi observed, pulling out a couple of coins. She flipped them carefully, and several times in a row they landed the same away. ¡°Good muscle control and perception is all it takes, Hiroto-sama.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, ten all at once, different denominations, and some from my wallet?¡± Hiroto countered. ¡°And he did it twice.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t impossible, but I¡¯d need to practice a lot.¡± Kasumi equivocated.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all very well, but at least he has manners. They paid for the wine.¡± Hinata observed. She had watched the three of them leave with a strange expression. I feel like this is a chance. Her chest hurt a little, her heart was racing so fast. If we are the ones who deliver the information the Three Grandfathers are asking for, our entry to the Fifty-Seven is all but guaranteed. And I... Hinata realised she was smiling, her face hot. I¡¯ll finally step out of Sakura¡¯s shadow, and be an equal to Mayumi-sama and the Fujiwara girls.


    ¡°Pay the bill brother. We need to act now. Father and mother should hear of this as soon as possible. Kasumi, we are leaving.¡± And all it¡¯ll cost us is an alliance with those three? That sounds... not bad, not bad at all...

 Side Thirty-Six – Suzuki Haru and her ill-fortune, crossing paths

    Side Thirty-Six ¨C Suzuki Haru and her ill-fortune, crossing paths


    The noise and bustle of the party was starting to get to her. Looking down at the elegant and overly expensive watch on her wrist to check the time, she saw it was nearly ten pm. I¡¯ve stuck this out long enough. I knew it wouldn¡¯t help. I don¡¯t feel well...


    Her brown eyes darted to and fro as she watched the jovial people around her talk and make merry. Feeling bile rise in her throat she rushed to the bathroom, finding an empty stall and emptying what little was in her stomach. Looking at the mirror on the back of the stall door she considered herself once more. Her long brownish hair was shoulder-length, framing a thin face that was pale and tainted with a sickly pallor. She had done the best with her makeup, but it couldn¡¯t quite cover the hollow look of her cheeks and eye-sockets. Damn, I look a fright. Well, no wonder.


    Taking a deep breath she sat down on the western-style toilet, head in her hands. I never should have come tonight. Still, her daddy was constantly badgering her, saying that she¡¯d ¡®feel better if she mixed with people, especially the elite.¡¯ Feeling another bout of stomach pains coming on, she fumbled in her expensive designer purse, a deep blue to match the expensive dress she was wearing. After a few moments she dragged out a bottle, and popping the lid revealed some capsules in garishly bright colours. Depositing two in her mouth she swallowed them, before taking a sip of water from a bottle that was also in her purse, washing them down.


    I just want to be better. Life was looking up just a few months ago... Haru remembered securing a position as a secretary at the Diet, and while her daddy was no doubt behind it, pulling the strings to get his beloved daughter into politics, Haru had earned the chance herself by finishing a Politics and Economics degree at a prestigious Tokyo university. I had friends too, and while daddy wasn¡¯t keen on letting me date yet, there were a few good guys I had my eye on. How did it all go so wrong? Everything was normal, then after one night...


    Feeling a bitter tang in her mouth, she closed her eyes, fighting off the dizziness that suddenly surged. ¡°To think... I¡¯m going crazy.¡± She laughed, her tone falsely bright and brittle. ¡°What a way to end my career.¡± Her father was covering it up, but no-one with a history of mental illness was getting anywhere near political power, or indeed any top job in Japan.


    Several other of the female guests had entered the bathroom and were chatting away by the sinks. Haru squeezed shut her eyes, tried to block out the voices, and waited for them to go away. Oh no, it¡¯s happening again... even with her eyes shut she could see vivid white sparks drifting across her vision, and something deep within, something other, was telling her to... no, no, NO! I don¡¯t want to hear it!


    She dug around in her purse and took several more of her medicines, despite the dosage warnings. She then jammed a pair of wireless earbuds in, and cranked the volume up to maximum, listening to the soothing white noise. After a while, the feelings, the whispers, passed, and she staggered out of the bathroom and back into the main hall where guests were still talking, flirting or making deals.


    Mingle with the beautiful people, daddy said. Put aside your worries and talk to the nobility, rich business-people and politicians. Shaking her head, she made for the exit, nearly stumbling over the hem of her dress. As she left, she could feel eyes on her, watching her go, though sometimes she wasn¡¯t sure whether those eyes were real, or... ugh, enough!


    Emerging into the still-warm early September night, she sighed in relief. I mean, I did recognise plenty of people here, they were important, but I¡¯m in no mood to talk to anyone. Luckily most people sensed that, so I managed to keep to myself for most of the night. There were a few acquaintances who did approach her, but they quickly lost interest, and Haru could see when their looks of friendship and sympathy changed to disgust, condemnation... ugh, I don¡¯t feel well at all. I just want to sleep... though without dreams... The dreams were the worst, all swirling colours and warped visions of her house being strange and otherworldly...


    I need something to drink. She reached into her purse, only to find the small water bottle she kept was empty. Staggering over to a nearby vending machine she fumbled some coins into a slot, and a can of soda was soon in her hand. She cracked the ring pull and then took a long swig. That¡¯s better. She squeezed shut her eyes, blocking out the light, and spent several blissful minutes in silence, before the ringtone of her phone jolted her out of her reverie. Checking the caller ID, it was her daddy.


    ¡°My baby girl, how are you? Did you have fun at the party?¡± her daddy asked jovially, but she could hear the concern in his voice.


    ¡°Not really, it.. it was a bit noisy for me. I¡¯m not good with crowds right now.¡± She answered. ¡°I¡¯ve just left. I did manage to speak to a few people I knew though.¡± She lied, as what she had done could hardly be called holding a conversation, but she didn¡¯t want her daddy to worry too much. The look in his eyes when they talked was already painful enough.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, you need to spend more time with others. It isn¡¯t healthy to be alone in the dark all the time.¡± Realising that this line of talk was one they had been through before, to little avail, his voice softened a bit. ¡°Once the medication stabilises your mood, you can come back to work. I know it isn¡¯t easy, but these things happen. It¡¯ll get better soon, I promise. My baby girl has a bright future, a little setback like this won¡¯t stop you, right?¡±


    Feeling tears well up in her eyes she scrubbed them away, trying to keep her voice free of sorrow. ¡°I know, daddy. I know. I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll get through this. I just... need some time. I¡¯m not ready for being out yet...¡±


    ¡°I really think you need to...¡± he began, but she cut him off, his voice starting to trigger another episode. It was like the aura migraine sufferers were said to have, lights flashing in her vision, but these were different. They were... they felt... real.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get a taxi and come home. I¡¯ll see you soon, daddy.¡± She managed to get out. His reply was disappointed, that she wasn¡¯t trying harder, but she paid it no mind. Hanging up she struggled to remember where the nearest taxi rank was, while her vision was flecked with silver and white sparkles, which somehow felt tangible, cold, when they touched her. Ugh, to think I can¡¯t even remember simple details like this, when I¡¯m a secretary to the Diet. The medication... still, I need it.


    She began to set off in the direction she thought she needed to go, the quiet streets around the residence of the famous Takatsukasa family largely deserted. Her heels clicked on the stone pavement, ringing loudly in the night. As she walked, she occasionally caught the sounds of other footsteps behind her.


    With a final wail the noise was cut off, and moments later the naked Kondou-dono strode out, expression satisfied, his body streaked with blood and other fluids. He grabbed a towel and started wiping himself off, whistling cheerfully. Until he saw Kiku¡¯s gaze. His expression hardened, and he stood, not covering his nakedness. Striding over to her his hand struck Kiku across the face, drawing more stale blood from her split cheek and lips.


    Oh how this reminds me of my husband. He too... had a temper. Though his appetites were never so base... as Kiku didn¡¯t respond, Kondou-dono clenched his fist, and waves of agonising pain rippled through her. She gasped, dead nerves ablaze with pain, dropping to her knees. As she did so, Kondou-dono drove his bare foot down on the back of her skull, forcing her head to the ground, her bony back arched. More waves of torturous agony followed, until blood was seeping from her nose, ears and eyes. He is very angry indeed. Though he was of good cheer mere moments ago. Oh, how poorly us women fare handling the whims of cruel men...


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to judge me, bitch.¡± Kondou-dono snarled. ¡°I am the master here. I am god in this place, never forget that. Besides...¡± he pressed down harder, until her metal teeth were scraping the floor. ¡°... again you have failed me. Why have we not wiped out those few pathetic interlopers who think they can take away my domain? I told you to use the fool from Hisuikomushi if we had to, he has no way of resisting.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, Kondou-dono.¡± Kiku grovelled, the taste of iron paired with humiliation. ¡°I will do better, but, if you were to lend us your mighty aid, none can stand against the lash of torment you wield...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have dogs to bark myself.¡± Under his foot her skull felt like it was dipped in molten lead, her brain seared. As she panted in agony, the pain faded slowly. ¡°But... damn, seeing all those fine women at the party made me realise I need more power. Very well. I am quite the generous man after all.¡± He removed his foot, and Kiku staggered to her feet, fresh stains on her dirty kimono. ¡°Tomorrow. Bring all my forces to the battlefield, and make sure to destroy those pests. Their base of operations has to be around that shrine, right? Their defences are concentrated there.¡±


    All my forces. I see. ¡°As you wish, Kondou-dono. I have failed you before, but I shall not again. But, if we need your support...¡±


    He sighed, going back to towelling the filth from his body. ¡°If you must call upon me, do it. I want to consolidate and move up in the world. Tonight has proved that better educated girls are more... entertaining. The way she called out ¡®daddy, daddy...¡¯ sent shivers down my spine and I was hard as... well, never mind that. Just clean up the mess and use her as one of your ghosts.¡±


    With that he strode out, giving Kiku much to consider. Sooner or later he will order me in a way I cannot misinterpret. Still... she strode into the room, her kimono dragging in the spreading blood. The girl was dead, no breath leaving her cooling corpse. Kiku knelt down, heedless of the mess, and snapped off one of her metal nails, ignoring the ache in her bones. Phantom pain, lingering hints of Kondou-dono¡¯s grace...


    ¡°Alas, you poor girl, just another in the long line of victims of the cruelty of man.¡± Her face was thin, though it was hard to tell under the gruesome wounds Kondou-dono had inflicted during his... sport. Her dress was torn and stained with unmentionable fluids, and her body bore the marks of hard abuse. Still, Kiku had no time to mourn her. With a single thrust she drove the nail into the forehead of the corpse, her sight seeing the confused spirit rise from the body, misty and insubstantial, mouth flapping open and closed.


    ¡°Where... where am I? Was it all a horrible nightmare?¡± the wraith said, and Kiku recoiled in shock. She has kept her ability to speak? Such a miracle...


    ¡°I know I¡¯m crazy, I¡¯ve gone mad. But this was... was so awful.¡± The ghost shed phantom tears, sparkles of aether trickling down, before melting into silver mist. ¡°That man, he... he... I need my pills, it has to be a delusion. There¡¯s no way that.... Horrible thing... could have... happened to me. I want to go home, I hate it here... wherever here is. Daddy, where are you?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kiku realised as the aether sparkled all around her new daughter. ¡°You are the same as Kondou-dono. Blessed. But your end was cruel. Never fear though, my child. The gods will not allow his sins to go unpunished forever.¡± Her nails scraped against her ring, flakes of metal blowing away.


    ¡°Who... who are you?¡± the spectre asked, still erratic and addled from her gruesome end.


    ¡°I am she who will protect you from the cruel hands of men. I am your mother now.¡± Kiku promised, much to the ghosts¡¯ confusion. As Kiku looked down at her corpse, she remembered what exactly Kondou-dono had said. Just clean up the mess and use her as one of my ghosts? Bending down, her mouth opened wide, metallic fangs gleaming. With one bite she severed the wrist of the dead girl, nails shearing through flesh, muscle and bone. Spitting out the now-severed hand, expensive watch still glittering around the torn wrist, Kiku placed it within her kimono, before starting her grizzly feast, consuming the rest.


    We woman are not powerless. Frailer, yes. Bound to serve your whims, of course. But powerless, helpless? No, Kondou-dono, eventually a limit is reached, and a chance taken...


    Making soothing noises to comfort her hysterical daughter, who was wailing something about needing ¡®stronger medication to numb the hallucinations¡¯ as Kiku devoured her corpse, Kiku remembered the last time she proved she was not without a way to defend herself...

 Side Thirty-Seven – ???????????????

    Side Thirty-Seven ¨C ???????????????


    The sound of horns rang loudly, their strident tones a call to arms. The woman, her flaming red hair, which was not merely red, but a deep crimson that shone with an inner light, trailing behind her like a cascade of waves, reached for her long spear, an ornate weapon of dark wood and iridescent metal that sparked with dazzling arcs of lightning. Armour materialised suddenly around her perfect form, made from the same metal as her spear, carved chestplate detailing a large tree, around which was coiled some sort of draconic being.


    Racing out from her dwelling, other women, similarly attired, in armour that hugged their immaculate figures, carrying spears, swords, maces, axes, bows and other more exotic weapons, were rushing about, hair of many exotic, impossible colours streaming out behind them in the breeze.


    On seeing her sisters, the woman brightened. ¡°So, another incursion it seems.¡± She said, cursing in her heart at the poor timing of it.


    ¡°Ah, youngest sister.¡± A blonde woman carrying a bow said on hearing her words. Her eyes were a beautiful crystalline blue, deep and fathomless. ¡°You have returned as well, I see. Yes, another push. The Einherjar are being assembled to buy us some time, but it¡¯ll come down to us to buy enough time for countermeasures, as it always does.¡±


    The woman narrowed her own deep golden eyes, clutching her spear tightly. ¡°Of course. The Einherjar are numerous, but their league... well, they do themselves honour regardless, and we shall see the survivors back to their homes, while the fallen live on in song. Still, the attacks... are they not becoming more frequent?¡±


    A third maiden joined in, a coiled whip in her gauntleted hands. She was green-haired, with matching moss-green eyes, with a chest straining against her decorated armour. ¡°The older sisters tell me it comes in waves. Still, yes, it does seem that we get no rest recently. Under the World Tree, I wish that we could finally have some peace.¡±


    As she mentioned the World Tree, they all turned, looking behind them. The aforementioned Tree was towering into the sky in the far distance, worlds away, yet it was still visible, the shadow cast slanting tens of thousands of miles hence, into the disputed lands of the highest Astral. Making gestures of reverence, they all bowed.


    ¡°Peace is for the weak. My sisters, the horns of war blow, and we are called to stand against the darkness.¡± The oldest of the nine said, her raven dark hair and piercing red eyes giving her a raptor-like look, hungry and driven. Her two-handed sword was slung over her back, and the edge flickered with cobalt flames.


    Taking a last look at the world tree, which was the heart of their Territory, the anchor of the divine realm, the woman looked down at her wrists, where two silvery bracelets were giving off a muted glow. No time, there¡¯s never any time. Well, by the Allfather himself, we shall not fail!


    ********


    ¡°I excuse your disrespect.¡± The troll rumbled. ¡°Until the end, you fought well.¡± All around him chaos reigned supreme, the hill-sized Hunger-class beast giving out putrid fumes that quickly killed the weaker warriors. Even the troll himself was struggling to bear it, and though his strength was lauded amongst the Einherjar, earning him a position of foringi, captain of the Tullan world¡¯s Einherjar hosts, he was still but a mortal, not strong enough to transcend his limits and become something more.


    ¡°No, I did not see my family die. I fought and trained until I reached foringi, but then I stagnated. Always searching... uh...¡± his words were halted by a tendril melting through his armour and taking his arm. Hideous creeping dissolution started spreading, so quickly he used his axe to sever it at the shoulder, flesh falling away, disintegrating into motes of blackened dust. ¡°I never had time for a family. I only wanted to join the rank of the divine. When I was young it seemed in reach, but now...¡± he raised his axe with his remaining hand, spears of stone circling him like orbiting moons. ¡°... now the end has come. But I shall not go alone.¡± He grinned, his warty face and brutal teeth making him the very image of terror. ¡°Come, die with me, vile abomination! Allfather, Divine Mother, give us strength!¡±


    Roaring a battle cry, the troll charged into the swirling mass of tentacles, howling out prayers and curses. Moments later, the world went white, and the very Astral shivered, a rippling wave of energy disintegrating the dark abominations. As sparks rained down around him, the troll looked up blankly, watching as radiant light cut through all darkness. Other surviving Einherjar were equally stunned, some hugging each other, others falling to their knees and crying. As the Astral shook again, booming sounds echoing, the troll made to gesture with his missing arm, paused, embarrassed, then dropped his axe and made a hand-sign. ¡°Allfather, praise to you! The Hel-vegr saved us, saved us all...¡±


    ********


    Deep within the reaches of the lower Astral, Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue drifted, his wounds leaking iridescent slime. Raising one amorphous arm, the yellow bones visible beneath his transparent skin, he scratched at the injuries criss-crossing his warty, toad-like face. One of his golden eyes had been put out, and the other blinked constantly, dripping sour pus.


    [Curse those demons for running me out of a good thing.] he spat ichor, running a long tongue over his bulbous lips, a few unbroken jagged teeth standing out like daggers. [That world is full of sweet, succulent souls, they could have left me alone to eat my share.]


    Still, demons were notoriously greedy, and judging by the constant series of battles in both the Boundary and Material plane of that world, the demons of the Seventy-two Pillars were making a concerted effort to plunder the world of every soul, secret and treasure it held, adding it to their infernal Territory.


    [Yes, I suppose I am better off out of it.] he sighed, foul smelling breath spreading out across the silvery mists that buffeted him as he floated, aimlessly. The Astral itself was trembling, constant waves of pressure coming down from the mythical Highest Astral. [I had a good run, twenty years of delightful prey. If only I had not tried to poach that delectable little one from that Demon Earl... oh well, I was lucky to get away at all...]


    Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue shuddered. Eating mages and warriors with bright, powerful souls was a delight, but he had seen that royal, lineage bred for thousands of years to inherit a pure strain of power, and ... well, who could have resisted the urge to feast? Not Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue, that was for sure! Sadly, one of the wings for the demon army had also been trying to secure said royal, and Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue had clashed hard with them. Some demons had screamed as they slipped down his gullet, but trying to take on an Earl... well, just look at Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue now, to see how that ended. [If only I could find a virgin world to recuperate in. The competition in others is too fierce, and I am far from my best right now. Oh, all that shaking is hurting my injuries.]


    The Astral was convulsing more and more, before a massive detonation, far, far, far distant split the dark-light of the Lower Astral, revealing for a moment a glimpse at the glory of the higher Territories...


    [Uhh, so strong...] Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue was swept away by the blast waves, his diminished strength far from enough to resist the shockwaves of apocalyptic battles above. As he was pushed down through the Lower Astral, past other creatures who were likewise hurled from their nests by the turbulence, he managed to snag a weaker creature, snacking on it even as it squealed and tried to escape.


    [Not bad. Fills my stomach at least. Still, I wonder where I will end up? I hope wherever it is there are tender things to eat...]


    Gu¡¯vex¡¯ue closed his remaining eye, letting his meal digest. Below him the eddies of the Lower Astral started to ebb away, revealing the ether-poor shadow of a Boundary, mists pushed aside by the blasts...

 One Hundred And Forty-Six

    One Hundred And Forty-Six


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± I asked Eri as we sat on the subway train, a few other passengers such as salarymen who worked late or people heading out to party dotted around the mostly empty carriages. In response she gave me a wan smile, dark eyes serious.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right I guess. I¡¯m not good with strangers, especially... well, you heard her. Nichibotsu Technology!¡± Eri¡¯s voice rose a little at the end there, causing her to flush in embarrassment when a couple of the passengers looked over at us.


    ¡°Seriously.¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°It¡¯s been one crazy thing after another today. I can¡¯t take all the shocks.¡±


    ¡°Is this Nichibotsu such a big-big matter?¡± Shaeula titled her head in puzzlement. ¡°Are we not wealthy ourselves now?¡±


    ¡°We have money sure, but compared to Nichibotsu Technology, we are nothing.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°They are a global company, one of the top electronics manufacturers worldwide. Even most of the TV¡¯s and other equipment at our school is Nichibotsu brand. And she¡¯s in the owning family... she must be very rich.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula nodded in understanding. ¡°Still, Eri, you need to be more composed. As first wife, you should not-not shrink from others, but stand tall and proud!¡±


    Listening to the conversation relaxed me, as I pondered my decisions. It was a real risk announcing ourselves like that, but I tried to mitigate it as much as possible. Still, if we could get allies like such a big company, or the... the nobility, I guess... behind them, well... It would open up a whole world of possibilities for us. On the other hand, handling it badly could have disastrous consequences. Still, who knew that we had noble families in Japan still, behind the scenes? I suppose if we have a shrine faction, a noble faction makes sense too...


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t like the way that Fukumoto-sama was looking at Akio...¡± Eri pouted, having finished lauding her company to Shaeula. ¡°... come to think of it, you aren¡¯t brainwashing all the women around you are you, Akio? I mean, I know I love everything about you, I always have, but the way she was staring at you with a red face and moist eyes... it wasn¡¯t normal. You do have a big Charm stat, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Fukumoto-sama?¡± Shaeula snorted, annoying Eri a little.


    ¡°No, Charm doesn¡¯t brainwash people, according to the description.¡± In fact, since Self-Examination reached Rank 6 I had further information on it, so I read it out to Eri quietly.


    Charm- The ability to attract others revealed. Charm will increase the attraction others feel towards you, people will view you in a more favourable light, and are more likely to offer you affection. Charm will enhance the effect of attributes the beholder will find favourable, and slightly mitigate the aspects of one¡¯s self that the beholder finds off-putting or undesirable.


    ¡°You see?¡± I said after I had finished. ¡°All it does is enhance what is already there. So it¡¯s not really any kind of mind control. I suppose it¡¯s like how you can appeal more if you change your hairstyle or get in shape. Just that it functions all the time.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you have Charm yourself, do you not Eri?¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°So do not-not blame Akio for being so attractive. It would be-be base hypocrisy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... Akio has filled out with muscle and takes better care of himself. He¡¯s already stupidly handsome, so when you put Charm on top of that... what happens if Fukumoto-sam... err Fukumoto-san really has fallen for him? We can¡¯t compete with that...¡±


    Damn, her lack of confidence is showing again. I thought she was getting over that... Pulling her into an embrace and patting her head I reassured her. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t compete? You and Shaeula have way more to offer than her. And as for wealth... well, sure, right now we don¡¯t measure up, but a month ago I was living on cup ramen in a dingy one room apartment, and now look at me. Wealth we can and will acquire. But the bonds, the love we share... that¡¯s priceless and irreplaceable.¡±


    Shaeula looked away, red-faced and embarrassed, and Eri snuggled into my arms, face also flaming crimson. Damn, the two of them are super gorgeous. I mean, yeah, that Fukumoto girl was hot too, but I¡¯m already over my limit for fiance?es, so they don¡¯t have to worry.


    To that end I managed to create a pair of steel swords, one a rapier type, the other a sabre, as they seemed the easiest to use, and weren¡¯t too heavy, being sized to Eri. I also made her a suit of light chainmail, and for that I had to guess the size, although... yeah, I still remember the shape of her body from earlier... in fact, I doubt I¡¯ll ever forget her and Shaeula in my arms.


    ¡°That looks suitable.¡± Shaeula approved as she inspected my crafts. ¡°Eri will be delighted to receive your gifts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I still don¡¯t know why we keep hold of certain items when we leave and return to the Boundary. It isn¡¯t like we are using an item box or dimensional storage.¡± That gave me an idea. ¡°Ixitt, do you know?¡±


    Ixitt shrugged, tail lashing behind him in exasperation. ¡°I fear, keh, that I do not. Though I would be more than happy to experiment. Keh-keh-keh!¡± his coughing became more fierce, bloody phlegm spraying from his burned throat. Shaeula looked at him with disgust and even I took a step back. ¡°Should you grace me with, keh-keh, the ability to walk, keh-KEH, the material as does the princess, I shall, keh-KEH-keh, put my all into finding the answer. Keh-keh.¡±


    Sorry, but you aren¡¯t a priority. Still... ¡°I¡¯m afraid it takes quite a commitment in ether to allow one of the Fae to walk the mortal world unencumbered. And sadly, I have plans on who to choose next.¡±


    At my words his face twitched, but I offered a compromise. ¡°Still, if you can find a way to bring me the ether yourself, I can be persuaded to allow it. Although to prevent problems in the Material you¡¯ll have to behave.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He nodded, tail whipping ferociously as he thought. ¡°Those Spires, they pull, keh-keh, down Ether from the higher reaches of the Astral. Keh-keh. Can I make artificial ones, or... maybe Etherites... keh-keh-KEH!¡± as he started musing on what works he could perform, Shaeula leaned in and whispered to me, her hot breath tickling my ear.


    ¡°Are you sure-sure that is wise? That ratkin seems rather unbalanced if you ask me.¡±


    I held in a laugh, and at her knowing look it burst free. Once I had finished chuckling, I shook my head. ¡°True, but I¡¯m very curious about mortal engineering. Combining Fae and human technology could be a real winner. But I doubt he¡¯ll come up with a way to raise at least fifty-thousand ether anyway... still, enough of that. We need to meet with Ulfuric now.¡± Scooping up Eri¡¯s new gear, putting aside the question of how it travelled with us, we headed off in search of the badgerkin...


    ********


    ¡°So, we have kept all our forces out of sight behind these salt wards, since the enemy has effective scouts in these ghosts.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, looking at the map of the area that we had sculpted. ¡°There is no merit in allowing the enemy to learn of our improved circumstances, princess, consort.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the element of surprise is key. We want to break through fast and hard.¡± I agreed. ¡°As to the point of attack...¡±


    ¡°While it is tempting to engage one of the weaker areas, I suggest we attack here.¡± Ulfuric pointed to the shrine at the back of the enemy Territory. ¡°Your probing has allowed us to understand the defences, and there are several points where there is cover against enemy fire.¡±


    Yeah, denying the enemy the chance to use those beetle-men and siege beetles makes sense, plus... There was something going on there, from the information Karen-chan had gathered. It shouldn¡¯t be the heart of the Territory judging by its position and the rest of the sprawl, but even so... the quickest way would be to destroy the enemy Anchor, of course.


    ¡°As for the specifics..¡± Ulfuric continued, and I found it reassuring to have someone so practised in command in our corner. It really took the pressure off me. ¡°... Grulgor and his trolls are largely unmanageable, so I suggest that we allow them to draw attention with their usual rampages. As for our forces, we can swing wide here...¡±


    Yeah, tonight we rest up for the big day. Once I¡¯ve seen Eri and our families of to the station, then it¡¯s time to settle this once and for all. Shaeula was also looking resolute, showing off her dignity as a princess in front of her new kin. Once the threat to the north is gone, we can finally think about our next expansion...

 One Hundred And Forty-Seven

    One Hundred And Forty-Seven


    ¡°Well, my little Eri seemed to be in a great mood when she came back last night.¡± Auntie Mori said jovially, uncle nodding along beside her. ¡°And that dress was beautiful. Are you sure you should be spending so recklessly? I can understand why you¡¯d like to see my baby girl all dressed up, but you are going to be the provider, so you need to be prudent.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± My father agreed. ¡°Still, Junpei and I did discuss this with him. I trust my son is not such a fool that he would squander this rare opportunity he has gained.¡±


    Well, thanks for supporting me father, but as always, the way you say it leaves me feeling kind of bad...


    ¡°Yes, father and uncle gave me quite the grilling on my future plans and prospects. But trust me, I¡¯ve got everything in hand. Besides, Eri can use the dress for graduation too, so it¡¯s hardly a waste.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can see it now.¡± My mom grinned, exchanging a look with auntie. ¡°She¡¯ll be the prettiest girl there.¡±


    ¡°Oh thanks mom. What am I, some troll?¡± Aiko pouted. She was leading Eri and Shaeula to the other room I had rented for them, but was still in earshot and protested, half-joking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Ai.¡± Mom giggled, playing along. ¡°You know you are a beauty too, just like your mom. But you have to admit, Eri did look very pretty in that dress. Sadly you can¡¯t expect your brother to buy you one. After all, he may love you a lot, Ai, but there¡¯s a big difference between a sister and a lover, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Aiko pouted. ¡°I guess so. But...¡± she looked my way, blue eyes bright. ¡°... big bro, if I succeed in that training, you¡¯ll treat me to a dress too, right? As a reward? I don¡¯t feel good losing to Eri...¡±


    ¡°Training?¡± Mom cocked her head, and father looked interested. Seriously, not in public. Sometimes you can be a bit of an airhead...


    ¡°It¡¯s just something for the future. You know Aiko is interested in a sports Uni, right? Well, I asked around a bit with some contacts and got some ideas on what she can do to improve her chances of getting into a decent one. Anyway, little sis, why don¡¯t you go chat with Eri and Shaeula, leave the boring talk to us grownups?¡± Yeah, that should help us dodge the bullet there...


    Aiko rewarded my quick wit with a teehee-pero, winking at me while sticking out her tongue and knocking her head. It was cute, but something that girls only did in anime, so it came across as rather mocking. Still, she grabbed Eri and Shaeula by their arms, ushering them into the other room. ¡°Come on you two. I need to hear all about just what...¡± she shut the door, cutting the sound, but if I concentrated my ears were good enough to still pick up their words. ¡°... happened. I can¡¯t believe that my bro is a two-timer. Even if it¡¯s for the best, I think, I still can¡¯t believe it. Wow, now you¡¯ll both be my sisters. That¡¯s pretty hot...¡±


    Damn, I¡¯m feeling embarrassed just listening to her gibberish. Sometimes I worry for my sisters¡¯ future...


    ¡°So, anyway...¡± Auntie was asking me. ¡°A woman can tell. You and little Eri, you had fun, right?¡± as she smirked, I looked away blushing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the sort of thing we should be talking about right now.¡± I tried to change the subject, embarrassed.


    ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t worry. Eri is on that medication now, so there¡¯s no worry about the future. Though I¡¯m really looking forwards to our grandchildren. Aren¡¯t you, Emi?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, definitely. And at least we know with Aki and Eri as parents, the kids will definitely be cute! I hope it¡¯s a girl, girls are so adorable. But then... hmm, Taichi, I know you¡¯d like a grandson, wouldn¡¯t you...?¡±


    As my parents and Eri¡¯s family subjected me to the torment of this extremely embarrassing conversation, I shoved my embarrassment deep down inside and nodded along, making appropriate noises, while listening to the conversation in the other room as a distraction.


    ¡°Wow wow wowowowowowowow! My mind is blown!¡± Aiko was gibbering. ¡°Both of you together? Seriously. Wow. Just... wow. I was dying of embarrassment just listening to your time Eri. I can¡¯t imagine how you managed to do it together...¡±


    ¡°It was embarrassing. It was.¡± Eri said, and though I couldn¡¯t see her right now, I had to imagine she was flaming red. ¡°But... I guess it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Really? I found it most-most fun.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°After all, we both love the same worthy male, so we shall be together long. Such activities are best shared, to form bonds. Besides, you were very cute as Akio showed you his love, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula, don¡¯t... I¡¯m shy...¡± Eri yelped, and my sisters¡¯ laughter drowned them out. When she calmed down, she asked a question.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Shaeula, show me your ring. You weren¡¯t wearing it, but I bet you have it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I shall go nowhere without it-it.¡± Shaeula answered.


    ¡°So, did Shaeula charge you up?¡± I asked, and Eri nodded, looking distracted. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up? You seem out of sorts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... it¡¯s just... Aiko, she... never mind. She trusts Shaeula, and I do too. It¡¯ll all work out. So, I¡¯m ready.¡± Eri seemed eager to put into practice the method to enter the Boundary without aid that Shaeula had taught her.


    ¡°All right. Well, I don¡¯t know how dangerous this place is in the Boundary, so I¡¯ll go first. It¡¯s just a quick handover anyway.¡± Lying on top of the bed I held Eri¡¯s hand and quickly entered.


    Once I was in the Boundary, I looked around. It wasn¡¯t actually too bad, though in the dark corners of the room large rats were scuttling. Still, a quick sweep of wind blades dealt with those. A few minutes later Eri appeared, blinking in surprise. Her expression then broke, beaming broadly. Turning to me she raced over and clutched my hands, looking me in the eyes. ¡°I did it! Akio, I did it!¡±


    ¡°You sure did.¡± I kissed her fiercely. When we separated I pulled her into a hug. ¡°Still, Shaeula spared the aether, so until you gather it all yourself and enter, it isn¡¯t a true success.¡±


    ¡°Meanie.¡± Eri joked, kissing me again.


    ¡°All right, we don¡¯t have too long, or our parents¡¯ll get suspicious.¡± I pulled out the chainmail dress I had made. ¡°Pop this on.¡±


    Eri tugged it over her clothes, the metal rings clinking musically. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a bit heavy, but I can manage.¡±


    ¡°You think that for now, but it¡¯ll sap your strength quickly unless you get stronger.¡± I warned. ¡°Still, you have to stay safe. Growing stronger is meaningless if you are hurt.¡±


    ¡°I will, I promise. I¡¯m just glad you trust me, and are willing to let me make my own decisions.¡±


    ¡°I love you, so of course I want you to grow as a person. And to that end...¡± I produced the two swords, rapier and sabre. Handing them over to Eri I explained that she would need to hold onto these when she left the Boundary so they would travel with her to Nishimorioka.


    ¡°I feel so cool.¡± Eri marvelled, taking a few practice swings and thrusts. ¡°Like a superhero.¡±


    ¡°One day, you will be.¡± I promised. ¡°But until then, Safety first!¡±


    With that we left the Boundary, and after we awoke we kissed again, our farewell kiss for now. Leaving the room we were greeted by auntie leering at us playfully.


    ¡°Here comes the two lovebirds. Finished your kissing and hugging?¡±


    ¡°How did you...¡± Eri began, surprised and blushing, but everyone merely laughed.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t, but now we do, Eri dear.¡± My mom laughed. After the merriment died down, we finally set off for the station.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you soon, bro.¡± Aiko smiled. ¡°You too Shaeula. I¡¯ll be sure to train well, so that we never need to worry about that...¡±


    ¡°I believe you shall.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Oh, be sure to tell those two what I said.¡± I reminded Eri, and she snorted, unable to control her laughter. Aiko looked puzzled and asked what that was about, but Eri merely answered ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a... personal... matter. You¡¯ll see soon enough. I think you might enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a big party for Eri¡¯s birthday. It¡¯ll be a lot of fun. But the best gift she¡¯ll have is you being there.¡± Uncle said, and I agreed. We exchanged further goodbyes, and as they departed on the train I turned to Shaeula.


    ¡°All right then. Time to settle our affairs. Ulfuric should have everyone ready, so it is time to deal with our enemy once and for all.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°Indeed. I can hardly wait-wait to have our revenge on that spectral witch. She may have driven me off last time, but this time I shall sow her no-no mercy!¡±

 One Hundred And Forty-Eight

    One Hundred And Forty-Eight


    We marched through the Boundary, the quiet sounds of Tillyae¡¯s musicians surrounding us, calling on the wind to mask our presence, muting the sounds we gave off and distorting the air around us, making us harder to see. The route we had taken to arrive at the back of the enemy Territory was quite circuitous, taking us through uncharted parts of the Boundary, and while we had come across hostile natives, they had been quickly put down by our host, earning us ether, which we used some of to make sure we were fully topped up with aether, ready to fight.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have music, right?¡± I asked. The sounds were classical in nature, although rather... well, Fae, for want of a better word.


    ¡°Indeed, I do appreciate it.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°It reminds me of home, the Seelie court. However....¡± She paused, grinning. ¡°I do-do think it would be nice to perform some of my favourite mortal songs. That theme from my anime would be-be quite splendid...¡±


    The thought of a group of weaselkin musicians playing the opening to a magical girl anime was quite the amusing one, in response I reached out and patted her head, and Shaeula leaned into it, making happy noises. Ixitt burst out in hacking laughter at the scene, while Ulfuric merely raised one brow.


    ¡°You seem in good humour, princess.¡± He observed.


    ¡°And why would I not-not be?¡± She answered. ¡°I am closer to Akio than ever, I have made peace with Eri and come-come to an arrangement. I even had the pleasure of seeing my idiot brother again. Though should his attitude to Akio not-not improve, I shall have no-no hesitation in punishing him. That reminds me...¡± her gaze was steely, her amber eyes hard. ¡°I would ask your assistance, master Ulfuric. When time comes-comes to convince my father to accept my marriage, I would ask your support. We have three moons to show our strength, and I believe together we can-can do it.¡±


    ¡°I fear I must reserve judgement on that, princess.¡± Ulfuric shook his head. ¡°Before I could endorse your choice of consort, I shall need to see his true character. Still, so far I am not displeased.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to step up then. Because there is no way I¡¯m ever giving up on Shaeula now.¡± as she blushed at my comment, I turned my attention to the near-invisible wall of the enemy Territory that was some few hundred metres distant from us. ¡°And to make a start, we need to make sure our Territory is safe from all threats. Are we ready?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula was pumped up. ¡°Grulgor and his trolls are useful for causing trouble and not dying, if-if nothing else.¡±


    I notice she¡¯s been a bit nicer to Grulgor ever since he stuck up for her against Ulfuric. It¡¯s good they are getting along, at least a bit...


    We hadn¡¯t seen any spectral scouts, so our attack should be unnoticed, at least initially. Ulfuric turned to the weaselkin mages and the Kamaitachi beside them. ¡°Prepare for bombardment. Musicians, play song of the tempest.¡±


    Tillyae waved her conducting stick, and the music changed, swelling, becoming booming and wild. The wind energy around the mages swelled, green light rising from them in wisps. Yeah, musicians seem to be like bards in MMO¡¯s. Buffing and debuffing. Plus they can entertain in times of peace...


    ¡°Attack.¡± Ulfuric ordered, and with that the mages unleashed their blasts of wind, huge bursts of jade energy rocketing forwards, twisting winds making it hard to stand. The impacts splashed against the barrier, detonating with a thunderous roar. The barrier shivered and shrank inwards, while the roads and walls outside the barrier exploded, torn up shards of stone and metal hurled out like shrapnel in all directions.


    ¡°Wow, that was something...¡± I said, my ears ringing. ¡°The barrier can¡¯t take much more of that, I bet.¡± We had experience with such barriers, and while a Rank Two Territory could withstand several powerful attacks such as Wyrm Breath or Foehn, it would collapse soon enough...


    ¡°Continue.¡± Ulfuric ordered, and after a few minutes to recharge, the bombardment recommenced. This time several shards of wind energy managed to penetrate the quivering barrier, slicing gouges in the streets within.


    ¡°Another push should do it. Still... this isn¡¯t subtle.¡± I remarked, and Shaeula nodded, scanning the Boundary ahead with her mystic eyes.


    ¡°I much prefer our Territory. If all our buildings were so disgusting, I would never-never wish to sit on the Throne.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°I shall purge them.¡± Her weasel-snakes grew once more, this time containing the citrine glow of flame. They surged through the air, and sank fangs of wind and fire into the bulbous, putrid outcroppings. The smell of burned flesh was sickening, but quickly the serpents burrowed within and detonated, flesh igniting and crystals shattering. Ether was scattered, and we closed in, grabbing as much of it as we could.


    With the incoming fire now reduced, our forces were entering the area under the barrier. The weaselkin slowed, strength leaving them, their once-smooth and practised march faltering. ¡°Song of resistance!¡± was the cry, and the effect was mitigated somewhat, although not entirely suppressed.


    ¡°We need to keep pushing!¡± I started to race deeper towards the area that should have held Hisuikomushi shrine. Moments later the heavy tread of many feet was heard, as floods of orcs dozens, no, hundreds, strong began to pour through the streets towards us.


    Well, expecting Grulgor and his trolls to distract them over us was always going to be a fantasy long-term. Still, we are in, so I guess he did a good job. And since the barrier is shattered, he might even be rampaging elsewhere...


    ¡°Well, try and save your flame. But other than that, let¡¯s go.¡± I swept the streets in front of us with fine wires of wind, and Shaeula unleashed her pinwheels. Orcs began to fall, and behind us our mages and archers joined in, slaughtering the leaderless orcs. Massive beetles joined them however, the siege-beetles we had encountered before lumbering through the carnage, or clambering over buildings, crushing them underfoot.


    One beetle was poised to leap onto us when the ground erupted, sharp spears of stone rippling from the ground and piercing its vulnerable underbelly, viscous fluids gushing free as its own weight forced it onto the spires. It let out a mournful cry and shattered to ether, before Ulfuric joined us, rock bullets spraying into the mass of orcs, easily shattering bones of the lightly armoured ones.


    ¡°I grow stronger still.¡± Shaeula laughed, her pinwheels dazzling as they danced. Using Foehn she robbed the beetles of their protection, and with a damp whine several beetles were dissected. Others fell to the spears and blades of the weaselkin, though not before impaling or crushing some to death.


    ¡°We clearly have the advantage, however we are still taking casualties.¡± Ulfuric warned, and indeed, faint glowing orbs of light were forming around Shaeula, and I could feel the slight drain on my aether from new spirits of fallen kin.


    Orc archers had formed up and were engaging with our own archers, only for one squad to literally... explode... as Ixitt unleashed a mist of flammable powders which detonated spectacularly. Body parts rained down around us along with ether. Ixitt then staggered backwards as aether bolts flew his way, other Defensive Emplacements zeroing in on him.


    There. I spotted another pair of the disgusting turrets, but before I could say so Ulfuric had ordered the mages to bombard the area, and they were eliminated, leaving behind a massive crater.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from thirty-four to thirty-five.


    Great, it isn¡¯t just Shaeula who is getting stronger. My spear danced and thrust, far faster than the orcs could respond, and soon we had cut a path through, the whole battle so far only taking minutes. Ulfuric swung his mace, clashing with a sniper bolt, cuts left across his bare arms and face. Even so, he did not let his injuries slow him, still barking orders as our weaselkin rounded up and massacred the remaining orcs.


    ¡°The shrine is up ahead!¡± I observed, only to be forced to dodge a blast of aether, this one discharged by a Defensive Emplacement that looked rather different. It was like a red-brick chimney, only with a silver orb floating above it. Strange. Still, it needs to be destroyed.


    Ixitt tossed another batch of explosives and the bricks shattered, spewing ether. As the pillar it was on collapsed, it pulled down a decorated torii gate, making me feel guilty, so I quickly muttered a prayer to the kami of the shrine, hoping for forgiveness. As if my words were denied, a shadow passed over me, and a colossal beetle started descending the steps up to the shrine, crashing through the gates, scattering red, green and gold rubble in its wake. It was accompanied by a half-dozen beetles and beetle-men wearing vestments and carrying strange objects, very reminiscent of...


    It''s just like Shirohebizumi shrine. Which means... I looked up at the beetle again, noticing the gold studs that were inserted into its chitin, tied with scarlet and jade ribbons. Huge shimenawa ropes were tied across the carapace, and a strange crown adorned the head, bronze metal gleaming.


    ¡°Well shit. That¡¯s a kami, right? I¡¯m not down for killing gods...¡± I muttered, and Shaeula gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Before we could form a plan of action, something even stranger happened. A ragged, emaciated old man in dirty priest robes poked his head over the shell of the kami, dark eyes desperate. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you should go. Flee! I don¡¯t want to have to kill you all!¡±

 One Hundred And Forty-Nine

    One Hundred And Forty-Nine


    I looked up at the priest, puzzled. He was clearly human, another Astral Emperor-candidate no doubt, but he seemed, for want of a better word... defeated. Not at all what I expected our opponent to look like, considering the power of his Territory.


    ¡°I suggest you surrender.¡± I countered, dodging as the beetle slammed one leg that was as thick as my torso down where I was standing a moment before, the chitin ripping out a chunk of the steps, showering me with gravel. As another leg swept towards me I retaliated, wind slamming into it, knocking it back for a moment before shining jade patterns ran over the carapace, dispersing my offensive harmlessly. ¡°Seriously, we have you massively outnumbered, and if we have to, we won¡¯t show mercy!¡± the ground underneath the massive beetle churned, Ulfuric manipulating it with the ruby glow of earth energies, and several legs were snared, stone melted like tar rising up to cover the lower body of the kami.


    Even as Ulfuric was trapping the huge beetle, Shaeula was leading the attack on the others, her pinwheels darting about, not striking fatal blows, but herding them together, away from the deadly wires.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± The priest said desperately, raising his hand and launching a cloud of flying beetles at us, their buzzing cries and clicking jaws like a million cicadas. The black swarm darted down towards us, hungry to strip us to the bone, but a flash of citrine flame erupted, Shaeula scorching the swarm, killing many, scattering the rest.


    ¡°You think I want this?¡± the priest tore at his hair, clumps coming free, which looked painful. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this, and worse... I had no way to resist her. She¡¯s coming, and when she gets here you¡¯ll die, if you are lucky. Flee, fools. Worse if he comes too. The pain...¡± his gaze floated over to Shaeula, and his winced. ¡°... he¡¯ll like you, girl. Best you die here before he gets his hands on you. I¡¯ll show you that mercy at least. Otherwise my soul will never find peace, if it is ever released from this bondage.¡±


    The beetle was again covered in shining emerald pictograms, and with a huge effort it tore free from its binds. Drawing in the surrounding ether that the battles had generated, it started forming a ball of rushing winds, expanding and growing until it was the size of a boulder. My skin was stinging from the pressure, and it was hard to see as dust and debris were dragged into the swirling maelstrom.


    ¡°I fear there is more-more to this than we had considered.¡± Shaeula mused, unworried by his dire warnings. ¡°He does not-not seem to be our true foe. We must gather information quickly, lest we misstep.¡± To that end Shaeula unleashed her Foehn once more, and the greedy breath ensnared the green torrent. Shaeula¡¯s eyes were burning bright amber, illuminating the gloom, and she let out an exclamation as she observed the foes we were facing. ¡°I see-see. So that is it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, dodging a slashing blow from a ceremonial fan wielded by one of the beetle-men. It didn¡¯t look dangerous, but I was getting an idea that if it hit me I wouldn¡¯t get off unscathed. Dropping under the blow I used my spear to trip the servant of the kami, and as it hit the pavement hard I noticed it too had some sort of gleaming stud like the kami sported, only this one was a dirty brown-silver colour, and around it were traces of dried ichor.


    ¡°Up above.¡± Ulfuric shouted, and my gaze left the fallen beetle, to see several of the ghost women floating high in the sky, looking down on us. ¡°Can you deal with them?¡±


    Before I could answer, Shaeula finished her move, Foehn consuming the wind, which she funnelled into another of her unique winds. Energy gushed out, stronger than ever, and she shouted a single word. ¡°Halt!¡±


    With her order movement ceased, the six lesser beetles stumbling to a stop. Even the priest and the larger beetle kami were frozen, though they immediately strained against the order, two conflicting commands clashing. The kami thrashed, nearly striking Shaeula with an errant leg, while the priest bled silver and red from his eyes, bile bubbling from his throat. He clutched at his chest, tearing at the cloth, and underneath I could see...


    Ugh, that¡¯s ugly. A metal spike was sticking out of his torso, rusted and dark with gore. Around the inflamed wound ran lines of silvery metal, which were sinking into his body like some kind of vile parasite. Just like the... bending down, the beetle I had overthrown was motionless, so I used the tip of my spear to lever at the stud I had spotted. The beetle shrilled out in pained protest, but moments later the spike popped free. It was a nail.


    ¡°I see you have grasped my intent. I would expect no-no less from you, Akio.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°They have been bound-bound by the vilest arts I have ever seen. It rivals the Unseelie for callous disregard for life.¡±


    ¡°I was ... I was ... murdered. And worse.¡± The ghost whispered, yet we could hear her clearly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t well, trapped in a nightmare. And it doesn¡¯t end. This is even more horrible. I want my daddy! I want to go home!¡±


    ¡°Hush now, my child. You need no father, only your mother, me.¡± The widow of nails comforted her. ¡°You can take your pain out on these intruders, since alas we are bound to serve the man who tortured us.¡± She turned back to us. ¡°You see, foolish girl? Best you accept death before the master comes, lest you end up a slave to his cruel whims like us.¡±


    ¡°If he comes, Akio will protect me, and defeat him-him. After all, he overthrew my brother to protect my dream.¡±


    ¡°So be it.¡± Kiku sighed. ¡°Foolish priest, pitiful kami. I command you... kill them!¡± at her words they both started struggling again, more blood and mist rising from joints and wounds. Shimmering jade wind where Shaeula had ordered them to stop was concentrated around their hearts, and with a pop those energies disintegrated, consumed by a baleful grey smog. As the verdant light died they started to move once more, poised to attack.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! If you had run when I told you to, you could have asked my daughter to forgive me! As it is, now you¡¯ll die, or worse!¡±


    The beetle kami spoke too, it¡¯s voice... nothing like I expected. It was quiet and refined, only marred by an occasional clicking noise of its mandibles. ¡°You have freed my attendants, those which clik-clik still live. If you survive this, please shelter them. I shall not hold my defeat against you, for I am a weak god who has declined greatly. Now I am only worshipped by evil men and fallen women. Oblivion is a kinder fate than clik-clik eternal servitude. Now go, my attendants. Live on. Escape.¡±


    At his words the four remaining beetle attendants looked shocked, but at the kami¡¯s urging they raced for our lines. Kiku clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°So, you have been freed of my binding nails? No matter. It seems you have chosen death...¡± she swung an arm and her shroud of spikes began to spray out like bullets.


    ¡°Full defence!¡± Ulfuric roared, and the shield-bearing weaselkin raced forwards, the changing music fortifying them. Stone walls roared free, and the multi-layered defence was peppered by the rain of nails, iron grinding on metal and stone, like an infernal hailstorm. I had grabbed Shaeula and leapt to safety, taking a few hits for my trouble, cold pain flaring where I had been pierced.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I asked, putting on a brave face, and as Shaeula nodded the walls of stone exploded, the beetle kami forced to sweep away our fortifications. Several weaselkin died, crushed underfoot, and their spirits joined the orbit around Shaeula. She bit her lip angrily, mourning the death of her new kin, and our eyes met.


    ¡°She has driven us off before, but no more-more.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°We shall defeat her!¡±


    ¡°Damn right. We have a few trump cards left.¡± I agreed. Wincing as I tore free several nails that had pierced my arms and legs, I gestured to Ixitt, who had also regained his feet. Understanding my signal, he brought out his new toy that I had helped him make.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± the priest said as more of his swarm gathered, the threatening mass flying towards our backline of archers and musicians, only to jolt in surprise as our mages bombarded them with torrents of wind. ¡°There¡¯s still time to flee. If you run, she might not chase you!¡± he ranted. ¡°Just... please tell my daughter...¡±


    ¡°Silence. Enough from you.¡± the widow ordered, and the priest clamped his mouth shut so fast his tongue was bitten savagely. ¡°Just kill them. You too, my daughters. Pick off the weak and slay them. Each man dead is one less that shall torment us.¡±


    The floating ghost who could speak looked sad, but with a nod she raised her hands high into the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I know how to do this, but...¡± light was gathering in her palms, a beautiful prismatic rainbow, yet somehow I had a feeling it was nothing good for us...

 One Hundred And Fifty

    One Hundred And Fifty


    ¡°... let all who are touched by my light...¡± the ghost girl cried, and the glow above her hands intensified, like a second sun, the colours draining away, leaving behind platinum. Fuck... no cover...


    My brain was whirring, trying to work out a way to dodge, but all I could think of was sliding under the beetle kami, which was dumb, as if it then crushed me under its body... yeah, that¡¯s probably worse than whatever attack that wraith is doing...


    Since there was nowhere to shelter, my next thought turned to Shaeula. She too was out in the open. Making up my mind instantly I leapt over, slamming her to the ground, covering her slender form with my own. As she squawked in protest I felt the ground rumble, slabs of stone and walls of earth tearing free.


    ¡°... share my pain, my sorrow!¡± the skies were lit by a brilliant flash, the piercing silver light dyeing everything with dark shadows. Dark... shadows... what is happening? I felt my mind slipping away, falling into an obsidian pit, the metallic white light above receding, until all was darkness...


    Where... where am I? Was that a teleportation attack, or... no, more likely some sort of mental debuff. It was hard to think as I couldn¡¯t feel my body, or see, or hear. Kind of like those sensory deprivation tanks... wait, that¡¯s a problem... if I was knocked out, I would be completely defenceless, and it probably wasn¡¯t just me, the light had covered most of the shrine... I need to wake up. NOW!


    Concentrating my will, trying to feel my body, I struggled, but for how long I was uncertain, as without any stimuli it was impossible to judge time. As I persisted, faint spots of light were forming, floating motes that gradually started forming a picture. It was a laughing face, cruel and without compassion, and though I had never met this person I felt a surge of fear, nausea bubbling in my stomach, cramp in my muscles. I can start to feel again... ugh... pain flared through me, my face feeling as though it had been struck hard. Blows rained down on me, and the laughing, sneering face was coming at me from all sides, multiplied, everywhere I looked he was there.


    ¡°Cry for me. Scream. Beg! The end is the same but I want to enjoy this.¡± The faces all said, words overlapping in a series of baleful echoes, and with every word I felt terror, as though I was a lost child alone in the dark, where monsters lurked.


    I tried to retort, ready to tell the bastard to piss off, but I couldn¡¯t form words. I was unable to move the body I couldn¡¯t see or feel, only sensations that were forced on me were present, and my skin crawled as though hands were pinching me all over. A visceral fear was within me, that of something precious about to be taken...


    ¡°Oh, so you were a virgin I see. How nice for me!¡± the many faces sneered, and pain jabbed through me. It was hard to describe, like someone jolting a hot poker through my guts. Hah, you are a couple of weeks too late to say that... I thought, trying to steel myself against the constant burning pains, as well as the feeling of bones breaking under rough use.


    I get it, I do... ugh... poor girl... her terrors, anguish, suffering... all of it was transmitted to me. A fear that men seldom knew, an experience that I couldn¡¯t process. After all, I¡¯m a man, not a woman... even so...


    While the bodily sensations were merely rendered into a serious of torments, likely nothing as the poor woman felt, the loss, the knowledge that she would die here, never see her family again, all of that I understood, a bleak whirlpool of oblivion that threatened to drown me, and through it all, the endless laughter of the perpetrator... as I struggled to avoid being swallowed by the tide of darkness, I clung to one thought. I pray Shaeula doesn¡¯t have to face this... that would be too cruel...


    The feelings of pain intensified, and the many faces cried out in joy and extasy, before my very spine felt as if it was broken, what little of my consciousness I retained slipping away...


    ...io... Akio. Wake... ...kio! Get up now! I need you!


    A voice! It flickered like a light in the darkness, silver, olivine and citrine. Desperately reaching for it with hands that didn¡¯t exist, as I drew closer I could see again, my body... my body, again, whole and unharmed. The many faces came closer, cackling and sneering, and I instinctively felt dread, like I was a lost soul wandering the dark, before the light flared, green and gold.


    ... furic can not-not hold for... please! You have to...


    Where the light touched, the faces started to disintegrate, flesh sloughing off, revealing bone beneath, before that too burst into flames, turning to ash that was lost in the darkness. My illusory hand stretched, reaching for the light, the voice... and as it touched the flame was warm, and a gentle breeze enveloped me.


    ... STAND UP-UP! I believe you shall never fall here!


    With a roar, immaterial and real throats together letting out a great cry, the darkness scattered, the illusion finally collapsing, and I found myself lying on the ground, Shaeula standing in front of me, blood soaking down her wyrmscale dress, dripping to the shattered grounds of the shrine. Her pinwheels were spinning in front of her like shields, striking away a storm of iron spikes that were flying her way, though the sheer number meant that some were getting through, and as I watched one gouged her ankle, spilling more blood to the soil. Even so, when she heard my cry she turned, relief plain on her face, her amber eyes kind yet resolute.


    ¡°I see you are awake at last-last.¡± She smiled radiantly. ¡°You made me worry. You shall have to make it up to me. But later. Now...¡± another nail winged her, blood scattering from a fine cut on her cheek. ¡°... now we must fight. With everything we have.¡±


    I nodded, before a surge of nausea, left-over remnants of terror and torment, overcame me. I vomited noisily, though all that came out was silvery mist and bile, tears streaming down my face. Still, this is no time for ... ugh... dwelling on what happened. I can process later.


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°I can-can see them with my eyes. It will be quite a dangerous task, but... you have one such as well, Akio.¡±


    ¡°I shall gift you to Kondou-dono!¡± the widow was screeching. ¡°Once I have trapped you with my binding nail, you shall suffer for what you have done!¡± she raced towards me, the dirty, long nails on her pale hands turning metallic, lengthening into great claws, dripping rust and blood, silver mist rising from them.


    ¡°Shit, who do you think you are? Wolverine? Kimimaru? ¡± I snapped, sympathy for her plight rapidly diminishing. My spear clashed with her nails, and I discharged the elemental flame that was stored within the bluesteel head. Several of her claws were melted clean through, snapping free, and flames nearly decapitated her, only a rapid tilt of her head saving her, though her long, fouled hair was scorched, burning hanks of it fluttering to the ground like fireflies.


    Her other hand swung around, trying to slash open my throat, but blades of my own, formed from sharp, vibrating strands of wind, met her, and the clash drove us both back a step. I swept my spear at her own throat as a counter, only to nearly be impaled as a dozen arm-thick nails burst from her chest, tearing open her kimono, revealing the pallid skin beneath. Yeah, more like Kimimaru I see... wind and flame met her attack, the explosion searing my exposed skin, but it was enough to shatter the spikes before they could pierce me.


    Kiku stumbled back, her kimono just flaming shreds of cloth, and I heard Shaeula behind me snickering, even as she fought beside Ulfuric and Ixitt. ¡°If Eri knows you are ogling naked women, she will be most wroth. Though this one is not-not worthy of your gaze.¡±


    ¡°Eyes on the battlefield.¡± I countered, barely sparing their fight a glance, as the widow of nails had formed her spikes into a lance, and had copied the rotation of some of our wind-based attacks. It was spinning like a drill, whining menacingly. Ugh, reminds me of the dentist, if said dentist was a cackling madwoman...


    ¡°Of course. We have it in hand, do we not-not, master Ulfuric?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± He rumbled. ¡°I could slay this so-called god, I believe, yet keeping it immobile to save it is far the greater task.¡± As he spoke he disabled a second leg, before a column of rock rose from the ground, forcing the beetle upwards. As he did so the red glow of earth element around him was fading, his energies almost spent by the long battles.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. Never a dull moment here, is there?¡± Ixitt interjected, throwing more vials, these ones exploding into a sticky slime that crawled around the pillar, gluing beetle legs to it. ¡°To think I would, keh-keh, get to experiment so soon.¡±


    Shaeula darted under the struggling beetle, eyes bright, but I was busy myself. Spear met drill, and this time I was pushed back, fragments of bluesteel shaved off my spearhead, the shaft starting to crack.


    Up above the poor wraith was preparing to unleash her light again, but before she could I hurled more flames skywards. She flinched, her concentration broken, unused to such battles.


    ¡°Bastard! Wicked man! Even in death you would take from us!¡± Kiku was screaming.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair. You are trying to kill us.¡± Kiku staggered as I cut her leg with a kick wrapped in blades of emerald. My spear sought her heart, only for my body to be blown away, spear flying far from my grasp. Shards of green light fell down around me, and I realised Shaeula had thrown up a last minute barrier, deflecting the blast so that I was only caught by the explosion, not the bolt itself, but even so, everything hurt, and the landing was rough. Damn that Sniper Emplacement... ¡°Die, die, diediedieDIE!¡± Kiku cried, leaping at my prone body, eyes wild with hate and insanity.


    Sorry kami, I tried to be as respectful as possible, but... ¡°Foehn, Blaze!¡± a fiery torrent cascaded outwards, jets of blazing yellow fury striking nearby buildings, gates and trees. They instantly ignited, fires towering into the sky.


    Kiku shrieked, also ablaze. Her metal drill was discarded, and it was melting into a puddle, giving off ether, of which I grabbed all I could. A nearby wraith burst into sparks and was lost, while the last few orcs burned.


    ¡°it¡¯s over...¡± I muttered, getting to my feet once more, the boiling heat oppressive, my whole body aching with both real and phantom pains. Kiku was thrashing, what was left of her hair and one arm being consumed, and droplets were scattering as she struggled, spreading the fire to her torso. ¡°... sorry I couldn¡¯t help you, but... I have to put my own first...¡±


    ¡°I curse.. you!¡± the widow howled as her nails tried to stem the flames, only to see them catch fire and liquefy. Her arm dropped away, charred bones hitting the ground with a delicate chink of metal on metal, before she suddenly vanished, her last words echoing. ¡°... I shall see you dead yet!¡±


    The flames that were burning her, now bereft of their fuel, dropped to the floor, and I had to dart away as they scattered. I had already tasted the sting of Foehn during my duel with Shaeraggo, and had no wish to repeat that. So, where the hell did she go? Teleportation? If so I imagine the Foehn would go with her... wait, no, she couldn¡¯t have... could she?


    Shit. I had a terrible premonition, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was my foresight or just a gut instinct. Turning my attention to Shaeula, who was underneath the struggling beetle kami, shining knife in hand, I raced over, knowing time was short...

 One Hundred And Fifty-One / Side Thirty-Eight – Kiku, The Widow of Nails

    One Hundred And Fifty-One / Side Thirty-Eight ¨C Kiku, The Widow of Nails


    Up overhead the ghost that had invoked the horrible joining of minds was hovering, uncertain, the three remaining other spectres buzzing around her like flies, their translucent forms fading in and out of the light of the raging flames. I had used most of my fiery energies on calling the Foehn, but still had enough left to strike a fatal bow, no doubt. Perhaps it¡¯s for the best... unless... damn, I still felt sorry for her and the cruel death she endured. If we could free her by defeating the lord of this Territory, perhaps...


    As if reading my thoughts, Tillyae waved her conducting baton, ordering her ragged, exhausted musicians to play a slow, soporific tune, flutes, stringed instruments and gentle chimes combining to form a dreamy melody. Various shades of green light flickered over the burning shrine, and the spectres began to slow, their eyes drooping.


    ¡°No, I... I should...¡± the poor wraith-girl began, struggling to speak as the lullaby dulled her mind. She was not alone, the beetle kami seemed largely unaffected, but the priest began to slow down, his movements slowing, becoming erratic.


    ¡°Perfect. Debuffs for the win.¡± I declared. ¡°Now stop your damn struggling, we are trying to help!¡±


    ¡°I... I would.¡± The priest muttered, eyes drooping, even as he still called more and more of the small bronze and green beetles to swarm us. ¡°But she ordered us to fight, and...¡±


    ¡°Indeed, clik-clik.¡± The beetle was straining as he was stuck to the pillar, legs scrabbling for purchase, starting to crack the rocks Ulfuric had thrown up. ¡°I wish for nothing more than to be freed. But the curse of her nails goes deep.¡±


    ¡°Be still.¡± Shaeula ordered, her befuddling winds blowing again, and for a brief moment the beetle halted, her power clashing with that of the nails¡¯. ¡°This-this WILL hurt, I suspect.¡± She had switched to the pink jade bells and her knife of light, pinwheels being useless for this task. Aether poured from her into the blade, a good portion of it lost to the suppressing force of the enemy Territory, and with a cry she swung at the greenish-black underbelly of the kami, light flashing, cutting through with a sizzle.


    The kami responded with a shrill cry, jade runes illuminating the shell, trying to resist her intrusion. ¡°Annoying.¡± Shaeula snapped. ¡°It would be far-far less trouble to kill you. I wonder if Akio would gain-gain a class?¡±


    Wow, that¡¯s cold. Stone cold. Still, I can¡¯t lie and say the thought didn¡¯t cross my mind. Kami slayer... that¡¯d be pretty badass... ¡°Well, I¡¯m not particularly pious, but now I¡¯m working with the temples and shrines, I think I should avoid that particular honour. Speaking of...¡± wind whipped around me as I massacred the swarming beetles the priest was forced to conjure. ¡°... if I can save you, will you join us?¡± I asked the priest, who was looking at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d even serve akuma, devils, if they could get me out of this endless hell!¡± he slurred, the melodious tune keeping him suppressed.


    ¡°All right then. Here we go.¡± I raced to the side of Ulfuric, who was using his strength to keep the beetle pinned down. ¡°Give me a boost?¡± I asked, and he nodded. Releasing his sword he grabbed me and hurled me upwards, to land on the carapace of the beetle. For a moment I stumbled, the green-runed surface surprisingly slick, but my high stats enabled me to quickly regain my balance.


    ¡°Shit, watch out!¡± the priest cried as he was forced against his will to attack me, but his movements were clumsy and lacking skill. I dodged to the side, seizing his wrist, and slammed a chop into his abdomen, winding him.


    ¡°Sorry about that, but I¡¯ve no time to be gentle.¡± I cleared away another surge of the bugs while the kami trembled under me. Reaching for the nail protruding from his bare and bloody chest I grasped it, feeling a baleful chill as the grey energies leaked from it, numbing my grasp. Circulating aether to my hand, I pulled, tearing it free, and silver and grey blood gushed from the wound.


    ¡°Ugh... so much pain...¡± the priest gasped, so I poured more aether out, using Ether Healing to close up the worst of the injuries. His wound smoked, grey steam boiling from it, and he leaked out another groan, before touching the now-healed wound, a jagged star-shaped scar the only remains of his cursed injury. He looked at me, eyes wide in relief and wonder.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± he cried, tears leaking from his eyes in an endless stream. ¡°I can... go home...¡± with that he vanished, no doubt returning to the Material plane...


    ********


    Kiku emerged back into the Material, screaming in agony. Her arm was little but blackened bones held together with some tangled sinew and burnt gristle, the only colour other than black the glitter of her golden ring upon her skeletal finger. One side of her face was hideously seared as well, her skin a ruin. Hacking up char from her lungs, she wheezed in the cold air of her room.


    The flames, such pain... the very fires of the underworld... he matches Kondou-dono for his ability to inflict pain... forcing herself to move she went to scratch her ring instinctively, only stopping when her fingerbone shattered into fragments of bone and ash, the ring dropping to the ground, bouncing off the floorboards with a gentle ting.


    My ... my wedding ring. My reminder, my keepsake... my seal... she bent down, ignoring her savage burns, picking up the ring with her undamaged hand and fumbling it on. It felt... strange. If my husband saw me wearing it wrong, he would chastise me... my husband, Kondou-dono, this savage bringer of fire... a long line of men had treated her cruelly. Still, her husband, he was gone now, and as for the others... she brought the ring to her mouth, teeth scoring the pitted metal. The ring even tasted different now, hot and smoky.


    I must ... must bring Kondou-dono the news. His domain will fall... Still, this is a chance, if only I can seize it...


    Kiku staggered through the door to her room, biting her lip to keep moans of agony from leaking through her burned lips. The cold air of the Material was agony on her torched skin, and the pain at the death of more of her daughters was a niggling thorn ripping at her heart. Still, she was bound to serve Kondou-dono and represent his interests, so she quickly burst into his room, not even pausing to knock.


    Kondou-dono was at his desk, feet up casually, watching something disgusting on the ...tee vee. Such strange devices. The world has changed, yet men remain the same. He looked up in surprise as she burst in, his face twisting into a snarl of anger, but before he could explode with rage at her intrusion, he noticed the terrible state Kiku was in, her missing arm and scorched face plain to see.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± he asked, leaping to his feet. ¡°You stupid wench, can¡¯t I trust you to do anything right?¡±


    Kiku looked at her master, defiant. Vile man. I have fought and burned for your depraved goals. But for men, a woman¡¯s efforts is never enough, not until they are used up and tossed away. I have kept my most precious secret, yet... biting at her ring again she spoke around it, meeting his dark eyes calmly.


    ¡°I did warn you, Kondou-dono. I was unable to hold off the enemy alone. Without your majestic power, our forces were routed, and the shrine of the beetles will be lost.¡±


    Kondou-dono looked taken aback by this news. ¡°The shrine? But how? Our defences are strong, and they only have a few troops. Surely you should have been able to hold them off with what we command?¡± as he thought, his face darkened, fists clenching. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten your place, have you, woman? You didn¡¯t let my enemies through, did you? If so, you need a reminder of what it means to defy me!¡±


    Kondou-dono, you are a fool.... Argh! Pain slammed through her in waves, for a brief moment even eclipsing the pain of her burns. Falling to her knees she spat bile over the floor, only to rock back as Kondou-dono kicked her in the ribs. Again and again he struck her, until she finally managed to get the words out to halt his rampage. ¡°There is no time for this, Kondou-dono. I beg you, unless you come now, all is... all is lost.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± He kicked her one final time, and leaving Kiku sprawled on the floor he closed his eyes, gathering his strength. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to lose my domain. I¡¯ve built it up over this past month... without the power it gives me, I won¡¯t be able to enjoy my entertainments so frequently... come, woman. I¡¯m going to teach these fools the meaning of torment, and then you will enslave them for me, so I can make them understand what it means to go against me!¡±


    With that he vanished, and with a reflexive bite of her ring, blood leaking from her knuckle, she returned to the Boundary. Kondou-dono was waiting for her, and at his glare she started following him towards Hisuikomushi shrine. She brought her hand to her mouth, biting down, only to slice off her finger. She shrieked in pain, blood and severed flesh falling away.


    ¡°What is it? Hurry, you stupid wench!¡± Kondou-dono snarled, racing through his Territory, drawing in the surrounding ether, a menacing presence forming around him.


    My wedding ring... it¡¯s gone. It¡¯s not here. Her face twisted into a baleful expression, her burned face a visage of horror. It must have fallen when I lost my arm... I must, I need it back. Else... else... She gnashed her metal teeth angrily. They¡¯ll pay. Every man who has hurt me will suffer. I¡¯ll kill them all and leave their bones to linger unmourned under the sky...


    ********


    ¡°Many clik-clik thanks for releasing me from my enslavement.¡± The beetle kami chirped, struggling free of the slime and mud, cracked and brittle legs barely holding up its weight. ¡°I feared I would remain a slave of the evildoers.¡±


    As Shaeula had cried out as I was tossed to the ground, the scum was looking at her, his gaze predatory and disgusting. Ulfuric was entangled with nails and spears of rusted iron that the burned lady was throwing, and Ixitt was too far away to assist, so they merely had to look on helplessly as a lash of force formed in his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you are incapable of anything but watching first. This is for the damage you¡¯ve caused to what¡¯s mine, you fucker. Capturing that stupid priest and his domain wasn¡¯t easy, and now it¡¯s all gone up in smoke!¡± he lashed out, whip striking. It had little physical presence, but the mental one...


    Shit, shit... hurts... fuck... hurts bad...


    ¡°Akio, I am-am coming!¡± Shaeula rushed forwards, swinging her bells and sending cascades of wind blades from all angles at him, but with his free hand he blocked all of the attacks with aether. Even so...


    Oh gods... fuck... hurts... but Shaeula... isn¡¯t ... ugh... so easy...


    Blood splattered, silver and red, as several deep cuts opened up on the man, his face laid open to the bone, while his arm whipping me was shredded open. As the lash disappeared lucidity returned to me, though I was still within the aura of pain he was giving off.


    Forcing my screaming chakra network to function through the monstrous pain, I pulled wind from both my heart and lunar chakras, lashing out with the usual deadly strands. Metal sheared apart, and chunks of iron tumbled to the ground, Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels spiralling free. An explosion rocked one side of the battlefield, Ixitt having blown up the handful of orcs with a detonating vial, and a second arched towards the man, but he swatted it away, fuming.


    ¡°Tenacious shits, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You should-should be honoured!¡± Shaeula snapped, her pinwheels skimming low along the ground, wires suddenly leaping at him from both sides as they soared into the air.


    ¡°Feisty as well. But those are the best kind to break!¡± he roared, aether slamming the wires away. His gaze fell on Shaeula, and suddenly she fell, curled up into a ball, screaming in pain. ¡°Have a taste of what it means to defy me!¡±


    ¡°If I had more earth energy remaining, I could... fight harder...¡± Ulfuric was suffering too, the widow constantly hemming him in with thickets of sprouting steel spines, and his lower body was pitted with wounds.


    ¡°I shall not-not... agh... bend.¡± Shaeula howled, her throat raw, small body trembling as the feelings I had endured rocked her, that of molten lead boiling her veins. ¡°I am... ugh... a princess... of the Seelie... and... the bride... of ugh... Akio... and together...¡± the bastard was moving closer, a whip of pain in his good hand, and he flailed at her, the blow striking her petite back, jolting her body into spasms.


    ¡°Oh, really? Well, I do enjoy a bit of Netorare...¡± he grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back for everything a thousandfold. I won¡¯t even kill you like normal. I¡¯ll keep you alive as my toy.¡± He unleashed aether, and Ixitt was hurled away, before I was struck again, bones creaking under the impact. ¡°You¡¯ll forget all about this Akio soon enough.¡±


    I let my consciousness drift inside, blotting out the outside, the terrible scene. I couldn¡¯t move my body properly due to the pain, so I just had to go where there wasn¡¯t pain, then somehow move my body that way... and I have to do it fast... Shaeula is in danger, she¡¯s hurting, and I promised her there wouldn¡¯t be pain in her future... Even within, the torture was crashing like waves, but... using the aether within me I turned off my pain receptors, a trick I had used before, though now with my Ether Healing it was far easier. This diminished the suffering a lot, but much of it wasn¡¯t affecting the body, but my spirit... still, I dug deep, winding strands of aether around my spear...


    Shaeula cried out several more times as she was lashed, before he reached out and hoisted her up by her collar, cloth tearing, exposing her shoulders. As he saw her slender body he grinned. ¡°Come on, little girl. Let a real man show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°No... I think... I shall-shall... argh... pass...¡± Shaeula spat a mass of blood, a single wind-weasel emerging from her open mouth, a yellow glow leaking from it. The bastard flinched back as it flew at his eyes, shocked, and for a moment his control slipped, the searing torment I felt receding for a moment.


    Now. I flung my spear forwards with all my might, so hard and fast I felt muscles in my shoulder tear, aimed at his heart. As the wind-weasel flew last his face, scoring cuts into his cheek, his head turned and he saw my spear flying his way. Releasing Shaeula, who fell to the ground, spent, he drew upon his Territory¡¯s plentiful supply of ether once more, creating another shimmering wall.


    ¡°Nice try, but futile. Still, I appreciate a man who tries to protect his woman, it makes his look of horror when she is...¡± his words were cut off as the wind-weasel that he had dodged twisted back and detonated, the flame energies within feeding on the wind and forming a speedy arrow which pierced his face, flaring into a cloud of fire.


    Nice. And now for my finisher... apt, too...


    Using the aether I had attached to the spear I shifted it, just like I had against Shaeula. The Territory fought me, but I put my all into it, bleeding myself nearly dry. The spear winked out of existence, only to reappear, still powered by my mighty throw, inches from his back. It struck deeply, the wind energy within ravaging his insides.


    Shit, missed his heart as he moved when Shaeula wounded him. Still... it¡¯s a hit.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Shaeula rolled onto her back, shaking off the fading pain she was afflicted with, coughing more blood from her slashed throat. Even with her great control, keeping a wind-weasel in her mouth was a dangerous act. Looking at the spear jutting from his body, she called out to me. ¡°... I remember that-that... move. I enjoy it more... when I am not-not on the receiving end of your... anger.¡±


    The vile bastard stumbled, staggering away. He was clutching at his face, one side of which looked worse than the widow of nails did, the flesh incinerated. Pulling free the spear that impaled him, blood gushed from the wound, and he fell to his knees. As he did so an impact rocked his shoulder, as Ixitt managed to strike him with an attack.


    ¡°Well, I missed your ass...¡± I panted, staggering over to Shaeula and using what little aether I had left to start healing her poor throat and mouth. ¡°But even so, maybe you understand a fraction of the feelings of the girls you penetrated against their wills. Make the most of it, because you are so dead the moment Shaeula is healed.¡± I was in poor shape, but even so, I could handle him now.


    ¡°Kiku, you worthless harlot!¡± the bastard screamed. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do, use everything at our disposal. I want these fuckers gone! Die if you have to!¡±


    Kiku, who was suddenly on the back foot, as Ulfuric had recovered from the agony he was subjected to, looked at her errant master, face expressionless. ¡°But my wedding ring, I need it...¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOUR GODDAMN RING!¡± His scream was baleful, enraged. ¡°Not until they are dealt with. OBEY ME YOU WHORE! FIGHT UNTIL YOU AND ALL YOUR USELESS GHOSTS DIE, OR THEY ARE DONE!¡±


    With that he vanished, fleeing back to the Material, leaving behind my spear, the spearhead warped and cracked, and a large puddle of gore.


    Shit, the fucker got away. Still, those wounds were bad, his Material body should be a mess right now...


    ¡°I did not want it to come to this.¡± Kiku groaned. ¡°I had saved these for when Kondou-dono was vulnerable... still, when he orders, I must obey. Such has always been my fate.¡±


    ¡°That sounds... ominous.¡± Shaeula coughed, still in my embrace, arms around me, shivering as I worked on her torn flesh.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding, and I¡¯m pretty much bone dry of aether, only a bit of wind and flame left.¡±


    Before Shaeula could reply, the air blew cold, and wraiths started pouring out of the ground, first a handful, then a few, then dozens, then scores...


    Well, at least they aren¡¯t more poor women, but even so... as the ghost horde thronged around Kiku in a milling mob of silent howls and screams, I realised our chances of winning here had just hit rock bottom. By the gods, that is a LOT of orcs...

 One Hundred And Fifty-Two

    One Hundred And Fifty-Two


    My Foresight was ringing alarmingly, warning of oncoming disaster. I mean, no shit. This situation is serious... uh... as the hundreds of wraith-orcs flooded around us I realised my Foresight wasn¡¯t screaming at me about this imminent danger, but one shortly in the future, which had been looming closer due to several prior events, but had now solidified to something baleful.


    Great, that¡¯s all I need. but forget about it for now, we have more pressing issues...


    ¡°Die for me, cruel bringer of fire and foul beasts. Alas for you, my poor child, you shall perish due to the whims of men.¡± Kiku looked at Shaeula, her mad eyes radiating sorrow. She brought her one remaining arm forwards in a pointing gesture, and her host of spectral thrall orcs she had secretly been building up over time surged forwards.


    ¡°No thank you.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°I shall not-not die here. And do take responsibility for your own actions. You can not-not blame everything on others.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your deaths are certain. Kondou-dono declared you must be disposed of, before I can...¡± her attention strayed, she seemed distracted, but even so a cloud of her nails formed around her once more.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. How interesting. My attacks are passing right through them.¡± Ixitt observed as his projectiles and thrown weapons phased right through the host of orcs, barely doing anything.


    Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels sliced apart the mass of orcs, severing their bodies, but they quickly reformed. Still, it kept most of them back, a few slipping through to engage me and Ulfuric. Their blows rained down on us, phantasmal fists and spectral weapons swinging. The injuries they inflicted were weak, far less dangerous than the original strength of orcs, but even so, in our ragged and exhausted state, the sheer number was oppressive. Then nails started raining down on us, forcing Ulfuric to draw out the last of his earth energy to drag clay walls out to absorb the impacts.


    ¡°We need elemental fire. It purifies them!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°I see. Keh-keh.¡± Ixitt pulled out three glittering glass vials. ¡°Luckily I still have these left I see. Keh-keh.¡± Hurling them into the swarming ghosts they flared with green and yellow light before exploding violently, scattering billowing flames everywhere. Orcs disintegrated, spilling ether, and we dragged in what little we could.


    ¡°Yes, you were correct, keh-keh, it seems.¡± He chortled. ¡°Alas, I am all out of the bluesteel powder you charged for me. Keh-keh. I hope you have another plan?¡±


    ¡°I do as it happens.¡± I trickled a tiny amount of my remaining flame energy into the bluesteel head of my spear, and it struck down an orc, now doing real damage. ¡°Shaeula, can you do a combination attack with me? Like in Las Vegas.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She had her bells in one hand, and drawing in a tide of verdant energy into them, causing them to shine and ring, she then cascaded it my way. I greedily sucked it in, and fed it into my last flickers of flame. ¡°Foehn!¡±


    The fragile mud walls in front of us collapsed, yellow flames gushing out like liquid. Orcs were swept up in the deluge, and as they exploded in their dozens level-up notifications appeared and ether scattered everywhere. Still, the spread was clearly insufficient to deal with all the orcs, though a few who weren¡¯t caught in the initial wave wandered into the clinging sparks being thrown off and burned like candles too.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from thirty-five to thirty-seven.


    Seeing the gushing wave of fire roaring towards her, Kiku panicked, remembering the terrible pain and damage the last Foehn had inflicted. With a shriek she summoned her massive spikes of rusted metal from the ground, forming an interlocking barrier of iron. Foehn scattered into it, starting to eat away at the surface, but the widow hopped backwards, eyes wild.


    ¡°If you could summon such hellfire again, we could triumph.¡± Ulfuric whispered, his greatsword slashing, doing little but slowing the orcs as they reformed under his blows.


    ¡°Well, that could have been better, but I think we can consider it a victory.¡± I said at last, and a murmur of agreement spread around the shrine. We had taken casualties, which would normally be great cause for grief, and I sure wasn¡¯t hard-hearted enough to see our troops as disposable, even ones who had joined such a short while ago, but thanks to Shaeula¡¯s broken skill, they would re-join us in time.


    ¡°I can hardly believe thisssssssss. A fellow kami hasssssss taken our hosssssspitality.¡± The White Snake kami hissed, looking at the Jade Beetle kami and his four surviving attendants, who were huddled in one corner.


    ¡°Indeed, clik-clik. I feel shame, but I appreciate your sanctuary, White Snake. You had the fortune to meet a noble human. We were not so lucky. Still... he was punished, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he will succumb to his injuries?¡± Shaeula hoped, speaking up from my lap. ¡°The spear drove deep, and I could-could see elemental wind discharged within.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can hope.¡± I continued playing with Shaeula¡¯s hair, feeling embarrassed at the eyes on me, especially Ixitt, who was snickering in that rasping way of his. But I had made up my mind that Shaeula was mine, so... ugh, us Japanese are lousy at public displays of affection. Still, that isn¡¯t the issue now. ¡°... but I don¡¯t think so. I missed any vital organs, and while he didn¡¯t seem that strong, his movements and aether... his stats are probably in the upper end of human potential at the least. Even so... he¡¯ll be out of commission for a while... but, I can feel a really bad problem coming our way. I can¡¯t precisely place it, but it¡¯s days away at the latest...¡± The premonition I was assuming my Foresight was providing was chilling. It was as if a cloud was forming around those close to me, a great danger...


    ¡°I see. I would advise against attacking imprudently.¡± Ulfuric declared. ¡°Omens of ill-fortune should be heeded. We should strengthen the defences here and around the Anchor.¡±


    ¡°Grul says why are you so cowardly, badger-man?¡± Grulgor drawled sarcastically. Some time after our safe return Grulgor and his trolls also returned, their flesh slowly healing from many injuries, their armour filled with craters and shattered plates. Hell, Grulgor has even bent that massive mace I made him nearly at right-angles, which really takes some doing... ¡°Grul had much fun smashing, crushing and breaking. Grul says there is still more to destroy!¡±


    Apparently the trolls had broken through the barrier when we collapsed it, and after annihilating any orcs that were in the area they managed to find some undefended Buildings and destroy them, until they neared the centre, when barrages from a swarm of Defensive Emplacements became impossible to push through.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s stay calm. I think we still have the advantage. Sure, we lost the element of surprise with our new army, but... well, we broke their hold over Hisuikomushi shrine and rescued the priest and the kami. That¡¯ll really cut their forces. No more siege-beetles right?¡±


    ¡°That woman with the nails is also wounded, and I believe you have put-put doubt in her mind. At worst, she will not-not fight at her best, and perhaps will even throw in her lot with us.¡± Shaeula commented. ¡°You have wounded that vile mortal quite severely too.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me.¡± I grinned. ¡°You were totally badass when you spat that exploding weasel-snake into his face. I know just how much his ability hurt, so I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡± Shaeula crowed. ¡°Still, I believe his League was unimpressive, so when I put my all into resisting his ability, I found-found the pain becoming bearable. Still...¡± she burrowed deeper into my embrace. ¡°... it was still terribly painful. We have many scores to settle with him.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. After sharing the memories from that poor ghost... yeah, Kondou-dono is human garbage who needs disposing of. Still, we damaged his Territory quite a bit in terms of defences as well. There is still the Sniper Emplacement, and the large number around what I presume is the Territory Anchor, but other than that... with him so hurt, he won¡¯t be able to replace them quickly.¡±


    ¡°So that just-just leaves the issue with the ghosts.¡± The previously quiet head of the weaselkin mages, Danaera, spoke up. ¡°Alas, our wind would not be effective.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need flame, and while your wind can be used to feed it, we are relying on what Shaeula and I can stock...¡±


    We spent time considering the problem, mainly what to do about the widow of nails, her ghost daughters and the orcs. In addition we would need to fix a massive amount of our gear. I had none that was functional left, for example. In the end, Shaeula and I returned to the Material for some rest and recovery, figuring that we would definitely need to be at our best for the upcoming battles, and whatever my Foresight was warning me of...

 Side Thirty-Nine – Duke Formor

    Side Thirty-Nine ¨C Duke Formor


    Dark purple and green lights flickered eerily in the large limestone cavern, casting dark shadows throughout the room, shrouding the immense figure that sat upon a black-iron throne at the back of the cave, leaving one half in inky darkness, the other half illuminated in sickly shades.


    The towering figure, who even seated was topping five metres in height, let out a bellow of rage that shook the very walls of the chamber. He lashed out with one massive grey fist, and the rock wall caved under the impact, head-sized chunks of mottled stone tumbling to the floor to shatter loudly, dust and debris shaken loose from the ceiling, filling the air with choking pale dust.


    ¡°That insolent whelp.¡± Duke Formor, leader of the few giants and trolls that had not deserted the Seelie for their dark brethren, grated, his voice as deep and booming as the storm-tossed seas. His yellow eyes were glaring balefully at nothing, and his other hand twitched, fingers as thick as oak branches opening and closing fitfully, as if he was choking the life from someone.


    ¡°He dares come into my halls, my very castle, and accuse me of trying to slay his bitch of a little sister! To my face! Shaeraggo, you are not your father, you have no right to speak to your betters in such a manner!¡± His foot stomped down, shattering the floor.


    Literally shaking with rage, the ornate robes he was wearing catching on the metal barbs of his throne and tearing, the iron scoring across the leathery ashen skin beneath, he let out another roar of fury, before taking a deep breath to forcibly calm himself.


    ¡°There is no proof. Grulgor is a fool, so I can say he was acting alone. But still... just how has he failed? The little runt is worthless, her spiritual League barely that of a pixie, her bloodlines conflicting. Better she be gone, rather than live in shame and ignominy, forever mocked by all but her own kin. Yes...¡± he paused, thinking. ¡°... it was no attempt at murder, merely... dispensing mercy. That it would have gained me a favour from Duke Vulpatrius is merely my due for a good deed. Yes, none could fault me for my charity.¡± He rumbled a strange noise, and only his closest kin would know it was laughter. He stomped down again, and the floor caved in once more. His eyes changed from yellow to deep crimson, and the shattered rubble in front of him began to deform, melting, then bursting into violet flames, disintegrating.


    With great force of effort he shut his eyes as the room began to burn apart, and when he opened them again they had returned to yellow, tears of black blood around his eye-sockets, giving him a ghoulish look. ¡°I must not destroy the chamber again. Gorgulthane will be displeased if he has to restore it once more... still, it is... so very hard... not to be angry right now.¡± His massive muscles, tougher than any steel, surged under his skin, and he squeezed the armrests of his throne, the Fae metal distorting with a shrill scream. ¡°Grulgor should have killed her with ease, or at least had the dignity to die if he failed, not... not to somehow be serving her, if that barking weasel was to be believed.¡±Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    Feeling the heat rising in his head, an affliction that caused him no end of torment, he wiped away more black tears, forcing down the pain and urge to destroy until he could think clearly again. ¡°What to do, what to do. It seems that Shaeraggo is in no hurry to tell his father of this, or that useless Princeling would be at my door with all his armies. He does love his children so, even that half-blood trash. How it pained him when he was forced to send her away...¡±


    Duke Vulpatrius had organised it, bribing her maids and attendants to help inflate her ego, drawing too much attention to herself. It was quite the brilliant plan, one that Duke Formor admitted he would be hard pressed to imitate.


    All because that irresponsible fool could not keep his hands to himself. To think he would successfully court a member of the Night Parade, and aim to take her as his wife, no less. The Night Parade and the Seelie Court had a long and ... curious... history indeed. There had been some traffic between them, certainly, but most of the Night Parade had more sympathies with... the other court.


    Iron was poison to the true Fae, though those the court has accepted, such as us giants, trolls and more... they seldom fear it...


    ¡°What have you there?¡± he boomed, looking at the box, which was also wrapped with chains of brass and black iron, tightly bound. As his voice echoed the box shivered, and then the lid jumped as through struck, creeping up barely a millimetre before the chains prevented further movement. A series of banging thumps could be heard from within, rattling the chains, jogging a memory free from the Duke.


    ¡°Wait, Ferexulu. Is that... the spoils of war we received from our last conflict with the Unseelie?¡±


    Gorgulthane was ignoring their conversation, concentrating on his work, but as his energies spread towards the box they were drawn in, leaving his grasp. Hastily he cut his connection, the ruby light flickering out. ¡°Just what is in there?¡± he grated, as the box started to shake once more, this time more vigorously, chains straining.


    ¡°It is a little gift for our poor half-breed. As one myself, I do so appreciate the generosity you have shown her, my Lord Duke.¡± Ferexulu bowed graciously. ¡°Since the weasel left, I have been investigating, and it looks like he is sending a caravan of treasures to her once they have been fully gathered in secret. It seems some sort of bargain was made, Oaths exchanged.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Duke Formor grinned, his anger forgotten. Yes, Ferexulu always improves my mood. His ability to root out secret doings that people wish to keep hidden is unrivalled. ¡°I remember it now. Quite the... troublemaker. Subduing it took much effort. I can see we have wronged Shaeraggo and his precious sister...¡± he smiled balefully, slab-like teeth grinding together in amusement. ¡°... we should apologise by offering tribute to her, compensation for Grulgor¡¯s misconduct.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly. I shall be sure to slip it into their treasure wagons before they depart. Expecting theft is wise, but who would believe someone would add to the tribute? Surely it shall pass unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°With this we can placate Duke Vulpatrius. And our hands will be clean. After all, none but our forces were present in the battle we subdued... it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe our honourable foxkin ally can place the blame for her end on Shaeraggo. After all, he has not told his father about her circumstances, and he was the one to send her these treasures.¡±


    ¡°Vulpatrius would find that amusing indeed. And any hope of that lustful vermin Shaetanao making further ties with the Night Parade with her mother... well, they would be doomed to death as well...¡±


    Chuckling darkly, Duke Formor and Ferexulu enjoyed their plotting, while Gorgulthane worked, shaking his head at their schemes. Beside them, the box shook again, and from a tiny crack in the lid an eye could be seen peering out, wracked with madness...

 One Hundred And Fifty-Three – R18/Contains Sex

    One Hundred And Fifty-Three ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    Waking up was a pleasure as always, my body aching and covered in blood. Ether Healing and my body¡¯s ever-increasing Fortitude meant that most of the injuries were little more than fading bruises and scabbed-over cuts, but that still didn¡¯t make it any more pleasant. Beside me, Shaeula opened her eyes slowly, eyelids fluttering. Wrinkling her nose at the smell of blood and sweat she sighed.


    ¡°I feel-feel we should take a bath before doing anything else. We are in quite the poor-poor condition.¡± With that she dematerialised her yukata, standing up naked and unconcerned. Seeing her body I flushed, and her expression changed, now a wolfish grin.


    ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± I answered her with a smile of my own. ¡°But before that...¡± I reached for my mobile phone. Typing out a message to Karen-chan for her Monday morning task (it wasn¡¯t worth making her do overtime on it, as we had time before our next push) I asked her to investigate any Kondou¡¯s who were male and had connections to the area around Hisuikomushi shrine, paying particular attention to any hospitalisations and so on. Of course, I stressed she was to do it subtly, that it was more important that no-one found out she was digging into him, rather than getting information carelessly. Moments later I had a reply, complaining that the task was strange, but that she¡¯d get right on it, so I had to send her another text, reminding her not to do overtime unless it was an emergency... seriously, I am not her ex-boss. I don¡¯t run a black company! Weekends are for resting... though damn, I should take my own advice sometimes...


    Heading to the bath, in which Shaeula was sunk happily up to her neck in the hot water, her amber hair billowing out behind her, floating, I quickly stripped off and sank into the warm water myself, unable to hold back a sigh of contentment as the heat was soothing on my wounds.


    ¡°I must thank Eri for allowing me to finally join souls with you.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°I am far-far stronger than I was before. We may not-not have defeated our enemy, but next time.... I shall not-not be stopped from crushing all our foes.¡±Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    Curious I used Kin Examination, Shaeula blushing and squirming at the sensation, and I let out an exclamation as I saw her rapid growth. In addition, Kin Examination broke through to Rank 6, her League becoming visible as well.


    ¡°Well damn.¡± I whistled, impressed. ¡°Your stats have nearly caught me up, you weren¡¯t kidding. I don¡¯t have to worry about you when you are out on your own or with the girls anymore. I¡¯d have to worry about anyone trying to harm you instead!¡±


    ¡°No, you should still-still worry about me, I insist!¡± Shaeula mock-pouted, and we laughed heartily, more of the stress of the life-or-death battles sloughing off us.


    ¡°I really need to improve my Chakra network. If I can reach your level then...¡± I ran some quick calculations. ¡°Wow, I¡¯d gain well over a hundred points in everything, and more in aether.¡±


    ¡°Well, no need to be jealous. I do not-not mind looking after you, making you a... how did Karen put it that time... a toy-boy.¡± After more merriment, she turned her gaze on me, eyes serious. Noticing the change in mood I met her gaze quietly. ¡°Seriously though, Akio...¡± she continued. ¡°I can not-not thank you enough. All this is because of you. We are already making good on my promise to brother Shaeraggo. Soon he will be-be forced to acknowledge us. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. It isn¡¯t just down to me. Your hard work is why. Besides, I don¡¯t need thanks for that, do I? After all, you will be my wife soon enough. Love doesn¡¯t need thanks or a reason.¡± Blushing at the cheesy lines I had just delivered (though I meant them too), that set Shaeula off, her breath coming in hot gasps.


    ¡°I can not-not resist any longer.¡± Shaeula panted, splashing over to me and wrapping her arms around my body, before starting to lick and nibble at my neck and ears. ¡°You are dangerously charming, I fear. You even smell Fae now. Soon no female shall-shall be able to deny you!¡±


    I opened my mouth to protest but Shaeula stopped my words by sealing my lips with her own, her tongue tangling with mine, penetrating deeply. Caught up in the moment my hands roamed over her body, marvelling at her smooth skin, one hand slid down to her buttocks, gently squeezing and massaging them, while my other crawled up her belly and then onto her breasts, squeezing them and playing with her rapidly hardening nipples.


    Her tongue was going wild, her aggression and passion rising. My hand groping her ass slid lower, and she shivered as I started playing with her slit under the water, teasing it gently. One finger started rubbing gently at her clitoris, and as the brilliant little ruby revealed itself I went harder, and she convulsed, our mouths finally separating.


    ¡°Akio... I want...¡± she managed to mutter, melted with pleasure, as we both took in deep breaths. Her small hand went to my penis, and started stroking it, the tip coming out of the water. Her other hand started playing with my glans, and she licked the precum off her fingers seductively. Bending down, her amber hair falling in a wave behind her, she began to suck my dick, tongue working over the head greedily.


    Woah, this feels amazing. The contrast of the warm water on the lower part of my penis, and her mouth on the upper part, it was something I had never felt before. Wanting to share the pleasure I used both hands to attack her pussy and clit, and soon we were both in extasy, Shaeula lying next to me, droplets of my cum all down her chest, the excess having spilled from her mouth as I orgasmed hard, flooding her.


    ¡°The taste is still quite-quite strange.¡± Shaeula pondered, opening her mouth to show me she had swallowed it all. ¡°But since it is yours...¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s impossibly adorable right now. Picking her up I lifted her out of the water so that she was facing me, and my hand went to her soaked pussy once more, spreading the lips. Shaeula shivered as cold air entered her, only to screw up her eyes in pleasure as I lowered her gently onto my still-hard shaft. The glans penetrated her, and as my shaft slid in, spreading her tiny pussy wider, she groaned and moaned in pleasure.


    ¡°Just a little... more...¡± I gasped, feeling intense joy as her tight body sucked and squeezed my dick, wriggling as though it was desperate for my semen. ¡°There!¡± with one last push our bodies fully connected, and Shaeula slumped over, leaning on my chest.


    ¡°I feel-feel so full.¡± She moaned. ¡°I feel...¡± she trailed off, kissing me once more. As she did so she started sliding up and down, the movements of her tongue growing more intense each time my penis hammered into the very top of her pussy, kissing her uterus. My hands were massaging her all over, and I could feel her body tightening, seeking me. As our pistoning became harder, more furious, she pulled her mouth free from mine, looking at me with her pure amber eyes, her skin flushed pink with the heat of the bath and lust.


    ¡°Hardly. Look here.¡± Shaeula thrust her hand with her own engagement ring under Kana-chan¡¯s nose. She looked down to see the sparkling diamond, and swallowed.


    ¡°Is that...¡± she asked hesitantly, and Shaeula nodded excitedly.


    ¡°Indeed. I too-too am going to be marrying Akio. He even had to fight my fool of an older brother for the privilege.¡±


    ¡°Your brother...¡± Kana-chan still looked perturbed by the whole situation, which was outside her expectations. ¡°... but he¡¯d be a spiritual being, a kami, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, if he stands in the way of the dreams of those I love, he could be a kami or a devil, I¡¯ll still sweep him aside.¡± Damn, delivering that line didn¡¯t embarrass me as much as before, I guess I¡¯m slowly getting used to this... again, I mean it though. For Shaeula, for Eri... nothing will stand against us.


    ¡°But... well, I guess you are a kami, so maybe Japanese law isn¡¯t going to apply, but even so...¡± Kana-chan was struggling with the concept, and I sympathised, as it had taken me two weeks of very difficult contemplation to reach this point myself.


    ¡°Before you ask if Eri is aware of this, she accepted me. It was-was rather touching.¡± Shaeula reminisced cheerfully. ¡°She is a good girl, worthy of Akio. And afterwards... well, we served him together on the bed.¡± She licked her lips seductively, and Kana-chan let out another little noise of shock. ¡°You like Akio, do you not-not? You should polish yourself so Akio takes you as well.¡±


    Hey, what? Shaeula! Eri said you were to stop doing this! Besides... I accepted you because... well, damn, I love you. it¡¯s impossible not to. Eri is the same. Kana-chan is... well, attractive to be sure, and she has that whole practised charm thing going for her, but... no, definitely not. Besides, she¡¯s younger than Eri, it¡¯d be weird, and Eri doesn¡¯t seem to like her and... fuck, why am I even entertaining the thought. This is NOT going to be one of those ¡®well, once you have a second wife, you might as well accept them all¡¯ scenarios! I am going to be faithful!


    As I stood there dumfounded, thinking, Kana-chan pulled her arms under her chest, adopting a stern pose. ¡°No way. Sorry big bro, I do like you, and... well, you seem to be more handsome every time I see you... I wonder if that¡¯s because you are... having sex with...¡± her words became inaudible. ¡°... never mind. Seriously though, I don¡¯t need to polish myself, Shaeula, I¡¯m already a diamond. I¡¯m no less beautiful than you or Mori-senpai, and I have natural talent in the spiritual arts, as well as an ancient bloodline. I deserve a man who will look after me, cherish me, dedicate himself to me, look only at me. And you I can see, you are special, but what does Mori-senpai have to offer, eh? What polishing has she done?¡±


    Ouch, now that¡¯s just bitchy. I mean, I like Kana-chan, but insulting Eri that way is going too far. Still, even before I could defend my childhood friend, Shaeula sighed, shaking her head. She reached over and surprised Kana-chan by gently flicking her forehead, causing her to flinch.


    ¡°Oh Kana. You remind me a little of myself, just a bundle of arrogance for all-all the wrong reasons. You are indeed very beautiful, and have an old bloodline. As did I. But-but is that really worth anything?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is... ouch!¡± she was flicked again as she tried to protest, and I stood watching, bemused.


    ¡°You need to find the value in you before you can be happy. You desire a male who will-will be yours and yours alone, worshipping you as his princess.¡± Shaeula was grinning, the idea amusing her. ¡°Well if you wish that, you shall need-need more than looks, else when you grow old and they fade, your male shall abandon you. As for your talent... Eri has no talent. Yet she has slaved away on the training I taught her-her, and now were your eyes to see her, you would see the bright glow of aether. She did it not-not just for Akio, but for herself as well. Eri desperately craved Akio for her own all these years, yet when she saw-saw my pain... she proved herself a female of great kindness and charity. She extended a hand to me-me, and now we are sisters, loving the same male.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand that. I dream of being treated right, showered in wealth, praised for my beauty and charm. I¡¯d hate it if my man was even looking at other girls.¡±


    ¡°I get you, I do. I feel an utter bastard myself, knowing if one of my fiance?es was to want another man I¡¯d die inside.¡± I confessed. ¡°But... I love them both, they like each other, and they both love me... they wanted this, so... I¡¯ll do anything for their happiness, even if I end up hating myself a little for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... sort of hot.¡± Kana-chan confessed, shaking her head, backing away from Shaeula, who was eagerly lining up another flick. ¡°Maybe I get it, a little. But I have my own dreams.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you should pursue them.¡± Shaeula agreed, lowering her hand. ¡°But remember this-this. Is it better to have a portion of love from the best male alive, or a full share from some inferior dolt? Besides, I do not-not mind being generous to those I like, but Akio shall save most of his efforts for his wives, so you shall just have to-to live with that!¡±


    ¡°Any man I get will be one of the best.¡± Kana-chan pouted in protest. ¡°But still, okay, I get your point. I don¡¯t really agree though. Anyway, this has totally thrown me off and we¡¯ve taken ages, I¡¯m in for a lecture now. I was here to tell you that Hikawa-sama is here, and my grandfather wishes to see you. Apparently the final list for those taking your training has been set.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good timing. We have important spiritual matters to discuss anyway. Lead on, and I¡¯ll talk to your grandfather so he doesn¡¯t blame you for the delay.¡±


    ¡°See, the best male alive!¡± Shaeula whispered, and at that even Kana-chan couldn¡¯t keep from laughing.


    ¡°Damn, Shaeula. If he¡¯s your man, even if you have to share him with Mori-senpai, stop trying to offer him to every super-pretty, adorable, witty and kind girl like me you run into. He¡¯s only one guy, having too many girls will kill him off, especially if they are all horny like you. I never had you flagged for a pervert.¡±


    ¡°I am not-not a pervert, I merely wish to enjoy all the love a mortal and Fae relationship can offer!¡± she sniffed primly, bringing out Kana-chan in more gales of laughter. As they went back and forth as we approached the shrine proper, my phone started to ring, and looking at the screen it was Eri.


    Oh yeah, she should be back in Nishimorioka by now...

 One Hundred And Fifty-Four

    One Hundred And Fifty-Four


    ¡°Hey Eri, what¡¯s up?¡± I answered my phone, stopping our walk to the main shrine. I feel a little bad keeping everyone waiting, but we are already late, and I don¡¯t like ignoring Eri. I¡¯ll only be a couple of minutes...


    ¡°Oh good, I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d be back yet.¡± Eri replied cheerfully. ¡°So, how¡¯d it go? I was pretty worried. Aiko too, but she doesn¡¯t really get what it means to be in that place, so...¡±


    Well, how to answer that one? I don¡¯t want to worry her, but I¡¯m not going to start lying to her either. It was hard enough when I had to keep everything a secret before...


    As I pondered, Kana-chan came closer with an impish gleam in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. but she merely shook her head, laughing quietly. When she was by my phone she spoke loudly. ¡°I¡¯ve got bad news, Mori-senpai. Looks like your man is cheating on you! He admitted to banging her only a few minutes ago!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what... who is that... I recognise that voice. Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± After a moment Eri worked out it was Kana-chan, the girl she had met that one time yesterday. ¡°Hah. Very. Funny. Indeed.¡± Eri¡¯s voice was monotone, expressing her disapproval of the joke. ¡°Seriously, why are you even there with Akio anyway?¡±


    ¡°We have an important meeting with the shrine, she was sent to come and get me.¡± I explained, and Eri hummed to herself, thinking.


    ¡°Can you put Shaeula on for a minute?¡± she asked finally, and as I handed over the phone Kana-chan smiled at me, happy she had got back some of the initiative she had lost with our earlier display of affection and Shaeula¡¯s teasing.


    ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± Kana-chan apologised, fluttering her eyelashes and arranging her pose artfully to make her look pretty. Yeah, the more I see her, the more obvious it is she¡¯s doing it on purpose. Still, I can see why all the boys are hitting on her, even older guys. In a few years she¡¯ll be a real knockout. Not that I care. I have my own stunning wives. Ugh, wives. It¡¯s amazing how quickly one can adapt to any absurdity...


    ¡°Yes, I did-did indeed say there would be little time for lovemaking. And I would not-not lie to you, Eri.¡± Shaeula was saying bashfully. ¡°But the battle was harsh, and we needed to clear our minds.¡± Her voice turned serious. ¡°It was actually rather awful.¡±


    At that I could hear Eri¡¯s voice despite not having the handset, as she called out, worried. ¡°Is... are you both all right then? I hope you aren¡¯t injured, like before...I couldn¡¯t bear that again, it was so painful...¡±


    Shaeula held the phone up to me and I spoke reassuringly. ¡°No, well... we did take a beating, but you know I heal fast now, right? When you see me next I¡¯ll be right as rain, I promise. Shaeula wasn¡¯t so badly hurt, but... yeah, the experience was mentally draining. I won¡¯t go into details though, we do have company after all.¡± I glanced at Kana-chan, who was trying not to look interested but was failing.


    ¡°I see. Well I¡¯m relieved, even if I¡¯m upset you let Shaeula get hurt again, Akio. So... did you win?¡±


    Shaeula smiled at Eri¡¯s warm words, so different from last week in Las Vegas. ¡°We did not-not win, but we did not-not lose, either.¡± Shaeula answered, and I followed up.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a draw in the end, I¡¯d say. But not fifty-fifty. I¡¯d say we took it sixty-forty. There are still issues to solve, and sure I¡¯d have liked a clean victory, but we are still very much in this fight.¡± There were indeed problems, not least the alarm bells of Foresight that were ringing loudly. Hmm, now might be a good time... ¡°So, are you at home then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I thought I¡¯d spend some time with my parents since I spent most of the Tokyo trip with you. Aiko is doing the same with uncle and... no, with father-in-law and mother-in-law.¡± She giggled. ¡°So don¡¯t worry, no-one can hear what we are talking about, I¡¯m in my room.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, good. But I just wanted to say... be careful, all right? And tell Aiko for me too. I have a bad feeling something is going to happen soon. It¡¯d put my mind at ease if the two of you were alert to danger. You¡¯ve been strengthened a bit, so I¡¯m relying on you, okay?¡±


    Eri exclaimed in delight that I was worried about her, though why she felt that way I had no idea, as I had always looked out for her. Shaeula took the reigns of the conversation once more, and we had a brief scuffle when Kana-chan dropped the bombshell that Shaeula had tried to entice her to fall for me too. Her anger was classic Eri, her voice went so cold I was surprised my phone didn¡¯t freeze and shatter, and she scolded Shaeula saying things like ¡°You promised me you would stop doing that! I don¡¯t want to cut my time with Akio down even further!¡± and ¡°... besides, that one is no good. I don¡¯t approve of her.¡± which annoyed Kana-chan quite a lot. Yeah, Kana-chan and Eri seem like oil and water. They don¡¯t mix well...


    After several minutes of lectures, Shaeula looked like a whipped dog, her expression downcast, and I took the phone back, calming Eri down by promising I wasn¡¯t even tempted, and that she and Shaeula were the only girls for me. I felt a sharp impact in my ankle, and when I looked all I saw was Shaeula having recovered her smile, and Kana-chan looking away innocently. I shrugged, turning my attention back to ending the call with Eri, only to catch Kana-chan hopping on one foot, face pained, out of the corner of my eye. Did she just... kick my shin? That isn¡¯t going to work with my stats...


    ¡°Stay safe, okay?¡± I finished, and Eri returned my sentiments.


    ¡°You too. And Shaeula. And next time... you¡¯ll win. I believe in you both!¡±


    ¡°There are other important reasons too for having a Territory. It is a place of safety, one we will need. You know Hisuikomushi shrine?¡± I asked, changing the subject suddenly.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Daichi-san nodded. ¡°Being a true shrine, and rather close to us, we know them well, though they are Amaterasu faction, so politically we have little traffic with them. Their worshippers are also... unsavoury, mostly ...¡± he eyed his granddaughter and Marika-san, before coughing a little and trailing off. Changing the subject away from such matters he continued. ¡°It was terrible what happened to Kikuchi-san. He¡¯s been in a coma for.... Wait, you don¡¯t mean?¡± he realised why I was asking.


    ¡°Yes, I met him only a few hours ago, in the spiritual realm. He was a chosen, like me. Unfortunately...¡± as everyone waited for my words, I remembered his broken spirit, just wishing to apologise to his daughter for leaving her behind. ¡°... he met another chosen, far less nice than I.¡± my face reflected bitterness and rage at that bastard Kondou, the rapist and murderer. ¡°His Territory was only around his shrine and weak, so he was enslaved, forced to remain constantly in the spiritual realm and fight. His kami too.¡±


    ¡°Such blasphemy!¡± Daichi-san gasped, and Marika-san also looked horrified, no doubt worried for her own precious kami, far distant back in Nishimorioka.


    ¡°They can do that?¡± Hikawa-san asked, worried. ¡°Influence, enslave, even... kill... kami?¡±


    ¡°Of course they can.¡± Shaeula snorted, sitting down beside Marika-san and patting her head reassuringly. ¡°It might be scary, but have no-no fear. Akio and I are not weak, we shall prevent misfortune from befalling those who are allies and friends with us.¡± Turning back to the adults she smiled, her eyes glittering amber. ¡°I am similar to what you refer to as your kami, and I have no-no doubt I could be slain by a powerful foe. That is why we strive to grow stronger, to make our Territory unassailable. Have no-no fear, you are sheltering under a great tree, now that you have-have joined hands with us. And our enemies...¡± she nodded to me, and I continued.


    ¡°We managed to free the priest from his enslavement. Even now he might be out of the hospital. As for the kami...¡± well, how to break this one... ¡°Shirohebizumi shrine has a second kami for the moment. The jade beetle is taking refuge here, until we can retake his shrine in the spiritual realm.¡± Best not say I ended up burning the whole thing down. When this is over and we¡¯ve consolidated and the Anchor is done, I¡¯ll get the kobolds to work on it...


    ¡°Seriously? You saved a kami?¡± Hikawa-san asked incredulously.


    ¡°It is not-not more surprising than the revelation they can be slain, is it?¡± Shaeula chortled. ¡°If you wish, we could-could arrange an oracle, like before. It is very wasteful in terms of spiritual resources though, and right now, we are still-still at war with the vile mortal who perpetuates such atrocities. So I ask your trust in us.¡±


    ¡°Can I speak?¡± Kana-chan piped up, and when given permission, she addressed the group. ¡°I don¡¯t think big bro and Shaeula...¡± she winced at her grandfather¡¯s glare as she slipped and called me big bro again. ¡°... are liars. In fact my gift awakened for a moment as I was bringing them here. Their ¡®abnormalities¡¯ are far brighter and more massive than when we first met. They are definitely growing stronger, very quickly. And...¡± she shot me a wink, hiding it behind one hand. ¡°... I met a girl, Eri, she too had a strange aura. She was one you said you trained, right?¡±


    Wait, you didn¡¯t see Eri with your sight, so why are you saying...


    ¡°You owe me one, big bro!¡± she mouthed at me, winking again.


    ¡°Indeed. Eri¡¯s training was rather special, so it is not-not for the faint of heart.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Only those shrine maidens of... suitable talent and character can try it. We have other methods that work effectively to allow anyone, with much effort and will, to access the Boundary, and grow strong.¡±


    No, no, NO! Shaeula, you really enjoy trying to force girls on me and annoying Eri, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s like you¡¯ve poured all your tsundere energy into being a... what the hell is it, a goudere, I¡¯d guess? That¡¯s not a popular archetype... I miss the tsun...


    As Shaeula explained the basic methods of her Chirurgery to the others, Kana sidled up to me, whispering in my ear. ¡°Knowing Shaeula, that special training is something lewd, isn¡¯t it? After all, you did it with one of your fiance?es, right? Big bro, you really are a pervert, lecher and the true enemy of all women. I still think you are cool though!¡±


    She snickered as I blushed at her whispered words. With that she walked over to Shaeula and joined in on the conversation, leaving me to talk to Marika-san, who was looking a bit overwhelmed by it all. Sitting down beside her, I smiled reassuringly, giving her a head pat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. I won¡¯t ask you to do anything dangerous.¡±


    Marika-san shook her head, her hands white on her scarlet hakama. ¡°No, Akio-sama, I am prepared to do whatever it takes for the gods. After all, I am a proud shrine maiden from a line who has served for centuries. I should be honoured it... has happened in my time.¡±


    ¡°Even so.¡± I rubbed her more firmly. ¡°All you have to do is practise what Shaeula tells you, and carry out shrine maiden duties. Leave the fighting to us adults, all right?¡±


    She nodded, still unsure, and I spent more time talking to her, making sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable, and she was settled in all right. Once we had wrapped up the meeting, Shaeula and I agreed to return to the Boundary, as it would be quicker to recharge our elemental essences there, and I had a ton of new equipment to make. Even as we left, I could still feel the oncoming feeling of doom circling us, coming closer with every breath...Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

 Side Forty – Aliyah James, Black Wolf Company PMC

    Side Forty ¨C Aliyah James, Black Wolf Company PMC


    Aliyah lay on the sun lounger, her dark skin slicked with sweat, her tight muscles clearly visible under her exposed skin, as all she wore under the beating sunlight was a white bikini, the loose strings flapping a little in the gentle sea breeze. Reaching for the half-filled glass of brightly-coloured cocktail that was on a low table beside her, she sucked at the straw, sighing as the fruity sugars and alcohol hit her tastebuds. Well, cocktails are more Trey¡¯s thing, but whiskey just doesn¡¯t go with the whole beach vibe...


    Indeed, she was at the beach along with her brother and pretty much all of the crew, enjoying the relaxation they had earned through their last successful mission. Aliyah looked down towards the ocean, where men and women were frolicking in the sands and crystal clear waters of the tropical sea. Thankful she was wearing sunglasses, so her gaze was obscured, Aliyah picked out several attractive young women in revealing swimsuits and ogled them unmercifully, licking her lips unconsciously. Damn, so many cute girls of all races here. I think I¡¯m in heaven. Maybe I¡¯ll finish up this drink and go talk to them...


    Taking another long sip from the straw, pushing aside the tiny umbrella and fruit-on-sticks that filled the glass, which was completely unnecessary, she felt, she continued to watch, trying to take her mind off the many worries that were rattling around in her skull, tiny daggers that were impossible to ignore. Well shit. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. I was going to relax, have some drinks, chat up some nice girls, have a beachside romance... fuck. Life is never that easy...


    ¡°Still thinking about that damn fool, eh sis? It happens in this business, you know that. I don¡¯t know why you are letting it get to you. This isn¡¯t like you at all. I¡¯d have expected you to be all over the girls and... never mind.¡± Her brother trailed off as she glared at him, her annoyance clear. Still, he¡¯s right. I guess I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m so pissed off.


    Glancing over at the special secure tablet that they used to receive messages regarding the PMC business and job offers and orders while they were away from their base, she remembered the news that had come through a few days ago. ¡°Well, we did say that going after that girl would be suicide. Those Russians don¡¯t mess about.¡± She sighed. ¡°Even so... a grim day.¡±Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°No kidding sis.¡± Trey sat down next to her. He was showing off his own muscled body, lightly dappled with knife scars here and there, as well as a few more impressive wounds that showed he had fought many life-or-death battles. I do wish he wouldn¡¯t wear such tight swim trunks though. Ugh, polluting my damn eyes...


    ¡°Well, he was a rival, and a bit of a prick, to be honest, but all of us Private Military Contractors are brothers and sisters in battle, so ...¡± Trey hoisted his own cocktail. ¡°... to that fool Alex Trakand and the Bad Moon Brotherhood. May they rest in peace, and still be fighting up in Heaven, or down in Hell, wherever the poor bastards ended up.¡±


    ¡°Surely Hell. They were a bunch of redneck racists. Didn¡¯t stop the stupid fucker hitting on me every time we met though. People. They don¡¯t make sense.¡± Aliyah closed her eyes, remembering the last time they had met on a job. The stupid bastard kept trying to grab her ass, until she had just snapped and sucker punched him in the stomach.


    ¡°I guess you are just that attractive, Aliyah. And to be fair to him, he was quite the looker himself.¡±


    ¡°If you like that sort of man. I don¡¯t get your taste sometimes Trey. Not that I want to. Still... total fucking wipe-out, eh? I mean, we knew she¡¯d be guarded, but the response... well, it was crazy excessive. A whole FSB platoon, Special Forces, Black Companies... I¡¯m amazed they even had time to send out a last message...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the job was life-changing money. I mean, we wouldn¡¯t have took it anyway, not going after a little girl, but even so... high risk, high reward. It should be the motto of us PMC¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Amen to that.¡± Her reminiscing finished, she opened her eyes and finished her drink. Getting off the sun lounger, she stretched languidly, looking like a panther, graceful and mean. ¡°Well, this has really soured my mood. I need to talk to some cuties to...¡±


    The tablet blinked suddenly, flaring to life, displaying a packet of secure messages being received. ¡°Well, what perfect damn timing that was.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°Hey, you want to leave it to me? This is a vacation we earned with your efforts, I can handle checking the job offers.¡± Trey offered, and she was tempted, but... Nah, my mood is shit now anyway. Fuck you Alex, even getting killed can¡¯t stop you being an annoying shit.


    ¡°We might as well take a look. Then I can go on the hunt with no distractions. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve struck out so many times already... surely not every girl here can be straight?¡±


    There was further data, clearly pulled from Japanese record offices, such as family registers, addresses, history...


    ¡°Well, you did say you wanted to pay him back for humiliating you...?¡± Trey opined, only to recoil from her furious glare.


    ¡°Shit, yeah, I want to. That bastard, he... he...¡± she wasn¡¯t going to tell her brother she was forced to hug him naked and what happened after, no way! ¡°... still, I just wanted to give him a beating until he pissed blood for a few days and flirt with his fiance?e. Not... shit. Not this.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Trey had listened to her ranting about it several times during the holidays, so he knew to keep his mouth shut. ¡°I get you though, I do. He¡¯s just my type. Handsome, lean yet muscular. Can hold his own in a ruckus too, from what you tell me. So... it¡¯s a red notice, getting out of this would really hurt our futures. If it was a suicide mission like that Ilya girl, I¡¯d tell the brass to go fuck themselves, but since it isn¡¯t... well, how would you do it?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s real good in a fight.¡± She confirmed. ¡°But rather careless in his professional habits. Since we have his sister¡¯s and his fiance?e¡¯s contact details, and there¡¯s more information here... the best way would be to capture them first and use them as leverage. It should be easy enough to trace them with their mobile numbers in hand. We could even message or call them to lure them out, isolate them. It¡¯d be the safest way to trap him. To be honest, if I was going up against him one-on-one, lives on the line, I¡¯m not confident.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That good?¡± Trey mused. ¡°Still, this doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±


    No shit it doesn¡¯t. ¡°Yeah, no way we would get kids involved in shit like this. This is an adult¡¯s world. If some stupid bastard ends up on the DOD¡¯s radar, well, more fool them. But using kids, children... as part of some operation. Makes me sick.¡±


    ¡°Right. So forget that. Still, this is serious. Looks like on-site there¡¯ll be a Japanese team. Damn, they are using long-buried assets for this, the guy must be seriously important. Looks like we can only bring four, any more and they can¡¯t supply weapons and fear it might draw suspicion.¡±


    ¡°You, me, and a couple of the big guys then.¡± She sighed, her drink forgotten, her mood ruined. ¡°Fuck, this isn¡¯t what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°So, if we aren¡¯t using the kids as bait, what is the play?¡± Trey asked, and she considered it for a long moment in silence, only the sounds of the surf and people playing and talking around them.


    ¡°Well, I think if we drop him hints regarding a few of the strange terms he was throwing out, we can attract his interest. I do have his phone number after all, so if I send him a text or two...¡± she picked up the tablet and used its secure function to link to her phone. After typing up a quick message she sent it. ¡°... and voila. That should get him curious. When we meet up with the assets we can arrange a suitable location for an ambush. Fuck, there goes our holiday...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Travis and Manx they need to pack.¡± Her brother shook his head. ¡°At least the rest of the Company can enjoy the rest of their vacation. I¡¯ll leave Luciana in charge.¡±


    ¡°Good choice. She¡¯s got a level head.¡± Even if she¡¯s a nagging bitch at times... ¡°So, not that it matters, but the pay for this has got to be great, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though considering it¡¯s black-ops support in an allied country, where getting caught out will be an international incident that could rock the world... I¡¯d rather be here on the beach. Damn, why are all the good men so troublesome?¡±


    As Trey set off, leaving Aliyah to confirm their mission parameters, she shook her head once more. Good man? Him? Well, his girls do seem to like him a lot, and he did let me hit him when ... that... happened. I guess my brother does have a little bit of good taste, now and again... still, no matter how good he was, how well he could take a hit, against the firepower the assets would bring to bear... yeah, best hope you come quietly, before your friends and family get involved. That cutie too. Shaeula. She was way too pretty to be caught up in this mess. Since she was a secondary target, if she slipped the net, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem...


    Maybe I can...? No, no way. Shit, if I got caught doing that... fuck! This day couldn¡¯t get any worse...

 Side Forty-One – Mori Eri

    Side Forty-One ¨C Mori Eri


    ¡°Wow, gym class first thing on a Monday is brutal. Whoever organised this schedule is a sadist.¡± Aiko complained, doing her warm-up stretches in her gym clothes. In her white t-shirt and shorts with blue piping and the school crest on the chest, she looked very sporty.


    ¡°Seriously.¡± I had to hold in a giggle. ¡°You love gym class, Aiko. Other than English it¡¯s your best subject by far!¡± I was doing my own stretches, along with all the other girls around us. Over on the other side of the track, the boys were doing likewise. At least gym class was separated by gender in our school, or I¡¯d have really struggled.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Rika-san piped up in support. ¡°You are one of the top athletes in class, complaining about it seems rather unfair.¡±


    Yae-san and several other girls nodded agreement. Aiko had the grace to look embarrassed, but even so she continued stretching, her lean muscles working in her arms and legs. ¡°Yeah sure, I like moving my body, but first thing on a Monday morning? Come on... Besides, we had a pretty busy weekend, didn¡¯t we Eri?¡±


    Please tell me I¡¯m not blushing. My face feels hot. Around me some of the girls started giggling, and I wilted a little under their scrutiny, before steeling myself and forcing a smile. Or was I forcing it? You know, this attention is nothing, compared to the look Shaeula¡¯s brother gave me, an arrow pointed at me, the clash of battle, seeing Akio and Shaeula hurt. Next to that, the stares of a few classmates is easy to bear. Besides, what do I have to fear?


    ¡°It was very eventful.¡± I said proudly, puffing out my chest. ¡°In more ways than one. Still, I¡¯m now more full of energy than ever!¡± I did a cute fist-pump, and the laughter which seemed a little mocking before to my ears turned brighter, more cheerful.


    ¡°I saw some of the pictures.¡± Yae-san pouted, and I got a brief thrill at the look of jealousy that crossed her face. ¡°That restaurant looked super fancy. And who were the girls you met there? They looked rich, little Ri-Ri.¡±


    ¡°Oh you wouldn¡¯t believe it, but I don¡¯t think I should tell you just who she was. when you are with Akio, who knows who you¡¯ll run into? Every day is just magical.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of magical, it¡¯s your birthday in a few weeks, right Eri?¡± Aiko butted in. ¡°I know Akio and Shaeula will be coming to celebrate, but just what are you going to do? I mean, it¡¯d be nice to have a party right?¡±


    I had thought a bit about it, but I had other concerns, such as what I was going to do tonight... before I could speak the gym teacher, an older woman, came over and broke up our chatting.


    ¡°All right you lot, less chatter, more effort. Five laps today.¡± At that groans echoed. Five? It¡¯s normally three... ¡°All right, all right. hurry it up, the boys will be going after you all so don¡¯t keep them waiting.¡±


    ¡°Great, I hope that they aren¡¯t just sitting there watching us...¡± one girl complained and I knew how she felt. Still, again, the eyes of some annoying boys meant nothing, just like they meant nothing. From an early age I realised Akio was the only one who was worth anything. Besides, now...


    ¡°I know you hate this, Mori-san, but at least do your best.¡± The teacher interrupted my thoughts, a kind expression on her face, ¡°At least manage three laps, all right? When everyone else has finished you can stop.¡±


    Oh yeah. I am almost always last, aren¡¯t I? Exercise had never really been my thing, I left that to Aiko. I was always happier with a book in hand, or quietly watching. Just like Akio. Still, as he has changed, so have I... Even so, her consideration, while normally welcome, now only served to embarrass me. I could do better. I would do better...


    Nodding my thanks, the teacher grinned wryly, knowing I was a girl of few words, unless alone with Akio or Aiko. Or Shaeula now too, I guess. Though really, I was even talking to other girls in class a lot more these past few weeks... we all lined up on the start-line, and as the teacher clapped everyone started running, keeping up a quick but steady pace, Aiko and her fellow members of the sports clubs leading.


    All right then. Might as well get this over with. Working my slim legs I pushed through the crowd, approaching the front. Some of the girls shot me surprised looks as I passed them, but soon I was next to Aiko, who wasn¡¯t even breathing hard yet.


    ¡°Oh hey Eri. Don¡¯t burn yourself out, teacher will be annoyed if you don¡¯t even finish three laps.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll manage.¡± I replied, a small smile on my face. ¡°I¡¯ve felt great since ... well, you know.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, I don¡¯t know.¡± Aiko pouted. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to listen to any details, I was traumatised enough that time in Las Vegas. La-la-la, I can¡¯t hear you!¡± Aiko put her hands over her ears as she was running, and I started to laugh uncontrollably.


    ¡°Careful little Ri-Ri.¡± Rika-san said from behind me. I had never really thought about it, but for such a flashy girl, she was actually pretty sporty. ¡°Got to keep your breathing steady else you¡¯ll burn out. Why don¡¯t you drop back a bit? No point trying too hard and hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why Akio never looked at you or Yae-san.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Akio is all about going past his limits and trying harder than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you then.¡± Rika-san shrugged, a touch annoyed, which amused me, though I kept my face impassive.


    As we passed the first lap I was still feeling fine. Normally, even at a steady pace I¡¯d be feeling weak and short of breath, my leg muscles burning, but now... The fruits of my love with Akio. But it is a little hollow. I regret nothing, of course, but Akio earned his strength, and gave me mine... I want to earn mine too, so that he can be proud of me, hold me close and tell me I¡¯ve done well, and that he¡¯s pleased. Otherwise I¡¯ll never match up to Shaeula.


    Throughout the second lap I exchanged small talk with Aiko and the surrounding girls, while pondering my plan for later tonight. I wasn¡¯t jealous of Shaeula and Akio, not... well, maybe a little, but what I was jealous of was that she had the drive to succeed, to grow stronger and stand at his side. I wouldn¡¯t be a woman, wouldn¡¯t be me, if I just let that slide...


    Halfway through lap three my muscles were starting to tighten a bit, the first signs of strain in my lungs. Still, I felt I could go on. As we passed the end of the third lap the teacher jogged alongside us, fixing me with a surprised, yet concerned look.


    ¡°Mori-san, you¡¯ve done three laps, you can take a break if you want.¡± She was worried, and it touched me a little, even if it was annoying. ¡°You¡¯ve really outdone yourself, don¡¯t throw it away now by causing yourself an injury.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for your concern.¡± I said amidst deep breaths. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. You were watching the baseball game, right teacher? Well, I¡¯ve been doing a little training with my fiance?e and just like him I¡¯m improving all the time!¡± Oh gods, even now, saying Akio is my fiance?e makes me feel all warm inside...


    ¡°I see. Well, still, just don¡¯t overdo it, all right? You wouldn¡¯t want him to worry about you, would you?¡± the teacher sighed. ¡°Seriously though, I think Oshiro-san has a great future as a sports coach if he can whip you into shape this quickly, Mori-san.¡±


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s my dream, big bro can¡¯t steal it too!¡± Aiko protested, and everyone laughed.


    Well, one thing is true. I promised I¡¯d be careful. So tonight... no mistakes. By my own hand, I¡¯ll prove I¡¯m fit to stand with him...


    ********


    ¡°Who would have thought you had it in you?¡± Yae-san slapped me on the back, and I scowled a little, only for everyone, girls and boys alike, to start laughing. There always seemed to be an abundance of laughter around me nowadays. It was still hard to get used to, but... I do like it. more than I thought I would. Even those two idiots don¡¯t annoy me like they used to. Maybe I¡¯ve grown up? Well, I am a woman, not a girl now, I suppose.


    ¡°Shit, Mori-san, your time was actually decent.¡± one of the boys said. It turned out that while they were doing long jump and high jump they were watching all us girls run. Of course they were. Boys love looking at girls. Even Akio... he has a bit of a wandering eye. I trust him of course, but Shaeula... her I have to watch. I¡¯ve no idea why she seems so keen on forcing women on him. Still, I guess I trust her too... she won¡¯t jeopardise what we have.


    ¡°Yeah, but you still suck at other sports, right?¡± Rika-san interjected, to more laugher. ¡°It was a relief to see you bomb at high jump so bad. Still, your long jump was way better than normal too. Seriously, does getting laid really improve your...¡±


    ¡°I see. That we can do, for his support has aided us with our foes.¡± The dog let out a howl, and several pony-sized dogs loped in. Ugh, somehow now it¡¯s worse...


    ¡°Grr, guard well this child of our shrine, and guide her to those she can defeat. Go now.¡±


    Well, too late to back out now. I¡¯m starting to feel a bit sick though...


    ********


    ¡°Ow, that hurts...¡± I struck out clumsily with the katana I was wielding, feeling a shock run through my arms as it cut into the strange flesh of the large deer-creature that had rushed at me. Still, the blow was not deep enough, and even as the dogs pinned it down under their burly paws, it managed to rake my arm with its antlers. Bruises sprang up on my flesh, and droplets of blood leaked free. Damn, that hurts...


    ¡°Still, if it is only of this level, Shaeula didn¡¯t falter. Akio didn¡¯t falter, even when he set himself on fire. Ungh!¡± I grunted ferociously, wrenching the blade free and striking once more. This time the deer let out a cry, before dissolving into a rainbow sea of orbs which drifted away. I need to top up...


    Drawing in what I could with the methods Shaeula taught me, I felt the dwindling stock of energy, this aether, inside me start to grow once more. I think ... I think I¡¯m getting stronger. At least, it feels that way...


    ¡°I wonder how long I¡¯ve been here. It seems like hours, but I remember Akio saying time is faster here, so... I probably still have a bit more time.¡± Turning to her guardian dogs, I asked them to take me to more enemies.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± One barked, and they led me up the mountains. The sky sure is strange, yet beautiful. The terrain too. I had been on this mountain with Akio and Aiko, stargazing, many a time. But now the forest was more.. alive... strange wispy creatures and warped animals everywhere. I engaged and defeated several more, before a strange noise started echoing out.


    Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Creak... Crunch.


    Wait, is that...? Living in the wilderness, the sounds were familiar. It sounded a bit like someone chopping down a tree. But would beasts do that?


    Cautiously I crept closer, through the tangled undergrowth, wincing a little as thorns pulled at my skin. The noises started up again, and soon I could see the source. It was... a zombie? Yuck, that is disgusting.


    It was wearing a ragged logging uniform, dead flesh exposed by many rips within it, and the eyeless head was staring at a fallen tree. In its hands it clutched a long-handled axe, the head gleaming bright and silver under the dark aurorae of the Boundary skies. It looked wickedly sharp. Maybe I should go... if that hits me, I won¡¯t just get a few bruises...


    Gesturing to the dogs we started to retreat, only to have the zombie suddenly turn, eyeless head staring at me balefully, dark blue sparks within. Oh no...


    The zombie let out a terrible cry, shaking the mountains, and began to rush at me, disturbingly fast. Damn, damn, damn! I panicked, backpedalling, the dogs on either side of me. Still, the zombie was faster, which seemed uncharacteristically unfair. In a panic I swung my katana, only for the axe to slash through it, sending metal shards everywhere. Blood ran down my leg where one sharp piece had skimmed me, and as a dog swung a paw to deflect the zombie, it was cut, blood splashing, and the hound staggered back, whimpering.


    Wait, what...? I found myself having a moment of frozen clarity, my fear forgotten. In my hand was just the hilt of her katana, the blade destroyed. But... but Akio gifted me this...


    The zombie was engaging the other dog, which had bit down hard on the axe-arm, halting its movements. I drew the thin-bladed stabbing sword Akio had also given me, and with a thrust plunged it into the zombie¡¯s exposed back again and again. Still, it was the wrong sort of weapon for this foe.


    ¡°You bastard. That was mine!¡± I hissed, still stabbing, only for the zombie to break free from the dog and turn. The arm was ripped clean off in a welter of vile gore, but even so, it was still dangerous, jagged yellow teeth and cruel long nails easily lethal.


    Tinkle. I was looking down at my second destroyed sword, the thin blade snapping, shards raining down musically. No way... that...


    .....


    .....


    ¡°Hah. Hah. Hah. Ugh... so... so tired.¡± I panted, coming back to myself. Sparks of blue light were circling me, gradually bring drawn into my body. In my hands was a heavy weight, and I looked down to see myself holding an axe, the silvery head slick with blood. Below her the zombie was dissolving, more and more blue energy leaving it.


    ¡°Grr, I think... it is dead. Are you well, girl?¡± one dog asked, and I remembered what had just happened. At the destruction of my second sword I had let out a bitter yell, ducking under the slashing claws and grabbing the fallen axe. I had then proceeded to hack away at the zombie recklessly until it collapsed, and even then my blows didn¡¯t stop...


    I saw red I guess... well, no, actually it seemed more kind of... blue? As the energy cycled me, being slowly absorbed, I remembered the jokes Shaeula had made about me being a woman of darkness. Looking around, I could see faint flecks of blue in the clearing, all drifting towards me. It was beautiful, but at the same time, rather frightening.


    I¡¯m still mad that the gifts Akio made for me got destroyed, but he did say they were only temporary... Ugh, I overreacted. I did. I don¡¯t want to be that sort of woman. Maybe.. maybe it was all this darkness element? Maybe... I bit my lip, frustrated. If I¡¯m going to be of use to Akio, I have to keep a cool head. But this is my first day... maybe it¡¯s understandable I lost my cool?


    Turning to the silent dogs, one of which was trembling a little, I hoisted the axe up onto my shoulder, feeling the comforting weight. ¡°I think I¡¯ve done enough for today. Thank you for your service...¡±


    ********


    I opened my eyes, only to see a concerned Aiko looking down on me. As I moved I winced, skin stinging. Looking down, the arms under my uniform sleeves were covered in fading bruises and minor abrasions, droplets of blood staining my clothes.


    ¡°Are you all right? I was really worried.¡± Aiko asked, and I forced a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, though... there were a few issues. Before I try that again, I need to... well, I need to get my head right. Sorry if I worried you, Aiko.¡±


    ¡°Wow, damn right I was worried. Bruises and cuts kept appearing on your body, it was really scary!¡±


    I pulled her down on top of me, and as she squealed in surprise, I gripped her in a hug, ignoring my throbbing body. ¡°I¡¯ll do better.¡± I whispered in her ear. ¡°And when you are finally ready to join me, at least I can show you the ropes!¡±


    ¡°Cheeky!¡± Aiko protested, returning my hug. ¡°Just... I hope you¡¯ll try not to get hurt in future, all right!¡±


    ¡°Silly, I was hardly trying to get injured.¡±


    ¡°Well, so.. did you get stronger?¡± Aiko asked, eyes curious now that I had awoken safely.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Akio, so I can¡¯t say for sure, but... I think so!¡±


    I¡¯m sure of it in fact. I¡¯ve defeated a lot of enemies, even with help, and at the end there I was swinging that heavy axe over and over again... I hate that what Akio gave me got broken, but that¡¯ll just make me more determined to never lose a gift from him again. The engagement ring was still on my finger, though this was the plain band for school use. Raising it to my lips I kissed it gently, ignoring Aiko¡¯s mocking giggles. I¡¯m a step closer. Akio. Shaeula. Wait for me. I¡¯ll be beside you soon!

 Side Forty-Two – Kondou Kazuo

    Side Forty-Two ¨C Kondou Kazuo


    Kazuo screamed in agony as the unlicenced underground doctor wiped his face, fragments of burned and shredded skin moulting off, exposing blackened muscle beneath. ¡°Careful you... ahh... fool! I thought... ugh... you were going to... give me something... argh... for the pain!¡±


    The nervous-looking doctor frowned uneasily. ¡°I have, you¡¯ve already had a greater than the usual dose. Any more and you risk fatal side-effects. I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± Kazuo whipped out with his free hand, backhanding the doctor across the face. The doctor staggered, dropping the cloth he was holding, getting gore on the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t care about... agh... the fucking... ugh... risks.¡± He half-sobbed, impossible torment wracking him. ¡°I just ... need to... ugh... rest.¡±


    The doctor was helped to his feet by a couple of rough-looking men in unbuttoned shirts and patterned suits, dripping in golden bling. One of them turned to the thrashing Kazuo and muttered an apology. ¡°Sorry bro, but the doc is only thinking of you. Maybe you should go to a real hospital? Our yakuza doctor isn¡¯t the best. He was struck off for malpractice after all.¡±


    Rubbing at his bleeding cheek and nose the doctor forced a smile. ¡°My skills are fine. I was disbarred for theft and... well, substance abuse. No-one has ever called me unskilled. But...¡± he conceded. ¡°I don¡¯t have the medicines or the equipment a proper hospital does. I¡¯m doing what I can, Kondou-sama, but...¡±


    You think I can go to a normal hospital with these unexplainable injuries? Don¡¯t make me laugh... Gritting his teeth, which pulled at the raw ruin of his face, causing fresh pain to spark, he gasped out an order to give him more sedatives, and damn the consequences. My body is strong, stronger than ever. I probably need more painkillers to achieve an effect.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. the boss¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± The second yakuza, who had been silent up until now said. ¡°And those wounds are real bad. Some sort of gunshot to the back and an explosion to the face I¡¯d say... you must have made some real bad enemies, bro.¡±


    As the doctor injected him again, Kazuo held down a curse. No fucking kidding. Those shits, they are ruining everything... he remembered the sneer on the face of that girl as she had taken his eye, the burst of flame from her mouth blasting half his face away. Even back here, outside that strange realm, he was still seared to the bone, and one eyes was a blind, milky ruin. And as for that man...


    He let out another pained groan as his body shifted. The doctor looked concerned, but even so, he finished delivering the illegal painkillers into his veins. ¡°Once... once the pain subsides, I need to work on your other injury.¡± The doctor said softly. ¡°I think you have internal bleeding. We brought blood packs, but even so...¡± he gestured to the medical scanner and array of items that the yakuza had brought.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kazuo groaned. ¡°Whatever you have... to do, do it. I... ugh... can¡¯t die here... not yet, not... until I have had... argh... my revenge!¡±


    ********


    When he awoke, Kondou Kazuo found his pain had diminished significantly, though it was still enough to make him clench his teeth, breath coming in hot gasps. Opening his eyes... no, my eye now.. curse her! He saw he was hooked up to medical equipment, which was beeping quietly along with his heartbeat. One of the yakuza he had called was asleep against one wall, while the other was on his mobile phone, talking quietly to someone.


    ¡°Oh, you woke up. Thank the gods.¡± The doctor said, pale and sweating, one side of his face spectacularly bruised. ¡°The surgery went well, but even so, you need rest, and there is the danger of secondary infection.¡±


    Kazuo tried to sit up, but alarmed, the doctor stopped him pushing him down. Damn, I feel so weak, like I am who I was before...


    ¡°You can¡¯t get up yet. It will take weeks to fully recover.¡± The doctor cautioned. ¡°Until then, I shall be at your disposal, of course.¡±


    ¡°Fully recover?¡± he asked.


    At that the doctor looked downhearted. After a moment he confessed. ¡°Well, your eye... that was beyond saving. As for your face... I believe plastic surgery should be able to restore you to what you once were. It won¡¯t be cheap, but...¡±


    ¡°A woman, really?¡± Akira-san was surprised that a girl could do such a thing to him. ¡°Still...¡± his grin was amused. ¡°You always did enjoy the ladies. I know what you¡¯ve got planned for her. Is she much of a looker?¡±


    Thinking back to her, her licked his cracked and charred lips. A looker? She was gorgeous. But she won¡¯t be when I¡¯m finished with her, she¡¯ll be uglier than I am now.


    ¡°She¡¯s a foreign beauty, long golden hair and eyes, quite small and...¡± as he described her, he considered what else he knew. Their base of operations in that world seemed to be centred around a local shrine. Shirohebizumi, I think it was? Shrines seemed to be the common place to find people able to enter that world, after all, it was where he had picked up that useless buffoon who was now his slave. Or is he? We lost Hisuikomushi shrine there, so he¡¯s probably dead... a shame, as he was contributing nicely to my expansion.


    No, that shrine was the logical place to find them, and he knew what they looked like, so capturing them would be easy with such numbers. Using any abilities was far harder here than over there, Kazuo knew that himself from experience, and so while they would be dangerous... they won¡¯t be able to face a mob of trained yakuza.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve got the description of them bro. We¡¯ll break into the shrine tonight and rough ¡®em up. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll leave the girl untouched for you to have your fun. Bit of a shame if she¡¯s as pretty as you said though...¡± as more guttural, obscene laughter filled the room, Kazuo asked the important question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate them, Akira-san. They are quite skilled. I hope you managed to bring some... adequate... firepower.¡±


    He pounded his chest once more. ¡°Sure thing bro, but it wasn¡¯t easy. We¡¯ll owe the alliance a favour, but we have four pieces. One of them¡¯s a real beauty. We have all the usual gear too.¡± He gestured to several holdall-style bags that were lying against the wall, and Kazuo could see the handles of bats and hilts of swords sticking out.


    Yeah, no matter how good they are, against a mob of well-armed yakuza, they stand no chance. His face and insides were burning again, the anaesthetics wearing off rapidly. Once they were dealt with, he could call that useless trash Kiku back from whatever hole she was hiding in and enslave their souls too. They would have forever to regret crossing him.


    ¡°Hey, you all right bro?¡± Akira-san was saying, concerned.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about revenge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my bro.¡± Akira-san laughed. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be getting ready. Expect good news soon.¡±


    As he led the gang out of the conference room, Kazuo let out a pained sigh. The yakuza doctor came to his side hurriedly, concerned. ¡°Are you well, sir? Your mind may be a bit foggy from the drugs...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m as clearheaded as I need to be.¡± Kazuo snapped back. ¡°The thought of justice is all I need to keep going. Now make yourself useful and get me something to eat. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    The doctor paused. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t eat with those injuries, and on the anaesthetics you might...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your damn excuses. I¡¯m ravenous.¡±


    With that the doctor scurried away, leaving him alone. Clenching his fist, Kazuo imagined it slamming into the faces of the girl and the man, shattering their smug expressions, reducing them to hideous husks. My eye... no surgery can replace it, but perhaps all isn¡¯t lost... that world has many strange powers, perhaps one can fix my eye. But to return there, first I have to deal with those two...


    The doctor brought him over some rice balls and tea, and Kazuo tore into it savagely, chewing and swallowing as if he was tearing on the flesh of the girl that had blinded him. ¡°This isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯m starting to feel a bit better.¡± Yes, thoughts of revenge would do that...

 One Hundred And Fifty-Five / Side Forty-Three – Izumi Kana and the Matsubato-kai yakuza

    One Hundred And Fifty-Five / Side Forty-Three ¨C Izumi Kana and the Matsubato-kai yakuza


    Kana sighed as she looked at the newly refurbished outbuilding that served as the new home of Akio-kun and Shaeula. Chewing on her lip pensively she wondered whether to ring the doorbell, but decided against it. I¡¯ve no reason to interrupt them, and they said they would be busy for the next few days...


    Still, it was definitely annoying. After all, their new home was fancier and had nicer stuff than her own home at the shrine, which was clearly unfair as it was her family¡¯s land to begin with! Even Marika-chan, their new guest, was living in relative luxury, as Akio-kun was buying her anything she wanted to make her feel at home, no matter the cost. Touching her platinum hairclip, Kana sighed. Damn, he is really sweet to her. Maybe he likes younger girls? After all, Shaeula looks like she could be in middle school... but then... Once more she remembered Mori-san, and found herself frowning. I refuse to call her Mori-senpai in my mind... damn, she was really annoying...


    In any case, Mori-san had a surprisingly adult charm, and if Kana was being honest, she was very beautiful. As pretty as I am. And I don¡¯t say that lightly. Damn, it makes me feel like I¡¯m losing. All her life Kana had revelled in being the most beautiful girl around. Sure, it came with troubles, like older guys hitting on her when she was out, and some jealous girls at school attempting to bully and smear her, but they were small prices to pay to know that she had value, was a winner in life. After all, it isn¡¯t like I can boast about my wealth, is it?


    The dark of the night was rather pretty, and from the top of the hill she could see the surrounding suburbs of Tokyo, their many lights glittering like the few stars she could see up above, and since it was relatively clear, in the distance the bright neon of Tokyo proper were lit up brilliantly. I just want to live a life I deserve, is that so wrong? She strolled over to the construction site, where various diggers and other heavy machinery were left out, covered with tarpaulins. A deep hole had been dug into the hillside, and various metal bars and concrete plugs had been inserted, forming the basis of a large underground basement.


    ¡°All that money spent on this... if only we¡¯d have sold up... I don¡¯t want to be a shrine maiden.¡± Kana mused, staring into the pit. I mean, I¡¯m not sure what I really want to do, but living at this dead-end shrine my whole life definitely isn¡¯t it. Her thoughts going back to Shaeula and Mori-san, she pondered what Shaeula had told her, that she needed to have more value than just being beautiful. Ordinarily she would have shrugged it off as sour grapes, but it was hard to do when it was coming from Shaeula.


    Still, Shaeula said that my abilities were worth honing. But... doesn¡¯t that tie me to the life of a shrine maiden? But then... Kana was so envious of the lifestyle Shaeula and Mori-san were leading on the back of Akio-kun¡¯s achievements. Foreign trips, penthouse suites, meeting the fabulously rich in flashy restaurants, it was everything she wanted. At least I guess when this facility is built... Kana had stolen a look at the plans, and it was going to have a gym, sauna, swimming pool... Sure, Akio-kun said it was going to be for training, but even so it¡¯ll be really nice to have that right next to home. Maybe I can even bring my friends, lord it over them... the thought made her giggle.


    Maybe... maybe I need to change the way I think about things? After all, Mori-san was poor, apparently, even worse-off than Kana was. And yet now... It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m interested in Akio-kun. I mean, sure he¡¯s hot, and really rich, but he has Mori-san... and Shaeula too, apparently, the pervert. Still, I guess he is a good catch... Still, Kana had always thought she was going to find a man who would dote on her and treat her like a princess. Sharing her man would be a total no-go for her. But even so... he¡¯s really generous, my hairclip proves that, and the way he treats his girls and Marika-chan. She had asked her father if she could ask Akio to buy some things for them as well, like a new tv or a nice computer, but he had shot her down, ranting at her for ten whole minutes about decorum and modesty. It was agony. Why couldn¡¯t her father and grandfather be more flexible? Akio-kun was loaded yes, but they were doing him a favour in a way, letting him use their land. He¡¯d reciprocate.


    Anyway, where was I... ah, yes... Maybe being a shrine maiden did have a future, if she worked under Akio-kun. It sounded like it was hard work, from what Shaeula had told her, honing her skills, but if Mori-san could, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t be able to. I don¡¯t want a hard job, but... Akio-kun would reward his workers well. She had spoken to Watanabe-san, who had visited several times to deal with construction issues, and now had an office in another outbuilding, and apparently Akio-kun was a very kind and generous boss. With my talent, I¡¯d become valuable to him for sure, and then I could have anything I wanted... and I don¡¯t think his ambitions are restricted to just this shrine...


    And on the bright side, that would also annoy Mori-san. Just thinking about her made Kana angry. She conceded that if she was in Mori-san¡¯s position, she probably wouldn¡¯t like her either, but still... There was no need to be so rude about it. I do have more to me than my looks. I do have value. Besides, us beautiful girls should stick together... Feeling frustrated and a bit bored, Kana shook her head. Maybe I¡¯ll go play with Marika-chan for a bit. At least it¡¯s something to do...


    ********


    ¡°You sure about this, Akira-kyodai?¡± one of his little brothers in yakuza, or shatei, asked nervously. He was wearing a hockey-mask to hide his face, and carrying a baseball bat, one of the aluminium ones. ¡°This seems a bit of a departure from normal business right? The police are going to be all over this...¡±


    Several other shatei agreed with him, likewise masked up and armed, with knives, machetes, katana, baseball bats and more. Looking at his brothers, Akira could feel the weight of the pistol he carried in his pocket, seeming almost icy against his flesh. Guns were rare indeed in Japan, and even the yakuza seldom used them except in the most heated of turf disputes. But this mission was special.


    ¡°Maybe so, but this is for Kazuo-bro, right? He¡¯s been a friend to the Matsubato-kai for years. And some bastards have done him over real good. He could have died! You think our honour can let that slide? Hell no!¡± Kazuo-bro had been employing members of their gang for a long time, and not only that, if the heat was on and members needed places to lie low, he would always hide them in his hotels, even shipping them out to his property in Osaka if the police threat was really bad.


    ¡°Think how many of us would be in jail right now if not for his help. Besides... he¡¯s paying as well, no, better than always. We pull this off and a hundred million is going into our coffers. Which means a good bonus for everyone! Sure we may have to lay low for a while, but Kazuo-bro can put us up again and keep us in booze and women. It¡¯ll be a holiday, and not the usual prison kind!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± A huge brute of a man said, a large metallic cannister slung over his shoulder. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t get why you said to bring all this stuff...¡±


    ¡°Well, I figured we could really wreck the place.¡± Akira chuckled. ¡°Make an example of them, so that people will think twice before crossing the Matsubato-kai. Besides, I like a good fire, don¡¯t you?¡± Nothing beats burning down places that refuse to pay us the respect we deserve. Besides, this isn¡¯t really claimed territory, no other yakuza seems to care about this part of Tokyo. ¡°And also it¡¯ll make the police wonder just what happened here. Makes it easier for those two bastards to... disappear... in the confusion. Damn, if the girl is as hot as Kazuo-bro says, I hope he¡¯ll let us have a turn before we have to get rid of her.¡±


    At that vulgar laughter and comments were shared, and Akira started feeling more at ease. Relax, we¡¯ve done this sort of thing before. Sure, the stakes are high, apparently the guy is a good fighter, but... his hand went to his pocket, feeling the cool metal of the pistol. I don¡¯t care how good he is at martial arts, fists won¡¯t beat bullets...


    ********


    ¡°Akio, you seem restless.¡± Shaeula commented. ¡°Is there something wrong? You can tell-tell me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if something is... wrong...¡± I answered, finishing up crafting another useful weapon. My muscles still ached from the training I had undergone with Ulfuric, who was frankly appalled at how I handled the spear, which had hurt my feelings a bit, as I thought I was making solid progress. He had told me that the spear was a good weapon for me, but that I should learn the sword as well. Ugh, I¡¯ll have almost no free time if my training regimen keeps increasing. ¡°... it¡¯s just... I can¡¯t help but feel something really bad is going to happen soon.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, do you think that banshee-witch will attack?¡± Shaeula pondered. In the several astral days we had spent in the Boundary recovering our elemental essence, rebuilding our destroyed gear and training, there had been no major attacks. A few ghostly orcs had probed us, but were quickly killed. Which was worrying in itself of course. We need to finish this soon, before she rebuilds all their strength, or that piece of shit recovers... ¡°Or is it to do with the messages you received from that-that entertaining female?¡±


    I don¡¯t see how, but it was rather strange... I had popped back to the Material several times to make sure Karen-chan had everything she needed, as well as do a few miscellaneous tasks, and on my return I had discovered Aliyah had texted me, saying that she wanted to exchange information she had received on Territories and Aether. Strange, but considering that they took away that bastard from the casino... I needed to think about it, so I sent her back a fairly non-committal response, and received a reply that she would love to arrange a meeting, and was prepared to even fly to Japan for it. What to do, what to do? I am curious about her information, and the more I know the better, but getting involved with foreign agents reeked of a bad idea... In the end I had simply not replied, putting everything on hold for now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... it¡¯s just a feeling I¡¯m getting. Foresight at work probably. But... it feels more immediate than that. Damn, I really do feel off-colour.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should take-take a break then.¡± Shaeula patted my head gently. ¡°Master Ulfuric has been working you hard, has he not-not? A little rest might do you good. I can hold down our Territory safely.¡±


    You are always thinking of me. I smiled at her in return and we kissed, Shaeula finding any excuse to do that recently. Not that I was complaining, of course. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m going to head back and have a few beers. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come?¡±


    ¡°It is tempting indeed.¡± Shaeula admitted. ¡°But I wish-wish to continue to work on my abilities. I feel that my understanding of the flame is growing after our last battle, and fire is what we need most of all right now, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, against those ghosts it¡¯s the only real way we have of defeating them right now. All right then, I won¡¯t be gone long, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Take as long-long as you need.¡± She waved me off. ¡°Just remember to reward me when you return.¡±


    With that I returned to the Material, my soul screaming at me that danger was upon us, despite there being no indication of it anywhere. Opening my eyes I stared at the still, motionless Material form of Shaeula next to me on the bed. It was still weird waking up next to her corpse-like form, and I still had questions about how the Material/Astral bodies worked in tandem, but research on that would have to wait.


    Leaving the room I moved to the fridge in the kitchen, opening it up to find some beer. Cracking the ring pull I took a swig. Damn, I can¡¯t calm down. I still feel like something terrible is about to happen imminently... huh? Who¡¯s that?


    My abnormally sharp senses picked up on heavy footsteps outside, which was strange at this hour, as all the construction workers would be long finished, as even though I was tempted, if we had them working at night the noise would be unbearable for the neighbours. I suppose it could be Izumi-san, but... no... straining my ears I could hear multiple voices, and none of them seemed to be ones I recognised. The sound of breaking glass could be heard, and then our door opened, footsteps sounding on the wooden floor, boots scraping loudly.


    Yeah, clearly not Izumi-san. This is bad... my practice spear was in the bedroom, and I was currently unarmed. Wait, I¡¯m in a kitchen... grabbing a knife and a heavy pestle as a club, I opened the door gently, and could finally hear the voices clearly.


    ¡°Spread out and find those bastards. If we are the ones to catch them we¡¯ll get a bonus. Hopefully they aren¡¯t in the main shrine.¡±


    ¡°I want to catch the girl first, if you know what I mean..¡± one scoffed, tone vile.


    ¡°You know we have to leave her be so Kazuo can have his fun.¡± Another warned, and at that name I finally realised what was going on. Fuck, no wonder I have a bad feeling... Karen-chan had quickly discovered some information for me, which I had picked up earlier this afternoon. It seemed like Kondou Kazuo was the opponent we were fighting in the Boundary. He ran a chain of budget hotels, and was apparently rather wealthy. One of them was pretty much in the middle of the Territory, and on finding a picture it matched. I had considered reporting him to the police anonymously since I was aware of his crimes, but without evidence... Damn, why hadn¡¯t I considered that wars between Astral Emperor-candidates could and would spill over to the Material, with the rich and connected having a massive advantage? After my fight with the bastard in Las Vegas, I should have realised it.


    ¡°Come on, keep it quiet bro.¡± another said, meaning there was at least four of them. From the footsteps as they went into the other rooms it was probably more. ¡°If we can catch them sleeping all the better. Or maybe they¡¯ll be fucking!¡±


    ¡°Oh shut it...¡±


    So now what? This is bad, Shaeula is helpless, and oh fuck... they said ¡®if we are the ones¡¯ which means there¡¯s more of them out there. Marika-chan, Kana-chan, her family... they are all in danger. All right, no time for hesitation...


    Opening the door I burst into the corridor, coming face-to-face with a suited thug carrying a katana, wearing a balaclava. There was a second behind him carrying a baseball bat. On seeing me his eyes went wide and he made to call out, only for me to cross the corridor so quickly the floorboards cracked under the strain. My elbow took him hand in the base of the ribs and he let out a pained squeal, vomiting. As he fell I slammed my foot down into his head, feeling bone crack. I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll kill him, but I¡¯m taking no chances, not when lives are at stake.


    The second heard the commotion and turned, and at catching sight of me and his fallen comrade he let out a yell. ¡°He¡¯s here, it¡¯s...¡± before I cut off his words by slamming the heavy pestle into his face so hard it cracked, shattering his nose, cheekbone and jaw. He went down, teeth scattering, and I stamped on his wrist, breaking it. bending down to grab the baseball bat I gave him a swift blow to both ankles, breaking them painfully, leaving him shrieking and wailing, but unable to cause trouble.


    ¡°Lou... argh! Bathtard! Yu¡¯ll die fu thith...¡± he slurred, his words hard to understand.


    ¡°No, the only ones who are courting death are you.¡± my answer was as cold as the grave itself. ¡°Stay there and when I¡¯ve dealt with your friends I might have time to call you an ambulance before you bleed out.¡±


    Five more yakuza burst out from various rooms, and on seeing the state of their fallen comrades they were enraged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got this!¡± one said, pulling out a pistol and pointing it at me. He then collapsed as I threw the baseball bat like a javelin and it slammed into his guts with the crunch of breaking bone. I then threw the kitchen knife, taking the one behind him the shoulder.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t got shit.¡± I cursed, charging. The front runner, a guy in a virulent yellow shirt and snakeskin-patterned trousers, staggered back, nearly dropping his machete as the knife pierced him, still, he managed to take a swing at me in desperation, but I ducked to the side so it only grazed me, drawing a little blood. My knee hit him right in the groin, and I felt things rupture. As he went down I struck a knife hand to his throat, and he fell, choking and gasping for air. Even as he went down though I had to ward off a blow from another bat with my arm, and I felt pain from the impact. Shit, there¡¯s not enough room to dodge here. A knife flickered at me, narrowly missing my eye, and I retaliated with a headbutt, smashing the bat-wielder unconscious, giving me his weapon as a reward.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found the guy, Akira-kyodai!¡± the one at the back was shouting into the phone. ¡°He¡¯s putting up one hell of a fight. It¡¯s like... ugh!¡± I silenced him by shattering the phone (and his hand) with a swing of the bat, before fracturing one of his kneecaps with a well-placed kick, though since I wasn¡¯t wearing shoes my toes took a beating.


    ¡°Got you, fucker!¡± the knifeman declared, and I felt the blade catch bone as he tore a thin gash into my flesh along my ribcage. ¡°Huh? That should have done more damage. What the fuck are you made of?¡±


    What indeed? Still, such injuries were minor compared to what I¡¯d suffered against Shaeraggo. As blows landed on me, I noticed they seemed less serious than they should have been, even considering my high attributes. In response my elbow knocked him out, cracking his skull, and the last standing opponent had frozen in panic at the violence I had dished out and the mighty presence I was giving off. He merely watched, numb, as I scooped up a fallen bat and swung it, the end connecting with a meaty thud, followed moments later by his body hitting the ground hard.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± I asked the one who had made the phone call, who was trying to crawl away, sobbing. Grabbing him by the collar I hoisted him up, staring into his fear-filled eyes intensely. ¡°I think you might want to talk, or...¡± he let out a sob as the knife that was still stained with my blood flew up into my hands, seemingly by magic, a faint green glow almost invisible to the eyes lingering. ¡°... well, you seem to be yakuza right, you know how this goes...¡±


    Threaten those I have under my protection, will you? I need to make this quick, I can¡¯t rush out blind. But damn, I¡¯m worried... what if the worst has happened...


    ********


    ¡°You shut your mouth. Your granddaughter here is the smart one.¡± He was kicked into submission.


    Sorry, but... I care more about us than I do about the gods. What did they ever do for us anyway? ¡°They aren¡¯t here. They live in the building at the back of the shrine. If you go there you¡¯ll find them...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The man holding her nodded to one of his brothers, who pulled out his phone and started calling the boss of the raid. ¡°You are a clever girl. Once we¡¯ve got what we came for we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    Sorry Akio-kun, Shaeula. I hope you don¡¯t blame me, but what else was I supposed to do? One of them even has a gun...


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. We aren¡¯t allowed to play around with the foreign girl, but this one isn¡¯t on the list, and she¡¯s really pretty.¡± One of the yakuza walked over and grabbed her chin with one hand, forcing her face upwards, making her recoil at his touch. ¡°Why not take this one with us? We can always give her back later... besides, you wouldn¡¯t mind, would you?¡± the man looked into her eyes with his own, and she knew she was in trouble, as the utter lust and lack of mercy displayed there was barely human.


    ¡°Back to your lolicon ways, huh? I don¡¯t know...¡± the leader was unsure, and for a moment Kana let brief hope well within her, but it was quickly dashed.


    ¡°Lolicon, seriously? You are being damn rude to this fine-ass girl. She¡¯s old enough, right? Hey, if you come with us, we won¡¯t have to hurt your sister, or your parents...¡± he brandished the pistol he was holding, finger on the trigger. ¡°I¡¯d hate to have to shoot your little sis.¡±


    With that Marika-chan fainted, eyes rolling up in her head, and she fell to the floor with a thud.


    I... what... what do I do now? Kana swallowed. I don¡¯t want this... I¡¯m going to be doted on and loved by someone wonderful. I¡¯m going to have a happy life...


    ¡°You look like you could use some money. Why not get a job in our soapland or hostess club when you¡¯ve got a bit of experience? Think of the positives, the pay isn¡¯t bad, and you¡¯ll meet and service some interesting people.¡± The man chuckled, and Kana quivered, feeling a desperate urge to wet herself in terror.


    This doesn¡¯t happen to me... this isn¡¯t how my story goes. I¡¯m the heroine of my own life! Still, she did the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, putting others before herself. It¡¯s useless anyway. Even if I say no, they¡¯ll only make me, after hurting Marika-chan and my family, so in that case... Slowly she nodded, tears flowing like rain. ¡°I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll come. Just... leave them alone. They aren¡¯t who you wanted, right?¡±


    ¡°Smart girl.¡± The yakuza said. Turning away from the shivering Kana, he asked his brother, who was still trying to get through to Akira-kyodai, what the holdup was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know man, nobody else is answering. I hope they aren¡¯t having fun with that foreign girl. Kazuo-bro won¡¯t be happy if they are...¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll go and see for ourselves. Come on, my little pretty. Don¡¯t look so sad. It hurts at first, but after a while you¡¯ll start to enjoy it.¡±


    Kana swallowed nervously and followed, unable to do anything else. You liar, Shaeula. I hate you. You said Akio-kun was the best male alive... if he was, surely he wouldn¡¯t have led us to this... surely he¡¯d save me now...


    Ignoring the bitter sobs of her mother and the cries of her father and grandfather, Kana trudged after the departing mob of yakuza step after bitter step. Please. Akio-kun, Shaeula. Kami. Anyone! Save us now and I promise... I promise I¡¯ll do anything! Still, she was a realist. She knew that prayers were pretty much never answered in this harsh world...


    ¡°All right then, time to...¡± a yakuza was saying before the door to the shrine exploded inwards, ripped off its hinges, and a crazed, blood-soaked figure crashed in, immediately pouncing on the yakuza, heavy blows beating him down mercilessly, not heeding his cries.


    Kana¡¯s eyes met his, and her heart jumped suddenly, a brief moment of hope flaring within her. He looked awful, half-dead, blood streaming down his face, leaking from bullet-wounds, knife-holes and more, but when he met her frightened gaze he smiled reassuringly. ¡°Just hold on a second. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± He said confidently, despite his terrible state and being heavily outnumbered.


    Well, maybe sometimes prayers are answered after all... she thought, legs going out from under her. As she fell her bladder gave way, soiling her clothes and the floor below, but she didn¡¯t care at all. I¡¯m sorry... if you can save us, I¡¯ll bow my head and apologise and believe Shaeula when she says you are the best...


    ********


    On seeing Kana-chan collapse and piss herself, I dragged myself off of the unconscious thug I had just beaten within an inch of his life. My knuckles were raw and bleeding, just one among many injuries I had suffered. Still, that meant nothing compared to the furious rage I was feeling, and the relief at seeing that Kana-chan appeared unharmed.


    ¡°it¡¯s him!¡± one man cried, waving a bat. ¡°What the hell is Akira-kyodai doing letting him slip by? I bet he is playing with that pretty girl... ugh... agh...¡± the man clutched at his neck as blood started gushing from it. Shut up, fucker.


    I had unleashed a fine blade of wind, cutting just shallowly enough that his life wouldn¡¯t be in danger if the bastard staunched the wound immediately. That was the only kindness I was prepared to give. My anger was burning hot, and this was only stoking it further. As everyone else was stunned, seemingly unaware of how that happened, I used the time to rush to Kana-chan, scoop her up and carry her past the frozen yakuza, back to the main chamber of the shrine.


    ¡°Kana, you¡¯re safe!¡± her mother cried, seeing her in my arms.


    ¡°Is everyone else all right?¡± I was concerned as they looked like they had been beaten, and Marika-san was lying unconscious in the corner.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll live. But what is going on...¡± before Daichi-san could finish, I tore the bindings holding them with brute strength, setting them free, and handed over the limp Kana-chan.


    ¡°Later. First I have to finish this.¡± I turned back to the yakuza who were rushing in now that the surprise had faded.


    ¡°He has a gun, be careful...¡± Kana-chan gasped.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already been shot enough.¡± I made a joke to try and lower the tension. ¡°Kana-chan, I¡¯m sorry this happened. And when this is over... if you and your family want to cancel our alliance I¡¯ll understand. I¡¯ll do anything to make it right. But for now... I assure you, no further harm will come to any of you!¡±


    Even as I finished up speaking I was moving, and with a savage kick I shattered the knee of the first assailant, before tossing him over my shoulder and stomping down on this hip, feeling bones break underneath. Channelling wind I snatched up the metal rod he was wielding and used it as a harpoon, impaling a second through the shoulder. As that one fell I caught a swung katana with my palms, in the traditional blade-catching technique.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± the puzzled yakuza said, muscles straining as blood flowed along the blade.


    Yeah, no way you can do that without getting cut. Shit that hurts a bit... Flexing my muscles I shattered the metal, driving my knee into the idiot holding just a hilt.


    ¡°Back the fuck up or I¡¯ll shoot!¡± the pervert with the gun ordered, and I merely gave him a look, cold enough to chill his blood. ¡°You asked for it then!¡± he barked, squeezing the trigger.


    I grabbed the nearest enemy and spun him into the path of the bullet, only making it in time as I reacted when his muscles tensed, showing he was about to fire. The yakuza fell, blood gouting, and I used the distraction to surge forwards. He fired again, bullet racing past my cheek to blast a hole in one wall, before I seized his arm, snapping it cruelly. My foot smashed into his groin, rupturing his balls, and then I finished him with a straight right, breaking his cheek and fracturing his skull.


    ¡°I would offer you surrender...¡± I said to the remaining three enemies, who had lost the will to fight at seeing the brutal savagery I was dishing out, as well as the oppressive League I was radiating, fogging their minds and lowering their reactions. ¡°But you know what? I don¡¯t trust you all not to do something stupid...¡± with that screams filled the air as I made sure to render them harmless, with extreme and brutal efficiency...


    ********


    Kana didn¡¯t look away as big bro dismantled the remaining yakuza, ignoring their pleas for mercy and cries of pain. Relief was hammering in her chest like never before, and as her mother pulled her to her chest, sobbing, Kana looked at the pervert who was going to... he was going to rape me, wasn¡¯t he... I hope you rot in hell...


    She had let out an involuntary cheer as she saw big bro kick the bastard where it hurt. Hopefully his parts are ruined. I¡¯m tempted to go and kick him some myself. If I could walk... her legs were still useless, the fear having rendered her immobile. Plus of course she had... oh hell, he¡¯s covered in my pee. I don¡¯t think I can look him in the eyes again... still, if you think about it, this seems to be all his fault... yeah, an accident like that doesn¡¯t matter in the face of this. Besides, any man should be happy to have a pretty girl pee on him, right? Oh kami, I can barely keep my thoughts straight. Is it over... is it? In the distance she could hear the wailing of sirens, probably fire engines, responding to the flames, she hoped.


    As Akio-kun finished off the last of the frightening yakuza, he tossed her grandfather a phone. ¡°Call the police and some ambulances. We¡¯ll need a ton as there are more out there.¡±


    Nodding, her grandfather started to call emergency services, while big bro staggered over to check on Marika-chan. He looks in terrible shape... exhausted too. ¡°Marika-san, are you all right? Wake up!¡± he patted her face gently, and she groaned, eyelids fluttering, until they snapped open, her chest rising and falling rapidly, as she gasped in fear.


    ¡°Help me, someone... uwwwwwwwah!¡± she cried as she saw the ghastly bloodstained visage of big bro. It took her a little while and some calming from him to make her realise she was safe. When she finally understood big bro had saved her, she clung to him, crying.


    Kana¡¯s expression twisted, sourly, feeling a tinge of pain in her chest. I get it, I do. I want to cling to someone now, to feel I¡¯m safe, but with all these wounded scum around, and the place on fire... ¡°So, what is going on here? It¡¯s like a warzone. They had guns!¡± she complained. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m grateful you came to save me, I really am. If you hadn¡¯t, soon I¡¯d be...¡± she swallowed that down, not wanting to think about it. ¡°...but yeah, they were looking for you and Shaeula, right? So isn¡¯t this your fault?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, though it isn¡¯t like I invited this, though I¡¯m not going to shirk my responsibly.¡± He said, handing off the recovering Marika-chan to Kana¡¯s father. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Shaeula back from the Boundary, it¡¯d be problematic if she wasn¡¯t awake when the police arrive. Then I¡¯ll do something about your injuries.¡± He eyed her bruised and bleeding family, expression shamed and mournful, which didn¡¯t suit him.


    Damn, now I feel bad. He did save us, and he¡¯s hurt pretty badly himself... ¡°Uhh, I didn¡¯t mean... uhm, seriously, don¡¯t listen to me right now. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying. Just... yeah, go get Shaeula. I¡¯ll wait here for you big bro. and uh... sorry for making a mess.¡±


    He looked down at his arms in surprise, seeing that they were soaked. Wow, he¡¯s blushing. That¡¯s kind of hot. To think he¡¯s still so shy despite having both Shaeula and Mori-san... maybe I can get my revenge by teasing him some more...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If you didn¡¯t react to a situation like this fearfully, I¡¯d be worried for your future.¡± He scratched his bleeding head, embarrassed. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be right back with Shaeula. I¡¯ve got all of the yakuza, I¡¯m pretty sure, but just in case, find somewhere to hide until I return. I should only be a few minutes.¡± With that he left, and Kana watched him go.


    It''s over... finally. I never want to do that again. I hate myself for being so powerless, unlike big bro, and Shaeula. But... even though I¡¯m pathetic, I stood up for Marika-chan and my family, even if I couldn¡¯t really do anything but sacrifice myself. Big bro was willing to fight through anything to save those he cared about, even in the face of knives and guns. I don¡¯t know if I could do that, but... I want the ability to defend myself, so that if I¡¯m ever put in this position again, my only option isn¡¯t to cry, surrender and piss myself.


    Resolved, she remembered Mori-san, that girl who infuriated her so despite only having met her for a few minutes. She had no talent, right? But she was able to learn. Well, if I, who have a bloodline with a long history of spiritual power, as well as having my own gift, put in the effort, I can do it, better than her, right? And wouldn¡¯t it be just wonderful to see the look on her face when I surpass her? That frustration, it¡¯d be priceless right... I could even...


    Kana started laughing quietly to herself, lost in thought, entirely unaware of how her parents were looking at her quizzically.

 One Hundred And Fifty-Six

    One Hundred And Fifty-Six


    ¡°Thank you, Oshiro-kun, I feel a little better now.¡± Nagi-san smiled at me, even though she still had some bruises on her face and neck. Beside us, Daichi-san and Masaji-san were marvelling at how good they felt, as I had used my Ether Healing on them first. I had wanted to go ladies first, of course, but Nagi-san insisted that her husband and father-in-law needed attention first, which was true, they had ben beaten far more severely than Nagi-san had...


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do. I¡¯m really sorry about this.¡± I apologised again for the disaster that had happened here. ¡°I¡¯ve left most of the outward-facing damage such as bruises and abrasions, but since the internal injuries have largely been healed, within a day or two they should be gone.¡± It would have looked strange if they had no injuries in this situation, considering what had happened.


    The smoke had mostly cleared, as the fire department had arrived and was putting out the blaze at the construction site. On seeing the unconscious (or barely conscious, if they were the unlucky ones) yakuza, emergency services had been shocked, and they had also put in calls to the police and requested ambulances. The wails of sirens were loud, multiples coming closer. Soon the place would be crawling with police and medical personnel, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do about this whole mess.


    ¡°Your abilities are indeed powerful.¡± Masaji-san rotated his arm, which was suffering from torn muscles and heavy bruising before, but now functioned properly again. ¡°As expected of one chosen by the kami of this shrine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I got everyone mixed up in this mess.¡± My gaze went to the corner, where Kana-chan, Marika-san and Shaeula were gathered. ¡°I¡¯ve failed in my obligations. I never thought that my enemy would be so savage as to target innocents and use criminal gangs in the Material. It was an oversight, but if things had been just a little different...¡±


    I looked at the heap of battered yakuza in one corner of the room. One of them had tried to crawl away, but Shaeula had kicked him unconscious. I didn¡¯t try to stop her that hard. As long as they aren¡¯t dead, I don¡¯t think I can get into any more trouble anyway... Putting aside my worries about how I was going to explain this to the police, I considered all of the things that could have gone wrong. If my Foresight hadn¡¯t of been nagging at me, if I¡¯d have been a bit slower dealing with the thugs, if another group came upon Shaeula while she was in the Boundary, if Kana-chan was assaulted before I got here...


    Seeing the misery and guilt writ across my face Daichi-san spoke up. ¡°I must thank you again for saving my daughter. You have suffered injuries to protect her, for which I am most grateful.¡± He bowed, and that just made me feel worse. Injuries, huh? Sure, but... They would heal. I was in quite a bit of pain, especially the gunshot wound in my shoulder, which was still oozing blood, my bone bruised, but with my stats and Ether Healing, It¡¯d be like nothing had ever happened in a few days.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad she¡¯s all right.¡± I agreed. ¡°But even so, she wouldn¡¯t have been in danger unless...¡±


    ¡°I daresay if I had a weapon I could kill every man here and do what I wanted with the women... do you remember saying such, Oshiro-san?¡± Masaji-san interjected, bringing me up short. ¡°Well, we have seen the proof of it here, have we not? You also said that you feared Shaeula or Kana being subjected to the whims of the powerful...¡± his expression was unreadable, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was angry or some other emotion dominated him. ¡°Tell me, is this opponent you face, one who controls criminal mafia and has no qualms about using them to do unspeakable things, a good man?¡±


    Kondou Kazuo, a good man? Hardly... ¡°No, I know for a fact he¡¯s kidnapped, abused and killed women. He¡¯s also a sadist, who enjoys causing pain and suffering. And it¡¯s a man like that I¡¯ve brought down on this shrine...¡± I went to bow in apology once again, but Masaji-san stopped me.


    ¡°Obviously I am not pleased, I thought my heart would break when my precious granddaughter was taken by them, for such a horrible fate...¡± at his words, Kana-chan looked over in surprise. ¡°... but have you not proved that we need good people who will stand against evil more than ever? Someone cruel, with your strength, willing to do what he wants, take what he wants... who can stop him? Just look around us...¡±


    Yeah, I know, it was one of the main reasons I decided to pursue this path in the first place. Well, okay, half was to escape a life of boredom, but the other half was to make sure my sister, Eri, my family and friends... that they were all protected from harm, as such power will inevitably find its way into the hands of evil people, and even those who start off good may well be corrupted...


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it, but I heard you were very brave, Akio-sama.¡± Marika-san said weakly, breaking me out of my gloomy thoughts. That reminded me of the main problem. I walked over to her, kneeling down beside her.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Marika-san. I promised you, your mother and your grandfather that you¡¯d come to no harm here, and you¡¯ve barely been here a few days and already I¡¯ve broken my promise. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take you back to Nishimorioka as soon as I¡¯ve tidied up here. I¡¯m not sure how I can apologise to your mother though, she was really against this, and she¡¯s been proved right...¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true!¡± Marika-san protested. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, Akio-sama! So you haven¡¯t broken your word!¡± beside her Shaeula patted her head gently.


    ¡°You are a brave one, Marika. I know it was frightening, but Akio will never-never allow this to happen again. Will you?¡±


    Her amber eyes met mine, her gaze intense, and I shook my head in denial. ¡°No. I¡¯ve learned my lesson. The price was still too high, but when I think about how much worse it could have been...¡± I clenched my aching fists hard, bloodied and bruised knuckles white. ¡°... I¡¯m going to crush that bastard for even thinking he can do as he pleases. And then I¡¯m going to build us a Territory both here and in the Boundary that will keep everyone I cherish safe from harm. I swear it!¡±


    At my bold declaration, Shaeula giggled gleefully. Continuing to pat Marika-san on the head reassuringly, she turned to Kana-chan as well. ¡°There, you see? Akio is more-more determined than ever. It was a cruel experience, but you both did well, and remained strong. Rely on us-us, and this will become part of your strength.¡±


    ¡°I was ... so... scared!¡± Marika-san burst into tears, and Shaeula pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back gently, murmuring reassurances, while Kana-chan... she looks a bit sick...


    ¡°I appreciate you saying I did my best, but honestly... I didn¡¯t hesitate to tell them where you two were. I feel a bit guilty about that... can you forgive me, big bro?¡±


    Well, I can¡¯t exactly blame her... ¡°There¡¯s nothing to forgive. I¡¯m in the wrong here, right? Besides, you stepped up to defend Marika-san at the end, even though you were so scared you wanted to pi... err, cry, right?¡± I changed what I was about to say at her sudden scowl. ¡°Anyway, you did the best you could. I mean it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. So a businessman took out all these people? It seems you are better suited as a jester. You agree, right officer?¡±


    The policeman next to him taking notes nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, Inspector, sir. A real comedian here. Must think you were born yesterday.¡±


    Shaeula was fuming, but Kana-chan and Marika-san were keeping her in check, which was one bright spot of relief. The last thing I needed was for her to cause a scene here. The place was crawling with police now.


    ¡°The quicker you confess, the sooner you can get those injuries looked at.¡± The Inspector stared at me as if I was some low-level piece of street scum. ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood, as taking all those Matsubato bastards off the streets will probably collapse that gang, that¡¯s one down. But even so...¡±


    ¡°I assure you, he is not a criminal.¡± Masaji-san shook off the medic that was looking at his injuries. ¡°Oshiro-san is a benefactor of our shrine, and selflessly rushed to our aid to defend us when the brutes were going to kidnap my granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kana-chan agreed. ¡°They said they were going to sell me to a soapland after they¡¯d... used me... but big bro beat them all up!¡±


    At the barrage of support that everyone threw at him, Inspector Sato sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you or your gang has threatened these people with, but... it¡¯s simply impossible for you to have defeated an entire gang of yakuza. At least try to be plausible. And even if not... well, I think this might well count as excessive self-defence.¡±


    Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. Japanese law is screwed up when it comes to defending yourself or others from criminals...


    ¡°Hey, Inspector, sir!¡± a policewoman called out, entering the shrine. ¡°We¡¯ve pulled some cameras from the building site. They are a bit smoke-damaged, but we should be able to extract the data back at the station.¡±


    Wait, we have cameras?


    On seeing my puzzled expression, the Inspector chuckled. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know, but most construction sites will set up cameras in case they are accused of violating safety and labour standards. It looks like you don¡¯t want us to see what is on it. Anyway... I¡¯m going to have to ask you to come to the station with me. At the least, even if I believed your tall tale of legendary heroics that would make Miyamoto Musashi blush, we need to have a good long talk about the use of lethal force you employed.¡±


    ¡°I see. Am I under arrest?¡±


    ¡°No, not if you are co-operative. I¡¯ll also need to question everyone else here, but...¡± he trailed off meaningfully, and I understood.


    ¡°All of them, especially the girls, have been through a shocking experience. I¡¯d appreciate it if you went easy on them.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Our officers simply want to ascertain what happened here. We are of course always discreet and considerate of victims of violent crime.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± This is a real problem, but... ¡°I¡¯m leaving you in charge, all right Shaeula? I can only trust you to look after everyone. All right?¡± she opened her mouth to protest but I shut her down firmly. She scowled at me, but nodded in the end.


    ¡°Very well. I shall not-not let you down, I shall make sure all is well with Marika and Kana. I shall eagerly await your swift-swift return.¡±


    ¡°I know I can count on you.¡± I answered, before turning to the Inspector. ¡°Well, shall we be off then?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your co-operation. Still, I think we should take you to a hospital first. Don¡¯t want you dropping dead on me before I get some answers, right?¡± Inspector Sato smirked, triumphant.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m pretty durable. How else would I have taken out a mob of angry yakuza?¡±


    ¡°Still sticking to that story huh? Well, suit yourself. I always get to the bottom of these matters. You¡¯ll be telling me everything I want to know soon enough...¡±


    As I stepped out of the shrine into the smoky night air, amazed at the amount of fire engines, ambulances and police cars dotting the streets around the otherwise quiet location, I bit down on a sigh. All I wanted was to rest up and heal myself, but now I¡¯m being taken to the police station. Hopefully I wont end up in the cells, my father will kill me if I end up being a criminal... and what would Aiko say?

 One Hundred And Fifty-Seven

    One Hundred And Fifty-Seven


    I had been taken in a police car to a station in Yokohama, some ten kilometres away. The trip had taken nearly half an hour in the back, and I did not enjoy my first experience of being a felon, even if the Inspector had said I wasn¡¯t under arrest.


    Fortunately the journey proceeded mostly in silence, which gave me time to think. The situation was pretty disastrous, but I counted it a small blessing that the worst-case of someone being seriously hurt or worse had been avoided. Money isn¡¯t only necessary to gather Territory for the strengthening effect, no, it is required to protect the Material world as well... I wasn¡¯t sure how much it would cost to cover the damages, but I could afford it, yet even so, my money was starting to run down. I¡¯ll need to make more money soon, think about hiring security to protect my Territory... everything needs cold hard cash, even the higher realms... I never would have thought that when this all started...


    Of course, right now that was not the most pressing issue. That was how the hell is was going to explain this? Obviously the easiest way would be to show off my impossible strength, but that came with problems of its own. As I was pondering this, we arrived, and a few minutes later I was sitting in an interview room, a bowl of steaming katsudon in front of me. Well isn¡¯t this just a stereotypical classic? Still I was pretty damn hungry after all my fighting. One thing I noticed about the natural effect of Ether Healing on my Material body was that in addition to drawing on my aether, it also made me ravenous. Which makes sense. The regenerated tissue and blood has to come from something, right?


    Breaking the provided egg over the pork cutlet and rice, I picked up the provided chopsticks, gave my thanks for the food, and started eating. Hmm, not bad. I quickly wolfed it all down, the egg yolk a perfect compliment to the well-cooked rice. The pork was nice as well. Once I pushed aside the empty bowl with a satisfied sigh, I once more marvelled at the ingenuity of the Japanese police. There may be a lot wrong with the system, but they realise a well-fed prisoner is more likely to be compliant. Wait, I¡¯m not a prisoner, I¡¯m just... helping with enquiries.


    There was something about being in a police station that made one feel guilty, even if one hadn¡¯t done anything. There was no way I was going to let some yakuza hurt my allies or Shaeula, but legally speaking... the amount of force I had used, while I felt it was totally proportional, the police would likely view it differently.


    The door to the interview room opened, and Inspector Sato entered, followed by another officer who was there to take notes. On seeing I had finished my food, he took a seat across from me, the other officer sitting beside him, shooting me a glare.


    Ugh, looks like they really think I¡¯m a criminal. If the police did their jobs and cracked down on yakuza, this wouldn¡¯t have happened, so really it¡¯s their fault, but... It wasn¡¯t as if saying that would do me any good.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°So, Oshiro-san, I hope you enjoyed your meal. I¡¯d feel bad bringing you all this way to assist us without feeding you.¡± Inspector Sato said briskly.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks it was good, and I had worked up a bit of an appetite back there...¡± even as I made a quip I winced, knowing being flippant wouldn¡¯t go down well. The Inspector merely cracked a brief smile, but the gaze of the other officer was painful in its hostility.


    ¡°Well, we wanted to talk about that, in private as it were. We wouldn¡¯t want to upset the people who went through such a frightening experience would we? Officer, the file.¡±


    The scowling policeman handed Inspector Sato a file, and he made a knowing murmur as he inspected the contents. Yeah, like you haven¡¯t already read it, before coming in, right? The show has already started I guess...


    ¡°So, Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Unusual name, but a true one it seems. Half Japanese, half British, just as you confirmed. No criminal record or any run-ins with the police listed. Isn¡¯t that something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like I said, Inspector. I¡¯m a law-abiding citizen, I¡¯m not involved with gangs or yakuza. I was simply defending my girlfriend and those of the shrine. Surely you can understand that.¡±


    The officer snorted sarcastically, and I had to struggle to keep my face calm. Seriously, I don¡¯t get why you dislike me so...


    ¡°Your girlfriend huh? You are a lucky guy, Oshiro-san, she was very pretty. Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. An extremely strange name and appearance for a Japanese citizen, right? Still, seems she was a half as well, but her parents died in an accident a while back. No criminal record or past. Pretty much no past at all, really. Records lost in some sort of fire I believe. Interesting.¡±


    I started to sweat, hoping it wasn¡¯t showing on my face. Obviously the fire didn¡¯t exist, and the passport and koseki we had set up wouldn¡¯t survive a detailed investigation. ¡°Of course she doesn¡¯t have a criminal record. I keep telling you, we aren¡¯t yakuza. We are the victims here.¡±


    ¡°Really? The thirty or so yakuza in hospital, some of them in critical condition, would beg to differ.¡± Sato disagreed. ¡°I think most people would see that as a crime.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I kept my voice level, but it was an effort, a great effort. I don¡¯t have time for this. We need to deal with Kondou Kazuo as soon as possible. It¡¯ll take him a while to realise that his plan has failed, but if he decides to try again when I¡¯m not there... Shaeula might be able to handle it, but I can¡¯t take that chance. ¡°So if a gang bursts into your home with bats, swords and even a gun, while your girlfriend or other family is sleeping there, you¡¯d step aside and just say ¡®oh hello good intruders, feel free to do terrible things to my loved ones!¡¯ would you? Well sorry, but I am more than prepared to fight for those I love.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Oshiro-san. No need to get angry.¡± Sato was speaking calmly, as if to soothe me, but I was sure it was an act to get me to lower my guard. ¡°But surely you could have done something else, like go out a back window? A citizen¡¯s duty is to escape danger and call for the appropriate authorities. Only when there is absolutely no other way is self-defence permitted, and even then, minimum force should be applied.¡±


    Semantics. But damn, he¡¯s right in a way. I don¡¯t want an arrest record... at least my phone has a pin code, so they can¡¯t get inside it. ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, making my displeasure plain. ¡°But I want to call my girlfriend first, to check everything is fine. And I want privacy for that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Inspector Sato agreed. ¡°But you can use our phone for that, so that we know it was her you dialled. Agreed?¡±


    It isn¡¯t like I have much choice, is it? I was led to another room, dialled Shaeula¡¯s number on their hardphone, and gave over my own mobile phone, getting a receipt. The phone rang for a while, before Shaeula answered.


    ¡°Who-who is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± I answered, and she quickly broke out into asking me how I was and what happened. I quickly recounted my unpleasant experience here, and that I wouldn¡¯t be back tonight.


    ¡°I see. These police are truly fools. I shall not-not forgive them for this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, they have the power I¡¯m afraid. How were they with you?¡±


    ¡°They merely asked us some questions. As I was sleeping through most of the chaos, I was largely left-left alone.¡±


    All right then. ¡°So, you are still in fighting shape?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who do you think I am?¡± Shaeula answered lightly, and I imagined her smacking her chest in pride.


    ¡°In that case... I think tonight is the night. I did want to leave it another day to gather the maximum energy, but he¡¯s forced our hands with this. I¡¯m in Yokohama, which isn¡¯t that far away from the enemy Territory. It kind of forms a triangle with here, right? So I¡¯ll meet you towards the Hisuikomushi shrine. We can settle it with our enemy tonight. I still have all the flame element I gathered, and while I¡¯ve used a good chunk of my wind, I regenerate that a lot faster.¡± I made sure to cover my mouth with my hands and deployed a little more wind energy to swallow the words. I¡¯m taking no chances that they are recording audio in this room...


    ¡°I see. Yes, letting our enemies run free leaves me nervous indeed-indeed. I would much rather crush them once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Right. If his Territory is going to fall, then surely he will have to defend it, even if badly injured, and if not... well, without his Territory and the wraith army, we would only have to find a way to deal with him personally.¡± Plus if we can somehow handle him, I¡¯m in the cells. It¡¯s a truly perfect alibi...


    ¡°Very well. I shall see-see you soon. I love you, Akio.¡±


    ¡°I love you too. Later.¡± Hanging up, I exited the room, to see the angry police officer waiting for me.


    ¡°Let me show you to your room.¡± He sneered.


    ¡°Lead on then. I hope it lives up to its billing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, laugh, yakuza lackey.¡± He grated. ¡°If I was you, I¡¯d spend the night thinking about what you are going to tell us in the morning. The longer you drag this out, the worse it¡¯ll be for you.¡±


    I merely ignored him as he led me to the cell. It was closer to a hotel room, actually pretty nice. I guess I¡¯m lucky this isn¡¯t an American police station. That would really suck... Lying down on the adequate bed, I made my way to the Boundary...

 One Hundred And Fifty-Eight

    One Hundred And Fifty-Eight


    The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer in a sealed room. Instead I was in a large open wood-and-brick building that was strangely mixed with contemporary architecture. It was as if the modern police department had been merged with an old-style wooden complex. The eclectic, almost random amalgamation of wood, brick, metal and glass was otherworldly, and really quite impressive. I never get tired of the weird ways the Boundary differs from what I¡¯m used to...


    Still, there was no time to be lost admiring the bizarre scenery. I had to make my way through areas of the Boundary we had not charted, to reach Hisuikomushi shrine. But first... Yeah, I expected this... the dwellers of the Boundary had noticed me intruding on their Territory, and were eager to dispose of me.


    I¡¯d expected to maybe have to fight one or two that were in the room with me, like in Las Vegas, but since this is open-plan, I¡¯m going to get mobbed...


    There were numerous floating lesser spirits around, which disintegrated into ether as soon as they approached me, my natural absorption too strong for them, but the major foes were some sort of undead. They seemed to be split into two types. There were ones dressed as old-style samurai, pale, dead faces staring at me coldly, their eyes merely dark pits in which flickering flames lurked, but there were also... Ugh... gross. I imagine if I check the history of this place I¡¯d find it was used for executions back in the Edo period...


    There were pitiful male and female (and even some child-sized) undead, and their states were rather harrowing. Some were on fire, their skin blackened and oozing, while others were pale and wet, as if they had been drowned. Some were headless bodies, while others were merely upper bodies, crawling across the floor dragging themselves by bloody nails, entrails trailing out behind them. There were also impaled, crucified and hanging bodies, all making a bee-line for me.


    I remember learning about cruel punishments for crimes back in the old days at school, but the teacher said it was largely a myth. Maybe he should come here and see for himself...


    Putting aside those useless thoughts I brought out my weapons. I had a spear and a katana, both made of steel I had made myself. The little bluesteel the kobolds had dug out for me had been put to other uses, so I wasn¡¯t as well-armed as before. Still, it would have to do. Kondou Kazuo and his attacks are really slowing up my progression. I¡¯d have to defeat him for that if nothing else, but of course, now it¡¯s personal...


    The first samurai reached me, his own katana flashing at me in an orthodox style. His attacks were fast and practised, but the brief time I had spent with Ulfuric had taught me to recognise basic attack patterns with various weapons. Swaying aside my spear pierced right into its face, metal biting through bone. It staggered, headless, but somehow still able to fight. Ducking under a swing I kicked out, crushing its chest in. As it fell my spear stabbed down and it exploded into ether. I greedily pulled it in, converting it all to aether. I¡¯d like to be full before we start the invasion of his Territory. I bled myself dry fighting those yakuza...


    I didn¡¯t have time to rest though, as a pair of burning bodies rushed at me, the heat stinging my skin. Hurling my spear I sent one tumbling, before dragging free my katana and slicing through the second with a great shout. It burst apart, and I wheeled, barely blocking another slash from a second samurai warden. The dead, eyeless face was trying to mouth words at me, but I couldn¡¯t hear them. Instead of pondering this I called back my spear with aether, sending it flying into the back of the warden, bright spearhead bursting though its chest. In that brief moment I spun, slashing out multiple times, cutting free both arms and then decapitating him. This was enough to destroy the fiend, and ether fell around me like shining rain.


    Yeah, these are a bit stronger than Kondou¡¯s orcs, but nothing I can¡¯t handle. I cut down several hanging and impaled victims, and stomped to death a crawling torso. More were coming, and with my spear and sword I killed them quickly. As my aether reached its peak, my chakras filled with light, I started using the energy to enhance my attacks, keeping topped up with the spoils and sending the rest as ether to my Territory for later.


    I exchanged blows with a pair of wardens, blades clashing rhythmically, chips starting to form on the edge of our swords. A flaming corpse rushed at me from behind but I slid aside, letting the rushing zombie tangle in the blades of the samurai guards. Using that opportunity I speared though them, quickly breaking them apart.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from thirty-seven to thirty-eight.


    ¡°These police will surely pay the price for impeding you, Akio. I am not-not willing to forgive their insolence!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for tomorrow.¡± I laughed. ¡°For now...¡± I looked around. Grulgor and his trolls, the Kamaitachi, the mages and musicians, the White Snake kami and several of his kin, as well as the Jade Beetle kami, Ulfuric and Ixitt. It was quite the host.


    ¡°We left several of the white snakes to maintain the salt wards, supported by the servants of the Jade Beetle, while our warrior weaselkin are defending our own Territory.¡± Ulfuric said. ¡°They would prove of little use under the oppression of the enemy domain, and triumphing here only to lose our own realm to mischance would be the act of a fool. No true general would be so careless.¡±


    Wow, was that a dig at me? I channelled Aiko again. ¡°Yeah, I get it. Anyway, everyone here should be more than enough.¡± I turned to the Jade Beetle kami. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have your support, but are you sure you are up to this?¡±


    ¡°I am clik-clik grateful for your consideration. However I must reclaim my shrine and wash away this stain on my divinity. I still fear the cruel woman and her clik-clik binding nails, but I have realised I must do this, lest my divine spirit waver and dissipate.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is what we are going to do tonight.¡± I promised. ¡°Glad to have you, you¡¯ll be an asset. So, just like we had planned, we smash through the barrier then charge for the centre, right?¡±


    ¡°Grul will finally crush and break and eat all our enemies.¡± He gurgled. ¡°Master is finally fulfilling Oath to Grul. Come.¡± He gestured to his trolls, hefting his repaired mace. ¡°We BREAK!¡± he roared, spittle flying as he started slamming into the barrier, his trolls following, hurling metal balls and striking with heavy clubs.


    ¡°Uhh, guess we start then.¡± I shrugged, and everyone started damaging the barrier through physical attacks, saving precious elemental energies for when battle would be joined in earnest.


    ¡°So, have we seen any of those ghosts?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded. ¡°They are patrolling their borders, but we have evaded their detection. Still-still, we will attract their notice now, will we not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s unavoidable. So let¡¯s take this barrier down.¡±


    Shaeula and I started striking the trembling defences, and under the sheer weight of powerful attacks from myself, Shaeula, Ulfuric, Grulgor, the Jade Beetle kami, in addition to waves of smaller strikes from our support troops, the barrier collapsed with a shrill whine and the sound of breaking glass.


    It''s showtime. ¡°Right, we don¡¯t have long before the enemy gets here. Follow the plan, and surely we can win this fight!¡±

 One Hundred And Fifty-Nine

    One Hundred And Fifty-Nine


    Entering the Territory the oppression began, my aether starting to be drawn from me slowly. A flash of light in the distance signified a bolt from the Sniper Emplacement, but since we expected it everyone was able to evade. As the ground erupted, chunks of soil and stone blasted into the air, we pressed onwards, moving rapidly as the brisk tempo of a jaunty piece played by the musicians led by Tillyae uplifted us, increasing our movement speed and agility.


    Damn, these buffs are great. I¡¯m not sure how we managed without them before...


    Normally we would have outpaced the musicians, rendering them less useful and more vulnerable to ambush, but the Jade Beetle kami was able to carry them packed tightly on his colossal back, allowing them to keep us with us, a boon I hadn¡¯t calculated.


    ¡°Overhead, look!¡± someone called, and I could see several of the wispy, insubstantial wraiths peering down on us.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There was no way we were going to be undetected, the minute we attacked the barrier our presence was noticed. Unless it¡¯s the one who can use that dreadful light ability, they aren¡¯t worth wasting flame on.¡±


    The site of the Hisuikomushi shrine loomed ahead of us, and I felt a pang of shame in my heart at what was left of it. The once-glorious Boundary shrine was now just a blackened mass of charred beams and collapsed torii, the main building a stark black skeleton, reaching to the dark skies like a seared hand, only the bones visible. Faint flickers of green energy were leaking, being drawn away into the small clusters of citrine flames that were still burning fitfully, even now, days later. Ugh, I¡¯ll definitely have a lot to answer for in the afterlife, it has to be bad karma destroying a shrine, even for good reasons...


    Grulgor and his trolls had broken ahead of our formation. I tried to call them back but they were out of control as usual. Still, they were heading the right way at least. As if to answer his wishes, Grulgor let out a bellow of rage and satisfaction, as swarms of orcs poured out of the upcoming warren of buildings and tangled streets. Many of them were poorly armed and armoured, only a few being well-equipped. However, mixed in to the horde were dozens of ghost orcs, our biggest problem.


    Grulgor and his trolls hammered into the charging mass, thrown balls of steel splattering orcs to fragments, massive iron and steel clubs reducing everyone who stood in their way to a paste of blood and ether. Orcs tried to retaliate using their numbers, but it was like trying to stop runaway bulldozers, the sheer muscle, mass and fury of the trolls too overpowering. Yeah, trolls are natural enemies of warriors like orcs. Stronger, faster, tougher and able to regenerate... that only leaves...


    Metal spears ripped free from the ground, aiming at the trolls. Grulgor swept them aside, but several others weren¡¯t so lucky. One stony troll pushed through, the spikes merely chipping off some of his grey skin, while another wasn¡¯t so lucky, metal spikes ripping into his legs, spilling acrid blood, holding him in place. Battering at the spikes dully more nails flew at him like arrows, and he was soon a pincushion, yet he roared and flailed despite his many weeping wounds.


    ¡°Our enemy has come forth.¡± Shaeula observed, seeing the widow of nails, still missing one arm, sheltering on top of a low building, gazing at us with unbridled hostility.


    ¡°Yeah, so we need to end this. We don¡¯t want to have to take her and Kondou on at the same time. I don¡¯t feel the need to give that rapist bastard an honorific. He pays for his crimes today...


    ¡°Very well. Time to show off-off the fruits of my training!¡± Shaeula puffed out her modest chest. While I had been making replacement gear and getting knocked about by Ulfuric, Shaeula had been practising some tricks of her own.


    ¡°Mages, wind rain!¡± she ordered, and at her word Danaera bowed, waving her wooden staff. Behind her, the mages, who were at our rear, having fallen a bit behind after our sprint to the centre, gathered their own casting implements, and a jade wind began to blow, a blizzard of emerald sparks forming.


    ¡°Area bombardment, light spread!¡± Danaera called, and the wind swept up, condensing into a host of small green orbs that began to shower down over the enemy ranks. ¡°Scatter, my beautiful yellow petals. Golden Sakura Falling!¡± Shaeula called out, once more influenced by magical girl anime.


    The first orbs of green splashed down, ripping apart orcs they touched, though any of the ghost orcs merely reformed again instantly, but as Shaeula channelled her flame energy into the air, pulling from the batteries on her back, the orbs began to change, flaring into bright yellow fireballs, falling like drifting leaves on the wind, exploding into glimmering sparks that set alight what they touched.


    ¡°I have you, monster.¡± I heard a gloating voice then, and Kiku crashed through the murk to my side, well away from where the nails were coming from.


    Shit, she misdirected me too... she had torn something from her mouth, blood leaking down her seared face, dripping to the dirt-strewn rooftop. It glittered between her fingers like a long dagger. ¡°You shall bow to me, vile man! As one day will ...¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t mind obeying women, but only if it¡¯s Eri or Shaeula. Well, I guess Aiko and mom too... sometimes.¡± Letting go of my spear I swung my katana. It clashed against the long nail held in her hand, shattering. Still, it deflected her enough that the spike only stabbed air. Swinging my fist I unleashed Foehn. No need for overkill, not at point-blank range...


    Seeing the flames boil from my hand her eyes went wide, crying out in fear. ¡°No, not again...¡± she wailed mournfully. Still there was no way she could dodge... ¡°Curse you!¡± she howled, her own body erupting with spikes. Nails ripped from the flesh of her torso, scattering inky, turgid blood. The spikes slammed into Foehn, before being engulfed.


    Even so, that won¡¯t be... I gaped as the burning spines were shot from her body, flaming missiles that scattered over the nearby buildings, rapidly setting them ablaze, burning glow visible through the dwindling fog of dirt and dust. She leapt backwards, spikes ripping free from the surrounding terrain, seeking my life.


    ¡°I must... must retreat. Kondou-dono is needed, else I shall fall here.¡± she ignored the exposed bones and innards she was displaying, her pale body fully visible as her kimono had been shredded, falling off her as rags. Careening through the chaos the Jade Beetle let out a roar of pain, as the Sniper Emplacement had lobbed another bolt, striking its carapace. On seeing this, Kiku looked a little relieved. Her gaze strayed to the sky, where her daughters were ducking and diving, Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels soaring high into the air trying to chase them down, a yellow light radiating from them.


    ¡°My daughters, retreat. Kondou-dono¡¯s seat of power shall help us repel these vile interlopers.¡± She bounded backwards, rapidly escaping my range as I fought off the metal that sought my life.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere...¡± I hurled my spear, but it was deflected, pinned between metal cones that rose to meet it. I channelled aether to free it, blinking the spear forwards, but she had dropped behind another building, my efforts wasted. Up above the ghosts had also fled, leaving us with the remaining handful of orcs to mop up.


    ¡°Damn, I almost had her.¡± I complained to Shaeula who had joined me.


    ¡°Indeed-indeed. Those wraiths are rather slippery as well. They escaped my attacks. Still, the advantage is ours, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s hurt even more now.¡± I looked down, to see the nail-dagger she had tried to stab me with. Seeing my gaze, Shaeula inspected it, her eyes glowing. After a moment she directed a jade wind towards it, green motes surrounding it like fireflies. ¡°I see, I see.¡± She pursed her lips, thinking. ¡°So that is how it works. Fascinating.¡± Gingerly she picked it up, sliding it into the sash of her yukata. ¡°Wake up the mages. We shall-shall press on.¡±


    Watching Shaeula jumping onto the shell of the Green Beetle kami, squeezing in beside the musicians, I shook my head. Sometimes it really seems like Shaeula is in charge. Oh well, she¡¯s right though...


    It was time to settle things once and for all. For the crime of trying to hurt those under my protection, there would be harsh judgement. I leapt down and combined my flames with the wind from the Kamaitachi to purge the last of the ghostly orcs, restoring my aether stocks, ready for the final push.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from thirty-nine to forty.


    A good omen. All right, time to end this. Following Grulgor and his trolls, who were now storming after the widow, ignoring the blood still seeping from their wounds, I led our forces towards the heart of the enemy Territory, the hotel visible in the distance...

 One Hundred And Sixty / Side Forty-Four – Kondou Kazuo and The Widow of Nails

    One Hundred And Sixty / Side Forty-Four ¨C Kondou Kazuo and The Widow of Nails


    We pursued the widow, heading ever closer to the heart of the enemy Territory. We could see the hotel clearly now, and it was one of the vilest things we had come across so far, as fleshly growths and tentacles wound across the surface, pulsing to an unseen rhythm. Studded amidst the tumorous flesh glittered large jewels, sucking in nearby ether.


    ¡°Once more I am indeed-indeed grateful our Territory is pleasing to one¡¯s eyes.¡± Shaeula called down from the back of the Jade Beetle. ¡°Were it like this, I fear I would have no choice but to abandon it.¡±


    Yeah I get that. It¡¯s a fair reflection of its master though. As we approached, the trolls in the lead, several of the glittering crystals began to unleash bolts of aether, streaking towards us. Grulgor leapt aside as a bolt shot past him, while other trolls staggered, struck hard. Other crystals were giving birth to orcs, mucous-stained flesh around the hotel splitting open and pushing them out as though giving birth to them. Still, the numbers were pitiful compared to those we had slaughtered, only a dozen waiting.


    ¡°All right then, time to bring it all down.¡± I ordered. ¡°Start attacking!¡±


    The mages began to call open their powers, eager to make up for being caught in the empathic attack of the wraith girl. A tornado of green energies formed, before they began launching blasts of wind towards the hotel. Flesh and stone exploded, gobbets of bulbous muscle and tissue scattering across the sky. There was a series of secondary explosions, and two of the large gems shattered, silencing some of the incoming fire.


    ¡°I shall not-not fall behind!¡± Shaeula boasted. ¡°Play us song of victory.¡± She ordered, and the musicians changed their tune, this one majestic, with more brass and percussion. Hearing it I felt my strength swell. Before I could react myself, Shaeula drew her pink-jade bells and threw out her wind weasels. They snaked through the handful of orcs, tearing most of them apart, before sinking their rotating, vibrating jaws into the mass of fleshy protuberances that made up some of the Spawning Spires, before detonating, shattering the crystals, spraying ether everywhere.


    Not to be outdone, Grulgor and his trolls were pushing through an even heavier rain of fire. Rapid pulses were blasting out in a tide, each bolt individually weak, but even so it slowed them. Grulgor grinned balefully, hefting one of the heavy steel balls I had made him, and with a gurgled laugh threw it, shattering one of the Emplacements that was targeting him.


    It''s going well, we are doing a lot of damage. But where is the widow and her ¡®daughters¡¯? I remained cautious as Ulfuric also hung back. Shaeula urged the Jade Beetle to attack, and it exhaled a writhing blast of wind, scouring a chunk of the tower down to its brickwork, sending blood gushing down the side of the structure like tears.


    Surely they¡¯ll not let us destroy everything uncontested? I know she¡¯s afraid of our flames, but even so...?


    ********


    ¡°What... what do we do?¡± Haru asked uncertainly, hovering in the air beside Kiku, peering out of the third floor window, which shook as another impact tore chunks of masonry and flesh out of the structure. ¡°We don¡¯t have anywhere else to run to... I¡¯m scared. Why is this happening?¡±


    Kiku was biting at her lumpy golden ring, teeth digging into the metal. I have only one recourse left to me, but without Kondou-dono being here... ¡°Oh, how I wish we could just abandon this vile place, leave it to fall into ruin. Alas, Kondou-dono has ordered me to defend this place at all costs. And none of his later orders have rescinded this. As always, we are a slave to cruel men.¡±


    ¡°So... what can we do?¡± Haru pressed, the situation overwhelming her. At her tremulous question, Kiku lowered her arm.


    ¡°We strike, and pray that Kondou-dono has the courage he has not displayed so far and comes to defend what is his.¡± with that she shattered the window in front of them, before starting to fire out streams of nails towards the foes approaching the tower. Taking her lead from the widow, Haru began to draw in the light again, the effort of using it for the third time causing her to flicker fitfully, her strength fading...


    ********


    ¡°What the fuck is that useless bitch... agh... doing?¡± Kazuo spat, the sudden angry movements aggravating his wounds. Beside him the yakuza doctor bobbed around awkwardly, trying to administer medical attention.


    ¡°You need to calm down, sir. The stitches won¡¯t hold if you don¡¯t give them time to settle...¡± the doctor warned politely, but as Kazuo turned his angry gaze on him, his ruined eye now sewn shut, the other an angry bloodshot orb, he backed away despite himself, dropping the syringe he was holding.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. Shut the fuck up.¡± He grated, trying to shut out the uncomfortable feeling that was spiking through his guts and brain. It was just like other times his domain had been threatened, yet far, FAR more intense. Just how can that bitch be so worthless? I gave her a simple order, and she has all the might I have accumulated at her disposal, and she can¡¯t even keep out vermin from my property? He turned his gaze to the mobile phone lying beside him. There had still been no news from the yakuza who attacked Shirohebizumi shrine. Akira had better not be indulging in that girl, she¡¯s mine to break.


    The thought of torturing the two who had wounded him, especially the girl, soothed him for a while. The doctor restarted his ministrations, and Kazuo tried to ignore the sensation of his Territory being damaged, yet it was only growing more intense. So, if the two I want have been captured by the yakuza, then who is attacking my land? Is it their pitiful remnants out for revenge, or do I have a new enemy, seeking to take advantage of my troubles?


    His back was burning fiercely, as was the ruin of his face. He was about to demand more painkillers when his mobile lit up, ringing noisily. Finally. Thank fuck for that.


    Snatching up the phone, he answered it. ¡°About damn time. Akira-san. You¡¯ve got them, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Kondou-san, it¡¯s me, boss Oyameda. I¡¯ve heard about your recent misfortune. My sympathies.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± He grated. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a good friend to me, Oyameda-san. Speaking of, I appreciate you lending me Akira-san and the boys. I¡¯m expecting a call from them any time now reporting they¡¯ve caught the bitch and bastard that crossed me. Or is that what you are calling about? Did they let you know first?¡±


    There was a long moment of silence, before Oyameda answered. ¡°About that... Kondou-san, just who were we going up against? You said it was just a couple of competent fighters at a shrine, right?¡±


    Another bad feeling was creeping up on him, matching the warnings screaming in his brain. His hand started crushing the phone, the frame creaking under his ferocious grip. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Why, did you suffer casualties?¡± It wasn¡¯t impossible they could kill a few yakuza if cornered, but against an armed mob, especially with guns, they should be easy prey.


    ¡°You... could say that.¡± Oyameda sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid... Akira and the others were taken away by the police. It was a total wipe-out. Seriously, have you got us involved in a turf war with other gangs? I¡¯m disappointed you¡¯d use us like this, Kondou.¡± He noticed the honorific was gone now. ¡°I thought of you as a sworn brother, and I haven¡¯t forgotten all the favours you have done the Matsubato-kai over the years, but this...¡±


    How? How is this possible? Kazuo could no longer hear the buzzing of the phone in his ear. All he could do was rage at the situation he had found himself in. Fuck. If they failed, then that means the ones that are attacking my domain.. it¡¯s them, right? Those fuckers... This was absolutely the worst-case scenario. He had escalated the fight to the real world, so if he lost his power-base in the other world, as well as Kiku, then... Not only will I have no chance of finding some way to fix my damn eye, I¡¯m injured and weak, and now I¡¯m lacking supporters... if they come for me here...


    ¡°... you hear me, Kondou? How are you going to make up for this blunder? Money alone will hardly be enough, the Matsubato-kai are in danger of being absorbed by...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± He growled, causing the doctor to back away again, sensing another explosion.


    ¡°Excuse me? You didn¡¯t just...¡± Oyameda began, but he was silenced once more.


    ¡°I said SHUT UP YOU FUCKING CLOWN! I NEED TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU?...¡± taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued, his voice deadly serious. ¡°Thanks to your useless goons, I¡¯m now under a full-scale attack. I could lose everything! How the fuck can a gang of armed men fail to apprehend a couple of people, one a small woman! You should be on your knees, bowing before me!¡±


    ¡°We might be close as brothers, but I will not...¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! I¡¯m done talking to you! When I¡¯ve sorted this mess, I¡¯ll be coming to find you!¡± Kazuo squeezed and the phone screen shattered, the frame warping. Blood trickled from his torn hand as he let the malformed hunk of plastic and metal fall to the floor. It struck with a loud sound and the doctor jumped, looking terrified.


    ¡°As for you... useless. Worthless. Just... die!¡± Kazuo extended his hand and the power he had been given in his dreams boiled within him, stronger than ever. Blood and dark fluid seeped out from his sewn-shut eyelid as the doctor started to writhe, clutching at his throat and face, nails digging furrows in his flesh. Screams left his throat raw, and the noise infuriated Kazuo, who forced even more of his power out, more than he had ever used before. Blood and bubbles of foam poured from the mouth of the doctor, who fell like a puppet whose strings had just been cut, not breathing.


    This is power. Yakuza are useless. Their time has passed. When I¡¯ve killed those fuckers invading my realm and have their souls enslaved, then I can turn my attention to taking over organised crime. I¡¯ll stand at the top of the world, and no-one can stop me...


    His fear of injury overwhelmed by his white-hot rage, Kazuo gathered his strength and entered that mysterious land. Appearing within his hotel, he glanced out of one of the high windows, only to see bugs swarming below, inflicting great damage on his holdings. Tongues of flame were licking at the side of his hotel, and on concentrating he could feel that numerous facilities he had constructed over the last month and a half had been destroyed.


    ¡°Not only have I lost the shrine and my puppet there, now all this too... fuck, it¡¯s going to take weeks or more to restore all this. Kiku you wretch, I¡¯ll teach you what it means not to follow my orders.¡± He concentrated, the link between them a fine thread. I see, still alive, and below. Glancing over at the glittering pillar of flesh and jewels that was the centre of his power, surrounded by smaller versions that drew in the strange power of this place, he firmed up his resolve. I am the one destined to rule this world. Every woman I want shall open her legs for me, every man shall kneel before me. Those that cross me... will meet a bad end!


    Leaving the room, he headed for the stairwell, rushing down to where his useless subordinate was waiting for chastisement...


    ********


    The area around the window collapsed, spears of savage jade energy punching through the walls effortlessly, showering them with debris which passed through the ghostly women, a few fragments striking Kiku, drawing blood.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work, It didn¡¯t work!¡± Haru babbled, flitting about in a panic, the other daughters trying to console her silently. ¡°The light fell on them, but all it did was stop them for a few seconds! Don¡¯t they care about my pain? Does my death mean nothing to them?¡± she was equal parts indignant and sorrowful.


    Kiku bit down on her already bruised and bleeding lips. She had watched the light spread out, though it covered a far smaller area than previously, her daughter almost spent, her energy diminished. It had fell upon the brutish monsters who were far more grotesque than even the brutes Kondou-dono controlled, huge and full of rage. And for a moment they had indeed halted, eyes glazing over. Still, it had not held, and they roared back into action, confused and angrier than ever, wreaking destruction on the assets Kondou-dono regarded so preciously. Worse, bombardment was continuing as the return fire was faltering...


    Suddenly, her gaze strayed to the ceiling. Finally. Kondou-dono has gathered his courage. Now I shall not have to throw myself suicidally at the enemy to fulfil his orders, I can wait for him.


    A few seconds later the door to their shelter burst open, and Kondou-dono was there, his face enough to freeze even her deadened heart. One eye was a ball of shimmering light, angry silver tears dripping from it, while the other was like a window to hell, full of seething rage. On seeing her huddled and broken, his face twisted into a rictus grin.


    ¡°So, would you mind telling me why you are hiding here like a useless bitch when. I. Am. SURE. I. ORDERED. YOU. TO. FUCKING KILL THEM AT ALL COSTS!¡± his cadence and tone swung wildly, making his fury plain. ¡°We are losing! Enemies are at my very headquarters, ruining what I have struggled to build. Perhaps I asked too much of you. You are a woman, after all. Useless. Women are like animals. All they understand is...¡±


    Kiku opened her mouth to protest. Oh please, Kondou-dono. Have pity for once in... But before she could plead for clemency pain blossomed. The shocking ripple of agony was stronger than ever. Her nearest daughter caught the full breadth of it, and despite being non-corporeal, the shocking weight of pain on her soul was too much, and with that she disintegrated, perishing beyond even Kiku¡¯s powers to sustain. Her other daughters were flickering and screaming, and Haru was sobbing bitterly, crying out for her ¡®daddy¡¯ again and again, promising she would be a good girl and not talk to strange men...


    Kiku could hear someone repeating apologies under their breath, only to realise it was her. ¡°Sorry, forgive me. I¡¯m sorry, forgive me, spare me, my husband, have I not done enough, spare me...¡± the litany continued, the pain so intense, enough to fog her mind enough that Kondou-dono and her late husband overlapped in her mind. It took her a while to come back to herself, the taste of old iron bringing her out of her stupor. She found herself lying on the carpet of the room, having savagely bitten her tongue.


    ¡°There will be NO further lessons. We fight and we kill them. Anything less and you will have no use for me.¡± He spat, his tone brooking no argument.


    ¡°Very well, Kondou-dono.¡± She managed to answer, her wounded tongue struggling to form words. ¡°As you will it.¡±


    ********


    ¡°Damn, that one up there is annoying.¡± Another sniper bolt flashed down, streaking from the Emplacement that was on the roof of the hotel. The mages managed to hold it off with their defensive barriers of wind, but they were starting to run dry. The constant drain of being in enemy Territory was small, but added up over time.


    ¡°Still, we¡¯ve almost finished destroying the defences.¡± I observed, and Ulfuric who was beside me, nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. The weight of fire that drove away Grulgor before was unable to supress our numbers, and we have much long-ranged destruction at our own disposal.¡± Even as he laid out our position Shaeula had destroyed the last of the rapid-firing Emplacements. She had used a little fire, boosted by wind, and flames were climbing up the tendrils and clumps of foul organic matter, giving off a dark, acrid smoke.


    ¡°So, the Anchor is probably inside. We¡¯ll have to go in... or not...¡± I changed what I was saying, as the main gate to the Boundary version of the hotel swung outwards, metal squealing. A rippling wave of sword-like nails surged outwards, racing towards the trolls, who were forced back once more. The widow of nails then followed it out, a snarling Kondou Kazuo at her side. The poor ghost girl, accompanied by three wraiths, took to the sky, though they seemed faint and more ethereal than before.


    On seeing us, Kondou opened his good eye wide in a mixture of surprise and realisation. ¡°So, it was true. How the fuck did you bastards fight off all those yakuza?¡±


    ¡°So I was right. They were sent by you, Kondou Kazuo.¡± I displayed my knowledge of his name to rile him, and it worked.


    ¡°You think they were all the favours I can call in? I¡¯m rich, a successful businessman. One day I¡¯ll join the Three-Hundred and be the toast of noble society. No, rather I¡¯ll go further. I¡¯ll stand at the top of Japan, no, the world itself! But... I have to admit you have inconvenienced me.¡± He grinned, but there was no humour in it. ¡°So, I¡¯ll give you one last chance to surrender. If you both crawl at my feet and kiss them, I can have you serve me. I¡¯ll... enjoy... that.¡± He looked at the disgusted Shaeula, licking his lips. ¡°Otherwise... you¡¯ll scream for an eternity, and curse your past self for rejecting my very fucking generous offer.¡±


    Yeah, like that is going to happen. ¡°Are you serious? Look around. You are outnumbered, outmatched and your Territory is ablaze. I¡¯ll throw your words back at you. Surrender and own up to your crimes and at least you can live... well, until your sentence is passed anyway. I have no doubt a monster like you will get the death penalty. Oh wait, maybe you can¡¯t see your situation with only one eye.¡± I provoked him further, knowing an angry opponent was one who made bad decisions.


    ¡°Hah. Hah. Hahahahahahaha!¡± Kondou burst out laughing, surprising me. ¡°I¡¯m going to gouge out one of your eyes and feed it to your woman.¡± He turned to Kiku. ¡°You told me once that you had a secret weapon, one nothing could defeat. Why have you not used it? Are you taking them lightly?¡± Pain flared in her once more, and she vomited a mass of black fluids.


    ¡°I would not dream... of such insolence, Kondou-dono.¡± She gasped. ¡°But... to bring it forth, there will... be grave consequences. The cost...¡±


    ¡°You think I care about the cost to you, foolish woman? I am prepared to pay any price for victory here. Make yourself useful and call forth this weapon.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Kondou-dono, it requires much spiritual power, and your orders before...¡± she began again, but she was silenced by torment once more.


    ¡°Forget what I fucking said before, none of that matters anymore! All that matters is we torture these fuckers to death! Do it, whatever it takes. If your hidden weapon can do it then...¡±


    There was a sickening squelch, and Kondou looked down to see a rusted iron knife jutting from his chest, Kiku¡¯s hand on the hilt.


    Uh, what¡¯s going on? This should be a good turn of events for us, right? then why do I feel such foreboding?


    No, if the fool dies what will happen to the power I have seized? My dreams of creating a paradise of only women, free from men? I cannot let that happen...


    Metal spikes rained down on the vile rat-man, several striking into his scarred body, injuring him. The contraption let out a loud bang, and a metal projectile soared out, missing Kondou and slamming into the wall of the hotel. The bitch she was fighting didn¡¯t miss her chance though, and her pinwheels darted in, only to be met by Kiku¡¯s strongest defence, the interlocking cocoon of rusty iron blades. The pinwheels were trapped within, the wires stuck, but even so it had cost her. Her left leg was cut to the bone, the bone itself fractured, and she could barely put weight on it, while she had also lost an ear, her slowly healing face once more horribly disfigured.


    It hurts, it hurts... still, compared to the worst pain Kondou inflicted upon me, I can bear it. I shall return it to her a hundredfold...


    Her metal cocoon warped, forming a series of metal rings that pinned the wires to the ground, holding them immobile. The bitch saw this and clicked her tongue with annoyance, releasing the handles and pulling free a set of pretty bells and a dagger which shone with bright energy. That dagger is dangerous... Kiku shuddered reflexively.


    Still, if I keep my distance... her blades and spikes of rusted iron surged forwards under her command, and the girl fought them off with blasts of wind and her dagger, which glowed brilliantly as she sliced through a metal spar, the split halves crashing to the ground, the cut surface mirror-smooth.


    Not enough. More power, I need more strength... additional metal spears tore free from the ground, and Kiku trembled with the effort. The girl was starting to accumulate injuries too, minor rips in her yukata revealing bloodied flesh beneath. Even so, the look in her amber eyes was infuriating. Why do you still have belief? Your end approaches!


    More and more metal rose into the air, her previously discarded blades joining the throng, only for a bright flash to sear her vision, and suddenly she was losing control of her iron weapons, many of them dropping to the ground with a series of loud clangs. She found herself lying on her back, a hole punched through her body, the cooked flesh steaming. Pulling herself to her knees she spat hot blood, silver and black smog rising. What... was that?


    The wretched girl smiled despite her own injuries. The knife in her hand glowed, and must have somehow unleashed a blast of light that reached her over the distance between them. Coughing, spitting up more blood, Kiku glared at her hatefully.


    ¡°I told you, did I not-not? Soon death would claim you.¡±


    Kiku smiled then, blood from her mouth making her look even more ghoulish than ever. ¡°Oh, really? How disappointing in the end...¡± Luck is on my side. It is ready...


    ¡°Farewell.¡± Kiku spat, and up above, the Sniper Emplacement that had finally recharged disgorged its bolt, aimed at the head of the girl below. With the head destroyed it¡¯ll be difficult to salvage her spirit... a small reward for defying me so...


    At the last second Shaeula caught the gleam of death coming her way, face going pale. Kiku grinned, awaiting the spray of bone and brain matter that was sure to cascade across the torn ground, only to see Shaeula suddenly catapulted forwards out of the way of the blast, which punched a deep crater in the ground, pulverising some of her metal spikes that lay nearby.


    As Shaeula tumbled, bells flying from her grasp, a cry came from where her husband was fighting. That vile man, the burner, was facing their way, hand outstretched, glow of aether fading. Her husband had struck him, his blade slicing deep into his back. Seeing her gaze, the hateful man gave her a savage grin before bright flame flared, driving her husband back as he wrenched free his blade.


    If he is wounded deeply, the dust will surely corrode and destroy him. What a fool... ¡°Die, vile man, die for the sin of burning me... argh!¡± Kiku cried as a line of light punched into her body, drilling another painful hole in her. The girl dragged herself to her feet, dusting herself off nonchalantly.


    ¡°A nice attempt. I was caught quite-quite unawares.¡± The girl said, strolling closer slowly. ¡°If Akio had not pushed me aside I could have been slain.¡±


    ¡°Well, he will die for that. My husbands¡¯ blade is tainted, the wound will kill him. Besides, I thought he trusted you to handle me?¡±


    ¡°Of course he does.¡± Light began to form on her blade once more and Kiku shivered, grasping for her metal defences. ¡°But even so, he watches out for me, as I do for-for him. That is what love and trust is, no? A shame your husband has not rushed to your defence, is it not-not?¡± her expression chilled Kiku¡¯s heart, and she brought as much metal in front of her as she could, forming a makeshift barrier. ¡°As for him dying... Akio will not fall here. Dying would break my heart, and Eri¡¯s too-too. So he will never allow it.¡±


    ¡°PROTECT ME KONDOU!¡± she cried as light blasted into her defences, hot metal shards flying everywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking busy here myself...¡± Kondou screeched, his body covered on minor wounds. Still, he had driven off the white snakes and their kami, only Ixitt able to resist his waves of pain well enough to fight. ¡°But... ugh, you bitch, when I get free of your domination I¡¯m going to kill you...¡±


    He unleashed a focused burst of pain, lashing it out like a whip, and even though most of it missed the bitch she was still momentarily paralyzed by searing punishment, her muscles spasming like a million fire-ants were biting her all at once. That bought time for Kiku to scurry away and summon more of her blades. Her head was boiling and her pierced and sliced body was aching fiercely. I need to end this quickly, otherwise... Kiku looked down at her wedding ring. I cannot fail here, not after grasping my dreams...


    ********


    I gritted my teeth as the pain hit me, the blade burying itself in my body. Luckily I had been using my wind energies as an armour, so that dangerous-looking dust was blown away before it could enter my wound, and the blow was moved off-target, the angle shallow. Even so... fucking hell, that hurts like a bastard, and it¡¯s sapping my strength... using some of my remaining fire energy I consumed wind and sent a flare outwards, driving the samurai back as he wrenched his blade free to parry a great sweep from Grulgor¡¯s mace. Blade met metal chunk, and it was the blade that won, the embrace of dust finally succeeding in destroying the tired metal.


    Grulgor merely tossed aside the now-headless metal pole and started punching, ignoring the fact his skin was dissolving as his blows landed.


    I¡¯m glad I was keeping an eye on the other battle as well. Shaeula was almost caught off-guard there. It really is miserable fighting on enemy Territory. The thrust of aether I had used to throw her to safety had depleted me a lot as well. Still, that wasn¡¯t the most pressing problem. Just how do I take this bastard down? My weapons are broken, and his body is hard as hell, not to mention the corrosive dust...


    ¡°Swallow Darts Towards Sunset!¡± the samurai skeleton called out, and his sword seemed to shift mid-motion, slipping past the blade of Ulfuric. Still, Ulfuric was a seasoned combatant, and a blast of stone diverted the strike.


    ¡°All right, all in!¡± I cried, using my last fire energy to unleash Foehn. The bright flame gushed over the samurai, his armour starting to melt. For a brief moment I thought that would be enough, until he pronounced another ability.


    ¡°Endless grave dust...¡± a typhoon of dirt and dust began swirling around his feet, and soon the samurai was wreathed in it, the fires of Foehn starting to flicker and fade.


    Uhh, hello, Inextinguishable? I complained internally, as a loss, though on closer inspection I could see the fires weren¡¯t going out, merely that the dust was stripping it off and carrying it to the heavens like twinkling fireflies. It was oddly pretty, but... shit... I crossed my arms in front of me, blocking a savage kick, my arms shivering from the impact, bones creaking.


    ¡°My Kiku, be careful...¡± the samurai muttered, having a moment to observe the battle that was taking place behind us. Bright flashes of light and the ringing of metal on metal were echoing, but it seemed that Shaeula was still pressing her advantage.


    ¡°No time to look away... Swallow Darts Towards Sunset!¡± it was the same move as before, and I barely dodged it, the blade twisting to seek my throat.


    ¡°Stay down, abomination.¡± Ulfuric had abandoned his sword and had switched to his mace, wreathing the head in hardened rock. Several skeletons that had escaped the ongoing brawl around us were pulverised to ether which we greedily grabbed, before the blow slammed into the samurai, cracking several of his ribs and denting his charred armour.


    ¡°You are mighty.¡± Our enemy conceded. ¡°But under the dust of death ... I shall not fall... while my Kiku lives.¡± The stone disintegrated. ¡°Oh how I long to hold her, my hands... on her... skin... around her... throat...¡±


    ¡°Well, I can see a little of why your wife is so messed up. You should treat those you love with care!¡± I wrenched Ulfuric¡¯s sword out of the ground and attacked, but my skills were clearly massively inferior to the samurai, and if not for my wind, I would have been fatally poisoned by the dust, as I suffered numerous wounds, only my high speed keeping me from death. I¡¯m quite a bit faster, but in pure skill I have no way of competing. Even outnumbered he holds us off... Grulgor is weakening rapidly, and his trolls are already out of the fight. Nothing can get close to the dust unless they have a defence like wind or earth...


    ¡°Akio, catch!¡± Shaeula called, and something was spinning towards me, glittering. Even as I caught it, revealing it to be her dagger of light, Shaeula let out a cry, metal slamming into her, knocking her to the ground, blood spraying from her mouth.


    Shit. Shaeula is in trouble... even so, she risked her safety to throw me her precious dagger she loved to wield, and who could turn down her sacrifice? Pouring as much of my aether as I could into the dagger it began to blaze with a brilliant indigo light. On seeing it the samurai faltered for a second, and Grulgor didn¡¯t miss his chance. He seized the enemy in a crushing bear-hug, ignoring the ravaging dust that was disintegrating his flesh.


    ¡°Grul will hold him. Finish this worthless bone-man!¡±


    ¡°Stone bind!¡± Ulfuric slammed the haft of his mace into the ground, and a torrent of mud and stone sprayed up, snaring the samurai¡¯s arm. He flexed and cracks spread but Ulfuric continued to pour in earth energies, repairing it as fast as it was breaking.


    ¡°Go back to your rest.¡± I circulated wind to shield me, thrusting out with all my might, back at the face I head speared so ineffectually before. There was a brief feeling of resistance before the knife slid through bone effortlessly, a deep azure explosion flashing.


    ¡°Husband...!¡± I heard Kiku shrieking, her voice cracking.


    ¡°So... once more I will pass before you... my Kiku. I pray I see you in... my rest...¡±


    What a messed up man. I still don¡¯t know whether he loved or hated her. But then perhaps, neither did he...


    The samurai collapsed into a pile of dust and grave dirt, even his armour dissolving, indigo light melting it down like ice in the sun. in the end all that was left was a single golden ring, and even that shattered, tiny particles drifting away on the breeze. There was ether then, an amount so huge I¡¯d never seen so much from a fallen foe...


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from forty to forty-two.


    As I restored my aether and sent the rest of the huge bounty back to my Territory for safekeeping Grulgor collapsed, lying on the ground, his flesh steaming as it struggled to regenerate. ¡°Good job. Grul... Grul will take a break now...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good job... leave the rest to us.¡± I clutched the knife in my bloodstained hands, turning back to where Shaeula was staring up defiantly at Kiku, a massive array of blades, spears, pikes, metal debris and chunks circling the enraged widow ominously.


    ********


    ¡°My husband... my revenge... it has been taken from me by a man yet again...¡± Kiku raged.


    ¡°You seriously are a fool.¡± The beaten girl looked up at her, her gaze contemptuous. ¡°If you wished your husband to be safe, why did you not-not defend him?¡±


    ¡°I did my best!¡± Kiku protested. ¡°But thanks to you, I was unable...¡±


    ¡°Foolish. There is no-no unable. Just as Akio saw I was in need and risked all to aid me, I gave him what he needed to triumph. If you can not-not even do that, is it really love? I pity you!¡±


    ¡°Throwing away your life for a man. They take everything from us, so why give more? You pity me? I pity you. Is it worth it? You shall die before he can reach out as much as a finger towards you!¡± Kiku was enraged, angrier than even when she had sent her husband to his rest, so long ago. Every scrap of metal she controlled was pulled into the array she was about to crush the stupid bitch with, an inescapable hammer to bludgeon her to a gruesome end.


    ¡°After I have killed you, I shall bring you back and make you kill him with your own...¡± Kiku paused, unable to process what had happened, only to suddenly slide apart into three pieces, her head and upper body both falling free, chunks of her arm also scattering. As her head landed face up, she stared into the rain of falling metal, seeing glittering green wires dancing.


    ¡°Oh, I see. How foolish... I should not have taken all my iron...¡± a single tear ran down her cheeks. ¡°Husband... I shall... see you soon... in Yomi...¡± and her eyes closed with those final words, everything going dark, before she burst into a shower of ether...


    ********


    As I ran towards her I watched as Shaeula channelled wind into her pinwheels, the wires effortlessly slicing Kiku apart. Ether burst out, another great flood, and I felt relief as Shaeula staggered to her feet. That isn¡¯t good for my heart... still, it¡¯s over now, right?


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from forty-two to forty-three.


    If I¡¯ve gained three levels, Shaeula should be level-capped again now. I¡¯d like to see her brother push her around now... Rushing to Shaeula I was scooping her up into my arms, when something flew past me. It was Ixitt, who hit the ground hard, before rolling over and coughing incessantly, one arm bent the wrong way, blood matting his fur.


    ¡°Haha, the bitch is dead! I¡¯m free!¡± Kondou Kazuo screamed, wrenching the dagger-nail free from his body. Turning his bloodshot gaze on us, his one remaining eye filled with madness, he spat silvery blood. ¡°I may have lost here, all my hard work destroyed, but I¡¯ll rebuild it all, better than ever! But first...¡± he sneered at us. ¡°I know where you fuckers live and who you are. I¡¯m not sure how the fuck you beat the yakuza, but I have money and connections, and first thing I¡¯m going to do when I get out of here is use them to make sure you two die painfully...¡±


    ¡°I think not-not...¡± Shaeula sighed, pulling the dagger-nail from her sash and hurling it forwards, guided by her wind. It slammed into Kondou right where he had removed the blade Kiku had pierced him with.


    ¡°Obey all my orders with no complaints¡± Shaeula demanded, the befuddling winds surging stronger than I had ever felt, the jade, emerald and olivine energies sucked into the nail that bound Kondou. For a second he struggled, blood splashing from his wounds, but then he nodded unwillingly. ¡°As you command.¡±


    On seeing our last foe bound, Shaeula looked up and me and kissed my bloodied lips, her own metallic taste on my tongue. ¡°Love conquers all, I see-see.¡±


    At her words I had to chuckle. Clutching her tight I looked at the furious yet helpless bastard before us and leaked out a long sigh.


    Finally... now it MUST be over...

 One Hundred And Sixty-One

    One Hundred And Sixty-One


    ¡°You remain here and cause us no-no problems.¡± Shaeula ordered Kondou, who scowled, struggling to speak, but her earlier order prevented him from talking back to her. In the end he nodded, and Shaeula looked away, satisfied.


    ¡°Time to take stock then.¡± As the last of the skeletons were felled by Ulfuric and the Jade Beetle, I assessed our losses. Three mages had been overrun and slain when their elemental wind was depleted, and one unlucky musician had fallen from the Beetle and was trampled, four new orbs of light faintly glowing around Shaeula, our aether slowly trickling into them. All in all, fairly modest losses for a fight of this scale. I¡¯d feel terrible if they weren¡¯t able to be restored though. Thank the gods for Kin Restoration... Shaeula and her broken cheat skills for the win.


    Other than that we had many injuries. I went over to Ixitt, who was in bad shape, and using the aether I had recovered I used Ether Healing to restore his broken arms and crushed ribs. He was still hurt, but now he should recover smoothly.


    ¡°Keh. My, keh-keh, thanks. At the end he surprised me. Still, it is fascinating to see how the princess is controlling, keh-keh, him now. It requires further study.¡±


    Seeing Ixitt still so consumed by the search for knowledge I had to smile. I was about to move on when Ulfuric called out to me.


    ¡°I fear the trolls are in danger. They are weakening rapidly, their bodies poisoned by the dust element.¡±


    Shit, we can¡¯t afford to lose them, they aren¡¯t replaceable, as Shaeula doesn¡¯t or can¡¯t consider them kin... rushing over, Shaeula and Ixitt on my heels, I inspected the first troll, who was regenerating slowly, though his flesh was blackened and necrotic. I turned to Grulgor then, but his situation looked nowhere near as bad, his stronger powers fighting off the taint slowly.


    Ugh, this looks terrible. I trickled in aether, but the dust interfered with it, causing the effect to weaken significantly. Still, I could speed up the rapid regeneration trolls were known for, so that gave me an idea. ¡°Sorry about this...¡± I muttered, using the dagger of light to cut away the damaged flesh, aether then promoting the growth of clean muscle and skin. The troll thrashed in agony, but after I had removed most of the toxins, it settled down.


    I moved to the next troll, and after a while I was exhausted, only able to keep going due to the large amount of ether that I could convert, left over from the death of the widow of nails. Once I was done with the trolls I tended to the injuries Shaeula and I had, as well as the others. It was several hours of tough work, and had used a good chunk of ether, but the rewards had been excellent. Shaeula had worked as an assistant after the first troll, her eyes and Chirurgery able to aid my precision, and by working together on numerous injuries we had both gained in skill.


    Your Skill, Ether Healing has advanced from Rank 3 to Rank 4. Your ability to heal your own injuries and those of others has increased significantly, repairing damage to subtle bodies. Your subtle bodies will draw in a further increased rate of ether from their surroundings and automatically repair themselves, and your resistance to elemental damage has increased. You also have a moderate resistance to harmful substances and foreign matter. Your affinity for the darkness, earth and dust elements and the understanding of ????????? has also increased. [Class: ???}


    Earth element, huh? Helpful, as gaining that ability is one of my near-future goals. As I pondered that Shaeula started boasting about her own gains. ¡°My Aetheric Chirurgery has increased. Surely as I am Pledged to you, I find myself able to follow-follow your aether as you direct it. Or perhaps we are merely so well-well matched.¡± She grinned, exhausted but satisfied. I rubbed her head in response, and she made noises of pleasure.


    ¡°All right. emergency aid is done.¡± I swallowed the rest of the ether that I hadn¡¯t used up, restoring a little aether and sending the rest back to my Territory. ¡°Now there are only a couple of matters remaining. Ulfuric, Ixitt, you are with me. The rest of you, when the trolls and Grulgor are able to move, head back to our Territory. We¡¯ll finish up here.¡±


    The White Snake kami, who had recovered from the pain that had taken him out of the battle, hissed his assent, glad to be able to return to his sanctuary at Shirohebizumi shrine. With that done... yeah, them... ¡°The battle is over, you can come down now.¡± I called, and moments later the ghostly woman drifted down from the sky, followed by three other faint spectres. She was clearly afraid, her transparent visage pale even for a ghost, and her eyes were darting to the heaps of iron in the spot Kiku had perished. She looked... lost, uncertain, forlorn.


    ¡°I... what... what do I do?¡± she said sorrowfully, the other silent spectres flitting around her like skittish birds.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer that for you.¡± I tried to comfort her. ¡°I don¡¯t claim to be able to fully understand your suffering, but when your light touched me... your end was tragic. Being a man, I can¡¯t fully understand what you went through, but you have my sympathies, for what it¡¯s worth.¡±


    She nodded at that, so I continued. ¡°First... do you want revenge on the man that killed you?¡± at my words, Kondou started to protest, filled with rage, but Shaeula ordered him to be silent, and with a murderous glare he snapped shut his mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone could blame you, the man is a monster who deserves it. I certainly wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over his death.¡± People who abused and hurt women were those I hated above all others, probably due to my closeness with Eri and my sis.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... I¡¯m already dead.¡± She shook her head, ghostly tears running down her face. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t achieve anything. And now... Kiku is gone too. Vengeance... it did her no good. I understand, she was going to kill you, but... she was cruel, but she did care for me, in her own way. I have to believe that. I have to believe there was some meaning in all this... this cruelty.¡±


    ¡°All right. We¡¯ll leave that aside for now. the way I see it then is you have two options. The first is... you can move on. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s a heaven or a hell, some sort of afterlife. Maybe this is it, but I don¡¯t think so and really hope not. Still, if this isn¡¯t what you wanted, if you are tired of the pain, I can send you to your rest. And if not... you can always come with us. I don¡¯t mind taking you girls in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just... just so tired.¡± She sobbed. ¡°Ever since that night when I had the strange dream, my life has spiralled into hell! Being around people, I could hear what they were thinking, feel what they felt. The constant noises in my head, it was ... it was awful. I tried medication, therapy, nothing helped. I thought... I thought I was mad. But seeing this... I can¡¯t be, can I? What did I do to deserve this? It isn¡¯t fair...¡±


    A strange dream, gaining powers? Surely not... but it must be...


    ¡°My daddy... err, my father, he tried to help me, I¡¯m all he has, after mother died in that accident. But even he was frustrated, he didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with me. He wanted me to go into politics, I wanted it too, I studied hard, was working towards my goals, but... but it¡¯s all for nothing now.¡±


    I wanted to console her, but it was hard to know what to say. She had died so cruelly, ripped away from her life and family. Those who chose Astral Emperor-candidates have a lot to answer for. Some, like this girl, they aren¡¯t equipped for this. And then we have monsters like Kondou...


    ¡°My name is... no, it was Suzuki Haru. Now I¡¯m dead I don¡¯t suppose I have a name. My father is Suzuki Akimitsu. He¡¯s minister of finance in the Diet. If I have one regret... it¡¯s that daddy... my father, he¡¯ll be crushed, so terribly lonely, without me. And he might never know what happened to me.¡± She suddenly bowed, her ghostly form on the ground, her ethereal tears dripping. ¡°If I had one wish... I want you to tell my daddy I love him, and that I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m dead. Then... then I can pass on.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we need to finish up here. His Anchor must be in the building somewhere. When it¡¯s destroyed, Shaeula will take you back to my Territory. And... if I can work out how, I¡¯ll let your father know you love him still.¡± It¡¯s going to be tough when he finds out she¡¯s dead when Kondou confesses... how will he react when she returns in a Material body? Ugh... my head hurts thinking about the problems with it all, but for an Astral Emperor-candidate on my side, it¡¯s worth the effort...


    The inside of the hotel was just as vile as the outside, ropey tentacles and heaps of muscle in the corridors. Still, at least Ixitt was enjoying himself, marvelling at the few Buildings we found within. When we reached the top floor, dozens of flesh and crystal structures drew our attention, with the centrepiece being a pillar studded with multiple glittering gems.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. Fascinating. I could study this for a long time.¡± Ixitt grinned, fussing over the Anchor.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I want to finish this up, so you¡¯ll have to give it a miss.¡± I joked, getting a chagrined grumble in response. ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of opportunities for research later, on other Territories. This one has to go.¡± With that I strode up to the Anchor, and using the blade of light, I drew on my aether, an indigo glow radiating out brilliantly. ¡°Finally, we can stop worrying about invasions for a while.¡± I whipped my arm forwards and the pillar cracked, some gems shattering. My next blow cut into the flesh, darkness gushing free, and then on my third and final blow the Anchor exploded, all of the remaining buildings around it dissolving into a mass of ether.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from forty-three to forty-four.


    Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 3 to level 5.


    Your League has increased.


    Sending the large quantity of Ether back to my Territory, finding it easier to absorb it than ever, I welcomed the messages. Rewards for my hard work. Nothing is sweeter than levelling up. I probably have a little time before I have to wake up back in the police station...


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to check our gains quickly, then I¡¯m off. You can handle everything, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I shall settle in our new recruits.¡± She said proudly.


    ¡°All right then...¡±


    There hadn¡¯t been a huge amount of changes, but what I had gained was pretty good. All my basic stats went up by a little over sixty points, while Aether was double that. Ether Healing and Aether Manipulation had improved as well, and my Wind Spear Technique had evolved to an elemental one, probably because I was using flame quite a bit as well. I had also picked up the first rank of Sword Technique, the teachings of Ulfuric and watching the samurai use his great skills pushing my understanding high enough to register.


    Oh wait, that¡¯s a surprise. I also noticed my lunar chakra had levelled up too, giving me a significant boost to my generation of wind and flame. All in all, it was impossible to complain about my gains.


    ¡°I am impressed, Akio. But I feel you will be equally pleased with my growth.¡± Shaeula hugged me, causing Haru-san to look away, embarrassed, while Ixitt snickered in his usual hacking way.


    ¡°Let me see then...¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t kidding.¡± I hugged her tighter. ¡°You¡¯ve powered up a ton. Your lunar chakra has increased in potency, as has your solar plexus chakra. Stat boosts across the board, and your befuddling winds have jumped two ranks. No wonder you can command that bastard Kondou Kazuo.¡±


    ¡°There is still much-much room to grow.¡± Shaeula snuggled me. ¡°Still, I am exhausted, having drained all my wind binding that disgusting male. I need a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you see everyone back to our Territory, now the threat is gone, why not take a break, play some games, have some beer? You deserve it.¡±


    ¡°I shall do that.¡± Shaeula affirmed. ¡°But will you be fine-fine, Akio? If those police mistreat you, I shall chastise them harshly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ve got a plan. I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± With a final hug and kiss I departed for the Material once more, opening my eyes to a bloodstained bed. Oh yeah, my back got cut up, right? With Ether Healing I didn¡¯t think much of it. Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, I have bigger things to worry about today...


    Looking at the morning sun leaking through the windows of my admittedly rather cosy cell, I waited for the police to come and question me...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Two

    One Hundred And Sixty-Two


    ¡°Ugh, are you all right? That¡¯s a lot of blood.¡± The officer that came to bring me breakfast observed as he saw the bloodstained sheets of the bed I had been sleeping in.


    ¡°It looks like my wounds opened up a bit overnight.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I did take a bit of a battering, I was against a mob of yakuza, after all.¡± Well, actually it was an undead samurai, but I¡¯m not telling you that...


    ¡°Seriously, Oshiro-san, you should have let us take you to a hospital.¡± the officer moaned as he passed over my breakfast. I started to dig in as the officer continued complaining. ¡°It was already against procedure to bring in an injured man. If you were to take a turn for the worse in custody, the paperwork alone...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly under arrest, am I? So I have no need to follow orders. Like I said last night, I¡¯m pretty damn tough. Hey, this is pretty good!¡± I enjoyed the rice balls and miso soup I had been provided. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d love it if you could just let me go, I have an awful lot of things to take care of, and time is precious.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to do that.¡± Inspector Sato said as he entered the room. On seeing my bloodstained bed and t-shirt, he frowned. ¡°Seriously, you really are tough. It makes me wonder...¡± at that he shook his head. ¡°Anyway, when you have finished your breakfast, we¡¯ll be taking you to an interview room. We have a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± I agreed in-between more mouthfuls. ¡°But first, if I could call a lawyer, I¡¯d appreciate it. I may not be under arrest, but I¡¯m feeling rather upset at my treatment over saving an innocent family from criminals.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± The officer clicked his tongue in annoyance, and the inspector sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t feel the need for counsel, Oshiro-san, but constitutionally there is no issue.¡±


    After that I was escorted to the same room I made a call from last night. Pulling out my wallet I retrieved a card I had been given in Las Vegas, and quickly dialled the number. I imagine this should work out. If not I¡¯ll have to get a public defender which isn¡¯t ideal...


    After a few rings someone picked up on the other side, sounding a little wary. ¡°Chase Midas Gold, Japan Tokyo Branch. Takahashi James. May I ask who is calling?¡± James, huh? Possibly a half, or maybe a name used to appeal more to Americans, as Chase is an American bank.


    ¡°Oh, good morning, Takahashi-san. My name is Oshiro Moonstone Akio. I was given your number by Ms Connors as someone to call if I had any issues.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oshiro-san. Yes, Jennifer-san did indeed let me know about your enrolment in Midas Gold. Congratulations. I had been waiting for a call, so, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Err, well, this is going to come across as strange... but...¡± I swallowed nervously, biting the bullet. ¡°... do you have access to lawyers? Criminal kinds, for... well, support when being interviewed by the police? I could use one right now, and I¡¯m of course willing to pay the fees and any measure for inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is quite the introductory call.¡± Takahashi-san answered after a pause. ¡°We do of course keep all sorts of lawyers and solicitors on retainer. Are... are you in legal trouble, Oshiro-san?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not under arrest, no, but unfortunately there was a surprising incident last night, which has led to the police having questions for me, as well as some doubts about my use of self-defence. My actions were entirely justified, but I¡¯m sure you know how the Japanese legal system can be, Takahashi-san. I¡¯m too busy to be detained any longer than I need to be.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case I¡¯ll put in a call and will have one sent over as soon as possible. Which station are you in?¡±Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com


    I exchanged details with Takahashi-san, glad that my gamble had paid off. After that, the Detective returned and escorted me back to an interview room. As he sat me down he asked me a question. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go through what happened with us? It will save you a lot of money on fees. And if you are worried about trouble with your bosses, we can offer protection if you testify...¡±


    ¡°Nice try.¡± I cut him off. ¡°All I¡¯m going to say is I¡¯m not involved with any criminal activity. We¡¯ll take this up again when my lawyer arrives, all right?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t blame me for trying, Oshiro-san. My offer still stands though.¡± with that Inspector Sato left me alone in the room, kicking my heels, nothing to do. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been lazing about alone. Somehow it makes me feel uncomfortable, wasting time. Since when did I become such a workaholic? Using the time wisely I started to use Ether Healing on my injuries, closing them up still further.


    Around forty-five minutes later, the door opened, and the officer from the morning was showing in a bald man who looked in his late forties, with a pair of expensive-looking black-rimmed shades that matched the colour of his elegant suit. In his hands was a briefcase, and everything about him just screamed high-rank Lawyer.


    Looks like Midas Gold came through for me. I¡¯ll have to thank Buck and Ms Connors properly one of these days...


    ¡°I would like some privacy before my client is interviewed.¡± The lawyer said, his voice deep and resonant. At his words the officer nodded, looking nervous.


    ¡°Of course. Ring the intercom when you are ready.¡±


    ¡°So, to business then.¡± The lawyer sat down opposite me as the door shut behind him.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be great. I must say, you got here quicker than I expected.¡±


    The lawyer looked a little puzzled at that, before placing down his briefcase on the table. ¡°I should introduce myself. I am Omori Takanobu. I have been asked to come here by an interested party.¡±


    Interested party? Is that a fancy way of saying Midas Gold?


    ¡°Yeah, I appreciate this. I felt awkward calling in a favour from Midas Gold so soon after being accepted, but the situation is a little... special.¡±


    There was a long silence, Omori-san pushing the glasses up his nose as he thought, before he spoke. ¡°I feel there has been a misunderstanding. I have no connection to any financial institution. I am a lawyer working directly under Fujiwara house. When we received information that you were... a person of interest... shall we say, in a certain case, I was tasked to come here and offer my assistance.¡±


    That threw me for a loop. Uh, who is interested in me? Still, it couldn¡¯t be denied that I needed a lawyer, the police were not inclined to believe my story, and I couldn¡¯t entirely say I blamed them.


    ¡°So, let me get this straight? Someone has been keeping track of me, and sent you to help me. Do I have it right?¡±


    ¡°Fujiwara-sama felt you would have trouble understanding. So I have prepared this.¡± He opened his briefcase and pulled out a photograph. It looked like a family shot, with grandfather, father, mother and two children. But the children... I¡¯ve seen them before. At the restaurant when we celebrated our victory in the Trial of Three, and... Shaeula¡¯s engagement. Hoping I wasn¡¯t blushing, I nodded, before realising... no way. I was cagey, but we spoke to them a little about Boundary-related matters...


    ¡°I see you recognise them. Allow me to explain. Fukumoto Hinata-sama reported your meeting to her cousin in Takatsukasa House, while Fukumoto Hiroto-sama spoke directly to the head of the house. From there, information passed to Fujiwara-sama.¡±


    Damn, I did want to make more allies, but I was also trying to be careful about the spread of information. Now more than ever I realise the danger of too much knowledge getting out. The last thing I want is more violence in the Material, there¡¯s too much chance of friends and family getting caught up in it...


    ¡°I can see you are displeased. Rest assured that however I came to be here and whoever I work for, I am still a professional.¡± He soothed me with his relaxing voice. ¡°Everything we discuss will be strictly confidential, secure under professional privilege. Of course, I have also been asked to give you a message from Fujiwara-sama himself. If you have no objections?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then.¡±


    ¡°Fujiwara-sama would like you to be aware he has knowledge of your circumstances, and the nature of the temples and shrines, and what they seek with their conclave. He hopes that you would be prepared to meet with him to discuss issues of mutual benefit.¡±


    That¡¯s pretty vague, but mentioning temples and shrines specifically in terms of conclave...


    ¡°Great, I¡¯d like to request her then. I¡¯ll pay all relevant fees and costs for such short notice. I need someone I can trust and confidentiality on this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... illegal... is it?¡± Nomura-san asked, and I laughed that off.


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll be above board, but I need it watertight and free from issues. For that I¡¯m prepared to pay.¡± Not with my money though...


    ¡°It seems we should be done soon, unless they have some evidence worth holding you over.¡± Omori-san mused. ¡°So we may as well get this over with.¡±


    As we all agreed, the police came back in. This time they had a DVD with them, which they slotted into the monitor in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯d be very interested to see what you thought of this, Oshiro-san.¡± Detective Kato said, eyeing me seriously. ¡°The picture quality gets a bit bad, but even so...¡±


    The monitor displayed a scene I recognised, the building site at Shirohebizumi shrine. It was dark and a bit hard to see, but it was clearly a gang of people starting fires amidst the machinery and building supplies. Soon flames had sprouted, and smoke was spreading.


    ¡°The next bit is interesting.¡± Kato promised, and I had an idea of what it would show. As the smoke thickened, a shadow darted into shot, inhumanely fast. It was hard to see clearly, but it was me. I quickly subdued the yakuza violently, even smashing one¡¯s head in with their own metal barrel, before racing out of shot. The footage was then shut off.


    ¡°We managed to extract this footage.¡± Detective Kato was taking the lead now. ¡°Seems like there is something wrong with the camera, the footage seems a bit sped up, but even so, what do you know? One man taking down a mob of yakuza. It seems impossible, but the truth is there in black and white, well, mostly black, but still...¡±


    It isn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. Though if they analyse the video properly they¡¯ll see that it isn¡¯t sped up, as everything else is moving at normal speed...


    ¡°My client did tell you he was skilled.¡± Omori-san interjected. ¡°And I see no evidence he did more than subdue them, even if his blows were powerful. I think your footage helps prove his words are nothing but the truth.¡± Beside him Nomura-san chimed in his agreement.


    ¡°Maybe so. I think the Inspector is going to have to let this one drop. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m too sorry to see yakuza off the streets, though the taxpayers having to foot all their hospital bills... nasty. Still...¡± he looked at me then, as if he knew I was hiding something. ¡°There were a few injuries that looked very strange. One poor bastard had all his fingers sliced off. Didn¡¯t look like a blade, either...¡±


    ¡°Well, I had to turn their own weapons on them a few times. I can¡¯t say how every injury was caused.¡±


    ¡°Is that so, is that so?¡± he mused, insincerely, I thought. ¡°It¡¯s just... that shrine is pretty close to another area, where a similar, if much smaller incident happened. A girl was harassed by some street punks. And there were similar unexplained injuries there. Now, I¡¯m not too sad for the perpetrators, they confessed to harassing women and worse, even if the confession was strange. But the thing is, the law is the law. Vigilantism leads to nothing good. So, Oshiro-san, do you happen to have anything to say about such an incident?¡±


    Shit, I knew it would come back to me in the end. Time for my Majesty and Charm to start doing something for me...


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer that.¡± Omori-san advised, but I waved him away regally, trying to maintain a position of charming authority.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind helping out our police. Helping out. I agree, we need law and order. However, the law can¡¯t always protect us, can it? If I hadn¡¯t been home, or was a deeper sleeper, you¡¯d be running a murder enquiry now, with children and young women as victims. I don¡¯t believe that any man can stand by idly when people in front of them are in danger, especially women or children. I have a sister I treasure, and a girlfriend too...¡± well, two... ¡°... and I would hope that if they were in danger and someone walked by, they would do what is right. Those that commit criminal acts are risking punishment, and while it should definitely not be excessive, and fit to the crime, risking the safety of innocents just to make sure a criminal doesn¡¯t suffer unnecessarily is utter idiocy. Those who need our protection should always come first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so cool!¡± Officer Usui gasped despite herself, her face red, and everyone around me looked impressed, my words imperious. Still, the Detective shook it off after a minute. ¡°So, is that a confession?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that if I saw a girl in danger, and I wasn¡¯t able to guarantee she¡¯d be safe if I looked for law enforcement, I¡¯d step in, like any self-respecting person with the power to save them should. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°My client isn¡¯t under arrest, or suspected of any criminal activities. This speculative fishing is uncalled for.¡± Omori-san broke into the stunned silence, my presence, which was momentarily overwhelming, fading away. ¡°Unless you intend to charge Oshiro-san with excessive self-defence, which would be VERY hard to justify in light of the testimony and even the footage we have seen, I suggest we wrap this up.¡±


    ¡°Just a few more things.¡± Detective Kato stopped us. ¡°I¡¯m curious if you know anything about these.¡± He produced three photographs of strange murder victims. ¡°The third one happened only the other day. They have very... interesting... wound patters, unexplainable, really. I just find them intriguingly similar to the injuries in your incidents... sorry, incident, I forgot the other was nothing to do with you.¡±


    Yeah, you don¡¯t believe that. Still, I knew what they probably were. Boundary deaths. They were probably failed candidates to be Astral Emperors. Still, I couldn¡¯t share it, so I was honest and said I¡¯d never seen them before.


    ¡°I see. And what about these? Missing persons are up in Tokyo significantly over the last month. Suicides too.¡± He showed me a dozen more photographs, and I skimmed through them until...


    Ugh, this one looks like Haru-san...


    ¡°So, you recognise her?¡± he asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty certain I¡¯ve seen her around somewhere. I can¡¯t remember when though... she¡¯s decently pretty, so I remember her face.¡±


    ¡°Pig...¡± Officer Usui mouthed. I know she¡¯s tired, but she¡¯s... not very professional...


    ¡°Is that it? I see.¡± Kato sighed. After I had scanned the rest of the photographs, not seeing anything else, he put them away. ¡°Well, this was interesting, if not as productive as I had hoped. Still, if you remember anything, or would like to get some things off your chest, call me. Night or day.¡± he handed me a card with his details which I took. ¡°Oh, one last question. You are rebuilding the shrine lands, right? That must be costing a pretty penny. Inspector Sato pulled your files, and your family isn¡¯t rich, and neither should you be. Where did the money come from?¡±


    ¡°I can field that one.¡± Nomura-san smiled. ¡°Oshiro-san¡¯s money is from a known, clean source, and has been taxed at a proper rate. There is no criminal involvement whatsoever, but the details are confidential of course. Still, rest assured, if it ever came to any sort of attestation in court, we would be able to make it irrefutably.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well then, I¡¯m done. Thanks for your time, Inspector. Come on, Officer Usui. We have more work to do.¡± As the two left, the girl grumbling, Inspector Sato had no choice but to let me go, although he warned me I may be needed for further help if they found new evidence, and they would be looking.


    ¡°Well, that was successful. A job well done. it¡¯s been an honour to work with such a distinguished lawyer, Takanobu-sama.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± He answered.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll give you a call, probably this evening, if that¡¯s all right?¡± I asked Nomura-san and he agreed to arrange his junior for the contract work. His eyes betrayed his curiosity at what I wanted done, but he was too professional to ask. After he said his goodbyes and left, I was alone with the lawyer from Fujiwara house.


    ¡°So, that video. I noticed it did not appear to be sped up. You were moving at a clearly faster rate than everyone else. The police must have noticed it too, but... well, it isn¡¯t a crime to be fast, even if it seemed improbable. I doubt you have left their radar though. Expect them to be digging into you and watching your every move from now on.¡±


    Yeah, and I don¡¯t want that, not at all...


    ¡°So if I may suggest...¡± he handed me an invitation. ¡°Fujiwara-sama is holding a gathering of the upper class on Saturday. I suggest you attend. Fujiwara-sama¡¯s support would be more than capable of making any issues such as this disappear. Now, if you will excuse me...¡±


    As he left I looked down at the invitation. Getting involved with powerful people has a lot of risks, but not having friends in high places has them too...

 Side Forty-Five – Izumi Kana

    Side Forty-Five ¨C Izumi Kana


    The minute homeroom was over, her friends rushed over to her desk, concern writ on their faces. Mio-chan and Asami-chan were followed over by several other girls curiously.


    ¡°So, are you all right, Kana-chan?¡± Mio-chan asked. ¡°There was a fire up on the hill near your shrine last night, right? There were fire engines and everything...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope it wasn¡¯t your shrine.¡± Asami-chan chimed in. ¡°it would be horrible if your home burnt down. There¡¯s too much bad luck going around the shrines at the moment.¡± Her glance went to the empty seat where Kikuchi-san usually sat. She¡¯s still not back. I keep my ears open at home, so I¡¯ve heard Akio-kun discussing it... it looks like something bad happened at her shrine, just like it nearly did to ours... she shivered then, memories of last night coming back to her, making her feel sick. Sweat was beading her brow, and the dark rings under her eyes couldn¡¯t fully be covered by make-up. I must look awful. I hate that. I¡¯ve always got to be pretty. After all, if I¡¯m not beautiful, what worth do I have?


    She couldn¡¯t help dwelling on what Shaeula and Mori-san had said to her. It¡¯s annoying. I don¡¯t need them to tell me what to do... Forcing a smile as close to her usual as she could manage, she reassured her friends. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t our shrine that caught fire, just the new construction site. There was some damage, but big bro will pay for it...¡±


    ¡°Still calling him Big bro, huh?¡± Mio-chan leaned in, grinning. ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned him before right? He¡¯s investing a lot in your shrine. Maybe he likes you. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that an older guy gets in with the parents of a girl, flashes the cash and then suggests an engagement to tie the families together. It¡¯s kind of romantic, I think. What do you say Asami-chan?¡±


    ¡°Well, older men do really like you, Kana-chan.¡± Asami-chan giggled, relieved that the fire hadn¡¯t caused too much damage. ¡°So maybe she¡¯s right. Do you think it could be that? I can¡¯t imagine you getting married so soon. But more importantly, you said he was rich, and I remember he was pretty hot in the photo you showed us. Is he into you? I can¡¯t blame him if he is.¡±


    ¡°A photo? Cool, I want to see!¡± a classmate said, and several others who Kana had scarce dealings with had echoed her.


    This line of questioning is annoying. I can¡¯t believe I slipped and called him big bro at school... but is he hot? The figure of Akio-kun as he stormed in to save them, blood leaking from many wounds, the sheer fury he displayed at the yakuza who were trying to hurt her... at that moment, when I¡¯d abandoned all hope... damn, I knew I shouldn¡¯t have come to school today, I think I¡¯m coming down with a fever. She had wanted to skip the day entirely, and it would have been justified after the horrible experience she had been through, but little Marika-chan, the serious little cutie, despite being even more scared and shaken up, she had insisted on attending her new school. So what could I do? I¡¯d have looked really lame not going when Marika-chan managed...


    ¡°She¡¯s clammed up. Really suspicious!¡± Mio-chan smirked.


    ¡°And look how red she is! I bet she¡¯s thinking about this big bro right now! Maybe there is something going on after all, right, right? Denials are sus-pic-ious!¡±


    Asami-chan was nodding annoyingly, and it snapped Kana out of her thoughts. Rubbing at her face she snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not blushing. I¡¯m not! It was a really tiring night last night, so maybe I¡¯m just feeling a bit sick. I think I should go to the nurses office...¡±


    ¡°Before that, you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Asami-chan continued. ¡°So, is he into you? I¡¯m curious. He bought you that hairclip too, if I remember right. It¡¯s a bit... forward... for just a souvenir if you ask me.¡±


    Of course you remember. Stop trying to fish for information. Still... ¡°Big bro... err, Akio-kun, he is handsome and strong. But...¡± The way he beat down those yakuza who were lusting over me. I only wish he¡¯d have hurt them more...


    ¡°Oh, first name basis, huh?¡± one other girl said, and a ripple of laughter spread around the classroom. Now only the shiest or most disinterested girls weren¡¯t crowded around her desk.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She said acerbically. Somehow this line of questioning is super annoying. ¡°He has a fiance?e anyway. In fact, he has two! So what you are thinking won¡¯t happen, okay!¡± Just thinking about Mori-san pisses me off. And when I think of Shaeula... I do like her, but... I get a prickly feeling in my chest. I don¡¯t like it. I¡¯m Izumi Kana, most beautiful girl in school and this whole suburb! I¡¯m not jealous of her, not at all!


    ¡°No way, two fiance?es? You must be lying.¡± A girl snorted. ¡°This isn¡¯t the pre-war era with concubines. If you don¡¯t want to be honest I think it¡¯s definitely suspicious. Maybe there is something going on. To think Izumi-san would fall for a man...¡±


    It isn¡¯t like that! It isn¡¯t! I want a guy who can dedicate everything to me and me alone. I will admit, he is pretty cool though. Shaeula and Mori-san will never be short of money, and if anyone threatened them... she felt her face going hot again, imagining Akio-kun defeating hordes of thugs who offended his girls...


    ¡°She¡¯s turning bright red again, how adorable.¡± Yet another girl snickered.


    I am not! Seriously, I am supposed to be the one making the jokes, not the butt of them! ¡°Ugh, fine. Here.¡± She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures, finding one that had Akio-kun, Shaeula and Mori-san all in shot. Shaeula sends so many photographs. Luckily she took some at that restaurant the other night.


    ¡°Here. I¡¯ll put this to rest. Those two are his fiance?es. So he isn¡¯t interested in me.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, they are gorgeous...¡± Mio-chan whistled. ¡°And two of them, just like you said...¡±


    ¡°But... how can he get away with that? It¡¯s obvious they both know about each other. I don¡¯t get it...¡± Asami-chan was puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s... complicated.¡± Kana muttered sourly. ¡°But both of them are good friends and head-over-heels for Akio-kun, so... they came to an agreement to share him. How they¡¯ll work out which is the legal wife isn¡¯t any of my business. I hope it¡¯s Shaeula though...¡± she said quietly at the end.


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that mean this guy is polygamous?¡± one girl piped up. ¡°So Izumi-san, him having two fiance?es, maybe he thinks you¡¯ll be his third?¡±


    Ugh, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he does end up with more women, Shaeula is really pushy that way, and it would serve Mori-san right, but... no, I¡¯m not considering it. I¡¯ve always had my own dream relationship plan...


    ¡°This is all very well.¡± One of the reticent girls spoke up from her desk. ¡°I get why you might find this kind of talk fun, but... I heard that the police were all over Shirohebizumi shrine last night, and ambulances were pulling away non-stop...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard that too, but I thought it was just rumours about the fire getting out of hand?¡± another girl piped up.


    Ugh, I don¡¯t want to think about last night again. Still... ¡°I don¡¯t know what you heard but... yeah, there was some trouble. A gang of yakuza were the ones that set the fires. It got a bit scary...¡± Kana was trembling a little, causing her two friends to hold her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you are all right.¡± Mio-chan said, and Asami-chan nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Might as well clear the rumours up.¡± Kana came up with a convincing story. ¡°I think they might have got wind of the land deal and were tyring to pressure my parents to sell up to them. Tokyo land is worth a ton, right?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± One girl agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen TV shows where yakuza do similar stuff. So, how did you get out of it?¡±


    ¡°Big bro... he... well he saved us. There was a mob of them that broke into the shrine. They hit my parents, and...¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Marika-san promised, though she still looked pale. ¡°I should not miss school, after all, I am new there. I promised mother, father and grandfather I would do my best here, for myself and for the glory of Chairo-sama, the kami of our shrine.¡±


    ¡°You really are a very polite speaker. So old-fashioned. It¡¯s cute, I guess...¡± Kana allowed. ¡°Anyway, if you want to talk about it...¡± she echoed the offer Karen-san had given her. ¡°... I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    ¡°No... no.¡± she shook her head. ¡°It was awful, but Akio-sama proved able to defend us, even from such terrible troubles. I am reassured.¡±


    Yeah, you may say that, and even think that, but I can see the little trembles that show you are still not over it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit early for dinner yet. I know, why don¡¯t we go and play with Shaeula? She should be out the back, right?¡±


    Before Marika-chan could protest Kana grabbed her hand and led her to the building her big bro and Shaeula had moved into. It had also been repaired during the course of the day, causing her to sigh at the amount of money they were wasting. I wish they¡¯d spend it on me... still, I can understand wanting to erase any traces of what happened last night...


    ¡°Hey, Shaeula, are you here?¡± she called, and moments later an answer came from the back.


    ¡°Kana, is that you? I am indeed here. I thought I would take-take a break after a hard night.¡±


    Hard? You weren¡¯t even awake for the yakuza. Taking off her shoes, Marika-chan following suit, they went inside, to Shaeula¡¯s room, to find her playing video games on her television, while a laptop was open, and she was using it with her other hand. Wait, is that...?


    ¡°I thought gambling was illegal? Plus isn¡¯t it a waste of money?¡±


    Shaeula shrugged, eyes still on her game as she played one-handed. ¡°It is of little moment. We harm none-none using this... a VPN, I believe Akio called it? As for a waste...¡± she smirked. ¡°Feel free to watch.¡±


    She was running six different sites at once, all under big bro¡¯s name, and her winning ratio... uh, she must be cheating somehow. That REALLY can¡¯t be legal. She wins most spins... seeing money piling up in all six accounts Kana sat down on the bed, envious of her winnings. Beside her Marika-chan perched on a chair, silently.


    ¡°I am very lucky indeed.¡± Shaeula crowed. ¡°And I have earned some relaxation, my battles last night were quite-quite the ordeal.¡± Her amber gaze turned serious. ¡°Kana, Marika. My apologies I was not-not there to protect you. Still, Akio will crush any that threaten those he loves. So fear not-not, this will not-not happen again.¡±


    Loves? That¡¯s a bold way of putting it... no, she¡¯s just being Shaeula. I should put her nonsense aside.


    ¡°Still, we have punished the miscreant who sent-sent those thugs to menace you. He will be unable to threaten us any further.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± Marika-chan asked suddenly. ¡°But how?¡±


    ¡°It was a rival, one who seeks to destroy all who would take ownership of the Boundary, the spiritual realm. Last night we ventured to his domain, and we dealt him a crushing-crushing blow.¡± She sighed. ¡°Even had we not-not been here, eventually trouble would have found you, just as it did Hisuikomushi shrine.¡±


    That¡¯s Kikuchi-san¡¯s place. I head heard a little of their talk about trouble there... ¡°So, I have a classmate who is a shrine maiden at Hisuikomushi, her father was in a coma and she hasn¡¯t been coming to school.¡±


    Marika-chan was extremely interested in these shrine matters, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She waited for Shaeula¡¯s response.


    ¡°Indeed, we rescued her father from the slavery he had been-been subjected to by the fiend who opposed us and sent those rough fellows. Alas, he has disappeared since. Most-most ungrateful, he should repay the grace Akio has shown him.¡± At that Shaeula let out a little exclamation. ¡°Kana, do you think you could find a way-way to contact his daughter, your classmate? At the least, the priest should return the favour he has-has been given.¡±


    I¡¯m not close to Kikuchi-san, her ¡®woe-is-me¡¯ routine is so annoying. But... I could ask some of our classmates, one must have her phone number, right? ¡°Yeah, I can maybe get in touch with her tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°In any case, since you are here, would you care-care to play, or watch some anime? I can find some-some treats as well.¡±


    Why are we here? I came to cheer up Marika-chan, take her mind off the events of last night, but... ¡°Actually, there was one thing. Shaeula, if you were in my position last night, attacked by thugs, what would you have done?¡±


    ¡°I would have taught them the error of their ways, that a princess of the Seelie Court should not-not be trifled with.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. What about Mori-san?¡±


    Shaeula raised one eyebrow in surprise, before bursting out into cackling laughter. ¡°I see, I see. So it is like that, is it indeed-indeed?¡±


    I think you seem to be misunderstanding something. I just don¡¯t want her looking down on me anymore, and I don¡¯t want to feel so scared again, so helpless...


    ¡°Eri... well, she would struggle still, yet she trains fiercely. Even though Akio wishes to coddle her, she is training alone back-back in Nishimorioka. Perhaps when next you see her, a few thugs shall be nothing to her-her at all.¡±


    I thought so. ¡°Shaeula, can I ask a favour?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are my friend, Kana.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Please, I want to start spiritual training now! I don¡¯t want to wait for everyone else. I want... I want the power to protect myself and my family.¡± I get what big bro said, back when we first met. There are evil people around, and if they have power... only power counters power. It¡¯ll be hard work, which I hate, but... her mind went back to the yakuza leering at her, and the feeling of helplessness and acceptance as she thought she was being taken away to be their playthings. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be scared anymore. And I¡¯m not ungrateful. I don¡¯t really know what you mean by taking out this rival in the spiritual realm, but I can help you. I have a gift, remember, a bloodline full of talent. I can be as good as Mori-san, no, better!¡±


    Before Shaeula could answer, Marika-chan bowed low. ¡°Please, I would like to learn too. I have come to Tokyo to aid you both, as support from Chairo-sama. If it is an inconvenience then I apologise and will wait, but... I agree with Kana-san, I do not wish to be frightened either. I believe in Akio-sama, and you yourself, Shaeula-sama. But even so...¡± she trailed off, too young to fully articulate what she wished.


    ¡°I have told you to drop-drop the -sama I believe. It does not-not please me. Still...¡± Shaeula saved her game, did her last spins on roulette and closed everything down. ¡°... I do applaud your resolve. Become finer females, and you might just-just be worthy of Akio¡¯s regard. I have some time until I am due-due to meet Akio later, to finalise our triumph. Until then, I can-can assist you both.¡± She paused. ¡°Be warned though, there may be some pain involved.¡±


    I hate pain even more than hard work. But... my mind is made up. Still, I¡¯m NOT doing it to get his regard, whatever that is... I¡¯m doing it for me!


    ¡°I shall endure it.¡± Marika-chan promised, her small face resolute, which was adorable. Kana pulled her into a hug, surprising her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure Shaeula will keep it as kind as she can, right? So, we might as well get started...¡± swallowing down her fears, she watched as Shaeula¡¯s eyes began to glow fiercely, amber light illuminating the room...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Three

    One Hundred And Sixty-Three


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve only been working for you a week, and I¡¯m already doing overtime. I¡¯m so disappointed, Akio-kun.¡± Karen-chan took the sting out of her words with a wry smile, but I did still feel a little guilty.


    ¡°Well, I did say that occasional rush jobs would come up, and this one is a real emergency.¡± I apologised. ¡°Still, I think you¡¯ll be satisfied with the bonus you are getting after this.¡±


    Beside me Shaeula snickered nastily, knowing just what my plan was. ¡°Indeed. I believe you will be more-more than happy to spend your evening with us. Besides, the alcohol and food shall be paid for by Akio!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious just what we¡¯ll be doing. It¡¯s been a wild ride so far, what with arson attacks in the night. I¡¯m not sure how you can top that. I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m a little unnerved, but at least my new job isn¡¯t ever dull!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I reassured her as we entered the rather nice Law Firm that we had arranged to meet at, the one that the lawyer from Midas Gold, Nomura-san, had put us in touch with. ¡°I don¡¯t anticipate any more mob violence. I value the safety of my employees.¡±


    ¡°Get a load of this smooth talker.¡± Karen-chan whispered theatrically to Shaeula. ¡°He values my safety. I¡¯m touched! Never has a boss said that to me before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, laugh at me if you want.¡± I sighed. ¡°Anyway... as for what we are doing, I guess the best way to describe it would be totally legal and above-board extortion.¡± At the front desk I spoke to the receptionist, and was quickly directed to a conference room.


    ¡°Legal extortion? That¡¯s an oxymoron.¡± Karen-chan protested. ¡°And I know I¡¯m your secretary, but am I really needed for that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can assure you it¡¯s all entirely within the law. Besides, you told me your degree was in Finance and Asset Management, right? That would be a perfect fit for this. Looks like you could be due a pay rise already, you can¡¯t complain about promotion prospects here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... well, I¡¯ve not done much work in that field for years, I¡¯m pretty rusty.¡± Karen-chan admitted, but there was a gleam of interest in her eyes now.


    ¡°If it comes down to it, we can always hire more staff. Anyway, we are here.¡± I swung the doors open, revealing two groups of people sat around a conference table on opposite sides. I recognised Nomura-san, and was a little surprised to see him here, as he was in criminal law, but beside him was a younger woman. She was a bit plain-looking, with bobbed black hair and horn-rimmed silver glasses, but she had an air of confidence about her. I guess this might be the contract law specialist I asked for.


    In contrast to the calm demeanours of those two, the other group was looking flustered. There were four people there, and one was Kondou Kazuo. On seeing us his expression twisted into one of utter hatred, which caused Karen-chan to flinch back, suddenly scared.


    ¡°It will be fine-fine.¡± Shaeula reassured her, patting her back gently. ¡°A beaten dog can do nothing but bark-bark.¡± She turned to him, and the room was filled with a strange feeling of moving air. ¡°Stop scowling so. You are upsetting Karen. Speak to us only when spoken to, and do not-not talk back to us.¡±


    She¡¯s using more befuddling winds...


    As Kondou smoothed out his face, unable to retort due to the power Shaeula had over him, I could see his fists clench. He looked awful still, one eye sewn shut, and he was sitting stiffly, probably recovering from the injury I had inflicted upon him. It¡¯s hard to care though. Just so long as he lives long enough that his victims get justice, that would satisfy me.


    ¡°Kazuo-san, you shouldn¡¯t be here, I don¡¯t know how you got so injured, but you need to be in hospital...¡± the man next to him was saying, a balding fellow who was lean and dressed well. ¡°No business can be so important you¡¯d risk your health for.¡± In front of him was a large briefcase.


    Beside him, his lawyer agreed. ¡°This is all most irregular. Calling us all out of the blue and arranging a meeting with these strangers... you would not even disclose for what. I have great respect for your firm...¡± Kondou¡¯s lawyer looked over at Nomura-san and his colleague. ¡°... but even so, you have told me nothing of what we are here for. I¡¯ve brought all the documents, but... this is unprecedented.¡±


    ¡°I would love to tell you.¡± The female lawyer said, looking at us, a touch peevishly, peering over her glasses, reminding me a little of Ms Connors. ¡°However, all I know is Nomura-san asked me to be here.¡±


    The last person on Kondou¡¯s side looked extremely out of place, a man in his sixties, wearing casual clothing. His eyes were darting around restlessly, and I worried he was going to pass out he was breathing so quickly. Behind me, Karen-chan was also looking nervous again, clearly overawed by the exalted company.


    ¡°Well, to business then. I thank you all for coming.¡± I sat down next to the female lawyer, while Shaeula sat across from Kondou, Karen-chan next to her. ¡°Introductions first, as I don¡¯t think we all know each other.¡± I smiled brightly, concentrating on maximising my Charm and Majesty. Karen-chan was blushing a little and Shaeula looked entranced, before shaking her head to clear her mind, but even then her cheeks looked a little pink.


    ¡°I¡¯m Oshiro Akio. This is my partner Shaeula, and my secretary and asset specialist, Watanabe Karen.¡± I turned to my lawyers, and Nomura-san was first to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m Nomura Zenkichi, under contract with Chase Midas Gold. I met Oshiro-san earlier today in quite the strange circumstances, and agreed to bring in a specialist contract lawyer for him. As to why I¡¯m here... I confess to being extremely curious. I hope you can forgive my unprofessional presence, but... well, it has been quite the intriguing day, right Oshiro-san?¡±


    I get that. There were too many strange things he witnessed at the police station. Then I made a request of him, no wonder he was curious.


    ¡°I am Ito Gina, I was requested by Nomura-san for this short-notice and out-of-hours meeting.¡± She was definitely feeling a bit put out, but hopefully money would soothe her mood. ¡°I could not turn down the request of Nomura-san, nor of Chase Midas Gold, but I would have liked some notice about my role here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that. It is a sudden, unexpected issue that needs finalising to a watertight standard tonight. This matter only cropped up last night, and I¡¯ve been... indisposed, so... yeah, my apologies, everyone will be compensated appropriately for the inconvenience.¡±


    At my words Nomura-san looked thoughtful. He knows I was in a cell last night. Still, he won¡¯t say anything.


    After we had introduced ourselves, up next was Kondou¡¯s group. He was looking at us hatefully, but due to Shaeula, he was forced to keep his facial expression neutral. At Shaeula¡¯s nod, he was compelled to introduce himself.


    ¡°I am Kondou Kazuo. I own the Kondou Hotel Chain, six locations... two here in Tokyo, as well as one in Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo and Nagoya.¡±


    ¡°I am Kondou-san¡¯s lawyer, Morimura Goro. This was a most unanticipated turn of events. I hope all will be made clear soon, so my client can get the medical attention he so desperately needs. I trust we are all in agreement with this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m his accountant, Sato Naganori. I¡¯ve brought all the requested files and documents, but... I¡¯d like to know just what is going on. Whatever it is, it can¡¯t be worth the risk to Kazuo-san¡¯s health. Seeing him like this breaks my heart.¡±Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    Sato huh? No relation to the Inspector I¡¯m guessing. Still it is a common name. And if this breaks your heart, you¡¯ll need a hospital yourself shortly.


    The last man spoke quietly, his nerves still evident. ¡°I¡¯m Fukuda. I¡¯m... well, I run the staffing for the hotels.¡±


    ¡°Great, now that introductions are done, time to get down to business. I¡¯m sure we all have places to be, I know I do.¡± I made a small joke, which got a laugh from Shaeula but silence from everyone else. ¡°All right then... Kondou Kazuo, as discussed at our last meeting... we are here to establish compensation for your... unreasonable acts.¡±


    ¡°Compensation? Unreasonable acts?¡± Sato-san asked, puzzled but wary. I would expect nothing less from an accountant. The moment you mention money they get tense.


    ¡°Oh my, yes.¡± Shaeula laughed coldly. ¡°Attempted murder, threatening to defile me, arson and more-more.¡±


    I saw a look of understanding cross Nomura-san¡¯s face, though everyone else but Kondou looked shocked. No, Karen-chan gets it too. I guess the mention of arson makes it too easy...


    After another quick round of transactions, we were finally done.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t appreciate the overtime on short notice.¡± Ito-san said pointedly, pushing up her glasses with one finger to stare at us. ¡°Still, the renumeration was decent, and... I¡¯m curious. You mentioned victims other than yourselves. What did... what did this gentleman do?¡±


    Kondou¡¯s side of the room tensed, not wanting to hear it. I think Sato-san has some idea. He definitely has mob connections. We can exploit those to at least keep trouble off our backs for a while, though in the end... I¡¯d love to purge Japan of organised crime. Damn, maybe the power is going to my head. That¡¯s impossible for me, even now...


    ¡°I can confirm without question he kidnapped, raped and murdered at least one young woman.¡±


    At my words Ito-san looked sick. ¡°You... you can¡¯t tell me something like that! Now I have to report it...¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯m only telling you because our good lawyer friend here is going to drop Kondou Kazuo off at the nearest police station to confess. And he¡¯s promised to be very co-operative.¡±


    ¡°But... that would mean the death penalty!¡± his lawyer shouted, anguished. ¡°None of this makes any sense...¡±


    ¡°Oh it does indeed.¡± Shaeula let out her winds again with a sigh. ¡°Settle down-down. He has just developed a conscience after being defeated. You should-should welcome this. You are a man who respects law, no? Let justice be done swiftly.¡±


    Now that the mood was downcast, we finally finished up. All the documents were filed properly and the transfers complete, so it was time to hit a late-night bar. Shaeula and I had no need to be up early, and I was Karen-chan¡¯s boss, so if I didn¡¯t mind, she could go in as late as she wanted. Fukuda-san left first, bowing deeply and gratefully, happy he would be spared being embroiled in scandal, while Sato-san actually shook my hand, muttering quietly that he would speak to the right people and let them know this whole issue was Kondou¡¯s fault and I would seek no further redress than what I had taken. The fact those yakuza will be in jail for years will have to satisfy me. I¡¯m not going after their bosses unless they try something dumb as hell...


    Lastly, the stone-faced Morimura-san led Kondou out. He gave us one final bitter look before leading the wounded and bleeding bastard away, to where he would quickly confess all his evils.


    Finally, we said goodbye to our lawyers. Ito-san shook all our hands. ¡°In the end, this was quite the tale. I¡¯m not sure how much of it was true, but... a lawyer simply does what she is paid for, it is not for her to inquire too deeply. I hope we can work together again, should you have need of it.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± I agreed. Lastly, Nomura-san shook my hand as well.


    ¡°I never thought that when I got a call from Midas this morning, I¡¯d uncover a conspiracy involving yakuza, crooked dealings and a murderer. Today has been a wild ride. Again, should you need legal representation, do call. Although with Omori-sama in your corner, I doubt you¡¯ll have need of me...¡±


    ¡°You never know. I¡¯ll bear you in mind anyway.¡± And with that we left the offices, heading out into the neon-lit Tokyo early morning, looking for a late-night bar to celebrate in...


    ********


    ¡°So seriously, are you trying to drive me to an early grave, Akio-kun?¡± Karen-chan sighed drunkenly, leaning on my shoulder. On the other side of me Shaeula was drinking strong spirits, flushed and happy. ¡°I¡¯m just a secretary, I¡¯m not cut out for conspiracies and huge business deals. Besides, now you want me to look into missing persons, suspicious deaths and overall rates of death across Japan? I¡¯m just one person...¡± she hiccupped noisily, before downing her drink.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m the bad guy, I get it. You know you are going to feel like crap tomorrow? I mean, no need to get up early, but even so...¡±


    ¡°Whose fault is that? I can¡¯t get it out of my mind. Was that guy... did he really kidnap and kill girls?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Shaeula affirmed. ¡°That trash deserves all the punishment he shall receive, so spare no-no sympathy for him, Karen.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t... but... seriously. It¡¯s all true then? You know... I¡¯ve been wondering...¡± she reached out for another drink, as I had stocked the table high with fine booze, sparing no expense. ¡°... just what is going on? You¡¯ve changed, Akio-kun. You used to be a quiet neighbour, hardly any trouble but there was nothing notable about you. Now... you look like an athlete and a model, you are involved in battling yakuza and cutthroat business deals, you are in deep with old shrine families... you have Shaeula by your side... I¡¯m a bit confused.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula giggled. ¡°It sounds to me like you are interested in Akio, Karen. If you wish-wish, I can give you some privacy?¡± her grin was wicked.


    ¡°No, not... I¡¯m not... not like that.¡± She stuttered, going red. ¡°I¡¯m just... oh, I don¡¯t know.¡± She downed another mouthful of alcohol.


    ¡°I can tell you, if you want. I mean, I don¡¯t know you all that well, we are just neighbours... well, we were anyway.¡± I amended. ¡°I feel you are trustworthy, and you¡¯ve fallen on hard times, so I decided to employ you. And yes, I know a lot of mysterious things are happening around me. But rest assured, I¡¯ll protect you from any danger, and we can see about getting you some assistants. See, promoted on the job already, where else can you get better terms?¡± I joked, trying to defuse the tension.


    ¡°Protect me, huh?¡± she pouted, thinking, taking another gulp of strong liquor, flushed even to the tips of her ears and down her neck. ¡°No, don¡¯t... don¡¯t tell me yet. I¡¯ll keep doing the strange tasks you ask me to, for now anyway.¡± She suddenly broke into a grin, eyes wicked. Glancing down at Shaeula¡¯s hand she pointed to the ring sparkling on her finger.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, Shaeula dear. That¡¯s a lovely ring, who gave that to you?¡±


    ¡°Akio did, of course. Do you think I would-would accept a ring from anyone else? I think not-not. We are engaged.¡±


    ¡°So Kana-san was right...¡± I just about caught her little whisper. Damn you Kana-chan, mischief as usual!


    ¡°I thought you were engaged to your childhood friend, Akio-kun? I have her number too remember, you promised I could message her if you were behaving badly. Maybe I should do it now...¡± she pulled out her phone with a smirk.


    ¡°There is no need. Eri and I, we are both in agreement to share Akio, for we are great-great friends, and both love him dearly. It was the only sensible solution.¡±


    Karen-chan was surprised at that. ¡°Really? It seems a bit strange to me. But I¡¯m disappointed in you Akio-kun. To think you are so unfaithful. I¡¯d better protect myself from your wandering eye.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. I wouldn¡¯t do that to you, especially after your last boss... but I¡¯ll be honest, I do feel pretty shitty about it. But... I love Eri and I love Shaeula. Even so, I was going to stay faithful to Eri, until... well, let¡¯s just say Shaeula¡¯s brother wasn¡¯t happy about her being here in Japan and he came to take her home. Seeing Shaeula¡¯s tears, and her struggle to remain here, chasing her dream...¡± I thought back to our Trial of Three, reframing it in a way Karen-chan would understand. Yeah, that was the moment, when Shaeula fell to her knees, weeping bitterly over her defeat, fearing for us and that she would never see us again... I had to put aside my feelings of guilt and do what was right. ¡°... Eri too, she had her heart melted. So... what could we do? To soothe my conscience, I vowed they would both have nothing in their lives but happiness from that day forwards.¡±


    ¡°And you have kept your word.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°After all, do I not-not now have a share in six of these hotels?¡± she smirked, satisfied again at screwing over Kondou. She clinked her glass against mine and Karen-chan¡¯s, the ice making rhythmic sounds.


    ¡°You know... that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever heard someone make being a cheating bastard sound so romantic.¡± Karen-chan giggled. ¡°Seriously though, what are you going to do about the wedding, and what will you tell your family? Your father is a hard, traditional man, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. My sister knows and supports us, she¡¯s friends with both of them, but my parents... ugh, and Eri¡¯s family too... sometimes I think it¡¯s even harder than being an Astral Emperor...¡±


    ¡°Being a what now?¡± Karen-chan asked, puzzled. Then she started patting me on the back. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry, your loyal secretary shall put aside her disgust at your cheating ways and offer you sympathy. There, there. It¡¯ll be all right... somehow.¡±


    Laughter echoed at our table, and once more we clinked our glasses together. Screw it, there are troubles ahead, but for tonight, we can surely celebrate that the issue with Kondou Kazuo is finished, and we profited immensely... I¡¯ll let my other worries wait until tomorrow...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Four

    One Hundred And Sixty-Four


    ¡°... found the body of a man inside, who has been identified as...¡± the reporter was saying on the screen. Yawning, I stretched, working out the kinks after my snatched few hours of sleep. It isn¡¯t like I need a lot now due to my stats, but it¡¯s still nice to have a decent rest. Shaeula¡¯s still asleep after all.


    I glanced over to the bed, where Shaeula was still breathing softly, her eyes shut, amber hair cascading over the pillows. We had come home quite late, or rather, it should have been called early, considering the sun was already up when we had finished celebrating. Shaeula had wormed her way into my bed, but sleep was all we did, there was no time or inclination for any adult fun.


    I bet Karen-chan is going to have one hell of a hangover when she wakes up... Still, I had felt a little sorry for her, so I trickled a little Ether Healing into her when she wasn¡¯t paying attention, just enough to hopefully take the worst off her inevitable suffering.


    ¡°... it¡¯s terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± the reporter was saying to her colleague on the screen. ¡°... they found a hand, which they believe belongs to the missing Suzuki Haru. The police have confirmed that in addition to that, Kondou Kazuo, the suspect, confessed to sexual assault and murder of over twenty women, mostly foreign tourists, going back a decade, both here in Tokyo and other cities around Japan. These horrifying crimes have led to public outcry, and...¡±


    Well, that settles that. Everything is wrapped up neatly. Still, to think the bastard had killed so many... it makes me feel a little bad that we ended up destroying some of those ghost girls in our earlier battle, but at least they can find rest in whatever afterlife there is. I hope so, anyway. I wasn¡¯t particularly pious, but I clasped my hands in prayer. I did live on the grounds of a shrine after all.


    Still, with Kondou in custody and having confessed, and with his Territory destroyed, his wealth plundered, and Shaeula¡¯s orders, he was finished as a threat. Now I could turn my attention to the pressing matters of my Territory, the progression of which had been sorely neglected during the conflict.


    Checking the time it was coming up to midday, so I decided to make a hearty breakfast. Opening up the fridge to see what I had, I started putting together some beef bowls and rice. Soon the fragrant smells of cooking were spreading around the apartment, and on popping my head back inside the bedroom I could see Shaeula was twitching sleepily, the scent tickling her nose.


    Damn, that¡¯s cute. Speaking of cute... It was about time that Eri would be on lunch break at school, so as I worked I pulled out my mobile and dialled her. A few rings later she answered brightly, pleased to hear from me.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Hey, Akio! It¡¯s such a nice surprise to get a call from you at school. What¡¯s up? There aren¡¯t any problems I hope?¡±


    I could hear people chattering in the background, laughter and joking. I was sure one of them was my sis, but I didn¡¯t recognise all of the others.


    ¡°You shut up!¡± Eri hissed. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy to hear from him... oh, I¡¯m not telling you to shut up of course, Akio. There are just people here determined to be annoying. Pay them no mind, I sure don¡¯t...¡±


    There was more loud laughter at that, and I had to smile myself. ¡°It sounds like you are getting on with everyone at school a bit better. That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I don¡¯t find them as annoying as I once did.¡± She admitted. ¡°Still, did you need something? Calling me in the day is unusual.¡±


    Well, calling you at all would be a miracle before I returned to Nishimorioka. Feeling a tad guilty at that, I shook my head, even though she couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Do I need a reason to call you? Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice.¡±


    Eri went silent on the other end, and I could definitely hear my sister now. ¡°Wow, wow. Eri¡¯s blushing. My bro must be sweet-talking her. So very bold of him, doesn¡¯t he know we are watching?¡±


    ¡°... you can shut up now, Aiko. Or else there will be trouble later.¡± Eri warned, but her tone was warm. ¡°So, I like hearing your voice too, feel free to call me any time. Even when I¡¯m in class. I can say it¡¯s an emergency call. You are my fiance?e now, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I need to interrupt your schooling...¡± I chuckled, and there was more laughter on the other end of the line. After that we had a light-hearted chat for a bit, before she asked me a question. ¡°So, how... how are things over there? Did you sort out your problem?¡± she asked circumspectly, probably because she had an audience.


    ¡°Yep, no worries, everything has been resolved, it went totally in our favour!¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°And Shaeula, she¡¯s all right too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s sleeping in at the moment, we were working until very late last night, then we had some drinks to celebrate with Karen-chan.¡±


    So what could I gain? I did want information. Still, something didn¡¯t sit right with me, it felt off, somehow. When I explained this to Shaeula, she shrugged and asked me if I felt it was my Foresight again. It wasn¡¯t the pulsing dread of an oncoming disaster, like before... thank god the uncomfortable feeling woke me when it did, or there would have been a tragedy at the shrine... still, I definitely felt off, wary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Foresight does say it gives ¡®limited prescience to events that strongly affect one¡¯s future¡¯. I can see why it would have been blaring at the yakuza invasion, as if people had died due to the war between us and Kondou, I¡¯m not sure I could have survived the guilt... but this shouldn¡¯t be such an event, and besides, my Foresight isn¡¯t exactly high, is it? I doubt it can warn me about every danger, that¡¯d be too convenient.¡±


    ¡°Well, I shall leave it to you then.¡± Shaeula demurred, finishing scarfing down her heaped bowl of beef, before leaning back, satisfied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just drop her a response saying I¡¯ll see if I have the time. I won¡¯t commit to anything. That¡¯s the Japanese way.¡± With that done, I put away my phone and finished my own food. ¡°All right, shall we go sort out our Territory then?¡±


    ********


    After we had done the rounds, seeing our allies and checking everything was all right, we returned to my original apartment, where the Anchor was still upgrading. Most of my other forces were guarding key areas of vulnerability such as the Throne of Heroes and the Rhyming Tree, but Ixitt had managed to inveigle himself into coming with us, desperate to see the Anchor and its upgrade process. Ignoring his gleeful mutterings as he inspected the surrounding Buildings, I marvelled at the bright halo of ether that had overflowed my Silo, a brilliant nebula I wished I could take a picture of.


    ¡°All right then, how long to go?¡± the Anchor was larger than when I had last saw it, the three protuberances growing from the spire more pronounced, looking a bit like branches of a Christmas Tree.


    ¡°Hmm, looks like forty astral days remaining. Damn, this is painfully slow. Still...¡± my eyes went to the massive array of ether. In addition to what my Territory had pulled in from the Spires and Rhyming tree over the week since I last rush-built the Anchor, we had accrued significant spoils of battle from defeating numerous orcs, ghost orcs and more. We had also claimed a massive amount of bounty from destroying two Territories and also defeating Kiku and her husband.


    ¡°I know there isn¡¯t an etheric tide running at the moment, but I still don¡¯t exactly feel safe having all this ether drawing attention to itself, especially since the Territory has no barrier right now. It doesn¡¯t matter how many defenders we have, if a wyrm or something similar starts blasting breath attacks at this dungeon space, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯ll hold up... but damn, rush-building an Anchor is so wasteful... ugh, I¡¯m wavering on what to do.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula agreed with me. ¡°It is quite the conundrum. Still, we have one advantage, do we not-not?¡±


    At her words I turned a questioning gaze on her. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Now that our enemy is defeated, we have the leisure to plunder all the surrounding areas outside our Territory. Much-much has already been harvested, but there are still vast areas untapped, are there not-not?¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s right. And with what forces we have now, we can spare a few squads to go out gathering and recruiting. Ruffling Shaeula¡¯s hair, causing her to narrow her eyes in pleasure, I quickly pulled in most of the excess ether, still leaving the hundred and fifty thousand safe in my Silo. The glow from the Anchor increased, and it grew ever taller, the branch-like nubs now forming shapes at the end of their arms, large cylindrical rings, as if to hold something in place.


    ¡°Well, there goes two-hundred thousand ether.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel downcast at the expense. ¡°Easy come, easy go.¡± There was still ether outside of the Silo, but it was much diminished, probably around ten to fifteen thousand. I still need a lot more to reach the four-hundred-and-fifty thousand or so ether for my initial plans... Still, getting the Territory secure was probably a smarter call.


    ¡°I see, seventeen astral days and a few hours left.¡± I ran some quick calculations and if I drained my Silo dry, I could actually finish the Territory upgrade right now. Ugh, no, that is WAY too wasteful. But it¡¯s heartening to know if we run into an emergency again we can do it and get the defences functioning to hold it off.


    ¡°Well then, shall we go and start replenishing our stocks?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°I shall bring this annoying rodent.¡± She seized the rhapsodic Ixitt, who was marvelling at the sudden growth of the Anchor, and started hauling him out. As we left the heart of my Territory, we could see Ulfuric coming towards us, expression serious.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not another attack, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so troublesome.¡± Ulfuric intoned. ¡°Princess, consort. Prince Shaeraggo has returned, in accordance with the Price of the Trial of Three. He asks to meet with you both forthwith.¡±


    Shaeraggo, huh? And asking for both of us? I hope that means he has come to terms with his defeat. Oh well, we¡¯ll soon see.


    Taking Shaeula¡¯s small hand in mine, we set off for the shrine, where we could meet him with suitable ceremony for a being of his standing...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Five

    One Hundred And Sixty-Five


    Arriving at where the Faerie Ring Gate was growing, drinking in the plentiful earth energies of Shirohebizumi shrine, we were greeted by the return of the weaselkin forces, led by Shaeraggo, Selensha at his side.


    ¡°Brother, you have returned.¡± Shaeula smiled, pleased to see him despite their prior clashes. Yeah, Shaeula does love her family. I get that. ¡°Sister-in-law too.¡±


    On seeing me beside her, Shaeraggo¡¯s expression fell a little, but he rapidly smoothed it out through force of will. ¡°Little sister, I have returned as pledged. It is good-good to see you well. Ulfuric, has...¡±


    As Shaeula approached him, he trailed off, his eyes glowing with a green light. Letting out a shocked gasp, he regarded her intensely, his gaze boring into her. ¡°Sister... your strength, the depth of your spiritual energy... how has it grown so incredibly fast-fast?¡±


    Preening, clearly proud of her achievements, Shaeula draped her arm around me. ¡°I guess I am simply a genius, brother mine-mine.¡± She grinned, full of good humour. ¡°Seriously, I did-did tell you that together with Akio, we would grow strong enough to crush my doubters and take-take back my rightful place in the Seelie Court. This is but-but the first step. When the three moons your promised us are spent-spent, Akio and I shall truly be powerful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. I¡¯m so pleased!¡± Selensha clapped her hands. ¡°See, my love. I told you there was nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Bah, with Ulfuric there to protect her, I had no-no worries.¡± Shaeraggo lied.


    ¡°So, have you brought the treasures?¡± Shaeula asked, seeing the wagons coming through the Ring Gate. Well, isn¡¯t that something? A crackling haze of earth energies was rippling through the air, a ruby curtain that shimmered at the edges with a full rainbow of colour, including others that I couldn¡¯t even name or describe. A wagon packed full of large chests rolled out, pulled by a couple of horse-sized weasels. As I watched, impressed, Shaeula¡¯s arm around me tightened uncomfortably. I turned to her, surprised, only to see she had paled, looking wary and upset.


    Before I could ask her why, two weaselkin wearing old-fashioned maid outfits, more reminiscent of old British Victorian maids, rather than the fetishized Akiba-style French maid outfits, hopped off the wagon and started rushing towards us.


    ¡°Princess, just why-why are you in that human form?¡± one said, scandalised, while the other raced at me and tried to pry Shaeula¡¯s arm off me.


    ¡°Off-off this wretched human, princess! You are too precious to touch such filth!¡±


    Filth, that hurts my feelings a little...


    ¡°Risha, Velna. Enough.¡± Shaeula spat coldly, ignoring their feeble efforts to separate us, gripping me tighter.


    ¡°But princess...¡± one began, before Shaeula ruthlessly shut her down, leaking a little wind energy to emphasise her point.


    ¡°But nothing. I shall not-not allow you to disrespect my Akio in that way. In fact, I do not-not need you here at all.¡± she turned to Shaeraggo, ire plain to see. ¡°Just why-why did you bring these two, brother? I need no servants here. Especially not those that do not-not understand their place.¡±


    ¡°Princess, we only wish what-what is best for you...¡± the first attendant protested. Risha, was she? ¡°... if you return to the mansion your royal brother has prepared for you, than you can-can...¡±


    ¡°I will not-not warn you again.¡± Shaeula said sternly, causing them to flinch, shocked at the change in her attitude since last they met.


    ¡°Be gentler with your servants, little sister.¡± Shaeraggo sighed. ¡°They have-have missed you. No noble daughter of Shaetanao can be without maids, that is an affront to your royal dignity. The remaining maids wait at the mansion I have-have prepared for you. Now that a second Faerie Gate is connected, the hidden mansion is the safest place for you.¡±


    ¡°Safest? Hardly. Here with Akio is where I shall be-be. After all, as Ulfuric can tell you, we have defeated our enemy, crushed him and looted his Territory. Soon, when our Anchor has upgraded, we shall fortify this land further. Even you shall-shall be impressed, my brother.¡±


    Shaeraggo frowned, before looking at Ulfuric, who nodded and rumbled his agreement. Looking as if he was sucking on something sour, Shaeraggo spoke to his sister once more. ¡°You can-can bring this mortal... your... husband. Ugh...¡± it looked hard for him to say, and I fell a brief twinge of wicked satisfaction at his discomfort, but it was quickly forgotten as he honoured his wager to accept me for now. ¡°... I cannot fail to admit your valour, yet... troubling times are coming.¡±Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com


    As we approached the wagons, the maids still fussing around us, I noticed that Ixitt was cackling happily, moving several crates filled with strange devices and glassware. I guess they sent through his gear as well? I¡¯m equal parts intrigued and scared to see what he can come up with...


    ¡°I confronted that bastard Duke Formor, yet he denied-denied everything!¡± Shaeraggo complained. ¡°Still, I know he was involved! The Court has taken a turn for the darker as of late.¡± He continued. ¡°The Unseelie are becoming more active, their filthy creatures sniffing around our borders, looking for weaknesses. Worse-worse, already the beasts of the Wild Hunt have been sighted. War is-is coming, I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there must be over a hundred thousand ether¡¯s worth of ores here.¡± I agreed, eyeballing the chest. ¡°Thanks, brother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°I do not need-need nor desire your thanks.¡± he turned away, ignoring his chuckling wife.


    ¡°Well, you get them anyway. Oh, by the way, while you are here Selensha, I wondered if you could do me a small favour?¡±


    She cocked her head, puzzled, and I explained, while Shaeula was searching through the piles of loot, making impressed noises as she found ingots of metal and various other resources. ¡°I have been improving my Ether Healing skill, but you are very talented at healing, so I was hoping to experience a bit more of your skills, get some insights.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m quite proud of my prowess with the water element. Water and Light are the most suited elements for healing, though some Earth users are capable as well.¡± She explained, lecturing me. Seeing that her husband was busy with Shaeula she lowered her voice. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see my husband has cooled down, and that we meet under happier circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± I agreed, starting the lesson.


    Meanwhile, Shaeula was inspecting the bow Shaeraggo had provided from his personal collection. It was sleek, smaller than the larger longbows Shaeraggo favoured, closer to a compound or recurve bow. The body was enamelled a fiery crimson, while the string was a fine silver.


    ¡°Yes-yes, this is perfect. Aiko¡¯s favourite bow is red, it must-must be destiny.¡± She idly pulled at the string, before rummaging around and finding a quiver in matching crimson, though it was empty.


    ¡°Place an arrow within, and it will infuse the head-head with flames. I took it from those cursed firefoxes long ago.¡± Shaeraggo explained, happy to spend some time with his sister without them clashing, even if giving away one of his bows pained him.


    Ignoring the pain from my self-inflicted wounds that Selensha was healing expertly, I started to concentrate on the feel of her healing, trying to replicate it with aether. The conversation Shaeraggo was having with Shaeula was a pleasant background noise, and I rejoiced that their relationship was mending. It¡¯s a sad thing for a sister to fall out with her brother...


    ********


    ¡°... we shall visit the mansion, brother. Feel free to come see us then. But do not tell sister Shaeranna. I am not-not ready for her to meet Akio yet.¡±


    ¡°I am not a fool, little sister. Now, stay safe.¡± He turned to me then, just before entering the maelstrom of colour that made up the activated Ring Gate. ¡°As for you. Make sure you keep my darling sister safe. Or else-else!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s my top priority. And I appreciate the treasures. What you¡¯ve brought will really help us.¡±


    ¡°It is merely paying the price for my loss. Though even now I cannot believe your recklessness. Until I see you next, dear little sister!¡± and with that he departed, leading his forces back through the gate, leaving us with the confused maids.


    ¡°Your brother isn¡¯t honest. Male tsundere aren¡¯t popular, he needs to work on that.¡±


    One maid opened her mouth to complain at my disrespect towards him, but shut it immediately at Shaeula¡¯s glare. ¡°Indeed. My foolish brother is still less-less troublesome than my sister though. Well, shall we catalogue our spoils?¡±


    Our own weaselkin had carted off some already, taking the box of Etherite ores to the shrine building. The ores and ingots were to go to our new dwarven ally, to stock his temporary forge. There were also several pieces of equipment that would suit Shaeula, including some armour.


    Shifting one of the crates, that was full of what looked like small bottles containing liquids in various colours, I heard what sounded like another small cry. That¡¯s odd. Putting aside the box, I found that there was a heavily chained-up wood and iron casket. I wonder what¡¯s in that and why it¡¯s chained up?


    Looking for how to unlock the box I struggled to find where the chains were anchored. Suddenly the box jumped, an impact rocking it. Leaping backwards in alarm I waited, Shaeula and several weaselkin rushing over. As they did so the box jumped again, as if struck. The lid popped open a touch, and from within I could see something peering out at me....

 One Hundred And Sixty-Six

    One Hundred And Sixty-Six


    ¡°What the hell is that? Why do we have someone chained in a box as part of our loot?¡± I asked, stepping back, wierded out by the intense gaze that peered out from the crack between the lid and the casket.


    Shaeula shrugged, frowning. ¡°I do not-not know. Risha, Velna, do you know anything regarding this?¡±


    The two maids looked puzzled, clearly having no idea. As they apologised to their mistress, I thought about it. ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty certain your brother isn¡¯t going to do anything that might put you at risk. The man¡¯s a total siscon. There must be some reason for this...¡± as I spoke the box was rocked by several more loud impacts, and a voice, hoarse and dry, as if not used to speaking, started croaking out some quiet words.


    ¡°Is... is there anyone out there? Anyone? Please, let me out... let me out. I¡¯ll be gooooooooood, I won¡¯t do it any moooooooooore!¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s not creepy at all! As I thought that the thing inside the box started sobbing bitterly. Ugh, now I feel sorry for it. The cries were filled with pain and loneliness, tugging at my heartstrings. I turned to Shaeula, who was also looking doubtful. ¡°So, should we ... open up the box?¡±


    ¡°I suppose we must.¡± She said, looking at the chains uncomfortably. ¡°Ugh, they reek of iron. The Fae do not-not care for the metal, it is like a poison to us, though...¡± she frowned thoughtfully. ¡°... since I received a Material form, I find it has little-little effect on me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± As we decided the thing within the box continued to bang at the lid, struggling. ¡°All right, calm down. We are going to get you out, so just wait, okay?¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, I¡¯ll be goooooooooood, I promise! I¡¯ll make everything tidy, shiny and clean! I¡¯ll make your meals and warm your beds, and I won¡¯t break things any moooooooooore!¡±


    That¡¯s a... strangely specific set of skills... my gaze went back to the maids, who were looking perturbed. ¡°So... your brother did say you needed servants. You think... this is one?¡± What servant needs to be shipped chained up in a box and alternates between manic shouting and sad, bitter tears?


    ¡°... I think we should prepare, just in case. Brother Shaeraggo, you fool-fool, just what are you thinking?¡±


    Ulfuric was helping the dwarf, and other troops were around our Territory defending it, as well as taking the opportunity to expand our reach. Still, there were some weaselkin around, who quickly gathered, as well as Haru-san, who hovered in the air above us, still unsure of her place here.


    ¡°Here we go then...¡± I summoned a thin blade of wind and started sawing away at the chains, but they repelled my force, the vibrating blade only faintly scratching the metal. ¡°Damn, these chains are tough... still, I bet I can repurpose them for crafting. Let me try this...¡± adding flame the fire blazed yellow, the edges a hot white, reminiscent of some sort of oxygen cutter. Indeed, using aether as well to create pure oxygen the flame quickly grew in intensity, so bright it hurt my eyes.


    ¡°Just what¡¯s he doing-doing, Risha?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Velna. I don¡¯t think mortals can work such magics, can they-they?¡± the maids seemed surprised at my talents, and I couldn¡¯t help but grin at their shock. If you think I¡¯m just some slimy mortal who has ensnared and enamoured your princess, you are only half right. I do still feel pretty slimy... with a final hissing of hot metal the first chain sprang off, the edges whipping about.


    ¡°That is quite-quite the impressive technique.¡± Shaeula observed with her eyes. ¡°I see-see. You are creating that gas that fuels fire, Oxygen, I believe. I can use aether and wind to do the same... Hmm...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not battlefield-ready yet, it takes me a while and too much concentration to get going, but on something like this...¡± the second chain released in a spray of molten iron. ¡°... it¡¯s pretty damn effective. Hey, stop that! I¡¯m removing the chains, just be patient!¡± the sobbing had turned into frankly worrying chuckling, and the lid of the box crept up, strands of untidy hair cascading out of the gap, a dark black with vivid green and purple highlights.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll be goooooooooood, just... let me out, let me out! It¡¯s been soooooooooo long since I saw the sky... the house will be dirty, the beds filthy, the bath will need a scrubbing, ooooooooooh my!¡±


    Yeah, definitely a servant. But I have to be honest, even those two maids that clearly hate me are looking a better bet right now. Damn you Shaeraggo, is this some sort of clever harassment to get back at me, since you can¡¯t harm me directly? The third and fourth chains popped off, only leaving a couple more, and now the heavy, iron-reinforced lid could lift off a bit higher. An arm snaked its way out, making me jump, the flame I commanded scorching the lid of the box, cutting a groove in it. Woah, that was dangerous. The arm was thin and pale, with a small hand sporting painted green nails. It scrabbled about, trying to grasp something.


    ¡°I am starting to feel this is a bad-bad idea.¡± Shaeula retrieved her pinwheels, eyeing the flailing arm warily.


    ¡°We are definitely made for each other, as I feel exactly the same...¡± I joked, though the feeling of unease wasn¡¯t a jest. Still, the remaining chains were severed, and the searching arm shoved the heavy lid off, where it fell to the ground with a crash. The being within sat up, silvery eyes staring at the sky, tears streaking down pale, youthful cheeks.


    Whoa, it¡¯s a girl... in human terms she looked like a high-schooler, youthful yet with hints of maturity. Her skin was shockingly pale, as if she had not seen light for ages, and her long hair was the aforementioned black with vivid highlights. She was wearing clothes, but they were little more than rags, barely covering her average-sized chest and slender thighs. Still, it was her eyes that drew me, a vivid silver.


    ¡°I¡¯m oooooooooout at last! So long in the casket, so loooooooooong!¡± she marvelled at her freedom. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll be good, I won¡¯t be bad, I¡¯ll guard hearth and hoooooooooome!¡±


    The weaselkin forces gathered around the area seemed unsure of what to do, and I was at a loss as well, this scene not what I expected.


    ¡°Are... are you a brownie?¡± Shaeula asked, uncertain, her pinwheels spinning up behind her, poised.


    At her voice, the crying girl turned, face twisting into a smile, though the expression looked... off... somehow. ¡°Yes, yes, that... yes! I was a brownie! Sweep the floors, cook the meals, warm the beds if asked, tend the garden, fix the roooooooooof! All soooooooooo fun!¡± she cackled and cried, laughter and tears intermixing eerily. Looking at Shaeula she curtsied, her rags revealing her pale, emaciated flesh. ¡°Are you the mistress of the hoooooooooome?¡±


    Shaeula shook her head warily. ¡°No-no, Akio here is the master, I am merely but his wife.¡±


    ¡°I see, oh I see. Newlyweds... how... how... upsetting.¡± The brownie changed expression instantly, her face going blank. ¡°Wife to warm the bed, cooooooooook the dinner, run the bath. No more need for me, throw me away.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I think you need to...¡± I paused, seeing her eyes. What? The silver is darkening, turning black...


    ¡°I won¡¯t goooooooooo back in the box!¡± the brownie howled, a wave of darkness cloaking her, forming a dress of inky shadows.


    ¡°She¡¯s no brownie!¡± Shaeula cried, her weaselkin drawing weapons and surrounding her. ¡°Fool brother of mine, what nightmare have you sent us? She has fallen, she-she is a boggart now, a wicked spirit that corrupts and curses a home! Unseelie!¡±


    ¡°Brownie, bogart, woooooooooords!¡± the girl spat. ¡°I¡¯m me, I tend to the home, only to be betrayed, exiled, then put in the box.¡± She howled, her voice filled with intense rage, and pain. ¡°No-one cares about me! I¡¯m all aloooooooooone! Well then, you should all suffer like I doooooooooo!¡±


    It''s hard, seeing something that looks like a girl... no, just like Shaeula, she is a girl... suffer so. There must be a reason Shaeraggo sent her to us... maybe he wants us to help her? ¡°Wait, calm down. We can talk this out. What¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Akio, it¡¯s nice to meet you!¡±


    The darkness around her wavered, and she turned her eyes on me, silver dyeing the black a little. ¡°Akioooooooooo? A good name!¡± the brownie, or boggart, or whatever the hell she was declared. ¡°My name... name, what was it? It¡¯s... been soooooooooo loooooooooong since anyone cared to talk to me. Snatch the children, sour the milk, scatter the ashes, burn the plants, noooooooooo, noooooooooo, that isn¡¯t right.¡± she clutched at her head and suddenly the ground exploded, vines ripping free from the soil all around her, dozens of them waving like thorny tentacles.


    ¡°It is not-not the same, but... I shall trust in you as always. But be warned, wretched Unseelie, no, Hyacinth. Betray Akio¡¯s trust and I shall bury you!¡±


    We need to hurry this up, as my body needs healing fast. I¡¯ve done myself quite the injury with that new skill...


    ¡°The mistress of the house is quite foooooooooorceful indeed!¡± Hyacinth giggled. ¡°Should you need respite from your wifely duties I shall be moooooooooore than happy to warm master¡¯s bed. None have wanted me before...¡± she began to clutch herself with her arms, shifting bashfully, her pure white skin taking on a darker tinge. ¡°... but it is a joy to serve whatever way oooooooooone can!¡±


    Uhh, no, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing that sort of service.


    ¡°Your loyalty would have to be without question before I would ever-ever let you be intimate with Akio.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°As of now I trust you not-not. Besides, I am but the second wife, Eri is who-who you would have to convince, and I envy you not-not that task.¡±


    No, don¡¯t agree with her! Oh, forget it, it won¡¯t happen anyway...


    ¡°I see. Another mistress!¡± Hyacinth giggled. ¡°Master Akioooooooooo is a man of great status, I see. Hyacinth never wants to goooooooooo back in the dark again!¡±


    She paused, then spoke quickly, her strange, elongated O¡¯s absent, her voice deadly serious. ¡°I give Oath to make master¡¯s home a place of wonder, where he will always feel happy, and his enemies shall feed the Dark Brilliant Blossoms. I shall respect the mistresses, and take on their duties when asked...¡± she giggled. ¡°...any duties, any at all. I shall serve in any way master requires, and I shall not harm your servants, I shall make sure they work hard and never disappoint you, dispensing chastisement to the lazy as required.¡± More giggles and laughter. ¡°Lastly, I shall wake the sleeping one I sense, and discipline her to serve also. Master is a man of means, and while I am jealous and would wish to serve alone, I am still very weak from my long... long stay in the casket.¡±


    That was her being weak? Seriously? Uhh, anyway, that pretty much covers what I asked her to swear, but... the content is a bit different. I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this. And what ¡®sleeping one¡¯?


    Shaeula looked away grumpily at her oaths, saying nothing, and before I could air my concerns I got another pair of messages, the silver letters welcome.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled has increased from level 20 to level 22.


    Your Foresight, Charm and Fortune have increased.


    Turning to Shaeula I told her that my class had levelled, and she frowned, thinking. ¡°I see. In that case, while I am still-still cautious, I feel she at least means to keep her Oaths. Still, we are no fools-fools. I shall have her watched constantly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t mind taking precautions. Now, I think I need to lie down... I¡¯m pretty hurt. Damn, that skill is ruinous...¡±


    ¡°What skill-skill?¡± Shaeula asked as she gave me a lap-pillow. Closing my eyes I began to circulate aether, finding areas where my Astral and Material bodies had suffered damage.


    Hyacinth looked at us enviously. ¡°Mistress, I should offer my ooown head for such... nooo, I promised to wake up that lazy ooone.¡± Racing off towards the back buildings I watched her go, confused.


    Well her speech quirk has lessened a bit it seems. Odd, I¡¯ll never quite get used to those. Now where is she going? Well, it¡¯s away from any important Buildings, so I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter...


    I spent a while healing myself while explaining about the experimental and apparently crude Body Enhancement skill. Shaeula found it fascinating, of course, and was eager to try it herself, but I forbade her until I had ironed out the kinks, not wanting her to damage her body. It was then that Hyacinth came barrelling back towards us, clutching something that was small and screaming, holding it within a tangle of vines.


    She pulled to a stop in front of us, expression bright, obviously seeking praise. ¡°I have woooke up the slacker, master Akio. Say the wooord and I shall put her to work.¡±


    ¡°No, not more... darkness and tentacles! I thought I was finally free to sleep in peace under... the sky!¡±


    ¡°I get that, I dooo! I toooo was stuck in the dark, longing for the light. But...¡± she paused, shaking the bundle, and I could finally see what it was, a small head with ruby-red eyes poking out of the thorns. It¡¯s the doll we rescued from Takakura antiques. ¡°... enough sleeping. You smell like me, you dooo, though a bit different. So time to get to wooork for our master!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Hyacinth, I said not to hurt any of my allies.¡± I warned, but she shook her head, denying my words. ¡°I am merely disciplining an unruly servant. I did pledge tooo make them wooork, did I nooot?¡±


    She¡¯s got me there. I knew those Oaths were off a bit...


    ¡°Fine, fine, put me down! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll work!¡± the doll cried, and with a satisfied smirk Hyacinth dropped her. As the doll stood, looking very much like a small child with long dark hair and a pretty lace dress, it bowed. ¡°I am Azuki, a Zashiki-Warashi. Long, long ago the house I was a guest in, I brought fortune to, was swallowed...¡± she paused to swallow nervously herself, reminiscing. ¡°... by the darkness of that vile creature. I never thought I would escape, but you saved me. So I thank you.¡±


    ¡°Dooon¡¯t just thank them. Pledge to serve them, ungrateful little spirit!¡± Hyacinth smirked.


    ¡°I will, I will. I always meant to!¡± Azuki protested, a touch insincerely, I thought. ¡°I just... yeah, I just needed to regain my past strength before I can bring fortune to the home! Yes, that¡¯s it! You can¡¯t blame me! I was suffering for so long...¡±


    Wow, she¡¯s surprisingly talkative when pushed.


    ¡°Master Akio and mistress...¡± Hyacinth railed off, realising she hadn¡¯t been told.


    ¡°Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Mistress is a princess! As expected of master Akiooo!¡± Hyacinth praised. ¡°Master and mistress Shaeula, doooo you accept this humble servant? If sooo, I shall put her to work. This place is terrible!¡± with her words she thrust a hand into the ground and elemental Nature (or Wood) surged, the barren, scorched hellscape left from the many battles the place had hosted suddenly sprouting pretty grasses, greenery covering the bare soil.


    Well, that is damn impressive. I see why Shaeraggo sent her our way now. She¡¯ll be an asset, but being Unseelie, I guess the Fae have a lot of trouble using her...


    ¡°Fine. Just... go easy on her, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your kindness!¡± Azuki praised, close to tears, and Hyacinth started dragging her off, muttering about refurbishing our dilapidated buildings. Closing my eyes once more I snuggled into Shaeula¡¯s lap, revelling in the feeling of her toying with my hair as I fixed my battered body. Another tough day. Damn, do these troubles ever end...?

 Side Forty-Six – Detective Kato Reiji

    Side Forty-Six ¨C Detective Kato Reiji


    Reiji watched in silence as the man in front of him inspected the slightly decaying human hand. Damn, I wish I had a smoke right about now. This is the part of the job that is absolutely the worst. I hope you are paying attention, Officer Usui. This is what you signed up for. It¡¯s too late to quit now.


    ¡°I... I...¡± the man, who was a face most people would at least recognise, even if they weren¡¯t able to put a name to said face, was struggling for words. He was clearly trying to stay composed, but holding the severed hand of what was likely his dead daughter was too much for him. Hell, it should be too much for anyone.


    The silver watch that gleamed around the severed wrist was engraved, a custom piece, and on seeing it, all hope had fled from his face. Poor bastard. First you lose your wife to a tragic accident, and now your daughter killed by a maniac pervert. I guess even power doesn¡¯t protect from misfortune.


    ¡°it¡¯s... it¡¯s my daughter.¡± He finally managed to choke out. ¡°I had this watch made for her twentieth birthday. My... my Haru. She was so happy to receive it.¡±


    Suzuki Akimitsu, the man sitting in front of them, clutched the dead hand to his bosom, as if it was his living daughter. All around his office in the Ministry of Finance, there were pictures, mostly of him with a lively-looking young girl, around the same age as Reiji¡¯s own daughters, or a few years older. Damn, seeing that, it really hits home doesn¡¯t it? It makes me appreciate my own daughters, even if they are constantly nagging me about something or other. Maybe I should bring them home a treat tonight, show them I care.


    ¡°I thought that would be the case. You have my deepest condolences.¡± Reiji bowed deeply, and beside him Officer Usui did the same, for once acting the part of a proper officer. Still, if she wasn¡¯t able to perform now, she wasn¡¯t fit for the job.


    ¡°It was after the party that she went missing.¡± Suzuki-san sighed, getting his voice under a semblance of control. ¡°The party I forced her to go to. I wanted her to go out, meet some old acquaintances. She had been ill. I... I wanted her to feel better, go back to her old self.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Reiji said softly. In times of tragedy like this it was best just to let them speak, to get all the painful emotions out.


    ¡°She said she could hear people¡¯s voices, feel their thoughts, ever since a strange dream she had. Honestly, she must have had some sort of psychotic break, probably due to the pressures of trying to make her way into politics. But..¡± his breath caught in a sob. ¡°... nothing worked. Not counselling, or medication. I know it has only been a bit over a month, and all the doctors and psychiatrists said... it would take time. But she was getting worse, she wouldn¡¯t leave ... leave her room, unless pushed. So I thought... getting out would help her.¡± He wiped at his running nose and eyes, not even caring about smearing his expensive suit. ¡°I thought she¡¯d committed suicide. It was what I had feared. But... but this... is far worse. Oh my poor baby girl...¡± the floodgates burst, and the man started to cry, huge gasping sobs that wracked his whole body.


    Officer Usui stepped back, looking overwhelmed, but unfortunately this was not Reiji¡¯s first time consoling the relatives of a victim. He produced an almost clean handkerchief and handed it over. Suzuki-san took it and cried himself out. When he was done, he looked a little stronger, though Reiji knew it was just a front.


    ¡°So, tell me what happened to my poor girl. I... I need to know.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t supposed to talk about it...¡± Reiji began, but at the look of protest on officer Usui¡¯s face, he relented, as he was always going to anyway. ¡°... but you have to know when to bend the rules a little.¡± I¡¯ve lectured her on following the rules often enough, but if she is going to be anything more than a rote officer, just doing her job and achieving nothing, she needs to realise we follow the rules so that we know when and why we need to break them. Otherwise there is just anarchy. ¡°It seems that our perpetrator Kondou Kazuo saw her at this party, and when she left alone he attacked her opportunistically. She was... abused... before her death, according to his confession.¡±


    ¡°But why is there only her... her hand left?¡± Suzuki-san asked, swallowing painfully, eyes filling with tears once more. ¡°Is it some kind of sick trophy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the real puzzler. Officer Usui, if you would fill him in?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you are putting me on the spot, Inspector, let me see. Firstly, we can guess there is some sort of connection between that guy Oshiro who was pulled for fending off the yakuza. I was paying attention during our questioning of him, and he didn¡¯t actually tell any direct lies it seems. But he definitely hid a lot of stuff from us.¡± At her hard tone, Reiji chuckled a little.


    ¡°He definitely did. He was also very careful about how he said things. There was a definite implication that he was involved with the vigilantism incident, wasn¡¯t there? And while he claimed he wasn¡¯t a yakuza or involved in any criminality, he certainly knew Kondou, and that he was involved in sending the yakuza after him.¡±


    ¡°He also reacted to the picture of Suzuki Haru. Coincidence again. Such a rare creature, right Inspector?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, as rare as a compliment from my daughters.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I must say, your intuition is starting to develop nicely. We might make a decent officer of you yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, gee, thanks.¡± Officer Usui groused, but she didn¡¯t look displeased. It seems this puzzling case has finally caught her interest. I knew this was something big the moment I stumbled over it.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think he knew all the murder victims, but I get a feeling he has some idea about it. Not sure how that makes sense, but my intuition tells me so. Besides, he recognised Suzuki Haru. It bears saying again. A coincidence too far, right? He just happened to see her on the street, and then she ends up dead, the killer someone he was at serious odds with?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree. There¡¯s too many threads connecting everything together. Well, I don¡¯t think it has to do with the money, unlike what the Inspector from Organised Crime thinks. That seems to be clean, a lawyer attached to Midas Gold wouldn¡¯t lie. But... a lawyer from Fujiwara house... he¡¯s surprisingly well-connected, despite his background showing up as nothing special. Damn, I hate those uppity old families. If they get annoyed they pressure the top brass, and before you know it, bam, desk job for years. You want to stay off their radar, Officer Usui. Though you¡¯ve spotted the key point. What are the chances of him just happening to spot a murder victim just before they were murdered by someone who then instigated a yakuza attack on him?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice. So, you must have a plan, right? You aren¡¯t going to let this drop, are you, Inspector? I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t want to either. Seeing Suzuki-san so grief-stricken... it doesn¡¯t sit right with me. There¡¯s more to this than our perp confessing. I know it. Though I hope we can keep better hours. Mornings aren¡¯t good for my complexion...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but this job isn¡¯t nine to five.¡± He pulled out another tatty cigarette. ¡°So, there¡¯s one other point that sticks out like a sore thumb that we can¡¯t explain but ties everything together. You touched on it earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the abnormal behaviour of the perps in both cases. Kondou Kazuo was confessing despite clearly not wanting to, and the other bunch of small-time crooks were doing the same thing, albeit with more conviction. Neither would say why though, or finger our man Oshiro. Oh, and there are the strange injuries too. It could be some sort of odd new type of bladed weapon, but... the lab doesn¡¯t think so.¡±


    Reiji applauded. ¡°Yeah, you got it. Well, we need to go pull some files and do some digging...¡± There¡¯s something going on here that clearly doesn¡¯t make sense, but I¡¯m a Detective. I believe what I see and experience. And whatever is happening here is clearly possible, even if it defies understanding. On watching Usui¡¯s face fall he smirked. ¡°... don¡¯t look so put out. Most of it I have already, we just need to cross-reference it. And then tomorrow... I think we need to pay Shirohebizumi shrine and our good friend Oshiro Moonstone Akio... hah, what a name, eh... a visit. We certainly have enough cause for a follow-up, we can use Suzuki Haru as the reason...¡±


    ¡°All right. But not too early, okay?¡± she insisted. ¡°We¡¯ve been working nights recently too, and I¡¯m shattered.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Reiji agreed. ¡°Just remember to tread carefully. He has powerful lawyers in his corner, so we need to gather information very carefully.¡±


    I will get to the bottom of this. At first it was just curiosity and a hunch, but now... mysterious deaths, strange behaviours, a prolific, unheard-of serial killer... and a grieving father. Suzuki-san¡¯s face came to mind again, anguished and tormented. I joined the Police to see justice done, and to make the streets safe for my family. And now more than ever, I¡¯m convinced I need to do this, if I¡¯m to stay true to what I believe in!

 Side Forty-Seven – Izumi Kana

    Side Forty-Seven ¨C Izumi Kana


    Kana opened her lunchbox and held in a sigh. I don¡¯t really want to be at school today. I¡¯ve too much to think about. Not only was everyone still bugging her about the fires and yakuza attacks at the shrine, even though a few days had passed, they were still making fun of her over big bro too.


    I mean, come on, I said there was nothing going on. He¡¯s already got two girlfriends... her lunch was a bit fancier than it used to be, and as she picked away at her meal, she considered that at least big bro was generous with his money. I don¡¯t think he liked seeing how poor we were. It¡¯s embarrassing, but I¡¯d rather have money than pride.


    ¡°So, you seem lost in thought, Kana-chan.¡± Asami-san said, pulling over her desk to join her. Mio-chan did the same on the other side, and soon they were eating together. Several other girls pulled their desks over too, which was a bit unusual, as most of the other girls avoided Kana, usually anyway.


    Well I¡¯ve got a lot on my mind, haven¡¯t I? if only you knew... ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. So, you were saying...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed your lunch looks pretty nice. Don¡¯t you worry you might...¡± Asami-san paused to grin. ¡°... put on weight?¡±


    Kana nearly choked on her tuna, surprised at the joke.


    ¡°Yeah, this big bro of yours wouldn¡¯t like you if you don¡¯t stay beautiful.¡± Mio-chan gently mocked her.


    ¡°I told you, there¡¯s nothing going on there!¡± she pouted, stabbing the next piece of tuna angrily with her chopsticks.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see on Sunday right? I¡¯m really looking forwards to visiting your shrine again. He¡¯ll be there, right?¡± Asami-chan asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we just have to check him out.¡± Mio-chan agreed.


    Seriously, I don¡¯t see their fascination with this. I need to regain the initiative, it should be me making the jokes. I¡¯m the queen of this class. Although... It wasn¡¯t enough just for her to be beautiful and charming. Lately it¡¯s been nothing but blows to my pride. But I¡¯m not going to stay depressed, no, I¡¯m going to shine more brightly than ever. Girls like Mori-san, I¡¯ll not let them put me down...


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t like Akio-kun...¡± she made sure to call him by that, rather than big bro, ¡°... is at my beck and call, is he? Still, he¡¯ll probably be around. Of course, I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s going to want to waste time talking to you two though.¡± she teased, regaining the initiative. Though he probably will, he¡¯s pretty friendly with girls. Too friendly, really.


    ¡°Sure he will.¡± Mio-chan pouted. ¡°No man can resist cute schoolgirls like us, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, can... can I come too?¡± another girl in class asked. On seeing everyone looking at her, the girl shrunk back in her seat, embarrassed. Err, what was her name again? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve spoken to her much... she isn¡¯t a girl who obviously dislikes me like some, but I¡¯ve not had much to do with her either.


    ¡°Really?¡± Asami-chan asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for the guy, Noguchi-san? Looking at his girls I think you¡¯re pretty outclassed.¡±


    At that a ripple of laughter went around the classroom. The girl, Noguchi-san, flushed. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t like that... I just thought... well, you¡¯ve seemed more approachable lately Izumi-san, so I thought... maybe... we could be friends?¡±


    That caught her by surprise. Friends, with me? I... don¡¯t see why. She had always made clear the difference between her and girls that weren¡¯t as pretty or as popular. It wasn¡¯t like she was a bully or anything, In fact if anything she felt other girls were cold to her due to her family being poor... I certainly made it clear they were below me, it was a way to defend myself, hold my position in class. To think a girl like this Noguchi-san thinks I¡¯m approachable... maybe I have changed a little. Maybe Shaeula has influenced me...


    Shaeula was a thorny conundrum for her, though she rationalised it that competing with a non-human, affectively a kami, was clearly foolish. Kana didn¡¯t think she would lose in terms of looks, but she had to admit she didn¡¯t win, either. Not like she did against most other girls she¡¯d met, or even a lot of the celebrities or idols on TV. And Shaeula, she was the same outgoing, friendly person with pretty much whoever she met, seemingly satisfied with her own worth. If someone tried to lord it over her, no doubt she¡¯d simply laugh it off and crush them with her confidence. I want that for myself, especially now.


    ¡°Hmm, well... there isn¡¯t much to see and do at my shrine. I mean, everyone here knows this school has a long history with the shrines and temples, right, even those of you who are ordinary students?¡±


    Noguchi-san and other girls nodded. Even the few bitchy girls that she hated, who were listening in to the conversation from the sides, were aware of the special nature of the school curriculum.


    ¡°Well, right now my shrine is nothing special. Although you just wait until our new training hall is built!¡± Kana couldn¡¯t resist boasting about it. ¡°We¡¯ll have a gym, sauna, swimming pool, gaming room... all sorts of cool stuff! You can come visit then, if you ask me really nicely!¡± she laughed. Listen well. I¡¯m no longer living in poverty. None of you will have anything like that at your homes!


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds cool. But... seriously, if this big bro of yours is putting out all this effort, I¡¯m more convinced than ever he¡¯s aiming for you, Kana-chan! We need to protect you from his lustful clutches!¡± Mio-chan giggled.


    Yeah, this is all the same as yesterday. I guess they still haven¡¯t got it out of their system. Speaking of yesterday... Kana remembered the request Shaeula had asked of her. It was a good opportunity to try it. ¡°Uh, does anyone have Kikuchi-san¡¯s phone number? I¡¯d like to invite her over on Sunday too.¡±


    ¡°Why, are you planning to bully her? You¡¯ve never been close to Kikuchi, I know you don¡¯t like her. Hasn¡¯t she suffered enough?¡± one of the girls in class that rarely interacted with anyone spoke up. She was nothing special looks-wise, and wore dowdy glasses and had her bangs hanging down over her face like a curtain. Takagi-san, I think, right?


    ********


    ¡°My head is aching...¡± Kana moaned, heading back towards her room. Marika-san was also exhausted after a bit over an hour of intense concentration, but even so, she went back to her homework, like a good little student. Such a well-behaved girl...


    Her body felt heavy, a cold weight around her lower body sending shivers through her. It was quite the interesting feeling, equal parts uncomfortable and strangely pleasant. I guess that is the aether. I still can¡¯t get it to circulate up to the middle and upper chakras like Shaeula explained, but pulling it in... I can do that...


    ¡°Oh, Kana dear, are you finished with what you were doing?¡± her mother stuck her head through a doorway, waving her over. ¡°Can you help me with dinner?¡±


    Kana bit down a sigh. ¡°Fine. If I have to. By the way, I¡¯ve been thinking... can you persuade father to let big bro take over the shrine like he wanted?¡±


    ¡°This again, huh? I know you worry about our finances, but there is more...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that.¡± She interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want another long lecture from father and grandfather. Big bro doesn¡¯t want to take our shrine from us, he wants what¡¯s best for us. So we should do what he asks.¡±


    ¡°Oho, so you want to do what big bro asks, do you? That¡¯s adorable, Kana.¡± Her mother said slyly. At that she blushed, cursing herself silently for being flustered. Trying to regain the initiative, she decided to show off what she had learned. If I can convince mother, then she can work on father.


    ¡°Look, thanks to Shaeula¡¯s help, I can use my ability to see ¡®abnormalities¡¯ whenever I want.¡± She concentrated, pulling the aether that had accumulated within her up into her eyes. She shivered as a trail of cold prickling needles moved through her body, before suddenly sparks and spots of colour were dancing in her vision. ¡°See...?¡± she said triumphantly, sweat springing up on her forehead.


    ¡°You are doing it? How wonderful.¡± Her mother exclaimed, though really she could only take her daughters¡¯ word for it.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s still hard work.¡± Letting the aether disperse her vision went back to normal. ¡°Look, Shaeula and big bro are the experts on the spiritual, right? And Shaeula told me if he has ownership over the land, he can strengthen it and us. They don¡¯t want anything like...¡± she swallowed, remembering. But I¡¯m not scared. I¡¯m NOT. I WILL get stronger, so I don¡¯t fear anyone! ¡°... like what happened to happen again. So, please, help me convince father and grandfather. Big bro will not screw us over. You know that too, right?¡±


    Her mother looked at her seriously, for such a long time Kana found it hard to meet her gaze. After this uncomfortable inspection, her mother broke into a smile. ¡°I see. You really believe in big bro and Shaeula. Really, I think they can be trusted too. All right, I¡¯ll talk to Daichi and father-in-law. If you show off your control of your gifts, that might help convince them too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks mom.¡± Kana threw her arms around her mother, hugging her.


    ¡°My, how unusual for you to be so affectionate.¡± Her mother laughed. ¡°Still, I need help with dinner, and I don¡¯t want to bother Marika-chan while she is settling in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s doing her homework right now.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°Oh, one last thing. This Sunday... err, some classmates from school are coming over.¡±


    ¡°My, more unusual events. Is that Nagase-chan and Tsumori-chan? I thought you were too ashamed of our ... how did you put it... oh yes, our run-down shrine that stunk of poverty... to bring them here.¡± she chided gently.


    Ugh, I did say that when I was having a tantrum in middle school. It isn¡¯t fair to bring that up now! Mortified, she tried to remain composed. ¡°Well, times have changed, haven¡¯t they? And if you help me convince father and grandfather, we can be even better. But... it isn¡¯t just my friends, there are a lot of others from class who are coming. They... well I guess the attack from the yakuza piqued their interest.¡± That and big bro...


    ¡°I see, this is a surprise. You aren¡¯t the most sociable girl, Kana dear. Your mother is happy to see your growth!¡±


    Please, no more teasing! ¡°So anyway, I was hoping you could help me ask big bro if we could use his house for the meet-up? It¡¯s a bit more spacious, and he has a TV and games consoles and stuff... and maybe, if he could get us some food and drinks for a party...?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯d be delighted if you asked him yourself, dear.¡± Her mother grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be more than happy to put his hand in his pocket for a cute girl like you. After all, compared to your hairclip, the cost of some party food is nothing, right?¡±


    I guess so. Her hand went to the clip, feeling the cold smoothness of platinum under her fingertips. ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right. Maybe I¡¯ll do that...¡± I can tell him I¡¯ve contacted Kikuchi-san as well. He¡¯ll be pleased, I hope...


    Humming happily to herself she followed her mother into the kitchen, complaints about having to help with dinner forgotten, only for the doorbell to ring. ¡°Could you get that, Kana dear?¡± her mother asked.


    All right, all right. Traipsing over to the door, she opened it up, only to find an older man and a young woman, both in suits. ¡°Hello, can I help you?¡± she asked warily, not recognising them, only to freeze when the man pulled out his identification.


    ¡°Good evening, Izumi-san, I believe? I¡¯m Detective Kato Reiji, and this is my assistant, Officer Usui. I¡¯m sorry to bother you so late, but I¡¯ve got some questions for you and your family, as well as Oshiro-san, who I believe lives on your property...?¡±


    No, not again, I thought we were done with this. Still, she knew she had no grounds to refuse, so nervously she stepped aside, allowing them to come in. I hope I don¡¯t say anything that gets big bro into trouble. This sucks... just as things were starting to look up today too...

 One Hundred and Sixty-Seven / Side Forty-Eight – Aliyah and Treyvon James – Black Wolf Company PMC

    One Hundred and Sixty-Seven / Side Forty-Eight ¨C Aliyah and Treyvon James ¨C Black Wolf Company PMC


    Treyvon exchanged a long glance with his sister as they watched the six deep-cover US agents unload multiple heavy duffel-bags of equipment under the shadow of the hillside. Behind them lurked two of their stronger close-combat fighters, Travis, who was a six foot six blonde American muscleman, who specialised in Muay Thai and kickboxing, and Manx, smaller at just over six feet, but still just as dangerous, his half-Asian looks and smaller frame belying that the often-silent man was a master of close-contact suppression, and if needs be, killing.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly how I pictured my first trip to Japan, Trey.¡± Aliyah said after a long sigh. ¡°This is going to be shit and leave a real bad taste, I can just see it. Fuck! Why did we have to get a red notice job? The money isn¡¯t worth it. Shit. Fuck!¡±


    As his sister cursed up a storm, he looked around, silently agreeing. Yeah, no shit. Wetwork in a ¡®friendly¡¯ country is a whole different ball game when it comes to risk and sheer shittyness. We¡¯ve done extraction jobs in Sierra Leone, Iran, Afghanistan... and even our own country, but this... ¡°Look, cool it, you are drawing attention.¡± He advised.


    His sister turned, eyeballing several of the agents they were working with, who had stopped their unloading to stare at her disapprovingly. Aliyah shrugged an apology, before turning back, zipping up the heavy hoodie she wore to cover up the tactical bodysuit she had changed into on arrival, a parked van with fake plates and decals serving as their command HQ for this strike. ¡°Fucking pricks.¡± She whispered theatrically, getting a brief chuckle from Travis. ¡°Don¡¯t they know venting before a mission is a must? Helps me stay calm...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Still, they must be nervous too.¡± He allowed, sharing his sisters¡¯ ever-increasing misgivings. ¡°This Akio guy must be one hell of a value target if they are prepared to risk a squad of agents who have likely been buried deep in Japan for years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably why we are here, Trey.¡± Aliyah turned her head and spat. Still, what she was going to say was wiped from her mind as she stared at the long bag that was brought out by one of the men. He had the same reaction. A fucking sniper rifle? Getting those in Japan is virtually impossible. Besides, this is supposed to be a capture mission, not an assassination...


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to agree with you, sis. I think we are going to get a real mouthful of this, despite asking them oh so politely not to.¡±


    Aliyah sniggered meanly at the innuendo. ¡°Well you¡¯d know all about that, right Trey? It¡¯s not a flavour I¡¯ll ever know. Still...¡± she pondered, stretching her arms, warming up. In the lee of the hill up to a desolate shrine in the suburbs of Tokyo, they were largely sheltered from seeing more than the odd passer-by jogging or walking their dogs. Even so, not being able to find a better location for the extraction is a real blow. There¡¯s too much that can go wrong, too many variables. Why is this being so rushed? At least the Japanese mind their own business and pretend not to see anything strange. If this was back home, no way this¡¯d work.


    His sister continued, jerking him out of his thoughts. ¡°... at first glance, we aren¡¯t needed at all. We gave them the info... what we could stomach, anyway... they could fake messages from us without us needing to be here on site. Shit, want to know what I think, Trey?¡±


    You¡¯ll tell me anyway, so go on. As he nodded, tightening up the straps on his own combat bodysuit, she carried on. ¡°I think we are the fucking patsies for if this goes south. Sure, we do good work, but at the end of the day we are only mercs, sorry, private contractors, so rather than lose precious agents that have taken years and millions of dollars to embed, I think they¡¯d cut us loose in a heartbeat. Sure, some other PMC¡¯s might grumble, but would they ever even find out the fucking truth? Uncle Sam controls most of the media after all.¡±


    Yeah, right on the money as usual sis. I wish you could be more ladylike, but when it comes to your instincts, top notch as ever. I can¡¯t think of any other reason either.


    ¡°Right, all unloaded.¡± The leader of the unit, an Asian going by Alpha, said. He was non-descript, a perfect native, one you wouldn¡¯t look twice at on an average day. There was also Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta on the strike and capture team, while Eta was co-ordinating from the van and would remain on station in case of emergencies. All of them were Japanese nationals, and again he idly wondered just how many other agents the good old homeland had inserted into the lands of their supposed allies. Politics I guess. All shit.


    ¡°Right, so, arm up. We will then confirm the target and mission parameters.¡±


    ¡°We know the target, fuckwit.¡± Aliyah muttered under her breath. Easy now. I know you have a lot of unresolved issues with this guy, but still... it¡¯s us or him. We¡¯ve already done all we can by keeping his family out of this. If we wanted to keep a clean conscience, we should have been in a different industry...


    The bodysuits were knife-proof and could stop small calibre bullets from penetrating, though the impact would still cause injuries. It had loops to fit various weapons, and with baggy hoodies and pants, it was possible to conceal any number of surprisingly heavy armaments. Still, it was warm and humid, so they looked out of place. The longer they remained here, the more chance there was of something going wrong. To that end, Trey geared up. Combat knives, heavy-duty military taser, Minebea P9 semi-automatic pistols, stun grenades... fuck, it¡¯s like that scene in Commando...


    Worse was the equipment Alpha and the boys were packing. A case containing various drugs in rapid-injector needles, a huge shotgun that was supposedly carrying non-lethal rubber buckshot rounds... non-lethal my fucking ass, take a hit anywhere soft and that fucker will still kill you... the sniper rifle, which Zeta was still carrying in the bag, automatic rifles, with both rubber-tipped and lethal ammo magazines...


    ¡°It¡¯s like we are taking on a cell of fucking terrorists.¡± Aliyah echoed his thoughts, having strapped herself up with enough weapons to take on a platoon. ¡°All for one guy. Yeah, he¡¯s strong as fuck, but even so... it¡¯s like we are going after that Ilya chick after all.¡±


    ¡°At least we were smart enough to know that job was a death-trap. No such luck here, eh?¡± he retorted, only to have Alpha call them all over to the van, where Eta had spread out maps with various information recorded on it. Looking out at the slowly setting sun, Trey again wondered why they couldn¡¯t wait for proper nightfall, rather than engaging in the half-light of the evening. I guess there must be a reason, still... looking once more at his sister, praying she could keep everything together and not let her temper explode, he settled in to listen to the mission parameters and objectives one last time.


    ********


    Aliyah felt acid in her stomach, not the usual pre-mission nerves, but... fuck, is this guilt? That isn¡¯t like me... it¡¯s just another job, albeit a really shit one with little upside for the Black Wolf Company. I guess being too good at our jobs has cost us bigtime. Shit. After their run-in in Las Vegas, Aliyah was left with very mixed feelings about the guy, but in the end they were both professionals, doing a job for the money and if lucky, the honour and safety of their home country. Yeah, I can rationalise it, and even that cutie Shaeula too, she¡¯s got to be some sort of agent as well from what I gathered, but...


    She couldn¡¯t help but think of the sister and his fiance?e. Both of them were totally her type, and being uninvolved in the business, their inevitable grief was eating away at her. I¡¯m not nai?ve enough to know this comes with a happy ending. Even when the Department of Defence, DARPA, the Pentagon or whoever the hell sanctioned this extraction is done with him, there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll just let him go home... no, he¡¯ll disappear forever. Fuck. Shit. Damn.


    Trying to put aside her anger and get into a professional mindset, she focussed on the briefing held within the van. On the table was a map of the shrine from satellite data, with various locations, routes of ingress and points of interest marked. Beside that was a series of grainy pictures of the Shaeula chick, with more detailed, clear photographs of the Akio guy. Seeing them, she clenched her fists reflexively. We are doing this. No backing out.


    ¡°So, the primary target is Akio Moonstone Oshiro, the man here. He is to be taken alive! Injuries that are non-lethal are perfectly fine.¡± Eta began, his expression calm. Damn, I know everyone says all Asians look the same to us Westerners, but this team really is non-descript. Not flashy and memorable, like him... really, he was annoyingly attractive. In photographs you could see it a bit, but in person, he definitely had the sort of handsome charisma of a movie star or something. Damn, that pisses me off... suddenly she felt an impact on her ankle, and turned to see Trey gesturing to her to pay attention.


    Yeah, yeah, I know.


    ¡°The secondary target is seemingly Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. She is also to be captured alive, again, injuries permissible. If she is not sighted though, primary target is to be extracted alone as the objective. I have a medical kit here in the van, and we have a full team on standby at HQ ready to perform any surgeries needed to keep the targets alive and able to survive transportation.¡±


    Grim. I hope he comes quietly. At least that way he won¡¯t have to suffer.


    ¡°Thanks to information from our friends here...¡± the way Eta said ¡®friends¡¯ was enough to rile her up, the contempt was noticeable, but not unusual, as state agents always looked down on mercenaries. ¡°... has been most helpful, and we have corroborated it with local sources. Anyway...¡± he gestured to her burner phone, which held their numbers. ¡°... while we have had no response to our texts since the other day, our tracking system has revealed they are definitely going to this area, here.¡± He pointed to the map, to a pair of highlighted buildings on the back of the hill, separated from the nearby buildings by several hundred metres and the rise, making it ideally situated for some... privacy.


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about using phones to track our target.¡± Her brother piped up. ¡°He could be using a relay to misdirect the signal, or burner phones, or any number of other tricks.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Eta agreed. ¡°However...¡± he paused, looking a little unsure of whether he should say anything, before opting to speak. ¡°... we called in a few favours from ... associated parties... and discovered that this is indeed his dwelling, and surveillance has confirmed it. Tracing his movements over the last few days, we can be pretty certain he is within the house, and possibly the secondary target as well. As to why he is not replying to texts from your phone...¡± he looked at Aliyah, before shrugging. ¡°... who can say, but the machine says they are being delivered there, so headquarters believes that there is at least a 95% certainty the target is there, all told. Still, there are... complications... in the politics, so we need to act fast.¡±


    Complications, huh? And who are the ¡®associated parties.? They¡¯ll never tell hired grunts like us, which makes me fucking pissed off. When this mission is done I¡¯m going back on vacation, and if Trey doesn¡¯t like it, tough shit.


    ¡°The problem is, this is still a public shrine.¡± Eta continued. ¡°Luckily it has surprisingly expansive grounds, and the area we plan to engage in will be off-limits to the few worshippers and tourists the shrine receives. There is also building work taking place, but that finishes pretty much on schedule each day. In fact, they should be clearing out any time now. That only leaves the family that owns the shrine.¡±


    He pointed out another area of the map, clearly marked. ¡°As you can see by the satellite images and contour markers, the main building has no line-of-sight to the engagement area. Therefore a quick, surgical strike will have minimal chance of any civilian intruders. Our sources also informed us there was quite the altercation at the shrine a few days ago, which has left the occupants nervous, less prone to wandering. That plays to our advantage.¡±


    Altercation? What shit are you getting into now, guy? Never mind... I still have a question. ¡°So yeah, seems like the engagement area is the best we can hope for in a crowded city. No lines-of-sight, plenty of cover, I get it. But what is the play if there are civilians who intrude on the operation?¡±


    ¡°Full neutralisation.¡± Eta said coldly, and there were hisses of in-drawn breath from Trey and Travis. Even the stoic Manx looked put-out. ¡°Obviously such a scenario is to be avoided, but... we cannot let the risk of civilian casualties deter us. The very safety of the United States of America depends on our ability to be ruthless. The mission must succeed.¡±


    Oh fucking hell, this gets worse. There¡¯s a woman and young girl living at the shrine according to the intel here. If they enter the battlefield... shit, we never do uninvolved women or any kids.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t just kill civilians.¡± Trey broke in coldly, and she cheered him internally. ¡°You should know from our profile we...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can handle any unexpected civilian interlopers.¡± Eta sneered. ¡°As professionals we know we have to do things we otherwise wouldn¡¯t want to, unlike you... paid contractors.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that potentially young girls and...¡± Trey began again, but he was silenced by the strike team¡¯s vicious glares.


    I. Fucking. Hate. This. Aliyah was steaming, ready to blow, but even with the four of them, if they tried to do anything they¡¯d be outclassed, and the Black Wolf Company would be finished. Just please... If there¡¯s a God out there, which after the life I¡¯ve had I fucking doubt, make sure no-one else gets involved. Up until now, we¡¯ve always managed to hold to our rule of no kids, and no innocent women. Don¡¯t let this be the time it all goes to shit...


    ¡°So, Zeta will be positioned here with the sniper rifle, since it has clear views over all points of ingress, as well as the engagement area...¡± the smug fuck Eta continued, marking the map. ¡°The Black Wolf Company will approach the target buildings first, while we...¡± as the engagement was sketched out, Aliyah looked uneasily at her brother, seeing her displeasure mirrored in his eyes. What a fucking mess. Our only hope is to finish this fast and get the fuck out... her hand went to a combat knife under her hoodie. Last time I couldn¡¯t touch you, but if I delay now, people, innocent people, are going to get involved. So sorry, but you are going down, Akio. I¡¯ll find some way to make it up to your sister and fiance?e. I don¡¯t know how, but... somehow we will.


    ********


    ¡°Wow, is that the time?¡± I channelled Aiko as I looked at the clock, yawning. Beside me, Shaeula was also stirring. It¡¯s pretty late, but then again, a lot did happen. First, Ulfuric had come rushing over, only to find that the battle was done, Hyacinth having already submitted. Then I had to settle the quarrelling between her and Azuki, before Hyacinth began to rebuild the decrepit buildings, growing wooden planks and tiles seemingly out of nothing. She¡¯s obsessed with looking after a home and the residents. I guess even though she¡¯s fallen to a boggart, brownie habits die hard...


    It was then I collapsed, my body having seized up on me from the misuse of the new Body Enhancement skill. So, since I had little to do here in the Material since we had resolved the issue with the police and the yakuza, I decided to remain in the Boundary to repair myself, as well as train some more. Never thought we¡¯d cross all the way over to Thursday evening though. Still, I was deep in meditation.


    By the time I left, the Anchor upgrade had a touch over fourteen astral days remaining. I was getting very excited at the prospect of finally being able to really improve my Territory, so had to keep myself from blowing my remaining ether on rush-building it. No, I want plenty of ether in the bank to start filling up the queues straight away...


    Getting up, I noticed I was streaked with blood as usual, though my body was only showing a few faint scars. On seeing me that way, Shaeula licked her lips lasciviously. ¡°Shall we take a bath to cleanse ourselves?¡± she asked. ¡°After dealing with that troublesome Unseelie I could-could certainly do with a cold-cold beer and some relaxation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I could do with cleaning myself up a bit. Seriously, I think we need to come up with some sort of outfit that is comfortable to sleep in but washes easily. I¡¯m tired of laundering the sheets. Or... I guess I could try not hurting myself and getting injured so much, but that¡¯s way harder.¡± I grinned, before turning to the bedside desk, where the message light of my phone was flickering. There were messages from Eri and Aiko, which I would reply to later, as well as... what the hell? Is that chick a damn stalker now?


    There was a half-dozen messages from Aliyah, all asking to meet up. ¡°Hey, Shaeula, can you check your phone for me?¡±


    She blinked at me, confused, before retrieving her orange model. ¡°Hmm, just the usual from Aiko and... hmm, Aliyah has been busy-busy indeed.¡±


    ¡°You too, huh? There¡¯s something off about this. The tone of the messages... do they seem like her to you? They come across as desperate to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite. I feel-feel there is something off about them.¡± she agreed with me. As I scrolled through them I noticed a message from Kana-chan as well. Opening it up it was full of her usual emoji¡¯s and cutesy girl-speak, but the contents surprised me. ¡°The police are back at the shrine, and have been asking them questions? I thought I was done with that...¡± I muttered. The text also said that a Detective was waiting at the shrine for me to be available. I guess we did put locks on the door after the incident with the yakuza, more for peace of mind than any real safety, and while I¡¯m in the Boundary mere noises like the doorbell probably won¡¯t reach me...


    Making up my mind I fired off a text, asking them to give me twenty minutes to clean up. I can¡¯t meet a Detective stinking of blood. I¡¯ve fixed myself up pretty well, but even so, that won¡¯t remove the blood I already shed... ¡°Looks like the bath is going to have to be a quick one, we have unwelcome guests.¡± I sighed. ¡°You should wait in your room, no need to get you involved.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I am disappointed, but there is always next-next time.¡± Shaeula acquiesced. ¡°But I shall at least wash your back. Since you are in quite-quite the hurry.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll return the favour next time as well. As for now, pick me out something decent, but not too flashy. I need to make a good impression...¡±


    ********


    ¡°You ready?¡± Treyvon asked quietly, and his sister and the boys nodded. ¡°All right then, the engagement zone is clear, civilian workers have left, so on my mark, synchronise watches. The time is... on five, four, three, two, one... nineteen hundred hours, twenty two minutes. Mark.¡±


    Using combat hand signs, the four spread out, their dark grey hoodies blending into the shadows. The sun had set, but the lights of the distant skyline as well as the streets surrounding the hills meant it was still possible to see, even the outskirts of Tokyo existing in a perpetual twilight due to the sheer volume of illumination. There were also large lighting arrays around the building site and more modest lights on the target buildings too, perhaps answering the question of why waiting until true darkness was not worth it. Although cutting the power should be easy enough, and we even have night-vision scopes. Oh well, no point worrying about it now...


    Zeta would already be on station, covering them with that hefty M-24 SWS. The other five were split into a pair and a trio, providing covering support. Sure, let us take the risks. Typical.


    It was then Trey suddenly gestured for everyone to stop, getting a sudden and inexplicably bad feeling. Damn, combat instincts are seldom wrong. Something bad is about to go down...


    His sister signed at him, asking why he had halted them, but he signalled back with ¡®uncertain, bad feeling¡¯ and at that she nodded at him, also being a big believer in trusting her gut during combat ops.


    Moving closer alone, he signalled for them to hold fast. There was less than thirty metres to the door of the detached house, but little-to-no cover on the hillside. Sweating, he crept ever closer, pulling out his borrowed Minebea P9. I see him, I put one in each knee to drop him, then the elbows. It¡¯s brutal, but best to be safe. I wish I had my own trusty pistol here, but no way we could get that through border security...


    Twenty metres to go. Fifteen. It was then the door opened suddenly, a shape in the shadows. Is it the target? Secondary? Uninvolved civilian? With no time to think, all Trey could do was aim low and pull the trigger, hoping if it was one of the uninvolved civilians at the shrine they would have time to seek medical attention and wouldn¡¯t be permanently crippled...


    ********


    ¡°I suppose I had better go to the main shrine and see this Detective.¡± I sighed, having been quickly bathed and groomed by Shaeula. I was now wearing one of the suits I bought for Las Vegas, and a glance in the bathroom mirror told me I was pretty presentable. ¡°You stay here. Although if he wants to talk to you, remember your cover-story about your origins. I hope they don¡¯t dig too deeply, or the fake records will come to light.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°I shall be fine, I am not-not concerned. At worst I can befuddle this Detective.¡±


    I guess, but I don¡¯t want to start relying on brainwashing. ¡°Sure, but only as a last resort. Still, I don¡¯t like it. Anyway, wish me luck.¡± With that, we exchanged a deep kiss, and then I was headed out. As I reached the door though, my senses started screaming at me that there was something wrong. Normally my senses were only a bit more acute than a normal person, as my brain had obviously decided that hearing, seeing, smelling and even tasting everything around me would be detrimental to my sanity and wellbeing, so my brain was using its equally high Intellect and Alacrity to filter it to a bearable level. However, that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t still receiving and processing that information, so when any potential alerts were detected, my brain could instantly feed me what I needed, sharpening my focus to frankly superhuman levels.


    And now I was picking up breathing and footsteps from multiple individuals outside, as well as other sounds, metal on metal, as well as quiet muttering. Four coming closer, then... another two groups. Two per group? Three? They are further away so it¡¯s hard to be sure... Whoever they were, it wasn¡¯t the police or the people from the shrine. More yakuza, out for revenge? Surely not, not after I warned that accountant, Sato-san...


    One of them lowered his gun momentarily, but the other kept on shooting, and my wind was diminishing, my energies dwindling. Several bullets struck me, punching bloody holes in my already battered flesh before bouncing out after hitting bone. Still, the pain was nothing compared to the feeling of having killed mere moments ago.


    ¡°So be it then. You chose... poorly.¡± The globe of Foehn shot forwards, as fast as the bullets flying my way. It slammed into the shooter and exploded, drenching him with flame. Suddenly the colour changed, taking on the more natural tones one would expect rather than the pure citrine of elemental energy. I see. The world is fighting the presence of Foehn, it probably isn¡¯t able to fully support such an ability yet. Still, it¡¯s close enough. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve soaked the bastard in napalm...


    Turning away from the shrieking, burning bastard, I knelt down beside the dying Detective, ignoring the hysterical girl. Meeting his vision, I spoke softly, the words having a mocking edge.


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll let me get away with denying this mess, right?¡±


    He wheezed with laughter, coughing up more blood, panicking the nigh-hysterical Usui. ¡°No way. I got you... bang to rights. I knew... when those thugs were... arrested... when the murders happened. Kondou...¡± more blood flew, more coughing wracked him. The baleful screams behind us were starting to fade, the fire having done its grim work. ¡°... that this was the... biggest case... of my life.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t die. I haven¡¯t learned all I need to yet...¡± Usui was pleading. I turned my head, to see that the last four standing attackers were looking at someone else. It was Shaeula. Her yukata was stained with blood and she was carrying some sort of heavy sniper rifle easily with one hand.


    ¡°So... this toy, I think it works like this? I remember Aiko playing with one-one in Las Vegas.¡± she chortled, holding their rapt, horrified attention as she levelled it one-handed at them like it was a mere pistol. Great, I can leave them to you for now...


    ¡°Her too... I see. Knew it.¡± he suddenly grabbed my hand, gripping me surprisingly tight. ¡°Don¡¯t... don¡¯t kill Officer Usui. She¡¯s a good... good girl.¡±


    At his words she gasped, eyes going wide, seeing me clearly for the first time, my torn suit and bloodied flesh shocking her, as well as my angry eyes. ¡°Kill... me?¡± she squeaked, only not fleeing because of her first aid on her partner.


    ¡°Not sure... how you¡¯ll cover... ahh, this hurts... cover this up... but... if you let her live, she won¡¯t say... anything. You can go far... away. Everyone... wins.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± she cried angrily. ¡°You told me never to compromise on justice! It¡¯s why we¡¯ve been working this case a month, doing endless unpaid overtime...¡± scalding tears were wrung from her as she wailed. ¡°... we cracked the case! It¡¯s done! I won¡¯t stop now until you are vindicated!¡±


    ¡°Justice... is for the... living. If you die... it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill her, don¡¯t worry.¡± I said, saddened by this whole mess. Now Shaeula is here, the situation in sunder control, so if I...


    ¡°That¡¯s... a relief. I¡¯ll.. die now. My only regret is... I never did get my wife and daughters... the gifts I planned to...¡± he shut his eyes, breathing softly.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t leave me!¡± Usui wailed.


    ¡°This ending doesn¡¯t suit me. Hey officer, do you want to live? If so, all I need is one small favour...¡± I asked, smiling like the devil, and his eyes opened, his hard gaze meeting mine.


    ¡°A favour?¡±


    ********


    Well isn¡¯t this just the cherry on top of the fucking shit sundae we¡¯ve been forced to swallow here.


    ¡°So, hey again, Shaeula. Wish we could have met under better circumstances.¡± Aliyah said, eyeing her blood-stained yukata and the sniper rifle levelled at them. ¡°Guess you got Zeta huh? Never did like that guy. Never liked any of the fuckers really.¡±


    Shaeula cocked her head, her amber eyes curious, and Aliyah felt once more she was truly beautiful. Well, at least I¡¯m getting killed by a total cutie. When you gotta go, go with a smile... unaware she was thinking exactly the same as her brother, she laughed bitterly, only to cough as her battered ribs protested.


    ¡°Zeta? Quite the unusual name. yes-yes, I was tired of the way he was hurting my Akio, so once I had-had dealt with the one at the base of the hill, I returned here to enact judgement.¡±


    ¡°So you got Eta too then? Fuck me. How can two people... no wait, you ain¡¯t people are you?¡± her brother realised. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are, but nobody can throw fireballs and tank bullets like that. It makes perfect sense now. No wonder the brass is putting out these strange requests...¡±


    On listening to her brother, Aliyah realised it too. I see. The unnatural strength of Akio and that shitty turd from Las Vegas. The capture requests on various nutjobs around the world. It all ties together...


    ¡°How rude. I am-am a person, a female. Do you doubt me?¡± she let the rifle fall, spreading her arms wide. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie Court. I may not-not be a mortal as you are, but Akio loves me as a person, and I see-see myself so.¡±


    ¡°Before this, I would say you were fucking crazy, but after that...¡± she pointed to the charred corpse of Delta, Epsilon standing beside him, unmoving, so shocked even thoughts of carrying out the mission had fled from him. ¡°... I¡¯d say it makes sense. No wonder you are so fucking sexy. You ain¡¯t human.¡±


    ¡°Rude. Eri and Aiko are beautiful too, are they not-not? One does not-not need to be Fae to be lovely. You are quite pretty yourself, in a feral way.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°Though I did-did prefer you when you were naked.¡±


    The fuck? Don¡¯t say that here! Aliyah felt her skin heating up at the memory.


    ¡°Naked, just what the hell did you do on that mission?¡± Trey asked, and she scowled at Travis who was also looking at her inquisitively.


    ¡°Nothing. Fuck off. Don¡¯t ask.¡± She spluttered. ¡°So, what do we do from here?¡±


    There was a snapping sound, followed by a cry of pain which was quickly silenced, and Akio was suddenly beside Shaeula, dragging the limp Epsilon, one of his arms bent at a savage angle. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, isn¡¯t it?¡± Akio said, dropping his burden to the ground roughly before wiping his bloodstained hands on the remains of his once-tidy suit. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what the fuck you are doing here? And make it convincing, because I am NOT in a good mood right now.¡±


    ********


    Seeing the sudden fear that crossed their faces, Akio kept his face impassive. Yes I¡¯m angry, in fact I am incredibly angry. But I know Aliyah, so I¡¯ll give her one chance to explain herself before I deal with her like I did this trash... he glanced at the unconscious man on the ground next to him. I¡¯ve got to keep my cool. I¡¯ve already... at least two are dead. I¡¯ve mixed feelings about it, but few regrets, since they were perfectly happy to murder innocent bystanders...


    ¡°So, I¡¯m waiting?¡± I snapped, as the remaining three enemies were staring at me in silence. ¡°Did you know this shrine is occupied by normal, innocent people? There are schoolkids here for fuck¡¯s sake. If the Detective hadn¡¯t told everyone to stay put when they heard the explosions of those stun grenades, it could be a young girl or two lying dead with bullet holes in them. Is that something you approve of, don¡¯t care about? I¡¯m disappointed in you, Aliyah. I thought you were a professional!¡±


    ¡°What would you know about it?¡± the big black man snapped. ¡°You think we wanted to involve innocent people? Fuck no. but we don¡¯t run this show, our hands are tied.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see.¡± Hands are tied, huh? Just following orders... that doesn¡¯t wash with me. ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing. After the incident on Monday with the yakuza, I made promises. I said that nothing like that would ever happen again, that I¡¯d keep the inhabitants of this place safe... and look at this mess...¡± I swept my arm, gesturing to the carnage, the fallen bodies... ¡°... is this safe? You¡¯ve made me break my word, made a fucking liar out of me!¡±


    I vented my anger and disgust I was feeling over killing at those in front of me, and they stepped back at the volcanic anger I was spewing, before Aliyah timidly spoke. ¡°I get it. The Black Wolf Company never kills uninvolved women, or ever children. We did try to tell those bastards, but... shit, this is a war, whether you know it or not. People have their eyes on you two, and can you blame them? Have some fucking sense...¡± her timidity was boiling away as she rationalised the situation. ¡°... if you want people to be safe, stay away from them! Ain¡¯t you ever fucking heard of subtlety?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sis, you might want to cool it a little...¡± the big black man, obviously her brother, now I took a better look at him, was saying. ¡°... if he snaps I don¡¯t fancy our chances...¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Trey. He asked.¡± She retorted, actually taking several bold steps forwards towards me. She wasn¡¯t holding weapons, so I allowed it. ¡°You think flashy behaviour like Vegas can go unnoticed? It¡¯s like your head is full of air. Hell, you even let your sister and pretty little fiance?e get involved. We managed to keep them out of this shitshow, but it¡¯s only a matter of...¡± she let out a strangled gurgle as I grabbed Aliyah by the throat, lifting her easily off the ground. Her brother and the last guy made to move, but Shaeula was there, blocking them.


    ¡°He will not-not kill her. But she spoke words that should never be spoken to Akio. Do not-not threaten those he loves. He takes it... poorly.¡±


    ¡°If anyone, anyone at all, ever, EVER tries to use my family or friends to get to me... they are dead.¡± I¡¯ve already killed. My hands are dirty. But the world that is coming will need those with dirty hands to stand up for what is right. And if I have to stain my soul with blood so that those I love can live in peace and stay clean... I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do anything for my family, Eri, Shaeula, those I¡¯ve promised to protect... ¡°... I¡¯ll kill them. And whoever ordered it. And whoever ordered them... right to the top, as far as I need to take it.¡±


    With my free hand I pulled the last of my wind energy into a series of thin blades, pointing, and several hundred metres away one of the light poles split into multiple sections, falling apart, crashing to the ground in a pile of splintered glass and metal. Oops, that¡¯s a few hundred thousand yen wasted... still, I think I¡¯ve made my point...


    I tossed Aliyah back to the ground, where she bounced, letting out a shriek as her tortured ribs took an impact. Looking at the fear-filled faces of the others, I made myself adamantly clear. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t get to them now, I¡¯ll grow stronger, and one day... I¡¯ll make them pay a terrible price.¡±


    ¡°Fuck... you nearly suffocated me...¡± Aliyah rasped, clambering to her feet unsteadily, a ring of bruises already forming around her throat. ¡°... but seriously... I get it. Don¡¯t take it out on us... like I said, we managed to keep your family out of it. But...¡± she looked around at the chaos. ¡°... now that Plan A fucked up and you¡¯ve proved without a doubt you are what the Military is looking for, even to the point they are prepared to hold a firefight in the middle of a city... no way they¡¯ll let it go. And if Plan A is fucking useless...¡± she paused meaningfully. ¡°Plan B will be next. No question. Still, that ain¡¯t my problem anymore. Trey, Travis, might as well quit. This guy and his cutie could kill us without breaking a sweat, and I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t fancy ending up like that lighting rig. I don¡¯t want my funeral to be fucking closed casket...¡±


    With that she turned away and stalked past her surprised brother, still cradling her ribs, heading over to one of the people I knocked out earlier.


    ¡°I guess you win.¡± The guy said, dropping to his knees, his adrenaline rush leaving him spent. His name was Trey, right? ¡°Shit, to think we laughed at that fool Alex getting the Bad Moon Company wiped on a job. Though at least he had a choice, our hands were tied. Shit.¡± Trey collapsed on his back, looking up at the night sky. ¡°So what now? You¡¯ve bought yourself some time, a team of agents like this isn¡¯t something the US can pull out on Japanese soil every day, but... when they realise this has failed, they¡¯ll start a new strike. Your value has only gone up after this. Shit, maybe you could kill the President if you set your mind to it. Any country would love you as an assassin. The girl too.¡±


    Yeah, I need to see to the safety of Eri, Aiko and our families. But how am I going to explain it? And going up against foreign enemies... hell, there¡¯s no guarantee Japan itself won¡¯t start to covet us...


    ¡°First, we need to deal with this mess...¡± a weary voice broke through my reverie, and I turned to see that the Detective had hobbled over, pale as a ghost, still looking fragile, supported by the limping Officer Usui. ¡°Then... I have an idea. I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be standing yet. My aether stocks were hardly full, and while the resistance on the Material is much weaker inside bodies rather than externally, all I¡¯ve done is patch the critical parts of the wounds. You are still pretty badly hurt.¡± I had healed up the major blood-vessels and the damage to his internal organs, but he was still holed in the torso and had lost a ton of blood. I¡¯d also reduced the damage to Usui¡¯s leg, though the poor girl was still likely to scar. Maybe later I¡¯ll put it right, if she¡¯ll let me...


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t...¡± he paused to cough, getting clotting blood out of his system. ¡°... I know it. it hurts like you wouldn¡¯t believe. Still, it¡¯s proof that I¡¯m alive. So I won¡¯t complain...¡±


    ¡°Inspector...¡± Usui was still sniffling, though her eyes had run dry of tears.


    ¡°Thanks for doing something for my Officer too. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll thank you later.¡± He coughed a few more times. ¡°Anyway... this isn¡¯t so much a police matter as an international diplomatic shitstorm. Way outside my wheelhouse, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°You got that right.¡± Trey sighed. ¡°US agents and contractors attacking Japanese citizens on Japanese soil with an arsenal of weapons. In other countries that could even start a damn war!¡±


    ¡°Right. But that isn¡¯t in anyone¡¯s interest, is it? What matters to you, Oshiro-san? What¡¯s your number one priority right now?¡± the Detective inquired. It¡¯s obvious, and you know it.


    ¡°Keeping my family and the people at the shrine safe.¡± I declared, without a doubt.


    ¡°Right. And to do that, keeping this under wraps and dealing with it through... diplomatic channels... is best.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how do we do that? I¡¯m just a freelancer at the end of the day. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m connected?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± I turned to see Officer Usui scowling at me. ¡°Your lawyers were from Chase and the damn Fujiwara house! Apparently Fujiwara is one of the most influential houses in the whole of Japan!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Detective agreed. ¡°And I believe one house they are extremely close with is the Tsumura house. They¡¯ve provided the heads of the Ministry of Defence ever since the modern system of politics was instituted, and even before then, they held high military office.¡±


    I get it, but it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m actually close to Fujiwara house, they sent the lawyer by themselves!


    ¡°Fuck, what did you hit poor Manx with, the fucker won¡¯t wake up?¡± Aliyah shouted, and I saw he was the one I put down by a blast of wind to the skull. Walking over, I bent down beside her and started channelling a little of my dregs of aether, easing his concussion. ¡°Sorry, he startled me so I slammed him good with a wind blast.¡±


    As Aliyah saw him stirring, his eyelids fluttering, she snorted. ¡°So that shit you were saying in Vegas to that corpulent prick... trying to sound him out to see if he was like you, I reckon?¡±


    I nodded, dusting myself off. ¡°Still, that¡¯s for later. Got to sort out this mess first. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to have a lot of explaining to do for the police and military.¡±


    ¡°No shit.¡± She shook her head sadly, her hair-beads jingling under her hood. ¡°Guess we¡¯re fucked. But... in a way I¡¯m glad. I don¡¯t give a fuck about you, pretty boy, but I didn¡¯t want to take in Shaeula, and the thought of your sister and fiance?e grieving wasn¡¯t one I relished. Still, only in a way though. I¡¯d much rather have had Trey pop a couple in your kneecaps and we dragged you off so we could be free of this shitstorm.¡±


    Surprised by her candour, I laughed. Damn, she¡¯s still as entertaining as she was before. And... I believed her when she said she didn¡¯t want to harm innocents. Perhaps in her line of work she didn¡¯t have a choice. The fucker that shot the Detective and was going to kill the Officer too had it coming, as did the two who sprayed the area down with bullets, knowing they were going to kill. The others... I believed in second chances for a lot of things. As long as my bottom line wasn¡¯t crossed, anyway...


    Ignoring the sudden feeling of nausea from thinking of those I had killed, I started pondering my options again, only for Shaeula to pipe up.


    ¡°Do you not-not have that invitation to a party at Fujiwara house on Saturday? You had asked me to come, remember? If you call-call the number on the invitation, could you not-not find someone who can deal with this mess?¡±


    That¡¯s a brilliant idea. At the very least I can probably get that lawyer back out... surveying the scene, my stomach lurched. Yeah, back in prison after only a couple of days. This sucks...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Eight

    One Hundred And Sixty-Eight


    Well, at least I¡¯m not in prison again. Technically speaking, anyway. Thinking back on the whirlwind last few hours, I bit down on an aggrieved sigh. Shaeula had gone to the house and retrieved my invitation, and upon calling the number we had been connected to a secretary at Fujiwara house. Thinking I was calling to say I would be attending the gathering on Saturday, they were surprised by my request to be connected to the lawyer, Omori-san.


    I was quickly put through to a more important servant, apparently a Butler of the head of Fujiwara house, and after a brief, abridged description of the situation (leaving out any mention of Astral Emperors or their powers, of course) I was then talking to yet another person, this one a man who was supposedly head of something called Fujiwara Security Services. One more explanation, and he was off the phone, promising to take care of matters, and that I was to stay put.


    Damn, my life is crazy nowadays. It¡¯s one thing after another. I glanced over at Shaeula, who was cheerfully slurping on some juice, completely unphased by where we were, and shook my head. I guess a princess is comfortable in any circumstances.


    After I was off the phone Shaeula had returned with the two other operatives she had taken care of. They weren¡¯t dead, but were in a bad way, all torn up and battered. Speaking of the dead... I confirmed that the one I had struck with Foehn had died as well, and a third was going to die unless he received medical attention quickly. With a sigh I trickled in my aether, digging deep to the dregs, and stabilised him a little. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough, but it gave him a chance at least, which was more than he deserved...


    Aliyah, her brother and the others merely sat there, nursing their injuries and making small-talk. I had expected them to run, but when I asked Aliyah why they didn¡¯t try and make a break for it, she merely snorted, rolled her eyes and cursed me for a fool. Her brother then gave me a more reasonable explanation.


    ¡°Where the hell are we going to go, anyway?¡± he had said. ¡°Besides, you think we can escape from monsters like you two? Our best option is to be real co-operative about now. even then... fuck me, we¡¯ll be lucky not to rot in some Japanese prison for the next twenty years...¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least I hear Japanese prisons are pretty fucking swanky.¡± Aliyah had snorted with laughter, and I had to chuckle a little at that.


    I then had to undertake a task I was dreading. Returning to the shrine, I entered, only to find Kana-chan, her family and Marika-san waiting anxiously for news of what was happening. On seeing me, everyone¡¯s expression brightened, only to pale when they saw the ruined and shredded remains of my suit. Funnily enough Kana-chan had blushed a bright red and looked away, only to keep peeking at my near-topless body.


    As Masaji-san asked me what had happened, I swallowed my pride and prostrated myself on the floor in front of them, sincerely repentant. Ignoring their pleas to rise, I rapidly explained the situation, and that I had once more brought danger to the shrine, despite promising only a few days ago this would never happen again. I was about to offer to sever my involvement with them, before a puzzled Masaji-san asked me if they were truly in any real danger.


    Well, when I thought about it, the situation wasn¡¯t so clear cut. On seeing that, Kana-chan piped up, saying ¡°We were safe so long as we stayed here, right? Besides, looks like you handled it fine, didn¡¯t you, big bro?¡±


    Damn, their faith in me... it stings a little, especially since... since I had to kill some of the intruders. Still, I wasn¡¯t going to lie to them, and I said that yes, the attackers had no interest in them. But if they¡¯d have investigated the furore then the danger of being hurt or killed was high.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Akio-kun.¡± Her mother, Nagi-san interrupted. ¡°I may have married into this family, so unlike them, I¡¯m not so versed in matters of faith and the kami, but even I can see this is clearly destiny. I believe that you¡¯ll keep us all free from harm. Especially my Kana and Marika-chan, right?¡±


    Kana-chan was embarrassed then, protesting, but at the nodded agreement from everyone else I felt a mixture of equal parts warmth and exasperation. After all, I had every intent of keeping them safe, and even under the face of such an assault, no-one innocent had died. It was close though...


    ¡°If you are worried, then seek the favour of the Gods and grow stronger. As you told us that day you first visited the shrine, only power can counter power.¡± Masaji-san had advised me, and I conceded his point. Getting up off the floor of the shrine, I said my goodbyes, advising them I would give them the full story when I was done. I ruffled Marika-san¡¯s hair before going, as she looked a little pale, perhaps relieving the trauma of the yakuza attack, and then I left, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Kana-chan looked a little pouty.


    With the vehicle containing the injured Detective and Officer pulling away down the hill, I realised I could hear the thrumming of helicopters. That was unusual over the city, so when I saw the pair of sleek military transport helicopters approaching the hill, I knew it was related to us. I remember thinking that Kana-chan would have a lot more to explain away at school the next day...


    The Fujiwara people quickly used flares to mark a landing site, and I was once more impressed by how well they coordinated with actual military. The helicopters landed, the backwash from their rotors stirring Shaeula¡¯s yukata. Once they were down, the ramps came down and soldiers flooded out, well-armed and professional. On seeing us and Ueno-san, the highest ranking officer in the detachment had come over.


    ¡°Ueno-san, thanks for your call. What¡¯s the sitrep here?¡± he had asked, and I was impressed by his bearing. His insignia was two bars and three stars, and while I didn¡¯t know much about JSDF ranks, that was pretty high up. Of course, I now know he¡¯s a Colonel in Counter-Terrorism, he told me during the helicopter ride over here, when he had the grace to at least give me a jacket to cover my upper body...


    ¡°Looks like a foreign snatch-and-grab on our precious citizens.¡± Ueno-san had said solemnly. ¡°Luckily for us, our boy here is quite the fighter. Puts a lot of mine to shame. Anyway, two hostiles dead, more dying unless they get seen to quickly. Best get a move-on if you want to pump them for intel.


    The Colonel had looked around at the bodies, seeing scattered rifles, knives and other implements of war. Shaking his head, he quickly ordered his men to load up the prisoners. Some went over to seize Aliyah and the rest roughly, and she started cursing them to be more gentle with her injuries, but they ignored her.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think they are that good at English.¡± I had said, translating her complaints and at least getting them to take care.


    ¡°Well, my job is done then, for now.¡± Ueno-san said as the last hostiles were cuffed and bagged. ¡°I shall see you on Saturday, no doubt, Oshiro-san, Dannan-san. And don¡¯t worry about your family, our Security Services are the best there is.¡±


    With that he and his remaining men and women withdrew in their last vehicle, leaving us alone with the Colonel.


    ¡°So, what now?¡± I had asked. My answer was the Colonel politely inviting me and Shaeula to visit the Ministry of Defence right now to talk to his superiors. I had asked if I was under arrest, getting really bad de?ja? vu, but again apparently I was not, just an honoured and important guest. After that we had rode the helicopter back to the Ministry of Defence, Shaeula enjoying her second ride in such a vehicle, and this was how we ended up here, waiting for whatever would happen next...


    I really hope Omori-san was called. I think I¡¯d feel more comfortable with a lawyer...


    Just as I was thinking that the door opened, and three people came in. The first was an older man, perhaps in his early sixties, with steel-grey receding hair and piercing dark eyes. He was quite muscular still, and gave off an overbearing presence of expecting to be obeyed. Behind him came a younger man, in his forties maybe, but he had a similar appearance to the first man, though he was less intense, and his hair was a dark brownish-black. Related to the first man, I¡¯d imagine.


    The last was a tidy woman in her twenties or thirties, in military dress uniform, her rank badge that of an NCO, one even I recognised, the three lines of a sergeant first class.


    ¡°Well then.¡± The older man said, pulling out a seat and sitting down, the other man beside him, while the sergeant remained standing behind them, prim, proper and to attention. ¡°Introductions are in order, are they not? I am Tsumura Katsuro, head of the noble Tsumura house, and current Minister of Defence and honorary head of the Japanese Armed Forces.¡±


    Well damn. This guy... he¡¯s important all right. Now, how do I talk my way out of this mess? Shaeula gave my hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance as I met his steely gaze with a hard one of my own. I¡¯ve got to keep the initiative...

 One Hundred And Sixty-Nine

    One Hundred And Sixty-Nine


    Tsumura-san continued. ¡°This is my son, Minoru. He¡¯s my vice-minister. Very well, now that introductions are done, down to business.¡±


    ¡°And who is the female?¡± Shaeula suddenly asked, and Tsumura-san waved off the question. ¡°She is my secretary. Pay her no mind. She¡¯s trustworthy and will not leak any information revealed here.¡±


    Shaeula didn¡¯t look too pleased at that, but she maintained her silence, only giving me a quick glance to ascertain my opinion. Well, I guess he¡¯d know. Still...


    ¡°So, I was wondering when my lawyer is getting here?¡± I asked, and Tsumura-san gave a little smile, though there was scant humour in it.


    ¡°He won¡¯t be coming. After all, this is not a criminal matter, but a matter of national security and international politics. Having the police and media involved is of little benefit to us.¡± he then spoke to his secretary. ¡°Once we are done here, make a call to the media and explain the attack was a yakuza retaliation, and all the perpetrators are in custody, with no innocent civilian casualties.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Tsumura-sama.¡± She bowed deeply.


    ¡°Well, in that case, we are free to go then?¡± I interjected, getting another, slightly more irritated smile in response.


    ¡°Of course you may leave. However...¡± Tsumura-san was serious, and beside him his son Minoru-san frowned as if to tell me to listen carefully. ¡°... in all seriousness, there is no benefit to walking away now. For either of us. Let me be clear. We have an idea of the situation you find yourself in. We are hardly as ignorant of these strange new gifts...¡± the word was said with a mix of irritation and wonder. ¡°... as you would think. And neither are our allies.¡±


    Yeah, the US has been our friend and ally ever since the war. It¡¯s a huge deal them having hidden agents and committing effectively what are terrorist acts on our soil...


    ¡°You have appeared on their radar, and they found you valuable enough to risk this... catastrophe.¡± He continued, his piercing gaze pressuring me, but I steeled myself and met it unblinking, trying to keep as much of the initiative as I could.


    ¡°Quite frankly, the situation has many demerits, but since you managed to escape unscathed, or largely so...¡± he observed my state under the flight jacket I was wearing. ¡°... it gives us an opportunity. Now, let me be serious.¡± He leaned forwards, intense. ¡°I have an obligation to my nation. It is twofold, though they do not conflict. As a great noble house, the Tsumura have been instrumental in military affairs since the Edo period. We survived the Great War because we had to, lest all the finest traditions of Japan be lost forever. So we nobles, along with the shrines, temples and the Imperial Family, have a duty to uphold this. I will not bore you with the details, as Fujiwara-san will likely discuss this with you on Saturday, but just know that we exist to safeguard the best of Japan and its legacy. In addition to the burden of nobility, I also carry the pride of the military, and my duty is to prevent foreign enemies and internal agitators from causing chaos in this land. So as you can see...¡± his humourless smile was back. ¡°... these events are clearly under my purview.¡±


    ¡°You should stop pressuring them, father.¡± Minoru-san advised. ¡°When you are lecturing, it can get intense... huh?¡± he trailed off, realising Shaeula was only giving his father half her attention, the other half focussed on her juice and a tray of snacks, while I was holding firm, my Resilience keeping my mind clear. I see, so we were supposed to be intimidated. The situation is pretty imposing for a normal guy like me, I guess. Still, knowing I¡¯m not going to be facing criminal charges and that they clearly need something from us, I have a fair few good cards to play in negotiating my way through this mess. Besides, he¡¯s an important man for sure, but is Tsumura-san any more amazing than Shaeraggo, or hell, even Shaeula herself? I move in exalted circles now, surprisingly enough...


    ¡°I get the point.¡± I said, cutting to the chase, just wanting to get back to the shrine and put my thoughts in order about the events that had just taken place. ¡°So, why don¡¯t we be clear with each other? What are you looking for from me, from us?¡± And what can you offer us in return? I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but a shrewd politician from a powerful family would clearly read the unspoken implication.


    ¡°Let me be clear. Fujiwara-san and the other two Great noble houses have been looking into the matter of these strange abilities ever since our connections in the shrines and temples started making note of them. To be clear, mystical, otherworldly powers are nothing new in countries as old as ours. Though newer countries such as the United States or those that have allowed their religions to wipe away the old order have likely completely excised, or at the least driven deep underground, their own practitioners. Still...¡± he allowed. ¡°... such powers have always been feeble, mere tricks and trifles. Barely worth the effort to catalogue or research. We thought this new surge of the unknown was merely following that course, perhaps a small evolution. But...¡± he was looking directly at me, brooking no denial. ¡°...that is not the case. The shrines, through an old friend, told us that there were now those awakened that had real, tangible powers that defied belief. And on seeing you, I know that to be true.¡±


    Shaeula yawned beside me. ¡°This is all-all very well, but my Akio is the victim here. He may be strong, but he is not-not some monster. He needs his rest. Please tell us what you wish, and what you shall offer us in-in return, so that we may take to our beds.¡±


    Cutting to the chase as always I see. The secretary paled, aghast, while Minoru-san looked away. For a moment Tsumura-san was frozen, before he suddenly laughed, breaking the tension. ¡°My apologies, girl. No, Dannan-san was it not? This old man has a habit of over-explaining. It¡¯s a military thing.¡±


    ¡°Call me Shaeula. I do not-not hold to these honorifics. Very well, ask us your needs.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll let Fujiwara-san explain what the nobles seek from you. As for me, I¡¯m a military man, so let me be blunt. You are deemed valuable enough for the Americans to activate a hidden cell of agents to capture you and even bring in mercenaries onto our soil, staging a pitched battle in Tokyo. And I need to know why. Knowledge is what we lack, even our old friend Takakura-san is not fully versed in the details of the new paradigm we face. Without knowledge, an army is useless.¡±


    That¡¯s true. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are, if you don¡¯t know about abilities like Haru-san¡¯s light, even the powerful can be taken down with ease...


    At my understanding nod, he continued. ¡°We have two confirmed gifted, to coin a phrase, in the JSDF. In a compliment of some two hundred and fifty thousand that seems rather feeble. Of course there may be more hiding their gifts, and I cannot say I blame them, as originally they were treated as though they had broken under the stress of the army. Now we know that isn¡¯t the case, and they¡¯ve been reassigned so we can explore their powers. They are however... not particularly impressive.¡±


    Makes sense. Even with the Astral Emperor-candidates I¡¯ve come across, there¡¯s been a big variation in their skills and abilities.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve no reason to refuse since I¡¯m getting benefits. I do appreciate mutual wins, but I don¡¯t take well to being cheated.¡± I warned.


    ¡°Rest assured, both I and Fujiwara-san are only interested in protecting Japan and its heritage. Work with us and perhaps a new noble house can be born, the Oshiro house. We¡¯ve been trying to bring in fresh blood that understands the importance of the old traditions.¡±


    Now that¡¯s tempting. But not enough for me to risk it all. After all, the average Japanese person only thinks of the nobility as some old, very rich houses owning tons of land and businesses. Though they seem to have much more influence than I thought...


    Shaeula snorted again, obviously less impressed, as she was a noble herself, but I merely smiled back non-commitally. And with that, we were taken to a gymnasium, where Shaeula and I ran through a series of lifting, punching, sprinting, cognitive and puzzle tests. As the secretary was recording the results her face was becoming more and more strained, as numbers that exceeded the possible were continuously racked up.


    ¡°Well, I can see how you crushed those agents.¡± Minoru-san observed, as he had returned with a dozen guns ranging from pistols through shotguns and sniper rifles. There was even a cycling grenade launcher, which was a sight to see. ¡°That punch force can shatter bone easily enough. Hell, it can punch through metal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you seem so much stronger than the other two.¡± The secretary spoke up for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s like children versus adults. Even the girl makes them look like trash...¡±


    Like trash? Ouch. I wisely decided not to comment on that, as Minoru-san started walking me through the disassembly process of the various guns. He looked pleased at my surprise, and told me that he was a soldier too, and had served before working with his father.


    ¡°Even so...¡± Tsumura-san stroked his chin, deep in thought. ¡°It can¡¯t just be your strength that motivated the Americans. The two dead agents... their deaths were unusual.¡±


    All right. so long as I keep the Boundary under wraps for now, I can let slip a bit more. There were targets for shooting set up in one corner of the gymnasium, as well as targets for archery. On seeing the bows I let slip a little grin, and Tsumura-san didn¡¯t miss that. ¡°Are you a practising archer?¡± he asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, but my sister does traditional archery, she really loves it. It just made me think of her.¡±


    ¡°Such arts are ones we wish to preserve against the changing times. Swordcraft and Spearcraft too. Our family has long passed down some traditional arts, yet fewer and fewer of our sons and daughters take it up.¡± He looked at his son, who shrugged. ¡°The rise of firearms killed it off, alas. But there is still value in preserving it, even if some troublesome children take it too far.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m studying the spear and sword myself.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°You are? Fascinating. Anyway, my question stands...¡±


    ¡°Shaeula?¡± I asked her, interrupting her as she was solving complicated block puzzles. Lifting one small hand she channelled wind, and the target at the end of the room was split into pieces, leaving everyone stunned.


    ¡°I¡¯d do the same with fire, but I don¡¯t want to set off the smoke alarms.¡± I grinned, though the real reason was I was largely tapped out after the battle.


    ¡°Was that... some sort of telekinesis?¡± the secretary asked, stunned.


    ¡°Hardly. It was the elemental wind.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°Though I shall not-not speak of it, unless Akio allows.¡±


    ¡°I think you can see it isn¡¯t just strength that a gifted can have.¡± I declared, still working on the guns, sliding parts together for the sniper rifle. ¡°As for any more information... I think I want to hear what Fujiwara-san has to say before I make any decisions.¡±


    Tsumura-san nodded, still looking at the split target, and the faint gashes in the wall behind. ¡°That is reasonable. Still, you have answered my concerns. As an assassin, the two of you would be without price. Able to kill from a distance yet completely unarmed...¡± he swallowed, perhaps imagining what would happen if we turned the wind on him. ¡°I shall be at the gathering on Saturday, so we can talk more then.¡± he turned to his secretary and asked her to make arrangements for us to be transported home.


    I spent some time finishing up with the guns, and then we were shown out back to an expensive military car, ready to whisk us to Shirohebizumi shrine. Before we left, Tsumura-san exchanged some final words. ¡°You are wise to keep information on your abilities secret. The nobility and shrines here have made the same decision, and the Diet likewise, those that know. Other countries will be doing the same. But cracks... cracks are already starting to show in the secrecy. You should make allies, before it¡¯s too late. The US won¡¯t be the last that comes after you. Remember that.¡±


    Yeah, don¡¯t I know it. Enemies here and in the Boundary. The only way to be safe is to be so strong and well-connected nobody can threaten us. Perhaps this was a good step towards that goal. Now I¡¯m looking forwards to Saturday... but shit, my suit is ruined. I¡¯ll need to get a new one...

 Chapter One Hundred And Seventy – R18/Contains sex

    Chapter One Hundred And Seventy ¨C R18/Contains sex


    After a fitful night of poor sleep, during which I had a number of nightmares that I could only remember vague flashes of, muddy sketches of emotion and dark colour, I opened my eyes to the light streaming through my window. Shaeula was beside me as always, and while all we¡¯d done was sleep, I wondered briefly what was the point of her having her own bed. Seriously, what a luxurious problem I¡¯m having, that I¡¯m complaining about such a beautiful girl sleeping in my bed. Managing a dry chuckle, the humour forced, I checked the clock. It was just after nine in the morning.


    ¡°Oh well, might as well get breakfast ready.¡± I muttered, and Shaeula stirred, her eyelids fluttering, before she slipped back into slumber. Looking down on her, I tried to push aside the lingering misgivings from yesterday. I did what I had to do. It was justified. They.. they were going to kill innocent people. And what would they do to Shaeula if they caught her? Lurid images of old movies where aliens were dissected in gleaming laboratories crossed my mind, and I felt nausea once more, my guts lurching. Turning on the tap in the kitchen I quickly gulped down handfuls of cold water, settling my stomach. Wiping at my mouth, I continued to prepare breakfast.


    Last night was rough. I¡¯m not used to negotiations with important people, though they did seem to listen to me and my wants. Perhaps that¡¯s the Majesty at work? I don¡¯t know... still, one thing was clear, and it was something I had pondered on, and would likely have the chance to discuss tomorrow, if this Fujiwara-san was as great as everyone said. Maybe he should be Fujiwara-sama then? No, that would weaken my own position, showing too much deference. I need to remember I have valuable knowledge, contacts and power. I can¡¯t let people walk all over me for no reason.


    Still, I had been indiscreet repeatedly. Always for good reasons, or so I thought, and I¡¯d gained many benefits, but... also many enemies. But even if I had been discreet, Exposition-san had estimated there would be a few thousand Candidates in Japan alone. That meant there could be anything up to fifty or even a hundred thousand worldwide. The population of a medium-sized town sure didn¡¯t seem a lot, but, to keep everything secret with that many voices...


    It doesn¡¯t matter what I do, sooner or later this is going to be exposed to the world. As of now it seems largely confined to those who already had influence or legacy knowledge, such as the shrines and temples, and those who can easily access information, such as governments, but... while I suspected the Candidates would fall into three categories... no, actually four... it would only take one to do something in the public eye that couldn¡¯t be covered up to crack everything wide open. Some will refuse the call. Most will be smart enough to try and keep it largely secret as I had. Some... alas... will have already died. And the last group... there were always idiots who sought fame over security and safety. I expected governments and agencies would try and keep it all under wraps, at least for now, so they could monopolise the benefits, hence why Shaeula and I were targeted, but Candidates with exceptional skills and abilities would not be so easily leashed...


    As I worked, deep in thought, Shaeula was suddenly behind me, padding out on bare feet, yawning cutely. ¡°Akio, good morning indeed. Did you sleep well? Wait, do not-not answer that, I can see that you have not-not.¡± She put her arms around me, and I could smell her scent, sweet and calming. ¡°Talk to me. I am here-here.¡±


    With a sigh I turned to face her, kissing her gently. ¡°Sorry for worrying you. I am fine, I promise. I know I did the right thing, and that the agents had crossed the line and deserved to die. They were only doing their jobs, they might have argued, but... anyway. I know in my head it was justified, but even so... the human heart is a complicated thing. But I¡¯ll get over it, I know. After all...¡± I laughed a bit falsely, my tone a touch shrill. ¡°My Resilience is off the charts. I¡¯ll recover in no time!¡±


    Shaeula looked up into my eyes, before nodding a little. ¡°I see-see. Well, I shall endeavour to do my best to comfort you, have no-no fear. However, I do not-not understand the guilt in the way you do. The Seelie Court has been at war with the Unseelie for many-many long centuries, as well as the Wild Hunt and other foes. Death, killing and battle are no strangers to us, though until I came to this land, I had not-not been involved in fighting. Still, I believe they deserved their fates, so my words might offer you little solace.¡± She kissed me again, tenderly, just a fleeting brush of our lips. ¡°I suggest you seek-seek aid from Eri later. She will understand and know what to say.¡±


    Eri huh? ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but... I¡¯d be ashamed to tell her I¡¯ve killed someone. No, not one. Two. Honestly, ever... ever since we were kids, I¡¯ve always wanted to appear as someone she can respect and admire, who¡¯ll keep her safe. To have her know... well, I won¡¯t say I¡¯m a murderer, because I¡¯m not, but a killer anyway.... I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Silly Akio.¡± Shaeula wrapped my head with her knuckles, the way she stretched to make it happen terribly cute. ¡°If Eri, or Aiko, or I... if we were in danger and there in front of you, you would not-not hesitate, even if you feared we would disapprove. I know this. So do not-not be a fool. Simply tell her of the lives you saved and the price it cost, and she shall-shall surely understand and comfort you.¡±


    I see. That simple, huh? I often forgot, since my current life was packed full of crazy events every day, but it had only been mere weeks since I had started dating Eri, and days for Shaeula, even if Boundary time lengthened this somewhat. Shrugging, I turned my attention back to breakfast after ruffling her hair affectionately, and soon we were digging in to quite the morning feast...


    ********


    ¡°Well, we have a ton to do today, at least I do. So, what are your plans?¡± I asked Shaeula, as I finished washing up.


    ¡°I shall accompany you of course.¡± Shaeula answered. ¡°But first I shall take a bath. Yesterday was quite-quite the ordeal.¡±


    As Shaeula headed off for the bathroom, I once more mused on how spending all the cash to get a massive bath put in was totally worth it. Taking my phone I fired off a quick message to Karen-chan, getting a response that she was at one of my new hotels, dealing with a few bits of administrative work. Damn, I¡¯m starting to feel she needs a pay rise. And some assistants...


    Stepping out into the morning sun, I decided to once more pay a visit to the shrine to apologise again. They had absolved me of any blame last night, but even so, my guilt wasn¡¯t so easily squashed. On arriving at the shrine I was greeted by Nagi-san and Daichi-san, and before I could get out an apology, Daichi-san spoke first.


    ¡°Ah, Oshiro-san, excellent timing.¡± He smiled at me, more warmly than I would have expected. ¡°We had been meaning to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Before you do, I¡¯d once again like to apologise for...¡± I began, but Nagi-san cut me off.


    ¡°Now, now, Akio-kun. No need for that. We understand you feel guilty, but you handled the danger without us being put in harm¡¯s way, so I feel, and Daichi and father-in-law agree, that you kept your word. So...¡± she turned to her husband, who nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided, Oshiro-san. We will do as you have requested and sign over the shrine to you.¡±


    Wait, what? This came out of nowhere, they were so hesitant before. The timing is perfect, as we have nearly finished the Anchor upgrade, but still...


    Seeing my hesitation, Daichi-san smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my father also agrees. To be honest... it was our daughter who persuaded us. She seems to have a lot of faith in you, Oshiro-san, so don¡¯t let her down. Besides... having seen more of Shaeula around the shrine, I can¡¯t help but wonder what it would be like if the White Snake kami could walk the Earth as well. You did say it could be done by Christmas, right?¡±


    Kana-chan, huh? Shaeula mentioned she had started training her ahead of schedule, perhaps that motivated her to push her parents.


    ¡°I think so. Perhaps even sooner, but I¡¯m not promising.¡± I answered, knowing that using up a precious slot on a Throne of Heroes was a tough choice to make. I had ideas for several I wanted to designate as a Hero, but my final choice would have to wait. ¡°So... if you are really sure about this, then have you chosen a lawyer? If not Karen-chan can sort you out with one, as well as the required funds.¡± Sorry Karen-chan, I¡¯ll make it up to you, I promise! I¡¯ll leave you a bottle of good booze in your office.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to her.¡± Daichi-san agreed. ¡°There was one other matter though, that I hope you will look favourably on.¡± He paused, looking a little unsure, glancing at his wife. Nagi-san smiled broadly, looking at me earnestly.


    ¡°We won¡¯t speak of it now, but in addition to keeping your word and not misusing the shrine or cheating us, we would ask... no, never mind. Later.¡± Nagi-san shook her head. ¡°Speaking of other matters, Kana is having a group of friends from school over on Sunday, and she was hoping that you¡¯d be kind enough to give her some money so that she can buy drinks and snacks, and let them use your home, since it has a lot of stuff to play with? It¡¯s an impertinent request, I know, but surely you won¡¯t refuse a cute girl like my Kana?¡± she fluttered her eyelashes at me flirtatiously, but I knew she was joking as her husband was standing right there.


    ¡°Kana will come ask you herself, as is proper.¡± Daichi-san elaborated. ¡°But since you are here now we thought we would ask. On another note, Kana has managed to speak to Kikuchi-san, one of her classmates, and the daughter of Hisuikomushi shrine. Her father has agreed to meet with us on Sunday. So consider this a reward for her hard work.¡±


    The priest at Hisuikomushi? Excellent. He¡¯s an Astral Emperor-candidate, and his shrine will be in my domain when the Anchor upgrades. Plus I need to resettle the Jade Beetle kami there as promised. If he can help me with that... Smiling broadly, I pulled out a few ten thousand yen notes from my wallet and passed them to Nagi-san. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll make sure Shaeula and I are out of the way on Sunday then. You can tell her she¡¯s done a good job.¡±


    ¡°I think if you tell her yourself she¡¯d be more appreciative. Besides, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to make yourself scarce. It is your home now, and Kana might appreciate showing you off... err, having a man about the place to chaperone them all. ¡± Nagi-san said slyly. ¡°Anyway, thank you again for looking out for us. I know you think that you brought danger onto us, so it doesn¡¯t count but... look at poor Hisuikomushi shrine. Who can say that wouldn¡¯t have been us, without your interventions?¡±


    We finished up our conversation, and as I left to retrieve Shaeula and head into Tokyo proper, I pondered those words. Yeah, the White Snake kami would be a target for sure... either enslaved by Kiku or worse... maybe, just maybe, I¡¯ve saved them by being here. At least, can I believe that?


    ¡°That... that was rather pleasurable.¡± Shaeula admitted, as she came down from the glow of her orgasm. She turned her body and we kissed again, her now tasting her own fluids on my tongue.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time for the main event.¡± I said, my arousal peaking, all the heavy thoughts of my killings and the various other worries I was shouldering blown away by the glow of my love with Shaeula.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± She asked, but I returned her to the previous position, her hands now on the floor, while my penis slid across her bottom, smearing precum on her sweaty skin, before reaching her slit. As she felt my dick hard against her, the head gently pushing at her folds, she turned her head to regard me, eyes warm. ¡°Oh, I see. Feel free to indulge in my beautiful body. After all-all, I am yours. Besides, Eri told me to comfort you.¡±


    ¡°You do comfort me. Just by being with me.¡± I told her the honest truth. Without Shaeula, I¡¯d never have made it this far. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked, still holding her in a doggy-style position.


    ¡°Of course, make me yours once-once more.¡±


    She moaned as my penis slid inside her, spreading her small pussy open. For a moment I halted, allowing her to recover, before with a final thrust I was all in, my torso slapping against hers wetly.


    ¡°So... so deep inside me.¡± She gasped, filled to the brim with my dick, the twitching rod hammering against the entrance to her womb. Gripping her strongly from behind so she wouldn¡¯t hurt herself, I started to piston, her tight little cunny squeezing me fantastically.


    ¡°Yeah, doggy-style is supposed to make the woman feel it more.¡± I breathed as I ravaged her body, feeling her shaking in my arms, her moans and cries turning me on so much. ¡°I certainly feel it.¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes. It is-is ... wonderful!¡± she cried, twisting her body, her inner walls gripping my slippery shaft, which was making loud squelching noises as my precum and her fluids mixed, foaming out of her pussy. I grabbed her bottom hard enough to leave red marks, and she started slamming backwards as I pushed forwards, loud claps resounding where our bodies met.


    Fuck, I can¡¯t take much more of this. My second load was rising, and Shaeula too was succumbing to pleasure, her twitching convulsions becoming ever more violent.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to blow soon...¡± I cried, and she looked at me with moist eyes, her expression loose and hopelessly lascivious.


    ¡°Please-please hold on. I am... almost there-there.¡±


    With you looking so cute, how can I not? Clenching, I held my orgasm back, my pace accelerating, my head feeling as if all the blood was leaving me, the only things I could take in were the sounds of Shaeula as she rose towards ecstasy, the feel of her warmth and the love in my heart.


    She made a series of unintelligible noises as she orgasmed, fluid splashing my legs, and finally able to let myself go, I thrust in one final time, a huge rush of cum pouring deep into her, the feeling of her womb twitching and shuddering as it drank in my seed intoxicating. A few quick pistons more to fully empty myself, and I was done. Pulling my now limp and spent dick free, I took her in my arms, and we kissed again and again, little pecks like feeding birds, exhausted but glowing with joy and happiness.


    ¡°That was amazing. I do feel better now. I guess men are simple creatures.¡± I laughed self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°There is nothing simple about this-this.¡± Shaeula snuggled into my chest. ¡°We simply care for each other, do we not-not? And Eri too is with us, even though she is currently far-far away. For her birthday you must-must make her feel this loved, but perhaps the three of us can do-do this together as well?¡±


    ¡°Wicked fox.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°I am no fox, I am-am weaselkin.¡± She groused, but she got the reference, having absorbed a lot of Japanese culture.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± One final longer kiss and we sat side-by-side, still unclothed and sticky from our lovemaking. ¡°So, what next?¡±


    ********


    After we made love, we spent the rest of the evening and early night just being in each other¡¯s company, hugging and kissing, still naked and sweaty. We watched anime, played games, had drinks and just generally relaxed. I felt a little guilty that we weren¡¯t in the Boundary, taking care of things, but Shaeula assured me that taking time to rest and enjoy life was important too. Still, since I worried so, she did visit the Boundary for a brief few minutes, before returning, a little grumpy. Apparently Hyacinth had annoyed her, though she was behaving herself and not causing trouble.


    Once I had tidied up all the empty bottles and food wrappers, we retired for the night, and slept just holding each other, listening to our heartbeats. And this night, I slept without bad dreams...


    ********


    ¡°So, here we are then.¡± I turned to Shaeula, who was looking stunning in a black cocktail dress and suitable golden accessories around her bare arms. She had changed her hairstyle as well, making it look more regal, the amber-golden hair piled up and pinned with fashionable and expensive pins and clips. ¡°You look lovely.¡±


    ¡°Again? You have told me that many-many times already.¡± She sniggered, looking pleased. ¡°Still, feeling your eyes on me is most pleasant. As for you... you pass muster as escort to this-this princess.¡±


    I was wearing the suit I had picked up this afternoon, as well as an expensive watch, tie and shoes. It was a far cry from how I used to dress, and I was a little uncomfortable, but as I reached up to adjust my collar and tie Shaeula did it instead, her small hands neatly straightening it. It¡¯s amazing how fast she picks these things up. I doubt they wear formal suits in the Seelie Court.


    ¡°We must remain dignified and regal.¡± She reminded me, looking up at the Fujiwara Imperial Hotel, one of the most exclusive hotels in Tokyo, and apparently owned and run by Fujiwara house. The name should have been the giveaway I guess, but I¡¯ve never had to think about such things before. This is in a league of its own, making the hotel in Las Vegas seem rustic in comparison.


    There were other richly-dressed people coming and going, men and women both. So, I reached out and offered Shaeula my arm. She took it, and with a murmured wish that Eri could have been here with us, we started heading for the entrance, the doors guarded by a mixture of hotel staff in impeccable uniforms and suited men and women that had the look of warriors, most likely Fujiwara Security staff.


    Once inside, a smartly dressed young woman took our invitation and showed us to the lift, riding it to the top with us. Shaeula and I exchanged meaningful glances one final time, and then the lift doors slid open, revealing...

 One Hundred And Seventy-One

    One Hundred And Seventy-One


    The doors revealed a large open-plan area, richly decorated and illuminated by hanging crystal and gold chandeliers, which cast a brilliant warm glow over the proceedings. Around the sides of the room a dozen Fujiwara Security personnel were lurking unobtrusively, the men and women dressed smartly in expensive suits, looking like servants if one wasn¡¯t able to see the trained readiness they carried themselves with.


    The actual servants were moving to and fro, with silver trays stacked high with glasses of expensive champagne, whiskey and more, or wheeling carts containing plates of richly-appointed food such as wagyu beef, bluefin tuna and more.


    Impressive. I¡¯m starting to feel a little nervous... beside me, Shaeula still had my arm, and with a gentle tug she drew my gaze away from the crowd as we stepped out into the festivities. Behind us the lift doors slid shut, no doubt descending to bring more guests up to this event. There must be over a hundred... no, maybe even two hundred guests...Vissit  for updates


    ¡°Stand tall and proud, my Akio.¡± Shaeula spoke quietly. ¡°You are as worthy as any-any to be here today. The chosen of Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie is as noble as any-any mortal!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I smiled back, resisting the urge to stroke her head, as we were in public. ¡°Well, since we are here, we might as well mingle, right?¡± Looking around at the crowd I spotted a couple of familiar faces that I recognised from the TV or newspaper articles.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula said, reaching out her free arm to snag a couple of glasses of champagne from a passing server. Normally, grabbing two glasses one-handed would lead to a catastrophic spillage and the server paled, but Shaeula¡¯s dexterous and strong fingers, boosted by her obscene stats, meant that she handed me one with ease, while retaining the other for herself, taking a sip with a satisfied sigh.


    As we walked away from the confused server, who quickly remembered her place and dashed off, still carrying her tray of drinks, I also took a sip. The champagne was sharp, but not unpleasant, it was definitely an expensive flavour. Fujiwara-san is sparing no expense tonight it seems.


    As we walked around the room, savouring the fine alcohol and exchanging casual nods with other guests, I noticed we were drawing the gaze of many of the attendees. It was actually becoming a little uncomfortable the way that the women were looking at me, but what was even worse was the way that the male guests looked at Shaeula. I could see the lustful stares and barely hidden intentions a mile away, and my grip on her arm tightened, causing her to snicker, amused.


    Yeah, I¡¯m such a shitty hypocrite, since I have Shaeula and Eri, but I still hate it when people ogle them. But I have to admit, Shaeula is beautiful, even before you take her stupid-high Charm stat into effect.


    ¡°You shall need to become used to this-this.¡± Shaeula muttered. ¡°A handsome male or beautiful female always draws attention, and the partner of such much envy. Still-still...¡± she seemed satisfied at my transparent jealousy. ¡°... you should be proud-proud to have claimed me for your own. The stares of these other males are meaningless to me.¡±


    ¡°Proud? I am indeed.¡± I agreed, taking another sip. Looking around the room again I noticed one oddity. There were a handful of people, five of them that I noticed anyway, that seemed ill at ease and out of place. Three men and two women. Following my lead, Shaeula used her Mystic Eyes, the glow dazzling for a moment, looking at the nearest man.


    ¡°I see. Yes, your instincts are correct. His chakra network is an abomination, I do not-not know how it even functions, but the density of aether he contains is only a little less-less than that filthy monster Kazuo Kondou possessed.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. After all we found out from the Fukumoto¡¯s that the noble houses are looking for Candidates, right? It seems impossible that with their resources we¡¯d be the only ones they¡¯d find.¡±


    Shaeula agreed. ¡°So, do you wish to talk to him?¡±


    I shook my head in denial. ¡°No, not yet. Until I have a firm grasp on what Fujiwara-san wants, it¡¯s best to keep our own counsel. I wonder if... ahh, over there.¡± Thinking of the Fukumoto¡¯s I wondered if they were in attendance, so I scanned the room and noticed them, the three we had met in that restaurant lurking in one corner. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve found some people we are acquainted with.¡±


    Strolling over towards them with Shaeula, I admired the daring purple dress Fukumoto-san was wearing, with a slit up her legs and a deep neckline, showing off her slender body. Beside her, the other girl, her bodyguard... Onoue-san, I think it was, right? ... was wearing slim-fit trousers and a tight top, giving her ease of movement. Besides them was her older brother Hiroto-san, who brightened up as he saw us coming. Well, as he sees Shaeula coming anyway... don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see you ogling her.


    As I approached, I noticed that a servant had called one of the men I suspected to be an Astral Emperor-candidates over, and he was taken to a back room, behind a wall of Fujiwara Security. Putting that aside for now, I waved a greeting at the Fukumoto¡¯s. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only been a week, but fancy meeting you all here.¡±


    The girls looked wary, Onoue-san making sure she was between me and her mistress, which made me feel a little hurt, but then I remembered her reaction when I met at the restaurant in that hotel. I guess noble-raised girls are supposed to stay away from unfamiliar men. Fukumoto-san was bolder though, and responded jovially.


    ¡°Ah, Oshiro-san. I had a feeling you would be here. Looks like we struck gold with you.¡± he then turned his attention to Shaeula, reaching out his hand for a handshake, but with a sniff and a toss of her head she declined. For an awkward moment Fukumoto-san was left with his hand outstretched, before his sister burst into laughter, surprising us.


    ¡°That¡¯s just pathetic, brother.¡± She said, still struggling to suppress her mirth. She moved past Onoue-san and held out her own hand to Shaeula, which she took, giving her a gentle squeeze. ¡°Stop embarrassing us in public, especially here in Fujiwara house.¡± Her face seemed a little red under the lights as she looked at us. ¡°See how this girl... Dannan-san... is arm-in-arm with him? Have some class and don¡¯t flirt with taken girls.¡±


    ¡°I thought the other girl who isn¡¯t here was your fiance?e...¡± he muttered in his defence. ¡°You said it was complicated, Oshiro-san, but seeing this, I suspect it¡¯s actually quite simple...¡± he trailed off, before muttering ¡°Lucky dog...¡± under his breath.


    ¡°I am delighted to see you well, Hinata. But do please call me Shaeula. I do not-not care for honorifics.¡± Shaeula said, prompting Onoue-san to snap back that she was ¡°Hinata-sama, no, Fukumoto-sama!¡±


    Hinata-san waved off her complaints. ¡°Oh, do be quiet, Kazumi. After all, the reason we are here tonight has much to do with them. Besides, if there is any trouble tonight, Fujiwara Security Services will handle it. you know they are the best in Japan, right?¡±


    Kazumi-san agreed reluctantly, stepping back. I shook Hiroto-san¡¯s hand with my free one, after having finished my drink and placing it on an empty tray.


    ¡°So, from what I understand...¡± I began. ¡°You spoke to... uh, Takatsukasa house, not that I¡¯ve heard of them, I¡¯m sorry, who then passed on the information to Fujiwara house? I guess I have to thank you, Fujiwara house managed to get me out of a sticky situation just the other day.¡± I nodded graciously, and Hinata-san looked away, her eyes watering, her face scarlet. Uh, okay... if I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say she¡¯s embarrassed, but why would she be?


    ¡°Well, your trick with the coins was impressive. Kazumi here said she could do it with practice, but I find that hard to believe.¡± Hiroto-san said, and I couldn¡¯t see the connection to what we were talking about until he continued. ¡°Still, there must be more to it than that. Fujiwara-sama invited us here himself, our parents too. Mother and father seemed very happy. I¡¯ve heard mutterings that we are going to be elevated into the Fifty-Seven. Mother was especially happy about that, since she¡¯s from Takatsukasa house herself.¡±


    ¡°Brother, get to the point...¡± Hinata-san hissed, casting occasional glances at us, before looking away. Beside her Kazumi-san bit down on a sigh, only my superhuman perception picking up on her mood as she tried to remain professional.


    ¡°My point is... you two were obviously a big catch. You were praying for fortune to fall into our laps, Hinata dear, and it did! Now we need to take advantage!¡±


    A little rude saying it to our faces that you want to take advantage of us. I guess that¡¯s nobility for you. Still, I prefer a mutual win-win where both sides can gain, so it isn¡¯t all bad.


    Shaeula held out her hand with a grin, and I knew something troublesome was coming, due to the mischievous glint in her eyes. ¡°I require some coins. As many-many as you wish to give.¡±


    ¡°A coin trick again, huh?¡± Hiroto-san looked interested, but Kazumi reached an arm across him and stopped him.


    ¡°You must be careful, Hiroto-sama. I shall handle this.¡± She pulled out ten coins of varying denominations and placed them in Shaeula¡¯s palm. As she did so she looked interested despite herself, and I blurted out ¡°Were you practising my trick?¡±


    At that she looked away, clearly embarrassed, and Hinata-san covered her mouth with one hand, giggling regally. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you were so competitive, Kazumi. How... positively amusing.¡±


    ¡°Well, how about a wager then?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°To make this trick more... entertaining.¡±


    I have a really bad feeling now. After last time with Aliyah... ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± I broke in. ¡°Last time an opponent wagered against her, it ended poorly for them. I wouldn¡¯t want to see two lovely ladies such as yourselves in trouble.¡± As for Hiroto-san... well, I may be prejudiced, but if he wants to do something dumb, he¡¯s a grown adult, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s at University after all.


    Kazumi-san frowned, but Hinata-san looked pleased by my compliment, breathing the word ¡°Lovely...¡± to herself.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve seen you do it twice.¡± Hiroto-san looked at me. ¡°So there¡¯s no point in a bet, is there?¡±


    I guess he¡¯s smarter than I gave him credit for.


    ¡°Hah.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Ten landing on their face is trivial. Akio, shall we aim-aim for twenty?¡±


    Twenty? But there¡¯s only ten coins... oh, I see. Flashy.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one to ponder this, as all three of them seemed puzzled and intrigued. ¡°Very well then.¡± Shaeula finished. ¡°I shall toss, and you shall catch, Akio.¡±


    With that she flipped up the ten coins and drew a few fine threads of wind energy, slicing the ten coins in half effortlessly, which was a feat of control in itself. As the scattered shining halves dropped I caught them with my own wind, holding them motionless for a second, flipping those I needed to, before gently letting them fall to the floor.


    ¡°See, twenty.¡± Shaeula crowed. The reaction she got wasn¡¯t what she expected though, as seeing the coins split panicked Kasumi-san, who tried to put the fascinated Hinata-san behind her, glaring at us as if we were an enemy. On seeing this, the Fujiwara Security personnel near us responded, but Hinata-san quickly calmed them down.


    ¡°Oh, do stop worrying, Kasumi. You think that they would hurt us here? Honesty, you can be too overprotective at times.¡±


    Seeing that the situation was nothing, the security relaxed. Shaeula then took the opportunity to speak. ¡°Indeed. Besides, should we wish you any ill-ill, then you would already be slain. Akio and I have faced far-far more terrible threats than you, Kasumi, and emerged triumphant each time.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. It seems there is far more to the two of you than I initially surmised.¡± Hinata-san looked at us again, this time with real curiosity, though she reddened every time she met my eyes.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Hiroto-san had bent down and picked up some of the fallen coins. ¡°They¡¯ve been cut clean in half. Look!¡± he passed a handful over to his sister and Kasumi-san.


    ¡°The edges are smooth, like glass...¡± Kasumi-san noted. ¡°How... how is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Magic, surely.¡± Hinata-san smiled, and it did make her look cute, her normally regal visage giving way to an age-appropriate look of wonder. ¡°I don¡¯t know who or what the others discovered, but we... we found the genuine article!¡±


    After that we spent some time talking a little about our experiences so far, only information that wouldn¡¯t give away too many of our secrets, but the three still found it interesting. One-by-one the guests who I suspected were Candidates were called to the back room, and I observed those that left, a mixture of expressions on their faces, some happy, others annoyed or angry. As I watched and drank, Shaeula chatting away happily with the Fukumoto¡¯s, her regal charm having totally won them over, I noticed there was someone watching us rather intently, and had been ever since our display with the coins.


    A girl, huh? She¡¯s young. She seemed to be of middle school age, if I had to guess, and she was decently pretty, if a bit boyish, her hair cut somewhat short. The dress she was wearing was pink, and a little risque? for her age, with a daringly short skirt and bare shoulders. On seeing me noticing her, she winked at me and giggled, gesturing me over. Yeah, no, I think I¡¯ll pass. I merely waved back a touch dismissively, and she shook her head, pouting a little. Still, her eyes never left us.


    ¡°Hey, do you know who that girl is?¡± I asked Hinata-san, jerking my head in the girls¡¯ direction.


    ¡°Hmm, no, I don¡¯t recognise her, and our school is pretty small, so we generally know everyone else, if only by sight.¡± She mused. ¡°Probably not a noble daughter then. But if she¡¯s here tonight she¡¯s the daughter of someone important. Why, are you interested? I¡¯d say she¡¯s too young for you.¡± Hinata-san mocked, earning a scandalised gasp from Kazumi-san, who scolded her.


    ¡°Perish the thought. I¡¯m more than happy with Shaeula...¡± I snaked my arm around her shoulders. ¡°I just wondered why she¡¯s been looking at us for the last hour or so...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because you are rather handsome...¡± Hinata-san let slip, before covering her mouth and looking away, mortified.


    ¡°Oh, Hinata.¡± Hiroto-san sighed, seeing her embarrassed. Turning to me, he apologised for her. ¡°Please ignore that. My sister has a bad habit of saying what¡¯s on her mind without caring about the time or the place. Her cousin Sakura-sama constantly warns her about it too. And to be fair, you are a pretty decent-looking guy. She didn¡¯t mean anything by it though, I assure you, so no getting any strange ideas.¡±


    Sure, I get it. ¡°Consider it forgotten.¡± I waved it away graciously, ignoring more mean snickering from Shaeula. ¡°so anyway...¡± I said, hoping to change the subject and banish the awkward air that had fallen like a blanket over the conversation.


    ¡°Speaking of fellow classmates...¡± Kasumi-san interjected, changing the subject to spare her mistress¡¯ blushes.


    ¡°Hardly impossible. Do not-not doubt my Akio!¡± Shaeula piped up. ¡°After all, I stand here amongst you, a Fae from the Seelie Court, proud in my strength. Your minds are closed, you must embrace this new-new world.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is a Heaven, or a Hell, or Yomi, or whatever. I don¡¯t claim to know where souls go when we die. But I do know this. Thanks to Kondou¡¯s evil, he didn¡¯t let Haru-san rest, even in death. And when Kondou was defeated, I gave her a place to shelter.¡± She¡¯s still buzzing around my Territory with the other ghosts, unsure of how to live from now on, if you can call it living. She¡¯s also bugging me to talk to her father for her. As if I could... but I do hate seeing her cry, considering I shared some of her pain. If there was a way...


    ¡°So... and this might sound crazy, but since Haru-san isn¡¯t entirely gone... I believe she can, well, not live again, but walk the Earth once more, in a fashion similar to Shaeula. The only issue is the cost...¡± It¡¯d be a slot in the Throne of Heroes, which is at a premium and I have tons of candidates... there are plusses to her, but a lot of negatives as well...


    ¡°Money? You intend to swindle cash out of a grieving father, mourning his daughter!¡± the Prime Minister leapt to his feet angrily. ¡°You are base scum... urgwah!¡± he made a strangled noise and fell on his bottom as the transparent wall shuddered, a spiderweb of cracks spreading through it. Shaeula had her arm upraised and was glowing with emerald energies, her dress fluttering.


    The Fujiwara Security raised their weapons, ready to engage, but at a look from Fujiwara-san, Junichiro-san ordered his men to stand down.


    ¡°Watch your tongue.¡± Shaeula warned. ¡°I shall not-not tolerate such slanders against my Akio. His kindness is as deep as the very seas themselves.¡±


    ¡°Seeing that first-hand is quite fearful.¡± Tsumura-san muttered beside us, cold sweat on his tired brow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean money as in yen or dollars or whatever.¡± I clarified. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I have a use for money too, but I meant... well, how to explain... spiritual resources. It isn¡¯t like I can just do what I want. Things take time and effort.¡±


    ¡°Still, is it even possible? If so, the world truly has changed beyond all recognition.¡± Fujiwara-san mused. ¡°If you wish to speak to Suzuki-san, then we can arrange it.¡±


    Not something I am going to enjoy, but... ¡°Fine. I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± I nodded. ¡°So to continue... you want to find all the Candidates in Japan? A tough ask, as there is going to be anywhere between a thousand and three thousand or so, I¡¯d guess.¡±


    ¡°I see. And you know this how?¡± I was asked, and it was the obvious question. How much to reveal?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I was told it by someone involved.¡± I equivocated. ¡°I don¡¯t know if its entirely accurate, but I think it probably is.¡±


    The conversation continued after this, Fujiwara-san digging for information, me sharing what I felt safe to, and talk turned to my future plans involving the shrines, which naturally then turned to our plans to train up people in these new abilities.


    ¡°So, it can indeed be learned. I had wondered.¡± Fujiwara-san pondered. ¡°That complicates things.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know if people trained will ever be as good as those chosen as Candidates, or whether more Candidates can or will be chosen in time. But... we have one success story, so I know it¡¯s definitely possible to an extent.¡± Eri. I¡¯ve kept your name out of this for now, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they dig you up too...


    ¡°In that case, our next course of action is obvious. So, this is my request to you. I can see you are wary of sharing all you know. I understand, I would be dismissive of you, were you such a fool. So I propose...¡± some of Fujiwara Security Services pulled open a small side door, and five people came out.


    ¡°Well, we meet again.¡± Hiroto-san said. Beside him Hinata-san bobbed a greeting, and Kasumi-san watched me warily. There were two others though. One was a tall girl, her long dark-brown hair cut straight across her forehead, in the classic hime-cut. She was also wearing tidy blue and white hakama, as was the second girl with her, a younger girl who was carrying several long bundles of cloth, though out of the end of one I could see what looked like an enamelled spearhead.


    On seeing Tsumura-san, the older girls¡¯ expression brightened, and she strode over, her long legs giving her a wide step. Even so, she moved gracefully, like a dancer or a warrior. ¡°Grandfather. I¡¯m pleased to see you again!¡± she gracefully bowed, more as a man would than a girl.


    ¡°Motoko, my dear. And Natsumi-san too I see.¡± At that greeting the younger girl also bowed, comical under her burdens. ¡°We are just finalising the details, so be patient.¡±


    ¡°I will, grandfather.¡± She smiled, before turning to me, her dark eyes looking me over, as if weighing me up. Shaeula was then examined in the same manner. ¡°So, are these the ones?¡±


    The ones for what? I¡¯m confused, although considering we were talking about training... no, surely not... beside me, Shaeula was smirking once more, clearly thinking the same as me.


    ¡°Allow me to explain. I have already sought out assistance from an old friend to call upon shrine maidens and priests to train the daughters and sons of nobility in the ways of faith.¡± Fujiwara-san elucidated me. ¡°Now more than ever, that is important. But... faith alone is not enough. I wish for the nobility to grasp these new powers, to act as a balance to the shrines and temples. Only then can we all work together to safeguard Japan from whatever threats may come.¡±


    Yeah, I was right. Oh wow, this is going to be such a pain. So much so I¡¯m going to say it again. Oh wow.


    ¡°So, let me guess. You want me and Shaeula to train these five, right?¡±


    At the word train, Motoko-san and Natsumi-san perked up, and judging by their hakama, I could see they were martial arts fanatics. Damn, if only I could drop them on Ulfuric, I could get some peace and quiet. No such luck though.


    ¡°You are not mistaken.¡± Fujiwara-san confirmed. ¡°As a reward for discovering you, I felt it only fair to offer the Fukumoto¡¯s the opportunity. It seems likely that they will become the Fifty-Eighth true Noble family. Their mother is a sister to the Takatsukasa boy, so they have the blood. And they also have the wealth required. Even so, succeeding in this could cement their place and silence any doubters.¡±


    At that, Hinata-san looked proud and satisfied, until she met my eyes and looked away again. beside her, Hiroto-san let out a dry chuckle at her antics.


    ¡°As for my Motoko...¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°... well, to be honest, my son has been worried about her future. She is too wrapped up in the three combat arts our family has passed down for generations. Other noble families find it rather... off-putting.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± she scolded him, hands on her hips. ¡°Traditions are important! I won¡¯t let our arts die out in my generation. Our ancestors would curse us, ashamed!¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s a fiery one, all right.


    ¡°See?¡± he sighed. ¡°Well, one thing Motoko and her pupil and bodyguard Natsumi-san excel at is training. They are relentless in their pursuit of perfection, so if anyone can succeed, they can. Now normally, there would be no way I¡¯d put my darling granddaughter at risk, but... I think I have a fair grasp of your character after meeting you and looking into your background.¡±


    ¡°I would be honoured to learn, sensei.¡± Motoko bowed to me, and it made me feel itchy, being called sensei, by a younger girl. ¡°I believe you are also practising martial arts? I¡¯d be fascinated to compare styles.¡± She added, hopeful.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a beginner.¡± I tried to let her down gently, so she wouldn¡¯t expect too much.


    ¡°After having seen that trick with the coins, I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m pretty hyped.¡± Hiroto-san chimed in, only for his sister to punch him in the arm, annoyed.


    ¡°So, just to clarify... you want... uh, these very important girls and Hiroto-san to train under us to learn how to use their subtle bodies?¡± I asked, and at mention of subtle bodies I could see a spark of interest in everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Indeed I do. Now bear in mind, the girls all have school, and other commitments. I will arrange Fujiwara Security to protect the shrine as well as ferry them to-and-from lessons. In addition, I know you worry about the safety of your family so... I intend to continue placing agents on them, though it would be beneficial if you could find a way to explain it, as protecting from the shadows is far less certain and more fraught with the risk of failure. Perhaps you could use your new connection to the nobility to come up with a suitable explanation?¡±


    Such a pain. But... to make sure my family remains safe, I¡¯ll think of something. ¡°All right then. So we can hammer out a schedule that works for everyone.¡± I expect that they will be seeking to gather information they can pass to Fujiwara-san as well as benefits from the training, so I¡¯ll have to be careful what I disclose, still...


    ¡°I look forward to working with you, sensei!¡± Motoko-san and Natsumi-san chimed in together, and after a brief pause and shared looks of embarrassment, the other three did the same.


    ¡°I shall be instructing you as well.¡± Shaeula pouted. ¡°My aetheric chirurgery will be important in helping you perform at your best.¡±


    ¡°I must apologise.¡± Motoko-san bowed to her too. ¡°I look forward to working with you as well, sensei!¡±


    ¡°Sensei! I approve!¡± Shaeula cackled.


    ¡°In that case, now things are settled, you can leave us. We will make exact arrangements later.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Fujiwara-sama!¡± they all chorused, before the five of them were escorted out. As they left I bit down on another sigh. Things just keep escalating. Obviously I have no intention of letting anyone get hurt, but imagine if Hinata-san or Motoko-san was injured or worse... gods, thinking about it is enough to make me sick... the consequences would be terrible...


    ¡°I would like to remind you that Motoko-san and Hinata-san are daughters of nobility, and should be treated as such.¡± Fujiwara-san said when they had left.


    ¡°Got it. No funny business, since they probably have to get married to other nobles.¡± I imagined that would be the case, based on historical drams and so forth. ¡°No need to worry about that, I have my hands full with the girls I have already.¡± Damn, why am I always so honest and saying girls... oh god, that reminds me. I need to warn Shaeula to keep our relationship hidden when we return to Nishimorioka. If uncle and auntie find out, or heaven forbid, my father...


    Surprisingly, Fujiwara-san burst out laughing, a rich, deep laugh full of good humour. ¡°A man of power should have lusty appetites. In my youth I had many mistresses, though I made sure to only have children with my wife, as is proper. But yes, daughters of nobility, even those of the Three Hundred, who attend the school for nobility, they are different to other girls. It seems you understand, so I shall say no more.¡± He paused then. ¡°However, in this changing world, perhaps Oshiro house can take its place as the Fifty-Ninth. If you support us wholeheartedly, I can assure you we will spare no efforts to support you.¡±


    Beside me, the Prime Minister, having recovered from his earlier fright, nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll also do what I can. This is definitely a national emergency.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we can keep this matter secret. A year would be wonderful, but... I feel we have at best months. At worst, the world could be spiralling into chaos tomorrow.¡± Fujiwara-san contemplated. ¡°I hope the fact that we are trusting you with daughters and sons of nobility impresses on you our desire to work together for our common benefit.¡±


    ¡°Well then, what about the others?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°There were those that-that came before us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, those.¡± Fujiwara-san sighed. ¡°Most of them... well, they were gifted yes, but... uninspiring. One of them... well, he has been acting unwisely, so had to be... escorted out.¡±


    The way he says that sounds... awfully final.


    ¡°Still, I would definitely be interested in speaking to them, sharing a bit of knowledge.¡± Otherwise if I run into them in the Boundary we might end up fighting. I¡¯d rather have allies than enemies.


    ¡°I will see what I can arrange, but those willing to work for us have been assigned tasks, so it might take some time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be busy myself it seems.¡±


    ¡°Well then, in that case. To our new alliance, and the future of Japan!¡± Fujiwara-san said, being handed a glass of rich whiskey by one of his towering bodyguards. The Prime Minister and Tsumura-san had a glass too, so Shaeula and I also grabbed our own.


    ¡°To Japan, and the future!¡± we raised our glasses and drank deeply. Damn, every day just gets crazier and crazier. Just wait until I tell my sis and Eri we met the Prime Minister...


    As we sealed our alliance, discussing minor details such as financial support and how to deal with the aftermath of the attack by US agents, I considered our next move. There were three things I really needed to deal with. Firstly, as soon as the Anchor hits Rank 3 my Territory is going to need a significant overhaul... Secondly, I need to work on mastering more elements and getting stronger. Shaeula and Eri too. And thirdly, we are going to have to come up with a training plan that shows results and is totally safe... no messing up like with me and Eri, if Shaeula injures the noble girls, we are done!

 Side Forty-Nine – The Raven Knight

    Side Forty-Nine ¨C The Raven Knight


    The Raven Knight sat with his legs crossed in one alcove of the strange room, several brilliant orbs of light set in ornate braziers casting a fierce glow over the centre of the space, only to leave deeper, inky shadows around the edges and in the corners. I prefer the shadows, it suits me better.


    He was not alone in this. Finally he had persuaded the jorogumo out of her spiderwebbed lair she had thrown up on the edges of his hidden Territory, and then only because he had promised her revenge on those that had hurt her. Other than me, of course. Still, that was to save our lives... from that by-blow bitch and her mortal sympathiser...


    Behind his black-beaked mask the sounds of teeth grinding together could be faintly heard. I cannot believe how misfortune upon misfortune has befallen me. I am supposed to be the bearer of ill-fortune yet it dogs my steps incessantly. With his dark Rhyming Tree stolen all his plans were on hold, and though he had sought out these allies, such as they were, to aid him, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    Just why are there so many Seelie crawling about that Territory now? Before all they had were a few weaselkin and those brutish fools under Grulgor. Now there are weaselkin everywhere, and more... even Ulfuric, the army commander under that lustful, wretched bastard Shaetanao was there. A clash head-on will be much more than I can handle...


    His gaze strayed to the jorogumo. She had corrupted the spiders that lurked in his forests and had rebuilt her army, but even so, her strength was far from enough. On feeling his regard, she turned, hissing disconsolately at him from her web in the shadows.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s very fond of you, Master Raven.¡± His attention was drawn to the speaker, a young-looking girl with blonde hair pulled into drilled pigtails and bound with ribbons, sitting at the table that was out-of-place in the brightly-lit centre of the room. She was wearing a purple and black lace dress, with a parasol over one shoulder, while she was sucking on some sort of treat on a stick. She was making noisy slurping sounds, which set his teeth on edge, further worsening his mood, so he met her azure gaze with his dirty yellow one.


    ¡°That is none of your concern.¡± He grated, further incensed that he had to listen to such a young girl condescend to him. If I did not need support to triumph here, I would see all of these mortals dead. Playing with power they do not understand, gifted by those that had little concern for anything but their own goals and amusements...


    As the young girl chuckled, the Raven Knight turned away. When he did so he regretted it, as his line-of-sight fell on another of his allies, one he detested even more. It was a man, middle-aged by how mortal humans reckoned years, and he was tall and well-muscled, his steel-grey hair matching with the bright white suit and shirt he was wearing, a thin red tie the only splash of colour on him. This one... his gift... it reeks of them...


    There was another individual at the table, a small, rodent-like man, whose gaze was darting all around the room constantly, lingering on the exit, which was an archway with no door, simply leading out into an inky void. Despite himself, the Raven Knight was impressed at the artifice that went into the design. The ability to traverse the Boundary easily... and create such sealed spaces... that is an art few possess... if I had such, then reclaiming the Rhyming Tree, or even stealing another from the Unseelie... it would not be impossible.


    Just as he thought this, the doorway into darkness shivered, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped through. She had dark eyes and long black hair, and was wearing a crimson dress exposing ample cleavage. Even the Raven Knight, who had long since eschewed sensual pleasures, unlike many of the Fae, was impressed. Still, I am hardly foolish enough to fall for that trap. Her eyes, they were the giveaway, inside burned the same sort of hatred he himself felt. A kindred spirit no doubt, and one he could work with, but one he would never trust.


    Ignoring everyone in the room she strode to the table in the middle and pulled out one of the chairs, before sitting down, across from the nervous man, whose eyes were roaming over her body, but she paid it no heed.


    ¡°Well, so everyone is here. Simply splendid.¡± The final visitor, the one they were waiting for, strode through the dark portal on the heels of the woman in red. This one was clad head-to-toe in an obscuring white robe, draped down voluminously like a cylinder, hands the only things protruding out, and they too were covered in white, gloved and holding a silver walking stick. Their head was covered in a hooded mask, rising to a strange point, and it was entirely featureless, hiding even the eyes, the only colour that was not white a series of black triangles, pointing up and down and interlocking, a stylised smiling mouth full of jagged teeth.


    ¡°Well of course we are. You are the boss, right?¡± the blonde girl smirked. ¡°Besides, who wouldn¡¯t enjoy such scintillating company as these fine people?¡±


    ¡°The Seelie Court. Wow, so cool, Master Raven. Though it isn¡¯t right, shouldn¡¯t it be something like the Night Parade, really? This is Japan, land of myth and legend! The Seelie sounds so boring in comparison...¡±


    I do not understand her. Are all young humans so endlessly foolish? If she was ever to meet the true Night Parade, she would piss herself in terror, shortly before being tortured to death, no doubt. Still, she also has a useful ability. The leader of this group is skilled indeed at finding suitable allies. Though I suspect in the end, all will turn on each other, as is the way when great reward is dangled between a group bound only by self-interest... I myself only care about my Tree and vengeance. Still, as long as I receive those, I shall aid them.


    ¡°We need to continue to increase our areas of control, and single out others who might stand against us.¡± Their leader said, walking around, the walking stick in their hands tapping a rhythm out on the strangely polished stone floor of the created room. ¡°Tokyo is a big feast, but there are a lot of others out there who want to take what is ours. Ideally we stop them before they get too strong, or if we can¡¯t, like Kondou Kazuo, then we bring them in if we can arrange it. If neither apply, like our friend the Raven¡¯s nemesis... well, we need to take bold action.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to get Bunta to do his thing? That would work, I bet.¡± Suzu piped up, finishing her sweet treat and licking her fingers. ¡°Otherwise it would come down to war. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I have my forces ready, but I¡¯d hate to lose them after I¡¯ve spent a month building them up.¡±


    ¡°First, we need to gather information. A war isn¡¯t won without knowledge. Was it not Sun Tzu who said that victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win? It seems to be that Kondou Kazuo, despite his strength, neglected such wisdom. I have no intentions of ending up the same as he. Now, as for our plan...¡±


    ********


    ¡°I will return first.¡± Daizen declared, walking towards the inky darkness that filled the doorway to their hideout. With not even a backward glance he vanished, sinking into the shadows. He was followed by the little man Bunta, who at least gave the remaining people nods of farewell.


    ¡°Your plan is super cool, leader.¡± Suzu was sucking on another of her sweets, idly twirling one of her excessively-curled braids with one finger. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how it all plays out. You can count on me. I¡¯ll be counting on you too, spider-lady.¡± She smiled at the jorogumo, who merely started back, her face expressionless.


    ¡°Aww, why is nobody other than the boss sociable? It totally blows. Oh well, I want to go to a concert, so I¡¯ll be off.¡± She theatrically blew kisses at everyone before barrelling out of the room, vanishing like the rest.


    ¡°I too shall take my leave. I have no objection to your plans. Come.¡± He gestured to the rebellious spider that was his companion.


    ¡°Wait a moment, if you would.¡± The white-cloaked figure asked. ¡°I would ask one question, before you depart.¡±


    Pausing, the Raven Knight swung his masked face towards her. ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°No need to be so wary. Are we not all comrades, all trying to build something special, something unique?¡± the leader shrugged. ¡°I merely wanted your thoughts on something. These Fae... do you think they¡¯ll be tasty?¡±


    Beside her, the beautiful woman in red looked down, a sneer on her face, while the jorogumo cackled, pleased by the humour. Still, the Raven Knight knew one thing. I know a monster when I see one, and this one... there is a hunger within, one that exceeds even my thirst for revenge. I need to tread carefully around such rapacious beings, very, VERY carefully...

 Side Fifty – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side Fifty ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see you safe, my granddaughter. It must be hard for you. I wish that there was another way, but... again, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The wizened old woman was sitting on an antique chair, observing Eleanor, but despite her advancing age, her eyes were still bright and sparkling, full of humour and wisdom. Still, there was a shadow on her face, a deep sorrow that Eleanor understood well.


    Calming her shaking hands, she nodded, her voluminous brown hair, bound in a long ponytail by a simple silver ribbon, bouncing behind her. Meeting her grandmothers¡¯ gaze with her own matching deep blue eyes, she spoke. ¡°I... I know. But... but I can¡¯t do it. Why... why did this have to come to me? Why not my brothers? After all, Richard is going to be King one day, and Henry went through his tour of the army. I... I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s me...¡±


    None of this should be possible. The world... the world isn¡¯t like this! I¡¯m the third child, and as a girl, I¡¯m way down the line of succession. I thought my only royal duties would be to look good during public appearances, and keep out of trouble, no scandals for the tabloid press!


    ¡°I thought the same when I came to the throne. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be me either, dear Eleanor.¡± Her grandmother, Elizabeth, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, said, reminiscing. ¡°My brother William was killed in the War, and well, you know what happened to George. Therefore I was crowned, in the difficult time after the War, trying to steer our country through a tough, post-War era.¡± She leaned in, conspiratorially. ¡°Now, most would say that the Prime Minster and the Cabinet run the country, and yes, that¡¯s true, but we keep a secret that transcends the mundane matters that Government worries about.¡±


    A secret. I know it now. How could I not? Her hands began to tremble once more, and she remembered the events of the previous few hours vividly, feeling her stomach clench, bile rising in her throat.


    ¡°Are you all right? Shall I summon someone to bring you a drink?¡± Queen Elizabeth asked, concerned.


    ¡°No, no... I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Eleanor gasped. ¡°I was just remembering...¡± The clash of steel on steel, the hideous yells of the vile goblins as they swarmed over the warped landscape, the barking of the foul hounds, their spittle stinking and acidic, burning my exposed skin. All under a sky so strange and alien it defies belief.


    ¡°No, you need a drink. Something strong. When I find myself beset by worries, I find a tot or two of brandy or gin takes the edge off.¡± Laughing, she rang a small silver bell, and soon a butler entered, an elderly man, impeccably dressed.


    ¡°Your will, your Majesty?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Bring us some brandy, the good stuff. Oh, and some sweets to go with it.¡±


    The butler bowed and withdrew, leaving them alone again. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have to face, and it grieves me, but the Royal Family has carried this secret for thousands of years. Even when families fell, such as the houses of York and Lancaster, the Saxons, or the Norman lines, even then they would pass on the tale, even to bitter enemies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand.¡± Eleanor protested. ¡°King Arthur, the Round Table... it was all fiction. There¡¯s no such thing as magic, or fairy realms.¡± Their conversation was interrupted as the butler brought in a silver cart, upon which was a selection of delectable cakes, as well as several bottles of fine brandy and mixers, as well as a chilled bowl of ice. As the butler left, the Queen filled two glasses, dropping in ice, clinking rhythmically, pleasant on the ears. Handing one glass to her shaken granddaughter, the Queen took a sip, signing contentedly.


    ¡°That hits the spot. Go ahead, Eleanor, dear. I know you aren¡¯t a big drinker, but now is the time to indulge. After all, it isn¡¯t every day you get to taste a Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac.¡± The queen took a longer sip, waiting.


    Fine, I¡¯ll drink, I will. Taking a sip, she widened her eyes, the rich flavour surprising, the alcohol hitting her with its warmth. Taking another sip, she realised her grandmother was right. It was calming her down.


    Father is right. No-one ever wins an argument with Grandmother. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. If you were to die, the whole country will go into mourning.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll happen sooner of later. Best everyone gets used to the idea.¡± The Queen snorted. ¡°Anyway, do go on.¡±


    Eleanor held in a sigh. ¡°All right then. As I was saying, in that strange world... the Green Armour... it was completely different, all emerald and gold. The relics too, not that I was able to use most of them. Still, one of the swords fit my hand.¡± At that she scoffed, self-deprecatingly. ¡°Swords. I never even did fencing or sabres at school. I was always an equestrian. To think...¡± she swallowed a mouthful of the cognac, drowning her rising panic. ¡°... now I have to swing a sword at horrible monsters. It¡¯s a sick joke.¡±


    ¡°My poor Eleanor. If I could take your place, you know I would. Or even if I could make my sons do it...¡±


    The thought of her grandmother fighting those ... creatures... wearing heavy armour and waving weapons was a comical one and Eleanor leaked another small smile. Feeling that was her grandmothers¡¯ intent she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s as you said earlier. No-one gets to choose. Besides, there are a lot more suits of armour and weapons down there. If I was chosen, maybe in time my brothers will join me.¡± She smiled a touch bitterly then. ¡°When that day comes, I¡¯ll hide behind them, and let them fight off the rabid hordes...¡±


    ¡°So, what are they like? All our royal wisdom says is that they will be terrifying and cruel. Once more I¡¯m pleased that the Green Man chose you. It¡¯d be terrible if you got scarred before your marriage.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Eleanor said, scandalised. ¡°I don¡¯t even have a boyfriend. If you want to talk about marriage, speak to Henry. He¡¯s dating some American model.¡±


    ¡°Yes I¡¯ve met her, she¡¯s interesting enough.¡± The Queen allowed. ¡°Anyway, we were talking about the enemies of our country, of Avalon.¡±


    ¡°We were, weren¡¯t we?¡± Eleanor ate another slice of cake, her fourth piece. Yes, never being able to put on weight is a gift every girl thinks they would kill for. I would have thought so too, watching my weight and keeping my complexion good was always a hassle, but if I was photographed by the press looking flabby or spotty I¡¯d die of mortification. Still, now I actually HAVE to fight for it... I¡¯ve changed my mind. But I have it, so I may as well use it...


    ¡°Well, outside the tower, the sky is strange. It¡¯s like the northern lights you can see in the Scottish Isles, just with stranger colours, and there is no sun or moon. No light at all, other than the strange auroras, really, yet you can still see clearly. And London... it seems to be a mixture of the new and the old, just without people. But there are things there.¡±


    Eleanor talked about the goblins with their sharp knives and garish red outfits that were swarming the ghostly streets en-masse, as well as the baleful hounds, and the angry lumbering giants that she had avoided. Before long the bottle of cognac was empty, and she was feeling pleasantly drunk, unusual for her.


    ¡°See, talking about it did help, didn¡¯t it?¡± the Queen was triumphant. ¡°Any time it gets too much for you, I¡¯m always here for you. I welcome a visit from my cutest granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°If the others hear you say that, they¡¯ll be upset.¡± Eleanor warned, but she was feeling a little better now.


    ¡°Let them.¡± She waved a hand dismissively. ¡°They aren¡¯t carrying your burden. And speaking of that...¡± the Queen continued. ¡°... I shall move heaven and earth, the whole country, to make sure you have the support you need. Not just for my duty as the Monarch, but because I want to see you as safe as possible. I¡¯ve spoken to the Prime Minister, and surprisingly enough, he believed my tale immediately. Well, he is quite the colourful character, after all. With his help and my own connections, I¡¯ve found a list of others who have been chosen like you. It¡¯s difficult as this is a state secret and needs to be kept under wraps, at least for now, but I¡¯ve spared no effort for you, my beloved granddaughter.¡± Retrieving a tablet computer, she passed it over.


    ¡°This is...¡± Eleanor gasped, seeing the series of profile photographs and detailed breakdowns.


    ¡°Yes. This modern technology really is quite something. Anyway, these are the people we have found who have also been blessed with strange gifts, and are willing to aid us, for appropriate renumeration, of course. There should be a fair few new faces in the New Year¡¯s Honours List.¡±


    As Eleanor scanned the list, she felt tears of relief welling up, warring against her endless fears. I won¡¯t be alone anymore. Oh, how good that feels...

 Side Fifty-One – Princess Adoria Vi Tra Palludia – ???

    Side Fifty-One ¨C Princess Adoria Vi Tra Palludia ¨C ???


    The young girl sat watching the water in the ornate marble fountains shoot into the sky with her melancholy golden eyes, spray falling down to the surface of the water in a fine mist, leaving behind dancing rainbows in the oppressive heat of the early-afternoon suns. Up above, the smaller sun was starting to rise, adding its warmth to the true sun that was nearing its peak.


    Her long pink hair fluttered behind her in the breeze, and her attendant, a young girl who was waving at her softly with a peacock-feather fan to drive away the most oppressive heat, suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and diffident. ¡°Princess, you seem unhappy. Should I call for your maids? Or perhaps your sister? She always knows how to cheer you.¡±


    The princess forced a smile, though it took quite the effort. Still, she was unwilling to show weakness before her attendant. If she did that, her mother would surely scold her. ¡°Pay it no moment, perhaps looking at the water was merely making me thirsty.¡± Besides, neither of my sisters will have time for me and my moods, not now...


    ¡°I see.¡± Her servant brightened. ¡°I shall run and fetch you a cool glass of juice immediately princess. Please remain here until I return!¡± with that her attendant put down her fan, hiked up the hem of her dress and hurried off back into the palace behind her.


    Now alone, though she was aware that several of her personal guards would still be watching from a discreet distance, she was finally able to show her worries. Biting down on her lip softly, she clenched her small fists, remembering the conversation she had with her older sister just that morning.


    ¡°Adoria, the situation on the northern border is far more grave than we are told.¡± Her beautiful sister had said, her golden-blonde hair that she so envied sparkling under the light of the single sun at dawn. ¡°I know we keep telling the populace that the demons are driven back again and again, but the truth is...¡± she leaned in close, smelling of sweat and light perfume. ¡°... every time we take further horrific losses. Even with the assistance of Demera Vi Un Crusellode, our Astral fortress was ravaged. I don¡¯t believe we can withstand another attack.¡±


    She shuddered at the memory. Princess Demera had the lineage of Metal, and was renowned for her indestructible style on the battlefield, a master of siege fortifications, making any defence easy. If even she was not enough to secure a clear victory... but that was not the worst.


    ¡°... Even so.¡± Her sister had continued. ¡°Demons are gathering even in our true lands. The days when we could confine them to the Astral ended when the Princesses of Flames and Lightning perished against the Champion of Andras.¡± Vudorixas the Massacre. Her sister had not named the brute, one of the four great demons who were leading the destruction of their world. It was almost like the legends of long ago, of the four horseman who would herald the end of days. Plague. War. Betrayal. Death. If so, Vudorixas would definitely be the horseman of War...


    ¡°... the Princess of Flames has died again. I¡¯m not supposed to tell you this, mother and eldest sister think you are too young, but I think you should know.¡± Her sister continued. ¡°Now the burden has passed back to her mother. She is too old. Worse, those who have received the gift of Fire and Flames all fought to the end, but ...¡± nothing more had needed to be said. The purpose of the Elemental Bloodlines was to create ever-stronger warriors with each generation. The bloodlines went back two-thousand years, as she was taught by her tutors, unbroken since the first true kingdoms rose out of barbarism and tribalism. And for eighteen hundred years that tradition continued unabated. Until the demons invaded. Despite the warm heat of the suns she shivered, the thought of the demons terrible, though she had obviously never seen one herself.


    Her musings were interrupted by her attendant, bringing her cool, refreshing drinks on a tray. She took one, and sipping on it, remembered the last thing her sister had told her before she was forced to rush away to attend a war council.


    ¡°... eldest sister Elenya... it is time for her to marry. We have no time to wait, lest our Bloodlines join the lost ones. Earth, Lightning, and now likely Fire... three precious elements destined to vanish... I too...¡± her beautiful sister had looked away then, saddened. ¡°If sister seems distant, upset... well, please try to understand. Besides... soon you as well...¡±


    At first the demons had been little trouble, or so the history books said. Indeed, initially, when the tides of the Astral strengthened, surrounding the world, it had driven civilisation to new heights. The Bloodlines grew even stronger, and in the Astral sphere around the world new marvels were wrought, new defences built. Some small incursions were easily defeated, and new breakthroughs in Elemental and Magical technology were commonplace. For forty years, the world had prospered. It was then that the way to transfer the power of the Bloodlines from the Princesses to others was found as well.


    That was when our kingdom entered a golden age. After all, we have the Bloodlines of Ice, Light, Darkness and Wind. Though Darkness was currently carried by her cousin, the daughter of Duke Vespatian, Kiela. I like Kiela, even if she¡¯s really quiet and you can never tell what she¡¯s thinking...


    Apparently everyone thought that nothing would ever change, that the glory of the kingdoms and their Bloodlines would continue forever. But one hundred and sixty years ago, the first Astral fortress fell. The retaliation from the armies of the many kingdoms was swift and brutal, and the demons perished in their tens of thousands, but... that was the beginning of the end.


    ¡°Uhh, sister Elenya, I was just wanting to speak to mother, but I heard the chancellor in there, so...¡± Elements above, my sister is huge! She had always wished she was bustier, like her sisters, but they usually just teased her and said it would come when she was older. Still, my sisters are both beauties. Elenya has eyes and hair the colour of the finest jade, while mine is this stupid, weak pink colour.


    ¡°Stop pouting.¡± Elenya whacked her gently on the head, causing her to tear up. ¡°You might as well come in. We are almost done.¡±


    Seeing the chancellor, she held in a shudder. She didn¡¯t dislike him personally, not really, although she found him a little unctuous and quick to flatter her and her sisters, but she had a natural aversion to him, as apparently his son had a high affinity for Air and Wind, so was a likely candidate to marry her sister Elenya. The son, Barbro, she loathed.


    The potential marriage alone was not the entire reason for her antipathy of course, though it was certainly reason enough. She had found him staring at her other sister as well during balls and parties that were held at the palace, and even at her and Kiela. Rumour was that he had already got several girls pregnant. I hate him, he¡¯s creepy. My poor sister...


    Remembering what her middle sister Claira had mentioned this morning, she prayed to the Elements Above that Elenya could avoid marrying him, and at least find someone she could be happy with, or at least tolerate. Sadly, in these hard times, happiness is not something we can demand. Our kingdom still stands, but many others... she shuddered, darker rumours circulating amidst the servants when they thought that no-one else was listening, detailing lurid, vile tales of what happened to those in demon-held territory, especially captured Elemental Princesses...


    ¡°I shall take my leave.¡± The Chancellor bowed. ¡°My Queen. Princess Elenya. Princess Adoria.¡± He bowed to them all in turn, displaying faultless manners. ¡°My son passes on his regards.¡± He smiled toadily at Elenya, who nodded politely, her face expressionless except for a tiny smile. ¡°I do hope I can see you together soon. In these current times of war, it would be reassuring for the Bloodline of Wind to have an heir, would it not?¡±


    With that he left, and Adoria relaxed, only to be rapped on her head by her sister once more. ¡°Ouch...¡± she muttered, clutching at her head.


    ¡°You need to keep your feelings from your face. Put on a mask, as I do, and your mother does.¡± Elenya warned her. ¡°Anyway, you wanted to see mother, so I shall leave you.¡±


    As she turned for the exit, her mother spoke. ¡°Daughter. I¡¯m sorry to push you to this, but it is either Barbro or one of the Noble Elves. Only they have the requisite affinities to strengthen the Bloodline. I know the choice is hard, but... we no longer have much time left. The demon advance grows swifter year on year. I suspect within ten more years, everything will be over.¡±


    Elenya nodded. ¡°I understand, my Queen.¡± At that, the Queen clicked her tongue, annoyed, but Elenya carried on as if she hadn¡¯t heard. ¡°But if I could have a little more time to mull it over...¡±


    ¡°A little. It is all I can spare. The same for Claira too. Soon we will all have to face the battlefield, and I¡¯ll not have Wind and Ice end the same way as Earth and Lightning.¡±


    Elenya bowed once more, before retreating from the room, and out of the corner of her eye Adoria could see the mask slip, her face cold and anguished. Sister Elenya... I wish there was something I could do to aid you...


    ¡°So, my daughter, what brings you to see me?¡± her mother asked, her golden hair flowing like a waterfall of molten metal around her still-youthful face. ¡°I have little time for idle chit-chat, I fear.¡±


    No! I forgot why I wanted to speak to her... now what do I do? Mortified, Adoria wracked her brains for something to say, the stern azure gaze of her mother conspiring to keep her head empty...

 Side Fifty-Two – Shrine Maiden Of Ise – Yukiko, Princess Mikasa

    Side Fifty-Two ¨C Shrine Maiden Of Ise ¨C Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    ¡°it is good to see you again, my dear Yukiko.¡± The veiled figure who was kneeling before her said softly. ¡°I trust you have been well?¡±


    Yukiko bit down on a sigh, knowing showing any weakness would be beneath her station as a princess of the Imperial Family of Japan, born of the bloodline of the Gods, despite what Japan had been forced to concede after the disastrous Second World War. There was just something so... frustrating... about the Diviner, something that always made her feel inferior. It can¡¯t be her looks, as I¡¯ve never seen her without the veil shrouding her features. From what I¡¯ve heard rumoured, nobody has since she awakened to her talents at the age of just four years old... Though of course the cascade of beautiful black hair and the slender body under her shrine maiden attire was probably an indication that her hidden face was likely a similar work of art. Since then, no-one has spoken her name either...


    Ugh, how is it I can get all worked up about her looks, even when I¡¯ve never seen them? Seriously though, I may be used to scrutiny, but in shrine and temple circles, seeing the hidden face of the Diviner would be enough for many men to risk their very lives for, and some women too, if gossip is to be believed. At that unworthy thought her face flushed, and she looked down herself, idly drumming her fingers on the ornate armrest of the chair she was sitting on.


    ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t complain.¡± She said at last. ¡°Though I still have to wonder if this is all just a strange dream. Really, if I wasn¡¯t already aware of your abilities, Diviner, I would have considered myself crazy.¡±


    The Diviner tilted her veiled head, and Yukiko had the impression she was smiling beneath the obscuring cloth. ¡°Alas, it is not your fate to drift into the blessed mire of insensibility, no more than I was able to. Take heart, for I too have been chosen, and I shall not forsake you, my dear Yukiko. Indeed, to this end, I have come to warn you of a great danger. The mists have parted, and Tsukuyomi revealed a vision to me in the reflected moonlight.¡±


    Danger, to me? She shuddered at the thought. Before Amaterasu blazed into her dream, giving her gifts that she believed she would never have, far stronger than the feeble remains that dwelt within shrine and temple bloodlines, barring the aberrant Diviner, of course, the only danger she had faced was crazed stalkers, interested in her purely because she was a member of the Imperial family. But now... It¡¯s got to be about the World of the Gods... I don¡¯t want to have to do this. Still, a female from the Imperial Family always has to be the shrine maiden of Ise Grand Shrine, lest Japan be destroyed. Every country has similar legends, but we¡¯ve believed this and obeyed without question for thousands of years...


    ¡°Allow me to share my vision, oh Princess of the Heavens.¡± The Diviner said, bowing low, her tone taking on an eerie sing-song quality, magnifying the strange agelessness her voice exhibited. ¡°The Great Red Dragon of the Numberless East will pass over our Japan, shedding scales of red that will turn into rapacious ants that seek to devour all in this land, reducing it to barren ashes, only to feed their hives in the Dragons¡¯ lair. Even so, the light of the Sun will burn those that stray close to Ise Grand Shrine, yet this pure radiance will draw something darker... I see golden eyes like the sun, staring at your shining silver link to the Sun, and a maw of darkness opens... should it snap shut, your death is certain, and Ise will be devoured by the ants, and Japan shall be bereft of the light of the Sun, Amaterasu forever shunning us as a vile hunger consumes all...¡±


    That¡¯s... terrifying. Yukiko shuddered. She had seen things, of course, outside of Ise in the world of the Gods, yet her power purified those that approached her carelessly, and within the shrine she was nigh-invincible... but against a Dragon, or this darker thing... feeling sick, she turned away, feeling tears well in her eyes.


    ¡°Rest assured, all is not lost.¡± The Diviner assured her. ¡°My visions are not inevitable, they are granted to me so I can change bitter futures, that is what I believe. And so... in the reflection of the moonlight I also saw something, no, someone... who can help you forestall this disaster. He shall be blessed by a God not of this land, yet hold the favour of the kami that dwell here, and the favour of the Moon shall be with him. Six great trials are coming, though I cannot see all of them clearly, and Six Princesses of the Six Paths shall be necessary, if he is to stave off the ruin of this land. Your fate is to face the Red Dragon, but should you find this man, it is within fate for the jaws in the shadows to be shattered before your light is extinguished.¡±


    Six Princesses, Six Paths... I¡¯m learned in Buddhist lore, the Six Paths are... let me see, Heaven Realm, Human Realm, Asura Realm, Animal... or perhaps Beast... Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Hell Realm. She called me the Princess of the Heavens, does she mean...


    ¡°Why yes, I do mean what you are thinking, Yukiko my dear.¡± The Diviner laughed, her voice like clear temple bells. At her puzzlement, the Diviner only laughed harder. ¡°No, I am not reading your mind, you tend to show what you are thinking on your face far too much for a princess. In all seriousness...¡± she continued. ¡°... I have seen four of the Princesses in my vision, though you are the only one I recognise, because of course I have known you for years, have I not? We are fine friends, I like to think.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve always wondered.¡± Yukiko said, the weight of the prophecy bearing down on her. ¡°Just how do you see the future? That¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve never understood. Even my gift, the Light of Amaterasu, makes some kind of sense. But the future isn¡¯t written, is it? Therefore how can you know what is coming?¡±


    ¡°Do not make that face. You will need his support. Just tell him that, though do not say it came from me. Ask him If he has heard rumours of the other factions seeking outside support. That will start moving the wheels of fate and destiny.¡±


    ********


    Indeed, yes, it¡¯s Saionji-san. Keeping her face neutral, she offered her greetings, wishing it was the Diviner again, as no matter how mysterious and often just plain confusing she was, Yukiko always ended up feeling better by the time she had departed, and she needed that more than ever.


    Still, she was a member of the Imperial family, so when she had to, she could be regal. ¡°So, what brings you here, Priest Saionji? I hope it is not merely to rehash your prior request? The Ise Grand Shrine has always stood neutral amidst the factions of faith, and now more than ever, this is not the time to change that.¡±


    Saionji-san merely bowed politely in response. ¡°No, while I would of course be delighted to have your support, I know such would be too much to ask. Still, as fellow adherents of Amaterasu, I confess to being pleased that you have been so blessed. The Imperial Family has long been considered to be Divine, after all. Despite unwise agreements of the past.¡±


    I hate this topic of conversation. I never felt particularly divine, and nor did my parents or brother. Besides, we were forced to recant after losing the War...


    Still keeping calm, she asked him again why he was there then, and Saionji-san smiled brightly. ¡°I have an impertinent, yet I hope simple request, if I may?¡± at her unwilling nod, he continued. ¡°Soon we shall hold a Conclave, to settle the issue of how the traditional faiths of Japan should seize the opportunities this new world presents us. After all...¡± he spread his arms wide, gesturing expansively. ¡°... are we not at the forefront of the long dreamed-of reawakening of the Spiritual? I fear if we allow in-fighting and delay to fog our steps, precious Spiritual places will be lost forever, and Japan will be all the poorer for it, and our outside enemies will rejoice.¡±


    That... well, it is a concern. It is why I am defending the Ise shrine... She had to admit his thoughts on that made sense. Still, the Diviner had warned her that Saionji-san was eager to claim Kyoto for himself and that was a higher priority to him than the good intentions he was spouting at her.


    ¡°Every light casts dark shadows.¡± He continued, buoyed by her lack of rebuttal. ¡°To allow Kyoto, the city closest to the Divine to potentially face ruin, due to our own lack of unity...¡± his expression was sorrowful, and Yukiko struggled not to laugh at his melodramatic acting. ¡°So I ask of you, if you cannot endorse our cause, please at least attend the Conclave as a guest of utmost honour. I believe that someone of the Imperial family should attend, as it is time to repudiate the past mistakes made due to our loss in the War, and for the Emperor and his lineage to take up the mantle of Divinity once more. After all, is not your gift from Amaterasu the proof of this?¡±


    So that¡¯s it. Even if I don¡¯t officially support him, if I am there, at his invitation... well, it gives him an air of authority, borrowing mine, and through me the Emperor¡¯s. Still, going back on our agreement with America that was forced on us after the War... that¡¯s dangerous thinking... still, Conclave, huh...


    Thinking back to what the Diviner told her, she placed one hand on her cheek, adopting a pose of careful thought. ¡°I think that since I am not from the lineage of the shrines and temples, I should refrain from attending.¡± She frowned. ¡°After all, it isn¡¯t like you would let any other outsiders attend, if you intend on discussing such weighty matters, right?¡±


    Saionji-san shook his head. ¡°As Priestess of the Grand Shrine at Ise, you have as much right to be considered among us as any, and with your blessing from Amaterasu, more than most! Even so, I can allay your fears. Some... uninvolved attendees will be invited, such as Takakura-san, to represent the nobility, as well as... well, poor Uchida-san has found someone outside of his faction to place his hopes in. From what I gather, he isn¡¯t even from a lineage of faith at all! So sad, pitiful really.¡± At that he wasn¡¯t able to hide his smirk. ¡°So you see, there would be no objections to your attendance...¡±


    As he rambled on to convince her, Yukiko considered the words of the Diviner one more time. Ask him If he has heard rumours of the other factions seeking outside support. That will start moving the wheels of fate and destiny. Is it this person Saionji-san has mentioned, or someone else? Remembering talk of the Red Dragon, the darker thing, she pondered her answer carefully. Just what is the right choice? I don¡¯t want to get involved with this mess, but I don¡¯t want to die either...

 Side Fifty-Three – Cracks Starting To Show – End Of Arc 5

    Side Fifty-Three ¨C Cracks Starting To Show ¨C End Of Arc 5


    First Crack - Choe Museon Private Boarding Academy ¨C Somewhere in South Korea


    ¡°Jun-Seo, what do we do? Your sister has control of the kitchens and supply rooms. If we don¡¯t do something, she¡¯ll starve us out.¡±


    Jun-Seo frowned, running a hand through his messy dark-brown hair. Biting at his lip, he tried to project an image of strength and confidence, but it was hard for him, always being stuck in the shadow of his twin sister. Even now, his sister was blocking him at every turn, ruining his life, his new chance for glory and success!


    ¡°The internet is down too, right? And there¡¯s never been any mobile signal here. Go to a boarding school and build character, separated from the distractions and temptations of modern life, my parents said. I bet yours were similar, right?¡±


    The boy that was speaking to him turned away, grimacing, and Jun-Seo got the urge to berserk him to ruin, but quickly pushed down that desire, knowing it would be too wasteful. After all, he didn¡¯t have as many followers as his damn sister, her gift was the opposite of his, constructive rather than destructive. Still, after having seen his Berserker Blood in action, Jun-Seo was convinced that for once he could outshine her.


    ¡°Well yeah.¡± The boy said at last. ¡°Choe Museon prides itself on ascetic discipline and self-reflection, as well as high achievements. None of us are here because we volunteered. Anyway, Cho-Hee noona... err... your sister...¡± as Jun-Seo glared at the boy, he changed his term of respect towards his sister. ¡°... must have used her Obedience on one of the teachers who knew where the junction boxes were. Pretty smart, just what you¡¯d expect from noona... err, your sister.¡±


    It was smart, unfortunately, as the internet was the only way to connect to the outside and call for help to end this madness. Still, for once both he and Cho-Hee were in agreement. This school was now their playground, and only one of them could rule. Still, while Berserker Blood was more powerful, it wouldn¡¯t help secure them food. It was impossible to stop them getting water, there were too many toilets and bathrooms scattered around the school and the dormitories, but with only what food they could scrouge up from the dorms, they would grow weaker quickly.


    ¡°Obedience has the advantage in that she can use it to conquer the drivers who deliver supplies regularly. It¡¯s the perfect power for a slut like my sister...¡±


    ¡°Cho-Hee noona isn¡¯t like tha... err, never mind.¡± The boy protested, trying to defend her before realising it was just provoking Jun-Seo further. Pushing down the urge to berserk the annoying little Ssi-Bal-Nom, Jun-Seo had to admit that while his sister was popular and all the boys and most of the girls all dreamed of her as a partner, a lover, his sister was always scrupulous in avoiding relationships, probably because she was too damn stuck-up and viewed everyone as beneath her. Especially him. They were twins, how could she constantly disrespect him so?


    ¡°The neutral groups will need to pick a side soon.¡± Jun-Seo started pacing restlessly. His blood was boiling, ever since the first time he had used Berserker Blood on a person, watching as they lost all reason, their eyes and ears bleeding as they raged and rampaged until their body failed, bones breaking and muscles tearing. At first he had been sick, spending several days curled up into a ball and crying at what he had done, but... his sister had forced him to act! It was her fault, all her fault! And after the first death... it was easier. Now dozens of students and staff members were dead, used up in berserk rages. Still, that meant that his own forces were dwindling.


    ¡°If they don¡¯t side with us, we¡¯ll have to... appropriate their resources.¡± He finished coldly. After all, if he didn¡¯t, his sister would. Her ever-growing army of mindless slaves was an annoyance, but unless Cho-Hee controlled them directly, they were little more than zombies.


    ¡°Yeah, I get we need more allies, but... if we make a move, your sister will know.¡± The boy complained.


    ¡°OF course she will. My amkae of a sister probably has sympathisers in our own camp. Still, she¡¯s too smart, so she doesn¡¯t understand actions that seem to make no sense...¡± There was another way, one only he could take. Him and his damned sister. ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll use berserker blood on a couple of the prisoners we have. When they are distracting her, forcing her to respond, you lead our people to take over the dormitory where the girls who didn¡¯t want to fight are holed up... feel free to make examples of a few if you need to.¡±


    ¡°All right...¡± the boy looked equal parts excited and fearful of the actions to come. ¡°But what about you? Where will you be?¡±


    Jun-Seo merely smiled enigmatically, revelling in his superiority. While my sister is fighting fires here, I shall fight in the otherworld, and finally dislodge her entirely. When she loses that, it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before I have her kneeling at my feet, repenting for all the torment she has put me through over the years...


    Before the outside world noticed the hell Choe Museon had become, Jun-Seo needed to completely consolidate his control, and extract every ounce of profit available here. After all, had not the Dokkaebi told him he would be the ruler of Korea, no, the world? Not realising he was rubbing his hands together in glee, an expression of creepy delight on his face, Jun-Seo imagined the future he would have, when everyone would have to finally respect him.


    Cho-Hee, I won¡¯t kill you of course. You are my... beloved... sister. I¡¯ll let you watch as I finally take my place as the sibling everyone loves and respects! Our parents... I can hardly wait to see their faces, as they regret treating me so much worse than you!


    ********


    Second Crack ¨C Luisenstadt, Berlin, Germany


    ¡°Hey mister, can you spare me some change? I¡¯m soooooooooo hungry.¡± Adelheid took advantage of her childish features to make her look even younger than she was, her pale blue eyes watering convincingly, as if she was on the verge of tears.


    The man she had approached, an older man wearing a long, not particularly clean trench coat over denim, scratched at his untidy brown beard idly, eyeing Adelheid. His gaze ran up and down her short, slender form, which was wearing a white summer dress that had seen better days, a small backpack over her exposed shoulders.


    His gaze was unpleasant, but Adelheid merely continued to smile pitifully, waiting. After a long moment the man pulled out his tatty wallet and produced a few low-value euro notes. Even so, Adelheid was unable to stop herself licking her lips at the thought of getting some money. It¡¯s getting harder to steal from the shops around here. They are becoming wise to me.


    On seeing her avid expression the man smiled invitingly. Handing her one of the notes, a measly five euros, he spoke. ¡°Poor girl, are you out on the streets?¡±


    At her nod, he continued, wheedling. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come back with me, and I can give you a few more euros, and I¡¯ll even cook you a hot meal. You could even stay the night...¡± at that it was the man licking his own lips reflexively, and Adelheid held in a sigh. Looks like this again. Why don¡¯t I ever run into anyone nice? Oh well, I¡¯ve always had rotten luck, why would it change now?


    ¡°I¡¯d like that mister.¡± She said in a young, sing-song voice. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being hungry and cold.¡±


    Following the man through the run-down suburbs of Luisenstadt, Adelheid answered his questions politely, plotting her next move.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid my mom brought in a new man, and... well, I didn¡¯t like the way he was looking at me.¡± She said, cocking her head in imitation of an innocent child. ¡°... and when he did, mom got mad and used to beat me. I don¡¯t understand...¡± she whimpered, forcing tears from her eyes. ¡°... what did I do? So I ran away from home. But I don¡¯t have any money so I¡¯m always hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s just awful.¡± The man said, shaking his head, but she didn¡¯t miss the gleam in his eyes, predatory and reptilian. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure life can only get better. So, your new father... did he ever... no, never mind.¡±


    Ugh, disgusting. Is that all he¡¯s thinking about? This is going to be bad. Again...


    They walked past several rundown houses with people, mostly worn and tired old men, resting outside, drinking or smoking strange-smelling cigarettes. This district was even more run-down than the one she came from. Worse, they were all looking at her. The least threatening gazes were fogged with alcohol and illicit substances, while the worst... disgusting perverts, the lot of them. Still, if they think they can toy with me... those days are over. I may have been born under an unlucky star, but even I can catch a break now and again...


    Seeing her steps faltering under the gazes of his neighbours, the man put his arm around her bare shoulder, pulling her close, as if to shield her from view. Her skin broke out in goosebumps at his touch, and she resisted the urge to pull away, or worse, but he seemed not to notice. That or he just doesn¡¯t care. His breathing had sped up, and he was walking in a strange manner.


    ¡°Just over here. don¡¯t mind them, they are just surprised at how pretty you are.¡± He said jovially, and she held in a frown. Stepping up to a run-down set of stairs he escorted her up, his free hand opening and closing as if it was grabbing something.


    Five euros. That won¡¯t even last me a day... ugh. upon reaching the door the man produced a key and opened the shabby portal up, revealing an untidy and barely cleaned inside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the mess...¡± he apologised. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to clean, but... better than sleeping outside right? It can get cold during September nights.¡±


    True, especially when all I have is this dress and a few other bits and pieces in my bag. But if I was prepared to be abused, would I have run away from home? Why is everyone else such an idiot?


    ¡°Yes, it can be, mister!¡± she said nothing of what she was thinking. He guided her to the living area, where an old, stained sofa was. Sitting her down, he smiled at her, barely hiding his ill intentions. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some soup to warm you up, but first... how about showing mister a little affection, hey? I¡¯ll make it worth your while. Nothing too bad, just...¡±


    I don¡¯t even look a teenager, pervert. Adelheid was a bit older than she looked, so she was aware of the evil things perverts could want from her, having always been pretty. Though I¡¯ve seen better days. I hate being this dirty and unkempt. Once more she cursed herself for being born to such shitty parents. Still, she had learned at a young age to be careful and avoid bad situations, and that had kept her safe and pure. I¡¯m not used to this...


    ¡°How about a hug and a kiss? Won¡¯t it be nice to feel like you have a father, at least for a bit?¡± the man wheedled, his hand on her shoulder again, the other reaching for the straps of her dress. ¡°I¡¯ll stop there, I promise, and you can have the money and a place to slee.... Argh, you bitch, what the... owww!¡±


    How stupid do you think I am? Adelheid spat in his face as he reeled back, his fingers mangled and broken. Why do you need to take off my clothes for a hug? This wasn¡¯t the first time she had run into trouble in the three months she had run away from home. For the first month and a half it was hell, and she had barely got away from being molested more times than she cared to count. But then, one night, cold and shivering under a bridge, the only company the pigeons and sparrows that were roosting under the structure, she drifted off to sleep and her world changed.


    Opening her eyes in the dream she was surprised to find she knew she was dreaming. Still, unlike the rare other times that had happened to her, she was unable to fly or do any of the other things children did in dreams. It was then she realised she was not alone, and a beautiful woman wearing a strange, silky white garment was there, with three female figures she could not make out hiding in the inky shadows behind her. Immediately on guard despite it being a dream, after a month and a half of danger she instinctively moved to protect herself, only for the woman to speak to her in a language she didn¡¯t know. A few moments later she found she could understand the words, and they shocked her.


    Apparently she had the opportunity to embrace her anger, and be chosen by Alecto, whoever that was. Thinking it merely a strange dream, and not concerned by the consequences anyway, she accepted. Then she knew pain, as though her very bones were shattering into magma. Once the pain faded, she looked up to find the three shadowy women gone, only the other remaining.


    Just how did they find me? I¡¯m sure I left no traces. They are swarming over me like ants gnawing on a bone. Indeed, looking back he could see the soldiers rounding the corner to the alley, and their faces were set angrily, clearly incensed he had the temerity to run. Not even bothering to demand his compliance, they opened fire again, and only the flapping of clothing and sheets obscuring their view prevented a fatal hit. Even so...


    Honourless dogs! The sons of bitches have me cornered. Blood was leaking from his left hip and shoulder, where a pair of bullets had pierced him. The pain was quite intense, only his trained and blessed constitution allowing him to endure the pain and loss of blood without collapsing. I have no choice. I have to ditch my pursuers, by any means necessary...


    Drawing on the blessing given by the strange faceless being that appeared in his dreams many weeks ago, the man felt energy gush forth from his lower body. ¡°Hundun, faceless one. I call forth your maze of chaos!¡± he intoned. The words were unnecessary, but he felt that without them, the act had no gravitas.


    Immediately he could sense the air almost quivering, and the gunfire stopped, his pursuers going glassy-eyed and vacant, as though they had been smoking opium. One even dropped his gun, before walking into a wall, drooling like an idiot.


    You see that? I am favoured by the Heavens and the Earth! You soldiers with your guns are nothing compared to me now! His boastful thoughts were interrupted by the wet, squelching feeling in his left shoe, and he realised it was his blood pooling there after it ran down his leg. Well, perhaps guns are still an issue... he graciously allowed.


    Even so, he continued to stagger away. His mental maze would not hold long against so many targets, especially when their emotions were so heightened. He would have to disappear before...


    ¡°This is why I said we shouldn¡¯t rely on these Party men and their modern weapons.¡± A beautiful sing-song voice interrupted his thought processes, and despite himself he was forced to look up, seeing the speaker. She was a very pretty young girl, slender and willowy, with pale skin and a mop of dark-brown, silky hair. She was wearing an old-fashioned green robe, of the sort he imagined Cultivators in stories would wear, if one believed in such things. The man hadn¡¯t, up until he received his own blessing, and then everything seemed possible.


    He froze for a moment, captivated by her, not seeing the handsome older man beside her, also in green, his dark eyes piercing, like a raptors. ¡°Yes, I quite agree, Lihua. Still, that is why they make sure to always bring some of us with each squad. Anyway, we have our orders.¡±


    Orders, what orders? They must be with the Department. I should go... he turned to run, struggling to look away from the pretty girl. It was as if her voice had somehow cast a spell on him. In fact, that was exactly correct, even now, unbeknownst to him some ki was circulating through his meridians, slowing his thoughts and fogging his reaction speed. Moments later he was staring up at the sky, wondering why he was lying on his back. As warmth drained out of him and his vision started to go dark, he heard a beautiful voice say ¡°Kill the chicken to scare the monkey... we should spread the news so that any other fools don¡¯t decide to flee when...¡±


    So... pretty...


    ********


    Sixth Crack ¨C Church Of The Bloodied Thorn, Cluj-Napoca, Romania


    ¡°I must meditate to enter the immaterial realm, below the only true Ninth Heaven.¡° Alexandru Ardelean, a Judge of Revelation, said sharply, his dark, close cropped hair and hazel eyes and olive skin giving him a Mediterranean cast, contrasting with the pure white of his surcoat which was draped pristinely over his chainmail vestments. In one hand he carried a ceremonial mace, and in the other a shield forged in the shape of the fabled Wheel of Judgement, Rota Iudicii, which was carried by the legendary and revered Judgement-Cardinal, Luca Aloisio.


    ¡°Are you sure it should be here?¡± One of the squires asked, looking around at the poor interior of the humble church on the outskirts of the city. ¡°If you are planning to open a Hallowed Ground, surely the Theotokos Cathedral would be a better place to start...¡±


    Judge Alexandru conceded the point, but quickly disabused his squires of their incorrect notions. ¡°Peace, my acolytes. The will of the Lord is absolute, and the omens have been interpreted. To cleanse an ancient evil, we must root it out, and dark shadows lurk in Cluj-Napoca, long forgotten. I was told to seek out the ancient places and wipe away the filth.¡± His intense gaze grew distant. ¡°I was born here in this city. I was a man of scant faith, little more than a rat running through the streets, content to live in squalor and steal what I could to survive. Until the great Judgement-Cardinal came across me, and saw my potential. And now... now I have been validated, blessed by one of the Principalities of God, a Heavenly Angel.¡±


    At those words they all made the sign of the cross, bowing their heads in piety. ¡°Alas, the Metatron has spoken, and the Heavenly Choirs cannot yet manifest in this barren world devoid of faith, full of evils that must be cleansed. And there is such an evil hidden here.¡± His gaze hardened once more as he gripped his ceremonial weaponry. ¡°I remember this church, I often hid here as a child when I was avoiding trouble, or fleeing the scene of my pilfering. It was said to be the oldest Church in the whole province. Yet there was never any priest here, or any mass held. And now, when we have an ancient wrong to right, where better to start, I thought? It surely is the whispers of the Ninth Heaven, inspiring me.¡±


    Everyone once more bowed in prayer, before Judge Alexandru closed his eyes and started praying, running through the Lord¡¯s Prayer, Hail Mary, and other less common, more... esoteric... utterances. His breathing started to slow, and a few minutes later, he appeared to be asleep, an expression of joy and faith across his still features.


    Turning to his fellow squire, one spoke, asking a question. ¡°How long do you think we have to wait? Judge Alexandru was unclear.¡±


    ¡°As long as it takes.¡± The other squire answered. ¡°We should pray, brother. This is a church, is it not?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, it is. Still, what an ill-omened name. Church of the Bloody Thorn. I expect it is a reference to the Longinus that pierced the side of Christ, but even so...¡± he shivered, a chill running down his spine.


    ¡°The older churches often had bloody and unpleasant histories and relics. You should study your theology more, brother.¡±


    As the two priests prayed and chatted, waiting for their master to return, they failed to hear a faint whimpering coming from below the dark, mysteriously stained, oaken floor, nor the scratching of what sounded like nails on wood...


    ********


    Seventh Crack ¨C Fyodor Technological Institute, Moscow, Russia


    The small laboratory was filled wall-to-wall with monitors, each displaying either masses of complicated code, or images of various schematics for some sort of device. The flickering light-strips overhead were barely needed to light the space, as the illumination from all the monitors drowned the room in electronic colours.


    In the centre of the room, sitting in a comfortable chair, was a small girl, her pale white hair and skin having barely ever seen the sun. Her moist pink eyes were focused and sharp, gazing at one of the monitors, while her fingers dashed over the wireless keyboard she was holding in her lap, typing away at a furious speed.


    After several minutes of this, the young girl hammered the enter key, and the code on the screen compiled rapidly. Turning her pale gaze to another monitor, she watched as a simulated neural network ran, a series of bright, glittering stars connected by nebulous strands representing the data program visually. A dull rumbling sounded, and one wall slid to the side, revealing a series of metallic limbs, arms, legs and more, all of which were attached to various servos and monitoring equipment.


    One hand began to move chess pieces on a board, while a pair of legs attempted to walk. Other limbs and devices also whirred and clunked, electric motors working them. Still, the girl clicked her tongue, unsatisfied. As everything ground to a halt, she let out a long sigh, the wall sliding back into position.


    ¡°Pizdets!¡± she swore, a word unbecoming for a girl so young. ¡°Nothing I calculate gets the results I¡¯m seeking. It¡¯s like I¡¯m missing something. It should work, the human mind is merely an organic computer with advanced sensory inputs.¡± She started to pout, pulling her legs up to her chest, sitting like an angry child, which in a way she was.


    After a while, the door to her laboratory opened, and an older woman came in, her expression soft and kind. Still, behind her the girl saw several very powerful-looking men in dark suits, carrying guns, clearly on high-alert. As the door slid shut again, the old woman spoke.


    ¡°Ah, Gospozha Kuznetsova, you shouldn¡¯t pout so. After all, you can¡¯t have two deaths, dear, but you can¡¯t avoid one, now can you?¡± she spouted a platitude, but that just made the girl pout harder, looking away.


    ¡°Oh, come now, dear. Don¡¯t be so sad. It must be hard for you, running your own laboratory at your age. But chin up, you can¡¯t avoid what is meant to happen, so why not smile a little? You have such a beautiful little smile. You¡¯ll make a beautiful bride one day.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± The girl sighed bitterly. ¡°I am cursed from birth with this frail body, this... this albinism. I¡¯m small, frail and pale. No man shall want me as a bride, I wouldn¡¯t survive childbirth, and who would desire to have sex with me?¡±


    ¡°Ilya!¡± the woman scolded, scandalised at her crude complaints. ¡°That is not something a young devushka should say. Besides, your beauty stands out, like a pale royal azalea. Now cheer up, my dear. Would you like me to bring you a warm milk and cinnamon? That always cheers you up!¡±


    The young girl Ilya tried to resist, looking endearingly youthful, until with a nod she caved in. ¡°Yes, and maybe some sweets too?¡± she muttered. ¡°Oh, and are mama and papa here today?¡±


    The older woman shook her head, sadly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, dear. They had a meeting with the head of the institute as well as... well, you know.¡±


    Ilya¡¯s face fell again, but she nodded. ¡°Yes, I know. It¡¯s just...¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t despair, Ilya dear. You know they love you dearly, they just have many other commitments, and they trust you enjoy your work so aren¡¯t lonely. Besides, you remember, right? Those brutes that tried to kidnap you?¡±


    At that, Ilya nodded again, this time with tears welling up in her eyes, as she remembered cowering in her room under the bed as the sounds of gunfire and screams of the dying rang outside.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why your parents have to make sure you are safe. There are lots of brave, loyal Russian men out there, just dying to keep Russia¡¯s greatest little genius safe. Now, don¡¯t be sad, I¡¯ll go get that warm milk for you. If you need anything else, just call, all right?¡±


    As her secretary, or more appropriately, her maid, left, Ilya turned her attention back to the screens, picking up her keyboard once more. ¡°There¡¯s something missing. My AI routines should work better than this. If I can¡¯t create life as a woman, I can create it as a scientist...¡± with those words her concentration sharpened, and once more the only audible sounds in the room were the gentle humming of electrics, and the click-clack of her fingers on the keys...

 Arc 6 – Consolidation And Alliances – Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-Two

    Arc 6 ¨C Consolidation And Alliances ¨C Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-Two


    The rest of the night passed like a blur. I ended up with a lot of new numbers in my mobile, though I admit I was a little disappointed I never got the Prime Minster¡¯s direct number, although I did score the number for his under-secretary if I needed to contact him urgently. Damn, it would have made persuading my father easy, if I could have shown him that. Still, considering my phone only had family and my friends from Uni in it a couple of months ago, now it¡¯s bursting with contacts.


    I had Fujiwara-san¡¯s personal secretary as well, and Tsumura-san¡¯s actual number, and having a direct line to the Minister for Defence definitely made me feel a big-shot. Though to be honest I felt It was more because I would be hanging around his beloved granddaughter, rather than the concerns of the country. He definitely seemed the doting, overprotective sort.


    Before leaving Shaeula went back for more food at the party, and I was again amazed where she put it all, seeing as she had a small frame. I made a joke that I should start calling her Goku from now on, and the puzzled tilt of her head as she was confused was shockingly cute. I then remembered she was more into magical girl and fantasy anime than stuff like Dragon Ball, so she hadn¡¯t seen it. Anyway, we made a bit more small-talk with the lingering guests, and since some of them had seen us leave the private room where Fujiwara-san was residing, this time they were not so dismissive of us, and we made a few contacts that might be useful for various matters in the future.


    On our return to Shirohebizumi shrine we went to bed, not for any fun, but merely to rest, as it had been quite the exhausting day, mentally anyway. Tomorrow we would need to be up reasonably early, as Kana-chan was having guests, and our home had been selected as the venue. Before I had left to pick up my suit and run various arrands that morning, Kana-chan had come up to me, red-faced and nervous, to ask about her own gathering. I had smiled and told her it was fine, and that her parents had already asked me. She managed to flush more, going almost purple, and her pouting was quite charming. Still, I told her I¡¯d left her plenty of money, so she could go wild, and my reward was a bright smile, her annoyance forgotten.


    Thinking of the events of the day, Shaeula already asleep beside me, only wearing her underwear, I slipped into slumber myself, the alarm set for six in the morning, as we could manage with just a few hours¡¯ sleep, and I wanted to check in on my Territory before the upcoming events of the day and the important meeting with the priest of Hisuikomushi shrine...


    ********


    ¡°Well, this is quite the change.¡± I said, surprised, as I looked around the Boundary version of my home. The dilapidated building had been completely refurbished, the floors now wooden boards, polished until they literally gleamed, and the decrepit walls and gap-filled roof had been patched with wood and vines, making it look a lot like some of the rustic cottages I had seen in some of my mom¡¯s old photographs from her youth back in Britain.


    ¡°Indeed is it.¡± Shaeula agreed beside me. ¡°Still, this is more suitable for us, is it not-not? Having the shrine be shabby is an affront to... oh, it is you two.¡± Shaeula finished, her tone not exactly delighted to see her two weaselkin maids, who on sensing her arrival had rushed over to provide assistance.


    ¡°I see you have returned, mistress. Though your form-form would sadden your father.¡± One maid said. Risha maybe? Or is it Velna, I still can¡¯t really tell them apart...


    ¡°Indeed, your beautiful amber fur is something to-to treasure.¡± The other said, bowing to Shaeula. As they settled in behind her, ready to follow and attend to her needs, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the maids were giving me dirty looks. Shaeula noticed too, and a sudden whip-crack of wind made a thunderous noise, causing the maids to flinch back, unnerved.


    ¡°If you feel you must follow me, I shall not-not stop you.¡± she growled, displeased. ¡°However we shall not-not repeat the mistakes of the past. My pride was too high, and entirely unearned. Now-now I shall only take pride in achievements I have earned, so be aware of this.¡± At her harsh words the maids looked a bit confused, but they agreed.


    ¡°And lastly, and much-much more importantly...¡± her amber eyes blazed and another whip-crack of wind broke the silence. ¡°I shall tolerate none-none who disrespect my husband. So show him the respect he has earned. Besides...¡± she took my hand, smiling proudly. ¡°... you do him a great disservice, looking down on him. Why, only last night, did we not-not meet the leader of a very powerful country, who did hang on your every word, eager for your counsel?¡±


    Well, I don¡¯t think he was ¡®hanging on my every word¡¯ but I suppose you can definitely say he was seeking my advice. Although in exchange... Damn, I was going to have to speak to Haru-san while I was here, a task I wasn¡¯t looking forward to.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± One maid said, and the other nodded too, deep in thought. ¡°I would expect no-no less from the princess. Even if she must consort with a mortal, he would be a noble one, right-right?¡±


    As the maids took Shaeula¡¯s words literally and ran with them, she gave my hand a squeeze and a wry grin. Since I could tell she was looking for praise I leaned over and gave her a kiss, before we left the main room and entered the corridor, only to find the little Zashiki-Warashi Azuki wearing an apron and gloves, her hair tucked behind her head with a handkerchief, wiping furiously at the newly-laid wooden flooring with a polishing cloth. On seeing us she looked up, her ruby eyes moist.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve come back. Please, help me! She¡¯s a tyrant, she...¡±


    ¡°Azuki, yooou better not be slacking! I feel the master and mistress have returned.¡± Hyacinth shouted from the doorway as she raced inside, her long hair swaying behind her, though now it was neatly bundled up into a ponytail, her black, green and purple hair looking rather fetching now it was clean, groomed and tied with cloth ribbons. Her rags were gone too, and she now wore a similar maid outfit to Risha and Velna, the older, Victorian-era style.


    ¡°Keh-keh, have more faith, my dear.¡± Ixitt broke in. ¡°This is my fourth wife, Thanquiss. She has come via the Ring, keh-keh, Gate and brought some of my children who had little better to do. Keh-keh.¡±


    Fourth wife, huh? He wasn¡¯t kidding when he said he had a lot. ¡°So, ah, how many wives do you have?¡± I had to ask, and he giggled, which was interrupted by more coughing. It turned out he had eight! When I expressed shock at that, he merely quipped back that I¡¯d likely surpass him in no time at all. When I tried to deny it, he merely laughed and offered me the pick of his daughters for my next bride!


    Changing the subject as Shaeula was finding this hilarious, I asked about the Ring Gates, and apparently Shaeraggo had set one up within his own lands, so one could go to the hidden mansion and then use their Gate to reach here easily enough. Apparently though the price that the Fae nature and plant spirits demanded for the mushrooms that comprised them was by no means cheap. Yeah, Shaeraggo does love his sister, even if he sometimes has a shitty way of showing it.


    With the mystery of the additional ratkin solved, I turned to my other business. ¡°Oh, Ixitt, I managed to get the chance to study some firearms in-depth the other day. I was going to see Master Bjarki about them. Are you interested?¡±


    ¡°Keh-keh, mortal guns? Me, keh, interested...? Keh-keh...¡± his coughing erupted as he got terribly excited, spitting blood disgustingly. Perhaps I can use him as a target for Ether Healing? No, no time for that right now. I have too much to do. In any case, he was very interested, of course, and followed us along with his wife to the second outbuilding... which was even more shockingly renovated than the first!


    The walls had been patched, yes, wooden planks covering the gaps, but several brick chimneys had been erected, as well as some metal structures that were giving off heat and smoke. Storage sheds had been put up, and kobolds and weaselkin were running around, dropping off heavy loads of metals and ores. Looking up from the metal forge, Master Bjarki saw us coming and thumped his chest in greeting.


    ¡°Ah, it be t¡¯princess and her consort. Well, what d¡¯ye think of my forge? A beauty, ain¡¯t she? Nae bad for a quick job.¡± He slapped it barehanded, not even caring the brickwork was scalding hot. ¡°T¡¯kobolds dig up good ore, and I be getting m¡¯pick of them.¡± He went on to explain that in addition to the ore Shaeraggo had sent as part of the price of Trial, the kobolds were gifting him metals from their mine, so he had adequate stocks to start work.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± I agreed, and that reminded me to make sure the kobolds still had everything they needed. They had sat out the war, being pathetically weak in combat, and had just been mining, using the degraded kobolds from the Spawning Spire. Still, there was no point letting them die needlessly, even if they are degraded ones. It was more productive letting them gather resources.


    ¡°In any case. I¡¯m here to discuss a project.¡± As Ixitt and Bjarki closed in eagerly, I explained a bit about firearms and how they worked. Both were fascinated, but it was when I produced a set of pieces for the simplest ones, a pistol and a shotgun, forging them using my Ether Crafting and some nearby metal ingots, they were astonished. I assembled the pieces, having to make small adjustments to my work as I went along, and soon we had several functional guns, although since they were made from iron and steel in their entirety, they were rather too heavy.


    ¡°Of course, they won¡¯t work without bullets.¡± I grinned as they fussed over the pieces, taking them apart and marvelling at the firing mechanisms. ¡°Here.¡± I crafted a few bullet shells too, and Ixitt went wild, as explosive powders and alchemy was his area of expertise.


    ¡°Merely replicating them is not-not enough.¡± Shaeula piped up, having grasped my intent. ¡°We must improve them, using mortal knowledge and our elemental and spiritual powers. Bullets of wind-wind, flame, and worse.¡± Her grin was vicious. ¡°Imagine it, Akio. Foehn, carried within these shells. Let our foes fear us then!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I knew you¡¯d understand.¡± I ruffled her hair, and she purred in happiness. Behind us Hyacinth looked as if she couldn¡¯t follow along, but was making noises of wonder anyway, just to please us, no doubt.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you two to experiment on ways to get the basic designs up and running, then we can look at more complicated ones. I have other matters to attend to now.¡± They barely even responded, engrossed in their work, and I headed for the centre of my Territory, entering the spatial dungeon that had grown around my Anchor in the apartment I used to call home.


    The Anchor was growing, piercing the shadows above, and at the base small lumps were starting to bulge. The silvery metal was shining with a full rainbow of colours, and it was still quite pretty. Around my Silo there was more ether gathered, and at a quick estimation there must have been roughly fifty or sixty-thousand ether outside. We make roughly six thousand ether per day on Earth currently, though it fluctuates based on the time dilation and the tides.


    In addition, we were still plundering areas around us and grabbing what ores we could, though most of our troops were still on the defensive. As I calculated, Shaeula watched me silently, a happy grin on her face.


    Checking the Anchor, it now had just a little over eight astral days remaining to completion, so around three and a half days on Earth. We¡¯ll finally be done Wednesday evening. That¡¯s great.


    Adding around eighteen thousand more ether from the Territory, plus whatever we could scrounge up, as well as the one hundred and fifty thousand in the silo, plus the box of Etherite ores worth over a hundred thousand too... I mustn¡¯t forget what ores the kobolds dug up, as well as what we found during our expansion... I doubt it is huge numbers, but even so, ten thousand ether maybe, perhaps a little more?


    As I ran the numbers, seeing my Territory expand in my head, Shaeula reached her arms out and hugged me from behind. ¡°I love seeing you like this-this. All eager and dreaming of the future. Eri does too. Aiko as well-well.¡± Her amber eyes gleamed under the strange lights of the expanding Anchor. ¡°We have defeated many trials. Now is the time to reap our rewards.¡±


    What could I say to that? With a grin, I decided to fill Shaeula in on my expansion plans, both of us getting more and more excited as we debated the possibilities...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Three

    One Hundred And Seventy-Three


    After we had fun planning out our expansion, which took longer than it should have, I decided to seek out Ulfuric. Even though time ran faster here, I didn¡¯t have too much to waste today, being as Kana-chan was having her friends over later. And I have an important meeting.


    I found Ulfuric at the centre of the shrine, as he was in charge of the defence and directing the ether scavenging teams while I and Shaeula were absent. Grulgor had complained bitterly about that, thinking he should be in charge, as he had been with us far longer, but... yeah, who in their right mind would put him in command? When it comes to battle, sure, he¡¯s a beast, but in terms of leadership... no way.


    As I approached, I also saw Haru-san, hovering in the shadows of the shrine, still looking disconsolate and downhearted. On seeing me looking at her, she turned away, chewing on her lip nervously. Still, while I understood her fear of men, she had asked me a difficult favour, as had colleagues of her father, so... might as well bite the bullet and get it over with. There was something I wanted to talk to her about as well, so now is as good a time as any.


    ¡°Haru-san, do you mind if we talk?¡± I asked and she froze, looking around uncertainly, before she finally nodded.


    ¡°All right.¡± she muttered.


    ¡°You may as well rest easy-easy.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°Akio will not-not harm you. In fact, he may be able to help you take back much of what you have lost.¡±


    At that Haru-san shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too late. I¡¯m dead. Stuck in this strange afterlife, all alone. I miss... I just want to go home. I want to see daddy again...¡± spectral, silvery tears poured down her transparent face, shimmering into mist before hitting the floor.


    ¡°I wanted to talk about that.¡± I said, gesturing to the inside of the shrine. She looked fearful at the thought of being alone with us, but this was best discussed in private, so after some gentle cajoling, she finally drifted into the main shrine building. Once inside I offered her a seat, and she sank into it, quite a strange sight as I could see the marble below through her transparent flesh and clothing.


    ¡°Haru-san... about your request to tell your father you still exist...¡± I began, and at my words she bowed her head, sullen.


    ¡°I know, you¡¯ve said you can¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t blame you... it¡¯s... impossible, I get it...¡± more tears, which moved my heart as I had shared her gruesome end under her empathic light. ¡°It¡¯s.. just... he must be suffering so... I¡¯m all he had...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you weren¡¯t alone in telling me that.¡± I agreed. ¡°I met the Prime Minister, and we ended up discussing it.¡± Not that it went well at all... remembering how angry he got when I made mention of resources I forced myself not to grimace. ¡°Now, unbelievable as it is, they know about things that should be impossible, including that you died, but still persist.¡±


    At my words, she looked up, shocked. Seeing that, I revealed a further surprise. ¡°You know Kiku, the one who turned you into this, she was able to walk the Earth, right? Shaeula can too. So... I don¡¯t think it is impossible for you to be able to as well. It wouldn¡¯t be living exactly, but... you could spend time with your father, take up your job again if you wanted, live a reasonably normal life...¡±


    ¡°I could do that?¡± Haru-san asked, hope warring with fear and wariness. ¡°But... what would... why...¡± she stammered, unable to articulate her thoughts. Beside me, Shaeula clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Akio is nothing like the fiend who tormented you.¡± She scowled. ¡°Though to use a precious limited gift like a blessing from a Throne of Heroes... you will-will of course have to compensate him. And do not-not think what you are considering...¡± she continued, further annoyed at Haru-san¡¯s plain distrust of my motives. ¡°...my Akio does not-not seek the company of unwilling females. He has many worthy ones eager to offer themselves, myself included.¡±


    Haru-san flinched at her strong tone, but managed to nod. ¡°So, what... what do you want? If I could go home, I¡®d be so happy...¡±


    ¡°First I have to clarify it wouldn¡¯t be immediately. It takes time to gather ether and build Thrones. And to be honest, I have other candidates who could help me a lot more if they were chosen. But...¡± You have one thing going that they don¡¯t have. ¡°Tell me, when you gained your power, what happened, and what were you told?¡± Just based on her light, she must be a Candidate too. No wonder Kiku made sure to bring her back.


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t like to remember. I thought I was going mad.¡± She sighed, a long, bitter sound. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t, unless this is all a dream, and I¡¯m sedated in some asylum somewhere. If that¡¯s the case... I¡¯d like my dream to take me back to daddy and the life I once knew. Though at least here... I can¡¯t hear so many voices. Yours, hers. I don¡¯t hear them. Sometimes when I go out, the voices of those animal people, I hear them, but... only a few.¡±


    I exchanged a knowing look with Shaeula, and her eyes blazed amber, peering at Haru-san. ¡°Indeed, as I suspected. You have a great-great talent. Though it looks to me as if it was not-not earned fairly, but forced upon you. Your chakra network is decently strong, but strangely deformed.¡± Clicking her tongue once more she continued to examine it. ¡°Your third eye chakra is constantly drawing in aether from those-those weaker than you. I suspect that the voices you hear are pulled along with the aether, for aether is of the mind-mind. You simply do not-not have the strength to draw from our much more powerful networks, thus-thus you hear nothing.¡±


    Damn, and I wanted to be a badass, swinging a massive hunk of metal like Guts from Berserk. But, I get the feeling he is right. Slashing around with heavy swords in training wasn¡¯t a problem in terms of strength, but while I was tall for a Japanese man, I wasn¡¯t massive, and the momentum of the heavy blade kept throwing me off balance, forcing me to compensate constantly.


    Seeing I understood, Ulfuric nodded gravely. ¡°Still, there are times spears are useless, in close quarters or limited space. So swords are still necessary. You have good speed, strength and awareness so shorter blades suit you. I believe something along the lines of these...¡± he produced a pair of curved swords, similar to a katana, but with heavier, thicker blades. ¡°Normally wielding two swords at once is undesirable, as it reduces power and divides one¡¯s attention. However, I believe you have the ability to learn this.¡±


    Duel wielding huh? I guess that¡¯s as badass as a single heavier sword. It¡¯d be harder to learn, but if I could become fully ambidextrous, that would help in lots of ways...


    Continuing on, as Shaeula snickered behind me, Ulfuric gave his final verdict. ¡°Close combat, like for the princess, is another must, as well as short blades such as daggers. A skill with archery is also desirable, but considering the weapons of the mortal world you brought, I suspect you may wish to learn those instead, making the bow obsolete. I shall speak to Bjarki and he shall forge you some suitable weapons for training and combat.¡±


    The bow obsolete, huh? Aiko would cry hearing that, and Tsumura-san too, most likely. She seemed very passionate about her family skills. But, huh, weapons for me? I¡¯m curious to see what a professional can come up with...


    ¡°Oh well. Thank you again for your instruction.¡± I bowed to Ulfuric, and Shaeula echoed my thanks. He waved away my praise, and I advised him of the remaining time before our Territory would become secure again, as well as suggesting we take this time to bring in as much ether as possible so that we could hit the ground running. Ulfuric agreed to make the preparations, while, since time was wasting, I headed for my last port of call.


    Behind the shrine where earth energies were plentiful, I once more tried to master the earth element. It was easier than before, the increased affinity to earth I had gained through healing the dust element damage to the trolls making a noticeable difference, but it was still impossible for me to balance the push and pull of earth.


    When I learned fire, all I had to worry about was flame consuming wind, which was tough enough. Now, the earth is opposite to air, while it tries to drink in the fire... at the same time, adding a third element into the mix reignites the war between flame and wind, even if that is merely a shadow of the former clash.


    My chakra network burned with effort, and once more I was forced to admit defeat, Ether Healing restoring the damage I caused to my subtle body. As I stood, Shaeula handed me a cloth to wipe my sweat.


    ¡°You are getting closer.¡± She observed, having watched as usual, trying to prepare for the inevitable effort she would make to learn it, though when she approached earth energies she shuddered uncomfortably, her original origins as a Fae of wind perhaps making her fear earth more than she should. ¡°You have nearly balanced earth and wind-wind, a task I would have deemed impossible. But the flame still throws off the alignment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it hurts like hell when it burns through my network.¡± I admitted. ¡°Still, I am going to get it sooner or later. Oh well, onto the last task.¡±


    The Rhyming Tree in the graveyard was still producing darkness energy, and I attempted to master that once more. Unlike earth element, darkness clashed with nothing, yet even so, I felt very far away from mastery. I still didn¡¯t understand what darkness was, what it represented. ¡°Seriously, Eri has a talent for this? I wish she¡¯d tell me how...¡± I muttered, and Shaeula snorted.


    ¡°It is talent, so I doubt she would even know how. You should ask-ask the Unseelie. She has an aptitude.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but her mind seems to work in a strange way, I doubt I¡¯d understand it. Oh well, no luck again today. I think I¡¯ve hit a wall on this, and we don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded. Turning to Haru-san, who had started following her around, she reassured her. ¡°Worry not-not. I shall return and continue my efforts. Trust in Akio and agree to be useful to him, and he shall wash away your pain.¡±


    Uh, sure, I can help her, but... I¡¯m not a kami or a god, Shaeula. I can¡¯t erase the past.


    ¡°The past is cruel. But the future... it can-can still be magnificent.¡± Shaeula promised her, and I stopped what I was about to say, applauding the sentiment. I do want to help her and her father find peace. So if she agrees to help me...


    With those thoughts in mind I returned to the Material, cursing as my aching, bruised body protested. Damn, I wonder if I have time for a hot bath to soak my tired muscles...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Four

    One Hundred And Seventy-Four


    As I was cleaning myself off in the bath, alone, as Shaeula was making sure our home was presentable, I heard Kana-chan coming in. ¡°Excuse me. Shaeula, big bro, are you here?¡±


    Shaeula shuffled out into the hallway. ¡°Indeed, I am here Kana. You will have to forgive Akio, for he is taking a bath-bath right now.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess he wants to look his best with all those girls visiting.¡± Kana sniggered. ¡°Oh well, can you help me? I have a lot of food and drink to carry in. I¡¯ll have to thank big bro again for being generous.¡±


    ¡°A true male should never be miserly.¡± Shaeula intoned piously. ¡°If you wait just a little while, I am sure-sure Akio will be delighted to assist you. Or...¡± her voice turned mischievous. ¡°... if you wished to peek, now is the best time!¡±


    Damn, sometimes having great hearing isn¡¯t always a good thing. Shaeula is being as playful as ever.


    ¡°Wait... no!¡± Kana-chan protested. ¡°I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t think of big bro that way! Besides, he¡¯s your boyfriend, you shouldn¡¯t...¡± she trailed off, and I imagined she was blushing.


    ¡°Are you sure-sure? You look interested to my eyes.¡±


    ¡°No way, I said I¡¯m not, so I¡¯m not!¡± Kana-chan shouted, forgetting I was listening.


    As Shaeula laughed, I decided to throw poor Kana-chan a lifeline.


    ¡°Stop teasing her, Shaeula. And yes, Kana-chan, I¡¯ll be done in a minute so I can carry everything for you.¡± I called out, and for a moment was silence, before I heard Kana-chan sigh.Vissit  for updates


    ¡°You heard that? Ugh, so embarrassing. Sure big bro, I¡¯d appreciate the help. Thanks again for your kindness.¡± she called back, Shaeula only laughing harder.


    Finishing up my bath I changed in my room, wearing casual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. Looking at myself in the mirror I noticed the muscles in my arms were looking more defined and toned. All the training in the Boundary was seeming to have a light effect on my Material body as well. Not bad. I guess there¡¯s still room for improvement, even when I¡¯m pressed for time here in the Material so don¡¯t have time to work out.


    Leaving my room I ran into Kana-chan and Shaeula, both of whom were setting up drinks and snacks in the kitchen and living room. On seeing me, Kana-chan gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Looking good, big bro. still, it makes sense, there¡¯ll be a lot of cute girls coming!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m just here to chaperone, I guess. Though obviously there is one girl I¡¯ll probably need to speak to.¡±


    ¡°Kikuchi-san, right?¡± Kana-chan agreed. ¡°Just a heads-up, she¡¯s... well, quite the gloomy girl.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I hope you can get along with her, if I bring Hisuikomushi shrine into our aegis, I¡¯ll need to offer Kikuchi-san the opportunity to train along with everyone else. Speaking of, I hear Shaeula has already started working with you? I hope it wasn¡¯t too painful. Oh, and... I¡¯d think very carefully about it if Shaeula talks about a lunar chakra. I don¡¯t think humans are supposed to have them. I don¡¯t want to put anyone at risk.¡±


    As Shaeula looked away guiltily, I sighed. Of course. Shaeula always tries to push it too far... As I opened my mouth to chastise her, Kana-chan broke in, defending her. ¡°Come on big bro, don¡¯t be mean to Shaeula. She explained everything to us. Mori-senpai and your sister, they took the risk, right? And if you¡¯d let them, it can¡¯t be that dangerous. Besides...¡± she smiled as Shaeula nodded at her encouragingly. ¡°...if the worst happens, apparently there¡¯s an emergency treatment that should fix the problems, right?¡±


    Ugh, I¡¯m starting to get a headache. Shaeula looked away once more, taking great interest in the drinks and snacks, and I knew she had been indiscreet. ¡°So, did Shaeula say just what that was?¡± I pinched my nose, driving away the phantom headache.


    ¡°No, but... she did say it had worked before, so I don¡¯t see the problem?¡± Seriously, I get the bad feeling she means trying for Lovers¡¯ Link. If that worked that might fix problems like it did for Eri, but even so... there¡¯s no guarantees that it would work or she¡¯d even get the skill at all, and even if it did, the price... ugh. No way.


    Seeing I looked conflicted Kana-chan was about to ask, when the door chime rang. Shaeula, seeing a way out of my chastisement, quickly piped up. ¡°I see-see our first guests have arrived. I shall get the door, have no fear!¡±


    Kana-chan and I exchanged a look at her flustered speed, and after a moment Kana-chan started laughing, and I smiled myself. ¡°Seriously, big bro. Don¡¯t worry. Do I look like the sort of girl who would put myself in danger? Shaeula seems to know what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re that girl from the photos.¡± One of the newcomers was saying. A pair of girls were at the door, and they were casually yet prettily dressed. On seeing Shaeula they looked very interested. ¡°You look even cuter in person.¡± The first girl finished, while the second nodded, looking around with interest.


    ¡°Whoa, I remember last time we were here this place was just a decrepit old outbuilding.¡± The second girl said, looking around. ¡°But now it looks really nice. Anyway, damn girl, you are stunning. And that yukata...¡±


    ¡°I thank you. I do feel I am rather charming.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Now-now, do come in. You are the first to arrive.¡± As Shaeula stepped aside, revelling in their compliments, the two girls entered, taking off their shoes.


    ¡°Mio-chan, Asami-chan.¡± Kana-chan strode over to them, smiling. ¡°Glad you could make it. I see you¡¯ve met Shaeula already. And this... this is Akio-kun.¡± She gestured to me to step forwards, so I did, offering polite greetings.


    ¡°Hey there. It¡¯s always a pleasure to meet friends of Kana-chan. She and her family have looked after me well. So make yourselves at home. Did you want anything to eat or drink? We have cakes from that famous store a few stops away. I¡¯ve been told they are really good.¡±


    Damn, the minute I said that just happened to be the time the conversation with the other girls entered a lull. Now several of them were laughing at me, and Kana-chan was trying to scuttle off, her friends holding her arms so she couldn¡¯t escape.


    On drawing everyone¡¯s attention, Takagi-san shrank in on herself. Still, on seeing my kind smile she made up her mind to keep talking, annoyed. ¡°Hardly. Don¡¯t lie to me. I¡¯ve heard the other girls talking. Why should I listen to a handsome, rich guy who is cheating on a couple of gorgeous girls? Winners in life like you can¡¯t understand what us at the bottom think! Besides, you only like Izumi-san because she¡¯s pretty, what do you really know about her? So shallow...¡±


    Ouch. That hurt my feelings a bit. At her tirade Kana-chan and several other girls looked incensed, ready to speak up, but I held up my hand, exerting my Majesty, and everyone fell silent, hanging on my every word. I looked at Takagi-san, and she flinched away, perhaps expecting me to be angry, but my smile soothed her.


    ¡°Now I get that you feel a bit out of place. Still, if you lash out at others, aren¡¯t you doing just what you accused the other girls of?¡±


    ¡°I... well...¡± she began, but I shrugged, interrupting.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not mad, okay? If anything, I guess I should be flattered you felt able to have a go at me like that, right?¡± my smile robbed the words of any sting, and Takagi-san looked down again, a little flushed. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. Up until a couple of months ago I was single, working a dead end freelancing job, and while I¡¯ve been told I always had decent enough looks, without confidence... well, even girls who might be interested couldn¡¯t get over my wall of inferiority. I had a childhood friend, Eri. I always used to look out for her. She was shy, just like you. I mean, REALLY shy, she was famous for it on our hometown.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well she doesn¡¯t seem so shy now.¡± Kana-chan complained. ¡°She really tore into me when we met. I don¡¯t think she likes me much.¡± There was laughter at her expense, lightening the mood, and I shot her a brief thumbs-up behind my back to thank her.


    ¡°In any case... she finally worked up the courage to confess to me at a festival. I... well, I accepted because I wanted to make her happy, not that I felt I deserved a relationship with her. But you know...¡± I continued, bending down until I could look Takagi-san in the face. ¡°... if you try to make others happy, be kind to others, you¡¯ll be happier yourself. After all, it¡¯s easier to believe in what others think of you. Even so, unless you learn to love yourself, it¡¯s meaningless. You worry about Kikuchi-san, so you must be a nice girl. Take some pride in that. And have some fun. You came all this way, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Marika-san chimed in, happy to have something she could say. ¡°Kana-san, Keomi-san and her family have been very good to me, to say nothing of Shaeula-sama. They will treat you with kindness, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Takagi-san.¡± Kana-chan agreed. ¡°I may only be pretty, as you say, but I¡¯m not petty enough to bully you over a compliment.¡± She snickered. ¡°Nor will I do anything to block the plans big bro... err, I mean Akio-kun has going on. Kikuchi-san and I will end up being friends in time, I¡¯m sure. Marika-chan too.¡±


    ¡°And me, and me!¡± Keomi-san piped up as well.


    ¡°So, take some advice from someone older.¡± I finished. ¡°It can be difficult to take a first step, but you can either gather your courage and do it yourself, or let someone who cares about you give you a push. But... at least for today, pretend that you fit in, and who knows, you might well have fun and want to do it again.¡±


    Having given my advice, which while I didn¡¯t say it as smoothly as I would have liked, was heartfelt, she nodded, and one girl, who was Noguchi-san, if I recalled correctly, jumped in. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a party, right? I can hardly wait... besides, I am just dying to ask... what was it like to fight yakuza? Izumi-san won¡¯t tell us much about it, but my cousin is in the police, and they said it was a real big mess...¡±


    As other girls echoed her, curiosity in their eyes, especially Mio-san and Asami-san, I launched into a somewhat edited tale of my heroics, earning a lot of praise and admiring looks. Beside me, Marika-san had taken the hand of Takagi-san and led her back to the group. Watching them go I smiled warmly. Yeah, Marika-san is really mature for her age. If she shows such diligence in her training with Shaeula, who knows how far she might go...?


    ********


    On finishing the tour of the shrine grounds we returned to my home for the party, where Shaeula was finishing up preparing (well, that or slacking off and playing games), I found two people waiting outside, one of whom I recognised. On seeing me, his eyes went wide, but after a nervous swallow, he bowed to me, his daughter, who was wearing shrine maiden clothes, standing nervously behind him, her own gaze taking in the large number of girls from her class uneasily.


    The priest still looked a bit frail and pale, which was unsurprising considering he had been in a coma in hospital for a month. Still, he managed to introduce himself and his daughter. ¡°Good afternoon. I am Kikuchi Shuta. I have come at your request. This is my daughter, Maiko.¡±


    ¡°He-hello.¡± She stammered, bowing herself.


    ¡°Seriously, no need to be so nervous.¡± I reassured them. ¡°Maiko-san... I can call you that, right, or it¡¯s going to get confusing?¡±


    Maiko-san agreed, still nervous, so I continued. ¡°Maiko-san, why not spend some time with the other girls? There¡¯s food, drinks and games inside. My... my friend Shaeula is inside and she¡¯ll take care of you all. I¡¯ll be back later when I¡¯ve discussed my business with Kikuchi-san here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, Maiko.¡± Kikuchi-san sighed. ¡°No-one will bother you here.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Kana-chan agreed. ¡°I know we don¡¯t exactly hang around together at school, but we both are daughters of the shrines, aren¡¯t we? So we should get along. There¡¯s a few girls you wouldn¡¯t expect here, right?¡±


    On looking around, Maiko-san nodded slowly, very surprised to see girls like Noguchi-san and Takagi-san present.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll see you later big bro. I hope your business goes well.¡± She grinned. ¡°You girls are going to just love Shaeula. Come, come!¡± with that she ushered everyone inside, leaving me alone with Kikuchi-san.


    ¡°Right then. Shall we head to the main shrine to talk?¡±

 Side Fifty-Four – Izumi Kana

    Side Fifty-Four ¨C Izumi Kana


    As everyone entered big bro¡¯s house, Mio-chan spoke up. ¡°Well, now I¡¯m sure of it, Kana-chan. That guy is totally into you. No question about it. I¡¯m torn...¡±


    ¡°I know just what you mean.¡± Asami-chan agreed as everyone was removing their shoes and pulling on guest slippers that Kana had purchased with some of the money big bro had given her.


    I ended up with a decent amount of change too. He hasn¡¯t asked for it back. I don¡¯t intend to be sly, but... it isn¡¯t like he needs the money, and I could sure use it...


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, he¡¯s hot, and he seems nice, the way he talked to Takagi-san, noticing she wasn¡¯t comfortable with the group. Rich too, I guess. but... there¡¯s the big problem, isn¡¯t there?¡± she finished.


    ¡°Yeah, or rather two big problems.¡± Mio-chan agreed.


    Ugh, I knew this would happen. I hate being teased. I only agreed to this whole day so I could show off and cement my position in class. ¡°Seriously, Bi... Akio-kun isn¡¯t interested in me. He¡¯s doing business with my family shrine, that¡¯s it. Nothing else is going on.¡±


    ¡°You can call him big bro if you want.¡± One girl piped up, laughing. ¡°You did earlier, after all.¡±


    ¡°I want to call him big bro too!¡± Keomi-chan jumped in, with her usual boisterousness. ¡°He¡¯s really nice, he buys me and my friends cake every time we see him!¡±


    As Marika-chan also added her praise for Akio-kun, Kana tried desperately to change the subject. ¡°Sure, he¡¯s decent enough, I guess, but like I said, he has no interest in me. Now, why don¡¯t we go and have sone fun... oh, Shaeula, there you are!¡± she finished, as she stepped out of the bedroom, wearing a very pretty yukata. It wasn¡¯t the normal orange one with the strange weasel-pattern she almost always wore, but a white one with orange and golden blossom patterning, which set off her pale skin and amber hair and eyes perfectly. She must have changed while big bro was showing the girls around the grounds... I bet he brought that for her. It looks really expensive...


    ¡°Oh my god, she¡¯s so gorgeous!¡± Noguchi-san exclaimed and Kana-chan sympathised. I get that. She¡¯s a hard girl to compare yourself to. Since the girls that weren¡¯t her friends had gone to the main shrine rather than this outbuilding, they hadn¡¯t seen Shaeula yet, as big bro had picked them up himself. As the other girls echoed Noguchi-san¡¯s sentiments, Shaeula spoke up, amused.


    ¡°I see-see. You feel that Akio has designs upon Kana, do you?¡± she snorted. ¡°I fear that Akio is not-not one to seek out females. Instead, those that feel themselves worthy should strive to make him accept them.¡±


    ¡°Look, I told you, I¡¯m not...¡± Kana began again, but the other girls had raced over to Shaeula, leaving her with Marika-chan and Keomi-chan. Oh, and Kikuchi-san, strangely enough.


    ¡°So we didn¡¯t ask before... oh, nice yukata by the way.¡± Mio-chan said. ¡°But... seriously. You are dating that guy, right? No messing around?¡±


    ¡°Dating? No-no.¡± Shaeula shook her head, flourishing her hand, upon which sparkled her engagement ring. ¡°We are to be married soon enough.¡±


    Several girls were excited, but Takagi-san looked unconvinced. ¡°So, what about his childhood friend. Eri-san, he said.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they shall be married as well-well.¡± Shaeula declared confidently. ¡°I have great respect for Eri and her love for Akio. In my lands, a strong male or alluring female may have as many partners as they wish. I see no issue with this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you a Muslim, or a Mormon then? You do look foreign.¡± Noguchi-san asked, and Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°No-no, I am not such a being.¡± Shaeula denied.


    ¡°Even so, there are laws in this country.¡± Takagi-san continued, seeming to be very worked up about it. ¡°There¡¯s no law against having multiple girlfriends, even if it¡¯s really scummy, but you can¡¯t get married! Besides, don¡¯t you feel sorry for his childhood friend? Does she even know about this?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know Takagi-san could get so heated up. She was always a mousy, shy girl that kept to herself. Maybe I should have paid more attention to my other classmates...


    ¡°Of course she knows. Eri saw my love for Akio and together we-we asked him to accept us both. It was quite romantic. As for laws... just what is a law? Are all-all your laws the same as they have always been?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡±


    ¡°If it is required, Akio shall find a way-way, even if he must change these laws of yours.¡± Shaeula declared grandly. ¡°Anyway, enough of this. You are here for fun, are you not-not?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Kana interrupted gratefully, turning down the heated atmosphere. ¡°Enough quizzing Shaeula. If you want to ask her about Akio-kun you can do it when we are playing around. Come on Kikuchi-san, this way.¡± She reached out her hand and grabbed Kikuchi-san, pulling the surprised girl behind her, followed by Keomi-chan and Marika-chan.


    ********


    Kana sighed as her friends were rummaging around in Shaeula¡¯s room, being rather rude. Seriously, I know Shaeula is surprisingly easy-going, but I wouldn¡¯t let people look in drawers and cupboards in my room!


    ¡°Wow... there¡¯s a lot of clothes in here, but half of them are yukata. You must really like Japanese clothing, Shaeula!¡± Mio-chan called out, Shaeula snorting in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in these.¡± Asami-chan had one draw open and was admiring the lingerie within. ¡°Some of these are pretty sexy. Did you buy them to wear for Akio-kun?¡±


    Ugh, why are you calling him Akio-kun? You barely know him. Is it just to make fun of me? As Kana pouted, surprisingly enough it was Kikuchi-san who tried to console her. Keomi-chan was stuffing her face with cake in the living room, and Marika-chan was watching her, being a good girl as always.


    ¡°No-no, Akio bought them for me, though I have not had the opportunity to display them for him.¡± Shaeula spoke to Asami-chan without embarrassment.. ¡°Perhaps at the weekend. It is Eri¡¯s birthday, so we are visiting his hometown. No doubt-doubt there will be ample time for love.¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s so bold as always. My face feels hot. But at least Asami-chan got more than she bargained for!


    Indeed, Asami-chan shut the drawer with an audible slam and backed away, flushed. ¡°Wow, you don¡¯t look any older than us, but you are so adult.¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Well, I am-am a mature female.¡± Shaeula puffed out her modest chest proudly. ¡°In any case, I need-need to have a talk with Kana for a moment. Keomi and this Maiko too.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Kikuchi-san asked, looking very nervous.


    ¡°I do not-not bite.¡± Shaeula reassured her. ¡°But I assume you are aware of why Akio wished to speak to your father, are you not-not?¡±


    Kikuchi-san nodded, still wary. ¡°I... I know. I know he saved my father. Even so...¡±


    ¡°Father makes all the decisions to do with shrine matters. I¡¯m just... I¡¯m useless. I don¡¯t have any talent.¡± Kikuchi-san sniffled, after the tale was done. ¡°I¡¯m not brave and I¡¯m not strong. I¡¯d only be useless to you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shaeula denied. ¡°Any gemstone can-can be polished, with enough effort. Besides, it is all to do with factions. Similar to the Seelie Court, the shrines here-here have many deep currents. Having you would be valuable.¡±


    ¡°The Seelie Court?¡± Kikuchi-san asked, and Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°Later. For now... Kana and Marika have had their networks opened. With training they shall-shall grow strong. The building Akio is having constructed shall be a school for this.¡± She looked at Keomi-san. ¡°I have called you here to open your network. Fear not-not, for there is little danger, and only some modest pain-pain.¡±


    ¡°Pain?¡± Keomi-chan paled, but I patted her back reassuringly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been through it. It isn¡¯t so bad, I promise.¡± Kana said.


    ¡°There is but-but one decision you must make. I can prepare the pathways for your lunar chakra, yet there is some risk of harm. Without it, your strength will be much-much decreased, but I shall not-not force anyone.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there was a way to deal with the danger in an emergency? Though big bro did seem a bit worried when I mentioned it...¡± Kana observed. ¡°... just what is this emergency measure?¡±


    Shaeula grinned. ¡°It is not-not something you would fear, Kana. Indeed, you may well enjoy it. But, putting that aside, Eri mastered it, and Aiko is risking it. So choose, Keomi.¡±


    ¡°Marika-chan and I trusted in Shaeula. But again, it¡¯s up to you.¡± Kana said, not wanting to pressure her cousin.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll go for it.¡± Keomi-chan nodded fiercely, and Shaeula clapped gleefully.


    ¡°Lie down here on the bed, and I shall-shall begin.¡±


    Watching this makes me wince. I remember when she did this to me... of course now I can control my gift somewhat, so... maybe it¡¯s a fair trade.


    Shaeula¡¯s eyes glowed brilliantly as she moved her hands over Keomi-chan.


    ¡°Looking at it from the outside, it¡¯s pretty lewd.¡± She remarked despite herself. Keomi-chan didn¡¯t find that funny, as she was letting out whimpers and gasps of pain, biting at her lip. After a little while, her cries stopped though, and she looked at Shaeula, who was not done, puzzled.


    ¡°I believe I have learned one of Akio¡¯s techniques. I have-have watched him work his Ether Healing a number of times. It is very-very compatible with my Aetheric Chirurgery. When Akio hears he shall praise me and perhaps even...¡± she grinned lasciviously, and everyone in the room blushed at her raw allure.


    ¡°Just... just hurry up, all right?¡± Kana insisted. For a moment there I felt completely overpowered as a woman. No, I don¡¯t lose to anyone!


    Soon, Keomi-chan was sitting down, exhausted, while Kikuchi-chan was on the bed, eyes watering. Shaeula worked whatever magic she was doing, and then she was done. Patting Kikuchi-san on the shoulder, she smiled brightly. ¡°Now-now you are one of us. Fear not, Akio shall take your father under his protection, and Hisuikomushi shrine shall prosper, as does-does this shrine.¡±


    Kikuchi-san nodded, gingerly sliding away from her. Takagi-san, who was struggling against the orders not to speak was glaring at everyone spitefully, the eyes under her bangs cold. Shaeula, ignoring the stares with her usual unruffled poise, finally allowed her to speak.


    ¡°Just what... how did you... what is going on?¡± she spat, anger overriding her usual timidity.


    ¡°I did warm you, did I not-not?¡± Shaeula said, approaching her and staring deep into her eyes. ¡°Still, you believed you knew better than I, no? Still, be not-not afraid. You are in fact fortunate to have been chosen. I am in great-great need of those who are not of shrine bloodlines to test my skills upon.¡±


    I see. So she wasn¡¯t just grabbing girls... speaking of, I wonder how father will react to her touch when she works on him? Eww, gross. ¡°Weren¡¯t Mori-san and Akio¡¯s sister normal?¡±


    ¡°Well, Eri is a bit of a special case. But yes-yes, Aiko has no talents whatsoever, but she works-works hard. Still, we have some noble recruits indeed, and I have been exhorted to be careful. Some practise will not-not hurt.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m just some toy for you to...¡± Takagi-san protested, only for Shaeula to push a finger to her lips, shushing her again.


    ¡°Hardly. Akio cared enough to offer you wisdom, so I would not-not treat you carelessly. You chose this, and it is an opportunity. You may not-not understand now, but in time you will look back on that choice and rejoice. Now, let us begin...¡±


    ********


    ¡°That hurt...¡± Takagi-san said, hunched on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest.


    ¡°Your network was not-not partially developed, like the shrine maidens. It is only-only natural I would have to work harder. Be thankful my skills have increased.¡±


    ¡°I still... still don¡¯t get any of this. How did you stop me speaking? How are you doing this? Who are you?¡± Takagi-san asked, her mind in a daze.


    I know just how you feel. The first time I saw Shaeula and big bro, their abnormalities blazing like the sun, my world changed...


    Shaeula stood regally. ¡°Who am I? That-that is simple.¡± Shaeula grinned, striding towards the closed door to the bedroom. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Fae, loyal second wife of Akio, he-he who will rule this world and keep it safe from all evils.¡± Wrenching open the door suddenly, the listening Mio-chan and Asami-san tumbled in, only to be grabbed by Shaeula, the smaller girl holding both of them up effortlessly, one in each hand. Wind blew and the door slammed shut without anyone touching it. ¡°And here we have two more volunteers to join our cause, do we not-not? I am tired and low on aether, but I can-can manage.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it isn¡¯t what you are thinking... we weren¡¯t eavesdropping!¡± Mio-chan tried to deny it, and Asami-chan supported her. ¡°Yeah, we... we were just coming to get you as we are running out of sweets. Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Really? For the last-last half an hour?¡± Shaeula scoffed, tossing them bodily to the bed, where they bounced helplessly. ¡°Too-too bad. There is no escape now.¡±


    ¡°Kana-chan... err, help us?¡± Mio-chan asked, and Asami-chan tried to persuade her too.


    ¡°Sorry, well, what you were talking about seemed so weird... we couldn¡¯t help but be interested. But... Shaeula is scaring us... come on Kana-chan, help us, aren¡¯t we friends, best friends?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help you now. But on the bright side, at least I¡¯ll have company during my training.¡±


    As her friends cried out, Shaeula starting to force open and reconstruct their non-existent chakra networks, Kana-chan burst out laughing, until her sides hurt. Ignoring how everyone else was looking at her, she laughed and laughed until tears were rolling down her cheeks. Oh my god, you stupid idiots. You are in Shaeula¡¯s hands now, big bro¡¯s too. Still, keeping secrets from my best friends sucked. At least we can commiserate with each other now... and who knows. Maybe the world big bro and Shaeula sees will be worth us seeing too...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Five

    One Hundred And Seventy-Five


    ¡°So, take a seat.¡± I said to the priest of Hisuikomushi shrine, Kikuchi Shuta. Already seated was the representatives of our shrine, Daichi-san and Masaji-san. On seeing them, Kikuchi-san frowned, but he still took a seat at the small table. Moments later Nagi-san brought over some tea, steaming porcelain mugs casting their fragrance into the air, and a tray of baked snacks.


    Taking a cup, I took a sip. ¡°Yeah, not bad. Anyway, no need to be so tense, Kikuchi-san. We are all friends here. After all, didn¡¯t I get you out of the horrible mess you were in?¡± Might as well start playing the gratitude card. He has things that I want.


    ¡°I understand we are in different factions.¡± Masaji-san said, also taking his tea. ¡°Still, smaller shrines such as ours have little real influence or power, so such things hardly matter, do they? Besides, in the face of this changing world, we all need to come together. Why not make this a first step?¡±


    ¡°Let me be blunt.¡± I said, leaning forwards, not allowing Kikuchi-san to look away. ¡°I not only saved you, but I managed to rescue your kami and some of his adherents. Sure, Hisuikomushi shrine in the Boundary was completely destroyed, but I have good artisans that can rebuild it, better than before. I¡¯m finding myself with new piety for gods and kami lately.¡±


    ¡°You did save me, but..¡± Kikuchi-san began, before Masaji-san cut him off, annoyed at his attitude.


    ¡°Enough, Kikuchi-san. Even a child knows gratitude. At least listen to his requests before refusing.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kikuchi-san sighed. ¡°I suppose I owe you that much. But... my daughter...¡± he glanced towards the exit, clearly worried for her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. The others won¡¯t mistreat her. Shaeula¡¯s keeping an eye on things.¡± I declared, blissfully ignorant of her rampages. ¡°Now, you must have heard about the conclave in Kyoto, right?¡±


    ¡°I did, before... before I ran afoul of that bastard.¡± Kikuchi-san spat. ¡°It is unusual for such to be called, and even more so for them to bother to send out invites to even a minor, impoverished shrine such as mine. Still, with... with what is happening, it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a lot of support from Susanoo faction. Even Hikawa Kawagoe shrine is in my corner. We also have some independent shrines and temples on board. Still, if you, who are Amaterasu faction, were to lend us your voice... well, it might act as a bridge between the opposing sides, and it would certainly amplify your influence.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kikuchi-san bit into one of the treats that Nagi-san had served with her tea, frowning. ¡°I have my pride...¡±


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t ask you to abandon it.¡± I promised. ¡°Even the shrines here have only given me their support, they are still in and beholden to their own factions. I just have first chance to convince their leaders that I¡¯m worth throwing weight behind, and I get their help in any matters that don¡¯t compromise their own interests. As such, that¡¯s the first thing I want from you.¡±


    ¡°First thing, huh?¡± he pondered, sipping at his hot tea. ¡°Well... the leader of Amaterasu faction is a bit hot-headed, but... well, I can agree to that. I¡¯ll help you get an audience with him and some of the higher ranking shrines in Amaterasu. But my words are hardly likely to convince them. You need to show results... huh...¡± his eyes went wide as he realised I had already demonstrated to him my significant talents.


    ¡°You got it. And that isn¡¯t all I can offer.¡± I smiled enticingly, as though I was a devil offering a sweet deal in exchange for nothing more than a small favour. ¡°My companion is able to help develop the talents of others, though the process is slow. I would like your daughter to join in, as a sign of goodwill, and proof of my value to Amaterasu. Various volunteers from other shrines, and even some influential outsiders will be part of this. It¡¯s a real opportunity for your daughter.¡±


    Seeing me talking openly about courting Amaterasu faction left Masaji-san and Daichi-san looking uncomfortable, but we had talked through my long-term goals, and bridging the gaps between the factions was one of them, so they kept their peace.


    ¡°Having seen the spiritual world... and the gifts it offers...¡± Kikuchi-san was hesitant. ¡°I was ill before, a rare type of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. Though my daughter thinks it was merely grief from the loss of her mother. I was growing weaker, worried I would leave her before she was old enough to fly the nest like my son, burdened with a penniless shrine under the hand of yakuza and other predatory influences. Her future seemed bleak indeed...¡± he paused, strong emotion shimmering in his eyes. ¡°... but then I was called by a divine being, and my body healed, grew stronger. Still... I worry for my daughter and son. After all, my doctor couldn¡¯t assure me that my condition wasn¡¯t hereditary...¡±


    I get it. ¡°Well, if these strange new abilities can repair and strengthen the body, then your son and daughter should definitely learn it, that way, they can stave off any potential illnesses.¡± And of course, those who we train have no choice but to become our allies.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kikuchi-san conceded. ¡°I can agree to those terms.¡±


    ¡°Good. In that case, we should hammer out the details of our alliance.¡± I declared, as around the table everyone signalled their consent.


    ********


    After an hour of heated discussion, we had come to a conclusion. The men from Shirohebizumi shrine had left the room, leaving me alone with Kikuchi-san, empty mugs of tea and plates with but crumbs remaining our only company.


    ¡°So, onto other matters.¡± I declared, and Kikuchi-san flinched. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a bastard like Kondou was. I want allies, friends, not slaves, Kikuchi-san.¡±


    ¡°Call me Shuta.¡± He muttered, defeated. ¡°It isn¡¯t like I can go against you. Not if you can help my children. Besides, if I tried to fight, you would simply crush me. If you can beat that monster and his pet witch, then... anything I do would just be futile, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Shuta-san. You can call me Akio too if you want. But yeah, I¡¯m pretty confident in my power, I¡¯ve worked hard for it. But I don¡¯t use it to oppress others. There aren¡¯t many who have a gift like we do, so squandering it... it doesn¡¯t make sense. Work for me, and in exchange for your assistance, I¡¯ll make sure you have a chance to grow, and bring Hisuikomushi shrine to glory, just like here.¡±


    ¡°Work for you? How?¡± Shuta-san asked warily, so I gave him my most reassuring smile.


    ¡°In the Boundary of course. By Wednesday I should have swallowed up all of the Territory that was Kondou¡¯s, including the area around Hisuikomushi shrine. However, that is your land, so I propose you drop a new Anchor and re-establish your Territory there. I can then protect you, and you can focus on other matters. In exchange... well, I think if you pay me twenty-five percent of your ether, and join in any defensive battles, that should be fair.¡± I¡¯m limited in how many Ether Spires I can build, so if I can take a portion of his as well... longer term, I¡¯d profit. He would too, as my defences would clearly outmatch his, leaving him in relative safety to build up his repaired Territory...


    Shuta-san merely looked at me, puzzled. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m not really sure what you are talking about. Anchor, ether? What do you mean?¡±


    I see. Well, I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t expecting this to happen, especially after talking to Haru-san. Oh well, I was going to share information anyway, so might as well educate him at the same time. ¡°Shuta-san, could you explain what happened when you were gifted by whatever kami chose you? If I know what you were told and how your Territory works, I can fill in some gaps for you, and probably boost your efficiency.¡±


    Okay... another clash of terminologies, no doubt. ¡°Fine, so how do you add new buildings and facilities to your Territory? There were definitely some, I expect those ones made from red and yellow bricks were yours, right? They looked like a mix of old-fashioned industrial buildings and ancient stone monuments.


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, as I poured in more of the captured spiritual essence... this ether, I could will my domain, my Territory...¡± he was adopting my terminology, which was wise, as it seemed like I had a clear information edge. ¡°... to grow. If I felt it needed protection, ether would be sucked away and those stone structures would form, topped by crystalised energy. If I felt I needed more ether, then a different one would grow.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it¡¯s pretty much the same as mine, just... wow, your interface sucks, and to think I slated Exposition-san a lot. Appraisal cheats and system interfaces are quite the advantage. Although I was put at risk of death a lot early on since I didn¡¯t get much else and had to grow slowly. So damn, even so I still feel like I got short-changed. Still... I¡¯ve seen your Territory, Kondou¡¯s, my own of course, and one from the jerk in Las Vegas. They all seem to work on similar principles. Creatures are created, defences erected, and ... wait, when I was in Las Vegas and found those buildings that shared and took ether from the Material, my interface updated, and I had new buildings to pick from. Damn, how could I have missed that?¡±


    As I started my cascade of words, Shuta-san looked on, bemused. After I had worked through my thoughts, I asked him a question. ¡°How did you know you could make structures that would pull in more ether, for example? Did the Scarab tell you?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No. the Scarab only set me on the path. I just... well, as I gathered more ether I felt I could put it to work. I also used it to call upon my swarm of beetles. It just... seemed right, I guess. It¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    I see. My gut instinct is that pretty much anything I can build, everyone else can too. There might be some exceptions, perhaps since the Scarab is from Egypt, he can build some Egyptian-themed buildings I can¡¯t? But that¡¯s just conjecture. More research is needed.


    ¡°All right, to start then, re-establish your Territory, then focus your efforts on growing your ether generation. We call those Ether Spires. I¡¯ll take care of the defences...¡±


    As we finalised our plans, I had other ideas of how to test things further. Ixitt will no doubt be delighted at seeing how Shuta-san compares. Also, I wonder... my head full of ideas, we sealed the second stage of our alliance...


    ********


    ¡°So, ah... what¡¯s up with them?¡± I asked Shaeula, as I eyed the exhausted, sullen-looking girls slumped in one corner. There was Kana-chan¡¯s two friends, Mio-san and Asami-san, as well as Kikuchi-san and Takagi-san. That¡¯s quite the odd grouping. But if they are getting along better, well, that¡¯s surely a good thing.


    Kana-chan merely giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, big bro. I¡¯m sure Shaeula can tell you later.¡±


    Shaeula? I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this...


    ¡°Besides, Mio-chan and Asami-chan should have learned to mind their own business. After all, they were going through Shaeula¡¯s drawers and peeked in your room. Don¡¯t have any sympathy for them, big bro.¡±


    My room, huh? That is pretty embarrassing. I have a lot of... hobbyist... materials in there. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter if they laugh at me, I¡¯m a normie nowadays anyway, by any reasonable definition.


    ¡°Well, putting that aside, are you girls all having fun?¡± I asked, observing them play games and watch TV, marvelling at the amount of expensive cake and snacks the girls had put away between them.


    ¡°I sure did.¡± Noguchi-san said, glancing at Kana-chan. ¡°I¡¯m happy I asked to come. Izumi-san really has mellowed out. Maybe it¡¯s since she met you, Oshiro-san.¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯ve always been nice.¡± Kana-chan pouted. ¡°it¡¯s nothing to do with big bro.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Another girl said, scoffing. ¡°Keep telling yourself that. Still, hanging out with a lot of girls I normally wouldn¡¯t outside of school¡¯s been fun. The service is great too. Guess you aren¡¯t as poor as I thought, right Kana-san?¡±


    At that Kana-chan looked annoyed, though she forced it down and cracked a smile. ¡°You know it. My family is on the way up. I¡¯m the perfect catch.¡±


    As the girls broke into an argument over whether Kana-chan was indeed the hottest catch in school, I spoke to Shaeula. ¡°So, anything you wanted to tell me?¡±


    She looked away innocently. ¡°No-no, definitely not-not. Everyone was just-just having fun-fun.¡±


    Yeah, her speech quirk is up. She¡¯s guilty. ¡°Those four don¡¯t look like they had much fun, they look wiped out.¡± As I looked over, Mio-san met my gaze desperately, as if to convey something, but I wasn¡¯t sure what.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine big bro!¡± Keomi-chan bombed over, her face covered in cream and crumbs. Instinctively I reached over and wiped it off her face. She squirmed under my touch, and halfway through I realised it was a bad idea, as people were laughing at me. I didn¡¯t mean to, it was instinct!


    ¡°Sorry, Keomi-chan. That was a reflexive action.¡± I apologised.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She tilted her head, pigtails bouncing, confused. ¡°I¡¯m always being told off for being messy. Anyway, don¡¯t worry big bro, the girls are fine. They just played a bit in your room. Nice dolls by the way, they were cute.¡±


    ¡°They are figures, not dolls...¡± I responded defensively, before smiling wryly. ¡°... but that doesn¡¯t matter. Oh well, if you say so. Still, I¡¯ll have a long talk with Shaeula about this later...¡±


    As Shaeula pouted, I started to tidy up the mess the girls had made, once more feeling like some sort of teacher, shepherding a school trip. Damn, just think how much worse it¡¯s going to be when our training hall is built. I know there are a few adults in the mix, but even so...


    With that thought in mind, I ran through my plans as I continued to clean, ignoring the giggles of the girls. There¡¯s so much to do, and so little time. Even in the Boundary, I need more hours in the day...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Six

    One Hundred And Seventy-Six


    Once the girls had safely left the party and we had tidied up, I finally had the opportunity to sit down Shaeula and ask about the strange way some of the girls were acting, so we went to her room and sat on her bed.


    ¡°So, got anything to say?¡± I asked, and she squirmed uncomfortably, before leaking out a sigh and confessing. ¡°I simply decided to start-start my chirurgery on Keomi and the new female, Maiko. It is exhausting indeed-indeed here on the Material, so I felt I should-should make a start on the tasks ahead while I was-was able. And rejoice!¡± she smiled, eyes bright. ¡°I have-have, after observing you many-many times, managed to-to replicate the basics of your Ether Healing! This works most-most excellently with my own-own skill. I deserve praise, do I not-not?¡±


    Ignoring the fact she was clearly nervous, I quickly examined her, confirming that she had indeed learned Ether Healing. ¡°Yeah, good job on that. The more skills we have the better.¡± I gave in and stroked her head, causing her to lean into me, happy. ¡°And I guess it makes sense to prepare, as long as you are managing things properly.¡±


    ¡°It does-does!¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°After all, we have many-many tasks remaining.¡±


    ¡°Sure. So... why were the other girls looking so drained and beaten-up?¡± I asked, and Shaeula flinched. For a moment she stayed buried in my embrace, before looking at me, face flushed, a cheeky grin plastered across her features. Damn, that¡¯s cute, but you won¡¯t escape my questions that easily.


    ¡°Well, hmm... I was a little-little careless, and some girls managed to listen in-in to our talk. So I believed it would-would be best to draw them into our clutches. So-so...¡± she paused, taking a deep breath. ¡°... I performed chirurgery on them-them as well.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± I said, and for a moment Shaeula looked at me, hopeful, before I rapped her on the head a few times, not hard, but enough to show my displeasure. ¡°.. is what you were hoping I would say, right? As if! You know we need to be careful, information leaks have put us and my family in danger already. You shouldn¡¯t involve people who have no stake in this!¡±


    ¡°I know-know...¡± she pouted, rubbing at her head, despite the fact my knuckles clearly didn¡¯t hurt her, as I had no desire to cause her any real pain. ¡°... still, we are tasked with improving these nobles, are we not-not? I thought it would be wise-wise to practice on some normal females beforehand. A good idea, is it not-not?¡±


    Well yeah, there¡¯s no way we can mess up with Tsumura-san and the two Fukumoto¡¯s. Still, there¡¯s quite the flaw in that argument... ¡°Yes, but weren¡¯t Eri and my sis both normal girls? You¡¯ve already practised on them!¡±


    Shaeula stuck out her tongue in a manner she had seen Aiko do to express comical remorse. ¡°That-that is exactly what Kana said. How-how vexing. Still... greater numbers bring us greater benefits, am I wrong?¡±


    I sighed then. I found it really hard to stay mad at people I cared about, especially girls. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t wrong, but... really, I wanted to stick to people from the shrines, and also now the nobility, I guess. Just... consult with me in future, please!¡±


    Shaeula kissed me then, soothing away my last discontent. As we parted, our lips hot, she grinned. ¡°I shall-shall, I promise. But Kana can keep her friends in line-line, I have every faith in her. And you cared enough to offer Hisano advice, so I felt-felt you would not mind her inclusion.¡±


    Seriously? If being even slightly nice to a girl gives Shaeula the impression that I¡¯m interested in her, then I¡¯m going to have a tough time. Resolving to discuss this with her at length later, I noticed something seemed missing from the room.


    ¡°Hey where¡¯s the doll Azuki was in? It was just over there wasn¡¯t it?¡± I pointed to the empty corner. As soon as I did so, I heard a scraping from under the bed, and Azuki crawled out, her wooden joints working slowly. Once she was out she fell against the wall, sitting as she was left before, her eyes still red and full of life.


    ¡°I see-see. Were you hiding from the young females?¡± Shaeula asked, and with a creaking nod, she agreed. Opening and closing her mouth slowly she managed to make some crude words with great effort.


    ¡°Yes... hiding. Too many... people.¡± The voice was whisper quiet, and only with my superior hearing could I pick it up.


    ¡°So you can move like Hyacinth said.¡± I mused. ¡°I wonder how that works.¡±


    Shaeula eyed her, nodding. ¡°The doll has accumulated aether over-over the years. Though it depletes rapidly as Azuki moves.¡± She talked to her. ¡°You should-should rest.¡±


    ¡°But... the mad... fairy...¡± Azuki protested weakly, and I knew what she meant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Hyacinth. You just sleep for now. Later, when there¡¯s more ether here for you to absorb, then you can think about moving.¡±


    Hearing my words the doll gave a relieved sigh, her eyelids sliding shut as she slumped down, still and lifeless once more. Just one more strange wonder added to the pile. Still, her ability to ¡®bring fortune¡¯ to a house that she mentioned... that intrigues me. Still, until Wednesday, we can¡¯t experiment much.


    ¡°All right then. Today has been... interesting.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded her agreement. ¡°Now we can take our time and do whatever we need to in the Boundary, since we have no pressing events coming up. It¡¯s been a while, our days have been packed recently.¡±


    With that we entered the Boundary once more...


    ********


    ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m beat.¡± I stared up at Ulfuric as he held out a mighty hand. Grasping it, I let him pull me to my feet, my exhausted muscles protesting, my many cuts and bruises stinging painfully. ¡°You really worked me over.¡±


    ¡°I can, I believe.¡± She gasped, still shivering at the discomfort she was subjected to. ¡°If-if... I link our lunar nodes once... more, like we did-did before....¡±


    ¡°Fine. Do it!¡± I asked, and she nodded, before a surge of wind and flame gushed from her lunar node into mine. I gasped, feeling the pleasure of our joining souls once more, connected on a deep, almost erotic level. Shaeula shuddered, rapture from our merging warring with the pain from the rampant earth element.


    No time to be engrossed in the pleasure of this. I have to tame the earth energy! Guiding the flows, I stabilised the root chakra, a sea of ruby and garnet around it like a halo. The sacral chakra followed easily enough, before I reached the usual stumbling block. This time however I was able to guide the energy through the yellow, and then the green seas, Shaeula keeping my energy from escaping my control. After the heart, energy was absorbed greedily by my lunar chakra, sparking another war within my body as the three energies fought each other, but as that was the focal point of our merging, Shaeula was once more able to tame it, and soon red energy was beating in time with the others.


    Back round to the throat... then up to the third eye... and finally... the crown. As the circuit was fully completed, I felt a great surge of strength within my body, and with that silver letters blazed into being. I toppled backwards, spent, Shaeula in my arms, and I had no time to read the letters as she was kissing me again fiercely, stealing my breath, our souls and chakras intertwined in the Fae way of love...


    ********


    ¡°I love you, Akio.¡± Shaeula giggled, held in my arms, watching the play of earth energies overhead. I had managed to roll us out of the fountains while we were entwined, and now we were covered in mud and dirt. Still, I regretted nothing, other than a brief sorrow that I hadn¡¯t done such with Eri yet.


    ¡°That was quite magnificent.¡± Shaeula exclaimed, kissing me greedily again and again, her face, no, her whole body pink, flushed and sweating. ¡°I could feel-feel your everything within me, even the cursed earth.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt you did it?¡± I asked, concerned. ¡°I guess that might be a worry for Fae, if they try and bond with those of opposing elements?¡± I never thought about that before, but I wonder how they¡¯d overcome that. I¡¯d... I¡¯d hate it if I got stronger and wasn¡¯t able to satisfy Shaeula any more....


    ¡°I can not-not speak for others, but for me...¡± she paused, thinking, before kissing me one more time. ¡°It was not without discomfort... but pain? No, it did not-not hurt. The feeling was strange, but tangled up within the pleasure of our shared wind and flame, it was far-far from unpleasant.¡± She licked her lips seductively.


    ¡°Lucky. I¡¯m sooo jealous. Nobooody ever considers poor Hyacinth.¡± At her voice I sat up, nearly throwing Shaeula off me by mistake. As she squealed in protest, I blushed myself, seeing Hyacinth peering at us from where she had snuck up on us.


    ¡°Sooo hooot. I wish master would hooold me tight when the mistress is away. That is a brownie¡¯s duty, after all! Tend to the house, guard the children, seduce the master...¡±


    ¡°I think your mask is slipping, boggart.¡± Shaeula declared, annoyed. ¡°While it is quite-quite normal for males to indulge with their servants, my father and brothers do it frequently, I do not-not trust you enough to be alone with my Akio.¡± She glared at the intruder, cheeks puffed out threateningly. ¡°You may have sworn Oaths, but you are still-still an Unseelie at heart.¡±


    ¡°I trust her.¡± I soothed Shaeula, rubbing her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she is going to harm us, I just get a feeling.¡± I paused then, realising what it was sounding like, and hurriedly followed up with ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m interested in her! I¡¯m happy enough with you and Eri, I¡¯m not going to be chasing anyone, not like... hey, Shaeraggo does it too? Poor Selensha.¡±


    Shaeula shrugged, mollified by my ministrations. ¡°It is accepted practice, is it not-not, even in the mortal world? I watched many television shows where the master sleeps with his maids.¡± She paused then, frowning in thought. ¡°Not-not that I would recommend you indulge with my maids. If that is your wish-wish, then go ahead, but... they are rather stupid, I doubt-doubt they could please you.¡±


    Ugh, a whole heap of problems with that. Firstly, they are still humanoid weasels, and I am NOT a furry. Sure, Shaeula is cute in her weasel form, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d like to... well, to put it bluntly, have sex with it. Secondly, they hate me really badly... and... ¡°Well, no way I¡¯m doing that. It¡¯d make me feel like shit if I found out you were having an affair with the butler, so I¡¯m not going to do anything similar.¡± Do we even have a butler? Maybe at this mansion...


    ¡°I have told you, I have no and will have no-no interest in other males.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Still, it is cute you worry about such things.¡±


    ¡°I am being ignooored.¡± Hyacinth was twisting and clutching herself bashfully, face flushed. ¡°Master and mistress are treating me like furniture. This is a gooood thing too! A servant should be unobtrusive!¡±


    Rolling her eyes at the display of our so-called servant, Shaeula asked me to check the results of our efforts, so I did, trying to blot out Hyacinth¡¯s capering.


    You have gained a skill, Root Chakra Of Earth Rank 3. Your Root Chakra will generate earth energy and your ability to absorb and utilise it has increased. [Class: ???]


    You have gained a skill, Earth Manipulation Rank 5. Your ability to manipulate and control earth energy has dramatically increased. Your understanding of earth has significantly increased, and you can handle earth with less wastage and greater efficiency, and are more able to adapt to and control unique earths. [Class: ???]


    Your Skill, Lunar Chakra of Wind and Flame Rank 2 has become Lunar Chakra of Wind, Flame and Earth Rank 2, strengthening your control and generation over earth energy. [Class: ???]


    Seeing the results I couldn¡¯t help but let out a little cheer, hugging Shaeula happily. On seeing my joy she was happy as well. ¡°I see-see you have succeeded! I expected no less from my Akio!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without you! Your eyes truly are awesome, and your chirurgery is also busted as hell. I doubt I¡¯m the strongest Astral Emperor-candidate out there, no doubt some lucky bastards got broken-as-hell starting skills, but I can¡¯t be too weak, considering our experiences. Anyway... Rank three for my chakra, Rank five for manipulation, and the lunar chakra has earth as well now. I guess my affinity boost and all that studying really paid off!¡±


    Now I have a third option in battle, and as I keep running out of elemental energy way too quickly, having extra options means I can fight for longer...


    As Shaeula congratulated me once more, Hyacinth continued to complain, trying to attract my attention. Somehow she had managed to unbutton a number of the fastenings on her maid outfit and she was exposing quite a bit of flesh. Shaeula quickly leapt up and thwapped her on the head, ordering her to cover up, ignoring Hyacinth¡¯s bitter complaints. I could only look away, sighing. Though not before I caught a glimpse of her assets, which were surprisingly large now she was starting to fill out again. Perky too... shaking my head, I grabbed them both by the hands and headed back towards the main shrine. One minute I¡¯m powering up like it¡¯s battle shounen, the next minute it¡¯s a romantic harem comedy... whichever god chose me... they must have a really sick sense of humour...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Seven

    One Hundred And Seventy-Seven


    ¡°Here master, mistress. Drinks!¡± Hyacinth presented us with a silver tray, upon which sat two glasses, filled with some sweet-smelling juice. I have to wonder where such things even came from? I suppose they could have been included in the treasures Shaeraggo gave us. After all, he did send maids...


    Said maids, Velna and Risha, were standing behind us, watching their mistress, but they didn¡¯t forget to take time to glare bitterly at Hyacinth and I every few moments. It was really quite uncomfortable. Indulge with those maids? No way, not even if they were gorgeous human girls. I don¡¯t get off on being hated...


    ¡°My thanks.¡± Shaeula took one glass, sniffing it gingerly. Her expression brightened, and on taking a sip she grinned happily. ¡°This tastes of home-home. These fruits, where did you get them?¡±


    I followed suit, and the yellow liquid slipped down my throat refreshingly, a taste reminiscent of a mixture of lemon and mango filling my mouth. Yeah, this is good. A blend of sweet and sour, with a crisp tang. I¡¯d pay money for this.


    Surprised by receiving praise from Shaeula, who usually berated her, Hyacinth shrugged, her expression rapturous. ¡°Praise from the mistress! Unusual, but welcooome indeed! I have started an orchard, the hills here are sooo bare and drab. I shall feed master my fruits, and he shall taste my forbidden fruits toooo!¡±


    At that Shaeula only snorted in displeasure, rapidly emptying her glass. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t scolded further, she sidled up to me, gaze imploring. ¡°And how doooes master find my fruits? I assure yooou they are sweet and juicy!¡±


    Ignoring the innuendo I finished my own drink. ¡°Yes, the juice was very pleasant. Thank you, Hyacinth. Now if you¡¯ll excuse us, we were in the middle of something.¡±


    A momentarily pout crossed her features, but she bowed, before retreating with a last burst of her usual nonsense. When she was gone, we returned to our work, sitting across from each other, so close our legs touched. Holding out our arms we clasped palms, and began circulating our aether once more. I groped blindly, not having the advantage of Shaeula¡¯s eyes, the skill stubbornly remaining at Rank 0. I had thought they might have reactivated when we connected our lunar chakras earlier like before, but the skill stayed stubbornly quiescent within me.


    ¡°A little to the left-left. Can you feel it there?¡± Shaeula spoke, guiding me verbally. ¡°My network is inflamed, leftover earth energy causing me some-some discomfort.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, yes, I feel it.¡± I affirmed, sensing the energy through my aether. Damn, this is hard, but I can feel my skills improving. It requires deep concentration and a very delicate touch. I drew out some of the ruby energy, while the rest I flushed through her system, allowing Shaeula to exhale it, though when she did so it looked pretty grim, like she was coughing blood.


    As I worked on Shaeula, following her instructions, she also returned the favour, making adjustments to my subtle body with her chirurgery, rerouting blockages and repairing the damages I had sustained from the rampaging flows. I felt I was nearing a breakthrough in my Ether Healing, and I wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°My Chirurgery and Ether Healing have both grown much-much stronger!¡± Shaeula crowed, delighted. At Rank 5 her Chirurgery would be much more effective, which was just what we needed before working on the nobles, and her Ether Healing had reached Rank 2 as well, offering a welcome synergy.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± I declared, just a touch jealous. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m getting your Aetheric Chirurgery skill.¡±


    ¡°Poor Akio.¡± She chortled, tickled by my envy. ¡°I am sure-sure you shall master it in due time.¡±


    As we continued to banter and work on each other, time passed quickly. I finally received a display of silver letters announcing a power-up, but it was not the skill I was expecting. Damn, I guess we have been in the Boundary for well over a day now...


    A Vassal Territory has reached Rank 1. Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 5 to level 6.


    Noticing my surprise, Shaeula asked me what had happened, so I explained.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± She mused. ¡°That must be the priest then. He has kept his word.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t really have much choice. If he wants to be safe and also have the money to clear the debts of his shrine, thus giving his son and daughter a better life, standing with us is the best option. Hell, it¡¯s probably the only real option he has. Still, I¡¯m curious...¡± Can I use Self-Examination, Territory, on it?


    Concentrating, I discovered that I could, though there wasn¡¯t many details.


    Vassal Territory: Rank 1


    ¡°Well, I might have an idea or two.¡± Karen-chan sighed once more, downing the rest of the bottle, making a face as if the taste was unpleasant. ¡°I¡¯d like to get someone in soon, else I¡¯ll have to travel around Japan to the other hotels. Leave it with me.¡±


    ¡°All right then. By the way, did you get the bottle I left you?¡±


    Karen-chan smiled, her gloomy expression lifting a little. ¡°Yes, I was surprised to see it on my desk, that¡¯s a really expensive brand. I had a few glasses, it was great.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was just a token of my appreciation. Keep up the good work and it won¡¯t be the last reward...¡±


    We passed a little time catching up before I left her to it. After all, she had a lot to do, which was totally my fault. Taking in the pleasant sun, I strolled over to the construction site, where the building was going up rapidly, modular construction being an excellent, if expensive choice. It was then my phone rang, so I raced away from the noisy building site to a quieter corner. Checking my phone I was surprised at the caller.


    Hayato-san, huh? Interesting. ¡°Hey there Hayato-san, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey there Akio-kun, long time no speak. Thanks again for doing that work for me, you really rattled it out.¡± Hearing his familiar voice was nostalgic. We had exchanged emails a fair bit, but... yeah, since university ended, we¡¯ve all drifted out of touch. I should have made more of an effort to keep in contact. It was just the same as I did with my sister and Eri. Damn, I can be a moron at times. Still, at least I know where I was going wrong now. I¡¯m busy, but I can make time for old friends.


    ¡°No problem. It came at a good time for me.¡± I assured him. ¡°So, what¡¯s the occasion? You haven¡¯t called in ages. Not another crunch at work you need my help with?¡± I asked brightly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a crunch but there¡¯s always more to do. You made some decent money a while ago, but I bet you could use a bit more, right?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint, but I¡¯ve got my money worries covered.¡± It felt good to say. Yeah, technically I¡¯m a billionaire. ¡°I¡¯ve got a new gig, I¡¯m afraid.¡± At that I paused though, my new resolve to reconnect pressing me to offer my support. ¡°Still, if you really get stuck and need some work pushed out, I can do it as a favour for the basic rate.¡± I don¡¯t need the money, but no way Hayato-san would let me do it for free, he¡¯s a man who values fairness.


    ¡°Really? Well, I think we can manage. I¡¯ve got some of the old crew helping too, so... well, anyway, that¡¯s interesting, Akio-kun. Shiro did say that you had some news to share, big news. So I guess it¡¯s your new job, eh? Must be a good one if Shiro was so excited. You know how she is.¡±


    Yeah, I sure do. Still, you are misunderstanding the situation. I guess Shiro did keep it to herself. ¡°Well, yeah, the work can be challenging, but the renumeration is sweet. I finally moved out of my crappy apartment to somewhere nicer. Anyway, so if the call wasn¡¯t about work, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Well, you skipped out last time, and Shiro was pretty pissed. Hina-chan and the rest of the gang were a bit sad too. So I was wondering, how are you fixed for this weekend? We can get together in Akihabara, just like old times. Maybe hit up Shinjuku too if everyone is still able to walk by then.¡±


    This weekend huh? Well, I¡¯m heading home Saturday morning, but I don¡¯t need much sleep anymore... ¡°I can do Friday evening, if that works?¡±


    ¡°Friday huh? Yeah, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me or Hina-chan. Shiro is... well, Shiro is always free, right?¡±


    Yeah, ¡®me or Hina-chan¡¯? Not keeping your secret that well. Before I might have missed the hint, but now I am wise in the way of relationships, so no fooling me! ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s never doing anything but annoying us or working on her game. How about the others?¡±


    ¡°Everyone said that any time this weekend would be fine, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I¡¯ll drop them a line to make sure. So, great. I¡¯m looking forward to cutting loose with the whole gang. It¡¯s been a while, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°That it has, Hayato-san.¡± I replied, feeling a little emotional.


    ¡°So, six thirty at Bar Sekirei, just like old times?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to get the whole gang together again. It¡¯s been too long.¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°Though I never had you pegged for the sentimental type, Akio-kun!¡±


    As we laughed and joked, our talk turned to more light-hearted matters, and I found myself having a lot of fun. Yeah, it really will be good to see my old friends again. I wonder if they¡¯ll be shocked at how much I¡¯ve changed?

 One Hundred And Seventy-Eight

    One Hundred And Seventy-Eight


    Back in my home, I looked in on Shaeula, who was watching a magical girl anime while drinking beer, though I did note she was idly spinning away at roulette, only giving it a bare fraction of her attention. Damn, anyone else doing that would go bankrupt quickly, but the numbers on the screen don¡¯t lie! Even as I watched she won around seventy Pounds on a spin, which a few months ago would have been a nice windfall, but now was merely loose change.


    Leaving her to it, I went back to my own room, pulling out a notepad and making a quick list of plans for the upcoming week, trying to organise matters. ¡°Right. Tomorrow in the afternoon I intend to visit the Detective in the hospital and discuss what he owes me. Then after that... damn, I don¡¯t want to do this...¡± I exhaled loudly, morose. Meeting Haru-san¡¯s father here is going to be hell. Sure, I¡¯ve asked her a lot of things only she and he would know, but even so...


    Putting that unpleasant task aside, Wednesday was kept free, as the Anchor would upgrade, finally, so I would need a significant amount of time to organise and upgrade everything. Still, that would definitely be a pleasurable task. I expect that¡¯ll run right through until Thursday at the earliest.


    I would also need to speak to Shuta-san regarding his support, and I also wanted to see if Kin Examination would work on him. After all, I can scan his Territory since it¡¯s a vassal to me. I had my doubts, however. In addition I would need to go shopping for gifts for Eri and also my family.


    Friday evening I was out with the Uni crew for drinks, and that would consume the whole night, no doubt. After that, early Saturday I¡¯d have to catch a train to Nishimorioka, where I would remain until Monday morning, when I was due to return. The training school should be finished by the time I return, barring internal decorating and the basement areas, of course. Putting up a six-story building in three weeks was not bad going, especially with the extremely spacious multi-level basement area, but money talked. Still, the internal furnishings, equipment, the swimming pool, sauna and various utility hook-ups were likely to take as much as another week, although parts of it would be serviceable from Monday evening onwards. That means we can probably start the training in earnest, which means a last meeting with Hikawa-san as the highest ranking shrine involved... I can pencil that in for Monday then, and start the training on Tuesday, at least the basics?


    Looking at the timetable on the pad in front of me, I shook my head. ¡°And to think I said I wasn¡¯t busy this week! Even when I¡¯m not busy, I¡¯ve somehow still got a packed schedule.¡± And there was one other thing I wanted to do, though it can definitely wait until my Territory Build Queues are in hand... so, next week sometime...


    Thinking about training, I checked the clock. There was still time before I needed to make dinner, so I might as well practice improving my dual wielding. Ulfuric had advised me to stay away from wielding weapons during that particular training, as I wouldn¡¯t have armaments with a similar balance to the twin fangs, so it might throw me off. Instead, he suggested trying two different tasks at once, one with each hand, alternating between power and precision exercises, to train both my body and mind.


    Juggling heavy barbells with my left hand I tried to draw with my right, one task requiring precision, the other brawn and speed. At first it was still a struggle, but after a couple of hours I had it down so I could even alternate hands by throwing the pen and weights to opposite hands. My ability to learn is outstanding... maybe I should think about picking up some more foreign languages as well?


    I quickly rinsed myself off, not having time for a full bath, and started making dinner. It was then that the doorbell rang, and before I could even move to answer it, Kana-chan came running in, looking extremely flustered. On seeing me looking into the corridor, her expression brightened, and she raced over to me.


    ¡°All right, deep breaths, calm down.¡± I advised, looking at her breathless red face. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, big bro!¡± she wheezed, which made me think Kana-chan definitely needed more fitness training. Oh well, that¡¯s for next week. ¡°We¡¯ve got some visitors, they say they are here to see you and Shaeula! Just... just how do you know them?¡±


    ¡°First I¡¯d need to know who has arrived.¡± Visitors? I wasn¡¯t expecting any, was I? The commotion had brought Shaeula out of her room, equally curious.


    ¡°The cars they came in were really expensive, black foreign cars.¡± Kana-chan continued. ¡°They have bodyguards and everything. When they came up to the main shrine my father nearly passed out. They are on their way here now, so I ran to warn you.¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡± I praised her, earning a small smile in return. Bodyguards huh? I did say we weren¡¯t starting the training yet... Shaeula, thinking the same thing, merely shrugged, and a few moments later our thoughts were confirmed, as two burly Fujiwara Security opened our door and checked out the inside.


    ¡°All clear. No suspicious activity detected.¡± One said, stepping aside, revealing the charges they were escorting. First was a grumpy looking Hiroto-san, looking fashionably dressed, and behind him was his sister and her bodyguard, both wearing an old-fashioned and modest sailor-style school uniform, in a rich black with crimson ribbon and edging. And that wasn¡¯t all. Behind them were two more girls in the same uniform, though they were carrying several heavy wrapped bundles. Yeah, that doesn¡¯t look right when they aren¡¯t in hakama. Although the big question was still why they were all here.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this rather... modest?¡± Hinata-san said, looking around with some interest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind my sister.¡± Hiroto-san sighed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mean to be rude. ¡°It isn¡¯t often... or well, ever, she gets to see the house of a commoner.¡±


    At that term, Kana-chan struggled to keep her face impassive. At least Tsumura-san and her guard were being politely quiet, observing everything with sparkling eyes. ¡°In that case, I guess you should come in and I¡¯ll prepare some tea. Shaeula, show our guests to the living room, okay?¡±


    Shaeula strode forwards, taking command with her royal poise. ¡°Very well-well. Though this dwelling is rather humble, it is but-but a stepping stone on our path, so please forgive our insufficient hospitality.¡± With that she gave a rather imperious bow, and I was once more reminded Shaeula was quite the stateswoman when she wanted to be.


    ¡°You can go if you want.¡± I whispered to Kana-chan, who nodded gratefully. ¡°Though you¡¯ll have to get used to them eventually, since they are taking our training too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... not today. I need time to psyche myself up for it.¡± She murmured back, and I understood. Yeah, the girls radiate high-class, like an aura. As Shaeula shepherded the guests inwards, Kana-chan gratefully made her escape.


    Right then, time to untangle this mess. I quickly prepared some tea, knowing it would probably disappoint them. It was decent, as I had the money for luxuries, but hardly top-of-the-line. Upon taking in a loaded tray of tea and snacks, I saw Shaeula at the centre of the group, the other girls siting politely in the uncomfortable seiza position on their knees, apart from Hinata-san, who was sprawled out on our sofa, legs outstretched. On seeing my gaze, she looked a little abashed. ¡°I¡¯m poor with seiza. Besides, I heard it is bad for the knees.¡±


    ¡°My sister is never one to do what she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± Hiroto-san sighed. ¡°A case in point, here we are today. I was supposed to be meeting a few people at a mixer. There would have been some cute girls there, I just know it.¡±


    At that, Hinata-san leaned over to smack her brother on the shoulder, annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. This is more important. Now Tsumura-senpai is involved, if we don¡¯t stake our claim, all the achievements will go to them.¡± Suddenly realising Tsumura-san was listening, she smiled apologetically. ¡°No offense, Tsumura-senpai. It¡¯s just we need to secure our position as the fifty-eighth noble house, while Tsumura house is one of the highest ranking, only below the big three.¡±


    ¡°Even so...¡± as I handed out the tea, which the girls and Hiroto-san took politely, I asked the most pertinent question. ¡°So, I still don¡¯t see why you are here. The training hall isn¡¯t finished yet, and we weren¡¯t planning to start until next week.¡±


    After taking a sip of her tea with perfect elegance, Tsumura-san placed it down gently and bowed flawlessly. ¡°Indeed, Oshiro-sensei. However, I confess to being unable to restrain my eagerness to begin. Our family arts of spear, sword and bow will finally find a use. How could I not be excited?¡±


    ¡°What Tsumura-sama means to say is...¡± Hori-san also bowed politely, speaking formally and with a surprisingly gentle tone. ¡°... is that she begs your forgiveness, but she has been distracted ever since she met you on Saturday, and her schoolwork is suffering, which is undignified for a daughter of Tsumura house, so she begs your indulgence in this and would ask for some tutelage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard the same.¡± Hinata-san smiled, not even hiding her disdain for the quality of my tea. Grimacing, she put it down. ¡°If we are to be studying here for any length of time, you simply must get some decent refreshments. I¡¯d be ashamed to serve this to guests.¡±


    Do I look the sort to attack girls? I¡®m a little offended. Still, I guess if it¡¯s her job, she would take any threat seriously.


    ¡°Now, Natsumi, do not be rude to Oshiro-sensei.¡± She apologised for her bodyguard. ¡°Please forgive her. I know you are trusted by my grandfather and Fujiwara-sama. I am eager to learn in your care.¡±


    Echoing the sentiment, Hori-san also apologised, so with that we returned, to see Shaeula lecturing the three who she had worked her chirurgery on. ¡°... and you must be careful, though the lunar chakra is vital to performing at peak, it is not-not something humans naturally possess. I believe that with my-my skills it is safe, but fear not-not, should you feel anything amiss, such as strange pains or sudden illness, Akio and I shall come-come to your aid immediately. I can repair most issues, and should the worst-worst happen, for females, there is an emergency measure, with beneficial side-effects even.¡±


    ¡°So, why is it you were far kinder to them?¡± Hiroto-san sulked. ¡°And what if I have problems? What emergency measures do you have for me?¡±


    Ugh, no way man. No lovers¡¯ link for you. I don¡¯t swing that way. We aren¡¯t close enough for me to make that sacrifice...


    ¡°Naturally the inner workings of females and males are different, as-as are their bodies. There will of course-course be differences. Now do be quiet.¡±


    Hinata-san laughed at her brother¡¯s annoyed look. ¡°Well, it certainly felt nasty and strange. Still, if it helps us secure our position, a bit of pain is worth it. So...¡± she turned back to us. ¡°... how was it, Tsumura-senpai?¡±


    ¡°It was magnificent!¡± Tsumura-san declared. ¡°His technique was basic, he has no foundation in combat arts it seems, yet his speed, precision, power... all were beyond my imagination! If I could learn that...¡±


    Wow, she looks gorgeous when flushed like that, her face like a maiden in love. Still, she loves my abilities, not me, and, not that I have any intention to do anything foolish, she¡¯s a noble, so I have to keep things very hands-off!


    ¡°That good, huh? Well, the trick with cutting the coins was very good too.¡± Hinata-san mused. ¡°So, you said your sister and another girl have done this already... that would be the one we met at the restaurant, right?¡±


    At her question I agreed and she continued. ¡°Yes, so those two girls... how strong are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, my sister hasn¡¯t reached the basic mastery of the technique yet.¡± I allowed. ¡°But Eri... she¡¯s reached the first milestone and has grown somewhat stronger. There¡¯s a long way to go, but...¡±


    As Shaeula began to work on Hori-san, starting to look pretty tired, I conversed with Hinata-san and Hiroto-san, Onoue-san only occasionally speaking. I talked more about what to expect in terms of boosts when one had a complete chakra network, though I skipped all mention of the Boundary for now. I mentioned I was visiting home to see them at the weekend, and Hinata-san looked a bit annoyed that she would be unable to train, but Shaeula scolded her, advising that until she had mastered the basics she was going to teach there would be no point in further lessons.


    Once she had finished with Tsumura-san, she ushered off the girls to another room to explain the way to pull in ether and convert it to strengthen the fragile networks they had been given, leaving me with Hiroto-san, who was looking at me seriously.


    ¡°So, this is safe, right? One guy to another? After all, my sister is taking part in this. I can¡¯t say I approve, but, well, I guess you are a brother too, you know how it feels.¡±


    ¡°I do indeed. By the way, you want a beer, or something harder?¡± since the girls weren¡¯t there, I fancied a drink.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask.¡± He laughed. A few moments later we were drinking whiskey and I answered him seriously.


    ¡°If it was up to me, I¡¯d never let my sister do anything dangerous. But...¡± I emphasised the point. ¡°... when I said the world has changed, I meant it. And I¡¯d rather she had the ability to defend herself from those who would misuse such power. And I¡¯ve had to fight several of those bastards, so they are out there. Besides, I trust Shaeula and her skills, and...¡± damn, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but as a brother who loves his sister, I sympathise. ¡°... in the unlikely event of disaster, I will take responsibility and save her So, as one brother to another, learn all you can, grow stronger, and make sure your sister is protected!¡±


    ¡°I can drink to that.¡± We clinked glasses. ¡°And any women we care about too, right?¡± he winked at me. ¡°Like your two gorgeous girls.¡±


    ¡°Damn right. Though trust me and stick to one girlfriend, you feel a right bastard cheating.¡±


    ¡°I bet. But sadly for noble families, the girls have to be chaste and get married off early, while the men play around and have fun, just so long as they take care and look after the girls they indulge with. Still, don¡¯t get me wrong, I love flirting around, but I¡¯ll always treat my girls right.¡±


    Girls, plural, huh? Well, I¡¯m not one to judge, else I¡¯d be a hypocrite. We continued to chat until Shaeula brought the girls back, thoughtful looks on their faces.


    ¡°Right, your turn.¡± Shaeula declared, pointing at Hiroto-san. ¡°Shirt off.¡±


    Before he could make a quip Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Do not-not even think about it. As I have said, you are but dust to me. I am merely showing you how to gather ether.¡±


    Exchanging commiserating looks with each other, I nodded, and Hiroto-san sighed, stripping off, the girls looking the other way...


    ********


    ¡°Well, that was quite the day.¡± I rubbed Shaeula¡¯s shoulders, massaging them gently. Leaning back into my touch she looked up, her amber eyes showing her exhaustion.


    ¡°Indeed. I managed five-five before, but Keomi and Maiko already had partial networks, so it was far-far easier. Also I rather disliked having to work-work on a male. You should learn Chirurgery so I do not-not have to touch one again.¡±


    ¡°I get it. I am trying.¡± I commiserated. ¡°Still, it was only poking him a bit with a finger.¡±


    ¡°You do not-not understand the heart of a female, do you?¡± she pouted. ¡°Now-now, spoil me, I have worked hard!¡±


    Taking her up on her request I continued to pamper her for several more hours, until it was time to enter the Boundary once more. Only a few astral days left... time to gather as much ether as we can so I can go on a mad spending spree...

 One Hundred And Seventy-Nine

    One Hundred And Seventy-Nine


    Shaeula and I spent some time heading south from our Territory, away from the centre of Tokyo. The buildings mirrored the Material world, lacking the grandeur of the skyscrapers that towered into the heavens at the heart of Tokyo both in the Material and the Boundary. Still, there were plenty of enemies to fight beyond our borders, though again they were mostly of the insectoid and undead types.


    Still, it had proved highly fruitful, and we moved our way through area after area, building after building, clearing them with our newfound strength. It was almost too easy, in fact, and didn¡¯t prove as useful in increasing our skills or my level as much as I had hoped. There were a few nascent Rank 0 Territories run by monsters, the most memorable being a group of around thirty-or-so monstrous bears, but none of them were able to communicate with or join us, so in the end we simply wiped them out, claiming their spoils for our own.


    All in all we added over six thousand ether to our stocks alone, and we also found a decent handful of Etherite ores, including a yellow one. When it was time to return, Shaeula decided she would remain behind and continue sweeping the area, further increasing what we would have to work with. I had my misgivings, but I trusted her enough to retreat if things got dangerous, and as she was now, it was simplicity itself for her to clear a building of giant ants, bees or zombies.


    Back in the Material, I checked my clock. Yeah, there¡¯s enough time. I made a quick breakfast of rice balls and miso soup, making sure to wrap a bowl and some spare balls for Shaeula when she finally returned. With that I headed out for my first appointment, with a tailor that was highly recommended by Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san.


    Ninety minutes later, I was being measured up, every inch of my body being meticulously detailed by the fussy older man with thinning hair that was moving around me, his assistant making notes of his findings.


    It¡¯s kind of fresh to hear my exact measurements. It isn¡¯t something I used to enjoy, but seeing hard work paying off is always thrilling. That good feeling lasted until I was presented with the projected bill for the suits I had ordered. Each was more costly than all the other clothes I owned put together! Damn, if I wasn¡¯t moving in exalted circles now I¡¯d stick with the suits I bought before. They were expensive enough!


    ¡°So, that will be two suits, one formal, one casual, with the materials...¡± the tailor started tallying up the bill as I put my shirt back on. ¡°... in addition to shirts, ties, cufflinks, a formal and an informal watch...¡± Damn, each shirt costs an order of magnitude more than the ones I own. And the watches... Patek Phillipe and Cartier... it¡¯s amazing how money can just vanish...


    ¡°... in addition, the third suit, made from the... special... materials. The total bill is...¡±


    I nearly blanked out at the total figure, which would be able to buy outright a modest apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo. Still, I paid without complaint. Having a suit made with anti-ballistic and anti-blade materials will give me the edge if combat spills into the Material again. I was told this store handles the suits for Fujiwara Security so they can be trusted.


    It would be a couple of weeks before everything was ready, apparently truly masterful suits took time to tailor. Until then I¡¯d have to make do. Saying my goodbyes I left and headed for my next destination, a hospital, where the Detective who was injured was recuperating...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡± knocking on the door to the private room, I quickly slid it open, seeing the occupants within. First, sitting up in bed, hooked up to various bleeping devices and a medical drip, was the pale-looking Detective. On seeing me, his eyes widened a little in surprise, but that was nothing compared to the reaction of the other person in the room.


    It was the female officer that was accompanying him during the disastrous battle at the shrine. Officer Usui... right? She was holding an apple and knife in her hands, and the plate with apple slices next to her showed she was indulging in the most cliche? hospital-visitor behaviour one could do. On seeing me her expression darkened, and she scowled, standing to get between me and the Detective. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± she declared, instinctively raising her little knife defensively.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± I agreed, and at my calm flippancy the Detective smiled slightly. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not here to cause trouble, so if you could put down that knife? It wouldn¡¯t hurt me anyway.¡±


    ¡°You can calm down, Officer Usui.¡± The Detective said, and she turned to glare at him, eyes moist with sudden tears.


    ¡°No, no I can¡¯t!¡± she snapped, completely disregarding that he was her superior. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to him you got shot, this is all his fault! You nearly died, right there in front of me...¡± her words came in a hot, angry cascade.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fair. I was a victim of crime as well. Isn¡¯t victim-blaming shameful for the police?¡± I retorted immediately, and she flushed, shamefaced. Still, it did little to cool her anger.


    ¡°You... you?¡± she spluttered, but the Detective spoke up to stop her in her tracks.


    ¡°Now, do calm down, Officer Usui. I understand why you are upset, but he is technically correct. Whether his actions led to such an outcome, he was the victim too. Besides...¡± he grimaced, feeling at his bandaged stomach. ¡°... without his help, I would likely have bled out and died before help could arrive. Whatever your feelings are about him, that is still worth some thanks, isn¡¯t it? Besides...¡± he looked at me now, bobbing his head in a small nod of thanks. ¡°... if he was a true criminal, I expect he would have disposed of you as well. It would have been easy for him to cover it up, or simplicity itself to claim you were killed by his attackers.¡±


    Well, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to make corpses disappear, but perhaps with elemental fire... yeah, I guess I could do it. On seeing I was thinking about it, the Detective chuckled, before breaking out into some coughing. Officer Usui turned her attention from me and offered him a glass of water, which he took with relief. After a few swallows, the fit had passed. ¡°Anyway, time for introductions again. I am Detective Kato Reiji, and this is my assistant for now, Officer Usui Yoriko.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio.¡± I reintroduced myself. ¡°The middle name is from my mother. It¡¯s a bit strange, I know, but I think it¡¯s been bringing me good fortune recently so...¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. You are here about the price for saving my life?¡± Detective Kato cut straight to the chase, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, though I think you will find it aligns with your own interests more than you¡¯d imagine. But before that...¡± I stepped forwards and Officer Usui tried to block me, but at a word from the Detective she stepped away, her animosity still clear.


    It¡¯s unusual for a woman to hate me so much. It feels pretty uncomfortable. Still, it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t understand. Placing a hand on his chest, I started probing the Detective with my aether. He shivered a little, and Officer Usui asked me what I was doing, her tone accusatory.


    ¡°I¡¯m just checking everything is healing up properly, and giving it a little help.¡± As I felt his injuries, I trickled in a bit of aether, speeding the mending of the internal wounds. ¡°I¡¯m not going to suddenly cure him, that¡¯d be way too hard to explain, but he should make a surprisingly rapid recovery.¡±


    ¡°It feels rather odd, but it doesn¡¯t hurt. Still, to think you can heal injuries mysteriously. If I didn¡¯t feel it with my own body when I was shot, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it. No, I would have.¡± He amended. ¡°Ever since those street punks were found beaten up, I just knew something unexplainable was happening. And I was right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes you were.¡± his Officer admitted again.


    ¡°All done. That should cut your recovery by a few days and make sure there are no complications.¡± I removed my hand and sat down in a vacant chair. Officer Usui muttered complaints under her breath, which sadly I could hear clearly, but she too sat down, going back to peeling her apples. She passed the plate to Detective Kato, who took a bite.


    ¡°Not bad. Thank you. So...¡± he turned his attention back to me. ¡°Make your pitch. You said you wanted my help with something in exchange for saving my life. And I remember telling you I wouldn¡¯t be a party to any criminal behaviour. So... what do you want?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. As you¡¯ve seen, the world is changing, and more criminals like Kondou Kazuo will arise who will use their new powers that can¡¯t be explained by science yet for their own gain, committing crimes in the process. If everyone is allowed to act as they please, law and order will collapse.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± The Detective encouraged me, and even Officer Usui was listening carefully.


    ¡°Obviously, the police are going to have to adapt to the changing world. You¡¯ve already shown an interest in pursuing the impossible, and while I maintain I have only acted in self-defence or to take out someone committing horrific crimes, I do acknowledge that having someone with the power that I do walking around without oversight is a great burden on any functioning society. Still, keeping the knowledge of the existence of those such as myself a secret as long as possible is wise, as it gives us and the country as a whole more time to prepare new and amended laws and measures of control.¡± Not that I¡¯m particularly eager to be under the control of anyone, but we need to live and function in the Material world. If we are declared the enemy of Japan, even with our skills we would be eventually killed, and even if not, what life is a life constantly on the run, always looking over our shoulders, waiting for an assassin? No, I need to show our value to those in power, making it so they need us too, and with our ties to the nobility and the shrines I¡¯ve made a good start...


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree.¡± Detective Kato nodded. ¡°It is the same reason that guns are so highly restricted in Japan. They aren¡¯t banned, but having them severely regulated has kept our level of gun crime amongst the lowest in the world.¡±


    At her ire and the impossible gusts that still blew across the room, he fell back down onto his chair. ¡°So... it¡¯s true. Magic does exist.¡± He managed to mutter, the shock stunning him.


    ¡°Well, not exactly. But powers and abilities that go beyond known science, yes. And while I¡¯ll spare you the details, Kondou had access to a cruel ability.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can take this. I don¡¯t want to know any more details about how my poor Haru suffered.¡± He moaned.


    ¡°Just... just read this please.¡± Shaeula had retrieved the rather tea-stained list that had blown off when she was enraged, and passed it to Suzuki-san. He took it gingerly and started to read, only for his shock to mount rapidly.


    ¡°Just... how did you get this? And why?¡± he asked, both puzzled and angry. ¡°Only my little girl would know these... did that monster torture her for information? But why about this? I don¡¯t understand. If it was to blackmail me, use my influence in the Diet, this is harmless, I would never...¡± his mind was racing, struggling to understand.


    ¡°Actually. I got this in preparation for us meeting.¡± I said, and he sat there open-mouthed, unable to process what I meant.


    ¡°Akio means he asked Haru himself. For though her Material form was killed so-so cruelly, her spirit lives on in the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Yes, all of these are true...¡± he gestured with the damp paper in his hand. ¡°But Haru is dead! How evil do you have to be to...¡± suddenly the paper in his hands was sliced to ribbons, and the falling pieces burst into flames and turned to ash, Shaeula once more unleashing her ire.


    ¡°What benefit would we have to lie-lie?¡± She scoffed, her expression cold. ¡°And those friends of yours, this Prime Minister, would he-he deceive you too? Besides...¡± her amber gaze was so intense Suzuki-san could only look away. ¡°... it is easily proven. Ask away, and Akio shall see her and find-find the answers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know this is hard to swallow, but... there is hope. But first, I need you to believe me.¡± I implored him. This really sucks. Facing a grieving parent like this, spilling impossible facts... but seeing Shaeula work her elemental arts, that has to make him wonder... people will grab any hope they can.


    ¡°I want to believe I can see my Haru again, but...¡± he started to cry then, big heaving sobs, and I was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. ¡°... if... if I grasp at hope and am betrayed... I¡¯ll die. I already... she¡¯d hate it if I was to end my... my life.¡±


    Left with no choice, I revealed a bit more than I wanted to. ¡°Look, Shaeula... she isn¡¯t a human like us. She dwells in another realm, one of the spirit. But it is possible to create a mortal body for her. Not easy, but possible. And you can see, she¡¯s real, no?¡± at my words he wiped tears from his eyes, looking at Shaeula, who nodded confirmation.


    ¡°Akio has brought me to the mortal world. I find it pleasant to be here indeed-indeed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a heaven, like some religions say. But there are other realities than these, and Haru-chan persists. I¡¯m not a god, I can¡¯t reverse the fact that she¡¯s been murdered. But in time... I know I can create a body for her just like Shaeula. She can walk beside you again, live a relatively normal life... she might have to change her name and pretend to be someone else, as her death is well-publicised, but wouldn¡¯t that be enough for you? So, I need you to be convinced. Ask me anything Haru-san would know, and I¡¯ll get the answers from her.¡±


    ¡°Akio would have you as another ally-ally.¡± Shaeula supported me. ¡°The cost to his resources would not-not be trivial, but for a friend, Akio would perform miracles.¡±


    Suzuki-san looked poleaxed, which was quite understandable. Hope warred with his despair, and in the end he realised he had nothing to lose believing me, but everything to gain if the truth was as we said. ¡°Very well.¡± He sniffled. ¡°Ask her this. On her fourteenth birthday...¡± he gave me ten questions for her, ranging from birthday presents, times she spent with her deceased mother and more. Once I had memorised them I nodded.


    ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± And with that I closed my eyes and entered the Boundary. As soon as I appeared there, Haru-san was waiting, hovering about nervously, wringing her transparent hands. On seeing me, she flew over.


    ¡°Is daddy there, is he... well?¡± she asked, her eyes hopeful yet aching with loss.


    ¡°Of course he isn¡¯t well. He misses you terribly.¡± I didn¡¯t lie. ¡°But... he¡¯s being strong for your sake, in your memory. Now, have you thought more about my offer? Your father is at least partially willing to believe me, even if his rational mind tells him it is impossible. So... I need your word.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed mournfully. ¡°If you help me regain my body, so I can go home, then I¡¯ll work for you, do anything you want. Anything.¡± She scrubbed at her overflowing tears that vanished before they struck the ground, puffing into silvery fog. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to some of the strange people here, and to Shaeula. You... you seem a good man. And my career in the Diet is dead and gone. If... if I can go home, I¡¯ll learn to fight, or use my gift to help you. I swear it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t make such a sad face. I won¡¯t deny there will be hardships ahead, but if we work together, then we can overcome them and grow stronger. Shaeula¡¯s helping you control the telepathy, right? A second chance is a precious thing. You might even be able to help the other poor wraiths who survived with you. So, now I just need the answer to a few questions...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... this Boundary sounds a strange place.¡± Suzuki-san was saying as I returned to the Material. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it is real.¡±


    ¡°Well, can you deny-deny my power?¡± Shaeula said, and he shook his head as I opened my eyes.


    ¡°All right.¡± I interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve the answers to your questions. First, on her fourteenth birthday you took her to see...¡± as I rattled off the correct answers one after another, Suzuki-san¡¯s expression changed. The despair started to fade, replaced with the first stirrings of hope.


    ¡°That¡¯s... incredible.¡± He said at last, and I noticed his hands had stopped trembling, and were now clutching at a fresh mug of tea, so hard his knuckles were turning white. ¡°There is no way you could know that, even if you were in league with the bastard who murdered my little girl. So...¡± he was unable to voice his hopes, but I did it for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m half-British. There¡¯s a famous English detective, everyone has heard of him, Sherlock Holmes. And what did he say? When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. I know this doesn¡¯t prove I can bring her to the Material world again, but it does prove she still exists, right? Else finding this out would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± He scrubbed away at more tears, these ones tears of bitter relief and faint hopes. ¡°But... how long would I have to wait? Years? Months? She must be in torment, desperate to come home.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it¡¯d be years. Though to be honest, I am very limited in numbers I can bring to the Material, and the cost in spiritual resources is high. I would hope we are looking at months rather than years though. As for her state now, she¡¯s sorrowful, sure. But she has company at least. I¡¯ll make sure she lives...¡± the word was ironic, but there was no better way of expressing it. ¡°... as comfortably as possible until such time as she can return.¡±


    ¡°Is there no way I can help you acquire these spiritual resources?¡± Suzuki-san asked, committing himself to the chance he could see his daughter again.


    ¡°As of yet, no. But you can still help us in other ways.¡± I advised him. ¡°The Prime Minster and Tsumura-san will be gathering support. Japan needs to be prepared for when news of the strange abilities people can have gets out. Having a trustworthy Minister for Finance signing the cheques for needed expenses would be very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You win. But... can you pass on a message to Haru for me? Tell her daddy is sorry, and he failed her. But if given a second chance, he¡¯ll make sure that she never suffers again.¡±


    After hearing his heartfelt plea, there was no way I could refuse, or indeed a reason to. ¡°I can do that. Now go home and clean yourself up. Then speak to Tsumura-san. You have a lot of work to do.¡± As do I. Tomorrow is the big day. Rank 3, here we come!

 One Hundred And Eighty

    One Hundred And Eighty


    Continuing our efforts to accrue resources before the Anchor upgraded, Shaeula and I continued our push to the south. Again, there was little resistance of note, though we did run into a rather large Territory of orcs, the Japanese-type similar to those that Kondou had commanded. Initially I thought to try and talk to them, making a useful alliance, but this was quickly stymied by the rather stereotypical reaction the piggish brutes had on seeing Shaeula.


    In their excitement, they were in no mood to listen or negotiate, and at that point I decided that orcs were unlikely to be welcome in my forces. Shaeula took it further of course, her pinwheels humming as her bluesteel cables quickly reaped their lives, blood and severed body parts scattering everywhere before fading into welcome ether. I had joined in, testing my new earth elemental abilities fully, and with hurled projectiles of rock and vicious stone spikes that ripped from the ground, we subdued them, leaving no survivors.


    Most of our forces, other than the few needed to protect the Anchor and our vassal Territory, were all hard at work expanding in various directions, and a steady stream of ether was flooding in as the countdown to the finished upgrade ticked lower and lower. I was eventually rewarded with another level-up as well, climbing to level forty-five. It was certainly a slog, I had to kill a lot of enemies, but since most of them were clearly no match for us, I suppose I should be grateful that I got any experience at all.


    Turning to Shaeula, who was retrieving another Etherite she had spotted, I spoke. ¡°So, want to head back? There¡¯s only a couple of astral hours left before we are done.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Very well-well. I can hardly wait until we can finally rest easy, knowing we have-have defences protecting our Territory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± I laughed, as we headed back north, passing swathes of buildings and cramped alleyways that we had purged of undead, monstrous rats and swarms of vile bugs. ¡°We¡¯ve had some really tense times.¡±


    As we reminisced about the many furious battles we had endured over the past few weeks, we quickly arrived, to be greeted by a third Kamaitachi, who greeted us politely.


    ¡°Princess, welcome back-back.¡± he grinned. This one was easily identifiable as it had a white splotch in its fur across the shoulder. He wasn¡¯t one I had personally killed, but one that Grulgor¡¯s trolls had slain prior to me meeting Shaeula. And thanks to Kin Restoration and power draining slowly from the both of us, he had been revived. In addition, the slain musician, as well as a few other weaselkin, had also been brought back. Now only four balls of faintly glowing light remained circling Shaeula, her last Kamaitachi among them.


    ¡°I have returned.¡± She agreed. ¡°Has there been any-any trouble?¡±


    ¡°None-none.¡± The Kamaitachi shook his head. ¡°Our borders have been quiet.¡±


    Leaving Shaeula to finish talking to her freshly-restored Kin, I entered the spatial distortion, the dungeon, where my Anchor lurked. The halo of ether around it and the Silo was blinding, and the amount was noticeably greater than I had expected. I guess everyone has been working hard. Damn, this is really exciting. As I watched the remaining time tick below an hour, I ran through my plans one final time. I know what I want to do, though... I guess if we get any new options at Rank 3, I might have to make some changes to the plan...


    Shaeula joined me, her Kamaitachi and a few weaselkin we had left behind in tow. She glanced at the fiercely glowing silver pillar that was the Anchor with some interest. It had grown thicker again, now as wide around as Shaeula was, and the base was expanding.


    ¡°It is growing quite-quite large. The surface seems rough now as well.¡± She observed, reaching out a hand to the Anchor, only to pull it back with a yelp as the surging energies stung her. Sucking on her fingers, she looked at me as if daring me to laugh, but I was too clever to do that. It was rather funny though.


    ¡°Yeah, the smooth silver has changed.¡± I agreed, now that I looked more closely. A series of shallow fissures ran through the silver, and there were slightly raised portions too. ¡°It... it kind of looks like bark, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I mused.


    Shaeula let out another yelp, this time covering her eyes. She had used her Mystic Eyes to observe, and the light had momentarily blinded her. Wiping at her watering orbs, she looked at me accusatorially. I¡¯m still not going to laugh.


    ¡°This Anchor is trying to pick a fight-fight with me.¡± She pouted. ¡°Still, for a moment I could see-see a connection, a silvery spire rising into the Lower Astral. Perhaps higher. It seemed to be pulling down ether from above.¡±


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh. Yes, it is quite fascinating, is it not?¡± Ixitt spoke up from behind us, his own contraption of whirring lenses on his face rapidly changing which glass he was looking through as he studied the Anchor. He must have come in while we were distracted. At my inquiring gaze he shrugged. ¡°Keh-heh. You did not expect me to miss this opportunity, did, keh-keh, you? I need to compare this to the initial formation of an Anchor, keh-keh. So far, I am not disappointed.¡±


    Shaeula sniffed pointedly, clearly offended that Ixitt could discover anything that she could not. Still, Ixitt only coughed more and laughed harder, taking no offense. ¡°Worry not, keh-keh-KEH, princess. I can but see the same, keh, as you.¡± Some of the lenses were of a smoked, dark glass, and these were in front of his eyes, muting the glow. ¡°It, keh, connects somewhere higher indeed.¡±


    As the timer ticked down to the last few minutes the intensifying glow spread out, significantly more vivid than any previous upgrade. The pressure was uncomfortable, the air dense with ether. Only Shaeula, Ixitt and I now remained, our other troops having withdrawn.


    ¡°Keh-keh. Princess, your eyes. Use them to observe him at the moment of, keh-keh, completion.¡± He suddenly said, having an epiphany. Shaeula looked at me, questioning, and I nodded.


    ¡°Sure, why not. It can¡¯t hurt. Anyway, final minute.¡±


    As I watched the counter tick down, Ixitt was using various instruments to examine the Anchor, while Shaeula was looking at me, her eyes glowing brilliantly, her amber merging with the rainbow glow of the ether around us. I could feel myself flushing as she stared at me, and she grinned wickedly, perhaps enjoying the turnabout from earlier.


    ¡°Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven...¡± I counted down. ¡°... Two. One.¡± At that moment the glow collapsed in on itself, the anchor simultaneously growing and twisting, and I was overwhelmed by a cascade of information, burning silvery letters flooding my vision. As I absorbed the information within, I could barely hear Ixitt cackling and Shaeula asking me if I was well. Nodding vaguely to reassure her, I checked the words before they faded....


    Your Territory Anchor has been upgraded to Rank 3. This greatly increases the control you have over your Territory and weakens intruders. Your Territory has fully adapted to the Boundary.


    You have control of some areas of the Material that overlap with your Territory. In these areas, ether density will increase, and some ether will leak down to the Material. You Territory can exert limited authority over these Material areas.


    The area covered by your Territory has expanded to 10,000 metres in radius and its defensive strength has increased. Defensive Emplacements will exert further additional offensive power.


    You will draw more ether from your Territory, and may now construct an additional eight Ether Spires. Your buildings can be upgraded further. Caps on most buildings have been relaxed. You can now construct or upgrade three buildings at once.


    ¡°Great. And we have to spread our Ether Spires too. But first, we get eight more...¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Ether Spires we could build more of. In addition, we could build a second Throne of Heroes, as well as more of other of the specialised buildings. Relaxed caps, huh? ¡°Time to use the power of pay-to-win!¡± one by one I queued in Ether Spires, and then rush-built them. The cost was effectively doubled from 12,000 ether to 24,000, but it saved eight astral days of build time, and meant we could balance our Spires placement effectively.


    ¡°So, fourteen spires. Five here, five at your old Territory, and four by the Rhyming Tree. We have to move a few, but that gives us maximum elemental gains, as well as the best ether density we can pull from. I¡¯ll split the Rank 2 ones up, so two at each location.¡±


    With that done, I moved the main Silo, along with the Elemental one and the other storage buildings to the shrine. I then rush-built two more Rank 1 Silos, paired with Rank 1 Elemental Silos at the cost of 5,200 ether. Spending is addictive. Still, getting the basics done is vital.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula mused, as I set them up in her old Territory and by the Rhyming Tree. ¡°We can now at least store some dark and earth energies.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯ll also move the Barracks and Spawning Spire. The Warehouse too. And the Defensive Emplacements. We¡¯ll consolidate all these around the shrine and Anchor for now, so that only resource-gathering options are exposed elsewhere, for now anyway.¡±


    ¡°We will need-need greater defences.¡± Shaeula posited. ¡°I have no wish to be as vulnerable again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I intend to have at least four Emplacements at each of the four key locations, though we have some other stuff to sort out first. Before that though, let¡¯s check out the Anchor Spires, I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, and using her Throne of Heroes-given access to the build queues, she scanned them with me. Right, 10,000 ether and five astral days each for Rank 1. There were a little over twenty options, with more not-yet available. Scanning through them I couldn¡¯t help but whistle. These are good! REALLY good.


    ¡°It seems our gamble has paid off.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°Although with my Fortune supporting you, there should be no-no surprise at that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, having Anchor Spires is a huge advantage over those that don¡¯t.¡± I agreed. ¡°They are all so good, it¡¯s hard to choose. But the best ones seem to be these. Build Queue Spire, Ether Density Spire, Ether Spire Enhancement Spire, Territory Expansion Spire, Barrier Enhancement Spire, and Defensive Emplacement Enhancement Spire. Screw it. I know what the first option should be.¡±


    I quickly added the Build Queue Spire to an open slot at the cost of 10,000 ether. Its description was This Anchor Spire opens up an additional Build Queue. At Rank 1 you can construct Rank 1 Anchor Spires, or Rank 1 and 2 normal buildings.


    Shaeula raised an eyebrow at me, wondering perhaps why I didn¡¯t choose one of the others first, but I explained. ¡°It may seem like ether is the problem, and yeah, I get it, we need as much ether as we can get, but once buildings start reaching higher ranks the real bottleneck is time. An extra build queue allows us to work on longer-term projects, or race through lots of smaller buildings. In mobile gacha games, people spend a fortune on stuff like this. Resources can always be gained, but time is finite.¡±


    As the remaining buildings were shuffled around to the positions we wanted, it was time to take stock. ¡°We need to work out just how much ether we have to work with. I¡¯ve spent a bit over forty thousand already. Fetch all the Etherites. I know they likely have uses, but for now... time to get building!¡±


    We had roughly 210,000 ether remaining, which was way more than I expected after spending 42,000. But then Shaeula and I had rampaged liberally, bringing in a lot over the last few days, and everyone else had been equally motivated, clearing whatever enemies they could. I then broke down the Etherites we had gathered, in addition to the ones the Kobolds had found in their mines, taking my total to just above a quarter of a million. Which is just what I need for the upgrade...


    With a feeling of loss, I watched as my Silo was sucked dry of ether. Seeing my pain, Shaeula patted my back gently. ¡°At least-least we still have the box of Etherites my useless brother brought.¡± She consoled me, and I hugged her, feeling her warmth. ¡°Yeah, easy come, easy go. Besides, this building is far more important than money.¡±


    Throne of Heroes Rank 2 ¨C This building empowers the Chosen Heroes of the Territory Ruler, granting them multiple benefits. At Rank 2 an additional two Chosen Heroes can be selected. They can exert greater control over the Territory, allowing access to the Territory build queues and other more significant features. They will gain a slightly larger boost to all of their statistics, which is greater within the Territory proper, and have a maximum level of fifteen. They are also more likely to develop new special abilities. They can also manifest a material body, or an astral body, if they do not possess the ability to do this.


    At a quarter of a million ether and fifty days to build it was quite the investment. Still, I was leaning heavily on Shaeula, so giving her access to ten more levels would be a huge boost, and more significantly, I could appoint and empower two more Heroes, who would be capable of joining us in the Material if needed.


    Shaeula was happy that I relied on her, and that I was rewarding her by strengthening her still further. After some more hugging and a rather pleasant exchange of kisses, we parted, and began shattering Etherites, the small number of green ones offering significant quantities of ether. So it¡¯s around a hundred for a red, give or take. Twice that for an orange. Yellows give four times that, or somewhere around eight hundred to a thousand. And greens... yeah, between six and ten thousand. So a blue would be... Grieving that in the end Shaeraggo was unable to bring us a blue Etherite, we continued clearing out the box until everything was broken down.


    ¡°Well, I take-take it back. My brother was not entirely useless.¡± She declared. Once the box had been emptied, our stock of ether was around 130,000. A bit more than we had hoped. The Trial of Three had been gruelling indeed, but we had gained a lot from it. It puts is ahead of other Candidates that didn¡¯t have such a lucky break...


    ¡°Okay, so we have two priorities. Firstly... we need to upgrade the eight new Spires to Rank 2. That¡¯s 7,500 a pop, or 22,500 for an instant build. So, we fall short. In addition, I really want to plant a Boundary To Material Connection where we intend to do our training.


    Boundary To Material Connection Rank 1 ¨C This Connection allows an area of your Territory that you have full ownership of in the Material that is connected to a Boundary area that you also control to be supplied with energy, pulling ether and aether from the Astral and dispersing it. The amount of energy supplied depends on the Connection Rank, and you can allow this energy to remain free in the Material, gradually saturating it, or use it to power certain feats, though they will be weakened on the Material. At Rank 1 this affects a maximum area of 20 metres in radius.


    ¡°At Rank 1 it is 8,000 ether and four days. Rank 2 the radius increases to 100 metres and the effect and speed of dispersal slightly increases. Though that is 32,000 and sixteen days. Okay, calculation time...¡±


    Shaeula waited patiently as I went through everything. Hyacinth brought us more of her fruit juice, which we took gratefully, but I shut out her ramblings and ran the numbers. 60,000 for eight Ether Spires to Rank 2 at forty days total. If I speed-build the Rank 1 Boundary To Material Connection that¡¯s 16,000, and 32,000 for the Rank 2... a total of 108,000... It was doable, and I¡¯d have enough left to rush-build a spire, but was saving five days in one queue worth fifteen thousand ether at the moment?


    Not when I have two more Anchor Spires to build, as well as... ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll keep a bit of cash in reserve.¡± I rush-built the Boundary To Material Connection at Rank 1 where the centre of our training facility would be. 20 metres in radius didn¡¯t cover all of it, but even so, when it was increased to 100 metres that would be better.


    ¡°All right... my queues look like this.¡± The first queue had the Build Queue Spire at five days, the second had the Throne of Heroes Rank 2 at fifty days, and the last held eight Ether Spire Rank 2¡¯s, and then a Boundary To Material Connection Rank 2, at a total of fifty-six days. We had twenty-two thousand ether remaining, and in five days I would have two build queues to play with.


    ¡°All right, I think we are done for now.¡± I declared, mentally drained by the effort of deciding between a multitude of things I wanted. ¡°Time to set out the next stage of our expansion plans.¡±


    Beside me Shaeula nodded, and followed by her two scowling maids and the extremely energetic Hyacinth, I gathered everyone together at the shrine to debate our future direction...

 Side Fifty-Five – Watanabe Karen

    Side Fifty-Five ¨C Watanabe Karen


    ¡°Thank you, oh thank you!¡± her neighbour, Tanaka-san, was bowing repeatedly, so low his head was almost touching his knees. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, I promise!¡±


    I¡¯m so embarrassed. All I wanted to do was a favour for a neighbour down on his luck, like Akio-kun did for me... Forcing a smile, Karen nodded, backing up towards the door. ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡± she agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the advance of salary for the first month when I get back to the office. You can start tomorrow, once you¡¯ve got everything in order and cleaned yourself up.¡±


    ¡°The office is at Shirohebizumi shrine, right?¡± Tanaka-san said, showing life in his dull eyes for the first time in weeks. ¡°That¡¯s quite a decent commute!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the office outbuilding on the back hill of the shrine. It¡¯s the second building, the first is the home of our boss, so don¡¯t go bothering him, all right?¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± he started bowing again, tears and even some snot dripping from his face. Oh gods, this is awful. Seeing someone so much older than me acting so grateful to the extent that they¡¯d even cry about it... Akio-kun owes me another bottle of whiskey.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be some travel involved, to Osaka, Sapporo and a few other cities. When you need to go, I¡¯ll arrange the tickets, and you¡¯ll get expenses. I assume your work suits are still fine?¡±


    ¡°I might need to get them taken in a bit.¡± Tanaka-san chuckled, self-deprecatingly. ¡°I... well I haven¡¯t been eating properly these past few months.¡± Indeed, the older man did look gaunt, and his hairline had receded significantly, his remaining hair grey. ¡°But I should be fine. Hotels, huh? Not the business I was in before, but I have some experience in Human Resources, so I should be fine.¡±


    ¡°You can always liaise with the HR department for the chain as well, if there are any problems. Here¡¯s his card.¡± She passed over Fukuda-san¡¯s contact details. ¡°Still, we¡¯d like to handle most matters in-house if possible, we deal with a lot of confidential matters and important clients, so...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say a word, I completely understand.¡± Tanaka-san was wiping at his face, trying unsuccessfully to clean the mess off. Wordlessly Karen handed him a handkerchief, and he took it gratefully, flushed with embarrassment. So not cute, seeing an older guy bawl and blush like a girl. Still, his emotions are a mess. I can sympathise. I remember when I was at rock bottom, before Akio-kun reached out a hand to me. It¡¯s why I want to pay it forwards. Of course, I need the help too...


    ¡°I¡¯ll have your company mobile and laptop ready for collection tomorrow. There¡¯ll also be a lot of research and information gathering, on a variety of strange subjects. How¡¯s your IT skills?¡±


    ¡°Passable.¡± Tanaka-san admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t claim to be able to keep up with the younger generation, it¡¯s... it¡¯s one of the reasons I was let go, but I¡¯m thorough and have work ethic! I¡¯ll get the job done, whatever it is!¡±


    Well, I like his enthusiasm anyway. ¡°Great, well, I¡¯ll let the boss know you¡¯re hired on, and no doubt he¡¯ll come and see you at some point, to welcome you to the team. Now all I need is another recruit and I can finally start to relax a bit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m amazed to find out Oshiro-san was such a big-shot.¡± Tanaka-san mused. ¡°He always struck me as a quiet, polite young man, keeping to himself.¡±


    Yeah, I thought the same too, but look at him now. Two-timing a couple of beautiful girls, owning hotels, being fabulously wealthy... That wasn¡¯t all. There were very intimidating security in plain clothes lurking about the shrine, and the other night, when she was working late, some remarkably expensive cars had driven up to the shrine, with some passengers who just radiated high-class getting out. Most of them were girls as well. Akio-kun really is a playboy. Well, can¡¯t say I blame him. In his position I¡¯d enjoy myself too... The uniforms the girls were wearing stood out to her, they looked pretty unique and old-fashioned, pure black sailor-suit style, with bright crimson ribbons and edging, but the skirts and sleeves were long and modest, ankle and wrist length, giving it a refined, tidy look. Being an expert researcher now after Akio-kun¡¯s many strange requests, it didn¡¯t take me too long to find out which school they were from, not that there was much information online. It was as if details about the school were restricted somehow, or regularly scrubbed from public view. Hanafubuki Private Academy. One of the few posts she managed to find talking about the school said it was probably called that as the girls attending the school were as beautiful and elegant as a cherry-blossom blizzard, and just as rare to see... seriously, Akio-kun is treading on dangerous ground if he¡¯s messing with girls from that school. Apparently only the daughters of the most important and rich families in Japan go there...


    ¡°Uh, Watanabe-san, is everything all right?¡± Tanaka-san interjected nervously, seeing as she had gone silent.


    ¡°Oh sorry, was just thinking about the boss. Yeah, he¡¯s a good kid for sure. He gave me a chance when I was staring into the abyss, and I took it. I¡¯m expecting you to do the same, got it?¡±


    As he assured her that he would grasp the chance firmly and not disappoint her or Akio-kun, she smiled and said her farewells, stepping out of the dingy (and none too clean) apartment, taking a deep breath of the crisp air, a faint chill heralding the end of summer clearing her lungs. Yeah, it smelt of despair and sorrow in there. Still... suddenly she blushed, remembering her apartment in an even worse state when Akio-kun visited. Damn, I had even left my used underwear lying around. I guess Tanaka-san isn¡¯t so bad in comparison. Still, it was a risk taking him on, so to start with she wouldn¡¯t give him any critical jobs, or ones that required strange secrecy. Yeah, I¡¯m not stupid. Something VERY strange is happening at that shrine. I¡¯m not in a position to ask though. I daresay I¡¯ll find out in due course... huh?


    An unusual sight was sitting a few doors down from Tanaka-san¡¯s apartment, a schoolgirl, by the looks of it. That¡¯s gyaru fashion, right? Karen had been a bit of a gal in her younger days, wearing her skirts short, her shirt a little too unbuttoned, and her make-up heavy, but she had never gone down the gyaru route, the look being rather too extreme for her. Besides, I wanted to be cute and liked, not gossiped about. She was sure that most gyaru weren¡¯t promiscuous like the stereotype, but even so...


    The girl was heavily tanned, and her hair was bleached a messy blonde. Her make-up was heavy too, dark eyeshadow and heavy lipstick on her face. She was wearing an unfamiliar school uniform, not one Karen recognised from the local schools, and her skirt was so short Karen could see up it as she crouched in front of an apartment, arms around her legs, face downcast. That¡¯s Hashimoto-san¡¯s door, right? He did say he had a daughter in school, but what is she doing here in the middle of the day? Is she playing truant? If so... why here?


    The girl looked up as Karen scrutinised her, but after a moment she looked down again, ignoring her. Shaking her head, Karen decided to intervene. ¡°Excuse me, are you all right? Not at school today?¡±


    The girl looked up once more. ¡°No... not today. I¡¯m... yeah, I¡¯m totes sick, all right? But my dad¡¯s at work, so I¡¯m locked out. Sucks, but what can I do?¡± she looked away guiltily.


    ¡°So, are you Hashimoto-san¡¯s girl? If so, he probably won¡¯t be back until pretty late. He¡¯s working way too much overtime recently.¡±


    At mention of Hashimoto-san, her face twisted into an annoyed expression, but she nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m like... Hashimoto Sana. Nice to meet you or something?¡±


    Don¡¯t sound like you aren¡¯t sure... ¡°I¡¯m Watanabe Karen. Nice to meet you, Sana-san. I can call you that, right?¡± she asked, trying to be friendly. ¡°I¡¯m a neighbour of your father.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure, don¡¯t mind, I guess.¡± She twizzled some of her blonde hair with a couple of fingers, looking a bit self-conscious. ¡°So dad¡¯s not back for a while... ugh, this sucks.¡± At that moment her stomach rumbled loudly, and she blushed, looking away.


    Damn, I can¡¯t leave her here all alone I guess. ¡°I¡¯m heading back to work now. It¡¯s only a kilometre or so, up on the hill, so why not come along and wait there? I¡¯ve some food in the fridge, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±


    At the mention of food she perked up. ¡°For reals? You can do that? I totes wouldn¡¯t have thought your boss or co-workers would be happy.¡±


    ¡°As it happens my boss is a pretty chill guy.¡± Karen smiled, thinking that Akio-kun was way too generous for his own good, really. ¡°And while I¡¯ve just recruited a colleague, he doesn¡¯t start until tomorrow. And since the boss and his girlfriend told me they¡¯d be busy all day today, I can¡¯t see there being a problem. Besides, my boss knows your dad anyway, he wouldn¡¯t like it if I left you loitering here all alone. There was a whole big thing with yakuza attacks around here recently, so it¡¯s not entirely safe.¡±


    ¡°So... she¡¯s finally moved in my replacement huh?¡± he muttered, forlorn, before realising the implications. ¡°Wait, does your mother know you are here? You ran away from home? Damn, Sana, this is going to be trouble!¡±


    ¡°Uh, I guess I ran away? But is it really running away when I¡¯m with my dad? Besides, if I¡¯d have told my mom, she¡¯d have totes flipped. She says you have no ambition and are never going to amount to nothing. I mean, look around. I can see why mom gets so pissed with you, dad.¡±


    ¡°Young lady, watch your language!¡± he scolded her. ¡°It isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t have ambition, but... the real world isn¡¯t so easy. Times are tough all around, the jobs market is tough.¡±


    ¡°Well, Karen-chan here managed to score a sweet gig, right?¡± Sana-san pressed him. ¡°If you don¡¯t try, you¡¯ll never do it, ya feel me? You think I want to have a loser for a dad and a mom that thinks she¡¯s my age, clinging all over her boyfriend like she¡¯s a schoolgirl? Ugh, my life sucks, it¡¯s totes not fair!¡±


    ¡°Sana!¡± Hashimoto-san scolded her, but she continued to barrage him with complaints. In the end, Karen was just a passive listener, sipping at her beer as he rang his ex-wife and argued with his daughter. Yeah, I know good deeds are supposed to be their own reward, but this is NOT fair at all...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this.¡± Hashimoto-san bowed, offering her another beer. Karen had half a mind to leave, but her years of working with her shitty ex-boss left her strong to discomfort, so she managed to stick it out.


    As he opened his own beer and swigged at it, exhaustion writ over his features, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hear me argue with my ex-wife. Still, it¡¯s hardly my fault Sana turned up here. At least she was reasonable enough to let her stay the night. Sending her home this late isn¡¯t wise.¡±


    Sana-san was watching TV in the corner, some sort of idol programme by the looks of it, a trio of older girls dancing around in pretty uniforms. She had also argued with her mother, and it had degenerated into a shouting match until Sana-san finally threw down the phone and started sulking.


    Maybe it¡¯s a good job I never got married and had kids... ¡°Well, I remember what it was like to be a rebellious young girl. She¡¯ll grow out of it.¡± Maybe. Her skills as a salarywoman were kicking in, and she started making small-talk. ¡°So, how¡¯s work? You seem awfully busy recently.¡±


    As his face fell at her words she realised she had said the wrong thing. He glanced at his daughter, and seeing she was engrossed in the idol show, he lowered his voice, perhaps happy to have someone to complain to. ¡°Not so good. I think our company is going under. That¡¯s why there is so much overtime. But it¡¯s just busywork, it isn¡¯t bringing in orders.¡± He sighed, a long, bitter exhalation. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what I¡¯m going to do when the company folds. I¡¯m too old to get more than part-time work in a supermarket or something of that ilk. I really will be the failure my ex-wife and daughter think I am then.¡±


    His face was red from a mixture of the alcohol and stress, and Karen had the horrible feeling he was going to cry. Seriously, I had enough of that with Tanaka-san. Still... was it co-incidence Sana-san was waiting out there today, or fate? ¡°Can I ask a pretty personal question?¡± she asked, and he nodded, surprised.


    ¡°You can. After all, I owe you for your help with Sana today.¡±


    ¡°How much are you on at your company, and what are the perks like?¡±


    ¡°Perks?¡± he scoffed bitterly. ¡°If you count unpaid overtime as a perk, my job is great. Otherwise...¡± he quoted a figure, clearly embarrassed.


    ¡°I see. Yeah, that¡¯s rough.¡± Poor bastard, he was on even less than I was! ¡°So, you do much work on computers and the internet?¡±


    ¡°Spreadsheets, databases, yeah, I do some.¡± He admitted, confused by the strange turn the conversation was taking.


    In that case... After all, I did need a second recruit. Karen put on her most enticing smile. ¡°In that case, I have an offer for you, one you should think about seriously...¡±


    ********


    Hashimoto-san had listened incredulously as I told him I had hired on Tanaka-san, and was still looking for another assistant. Incredulity had given way to interest as I outlined the benefits package and wages, and it quickly became hope.


    After a hushed discussion we shook hands on the deal, and Hashimoto-san, well, Noboru-san, as he was now insisting she call him, called out excitedly to his daughter, eager to share the news.


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t ya see I¡¯m watching this? This group is hot right now, so missing this would suck. I¡¯d totes have nothing to talk about at school when I¡¯m next there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a new job!¡± he declared, and it was as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. ¡°Maybe you can be a little bit nicer to your dear old dad now, Sana?¡±


    At that she did look over doubtfully. ¡°Uh, Karen-chan, are ya really sure you want to hire that deadbeat? He¡¯s getting on a bit. You were nice, so I don¡¯t want my dad to let you down.¡±


    At that Karen laughed. ¡°Well, you did want him to have more ambition, right? Look at me, I¡¯ve had two pay rises in only a couple of weeks on the job, and now I¡¯m managing staff. If Noboru-san works hard, maybe he can rise up the ladder too. Anyway, my work here is done. You two play nice, all right, and I¡¯ll see you whenever you take care of your prior employment, Noboru-san.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget this.¡± He promised. ¡°I dare say they¡¯ll let me leave to cut costs. They think I¡¯m just an old relic anyway.¡±


    ¡°Great. Anyway, it¡¯s been nice meeting you, Sana-san.¡±


    ¡°You too, Karen-chan.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°Say hi to your hot boss for me. And maybe wear your skirt a bit shorter? And pop a few buttons, show off your best assets. That¡¯s totes the best way to grab a guy, right?¡±


    Karen flushed. Damn, she sure is cheeky. As Noboru-san started telling off Sana-san, who fired back loudly, she let herself out. Well, I¡¯ve recruited my staff, maybe they won¡¯t be the best, but their loyalty should be ours. Still, what a rough day. That bottle of whiskey has my name on it...

 One Hundred And Eighty-One

    One Hundred And Eighty-One


    Seeing all our forces arrayed under the light of the Anchor on the shrine grounds, our many buildings around giving off their own silver brilliance, I felt an unmistakable sense of pride and accomplishment. Beside me was Shaeula, equally proud, standing imperiously as though she was surveying her subjects, which I guessed in a sense she was. Behind Shaeula were her two weaselkin maids, for once looking happy, probably as Shaeula was acting like the princess they expected her to be.


    Behind me, however, were my two attendants, Azuki, the small Zashiki-Warashi keeping her nervous distance from the smirking Hyacinth, the beautiful yet disturbing boggart. Yeah, I¡¯m not sure who comes off worse... though if I had to put up with the glares from her maids every day I¡¯d probably go insane so...


    Hyacinth was muttering something disturbing about ¡°showing the master just how clean everything is, every noooook and cranny¡± so I chose to interpret that as her talking about how clean the buildings were now and ignored her. Instead, I concentrated on our forces. There were Shaeula¡¯s weaselkin, led by the three Kamaitachi, as well as the extra ones she commanded through the Barracks. The kobolds, of which even accounting for the ones from the Spawning Spire, there seemed to be a lot more of, seemed intimidated by the Seelie around them. Yeah, when they first met me, they said they had fled from the Seelie. Shaeula used to call them ¡®dog-headed pests¡¯ too. Still, Shaeula had grown, and no longer treated them poorly, which made me proud of her.


    Then there were the trolls under Grulgor. They were few in number, but armed with my heavy steel armour and weapons, they were truly living forces of destruction. On seeing my gaze, Grulgor grinned, a mouthful of slab-like teeth grinding together as he rumbled his appreciation. I guess he has had quite a few decent battles recently.


    The White Snake kami, owner of the shrine, and his attendants were next. Ixitt and his numerous ratkin family were beside them, and the other rats looked embarrassed as Ixitt was barely concentrating, his attention on the many buildings surrounding us, lenses whirring and strange steampunk devices clicking.


    We then had the numerous weaselkin we inherited from Shaeraggo. There were archers, spearweasels and the heavily armoured knights. Danaera led her mages, while Tillyae marshalled the musicians, who were playing a gentle, yet regal tune, perfect for this occasion. Hovering above them was Haru-san, who had finally agreed to serve me, and the few remaining ghosts.


    Lastly there was Ulfuric, standing there imperious, and the dwarf Bjarki, though they were only on loan to us for three moons. Still, they rounded off things nicely. I exchanged a look with Shaeula, and she grinned, perhaps understanding my thoughts. Yeah, we¡¯ve come a long way. The Territory is Rank 3, we have decent ether coming in now, and in the Material, we¡¯ve gathered money, property and made connections. All right, time for a speech. Damn, I¡¯m nervous...


    ¡°Well, thanks for coming everyone.¡± I began, and Shaeula snickered. Steeling myself, I continued. ¡°We survived our recent trials, and our enemies have been vanquished. Still, this is only the start. There are many other Territories out there. Those we can get along with, I¡¯d like to ally with. Those which become our enemies...¡± I paused for a moment, before making my declaration. It¡¯s too late to back down now. I¡¯ve killed. My hands are already bloody to protect the Earth and those I love. ¡°... well, if they aren¡¯t irredeemable we can offer them another chance after we defeat them. But those that do evil... they will be destroyed, and what was theirs will be ours.¡±


    At that there were cheers from some of our forces. Shaeula took my hand and squeezed it, conveying her approval. Once the noise died down I continued. ¡°Now that we can expand our holdings, the priority should be to bring new areas into our control, securing resources. Still, we need to not neglect our defences. Soon I plan to add Defensive Emplacements at key points, and we will have more Barracks and Spawning Spires. I would like to push for Rank 4 at some point but... that is for the future.¡±


    No shit. Just before the meeting I had checked the cost to upgrade, expecting it to follow the pattern to the prior upgrades, so being a million ether and a thousand astral days, but I was brutally wrong.


    Upgrading to Rank four would cost ten million and take five thousand days! It was an utter kick in the teeth, but on reading the reasons, it made sense. Apparently Rank 3 to Rank 4 was a bottleneck, as when the Territory reached Rank 3, it had fully adapted to the Boundary, so Rank 4 pushed the Territory into the lower Astral proper, as well as sending deeper roots down into the Material. Yeah, I want that. I want that bad. But even though getting together ten million, while challenging, seemed far from impossible, having the Territory defenceless for so long was a total no-go. As for rush-building... yeah, the cost of that was also immense.


    No, instead we¡¯ll focus on upgrading and building as much as we can for now, and securing more overlapping property in the Material. ¡°There¡¯s a small Territory to our north. We should investigate that, and in addition...¡± as I continued to give orders, for the first time I started feeling, if not like an Emperor, at least a little like a noble...


    ********


    Now that our forces were deployed, there was one last thing to do. Ixitt and Bjarki were still at the shrine, while Hyacinth was serving everyone drinks. ¡°All right then.¡± I said, opening up the Warehouse and Treasury, which had been locked until the upgrade to the Anchor completed. ¡°These are the materials and treasures we had stored. If there¡¯s anything you can use, feel free.¡±


    Out popped a few wyrm and other monster materials, as well as a scattering of jewels, rough stones and some of the strange ores we got from the cavern where the Foehn was in Las Vegas. Also out popped a small hand-mirror and a white, flowing vestment. Oh yeah, forgot about them. If Shaeula¡¯s knife and bells are anything to go by, these should be powerful too... Thinking of the strange Boundary shadow of Takakura antiques, where the black ooze-and-eyeballs monster guarded all these treasures like a dragon on its hoard, I considered a return visit. Just... I¡¯m seriously too busy. Damn, my schedule is packed.


    On seeing the ores from the desert, Bjarki picked a few up, humming to himself. ¡°Interestin¡¯, for sure.¡± He muttered, tapping them gently with a few small hammers, listening to the ringing noises. ¡°Ack, this¡¯n be some interesting metal. Where¡¯n did ye find this?¡±


    After explaining that I found it a long way away, he looked disappointed. Still, he was going to experiment on what we had. Ixitt, meanwhile, was observing the small hand-mirror. ¡°Keh-keh-keh. Now isn¡¯t this interesting?¡± he coughed, gently probing at it with a thin needle glowing with jade wind energies. The needle shattered, and the wind was reflected. He then tried with a ruby earth needle, to the same ends.


    ¡°Keh-keh...¡± he coughed furiously, orange and yellow needles meeting the same fate. ¡°Master Bjarki, keh-keh, what do you think of this? I think it, keh, has some elemental properties, though what, I, keh-keh-KEH, do not know.¡±


    Uh, that¡¯s reckless...


    Before I could respond the light struck the mirror, only instead of shattering it and potentially injuring me as I expected, the indigo light sank inside, the glass surface now shimmering with a faint radiance.


    ¡°Hey, if that didn¡¯t work you could have hurt me...¡± I warned, a little annoyed.


    ¡°I had confidence you would not-not have been injured from such a small strike.¡± Shaeula looked away though, and she did seem a bit guilty, having got carried away.


    ¡°So, is it some sort of defensive device?¡± I asked, putting down the mirror. ¡°Try shooting past it. Carefully, this time.¡±


    She apologised, and once more her dagger lit up. This time the bolt burned a furrow in the ground. A little light was pulled in, but the majority bypassed it, moving too fast.


    ¡°If so, it be not so impressive.¡± Bjarki observed.


    ¡°It is a battery, is it not-not, Akio?¡± Shaeula said, just before I was about to air the same thought.


    ¡°Yeah, it reminds me of the bluesteel batteries I made, though only for light and darkness.¡±


    With the mystery solved, at least until we could find any other features, Master Bjarki was inspired, and taking some ore from the kobolds, he melted it into the carvings, filling in the gaps in the white and black frames with the blueish-silver metal, and channelling his own aether in to work some sort of artifice. I watched with great interest, as I was going to train my own Ether Crafting, and after a while he allowed me to help supply his arts. Channelling in my own aether, I ran into the delicate web of aether that he had spun within the material, binding together the original craftwork and the new, added bluesteel enhancements.


    It''s beautiful. I couldn¡¯t see it, as I didn¡¯t have eyes like Shaeula, but I could feel it, a matrix of shining aether which not only held everything together, but somehow interfaced with both the used materials and the wider Boundary. For a moment I felt a prickling pain in my right wrist, as all my Examination skills were feeling out the craftsmanship. My eyes also burned, a faint amber light seeping from them, and I was seeing it as well, the mystical world that Shaeula could see.


    So, that¡¯s how it works... I had made quite a few items that had enduring presence in the Boundary, the Pinwheels being a notable triumph, but in that moment I could see the difference between them, the dagger and bells Shaeula carried, and the mirror Master Bjarki had worked on. My crafts are only surface level, concentrating on the physical nature of the materials, with only a little notice paid to deeper matters. It makes sense, as I don¡¯t really understand aether and elemental essence yet...


    The glow in my eyes faded, the sensations in my wrist diminishing, and once more my sight was back to the mundane, the wonderous images of the underlying reality fading. Still, I now knew there were deeper arts to crafting powerful equipment, and even as I thought that...


    Your Skill, Ether Crafting has increased from Rank 3 to Rank 4. You can bring out the strength of the materials used more effectively, and find it easier to alloy and merge various components. Your crafts will show greater abilities, and you find it easier to repair and upgrade equipment.


    You have gained a skill, Dvergr Techniques Rank 1. You have caught the merest glimpse of techniques used by the Dvergr, who blend spiritual and physical crafts to create miracles that even the gods have envied. You can apply aether webs to strengthen the inherent characteristics of an item by a small amount, and equipment wielded by you will naturally draw on your aether, being slightly strengthened.


    Yeah, that... makes sense. Even though I couldn¡¯t see the work Bjarki was doing any more, my Mystic Eyes I had gained from my bond with Shaeula still stubbornly remaining dormant at Rank 0, I could still feel it as I supplied him with aether, and now it was even clearer than before. Seeing my sharpened focus Shaeula asked me what I had seen and felt, and when I explained she nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, when I gaze upon his work, I am most-most impressed. Before, I had never considered what it took-took to craft such wonders, merely considering it my due to possess treasures due to being a princess of the Seelie. Still, in time I trust that you shall-shall surpass him. After all, your Pinwheels are already a marvel.¡± She stroked them tenderly.


    Now well used to Shaeula¡¯s faith in me, I merely shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a long way off from that. Anyway, I can at least tell that the mirror has been strengthened.¡±


    ¡°Aye, yer eyes be not wrong.¡± Master Bjarki agreed, having finished anchoring all the disparate strands of aether that bound the normally incompatible crafts together. ¡°This bluesteel be mighty fine at drawing in elemental essences, so paired with t¡¯original mirror, now it be far superior.¡±


    Indeed, as he twisted the frame to the black, the rate of drawing in the darkness energy was massively improved, the mirror glass shining darkly, blue lights shining within the reflective surface like dark stars. Shaeula decided to practice with her dagger of light, training her aether handling skills, and she dumped light elemental energy into the mirror until she was exhausted, then reset the mirror so it could draw from the Rhyming Tree while she recovered.


    While she was doing this, Master Bjarki and I tried to understand what mysteries the vestments hid as well... but alas, it ended in failure, and we couldn¡¯t discover anything of note. A significant amount of time had passed, so with that we returned to the Material, leaving behind our troops to carry out our orders, and our freshly full build queues to tick closer to completion...

 One Hundred And Eighty-Two

    One Hundred And Eighty-Two


    ¡°So, this is Hisuikomushi shrine?¡± Shaeula observed, looking rather disappointed. ¡°This whole area is... uninspiring.¡± She looked around, face expressionless, which I knew was a clear sign of her displeasure. Still, I can hardly blame her. This is a ... seedy portion of Tokyo, to be sure.


    Even on a weekday afternoon, the area surrounding Hisuikomushi was giving off the air of debauchery and hopelessness. There were several pachinko parlours with depressed, desperate gamblers throwing away their money, with run-down pubs full of jobless patrons. Here and there a scantily dressed woman was walking the streets, touting for illegal business, and past one small izakaya pub, I was sure I could smell illegal drugs, which was rare in Japan, the policing of such substances being so stringent.


    Luckily our pilfered hotel is on the edge of this mini-slum within Tokyo. Even so, I can see why it¡¯s only a budget hotel, with mostly poor foreign guests. Still, looking at the books, Karen-chan told me apparently it still didn¡¯t make bad money.


    As I was thinking such useless thoughts I noticed that we were being eyed by some shady-looking individuals. I guess Shaeula really does stand out. I glared back at the scruffily-dressed young men, who at the ferocity of my gaze paled, looking terrified, before fleeing elsewhere. Satisfied, I turned away, only for Shaeula to lean up and kiss me on the cheek.


    ¡°My brave hero Akio.¡± She chortled, tickled by my defence of her. ¡°Nobly dispatching the terrible foes that-that were ogling me so. You are aware I can handle myself, are you not-not?¡±


    ¡°Sure I am.¡± I conceded. ¡°But you should at least let me do what I can. I am going to be your husband after all.¡± I barely even stammered over those words now. It had only been a bit under a fortnight, but I had accepted that it was going to happen. Damn, you can get used to any absurdity if you try, or maybe my Resilience stat helps with my ability to accept things? I don¡¯t know... I was stubbornly clinging to hopes it wasn¡¯t that I was a cheating bastard who just wanted two beautiful women all to myself, but deep down I knew it was a lost cause. ¡°Well, we may as well go in.¡±


    The shrine was in an even worse state than Shirohebizumi shrine was, so we¡¯d have to spend some money getting it into shape. I wanted to earn as much goodwill with the shrines, and more importantly, their kami, as possible, and if all that took was money, well, we could always get more of that.


    As we strolled into the shrine grounds, we quickly went through the proper religious procedure. Funny, I pretty much never do it at Shirohebizumi, but then I guess I do actually live there... I paid my respects, used the wooden ladle to cleanse my hands with water, before ringing the bell at the main shrine and giving a donation. Shaeula also tossed in a small handful of coins, but the rest of the ritual she omitted, not willing to offer prayers to a spiritual being she knew and felt was less noble than herself. In fact, it is a bit weird to be praying to a kami I¡¯ve saved from a terrible fate. Maybe they should pray to me...? Uh, bad joke... Mentally hoping my blasphemous humour didn¡¯t lead to divine punishment, we ignored the couple of patrons who were using the benches around the shrine to relax and headed to the priests¡¯ quarters around the back.


    After knocking a few times I called out. ¡°Kikuchi-san... we¡¯ve come just like I said.¡± I was being a bit more formal since we were at his shrine in the Material, and that just felt more natural. I had texted him when I woke up to arrange a meeting, so he should have been in. Indeed, a few moments later the door slid aside, revealing Kikuchi Shuta-san, wearing his priestly garments. On seeing us, a mixture of complicated expressions crossed his face, but he merely bowed and ushered us inside after some greetings.


    ¡°So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?¡± he asked, guarded. At his wariness Shaeula scoffed, irritated.


    ¡°Is that-that any way to speak to your saviour?¡± she sneered. ¡°Akio has even given you money to pay off your debts. You could show-show a little more gratitude.¡±


    Shuta-san was taken aback by her vehemence, but after a little thought he bowed, apologetic. ¡°I am sorry. You are quite right. I¡¯ve been rude to you, who have helped me and my family a great deal, and are continuing to do so.¡± He conceded. ¡°I admit, the whole situation is a continuing source of stress. Still, without your help, I wouldn¡¯t be able to pay the debts I owed, nor keep my family safe.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± I waved it away. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked much to your daughter, but Shaeula told me she was a good girl. It must be strange, all of this, but at least she¡¯s not alone...¡±


    We continued to make some small-talk, and after we had some tea served by Shuta-san, which was rather cheap and unappealing, which once again made me re-evaluate my current standards, as before all this I would have drank whatever was on offer at a reasonable price happily, not complain about the taste, I got down to business.


    ¡°First, I have to thank you for becoming my vassal and donating the ether as agreed. By the way, how is your construction going? Have you been able to build any Ether Spires yet?¡±


    Shuta-san frowned, thinking. ¡°Well, I still don¡¯t know what these Ether Spires you talk of are, but yes, by turning my will towards growing the spiritual power, this ether, in my Territory, as you call it, I have triggered a change. A strange mass of red and yellow bricks has begun to form.¡±


    ¡°Great, that sounds right. Now that my Territory is at Rank 3, you are surrounded by a bubble of my lands and the powerful barrier that generates. Keep on growing your Ether Spires until you can¡¯t any more, then upgrade your Territory and repeat. I¡¯ll be sticking some Defensive Emplacements around your Territory for security soon, so just focus on buffing your income for now. Oh, and you might want to visit my Territory in the Boundary too, and see how we do it, see some Ether Spires for yourself.¡±


    With that discussed, I asked a favour. I was curious to see if I could use Kin Examination on Shuta-san. He agreed after more nervous thought, and when pressed on his hesitation he still feared being subjected to abilities such as Kondou possessed. That made sense, but Shaeula scorned him for being afraid, so in the end he agreed. The result was... interesting, and not entirely expected.


    At first when I trickled aether to see his details it had no effect. Shuta-san shivered a little, saying it was uncomfortable but not painful. I tried a little harder, and more aether was sucked from me. I then received some information, but it was not anything close to useful.


    Kikuchi Shuta [Vassal] [Chosen by the Divine Jade Winged Scarab, Servant of ??????]


    ??????? ??????? ???????


    When I relayed that information to Shuta-san, he nodded. ¡°It was as I said before. I remember the beetle saying he was a Divine Scarab in service to a God. His wings were also quite magnificent, in emerald and gold, so the name fits...¡±


    ¡°Well, I can see you are my vassal, which is helpful, but I get nothing on your stats and skills. I don¡¯t think I am using Kin Examination at all.¡± I guess he is an ally, rather than kin? There seems to be some distinction I¡¯m not getting yet. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, as seeing your stats, skills and level would be pretty damn helpful to my own research, and to strengthen you going forwards. Oh well... on to our next order of business.¡± Also, how is it I can see who chose Shuta-san, but my Self-Examination won¡¯t tell me who chose me?


    Shuta-san explained he paid off his debts to the bank and the local yakuza. The bank was overjoyed, the yakuza... well, not so much so... but when he mentioned the financier Sato-san and my involvement, they quickly backed off. We then went on to discuss his daughter and her role in the training. After that we offered him money to refit the shrine to a semblance of respectability, repairing and repainting the rundown buildings and torii. He was shocked at my offer, but when I explained it was to honour and respect the kami, he graciously accepted, and after a quick phone call to the bank I had funds transferred. His nervous and somewhat surly attitude from before had vanished, and he was now all smiles, even if there was still an unavoidable trace of wariness buried within him.


    As we left, our task for the day concluded, I turned to Shaeula. ¡°Well, fancy stopping off somewhere nice for a drink and a bite to eat? Not around here though, the neighbourhood kind of sucks...¡±


    ¡°Really? That sucks, Eri seems to be able to go most days. Speaking of, get this bro, it¡¯s weird!¡± Aiko was animated all of a sudden. ¡°Eri has taken to swinging around an axe at home after school! It¡¯s weird! She does hundreds of swings every evening! I mean, she looks pretty badass doing them, and she¡¯s got quite strong and fast, so if I was a monster I¡¯d be damn scared, but... seriously, can you imagine it?¡± Aiko burst into laughter. ¡°She seriously complains that the axe isn¡¯t heavy enough, and the handle is too short as well... if some of the guys from school could see shy little Eri doing her best impression of a mad yandere I think some illusions would shatter.¡±


    Axe, huh? I wonder... ¡°Well, training is important. In fact, I think that¡¯s probably the best way for you to get stronger. I should be able to see what skills and stats you have when I see you, and I find seeing them improve is a great motivator.¡±


    ¡°Wow, sounds awesome. I¡¯ll hold you to that bro. Speaking of Saturday, we are having a big birthday party at the cafe?. Most of the kids from our year are going, as well as some underclassmen and a few seniors that recently graduated. And Eri is paying for it all with the money you gave her. Seems a bit of a waste if you ask me, but... I think it¡¯ll be good for her. She¡¯s really making the effort to improve herself and be more of an adult. So, speaking of...¡± my sis was serious again. ¡°Whatever presents you get her, and while you know she doesn¡¯t care what you get, so long as she gets to see you, I imagine knowing you you¡¯ll be generous, just make sure they are geared towards grown women, all right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, got it. and I appreciate the advice.¡± I did have a tendency to see Aiko and Eri as younger than they were, due to our childhood together, but I needed to remember in mom¡¯s country they could pretty much be hitting the pubs and getting drunk if they wanted. That reminds me... ¡°Congratulations anyway, you are the first of us to get to the Boundary completely under your own power, with only a little help from Shaeula. That calls for a reward.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thanks bro. Your new normie power struck me with a critical hit there. Just make sure you don¡¯t upstage whatever Eri gets, okay?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± As we laughed and joked and talked a little about the other plans for the weekend, I considered my options for presents, both adult and functional...


    ********


    ¡°So, are you sure you don¡¯t want to sit this out until Konoe-san gets back to you?¡± I asked Shaeula, as we prepared to go to the Boundary once more.


    She shook her head, amber hair cascading lightly. ¡°No, she seems distressed, but she has resisted all-all my efforts to make her talk about it. She is at home for now, and has no classes tomorrow, so she should-should be fine. I trust Ichika will open up in time.¡±


    ¡°Right. I hope so too. Anyway, we have the Material presents for Eri now and a few gifts for everyone else. Now we just need to get her something for the Boundary...¡±


    ¡°You do indeed dote on Eri. I hope that when my birthday comes-comes, you will show me the same kindness.¡±


    At that I was a little surprised. ¡°You have a birthday too? Under what calendar?¡±


    ¡°Why, the mortal one of course-course. It so happens I was born on the winter solstice, under the omen of a shining rain of shooting stars. Many Fae are born on days with strong-strong connections to the seasons or spiritual events.¡±


    ¡°The twenty-first of December, huh? That¡¯s not too far off. Of course we¡¯ll celebrate then. And my sis has her birthday not too far from then too... all right, shall we go then?¡±


    Once inside the Boundary I sparred with Ulfuric until I was battered black and blue, while Shaeula continued to empty light into the mirror. Most Fae and other spiritual beings had lousy aether control, as they were creatures of it, and thus uses it instinctively, but with all her training Shaeula was getting pretty damn good at moving and converting aether. I need to work on it more myself, else I¡¯ll be left behind...


    Once my sparring was done, I sought out Master Bjarki, and he had finished the armoured designs I had requested. They were magnificent, dwarven steel and other metals and materials worked into light yet powerful defensive garments. It was almost a shame I had to ask for another, but it wouldn¡¯t be fair to leave my sister out, so I conjured an illusion of her for Bjarki so he could measure her sizes. Obviously I could remember everything about Eri¡¯s body... and I only know my sister¡¯s sizes because we were all in the hot-tub together in Vegas, and I have a near-prefect memory now. No other reason...


    I myself had another task. I wanted to practise forging a new weapon, and since Aiko had mentioned axes... Well, what better time to make Eri a weapon? As Bjarki worked on the new set of armour he gave me some pointers, and in places fixed up shoddy work with his own artifice. I felt things were much easier due to my higher Ether Crafting skill, but using Dvergr Techniques was still well beyond me, but even so, I felt my handing of aether while crafting had noticeably changed.


    Time passed, Shaeula going through a course of close-combat training and knifework with some female weaselkin while her aether recharged, me continuing to put the finishing touches to my birthday gift for Eri. It was then I was notified that the Build Queue Spire had completed.


    Awesome! That really boosts my options.. wait, that long has passed? I thought we¡¯d only been in the Boundary a day or so... it was true what they said, time passed more quickly when one was having fun. ¡°Crap, we have to leave! If time is flowing like normal, if such a thing can even be said here, then we don¡¯t have much time to get ready before we have to be in Akihabara. If I¡¯m late I¡¯ll get chewed out...¡±


    Still, it would be folly to not spent a couple of minutes queuing in some more stuff, especially as I now had two queues open. Checking the ether supply, it had gone up to a very healthy 73,000. It was hard to tell what was gathered and what was earned, but at a guess I¡¯d say we generated roughly twenty thousand ether a Material day?


    Okay, then one queue can each hold an Anchor Spire. These two.


    This Ether Density Spire Rank 1 increases the density of ether and aether within your Territory, allowing for increased gain. It also increases the effects of any building that affects the density of ether.


    This Ether Spire Enhancement Spire Rank 1 increases the amount of ether, elemental resources, ??????? and ???????? your Ether Spires can absorb from their surroundings, and they can function a little above their maximum tolerance in areas of higher ether density.


    Damn, still can¡¯t read the extra two things that the Ether Spires can pull in, but I choose to assume they are worth having when I find out. As for the ether density... that should mean it further increases the density of ether the shrine in the Material will receive. That should help with training I think...


    Twenty thousand ether disappeared as they were queued, each taking five astral days. ¡°Okay, fifty-three thousand left. I¡¯ll upgrade the Silos and Ether Silos to Rank 2 in one queue. That¡¯s a little over ten thousand more and takes that queue to twenty-one days. In the other queue... Three Defensive Emplacements with Sniper upgrades, at just under seven thousand and nine days. Then another three without, at four and a half. That means each key point will then have the same defence. That queue is now at twenty days. ¡°That seems balanced. Just over thirty thousand left in the tank for emergencies as well. Oh shit, Shaeula, we have to run! Come on!¡±

 One Hundred And Eighty-Three

    One Hundred And Eighty-Three


    As we were getting ready in a hurry, Shaeula¡¯s phone rang. Apparently it was Konoe-san. As I looked into the bathroom mirror, lightly styling my hair and making sure I had shaved properly, I listened in to half the conversation.


    ¡°... I see-see.¡± Shaeula was saying, sounding concerned. ¡°That is indeed troubling. Do you require any assistance?¡±


    I guess this is about the reason she was texting Shaeula yesterday? Finishing with my shave I started brushing my teeth. Taking a look at my watch, I noticed we were cutting things pretty damn close.


    ¡°No, it is not-not a problem.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°I did have plans, but Akio can manage without me. So... yes, I shall find it. Remain calm and I shall be there-there soon.¡± With that Shaeula hung up and came into the bathroom, still only half-dressed, as she had been interrupted while changing.


    ¡°So, I guess you won¡¯t be coming with me then?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. I would have found it most interesting to meet your old friends and hear some-some stories of your old self, but Ichika is having some troubles. I could not-not get much out of her, but I shall. Many apologies, but you shall have to go alone.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was a bit cheeky me bringing you along to a gathering like this, not that anyone would have complained.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Fine. We need to look after our friends. You take care and be... ah, who am I kidding? If anyone messes with you, it¡¯ll be them that needs to worry about danger. Can you find her home address?¡±


    Shaeula grinned, pushing out her modest chest as she took an imperious pose, which was interesting as she was only in her underwear. Still, I was getting used to it by now so could take it calmly. ¡°Of course. I have used the metro and subway before, have I not-not? Besides, I am quite the genius. Such simple matters are nothing to me. Besides...¡± she showed me her phone. ¡°I can use-use the mapping app, should I need to!¡± she declared proudly.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you can!¡± I could only laugh. Here I am, a Faerie princess explaining to me not to worry about her, as she can use Google Maps. It¡¯s funny how life can go, sometimes...


    ********


    ¡°Hey there, Akio-kun, cutting it a bit fine... whoa... that really you man?¡±


    As I made it to Bar Sekirei with barely a few minutes to spare, I could see a few of the gang had already arrived, the table they were at already piled with our usual drinks. The one who called out to me was Yasu-san, and while his name could be read as peaceful with his kanji, he was always the nosiest and most boisterous of us all. His hair was now bleached blonde since last time I had seen him, but other than that he was still the same loudmouth as ever, it seemed.


    ¡°Yeah, still me.¡± I replied. ¡°Hi, Yasu-san. I see you are here as well, Shugo-san, Hayato-san. You as well Hina-chan. You are looking rather close to Hayato-san tonight.¡± I greeted the others who were there, striding over and taking an open seat, before taking a gulp of whiskey. After all, if you come to Bar Sekirei, you have to have whiskey, no question. That or cocktails anyway. I noticed the tall glass of brightly-coloured drink in front of Hina-chan.


    At that, Hina-chan blushed, looking down. It was true though, she was pretty much pressed against Hayato-san, only a fingers¡¯ width of distance between them. She was looking more prettily dressed than normal as well, in a blue dress, though it had a long hem and sleeves. Her haircut is different too, her bangs trimmed back, revealing her glasses-covered eyes for once. I think the frames are more fashionable too. That¡¯s kind of sweet...


    Turning to Hayato-san, I grinned. ¡°So, anything you want to tell us?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Since when did you get so sharp?¡± Hayato-san laughed, running a hand through his blonde-brown hair. Unlike Yasu-san¡¯s it was natural, and he had put up with a lot of trouble at school for his hair colour, which had probably contributed to his outgoing personality. He was also dressed to impress, with an open-necked black shirt and designer jeans. ¡°Still, let¡¯s leave the news until everyone is here. I wouldn¡¯t want to steal your thunder...¡±


    I glanced around, seeing that some of our friends weren¡¯t here yet, and Shugo-san, looking dapper in a dark jumper and black jeans, nodded, pushing up his glasses with one finger as he peered at me. ¡°Well, you know someone has to fetch Shiro, right? If we let her get here herself she¡¯ll collapse somewhere. By the way... you really have changed.¡±


    I have, I have indeed. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t stay the same forever.¡± I conceded, taking another sip of whiskey. The only problem was, despite the flavour, it was nigh-impossible for me to get drunk now. In stories they voluntarily drop their resistances, I wonder if I can do that? Otherwise it¡¯s a waste of good booze, and an insult to the master of the Bar. ¡°I admit I¡¯ve been working out, eating better and taking care of myself more.¡±


    ¡°Huh, suspicious. Very suspicious.¡± Yasu-san complained. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you didn¡¯t get a...¡±


    ¡°Come on guys, wait until Shiro and Aimi-chan get here.¡± Hayato-san said jovially. ¡°We can all catch up properly then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hina-chan said, a little flushed, which I doubted was from her cocktail. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to see everyone again...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been too long.¡± I agreed. For a few minutes we talked about nothing important, Yasu-san and Hayato-san making a few jokes, and then the door opened, and a pair of women came in, drawing all eyes on them.


    ¡°Hey guys, sorry we are late, but... well, you know how it is.¡± Aimi-chan giggled. She was a short girl, with a slightly sporty look, her short brown hair pulled into a bun. She was also wearing a daring denim mini-skirt and a top that showed off her cleavage. She had always dressed the least conservatively of all the girls in our group, and both Yasu-san and Shugo-san had a crush on her back in the day. I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t enjoy looking at her either, but...


    ¡°Well damn, what the hell happened to you, Aki?¡± A familiar voice rang out as Shiro stepped out of Aimi-chan¡¯s shadow, peering at me, a strange expression on her gorgeous face. ¡°It¡¯s like you are someone else entirely. Did you have plastic surgery? Nah, no way you¡¯d have the cash for that.¡±


    Shiro was... well, stunning was the only way to put it. My sister was very attractive, Shaeula and Eri also utterly gorgeous, but up against Shiro... well, she was pretty close to perfection, if you only looked at her outward appearance. A shame her personality is... quirky... that¡¯s the most charitable I can be.


    As Aimi-chan took an open seat, Shiro slowly strolled over and sat down beside me, a savage grin on her beautiful face. ¡°What¡¯s up Aki? Struck dumb at the sight of me? I can¡¯t say I blame you, I am the gorgeous Shirohime after all!¡±


    I guess she is. Her long silver hair cascaded down to the middle of her back, and it was genuinely silver, not white. It didn¡¯t look like metal, but it was definitely silver. Obviously us guys all thought it was some clever dye-job, but Aimi-chan and Hina-chan said they had checked and it wasn¡¯t. Anime hair in real life. Well, it does happen, on rare occasions. After all, people with albinism and some other rare conditions had unusual hair and eye colours. And violet eyes were a one in a few million mutation. So her hair was probably something similar. Besides, nothing was normal about Shiro.


    Seeing me still thinking, she nudged me with one elbow. ¡°Yep, definitely struck dumb. Well, we can¡¯t have that, if you go dumb and lose your brains, you¡¯ll have nothing left...¡± she giggled nastily, taking a glass of whiskey and taking a big gulp, a little spilling down the side of her beautiful face. ¡°... or so I¡¯d like to say.¡± With her free hand she grabbed at my arm, surprising me, and gave it a squeeze through my expensive shirt.


    ¡°What are you doing, Shiro?¡± Aimi-chan asked, also smiling.


    ¡°Just a performance check on these upgrades. And it¡¯s Shirohime, girl, how many times do I have to tell you?¡±


    Laughter went around the table. ¡°Sure, Shiro. I get it.¡± Aimi-chan ignored her complaints as usual. ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. The feel of this shirt, it¡¯s very expensive. Since when did you have money?¡± she pouted. As everyone looked at her, she shrugged, her ample chest moving under the white and blue patterned t-shirt she was wearing, and she crossed her slender, white skinny-jeans clad legs. Despite myself my gaze went to them, and she snickered, amused.


    ¡°Yeah, good muscle under there. I think he¡¯d give you a decent run for your money now Hayato.¡± She finished, punching me in the arm, though of course with a blow from Shiro it was like a gentle breeze. ¡°Ouch, are you forged from iron now? Jerk, hurting me is like smashing a priceless vase. You¡¯ll be tried as an enemy of humanity!¡±


    At that there was more good-humoured laughter, and I finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Shiro. It¡¯s definitely been too long. You look very fetching tonight, the skinny jeans really suit your long legs, and the blue in your t-shirt stops your usual white from being overpowering. Good job. That skirt suits you too, Aimi-chan. The top is a bit daring though, I don¡¯t think Yasu-san knows where to look!¡± Yeah, I¡¯ve learned how to appreciate fashion and give compliments. I¡¯m not the man I used to be!


    There was silence as everyone digested this, before Shiro burst out laughing. ¡°Wow, so smooth. I guess when you... no, never mind. That¡¯s for later. Anyway, tell me something I don¡¯t know! Of course I look fetching, I¡¯m downright stunning at all times. But no matter how you flatter me, I¡¯m not interested in going out with you. I told you, any guy I date will have to be fit, handsome and successful, with at least a billion in the bank. Let me say it again, as it¡¯s important. A billion. After all, I need to be able to follow my dreams without having to worry about the day-to-day. So sorry, no joy for you. Thinking about it...¡± she grabbed my arm again, her other hand squeezing my thigh, which caused Hina-chan to look away, blushing. ¡°... damn, you¡¯ve got the fit part down now. A real shocker. I¡¯d have said the world would have ended before your idle ass started working out. Hmm... odd. There¡¯s something about you tonight. You are triggering my ¡®hot guy¡¯ radar. Most strange. Still. A billion, you hear me!¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear.¡± I smirked. I wonder what would happen if I put my phone on the table, opened the Midas Gold app and showed her I have more than a billion yen just sitting there? Honestly, when I first met Shiro and ever since, I¡¯d imagined what it would be like to date her. It was impossible not to fantasise with someone so inhumanly pretty. She was unique, with that hair too. Still, it was never going to happen, and everyone that had hit on her over the years had been ruthlessly shot down by her. Oh god, I remember the time when Yasu-san was hammered in Shinjuku, and he accosted me in the toilet and lectured me for a good half-an-hour on all his fantasies for her. He tried to make me spill mine too... ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of hitting on you, even if I am now hot.¡± I smiled back impishly.


    ¡°Oh god, Akio-kun¡¯s definitely been replaced, he¡¯s an imposter!¡± Yasu-san declared grandly, and laughter spread around our table.


    ********


    ¡°So, who is your favourite Sekirei?¡± Yasu-san asked us, as we were on our third whiskey. The bar was filling up, so it would likely be time to move elsewhere soon. Hayato-san and Hina-chan were in a bit of a world of their own, and everyone, even Yasu-san, had noticed their vibe.


    ¡°For me, it¡¯s got to be Tsukiumi.¡± He continued. ¡°Got to love her! Blonde, big rack, dere-dere as hell when the tsun breaks. You get me, right guys?¡±


    As the girls jeered him, I exchanged a look with Shugo-san. ¡°I get you, I do.¡± Shugo-san agreed a bit. ¡°But for me... got to be Musubi. So clumsy, cheerful and forthright, plus she doesn¡¯t lose out in looks!¡±


    ¡°Well..¡± I pondered, seeing the girls looking at me, waiting. ¡°For me, it¡¯s Benitsubasa. Just something really cute about her. Sure, she¡¯s on the side of the villains, but she¡¯s got hidden depths. And did I say she was cute?¡± She reminds me a bit of Eri and Shaeula too, somehow...


    ¡°Really? Going for the smaller girl huh?¡± Aimi-chan laughed, and Shiro spoke, her face already red from the booze. Wow, she¡¯s hitting it hard. That¡¯s bad. If she carries on she¡¯ll collapse. As Aimi-chan aired her own views I slid her glass away surreptitiously and filled it with some extra water to slow her down.


    ¡°I was sure you¡¯d say Yukari, since you are such a siscon!¡± she said. ¡°Although you have a thing for your childhood friend, right?¡±


    ¡°Yukari isn¡¯t even a Sekirei...¡± I protested weakly. ¡°As for Eri... well...¡±


    ¡°Eri, huh?¡± Aimi-chan noticed, being sharp as always when it came to romance. ¡°You called her Eri-chan before, right?¡±


    As I looked down, guilty, she cracked a smile, before moving on and saying her favourite Sekirei was in fact Homura, as the gender-changing thing and potential boys-love angle was hot. That surprised no-one, as during her limited spare time Aimi-chan was known to write a certain type of fan doujinshi.


    ¡°Seriously, if you don¡¯t cut it with that BL crap, you¡¯ll never land a man.¡± Yasu-san said, and for a moment she froze, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Well, I suppose this is a good time then. Actually...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m dating, guys. And I think he¡¯s a keeper!¡±


    Shiro slowly got to her feet, nodding. I had my arm around her shoulder, still supporting her. ¡°Fine. Fine. Sorry guys, I¡¯m off home. The excitement was a bit too much for me I¡¯m afraid. Aki will be back though, so I want pictures! Lots of them! Have all the fun I can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I can take you home, us single people should stick together!¡± Yasu-san cried, but she shot him down, and Shiro said her farewells.


    ********


    ¡°Tonight was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said, as I looked at Shiro, who was lying slumped in the back of the taxi, idly watching the neon lights of central Tokyo pass by. I could see the taxi driver looking at us in his rear-view mirror, or more precisely, watching Shiro. I guess being too attractive has its own problems...


    ¡°It was.¡± Shiro sighed after a while. Turning, her sliver hair cascaded over her face, hiding her dark eyes like a veil. ¡°I don¡¯t get out much. Finding people I can trust...¡± she paused, lost in thought, and I felt it would be wrong to interrupt her. ¡°... well, life is hard when you are beautiful.¡± She said, not boasting like normal.


    So, she echoed my thoughts, huh? ¡°Well, yeah, you are beautiful, no question. But... not every guy is bad. We¡¯ve always treated you right, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    I could barely see her face in the dimly lit taxi, her hair hiding her. Even so, I suspected she might have ben smiling, from the tilt of her head. ¡°Yeah, Aki, Hayato, the other two troublemakers. And the girls. I¡¯ve had fun. But... life moves on, doesn¡¯t it? You and Hayato are getting married, the others are dating... she paused then, unable to resist a dig. ¡°... Yasu will be single until the day he dies, but if he¡¯s all I¡¯ve got left... I choose death!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡± I laughed, yet the atmosphere was strangely heavy. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t often I was alone with Shiro, not as long as I could remember. ¡°Seriously. You¡¯ve done all right tonight. Sure, I had to pretty much carry you to the taxi, but in the past you might have fainted by now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you couldn¡¯t help but cop a feel, could you? You¡¯ve already admitted to wanting to feel up my ass, and I know you¡¯ve barely been able to take your eyes off my chest. Pervert. I¡¯m telling your childhood friend and sister what a perv you are!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, false accusation much?¡± I scoffed. ¡°I made sure to be very careful where I put my hands. Still, for a woman of your... dimensions... you¡¯re very light.¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡± She pouted. ¡°Are you saying I look fat? Have your eyes rotted away? I¡¯m Shirohime, the worlds¡¯ most beautiful princess.¡±


    Maybe it¡¯s a good job you didn¡¯t meet Shaeula, she¡¯d have fought you for that title... ¡°Yeah, yeah. So, Shirohime...¡± she seemed surprised as I said her full name, or at least what she claimed was her name, anyway. ¡°...seriously, we worry about you. I know it must be hard being so weak. That¡¯s why, why not find someone who¡¯ll protect you and take care of you? You¡¯d have no shortage of takers, even with your personality and the fact you are the highest-maintenance woman I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my personality?¡± she snarked. ¡°You love it, Aki, I know. Eri-chan will bully you and you¡¯ll enjoy it, you masochist.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°As for a boyfriend... of course I¡¯ve thought about it. Are you offering, Aki? You¡¯ll break your fiance?e¡¯s heart if she hears you. I have to admit... you¡¯ve really changed and grown. Still not rich enough for me, but... looks-wise... well, you have an indescribable charm now. A dangerous one too.¡±


    She¡¯s perceptive. Always has been... To lighten the mood I cracked another joke. ¡°When it comes to money, I might surprise you. Like I said, my new job is very lucrative.¡±


    Another long pause. Then she spoke quietly. ¡°Aki... you aren¡¯t seriously hitting on me are you? I¡¯m not joking here...¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Just trying to cheer you up. You seem a little down all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit, of course I am.¡± She shrugged, and suddenly she was leaning on me, her head on my shoulder. ¡°Just... don¡¯t get the wrong idea, okay? I¡¯m just talking. It¡¯s hard enough being so weak. As a kid, I couldn¡¯t play with other children, and my parents...¡±


    Okay, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever talked about her parents before, or much about her days before Uni either. Sensing the mood, I merely listened silently. ¡°... well, they gave up on my quickly. Too hard to care for, costs too much.¡± She scoffed. ¡°... the doctors and specialists I went to constantly never could work out what was wrong with me. It¡¯s probably genetic, my beautiful hair colour could be an indicator of that, but if so...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°... they¡¯d probably have to call it Shirohime Syndrome, as it¡¯s the first and only case anyone has ever heard of.¡±


    Damn, this got heavy and dark fast. I placed a hand on her head and started rubbing it gently. Shiro let out a little yelp. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Aki? Was grabbing my butt not enough for you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a false charge. I¡¯m just... just... I want you to know we have your back, and everything isn¡¯t all bad, okay?¡±


    ¡°Shit, when did you get so smooth, Aki? Even I felt my heart skip a beat there. I¡¯m still out of your league though, unless you get... yes, twenty! Twenty percent hotter. Besides... you¡¯re engaged anyway. Jerk!¡± she spat, then resumed her story. ¡°My parents were well-off, if not rich, but my medical bills... well, they were pretty damn expensive. So they gave up. After all...¡± she said, self-deprecatingly. ¡°... as long as I didn¡¯t injure myself when I collapsed or ran out of energy, I could live a relatively normal life. Relatively.¡±


    I knew that Shiro must have had a lot of troubles, but... this is worse than I imagined. Now I¡¯m glad she met our group at Uni, even if we only overlapped for a year. If only she was a little older, we could have spent the whole time together... still, we¡¯ve stayed her friends even now...


    ¡°I was home-schooled and rarely went out. I¡¯m as smart as I am beautiful, so my grades are good.¡± She still had leisure to boast, so I silently continued to stroke her head, her hair amazingly silky and smooth, even more than Eri¡¯s or Shaeula. ¡°I enjoyed reading, manga, playing games. A world I could be anything I wanted, do anything I wanted. And when I finished school, I told my parents... I wanted to go to University. It might have been too much for me, but I needed to experience life. And then...¡±


    ¡°... and then, you joined our club.¡± I finished, and she agreed.


    ¡°... yeah. For the first few weeks it was hard. I got special dispensation as a disabled student...¡± she snorted, not liking the term. ¡°... so I live right next to the University, and they set me up with some other girls who agreed to support me in exchange for favourable rooming status. Even so, when I went to lectures or tried to hang out, guys and even some girls hit on me constantly. Some even got grabby...¡± she shuddered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know...¡± I said, saddened.


    ¡°Why would you? I hate talking about it. It isn¡¯t something I wanted to waste all our happy time on. Besides, nothing terrible happened. This princess is still as white as snow. But the third time I collapsed from the stress of their overtures, I think word got around. A lot of girls at Uni look out for me now, I am famous after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that you are.¡± I agreed, nodding.


    ¡°Anyway, meeting you all, and finding a group that would allow me to be me, it was a miracle, and very comfortable. And it helped me realise what I wanted. I¡¯m going to create a world that I can enjoy, a world that serves me, that doesn¡¯t hold me back. I think I¡¯m owed that.¡±


    ¡°I see. Hence why you are so obsessed with building your game-world, right?¡±


    There was a moment where Shiro froze, before she smiled. ¡°You see right through me, Aki. It¡¯s a bit uncomfortable, really. I find you easier to talk to when you were just shy, boring, considerate Aki, not this new attractive, confident Aki. It confuses the hell out of me!¡±


    ¡°Well sorry for changing.¡± I snickered. ¡°Still, if I knew how much your game meant to you... maybe I¡®d have helped more.¡± Not that I had much leeway, when I was struggling to attract freelancing work...


    ¡°You should be sorry! So help me more!¡± she complained.


    ¡°I will, I swear. I¡¯m busy over the next week or two, but after that I promise I¡¯ll do more than you¡¯ve ever dreamed of!¡±


    ¡°Great. I appreciate it. Although... you still need to get ten percent hotter and richer before I¡¯ll even consider you!¡± she joked.


    ¡°Wow, so I¡¯m improving in real time.¡± I had to retort, and she snorted in an unladylike fashion.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Seriously, it just hits home. You are all moving on, and I¡¯ll be left behind again. It sucks. But... I¡¯m not going to let it. I can grow too. I don¡¯t need anyone to protect and take care of me, I¡¯ll change like you have, like Hina has, like Hayato. And then, you¡¯ll all be jealous!¡±


    I see. Yeah, it is pretty wrong of me to force my own viewpoint on her. I want to take care of Eri, and Shiro struck me as similar with the vulnerability she¡¯s shown me here. But she isn¡¯t Eri. Hell, even Eri isn¡¯t the Eri I thought she was.


    ¡°I get it. And I¡¯m rooting for you. Seriously, if I can help, let me know. After all, we are good friends. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going anywhere. Okay?¡±


    ¡°You need to be five percent hotter before such talk will win me over. And then you need to get a hundred percent less engaged.¡± She turned away from me then, her head leaving my shoulder.


    ¡°Seriously though, you¡¯ve charmed all my weaknesses out of me. If this was some of those hentai I know you guys watch, you¡¯d try and blackmail me into being your perverted slave. Ordinarily I¡¯d say you¡¯d never have the guts for that, but right now... yep, you have a dangerous air indeed. Girls love a bad boy, you know.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask, but all she did was laugh in response. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I have my hands full with Eri and Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯ll skip the blackmail, thanks. But I¡¯ll let you blackmail me into helping you out some more.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Aki.¡± She yawned, stretching. ¡°Well, it¡¯d have been really nice to drink away the night with you guys. But one day... one day the world will bend to my will, and on that day the drinks are on you, right Aki?¡±


    ¡°Damn right. and it won¡¯t be just us. I¡¯ll bring Eri, my sister, my... colleague Shaeula. They¡¯ll all like you, and you¡¯ll love them, promise.¡±


    ¡°Well, we both need to work hard until then, huh? Oh well, here we are. I can walk from here, it¡¯s not far.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± I denied her. ¡°After that heavy story, you think I could let you pass out here? It¡¯s only a little more, then I¡¯ll be back to drinking the night away. I¡¯ll raise a glass for you.¡± I told the taxi driver to hang on a minute, and opened the door, lending Shiro my shoulder. As we moved across the courtyard to her small dorm house, the door popped open and a couple of fancily-dressed young girls stepped out, ready to hit the town no doubt. On seeing us, they paused.


    ¡°Oh hey, Shiro. Back already? I hope you had fun... oh wait, is that a guy?¡±


    ¡°Shit, he¡¯s a hottie.¡± The second girl giggled. ¡°He your boyfriend? You look good together!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, look at how kindly he¡¯s helping you walk!¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Shiro turned her head, though I could see her ears and neck reddening. ¡°Aki is just a friend. He needs to be ... two percent hotter before I would consider him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you and your jokes.¡± The first girl laughed. Turning to me she bowed. ¡°Thanks for taking care of our Shiro. We can take her in before we go out, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t come in here, much as you would want to. Uni rules, you know.¡± She winked, and her friend chuckled.


    The two girls took her from me, and I thanked them. They snickered at that, seemingly pleased, and I said my farewells to Shiro. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the pictures later. And... let¡¯s all do this again. No more drifting apart. Life¡¯s too short, right? And you wanted a world that you could enjoy, that would be kind to you. I like that.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± she shouted, very red now. ¡°Just go, all right? Hayato and the others will be running wild without you. I feel sorry for Hina and Aimi! Shoo, shoo!¡± and with her final comments the girls took her inside while howling with laughter.


    Damn, that was heavy stuff. Not what I was expecting when I agreed to take her home. I wonder if the girls know her past, or she was more forthcoming as she was really drunk? Oh well, I¡¯ll keep it to myself, it¡¯s not fair otherwise. And... Shiro, Hayato, Hina, the rest of the gang... they are people I have to protect too...


    Checking my phone for the location everyone was at, I jumped back into the taxi and we set off, leaving my old Uni behind...

 One Hundred And Eighty-Four

    One Hundred And Eighty-Four


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± I said cheerfully, as I strode over to the rest of my old friends. Shinjuku was packed, as was usual on a Friday night, but I had no problem gracefully gliding through the packed mobs of drinking salarymen and rowdy students who were making the most of the start of the weekend.


    ¡°Hey man.¡± Yasu-san raised his glass to me, looking even more drunk than before I left to take Shiro home. ¡°We got you a drink.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Did Shiro get back okay? Not that I don¡¯t trust you...¡± Aimi-chan said hurriedly, looking embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s just... well, I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m too used to having to shepherd her around.¡±


    Taking the offered glass from Yasu-san I took a big gulp. Hmm, not bad. Still, without getting the buzz from the alcohol, I might as well be drinking tea... I tried to control the flow of aether within me that was circulating through my body, healing any damage the alcohol was causing and flushing toxins. Damn, this is hard. But it¡¯s good training to be more cognisant of how my body functions on both a physical and spiritual level. Taking a second, smaller sip, I answered her.


    ¡°I get it. it does seem a bit strange a man helping a vulnerable girl like Shiro home. But I¡¯m her friend before I¡¯m a man, of course I wouldn¡¯t take advantage of her. Besides, I¡¯m engaged.¡± Twice. ¡°We just talked a bit in the taxi. She¡¯s disappointed she wasn¡¯t able to last the night with us for once, but... well, we can¡¯t expect miracles, can we? Still, she had fun. I¡¯m glad. I guess she¡¯s pretty lonely without us.¡± Sure, the other girls at Uni keep an eye on her, but they aren¡¯t friends who hang out, or who she can talk crap about game design and anime with... after she opened her heart... well, I want to help her. I wonder... could Shaeula and I do something with our skills? It¡¯d be hell to explain, but...


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so down man, she wasn¡¯t accusing you of anything, right?¡± Yasu-san nudged Aimi-chan in the ribs with his elbow, and she clouted him in response, but he only grinned in return.


    ¡°Really, you are such a jerk at times Yasu-kun.¡± She sighed. Turning back to me she nodded an apology. ¡°Seriously though, yeah, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to imply anything.¡±


    I waved away her apology, feeling a bit awkward, as the rest of the gang was now listening in.


    ¡°Still, for Shiro to talk on the way back, huh? Pretty unusual, right Hina-chan?¡± Aimi-chan continued, and she bobbed her head in agreement.


    ¡°Yes, normally she¡¯s either pretty zoned out, or... usually she¡¯s sulking and doesn¡¯t want to say anything. I guess you must be pretty easy to talk to, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s something about you tonight.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°It isn¡¯t that you look better, though you definitely do man, so keep it up! It¡¯s... well, there¡¯s a charm and confidence about you, that makes people want to listen to you and open up. There must be a story behind it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s your new job, or what...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shugo-san agreed, as he finished with a phone call, presumably to his new girlfriend. ¡°Before... well, you lacked confidence, I think. To be honest, I always trusted your opinions, because if anyone asked you for help you¡¯d listen earnestly and do your best, but now... it¡¯s like, if I had a problem and asked you for help, I imagine you¡¯d say something like ¡®that isn¡¯t a problem, we¡¯ll simply crush it¡¯, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s got that Demon King energy going... though he still seems to be a pushover for a pretty face.¡± Yasu-san smirked, and Aimi-chan hit him again, calling him a jerk.


    ¡°What can I say?¡± I laughed helplessly. It¡¯s true. I certainly let Shaeula push me around... though it¡¯s hard not to when she looks so adorable when she¡¯s happy. As for Eri... I¡¯m just happy she¡¯s being more assertive.


    ¡°In that case, we need to have a toast!¡± Hayato-san declared, taking charge as he usually did. ¡°To life, which never fails to surprise! Someone grab a glass for Shiro, we¡¯ll hoist a drink for her too, in her absence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I feel a bit guilty. I¡¯ve neglected my friends too much. Especially those in need like Shiro. ¡°After all, I missed a drink or two while I was taking her home, I bet.¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    We waved over the barman and ordered another round of strong spirits as well as some beers. With a glass in each hand, I clinked them against everyone else¡¯s, and swiftly downed them. Hammering the empty glasses down onto the table I grinned at Yasu-san, who was manfully trying not to throw up the contents of his stomach, coughing wildly. Yeah, I¡¯m doing well, no question. But I could be doing more...


    ********


    ¡°I ... can¡¯t believe... that Shugo has such a... cute girlie...¡± Yasu-san slurred, now completely hammered. We had just witnessed a decently attractive older woman picking up our friend, and I have to admit it was mildly amusing seeing his face as she scolded him for getting too drunk.


    ¡°Yeah well, I think you need one to come and pick you up too.¡± Aimi-chan said, though she was also wasted, her skin flushed and her breath coming fast. ¡°But alas, such is not...¡± she stopped to hiccup noisily. ¡°Oh, excuse me... yeah, no girlfriend for you, Yasu-kun. Too bad, so sad!¡± she burst out into manic giggles.


    ¡°I... so can... get a girl... if I... oh god, I feel awful...¡± with that Yasu-san ran to the toilet, holding a hand over his mouth.


    ¡°Well, at least you can hold your booze. Were you always... this good?¡± Aimi-chan asked, slapping me on the shoulder repeatedly. That hand is going to hurt in the morning...


    ¡°Well, I am half-British remember? Aren¡¯t we all renowned for being alcoholic?¡± I snorted, and Aimi-chan found that hilarious, doubled over with laughter.


    ¡°Oh Aimi.¡± Hina-chan sighed. Sensibly enough she had switched to soft drinks a couple of hours ago, and was clearly the most sober of everyone, other than me of course. ¡°Are you going to be all right? Can we make sure she gets home okay Hayato?¡±


    Hayato-san, who was quite drunk himself, though not to the state of our other companions, nodded. ¡°All right, darling. I¡¯d feel bad leaving her unsupervised. Looks like we are about done for the night. It¡¯s been a lot of fun though, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sure has.¡± I grinned. ¡°And I guess this means I¡¯m left with Yasu-san. I guess it¡¯s my punishment for having Shiro all to myself for a bit.¡±


    ¡°If Shiro could hear that she¡¯d... be delighted.¡± Aimi-chan smirked between hiccups. ¡°Just as I thought... you¡¯re a smooth operator now. Best save that for your... fiance?e though!¡±


    ¡°I do. Trust me.¡± I replied, embarrassed by her praise. I can¡¯t even deny it. I¡¯m spending most of my time around girls recently. I mean, it¡¯s nice and all, but some guy-time is important too. It¡¯s been great to cut loose with Hayato-san, Yasu-san and Shugo-san after a while. We can talk crap about who our favourite Sekirei is, the merits of various styles of school uniforms, and other stupid shit. Sure, there were girls there, but Aimi-san and Hina-san were old friends, who shared similar interests, and their presence was comfortable, especially now they were both in relationships. There was no pressure, no need to look good. Though apparently I can do that without trying... Shiro was a special case, but... yeah, she looks too magnificent for anyone who isn¡¯t a narcissist to think they¡¯d ever have a chance, and as for her personality... girly she was not. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s been great catching up. I¡¯ve had such a lot going on, I appreciated relaxing with the whole gang again. Let¡¯s not leave it so long next time, okay? I know everyone is busy with life, but... we can make time, especially for those of us who are falling behind, like Shiro and Yasu-san.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shock.¡± Hayato-san observed, an arm around Hina-chan, who was now supporting the shorter Aimi-chan, and telling her to stand upright else she¡¯d end up flashing the other patrons of the bar. ¡°You are the last person I¡¯d have expected to try and organise more get-togethers. I mean, you always seemed to enjoy our nights out, but you never instigated anything. Perhaps that¡¯s the biggest change of all.¡±


    Before I could answer, Yasu-san was back, looking pale and washed out. Damn, there¡¯s sick around his face. Didn¡¯t he check a mirror? ¡°Who has been ... left behind? It¡¯s not me... you wait and see, next time we meet... I¡¯ll have a gorgeous girl who¡¯ll make... Aimi-chan look like a dumpster fire!¡±


    ¡°Why pick on me?¡± Aimi-chan growled. ¡°I¡¯m gorgeous. All of you used to fantasise about me, I know!¡±


    Yeah, damn, we did. Guilty as charged. Still, I¡¯d best interfere before things get awkward. ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean anything by it, Aimi-chan. It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re very cute. He¡¯s probably just sad he never got to hook up with you. After all, you are the dream girl for a lot of guys in our position. You had a lot of fans at Uni.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I yawned. ¡°We already have a full weekend ahead of us.¡± Glancing at the clock I sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve got a couple of hours before we have to get ready. Want to catch a little sleep?¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s answer was to snuggle in next to me on the bed, so we went to sleep in each other¡¯s arms...


    ********


    On waking up, Shaeula was still sleeping, her chest rising and falling with her breaths, very different to her lifeless material body when she was inhabiting the Boundary. Speaking of the Boundary... I took a few minutes to enter and grab some stuff we had to take to Nishimorioka. There was no need to do anything with the Build Queues yet, so the trip was short and painless. On my second awakening, I untangled myself from Shaeula, letting her continue to rest.


    Preparing breakfast and also some food for the train (though Shaeula would likely want to get some train-station bento boxes again, as she had enjoyed the novelty last time), I also gathered up all of our bags for the trip. It was then my phone rang. The ringtone disturbed Shaeula, who started blearily muttering to herself, her eyelids flickering with signs of waking.


    Probably my sis or Eri, confirming our schedule. Without even checking the caller ID I answered. ¡°Morning, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°That is quite the greeting. I¡¯m not sure why you are so informal with me.¡± A proud voice said, and I went pale. Ugh, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to call. Carelessness cost me again. ¡°Sorry about that, Hinata-san. I thought the call might have been someone else and didn¡¯t check. My apologies for any rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She pouted. ¡°I guess I can forgive you. I am under your care after all. In any case, I¡¯ve called to let you know we are on our way.¡±


    Wait, what? ¡°Sorry, I must have misheard. Why were you calling?¡±


    ¡°I am calling to let you know we are on our way to you now. We have been excused from Saturday classes. Fujiwara-sama was most interested in the report you sent him, as am I.¡±


    Report? Oh yeah, after my sister told me she managed to succeed, I sent him and Hikawa-san a message saying we had a success. But how does that lead to this? ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m catching the train back to my hometown in a bit. I don¡¯t have time I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m sure I told you that.¡±


    ¡°I know, I am not a fool.¡± She said firmly, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone. ¡°Hence why we are coming with you to see your sister first-hand. And do not say something along the lines of ¡®it isn¡¯t safe¡¯ as I will have Kasumi with me, as well as the Fujiwara Security Services personnel who are deployed in your hometown. Besides...¡± her voice changed, a hint of envy in it. ¡°... should danger threaten, you can deal with it effortlessly, right?¡±


    Unless the danger comes from me! I mean, I know I¡¯m not going to try anything, but she¡¯s the daughter of a world-famous company! She needs to take more care. Her ransom value would be massive, and she¡¯s pretty to boot. ¡°Yeah, I mean I can, but...¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She cut me off. ¡°We shall be there soon.¡± And with that she hung up, not giving me a chance to protest.


    ¡°Who... was that?¡± Shaeula yawned, rubbing at her tired eyes.


    ¡°Hinata-san. Apparently she is coming with us to Nishimorioka. Not that I was told... or given a choice. I wonder if she¡¯s ever been on a train with normal people before?¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula yawned again before heading for the bathroom. ¡°We had best make haste then, had we not-not?¡±


    Damn. Why is it I hold all the power here, yet I still get pushed around? Oh well, I suppose having them owe me more is a good thing...


    ********


    ¡°You hear that?¡± I asked, a faint thrumming noise drifting in from the distance.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Shaeula agreed idly, having been engrossed in texting Konoe-san again. Beside us were our heavy bags, full of stuff we were taking with us.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting louder.¡± I observed. Pulling open the door and stepping out into the late-morning sunshine, I could hear it more clearly. It was getting louder, and rapidly at that. It reminds me of when those helicopters landed at the shrine after the attack. Wait, helicopter? No way...


    My eyes were abnormally excellent, so looking out over Tokyo I could see a small shadow, growing ever larger. Moments later it did indeed resolve into what I suspected it was. A few minutes later, it was descending onto the hill next to my house, before the rotors spun to a halt. The door opened in the side of the expensive-looking passenger helicopter, and Onoue-san hopped out, casually dressed in clothes that gave her arms and legs freedom of motion, as befitted a bodyguard. She then pulled down the steps, and Hinata-san followed her out, wearing her traditional uniform, even though she was not at school, which was a bit weird.


    ¡°So this is what you meant.¡± I sighed, while beside me Shaeula laughed.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± She greeted us politely, then my eyes went wide, as two girls wearing their hakama also descended.


    ¡°Good morning, sensei.¡± Motoko-san and Natsumi-san both bowed elegantly in martial-arts fashion. ¡°We look forward to your teachings, as well as meeting your esteemed sister, who is our senior in these arts.¡±


    Damn, they sure are polite... it¡¯s hard to be mad at such pretty and respectful girls. ¡°Uh, sure. Good morning to you all as well.¡± I bowed back, a little thrown-off. Behind us the girls from our shrine were watching, having heard the approach of the helicopter. Shaeula waved to them and they darted back, embarrassed, peering at us all from cover. I don¡¯t blame them. These girls can be hard to approach, and that helicopter looks like the toy of a damn billionaire...


    ¡°In that case, get your bags loaded and we need to go.¡± Hinata-san said, taking charge. ¡°Father is loaning us his personal helicopter for the weekend, so don¡¯t be shy.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula approved, rapidly mounting the steps up into the helicopter, cooing at the plush, soundproof interior, with comfortable leather seats and a refreshments bar, entertainment centre and more. ¡°This certainly is travelling in a fashion befitting me-me.¡±


    Admitting defeat, I waved to Kana-chan and the others, before grabbing all our bags, and, like an overloaded mule, I clambered up into the helicopter, the girls following behind me. Well, this is going to cause quite the stir back in Nishimorioka. Eri is going to be confused as well, but she¡¯ll understand when I explain it¡¯s all to help with their training... even so, it¡¯d be nice if I got more say in these things... damn, Fujiwara-san owes me another favour now... although, he is providing protection to my family... great, I need to resolve that issue too this weekend. Holding in a sigh, I sat down next to Shaeula, Hinata-san next to me, her face a little red. I guess she isn¡¯t used to being so close to a man, and with six of us this place is a bit cramped.


    Pressing the intercom button, Hinata-san spoke to the pilot. ¡°All right, we are ready for departure.¡± And with that, the rotors spun up, us barely hearing a whisper due to the expensive soundproofing, and then we were off, soaring through the skies above Tokyo, heading for my childhood home...

 One Hundred And Eighty-Five

    One Hundred And Eighty-Five


    ¡°We have a few new students at our school.¡± Hinata-san was saying, as I idly watched the scenery pass by through the window. For a helicopter it was a surprisingly smooth ride. Earlier, Hinata-san had boasted that it was a modified Sikorsky S-76 with all the optional extras. Not that I know a good helicopter from a bad one, but... this is pretty swish. There¡¯s even some booze in the refreshments bar. I don¡¯t usually drink gin, but this is pretty damn refreshing.


    ¡°I see.¡± I said, feigning interest. It was all very well sitting next to Shaeula, but Hinata-san was a bit close as well, and the glares from Onoue-san every time our legs nearly touched or she leaned in closer was starting to get a bit painful.


    Not satisfied by my answer, Hinata-san looked a bit irritated as she sipped on her own drink, an expensive and refreshing juice blend. ¡°You should show more of an interest, Oshiro-san.¡± She complained. ¡°I believe it is relevant. Fujiwara-sama, Ichijou-sama and grandfather Itsuki have decreed that all girls at Hanafubuki will be taking additional classes in traditional religion and the importance of temples and shrines in Japanese culture. Does that remind you of anything?¡± she took another sip of her drink and smiled triumphantly.


    When she looks like that, she¡¯s just a normal girl, not some rich noble. Not showing my irreverent thoughts on my face, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it makes sense. It definitely ties into what we are doing. But I doubt that these classes will be like ours. I guess you girls got in on the ground floor.¡±


    ¡°For which we are most grateful, sensei.¡± Motoko-san said, and Natsumi-san echoed her thanks, while Onoue-san maintained her annoyed silence. Come on, you could lighten up a bit. Natsumi-san is a bodyguard too, and she doesn¡¯t seem so hostile... I had naturally started thinking of Tsumura-san and Hori-san by their first names as they were surprisingly friendly, but I wasn¡¯t going to call Onoue-san by her first name. I think she¡¯d try and hit me if I did...


    ¡°Yes, I can hardly wait to show off to Sakura and Mayumi-sama. For once I¡¯ll have the upper hand!¡± Hinata-san declared impishly. ¡°But we were talking about our new students. I think two are in your class, are they not, Motoko-senpai?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, the granddaughter of a powerful shrine from Kyoto. Kudou Shiori-sama. She does seem a little out of place, but I am told she is going to assist with the classes, and offer private tutelage to the daughters of Fujiwara-sama and perhaps even Ichijou-sama and Takatsukasa-sama. The other is a girl from a branch family of the Takakura¡¯s. There are two more Takakura sisters in the lower years too I believe.¡± Her explanation given politely, Motoko-san frowned. ¡°I do not require you to address me so formally, Hinata-san. After all, we are both students of the same teacher, and thus on the same level.¡± Beside her, Natsumi-san agreed.


    ¡°But... Tsumura house is second only to the Three in terms of prestige. I may carry the blood of the Takatsukasa family within me, but we are only recently elevated to the Fifty-Eight...¡± Hinata-san fretted.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shaeula scoffed then, loading her glass with more gin and ice cubes, smacking her lips in satisfaction after taking a swig. ¡°If Motoko wishes you to be more friendly, and to drop-drop the needless distance between you, accept it in the spirit it was-was offered. She is right. I will treat all the same during my training, the daughter of a noble shall be no more-more coddled than the daughter of a peasant. After all...¡± she smiled brilliantly, though the effect was ruined by her taking a swift sip in-between her words. ¡°... I am a princess of the Seelie, daughter of Prince Shaetanao Gar Shae Dannan. I stand-stand above, shining like the full moon in the sky.¡±


    As everyone froze, overwhelmed by her Charm and Majesty, I reached over and rapped her head gently. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t pressure the poor girls.¡± I chided her. ¡°Still, your sentiments are good.¡± I addressed the four girls, smiling reassuringly. ¡°I think it¡¯s nice when everyone can get along, and as Motoko-san said, we¡¯ll all be practising together.¡± My gaze strayed to one corner, where along with all our luggage were the wrapped spears, swords and bows of Motoko-san and Natsumi-san. ¡°Some of the people you¡¯ll meet won¡¯t understand that you are nobility, or know how to treat you even if they did. They don¡¯t mean any offense by it, they just live in different worlds. So I hope you can forgive any inadvertent disrespect. It¡¯ll be a learning experience for everyone.¡± I bowed, asking their support.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Hinata-san said, looking thoughtful. ¡°Kazumi, you too. Stop being so hostile to Oshiro-san... no, Akio-san... no, that still doesn¡¯t feel right...¡± Hinata-san sighed. ¡°¡±Akio-kun. Yes. That fits.¡± She reddened, looking away awkwardly. ¡°That is the first time I have called a man outside of my family by his first name. in fact, I rarely ever speak much to any men outside my family.¡±


    ¡°None of us do, Hinata-san.¡± Motoko-san agreed. ¡°Though we might be the exception, right, Natsumi?¡±


    Natsumi agreed. ¡°It is impossible to learn martial arts at the top level if one excludes men. So we have other teachers. Your father doesn¡¯t approve though, does he, Motoko-sama? He believes that the time for your family arts has passed, and girls should concentrate on learning how to be a good wife and manage the household.¡±


    Wow, that¡¯s pretty sexist. I know Japan is a conservative country, with very defined gender roles, and the nobility even more so, but still... Shaeula let rip with an unimpressed grunt, showing just what she thought of that idea as well. I hear Shaeula¡¯s sister is quite the battle-fiend herself, so it makes sense...


    ¡°Yes, luckily grandfather indulges me.¡± Motoko-san said gravely, before looking sternly at her bodyguard. ¡°You too Natsumi. I may be your senior in our traditional combat arts, but here we are but students of Oshiro-sensei, so address me informally while we are away from home.¡±


    Natsumi looked as if she wished to protest, but Hinata-san chided her. ¡°You said nothing when I had to struggle, so you must too, Natsumi.¡±


    She blushed adorably, but finally nodded. ¡°Very well then, Motoko-sama... Motoko-san.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Motoko-san grasped her hands, cheered by the fresh feeling being addressed more closely brought her.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°Now that is out of the way...¡± I began, remembering a problem. ¡°... just where were you planning to stay this weekend? Not to disparage my hometown or anything, but Nishimorioka is a pretty small town in the middle of the mountains. We get almost no visitors, so I don¡¯t even think we have a hotel. I think there¡¯s a traditional inn, but it¡¯s tiny and certainly not something rich girls like you would be used to.¡±


    Seriously? Motoko-san is being proposed? Well, her grandfather is in change of the Japanese Military as well, so I can see the overlap, but still...


    ¡°A newly minted noble house, or one of the upper Three-Hundred would also be a safe choice.¡± Hinata-san said, before looking away. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m interested, all right? Because... well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m just saying, consolidation through marriage is the way of the upper-class throughout history, and if anything, it is more important nowadays, as we are trying to preserve and even restore the old ways.¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s not very convincing either. Is my training school just turning into a series of marriage meetings? Well, no way. I¡¯ve made my resolve. I¡¯ll only have Eri and Shaeula. Even that is too greedy...


    ¡°Well it¡¯s too bad, as I¡¯m already engaged. I¡¯ve promised Eri I¡¯ll marry her in a beautiful ceremony, so I¡¯ve no room for anyone else, and Eri would never accept it. She only acquiesced to Shaeula due to... well, miracle circumstances. Lightning doesn¡¯t strike twice, you know.¡±


    ¡°I fear you shall be surprised.¡± Shaeula laughed, denying me. ¡°Eri is indeed-indeed a possessive girl, but she has a kind heart within, as her acceptance of me shows. Now-now that she has accepted one, the second shall be easier.¡± Shaeula addressed everyone, while I buried my head in my hands, at a loss. ¡°If you wish to be considered, then surely you must-must make a good impression on Eri. It would be wise to impress Aiko too, for they both-both listen to her counsel. As for weddings, such matters can always be resolved. I shall marry in the Seelie Court, so others can similarly manage...¡±


    No way. Eri would never back down. So I¡¯m safe. In the end I relied on that, knowing that despite Shaeula¡¯s bold moves, she wouldn¡¯t press Eri too hard and upset her. ¡°Shall we change the subject? We were talking about the deeper knowledge behind our powers...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, considering status, the wedding would be a problematic issue...¡± Motoko-san said, now even more flushed. ¡°... but yes, I¡¯m curious about many things, sensei, so...¡±


    To get myself out of this uncomfortable situation, Shaeula and I touched a little upon the world beyond, the Boundary. Obviously we didn¡¯t give many details, as such information was one of my trump cards, but others, such as the Candidates from the shrines and temples, would likely know as much as me if not more, so there was no need for total secrecy.


    ¡°Fukumoto-sama, we are arriving at Nishimorioka shortly. Where are we setting down?¡± the voice came over the intercom, and she asked me the best place to land.


    Yeah, it isn¡¯t like we have helicopters landing every day, though being a mountainous village, we did see an occasional air ambulance. ¡°The best place would be by the school, but that would kick up too much fuss. Actually, there¡¯s a field that¡¯s pretty flat near my house. There should do.¡± I gave directions, and a couple of minutes later we were descending onto a level part of the hillside.


    The helicopter touched down, and with that we were there. The pilot thanked us and said he would take us back to Tokyo on Monday morning. Grabbing our bags, including those of the noble girls, I looked even more like an overburdened mule. Luckily Motoko-san and Natsumi-san insisted on carrying their weapons, so as Shaeula opened the door and hopped down the steps I followed.


    As expected, our arrival has generated a bit of crowd... wait, I see Eri and Aiko... Shaeula had spotted them too, along with Yae-chan, Rika-chan and several other girls and a few boys too. I guess they might have been planning for the party they are holding later, maybe? Oh look, there¡¯s mom and auntie Mori. This is going to be tough to explain.


    Shaeula called out cheerfully to them as I finally touched down on solid ground. ¡°Aiko, Eri. Rika. Yae. I have returned!¡±


    ¡°Wow, just wow. You came by helicopter?¡± My sister asked us. ¡°I thought you were taking the train again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, things just happened.¡± I admitted. ¡°Hey Eri. Great to see you. You look as pretty as ever.¡± I said to my fiance?e as she joined Aiko, the other students following them, chattering excitedly at this unusual event.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve missed you. I¡¯m so glad you...¡± Eri began, before her eyes widened, looking behind me.


    ¡°This place is rather... quaint.¡± Hinata-san said, trailed down the steps by Onoue-san. Motoko-san and Natsumi-san followed them out, looking around curiously.


    ¡°Akio... who are they?¡± Eri asked, her dark eyes flashing. ¡°Why are you bringing more girls?¡±


    Yeah, this was obviously going to happen. Shaeula says Eri would be fine with me having more women? Yeah, no chance of that...

 Side Fifty-Six – Mori Eri

    Side Fifty-Six ¨C Mori Eri


    I looked at the four girls who accompanied Akio out of the helicopter. Two of them I recognised a little, though I had only met them very briefly. The girl in a very pretty and stylish school uniform was that rich heiress. Fukumoto-san, right? Her bodyguard was there too, but I couldn¡¯t remember her name. I suppose it isn¡¯t out of the question for Akio and Shaeula to work with them, Akio did say he wanted to make alliances. But who are the other two?


    They were wearing hakama, which was unusual for girls of their age, unless they were martial artists. They don¡¯t look like that though, they are pretty and elegant. They give off a very high-class aura. Eri resisted the urge to look down and away from reality. To think only a few minutes ago I was planning this evening¡¯s party with everyone, looking forward to seeing Akio and Shaeula again... no, I trust Akio. He promised me... Shaeula, she might act up, but even so, Akio will keep her in check. I¡¯m not a little girl anymore, hiding from what I don¡¯t want to see. I¡¯m a woman, and a warrior. After all, in the Boundary, I¡¯ve swung my axe again and again, I¡¯ve been injured and pushed aside the pain... I¡¯ve made my resolve to stand by his side no matter what.


    ¡°Hey, Ri-Ri?¡± Yae-san said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Akio, the new girls and the helicopter, which was taking off, heading elsewhere. ¡°So... what¡¯s going on? Why has Aki come by helicopter and brought more beautiful girls? They look really rich and important.¡±


    ¡°Should you be worried?¡± Rika-san giggled. ¡°Looks like your number of rivals keeps increasing. Shaeula is bad enough...¡±


    I don¡¯t have any rivals. I¡¯m his first wife, and his childhood friend. This is just a trial I have to overcome, that¡¯s all. Before Eri could answer the two annoying gals, Fukumoto-san and her bodyguard had approached her.


    ¡°So we meet again.¡± Fukumoto-san said, giving a polite and refined bow. ¡°I do hope you haven¡¯t forgotten me?¡±


    ¡°So you know this girl, huh?¡± one of the couple of boys that had come to Aiko¡¯s house to help carry supplies for the party to the cafe? said, approaching. As he did so, the bodyguard stepped between Fukumoto-san and the interloper, her expression cold.


    ¡°Back off. Hinata-sama does not speak to unknown men. Know your place!¡±


    ¡°Onoue-san, I appreciate you want to keep Hinata-san safe from trouble, and as a noble daughter she has her reputation to think of, but it¡¯s going to be really hard this weekend if you are always so on edge.¡± Akio stepped up and interceded with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. Somehow he looks even more handsome and confident than ever. And tomorrow... I get to spend all day with him!


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so pretty! And that unform is so cool, I wish ours was that stylish!¡± Aiko came barrelling in, derailing the conversation. Yeah, our school unfirms are rather boring. I wonder though... maybe I should wear it for Akio? I hear guys like that kind of thing...


    ¡°Yes, I am pretty.¡± Fukumoto-san agreed, giving Aiko a long look. After a moment she asked ¡°Am I right in thinking you are Akio-kun¡¯s sister?¡±


    Akio-kun? That¡¯s rather close when they only met a week ago...


    Aiko was thinking the same. ¡°Akio-kun, huh? So, are you good friends then? Just where did my bro pick you up from? I hope you know he already has a girlfriend...¡±


    At the word girlfriend Fukumoto-san looked away, a touch red, which was very suspicious. ¡°I know, I¡¯m aware of... his girlfriends¡± Japanese wasn¡¯t explicit with plurals, but the way her eyes took in Shaeula as well, I realised she knew more than most. Which was somewhat annoying, but I had resolved to be more trusting, so...


    Before I could respond further, Aiko was accosted by the other two girls. They quickly approached and bowed deeply and respectfully in martial arts fashion. ¡°Oshiro-senpai, our greetings. We are most grateful for the opportunity to study this weekend under our senior. Please do take care of us.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what? I¡¯m confused, but... sure... well, please call me Aiko. Oshiro-senpai seems so wrong. Yuck.¡±


    ¡°So you do know her then.¡± Yae-san repeated, and Eri held in a sigh.


    ¡°MOM!¡± I shouted, embarrassed. Rika-san and Yae-san were laughing at me, while Aiko looked sympathetic. Sure, life is wonderful right now, but... so embarrassing!


    Akio was as embarrassed as me, but he bravely faced my mom head on. ¡°Well, whether you want to hear it or not I don¡¯t know... but I¡¯m a little hurt. I love Eri. I¡¯m not going to do something like cast her aside now. I do have some... difficulties... but Eri and I will face them together. On that note...¡± he changed the subject. ¡°I was hoping I could stay over at your place this weekend, auntie. If so we can make enough room for the girls to stay at my house.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll leave it at that for now.¡± mom said. ¡°So, staying over? Yes, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure my little girl will be happy too.¡± She smiled, though it was a bit hesitant and frosty.


    Yes, I would be happy. Sharing a room with Akio again... I could feel a smile on my face.


    ¡°So, you want these girls to stay here?¡± Auntie Emily looked nervous. ¡°I welcome cute girls, but... we can¡¯t offer much hospitality I¡¯m afraid. Rich girls like you might be uncomfortable...¡±


    ¡°We have resolved ourselves.¡± The martial arts girl, Tsumura-san said. ¡°It will be educational as well, to see how the citizens of Japan live.¡±


    Ugh, the way she says that hammers home how different they are in terms of money and status. But... I¡¯m not ordinary anymore either.


    Auntie Emily looked at Akio pleadingly, but he simply walked over and patted her on the shoulder, surprising her. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to these crazy happenings. I¡¯ll explain a bit more when we go out, so for now... can you just go with it? They are all good girls, I promise.¡±


    I didn¡¯t enjoy him calling them good girls, but Shaeula was nodding, so I could trust her and Akio. And if they aren¡¯t and are mean to me... well, Akio won¡¯t let them, and I¡¯m no cowardly pushover... no, I¡¯m a warrior now!


    ¡°Sorry to be a pain.¡± Akio turned to Rika-san, Yae-san and the other few who had come to hep us prepare. ¡°Can you leave Eri and Aiko with me for a little while? I know you are looking forward to the party, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help make it worthwhile.¡±


    Akio smiled at me and my heart skipped a beat. Blushing, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry, can you all handle taking care of the preparations?¡± I clapped my hands together in apology. The boys looked flustered, and I was pleased I was so charming, before I put them out of my mind. It¡¯s nice to be appreciated, but I only care what our families and Shaeula thinks of me...


    ¡°Sure thing little Ri-Ri.¡± Yae-san said. ¡°But we want all the details later, all right?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for being so understanding.¡± Akio said, and at that she looked happy. Annoying. She should find a boyfriend and stop flirting with Akio. He isn¡¯t interested.


    ¡°All right, Aki.¡± Mother-in-law said, leading my mom away. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Taichi and Junpei. We¡¯ll see you later. I hope... no, never mind. I trust you.¡±


    At that everyone else left, until remaining with me was Akio, Shaeula, Aiko and the four new girls.


    ¡°All right then.¡± Akio said. ¡°We need a bit of privacy. And maybe something more... how about we head to the shrine?¡±


    I nodded. Reaching out I took his hand, feeling Akio¡¯s warmth. It¡¯s fine. Everything¡¯s fine. When I¡¯m with him... nothing else matters. Besides... I found myself smiling again. I¡¯ve done things he can be proud of. I can hardly wait to show him my progress!

 One Hundred And Eighty-Six

    One Hundred And Eighty-Six


    I quickly dumped my bags at the house before accompanying the girls up to the shrine. Shaeula was chattering happily with Aiko and Eri, while the other girls were largely listening, only interjecting an odd comment when the subject turned to me.


    ¡°So, are you looking forward to your party later?¡± I asked Eri when it came up in discussion. ¡°You know, I find it a bit surprising you¡¯d organise something like that. It makes me happy though. I¡¯ve always worried you were too shy and didn¡¯t have enough friends.¡±


    Before Eri could answer my sis piped up. ¡°Seriously bro, I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be more jealous! If Eri makes more friends you can¡¯t have her all to yourself, right?¡± she said slyly.


    As Shaeula laughed and the noble girls and their bodyguards watched on, confused by the turn of the conversation, I shrugged. ¡°Genuinely, I¡¯m happy. And I know you are too, Aiko, so don¡¯t try and pretend otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± my sis shuddered mock-theatrically. ¡°It gives me the creeps when you say my name so seriously. But... yeah, I¡¯m just messing with you. I know you worried about us all this time. We¡¯re sorry we weren¡¯t better. But... we worried about you too, right Eri?¡±


    Eri nodded firmly, gripping my hand tightly. ¡°Yes. And we worry even now. What you do is dangerous. Which is why we have to be there too. Besides, I don¡¯t care about anyone else. Especially other boys. I suppose Rika-san and Yae-san aren¡¯t as bad as I thought, but the way Yae-san still flirts with you is annoying.¡± She puffed out her cheeks in irritation. ¡°You¡¯ve already shot her down. She should have some dignity.¡±


    ¡°Would you-you have stopped had Akio shot you down and chose only me?¡± Shaeula scoffed.


    ¡°Back then... I had almost given up hope.¡± Eri muttered. ¡°But now..¡± her voice turned stern. ¡°... I¡¯m never letting go. So you are both stuck with me.¡± Her gaze strayed to the other girls. ¡°And I¡¯ll fight for Akio and my love for him. I¡¯ll repel anyone who tries to come between us or steal what is mine!¡±


    ¡°So bold!¡± Shaeula chortled, clearly amused. My sis rolled her eyes, complaining how Eri had gone full yandere.


    ¡°If that¡¯s directed at me, I don¡¯t appreciate it.¡± Hinata-san crossed her arms under her chest, looking affronted. ¡°I am just here to learn, after all. Akio-kun has made alliance with Fujiwara-sama, and I am just taking this chance to earn my family some credit. Nothing more.¡± she then looked away, but...


    The way she keeps casting sidelong glances at me, her ears pink, is kind of telling...


    ¡°As for me... I do understand.¡± Motoko-san said, looking Eri square in the face. ¡°As a daughter of nobility I was raised strictly. Our duty is to marry for the good of the family, and only associate with those we can trust, never men outside the family. After all, were we to be involved in any scandals, the honour of our ancestors would be cast down into the dust. Still...¡± she looked up at the sky, thinking. ¡°... the sons of nobility, such as my brother...¡±


    ¡°Mine too.¡± Hinata-san broke in, understanding. ¡°Hiroto is always playing around at University, and it¡¯s accepted that even after he gets married he¡¯ll be free to have affairs, even concubines. It¡¯s hardly fair. I was only one of the Three-Hundred up until now, so I¡¯m not as isolated from the normal life as girls like my cousin Sakura, or Mayumi-sama. I know that way of life isn¡¯t what you would consider normal.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But that is just the way it is.¡± Motoko-san said, accepting of it. ¡°We are raised in a greenhouse, because our fathers and grandfathers require us to be beautiful, elegant flowers. Many of the nobility perished during the Second World War, when we were defeated, and most of the remainder failed and disappeared during the occupation afterwards, and the political upheaval that followed. Grandfather managed to keep our family safe by retaining his power in politics and the military, but some of our branch families were not so lucky...¡±


    ¡°This is all very interesting.¡± Eri said. ¡°But I don¡¯t see the relevance to what I said?¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡± Motoko-san said politely. ¡°I shall get to the point. I understand my duty, but... our family has always carried traditional techniques of bow, spear and sword, since the days of the Shogunate, no, even before. I love them, and I can¡¯t let them go. I would do anything to carry them on, but I also have no wish to bring shame to my ancestors, or disgrace my grandfather, who supports me.¡±


    ¡°I too!¡± Natsumi-san declared. ¡°I love the arts, Motoko-sama!¡±


    ¡°Natsumi!¡± she chided, and Natsumi flushed.


    ¡°Sorry, Motoko-san. But... I feel just as strongly as you! I don¡¯t want to give up either, and when you are married, you¡¯ll no longer need me as your bodyguard, and your husband won¡¯t let you train anymore!¡±


    ¡°I do not see why our traditional weapon arts are any less valuable than Japanese dancing, shrine rites, or other things Fujiwara-sama wishes to preserve. I agonised over it, my conflicting wants and desires. Many nights I cried myself to sleep over it.¡±


    Really? She looks so refined and composed. But I guess she¡¯s still a girl in the end. Her worries may be... different... from the normal, but they are important to her.


    ¡°Then Oshiro-sensei appeared.¡± Motoko-san said, tears forming in her eyes. ¡°And a new path opened to me. One where I can fulfil both duties, where they won¡¯t be in conflict. I can continue, or perhaps even improve the arts of my forebears, and also...¡±


    ¡°Wow. Is this going where I think this is going? It¡¯s going to be a bloodbath...¡± we had almost reached the shrine, talking as we walked, so Aiko clasped her hands in prayer, joking. ¡°Oh kami, if you can hear me... resolve this peacefully!¡±


    ¡°Obviously, for the honour of my family, and... well, every girl dreams of being a beautiful bride in front of her friends and family, do they not?¡±


    At that everyone nodded their agreement, even the standoffish Onoue-san.


    ¡°I am no exception.¡± Motoko-san continued. ¡°But... if it did not bring shame, I could stand to be a concubine, if my husband was suitably noble, and I could continue practising my arts with his blessings. How glorious it would be if my husband even took up the arts as well.¡± She smiled, and my breath caught. Yeah, she¡¯s beautiful too, especially when she smiles sincerely like that. In fact, all the noble girls I¡¯ve seen are pretty. I guess hundreds of years of good breeding helps with that...


    ¡°You hardly know me. We¡¯ve barely spent a few hours together. I don¡¯t get it. There have to be other, better ways to fulfil your duty.¡± I know she implied she was a candidate for my wife, or concubine or mistress, or whatever... but still. Sure, I thought I was a decent catch now, not even counting my Charm which was probably making me unfairly attractive to women. But am I so worthwhile that a girl I have only just met is prepared to be my mistress, even knowing I have two fiance?es?


    ¡°You are just that valuable.¡± Shaeula said, divining my thoughts. That was happening more and more often recently, perhaps an effect of our numerous bonds. ¡°You have knowledge, power, influence, connections. Indeed, there is not-not a thing you are lacking. These nobles may be old and powerful, but in this new order, your triumphs have been many-many. And you can share that power. They would be fools not-not to be interested.¡±


    ¡°Besides...¡± Hinata-san broke in sourly. ¡°A lot of the girls at Hanafubuki are already engaged before they even reach high school. And some of them don¡¯t even meet their intended until their wedding day. At least we... sorry, at least Motoko-san will have more than that.¡±


    ¡°I do not find you lacking at all, Oshiro-sensei. Though I would see more of your skills.¡± She smiled brightly, and Eri suddenly spoke up, visibly annoyed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later. For now, we should greet the master of the shrine.¡± She glared at me, and even though I hadn¡¯t agreed to anything, nor even suggested such things, I still felt guilty.


    ¡°Fine. We have a lot to go over, and I don¡¯t want to keep you from your party.¡±


    ¡°Screw the party. They could have fun even without me.¡± Eri pouted, but I pulled her into a hug, reassuring her.


    ¡°No way, without the birthday girl, they¡¯d be sad.¡± I denied her. ¡°Besides... I want everyone to appreciate my beautiful fiance?e. That way I can rub it in their faces how lucky I am!¡± I was joking a little bit, but it was true that I did feel proud of myself. Though at the same time, I was almost one of those clueless idiots from manga and light novels who doesn¡¯t see the worth of their childhood friend until it¡¯s too late...


    At that Eri seemed a bit happier, and a minute later we were greeting the master of the shrine, Marika-san¡¯s grandfather.


    ¡°I see you two girls have brought Oshiro-sama, as well as some new faces.¡± The old man smiled. ¡°Is it meditation and training again?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Yes. With Akio here we are hoping to make more breakthroughs.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± He said, and I took that time to speak.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for always looking after Eri and my sister. Letting them use the shrine helps a lot. I¡¯m sorry Marika-san isn¡¯t with us, but she¡¯s starting to make friends and feel more comfortable in Tokyo now, so she didn¡¯t want to take time away yet. she¡¯ll be back over Christmas break.¡±


    ¡°I understand. She calls us regularly.¡± He nodded. ¡°Junko does worry and bend my ear over it, but she¡¯s happy that Marika seems to be doing well.¡±


    ¡°Great. On another note...¡± I discussed funding to improve and repair the shrine, and after a while I transferred some money. After all, the Brown Dog kami has helped keep Eri safe. And they support me as a shrine. I should reward them for that...


    Once we were safely in a back room, Eri let out a long sigh, before turning to Motoko-san. ¡°Right. now we can talk. So let me be clear.¡± She said firmly, not backing down. ¡°Akio is mine. I don¡¯t feel good when he spends time with other girls, but I¡¯m trying to be better, so I can accept it if he is helping you protect your family arts. I think that¡¯s a wonderful goal. But... I¡¯ll never let you have him! I don¡¯t care how rich your family is, or how noble your bloodline...¡± Eri was starting to look a little green, so I pulled her into a hug again, reassuring her. Still, she never took her harsh glare away from Motoko-san. ¡°... I love Akio with all my heart. And he loves me. I¡¯ve even been training to stand by his side in the Boundary!¡±


    At that the noble girls looked puzzled by the term.


    ¡°But Oshiro-sensei has Shaeula-sensei as well, does he not? So you already accept that he will have concubines.¡± Motoko-san said, confused. ¡°I may be lacking, but I shall give my all to be worthy, as well as respect those who have come before me.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Should our union proceed as planned, I shall serve by nightly duties too. I have not been taught anything, as mother says I should mould myself to my husband¡¯s tastes, but I am confident in my stamina!¡±


    Yeah, I think you are talking about the wrong things here... ¡°Sorry, Motoko-san. I¡¯m flattered, and while I don¡¯t know you well you are earnest and dedicated, but... I promised Eri and Shaeula I would only love them. So, it isn¡¯t going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± Hinata-san said, fed up. ¡°If it was my brother, he¡¯d be snapping her up in a heartbeat. You should have seen the way he was eyeing them when we met you that first time.¡± she snorted. ¡°Be a man and take hold of everything the world offers to you. That is the way of nobility!¡±


    ¡°I agree indeed!¡± Shaeula pronounced. ¡°You should be greedier, Akio. You shall-shall be an Astral Emperor, as you call it, shall you not-not? Hinata, I like you. I support you! Eri, do consider her, I think she would be a good-good ally and female for Akio!¡±


    As Hinata-san stammered that wasn¡¯t her intent and Onoue-san bristled like an angry cat, cursing at Shaeula, Eri shouted angrily. ¡°Look, enough! I hate this! But this isn¡¯t why we are here!¡± she looked at me, still in my arms. ¡°Akio. We¡¯ll talk about this later. All right?¡±


    I nodded guiltily, even though I hadn¡¯t done anything. ¡°Sure, anything for you.¡±


    ¡°As for you, Shaeula... and don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see you laughing too, Aiko...¡± at that my sister covered her mouth, looking down. ¡°... I¡¯ll have words with you, too!¡± she then addressed Motoko-san and Hinata-san. ¡°Shaeula... she¡¯s special. She¡¯s my good friend. And she¡¯s proved herself worthy of Akio, and that she cares about me too. So... she¡¯s different. You can¡¯t compare yourself to her.¡±


    ¡°So, if I prove my worthiness to you and Oshiro-sensei, then you can consider me too?¡± Motoko-san reasoned.


    Uhh, I thought this was merely a proposed idea. The way she¡¯s talking, it¡¯s like a done deal.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same!¡± Eri exclaimed, annoyed. ¡°But enough already. We are here for Aiko...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, wow, time for me to jump in. My bro¡¯s gone from trash-tier moonstone to god-tier womaniser, and it¡¯s messing with my expectations. But... bro, I did it! I managed to enter the Boundary! Praise me, I want all your praise!¡± she echoed the line she gave me on the phone.


    I opened my arms, and she dived in for a hug. I had Aiko in one arm, Eri in the other, then Shaeula hugged us all from the back. After a while we separated, and I then fielded the inevitable questions from the others.


    ¡°Just what is this Boundary?¡± Hinata-san said. ¡°That¡¯s twice now you¡¯ve mentioned it.¡±


    Okay, what to do, what to do? I¡¯ve skimmed over a lot of the details with them, as after the attacks on the shrine I¡¯ve realised leaking info can be dangerous. But... I do want to deepen our alliance...


    Seeing my wariness, Motoko-san suddenly bowed deeply. Seeing that, Natsumi-san followed suit. ¡°I understand that you might not fully trust Fujiwara-sama. But he only wishes to do what is best for Japan and the nobility. And I... I¡¯ve been honest with my desires. Now is the time to show my worth. I¡¯ve pledged to support you. When grandfather proposed I be the first to learn your ways, with... with the prospect of political marriage, I admit I had trepidations. But now...¡± she looked at Eri and Shaeula. ¡°... if they love you so, you can¡¯t be a bad person. So... I can be the bridge that connects you to the nobility, as well as a hostage should Fujiwara-sama betray you. He will not, should you support Japan. But if he does... you may have your revenge on me.¡±


    ¡°If Motoko-san must be punished, I too... I too shall face your wrath.¡± Natsumi-san said, her voice trembling a little.


    Seriously? Is she so extreme because she¡¯s a noble daughter, raised strictly from birth, or because she¡¯s a martial artist? Or maybe it¡¯s the strange combination...


    ¡°If you are a man, you shouldn¡¯t force a girl to humble herself so, especially a daughter of a prestigious family.¡± Hinata-san sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m not prepared to be a victim if things don¡¯t go your way, but... my family will support you. With Nichibotsu in your corner, you won¡¯t want for money and prestige.¡±


    ¡°I like these girls!¡± my sis said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should cheat on Eri and Shaeula with them, wow no, I feel bad enough of a friend when I told you to accept Shaeula too, but... I think we can get along. So... well, I don¡¯t really understand everything either, so why not teach them as well as me?¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula muttered, having used her Mystic Eyes. ¡°That is why your skill has vanished. The lunar chakra has stabilised, much as it did-did with Akio. Growing the skill or gaining power with levels, either seems-seems to repair it.¡±


    ¡°This Lovers¡¯ Link skill...¡± Motoko-san mused. ¡°It is why Eri-senpai can grow, but Aiko-sensei cannot?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. But the conditions for using it are out of the question.¡± I said firmly. ¡°Being lovers is only... well, for lovers, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Motoko-san mused. ¡°The disgrace to my house, allowing a man to... but... even so, such power and skill...¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯m heading this line of thought off. Eri is looking very scary, and Tsumura-san specifically advised me not to lay my hands on her, which makes sense. Even if we did eventually get engaged, what grandfather would let a cheating bastard like me manhandle his precious granddaughter?


    ¡°Well, if you want to see what true power is... I guess here we go...¡±


    Yeah, not a huge amount of gains, but what I have gained is powerful... my combat skills have also gone up with all the beatings... sorry, sparring I¡¯m doing with Ulfuric.


    ¡°Shit bro... that¡¯s so not fair. Are you even human anymore?¡± Aiko complained.


    ¡°I should think that it is reassuring to have a male with such power to look after us, do you not-not agree, Eri?¡±


    She did agree with Shaeula. ¡°Yes. The world is scary, and is only going to get more dangerous.¡± She looked at the girls then, seeming to struggle internally for a moment, before finally speaking with a long sigh. ¡°You should be grateful. Akio is giving you this chance, don¡¯t waste it. Otherwise one day... if you are like I used to be, crying and lamenting my own pathetic weakness, regretting that what you wanted is gone from your grasp... you¡¯ll look back on this moment, and know you chose wrong.¡±


    Powerful words. Once more I¡¯m forced to acknowledge I hurt Eri by my own foolishness, distancing myself from her. Aiko too. Never again...


    ¡°So let me get this straight.¡± Hinata-san said suddenly. ¡°If even a world-class heavyweight boxer isn¡¯t at a hundred in stats, as that is the absolute best a human can reach... you are more than three times stronger than that!¡± she was amazed. ¡°I knew you were strong, but... that doesn¡¯t seem possible.¡±


    ¡°You skills with weapons are... a bit disappointing.¡± Motoko-san said, and beside her Natsumi-san covered her mouth, looking away, giggling. ¡°Though when you used my Gurenyari... I see, you were covering with speed and precision above human limits. No wonder your strikes were so fast and elegant. So... if you were to master our family techniques as well...¡±


    ¡°Motoko-san will be deep in thought for a while.¡± Natsumi-san was still laughing. ¡°Please forgive her.¡±


    ¡°All this is important and all...¡± Hinata-san said, looking at me shrewdly. ¡°But a few things don¡¯t add up. The Boundary. And... Territory Rank. Doesn¡¯t that imply that there is somewhere other than Japan? After all, are you not from elsewhere, Shaeula?¡±


    I suppose I didn¡¯t need to read out everything. Still... I just get the feeling I can trust these girls. After all, I can give them what they want, and I¡¯m not really at odds with the nobles. I can give them what they want too, if they back me, so... as long as no-one else comes along who can do better... ugh... that might be a problem... Still, that was why I was building up a power base with the temples, nobles and politicians.


    As Shaeula agreed, I decided to explain a bit. ¡°Yes, the Boundary is a distorted mirror of Earth, where the lower Astral meets the Material. It is a real place one can visit, if they have a suitably strong chakra network that can gather enough aether.¡±


    ¡°Akio controls a fair amount.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°It is but-but a pittance compared to the Seelie Court, yet... I believe in your terms, it would be-be several square kilometres of land, would it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t done the exact maths, but it has to be five or six square kilometres in total.¡±


    At that Hinata-san looked aghast. ¡°And... does it affect the Earth in any way?¡± she pressed, intense, getting in my face. Uncomfortably close, in fact.


    ¡°It can do.¡± I answered, a little taken aback. ¡°Like at the shrine we live at, we¡¯ve managed to increase ether density, which will make training you all easier and more efficient...¡±


    ¡°At the price of land... even on the outskirts of Tokyo... if it could be used or settled on...¡± her eyes were spinning as she calculated.


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough!¡± Eri pulled her away, only for Hinata-san to exclaim ¡°You¡¯d be richer than me!¡± in shock. ¡°You have to find a way to make this Territory usable! Prime land in Tokyo... it¡¯s almost priceless!¡±


    I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy... Before I could voice my denial though, Shaeula agreed with Hinata-san. ¡°Indeed. I am glad-glad you recognise the advantages Akio has. For now, only a rare-rare few can access the Boundary and lower Astral, but as the Material grows ever closer...¡± she chuckled darkly. ¡°... Akio shall rule-rule more than just the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°I think you broke them all.¡± Aiko chimed in. Indeed, Motoko-san and Natsumi-san were thinking of combat potential, while Hinata-san was dreaming of an expanded Tokyo, Onoue-san listening to her ravings.


    ¡°Yes, it seems so. Seriously Shaeula, do you really think it¡¯ll work like that?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°From the old tales, yes-yes, areas of the lower Astral existed alongside the Material, faerie glades, woods and wildernesses being places even mortals could visit, were they brave-brave or foolhardy enough. But then the Astral withdrew, and the Boundary formed. But now-now... the reverse is happening. Perhaps...¡± she frowned, thinking. ¡°I am loathe to see-see my idiotic brother, but perhaps we should at least visit the mansion he has-has prepared for us. If you see the lands of the Fae with your own-own eyes, you will understand.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that sounds awesome. I wish I could go!¡± my sis pouted, and Eri agreed with her.


    ¡°One day soon you can.¡± I promised. ¡°But first you need to consolidate your skills. Speaking of... are you ready to visit the Boundary properly?¡± I asked her, and Aiko nodded, bouncing with excitement.


    ¡°I sure am bro, I sure am! After all, I¡¯ve been visualising every spare minute for this!¡±


    ¡°First-first we will need to charge you up.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°Also...¡± her eyes glowed amber. ¡°... I would like-like to make some adjustments to your network and chakras, to prevent future issues. Akio, you should help me.¡±


    ¡°This again, huh? Be gentle...¡± Aiko said with watery eyes and a wavering gaze, only for Eri to whack her softly on the back of her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s comments like that why everyone thinks you are a total brocon.¡± Eri warned her, and Aiko shrugged.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s only us girls here, and bro loves it, right?¡±


    ¡°You do you.¡± I gave up. ¡°All right, are you going to lead, I don¡¯t have your eyes?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded, placing her hand on Aiko¡¯s lower body. She took mine and put it next to hers. Yeah, okay, I¡¯m only touching her belly, nothing lewd here at all...


    ¡°Pour in your aether, and I shall guide it.¡± Shaeula advised, and as I trickled it in my sis started shivering. ¡°More. And as it flows-flows, feel the blockages and clear them.¡±


    I increased in intensity, and she started moving her legs strangely, looking flushed. ¡°Be gentler. I¡¯m not very experienced.¡±


    Damn, why does everything you say sound dirty, sis? ¡°I think... is there a blockage here? The aether isn¡¯t flowing well...¡±


    Shaeula nodded, while my sister complained ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, her network has developed improperly there. Force through and use your Ether Healing to repair it-it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I intensified the flow, ignoring my flushed sister as she moaned softly. There was a feeling of resistance, but after a moment it parted before me. My sister shuddered, a trace of pain on her red face, before my aether gushed through, starting to repair and strengthen the capillaries around the node that was blocked.


    Something feels strange. It is like I¡¯m understanding what Shaeula does, how her skill works... my energy flowed up, spiralling past the heart chakra and cascading towards the mess that was her lunar chakra.


    ¡°Now this does hurt.¡± Aiko complained, her back burning with needles of pain. ¡°I¡¯m not enjoying this...¡±


    I barely heard her as I concentrated on both the flow of energy within my sister, as well as using Ether Healing and something more to repair and reinforce the woefully unstable chakra.


    ¡°I have mastered the class Pledged One...¡± Shaeula said in wonder, but I didn¡¯t hear her either. I see. Ether Healing, Aetheric Chirurgeon... they are both parts of a greater ability. It seems beyond my reach but...


    You have gained a skill, Aetheric Chirurgeon Rank 1. This skill allows you...


    I blinked away the notifications, engrossed in what I was doing. I still couldn¡¯t see like Shaeula could, so my efficiency sucked, but now I had the skill, I had a much better feeling of where the problems were and how to fix them. I worked for several more minutes, until my head was aching from the stress of using multiple skills blind.


    ¡°There, all done. you have plenty of aether now.¡± I grinned, before blinking in surprise. Aiko was bright red and panting, dripping with sweat.


    ¡°Seriously bro...¡± she managed, shaking her head. ¡°I told you to stop, that I couldn¡¯t handle that, but you just pushed through anyway, and it really hurt!¡±


    ¡°Phrasing!¡± Eri chided her once more, as the way Aiko said it was very dirty. Still, it amused Shaeula at least, and her laughter rang out.


    ¡°Seriously, it sucked and I¡¯m so ashamed!¡± Aiko continued, pouting. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve been through that, I¡¯m ruined. I can¡¯t get married anymore. You¡¯ll have to take responsibility, bro...¡±


    ¡°Enough of that.¡± I sighed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like you are making it sound. Besides, firstly, there are only girls here so no-one would know about it, and secondly, it was just some cleaning out of your chakra network. And lastly, and most importantly... seriously... you want me to take responsibility? Seriously? Might want to rethink that one, sis.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but she went even redder, looking away. ¡°Oh shut up! It was humiliating, it felt strange!¡± she sighed. ¡°Still, I know you only do it to help me.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just embarrassed.¡± Eri said helpfully. ¡°But like Akio says, it isn¡¯t anything weird.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°It is not truly mixing your souls and aether. It is more-more akin to a handshake or a hug, not-not an intimate act such as true conjoining.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± She was starting to calm down. ¡°I do feel full of energy though. Wow, I can hardly wait to be able to explore!¡±


    ¡°We only have a few hours. You have to be ready for the party.¡± I warned, and she pouted again.


    ¡°Spoilsport!¡± she chided me. ¡°But I get it. Come on then Eri, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I shall follow you shortly.¡± Shaeula said, turning back to the noble girls. ¡°First I shall-shall look over their techniques, and correct any glaring issues. Then I shall follow you-you.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Come on, time to go.¡± Eri was already entering the Boundary, lying down on some futons that had been placed here beforehand. Aiko struggled a bit, even with her replenished aether, but after a few minutes she too was unconscious. With that, I also lay down, and moments later I opened my eyes in the Boundary once more...

 One Hundred And Eighty-Seven – R18/Contains Sex

    One Hundred And Eighty-Seven ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    I hoisted the heavy sack full of equipment I was carrying over my shoulder, once more marvelling at the fact that such items would move around with one¡¯s Astral body. There really has to be a way to use that somehow... Still, I pushed the thought that I had considered a fair few times before aside, revelling in something different, the sheer childlike joy and excitement Aiko was displaying.


    ¡°Wow, just wow. Wowowowowowowowow.¡± She was speaking rapidly, her words slurring together as she examined the much more magnificent shrine. ¡°I only saw a little before, but wow, this is crazy!¡±


    ¡°I get that you are excited, but you need to calm down.¡± Eri said, and I saw she was holding what looked like a wood-axe, the bright metal head now pitted with chips and cracks. On seeing my gaze, Eri blushed adorably. ¡°Well, when I broke the gifts you gave me... ugh, I still feel awful about that... anyway... I managed to take this axe from a zombie.¡± She swung it through the air, making it whistle. ¡°Still, I find it easier to use than a sword. I guess I¡¯m not skilled like Aiko. Axes and clubs are easy to use.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a complicated feeling, seeing you armed and ready to fight, but... I guess I¡¯m proud of you?¡± I said, and Eri giggled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound sure.¡±


    ¡°No. I am sure. Good job!¡± I reached out with my free hand and ruffled her hair. As I did so, Aiko turned back to us, bouncing about excitedly.


    ¡°Come on, you two! I want to see outside! Outside!¡±


    We followed Aiko out, only to hear more of her astonished ¡®wow¡¯ noises. She had entered the courtyard, only to be greeted by the Brown Dog kami and his many pony-sized adherents. Her dislike of dogs, which was shared by as all, admittedly, after that day, had been completely pushed out by the spectacle, and my sis was standing there with her mouth wide open, a shocked expression on her face.


    ¡°Grr, welcome, child of my shrine.¡± The Brown Dog said, and that surprised my sis even more.


    ¡°It talks, he talks! Wow, this is amazing!¡±


    Eri tried to calm Aiko down, though she was struggling, finding it hard to contain her mirth. While this was going on, I bowed politely to the kami, thanking him for looking after Eri during her forays into the Boundary, and adding that I hoped they would take care of Aiko too now.


    ¡°Grr, I shall indeed look after your honourable sister. She too is a daughter of this shrine.¡± Man, that voice still surprises me. But then, the Jade Beetle spoke very elegantly as well, barring the odd beetle noises.


    I declined any escorts from his followers, as we would not be here long, and Shaeula and I would be more than enough protection. Speaking of Shaeula, a few minutes later she appeared, greeting us.


    ¡°All right then. Shall we be off?¡± I asked, having queried the Brown Dog about areas where enemies lurked.


    ¡°Sure thing! Wow, I¡¯m pumped up.¡± Aiko stuck an excited pose. ¡°Although...¡± she deflated a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t have a weapon, and I can¡¯t level up. Wow, this sucks.¡±


    ¡°True, but there are still things you can do.¡± Shaeula and I, during our own training sessions, had been coming up with activities for our new trainees, which would allow growth in abilities even without the ability to level. ¡°Besides...¡± I rattled the heavy sack I was carrying.


    ¡°Here seems as good-good a place as any.¡± Shaeula grinned. We were on the hillside below the shrine, and the scenery was eerie yet attractive, the dark unlight of the skies casting pretty shadows.


    ¡°Right.¡± I turned to Eri, putting down the sack and rummaging around in it. ¡°I know your birthday isn¡¯t until tomorrow, but... happy birthday, Eri! I¡¯m so glad I could spend it with you. I¡¯m sorry I missed your last few...¡±


    I pulled out several items. The first was the axe I had Bjarki make. It was a long-handled crescent-head axe with a spike on top of the shaft for stabbing like a spear if necessary, made of black dwarven steel, with some attractive blue patterns made from alloyed bluesteel and other metals. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s not particularly romantic, but... you are an adult, so I figured practical is best, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow bro, not quite what I meant when I said adult, you idiot.¡± Aiko muttered loudly, clearly intending for me to hear. Even so, Eri dropped her own axe and reached out, happily lifting it up. ¡°It¡¯s heavy... but I can manage. It¡¯s pretty too.¡± She smiled brilliantly, giving it a few swings. ¡°Thank you, Akio! I love it! It¡¯s even decorated, it¡¯s kind of cute!¡±


    Cute, really? I think I¡¯ve broken Eri if she thinks a weapon is cute. Although... she¡¯s cute right now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest.¡± Eri continued, resting the shaft of the axe on the ground, leaning on it. ¡°I was pretty upset you kept missing my birthday. So this doesn¡¯t quite make up for it. I want you to spend ten... no, a hundred birthdays with me for each one you missed. Then I¡¯ll call it even.¡± She beamed broadly then, tearing up a little. ¡°Even so... I¡¯m so happy that... we can be together again. And that you trust me and respect me enough to let me help you!¡±


    As Shaeula and my sis clapped cheerfully, I hugged Eri. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°Let¡¯s shoot for a thousand instead. And I do trust you. I worry about you getting hurt, but... well, I¡¯ve thought of that.¡± Releasing Eri, I pulled out my other gift. It was the armoured dress that Bjarki and a surprising assistant had worked on.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s cute!¡± Aiko said, envious, and Eri agreed, taking it from me, running her hands over the smooth metallic cloth, which was plated with black and blue metals to shield her vital areas.


    ¡°It looks a bit goth-loli.¡± My sis observed. ¡°And the skirt is pretty damn short. Is that the sort of dress you like Eri in, bro?¡± she asked, and I had to admit Eri did look cute in more girly clothes like that.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try it on.¡± Eri said, enchanted by her gift. Her hands went to her ragged armour that I had brought her before and she pulled it off. She then began unbuttoning her blouse.


    ¡°Bold indeed.¡± Shaeula snickered, as Eri dropped her blouse to the floor, before unhooking the clasps on her long skirt. As that fell to the floor, I probably should have averted my eyes at her underwear-clad body, but it wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t seen more.


    ¡°We are all girls here. Apart from Akio. And I want him to see.¡± Eri blushed. She slowly donned the black and blue dress, taking her time, showing off her body. ¡°It¡¯s really pretty, and not too heavy.¡± she said, spinning around, her hem fluttering. ¡°It¡¯s sad I can¡¯t show anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you look great. Bro¡¯s taste seems to be improving. Either that or Shaeula helped out.¡± My sis observed. ¡°Still, the skirt part is surprisingly short, if you try fighting in that you¡¯ll just end up flashing your enemies. Plus, it doesn¡¯t exactly protect your legs or arms. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t dress you in bikini armour...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad.¡± I protested. ¡°And I did think of that. Here.¡± I produced two long metallic-cloth bracers and gloves for Eri¡¯s arms, as well as some under-leggings to be put on under the skirt, preventing any wardrobe malfunctions and also armouring her legs. Eri pulled them on, making sure I could see her underwear, before giving a final twirl.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± I said, and the others agreed.


    ¡°It surprises me that master Bjarki was capable of making such-such... fanciful... armour.¡± Shaeula mused, and I shook my head. ¡°He did the reinforcing and alloying, but surprisingly it was Hyacinth who spun the cloth and did most of the needlework.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Hyacinth?¡± Eri asked, not recognising the name.


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the Fae Shaeula¡¯s brother sent us. She¡¯s... well, she¡¯s pretty crazy, but she excels at all sorts of domestic chores. It seems spinning, needlework and tailoring are among them.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not even my birthday yet, but I¡¯m already happy.¡± Eri was overjoyed. ¡°Now I want to test out this axe. Maybe I¡¯ll get my Axe Technique to Rank 2.¡± Her smile was gorgeous and seductive.


    ¡°Well, I get that it is your birthday and all.¡± Aiko sighed. ¡°And don¡¯t get me wrong, this place is unbelievable, and I¡¯m happy I can finally come here... but... wow, damn, I feel so left out.¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged glances, before we grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Shaeula made sure you wouldn¡¯t be the only one to get nothing, and I think I¡¯ve contributed too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± she leaned in, excited. ¡°Don¡¯t keep me hanging.¡±


    ¡°I think I know.¡± Eri giggled, still frolicking around in her dress, hefting her axe. Well yeah, you were there when Shaeula asked her brother for it...


    ¡°Here. This is for you. We didn¡¯t have these made, they are genuine Faerie items, so do be sure to take care of them!¡±


    ¡°Wow. Just... wow.¡± Aiko grinned, as I handed her a fiery red recurve-style bow, with a string of shining metallic silver. It was paired with a quiver made from a brilliant crimson material, attached to a cute leather strap with a silver buckle to fasten it and some attractive dangling cloth that Hyacinth had attached, allowing Aiko to secure her bow out of the way and draw it quickly too.


    ¡°It¡¯s even my favourite colour.¡± Aiko rubbed her cheek against the sleek bow, grinning. ¡°Thanks. I love it big bro. It reminds me of my own bow too.¡± It was quite a bit smaller than a kyudo bow, but was more suitable for actual combat.


    ¡°Shaeula helped get it too.¡± I admitted. ¡°By the way... that¡¯s not all.¡± Removing the last items from the bag, it was a set of armour similar to Eri¡¯s, though this one was a long-sleeved body armour and leggings. It was still decently cute as armoured clothing went, but even so, my sis pursed her lips when she saw it.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Eri said, her voice muffled as my penis was still in her mouth, trembling as she worked on it. ¡°I know... I do... but... uh... ahn...¡±


    Seeing her distress I slid one hand up under her skirt, stroking her dripping pussy gently, my finger scooping up some of her juices and using it to polish the little red bead that was her clitoris. My other hand I slid into her dress, grabbing at her bare breasts, enjoying the feel of their softness in my palm, the hard nub that was a nipple poking me. Her moans became more intense, and she quickly came, squirting all over my legs before she pissed herself, a hot gush of urine soaking me. She slid free, my iron-hard cock convulsing, yet I had not orgasmed, as she was defeated just before I could cum.


    ¡°Wow, this got... serious.¡± My sis muttered, shocked, but unable to look away. Shaeula was looking too, though for other reasons, my keen nose picking up the damp scent of her arousal too.


    ¡°Indeed. Eri¡¯s emotions are being heightened by the darkness and slanted towards the negative. I would intervene, but I fear Eri would react poorly right now.¡±


    Yeah, no kidding. She was lying on my lap, her (and my) lower body soaked with her sticky secretions and urine. She was flushed red, but her eyes were black. She trembled with shame, embarrassment and lust, eyeing my engorged dick greedily.


    ¡°Eri... I¡¯ll prove it to you!¡± I said, gently picking her up, pulling down her dress and easing it off until she was naked. ¡°But... can you control the energy or should I purge it? Either way, I love you, just... I prefer the normal Eri.¡± I kissed her, tongue forcing in. I started working her clit and pussy again, the hole loose and ready to accept my penis, but I showed her no mercy. I slid my lips down to her breasts, sucking at her nipples, and as her gasps intensified, she spoke, her words coming fast and breathlessly.


    ¡°I know. I get that... it¡¯s... ahn... ahn, stop.... I¡¯m going white... weird... but... ahn, um... it¡¯s hard. I¡¯ll do my best... for you!¡±


    ¡°Then let me help you!¡± I said, as she orgasmed a second time, this time only a thin dribble of love nectar splashing out. I bent down and licked at it, causing her great shame and arousal. ¡°It¡¯s sour. But it tastes of you. I want all of you! The light, the dark, everything! If you really fear that I''ll go away, I¡¯ll reassure you as many times as it takes, even if it takes a thousand, no, ten thousand years!¡± and with that I pressed my penis to her still-twitching entrance. After two massive orgasms, she was incredibly sensitive, so even the brief touch made her shudder in pleasure.


    ¡°Only Shaeula and I know... ahn, this pleasure.¡± Eri gasped, looking at Shaeula. ¡°In my head I know without you, Akio and I would never have come together... ahn, ah, but my heart... no, I CAN control this! I¡¯m going... uh, ahn...¡± her words were cut off as I slid inside her warm honeypot, the slick walls of her insides gripping me tightly.


    Shit, that feels amazing. I could hear my sis and Shaeula talking to each other, but my head was white too. Eri and I kissed, and I forced myself in until my dick, harder and bigger than ever, was kissing the entrance to her womb, hitting her deep inside. Now, time to end this.


    We were both gasping and sweating as I slid in and out of her, our tongues and lips entwinned, my penis scooping out her sodden insides, the wet slapping as our bodies met arousing. It didn¡¯t take too long until I came, since she had prepared me well with her mouth. As my hot semen poured deep into her womb, Eri gasped and shuddered. She had not orgasmed, but even so, the experience was brilliant for her, the feeling of my love resonating.


    ¡°... I¡¯m going crazy, but I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll control the darkness I feel!¡± Eri yelled.


    ¡°Together!¡± I gasped. Even though I was done, I continued to make love, nectar and semen lubricating my dick. As Eri concentrated on understanding the darkness and how it affected her, while simultaneously climbing the stairs towards a third orgasm, I let my aether flow into her, concentrating on my Aetheric Chirurgery. There. She¡¯s doing it!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry... ahn... about that! Look only at me, uh, in this moooooooooment!¡± Eri cried.


    I should. As I touched her throat chakra with my aether, some darkness carrying her thoughts spilled into me, magnifying my own dark emotions. What... what if Eri wanted another man, was doing what we are doing now? Another man, kissing her lips, touching her breasts... fucking her... NO! ¡°Eri, you¡¯re mine, now and forever. I¡¯ll never, ever let you go. If any man tries to take you from me... I¡¯ll kill him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to hear that! When you said... ahn... ugh... that if I ever wanted another man... fuck, I felt sick. You jerk!¡± she started crying. ¡°I ahh... don¡¯t care about... ahn, your ... fuck, this feels so good... I¡¯m going to cum again, in front of Shaeula and Aiko... shit... if you must have other women... for you I can bear anything... ahn, except you saying I want anyone else... ahn... but you!¡± She orgasmed then, her third one dwarfing the other two, our heads clashing as she convulsed so hard. I then erupted again, her wriggling hole somehow dragging sperm out of me. As I fell on her, our bleeding heads resting against each other, I felt our bonds resonate, and my Chirurgery discerned a change in her throat chakra.


    ¡°Akio, you idiot.¡± We kissed, leisurely, tenderly. ¡°I don¡¯t... want you to forget me. I want to spend as much time with you as I can.¡± She was crying, but the tears were pure, her true thoughts, not the mess of her darker ones. ¡°I want this happiness to last forever! But Shaeula is right. You are special. I¡¯ve always known it. So... if you have to have others... other women... as long as they love you like you deserve... I¡¯ll swallow my tears. Just... never forsake me. And never tell me that I¡¯d be better off loving someone else, even if I still loved you. I hate that. I¡¯d rather die than touch another boy! I know you feel bad about being unfaithful, and you should. But only because it¡¯ll make you only choose women that need you. I¡¯ve always needed you, and Shaeula does too. Just...¡± she kissed me one more time, then snuggled her head into my chest, inviting me to stroke her hair, which I did. ¡°... just don¡¯t go mad, all right? I don¡¯t want to be dealing with any bitches. I don¡¯t want anything to interfere with our happy times.¡±


    Seriously, I meant it when I pledged just to love you and Shaeula. But... Motoko-san... she¡¯s so determined to carry on her family legacy... she could do it without me, right? No, now isn¡¯t the time... later. I need to be VERY sure about any decision, and right now Eri¡¯s emotions are running high. I can¡¯t take her opinion here as her true opinion... she doesn¡¯t mean what she is saying, I¡¯m sure. Right? Ugh...


    ¡°Well, this is a surprise indeed.¡± Shaeula said loudly, and we both jumped, suddenly reminded they were there. ¡°It seems you have realised your role as the first wife, have you not-not?¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Fear not-not, I shall aid you, and Akio is not such a male who would abandon his females to fawn on another. If he should, we shall teach him the error of his ways and correct-correct him, no?¡±


    ¡°Wow, holy shit. I think I need therapy now.¡± Aiko said, her face so scarlet as to be almost purple. ¡°I thought Las Vegas was bad, but this...¡± she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d have looked away, but... well, shit bro, I¡¯ve heard some guys at school talking, but I think you might be a beast. Eri looked like she was enjoying it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Also... Eri, you seem different somehow. More... glossy? Prettier? Ugh, I can¡¯t explain it. I guess it¡¯s true girls in love get cute.¡±


    ¡°I do not-not think it is just that.¡± Shaeula observed her with blazing amber eyes. ¡°Your throat chakra has stabilised. You have succeeded. Not-not that I doubted you. But before we discuss that... perhaps you might consider cleaning yourselves and getting dressed?¡±


    Eri let out a yelp, realising we were both covered in her piss and love nectar, and my cum was dripping out of her all over us. I used aether to cleanse us, a neat trick I had just thought of, and then we dressed ourselves.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d save that sort of fun until your actual birthday.¡± Aiko smirked, having calmed down now the stimulating and embarrassing sight was over.


    ¡°I still will.¡± Eri chucked, looking up at me, a refreshed expression on her face. ¡°You want to as well, right?¡± she asked me, and I had to nod.


    ¡°Of course. I plan to make up for your missed birthdays as best I can. Consider this a down-payment. But... we really are running low on time. Also... my sis is right. You do look hotter. It¡¯s making my heart race.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just remembering what you did a minute ago?¡± my sis snarked, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Give me a second, I¡¯m going to appraise you.¡± As Eri shivered, her sensitive body twitching at my touch, I let out a surprised gasp. ¡°Damn, you¡¯ve mastered Darkness, which is awesome, great job, but... that isn¡¯t the strange thing!¡±


    Dark Temptress. This class draws upon the aspects of darkness that point towards lust, jealously, possessiveness and allure, turning them into power. Charm will dramatically increase, and the effects of Charm will also be increased. The charisma and physical beauty of the Temptress will increase, and skills relating to darkness element, mental manipulation, love and lust will also increase.


    That¡¯s one surprising class! Although she did tempt me ruthlessly only a short while ago. Still, the big takeaway here was that Eri could get a class as well. Shaeula already had one when I linked her to the Throne of Heroes, so it was not certain others would be able to gain them, but this proved it. That¡¯s another route to growing power for those I train. Although with a class like that...


    Shaeula was laughing uproariously, having fallen to the floor, and she was now rolling around, tears falling from her amber eyes, greatly amused.


    ¡°Wow. I knew you had got sexy all of a sudden. But to think you¡¯re a temptress now.¡± Aiko teased her too, getting a small revenge for the scene she had witnessed earlier. ¡°I wonder what uncle and auntie will say about this! You¡¯d better watch out bro, Eri will be drawing in all the boys during the party for sure, now!¡±


    ¡°You shut up, Aiko!¡± Eri was almost wailing, tears running down her cheeks for a different reason to Shaeula. ¡°Akio, take it back, take it away! I don¡¯t want this class! I don¡¯t want to tempt anyone but you! I¡¯ll die first!¡±


    ¡°No dying! We¡¯ve discussed this. But I¡¯d be grateful if you kept the temptation to just me, selfish though it is.¡± I hugged away her tears until she calmed down.


    ¡°I know.¡± She hiccupped, her tantrum spent. ¡°I¡¯m strong enough to ward off any persistent flies, so I shouldn¡¯t be scared. I just hate the class name. Yours are so cool, and mine... it makes me sound like a slut!¡±


    ¡°If anyone is a slut here it¡¯s me, two fiance?es and other girls always hanging around. So I get it. I¡¯ve heard your feelings, both your true and your darker ones. I trust you. Besides... you being more beautiful, makes me a lucky guy, right? Every girl would want that class.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I don¡¯t want to tempt trash like Kenji, but... damn, I want to be more beautiful. I want power too. Hey bro, did I get the Aether Manipulation skill too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± I said after checking, and she puffed out her cheeks, frowning.


    ¡°Damn, so annoying. I guess Eri has a head start on me though. I¡¯ll get it, mark my words. A class too. Or some elements!¡± she slapped her own cheeks, motivating herself like she would during kyudo or volleyball. ¡°Not Dark Temptress though. I¡¯ll leave that for Eri!¡±


    ¡°Aiko!¡± Eri growled, and more laughter echoed around.


    ¡°If you simply practise when you return to the Boundary, you shall-shall obtain it. Work on your skills and they shall not-not betray you. Now, this has been... entertaining...¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°But we should return. The party is waiting! Although...¡± Shaeula looked at Eri, a wry expression on her face. ¡°Now-now I understand why you were so annoyed when your Lovers¡¯ Link skill was below mine. I am feeling quite-quite frustrated now myself!¡±


    As Shaeula declared that, Eri smiled prettily, satisfied with the role reversal. Seeing that, Aiko chuckled, nudging me in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°Hey bro. Quick question? Why is it every time you... well, fuck... do either you or the girls get a powerup? Did some god of Eroge give you your powers? As your sister, it¡¯s a bit disheartening. Work out a better way so I can get my share too!¡±


    At that surprisingly crude comment, Eri and Shaeula turned their attention to my sis, and soon they were all laughing and joking once more, mostly at my expense. As Shaeula passed the mirror back to Eri, advising her to use it to store and train her darkness further, I found myself smiling.


    Yeah, at least the girls get to have fun. Me... I have to talk to mom, father and the Mori¡¯s. Damn, I suppose at least I¡¯ve had some unexpected happiness with Eri to give me some strength. I could never give her up now. We both promised. Together forever. Now I just have to somehow bring our families on board with this crazy madness...

 Side Fifty-Seven – Fukumoto Hinata

    Side Fifty-Seven ¨C Fukumoto Hinata


    As Shaeula entered the Boundary, her form suddenly becoming still and lifeless, not even breathing, unlike the other three who were lying on the prepared futons, their breaths coming slowly and loud in the enclosed shrine annex, she turned to her senpai at school, the very popular and much higher-ranked Tsumura Motoko-senpai... No, I guess it is Motoko-san while we are studying under the same master... her eyes flickered back to Akio-kun at that thought, before she put her attention back on Motoko-san.


    She looks motivated, Natsumi too. There was no need for honorifics with Natsumi, she was a bodyguard, even if she was actually from one of the Three-Hundred, albeit one of the lower branches. I think her family runs a traditional textile firm that makes yukata and other traditional outfits? No, that doesn¡¯t matter now. What does matter is... ¡°Motoko-san, why did you dol that?¡± she asked, actually scandalised. ¡°No-one from nobility can humble themselves like that, least of all someone from a family as noble as yours! If anyone were to find out...¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.comi looked pensive, while Motoko-san merely smiled gently. ¡°Yes, you are quite right. I would expect no less from a cousin of Takatsukasa Sakura-sama. It is unbecoming for a daughter of nobility to humble herself, as it reflects poorly on our family and our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°So then why...¡± Hinata began, only to stop at the strange, almost longing expression that crossed Motoko-san¡¯s face.


    ¡°Because there is nothing more important to me than passing down my family arts to the next generation, to my children. But more than that... I love them, Hinata-san. I feel so much joy as I train, as I spar with Natsumi...¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way!¡± Natsumi declared, holding Motoko-san¡¯s hands. ¡°I was honoured to be chosen as your apprentice and bodyguard, but now... now it¡¯s what I want to do! I want to master the Tsumura arts, recreate the old techniques within the records, and see the true path! I don¡¯t just want to see it , I want to do it, by your side!¡±


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t have to humble yourself!¡± she declared. The pride of nobility... I hate to see it tossed aside. After all... it¡¯s what I want for myself! I want to be beautiful, proud, respected, looked up to by the other girls at school, treated the same as Sakura. I want... I want Mayumi-sama to treat me as an equal. That was a pipedream of course. Mayumi-san was the only granddaughter of the Ichijou house, and only the two granddaughters of Fujiwara-sama could compare. Takatsukasa house is on the wane... even a great legacy can be squandered by poor decisions. ¡°We are making a trade here, Akio-kun should be more than happy to agree to your demands in exchange for the support of our families.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But... are we only our family?¡± Motoko-san shook her head. ¡°I thought you hated that, Hinata-san.¡±


    It was like a bolt of lightning ripped through her, she was so stunned. She¡¯s right. I hate only being judged on my family, not what I can do, who I am... and now I¡¯m trying to use the same as a club, a bludgeon. ¡°I see. Even so... there were better ways. He... Akio-kun... he doesn¡¯t seem that unreasonable. I think he would help you anyway. He seems a bit of a pushover, really.¡± She snorted.


    ¡°Maybe so. I think in this strange world we cannot see, perhaps swords, bows and spears have a use. I could certainly find new trainees, pass on the arts. But... you know that grandfather has tried to find matches for me. I am quite the catch...¡± she smiled self-deprecatingly, with a touch of bitterness. ¡°... ordinarily I would marry into one of the three great houses, or perhaps be betrothed to the heir of a house with similar standing to mine. There have been talks, and mother and father are pressuring me to accept a proposal. Yet... every single one expects me to be a perfect flower, to be seen, admired and then put away when not needed.¡± she sighed, clutching her carrying bag close, the weapon within comforting her. ¡°I¡¯ve met some of these gentlemen, and when they hear of my wish to continue with combat arts, it¡¯s always the same. I¡¯m sorry, but girls should avoid strenuous, dangerous acts, what if you were injured, or worse, scarred? Or why can¡¯t you take up more respectable hobbies, such as flower arranging or tea ceremony. It¡¯s always the same. And I can perform tea ceremony, and dance traditionally, if not as beautifully as the Fujiwara daughters. I have studied to be the perfect bride and mother. Is it too much to ask I be allowed to indulge myself as well? Apparently so... within the nobility at least.¡±


    ¡°But... you don¡¯t have a choice. You have to marry within the...¡± I see. I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯ve thought about it too, ever since we were elevated to the Fifty-Eight. Even with that, it¡¯s only by decree and the other Fifty-Seven still look down on us, nothing has really changed. Yet.


    ¡°When I talked to Akio-sensei about my arts, he was interested, he praised me, he seemed genuinely impressed. His sister, Aiko-senpai, she is a practitioner of kyudo. When we were talking before, he told me about how he scrimped and saved to help her afford her bow, which she treasures to this day.¡± Motoko-san stroked her own weapon lovingly. ¡°I can relate. These are the precious weapons of my family. My brother should be wielding them, or my father, but instead they let me have them, as they see no use for them in the modern world. I hate that. I hate always being the perfect daughter, hiding my pain.¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s the only reason my mother married my father. The dowry and financial support from Nichibotsu has kept them afloat, but we can¡¯t provide endless wealth ourselves. Mother is particularly worried for her brother and niece... but if he marries Sakura... ¡°That would be even worse! I¡¯ll be relegated to a mere concubine, a mistress. I will have no influence or respect at all!¡± Hinata declared angrily, not realising what she had revealed by her words. Everyone else noticed though, especially Kazumi, who looked pained but resigned.


    ¡°Hardly. You can know a person through their martial skills.¡± Motoko-san said, and Natsumi agreed brightly. ¡°That¡¯s right! There¡¯s no darkness in his heart, I can tell!¡±


    ¡°Besides.¡± Motoko-san continued. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it. He treats a princess the same as a common girl. At least with Akio-sensei, I believe anyone he loves will be treated fairly, be they Sakura-sama, a daughter of Fujiwara house, a bodyguard, or you.¡±


    Yes, I get that. I do. ¡°Maybe. But it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m planning to marry him. It¡¯s just something that Fujiwara-sama suggested to my father. He¡¯s not convinced, and neither is mother. Grandfather doesn¡¯t care so much about the nobility, he¡¯d be happy so long as I was, and Hiroto... well, that idiot thinks with his lust. He likes Akio-kun because he has beautiful girlfriends. He thinks he¡¯s a womaniser just like him!¡± she paused for breath, her brother¡¯s annoying grin when marriage talks came up needling her. Just because I found Akio-kun handsome when we first met, and he¡¯s got more attractive since... uh, never mind. ¡°Mother has been trying to find me other matches, but other than the Three-Hundred, nothing of value has been proposed except for some Takatsukasa branch families, which defeats the whole point if we are just absorbed back into the main house... so when this came up... I think they see it as a gamble that might pay off, and if it doesn¡¯t it will earn us goodwill with Fujiwara-sama, so at least Hiroto should get a good match out of gratitude.¡± She snorted at that, bitter at the way women were treated as commodities. I envy that Eri girl and Shaeula for getting to marry who they love...


    ¡°You do understand then. I was worried for you.¡± Motoko-san smiled. ¡°Your brother is wrong. Akio-sensei seems to be quite the loyal man. I do not believe he will marry us simply for political or financial gain. There are other things he can offer for the support of our families, and he is not used to the ways of nobility, sealing important alliances through marriage and shared bloodlines. Hence why we had to beg, right Natsumi?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Motoko-san.¡± Natsumi said triumphantly. ¡°We had to make it clear, that we intend to compete for his love and why. It may be because it is a chance for us to live happily, doing what we love, while still satisfying our commitments to family and the nobility, but... I think I like him well enough. So... I¡¯d like to see if I can love him, and he me... no, us.¡± She blushed, looking at Motoko-san. ¡°It may be rude of me, a mere bodyguard...¡±


    ¡°You are no mere bodyguard.¡± Motoko-san denied. ¡°You are my friend, my pupil and I see you as a sister. So speak freely.¡±


    ¡°... Motoko-san, I see you as a sister too!¡± she cried, emotional. ¡°So... loving the same man, living together, raising our children to be warriors, sons and daughters both. It¡¯s a dream I want to reach for!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I feel the same. But it will not be easy. Unless we win his heart he will not consider us, and we also need to win over Eri-senpai. Shaeula-sensei is supporting us, it seems. As a princess, she understands the merits of concubines and secondary wives, no doubt. Still, Hinata-san, you are right. We have spent barely any time with him yet, nor with his women. But... that is merely an issue of time. As long as we have intent we can overcome that. I too, though I have known him for only moments, feel like he is someone that could become special to me. Perhaps it is just that I am so starved for praise, for anyone who will affirm my choices, but... I do not dislike him, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we are going to a party, are we not? I wonder what a commoner gathering will be like?¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°In any case, we can spend time with Shaeula-sensei, Eri-senpai and their friends. That will show us more of who they are, and we can listen to tales of Akio-senpai. What better way to learn?¡±


    Bodyguards as sisters, huh? How do I feel about Kazumi? With that as just one of the unanswered questions, Hinata noticed that the girls and Akio-kun were starting to stir. ¡±Looks like time is up. I wonder where they went, what this Boundary is like...¡± she sighed. ¡°I still am not convinced, and think your desperation to carry on your family arts and avoid a marriage that ends that is making you reckless, but... I¡¯ll admit Akio-kun has me curious. It can¡¯t hurt to find out more. Nothing is set in stone yet...¡±


    I mean, I could certainly do worse, I thought it possible I might end up a mistress to a high-ranking noble, or a wife of a lower one. Still, I want to make my own choices, get what I want. With that, I can agree with Motoko-san... Smiling reassuringly at Kazumi, who was showing a troubled expression after the frank conversation she felt she wasn¡¯t qualified to hear, the girls waited for their teachers and seniors to awaken from their mysterious slumber. Besides, at least life would certainly never be boring...

 Side Fifty-Eight – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Fifty-Eight ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Whoa, who are those girls, Mori-senpai?¡± a younger boy from our school asked, excited, as he saw the girls from the nobility, who were looking around the packed cafe? with a mixture of trepidation and innocent curiosity. The cafe? was rammed full, tables set outside also crowded with a mixture of students from high and middle school (and even a few from elementary, who had no doubt come along with their older siblings) as well as a few recent graduates from Nishimorioka school.


    Seriously, I can tell Eri has no idea who this kouhai, our junior, even is! Well, I don¡¯t know his name, but I think he does soccer? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen him at our athletics meets too. Still, she¡¯s grown. At least she¡¯s pretending to care who he is, though if he keeps looking at her and the other girls like that... the young man was blushing disgustingly as he looked at Eri, and he was not alone in that. It was almost like Eri was a different person after she returned from the Boundary. Wow, if I was a boy, I¡¯d probably try to fight my brother for her. Ugh, she¡¯s a Temptress indeed, now!


    Other boys were also asking questions, including a few from our class, who were also struggling with Eri¡¯s transformation. It was perhaps safer for them to be interested in the new girls.


    ¡°Well, these are some friends of Akio, all the way from Tokyo.¡± Eri said, a touch troubled. The party had spilled well out of control, originally it was just going to be for our class and a few of my friends from the volleyball and kyudo clubs, but since Nishimorioka was poor and boring, at the first sign of some entertainment it had escalated rapidly. ¡°They are a bit shy, so don¡¯t hassle them, all right?¡±


    ¡°If Ri-Ri says they are shy, then they must be shy indeed!¡± Yae-san giggled, popping her head out of the cafe?. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you left us to handle all the setup alone! You owe us big-time!¡± As she took a second look at Eri, she paused. Inspecting her more closely, enough to make Eri fidget in embarrassment, Yae-san called to Rika-san, who also came out. ¡°It is just me or has little Ri-Ri changed over the last couple of hours? She seems... different somehow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think you are right.¡± Rika-san agreed. ¡°She looks... satisfied. Happy. Very suspicious if you ask me! Just what have you got up to while you were away with Akio-kun?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get up to anything!¡± Eri protested, her charming expression spreading a ripple through the crowd. ¡°Anyway, these girls are my guests, so be respectful!¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, that denial was unconvincing.¡± Yae-san shook her head. ¡°So, Aki not coming? Damn, that¡¯s half the reason I¡¯m here.¡±


    Wow, rude much? ¡°I recall we told you to stop calling my bro by a nickname, you aren¡¯t that close!¡± at my words, Eri nodded firmly. ¡°And he¡¯s meeting Eri¡¯s parents to talk about some stuff. He said he¡¯d try and get here later.¡± If they don¡¯t kill him first. Wow, I feel sorry for my bro right now. Dad is going to try and skin him alive...


    ¡°I see.¡± A man said. I didn¡¯t really recognise him, but he looked a lot like one of the girls in front of us. Seeing my inquisitive gaze, the guy smiled wryly. ¡°Hi there. I¡¯m Chihaya Kosuke. Yae is my little sister. I appreciate you hanging out with her. Now if only you could improve her grades at school too, that¡¯d be awesome!¡±


    ¡°Bro, shut the hell up!¡± Yae-san blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my big brother, he¡¯s an idiot, not cool like Aki. I¡¯m so jealous of you, Ai!¡±


    Seriously, stop with the nicknames! Wow, annoying. Before I could respond, Chihaya-san spoke up. ¡°So, you are this Akio-kun¡¯s sister then? Interesting. You are pretty damn cute I guess. Your friend too.¡± He looked at Eri, a smile on his face. ¡°Still, it must be tough putting up with my sister, all she¡¯s been banging on about over the last few weeks is Aki this, Aki that. Feel free to clout her to shut her up if she gets annoying.¡± He joked.


    ¡°Seriously, shut the hell up bro! I¡¯m not kidding!¡± Yae-san groaned. ¡°Ignore him please, Eri, but... well, you have to admit Aki is pretty damn cool! I mean, he flew in by helicopter and brought these girls with him, and that¡¯s just today!¡±


    Praising my bro was a sure way to get Eri onside, especially after earlier. Oh hell, I can¡¯t believe I actually watched that. Still, it had put Eri in a really great mood, even if she did cry over her class name. Seriously, why does Eri get all the cool powers? I¡¯m feeling seriously jealous.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you recognise how cool Akio is, but we¡¯ve talked about this, Yae-san. Akio shot you down, you¡¯ve had your chance. Move on. You could get back with your ex-boyfriend if you are lonely. Or maybe try that other one, the shitty garbage that tried to make a move on Aiko and was completely destroyed by Akio. I forget his name, but you know it, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean.¡± Yae-san pouted, to laughter around. ¡°But I know, I know. Still, it doesn¡¯t make him any less cool, does it?¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t take it personally.¡± I tried to console her, feeling a tiny bit bad for her. ¡°If you are competing against Eri and Shaeula, no way you are going to win, so don¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Eri I get, but why Shaeula?¡± Yae-san asked, puzzled, glancing over to where Shaeula was, surrounded by a gaggle of girls and a few boys, stuffing her face with sweet treats. ¡°... wait, no? Eri... is Akio cheating on you? Surely he wouldn¡¯t... but then, they do seem very close...¡±


    ¡°I... of course not! Akio and I are getting married.¡± Eri said unconvincingly, so since it was my stupid error I went to throw her a lifeline, only for Motoko-san to do so first.


    ¡°I see. I would hear more of how Akio-sensei vanquished this pest. Please do tell me!¡± as she radiated her noble charm, Natsumi-san nodding along beside her, naturally Yae-san and Rika-san were swept up by their pace.


    ¡°Well, you see, it all started when Kenji-kun asked out Ai over there. You might not know it, but Aki is a well-known siscon, and when he heard this he was mad as hell. So then Kenji-kun decided to make a bet, and...


    Seriously, I wish the ground would open up and swallow me! It¡¯s bad enough everyone in town knows about the bet and the baseball game, but now some noble girls from Tokyo too...


    ********


    ¡°... and he ended up in the hospital, stupid little bastard.¡± Chihiya-san smirked. ¡°Still, I guess he did manage to save his sister and childhood friend, so well done to him, I guess.¡±


    Wow, the girls are just eating stories about my bro up. Seriously, I¡¯m getting a very bad feeling that at least three of them are totally interested in him. When did he get to be such a chick magnet? And the fourth... she cast a sidelong glance at Kasumi-san, who was sitting beside Hinata-san, glaring at any boys that tried to talk to her. ...I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s interested like the others, but she¡¯s definitely conscious of my bro. And... she likes the story, anyway. Guess it makes sense for a bodyguard to be moved by tales of protecting others...


    ¡°Very impressive. I would expect nothing less from Akio-sensei!¡± Motoko-san said with sparkling eyes. ¡°To fend off such a brute at a young age... how very moving.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± Natsumi-san agreed. If Motoko-san is very elegant, Natsumi-san is more excitable. That¡¯s not to say she doesn¡¯t have class, but... she¡¯s a girl I think I can get along with. ¡°I would do the same for you, Motoko-san, have no fear! But... it¡¯d be nice if I had someone who would protect me like that. Such scars are honourable indeed.¡±


    ¡°This is embarrassing.¡± Eri was saying, her face pink. She had been listening, although fending off the constant stream of guests she had little or no interaction with previously, and in a lot of cases didn¡¯t even know who they were, was starting to take its toll on her. Especially the boys. Dark Temptress indeed. Still, even I can tell Eri suddenly looks more pretty, if such a thing is possible. Her skin is flawless now, and she gives off a subtle scent... ugh, I¡¯m so jealous over her class. I mean, I don¡¯t want to be a Temptress, but can¡¯t I get an archer class or something?


    ¡°Well, sure, it was the moment I knew that Akio was the only one for me...¡± Eri continued, everyone around hanging on her words, the girls smiling warmly, most of the boys with bitter jealously. ¡°... even so, I hated to see it. He was so hurt. I thought he was going to die... I¡¯m so pathetic. I just passed out after bawling my eyes out.¡± She scrunched up her fists, and suddenly Motoko-san was standing, patting her on the shoulder gently.


    ¡°Well, that is quite understandable, is it not? You were a young child, unused to combat. When I was younger, I used to cry often when I was bruised and battered in training.¡± She reminisced. ¡°As long as you learn from it and grow stronger, there is no shame in it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yae-san agreed, punching her brother. ¡°Seriously, why¡¯d you have to tell that story? I know Aki is cool and all, but it¡¯s a bit of a trauma to little Ri-Ri and Ai, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to be honest, I really hate dogs. Eri too. My bro breaks out in a cold sweat when he sees one now, but he tries to hide it, to look like a cool big brother, and I guess a cool fiance?e now too?¡±


    ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t a bear.¡± Eri said, putting on a brave and charming face, causing all the boys to sigh, and some of the girls too. At that sight Shaeula giggled and mouthed something at Eri, who flushed and glared back, further embarrassed. Yeah, this totally isn¡¯t going to get tiresome quickly... ¡°The huge dog was bad enough, but if it was a mountain bear, I think Akio would have died. Us too.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, the dog couldn¡¯t have been that big.¡± One of the younger kouhai, who I thought was from the baseball club, said sourly. ¡°If so, there¡¯s no way that weedy nerd Oshiro-san could have fought it off. You were just little girls, it probably looked scarier than it was.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? What do you know, moron?¡± Eri flared up suddenly. ¡°The dog was huge, with teeth like razors. If you¡¯d been there instead you¡¯d have pissed your pants and left us to die, I know! Don¡¯t try and play down other people¡¯s heroics when you have none of your own. How did you do during baseball this year, huh? Are your eyes as shitty as your brain? Didn¡¯t you see Akio pulverise you all? If you are going to talk shit, you can just get the hell out of my party!¡±


    Wow, that¡¯s seriously a tirade. Guess he touched a nerve. Still... yeah, the little idiot does know nothing. That dog was a damn monster, not a cute house pet. The altercation was drawing attention, so I decided to step in, but before I could, help came from an unusual source. ¡°Seriously, calm down, idiot.¡± Masaki-san said, slapping him on the back of the head. As the kid teared up, rubbing at his skull, he glared back at Masaki-san, who held his gaze firmly. ¡°I get it, I know you are pissed off about what happened to your brother, but I was there, he brought it on himself. I was pretty stupid too and it cost me as well, but I know I was at fault.¡± He turned to Yae-san then. ¡°Hey, Yae. How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad.¡± Yae-san said, a touch uncomfortable. ¡°I thought I¡¯d seen that boy before. So he¡¯s Kenji-kun¡¯s brother then?¡±


    ¡°I am, and you lot had him humiliated! All he wanted was to ask you out.¡± He glared at me, and I found myself taking a step back in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t see why. You aren¡¯t anything special!¡± he declared, and even though I knew it was just his sour grapes, I felt really annoyed. Shit, everyone is fawning over Eri, and I¡¯m the only one that gets trash-talked. Ugh, my day sucks...


    Hearing Hinata-san observe that ¡°Commoner gatherings are very energetic...¡± brought a few laughs from the surrounding watchers. I was about to hit back when I was again beaten to the punch, Shaeula standing up and strolling over. The kid looked at her, blushing, and I realised she was probably more his type. Damn, another loss for me today... still, I know I¡¯m cute... I just have a different, more mature look going on!


    ¡°If it is not-not the annoying yapping of a beaten dog.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Your brother tried to face Akio on his own-own advantageous terms, and was soundly destroyed. Be a male and accept this. It is not-not becoming for a male to whine so over their own choices.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Chihaya-san and Masaki-san echoed. ¡°Sorry man. Just go over there and enjoy the party, or go home. It¡¯s pretty crappy making a scene when Mori-san is the one paying for everything.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go! One day my brother will have his revenge, you¡¯ll see!¡± and with that he raced off, leaving the party behind.


    Well, that was an interesting interlude. ¡°So, where were we?¡± I said, trying to gloss over the uncomfortable atmosphere. ¡°Oh yeah, talking about the dog, right? Seriously, it was a big bastard. Teeth like knives.¡±


    ¡°Still, if that was ever to happen again...¡± Eri clenched her fists until her knuckles were white. ¡°I¡¯d fight it with Akio. I¡¯m going to get strong enough to stand by his side, and keep him from harm!¡±


    ¡°I approve!¡± Shaeula clapped. ¡°Though you still have far-far to go if you wish to stand with us, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Seems like there¡¯s definitely something going on there.¡± Chihaya-san observed, talking to his sister.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Yae-san agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m totally jealous or anything.¡±


    ¡°Nice try.¡± Yae-san smirked, and he ignored her, continuing.


    ¡°So, seriously. You¡¯ve never considered it? I find that hard to believe.¡±


    Wow, this is an uncomfortable topic. But... I guess it¡¯s relevant. My bro and Eri are adults now, and getting married. My other new friend Shaeula... her too. And me? What do I want out of life? I¡¯ve always got my bro and my friends, but as for romance... have I ever thought about it that much? ¡°Well, maybe I did spend too much time worrying over Eri to think about it. And I¡¯ve also wanted to continue with kyudo and volleyball. I do love sport. I didn¡¯t really have any time for boys. I have to study too, I¡¯m not exactly super-smart like Eri or big bro, I¡¯m just average.¡±


    ¡°I feel very close to you right now.¡± Motoko-san said, and Natsumi-san agreed too. ¡°All we want from our fiance?es is someone who will support us as we continue with the Tsumura family arts. But girls are not supposed to fight or train. It is remarkably unfair.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t that serious for me. I think normal boyfriends might not care if their girl does sport.¡± I pondered. ¡°But... wow, yeah. I guess I do need to think about my future.¡±


    ¡°So, considering dating now then?¡± Masaki-san asked, and I shot back ¡°Why, you interested?¡±


    ¡°I could be.¡± he grinned, sending a sidelong glance at Yae-san, who merely gave him the thumbs-down, showing she thought he had no chance with me. Which is... sadly true. Ugh, not my type.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I let him down gently with a smile, though I did think he was largely joking. ¡°I have to agree with Yae-san on this one. I need a guy who is older and mature, and as cool as my big bro. Otherwise I feel like I¡¯ll lose to Eri and Shaeula, and my pride can¡¯t take that.¡±


    ¡°See, she¡¯s got the brocon bad.¡± Yae-san sniggered, and everyone laughed, even the noble girls, who barely knew me. ¡°But seriously, I get it. Aki is a tough act to follow. He never used to be so cool, but now... especially for you. If being saved from the dog captured Ri-Ri¡¯s heart, you were there too. Guess it has an impact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that...¡± I protested weakly, but a bigger problem cropped up.


    ¡°So, are you dating someone wonderful then, Shaeula?¡± my junior asked, having picked up on my verbal slip-up.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest pridefully. ¡°I am engaged to the best-best of males.¡± She showed off her ring, which I realised she hadn¡¯t taken off, despite coming to Nishimorioka. Damn, that¡¯s a blunder.


    ¡°Really? Well, congratulations, I guess.¡± Yae-san said, looking at her dubiously. ¡°I guess a girl as cute as you was bound to be sought after. But I thought you had a thing for Aki. I¡¯m seldom wrong on romance...¡±


    ¡°Well, I can not-not lie, I...¡± Shaeula began, before Eri broke in. Thank god, I¡¯m sweating here!


    ¡°Enough of that for now. The romance talk has been fun and all, but the party is winding down, we should dance and have some more fun before it¡¯s all done. Right?¡±


    Nice save! ¡°Yeah, we need to show our guests how us commoners party too, right?¡±


    ********


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m beat.¡± I sat down, desperately sucking at a sweet drink to restore my energy. Beside me, Eri nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seldom talked to so many people at one time.¡± She looked even more worn out than I did. Still, I think Eri managed to make some friends today, or at least more acquaintances. I guess they are right. I really don¡¯t need to watch out for Eri anymore. Though I still will of course, she¡¯s my best friend... Thinking about it, Eri was lucky enough to be able to level up, so with her stats, if any pushy guy disregarded the risk and tried to make a move on her, she could likely snap his bones with a few well-placed punches. Chuckling at that thought, I continued to sip my drink, watching as the last few guests were finishing up.


    ¡°Quite the party indeed. It certainly had its moments. This will go down in town folklore along with this years¡¯ baseball game I bet. The party where regretful guys got shot down one after another. Though a few smart ones managed okay it seems...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was all right, as everyone knows I¡¯m engaged, but Shaeula and the noble girls... even Rika-san and Yae-san got a lot of attention.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was certainly refreshing, but... I think I prefer noble parties. Although, there was that creepy pervert that was eyeing me at the last one. I hear he ended up in prison for terrible crimes though. Thankfully we¡¯ll never have to see him again.¡± Hinata-san shuddered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hinata-sama!¡± Kazumi-san declared. ¡°I¡¯ll keep anyone dangerous away from you!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t consider the boys here dangerous.¡± I sighed. Kazumi-san had been ruthless in keeping the interested boys away from her master, and had roughly handled a couple. Luckily they were too embarrassed about getting their asses kicked by a girl to put up much of a fuss. What was funny was when a couple of boys were interested in her though. Still, she shot them down nonetheless.


    Natsumi-san had been gentler but no less rigorous in keeping Motoko-san free from admirers, though as she was so elegant, fewer boys dared to approach her anyway. Shaeula had crushed the hearts of the boys by simply saying she was engaged, and at least she wasn¡¯t saying to who, only smiling knowingly.


    Rika-san and Yae-and handled things more professionally, not humiliating the boys, as one would expect with their experience, but... ugh, to think I had to decline some as well. I guess it proves I¡¯m desirable though.


    ¡°Yes, the town will remember this as the great birthday party massacre henceforth!¡± Rika-san laughed. ¡°Still, great party Ri-Ri. Must have cost a packet too. You going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Akio looks after me. I can afford it.¡± she said defensively. ¡°Besides, I got a discount, it isn¡¯t often the cafe? can make good money so the rates were fair. Anyway, I have to go say thanks to everyone for coming, and thank the cafe? owner for her help.¡±


    ¡°I shall accompany you!¡± Shaeula said, and Eri got up to express her gratitude. Watching her, I felt warm inside.


    ¡°I get it. I do.¡± Yae-san said suddenly, and Rika-san nodded. Even my junior in the kyudo club, as well as a couple of girls from the volleyball team, who had been listening to us as they ate and drank, agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to see Ri-Ri making an effort. She¡¯s getting married and moving to Tokyo next summer, right? She¡¯ll need to learn how to deal with people. Besides, it¡¯d be nice to see her more popular, recognised as someone other than the shy, gloomy girl.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the idea.¡± I agreed. ¡°And I think she had fun, at least a bit. Though she¡¯s really looking forward to tomorrow, where she gets to spend the whole day with my bro!¡±


    ¡°I bet she is!¡± Rika-san smirked.


    As we joked and made small-talk, Eri and Shaeula finished seeing off the revellers. Most had gone home, but a few had gone elsewhere. ¡°All right then. We have to take the girls back home with us, so Rika-san, Yae-san, girls. I¡¯ll see you all another day.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rika-san shook her head. ¡°We still have so much to talk about. Like who Shaeula is engaged to, and what relationship these girls have with Akio-kun. Besides, the night is yet young!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Yae-san grinned. ¡°It¡¯s got to be a sleepover, a girls¡¯ night in!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds like fun. Can we get in on that too?¡± one of the volleyball girls said, the one who had asked about my brother when she saw Yae-san¡¯s and Rika-san¡¯s gifts from Las Vegas. My kouhai from the kyudo club nodded too. ¡°I would like to talk with Tsumura-san some more. That is a bow you are carrying there, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is, a treasure of my family. I do not practice kyudo, but my family arts are based on similar principles, though they are meant for combat, not sport or enlightenment.¡±


    ¡°So cool! I want to call you big sister.¡± The junior gushed, flushed.


    ¡°What is the harm?¡± Shaeula asked, returning, Eri in tow. ¡°It seems like Akio is rather indisposed right now-now, so we may as well spend some time talking, female to female.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but...¡± There¡¯s so many topics I don¡¯t want to talk about, and no doubt my parents are going to come exploding in when they get back if bro has told them about Shaeula... ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it.


    ¡°My house is really cramped, and it would be rude to our guests...¡± I tried to dissuade them, but Hinata-san betrayed my expectations.


    ¡°It would be fun to spend some time talking to ordinary girls in a common setting. Without men around Kazumi will be more relaxed as well. Don¡¯t you think, Motoko-san?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I would enjoy getting another perspective on kyudo. And you two, you do some sort of sport, do you not? At school we only have athletics and tennis. I do not know this volleyball.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Well, that¡¯s just crazy, I thought every school had a volleyball team.¡± My teammate said. ¡°In that case Aiko-chan, you have to let us stay over. We need to convince her of the glory of volleyball! Just let me ring my folks and let them know I¡¯m staying out tonight.¡±


    Eri looked a bit troubled, but she tilted her head, letting me know the decision was mine. Well, fine... Bro is staying over at the Mori¡¯s tonight, so at least we can pack them into his room when it¡¯s time to sleep. And having some distractions other than these noble girls and their oppressively refined manners might make life easier for me. Damn you bro, this is all your fault! Don¡¯t bring your new squeezes home and dump them on me!


    Thinking some very uncharitable thoughts, I sighed. ¡°Fine. Shaeula, Eri, can you go and get some supplies? We¡¯ll need some futons and blankets from your house too, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Yay, sexy sleepover time!¡° Yae-san grinned. ¡°I wonder what your bro will think when he comes back to a house full of beautiful girls?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint, but tonight he...¡± I continued to bicker good-naturedly with everyone, as we finished up our food and drink, seeing off the last of the guests...

 One Hundred And Eighty-Eight

    One Hundred And Eighty-Eight


    Taking my seat in the pub, waiting for my parents and the Mori¡¯s, I found myself breaking out in a cold sweat. Seriously, this shouldn¡¯t be any worse than fighting monsters in the Boundary. Hell, I¡¯ve survived attacks by yakuza and US agents, so why am I shaking now? I guess we could never escape our pasts. My father was a hard man, with very strong options and iron principles. Sure, he was a good father who definitely loved my sis and me, but... he¡¯s definitely intense and strict.


    To distract myself from the upcoming bloodbath I idly checked my phone, only to find a message from Shiro. Oh yeah, I guess it¡¯s about time for her to wake up. Usually after a fun night out she was wiped out for days, only communicating by texts. Okay, what is she saying this time?


    ¡°Hey Aki. Thanks again for last night, getting me home. To be honest, I thought you¡¯d give in to your base instincts and devour me like a ravenous wolf since I was all helpless and weak in the back of the taxi... but I guess you don¡¯t have the guts for that!¡±


    Yeah, just as annoying as ever. Seriously, Shiro is living proof of the saying that ¡®god doesn¡¯t give two gifts¡¯ as she is blessed with a personality as annoying as her looks are stunning. Continuing to read, I nodded to the barman, old man Higuchi-san, as he popped down an entire bottle of his best whiskey, as well as some top-grade sake for the women. Pouring myself a glass of the whiskey, I gulped it down, wishing more than ever that I could easily get drunk like I used to. Though having such a serious talk drunk would have its own problems. ¡°... so anyway, thanks again. I had fun. I¡¯m curious though, we¡¯ve heard so much about your sister and childhood friend, but we¡¯ve never met them. Next time they are in Tokyo, we should all go out. Although they are still under-age, right? Damn, Aki you pervert! Seriously, I¡¯d love to meet the girl that finally made you drop your cowardice with women!¡±


    ¡°As always, she is such a pain.¡± I muttered, taking another long sip of whiskey. ¡°Still, I guess I did talk about Eri and Aiko a lot in the past, especially when drunk. Yeah... that¡¯s right. They are why I¡¯m going through all this. Yeah.¡± Feeling a little bit better now I finished off the message.


    ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t think I forgot that you agreed to do more work for me! I¡¯ll be sending some over when I feel a little better, so once you¡¯ve had your lovey-dovey weekend, you better get cracking! Oh, and speaking of forgetting... that stuff I said to you in the taxi about my illness and ... other things... just forget all that, okay Aki? I¡¯m not sure why I spilled all that, I never do normally, but I was drunk and you just seemed so easy to talk to. Anyway... I¡¯m tired so I¡¯m off back to bed. Later!¡±


    And with that the message was done. It was typical Shiro, that was for sure. Though... when she opened up to me, I caught a glimpse of the sadness and anger under her bizarrely cheerful exterior. Hmm, my schedule is packed, but... I do want to try and help her somehow. Still... that¡¯s for next week. For now... the door to the pub opened, and Higuchi-san called out his greetings, only to have them returned by my father. Well, here goes...


    ¡°Father, mom. Uncle, auntie.¡± I greeted them, ushering them over to the quiet corner-booth I was sitting in. There were a few other drinkers around, but that didn¡¯t matter. It was time to talk seriously about the future.


    ¡°What¡¯s that face for, Aki?¡± My mom asked, taking a seat next to me. Uncle was on my other side, while father and auntie were across from us. I poured everyone drinks, generous measures, and forced a smile.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be honest, this talk isn¡¯t something I was looking forward to. But... the adult world is hard, right, father? We often have to do things we don¡¯t want to do, because they are the right thing to do.¡± I used one of his favourite lectures from the past as my opening, and I got a stiff nod in return.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this awkward.¡± My mom interjected, her British forthrightness on clear show. I think that¡¯s where my sis gets her ability to always speak her mind. Ugh, no escaping into my thoughts, I have to face this head on.


    ¡°By the way Aki, there¡¯s been something odd going on in town recently.¡± She continued, clearly trying to lift the gloomy atmosphere. ¡°There¡¯ve been a lot of visitors, though they don¡¯t seem to be relatives of anyone in town, nor do they seem to be tourists. Weird, huh? Is Nishimorioka on the up, getting popular?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Uncle Junpei agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve noticed them as well, haven¡¯t we, Hana?¡±


    Auntie Hana nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite worrying, as they seem to be watching the school and I¡¯ve seen a pair of women near our house on several occasions. I tried calling the police, but they told us there was nothing to worry about.¡± She adopted a troubled expression. ¡°How can this be nothing to worry about?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± I took another gulp of whiskey before pouring myself another generous measure. ¡°... that¡¯s actually really helpful, mom, auntie. It touches on what I wanted to talk about a bit.¡±


    As soon as I said that my father¡¯s face tightened, a hard scowl crossing his features, but what surprised me was my mom suddenly looked a bit sick, as though she had expected something along these lines.


    ¡°... I knew it. Ai told me I was wrong, but... how else could you get so much money?¡± my mom said, and suddenly she burst into tears, shocking me.


    ¡°... oh my poor Eri. To think you¡¯d go off the rails like this, little Aki. I¡¯m so disappointed in you, but it isn¡¯t too late! If you cut ties with them and go to the police, after a few years you can start afresh. I¡¯m sure my Eri will wait for you!¡±


    Wait, what? Confused, I was blindsided as my father threw some printouts on the table. The content was... surprising. Yakuza attack a shrine. Motive unknown but suspected to be gang-related turf disputes. Scabbing through there were also mentions of someone being taken in by the Organised Crime Control Bureau. I wasn¡¯t named, but there were a few small details that made it possible to identify it as me, if you knew me and that I was involved with the shrine. Shit. I guess I¡¯m not the only one who can use the internet to my advantage.


    ¡°Tell the truth, son.¡± My father rumbled, his angry gaze intense. ¡°No good comes from lying. I let you and your so-called secretary fool me before, but not this time. The strangers in our village are all powerful-looking, and I believe some of them are even armed. Are they yakuza? Are we in danger? If your sister or anyone else is hurt by these thugs, I¡¯ll kill you, I swear it!¡±


    ¡°I know you wanted to make our daughter happy.¡± Junpei said, trying to be reasonable, though his voice was edged too. ¡°And it¡¯s our fault we are poor and can¡¯t provide a life you wanted, but this... seriously, drugs? Does Eri know? Our little girl wouldn¡¯t want you to earn money that way, profiting off the misery of others. She wouldn¡¯t care if you were living in poverty, just as long as you are together!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Auntie said, slapping the table. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she blinked futilely, trying to clear them. ¡°My daughter is finally happy, she smiles all the time. But if it¡¯s built on a foundation of lies... the pain in the end will be that much worse! All Eri ever wanted was you, she doesn¡¯t care about nice presents or trips abroad! All she wants is to be with you!¡± at that the tears started flowing, and my mother broke down too, hugging her close.


    Drugs? Seriously? Wait, didn¡¯t Aiko mention mom asked her about something like that a while back? I¡¯m... actually a little hurt. Though... I guess the truth is even stranger than that. I had thoughts that Karen-chan had managed to convince father about the source of my money, but I guess he was only pretending, or only partially believed us anyway. The other few patrons of the pub were looking away from this display of grief in typical Japanese fashion. Though in a small town like this, gossip will get around...


    ¡°Time to tell the truth.¡± Uncle continued, as my father was too angry to speak. ¡°We promise to listen to you. I know you won¡¯t have done this for selfish reasons, you¡¯ve always been a good kid. But one bad mistake and suddenly there is no way out. You just end up falling deeper and deeper. I get that. Just... talk to us, and we will do what we can to help.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I sighed, a long exhalation of resolve. Well, I intended to explain some of this mess, but now... I need to go further. ¡°Hey, Higuchi-san?¡± I called out, surprising everyone, who were waiting with baited breaths for my answer.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he said jovially. Since the baseball he had really taken a shine to me.


    ¡°Can we borrow a back room? I have to have a private conversation. And bring us some food and more booze. The best you have. It¡¯s a... celebration, I guess?¡± I pulled a handful of bills from my wallet and handed them over.


    ¡°A celebration, you say?¡± Higuchi-san looked doubtful, seeing the expression on the men¡¯s faces and the crying women, but his professionalism took over and he agreed, pointing us to the back. I snatched the papers off the table and led them through, and as soon as Higuchi-san brought in plates of skewers, rice balls and other snacks, I picked up the printouts again, my expression deadly serious. Well, here goes, the first and easiest part, I guess.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to lie. Yes, the shrine I was staying at and working with was attacked by yakuza.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Father said quietly, his hard eyes compelling me to continue, ready to judge me by his high moral standards. Mother and auntie hugged each other so tightly they could barely breathe, waiting for the inevitable.


    But here¡¯s where we go off their script. ¡°But... I¡¯m not in the yakuza, or committing any crimes.¡± I scoffed at their suggestion. ¡°Drugs? Seriously? Drugs.¡± I shook my head sadly. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty hurt you¡¯d think that of me, or that...¡± I was going to say that I¡¯d take actions that would put my family and friends in danger, but sadly... in a way I did. And will continue to do so. That¡¯s why we all need to be strong and protected. ¡°I was taken in by the police, sure, but it was for excessive self-defence, not any organised criminality.¡± Well, they did think I was yakuza, but since I¡¯m not, why complicate things?


    ¡°Self-defence? You?¡± Father scoffed. ¡°You aren¡¯t your sister. You don¡¯t...¡± suddenly he paused, thinking.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve changed, Aki.¡± Uncle said, also considering what he remembered. ¡°During the baseball you were strangely athletic and fast. I guess if you¡¯ve been working out to get to that shape, fighting some thugs isn¡¯t impossible...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, that can wait. We were talking about the strangers in town, right? You¡¯re correct, they are watching you. And as for the school, they are keeping an eye on Eri and Aiko. But they aren¡¯t yakuza, or indeed criminals of any sort.¡± I fortified my spirit with some more whiskey, before finishing. ¡°In fact they are hired security, pretty much the best there is. Fujiwara Security Services. There was another incident at the shrine that you haven¡¯t been able to find any info on. After that, my... well, my business partners, I guess... decided that it was too much of a risk leaving my family unguarded. I totally agree, everything I¡¯m doing is pointless if those I care about aren¡¯t safe. Unfortunately I¡¯ve been standing out too much, so... yeah, damn this is hard to explain.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to believe this?¡± my father shook his head. He was drinking as well, his face starting to become flushed from the booze. ¡°I let you convince me before. Shrine real estate deals... it¡¯s barely plausible, and Takeyabashi-san at Chairoakitara shrine vouched for you too... but, yakuza, security guards, getting arrested... just tell me the truth! Lying won¡¯t make things better!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Auntie cried. ¡°!t will only hurt Eri when she finds out. If she¡¯s happy now, the despair will be worse when it all comes crashing down...¡±


    ¡°Son, you are a computer programmer, eking out a modest living in Tokyo. I could respect you, that you worked hard to put yourself through University, when we could barely afford some small help towards the costs. I did think you were wasting your life, and hoped you would find steady work and get married, have a family. But then...¡± he looked at uncle Junpei and auntie Hana. ¡°... but then the inevitable happened and you and Eri-san started dating. You had money to throw around, and I thought you¡¯d finally become a real man. Instead...¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Stop treating us like we are idiots. Nothing makes sense except you are involved in something strange and illegal, where the rewards are grand but you have to throw away your decency, your humanity, to get them! It may seem like a good idea, living the high life, but when someone gets hurt or worse, you¡¯ll have to carry that through your whole life! Short as it¡¯ll be, as son...¡± my father was deadly serious. ¡°... Akio, if you end up harming Eri-san, or Aiko, or your mother... I¡¯ll kill you myself, even if I end up in prison for it.¡±


    I always thought I was very different to my father, and perhaps I am, but there are similarities too. I would kill those that hurt my family too... ¡°I know.¡± I said, emptying my glass once more. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve wrestled with these thoughts? Eri, Aiko... the thought of putting them in danger makes me sick. But... the world isn¡¯t so kind.¡±


    As mother and auntie gasped, uncle asked me just what I meant by that, if Eri and Aiko knew what I was doing, and I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I was going to keep it quiet, but Shaeula... she felt they had to know. She¡¯s an impulsive girl, and she likes to meddle, but she always does it from a place of kindness and to benefit me. I was pretty angry, but when Eri and my sis confronted me about being kept in the dark... I realised they were all right about it. So...¡± I bowed deeply. ¡°... sorry I kept you guys in the dark too. But... this stuff is near-impossible to explain.¡±


    ¡°So, finally ready to confess?¡± My father sighed. ¡°Good. I know I raised you to be an honest, upright man. If you¡¯ve made mistakes, we¡¯ll fix it, but first...¡± he tensed, and I could see his muscles working, my enhanced perception easily tracking his movements, they were painfully slow to me. Still, I didn¡¯t move as his fist slammed into my cheek, letting him have the hit.


    ¡°And you mentioned facing death with Shaeula, did you not? Then there was the yakuza, and these strangers... no, bodyguards for us?¡± Father observed. ¡°You know high-ranking people, they are even offering you their precious daughters. Just... just what have you got yourself involved in?¡±


    ¡°A good question, and now that we have discussed Eri and Shaeula... I can talk about that too. But it¡¯ll be hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°As hard to believe as my Aki having two fiance?es, with more possible?¡± the heat and judgement had gone out of my mom¡¯s gaze, and she was now loose and relieved, the tension having left her. Pouring herself another drink, which was risky as despite her heritage she was bad with alcohol, she shook her head. ¡°Hana. I trust my son. It seems silly to say it considering what I thought he was doing but... can you blame me, Aki? Too many strange things are happening. What else was I to think? But... I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. So... it all started one day when a strange visitor came to my room...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Unbelievable. Impossible!¡± my father was exclaiming after I told them the most of my story. ¡°That you are a yakuza and dealing drugs is more believable, but...¡±


    ¡°But the proof is in the scene before us.¡± Uncle Junpei sighed. Flames were swirling above one of my palms, while I was keeping a handful of coins flying about with wind with my other. This was after I had already demonstrated my incredible strength, lifting up both uncle and father one-handed without any obvious signs of strain.


    ¡°I can do more. Want me to pick up and throw a car? I can manage that now, I reckon.¡± I smiled, relieved that my secret was out in the open.


    ¡°So, Shaeula, she¡¯s not even a human? But she looks so much like a pretty girl.¡± Auntie focussed in on her own interests, which was her daughters¡¯ love rival.


    ¡°Well, I can say she¡¯s totally and completely a girl when she wants to be, head to toes, a perfect reproduction. But in her Faerie form she isn¡¯t.¡± I flushed as I realised I¡¯d just implied something lewd in front of Eri¡¯s mother.


    ¡°More importantly... this other world is dangerous, isn¡¯t it?¡± Uncle asked. ¡°And my little girl is risking her life there?¡±


    I winced. ¡°Well, like I said, originally I planned to keep everyone else out of this, but Shaeula made the decision for me. I now think she was right though.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Auntie, uncle. Just ask Eri about how much she¡¯s grown. I was won over by Eri when she told me that even if I loved her I didn¡¯t have a right to control her life. She wanted to stand by my side. And while the thought of her or my sister, or anyone I care about getting hurt terrifies me... well, I let Shaeula fight by my side, so to deny Eri... it wouldn¡¯t be fair to her. I am making sure that Eri, Aiko and those others I¡¯m in charge of have maximum safety margins and don¡¯t take risks. I still feel pretty uncomfortable with it all, but... the world is a dangerous place. Having my family and friends strong enough to protect themselves makes the most sense. I can¡¯t be everywhere at once.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well... Eri seems very happy. And I¡¯m pleased to hear she is standing up for herself more.¡± Uncle continued. ¡°Even if I doubt some of her choices.¡±


    ¡°But still, if you can defeat mobs of yakuza and other assailants, how are these bodyguards going to protect us?¡± my father asked, and it was a good question.


    ¡°Luckily, it¡¯s more a case of foreign agents who might target you. Normal people, if well-trained and armed. Fujiwara Security can handle that, I¡¯ve been assured, or if not, they can buy you enough time to escape. When we are done here I¡¯ll call Fujiwara-san¡¯s secretary to patch me through to the leader of their Security Services, Ueno-san. He can get the security to introduce themselves to you all. When they don¡¯t have to hide, they can do a better job. Please let them guard you. As for others like me... I dealt with the only current one I know of, he¡¯s in prison for terrible crimes now. So I think this should be good enough.¡±


    They seemed doubtful, but as I stopped my display of elemental talents, they were all listening. Father being who he was though, he wasn¡¯t done questioning me. ¡°So... are you sure you can trust this Exposition-san, as you called them? It seems very shady to me. After all, the amount of knowledge provided was limited, almost tailored to entice you to go one way. If you had not met Shaeula... well, I think things might have been different. She seems to fill in your lack of clarity on how things work.¡±


    A good point. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that a lot myself. The only conclusion I could come to was that I just don¡¯t know. But what I do know is, I can¡¯t afford to stop now. Having fought a truly vile opponent who has exploited this power, I shudder to think what would happen if Aiko or Eri or Shaeula fell into his hands. So no, the world has changed and we need strength to ensure we are all safe. I won¡¯t blindly trust in Exposition-san, but so far I¡¯ve only gained from the power I¡¯ve been given. They did hint at obligations, or at least hoping I would be grateful down the line, but I¡¯ll worry about that when it becomes relevant. I can only deal with what¡¯s in front of me right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried for you, Aki.¡± My mother hugged me, and I could feel her trembling. ¡°I hate the thought of you fighting. Aiko too.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... I¡¯m pretty strong!¡± I boasted, glossing over the times I¡¯d almost died. ¡°I also like keeping safety margins and taking few risks, but I¡¯ll do what I have to! That¡¯s why I need connections to powerful people too. Hell, I met the Prime Minster the other day.¡±


    I continued to explain, and time passed rapidly, the table soon empty of drinks. It was then the question I was pondering was asked.


    ¡°So, Akio. Son.¡± My father said seriously. ¡°Are you going to teach us, like you did Aiko and Eri-san?¡±


    ¡°You know... I think I probably should.¡± I was torn, but there were good reasons to, now that the truth was out, so to speak. ¡°A bit of strength will help you in any emergencies, and more importantly, when you see Eri and Aiko working hard, I think you¡¯ll accept their choices, as I have. I¡¯ll ask Shaeula to use her Chirurgery on you all tomorrow, since I¡¯m spending the whole day with Eri, since it¡¯s her birthday.¡±


    ¡°So, what about my parents?¡± Auntie Hana asked, and it was a good question. While my father¡¯s parents were deceased, mom¡¯s still lived in the United Kingdom, and Aiko and I had only met them a couple of times when they visited, the last time being six years ago. As for uncle¡¯s parents. They were dead too. Apparently it was an outbreak of disease. Just bad luck. Nishimorioka has never been lucky with illnesses. Auntie Hana¡¯s were still alive though, and they lived in one of the mountain villages in our catchment area. They were pretty frail though, her father being particularly unwell. I guess that¡¯s another reason I spent so much time with my sis and Eri when we were kids. Lacking healthy grandparents to babysit, naturally it fell to me to look after them. Not that I regret a thing. Otherwise Eri and I would likely never have got together...


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I¡¯d need to speak to Shaeula, I¡¯m not so good with Chirurgery yet. It would defeat the point, putting them at risk. Though if they could gain a little strength it could improve their health... yeah, we¡¯ll consider it. Although obviously, they¡¯d need to keep this secret for now. Shaeula and I agree we need to grow our powerbase before the world finds out about this. Fujiwara-san and the Prime Minister concur.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe our little Aki knows the Prime Minister!¡± my drunken mom giggled. Now that she knew I wasn¡¯t a criminal her mood had improved, though I still saw flickers of unease when she thought about the danger.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll talk to Shaeula. No, we will.¡± Auntie exchanged a long look with uncle Junpei. ¡°We have to make sure our Eri won¡¯t be hurt in this situation. I¡¯m still angry with you both. With Eri too.¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s my daughter, so I¡¯m troubled. But I¡¯m also a man.¡± Uncle disagreed with her gently, before asking me an earnest question. ¡°I get why you might find it hard to choose between two girls you love. But... it¡¯ll be a bed of thorns keeping them both happy. Can you do it? I¡¯m asking you, man to man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a case of can, I simply will!¡± I declared resolutely, earning a hearty slap on the back from uncle.


    ¡°That¡¯s what a man should say. But don¡¯t come crying to me if things go wrong. You are being massively selfish, so I¡¯ll have no sympathy.¡±


    ¡°I know. But...if you¡¯d have been there... well, seeing Shaeula fighting her brother¡¯s forces to a standstill, then breaking down about being separated from us... if your heart wasn¡¯t moved, you¡¯d be made of stone.¡±


    ¡°I shudder to think of Eri going through something like that...¡± Auntie really did shudder.


    ¡°Better she has strength if she needs it, rather than needing it and not having it. That goes for money too. Now you know where I am getting it from, that it¡¯s a hundred-percent legitimate, I want no more nonsense about not taking it. After all, your son owns a hotel chain now. It¡¯s not the biggest or the best, but even living off that money could make us all comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I feel very conflicted.¡± My father admitted. ¡°As your parent, taking money from you makes me feel a failure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk crap.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Like I said, you are going to have to get used to things you would never have believed in before. And you think Eri and I can rest easy in riches while our parents struggle? Just suck it up, and know that I get a good laugh out of it. It¡¯s strange to me too.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°So... I think this calls for a celebration?¡± Mom asked. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved that nothing bad was happening. And... I¡¯ll speak to Ai and Eri. Shaeula too. And these new girls, the ministers¡¯ daughter and the rich heiress. I need to understand everything, to set my mind at ease.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be truly at ease knowing what you are doing. Our daughters too.¡± Uncle said, finishing his glass of whiskey. ¡°But... if what you said about this Kondou Kazuo is true, and I have no reason to doubt you... I understand why you were making that choice.¡± He seized my shirt and pulled me close in a repeat of earlier, just this time with goodwill in his eyes. ¡°Just promise me... you¡¯ll look out for them.¡±


    ¡°Like with the dog, I¡¯ll never back down.¡± I promised, and he released me before pulling me into a hug.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m crying. Why?¡± he scrubbed at his tears with his free hand, and everyone else looked at him sympathetically. ¡°I must have had too much to drink.¡±


    ¡°Or too little. I can help with hangovers using Ether Healing.¡± I smiled slyly. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in all at once, I know that. So why don¡¯t us adults drink the night away while our young girls are at home?¡± I fired off another text saying we would be back late.


    My father looked at me, and I saw something I seldom saw in his eyes. Approval. ¡°I think we should, Akio. I think we should. I have to accept it. Even if I might have chosen differently, you decided on your own what you needed to protect and how to do that, and to grasp what you wanted, despite what others would think. I have to accept you are a true man now.¡±


    I felt myself welling up a bit, but smiled. Wow. It took the world facing Armageddon to get my father to admit I¡¯m all grown up and earn his respect. Shit. Why do I feel so happy all of a sudden? Drowning my embarrassment and high emotion with the remains of my drink, I called out to Higuchi-san for more...

 Side Fifty-Nine – Mori Eri

    Side Fifty-Nine ¨C Mori Eri


    ¡°Well... this is rather... quaint.¡± Fukumoto-san said, looking around, unable to disguise her disdain. ¡°I think my walk-in wardrobe at home is bigger than these rooms.¡±


    Ugh, my stomach hurts. I don¡¯t know how to deal with rich girls like these. I¡¯ve never had money myself. Although maybe I¡¯ll have to change. After all, Akio is earning a lot now... and I¡¯ll be his wife...


    ¡°Well yeah.¡± Aiko defended her home. ¡°We were poor as dirt up until my bro started bringing in the money. Who knows, maybe we¡¯ll move to a bigger place? We can certainly afford it. But...¡± she crossed her arms under her chest and scowled at Fukumoto-san, her acerbic tone snapping me out of my happy reverie, thinking about Akio. ¡°... do you really think it¡¯s very noble of you to come in here and criticise, when you are a guest? I know my bro would have told you what to expect here, right?¡±


    At the rebuke, which left me feeling nervous, Fukumoto-san seemed a touch annoyed, but the older girl, the really elegant one, Tsumura-san, she stepped in to calm things down, a gentle smile on her face that was very soothing.


    ¡°Aiko-sensei is right, Hinata-san. It isn¡¯t very becoming when we forced our way in here, asking a favour. And we were indeed warned. I myself will be taking it as a learning experience.¡± She bowed. ¡°I apologise on her behalf, Aiko-sensei. We are grateful that you would offer us hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you will never gain Akio¡¯s approval should you continue to act like that-that.¡± Shaeula snickered nastily. That comment drew attention from our unusual guests.


    ¡°What, you want Akio-kun¡¯s approval?¡± the bold girl from the volleyball team said, and I felt a twinge of annoyance as she called him Akio-kun, being as they had barely ever talked and were definitely not close enough to be acquainted. It wasn¡¯t just me, as Aiko bit down on a sigh, before turning to Shaeula and scolding her.


    ¡°Come on, enough of that. We have guests, who don¡¯t understand your sense of humour.¡± She chided her, before turning back to her teammate. ¡°Seriously, try not to listen to her too much, Tomoko-chan. She¡¯s got a malicious sense of humour. Everyone knows that my bro is engaged to Eri, right?¡±


    At her emphasis, I giggled, holding out my hand, showing off my glittering engagement ring, which reminded me of the stars in the sky as it sparkled. Shaeula glanced down at her own ring, before letting out a short sigh. ¡°Of course. Eri is beloved by Akio, there is no-no question. Still...¡±


    ¡°Hey, that reminds me.¡± The girl... Tomoko-san, I guess? I don¡¯t know her surname, which thinking about it, it¡¯s kind of bad, considering I¡¯ve watched Aiko play volleyball a fair few times. Uh, I can see why people think I¡¯m standoffish. Well, I mean I am, but... I¡¯ll get better. The party was fine, if rather trying, and this... well, I can use it to practice in a safer setting. After all, nothing bad can happen in Aiko¡¯s home...


    ¡°... you¡¯ve been calling Aiko-chan by Aiko-sensei, haven¡¯t you? Akio-kun too. What¡¯s up with that?¡± beside her the other girl from the volleyball team, a younger girl a year below us at school, also nodded, curious. Strangely enough, Rika-san and Yae-san were eagerly awaiting the answer too. The only one who seemed less interested was the first year who did kyudo with Aiko, who was looking around Aiko¡¯s room with great interest, as if trying to find something. She¡¯s Sonobe Akari-san, right? I do know her at least. Kyudo club had almost no members, and as I was always hanging around to go home with Aiko when she was finished, naturally I knew them, as well as feeling pretty safe and welcome there. Yeah, Aiko¡¯s senior, who graduated last year, she asked me to join kyudo club too. I think she was joking, as I am.. no, I was... pathetically weedy and uninterested, but maybe I should have. Although now... I guess I prefer axes.


    ¡°Just what are you grinning about, Eri?¡± Aiko asked sourly, and I realised as my thoughts wandered I was naturally smiling. It¡¯s just because I got an axe as a present from Akio! Not that I¡¯m going to enjoy swinging it around...


    ¡°You don¡¯t often see that.¡± Tomoko-san laughed. ¡°Mori-san smiling is... no, wait, can I call you Eri-chan? After all, I think you wanted to be more sociable, right?¡±


    My smile turned a bit troubled, but I nodded. ¡°Great.¡± She continued. ¡°Well, Eri-chan, it¡¯s sure nice to see you smile and not hide your face under your bangs, looking down all the time. You are... really... pretty. In fact, you seem to be more beautiful every day! Damn, is this what love does to a girl? Anyway, I¡¯m off topic. Why are you a sensei, Aiko?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are here to study martial arts.¡± Tsumura-san said politely, and her bodyguard echoed her. ¡°Akio-sensei is our first teacher, but Aiko-sensei is apparently skilled in kyudo as well. I have a keen interest in such things, my family arts also have archery techniques.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Akari-san suddenly spoke up. ¡°I can see you carrying several objects. That one looks like a kendo bag, and that one there...¡± she pointed, excited. ¡°It¡¯s a bow, right?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed.¡± Tsumura-san asked Hori-san to hand over the wrapped bundle, and she unsealed it, revealing a large bow, though it was smaller and sleeker than the oversized kyudo bows, the Yumi. It was made for combat, the enamelled body of the bow dark green and crimson, with the parts where the string connected carved into heads of serpents. Even I could tell it was old and valuable. On seeing the bow, both Akari-san and Aiko were excited, and asked to touch it.


    ¡°Aiko-sensei, you may touch it, but alas, you... I am afraid I don¡¯t know your name... my family bow cannot be touched casually. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡± Akari-san was disappointed, and Aiko felt bad, so she opened up her cupboard and pulled out her own red bow, handing it over.


    ¡°Make do with mine.¡± Aiko grinned. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been looking for it. I also have this.¡± She brought out the Olympic recurve bow she had received in Las Vegas. ¡°This is one my bro got me. It¡¯s easier to use, but kyudo isn¡¯t all about the accuracy, it¡¯s a way of life, right?¡± she winked, and Akari-san giggled happily.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the famous bow Aki gave up on a year¡¯s worth of allowance to help you buy, right?¡± Yae-san snickered. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°As you should be.¡± Shaeula intoned. She had managed to bring in beer, and tugging at the ring-pull with a slender finger she opened it, taking a loud gulp of the foamy liquid. ¡°For not only has she received these-these bows, she also has another she can not-not show you.¡±


    Oh yeah, the faerie bow. Still, that¡¯s a dangerous topic...


    Aiko seemed to agree, as she shut Shaeula down, and waved away Akari-san¡¯s excited questioning. ¡°Yeah well, maybe later. I don¡¯t have my bow here with me right now. Anyway...¡± she changed the subject. ¡°This is one gorgeous bow. You can feel it¡¯s been used in battle.¡±


    ¡°Most perceptive.¡± She had also unveiled her spear, Gurenyari, as well as a beautiful-looking katana, the sheath decorated beautifully with swooping birds and snakes. ¡°This bow, hebihikoukiba, known as the snake that sends its fangs flying to pierce the enemy, was used by our ancestors in many battles since the age of the Shogunate. Countless foes have died to the arrows it has launched. And as for this katana, utsuroihebi, the fleeting snake that strikes like the wind, it was claimed from an enemy general and has served my family ever since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the story.¡± Yae-san shook her head. ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t entirely answer the question, does it? I know Ai here is a decent archer, she¡¯s been in tournaments, even if she never wins, right?¡± she stuck out her tongue at Aiko, and everyone laughed at her reaction.


    ¡°Yeah, so why is Akio-kun your sensei?¡± Rika-san finished for her friend. ¡°He doesn¡¯t do much... oh wait, didn¡¯t he say at the baseball he did combat sports?¡± she suddenly remembered, a look of enlightenment crossing her features.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about combat.¡± Tomoko-san said. ¡°But at the baseball your brother was awesome! Some of the moves he was pulling off were pro-athlete level! Isn¡¯t that right, Yuina-chan?¡± she asked her younger teammate, who bounced excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah, I was moved! He showed the pro team just what someone who puts their heart and soul into improving can do!¡±


    So she¡¯s Yuina-san, huh? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Yes, Akio is doing all sorts of combat sports and physical training.¡± I said, before Shaeula could say something inciting. As I did so she looked at me, her amber eyes slightly regretful. Her face was already flushed from the alcohol, and once more I had a bad feeling she was going to cause trouble. No, it¡¯s my job to manage this mess now. I can¡¯t show weakness, not in front of Tsumura-san and Fukumoto-san anyway. Maybe not even in front of those two idiots... I glanced at Yae-san, who I still suspected hadn¡¯t given up entirely on Akio. I mean, I understand why, but... she should know she¡¯s outclassed...


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been doing the training plan Akio prepared for me.¡± I continued. ¡°And you saw how much fitter I am in Physical Education class, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was wild.¡± Yae-san agreed. ¡°Little Ri-Ri was as good as the best of us. The poor teacher nearly had a heart attack. I wonder just what this training plan entails. Looking at you right now, the way you are practically glowing lewdly, I¡¯d say it involves a whole lot of horizontal activity on the bed.¡±


    That¡¯s so embarrassing, and seriously annoying! ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to answer that.¡± I pouted, to much laughter.


    ¡°See, she does not-not deny it. For she can not-not.¡± The tipsy Shaeula smirked. ¡°Still, a female shines so much more brightly when loved by the male they have chosen.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, we need to talk about your man later.¡± Yae-san said pointedly, glancing at Shaeula¡¯s engagement ring. ¡°But before that... Seriously, just what is up with Aki? I can¡¯t get a handle on him. He¡¯s hot as hell now, super sporty, apparently to the extent some very refined and high-class girls are going to him for training.¡± At her words, Tsumura-san, Hori-san and even Fukumoto-san nodded. Onoue-san was still looking troubled, but even she seemed keen to learn from Akio. I guess that isn¡¯t a surprise. If I can get to this level in just a short time, someone skilled in combat would be far more powerful. She can then protect her mistress better...


    ¡°In addition, he takes you girls on expensive trips abroad, stays in fancy hotel suites, brings back tons of souvenirs and gifts even for girls he barely knows, like us. Not that I¡¯m complaining...¡± she touched her earrings, which I noticed she wore as often as she could, Rika-san too, which was also an irritation.


    ¡°I sure am!¡± Tomoko-san broke in. ¡°Like I said, Aiko-chan, you need to put in a good word to your brother for the team too! If he¡¯s giving out gifts to cute girls, the volleyball team should be his first port of call!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not going to happen.¡± Aiko shook her head and I felt like cheering. It seems like I have rivals everywhere, shutting down some more is a great feeling!


    As Aiko and Tomoko-san bickered good-naturedly, Yae-san finished up. ¡°... he flies in on a helicopter, these girls in tow. Yeah, he¡¯s an enigma, all right.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what enigma means.¡± Rika-san teased her. ¡°Still, I agree. It¡¯s like he¡¯s the main character in some sort of story right now.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that.¡± Aiko bopped Tomoko-san on the head and took her bow back from Akari-san, who sighed in disappointment. ¡°If we are going to have a sleepover, we need to get the rooms ready. Shaeula, Eri, you help me clear space for everyone¡¯s futons. Rika-san, Yae-san, can you go get snacks and drinks from the kitchen? I¡¯ll show you where. Tomoko-chan, Yuina-chan, Akari-chan, please keep our guests from Tokyo entertained, all right?¡±


    ********


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe your family owns Nichibotsu Technology!¡± Yuina-san was saying. ¡°Our family uses a Nichibotsu TV and a laptop!¡±


    ¡°Well, I thank you for using our products.¡± Fukumoto-san nodded politely. ¡°I hope you continue to do so.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s classy. And to think you are the granddaughter of a Minister. I¡¯ve seen your grandfather on TV!¡± Tomoko-san was speaking to Tsumura-san. We had moved everything out of Aiko¡¯s room we could and laid down futons, but we were all crammed in like sardines. Still, it was cosy. Everyone was eating and drinking, and Shaeula had passed out some beers and sake, despite my objections, forgetting last time when poor Aiko was hungover. Even so, getting our guests drunk, especially such important ones... It seems a bad idea to me.


    Seeing her gaze, Fukumoto-san shrugged, taking a gentle sip of sake. ¡°We drink alcohol a lot, don¡¯t we Motoko-san? I know technically it is unlawful, but at adult parties we are expected to drink a little, usually wine or sake. I also partake of some when I have meals with grandfather. I expect it¡¯s the same for you, Motoko-san?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do often drink with father and grandfather, though I try to keep it in moderation, as a martial artist should always remain clearheaded, and alcohol dehydrates one and is bad for the complexion. If I was to look less than perfect, it would shame my family. But yes, do not worry, Eri-senpai, I have a respectable tolerance, so I will not shame your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°A female should be a good-good drinker!¡± Shaeula declared, proving her point by draining half a can, foam spattering her face. She was also lying messily on her futon, bare legs flailing out of her yukata. For a princess she can be a bit of a mess. She needs a bit more elegance like Tsumura-san. Tsumura-san and Hori-san were kneeling in perfect seiza, elegantly drinking their alcohol. Fukumoto-san was more relaxed, but even in her sitting position, legs slanted, she was exuding grace. ¡°This is one-one of the greatest enjoyments of the mortal world, alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought this before, but for someone with such perfect Japanese, you have some odd word choices. Mortal world, hah. Plus that verbal tic is cute.¡± Akari-san giggled. On hearing that, Aiko and I exchanged worried looks. The noble girls looked unmoved, but then I guess they did know Shaeula¡¯s origins...


    Shaeula tilted her head, adorably confused. ¡°Verbal tic? Word choices? I do not-not understand.¡±


    Yeah, the usual response. It¡¯s relieving, in a way. ¡°So, anyway.¡± I changed the subject, and Aiko gave me a sly thumbs-up. ¡°I hope everyone enjoyed the party? I¡¯ve never hosted anything like that, so I was worried I¡¯d mess up, but Akio wants me to get better dealing with people and making more friends. I guess I want that too. Nothing is worse than when you feel disappointed in yourself.¡±


    ¡°It feels a bit bittersweet seeing Eri all grown up.¡± Aiko smiled wryly, and everyone else laughed, well, the girls from Nishimorioka, anyway.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, Eri-chan.¡± Tomoko-san reassured her. ¡°That party was great. I especially liked the bit where Kenji-kun¡¯s brother ran off, nearly crying.¡± She grinned wolfishly. ¡°He deserves it. His brother was the dumbass, it¡¯s not like you or Akio were at fault. Although, we can¡¯t blame him for wanting to date our Aiko-chan, can we? She¡¯s very popular with the boys at school.¡± She confided to Tsumura-san and the others. ¡°Still, to get Aiko-chan, not only do you have to break through the impenetrable wall that is her over-protective brother, the fact she¡¯s a major, major brocon means she probably wouldn¡¯t be interested anyway. Eri-chan, you¡¯ll probably end up having to look after Aiko-chan forever if she doesn¡¯t shape up!¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me who looks after Eri... though I guess that is my bro¡¯s job now!¡± she shrugged, taking a gulp of beer and stuffing her face with a cake. I guess she¡¯ll be trusting Akio to heal her hangover tomorrow. She really doesn¡¯t learn... ¡°Although...¡± Aiko continued. ¡°... like I said at the party, I don¡¯t have any problem with dating, but unless it¡¯s a great guy there¡¯s no point. I¡¯m not settling for just anyone. Especially since Eri has my bro. if I end up with a loser, my pride wouldn¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°Comparing other males to Akio is an exercise in futility indeed.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Akio is as a mighty oak to their pathetic-pathetic saplings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a dick joke right?¡± Yae-san giggled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so potty-mouthed, Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°That begs the main question though, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Rika-san said shrewdly, eyeing Shaeula intensely.


    I knew I had a bad feeling. Still, there was no way we were getting through this without something going wrong. As Shaeula waited for her question, an annoying and knowing smirk on her face, I fought the urge to leap up and start strangling her. Seriously, you aren¡¯t supposed to make trouble for me! Ugh, she takes the Fae reputation for mischief too literally!


    ¡°Should you be praising Akio-kun when you are engaged? What will your fiance? say about that? Besides, it¡¯s not fair to little Ri-Ri, it must make her uncomfortable. You know...¡± Rika-san was not letting up. ¡°You always seem to push Akio towards other women, I remember when you insisted Akio-kun honour the bet and take Yae out for that date... seriously, I thought that it was Akio-kun you liked, and the way you talk about him hasn¡¯t changed. What gives?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m curious too.¡± Yae-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯m a girl who understands romance and I think you are suspicious as hell, Shaeula.¡± She paused, before looking at Tsumura-san and Hori-san. ¡°These two as well. When they call him Akio-sensei I hear a trace of longing in their voices.¡± Her gaze swung towards Fukumoto-san.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! I¡¯m only here to represent my family interests!¡± she declared, and Yae-san shook her head in denial.


    ¡°Sure, if you say so. Still, Shaeula, no weaselling out of it. I want the truth. It¡¯s what you do at girls¡¯ sleepovers like this. Talk of love and the future are mandatory!¡±


    Weaselling. That amused Shaeula. So what do we do?


    With a resigned sigh, Aiko suddenly stood up. She scowled at Shaeula, who chuckled shamefacedly, feeling a little guilty. As everyone looked at Aiko, she looked back at us all, deadly serious. ¡°All right. We are all friends, right? If I ask you all to absolutely keep some secrets, you can, right? I¡¯m not joking, don¡¯t cross me on this, you¡¯ll regret it!¡±


    ¡°Sure, you are our precious teammate! Our bonds are forged on the sporting field of battle!¡± Tomoko-san said, and Yuina-san agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be worthy of your trust, senpai!¡± Akari-san said, her eyes full of joy, as she was being told a secret by her favourite senior.


    ¡°Well, this sounds serious. You¡¯re scaring me a bit here, Ai!¡± Yae-san said, and Rika-san followed up. ¡°Seriously, we are friends. Sharing juicy gossip and secrets will only cement that. We¡¯ll practically all be besties!¡±


    I don¡¯t get how popular girls think, but...ugh, my stomach hurts. I do get how Akio feels now, out with our parents. I wonder just how much he¡¯s explained to them...Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    The noble girls and their bodyguards knew a lot about Akio anyway, so they held their silence. ¡°All right then.¡± Aiko said, downing her can of beer, nearly choking. ¡°I need the courage booze is supposed to bring. But I don¡¯t feel any braver. Go on then, Shaeula, tell them. You will anyway. Sometimes I think you enjoy making trouble for me!¡±


    Yeah, I know just how Aiko feels...


    Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°Of course my fiance? will have no-no worries. For do you think I would pledge myself to just any inferior male? No, I too-too... am engaged to Akio.¡±


    ¡°Right, I thought so... wait, what?¡± Yae-san exclaimed, and the other girls erupted into a frenzied hubbub, other than the visitors from Tokyo of course.


    ¡°What, what? Akio is cleating on you, little Ri-Ri? I¡¯m shocked and appalled.¡± Yae-san declared.


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡±After all, you went on a date with him, and he told me you offered to kiss him.¡±


    ¡°Whoa... your brother is a major player! But... that¡¯s like... bigamy, right? That¡¯s illegal.¡± Tomoko-san was surprised, and for a moment I felt a little nostalgia for the old days, where everything was normal, before I realised that my life was awful and empty back then. It¡¯s a small price to pay, if I have to share Akio with Shaeula to make us all happy... I can do that. As for the others... I found myself looking at Tsumura-san, and she smiled back at me politely. Ugh, I really need to talk this through with everyone. I hate this. Again. But... maybe I¡¯ve grown. I¡¯m not going to rage jealously about it. I¡¯m going to trust that Akio, Shaeula and I can come to a solution.


    ¡°Seriously, you seem so calm about this, senpai! Your beloved brother is two-timing your best friend!¡± Akari-san was amazed, her face twisting into an expression of disapproval. ¡°I always thought he was a good guy, from your stories about him. I guess I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°You shut up, Akari-san!¡± I snapped, hating her tone. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about Akio or me, or what Shaeula has suffered!¡± I leapt to my feet, getting right in her face. The room was cramped, so I almost trod on Onoue-san, but she evaded with grace. ¡°Akio was loyal to me, he refused Shaeula no matter how often she offered herself!¡±


    ¡°It is true-true, though it hurts my pride as a female to admit it.¡± Shaeula said ruefully. ¡°Akio is a male of deep loyalty to those he loves. Yet being one of those is the sweetest-sweetest thing.¡± She licked her lips seductively, and many of the girls blushed at her lascivious aura.


    ¡°Yeah, so take that back!¡± I fumed. Akari-san scooted back but the wall blocked her.


    ¡°All right, calm down Eri. Let me explain. I wasn¡¯t there, but I understand from your story.¡± Aiko helped me cool my anger, patting my back tenderly. ¡°Hey, Akari-chan, don¡¯t badmouth big bro like that. If anything... I asked him to take Shaeula as well. I don¡¯t feel good about it as a friend to Eri, but... it¡¯s for the best.¡±


    I listened in awe along with everyone else as Aiko spun an amazing tale. I exchanged a look with Shaeula, who grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Yeah, it kind of resembles what actually happened, but somehow it¡¯s even more moving. If it wasn¡¯t me as one of the girls in this story, I¡¯d be begging the male lead to take Shaeula as well... well, I guess I did that anyway... I can still barely believe I did it.


    ¡°Whoa, you drink it? Have you ever done that, Yuina-san?¡±


    ¡°No way, I don¡¯t do oral. The idea is scary.¡± She denied it.


    ¡°... anyway, they did it right there and then. Eri was practically raping my bro she was so horny, and he didn¡¯t object. So I¡¯m sitting there watching my bro and Eri pounding away right in front of me, and I know I should leave or at least look away, but shit, I was blindsided. So I watched until the end. No condom in sight, of course.¡±


    ¡°Raw?¡± Yuina-san said, shocked. ¡°Even on birth control, that¡¯s bold.¡±


    Shut up, shut up, shut up! I was kicking my legs in annoyance, but that only motivated them to continue.


    ¡°Yep, I nearly lost my breakfast as I got to see the amazing sight of my brother¡¯s ... ugh, not saying the word, but yeah, it was dripping everywhere, all down her legs.¡±


    ¡°Best. Sleepover. Ever.¡± Tomoko-san said in rapt amazement. ¡°I remember when another teammate told me she¡¯d watched her sister sleep with her boyfriend because they left the door open, but she couldn¡¯t see that much as they were under the covers. This... this is wild. Must suck for you though, Aiko-chan. Seeing your precious brother banging someone else from so close!¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Aiko snapped, though I could hear a trace of humour in it. ¡°I love my big bro sure, but not that way. I¡¯m not a pervert. Anyway, Yae-san, Rika-san, spill yours! I¡¯ll not die of shame alone here!¡±


    ¡°Looks like Ri-Ri took most of the damage from your story rather than you, but sure, whatever. So, this one time, my brother had left a DVD in the player in our house. I turned it on and...¡±


    ********


    The talk had turned from sexual topics to hopes and dreams for the future. Aiko had told everyone about her aspiration to get into a Uni in Tokyo and pursue coaching or some other sports-related field. She was gushing with happiness over the fact that most of her obstacles to managing this had disappeared, though privately, I worried she might not get the grades unless she started studying really hard for the entrance exams that were early next year.


    I had been dragged out of my sulk, and admitted I was just looking to support Akio, but to do so I¡¯d learn to help him with his work. The girls from Nishimorioka laughed at this, but the noble girls found this admirable and praiseworthy. Yae-san wanted to get into fashion somehow, and Rika-san just wanted to move to the city and had no real plans.


    ¡°... want to carry on the combat arts of my family.¡± Tsumura-san was saying, and everyone watched her determination with warm eyes, even me. She¡¯s very pure. I guess the way these girls are raised is very stifling. And her family arts are all she really has of her own...


    ¡°Of course, my true duty is to marry for my family, and be a good and supportive wife, and provide heirs to continue the house.¡± Beside her Hori-san and even Fukumoto-san agreed.


    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s so old-fashioned.¡± Yae-san scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m going to marry for love. Though if the guy was rich, that¡¯d be great too, of course!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ll take money over love.¡± Tomoko-san laughed. ¡°But seriously... are you happy with that? It sounds like you aren¡¯t, really.¡±


    ¡°It is what we must do as daughters of nobility. We have many privileges, but they come at a price. We cannot disgrace our ancestors, and we must ensure we bring no shame to our parents. My only regret is that my family arts, the way of the spear, bow and sword, will die out in my generation." she looked mournfully at the sword and spear beside her, and a small tear rolled down her cheek. Everyone could feel her grief. ¡°As a wife of nobility, I am unable to do anything that is considered unladylike. Classical dancing, flower arranging, tea ceremony, kimono-weaving. All of these are proper pastimes, but one that involves sweat and blood, and possible injury and scarring? Alas, none of my potential suitors have shown me any consideration.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such bullshit and I hate it.¡± Aiko snapped, surprising her. ¡°It¡¯s old-fashioned thinking like that which holds us girls back. I love sport, and exercise, and working up a sweat. It¡¯s why I love volleyball, and track and field, and kyudo. Hell, maybe I¡¯ll even take up kendo at Uni, swing around some swords. It¡¯s never too late to learn, is it? If I can do it, you can too!¡±


    ¡°I fear we live in different worlds.¡± Tsumura-san said, and Fukumoto-san echoed her.


    ¡°Indeed. This has been surprisingly enlightening. I thought that commoners would be the same as us, largely. But listening to talks of love, sex, the future, I can see many differences.¡±


    ¡°No way, we are all girls in the end.¡± Aiko protested. ¡°No matter our status, after all, Shaeula is a...¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°Well, I understand.¡± Fukumoto-san continued. ¡°It must seem strange to you all. You are all so... free. I am closer to what you would consider normal than Motoko-san is, her family lineage is incredibly old and noble. So I have had some experience of the world outside the nobility and our school. But unless Motoko-san finds a husband her parents and the other nobles can accept, who is also willing to allow her to pursue her dreams... well, Motoko-san has been suffering so because such a man doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°Until now, perhaps...¡± Onoue-san spoke, and then looked surprised she had ventured an opinion.


    ¡°Indeed. Until now.¡± Tsumura-san nodded.


    ¡°You mean Aiko¡¯s brother, right?¡± Akari-san suddenly spoke up. As everyone looked at her, she flinched under our gazes. ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that? If you pay attention to everything we¡¯ve all talked about it¡¯s obvious, why else would they be here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But that¡¯s crazy! He¡¯s already got Ri-Ri... wait, and ... Shaeula. I get it!¡± Yae-san had an epiphany. ¡°Whoa... I get it. Not sure if Aki is the luckiest guy alive or a total sucker.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. My grandfather sees great potential in Akio-sensei, and Fujiwara-sama, the leader of the nobility of Japan, hopes that he can establish a new noble house to continue protecting Japan and its culture. If so... Akio-sensei respects my arts and my determination. He would...¡±


    That¡¯s enough. We need to talk. ¡°Tsumura-san, can you come with me?¡± I stood suddenly, surprising everyone. ¡°You girls all carry on talking, we won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Hori-san looked ready to come with her, but I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll only be in the next room. I want to talk. In private.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s that carnage you ordered.¡± Yuina-san joked to Tomoko-san.


    ¡°Very well. I shall of course accompany you.¡± Tsumura-san said, standing gracefully, looking very athletic in her hakama. ¡°Natsumi, do not worry, Eri-senpai will not attempt to harm me.¡±


    ¡°Not physically, but perhaps... her words will cut-cut!¡± Shaeula was plenty drunk now, so she giggled out an insult. I glared at her, which only caused her to laugh harder.


    ¡°Oh whatever. Tsumura-san, follow me.¡±


    Entering Akio''s room, which we had also cleared out, so we had room to sleep later, I slid shut the door, blocking out the remaining noise of the other girls and their laughter. I gestured for her to sit, so she did, graceful as ever, which made me feel a little bad. She is elegant and pretty. Any man would want her for himself. And she¡¯d make a great wife, she¡¯s been training for it since she was a child. Ugh, does... would Akio want her? I¡¯ve seen him looking at her...


    ¡°Tsumura-san...¡± I began, but she interrupted me, her expression apologetic.


    ¡°Please call me Motoko, Eri-senpai.¡±


    ... uh, that¡¯s awkward. I don¡¯t feel older then her, she has that aura. ¡°Fine. Motoko-san. Just... please call me Eri. I¡¯m not your senpai, merely Akio¡¯s fiance?e.¡±


    ¡°I... find that difficult.¡± Motoko-san admitted. ¡°The nobility is hierarchical. Those of a superior position must be afforded due respect, and those of a lower... well, we often don¡¯t associate with them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a noble. I¡¯m just Akio¡¯s fiance?e, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°That... that is a high position, currently. Especially for my aspirations.¡± Motoko-san looked nervous, and I realised why. Shaeula must have talked to her. It makes sense. Akio loves Shaeula, like he loves me, but he¡¯d never have accepted her if I hadn¡¯t consented, even welcomed her. So Motoko-san knows if she doesn¡¯t convince me, Akio will never take her.


    ¡°Eri... san.¡± Motoko-san stumbled over it. ¡°Are you well?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was just thinking.¡± I sighed, a long and bitter one. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, you barely know Akio. I admit, he¡¯s the best, and I think you¡¯d like him if you knew him more, but... there must be another way. You said this Fujiwara-sama has hopes for Akio, he could negotiate with a prospective husband for you, help you get what you want. Doesn¡¯t that make more sense?¡±


    Motoko-san paused. ¡°I had not considered that. Perhaps... perhaps he might be able to do that. But would Akio-sensei do that, when he gains nothing?¡±


    ¡°He would. He¡¯s always been kind. It¡¯s why Shaeula and I love him. Aiko too. She would never accept any other brother.¡± Still, I wished he would be less kind to other girls, and spend more of it on us. Though with the weight Akio carries now, that might not be possible. And it¡¯s led to this.


    ¡°If I may speak freely, Eri-san, even if it might be a little rude...?¡± Motoko-san asked and I nodded.


    ¡°... why does the idea of Akio-sensei having another wife upset you? You welcomed Shaeula, did you not? The story was beautiful, by the way. On hearing it, I was even more convinced, it is meant to be. Once Akio-sensei has founded his noble house, he is the husband I have dreamed of. Duty and desire, I can satisfy both. Besides... I feel I can become good friends, sisters, with you and Shaeula-sensei.¡±


    Yeah, I really don¡¯t understand these noble girls. Shaeula is the same, but she has an excuse, she¡¯s not human and her family is apparently polygamous. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t my reaction normal? One man and one woman, deeply in love, spending time together... it¡¯s how we are raised from childhood. It¡¯s how the world works, should work. I... I can accept Shaeula. But you... I don¡¯t know you, or your struggles. They seem abstract to me. I¡¯m sorry to be cruel, but really... I don¡¯t mind that other women yearn for my Akio, I know they will, any woman who doesn¡¯t want his love is a fool. But... if I let you in, then you¡¯ll take up his affection, his love, his time. I want to spend every waking moment with him! I can share with Shaeula, because she understands, and she won¡¯t take him away from me!¡± I ... I waited so many years for his love, and now everyone wants to steal my time with him! I hate that! It isn¡¯t fair!


    ¡°I see.¡± Motoko-san said as I ranted at her. Her gaze was calm, and since she didn¡¯t react I felt my anger draining away, though the fear remained. I thought I was over this. Shaeula won¡¯t take him from me. And spending time with her and Akio is fun. But as soon as another threat appears, my chest gets tight, and I start to sweat... it¡¯s like I¡¯m back before the festival, when I reach out for him and he isn¡¯t there...


    ¡°So that is the reason.¡± Motoko-san nodded sagely. ¡°I think I understand. He is precious to you, and when one shares in what is precious, it dilutes it. Still, I fear you take things too far. Shaeula-sensei, she has dreams other than spending her life with Akio-sensei, no? That may mean more time for you, as she pursues her other goals, but... your desires are not healthy. I suggest you find your own dream too. Akio-sensei would love that too, I believe. I have not known him long, but from the way he respected and praised my ambitions, he would surely be happy.¡±


    Ugh, that touches a nerve. Listening to the girls talking about the future, I realised my dream isn¡¯t really a dream, it¡¯s just... letting Akio dream for me. Even Aiko, who wants to help Akio with his new struggle, also wants to pursue sport because she loves it, not just that growing her skills will help. ¡°Can I find something I want to do as well?¡±


    ¡°You can, I¡¯m sure. And Akio-sensei will support you to find that dream.¡± Motoko-san said, and I was startled, realising I had spoken out loud.


    ¡°I think you misunderstand me.¡± Motoko-san said. ¡°If I am a wife, or a concubine, or a mistress... yes, I will take time from you, time I will have to spend with Akio-sensei. I will do my wifely duties, and happily. After all... I don¡¯t really understand, but from the talk earlier, apparently they are fun and joyful?¡± she grinned, a strangely wild expression for her elegant features, and I flushed once more, but even so, I couldn¡¯t lie and nodded agreement. ¡°But when you find your goal, just as Shaeula-sensei has, you will need time to pursue that. I would hope that Akio-sensei would seek me out, wish to spend time with me. But I would not expect to steal from you or Shaeula-sensei. I am sure together we can make it work. But I have said enough for now. Just... please consider me favourably. I shall endeavour to win you over. I understand my desperation might be off-putting, but time is running out for me.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, not convinced, but... Just because I accepted Shaeula doesn¡¯t mean I have to accept this. After all, Akio doesn¡¯t love her, or even know her that well. And neither do I. but... however... ¡°The best I can do is... I¡¯ll try and keep an open mind. If... if the day comes that Akio feels he needs you, that he loves you... I¡¯ll... damn, this is a struggle... I¡¯ll consider it. That¡¯s the best I can do.¡±


    ¡°That is enough.¡± Motoko-san smiled. ¡°And please extend the same courtesy to Natsumi too...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck!¡± I growled, and she laughed, covering her mouth with a hand, her chuckle still annoyingly elegant.


    Fine. I may hate this, but compared to the joy of the last few weeks, this is nothing. Besides... tomorrow is my birthday, a day I get to spend with Akio. Why let this upset me?


    ********


    ¡°Well, that was quite the night.¡± Aiko whispered, and I nodded. The noble girls were in Akio¡¯s room, we thought it best they slept separately from us. Other than Aiko, everyone else was asleep, even Shaeula, who was snoring away gently, stinking of alcohol.


    ¡°Yeah, she got wasted again. I only had a couple this time, I was sensible.¡± Aiko muttered. ¡°Still, before she fell asleep, she did something, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, she whispered to me that with her Befuddling Winds, whatever they were, she managed to make sure everyone would keep their promise not to talk about all the secrets we shared tonight. That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t want anyone to know what we talked about. You really embarrassed me, Aiko.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± She snorted softly. ¡°I was more mortified when I watched you start fucking my bro in front of me. Temptress indeed!¡± as I protested, she giggled. ¡°Anyway, I wonder when mom and dad are getting back. We got another text saying they would stay out drinking. Damn, I wonder what big bro told them...¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find out soon.¡± My ears picked up soft talking outside the house. All my senses have become really sharp recently. I heard the door open and some quiet giggling. Moments later, Aiko nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I hear them. They sound... okay? Maybe bro wussed out and didn¡¯t tell them anything?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I think he wouldn¡¯t do that... he¡¯s determined to explain things.¡±


    A couple of minutes later we had our answer, as the door slid open, to reveal my mom and auntie Emily. On seeing us still awake, they brightened up. The smell of booze on them rivals Shaeula... how much did they drink? They look unsteady on their feet...


    ¡°Still up?¡± Emily whispered, seeing the sleeping girls around. ¡°Looks like you had a fun sleepover. Can you come to the kitchen?¡±


    Aiko and I exchanged glances. Here we go then... We both followed them out, and once in the kitchen auntie Emily poured large glasses of water for her and mom, and as they swigged it down, rehydrating, mom spoke.


    ¡°Taichi and your father are at our house with little Aki. They are probably drinking even more.¡± She grinned. Seeing our trepidation, she looked us in the eyes. ¡°By the way, Ai, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I managed to squeak, my heart pounding.


    ¡°Aki told us everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡± Aiko asked, wary, and Emily grinned.


    ¡°Yes, everything. I¡¯m rather mad you¡¯ve been keeping such secrets, but... I guess I can see why.¡±


    ¡°Everything? Seriously?¡± Aiko repeated.


    ¡°What are you surprised about?¡± mom shook her head. ¡°That Aki is cheating on my darling daughter with Shaeula, and it¡¯s even with Eri¡¯s blessing? That shocked me. I am going to have to have a long talk with Shaeula it seems.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe that Shaeula isn¡¯t even human, Aki is a superhero, and you can all travel to a magical otherworld?¡± Emily joined in, and my mouth fell open, shocked Akio would reveal so much.


    ¡°Or that Aki knows the Prime Minister and various other big-wigs, and has sent an army of private bodyguards to Nishimorioka to look after us? See, we know it all. I¡¯m amazed we even believe half of it, but... the proof was convincing.¡±


    Seriously? They know everything now? I guess... at least I don¡¯t have to keep secrets anymore.


    ¡°I know that guilty expression.¡± I was suddenly enfolded in a hug from my mom, while auntie grabbed Aiko likewise. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mom ruffled my hair like she used to do when I was a child. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. Or even Aki, though... I need to talk to Shaeula about you, her and him before I can forgive him. I guess we need to talk to her tomorrow regarding getting this strange Chirurgery too...¡±


    ¡°You are even doing that?¡± Aiko was surprised. ¡°I mean, I get it, I do. Strength is safer to have. But...¡±


    ¡°Well, Aki came round in the end. Just like he did with you girls.¡± Emily sighed. ¡°Well, we have a busy day tomorrow it seems. We need to hear what you girls have to say.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± I denied, shocking them. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s my birthday and I¡¯m spending all day with Akio. You can get Shaeula and Aiko to explain.¡± As everyone burst out laughing loudly, before stifling the noise to prevent waking anyone, I pouted in my mom¡¯s embrace. They can wait. Tomorrow is my day. Mine and Akio¡¯s. nothing is going to waste my precious happy times, especially after having to think about other women tonight...

 Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-Nine – R18/Contains sex

    Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-Nine ¨C R18/Contains sex


    Opening the door to the kitchen I saw a very tired and hungover-looking auntie Hana sitting at the small low table, a glass of water in front of her. On seeing me, she brightened momentarily, before gagging, her pallor green.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± she muttered, taking a sip of her water. ¡°I feel dreadful. Anyway, good morning, Aki. Did you sleep well?¡±


    I suppose I should heal her. I¡¯ve already done mom when she woke up. ¡°Yeah, not bad. It¡¯s a bit odd being over at your home, it¡¯s been a really long time. Still, I stayed over plenty as a child.¡± I reached out and put my hand on her head. She shivered at my touch, looking surprised, but then her eyes widened as her hangover started diminishing rapidly. Though as a side effect, she began to sweat heavily, the toxins flushed out.


    ¡°That really is incredible. I still find it hard to believe.¡± She said, after I finished fixing her hangover. ¡°I wonder if I could learn that, it seems very useful.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Maybe if you work hard. As for being useful, it is, although the downside is I find it near-impossible to get drunk now. I¡¯m not sure how Shaeula manages it.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula, huh?¡± a complicated expression crossed her features, and I winced, realising I had touched on a difficult subject. Seeing my displeasure, auntie sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t pull that face, little Aki. I promised to be open-minded, remember? As long as my Eri is happy, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°She will be. You have my word!¡± I promised. ¡°By the way, is Eri home yet?¡± Since our house was full of girls, including a few from our school, it seemed, mom and father ended up staying the night here. Mom was already up, and I had healed her hangover, leaving mom marvelling at the ease of it, just like auntie had. As for father and uncle...


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s in her room, she got home a little while ago. I think she¡¯s very excited for today. So, I hope you have something nice planned? I¡¯d hate for you to disappoint her!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry auntie, when I accepted her confession I made a vow that she¡¯d never regret it. The same... the same when I accepted Shaeula. If I¡¯m ten times as great as any other guy, then even sharing me they get five hundred percent of joy each, right?¡± I joked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little arrogant, Aki. Still... I hope you can manage it. And also, I¡¯ve told you, call me mother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Sorry, mother-in-law Hana. It¡¯s just all still a little strange to me. Anyway, I was hoping for a favour. I want to take Eri out later, so I was hoping you could pack a decent picnic basket for us? I¡¯ll also need a few other bits and pieces.¡± I listed them out, and she smiled, guessing my intent. ¡°You can get mom to help, I fixed her hangover earlier.¡±


    ¡°I see. And what about Junpei and your father?¡± she asked, and at that I shrugged, smiling a touch maliciously.


    ¡°Well, father and uncle ... I mean father-in-law, I guess... they can recover on their own. After all, a man should be resolute, and take responsibility for their own actions, right?¡± I quoted my father¡¯s own words, justifying my decision.


    ¡°Oh my, Aki, when did you get so cunning?¡± Hana chuckled. ¡°But I do understand. They put you through the wringer last night. By the way, Eri doesn¡¯t need any presents, just your company, but... I trust you did get her some birthday presents?¡±


    Well, she¡¯s already had the Boundary ones, but... I nodded. ¡°I have, of course. What¡¯s the point of money if you can¡¯t use it to treat your loved ones? I¡¯m just nipping home to get them. I¡¯ll leave the other preparations to you.¡±


    ********


    Knocking on the door to Eri¡¯s room, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Eri replied, and as I slid open the door, I saw my smiling fiance?e waiting for me, sitting on her bed.


    ¡°Happy birthday Eri.¡± I said then, and I produced my first gift, handing her a small, prettily wrapped box. She took it with her delicate hands, her fingers touching mine intimately, before she leaned in and kissed me greedily, our tongues tangling lasciviously. As we parted, a thin strand of moisture connecting us briefly, her breath coming fast and her face flushed, she giggled.


    ¡°I dreamed of this. Spending birthdays together again. I don¡¯t know why I was so worried about things last night. My opponent doesn¡¯t matter, I know you love me, and want to spend time with me!¡±


    ¡°I sure do!¡± I said, looking around her room. It had been a few years since I had last been in here, but it looked largely the same, apart from one significant difference. The room which had been bare and had few possessions, due to the poverty the Mori¡¯s laboured under, was now full of clothes and other personal items. I smiled to see it. The old saying that ¡®it¡¯s better to give than to receive¡¯ is true. I feel warm inside when I see all the stuff Eri has now. She¡¯s a good girl, and deserves the best. Besides... as I watched Eri carefully removing the wrapping around the box, I thought of Shaeula. Eri would have to match her royal taste for extravagance going forwards.


    ¡°I wonder what this is...¡± Eri looked at the small, carved wooden case she had unveiled. ¡°Is it jewellery, or...¡± as she opened the lid, revealing a plush, velvet-lined interior, she gasped. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. But... isn¡¯t it expensive? Do I need this?¡±


    I pulled her into a hug, silencing her reflexive protests. ¡°Of course you do. But really, it¡¯s not a case of whether you need it, it¡¯s whether I want you to have it. Which I do. Besides, your fiance? is quite the important man nowadays.¡± I boasted, though I was mostly joking. ¡°And you¡¯ll have to accompany me to a lot of places to meet a lot of important people. So you¡¯ll definitely need to look the part. Though you¡¯ve already got beauty that outshines them all.¡± I praised her, and she blushed, hot in my arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel comfortable buying you dresses, but a watch... that I can manage. This is a good one too, you won¡¯t feel shame wearing it in any company. It¡¯s a Patek Phillipe.¡±


    ¡°But... what happens if I lose it, or someone tries to steal it...¡± Eri¡¯s poverty mindset was hard to shake, even now.


    ¡°Well, if you lose it, I¡¯d be sad, since it¡¯s a birthday gift full of my love... but I wouldn¡¯t hate you for it. And steal it? Eri, you forget, you are strong now. Anyone who tries to mug you will regret it!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah... right.¡± Eri giggled, realisation in her eyes. Putting the watch around her wrist, she admired the sleek silvery colour and delicate engraving and jewels that gave it a cool, elegant yet expensive look. ¡°I love it. Thanks.¡± we kissed again.


    ¡°I also have another present.¡± I blushed myself now. I found it hard to believe I¡¯d managed to buy these, and to be honest, if it wasn¡¯t for Shaeula accompanying me, I¡¯d never have found the bravery to venture into this store alone. Still, fortune favours the bold, right? Handing her the bag, I grinned. ¡°The girls did say you¡¯d appreciate more adult gifts, so here you go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous all of a sudden...¡± Eri said, opening the bag and peering inside. On seeing the contents, her eyes widened. ¡°Really? I¡¯m... well I¡¯m surprised.¡± Eri was burning red, mirroring my complexion. Still, there was a hint of interest in her eyes as well. Pulling out the first of the matching sets of what was expensive silk and lace underwear, she eyed the sheer black panties and matching bra curiously. ¡°They are very pretty, but... I think this is more a present for you, rather than me, right?¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny I want to see my fiance?e in beautiful underwear. Don¡¯t get me wrong, your normal clean look is fine, but...¡± Sometimes a man wants to see his beloved looking sexy.


    ¡°I see. I get it.¡± She nodded, seeing more underwear in blue, red, green and other shades. At one particularly risque? piece, she let out a little squeak of shock. ¡°So... any worries I might have had you didn¡¯t desire me have just vanished.¡± She smiled shyly. ¡°Though I think most of these are for use in private. I¡¯d feel scared to wear a lot of these under a skirt or light shirt.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of them are designed that way to be worn under the sort of expensive dresses you would wear to high-class parties. They aren¡¯t all my fetish.¡± I grinned, pleased at her adorably embarrassed yet accepting reaction. As I did so it was as if I could see wisps of blue darkness drifting off her for a moment before they vanished. I blinked a few times, but they didn¡¯t reappear. I wonder if her Dark Temptress class is reacting to her emotions? She looks even more charming than ever.


    ¡°I see. That makes sense.¡± Eri agreed, looking at one backless bra, eyes distant, perhaps imagining wearing such a dress. Shaking her head, she put them down on her bed, before grinning at me impishly. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to try some of my gifts on. Can you wait outside a minute?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to see you change?¡± I asked, surprised. After all, it isn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t seen her naked before.


    ¡°It¡¯ll ruin the surprise. Go on, shoo, shoo!¡± she waved me out of the room, so, despite my curiosity, I let her usher me out. I then spent what seemed like an eternity waiting, but was likely no more than ten minutes, before she called me back in. I opened the door, stepped inside, closed it behind me, and then paused, shocked. Really? That¡¯s... a curious choice.


    ¡°You like it?¡± Eri asked, twirling around, her short, blue-chequered skirt flapping up, showing off her pale thighs that peeked out.


    ¡°I like whatever you wear.¡± I admitted. ¡°But our school uniform? That seems an... interesting... choice.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Eri asked me. She was wearing dark knee-socks, our schools¡¯ blue skirt, a white shirt with a blue ribbon, and a blue blazer with gold trim, and our school badge on her chest. ¡°I thought I¡¯ll only be wearing this uniform for a few more months, so... besides...¡± she blushed again. ¡°... I heard that guys find stuff like school uniforms irresistible. I just wish ours was cuter, like the one Fukumoto-san wears. The sailor-types are pretty.¡±


    ¡°Just where did you hear that?¡± I asked. Well, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s wrong, but still...


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret between girls. I¡¯ve sworn not to say.¡± Still blushing, she smiled. ¡°So...¡± she glanced towards her bed. ¡°... did you want to... well, you know.¡±


    In Eri¡¯s room? That¡¯d be... fresh. ¡°Of course.¡± I grinned like a wolf, hungry and eager. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday after all. It¡¯d be wrong not to!¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Eri lifted up the hem of her skirt, and I could see she was wearing some of the underwear I had bought her, the sheer black fabric and low cut revealing her slit clearly, her thin and well-groomed pubic hair around it. The fabric was already a little damp, she must have been thinking of what was to come while she was changing. ¡°... come and eat this schoolgirl up! Maybe I¡¯ve been a bad girl, and senpai needs to punish me?¡± she tugged at her ribbon, casting it to the ground, and unbuttoned the top part of her shirt, revealing her cleavage held in the lacy black bra that matched the panties.


    On seeing that I was unable to hold back, and I rushed to her, kissing her furiously before tossing her down on the bed, straddling over her. She giggled at my fervour, and her hands went to my crotch, quickly freeing my dick, which was standing hard and proud, the tip already leaking precum, eager to taste my charming, seductive fiance?e.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about soiling my uniform.¡± She whispered in my ear, before biting it playfully. ¡°I have a spare I can wear tomorrow. Besides...¡± she was redder than ever, and her skin was hot, almost scalding, to my touch. ¡°... if mom has to wash it, she¡¯ll see just how serious we are. She knows everything now, so...¡± she trailed off, muttering something else. ¡°... need to stake my claim. Even if I have rivals, I¡¯m the best...¡±


    That¡¯s a shocker. Poor mother-in-law Hana. Oh well... I¡¯m not sure what has got her so worked up. Perhaps... the noble girls? Oh, who cares. All that matters is... I ceased to think as Eri¡¯s hands caressed my penis, her fingers probing, finding my weak spots. She was more proactive than usual, and her touch was sending sparks through my mind. I reached a hand into her shirt, pushing down the sheer bra and fondling her, playing with her hard nipple. Eri moaned and gasped, before stifling her own voice by stuffing my dick in her mouth, tongue swirling.


    As her ministrations sent waves of pleasure through me, I eased my free hand under her skirt, tugging down her panties. I then began to finger her and play with her clit, and as she began to twitch with her own ecstasy, her work on my penis grew more frenzied. Oh god... she¡¯s awesome. she¡¯s finding all my sensitive spots. Her hands were rubbing my balls, and the combination was pushing me fast towards orgasm.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to cum...¡± I gasped, and Eri grinned, speaking sloppy words, her mouth still filled to the brim with my penis.


    ¡°Let it out, I want it! A birthday present!¡±


    Fuck, I think this present is more for me too! Still, no stopping it now! As I let out a pleased yell, I climaxed, pouring my hot seed into her mouth. She swallowed the first blast, her small throat working as she gulped at it, before the second and third jet of cum accumulated in her mouth. She then pulled free, but I was still cumming. A jet splashed across her cheek, before she grabbed my soaked dick and pointed it downwards. Seriously? I continued to cum, though the flow was slowing, but there was still enough to spray across her blazer, semen soaking into the fabric. A final spurt dripped onto her skirt, and as she smiled she swallowed half of the remaining cum in her mouth, before letting the remainder trickle out of her pink lips and soak her shirt and the collar of her blazer.


    This... this will wash out, right? If not, I guess I can always buy her a new uniform.. ouch...


    ¡°Stop thinking stupid thoughts when you are here with me!¡± she grabbed my now flaccid dick and squeezed, and the treacherous organ started hardening again almost instantly at her touch. Damn, having high stats boosts sexual prowess as well...


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± she continued squeezing and stroking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about my uniform. Besides, it¡¯s turning you on, right?¡±


    I gave my answer by sliding down her body and returning the favour, my tongue working her pussy and clit ferociously. My hands unbuttoned her shirt completely and pushed it aside, groping her breasts relentlessly. Now it was Eri¡¯s turn to cry out in joy. Grinning, I pulled free for a moment, my mouth stained with her sour juices. ¡°Eri-kouhai, you¡¯ve been a bad girl. This senpai is going to punish your lewd body until you are my slave forever!¡± I roleplayed the school scenario, and had to admit it was pretty hot. I slid fingers in along with my tongue, teasing her hot, twitching insides, and my other hand went to her tight ass, squeezing and kneading at it. My finger slid down, and suddenly I was playing with her asshole, not going inside of course, but toying with the outside gently.


    ¡°Wait, what... that¡¯s my..¡± Eri twitched, clenching, and her pussy tightened, almost forcing out my fingers and tongue.


    ¡°You seem to like that.¡± I grinned, speeding up, my finger circling her hole, before the tip slid in ever-so-slowly, getting a matching squeal of pleasure from Eri. Best not push it too far, though...


    As I teased the entrance of her ass as well as her pussy, she quickly surrendered, tears of pleasure running down her face. ¡°Sorry senpai, sorry! Eri¡¯s always been a lewd girl, but only for you! I only did bad things so you¡¯d find out and punish me!¡± she continued to roleplay! ¡°When Eri does cum, Eri will be your slave forever! Not just your slave! I¡¯ll be your girlfriend, prim and proper on the surface, but I¡¯ll do any perverted thing you want in private! No, let¡¯s get married! Eri¡¯s cute, so you¡¯ll be a winner in life!¡± I could see Eri getting more and more turned-on as she played out the scenario. She¡¯s even resorted to talking in the third person, like she did in elementary. Cute! Fuck, I¡¯m horny right now...


    The unusual fun had left my dick a tower, only the remains of my ejaculation and Eri¡¯s saliva any indication I¡¯d already came buckets.


    ¡°Eri knows you¡¯ll have other women.¡± She said then, surprising me. Is this the roleplay, or...? ¡°But Eri will always be your first, as you were Eri¡¯s first and will be Eri¡¯s only! I¡¯m senpai¡¯s now!¡± she was quivering ferociously, and I instinctively reacted, my finger in her ass sliding in another half-inch.


    ¡°Eeeeeeeh... Senpai is devouring my everything!¡± she cried out in shock and surprise. ¡°Eri knows, Senpai likes Shaeula-senpai too. Eri likes her as well. Eri thinks... it¡¯s not so bad.¡± Yeah, I think... she¡¯s using this opportunity to talk to me. Wow, odd choice...


    ¡°If senpai... if senpai has to have other girls... Eri will hate it. But... Eri is just your toy right now, a bad, jealous kouhai. If... if... senpai has to have some other girls, some fancy rich girls who open doors for him... Eri will swallow her tears and smile. So long as... so long as Eri is not forgotten, and can spend many, many happy days with senpai. Smiling, laughing... fucking.¡± She uttered the crude word with a smile, and I pulled my mouth away from her pussy, surprising her. At her look of utter confusion, her rising orgasm delayed, I moved close to her ear and whispered to her.


    ¡°Sorry, I got careless. You did warn me that the Boundary was dangerous, but I¡¯ve been doing so well I had forgotten.¡±


    I touched her gently, but her charred flesh made her wince. Channelling ether I began to heal her, making sure that the aether carried down to her Material body. ¡°You are going to have blood all over your cheek when you wake up, but I think you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯d hate to be ugly, you wouldn¡¯t want me then.¡± She pouted, and I pulled her into an embrace.


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I whispered into her ears. ¡°it isn¡¯t just your beauty I like, it¡¯s you! Besides, if you got scarred fighting for what you believe in, they¡¯ll be honourable wounds indeed.¡±


    ¡°So smooth.¡± Eri replied, flushed. ¡°I can see why Motoko-san thinks you are the only man who can accept her. If you¡¯d have said that to her she¡¯d offer you her heart instantly, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not looking for her heart.¡± I finished healing Eri. ¡°But I am looking for the nest of these ants. I know we¡¯ve moved a fair way from Nishimorioka, but they might spread and affect the shrine or put you and Aiko in danger when you train here. besides...¡± I ground my teeth, infuriated. ¡°The fuckers hurt you! For that I have no forgiveness!¡±


    ¡°So cool! I¡¯ve fallen for you all over again!¡± Eri giggled. ¡°Right, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ********


    ¡°You¡¯re a big bastard!¡± I sneered, looking up at the colossal queen ant, which responded by vomiting out a cloud of flame at me. The ground surged up into a rock wall as I channelled earth, and the flames were deflected. All around us were strewn bodies of ants that were dissolving into ether, which Eri was absorbing. She had suffered several more burns, though her armour had protected her from most of them, and I was feeling very aggrieved. ¡°Still, you have to go!¡±


    I had slain a dozen hardy, warrior-class ants that guarded the queen, my weapons, wreathed in earth energy to strengthen them and devour flames, more than a match for them. The slaughter had levelled Eri several times, and had also brought the queen out of her lair. And what a lair it is...


    The obsidian rocks were arched up into a sort of natural dome, a few hundred metres across, and it was crawling with fiery ants. It must be because of the elemental energies here... glittering citrine veils of mist were rising, flames burning on the rocks around us, giving off an oppressive heat. Either the flame energies mutated these ants, or the ants moved here because of it...


    As I was thinking, the queen ant reared up and smashed my stony barrier to splinters. Eri cried out a warning, but I was calm. Sorry ant, you are pretty strong, but I¡¯ve faced far, far stronger... my earth-strengthened spear drove into its neck, piercing yellow chitin and impaling it. As the queen reared back, screaming, I channelled wind and aether, lightening myself so that I could jump effortlessly. Snatching my twin blades, I swept out my arms, and the queen was beheaded with a final screech of torment.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from forty-seven to forty-eight.


    ¡°Nice, I got a level myself.¡± I crowed, helping Eri dispatch the remaining ants, making sure none escaped. ¡°I have killed an awful lot, so I suppose it was due.¡±


    ¡°Great, I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± Eri smiled, resting on the shaft of her axe, breathing heavily. ¡°So how am I doing?¡±


    I examined her, and grinned. ¡°Level twenty-one. Not too far from your cap. Your stats have gone up nicely as well. You¡¯re over a hundred on all the Material stats now. Welcome to being officially superhuman.¡± As Eri celebrated by an adorable fist pump, I looked around.


    ¡°Looks like there is a decent amount of natural fire element here. You should be able to learn it, as darkness doesn¡¯t seem to conflict with the four classic elements. In fact... I think Aiko could too. She does use flaming arrows as well, so if she could strengthen them with flame element... it¡¯s also a way she can grow stronger without levelling...¡± I mused. ¡°... although it isn¡¯t safe bringing her out here. You remember how to get here, though?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Yes, I think I can find my way back. But yes, without you to help thin out the ants, I¡¯d have been overwhelmed. It might be dangerous for Aiko. Poor Aiko, I wish we could do more.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you get stronger, escorting her here might be possible. Now we don¡¯t have much time left, but let me show you how to draw in the flame. Since you should know a lot about fire and what it is, it shouldn¡¯t be too challenging an element to work with.¡±


    Under my tutelage Eri practised pulling in the flame and moving it to her solar plexus. Without Shaeula¡¯s eyes it was hard to coach her, but eventually she started to get a feel for it, though she was tired after our battles so quickly reached exhaustion.


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s enough for now.¡± I stopped her. She pouted, sad she was unable to master it, but I comforted her. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. It might also be worth you and Aiko studying everything you can find out on the internet about fire and how it works. If you get stuck for material, you can always ask Karen-chan to send you some.¡± Sorry again, Karen-chan! You did say you¡¯d hired some assistants though, maybe they can get information on every element ready for us. It¡¯d be handy for my training school... I then had another thought. ¡°If you do study fire though, don¡¯t let Aiko neglect her other studies. I want to be celebrating her acceptance to a Uni of her choice, not having to watch her cry over failing...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll not let her screw up! After all, I¡¯m her older sister now in truth!¡± she winked. With that we returned to the Material, and we woke up in her bed, still in each other¡¯s arms. As her eyelids fluttered open, I checked her over. She was streaked with blood as expected, and her cheeks still looked a little red and inflamed, but luckily there was no lasting damage. I quickly expended some aether, and soon her skin was as pale and beautiful as usual.


    ¡°This is nice. Waking up in my bed together with you.¡± She giggled. ¡°Whoa, I am covered in blood. How¡¯s my face look?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve fixed it.¡± I kissed her bloody cheek to prove it was healed.


    ¡°Great. I need to take a shower then. Oh, my school uniform is gone. Mom must have taken it.¡± She blushed. ¡°I think she got the point though. So, what should I wear for later?¡± she asked me, and I grinned.


    ¡°Comfortable clothes will do, we have a little hike ahead of us, though with your stats we could sprint it in a few minutes. That would be a waste though.¡±


    ¡°I see. Now I¡¯m curious. But today has been one of the best days ever, so...¡± she kissed me and got up, pulling on a t-shirt to cover herself until the bathroom. ¡°...I can hardly wait for the climax.¡±


    I see. No pressure, huh?


    ********


    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s food in that basket?¡± Eri asked me. ¡°A night picnic, huh? Pretty romantic. I can¡¯t believe how much you¡¯ve matured!¡± she looked at me with a warm gaze, her hand in mine.


    ¡°Now you make it seem like I¡¯m the younger one.¡± I chuckled, my free hand hodling the handle of a basket, which indeed contained food and also some booze. I also held a second bundle, which was the surprise. Eri was wearing tight jeans and a fluffy jumper, and looked adorable as always. ¡°Well, it''s a nice night, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It really is.¡± It sounded like we were talking about different things. The night sky was crisp and clear, and as we crested the top of one of the mountains that surrounded Nishimorioka, the lights below were little twinkling stars, matching the ones overhead.


    ¡°You know, this place is familiar.¡± She said suddenly, and my smile broadened.


    ¡°I should think so, this is where we always used to come stargazing as kids when we sneaked out. Father and your dad really used to tear into me every time. Looking back, they were right to, the mountains can be dangerous for kids.¡±


    ¡°Still, you¡¯d take that punishment for Aiko and I.¡± she smiled, looking around. ¡°And I loved the stars. I still do.¡±


    ¡°I know. Anyway... shall we set up?¡±


    ¡°Set up?¡± she asked, and I took out a blanket from the basket and started laying out food and drink.


    ¡°Looks like mom and mother-in-law have outdone themselves. There¡¯s even a birthday cake. Cute.¡± I then unwrapped the mystery bundle, revealing a long wooden case. I handed it to Eri. ¡°Happy birthday, here is your final present.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s heavy.¡± Eri said, though with her strength it was nothing to her. Flipping open the case she gasped, then blushed, looking at me with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°You like it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s wonderful! But the best part is you remember everything I like!¡± putting down the box she hugged and kissed me, hungrily tangling tongues. I ended up grabbing her bottom, which was pert in her jeans, and after a while I had to pull away.


    ¡°We¡¯d best stop, or we won¡¯t get any stargazing done.¡± I breathed, a touch regretfully.


    ¡°You sure?¡± she arched an eyebrow at me inquisitively.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be strong.¡± I chuckled, taking the rather nice telescope I had bought her out of the box. ¡°I wonder what we can see here tonight? But... this isn¡¯t the only sky. There are the Boundary skies, the Fae lands, no doubt many more. You, Shaeula, me... we¡¯ll see every sky together...¡±


    Her smile was the only answer I needed.


    ********


    ¡°I think I can see it... yeah, that must be Saturn.¡± She grinned. ¡°I can even see rings so clearly, there¡¯s dozens of them! That¡¯s amazing.¡± She looked away, bouncing with excitement. ¡°I love this telescope, but how is it so good?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a nice telescope yes, but don¡¯t forget, your eyes are abnormal too. With the combination, I think you can see things you¡¯ve only dreamed of.¡± I finished my beer. ¡°Let me take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± she stepped aside, grabbing a drink herself. We had eaten most of the food, including her birthday cake, of which we sent a picture back to Aiko, getting a delightfully jealous and grumpy reply. It was now gone midnight, and the lights of Nishimorioka below had gone out, leaving us alone under the stars.


    ¡°Yeah, I can see it too.¡± I grinned, Saturn in focus, crystal clear and pinpoint sharp. ¡°Still, my stats are obscenely high compared to yours, so I reckon I can probably even see Uranus or Neptune if we can find it in the sky. I know it isn¡¯t a planet anymore, but how about Pluto?¡±


    ¡°Lucky!¡± Eri pouted jealously, nudging me aside. She was also pretty drunk, I¡¯d have to purge her with Ether Healing before we descended the mountain.


    ¡°In time, we might even be able to see the planets with our naked eyes. If I concentrate I can really improve my vision, working like crude binoculars. It¡¯s a talent worth learning.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Eri nodded. ¡°I have a lot to learn.¡± After a comfortable while of silence, she turned away from the telescope, back to me, and she hugged me close. ¡°Thanks. I know it¡¯s past midnight so my birthday is over, but... how about one late gift?¡± I followed her gaze.


    ¡°Outdoors? You¡¯ve got so very bold, my lewd little Eri.¡± I joked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no-one else around. Besides, I need to keep my place as first wife. Otherwise... well, Shaeula might not try and overthrow me... but there¡¯ll be many rivals.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be, I promise...¡± I stopped as she pushed a finger against my lips.


    ¡°Hush, my dense little Akio. Just trust me on this.¡± She sighed, though her expression was resolute. ¡°But I believe in myself now. I do. I¡¯ll be so amazing, you¡¯ll love me so much I¡¯ll have nothing to... ouch!¡± she moaned as I bit her finger. As she withdrew it I silenced her mouth with my own, and we fell onto the blankets, scattering dishes and empty cans everywhere, locked in a close embrace...

 Side Sixty – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Sixty ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Stop grinning at me like that, Shaeula. It¡¯s really annoying. Wow, what did I do to deserve this?¡± I had woken up this morning with an aching head, dry mouth and sick feeling in my stomach. I recognised it, it was clearly a hangover. I hadn¡¯t planned to drink so much, but the sleepover got heated and... I blushed at the memory of my embarrassment, talking about when Eri and my bro... No, no use thinking about that now. That isn¡¯t even the worst part! I had instinctively called out for my bro, since he had fixed my hangovers before, but of course he wasn¡¯t there. Luckily only Shaeula, was awake, and the girls from Tokyo were still in big bro¡¯s room, so none of my classmates or fellow students at school got to hear my shameful cries of ¡°Bro, bro, fix me, I feel shitty!¡±


    As she looked at me with eyes full of amusement, she had shrugged and told me that my bro hadn¡¯t come back yet, but that she could fix me, having seen how he did it previously. At least then she had healed my aching head and upset stomach, though her cackling at me in wry amusement was the price I had to pay for it. After that, it was just a case of waiting for the other girls to wake up, and then have breakfast.


    Hinata-san and Kazumi-san were seated elegantly in the kitchen, talking to my mom, who had returned a short while ago, after her own night of heavy drinking, but she looked radiant, apparently big bro had helped with her hangover, which was favouritism, if you asked me. She was preparing breakfast, but oddly enough, Natsumi-san and Motoko-san were helping out, wearing spare aprons that were meant for me or Eri when we were cooking. Their movements were graceful and precise, and as Motoko-san asked my mother a polite question, getting a warm smile in return, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. Seriously? A girl like that is interested in my bro? Somehow that¡¯s even more surprising to me than Shaeula. Wow, I guess I¡¯m getting used to all these crazy things. Still, if you ignored the elephant in the room which was that my bro was already engaged to Eri and Shaeula, then Motoko-san... well, I¡¯d only spent a handful of hours with her, but she was a strong-willed, beautiful and calming girl. I¡¯d have no complaints if she was my bro¡¯s girlfriend he¡¯d brought back from Tokyo. But Eri... Shaeula doesn¡¯t mind, but Eri is jealous and possessive. Still, from what she was saying... I don¡¯t know...


    We had enjoyed breakfast, which was fancier than normal, although Hinata-san observed it was rather plain compared to her usual morning meal, which apparently her housemaid prepared for her. Maids, seriously? The world of the rich is something else! Though... I bet we could afford a maid now, if big bro put his hand in his pocket... The girls from school had especially enjoyed the experience. Akari-san and the volleyball girls had offered to simply go home rather than impose, but my mom wouldn¡¯t hear of that, and had cajoled them into staying for breakfast at least. When that was done, those girls had left, and eventually, after I put my foot down, Rika-chan and Yae-chan also went home, after complaining that there was little point staying as my bro would be spending the whole day with Eri anyway. Wow, so rude. Still... and that brought us to this present, rather uncomfortable, situation.


    We were all crowded into our living room, and by we, I meant the noble girls and their bodyguards, me, Shaeula, mom, dad, uncle and auntie. Mom and auntie Hana looked fine and refreshed, but dad and uncle Junpei... wow, they look like crap. They must have really hit the booze with my bro last night, with bags like that under their eyes and the pale, dead faces of zombies... ugh, drinking is fun, but I need to remember the morning after. I hear there¡¯s lots of partying at Uni, I¡¯d best be careful. Damn, I need to pick one soon if I¡¯m going to apply for the entrance exams... wow, no escaping into my thoughts, I have to face this.


    ¡°So, Akio has finally-finally told you everything, has he?¡± Shaeula was sitting down on some cushions, sipping at some tea Motoko-san had prepared for her. ¡°That is certainly good news. I understand why he wishes to keep-keep matters quiet, as our indiscretions prior to this has led to... troubles.¡± She placed down her cup gently, her amber eyes taking in everyone. ¡°... still. Keeping secrets from you all has been hard-hard for him. And he did it to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°I understand that.¡± Dad grated, his throat hoarse. ¡°I didn¡¯t raise a fool, which is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be so standoffish.¡± My mom chided him, and he paused, thinking, before nodding briefly. ¡°Shaeula, dear. Or maybe I should call you daughter?¡± at that, auntie winced, though she quickly smoothed out her expression to neutral, though I could tell it took an effort, as her hands were white as she clutched at the hem of her shirt.


    ¡°Either is fine-fine, mother-in-law.¡± At that, my mom let out a squeal of joy. Wow, mom is so embarrassing! Especially in front of these classy, rich girls from Tokyo! Still, I could understand. Having Shaeula as a sister was a dream come true for me. She was cute, funny, if a little, no, a lot troublesome, and she loved my bro a ton, as well as taking a liking to me and Eri. So mom being able to show her off as a daughter-in-law must have been a dream for her. Though I¡¯m surprised she¡¯s taking my bro¡¯s potential bigamy so well... my mom considers Eri her own daughter too...


    Shaeula then turned to auntie Hana. ¡°You are also my mother-in-law, it seems. Please-please do take care of me.¡± She bowed politely, still sitting. ¡°Eri is my dear friend, and together we shall serve Akio as his wives. We are both-both resolved, as she will no doubt tell you herself, and happy too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Auntie was troubled, but she still smiled, a touch wryly. ¡°I have complicated feelings about this. I should be angry, ready to strike out at you, and give little Aki the rough side of my tongue, but... my little girl, she¡¯s so happy now. In fact, she might be too happy. When I looked in on her and Aki earlier...¡± she blushed, her hands now going to her cheeks. ¡°... they were having an awful lot of adult fun.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is Eri¡¯s birthday.¡± Shaeula allowed, grinning. ¡°Today Akio will grant all of her wishes. No, not-not just today. Today, tomorrow, the day-day after, a year from now, ten, a hundred, a thousand, more...¡±


    ¡°You have a lot of faith in Akio, don¡¯t you?¡± uncle asked, looking somehow even more worse-for-wear than my father.


    ¡°Of course, how could I not-not?¡± she puffed out her modest chest proudly, as if it was her achievements she was boasting about. ¡°He defeated me and made-made me his ally, he crushed that fool Grulgor and bound him-him to us. The Raven Knight was driven off like the cowardly cur he is. He even forced my brother to back down, through naught but force-force of arms, despite the risk to himself. If Akio sets his mind to something, he can-can and will achieve it!¡±


    ¡°My son... fighting. I find that more amazing than anything else. He always was rather timid.. no, wait...¡± dad corrected himself. ¡°When the stakes are high and someone he cares about is in danger, he can and will act decisively. You should know that too, Junpei, Hana.¡±


    ¡°Of course! The dog!¡± auntie exclaimed. ¡°I can see why he would fight your brother for you, Shaeula. Little Aki never knew how to back down when those he loves need help. Still...¡± she laughed, lightening the mood, and I felt myself relaxing a bit. The issue with Shaeula and Eri was the one I was most worried about resolving. ¡°... a thousand years is asking a bit much, probably even a hundred. I¡¯d settle for Eri being happy until she dies, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.¡± She looked at Shaeula then, her gaze strangely intense, not at all like the auntie Hana I knew. ¡°... can you promise me that you being with Aki will not trample on Eri¡¯s joy?¡±


    ¡°I can, I swear it upon the moon, that always watches over the lands of the Fae. I swear it upon the King and Queen, may they strike-strike me down if I am lying.¡± Shaeula vowed solemnly, and I remembered she had often said promises were sacred to the Fae, not something to break. Then the mood changed, as her smile returned. ¡°... as for a hundred years or more, do not-not be so quick to deny your daughter that. After all, I am of the Fae, my lifespan is indeterminate, and Akio, he too-too is becoming more like us. I have no doubts, none-none at all, that Akio will find a way to share this grace with Eri, Aiko and all-all others he holds dear. Besides...¡± she looked at me then. ¡°... I believe even the mere act of gaining these levels and statistics will strengthen the body and slow-slow the ravages of age.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Hinata-san piped up, shocked. ¡°The one thing, the only thing, money can¡¯t buy is more time! And you say that Akio-kun can change that? If...¡± she chewed on her lip, thinking hard, a dangerous expression on her features. Damn, if this was a stupid dating sim like the two idiots from our class play on their handheld consoles during homeroom when they think our teacher isn¡¯t looking, I¡¯d guess I just saw a giant ¡®favourability goes UP!¡¯ light shine in her eyes.


    ¡°... if that was true, then my grandfather... no, Fujiwara-sama, Ichijou-sama and grandfather Itsuki... they would desire that above anything else, as they worry what will happen to Japan and the nobility when they inevitably pass on to the next life... ugh... this changes everything...¡±


    Leaving Hinata-san to her ruminations, we pondered Shaeula¡¯s heavy pronouncement, before mom spoke up.


    ¡°Damn, my son was going to let his beautiful mother grow old and haggard, her beauty flying away?¡± she joked, and as Shaeula and I assured her that of course my bro wouldn¡¯t do that, he was just waiting for the right time, she giggled suddenly, sticking out her tongue mischievously. ¡°Got you! I know... it must be tough for Aki, having to manage this, being part of a crazy new world that doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯m proud he¡¯s managed so much, you are too, right darling?¡±


    At that my dad agreed, nodding gruffly, and my mom continued. ¡°Still, Shaeula, all this talk of the lands of the Fae, it¡¯s just like the fairy tales I used to hear back in England as a child. The Lady in the Lake, leprechauns, brownies, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table...¡± at the word brownie, Shaeula winced, but I don¡¯t think anyone but I noticed.


    ¡°Well, that is understandable.¡± Shaeula conceded. ¡°The isles where you dwelt as a child are the wellspring of the Fae lands, though they and the Seelie Court do travel with-with the moon, traversing the lower Astral and alighting wherever they please-please.¡± She shrugged. ¡°As-as for leprechauns, the Seelie Court has many, brownies too. The Lady in the Lake... I have never met-met her, of course, but the Queen counts her as a friend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... well, I¡¯m shocked. To think that there was so much truth in my old children¡¯s stories. I told so many of them to Aki and Ai, didn¡¯t I?¡± she grinned at me. ¡°Maybe I can take the credit for preparing my boy?¡± as she basked in her self-given praise, she suddenly leapt up, as if a thought occurred to her. ¡°So, Shaeula, which type of Fae are you? Now I¡¯m super curious!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would like to know as well.¡± Motoko-san agreed.


    ¡°I too am curious. You are so pretty, it must be a cute one!¡± Natsumi-san agreed. Even Kazumi-san, who was the most wary of us all, nodded. Hinata-san was still lost in thought, mumbling about anti-aging medicine and the price it would fetch and other similar ideas.


    ¡°Behold, I am one of the proud beastfolk, weaselkin. Once of wind, now of both wind and flame, I stand-stand before you as Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, noble princess of the Seelie Court, daughter of Prince Shaetanao Gar Shae Dannan!¡±


    As we all applauded her regal performance, my mom asked a question. ¡°Weaselkin huh? Like... animal-folk?¡± at Shaeula¡¯s confirming nod she giggled. ¡°Really? I¡¯ve always heard weasels were tricksy and treacherous. In a lot of the old fairy tales and also childrens¡¯ stories back in the UK, weasels are often the villains!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, that is quite-quite rude!¡± Shaeula pouted adorably. ¡°The weaselkin nearly all sided with the Seelie Court during the war-war, we are not like the giants or trolls who treacherously joined the Unseelie!¡±


    Seeing she had touched a nerve, I apologised for my mom. ¡°Sorry Shaeula, she didn¡¯t mean to cause offense. She knows you are a good girl!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She nodded slowly. ¡°Well, since you are to be my mother-in-law, I shall-shall forgive you!¡±


    ¡°How gracious!¡± auntie Hana chuckled.


    ¡°So... can you show us your true form? I bet it¡¯s cute!¡± my mom asked, and Shaeula frowned, thinking.


    ¡°I could-could I believe. The ether density is paltry here, so were I to shed-shed this constructed form and descend to the Material in my true-true form, I would barely be able to manage a few minutes. Still, that will not-not be happening today.¡±


    ¡°Aww, are you still mad?¡± my mom asked, but she shook her head.


    ¡°No, I am not-not. I simply have to use my aether more productively. For I must-must perform Chirurgery on you all, must I not-not?¡± her expression was unreadable, but I could tell she was a bit displeased.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Aki said we would need that.¡± mom remembered.


    ¡°Very well. Then, father-in-law, you are first. I shall cleanse your hangover while-while I work.¡± She stood and padded over to dad, placing a hand on his chest, and her facial expression changed a little again, causing me to remember.


    ¡°Hang on, didn¡¯t you say this was pretty intimate to a Fae, kind of like ... well... making love?¡±


    ********


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m in school again without permission.¡± I sighed. Still, being as it wasn¡¯t the summer holidays anymore, there were other students about, a small number anyway, practising track-and-field or other sports. ¡°And bringing in you girls...¡±


    ¡°I am grateful you would allow us to see your archery dojo.¡± Motoko-san said, eyeing the area with some excitement. Natsumi-san echoed her. Kazumi-san and Hinata-san were less interested, but they had no wish to be left out. That just left Shaeula, who was chaperoning us all, not having anything else fun to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly a dojo. Just the place where our small Kyudo club practises. And speaking of...¡± I had dressed myself in my kyudo clothing, and my red bow, my trusty friend of many years, felt comfortable in my hands. Sure, I like the Olympic recurve that my bro bought me, and the faerie bow... that¡¯s going to be my companion in life-or-death battles down the line... but there¡¯s something special about this bow. I have a lot of memories with it, after all. I slowed my breathing, drawing an arrow and placing it to my bow. Sinking into the mediative state of concentration, I felt my forehead growing hot, and bubbling energy was pooling in my lower body and spreading upwards. It was faint, but ever since I had succeeded in forming my Eight Moons Chakra Network, I had noticed my energy growing steadily, at a far faster rate than before.


    ¡°Your form is quite good.¡± Natsumi-san observed quietly, but I barely heard her, deep in concentration. Moving through the stages of shooting, I could hear my own breath, steady and quiet. The faint trembling of my muscles felt good, the extra strength, precision and perception I had gained all combining to push me further towards mastery of the bow. A stray thought tried to enter the emptiness I was cultivating, that somehow I was cheating, using power I had gained to improve my technique, but I squashed it ruthlessly. I didn¡¯t cheat. I gained this through hard work. Sure, Shaeula helped, but... I put in the effort. And hard work is one thing that never betrays anyone!


    The arrow left my hand, the bowstring giving off a gentle twang. Following the arrow with my mind, trying to make myself part of it, my insides bubbled with heat. There was silence, and then the hoshi mato, the target, was pierced, the arrow striking nearly dead centre and cleaving deep into the material. Letting out a long breath, I was pleased. Yeah, that¡¯s definitely Kanteki. The arrow pierces the target. But Zaiteki still eludes me. Although our seniors and instructors did say that reaching ¡®the arrow exists in the target¡¯ is something that many never master...


    Lowering my bow I concluded the Kyudo ritual, only to find Motoko-san and Natsumi-san lightly applauding, while Shaeula was grinning at me, eyes aglow.


    ¡°That was quite splendid, Aiko-san.¡± Motoko-san approved. ¡°Your form is quite lovely. I can see some similarities between your archery and ours indeed, though Kyudo is more for enlightenment than combat. Though perhaps...¡± she exchanged a look with Natsumi-san, who nodded reassuringly. ¡°...perhaps enlightenment is more important than I believed, having heard what Shaeula-sensei told us earlier?¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I think combat seems plenty important too.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Motoko-san said. ¡°I... and do excuse me if this is an uncouth request, but... I was wondering if Natsumi and I could release a few arrows at the target? I know it is often inexcusably rude to try and impose on a fellow martial artist and their training grounds, but...¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Well, this is just a school Kyudo range. It¡¯s nothing so grand as that. I might get in trouble if any teacher comes by, but on a late Sunday afternoon I think that¡¯s unlikely. Besides...¡± I looked at her bow, the hebihikoukiba, as she had called it before. ¡°... I¡¯m pretty curious about your techniques myself.¡±


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Motoko-san bowed to me, her motions crisp. As she limbered up, Hinata-san approached me, Kazumi-san following her.


    ¡°You know, Motoko-san has a lot of fans at our school. Some of the Three-Hundred look up to her, as she¡¯s approachable despite her high status, and struggles with a similar sort of unfairness. She always tries to make the best of things, but I think she¡¯s hurting inside. Still... she seems really happy today.¡±


    ¡°Happy, huh?¡± as I watched her take a stance, it was different to Kyudo, narrower, the bow held differently, which made sense as it was far more compact. She borrowed one of my arrows and nocked it to her bow elegantly, yet swiftly. With a cry she fired, before taking a second arrow quickly and then a third. They whistled through the air, slamming into the target, two quivering next to the arrow I had placed, the third striking a few centimetres away, by the edge. That¡¯s kind of cool... if that was a charging enemy, she¡¯d have riddled him with arrows before I even got one off...


    ¡°Natsumi, your turn. A three-arrow burst.¡± Taking the bow from Motoko-san, she replicated her feat, the movements a little less polished, the arrows striking the target in three different places, but it was still quite the achievement, getting three to land after releasing them so rapidly.


    ¡°Well, now I feel less impressed with myself.¡± I clapped wryly. Seriously, they are both excellent. I can see how much effort, how much training they¡¯ve put in. They both love it. Yet to have to give that up, just to get married...


    ¡°Well, your skills are nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Motoko-san denied my self-deprecating talk. ¡°I find your classical form beautiful. Our arts simply focus on different things. Speaking of, would you like to see how we handle a sword and spear? We can step outside, so as not to dishonour this place.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, yes, I¡¯m a bit curious. After all, I¡¯ve seen a little of how my bro fights, and he uses a spear and sometimes some swords.¡± Not that I got to see much during my one brief sojourn. Though I guess he did fight Eri with a different kind of sword...


    ¡°Oh, now I would love to see that. His form and techniques are lacking, but his speed and power... they compensate brilliantly. I would not be able to defeat him, even with my greater skills. Likely even if Natsumi joined in, he would defeat us both.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, seems like my bro has been through some fierce battles, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Indeed he has. With many-many more to come. Still, he eagerly tries to learn, he has been watching videos on the internet, since he knows little-little of combat himself, and suffering regular chastisement from Master Ulfuric, one of my brothers¡¯ most trusted warriors. I dare say he would be delighted to have the two of you as his teachers, Motoko, Natsumi. After all, what male would not-not want his instructors to be beautiful and gentle females?¡±


    At that they both blushed, their ears turning pink. That reaction is bad. I can practically see the heart-shapes in their eyes. I guess someone having respect for what you love doing is bound to make a good impression.


    ¡°We would not presume to teach Akio-sensei, we came to learn ourselves...¡± she began, but Shaeula cut her off.


    ¡°Such thinking is foolish. Learn all you can-can, teach all you can, then together grow stronger, so that we may save the world and prosper. That-that is Akio¡¯s wish, and I support it. It was no-no different for me, back when I taught him how to master the wind.¡±


    ¡°I see, my thinking has been foolish. It is hard to step out of the bounds of our common sense, our reliance on status. I shall take your words to heart.¡± Motoko-san said, and Natsumi-san echoed her. ¡°Very well then, Natsumi, take up gurenyari. I shall wield the sword, utsoroihebi. We shall run through the fourth through seventh forms. Understand?¡±


    What followed next was surprisingly thrilling. Out on the grass, the two beautiful girls duelled, looking noble in their combat-wear, the hakama. Natsumi-san initially seemed to have the advantage, the length of the crimson spear keeping Motoko-san at bay, but as the battle progressed Motoko-san was cornering her, deflecting the spear-tip with slight parries, before her blade finally came to rest just below Natsumi-san¡¯s ribs, touching but not cutting. Wow, a fight with live weapons is something else. My heart is racing!


    ¡°Good work, Natsumi. You are growing ever-stronger.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t beat you with weapon in hand.¡± She pouted, returning gurenyari to its wrappings. ¡°You still outmatch me, Motoko-san.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± She smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. ¡°Though who can say how we will develop, under the care of Akio-sensei?¡±


    ¡°Very good-good.¡± Shaeula clapped, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I am most impressed. You shall shine brightly when polished, the both of you. as for Hinata and Kazumi...¡± her gaze flickered over to the two who watched the bout in silence. ¡°... I am sure-sure you can contribute in other ways.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I haven¡¯t decided if I want to yet.¡± Hinata-san looked away. Kazumi-san remained silent, something she had done for most of the weekend. I think Hinata-san is a bit tsundere... cute, but annoying.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s starting to get dark, so we might as well cut short our fun. We don¡¯t want anyone to get injured fighting in poor light...¡±


    ¡°Indeed, and a bath would be welcome. I have not-not fought, but it must be unpleasant, sweating so.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back to my place.¡± I agreed. ¡°I guess we can have a bath, have some dinner and maybe put some effort into improving our chakra networks? We might as well make use of Shaeula while we have her, she¡¯s got really good eyes.¡±


    ¡°That sounds perfect.¡± Motoko-san said, and with that we packed up, leaving the now-deserted school behind. Eri, bro, I hope you have fun. Happy birthday Eri, you¡¯ve earned this...

 One Hundred And Ninety

    One Hundred And Ninety


    ¡°So, when do you think you¡¯ll be back, bro?¡± My sis asked me. She and Eri were seeing us off, the helicopter having returned to take us back to Tokyo in style. Though she¡¯s wearing our school uniform, Eri too, which after yesterday... makes me a bit embarrassed. Remembering the time I¡¯d spent in Eri¡¯s room, I hoped I wasn¡¯t blushing. As my eyes met Eri¡¯s, she grinned, perhaps understanding my thoughts.


    ¡°You look a bit flushed bro, I hope you aren¡¯t coming down with something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just the lighting out here.¡± I deflected unconvincingly. ¡°As for when I¡¯ll be back... I definitely want to make it out here more often, if only to keep an eye on you all and your training. Eri¡¯s in charge of any trips to the Boundary you do, so listen to her instructions and stay safe, don¡¯t overextend and get cocky, all right?¡±Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Wow, yeah, I get it, no need to keep telling me.¡± Aiko pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not going to put myself in any danger. I can¡¯t level up anyway, so there¡¯s no point.¡± She crossed her arms under her chest, a little irritated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± I patted her head, surprising her. ¡°I¡¯m looking into ways my allies can grow stronger as a priority, and of those, you are number one!¡± ignoring her quiet murmur of ¡°Thanks, bro. I do appreciate it...¡± I turned back to Eri. ¡°If you need anything at all, you can call Karen-chan. And if anyone has any problems with their emerging chakra networks, call me right away, and Shaeula and I will rush over somehow. Shaeula thinks it should be fine, she¡¯s had plenty of practise and her skills are improving, but we can¡¯t rule out a problem happening somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know.¡± With that, she held out her arms and we hugged and kissed again, for the fifth time this morning. As we separated, Eri flushed and breathing heavily, she smiled at me seductively, before turning to Shaeula. ¡°Look after Akio, all right? I¡¯m jealous that I can¡¯t be with him all the time like you can yet, but... I have the memories of my birthday to hold close, so I¡¯ll survive for now.¡±


    ¡°Have no-no fear, I shall allow no harm to come to him!¡± she said proudly. ¡°I shall also keep him warm at night.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Too much information there.¡± My sis said, as she was saying her goodbyes to the noble girls. Aiko and Motoko-san seemed a lot closer after yesterday, Natsumi-san too. ¡°Just go already, or you¡¯ll be late for school.¡± she said to the girls.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll call you later.¡± I promised, and with a final hug and kiss from Eri, I boarded the helicopter, the other girls following me in. As it took off I could see Eri and my sis staring up at us, before we were out of sight, heading back towards Tokyo. This time though, I wasn¡¯t seated next to Shaeula, but Motoko-san and Natsumi-san were sandwiching me.


    Uh, these seats aren¡¯t exactly huge. Sure, the cabin here is very nice and seats six, but if there are actually six here, it¡¯s a bit cramped... indeed, when I was sitting next to Shaeula, she was small so it wasn¡¯t a problem, but Motoko-san and Natsumi-san were tall for girls, so their legs, now clad in the long black skirts with red trim of their elegant school uniforms, were pressing against mine. Deciding to ignore it the best I could, I took a drink Shaeula had retrieved from the refreshments¡¯ bar and spoke. ¡°Well, sorry about this weekend. I don¡¯t think it went like you hoped, did it? You didn¡¯t get to spend much time with me at all.¡±


    Surprisingly enough it was Hinata-san who answered, shaking her head. ¡°No need to apologise. After all, it was us who decided to come along at such short notice. Besides, it was far more productive than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Motoko-san agreed. ¡°It was fascinating hearing many stories about you from your family and Eri-san. I now understand you a lot better. Besides...¡± she looked at Shaeula. ¡°I think we are more aware of what it means to have this power, and the potential it holds.¡±


    As Shaeula grinned proudly, I pondered that. I guess she told them more about the Boundary? I¡¯m still torn on just what to do with the shrine maidens and nobles I¡¯ll be training. Unless we find a way to level them up, their gains will be modest, but if we do... that means they¡¯d have to fight. Motoko-san and Natsumi-san were one thing, they were eager to use their combat arts, but girls like Hinata-san, or Marika-san from back home... I¡¯m torn... I¡¯m not sure what the right choice is. But for now, we¡¯ll just get them trained until they have a functioning chakra network. We can decide later, when everyone, me included, has a better grasp on our needs and wants.


    ¡°You seem deep in thought.¡± Motoko-san said, and I snapped out of my reverie.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I admitted. ¡°Coming clean to my family was hard, but I guess it¡¯s a weight off my shoulders. Of course...¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°... now I worry about them in an entirely different way. I think it¡¯s best for everyone to be stronger, but it doesn¡¯t come without risk, or sacrifices...¡±


    ¡°Kondou Kazuo, right?¡± Hinata-san said, surprising me.


    ¡°You know about that?¡± my eyes widened in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s... well, it isn¡¯t something I think young girls like you need to know about.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Hinata-san shook her head in disagreement. ¡°The night this Haru girl was murdered... I think Kazumi and I were at the same party. We saw him... his gaze creeped me out, like a dead fish, some sort of soulless shark. It could... could so easily have been Kazumi and I dead at his hands.¡± She shuddered.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Onoue-san looked me in the eyes, for once her gaze not entirely hostile. ¡°If I am to be bodyguard to Hinata-sama... I need to be able to face these new threats. I was confident in my skills, that I could handle the typical thugs and low men that accost girls of the nobility... but my confidence is shattered. So... I¡¯ll endure it. Any training, any battles, if it means I can keep Hinata-sama safe.¡±


    ¡°I too!¡± Natsumi-san declared. ¡°It is presumptuous of me to declare I would protect Motoko-san, I¡¯m a bodyguard in name only, more a student than anything else but... if anyone dares to try and hurt Motoko-san, I want the power to destroy them!¡±


    ¡°My life is dedicated to the spear, sword and bow.¡± Motoko-san declared. ¡°I dreamed of passing them down to my children, safeguarding them for future generations. But... if they could actually be relevant, useful, in this modern age... there could be no greater joy for me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have lofty ambitions to fight, like these three.¡± Hinata-san finished. ¡°But... I¡¯m a very curious girl. At first, I thought all of this was a joke. Magical powers, strange people.¡± She snorted. ¡°Then you, Shaeula and Eri-san appeared, as if to prove me wrong. Now...¡± she paused, thinking, before finally saying what was on her mind. ¡°... I need to know just how far this can go, what uses these powers can be put to. After all, I want to not just be accepted as a daughter of nobility, from the direct line of Takatsukasa house, like my cousin Sakura, but to be a great noble in my own right. And this... this is an opportunity I would be a fool to squander.¡± Her smile was breath-taking, ambitious and proud.


    I guess I¡¯ve misjudged them. Girls raised the way they were, so strictly and nobly... it¡¯s no wonder they have strong wills and spirits. I guess they¡¯d have to have, to endure all the restrictions and obligations they are under.


    ¡°You see now?¡± Shaeula asked me, smiling smugly, a drink in her hand. ¡°You try to coddle people too-too much, especially young females. They are all resolved, for they are not-not fools, to spurn this chance. If they can get what they want, while giving you... suitable... compensation, why would we refuse them?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I am prepared to pay the required price.¡± Motoko-san said, resolute.


    ¡°My company was going under.¡± He admitted. ¡°Besides... my daughter, I want a job where she can be proud of me. At my age it¡¯s hard to start again, so... I grabbed this chance.¡±


    I see. Before I could say something, Karen-chan popped her head out of her office, followed by Tanaka-san, another down-on-his-luck resident of my old apartment block. ¡°It¡¯s like a reunion for my old home in here.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Hey, Akio-kun.¡± Karen-chan ignored my comment, smiling. ¡°Well, since you emphasised loyalty over anything, I thought reaching out a hand to them would get you that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely¡± Tanaka-san was nodding ferociously. ¡°I¡¯ll not pass up this opportunity. I thought I was finished!¡±


    ¡°... Besides. I wanted to show someone else the kindness you showed me, when you took a chance on me.¡± She declared, looking down, embarrassed, which was surprisingly cute for an older woman like Karen-chan, not that I was stupid enough to say that out loud.


    ¡°Well, great. In that case, work hard you two, and there¡¯ll be bonus money and promotion prospects for everyone!¡± I declared, trying to motivate them. ¡°Introductions are in order, I guess...¡±


    After introducing Shaeula to Tanaka-san, he was rather amazed at her foreign beauty, but promised to accommodate any requests she made, especially since she was my... no, one of my girlfriends. When I explained that my other, Eri, would likely be in touch for help with things, he was shocked, while Hashimoto-san merely shook his head, saying that he had ¡°expected no less from someone who had turned his life around.¡±, which surprised me again. I expected a bigger response.


    ¡°Oh yeah, here¡¯s some stuff you asked for on rates of unexplained deaths, missing persons and more.¡± Karen-chan handed me some documents. I was busy, so I only glanced at them, but the report seemed detailed and just what I was looking for.


    ¡°Great job. I¡¯ll throw a bit in the bonus pot. And speaking of... can I get someone to pull information on all the elements you can find? I don¡¯t care how theoretical or sketchy it is, but obviously verified sources are better.¡±


    ¡°Watanabe-san wasn¡¯t kidding when she said we would be fielding weird requests. Still, it¡¯s far better than the carp my old boss put me through.¡± Hashimoto-san shrugged. ¡°so... do you mean, like... chemistry? Hydrogen, Oxygen, that sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean... like fire, water, air... also Chinese ones like metal and wood. Light, darkness... anything like that.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± He replied, and at his confusion Shaeula laughed heartily. Hashimoto-san and Tanaka-san looked nervous, since I was the one paying their wages, but Karen-chan quickly lightened the mood.


    ¡°Another weird request I see. One day you¡¯ll tell me just what these are all for, right? Tanaka-san, you get on it. You can get Hashimoto-san to help if it gets too much. Still, just think, strange requests mean more bonus money, right?¡± she winked, and at that the tension disappeared. Oh, while I¡¯m here... might as well get a head start on it, save my sis the trouble...


    I pre-emptively asked Karen-chan to pull data on all the sports-related Universities in Tokyo, including their entrance exam requirements, rankings and more. She promised to get it all sent to my sister as soon as possible, along with any other useful data. ¡°All right then, great. Oh, one last thing, can you contact Hikawa-san, his details should be on file, and say that this evening we can start the first stage of our training?¡±


    ¡°Hikawa-san, got it.¡± Karen-chan nodded.


    ¡°Great, in that case, Shaeula and I are heading home. If you need anything, just drop us a text.¡±


    A few minutes later we were relaxing on the couch in our home, cold beers in hand. ¡°Well, that was a surprise. But I guess I understand where Karen-chan was coming from. It feels nice to help people. But putting that aside, shall we see how things are going in the Territory? We have time before the shrines gather this evening.¡±


    Once we had finished our beers we entered the Boundary, Hyacinth and Shaeula¡¯s maids quickly noticing our appearance and scurrying over to take care of us. First, I noticed that my Territory had expanded, several new areas brought under my control. Well, I guess with a ten kilometre radius, we have large swathes we can capture. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll check the build queues. Nice! The Anchor Spires are done, and we¡¯ve picked up a nice amount of ether to use...¡±


    One Ether Spire had upgraded to Rank 2, and a day had been shaved off the next spire. That queue stood at forty-five days for the remaining six Ether Spires to Rank 2, and the Boundary To Material Connection likewise.


    The Throne of Heroes Rank 2 still had thirty-nine days remaining, but I was barely able to contain my excitement at the ability to appoint two more heroes. I had mostly decided who I wanted, but until it was finished things could always change.


    The other two queues had indeed finished their Anchor Spires, leaving one queue working on Silos and Elemental Silos, with fifteen days remaining, and the final queue was working on Defensive Emplacements, with fourteen days left.


    Yeah, time is still the bottleneck, even with four queues. Right, so I have just over 110,000 ether... everyone had been working hard in my absence it seemed, and the upgrades had also increased my income. I also ended up getting quite the excess from slaughtering those fiery ants with Eri. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to rush-build and free up some space.¡±


    Since the Emplacements were only Rank 1, at a shade under 9,800 ether, they were completed. While I was at it, I rush-built two Rank 1 Barracks at the shrine, as well as one at each of the other three key locations I wished to defend. This cost a further 25,000. With 75,000 left, I decided to build the second Throne of Heroes I was allowed to, at 50,000 ether and ten days. I could shorten the time, but it was expensive for the gain, so instead I spent my last 25,000 upgrading the two Barracks I added at the shrine to Rank 2. The queue I had cleared was now back at thirty days, and I was poor again, but with the Emplacements I felt a bit more secure, and the extra troops from the Barracks would allow us to expand faster while defending in greater numbers.


    ¡°Right, how about we get in some training?¡± I asked Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯d also like to see if there¡¯s been any progress in our other projects.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°I would like that. I do not-not begrudge Eri her time with you, but it feels nice to be together again.¡± so taking her hand, I led her out into Shirohebizumi shrine proper...

 One Hundred And Ninety-One

    One Hundred And Ninety-One


    As always, the shrine was bustling with activity. Now that we had our defences in order, there was none of the panicked arrangement of our forces around key areas, and Ulfuric was marshalling everyone effectively to both defend what we had and bring in new Territories at a measured, sustainable pace. Etherite ores were also collected where they were found, and we were starting to accumulate a small pile again. For now, I can store them in the chest Shaeraggo brought our bounty in, but that¡¯s hardly secure... I need a Silo for them...


    The Etherite Silo seemed to fit the bill. At Rank 1 the description was This annex to a Silo will securely store up to fifty Red Etherite ores, protecting them from theft or loss. You may transfer ores between yourself and this Silo at any time. It also cost 800 ether. The Rank 2 Version was more useful, as it could store more of them, but also allowed Orange ores to be protected.


    The only issue was that there was another annex I liked the look of, the Expanding Silo, which at Rank 1 would increase the capacity of the main Silo and all attached annexes by ten percent, which would be great for when they were higher-ranked. At Rank 2 we only get one annex per Silo, and the elemental Silos are essential. We need a ton of energy for sustaining us during battle, and also... There was the unique building, the White Snake Earth Altar, that I could build once I peacefully took control over Shirohebizumi shrine. It not only required Ether to build, but also a significant amount of stored earth elemental essence. I wanted it though, wanted it badly in fact.


    White Snake Earth Altar Rank 1 Unique ¨C This building can only be constructed at Shirohebizumi shrine. It will strengthen all earth-aspected creatures and allies under your command, and this ability will be magnified for the kami of the shrine and his adherents. The kami of the shrine will be able to gather more ??????? and utilise it more effectively. Earth element production and purity in the area will be increased, very slightly increasing the chance of unique elemental earths forming.


    The cost was 50,000 ether at Rank 1, taking twenty days, and also consumed 500 stored earth essence. Still, I wish I knew what the ??????? was. Stupid lacking Territory Examination skill...


    ¡°You seem lost in thought.¡± Shaeula remarked, snapping me out of my plans.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine. Just thinking about what we need to build next. No point worrying about it now I guess, as we are pretty much out of ether.¡±


    ¡°I see-see. Yes, it is fun to imagine what we shall construct. But for now, we have other matters to attend to, do we not-not?¡± she prompted, and I smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, first I want to check in on Ixitt and master Bjarki, see how their work is going. Then... I guess we can train for a few hours before tonight. And after that is taken care of...¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have some slight-slight trepidations, most of them that my idiot brother Shaeraggo, or my sister might make an appearance, but... I think it is time. Besides...¡± she grinned then. ¡°I did promise to show you my homeland.¡±


    ¡°Master and mistress are flirting, it is sooo very, very annoying.¡± Hyacinth was muttering behind us, but we both ignored her. Still hand-in-hand we headed for where Bjarki had set up his forge, giving greetings to those of our forces who were still stationed here. Is it me, or are there even more ratkin about the place?


    Shaeula had noticed too. ¡°It seems Ixitt is migrating his whole family.¡± She sniffed. ¡°It is not-not terribly surprising. The ratkin are looked down-down on as untrustworthy, so despite the rarefied ether down here in the Boundary compared to the lands of the Fae, it is still-still perhaps worth the trip. You show no prejudice, Akio. It must be pleasing for them.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve improved a lot as well.¡± I praised her, rubbing her head, and she leaned into me, almost purring. ¡°I¡¯m proud that you no longer treat the kobolds and others poorly.¡±


    ¡°I have seen much-much of the world.¡± She turned back to look at her annoyed maids, as if to reinforce she meant the words for them as well. ¡°Everyone has their part-part to play, their talents, strengths and weaknesses. Mortals, who we thought were naught but beasts, as bad as the Unseelie, turned out to be rather fine company.¡± She grinned. ¡°You, Aiko, Eri, Ichika, Karen, Motoko, Hinata... there are many-many females of worth to know.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why am I the only man?¡± I joked, as the forge came into view. Is it me, or is it bigger? And there are ratkin everywhere...


    ¡°What need have I of other males?¡± she scoffed. ¡°That Hiroto, he seems adequate, if not-not a measure for you. You should put him to use-use, perhaps you will earn some gratitude from Hinata for making him do something of value.¡±


    That¡¯s pretty cold... observing the forge there were several smokestacks built out of carved stones, each belching away with black, white and bizarrely enough purple smoke. Strange tables and bits of odd machinery, all cogs, springs and brass wheels, were dotted around outside, and at one of them was Ixitt, his tail lashing excitedly as he used his many lenses to peer at a strange chunk of silvery metal on the table, which was dancing with rainbow hues. Next to it was fragments of crystal, and also some familiar-looking red and yellow bricks. They look like pieces of Territory buildings... but how would he get them?


    One of the ratkin saw me, and quickly tugged on Ixitt¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Keh-keh-keh, I¡¯m busy, bother me later.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the princess and the master of this land.¡± The ratkin whined, and Ixitt snapped upright, turning to see us.


    ¡°Keh-keh-keh, welcome back. I trust your time away was, keh, satisfactory?¡± he said unctuously. Seeing my gaze on the materials he shrugged. ¡°Keh-keh-KEH... I have the most... keh-keh-KEH...¡± his coughing fit became intense, and he threw up blood and torn tissue, his wheezes painful. On seeing this I reached out and placed my hand on his throat. The convulsions were intense, and silvery sweat was springing out on the scars that criss-crossed his furs.


    ¡°Shaeula, can you help me, guide me with your eyes?¡± I asked, and she nodded, an amber glow suddenly shining from her. Seriously, if I could have one thing I wanted, no, needed right now, it would be managing to actually awaken the Mystic Eyes skill I¡¯m borrowing from Shaeula...


    Aether poured from me, stimulating his healing. The area inside his throat was awful, the flesh ridged with numerous burn-scars and bleeding lesions, so I concentrated on fixing them as best as I could. Shaeula pointed out things I was not able to notice, such as pockets of rogue elemental fire, earth and water, that had somehow dug into his body, almost like cancers.


    Shit, this is hard, but great practise with the skill... I can feel my fine control of aether growing steadily... ¡°Keh, you... do not need to, keh... assist me. I am long used to...¡±


    ¡°Oh do be silent.¡± Shaeula snapped, guiding me to a particularly nasty inclusion of metal dust that had sunk into the flesh of his upper lungs. I purged it, and he coughed out the glittering fragments. ¡°You have missed some-some.¡± Shaeula pointed out to me, before continuing to lambast Ixitt. ¡°My Akio is a kind male, he does not-not like to see those he considers his allies suffer. Besides...¡± she grinned nastily as more blood, dead tissue and metallic fragments were expelled messily, Ixitt¡¯s eyes spinning from the punishing healing. ¡°... I find your incessant hacking annoying. Best to be rid of it, if you are to be here any length of time.¡±


    ¡°Damn, your lungs are a real mess too. I think you need to lay off the chemistry. I doubt I can fix everything in one go but...¡± we spent an uncomfortable few hours working on him, until I was sitting down, mostly drained. Ixitt was lying there weakly, his fur and clothing matted with a hideous cocktail of fluids, and Shaeula was talking to master Bjarki, who had finally left his seclusion to see what all the fuss was.


    ¡°... finished the prototype.¡± Bjarki was saying. ¡°Though Ixitt, he¡¯n be needed t¡¯make these bullets. Dvergr-craft be nae concerned with alchemy, though t¡¯casings themselves...¡± he pointed proudly to a line of extremely detailed and ornate shell-casings, detailed to look like sleek dragons, birds and other creatures, yet somehow still maintaining the aerodynamic shape required to fly true.


    ¡°They are quite lovely.¡± Shaeula observed, picking one up and eyeing it.


    ¡°Be... keh... careful.¡± Ixitt managed to gasp out. ¡°The powders within, they are most... volatile. Keh. I would hate for you to lose a finger or two, princess.¡±


    Well, he seems to be coughing less. I guess that¡¯s a win. ¡°Yeah, handling bullets is a dangerous business. I¡¯d also hate it if you got hurt, Shaeula.¡±


    At my words she flushed a little, placing the bullet down delicately. ¡°Still, are these not-not supposed to be readily consumable?¡± Shaeula asked, remembering what she had learned about mortal firearms.


    ¡°Indeed. The craftsmanship is gorgeous, don¡¯t get me wrong, but when it comes to making hundreds or thousands of copies, we¡¯ll need them to be plain and mass-producible.¡±


    Master Bjarki grumbled, but in the end we persuaded him. Still, he was a master of crafting unique pieces, so Ixitt agreed to help him in setting up a production line of sorts, as the Mortal Engineering that Ixitt was a proponent of, was a Fae-tinged imitation of our human ways. They then brought out the prototype guns, which were also delightful. There was a heavy shotgun which Ixitt planned to test himself, the barrels tipped with snarling rodent-heads, while for me there were two matching pistols, sleek and elegant. Nice. I struck a pose, and Shaeula giggled.


    ¡°So, how do they work? What ignites the powder? I don¡¯t see a blasting cap on the bullets or anything to trigger them, in fact, there isn¡¯t even a trigger?¡±


    ¡°it is most... clever.¡± Ixitt wheezed. ¡°a fine thread of bluesteel has been woven through from the handle to the chamber, keh. Just trickle a little flame element through, keh... and boom!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... pretty clever. Still, we don¡¯t have a lot of bullets. So I can only test it once.¡± Taking aim, I slotted in a magazine, which held ten of the fancy shells. The bullets themselves were stuffed with an explosive powder Ixitt was aware of, so when I followed the instructions and let loose my flame energy... there was a loud thump and I felt a significant force pushing against my arm, stronger than I would have expected for the bullet calibre, and the shell was ejected, soaring rapidly into the air.


    ¡°See, see?¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°This is but the first... step. We can improve, with greater knowledge and, keh, experimentation.¡±


    Yeah, it does feel pretty nice to have a decent ranged weapon. And bringing a gun to fights with swords and spears will give me a huge edge. But mass-production is going to be a real challenge. ¡°Well, before I go, I¡¯ll make you some more parts from a few other guns, such as a rifle. But speaking of experimentation...¡± my voice turned grim, and following my gaze, to the workbench where crystal, metal and stone glimmered, Ixitt flinched.


    ¡°Well, I best be back t¡¯work. Steel is¡¯nae forging itself.¡± Bjarki ducked out, wisely.


    ¡°... so, just what¡¯s going on with those?¡± I asked. All of the other ratkin had vanished too, and the bustling forge yard was empty of everyone but us and the maids, Hyacinth giggling madly to herself as usual.


    ¡°Great... so, are you ready, Shaeula?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°So many... still, there is much ether in the air. We can probably manage if we must-must.¡±


    ********


    ¡°Chiaki, I can hear you so clearly now!¡± ¡°I know, Chiasa! This is amazing!¡± the two twins were bubbling with energy after Shaeula had fixed their chakra networks. Apparently it had not been that difficult, as they already had decently developed chakras. Meanwhile, I was working on Ren-san, under Shaeula¡¯s detailed instructions. She had made me work on all the male participants, guiding me with her eyes. She said it was to preserve her strength and improve my own skills, but I had my doubts. She told me she hated doing it when she worked on the other Hiroto-san, so... well, I get it. I don¡¯t want to make her uncomfortable, anyway.


    Ren-san had pouted bitterly when it was me rather than Shaeula who began to work on him, and his ebullient sisters chastised him, saying he was shaming himself. They were kind of funny, even if they talked weirdly, almost like they were the same person sometimes. All right, feel the flow, find the blockages. Under Shaeula¡¯s muttered instructions I used Chirurgery. Everything proceeded without issue, even the area around the potential lunar chakra, until I reached the sixth human chakra of Ren-san, his third eye chakra. There was a heat there, a bubbling energy that was bright and sparkling. As I touched it, some of the energy passed into me, and Ren-san groaned.


    ¡°Quick-quick, withdraw your aether.¡± Shaeula ordered, and I pulled back, leaving him shivering uncomfortably.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, son?¡± Hikawa-san asked, concerned. He, like all the adults barring Kana-chan¡¯s father, were not undergoing the training, but they had of course stayed to watch, concerned for their children and charges.


    ¡°I felt drained all of a sudden.¡± He complained. Turning back to me he scowled. ¡°You suck, I want her to do it, it¡¯s unfair it¡¯s only for my sisters.¡±


    ¡°Ren-sama, show some respect!¡± ¡°Yes, Ren-sama, we at Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine must always be dignified!¡± the twins rebuked him gently.


    ¡°Your girls are the same as always.¡± Chiyo-san shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ll be a real handful when they are older. I pity you.¡±


    As they bickered, I took a moment to glance around. Those we had assisted previously were now meditating, trying to draw in ether and convert it to aether, stabilising their fragile networks that Shaeula and I had carved into them. Even Daichi-san was getting into it, and he was working to strengthen the small flame he could summon as his gift. Wait, that¡¯s IT! I let out a cry of victory, and everyone looked at me, the gentle arguments stopping. Damn, that¡¯s embarrassing.


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve just worked out what was the issue. When I worked on Izumi Daichi-san, I didn¡¯t really pay attention to the flame energy when I reached his solar plexus chakra. I felt it a bit, but I¡¯m used to flame so nothing happened. Ren-san, I believe your gift was creating sunlight, right?¡±


    He nodded sourly, confirming my conjecture.


    ¡°Right, I get it. Your third eye chakra is generating a tiny amount of light element. It¡¯s a great ability. Now that I know that, I can work around it.¡± I was confident my idea was right, and a few minutes later I was lying down, exhausted, but I had reaped the reward of my Chirurgery skill levelling to Rank 2!


    Shaeula then finished up the last couple of shrine maidens, and with that done, I could relax, as it was up to Shaeula to observe everyone with her Mystic Eyes and show them the best ways to gather ether individually...


    ********


    The first day of training school was progressing nicely. A lot of people were very motivated, though a few, such as Kana-chan¡¯s friends, were working with a look of confusion on their faces. Still, there was one person who looked utterly lost, and as soon as Shaeula had finished her observation of her and moved on, she had ceased trying and was looking around, forlorn, casting glances at Kikuchi Maiko-san.


    Takagi-san, right? I decided to intervene. She looked startled as I walked over, jumping nervously like a scared fawn, her eyes behind her unfashionable glasses darting about. ¡°Hey there.¡± I said gently, trying to exude kindness. I might have gone overboard though, as she blushed and looked like she was about to faint. ¡°You look a bit confused. Are the exercises too hard?¡±


    ¡°No... no.¡± she stammered, still beet-red. Taking pity on her I asked her if she wanted something to drink as she looked hot, and after one last long look at Maiko-san, she agreed, nodding shyly. I led her to the large kitchen and took out one of the stocked bottles of tea. She took it, easing off the lid and taking small sips, again like a frightened animal.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong? I notice you seem out of place, and you keep looking at Kikuchi-san. Are you worried about her?¡±


    She nodded, frowning. ¡°I never wanted her to come here. The other girls in class don¡¯t like Kikuchi-san. She¡¯s very shy as well. This must be hard for her...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I smiled warmly. ¡°You must be a good friend for her.¡±


    ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡± She sighed. ¡°I barely know her, but... I hate bullies. I had enough of that in middle school. I just wanted... I don¡¯t know what I wanted.¡± She conceded. ¡°But I know this... whatever this is... it¡¯s crazy. Just who are you? Those rich girls, coming by helicopter, all these other people... the strange things you can do. My head¡¯s a mess. I don¡¯t get any of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really am.¡± I bowed sincerely to her, and she blushed again, waving her arms in a panic, flustered, splashing me with tea. When she saw that, she was even more distraught, but I stopped her, using aether to pull the liquid off me and drop it in the sink. Yeah, with the ether density what it is here, I can at least manage that. As her eyes boggled at the trick, I smiled reassuringly. ¡°Shaeula never should have brought you into this. Kikuchi-san... well, her father owes me, so she doesn¡¯t really have a choice, but rest assured, I¡¯ll treat her with utmost care and respect while she¡¯s here. And if she is getting bullied at school, I¡¯ll get the other girls to put a stop to it. We are all friends and students here. You too.¡±


    ¡°Me... too?¡± she said, tilting her head in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah. I mean... if you swear to keep all this secret we could probably just let you go, you seem a caring, honest girl. But... though Shaeula did wrong, dragging you in without your consent, she also offered you a chance. All of this may seem meaningless, but... if you stick with this, you might look back on it in a few years as the best decision you ever made.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she looked down, pensive. ¡°I want to believe you. But... how can I explain all of this to my parents? I don¡¯t really have friends, if I keep going out after school they¡¯ll think I¡¯m up to something bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. I was going to talk about this after today¡¯s orientation.¡± I grinned, happy to be on slightly safer footing with her. Ideally she should stay. I¡¯d let her go if we had to, but it¡¯s a risk. ¡°Like I said, there are rooms available here for everyone to use, and in addition... those who need an excuse, I was thinking of treating it like a part-time job. You¡¯d get wages, they wouldn¡¯t be a lot, that¡¯d be suspicious, but my secretary can talk to your parents if need be, assure them it¡¯s legitimate. We can also call it a study camp, a cram school of sorts, as it is in a way.¡± My grin grew broader. ¡°You may not believe me, but if you can manage to master the exercises, you can actually get a little smarter. Your memory and calculative abilities will increase, so your grades should go up too. I think your parents would be happy, right?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She sighed. ¡°Can I think about it for now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Shall we go back? This is only the first day, so we don¡¯t want to cause trouble by keeping everyone too late.¡±


    As I walked her back in, Takagi-san hid behind me, seeing the amused gaze of Kana-chan on her. I gestured forwards, patting her back reassuringly, and she resumed her place, and after a few words from Shaeula, she began again, trying to visualise the process of drawing in ether...


    ¡°Akio-sensei, Shaeula-sensei, we appreciate the lesson!¡± Motoko-san and Natsumi-san echoed.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Hinata-san also agreed. ¡°Though my stupid brother missed the first day. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter as he was already worked on. Still, I¡¯ll be sure to tell him off!¡±


    Most of the others had left, Kana-chan excitedly taking her school friends and a few other girls she had hit it off with down to the swimming pool below. Chiyo-san had been shocked by the progress her shrine maidens, who turned out to be two of her many grandchildren, had made, and was now fully on board, promising to support us at conclave, as her voice weighed heavy with those shrines that were unaffiliated.


    ¡°Goodbye Akio-sama, we hope to be in your care again!¡± ¡°Farewell, Shaeula-sama, please continue to look after us!¡± the twins said politely, and even Ren-san managed a grudging expression of thanks to me, as he was one of the fastest learners, his summoned light already improving.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Hikawa-san was saying to Shuta-san. They had spent their time talking politics, and while Shuta-san had almost no say in Amaterasu faction, he had a few connections, so Hikawa-san planned to leverage those for information.


    Well, this has been quite the ordeal, but at least we don¡¯t have to use any more Chirurgery for a while. We had advised everyone if they found themselves feeling unwell or strange, to stop any training they were doing and seek us out as soon as possible for Shaeula to inspect them. Still, so far there¡¯s been no problems. Though that doesn¡¯t mean someone won¡¯t react badly. Chirurgery is not an exact science...


    As soon as the last of our guests were gone (minus Kana-chan and her friends of course, but they could see themselves out when they were done having their fun) I turned to Shaeula. ¡°Right. I think that went decently well. The hard part is done anyway. So... are you ready?¡±


    Shaeula grinned at me. ¡°I am-am indeed. It will be good to return to the lands of the Fae, if only for a little while, in the far reaches of the Seelie Court. I am quite-quite curious to see just what mansion my brother has found for me, and also...¡± her gaze turned a little hungry, and she licked her lips with her small tongue lasciviously. ¡°... I believe you had quite-quite the fun with Eri under the moon and stars, did you not-not? Well, the moon in the Fae lands is stunning, it really sets the perfect mood...¡±

 One Hundred And Ninety-Two

    One Hundred And Ninety-Two


    Of course with everything that was going on, there were still matters that needed my attention. I had to fire off a few messages to various people, and left a bunch of instructions for Karen-chan. It wasn¡¯t as if we planned to be away for long, but according to Shaeula time in the lower Astral was even more distorted than the Boundary, and the Fae lands were also greatly unpredictable in that regard, which matched the stories mom had told me in my childhood. When Aiko and I were kids, did we think that the stories we heard mom tell us would end up being important, even true? The world is strange.


    Now that Karen-chan had assistants, my old neighbours, I felt slightly less bad at overworking her. Next on the agenda was increasing the area that I controlled in both the Boundary and the Material. Seeing the Material as a dry desert of ether where there was only trace amounts, Shirohebizumi was a small oasis, which while it couldn¡¯t compare to the lake that was the Boundary, the difference was still huge. Even more so in the small area that the Boundary to Material connection covers. Upgrading that will help, and I want the Ether Density Anchor Spire to Rank 2 and even Rank 3. Damn, so much time and expense, but so utterly worth it.


    I wanted control, no matter how nominally, of the park that Shaeula¡¯s Territory was in, as well as the communal graveyard that the Rhyming Tree occupied. Since they were state-owned, it wasn¡¯t as if I could just buy them, but I only needed to own them. With donations, pledges to maintain them as they were, and some support from Fujiwara-san and my connections in the Diet... perhaps it would be possible. If I tell Suzuki-san that it might help me get more spiritual resources, he should lobby for me. He wants to see Haru-san again... Clasping my hands together in a brief prayer for Karen-chan, sorry that she would be dealing with some big-shots, I fired off the messages as well as sending a few to Hinata-san and Motoko-san for helping take the lead in the training sessions today. As I was finishing that up, the doorbell rang.


    ¡°Can you get that-that?¡± Shaeula asked, as she was doing something in her bedroom. I shrugged and went to the door, opening it up, to see Kana-chan there, her luxurious long black hair still damp and hanging free, her shrine-maiden hakama clinging to her, the white parts a little see-through and revealing hints of her skin beneath. Oh... that¡¯s... damn. I had to look away, she was remarkably alluring, which made me feel guilty. On seeing my reaction, Kana-chan smiled brightly in relief.


    ¡°Oh hey big bro. Can I come in? I want to speak to you. It¡¯s... well, it¡¯s important to me, anyway, and I don¡¯t know anyone else I can talk to about it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, come in.¡± I held in a sigh. I owed Kana-chan, having put her in danger before, and besides, I thought she was a nice girl, and more practically, her gift of seeing abnormalities was likely useful in the long term, to say nothing of the potential of her expanding her ability to sense other¡¯s thoughts, which was currently so infrequent and shallow as to be useless. That doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t grow to be awesome though, and it could synergise with Haru-san and the Hikawa twins... As I closed the door behind us, I asked her if her friends had gone home. I had allocated a budget for taxis, as there was no way I¡¯d let such young girls go home alone late at night.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She giggled. ¡°They were shocked and awed by the fact we have a proper swimming pool on our land, and we get it pretty much all to ourselves. It¡¯s awesome.¡± she paused. ¡°We... we can use it whenever we like right, big bro?¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course, though for the next few days be sure to check there are no workmen about, as they have to furnish the rooms, gyms and lay the carpets and flooring still. Just consider it a perk of being part of my alliance. And also... an apology, for before. You know...¡± I scratched my cheek awkwardly, embarrassed. We¡¯d discussed it, sure, but I still felt awful Kana-chan and Marika-san were put in such danger, and technically it wasn¡¯t just once, as the US agents could have targeted the main shrine too.


    ¡°... I know.¡± She echoed my difficult words, that I found hard to express. ¡°Look, big bro... wait, can I call you Akio too? I... I feel bad when Shaeula and Mori-senpai do.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure I guess I don¡¯t mind. We are pretty close, allies on the same boat, right?¡±


    ¡°Allies, huh?¡± she rolled that word around her mouth and grimaced a little, seemingly not liking the taste. ¡°Is that it, then? Well, do call me Kana. I don¡¯t need any honorifics. Not for you... Akio.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Kana.¡± Saying a girls¡¯ first name like that was a bit awkward, but I had practise now, so I managed it without stumbling over it. ¡°Anyway yeah, this shrine belongs to you and your family. You may have signed official ownership over to me, but I will not betray your trust. So sure, use any of the facilities in the training school you want. Speaking of... want a drink while you are here? I have tea, juice... whatever.¡±


    ¡°That would be great. I worked up a sweat playing in the pool. You should be sorry you missed it, Akio. I¡¯m quite a good swimmer, and I look hot as hell in a school swimsuit!¡±


    ¡°I bet.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but picture that image. Kana¡¯s chest was big for her age and a Japanese girl, and her legs were long and slender. ¡°Maybe another time.¡± I said, without giving it much thought. In the kitchen, I pulled out some cold tea and handed it to her. She took it gratefully, popped the top and started gulping it down.


    ¡°That hits the spot. Another time, huh? I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± She smiled once more, this one a little relieved. ¡°So... like... my confidence is pretty shot recently, you know? I¡¯m beautiful, I can¡¯t lie and say I¡¯m not... but one after another, the shrine has filled up with beauties my equal. I don¡¯t lose...¡± she insisted. ¡°But Shaeula, Mori-senpai, now these rich girls, Fukumoto-san, Tsumura-san... they rival me, for sure. And I have to wonder...¡± she chewed at her lip nervously, but her dark eyes met mine, unwavering, searching for an answer. ¡°Just... just what is my worth? I always thought being beautiful and smart was enough. I¡¯d find a decent guy who¡¯d take care of me, and live an easy life of idleness. Just like... shopping for the latest fashions, eating out, a nice home, nice car... but I guess... I¡¯m a frog in a well.¡± She snorted with derision.


    I know that look. I¡¯ve felt it before. Feeling that you aren¡¯t good enough, that what you wanted was stupid, not what you actually wanted at all...


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯re just young.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Look, Kana. I¡¯m going to be serious now, all right?¡±


    At her nod, I continued. ¡°When I was your age, well, a little older, I made a mistake. I desperately tried to get out of my hometown. I told myself it was because the place sucked and I had ambition, but really... I was just running away. I was scared. I almost lost my sister and Eri when I was younger. Sure, I protected them, but that nagging doubt, that feeling that next time I¡¯d come up short, that it wouldn¡¯t be enough... so in my head, I thought... damn, this sounds so dumb to me now... I thought if I wasn¡¯t there, they¡¯d be better off, that someone more competent would take over. I drifted out of touch with them... and nearly lost them forever.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t, did you? You¡¯re even getting married. Lucky.¡± Kana rebutted. ¡°Also... I may be wrong here, big bro... no, Akio. Feel free to shut me down if I¡¯m out of line, but... if you are feeling guilty over when the shrine was attacked... well, you can, sure... but... you saved me, Marika-chan too, my parents and grandfather... you saved us all. Sure I was scared. So scared I... no, that never happened. Forget it.¡± Her damp skin flushed. ¡°But... I wasn¡¯t hurt. And... well, I found out something about myself. That when there was no choice... I could put others first. So don¡¯t be letting it eat at you. Just... do better, so it doesn¡¯t happen again. You¡¯ve always done enough, all right.¡± she took my hand with hers. ¡°So... be a little proud, okay?¡±


    I¡¯m feeling surprisingly touched by her kindness. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, I nodded, and she carried on. ¡°I get what you mean though. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I still want a great guy to look after me. I envy those rich girls and their wealth, I want the same luxury lifestyle Shaeula and Mori-senpai enjoy. I... just know that I have to work for it. And I need something more. But I¡¯m at a loss, Akio. The first day of training school has taught me that. What... what can I do, or find in myself, that¡¯ll make me happy?¡±


    ¡°A great question.¡± My free hand rubbed her head, and she let out a sigh. I flinched, realising I was way too used to patting girls on the head, what with my sis, Shaeula and Eri, so I was harassing girls without thinking. As I tried to move my hand away she shook her head in denial.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind just this once. It feels... comfortable.¡± Kana whispered. ¡°Anyway, I thought... you¡¯ve turned your life around, right? Can I... can I do the same?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can. Look, the world is changing. What skills and jobs people valued before, might not hold much weight going forward. No, being a shrine maiden with abilities... it could be something special. Besides... you have it better than most.¡± I winked, still rubbing at her hair, her leaning her head into my chest. This feels a little too intimate, but... she¡¯s just asking for advice. There¡¯s nothing going on, I¡¯m sure.


    As Hyacinth capered, cheering, (and still with her maid unform around her waist, as my treacherous eyes noted) Shaeula looked displeased. ¡°You would-would take an Unseelie into the realm of the Seelie Court? I can not-not approve of this.¡±


    ¡°I get it, I do.¡± I pulled Shaeula in for a hug, patting her head like I had done for Kana earlier. ¡°As a Seelie, you have a natural, perfectly understandable wariness. But... your brother sent her to us, didn¡¯t he? And you are trying to make achievements, right? Well, think of it this way. If we can rehabilitate her, bring her back to being a brownie, then doesn¡¯t that mean other Unseelie could be redeemed? I¡¯d like to see the other Seelie look down on you then!¡±


    ¡°Well, my idiot brother did foist her upon us...¡± she looked at the hopeful-looking Hyacinth, who still hadn¡¯t covered herself. ¡°And ... I suppose having an Unseelie bound to you would confer a ... certain ... sort of status. Very well, she may come. But cause no trouble...¡± Shaeula eyed her sternly. ¡°... else I shall destroy you!¡±


    ¡°Yay, mistress is kind, master is wise in choooosing her!¡±


    Ignoring her celebrations, we further pondered our retinue. ¡°Perhaps Tillyae and the musicians? Music strikes me as the sort of cultured thing a princess should enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I agree. It will be quite-quite nice to have their playing during our stay.¡±


    After further discussion, Shaeula and I would be accompanied by her maids, Hyacinth, Tillyae and her musicians, in addition to her three Kamaitachi. Again we had some disagreement on whether taking non-Fae into the Seelie Court was wise, but considering her mothers¡¯ heritage I thought it was worth making a statement. As we all lined up outside the Faerie Ring gate, mystical red energies playing over the giant mushrooms, I squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring kiss. When we separated, her face flushed, I grinned cheekily.


    ¡°I know what you are thinking. You were chased out in disgrace, your family unable to protect you. But things are different now. I¡¯m your family now. And I won¡¯t let anyone bully you anymore. Besides...¡± at my words and deeds she had brightened up somewhat, so she waited for me to finish. ¡°... Shaeraggo chose this mansion because it was hidden right by the border of the Seelie Court, right? It isn¡¯t like we will see anyone there. Damn, I¡¯m excited. To think I¡¯d get to see the lands of the Fae.¡± It was like being a child at Christmas again, I was giddy with anticipation.


    ¡°I find-find your world just as amazing. The Seelie Court is grand indeed, yes, but it does not-not have anime, games... many other things. Still, shall we depart?¡±


    And with a last squeeze of her hand we stepped into the Faerie Ring Gate. Red energies blazed around us and my vision went black, only ruby and garnet lights shining in the darkness. It was briefly cold, and the entire top of my head was burning, prickling needles of pain passing through my chakra network. I could still feel Shaeula¡¯s hand in mine, and it kept me sane during the long frozen moment of nothingness. Then my stomach lurched, the pain faded, and I emerged out the other side, Shaeula following.


    Wow, just... wow. My sister and Eri would love this...


    As the musicians and maids followed us out, Hyacinth was giggling something about ¡°being happy to be hooome again¡±, but I barely had any attention to spare for her. The Faerie Ring Gate was similar to the one in our Territory, a series of tall mushrooms wreathed in red earth energies, but that was where the similarity ended. We were in a grove of tall trees, looking majestic and fae, for want of a better term. The trees were wrapped with vines that had many blossoming white and pink flowers that looked nothing like earthly blooms, and they were giving off an intoxicating scent. Through the trees I could see a low, two-story house, large and with old-fashioned architecture. It was reminiscent of old British-style homes for the gentry.


    ¡°Ahh, this scent. It has been too-too long.¡± Shaeula took a deep breath, savouring the smell of home. ¡°Do not-not mistake me...¡± Shaeula looked at me warmly, her amber eyes glittering with happy tears. ¡°... home is now where you are, but... I do miss the lands of the Fae. The ether here is pleasing.¡±


    Indeed, if my earlier metaphor of the Material being a desert, and Shirohebizumi an oasis, the ether here was like a great lake, many times heavier than even the Boundary I had become accustomed to. My network was sucking it in greedily, generating aether, and I felt some discomfort from the amount, though it was quite bearable. Hmm, this could be good training for my silver cord and chakra network skills. I¡¯ve felt close to a breakthrough for a while... In addition, there was a strange feeling I was being watched, somehow, as though the land around me was able to crush me if it wished, yet was allowing my presence. I wonder if that is the Seelie Court Territory... I¡¯m a guest who was invited, so perhaps it chooses not to subject me to its effects...


    ¡°The sky too...¡± Shaeula looked up at the inky black heavens, and I followed her gaze, only to gasp, entranced at the sight. The sky was dominated by a truly colossal moon, easily outmatching the sun of the Material by a factor of ten or more. It was so large features such as craters and valleys could be made out with my excellent eyes, and it made one wonder whether it would be possible to travel there. ¡°The moon is beautiful tonight, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, not thinking, and the grip on my hand tightened as Shaeula flushed once more.


    ¡°I know-know that reference.¡± She grinned, a touch embarrassed. ¡°Yes, I know you love me, and I love-love you too. Though if you are trying to seduce me... later.¡± She licked her lips seductively.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that. So, shall we see the mansion your brother scrounged up for you? He might be a bit of a siscon jackass, but to get you a whole house... that¡¯s dedication.¡±


    ¡°Hah, such irony. You can not-not tell me you would not-not find Aiko a suitable abode in Tokyo, should you have the chance? Though I suspect she would prefer to live with us-us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you got me there. But please tell me I¡¯m not as big a siscon as Shaeraggo.¡±


    She only laughed in response as we entered the clearing around the mansion, well-tended flowerbeds full of purple, pink and white bell-flowers that glowed with a mystical light contrasting with sparkling fae-lights of fist-sized fireflies that flitted about, filling the sky with colour. ¡°Damn, my sis, Eri... they have to see this. The noble girls, and Kana too. In fact... this might make everything worthwhile. To think I¡¯d see sights like this...¡±


    ¡°Compared to the glory of the Seelie Court, this is but-but a rustic suburb.¡± Shaeula giggled. ¡°Still, it pleases me to see you impressed by my home. After all, in future, I shall spend much-much time here, and it would pain me should you not-not be beside me.¡±


    ¡°Master and mistress are flirting. Save sooome for me!¡± Hyacinth muttered, but as usual I ignored her. On reaching the ornate door to the mansion, which had a knocker shaped into a weasel-head that looked disturbingly like Shaeraggo¡¯s, I reached for it, when the door suddenly snapped open, and a dozen smartly-dressed weaselkin knights stomped out, forming up into two lines on either side of us. They were followed by four maids and a grey-furred butler, wearing an old-fashioned tailcoat and white shirt, looking rather comical. On seeing us, the maids and butler bowed to Shaeula.


    ¡°Princess Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. It is a great honour to have you back with us-us!¡± they chorused. ¡°Welcome home! Leave everything to us!¡±


    ¡°It... it is good-good to be back.¡± She whispered, tears falling, and I pulled her close, holding her until she stopped weeping...

 One Hundred And Ninety-Three – R18/Contains sex

    One Hundred And Ninety-Three ¨C R18/Contains sex AnnouncementNote that I am now up-to-date with Royal Road, so the posting rate will now be 3-5 chapters per week.


    Once Shaeula had calmed down, my warmth reassuring her, she rubbed at her eyes, combed her long amber hair and looked at the waiting servants as if nothing had happened. As if waiting for this, the butler-weasel, appearing relieved, bowed again. His gaze strayed to me, and I could see annoyance in his dark-green eyes, yet he masked it well as he spoke. ¡°So, you must be the... consort... Prince Shaeraggo spoke of. It is... an honour... to host-host the chosen husband of our princess.¡±


    Yeah, you sure don¡¯t sound like you think it¡¯s an honour, but I¡¯ll let it slide. We are going to have to win the weaselkin and other Fae over eventually.


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to be here.¡± I bowed politely. ¡°The lands of the Fae are as beautiful as their princess.¡±


    At my flattery Shaeula blushed, her emotions still raw, and she hit me with her slender hand a few times, though the blows were more out of embarrassment than annoyance. On seeing the display, which could definitely be called flirty, Shaeula¡¯s maids gave me filthy looks, but Hyacinth and the Kamaitachi following us all laughed, Hyacinth muttering to herself enviously as usual.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The butler agreed. ¡°Our princess is an amber jewel amidst the Fae. In celebration of your return, we have-have prepared a feast for this evening, with many rare delicacies your royal brother has provided. We shall notify Prince Shaeraggo, so he may-may attend to welcome you home, princess.¡±


    At that Shaeula¡¯s face fell. ¡°No, there is no need for that. I do not-not require my brother¡¯s attention on this visit. It is not-not as though I will not-not be returning here frequently. But for this visit... I simply wish to spend time with my beloved in peace, showing him the lands that I call-call home.¡± She took my hand in hers, and we exchanged warm smiles.


    ¡°Well, that is... troubling, but... I still should notify...¡± suddenly he was thrown into panic, the maids also running and screaming in alarm, though Risha and Velna merely held their position, expressions angry, having already seen such events before, as vines erupted from the grounds outside the mansion and began to capture and tangle up the house servants, including the butler.


    ¡°Nooo, nooo this will certainly nooot do!¡± Hyacinth declared, being the one who had caused the angry storm of vines. One maid screamed as she was dangled upside down in front of me, and I caught glimpses of parts of the weaselkin that would probably scar me for life. Seriously, I know they are Fae beastkin, but at least wear panties under that dress...


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Hyacinth, please calm down. I¡¯m sure they meant no disrespect...¡± I began, but she was very annoyed.


    ¡°Nooo, that doesn¡¯t matter! Servants should do as they are told by the master and mistress of the house. Your brooother may have given you this home, mistress, but now it is yours, so the servants must ooobey you and do their duties.¡± Her furious face went deathly still, emotionless. ¡°Servants that can¡¯t serve... master and mistress has nooo need of them, they should just die!¡±


    At her words the servants cried out in fear, but as her vines began to tighten, Shaeula and I both moved. Fire and wind blades shot out, severing some of the tightening vines, and her pinwheels danced, cutting the rest. When the servants fell to the floor with a thump, I turned my attention to Hyacinth, patting her head and rubbing her hair to calm her down. It worked, and she embraced me, trying to kiss me ferociously while her free hand started going to her buttons again. ¡°Master finally wishes to embrace Hyacinth...¡± she giggled, but when Shaeula joined in we managed to subdue her before she could manage to steal my lips.


    ¡°Calm down! Please!¡± I begged, but it was then the butler-weasel let out a cry of alarm. ¡°She is Unseelie! A vile traitor brought to this very place-place!¡± he scuttled backwards, his fancy clothes in disarray and covered in dirt from Hyacinth¡¯s chastisement. ¡°Quickly!¡± he turned to one of the maids. ¡°We must notify the Way-Wardens immediately, so that a kill-team can-can be dispatched! Princess, quickly, run... your brother will protect you from...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shaeula shouted, wind amplifying her voice immensely, the very windows ratting. That¡¯s a nice use of scientific principles. You¡¯ve come so far...


    ¡°Enough.¡± She said again, her volume normal, everyone¡¯s eyes on her. ¡°Stop being a fool-fool. Do you think I am so blind as to not-not know Akio¡¯s maid is a boggart? Blame my fool brother for this, but he sent her to us-us to deal with. Akio has her well in hand, I assure you. She was merely... surprised at your insolence.¡± She sniffed arrogantly. ¡°Hyacinth...¡± she turned back to the maid. ¡°I understand you take your role seriously, but you shame Akio and you shame me by your lack of self-control. You must be punished. And no...¡± Shaeula pre-empted her, as she squirmed and blushed, hands still on her buttons and fasteners. ¡°It will not-not be a lewd punishment. For the rest of the day you will stay in the room you are assigned, and do no-no work at all!¡±


    ¡°Nooo, mistress is cruel!¡± Hyacinth started sobbing. ¡°But... but I understand. I made a mistake... it is right to punish this unworthy servant.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I started with the carrot, since Shaeula had used the stick. ¡°Once your punishment is waited out, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have lots of work to do, all right? Fixing the mess you¡¯ve made of the garden by the entrance for one.¡±


    ¡°Master is kind...¡± she curtsied with gorgeous grace. ¡°I shall do it!¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°Akio has her well in hand, doubtless as my brother wishes. So do not-not bother him this time. I shall see my brother on my next visit. I simply wish to relax with Akio and perhaps do a little training.¡±


    ¡°Prince Shaeraggo sent you this-this fiend?¡± the butler shook his head doubtfully. ¡°But I was not told of this. Still...¡± making up his mind, he straightened his dirty clothes as best he could. ¡°Please, enter. I shall show you to your rooms-rooms.¡±


    ¡°Finally. I am in dire need of a drink.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I was seldom if ever-ever allowed Faerie Wine when I still lived with my father and siblings. But now after becoming accustomed to the mortal world, I find myself craving for some-some...¡± she turned to one of the maids. ¡°Please bring the finest bottle to our room. I wish to unwind with my Akio.¡±


    The distressed maid who had flashed me looked at the butler, who nodded slowly...


    ********


    ¡°Well, this is actually surprisingly elegant.¡± I said, sitting on the ornately-carved wooden bed in the room I was now sharing with Shaeula. It was in the style of an old-fashioned four-poster-bed, complete with a silken canopy to shroud the outside from view. We had pulled the canopy back so we could see out of the arched window, which overlooked the back gardens and the forest that stretched towards the border of the Seelie Court. ¡°A shame your brother has rotten taste though... if I ever try and copy him and start sticking up pictures of Aiko in my bedroom, please just beat me until I see sense.¡± The inside of the fabric canopy was embroidered to have pictures of both Shaeula and Shaeraggo. It was, quite frankly... off-putting.


    ¡°Indeed. When I was younger I did not-not notice such travesties, but now I am an engaged female...¡± she looked down at her gleaming ring, an analogue which followed her even here. ¡°... I see the problems with it. We shall take-take them down before tonight. I have no wish to be looking at my brother¡¯s visage while making love.¡± She grinned. ¡°Nor even myself. Only you.¡±


    Damn, that¡¯s sweet. And hot. The way she is looking at me hungrily... I guess I¡¯m getting a workout later. ¡°They really didn¡¯t want us rooming together, either. I mean, the room they offered me was nice and all, but... I came here with you.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a maid who had dressed in fresh clothing and swept the dirt from her fur. She had a decanter of silver, within which was a rich, fruity red liquid. She then poured us two glasses, which we took, leaving the decanter on a tray by the bedside for us.


    I took a glass, handed it to Shaeula, then picked up the second. ¡°A toast then.¡± I grinned. ¡°To your homecoming. It isn¡¯t a true one, not yet, but it¡¯s the first step!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± We clinked our glasses together. ¡°Until I can stand proudly in front of the nobles of the Seelie Court, I am not-not truly home. But for now... cheers, my Akio. Welcome to the land of he Fae. I wish for you to love it as I do!¡±


    Taking a sip of the Faerie Wine I was hit by the taste. It was strong, definitely, yet the taste was sweet without being cloying, fruity hints mixed with stranger flavours I couldn¡¯t explain. Taking another sip I felt warmth spreading within my chakra network. Wow, I think this can actually get me drunk... neat.


    ¡°It is quite-quite good. Though expensive whiskey has its charms too!¡± Shaeula declared, refilling her glass which she had half-emptied. Seeing that, I had a few more sips, swirling it around my tongue. She then poured me some more, grinning.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bit like plum brandy, but far cleaner and more complex. Damn, if we could sell this to rich people back on the Material, we¡¯d make bank I bet.¡±


    ¡°Well, for now it is only for you amongst the mortal realms.¡± She grinned, pulling the cord next to the bed which caused a bell to ring down in the quarter for servants. Next to the cord was a pair of bells, one small and silver, the other a blackish-red metal I couldn¡¯t identify, which unlike the smaller bell didn¡¯t seem to be attached to anything. I stood up to take a closer look, while drinking of course, and seeing my interest, Shaeula explained, cheerful that our usual roles were reversed now I was in her home. ¡°I see you are taken with the Bell of Alarm.¡± She grinned. ¡°When enemies breach the Fae Stone wards that ring-ring the Seelie Court, the Bell will toll. The intensity and rapidity of the ringing advises how close the incursion is.¡± As she was explaining, a maid, looking like Velna, it seemed, answered her earlier call and brought more wine. ¡°Then the Way-Wardens will be summoned, and they will slay our foes, or chase them out if they can not-not.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m surprised that enemies can break the Territory Barrier. I can feel that this is an old and powerful land. It makes mine look like nothing.¡± Only for now though, one day I¡¯ll reach this level of power, no, I¡¯ll surpass it!


    Shaeula shrugged, flushed from the wine. Pulling at the collar of her yukata, she fanned herself, and I looked away, being the gentleman I was. At that her grin broadened, and she tugged still further at the loose fabric while continuing to teach me. ¡°Indeed, you are correct, the Unseelie, when a major war erupts, they must-must expend great effort to breach our defences to allow an army through. However, Fae, be they Seelie, Unseelie, those beasts from the Wild Hunt, or others, well-well... we are tricky beings, flighty yet cunning. The wards surrounding our Territory can be fooled, or bypassed, or traitors on the inside could-could aid the intruders...¡± she sighed, and after a mouthful more of wine finished her lecture. ¡°... there are many-many ways for smaller bands of our enemies to infiltrate and pillage. Hence the Bells and the Way-Wardens. The Fae Stones, they are Faecraft without peer, allowing us to avoid the worst damage from enemy infiltrations. Else if we did not-not know where the enemy was, we would struggle to root them out.¡± She shrugged, putting down her now empty-again glass. ¡°Though the Seelie Court controls far less land that it once-once did at the height of our power, many lands lost to our enemies, ruin or abandonment over thousands of years of war... we are still strong!¡± she insisted, though as I felt I knew Shaeula pretty well by now, I couldn¡¯t help but think her proud boast was masking a bit of uneasiness.


    ¡°I see. So... Fae Stones and Bells as an effective early-warning system. Kind of like tactical radar, maybe? I wonder if we could implement that...¡± I mused, emptying my own glass before Shaeula refilled it.


    ¡°... enough gloomy talk.¡± Shaeula shrugged, losing interest. ¡°I wonder when dinner will be, for I am most-most famished... sadly, they likely need time to prepare it...¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯d better do something about your dishevelled yukata before that, then.¡± I smiled, pulling her close to me, holding her in my arms as we drank, lying on the comfortable bed. ¡°I don¡¯t want my fiance?e flashing the butler, I¡¯m not into that at all.¡±


    At that Shaeula snickered, planting a kiss on my cheek, before seeking my lips. When we were done, she smiled, pleased at my jealousy. ¡°So possessive, my husband. But I do understand. Only you and the females you have chosen may see me in such-such a state!¡±


    Not quite what I meant, but it¡¯ll do. Man, I¡¯m starting to get a bit hungry myself. I know we don¡¯t need to eat here in the Boundary... no, I guess we are in the lower Astral now... but it is satisfying, and I¡¯m even tipsy, which lately is a novelty. Oh well, might as well put the time to use... ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we do some training of our chakra networks and elemental abilities? I¡¯m curious to see what gains I can make...¡±


    ¡°I see-see. You are quite the fiend for training as always. Here, your beautiful fiance?e is seducing you with her alluring body, and all-all you want to do is practise your skills.¡± She shook her head with fake mournfulness. ¡°A shame-shame.¡±


    Oh you. ¡°Well, consider me seduced. But that¡¯s for after dinner, right? Let¡¯s not be rude to the servants your brother arranged for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, the maids were mine-mine before, so I have some... complicated... feelings regarding them. But I understand. This is-is a great opportunity for you. But do not-not forget. What is mine is yours. We can come here any time!¡±


    ¡°It can be, but I just wanted to tease you today.¡± I admitted. ¡°Damn, you were amazingly cute as I toyed with both your holes at once.¡±


    ¡°Hmph...¡± she tossed her head, clearly embarrassed. ¡°Well, do not-not do it again without my permission. it surprised me."


    Permission, huh? Well, maybe another time. I could see love nectar seeping from her pussy, so she was about ready to go. After a kiss, I lowered myself to her body and pushed my dick inside, revelling in the warmth and sensations as her pussy tightened up on me. I was about to start moving, when Shaeula stopped me.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? You need a minute?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, I just had an idea.¡± She grinned, kissing me savagely, our tongues inside each other as my dick was inside her. When she pulled free, our saliva scattering, she spoke, breathless and horny. ¡°What if we were to make love in the Fae way, while-while you take me the way you mortals do? Surely the pleasure then would be nothing like we have ever-ever felt before?¡±


    That¡¯s... quite the idea. ¡°Do you think we can? Mixing our elemental essence and aether takes quite the amount of concentration.¡±


    ¡°Well, you love training, do you not-not?¡± she smirked. ¡°And you love me! We can-can combine the best of both worlds!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got me there.¡± I kissed her again. ¡°All right them. I¡¯ll start slow, and as we merge, I¡¯ll speed up, all right?¡±


    At her nod I started releasing my aether and elemental essences, the flame, wind and earth. In return I received her wind and flame. Having to control my physical body and my spiritual powers was a challenge, but it forced a clarity on me, and I could feel Shaeula more clearly than ever, her every fold, bump and wet secretion hugging my engorged dick as it pistoned her, slowly at first but picking up speed.


    ¡°Yes-yes... this is... bliss, ahn!¡± Shaeula gasped, arms around me, holding me close. We kissed again and again, just as my dick kissed her deep insides, and our essences penetrated each others¡¯ souls. ¡°I think... I¡¯m about ready to cum...¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes, wait, just... a little-little longer...¡± she gasped. ¡°Until... our circulation is complete...¡± energy flooded into my lunar chakra, carrying her thoughts and feelings, and then mine too was within her lunar chakra. At that moment she convulsed, her body reaching a matching orgasm to her spirit, and then I was also gushing forth, in a torrent that showed no signs of stopping as I continued slamming our bodies together, forcing her powerful orgasm to continue. It was as if we were melting together... body and soul... and then everything went dark, and I fainted, the pleasure too much...


    ********


    How long have I been out? Beneath me, Shaeula was snuggled against me, flushed and happy. On seeing I had awoken, she grinned, her amber eyes bright. ¡°Was it too-too much for you, sharing so much with me?¡± she asked cheekily, so I gave her my answer by fondling her sensitive body, wringing damp moans from her. ¡°No-no more. I relent. The experience was indeed too brilliant.¡± She gasped.


    ¡°Yeah... that¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be done lightly.¡± I admitted. ¡°Still, I doubt many people can claim to have done that, neither mortal nor Fae, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She sighed, her eyes looking deep into mine. ¡°I could feel it, all your energies. Even the earth element that I hate so, and it felt... warm, comforting. Like I understood it. Like I understood you.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s to understand? All you need to know is I love you.¡± I grinned, and we kissed, before she rapped me on the head with her knuckles playfully.


    ¡°Fool-fool. Of course I know that, as you know I love you!¡± she breathed out lustily. ¡°And since that-that is the case...¡± she eyed my limp penis, before reaching out and clamping her small hand around it, stroking it gently, bringing it new life. ¡°Why not-not one more round? My belly feels warm-warm and full, but I believe I can stand a little more...¡±


    Oh Shaeula, you are insatiable... responding to her touch, I grinned, pulling her close once more...


    ********


    The next morning after I had consoled Shaeula rather passionately, her hunger for my warmth greater than normal, perhaps driven by being back in the Fae lands, and the scene we witnessed of the stolen land of the Seelie court playing on her mind and emotions, she seemed back to her usual self, so after the maids served us breakfast, and a tearful display from Hyacinth, who was free of her punishment, we spent the rest of the day training, the night spent with more intimacy. Another day passed this way, and then on the morning after, Shaeula came to a realisation.


    ¡°I see-see. It shall not-not be long until the last of our kin returns.¡± Two newly reborn weaselkin mages were bowing gratefully to us, and now the only spirit light that flew around Shaeula was the bright one of her last Kamaitachi. ¡°With the plentiful ether and both-both our bonds, we have hastened their return.¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, we¡¯ll be cutting it fine, or maybe not... damn, I wish we could make a device that could work out what time it was on Earth, the Boundary and here, some sort of magical watch... but I guess we can spare another day, if it¡¯ll finally restore the last of your Kamaitachi.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± She grinned. ¡°Well, shall we continue our training then, until dinner? Or would you prefer to do something more fun?¡±


    ¡°Damn, you really are insatiable at the moment. That comes later. I want to keep hold of the feeling I have right now, the breakthrough is so close I can taste it.¡± I¡¯ve acclimatised to the higher ether density now, and I can feel my Eight Moons Chakra Network is stronger, and my Silver Cord is thicker...


    ¡°Fine then. Let it not-not be said I am not-not a supportive female.¡± She snorted, going back to her own training. I focussed my mind, and was lost in thought for an indeterminate period of time until a quiet ringing noise snapped me out of my reverie.


    Oh, is it time for dinner? I looked up, hearing the bell ring quietly again, only it wasn¡¯t the silver, but the reddish bell. Shaeula was likewise looking at it.


    ¡°I see-see. Someone has breached the Fae Stones. But the bell rings quiet and slow. It is far-far distant. The Wild Hunt is active, they are likely the ones, they are crafty and cunning, ever-ever probing for our weaknesses.¡±


    As if to echo her words the butler rushed in. ¡°Do not be alarmed. The Bell rings, but the enemy is far-far away. The Way-Wardens will be alerted already and rushing out for battle. You will be safe, princess, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Of course I will-will.¡± She scoffed. ¡°If the worst happens, we can use the Faerie Ring Gate and destroy it behind us. It would be a shame to lose the mansion, but-but lives come first.¡±


    ¡°In any case, they are far-far from here, so there is no chance of a battle...¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a flag, man.¡± I complained, and he looked at me puzzled while Shaeula doubled over, laughing. After a short while the bell stopped ringing.


    ¡°I guess the Way-Wardens handled it then?¡± I asked, and Shaeula nodded, only for the bell to start ringing again. It was still soft and slow, but then a second pattern began, also far away.


    ¡°I hope you have a lot of Way-Wardens...¡± I grimaced, as a third pattern of chimes started.


    ¡°It should-should be fine, we would know if it was a major Unseelie invasion...¡± her words were drowned out by a sudden ear-splitting, rapid series of noises, the bells bonging wildly.


    ¡°No-no, that loud, that fast... there must be enemies passing the Fae Stones within a league of here, maybe closer...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we definitely tripped that flag.¡± I looked at Shaeula. ¡°Like you said, we can run away easily enough, but without trying to defend the mansion your brother gave you... fuck, if my sis lost a house I got her as a heartfelt gift I¡¯d be pissed off. I feel for Shaeraggo if we don¡¯t at least take a look.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We are strong.¡± She boasted, puffing out her chest. ¡°We have-have the Kamaitachi and Hyacinth to support us too. We can evacuate the maids and butler...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave you, princess...¡± he began, before she shut him up with an imperious glare.


    ¡°You can-can and will. I can not-not fight to my utmost until I know you are all safe! Now obey like the servant you are!¡±


    With that we hustled them out, towards the Ring Gate. Hyacinth hurried up to us, her face set sternly. ¡°Master, mistress. Is it enemies? Are they going to destroooy the home I have cleaned and mended? Unforgivable! I shall strangle them, crush them, tear them...¡± she growled. ¡°... nothing must threaten the hooome!¡±


    ¡°Well said indeed.¡± Shaeula approved of Hyacinth for once. ¡°This place is ours and I shall not surrender it without a matching toll-toll in blood!¡±

 One Hundred And Ninety-Four

    One Hundred And Ninety-Four


    ¡°So, do we know where the enemy actually is?¡± I asked as the musicians left through the Ring Gate, the last of our forces to retreat. While it might have been useful to have them for their supporting buffs and debuffs, they really needed to be protected by an allied force to be effective, which we simply didn¡¯t have, yet. They would request reinforcements, but due to the unpredictable time dilation between the Boundary and lower Astral, it was impossible to say if we would receive any in time.


    ¡°Over there!¡± Shaeula¡¯s eyes blazed amber, and through the trees she could see unpleasant traces of spiritual energy. ¡°They are not-not far distant.¡±


    ¡°Right, then let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t drive them off.¡± I declared, my spear already in hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take them from the front, Shaeula, you support with your pinwheels and ranged attacks. Hyacinth, can you use your vines to snare them and prevent them from moving? Then the kamaitachi can hang back and pick them off.¡±


    ¡°I shall dooo it for you, master!¡± Hyacinth said, her expression fierce, her silvery-violet eyes glittering darkly. ¡°None may threaten the masters¡¯ home!¡±


    ¡°Fine then. We are damn lucky we have your eyes, Shaeula. It makes finding them easier. Maybe you should join the Way-Wardens?¡± I grinned as we ran through the forest, brilliant fireflies and small animals scattering before us. Once more, why can¡¯t I get that skill to work? It¡¯d be way more useful than my Examination skills...


    She sniffed in response, not deigning to answer my jest as she was concentrating to use her Mystic Sight at a distance. Still, she guided us well, and soon the trees were starting to thin out. It was then that I could hear barking growls and sinister, heavy breathing, the sounds damp and menacing.


    ¡°Watch out-out!¡± Shaeula declared as a flight of arrows arced in towards us through the trees, followed by a pack of massive black hounds, their eyes burning red and yellow, their open maws leaking acidic drool from between curved fangs as long as kitchen-knives. Wind billowed, the trailing Kamaitachi calling it forth in an emerald tide, and some arrows went off course, the hounds staggering. The remainder... The arrows are fast, but not at a speed I can¡¯t perceive. Bullets fly faster, after all. The arrowheads were made of what looked like obsidian, and they were smeared with some disgusting brown liquid, which I really hoped wasn¡¯t what I thought it was.


    Dodging those I could and sweeping the remainder aside, I plunged my spear into the open mouth of the first hound. The impact of its charge staggered me, but with my high stats I was able to hold. A second hound fell, head exploding as Shaeula swung her pink jade bells to amplify a drill of compressed wind. This was followed by a tide of her wind-weasels, and several more tumbled to the ground, dead or dying. As I wrenched my spear free, turning to face another, the ground erupted, tree-roots twisting and growing, the ends turning into sharp spears that pierced the tough hides of the hounds, squirming through flesh and seeking their vitals.


    ¡°Die, die, DIE, DIE, DIE!¡± Hyacinth was giggling like a madwoman, hounds howling in torment as she tortured them. More arrows flew in, but this time we were more than ready, so Shaeula conjured a wind wall which stopped them dead. I¡¯m glad that she¡¯s strong but... yeah, she¡¯s still scary. Maids are supposed to be quiet and soothing. She¡¯d never make it in Akihabara!


    Wrenching my spear free from the dying hound, I switched to my two swords and started slashing through throats, finishing the hounds off. Shaeula then cried out, warning me of danger.


    ¡°Akio, behind you!¡± she screamed, and I spun round, bloody swords raised, only to see and hear nothing. ¡°It is a Silent Hound!¡± she cried, as a heavy weight slammed me off-balance, and sudden pain flared in my arm as jagged teeth bit into me, piercing my defensive clothing, the force of the jaws nearly snapping my strengthened bones. ¡°They can not-not be seen or heard when they stalk their prey! There are two-two more coming...¡± she cried, before her face set, resolute. ¡°The trees are in the way...¡± her pinwheels, which were constrained by the edge of the forest we were in, suddenly spun to life, and trees toppled, sheared clean through, before a hound became visible, sliding into two halves, stinking guts spilling out as it died. Blood splashed from a second, and a leg fell to the ground.


    ¡°Ooover there I see!¡± Hyacinth chortled, and she gestured. Inky blue darkness rippled out, and suddenly the hound was visible, limping on three legs, eyes vacant. Then it died as spears of wood pierced it like a hedgehog.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help me though...¡± I muttered as I thrust my blade into where the jaws were exerting pressure. Arrows came my way again and I spun, using the invisible hound as a shield. It cried out, the grip loosening momentarily, and my blade slid up through the roof of its mouth and into the brain. It let out a pained squeal and became visible as it died, the weight dragging down my arm. Damn, it looks like a sleek grey wolf, just... bigger and meaner. Levering it free, I started the process of Ether Healing.


    ¡°So-so many!¡± Shaeula was horrified, seeing what was arrayed against us. Now the trees in front of us had fallen, we could see the clearing where the Fae Stone border was. Several stones had been toppled and shattered, and a pack of dozens of the large black hounds was waiting, led by a dark wolf with brilliant red eyes like dying stars, which was of a size that defied belief. Fucking hell, that wolf is the size of a large van...


    There were also a mob of what looked like goblins, though not the kind so popular in Light Novels currently, thankfully, but the type from old stories. They were green-skinned, true, with yellow eyes that stared at us with cruel malice, eager to hurt or kill us, but they were not naked brutes using crude tools, but well armoured and equipped, many carrying the bows they had been harassing us with, others carrying swords and shields. All of them wore long black caps, like a droopy wizarding-hat, except for two, bigger and more intimidating, who carried lanterns that burned with a mystical violet glow, and also... whoa, they are carrying scythes! Creepy as hell...


    On seeing the mob, Shaeula paled. ¡°Red Caps! They are highly ranked within both the Wild Hunt and the Unseelie! To think we would see them here-here! This is no small harassment but a full-full raid...¡± she cried, before meeting my gaze, expression resolute. ¡°And worse-worse... a Barghest leads them. This will be a tough battle, even for us.¡±


    ¡°A Barghest?¡± I asked, and before she could answer, the massive wolf spoke, his voice like the rumbling of an earthquake, his vast tongue licking at teeth that matched my swords, salivating. ¡°What do we have here?¡± it laughed. ¡°Our scouts reported that this place was ripe for the taking, with naught but a few feeble servants nearby. It would have been the prefect base to infiltrate the hated Seelie Court.¡± The wolf spat, a surprisingly... human-like gesture, and the massive ball of acrid saliva splattered one of the nearby black hounds, which whined pitifully as it rolled on the ground to get it off. ¡°Oh, my mistake, I am sorry.¡± The wolf apologised to the shrieking hound. ¡°My annoyance led me to get carried away. Now, where was I?¡± the wolf grinned. ¡°Six of you, hmm?¡± it sniffed the air. ¡°One pure-blooded Fae... a noble line indeed. Very sweet. Three strange creatures, though they smell akin more to us than the Seelie. A... a mortal? No... you stink of royalty too, male, though it is faint. A bastard, born of low blood, maybe? And lastly...¡± as the Black Caps hollered and hooted, hurling insults at us, calling Shaeula out with a series of vile taunts, which caused my grip to tighten angrily on my sword...


    ¡°... You.¡± The wolf peered at Hyacinth with great curiosity. ¡°You are Unseelie, are you not? How fascinating to see you in such company. Are you a slave to them, perhaps? To think the noble Seelie would stoop to such with their enemies.¡±


    ¡°I am nooo slave, I am masters¡¯ cherished servant!¡± she declared sullenly.


    ¡°I see. Well, you belong on this side, here with us. Your heart burns black with hatred for the Seelie, I know it. If you are bound not to turn against your slavers, then at least stand aside. When we slaughter these Seelie, I will take you with us.¡± He growled then, clearly angry. ¡°Alas, our plan to capture this forest as a staging area has clearly failed. This delay will give the Way-Wardens time to deal with our other distractions. So... it is time. Farewell, Seelie nobility. Die knowing you have at least foiled my plans for now!¡± he then howled, but I wasn¡¯t so easily fooled. The signal to attack has already gone out. Shaeula has noticed as well... her pinwheels formed a whirling barrier encircling her, and blood showered around her along with body parts of severed Silent Hounds.


    ¡°Foehn, turn all the foes of the Seelie to ashes!¡± I decided to play up my role as a Seelie, after all, I was here to support Shaeula in the longer-term. Virulent napalm-like yellow flames cascaded out from me, and the Kamaitachi poured their wind into it, causing it to flare brilliantly, the yellow flames turning almost white from the increase in power. This Foehn is truly vicious. I can¡¯t believe I risked dousing myself in it to beat Shaeraggo... shaking off those idle thoughts I ran to the side as the onrushing Silent Hounds became visible as dying silhouettes under the perpetual twilight of the Fae realms. Arrows were pouring down and several Black Caps had flanked me, supported by the larger black dogs...


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Forty-Eight to Forty-Nine.


    I had no time to take pleasure in that, as I called on earth element and wind element simultaneously, to unleash a technique I had been practising in my sparring with Ulfuric. Chunks of stone ripped free from the ground, and I launched them with wind like a shotgun blast. The onrushing hounds and Black Caps staggered, sickening impacts of breaking bones ringing out through the madness. There. Those rocks bounced strangely...


    More Foehn spilled out, reducing my reserves, and yellow globes of it splashed down at the points I noticed the rocky projectiles acting unnaturally, drenching the hidden Silent Hounds.


    ¡°Annoying, very annoying.¡± The Barghest rumbled, taking a deep breath, before blowing it out, scattering the Foehn back at us. ¡°Shit!¡± The tide of yellow washed back towards me, so I called up a stone wall to block it.


    ¡°This delay is unacceptable.¡±


    ¡°Shut uuup you brute!¡± Hyacinth cried, her vines clashing with the Red and Black caps. A number of archers had been strangled to death or worse, wrung like rags, their innards squeezed out like toothpaste, but the Red Caps were a much greater threat. Their scythes effortlessly slashed the thorny stems, and dancing purple light from their lanterns seemed to warp space around them, the vines severed by nothing, or directed away almost like they were striking an invisible dome. ¡°Master Akiooo needs Hyacinth, he is the ooonly one that cared about my pain! A good servant lays down her very life for the masteeer!¡±


    ¡°Foolish little boggart... no, you are a brownie if you serve the Seelie, I suppose. You will regret spurning my generous offer. The Wild Hunt comes and goes as it pleases, killing, plundering and kidnapping as we will it.¡± with that the Barghest moved, his speed also van-like, barrelling towards Hyacinth, tongue lolling out, drool building and spilling out like a rancid waterfall.


    ¡°Shit...¡± I pulled out the experimental pistols Ixitt and Bjarki made me, and taking up a two-gun stance I opened fire. Shells peppered the charging brute, and dark blood scattered, the shells exploding with elemental energies, but with a series of agonised whines some more invisible Silent Hounds took the impacts, falling down, dying. I was then in agony as jaws closed around my leg and neck, one Silent Hound trying to bring me down, while a second went for the kill...


    Shit, I didn¡¯t see them coming again. Why... I need to be able to see... see everything I want to, everything I need to! I need eyes, like Shaeula¡¯s, no, even better! Otherwise I can¡¯t see what threatens us... Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as I activated my Body Enhancement, aether, fire, wind and earth cycling through my bones, muscles, blood, lungs, brain... Shit... desperate times... I also used Ether Healing to try and offset the damage I was doing myself, but the overall strengthening I was suddenly imbued with enabled my throat to resist the crushing pressure. I pointed the gun down and pulled the trigger, and several impacts blew holes in the flank of the Silent Hound grabbing my leg. It squealed and let go, and as spent shell-cases tumbled slowly to the ground my enhanced perception took in the battlefield...


    Shaeula was splattered with blood and gore, her yukata soaked with it, piles of hound corpses around her, but now one of the Red Caps was engaging her, and her pinwheels had somehow become hopelessly tangled, becoming useless. She was using her dagger and bells, barraging the leaping, cavorting enemy with blades of wind, blasts of flame and bolts of light, but they were curving around the goblin, or being sliced apart by its scythe.


    The second was engaging the Kamaitachi mob, and it was pushing them back. Oh come on, don¡¯t die again now that we almost have all of you back...


    Lastly the Barghest was tearing through the massive wall of vines and roots Hyacinth had conjured, his paws and jaws shredding them like mere twigs. A large felled tree struck him, causing him to pause for a moment, but the effort of using her abilities on such a scale had left Hyacinth pale and trembling, still, her eyes were unyielding, despite the many injuries she had suffered from his cruel attacks, leaving her bloody and her maid uniform shredded.


    Shit, we¡¯ve grown stronger. We should be able to handle this. My fists struck out again and again as I ran, my knuckles hurting as the sounds of breaking bone and agonised whimpers filled my ears. The Silent Hound at my throat became visible in death, jaws loosening, and I grabbed the fallen body, hurling it at the Red Cap who was nearby. The strike was true, but as it approached the back of the goblin the corpse split suddenly, ripped in half by an invisible force and tossed aside. The Red Cap turned back to me, wicked face split with a hideous grin, and it flourished the lantern at me. Dodging aside, not even sure if it was going to be an attack, but unwilling to take a chance, the air split behind me, forced apart, before rushing back together in a deafening sonic boom.


    I was right. Shit... more attacks I can¡¯t see. My lack of ability to perceive these dangers is putting those I love at risk... still... If I couldn¡¯t see the invisible, like the hounds, I just had to make the invisible visible. I refuse to believe these Red caps are invincible...


    I used earth, exploding the ground, but not as an attack, but as a fog of fine dirt, which was grabbed by the jade energies of wind and funnelled to the goblin.


    ¡°Trying to blind me, huh?¡± the Red cap chortled. ¡°Foolish. I¡¯ll skin those weasels yet and wear their fur...¡±


    I was right... but I¡¯ll only have one chance, I think... the lantern was indeed behind the defences, I could see the unnatural warping of space around the foe, centred on it. But it was almost like a field, magnetic or electric, which was affecting space itself. But like a field, there are points of convergence... my muscles and bones were screaming, my crude attempts at Body Enhancement paying dividends in power and equally harsh costs in damage. One chance... eat this you smug fucker... time seemed to slow even more as my brain worked, heat bubbling within my skull. The Red Cap was waiting for me to get torn apart by his defence, but as I thrust my sword, it wasn¡¯t at him, but at the lantern. The blade started deforming, metal screaming, moulded as though it was clay, and I let it go, wind channelled into a hefty push.


    ... as the nonsense gibberish seared through the mess that was my vision, the remaining ether was drawn into me, and in addition I could feel a significant amount being drawn from my Territory, the silos emptying themselves into me. My eye shone, before exploding with a violent pop, blood splattering everywhere. My hand moved towards the open wound, slowly, oh so slowly, as with my remaining eye I could see Shaeula¡¯s mouth creep open to cry in worry... what the fuck... my eye... it hurts worse than ANYTHING I¡¯ve ever felt before...


    It was as if a burning spear was driven into me, and as I wept blood from the open socket, I realised I could see again. The pain was fading, and suddenly I had a new eye, the scattered fragments of the shattered seed and aether gathering together, energy pulled through my bonds with Shaeula pouring into my lunar chakra and exploding upwards, merging into the swirling mess of energies within my empty socket, forming a replacement, which quickly began to show me a familiar type of message in silver, though now it only showed in this new eye...


    Mystic Eyes Of Perception Rank 0, Kin-Examination Rank 6, Self-Examination Rank 6 and Self-Examination, Territory Rank 5 have been merged with the se$% of th$ F%^&* &^ *he $¡êrl% Tr$$ seed of the Fruit of the World Tree ...


    The silvery letters of garbled nonsense were struck through by an amber line, before reforming into legible words, and the result was shocking. I felt... power. It was welling up within me, radiating out from my eye, down all through my network, which was shining powerfully, pulling in more ether from the surroundings and converting it to aether far more efficiently than ever before.


    You have gained the Skill, Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge Rank 1. Class: [Imperious]. Type: [Law]


    Wait, now we have a Type, as well as a Class? No, that hardly matters... the description was shocking.


    As the Allfather gained knowledge from the first tree, the World Tree, the root of all realms, whose branches support the Akasha, records of all knowledge where its branches or roots reach, at the cost of one of his eyes, so too have you, through coincidence bordering on the impossible, gained access to the merest fragment of Akasha. Eyes of a Fae, freely given, a Seed from the Tree itself, priceless and divine, a blessing from the highest Astral, a subtle body drenched in power gained through struggle, a need so potent that the Tree itself responded... this Eye can see and know all, yet though it has but taken root within your very being, the effect is still weak. Nurture it, grow the seed within you, and let your Eye comprehend all of creation, this gift that was granted to you that not even the first wanderer enjoyed without sacrifice. Your Eye was given freely, yet such sacrifice appalled the Fae who wished to share her sight with you, so her gift to you was awakened, a new Eye for a lost Eye.


    Freely given? Really? I had no fucking clue my eye was going to blow up! Though I suppose I was desperate for the power to see what must be seen, to know how to defeat our enemies...


    Your League and Determination have...


    League has increased from 9 to 11.


    Foresight has increased from 8 to 13.


    Majesty has increased from 12 to 15.


    Fate has increased from 1 to 3.


    Fate? That¡¯s new...


    Your Intellect, Resilience, Alacrity and Aether have all increased substantially. They are now at...


    Your Skill, Eight Moons Chakra Network has reached Rank 4. The skill has...


    Your Skill, Silver Cord has reached Rank 4. The skill has...


    Your...


    Fuck, so many messages and I really, REALLY don¡¯t have time for this. I closed my unfamiliar eye for a moment, before starting to move, time again seeming to speed up, though when I concentrated, my increased Alacrity and Intellect slowed everything down significantly. ¡°Hey, Red Cap...¡± I glared at the bastard who was hurting Shaeula. She had an awful lot of blood around her right eye, and it made me feel sick. If I discovered that she had actually given me her eye as the replacement for my lost one, I was going to be so angry... I don¡¯t even want to think about it... ¡°I suggest you start running, because when I¡¯ve killed this Barghest, you¡¯re next, and for every wound you¡¯ve put on Shaeula, I¡¯m going to repay you with agony.¡±


    ¡°My heart can not-not take such words...¡± Shaeula managed a weak giggle, still fending off the Red Cap and his remaining Black Caps. She then spun, alarmed, but before she could react I already had, my new Eye detecting the presence of two Silent Hounds. Earth spikes roared free, impaling them, and I turned back to the Red Cap. ¡°Last warning. I killed your friend, I know how that lantern works and how to break it...¡±


    At that the Red Cap actually paused, his eyes flickering to the dying Hounds, thrashing futilely against the rock lances piercing their guts. The Barghest was not impressed though, and he came roaring at me, the spear still lodged in his eye socket. Damn, seems like losing eyes is a theme tonight...


    ¡°You, kill ME?¡± he howled balefully. ¡°I am not going to kill you, no... I am going to drag you back to the Halls Of The Hunt, and you shall spend an eternity suffering. I shall make you watch as these other Fae suffer endless indignities, and...¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck does every second-rate villain always go to that when they take a beating? You¡¯ve killed plenty, you should be prepared to die in return, right?¡± I grinned, though my expression had no humour, only withering contempt and rage. I¡¯ve got quite a bit of flame and wind energy, it seems to have refilled somewhat from Shaeula and I¡¯m also full of aether. I can do this...


    ¡°Insolent Fae wretch...¡± he roared, and as he barrelled towards me I set my trap. His front legs sank into the earth as I collapsed a trench in front of him, and the momentum sent him crashing to the ground, only to see me standing there, one freshly reloaded pistol pointed at his massive, undamaged eye.


    ¡°I only have one clip left... should be enough!¡± I fired again and again, his eye blasting apart, bullets blowing into his skull before he could react. ¡°And then... Foehn...¡± his eye-socket erupted with citrine death, and his long, drawn-out howl was quickly silenced as the flames ate into his skull, silencing his howls forever.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Fifty to Fifty-One. All of your Material statistics have increased by nine. Aether has increased by twenty.


    I then casually wrenched free the spear from his other eye, brushing off the trailing sparks nonchalantly, and eyed the still hesitating Red Cap. ¡°Still here? I told you that was unwise. It¡¯s your turn now...¡±


    At that the goblins and few surviving hounds broke, rushing out between the ruined Fae Stones and fleeing. A couple of braver Black Caps raced into the fungal forest, only to stop after a few moments, clutching at their throat and eyes madly, before toppling over and expiring, mushrooms and tendrils of avaricious mould growing over them, their chest cavities bursting open to reveal glittering toadstools and waving tentacles of slime. The Red Cap looked back briefly, only to shake his head and continue along the grassy strip, heading for distant safety.


    Damn, that¡¯s a horrific sight... but... we won. Seeing that everyone was still alive, I walked over towards Shaeula, who rushed at me, her face and body dripping with gore. She leapt into my arms, her one eye peering at me, glowing brilliant amber.


    ¡°Akio, you fool-fool, when your eye burst I thought my heart would stop! Still, your new eye... I rather like it! It is still-still the moonstone shade I adore, but now faint flecks of my amber dance within.¡± She grinned wearily. ¡°Eri will be so-so jealous.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡± I brushed aside her bloody hair, taking a closer look at her own wounds. ¡°Your... is your eye okay? I got a message that you had freely given me an eye! Tell me that was bullshit!¡± I begged, and she only arched an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°Would that be so wrong? I felt pain at seeing you in such-such a state. We are connected, are we not-not? I would rather be blind than see you suffer!¡±


    ¡°But... I¡¯d rather go blind than cost you your sight!¡± I growled, my anger rising.


    ¡°Well, it is fortunate then...¡± suddenly her blood-gummed eyelid slowly opened, revealing her still healthy eye beneath, and I sagged with relief, and nearly dropped her. Tears started to flow, and soon we were both crying.


    ¡°Thank the gods...¡± I whispered. ¡°I was terrified you¡¯d done something foolish...¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps I did. I consented to have my eyes taken, both if need-need be.¡± She shook her head. ¡°And do not-not scowl at me so. If you could do the same for me, why can I not-not for you? In any case... I tried to offer-offer my sight, but instead I was somehow able to rebuild your eye using my essence, the remains of some strange glowing fragments and Ether Healing. Such a feat, at such a distance separated... I could have done it to none-none other but you.¡± she grinned, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°Though I had made-made an Oath to trade my sight, I can not-not be held at fault if your eye recovered, making the oath invalid. You hardly need-need three eyes, do you?¡±


    I had to kiss her then. We were bloody and battered, and despite my earlier injuries, I was probably in the best shape out of all of us after the strange vision or dream I had, since my body was flooded with incredibly pure aether at that time. As we entwined, I could hear the Kamaitachi snickering, while Hyacinth pouted, crying sad tears, claiming our flirting was ¡°annoooying, as a servant who fought so hard deserved praise.¡±. Shaeula shrugged, and I turned, opening my free arm to her.


    ¡°All right then. You did do well. Come Hyacinth, let master give you a hug!¡±


    ¡°I am sooo happy!¡± she declared, rushing into my embrace, and for a long while I held the two girls tight, revelling in the fact that we made it through the battle still alive, if not unscathed, only for my Eye to see distant figures approaching, who suddenly resolved into a motley assortment of Fae, beast-types, faerie types, what looked like elves, and more, all riding white steeds that had rainbow manes and hooves. On seeing us and the mess around, the corpse of the Barghest still slowly evaporating to ether, the leader, an elven woman by the looks of it, raised her lance threateningly.


    ¡°I am Caeladaera of the Way-Wardens. Just... just what happened here?¡±

 One Hundred And Ninety-Five

    One Hundred And Ninety-Five


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± In my arms Shaeula nodded at me after exchanging a glance, so I took the lead. Makes sense. Shaeula isn¡¯t supposed to be in the Seelie Court right now... ¡°Caeladaera, was it?¡± I asked, and the pretty yet stern blonde elf scowled.


    ¡°That would be Way-Captain Caeladaera to you, stranger.¡± She looked around. ¡°This grove is ruined. An atrocity...¡±


    So, not in a good mood. I suppose not, if the Way-Wardens have been running all over the place to deal with Wild Hunt raids... ¡°My apologies, Way-Captain.¡± I bowed smoothly, trying to exude as much Majesty and Charm as possible, and her steely blue gaze softened just a touch. It always unnerves me when blue-eyed girls look at me that way, reminds me too much of my sis and mom...


    ¡°Please excuse our poor manners, we have had to fight for our lives against the Wild Hunt, so we are not at our best. As for the damage... a great shame indeed, but...¡± What with the felled trees by Shaeula, the massive patches of burned ground I had caused, glittering tongues of Foehn still burning brightly in various places, and the long furrows of ripped earth Hyacinth had created as a side effect of her vines and roots, we had actually caused quite a bit of damage to the forest bordering the Fae Stones. ¡°... unfortunately, the Wild Hunt were tenacious. To stop them we had to make hard choices. I could not allow my mistress to come to harm, as even she stepped up to defeat the foul forces of the Hunt.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Barghest dead here!¡± one of the horsemen called, although was it really a horseman if the rider was a sort of hedgehog Beastkin, an array of spines jutting out of their armour like a thicket of trees. I pity the poor horse... ¡°A Red Cap too!¡±


    The Way-Wardens quickly split up, only Caeladaera and a female foxkin remaining with us. As they inspected the many bodies of hounds and Black Caps, they were reeling in shock. ¡°So, you mean to tell me that you six...¡± she eyed us all, unconvinced. ¡°... defeated a full Wild Hunt raid? I can see you¡¯ve fought, as you are wounded...¡± she could see the injuries and torn clothing of Hyacinth and Shaeula. ¡°... but this seems... improbable. Just who are you, strangers? This area should be largely uninhabited but for a few old mansions dotted about where noble Seelie from the court might spend a few pleasant evenings.¡±


    Shaeula was trembling a little in my arms, so I put on my most dignified and affronted expression. ¡°That is simple. We are honoured guests of Shaeraggo Gul Shae Dannan, noble prince of the Seelie!¡± I declared grandly, inwardly laughing. Seriously, good job I remember his name... I wonder what face he¡¯d make if he could see me praising him like this. Not sure it¡¯d be a pleased one... ¡°I am a humble guard of my mistress, who has Prince Shaeraggo¡¯s favour and was invited to this mansion. This is our maid, who fought bravely too.¡±


    At my words of praise, Hyacinth blushed and started drooling a little, but luckily she was too exhausted to do much else.


    ¡°I see.¡± The foxkin sniffed. ¡°I did wonder why you smelt so familiar. You must be weaselkin, right?¡± the foxkin spat. ¡°If you can both take mortalform you can¡¯t be that weak.¡± The fox shrugged. ¡°Guess that fool Shaeraggo is in the market for a third wife... well, if you can fight the Wild Hunt and make it out alive, you can¡¯t be that useless...¡± shaking her long red bushy tail derisorily, the foxkin lost interest.


    In my arms Shaeula stiffened, probably annoyed (or even nauseated) at the thought of being one of her brothers¡¯ conquests, but I patted her back and head reassuringly, calming her down. Caeladaera was about to continue her questioning when the hedgehog came galloping back, excited, the mangled lantern in its hands. ¡°Way-Captain! This Red Cap was a lantern-bearer!¡±


    Her azure eyes went wide with shock. I followed her gaze, and as I looked at the broken lantern my new Eye activated.


    Lantern of the Violet Void (Broken) ¨C Item Class: [Destroyed], Item Type: [Principle]


    A lantern that traps a portion of spatial element, using the Principle of Space to warp the area around the bearer, forming both a shield and sword of impenetrable distortions. It has been destroyed and is no longer able to operate.


    Finally! A truly useful appraisal cheat! Now I finally feel like a proper protagonist! Thank you... wait, who am I thanking... my mind is a bit fuzzy... oh yeah, Exposition-san! You came through for me... eventually! Still, this was the first I had heard of a spatial element in actuality, though some of the chakra systems I had studied online in the early days had it as an element for the crown or throat chakras. Though the throat seems to be darkness element, right?


    ¡°It¡¯s destroyed...¡± Caeladaera marvelled. ¡°A shame we can¡¯t study it.¡± Her piercing gaze turned back to us. ¡°Which of you did this?¡±


    ¡°That would be me.¡± I replied. ¡°The goblin scum was threatening my mistress, so of course I could not let it slide!¡± I was embellishing and adapting the tale for all it was worth. ¡°My attacks were useless, seemingly pulled around the Red Cap as if by magic. But I noticed that at a point they moved in different directions, so when I aimed right in-between... the lantern was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Really? You must have the good fortune of the Queen herself.¡± Caeladaera mused. ¡°It is a miracle you escaped with your life if they had a lantern bearer. The Red Caps have always been trouble, but since this early Hunting Season has started, they are showing up with these damn lanterns. We¡¯ve lost Way-Wardens...¡± at that she made a strange gesture with her hands, and the other Way-Wardens in sight echoed her. It must be a gesture of respect or something similar.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been pretty happy with my luck.¡± I agreed. ¡°But more importantly... the Barghest... well, like all villains, it really loved the sound if its own voice. I guess it hadn¡¯t realised bragging about its plans always leads to defeat.¡± At that wry comment, Shaeula started giggling, burying her bloody face in my chest so as not to embarrass herself.


    ¡°Oh, and did you learn anything of note...?¡± Caeladaera leaned in, eager, perhaps thoughts of her fallen Way-Wardens inciting her need to strike back at the foes. ¡°It was quite the feat, slaying a Barghest. Was it you who did?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°If anything threatens the safety of my mistress, be it Barghest, Demon or even a Dragon, I shall show it no mercy!¡± Playing up my act, which was not entirely one, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Shaeula¡¯s ears and neck were flushed. Cute! ¡°But that aside, the Barghest told me the other Hunts were distractions, and it wanted to capture the forest and mansion here and use it as a staging point for deeper raids. Our presence disrupted that plan though, and well... I guess he won¡¯t be Hunting ever again...¡± I then remembered something important. ¡°Wait... he said his scouts reported that this area was sparsely populated and weakly defended, so either they¡¯ve been getting through the Fae Stones unnoticed, or there are traitors here...¡±


    ¡°Traitors, huh?¡± the foxkin spat again, before Caeladaera could react. She had been looking at us strangely for a while. ¡°Speaking of traitors... isn¡¯t that an Unseelie in your arms?¡± Her mouth split, revealing jagged teeth. At her pronouncement, Caeladaera urged her horse backwards, silver lance levelled at us. Her eyes went wide, as she realised that under the mess of blood and wounds, Hyacinth looked like no normal brownie.


    ¡°Just what is the meaning of this?¡± the Way-Captain cried. ¡°Yes, she gives off a menacing dark aura! Is this an Unseelie trap? Wardens, fan out! Prepare for battle! We have been lured into an ambush!¡± She glared at us coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are working with the Wild Hunt, or you betrayed them, but if we are to die, then you Unseelie will perish under our lances and blades first!¡±


    ¡°Oh do-do be silent, fool!¡± Shaeula shouted, wind amplifying her voice. ¡°She is but our maid, not-not some Unseelie monster.¡± At her words, Hyacinth started sniffling, touched.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I said, projecting my anger masterfully with my tone, my increased Majesty helping. ¡°I demand your apology for this insult, Way-Captain Caeladaera. You too, fox.¡± I fixed them with my steely grey glare. ¡°Poor Hyacinth has suffered much at the hands of the Unseelie, and so she is at times a bit... damaged. But she is a good and honest brownie, who tends to our hearth and home, makes the beds, cooks meals, sweeps and cleans... and she fights too. She held the Barghest at bay, at great cost to herself, while I dealt with the Red Cap and other foes. So... don¡¯t you dare treat her as a monster! She¡¯s not! If you want to try us, then feel free... but know that before you lay a finger on either my mistress or my maid, I¡¯ll be dead, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can take most of you with me...¡±


    ¡°Masteeer! Sooo cool, you have stolen Hyacinth¡¯s heart all ooover again!¡± she wailed, tears and snot soaking my arm where I held her. In my other arm Shaeula also agreed, rubbing her head against me, flames of lust igniting in her eyes.


    ¡°Way-Captain, Way-Captain!¡± several of her forces galloped in on their brightly-burning steeds, followed by a welcome sight, which drove all the tension out of me. Ulfuric, Tillyae, and a nice host of weaselkin... reinforcements at last. Late for the battle, but still timely...


    ¡°Ulfuric, you made it. The battle is over, but... we are still having a few issues.¡± I glared at Caeladaera, who lowered her lance, conflicted.


    ¡°Master Ulfuric, well-met.¡± She called, dismounting and offering him a bow. I guess Ulfuric is a big-shot in a way, since he commands the armies of Prince Shaetanao. Sometimes I forget that, considering how often he¡¯s beating me up...


    ¡°Way-Captain.¡± Ulfuric made the same hand gesture the Way-Wardens did earlier. ¡°Well met indeed. The servants from the mansion returned, saying there was a Wild Hunt occurring. I have brought reinforcements but... it seems there is no need.¡± He saw the dead Barghest and rumbled approvingly. ¡°The Hunt seems to have been dealt with appropriately, so... why the show of force?¡± He looked at the princess in my arms, who shook her head and bit her lip, motioning for him to keep his silence.


    ¡°They have an Unseelie with them!¡± the foxkin accused once more. ¡°They say she was just a victim, but... I know an enemy when I see and smell one.¡±


    ¡°You know fuck all.¡± I spat, incensed. ¡°I demand an apology. You not only insult Hyacinth, who shed blood doing your job, but you insult me, as her master, my mistress, and Prince Shaeraggo, who invited us here. All this after we killed a Barghest, a Red Cap lantern bearer, and numerous Silent Hounds, Black Caps and more... is this the pride of the vaunted Way-Wardens, to cast accusations against those that aid them? Well next time maybe we¡¯ll just step aside and let the Hunt rampage, wave them on with a cheery oh, apparently we are all Unseelie, so go on, have a great time pillaging! By the Moon...¡± I made sure to swear in a Fae manner. ¡°... you¡¯re a sorry excuse for a fox. I thought foxkin were supposed to be cunning and intelligent, not some coward jumping at shadows of the Unseelie.¡±


    Before the foxkin could respond, Caeladaera held up her hand to forestall her. ¡°There is definitely something... unsettling about this... Hyacinth, you say...¡± at my nod she continued. ¡°... but your words ring true. Your aid was most appreciated here. Your information also. Besides...¡± she sighed. ¡°Master Ulfuric would not be collaborating with the Unseelie. Were such to happen, the very order of the Court would be on the brink of collapse. Wardens, lower your weapons.¡±


    I held in a sigh of relief as the situation calmed. The foxkin was still glaring at me, yellow eyes angry and bitter, but I was in no mood to pay her any more mind. Instead, I decided to investigate the area, absorbing the remaining ether from the slain members of the Wild Hunt. It was a surpringly decent amount, which was good. I remember drawing a lot of ether from my Territory. I suspect I just emptied the coffers... oh well, we can always earn more...


    On looking at the fallen and shattered Fae Stones I examined them as well, pleased to finally have the appraisal I¡¯d always dreamed of.


    Fae Warding Stone (Broken) ¨C Item Class: [Destroyed], Item Type: [Artifice]


    Pinnacle ¨C The strongest of abilities that use multiple natural processes.


    Foundation ¨C An ability powered by the lowest level of rules that govern reality.


    Rule ¨C An ability drawing on knowledge of reality. Unlike Laws and Principles, the Rule is imperfect and can often be suppressed by greater powers.


    Artifice ¨C An ability made up of a combination of rules. It lacks the certainty of higher-type abilities, but is still powerful.


    Principle ¨C An ability based on a portion of one or more immutable laws. It can be overpowered by a suitable Law-class ability.


    Law ¨C An ability based on manipulating one of the immutable Laws that govern multiversal reality.


    Fate ¨C An ability that draws on Fortune, Destiny and Fate to effect a result, often creating near-impossible successes, the province of the Divine.


    Mystery ¨C An ability that exceeds the knowledge the multiverse understands and can measure.


    As I explained these to Shaeula she listened in rapt fascination, barely even noticing when Risha and Vilna brought us wine and snacks. ¡°So... since my Eye is an Imperious-Law Rank 1 type...¡± (I decided to refer to them this way, it was easy to grasp and sounded cool) ¡°...I guess it has a LOT of potential.¡±


    ¡°And it is thanks at least in part to me, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula was fishing for affection and compliments.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Speaking of, Kin Bonding And Restoration is an Imperious-Principle type, so I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said your skills would be considered broken if life was a game.¡± My heartfelt praise moved her, sparking her passion, so again we took a break to fool around, working off more steam from the battle. The door had creaked open a little, and I could see strands of black hair with purple and green highlights fluttering through, as well as a purplish-silver eye peering in, but I steadfastly ignored her and her heavy breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in Fate too.¡± I mused, and the description was intriguing to say the least.


    Fate- If Fortune is one¡¯s luck made manifest, then Fate is the strength one has to avoid the strangling touch of inevitability, the cut strings of death, and the winding skeins of those who would seek to do you harm. The higher your Fate, the less likely you are to fall into circumstances where there is no victory. Fate does not aid you directly, but the swirling strands allow chances to be grasped to avoid even certain doom, should one have the wisdom and the will...


    ¡°Yeah, now that... is one cool ability. So, if the Material attributes are all that tangibly makes up a person, then the Intangible statistics seem to be everything that comprises not the body or the mind, but... existence... I guess?¡±


    We had luck and destiny, as well as presence, willpower, force of personality, the calibre of one¡¯s very spirit and even glimpses of the future. Put together, Fortune, Fate and Foresight controlled one¡¯s fate, while Charm, Majesty and Determination was the strength of personality, while League was the level of one¡¯s being, perhaps even the soul...


    ¡°Well, all this means is, higher numbers are better, so we need to grind stats, all the stats.¡± I grinned at Shaeula, who took that moment to throw an empty plate at the door, sending Hyacinth skittering away, muttering sadly to herself. When she saw my questioning look, she grinned a touch bashfully. ¡°She was distracting me. I concede, she has proven herself here, so my stance on her has-has softened, but still... I am not-not ready yet to have her peep on our... fun.¡±


    ¡°Well, no time for fun yet. I have a few last things to look at.¡± On checking my Eight Moons Chakra Network, I discovered some additional information which was quite interesting... The network has been reinforced with power from Ortlinde¡¯s Wolf-Hair Bracelet Of Silver Wisdom, one of the seeds of the Fruit of the World Tree within having melted down and been integrated through the lunar chakra. All chakras have been strengthened and work more efficiently. The network has now perfectly adapted to a once-mortal body, with all the changes that entails.


    ¡°I see-see. No wonder you seem more Fae-like than ever.¡± She grinned. ¡°I would not-not be surprised if you were considered half-Fae at least now. This pleases me. We shall live long together. But Aiko, Eri, your family, our friends... I am now-now a greedy female, I wish to preserve them all as well!¡±


    ¡°And we will. I guess that strengthening is why all my chakras, including the lunar one, gained a Rank. That¡¯s massively increased my elemental generation, I¡¯m flush with power.¡± I then stopped, an idea coming to me like a bolt of lightning. ¡°Hmm, if my Eight Moons Chakra Network has perfectly adapted, couldn¡¯t we use me as a basis to adapt it for others too?¡±


    As we discussed this, I tried to appraise the bracelet in my right wrist, but alas... I guess Rank 1 is still too low... all I got was Ortlinde¡¯s Wolf-Hair Bracer Of Silver Wisdom ¨C Item Class: [Legendary], Item Type: [Principle] - ??????????????


    Now I feel guilty for bad-mouthing Exposition-san... no, Ortlinde... in my head all this time, to think I got a Legendary item right from the start! Even if the use-condition was that I had to gather a ton of levels, it¡¯s still great... Sorry! I clapped my hands together in apology.


    ¡°Well, shall we return to the Boundary or the Material then?¡± Shaeula asked, a touch regretfully, perhaps enjoying her return to the Fae lands, even if it was far distant from her true home.


    ¡°Yeah, but first... I¡¯m curious about one thing...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, I had a question, and I guess you would be the one to talk to, Ulfuric.¡± I sat across the table from the giant badgerkin, who looked at me calmly.


    ¡°Very well, ask away. Your valour in battle and defence of the princess and the Seelie Court has impressed me. You have put my training to good use.¡±


    ¡°Okay, cool. So... why hasn¡¯t the Seelie Court retaken some of the lost lands, like the Spring Of Clear Reflections? It sounds to me like these sites were important, and not just with what they offered in terms of physical benefits, but spiritually and emotionally as well. I mean... the hill is just there, what, ten or twenty miles away?¡±


    ¡°You think we did not try?¡± Ulfuric shook his head. ¡°The Fae dwindle away, new kin birthed from the Astral and by those who choose to pair up and mate with each other not sufficient to replace our losses. The decline is slow, but in time...¡± his eyes were distant, thinking about something or someone precious. ¡°.. still, expeditions were raised. Though the Spring Of Clear Reflections is lost for good. Any who set foot in the surrounding forest, they die quickly and painfully. They.... burst.¡± He grunted. ¡°First one feels pain and can not speak, breath coming quick and agonisingly, unable to draw in ether. Then... the chest cavity explodes, mushrooms, toadstools and fungi growing rapidly, and then the body is consumed, joining the endless toxic forest of fungal death that surrounds the once-beautiful hill, with its clear spring of moonlight so beautiful...¡±


    ¡°I see. I think I saw that, a couple of goblins ran in when they fled and it happened just like you said. Did people try covering their mouths and nose?¡± After all, it sounds like Fae don¡¯t really need to breathe, it just helps them gather ether another way...


    ¡°Of course, and it did delay matters, but only for a short time. The end was always the same...¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m just nipping to the border, I want to take a look at something. Mind coming along while Shaeula is resting?¡±


    He nodded his head and followed me. As we left the mansion I could see the remains of one Fae Stone piled up, ready for transport back to my Territory. At the border itself, Fae were lowering in new stones to replace the gap, but that didn¡¯t interest me. What did was... I see it. Yes... makes sense...


    With the power of my Eye, it was possible to get a description of what I had suspected. Myconid Death Spores ¨C This is a collective name for these spores, pollens and seeds that blow endlessly in the wind through the forest. When entering through the mouth, nose, eyes or any open wound, they lead to rapid...


    Before I had even finished reading, I knew I was right. Turning to Ulfuric, I grinned. ¡°Great, I¡¯ve seen enough. Looks like I need to have another talk with Ixitt and Bjarki.¡±


    ¡°You seem pleased. Just what did you see?¡± Ulfuric rumbled, and my only response was my smile growing even brighter, and...


    ¡°I see many levels in my future, and a lot of good ether. Levels and ether, and perhaps even... the chance Shaeula needs to re-join the Seelie Court, to go home, her head held high...¡±

 One Hundred And Ninety-Six

    One Hundred And Ninety-Six


    On returning to the Boundary through the Ring Gate, after ensuring the mansion was secure and the Fae Stones had been replaced, I felt a sense of relief. This place... it really feels like home now. As I exited the gate, Shaeula hand-in-hand with me as always, Ulfuric and our forces following, I cast my gaze towards the ruby flows of elemental energy that played around it.


    ¡°Pretty.¡± Shaeula observed, grinning as she peered into my right eye. ¡°When you concentrate, I can-can see the sparks of amber increasing within.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to be careful then not to give my ability away.¡± I paused, having a thought. ¡°Maybe I need an eyepatch. And it looks like I have power sealed in my right arm, so I could properly fit the mould of a Chunni protagonist, one who never grew up.¡± Even as I joked, I could track the play of energies within the red mist. In addition to providing appraisal like my old skills did, it also functioned like Shaeula¡¯s Mystic Eyes, seeing flows of aether, elemental energies and the unseen, though I had not developed the ability to be as effective as she had. Yet. I¡¯m only Rank 1. But it still gives me way more information than Rank 5 and 6 skills ever did before.


    Shaeula didn¡¯t normally watch the sort of anime that had that sort of protagonist, favouring magical girl stories usually, but she had seen a couple of the major ones, including one where a boy gets betrayed and falls down below the bottom floor of a dungeon, loses an arm and an eye, and ends up as an eye-patched, gun-toting show-off, so she got the general idea. Her face twisted sourly. ¡°No-no, I believe you are fine as you are. There is no need for such nonsense. Besides, it would be a great shame to cover-cover your eye. I find it rather striking.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you.¡± I laughed, ruffling her hair. While I was here I decided to have a glance at our Build Queues, to give an indication of how much time had actually passed while we were spending around four days in the Fae Lands. Sadly my ether stocks were low, probably because I drained everything to empower and facilitate the growth of my Eye, so further additions to the Queues would have to wait.


    Looks like roughly two and a half astral days have passed here as opposed to four in the Fae Lands. Interesting. That means that if we could take the training to the mansion, we could get extra time working in our favour... No buildings had finished, though one Rank 2 Silo would be done in half a day, and a Rank 2 Ether Spire in a day and a bit.


    ¡°All right, time to see Master Bjarki.¡± I put on my bravest expression and strolled over to his forge. Ixitt and the ratkin were also there as usual, working away. On seeing us, Ixitt turned, eyes sparkling with anticipation. ¡°So, how was it then? Did you.. keh... get a chance to test the guns?¡± he immediately questioned me without even a greeting.


    Ignoring the long sigh from Shaeula I produced the pistols, handing them over. ¡°I sure did. Blew through all the ammunition too. The explosive powder inside the shells is a nice touch. The Barghest certainly went out with a bang.¡±


    ¡°A Barghest, hmm? Keh, there must be a story to tell there.¡± Ixitt smirked, examining the pistol for signs of use, and inspecting some of the spent casings I had recovered.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there just. You want to tell him?¡± I asked Shaeula, who was clearly bursting with pride, her chest puffed out. She then regaled him with the tale of us facing the Wild Hunt, paying particular emphasis to how I threatened the Red Cap that had hurt her, and the way I had stared down the Barghest, before coolly unloading the bullets into its eye and burning out its brain.


    ¡°I see, very... impressive.¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°I would, keh, have liked to see that myself. To think you would come across a Hunt and defeat it. Well, it was only a probing, keh, raid... even you would have struggled to see off a true Hunt, princess.¡± He then looked at me, hopeful. ¡°These lanterns, they interest me greatly. Did you...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not.¡± I cut him off a touch sourly. ¡°Way-Captain Caeladaera took it with her, she wanted to talk to her higher-ups about the lanterns and how to beat it. Apparently these new Red Caps have cost them some fine Way-Wardens.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is quite a shame.¡± he shook his head.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t all bad.¡± I pointed behind me, to see weaselkin carrying an assortment of shattered white rocks. ¡°We did get a ruined Fae Stone to experiment on. That has to be worth something, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, keh-keh...¡± he coughed again, more from excitement than his prior injuries.


    ¡°And anyway, I have to ask you something. How do you fancy being part of a combat mission? You want to test that shotgun of yours, right? Besides, I¡¯ll need an artificer on site.¡±


    ¡°A combat mission?¡± Ixitt looked at me quizzically.


    ¡°Yeah. I think you, me, Shaeula, Grulgor and Hyacinth should be able to handle it, some old-school TRPG party play.¡± At the unfamiliar term both Shaeula and Ixitt looked puzzled. ¡°Grulgor to tank, me as hybrid tank-dealer, Shaeula as ranged DPS, You as ranged DPS and essential support, and Hyacinth as buffer/debuffer. We¡¯ll need a few other bits and pieces, but... I think we can do it.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°I recognise DPS.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°I can indeed output much-much damage quickly. And buffs and debuffs I understand.¡±


    ¡°I must admit I don¡¯t quite... keh... get it.¡± Ixitt said, shrugging. ¡°But I am sure you can explain?¡±


    ¡°I can. Lets just say we are striking a blow for the Seelie Court and Shaeula¡¯s reputation. But first, I need you to work on some gear for us all. I may require minor changes, as I don¡¯t remember everything perfectly and need to refresh my memory when I return to the Material, but...¡±


    As I explained what I wanted, Ixitt at first looked puzzled, then surprised, then thoughtful, and finally elated. ¡°Yes, keh... keh. I think, no, I know I can make that work! Such a pinnacle of Mortal Engineering! I shall gather... all my idle kin and begin work, as well as... keh... speak to the kobolds. Marvellous. Yes, staying here was the... keh, keh... wisest decision I have made.¡±


    ¡°Having that cough is still an issue through, considering.¡± I mused. ¡°Let me do another round of healing. I think I can do even better now.¡± My Eye glittered, and I could see areas of damage to his subtle body, and now that Ether Healing was Rank 5, it was simplicity to fix the remaining damage to his throat, lungs and also the damage to his throat and heart chakras, which I had not been able to do prior to this.


    ¡°There, all done.¡± I said, and Ixitt took a deep breath, marvelling at the lack of pain and irritation.


    ¡°It... it is wonderful.¡± He grinned. ¡°Even your aid before made it much more bearable... but now, I am healed.¡± He did a little caper of joy, his tail lashing. ¡°And now I can run even riskier experiments, knowing that I can be cured of any unfortunate injuries!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± I laughed at his enthusiasm. ¡°Anyway, uh, I need to speak to Master Bjarki. I kind of... wrecked one of the Twin Fangs.¡±


    ¡°Ye did what¡¯n now?¡± Bjarki popped his head out of the forge. ¡°T¡¯swords were damn fine work, so they were.¡±


    ¡°Well, they came up against a spatial distortion, so no matter how good the craftsmanship, the end result was inevitable. Still, even being warped and broken, it still struck the telling blow. Its partner avenged it.¡± I declared, trying to head off his anger.


    Bjarki looked at me flatly. ¡°Show me then, I nae have¡¯n all day.¡±


    Pulling out the mangled blade I passed it over. Bjarki pursed his lips at the sight of it, but then his expression changed, and I could almost feel his concentration.


    ¡°Aye, this¡¯n be why.¡± He muttered eventually. ¡°Still, can ye not see it?¡±


    Shaeula looked at the sword then, eyes glowing, and I did the same. What I saw shocked me.


    Single Fang of the Twin Fangs (Broken) ¨C Item Class: [Destroyed], Item Type: [Foundation]


    A sword of mixed dwarven-steel and bluesteel, made by the renowned Dvergr craftsman Bjarki, one of a matched pair. It was destroyed by a spatial barrier, but even as it was warped and shattered the bluesteel within greedy absorbed some of this element and has merged with the dwarven steel and mutated.


    ¡°I do. It¡¯s changed, even in destruction.¡±


    ¡°Aye. Any weapon made by m¡¯craft, they¡¯n never be simple. Even so, this¡¯n be quite the shocker.¡± He put out one hand, and I looked at it, puzzled.


    ¡°T¡¯other blade.¡± He said, sighing in annoyance. ¡°They¡¯n be a pair, so t¡¯remake one, I needs must remake t¡¯other too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I got you.¡± I retrieved the second fang and passed it to Bjarki, once more lamenting I was barely able to keep weapons intact for long. ¡°And one last thing. Ixitt might need your help on an important project too.¡±


    Bjarki gave me a flat look, which I interpreted as ¡®why the hell is this fool giving me more work?¡¯, but he nodded slowly and headed back inside, taking the twin fangs with him, Ixitt¡¯s laughter chasing him.


    ¡°Right, in that case, Ixitt, I¡¯ll leave the work to you. I¡¯ll send someone to bring back Grulgor from wherever he is rampaging, and I¡¯ll get the information we need. But now we should head back to the Material. Coming, Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just girls, Tanaka-san.¡± Hashimoto-san chided him. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said to me. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t offended.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I waved it off with a light laugh. ¡°I can¡¯t argue, there are a lot of girls in the training school. Sometimes I feel like a schoolteacher on a class trip. Though last night others had to supervise. Anyway, is Karen-chan in her office?¡±


    Tanaka-san nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s in the back.¡±


    Finishing with my greetings I knocked on her door. ¡°Come in.¡± she called, and when I opened it and she saw me she smiled. ¡°Akio-kun, what brings you here?¡± On seeing the grin on my face she stiffened. ¡°Oh, another strange task, I see.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± seeing her pout like a younger girl amused me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s just data gathering, should be easy enough. Firstly I need you to gather information on Valkyries and the God Tyr.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± she asked, non-plussed.


    ¡°Valkyries. And Tyr. The Norse God and Valkyries from Norse mythology. I need information on them, the best that can be gathered. Rumours, old stories, wiki articles, anything, though it¡¯d be great if they could be drilled down by plausibility.¡±


    ¡°Plausibility. Right. Right.¡± Karen-chan rubbed at her eyes tiredly. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact you pay me damn well I¡¯d think this was all a prank, but nobody wastes this sort of money on a joke. Fine, I¡¯ll pass it to one of the guys. So, what¡¯s the second thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this one¡¯s easy. Can you find me a nearby arts and crafts shop that sells person-sized canvasses and art supplies? I need it pretty quickly, as I have to do a bit of painting this morning.¡±


    ¡°Painting huh? No, I won¡¯t ask.¡± She sighed again. ¡°Fine, no problem, leave it with me and I¡¯ll text you the address. Though actually, I do just have one question...¡± she arched an eyebrow at me sardonically.


    ¡°Sure, fire away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not painting a nude of Shaeula are you?¡±


    What. The. Hell? At my dumbfounded expression, she burst out laughing. ¡°Oh god, you are still so fun to tease, Akio-kun. A guy who is cheating with two beauties shouldn¡¯t be so easy to fluster. Now go on, shoo, shoo! Thanks to you we have more work to do!¡±


    Scuttling out, my face red, I ruminated on her words. She¡¯s right! Why am I so embarrassed? If I wanted to make art of my beautiful fiance?e, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. Though I¡¯d never do a nude, no way I want other men to see Shaeula or Eri naked. Still, why does Karen-chan think the same damn way Shaeula does? Is it a woman thing?


    Still, that didn¡¯t matter. What did was getting everything prepared for this evening. It was time to put the power of my Eye to the test!


    ********


    So it turns out it wasn¡¯t Shaeula who was getting the nude painting done, but me! Damn, if only Karen-chan knew! I guess Shaeula got her way in the end, after all.


    ¡°Do not-not move.¡± Shaeula demanded, her eyes glowing brilliantly, her face showing intense concentration. Her yukata was covered with blotches of paint, and while I had tried to convince her to use the various marker-style pens we had bought, she declined, deciding she was more comfortable doing it how she learned when she was younger.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, not even able to cover my crotch. My only saving grace was that the painting was going to be covered with various lines, blotches and other coloured marks, largely obscuring everything. Shaeula hummed to herself as she worked, the theme from a popular idol group she heard about while in Nishimorioka, and watching her gave me a new appreciation of her charms. Seriously, I know we have to fight and grow stronger, but when this is all over, won¡¯t it be wonderful, Eri, Shaeula and me, our family, our friends, all just lazing about, spending our time doing things we enjoy, just taking it easy... renewing my resolve to save the Earth and protect everyone I cared about, so that happy future could come to pass, I watched Shaeula paint, until she declared she was done.


    ¡°I have finished. It is quite-quite the masterpiece.¡± she said proudly, turning around the canvas.


    ¡°it¡¯s... well yeah, it¡¯s certainly something.¡± I agreed. Yeah, it¡¯s a really good painting, for real. But having all the branching capillaries, primary trunk-way, eight primary chakras and numerous smaller secondary sub-chakras drawn in makes me look like I¡¯ve swallowed a galaxy of stars and glitter.


    ¡°Right, one last check. Bring over the mirror.¡± I said, and she wheeled over the full-length mirror I bought Shaeula a while back so she could see herself when she changed clothes. Placing it next to the painting, I channelled aether into my Eye, examining myself in the reflective glass. Will this even work?


    ¡°So, can you see it?¡± she asked, and I nodded, a little surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, it works. Though everything is back to front, it doesn¡¯t seem to be an issue, I can understand the layout just fine.


    Eight Moons Chakra Network Rank 4 Class: [Noble], Type: [Rule] ¨C This advanced and well-formed chakra network consists of...


    The description wasn¡¯t what I wanted, so I let the amber writing fade, concentrating on seeing within my body. So, does the Eye pick up on some sort of reflected light that we normally can¡¯t see... aetherlight, maybe? Damn, that¡¯s a fascinating question. No time for that now though.


    Comparing my image to the painting, Shaeula had done a fantastic job. I did make a few small additions with the marker pens, but otherwise it was masterful. Seeing where all the nodes and sub-chakras were and how they linked up properly in one image was certainly instructive. With this we can improve the effect of exercises for everyone. Huh, what?


    I paused as I heard the rustle of cloth and heard something fall. Turning my head I could see Shaeula had stepped out of her paint-splattered yukata, which vanished, leaving her naked. ¡°Now you shall paint me!¡± she grinned. ¡°After all, are not-not males and females built differently? I would hate for you to assume that Hinata, Motoko, Kana and the others should-should be attuned in one manner, only to do them harm.¡±


    No, seriously, I can see it in your eyes. You just want me to paint you too, don¡¯t you? Well damn, Karen-chan was right after all. Resigned, I picked up a brush, determined no-one was going to see this painting!


    ********


    ¡°You have talent as well, it seems.¡± Shaeula grinned, admiring herself. ¡°Though you should have used more paint and less of these pens.¡±


    ¡°Cut me some slack.¡± I shrugged, mentally exhausted. ¡°I was always okay at art, but most of this has come from the fact my fine motor-control is utterly superhuman now. So, check yourself in the mirror, but remember the reflections are backwards, so don¡¯t make a mistake or we¡¯ll end up wiring someone up wrongly. I¡¯d hate to injure someone badly, causing them to short-circuit.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Shaeula said, facing the mirror.


    Well, the painting is certainly nice but... As Shaeula took her brush, dipping it in paint to make slight modifications to areas I had been unable to fully see, I considered this carefully.


    ¡°Say, Shaeula. That¡¯s a crafted body you are in right now, from the Throne, right? Plus you are a Fae. Will this even be useful as a reference for girls?¡±


    She shrugged, still painting away. It was rather distracting, as she was still unclothed. ¡°I think this-this body is effectively that of a human female. It was perfect, down to even the most intimate details, was it not-not?¡± she flushed, remembering, and it was a treat for me, seeing her whole body redden. ¡°Still, it might perhaps be best to have one more painting for reference. Perhaps Eri would be pleased?¡±


    I rolled that around my mind. Yeah, I think she¡¯d be happy I wanted a painting of her so long as no-one else but us saw it. ¡°Still, Eri is back in Nishimorioka for now. It isn¡¯t really an option.¡± Pushing the two large canvasses together, side-by-side, we compared them. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re almost identical. Though I can see the differences around the root and sacral chakras. They are positioned slightly differently, and the capillaries and sub-chakras around them are also connected in alternate ways. Most of the others seem the same, though there are a few other areas where they don¡¯t align.¡±


    ¡°Well, males and females are different.¡± She repeated. ¡°Still, with these and our Eyes, I believe we can have greater successes than ever before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, we¡¯ll leave them to dry for now.¡± I checked my phone. ¡°We still have quite a while until our students arrive, so, what shall we do?¡±


    ¡°I think I know.¡± Shaeula licked her lips, still naked, and I grinned. Well, why not? After all, we¡¯ll soon have no time for fun for a while...

 Side Sixty-One – Ulfuric Ral Salamandrastrae

    Side Sixty-One ¨C Ulfuric Ral Salamandrastrae


    ¡°Yes, excellent. Keep in formation.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, as the weaselkin warriors in their heavy armour wheeled expertly, shields raised to block the falling volley of arrows from the weaselkin archers, while Tillyae led her musicians in a rousing chorus, boosting their strength and speed with their songs.


    ¡°Danaera, your mages missed an opportunity.¡± He called out to the leader of the weaselkin mages, who were firing off orbs of wind, though they were tuned down to merely hurt, rather than cause damage. ¡°You need to be quicker at exploiting the gaps. And as for you...¡± he turned to the newcomers, weaselkin who had been spawned mysteriously from these... Barracks, he called them. ¡°Fighting like that you will never stand up to the charge of a determined enemy. Very well. Enough!¡± Ulfuric roared, bringing the mock-battle to a halt.


    ¡°Tillyae, good work, just be sure to work on stamina for your musicians, if they falter due to tired hands and throats, then lacking your protections, the front-line will be vulnerable. Danaera, I know you are not the true leader of Prince Shaeraggo¡¯s mages, but you now have command here, so you must be more decisive, lest your enemy take the initiative.¡± He continued to point out their faults and areas they could improve.


    ¡°And lastly...¡± the mob of Shaeula¡¯s strange weaselkin formed up, armed and equipped with a variety of weapons from another mysterious building. The quality was below the standard his troops enjoyed, but Bjarki, that wily old dwarf, he was gradually creating facilities that would allow rapid creation of solid, high-quality basic arms and armour. When that was done, the problem would vanish. ¡°Watch how the other units perform. You lack cohesion and responsiveness. Always keep the initiative. Even in sieges, letting the enemy dictate the pace and terms of an engagement is disastrous, to say nothing of on the open battlefield.¡± They listened to his lectures, then dispersed when he was done, returning to their training. Watching them go, he was once more struck with a deep melancholy. If not just weaselkin, but others could be brought into existence, could it be possible to... no! he crushed the thought ruthlessly, not prepared to entertain any hope this late.


    As he turned away, ready to retreat down the hill to where he was lodging, he saw an old friend. The way he was walking was unusual though, carefree and upright, not hunched over and wheezing. I know the princess and her consort had healed his worst suffering, but he looks a new Fae. Ever since he moved here as well, it is though the shadows plaguing him have vanished. He slowed his long strides momentarily as he was lost in thought, and Ixitt, his old friend, turned and waved cheerfully, running, yes running over, breathing quite normally!


    ¡°Ulfuric, finished with beating the troops into shape?¡± Ixitt grinned. His face was still covered in scars, but a lot of the burned flesh had been replaced by healthy skin, fur starting to sprout anew. On seeing his gaze, Ixitt lashed his tail happily.


    ¡°Akio, he healed me. Completely and perfectly. I can hardly believe it.¡± He took a deep breath, savouring the ether that rushed into his body. ¡°Though apparently it would be a liability, my old injuries, for the mission.¡± He grinned, showing his teeth. ¡°The mission, yes. So tell me, Ulfuric. It must strike a chord with you, mustn¡¯t it? After all, it¡¯s the dream of all badgerkin to retake Salamandrastrae back from the monstrous allies of the Unseelie, right? You most of all.¡±


    ¡°A dream? Yes, a dream.¡± He remembered it though he was only young at the time. His father, bundling him up into a warm coat, his mother, ruffling his fur, her expression kind. The sounds of gargantuan booted feet slamming on stone, the clink of metal on metal, shouts and cries, roars so loud the very walls vibrated, the smell of blood even overpowering the sulphuric reek of the Salamander Pits...


    ¡°Mother, why won¡¯t you come with me?¡± he asked, a question unworthy of a badgerkin, but he was young, too young, and scared, trembling not from the cold, for the halls of Salamandrastrae were always warm, but from fear, the killer of reason.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, my son.¡± She shook her head. ¡°As nobles of the Seelie Court, and badgerkin, there is no way we can allow the cursed brutes the Unseelie have brought through. If we retreat, then the fertile plains and valleys beyond, the forests and glens, the rivers and lakes... they¡¯ll take them all and destroy them, just as the monstrous giants have ruined everything else they touch. What pride is there in living, if all honour is lost and duty is dead?¡±


    ¡°Then... then can¡¯t I stay?¡± Ulfuric cried, though the thought of remaining behind had terrified him. Even so, to leave without his parents scared him just as much, if not more.


    ¡°Of course you cannot.¡± His father rumbled, voice like the sound of the fiery mountain they dwelt in as it roared in its fitful slumber. ¡°We have our pride, but we are not fools. All of the young, and a number of elders, selected by lottery must be sent away. Well, we shall not fall here of course.¡± his voice was stern. ¡°The badgerkin stand firm, never retreat, and our enemies break upon us like water upon the shore. Even so, a wise Fae plans for all possibilities. Now, you are my son.¡± He bent down, giving him a brisk, business-like-hug, before releasing him. ¡°Stay strong, and we will meet again.¡±


    As the elderly badgerkin woman took his hand, pulling him away from his parents, Ulfuric remembered blinking away tears. Bad memories indeed, but well-worn ones.


    You lied father. I used to resent you for that, but... time fades all painful flames to mere embers, like the molten tears of lost Salamandrastrae. ¡°Our old home is lost, and the badgerkin decline with it. Though in the end, the Unseelie paid a terrible price to take the mountain, many of the misshapen, brutish giants they called to our lands from some vile corner of the lower Astral slain by sword, spear, bow and axe. Though we could not retake it, at least they bled so much they could no longer push on. Though their raids still strike out from it like burning needles.¡± He clenched his fist, muscles tensing, as if to crush the Unseelie to death with his bare hands, or tear giants limb from limb.


    ¡°True. A great loss, yet also a victory. Even in defeat, your father, he managed that, did he not?¡± Ixitt tried to calm him, and Ulfuric took a deep breath of his own, leashing the fiery temper, the molten anger within that all badgerkin shared, that had led to their dwindling. No, I am not like the others. I am simply Ulfuric now, I no longer carry the Salamandrastrae name.


    ¡°I concede that he did.¡± He said coolly. ¡°Still, all Fae who attempt to penetrate the forest will die, just like before. I cannot believe the princess is going along with this madness. I remember carrying her on my shoulders as a child. She was cute then, quiet yet quick to smile. At least until she grew old enough to hear the whispers, the slanders. Why did Prince Shaetanao never put a stop to it?¡±


    Ulfuric nodded, unsure of his point. ¡°Once an enemy, but now a friend. One he has promised to restore to the mortal realm, so I hear. And she believes it, though the thought seems to scare her a little too. And look at us. We came here as enemies, and now, well, I rather like it here. My kin too. He does not discriminate against us. Think of the maid, the Unseelie. He gave her a name, gave her a home. Reckless, you say? Of course. She was a danger to us, certainly. Shaeula too, was once his enemy, and Grulgor. You see it too. I know deep down you see a lot of the badgerkin of old in him. Did your father, your mother retreat? Was it reckless? Yes, undoubtably so. Did they die? Alas...¡± Ixitt bowed in grief, causing Ulfuric to look away, his face twitching with complex emotions.


    ¡°But he knows what is worth fighting for. Your parents, the many badgerkin of Salamandrastrae, heroes all, they died but they saved countless other lives holding the tide of Unseelie and their giant allies back for so many days, fighting until they could fight no more, then somehow finding more beyond even that.¡±


    ¡°I must admit, seeing him burn his very flesh to defeat Shaeraggo, which all thought impossible... yes, it moved me. It ignited the dormant flames within me, seeing him brave those flames to stand up for the princess. That is one reason I agreed to stay. I wanted to see how the princess and her new lover would fare, and give them a little aid on their journey. He then fought well against a powerful enemy and triumphed. He understands to be strong requires hard work, endless dedication and training, and he has taught the princess that too. If Prince Shaetanao could see her now, I am sure he would be moved and rejoice.¡±


    ¡°And hence why he wishes to retake the Spring Of Clear Reflections. Such a feat, which all, even you, claim to be impossible. If he and the princess succeed, well, who could stop her triumphant return to the Court?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible.¡± Ulfuric declared. ¡°I applaud his care of her, I admit he has been good for the princess, and he is worth my aid, and more importantly, my respect. If he was to marry her and become her consort, perhaps I could even see myself asking Prince Shaetanao to allow me to serve them, but throwing their lives away at a faint promise of a dream? I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    ¡°You feel betrayed that someone you found to respect is making a bad choice, I see.¡± Ixitt nodded, illuminated. ¡°I understand that. Prince Shaetanao has been making erratic choices too of late, and Duke Vulpatrius has taken full advantage. It must pain you to see this mortal take the same path, gamble on poor odds and lose. But hear me, Ulfuric, old friend.¡± Ixitt breathed out, such long unbroken sentences beyond him before. ¡°Why is the forest around the Spring considered unconquerable since the foul Fae that inhabit it now befouled it?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is the seeds.¡± Ulfuric declared, confident. ¡°The very air is filled with them. But no matter how much one shields their mouth and nose, it always ends the same way. At best one can buy a few minutes with cloth windings or helmets.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t seeds, but something smaller.¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°They are so small that they will pass through cloth or any gaps in armour, even through the eyes and any open wounds.¡±


    ¡°Then if he knows that, why is he...¡± Ulfuric began, before he was halted by Ixitt¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°Because he knows devices that can prevent this! And I can make them! The perfect fusion of mortal ideas and Faecraft, true Mortal Engineering! Oh, if I was but a woman I would surely offer myself to him. Perhaps I shall have to offer him my finest daughters instead, bring him into the family that way...¡±


    At that Ulfuric barked a low laugh. ¡°If the princess hears such talk, she may well be angry. So, even should these devices work, any damage to them, and death still awaits. Surely he can see that?¡±


    ¡°Well, he has a plan, I know that. The members he chose. Me. Him. Shaeula. Grulgor. Hyacinth. There is forethought behind them. He is far from a fool. Yes, he is reckless, but one thing he is not, is reckless with the lives of others.¡±


    At that, Ulfuric had to agree. The care he showed for the princess, and his other wife, the mortal, well, it was deep indeed. ¡°No, you are correct as always. Still, such a gamble. I will need to speak to him first, to make sure he has considered all of the things that could go wrong. After all...¡± he paused meaningfully. ¡°I consider him my pupil. I would ill wish to see him die, or worse, face the grief many of us share, of losing those we love.¡± And if he could succeed, somehow, take back the Spring, well then... He had to wonder. Would the day come when the giants were chased out of Salamandrastrae, and the grief of a generation of dead badgerkin finally laid to rest, washed out with blood of the usurpers?


    I can listen, at the least, offer my advice. The mortal isn¡¯t a fool, he¡¯s won many battles. And, perhaps one day I¡¯ll have the daughter of the princess on my shoulder, looking out over her mother and father training under me, weapons flashing under the moon, the lands at peace, the Unseelie, Wild Hunt and all our foes driven back. If so, perhaps that dream begins with one daring event, shattering everything we thought we believed, mortal cunning and knowledge, yoked to Fae spirit and wisdom, finally beginning to take back the endless losses. Would that not be wonderful?


    Ulfuric was lost in thought, his gaze flickering back to one of the strange Barracks that the mortal could build. He was so engrossed he didn¡¯t see Ixitt leave, still cackling at his friends¡¯ transparent thoughts.


    So far he has passed all my tests. I would be a fool not to at least hear him out. But if he is wrong, and gets the princess killed... well, even should he flee back to his mortal world, one day he will find my hands around his throat...

 Side Sixty-Two – Fukumoto Hinata

    Side Sixty-Two ¨C Fukumoto Hinata


    ¡°So, the angles can be calculated by...¡± the female teacher was explaining, quickly drawing up the equations on the whiteboard at the head of the room. Hinata made notes, but her heart wasn¡¯t in it, as she had other concerns. It never really bothered me that I couldn¡¯t have my phone during class, as per the school rules, but now that I have things I need to talk about... She frowned, remembering the conversation she had with Akio-kun that morning. Having spoken to commoner girls in his hometown, they are very different, especially at school.


    Apparently they were allowed mobile phones on them at all times, and while they weren¡¯t able to use them in classes, the two blonde girls, Yae-san and Rika-san, they admitted to idling on them during class and not paying attention. Her frown turned into a small grin as she remembered Motoko-san being shocked that they would break the rules that way. A typical noble response. After all, the rules, our family, noble pride and traditions... all are to be obeyed without question. Hinata considered herself the most worldly-wise and normal of the nobility, though normal carried the sort of negative connotations she didn¡¯t appreciate. Of course, up until recently I wasn¡¯t considered a true noble, but now... Unbeknownst to her, her facial expression changed again, her shocking display of animation unnatural and drawing attention. The teacher fumbled over her words for a second, before remembering her training, and resuming the lesson as if she had seen nothing.


    And that¡¯s another thing! The teachers in their school weren¡¯t just women and older, married men, but they had young men too. It made sense, in a way, since girls and boys were taught together, even so... Yeah, a lot of the girls here only know their brothers and fathers as the only men in their lives. It¡¯s stupid and unfair. My brother gets to have all the fun he wants, but us...


    As she glanced around, nobody was paying her any attention, all staying impeccably focused on the lesson, their noble poise perfect. All except for one girl, anyway. She was eyeing Hinata with a disapproving expression on her face, and when she noticed her, Hinata also struggled to contain her emotions.


    Sakura. Her cousin, daughter of the Takatsukasa house and thus one of the four most important girls at school, was watching her, her delicate features and refined bearing at odds with the way her hands were gripping her pencil, knuckles white with effort. On seeing that, Hinata looked away, focusing on her lesson as best she could. There¡¯s no point getting upset about it. Sakura is... well, Sakura. Sakura was always lecturing her about the ¡®proper way to comport herself as a member of the Takatsukasa bloodline¡¯ and that she should be ¡®less brash and excitable, always elegant and quiet¡¯. Which is a joke. How is it that I¡¯m expected to behave as a member of nobility, as a relative of grandfather Itsuki, yet I am constantly being told by everyone that I¡¯m not a member of the nobility, and that mother can¡¯t be considered a true Takatsukasa ¡®after marrying outside the nobility¡¯. It simply isn¡¯t fair!


    A part of her knew that Sakura wasn¡¯t to blame, that her cousin genuinely meant to help her with her constant chastisements, and that Sakura had problems of her own, considering the dire state of Takatsukasa finances, only the support from the other great houses and charity from the nobility keeping their estates intact, but even so... Considering without the money my father and grandfather give to them every year, they would have had to sell priceless ancestral lands and heritage... it just isn¡¯t fair. After all, Sakura was loved and respected by everyone simply for being Takatsukasa Sakura, while she was looked down on and considered lesser, despite her bloodline being the same.


    I hate unfairness. After all, my grandfather built Nichibotsu out of nothing, yet his value is denied just because our family doesn¡¯t have a hundred years of legacy...


    Once more she wished she had her phone. Akio-kun had agreed to her request, to help her grandfather. And sure, she did want her grandfather to recover. He wasn¡¯t as young as he was, and that old injury was a source of pain to him, though he tried to hide it. But most of all... Father and mother care about rejoining the nobility, recovering mothers¡¯ status as a Takatsukasa, but grandfather, he just wants us to be happy and successful. As the teacher put up another equation, Hinata remembered the message Akio had sent her. Marriage meeting, huh? So, is it on his mind?


    It was on her mind too. Father and mother were very happy since Fujiwara-sama had decreed that the Fukumoto house was now the Fifty-Eighth house of true nobility, no longer one of the Three-Hundred. Still, that just makes them hungry to go even further, and to that end...


    Fortunately at that moment the bell for lunch rang, so Hinata was able to sigh in relief, looking down, her face hot. What... what do I actually want? Before, all I expected was a marriage to one of the lower sons of the Fifty-Seven, or if very lucky, a marriage to a second or third son of one of the upper nobility. And then... Well, one just had to look at poor Motoko-san. She was looked up to by some of the girls from the Three-Hundred, for having her own dream and desperately trying to stick to it, as well as still managing to retain the poise, charm and behaviours expected of her. I want the praise, the respect, to be treated fairly. But that isn¡¯t all I want. Grandfather built up a colossal company from nothing... I want to be the one who builds up something new from this new paradigm. When people look back in fifty, a hundred years, I want them to say ¡®Oh yes, the founder of that company, Fukumoto Hinata, she did it with her own hands and wits...¡¯


    She didn¡¯t notice Sakura, who looked as if she wished to speak to her, and she left the classroom, heading for the dining hall, where girls from every year and class would be gathering. Untapped lands, healing of injuries and diseases, longevity... how much more can this strange world Akio-kun has started to conquer offer? There¡¯s so much I want to ask, so many questions I want answers to. But... how can I persuade him to give me what I want? The training is great, and I admit it¡¯s a large concession, but to allow me to go further, to know more, that asks for a lot of trust.


    She remembered the brilliant, mischievous smile of Shaeula, and the thorny defensiveness of Eri-san, yet when talk turned to Akio-kun, they both looked the same, full of trust and love. The sister too. That painted a very clear picture. If they asked for anything, he¡¯d give it to them without hesitating a second...


    ********


    ¡°Hinata-sama, are you well? You look a little flushed.¡± Kazumi observed, approaching her as soon as she entered the dining hall. Despite there being well over a hundred girls within, ranging from elementary schoolers right through to the final year of high school, there was none of the energy and loud conversation that the commoner girls had told her about. No, everyone was in small, quiet groups, mostly within bands of status, the Three-Hundred sticking together, while upper nobility had daughters of vassals with them, but few others.


    So stupid. History and tradition is important, I get that. But as the world changes, we have to change with it. I think Fujiwara-sama and Ichijou-sama realise this. Akio-kun surely won¡¯t be the only key to this new world, I hear that the Military has some people too, or so Motoko-san says, and I wouldn¡¯t put it past some of the Three-Hundred to hide their own. There are the shrines too, but... could any be as good as Akio-kun is? After all, he has Shaeula, he¡¯s helping us train... he controls a chunk of Tokyo in this Boundary...


    As Kazumi repeated her question, Hinata snapped out of her reverie. ¡°Yes, sorry Kazumi, just thinking. I have a lot of my mind.¡±


    Glancing around for an open table, she quickly saw the usual demarcations. The Fujiwara girls were alone with their bodyguards. There was Honoka-sama and Miyu-sama, both sitting alone, just with their bodyguards. As always, seeing the sisters who guarded the two Fujiwara daughters made her smile. Rumours are they are from an old ninja family. A load of nonsense, I would have thought, but now... perhaps there is more truth to it than I thought. In any case, they were considered the strongest bodyguards in school, though both Sakura and Mayumi-sama would disagree, extolling the virtues of their own guards.


    Speaking of, Mayumi-sama was sitting at the centre table, as gorgeous and bright as ever, her bodyguard beside her as always. I¡¯ve never met Mayumi-sama alone, even when I visit her house, her bodyguard is always there. Still, everyone kept their distance, as Mayumi-sama was queen of the school. Only three other girls matched her, but Sakura and Honoka-sama were younger, and Sakura had other issues, and while Miyu-sama was the same age and of equal lineage, she was... too meek.


    ¡°Anyway, I think I want to talk to Mayumi-sama. Follow me.¡± As she began to cross the cafeteria to the table, not even stopping to get food from the exceptional buffet the school put on each day, she was hailed by Motoko-san, followed as always by Natsumi.


    ¡°Ah, Hinata-san. Good afternoon.¡±


    We exchanged greetings, and it seemed Motoko-san wished to talk. Hinata hesitated, torn between heading over to Mayumi-sama as planned, when a third person interfered. Sakura, trailed by her own bodyguard, had come to talk to her.


    ¡°Sakura-sama.¡± Motoko-san said as a greetimg, and Natsumi bowed politely to her and her bodyguard, who was trailing along behind her, constantly alert for danger. Seriously, the bodyguards need to relax. Nothing is going to happen here at school...


    ¡°Motoko-san.¡± Sakura replied politely. ¡°Can you excuse me for a minute, I wish to have a talk with my cousin.¡±


    Before Motoko-san could agree, Hinata shook her head in denial. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry Sakura, but I need to talk to Motoko-san and then I plan to spend lunch with Mayumi-sama. So whatever it is can wait.¡± She said loudly. I¡¯m not in the mood for a lecture today. I want to keep my feelings of excitement and promise.


    At her flat denial, which was not something a noble should have been able to get away with, facing Sakura, a buzz went around the room. The girls who were daughters from the Three-Hundred looked away, while the nobility showed interest, usually paired with disapproving looks. Except for Mayumi-sama of course, who laughed loudly, as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Though she still looks gorgeous doing that.


    ¡°I see. Well, I trust your senses.¡± Mayumi-sama allowed. ¡°But it makes more sense to allow Hinata to test the waters. She¡¯s got less to lose.¡±


    Something inside Hinata burst. Her eyes welled up, and she left a burning in her chest. ¡°Mayumi-sama, why is it only me you don¡¯t seem to care about? I... I thought I was your friend!¡± Towards the end it was close to a wail, and she could feel the hot gazes of the many girls at other tables around them, subtly mocking her. Motoko-san reached out a reassuring hand to her under the table, which she appreciated, and even Sakura looked like she wanted to speak up.


    ¡°My friend?¡± Mayumi-sama was puzzled, looking embarrassed. ¡°Of course I am, Hinata. You are very entertaining and a lot of fun. After all, who else dares to approach me and speak their mind? I enjoy spending time with you, hearing your strange view on things. But does that change anything? You are just one of the Three-Hundred, no matter your mothers¡¯ blood. Now, please stop making a scene, you are embarrassing us and making a spectacle of yourself.¡±


    I see. I¡¯m... I¡¯m not a true friend. Maybe I can never be true friends with Mayumi-sama, as there¡¯s a wall between us that can¡¯t be broken. Our pasts. She barely ever speaks to Sakura or Motoko-san, but she¡¯s spared them more consideration than me, her so-called friend. She remembered her brief stay in Nishimorioka, meeting other commoner girls, Shaeula, Eri-san. Also the people at the training school. Shaeula was proud of her nobility, yet kind and funny, and didn¡¯t look down on us. She said... she said she used to be too proud, and it led her to end up alone and desperate, only Akio-kun reaching out a hand to her. Eri-san, she loves him so much, and Shaeula too. So she doesn¡¯t want others to come between them. I understand that, but I think she¡¯s going to lose that battle. No matter what Mayumi-sama says, Akio-kun has too much value to be tied down...


    ¡°So I¡¯m just a clown, a jester?¡± She sobbed, hating herself for displaying her weakness, when she swore she was going to be finally acknowledged as an equal. But that can never be, not through normal means. Only if I achieve something so earthshattering that it overturns the very nobility itself, will I truly be able to be friends with Mayumi-sama, the girl I¡¯ve admired for so long.


    ¡°Oh, Hinata, calm down. I get hat you are sad, but this... Sakura began, but she interrupted her, rubbing at hr soaked face.


    ¡°I get it. I¡¯m just entertainment. I respect you so much Mayumi-sama, you are everything I want to be, but you... you are just the old Shaeula, proud and alone, not understanding the true joys of friendships and love. Well, you just wait and watch. I¡¯ll build something so incredible you¡¯ll be looking up to me!¡± She took a deep beath, stinging her throat. ¡°Motoko-san, Akio-kun, he... no, that isn¡¯t right.¡± she amended herself. ¡°Akio, he treats everyone the same. Be it princess or shrine maiden, commoner or noble. So if we end up taking the same path, I¡¯ll not back down just because you are from a better family.¡±


    ¡°I understand. We are all students under the same teacher, after all. I expect no less. Though it will be a hard path, making Akio-sensei accept. Eri-san is not so against it as she thinks, but Akio-sensei has deep loyalty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get this.¡± Mayumi-sama said, genuinely puzzled, trying her best to ignore the tears, as the display of emotion actually confused her, as it was not noble. ¡°You both barely know this man. I understand arranged engagements, I too will have mine soon, no doubt. But you seem to have a lot of faith in him for a commoner you have barely met.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Hinata said, surprising herself. And it helps that he is very handsome, just my type. When I first saw him, I was amazed such a handsome man existed. Those eyes. Full of steel yet kind. ¡°Sakura.¡± She spoke to her troublesome cousin, who she could never decide whether she resented or liked, one that was always criticising her, but from a place of familial affection, despite the yawning gaps in their status, that frustrated Hinata to no end through its massive unfairness. ¡°I don¡¯t know what grandfather Itsuki has planned, but if it should be that they decide you should marry, be sure to decide for yourself. If you don¡¯t want to, don¡¯t do it!¡± she declared, surprising herself. ¡°For all the good nobility does, it is horrible for us noble girls. Yes, us. I¡¯m a noble too!¡± she declared proudly, the effect spoiled by her red face and runny nose. ¡°Akio is a kind man, he¡¯d not mistreat you, and I¡¯m sure you could come to like him. But he¡¯s not nobility. No, he¡¯ll be something more. Don¡¯t assume that if you married him, your life would be like it is now. No, it¡¯d be more confusing, terrifying and most of all interesting. We¡¯ve been shut in our birdcages too long. Motoko-san, why don¡¯t we break out of the cage and do what we want for a change? If we work together, we can bring down Eri-san¡¯s guard, and I¡¯m confident...¡± she smiled through her tears. ¡°...no man can resist me and what I¡¯m going to offer. I have so many ideas and I don¡¯t even know much about everything yet. Tonight I¡¯m going to make him tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°You need to get a hold of yourself.¡± Mayumi-sama warned. ¡°Nobles comport themselves with...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mayumi-sama!¡± She cut her off, and from the look of shock on Mayumi-sama¡¯s face, it might have been the first time anyone ever did. ¡°You keep telling me I¡¯m your friend, but not a true noble, so forgive me this undignified display of emotion. I challenge you, Mayumi-sama! I¡¯ll create something new that supports the nobility, yet changes it to be better, more fit for us! You want to be entertained, well, let your friend entertain you to the bitter end!¡± turning to Kazumi, who was waiting with the other bodyguards, her expression concerned, she stood, forcing a smile.


    ¡°Come Kazumi! We must leave, I have much to do!¡±


    And before Mayumi-sama or Sakura could answer her, she was off, her food untouched...


    ********


    ¡°Sorry Kazumi.¡± Hinata muttered, as she sat down in the nurses office that she had borrowed. ¡°I got too worked up. I just thought that Mayumi-sama thought of me more than a toy. I hate this. Why can¡¯t we be judged on our own merits? Grandfather is far more a man than many nobles who squander their wealth and ruin what they were given by their ancestors, even more so than the Takatsukasas. But no more.¡± She had decided.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to grasp this chance. If the world as it is can¡¯t give me what I want, then I¡¯ll change it so it can! And the first step to that is winning over Akio. You¡¯ll help me with that, Kazumi, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kazumi asked, looking troubled. ¡°There are lots of other ways. Marriage is a big step, especially since he already has women.¡±


    ¡°So why do you dislike him so much?¡± Hinata asked, generally curious. ¡°You¡¯ve always been wary of him, more so that other men.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Other men have never entered your eyes. If he was an ordinary man, perhaps I¡¯d give you my blessing, but as I said before, you¡¯ll be one woman among many. Is that happiness?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Hinata smiled. ¡°I sometimes forget that unlike most bodyguards, you don¡¯t come from a noble background. I would rather have him to myself, true, but from birth we are accustomed to our fathers and brothers having concubines as a natural thing, to maintain the bloodlines. The thing is...¡± she tried to ignore the rumbling in her stomach, wishing she had managed to eat before her imperious exit. ¡°... Shaeula, Mori-chan... Motoko-san too I guess. Even Sakura. I can match them, no, I¡¯ll surpass them!¡± she was excited now, channelling the pain she was feeling into strength. ¡°When Akio learns what I can do, what ideas I have, he¡¯ll be begging for me to marry him! And with my support, we can form a true noble house, not one of the Fifty-Eight, that they can look down on, call fake, but one equal to any, even Ichijou or Fujiwara house! And then...¡± her expression changed, showing a yearning need for approval. ¡°Mayumi-sama and I can be friends in truth, equals.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to that.¡± Kazumi said. ¡°Seriously, if you tell me now you want this, not being forced into it by your family, then I¡¯ll support you. I observed everyone closely in Nishimorioka. Shaeula likes you and would welcome you. But Mori-san, she¡¯s the stumbling block. If you can win her over, then he will not refuse you. After all, you are very cute and clever, and what you bring to the table in terms of financial support is huge.¡±


    ¡°Less of that. I may bring money from my family, but it¡¯s what I can do with it that matters. So, Kazumi, thanks.¡± she said, embarrassed. ¡°I hope you see me as a friend too.¡±


    There was an awkward silence. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± her face fell.


    ¡°I do.¡± Kazumi admitted after a while. ¡°But, you realise you treat me like Mayumi-sama sees you? You are kind to me, but you don¡¯t really see me as an equal. Even you can¡¯t step out of the noble mindset. I¡¯m a bodyguard to you first.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Hinata was crestfallen, but after the hard discussion she had just had, she took a good look deep inside her feelings. ¡°You¡¯re right. I feel a bit ashamed. In my efforts to be respected, looked at as an equal, I¡¯ve fell prey to what I hated. Well, no more.¡± she made up her mind. ¡°Today Fukumoto Hinata is reborn! I apologise Kazumi, from how on, you are my friend, really! So as my friend, I ask you... help me!¡± she bowed, the first time she had ever displayed deference to her. ¡°I want it all, honour, power, respect... and love. I thought I could only choose some, that I would have to make sacrifices, but maybe I really can have it all.¡±


    And then they clasped hands, sealing the pact to work together, to try and break the foolish, closed-in world of the nobility from within, and rebuild it back better than ever before, the bad removed, and the good polished to a mirror sheen...

 Side Sixty-Three – Fukumoto Hiroto

    Side Sixty-Three ¨C Fukumoto Hiroto


    ¡°So, tell me honestly. What do you think of this Oshiro Akio?¡± his father asked, and Hiroto leaned back in his chair, conspiring it. Well, my sister thinks I¡¯ve ducked out of todays'' training just to fool around or party, but instead I¡¯m using my precious time helping her out. I wish I was having fun!


    ¡°I know grandfather always says a shrewd businessman can judge a person and their character in a single meeting, but I lay claim to no such skills.¡± He shrugged. ¡°But from what I gather, he¡¯s a pretty honest guy. A dangerous one too though.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡± his mother asked, concerned. ¡°To Hinata?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± He scoffed. ¡°At least as long as we don¡¯t give him cause to be. No, if anything he¡¯s easily pushed around by anyone with a pretty face, and for all her faults, Hinata inherited your looks, so she¡¯s definitely gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Oh you.¡± His mother chuckled, pleased. ¡°You won¡¯t get anything for flattering me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and change the subject.¡± His father complained. He was blunt, perhaps too blunt for a businessman, unlike grandfather, who was a master at making people feel good and want to open up, enabling good deals to be made where both sides felt like they had won, which according to grandfather, was the ¡®true essence of a businessman¡¯, and who could argue against his results, building Nichibotsu Technology into a world-beating company. ¡°Dangerous how? I¡¯ve heard there was some trouble with yakuza, but that¡¯s been dealt with, right? Tsumura-sama is also making sure no foreign problems crop up again. I hear the Tsumura girl is also in the frame for him. That could be a problem. With her status, our Hinata would be relegated to little more than a concubine.¡±


    She¡¯d pretty much be that way already. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to know he¡¯s deeply in love with the two he already has. Lucky bastard. They are both as beautiful as noble girls. Still, he tries to treat them equally... ¡°I mean dangerous in that he isn¡¯t bound by our rules, or even what we would expect from reality. But then, isn¡¯t that the point? He¡¯s valuable precisely because we don¡¯t have a clue what he can achieve, but we know it is world-changing. And he won¡¯t be the only one.¡± From what I gather from my sister he¡¯s physically dangerous as well, able to shrug off bullets and crush enemies with his bare hands. Sounds a bit far-fetched to me, but his coin-cutting trick was a riot. If it¡¯s true, well, at least he¡¯d be able to protect my sister. There¡¯s always the danger of kidnapping when you are part of a family as rich as ours. Hinata didn¡¯t know it, but there had been several attempts when she was younger, only foiled at the last minute. That¡¯s another reason why Hinata has to marry at a certain level. A normal man might not be able to bear the pressure. At least Akio-san has experience in tough situations, and has shown he won¡¯t back down.


    ¡°Yes.¡± His father agreed. ¡°Better to secure aid from someone quickly, rather than wait, try and pick and choose, and be left behind. We¡¯ve already gained rewards.¡± He smiled at his wife. ¡°It¡¯s only a first step, but we are officially in the Fifty-Eight. One day we¡¯ll get back the honour you lost.¡±


    Honour. Nobility. Hiroto wanted to snort derisorily, but held his peace, knowing his mother and father were a bit too obsessed with it, his mother looking at her brother, who remained the heir to the great Takatsukasa house, despite his failings and lacklustre performance. Even now, grandfather Itsuki was still in charge, despite his failing health. I mean, noble girls are gorgeous, but at University I meet plenty of pretty nice girls too, and they come with a ton less baggage. Sure, we have more money than we could ever spend, can¡¯t we be happy with that? It¡¯s lost in the warring-states era, all this arranged marriage crap. I mean, at least I¡¯m going to end up with a nice wife, but it isn¡¯t like I can¡¯t earn one myself...


    ¡°Oh, honey.¡± His mother was saying, misty-eyed.


    No, I¡¯m wasting my evening here, I¡¯m not putting up with this! He coughed loudly, breaking them out of their romantic moment. ¡°So, anyway, you wanted to know if he¡¯d be dangerous to Hinata. No, I can say that for certain. He¡¯s sweet on those he likes, and tries to be fair. But to be honest, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s looking for another girl. We could earn his support in any number of other ways. I don¡¯t think sacrificing Hinata¡¯s happiness just to benefit ourselves is fair.¡± My sister is a pain, and bossy, and is always complaining, but she¡¯s still my little sister and I want her to live her best life. Really, she¡¯s almost as obsessed as mother and father with being recognised as a true noble. I wish she¡¯d knock it off. Grandfather hasn¡¯t objected, but he¡¯d prefer her to go into business I bet.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Well, she could do worse.¡± Hiroto conceded in the end. ¡°But... don¡¯t repeat the mistakes of grandfather Itsuki, mother. Please ask her honestly what she wants. And mean it, not just asking her, knowing she¡¯ll say what she should as a noble daughter. I think she¡¯s attracted to him, the guy is irritatingly handsome after all, and she seems to have a lot of fun training, and spending time with Tsumura-san and the others. She¡¯s been babbling to herself about some strange ideas too. If she decides that she wants it, or can even just accept it, I¡¯ll raise no further objections.¡± Of course even then, there¡¯s no guarantee you can make it work. He¡¯s pretty adamant on not cheating on his fiance?es. Makes no sense to me, that ship has sailed the minute he has two, but what do I know? As long as everyone is happy, what¡¯s it matter?


    ¡°Well, apparently she wishes to bring him to meet grandfather tonight.¡± Father said, shocking Hiroto. What? Seriously? ¡°So I was thinking we could speak to him while he is here, see if he is good enough for our daughter, if he is a worthy bet to place our rising fortunes on. Fujiwara-sama doesn¡¯t want the nobility contacting him off their own backs, but if he comes here on his own, how can we be blamed?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Mother nodded, seeing my surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t repeat the mistakes of your father, huh? I never thought I¡¯d hear that from you, Hiroto. But of course I won¡¯t.¡± she shook her head. ¡°You have no idea how galling it¡¯s been. All the marriage offers we received for Hinata have been horrible. Noble sons with bad reputations or low rank, offers of being a concubine to provide children for higher ranking sons, but with no official position. They are insults.¡± She spat. ¡°Hinata and you bear Takatsukasa blood, thick blood. So a happy marriage that elevates her and us at the expense of the nobles who missed out is the best revenge we can get!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, darling.¡± Father embraced her. ¡°I agree, it infuriates me too. Your grandfather as well, though he doesn¡¯t really agree with everything the nobility does, he understands the importance of stability, and how the nobility protects Japan and our traditions. Even so, he¡¯d rather Hinata married down than be treated so shabbily, you know how he dotes on her.¡±


    ¡°He does.¡± Hiroto agreed. ¡°Well, if you are giving it this much thought, then I¡¯m not going to complain. Hinata is a pain, but what brother wouldn¡¯t want his sister to be happy?¡± Yeah, that¡¯s something Akio-san said as well. His sister is important to him too. I can relate. Speaking of...


    ¡°If you are determined to make things work, and can¡¯t get Akio-san to agree, then you want to talk to Shaeula, one of his fiance?es. She¡¯s taken a liking to Hinata, and seems open to political marriage, probably because she¡¯s nobility herself.¡± A princess I hear, though I don¡¯t quite get it. I probably should have asked more questions, but the training takes enough of my effort. No gains from it yet, either.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll bear that in mind. Good job.¡± Father praised.


    ¡°Fro what you¡¯ve told me, I feel a bit more at ease.¡± Mother said. ¡°We all have to make sacrifices to achieve our goals, but if Hinata has to make fewer than I did, I¡¯d be happy for her. I¡¯m a little nervous now. Any other advice for when I meet him?¡±


    ¡°Just be honest about what you want and what you offer. I think he responds well to fairness. And don¡¯t try and tell him Hinata has to be his number one or come first. If Hinata wants this, then you can support her by saying you only expect him to love her and treat her like the others. It might hurt your pride, but... well, it¡¯s better than the other matches we were offered, by the sounds of it, and Hinata can look after herself.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± His mother agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll trust our Hinata can win him over herself. After all, she is my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Great, then if we are done, I¡¯m off. Hinata will drag me back to the damn training for the rest of the week, so I¡¯m off to meet some girls and have some fun myself!¡± Before his parents could protest, he left, looking forward to some drinking with his friends at University, there was going to be a group date later. Unlike noble daughters, common girls are really impressed by money and the fact I¡¯m part of the family that owns Nichibotsu. Oh well, Hinata, your brother believes in you! If you have finally decided you want this, I¡¯ll cheer for you! He then spared a thought for Akio-san. Lucky bastard, my sister is a real beauty. Tsumura-san too. Still, it¡¯s going to be a hard road, one woman is bad enough to please, trying to juggle all those...? Well, you have it coming. Just... prove I am right about you, and treat her well. No brother wants to see his sisters¡¯ tears...

 One Hundred And Ninety-Seven

    One Hundred And Ninety-Seven


    The shrine grounds were again filled with girls and boys (and a few adults) of all backgrounds, shrine maidens, nobles, commoners and more all lined up in the training halls. Everyone was in shrine priest and maiden garb, as we had done a rush-order for those that didn¡¯t have it. Uniforms are essential for schools after all, and that is what this is...


    Work on the training school had almost completely finished now, just a few problem areas to be addressed, a few floors to be laid, so some of the students had even claimed a room on the upper floors, as intended. Under our watchful eyes, the trainees continued, Shaeula offering guidance on their techniques, while I used my new Eye to observe the flows of aether within each trainee, trying to master the new power I had obtained.


    The one that caught my eye was Hikawa Ren, the cheeky son of Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine. The area around his third eye chakra was slowly pooling an elemental energy I had little experience with, a deep indigo, yet streaked with the colour of natural sunlight. The rest of his network was decently well-formed, we had only needed to do a little work on him with Chirurgery, but compared to what I remembered of my own from the painting, there were definitely areas of inefficiency.


    All right, here we go. Narrowing my gaze, I focussed on him, trying to glean what information I could. Initially all I could get was his name, and the usual question-marks, just in amber, but as I strained further, focusing in on his third eye chakra, I was able to pull up useful information.


    Third Eye Chakra Of Sunlight Rank 1: (Mutated Element)


    This third eye chakra has recently stabilised due to a completed network, and generates sunlight energy at a slow rate. It allows the user to handle variant and unique light elements.


    Mutated element? That sounded like something I need to know about, and luckily my Eye seemed to have the answers. Again, I felt on the verge of tearing up at finally being able to check information on what I needed to. Though I couldn¡¯t yet see the Class and Type for skills of people who wouldn¡¯t be affected by my Examination skills at my current rank.


    A mutated element is a rare variant of the standard, universal elements. Unlike unique elements, which only serve a single purpose, mutated elements are a version of the foundational, universal element, and can draw on the powers of such, but in addition have extra, often powerful properties. Sunlight element is able to draw on the energy of the sun, being inimical to undead and creatures of darkness.


    Well now, that is cool. I guess Ren-san really has a reason to be arrogant, not that he could draw on much of it until we sorted his network. Seeing my gaze, he looked at me quizzically. Fine, this is as good a time as any.


    ¡°All right, time to take a break!¡± I said, and a lot of people sighed in relief, their minds fogged from difficult meditation and visualisation exercises, especially the girls from Kana¡¯s school. ¡°Ren-san, can I borrow you for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± he asked, and I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed you have great skill, so was hoping you could help me with something. It might well be to your benefit.¡± As I said that, I noticed that Hinata-san was watching me intently, as if eager to say something. When she first arrived with Motoko-san and the other girls, she had pressed me on keeping my promise to see her grandfather later, and looked like she wanted to say more, but with a glance at her companions, she kept her silence.


    ¡°I also need assistance.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°It will need-need to be someone with a stable chakra network, so Kana, or the twins.¡±


    Before the twins could speak, Kana stuck up her hand brightly. ¡°I can help. What do you need?¡±


    Shaeula looked at me sideways, before grinning. ¡°Well, we shall let Akio finish his business first. Why do we not-not have some sweets?¡± she gestured to the large hamper of nice snacks we had prepared for the training, figuring making it as pleasant as possible would increase their motivation, and thus performance. We aren¡¯t running a black company after all.


    Taking Ren to a room on the upper floor that Shaeula and I had dubbed the portrait room, I retrieved some of the canvas I left there earlier, as well as an assortment of coloured pens. I¡¯m not going to waste my time painting, it¡¯ll be quicker to use pens. Ren-san seemed to have no idea what was going on, merely staring at me pensively.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just making a record of your entire chakra network. You must be curious, right? You have a really great talent, which should be maximised.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± He boasted proudly, unable to stop himself. ¡°I¡¯ve had talent ever since I was young. It¡¯s only to be expected of someone of my superior bloodline. My sisters too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san have great gifts too, we¡¯ll probably want to record their networks as well. The more we have the easier it¡¯ll be to get the best results. Our initial Chirurgery worked fine, but if we can improve it...¡±


    ¡°Hey, your eye is glowing just like hers does.¡± He said, flushing, and I held in a grin. Yeah, you like Shaeula, right? Well, too bad, she¡¯s already chosen me! The guilt towards Eri from thinking that sort of thing had largely faded now, though that wasn¡¯t above causing me a slight twinge guilt in of itself, on occasion.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve improved my own skills.¡± I grinned, sketching him out at an incredible, impossible rate. My fine motor control and thought processing speed was incredible now, so it only took a few minutes. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s hard to get all the details through your clothes, I can see the energy signatures of the chakras and capillaries, but the view of your internal structure is blocked. Can you take off your hakama?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± his flush deepened, and he backed off, unnerved. Seriously, such a kid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby.¡± I smirked. ¡°You can leave your underwear on. Besides, we are all guys here. I was thinking we¡¯d go on a hot springs trip in the new year, all the trainees, to celebrate our successes and keep morale high, so all us guys will see each other naked then.¡±


    ¡°Hot springs huh? With Shaeula, and...¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be mixed bathing!¡±! I warned, stamping on his dreams, and he scowled, embarrassed at being caught out again.


    ¡°Of course not! No way I want you ogling my sisters!¡± he launched back, but at least he was doing what I said and disrobing.


    ¡°Nah, your sisters sure are cute, but I¡¯m not into little girls, I¡¯m an adult.¡±


    ¡°Says you.¡± Ren-san complained, looking nervous in his underwear. ¡°Is this fine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that helps.¡± I quickly made adjustments. ¡°Take a look.¡± I turned the canvas and Ren-san gasped at the beautiful piece which looked like some strange modern art.


    ¡°That¡¯s me... my chakra network?¡± he asked, and I nodded, pointing to his third eye, which was surrounded by a pretty halo of light.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your gift, a mutated element, sunlight. Now I think you want to be maximising that, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something just anyone can have.¡±


    ¡°Right, so how do I do that?¡± he asked, suddenly motivated.


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s mine.¡± I produced a portrait, putting it side-by-side. ¡°As you can see, my set-up is more perfect, especially around the lunar chakra and these areas, down by the root chakra and silver cord. I think we want to try and make yours closer to mine, it should show results.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He agreed. ¡°Well, how will you do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, like you noticed, I have a vision skill now, my Eye is able to see your network like Shaeula can. So I figure we¡¯ll start from the root chakra. Take a seat and we¡¯ll begin.¡±


    What followed was rather traumatic, and we didn¡¯t get very far at all. I managed to open some dormant sub-chakras around the root, in addition to cleaning and rerouting some capillaries, and boring several sub-chakras into existence where there were none. Ren-san barely stopped whimpering though, as apparently some of the things I had done hurt a lot. We weren¡¯t even close to finishing, and he was lying on the bed as I sketched up a duplicate portrait with the new changes.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I said as I finished up, though I wasn¡¯t that sorry, as it was for his own good, and the welcome message of my Aetheric Chirurgery reaching Rank 3 had popped up towards the end, it being far easier to train and improve with my Eye and these complicated measures. ¡°Can you pull in some ether and convert it? I want to check everything is still working right.¡±


    He nodded, and soon, due to the higher ether density here, aether was entering his renewed lower network. ¡°Looks fine.¡± I sighed in relief, worried the half-finished nature might cause problems.


    ¡°It still hurts a bit...¡± he whined, pulling on his hakama.


    ¡°Yeah, the new areas need to absorb aether to strengthen, so it might ache like unused muscles. Still, I think your overall efficiency has gone up. My eye still identified it as an Unstable Eight Moons Chakra Network, but the additional information said the foundation was improved.


    ¡°Akio, are you done?¡± Shaeula asked from outside, knocking the door, and Ren-san took the opportunity to rush past her and out, fleeing the pain of my Chirurgery. He still took time to gawk at her though. Well, kids will be kids.


    Shaeula raised one eyebrow at me, and Kana followed her in, also perplexed by his behaviour. Seeing the pair of portraits I had drawn, Shaeula nodded, understanding dawning on her face. ¡°I thought so. So, did-did the Chirurgery help?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get too far, but yes, apparently so.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Shaeula, Akio. What¡¯s going on?¡± Kana asked. ¡°I volunteered to help out, but what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll step out for this one.¡± I said, not willing to be here for what happened next, but Kana looked at me with upturned eyes, asking me to stay. ¡°No, don¡¯t. I¡¯d feel more comfortable with you here, Akio!¡±


    No you won¡¯t. Shaeula turned around her portrait, the beautiful design eye-catching. ¡°This is an image of my chakra network Akio painted. Since mine is perfection, but we are not-not sure it is entirely a mortal female one, we need a volunteer. So, Kana, please take-take off all your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Kana froze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just step out, also... you can do it in underwear, that should be fine.¡± I said, reaching for the door, only for Kana to grab the back of my shirt. Turning to see her looking down and blushing, I struggled to understand her intent.


    ¡°I want to be helpful, Akio.¡± She said, using my name. ¡°If... if it¡¯s just underwear...¡± her face was scarlet, and Shaeula was snickering loudly, not helping matters.


    ¡°Seriously, Shaeula¡¯s eyes are good enough, and her Chirurgery is still better than mine. You don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡±


    She took a deep breath, and one-handed, the other still clutching my clothes, she began to disrobe. As more and more of her skin came into view, her ample chest visible wrapped in her white bra, her skin pink, I swallowed my saliva, nervous. This is work, this is definitely work. I¡¯m not doing this for lewd reasons, I can totally tell Eri about this without feeling guilty. More cloth fell to the floor, and she released me, stepping out of her red hakama pants.


    ¡°Can... can we hurry up?¡± she blushed, and I nodded, grabbing a canvas. ¡°Shaeula, you fix any mistakes I make.¡± It only took a few minutes to sketch her, but it was incredible just how long that felt. Finally I announced we were done, and Kana grabbed a sheet from the bed, wrapping it around herself. It took her a minute to calm down, but when she did she asked a question.


    ¡°So, did it help you, Akio?¡± her voice was trembling with embarrassment.


    ¡°It sure did.¡± I agreed, and Shaeula nodded, giving her a cute thumbs-up gesture. ¡°I think I¡¯ve noticed a pattern, looking at mine and Shaeula¡¯s, compared to yours and Ren-san¡¯s. Give me a minute...¡± I ended up drawing two more pictures of Kana. ¡°See the difference? I think this is the structure of a perfect female subtle body. Shaeula has all these bits, and yours isn¡¯t too far off...¡±


    ¡°...So this one must be the lunar chakra and the supporting network.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°No wonder I nearly killed you that first-first time.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°It is not-not just the lunar chakra and surrounds, but an entire secondary network, rooted into but overlaying the mortal one...¡±


    Kana looked between the three pictures of her. ¡°I see. Well... I¡¯m glad it was worth it.¡± She smiled, back to her old self again. ¡°Though you are the first boy to see my like that, Akio. Be glad I¡¯m not asking you to take responsibility! It must have been your lucky day...¡± she smiled impishly, though her skin was still flushed.


    ¡°Lucky, huh?¡± I mused. ¡°Nerve-wracking, I¡¯d say...¡± only to be hit in the face by a thrown pillow. I could have dodged but it didn¡¯t seem the right thing to do.


    ¡°Be grateful!¡± she complained. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you can handle pain... we copy the parts of Shaeula¡¯s network you don¡¯t have into you. Ren-san said it hurt a lot though.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Hinata-san said, her voice small. ¡°I don¡¯t love you either, even if I think I really like you. But that¡¯s the whole point of arranged marriages, right? We¡¯d learn to love each other, just like you did with Shaeula. You haven¡¯t known her long either, right?¡±


    ¡°I struggled at first.¡± Her mother said suddenly, looking at her daughter fondly. ¡°I was sold by my father and brother. Even though I knew I would have an arranged marriage, as a Takatsukasa it should have been to someone of high status. But it wasn¡¯t. I cried a lot at first, and was angry. But Minato was kind to me, and in time I grew closer to him. You two have an advantage. You know each other. And you find each other at least pleasant company, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in love at first sight, such a thing is unthinkable for a noble daughter.¡± Hinata-san continued. ¡°But when saw you in that restaurant, my heart skipped a beat. Perhaps it was just your looks, or perhaps it was destiny even then. I sound so stupid, I hate it. But I genuinely think that. If I have to marry for my family, then I¡¯d rather marry you that some stupid noble son who just cares about what money he¡¯ll get out of it, not me! It¡¯d be nice if you were only mine but at least I find Shaeula entertaining. Besides, sharing with a princess feels very noble. As for Eri, I¡¯ll win her round. I can be very persuasive, and she¡¯s not a bad girl, she just loves you too much. Both of them are probably better than the concubines I¡¯d have to play nice with in whatever engagement we could get from the nobility.¡±


    ¡°I like you too-too.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°You will be a fitting bride for Akio. I welcome you as a sister!¡±


    All right. I¡¯ve had enough of this. ¡°Shaeula, why do you keep pushing every nice girl we meet together with me? Usually I think you are joking, playing pranks, but... lately I think there¡¯s more to it. Please, tell me. I don¡¯t want to get angry with you, resent you. I promised you and Eri I would love only you two! You know how I want to keep my word. So talk to me!¡± Here isn¡¯t the place for it, but... I can¡¯t let this go on.


    Hinata-san looked interested as well. Shaeula paused for a moment, before coming over and hugging me, trembling a little. ¡°Very well-well. I suppose it is time. I have been putting it off, but... I have fears too-too. I first realised when we returned from Las Vegas. Eri, Aiko and I talked, and it was the first-first step to untangle the mess within our hearts. You were sleeping so adorably...¡± she tried to change the subject, but I called her name, halting her. ¡°... you know I was a foolish, arrogant princess with few-few friends, and a strained relationship with my overbearing, overprotective family. Now I know the true joys of friendship. I started to change when I surrendered to you. It was as if your thoughts and behaviours began to influence me. It was nothing-nothing crude like brainwashing or enslavement, I could-could have resisted, but your feelings of friendship were warm. I quickly realised what a fool-fool I was before. So I crave friends. And what better friends than those who are my sisters, like Aiko and Eri?¡±


    That still doesn¡¯t make sense. She has other friends, like Ichika-san, Kana, and more. They don¡¯t have to be my wives too. In fact, that¡¯s more likely to make them competitors than friends...


    When I said as much, Hinata-san nodded, agreeing.


    ¡°Fine. There is another reason. One I laughed off when Eri used it to beat-beat me for my insolence in wishing desperately for you to love me.¡± She looked a little scared, a look on her I didn¡¯t like, so I returned her hug, squeezing her reassuringly. ¡°We Fae live long, and you will-will too. What... what if love cools? Many in the Fae suffer such a fate. I promised myself my love for you shall never-never die, and I believe it, but the voice that whispers to me, it scares me. I will have to rule the Seelie Court one day, or if not-not, I will at least have many duties as a princess. You will also have your own tasks to fulfil, and Eri, though all she wishes for is to be by your side-side, will surely find that which she wishes to do as well, and you will surely support her. So I thought...¡± she was crying, her amber eyes bright. ¡°... if there are more sisters, more lovers, then we can compete, not-not as rivals, but as friends who bring out the best in each other, who make us shine, so you will look on us with love-love forever, and our own love never cools, as we would never wish to lose-lose to our sisters!¡± she declared. ¡°Besides, I hate-hate the idea you will be lonely when we are away from you, doing what we must.¡±


    ¡°That will never happen. My love for you and Eri will outlast the universe.¡± I promised, pulling her close. Seriously, how do I respond to this? It was easier when I thought she was just pulling pranks, having fun, not knowing she thought so deeply about this, feels so scared. She closed her eyes, breathing out in relief, and then Hinata-san spoke.


    ¡°I want that too.¡± Hinata-san said quietly, yet her voice was filled with conviction. ¡°I look at what you have, your love, the way you¡¯d do anything for Shaeula and Eri, and I¡¯m so envious. Love, excitement, authority, power. And now it even seems a long life. You can give me everything, just like you helped my grandfather, and didn¡¯t even ask anything in return. My confidence took a hit there...¡± she managed a wry smile. ¡°... but no. I can give back. I don¡¯t just want to take, I want a partnership that shows all the arrogant members of the Fifty-Eight they missed out and we won.¡± She turned to her grandfather, who was beaming proudly at her. ¡°Grandfather, you¡¯ve set aside an inheritance for me, right?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Ten percent for you, ten percent for Hiroto. Your parents will leave you more in time I¡¯m sure, but for now, that is what I have set aside for you.¡±


    ¡°Great. So, how much money will you give me for it?¡± she turned to me. ¡°I want to invest in you. In my fiance?e. I¡¯m going to be a wife who does business, who makes us wealthy and strong, an equal, no, a superior to Fujiwara and Ichijou houses! I know that you grow stronger when you earn land in Tokyo, and can improve them somehow, like the shrine. Well, we¡¯ll use my money to buy everything you need, and push the value skywards! Healing too! How many rich old Americans and Europeans will there be, who would pay anything for miracle cures? There has to be more we can do as well, so long as you share the truth of what you can do with me!¡± her impassioned speech was searing and honest. ¡°Sure, you say I don¡¯t need to do this to benefit, to work with you, and I know you mean it. But what I want, what I¡¯m asking for... you can¡¯t just trust anyone with it! I won¡¯t let you be so nai?ve! Shaeula is too giving, you are too trusting, Eri too shy. You need me in your corner! I can cover your weaknesses!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I turned you down, didn¡¯t I?¡± I managed. Damn, seeing a beautiful girl like Hinata-san pouring our her heart dressed like that. It¡¯s pretty moving. But even if Shaeula is on board with it, Eri won¡¯t be... or... will she? My traitorous mind went back to Eri¡¯s birthday, when she roleplayed my kouhai at school lewdly, and confessed her secret feelings she was too scared to any other way.


    ¡®If senpai has to have some other girls, some fancy rich girls that open doors for him... Eri will swallow her tears and smile. So long as Eri is not forgotten, and can spend many, many happy days with senpai.¡¯ Her words came back to me, causing my chest to hurt. Eri, she, she must have known this was coming. Why am I constantly failing? I never meant to hurt anyone... but I don¡¯t see a way out of this without hurting someone. It should be Hinata-san, as she¡¯s not my girlfriend, but...


    ¡°Well, I would hate to break down the shares and properties I have for you into mere money.¡± Fukumoto-san broke the silence. ¡°But I can certainly advance you a significant sum, and even invest myself. Though I¡¯ll expect a decent return on that investment of course.¡± He winked. ¡°Even my beloved granddaughters¡¯ husband is not exempt from that.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, why do you hesitate, refuse?¡± Minato-san said, irritated. ¡°Our Hinata has poured her heart out to you! One of your fiance?es already agrees, and the other can be won around. So you don¡¯t love her now, that¡¯s irrelevant in this world. You will in time, just like I do her mother.¡±


    ¡°Right. The engagement will be long anyway, there is no rush for a wedding, until the time that the nobility finally acknowledge us.¡± Kokoro-san said. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time for love to bloom. But we wish to announce it now, for our daughters¡¯ sake. Take back your refusal, Akio-kun. Please don¡¯t trample on my daughters dreams. Don¡¯t let them die like ours has.¡± She bowed to me then, imploring, and I felt sick.


    Really, what do I want? Shaeula¡¯s reasons are beyond my understanding, but I do know she¡¯s hurting, uncertain for the future. I¡¯ve failed her. Eri too. Eri¡¯s insecure, jealous, but always thinking of what¡¯s best for me. Can I still give them what they need, Hinata too, if I accept her? Or will it only bring everyone pain? Am I even able to reach the right decision. But before that, Hinata has to be certain, as there¡¯s no going back...


    ¡°Are you really sure? I know I¡¯m important now, and I admit, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a bad catch, but... having someone to love alone is a great thing. Something I¡¯ve given up.¡±


    ¡°Nobility is like that. This is the best match she¡¯ll get.¡± Kokoro-san said. ¡°Trust us. Better you who she likes and has potential, than someone that wouldn¡¯t cherish her, would waste her gifts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I know you worry for Eri. Shaeula will be fine. I understand her, and...¡± she smiled. ¡°Living an extremely long, busy and satisfying life with you all seems delightful. As for Eri, I¡¯ll put her fears at rest, make sure she¡¯s happy. I¡¯m a girl who is worth making this sacrifice for.¡± She puffed out her chest.


    ¡°I too wish for her to join us.¡± Shaeula said, disengaging from my arms. ¡°Do not-not be a fool. Otherwise when Hinata is taken by some inferior male and suffers, it will be too-too late to regret. The path of a ruler is greedy. Will you not-not be an Emperor of the Astral? When she offers, you should snatch her up! I too will mollify and support Eri, though she is stronger than you think she is.¡±


    ¡°Time to be a man.¡± Minato-san said, and with that I buried my misgivings and hugged Hinata, who started crying, her emotions that she had bottled up from the struggle at lunch overspilling. ¡°Fine. You win. I am such a shitty guy when it comes to faithfulness, but if you really want this, I can consent to an engagement. But until Eri, her family and mine all agree, we can¡¯t go further.¡±


    ¡°So... this is what a man feels like.¡± Hinata-san shivered in my arms. ¡°It¡¯s very different than when Hiroto comforts me. I think I like it. Thanks, Akio, my fiance?.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now that is out the way, my first advice is... take Motoko-san too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I protested, but she looked at me seriously, as she was already advocating I expanded my fiance?es.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. Motoko-san is already interested in you, she¡¯s beautiful, refined, very popular, and her family is second only to the big three noble houses. Taking her would strengthen our position, and also win favour from her family and the upper nobility who ware struggling to deal with her desires. Besides...¡± Hinata was animated now, running through her ideas. ¡°... you are looking for partners who can fight, right?¡± She shivered a little, but was resolute. ¡°Even Eri is a warrior, your sister too. If I have to fight to grow stronger and live with you, I¡¯ll do it, though I¡¯m more interested in what we can command here on Earth.¡± She leaned into my chest. ¡°But Motoko-san, she¡¯s always dreamed of being able to fight, her family arts being useful. I don¡¯t want to see her ground down, lose what she loves. I hate that part of the nobility and want to crush it. The first step is freeing Motoko-san from her chains.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Motoko and Natsumi are very motivated, and I believe we can-can trust them. Though Natsumi will be useless without Motoko.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I believe she has feelings for Motoko that go beyond merely that-that of friends or student and teacher. To marry Motoko and abandon Natsumi to loneliness is beyond cruel.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi doesn¡¯t offer huge benefits, but she is still from an old family. It wouldn¡¯t be a detriment.¡± Hinata mused. At that my eyes flickered to Onoue-san reflexively, not that I had any designs on her, and she snorted, though she seemed happy. ¡°Not me, I¡¯m just a bodyguard. I was going to lose Hinata-sama when she got married anyway, so I am glad she¡¯ll be happy with you. She better be, or else.¡±


    ¡°Why would you lose her? If I¡¯m taking Hinata, I¡¯ll have to do what makes her happy, just like I swore to Eri and Shaeula. She¡¯s very fond of you, so it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m going to fire you. In fact I¡¯ll probably have to take over paying your wages. Train hard, you¡¯ll need to be far stronger to protect her in the world that¡¯s coming.¡±


    At that, Onoue-san looked shocked, mouth open.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why we have to follow the rules of the nobility that don¡¯t suit us. We make our own way.¡± I chided her gently.


    ¡°See?¡± Hinata said smugly in my arms. ¡°I told you he was the one, Kazumi. I felt my heart skip a beat then. We make our own way. Yes, I like that.¡±


    ¡°So, Motoko-san...¡± Shaeula began, but I put a stop to that.


    ¡°Seriously, stop , please! I have enough wrapping my head around Hinata, never mind others. A few moments ago I was hardening my heart to refuse her, despite knowing it would sadden her! Until Eri and our family agrees, nothing else is happening. I suppose...¡± Gods, I¡¯ve broken my promise again. I guess my resistance weakened when I accepted Shaeula and now Hinata... ¡°... while bringing Eri onside you can bring up the possibility with her, but if she says no, I¡¯m not even going to consider it! And don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s only one of me, and I have no desire to have so many women I can¡¯t care for each of you properly!¡± Even if we are often apart, as we do our own things we need to, that still doesn¡¯t mean I want to let my women be lonely.


    ¡°Well said!¡± Fukumoto-san approved. ¡°Where the hell is the maid with our champagne? This is a celebration. Besides...¡± he grinned, his predatory gleam back, all business. ¡°Now, Akio-kun, since we are family, it¡¯s time to tell us just what you need and how we can help, and reap the profits!¡±


    ¡°Fine. And that reminds me...¡± I spoke to Hinata, still in my arms, unwilling to let me go. ¡°Shaeula and I are likely to be away for days, maybe longer, as we have business in the other world. I¡¯m putting you in charge of the training school during that time. Liaise with Kana, she knows what to do. Keep everyone training as best you can. I guess... I guess Shaeula and I will do Chirurgery on your family as well. You can show them how to train their chakras too.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± She pumped her fist cutely. ¡°My first task as your official fiance?e. But before that... how am I going to spend my money? Which land do we need to buy? Grandfather, get us a map! You are healthy again, so no slacking. Mother, father, get some laptops up here. Kazumi, get the maid to make dinner and bring us more champagne for everyone. This is a celebration! And...¡± she looked up at me impishly. ¡°.. my declaration of war on Mayumi. So, Akio, fiance? dear. I want to win! Tell me how we can!¡±


    Everything spiralled out of my control so quickly. It wasn¡¯t as though the idea of engagement to Hinata wasn¡¯t broached before, but... As a map was laid out on the table, Hinata started demanding to know where I needed. Shaking my head, cursing myself a little for being a weak-willed bastard, I explained where my Territory overlapped, but that I could potentially obtain anything within ten kilometres of the shrine. Yeah, it seems like I¡¯m weak to strong-willed women. It¡¯s hard, being a harem protagonist bastard. Sure, I won¡¯t deny Hinata is very desirable, but it hurts that I¡¯m clearly not the good, loyal man I thought I was. Still, if everyone agrees, I can only make amends by striving to make everyone even happier. If I was aiming for ten times before, now I need to be at least fifteen times better than any other man to balance it out, no, twenty times! And shit, I need to get Hinata a ring now... Stupid thoughts spinning through my head, I panicked. At least it¡¯s going to be a long engagement. We¡¯ll have time to grow closer, and maybe they are right, and love will bloom... Seeing Hinata in her finery, so eagerly debating with her father and grandfather about which land would be the best to procure, while her mother looked on fondly, I realised I had made the same mistake I made with Eri. I thought I should make Eri happy because she was my childhood friend and I loved her like a sister, so I wasn¡¯t able to turn her down. In the end it was the right choice, as it turned out I did love her after all, and always had. It¡¯s a bit different for Hinata, but her desires and pain reached me, and in the end I couldn¡¯t bear to let her and her family down. I¡¯m such a coward. Eri will cry... ¡°Damn, Eri.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°May the fortunate winds blow around you, and keep you safe from her wrath.¡± Shaeula chuckled, surrounding me with a gale of green, causing the Fukumoto¡¯s to exclaim in surprise. ¡°I doubt it will help you, but I felt-felt compelled to offer.¡± She snickered at my sudden fear. ¡°Though Eri may be more understanding than you think.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. If I was her I wouldn¡¯t be.¡± I admitted. Opening up my phone I dialled Eri, and she picked up brightly.


    ¡°Akio, I¡¯m so happy to hear from you! What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Um, well, I have some... bad news.¡± I hesitated, unsure of how to say it.


    ¡°So, which one? Hinata-san, or Motoko-san?¡± Eri sighed, a long exhalation full of exasperation and resignation.


    ¡°Huh, what?¡± I managed, nonplussed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. In fact, you know my stats...¡± she boasted a little. ¡°...I¡¯ve talked with those girls, and they definitely want you. I don¡¯t like it, I hate it, but Motoko-san was right. You weren¡¯t there, but she told me I needed to have more value than simply wanting to be your girlfriend, your wife. And much as I hate to admit it, she was right. So instead, I¡¯ll make you fall in love with me all over again, stand by your side, and make it so you¡¯ll never want to ignore me for other women!¡± I could hear her pouting, but she seemed serious.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Well, I said unless my family, uncle and auntie are convinced, it¡¯s a no go, but...¡±


    ¡°You never answered me. Who is it?¡±


    Before I could answer, Hinata snagged my phone. ¡°Eri, it is me.¡± She declared. ¡°I proposed and he accepted. Eventually. But I understand. I don¡¯t wish to steal your happiness. I just want my own. Blame yourself for falling in love with such a desirable man.¡±


    ¡°I do blame myself, but what other choice was there? Akio has always been the only one for me. So, not Motoko-san then, Hinata?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but it is but a matter of time. She likes him well enough. Love may be asking a bit much for now, but our engagement will be leisurely in the noble way while I¡¯m still at school, so it¡¯ll come in time. I am very loveable. But we can discuss this in person. After all, Akio was very clear. Unless I win you all over, I¡¯ll be left out in the cold, discarded. Surely you wouldn¡¯t do that to me though, would you Eri? Just imagine if Shaeula stole Akio from you...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t thought about that. But I don¡¯t intend to lose to you! You may be rich and from a good family, but I fight every night to raise my level so I can stand by his side!¡±


    God, this conversation is excruciating. I guess I deserve it though...


    ¡°That reminds me, do you know how I can get my levels raised too? Surely I need that if I¡¯m going to be his wife.¡±


    At that Eri snorted. ¡°You¡¯ll have to give him the most precious thing a girl can. That would work. But sorry, you¡¯re still in school, having a long, chaste engagement...¡± at the venom dripping from Eri¡¯s voice I had to protest.


    ¡°No, there is one other way, but that takes a slot of the Throne of Heroes. I was planning to use it on Aiko, but sadly I need the slots to bring more allies from the Boundary to here right now...¡±


    As I panicked and argued with both of the girls, who were taking shots at each other over the phone, Shaeula¡¯s laughter in my ears, my eyes met those of Fukumoto-san, who grinned. ¡°Our Hinata is a firecracker, right? Now anyway, why not let the girls resolve this and get back to business...¡±


    Fine. I do deserve this. Shit, I only just convinced father and uncle Junpei about Shaeula, and now this... I¡¯m going to lose all the respect I earned! Shaeula, this is your fault too, if your fears hadn¡¯t moved my heart... no, who am I kidding. I have to take responsibility for my own shitty actions. Twenty times better. Or thirty. I can do it and make everyone happy. I¡¯ve made the bed anew, so once more I¡¯ll lie in it, and own it. A shame it sometimes feels like a bed of nails of my own making...

 One Hundred And Ninety-Eight

    One Hundred And Ninety-Eight


    Well, the nails are already starting to bite. To be honest I was a bit at a loss as the situation unfolded, and I couldn¡¯t help feeling that I hadn¡¯t exactly made a mistake, but that something had still gone very wrong and I couldn¡¯t quite see how.


    Hinata had finished her subtext-heavy and rather aggressive phone call with Eri, and her attention turned back to how she could help me. She was sitting close to me, our bodies almost touching, though her face was flushed, and Shaeula was on my other side. We sat at the antique table, champagne flowing, even Hinata drinking some, as we planned out how she could help us, her grandfather offering many useful suggestions, and mother-in-law... no, wait, it¡¯s still Fukumoto-san or Kokoro-san, else I feel like I¡¯ve given in already and this is inevitable. Although... it feels pretty inevitable. From what I remembered, Tyr had offered his hand to the wolf Fenrir to persuade him he wasn¡¯t being tricked, and had lost it, though his sacrifice ultimately saved many. Seems like I¡¯ve had to offer my heart instead, or maybe another body part. I just hope this doesn¡¯t lead to it getting cut off too...


    With that crude thought in my mind, I had turned my attention back to the proposals, Kokoro-san offering insight into the most powerful families of the nobility and how they might respond to our actions, and how we could make inroads. It isn¡¯t like I thought of my gain when I accepted Hinata, I just got caught up in the moment, and seeing a girl who I knew, and reminded me at least a little of Eri, seeming so downhearted and depressed, knowing I could reach out a hand and help her smile again... damn, I¡¯m such a fucking pushover. I thought I was toughening up!


    On seeing my troubled face, Hinata had smiled consolingly at me, and at her happy expression my traitorous mind immediately started back-pedalling, happy feelings of relief that she had stopped crying rising within me. Damn it, if this was a battle against another Astral Emperor-candidate or the Wild Hunt, I¡¯d stand there without fear, kicking ass. How is it that a girl younger than me and her family managed to persuade me when I¡¯d already declined repeatedly? Are the tears of a pretty girl so deadly a weapon that even a Barghest would envy? It was at that moment I resolved to turn my rage on the Myconids who had seized the Spring of Clear reflections and take all my angst and self-loathing out on them. Their fate was sealed, being the foes who happened to be next on my agenda.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, Akio?¡± she asked, blushing a little at calling me by name again. At that her grandfather chuckled heartily, and even Onoue-san smiled, happy for her mistress. No, now she¡¯s softened her stance towards me, maybe it should be Kazumi-san?


    ¡°Oh, well...¡± I trailed off, uncertain. Shaeula could read me well, so knew of my internal torment, smirking unsympathetically, but then, she had got what she wanted, so no wonder she was happy. Yeah, the nails in that bed definitely hurt. ¡°I don¡¯t want to put a damper on the mood, after all...¡± I swallowed. ¡°... we did just get engaged. Though trust me, I¡¯m in no hurry to rush forward with the wedding! I have a lot to do, and Hinata will want to finish school, and, well, never mind. It¡¯s just I¡¯m disappointed in myself. Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, Hinata, you¡¯re a nice girl, any man would be happy to marry you, I¡¯m sure, and those nobles who won¡¯t because of your status are clearly idiots not worth your time, but... I was resolved not to accept any more fiance?es, and yet, here we are. I worry it¡¯ll happen again and again. I¡¯m feeling pathetic.¡±


    ¡°You sound pathetic too-too.¡± Shaeula whacked me on the head, not hard, but enough to show her displeasure. ¡°I have told you, a male... no, not just a male.¡± She amended, thinking. ¡°Any ruler, any male or female worth the following, they seize what they want-want. If it happens again, so be it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll confess to being slightly offended.¡± Hinata pouted, but she only leaned closer, our shoulders brushing gently. ¡°But I understand that is because you don¡¯t love me yet. Before, I would have been happy with a loveless arranged union, if I was respected and I could prove myself. After all, that¡¯s the way of the nobility.¡± She said bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s all Mayumi has to look forward to, and she doesn¡¯t even understand what she is losing out on. Sakura too, that poor idiot. But I do. Now I want you to love me, and I want to love you! I¡¯m a greedy girl, I want it all, everything under the sky I can grasp, no, everything under every sky we can grasp together.¡± Her smile was blinding, and it reminded me of the smile of Eri when I accepted her confession under the sun, or Shaeula, when Eri and her finally pressured me into accepting her love as well, as shitty as that made me feel. Yet at the time I was relieved too, that I was able to stop hurting Shaeula. I¡¯d noticed her feelings, hell, she told me them often enough, but I pretended to play dumb, be indecisive... oh, I get it. The smile. Understanding dawned on me, though before I could fully articulate it to myself, Hinata continued.


    ¡°If it happens again, it happens. But!¡± she insisted, scowling at Shaeula, though she was still pretty, even doing that. ¡°We need to make sure no unsuitable women enter his sights. He is too weak to women, definitely! I can¡¯t say much about it, as my family and I took full advantage, but we, as his wives, need to make sure they have a good personality, and no problematic backgrounds.¡±


    ¡°I quite-quite agree.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°As first wife, Eri should be dealing with such-such matters. I will support her of course, and would welcome your assistance. Motoko and Natsumi seem to be suitable, and...¡±


    Nope, not listening to this. Really, I just want to see everyone around me smiling. Especially the girls. Ever since the dog attacked Eri and Aiko, I¡¯ve always been scared of their tears. It was the same with Shiro. I couldn¡¯t help but want to help her, seeing the shadow of sadness under her rotten personality. Though before I was only offering surface-level help, too scared of any intimacy. But now... now my heart has been opened up by Eri and Shaeula, letting people, girls, truly in, I can¡¯t stop at just that. Yeah, if Tyr offered his hand freely, I guess I offer my heart. Wow, as my sister would say, that¡¯s majorly lame. Not heroic at all.


    Having finished their discussion, and me shaking my head at some of the names Shaeula had put forward, I decided to change the subject. ¡°So, anyway, we can definitely expand in this direction, like you asked. I need to own the land though before ether density increases, which is going to be a problem...¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯ll be no problem. We¡¯ll put it jointly in your and Hinata¡¯s name.¡± her grandfather declared. ¡°Since you are going to be married, right? You may complain, but if you couldn¡¯t bear to break Hinata¡¯s heart before, surely now when she is growing ever fonder of you, you¡¯ll stick by her?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but if she ever decides she likes someone... ouch!¡± I wasn¡¯t the only one who cried out. Hinata was rubbing at her fingers where she tried to pinch me, but only ended up hurting herself as I was too tough. Shaeula though, had whacked me hard, my head ringing.


    ¡°Foolish Akio. I hate-hate when you do that! It looks down-down on females too much, and yourself also! Hinata has decided, the wisest decision she has ever made, so do not-not insult her resolve!¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she pouted, tears in her eyes as she shook her sore hand. I grabbed it then, and she let out a little noise, reddening, but all I was doing was channelling in aether to heal her. As the pain diminished, she brightened momentarily, before remembering she was mad. ¡°Even if I was to ignore the fact I¡¯d be a laughing stock and unmarriageable, bringing shame to Fukumoto house, if our engagement fell through, I told you! I want your love! I want Eri and Shaeula to approve of me as worthy to join you in the most exciting, important change the world has ever seen. Saying you¡¯ll let me go hurts my pride! Don¡¯t!¡±


    As Shaeula approved her strong words I released her hand. ¡°I get it. Sorry. To be honest, I¡¯m still not that confident with women. I may have Eri and Shaeula, but it¡¯s all happened so damn fast. I still haven¡¯t been able to shake my doormat tendencies, it seems. Look.¡± I was serious now. ¡°I still feel a bit sore I let you all talk me into this, but it¡¯s my fault for not being able to ignore a girl who is suffering that only I can help. If you had other options in your marriage that could make you happy, well, I¡¯d probably have been able to hold firm.¡± It was easy refusing Yae-san, I could have done that even if I wasn¡¯t dating Eri at the time, she¡¯s a normal girl looking for happiness, and I hope she finds it, but any good man can give her that... but it seems that I am the only real choice for Hinata that works. It doesn¡¯t make me feel less shitty and less of a betrayer, but...


    Shaeula hit me again. As I yelped, I met her eyes, and she grinned humourlessly. ¡°Enough with the guilt. You have always-always made me happy, as you promised. Hinata is fun, she will help you, and Eri is not-not as opposed as you think. But... if it will set your mind at ease, I shall do it.¡± she pulled out her orange phone and called Eri.


    ¡°What now?¡± Eri answered, a bit peevishly. ¡°I think we said everything that needed to be said. I¡¯ll accept it, but I won¡¯t lose!¡±


    ¡°Eri, Akio is wallowing in guilt and self-loathing, it is most-most annoying. I wish to help him, and you. So...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°You will not-not have to lose any of your time with Akio in the future. Hinata¡¯s share, Motoko¡¯s share... I shall give up my time. So long as Akio has some left for me I shall endure.¡± She sighed. ¡°So, Akio. Put aside your sorrow. I shall not-not let Eri be disadvantaged.¡±


    There was a grim silence from Eri, and then her voice echoed loudly, shrill and pissed off. ¡°You¡¯ll do what? No you won¡¯t!¡± she declared. ¡°I¡¯m his first love, I¡¯m his first kiss, I¡¯m his first... woman! I don¡¯t need your charity! I hate it, but ever since you came into our lives and I found out about this other reality, I knew this was coming! You think I¡¯m not good enough for Akio to want to spend time with?¡±


    ¡°No-no, that was not-not my intention...¡± Shaeula said hurriedly.


    ¡°Well it sure sounds like it!¡± Eri snapped. ¡°Akio, I know you can hear me! Yes, I¡¯m frustrated, yes, I¡¯m angry, yes I¡¯m upset, but...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°... I accept this. If it¡¯s what I have to endure to be with you, then I¡¯ll endure it. Besides... I¡¯m pissed off sure, but even now, talking, knowing you are listening, I¡¯m still happy I get to do that. Compared to the empty void my life has been when you left Nishimorioka, even this anger is fun and fresh, it makes me feel alive.¡±


    Damn, I¡¯m tearing up. My girls, my girls are strong. Probably stronger than me, mentally, despite all my stats and gains.


    ¡°So no more crap, Shaeula. I¡¯m the Dark Temptress, remember.¡± The way she said it, I could hear her blush. ¡°I have to find what I want to do in life, and I want to do whatever lets me spend the most time with Akio! And right now that means learning to fight. So I will. And I¡¯ll fight all of you too! So be warned, Hinata! I¡¯ll not deny you your share, but I get mine first!¡±


    ¡°I accept your challenge, Eri!¡± Hinata declared back proudly, before Kokoro-san winked at me and plucked the phone out of a very surprised Shaeula¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Oh hello, you must be Eri. I am Kokoro, Hinata¡¯s mother. I was just thinking, that as a daughter of a most distinguished noble, who has been brought up expecting to manage other concubines and mistresses, as well as manage my husband and his secret ... excursions...¡± At that, Minato-san stammered out some lame excuses to his daughter, about needing to show a good front to the nobility by acting in the same manner and a how a second woman was a status symbol every noble needs.


    ¡°Since I have experience, and will be part of your family, I¡¯d be happy to advise you. else you won¡¯t be able to keep my daughter in line.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Hinata said, shocked, while Kazumi-san grinned and Fukumoto-san pounded his knee, guffawing.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this delightful. It¡¯s been a long time I¡¯ve seen everyone so energetic and happy. Look, grandson-in-law.¡± He said to me, deadly serious. ¡°I get you feel like you should have held your ground. Maybe a strong man would have. But... isn¡¯t this better? Look at the joy in the room. Even this Eri girl said it. She¡¯s angry, but even in the anger, there¡¯s happiness because she¡¯s sharing it with you! So be proud, be bold, grab everything you can, and never lose that kindness, that willingness to sacrifice when it comes to making others happy. So long as it doesn¡¯t put your own or their happiness at risk. I don¡¯t need a martyr as a grandson! But if you think having our Hinata love you is a burden or a sacrifice, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re going to make it in this cruel world. We just browbeat you into accepting the jackpot!¡±


    ¡°Oh, grandfather!¡± Hinata was embarrassed, hiding her face, but she looked overjoyed, and that did warm my traitorous chest.


    ¡°Anyway. Minato, don¡¯t think we didn¡¯t know about your dalliances. At least you had the good sense not to have any illegitimate children. You have to watch that.¡± He told me seriously. ¡°Nothing causes worse trouble than that. Anyway, back to business. We know what land to secure, but how can we help you over there? We don¡¯t know a lot about it, but it seems vitally important.¡±


    I had been thinking on this myself, and had one idea, but it seemed impossible to achieve. Maybe not now though. ¡°Okay, well, I do have one possibility. I need an area which has a lot of visitors, but few staff permanently there. Ideally, the visitors should stay for a few hours, and not come back for days or weeks. If I can gain ownership of such a place, I could set up a Material To Boundary Connection and drain a little aether and ether from them without causing any long-term effects to their health. A little ether from a vast number of people would soon mount up. Is there anywhere that could fit the bill?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me think...¡± Fukumoto-san mused, understanding my needs.


    ¡°Inside. Waiting. Now, allow the princess to shock you with her new appearance!¡± Ixitt shouted, and that was her cue to step out of the changing facilities that had been erected. I couldn¡¯t help but whistle at the sight. Yeah, that¡¯s a whole new fetish I didn¡¯t know I had. Still, looking good!


    She was wearing a gasmask, eye-covering goggles with high angle of view, a black hood that could cover her exposed skin, and a skin-tight rubber-esque suit, with a single zip down the front. The zip itself was glimmering wetly, as it had been coated in the sealant to prevent any spores entering.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Shaeula spun around, and I grinned.


    ¡°Yeah, okay that¡¯s hot. Remind me to get you one in the Material too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you!¡± Shaeula grinned, the small hints of skin I could see under her mask, which were also glimmering with cream, turned pink.


    ¡°You think you can fight in it?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°It is very-very tight, and I expect it would be rather uncomfortable, but the wind energy circulating through is quite-quite cooling.¡±


    ¡°Great, so that works too. I guess Bjarki helped with the bluesteel wiring?¡±


    ¡°I did tooo!¡± Hyacinth went fishing for praise. ¡°I sewed the undershirts! Anything for master!¡±


    ¡°Good job!¡± I patted her head, causing her to mewl with joy. At the amused snort of Shaeula, I turned back to Ixitt. ¡°What about the vacuum?¡±


    ¡°Bjarki should be putting the finishing touches to it now.¡± Ixitt lashed his tail more rapidly, eager to see it in action. ¡°The glass flask was harder to make than I expected, it being so large, but we managed. It will need constant elemental wind to function, but...¡± looking at Shaeula and I he grinned. ¡°... with the two of you, we should have no shortage.¡±


    Yeah, especially since my heart and lunar chakras both ranked up, I¡¯m flush with it, and we can finally pull reserves from the Elemental Silos in the Territory again. Assuming the tests go well, I know we can do this!


    ¡°Grul wants to know when we fight! Grul hears promise of destroying many foes!¡± Grulgor complained.


    ¡°Fine. Ixitt, you help Grulgor gear up, then do yourself. Shaeula, help Hyacinth. I¡¯ll go see master Bjarki and then I¡¯ll also get ready.¡±


    ¡°Come with me, foolish servant.¡± Shaeula dragged Hyacinth away, while Ixitt ushered Grulgor inside. It was then I entered the workshop of the Dvergr for the first time, amazed at how tidy it was. There were forges, sure, giving off intense heat, and crucibles of steaming, molten dwarven iron and steel. There were also anvils and other tools, but they were all neatly placed, as were the racks of weapons and armour, including five sets of very distinct chainmail armours with extremely fine rings, in various sizes from petite to colossal, which were obviously for our party.


    ¡°So, it¡¯n be the slavedriver that had me¡¯n Ixitt working all hours t¡¯finish all these items. I be needing a break.¡± The Dvergr turned, wiping sweat from his brow.


    ¡°Sorry about that. But I¡¯m keen to get cracking. After this you¡¯ll be free to do what you want for a while. I love what you¡¯ve done with the place, by the way. Very tidy!¡±


    ¡°There be nae winning me around with yer fancy compliments. Just take a look. It¡¯n be what you wanted, right?¡± Bjarki pulled down a strange device. It looked like a long pipe with a series of fine mesh grates over the entrance, which led to a half-metre across flask with a complicated two-way valve I was amazed they were able to make, based on my shallow description. My Eye flared amber, and I grinned as I read the description.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s damn perfect. With this and Hyacinth... well, I¡¯m even more confident we can win now. Thanks again.¡± I offered the dwarf my hand for a shake, only to find he had placed a pair of blades there. I looked puzzled, and he only shrugged.


    ¡°I could nae send the consort of t¡¯princess out t¡¯battle without his swords, could I?¡± he looked a bit embarrassed, and I pegged him as tsundere as well. Seriously, male tsundere aren¡¯t popular, never mind bearded dwarf ones. That¡¯s too niche a market.


    ¡°Whoa...¡± I gasped in shock as my eyes read the item details.


    The Twin Fangs Of Rending ¨C Item Class: [Noble], Item Type: [Rule]


    A matched pair of dwarven-steel blades, made by the renowned Dvergr craftsman Bjarki, by melting down the previous blades, one broken and tainted by the spatial element, the other angry and undefeated. As the swords were reforged from the metal, the spatial element was strengthened at the expense of sublimating the bluesteel into the dwarven alloy. The ability to store and use elements was lost, but instead the blade draws in ether from the surroundings and aether from the user, enabling the blades to bypass most defences by slicing the intervening space.


    ¡°This¡¯n be a happy stroke of fortune. The blades, they¡¯n wanted, nay, needed t¡¯be made. They hunger to prove themselves. They¡¯n rank among the best swords I ever made.¡± He paused then. ¡°So y¡¯better not let the princess come t¡¯harm. Else Ulfuric, he¡¯n will strangle you t¡¯death! Swing t¡¯Fangs and crush your enemies!¡±


    ¡°You have my word. So long as I and these blades remain unbroken, no harm will come to Shaeula. Thanks. I love them. And I¡¯ll do them justice.¡± I guess the ability to use some power from multiple elements like the bluesteel can is a Foundation, while a single strong element like spatial is a Rule? Makes sense, I guess. It does sound more powerful.


    As the dwarf waved me off, still embarrassed, I belted on the swords and grabbed the chainmail, hauling them out, only to be greeted by a wonderful and terrible sight. Shaeula and Hyacinth were looking alluring and gorgeous in the tight armour, but the hulk that was Grulgor... Gods, where did my sister say she put that brain bleach? I think I need some now...


    ¡°All right.¡± I grinned. ¡°Chainmail goes on over the top to protect the under-armour which blocks the enemy biological terrorism.¡± At my turn of phrase only Shaeula seemed to get it. Ixitt looked as if he had some idea and was excited by it. ¡°Grulgor, you carry the barrels. Hyacinth, take this.¡± I passed her the vacuum. ¡°I¡¯m going to gear myself up, then... the Spring of Clear Reflections it is. In the name of the Seelie Court and Princess Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, we are reclaiming it!¡±


    ********


    ¡°Well, here we are.¡± Like everyone else, I was now wearing a comfortable sewn underlayer of thin cloth, with fine bluesteel wires sewn within that we could charge with wind to keep cool, and do other things in an emergency. Above that was the skin-tight rubber-style suit, and over that a heavy layer of protective chainmail. As the weakest of us physically, Ixitt and Hyacinth had lighter chainmail, but as they were backline support it was fine. I had also greased up with the slimy barrier fluid on the zips and my face and neck, as while the hood, gasmask and goggles covered everything, there was no point taking chances.


    Ahead of us stretched the Fae Stone boundary, and the grasslands that separated us from the pestilent forest. My Eyes confirmed that the Myconid Death Spores were still blowing everywhere, so our preparation was not in vain.


    ¡°All right. Time for the first test.¡± We waited by the Fae Stones. ¡°In you go.¡± I said, and the first kobold shuffled out across the boundary and reached the edge of the fungal forest. It paused for a moment, but did not encounter any resistance.


    ¡°No Territory barrier I see. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± I noted.


    ¡°I suspect the vile creature that dwells at the heart of the Spring wishes foolhardy intruders to attempt an invasion.¡± Shaeula posited, her eyes shining as she watched the mindless Degraded Kobold advance. ¡°After all-all, these plant creatures must need... fertiliser.¡± She spat, as the Kobold suddenly erupted with growths, vines, mushrooms and other tendrils of plant matter bursting out of it as it died soundlessly, scattering away to ether, leaving behind a husk.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± I agreed. ¡°All right then... number two, you are a go!¡± at my words the next Degraded Kobold shuffled out, ready for our second probing test...

 One Hundred And Ninety-Nine

    One Hundred And Ninety-Nine


    The second Degraded Kobold reached the forest, but the moment it stepped across the threshold between the trees it retreated, rushing back towards us. It made it to the Fae Stones, but before it could cross fungus was already starting to sprout from it, luminous, putrid-smelling mushrooms forming in clusters, devouring flesh. It fell, trying to fulfil my orders, crawling towards the Stones, hand outstretched, but it was too late. The kobold died, and my eyes could make out a puff of spores released by the fungus, which quickly withered and died as well, leaving little but unpleasant sludge behind.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I pursed my lips, thinking. ¡°Looks like the fungus finds it hard to thrive outside its own Territory. It seems like the spores can still sprout though, even with a brief exposure. I see why the Fae have struggled to take the Spring back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite.¡± Ixitt lashed his rubber-clad tail. ¡°So, what¡¯s the next test?¡±


    ¡°Seven and eight, please go.¡± I declared, and two elite Degraded Kobolds, the Miners, set off. They bypassed the dead remains of their fallen allies, and entered the forest. The first stood there inside, while the second retreated, just like the previous unlucky kobold. The one inside the forest began to erupt in growths and fungal bloom, though it survived marginally longer than its weaker kin. Pustules and tendrils of plant life were also slowly starting to sprout on the retreating weaselkin, but it was stronger, so managed to pass the stones before falling in front of us, dying rapidly.


    ¡°Now!¡± I ordered, and Hyacinth activated the vacuum, sucking at the air around the fallen kobold, while I immediately tried to heal it. Aether flowed from my rubber-clad hands, and it looked like it was working for a while, though eventually the rate of fungal growth was too much. Just like before, the plants quickly died, lacking a host to feed on.


    ¡°Right, I see. Next test.¡± I said, starting to get a clear picture of how the contamination worked. Several ordinary kobolds set out, as well as one more Miner. That Miner also successfully returned, dripping with rot and toadstools, but this time we were ready. ¡°Use wind surgically.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded, as we hewed away at the flesh of the kobold where the parasitic plants were, while we both constantly healed the areas we had damaged. The air was filled with dying plant matter, and Hyacinth hoovered up the debris, cackling to herself, enjoying it as though it was a fun game.


    ¡°Yes, this would be impossible without these.¡± Ixitt tapped the gasmask he wore, the filter cartridge a mixture of more standard elements such as charcoal, and also bluesteel powder infused with wind energy. ¡°Else destroying the plant life merely spreads the contagion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we did it!¡± I grinned, and we had one alive Degraded Kobold Miner. ¡°It¡¯s no good just healing, all the seeds and spores have to be cut out. But since our vitality is much greater than these, it gives us a chance in emergencies if one of us is compromised.¡±


    ¡°Grul sees enemies.¡± He rumbled suddenly, hefting the huge metal mace he carried. ¡°In the trees.¡±


    ¡°it was inevitable we¡¯d draw notice.¡± I agreed. ¡°Ugly-looking buggers, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Shaeula laughed. ¡°They most certainly are. I do not-not wish any of them under my rule. They must be disposed of. Besides, we wish for the spoils, do we not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we need to capture a few alive for the next set of tests. Right, Ixitt, you hang back with Hyacinth for this one. Shaeula and I will capture some specimens. Grulgor, you... well, just smash, okay? This isn¡¯t going to be quick or easy, so thinning their numbers now will... oh damn, I should have known!¡± when I finished saying he should smash them, Grulgor didn¡¯t even wait for the rest of my instructions, but rushed through the Fae-Stones, chainmail jangling like discordant bells.


    ¡°You can expect nothing less from that muscle-brained oaf.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°Well, shall we?¡± We also left the sanctuary of the Seelie Court, passing through the Stones, and within a couple of seconds we crossed the grassy strip and leapt amidst the sparse trees of the fungal forest entrance. I felt a shiver as I went in, the oppression of a Territory, but it wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t handle. A strong Rank 3 maybe? I feel a bit weaker and my aether doesn¡¯t want to obey me without a fight, but... I was stronger now, a lot stronger, and my Aether Manipulation had broken the first wall, reaching Rank 6.


    ¡°Grul will crush you, rend you, trample you to dust!¡± he boomed behind his massive respirator and mask. His giant mace sent trees as thick as my waist exploding apart, sending hails of deadly splinters everywhere, but luckily his armour was holding. What was also flying everywhere were corpses of the first set of opponents this forest had sent for us, a series of shambling mounds made up of decaying plant matter and mushrooms, that constantly exuded a deadly mist of spores, as well as larger walking pitcher-plants, their colossal jaws reminding me of the Jaws Of The Questing Beast that the Raven Knight conjured, those many weeks ago.


    ¡°We want one of each.¡± I told Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯ll take the mounds.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± She agreed, wind bisecting several of the walking jaws, ether spilling as they disintegrated into putrid mist. We¡¯ll take that. I grinned as we filched as much of the ether we could before it was reabsorbed by the hostile Territory, and perhaps due to the bonuses from my Conqueror class, I was pretty certain we got more than half of it.


    I ducked under a pitcher-plant, unsheathing my Twin Fangs and slashing out, and it toppled to the side, balance lost as I severed the vines it was using to pull itself along. As it did so, Shaeula used her pinwheels which she had spent some time untangling after the last battle, though instead of wind, it contained earth energy I had provided, making the wires hard to break. The plant-creature was caught, and I quickly sliced through another, cutting it near in half, collecting the spoils. Rushing over to where Grulgor had ploughed a path through, looking like a mini-tornado had passed by, I scooped up more ether then engaged a group of four mounds, each overtopping me by a head. ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing cutting you up won¡¯t be too effective, but we need to try so...¡± I spun, the acidic fumes they were spewing nasty, but wind swirled around me, dispersing it. My blades did indeed slice the mass of plant matter and filth easily enough, but to no avail. Thought so. In that case...


    Flame blazed citrine as I conjured it. Now the Territory fought hard, as though fire was inimical to it, but though it cost me far more energy than I would have liked, I still kindled a blaze, and soon three mounds were disintegrating, sparks flashing into the air like bright fireflies. The fourth I had herded with the flame towards Shaeula, her pinwheels also snaring it, forcing it together with the captured pitcher-plant.


    ¡°All right, great job.¡± I praised her. ¡°Grulgor! Retreat, phase one is down!¡± I amplified my voice with wind. ¡°let¡¯s hope he heard me. And better still, listens!¡±


    Shaeula shrugged. More pitcher-plants were coming for us, a dozen, no, two dozen. ¡°Here¡¯s the all-we-can-eat buffet we ordered.¡± I grinned, and I raised my hand, Shaeula mirroring me. Wind blades, drills, wind-weasels and solid bullets of compressed air tore through the trees and into the packed mass of attackers, and a welter of green gore and torn foliage rained down amidst the rainbow glow of ether.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be having that!¡± I concentrated, drawing it in. ¡°I¡¯d love to stay and kill more but...¡± the forest was starting to tremble, and I could hear strange sibilant whispers on the wind. ¡°... we have some tests to run.¡± I grabbed one of the handles to Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels and helped her haul them out of the forest, back towards the Fae Stones. They struggled, but our strength was superior. Yeah, these plants are dangerous, sure, but most of it comes from the lethal spores...


    On reaching the barrier we passed through, but there was a moment of resistance as the Seelie Court Territory tried to repel us, considering we were hauling enemies in, but it quickly ceased, perhaps intuiting we weren¡¯t a threat, if such was even possible.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s coming at least.¡± I observed, seeing Grulgor, drenched in green ooze, racing towards the border from the forest, plants trailing him, which he occasionally turned around to strike, blowing them apart.


    ¡°Well, let us off-load these burdens.¡± Shaeula sighed, as we hauled the two plants to separate Fae Stones, using a pinwheel on each to keep them restrained, like some ancient druidic sacrifice in some of moms¡¯ old British stories. It seemed that within the Fae Stones the creatures were much weaker, the pitcher-plant barely struggling, and the mound unable to spew its vile mist.


    ¡°So, are there any problems?¡± Ixitt asked, observing, and I shook my head. ¡°Nope, seems like the gear worked fine, though it was a quick engagement. Next time won¡¯t be.¡± The edge of the forest was seething with the living plants, including some other types such as wolves made of thorny briars, and what looked like zombies, just covered in fungal growths with waxy, almost shiny skin. ¡°Looks like there are hundreds, no, maybe even thousands of them there.¡±


    ¡°All the more for Grul to crush.¡± He boomed with laughter. ¡°Grul is pleased. Since ugly pig-beasts all died, Grul has been bored!¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no shortage of excitement to come.¡± I washed Shaeula, Grulgor and myself down with some water from the mansion, which I had the Degraded Kobolds ferry over, since the survivors had done their duty in the initial testing phase, at least until Hyacinth had started her tasks. ¡°But first, we need an extra countermeasure for these. So, Hyacinth, can you do it?¡± I asked, and she bobbed up and down, unsure.


    ¡°I will dooo anything for you, master, mistress. But I dooo not know. I have never tried something sooo difficult before.¡± Her silver-violet eyes were teary behind the goggles she wore.


    ¡°I know. Hence why we made you the vacuum catcher to help.¡± I went over and patted her head. She could probably feel little through the heavy hood and gear she wore, but even so the gesture pleased her. ¡°And Ixitt and I can help you. Shaeula too. Just think, you are going above and beyond what any brownie ever has before!¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± Shaeula allowed, splashing some water on her face to refresh herself. ¡°But we are making little-little headway.¡± She sighed then. ¡°Still, it is only to be expected. A Territory the Seelie Court has failed to retake for many centuries will not fall in a day.¡± She glanced back to the forest, where swarms of plant-creatures still waited. A few had tried to cross the grassy border, but they were easy pickings for us. Still, it seemed there were just as many as when we started.


    ¡°True, but these are all just their expendable grunts.¡± New and strange plants had joined the mob, such as masses of wiry tendrils that lashed out similar to Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels, clusters of poisonous fruits, and even what looked like slithering green pumpkins, complete with leering faces, that had the ability to fire blasts of wind from their gaping mouths. ¡°They aren¡¯t weak, by any means, but they can¡¯t challenge us unless we get careless or overwhelmed. Still, their numbers seem endless. But in a way that¡¯s good for us, right?¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Grul agrees. Grul enjoys crushing them!¡± he gurgled happily, able to vent his homicidal rages as much as he wanted.


    ¡°For the rewards, I get it.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°It is far-far more lucrative than clearing out weak, worthless Territories back in the Boundary, we can leave that to our-our kin. But if we plan to reclaim the Spring, we will need a better way than this.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and Hyacinth and Ixitt are going to help us with that.¡± I promised, looking at the capering Hyacinth, as she practise manipulating our captive plant. It was leaking green fluid from many tears as her powers over-stressed it, but the main thing was she had crossed the first hurdle.


    ¡°Okay, Hyacinth, if we release the plant, can you make it move outside the Fae Stones and release spores?¡± I gestured for everyone to back up and put on their protective gear again.


    ¡°For yooou, master, I shall try!¡± she declared, and as Shaeula unwound her pinwheel the plant shuddered, scattering green fluids everywhere, before lurching out through the Stones, taking a few more steps. It then let out a hissing noise, a nearly invisible mist leaving it, before it exploded.


    ¡°Sorry, Hyacinth broke it again!¡± she wailed, but I shook my head, my Eye telling me all I need to know.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It released the spores. You saw it, right?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°So in that case, if you can control the plant, and spores are part of the plant, you can control the spores, right?¡±


    ¡°I think sooo?¡± she said slowly. It was a difficult concept for her, to see them as the same thing, but if she could do what I wanted, then our chances of capturing the spring would be much greater.


    ¡°Good. Just practise moving them around inside the vial for now. When you can do that, then I want you to try moving the spores without being able to see them...¡± I trailed off, as Shaeula suddenly spoke.


    ¡°I see one. A Myconid, vile Unseelie filth.¡± Her voice hissed through her recently-donned gasmask, full of anger.


    ¡°It was inevitable they¡¯d come see what all the commotion was about sooner or later. We¡¯ve been making quite a mess here.¡± I grinned. Scanning the forest I could see it, and my Eye glimmered as I appraised it.


    Myconid Scout [Dark Fae] - ???????


    Still with the question-marks I see, still all the use I¡¯m putting my Eye to must surely be helping it grow towards Rank 2. ¡°Ugly bastard, isn¡¯t it?¡± I observed. It was amidst the hundreds of waiting plant foes, looking like a roughly humanoid mushroom-person, though its head was a toadstool, sickly and yellow. The colouration of its body was brown, grey and green, the better to blend in. A scout indeed.


    ¡°Well, Ixitt, might want to watch this.¡± I grinned. ¡°When you move onto bigger and better guns like sniper rifles, it should work like this.¡± I used earth element to craft a sharp, hardened rock into the shape of a high-calibre bullet. ¡°Normally it¡¯d have rifling to make it spin for accuracy, but with wind element assistance I don¡¯t need it.¡± I created a small tube of wind in the air, glittering green, before sliding the bullet inside. Running the calculations in my head, my grin turned into a malicious smirk. ¡°Time to strike a blow for the Seelie Court.¡± If the plant beasts aren¡¯t truly sentient, the Dark Fae certainly are, so this is... well, murder, I guess. But this is a war, Shaeula¡¯s war, I¡¯ve taken up, on behalf of her and her people, and as the Myconids spread death wherever they go... damn, no point whining. My hands are already stained with human and monster blood. To save the world and those I love, I¡¯ll do it...


    There was a sonic boom, and the Myconid exploded, the head and half the torso shattering apart before it even had chance to react. At a few hundred metres and not knowing what I was doing, even an inhumanly fast opponent will struggle...


    ¡°That is most-most satisfying!¡± Shaeula declared, seeing the Unseelie ally fall. As it did so though, a puff of spores scattered from it, which drew my attention.


    Myconid Alert Spores ¨C These spores are released by a dying Myconid, carrying information about its death to other nearby Myconids. It also has an effect of enraging their nearby plant slaves.


    Okay, two problems there, but only one immediate one. ¡°It released spores on death, I think we need to... okay, too late!¡± I changed what I was about to say as hundreds of the plants rushed out from the forest, trampling the border grasses under their weight, churning the ground to mud, rushing towards us in a mad frenzy. ¡°Don¡¯t let them cross the Fae Stones! The last thing we need is Way-Wardens coming and getting killed by the fungal pestilence! Hyacinth, Ixitt, help us out!¡±


    ¡°I do not-not think you need to fear that.¡± Shaeula said, but she was already firing blasts of wind and flame into the onrushing hordes, felling them. Grulgor was amongst them, kicking, trampling and crushing them into filthy pastes of green goo and gore, and having been set loose, Hyacinth was calling upon her vines, seizing them and twisting, killing them mercilessly.


    ¡°I shall save my ammunition. I see no problems here.¡± Ixitt said, relaxing. Shaking my head, I called forth a wall of flames. Not Foehn, as there was no need, but even so, the brilliant citrine blaze incinerated many of the packed enemies, the weight of their massed charge offering them no way to stop.


    ¡°Watch out, a few are getting past... oh.¡± The plants slammed into the gap between the Fae Stones and bounced off with a crackle of sparks. As they did, Shaeula bisected them with wind.


    ¡°If the barrier did not-not work, then the Unseelie filth would have corrupted all these lands too.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°It is only the wily Wild Hunt who somehow evade our defences so readily.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± I said, continuing to mow down a pack of the green pumpkin beasts, spears of rock erupting from the ground, shredding them into unrecognisable pieces. The battle continued for a few more minutes, until the last of the plants enraged by the pollen had fallen, the muddy field strewn with glittering ether, which I cheerfully collected.


    ¡°All right, good job everyone. I still didn¡¯t level again, which is a bit annoying, but surely soon. Anyway, we might as well head back to the mansion, it¡¯s getting late. Tomorrow we¡¯ll try penetrating through a different section of their border.¡±


    ¡°Good-good. I am quite tired.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°Akio, we should take a bath, the stench of these filthy abominations is quite-quite unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°Master, mistress, I shall wash yooour backs for yooou!¡± Hyacinth declared, and I smiled as the relaxed atmosphere returned now that we had achieved all we could for now. So, the defensive gear works, Hyacinth is making progress, and we gathered intel on the Myconids. All in all, a very promising first day...

 Two Hundred

    Two Hundred


    After a relaxing night at the mansion, which was excellent for destressing, and made a mockery of the fact we were fighting a war, although once we finally started penetrating deeper into Myconid Territory we would likely have to camp out in enemy lands, we moved through the Seelie Court to the border a couple of miles further along, and started our attack and sample collection once more.


    Initially the fungal forest responded just as previously, giant aggressive plants and other beasts responding to our intrusion, the numbers rapidly escalating until the forest seethed with them, but after just a few hours we started seeing Myconid Scouts.


    ¡°They would have to respond more quickly to our attack this time unless they are idiots.¡± I told Shaeula as I launched another stone sniper shell through the trees, exploding the Scout I had spotted. Meanwhile, Shaeula swung her one pinwheel (the other left back at the Fae Stones, securing another test-subject for Hyacinth) and the whining wire, shimmering with green and yellow energies, sliced through another Myconid effortlessly, the smell of charred mushroom filling the air along with its spores. At their deaths the surrounding woodlands erupted into rage.


    ¡°Die-die, you treacherous scum.¡± Shaeula smirked, finding immense satisfaction in slaying the Myconid and its monstrous troops. Even so she was not done, and trees fell around us as she swept a clearing free of enemies, ether scattering around us.


    ¡°Careful, don¡¯t get too excited, you nearly chopped me up too!¡± I joked, but I had ducked under her swings in plenty of time.


    ¡°Such an attack can not-not phase you now.¡± She grinned. ¡°Look, more company!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I see them!¡± Flames roared free, and this time I decided to use Foehn. Corrupted trees spotted with mushrooms, toadstools, fungus and worse erupted into flames, the liquid blaze spreading into the onrushing hordes, turning them into living torches, where they bumped into others, spreading tongues of greedy fire. Soon a large stretch of forest several-hundred metres across was an ocean of blazing destruction. ¡°Sweet, there¡¯s that level-up I knew was coming. Fifty-Three now.¡±


    ¡°We should-should retreat!¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°The heat here is unbearable!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Foehn in a forest is devastating. Still, I won¡¯t use it often.¡± Too much chance of it destroying any Etherites that might be lurking around. I¡¯m greedy. ¡°Also, notice how the fires seem constrained? Everything is giving off spores as they burn, and they seem to be slowly choking the area the Foehn is spreading too...¡±


    As we retreated, we crossed paths with Grulgor once more. He raised his dripping mace in a salute, before heading off to find further prey to destroy. ¡°Well, it¡¯s too soon to retreat yet.¡± I observed, watching him go with a surprising fondness for the insane brute. He¡¯s been with me almost as long as Shaeula has, and while we haven¡¯t spent much time together, I guess I see him as one of my own now. I just hope when we finally meet Duke Formor we can work things out.


    ¡°Indeed, we should cause more destruction, wear-wear them down!¡± Shaeula approved. Massive truck-sized wooden hedgehogs, with narrow, spear-like fungal towers instead of spines, were shuffling towards us through the treeline, and behind them I could see more Myconids, including one with a red-and-white spotted head, carrying a long, gnarled staff.


    ¡°That one¡¯s new.¡± I observed. Myconid Shepherd [Dark Fae] was its description in my Eye. ¡°Oh well, the more we take out now, the less we have to fight later.¡±


    It was then that arrows made from living mushrooms were fired as us from two directions, and I realised that the wily Myconids had ambushed us. Shaeula called on her Emerald Wind Prison, surrounding us with a whirling dome before the arrows could pierce us, and they exploded, filling the area with a blanket of spores so dense and toxic they were actually visible, through the wind quickly swept them away.


    Myconid Ranger [Dark Fae] was the title of our attackers, and I could see as many as a dozen surrounding us, smaller, wiry mushroom-people with giant limbs resembling tree roots, pulling back on strangely shaped bows, the arrows sprouting from their very bodies. As the remains of her barrier died down, Shaeula slapped me on the back, signalling her intent.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll take the Rangers, you stop the hedgehogs!¡± I called to her, and she responded, just as the wooden hogs began to launch the mushrooms from their backs like artillery, explosions around us intense, acidic slime splattering everywhere. I called on wind and rock walls, fending off the worst, and rushed the first batch of Rangers, channelling a little fire into one of the pistols Ixitt made for me. The first ranger released its dying spores, then a second. I was clipped by an arrow, but the chainmail held, protecting the rubber suit underneath.


    ¡°Burn, vile Unseelie pawns!¡± Shaeula yelled, feeding flame energy into her wind-weasels until they glowed like the sun and grew to a giant size, as thick as her own torso. I see Shaeula is growing stronger too. Nice. Showered by debris from the artillery she stood her ground, and then the flaming weasel-headed serpents of wind and fire surged forwards. The first hedgehog burst apart, the second bored clean through. The third was beheaded, and the strands of flaming air split apart then, her control exquisite, forming a cage that quickly surrounded the Shepherd, slicing and crushing it to death.


    ¡°I have to keep up...¡± I channelled Aether, expanding my vision, like I had done a few times in the past. I felt quite the headache, but compared to before my enhanced thought-processes could handle it. Seeing the position of the enemies, I exploded the ground beneath them, and the air was thick with the stench of their deaths. Two Rangers and a Scout were fleeing, but with bullets of wind and stone they did not make the safety of the trees. A couple of the Scouts did make it out though, and over there... Myconid Observer [Dark Fae] was watching us from a fair distance away. This one was mottled blue and white, with a single black orb set in the fungal-cap that was its head.


    It''s a bit of a long shot, but... forming another rock sniper, I unleashed it. the Myconid was moving as soon as it saw me preparing an attack, and it almost dodged, though it managed to survive, only an arm and a leg being ripped apart by the force of impact. It didn¡¯t escape the second shot though.


    ¡°I think we should retreat!¡± Shaeula cried, the spores driving the surrounding forest mad. Even some of the fungus-infested trees were starting to attack us, roots breaking from the mould-crusted soil beneath us and trying to snare us, reminding me a little of Hyacinth.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll regroup. How are your elemental reserves?¡± I asked, busily hoovering up the spoils of our battle, converting around a quarter to aether to keep me topped up, the rest going to my Territory.


    ¡°I can continue for longer!¡± Shaeula insisted, backing up her words by whipping her pinwheel back and forth, severing roots. As one tree collapsed, ripping up the dead earth, I caught a glimpse of a glitter of green. ¡°Damn, a green Etherite! Jackpot!¡± Trusting Shaeula to cover me, I leapt for it, channelling aether to pull it to my hand.


    ¡°So greedy!¡± Shaeula snorted, wind drills blasting a path back through the thick mass of enemies.


    ¡°You know it! I have big plans. Right, let¡¯s split.¡±


    ********


    ¡°Yes, I can move them back into the glass ball! I knooow because when Ixitt turns the knobs I can see them! But... Hyacinth breaks masters¡¯ property, her control is bad! I¡¯m sooorry!¡± She started sniffling again.


    ¡°There, there, it¡¯s all right! You cleared the next stage! Tomorrow, you¡¯ll try the third part of my plan.¡±


    ¡°I am curious as to how-how we will deal with the endless numbers.¡± Shaeula asked. I hadn¡¯t really explained Hyacinths¡¯ role to her, but now it was time. ¡°Sooner or later we will be overwhelmed, unless you have a cunning-cunning plan indeed.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not so much cunning as cruel as hell, and totally against the Geneva Protocol. I guess I¡¯m moving up from killer to war criminal.¡± At the strange term they all looked puzzled. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, tomorrow... Hyacinth, I want you to make spores!¡± The poor Degraded Kobolds are in for a terrible time indeed...


    ¡°Make them? How does that help-help us?¡± Shaeula cocked her head, eyeing me quizzically. I was about to answer when Ixitt barked a laugh, a sound I was still getting used to, since his hacking, bloody cough was healed.


    ¡°I get it. Ingenious. Frightening. Dreadful!¡± he chortled. ¡°Truly, it is no wonder the Fae were driven from the mortal realms, with minds like yours there.¡± He grinned, bearing his teeth. ¡°It isn¡¯t that he wants to make spores to kill us, he wants Hyacinth to change them so they kill them! It¡¯s blasphemous, vile, but somehow so very pragmatic.¡± He shivered them, tail lashing. ¡°I simply must be part of this. Unseelie nature arts from Hyacinth, mortal knowledge and science, and devices I have helped create! I thought these masks and suits were the pinnacle of Mortal Engineering, but how foolishly nai?ve I was! Princess, your consort is someone I can truly respect. Just for you, he will wipe out an entire race of Unseelie!¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth must do what nooow?¡± she asked, but I waved her to silence. Shaeula was looking at me, her expression solemn, and I needed to give her my attention now.


    ¡°That is quite-quite the plan.¡± Shaeula said slowly. She stepped in to me and grasped my hand. ¡°Does that not-not hurt your conscience, Akio? I know you are quite-quite kind and prefer your enemies to become your friends. Would this dreadful art not-not wound you? I do not-not wish for that.¡±


    Pulling her into a hug, I held her close, taking a deep breath, smelling the scent of her. ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t feel good, but... look at it. Their very existence spreads death. I don¡¯t think we can come to a peaceful solution. I have other plans too, some of which we might have to use, but... if they surrender and abandon the Spring, I won¡¯t pursue them. Depending on what happens when the Boundary merges with the Astral and our world is imperilled by invaders, I may have to do worse to defend us. So I¡¯ll learn now and desensitise myself. Just... I need you and Eri, and Hinata now too, I guess, to make sure I don¡¯t go too far, and start doing cruelty without reason, becoming that which we are fighting against.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not worry. I shall never allow that. Nor will Eri, or Akio, or your family and friends. I grieve that I am burdening you with this-this. But...¡± her eyes grew soft, and she kissed me, Hyacinth looking on enviously. As we parted, our saliva still moist on each other¡¯s lips, she sighed. ¡°... it is necessary, you are right. I have never been in a true-true war with the Unseelie, or the Wild Hunt, but I know you must be ruthless, lest you lose all you love.¡± She perked up then. ¡°Tonight, in bed I shall spoil you greatly, so your mind and heart are at-at ease!¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth toooooo!¡± she whined, and I thought Shaeula would shoot her down as usual, but she surprised me.


    ¡°You have not-not earned it yet. Do what Akio needs and... well, good servants get rewards, do they not-not?¡±


    ¡°Mistress is kind!¡± Hyacinth was taken aback, used to Shaeula treating her harshly. At my stunned gaze, Shaeula shrugged.


    ¡°What does-does it matter if you give her a reward? I am not-not asking you to marry her. Even Eri could not-not complain about some harmless love shown to a servant who works dark miracles for you. It is not-not as though Hyacinth will steal any of her time, is it?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised at how badly Eri would complain, but...¡± Actually, Eri has been taking things better than I thought she would recently. She surprised me with Hinata. Even so, I¡¯m not going to give in just because Shaeula is pushing me. Not this time. I do learn from my mistakes, albeit slowly. So if I don¡¯t want to do it, I won¡¯t! I considered Hyacinth carefully. She had shed her chainmail, but was still wearing the rubber suit. It clung to her ample curves and slender legs, and her beautiful face with her strange eyes and hair was like a work of art. She¡¯s certainly beautiful. She reminds me of Shiro a little, though even Hyacinth doesn¡¯t reach her heights. So the question was, would I want to sleep with Hyacinth, not just to reward her, but because I wanted to have sex with her as well? If I didn¡¯t want to, then I wouldn¡¯t, that was my new-found resolve.


    Under my long regard Hyacinth blushed, shifting awkwardly, her arms hugging her amble breasts shyly. ¡°Master, sooo lewd.¡± She grinned. ¡°But a brownie needs to warm the bed and relieve him ooof his cares!¡±


    ¡°Eri has to agree. I¡¯m not going behind her back any more, even if it is just a casual thing.¡± I said finally. I can¡¯t deny it. I¡¯m a healthy man, and of course I wonder what making love to a beauty like Hyacinth is like. Every otaku dreams of having a maid service him, and Hyacinth is the hottest maid there is. Still, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m a beast, I could resist the temptation easily enough. Eri and Shaeula satisfy me plenty, and in the future Hinata will join them. ¡°I feel pretty lousy right now, having to admit my own selfishness, that I would even consider another woman for pleasure when I already have you and Eri. I like to think... I like to think if I had held fast to just Eri, I¡¯d never consider cheating on her. But... now I¡¯ve had you, Shaeula, and in time Hinata, I guess... fuck, I don¡¯t know what I mean. I could easily justify it to myself by saying I need to do this for a reward, so it isn¡¯t cheating, just like I did with Hinata, getting pushed into it. But no. I¡¯ll own this, and I¡¯ll do whatever Eri wants to make it up to her, assuming she even allows me in the first place. I need to make it clear to her, this isn¡¯t something she needs to agree to, it''s entirely up to her conscience and mine. I like Hyacinth, and she¡¯s attractive, and it¡¯s nice to be desired, it makes me feel good, but I¡¯m more than happy to find another way to reward her.¡± I paused, my jumbled thoughts a mess. ¡°Though I admit, I definitely do want to reward Hyacinth for the horrible task I¡¯m making her do. Even so, I could hardly blame her if Eri went and cheated on me in return. I¡¯ve not exactly kept my promises to her. Even suggesting this to her will hurt her. In fact, maybe it¡¯s a bad idea after all, I should forget it...¡±


    ¡°You think too-too much. But I believe it is progress. You are at last being honest. As for Eri, she will never seek another male. After all, you have kept your oath to her, to make her happy. And that happiness will last forever, and is too precious to keep all-all to ourselves.¡± Shaeula patted my head gently, her small hand stroking my hair, just as I often did to her when she was sad or stressed. ¡°Now, shall we return? I must keep-keep my word and heal your weary body and soul!¡±


    At that I could only smile. War criminal. Murderer. Cheater. Damn, I thought I was the hero of this story, but maybe I¡¯m actually the villain?


    ********


    After quite the night in bed with Shaeula, where she was more seductive and energetic than usual, I did feel better. The maids in the mansion were still a pain as always, but we headed out for the border as planned. This time, Hyacinth and Ixitt set up outside the Fae Stones, as there was no way we¡¯d be conducting these potentially fatal experiments that could cause widespread contamination inside.


    ¡°It is very hard to dooo, master!¡± Hyacinth panted, once more in full gear. Her efforts had just left the grassy field looking like a warzone, decaying vines fading back into nothingness piled everywhere amidst the torn ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I reassured her. ¡°We are still in the early stages. Keep at it.¡± Turning to Ixitt, I advised him to continue sucking in the air around her attempts, and when she finally managed to create some spores, they could be tested on one of the poor kobolds, to see if the spores were as virulent as the ones the Myconids use. ¡°All right then.¡± I said to Shaeula. ¡°Shall we go into battle again? This time I want to go a little deeper, scout harder. Obviously we need to gather resources, but the aim should be to kill as many Myconids as possible. We need to thin out their numbers if we are to win this guerrilla war. I also have some hypothesis to test that may help us later.¡±


    As we raced into enemy Territory we immediately came under attack. Grulgor had gone before us and was likely riling them up, but as I attacked with blasts of my freshly replenished wind and flame, turning plant-beasts into so much chopped and burned wreckage, it took my mind off what a bastard I was being, even thinking about Hyacinth in that way. Seriously, father would be so disappointed in me. Still, I¡¯ve not done anything yet, although, the minute I seriously considered having Hyacinth, no matter the reason, I crossed the line. Fuck, screw it, I¡¯m going to transfer all my rage and self-loathing to the Myconids...?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com

 Two Hundred And One

    Two Hundred And One


    ¡°Grulgor, they are coming from the left! Block them!¡± I cried. Indeed, swarms of larger plant creatures, thorn-bears, massive shambling mounds, and vicious living nettle-trees, were all trying to overrun us, several Myconid Shepherds urging them onwards. Meanwhile on our flanks Myconid Rangers, and a new threat, Myconid Aeromancers, Terramancers and Aquamancers, were massing, manipulating the very elements against us.


    I was busy engaging a pair of bulky Myconid Warriors, another foe we had seen for the first time. their fungal bodies were covered with hard, waxy armour, and their limbs had grown into natural, bark-like swords, dripping with brightly coloured toxins. They were also quite fast, though luckily I still outmatched them significantly in that regard. My Twin Fangs danced, and several Warriors exploded, scattering spores and venom as they died. Got to love the rending space effect of these. When they hit, they hit hard...


    ¡°I fear-fear we have finally provoked the response we were expecting.¡± Shaeula was whipping around her pinwheels, both of them back in her possession as Hyacinth had moved on to the stage of human, well, kobold anyway, experiments. ¡°So, do we retreat?¡± Fire and wind surged on the bluesteel wires, and enraged plants died in their dozens. Earth erupted as gloopy mud, the Terramancers trying to tie us and her pinwheels down, but I countered, my own earth energies redirecting the tides of sucking dirt, engulfing a squad of Rangers on the flank, before hardening into thin, rocky needles to pierce them like colanders.


    ¡°Grul says we crush them ALL!¡± he roared, shouldering through the thorn-bears. They were massive but surprisingly light compared to the towering slab of stone, muscle and dwarven steel that was Grulgor. Behind the crowd lurked the Shepherds, and one died as his giant mace literally vaporised it. A second fell, head shattered by his free fist, and then a third as the mace swept around once more, the handle folding the Myconid in half. The filters on our gasmasks were churning now, wind energy repelling the endlessly thick spores, and I once more realised just why it was deemed impossible to reclaim the Myconid-held lands.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d love to, but weight of numbers are starting to tell...¡± the sky above us opened, a vicious, acidic rain starting to fall, conjured by the Aquamancers, and as it hit us, the metal of our armour began to sizzle. Oh crap. Well, an acid that eats metal might not work on the pseudo-rubber of our suits, but that isn¡¯t a chance I want to take, and in any case it¡¯d leave us vulnerable to rips and tears... Foehn poured from my hands in a virulent yellow wave, surging over the plant-beasts, filling the air with a heated fog of blazing spores, and the Aquamancers and Aeromancers tried to retreat. It was too late though, as Shaeula saw what I was trying to do and fed in her own wind energy, empowering the blaze. Snatching fallen ether to top-up our reserves, I rushed over to reinforce Grulgor, using rock bullets to snipe down the last two retreating Shepherds. The plant monsters were uncontrollable, the amount of spores choking the air driving them into a frenzy, so with cohesion lost we had a chance to break out.


    ¡°I am with you!¡± Shaeula shouted, wind-and-flame weasels burning down a swathe of the Rangers before they could escape, as their movements had become disorientated. ¡°But if we continue to be bogged down-down, further enemies may ensnare us!¡±


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from fifty-four to fifty-five.


    Bodies fell in front of me, Twin Fangs carving them apart, and the message flared in amber in my right eye. Nice. Even so, levelling wasn¡¯t a priority, survival was. The offensive the Myconids had sprung on us was far fiercer than anything else we had encountered so far, and even with our significantly greater prowess individually, we were starting to be overwhelmed. Not that we weren¡¯t prepared or planning for this...


    ¡°Right, cut our way free and we go!¡± Pinwheels spun past me and Grulgor, one on each side, and more of the surrounding fungal blooms, as well as small, rotting trees and numerous enemies, were sheared apart, silvery ether was drawn into me and funnelled down to our Territory, and under the flickering yellow and red light of the Foehn fires, we retreated at full speed, deeper into the forest...


    ********


    ¡°I believe we have-have shaken our pursuers.¡± Shaeula observed, as we hid within the shadow of some dead trees that overhung a brackish pond, the water dead and reeking of mould and decay. ¡°I suspect your hypothesis is indeed correct.¡±


    Beside us, Grulgor was slumped down, his armour a mess. It was definitely going to need some repairs. Still, he had obeyed orders and stayed with us this time, as this was one of the last experiments we needed to run to verify my hypothesis on the Myconids. Sure, the battles have been risky, but they are calculated.


    ¡°Yeah, so keep cycling the wind.¡± I advised her, and beneath her mask I was sure she was grinning. She gave me a cute thumbs-up with her gloved hand. The Myconids communicated via the spores, that much was obvious now. I wasn¡¯t sure of their intelligence, yet their strategies were becoming more elaborate, each time we killed a bunch, they returned in greater numbers, with greater variety and better battle tactics. But that wasn¡¯t all. The Scouts and Observers, they don¡¯t seem to see visually. I think they detect heat, some sort of infra-vision? When we unleashed Foehn, the formation of the Myconids, even the ones that weren¡¯t caught in the fiery ruin, were disrupted, and they seemed to struggle to track us.


    ¡°Grul does not enjoy fleeing like a coward.¡± He grunted, voice low. ¡°But Grul admits, he has enjoyed crushing and smashing puny fungi!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯ll be plenty more to come.¡± I promised. ¡°You¡¯ve done good work. Tanking isn¡¯t easy, but the enemy finds it hard to ignore you.¡± Our foes had been drawn into stopping his charge, and he was able to destroy everything around him with his massive mace. ¡°You¡¯ve done good work too, Shaeula.¡± I turned my attention to her, as she continued to keep the wind blowing around us. ¡°I hope it was satisfying for you, defeating Unseelie.¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°It was indeed, though I admit to being rather tired.¡± She confessed. ¡°We should rest here for a while. You need-need to recover some strength.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is a pretty sheltered spot, hidden under the roots of these dead trees and shielded by the ground. And if I¡¯m right about the spores being what finds us for them, with your wind blowing we should be undetectable.¡±


    ¡°It would be good to know.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°If so, I expect you have a plan-plan to blind them?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Poor Hyacinth is going to be working overtime though. Still, even if the spores she creates can¡¯t kill the Myconids, having a ton of strange ones in the air is going to disorientate them significantly, I¡¯d wager.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is fortunate that she is eager-eager for your reward.¡± Shaeula smirked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about this. I¡¯m only going to do it if I want her, and everyone else agrees. I¡¯m not going to let you railroad me.¡± I said sternly, though as my hand was in hers, I squeezed her gently to make sure she knew I wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°Besides, I am sure I can come up with something else worthy for her reward if needs be.¡±


    Corrupted Dying Earth Rhyming Tree- Rank 5 Special- Special Rank facilities cannot be levelled up by ether, they level as their requirements are met. Rhyming Trees draw in ether from the Astral in a manner similar to Ether Spires, though in addition they also generate elemental energies, in this case earth. They also lead to a higher overall ether density in the surrounding area. This tree and the Dryad that dwells at the heart of this grove of plentiful earth energies has been corrupted and tortured by the terrible spores of the Myconids, only surviving due to drawing on the earth. However, in a few dozen more years the grove will at last perish, succumbing to death.


    Rank 5? My gaze quickly sped across the dying forest, seeing a Rank 3 and Rank 2 Earth Rhyming Tree as well, though the Rank 2 one apparently only had months to live, and the Rank 3 just a year or two.


    While I was contemplating this, Grulgor was smashing the Wood Servants, hurling them aside like bundles of twigs. Shaeula slew them too, her wind and flames blazing.


    ¡°Stop fighting!¡± I called out, and Shaeula paused. Grulgor stamped down on the torso of a servant, crushing it to pieces, and I grabbed his arm. ¡°Hold!¡±


    I called forth a wall of earth and mud, separating us. ¡°We are not your enemies, we are here to destroy the Myconids!¡± I declared, but she merely cocked her head, looking at me with her one good eye.


    ¡°... too late. My sisters... all... died. Could not flee the... grove... when the Unseelie came. I must... feed... keep the last trees... alive!¡± her eye burned with slimy tears, and she spat a mess of spores and small mushrooms.


    ¡°You can not-not get through to her.¡± Shaeula said sadly. ¡°Fae bound to trees, sacred springs and other places are strong, but always the first-first to die in war. This poor dryad... it would be a kindness to set her free-free from her suffering.¡±


    ¡°Grul will do it.¡± He declared, raising his mace. ¡°No pity for enemies.¡± Though he then surprised me by expressing other, more genuine sentiments. ¡°Still, many dead fungi here, Grul smells their stink in the earth. Die well, with respect, tree woman did not stop fighting until the very end.¡±


    ¡°Strong... power of earth... within you...¡± the dryad eyed us. ¡°... stave off ruin... just a little longer.¡±


    Strong earth power, huh? One thing I knew was, this ending wouldn¡¯t sit right with me. The Myconids were truly a monstrous race, corrupting all they touched. I was also greedy, a side of myself I was never aware of before. I wouldn¡¯t have three fiance?es if I wasn¡¯t. And now... I greedily want to save her, and well as...


    ¡°No, we retreat! We¡¯ve achieved everything we need to on this scouting run.¡± I declared, surprising them. The constructs were clambering over my barrier, so if we didn¡¯t go now the battle would resume. Before Shaeula and Grulgor could protest I grabbed then both, retreating, pulling them along. As we ran down the riverbed, foul water splashing around us, I called back to the dryad. ¡°We¡¯ll be back. Soon. And the Myconids... their time is coming. I promise you that!¡±


    ********


    We staggered out of the forest, soaked head-to-toe in plant gore. Retreating five or so miles through a forest should have been a breeze for people with our abilities, but when we had to contend with roaming gangs of monstrous plants while also disposing cleanly of the Myconids to prevent them mobbing us, it was mentally and physically draining. The last mile was a hellish retreat under barrage from the Myconid Rangers and ¡®Mancers, and while we managed to take out quite a few in return, their forces were arrayed at the border we were heading for, forcing us to detour while under heavy fire. As we fled out onto the grassy border, a few plants shambled out after us. We paid them no mind, knowing they couldn¡¯t breach the Fae Stones, racing between them and collapsing, even Grulgor running out of his monstrous stamina.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take your mask off yet.¡± I warned Shaeula. ¡°Not until we¡¯ve decontaminated.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She replied, lying on her back and staring up at the moon in the sky. ¡°Though I will be quite-quite happy to freshen up.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have your chance.¡± I promised, similarly wishing to get out of the suit. Even with refreshing wind energy, it was still uncomfortable for long periods. ¡°Besides, I think we need a rest day now. After having hit the forest three days in a row we need to change it up, let the Myconids lower their guard. We also need to give Hyacinth time to train.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± Shaeula sat up, looking at me, her eyes curious behind her mask. ¡°Just what is your plan with that poor-poor dryad? I understand you are compassionate, Akio, but the kind thing to do would be to end-end her misery. She can not-not stray far from her tainted grove.¡±


    ¡°I get that. And there¡¯s no guarantee it won¡¯t come to that. If we have to mercy-kill her, we will.¡± I could harden my heart enough for that, seeing her body and that of her tree dying slowly over hundreds of years, corrupted by living fungi that was slowly, agonisingly devouring them. ¡°But we at least have to try. After all, if it was you in that situation, or Eri, or my sis, or anyone I cared about, I¡¯d want someone to take a risk and help them.¡±


    ¡°Grul thinks tree woman is a fighter.¡± He said, again surprising me. ¡°The mercy of death or save her. Must pick one.¡±


    ¡°I get it. Oh well... first let¡¯s go back to where we left the water barrels and clean ourselves off, then we¡¯ll re-join Hyacinth and Ixitt, before we plan our next assault.¡± We got to our feat wearily. ¡°We did solid work today. We know how the Myconids track intruders primarily now, so we have an advantage. We won¡¯t get cocky, as they may have other methods, but even so... good job everyone!¡±


    Grul rumbled his approval, while Shaeula laughed, and their sudden high spirits helped restore my own flagging energy. Yeah, it was a good day. I even have a blue Etherite to show for it! Grinning, I could hardly wait to add my spoils to the slowly filling chest...

 Two Hundred And Two

    Two Hundred And Two


    It seemed that Hyacinth had actually managed to succeed in creating spores while we were gone, which surprised me, but Ixitt merely snorted a laugh and said perhaps talk of a reward had motivated her. Seeing her smiling at me, hope and tears in her silver-violet eyes, I once more considered what granting her request would cost me. Sure, Shaeula saw no issues dallying with servants, and Hinata would probably say the same, but Eri and me, it wasn¡¯t the way we were raised. Although I¡¯m starting to accept that as long as everyone is happy and my conscience can stand it, we can¡¯t be bound by the wisdom of the past or conventional laws. The world has changed, and we have to change with it. Still, happiness first. If I fail at that, then why am I even doing all this?


    ¡°So, can you show me?¡± I had asked, looking at one of the remaining two Degraded Kobolds, and she nodded. When we were in full gear again, safely past the Fae Stones, she called forth a billowing cloud, moments later the kobold and the grasses around it were dying, covered in rapidly shrivelling mushrooms.


    ¡°Sooo, is master happy? Did Hyacinth do gooood?¡± she asked, and I gave in, patting her head.


    ¡°Yeah you did great. There¡¯s further to go, but for now, you can take a break.¡± I told her, and she looked at me, puzzled. Seeing that, cute even behind her mask and goggles, I patted her head again. ¡°Yeah, right now, I¡¯m curious about something. How are you with trees?¡±


    ¡°Trees?¡± she asked, still confused.


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll explain after we¡¯ve had a rest. Today has been another hard one...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Are you sure we cannot tell prince Shaeraggo you are here-here?¡± one of the maids was asking Shaeula again, a tiresome litany that she was extremely fed-up with.


    ¡°No-no, I have too much to do to be bothering with my brother.¡± She sighed, taking a drink from her glass of wine, which Hyacinth was serving her, much to the annoyance of Risha, Vilna and the other maids. Still, Shaeula seemed to be warming to Hyacinth, which pleased me. There was another person in the room giving me a sour gaze as well though, and it was a Kamaitachi, one of the two I had killed initially. The last of Shaeula¡¯s kin had returned to her, so this was a bit of a celebration, as well as some much needed recouperation, after being on edge in constant battles with the Myconids. ¡°I will arrange a time for him to visit when our business is done. Until then, do not-not bother me. I wish to enjoy this happy time.¡±


    ¡°I still cannot believe you ended up with him-him.¡± The Kamaitachi sighed. ¡°Your mother, she will be..¡±


    ¡°... delighted, I am sure-sure.¡± Shaeula spoke over him, also sick of this particular conversation. ¡°My mother is assuredly not-not a fool, so why would she be unhappy with Akio, who has achieved much and loves me dearly? Now put aside the anger of your first meeting, or else I shall send you back to her!¡±


    At that threat, Hyacinth started giggling. ¡°Yooo got scolded by the mistress. Bad servant!¡±


    The Kamaitachi scowled, helping itself to some of the food laid out on the grand dining table. ¡°Fine. It will be as you wish-wish it, princess.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°Tomorrow, you can return to our Territory, through the Faerie Ring Gate. It is a far-far cry from the small and dingy one we occupied before Akio defeated us. I believe Ixitt will be returning as well-well?¡± she eyed the Ratkin, who was quite drunk on the fare Shaeraggo had left stocked for us.


    ¡°Indeed, I have been given several tasks by your consort.¡± He grinned drunkenly, tail lashing fitfully. ¡°The explanation as to why was... opaque... for some of the items, but I believe whatever you are doing will be magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Grul says he is bored and will also return. Grul will find his trolls and crush some enemies, but he will come back.¡± Grulgor gurgled, emptying a massive barrel of ale down his cavernous gullet with one meaty hand, while his slab-like teeth tore at a massive animal-carcass. Whereas before he usually ate separately from us, fighting together against the Myconids seemed to have improved his camaraderie with us. Still, he¡¯s a bit of a battle maniac to be sure. Not that I can criticise, I¡¯m always looking for ways to train more efficiently.


    ¡°Sure, just see that you do return.¡± I allowed it. ¡°After all, we need you to tank for us against the Myconids.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Grul will not miss it. Grul enjoys stomping on, hitting, kicking, hammering and breaking little weak fungi!¡± his rumbling laughter sounded, and I almost felt sorry for the Myconids.


    ¡°To think the day would come when I am having a pleasant dinner with Grulgor, of all-all people.¡± Shaeula arched an eyebrow at me. ¡°By the moon, wonders never-never cease.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± As we continued to make merry, I caught one of her maids looking at us with a troubled, almost bitter expression on her face. When she spotted me glancing at her she hastily looked down, hiding her features. Seriously. Get over it. Shaeula is mine now, and I¡¯ll not let her go. Besides, she¡¯s not the weak little princess you used to know. You should be happy about the change...


    ¡°Still, I am-am curious too.¡± Shaeula was red-faced and tipsy, the wine going to her head despite her high stats. ¡°I worry you are going to try something foolish to save the dryad. A hawk that chases two-two hares with catch neither, I believe. We need to focus on the Myconids.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get you. And while I admit I hate to see girls suffer, and the dryad tugged at my heartstrings, if I didn¡¯t think we could gain from it, I wouldn¡¯t shoulder the risk. So... how about I tell you the plan later?¡± my gaze went to her bedroom, and she licked her lips, smiling lasciviously.


    ¡°Some pillow-talk, is it? I have no-no issues with that.¡±


    The butler-weasel held in a wince at her seductive reply, and I bit down on a sigh. Come on man, you should be used to it by now as well. It isn¡¯t like we haven¡¯t been having fun in that room every night... The rest of the meal passed peacefully, and after some more wine, we put the drunk Hyacinth to bed, having to fight to stop her removing her clothing and jumping on me, calling herself a ¡°disgrace as a servant fooor getting drunk while serving¡±, before Shaeula and I also retired to her bedchambers...


    ********


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Shaeula was looking at me with astonished eyes, her head using my arm as a pillow, her hair spread out over my naked, sweaty body. ¡°Is that... is that even-even possible?¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure.¡± I readily admitted, stroking her hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. ¡°To be honest it¡¯s a long shot. Probably harder than just wiping out the Myconids to be honest. But that would likely kill the dryad too, so... she gets mercy either way. I think it¡¯s a risk worth taking.¡± Ever since I saw the dryad and her grove, it was like a fire had been lit within me. If I could make this work... the advantages are huge. I have to think long-term for us as well.


    ¡°The Myconids, they will not-not let this pass unnoticed. It was quite deep in their Territory, was it not-not, the grove?¡± she warned.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the hardest part. My calculations are... well, troubling. But worst case scenario, the dryad receives a merciful death. I¡¯m not prepared to have you die over it. Nor anyone else.¡±


    ¡°So, how is it?¡± Shaeula asked, concerned.


    ¡°Great.¡± I gave her a weary thumbs-up, and seeing that, Hyacinth brightened too. She had served me faithfully, constantly bathing me in spores, but for a brownie, hurting her master had been agony for her, and she had wailed and cried loudly for ages. ¡°I got plenty of buffs from it, but the major one is now I can adapt to specific contaminants, rendering them less and less effective. And the welcome bonus is... I should be able to get drunk again!¡± It seemed a small thing to get worked up over, but being able to drop a resistance consciously was great, and on the upside, when I was tired of being drunk I could rapidly purge my body of the effects. The best of both worlds indeed, praise be to the wall breaking!


    Struggling to my feet, I grinned. ¡°All right, bathe me with it again, Hyacinth. This time it should be a lot less painful, and I can basically grow immune, which gives me no end of options. Plus if my aether adapts to it, I can heal others from the spores easier.¡±


    ¡°Are yooou sure?¡± she asked, and I nodded, only for Shaeula to strip off her suit and start lathering up with barrier cream.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked, though immediately realised it was a stupid question.


    ¡°Of course I am taking this-this opportunity to train my own skills.¡± She smirked at me. ¡°Feel free to apply the cream to my body, anywhere you wish!¡±


    ¡°But your Ether Healing is only at Rank 2! I know I can heal you, but... it¡¯ll hurt so much.¡± I warned, scooping up cream and rubbing it on her modest chest and down her front and thighs. She shivered at my touch, but still smiled reassuringly.


    "Yes, I expect it will be quite-quite cruel, and I know you will not-not enjoy seeing me suffer. But for such gains, which will definitely help with our conquest of the Myconids, we must both be strong.¡± She stuck out her tongue and we kissed passionately. When we were done, Hyacinth looked at us doubtfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate me, mistress, master! I am ooonly serving!¡± she said, hesitating.


    ¡°I know, and you really are the best maid.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Those weaselkin ones suck compared to you. So... do it!¡±


    As the surge of spores hit my whole body, I shivered, feeling intense prickling where my Ether Healing was adapting to and destroying them. I barely had time to think about that though, as Shaeula¡¯s slender arm began to sprout, flesh necrotising. She screamed in pain, but even as she suffered she was working Ether Healing. I immediately responded, and soon her arm was restored to pristine pale flesh, only phantom pain plaguing her.


    ¡°Again.¡± She muttered, and once more we were sprayed with the deadly mist, her screams beginning anew...


    ********


    ¡°That was quite-quite the torment. I can face-face no more today. We shall resume tomorrow.¡± Shaeula panted, shuddering, after a half-dozen brutal exposures. Even so, her Ether Healing had indeed improved, and was now Rank 4. ¡°I can feel the skill strengthening, I can sense-sense the flow of aether eager to repair me and destroy the invasive fungus.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have time, and now I don¡¯t even need gear, although...¡± I had finally taken a risk and breathed in the deadly spores, but I had adapted so readily that it did little damage. ¡°... I¡¯m still going to wear the suit, in case the Myconids have any deadlier variants. It would be weird if they didn¡¯t. Besides, why take risks?¡±


    ¡°Very wise.¡± Shaeula hissed, beckoning me in for a reassuring hug.


    ¡°I would really like to get Eri, my sis and the others Ether Healing too, the bonuses are just too good to ignore, but I don¡¯t think I can subject them to this pain.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can make a game of it with Eri.¡± Shaeula chortled. ¡°I heard rumours in the Seelie Court that games of pleasure and pain-pain are things some lovers do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in hurting women, but... I guess I should at least offer them the choice.¡± Much as hurting them, even for a good cause, pains me, they are stronger than I ever imagined, so they deserve the chance, in full knowledge of the plusses and minuses.


    ¡°Master, what abooout me?¡± Hyacinth asked. ¡°I think I shall not be hurt by the spores.¡± She declared, and I exchanged a look with Shaeula.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable ordering you to suffer, but if you honestly want to try, I can heal you.¡± I said, and she nodded, stripping off too. ¡°Master, smear your slimy cream all ooover my unresisting booody!¡±


    ¡°Damn, you really are a pervert!¡± I said to the panting maid. ¡°But, I don¡¯t want you getting hurt so...¡± There¡¯s nothing sexual about this at all, it¡¯s medicine. Of course the fact she was panting and twitching alarmingly as I quickly rubbed a layer on her body, without any of the touching and playing I did with Shaeula, was making it hard for me to believe that. Still, I finished as quickly as possible, trying to forget the soft feel of her flesh under my fingers.


    ¡°Here we gooo!¡± she declared, bathing her own arm in the spores. I waited for the pain, yet after a while there was nothing. I trickled some aether into her, only to discover her body had reabsorbed the spores harmlessly.


    ¡°Sooo, did I do well?¡± She asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°It makes sense you can¡¯t be hurt by your own spores. That doesn¡¯t mean that Myconid ones won¡¯t affect you. We¡¯ll need to do some more tests but...¡± Shaeula was exhausted, as was Hyacinth, as she had been using nature element all day. I myself was feeling washed out and pale after all my suffering. ¡°... let¡¯s call it a day. It¡¯ll be a while before Ixitt and Grulgor return anyway, so we¡¯ll pick this back up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°A grand idea.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°Come, Hyacinth. I shall-shall allow you the luxury of washing Akio¡¯s back in the bath. Mine too-too.¡±


    ¡°Such an honour, mistress! Hyacinth is sooo happy!¡± As she perked up, almost skipping back towards the mansion, we exchanged a grin.


    ¡°So, do you think we can really do this?¡± she asked, and I shrugged, still carrying our bundled protective gear.


    ¡°Who knows? But if we try our best, we at least have a chance...¡±

 Two Hundred And Three

    Two Hundred And Three


    ¡°Well, if Shaeraggo could see this now, I¡¯m pretty certain he¡¯d try and kill me, Trials be damned.¡± I observed wryly, feeling a touch sick. Shaeula was lying exhausted on the ground, her skin pale, breath coming in rapid, heaving gasps. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m quite tempted to slug myself a good one. I hate this so much.¡±


    Shaeula grinned wearily up at me, lifting a weak hand to wipe away her tears. ¡°I know, for some reason I rather dislike this too-too.¡± She shuddered at the memory of agony. ¡°But who can complain at the results? Pain can be endured, no?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I let out a long, resigned sigh. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve reached Rank 5, do you think you can pass the bottleneck? You¡¯ve been suffering a lot.¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡± She held out her hand and I pulled her to her feet, hugging her. ¡°Whether it is our bonds, or the fact-fact I am a Pledged One to you, when I use my Ether Healing, when it responds to the intrusion of the vile spores-spores, it is almost as if I can see it, direct it, in the way you do!¡± She squeezed me tightly, obviously fearing the future pain, not that I could blame her. ¡°So yes, I will not-not stop until I can match you!¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I kissed her while we hugged, giving her comfort. ¡°It was the same for me and Chirurgery. Sure, I was performing delicate, complex work, but even so, it almost felt like you were there with me when I was working on Ren-san and Kana. So... I just hope you break through soon. Seeing you suffer tears at my heart.¡±


    ¡°I have no wish to suffer any longer than strictly necessary.¡± She agreed. ¡°Unlike that lucky idiot of a maid-maid...¡± she glanced over at the forest, where Hyacinth was skipping through without a care, occasionally using vines to strangle and kill an inquisitive plant creature. She was wearing her maid uniform, not a bit of protective gear in sight. Mushrooms and fungus were constantly starting to sprout from her, only to disintegrate and be absorbed into her and her nature element.


    ¡±Yeah, who¡¯d have thought she would find it so easy to resist? I honestly don¡¯t know if it¡¯s only because she has been experimenting with the spores, or if nature element alone makes it possible. But if so, maybe the Seelie Court could get an army together that can fight the Myconids?¡± Obviously we had tried to make it as safe as possible for Hyacinth, the first time she had just run to the forest, stuck an arm in and then retreated, but as she escaped unscathed, the tests escalated, until we ended up with her happy frolicking now.


    ¡°I doubt that.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°It would not-not be possible. Wielders of nature element are rare, Hyacinth is unusual indeed-indeed. Many of the rest are like the dryad, tied to their groves, unable to sojourn far from them. We would never-never have the numbers. Still... knowledge is power, do you not-not say? When we triumph here, we should inform the Seelie Court. There may be other threats that can be countered in this-this way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that will help raise your status, so I¡¯m all for it. Anyway... want to try again?¡± I asked, and she shuddered, but managed a tremulous nod.


    ¡°Very well-well. I shall achieve success, no-no matter the cost!¡±


    ********


    ¡°Praise the moon and the King and Queen.¡± Shaeula was lying on my lap, twitching, the phantom memories of pain slowly fading from her mind. ¡°Finally, Rank 6. I believe-believe I need a long rest.¡± She look a deep, tortured breath. ¡°I once more have respect for your resolve. It is madness indeed learning this way, no Fae would ever-ever countenance it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed, continuing to pamper her. ¡°Well, we can now move onto a task a little less troubling, although we are going to have to enter the fungal forest just like Hyacinth did to make sure we¡¯ve fully adapted.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but that-that is for tomorrow. Until then... Akio, comfort me!¡±


    ¡°Your wish is my command!¡± I laughed, carrying her back towards the mansion. We passed a gang of weaselkin as we went, digging a long, straight ditch through the forest. Hyacinth was there too, having done enough to prove she was not affected by the Myconid spores, and she was now cajoling trees to move out of the way of the ditch. It was quite the sight, nature energies glowing around her, the very trees uprooting themselves and slithering to one side to allow the workers access. Sure, she broke a few to start with, the trees ripping themselves apart, but now she¡¯s got the hang of it...


    ¡°I do worry that we are making a mess-mess of the mansion grounds.¡± Shaeula sighed, seeing our rather epic landscaping. ¡°With this-this and the forest Hyacinth¡¯s spores destroyed, I fear my brother might be angry.¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah well, he got it for you, so he¡¯ll have to live with it. Besides, when this is all over, we can work on restoring everything to how it used to be.¡± As we passed, weaselkin bowed to us, before continuing with their hard labours.


    ¡°So, just what-what is the purpose for this? I am still a little confused.¡± Shaeula asked me.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite the explanation. Okay, well, the terrain in the corrupted forest largely rises until the Spring and the large hill that contains it, right? It does flatten out about half a mile from the edge of the forest, and the estate is also largely level terrain.¡± There was a lake by the grove that was filled by rivers and streams from further towards the Spring, and a shallow riverbed that continued towards the border that we had used as cover... ¡°It¡¯s then about two and a bit miles to the Faerie Ring Gate in a straight line if we cut through the forest, at the closest approach to the border. That¡¯s a short distance ordinarily, for someone with our stats, but...¡±


    As I discussed the topography of the estate and the infested forest, we reached the mansion, Shaeula still in my arms. Several of the maids looked at us askance as usual, Risha looking particularly angry, though you would have thought she was well used to our open displays of affection by now. Seeing that was souring Shaeula''s mood, so I dismissed them and took Shaeula to the bath, and then the bed...


    ********


    Over the next couple of days in the lower Astral we alternated between brief invasions into the forest, riling up the Myconids and becoming accustomed to their spores, making sure to kill whatever Scouts and Observers they sent, which led to their forces massing at wherever we appeared quickly, which was ideal for the next stage of our plan. It was still rather awful training within the forest, as the spores were slightly different to those Hyacinth created. Still, it was close enough that with exposure training our subtle bodies had adapted, and we no longer needed the protective gear, although we were still going to wear it, for precautions if nothing else, and also to prevent the Myconids from realising we could beat their trump card.


    We were now all sitting in the courtyard of the mansion, the maids begrudgingly serving us all tea and snacks, as we surveyed the impressive array of gear Ixitt and Grulgor had brought back with them. It had took longer than I thought to make it all, but it was still very quick, so I could hardly complain.


    "I won¡¯t repeat just what Bjarki said about you, some of the dwarven invective was so very inventive, and I couldn¡¯t understand it. But the general gist was, he cursed you out for a liar for dropping more urgent work on him.¡± Ixitt snickered. ¡°Still, he does like to make new and exciting crafts, and this one was certainly that.¡±


    My gaze went to the massive wagon, with reinforced, heavy steel wheels and bed, upon which sat a truly colossal barrel, to which was fitted a long hose-like device, similar to the vacuum. There was also a folded-fan of metal, six or seven metres long, made of dwarven steel and inlaid with some complicated bluesteel etchings.


    ¡°Even breaking down what crafts he was working on, we didn¡¯t have enough bluesteel to do precisely what you wished, but master Bjarki is nothing if not ingenious, and I helped.¡± Ixitt continued proudly. ¡°Dvergr craft can amplify the effect temporarily, though it will be rather damaging to the metal. Still, if only for a short time, it¡¯ll work.¡±


    A short time, huh? Well, I¡¯ve run the numbers, being as confident as I can be in an Astral setting that they hold true, so once should be enough, at least so assisted.


    ¡°Just calm down!¡± I called to her again, unsheathing the Twin Fangs as the fist fell. I slashed, and the hand was rent into pieces, though even as they fell the dryad shaped them into sharp thorns that darted at us. Responding with my own earth energy, I clashed with them and they shattered, escaping her control. It was then that Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels whipped through the cloud of debris, wrapping around the dryad, pinning her one good arm to her side.


    ¡°Got you-you!¡± Shaeula exclaimed, hauling on the handles, pulling her towards us, where she hit the ground hard, hissing and sobbing, green ichor flying everywhere.


    ¡°All right then. Ixitt, get everything ready. Grulgor, Hyacinth, keep the puppets back, but don¡¯t kill them. As for us...¡± I exchanged a look with Shaeula, and she nodded, amber eyes glittering. ¡°Sorry about this.¡± I told the struggling dryad. ¡°I think this is going to hurt like hell.¡± And with my own eye matching Shaeula¡¯s glow, we began to carve away at her body with wind. She screamed and thrashed, her good and missing eye both shedding virulent tears. Shit, I don¡¯t know if Myconids can hear, but if they can, every bastard nearby will hear this.


    ¡°I know this hurts but damn well stop fighting us!¡± I snapped as we channelled in aether to heal her injuries. New flesh was growing over her bony arm, and even her eye was starting to reform, although the agony must have been exquisite. Though as I was working, her screams slowly starting to slow, becoming heavy, rasping breaths of pain and exhaustion, I noticed something troubling.


    ¡°Shaeula, you have the wind barrier up, right? No, of course you do.¡± I could see it with my Eye, so...


    ¡°I understand. The corruption is returning, despite her having no-no spores or seeds falling upon her.¡± Cutting it free again and healing her, the dryad was weakening, even despite my ministrations. It was then her newly restored eyes met mine, the tears they were shedding now pure water.


    ¡°... I thank you, brave travellers.¡± She managed to gasp. ¡°But save your efforts. Let me go in peace, while my mind is finally clear. My grove, my tree, it is of me, as I am a part of it, and the taint has consumed it. Therefore it merely passes back to me.¡± She grasped our hands, her newly restored one grabbing Shaeula, the other mine. ¡°It has been so long, and I am simply so... tired. All that remained in me was pain and the hunger to feed, to save my tree. I... I believe I consumed the other dryads that did not die from the vile corruption, hence why my grove survived.¡± Her nails were digging into my hands as she suffered. ¡°So I... I should join them. At least I will die knowing my sins.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°We have no time for this. If you have regrets, live to atone for them. Akio, tell her!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Dying solves nothing. It only make their sacrifice worthless!¡± I declared. ¡°If you¡¯ve made mistakes, especially since they weren¡¯t your fault, then own them and do better!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s futile... my tree...¡± she was turning pale again, mushrooms starting to sprout.


    ¡°Yeah, well, we are here for that too.¡± I looked at her deep in the eyes, squeezing her hand heedless of the pain of her nails digging into my flesh. ¡°I give you three Oaths. I¡¯ll save your tree, I¡¯ll save your life, and I¡¯ll give you a place where you and your tree can dwell, where the earth energy is plentiful and clean. Hell, I¡¯ll even throw in a fourth Oath. The Myconids, who drove you to such sins... they¡¯ll fall here, and we will reclaim the Spring of Clear Reflections. In exchange, all you have to do is pledge to protect my lands, all those who dwell within, and endure, until you feel you¡¯ve lived enough for those that died, that you killed, despite your will.¡±


    ¡°But... I¡¯m not strong enough to face the guilt, the pain, any longer.¡± The dryad looked away, only for Shaeula to grab her hair, pulling the dryad to face her. Behind us the puppets had stopped struggling against the swamp, awaiting her end.


    ¡°Nonsense. As a noble dryad, you should-should be ashamed.¡± Shaeula scoffed, her amber eyes hard. ¡°While I have not-not suffered as you have, nor would I claim anything close, I too have disgraced myself, my past a lesson in my own lack of self-worth. I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. My father is prince Shaetanao, ruler of the Beastkin Fae. Akio is my beloved, and if he wishes to save you, you shall-shall be saved!¡±


    ¡°Prince Shaetanao? So is he no longer a Duke?¡± the dryad asked, confused, and Shaeula snorted wryly, though she never let go of her hand and hair.


    ¡°Indeed. You have been suffering here a long, long time. The Seelie Court has gone through many changes. Akio reached out a hand to me, and many-many others. Let him save you too! If he fails, you shall have the death you wish for, and if he succeeds, as I know-know he will, then you shall have a chance to repent, and live-live for the fallen.¡±


    Now that the puppets had stopped, Ixitt was unloading equipment from the wagon, Grulgor helping him move the colossal barrel, the contents sloshing around gently. On seeing them head towards the tree, I smiled at the dryad gently. ¡°I hate to rush you, but the Myconids will surely be coming any minute. My oaths to you stand. I can offer more if you want, I¡¯m not Fae, so I don¡¯t need to stop at three!¡±


    ¡°If you can save me and my tree, take me away from this hell I have endured all these years...¡± she swallowed, fungus creeping up her arms and legs slowly. ¡°...I swear, I shall take root in your lands, cultivate and protect them, shelter those within under my mighty branches, and I shall serve you until my last breath.¡± she whispered. ¡°Until I see the Myconids who destroyed the groves, the lakes, the streams, the undines, sylphs and dryads, all my kin... until the day they suffer the same end they did. And should they do so...¡± her yellow eyes glittering, she leaned up and her hair snaked around me, forcing its way into my mouth. I felt a surge of energy within, my earth energies reacting, strengthening. ¡°...I shall be yours.¡±


    As she fell limply Shaeula cried out to Ixitt to bring the protective gear, and he rushed over with the hood, mask, respirator and rubber suit I had them make, pulling it on over her slowly corrupting body as Shaeula worked more painful surgery and Healing.


    You have joined in compact with a noble Fae from the Seelie Court. By agreeing a third covenant, your soul has become ever more like that of a Fae, thus your Fortune and Charm have increased by 1. Due to your lunar chakra you find it easier to acclimatise to the aspects of your bonded Fae, and have a higher chance of manifesting a portion of their abilities. The Fae is corrupted, her soul scarred by a vile plague, so the true power of this bond cannot be unlocked until the corruption is expunged.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 22 to level 23.


    You received the Kiss Of A Dryad. A dryad can bestow the blessing that is her kiss only once in her life, allowing her to share the strength of her grove with the individual so blessed. The bearer of this kiss shall live long and unbroken like the oak, grow wise like the ash, grow kind like the elm, and become poison to their enemies like the yew. Your affinity and control over the earth element has increased. Your affinity for water element and wood element has increased.


    With that oath spoken, she allowed Shaeula to garb her, but before the respirator and goggles were placed upon her, she smiled. ¡°I am Asha, lost daughter of the King of Groves, Lord of the Forests, Orion, he who sleeps, wounded. One of many, to be sure, but even so... your name is Akio, is it not?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°In that case, Akio... please save me and my tree, and bring me the vengeance I crave. Save as much as you can, prove to me that living with this guilt offers more than merely a long life of regret and pain!¡±


    Kneeling down, I looked her in the eyes. ¡°Nothing would make me happier. I¡¯ll show you the world Shaeula and I, and all our friends and family are striving for, and there¡¯s no room for sadness there! Now, Shaeula, Hyacinth, we have to do something about the tree¡¯s rot, no matter how temporary. Asha, please help us. After all, it¡¯s your tree, right?¡±


    As the goggles covered her face I could see the tears. ¡°Fine. I, Asha, will so swear! What can I do to help? The rot... it is very, very bad, only the earth energies here are slowing the final death.¡±


    ¡°Wait and watch, and see a miracle of science, magic and insanity!¡±

 Two Hundred And Four

    Two Hundred And Four


    ¡°Right, start spraying!¡± I ordered Ixitt, who was pointing the nozzle of the hose at the area of the tree I had just cleared the fungus from. Chunks of bark and wood were falling around us, flame energy blazing as we incinerated what we could. As the tree was quickly and savagely mutilated, Asha was letting out moans of pain.


    ¡°Is this necessary?¡± she gasped, writhing. ¡°My tree, it suffers so!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, though this is just a hack-job.¡± I admitted. ¡°The corruption is in way too deep, we can only do surface-level maintenance, and we can¡¯t spare the aether for any major healing. We just need the tree to last until we can get it somewhere safe.¡± Barrier cream was being sprayed over the tree, covering the areas of new growth, as well as older bark we hadn¡¯t touched.


    ¡°Why the barrier solution?¡± Shaeula asked, still working. Grulgor was busy destroying some plant-creatures that had been drawn in by our presence, which meant our time was down to the wire here before the Myconids noticed. Sure, they were wary of this grove before thanks to the dryad managing to feed so many to the trees here, but when the Observers and Scouts get here, they¡¯ll realise things have changed.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostly to protect our Territory from the spores. I don¡¯t want the tree spreading corruption until we can fully heal it. We also need to keep the tree from getting worse too.¡± I continued to clamber up the trunk, doing as much work as quickly as I could. Removing the mushrooms, toadstools and visible fungal growths were easy enough, but anything more was beyond us with the extremely limited time we had left.


    ¡°Grul sees puny mushrooms!¡± he roared, before charging at the Scouts. He threw some metal balls he had been resupplied with, blowing them apart effortlessly, but the spores were spreading, beyond our capacity to stop.


    ¡°Shit, we need to hurry this the hell up.¡± Shaeula and I finished by air-blasting the surface of the giant tree, stripping it bare, snapping off an awful lot of the remaining barren branches by mistake. Asha screamed at that, hunched over, babbling that death might have been preferable to this, but Hyacinth patted her back consolingly, nature energy radiating out from her, strengthening the tree and starting to move the roots.


    ¡°Dooo not wooorry.¡± Hyacinth reassured her. ¡°Sadness now just means more joooy later! Master and mistress are kind! Their hooome is warm. If you grooow there, I shall tend tooo the garden, sweep up all the leaves. Now stand and help Hyacinth, this tree is toooo heavy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too soon to falter.¡± Ixitt agreed, more and more of the tree covered in the gloopy slime. ¡°We committed quite the effort to this. The materials used here alone... well, you don¡¯t care about that, I get it. But still... pull yourself together, dryad, no, Asha. Fight for the future!¡±


    ¡°The puny fungi are massing!¡± Grulgor rumbled, dozens of plant-beasts flooding towards the grove from all angles. Arrows were starting to fly our way from Rangers, forcing me to counter with fire, yellow blasts of flame turning the Myconids into living torches. On seeing the fire Asha was even more panicked, naturally afraid of flame.


    ¡°Shaeula, I¡¯ll finish here. Hold them off with Grulgor!¡± I dropped down and grabbed Ixitt, pulling him and the extending hose up the tree, finishing off the coating. As we did this, Hyacinth and the terrified Asha were gradually pulling up the roots of the tree, wrapping them around the trunk. This was causing the tree to list to one side alarmingly, and Ixitt bit back a curse as I supported him, though he didn¡¯t stop spraying.


    ¡°This is madness, but not something one can see every day!¡± he barked, as we finished the top. It was a rough job, but enough.


    ¡°We can not-not hold for long!¡± Shaeula shouted, her pinwheels slicing though many plants and their Myconid masters. The puppets were also throwing themselves at the endless attackers, achieving little but slowing the advance at the cost of their existence.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I answered, dropping to the ground, where Ixitt finished spraying the now exposed roots. ¡°We have to move this big bastard right now. At least there¡¯s plenty of ether here...¡± I drew in the bounty Shaeula and Grulgor had created, channelling it all to aether. I also gathered a great amount of earth energy, pouring it into the ground below us. Ixitt brought out the fan-shaped contraption, as well as several large wrapped bundles.


    ¡°Grulgor, get the hell over here! We need your strength!¡± I called out. ¡°Shaeula, do whatever it takes to hold them off!¡± The fan-shape unfolded into a master-crafted circular plate, with various ridges inlaid below, detailed with a little bluesteel and some Dvergr crafts, the wind energy held within starting to awaken, the metal shivering and shaking.


    Myconid Sporecaster [Noble Dark Fae] huh? The first noble Myconid I¡¯ve seen. And it deals with spores? That one has to go down. Seeing Ixitt and his exploding shotgun rounds, I put into play my version of it, using what dregs of power I could spare. I formed several large stone bullets, but they were hollow. Within I poured a trickle of Foehn, before launching the shells with wind. The Sporecaster saw them coming and made to dodge, but the Foehn ate through the thin rock and sprayed down like a burning drizzle. The Sporecaster caught fire, the thick spores around it igniting, and soon it toppled, joining the landslip in bouncing down the slope.


    The second the Sporecaster fell, the nearby Myconids stopped their assault, seemingly confused. I filed away that information for later, as we had nearly reached the flat part of the trip, where we would be relying on momentum and the work Bjarki had done on the disk-sled device. The metal was already starting to smoke, stressed beyond reasonable limits. ¡°Ixitt, send up the flare!¡± I ordered, and he pulled out a device that sent a brilliant ball of crimson light above the rotting treeline and into the sky. We could see the border clearly now, but as we hit the change from a slope to a flat gradient, the disk tipped, the tree lurching, tilting alarmingly.


    Asha took that moment to wake up, finding herself staring at the ground, the tree still flying forwards. She promptly fainted again. ¡°Damn, I thought this might happen. To be honest I¡¯m amazed we made it this far without incident.¡±


    Dropping back behind the tree, I activated my Crude Body Enhancement, magnifying my strength. Shaeula helped, pulling at the straining wind-weasels with further olivine energy, their fangs tearing into the wood as the inevitable force of gravity worked, even here. Still, it slowed the fall enough that I could wrench the tree back upright, the strain and my skill ravaging inside my body, blood trickling from my ears and mouth. Yeah, why the hell don¡¯t I have a gravity element? That would make this damn easy!


    Slamming aside enemies, the weight of the tree shattering the intervening obstacles, we left the forest, speeding across the grasslands. The landslip petered out, leaving us relying on the rapidly disintegrating disk for the last few metres. As we passed the Fae Stones the Territory barrier allowed us passage, which was another thing I worried about, since the tree was tainted, and in front of us the trench lurked, surrounded by the four Kamaitachi.


    ¡°Wind, now!¡± I gasped, forcing my tortured body forwards. Still, my stats were higher than ever, so my body was slowly healing even without Ether Healing. Mud splattered as we ran faster, pushing our limits, now free to concentrate just on moving the tree as my aether depleted, the tree starting to regain its weight. Emerald and jade winds surged, Shaeula, me and the Kamaitachi pouring all of our remaining essence into the disk, boosting it far beyond its structure could handle. Bluesteel sparked away in puffs of green light, but the sudden lift from the wind, coupled with our rapid forward motion, kept the great tree surfing along the channel of carefully prepared mud, with just the right viscosity to have minimal friction. Yeah, a water element to create ice would have been even better...


    We could see the mansion in the distance now, as well as our destination, the elemental energies that powered the Faerie Ring Gate rising into the sky. At the pace we were running, it would only be a minute or so, but could we hold on that long? We were slowing as the tree fought my dwindling aether, as without Myconids to top up with, I was just about dry. It was then that Asha opened her eyes again, blinking blearily as though everything was but a bad dream. For a moment she was confused, before she realised she was outside the tainted forest, beautiful, living trees on either side of the channel.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m free?¡± She whispered, watching the greenery whip past. ¡°So many living trees. So much nature!¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I grated, coughing up more blood, my body overtaxed. ¡°We have to get you rooted, then decontaminated, lest you affect the surrounding land. So hang on tight, as this is going to be a bumpy landing!¡± the disk was melting, even the Dwarven steel enhanced by Bjarki unable to handle the strain. Five hundred metres. Four hundred. Three. Two. One... ¡°Here we go!¡± I cried, as we slammed into one of the giant mushrooms that made up the Ring Gate, before careening inside, the ruby curtain swallowing us up...


    ********


    On the other side we tumbled out, the disk catching the ground and shattering, the metal finally giving way. Still, I was back now, so I pulled in a significant amount of ether from my silo, momentarily arresting the flight of the tree, sending it slamming into the ground amidst the ruby flows of earth energy that constantly exhaled from the grounds of the shrine. The moment it landed it tilted alarmingly once more, but Grulgor, Shaeula and I all slammed into it, holding it steady, our feet slowly being pushed back, digging furrows in the ground.


    ¡°Root it, get the roots in!¡± I cried. Hyacinth was already working, the roots coming free from the trunk, burrowing into the ground, and at my cry Asha responded, closing her waterlogged eyes and manipulating the Rhyming Tree that was her other body. A crowd was gathering at our rather dramatic entrance, a massive fifty-metre tall tree surging through the gate. Ulfuric was there, and when he saw Shaeula unhurt, he showed an expression of relief. ¡°Stay back, it may well not be safe!¡± he rumbled, ordering the white snakes to use their earth element to pile up rock and mud, keeping the tree upright while it was sunk into the hill and the rich wellspring of elemental earth, and having the weaselkin mages maintain a dome of air around the gateway and us, preventing contamination.


    Desperately exhausted, I crashed to the ground, Shaeula beside me. Even Grulgor, with his seemingly inexhaustible stamina was defeated, dropping his heavy mace with a meaty thud. Ixitt undid his restraints and hopped down, followed by Hyacinth. We then released Asha. As she reached the ground she bent down, reaching for the growing grasses, wanting to touch nature, but her hands were covered in rubber. She went to take them off, but I staggered to my weary feet and rested a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. ¡°Sorry, we have to remove all the tainted spores and seeds first, the corruption, from you and your tree. But that¡¯ll have to wait. I think we are about done for now, I¡¯m exhausted..." We need to go back for those other two trees too, if we can. Although if not... well, we did good anyway.


    I collapsed again, starting to work Ether Healing. Shaeula joined me, healing my injuries, and I smiled. ¡°Anyway, I believe I¡¯ve kept my promise, right? Soon we¡¯ll purify both you and your tree. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± Feeling the burn of satisfaction at an implausible act of heroism completed, I grinned. It wasn¡¯t as reckless as it seemed, as we have nullified the Myconids¡¯ most potent weapon, so if we were prepared to abandon Asha I¡¯m certain I could have got everyone out safely, Shaeula at the least, even in the worst-case scenario. But even so, I¡¯m living up to the kanji that makes up my name today!


    My Eye flared and I concentrated on my Territory. The tree was now listed. It was a Corrupted Earth Rhyming Tree Rank 5 Special, so when we purified it... damn, the ether. So much ether will be ours, to say nothing of the strengthening of the earth elements and ether around here... Suddenly my many internal injuries didn¡¯t seem to hurt so much, and I pulled Shaeula down for a hug, not caring who was watching...

 Two Hundred And Five

    Two Hundred And Five


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± I sighed, the barrel of water we had let through the wind barrier (after careful observation from our Mystic Eyes of course, to be sure there was no leakage of the deadly Myconid Spores) used to sluice us down, washing off our suits. The now tainted water, full of dying Myconid spores, we gathered in a separate empty barrel for disposal later, when it was safe. Grulgor and Ixitt had left the barrier when clean, while Hyacinth, Shaeula and I had stripped off our rubber suits, as we no longer feared spores of this level.?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Indeed it is.¡± Shaeula shook her damp hair, relieved to be free of the stifling confines of the hood and mask. ¡°I must-must admit to being rather impressed at the feat we have achieved. Still, the work is not-not yet done.¡± She looked at the tree, in its tragic condition. Asha was crying, still in her protective gear, though we had at least washed her down, but the dreadful wounds her tree had endured were reflected back to her.


    ¡°It will be fine, master, mistress.¡± Hyacinth said, observing. She was back in a maid unform, pulled from who-knows-where, and was offering us mugs of cold, clean water, which we took gratefully. ¡°It is still alive, sooo we can save it. Nooo problems for us!¡± she pushed out her ample chest pridefully.


    ¡°Yeah, even so, I can see why she is anguished.¡± I sympathised, certainly. We had handled the tree roughly. It had already been desiccated and ravaged by the fungus that crawled all over it from the spores, veins of corruption running through the wood, and its remaining branches were bare of leaves, like skeletal arms reaching for the sky, but our descent had wounded it greatly. First we had worked hasty surgery, ripping away the majority of the bark and a number of branches, with even more snapped and cracked from the mad journey down through the pestilent forest. In addition, the wind-weasels and harness hooks used to secure it and us had dug deep, exposing some core heartwood, and it was criss-crossed with deep gouges from Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels and water-lasers from the Myconid Aquamancers. Still, Hyacinth is right. it¡¯s alive. And we can keep it that way.


    Now we were back in our Territory, we could draw on the aether that the Ether Spires gathered, rather than wastefully pulling ether from the Silos and converting it, and since Shaeula was bound to a Throne, she too could benefit. I was already starting to feel refreshed, so it was time to start work on the decontamination. Though damn, this is no easy task. Even so, without the constant reinfection from windblown spores, I think we can do it.


    Patting the crying Asha on the back, she looked up at me in surprise, her eyes moist with a mixture of grief, pain and hope. ¡°You can take off the gear now. It looks like the spores all got trapped in the barrier mixture so you should be safe. We¡¯ll clean it off, boil it and then work on healing your tree. But first, let me say one thing.¡±


    She looked at me quizzically, and I grinned. ¡°Welcome home!¡± At that the dam on her emotions burst, and she slumped to her knees, wailing loudly.


    ¡°You made another female cry it seems.¡± Shaeula mocked me gently, amused, and Hyacinth nodded.


    ¡°Master breaks many hearts, he is a sinful man, nooo question!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You both know she¡¯s just overwhelmed by the realisation she doesn¡¯t have to die in that hell.¡± I waved them off. ¡°Give her some space, we need to get to work on this. I want the tree stable quickly, we have to head back and retrieve the other two, if they survived. Of which I have my doubts. Without Asha there, I suspect the weaker Rhyming Trees will succumb quickly. Still, there¡¯s no way the Myconids would expect such a quick second raid, and the other trees are much smaller and lighter... It seemed like a joke that I was planning to uproot a massive tree and run with it on my back for miles, but with Body Enhancement and aether lightening the weight, it was by no means impossible for the smaller trees.


    ¡°Very ambitious.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°I am most-most pleased. My husband should be greedy! Very well, I am exhausted, but I can at least assist you.¡±


    The first step was to remove the contaminated barrier cream. We dug a quick moat around the tree to contain it, and I then used aether, concentrating on imagining a deluge of water clinging to the tree from the top down, washing all the tainted slime into the trench. Since imagination was a key factor in using aether effectively, with my ever-increasing stats, my ability to use it was growing rapidly. Since I broke the bottleneck to Rank 6, I can feel my talent growing the more I use it. Lightening the tree so much was definitely a hard task. I think the day I reach Rank 7 is not too far off.


    As the tree was sluiced off, the moat filling with foul water, I idly wondered if other candidates were improving as rapidly as I was. Some will be, surely, but I have no doubts a lot will be like Kondou Kazuo, unwilling to put in the effort. That was one reason I wanted the Tree so badly. It was risky, but a risk I could anticipate and manage, but in exchange, the reward was a massive long-term benefit.


    ¡°I see you thinking.¡± Shaeula said, working her healing on Asha, who had finally stopped crying. ¡°So just what-what do you plan to do with the bounty the tree provides?¡±


    Using aether to boil the mass of filthy water, a task that would have been far easier with flame energy, but sadly I was only just starting to recover that, I considered my answer. It was obvious, really. ¡°First thing we need to do is continue to increase our ether generation, so I think we take the bounty it gives and upgrade all the Ether Spires to Rank 3 at the least. It may cost three hundred thousand ether for a rush build, but tying up a queue for fifty days isn¡¯t great, and the quicker we get them, the quicker they pay for themselves and start giving us profit. When they are all Rank 3 we should have very significant amounts of ether coming in, and we can consider some more ambitious builds, like Rank 4 Ether Spires or even a Rank 3 Throne. Maybe some Rank 3 and 4 Barracks too.¡±


    My Eye scanned the bubbling goop, noting the spores had died off. It smells positively vile though. I¡¯ll get the weaselkin to drain the crap and fill in the ditch later. ¡°All right then. The tree... time for some Ether Healing.¡± I decided to start from the top, climbing up using the fissures in the trunk. Once I reached the crown I looked out over my Territory, the strange auroras of the Boundary overhead casting everything with a pretty glow. Yeah, it¡¯s nice up here, but I¡¯ve no time to enjoy the view. Idly wondering whether Asha would let us build a viewing platform and terrace up here for drinking and relaxation, I extended tendrils of aether into the tree, seeking out pockets of corruption. It was simplicity itself to annihilate the tainted spores and fungi, since I had adapted to it, but there was still a lot. Even as I destroyed pestilent pockets of corruption, I was using Ether Healing. The scarred wood was swelling, cracks filling in, and fresh bark was forming, soft and springy, smelling of nature. Beside me, one branch suddenly burst with leaves and blossoms, and several cracked branches started growing, with fresh buds sprouting from the trunk, slowly becoming new, virgin branches.


    Pretty! I became lost in the healing, finding it truly fascinating how the tree was both a plant and somehow also a Fae. I could also feel Asha through it, though only faintly, and as my healing energies brushed her bond with the tree I could feel her shiver. Slowly descending the tree, I continued to be surrounded by blooming branches, until a voice snapped me out of my trance.


    ¡°I think-think that should be enough for now.¡± Shaeula said, grinning, sitting below me on a branch. ¡°You have been at this for some hours.¡±


    Really? I looked up to see that I had descended nearly a dozen metres, and the canopy of the tree was hanging above me like a natural parasol, green leaves and pink and white blossoms shining with ruby and garnet energies. ¡°Whoa, yeah, I must have worked hard.¡± Indeed, my mind was fuzzy with exhaustion and my chakra network was burning from effort, though the sensation felt good, natural. Looking down I could see the base of the tree was also restored, around three metres of fresh bark and branches jutting out. On seeing my gaze, Shaeula grinned. ¡°I have not-not been slacking either. I thought I would-would fortify the base of the tree and the roots. I believe even if we do no more the tree will endure, though when we have more-more time we can complete the healing. But first-first there is someone who wishes to see you.¡±


    Looking down I could see Hyacinth, busily using her nature energy to infuse the tree, but beside her, Asha was looking up at us, with a solemn expression. I waved, and she shivered, before bowing, keeping her head down. We quickly descended, and on reaching the ground she looked at us, biting at her lip, tears flooding down her face.


    ¡°Oh come on, no tears.¡± I chided her. ¡°This is a happy occasion. Your tree will live and thrive. Hell, we even have another Rhyming Tree not too far away, though it¡¯s a darkness element. I promise you, we¡¯ll drive out the Myconids too. One day the Spring and its surrounds shall bloom anew. Maybe you can even see it, plant some trees over the graves of your fallen kin.¡±


    ¡°You surely must-must be doing this on purpose.¡± Shaeula muttered beside me. ¡°Sometimes I find myself in agreement with Eri. Still, it matters not-not I suppose. A dryad is a worthy...¡±


    ¡°I wanted to speak to you both, as you are the two primary candidates for this Throne.¡± I said, getting straight to the point. ¡°Haru-san, I promised I¡¯d get you back to the Material, and this can do it, but... to be honest, I need Ixitt more right now. I¡¯d like it if you can wait until we upgrade this Throne. I hope I can queue it in soon, since we should have much more ether coming in. I feel bad about making you and your father wait though.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Haru-san said quietly, her ghostly face downcast. ¡°I know you have been good to me. I worry for daddy but... if you could pass on a message, let him know I am all right and thinking of him, I can endure.¡± She implored me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Of course. Anything to make the two of you feel better. And don¡¯t despair. I hope before Christmas you can reunite, a Christmas miracle indeed. Though then, you¡¯ll have a lot of work to do for me.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She said quietly, looking at Shaeula. ¡°You are not evil like him. The smile of the girl as she stands by your side shows me you are kind. I¡¯ll help you, as I promised, if I can go home and see daddy again...¡± a thin trail of phantom tears down her cheeks made me feel bad for her, but I had decided to not let myself be swayed by the tears of girls unless it was absolutely necessary. Hardening my heart I turned to Ixitt. His expression was rapturous, but I had to be firm.


    ¡°This is a big reward, but an equally stern obligation.¡± I warned, and Shaeula backed me up, telling Ixitt to heed my words. ¡°You¡¯ve ben a great help to me, but when you accept the Throne, you become my ally and servant in truth, an unbreakable bond unless we both agree to end it. Can you live with that?¡± I finished.


    His answer was a toothy grin. ¡°Is that even a question?¡± he laughed. ¡°Listen to me, you healed me, you gave my family and my kin a place to live. We have pushed the boundaries of Mortal Engineering to such a degree the vile Myconids are helpless before us. We stole a moon-damned Rhyming Tree from the forest of death!¡± His laughter grew more frenzied. ¡°I have made guns, mortal artifice I have long envied. Ulfuric, my old friend, looks as if a weight has lifted from his broad shoulders. And now you say I can walk the mortal world as the princess does, see with my own eyes, experiment, master my craft as no Fae ever has?¡± He bowed to me. ¡°I don¡¯t even consider it a price to pay. I would follow you and the princess to the end of your journey, for only through that can I ever be satisfied. If I was a woman, I would be proposing right now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks, I can live without that.¡± I laughed. ¡°So, you are resolved to aid me, craft what I need, improve our weapons, armour and science to heights beyond both mortal and Fae?¡±


    Haru-san looked a bit put off by his eager vehemence, but there was a twinge of regret in her eyes. Don¡¯t worry, your time will come sooner than you think.


    ¡°Resolved?¡± Ixitt scoffed. ¡°I would rather die than miss out, and being under your rule is no hardship. Besides, the princess wishes to be Queen, does she not? I¡¯ll be quite the favoured one then, a fair turnabout to those that scorned me for being ratkin. Now delay no longer, Akio, my master! I accept!¡±


    Here we go! And with that, Ixitt was my second Chosen Hero. I had expected Fae-Bonded to level but it didn¡¯t, maybe as he wasn¡¯t a Noble Fae. Still, now I could check his status, which I did, amber letters flaring brightly, as Ixitt capered around, snickering, marvelling at the new knowledge he gained of my Territory.


    ¡°Hmm, you aren¡¯t that strong, are you?¡± I said, perhaps a touch rudely, and he sniggered.


    ¡°Well, of course not. My bloodline is rather plain, unlike the princess here. I rely on my crafts and ingenuity to balance my weaknesses.¡± He patted the shotgun at his waist. ¡°One does not need to be strong to be deadly, and brains often overcome brawn.¡±


    ¡°True. I like both though.¡± I agreed. ¡°Still, you don¡¯t have a Fae class. Is that because you don¡¯t have an element, as far as I can see?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Ixitt shrugged. ¡°Though being unaspected does have its perks. I notice the princess was rather uncomfortable around the Rhyming Tree and the dryad. Earth and wind seldom get along.¡±


    ¡°I would not-not say that. It was somewhat unpleasant, and having the density of earth element raised here makes me itch, but I can not-not be bound by that forever. After all, I am also a Fae of flame. Admittedly, flame does not much care for earth either, but still...¡± she pouted, arms crossed.


    ¡°Well, one day you¡¯ll master the earth too, I¡¯m sure. Anyway, I¡¯m curious about a few of your skills so I¡¯m taking a look, Ixitt.¡± At his nod my Eye glittered amber.


    Mortal Engineering ¨C A rare school of crafting that blends multiple techniques and arts together with mortal knowledge and know-how to create devices that can bring great weal or woe, and can often surpass the limits of either mortal or spirit. A Mortal Engineer has good fortune when performing experiments and finds their success rate when utilising multiple disciplines of crafting and science together greatly increased, with the chance of an unexpected positive outcome.


    Faecraft- A measure of the ability to utilise elemental energies and Fae arts and sorceries, to create wonderous devices that often draw on the mysteries of fortune and charm.


    Alchemy- The art of creating potions, powders, chemicals and ointments that have mystical and magical effects. It also dabbles with metallurgy and healing, and the arts of transmuting one material into another.


    ¡°Well, okay, those are all kind of cool. I want them. Your classes too.¡± Fae-Crafter offered boosts to Precision and Alacrity, as well as crafting success, and could be gained by having Ether Crafting and Faecraft skills, so I was halfway there, and Master Of Many Crafts required five different types of crafting skills, but increased Fortune and crafting success significantly.


    ¡°I am humbled by your praise.¡± Ixitt grinned, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I can hardly wait to get started on learning all the knowledge I can. Chemistry, biology, physics, engineering... so many books and resources. Just tell me what you want me to make, and I¡¯ll produce a wonder you have never seen before!¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to wait for a while.¡± I could feel my elemental energies having largely recharged within me. ¡°Because we¡¯ve tarried here too long. We need to try for the other two Rhyming Trees now, before they die. Go grab Grulgor. Shaeula, you get Hyacinth. I¡¯d hate to let them slip through our grasp...¡±

 Side Sixty-Four – Fukumoto Hinata

    Side Sixty-Four ¨C Fukumoto Hinata


    ¡°... so not all of the older shrines remain what we would consider true.¡± Their young lecturer was saying, their usual teacher behind her, nodding along, interested, though she doubtless had little idea of the importance of these lectures, merely taking the special classes as another whim of the powers behind the school, the Three Grandfathers.


    Kudou Shiori. Apparently the granddaughter of a major shrine and faction leader in Kyoto. ¡°Many old families were lost during the long centuries. The Warring States Era was particularly bad, and the Great War also claimed many shrine families. So not every old shrine is necessarily one that respects the old ways.¡± She continued. ¡°In addition, some shrines were destroyed in their entirety, so if the family that worshipped the kami survived this, they would move to a newly-built shrine and continue their worship.¡±


    This is quite interesting. I have made sure to speak to Kana, Ren and those twins, as well as Kana¡¯s father, Izumi-san, over the last few days. I think I have a picture of how the Shrines work and the influence they hold. Still, I¡¯m not satisfied... Hinata continued to pay attention, as she was a noble, and all noble girls were taught to be attentive and proper at all times. It was hard to suppress a grin though. I have a lot on my mind, it can¡¯t be helped! After all, her grandfather was running about with new energy and zest for life, throwing himself into research. He¡¯s really taken a liking to Akio. I¡¯m happy!


    Hinata too, had been busy. Her training at the shrine was hard, and she still hadn¡¯t truly grasped the techniques, unlike Kana, who had been walking around with a very smug smile on her face the last few days. But more fulfilling were her ideas on how to earn the things Akio needed most of all right now. Money, influence and connections. He needs them all, and enough that Fujiwara-sama and Ichijou-sama can¡¯t exploit him one-sidedly.


    Still, there was one person who wasn¡¯t paying attention to the lecture Kudou-sensei was delivering nervously, which was quite unlike her. Her cousin Sakura had been glancing at her all morning, seemingly desperate to say something, and Hinata knew what it would be about. The announcement went out to the Fifty-Eight and the Three-Hundred last night, after the three Grandfathers gave their consent. All marriages of the nobility had to be approved by them. It was largely a formality, especially for the Three-Hundred, but there had been occasions when families had called off proposed pairings at their advice. Though I doubt I would have consented to that, had they stood in my way. No, this is my stand against the nobility, my time to show them disregarding me, my family, is foolish!


    As the special class wound its way to the end, Kudou-sensei looked relieved. It must have been tough for her, having to teach a class of noble girls the same age as her, so Hinata sympathised with her. Still, when their usual teacher asked if there were any questions, Hinata showed no mercy and put her hand up. Sorry, but I need third-party confirmation of the information I¡®ve gathered.


    ¡°Yes, Hiroto-san?¡± the teacher asked, and Kudou-sensei looked nervous, awaiting the question.


    ¡°I was wondering something, if I may ask? You touched briefly on factions within the shrines.¡± Hinata began. ¡°I was wondering, just as an example, which faction would Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine be in?¡±


    Relieved that the question was easy, Kudou-sensei smiled. ¡°An interesting question. As befits a shrine that worships Susanoo-no-Mikoto and his family, it is Susanoo faction, with quite the significant influence.¡± She then went on to detail some other Susanoo faction shrines, including the faction-leading shrine of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.


    So, Ren and the twins were right. Their shrine is influential, and worse, Akio is providing them a lot of aid, with only some nebulous promises of the same in return. I understand they have obligations to their faction, the nobility is no different, but I need to find a way to bind them more strongly to Akio and his cause.


    She listened carefully as Kudou-sensei went over the leadership of the three factions. ¡°... and Amaterasu faction has technically the most influential shrine of all, the Grand Shrine at Ise, which is always led by a daughter of the Imperial family, but just like the nobility and the shrines don¡¯t interfere with each other, Ise Grand Shrine also remains separate from factional disputes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hinata said as the explanation finished. ¡°That was very helpful, Kudou-sensei.¡±


    ¡°No, Thank you.¡± She said in relief, only to pause as Hinata continued, asking another question.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t quite understand. Everyone here knows why we are taking these special classes, right?¡± Hinata looked around, and her classmates nodded, even Sakura, though she looked troubled. ¡°In that case, just like the nobility has come together, the shrines should too. Infighting right now makes no sense. After all...¡± Hinata puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°... if we don¡¯t seize control of the new order, we¡¯ll be left behind.¡±


    ¡°Well, uh... ah...¡± Kudou-sensei stammered, unsure of how to answer.


    ¡°Hinata! Don¡¯t criticise our teacher!¡± Sakura stood suddenly. ¡°She has kindly come to teach us, and you may not be aware of the circumstances of faith. Even my father and grandfather keep their distance from the shrines and temples, grandfather would speak to Takakura-sama if he needed to intercede in any religious matters.¡±


    ¡°I see. My apologies. I was just a little frustrated.¡± Hinata shrugged off her cousins¡¯ criticism with a polite laugh. ¡°After all, I am starting to see more of matters of faith, such as Hikawa-Kawagoe, and I must admit to being rather confused at their lack of urgency. After all, matters of divinity should be their purview, no?¡±


    ¡°True, but...¡± Kudou-sensei began, only for the ringing bell to indicate it was lunchtime. Relieved, Kudou-sensei ended the class, practically darting out of the classroom. As that happened, Sakura rose, coming over to her table, expression complicated.


    ¡°Hinata, you really shouldn¡¯t upset our volunteer teacher like that.¡± She chided. ¡°Fujiwara-sama himself requested her to help educate us, so we should be thankful.¡±


    A perfect student as ever I see. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not trying to be mean to her.¡± She struggled to hold in a sigh, as talking to her cousin was always fraught for her. ¡°I have serious questions I want answers to. I¡¯ve been able to get information from various shrines, but getting another perspective is vital. Matters are too important to me to make a misstep.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, just try and be kinder.¡± Sakura said after mulling that over. ¡°So, I heard. Your engagement, I mean. The rumours it was coming, but are you happy? I know you wanted to marry into higher nobility.¡± She left it unsaid that such was never going to happen.


    You can¡¯t help but worry for me, even if I disappoint you? Such a complicated feeling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hinata smiled brightly. ¡°I know that originally the plan was to offer engagement to Akio so that he is tied to the nobility. But after spending some time with him I decided it was actually what I wanted, for other reasons than noble pride or raising my status. I intend to stand at his side as he reaches the top of this world. And you know what, cousin Sakura?¡± Hinata couldn¡¯t help but grin, all her earlier feelings of excitement coming back, plans whirling around her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never been happier. Sometimes I surprise myself! Everything happened so fast, but as we discussed in our new theology class, the world has changed. I¡¯m staking everything on Akio. And it won¡¯t be just me. There¡¯s something about him, that attracts people to him, people who want to see the world he sees at the end of this journey.¡± Her smile turned impish. ¡°Motoko-san too, she¡¯s become mesmerised by the world he represents. She¡¯s still hesitating, but I imagine now I¡¯ve been announced as his fiance?e, she¡¯ll make her move. By the way, Sakura...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked, trying to understand Hinata¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, isn¡¯t it? You would have been the perfect bride to tie him firmly into the nobility, and his growing influence could have shored up Takatsukasa house. I had suspected Fujiwara-sama intended that, but... well, too late.¡± Sorry Sakura. I have no intention of giving him to you. Besides, the more I learn, the more I realise he has more worth than simply propping up Takatsukasa house.


    ¡°I... no. No such plans were ever made, I assure you!¡± Sakura blushed, and for a moment Hinata felt sorry for her. ¡°I¡¯m a daughter of Takatsukasa, I¡¯ll be marrying into a suitably noble house.¡± She protested.


    ¡°Sure you will.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Just like my mother did, right?¡± Before Sakura could answer that, Hinata shook her head. ¡°Come on, we should go to lunch. Our bodyguards will be worrying.¡± And with that, she left the classroom, Sakura following behind, her expression downcast...


    *********


    ¡°So, how was your theology class?¡± Kazumi asked her, and Hinata shrugged, taking the plate of food her bodyguard had brought her.


    ¡°Interesting, but also disappointing. The shrines seem united at first glance, but they are even more fractured than the nobility. I see we are going to have to take a firm hand with them to get them to fall in line behind Akio.¡±


    Kazumi smiled fondly, and Hinata cocked her head. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised.¡± Kazumi replied. ¡°You seem really into this. Into him. I mean, I guess I get it. You don¡¯t have much exposure to men, none of you noble girls do, so the first good one you were exposed to was bound to capture your locked-away heart. Even so, you are taking it further than I expected you would.¡±


    ¡°Do you not approve?¡± Hinata asked, but her bodyguard simply shook her head as they headed for an open table. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her and hear whispers around her. It makes sense. Everyone will know I¡¯m engaged now, marriages are the biggest concern and topic of conversation for all of us noble daughters.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Kazumi disagreed. ¡°I¡¯ve been observing him and those around him, wary. He seems a genuinely good guy, as far as I can tell. I think he¡¯d try to make you happy, definitely. Maybe it¡¯s even a better match than you could have hoped for. I just worry. His world is definitely a dangerous... huh.¡± Kazumi stopped suddenly, and Hinata nearly ran into her.


    ¡°So, be honest with me. You like Akio too, right?¡± Hinata asked, and Kana flushed.


    ¡°Sure I like Akio. He saved me from a fate worse than death, even if it was mostly his fault I ended up in that situation in the first place. He¡¯s brought prosperity to my shrine and family, and even helped me appreciate gifts I¡¯ve long thought worthless. And he¡¯s the first man to...¡± she trailed off, bright crimson, before shaking her head, long black hair dancing. ¡°Enough of that! It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not I like him, does it? Besides, I don¡¯t have anything to offer.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, but it¡¯s hardly like I want more rivals. You have the gift of seeing the mystical, and also reading emotions and thoughts, right?¡±


    ¡°The seeing I can control now.¡± Kana admitted. Behind them several of the girls and Kana¡¯s father, who was the oldest one there training, had all stopped to listen in. ¡°It¡¯s even easier since Akio says he made the foundation of my chakra network perfect. In fact, I can collect energy so much easier than before. I think I¡¯m almost at the stage of being able to enter the other world, but he told us to not try that until he got back. Where the hell is he?¡± she pouted. ¡°As for the thoughts and feelings, it''s rare, but it happens more frequently now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a gift. In business that gift would allow me to dominate, make profit without fail. And why did you get your network perfected? I¡¯m his fiance?e, I should have been his first pick.¡±


    ¡°Now who¡¯s jealous?¡± Kana smirked. ¡°It hurt a bit and still feels uncomfortable, but yeah... when he comes back everyone should get the Chirurgery, as he calls it.¡± Kana raised her voice, and Ren winced, remembering his own suffering.


    ¡°Fine. That reminds me...¡± This is a good time. The announcement to my engagement is official, and I may not have known Akio long, but one thing I¡¯m sure of is that he won¡¯t disgrace me by backing out now, so I can start acting as his wife, looking after his interests. ¡°Can everyone gather around please? I have an announcement to make.¡±


    ¡°Really, Hinata?¡± Hiroto said, and she elbowed him again.


    As everyone gathered around them, she straightened up, standing as proud as she could in the red and white shrine clothing she wore during the training. When everyone was giving her their full attention she smiled, acting her most regal. ¡°There may be some rumours going around, but yes, it¡¯s true. I have been lucky enough to be accepted as Akio¡¯s third wife. Now, sure, there may be some legal complications, but that is for us to worry about.¡±


    ¡°My congratulations. To be accepted by Akio-sama is a great thing.¡± Marika said politely, and Hinata smiled at her charming manners that were fit for a much older girl. Keomi offered loud congratulations too, as did Kana¡¯s friends. Some, like the plain, shy girl who always said little, looked confused, but Hinata paid her little mind.


    ¡°Yes, and I intend to be a supportive wife, one who Akio can be proud of, that looks after his interests. To that end...¡± she took a deep breath. This is important. It¡¯s the first step to stop information leaks and head off potential backstabbing. I hate that the shrines here are offering him such lukewarm support when he is giving them so much! ¡°... I need to reiterate just what an opportunity Akio is offering everyone here. Some of you had little choice in the matter...¡± she looked at the Kikuchi girl from a technically hostile shrine, from what she could gather from the theology classes, as well as the shy girl who Shaeula had dragged in. ¡°... but if you sincerely wish to leave, I¡¯ll make it happen. I don¡¯t want unwilling allies. Just know, if you are out, you bury everything in your hearts about what you know and what happened here. if you betray us, I¡¯ll destroy you!¡± She warned. At that a muted buzz went around the room.


    ¡°As for those of you who remain, especially our friends from the shrines...¡± she declared. ¡°... I understand you have your obligations. My family is noble so we too have our share of those. But do not think you can deny Akio fair compensation for what he is giving you. I want you to tell your parents, your shrines, to support him to the full extent you can. And if you do, I promise to make sure everyone is suitably rewarded. There will be those who come seeking to damage us, offering you wealth, power, whatever you want, if only you¡¯d betray us...¡± she warned. ¡°Just remember... when that happens, you come to Akio or me! If it¡¯s wealth, we have more, power, well, who can offer more than this?¡± She spread her arms. ¡°Cross us at your peril! I don¡¯t want Akio¡¯s heart wounded by betrayal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... surprisingly kind of you.¡± Kana said, impressed despite herself. ¡°Scary too.¡± And several others agreed, though Kazumi, who had again been watching over her, clicked her tongue threateningly at some of the young men who seemed rather taken with her noble countenance as she declared her intent.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a noble daughter, raised to support her husband.¡± She said, before smiling, a surprisingly beautiful grin that once more stole the hearts of the boys present and also a couple of the girls. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve found what I want to do, who I want to love. Something I never thought would be mine. You too, right, Motoko, Natsumi?¡± At that, the two flushed, looking away.


    ¡°I find your sentiments admirable.¡± Kana¡¯s father said. ¡°Shirohebizumi shrine will fully support his cause. I believe with the results shown here, we can convince the entire faction to back Akio-san. Right, Ren-san?¡±


    ¡°I guess. My father does have to offer his aid to Kiyomizu-dera, as is proper. Though we intend to push Akio-san and his merits. At the very least, we expect him to have a greatly influential voice.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± Hinata declared. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve said all I need to. Everyone should get back to training. Sorry Kana.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Now if only Akio was back. I¡¯m a bit worried, and I received an invitation for next weekend he simply can¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°Well, about that...¡± Kana said, leaning in close, and Hinata listened, surprised...


    *********


    ¡°So, this doll can communicate with Akio?¡± Hinata asked, fascinated. Behind her, Kana had brought her friends and several other girls, including Keomi and Marika. ¡°How does that work? And needless to say, nobody talks about this, right?¡± she reiterated her previous warnings. Information leaks will no longer be tolerated!


    Kana giggled. ¡°Azuki, are you there?¡± She asked, and moments later the doll moved, eyes shining ruby red. Joints creaked and it stood, stretching, wiping dust from its dress.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Keomi gasped, and several other girls echoed her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just too cute, I want one!¡± the girl, Mio said, and her friend Asami echoed her. Even the shy girl, Hisano, was entranced by her.


    ¡°You called me for this? Ugh, annoying!¡± The doll complained. ¡°Master told me I was only for emergencies.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Azuki.¡± Kana apologised. ¡°But it¡¯s been a few days here, and Akio told me he and Shaeula were going into battle. We just... well, his fiance?e here was worried! Put her mind at rest!¡± Kana passed the blame to Hinata.


    Well played. Still it¡¯s true I worry, as I don¡¯t know what they are going through in that world I can¡¯t yet see. ¡°I admit to being concerned. Do you know how they fare?¡±


    Azuki sighed. ¡°They stopped their battles to steal a tree. It was quite strange. Still, they returned safely with it, and were well just a short while ago. Even that annoying Hyacinth is fine.¡±


    ¡°A tree?¡± Keomi asked the question they were all wondering. ¡°Sounds fun, but why?¡±


    ¡°I happened to be there.¡± Azuki gave off a long sigh. ¡°Master said... That Rhyming Tree is Rank 5! Rank 5! Do you know how much of our ether the Rank 3 Tree we already have provides? I¡¯m not letting the chance of that massive amount of constant ether generation slip from our grasp! and then they did bring back the tree. So don¡¯t worry. Master is fine.¡±


    Ether? That¡¯s the resource he needs over there. And why he wanted grandfather to see if he could find a location meeting his criteria, so... that tree sounds like it gives a lot... her lips quirked up into a smile, and her face heated up. Then she was laughing, tears running down her cheeks as she doubled over.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Kana asked, and Hinata could barely contain her mirth and excitement.


    ¡°It¡¯s just too perfect!¡± she chortled. ¡°Akio... he¡¯s just like me, greedy for everything he can grab! Always looking for maximum gain. I was sure before, but... he stopped a war to steal a tree for profit! Just wait until I tell grandfather!¡±


    Yeah, this was a good day. I¡¯ve started to seal potential leaks of information, made it clear Akio expects their full support for his kindness, and I¡¯ve learned that he won¡¯t hesitate to go for the prize he wants. I wonder if he¡¯ll praise me when he comes back? Besides, I can¡¯t wait to show him off to Miyu-sama. I wonder who else will be there...? It took quite a while until her tears of laughter finally stopped...

 Two Hundred And Six

    Two Hundred And Six


    We surged through the Ring gate, ruby light dancing around us. As the familiar sights of my Territory burst into view through the thicker curtain of crimson light, I cried out my instructions urgently. ¡°Get the Tree down, it doesn¡¯t have long left!¡±


    ¡°Grul knows.¡± He rumbled behind me, as I dropped to my knees, exerting my aether to its maximum. The heavy tree, which was lightened to a fraction of its weight but still massed a handful of tons, struck the ground. Hyacinth and Shaeula hopped off the tree and helped Grulgor push it upright. The barrier of air surrounding us intensified, Shaeula hissing with the effort, and Hyacinth immediately began to use her nature energy to unfurl the few remaining roots that weren¡¯t rotten with fungus, digging them into the ground.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m going to try and heal it.¡± I declared, with no time for rest. The almost-dead tree was covered in toadstools and rotting fronds of slimy fungus, the bark peeling away and the heartwood beneath black and grey with corruption. It wasn¡¯t healthy before, but with a day without Asha to protect the grove, the corruption has advanced at an alarming rate. It was too late to save the Rank 2 one... when we had returned to the remains of the grove, a few tongues of Foehn still fitfully consuming the surrounding vegetation, large swathes of the infected forest having burned to charcoal, bare, dead earth all that remained of patches several hundred metres across, we were appalled at the sight. The verdant earth energies had been choked by the fungus, and giant, virulent purple and red toadstools had sprouted, leaking a mist of spores into the breeze.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    The Rank 2 Tree had died off, my Eye identifying it as rotten and infested. Still, the Rank 3 one, roots open to the sky after our efforts to save Asha and her own Tree, was still barely alive, despite being in such horrible shape. Many of the exposed roots were now sprouting mould, and the remaining bark was dripping like melted wax. Shaeula, Hyacinth and I immediately worked some life-saving maintenance, before Grulgor and I had torn it free from the ground and lifted it onto our backs, my aetheric manipulations massively lowering its weight. Shaeula and Hyacinth had hopped on, Shaeula to heal and surround us with wind, trapping any corruption, and Hyacinth to keep it alive with her nature energies. We then ran full-tilt back to the Fae Stones and through to the Ring Gate, ignoring the few Myconids that crossed our paths.


    And here we are now. A quick in-and-out raid, mere minutes, and the Tree is ours. If it survives... I was rapidly regrowing new roots which were snaking into the earth-element rich soils, desperately pulling energy into the failing Tree. Seeing us arrive, Asha was dragging on her protective suit, and I had to avert my eyes from her ample assets as they bounced as she tried to zip up the front. Shaeula gathered up the spores and fungus we were removing and incinerated it in a blaze of yellow fire.


    ¡°The poor Tree.¡± Asha whispered through her mask as she entered the wind barrier, using all her power as a dryad to try and stabilise the sick tree. ¡°As I suspected, without me, the remains of the grove were doomed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± I said, smiling at her reassuringly. ¡°But you did the best you could until now. The other Tree didn¡¯t make it, but it only had a short time left, and I hope it would be happy we saved your Tree and this one, if we can.¡±


    At my words Asha nodded, her resolve strengthened. ¡°I shall help. I do not fear the taint any longer, for if I grow sick, you will heal me, will you not?¡± she shook off her hood, and her long auburn hair turned into roots once more, snaking into the ground and pouring her energies into the tree.


    ¡°Yeah, I gave you my Oath, right? That you would live a long and healthy life here, you and your tree...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Finally.¡± I breathed out, drained mentally. I had just finished purging Asha of some spores that had tried to sprout on her while she helped us save the other Tree, which now was stable, leaves starting to bud on fresh branches, the bark once more soft and supple, glittering with ruby motes of light. ¡°That was a pain.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I am grateful. I weep for the Tree that was lost, but...¡± she ran her hand over the newly-grown bark of the Rhyming Tree. ¡°... this one shall live and thrive.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°The earth energy here is not as deep as when my grove held a dozen saplings, and several grand trees. Still, it is enough for me. One day this whole hill shall be the new grove of the dryad Asha.¡± She shook her head, long hair cascading behind her. ¡°I once more thank you, on behalf of this Tree. If you have any request of me, any at all, then I shall grant it. I owe you that, at least.¡±


    ¡°Master has charmed another ooone.¡± Hyacinth giggled, bringing us all some of her fruit juices. Asha had also taken a liking to the small fruit trees and bushes Hyacinth was growing at the back of the shrine, and her energy was also fortifying them, increasing their production and improving the taste.


    ¡°Hardly. We have a relationship of mutual benefit.¡± I disagreed. ¡°I just want you to look after the shrine and the surrounds when we have finished purifying your Rhyming Tree. There was one other thing I thought of, but it¡¯s a bit stupid, so...¡± Yeah, I shouldn¡¯t have even mentioned this.


    ¡°Is master making a mooove? Why, when he has nooot even used me to warm his bed?¡± Hyacinth pouted, but Shaeula disagreed.


    ¡°No, I fear Akio is not-not such a smooth male. Or rather, he is good at charming females, but never seems to take the logical next step. He is surprisingly cowardly when it comes to relationships, it seems.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, you know!¡± I complained, and was then shocked by Asha laughing deeply, holding her chest as she doubled over.


    ¡°Oh my, by the King and Queen, you are all very amusing.¡± She managed when she finally stopped laughing, wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks, smiling brightly. ¡°Please tell me what you wish, and if I can grant it, I will.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Well, your Tree is very beautiful even now, and will be more-so when it fully heals, right?¡±


    ¡°Flattery is not needed.¡± Asha¡¯s already blinding smile broadened. ¡°I am already willing to aid you in any way I can.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± I scratched my head, embarrassed. ¡°Well, I was wondering if we could add a terrace to the crown of your Tree, a place for us to relax and take in the views over our Territory, while being surrounded by the beautiful smells of your blossoms.¡± Trying to bring some of the flavour of the Material here is my next long-term goal. Having some sort of cafe? will surely raise the motivation of our troops. Besides, I¡¯d love to show if off to Eri, my sis and even Hinata and the others.


    ¡°A terrace?¡± Asha was puzzled by the term, and I then explained that I wanted to construct a series of wooden platforms along the expansive branches of the crown of her Tree, as well as a staircase up to the top that circled it. I think we could probably use her and Hyacinth to grow one that can expand along with the Tree. It¡¯d be quite the feat.


    When I had explained it to her, Asha shrugged. ¡°If it will not hurt my Tree, I will of course consent, as I promised you. You are quite the unusual man, aren¡¯t you? Who would think of using my Tree for this?¡±


    ¡°The longer a battle continues, the more chance your enemy has of countering your plans, or turning the tables on you.¡± Ulfuric warned. ¡°Do not let your early victories, as impressive as I must admit they are, blind you. Arrogance has been the downfall of many great champions.¡±


    Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true. I do have a tendency to get overconfident when things are going my way. ¡°Yeah, good advice. It¡¯s a weakness of mine I need to work on. So, I¡¯ll listen to what you have to say. Anyway, I think the most likely threat is the Myconids, as you started feeling troubled when we went to the mansion Shaeraggo gave us, right?¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°Indeed. More precisely, ever since the Wild Hunt were defeated, I have had an ominous itch I could not-not scratch. I thought little of it, for we have been doing many-many dangerous tasks. But if it is indeed Foresight, mine, feeble though it is, seems to have-have detected some peril.¡±


    ¡°Interesting that my higher one has only started reacting now. If it is related to the Wild Hunt, that could be a problem. They seem to be able to breach the Seelie Court almost as they please. The last thing we want to do is get dragged into a three-way war between the Seelie, Myconids and Wild Hunt. Still, I think it unlikely. That just doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± I turned to Azuki then, the little Zashiki-Warashi sitting far away from Hyacinth, kicking her little legs idly. ¡°Azuki, can you pass on a message to Kana, tell her to make sure everyone at the shrine should be careful, and also get her to inform Karen-chan, Hinata and Eri. They can spread the word. I don¡¯t think they are in danger this time, but I don¡¯t want to take any chances with their safety.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Azuki promised. ¡°That Hinata girl, she has already hassled me about your safety. Congratulations on ensnaring another young girl, master!¡± she sighed, irritated.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that, but... in that case, talk to Hinata as well. If her grandfather could liaise with Fujiwara Security, make sure there are no problems and everyone is protected, that would definitely put my mind at ease.¡±


    We continued to discuss possible countermeasures. The Territory itself was pretty safe, and growing stronger all the time, so the danger was likely external. The itchy sensation was rising, growing in intensity, as if the danger was growing. Damn, I wonder how high I¡¯d need to get my Foresight before it actually started giving me hints on just what was going to happen? Or is that impossible? I wish I knew...


    ********


    ¡°Right, so our expansion plan. I want to get everything firmed up before we commit to our war.¡± I declared to Shaeula and the others. About an astral day had passed in total while we rescued and healed the tree, worked on Asha¡¯s tree, then tried to create countermeasures for this unknown threat. That meant we had resources to spend. I¡¯m not planning on using the blue Etherite though, even if its worth quite a sum. It¡¯ll be another emergency trump card if I need it.


    The first thing to do was assess the gains we were making. Now I had my Eye, I was able to divine more detailed information, and on seeing approximate numbers, the benefits of having secured the two Trees was plain to see.


    Before now it seemed we were gathering roughly twelve thousand ether from the Territory and its facilities, not counting what ether our expansion was bringing from defeated enemies and smaller Rank 0 Territories we crushed. The breakdown seemed to be somewhat more than half from the Territory itself, while the Ether Spires were bringing in around four thousand a day. A Rank 2 Spire seemed to pull in roughly three-hundred and fifty ether on average, depending on the density of ether around, which was helped by both the Anchor Spires we had built. Then there was the Dark Rhyming Tree, which was functioning as a top-end Rank 3 Ether Spire, generating sixteen hundred ether per day alone!


    So that means... Yes, the Earth Rhyming Tree at Rank 3 was doing the same, but more importantly, Asha¡¯s tree... I think I need to sit down... As my eye analysed it, the huge bounty it offered was obscene. Even though it was not yet fully healthy, and so working at a slightly reduced efficiency, it was still bringing in a bit over twenty-thousand ether! Damn, that¡¯s like... nearly double what I was getting before just for one Tree! It seems reasonable that if the numbers increase like they have been, it might reach twenty-five thousand an astral day when the tree is in perfect condition!


    ¡°So, let¡¯s see. A Rank 3 Ether Spire costs 75,000, at fifty days and would be 300,000 to rush-build it instantly. It would then generate somewhere around 1,350 ether, but could be as much as 1,600 in the right spots. Then Rank 4 would be 375,000 and take 250 days, with the rush-build costs being in the millions... ugh... we¡¯ve already reached that point in the pay-to-win mobile game where the build queues get loaded and we can¡¯t do anything unless we pay ludicrous sums...¡± Even so, with Asha¡¯s tree, getting all the Spires to Rank 3 seems doable for now at least, and that would significantly increase our generation and they¡¯d pay for themselves even counting the rush-build costs in a reasonable timeframe. Above that... well, we need to make hard decisions about how to use our queues.


    As our Territory expanded we also accrued further ether, although we did have upkeep costs for the barrier, as well as the extra buildings my Territory was accruing. Still, my mind was made up on what the next steps should be. I need to clear the Build Spire queue and one other build queue first...


    I could clear the three Barracks Rank 2 upgrades to do that (and the extra forces that would give us to defend our Territory would be a welcome bonus as well) and that would set me back a bit under seventy thousand, which we almost had enough for. But there was no point until we had the extra hundred thousand ether on top of that, as I intended to queue in the Rank 2 Build Queue Anchor Spire, at a hundred thousand ether and fifty astral days. Doing so would deactivate that queue while it was upgrading and tie up the other queue, leaving me with only two again, but long-term the option to build Rank 3 and 4 buildings with the Build Spire Queue would allow me to contemplate Rank 4 Ether Spires and other such luxuries. After all, I have the new Rhyming Trees, which means I can use one queue for costly and slow builds like the Throne of Heroes Rank 2, while I rush-build stuff with the other... I was going to need to improve my Silos as well, it seemed...


    Looking up from my contemplations, I addressed Asha hopefully. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there are any other groves that you think may have survived around the Spring is there? I¡¯d love to liberate them from the oppression of the Myconids.¡± And plant them here of course. A Rank 5 Ether Spire to match her tree would be 3,750,000 and 2,500 days, and that isn¡¯t even counting the upgrades beforehand!


    ¡°There were other Rhyming Trees, those of wind and water, of course. But... I doubt they would have survived.¡± She said mournfully. ¡°My grove only endured due to the dense earth energies supplying my nature element, and also the unwilling sacrifice of many of my sisters...¡± her face fell, and I cursed myself for a fool, bringing up her painful memories again.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t change the past, only live so their sacrifice meant something. So, another better question then... what about the Wild Hunt and the Unseelie? They must have more Rhyming Trees, right?¡± I grinned greedily. After all, if it takes too long to make Ether Spires, why not go loot some more natural ones?


    Ixitt laughed beside me, admiring his new gun, which was a sleek rifle. ¡°I daresay they do indeed have many trees. Stealing them would be quite the impossible task though. No-one even knows where the Wild Hunt truly dwells, and Pandemonium, the heart of the Unseelie Court... well, if you set foot there, you would surely die.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Pandemonium will fall one day.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But not-not yet, for we are nowhere near strong enough to take on the Dark-Dark Queen of the Unseelie and her traitorous followers. For now, the Myconids come first.¡±


    ¡°I will always follooow you wherever you gooo, master!¡± Hyacinth affirmed. ¡°Though Hyacinth remembers the Dark Court. It is... nooot nice there. Master should stay here. I will hold you clooose and comfort you, cook for you, clean the house, wash yooour back...¡±


    ¡°Grul says be silent. Grul is eager to continue crushing the worthless fungi. No more distractions!¡±


    On seeing everyone ready and eager for the next stage of our battles, I shrugged. ¡°All right then. Yeah, it¡¯s time to go. Hyacinth, now is your time to shine. We¡¯ve done all we can to prepare for trouble, so we can fight with all we have.¡± Entering the Ring Gate we were engulfed in red light, and as we emerged in the Seelie Court once more, that foreboding feeling only intensified...

 Two Hundred And Seven

    Two Hundred And Seven


    Back at the mansion, we were once more greeted by the butler-weasel and the maids. Risha and Velna had remained at the mansion while we were dealing with the Trees, a fact that Hyacinth never missed an opportunity to hold over them. Yeah well, I do feel sorry for her maids, a little anyway, but it¡¯s hard to care about those who so obviously hate me.


    The butler of course asked us if he could notify Shaeraggo we were here, and we once more declined, although this time he was expecting our refusal, so he merely left a touch huffily, after bowing to Shaeula.


    ¡°All right, final planning session.¡± I said, and everyone nodded. We entered the dining room after stashing our equipment and protective suits in one of the changing rooms. Risha and Velna, along with several other maids, brought us out wine and snacks, as well as a large barrel of ale for Grulgor. They had also managed to find him a larger seat from somewhere, so he looked less ridiculous sitting at the table with us.


    Ignoring the constant prickle of discomfort my premonitions of imminent danger were generating, I took a sip of the Faerie Wine, consciously dropping my defence to the alcohol using Ether Healing, so the potent, warming effects hit me almost instantly. Yeah, this is great. Now I can finally get drunk again when I socialise with my old friends from Uni or share a few with Shaeula. Still, no need to overdo it, we¡¯ll be going into battle shortly. ¡°Right, we¡¯ve saved Asha and a couple of the Trees. A shame about the other Tree, but we did the best we could. Now that is out the way, we can return to our initial plan of purging the Myconids from around the Shrine of Clear Reflections and retaking it.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Grul is pleased. Grul hungers for crushing the fungi!¡± he gurgled, having emptied half his barrel. His lack of table manners seemed to be causing the maids who were bringing in the main meal some discomfort. One was eyeing him particularly bitterly, so noticeably that it was provoking Hyacinth, who stood, scowling, her silver-violet eyes flashing.


    ¡°Good servants dooo not frown sooo at guests of the master and mistress!¡± She snapped, radiating a menacing aura, darkness seeming to fill the room around her like a living smog. ¡°You are continually insooolent, quite unbefitting of a maid¡±


    I made a move to stop Hyacinth, but Shaeula grabbed my arm, shaking her head. ¡°I am finding it hard not-not to chastise them myself.¡± She said, her own amber gaze hard. ¡°I have told them many-many times to show you the proper respect as my husband and true love, yet they do not-not learn.¡±


    The now-terrified maid stumbled, dropping the large, covered platter she was holding. It hit the floor with a loud clang, the silver dome bouncing off, spilling the large roasted birds covered in a brilliant yellow gravy onto the carpet, soiling it. The other two maids stepped back, but luckily managed to keep hold of their own burdens. As the lid rolled around, Hyacinth gestured, and I had a horrible terror of what she was about to do, as nature energy flared around her, visible to the naked eye.


    ¡°Hyacinth, I understand that you are-are angry, but as their mistress, it is surely my duty to discipline them. You are upsetting Akio, do not-not make the same mistakes as they do!¡±


    At that the aura around Hyacinth died down, and the horrific biological attack she was surely about to conjure died off around her. ¡°Sooorry, Hyacinth is a bad servant.¡± She started crying, her mood as wildly mercurial as ever. ¡°But I hate tooo see them disrespect master and mistress sooo!¡±


    ¡°I get it, I do. But you can¡¯t use those spores carelessly. Don¡¯t give in to the darkness inside you. I¡¯d hate to lose you, but if you can¡¯t be trusted not to lose control, then I fear... I might have to take action.¡± I pulled her into a hug, and she flushed, skin turning crimson, only crying harder.


    ¡°Yes, this is also my fault.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°I have tried to put my foolish past aside, and my maids are a sad-sad reminder of my failures. Therefore I have not-not been as firm with then as I should have been.¡± She turned to the shame-faced maid, who was biting at her lips, a thin trickle of blood leaking into her tawny fur. ¡°Fetch the other maids and the butler. This is as good-good a time as any to finally address this mess.¡±


    ¡°Your will, princess.¡± The maid said, scuttling out.


    ¡°Never a dull moment with you, is there?¡± Ixitt ribbed me, as I held the still crying Hyacinth, though somehow one of her hands had managed to get inside my clothes and was roaming very... intimately.


    ¡°Stop that.¡± I rapped her on the head gently. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You have a deadly gift now, you can¡¯t misuse it, or else I¡¯ll have to take responsibility!¡± At my words, Hyacinth chose to take it in a misleading way, but I could see in her eyes she understood, even through her deep anger. Once more I reflected on the cruel treatment Hyacinth must have suffered under the Unseelie that had warped her so. Perhaps teaching Hyacinth such a deadly biological art was foolish, but I want to trust her, and help her recover from her traumas. Besides, it¡¯s the best way to win...


    As the maids assembled, Velna, Risha and the rest lining up, the butler, still in his rather nice tailcoat, at their head, Shaeula stood and stepped forwards, careful not to tread in the mess soaking into the carpet. I could smell it now, rich and pungent, full of citrussy tones, and my stomach rumbled. Damn, a waste of a good meal, that smelt pretty damn nice.


    ¡°I have spoken about this before, but perhaps I have not-not been clear.¡± Shaeula declared boldly. ¡°We go back a long way, do we not-not?¡± She addressed her maids, who nodded slowly. As I observed then, Hyacinth still in my arms, I noticed a variety of emotions on their faces. Velna looked sad, Risha angry, some of them confused, and the one who had nearly been murdered by Hyacinth over her insolence had a sour and frustrated mien.


    The butler, who had not been one of her prior servants, but was Shaeraggo¡¯s, merely stood aside, listening. Risha decided to reply, cautious, as if she was wary of a further scolding. ¡°Indeed, princess. We have cared for you since you were young-young, a small, adorable child. That is why it pains us so, seeing you having besmirched your bloodlines by dallying with a mortal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± the sour maid cried, stamping her foot, earning another growl from Hyacinth. At that she quailed back, before gathering her resolve. ¡°You should be proud and strong, like your father, brothers and sister-sister! The only way to prove yourself is to be arrogant, imperious, make them accept you!¡±


    ¡°That is right-right!¡± another maid agreed. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to watch this?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Velna said then, looking down at the floor, unsure. ¡°... princess, can you not tell us? Why have you changed? We do not understand it-it.¡±


    ¡°Is that not-not obvious?¡± she sighed. ¡°I changed because it was that or meet my end.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I do not-not blame you for your encouragements, for trying to help me grow into the princess you believed I should be, arrogant and proud like my sister. But there is one great difference between my sister and I.¡±


    ¡°Your blood does not matter...¡± Velna began, but Shaeula scoffed, barking a laugh, cutting her off.


    ¡°Of course it does not-not. Akio said it best to me, long-long ago now. Two royal bloodlines combined are surely just as noble, if not-not more so, than one! I shall never be ashamed of my mother and her proud lineage. Even if it is not-not Seelie, it is a part of me! No, you are all too shallow, and hence I was as well. The difference is ability.¡±


    ********


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached level five. That was painless.¡± I smiled at Ixitt as he snapped off another volley of small projectiles against a Myconid Ranger, outmatching the arrows and blowing it apart in a welter of spores.


    ¡°Excellent. I do feel stronger and faster. My mind seems clearer as well. Just more proof I made the right choice accepting your patronage.¡± Ixitt replied. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°As we discussed at dinner, when we finally managed to get one that wasn¡¯t tossed on the floor, anyway, now you can oversee Hyacinth as she tests her spores on the captive plant-beasts.¡± We had brought some wires and chains from our Territory, so Shaeula wouldn¡¯t be forced to relinquish her pinwheels, reducing her offense. ¡°We¡¯ve replaced the Degraded Kobolds, so the aim is to get her spores to be harmless to them, but lethal against the Myconids and their plant minions. Though to be honest I¡¯ll settle for just lethal to the Myconids, we have our protective gear after all.¡±


    ¡°I understand. It will be fascinating to document her progress, and perhaps harness it myself in various weapons. Perhaps bullets and shells that contain her lethal spores? Intriguing.¡± Ixitt mused, tail lashing excitedly.


    ¡°Sure, just... keep safe and help her get it done, if you can.¡± I knew it was an epically difficult task, but Hyacinth had experience and exposure to the spores, so if anyone could with help from our explanations, she could. ¡°As for us...¡± I looked at Shaeula and Grulgor, who were eager for battle. ¡°We are going to try and kill as many Myconids as we can, especially Noble ones. If we penetrate deep into their Territory we might even unearth some of their hidden cards as well. The more we know, the better our chances.¡±


    ¡°Grul will enjoy smashing, breaking and crushing them!¡± he declared, and Shaeula was even smiling at his usual belligerence. Yeah, they have become closer. That¡¯s good.


    ¡°All right then. In that case, we go deeper!¡± I cried out, and we charged through the wilderness. I could feel the fortunate winds Shaeula had summoned blowing around me, and occasionally I would get a feeling to take a certain direction through the trees, or my feet would stumble over an exposed root despite my great agility, and I would find glittering treasures, Etherites ripe for the taking. I¡¯ve found a green and several yellows already. Nice! Although worryingly, the feeling of great fortune I was experiencing was being balanced by the prickling of my Foresight. The feeling had seesawed up and down in the mansion, dropping for a while, which puzzled me, but now it was growing stronger once more. Is it due to our strategy against the Myconids, or is something going to go wrong with Hyacinth¡¯s experiments? No, we are taking every possible precaution... putting that aside, I turned my attention back to the matter at hand, as I didn¡¯t want to be distracted, which could lead to careless mistakes.


    Obviously ether was still a concern, despite our new gains from the Trees, but I intended to keep these Etherites on me, in case I needed emergency boosts, just like with the blue one. And when we upgrade our Silos to Rank 3, I think I¡¯ll add an Etherite Silo to one of them...


    We raced rapidly into the denser heart of Myconid-held Territory, more than five miles from the Fae Stones that marked the safety of the Seelie Court....


    ********


    I swung my Twin Fangs, one blade slashing through the sword-arm one Myconid warrior was wielding, while my other parried another pair of slashes on my flank. The ground underfoot was treacherous with decaying fungal matter, as one after another I slew the Warriors that engaged me. It was like a dance, my senses working at high intensity, predicting their movements by the subtle twitching of their arms and legs.


    A much bulkier Myconid attacked from my blind spot, the Myconid Champion, a Noble Dark Fae who led this large group of warriors, a tall, lean Myconid covered in leathery fungal armour and wielding an arm-blade that was as tall as I was, trying to use the sacrifice of its fellows as a way to strike me down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I said, the Fang that had cut through the Myconid sword suddenly reversing direction and decapitating it, space slashed open too. My muscles twitched, legs moving instinctively, and both Fangs were crossed in front of me, blocking the heavy blow. My arms and legs braced, and it was the Champion that was thrown back. Normally, I¡¯d attack with a counter, but... somehow I feel that isn¡¯t right. Instead I dropped low, and with two tight, controlled swings, the Champion fell, legless, my blades then swooping down to finish the job.


    I levelled up a while ago during this mad dance. I wonder how close I am to another...


    Still surrounded, I moved with a combination of instinct and rapid thought, closing in and making my blows count where possible, and where it wasn¡¯t I defended, keeping stable balance and wide perception of the battlefield around me. It was as if all the beatings I had taken from Ulfuric, all the training and studying, was starting to coalesce, my prior bad habits that I had picked up in my self-taught cribbing from the internet and YouTube videos finally sloughing away, leaving the solid fundaments Ulfuric had taught me shining through, like a diamond buried in clay.


    I don¡¯t think Motoko-san will be able to criticise me for being rough and crude anymore. Parry, using the minimum of movement, and kick out, breaking the balance of the opponent. The other hand to deflect a slash, using the momentum to bring up my other arm, striking a fatal slash to the throat of the enemy. Switch footwork and move to attack, overwhelming the enemy with a volley of precise blows. Glide to the side to dodge a charge, a single cut to the vitals, finishing another opponent. Slash. Cut. Parry. Strike.


    As I moved through a series of changing combat forms, the Warriors melted away in front of me, most of them slain, the air thick with the stench of dead fungus and choking spores. Unwilling to let them retreat I called upon elemental wind, and jade blades slashed out, the edges dense and vibrating, slicing through them, ether scattering, which I greedily grabbed.


    I could hear Grulgor roaring and heavy explosions as his massive metal mace pulverised the tide of foes. A pinwheel flew past my face, trailing the taut bluesteel wire that danced with green and yellow energies, cutting through a dozen opponents. Shaeula¡¯s second was dancing, cutting apart Rangers and ¡®Mancers that strayed too close.


    A group of Myconid Pikers charged through the trees, supported by several of the hedgehog artillery. Their arms had grown together into a series of elongated poles, tipped with hard, jagged spikes, red and purple and dripping with acrid venom that smoked as it made contact with the air. On seeing them, I found myself grinning, eager to engage them on their own terms. Swords would be a disadvantage, best to fight range with range. I sheathed the Twin Fangs and pulled out my spear, channelling a combination of elements into it. Darting forward, I slid between the thicket of venomous spikes, using the solid shaft of my spear to deflect theirs, thrusting precisely, motions flowing and smooth. My memories of Ulfuric and his own spear-work blended with the times I had watched Motoko-san and Natsumi-san with the Tsumura techniques.


    Set the distance. A precise thrust. Turn and block. A second thrust. Deflect incoming blows and counterattack. Another pinpoint stab. Use the haft of the spear to shatter an arm. Drop back while striking...


    Myconids were dying, and I started mixing in elemental attacks, rapidly sweeping them away. My movements had become elegant and deadly, barely any wasted motion, and my Eye blazed amber, advising me I had improved once more, combat skills that would take years of hard training to learn in a dojo becoming mine.


    Your Skills, Sword Technique, Spear Technique and Combat Technique have all advanced to Rank 5. Due to reaching a full understanding of the basic techniques of martial combat and crafting a body capable of applying them, the fundamentals solidifying, and having gained insight of how best to use these fundamentals in battle, you have reached a bottleneck, the first wall, and to grow further you will need to learn an advanced style, or craft your own, finding that which is beyond the mundane. Your ability to apply what you have learned to other weapons and combat arts has increased, and the more different weapons and styles of martial arts you master, the deeper the depths of your understanding of the martial path will grow.


    My mind was clear, and I moved in an almost-meditative state, alternating between sword, spear, brutal attacks with my fists, elbows and feet, and devastating elemental attacks. With Grulgor roaring in enraged fury to one side, and Shaeula, her pinwheels dancing, surrounded by rains of flame and whirling cyclones of bladed winds on the other, we drove back the Myconids, felling them one-by-one until we had carried the day, the air around us thick with death...

 Two Hundred And Eight

    Two Hundred And Eight


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Fifty-Seven to Fifty-Eight. All of your Material statistics have increased by nine. Aether has increased by twenty.


    The flaming amber letters in my Eye were welcome as always, and as I cut down another Myconid in front of me, my spear slipping past its defences and impaling the vulnerable cap that made up its head, I looked around to see that we had broken the back of the Myconid resistance. Grulgor was drenched in vile green fluids, his chainmail banged up and splintered in places, and even the heavy metal ball that tipped his mace was starting to look deformed from all the repeated impacts.


    Shaeula in contrast was still impeccably tidy, her pinwheels circling her. Even as I watched, she used a flicker of wind to remove the green goo that was smeared on her armour. On seeing my gaze, she tilted her head, and though the mask blocked her face, I could tell she was smiling.


    ¡°That was quite-quite the battle. How many Myconids did we slay? A hundred, more?¡± She looked at the devastation around us. ¡°I now see why it is said that a single champion can match-match a whole army, and why warriors such as Master Ulfuric, my sister and even those such as Duke Formor are said to be worth-worth a thousand Fae in wars.¡±


    ¡°True, although I think the Myconids might be a special case.¡± I said wryly, catching my breath. Having reached a sort of enlightenment during the battle, I had used my muscles in ways I had seldom done before, so they were aching dully, though that was quickly fading, my enhanced physique fortifying my recovery. ¡°Put me up against that many trolls and I¡¯m pretty certain I¡¯d be dinner by now. I could kill a few, sure, but unless I ran away their strength would eventually overpower me.¡±


    ¡°True, Grul says trolls are strong. Though Grul is strongest of all!¡± he slammed a meaty fist into his chest, chainmail jingling.?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com sure you are. It¡¯s hard to disagree seeing the devastation you cause.¡± I¡¯m more certain than ever that if I didn¡¯t backstab him while he was tied up with the wyrm and use a type of wind that had excellent cutting prowess, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d have beaten him back then... ¡°Still, we need to decide whether to press on or retreat.¡± We could see the hill that housed the Spring, perhaps ten miles distant, or three leagues as the Fae measured things.


    I still had a reasonable amount of elemental energy within, ready for use, so could continue. But we had definitely lost the element of surprise, as fighting such numbers there was no way to dispose of the Alert Spores before they got out on the breeze, so more and more Myconids and their plants would no doubt be heading our way.


    ¡°I see no need to risk ourselves.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°Much as I do like to see the vile Unseelie puppets perish, I am not-not foolish enough to believe we can destroy them all in one assault.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably better we retreat. But we¡¯ll take a different route back, map out more of the area.¡± I said, and as we started to withdraw, the forest seemed to shudder, the ground trembling. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s that?¡± I asked, dumbly, before getting an answer to my own question, as from around the hill, several utterly colossal plant-beasts were stirring, towering a hundred metres or more in height, overtopping the dead, rotting trees and massive mushrooms that made up the inner forest. They looked like the earlier shambling mounds, only being covered in thick spikes that jutted from them like a thicket of spears, and they had arms and legs that hung down, as thick as the Rhyming Tree Asha dwelt within. Even as we continued to retreat away from them, one took a massive step, crushing the forest underfoot, shaking the ground once more. The second great mound bellowed, and suddenly a volley of the sharp needles were heading our way.


    ¡°Shit, pick up the pace!¡± I cried, as the moon overhead was momentarily blotted out by the flight of thorny javelins, which began to crash down like a heavy rain. They were numerous, but fortunately the accuracy seemed terrible, as a tide of them fell short, piercing the canopy and shredding the ground. Even so, with the sheer weight of numbers it was inevitable some would reach us.


    ¡°Wind barriers!¡± I cried, and Shaeula nodded, raising her hand. Our swirling winds met, creating a jade cocoon around the three of us, which shuddered with the force of occasional impacts. Even so, it held, and soon we were racing out of the forest. The other giant mounds, those thorny behemoths, had also unleashed volleys of spikes, and vast swathes of fetid woodland were now nothing but thickets of jagged needles and shattered debris. Several volleys overshot, slamming into the barrier the Fae Stones protected, before scattering in bursts of brilliant light.


    ¡°Fuck, I hope that doesn¡¯t bother the Way-Wardens. Or worse...¡± As we darted between the Fae Stones and looked back, the towering behemoths had stopped, gradually withdrawing back to the safety of the tall hill that crested the centre of the stolen lands. Focusing my eyes I could see that amongst the vines and thorns that made up their massive bodies were swarms of Myconids, many being types we had seen before, but others being strange shapes and colours. I tried to analyse them with my Eye, but the distance was too much.


    ¡°So... think those are their secret weapon then?¡± I sagged down with relief, quickly disposing of the spores that were clinging to us with a burst of wind and flame, before dropping my hood and pulling off the mask and goggles, taking a breath of clean air.


    ¡°I have not-not heard of such in tales of previous battles with the Myconids.¡± Shaeula observed sourly, likewise removing her hood, shaking out her long amber hair. ¡°Though most battles with them ended quickly due to their corruption, so perhaps they simply did not-not need them before?¡±


    ¡°Grul thinks if the puny fungi had such beasts, they would seize more land.¡± He rumbled.


    ¡°That does make a lot of sense.¡± I agreed. ¡°Although, are they any more dangerous than their spores? To us, yes, but to an average army, they are likely to die just as easily to the corruption. Still, I don¡¯t think they are unbeatable. I reckon Foehn could burn them up, if I got close enough. Still, it proves one thing we suspected. They have a lot more in reserve than just Myconids. Well, it was quite the profitable run, anyway, and we certainly thinned their numbers, even if seeing them crawling all over the behemoths makes it seem like trying to drain a lake with a bucket.¡± I considered the collection of Etherites we had found, the levels and skills gained, and the ether that was funnelled back to our Territory, and decided it was worth it. ¡°We¡¯ve also got a better grasp of the outer reaches of the forest. For now, we should see how Hyacinth and Ixitt are doing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but first and more importantly, I need-need a bath.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°You can wash my back, and my front too.¡±


    Well, how can I refuse that offer? I do need something to ease my tired mind...


    ********


    We dropped our gear off in the changing room for cleaning and a maintenance check later, and then indulged in some fun in the bathroom. When we were freshly cleaned up and changed we prepared to head out and meet Hyacinth, only to come across a bit of a strange situation.


    ¡°... don¡¯t think this is a good idea at all-all, what will the princess think?¡± Velna was saying to one of the other maids, who was whispering to her in the corner of the dining room. On seeing them, we halted, listening.


    ¡°Well, we have-have to win back her favour do we not, as we have disappointed her. You should know better than most-most, as Shaeraggo picked you and Risha to accompany her in her exile, no-no?¡±


    ¡°Yes but is that something we should... oh, princess, there you are...¡± They noticed us and stopped talking, which was a shame, as I was curious about what they were talking about. I wonder what they plan to please Shaeula? I hope they don¡¯t screw up, she¡¯s changed a lot recently.


    Velna curtsied charmingly, before her gaze fell on me and she bowed. ¡°Consort, a good evening to you as well. It is a relief to see you both safe.¡± Her expression was complicated, but it seemed she was genuinely trying to make the effort to follow the words of Shaeula and treat me with respect.


    Beside her the other maid tensed, before relaxing and likewise curtsying. ¡°Princess, consort. I apologise for us not noticing you sooner. We will-will do better. Can we offer you some refreshments?¡± Her hands were clenched on the fabric of her lace apron, exposing her tension. Even so, she kept up a smile while looking at me, which was admirable. Damn, does she still hate me that much? I think that¡¯s the maid that Hyacinth nearly killed off, so I guess I understand...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we don¡¯t have time for that yet, though I¡¯m sure we¡¯d love something later.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded. ¡°By the way, all this consort business is a bit stuffy for my taste. Call me Akio, please.¡±


    Ixitt was looking down, his mask hiding his expression, while Hyacinth was once more stomping her feet jealously.


    ¡°Why-why did you stop?¡± Shaeula asked, puzzled and flushed. ¡°I like it when you are more-more aggressive, like a great male should be.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I think it was the spores affecting me. I was turned on by Hyacinth so I had to look away, then when I saw you, I lost all control. After all...¡± I admitted. ¡°I already lust after you anyway, so when I saw you looking so cute my emotions went crazy. Damn, those spores are some weapons-grade stuff. If that was the effect of darkness element, it could definitely be useful to sow discord amongst the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula said, pleased and a touch disappointed we were not continuing as well. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I have an idea. But first...¡± I opened the other, more dangerous, vial and this time I let my arm touch the spores first. It hurt, being a different concoction to the Myconid spores, and dark mushrooms sprouted, before I destroyed then with wind and flame, healing my injuries. I repeated this several times, adapting to the spores, which happened rapidly, as they shared much with their Myconid base. Eventually, I was even breathing in more that Hyacinth created.


    ¡°Yeah, I think they are largely harmless to me. Though I did get a useful side benefit as well.¡±


    Your affinity to the darkness element has slightly increased. The amber letters were a surprise, but a welcome one. ¡°I have to say, darkness element sure is something. I could feel the mushrooms pulling aether out of me as well as feeding on my flesh. If Eri could learn some of these tricks, I¡¯d feel a lot better about her safety.¡±


    ¡°So Hyacinth did gooood?¡± she said, and I nodded, giving her a gentle (and chaste) hug, allowing her to bury her head in my chest. ¡°Yeah, you are doing good work indeed. But we just need that final step.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas how?¡± Ixitt asked, fascinated by our experiments, and I nodded, grinning. ¡°As a matter of fact, I do have one or two.¡± My gaze took in our captive Myconid Scouts, and they shivered, as if knowing what I was thinking was not going to be good for them...


    ********


    ¡°Damn, we are really close now.¡± I said, taking a drink of the rich red Faerie Wine, feeling the warmth permeating my tired body and mind. Risha and one other maid was waiting on me, pouring me a fresh glass, while Velna and another were performing the same service for Shaeula. For once the maids weren¡¯t all glaring daggers at me, which was nice, but there was definitely an atmosphere of some sorts, as several maids were glancing at each other while they thought we weren¡¯t looking, but my perceptive abilities were easily able to detect their furtive glances and nervous behaviour. I wonder if it¡¯s because of Hyacinth? She was once more insisting on helping prepare the food, as well as doing some cleaning, which might have offended them.


    ¡°Do you require anything else, master?¡± Risha asked, and I shook my head. ¡°No, this¡¯ll do until the meal.¡± With that she pulled away, bobbing a quick bow.


    ¡°Anyway, working together, I think we can crack it soon.¡± I continued, and Ixitt agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it was quite the sight, seeing mushrooms grow from the Myconids and plant-creatures. A shame it did little harm, but it is quite the decent step forwards.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, using Ether Healing, we can tell roughly what sort of effect the fungal spores are going to have, so by comparing several small changes we can help Hyacinth cycle through many iterations far more efficiently. I hate to lose out on raiding time, but I think getting this cracked is for the best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would quite-quite like to be done with this, the constant feelings of danger and dread are stabbing at me like needles.¡± Shaeula complained, dabbing at her lips delicately with a napkin, her manners impeccable. Tuning to Velna she asked a question that had been on her mind. ¡°Has there been any strange prowlers around the estate, dregs of the Wild Hunt perhaps? I should hate-hate for the mansion to be attacked in our absence.¡±


    ¡°No-no, I don¡¯t think there has been anything like that, princess.¡± Velna shook her head in denial.


    Hmm, is it my imagination, or... out of the corner of my eye I saw the tail of one of the maids serving me twitch as Velna spoke. It¡¯s probably nothing, but... ¡°Excuse me.¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe Velna doesn¡¯t know, but do any of you others? We are only thinking of your safety.¡±


    Risha and the maid who had reacted exchanged a brief glance, before the maid nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was worth bringing to your attention, princess, master. But I did-did hear that there had been an incursion near here. I believe the Way-Wardens dealt with it, so I had not considered it relevant.¡±


    ¡°Wait, was there a Warning Bell?¡± one maid asked, puzzled, and Velna nodded, seeming equally confused.


    ¡°That might have been while you were out-out replenishing our supplies.¡± Another maid piped up.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Velna said slowly. ¡°So, did any escape?¡± she shivered. ¡°If the mansion is in danger, the princess...¡±


    ¡°I am in no-no danger from some fleeing curs who could not-not even handle the Way-Wardens.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Still, I wish no harm to come to any of you, so you must-must keep Akio and I appraised of such matters in the future. We will have to take precautions.¡±


    ¡°If puny dogs come, Grul will smash them, just like before!¡± he rumbled. ¡°Grul will keep watch and protect the home.¡±


    Before I could thank him, there was a loud crash from the kitchen, and a weaselkin maid ran out in tears, covered in yellow sauce, her fur matted with it, her white and black uniform in a terrible condition. Before we could ask what happened, Hyacinth staggered out, also dripping with rich, fruity liquid.


    ¡°Careful, you cannooot serve that slop to master and mistress!¡± she hooted, chasing after the maid. She was annoyed, but at least I couldn¡¯t see murder in her eyes this time. ¡°Dooo it properly! Hyacinth can dooo it if you will not!¡± As she chased the frightened maid around, no doubt trying to let off some steam after hours of gruelling experiments, I let out a sigh. Never a dull moment around here, is there? Meanwhile the itch that was my Foresight continued to niggle at me, not declining. If anything, it was growing stronger. Yeah, I agree with Shaeula. I want to finish reclaiming the Spring as soon as possible. Maybe then we can avert whatever danger is hanging over us like an oily shadow... last time it was a raid on the shrine, putting Kana and the others in danger. Could it be the same again, just whatever remnants of the Wild Hunt that escaped the Way-Wardens attacking? Or could they help others evade the defensive barrier and launch an attack in force?


    Making up my mind to spend some time patrolling around the mansion to detect any hostile intruders, I stood, grabbing Hyacinth and the dirty maid, using aether to cleanse them of the sauce, scooping it out of hair, fur and fabric. As I began to lecture Hyacinth, the maid hid behind me gratefully. Well, at least I can feel my approval rating with this maid going up a little... as Hyacinth started crying, as mercurial as ever, I held in a smile. At least this is only a small problem to worry about, easy in comparison...

 Side Sixty-Five – Watanabe Karen

    Side Sixty-Five ¨C Watanabe Karen


    ¡°I¡¯ve pulled the requested data, I¡¯ve summarised it as best I can.¡± Tanaka-san said, dropping the printouts on her desk. Karen skimmed it briefly, nodding.


    ¡°Yeah, that looks good. I¡¯m sure Akio-kun will be pleased.¡± She glanced at the clock. It was getting on for six in the evening, nearly time to finish. It¡¯s good to be able to leave on time without endless overtime. Still, there are other concerns... It had been quite the week. First that rich girl, Fukumoto-san, who despite being only a high-schooler had quite the intensity, had brought several very intimidating lawyers to the shrine, gathering all the attendees at the strange school Akio-kun was running, and making them sign some legal papers. She hadn¡¯t thought much of it, but then Fukumoto-san had swept into her office, shocking her co-workers.


    Damn, its hard to believe she¡¯s still so young. Karen idly remembered. Still wearing the red and white hakama of a shrine maiden, Fukumoto-san had sat down in front of them, her expression prideful. She had another girl behind her, alert and ready for anything, her bodyguard, seemingly, and in addition to that there were her corporate lawyers and their secretary. I remember thinking she was a real secretary, not like me. It shook my confidence. Still, Akio-kun believed in me...


    ¡°Just how much do you know about Akio and what he is really doing?¡± She had asked, and Tanaka-san and Hashimoto-san looked confused. On seeing that, Fukumoto-san frowned, and advised that anything discussed here was incredibly confidential, and if we were to leak anything, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to crush us. Even so, the two men had stayed, and Karen understood why. After all, Akio-kun reached out a hand to us when we were at rock bottom. Even so, I have... other reasons.


    ¡°Akio-kun hasn¡¯t talked about it too much, but I¡¯m not a fool. I was there when we met with that guy who has been on the news, the killer Kondou Kazuo. I know of the yakuza attack on the shrine. There¡¯s been more from what I hear from Izumi-chan. Nothing makes sense, unless you assume Akio-kun is mixed up in some very serious stuff. After all, you and some of the other girls here are from Hanafubuki Private Academy, right? Normally we wouldn¡¯t even be able to breathe the same air.¡± Taking a breath Karen had grinned, putting up a strong front. ¡°But I¡¯m also not stupid. The requests Akio-kun makes of us, they aren¡¯t normal. Well, some are.¡± She amended. ¡°I doubt University information in Tokyo is anything strange. But the others... Tyr and Valkyries. Sudden success stories in Tokyo. Death and missing person rates. Land ownership loopholes. I don¡¯t get how it all fits together, but I do know this!¡± she had taken a deep breath, cursing herself for feeling like she was about to cry in front of such a young girl and her impressive-looking secretary. ¡°When I was at rock bottom, when I thought it was over, when even... even death was starting to seem preferable to living on, it was Akio-kun who was there, offering me a hand. So I don¡¯t care what he is doing. I promised him I¡¯d work for him, and I will!¡±


    I can¡¯t believe I got so emotional. Karen shook her head at the memory, but that wasn¡¯t the end of her shocks. The young girl in front of her had smiled and one of her lawyers popped down a laptop and started setting something up. As he was doing so, Fukumoto-san spoke once more. ¡°I see. I had considered paying you a severance package and replacing you with staff handpicked from Nichibotsu, but I don¡¯t want to come across as an overbearing wife, or have Akio disappointed in me. Besides, I like your guts.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Wait, what? Wife?¡± she had said, mind going blank. Sure, I had noticed she was calling him Akio pretty intimately, but that was a massive surprise!


    ¡°Why yes. The last few details have pretty much been worked out. Official announcements will follow, but I am to be wed to Akio. I can hardly wait to get started on our plans!¡± She gushed, looking her age all of a sudden, her face red and embarrassed, yet her smile was achingly cute.


    ¡°But, well... congratulations, but you know, Akio, he...¡± Karen had stammered, unsure of what she could say without making a mess of a complicated situation. Behind her Tanaka-san and Hashimoto-san looked on in shock. After all, they were watching one of the heirs to the massive Nichibotsu Technology declaring her engagement to their boss and poor ex-neighbour!


    ¡°Oh, you mean Eri and Shaeula?¡± Hinata tossed her head, dismissing it as a problem. ¡°I have their consent, the matter is settled. As for the legalities of who is married on paper, that is for our lawyers to sort. Speaking of lawyers, here.¡± She took out three contracts, passing them over. Karen had taken hers with shaking hands. As she scanned it, realising it was an updated contract of employment, with slightly better terms but very draconian secrecy and loyalty clauses, she had raised the question that was on her mind.


    ¡°So, Akio-kun... he¡¯ll really be your husband then? Damn, he¡¯s finally made it big. First those hotels, and now this. So he¡¯ll be a tech billionaire then.¡±


    ¡°Well, my brother will inherit Nichibotsu Technology. But I¡¯ll definitely have my share of it, and speaking of...¡± the laptop screen was now displaying a strong-looing old man, his face stern. ¡°My grandfather, the one who built Nichibotsu from the ground up, would like to say a few words. You¡¯d better listen if you want to keep working for Akio.¡±


    ¡°Good evening. I am Fukumoto Kenji. You may have read about me or seen me on the news. Now, my beloved granddaughter asked me to talk to you, so that you make the right choice.¡±


    Damn, speaking to a multi-billionaire like that, even over video, was nerve-wracking. ¡°My granddaughter is offering you a choice. But I¡¯ll make it clearer. What is going on here is the greatest endeavour in Japanese history. There is more to it than you know. Akio-kun obviously wished to help you, but working for us without knowing everything is a risk. So let me lay out your options. You can take a generous severance, as my Hinata suggested. Or you can be transferred to Nichibotsu, I can find you all jobs somewhere. Damn, he¡¯s so soft-hearted. That¡¯s why he needs a smart girl like Hinata to keep him in line, preventing problems.¡±


    He looked so happy when speaking of Akio-kun. I know, recently, these last few months he¡¯s changed, and it seems everyone around him feels warm, like the sun on a hard winter day, worries banished. But even a powerhouse businessman like Fukumoto Kenji-sama? ¡°And the third option?¡± she had croaked. Behind her the other two had nodded, overwhelmed by the tense situation.


    ¡°Well, you sign this contract, keep our secrets, and enter the world beyond what you know.¡± The powerful old man grinned. ¡°Your lives will change, but then, you¡¯ll have the chance to truly be someone special. Of course, betray us then and you can¡¯t handle the consequences, I promise you that.¡±


    The consequences huh? She remembered scrawling her name on the contract in front of her without hesitation. Even now she was shocked she had done it so readily. Hashimoto-san had barely thought about it as well, muttering that he wanted his daughter to finally be proud of him. On seeing that, Tanaka-san had swallowed, before clasping his hands in prayer and signing. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is fate.¡± He had said, and Karen didn¡¯t disagree. Though what came next amazed me and shocked me in equal measure. Finally seeing what they were actually doing at that facility was quite the shock, and to think that Fukumoto-san said that we too would have to learn if we were to work for Akio...


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the end of the shocks. A message had been passed to her by Izumi-chan, the pretty daughter of the shrine, that Akio-kun had discovered some unknown danger. There were no details, but she was tasked with making sure that the security around the shrine was airtight, and that Akio-kun¡¯s family was under guard at all times.


    She had called up Eri-chan, Akio¡¯s first fiance?e. I still can¡¯t get over that. Three! And from what Fukumoto-san said, there was a fourth in the frame at the least too. I¡¯m not sure whether Akio-kun should be envied or pitied. Still, they are all young girls. Well, Shaeula is his age, but she doesn¡¯t look it. I wonder if that¡¯s his preferences? I remember him checking me out enough, so perhaps not...?


    Eri-chan had been very polite on the phone and taken her warning well, but nothing had prepared her for the talk with his father. Yeah, Akio-kun wasn¡¯t kidding when he said he was stern. ¡°My son has caused you trouble it seems, Watanabe-san. I can only apologise.¡± He had declared, despite her protests. ¡°Still, at least it seems he is learning to be more cautious. Rest assured, the security we have been assigned seems very competent. Even so, we will not relax our vigilance.¡± He had then questioned her for nearly half an hour as to whether Akio-kun was a decent boss, treating her right and looking after Shaeula. That was fine, but when she had mentioned Fukumoto-san in passing, she had almost dropped the phone as if it was suddenly so cold her skin was sticking to it.


    ¡°Oh yes, Fukumoto-san. I could hardly believe it when Eri broke the news to us. My philanderer of a son. He promised us he would make Eri and Shaeula happy, but he is already adding to his women. He...¡±


    Shaking her head she blotted out the memory of that rant. Guess I¡¯ll go for pity until he¡¯s survived that thorny issue. Anyway, she had done as requested, and even their crummy run-down apartment block had security watching it until Akio-kun resolved whatever danger was brewing. Fukumoto-sama wasn¡¯t kidding when he said our lives will change. Letting out a sigh, she turned her attention back to the present, finishing some of her work, this time for Fukumoto-san, no Hinata-san, as she said as one of Akio-kun¡¯s fiance?es I could be a bit less formal with her.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up Karen-chan? A big sigh like that, you¡¯ll let out all your happiness.¡± A cheerful young voice said, and Karen turned to the freeloader that was sitting on the sofa in one corner of their office, kicking her tanned legs in the air, lying stomach-down on the couch, fiddling with her phone and eating snacks, getting crumbs everywhere.


    ¡°Sana, don¡¯t be rude to Watanabe-san.¡± Her father warned, and she waved him off.


    ¡°Oh dad, don¡¯t worry, me and Karen-chan, we are totes pals now, right? Besides, shouldn¡¯t ya be getting on with your work rather than scolding me? I was starting to get a slight feeling of respect for ya there, seeing you working away, and it confused me.¡±


    ¡°Look, this place isn¡¯t a playground. I am working.¡± Hashimoto-san pinched at his nose, as if he was getting a headache. ¡°Besides, what are you doing here again, does your mother know?¡±


    ¡°No way, a third and she¡¯s rich too?¡± Sana-chan was oddly impressed, but Konoe-san was indignant.


    ¡°He¡¯s cheating on Shaeula? How... how could he? She¡¯s so nice and pretty.¡± She sniffled, momentarily forgetting her own sorrows.


    ¡°No, not cheating. Apparently it¡¯s all arranged between them, but that hardly matters right now. Worry about your own situation!¡±


    ¡°No, it does not.¡± Hinata-san agreed, entering, followed by Izumi-san, both of them in their red and white. ¡°By the way, who are these two? I do believe I¡¯ve been very clear on security. This is not a joke.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re pretty intense!¡± Sana-chan said, impressed despite the cold gaze Hinata-san was shooting her. ¡°You really are a classy rich girl, ain¡¯t ya? My bitch of a step-sis just wishes she was like you. I¡¯m Hashimoto Sana, nice to meet ya! I¡¯m just here to see my dad, no worries, I haven¡¯t heard anything I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata-san eyed her a moment longer before turning to her father. ¡°Well, I hope you understand the responsibility you¡¯ll be taking if something goes wrong. Shaeula has told me about her befuddling winds. I wonder... no, I probably couldn¡¯t get away with using that to enforce contracts.¡± Her last few words were nearly inaudible, but they still chilled Karen to the bone for some reason.


    ¡°Scary.¡± Sana-chan laughed at her stern expression.


    ¡°And as for you, who might you be?¡± She looked hard at Konoe-san, who was still somewhat aggrieved by the newcomer who claimed to be going out with her friends¡¯ boyfriend.


    ¡°I¡¯m Konoe Ichika. I¡¯m a friend of Shaeula. I... well, she and Oshiro-san were helping me out with a problem, and I had nowhere else to turn.¡±


    ¡°I see. A friend of Shaeula.¡± Hinata-san nodded. Turning back to Izumi-san she gave her instructions. ¡°I¡¯ll need to hear her out first, but I wanted to tell Akio about the invite for next weekend anyway, as well as the success my grandfather has had securing a place that meets his criteria. Can you go wake up Azuki while I speak to this Konoe girl and find out whether it¡¯s something they would care about?¡±


    ¡°No problem. But knowing those two, they won¡¯t want to leave a friend in trouble.¡± Izumi-san warned, before heading back to the shrine.


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s this Azuki? Cute name, but not another one of his girls? All three of you look like high-schoolers, I¡¯d better watch myself in case he gets his claws in me too!¡± Sana-chan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t look like, I am. As for Azuki, that¡¯s confidential, so just keep quiet and ask no questions.¡± Hinata-san warned. ¡°Besides, I think you aren¡¯t Akio¡¯s type. He likes modest-looking girls.¡± Hinata-san puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Yeah sure, whatever. Guys always enjoy a bit of excitement. But I feel ya, I¡¯m out of place. I¡¯ll just chill over here with some snacks.¡± She dropped back onto the sofa, though Karen could tell she was still listening.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± Hinata-san addressed Konoe-san, and her powerful confidence overwhelmed her, so she looked down, beaten. She then told the full story, rather that the brief rundown she had given Karen, and it was quite the bad one, a tale of being tricked, taken advantage of, betrayed by friends she thought she could trust, and then being threatened by criminal gangs, with the promise of being forced into criminal, degrading work as the only way out.


    It¡¯s worse than I thought. Poor girl. I wonder if those thugs Akio-kun saved her from that time were also involved, or if she just has truly awful luck.


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata-san said after she finished her tale. ¡°Quite the predicament indeed. Still, trying to appease such scum is doomed to failure. When you give criminals an inch, they will take a mile. Weren¡¯t you taught that at school?¡± She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s undeniable you are indeed a friend of Shaeula, and as someone who has supported me, I couldn¡¯t leave her friend in need. Though I¡¯m not sure when they can return, even if we contact them.¡±


    At that Konoe-san¡¯s face fell. ¡°But... if I go back to my dorm I¡¯ll be found, and I don¡¯t have any money left for a hotel.¡± Tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes again.


    ¡°Well, I suppose you can stay at the training school until Akio has decided what he wants to do. There are free rooms available, and Shirohebizumi shrine is under heavy surveillance. Even if these base scum work out you are here, they will be unable to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Konoe-san sniffled, and Hinata-san nodded.


    ¡°You will have to wait until after our training is concluded, for I am afraid that is quite confidential as well. But until then you can remain here. You can feel free to use the facilities. There is a gym, pool, sauna and more. I feel Akio would certainly not begrudge you that, at least.¡±


    Before Konoe-san could say anything, Sana-chan spoke up from the sofa. ¡°Whoa, really? Awesome. Hey dad, can¡¯t I stay over here too? Your apartment is crappy and not fit for a cute girl like me. Besides, a sauna sounds totes awesome.¡±


    ¡°Sana, mind your manners, she¡¯s the fiance?e of the boss.¡± Hashimoto-san warned his daughter, still sounding shocked at the revelations about his erstwhile neighbour and his shocking love-life.


    ¡°Indeed I am.¡± Hinata-san stared at her hard. ¡°Still, I suppose it does not matter. This time. But do try to run things more professionally. As I said before, I don¡¯t want to be the sort of wife that makes decisions unilaterally, unless it is in Akio¡¯s best interests, but having your daughter here isn¡¯t wise.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my bad. I got it.¡± Sana-chan knocked her head and stuck out her tongue. ¡°I understand. I didn¡¯t know what was going down here was so secret, but if a top-class girl like you is involved, it sure must be big. Crap, dad, that feeling of respect for you is creeping in again. It might even grow more when I¡¯m in the sauna later!¡±


    ¡°In that case, I shall take my leave.¡± Hinata-san said. ¡°I still want to maximise my training. Before I depart I shall send someone to fetch you both.¡± And with that she left the office, back straight and radiating authority, causing Karen to chuckle. Seriously, Shaeula is strong-willed enough, but with this Hinata-san too... Akio-kun is going to be one whipped husband if he isn¡¯t careful, those girls are used to getting their own way. At least she didn¡¯t chew us out too bad, but I get it. What we do is important. We can¡¯t be lax. Turning to Konoe-san, she smiled. ¡°Do you want me to put on some food? I don¡¯t mind staying until you are settled in. A friend of Akio-kun and Shaeula is a friend of mine, after all, and we are acquainted, no matter how briefly.


    At Konoe-san¡¯s shy nod, Karen smiled. A bit of unpaid overtime won¡¯t hurt too much. I¡¯ve done way worse. Besides, I can¡¯t leave her. And I have to wonder... just how is Akio-kun going to deal with the scum that are harassing her? The way he is now, and after what I heard about the yakuza... well, I won¡¯t pity them, but I will expect them to suffer greatly...

 Two Hundred And Nine

    Two Hundred And Nine


    I returned to the mansion without any results. We had split up to investigate around the estate to see if we could catch wind of any Wild Hunt or other enemies that might have infiltrated the grounds. But of course there was nothing. The Wild Hunt is elusive and sneaky, and if they got away the Way-Wardens should still be looking, right?


    ¡°Lots of things don¡¯t add up.¡± I muttered to myself as I took a seat at the table in the dining hall. Several of the maids were looking at me from the corner, waiting for orders, possibly, but I was too busy thinking. The atmosphere in the mansion has definitely changed. Initially when we came here, sure, the maids weren¡¯t pleased at my presence, but from dealing with Risha and Velna I¡¯m used to that. Still, after we had rescued Asha and her tree, continually pushing the Myconids back, the mansion changed. There was much more whispering in corners between the maids, strange looks I couldn¡¯t interpret, and now this.


    My suspicions were starting to solidify. The surging spikes of warning that my Foresight was constantly prodding me with was almost certainly referring to some disaster at the mansion. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be careless and I had got word out to anyone in the Material who might be vulnerable, but I was focusing most of my efforts here. As I was thinking about that, Shaeula entered, looking frustrated. She nodded to her maids, before stomping over and sitting down beside me, leaning in on me for comfort.


    ¡°No luck?¡± I said, and she snorted bitterly.


    ¡°There is not-not anything to find. Though sweeping the entire area is impossible. Even with my Mystic Eyes there is nothing to see.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It does not-not add up anyway. The Wild Hunt would be unlikely to attack us here again after they lost a Barghest during their last infiltration.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Something definitely stinks here.¡± I stopped what I was about to say as the maids approached us, offering Shaeula a drink, which she waved away. As the maids retreated I lowered my voice, leaking a little wind energy of which I had masked the glow, to prevent my voice from being heard.


    ¡°Theoretically, if the Myconids were the danger and our constant raids provoked them into attacking the Seelie Court, how do you see it going for them?¡±?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Badly, I should say.¡± Shaeula sneered. ¡°Those massive plant-beasts around the hill are problematic indeed, but the defences of the Seelie Court are not-not to be trifled with, even now. It would take them time to break the barrier, and we would wreak a frightful-frightful toll on them before they passed it, allowing time for the Way-Wardens to identify the threat and rally the Seelie Court armies. Invading their Territory around the Spring of Clear Reflections is one-one thing, but on our own Territory, fighting defensively? I would hope-hope we have countermeasures now, else-else the entire Seelie Court would be a corrupted, fungus-infested ruin, no?¡±


    I nodded. Her thoughts were aligning with mine. ¡°Besides.¡± I lowered my voice still further, leaning in close and whispering in her ear, my breath tickling her. ¡°They¡¯ve seen us come and go with impunity. They¡¯d have to believe that others in the Fae might have such abilities too.¡± Once we defeat the Myconids and reclaim the Spring, obviously we¡¯ll share the technology and techniques we¡¯ve been using. That should be another boost to Shaeula¡¯s position. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s that either. You must have noticed the change in the mansion staff. After all, you¡¯ve known your maids for years, right?¡±


    Even now they were watching us, and their expressions were alternating between blank masks and worried gazes. I had been used to their anger and disgust for me before, even if I didn¡¯t quite understand it or feel it was warranted, but now some of those same troubled gazes were directed at Shaeula herself, which didn¡¯t fit the pattern. What¡¯s even stranger is that some of the maids like Velna are starting to attract the same looks, and seem isolated, out of place. It¡¯s almost as if...


    ¡°Their behaviour is indeed strange, but is that not-not due to their dislike of you, Akio? Really, I am rather inclined to dismiss them all anyway after this. It is a sad-sad day when Hyacinth is a more preferable maid to my childhood ones. I must confess that since I spent time away from them and their stifling urging to be more proud, more regal, I have discovered I much-much prefer freedom.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s more to it than that. But yeah, I guess you don¡¯t pay too much attention to your servants ordinarily, do you?¡±


    ¡°Maids are supposed to be unobtrusive, just there should I need-need anything. On this too I suppose they fail. They should not-not have filled my head with nonsense when I was younger, even if it was out of compassion.¡±


    Compassion, huh? ¡°Excuse me if I¡¯m being paranoid, but...¡± with that I focused and my Eye shone amber as I gazed upon the maids. No, they are both weaselkin maids, and their names seem to check out too. Nothing suspicious there, it seems.


    ¡°Fine. We need to stay alert, but we can¡¯t let our suspicions run away with us. Grulgor is useless for the experiments, so we can set him to patrolling the grounds surrounding the mansion. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be eager enough to crush any enemies lurking about the place.¡±


    With that decided, we waited for Ixitt and Hyacinth to return too, from their own patrols. As expected they had found little of interest, although Hyacinth was looking a bit perturbed. Pulling her into a corner, she giggled at me, asking if I was ready to ravish her. First I checked nobody was nearby, before shaking my head, causing her to pout with disappointment.


    ¡°Not today.¡± I denied it. ¡°No, I noticed you looking strange after you returned, but you said you hadn¡¯t found any traces of enemies.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth has nooot.¡± She declared. ¡°But I still found something ooodd.¡±


    ¡°Odd, how so?¡± I asked, and she leaned in close, whispering in my ear similarly to how I had done with Shaeula earlier. Although I didn¡¯t stick my tongue in. She¡¯s a damn pervert. Oh well, not important right now.


    ¡°There have been tooo many coming and goooing from the mansion. There are only eight maids, and that annoooying butler, right? But when I searched, I cooould find traces of mooore!¡±


    Huh? More, that could be important, but also... ¡°While I¡¯m curious about how you found out, firstly are you sure it wasn¡¯t traces left by one of us? I suppose it could also be leftovers from our weaselkin when they were helping us set-up for the Tree rescue, or even some of Shaeraggo¡¯s people. It¡¯s not proof of anything. Hey, stop that! I¡¯m grateful for your help but you are going too far!¡± Her tongue was sliding along my cheek now as she slobbered like an over-enthusiastic dog, and having her kiss me was way too far for some gratitude.


    ¡°Master is a tease!¡± She snickered, but did comply. ¡°Hyacinth thought ooof that, I did. Nooo, the traces go in the other direction to the Ring Gate to yooour Territory, and it doooes not go towards the other ooone either.¡±


    ¡°I see. Suspicious, but not a lot to go on. Did you investigate further?¡±


    ¡°I did nooot have time. And I did not want to go alooone. If I was waylaid and ambushed, master would grieve, right? And Hyacinth is a good brownie, the best brownie, I will never let you dooown like these worthless weasels! The dinner they were going to serve yesterday was all wrooong!¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I remember the mess, it got everywhere. Seriously, it¡¯s not like they would try and poison us... would they? No way. They are Shaeula¡¯s maids, and have been for years. They wouldn¡¯t do that. Me maybe, but if they did Shaeula would kill them...


    ¡°The sauce has been tooo bold, day after day!¡± Hyacinth shook her head. ¡°Toooooo much fruit, totally smothers the taste of the dish. I dooo not get it, they managed to cook properly at first, but every day, the taste gets mooore overpowering, and master and mistress did nooot ask for that! Useless maids, Hyacinth wants to strangle them! But master says nooot to kill useless servants, sooo I will not.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny I¡¯ve not seen-seen her in higher spirits since she was a child. She smiles again and doesn¡¯t seem in such a hurry to prove herself. As for the Spring... we thought you mad, that she would surely die. But you venture in day after day and return, even saving a dryad, a feat worthy in its own-own right. I hate it, but I have to accept that the princess loves you.¡±


    ¡°Good. And I love her. So help me. The behaviour towards us you are all displaying is saddening her. She realises her past mistakes and wants to repair her behaviour and the strained relationships between you. But unless you meet her half-way, she can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I know, I want things to be the way they were before her exile, before the whispers.¡± Vilna whispered.


    ¡°So, this can¡¯t be why you sought me out. It¡¯s about the changed atmosphere in here, right? We know something is going on, something dangerous. Someone has been slipping out of the mansion and meeting some enemies of the Fae. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the Wild Hunt, but that¡¯s my first guess. You noticed something was up, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°They lied about the Warning Bell. And Klena has disappeared. Either her or I have been here the whole time, and neither of us heard the Bells. She lied, and Risha agreed with her when I asked her later. Now Risha is gone too, and I can¡¯t find her either.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is suspicious. So, have you been in the room where we keep our protective gear? We told everyone to stay out, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve not been in there...¡± she said slowly, eyes widening.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m sorry to do this to you, but we need to put on a bit of a show. Just bear with it.¡± I reached out and messed up her hair and fur, as well as disarraying her dress. I then pulled her up, and with lewd laughter I dragged her out of the door, pawing casually at her as we headed back towards the storeroom. Several maids peeked out at us, looking sympathetic, but every time I sensed them I pulled the shaking Velna close, touching her some more. As we reached the storeroom I grinned lewdly, before pulling open the door. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. Let¡¯s have some more fun.¡± I dragged her in, slamming the door behind us. Lights flickered to life and I released her, shaking my head. Well that pretty much sucked. ¡°You can relax now. But I do need a witness. I¡¯m going to check our gear. I get a bad feeling. And it isn¡¯t just my Foresight.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long to prove me right. As we inspected the rubber-style protective suits I found that cuts had been made to the insides very carefully. From the outside they looked undamaged, but any rapid movement would quickly cause them to tear clean through. My outfit was riddled with such damage.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense-sense!¡± Velna was crying. She¡¯d had examined Shaeula¡¯s suit, only to find the same sabotage. ¡°Having you die-die, I can understand that.¡±


    Wow, thanks! I¡¯m really feeling the love right now. But I agree.


    ¡°But to sabotage the very items the princess needs to survive the danger is unthinkable!¡± She sobbed, emotion overwhelming her.


    ¡°Yeah, it does seem to go against the stated goal. It wouldn¡¯t have worked though, not on us at least. Ixitt would definitely have been in trouble, Grulgor too probably.¡± Opening up the barrel of cream I could smell a faint foreign odour in it as well. If I wasn¡¯t looking for it, it would be easy to overlook. ¡°Pretty certain this has been ruined too.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do-do? This doesn¡¯t make sense at all!¡±


    ¡°Sure, it doesn¡¯t in isolation, but if we put everything together I¡¯m starting to see a pattern. A quick question, if I may?¡±


    She nodded, wiping her tears, so I asked her. ¡°I am pretty certain that some maids have been travelling into the forest to meet with someone with spatial magic that has been avoiding the Fae Stones. I found unusual footprints and some blood. I had thought it possible someone had been killed there, but now... do you know about Shaeula¡¯s Kin Restoration?¡±


    Velna nodded. ¡°The princess used to boast about her ability frequently, as it was proof-proof she was special. Everyone knew about it.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. In fact, I have my suspicions that is one reason her enemies hate her so. A skill like that, if Shaeula grew up to be powerful and respected, she¡¯d able to use it to the fullest.¡± I shook my head, disappointed as pieces were starting to slot together in my head. ¡°I guess Fae aren¡¯t any better than mortals when it comes to treachery and betrayal. Stupidity neither. Shaeula could be the key to prosperity for the entire Seelie Court. Though I guess it would be hard to exploit, as Shaeula wouldn¡¯t consider any kidnapper or enemy kin... not easily at least.¡± I shuddered at the thoughts I had. Really, with the right brainwashing techniques or by breaking her spirit, it could work. Though it seems Grulgor was sent to kill her. At least one enemy isn¡¯t thinking that cruelly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much they know about her skill, but I¡¯m guessing the other maid who was suspicious like you was lured away by the missing Risha. And I doubt the maid is dead, in case Shaeula considers her kin. That would be too much of a giveaway when her spirit-light appeared. They probably know about her Eyes too... damn.¡±


    Velna seemed a touch relieved at my pronouncement. ¡°But does that mean Risha is working with our enemies?¡±


    ¡°If only it was just her. I am suspicious of all the maids that encouraged Shaeula to behave badly from the very beginning. Sure, you agreed, but it wasn¡¯t your idea, right?¡±


    She nodded, horrified. ¡°But that would mean...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it means they can¡¯t be trusted. One more question. Do you know anything about the mountains to the north of the Seelie Court? I found ash from there in the remains of the clearing.¡±


    ¡°The north? Duke Formor and his giants ward the north against our enemies, since the loss of Salamandrastrae and the northern forts.¡± She said slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t suggest...¡± her voice trailed off as she thought about it.


    ¡°Duke Formor huh? Wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but this seems a bit clever for him alone, if you compare it to the plan with Grulgor. Still, if he guards a border, then getting in Wild Hunt or other enemies would be easy, I expect.¡± The clues are starting to come together, but next question is, what do we do about this?


    ¡°I think we need to confirm a few things. All we have is circumstantial evidence. But we do have some ways we can resolve this. But first we need to gather the others.¡± Foresight was buzzing now, and as I pulled together the clues, it rose in intensity. Yeah, the danger is here. I¡¯m both relieved and afraid. At least with it in front of my eyes, I can deal with it...

 Two Hundred And Ten

    Two Hundred And Ten


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to dishevel you a bit more, I¡¯m afraid.¡± I said, pulling at her clothes, leaving the maid outfit mostly unbuttoned. It wasn¡¯t as much of a shame to her as it would have been for a human maid, but when I started messing with her fur and hair again she squirmed and snapped at me. I¡¯m not doing this because I want to. But we need to make this convincing. ¡°Look, just bear with me, I have an idea.¡± Scooping out some of the tainted barrier cream from the sabotaged barrel, I eyed it. Yeah, this will do perfectly. Damn Shaeula¡¯s never going to let me hear the end of this, I can see her joking about it even now.


    ¡°Smear some of this on your face and ... well, on your thighs.¡± Seriously, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this. This is sexual harassment at an extreme level. Seeing my gaze, she looked at the slimy liquid, then back at me. Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly dug a hand into the barrel, before rubbing it in her hair, around her mouth, across her belly that was exposed by the unbuttoned uniform, and along her thighs. It was accompanied by her making some very upset noises, which I supposed only helped our ruse if anyone was listening. When we were done, I tugged at my own clothing, making it look like I had hastily dressed, and explained she was to play along with my acting and I¡¯d get her to Shaeula where we could plan our next move.


    Pulling open the door I dragged Velna out behind me, only to find three maids waiting. On seeing the state Velna was in they looked horrified, and I put on my most malicious grin. ¡°Oh, there you girls are. I¡¯ve had such a good time with Velna here that I was going to have another go outside, but she¡¯s starting to get tired, so I was thinking one or two of you could help out.¡± I stared at them suggestively, though I was really using the opportunity to observe them with my Mystic Eye. Again, they all check out as they should. Strange. ¡°Where¡¯s Risha? Since she¡¯s usually together with Velna I thought a threesome would really get me excited.¡±


    The maids, especially Saeca, who I had my suspicions over as one of the most likely traitors, along with Risha and the maid that was responsible for the escalating amount of sauce on the dinners, all looked horrified, but Saeca also looked nervous in a different way, as though she was hiding something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Risha had to go-go out and deliver a report to prince Shaeraggo. Don¡¯t worry, we have not broken our word to the princess, we have not-not told him she is here, but we are ordered to make regular reports.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yeah, pretty sure that¡¯s another lie, and not the best one at that. Hyacinth already checked around the Ring Gates for activity, not that they know she has the ability to do so, and she knows we won¡¯t check with Shaeraggo, obviously, so as a lie it isn¡¯t terrible I suppose. ¡°In that case, do send her over to me when she returns. I¡¯ll probably have finished with Velna here by then. Come on, I¡¯d like to do you out under the moon, it¡¯ll be fun!¡± And with that I dragged her outside, the other maids scattering. I made sure to paw and grope at her to keep up the fac?ade until we were out of sight, though I avoided any areas that were too intimate. When we were away from the mansion she finally collapsed, legs going out from under her.


    ¡°Ugh... I am ruined. I can never show my face-face again.¡± She whimpered, hastily wiping the mess from her body as best she could and rebuttoning her outfit. I took pity on her and used aether to remove the cream, and she looked up at me, surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted to. At least for now we threw off their suspicions, even if I look like a right bastard. Still, we can set the maids straight, if they turn out to be innocent. Now come on. We need to speak to Shaeula and plot our next move.¡±


    ********?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com


    Hyacinth was taking a break, lying on her back and staring up at the sky, frustrated. Several prisoners Shaeula had caught were once more tied to the Fae Stones, and Shaeula was glaring at them as they struggled, mushrooms and toadstools spouting all over them, but doing little harm. Ixitt was inspecting the contents of the vacuum and moving it into various clear glass vials. On seeing me he brightened, only to see Velna behind me, who was still teary-eyed and looking at me nervously.


    ¡°Oho, what have we here?¡± He grinned, tail swishing. ¡°That maid seems rather conscious of you. The princess might not be happy if you have indulged yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, very funny. I had to get her out without alerting the maids we were suspicious of them, so I had to tank my reputation.¡± As I spoke, Hyacinth and Shaeula both noticed me. Hyacinth jumped up, rushing towards me, arms open wide, only to stop as she saw Velna, hissing. ¡°Why is the bad maid with yooou? Hyacinth is much better, I will dooo anything you need, master! I have been wooorking hard, even if they still won¡¯t die! But soon, I prooomise! All the Myconids will rooot away!¡± Yeah, she can say such frightening things so easily. I know she means well though...


    ¡°Enough.¡± Shaeula rapped her on the head, and she clutched at it, pouting. ¡°You are doing good-good work, and Akio will praise you. Later. I suspect your investigations have borne fruit?¡± She then eyed Velna. ¡°You do indeed look as if-if Akio has been toying with you. I can not-not say I mind, but I am sure there is more to it than that, knowing him? He is rather shy when it comes-comes to voicing his desires.¡±


    ¡°He... well, we had-had to pretend he was defiling me, princess, to throw off suspicion. The mansion is... it is full of liars, princess.¡± She bit at her lip, more tears scattering. ¡°Risha and another maid are gone without explanation, and I fear-fear the worst. Besides...¡± she looked at me then, and I relayed the grim situation.


    ¡°Our gear was sabotaged. All of it, even yours, Shaeula.¡± I shook my head sadly. ¡°That stuff Ixitt whipped up for me worked a treat, and it showed that a maid had been in our store-room. The butler would have bigger hands, I think.¡± As I explained the damage, Shaeula¡¯s face flushed with anger, her eyes glittering with rage.


    ¡°To think my maids-maids would betray me! Unthinkable.¡± She snarled, causing Velna to hide behind me, which was a strange reaction. ¡°I had thought they were merely as stupid and nai?ve as I, and as overbearing as my siblings. Instead, I find them plotting-plotting against me?¡±


    ¡°Not-not me, princess!¡± Velna curtsied so low she was touching the ground, though the effect was spoiled as she was still using me as a bulwark for Shaeula¡¯s rage. ¡°I have always cared for you-you! I find it hard to believe the others would do-do so either, but the evidence, the lies...¡±


    ¡°It sounds to me like the sauce is a preparation to accustom you to tastes so strong they could mask poison or drugs.¡± Ixitt observed thoughtfully. ¡°Crude, and it would be far easier to slip in while you were sleeping and strike then. It seems very roundabout.¡±


    Shaeula flushed from a different emotion then, and I scratched at my cheek, embarrassed. ¡°Yeah well, to be honest neither Shaeula nor I need much sleep with our stats anymore, so... let¡¯s just say we had other things to enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth was always listening toooooo!¡± she declared unhelpfully, squirming fitfully, hands on her red cheeks. ¡°Master and mistress seemed sooo happy inside, I was mooost jealous! I did see useless servants several times, but I thought little ooof them.¡±


    ¡°So, it seems we were saved by our appetites and a pervert.¡± I observed, Ixitt chortling heartily at the irony. ¡°Though I¡¯m not even sure they could have killed us in our sleep if they tried. You aren¡¯t very strong, are you, Velna?¡± I asked, and she shook her head sadly.


    ¡°I still do not-not see what they have to gain.¡± Shaeula frowned. ¡°My stupid brother was trusting them greatly with our secrets, so the prestige and rewards should have been-been most adequate.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a lot more to it.¡± I relayed the information about the spatial remains, the ash and the blood, as well as the missing Risha and Klena, and the lies about the Warning Bell.


    ¡°This is troubling indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°The evidence points to Duke Formor, and indeed he has tried-tried to kill me before, and he and Duke Vulpatrius hate my father with great-great passion. But Duke Formor is loyal to the King and Queen, and the Seelie Court. I can not-not believe he would consort with the Wild Hunt and allow them through our borders. There must-must be more we are not seeing.¡± She turned then to Velna. ¡°I thank you for coming to Akio with this. There is hope for you yet! But this situation is volatile. We could-could perhaps solve this problem by sending away all the maids and the butler, but if they are involved in some foul-foul skulduggery, we need to know how deep it goes. I owe it to my father and siblings.¡± Her gaze hardened. ¡°To that end, I must ask you a question, Velna. If you are truly-truly loyal to me, if you see me as your princess, submit to my befuddling winds so I may be certain what you speak is the truth. And then I shall-shall forgive you for your mistakes, as I made them too-too, and you can truly take your place serving me and my chosen husband.¡±


    Yeah, using the winds is one way to help resolve this mess. As I thought that, Velna nodded, face resolute. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe anyone would betray-betray you, princess, but... it looks bad.¡± She then turned back to me. ¡°Master, please look after the princess no-no matter what happens. I fear she will be hurt by whatever truths you unearth.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± I said, instinctively reaching out to rub her head. She was surprised for a moment, letting out a squeal, before holding firm. Oops. Instinct again. Plus I¡¯ve already been touching her, even if only for a cover story... Shaeula was looking at me wryly, while Hyacinth was jealous as always. Ignoring them I removed my hand, speaking in a kind tone. ¡°Shaeula is more important to me than my life. I¡¯ll never let her come to harm. I hope that one day you¡¯ll accept me as her husband.¡±


    Velna nodded slowly. ¡°If-if you can prove to me that the princess will be happy and respected under-under your care, I shall no longer resent you.¡± She grimaced, steeling herself. ¡°Now, princess. I have naught to hide!¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Jade and emerald energies swirled and the wind blew, soaking into Velna, who made no effort to resist, her eyes wide. ¡°Now-now, tell me all about this conspiracy you know-know, and tell me, have you ever worked against me?¡± Shaeula demanded.


    ¡°No, never!¡± Velna declared, wide eyes going slightly vacant. ¡°I have only ever done what I thought was in your best interests, though master has-has convinced me I was mistaken, that we chose the wrong path. I fear that Risha and the others may have tricked me into supporting their schemes, though I do not know-know why.¡±


    Velna confirmed all we had discussed earlier, unable to resist Shaeula¡¯s commands, and after a while she dismissed the winds, leaving Velna dazed and exhausted.


    ¡°So, what is our plan to resolve this mess-mess?¡± Shaeula asked, and as I had been considering it, I explained my thoughts.


    ¡°Well, Velna is clean, so I want her back in our Territory. We need to let Ulfuric know there could be problems and bring some forces over to surround the mansion. I know he can be trusted. We won¡¯t leave our Territory undefended, but we can definitely spare Ulfuric and some elites. We¡¯ll call back Grulgor from his patrols too. Though it is a worry his Oaths to us and Duke Formor might clash. If so, well we have Ulfuric ready to aid us.¡±


    ¡°Very well-well, I approve.¡± Shaeula agreed. With that we took Velna to the Ring Gate...


    ¡°Yes, but... well, Velna didn¡¯t hear them, right? There were definitely problems.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just her, right. You didn¡¯t either, did you?¡± I asked, making sure to look in the direction of, but not at Klena, instead eyeing a confused maid next to her. For a long moment there was a strained silence, before Klena¡¯s tail twitched. ¡°Oh, me? Yes I forgot. Sorry, I had a lot on my mind.¡±


    Bullshit. My Eyes were registering everyone as maids and weaselkin, but it did manage to detect a small trickle of energy striking Klena on her tail. Even more suspicious.


    ¡°So, if there is nothing else, master, princess, we have a lot of work to do.¡± Risha curtsied, but I noticed the movements being slightly off. ¡°We have to prepare dinner as well, so if you must choose someone to sate your lusts, it should be those of us who have lesser duties.¡±


    There was protest in the eyes of the indicated three maids, but they hesitated to go against her directly, and I made a grand show of considering it, stalling until the doors to the dining room burst open, Ixitt and Hyacinth entering. On seeing me, Hyacinth broke out into a bright grin, before turning her vicious gaze on the maids, most of which quailed before her. No, all of them did, but two were a beat slower...


    ¡°Dinner will have to wait, I fear.¡± Ixitt grinned, bringing out a bright yellow vial, which my Eye identified as Nigawarai venom ¨C the poison from a powerful Yokai of this species is incredibly bitter, and can only be masked by similarly overpowering sweetness. While lesser Nigawarai venom only causes intense pain and suffering, and actually has some minor beneficial properties if used properly, this potent brew will lead to significant damage to both the Material and Astral subtle bodies of the victim at the least, and potentially even death.


    ¡°Would you happen to know what this is?¡± Ixitt continued, eyeing all the maids. As they all shook their heads, Hyacinth stepped forwards, glaring at the one who had been spoiling our dinners with intensely sweet yellow sauces.


    ¡°I think you dooo? Why else wooould you ruin the meals sooo? Confess, or I shall wring you tooo death! Cook the meals, make the beds, clean the hooouse. Not poooison the master and mistress! That is Unseelie wooork! Hyacinth hates it!¡± Her hands were shaking, and I could see the pain within her as she fought against her new boggart tendencies. ¡°It was hidden in yooour room too!¡±


    ¡°You went in my room?¡± the maid declared angrily, before stopping herself. ¡°You put it there, didn¡¯t you, vile Unseelie! I knew you couldn¡¯t be-be trusted!¡± she turned to Shaeula, curtsying frenziedly. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to these liars. We¡¯ve served you ever since you were a young child, I would never do such a thing, I just thought you¡¯d enjoy sweeter food since you had been away from the Seelie Court-Court so long...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s only one problem with that.¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t Hyacinth. Besides, that¡¯s a Yokai venom, not a Fae one. Where the hell did it come from? This smacks of conspiracy. Care to tell me where the real Risha and Klena are? Oh, the butler too, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Real? Princess, your consort is-is quite crazy. I have no idea what he is talking about.¡± Saeca shook her head frantically. ¡°We are being set up-up by this ratkin and the Unseelie! They can¡¯t be trusted!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± Risha denied my accusation. ¡°If this is some sort of game so that you can have your way with us, I don¡¯t approve. Please, princess, rein in your errant consort!¡±


    ¡°Rein him in, when he is so-so clearly right? I know you believe me a fool-fool, my dear maids, but you are sorely mistaken. I have grown indeed, away from your gaze.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. You react a beat too slow each time I say something threatening. The other five react appropriately. You also don¡¯t have the usual speech quirks, no doubled words. Most importantly, I¡¯m pretty certain Klena at least was taken to Duke Formor via spatial means.¡± At that, Grulgor jolted, finally looking interested. ¡°Shaeula, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Blow, my winds. You will answer us honestly. Have you betrayed your Oaths?¡± And with that she unleashed a green gale, filling the room with energy, slamming it into the maids.


    ¡°I betrayed no Oaths.¡± Saeca grated, compelled to answer. ¡°For I swore to Duke Vulpa...¡± Another maid covered her mouth, stopping further words, but even as she did so, horrified, she began to confess her own sins. ¡°I was paid well to encourage your arrogance, making sure...¡± she bit down so hard her mouth was filled with blood, trying to stop her words, but she began again, and other maids chimed in again, saying how they were either Oathsworn before their service began, or they had been recruited.


    All except Risha and Klena I see. Either they are innocent, or more likely...


    ¡°I expected this. How could I not-not?¡± Shaeula said sadly, as I hugged her close, reassuringly. ¡°But to hear from their own mouths I was either never truly loved-loved, or that I was betrayed for mere baubles and trinkets, it does-does pain me. If I did not-not have you now, Akio, I fear I might weep!¡±


    ¡°I have never betrayed you, princess!¡± Klena said loudly, and beside her, Risha agreed. ¡°Your consort is a fool to distrust us. I state as well that I have not betrayed you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯d believe you more if you didn¡¯t phrase that so precisely. Very Fae-like, but I¡¯m not sure you even are.¡± I sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not a betrayal if you never were her maids or allies, right? Try telling us you mean her no harm or ill-will.¡±


    They exchanged glances, ignoring the befuddled maids, before Risha sighed. ¡°Well shit. I thought this would be easier. The little princess has grown, sure, but her and her consort should have been easy prey. We shouldn¡¯t even have been needed. Come on sis, we might as well do this.¡± Her tone changed completely, becoming masculine and harsh. Then she changed, into a massive golden cat, with deep green eyes and a ferocious energy radiating from it.


    ¡°Fine. Brother, you are such a pain. I only tagged along as I could get something nice, nya.¡± She too became a giant cat, though leaner and silver in colour, with azure eyes. She then breathed in, drinking in the energies of the befuddling winds. ¡°Oh cool, I¡¯m stealing this for now.¡± the cat giggled, before transforming into a humanoid figure with cat ears and tail, naked barring some silvery fur covering her chest and groin. The maids immediately stopped spilling their guts, the winds dispelled.


    A cat-girl? What the hell? Beside her the other cat changed into a similarly-naked male, his golden tail lashing, his other tail barely covered by his golden fur that wreathed his legs and lower body. Fuck, I¡¯m glad that didn¡¯t scar Shaeula¡¯s eyes. Damn, cat-girls I can get behind, but cat-boys? No way!


    ¡°My winds have been usurped.¡± Shaeula whispered, shocked. ¡°They do not answer me.¡±


    ¡°Of course they don¡¯t. My sister is the archetype of the thieving cat.¡± He grinned unpleasantly, flexing his ample muscles as if ready to attack. ¡°I greet you, daughter of one I hate so very much. When we were offered the opportunity to strike you down, I leapt that the chance. My sister too, though she has different wants.¡±


    The cat-girl licked her lips lasciviously, dancing with jade energies. ¡°Yes, I heard tell you have some wonderful skills indeed. Skills to kill you for. I¡¯d rather steal them though!¡±


    ¡°You know my mother? Who are you and how did you get here? You are not Seelie, Unseelie or even the Wild Hunt! What does Duke Formor and Duke Vulpatrius have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Questions. So tiresome. I will give you my name at least before you die. I am Kinneka, Bakaneko and proud member of the Night Parade of A Hundred Demons, the Hyakki Yagyo?, the Ninetieth. My sister is Ginneka, the one who steals.¡±


    ¡°Charmed.¡± Ginneka purred, eyeing me. ¡°You¡¯re a handsome one, pretty boy, nya. I don¡¯t mind taking a tumble with you and draining you dry before I kill you. I haven¡¯t had a man in weeks, nya.¡±


    ¡°I draw the line at scum like you!¡± Shaeula snapped, clutching me close. ¡°My Akio will only have the finest-finest of females, not gutter-trash whores.¡±


    ¡°So brutal, nya!¡± she meowed, unconcerned, playing with the long silver claws that sprouted from her fingers. ¡°But why do you care? You¡¯ll be dead soon, anyway. Why not let your man have some fun before he dies, as a last happy memory before Yomi, nya?¡±


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t get why everyone is so intent on killing Shaeula? Makes no sense to me. But I know one thing.¡± As anger built within me, I readied my swords. ¡°It¡¯ll be over my dead body!¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Kinneka grinned savagely, his massive golden fangs gleaming as sharp as my own blades. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be any fun if you didn¡¯t fight back!¡±

 Two Hundred And Eleven

    Two Hundred And Eleven


    ¡°If you are going to insist on fighting, can we take this outside?¡± I asked, and Ginneka looked at me curiously for a moment, before turning to her brother.


    ¡°What¡¯s he talking about, nya? I¡¯d have thought he¡¯d have more of an advantage against our speed in here. I don¡¯t get it, nya.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I interrupted them. ¡°I don¡¯t want the mansion ruined, it was a precious gift to Shaeula. I¡¯d feel bad for Shaeraggo. Of course, I¡¯d prefer if we could just talk this out rather than fight. Shaeula isn¡¯t her mother.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that something?¡± Kinneka smirked, flexing his massive muscles. Beside him the maids, freed from the winds, were huddling together, the situation having wildly escalated out of their control. ¡°You think you have the leisure to worry about a damn house? The dead have no need of material things.¡± Golden claws slid out to match his sisters¡¯ silver ones. ¡°And talk it out? Hardly. What¡¯s to say other than with claw and fang, the way of the Bakaneko?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m rather shocked that Duke Formor could commit treason just to kill Shaeula. He¡¯s supposedly loyal to the Seelie Court.¡± At my words, Grulgor, who was looking very conflicted, began to scratch at his head, thinking.


    ¡°Treason, nya? So dumb. What treason? The Night Parade may be on... difficult terms... with the Seelie Court, but we are not enemies, nya!¡± she sighed, as if lecturing an idiot. ¡°We are not supposed to be here, yes, but your Duke kindly allowed us passage. I even got to borrow a lovely skill, nya!¡±


    ¡°My sister speaks true.¡± Kinneka sneered. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t believe that she...¡± he scowled at Shaeula, who met his harsh green gaze with a calm, amber one of her own. ¡°... is supposed to be here either, is she? Nobody is calling that treason.¡±


    True. Damn. I doubted I would have any time to get information out of them during the fight, so this brief lull before the battle was my best chance. Plus it gives Ulfuric time to set up. If anyone has noticed this, it¡¯ll be him... ¡°Even so, Duke Formor clearly wants Shaeula to...¡±


    ¡°My, not at all, nya.¡± Ginneka shook her head, silver tail lashing. ¡°Duke Formor never said he wants the girl dead. No, indeed, he has been sending her lovely gifts apparently, nya. He is most frustrated they have not been properly received.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s a euphemism if ever I heard one. I was about to speak when Grulgor came to a realisation, stomping down on the floor in glee, putting a hole in the floorboards. ¡°Of course, Grul is known to not understand things. Grul must have been mistaken. If Duke Formor has no wish to kill the princess, Grul has no need to hesitate.¡± He raised his heavy mace, before looking at Shaeula. ¡°Duke Formor is like Grul, hates weakness, especially those in power. Too many Fae dead because our leaders were weak. Little weasel was worst of all, all talk, pathetic. But now, princess, you have grown strong. I will talk to Duke Formor, he will like you now! Until then, we crush and break these useless cats! Then Grul worry about Oaths and what the right thing to do is.¡±


    Really? I don¡¯t think Grulgor is as stupid as he claims to be. He¡¯s found a way to reconcile his Oaths, which helps us. As for Duke Formor... he clearly intended Shaeula to die, but... politics. I¡¯ll worry about our response and revenge later. For now...


    ¡°So, nya. We might as well...¡± a loud booming noise interrupted her, and she staggered, a volley of heavy shells from Ixitt¡¯s shotgun peppering her side, drawing small scatters of ruby blood. ¡°Ow, that hurt, nya!¡± she glared, but as she moved forwards the wooden floorboards began to sprout buds, before they erupted into thorny vines, snaking out for her.


    ¡°Bad kittens must be punisheeed!¡± Hyacinth declared, following Ixitt¡¯s lead. ¡°Master can tooorment you suitably later. Hyacinth gets sooo excited thinking abooout it!¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this, you...¡± Kinneka roared, but Grulgor was there then, mace swinging to block him. ¡°Insolent creature!¡± Kinneka caught the mace, muscles straining, but he was pushed back, digging furrows in the floor.


    ¡°Shaeula, rescue the maids!¡± I cried, ready to make my own move, but as Ginneka struggled out from the thorns she tossed her head, annoyed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun, nya. This is supposed to be two on two!¡± she declared huffily as she tore free, scratches on her skin already healed. ¡°Guess I stole this for a reason. Go to sleep, nya!¡±


    The jade energies of the befuddling winds surged over us like a tidal-wave. The maids fell first, unable to resist, and Ixitt staggered, slumping back against the wall, shotgun falling from his hands. Hyacinth remained standing, but her eyes slid shut. I felt an overpowering urge to shut my eyes, and perhaps I would have faltered before, but with my Determination and Resilience higher than ever, I took a moment to fight it off. I could feel Shaeula beside me, equally determined, but unfortunately Grulgor was not so lucky, toppling with a great crash, smashing through the nice table, sending wreckage everywhere. Shit, yeah, he¡¯s weak to mental attacks isn¡¯t he? It¡¯s how he was beaten in the second Trial...


    Refocusing my eyes, I could see that in those brief few moments the two Bakaneko had not attacked, but had instead each seized a maid, holding them by the scruffs of their necks. The maids had awoken, and were now crying out in terror, trying to protest that they were on the same side.


    ¡°I suppose we should try matters the easy way.¡± Kinneka growled. ¡°Much as I¡¯d love to spill your blood in battle, I¡¯m not here to have fun. Though I do want to.¡±


    ¡°Nya, yeah, I¡¯m not big for fighting, brother. I much prefer to do my wresting under the sheets, Nya.¡± She was holding Saeca, who was crying uncontrollably.


    ¡°Put me down-down!¡± she cried. ¡°I¡¯ve always been loyal to Duke Vulpatrius, done what he wanted! This isn¡¯t the plan!¡±


    ¡°What do you aim-aim to achieve here?¡± Shaeula said, her voice cold, but I could hear a tremble in her tone. Her maids had indeed betrayed her, but even now she must have carried some affection for them still. ¡°I do not-not understand.¡±


    ¡°Simple. If you don¡¯t lay down your arms peacefully, we¡¯ll rip apart your pretty little maids.¡± Kinneka smirked cruelly. ¡°You really made a mistake here. When word you were successfully making inroads to that lost, blighted land, you became an eyesore, a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yep, nya!¡± Ginneka laughed, shaking Saeca, causing her to whimper and cry out in pain. ¡°We were supposed to throw your body in the forest and pretend you died there. Guess it¡¯ll be harder to cover up when the house here is wrecked, nya. Oh well, not our problem. I just came to steal your skill.¡± She looked at Shaeula, licking her lips. ¡°A mix of the Night Parade and the Fae. Quite precious, nya.¡±Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°So, enough of this. Don¡¯t you have any regard for your maids? Sure, they may have been working against you, but aren¡¯t servants closer than family to a princess, always with you? Weak and pathetic, but that is how you noble creatures are.¡±


    Surely Ulfuric must have noticed by now. He should be getting set up... how much longer?


    ¡°Just lie down and die and we can even let your boy-toy go, nya... no, you wouldn¡¯t believe that. I get it. Well, you will all have to die, but you¡¯ll die anyway, nya, so why not at least save your maids?¡±


    ¡°I ... they betrayed me. I will not-not put the others at risk for them.¡± She said, but I could feel her indecision.


    ¡°Yeah, but only you have to surrender, nya.¡± Ginneka purred slyly. ¡°We¡¯ll let the maids go, then fight pretty-boy here. If you believe he can beat us, then he might live, right?¡± Her words were persuasive, too persuasive.


    ¡°No, I... Akio. If it was Eri or Aiko there, what would we do...?¡± she shook her head slowly, before she jolted, as I grabbed her hand, squeezing it painfully. Our amber eyes met, as I had been using my Eye to see.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t Eri or Aiko. And even if it was, losing you for them isn¡¯t what they or I would want.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± she began, and I kissed her, still keeping my perception strong, in case the cats tried to attack us while I strengthened her resolve.


    ¡°But nothing.¡± I said, as our lips separated. ¡°If that day comes, we¡¯ll deal with it. But today isn¡¯t that day. Wind Eating Breath!¡± I whispered then, and her eyes widened as she realised.


    As her hungry winds devoured the subtle traces of befuddling winds that had been hidden behind the strong command from earlier, Ginneka clicked her tongue. ¡°Nya, was worth a try. Guess you get your wish after all, bro. you always did love the taste of blood on your claws, nya.¡±


    ¡°True, but as a matter of principle, we don¡¯t make idle threats. A shame. At least it won¡¯t haunt your nightmares for long, bastard daughter of the Night Parade.¡± Kinneka said coldly.


    ¡°Wait, no, princess, I never wanted to kill you! All I did was sell some info, make you think-think some...¡± her words were cut off as Kinneka tore off her head, dropping her bloody corpse to the floor.


    ¡°This is all your fault, princess!¡± Saeca cried. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been...¡± and with a bite, her head was severed, Ginneka changing her head into a giant cat-head momentarily to devour her.


    Shaeula looked away, feeling pain in her heart as the corpses fell. The other three maids raced for the door, but a lashing tail from Kinneka slammed into them, breaking bones and hurling them to the corner, where they lay limp.


    ¡°Bastard scum.¡± Shaeula growled, her own lip dripping with blood, her nails digging into her palms likewise. ¡°They may have hurt me, but they needed-needed to make amends, They were... still my kin.¡± She whispered, eyes going wide, and as I felt what she did, I masked my own grin. It wasn¡¯t time for that.


    ¡°No thanks. Stealing isn¡¯t a good thing. Didn¡¯t you learn any better?¡± I thrust rock spikes from the ground into her, again causing significant injuries, but she quickly healed. More flame shot my way, and I blocked them with more walls of stone.


    ¡°Annoying, nya. Why won¡¯t you just all die?¡± Ginneka rushed me, shrinking to leap over the wall before sprouting multiple mouths within her torso in some horrific, poor Cerberus imitation, to spew a rain of Foehn down. ¡°As for theft, the strong can do as they wish. That has always been the way of all worlds, nya.¡±


    My stone defences failed quickly, but I had used my speed to get behind her, blades slicing her clean apart, but again she blurred into cat-girl form, seemingly unharmed. Fuck, we¡¯ve killed these bastards three times over already but they just keep fixing themselves.


    Meanwhile, Shaeula was having a hard battle against Kinneka, her speed and strength being below mine and her fire energies having been stolen. Even so, using her wind she was giving a good account of herself, shocking and frustrating the golden cat. One paw slammed down on her, and Shaeula coughed blood, but then a wind prison formed around them both, filled with an array of slicing strands. For a moment I couldn¡¯t see what was happening within, but then the barrier shattered. Shaeula was clawed down her face, her cheek laid open and one arm dripping red and silver, but the giant cat was once more unharmed.


    ¡°Futile. No matter how many times you wound a Bakaneko, we can always recover.¡± He growled, fang-filled maw opening wide, tongue lolling out. ¡°Still, I admit you have impressed us. The blood of your mother runs within you indeed, must as I hate to admit that.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that-that. I¡¯d appreciate you dying more!¡± She pulled out her jade bells and the collapsing, flaming mansion exploded outwards, her wind surging in a fierce gale.


    I have to take advantage of this moment. But how? I struggled to come up with an instant solution, but the battered Hyacinth wasn¡¯t done, unleashing a spray of black spores that engulfed Ginneka.


    ¡°This again, nya? Just stay down and die peacefully, useless idiot!¡± Ginneka said, changing shape to shed the spores, before she sneezed, her nose red and dripping. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this, nya? NYA?¡± Her eyes met mine, and changed from her bright azure to a murky navy colour, drool dripping from her mouth.


    ¡°No, no.¡± She shook her head, breathing heavily. ¡°I do want to have some fun with you, pretty boy, but I need to kill you and steal that skill, nya.¡± She shook her head again, as if to clear it, buying me a few moments as I could feel flame anergy and Foehn being pulled from my body at an alarming rate. ¡°So few worth keeping, nya. Though here¡¯s one I stole a long time ago. Void Motion.¡± She disappeared, and suddenly I was thrown back, landing heavily, her paw on my chest, pushing down. Slobbery drool was landing my me, and her breath was hot.


    ¡°That one hurts to use, nya. But it was one of the few worth making a part of me permanently. Brother, have you finished her yet, nya? I itch inside, I need to mate!¡± She looked at me, licking my face with her large, rough tongue, her arousal plain even in her giant cat form. ¡°I can take this flame skill and the copy of hers after I¡¯m done.¡± Her rumbling purrs sent vibrations through me.


    ¡°The bitch is proving annoying! But it won¡¯t be long.¡± In cat-boy form he had broken her arm, the bells lying on the floor, surrounded by Foehn, so she was unable to reach them. Indeed, the bottom of her bloody yukata was starting to catch fire, and the situation looked grim, but her eyes were showing no fear of defeat as she clutched her dagger. ¡°Stop fucking about and finish him!¡±


    ¡°Fucking, nya. No, no I can¡¯t!¡± she sneered, shaking her head, trying to clear the darkness element that was eroding her reason, inflaming her passions. ¡°Sorry handsome, but your skills are going to be mine. I can only hold a few in my soul permanently, nya, and you have two worth keeping.¡± I felt a wrench within, as Kin Bonding and Restoration flowed into her. As I felt my connection with Aiko, Eri, Shaeula and her weaselkin diminishing, I snarled with the pain and the cruel sensation. No fucking way I am letting it end like this...


    My swords flashed, slicing through the leg that was pressing me down. Ulfuric would kill me if I dropped my weapons, even taking an unexpected hit from this stupid bitch if a cat. Even then Gnneka barely flinched, and she roared, flames pouring down on me, the glittering wave of Foehn devastating.


    ¡°Burn away, so I can make your skills mine, nya!¡± She crowed as the air filled with searing heat, the floor caving in, the foundations of the mansion collapsing. ¡°With these, I can easily climb the Night Parade!¡± She purred in satisfaction, only to grunt as a heavy weight, my weight, slammed into her, eyes shut from the flames, relying on the vision of my Mystic Eye, which could work even when my eyelid was shut apparently. I was ablaze with Foehn from head to toe, far worse than when I had fought Shaeraggo, and only the insulating layers of wind and mud I had expended most of my remaining strength to cover myself with was able to keep me alive.


    ¡°What, why won¡¯t you die, nya? I don¡¯t like persistent men, I¡¯m the hunter!¡± She tried to throw me off by changing her shape, shrinking to the size of an ordinary housecat, but before she could use her Void Motion I caught her tail, wreathing it in flame as she cursed and cried out. Another shapeshift and she was free, teleporting away, only to run into a cage of vines that sprung up, Hyacinth moving her burned and shredded body forwards, heedless of her injuries.


    Two can play at that... aether flared and I moved at a similarly blinding pace, scattering burning droplets in my wake like a river of burning stars. Even as my body protested the savage speed, I slammed into Ginneka, throwing us towards Hyacinth, who was grinning, rising waves of nature energy gathering.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, nya! He¡¯ll die too!¡± She protested, suddenly massive, cracking my bones with a savage twist of her new momentum. Even so, I seized her ears. Even as she flickered smaller again, I was still holding on, resolute as she bit and clawed at me, the Foehn burning around her scorching hot.


    ¡°If your shapeshifting is so good, why are you only around ninety in rank?¡± I scoffed, even as a cloud of the most lethal spores Hyacinth could muster washed over us. Many of them ignited around me, but even so, some were finding their way through the flames that clung to me, settling in the mud I wore as insulating armour, sprouting, roots digging into my flesh.


    ¡°Nyaaaaaa, help me brother! Kinneka!¡± She cried out as the spores began to devour her, virulent toadstools and fronds of sickly red and white fungus rippling free from her flesh. She changed her form often, shrinking, growing, sprouting new limbs and tails freely, but one thing only changed in size and shape, never vanished.


    ¡°Your shapeshifting sure is one hell of a cheat, but you always have to have your head.¡± I mocked, as the cat mewled, one eye already consumed, vile white froth spilling from her throat. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take what doesn¡¯t belong to you, bitch. And threatening Shaeula is even more reason for your death.¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± Kinneka roared, seeing her pitiful state. He surged towards us, only to stumble, all four legs severed by Shaeula as she lashed out with whipping wires of air, mimicking her pinwheels. Legs sprouted again, four, eight, a dozen, looking like some sort of hideous centipede, before a bolt of light struck him in the head, staggering him, sending him spawling into the flames of Foehn that blazed around us in the ruined mansion.


    ¡°Nurarihyon will... never... let me go unavenged, nya!¡± Ginneka coughed, teeth falling from her rotting body. Even as she changed forms, shrinking and growing, the new areas began to corrode at ever-increasing pace, sprouting toadstool towers and milky growths. ¡°And my brother will... kill...¡± her words were cut off as I slammed my burning fist through her rotting skull, exploding it viciously, the iron-hard bones that protected it from normal injury now porous and spotted with fungal roots.


    ¡°Ginnekaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± Kinneka howled, slamming me, heedless of the flames burning around me. Even as he drove me backwards, my bones shuddering from his force, I felt energy surge into me, my chakra network receding to normal, Foehn returning to my control, the Kin Bonding and Restoration slamming back into my soul, a heavy weight coming with it.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Fifty-Eight to Sixty. All of your Material statistics have increased by eighteen. Aether has increased by forty.


    Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 3 to Rank 4, having grown ever hungrier in the hands of a consummate mistress of theft. It has absorbed traces of spatial element, making the blaze harder to halt and control.


    Your Skill, Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. After being forcibly usurped by a thief and pushed to its limits, Your Solar Plexus Chakra now generates significantly more flame energy and is better able to handle variant and unique flames, such as Foehn.


    Your Skill, Kin Bonding And Restoration has advanced from Rank 3 to Rank 4. Your Bonds were usurped, but remained unbroken, clinging on with all their strength to not shatter. Now retaken, your bonds are stronger than ever, and you will more rapidly restore those who fall, Astral forms reknitted from your aether and the strength of your sorrow. Your ability to share strength and knowledge with your bonded kin grows, and all skills that strengthen bonds will grow in power. Your love for your kin has soaked into the bond as you fought to reclaim it and protect those precious to you. You have learned the skill, Lovers¡¯ Link. This skill has been subsumed into Kin Bonding And Restoration. You may now share a Rank of Lovers¡¯ Link with anyone you love deeply enough to have true bonds with. Something unexpected has also occurred, a ??????????????????? which has remained within the cage of bonds.


    Those images burned through my Eye in a mere moment. There were others, an increase in affinity for flame and spatial elements, and a few others, but none of that mattered right now. The battle was still ongoing.


    ¡°I shall flay you to the bones and throw your skull before Nurarihyon, praying he can keep your soul chained for eternity so I can...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I exploded the Foehn away from my already lightly-cooked body, even the multiple layers of wind and earth insulation not enough to prevent me taking significant wounds. Even so, the pain was bearable. Like being out in the sun for hours with no sunscreen, just way worse.


    Flames and burning mud showered him, and even as he shrank to avoid it, Shaeula channelled all of her strength into a single Emerald Wind Prison, the cutting edges keeping him trapped, the whirling edges like deadly grinders.


    ¡°You are strong, true.¡± Shaeula breathed, hurt worse than me, but still standing proudly. ¡°Stronger than I, if not-not much more than Akio. But all you have is strength and your ability to recover from great injuries. You are naught but a more frustrating Grulgor.¡± She mocked him as he was trapped within the sphere, unable to use Void Motion like his now-deceased sister.


    Some faint growls and words were coming from within the sphere, but the words were trapped by the winds, unheard. I took a moment to look around. Grulgor, Ixitt and Ulfuric were all wounded, but they were surrounded by mounds of slain cats, bodies piled everywhere, and the musicians were still playing, even though their throats and fingers were raw. I guess Ulfuric¡¯s training was worth it. The buffs we had received had made quite a difference.


    ¡°Yeah, that bitch of a sister was far more threating with her stealing. But in the end, it¡¯s just like the stories. Bakaneko and other Yokai cats are cunning but are always less threatening than they appear.¡± Something stung at the back of my head, and I ignored it. ¡°In the end, they were assassins, when it came down to straight fighting, we have the strength to overcome most enemies now.¡± I¡¯m almost sad the bitch didn¡¯t rob more of my skills, all the ones she took were powered up when I got them back. Though I guess if she took my wind or earth, the Foehn would have roasted me.


    Hyacinth rushed over and hugged me, and since we were both wearing shreds of clothes it was rather stimulating. Still, I didn¡¯t have the heart to throw her off, as her spores had saved the day, definitely. ¡°So, Shaeula... are you sure?¡± I asked, ignoring the ache within.


    ¡°They killed my maids, traitors though they were-were, and would have killed you, despite your offers of negotiations. I have no mercy for such fools, none-none at all.¡± and with a grimace she clenched her fist, and the wind-orb contracted, blood and ether scattering.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Sixty to Sixty-One. All of your Material statistics...


    The remaining cats immediately surrendered, and the weaselkin rounded them up. I felt a heavy weight enter me, and Shaeula shuddered, energy playing around her, changing her subtly. It looked painful, so I investigated her with Ether Healing and Chirurgery, only to find her chakra network had slightly changed, some of the paths rerouted, minor chakras glowing brightly. My Eye inspected her, and I gasped in shock. Seriously?


    ¡°So, it is over then.¡± Shaeula breathed, looking up at the sky, which should have been impossible as we were in the mansion, but now all that was left were a series of burning walls, flames sending sparks into the endless night sky like shooting stars. ¡°I fear Shaeraggo will be most wroth with the way his gift-gift was treated.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I scratched my head sadly while Ether Healing worked on me. ¡°But... well, I know some kobolds, they do fine work. Maybe we can renovate the replacement to our tastes a bit more?¡± Well, this puts a bit of a dampener or our conquest of the Spring, doesn¡¯t it?

 Two Hundred And Twelve

    Two Hundred And Twelve


    We strode out of the collapsed and burning mansion, tongues of Foehn greedily licking up the skeleton of the once-nice abode. The sparks drifting up into the black velvet of the Fae skies were pretty, but as I watched them sourly, helping the injured Shaeula and Hyacinth out, my arms around their shoulders, I couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved. Sure, we can rebuild it, but even so... that was a nice mansion, and I do have some good memories there now.


    ¡°It is indeed a great-great shame.¡± Shaeula said, her amber eyes reflecting the conflagration as she turned her head. ¡°Still, I would rather lose a mansion than anyone else I care-care about, even with Kin Restoration. I would not-not wish to rely on it too fervently, as there is no guarantee it is perfect, and to be reckless because we can restore my kin, only to find we were mistaken...¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°... I would not-not wish to live with that guilt gnawing at my soul.¡±Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Beside me, Hyacinth nodded, still covered in little more than bloody rags. ¡°Mistress is wise! Hyacinth has seen toooooo much loss over these looong years. It hurts to see the hooome destroyed.¡± She shook one fist at the burning wreck, frustrated. ¡°It hurts sooo badly. The hooome is to be cherished, cleaned, proootected. But Hyacinth thinks we can rebuild, better than ever, sooo long as we all still live, right?¡±


    ¡°Good sentiments.¡± I said, feeling warmth not from the flames, but from the camaraderie and bonds I shared with my companions. And speaking of bonds... ¡°It was pretty awful when that cat-girl started to steal the Kin Bonding skill from me. I could feel our bonds growing fainter, and I hated it.¡±


    ¡°Silly Akio.¡± Shaeula kissed me then, and in addition to her normal flavour, I tasted blood and smoke. Her tongue sought mine, and we reassured each other we were still here, still alive, with the heat of our bodies. As we parted, flushed, a thin line of saliva bridging us, she clutched my hand, squeezing it for reassurance. ¡°Our bonds are not merely some-some skill. They are formed from love. Though even so, I would not-not care to lose that skill, whether we need it or not-not. It is the legacy of my mother, changed by my love-love for you, and no bitch will ever take it from me.¡±


    ¡°Sooo jealous.¡± Hyacinth pouted, her usual routine, but after her heroics facing Ginneka, I felt warmer towards her than ever, so I leaned in and kissed her gently. On the cheek of course. I¡¯m not going to take her lips. I¡¯m sure Eri and Hinata can forgive me this much. For a moment Hyacinth froze, before going bright scarlet, her eyes wide, hand on her cheek where my lips had touched her.


    ¡°I think-think you broke her. Still, she does indeed deserve a reward. Though seeing first-hand how terrible her ability to use this biological warfare is, I am more-more sure than ever you must bind her to you and never let her go.¡±


    She¡¯s right. I¡¯ve created a monster indeed, and Hyacinth isn¡¯t exactly... stable. I¡¯ll need to take responsibility. I think that when my second Throne reaches Rank 2, she¡¯ll have to take one slot for sure.


    ¡°Enough of that.¡± Shaeula said, surveying the battlefield, as Ulfuric and Grulgor came rushing over to us, relieved we were largely unharmed after our several frantic minutes of vicious combat. Weaselkin had died, even in this brief skirmish with the Hunting Cats, the survivors of which were now under guard, surrounded by thickets of spears. The soul-lights were glittering around Shaeula, slowly drinking in trickles of our aether, but the number of lights around her seemed a little higher than the casualties, several of them bobbing around uncertainly, barely drawing in any power at all.


    Still, my musings on that and the irregularities I was experiencing had to wait, as Grulgor spoke, still dripping with silver and red blood from the many cats he had slain. ¡°Grul says you killed those lying cats?¡± he boomed, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°Indeed we did. Akio took care of that unpleasant female, while I slew the male one. I do so hope Duke Formor was not-not expecting them to return.¡±


    Grulgor looked troubled at that, before letting out a cavernous sigh. ¡°Grul will speak to Duke Formor! It is strange to fight one another when we can crush treacherous fungi, take back our lands. Grul says you are not weak, not anymore. The Duke will listen, Grul is one of his mightiest followers!¡± He slammed a fist on his stony body, the sound thunderous.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± I said, remembering the Oaths I had sworn to him. ¡°I did promise to be proportionate, so if he goes too far them I¡¯m afraid...¡±


    ¡°Grul will stop him.¡± He promised, cutting me off. ¡°But for now, Grul is happy stupid cats are dead.¡±


    I felt a pricking at the back of my mind. Luckily it was not Foresight, the nagging sensations having faded away, and I was once more relieved I heeded them and took precautions this time. See, I can learn! If we had been less suspicious of the servants at the mansion, or wrote it off as mere dislike of me, we could have ended up poisoned, assassinated or dead to the Myconids when our gear broke. Although again, I¡¯m not sure whether it would have been enough to take out me or Shaeula, even with their schemes. Maybe. But Ixitt, Hyacinth, Grulgor, they were vulnerable...


    ¡°So, just what happened?¡± Ulfuric asked. ¡°We were setting up perimeters around the Ring Gates, as well as the mansion, in case the Wild Hunt launched an attack as we suspected was possible, but then from inside the mansion battle erupted, and we were flooded with these creatures.¡± He turned to glare at the cats, who prostrated themselves on the ground, survival instinct overcoming their loyalty to their former masters. They immediately began to mewl excuses, that they were forced to come, until Ulfuric silenced them with a shout. ¡°These are not from the Wild Hunt though, are they?¡±


    I shook my head and explained the events that led us to this pass. Ulfuric listened intently, occasionally asking a sharp question or seeking further elaboration. When I was done he frowned, expression grim indeed. ¡°The Night Parade? I see. I know little of them, though your mother was one of their number, princess. If Duke Formor, and likely Duke Vulpatrius, are trafficking with them to destabilise your father, princess, then everything does make a lot of sense. Likely there are those within the Night Parade who are dissatisfied with your mother, just as we have here with prince Shaetanao. The matter of long-hidden servants who were working for Duke Vulpatrius worries me more though. Ixitt has stabilised the survivors, and now the battle is over he has no doubt returned to tend to them. We will need answers. But first...¡± Ulfuric peered at Shaeula. ¡°You¡¯ve changed, princess. There is something about you now that seems... different.¡±


    No kidding, I¡¯ve noticed it too. It happened when she slew Kinneka. I nodded, my Eye gleaming as I invoked the powers replicating Kin Examination it held within. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve grown stronger, and also...¡±


    You know what? I think we¡¯ve kept our promise to Shaeraggo, and we still have plenty of our days remaining before the three moons he promised us is up. Seriously though, her stats have nearly caught me up again. It¡¯s a touch bittersweet. Still, having my girls stronger is always a good thing!


    ¡°You¡¯re a full-fledged Kamaitachi as well now. Neat. I guess the bloodline of your mother is shining through.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°I do indeed feel a little different.¡± She grinned. She suddenly changed back into her weasel-form, looking as adorable as ever, but now she had gleaming daggers of brilliant jade metal sprouting from her wrists and ankles, shimmering with verdant wind energies, wreathing her form like an empress in a rich cloak.


    ¡°You look... impressive, princess.¡± Ulfuric was almost lost for words at her regal transformation. ¡°Your mother and father will be very proud. With your current strength, I daresay you could put up a decent fight against your sister.¡±


    ¡°Would I beat her?¡± Shaeula asked, changing back to her human form and clinging to my arm, seeking praise, so I stroked her silky hair.


    ¡°It is not impossible. Though her long years of training and great skill would likely give her the edge. Even so, I feel your exile could be rescinded should you so choose.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°Not-not until we have recaptured the Spring of Clear Reflections and I can return in great-great glory, blowing away all the doubts about me and my father. We can do this, can we not-not, Akio?¡±


    ¡°Of course. This setback hasn¡¯t changed anything. Ixitt and Bjarki can fix our gear, and even if we have to slum it in tents here while the mansion is rebuilt, we can manage.¡±


    ¡°Grul agrees. If you and the princess prove your might, Duke Formor will surely be pleased and have no reason to oppose you. Besides, Grul hates leaving the battle unfinished. Many puny fungi left to crush!¡± He laughed, his voice booming between his slab-like teeth, causing the captive cats to cower harder.


    Well, I¡¯m not sure how much I should trust Grulgor at his word. I can think of many reasons Duke Formor would want us dead even more now. But there¡¯s no point shattering his illusions. We are close to pulling him into our camp completely. Just a little more...


    ¡°Most are dead. All barring you two-two.¡± Shaeula sighed bitterly. ¡°Though I know not where Risha and Klena are. Dead perhaps, but I doubt it.¡± Her gaze once more wavered, before she went back to her work.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Velna is safe back at our Territory. That¡¯s one silver lining.¡± At my comforting words, Shaeula nodded slowly, brightening a little.


    ¡°So now, it is time-time for questions.¡± Shaeula said, hardening her heart. ¡°Perhaps I was not-not a good mistress, I accept that, but it was your schemes that moulded me that way. This betrayal stings my heart, I do admit. And worse... attempting to kill me with poison or by sabotage...¡± she shook her head once more, amber hair cascading over her face, hiding her expression and no doubt her tears from view.


    ¡°The poison wasn¡¯t me-me!¡± She protested, gritting her teeth against both pain and shame. ¡°All-all I did was to encourage you to behave badly as Risha asked, and in exchange I was promised rich rewards and many privileges when Duke Vulpatrius replaced your father as Prince of the Beastkin Fae!¡±


    ¡°I do not-not understand.¡± Shaeula whispered. ¡°What rewards could you want that I could not-not give you?¡±


    At that the maid fell silent, mortified, looking away. We could have used the winds to press her, but that could wait. The second maid was also up, and she sang a similar story. Risha was the one who had started it all, and was working for Duke Vulpatrius long before her service to Shaeula¡¯s family, along with another of the maids, who was now dead.


    ¡°Yeah, this is why companies need background checks I guess. Although... I¡¯ve been hiring staff without due diligence. Shit. Guess I¡¯d better be more careful in future. This was a good lesson, if a strange one.¡± I said inanely, the tension of the moment getting to me.


    ¡°So, where did Risha take Klena and why?¡± I asked the two maids, who were now out of danger, if still quite injured. I¡¯m pretty sure I know the answer, but let¡¯s see how cooperative they are.


    ¡°Klena and Velna were getting suspicious. I think Risha had some way of-of communicating with the Duke, and your progress in fighting the Unseelie was unnerving him. So her measures were growing reckless. I swear I knew nothing about the poison or the sabotage. That was Risha and the other two!¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes, all I did was spy on you and teach you wrong!¡± the other maid whimpered. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to see you die. I think Risha left to bring in those two-two monsters. And she was spared their rampage.¡± She spat then, the effort paining her, silvery saliva tainted with blood. ¡°To think we were tossed aside like that, used up like trash. Perhaps the moon did not smile upon our actions.¡±


    ¡°Why would they?¡± I shook my head. ¡°An impressionable young girl like Shaeula relied on you to guide her properly. Instead you betrayed her trust. And the thing about betrayers is, they always seem to end up betrayed in turn.¡± I pulled Shaeula close, rubbing her head while she cried in my chest, her tears muffled. ¡°We need to find a way to get Klena back, even if it¡¯s through diplomacy. And as for Risha... well, I intend to have a nice long talk with her one day.¡±


    ¡°So, what-what will happen to us?¡± The maids asked together, the dire situation they were in finally dawning on them.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not up to me. But if I were you, I would suggest being extremely forthcoming with Prince Shaetanao.¡±


    ¡°I shall handle matters.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, having settled the cats under the watchful eye of his troops. ¡°The matter of the method of communication is interesting. Chances are she took it with her when she fled, but if it still remains it would make good evidence.¡± He gazed at the mansion, which was now little more than burning rubble. ¡°We must search the wreckage for...¡±


    ¡°I left my bells in there!¡± Shaeula exclaimed suddenly, bolting from my lap, startling everyone. ¡°We must-must retrieve them immediately. I pray they remain undamaged!¡±


    ¡°Damn, losing them would be a blow. Let¡¯s go!¡± I declared, and we rushed over to the mansion...


    ********


    ¡°So, no sign of any device or the butler.¡± I said to Ulfuric as Shaeula cradled her bells in her arms, thankful they were undamaged, not having been consumed by Foehn. ¡°I suppose the butler could easily have been killed and turned to ether by now, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the maids insist that the butler was not part of their schemes and they would have no reason to lie. Besides, he was one of prince Shaeraggo¡¯s servants, not yours, princess.¡± Ulfuric agreed. ¡°Risha might have killed him, it would be a small risk, but your skill likely would not have gathered his spirit-light.¡± Ulfuric mused, knowing well how it worked since he joined our forces as an advisor. ¡°Even so, it seems rather too clumsy.¡±


    ¡°Everything they did these last few days was stupid.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Although our greater strength than they anticipated and our... other actions...¡± I flushed a little, remembering. ¡°... stopped their little schemes dead. Still, there is one person who knows for sure, and some others that might.¡±


    ¡°That terrible, wooorthless servant Risha!¡± Hyacinth snarled, having re-joined us after recovering from her earlier shock at my kind gesture. She had found a new uniform from somewhere and had brought us some wine salvaged from the basement of the mansion. ¡°I shall wring the truth ooout ooof her!¡±


    ¡°I am quite-quite keen on dragging the truth from her myself.¡± Shaeula was more composed now, having faced the reality of her servants¡¯ betrayal, though she was glancing to the side and over her shoulder regularly, eyes glowing, seemingly unaware of it. Yeah, healing the pain will take quite some time. But I am here for her, Eri and Aiko too. Karen-chan, Hinata, Konoe-san... she has friends now who care about her. And Konoe-san needs our help now. It¡¯ll give Shaeula something to take her mind off this...


    ¡°I would also wish for information on why those foolish cats hated me so-so.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°I understand that ugly bitch wanting to steal my skill, but Kinneka had quite the hatred for me.¡±


    Not letting my attention be drawn away, I sighed. Ugly, huh? I wouldn¡¯t say that, though she definitely wasn¡¯t the cat-girl otaku dreamed of. Too murderous and slutty. Not that I can judge her for that...


    ¡°We¡¯ll untangle it all, we have several possibilities to go on now. But this has been one hell of a time. I suggest we head back to the Material and deal with Konoe-san¡¯s issue once and for all. The break will do us good and clear our heads. I want to speak to my sis and Eri anyway. I should probably thank Hinata and her grandfather too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It does me no-no good to dwell upon these matters.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°What I have-have learned from you is doing will always beat wishing. I wish to speak to Hinata and Eri as well-well.¡±


    ¡°Ulfuric, can you handle matters?¡± I asked, and he agreed. ¡°Grulgor, you can have a day off and crush some enemies around our Territory if you want. As for you, Ixitt...¡±


    ¡°Please, I simply must visit the Material world with you!¡± he begged. ¡°I will not cause any trouble, but even a single day of reading and studying there is worth much to my Mortal Engineering!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t bring you as well, Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I shall miss master and mistress, and am eager to meet the new mistress, but I am happy enooough.¡± She smiled, surprisingly gently. ¡°Master will return, I knooow this. Hyacinth will nooot be alone or back in the booox again.¡±


    ¡°No. never.¡± I promised, patting her head. After finishing up a few more details, such as requesting troops to clear the rubble of the mansion when the fires finally died down, Shaeula, Ixitt and I all returned to the Material...

 Side Sixty-Six – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Sixty-Six ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Watch out! They are coming from the other side too!¡± Eri called out, hefting the black and deep blue crescent-moon axe she was so fond of, a bright, excited smile on her face that would have been unthinkable before the summer festival. ¡°I¡¯ll handle them, can you take the big one?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are talking to?¡± I called out, feigning indignation, yet my palms were sweaty as I pulled back on the bowstring of the crimson bow big bro had gifted me. Well, big bro and Shaeula, I guess. Ugh, why do I still sweat when I don¡¯t have a physical body? I don¡¯t get it. Big bro was moaning about that too. Well, breathing anyway... Even as parts of my thoughts were running wild, I had instinctively withdrawn an arrow from the beautiful crimson quiver I had also been gifted, fitting it to my bow. I took a long, deep breath, stabilising myself as I would during kyudo, before loosing the shaft, feeling the glow of heat on my face as it blazed into flame, streaking forwards like a yellow shooting star.


    Not bad. But just to be safe... as the arrow struck the charging cicada, which was the size of a small pony, flames exploding, blowing a hole in the faded yellow chitin that covered it, a second arrow was following, this one striking the same spot, burrowing deep into foul flesh before bursting with a dull roar and wash of heat, the now-headless beast collapsing before starting to disintegrate slowly into a small sea of silver and rainbow lights, the pretty stuff my bro called ether.


    Exhaling a long breath, I sighed, grounding myself after the successful shots. From behind I could hear the sounds of battle, something heavy striking bone, and on turning I could see Eri in her gothic-lolita battle dress, the hem fluttering to match her long black hair as it streamed behind her. She was dancing, it was the only way I could describe it, swinging that stupidly large and heavy axe as if it was merely a plastic replica for a festival or school play. If Eri was a guy I¡¯d say she was compensating for something.


    Still, seeing Eri move at clearly superhuman speeds was still a shock. Her axe flashed, and two smaller cicadas just flew apart, bodies sliced. A last one turned to flee, but a deep blue light flickered around Eri and the cicada stumbled, mind going blank. She was on it a moment later, and after a single strike, the battle was done, Eri turning around cheerily and grounding her axe, resting on the metal shaft. On seeing me her eyes lit up, and she grinned broadly, another expression I wasn¡¯t used to seeing on her, other than lately, of course.


    ¡°You took it down then? Well, I expect no less from you, Aiko.¡± Eri said. ¡°We might as well scoop up the ether, we don¡¯t have the endless capacity Akio and Shaeula seem to have.¡±


    True. If Eri was a superhero, then they were both Superman, the king of superheroes. I hadn¡¯t seen much of their actual prowess, but from what Eri had told me about their battles, they made her look weak, and right now, if Eri was to be attacked by a gang of delinquents like in some of the bad stories those two creeps from class talked about, it¡¯d be the delinquents ending up in hospital. It¡¯s... well, not irritating, not exactly, but I feel like I¡¯ve lost my place a little. It always used to be me who looked after Eri, who fended off boys and girls alike, but now... I feel... complicated.


    As I began to suck in the shining motes around us, my body feeling warm prickles spreading through to relight the dimming heat of my chakra network, I shook my head. ¡°You think I¡¯ve got that Aether Manipulation skill yet? It does feel a lot easier now.¡±


    ¡°Without Akio, we can¡¯t check. It¡¯s annoying.¡± Eri pouted, looking gorgeous even doing that, the rich variation of her facial expressions recently only adding to her charm. Seriously my bro is such a lucky dog. Eri. Shaeula. Both of them are stunning and so in love with him it¡¯s disgusting. Even so, he¡¯s not satisfied. I don¡¯t know what to think. The strange thing was I could feel a tiny sensation constantly, a small link to my bro. It wasn¡¯t as if we shared thoughts or feelings, or anything like that, but it was a comforting presence nonetheless. I¡¯d spoken to Eri about it of course, and she had the same sensation. It was a mark of Kin Bonding, apparently. Eri said she even felt another, more intimate one, where occasionally she cound feel his emotions towards her. She always treasured that when it happened, apparently. Typical Eri.


    ¡°Still, you¡¯ve been working really hard. I bet you have managed it. Now we need to rank it up, as well as our other skills. It¡¯s the best way to grow stronger right now.¡± Eri had taken out the mirror and was pouring inky-blue energy into it, practising her darkness element, another thing Eri had that I didn¡¯t. Really, it¡¯s not fair. I want to help big bro and Shaeula too, but I¡¯m just too weak. I feel... left out. Like I¡¯m reaching out with my fingertips, only barely able to brush the back of Eri¡¯s skirt as she pulls away from me faster and faster. No, this is unproductive, instead we should talk about something else...


    ¡°Hey, Eri. Are you sure you are okay with the way things are playing out?¡± I asked again, rehashing a conversation we had several times recently. ¡°If... if you had put your foot down and said no, my idiot moonstone of a big brother would have listened. I know I wanted him to help those noble girls, but... more marriages. Now it¡¯s really a harem and I feel bad for joking about it. I¡¯m not sure whether to be impressed with him or angry and disappointed. He promised he¡¯d never make you unhappy, and...¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not unhappy.¡± Eri said, sighing, closing up the mirror, pulling free her axe and resting it on her shoulder. ¡°Well, not really. I¡¯ve told you this, Aiko. When I found room for Shaeula in my heart, I changed. Akio too. He was so stubborn, even though it was just hurting him and Shaeula, and me too. I knew then that he would keep his promises to me, even if it ended up breaking him. But... Shaeula.¡± Her expression turned impish. ¡°I see her as a sister now, just like I do you, Aiko. Sure, we¡¯ve not spent anywhere near the length of time together, but what we have shared, the density of it... it¡¯s filled my heart. I¡¯m not going to make tasteless jokes like Shaeula does, but say that you were Akio¡¯s cousin, rather than his sister. If nothing else was different, you¡¯d totally be aiming for his heart too, right?¡±


    Wow, where did that come from? ¡°No way, creepy! Me and big bro are siblings, not cousins. Blood-related, no question. This isn¡¯t some anime...¡±


    ¡°Way to miss the point.¡± Eri giggled softly, her obsidian gaze meeting my sapphire one. ¡°It¡¯s overreactions like that which causes everyone to tease you. Look, this is a what if, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, sure. I get it.¡± I changed my mindset, imagining if I was a cousin, or say just another childhood friend like Eri, hanging around my bro as kids growing up. The weight of the small bond we shared at the back of my mind felt hot, heavy, and as I considered it, I nodded. ¡°Feels icky thinking about it that way, but if I was a cousin... yeah. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d be into my bro like you are. Which I¡¯m not! I feel the need to say that again.¡±


    ¡°So if you were... just think how awful it¡¯d be to compete with each other, knowing one of us would be heartbroken? I... sure, there¡¯s a voice inside me that wants him all to myself. It gets worse when I use darkness sometimes.¡± Eri admitted, solemn and earnest. ¡°But when I think of Shaeula, all alone, bitter with envy as Akio and I left her behind, I just imagined what it would be like if Shaeula and Akio left me that way. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it to you, Aiko, and I can¡¯t to Shaeula either. Besides, Shaeula is right. We¡¯ll live long and happy lives full of excitement and wonder, so I can spare some of his time for others. After all, we need to hang out, right Aiko?¡± She smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat, even though we were both girls. Yeah, damn my bro really is a lucky guy. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be one of those shitty friends that disappears when she gets a boyfriend. After all, we¡¯ve been together forever, and you¡¯ve always had my back. Now it¡¯s time for me to have yours!¡±Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Wow, yeah, if I was a guy, I¡¯d totally have fell for you then.¡± I said absently. ¡°Shaeula I get okay, before you even compared her to me. I love her too, she¡¯s just so... well, disgustingly friendly and cute and magical, and totally into my bro. I¡¯d be an idiot to dislike her. But, what about Hinata-san and Motoko-san? That I don¡¯t get.¡±


    ¡°Look at where we are, what we¡¯re doing?¡± Eri gestured to the strange world of the Boundary and the mysterious skies overhead. ¡°It¡¯s like the world is some manga now, right? And who stands at the heart of that, like the protagonist? Akio does. He¡¯s marrying a princess of the Faeries, he talks to kami and fights mighty foes, yakuza and foreign powers.¡± She flushed then, ears and neck pink. ¡°He¡¯s also kind, loving, handsome...¡±


    ¡°Wow, don¡¯t tell my bro that, he¡¯ll get a big head.¡± I warned, but she laughed it off.


    ¡°I know. Maybe I don¡¯t see his flaws as much as I should. He¡¯s too easy to push around, though I¡¯d call that kind, too forgiving and too ready to accept apologies, and he has a serious wandering eye. But even so, Akio will be the most sought-after man in the world when all this comes out. Like some sort of idol, politician and billionaire all in one. That worries me a bit. After all...¡± she shrugged, nervous. ¡°... all I have going for me is how much I love him, and the fact I¡¯m his childhood friend. Girls like Shaeula, Hinata... they can give him what I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I think you are forgetting how beautiful and kind you are.¡± I muttered, but Eri having a lack of confidence was nothing new, even if she was improving a lot lately.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m finally proud of myself. But you have to see I¡¯m on the back foot. Even so, I refuse to lose. I was his first kiss, his first love, his first... well, you know.¡± Her blush increased in intensity, her face scarlet. ¡°And I will learn to be as strong as Shaeula, and if he needs a business-minded woman like Hinata, I can do that too. But... that won¡¯t be enough. Akio is going to shine brighter than anyone else, and I want to be there with him. I can allow a few other stars in his constellation.¡±


    Cute metaphor. At least she¡¯s given it serious thought for her own sake, not just accepting it because my bro asked. That wouldn¡¯t be healthy. ¡°So, you can tolerate them, then?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Like you, I saw how pitiful these noble girls are when we had the sleepover. They are raised to be perfect wives and daughters, knowing even less about adult matters between men and women than we did. They are basically just prizes to be won, offered for the sake of their family. And that¡¯s shit. I don¡¯t know about Motoko-san yet, but Hinata... she genuinely likes Akio. I¡¯m not an idiot, I can tell. I¡¯m always watching him and those around him. She¡¯s a girl who would always respect me, and Akio could use her, so I¡¯ll swallow up my tears of jealousy and let her in. But in doing so, I¡¯ll make her owe me. I¡¯m not losing out!¡±


    ¡°So bold!¡± I declared, impressed with her thoughts. ¡°If you¡¯ve thought it through, I¡¯m not going to blame you. Besides, I liked Hinata-san too. She was cute and funny, and she¡¯s stinking rich.¡± I grinned. ¡°With her as another sister-in-law, I¡¯m set for life.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky!¡± Eri snickered. ¡°Shaeula never lies, except when pulling pranks, so if she says we¡¯ll live a long, long life, barring mischance, I believe her. So I have faith in Akio, that he¡¯ll still show me love and joy for years, decades, more to come. The things we¡¯ve done and seen since he returned to Nishimorioka, in only a few weeks, we will be doing that for centuries. Imagine it. So I can allow a few others to share that love, if they are good girls that Akio likes and needs. I¡¯ll always be number one though! Always!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I can¡¯t argue with that. I wont complain anymore. But do you think it¡¯ll stop with just Hinata-san and Motoko-san?¡±


    Eri sighed. ¡°I doubt it. Even if you discount Natsumi-san, like I said, there may be others that will shine in this new world, but I still believe Akio will burn the brightest. There¡¯ll be lots more. That¡¯s why I need to get Hinata and Shaeula onside, so we make sure no trash or parasites that just want to leech off him get in.¡± A blue haze rose around her and her eyes darkened, causing me to swallow nervously.


    ¡°Well, enough of that.¡± Eri changed the subject. ¡°We might as well keep working. Even if we can¡¯t level anymore, we can train our skills.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, gotcha.¡± I agreed, grabbing my bow. ¡°By the way, mom and dad have been really mad since you told them. Uncle and auntie too. Do you think Akio will be all right when he comes back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his own problem!¡± Eri laughed, her good humour restored. ¡°I accept it, understand it, but I still think he needs to feel the wrath of our parents for being unfaithful!¡±


    With laughter ringing out in this strange world, we continued deeper into the mountains behind Chairoakitara shrine...


    ¡°She sure is, faster, stronger, fitter, smarter. I¡¯m feeling really left out. I don¡¯t have an element, I can¡¯t level. This is discrimination, bro!¡± I was joking, but as before, it did sting a little. Still, it took him a while to answer, and when he did he was serious.


    ¡°Yeah, I worry about it too. Not just you, sis, but all our family, my friends... I know everyone can¡¯t be as strong as me, but I want everyone I care about to have options if they need them and the ability to defend themselves. I get the feeling the world is only going to get more dangerous, even if you aren¡¯t involved with the Boundary. Besides, if I know you, sis, you¡¯re champing at the bit to get stuck in beside Eri and me.¡±


    ¡°You know me too well, bro.¡± Eri was giving me a thumbs-up as well. ¡°Say, brooooooooo.¡± I put on my most wheedling voice, asking for a favour. ¡°I can¡¯t get on with darkness element unlike Eri, but she says she knows where there¡¯s some fire element we can plunder. Don¡¯t you think your sis would be hot, pardon the pun, if I was able to boost the firepower of my bow?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri spoke into the phone as well. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want us exploring that area as it¡¯s a bit far from safety, but I want to help Aiko. She¡¯s frustrated and wants to do more.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± My bro went silent again. ¡°Aiko, I think I have a way to get you Lovers¡¯ Link, and...¡±


    Wowowowowowowowow what? My mind went blank for a moment and I missed most of what my bro said, the keywords Lovers¡¯ Link all I could process. I immediately started burning up, my face, no, my entire body flushing. My mouth fell open, and words gushed out of me, so rapid they were blurring into each other. ¡°No way bro, seriously? I¡¯m frustrated and pissed off sure, and I hate the fact that I¡¯m watching everyone race away from me, but that¡¯s too far! That isn¡¯t like having a harem, that¡¯s normal! No, wait, it isn¡¯t, but you know what I mean, normal in comparison! Incest is wrong, immoral, what would mom and dad say, or auntie and uncle! We¡¯d be disowned! We¡¯d have to move far away! Eri would stick by us, but even so, I...¡±


    ¡°Give Eri the phone.¡± My bro sighed, and I moved automatically, my brain still a fog, handing her the phone. She shot me a flat look, stepping away, and listened to what my bro said. I... no. just no. Not even to be as strong as Eri. I love my bro, but there¡¯s lines I won¡¯t cross. I¡¯m not a pervert. I know I¡¯m super cute, but I can¡¯t believe big bro would seriously consider that. Though he¡¯d only do it to benefit me, not because he...


    ¡°All right. I will.¡± Eri said, moving so rapidly I couldn¡¯t react, before flicking me hard on the forehead, enough to leave a bruise. I reacted, hands clutching my head, tears in my eyes, and she held the phone to my ear.


    ¡°Dumbass little sis sapphire.¡± He mimicked me. ¡°You seriously think I¡¯d defile my precious little sister, even for that? I¡¯m not sure whether to be hurt than you think I¡¯m such an irredeemable sexual deviant, or flattered that you think I¡¯d go so far to help you, throwing away my conscience and morals. Like I said, my skill has evolved thanks to the trouble with that cat, so apparently I can grant a Rank 1 Lovers¡¯ Link to anyone I truly love. I don¡¯t believe it needs to be in a sexual way to work, but I guess it might not be a success, so don¡¯t get your hopes up too much. I doubt you can rank it up, either. Even so...¡± he took a deep breath, and I could hear him muttering, though I couldn¡¯t make it out. ¡°... fancy thinking I would do my own sister. I¡¯d kill for her, but that... only if it was life or death, literally...¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t quite catch that bro.¡± I said, still mortified and so hot I imagined steam was rising from my skin.


    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m just amazed at the way your brain works sometimes, sis. You let Shaeula¡¯s jokes poison your mind. Anyway, if it does work you¡¯ll get a percent of my stats, which should be five or so, and a chunk more for Aether, and should be able to gain six levels. All told, that should strengthen you nicely, especially as the jump from zero to one sometimes unlocks intangible stats. Just don¡¯t... ever... mention you have that skill to anyone, as I can¡¯t bear to face the same misunderstandings you just had again.¡±


    Gods no, I certainly don¡¯t want that mess. I¡¯m already embarrassed enough I could die. Still, that sounded like quite the buff, and if it was only the skill, without having to actually be a lover, well, it wasn¡¯t the answer to my prayers I was seeking, but it¡¯d take me a step closer to the backs of Eri, my bro and Shaeula. ¡°Fine. Do it jerk. Do I have to come to Tokyo to see you? That¡¯d be embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. In fact... here.¡±


    My eyes widened as the weight of his presence within me suddenly split off, another bond forming. I instantly felt my senses sharpen, my mind clearing. ¡°Wow, I can feel it, I¡¯m definitely stronger... wait, I do feel it. Bro, seriously?¡± I know what Eri means now. This bond... I¡¯m not sure if I should have accepted it after all. Well fuck, this is embarrassing. I didn¡¯t swear too much usually, even in my head, but now I felt the need. I could sense a little of his emotions, and while I knew my bro loved me a lot and would risk his life or fight anyone for me, being able to feel it was enough to make me squirm. I can see why Eri would like this though. She¡¯s always had a yearning for affection, to know tangibly just how great his love for her is must be sweet. No wonder she¡¯s confident enough to accept Hinata. She knows how deep their connection goes...


    ¡°I guess it works then. In that case, spend a day or two making sure you have all your levels.¡± He said, ignoring my complaint. Oh fuck, I hope it doesn¡¯t go both ways. If so he¡¯ll know too... embarrassing! As he continued talking, ignoring my inner turmoil and shame, he advised me to study certain details about fire first, and then dropped another bombshell.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t do darkness, then how about light element? It¡¯s a long shot, as when the energy is gone it¡¯s all gone, but Shaeula was loading the mirror up with it before. If you just twist the frames...¡±


    Once he had finished explaining, I was quite excited, and fortunately the extra emotions that had flowed into me had died down, leaving only a second point of connection behind in the back of my mind. That¡¯s a relief, if I had to put up with that all the time I¡¯d not be able to sleep. ¡°So, light huh? I think that¡¯s fitting for me. But it seems hard to understand.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± My bro laughed, a touch annoyingly. ¡°Light is pretty easy from our science standpoint. You¡¯ll only get one shot at this for the foreseeable future, so I¡¯ll get you the data sent over. Some of it is pretty high-level stuff, but just comprehend what you can, raise your chances. Unfortunately I think light and darkness are much more spiritual elements, from what I¡¯ve observed, but I¡¯ll send you what I have anyway. Don¡¯t get your hopes up, but... well, you can try it. Can I speak to Eri again now?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing bro. and... thanks.¡± I meant it. I¡¯d made a fool of myself again, it seemed like I was doing that too much lately, but big bro was the big bro we¡¯d always had, looking out for us, making sure we could fulfil our dreams. Light, huh? Spiritual? Like... good against vampires and evil spirits?


    As Eri chatted away to Akio, looking extremely happy, I shook my head, elated at the chance to grow stronger. One thing is right though. No way I¡¯m ever telling anyone about having this skill though. Not even Shaeula, as she¡¯ll never let me hear the end of it!


    ********


    ¡°So he says he¡¯ll be out of touch for a while again, after he¡¯s helped out a friend of Shaeula¡¯s who is in trouble.¡± Eri said, taking her seat. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating I can¡¯t be there in Tokyo, but as soon as we finish our exams next year I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Eager as ever I see.¡± Not that I blame her. ¡°So, this friend is a girl, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eri shook her head, denying my implication. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing between them. He¡¯s just a friend of Shaeula to her.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Right.¡± I said, unconvinced. My bro is a charming little Casanova at the moment. I hope you are right, Eri. There¡¯s too many rivals as it is. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t do anything about it from here. I want to concentrate on getting stronger now.¡± I pulled out my seat, but as I was about to sit down, an idea came to me. Ignoring the surprised look from Eri I strode to the back of the class, stopping in front of the pervert due, who looked at me, surprised I was approaching them, especially after Eri and I had socially murdered them several times recently.


    Well, I¡¯m a magnanimous girl. Besides, I¡¯m determined to seize my chance and master the light element. Nobody else has that one, so I could be proud of it!


    ¡°So, uh, Aiko-chan, what can I do for you?¡± The first said, and my eyebrow twitched at his familiarity, but since I was asking a small favour it let it go.


    ¡°A quick question.¡± I said, catching their interest. ¡°Make yourselves useful for once and tell me about light magic.¡±


    ¡°Light magic?¡± the other said, puzzled. ¡°You mean like... in games? Manga? That sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Yep. ¡° I grinned broadly. ¡°What¡¯s it usually like, what does it do, how is it used? I want to know it all.¡±


    ¡°Uh, why?¡± the first one said, but at my gaze he faltered. ¡°I mean, sure, we can tell you, it just... seems... odd.¡±


    ¡°Well, you let me worry about that. I¡¯m giving you a chance to score some points with the girls in class, which you sorely need, so come on, spill!¡± I pulled a notebook out of my bag, ready to take notes, while behind me Eri looked on warmly...

 Two Hundred And Thirteen

    Two Hundred And Thirteen


    It was early Monday morning when we returned to the Material, all of our tasks in the Boundary and at what was left of the mansion now completed. The sobbing maids had still been protesting as they were tied up and taken away by Ulfuric and some of the weaselkin, begging Shaeula to protect them, but as she merely looked on, eyes watery, I held her hand, reassuring her everything would be all right.


    There¡¯s no way I can forgive them for what they did, betraying Shaeula and her trust like that. Even if they weren¡¯t involved in the plot to kill her, I still can¡¯t forgive them. I don¡¯t know what fate they¡¯ll face when her father gets his hands on them, but I doubt it¡¯ll be pretty. Ulfuric was going to have to be quite careful with what he said to Prince Shaetanao, but if anyone could handle matters it was him. Besides, if there were other traitors embedded within the weaselkin servants, this was an opportunity to find them. I was sure the prince would spare no efforts in making them talk.


    Yawning, I opened my eyes, stretching muscles left stiff and sore by my long stay in the Astral, the longest single trip I had taken yet. Shaeula woke beside me too, still looking downcast, so I ruffled her hair messily, conveying my affection once more. ¡°Cheer up. I know it hurts, but you have me now. And all your other friends here. One of whom really needs our help right now, so you have no time to mope. Just let me spoil you. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes until you can smile without sadness again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Akio.¡± She sighed, embracing me and pulling me back down onto the bed. ¡°I must have been born to meet you, for you always-always know just what to say to comfort me.¡± Our lips sought each other greedily, and I reached out for the obi belt of her yukata and tugged it free, exposing her flushed body. There¡¯s still time until morning, we can¡¯t do much now, anyway... So with that last thought I gave myself over to passion, seeking to overwrite the sadness in her heart with warmth...


    ********


    ¡°I love you too. Bye.¡± I said, hanging up my early-morning call with Aiko and Eri. ¡°It worked.¡± I said to Shaeula. ¡°Aiko can get a little stronger, at least, and she¡¯s going to try for light and fire elements. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll succeed, but I¡¯d feel more reassured if she had those to fall back on.¡± I¡¯ve glossed over just how I¡¯m powering up Aiko, I don¡¯t want to tell Shaeula it¡¯s via Lovers¡¯ Link or she¡¯ll mock me endlessly, but I think she knows...


    ¡°Yes, I suppose if she fails, we can simply-simply reclaim the mirror from Eri and refill it, though having Eri practise her darkness element is a worthy cause too.¡±


    Shaeula was looking a little brighter after our lovemaking, so I made us both a pleasant breakfast, more western-style than normal, with eggs, cuts of meat and fried toast, as well as sweet pancakes. Like something mom would make to cheer up Aiko and me when we were feeling down as kids. Shaeula enjoyed it, which made the extra effort worthwhile, and while she was cleaning up the dishes, I made a call to the next person I needed to speak to.


    ¡°Good morning to you, Akio!¡± Hinata greeted me brightly. ¡°This is a pleasant surprise, to have you call me in the morning. I trust you received our messages then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for taking charge of the situation, I really appreciate it. Shaeula¡¯s having a tough time right now, so if her friend was to come to harm too, it¡¯d be bad.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± Hinata said, and I could hear the pride and joy in her voice. ¡°A good wife is always thinking of how to support her husband, on that the nobility and Shaeula both agree. So, is she all right?¡± she asked, and I reassured her she was well.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯ll get through it. We¡¯re here for her. But wounds to the heart from betrayal are often worse than physical injuries. We¡¯ve healed those up already. We also lost a gift from her brother, which stings.¡±


    ¡°I see. You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it later.¡± Hinata said. ¡°Please pass on my sympathies. Was there anything else you wanted? Not that you need a reason to call me, of course. We are engaged, officially now, the news is out!¡±


    And so my fate is sealed. But... right now it doesn¡¯t seem so bad. She¡¯s cute and cheerful, and Shaeula is right about one thing. If I saw her married off to a man that didn¡¯t treat her right just because of the nobility, I¡¯d feel rotten. I¡¯m such a greedy bastard... ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot to organise, and my parents are pretty mad, so... well, that¡¯s for later.¡± Yeah, Konoe-san, the Myconids, Sorting out our Territory and rooting out traitors all come first. ¡°I wanted to thank you for looking into that land for me. Is... is it expensive?¡±


    ¡°Some of it was almost free, as we listened to your description of how your power works and managed to call in a few favours with local politicians to get a token ownership deal. As for the last one... well it wasn¡¯t cheap, but supporting you with money is the least I can do, and grandfather contributed significantly. He told me to tell you he wants to see return on that investment though!¡± She laughed merrily.


    ¡°No problem. Speaking of, will you be at the training school tonight?¡± I asked, and she said she would be, so I continued. ¡°Great. Well, this is a bit hard to say, but... if you can handle a bit of pain, I believe tonight we can perfect your chakra network like we did for Kana. It¡¯ll still require you to work hard to grow it, but I think the boost should be well worth it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not keen on pain, but...¡± she sighed, resolute. ¡°... I do not wish to have Kana lording it over me any longer. After all, she isn¡¯t one of your fiance?es. I¡¯ll do it. Kazumi too. If I am entering that world alongside you, Kazumi must be there beside me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think we can manage two.¡± I grinned. ¡°Assuming we finished up our troublesome little problem of course. Oh, by the way... this invitation to Fujiwara Miyu¡¯s house at the weekend. That¡¯s a big deal, right?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed. I do need to find out more details, such as the dress code, who is attending, what gifts to bring, many important matters. But I¡¯ll handle that, you just worry about your own problems. I am not a girl who makes trouble for her husband.¡± I imagined her smiling. ¡°Even so, I¡¯m nervous. I¡¯ve been to visit Mayumi many times, and Sakura is my cousin, but Miyu-sama is very quiet and keeps to herself. Still, she¡¯s the oldest daughter of Fujiwara house, even if she is behind the line of succession to Honoka-sama. I can¡¯t help but be nervous and wonder what she wants.¡± Her voice wavered, before she shrugged it off, her natural cheerfulness coming back. ¡°In any case, it could open doors for you. Being known to have been invited by Miyu-sama will make the nobility more conscious of you and perhaps even win a little respect.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be relying on you to stop me from screwing up my high-society debut. As my fiance?e.¡± I finally said it out loud, and there was a long moment of silence, before she shyly asked me what was on her mind.


    ¡°So, you accept me? I was worried that you thought we were too forceful, and you only agreed to spare my feelings. I can live with a marriage of convenience, the noble way, where we are merely useful to each other, but... having met Shaeula, and Eri, and seeing what they have, I want love too. If I can.¡± Her voice was tense, her breathing fast, as she waited for my answer. There was no way I could lie.


    Considering how clever and brash she is, I forget she¡¯s a young girl, younger than Eri. She must be nervous and insecure too. I need to be the mature adult here. Besides... ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to lie, you did push me into it. It was sudden and shocking, and I still have this feeling of inadequacy inside me that makes me wonder why me? But you are a kind, smart girl, and Shaeula and Eri say they¡¯ll accept you, so I can too. I¡¯m not going to say something again like ¡®if you find someone else you can...¡¯¡±


    ¡°Good, don¡¯t.¡± she interrupted me. ¡°I told you. I¡¯ve made my choice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. Well I¡¯ve made mine too. No matter how it started, how we were pushed together, if you are going to give it your all to love me, to get along with Shaeula, Eri, my sister and family, well, I can do no less than return the favour, and if anyone asks me, I¡¯ll tell them proudly that I bagged Fukumoto Hinata, the girl who is going to shake the very nobility itself!¡± This time I¡¯m not going with the flow. It¡¯s not how things start, but how they end, and I want this ending to be a happy one.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± She whispered, and I could hear her sniffling gently, so I gave her a minute to recover. ¡°Good, good. Now that you¡¯ve realised my worth, there was one more thing.¡± She hesitated. ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t overstepped my bounds, but as I said before, I want to use all my knowledge and talent for you. So I tied up all the participants in your training with proper contracts, making sure they can¡¯t cheat you. Oh, and I¡¯ve done the same with your staff. You¡¯ll need to have a talk with them, bring them up to speed, but Karen-san at least is worth keeping, I think.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yeah, I had planned to tell Karen-chan about this and offer her training too, once she was settled and had got over her last employer and his vile harassment. As for the possibility of me being betrayed or cheated by those I¡¯m training, Shaeula¡¯s servants prove that isn¡¯t impossible. No, it could even be likely.


    Detective Kato nodded slowly. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll keep hands-off as much as I can when it comes to your choices. But if you intend for me to support you in dealing with supernatural crimes, you have to show me I can work with you. My gratitude will only carry you so far, if you become criminals yourselves.¡±


    I nodded, and we discussed a few more details of the plan, until Shaeula had finally calmed down Konoe-san. ¡°I... thank you.¡± She sniffled, eyes and nose red from crying. ¡°I just don¡¯t get why you are helping me so much. I took money from you when we barely know each other. I¡¯m not a good friend at all!¡±


    Shaeula stiffened, annoyance flashing in her amber eyes. ¡°What does-does the length of time we have spent together matter?¡± She was angry, and Konoe-san flinched back. ¡°If I say you are my friend, then you are-are my friend! And I would not-not forsake any friend of mine! Barely know each other...¡± she growled. ¡°The length of time I have spent with Akio is but a fraction of our entire lives, yet I love him deeply and shall never part from him. Length of time means-means nothing! It is the bonds, the emotions, that matter!¡±


    Officer Usui let out a long whistle, face red, and Detective Kato barked a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a brag there. You must be ever so happy she thinks so highly of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am. And I don¡¯t disagree. Shaeula¡¯s been starved of friendship most of her life, and those she thought were... turned out to be bad people. She understands what it is to be tricked, so she is more eager than ever to solve this.¡±


    ¡°Akio is right. I too-too have been betrayed by those close to me. I would not-not allow you to suffer as I have!¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Konoe-san looked at me then. ¡°You say you love him? What about the other woman?¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s a normal reaction. I¡¯ve almost forgotten those, the strange circles I¡¯ve been moving in recently. Before I could answer, Shaeula shrugged. ¡°Other female? You mean Eri, or Hinata?¡±


    ¡°How can you trust him, when he¡¯s cheating on you! He might be as bad as those...¡± a loud clap rang out, and Konoe-san found herself clutching her reddening cheek. Shaeula had not struck her hard, but even so, she teared up.


    ¡°How dare-dare you compare my Akio to thieving scum that would force females into selling themselves. Eri is as a sister to me, and Hinata is not-not a bad girl. Far better to have some of the love of the greatest of males, rather than be lonely, bitterly regretting. Akio has never-never let me down, and he will not-not start now. I will not-not hear this, even from you!¡±


    ¡°All right, calm down ladies. We are straying from the point.¡± Detective Kato took charge, probably well used to domestic disputes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit a woman.¡± He warned Shaeula, and she scoffed.


    ¡°I barely touched Ichika, it was merely-merely gentle chastisement. But some things can not-not be laughed off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Konoe-san whispered. ¡°I... I just feel so angry right now, angry and scared. It¡¯s men who put me in this situation. I haven¡¯t forgotten how you saved me from those thugs. Twice. And I am grateful, but... I¡¯m lost. I don¡¯t know what to do!¡±


    At the murmurs of ¡°I knew it!¡± from the Detective at mention of the thugs, that reminded me. ¡°Yeah, those thugs? Were they part of the gang that is blackmailing and extorting you?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Not really, though I think they might have been put on to scare me a bit. Either that or I¡¯m really unlucky.¡± She sniffled, still rubbing at her cheek.


    ¡°I see. So they may have other connections.¡± I mused. ¡°Well, lending money at more than twenty-nine percent is a crime right? Without written contracts it might be difficult to prove, but bank statements listing payments in and out should be indicative, and they probably have legitimate account books somewhere. Running prostitution is definitely a crime, when the girls are coerced.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but proving all this is the hard part.¡± Officer Usui chimed in. ¡°I¡¯d love to take these scum down, who knows how many other women they¡¯ve ensnared, but it won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is where we work together.¡± I grinned. ¡°Look, recordings are submissible evidence in Japan, right? Well, I got Karen-chan to send someone down to Akihabara to pick up a load of hidden cameras and microphones. It may be an anime mecca there now, but there are still some great tech shops if you know where to look.¡± Ixitt was probably a pain, but he knows better than to cause me trouble if he wants to come back here. ¡°We can use those, and a bit of gentle work from Shaeula, and gather all the evidence we need.¡±


    ¡°It might be dangerous.¡± Konoe-san warned. ¡°They... they are scary men. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°Akio and I, hurt by some mere thugs? I am almost-almost offended.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that.¡± Detective Kato said, a wry smile on his face as he remembered the battle at the shrine. ¡°Unless they bring a tank, he¡¯ll be fine. The girl too. Even if they have that sort of firepower, I¡¯m still not sure it¡¯d be enough.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± Officer Usui shuddered. ¡°The pair of them are monsters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we are good monsters!¡± I protested. Still, I projected confidence to Konoe-san, reassuring her. ¡°Just leave it to us and we¡¯ll handle it. I don¡¯t know if we can get back your money, but we can at least leave you free from this burden. So, here¡¯s the plan...¡±


    As I outlined the audacious plan, Konoe-san looked at me, first with an expression of worry, then shock, then puzzlement, and last, a slight sense of hope. Shaeula is right. It doesn¡¯t matter how long you know someone, it¡¯s what you¡¯ve shared, how you feel. Thinking about it that way, I really don¡¯t feel too bad about Hinata anymore. I had made up my mind before, but now I actually feel good about it. I remembered her smile, alternating between shy and prideful, her eyes gleaming as she talked about her dreams and hopes for the future. I want to be there when she finally creates the world she wants to see. I think it¡¯ll be a wonderful one. After all, the girls in the nobility are trapped too. I wouldn¡¯t dare be so crass as to compare it to the horrible cruelty the other girls who were tricked like Konoe-san are subjected to, but the whole system doesn¡¯t sit right with me. And if I have power... I don¡¯t have to let things that upset me slide anymore, do I?


    ¡°I can do that. It shall be my pleasure.¡± Shaeula grinned wolfishly. ¡°I should very much like to meet-meet these women who betrayed you!¡± She told Konoe-san, who nodded slowly. As Konoe-san opened up her phone and typed a message to one of the women that had initially sold her the worthless art, I considered something else.


    Hyacinth. What to do about her. I know Shaeula made her that promise, but I¡¯m not going to follow through on that just because Shaeula asked me to. After Hinata, I resolved myself to be stronger. But... I definitely feel bad for her, and she¡¯s pretty endearing, in a crazy pervert sort of way. Oh well, it isn¡¯t a decision I need to make now. But I¡¯m definitely going to give it some thought...


    No, now was the time to deal with this mess. Clenching my fist, I resolved to take out my confusion on the bastards that were hurting women here. it was good not to have to think difficult thoughts, to have a clear path of right and wrong before me. And if all goes well, I¡¯ll take the first step in showing the police how crime needs to be handled under the new world that¡¯s coming...

 Side Sixty-Seven – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side Sixty-Seven ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    This isn¡¯t awkward at all. Eleanor bit down on a sigh as she looked around the ballroom. Dozens of important people were here, from politicians to fellow people in the line of succession. Her brother Richard was there with his wife, looking as regal as ever, and as he caught her gaze, he smiled and waved lightly, causing her to look away.


    I don¡¯t want to talk to you right now. I have too much on my mind. He realised she was again holding her side, which was making her walk awkwardly in the elegant powder-blue ballgown she was wearing, her hair piled up more regally than she usually wore it, the sapphire necklace and earrings she wore a gift from her grandmother to match her eyes, and when Eleanor had done a quick search on Wikipedia she had found they were royal heirlooms, and worth an eye-watering amount. Not that she was any stranger to extravagance, being a princess, but even so it wasn¡¯t often the Queen lent out the old treasures. I need to calm down and stop spacing out. Deep breaths, deep breaths.


    Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Pulling her hand away from her side, she found it trembling a little. Of course, it was easy to understand why. She had memories, vivid memories, of being stabbed in the side by a foul goblin-like creature, long black knife penetrating the green armour she wore. It was as if she had been thrust into the fire, her body in agony. She had panicked, sword she held slashing out, and the creature had been beheaded. After that she remembered very little, only to come to a while later, covered in vile blood and with many disintegrating corpses lying all around her.


    Yes, my wound closed, this blessing, or perhaps curse, that I¡¯ve been granted allowing me to recover from any injury, but that doesn¡¯t diminish the pain or fear I felt, no, I still feel.


    ¡°A penny for you thoughts, princess?¡± a refined, stately voice said, and she jumped, jerking around to address the speaker, who was laughing deeply, though without malice or mockery. He was an older man, in his fifties, but still tall and powerful, muscles straining under the elegant suit he was wearing. Running a hand through his still bushy silver-white hair, he took her hand and kissed it, like a knight of old.


    ¡°Sir Arthur, as foolish as ever I see.¡± Eleanor pouted sourly, Sir Arthur one of the few people she could be herself around. Even so, she was in public, so after a mere moment of indulgence she restored her face to its practised mask of stillness. ¡°This farce... I can¡¯t believe you agreed to be a part of it.¡±


    ¡°Why would I not, princess? After all, this is an important step for you, and your grandmother, may God protect her, asked my aid. I think this is surely Gods¡¯ will, or why else would an irascible old coot like me be chosen for this grand task?¡±


    Sir Arthur Dumbarton, the son of a long-time friend of my Grandmother. To think he¡¯d be chosen too, destined to protect the United Kingdom. I have to admit, it¡¯ll be comforting to have someone I know with me in the future, but even so. He¡¯s old...


    ¡°I know what you are thinking, princess. How rude. I¡¯m not old, I¡¯m in the prime of life. There¡¯s strength in these old bones yet, I assure you!¡± He laughed again, snagging two glasses from a nearby servant, handing her one. Eleanor took it, sipping at the strong liquor and feeling the warmth spread through her body. ¡°So, how are you holding up? I notice you are favouring your side? I hope you haven¡¯t been injured, marring the skin of our princess is a shame that would make angels weep.¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing me.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Not a scratch remains. But... I can¡¯t get over the fear. My confidence is shot. I¡¯m not cut out for this. It should have been my brothers. Not me.¡±


    ¡°Well, ours is not to question the will of God, or the turning of destiny. We just make the best of what we can. Look around us, princess. So many people here who know nothing about the way the world has changed. Politicians, celebrities, billionaires, other nobility. They believe the world will go on as it always has. There¡¯s comfort in that, to be sure, but little safety. At least we know what is coming.¡± He waved to two people who were talking to each other, looking out of place amidst the finery and wealth of the Palace. On seeing them, the two came over, the lead person, a younger, short girl of Indian descent, looking particularly starstruck to be meeting a princess. Behind her was a young man, wearing black horn-rimmed glasses and looking delicate like some sort of artist, his big blue eyes taking in everything around him.


    Aditi Mistry and Donovan Patterson. I recognise them from the data grandmother dug up for me. This is the first time I¡¯m meeting them though. I¡¯m pretty nervous. Really, I shouldn¡¯t be, I¡¯m used to appearing in public and being the focus of the press. But that¡¯s that, and this... this is me meeting people I¡¯ll be entrusting my life to, going forwards.


    ¡°Princess, it is a great honour to meet you!¡± Aditi said, curtsying quite well. She¡¯s obviously been practising. ¡°This is quite the event. I must admit to feeling rather out of place. Still, I must confess, finding out I was not alone was a wonderful shock. I thought I was going crazy, bringing shame to my family. Even so, the pressure of being your guard is mighty indeed, princess.¡±


    Donovan reached out a hand for a handshake. He then paused, going pale, realising just who he offered her hand to, but Eleanor was well-used to such things, so she merely grasped his hand gently, pumping it twice before releasing it. He¡¯s blushing. That¡¯s... kind of adorable. ¡°I¡¯m never washing this hand again, princess.¡± Donovan grinned shyly.


    ¡°No, please do wash it, else I won¡¯t be able to be near you. The smell would be terrible.¡± She made a joke, and Sir Arthur guffawed, slapping Donovan on the back, and nodding to Aditi.


    ¡°Indeed, I understand that. Our Eleanor is quite the beauty, but no funny ideas, all right boy? I¡¯ll be watching!¡± He warned jovially, and Donovan nodded rapidly, as though his head was on a spring. ¡°Of course I get it, sir! I¡¯m only here to fulfil the request of the Queen, and to get the money on offer... no, not the money, ugh, ah...¡± he looked down, mortified, and everyone laughed.


    ¡°Oh, now I do not feel so nervous, so thank you, Donovan.¡± Aditi smiled calmly.


    ¡°Well, have you met my brother yet?¡± Eleanor asked, and they shook their heads. ¡°Well then.¡± She continued. ¡°You simply must. I don¡¯t want to be the only one at this party everyone is looking at.¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, in conclusion.¡± Her grandmother said, Richard beside her, as well as their father, Charles, who gave her a look of mixed worry and support. The group was seated in a more intimate chamber of the Palace, rather than the main throne-room, but the Queen was still on an ornate throne, radiating power and dignity despite her increasingly frail body and advancing age.


    ¡°The fate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and perhaps the very world, hinges on securing London and preventing the darkness from spreading. Those of you who have been given this heavy burden are pitiful, yet also blessed. The Crown and this great nation will spare no expense nor effort to support you few we could find. All we ask is that you work together and save this country. As a Queen. As a grandmother...¡± her regal tone changed, and now she was the mischievous grandmother Eleanor knew well. ¡°... We ask you keep our precious granddaughter safe. Those of you who have children will understand.¡±


    Beside her, Mary-Jane nodded, having children of her own. Several others, Aditi, Donovan and Sarah, gave their assent, starstruck by the force of the Queen¡¯s personality. But then David spoke up, shocking everyone.


    ¡°That¡¯s all very well, but... we aren¡¯t the only ones that you have found, are we?¡± He snorted bitterly. ¡°I want to know what happened to the others, who aren¡¯t standing here now.¡±


    ¡°Mr Reckless, show some respect!¡± Mary-Jane began, but the Queen waved her to silence. ¡°A fair question, young man. The answer is simple. Most of them are being watched carefully. We have had a hard decision to make, not to reveal to the world that the end times are coming for the United Kingdom. Not yet. Though it is but a matter of time, such secrets can only be kept for a short while. Still, some refused our call, and we cannot force them, though we might wish to. Not yet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Really? Watched carefully? Not killed then?¡± David continued.


    ¡°Two were.¡± The Queen admitted, surprising everyone. ¡°It turned out that they were irredeemable criminals. One a notorious gangster. The other a murderer. Why they were chosen, we know not. But they were too dangerous to be left alive. We shall bear these sins, but those who misuse their powers will only find death waiting at the end.¡±


    At her harsh proclamation, Donovan jumped, looking scared, but Sarah patted him on the back reassuringly. He¡¯s such a mouse. I wonder how he¡¯ll fare against the goblins...


    ¡°Is that legal? I don¡¯t think so. There¡¯s no capital punishment in this country anymore.¡± David scoffed, and it was her father who spoke up, running a hand through his thinning, greying hair, looking troubled. Father has always been under the shadow of Grandmother. And with the prospect of him being King growing every year... to think he¡¯ll have to weather this crisis. I hope grandmother lives on. She¡¯s always said she is too stubborn to die until I¡¯m married.


    ¡°Under old Law and Charter, these are military, not civil matters.¡± Charles said. ¡°In fact, you will all be given military and noble rank. Anyone with these powers is under military law, and thus criminals abusing them can be summarily judged and court-martialled, with the maximum penalty being death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s merely tyranny.¡± David scoffed. ¡°Besides, if the world is really at risk, shouldn¡¯t you be getting the news out? It¡¯s pretty selfish not to, right? Hard decision my ass.¡±


    ¡°We do find it hard. In our heart, we wish to spread the truth, but we fear the panic it would bring may be worse than not knowing.¡± Her grandmother raised a hand, stopping Charles and Richard from protesting at David¡¯s rudeness. ¡°We must bear that burden, a different one to what you all must bear. If what we, as head of the Royal Family, understand is known widely, there will be chaos, riots, worse. We are working with the right people to prepare for the revelation. As for tyranny, we have responsibilities. Every Royal House for the last fifteen-hundred years has passed on the secret, even to their worst enemies, usurpers or foreign conquerors. We will not shirk the responsibility of ages.¡±


    She looked down, frail, careworn, and Eleanor felt sorrow for her grandmother, who was usually so indominable. It isn¡¯t just me who is suffering. Grandmother is too. The weight of seventy million lives, no, perhaps that of the eight billion people worldwide, rests on her.


    ¡°We beg you, do not turn away from the world in these troubled times. We ask you to risk much, give up much.¡± At her words, David nodded, but he was listening. ¡°You may have to stymie your ambitions for now, but in return...¡± the Queen gestured, and the Armour of the Green Knight that was Eleanor¡¯s was brought out. ¡°... the ancient treasures we zealously guard shall be yours, to defend this fair isle from all threats!¡±


    ********


    After Eleanor had donned her armour, they had been shown to the secret Underground Station under the Palace, which was routed directly to another under the Tower of London. There, in the secret basement, the amazed comrades her grandmother had found for her were sifting through the collection of old swords, axes, bows, armour and faded banners that was the legacy the Crown was sworn to protect. Watching the group, overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, even David, who at the thought of a powerful relic of his own was suddenly far more compliant, she gave a slight smile, pulling her hand away from her side once more.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be all right.¡± Sir Arthur said, beside her. He had found his chosen relic earlier, and the rusted steel sword was belted at his waist. Apparently he just knew it was the one for him. Apparently there were ancient runes carved into the blade, though centuries of rust and decay had obscured them. Still, in the shadow of London, it will likely blaze again, like my armour.


    ¡°They are a motley collection of fools, but all of them, even young David, will realise what we have to do when they see the dangers we face. Some of them may have already set foot in the shadow Britain, the dark mirror of Avalon. But what they will have faced there will pale to what you have battled, princess.¡±


    She nodded, remembering the foul goblin-beasts, the small, dark archers with their bows of bone, the vile hounds which were the size of ponies, and shuddered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Queen, God rest her cunning soul, had you all meet at her gala, filled with the great, the good and the famous. It was to impress on them the magnitude of what they do, and the rewards of success. She¡¯s a wily old bat, as always.¡± Sir Arthur chortled, watching as Aditi pulled out a stringless bow, looking at it dreamily.


    At his irreverence, her lips quirked into a smile. She surveyed the group of strange bedfellows once more, and the thought that she would finally not be alone there was warm. Even though there might be difficulties ahead, clashes of personality, squabbles and trials... not being alone will be truly wonderful! Her hand quivered, but for once it did not return to her side. Instead, she clenched her fist firmly, promising herself she would step up and lead these companions safely through the battles ahead...

 Side Sixty-Eight – Konoe Ichika

    Side Sixty-Eight ¨C Konoe Ichika


    ¡°So, this art is guaranteed to appreciate in value, you say-say?¡± Shaeula said, licking her lips with her small tongue, looking as if she was greedily considering the money she could make. ¡°Art is of course a passion of mine, a respectable pursuit for a fine female such-such as I.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do seem a very refined young lady.¡± The girl sitting in front of Shaeula and Ichika said, laughing happily, running a hand through her dark brown hair which was streaked with pinkish-blonde highlights. Before, Ichika had rather enjoyed the laughter of her one-time friend, but now all it did was set her teeth on edge, her eyes threatening to spill more tears. No, I can¡¯t. I have to do this or it all goes to waste!


    She had sent the message to one of the girls that had scammed her, one who she had thought was her friend. It was exciting, being away from home the first time, going to university, making friends, meeting new and exciting people. The girl who had betrayed her was Kaya-chan, one of the first friends she had made, who saw her drinking alone one day and struck up a conversation. She was so bright, so fashionable, a real big-city girl, and Ichika had been swept up into her pace, meeting other similar girls outside of university too, partying and having fun. Of course now I think she probably picked me out because I was stupid and vulnerable. There have been others too, I know that.


    The message had said, in very careful language, the scary-looking Detective advising her on what to say so she wouldn¡¯t be incriminated in any further investigation, that she had another friend who had money and was gullible, and she was willing to let her get sucked in, if Kaya-chan would help her write off her debts. Even though it was a lie, she had felt sick typing it. What happens if Shaeula gets pulled into this too, ends up where I am, or worse? I hate this...


    ¡°Yeah, you sure are a cutie.¡± Kaya-chan was saying, buttering Shaeula up. Before, she would never have noticed, but now she watched from the outside she could see all the tricks, the careful way Kaya-chan was presenting her body language, every gesture designed to entice. ¡°That Yukata looks really expensive. And you don¡¯t see many old-fashioned girls like you nowadays. That hair too.¡± Kaya-chan reached out and stroked it. ¡°Love the colour girl, you have a really great fashion sense. Are those contacts too?¡±


    Shaeula trembled as her hair was touched, and Ichika swallowed nervously. She¡¯s mad, I think. I can see her hands on her lap, clutching at the hem of her yukata. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t understand. The first time she had been saved from the thugs by Oshiro-san she had run off, leaving her purse behind. Then Watanabe-san had returned her purse and she had been surprised, but even so, she wasn¡¯t ready to trust a man, not with the threats she was receiving. Ugh, even thinking about it makes me want to curl up into a ball and hide. How could I have been such a fool? My parents warned me to be careful, but I thought they were just being overprotective and I knew better. How wrong I was.


    ¡°I assure you I am entirely as nature intended.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°Now enough-enough about me. Ichika here advised me that investments in your art would prove most profitable. I am not-not averse to securing further money. Living my life is seldom cheap.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I get you. Still, let a girl praise you, seriously! That hair is totally gorgeous, I wish I could get mine that colour!¡± Kaya-chan continued to butter her up.


    The second time she had been accosted by the same thugs, she was almost ready to just give up. If I¡¯m so unlucky, I might as well give in and surrender. I remember thinking that. Still, once more she had been saved. By the same man again. It seemed impossible. In fact, she had thought it was probably another set-up, another trick to ensnare her, and she had never warmed to Oshiro-san. It wasn¡¯t like in a story, where she was grateful to be rescued. In fact, she almost resented it, and him. Does that make me selfish, I wonder? Or am I just a bad person? Still, this time he had a woman with him, a beautiful girl who was inquisitive and kind. For some reason Ichika ended up asking for her number, and after that they became friends.


    ¡°So, you see this?¡± Kaya-chan said, and Ichika tensed, realising she had pulled out the glossy brochure that she had been shown before, full of beautiful-looking but worthless trash, along with fake testimonials and lies. She adjusted the scarf she was wearing nervously, the hidden microphone and camera within, and luckily Kaya-chan was too busy spinning her lies to notice. ¡°I recommend this one, at only a million yen, you should be able to sell it for two or three times that, this time next year.¡±


    ¡°A million, you say? That is quite the sum-sum. I would have to forgo my winter yukata...¡± Shaeula mused.


    ¡°Well, it sounds like you have a bit more spare cash than I thought. In that case it¡¯d be a shame not to make bigger returns...¡±


    A million yen? Hah, she started me off on fifty-thousand yen pieces. I almost feel insulted. Of course, then she talked me into borrowing money to go for larger profits. I should have realised then. I¡¯m such a fool. But when I took the loaned money, my fate was sealed...


    ¡°I see. That is quite the sum. I¡¯d have to cut back on expensive whiskey for a while if I was to buy that. But it does-does sound a good deal.¡± Shaeula acted, tilting her head cutely to one side as she pretended to consider the lies Kaya-chan was peddling.


    To think that after our chance meeting, Shaeula never stopped contacting me. She genuinely seemed to consider me a friend, which made no sense to me. We had barely even met! But she would send me endless pictures of her and Oshiro-san, looking so happy. Then she went on holiday to Las Vegas, and I got more and more pictures of her luxury trip. How I envied her then. Still, it was a welcome distraction from my own situation. Ichika had been borrowing money from the few friends she had who weren¡¯t involved in the scam, but quickly that well ran dry. There was only so much she could take while giving nothing back, after all, and some other girls she knew had fallen victim too, and were likewise scrambling for money, before they disappeared, likely... no, I don¡¯t want to think about it! Poor girls...


    ¡°Well, I see.¡± Shaeula said, and Ichika thought she saw green light fill the room, though when she blinked it was gone, though her clothes were rustling gently, as though they were in a breeze. I must be imagining it. Just like with the thugs that time. ¡°This seems too-too good to keep to myself. I know some other females who would likely be interested in easy money. Do you have any other friends who could-could handle their needs?¡±


    ¡°I sure do! There¡¯s Ema, Satsuki...¡± as she began to rattle off the names, Ichika was shocked. I know she is only giving first names, but even so... As Shaeula pressed her, gently picking up the brochure from the table in her hands that were wearing delicate lace gloves to prevent her leaving any fingerprints, Ichika marvelled at her manipulation. Maybe the money on offer has made Kaya-chan too greedy?


    In the end the art was worthless, and the interest on the loans she had taken from the lender Kaya-chan found her was far higher than stated, or legal. She had tried to complain, but then the threats started, multiple big, angry men telling her to pay up or else. It was then Kaya-chan had pointed out ways pretty girls like her could earn plenty of easy money, and all it would cost her was... everything. My body, my dignity, my hope. Still, what else could I do? They threatened my family! Even so, I refused to give in, searching for a way out, desperately. That was when I remembered Shaeula and how rich Oshiro-san seemed to be...


    She had tried to deny she was having problems, as Shaeula was only a casual friend, but in the end she had no-one else to turn to. To think that she would not only open her purse on the spot and empty it out for her, giving her a fistful of bills, but she would even talk Oshiro-san into giving her more, and even promise to help her deal with this mess once and for all. I feel so awful. To think she thought of me so warmly. And that Oshiro-san would help me despite the fact I clearly never trusted him, even though he saved me twice. It made me feel even worse. But I couldn¡¯t give up the hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to call Satsuki, she¡¯ll be perfect for your friends.¡± Kaya-chan said, stepping out back and shutting the door behind her, but it didn¡¯t close, and Shaeula rolled a small microphone in gently, it somehow making no sound.


    ¡°It will be all-all right.¡± Shaeula promised. ¡°We have the proof your art was sold on lies now.¡± she flourished the brochure. ¡°This Kaya girl shall not-not get this back. Now we just need to snare her friends. It sounds like there are four-four more females involved.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve met Satsuki and another one before.¡± Ichika nodded. ¡°Even so... it¡¯s the moneylenders that worry me. They... they make bad threats. And I believe they could do it.¡± She swallowed, feeling sick.


    Before Shaeula could answer, Kaya-chan came back. ¡°Great news. Satsuki is free right now. Are your friends?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Rich young females like us are always free-free.¡± Once more the green glow flashed, and this time Ichika knew she could feel a breeze, her hair was fluttering. ¡°But one-one will not be enough. You should call the others too. I have summoned my friends, but they are proud females, they will expect one-to-one service!¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. I¡¯ll get them to tip me for the referrals anyway!¡± Kaya-chan said, her eyes a touch vacant. ¡°Just going to make another few quick calls.¡± And she popped back out again to the back room.


    ¡°Just how are you doing this?¡± She hissed, and Shaeula shrugged, grinning.


    ¡°The power-power of friendship. I believe that is a thing here in your land, no?¡±


    ¡°Only in make-believe!¡± She shot back. Why am I complaining? I don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°Well in the world Akio and I see, all-all evil shall be banished, and all my friends will be happy!¡± She declared boldly, and Ichika felt she meant it.


    ¡°That would be nice, but it isn¡¯t possible. The world is full of bad people.¡±


    Ichika started to tremble at his intensely threatening stare. Once more resisting the urge to throw up, she took a deep breath. It was then Oshiro-san spoke.


    ¡°That sounds awfully like a threat to me.¡± He said mildly. ¡°Surely a big strong guy like you shouldn¡¯t scare a lady?¡±


    ¡°A threat? Hardly.¡± Matsuhide-sama grated. ¡°And who are you? She said she was bringing someone who wanted to talk to us about her debt. I hope you have money, punk. I¡¯m a busy man.¡±


    ¡°As it happens I do have money. Plenty of it.¡± He laughed, not showing any sign of nerves at the intimidation that was being thrown at him. ¡°So I¡¯ve come to discuss payment. But I¡¯d need to see the loan agreement.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is my word not good enough?¡± he replied, menacingly.


    ¡°Sorry but no, it isn¡¯t. Every official loan has to have a loan agreement or it¡¯s illegal. I also have some qualms about the interest rate you are charging. I believe it¡¯s bordering on usury.¡±


    ¡°Such slander. You¡¯ve really brought an idiot here.¡± Matsuhide-sama snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know it wasn¡¯t as if we forced Konoe-chan here to take our money. She came to us!¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m disputing that? All I¡¯m saying is, I am here to pay, but I want to confirm everything is above-board, and legal.¡±


    ¡°Brat, do you know who you are dealing with?¡± one of the other men said, incensed. ¡°You don¡¯t disrespect Matsuhide-sama!¡±


    This is bad, the situation is turning scary! Still, even as she was terrified, Oshiro-san seemed totally calm and collected, unmoved by their threats yet again.


    ¡°I fail to see how asking to see the loan agreement before paying it off is disrespect. If anything, this refusal is making me suspicious my friend Konoe-san here is being cheated.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Matsuhide-sama raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll level with you. We do deal with... exceptional requests. Those who would not get loans in a more traditional way. Konoe-chan is one of those. So our rates are slightly above a lawful rate. I hate the term illegal. I would say we are changing market rate for her circumstances. Unfortunately she wasn¡¯t able to pay us back, so when you add on penalties, collection fees, consultation charges... well, it all mounts up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it does. But should you be confessing to criminal behaviour?¡± Oshiro-san said. ¡°That seems foolish.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. After all, you wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to think you can go to the police? I¡¯d feel very sorry for Konoe-chan here if that happened. We may not look it, but our business partners are very connected. No, Konoe-chan pays what she owes, or she works off her debt. I hear the working conditions in soaplands and hostess bars are pretty good nowadays, a young pretty girl like her should be able to clear her debts quickly if she tries hard.¡±


    ¡°Connected huh?¡± Oshiro-san said as Ichika felt cold, clammy fingers of dread down her spine as the harsh reality of her mistakes was put upon her again. ¡°You mean like yakuza? That sort of connected?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say our good brothers would not like to see us disrespected.¡± Matsuhide-sama said, and the two guards laughed crudely. ¡°So, did you bring the money? If you¡¯ve wasted my time that¡¯ll get expensive.¡±


    ¡°Let me make a phone call.¡± Oshiro-san said, as cool as if he was doing business with a shop assistant in a supermarket. He pressed a button as Matsuhide-sama watched on with amazement. He had it on speakerphone, so the ringtone was shockingly loud in the sudden silence. After two rings, someone picked up, a cheerful if nervous voice ringing out.


    ¡°Akio-san, to what do I owe the pleasure? Nothing... bad, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Nothing you¡¯ve done anyway, so relax.¡± Oshiro-san laughed brightly. ¡°I just had a problem and I thought of you, Sato-san. Now, I know you are totally above-board and not involved in any criminal activity, but I also know you have a keen ear to the ground, as it were.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am totally not involved in yakuza business. That was all Kondou-san.¡± The accountant declared. ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand that. So... it can¡¯t be the Matsubato-kai again, surely? While I have nothing to do with them, of course, an acquaintance of mine did say your message was received.¡±


    As Ichika stood there, open-mouthed, the rest of the room was silent. ¡°No, probably not. I wonder, you are in accountancy, so have you heard of the Matsuhide firm? It¡¯s in...¡± he rattled off the address, and Sato-san answered quickly.


    ¡°Oh, them? Yeah, they aren¡¯t yakuza, technically, but I hear they are connected with a family under the Inagawata-kai, a front for money laundering and loansharking. They have an unsavoury reputation in securing young ladies in dire straits too. I hear Kondou-san availed himself of some of their ventures. They aren¡¯t nice people, I hope you aren¡¯t messing with them, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, a slander!¡± Matsuhide-sama shouted, his voice hurting her ears, and Ichika bowed her head, unable to keep up with the situation.


    ¡°What was that, who...¡± Sato-san began, before Akio spoke, hanging up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ve been a big help. Bye.¡±


    ¡°My patience has ended. Merely money won¡¯t calm my anger.¡± Matsuhide-sama said, standing, slipping a brass knuckleduster out of his drawer. His men also drew weapons, knives and batons, and the door opened, four more men coming in. ¡°Konoe-chan, you made a mistake bringing this fool here. Starting tonight you¡¯ll be working in a hostess club. No complaints. They are high rollers, so please them, or else.¡± As she slumped to the floor, her legs giving way, she noticed Oshiro-san still looked calm and in control.


    ¡°As for you, I¡¯ll take your money and after I¡¯ve battered you enough to soothe my rage I¡¯m going to take you to a club. You¡¯ll love it. Drugs, young women, we¡¯ll photograph it all. You¡¯ll be my cash cow as long as you play it smart. But if not I¡¯ll ruin you. Or your family will pay the price. Like I said, I¡¯m connected.¡±


    Ichika shuddered, and not from fear. Not fear of Matsuhide-sama, anyway. The moment he mentioned family, Oshiro-san froze, his gaze blazing with anger.


    ¡°Counter-offer.¡± He said, deathly calm. ¡°You give me your loan-book, detailing your illegal transactions, as well as which women you¡¯ve sold to those bastards. I might consider forgiving you for your threats then. If you show sincerity.¡±


    ¡°This guy is an idiot.¡± Matsuhide-sama said, rolling his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on him, boys.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of the way.¡± Oshiro-san told her, and she crawled away, but made sure her hidden cameras were still recording. ¡°So, you are attacking first. I have no exit, and a vulnerable victim to protect. I fear I must defend myself.¡± He said in monotone, loudly.


    As Ichika crawled to the corner, she started sobbing. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan! Where the hell is that Detective? Surely we have enough evidence now!

 Two Hundred And Fourteen

    Two Hundred And Fourteen


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be attacking us, that is clearly illegal.¡± I said loudly, making sure the microphones would pick it up. In addition to recording, we also had a short-range streaming camera and mic, so hopefully that would be being picked up by the Detective and Shaeula, who would be waiting as backup nearby. Though if not we¡¯ll still have some video evidence anyway.


    ¡°Shut up, wiseass!¡± One of the newcomers said, swinging a telescoping baton down at me from above, as he was another tall guy for a Japanese person. I heard Konoe-san yelping in fear, but I had no time to worry about that now. I slipped past the strike and retaliated, a quick blow striking a vital spot in his shoulder, cracking bone and numbing his arm. He let out a cry, dropping his baton, and as a second guy moved in behind me I spun his comrade, allowing him to take the hit, before slipping past the falling criminal, to disable the second man with a pinpoint kick to the guts. And that¡¯s two. Keeping the speed and power at reasonable human limits is hard, but also necessary if I am going to impress the Detective.


    ¡°What the fuck are you clowns doing?¡± The boss, Matsuhide, said, scowling, his fist still raised, knuckleduster shining a dull bronze. ¡°He¡¯s just one small... guy...¡± He trailed off as I put my shoulder into the chest of another attacker, flipping him over my body and down heavily into the wooden desk, his head smashing off it with quite the noisy impact. As he stood there dumfounded, I dodged a swing from an aluminium bat, kicking the guy quickly in both knees and twisting his arm savagely as he fell. ¡°Four down.¡± I said in satisfaction. ¡°However I am not one for violence, I only came here to help Konoe-san. Call off your unprovoked attack and we can talk about this like civilised people.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Matsuhide said incredulously. ¡°If I let you walk out of here now my business is as good as done. If it gets out I¡¯m easy to push around, I¡¯m finished. Luckily for me, I have good brothers who will be sure to help me clean up any messes.¡± At that he made a move for Konoe-san as she hid in the corner, still filming bravely despite her tears and trembling body.


    ¡°Wrong move.¡± I said, darting to block him. A baton spun at me, but I took it on my forearm, barely feeling anything. The man that struck me let out a pained yelp, the recoil of striking my obscenely tough body jarring him. He staggered, blocking the path of the last remaining thug, and I was upon Matsuhide before he could reach Konoe-san. I caught his punch in my hand and squeezed, metal bending and cracking, along with his fingers. He howled in pain and staggered back, slumping down in his chair. I saw his gaze go to the knife-style letter opener and I shook my head. ¡°Really, that would be a step too far. Until now you can use the defence you were only going to beat me up, but pull a knife and it¡¯s attempted murder, right? Besides, you know it wouldn¡¯t work, surely?¡±


    The remaining two thugs who were still standing exchanged glances with their boss, who let out a long, pained sigh. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know who the fuck you are messing with. That guy you called knows. The Inagawata-kai controls most of the families in the Kanto region. You think they¡¯ll take this lying down?¡±


    I bent down and helped Konoe-san up. She was looking at me in a mixture of wonder and terror, which made me fairly uncomfortable. Yeah, this is a far cry from beating up those street-punks before. She wasn¡¯t forced to pay attention then, for one thing, so she didn¡¯t take it all in. ¡°So, is that an admission you are yakuza?¡± I asked loudly, for the benefit of our hidden microphones, and he scoffed, still clutching at his badly bruised hand.


    ¡°Hardly. But we do have connections. Everyone in the moneylending and adult services business do. And when the families involved find out you¡¯ve been causing trouble, they¡¯ll pay you a visit, and you won¡¯t...¡± he paused as I kicked the desk, and the large structure quivered under my blow, thick, solid wood splintering. As it hit the ground with a crash, Konoe-san wasn¡¯t the only one that jumped, the thugs and Matsuhide did too.


    ¡°Looks like I wasn¡¯t the only one not listening to Sato-san.¡± I shook my head, irritated, knowing that there would be even more problems now. I doubt they¡¯ll go after my family, not since they are quite some way from Tokyo, and even if they do, we have Fujiwara Security Services staff on hand, and Eri is more than capable of defending herself. Hopefully Aiko too soon. Even so, there are a lot of ways they could cause me trouble. Maybe it¡¯s time to... ¡°The last yakuza family that tried to interfere with anyone that I care about can tell you how well it went for them. Of course, you¡¯d need to visit them in hospital or prison. Some nearly ended up in the morgue.¡±


    Beside me, Konoe-san looked up at me when I said that, a little fear in her eyes, but I merely smiled back at her reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Konoe-san. I hate violence and only ever act in self-defence. But if those precious to me are threatened, I¡¯ll show no mercy. So if the yakuza try anything, they¡¯ll end up destroyed. Perhaps it¡¯d be a good opportunity to disband them. Japan has no need of organised crime, now least of all.¡±


    ¡°How arrogant you are.¡± Matsuhide scoffed, as Konoe-san spoke shyly.


    ¡°Am I someone precious to you? I barely know you, yet you¡¯ve saved me over and over again.¡± She shook her head, looking troubled. ¡°I¡¯m not worth it, you know.¡±


    ¡°Are you not?¡± I said, genuinely puzzled. My hand instinctively went to her head, rubbing her hair gently, and she froze. Oops, did it instinctively again. Still it¡¯d be weirder to stop now. I¡¯ll just pretend I didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t know you that well at all, but firstly why do we need to have a reason to do good deeds? My sister, my girlfriends, my friends... if any of them were in dire straits I would hope and pray someone could help them. Besides, most importantly, you are precious to Shaeula. And anyone Shaeula cares about matters to me.¡±


    Before I could answer, a message beeped on Matsuhide¡¯s phone on the desk. He looked down, and on seeing the contents his eyes went wide. I see. A message saying a warrant is out for his premises and to hide evidence, huh. My eyes were easily good enough to read it from where I was standing. Before he could snatch his phone and delete the message I had it in my hands, though no-one could work out how, merely blinking, confused. ¡°I¡¯ll have that. I think a friend of mine might want to see this.¡± He made to rise but I kicked the desk once more, and he slumped down, defeated.


    ¡°But... I barely know Shaeula too.¡± Konoe-san said hesitantly. ¡°And I¡¯ve not been a good friend to her. She told me it didn¡¯t matter and just to be better, but it does matter!¡±


    ¡°This probably isn¡¯t the time for it, but Shaeula has recently discovered that some people who have cared for her for many years were working against her and wished her harm. So she values her bonds more than ever now. I get it, I do. Shaeula can be hard to understand. But I do understand she has a lot of love inside to share and craves affection and friendship, so just live with it and be friends. She¡¯ll never let you go now.¡±Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    As the thugs exchanged glances, as if to say ¡®why are they talking about this right now, have they forgot about us?¡¯ there was a knock on the door, and a familiar voice called out. ¡°This is the police. We have a search warrant for this building in relation to illegal loansharking, running prostitution, and coercion. Open up immediately and stay where you are!¡±


    And here we go. Grinning I strode over to the door and opened it, none of my opponents daring to stop me. As the door clicked open, Detective Kato strode in, followed by Officer Usui, who had changed back to her suit, and a couple of other Officers I didn¡¯t recognise. Shaeula followed them in, and on seeing me patting the flushed, tear-stained Konoe-san¡¯s head she grinned slyly. Striding over she added her own head pats, while looking at me approvingly. ¡°Well said, my Akio. I do indeed-indeed wish for friends I can trust.¡± She turned back to Konoe-san. ¡°Now I know you have suffered, but was I not-not correct? Just rely on Akio, and he can and will resolve any problems you face. After all, he has destroyed all my fears and worries, one-one after another.¡±


    ¡°I think you might want this.¡± I tossed the phone I was carrying to the Detective. He caught it in surprise. ¡°I saw a message flicker up about a warrant? I¡¯m no policing expert, but I¡¯d say someone tipped our guy here off about this. A shame it was too late and we were already here.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Konoe-san sighed. ¡°But I¡¯ll pay you back, even if it takes me forever!¡±


    ¡°If that is what you need to do to feel-feel better, I have no objections.¡± Shaeula said, still snuggled in my arms, and Konoe-san, having taken a significant sum of money started laughing, relief finally breaking through her nerves and fears.


    ¡°It is. Honestly, I still feel awful. But better I feel awful and selfish than end up like the others.¡± She sighed. ¡°But then you two really are very close. I¡¯m surprised.¡± She bowed to us then. ¡°Shaeula, Oshiro-san, no, Akio-kun, I guess?¡± At my nod, she smiled again, through the remains of her tears. ¡°Shaeula, Akio-kun, this is three times you¡¯ve saved me now. I¡¯d be terribly ungrateful if I didn¡¯t appreciate that. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t trust you, Akio-kun, and I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been a bad friend. I¡¯ll do better, I will! Though I am still shocked that Shaeula likes you so much when you have other women. I don¡¯t get that.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡± I admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s similar to why you don¡¯t understand why Shaeula sees you as such a close friend. She¡¯s... hungry, I guess, for those bonds. I feel pretty shitty as a man, but I¡¯ve come to accept it is the only way to make Shaeula, Eri and Hinata happy. I¡¯ll never accept a girl they don¡¯t like or want to be closer to. And I¡¯ll make sure they live in joy forever, and any enemies who threaten them will be crushed. I swear it!¡± I clenched my fist, and Shaeula grinned, kissing me passionately, which was embarrassing in front of Konoe-san. I can call her Ichika-san now I guess too. And it looks like she¡¯s also a bit mortified...


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula said as our lips parted, addressing the crimson Ichika-san. ¡°I am glad-glad you realise what a fine male Akio is. I have no complaints, none-none at all. He supports me with my dreams and shows me great love, brings me friends and sisters one-one after another.¡± She then smirked. ¡°If you are looking for a fine-fine male, why not ask Akio? I am sure you would find him pleasant indeed!¡±


    As Ichika-san froze, her mind overheating at that proclamation, I rapped Shaeula on the head, apologising. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, Ichika-san. She always does this with every cute, nice girl she knows. I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s only joking, but you should definitely pay her no mind.¡±


    Shaeula pouted at me, rubbing her head, and Ichika-san only managed to warble out ¡°Cute? Me?¡± before she rebooted. ¡°Uh, never mind. I¡¯m flattered, Shaeula, but... I¡¯m off men for now. You understand, right? I was nearly forced into things I would never want to do. I¡¯ll concede, Akio-kun seems a good one though, so as long as you are happy, I won¡¯t even criticise him for unfaithfulness.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I do indeed understand.¡± Shaeula was once more snuggling in my arms. ¡°Well, if you have any issues, feel free-free to return to the shrine, or seek aid from Karen. That will be fine, will it not-not, Akio?¡± she asked me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d leave a really bad taste in my mouth if things went wrong for you now. I hope you can make up with your other friends, but when you do, please don¡¯t neglect Shaeula, all right?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I promise.¡± Ichika-san shook her head, hand still clutching a fistful of ten-thousand yen bills. ¡°Shaeula, Akio-kun, thanks again. I mean it. I never thought you could solve my problems, even risking going up against organised crime. Though it sounds like it isn¡¯t your first time. I¡¯m shocked.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Let me tell you about the many feats Akio has performed against our foes-foes!¡± Shaeula boasted, though she only told safe versions of the tales, which was good. Watching Shaeula and Ichika-san chatting, the tense and tragic situation resolved, I felt warm inside. Yeah, this is good. One issue is resolved, Detective Kato has seen what we can do, and now we can focus on the Myconids...


    ********


    ¡°Right, we might as well oversee the training school today.¡± I said to Shaeula after we returned in the evening, Ichika-san safely home. ¡°And then we can go back to the lower Astral and start our attacks on the Myconids again.¡± I also need to check in with Ixitt, I hope he hasn¡¯t caused Karen-chan too many problems today.


    As I made to open the door to the training school, which was now fully finished, all construction completed and internal furnishings up to standard, I was beaten to it, the door swinging open revealing a resolute-looking Motoko-san, a nervous Natsumi-san beside her. I could also see Hinata and Kazumi-san, though they were keeping their distance, but on seeing me Hinata gave me a brilliant, happy smile and a thumbs-up, a gesture she must have copied from my sister or Shaeula, perhaps.


    ¡°Motoko-san, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked, and she bowed, before asking me a question. ¡°Akio-sensei. No, Akio. I would talk seriously with you, if I may? I hope you can do me this favour.¡± Beside her, Natsumi-san nodded, her face pleading.


    Akio, huh? Not sensei anymore then. I see. This is going to be a difficult conversation. Still, I had made up my mind after Hinata, not to simply be bounced into things. ¡°All right then. I have no problem having a talk.¡±


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Motoko-san bowed again. ¡°If we could go somewhere private?¡±


    ¡°We can use our room on the top floor. Shaeula is coming too. And... will we need Hinata for this?¡± I asked, and Motoko-san nodded after some brief hesitation.


    ¡°Perhaps that would be for the best. After all, I have consulted with her on this matter, and she has a vested interest.¡±


    ¡°All right then. This way.¡± Yeah, it¡¯s about us, isn¡¯t it? Time to test my new resolve, I guess. But what... what do I want? No lying to myself, I¡¯ll consider everything honestly, and after talking it through, we can decide together...

 Side Sixty-Nine – Treyvon James – Black Wolf Company PMC

    Side Sixty-Nine ¨C Treyvon James ¨C Black Wolf Company PMC


    ¡°... and one-hundred!¡± he muttered, lowering himself from the horizontal bar, his muscles burning, sweat dripping from his bare chest and streaming down his forehead, stinging his eyes. Running a hand through his damp hair, he let out a long sigh.


    Well, at least I get to keep in shape. The Japanese are kind enough for that, anyway. Treyvon looked around the rather luxurious prison cell he was still occupying. He didn¡¯t have to share, and it was equipped with some gym gear, a luxury that a US prisoner accused of international terrorism and espionage would definitely not be awarded. Shit, we¡¯re lucky we didn¡¯t end up in some Guantanamo Bay-style hellhole. Even so, it wasn¡¯t as if he would be able to escape easily, even if he converted the bar or some weights into makeshift weapons. Yeah, the guards here all have guns, and against bullets we can¡¯t complete. Well, unless we are that damn guy, anyway.


    Taking a bottle of water from the small fridge his cell was also provisioned with, he took a long drink, wishing it was booze. ¡°Although it is probably a good idea they haven¡¯t given us any alcohol, or my sis would be on the rampage about now.¡± He said out loud, a habit he had picked up over his brief imprisonment. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in solitary, I¡¯m allowed to see Aliyah, Manx and Travis once a day for lunch. I need to keep it together.¡±


    Exercise wasn¡¯t just to keep him in fighting shape, it was a way of remaining conditioned mentally. That was especially important, as the interrogations had been regular. Not that any of them knew very much. Though at least when I mentioned that the team had claimed to have extracted other Japanese citizens before our failures they were grateful, if angry. No, really my sis knows most about what¡¯s going on, and she¡¯s... not exactly calm when it comes to him.


    As he pondered this, the cell door opened, and several guards were there, carrying automatic weapons. For a brief moment Trey entertained the thought of trying to overpower them, before giving it up as a fools¡¯ errand. ¡°So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? You are early today if it¡¯s lunch.¡± He said, and as usual they didn¡¯t reply, either because they were well trained, or as Trey was increasingly suspecting, their English wasn¡¯t amazing.


    ¡°¡±Yes, it is a bit early.¡± A strong voice agreed in near-perfect English, and Trey was surprised to see an old man in an expensive-looking suit behind the guards. ¡°Still, I thought this would be a good time to have a talk. You¡¯ve been forthcoming, to an extent, but now I have a greater interest in some... clarity.¡±


    He was muscular, looking like a fighter, with close cropped grey hair and dark, piercing eyes that seemed to evaluate every aspect of Trey, searching for value. I guess this guy is important. Military too, judging by his bearing. I guess the top brass are finally ready to interrogate us, though if they planned to soften us up by confinement, they sure have been doing it wrong.


    ¡°A talk, huh?¡± Trey kept his face impassive, unwilling to concede the initiative. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s to talk about. Other than the unconstitutional detainment of me, my sister and our men. I know you Japanese have your own Constitution, right?¡±


    ¡°We do indeed, and we are very fond of obeying the law.¡± The old man chuckled, seemingly in good humour. As Trey allowed himself to be cuffed and led out, a grey tracksuit top draped over his bare torso, the old man continued to talk to him. ¡°Still, we also can¡¯t overlook terrorist actions on our soil, now can we? And alas for you, while the United States did reclaim that rogue cell of agents that unfortunately went on a rampage in a friendly country...¡± He chuckled at the clear fiction involved. ¡°... when it comes down to private citizens such as yourselves, they were most unwilling to even acknowledge your involvement. So what can we do, other than see you as armed terrorists?¡±


    Figures. That¡¯s the whole point of employing PMCs. Deniability, and we can be cut off like a lizard shedding a tail when shit goes south. I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t prepared for this, but it still stings. ¡°In that case, shouldn¡¯t we be having lawyers and shit, getting ready for trial?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can have a lawyer and shit...¡± the old man said, his grin belying the abject lack of humour in his eyes at that. ¡°... though going down that road is not one I¡¯d recommend. Still, you should talk it over carefully first.¡± They arrived at an interrogation room, and the door opened to reveal more armed guards, soldiers all, as well as his sister, looking ill-humoured and out of sorts in the grey prison tracksuit she was wearing. Travis and Manx were similarly attired, and sat meekly to the side.


    ¡°Hey Trey. Lunch is early it seems. Though I think they are going to try and feed us shit.¡± She eyed the old man sourly. ¡°Looks like a big boss has finally come to talk to us.¡±


    Come on sis, I know you are pissed off, but getting angry isn¡¯t going to help us here. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say so.¡± He sat down beside Aliyah, and they did indeed provide lunch, bowls of rice heaped with meat and eggs. It was decent enough, but Trey missed good old American food.


    His sister agreed, as while Aliyah was shovelling forkfuls of the bowl into her mouth, she was muttering about ¡®missing a steak and all the trimmings¡¯. On seeing their bosses eat without seemingly a care, Travis and Manx did likewise. It¡¯s all a front though. We need to show we still have some control of the situation, even if it¡¯s a lie.


    When they were done, his sister burped noisily, before speaking. ¡°Damn, you could at least give us some booze to wash it down with. What happened to Japanese hospitality?¡± She sneered, her blue eyes cold.


    ¡°Well, considering the hospitality that you tried to show our upstanding citizens, I would think you would be grateful you aren¡¯t washing down your last meal with a body full of lead.¡± The old man said darkly. ¡°Still, since your spirits are still so... buoyant... I think we will be able to have a good talk here.¡± One of his men pulled out a chair and he sat down, regarding them. At this Trey straightened, and his sis did the same, realising the time for jokes and bitter sarcasm was over. ¡°I am Tsumura Katsuro, and I happen to be Minster of Defence for this nation. And I think it¡¯s time we talked about just what to do with you all.¡±


    I knew it. This is going to be a tough negotiation and we have almost no cards in our hands.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°A big-shot huh?¡± Aliyah snorted. ¡°All the way down here for little old us? Nobody died, well, nobody on your side anyway, so why the fuss?¡±


    Trey winced at her tone, but agreed with the sentiments. ¡°I have to agree. At best you could argue illegal importation and carrying of firearms, attempted kidnapping and maybe attempted murder. I know crimes are rare in Japan, but a Minister taking personal notice of that?¡±


    ¡°Come now. There¡¯s no point playing the fool. We all know what was going on. The targets, Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. They are special people indeed. As apparently were the Japanese citizens that have already been abducted, and the US refuses to return. They offered us all sorts of other concessions, but deny our request for their safe repatriation. Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°Well, they are either already dead, or too valuable to return.¡± Aliyah said bluntly.


    ¡°Yes. Quite.¡± Katsuro agreed. ¡°Value is subjective, but let me be blunt. Your value is in question here. This goes one of two ways. You agree to answer our questions fully, holding nothing back, and perhaps we can find a use for you, until such time as the US returns our citizens. Or we can get you that lawyer and shit, but speaking of shit, you¡¯ll all be swimming in it. Japanese courts are brutal. You might see the outside again, but you¡¯ll be my age then at best.¡±


    Manx and Travis looked troubled at that. They were soldiers, well, mercenaries, and death on the battlefield was a constant concern, but one thing that worried all operatives was the prospect of a life lived poorly in jail. I don¡¯t want it either, but... the USA isn¡¯t perfect, but it¡¯s home, and I don¡¯t want to betray it.


    ¡°Yeah well, if we squeal, we are done. Nobody will hire the Black Wolf Company again, and our old comrades in the other Companies will be tasked with sealing our mouths. Not much better than prison, right? Shit, might as well get me that firing squad you hinted at earlier, unless you got a sweeter deal.¡± Aliyah shrugged.


    ¡°A deal huh? Well, funny you should say that. I am a grandfather, after all.¡±


    ¡°No it fucking ain¡¯t!¡± She shook her head, beads jingling. ¡°How is it I know him better than you dumbasses? I said we¡¯d kept his family out of it, but that they could be in danger, and the fucker went mental. He said if anyone ever even attempted to harm his family or friends he¡¯d hold everyone responsible, even up to the fucking president, and said he¡¯d get them no matter how long it... huh. I never noticed that.¡± She paused, frowning.


    ¡°Noticed what?¡± Katsuro seemed relieved at her words, but now he had a curious gleam in his eyes. Sis, if you have something good, now is the time to share it. Technically we haven¡¯t agreed a price for our help, but we are in the weak position here so fuck it. Show ¡®em what you¡¯ve got!


    ¡°He said he¡¯d get stronger, until he could take revenge, no matter how long it took. And I don¡¯t think he meant like hitting the gym. He was a lot faster and stronger when we fought him than he seemed to be in Vegas too, though he could have been... nah, no way that careless shit would fake it. He¡¯s not savvy enough. If his powers aren¡¯t fixed, but grow... nah, surely there¡¯s a limit. But if not...¡±


    ¡°If not, perhaps one day missiles wouldn¡¯t be enough. At that point...¡± Katsuro said, nodding, satisfied. ¡°Perhaps these Astral Emperor-candidates, as he called them, will truly be the rulers of the world.¡±


    Astral Emperor? What a fucking joke of a title. Still, if he¡¯s calling it that, either he knows to do so, or that is a declaration of his intent. But knowing which is vital to how to deal with him.


    ¡°My granddaughter did corroborate some of this, though she was surprisingly reluctant to give details when she asked to speak to me this morning.¡± Katsuro mused.


    ¡°Your Granddaughter?¡± Aliyah perked up at that, bringing smiles and slight chuckles from Travis and Manx. Trey quickly waved them to silence. ¡°What does she have to do with anything?¡±


    Katsuro ignored the question, merely leaning in conspiratorially, his smile light and kind. Though it¡¯s clearly a front. Still, the old bastard is personable, I bet he was a handsome bastard back in his day. ¡°What do you do with a man with power beyond what you can understand? That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the man.¡± Aliyah piped up. ¡°If he¡¯s a bastard, an evil man, well...¡± she drew a finger across her neck, the gesture clear to interpret. ¡°If he¡¯s someone you can work with, you do, but even then... control.¡±


    ¡°Power is dangerous. But then so is blindly oppressing those with power. Especially...¡± Yeah, why are these people with strange abilities popping up all of a sudden. Will it continue? What does it mean? Is worse to come? ¡°... without knowing why.¡±


    ¡°I do so like smart people.¡± Katsuro smiled. ¡°You must have some inkling of the way the world has changed?¡±


    The four of them exchanged silent communication again, before Aliyah nodded. Biting down on a sigh, Trey spoke. ¡°Look, we are professionals, and citizens of the United States first and foremost. We won¡¯t betray that, even if we get fucked here. Hell, we became private military contractors because our lives were shit, and it was the only way we could think of to use our strength to have a better life. So if you want us to roll, might as well get us that lawyer. But what we can say...¡± he paused for a breath, before continuing. ¡°... is that we all know there are others. We captured one before, your guy knows about it, he was there too. And we had a list of names worldwide. You must know of more in Japan too. I don¡¯t know why, but... I¡¯m sure you have an idea.¡±


    ¡°We do. Oshiro-san has provided information, as has the shrines and temples through Takakura-san. Ichijou house has rooted out a couple more, and while they all seem to have varying degrees of knowledge, everyone agrees that danger is coming. The Apocalypse. Ragnaro?k, Armageddon. The End Times. Many names, the same implication.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fucking crazy, but I watched him shrug off bullets and slice apart a heavy metal pole with a wave of his damn hand. I¡¯d believe any shit after that.¡± Aliyah shook her head, ¡°So if we need these people to fight off an invasion, or a zombie uprising, or the second fucking coming of Jesus, we can¡¯t just get rid of them. No, in fact they¡¯ll be able to name their price. Shit. And it¡¯s only a matter of time before it can¡¯t be hidden anymore.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, best to deal now before the world knows. Still, naming a price. What does a man want?¡± Katsuro mused, though Trey knew he already had the answers. Granddaughter. I get it. Bold.


    ¡°Money, respect, love, comforts. Sex. Lots of things.¡± Trey said, and Katsuro agreed.


    ¡°Indeed. My granddaughter is a warrior, a fiery girl, which is strange as the nobility only sees girls as beautiful ornaments and bearers of new generations of children. Mothers and wives, nothing more. So she doesn¡¯t fit in, wishing to fight with the weapon arts our family has carried for a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°She sounds like my kind of girl!¡± Aliyah smirked.


    ¡°Obviously I want my granddaughter to be happy, so I considered a marriage to Oshiro-san. That way we could tie him to the nobility, as well as my family and the military legacy we carry. That seemed the best option. But... I was torn. I love my granddaughter, and I want the best for her.¡±


    ¡°That guy really cares about his family, and his girls.¡± Aliyah said, surprising everyone. Her expression was complicated. ¡°He¡¯s a cheating bastard it seems, but if you can live with that, I think he¡¯d look after any girl of his. When I saw them in Vegas, they all seemed to adore him. Such a damn waste.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Well, multiple wives and mistresses isn¡¯t unheard of in the nobility. That was not my concern. He was the first we found, and so he was the first considered. I now wonder if others might perhaps be better suited for her, but surprisingly, my granddaughter seems resolute, though it seems securing his agreement is the problem now.¡± He sighed. ¡°But that isn¡¯t so relevant. What is relevant is, I want to know everything about Oshiro-san, and everything else you can share. I won¡¯t push you to break faith, but if you think of the future...¡±


    ¡°Fine. My sis met him a few times and knows him best. She¡¯ll fill you in. But... can we see him too? I want to talk with him again, sort things out. I don¡¯t like where we left it.¡± Besides, if we can persuade the victim to forgive us, our chances of getting out of this jail increase a lot.


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that a coincidence?¡± Katsuro smiled. ¡°Oshiro-san would rather like to see you as well. Though not immediately. My granddaughter says he has an important project on at the moment. But I daresay in due time you¡¯ll get your wish. However.¡± His gaze turned flinty. ¡°Unless we get something to compensate both Oshiro-san and the Japanese state for our troubles, then here you will stay. Our allies spat on us, and if we show weakness they¡¯ll only do it again. Besides, if I let the man my granddaughter has fallen for be cheated, I¡¯d be a poor grandfather, would I not?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, another cutie in his grasp.¡± Aliyah moaned, before letting out a booming sigh. ¡°Fuck it. Fine. I first saw the stupid fuck in a casino. He was ogling me unpleasantly. He has a wandering eye, so best tell your granddaughter that! Anyway, the idiot is lousy at keeping a low profile, and...¡±


    As he listened to his sister tell a story of mixed complaints, rants and genuine respect, he closed his eyes, thinking. The info we have on that guy isn¡¯t going to be enough. And I¡¯m not leaking info on the other targets. So what else do we have? Money, nope, we are burning our cash right now, and with our failed mission costing the US dearly, we won¡¯t be getting top jobs any time soon. Information? Already discussed. Love? He looked at his sister, before dismissing that instantly. No fucking way. If anything, she seems to have a rivalry going on with him, like he¡¯s a little brother or something. Still, she doesn¡¯t hate him as much as she claims, the way she¡¯s talking about him. But still, no good. What else? Manpower? That¡¯d be problematic with our backers in the US, and also... trust. We have no basis to be trusted at all. Still, what else can we do?


    By the time Aliyah had got to the true story of what had happened that night Aliyah and Luciana had met him at a bar, her angry glare shutting up the grinning Manx and Travis, Trey was certain. Only one choice, if we are to get out of this without prison or being an enemy of the US. But it¡¯s a fine line to walk. Still... It wasn¡¯t impossible, if the Japanese were prepared to make demands. And if this Akio guy is prepared to accept... still, considering what they did to my sis, he¡¯s got guts, the girl too. Damn, I bet he¡¯d be a real good guy to hit a bar with, smash some beers, look at some hot men. Well, I guess he could take the girls. More handsome men for me, I guess...

 Side Seventy – Ulfuric Ral Salamandrastrae

    Side Seventy ¨C Ulfuric Ral Salamandrastrae


    ¡°So, let me be clear-clear?¡± Prince Shaetanao Gar Shae Dannan, ruler of the Beastkin Fae, declared, his deep blue eyes blazing with fury, his silver-furred hands digging into the metal armrest of his chair, effortlessly deforming the dwarven-forged steel. The aura of elemental energy he was unleashing as his emotions spiralled was shocking, and motes of various shades of green and dark indigo were dancing in the air of the small greeting room. ¡°These... these vile betrayers tried to slay-slay my beloved daughter?¡±


    The two maids of the princess who had survived the attack by the Night Parade cowered. One had fainted, her eyes rolled up in her head from the pressure, while the other was trembling so much one of her teeth had cracked as her jaw rattled. She tried to form words of denial, but all that came out were terrified stammers.


    I cannot blame them. The Prince has a powerful presence indeed. The rulers of the Seelie Court, second only to the King and Queen, were not just Princes and Princesses because they were powerful, but they were powerful because they had the seats, the energy of the noble Territory of the Seelie Court focused on them, adding to their grandeur. Of course that is one reason Duke Vulpatrius eagerly seeks to usurp the seat from the Prince, leading to this current mess. A foolish errand. Now more than ever, the Seelie Court must pull together, united to face both the changing mortal realm and our common enemies. His thoughts went once again to the princess and her consort, the human Akio, as instead of trying to defeat their foes, such as Grulgor, they made them friends, and he found himself smiling, an unusual expression for the stern badgerkin.


    ¡°And just what-what do you find amusing, old friend? Surely not this treachery?¡± the Prince roared. At that the second maid fainted, her feeble resistance spent as a tornado of wind energy whipped through the room. ¡°To think-think that Duke Vulpatrius would stoop so low. Sadly, even with these betrayers as proof, it would just be seen as politics.¡± He spat sourly, his fist slamming down, caving in the side of his throne. ¡°The Aggressor faction is stuffed with fools-fools, eager to expend precious effort seizing power, rather than their stated goal of crushing the Unseelie. The Isolationists are even worse, and their voice is growing-growing, as the Wild Hunt grows ever bolder, and we lose more and more land.¡± At that the Prince paused, shaking his head. ¡°Apologises, Ulfuric. I know-know the losses and failures to reclaim our stolen Territories burns you more than most. I spoke poorly.¡±


    At that, Ulfuric shook his head, denying the apology from the Prince he had chosen to serve, to bury his past. ¡°It is of little matter. And nowadays, I find that flame burns colder and less furiously.¡± I surprise myself. Perhaps Ixitt was right, and seeing the princess try to reclaim the Spring of Clear Reflections, one of our three great losses... perhaps it has moved my heart, if only a little. It still seems impossible, but perhaps I can still dream. ¡°More importantly, I suggest you investigate all your other servants. One that got away seems to have been sworn to Duke Vulpatrius long before the disputes even began.¡±


    ¡°I shall. And to that end, these two treacherous maids shall suffer-suffer until they have divulged every morsel of information they hold. I may not-not be able to censure that troublesome fox, for he has more allies than I do, but it will still-still weaken his position. And I need that now more than ever-ever.¡± He scowled, showing his fangs, which were capped with jade and gold.


    Well, some information you will not be able to extract. The princess had used her winds upon them to prevent them talking about her secrets, in the end. Perhaps they should have been used to rip out all the information they held, but the maids were fragile and tormented, so it might have shattered their minds. It will have to be enough. Prince Shaetanao will make sure the maids spit out every truth and secret before their end, of that I have no doubt. Attempting to murder the princess will leave his heart without mercy for them.


    As guards dragged away the unconscious maids roughly, heedless of the injuries they were accruing as they were pulled along the ground, Ulfuric dismissed them from his mind. After all, now he had his own worries. And what his Prince said next fed into those. ¡°So, Ulfuric, just how-how did you come across these traitors? I do not-not believe that I sent my daughter with any of her maids to her... her exile.¡± He spat the word, the other side of his chair now equally wrecked by his anger. ¡°Besides, are you not-not fighting on our borders? Though I did have-have a visit from the High Marshall of the Way-Wardens, saying something about Shaeraggo¡¯s guests defeating an incursion? Welcome news indeed, but do you know-know of this?¡±


    With the Price of the Trial of Three binding us, what I can say is sorely limited. Even so, I would not betray the princess and her wishes. She has no intention of relenting until she is able to stand proudly in front of her father and the whole Court. So until then, I shall not speak of her. ¡°Indeed, I do. Shaeraggo dotes on his sister, more than any except perhaps princess Shaeranna. I fear he broke his decree and went to visit her, taking the servants with him, as he felt that it was too cruel an exile without them.¡± I dislike lying greatly, but this is close enough to the truth. ¡°It was then this treason was discovered.¡±


    ¡°I see-see. Quite the fortunate turn. Well, my precious Shaeula was born under a lucky starfall, though I oft did-did wonder...¡± he shook his head. ¡°I had no wish to separate her from her maids, but ... she needed to shed her selfish pride, to grow in the land of her mother. Ah, her mother...¡± his gaze went distant, reminiscing. Once he returned to the present, he looked at Ulfuric, downcast. ¡°So, my Shaeula. You have seen her, right-right?¡± he asked. ¡°Is... is she well? This must have wounded her greatly, I fear her fragile spirit is wounded beyond-beyond repair.¡±


    At that, Ulfuric struggled to restrain another smile. Wounded? Yes, the princess was gravely hurt by the betrayal of those she trusted. Beyond repair? Hardly. Her spirit is no longer so fragile, for she has found her reason to fight, and those that would stand by her, becoming her strength. In fact, the aura of strength radiating from the princess was very reminiscent of her father, the Prince. Not in terms of sheer power, for of course he significantly outclassed her, but in terms of the strength of will. When you finally see the princess again, your shock will be immense. As was mine, when she fought me to the end in the Trial of Three. ¡°Indeed. She is pained, though more so that one maid who has remained loyal seems to have been kidnapped. If you wish to heal her heart, perhaps retrieving her, if possible...¡± he trailed off, knowing the task was likely fiendishly difficult. ¡°... well, the princess has grown up. Perhaps you owe those who pushed for her exile an apology, my Prince. For it has achieved the desired result.¡± Even saying such shocks me. Yet it is true, if not for the reasons they wished.


    ¡°So how is-is she?¡± The Prince asked, but before Ulfuric could formulate a safe answer the door crashed open, nearly falling from its hinges, as a tall, black-furred weaselkin burst in, her green eyes fierce. She lowered the foot she had used to kick open the door, before fixing Ulfuric with her hot gaze. ¡°Master Ulfuric, well met, well met! I hear you have seen my little Ula. I simply must, simply must know how she fares! If she has been hurt, even a scratch, I¡¯ll take my spear and ram it right up that shit-eating foxes arsehole until he craps metal, craps metal!¡±


    ¡°I still cannot believe this, believe this.¡± Princess Shaeranna declared, blood and sweat streaking her body as she rested on the shaft of her long ash-wood spear. ¡°A Trial of Three, so he can not talk? Pathetic.¡± She shook her head, irritated. ¡°And you are bound by his loss too, loss too?¡±


    ¡°All I can tell you is, the princess, your little sister, is quite well. Better than well, in fact. Even though she has suffered a harsh blow, she will not yield, and were you to see her now, you would doubtless weep with joy.¡±


    ¡°I would not weep, fool. Not me, not me.¡± She looked down, embarrassed. ¡°Though I would dearly like to see little Ula again... wait, you no longer call her little princess.¡± She noticed. ¡°For you, Master Ulfuric, to drop such endearments...¡± she paused, frowning. ¡°Has Ula truly grown up? If so, can she not return, not return? After all, whatever the intent of the exile, the stated purpose was to reform her character and grow her strength.¡± She spat onto the muddy floor of the arena they were in. ¡°At least that bitch lent her some followers, else I would have tracked her down, her down, and rammed my spear up her...¡±


    ¡°Enough. Do not speak ill of her mother like that.¡± Ulfuric rumbled. ¡°I know you dislike her, and that your father lost much wooing her. But she loved him in her own way, never doubt it, and she loves her daughter well. She has many enemies of her own within the Night Parade, of that I am certain. Besides, if you love her daughter, your precious sister, can you not spare her some of your affection?¡±


    ¡°I guess I am all out, all out of affection right now.¡± She sighed, looking worn down. On seeing that, Ulfuric tried to comfort her, his big paw resting on her shoulder. Shaeula seems to enjoy it when Akio touches her on her head, but I could never be so informal with one of my pupils. The princess looked at him in surprise, jade eyes going wide. He then spoke, his tone strangely gentle. ¡°Is the matter settled? It is in some ways as cruel as the exile of your sister.¡±


    ¡°Do not be foolish, Master.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ula... well, I should rejoice you say she is safe. To think that my little brother Raggy had the nerve to risk our honour, our honour. Still, I do understand. I too longed to go see Ula, see Ula and mop up her tears. She always was a coward, relying on her maids. I hope she does not cry too much now, much now.¡±


    I fear someone else has taken her tears now, princess. Perhaps you would even be jealous. Though envious too, no doubt. Your sister, she does not know. Her grasp on the politics of the Court is shallow. Perhaps it is best that way. I would not wish her to try something foolish, not now, when she is so close to her goal of being able to return in triumph. ¡°No changing the subject, princess. I wish to know your honest thoughts. Perhaps... perhaps just as your sister surpassed expectations, you could do the same?¡± I am skirting the Prices with some of the things I say, but if she knew what princess Shaeranna felt, she would forgive me, I am sure.


    ¡°It would take more, take more than even a barghest or two right now.¡± She snorted, her face a false mask of brittle good humour, as she tried to cover her feelings. ¡°I suppose there is but one upside. I do rather like Talaisha. She is the only decent foxkin I have ever met, ever met. Fighting beside her against the Unseelie and Wild Hunt is quite the thrill, so at least... well. You understand. Besides, now that I know Ula is well, I can harden my resolve, my resolve.¡±


    ¡°As your master and instructor in the spear and combat arts, I approve of your resolve indeed.¡± Ulfuric rumbled. But having seen her sister and how she has changed, as someone who has watched you grow up, I cannot say I wish to accept this. ¡°However... do you think anyone else wishes this? Would Shaeula, your precious sister?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I wished, I wished that she be spared her exile, were my wishes answered?¡± She shook her head. ¡°By the moon, wishes are for children and the weak. I am strong enough to bear this, bear this. Even so, it is not like I am going to die, is it?¡± This time her smile was more genuine. ¡°Besides, Ula is such an innocent child, she likely does not understand, not understand these things.¡±


    At that Ulfuric nearly choked. Oh princess, if only you knew. I believe your sister has gone ahead of you in these matters. Far, far ahead! ¡°Well, it is not my place to tell you what you must do. All I would say is, perhaps another way will present itself?¡±


    ¡°That would be quite lovely, quite lovely.¡± Shaeranna agreed, taking up her spear once more, ready for more sparring. ¡°If I could re-join the Way-Wardens and battle alongside Talaisha once more, once more, politics forgotten, I would be most pleased. Even better if sweet little Ula was back at my side.¡± Her expression turned dark. ¡°And I would just love to present her with the heads of her treacherous maids, their faces frozen in expressions of the merest fraction, merest fraction of grief they have caused her!¡±


    That would hardly please her. The princess is rather forgiving, even more so now that his influence has rubbed off on her. Still, mercy in victory can be a good thing, unless carried to dangerous extremes. As Ulfuric parried a blow from her spear, he found himself grinning. Tomorrow I shall return to the princess and Akio as promised, and then... onwards to the Spring of Clear Reflections. If that could be retaken, then... his gaze softened, and he was almost taken unawares by the spear flying at his face. As princess Shaeranna laughed at his clumsy parry, saying he was becoming slow in his old age, Ulfuric stepped up his pace, driving her back. If one of the three great defeats could be avenged, that could change everything. Even the Aggressors would have to laud such a feat... he put aside such extraneous thoughts and lost himself in the joy of combat, spears clashing, his worries temporarily forgotten...

 Side Seventy One: Tsumura Motoko

    Side Seventy One: Tsumura Motoko


    Her feet, clad in tabi socks for grip, slid gently across the polished floor of the combat dojo in her family mansion. Her blue and white hakama fluttered as she swung her sword, the heavy bamboo of the practice blade, which was weighted with lead inside, whistling menacingly as it slashed down at the shoulder of the girl in front of her, likewise attired, her pretty face, framed by short brown curls, twisted into an expression of intense concentration.


    ¡°Hah!¡± The girl, Natsumi, her student and long-time friend cried out, bringing up her own weighted sword. They clashed, the sound shockingly loud in the quiet training hall, before Motoko slid backwards, gaining a position where her blade could sweep in from the side after the parry, finishing the fight. Still, for once it was not to be. That was... excellent!


    Natsumi was breathing heavily, her muscles trembling under her white sleeves, yet somehow she had managed to get her sword up to parry, and the blades were locked in a cross shape. The move had been swift indeed, and was not entirely the traditional forms of Tsumura swordplay, though it bore some similarity to many of the counters. ¡°I... managed to block you, Motoko!¡± She declared, before losing her grip on the sword as it slid from her sweaty palms, the effort too much, holding the sword so awkwardly. ¡°But I guess I still lose. How frustrating.¡± She pouted, sinking to her knees, spent.


    Even so, you look happy. ¡°You do not look too frustrated.¡± She observed, lowering her own wooden sword and reaching out, helping Natsumi back to her feet. ¡°That move. It was the third form of the reverse counter, was it not? Still, the angle is different. It reminds me a little of...¡± she paused, face hot. I must have exerted myself too much, I am very warm.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Natsumi nodded. ¡°What Akio-sensei showed us before. The angle of the blade. He isn¡¯t terribly skilled, but he has good instincts. I just thought... the only way I would make it in time to block your strike was to angle the third form differently.¡± She paused. ¡°Is... is that wrong?¡±


    Motoko shook her head. ¡°I do not think it is. It is still the third form, and even if it was not, if this was battle, what use would it be taking the stance and parrying when you knew it would be futile and you would die?¡± She brushed her hime-cut straight bangs out of her eyes and mopped at her sweat with a blue handkerchief, before untying the matching ribbon that tied her long hair back into a ponytail during practice. ¡°Sometimes I envy your short hair, Natsumi. But mother and father say nobles should have long hair to show status. It does get in the way of practise though.¡±


    ¡°Well I think you look lovely.¡± Natsumi disagreed. ¡°My hair just looks stupid if I grow it out, it¡¯s too curly. And considering that my family makes antique kimonos and wedding gowns from traditional Japanese textiles and techniques, when I wear them for catalogues and exhibits I don¡¯t look right. Japanese girls should have long hair.¡± She smiled then, impishly. ¡°Besides, I believe Akio-sensei likes long hair on girls. Eri-senpai and Shaeula-sensei both have long hair.¡±


    Motoko felt her face flush then, the temperature increasing despite her no longer exerting her body. The girls at his hometown talked about this. It is... embarrassment, no? Ignoring the urge to cover her reddening face, Motoko managed a poised nod, her pupil and bodyguard-in-name smiling kindly at her. ¡°Well, that... that does not matter, does it? We declared out intent when we knelt before him, asking for the boon of marriage. Whether I have long hair or not... well, I suppose it does matter, as it is a wife¡¯s task to appeal to her husband¡¯s tastes. Perhaps I should be grateful.¡± It is quite complicated, these feelings. I had my resolve, and I knelt, imploring. I asked Eri-sensei for her blessing as well. Yet since then...


    ¡°The news is out. Hinata has officially become engaged with Akio-sensei.¡± Natsumi sighed. ¡°Despite you taking the initiative, Motoko-san, you have let it slip. It isn¡¯t as though I don¡¯t understand why, but... I don¡¯t like to see you so uncertain.¡±


    Yes, I am uncertain. Not regarding my wish to marry someone who will allow me to keep both my family honour and the path of the warrior. That is my dream. But that Akio-sensei is the one.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, Motoko-san. You are always so resolute, so bold. It is why the other daughters of nobility look up to you, especially from the Three-Hundred such as my family. You are kind and approachable, never condescending to those below your family. You took me on and treated me not only as your bodyguard, but as your friend. And I adore you for that. So please, if I can help, tell me how! What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yes, what is wrong? ¡°That parry.¡± She changed the subject, though it did have some relevance, and would help order her thoughts. ¡°Even though it is not the arts of our family, not purely, it still has value. Our arts must change if we are to pass them down. Your family techniques are still as they were hundreds of years ago, right? Yet the dyes, the patterns, the cuts, they have changed to match the tastes of the era.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we make some very nice modern dresses too now, and even western-style bridal outfits. I would like to see you in one, Motoko-san!¡±


    ¡°I would be happy to wear it, if it was made by you, Natsumi.¡± Motoko sighed, looking down at her practice sword, and her hand, which was not the soft hand of a noble girl like Hinata, or even a normal schoolgirl one could find anywhere like Eri-senpai. ¡°Still, I must be honest with myself. He... Akio-sensei. He does not wish for us, does he?¡± She looked down, feeling mortified and shamed. ¡°The look on his face when we knelt to him was unpleasant, and every time we have broached the subject... it hurts both my pride, and... what use a wife that only drags her husband down? I would shame myself, my family, our ancestors... even the arts we wield.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been thinking. I see.¡± Natsumi said, fetching Motoko-san a towel and even fussing over her, mopping her sweat. ¡°I should have guessed, after all, no-one else knows you better than me!¡± She declared. ¡°Can I be honest with you, Motoko-san?¡±


    ¡°You can, always.¡± She protested. ¡°And I am sure I told you simply to call me Motoko now. After all, we are both to be wed to... oh.¡± She trailed off, and Natsumi giggled gently.


    ¡°Well, I was overly hasty. My situation is... not quite... as grim as yours, Motoko.¡± She omitted the honorific, flushing, her eyes moist. ¡°Our techniques are carried on by skilled artisans the family has hired. I need to know them, of course, and must have children to carry on the family, being the heir and only child of our house, but compared to the pressure you feel, my family is humble in comparison. But still...¡± she pressed on. ¡°I¡¯ll be forced to give up the Tsumura arts when either of us marry, and when you graduate school I¡¯ll no longer be your bodyguard. We¡¯ll be separated, and I¡¯ll rarely ever see you again. and I hate that.¡± Natsumi declared vehemently. ¡°Motoko, I can¡¯t imagine being without you. Training together, spending time together, it¡¯s the happiest I¡¯ve ever been.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way. Having someone who shares my enthusiasm for the family arts, someone I can talk honestly with despite the difference in rank, a friend. I treasure you, Natsumi.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That... that was why I asked Akio-sensei to marry me also. That way I could stay by your side, we could always be together. We would carry forth your family arts and teach them to our children, and use them in battle, side by side.¡± She sighed. ¡°What you are feeling, I feel it a thousand times more keenly. I am a bad girl.¡± She looked down, and Motoko felt the urge to hug her consolingly, although that was not what a refined, noble girl would do, so she refrained.


    ¡°So, you have no liking for Akio-sensei?¡± Motoko asked, curious. ¡°That is not necessarily a problem for arranged marriages, but...¡±


    ¡°... but like you, it makes me feel awful.¡± She conceded. ¡°Still, I wouldn¡¯t say I have no liking for him. He seems kind, I can tell that by the girls he loves. A cruel man wouldn¡¯t make them smile so when they talk of him. He is strong too. I would hate to marry a man weaker than myself. He seemed a decent choice, and when you expressed your desires I made up my mind. I would marry the same man as you! Still, if he was put off by your proposal, mine must have positively dismayed him. After all, your house has much to offer, Motoko. I am merely a hanger-on. And it seems he believes in love.¡±


    Yes, I noticed during our trip to his hometown, and the more I have considered it, the more sure I am. He is not concerned about what rewards and profits a marriage will bring, unlike the nobility. No, he genuinely adores Shaeula-sensei and Eri-senpai. I do not think there is any room for us. She said as much, and Natsumi actually embraced her. She stiffened, wondering what was going on, and Natsumi giggled mischievously.


    ¡°I always wanted to do this. Seeing the play of normal girls made me wish we could be more open. They were so lively. Though their choice of conversation was often baffling. Sex. After all, is that not just to please our husbands and beget children to continue our lines? I thought so, but apparently Eri-senpai was delighted to spend her birthday with Akio-sensei, and Shaeula-senpai said she loves it too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I admit to being curious. But it is not something we can ask, is it?¡± Motoko could feel the warmth of her friend, and gingerly reached out her own arms, hugging her too. Natsumi sighed, her giggles dropping in volume, before she stared right into her eyes, serious.


    ¡°No, but it also shows we don¡¯t know everything. if you truly want Akio-sensei to accept you, then you need to be honest. I for one still think it is the best choice. And not just because I¡¯m selfish. I have my pride too, and I¡¯ll be a wonderful wife, the match of Eri-senpai, Shaeula-senpai or even you, Motoko. So he does not love us yet. To us, that should be no worry at all. Instead, we should be more like Hinata-san. After all, she¡¯s been very happy since the engagement. We should speak to her. And your grandfather. But first... Motoko. I tell you honestly. I want to spend my life with you, together, and I want to continue training. I¡¯ll learn Tsumura arts, and I¡¯ll take what I learn from others and make Tsumura arts even better, just as a kimono my family makes today might have modern dyes, contemporary patterns, and yet it¡¯s still a traditional Hori-style kimono. I¡¯ll be a wonderful wife, and raise strong and beautiful children. I want everything, even things it should be impossible to have together. I don¡¯t love Akio-sensei yet either, but I never expected to love my husband, not right away.¡± She paused then, gathering her final thoughts, while Motoko watched on, her own thoughts churning, as they were wrapped in each other¡¯s arms. ¡°I do think he¡¯s worthy of loving though. And if things were different and my parents had brought him to me as my arranged partner, I could have been happy with it, lessening the sting of losing you. So, even though he hated the idea, I¡¯ll win him round. Besides, he does find me pretty, I know that.¡± She giggled again. ¡°So, Motoko. Do you want this? If so, tell me, and I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    I never knew Natsumi felt so deeply about everything. I was a fool. But I do not wish to be parted from her either. The weight of all I could gain, all I no longer have to lose... perhaps it is crushing me. ¡°Natsumi...¡± she began, hesitantly at first, but growing more confident. ¡°I believe I was jealous of Shaeula-sensei and Eri-senpai. Jealous that they had everything they wanted, without the weight of responsibility we feel. Perhaps I was wrong, and selfish, to think so. After all, Shaeula-sensei is more noble than the Tsumura house, in a way. Her burden cannot be a light one. Besides, she told me she only knew Akio-sensei for a short time, yet she won his heart.¡±


    ¡°So, I think we need to think of the rules everyone has to follow.¡± Aiko said suddenly. As everyone looked at her, she flushed. ¡°Not me, wow, damn, I¡¯m his sister! But I think if everyone knows where they stand, and what is off-limits and how you need to all get along, everyone will be happier. I mean, my bro probably deserves it, but being as I am the best sister in the world, I don¡¯t want him to end up living with five women who are always fighting and he¡¯s stuck in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Five, huh? Optimistic. I¡¯d say Kana-san at the shrine is pretty suspicious if you ask me. She¡¯s cute too, and apparently has a really useful talent.¡± Hinata said shrewdly, and Eri shook her head.


    ¡°No way. I don¡¯t like her! She¡¯s false and sneaky and mercenary. The wrong sort of girl for Akio!¡± Eri declared, putting her foot down. ¡°This is why we need rules. Aiko is right! And more importantly, we need to force Shaeula to follow them! She says she respects me as first wife, and I know she loves me as a friend, but when it comes to other girls it¡¯s as if she wants everyone she meets to fall in love with Akio! You need to help me rein her in!¡±


    ¡°Yes. It isn¡¯t like I have a problem with Akio having other women. He¡¯s going to rule this world and others!¡± Hinata declared, wisely saying nothing more about Kana-san. ¡°But if he has so many there is no time for us then what¡¯s the point? I think that is what worries him the most, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I like you. You seem to understand him.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. He feels guilt at what he sees as a betrayal of me and Shaeula, as well as he worries that he won¡¯t be able to make us all happy. Foolish.¡± Eri shook her head angrily. ¡°Every moment I¡¯m alive now, whether I¡¯m with him, swinging my axe, or just sitting around daydreaming, I¡¯m happy. Anyway, if you want him to love you, you need to allay those fears. I would suggest...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll speak to you all tonight! Later!¡± Aiko waved her hand, Eri beside her, and the phone went blank, the call ended.


    ¡°Well, that was interesting. We¡¯re going to be late for school, which is a pain, but I hope you feel better about everything now.¡± Hinata said, and Motoko nodded, Natsumi also agreeing.


    ¡°To think he is that simple. He isn¡¯t a noble at all, is he? I thought we knew that, but I guess it¡¯s hard to change our mindset.¡± Natsumi marvelled.


    Yes, is it really so simple? If it is... well, there would be no hardship following the path to his heart, and it explained the sorrow and disdain he had when they knelt before him, pressuring him to accept them. ¡°In that case. I am resolved. Hinata, I apologise as the announcement will likely steal your thunder, but I shall speak to grandfather and my parents directly.¡±


    ¡°It was nice to show up Sakura, but that was only a bit of fun.¡± Hinata acquiesced politely. ¡°So... you can come in now.¡± And with that, the doors to the room opened, and in stepped Motoko¡¯s grandfather, mother and father. Her grandfather looked both stern and proud, while her parents had very mixed expressions.


    ¡°Motoko, my granddaughter.¡± Her grandfather said, looking her in the eyes. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally made up your mind? It doesn¡¯t have to be him. There will likely be a need for the nobility to tie others like him to our cause. Perhaps we could find one you wouldn¡¯t have to share...¡±


    ¡°No. it will be him. I¡¯ve decided. Natsumi has decided. Hinata, Shaeula and Eri have accepted it. All I need to do now is to approach him honestly, not regarding what he can gain, but simply with why he should love me and hate to miss out on me.¡± She didn¡¯t back down, meeting her grandfather head-on. When he merely smiled, she turned and bowed to her mother and father.


    ¡°I am sorry. I have been a difficult daughter. But the Tsumura family, our arts, the sword, the spear and the bow... I¡¯ve loved them too much to ever give them up. And I believe now, it was all for this. I trained for this day, so I could stand beside the husband I chose, watching his back in battle, soothing his cares in the home, raising strong heirs.¡±


    ¡°I too!¡± Natsumi declared. ¡°I refuse to be left out!¡±


    Motoko smiled at her friend. Left out? Surely not. We will serve Akio together, as his wives. The thought of it makes me happy. And it will not just be us serving him. No, from what they tell me, Akio will return our joy tenfold. I find it hard to understand, but I look forward to discovering what they meant.


    ¡°Mother, father. Grandfather.¡± She bowed to them once again, this time in martial arts fashion, as per her family traditions. ¡°I ask you support me in arranging my marriage and confirm it with both the Three Grandfathers, as well...¡± she swallowed nervously. ¡°... as well as Akio¡¯s family. We must do him the courtesy of seeking their agreement too. Apparently they know enough of his circumstances to accept the way things are. Natsumi and I... we must do the rest, and capture his heart.¡±


    Her mother pulled her into a hug, surprising her, as the Tsumura¡¯s were not a tactile family. Looking up, wide-eyed, she saw her mother was crying. ¡°Every mother wishes to see her daughter happy. I married your father and found joy, so I hope you too can succeed, my Motoko.¡± She then released her and hugged Natsumi, who flailed in shocked protest. ¡°You have always been a support for my daughter, which she has needed, being so different. I thank you, and it is reassuring to know that you will stay by her side. I hope you find happiness too.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a hard man, Akio.¡± Her grandfather said, surprising them. ¡°If anyone threatens those he loves, he¡¯ll show no mercy. I approve. He even said he would kill a president if he had to.¡± He chuckled dryly. ¡°But he¡¯s also rather old-fashioned, it seems. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll make a bad husband at all for my beloved granddaughter. You tell him from me, if he turns you down, I¡¯ll come and punch him in his idiot face!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather! No coercion! That is the wrong way to deal with him!¡± She protested.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I have no words.¡± Hinata apologised, forgotten in the family drama.


    ¡°That¡¯s not coercion, merely the words of one man to another. You tell him this from me. ¡®Would your heart not burn with jealously when you see another man taking the arm of my Motoko, leading her to the altar? Would it not shake with anger, should you see her looking downcast, without life in her eyes? Would you not feel great satisfaction, taking her hand on your wedding night, leading her to the bedchamber, ready to...¡¯¡±


    ¡°Father-in-law!¡± Her mother protested, face burning, and Motoko knew how she felt. Turning, she saw Hinata and Natsumi were equally red, flushed with embarrassment, and perhaps something more, a deep heat inside them. I do not know what it means to have sexual intercourse, only the little we were taught. But from what those girls said, it was something amazing, a true act of love...


    ¡°So, you know what to do then, sister?¡± Hinata said, and Motoko felt a different sort of flush at that.


    ¡°Yes, sister Motoko.¡± Natsumi joined in impishly. ¡°You just have to be honest, confess that you like him, and win his heart! If not, I¡¯ll tell him just how good you look when you are changing after practise, and...¡±


    Under laughter from the room, Motoko flailed her hands, trying to shut Natsumi up. Even so, the laughter felt warm, and for some reason, the hard calluses on her hands didn¡¯t seem to bother her so much anymore, instead seeming like marks of pride that she could use to show her dedication to her arts, that she could be by his side during the toughest of battles, when she took his hands in hers...

 Two Hundred And Fifteen

    Two Hundred And Fifteen


    ¡°Well, here we are then. Make yourselves comfortable.¡± I said, gesturing to the chairs around the penthouse-style room at the top of the training school.


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Motoko-san said, sitting elegantly on one of the chairs, looking very comfortable in her shrine maiden outfit. Which makes a lot of sense considering she wears hakama normally for training, I guess. Natsumi sat beside her, while Shaeula and Hinata took up positions on the other side. Only Shaeula was dressed differently, in her usual yukata. Still, she was grinning, and that filled me with some disquiet.


    ¡°Would anyone like tea?¡± I asked, and at their nods I went to the kitchen area and started preparing. I couldn¡¯t help but cast sidelong glances at Motoko-san and Natsumi-san while I worked. The two of them were good girls, definitely, but I found their presence difficult, at the least. When they had taken dogeza before me I was shocked, and rather upset, really. I don¡¯t like being pressured, especially by girls. I find that... difficult. Hinata was the same, though despite her being a noble daughter, she was more upfront and impish, and I actually felt that she did like me, even if she was a bit tsundere about it. But Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, as far as I could tell, they had no particular fondness for me, and were just interested in what they could gain from a marriage of convenience.


    Well, it isn¡¯t like I blame them or anything like that. It¡¯s they way they were raised, and let¡¯s face it. If I didn¡¯t already have Eri, Shaeula and now Hinata, and two girls as pretty, elegant and charming as them were proposing to me, even for fairly bad reasons, well I¡¯d have jumped at the chance, wouldn¡¯t I? Ignoring the little voice in my head that said if I didn¡¯t meet Shaeula and reconcile with Eri, I would still have found a way to turn them down, I considered it as the kettle boiled. Objectively speaking, Motoko-san is an elegant martial arts beauty, from an excellent family, and Natsumi-san is a mixture of refined and cute. I¡¯m cursed with a wandering eye, and if I saw them in the street I¡¯d certainly look twice. But none of that matters. No, there was one woman on my mind right now, and she wasn¡¯t even human.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± I said, passing them the tea, not failing to notice Motoko-san¡¯s hand shaking as she took it. I passed the next to Natsumi-san and she shot me a brilliant smile, her brown eyes bright. ¡°Thank you, Akio.¡± She said, and the lack of honorific surprised me.


    ¡°Yes, I should thank you as well. Akio.¡± Motoko-san said, catching me off-guard despite my suspicions. After she took a sip she smiled charmingly, her face red, quite unlike her usual composed appearance, closer to when she had tried to propose to me. ¡°This is not bad. The tea seems expensive, and you have prepared it well. Still, I am well trained in tea ceremony and would be pleased if you would try some of mine?¡± She looked me boldly in the eyes, quite unlike the way she had been rather nervous around me recently, the few times I had trained with her in the school before the Myconids had taken up all my focus.


    ¡°Here, you are busy.¡± Shaeula said, taking the remaining cups from me, passing one to Hinata, who was watching, an approving expression on her features. ¡°I shall-shall help. Yes, this is quite nice.¡± She took a sip. ¡°Though I would rather have some whiskey or beer. Perhaps after this talk?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps... maybe some sake?¡± Motoko mused, surprising me again. ¡°It might be appropriate to toast... no, I am getting ahead of myself. I must be calm. Tsumura style requires the finishing blow to be precise and without distractions, the mind clear.¡±


    ¡°Oh Motoko.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°Calm down, you can do this. But maybe I should go first?¡±


    Yeah, I don¡¯t like this. It seems the same as before. I had better head this mess off. I am resolved not to be pushed around anymore! ¡°Motoko-san, there¡¯s no need to stress over this. I¡¯ve told you before, there¡¯s you don¡¯t have to marry me just to carry on your legacy. I want to help you, sure, you are a nice girl, but I can do that many other ways. We can find you a husband you love who will accept your arts.¡±


    ¡°But you are marrying Hinata.¡± Motoko-san said, before draining the rest of her tea, the cup rattling on the saucer. ¡°Did you not make her the same offer?¡±


    ¡°I did, but... well, it¡¯s a bit different. Hinata seems to like me for some reason, and... well, she was hard to turn down. But I¡¯m only falling for that once!¡±


    ¡°They way you say that, it sounds like you don¡¯t want to marry me. I¡¯m hurt!¡± Hinata pouted, through she didn¡¯t seem truly upset, probably as she knew I had made my resolve.


    ¡°You know I want to.¡± I promised. ¡°It isn¡¯t how it started, but how it ends, remember.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Motoko-san bolted upright, before bowing deeply to me. Oh no, I hope she isn¡¯t going to propose again. I think I¡¯ve been making it clear enough. Still, her next words managed to surprise me again.


    ¡°Akio, I am deeply, truly sorry. I shamed myself before, with my own impatience and selfishness. Natsumi, you apologise too!¡± With that, Natsumi-san was also bowing beside her, and I felt panic rising as Shaeula chuckled. Seriously, I look like a true villain, browbeating pretty girls into apologising to me, nearly in tears.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to...¡± I waved my hands frantically, but Motoko-san lifted her head, and at her gaze, strong and yet full of unshed tears, I shut my mouth, unable to say anything else.


    ¡°I do have to.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was utterly wretched and selfish when I prostrated myself and begged for your love. I was not thinking of you then, I admit it, only the answer to my prayers, the chance to snatch my dreams. I did you a grave disservice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was selfish too. I didn¡¯t want to be separated from Motoko, and becoming your wife too was the best way. I didn¡¯t look at you as a person, which is wrong. Can you forgive us?¡±


    ¡°If not, I shall understand.¡± Motoko continued. ¡°But trust in me, I am looking at you now, Akio, my teacher in this strange new world. And I am rather pleased by what I see. I am also looking at myself critically, and that... that pleases me less.¡± She took a deep breath, and I saw her hand snake out, to be grasped by Natsumi-san¡¯s. ¡°If we may have one selfishness, could I ask that you forget everything that has transpired, all the pressure we put you under, the potential for arranged marriage my grandfather wished for. Everything. I would start afresh, as your pupil only.¡±


    ¡°I ask as well. Please forgive Motoko. And forgive me too.¡± Natsumi-san pleaded beside her. ¡°Although if you can¡¯t, because I was even more selfish, then at least forgive Motoko.¡±


    Well damn. This is both better and worse than I was expecting. Now I feel guilty that I¡¯ve been sort of avoiding them, not being as nice as I could have been. They know what they did wrong, so...


    Shaeula coughed behind me in a terribly fake fashion, and I stifled a bitter grin. I know, I know.


    ¡°Fine, raise your heads. Please.¡± I reached out, grasping their hands and pulled them up. As their eyes met mine I could read a mixture of sadness, hope and yearning. ¡°I admit, I hated the pressure. I¡¯m... oh gods, it¡¯s laughable to say it now, but I still see myself as an ordinary guy. It was hard enough to accept Shaeula, and I think I¡¯d loved her for a while beforehand. Hinata, well, that was a problem too. But now. I have three women. And...¡± I can¡¯t tell them I am considering a fourth, the poor creature.


    ¡°I understand. What we assumed was normal, is not for you.¡± Motoko-san sighed. ¡°Again, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, I forgive you. I am partially to blame too. I should have shut this all down when I realised it was a likely possibility. Instead, I got hurt, you got hurt, everyone got hurt. So, it didn¡¯t happen. Are we all agreed?¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. Just so long as you don¡¯t try and tell me our engagement is forgotten.¡± Hinata joked, and I waved it off.


    ¡°I do not-not like to see you sad, Akio. Nor these two, they are good females indeed.¡± Shaeula also approved, and the two sighed in relief, sitting down again.


    ¡°Fine. Shall we get down to business? Hinata, you can call Kazumi and we¡¯ll start...¡±


    ¡°I have a question first, if I may?¡± Motoko-san asked, interrupting me, which was unusual for her.


    ¡°Sure, fire away.¡±


    ¡°I am very curious. You have known Hinata only a brief while longer than us. So why do you seem so pleased to have accepted her?¡± Motoko-san said, and I considered it.


    She does seem like she genuinely wants to know. I wish I knew myself, really. It¡¯s for a lot of reasons, though too many of them make me seem shallow. Still, the most important is...


    ¡°When I thought about her looking sad, on the arms of someone else that didn¡¯t appreciate her, not seeing her drive, charm, willingness to go against the nobility itself, I felt bad, angry even. The fact that she¡¯s cute helps too, and that she sees who I am, as well. I guess I¡¯m selfish, considering I want to keep Eri, Shaeula and Hinata all to myself. I still worry about the fairness of that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Foolish Akio. Always worrying about what does not-not matter.¡± Shaeula said fondly, and Hinata echoed her, saying she was more than satisfied to share.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for being honest with me.¡± Motoko-san said. ¡°Yes, I now see my mistake. I only saw what I could gain from you, not your own spirit, which is noble.¡± She smiled then. ¡°In both ways. Your strength is something I deeply respect, and your ability to capture multiple women is something we recognise as noble.¡± She smiled once more, and Natsumi giggled gently at her joke.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy I could help...?¡± I trailed off as Motoko-san stood once more, reaching out for my hands. I could easily have dodged, as while Motoko-san was quick on her feet, being trained, she paled compared to me. Still, her hands hesitated, before moving to grasp mine, so I allowed it, and her warm hands clasped me, still faintly trembling.


    ¡°Akio. I... would it not pain you to see me taken by someone that did not appreciate me? I have the drive to fight alongside you, no, not the drive, the desire. I have spent long years training my charm, learning to be a good wife. My very existence denies the way the nobility treats their daughters. I am supposed to be a flower, to be admired and then placed in a vase behind glass when I am not needed. But I am a rose with thorns. And... it pains me to say it, for I am modest, but I think myself beautiful.¡± She smiled shyly then. ¡°And I see who you are. Now I do. I am looking.¡± She stared deep into my eyes, her head wandering closer. ¡°I feel jealous myself, when I see you smile at Hinata. I thought I was being bold, brave and decisive, aiming for what I wanted. Instead I was mistaking cowardice for wisdom.¡±


    Oh man, she¡¯s close to me, her breath is tickling my face. But she is looking at me. Ugh, my heart is starting to beat, in a different way to when she threw herself on the floor and pressured me. At the time I managed to talk them out of requiring any immediate commitment from me, and though I thought they misunderstood, Motoko-san started acting far more nervous around me, taking distance. But now...


    ¡°Motoko-san, I think...¡± I began, but she again interrupted me.


    ¡°Please, call me Motoko. I... I am not going to lie to myself anymore. Grandfather could have found me another man to marry, another like you. Ichijou house has apparently found several, and there are even some within the Three-Hundred that have been unearthed, though they are likely being chastised by Fujiwara-san for trying to hide it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Mayumi was bragging about it, saying they would be better than you.¡± Hinata said. ¡°I laughed in her face through. Better than you, Akio? That¡¯s foolish, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°I should say so indeed!¡± Shaeula snorted, fiddling with her orange phone idly, as she watched Motoko and I hold hands. ¡°Akio has defeated Kondou Kazuo, armed assailants from a foreign land, many-many powerful opponents such as one of the Night Parade, and he will lead-lead us to victory over the Myconids, reclaiming the lost lands of the Fae. Better. Such foolishness.¡±


    ¡°I think the same. I turned grandfather down.¡± Her breath was hot with every word, and I noticed her lips were trembling as she spoke, her expression tense. ¡°I want to wield my weapons, but not just to keep the family arts alive. I want to use them for something meaningful. For someone meaningful. You never mocked me, were supportive, even when I hurt you, pressured you. And so I think... wielding them for your sake would be joy for me. For you, I would cut down any foe.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, she¡¯s doing it!¡± Hinata squealed, face flushed, but I barely noticed. No way. She¡¯s confessing again? But she asked me to forget everything, start over from scratch... wait. I still wasn¡¯t the sharpest when it came to love and romance, I knew that. It was odd to say for a cheating harem bastard such as myself, but I still had a tendency to deliberately tell myself things were more innocent than they were, or that I was misreading things. It¡¯s still only been just over a month since I started dating Eri. I¡¯ve changed a lot, we all have. But we are still the same inside. We can¡¯t change who we are so quickly. So if she asked me to forget the past, as she realised what she had done then wasn¡¯t so much a confession as a business deal, wrapped up in gain and loss with no love, happiness or romance, only a cold cudgel of forced sympathy designed to make me yield... then is this time...?


    ¡°I want to be your businesswoman, in charge of your financial and property empire!¡± Hinata smiled.


    ¡°And Natsumi and I will have many duties, as well as battle.¡± Motoko said, understanding.


    ¡°Well, in the lands of the Fae, time runs far-far faster, usually. I would invite you all to our mansion there, except it got burned down by some troublesome cats recently.¡± Shaeula sighed.


    ¡°That sounds rough. Want to talk about it?¡± Hinata said, curious.


    ¡°Later, perhaps. For now-now, this issue. We must resolve it.¡±


    ¡°When I look into your eyes, I see reflected the me you see.¡± Motoko said. ¡°And that is the me I wish to be. The pressure I have been under all these years. If not for Natsumi, I believe I would have broken. But even so, Natsumi and I cannot fight alone against the tide forever. Not alone. So I ask you again, not just you, Akio, but Hinata, Shaeula, Eri. Please, I would be yours. I pledge my sword, spear, bow, my strength, my lips...¡± she flushed and let out a shy giggle. ¡°... and my heart. Let me be your strength, as you shall be mine.¡±


    Well fuck. There¡¯s an awfully large piece of me that is thrilled at this development. The Motoko in my arms is a beauty too. Different to Eri, Hinata and Shaeula, but gorgeous nonetheless. And my conscience is screaming at me that I can¡¯t let Motoko break down, crushed by the weight of the world. But just as much of it screams at me that I¡¯m being unfaithful and betraying those I love. Fuck, this is one hell of a Morton¡¯s fork. Damned if I do, damned if I don¡¯t. but if I¡¯m damned... I¡¯ll damn myself by doing. I can always spend my life making reparations to the girls, but if I let Motoko go to suffer alone, that I can¡¯t fix.


    ¡°Are you really sure? You¡¯ve been uncertain, reckless. But... there¡¯s no going back.¡±


    Her answer was another long kiss, and as we tangled tongues, my hands went to her back, stroking her long hair. As we separated, she looked up at me, and her expression was so very beautiful, her resolve shining through, the warrior woman I first met, just without the shadow in her eyes, and the hesitation in her soul. ¡°Eri said it best. Don¡¯t miss out on happiness. I will not miss this chance again. after all, you do not wish me to sacrifice anything.¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not. So... uh, my best regards about being my fiance?e then.¡± I said lamely, and there was laughter, except from Natsumi, who was fidgeting restlessly. When everyone looked at her, she shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m very happy for you, Motoko! And you too, Akio! You are lucky, having Motoko finally understand she likes you. but... after her confession and that deep moment, I feel kind of left out. What do I do?¡± she shook her head. ¡°I like you too. No, seeing the way you¡¯ve considered everything about Motoko, I don¡¯t just like you. I know I¡¯d be happy with you. But...¡±


    ¡°Foolish.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°Just say your feelings honestly and ask Akio to embrace you. then kiss.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°No way!¡± Hinata decreed, leaping up. She raced over to me, stood on her tiptoes and pushed her lips to mine. Motoko stepped away, a benevolent smile on her face, as Hinata¡¯s soft lips sucked on mine. She widened her eyes as my tongue darted inside her opened mouth, but she quickly found it pleasurable, and we hugged, until she ran out of breath and parted from me, flushed and gasping. ¡°I could get used to that.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°And there¡¯s no way I could be the only one who hasn¡¯t kissed. It¡¯s pretty amazing. I can see why our parents and teachers warn against it.¡±


    ¡°A kiss is nice indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But it is not-not a fraction as good as sex. Besides, you can grow stronger with Lovers¡¯ Link.¡±


    ¡°Only with Akio.¡± Eri broke in. ¡°Don¡¯t confuse them, Shaeula. Most men are garbage cockroaches. Stay away from them. Your teachers have it right.¡±


    ¡°Lovers¡¯ Link, huh? I guess I want that, but... my parents would never approve. Sex is for the wedding night.¡± Hinata said sadly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡± I said, hugging her once more, before we separated. She straightened her clothes, before looking at Natsumi.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but I wasn¡¯t going to let anyone else get ahead of me.¡± She smirked. ¡°Natsumi, if you really want to join us, and are prepared to honestly love Akio and get along with us all, show it with deeds, not words.¡±


    ¡°I see. Excuse me then.¡± She blushed, but stepped up to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m not good, but I¡¯ll learn.¡± And I received yet another kiss, her cute face flushed red and her breath hot. Her kiss was different yet again. if Hinata was aggressive, and Motoko slow and elegant, then Natsumi was quirky, her tongue going in strange directions, licking at my teeth, lips and more. I hugged her too, and as we broke apart, drool scattering, Natsumi smiled. ¡°So, I¡¯m a wicked woman now. You¡¯ll take responsibility, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I will. Natsumi, Motoko. We¡¯ll be together a long time. I¡¯ll be sure to make you both happy.¡±


    ¡°I already feel it.¡± she grinned, tossing her head, cute curly locks bouncing. ¡°I would be honoured if our wedding gowns could be made by my family. I¡¯ve always dreamed of seeing Motoko married wearing one, and I¡¯d quite like to do so myself.¡±


    ¡°A wonderful idea!¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°The five of us, all matching, would be most-most delightful!¡±


    ¡°So, do you like Japanese-style, Shaeula? You are almost always wearing Yukata. But sometimes I think Western-style is good too.¡±


    ¡°Why not both?¡± Eri said suddenly. ¡°We will likely have to hold several weddings to make things work.¡±


    ¡°So, that would be ten gowns, and we would probably want yukatas for the after-ceremony reception as well...¡± Natsumi began, the girls all talking so delightedly about it, a world men didn¡¯t understand.


    I really hate to interrupt, but this is the time for honesty. ¡°Well, this is... hard to say, but... it¡¯s probably going to be six. Not five.¡±


    Everyone paused, and Eri was the first to speak. ¡°I... ugh. That Kana. I knew she was trying to seduce you. Does it really have to be her?¡±


    Kana? Why? She¡¯s a nice girl, but she¡¯s set her heart on marrying a rich man who¡¯ll cherish her and doesn¡¯t like the idea of sharing. She¡¯s told me that often enough. ¡°No, not Kana. Well, there¡¯s this girl, and... well, I do feel sorry for her, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m picking up charity cases, I don¡¯t choose my women just for that, honest!¡± I protested pre-emptively. ¡°She¡¯s... well, she¡¯s cute, if crazy, and there¡¯s just something I like about her. She¡¯s also doing something very difficult for us, something so cruel and monumental she deserves happiness in exchange.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth. I see.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°But she is a servant, she would be pleased enough just-just receiving some of your love on occasion.¡±


    ¡°Servants?¡± Motoko frowned. ¡°Having relations with the servants is nothing unusual, but it can definitely cause complications. There are many stories at school of houses brought low by the servants becoming pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Shaeula knows about her, she¡¯s not a human, right?¡± Eri asked, and Hinata agreed, saying she suspected as much.


    ¡°She is a pitiful creature indeed. A brownie that has fallen to boggart, an Unseelie. I did not-not warm to her at first, but I admit, she has proved herself. Besides...¡± Shaeula looked at me, her amber eyes warm.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Eri took over. ¡°I love the way Akio is so kind, even if it does make me so jealous. She¡¯ll have to follow the rules though, right? As a servant she should be used to that?¡±


    Rules? It doesn¡¯t matter. What does is that I¡¯m being honest, and there are no more girls for me to spring on them. Six girlfriends. No, six wives. Damn. I¡¯m going to have to work myself to death to keep them all happy.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved though.¡± Hinata said. ¡°Akio, you need to be more strict in getting paid for your efforts. You can¡¯t give without limit. Just like you realised what this Hyacinth is doing for you requires your love in exchange, you need proper compensation.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too mercenary?¡± I asked. ¡°Charity is a thing too, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°For others. Not for you.¡± Hinata shook her head. ¡°You told me that the future of the world depends on you. So don¡¯t let yourself be torn apart by the greedy hands of the billions of people in this world. If you give, you should also receive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it isn¡¯t like I can take as my wife every girl I help. Otherwise I¡¯d have to marry all the shrine maidens here, as well as Karen-chan, Ichika-san, Asha...¡± I shook my head, irritated. That would just be stupid. There¡¯s only one of me, I don¡¯t have a damn Shadow Clone skill to multiply myself!


    ¡°That is not-not what she is saying.¡± Shaeula chimed in. ¡°Though if you offer aid to a female you like, and she is receptive, then you should definitely take her. It is only-only fitting!¡±


    ¡°Shae-u-la!¡± Eri complained. ¡°Stop that! But... I don¡¯t disagree entirely. Shower your love on those of us who deserve it, don¡¯t waste it on others. A little charity is fine, as I love your kindness, and an Akio that isn¡¯t kind isn¡¯t right. But save your strength for those you wish to help because you like them. You aren¡¯t a God. If you have to save the world, you won¡¯t be able to save everyone. So you¡¯ll need to learn to choose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that I do understand.¡± I admitted. It was something I had been thinking about. Even now, all around the world, people were suffering, and I could only help those within my sight. Even Asha would have died eventually if not for our chance encounter. ¡°So, what about men, huh?¡± I asked, a touch sarcastically.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t care what other men do, if they want to love each other, that¡¯s fine!¡± Eri decreed. ¡°In fact, they should all pair off! But you need to stick to girls! I¡¯d love it if you made do with six, but... I don¡¯t hold out much hope.¡±


    ¡°No, I seriously intend to keep it to the six of you now!¡± I protested, though to be honest, one more girl did come to mind. Though it would never happen. She¡¯s too... well, they did say I should spend most of my help on those I like, so it fits.


    ¡°For men you help and girls you aren¡¯t interested in, you still need compensation. Money, favours, support, their strength in battle. Whatever. Just don¡¯t let yourself be exploited. If you do, those in power will look down on you and won¡¯t respect you. As your wife I shall never allow that!¡± Hinata lectured me, the others joining in, and I had an uncomfortable time listening to a long listing of my flaws they would have to manage. Damn, nobody needs to be subjected to that, but to be fair, I just doubled my fiance?es in about an hour. I had it coming.


    ¡°All right then. Shaeula, I¡¯ll trust you can bring this Hyacinth to heel. Now, Akio, time to get out. Us girls need to have a long talk.¡± Eri said, and the others nodded. Shaeula strode over, grabbed me and dragged me to the door, opening it and throwing me out.


    ¡°Go check on the training for a while-while.¡± She smiled, amber eyes glittering with mischief. ¡°This is not-not for you to hear.¡± And with that the door slammed shut. I see. Well, I should be thankful they are all getting along, I guess? idly scratching my head, I headed down towards the lower floors...

 Two Hundred And Sixteen

    Two Hundred And Sixteen


    ¡°So, they threw you out?¡± Kazumi-san grinned. She had been waiting outside during the discussions we had been having, which was quite the concession, considering how fervently she took her bodyguard duties. I guess it must be a sign of her trust in us now?NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah, apparently it¡¯s time for the girls to talk alone.¡± I said wryly. ¡°Are you going to wait here for Hinata? And don¡¯t worry, we haven¡¯t forgotten we are going to adjust your chakra networks again. it¡¯s just... other stuff came up.¡±


    ¡°I think Hinata will be fine. After all, it¡¯s just sisters in there now, right?¡± Her smile broadened as she poked fun at me, and I was once more struck by the change in her demeanour since I had accepted engagement to Hinata.


    ¡°You got me.¡± I raised my hands in defeat. ¡°But this time I made my own decision. They didn¡¯t pressure me into it. Well, not much, anyway.¡± The fact that Motoko and Natsumi seemed genuinely interested in me, for myself, not for their gains... that changed things. Perhaps I still could have refused them, but really, other than my own gnawing sense of guilt, why would I? Even Eri seems to accept them. She even seems a little friendly with Motoko, surprisingly enough. I guess when they hung out at Nishimorioka they got closer than I thought.


    ¡°Well, congratulations then.¡± Kazumi-san laughed. ¡°You really are an important man now, marrying a Tsumura daughter. There¡¯s no escaping from the nobility. But seriously...¡± her jovial good humour vanished, and she looked at me calmly, eyes determined. ¡°... don¡¯t just get sucked into the world of nobility and fall into their biases. Hinata is so lively now, excited at how she can show herself to be the equal to Mayumi-sama and the other noble daughters, eager to make you proud of her. She¡¯s putting all her drive and hopes into you. If you betray that trust I¡¯ll kill you. Well, I guess I¡¯ll try, not that I could.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. I can¡¯t exactly say I¡¯m a good man, since I¡¯ve just accepted more fiance?es. But what I can promise is, other than my abject lack of faithfulness, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make sure they all achieve their dreams and live happily ever after. And I hope ever is a very long time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that. And I¡¯ll always be watching, right, since you are going to hire me. I haven¡¯t forgotten that.¡± Kazumi-san answered my pledge. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no point standing out here. Haven¡¯t you work to do?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I might as well see what I can do to help.¡± And with that, we headed down towards the training gymnasium, where outside I saw a rather unusual combination. Ren-san and Hiroto-san, huh?


    On seeing me coming Ren-san paled, making his excuses to Hiroto-san before scuttling back inside. He did give me one last look as he did so, and I could see nervousness in his eyes. I guess he really didn¡¯t enjoy the torment of the Chirurgery. Damn, I need to make it as painless as possible for the girls later...


    ¡°Well, just what has him so worked up?¡± Hiroto-san asked, shaking his head. ¡°Oh, well hello, brother-in-law.¡± He smirked at me. ¡°So, Hinata told me that you¡¯d be getting engaged to Tsumura-san finally. Was she right?¡±


    That Hinata. Of course she knew. Everyone knew. Except maybe Shaeula, but then why would she be calling up Eri if she didn¡¯t know? Was I the only one in the dark? Still, no point worrying about it. One thing Resilience was good for was that once I genuinely accepted something, even if it was difficult or frustrating, it did seem to significantly reduce the amount of annoyance or guilt I felt, placating it. Though of course that raises other problems, but I¡¯m definitely still me. My thoughts may be a little different, but my decisions are still my own. Anything that calmed the sting of my guilt was welcome too, and though it was still a weight in my chest, the stronger, positive emotions outweighed it.


    ¡°Yes, she was right.¡± I conceded. ¡°Motoko and Natsumi... this time it was for the right reasons. I couldn¡¯t turn them down. I didn¡¯t want to. I still feel a right bastard though.¡±


    ¡°Hori-san too, I see? Well, don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re living the dream, brother-in-law.¡± He clapped me on the back heartily. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be jealous of the five beautiful girls you have now? Though just be sure to treasure Hinata, or else I¡¯ll have to take action.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Hinata wants to be my special businesswoman, if I upset her, she¡¯d take all the money and run!¡± I joked to lighten the atmosphere, and Hiroto-san managed a laugh.


    ¡°I guess so. I can see my sister doing that, she¡¯s very passionate.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Seriously though, Hinata has been very happy recently. I like to see it. And it¡¯d be great to see her one-up the other noble girls. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with noble girls.¡± He corrected himself, realising I was about to marry some. ¡°I am hoping to get one for myself now that Fukumoto house is on the up. Just... well, damn, you get it, right Kazumi?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I have told him much the same. We will not tolerate him neglecting Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Right. Grandfather would have his head too, even if he had to bankrupt Nichibotsu to get it. Speaking of, what the hell was up with those land purchases?¡± he asked, and so I started to explain...


    ********


    ¡°Thanks. I kind of get it now.¡± Mio-san was saying, as I trickled aether into her in the direction she needed to draw her own energies. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty good teacher, you know that?¡± she winked. ¡°Still, it feels funny in my belly when you do that, you know? All hot and tingly.¡± Her smile turned impish.


    ¡°Mio-chan, don¡¯t be lewd!¡± Kana scolded her, from where she was sitting with her classmates and the Hikawa twins. ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it, I do!¡± Mio-san laughed. ¡°Just having some fun. I still don¡¯t really understand what this is all about, but I signed the contract and am even getting paid, so for a part-time job this is pretty cool. The perks are good too. Want to go swimming later, Kana-chan? Or use the sauna? You can come too, big brother.¡± Her tone was suggestive, but I knew she was joking.


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll pass. I have too much to do.¡± I saw Marika-san working with several of the shrine maidens from the shrines Hikawa-san brought in recently. I was pleased to see her getting along with everyone. I definitely have to make time to make sure she¡¯s happy here. Damn, there isn¡¯t enough hours in the day.


    And there were others, including Kana¡¯s father, who were clustered around a white-haired man, his eyes bright with curiosity, his outfit a strange set of overalls filled with pockets and loops to which he had attached various devices such as mobile phones, an obsolete handheld gaming console, some torches, and endless hammers, screwdrivers and even some power tools. Honestly, It was comical. I wonder how much money Karen-chan gave him to buy all that junk? It looks like he raided Akihabara¡¯s back alleys.


    ¡°So, Shaeula is indeed someone important in the world of the spiritual, the land of the kami, then?¡± Daichi-san was asking, and Ixitt nodded.


    ¡°Oh my, yes, the princess is a descendant of the noble Prince of the Beastkin, as well as a daughter of what you call the Night Parade, I believe? She has quite the pedigree.¡± He continued to extol her virtues, and I shook my head, perturbed.


    ¡°So, I was meaning to ask.¡± Kana said, coming over, surprisingly trailed by Kikuchi Maiko-san and the shy girl Takagi Hisano-san. Perhaps this has helped bring classmates together. So Shaeula¡¯s meddling hasn¡¯t been all bad. ¡°Just who is that crazy man that¡¯s been roaming the shrine all day? Karen-chan said that he was like Shaeula, right? So he¡¯s kind of like a kami?¡±


    ¡°If Ixitt is a God of any kind, then the universe is quite the joke.¡± I laughed. ¡°Still, yeah, he¡¯s a Fae, like Shaeula, though he¡¯s a ratkin. He¡¯s also a scientist of what he calls Mortal Engineering, which combines Fae magic with our technology. Some of his stuff is quite good, and I guess being here is very stimulating for him. Still, if he causes any problems, let me know and I¡¯ll banish him back to the Boundary for a while.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the Boundary...¡± Kana was saying, giving me an upturned look, artfully arrayed to look as cute as possible. Kana? Why did Eri say I was going to go out with Kana too?


    ¡°Hey, Akio? I know I¡¯m cute, but there¡¯s no reason to blush.¡± She said quietly, turning red herself. Maiko-san looked away from the scene, while Hisano-san was also turning pink. I could hear Mio-san and Asami-san making jokes as well, saying Kana was winning the battle which only made me flush harder, my treacherous body betraying me.


    ¡°Yeah, well I know you are cute.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I was thinking of something else, I promise. So what did you want?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kana made a displeased noise. ¡°Not that I¡¯m bothered, but it¡¯s rude to think about other girls when you are looking at me. Still, I¡¯ll forgive you, if you listen to a teensy request of mine?¡± she adopted her pose again, and I sighed, defeated.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Akio.¡± She gushed. ¡°I¡¯ve been raising aether, as you call it, since you mercilessly and cruelly toyed with my body, not even taking responsibility.¡± She stuck out her tongue innocently as she slandered me. ¡°I¡¯m now full of energy! But you said I couldn¡¯t go to this Boundary without supervision, and you¡¯ve been gone a while, so I was wondering... will you take me there?¡±


    Maiko-san and Hisano-san looked perturbed at Kana¡¯s joke, backing away from me a little, which felt a little bad, but the loud laughter from Kana¡¯s two best friends was drawing everyone¡¯s attention. Ixitt brightened as he saw me, and was going to come over, so I decided to finish up quickly.


    Fine, let¡¯s take a look. I focussed aether into my Eye and the faint flecks of amber within started to glow, brightening until the orange brilliance was visible even under the artificial lights of the training hall. Several watchers gasped, but I paid them little heed as I inspected Kana. ¡°Yeah, I see. You look like you¡¯ve accumulated plenty of aether. I think it should be all right. But in exchange, you¡¯ll have to be in charge of leading any others in who manage to raise the required aether, and you have to follow the rules I lay down. No exceptions. All right?¡±


    ¡°I can do that. Thanks Akio!¡± She actually threw her arms around me in joy. I let it slide for a moment before slipping free from her grasp, leaving her pouting.


    ¡°Calm down, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not to you, but I¡¯m just ordinary.¡± She said, before pausing. ¡°That eye. It¡¯s kind of awesome.¡±


    ********


    ¡°... so I really thought that Akio would be soft and spare that thieving cat whore-whore.¡± Shaeula said, taking a break. Hinata was wrapped up in a blanket, sitting on one of the beds, her face pale. Still, I was proud of her, she had barely cried out at all, even as she spasmed in pain. Kazumi-san was dressed again, moving her body gingerly, trying to adjust to the higher strength she now had, and Natsumi and Motoko were waiting their turn, both equally eager and also a little afraid.


    ¡°... really? Was she pretty?¡± Hinata asked, her voice trembling a little from fatigue.


    ¡°She was rather buxom, and wore not-not a stitch of clothing, merely a little fur over her most private areas.¡± She continued. ¡°But she was not-not a good woman for Akio.¡±


    ¡°Uh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I agree. I don¡¯t want anyone who was prepared to kill you for such shitty reasons. But isn¡¯t it unfair to write her off just because she is a bit promiscuous? It doesn¡¯t seem fair. After all, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m a one-woman guy, is it?¡±


    Shaeula roiled her eyes at me rudely. Addressing the others she derided me. ¡°See-see? Eri was right about this at least. Akio has no common sense, none-none at all. It is not-not that she is a lusty, experienced woman I disliked her. I hardly feel all your females need to be virgins when you meet them. No, she simply was a creature of appetites, not-not love. She cared nothing for you as a being, only for you as an outlet of desire. Do not-not pick up any such as her.¡±


    I felt stung by the accusation, as I felt it needed saying again that I totally disliked Ginneka from the instant we met, and I barely even ogled her. My tired chakra network protested too, a brief feeling of outrage tickling the back of my mind before I dismissed it. Still, it was not me who reacted most strongly, but Motoko and Natsumi.


    ¡°That is what we did, Natsumi. We only saw what we could gain. We offered to be good wives, to bear children and to fight, but they were all things we wished to do anyway, it did not need to be Akio.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling pretty bad about it still.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Still, we can make up for it now. We¡¯re not dead like that cat.¡± Her eyes were glittering with interest. ¡°You really fight mythical creatures such as Bakaneko? Motoko, can you imagine it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all fun I¡¯d say. It must be scary.¡± Hinata said. ¡°I¡¯d rather be concentrating on sorting out his finances. Still, honestly...¡± she looked at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°I used just as underhanded methods as you to win Akio. I wasn¡¯t even brave enough to use my own body like you two, throwing yourselves in front of him. I tricked him with grandfather. I also understood what I could gain from him. But...¡± she flushed again. ¡°I guess I did like him, even then. Akio. I do love you.¡± She was bright pink now, and the bare legs poking from the blankets were quite alluring. ¡°I want to show Mayumi and the others, sure, but I also want to support you, from the bottom of my heart. I can cover your weaknesses! I... I never asked you to forgive me. Motoko and Natsumi did. I know you hate sacrifices, so I won¡¯t be foolish and say I¡¯ll give up on my dreams for you as an apology. So... instead, what can I give you to show I¡¯m really sorry for being unfair and tricking you?¡±


    Yeah, I guess I did forgive her rather too easily. Though she was very affectionate when I went to her home once the engagement was decided. Like a cute kitten that clearly liked me. It was just so hard to stay angry at people I liked, especially girls. I had fights with Aiko when I was younger, of course, but it was always me who forgave her quickly, even when she was in the wrong. Funnily enough, I don¡¯t think I ever really fought with Eri. In fact, she¡¯s harsher with me now than when we were kids, sometimes. Though she makes up for it when she¡¯s being sweet... Of course, for people who I didn¡¯t forgive, like Ginneka or Kondou Kazuo, no amount of Resilience would dampen that anger. Feeling the sting of annoyance again, I decided on what I should do.


    ¡°Fine. I admit it. I¡¯ve been unfair to Motoko and Natsumi. Sorry.¡± I bowed to them and they waved it away, murmuring that they were in the wrong too. ¡°In that case...¡± I turned back to Hinata. ¡°How about more kisses, until I feel I forgive you?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t much of a punishment.¡± Hinata giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not punishing you. you are giving me something to earn forgiveness, right?¡± I denied it, and she laughed, tossing aside the blanket covering her. She was still in her underwear, rather nice blue silk at that, and it was turning a little transparent from the sweat she had shed during the surgery. It was hard to know where to look, so in the end I merely stared deep into her eyes, before scooping her up and leaning in, our lips meeting...


    ********


    ¡°... so, please don¡¯t forget that we are due to visit Miyu-sama at the weekend.¡± Hinata reminded me. She was dressed again, though she was walking on wobbly legs, supported by Kazumi-san. Motoko and Natsumi were now lying down, though they were already starting to recover. I tried not to notice as Natsumi let her blanket drop, her neat white bra suddenly visible, showing her cleavage. Damn, she¡¯s bold.


    ¡°Hey, are you listening?¡± Hinata pulled at my ear. It didn¡¯t hurt, but it got my attention.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. My new fiance?e is trying to seduce me, I think.¡° I apologised, and Natsumi laughed. Motoko rolled over, her own blanket riding up, exposing her white panties and her legs.


    ¡°Everyone is. We¡¯re jealous. But we still have our noble honour to uphold so we have to make do with this.¡± Hinata pouted. ¡°Unless... Shaeula, I want to speak to you again before you leave. In private.¡±


    At her nod, Hinata turned her attention back to the matter at hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know the dress code yet, but if it¡¯s formal, you¡¯ll need a suit better than you wore to meet Fujiwara-sama. I can¡¯t let you embarrass yourself. I¡¯d be a bad wife if I did that.¡±


    ¡°I have some on order. Maybe you could see if those will be ready.¡± I remembered the high-end tailor I was recommended, and the combat suit I ordered, as well as a more normal one. ¡°If the dress-code is different, well they have all my measurements, so maybe you can get me something suitable?¡±


    ¡°Miyu-sama is rather quiet.¡± Motoko observed, and Natsumi agreed. ¡°I am surprised she would summon Hinata, and even more so a man. It seems unthinkable. Do you think... no, surely not.¡±


    ¡°No way. She¡¯s not suddenly going to propose.¡± I laughed it off.


    ¡°Yes, that seems unlikely.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Still it worries me.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a very interesting conversation.¡± Kana said suddenly, from the corner she had been sitting in for a while. ¡°But watching you flirt with even more girls is a harrowing experience. More fiance?es. Five now, right? Are you trying for a baseball team of wives?


    I winced at that. Yeah, baseball is a little bit of a sore memory. That Kenji was a prick, but I took it too far, taking my wrath out on someone the same age as Eri or my sister. ¡°No, it¡¯s just... well, I¡¯m not going to say it just happened, as that¡¯d be pretty shitty to them. They took their chances, and I thought in the end, I¡¯d rather I looked after them and loved them, rather than let them take their chances elsewhere. Selfish as hell, I know.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is. Don¡¯t forget that. But then, I¡¯m about to meet the White Snake kami, right? The god our family has worshipped for over a thousand years? Compared to that, the playboy in front of me who went from penniless loser to rich harem king seems almost normal in comparison.¡± She smiled to take the insult out of it.


    ¡°All right then. Kazumi can you see my fiance?es home once Hinata has spoken to Shaeula?¡± I still get a shiver saying that. Well, it has only been a few hours for two of them. Well, assuming that Natsumi can persuade her family. She never told them she was angling for marriage, after all.


    ¡°No problem. I feel stronger and faster than ever!¡± she declared.


    ¡°Fine then. Ixitt has gone back already, right?¡± I asked Kana, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, but when his lifeless body just fell down I thought everyone would start running for the exits. Luckily Shaeula mentioned something about her body to me before, so I knew we just had to drag it to an empty room. Still, it scared Marika-san, the twins and Maiko-san something fierce. My friends found it hilarious though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks again for that. Anyway, I¡¯ll see you all on our return.¡± I gave Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi gentle kisses, nothing deep, just brushes of our lips, then turned to Kana. Before we could go though, Motoko spoke up. ¡°Good fortunes in battle. I only apologise I cannot come with you yet.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m sorry too. We want to be your strength!¡± Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°Well, I think you should be happy to sit this one out. Myconids suck. Although to be honest I think you¡¯d suit the protective gear.¡± That thought was quite the endearing one.


    ¡°Hey, what about me?¡± Hinata said, and I smiled at her adorable jealously. ¡°Yeah, you too. But for now, just concentrate on mastering the new networks. Kana will take you in when you have gathered enough aether. She¡¯s in charge of that for now. Oh and Motoko, Natsumi?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± they answered.


    ¡°I think when you next see my combat skills with sword and spear, you won¡¯t say they are still crude.¡± I winked, and with that, Kana and I left, headed for my room on the top floor, ready to enter the Boundary once more, leaving Shaeula to meet us when she was done with her talk with Hinata...

 Side Seventy-Two – Izumi Kana

    Side Seventy-Two ¨C Izumi Kana


    So, it¡¯s finally time. As Kana lay down on one of the beds in the penthouse at the top of the training school, she glanced out of the window at Tokyo proper, marvelling at the view. To think that the crappy shrine of my family has such a building here now. Everything really has changed.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Akio asked her, seeing her hesitation, and she shrugged. ¡°Well, a little. After all, I¡¯m going to the world of the gods, right?¡± She said. ¡°Still, you¡¯ll be there too, and Shaeula isn¡¯t scary, is she?¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± He smiled, his handsome face lighting up at my confidence in him. ¡°Yeah, as long as you stick to my Territory around the shrine there¡¯ll be no danger. You¡¯ll be responsible for guiding Ren-san, Hinata and the others, so it¡¯s a big ask, I know. But you¡¯re a smart girl, you can handle it.¡± He said, and she flushed, looking down. He really shouldn¡¯t praise me with a face like that, it¡¯s cheating! Still, Kana was not one to be cowed easily, so she put on her best, most amused smile, hitting back. ¡°Sure thing, Akio. I won¡¯t let your fiance?es come to harm. You are a sinful man, snaring beauties one after another!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it.¡± He sighed, looking mournful for a moment, which was odd to her. After all, wasn¡¯t it the dream of every guy to have lots of beautiful girls chasing him? So stupid. He should be proud of it. Though as a girl, I admit it doesn¡¯t please me...


    ¡°Anyway...¡± he continued, changing the subject, and she graciously let him keep his dignity. ¡°... you remember how to enter the Boundary, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, Shaeula has talked us through it enough. All I have to do is cycle the aether within me, and then focus on the silver cord, right?¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± He approved, and she closed her eyes, feeling the hot gush of prickling energy within her, forcing it to obey. I never thought about it before, but when I was younger I could occasionally feel a small sensation similar to this, though far weaker. It was often before I could see impossible things, or know what someone was thinking. I guess the root of all energy is the same. As she felt her mind drift she wondered if this was the way her ancestors had felt, back in the time when kami and spiritual beings could be talked to. It was a comforting thought, somehow. As her consciousness faded, she felt a brief thrill of excitement. Here I go. I wonder what this will be like...


    Her answer came quickly, as she found herself looking around in awe. A large silver needle was jutting into the sky near her, pulling in glittering lights from the strange skies above. That shock of seeing such strange scenery masked the feeling in her body, but moments later she noticed, her chakra network greedily sucking in ether and converting it from the plentiful supply around her. The sensation made her shiver, and her mystical vision began to activate on its own, fuelled by the denser ether around her, coating everything in shining auras.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± she gasped, looking around. There was a magnificent building, a shrine-like structure with beautiful snake statues crawling over it, and a towering tree soaring as high as a skyscraper. Silvery spires similar to the one near her were scattered about, and shimmering rainbows of prismatic energy were collected, shining like a sea of stars.


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± Akio grinned from beside her. She hasn¡¯t noticed him arrive, so engrossed she was in the world around her. ¡°Still, not everywhere is. But there¡¯s no way Shaeula would want a Territory that doesn¡¯t look good. Speaking of the Territory...¡± his eyes went vacant a second, as if he was checking something. ¡°Great. I can make the upgrades I need. The three Barracks speedbuilt to Rank 2, and then I can queue in the Build Queue Anchor Spire upgrade to Rank 2... it leaves me largely poor again, but we have a decent income coming in. And done.¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s going to take fifty astral days to finish up, but it''s definitely worth it long-term.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really know what you are talking about, Akio.¡± She admitted. ¡°But you seem happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, well, basically I¡¯ve strengthened the Territory. We are constantly gathering ether to do so. Maybe you¡¯ll understand a bit better if I show you around. Oh, here she comes now!¡±


    ¡°Master, yooou have returned!¡± A beautiful girl was shouting, dressed in an old-fashioned maid outfit, her long black hair streaked with vivid green and purple highlights, her words strangely dragged out and slurred in places. ¡°I have missed yooou! But Hyacinth has nooot stopped working hard! Praise me!¡± She raced over, before pulling to a halt, eyeing Kana warily.


    ¡°Hey, who is this maid?¡± Kana said, at the same time as the maid spoke.


    ¡°Whooo is this, master? The mistress I have heard abooout?¡±


    Mistress? Me? Before Kana could voice those thoughts, Akio denied it. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t one of the mistresses. There¡¯s... a few of those you¡¯ll meet soon enough. No, this is Kana. She¡¯s a good friend of mine, so be sure to look after her, all right? Kana, this is Hyacinth, she¡¯s our maid here. She¡¯s a brownie, so she adores housework and looking after people.¡±


    A brownie huh? Not sure what that is, but that doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s still amazing. I¡¯m talking to another spiritual being! Still, what was more amazing was that Akio said she was a good friend. I¡¯m a friend, I see. That¡¯s... well, also kind of amazing. I never thought I¡¯d be hanging around with an older guy like him, let alone seeing things like this. Friends, huh. Her thoughts were a bit disordered and complicated, but she put that down to being in this strange world. As she exchanged some talk with the maid, other alien beings were coming over, humanoid weasels. Some of them she recognised as Kamaitachi, from old tales, and she was wowed again by the incredible sight.


    ¡°Where is the princess?¡± The lead kamaitachi asked, before looking curiously at Kana.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be here soon. She just wanted to finish up with some business.¡± Akio said, before introducing her again. ¡°Oh, this is Kana by the way. She¡¯s an important friend, and she¡¯ll be leading others here to train and learn. Be sure to let everyone know to keep an eye out for her, okay?¡±


    A friend again. I see. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m Kana, a shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi shrine. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    ¡°That snake¡¯s priestess, I see-see.¡± The sickle-weasel remarked. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be pleased.¡±


    Oh no, I forgot about that in the moment! Kana suddenly felt sick. She was going to meet their kami, effectively the god of her family! Akio saw her sudden indecision, and smiled warmly, relieving her. ¡°Yeah, but first I¡¯d like to show Kana around. Can you let the White Snake know we¡¯ll be over later?¡±


    As the weasels left, Akio pointed to the towering tree. ¡°Well, we might as well start there. We can go meet Asha, and I want to explain how to gain elements. It¡¯s just a guess, but I think as a shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi, you might have an affinity for earth element.¡±


    ¡°So who¡¯s Asha?¡± she asked. ¡°Another girl? You are truly sinful!¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, technically Asha¡¯s a girl. But there¡¯s nothing going on between me and her.¡± He denied it, but Kana didn¡¯t fail to notice the way his gaze strayed to the maid for a moment. Still, it wasn¡¯t her business, so she overlooked it.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯m curious about that huge tree, I admit.¡± Kana said as they approached it, amazed at the scale of it. Vivid red energy was filling the air as they closed in, and out of curiosity she tried drawing a little in, only to feel a series of stabbing pains in her network, around her lower body.


    ¡°Hey, careful.¡± Akio warned, grabbing her arm. She felt warmth spread in from his touch, quickly numbing the pain. ¡°That¡¯s earth elemental energy. You can¡¯t treat it like ether, it isn¡¯t good for you.¡±


    ¡°You have returned!¡± A busty, reddish-haired woman with a pale green tinge to her skin said, seemingly appearing from nowhere. ¡°I greet you!¡±


    ¡°Well, with my stats I doubt it¡¯d take too long. It may not make me good with women, but when it comes to memory and learning, I have no equal.¡± His smile then was charming, and she had to look away again.


    I¡¯d say you are plenty fine with women. But it isn¡¯t like you need more, is it? Still, I¡¯ve felt it myself. Kana had noticed that since she had been worked on, her attention and ability in class had gone up significantly, and while she had good grades before, now she was the equal of even the top people in her year, calculations and memory coming easy to her. So now I have to know. ¡°So, just how high are your stats, as you call them?¡±


    ¡°Well, to put it bluntly, I¡¯ve surpassed human limits four or five times over.¡± He said, and Shaeula nodded beside him, still in her weasel form, looking proud, which was quite comical.


    ¡°Damn, I thought you were good when you beat up those yakuza. But that¡¯s ... well, I have no words.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I struggle myself. Anyway, are you ready?¡± He asked, and Kana looked up at the main shrine. The beautiful white snake statues and red ropes hung around the richly appointed red, white and gold building were magnificent, and under the dark glow of the strange skies above it looked like something she would only see in dreams. And at the top of the stairs... she could see it. A massive white snake wearing ornate robes and a large, pointed hat, surrounded by other smaller snakes, with various items such as rods and bells on coloured cushions before them. Those are replicas of Shinto prayer tools, right? No, not replicas. Divine originals. She swallowed, her nerves spiking. ¡°That¡¯s the White Snake, right? Our kami?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a friend and ally, and your enshrined god, so no need to be nervous.¡± Akio said, and Kana felt the urge to hit him all of a sudden. No need to be nervous? Really? Still, this was why she had come, and if she wanted to be special, this was an important first step. Gingerly she began to ascend the set of steps to the shrine, Akio and Shaeula behind. As she approached she could feel the pressure, as if something was being drawn out of her, enriching the kami before her. As she reached the open ground in front of the snake, she knelt, adopting a pose of prayer and supplication.


    ¡°Oh great White Snake kami, I am Izumi Kana, shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi shrine. It is a great honour to meet the kami that my family has served all these years. I humbly thank you for watching over us.¡±


    ¡°Risssssse, Daughter of the sssssssshrine.¡± The kami hissed, and at the words of her god, Kana felt tears welling up in her eyes. Why? I didn¡¯t think I was that religious. I hated being tied to a poor, dead-end shrine, thinking I deserved a better life. But hearing his words... I feel enraptured!


    ¡°I am pleasssssed at the faithhhh your family has sssssshown over the long ccccccenturiessssss. Many kami have fallen, yet your family remainsssss loyal, protecting the faithhhh. I give you my blessssssing!¡±


    A blessing? From the kami? Really? As Kana thought that, she felt a reversal of the sensation of loss she was feeling, the something she felt draining from her suddenly flowing back into her, overspilling. She heard Akio and Shaeula cry out something behind her, but it was meaningless to her at that moment. What... what is this feeling? It¡¯s like my soul is aflame...


    With that Kana remembered nothing more, her memories of the remaining time she talked with the Kami fleeting, brief fragments of her responses lingering in her mind...


    ********


    ¡°So, sorry about that.¡± Kana said, looking out over the strange alternate Tokyo from on high. She was on a wooden platform atop the massive tree, Shaeula, Akio and that dryad beside her. Apparently it¡¯s going to be some sort of cafe?. Here. Odd, but Akio certainly has big ideas. No, I can¡¯t run away from what happened. I can¡¯t let my thoughts stray... ¡°It was like I was touched by the kami, feeling his divinity. What happened to me?¡±


    Akio patted her on the head, and she leant into his hand, feeling reassured by his touch. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry. It seems the kami blessed you and you got a class. Since I know what I was looking for, it seems my Eye can pick it up.¡± He grinned self-deprecatingly. ¡°It¡¯s good for something, at least. Still, Kana, we match. You are a Kami-Blessed too now.¡±


    ¡°Class? Kami-Blessed. I don¡¯t get it. But... it¡¯s good, right?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed.¡± Shaeula grinned, taking a drink from a glass of strange fruit juice. Kana had a glass too, and was amazed by the otherworldly flavour. Apparently the maid and the dryad grow the fruits. I¡¯m... I¡¯m having something almost nobody alive ever tasted. And I¡¯m apparently a Kami-Blessed? I think I can be proud of that, right?


    ¡°Classes are a precious way to grow stronger. Kami-Blessed increases many things, does it not-not Akio?¡±


    By gaining the blessing of an enshrined kami, you will gradually raise your spiritual calibre, increasing your League. In addition, Fortune, Charm and Majesty will increase, and your ability to use aether will strengthen dramatically, growing further as your League rises. In addition, you generate additional Adherence for any kami who have blessed you, and the path to utilising Adherence as power opens, though this road is not one taken easily.


    With my Eye I could see my own version of the class, and the question marks from before were gone, and it now had extra information on Adherence, which I had learned about recently. ¡°Yeah, well if you had trouble fighting off the boys before, you¡¯ll be worse off now. You get plenty of Fortune, Charm and Majesty as you level, and League is a powerful thing. Congratulations!¡±


    Charm huh? As for Fortune, isn¡¯t that how Shaeula makes money gambling? But mine wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near hers I bet. Still... I¡¯m a Kami-Blessed. Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m one of the few true Shrine Maidens in the whole of Japan? ¡°Well, it¡¯s thanks to you, I guess, Akio, Shaeula. If you hadn¡¯t helped me get here, I¡¯d have never been blessed. So thanks.¡± She bowed, and was gratified to see Akio looking a little red.


    ¡°Think nothing of it. I¡¯m counting in you to help the others acclimatise to here too. Once everyone can enter the Boundary you can alternate some training sessions here, making the most of the time dilation and ether density. Everyone should grow rapidly.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± She promised, drinking more of her juice. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show off.¡± And with that they spent a pleasant few hours idly discussing matters, before Kana had to return. ¡°Good luck with your battle ahead.¡± She said. It¡¯s going to be dangerous but... Akio, Shaeula... I believe they can do it. They can do anything it seems. I¡¯m jealous, but maybe one day I too...


    ¡°We have planned to perfection.¡± Akio reassured her. ¡°Our strengths strike their weaknesses perfectly, and we can negate their strengths. I¡¯m not saying it is going to be easy, far from it, but we¡¯ve got this!¡±


    ¡°See that you do. If you let me down and get hurt or worse, I¡¯d be heartbroken, and you can¡¯t make a beautiful, Charming girl cry now, can you?¡± Kana giggled, again enjoying his reaction. ¡°Seriously though. Akio. Shaeula. Stay safe, you hear me?¡±


    ********


    Kana opened her eyes, to see the still bodies of Akio and Shaeula lying near her in other beds. Shaeula was unmoving, but she could hear soft, slow breaths from Akio. Looking at his sleeping face she felt the urge to tease him, but shrugged it off. Good luck. Come back safely. May the blessing of the kami go with you.


    Turning away she strode out of the training school and back to her shrine. The light was on, her parents still up, so she burst in confidently. Seeing her father, mother and grandfather all there, looking at her dumbly, her sudden entrance shocking them, she grinned. ¡°Mother, father. Grandfather. I met our kami. And I received his blessing!¡± She declared matter-of-factly, as though such a revelation was no big deal.


    The stunned looks on their faces made it all worthwhile. As they quickly crowded her, asking her what she meant, Kana smiled to herself. Kami-Blessed, huh? So how do I ¡®level it up¡¯ as Akio said? After all, there¡¯s no point letting this go to waste, is there...

 Two Hundred And Seventeen

    Two Hundred And Seventeen


    Once Kana had returned to the Material after her successful visit, it was time to get down to the serious business of preparing to engage the Myconids and liberate the Spring of Clear Reflections. Before that though, one thing had drawn my attention. There seemed an awful lot of new Fae and other creatures in my Territory...


    I had noticed an especially large amount of kobolds, and while this was a welcome thing, as they were doing most of our construction labour, as well as working the mine, I wasn¡¯t sure where they all came from. Checking the details of the Kobold Den, I was surprised to see it had gone up by two ranks recently.


    Kobold Den- Rank 4 Special- Special Rank facilities cannot be levelled up by Ether, they level as their requirements are met. This den is the warren where kobolds live and are spawned. All kobolds¡¯ level caps are increased by ten levels. This allows the construction and improvement of Kobold Mines. This Den supports Leader-Class kobolds such as Kobold Foreman and Kobold Artisans.


    That was a significant boost, and probably explained why work had progressed so quickly, such as having the steps and platform on the Rhyming Tree, and the tidy nature around Shirohebizumi shrine. Defensive walls and towers had been started, and while they were not Buildings per se, in that they weren¡¯t built with ether, they would certainly be useful in defensive battles. One of the goals long-term is definitely to find ways to enhance the Territory that doesn¡¯t rely on using the system I¡¯ve been given. I think that if we only rely on what we construct, eventually we¡¯ll hit a wall. But if we go further ourselves, we¡¯ll have a massive advantage against any Candidate that doesn¡¯t.


    I turned to Shaeula and asked her if she knew where all the newcomers had come from, and surprisingly, it was Velna who answered. The weaselkin maid had changed, the betrayal of Risha and her other colleagues had left her looking thin, pale and haggard, her fur drab and dry. Even so, she continued to serve alongside Hyacinth, and her attitude had changed. I heard her saying that if an Unseelie could be more loyal than maids who had worked with her for many years, the world was wrong. Sad sentiments. I honestly couldn¡¯t imagine the pain she was feeling, but since Shaeula felt it too, at least they could sympathise with each other. Hyacinth was being considerate in her own way too, making sure to include Velna in her chores, something she had vehemently protested about before. Thinking about Hyacinth doing her best to be nice made me smile.


    ¡°The kobolds and many others have come through the Ring Gate-Gate, master.¡± Velna explained respectfully. Her attitude to me had changed too. She had taken a risk in trusting me, and in doing so had saved Shaeula from the Night Parade and their assassins, so she now treated me with respect, and was doing her best to serve me as she would Shaeula. A shame the cost was so high. And she worries about her colleague who was taken. But we will get her back. Somehow. She isn¡¯t dead, we have to believe that. If she was, her spirit-light should have come back to us, although there were likely many ways to cheat it, by trapping or damaging the spirit itself. Even so, nobody wished to believe that, so we kept hope in our hearts. As I thought that, Velna continued.


    ¡°They say-say that this is a place where those discriminated against can find-find happiness and work, where all are welcome. So ratkin, kobolds, goblins and others, who are looked down on for their race, they have been coming here in-in secret.¡± Velna looked at me, her expression downcast. ¡°After all-all, here you even accept a foolish maid like me, who betrayed her princess. Unseelie too.¡±


    Shaeula looked like she was going to speak, but I signalled to her to let me handle it. ¡°Look, you made mistakes. But you tried your best to fix them. Nobody goes through life without making mistakes. I¡¯ve certainly made my fair share, Shaeula too. Still, it¡¯s how you deal with your mistakes that determines whether you succeed or not.¡±


    At my comforting words she seemed surprised, but she was listening properly. ¡°Look.¡± I continued. "We uncovered the plot, and we survived. Better still, look at your princess now. She¡¯s grown from the failures you experienced together. Without that, she¡¯d never have met me, or become so strong. So, never forget that you made those mistakes, but accept that in trying to correct them, you can be forgiven. Though those that compound their errors, they will get no mercy from me.¡± I finished, assuring her Risha would face retribution, one day.


    ¡°Indeed. I forgive you. Velna. Now-now you shall serve me alongside Hyacinth, and will watch as I flourish. I do have one concern though. If news-news of us is spreading, I fear my father and siblings may discover this place, as Shaeraggo did. That would be rather... problematic.¡±


    Yeah. I know Ixitt has been bringing ratkin over in droves, and he assures me nobody will miss them or question where they went, but if other races are coming...


    ¡°I believe it should be fine, master, princess.¡± Velna assured me. ¡°Ixitt has advised that there are lines of communication between the lesser-lesser races of the Seelie Court. They have ways of sharing knowledge. To protect themselves, he said-said.¡±


    ¡°That sounds troubling.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°I admit I myself was prejudiced, and now realise how foolish I was-was. But if the Seelie Court requires such measures, the rot-rot goes deeper than I feared. This will have to change!¡±


    Yeah, I remember you calling the kobolds things like ¡®dirt-grubbing mutts¡¯ back when we first met. I¡¯m proud you¡¯ve overcome that. ¡°Yeah, the more I hear about the Seelie Court, the more worried I am. It can¡¯t go on that way. I think maybe your ambitions aren¡¯t just selfish, but necessary. Reform is needed.¡±


    ¡°And we shall do it!¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°But first-first. The Myconids. Can we truly defeat them?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are doing everything we can. It¡¯ll depend on Hyacinth and Ixitt a lot though. We should go check on their progress. But first, we need to plan our Territory out.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, and I explained my thinking. I had spent ether rush-building the three Barracks to Rank 2, then spent a hundred thousand ether queuing the upgrade to the Build Queue Anchor Spire to Rank 2 as well. This had the downside of leaving us with only two useable build queues for the fifty days that it was tied up, as it would cost nine-hundred thousand to rush-build it, or a disgusting eighteen thousand ether just to shorten it by one astral day. Anchor Spires are incredibly inefficient to rush-build. Luckily I have alternatives... The Territory was bringing in a bit over forty thousand ether a day (over half of that from Asha¡¯s tree alone), so our income was now significantly better. We were also getting more from our expanding Territory, of course. Overall, this gave us options in regard to rush-building.


    The remaining two queues had the Rank 2 Throne of Heroes with a shade under twenty-five days left. It would cost a quarter of a million ether to clear that queue, so it was within reach. The final queue had three Rank 2 Ether Spires, and the Rank 2 Boundary To Material Connection, at a total of thirty-one days, and the cost to clear that was just under a hundred and ten thousand. Therefore I would quickly be able to clear that second queue, freeing up the ability to build again, using the ether we were pulling in. Plus strengthening the ether around the training school will be a bonus.


    After I explained all this to Shaeula she nodded, but then asked me what I intended to build after that.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the tough one. I do want the Rank 2 Ether Density and Ether Spire Anchor Spires, but they would again jam up a queue, so they aren¡¯t ideal for now. The first thing I thought of was the Rank 4 Silo. It¡¯s eighty thousand ether, and takes a hundred and sixty days. But we can completely build it instantly for four hundred thousand ether. That sounds a lot, but the price in terms of cost per day of the queue is quite decent. We can then add an annex to increase the storage capacity for a modest sum, and I believe we can get it to holding over a million ether then. That should take care of all our storage worries for now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if we make so much ether per day-day, we will overspill too quickly.¡± She agreed. ¡°If we defeat the Myconids, no-no, when we defeat the Myconids, we should earn quite-quite the bounty too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit!¡± I approved. ¡°And after that, we¡¯ll push the other Silos to Rank 3. Not so much for their storage, but so we can likewise build all the Elemental Silos to Rank 3 as well. That will allow us to store a lot more elemental energies. We need them if we are going to upgrade the Earth Altar, but more importantly, with more energy to draw on, we can train harder and battle for longer. And as they are only to Rank 3, not 4, it¡¯ll be manageable.¡±


    ¡°How could that make me happy? Seriously, that¡¯s not it at all. Sex is just another way of saying make love. I¡¯m not sure how you decided that, but I promise you I don¡¯t mean that at all. I would never hurt you.¡± I promised. ¡°After all, you are a good brownie, right?¡±


    ¡°I am? I really, truly am?¡± she asked, and I nodded, tightening my arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve seen, or had done to you in the past. I don¡¯t even want to imagine it. But when I say love, sex, enjoyment, marriage... I mean sharing joy. But... maybe another time. You seem sad. We should take a break. We¡¯ll continue later.¡± I gestured, and blades of air silenced the enemy captives forever. ¡°You know... I think I¡¯d really like some wine and snacks. Think you could help me with that?¡±


    ¡°I can, yes. Right nooow!¡± Hyacinth said, brightening up. As she raced off to get me some food, I contemplated her retreating figure. Damn, with the way she has been lascivious with me, constantly trying to get into my bed, I¡¯d have expected her to know what I meant. Damn those Unseelie. What the fuck have they been doing?


    ********


    ¡°It is a grim tale.¡± Ixitt said, as we rested, Hyacinth having been dispatched on another task. ¡°The Unseelie are home to many Fae drunk on darkness, ripe with cruelty. The matriarch of the ratkin, Sheshelob, is one such. It is one reason why us ratkin are so hated. Sheshelob was known to devour males she had finished mating with, not totally, leaving them alive, mere shells of themselves, missing limbs and flesh. And she is far from the worst. The Dark Maidens, handmaids of the Unseelie Queen, the tortures they put captives through are enough to bring nightmares. The few we have recovered have spoken of brutal torments, and the way she interpreted enjoying the body rings true to what foul pleasures the Dark Maidens enjoy,¡±


    I clenched my fist, enraged. ¡°First the Myconids, now Sheshelob and these Dark Maidens. I thought that the Unseelie could be saved, considering Hyacinth, but the more I hear about them...¡±


    ¡°Calm down Akio, I do not-not like your rage.¡± Shaeula hugged me from behind. She was wearing her rubber protective gear, freshly created by Ixitt to replace the sabotaged suits from before, so the feeling was strange, but even so, the weight of her on my back calmed me down, mirroring how I had consoled Hyacinth. ¡°I hate the Unseelie greatly, it is true-true. But we should not-not go by hearsay. If they have hurt Hyacinth and others, then they will pay for that. But I do not-not wish for you to be blinded by your anger!¡±


    I took a long breath, letting my Resilience work, and when I was calm again, I gave Shaeula a deep kiss, Ixitt looking away politely. When we separated I thanked her. ¡°Thanks. I just... you should have seen her. She looked dreadful. That was a far-cry from the Hyacinth we know, always perverted yet kind. Who knew such an innocuous phrase could traumatise her. Fuck, now I¡¯m in a foul mood. We aren¡¯t making much progress on the spores either. I think we are approaching it wrong. It''s been several days already.¡±


    ¡°At least the new gear works well-well.¡± Shaeula grinned. She gestured to the pile of shimmering Etherites she had unloaded onto the table, glittering red, orange and yellow, with a couple of green sparkles too. ¡°The bluesteel wind armour works quite-quite beautifully.¡±


    ¡°Yes. With the recovered bluesteel from recycling the sabotaged gear, plus what the kobolds have mined for us, we were able to make the devices.¡± Around Shaeula¡¯s waist was a belt crafted of various materials and bluesteel, that would use wind energy to generate a shell around her, preventing any spores from getting in or out, effectively rendering most Myconids and plant beasts blind to her presence. Shaeula had thus been scouting for us, and taking the opportunity to use her Eyes to spy out and recover Etherites.


    I was about to praise her when my own Eye flared amber, a message crossing my vision.


    A Vassal Territory has reached Rank 2. Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 6 to level 7.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Shaeula asked, and I advised her. ¡°I guess Kikuchi-san has managed to Rank up his Territory. That¡¯s a good thing, he can build more Ether Spires. I got a level of Conqueror out of it too.¡±


    ¡°Well, with your Territory defending him, only a fool-fool would fail.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Still, you can reward him suitably I suppose. Maiko too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, when she can enter the Boundary she can become a Kami-Blessed too, I suspect her father already is. Anyway, it¡¯s been long enough to accumulate ether, we¡¯ll drop back and clear that build queue.¡±


    On our return, around two days had passed in the Boundary, so it was likely sometime late Tuesday the 1st of October back in the Material. We had accumulated enough ether to clear the cheaper queue, as well as to drop an upgrade to a Rank 2 Sniper Emplacement at the cost of around fourteen thousand ether. It would take eighteen days, but we would need about half of that to gather the ether to build the Rank 4 Silo anyway, and we could cheaply clear it when we were ready. I¡¯m not leaving queues fallow, it¡¯s inefficient.


    ¡°By the way, Ixitt, how are my other gear requests coming along?¡± I asked as I finished up, and Ixitt grinned.


    ¡°Well, now I know some of the principles, I can use Mortal Engineering and aether to make a facsimile. It is very draining, and if I knew more I could do better, but aether can cover up for any inconsistencies, so long as one has enough knowledge¡±


    At his words, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me. Aether can cover up for any inconsistencies! Remembering the first weapon I ever made, the spear that was destroyed eventually by the Raven Knight, I had used aether to craft something beyond my capabilities at that time. Thinking of Hyacinth and what she could do with nature element, I found myself grinning.


    ¡°Akio, you seem happy?¡± Shaeula asked, and I grabbed her, spinning her around, ignoring her protests.


    ¡°I am! I think, no, I know we can make the spores work now!¡± I turned to Ixitt, still hugging Shaeula. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up with the remaining items. Because soon we¡¯ll be making our move. The Spring of Clear Reflections will be ours before the week is out!¡±

 Two Hundred And Eighteen

    Two Hundred And Eighteen


    ¡°You¡¯d better not be causing Karen-chan and the others any trouble.¡± I warned Ixitt, as he dropped down more bags full of devices. I could see metal and glass cubes and cylinders within one bag as it opened, with thin wires and balls of blue metal shining through.


    ¡°Of course not, I would hardly be foolish enough to jeopardise my visits to the mortal world by upsetting your allies.¡± He grinned, tail lashing happily. ¡°Even in the mere hours I am able to spend there, I learn much. My Mortal Engineering will reach new heights. Your ideas too... fascinating.¡± His grin broadened. ¡°So, have you made any progress?¡±


    I nodded. Hyacinth was spewing out spores, and the thorn-wolf tied to the Fae Stone let out a shuddering cry as it began to corrode, mushrooms, toadstools and virulent fronds of vivid red and orange fungi sprouting rapidly, disintegrating it. Beside it, the silent Degraded Kobold remained unhurt, a faint mist of red spores covering it.


    ¡°I see. So you have succeeded. Marvellous!¡± Ixitt clapped his hands. ¡°With this, our victory is assured, is it not? And more... could we not completely overthrow the Unseelie with such a deadly plague?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. I see too many problems with it. The worst is... this could be replicated with a little knowledge. The genie is out of the lamp, so we need to keep it hidden as much as possible.¡± If it required a special Fae like Hyacinth, and mortal knowledge of advanced biology, genetic engineering and more, then I wouldn¡¯t be so worried. The problem is, in the end while that helped significantly and gave me the initial idea, the solution was painfully, dangerously simple. Imagine if someone found a way to turn ordinary water and household chemicals into a cold fusion device. Anyone who wanted would then be able to build a nuclear bomb. The world would be destroyed in short order. The only saving grace is that it would be far more difficult to refine the process without Hyacinth. She¡¯s not essential, but she expedites the issues with replication significantly. Even so, I can¡¯t assume I¡¯m the only one who can do this or has useful companions. ¡°If the use of such abilities escalates, then only a wasteland of death throughout the land would remain.¡±


    ¡°I see. It seems a shame to leash such a terrible weapon, but I bow to your wisdom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only leashed, sure. Don¡¯t get me wrong. If it comes down to people I care about dying, or letting the genie out of the lamp, fuck the lamp. In desperation we¡¯ll use it, have no fear. But ideally I¡¯d like to keep it secret, only using bio-warfare against the Myconids. Fighting fire with fire, as it were.¡± I shrugged, watching as Hyacinth was cheering at the death of the next prisoner, a Myconid Scout. It resisted longer, but its end was the same, disintegrating into a slurry of fungal slime and a scattering of ether. ¡°But surely you see the danger. If one skilled person with a good idea can overthrow an entire Territory, or take down a vastly more powerful opponent, that means no matter how strong we get, we always have to be cautious.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are thinking carefully.¡± Ixitt approved. ¡°As a Mortal Engineer, our goal has long been to replicate the deadly weapons you mortals have created. They can allow a small child to defeat many strong warriors, can they not, or purge a city in flames. I understand. Such devices are the bane of the strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So I don¡¯t want to reveal our hand. Still, very few of us know precisely how we are going to win this.¡± I sighed. ¡°And everyone is trustworthy, I think. Still, I want to wrap this up quickly. I¡¯ve been at this for days, and it¡¯s a real strain on the mind.¡±


    Ixitt nodded. ¡°So, are you prepared?¡± He looked at Hyacinth as she was spewing out the deadly motes. ¡°It seems even more lethal than the Myconid spores.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. There¡¯s two more iterations we need to make. We have the lethality and the fact it only affects plants, plant-based creatures and Fae. But the dying forest around the Spring is massive. It¡¯s about twenty miles in radius, right? So that means it covers roughly twelve hundred and fifty square miles. That¡¯s huge. There¡¯s no way Hyacinth can produce enough spores to overwhelm that forest. So we need to make it spawn additional spores in a deadly cascade. We have to turn the forest into a sea of red and orange snow.¡± I shivered at the atrocity I was contemplating. Too late to worry about it now. The Myconids are responsible for many horrible deaths, and their existence is incompatible with other races. Besides, for Shaeula, I¡¯ll dirty my hands as much as is needed. ¡°We need the mushrooms and toadstools that grow from the corpses of the victims to cast their own spores out on the winds within the forest. That way we¡¯ll set up an exponential wind of death.¡±


    ¡°Magnificent.¡± Ixitt approved. ¡°To think I would see such a day. Please have no pity for the enemy. They would reduce the Seelie Court to similar ruin, as they did the forests there. Even your mortal world would not be spared if they could journey there.¡± He paused then. ¡°So what is the second development you require?¡±


    ¡°A reproduction limit.¡± I answered, and Ixitt looked puzzled. Seeing that, I explained. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve tried to make the spores as safe as possible, but I¡¯m cheating using aether, so there could easily be unpredictable outcomes. Besides, there are plant-based Fae in the Seelie Court, such as Asha, and the many Rhyming Trees will be damaged or even killed by them too.¡± Another sting on my conscience. Asha assured me there weren¡¯t any more dryads alive in the dead forest, but if there are... they definitely won¡¯t survive this.


    ¡°Yes, there are the treekin, and others, one of the seven surviving great branches of the Fae.¡± Ixitt nodded. ¡°Still, these spores, surely they should not be able to penetrate the Seelie Court, just as the Myconids cannot?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I¡¯m going to run numerous safety tests to be certain. But even then, can I take that risk? If I¡¯m making a weapon of mass destruction, I¡¯m going to handle it very carefully. I can think of a lot of things that might go wrong. Since we are allies of the Seelie Court it might allow the spores through, or an enemy could start cultivating the mushrooms to use against us. So basically, we need some sort of kill-switch, and a reproduction limit seems the best way. Still, that¡¯s the hardest of all the concepts so far, it¡¯s giving me a real headache.¡± I would have to calculate the average area that one cascade of spores would cover, and then scale that up. I didn¡¯t need to be exact, if I was out a generation or two it wouldn¡¯t matter too much, but even so, there were tests and calculations required. Letting out a long sigh, Ixitt tried to cheer me up.


    ¡°Well, I have much to do as well. It is not just you who has to work hard, Akio. Where is the princess? She would be happy to cheer you up, right?¡±


    ¡°Sadly she¡¯s training with Ulfuric now he¡¯s back. Since she became a Kamaitachi as well, she has more combat options, so Ulfuric is hammering some basics into her.¡±


    ¡°Bad luck for you then. Well, I think Hyacinth is done, so I shall leave you to your work. I¡¯ll be finishing up the last few devices.¡±


    I nodded as he left. Hyacinth ran up behind me, face bright, the sadness she had displayed several days ago now forgotten, seemingly. But I remember. ¡°Master, I have dooone it! They die every time nooow!¡± She gushed, smiling broadly, fishing for praise, but I could see a shadow in her silver-violet eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, good job.¡± I stroked her hair, patting her head, and she purred with happiness. ¡°Still, we have to improve it still further. You think you are ready?¡±


    Hyacinth nodded, her head bobbing wildly. ¡°I am always ready tooo serve master!¡± she giggled. ¡°And when I am dooone, master will reward Hyacinth, right?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait on a reward. Hyacinth, you¡¯re a good maid and a good girl. So... now isn¡¯t the right time, but when the battle is over, we¡¯ll talk, right?¡±


    ¡°Talk? Master wants to talk to Hyacinth?¡± She said, a touch uncertain. I reassured her by pulling her close, arms around her.


    ¡°Yes. I do. About what you want out of life, and what I want. I know you¡¯ve been hurt in the past, but the past is dead. I don¡¯t know that Hyacinth. The Hyacinth I know is the one before me, and I want you to be happy.¡±


    ¡°Master wants Hyacinth tooo be happy?¡± She said, puzzled. ¡°But I am happy. I have a master to serve, and a mistress, a princess nooo less. Any brownie wooould be happy to serve! I can clean the hooouse, wash the laundry, cook the meals... sour the... nooo, Hyacinth doesn¡¯t want to dooo anything bad anymore! Master and mistress are kind!¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope you can find something more you want out of life. Brownie or boggart or anything else... they are only labels. What matters is what you do, who you are, not what. So just think about it, all right. When this is done, tell me what you really want out of life, okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll see. Hopefully. We¡¯ll need them when we win.¡± I answered. ¡°Still, you and master Bjarki have worked miracles. The kobolds too. The increased supply of bluesteel they have provided makes all the difference.¡±


    ¡°They still need charging. You have a long night ahead of you, Akio, princess. Hyacinth too.¡± He laughed. ¡°At least I have only the final safety checks.¡±


    ¡°I never thought this would be possible.¡± Ulfuric looked down at the ground once more, pondering over the map. ¡°I still fear it may go poorly. But if it succeeds... everything will change.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve planned for everything we can. Nothing is ever certain, and they no doubt have secret forces and traps we haven¡¯t seen. But hell, if this doesn¡¯t work, then the Myconids will continue to spread, and eventually the Seelie Court will fall, right?¡±


    ¡°I shall never-never let that happen!¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie Court, proud fiance?e of Oshiro Moonstone Akio, the one who shall rule the mortal world. The Myconids... they should have stayed in their own realm. Now they will pay for the many Fae who died to their cruel spores and seeds, reaping what they have-have sowed. A mortal saying I find rather appealing.¡±


    ¡°Grul approves. Princess has grown up strong. Grul is happy he did not crush you before. The strong should prosper, only the weak must be stomped, broken and smashed!¡±


    ¡°I shall nooot let you down, master, mistress! And afterwards... master will embrace Hyacinth! ¡° she started to giggle, and I said nothing, merely meeting Shaeula¡¯s eyes, returning her own grin.


    ¡°And my Mortal Engineering will finally reach the heights it was always meant to!¡± Ixitt declared. ¡°I can hardly wait!¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to, as we have a lot of gear to charge up, you said it yourself. And then I want to spend a night with Shaeula, I haven¡¯t seen her in days.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are as eager as ever.¡± She smirked, but I shook my head in denial.


    ¡°No, not tonight. We¡¯ll need all our strength and stamina for tomorrow. I just want to sleep with you in my arms. I¡¯m pretty nervous, it¡¯ll soothe me.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I can abstain.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Though... Hyacinth has done well. She should also rest with us.¡±


    ¡°Me, mistress?¡± Hyacinth stopped her laughter.


    ¡°Yes, you shall stay with us tonight, in Akio¡¯s arms. There will be no love, but even-even so, you must be calm for tomorrow, and I find-find nothing more relaxing than Akio¡¯s warm presence. It is rather-rather reassuring.¡±


    As Hyacinth celebrated, I turned to Ixitt. ¡°All right then. Bring out the equipment. The quicker we get everything loaded, the quicker we can return to the Boundary where there¡¯s actually somewhere worth sleeping...¡±


    ********


    ¡°That worked just as planned.¡± Ixitt said proudly. A large sled-like contraption was piled high with numerous crates, boxes and sacks, but it was not touching the ground, merely floating a few inches above, green energies sparkling from the bluesteel orbs below that generated some lift, similar to a hovercraft. ¡°It is rather hungry for wind energy, but between you and the princess, we have enough. Otherwise, we would not be able to carry enough supplies, unless we loaded Grulgor up like a pack mule.¡±


    ¡°Grul is no mule, Grul is a warrior!¡± He rumbled, in his chainmail and rubber, a newly made spiked mace that Bjarki had crafted in his hands.


    ¡°Indeed. And we need you to fight.¡± I agreed. I turned to Shaeula and Hyacinth, who were likewise both wearing the protective gear as a precaution. ¡°Are you two ready?¡±


    ¡°I am always ready.¡± Shaeula agreed, her amber eyes warm behind her goggles. She clenched one fist, steeling herself. ¡°This-this is the fruition of all your plans, Akio. I am only worried we will let you down.¡±


    ¡°I am nooot worried. Hyacinth believes in master and mistress!¡± She declared, the buzz from spending a night cuddling me having left her hyperactive. ¡°Hyacinth warmed the bed, even if it was nooot what I thooought it was!¡±


    ¡°The true warming comes later.¡± Shaeula promised. She picked up the long tube-like device she had been checking, handing it to me. ¡°Now, Akio, will you fire-fire the first shot?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Ixitt, load it up.¡± I declared boldly. Ixitt pulled out a glass cylinder the size of a soda-can, the inside threaded with bluesteel strands, giving off a gentle mist of nature energy. The inside was also packed with red and orange spores, so thick it was clearly visible to the naked eye. Lastly a small dot of bluesteel shimmering with yellow energies was attached to the front of it. He pulled open the back of the makeshift artillery-piece I had shouldered, before slotting the glass jar in and closing it.


    ¡°Well, for the first one I think... a couple of miles in, over there.¡± I sighted the weapon, and with a surge of wind energy the projectile was launched, soaring out over the forest. A few seconds later a flash of flame energy blazed, and the glass exploded, showering spores down over the forest like a chalky rain.


    ¡°Reload, and I¡¯ll send one to the right, at forty degrees. Four miles in.¡± I declared, as Ixitt reloaded me. As soon as it was launched, another shell was pushed in, and this one was sent soaring a dozen miles further, sailing into the distance before blowing apart. ¡°It¡¯s out of wind energy. Change battery!¡± I declared, and Shaeula produced a shimmering jade cylinder, swapping out a component.


    Okay, let¡¯s see how you deal with this, Myconids... you don¡¯t have a monopoly on biological weaponry. The genie was out of the lamp indeed, as I could see the site of the first impact starting to sprout, trees collapsing, forests of toadstools covering their trunks, dissolving them. If I ever want a chance of forcing this genie back in the lamp... we have to be ruthless here. Another glass shell full of Hyacinth¡¯s nature energy, sustaining the spores, was lobbed into the treeline. ¡°Another. I want that forest seething with death!¡±

 Two Hundred And Nineteen

    Two Hundred And Nineteen


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Sixty-Three to Sixty-Four. All of your Material statistics have increased by nine. Aether has increased by twenty.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s the third level-up in a few minutes. Who knew genocide was so profitable?¡± I muttered self-mockingly as I launched another projectile out into the forest like a mortar. After the first consecutive bombardments we raced into the forest, aiming for our goal, the Spring at the centre, amidst the crowning hill. Huge amounts of ether were being generated as well, hundreds, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of plant creatures and Myconids dying all around the forest, erupting into masses of vivid red and orange toadstools, which greedily devoured the plant material, before detonating in bright clouds of spores, spreading the taint ever further.


    I have to take what I can. I greedily dragged in all the ether around us, fighting the Territory for it, and I must have grabbed tens of thousands of units at the very least. Another glass jar sailed high into the air, and moments later more spores cascaded down like deadly rain.


    ¡°This is both-both wonderous and terrible.¡± Shaeula said beside me, watching the slaughter with a very complicated expression, a mix of happiness and regret. She raised a hand holding her pink jade bells, and a series of fine wind blades flew out, carving apart both the rapidly-decaying trees blocking our path and a dozen Myconid warriors who were trying to make a stand, even as their bodies were ravaged by the growths, flesh melting and disintegrating. ¡°I know this is how-how the Myconids do their cruel work, but what is it you said, Akio? We must be careful not-not to become the monsters we fight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is a forbidden technique after this war. Seeing it up close it¡¯s even more horrific than I expected.¡± Beside us, Grulgor was rampaging, engaging any Myconid that tried to resist the tide of death, making short work of them. Hyacinth was merely following along with Ixitt and his wagon of equipment, saving her strength. ¡°It might have been more humane to simply burn everything down with Foehn.¡±


    ¡°Well, dead is dead, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula shrugged, chainmail jingling. ¡°I do not-not believe they care about the manner of their death, nor would they have any dignity doing so, considering the brutality they have-have themselves wrought.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I fired off another glass jar of spores and nature energy. ¡°That should be every target hit as per the plan. Now we just have a few left for emergencies.¡± I slung the makeshift bazooka over my back, drawing my Twin Tangs. The forest ahead of us was now a sodden mess of exploded mushrooms and fronds of fungus, and the underfooting below was treacherous. It might well be worth purging the whole forest with fire afterwards, starting over before replanting the Territory. Still, that won¡¯t be my worry. A tide of thorn-bears, pitcher plans, sunflowers, pumpkin-beasts and worse were trying to rally, but all it took was some spores to feast on one of their number, sprouting, before the contagion spread. My blades slashed out, cleaving rotten creatures apart in splashes of green goo, though even that was starting to turn a vile red, making it look more like blood.


    ¡°This is too easy.¡± Shaeula remarked, a pinwheel held in her other hand sweeping a wide area. Ether scattered and we pulled it in, using a little to offset the effects of the enemy Territory, but most of it we funnelled home. ¡°They must-must be able to put up some resistance?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it.¡± I said, before shaking my head. ¡°Too late.¡± The ground trembled, and from the hill that was our destination the thorn behemoths emerged, starting to stride through the dying forest. Still, even they were not immune to the deadly effects of the spores. One was stumbling, the green of its legs becoming overwhelmed with a creeping tide of putrid ruby and nauseating orange, and even as it stumbled, legs snapping, the mushrooms exploded. Myconids tried to leap free, some falling to their deaths, but those that were too late merely popped wetly, stinking goop seeping from their toadstool-ridden corpses.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Sixty-Four to Sixty-Five. All of your Material statistics have increased by nine. Aether has increased by twenty.


    No shit. Still, it isn¡¯t all going our way! Even as I levelled up at the death of the hulk and its passengers, the other two were unleashing their massive thorns towards us, blotting out the moon like a rain of arrows. We had no cover either, what trees that had survived the long Myconid occupation now melting away, forming a layer of slimy detritus that dogged our steps, slowing us.


    ¡°Shaeula, barrier!¡± I called, raising wind myself and creating a jade typhoon around us. The impacts were heavy, the shrill screeching of solid thorns impacting the grinding wind hurting my ears. ¡°I¡¯ll use aether too. We have plenty to spare!¡± I hardened my image, the winds intensifying, imagining an impenetrable shield. Compared to modifying the spores, this is trivial! The thorns that were slowly penetrating before, forcing their way through our defences like spikes from an iron maiden, found themselves sliced apart, sharpened tips dropping to the ground, the rest repelled. Another flight landed, dull thuds rocking the barrier, but it held firm.


    ¡°Time to counter.¡± I declared, as the barrier shimmered and broke apart, olivine motes of light scattering as the wind energy and aether was spent. All around us the ground was impaled by massive spears for dozens, no, hundreds of metres, but some were already starting to sprout vivid fungus.


    ¡°Shaeula, cover me. I¡¯m going to take those moving fortresses out.¡± I loaded one of the few remaining bio-shells into the artillery, shouldered it and quickly calculated the firing angles. It didn¡¯t take too many tests for me to figure out the quirks, and rapid calculations for things like trajectories and firing angles is what Intellect does best. The first shell soared out, followed by a second. Just two left now. Still, we have Hyacinth.


    More thorny spears were being grown from the behemoths, dozens of Myconids using all their energies to urge them forwards, each stride carrying them closer to us. One shell struck the shoulder of the lead thorny hulk, exploding into a cloud of death, and even from here we could hear the shrill cries of panic. One down. The second however... Well shit, they are learning. A bit quicker than I would have hoped, though. Myconid Aeromancers had erected a barrier similar to our earlier one, and the exploding shell merely showered spores against it, for them to be pushed aside. Their control was clumsy, and they only managed to spray further death across their rapidly decaying comrades, but even so, it kept the final behemoth intact.


    ¡°Fine then. Try this.¡± I launched the last two shells, one arcing high, the other on a low trajectory. Once more walls of wind erupted, blocking the first shell. The second was blocked by the ground erupting, geysers of decaying black mud swallowing the projectile, crushing it. ¡°Yeah, of course it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Still, two down.¡± I got another level-up, pushing me to Sixty-Six, and I idly wondered if anyone else was levelling up this fast. Though I soon had less time to think such nonsense, as hundreds of Myconids were marshalling up, shimmering walls of wind and fetid mud and water around them. There were Aeromancers, Terramancers, Aquamancers, Rangers, Warriors and many more. But what really drew my attention were the six Sporecasters that occupied the centre of the small army. Their wooden staves were giving off shimmering light, and beside me Hyacinth hissed.


    ¡°They are doooing something, master. That energy is similar tooo mine!¡±


    ¡°In that case, if they can defend against the spores, we just have to kill them the old-fashioned way.¡± I declared. At my words, Grulgor laughed grimly, charging towards them, leaving craterous footprints in the ground.


    ¡°Do we?¡± Shaeula asked, suddenly, having an idea. She turned to Hyacinth, even as Grulgor came under heavy bombardment from arrows, spores and elemental attacks, which he was shrugging off, his heavy armour jangling, rings scattered into the muck. ¡°If I make-make an opening, can you cast your spores inside it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can dooo it!¡± Hyacinth was nodding frantically. ¡°I have been working sooo hard to be of use to master and mistress. Hyacinth is happy to be relied upooon!¡±


    ¡°Very well. Akio, please aid Grulgor, prevent that-that oaf from suffering damage to his protective gear. Make me an opportunity!¡±


    ¡°Fine. Wait up, big guy!¡± I cried, rapidly catching Grulgor. Spikes of rock and arrows flew at me, but I turned the muddy ground into my shield with a ruby flow of earth energies, the surging mass of dirt slamming into the oncoming projectiles. Grulgor smashed through the earth walls that were thick with red and yellow dust, his fists and new mace sweeping through. One Warrior tried to block him, but the heavy metal shaft of his mace smashed the head to paste, before he swung it wide, tossing Warriors asunder.


    ¡°This is what Grul wishes for! Crush puny fungi, win victory through might!¡± He bellowed, a headbutt crushing the cap of another Warrior, goo splattering his visor and goggles.


    ¡°Careful! There are still plenty of Myconid Death Spores in the air.¡± I warned. ¡°Watch your gear.¡± I swung with my left hand, and severed the arm of a Warrior. Blasts of air and razor-sharp jets of water were aimed at me by the ¡®Mancers, but I was too quick, slipping past them, my own wind and flame energies piercing through several opponents. Even so, Grulgor and I were seriously outnumbered, and the Sporecasters were reaching the climax of whatever ritual they were attempting.


    We were standing in front of the crowned hill that housed the Spring of Clear Reflections. The once-pristine white stone that made it up was choked with fungi, mushrooms, toadstools and more of many vile colours. It reminded me of seeing a cluster of sea anemones at the aquarium in Las Vegas. Yeah, if this doesn¡¯t reek of danger, I don¡¯t know what does. Worse, the density of spores was far thicker here, and in addition to the Myconid Death Spores, there were tiny seeds that were extremely corrosive. Our chainmail was already starting to melt, as was the glass of our goggles.


    ¡°Well, this will do for a while.¡± Ixitt said as he ladled out gloopy barrier cream from the barrel on his hovering supply sled. Smearing it over our gear, including our goggles, which gave everything a softer, more unfocussed cast, we were at least temporarily protected. Though I¡¯m tempted to take the goggles off and let Ether Healing do its work. No, too risky...


    ¡°So, I get the feeling this isn¡¯t going to be a case of Hyacinth just filling the interior with spores and us walking away with the boss loot drops.¡± I said sarcastically. The yawning entrance to the hill beckoned us in, an archway that was probably once carved with many beautiful works of art now weathered and cracked, mushrooms and slimy fronds sprouting from the gaps, hanging down like curtains.


    ¡°No, I suppose not-not.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Still, other than a few survivors, the Myconids are finished. Other than whatever lurks within.¡± Her eyes glowed bright behind her smeared mask. ¡°I can sense a strong presence, rivalling my father. I... well, I admit to being concerned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m getting cold feet myself. I¡¯m even wondering if it might be wise to speak to Shaeraggo, get some reinforcements. Even make some gear for Ulfuric. But...¡± I shook my head at the ominous presence. ¡°... so long as the Myconid within relies on his spores and contagions rather than power, we¡¯ll win. Ixitt, you have the most important task. I want our line of retreat open at all times.¡±


    ¡°I shall be ready.¡± He patted the numerous crates, sacks and boxes. ¡°We have prepared as well as we could have. I am confident that at worst we can safely escape.¡±


    ¡°Grul wants to destroy strong opponents, but Grul admits, what lies within feels strong. Like Duke Formor. But running from the fight will not serve you.¡± He shook his massive head, a sizzling snow of seeds and spores accumulating on his greased shoulders, emitting faint steam. ¡°If this is your limit, you will never rule, princess.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula was shaking slightly, but even so, her eyes were resolute. ¡°I am not-not a cowardly young female alone any longer. I have you all at my side. Besides, I must-must simply try out the arts Ulfuric has been teaching me. Using them on the worthless mushrooms who have fallen before us is no-no test at all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I didn¡¯t want to spoil the moment, so I stepped forwards. The pressure was suddenly more intense, aether being pulled from me, my body feeling sluggish. Still, I resisted, focusing on my chakra network, boiling my energies within, and I pushed through, sliding through into the dark cave, lit only by phosphorescent glows from the fungi dotted everywhere, dull green and purple.


    ¡°Still no barrier. Not that we wouldn¡¯t be able to break it, given time.¡± I observed. ¡°But the Territory is thicker here, denser. Probably pushing Rank 4, if I had to guess?¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°It is quite-quite draining. We can ill afford a protracted battle here. Ixitt and Hyacinth will not-not be able to withstand this force for long.¡±


    ¡°I am fine mistress, dooo not worry abooout me!¡± She declared stoutly. ¡°Where master and mistress gooo, I shall be behind them.¡±


    Ixitt merely bobbed his head, already struggling. Luckily his battle prowess wasn¡¯t essential to us, and most of his use was in his supplies. Grulgor was also slower than usual, but even so, as we marched through the straight corridor deeper into the hill, the air choked with spores, our breaths rasping through the masks we wore, we steeled ourselves for what was ahead.


    ¡°Do you hear that-that?¡± Shaeula asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Sounds like the trickling of water. Makes sense, as it is a spring, right?¡±


    ¡°The most beautiful amongst all the Seelie Court.¡± Ixitt lamented. ¡°Though you would never know it now.¡±


    ¡°Hush. I hear-hear something else.¡± Shaeula growled, and we stilled. Yes. Like breathing. A booming, cavernous breath.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way that whoever dwells down in these depths doesn¡¯t know we are here. The amount of Alert Spores flying about must have been crazy.¡± I declared boldly, grasping at my confidence. ¡°Come on. We may as well see what we face. Who knows.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Maybe we can even negotiate the return of the Spring. We¡¯ve shown we are more than capable and ruthless enough to threaten the Myconids as a whole.¡±


    ¡°That would be pleasant.¡± Shaeula muttered as we came ever-closer to the end of the corridor, a silvery glow streaming through the thick fog of spores, forming pretty beams of light. ¡°Still, I do not-not believe we are that fortunate.¡±


    ¡°No, probably not.¡± I agreed, stepping out into the hollow hill that housed the Spring of Clear Reflections. Wow. Incredible. Even now. I subconsciously imitated my sister, as the sight within stole my breath. The hollow hill towered into the sky, and the walls were white stone, filled with shining crystals of emerald and sapphire. Even the filth and fungus smearing the walls could not obscure the full beauty of it. Light was streaming in from the hole in the mound, reflected from the crowning monoliths, creating a series of dazzling beams that shone silver, blue, green, purple and more colours. They were all focussed down to the centre, where a large lake was sitting, stagnant. It was then the beauty faded.


    Disgusting. What was likely a pristine lake and spring was now choked with reed-like toadstools, black and purple caps releasing the constant slurry of acidic spores that plagued the hill. The water itself was now black with toxic sludge, and if it wasn¡¯t for the filters on our masks the odour would likely have been intolerable. The watery sound we could hear was likely the spring flowing into the lake from below, sending gentle ripples along the surface, but instead of a beautiful mirror reflecting the light from above, the waves seemed to devour the light, only gloom remaining.


    And amidst the lake, that light... towered something. Something grotesque, bloated, something that my mind wanted to reject. It was a Myconid, at least it must have been. A twenty-metre tall stalk-like body, though dozens, hundreds of faces were peering out from the poisonous yellow flesh, virulent caps twitching and drooling acids and spores. A dozen frond-like arms were dangling like roots, greedily sucking up the pestilent waters of the lake, and the head... it was a mushroom cap, true, but it was a dull grey, reflective, and caved in at the top, many of the beams of light from above being swallowed by the dark void that dwelt within, a deep purple that lacked all majesty, and only looked like decay.


    ¡°By the moon... that is an abomination.¡± Shaeula gasped, and I could hear Ixitt also swearing. Hyacinth merely stared at it, unblinking, and Grulgor rumbled his disquiet. Me, I get the urge to swear too. What the fuck is that? My Eye shone amber, and I attempted to analyse it, but as I was doing so, a vicious, fanged mouth split open in the huge stalk-like body of the beast, each fang a huge, venom-dripping thorn, capped with a toadstool head, spotted with white and red. Eyes stared at us from his teeth, yellow and white, filled with madness, and it was only my Determination and Resilience that kept me from screaming, running away. My hand crept out, and I seized Shaeula¡¯s, seeking her reassurance.


    ¡°An abomination?¡± the creature spoke, his voice booming within the confines of the hill, his breath accompanied by a tide of toxic spores, the walls smoking where they landed. ¡°Such arrogance. Who are you to judge I?¡± The mouth chewed over that. ¡°You come into my world, trailing in the blood of my puppets, and call I thus? You Fae were ever arrogant. It shall be your undoing. Now pay proper respect before I, Myrcolaxriath the Ever-Present, once Duke of the Unseelie Court of Pandemonium, now Inheritor of All Lands, the Spreading Death, the Harbinger of the End of False Life. All Shall be I, and I shall be all!¡±

 Two Hundred And Twenty

    Two Hundred And Twenty


    ¡°A bold claim.¡± I said, drawing the attention of the massive, bloated Myconid that lurked at the centre of the spring. I gestured behind my back to Ixitt, who nodded in understanding, slowly starting to remove items from the hovering wagon, which now it had reached the final destination was allowed to sink to the ground, wind energy within almost entirely spent. ¡°All will be you? Sounds like hell to me.¡±


    Myrcolaxriath snorted, a great hissing noise accompanied by a cloud of dripping spores. ¡°You should be less proud of killing the many puppets of I, my many avatars. Do you think the great I is defeated? You were merely beneath the notice of I.¡± Another hissing breath of pungent rot was exhaled between the gaping jaws, frond-like arms flailing to gesture his annoyance. ¡°You Fae creatures, so... distinct, worthless, unlike I. I am perfection, the only being that deserves to exist. The others, they were fools, not wishing to be part of I, the great culmination of all life. I spread, I consume, I exist. Therefore you shall fail. I endure!¡±


    The longer he talks the more time Ixitt has to set up. Still... he probably wants to delay us too. The air is filling with more and more spores as he breathes out. ¡°You¡¯ll have to pardon me, but I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do not, fool. All you were capable of is killing the lesser clones of I, though I admit, you are the first beings to cause I so much trouble. But it will matter little in the grand scheme of all things. Every Myconid... they are all I, and I them, merely a collection of commands modulated by spores that exude from I. Oh how they protested at first, the Noble fools. The lesser Myconids have always been our puppets, why should they be any different? No, to be part of I is to be one with greatness. The other Myconid Lords, they did not wish to succumb to I, the fools. Let them rot in whatever dark caves within Pandemonium they can scavenge. In time, the spores of I will reach them, and they too will know peace within I.¡±


    Shit, this guy is insane. But I think I get it. In a way I¡¯m actually relieved. Perhaps the other Myconids could be reasoned with... but that¡¯s a problem for future me. ¡°So all the Myconids we fought, they were like... what, a hive-mind?¡±


    ¡°A hive-mind? This great I does not understand that term. They are simply I, my will conveyed through the ever-present spores that throng this land, my new nest, from whence I will spread to all corners of this world in time, bringing all inside I.¡±


    Shaeula looked as if she was about to speak, but I motioned her to silence. Not yet, he¡¯s doing a classic villain monologue here, who¡¯d have thought anyone actually did that? But I suppose if anyone would, It¡¯d be this one, as it seems he¡¯s all alone, despite having an army. Maybe we can extract some more information we can use before the battle starts. Strangely enough, despite the overwhelming presence of aether radiating from him, enough to make us tremble before, I was less scared the more we talked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a hive-mind. A consciousness that has many bodies but only one controlling mind. Well, there are variations, but you sound like that, right? I¡¯m guessing the Sporecasters and other Dark Noble Fae were once independent beings, but you took control of them?¡±


    ¡°I see. At least you understand I, foolish Fae. I give you a modicum of respect, if only for that. It would not have been possible, but for this Spring.¡± Grinding laughter filled the hollow hill, acidic sludge running down the bilious flesh of Myrcolaxriath, boiling viciously when it made contact with the befouled water below.


    Here it comes. He¡¯s revealing his plans. I mean, I get it, the urge to get praise for a wonderful scheme, and it isn¡¯t like he can talk to himself about it. Even so... if I ever do something that dumb, I hope Shaeula or Eri gives me a damn slap across the face! ¡°How so?¡± I egged him on, not even having to feign interest. Seeing my stance, Shaeula also nodded, inciting him. ¡°I don¡¯t see the connection. Besides, with your deadly spores, surely you could have pushed deeper into the Seelie Court rather than holing up here? Trust me, I know how lethal such biological weapons can be.¡± He couldn¡¯t see my smirk behind the mask and hood I wore, but my tone achieved the desired result, provoking him further.


    ¡°What could you know of matters? No, this great I wronged you. Turning the very powers of I against my puppets was impossible. Not even the other foolish Lords could do such. Perhaps only you will understand, so I shall tell you, before you become part of I. Weep tears of joy, Fae, as I deem you worthy to become I.¡±


    Such an honour. I think I¡¯ll pass though. ¡°Well to be honest I can¡¯t think of anything worse than being all alone in the world, just myself to talk to. Without my family, Eri, Shaeula, my friends... no. I¡¯m afraid I have to decline. Though of course, if you abandon the Spring and retreat, nobody has to die. Since all I¡¯ve done is kill your puppets, we can still make peace, right?¡± I have to delay him a bit more.


    More grinding laughter, and Myrcolaxriath spoke, his voice thundering. ¡°You seek to barter with I, the End of all Individuality, the Perfect Existence? Foolish. You know nothing. This Spring, I have fused with it, the sacred spiritual waters that flow here, a wonder unmatched, permeating the very being of I, the absorbed light from the very moon that overlooks the lands of the Fae eternally, nourishing I. Immutability, spirituality. With this power the reach of I spreads. I grow ever more perfect, and one day soon even the Territory of the Seelie Court, Dark Pandemonium, the Hunt... all will sprout with I, life itself becoming one with I. I shall be as a divine being, fit to ascend beyond this cage of the lower Astral, where I shall reign eternal, spreading the great I until everything within existence is I, and I am all existence!¡±


    No, I was wrong, he¡¯s not insane. He¡¯s jumped six steps beyond that and gone fucking Lovecraftian! I had no expectations of him agreeing to release the Spring, but now, hearing that, there was no way I could let him go. Hyacinth tapped my back, signalling we had stalled long enough, so I was ready to voice my denials to this insane wannabe-God. ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m extremely impressed.¡± I clapped sarcastically, chainmail clinking. As Myrcolaxriath bent slightly, peering at me with his eyeless cap, dark light flashing, I continued, holding up one hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see. One.¡± I stuck up a finger. ¡°Villain monologue, spilling his plans and a clear weakness we can exploit. Two.¡± A second finger. ¡°A plan so pointlessly evil it makes absolutely no sense. Well, not to me anyway.¡± I shuddered. ¡°A universe of just me? Screw that. Without loved ones, it¡¯s nothing but empty, in every sense. Though I guess you only love yourself.¡± As the Myconid Duke thrashed his tendril-arms, more lifting out of the water, I carried on. ¡°Three. Delusions of Godhood. Four, massive, crippling over-confidence. Have I missed anything? Oh yeah, Five.¡± I put up my thumb at last. ¡°The Demon King faces the heroes on his throne. Though I guess I should call it a lake.¡±


    ¡°It does seem rather like some anime I have seen.¡± Shaeula agreed, tossing her head. ¡°Anyway, this Unseelie repulses me. Akio, we should-should slay him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve stalled enough. Hyacinth, try the spores!¡± I cried, and as Shaeula and I stepped to the side Hyacinth unleashed her nature energy, a boiling cloud of red and yellow filling the caverns. I don¡¯t want to set a flag, but I can¡¯t see it being this easy. But we¡¯d be foolish not to try.


    Even as that attack rolled out, Ixitt had produced his rifle and had loaded it with some explosive rounds. He opened fire, the fusion of human ideas and Faecraft a triumph of engineering. Shots flared through the murk, and we could hear explosions, just for a moment, until Ixitt cursed, the gun jamming, a shell shattering the firing mechanisms. ¡°The acid spores are causing trouble. I have used barrier cream on what I could, but delicate devices like this will be useless soon.¡± He tossed aside his weapon with a mournful look. Shaeula had launched an attack with her pinwheels, but she too was straining, the wires trembling as though something was holding them.


    ¡°Little Fae pests, this great I is not so foolish as you claim.¡± He boomed, sounding unphased by the attacks. ¡°Mocking I, that is unforgivable. I shall expunge you, unworthy beings who will now no longer have the honour of being part of I. Stalling? I too, was waiting. Now perish!¡±


    Explosions rang out, and rings of our spores blasted outwards. Even so, though the gloom we could see that it was only the fungi, toadstools and scum around the lake and on the cavern walls that had been taken over and feasted on by Hyacinth¡¯s deadly fungal pathogens. Myrcolaxriath was untouched, and apart from several severed frond-arms that were now sinking into the pond, a dozen others wrapped around the pinwheels, keeping them locked, he had suffered no significant damage.


    ¡°The puppets of I did die, but I was moving them all, for they are I and I are they. I am this Territory, it is my body, my will. So all of I responds to my spores, my call. You failed to slay all my puppets, so now die!¡± The faces embedded within Myrcolaxriath were howling and hooting, gibbering a froth of spores and putrid water, looking like a myriad of inky tears smearing the yellowing flesh of his torso.


    ¡°They are coming from the passageway!¡± Ixitt called. ¡°Hundreds, perhaps thousands. Everything that¡¯s left here, perhaps!¡±


    ¡°Your spores are useless against I. Dying puppets brought this great I your spores, even as they ceased to be I, dissolving away. I consumed them, and though the power of the Spring, this Great I overcame them! Still, you are valuable.¡± The hundreds of faces turned to look at Hyacinth. ¡°These other Fae are nothing, but you deserve to be a part of I, your spores as mine!¡±


    Two arms lashed out at Hyacinth, too fast for her to dodge. She squeezed shut her eyes, but before she could be struck down I was there, the Twin Fangs slicing through both the metre-thick ropes of gristly fungus as well as the space around it. As the severed ends fell, they sprouted mushrooms and detonated, choking smog filling the room.


    ¡°Fuck, this is bad.¡± I used a gale of wind to force them back, but acid was pouring down on me, even the barrier cream unable to withstand it, as it washed away, dissolving. But it wasn¡¯t me I was concerned about. Grulgor had waded into the fray, his greater bulk and strength allowing him to smash deep into the heart of the Myconids, only to be overwhelmed as dozens of them exploded. He continued to break through, though he was shedding chainmail quickly, the rubber underneath starting to disintegrate, his flesh exposed. Even so, Grulgor ignored the pain, trying to reach our enemy.


    ¡°Without your contraptions and little armours, let I see how you deal with my spores!¡± Myrcolaxriath declared, and Grulgor growled an answer, his yellow eyes glinting balefully.


    ¡°Shut up rotting fungi. Grul thinks you talk too much, fight poorly. Grul is not scared of you!¡± He swung his mace, destroying another group, more acid sheeting him in their death-throes. His armour was all but gone now, and his flesh was seared and bubbling. Even as it regenerated, small mushrooms were starting to sprout, eating into his grey, stony skin. Grul used his free hand to tear clumps out, but they continued to spawn, the pace accelerating.


    ¡°I am infinite!¡± Myrcolaxriath declared, spewing out a hot breath of spores at Grulgor, while more and more of the blue and purple faces were starting to push their way out of the flesh of his stalk-like torso, gibbering. ¡°For each I that perishes, ten more shall take I¡¯s place!¡±


    ¡°Golden Sakura Falling!¡± Shaeula declared, having lowered her barrier. Fire and wind spiralled up in a beautifully complex pattern, one I was sure would impress Shaeraggo, were he to see it. As the sizzling cascade of pretty citrine fireballs poured down on the Duke, any Detonators that were struck blew apart prematurely. The lake was sizzling, fireballs vanishing into the dark waters.


    ¡°You dare?¡±


    ¡°I dare, as many times as I must-must!¡± She answered, her pinwheels managing to slip through and slice a narrow gash in his torso before the arms drove them back.


    ¡°Hey, have you secured our rear yet?¡± I called, and Ixitt grunted in annoyance, Hyacinth still spewing spores and attacking with thorny vines beside him, though she was flagging, her stamina her greatest weakness.


    ¡°Soon. The acid has damaged several tools, and this is not one I want to misfire. Buy us a minute and we shall be free to aid you!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± I started launching stone bullets filled with Foehn at our enemy. As he was trying to defend himself from the fiery rain from above several shots got through, piercing his flesh. At first he thought it a mere nuisance, but as the shells shattered and Foehn began to blaze, he howled, furious. His body shivered, and the burning areas were pushed out by small, sacrificial Myconids, who fell, ablaze with yellow, to disappear into the lake below.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t infinite!¡± I taunted him, switching up my methods, sending more Foehn out to coat the water around him, so that any Detonator he spawned fell into the flames and perished. ¡°You¡¯re clearly slowing down.¡± I just need to buy Ixitt some more time. ¡°I was never a fan of steamed mushrooms, but in your case I¡¯ll make an exception.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. You have pushed I to this. Die!¡± As he declared his fury, Grulgor was fording the lake, heedless of the heat and the Foehn. He battered aside several arms, only to suddenly be thrown backwards, one of his arms sheared completely off by an unseen attack. No, not unseen, a jet of water.


    Several more lances of the dark liquid erupted from the lake, piercing him through several times, foul blood gushing. As Grulgor staggered back, trying to right himself, mushrooms and fungi began to sprout from the wounds, his regeneration unable to keep up to the constant exposure.


    ¡°You are next.¡± Myrcolaxriath promised. The fetid lake bubbled and more beams flared out, only for barriers of rock, mud and wind to mute their blasts.


    ¡°Shaeula, can you handle this? I¡¯m going for Grulgor.¡± I declared, and she nodded. I ignored the burning of my now exposed flesh, the acids I had been splashed with having eaten through chainmail and rubber, trusting my Ether Healing to adapt quickly. In that case, I need a distraction. ¡°Shaeula, dagger!¡± She tossed it to me and I channelled aether, sending bolts of light at the cap of our opponent. He flinched back, the indigo shots missing, but that bought me time to reach the haggard Grulgor. As I did so a brilliant explosion behind me erupted, and one massive barrel packed full of chemicals, alloys and some special bluesteel powder erupted, sending a wall of liquid flames into the corridor, the last Myconids engulfed.


    ¡°Well, it is not Foehn, but the closest I can approximate, as of now!¡± Ixitt crowed. ¡°We¡¯ve sadly cut off our escape route, so are you sure? I intended this for our enemy here.¡±


    ¡°We can still get out. Don¡¯t worry.¡± I called, still sending out brilliant bolts, harassing the Duke. Reaching Grulgor I grabbed his one remaining arm. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Grul hates this place. No joy in battle, only vileness.¡± He spat a frothy bile filled with fungus. ¡°But Grul not die easily. He ready.¡± Even as he spoke, he was glowing a dull red, the earth elemental energy that made up his core being overfilled by me. ¡°Just like we discussed, right?¡± I said, and he nodded.


    With that, Grulgor let out a great bellow, as the nearby wall of the hill shattered, rock flying towards us, slamming into Grulgor and melting into his flesh, forming a golem-like form. His missing arm was replaced by stone, the shaft of his mace absorbed within. Encased entirely within rock, apart from his eyes, which still bore the glass lenses, Grulgor let loose a great bellow. ¡°Try and pierce Grul now, foolish fungi!¡±


    With a quick surge of Ether Healing, purging the worst of the spores from him, giving his acidic blood and regeneration chance to work, I turned back to Myrcolaxriath, who was trying to bring down Shaeula now, bursts of concentrated water slamming into her wind walls, steam and spray scattering, glittering rainbows winking in and out of existence briefly.


    ¡°Phase three. That¡¯s usually the last one, right?¡± I declared, making a cutting gesture with my thumb along my throat. Beside me, Grulgor leapt forwards, mace-arm raised, landing with a great splash amidst the Foehn, flames wreathing him and splashing onto several more of the flailing arms...

 Two Hundred And Twenty One

    Two Hundred And Twenty One


    Grulgor stomped through the blazing lake, pushing aside the Foehn, heedless of its rapacious burning. Soon his arms and torso were covered in flickering tongues of the hungry flame, but the burning citrine glow was held at bay by the thick, rocky armour he was encased in, motes of ruby light from his body strengthening it. The charred rock was even starting to regenerate, like it was a part of his body.


    ¡°Grul says burn, false Duke!¡± He roared, sweeping his mace-arm through the bubbling water, sending a cascade of clinging fire out, splashing over Myrcolaxriath, who bellowed in rage, massive mushroom fangs within his mouth adding their own cacophony of screams. Wiry arms whipped out to block it, rapidly catching fire, and as dozens of the whips barraged Grulgor, sending chips of dirty rock scattering, I realised this was an opening we could exploit.


    ¡°Go full force! It¡¯s a DPS race now.¡± I shouted. Shaeula nodded, olivine and citrine energies flashing around her as she intensified her bombardment of golden fireballs, while Ixitt and Hyacinth only looked puzzled.


    ¡°Dee Pee Ess?¡± She tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°Never mind what it means.¡± I laughed, gathering my own energies. ¡°You¡¯ll learn soon enough, when you walk the Material world. It just means we need to pour out all our attacks and bring this bastard down before we are exhausted. It¡¯s his home ground, so we are at a disadvantage the longer this drags out.¡±


    My words were punctuated by angry shouts from the Myconid as he flailed his numerous arms. ¡°Useless, useless, useless! This great I shall use your corpses as seedbeds for many more of I!¡±


    Grulgor was being forced back, step by step, but even so, his massive mace that was now a part of him was striking again and again, and even the steel-hard cables that were the frond-arms were being shattered, greenery raining around him, to sink into the lake, burning. More arms were whipping towards Shaeula, so I leapt in front of her, Twin Fangs ready. Yeah, this is what swords are for. One whipped towards her from the side and I met it, blade held at a perfect angle, all the basics Ulfuric had hammered into me, coupled with my battle experience, coming together beautifully. Using its momentum and force against it, the Fang slid through, severing the tendril. Two more were coming so I spun my other blade, and space shivered, both also being cut apart. A fourth, a fifth, more...


    As I entered an enlightened state, only my body, blades and the lashing tentacles in my world, body moving swiftly, long exceeding human limits, I reacted quickly to a sudden attack from a different angle. Jets of putrid water were drawn from the lake and launched at me, but I twisted aside, dodging all but one of them. The last I took with both blades crossed, and the scattered dark water droplets pierced my armour and the rubber beneath, drawing blood and sending toxic spores into my body. Aether responded, neutralising it and making adjustments to my astral body to render it ineffective over time.


    Shaeula shot me a grateful look. Yeah, couldn¡¯t dodge that one, or she¡¯d have been hit. Sly fucker. I was continually pulling out what elemental energies we had in storage back in my Territory, and it was definitely helping, but over half if it was being lost, as I was deep in hostile Territory. More earth bullets filled with Foehn slammed into his torso as many of the arms were distracted, and it was then Ixitt, staying well back from the battlefield, near the entrance to the cave that was blocked by the blazing wall of flames, began his own assault. Hurling explosive bombs and firing off blasts of shells from his shotgun, he peppered the body of Myrcolaxriath, the huge pillar of diseased flesh riddled with howling faces almost impossible to miss.


    ¡°I shall annihilate you all!¡± He declared, furious. Withdrawing all his tendril-arms, he took in a deep breath, sucking in a huge amount of lake water, flames and all. He shuddered, a poisonous smell of burning fungal matter filling the chamber. ¡°Rot, declares I!¡±


    ¡°Barriers!¡± I cried again, dropping low, creating shields of mud and air at an acute angle. Shaeula and Hyacinth were behind them, and Ixitt was hopefully far enough away to avoid... holy shit! Through the shimmering green wall I saw the towering Myconid belch out a stream of the vile water, like it was the breath of a dragon. The water was bubbling and churning, acidic steam rising from it, and as it slammed into the walls, cascading over us, the ground around us started to sizzle.


    Using aether to expand my visual range I could see that everyone was largely unhurt, although Ixitt was favouring one leg, having been splashed by some of the venomous water droplets, which had quickly eaten through his suit, before he wasted it off with some crude fungicide we had developed, applying an additional layer of barrier cream and a quick-drying liquid rubber he had developed over the past few days.


    ¡°Well, that was unpleasant.¡± He grimaced, looking down at his shotgun, which had likewise suffered corrosion. ¡°Well, I am afraid I¡¯m largely useless now. I¡¯ll see you when this is all over.¡± He hid behind the cart, overturning it to protect himself and the last precious cargoes it carried, keeping a pistol and a few bombs for self-defence.


    ¡°Hyacinth can still fight, master. I shall nooot give up!¡± Nature energy flared brilliantly, and the fallen, severed limbs twisted together, forming a single large thorny whip several metres across. It suddenly twitched, flicking over to block more jets of water, before slamming forwards, nearly breaking through the large tangle of arms Myrcolaxriath used as a barrier, shattering many of them before being halted. ¡°Though I admit tooo being very weary.¡± She gasped, her energy reserves hardly inexhaustible.


    ¡°Do not ignore Grul!¡± The troll roared. With the water level only slowly starting to rise again, he was less restricted, and he raced into the body of their enemy, his massive weight, increased by his stony armour, actually staggering the huge Myconid. Vile green slime cascaded down as Grulgor used his mace to smash great bloody craters in the beast. Myconids were spawned, Annihilators and Detonators both, but Grulgor was largely unharmed by the exploding blasts of acid, the rocky armour less vulnerable to acid, and against the Annihilators he crushed them before they could recover from their spawning.


    ¡°Argh, you would wound this great I? Such insolence!¡± Myrcolaxriath bellowed. Still, his arms were pinned by Hyacinth, though he was starting to win the battle against her fading strength. His spawned Myconids were proving ineffective, and the numbers he was creating had diminished significantly.


    Even as he roared in response, Grulgor tensed his massive muscles and leapt, soaring four or five metres into the air before slamming his mace arm down in a flare of crimson energies.


    ¡°This great I is hurting? Impossible!¡± The towering Myconid jerked and spasmed as an even more brutal wound was gouged in his body, toadstool-cap faces disintegrating all around the massive impact crater, black ooze spilling. Several teeth in his lower jaw also shattered, the shockwave passing through his flesh to strike deep.


    ¡°Grul delights in crushing puny Duke. You disgrace the rank!¡± He gurgled as he landed heavily. Bursts of water slammed into him, stone cracking and flaking away, acid blood scattering, but he merely continued to strike the lower part of Myrcolaxriath, even as the great Myconid began to draw in more lake water, dropping the level further, which was now sloshing around Grulgor¡¯s thighs.


    ¡°An opportunity!¡± Shaeula continued her onslaught, aiming at the arms holding back Hyacinth¡¯s own lashing vine. Several more vines began to burn, their resistance failing.


    Light flared, and multiple bolts were aimed at me and my trailing silver cord. I waited for pain to come, only to see Hyacinth had managed to move despite her exhaustion and had thrown herself in front of the glowing beams. She was bleeding heavily, red and silver gushing onto the floor, but she had protected me. Her gaze met mine, and she gurgled out a ¡°Master, yooou can win...¡± before slumping down, coughing more gore.


    ¡°If the maid is going to fight so hard, I can do no less!¡± Ixitt was out from behind the melted wagon, holding a bomb in one hand and another device in the other, a square glass cube with thin threads of bluesteel within, coiled around a small cylinder of it, which was churning with green energies. ¡°This was a prototype, but...¡± he channelled a drop of aether, before hurling the bomb and the cube, before throwing himself to one side, correctly guessing he would be targeted for his distraction. Bolts were piercing into Grulgor, though his story armour was keeping the worst at bay, and beams whizzed past where Ixitt was standing, burning the ground.


    It may be some sort of light element attack, but it isn¡¯t light. If it was a laser, we¡¯d be dead before we could even see it coming.


    The bomb Ixitt threw exploded, scattering spheres of mental in all directions, though they were but pinpricks against Myrcolaxriath. The cube was different, it flashed in a prism of green hues, before the glass shattered. ¡°Befuddlement bomb!¡± Ixitt declared, as the imperfectly-trapped unique wind gushed from the bluesteel battery contained within, blanketing Grulgor and our enemy alike, momentarily freezing their minds.


    The light on his crushed cap-head is dulling. Still, it¡¯s only a little, we need to end this now. ¡°Akio, are you well-well?¡± Shaeula asked me, seeing my body still trembling, painful spasms transmitted to me through my injured cord. ¡°To think he would have an element that could attack you thus...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not well, not at all.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°So we have to end this now.¡± I gestured with my good arm to the towering foe who was shaking off the momentary confusion. ¡°Do you have much energy left?¡±


    Shaeula bit her lip, anxiously. ¡°I have some-some, but not a great deal. I can manage one powerful strike, perhaps two. That-that is all.¡± I started pulling her towards our foe and Grulgor.


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be enough.¡± I declared. ¡°If we retreat now...¡± I looked at the dying flames blocking our exit, charred corpses beyond them flaring into ether which then faded away, absorbed. ¡°You and I might make it. But we¡¯d never get Grulgor, Ixitt and Hyacinth all out as well, not with those light beams. I¡¯d be exposing my silver cord to attack as well. No, we go in hard, and we strike him down.¡± I could feel a prickling within my mind. It wasn¡¯t Foresight, warning me of something ill, but it was similar, a sensation telling me that our only chance to survive was one final strike. Perhaps I¡¯m imagining it, or...


    Reaching Grulgor who was burned, covered in crumbling stone and vile goo, sprouting corrosive mushrooms, I used Ether Healing, clearing his mind. I poured him my remaining earth element, reinforcing his rocky armour and enhancing his regeneration. Even as we did so Myrcolaxriath was howling, insulted by the attack on his mind.


    ¡°Halt and cease, remain still and calm-calm!¡± Shaeula called, burning her first strike on befuddling winds, once more halting him, the enraged state of his mind making him temporarily vulnerable.


    ¡°Grulgor, can you keep going?¡± I asked, and he nodded, lopsided grin showing through the shattered remains of his rocky helm.


    ¡°Grul wishes to win. Grul can do it, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Well in that case, I¡¯ll let you strike the final blow. Trust me.¡± I released all the remaining wind energy I had in a cloud around us. ¡°Shaeula, add all yours and use Foehn to devour and strengthen it.¡±


    She nodded, and we were surrounded by a tide of verdant energies. As she grasped them, drawing them all in, I could see her questioning eyes.


    ¡°We are going to launch Grulgor like a bullet. Myrcolaxriath is in as bad a shape as us, maybe worse. Aim for the cap and finish it in one blow. Even if it doesn¡¯t kill him instantly, if we destroy the light, we can win.¡± I glanced up at the pretty beams reflected down the interior of the hill from above, which were focused on his head. ¡°Here...¡± I poured what flame energy I had left into Foehn, and soon the mangled mace arm was blazing brilliantly, like a star in the darkness.


    ¡°All right, ready?¡± I asked as light began to gather above, our enemy freeing himself from Shaeula¡¯s commands. With that I surged my aether, my mental image on one thing only. Just like when we saved the Rhyming Tree, reduce the weight. Grulgor is not affected by gravity, he weights nothing more than a leaf in the breeze...


    ¡°Now, launch!¡± I cried as I felt my mental image solidify for a second. Grulgor cried out as he soared into the air, aimed directly at our enemy, a massive cyclone of green propelling him. As the strands of aether I was channelling faded away, light flashing down at the oncoming Grulgor, the sudden threat distracting Myrcolaxriath, shattering his focus, I reversed the declaration, resetting his effective weight and more. Light stabbed into the tornado surrounding Grulgor, but the turbulent energies diverted the beams. Grulgor lost a leg, and his guts were pierced, but he still roared with rage and joy as the wind made contact, snapping the cap up, moments before Grulgor hit, his flaming mace propelled by his huge might and the tremendous speed creating a massive explosion. Chunks of flesh soared in all directions, crashing down around us, but Grulgor was still rising, carried on the winds that were now green not with energy, but sickening putrid blood.


    ¡°Aaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhh! I... such pain!¡± Light beans flashed in all directions, piercing the walls.


    ¡°Grul will end you, puny fungi!¡± He cried, as Shaeula, still in control of the winds, reversed it, the diminishing flows pelting down on the shattered head, burrowing deep, shredding his insides and spreading the Foehn that was still burning within.


    ¡°I... am... Eternal...¡± Grulgor fell like a massive fiery meteorite or moon, his mace that was still ablaze held below him. Rock shattered as he grasped his arm where it had fused and tore it free, heedless of the pain.


    ¡°Jupiter Descending...¡± I croaked, feeling the need to name such an insane move. ¡°Io falls!¡± The burning mace struck, plunging deep through Myrcolaxriath, followed by Grulgor as he fell. Screams resounded, baleful and agonising, before there was a massive impact, Grulgor striking the diminished lake like the falling moon I named his strike after. Then there was blinding white and silver, a pressure blasting out, striking us like a mighty tsunami...

 Two Hundred And Twenty Two

    Two Hundred And Twenty Two


    I had never experienced such a rush of ether, the torrent around me was intense, orders of magnitude more than I had ever experienced before. My Eye was declaring numerous things in brilliant amber, but I didn¡¯t have time to focus on that now. What remained of Myrcolaxriath flailed fitfully, his remaining few limbs twitching brokenly, a gush of Foehn and foetid goo seeping into the remains of the shallow lake.


    My network was being stressed savagely by the tide of ether, but I could force most of it down towards my Territory, the endless flow not diminishing. But more importantly, I can recharge my aether. I need it, now. My fragile, injured silver cord and chakras were boiling as I rapidly refilled myself. I had no time to be standing around admiring our victory. Racing back to Hyacinth, who was lying on the ground limply, in a pool of her own blood, silver steam rising, I knelt, heedless of her gore soaking me.


    ¡°Hold on. I¡¯ll heal you!¡± I declared frantically. Grulgor is likely wrecked too, but he¡¯s tough. Hyacinth is strong on offense but is fragile and has poor stamina. And she was the MVP, without her the bio-weapon plan would have failed and we could never have even challenged Myrcolaxriath, let alone won. ¡°Just hold on!¡± I placed my hands on the savage wounds from the beams of light element, letting aether flow into her. I could afford to be reckless as the tide I was funnelling down to my Territory had barely slowed.


    As the wounds closed and colour slowly returned to her, she blinked at me with her silver-purple eyes, forcing a smile. On seeing that, I was angry. ¡°Why? Why did you do that? You could have died!¡± I snapped, and her smile changed, becoming more natural.


    ¡°Because I looove you master! Yooou were the only ooone who helped Hyacinth, who gave me a name, a hooome, a purpooose. Besides, if master died there, mistress wooould die too, and Hyacinth would perish anyway!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± I thought, anger dying. I don¡¯t like people sacrificing themselves for me, especially not women, but she was thinking clearly. If I fell there, it would probably have led to a total wipe-out. Ixitt limped over, grinning happily, looking at the slowly disintegrating remains of the Myconid Duke, shielding his eyes from the brilliant silver and rainbow glow of the still-gushing flow of ether. ¡°Well, we survived. I find myself surprised. Even with most of his advantages neutralised, I suppose a Duke is still a Duke.¡± Ixitt mused. ¡°Go see to Grulgor. I shall attend to Hyacinth, have no fear.¡±


    I nodded, turning to see that Shaeula had dragged Grulgor out of the water and was applying Ether Healing too, also converting some of the plentiful ether around us to fuel her. ¡°Fine. Though it looks like Shaeula has it in hand. Having two healers is definitely wise. I think Ether Healing is going to need to be compulsory learning.¡± That¡¯s another thing Hyacinth can help with. The spores seem a very good way of levelling it up past the first bottleneck. But... the pain. I dismissed the thoughts of that for now. I would worry about how to teach Eri and the girls without torturing them later.


    I turned to go, but Hyacinth grabbed my arm. I looked down at her, and her expression was tense. ¡°We wooon, did we nooot master? So, Hyacinth will have my reward, yes? Master prooomised, right?¡±


    Actually I very clearly did not. But that doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°No, there won¡¯t be a reward.¡± I said, though my tone was kind. Even so, she started tearing up, pouting and biting at her lip, surprised and dismayed.


    ¡°But Hyacinth wooorked hard, I did!¡± She protested, and I bent down, stroking her black hair, admiring the shimmering green and purple highlights that gave her a rather distinctive look.


    ¡°You did, and I¡¯m very proud of you.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t give out my love as a reward. I¡¯ve been pushed into things too much recently. Don¡¯t get me wrong...¡± I confided. ¡°... all the girls are good girls, and I¡¯m a selfish guy it seems, I would definitely feel bad if they went on to date or marry other people and weren¡¯t happy now. I guess when I start thinking of someone as mine, I get possessive. But I would still rather choose myself. Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± Shaking my head at my hypocrisy, I continued. "So now, I¡¯ll choose my own, those I like.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hyacinth whispered, and I squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Do you? I wonder.¡± My own smile brightened, ignoring the constant surging of ether as it still cascaded down to my Territory, the torrent unabated. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, there¡¯ll be no reward. Because you don¡¯t need one. I like you, Hyacinth.¡±


    At that she blinked at me, confused, and I released her hand and hair. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later. Just rest up for now, all right? I¡¯ll have work for you later. After all, there¡¯s no brownie better than Hyacinth, right?¡±


    Leaving her laughter, happy yet full of tears, behind me, I moved over to the lake shore, where Shaeula was working on Grulgor. His rocky armour had flaked away, and his grey, stony flesh was pale and covered in dying fungal growths and savage burns where Shaeula had cut away Foehn. Still, even despite this and the three missing limbs he had, the ends slowly starting to regenerate, new flesh bubbling at the stumps, he grinned, his yellow eyes full of the greatest humour I had ever seen within them, his usual anger suppressed. ¡°Puny fungi talked big.¡± He gurgled happily, heedless of the poisonous spores and acidic blood that trickled from his mouth, down his chin. ¡°I am Everything, no, fungi was nothing.¡± Grulgor mocked him. ¡°You kept your Oath. Grul is pleased. Mighty foes to smite, crush and kill. None better than this.¡± He laughed again as I quickly aided Shaeula in purging the remaining spores from him, though without Myrcolaxriath they were starting to die off rapidly anyway.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, you did damn well too. That last attack was magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Grul enjoyed it! Puny fungi needed to learn his lesson.¡± We exchanged some more boasts and compliments as we finished up with enough Ether Healing to take Grulgor out of danger. The ether around us was diminished significantly, but there was still more to funnel down to my Territory. Just how much did we gain as this Territory shattered? A million? No, obviously more than that. Two? Three? More?


    ¡°It was quite-quite the victory.¡± Shaeula observed, also eyeing the shining spoils. ¡°And now-now you have kept your promise to my brother. I am strong, and we have achieved miracles. The Spring of Clear Reflections is ours, though I fear-fear it has seen better days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I looked around, the tension from the battle finally leaving me, now I knew we had all survived. Even with all our preparations, it was too risky for my taste. More preparations, more power... still, this win gives us a great foothold. ¡°Now we have to maximise our gains from this. We deserve it, after all.¡±


    Shaeula agreed. ¡°So what-what did you get? You must have gained levels, am I not-not correct?¡±


    ¡°A prince huh? Sounds badass. But that¡¯s for another time. For now, we¡¯ll be off. I trust you can handle things here in our absence?¡±


    Ulfuric nodded, bowing humbly. With that, Shaeula and I left, followed by Hyacinth, who was still thinking, her recovering injuries making her stiff, and with that we entered the ruby glow of the Ring Gate, only to find everyone in a panic on our return.


    ¡°Princess-princess!¡± A Kamaitachi ran over in a panic. ¡°It is good to see you well!¡± Others were coming, including some of our leadership cadre, such as Tillyae and Danaera.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°Surely not-not an attack?¡±


    ¡°No, not an attack.¡± The White Snake kami had also arrived. ¡°Thisssssssssss.¡± Before he spoke I could tell what he was worried about. The area around the shrine was glittering brilliantly, ether having overflowed the Silos and clustered about the shrine and Anchor in a glowing mass, like a silver sun with iridescent highlights.


    ¡°When we ssssssssaw ssssssssuch a flood, we knew you were victoriousssssss. But to sssssssee a bounty of great power..."


    Yeah, it¡¯s time. I took a deep breath and checked my Territory, knowing we would have accumulated a massive amount, seeing as we managed to destroy a Rank 4 Territory, seemingly mismanaged as it was. My hand suddenly squeezed Shaeula¡¯s so hard that she yelped in protest, glaring at me. Prying open my grip, I apologised, face pale.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just... in shock.¡± I managed. ¡°We... we have more than seven million ether! I¡¯ve never seen so much in one place!¡± Still, it isn¡¯t even enough to initiate the jump to Territory Rank 4, but even so... it¡¯s several months of gain, even with Asha¡¯s Tree. For those that don¡¯t have the Rank 5 Tree pouring in ether, a bounty like this would be unthinkable. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m shaking.¡± I managed a grin. ¡°When you look at everything we¡¯ll gain from retaking the Spring, it was worth the risk!¡±


    ¡°Well, you can say that since we did not-not die.¡± Shaeula said, but her smile was proud. ¡°So, does this change your plans?¡±


    ¡°Only a bit. Well, the first thing to do is... well, I wanted to reward Grulgor and Hyacinth. If Grulgor chooses to accept of course.¡± I completed the Throne of Heroes at Rank 2, at around a hundred and thirty thousand. I then did something I wasn¡¯t planning to do. It was a bit wasteful, but I had the leeway now, and the Myrcolaxriath battle had taught me power was imperative, so wasting some ether now to empower my key allies and give me more options in both the Boundary and Material was a risk I was happy to take. So at the cost of 750,000 ether, I immediately upgraded the second Throne to Rank 2 as well, giving me four available slots, and strengthening Ixitt, giving him ten more levels to play with.


    Damn, easy come, easy go. but I¡¯m still rich! ¡°Fourteen Ether Spires, all to Rank 3, at a cost of four point two million, and the Silo to Rank 4 at four hundred thousand as planned. That¡¯s five and a half million spent.¡± As the bright glow of ether diminished, vast amounts sucked into the rapid construction, and more now filling the newly expanded Silo, I grinned.


    I pushed the two other Silos to Rank 3 as per the original plan, before increasing all three Elemental Silos to Rank 3 as well.


    At Rank 3 they could store a total of three thousand units of elemental, energy, split over five storage cells, each containing six hundred units. I then added the Expanding Silo to the main Silo at Shirohebizumi shrine. It started at 800 ether for ten percent to the main Silo and two percent to other annexes, growing to twenty and four percent for another 3,200 and then thirty-five and seven percent respectively at Rank 3 for 32,000 more ether. Of course, when rush-building costs were factored in, the entire cost of the Expanding Silo was just under 140,000 in total.


    My ether was declining, but with the extra wealth the Territory was going to pull in with all the Spires having been upgraded, I was prepared to set a solid foundation of storage now, to prevent worries later. So, at 640,000 ether and with a heavy heart, I upgraded the Elemental Silo attached to the main Silo to Rank 4, increasing the storage capacity to nine storage cells, each holding two thousand units, for a grand total of eighteen thousand. That brought the upgrade to the White Snake Earth Altar well within reach in the future, as well as giving us significant staying power in combat.


    In total all those storage options burned through nearly one point four million. I only have just under four hundred thousand ether left. Still, there¡¯s no point letting it lie fallow. I had one empty queue, so I decided to put a long-term building in there that was too expensive to rush-build easily, as I wouldn¡¯t be upgrading my Territory to Rank 4 any time soon. The best option was a Rank 4 Ether Spire, at 375,000 ether. It would also take 250 days, but I could gradually shrink that as necessary as my ether grew, though it was significantly more cost-efficient to just let it build naturally.


    ¡°And with that, we are back in poverty. More than seven million ether consumed. Still, our overall income should have increased a decent amount, and unless we crush another Territory like the Shrine, we should have plenty of storage capacity. We can focus on longer-term builds for a while now, and short-term rush-builds for defence and troop numbers.¡± There are also a lot of small quality of life improvements such as Etherite Silos, the Warehouse, Armoury and more I would like to do, but they can wait.


    The state of my build queues were as this, now.


    Queue one was building the Build Queue Anchor Spire upgrade to Rank 2, and it had forty days to go. The second queue was now building the Rank 4 Ether Spire, at a whopping two hundred and fifty days. The last queue had a Sniper Emplacement to Rank 2 with ten days remaining.


    ¡°So, to summarise, we are building in three major areas. Shirohebizumi Shrine, your old Territory in the park, and the graveyard with the Dark Rhyming Tree.¡± I spoke to Shaeula, who listened intently. ¡°We also have a Kobold Warren near my old apartment building, and a small defensive position by Hisuikomushi shrine. We can store somewhere in the region of one point three million ether in our Silos safely, and can accrue about twenty-five thousand elemental essence. It isn¡¯t an exact science, but I would suspect we will bring in around sixty thousand ether per astral day just from our Territory, Trees and Spires now. All in all, we may have blown our massive gains from the Spring, but now our foundation is rock-solid."


    "I agree." Shaeula declared. ¡°I would not-not question your decisions. So, are we done here? We should not leave the Spring for too-too long.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I¡¯m eager to see if we can purify it. But first... can someone fetch Suzuki Haru?¡± I said, and one of the Kamaitachi left quickly. I then turned to the White Snake Kami. ¡°It¡¯s time to fulfil my promise to your shrine and the Izumi¡¯s. Are you ready?¡±

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Three

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Three


    The White Snake kami nodded, bobbing its whole coiled body, tongue flickering out. ¡°Yessssssssssss. I am prepared for thissssssssss.¡± It radiated a dignified aura, regal in vestments and pointed hat.


    ¡°Just to clarify, if you accept a slot from my Throne of Heroes, then you¡¯ll have an obligation to be my ally. I have no intention of abusing that, but that¡¯s how it has to be. Still, having you able to be physically present during this meeting of all the shrines and temples in Kyoto would likely be huge in impact. I won¡¯t say you¡¯ll be the only kami who will be there, but I doubt there¡¯ll be many. It¡¯ll make a statement. Besides, you can see your followers who¡¯ve looked after your shrine faithfully all these years.¡±


    ¡°I have met the daughter of the sssssssssshrine, yessssssssss. No, you have acted in good faithhhhhhh with ussssssssss. I sssssssssshall not refusssssssse at thisssssssss late sssssssstage.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. In that case, here.¡± My Eye blazed amber, and a moment later the White Snake Kami, Shirohebi, was one of my chosen heroes.


    Your Class, Kami-Blessed, has increased from level 5 to level 6.


    The kami glowed brilliantly for a moment, his divine aura increasing, before the bright light dissipated, and what was left there was a tall, thin, androgenous figure, with long white hair, a narrow face and yellowish-brown eyes. Racially the kami looked somewhat Japanese, yet there was a definite foreign tinge to its visage.


    ¡°I believe I ssshould adopt a more sssuitable appearanccce for the mortal realm, correct?¡± The kami spoke, and his tone was similar, but the hissing sibilance of his words were now just a trace. It certainly makes it easier to understand.


    ¡°Yeah, looking good, you¡¯ll pass like that.¡± I agreed. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to assess your abilities, so we can work out your best use?¡±


    Shirohebi nodded. As I used my Eye to check him, I realised that his name was quite similar to Shiro¡¯s. Shirohebi, Shirohime. Confusing. Though I suppose Shiro would be happy to be confused with a god, though she¡¯d probably claim that she would be a more major god than that. The brief distracting thoughts were put aside, and the detailed breakdown was visible to me, showing several interesting surprises.


    Well, its stats aren¡¯t amazing for a kami, but I already knew that from its performance during the battle against the Raven Knight. Still, with a bit of work Shirohebi can flourish. I did promise to make it stronger and gather faith for it. But what really intrigues me is...


    Divine Star Chakra Network- A perfect chakra network, made up of seven nodes, supported by a trunk pathway and numerous branches, as well as a Divine Spark, which resides within, at the Root of Divinity. This network processes aether as well as adherence. Ether is drawn, converted to aether and circulated around all seven nodes, while adherence is drawn in and circulated to the Divine Spark.


    Divine Spark ¨C The core of Divinity, comprised of concentrated adherence, compressed over many years. A Divine Spark will take on the aspect of Divinity that the adherence embodies, offering positive benefits to all actions regarding said embodiment, and also dramatically increases the League and Fate of the bearer. [This Spark resides in the root chakra and embodies the Earth, Fertility and Snakes]


    Adherence Manipulation ¨C The ability to use adherence to create miracles. Adherence can be expended to permanently strengthen skills and abilities, or it can realise impossible feats in a manner similar to aether, though it has a greater effect. Adherence spent in this manner cannot be recovered, and will reduce the overall power of the Divine Spark.


    White Snake Domain of Earth ¨C The Divine mandate of Shirohebi, the White Snake kami. Being near this kami will slightly increase the power of earth element abilities. Snakes will also be slightly strengthened, and blessings will be applied to reproduction for believers and those the kami favours. This affect can be strengthened by expending Adherence.


    So Shirohebizumi is a fertility shrine, huh? I never knew that. I¡¯m going to have a lot of fun ribbing Kana about that. Though of course that doesn¡¯t matter. What does is... a different type of chakra network, Divinity and adherence. Those were what mattered. Shirohebi was a minor kami in a local shrine, but if adherence could be used to strengthen one permanently, then more powerful, worshipped kami and gods should have staggering power. And I¡¯ve already gained the path to utilising adherence by being a Kami-Blessed, though I still don¡¯t know how, and my Ether Spires should be gathering small amounts of it.


    ¡°Isss there anything wrong?¡± Shirohebi asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Just admiring your abilities. Kami sure are something else. I didn¡¯t know you were a fertility god.¡±


    ¡°Yesss, sssnakesss are often sssymbolsss of fertility. I ssshall blessssss your union with many children, ssshould you wisssh it.¡±


    ¡°Well, one day, certainly.¡± Children with Eri and Shaeula I get. With Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi... Hyacinth. That still seems a bit of a hurdle for me. Well, thinking of Hyacinth... I turned away, looking at the maid who was trailing behind me, still lost in thought. I once more confirmed my feelings, before making my decision. Whatever happens, she¡¯s owed a reward. And if I can help her, I want to. She¡¯s suffered enough.


    ¡°Hyacinth.¡± I called her name, and she jolted, shocked out of her thoughts. Her eyes opened wide, and she bowed politely.


    ¡°Yes, what can I dooo for you, master?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth, you¡¯ve gone above and beyond what I could ever have expected of you. I¡¯m very proud of you.¡± I reached out and rubbed her head. Normally that would have excited her, but she was now eyeing me a touch warily. ¡°I¡¯m not a Fae, I don¡¯t know or care much about Seelie, Unseelie or anything else. I only see Shaeula, or Ulfuric, or you, as individuals. As long as you are a good person, I¡¯ll accept you. And whether you are a brownie, a boggart or something else, I know you are worthy of happiness.¡±


    ¡°Master...¡± she whispered, eyes glittering with silvery tears. ¡°... I dooo nooot... I...¡±


    ¡°Look, just listen, okay?¡± I said, seeing her turmoil. ¡°I get that you¡¯ve been hurt before. I can¡¯t imagine how terrible your life has been up to this point. But I want you to know that I accepted you. Shaeula too. And those that we accept, we¡¯ll never let face any hardships. I hope that you¡¯ll stay with us forever, and if you want to, then I have a way to help you so that you can even travel to the mortal world with us. You want to see where we live there, right? And spend more time with us, meet the other girls I love?¡± I¡¯ve no idea what I¡¯ll do if she says no to this. With her mastery of deadly spores, she¡¯s a walking bioweapon, and she¡¯s not exactly stable. But I think I¡¯m a good judge of character. She craves approval, kindness, a purpose.


    ¡°Meet... the ooother mistresses?¡± Hyacinth said slowly, my hand still stroking her hair. ¡°See... the ooother hooome?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think they¡¯ll like you, so you don¡¯t need to worry. All you have to do is stay by our side, and together we¡¯ll make your future so bright it blows away the past. But you have to accept my commands when you become a chosen of my Throne. Can you do that?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I can, ooof course. After all, Hyacinth will always listen to yooou, master! Nooothing will change!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then... here.¡± Hyacinth looked blank for a moment, before accepting the offered ennoblement. The moment she did so I felt the connection between us, and something else. Her eyes, they suddenly look clear, less pained.


    Another one with a dreadful Resilience, huh? Her stats are decent other than that for a level zero, but it¡¯s amazing she functioned with her mind so shocked. Her and Hyacinth are the same, it seems. Still, Kannon huh? That¡¯s some irony, as her blessing led Suzuki-san into being defiled and murdered... also, I¡¯d have thought she¡¯d mostly concentrate her blessings on the shrines and temples that worship her. Still, if Japan alone has several thousand Candidates, I suppose there¡¯s no rule a god or goddess can only have one candidate, is there? I wonder if there are any comrades out there who have been chosen by Tyr too? I set aside the fact that her skills were pretty high Rank, especially compared to my level zero status, when I had to work mine up almost entirely from scratch. I guess that was the easier way that Ortlinde mentioned. My guess is Suzuki-san would find it very hard to focus on anything but her gifts of light. Though whether that still applies now she¡¯s under my rule...?


    ¡°I feel strange.¡± Suzuki-san remarked. She had calmed down a little, much like Hyacinth did. ¡°It¡¯s like... like I can feel you watching me. It¡¯s... strange. I can¡¯t really describe it any other way.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, is it bad?¡± I said, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, not bad. odd. Anyway, I feel more like my old self. I don¡¯t hate it.¡± She shook her head once more, as if to clear a fog from it. ¡°And I can do this, I think.¡± Suddenly her body was back to how she used to look, solid and tangible. ¡°I¡¯m still dead though.¡± One hand started turning transparent again for a moment as she looked at it. ¡°But... I think I can live a mostly normal life. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, I¡¯ll be working you hard.¡± I promised, smiling to show I was mostly joking. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to check your skills and classes. You may feel like I¡¯m peeking at your soul, it can be a bit uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She crossed her arms under her chest. ¡°If you must. I don¡¯t like men looking at me after... you know. But I did promise to follow your orders.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like it gives me your three sizes or anything.¡± I tried to lighten the mood. ¡°Here we go.¡±


    Onryo ¨C Onryo are female ghosts that are killed cruelly by men, often their lovers, but sometimes strangers, often after being cruelly abused. Most pass on quickly, but if they remain, their grudges can keep them in the Boundary, where they thirst for revenge. As a ghost, Onryo suffer no damage from physical attacks, only spiritual attacks such as mystical fires, wards, talismans and holy water are effective.


    Telepathy ¨C Telepathy allows one to hear the thoughts of others and transmit their own thoughts. Those with stronger aether will resist it unless the Rank of the skill is high. It is a skill that requires a high level of control to manage, as when used poorly, the voices can often drive one mad.


    Blessing of Sharing Light ¨C This Unique Light Element will allow anyone touched by the glowing rays of light to experience a moment that the wielder has lived through. it can be a happy moment, bringing joy and peace, or a traumatic one, bringing agony and despair. Resisting this ability is extremely difficult.


    Mind Healing Light ¨C This Unique Light Element calms and soothes the mind of anyone it shines upon, purging negative emotions, mental attacks and possessions. It can also temporarily increase the Resilience and Determination of those this light touches. Even if the light reflects, however, it will not heal the wielder. At higher Ranks it may allow permanent increases to Resilience and Determination, helping to cure mental ailments.


    Empath ¨C This class is gained by those with the ability to understand and share the thoughts and pain of others. All healing abilities increase, and the greater the Resilience one has, the greater this effect becomes. Aether increases significantly, and affinity for light, water and related elements increases.


    Ghost of Light ¨C This class is gained by the dead who also have light abilities, which are normally inimical to ghosts and other such creatures. The effects of light element and anti-undead techniques on the bearer of this class dramatically decrease, and light affinity and effects used by the wielder increase significantly. Light element can be converted to darkness element, and the reverse is also possible.


    I winced, reading the descriptions. Yeah, poor Suzuki-san. Talk about getting a role she was totally unsuited to. Some mercy there, Kannon. We need to have words.


    ¡°Is... is it bad?¡± Suzuki-san said, twitching a little as the feeling of my inspection bothered her. ¡°Am I no good?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re fine, really.¡± I reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s just... all of your abilities seem geared to healing the minds of others. It¡¯s ironic considering the state of your own mind. Though I guess with your Blessing of Sharing Light, you can attack others just fine. I remember that, it sucked.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± She said in a small voice, remembering.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. We were enemies then. It was a misunderstanding, but I get it. Anyway, having looked at all your stats and skills, I think the key to not being overwhelmed by your telepathy is training the skills, as well as raising your stats. Intellect and Resilience are key here.¡±


    ¡°So how do I do that?¡± she asked, after I had explained her other skills and abilities. She was shocked by some of them, and angry that she had a light that could soothe minds, yet it was not able to heal her own. She sure cursed Kannon out. Apparently she didn¡¯t meet the goddess herself, like me she met a proxy, though unlike Ortlinde, it seems she wasn¡¯t notable enough to show up in her status sheet. Not that she paid any attention really, assuming it was all a bad dream until the voices started. I get why she¡¯s pissed though. Kannon is a goddess who favours women, yet it led to this. Although... A small part of me wondered if Suzuki-san had put in some effort, she might have been strong enough to fight Kondou off, or never been in that position at all. No, that¡¯s not fair. Not everyone is an eager idiot like me, and even I was scared and didn¡¯t give it my all at first.


    ¡°I think the three of you should go level up.¡± I said, and I explained my reasoning. We had constant small battles with Rank 0 and 1 Territories as we expanded our control of this area of Boundary Tokyo, and they were relatively safe. The three of them could go support those battles, and rack up gains quickly and without much risk.


    ¡°I shall look after them, master.¡± Hyacinth promised when I was done. ¡°I dooo not wish to be apart from you, but it shall only be for a shooort while. I shall leave you to them!¡± She pointed, and I could see Velna and Azuki waiting nervously for us to finish. ¡°Cooome, you two!¡± She grabbed the now human-like Shirohebi and Suzuki-san, dragging them off. ¡°I have fought an Unseelie Duke with master and wooon, so we shall fear nothing here!¡±


    Good girl, Hyacinth. Good luck. Get that Resilience up! You too Suzuki-san. ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± I asked, and Azuki spoke, seemingly glad Hyacinth had left.


    ¡°It is that Hinata girl. She wanted me to remind you that you promised to go see this Miyu girl on Sunday. It¡¯s important and you promised, right?¡±


    Oh shit, yeah. I did. But I still need to purify the Spring... ¡°What time is it in the Material now?¡± I asked, and Azuki said it was early Saturday morning, roughly.


    ¡°I see. I still have time then. Fine, tell Hinata I¡¯ll try my hardest to be there, but if she can make sure transportation and my outfit and so forth is ready in advance that¡¯d be best, as I¡¯ll be cutting it fine.¡±


    ¡°Right. I will.¡± Azuki sighed, before her doll-form fell lifeless, her spirit returning to the body in the Material.


    ¡°As for you...¡± I turned to Velna, who stood straight, looking nervous. ¡°The battle is over. We won, as you can guess. the Spring is safe enough, so you can come with me. I know you want to see Shaeula again.¡±


    Surprised and grateful, she curtsied. ¡°I would like that-that, master.¡±


    All right then. Just one more slot on the Thrones left. I¡¯ve gained more benefits, but we still have to exploit the hell out of the Spring before we even think of handing it back. But we have to do it before enemies try and claim it. Oh well, time to show the fruits of my scientific knowledge and research!

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Four

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Four


    Velna looked around in surprise as weaselkin were coming and going past the Fae Stone boundary. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn¡¯t believe that the toxic forest had been cleared. On seeing me, the weaselkin bowed, expressing their loyalty. I guess while before they were technically here for Shaeula, now I¡¯ve made my mark too, and earned their respect.


    ¡°How-how? Everyone knows the Spring of Clear Reflections was a land of death, lost forever.¡± She said quietly.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t do it alone. Shaeula and I, we needed help from many allies. Hyacinth, Grulgor, Ixitt, Master Bjarki, Ulfuric, others too. That¡¯s the key really. If we all work together, help each other, we can achieve anything.¡±


    ¡°Anything, huh?¡± Velna pondered, looking down, her gaze troubled. I could feel a couple of the soul-lights I was linked to trembling slightly. ¡°That would be nice-nice.¡± She finished, and was then surprised as I bent down and patted her head gently. She looked up, eyes going wide, and I smiled reassuringly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get her back. She was a maid to Shaeula, like a friend in a way. And if mistakes were made out of foolishness, well, who hasn¡¯t made mistakes? Shaeula has, and I definitely have as well. If you care about someone, you can make amends. So just stay strong, all right? We have some leverage now, after all.¡±


    Velna nodded. ¡°I understand, master. I¡¯ll keep some hope-hope in my heart.¡±


    ¡°Great. Anyway, come on. I need to talk to Master Ulfuric. You can accompany me.¡± She gave her assent, and we headed to the staging post Ulfuric had set up to coordinate the plundering of the Spring. He was speaking to several weaselkin mages, who were on alert in case any enemies tried to take advantage of the fall of Myrcolaxriath. On seeing us, he smiled gruffly.


    ¡°You have returned then. Have you concluded your business?¡± he asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, the Territory is much stronger now. Our foundation is solid. So it¡¯s time to deal with the situation here. And speaking of...¡± I thought I would ask Ulfuric, though I had few expectations he would agree. ¡°Would you consider becoming one of my subordinates, becoming a Chosen Hero? I know Shaeula would be delighted, she has many fond memories of you from her childhood, and you are a very competent and trustworthy ally, and I respect you as my combat teacher. Together, we could do great things. It would also strengthen you as well.¡±


    Ulfuric looked at me silently for a moment, before shaking his head in denial. I thought so. A shame, as Ulfuric is a powerhouse, but even without that, we¡¯ll still be working together for a while, the three moons he promised still has many days left. ¡°I am afraid I cannot.¡± He rumbled. ¡°To accept such a position would be to repudiate Oaths I have already sworn. Unless I am released from my service to Prince Shaetanao, I cannot accept another such position. I have already been flexible accepting the results of Shaeraggo¡¯s Trial of Three. I merely wished to see the princess safe. Still, she has grown up, in your care, and through her own power and ambition. Perhaps in time my service might be offered.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, my door is always open, when that day comes.¡± I smiled to show I wasn¡¯t offended by his expected refusal. ¡°After all, Fae live long, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have no intention of abandoning the princess. And should the Prince agree, I can continue to advise and train your forces, even after my return. So yes, perhaps in time...¡± he finished, and I understood.


    ¡°Yeah, our acquaintance has been brief, but we¡¯ve already achieved a lot. I look forward to that day.¡± Ulfuric would have been an incredibly solid Hero. For the slots I¡¯ve used, Ixitt can learn new technology and apply it, Shirohebi is fulfilling a promise I made to the Izumi¡¯s, as well as strengthening my hand in the upcoming meeting of the shrines and temples, in addition to giving me more insight into the skills of a kami. Hyacinth is both a reward and a necessity, as helping her ravaged mental state is a must. It¡¯s also insurance, as her biological warfare would make a significant deterrent to any attacks on me and my family in the Material, though revealing that info may well cause more problems than it prevents. Besides... I want her to meet Eri, Aiko, Hinata, the others...


    ¡°Will you be rejoining the princess at the Spring?¡± Ulfuric asked, and I agreed, still considering. And Suzuki-san. Again, that¡¯s to fulfil a promise, both to her and her father and even the Prime Minister. It gets me a lot of political capital and support, and more importantly, a fellow Candidate under my control. Kikuchi-san is a vassal, which is good, but I can trust and invest in Suzuki-san with far more peace of mind. It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for her to develop a Rank 2 Throne in her own Territory when we establish it, I can provide the ether easily enough by giving her Etherites. It was a bit like a pyramid scheme in a way. Her Chosen Heroes would be chosen by my Chosen Hero, so would effectively work for me as well. She would probably want to help the other girls who died, and sure, that¡¯s a worthy goal, but using slots on a Throne seems a bit... wasteful. Still, in any case, if for some reason I need extra slots in a hurry, I can make it happen through Suzuki-san, so I don¡¯t feel too bad using my last slot. The battle with Myrcolaxriath was too close for comfort, I need to empower who I can.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m hoping we can get it purified quickly. Ixitt and Master Bjarki have helped realise a lot of my ideas, so I¡¯m confident. We may have ruined the forest, but I¡¯d like to at least hand back a pristine, recovered spring. Although that does seem a bit of a weak resolution to this feat.¡±


    Ulfuric agreed. ¡°Indeed, such an impossible task. While the princess will have no difficultly returning, her head held high, her place in the Seelie Court assured, it is still not worthy reward for this victory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If we could just claim the Territory for our own that would be great, but it¡¯s too far away from the Boundary, too exposed. I think any effort we try would be doomed to failure. Though that doesn¡¯t mean I want to give up. I was thinking... wouldn¡¯t the Spring need a caretaker, someone in charge of restoring it to its former glory?¡± My smile was vicious as I expressed my idea. ¡°Who better than Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, the liberator of the Spring, the slayer of Myrcolaxriath, an Unseelie Duke?¡±Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    Ulfuric rumbled his agreement, allowing me to continue.


    ¡°In that case, we can exploit the protection of the Seelie Court Territory, and while we would obviously have to share the bounty of the Spring with others, as management, we would be able to maximise our own use of its resources. It will also raise her prestige appropriately, giving her a tangible role in the Seelie Court, rather than just as a princess. Besides, it sets a precedent. There are other lost lands to retake, right?¡±


    At that Ulfuric froze for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. After a long silence, he agreed. ¡°Yes, I believe that would be a wise plan. It would definitely solidify the princess as a force to be reckoned with in terms of politics. The problem will be the Aggressor faction. Duke Vulpatrius, Duke Formor, the others... they were instrumental in trying to dispose of the princess, I doubt they would be eager to allow her to take such a prestigious role.¡±


    Duke Formor, huh? Yes, that¡¯s another reason why...


    ¡°The Isolationists will likely have little opinion either way on the princess. Though perhaps such a reclamation might shock them, as their core tenets are based on the inevitable decline of the Seelie Court.¡± Ulfuric finished. ¡°In any case, I will support you, and I dare say prince Shaeraggo will also agree. He has seen first-hand how his sister has grown, and though he is a short-tempered fool at times, he does love the princess very much.¡±


    He sure does, siscon bastard that he is. I don¡¯t like him much though. Ignoring the little voice of my sis in my head saying that ¡®like hates like¡¯, I continued to discuss the plans with Ulfuric. After a while we were done, and we headed towards the Shrine. Since time was at a premium, as I had made promises with Hinata, instead of walking the twenty or so miles to the Spring, I picked up Velna on my back, and ignoring her embarrassed protests I sprinted the twenty miles at full tilt, matching a sporty supercar for pace. Reaching the hill, I put down the panting maid, who looked at me with teary, accusing eyes.


    He copied my word, and I smiled in relief. I¡¯m glad. Grulgor is a massive asset in combat, and anything that might help us alleviate the political situation in the Seelie Court is welcome. We have to think about Shaeula¡¯s standing. Having such a powerhouse as Grulgor with us in the Material offers opportunities as well. He¡¯s not the brightest, but just like Hyacinth and her fragile Resilience, a few levels will help with that. He¡¯s a very solid choice for multiple reasons. But I have one final set of concerns...


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s one other thing. You¡¯ll be able to go to the Material world. You¡¯ll have to behave. No rampaging. And also... well, you¡¯ll meet people I care about, like my sis and Eri. They aren¡¯t as strong as us, nowhere close, though they are trying. My sis has loved Japanese archery ever since she was young, and has taken up the bow we won from Shaeraggo, and... well you remember Eri, right? She was there during the Trial.¡±


    Grulgor nodded. ¡°Weak little human, but brave.¡± He snorted then, full of good humour. ¡°Grul laughed when she tried to cut down your brother, princess. Bold. Grul understands though. You were weak when we first met, princess. Akio too. Grul was only beaten by a sneak attack, but beaten Grul was. Grul has no complaints now. Grul... Grul would not defeat either of you now. That makes Grul mad! Grul wants to be stronger, the strongest!¡± He slammed a fist on his stony chest, the sound thunderous, making the working Ixitt jump nervously. ¡°Grul will make no mistakes. If they seek strength, Grul will respect them. Grul can help!¡± He boasted, and I laughed myself, a touch nervously. Uh, sure. I bet Motoko and Natsumi would be delighted to have a punching bag they can use their family weapons on without worrying they¡¯ll injure him...


    ¡°All right? Are you sure then? If so, there¡¯s no going back.¡± I declared. And Grulgor nodded. I think this is for the best. I had considered it for Aiko, so she gets the buffs and fifteen more levels, or maybe Hinata, but... long-term, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi should probably end up with Lovers¡¯ Link, after we are married anyway. And Aiko... Maybe next time, but there are other ways for her to grow stronger, and while she¡¯s in Nishimorioka she shouldn¡¯t be facing any terrible battles, and she has Eri with her, and the support from the Brown Dog kami. Now that we had proved the effectiveness of our Chirurgery and training, the benefit of the Astral body the Throne granted was less important too. Still, choices were always hard when one had limited options. There¡¯s no point second-guessing. I can only make the best decision I can, and right now, what we need, as Myrcolaxriath proved, was greater, more overwhelming power for our main force.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 26 to level 27.


    You have gained a skill, Might of the Furious Earth Rank 1. As long as you possess earth elemental energy, you can fortify either your Might or Fortitude significantly, based on a percentage of your base statistics, as well as the amount of earth elemental energy you currently contain.


    I felt a connection form to Grulgor, and it was as if I understood the nature of the earth element more deeply, though it was coloured by the anger Grulgor always felt. Using the skill immediately I felt my body surge with energy, my Fortitude climbing noticeably. It wasn¡¯t just me that was revelling in new strength though, Grulgor was gaining the benefits of my power. The boost to his physical stats was meaningless as his were so high, but the mental gains were immediately apparent.


    ¡°Grul feels strange.¡± He admitted, scratching his head with a meaty finger. ¡°But Grul feels closer to you now.¡±


    Great. When Shaeula or Hyacinth tell me that I like it, but... well, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just a platonic bond, noting more. ¡°Well, you should easily be able to gain fifteen levels, which should make you a decent amount stronger and smarter. I¡¯m just going to check your skills. Please ignore the discomfort.¡± My Eye blazed amber, and I was confronted with Grulgor¡¯s status.


    Hmm, so Grulgor is a Noble Fae huh? I know my Fae-Bonded level-up message said he was a powerful one when he first submitted to me, and I guess he did also say he was the most powerful troll in the Seelie Court... I noticed he had a lunar chakra skill too, which Hyacinth lacked. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s Noble, but then Shaeula didn¡¯t have it to start with, although she was quite weak when we first met. Oh well, Hyacinth can just learn the skill and it¡¯ll strengthen her more.


    ¡°Your stats are wildly imbalanced. Your physical stats are very impressive, but your mental ones... not so much.¡±


    Grulgor nodded. ¡°Grul knows. But Grul¡¯s mind feels clearer, less angry.¡±


    ¡°Great. I can¡¯t have you rampaging in the Material. Or anywhere really.¡± It was no use having powerful allies that were uncontrollable. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just going to check your other abilities that interest me, bear with it.¡±


    Troll Body of Stone ¨C This skill is the manifestation of the stony body of a Rock-type troll. The more earth energy the troll possesses, the harder and more durable their body is. It is particularly effective against blunt impacts, but is vulnerable to being pierced or cut by very sharp attacks.


    Whoa, no wonder I was able to take out Grulgor, despite his massive defence. I went for powerful cutting and piercing attacks with wind from behind... thinking back, even in ambush, I was damn lucky, and after that he wasn¡¯t fully restored when he walked into my vibrating wires... Shaking my head at my good fortune, I continued.


    Troll Body of Slime ¨C This skill is the manifestation of the slimy body of a Slime-type troll. The more earth energy the troll possesses, the faster the troll regenerates, and even without earth energy, the troll regenerates significantly faster than Rock-type trolls.


    Stone Absorption ¨C This skill allows the assimilation of stone, rock and metal into the body of the bearer while earth elemental energy lasts, allowing it to share the properties of the bearer such as regeneration and resistances.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve got the best of both worlds, huh? Rock-type and Slime-type. No wonder you are so damn hard to kill. Though I¡¯m grateful for that. You certainly make the best tank we could ask for.¡±


    Grulgor revelled in the praise, gurgling happily. I had now selected my four new Chosen Heroes, so the next stage was to purify the Spring. As Shaeula and Grulgor started bickering good-naturedly, Grulgor promising he would become the strongest of all, Shaeula denying him, saying she would remain superior, I turned to Ixitt, who was still messing with various gadgets. Seeing my line of sight, he grinned, lashing his tail.


    ¡°Are you ready? I am very curious to see how this will work.¡± Ixitt said, excitement plain.


    ¡°Me too.¡± I looked down at the putrid Spring, with the feeble yet powerful water energy glowing within, almost drowned out by the toxic poison of the Myconids. ¡°Time to combine aether with modern science once more. Let¡¯s do some Mortal Engineering!¡±

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Five

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Five


    ¡°So, just what-what are we going to do here?¡± Shaeula looked down at the putrid lake, her expression sour, wrinkling her nose at the smell. It wasn¡¯t so noticeable when we were battling for our lives, but now it was a pungent stink of rot, sludge, and decay.


    ¡°Well, when it comes to physically purifying water, we can use several methods together.¡± I said, and Ixitt nodded, producing boxes full of various powders, as well as a large clear tarpaulin, which he unfolded until it was the size of the diminished lake. ¡°But in addition to that, we can also use aether and spiritual methods too. Firstly, help me set up this tarp.¡± It had rings along the edges, and a further set in the centre, and we had some strong, thin cables too, so it didn¡¯t take much effort for us to attach it into the walls, hanging above the despoiled lake like a tent, allowing condensation to drain to the lowest points and be collected easily.


    ¡°Right, the first stage is boiling and distilling the water. That should kill the biological material and leave most of the impure elements behind. Still, this is moonlight spirit water, no way that¡¯ll be good enough. That¡¯s where the filtration comes in.¡± I gestured to the large filter vat Ixitt had prepared for me, full of various powders such as charcoal, ceramic powder and even some bluesteel powder to remove foreign elemental energies. ¡°Once we¡¯ve collected the boiled water that will condense on the tarp and run down to the containers at the sides and filtered it through the vat, we should have removed most of the impurities. That¡¯s when the final method comes in. Light sterilisation.¡± We all looked up, seeing the moonlight cascading down from above. ¡°I suspect a lot of the purity of the Spring comes from the moonlight as well. First we need to clean the entire hill and the mirrored monoliths above, so that the moonlight is pure again. We can then strengthen it with aether, so that the light purges any long-lasting Myconid pathogens that survived the distillation and escaped the filtration. We¡¯ll then do one last pass with aether, removing any final impurities. Our Eyes should hopefully help us there.¡±


    We¡¯ll also need to clean the Spring when the water is removed, otherwise it¡¯ll just spread the filth again. Damn, we are a cleaning company in another world now. My sis would laugh at me, I never really enjoyed cleaning at home.


    ¡°So, how will we do this-this?¡± Shaeula asked again, and I grinned, ruffling her hair. Behind us Velna touched her own head at the sight, before realising what she was doing and lowering her hand, chagrined. ¡°It sounds quite the effort.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, firstly... we have a heat source.¡± I poured out most of my fiery energy into a series of blazing citrine pillars of Foehn, positioned carefully within the lake to give maximum coverage. ¡°Foehn doesn¡¯t go out when surrounded by water, so we can use it for the boiling process, and it¡¯ll also be perfect for purging the detritus that will be left behind. We can use it as a final disinfectant for the whole Spring.¡±


    ¡°That is quite-quite the task.¡± Shaeula muttered, her amber eyes reflecting the yellow glow.


    ¡°Yeah, but at least we can keep the fires burning with our wind and flame energies.¡± The lake was already starting to bubble, wisps of steam rising towards the tarpaulin. ¡°But now we have to clean the walls of their filth.¡± I used some of my earth energy to create several walled depressions in the ground around the lake that we would use to burn away the muck with Foehn, long thin chimneys soaring upwards to direct it away from the walls. Foehn was kindled with the remains of my flame energy, and we had ourselves some makeshift incinerators.


    ¡°Hyacinth would rather enjoy this, I suspect. I am a princess, I do not-not approve of such menial tasks.¡± Shaeula sighed, but even so, she started to work, the silvery glow of aether around her as she began to focus her efforts on pulling the dirt from the once-gleaming walls, directing it into the flames. White stone flecked with veins of gemstones became visible as she worked, and at a glance from her I smiled wryly and started working too, aether dispersing into the walls. Yeah, cleaning this whole hill is going to be awful. But the sooner we start, the sooner we finish...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty nice up here. Shame about the view though. I bet it would have been beautiful before the Myconids came.¡± I observed, looking out over the surrounding lower hills and the barren, dead plains that once were lush forests. Overhead the moon hung like a single massive eye, unblinking and bright, and we were bathed in the shimmer of the reflected moonlight as it bounced off the polished monoliths that crowned the hollow hill, the purple and blue ambience soothing.


    ¡°Indeed. I am too young to have seen the Spring, so this is quite-quite fresh for me.¡± Shaeula was leaning against me, exhaustion writ deep on her face, her eyes blinking wearily, long amber hair blowing in the gentle breeze that seemed to pervade this part of the lower Astral, so unlike the still Boundary. ¡°The stones, they are-are quite beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather say the moon is beautiful.¡± At my words, Shaeula blushed, looking away shyly.


    ¡°I know-know you love me.¡± She snuggled into my shoulder. ¡°Indeed, who could-could love me more? After all, you reclaimed this Spring for me.¡± Her smile turned wry then. ¡°Though the cleaning, that was quite-quite the hassle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± We had been at it for near enough two solid days without rest within the lower Astral. Only our impressive statistics enabled us to keep going. Still, it had been a useful experience in many ways. Shaeula¡¯s control of aether had increased doing the difficult work of purging the vileness from the Spring, leaving behind shining walls, and I had learnt a few tricks too. Like this. My control of Foehn had grown significantly better, and I could feel it wasn¡¯t far from Ranking up. Several small balls of it were bobbing in the air, burning away seemingly without fuel, and I could now reshape it with a little aether. Still, using it to polish the monoliths was a daring idea. If I¡¯d screwed up I might have damaged the effects of the Spring. Still, I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to try it without testing it first...


    There were several similar standing stones on the lower hills, and I had wrapped them in a fine sheet of Foehn, using all the calculative abilities my Intellect and Alacrity could offer. Using wind energy to channel away the excessive heat, after only a few experiments I had refined the difficult technique, and the crown of the hill at the Spring had blazed brilliantly as I polished the stones back to a mirror sheen.


    ¡°Ulfuric was quite-quite surprised.¡± Shaeula read my thoughts once more from my expression as I glanced at the Foehn that danced in the air around us. ¡°He worried it was another enemy attack.¡±


    Indeed, he had dispatched weaselkin to the Spring, only to find us working away like a troupe of professional industrial cleaners. He was rather surprised. I let out a dry chuckle, enjoying this brief moment of calm. Still, we were on a tight timescale, so I regretfully gave her one last hug, before dismissing the glittering stars of Foehn, reclaiming the energy.


    ¡°If it was not-not for that meeting with this Miyu female, we would not-not have to hurry so.¡± Shaeula pouted, and I stroked her hair, soothing her.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But this is good for Hinata. We don¡¯t want to let her down, right?¡±


    Shaeula shook her head. ¡°No, I find Hinata a good female, and she will have value to you-you. I like her as well. Even so, the Spring is important too.¡± She sighed. ¡°Even with the faster flow of time here, we never have enough, do we?¡±


    No kidding. No matter how much stronger I get, there¡¯s only one of me. That might be the only thing I envy Myrcolaxriath for. I have to juggle the Territory, real-world commitments, romance and more... it sure would be nice to have a ton of bodies. Oh well, no point wishing for what I don¡¯t have. ¡°Yeah, so we had better get back to work. Come on.¡± Taking my hand, we descended the hill together, and once inside again, we took stock of the situation.


    ¡°I can not-not believe we cleaned the entire dome.¡± Shaeula said, puffing her chest out proudly, though she still looked fatigued. ¡°The former glory of the Spring of Clear Reflections will definitely return.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like a cathedral.¡± I agreed, admiring the now-pristine walls. Initially the cleansing had been slow going, but as we mastered the imaging and aether control needed, as well as worked out the best way to apply Foehn gently over a wide area, we had accelerated, and this was the result. Grulgor had used his Stone Absorption to merge with the walls and floor, allowing them to share his regeneration and earth energies, healing the many cracks and craters our battle and the occupation had left. Damn, Ixitt rhapsodised over that one, claiming it was ingenious and a perfect example of mortal cunning. He does get worked up over these things... Even remembering made me flush a little in embarrassment. It was a good idea, sure, but hardly that special.


    Beams of light were bouncing down from above, now shining with a brilliant purity, the colours deeper and without the darker tint the Myconid corruption had imparted, and they were reflecting off the tarp as it did its work, drops of water bubbling with orange and indigo energies falling into the containers set up in the corners, where Grulgor would then heft the full jars and take them to the filtration vat, emptying the contents in.


    ¡°We have not-not collected much water.¡± Shaeula observed sadly. ¡°Most of the lake was poison, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nasty stuff.¡± What remained as we drained the water was a thick crust of brackish sludge, baked into a hardened layer of dirty sediment. Ninety percent of the lake was empty now, and only a single small barrel of pure moonlight spirit water had been extracted, though we had also managed to purify a dozen barrels of ordinary clean water as well, though compared to the size of the even-depleted lake, it was a disappointment. The last dark dregs were being boiled by Foehn, and beneath the black puddle bubbles of orange energy were rising, the spring fitfully trying to break free and start spraying water once more.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much longer now. I think we can start destroying the muck.¡± I observed. ¡°This time we¡¯ll not be able to use chimneys to direct the smoke. Shaeula, sorry to ask, but can you use wind to send it out without dirtying the walls again?¡±


    ¡°It would be foolish not-not to see this to the end.¡± She turned to Velna, who had been going back and forth over the past few days, bringing us food and drink. She looked quite exhausted too, which made sense as a twenty-mile trek each way was ludicrous, and she wasn¡¯t much stronger than an average mortal. ¡°I now understand the suffering of servants much-much more clearly. You work hard, Velna.¡±


    The weaselkin maid curtsied, looking happy. ¡°Please, think nothing-nothing of it, princess. I have been a poor maid, now I just wish to make amends.¡± She handed a damp towel to Shaeula, who wiped herself down gratefully. She then took a refreshing drink. Velna handed one to me too, before serving Ixitt and Grulgor. ¡°The Spring, it is looking quite-quite beautiful again.¡± she wrinkled her nose. ¡°Though that smell...¡±


    ¡°Yes, just the last stretch now.¡± Shaeula muttered. We had removed the pieces of Myrcolaxriath, carefully wrapped in cloth soaked with barrier cream, and had them taken back to my Territory. I would need to expand the Warehouse to store them, which wasn¡¯t a problem. Still, despite my Eye saying that they could be used in pharmaceutical and alchemical recipes, it still feels pretty bad using chunks of an enemy like him as materials...


    As the last of the water evaporated, leaving behind a faint, gentle seeping that was working its way through the numerous layers of muck that was crusted many feet deep, we pulled down the tarpaulin, allowing the moonlight from above to flow through unimpeded, striking the dry lake, sending steam rising where the purity of the moonlight met contamination.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Shaeula, are you ready?¡± I asked, and she nodded, a rising, gentle twister of wind forming around the entire lake. As she did that, I gathered my Foehn, and it exploded outwards, forming a brilliant, shining cauldron of golden-yellow fire, the entire dry lakebed burning. Flame energy rushed from my solar plexus and lunar chakras, and Shaeula added her own flame energies, fanning the greedy fires. The brilliant glow was reflected from the walls, causing the inlaid veins of gemstones to shine in a prismatic hue of colours. Behind me, Velna gasped in wonder, and I had to agree.


    ¡°Damn, why don¡¯t we have anything to record this with?¡± I marvelled at the wonderful sight, only spoiled by the columns of black smoke that rose, trapped by Shaeula¡¯s winds. Luckily that kept the putrid smell in as well, and prevented any of the toxic waste gasses from causing issues for the others. ¡°My sis, Eri, the girls ... I feel bad they can¡¯t see this. It¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Your affinity to light element has increased dramatically.


    ¡°You have succeeded!¡± I felt Shaeula pulling me into a hug as my mind reeled with all the information. I felt a surge of power flooding through me as my body stabilised, the elemental energies settling in place. ¡°Four-four elements, one from the Spring itself! Such a feat! Truly, only you could-could ever be my husband, Akio!¡± As she continued to crow, Ixitt was looking on with interest, trying to gather the flecks of dirty material that were being expelled by my body. Grulgor looked impressed and jealous, and Velna... well, oddly enough, she looked genuinely happy. I guess I won her over?


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty pleased myself.¡± I said, understating my joy. Looking down at the Spring, the amount of water energy had diminished, but there was still around half left. Seeing my gaze, Shaeula fidgeted nervously, toying with her long hair. ¡°So, did you see how I did it?¡± I asked, and she nodded, still looking abashed.


    ¡°Yes, you used the other-other three elements to balance the fourth, as they then formed an interlocking whole. I would not-not be able to manage such though, for I possess no earth energies.¡±


    ¡°Normally I¡¯d agree, but you know what, I have a very decent level of Chirurgery now, and earth energy I don¡¯t lack.¡±


    ¡°I... I see.¡± Shaeula said nervously. ¡°You make a good point, but...¡±


    ¡°Are you scared? I¡¯m not going to make you do this.¡± I reassured her, enfolding her tightly, returning her hug. ¡°I value you too much to risk you carelessly. But with Ether Healing, our bonds, your strength... I think it¡¯s worth a shot. A double-mutated element seems to be really powerful. We might as well drain the Spring dry for now.¡±


    ¡°I... I do envy you. besides, I need to retain my advantage over Eri and Aiko. I can not-not assume they will remain below me forever. After all, you have shown me mortals can be tenacious and grow rapidly.¡± She bit her lip nervously. ¡°And if I was to master that, I would certainly be strong enough for none-none to criticise me for being weak.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re strong enough already for that.¡± I assured her, but it was Grulgor who spoke next.


    ¡°Princess should grasp this chance. Grul would if he was smart enough to understand how. Grul realises intelligence is important too, not just power. You trust him, Grul says, do you not?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, I could see resolve in her shining amber gaze. ¡°I watched and saw everything. You did-did struggle to tame the moonlight within the water, but what Fae would I be if I could not-not make the moon serve me? Following your triumph, I can-can do this!¡±


    ¡°Right. This is also a good experiment, as it¡¯d be really useful if we could help people learn elements too. Not just humans, but other Fae who support us. After all... we don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming, but I know we need strength. As much of it as we can muster. So, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I am. Hold me tight-tight and do not-not let me go!¡± Her words were imploring and nervous, so I clutched her to my chest. She gazed at the remaining waters and began drawing them in. As she did so, I released my earth element, controlling it painstakingly, trickling it into her sacral chakra. Her body reacted violently to it, her nature as a Wind Fae originally perhaps causing a strong rejection, but I isolated it from the rest of her body and the sacral chakra itself, pooling it around it, but not allowing it to circulate within her. The effort was causing me a stabbing headache, but I held firm, unwilling to compromise on Shaeula¡¯s chances of gaining strength.


    ¡°This-this is unpleasant!¡± She hissed. As the high moonlight spirit water started pooling, the elements began warring within her, and since her body was far more intertwined with them than even my Fae-like body was, she immediately started sweating, orange tinged with indigo, golden-yellow, and jade and emerald droplets seeping from her skin. ¡°I feel... like my body-body will fly apart.¡±


    ¡°Relax. As the yellow energies began to twist and turn in disarray, I trickled out the ruby earth energies I was pushing into her, still keeping them isolated. The chaotic flow of citrine flame stopped, becoming more ordered, while Shaeula concentrated on her wind energy. She had the most control over that, and it had increased after the battle with the Bakaneko, so she quickly managed to absorb the turbulent overspill of the spirit water into her wind, feeding the ejected wind into the now placid flames, which rippled and tried to burst free of her control, but she ruthlessly suppressed it, having seen how mine reacted, and having excellent Chirurgery skills herself.


    ¡°So... close.¡± Her lunar node was drinking in the moonlight from the water, growing stronger. Hey, are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is her hair a bit longer now? And the ends are glowing purple. ¡°But the water is unstable, the spring is running dry-dry...¡± It was true, the remaining high moonlight spirit water was rapidly being sucked into Shaeula, and her sacral chakra had not set.


    Your Skill, Aetheric Chirurgery has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6. You now have finer control over elemental essences and energies, and are better able to manipulate these within the bodies of others, as well as assist in stabilising clashes between energies.


    I don¡¯t need that message, I know what I have to do. I¡¯m already doing it! Indeed, I blinked away the amber words and the fierce pain wracking my skull, as I sent earth energy into her sacral chakra, carefully feeding it into the diminishing pool of water energy, as it was fed into the wind at the heart of her existence. Steady, steady! Several times I had to adjust the flow as it was too strong or too weak, and I was soaked with sweat as well, more frightened now than when I underwent this trial myself, fearing for Shaeula¡¯s wellbeing. Still, her eyes were locked on mine, and despite the discomfort and pain she was smiling.


    ¡°I think... no, I know-know I see it! The spirit nourishes my very existence, and the moonlight is a part of me, as it is all-all the Fae. Water I can control. I know it well, as you do, Akio. Ice, steam, a cold glass of water on a hot-hot day. A bath. The air contains water, does it not-not? This is no different! I am wind, I can contain water too!¡± Her control increased, and she quickly balanced the flows. We continued for a while, until the core around her sacral chakra stabilised.


    ¡°Now-now, withdraw the earth element. But carefully.¡± She panted, spent. ¡°I have not-not the strength to face it now. My body and spirit ache fiercely.¡± Indeed, black flakes were coming from her body as well, drops of dark liquid leaking from her eyes and ears.


    ¡°No problem, I have this.¡± Slowly, ever so slowly, I eased the earth energy out of her body. The flame and water energies became imbalanced without the fourth corner of the quartet, but as the chakras had settled they soon formed a new equilibrium. As the last earth energies were withdrawn and scattered away, Shaeula let out a long sigh. ¡°I... I did it! I am a Fae of Wind, Flame and Water!¡±


    ¡°Impressive!¡± Ixitt applauded. ¡°I must research such matters. I would rather like an element myself. Or maybe two.¡±


    Grulgor also rumbled his approval, respect in his eyes for her bravery and victory, envy for her new strength, while Velna rushed to us, handing us some cold drinks, while trying frantically to mop up the mess that was around us.


    ¡°That is quite-quite refreshing.¡± Shaeula thanked Velna. ¡°And I am pleased you did not-not forget my Akio.¡±


    As Velna looked down, embarrassed. Shaeula and I kissed once more, celebrating, before she pulled away, regretful. ¡°Alas, you must-must return to the Material, must you not-not? We should not-not disappoint Hinata, or cause her to lose the respect of this Miyu female.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. ¡°I should have plenty of time, but I¡¯d like to rest up and get my mental state in order. I have a feeling it¡¯s going to be a pain. When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll come back and we can go over all our new abilities and how we can use them. For now...¡± We have scoured the forest for Etherites, and if we missed a few that isn¡¯t a big deal. We¡¯ve maximised our gains as much as we can, now we just need to see about restoring Shaeula''s honour, and hopefully being appointed caretaker of the Spring. I definitely want the girls to learn a mutated element from here if possible, so we need to control who gets access to the bounty we¡¯ve recovered. ¡°That gives me an idea. Why not send a message to Selensha?¡±


    ¡°Sister-in-law? Why?¡± Shaeula cocked her head cutely, though the effect was a bit spoiled by the dark matter dripping from her ears and nose.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s a water element master, right? Maybe she can teach you a few tricks. Besides, getting her onside helps keep your brother in line, and we need all the political capital we can get right now. Speaking of...¡± I looked at Grulgor, and he nodded. ¡°Fine. Grul will speak to Duke Formor if he must. But first, can Grul go fight and crush some foes? Grul wants to be stronger, needs to be smarter!¡±


    ¡°I think that is wise.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I shall contact Selensha, and my father through Shaeraggo. We can-can allow him to do so, though due to the Price he would only be able to report what we wish-wish him to say. That benefits us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In that case, liaise with Ulfuric and our other leaders. When Hyacinth has her levels, she¡¯ll be back too. I¡¯m going to catch some sleep, we¡¯ve really worked hard. Epic battles, days of hard cleaning, now this. Damn, we need a vacation.¡±


    ¡°When this matter is settled, we should take-take a trip. Eri and Aiko should come too, perhaps the other girls. We can have much fun, drinking under the moonlight somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Sure, that sounds great.¡± And with one final display of affection I returned to the Material, satisfied at the vast gains we had accrued. Damn, it¡¯s almost enough to make me wish we knew where more Unseelie Dukes were...


    ********


    Opening my eyes I looked at the clock. Shaeula¡¯s still and silent Material body was in bed beside me, and I admired her doll-like features before yawning, tiredness catching up with me despite my incredible stats. Ten pm huh? Training might still be going on, but... nah, I¡¯m too tired. I¡¯ll catch some sleep, then I¡¯ll be ready for the meeting with Hinata¡¯s senpai tomorrow... wait, what? My whole body shuddered, and suddenly I found my consciousness spiralling downwards, everything going dark, as my body suddenly started gushing out a torrent of stinking black filth, every pore on my body belching foul-smelling slime...

 Side Seventy-Three – Selensha Pur Dannan

    Side Seventy-Three ¨C Selensha Pur Dannan


    ¡°Our husband is in quite-quite the foul mood.¡± The brown-furred weaselkin woman declared sourly. The weaselkin maid that was serving her a glass of Faerie Wine backed away gracefully, keeping her head down so as not to attract notice. As the woman gulped at her glass, her green eyes reproachful, Selensha wished she was anywhere but here. Sister-in-Law Phaelae has a temper herself, though to be fair to her, she¡¯s usually reasonable with me. Still, being my darling¡¯s first wife and my senior, I always feel the need to defer to her. It¡¯s embarrassing.


    ¡°Ever since the news came about these maids he has been unhappy. I do not understand it. Just what-what was he thinking? He will not tell me anything either, no matter how I ask.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope you can forgive us, Phaelae, our mouths have been sealed by an Oath. Of course our dear husband wishes to confide in you, but such pledges are sacred.¡± This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve been over this, but it¡¯s true that darling has been enraged by the duplicity of the maids he sent to his sister. He had cheered up a bit, despite the shocks he had received, when he found his sister safe, if wilful and far from the meek yet boastful little girl he remembers. We Fae change so slowly, for time is an endless river for us, yet it was as if Shaeula was a mortal, so quickly had she matured, how mercurial she was. Of course, such good cheer had been reversed and was now a black pit of rage and bitterness, once the betrayal was known, and word had reached his father, the Prince of the Beastkin, and his older sister, Shaeranna. They had both made things worse by trying to pry information out of him, and apparently his sister had thrashed him quite soundly when he held fast and refused to break the Price. Luckily I was able to heal his wounds with my water arts. He did cut a sorry state though, ragged and bedraggled. At that she couldn¡¯t help but smile, drawing some ire from her sister-in-law.


    ¡°It is not-not a matter to smile over.¡± Phaelae sniffed, taking another long draught of her strong yellow wine. ¡°I am worried. This despair is quite unlike the cheerful Shaeraggo I know. He has always doted on his brat of a sister, not that she was particularly charming to my eyes. Her exile hit him hard, but she had it coming. Not that I expect you have much opinion about it, considering you did not know her before your recent marriage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have the pleasure of meeting her before, so I only..¡± She clamped shut her mouth as she was about to make a mistake. ¡°... well, I heard rumours, as all Beastkin, and indeed most of the Fae, have. The embarrassing shame of Prince Shaetanao, the half-breed useless daughter who thinks herself equal to the Princes and Princesses, nay, the Queen and King of the Seelie! Still, I doubt it could have been as bad as the rumours made out, right? After all, darling does love her so, sister Shaeranna too, and father-in-law also dotes on her. Would they if she was such a brat?¡± She was very different to the rumours when I met her. Confident, and still declaring she would be as strong as any, yet not arrogant. I liked her.


    ¡°Well, our husband and his family have their flaws. I would not wish death on her, but I was not-not sorry to see her go.¡± Phaelae sniffed in annoyance once more, finishing her wine. The maid came back, and quickly refilled the glass. She glanced at Selensha, but she waved it away. I don¡¯t have time for drinking right now. I¡¯m worried about darling. He has indeed taken this hard.


    ¡°I suppose we have to cheer him up then. After all...¡± Shaeraggo told me she was not harmed, so he¡¯ll recover. After all, Shaeula and that mortal, Akio, they would seemingly do anything for each other. I would feel pathetic if I was outdone by a mortal.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°But what do you suggest?¡± Phaelae continued, looking sour. ¡°He has been drowning his sorrows in wine and females ever since. I have no objection if he wishes a third wife or more, so long-long as she is of the right pedigree, for he and sister-in-law Shaeranna are outliers in regard to relationships amongst the Beastkin. Still, the ill-bred Fae he consorts with in his misery... no, I will not allow it. You must-must side with me on this, Selensha. We cannot condone such foolishness!¡±


    I¡¯m not too concerned, I love darling, and so long as I have him and I can practice my water artistry, I am content. Still, I suppose if his other females prove troublesome, that would make our time together less pleasant... ¡°Very well, sister Phaelae. I am of course at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± She approved, her green eyes sharpening. ¡°So, first, we need to...¡± she was interrupted by a knock on the door to the stately room they were currently in, and Phaelae let out a long sigh. ¡°See who that is-is, would you?¡± She said, and the maid scuttled to the door, opening it, to reveal it was a weaselkin mage, one Selensha recognised as one of the mages that had stayed in the Boundary with Shaeula as part of the Price. How odd, why is he here?


    ¡°I carry a message for Selensha Pur Dannan.¡± The mage said, bowing to them both.


    ¡°For Selensha?¡± Phaelae frowned harder, and the mage shuffled nervously, not wishing to offend such an important weaselkin, the first wife of one of the princes. ¡°No message for me?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be upset.¡± Selensha soothed. ¡°It is to do with matters of Oath. I am sure you will be the first darling talks to when he is able to speak freely. I¡¯ll take the message.¡± She strolled over and held out her hand, receiving the letter. Breaking the seal, which she did not recognise, the characters strange and foreign, she read it, her blue eyes going wide. This? Seriously? I thought she was merely boasting. Is this a joke? If so, I don¡¯t understand it...


    ¡°What is it, Selensha?¡± Phaelae asked, curious at her extreme reaction. ¡°More secrets no doubt, I grow so-so weary of them.¡±


    ¡°A secret yes, but not for long.¡± Selensha was stunned. ¡°I believe the mood of our dear husband should improve dramatically, father-in-law too. Though the fallout...¡± she muttered, still in shock.


    ¡°What has happened? Is it something to do with that bratty girl? Is she causing more problems?¡±


    The Trial results still bind me, but... the restrictions have been loosened, at the request of the winners. So... ¡°Yes, though... problems? Not in the way you are thinking. I can¡¯t say more, but I believe you will understand shortly. I must go see Shaeraggo right now! Please, wait here, and news will follow. When we are free to speak, you will be the first we tell, I promise!¡±


    Phaelae snorted sourly. ¡°See that I am-am. I do so hate being kept in the dark. But I would welcome an improvement in his mood, for any reason.¡±


    ¡°In that case, please excuse me...¡± and with that Selensha hurried out, accompanied by the mage, the shocking letter still in her hand...


    ********


    ¡°Yes. I have seen the Spring myself. The princess and her consort have done a marvellous job restoring the pure waters. As a water Fae, I expect you to truly weep when you see it. As for the rumours, they were true, but the princess has changed. Been changed. Though if she lacked the will for it, Akio would not have been able to save her. No, the princess was a lonely creature, mocked and ostracised, only her family and her maids showing her any affection, and even most of that was to mask treachery. But even when she was arrogant and foolish, she still had kindness and ambition. Now that the shell she coated herself in to protect her heart from the slanders has been destroyed by love, she fears nothing except the loss of those she loves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I saw that. Her tears. Really, I shouldn¡¯t say this, but I¡¯m glad darling lost. For her sake, and his too.¡± They stepped through the Fae Stones and into the barren, dead land, and Selensha had to repress a shiver of fear, half-expecting the deadly fungus to claim her as it had so many others, but as nothing happened, she let out a nervous laugh and continued speaking. ¡°If my Shaeraggo had taken sister-in-law back to that mansion, well, even if the Night Parade had not assassinated her, she would have been unhappy, which would have wounded darling so. My Shaeraggo has a delicate heart, though people often think him brutish.¡±


    ¡°I know that well.¡± Ulfuric agreed, and they continued to talk, sharing tales of what had happened in the Boundary, the many exploits of Shaeula, Akio and his forces. The hill loomed ahead, sparkling white and silver, and as she closed in, she could feel the presence of a small amount of very potent water element, which was making her body tremble in anticipation.


    ¡°Is that... the Spring?¡± she muttered, and Ulfuric nodded.


    ¡°I suppose you would sense it, you are a prodigy at water arts. Still, you are too young to know the Spring. Many of the most powerful water Fae that still endure have taken in the energies of the Spring in their youth. Perhaps you will get the chance yourself, should the princess permit it.¡±


    Permit it? ¡°So, you think she¡¯ll get her wish, and become custodian of the Spring? Duke Vulpatrius and the other Aggressors will not allow...¡±


    Ulfuric raised one meaty hand, silencing her. ¡°I would not worry about that. The princess and Akio are rather cunning. They have several trump cards and bargaining chips to use against the Dukes of the Aggressor faction. Nothing is certain, but they would be fools not to accept a mutual ceasefire, letting past grievances drop, in exchange for her reasonable demands.¡±


    Entering into the hill that housed the shrine, Selensha felt a sense of history around her. The passageway had been cleaned, the white stone streaked with jewels was eerily beautiful, shining with reflected moonlight. Weaselkin and some ratkin and kobolds passed her by, bowing respectfully to them, and Selensha returned their greetings, becoming more and more excited. She then emerged out into the beautiful cavern that was bathed in moonlight, the shallow, ankle-deep lake glowing with pure water energy, and all she could do was gasp in wonder. The Spring! It¡¯s gorgeous! The lake is nearly empty, but it is slowly filling with such beautiful, pristine water...


    She was so entranced she didn¡¯t notice that the cave was a bustle of activity, numerous ratkin and kobolds constructing elegant-looking structures around the lakeshore. She also missed Shaeula, sitting on a throne-like chair, a pair of maids beside her, one of them radiating a powerful presence.


    ¡°Well, if it is not-not my dear sister-in-law.¡± Shaeula spoke, startling her. As Selensha looked embarrassed, she found Ulfuric was laughing, great booming chortles. ¡°I am glad you could make it. After all, if I am-am to learn water elemental arts, I believe I should learn from someone I can-can trust, correct?¡± Shaeula continued, before grinning brilliantly, her expression full of good humour. ¡°It is good to see you again. I dare say you did not-not think I would master the water element so quickly. I confess, I did not-not either. My Akio has aided me once again.¡±


    Selensha stared at her sister-in-law, and could feel the presence of water radiating from her fiercely, along with flame, wind and traces of light element. Her power was incomparable to when they last met, such a short time ago, and she found herself awed a bit at the change.


    ¡°No need for that, sister-in-law.¡± Shaeula continued to smile. ¡°Why not have a drink? Velna, take her one. Then we can get down-down to business.¡±


    Selensha took the offered goblet from the shy weaselkin maid, recognising her as one of the maids that her darling had returned to Shaeula. One of the two that was misguided, not disloyal, from the reports, anyway. Taking a small sip, she was pleased at the flavour, before looking around, seeing what was going on. ¡°What... what are you making here?¡±


    ¡°It is simple. The Spring will be a place not-not only of worship and water, but a place to relax, to enjoy luxuries, to sample the blending of mortal and Fae ideas. I anticipate that it will-will become the place for powerful Noble Fae to meet and do business, though I do not-not intend to exclude any Fae, no matter how humble.¡± She spread her arms wide, her grin hungry. ¡°All-all are welcome to partake of my largess. Everyone can be used.¡±


    Yes, you have changed. I¡¯m definitely sensing a noble aura from you now. Perhaps the betrayals and life-and-death battles have been responsible, or... ¡°Well, that¡¯s a nice goal. But first you would need to secure the backing of enough Noble Fae and their power-blocs to get your way.¡±


    ¡°Well, my father and my siblings should be working hard to that-that end. After all, they owe me, do they not-not? I confess to being largely at fault for this whole mess and my exile, but even so, they should-should be trying to worm their way back into my good graces. But before that...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Selensha asked timidly, feeling a little intimidated by her sister-in-law, the slayer of an Unseelie Duke.


    ¡°I have some questions about your water element. I¡¯m curious to see if I can improve. Besides, I would rather teach-teach Akio myself rather than you instruct him. Perhaps I can dress up as a strict-strict tutor? He would enjoy that, I am sure.¡±


    Akio too? Has he mastered this powerful water as well? If so... my darling had better not be careless. I don¡¯t want another Trial, he was so moody after the last defeat... ¡°Well then, I¡¯d be happy to instruct you, sister-in-law.¡± Her gaze strayed to the bubbling spring, and the faint flicker of powerful energies within.


    ¡°Call me Shaeula. And I shall call you Selensha. After all, we both have to put-put up with my idiot brother, no?¡± She shook her head in amusement, long amber hair dancing. ¡°And as for the waters here... of course, should my reasonable requests be met, as I expect they shall-shall be, I would be more than happy to allow you access, to pay for your teachings.¡±


    At that Selensha trembled. Gripping her staff tightly, her knuckles white, she licked her lips. That¡¯s very enticing. That water... I want it, I hunger for it. If I am to reach the heights of the oldest of the water Fae, I need it! ¡°All right then. If you could please show me what you can already do, I can advise you...¡±

 Side Seventy-Four – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side Seventy-Four ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    ¡°Father, it has been quite-quite a while.¡± I said as I sat upon the rather nice throne the kobolds had thrown together for me. Honestly, I am such a fool. To think I looked down on the kobolds as nothing more than dirt-grubbing pests, when they can create such artistry. But then, I looked down on almost everyone in the past. A... defence mechanism, I believe Akio called it. Yes, very apt. I was defending my weak and pitiful heart. But no longer. After all, my heart is no longer mine alone...


    I met the steely gaze of my father, who was standing in the cavern of the Spring, a complicated expression on his face upon seeing me. I was pleased to see him again, after all, despite their overbearing, often oppressive care of me, they were my family, and I did love them dearly, even if as a child I was surly and rebellious. As a child. What humour. I am a child still, in their eyes. But not in mine. I have matured, grown, found love and friendship, and the world I wish to fight for. No. my hands gripped the wooden armrests of my makeshift throne. I would not be cowed here. I had too much to do. I do not merely wish to fight for the world, I wish to make it mine, for Akio, and Eri, Aiko, their family, Hinata. Motoko. Natsumi. Hyacinth, Even Grulgor. Ixitt, Master Ulfuric. Everyone. Only a world for us will suffice now. And this is an important step.


    ¡°Yes. It has indeed.¡± My father accepted a goblet of decent wine, created by blending fruits from both Hyacinth and Asha, with just a touch of dwarven spirits to give it a kick. It was a current favourite of mine while here in the Boundary, a decent match for the delightful drinks of the mortal world, and I found myself licking my lips. Father was staring at Hyacinth as she handed goblets to our other esteemed guests, including my foolish brother, who was looking at her blankly. Father shook his head, mane of silver hair and fur bristling. ¡°Far too long, my dear daughter. I am pleased to see you well. Though rather surprised too. At this-this.¡± He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the Spring. ¡°Can you explain this to me, daughter, and also...¡± he paused, deep azure eyes glittering, and I instinctively shrunk back in my throne, feeling a pressure matching, no, exceeding that of Myrcolaxriath. No, I can not let myself be cowed here. If I am to gain what I want, what Akio needs, from these negotiations, I must project strength. And why not? After all, I am strong now. Stronger than ever!


    ¡°... why are you in such a form? My beautiful, beloved daughter does not need-need to ape a mortal! And what... what is this I hear about marriage?¡± Her father was deadly serious now, waves of brilliant jade energies rippling from him, the edges flickering with prismatic aether-light.


    ¡°Come now, Shaetanao, you must calm down.¡± Another of her noble guests said mildly. He was a tall and slender Fae, looking very similar to a mortal. Indeed, only his long, pointed ears, moss-green hair and the fathomless depths of eternity in his eyes would reveal him to be an elf, and one of the strongest and longest-lived at that. Prince Aethelathrion of the Groves. He has existed since before mortals were even capable of building more than mud huts. It is said that he is a distant relative of the Queen herself, though I do not know how true that is.


    ¡°I find her form quite pleasing indeed.¡± The elf continued, his gaze crawling over me, which made me a little uncomfortable. Still, I kept my back straight and proud, unwilling to show any weakness, as I merely smiled back, meeting his gaze with my own, my eyes glowing. ¡°Beautiful daughters are a treasure. I have many myself, granddaughters and great-granddaughters as well. Sons too, of course. Speaking of marriage...¡± he turned his attention to my father, that annoyingly superior smile still on his face. ¡°... why not have your Shaeula marry one of my grandchildren? I¡¯ve always felt us of the Royalist faction need stronger ties.¡±


    I could see my brother gripping his own goblet so hard he was spilling the wine, slopping it all over his fur, and for once I agreed with him. For supposedly the wisest among us, you are quite the fool, Prince. I have no interest in anyone but Akio, and I will not yield on this, even should I be forced to fight my way from this place.


    My father frowned, not pleased, as he doted on Shaeranna and I more than his sons, and fawned on their wives too. Even so, he was often powerless to have his way.


    ¡°After all, if your other daughter marries Duke Vulpatrius, then...¡±


    By the moons? What the... as Akio would say... fucking hell... is going on here? Sister Shaeranna and that worthless excrement of a fire-fox? Father, have you gone senile? ¡°This is the first I have heard of this.¡± I declared, furious, elemental energy radiating from me as my anger surged. Floating balls of flame danced around me, water surged, and wind blew at the clothes and hair of everyone around me. ¡°Have you slipped into your dotage, father? Should I knock some sense-sense into you? Shaeranna, who only wishes to lead the Way-Wardens one day, who cares nothing for males, only martial pursuits and battle, and that... that creature?¡±


    ¡°Mind your tongue, daughter!¡± My father declared, but I was not going to let him off so easily. Fury was boiling through my veins like blood. I was no siscon or brocon, no, most of the time, while I loved my family, I found them patronising, overprotective, stifling. But now I understand well how Akio felt when that wretched Kenji fellow tried to make a move on Aiko. After all, we should wish for our family to marry well, should we not? There can be no way my battle-crazed idiot of a sister would fall for that sneaky, treacherous fox that hates us so!


    ¡°Mind my tongue? Mind my tongue? I think not-not! I can accept you had no choice but to send me into exile, I brought that upon myself by being a fool, even if my delusions were fuelled by traitors to us. Those very same-same traitors you would hand my sister to? If you have fallen so damn low-low that we must sell-sell my sister to our enemies for political favour, then I am going to abandon the Seelie Court and let it rot, as not-not worth the saving!¡± I ranted furiously, taking everyone aback. And while I am talking of marriage...


    ¡°As for marriage.¡± I turned to the elven prince, still seething. ¡°I am already in love and engaged, so I shall have-have to decline your generous offer. After all, if I am sent helpless into exile, one can-can hardly blame me for making the best of it and finding my soulmate, can they?¡±


    ¡°Sister, please do not-not anger father...¡± Shaeraggo began, and I turned my ire on him too.


    ¡°As for you, fool of a brother, stop making Selensha sad. Pull yourself together! I do not-not blame you for the treachery of my maids, and even if I did, some-some good has come from it. Akio taught me to take the intention from a deed, even if it does not-not go as planned. I have not-not been away from the Seelie Court long, and I wept when I returned, even to that mansion you gifted me. Why is it now...¡± I rubbed at my head, feeling a headache coming on. ¡°... I begin to wonder if I was not-not romanticising the Court rather too much. Let me be clear.¡± I gathered in all the energy that was leaking from me, my will forcing it to comply. ¡°We recaptured the Spring. We slew the Myconids to the last-last pestilent creature, and felled an Unseelie Duke. We cleaned the filth from the Spring, and we are graciously allowing the Seelie Court to take-take it back. So show me and mine some damn respect!¡±


    There was silence in the cavern, before the third Prince of the Seelie, the treekin known simply as Primal Forest, laughed, his chuckle the sound of axes on trees, a simile he would likely find displeasing. ¡°Har. Har. Har.¡± His laugh was as slow and ponderous as he was, but from the stories Master Ulfuric had told me as a child, I knew treekin were fierce, deadly warriors when roused, and from my brother¡¯s complaints, Primal Forest was also mercenary and greedy as well, the price of the Mushrooms for Ring Gates scandalous. ¡°The little girl has you there.¡± His words trickled out of the face in his brown and grey, bark-covered body, the tangle of vines and leaves that made up his long hair and beard rustling as numerous small pixies, sprites and Fae bees that made his towering body their home scattered, flying about the cavern curiously.


    Is that a beehive growing under his armpit? By the moon, Primal Forest is indeed the strangest of all the surviving Lords of the Fae! ¡°I am pleased-pleased you agree, noble Primal Forest.¡± It could not hurt to butter him up, after all. ¡°I think you would-would have rejoiced indeed to see the Myconids perish, as did the forests here so long ago. It was a tragedy, yet justice has caught them, though long-long overdue.¡± I have no intention of mentioning Asha and the Rhyming Tree we have taken. Primal Forest and the treekin believe all the Rhyming Trees are technically their property, that they are the true caretakers of the forests of the Fae. The Dryads disagree, but that matters little to me, here and now. ¡°I hope-hope your fallen kin can rest easy now, wherever their souls dwell.¡±


    ¡°Such wise words. Who knew the tales about you were so foolishly overblown. I see the arrogance, yes, but not unearned.¡± Primal Forest said, with agonising lack of speed.


    ¡°No, I fear the rumours were likely all-all true. I was a spoiled fool, there can be no-no question of that. But exile and the love of my Akio, the full moon to my new moon, it has-has helped me to grow, to see what matters.¡± At the Fae declaration of love, my brother looked down, but said nothing, knowing already how deep and profound the love and bonds between Akio and I were. Father however was not so composed, and he let out a low growl. Even so, in front of the other rulers of the Fae who were his natural allies, he could ill-afford to make a bad impression.


    ¡°I see. Regretful.¡± Prince Aethelathrion sighed. ¡°I would have welcomed a closer union between us. But I am not one to come between lovers, I am hardly so crass. My grandsons and great-grandsons will have to lament the fact both daughters of Shaetanao have escaped them.¡±


    Closer union? I see. Eri will likely be angry, but... I know it is for the best, and not just my selfishness, my fears. I do sometimes fear all this will not last, that Akio¡¯s love for us will cool. As he grows more powerful, concerns such as love... they will likely be a burden for him. Even now he has so many demands on his time. It therefore seems foolish to push more females upon him, but who can truly be trusted but lovers, bonded souls? Akio needs many, to soothe his cares, and to guard his interests. After all, I would kill for him, die for him. Eri is the same. Aiko too. Hinata and the others are not at that depth of love yet, but it is merely a matter of time. Akio is charming, more so every day, and when he smiles, pouring out his love, nothing feels more sublime.


    ¡°Well, you have granddaughters, do you not-not?¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°You must have some fine, unmarried females, who are both-both beautiful and wise, and willing to give their all for the one-one they marry? My Akio deserves only the finest females to support him, but if you wish-wish for a closer union with us, those who have reclaimed the Spring, there is not-not a better way than that, is there? Support our reasonable demands, and we will need-need caretakers for the Spring. We have grand plans indeed. Now-now is the time to gain my good graces, my chosen husbands¡¯ as well.¡±


    ¡°You have become quite the politician.¡± Prince Aethelathrion mused. ¡°But I don¡¯t think you are mistaken. Granddaughters, hmm? I have several within the Way-Wardens who remain stubbornly unmarried, as well as... hmm, a caretaker for the Spring, a politician... yes, maybe she would suffice.¡±


    It seems I have hooked in the elf successfully, and father may rage, but he has no reason nor incentive to deny me. As for Primal Forest...


    ¡°You would encourage this full moon of yours to take other wives? Has he no-no faithfulness?¡± My father snarled, and I rolled my amber eyes at his hypocrisy. Still, I have one ace left to play. This should silence him.


    ¡°I think you should be the last-last to tell me that, father.¡± I scoffed. ¡°After all, you have many-many wives, and you cherish them all, do you not-not? I wonder how mother is doing now? I do so wish-wish her to be proud of me too, as after all...¡± I shimmered back into my weaselkin form, which now resembled a Kamaitachi, elegant jade blades at my wrists and ankles. I love the way Akio said they were beautiful. ¡°... I have reclaimed my bloodline, and am a half-breed no more-more. No, I am simply pure-blooded on both sides.¡± What was it Akio said again? Oh yes, surely two royal bloodlines are superior to one!


    ¡°Sister, that form... so stunningly beautiful!¡± Shaeraggo gasped out, eyes going wide.


    ¡°I do not-not need to hear that from you!¡± I sniffed, a touch put out by his creepy compliment. ¡°Save the flattery for-for your wives!¡±


    The elf also complimented me, Primal Forest was still considering something ponderously, and father... he had frozen, mouth agape. His eyes were damp, and I suddenly felt a little guilty. Ugh, is this how Akio felt when he faced his own father? I do not wish to hurt him, I know he misses my mother so. That is why I need him to understand, letting politics rip apart loved ones is no longer acceptable! The Seelie Court needs to change!


    ¡°Daughter, that appearance...¡± he managed at last. ¡°It reminds me so much-much of your mother. She was beautiful too, her hair as golden as the mortal sun, her eyes silver as the moon. When I saw her, I knew I had to win her heart. You are all-all I have left of her now.¡±


    I let out a bitter snort at that. ¡°Such weak nonsense. I can not-not believe my father would say that in front of me, after sending me away as well! You nearly never-never saw me again! If Akio was not-not soft-hearted and kind, I would have died in the land of my mother, and you would never even have known what-what befell me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I had little...¡± he began, but I needed to say what was in my heart, else we could never truly reconcile.


    ¡°Little choice, you say? Maybe-maybe so. But that is just your weakness talking, father. Akio had little choice but to kill me, I who tried to kill him first, yet he did not-not bow to necessity. We had little choice facing Grulgor, and now-now he has agreed to fight Duke Formor with us, should the need arise!¡±


    At that proclamation the elf gasped in shock, and even my brother, who knew Grulgor was with us, looked poleaxed by the revelation. Still, I was far from done. ¡°Necessity should have led to our defeat many-many times, we should have sacrificed, made choices where we lost things precious to us-us. But Akio hates sacrifice, as do I! It matters not-not what trials stand before us, we will face them together, live together or die together! But one thing we will not-not do is sacrifice our happiness on the altar of necessity! If there are two choices, and neither of them suit us, we will simply go a third-third way, no matter how thorny or dark the path!¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s right. That is why I can not stop trying to gather those for Akio to love, for me to love. I want more people walking with us on this path, keeping us on track, so we never get lost, losing sight of what truly matters. Sacrifice is just defeat. It does not suit us! ¡°Father, mother still lives, of this I am most-most certain. Perhaps she has moved on, perhaps she now-now loves another. But even so, can you truly say you love her if you do not-not try everything to reclaim her, no matter how difficult, shameful or dangerous it may-may be? I shall surely see my mother again, perhaps I can even be motivated to put in a good-good word for you, my pitiful father!¡± I smiled then, feeling a weight lift from my heart as I could finally say everything I wished. ¡°We will do the same, Akio and I, and all those we love and who love us. Akio¡¯s heart wept tears of blood at the cruelty we inflicted on the Myconids, vile beasts though they are. But he did not-not wish me to give up on my dream to return to the Seelie Court in glory, to no-no longer be looked at as inferior, so he hardened his heart and would commit any atrocity if it would bring me joy! No, not-not just I, any of those he loves! So no more defeatism, father. You are Prince Shaetanao, Noble Fae and lord of the Beastkin, father to such a proud daughter as I! Reclaim your dignity, and support me to grasp what I have earned!¡±


    With that I bowed my head, finished. That felt amazing. To finally be honest with my father. To tell him I am disappointed in him but still love him. Now I hope he understands.


    ¡°Your daughter is right.¡± Primal Forest declared suddenly, his slow calculations concluded. ¡°We have grown weak, decadent and too foolish, since the King was injured and went into seclusion. Even the Queen does little to guide us. We have squabbled and let the many enemies within and without despoil our forests and glades, destroy our unity. No more.¡± His hoary face took in the restored beauty of the Spring, and he exhaled a long sigh, smelling of moss, sweep sap and fresh grass. ¡°The dead lands around the Spring will need long years of labour to restore, yet it must be done. I ask you, Duchess Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan of the Spring of Clear Reflections, you seek caretakers. Will you allow us treekin and plantkin to return, to restore it to its former glory?¡±


    A thrill went through me. Though Duchess was technically less of a title than princess, it was one I had earned, together with Akio, Hyacinth, Grulgor, Ixitt and all those who supported us. I would always be a princess, but Duchess... for now there was no sweeter title. So, Primal Forest accepts my proposal. ¡°No, I am afraid not-not.¡± I declared, folding my arms under my chest, looking as imperious as I could. As once more, my brother and the three Princes were silenced in shock, I continued, eyes gleaming with ambition.


    ¡°Call me Anna, Ula, I insist!¡± she said, as usual. It is hard to use such a nickname with a muscle-brained warrior like my sister, but perhaps now I have grown strong myself... besides, to please her, it is not such a large matter.


    ¡°Very well, sister Anna. I am pleased to see you well.¡± At my reply, she froze, and I managed to slip free from her arms, brushing at my yukata, smoothing it out.


    ¡°Ula!¡± She cried, overjoyed, moving in for a hug again, but another female stopped her, a brilliant red-furred foxkin, her bushy tail quite magnificent, and her matching red eyes strangely kind. I am not partial to foxkin, for obvious reasons. But she seems well-acquainted with my sister.


    ¡°Calm down, Shaeranna. You are spoiling this tender moment.¡± The foxkin said, and my sister paused, actually heeding her, which was a surprise. ¡°Besides, you will have ample time to talk to her when the task here is done, no?¡±


    ¡°But Talaisha...¡± my sister whined, surprising me, as I had not seen her like that before. ¡°... little Ula has been thrust out into the wilderness, her life in constant danger, constant peril, and...¡±


    ¡°Does she look in peril to you? Honestly, I wish you would think with your brain, not your spear, for once.¡± The foxkin, Talaisha let out a long sigh, her luxurious tail flailing. ¡°We came here to celebrate her victory over an Unseelie Duke.¡± Her eyes glittered red, indigo and gold flecks within, and I felt her vision upon me. ¡°Yes, you worry too much, Shaeranna. She¡¯s strong. Triple elemental as well. One of them radiates such power I am in awe.¡±


    ¡°My little Ula, triple element? Surely not, simply no!¡± My sister shook her head. ¡°How would that even be possible?¡±


    Before I could answer, another familiar face interjected. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you look different? To think I believed you were merely a guest of prince Shaeraggo, a potential bride. Do forgive me.¡±


    At those words from the freshly arrived Way-Captain Caeladaera, my brother, who was trying to make himself inconspicuous, flinched. Shaeranna looked over at him, her eyes menacing, and he quickly ducked his head in apology. Not that the Way-Captain¡¯s misunderstanding is an any way his fault. Still, my brother seems more nervous than usual around sister.


    ¡°Well, we were indeed lying low, so you can not-not be faulted, Way-Captain.¡± I said politely. ¡°After all, I was not-not supposed to have returned to the Seelie Court, though now that matters little.¡± I puffed out my chest, proud of all we had accomplished.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Way-Captain nodded, and I noticed a small resemblance to the elven Prince, which made me wonder if she was a relative. ¡°With such a triumph here, your banishment must surely be rescinded.¡± Her ears drooped as she looked around the once-lush forests, now merely dead, corrupted earth. ¡°Another tragic tale, but one that must surely have a hopeful conclusion.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Indeed. The treekin and plantkin under Primal Forest will be restoring the land. Most-most of the Myconid contagion is gone, and we will aid in cleansing the remaining filth. Akio and I, we shall spare no effort carrying the Spring of Clear Reflections to heights beyond the glory it knew before.¡±


    ¡°Akio, that was the one I mistook for your servant and bodyguard, correct?¡± Way-Captain Caeladaera mused, tinged pink with mortification. ¡°It seems I did him a grave disservice, if he was instrumental in this.¡±


    ¡°Well, Akio did tell you that himself, did he not-not?¡± I chuckled, enjoying her surprise. ¡°He would take no-no offense. For such an important male and my husband-to-be, he is quite-quite modest and humble.¡±


    ¡°Your husband? I see.¡± The Way-Captain nodded, understanding why we had seemed so close, but her words were drowned out by a howling eruption of ire from my sister.


    ¡°Ula, what is this, is this?¡± She cried, reaching out and trying to grab me. I batted her hands away, but she was still faster and stronger than me, so soon I was within her grasp. ¡°Husband? Which vile bastard has sunk his despicable claws in my Ula? I¡¯ll ram my spear up his...¡±


    The sound of a slap rang out, and my hand stung. Shaeranna froze, momentarily shocked, before she released me, hand going to her cheek, which was starting to swell. ¡°Ula?¡± she said, confused. ¡°Why did you...¡±


    ¡°Why did I strike you? I will not-not tolerate disrespect towards Akio, not-not from anyone, even you, Anna. You know nothing of him. Brother Shaeraggo can attest to the lengths Akio would-would go to for me, and the victory at the Spring, it was his-his plan.¡±


    Shaeraggo froze as Shaeranna turned slowly, robotically, fixing him with her steely gaze. He sighed, defeated. ¡°I wanted to be left out-out of this. But yes, I do not-not care for the mortal, but I can attest he does love our sister, and he fought me to the bitter end.¡± He shuddered, remembering the sight of Akio leaping at him, ablaze with Foehn, heedless of his own safety. ¡°I do not-not approve of him bringing Shaeula to such a dangerous place as this, but... well, she stands here victorious, does she not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he seemed genuinely fond of your sister, from what I could gather.¡± The Way-Captain chimed in. ¡°He was also fiercely protective of that maid of yours, the Unseelie one. I had my doubts then, but results matter. And knowing your true heritage, I have no doubts you are loyal to the Court.¡±


    ¡°Of course. After all, I shall soon be a Duchess.¡± I puffed out my chest once more, pride again swelling within me. My sister was still frozen, so I took pity on her. ¡°Look, Anna. I understand you dote on me and are worried for me, but-but there is nothing better than finding a soulmate, the full moon to your new moon. I have never-never been happier, and the happiness only increases day by day. Please...¡± I took her limp hand, and life sparked back into her jade eyes. ¡°... I only ask that you give my Akio a fair-fair chance. He is kind and rather soft, but when he must fight to protect me or those we cherish, he will become a warrior even you-you can respect.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ula...¡± she whispered, clearly conflicted. ¡°My little sister...¡±


    I smiled impishly then, amused at the idea that had occurred to me. Sorry Akio, but it is for my family. I know you will not mind! ¡°Well, if you simply must test him, then perhaps a Trial of Three?¡± my grin was enticing, and I patted my sisters¡¯ hand warmly. ¡°We can make an event of it, show off his power and mine. It might prove useful politically. You can-can even ask brother to join in. I am sure he hungers for revenge, am I right-right?¡±


    ¡°Please do not drag me into this-this.¡± He protested, but if sister Shaeranna wanted his co-operation, he would end up forced into it regardless. He was weak to his sister.


    ¡°A Trial, I see, I see.¡± She muttered, mulling over the idea. ¡°I would most like to test, to challenge, this Akio, my spear against his weapon of choice.¡± She mused, and I rejoiced that she had fallen into my trap. Still, there is another pressing matter to address...


    ¡°Speaking of marriage, what-what is this I hear about you and that scum Duke Vulpatrius? Surely you do not-not like that vile fire-fox? After all, he has been working against me, against us for a long time.¡±


    ¡°That shit-stained, dung-breath fuck?¡± My sister cursed vilely, before pausing, looking at Talaisha guiltily. ¡°Uh, I am sorry, so sorry. I did not mean to insult your shit of a father in front of you...¡±


    Talaisha waved it away with a sigh. ¡°Forget about it, Shaeranna. I know you have grievances. Father can be... difficult. I know that. He does have a kinder side, but it is well hidden.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, uh, the Duke...¡± my sister corrected herself. ¡°No, of course I do not care for him, like him. Marriage? Worthless. All I want to do is fight. I dream of leading the Way-Wardens one day. Talaisha, you too, right?¡±


    The red-furred foxkin nodded. ¡°If you agree with my father about naught else, then the need to have strong Way-Wardens and hunt down our enemies is unquestionable.¡±


    ¡°Little Ula, do not worry about me.¡± She ruffled my fur, and I smiled at the warmth of it. ¡°Sure, I do not wish to marry the wretched... uh, the Duke, but I can live with it. He can have my body, but never my heart. That lies in battle, in combat!¡±


    ¡°No, he shall have neither.¡± I declared. ¡°I now know-know how precious love is, and I shall not allow you, my dear sister Anna, to throw yours away so recklessly. I wish you to experience the same joys I did-did with Akio. After all, you are my sister and I love you, despite your flaws.¡± I grinned to rob that of some of the sting. Though I would love you to work on your overbearing nature! ¡°Duke Vulpatrius owes us, owes me, and I will surely collect that-that debt. The marriage shall be cancelled! Find love, dear sister Anna, and then you will understand me better, and Akio too.¡±


    ¡°It sounds to me like you know what you are talking about.¡± Way-Captain Caeladaera smirked, and I flushed beneath my fur, glad I was not in my mortal form. ¡°You have more experience than these two, anyway.¡±


    ¡°My sister, she has become an adult, a mature female.¡± Shaeranna was shocked, losing strength and slumping to her knees.


    ¡°I do not-not mind telling you all about it.¡± I pressed my advantage. ¡°But I will not-not let a sister of mine squander herself on that bastard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad for you. If your sister can sway this matter, I would welcome it.¡± Talaisha said, eyes kind, as she looked down on her friend. ¡°I will miss the opportunity to be sister-wives, but this is for the best. My father... he does not suit you. He would not have mistreated you, despite the rivalry he shares with your father, for he loves all his wives, but even so...¡±


    Sister-wives? Ah yes, the Duke has no issue marrying his daughters and counts several of his sisters as wives too. I confess, I do not see too much issue with that, though Akio and Aiko, Eri too, they all insist it is an abomination and disgusting. If there is love, why care? Although, the thought of marrying any of my brothers does not appeal, I admit. But... Shaeranna seems sad. This will not do. ¡°Anna, Talaisha. If neither of you wish for this, leave it to me!¡± I pounded my chest confidently, emerald sickle at my wrist shining with the light of the moon. ¡°I shall negotiate and set you both-both free from this fate. Though in exchange, I will need your support, and that of as many of the Way-Wardens as you can muster...¡±


    As I outlined my plan, Shaeranna and Shaeraggo were impressed and shocked, while Talaisha merely stood there looking thoughtful, chewing on the tip of her bushy tail as she weighed me up, her glorious red eyes judging my intent. The Way-Captain slapped me on the back, overjoyed at my audacity, and she promised to speak to the other Captains on my behalf. Yes, this will work. I need to resolve all the issues here, so I can return to Akio as soon as possible. The lands of the Fae, the Seelie Court, it is indeed a home to me, but my true home now is where Akio is, and all my fellow wives...

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Six

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Six


    ¡°... has happened here? Quick, see if...¡±


    ¡°... this foul-smelling ooze, it is poison? Should we call grandfather...¡±


    ¡°... a disaster, if Akio dies, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°... please, just, just wake up!¡±


    Fragments of panicked conversation intruded in my fragmented consciousness, as if I was listening to voices from deep underwater. Still, even as I realised I was hearing voices, my mind began to clear, and I found myself feeling strangely refreshed, all my senses sharp, even by my lofty standards.


    ¡°Why did this have to happen today, of all days? He¡¯s still breathing though, I can feel his breath.¡± Wait, that¡¯s Hinata¡¯s voice. I can hear her. She sounds upset. Is this my fault? I don¡¯t want her to cry... It was a bit of a struggle, my body feeling strangely unfamiliar, but my eyelids started fluttering as I struggled to open them, my body twitching as muscles began to fire, feeling as if they had been unused for years, rather than merely the few days I had been in the lower Astral.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s waking up.¡± Kazumi-san observed, and Hinata gave out a cry of relief. It was then my eyes popped open, to see Hinata crouched over me, face damp with tears, her beautifully arranged hair and stunning white dress all stained with some indescribable black filth, inky goo on her pale skin. Even so, as she saw my eyes open she cried in relief, closing her arms around me in a hug.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods. I thought you had died!¡± Hinata declared, burying her face in my befouled shoulder, before coughing and gagging.


    ¡°Shaeula isn¡¯t moving or breathing though.¡± Kazumi-san said next to me, a little panicked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I said, my voice sounding strange to me. ¡°She¡¯s still in the lower Astral, so her Material body is unoccupied.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I do remember hearing something about that before.¡± Kazumi-san said, relieved. ¡°So, just what the hell happened to you? The room looks like the set of a horror movie.¡±


    Hinata nodded, face still pressed against me. She took a shuddering breath, calming herself. ¡°I thought something terrible had happened to you! There¡¯s all this wretched, foul-smelling goo everywhere. And you wouldn¡¯t wake up!¡±


    Damn, I made her worry. I¡¯m the worst. Still, yes, what is all this crap? I remember leaking a bit of it in the lower Astral, then when I woke up it started to pour out of me. I know, I can use my Eye to check. My Eye flared orange, and the glow was far more brilliant than usual, drawing a gasp from Kazumi-san who was looking on, her tidy suit also befouled with the gunk present in the room. Casting my gaze around, I could see the whole bed I was sleeping on was soaked with dark filth, and that sadly included Shaeula¡¯s mortal form, which was lying next to me, almost entirely drowned in obsidian slime. Oh damn, she isn¡¯t going to be happy. I wrinkled my nose, even with my brain filtering the smell to tolerable levels, it was still dreadful.


    Expelled impurities ¨C These remnants have been purged from your physical body, cleaning your meridians, pathways and dantians, as well as your acupoints and chakras. All living beings naturally accumulate impurities as the world itself and the act of living is inherently impure, and these impurities naturally inhibit the accumulation of Heavenly Qi, and lower the quality of Earthly Qi one can absorb and hold within the body.


    Okay, I think I kind of get it. It seems my body has expelled a ton of impurities, which is this vile crap. Heaven and Earth Qi, huh? Sounds very Cultivator-ish. That decides it. I think Chinese should be the first language I learn. I¡¯ll get Karen-chan to look into a tutor for me...


    ¡°It¡¯s a good job I came early. I was worried you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it to Miyu-sama¡¯s party.¡± Hinata declared, having calmed down while I thought. Her face was still rather pale though, beneath all the dark impurities she was smeared with. At her words I glanced at the clock, and realised I had slept for a number of hours. Oh shit.


    ¡°Your outfit and hair is ruined.¡± I said, saddened. ¡°I¡¯m pleased you worried about me, but you look a fright!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hinata declared, thumping me a few times, wincing as her hands struck me. I could hear Kazumi-san¡¯s relieved laughter as Hinata grew angrier. ¡°Of course I was worried! You told me you were away doing something dangerous, and then I come back to see this? You think I¡¯m not going to...¡± I cut her off with a kiss, our lips meeting. After a while we broke away, and she grimaced. ¡°Ugh, you taste disgusting right now. You need a baith. I do too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get a new dress and accessories for you. Luckily the suit and items you picked up for Akio-san are in the car. I¡¯ll call and have someone bring them over right away.¡± Kazumi-san said, taking charge and leaving the room, pulling out her phone.


    ¡°Right, we need to do something about this. The bedding will all need burning as well. It¡¯s unsalvageable. The bed too, probably. Luckily the floor isn¡¯t carpeted. Poor Shaeula. She¡¯s covered in your mess. I think she might be mad. Just what is this, anyway?¡± Hinata stood, her nose wrinkled at the truly vile smell.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s impurities. My body has been rejecting them.¡± I scratched at my head, my hair befouled as well, knotted and tangled. ¡°You can take the first bath anyway, as it takes girls longer to get ready, right?¡±


    She looked at me then, a faint blush on her cheeks. There was silence for a moment, before she shook her head in denial. ¡°There¡¯s no time. We can¡¯t be late for Miyu-sama, and we¡¯ll be cutting it fine as it is! No, we should go in together. You¡¯ll need me to scrub the filth off you!¡± The blush intensified, but she met my gaze boldly.


    Seriously? Us, in the bath, together? I felt myself heating up as well. Before I could speak, she carried on. ¡°Well, I am your fiance?e, there¡¯s nothing weird about it, is there? I know that you are not supposed to see me naked until my wedding day, if we follow noble customers, but you¡¯ve... well, you¡¯ve gone further with Eri and Shaeula, right? I can be adaptable!¡± She declared, looking angry at me, which I felt was a little unfair, as that had happened before I had even met Hinata. Though I guess she is very cute when she¡¯s jealous. And it is pretty flattering she cares so...


    At my silence she looked down, fists clenched, biting her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t want to? I... it isn¡¯t like you are going to abandon me at this stage, are you? No, you wouldn¡¯t, I know that. Am... am I not attractive enough to... uh, wait, you stink!¡± She protested, as I was there suddenly, pulling her into a hug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that! Sure, the way we got engaged wasn¡¯t ideal, but... I¡¯ve accepted it, and now... well, I can¡¯t imagine not being with you. But even if I¡¯ve had fun with Eri and Shaeula, I never have with you, so it¡¯s still embarrassing. Besides, you are younger...¡±


    ¡°Having fun? We are simply washing each other in an emergency.¡± She pouted, though she was still flushed. ¡°Besides, yes, I¡¯m younger than Eri and Shaeula, I know that. But I¡¯m still a woman, old enough to get married! More than that, I¡¯m a noble! I¡¯ve been raised from birth to be the perfect wife! I can... can wash a man¡¯s back! And anything else, too.¡± Her words trailed off towards the end, and I knew from talking to Shaeula and Eri that the noble girls had very little understanding of men, sex and relationships. Indeed, she was bright red now from our contact, but even then, she looked adorable, so I stroked her hair, kissed her again, despite her protests, before sweeping her up in my arms, princess-style, carrying her to the bathroom...


    *********


    ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t biohazardous waste.¡± Hinata said, not meeting my gaze, her whole body flushed pink, as we washed the remnants of the impurities off us and down the drain with the shower. When I had disrobed and revealed the parts I had that a girl like her didn¡¯t, as well as my muscular body, Hinata had become quite distracted. She was even more embarrassed than when she took her own clothes off. She was naked, her hair unbound from its tidy style, still soaked from the rinsing from the shower. Her skin was pale, as if she had seldom been exposed to the sun unshielded, and her body was lean, yet she had a decent volume in her chest, which I had noticed before as she usually wore quite daring gowns for her age, but when she was naked, it was much more apparent. Damn, this is embarrassing. But I¡¯m not doing anything improper! She¡¯s right, we are engaged, having a bath together isn¡¯t strange! It¡¯s just skinship, improving our relationship. Knowing Eri was likely to be annoyed when she heard about this, and that Shaeula would snicker knowingly, I concentrated on maintaining my calm, not wanting to scare Hinata with any of the more... aroused... physical responses that would be normal in this situation. Luckily my already stellar control over my bodily functions had increased significantly due in part to my increased levels, and more to... my whole body and physique has changed...


    ¡°Have you tried the ocean?¡± Hinata mused. ¡°Ten kilometres from the Shrine... it¡¯ll be tight, but you could reach Sagami Bay, right? If you find an area that suits your needs, I can invest in the properties around there?¡±


    We continued to talk about our potential plans, and my heart felt warm. Yes, I felt bad for Eri and Shaeula still, but it was fading, replaced by warmth. Hinata was becoming precious to me, and perhaps I was too easy, but I defy any other healthy male who liked girls to harden his heart against such a cute, earnest girl as Hinata was. That¡¯s odd...


    I was using my Eye to see how much aether Hinata contained, and I noticed something odd. My own body was repelling some ether, it was pushed away by my silver cord. Concentrating harder, I could see that the ether was seemingly separated into different... colours, maybe? No, they aren¡¯t actually coloured, not like elemental energy, but it¡¯s how I¡¯m visualising it. Most of the red and reddish-orange, for want of a better description, of ether, which sadly made up most of the ether around, was not being absorbed by me anymore. Only the orangish and rarer yellow-orange motes were being drawn in.


    Is ether... Qi? Or the foundation of Qi? If so... what is Heavenly Qi? I had pondered it when I struggled to tame the double-mutated water, and had not concluded anything concrete then. Reaffirming my idea to learn Chinese then consume some Cultivation-related content for ideas, I was caught a bit off-guard by Hinata¡¯s next comment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to fight, but I think everyone will need to be strong. I can¡¯t rely on Kazumi alone.¡± She pumped a small fist to motivate herself. ¡°So, Lovers¡¯ Link.¡±


    At that I coughed, choking. She smiled, patting me on the back. ¡°Dep breaths, deep breaths.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I managed, recovering quickly. I couldn¡¯t help but take in her naked body, lounging in the water. ¡°Lovers¡¯ Link... it¡¯s too soon for you. Marriage first. I¡¯m not... I¡¯m not going to disrespect you or your parents by pushing things too fast.¡±


    ¡°I see. So Eri was right, it is gained from sex. I half thought she was lying to me as she wanted to keep it to herself and Shaeula.¡±


    Eri, what are you telling her? That sounds like the sort of thing Shaeula would do! Before I could formulate a response, even my incredible stats struggling to get me out of trouble, she continued. ¡°So, I hear your sister has the skill too. Suspicious. Surely you didn¡¯t.... I mean, she does really love you, and you her, but even so...¡±


    ¡°No way! Totally no way! My sister and I are totally normal! I just... well, I can grant a single Rank of the skill to those I have a very deep love for that also loves me back. There¡¯s nothing wrong about that!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata said, satisfied. ¡°Well, to be honest, I like to think I¡¯m the most worldly of the girls in Hanafubuki, but spending time with girls in your hometown, I realised I know a lot less than I thought. Sex. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not interested. Eri was delighted on her birthday, wasn¡¯t she? Still... it¡¯s too soon for me. This is enough.¡± She snuggled me, our skins touching. ¡°But... don¡¯t you love me enough to grant me a Lovers¡¯ Link? I¡¯m pretty sure I love you enough!¡±


    That declaration made me blush. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. It¡¯s more... there¡¯s no going back. I don¡¯t love someone without meaning it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Our lips met again, her head leaning in. As she pulled free she sighed. ¡°Neither do I. I¡¯m not such a cheap girl. There¡¯s no going back for us, is there? Together forever. So I¡¯m not scared of your love, or a link between us. Please. Prove to me, to you, to us that our love is true!¡±


    ¡°Fine. I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter, does it? After all, we are naked in a bath together. I¡¯d be a total bastard if I broke your heart now, and I have to keep my karma up! Okay then... here.¡± I concentrated on my feelings for Hinata, as well as the skill Kin Bonding and Restoration. On doing so, I could feel a faint link between us, and homing in all my thoughts upon it, I could feel Hinata¡¯s feelings for me. Curiosity, passion, even ones like lust that she barely understood herself. And yes, love too.


    ¡°I... how can people live without this? I understand the merits of arranged marriages, they are good for the nobility and good for the family, but... to miss out on this love.¡± She blinked back tears. ¡°You like me. You care about me. You want me. I¡¯m happy. I believed you when you said you did, and that you forgave me for tricking you into the engagement, but I always worried...¡± It was then that the bond settled, and the skill was granted. Hinata gasped, the feelings between us solid, and she grabbed me, throwing me down into the cooling waters of the bath, arms around me.


    ¡°I love you! You love me! I¡¯m standing on the same level as the others!¡± Before I could answer we were kissing, deep and passionate, and we lost track of time until a loud cough could be heard behind us, and Kazumi-san and an older woman were there, carrying a fresh dress and accessories.


    ¡°Are we interrupting? We could come back, but you¡¯ll be late for Miyu-sama...¡±


    As we separated hurriedly, scarlet with shame, Kazumi-san shook her head, a wry, pleased expression on her face. ¡°... well, I¡¯m happy for you, Hinata. It seems your fears were groundless.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do shut up Kazumi.¡± She pouted, heading for he edge of the bath, glancing back at me shyly. ¡°How could he not love me? I¡¯m perfect. Still... confirmation is always nice.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at that. But the timing was actually good. I was getting carried away with the moment and the sudden Lovers¡¯ Link. Damn you Resilience, do your job and keep me calm and composed!


    *********


    ¡°... so, even though I have gathered enough of this aether, and Kana-san was willing to take me and the others in, I decided to wait. My first time should definitely be with you!¡± Hinata declared. She was holding my hand in the back of the nice, expensive foreign car we were being chauffeured in. We could no longer hug, as we were both dressed anew, me in the armoured-cloth suit I had commissioned, expensive watch and gentleman¡¯s¡¯ jewellery as well, while Hinata was in another flattering white dress, with delicate lace and silk decorations, also paired with expensive necklace and hairpins.


    ¡°First time huh...¡± That choice of words makes me shiver after earlier. Still, I know she doesn¡¯t mean that. ¡°Well, the immediate chaos is over. I might have to support Shaeula, but the Myconids are defeated. I can make time to give you all the tour.¡±


    ¡°Great, I can hardly wait. So... I might as well get those levels too, right? Since I can. I just hope they don¡¯t get addictive, or I might want Lovers¡¯ Link to grow...¡± at her impish smile I patted her hand, unable to even kiss as it would smear her makeup.


    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯ll have to be content with what you can get. Against an average thug, the stat boosts from eight levels would give you an advantage, nobody would expect a young girl like you to have that speed or power. So anyway, Miyu-san. Just what should I expect?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s the oldest Fujiwara granddaughter, and thus one of the queens of Hanafubuki, but she¡¯s super shy. The only time she ever interacts with anyone outside her bodyguard is when she does traditional dance or piano recitals, and even then she¡¯s distant.¡±


    As the car pulled up in front of an expensive block of condos in the heart of the most exclusive area of Tokyo, I frowned, deep in thought. ¡°So what does she want?¡± I asked, as I opened the door to help Hinata out.


    ¡°I have no idea, and that is what worries me. If it was Sakura, I could guess, maybe even Mayumi. But Miyu-sama? I have no clue...¡±


    Great. Oh well, Fujiwara-san is backing me, so I had best be respectful of his granddaughter. Taking Hinata¡¯s hand I escorted her to the door, feeling the presence of some strong people inside. Pushing the intercom I took a deep breath. ¡°Good afternoon. I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, escorting Fukumoto Hinata, as requested.¡±

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Seven

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Seven


    ¡°Please come up. Room four hundred and two. It is unlocked.¡± A voice came out of the intercom, and Hinata whispered to me that it was Koga Michiru, the bodyguard of Miyu-san. The door slid open, revealing four armed and bulky security guards that were posted around the entrance to the block of condominiums, probably Fujiwara Security. I nodded to them politely, well acquainted with some of their colleagues, but all they did was remain expressionless, maintaining their poise.


    ¡°You know, this doesn¡¯t seem like a party venue.¡± I said, as we entered the lift. Kazumi-san had to wait outside, as bringing a bodyguard to the house of Miyu-san was apparently an insult, especially for someone with the status of Hinata.


    Hinata nodded, curious that we hadn¡¯t seen any other guests, but perhaps we were asked to come early, or were already late. ¡°Well, her father doesn¡¯t involve himself in the business of Fujiwara house. He¡¯s a senior bureaucrat in the MEXT. Most of the nobility look down on him, as he declined to work for Fujiwara house, but Miyu-sama is still Fujiwara-sama¡¯s granddaughter, so she suffers no disrespect. But due to his job, there are numerous gatherings held here, or so I hear. Obviously the daughters of nobility aren¡¯t involved in government business.¡±


    MEXT, huh? Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It¡¯s not a big one like the Military or Finance, and he¡¯s a career bureaucrat rather than an actual politician like Tsumura-san, right? Even so, if he¡¯s senior, that¡¯s quite influential, especially if his family is so important... As the door slid open to floor four, we stepped out of the elevator into a wide hallway. There was still nobody else about, and we couldn¡¯t hear any noise that sounded like a social gathering.


    Hinata met my quizzical gaze and shrugged, her hand still in mine. ¡°It does seem a little strange, but this is a very high-end building. I¡¯m sure the soundproofing is excellent.¡± We quickly reached room four hundred and two, and I pressed the intercom by the door.


    ¡°Come in. I said it was unlocked.¡± Koga-san said again, so after a deep breath and a reassuring squeeze of her hand, I opened the door, and we stepped inside, to be greeted by a surprisingly spacious entryway. Looking down, I could see the floor was hard wood, so we would not need to change our outdoor shoes. I daresay that makes sense, if this isn¡¯t just a home, but a venue for politics as well. Must be tough for a young girl.


    Once through the hall, the condo opened out into a significantly-large living area. It could easily hold a hundred or so people in a party, and... there was nobody there. No, that isn¡¯t correct. There are two people. One was a woman in what looked like archaic ninja garb, her brown hair pulled into a side ponytail. Her body-language radiated wariness, and her brown eyes were looking at me with cold appraisal. Beside her, sitting down quietly, wearing a black and white dress with long skirt and sleeves, showing almost no skin, was an elegant-looking girl, her expression blank and doll-like. Fujiwara Miyu-san, I guess.


    ¡°My mistress bids you welcome.¡± Koga-san declared, gesturing to a couple of seats sat opposite the girls at a noticeable distance. Hinata squeezed my hand again, showing her nerves, but I smiled calmly and mouthed reassurances at her.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Pardon my rudeness.¡± I said, trying to comprehend the unusual situation. ¡°My understanding was I¡¯m escorting Hinata here to a gathering for noble girls from her school. Are we too early?¡±


    ¡°I fear there has indeed been a misunderstanding.¡± Koga-san said, still on alert. ¡°My mistress is not fond of such boisterous affairs. Instead she wished to speak to the two of you. She thanks you for your attendance.¡±


    At that, Miyu-san inclined her head in thanks, the movement elegant yet somehow soulless, insincere.


    ¡°I... see.¡± Hinata said, thrown off by the surprise. Still, she quickly regained her confidence, leading me to the chairs. As we sat down she offered her greetings.


    ¡°Michiru, Miyu-sama, I thank you for inviting Akio and I here today.¡± Hinata said politely. ¡°It is quite the honour to be in the presence of the oldest daughter of the Fujiwara family.¡±


    At Hinata¡¯s polite greeting, Miyu-san¡¯s face twitched, though I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it except for my excellent perception. Despite her seeming annoyance, she opened her mouth and spoke, her voice quiet but refined. ¡°Hinata... I can call you Hinata, right?¡±


    Hinata nodded hurriedly to agree. ¡°Of course, Miyu-sama.¡±


    ¡°Well, Hinata. I was curious when your engagement was announced. To someone outside the nobility, with no pedigree. Curious. Except that the world isn¡¯t normal now, is it?¡± Miyu-san shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m quite aware of these mysterious people who have strange powers. And this gentleman, Oshiro-san, I believe, he is one my grandfather is putting much faith in. even so...¡± this time even Hinata could see the displeasure on her face, which made her blanch, her ingrained respect for the ladies of the Three Great Houses making her instinctively avoid upsetting her.


    ¡°... I¡¯m curious. It is the fate of all of us, a marriage for our House. I have a fiance? too, supposedly, though my grandfather has not announced who it is, not even to me, as the time isn¡¯t right. So I was curious. Your family isn¡¯t true nobility, but your mother is from the Takatsukasa house, so you were raised properly, to accept this. But you would have expected a marriage to someone in the Fifty-Seven, surely. Yet my grandfather has pushed you into a marriage to this stranger. How does that make you feel?¡±


    This again? Hinata is pretty bitter about how she¡¯s treated differently to her cousin Sakura-san, right? I made to console her, only to find Hinata was smiling brightly, no trace of distress on her features. Seeing me looking, she winked at me, before turning back to Miyu-san.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a strange question, Miyu-sama. And I must say I¡¯m a little disappointed. I was honoured to receive an invitation from you, only to find that I am merely here to be a clown, to make you feel better about your own situation.¡±


    ¡°You dare, you...¡± Koga-san started to move, angered, but she suddenly froze, as my intent to intervene radiated out from me. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s killing intent, like a manga, but I¡¯m definitely annoyed right now.


    ¡°Be still, Michiru. She means no disrespect, Hinata merely... misunderstands me.¡± Miyu-san said, and I was starting to suspect she was nowhere near as meek as Hinata had advised me. ¡°Go fetch us some tea. That will suit everyone, will it not?¡± She asked us, and Hinata nodded, so I did likewise.


    ¡°But, mistress, I need to guard you!¡± Koga-san protested, but Miyu-san merely fixed me with a searching look.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the reports from grandfather. If Oshiro-san wished to harm me, you would be unable to stop him, isn¡¯t that right?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not in the business of hurting girls.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Though I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d stop trying to upset Hinata. But if I¡¯m being honest, yes. You¡¯d both be dead or under my power before you even noticed, if I was so inclined.¡±


    Koga-san tensed at my words, but Miyu-san leaned back in her chair, seemingly satisfied by my answer. ¡°As expected, anyone who can defeat armed yakuza and even foreign agents will outmatch you, Michiru. Though I daresay you would give a good account of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Stop, Michiru, this isn¡¯t...¡± Miyu-san was shouting, while Hinata was frozen by shock. This little firecracker moves well. You¡¯d think she was a Candidate. Still, that¡¯s fucking dangerous. My foot slammed into the needles, and they pierced through the sole, before stopping, unable to penetrate my skin. Koga-san let out a yelp as I slammed her down into the floor hard enough for the ground to tremble, and I stomped my pierced shoe down, shattering the needles, before treading on the ninja, pinning her stunned body down.


    ¡°That was stupid and reckless.¡± I said, extremely aggrieved. Hinata was pale, and Miyu-san was looking at me, as if unsure of what I would do next. ¡°I¡¯m telling you now, if one of those had hit Hinata, you¡¯d be dead.¡± I was serious, and even the dazed Koga-san knew it. Hinata was blushing at my vehement defence of her, but I wasn¡¯t going to let her off either. ¡°And Hinata, I get that Miyu-san has been shitting on all your dreams in front of you, despite having achieved them through no effort but being born, but remember. We promised, right? We¡¯ll change things. There¡¯s no need to let her get to you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Hinata said, shaking her head in apology, calming down now the suddenly-attacking Koga-san was helpless below my boot. ¡°I... well, it offends me on so many levels! When you are putting in so much work, fighting, bleeding, crying, just to save the world, and she... she...¡± her words failed her and I reached out, clasping her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to save the world. I¡¯m trying to save those I love. It¡¯s just those I love need a world to live on, right?¡± As she looked surprised at that, I turned back to Miyu-san.


    ¡°Well, that was... troublesome. Where do we go from here? And I hope you know why Hinata was upset. She idolises the true noble daughters like you, and now she longs for the sort of abilities I have. To hear you dismiss both of them...¡±


    ¡°I apologise. We went too far.¡± Miyu-san said, surprising me, and Hinata more, as she gasped in shock. ¡°Michiru, you shouldn¡¯t have attacked her. Besides, we knew Oshiro-san was unbeatable for us. Now you have to pay the price.¡±


    ¡°Anything, mistress. This ninja has failed you. Death is a small price to pay for such disgrace.¡±


    ¡°Death doesn¡¯t benefit our guest. One I am asking a favour from.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Oshiro-san. Michiru is a beauty is she not? She is now yours, to do with as you will. Break her, toy with her body, defile her purity. She deserves no less.¡±


    What. The. Fuck? My mind went blank for a moment as a schoolgirl, such a young lady, suggested the unthinkable. Hinata was equally shocked, choking.


    ¡°But mistress, I only yearn for you. I swore to let no man but the strongest give me... wait...¡± she trailed off, confused, falling silent.


    Screw this. I¡¯m done being polite. I removed my foot, hauled Koga-san up and propped her over my knee. She looked confused for a second, before my hand slapped her ass. She let out a little shriek, before my hand slapped her other buttock. I¡¯m not even hitting that hard, and she¡¯s still wearing her ninja outfit. ¡°Bad kids need punishment. But I¡¯m not some sort of monster.¡± A handful more slaps, and I was done. ¡°Nine. And ten.¡± Releasing the girl, I frowned at Miyu-san. ¡°I get that she¡¯s your servant, your bodyguard, but you don¡¯t own her life! You claim to hate the way your role oppresses you, and you go and turn it around on another? I¡¯m tempted to give you a few slaps as well, but your grandfather would be pissed off if he found out, and dealing with that would be a pain. Not that I couldn¡¯t.¡± I declared proudly. ¡°I¡¯m never the man I was yesterday, I¡¯m always stronger, more skilled, with allies who support me more and more. I¡¯m using your grandfather as he uses me. I always honour my agreements, but I¡¯m not up for being taken for granted. Just bear this in mind. If there¡¯s even a scratch on Hinata or any of my friends, family or fiance?es, be they a noble, the President of the USA, a fucking Demon Lord from Hell, an Alien invasion... or even a young girl like you, then my fury will be swift and terrible.¡±


    Hinata was throwing her arms around me, while Koga-san took up her post beside Miyu-san, surreptitiously rubbing her ass. ¡°Swift and terrible? I see. But not so terrible.¡± Miyu-san shook her head. ¡°You made only one mistake. I do not order Michiru as my servant, she is my sworn bodyguard, trusted ninja, only true friend. It is insulting to her to say I cannot command her to die, or worse. Few true ninja families survive. Her pride would never allow her to refuse an order, no matter what. If you had torn off her clothes and defiled her right then and there, broke her arms and legs, threw her naked into the streets, she would raise no objections if I declared it her punishment for failure.¡±


    Okay, this is... too weird. She¡¯s giving Hyacinth a run for her money on odd behaviour. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure I heard her object too... ¡°Should a young girl like you, so sheltered, really be talking about this sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°Ninja are always wary of such ends. It is all too common.¡± Koga-san said suddenly, looking reproachfully at me. ¡°I naturally advised mistress on all the many varied and cruel ways men could torture her should our vigilance falter.¡± Her gaze turned flinty. ¡°I objected to allowing you to visit Miyu-sama, even to ask you for help. Men can never be trusted!¡±


    So it¡¯s your fault she¡¯s talking about that! I can only hope she doesn¡¯t really know what she was describing entailed, just like Hinata and Motoko were nai?ve. Screaming internally, I shook my head.


    ¡°Akio can be trusted!¡± Hinata declared, angry. ¡°But he wouldn¡¯t touch trash like you. He has me, Motoko, Natsumi, Shaeula, Eri... he doesn¡¯t need you!¡±


    Koga-san was about to respond, before Miyu-san raised a hand to stop her. ¡°Well, he did pass the test, did he not?¡±


    ¡°He manhandled me!¡± Koga-san protested, and Miyu-san shook her head in denial.


    ¡°Mere chastisement. He did not even pull down your clothes. And he was right, I told you to make sure not to injure our guests unless in self-defence. Poison needles were dangerous. If Hinata died here, it would rock the nobility.¡±


    A test? That was a test? I¡¯m starting to think I should definitely have punished them more. Putting Hinata at risk for a bloody test...


    ¡°I still think you should have sought out another.¡± Koga-san stubbornly continued. ¡°There are several women who have been unearthed, one of them might...¡±


    ¡°No. it has to be Oshiro-san.¡± Miyu-san denied her again. ¡°He¡¯s working for grandfather, yes, but it is an alliance, as he says, not servitude. The ones under Ichijou house are far more restricted. They will inform grandfather or Ichijou-sama about me. Secondly... Hinata, you can answer this better than I, perhaps. Is there any with superior skills to him?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not!¡± Hinata clung to me. ¡°If even only half of what he and Shaeula have told me is true, there¡¯s none better in Japan!¡±


    ¡°I see. More tea, Michiru. This will be a thirsty conversation. So, now we understand each other better, I¡¯ll repeat my question from before. This curse, is there any way I can get rid of it?¡±


    Yeah, this was not how I saw this little tea-party playing out, on so many levels... My Eye blazed amber, shocking Koga-san and Miyu-san, as I considered her question, and just what it meant...

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Eight – Reworked Version

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Eight ¨C Reworked Version


    ¡°Just what are you doing? Such a strange light...¡± Miyu-san said, uncomfortable under my intense gaze. As Koga-san was making the tea, she was also alert at the glow, in case it was dangerous, and I could see her feet twitching, as if she wished to rain more needles down on me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill of mine. A Rank 2 one.¡± I said, fishing for information. If I¡¯m going to help out, I need payment. Everyone has been really clear on that. And I don¡¯t think they are entirely wrong. I was feeling a little sorry for the sheltered girl, especially after my interactions with Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi, but their situations were very different to the girl in front of me. After all, I¡¯m working with her grandfather, and most of the protection for my family and workplace comes from him. I do have Grulgor, Hyacinth and Shirohebi now, but if I tie them up on protection detail, that wastes a lot of my hard work getting the Thrones to Rank 2. Unless there are some other benefits that make it worthwhile of course. ¡°So, what skill did you get from Ame-no-Uzume? I¡¯m guessing it must be a decent Rank?¡±


    ¡°Rank? I do not understand.¡± Miyu-san said, taking an offered cup from Koga-san, taking a sip, though my eyes could see the minute rattles of the porcelain, betraying her unease. ¡°As for these skills, the Goddess told me I would dance for the Dawn and dance for the Dusk, but that was all.¡±


    I see. Dance-related skills? I¡¯m guessing buffs and debuffs? I¡¯m curious but that can wait. ¡°I see, so do you have a status screen that details all your statistics, such as your strength, intelligence or anything similar? Like the display in a video game? Also, did she tell you about your Territory?¡±


    At the barrage of questions, Miyu-san frowned, masking her emotions behind another draught of tea. ¡°Video games? I have heard of them, but we are taught to avoid such vulgar things at school, along with television that is not educational.¡±


    At that Hinata giggled, shaking her head. Yeah, Nichibotsu is heavily involved in such vulgar things. No wonder she¡¯s looked down upon, despite the wealth of her family. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t understand you, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Who are you to speak...¡± Koga-san began, annoyed at her interjection, before she caught my glare and backed away, face falling, her skin behind the mask red.


    ¡°She¡¯s someone your mistress here asked for help. So it¡¯s only natural to be polite to someone you are begging favours from, right?¡± I notice I didn¡¯t get a cup of tea, that ninja girl isn¡¯t coming near me. ¡°This is Miyu-san¡¯s house, right?¡±


    At my lack of -sama Koga-san twitched, irritated, but she still nodded.


    ¡°Well then, I need some blank paper and some pencils. Ideally coloured ones.¡±Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°I have a sketchbook in my room. Fetch it, Michiru. I shall be fine here.¡± She declared. ¡°If Oshiro-san wished me harm, you would not be able to stop him, right?¡±


    ¡°I apologise for my worthlessness, mistress. My father will be disappointed in me and no doubt increase my training tenfold!¡± She shot me another glare, before opening a locked door in the wall of the large room. Not just one lock, there¡¯s three, and they all look fairly industrial. As Koga-san disappeared inside, I caught a glimpse of a room decorated in calming pastel shades, and the corner of a grand piano.


    ¡°So, are you doing that?¡± Hinata asked. ¡°If so, will Miyu need to take off her clothes?¡±


    At that Miyu-san halted, cup held motionless in the air, while Koga-san, returning with a large sketchbook and a case of pencils, suddenly leapt like a frightened rabbit. ¡°Strip the mistress? I knew you were not to be trusted! Mistress, he wishes to despoil you and then you will be forced to marry him to spare your family from disgrace! Such evil, it cannot...¡±


    ¡°Oh please.¡± Hinata snorted. ¡°Why would he want to do that? He¡¯s already got such wonderful fiance?es.¡± She stuck out her chest proudly. ¡°Besides, I expect Fujiwara-sama already has plans. My cousin... well, never mind that.¡±


    ¡°Hinata, I know you meant to lighten the mood, but these girls don¡¯t get the humour.¡± I sighed. ¡°No, I won¡¯t be needing you to strip to your underwear, Miyu-san. My Eye has ranked up, and I¡¯m not doing any actual Chirurgery at this stage, so this should suffice. Now stop being annoying and give me the paper.¡± I demanded, and Koga-san stalked over, gingerly handing paper and pencils to me.


    ¡°One thing I don¡¯t get is...¡± I said, as I quickly wrote out a fake character sheet with some random numbers and made-up skills on. ¡°... why didn¡¯t you decline Ame-no-Uzume¡¯s offer? If you were that unhappy, then...¡±


    ¡°Decline?¡± Miyu-san shook her head. ¡°How does one deny the divine? I woke one night in a strange place. It was a dream, surely, yet everything was so real, and I was fully aware of myself. Then the goddess appeared, draped a necklace of leaves around my neck, and told me I was to ¡®nurture the sacred Sakaki tree to save what I could from the destruction that was coming¡¯.¡± She shuddered, teacup rattling on the saucer furiously. ¡°Decline? Such a nonsense. Why should I have to do this?¡±


    ¡°I would do it in your place in a heartbeat, mistress! Koga ninja are ready for battle, always!¡±


    ¡°I thought this a lot.¡± Hinata mused, interrupting the heavy atmosphere, and I could tell she was going to make a joke. ¡°From school, we are taught that ninja were supposed to be stealthy, inconspicuous. But you are always standing out and dressing ridiculously. Even your sister isn¡¯t as flashy as you, Michiru. Not very ninja-like, if you ask me!¡±


    I had finished my fake character sheet, as well as a chakra sketch of an ordinary person. I was now moving onto what I remembered of Kana¡¯s, which was pretty much flawless as my memory had reached photographic a while back. Though oddly enough despite that, I still forget things, mostly unimportant matters or things I¡¯d actually wish to forget. It seems Resilience interacts weirdly with a lot of mental states.


    ¡°Well, father did leave the family when he was young to marry mother, and was disowned, though grandfather still allows sister and I to visit on occasion.¡± She shrugged. ¡°So father doesn¡¯t follow the old teachings as written. Father believes that bodyguards must stand out, and clearly warn off any attackers. The true secret of stealth, he believes, is in the attacks themselves.¡± She raised a fingernail at me, and I could once more see the embedded needles, glittering darkly. Yeah, I think she¡¯d be more likely to hurt herself or Miyu-san with those, rather than an enemy.


    ¡°Bodyguards should be flashy.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°But why not have a decoy guard to do that, and have you by her side looking like just a friend? Wouldn¡¯t that be more ninja-like?¡±


    ¡°But father says we need to show off our skills in the modern world, or else we¡¯ll be underestimated and looked down on...¡±


    Yeah, this is all nonsense, but at least the mood has improved. I was now sketching a detailed image of Miyu-san and her network. Since my Eye had improved, more minor details were visible, and I could peer beneath her clothes to an extent and still make out the glittering lights of her capillaries and chakras. Enough for an indication, anyway. I still wouldn¡¯t fancy Chirurgery like this. Idly I spoke. ¡°Yeah, well, it seems like you are more the orange jumpsuit type of ninja. I¡¯m pretty disappointed really, I¡¯d like to meet a real ninja one day, I bet I could learn a lot.¡±


    ¡°Orange jumpsuit? I don¡¯t get it.¡± Koga-san said, before realising I had essentially disparaged her and called her and her father fakes. ¡°My ninjutsu is real! I simply choose not to...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Miyu-san was rubbing at her temples, eyes squeezed shut. ¡°Please, Michiru. No arguments. We have asked them for aid, we can swallow a little insult if we must.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t really an insult. Just expressing my disappointment.¡± I said mildly, to a laugh from Hinata. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m pretty much done for now. There is one thing of note to draw your attention to, but anyway, here.¡± I approached Miyu-san, who opened her eyes again nervously. As I stretched out my hand and handed her the papers she snatched at them, before retreating a little.


    ¡°This is... a status screen?¡± She said, puzzled. ¡°I do not understand. How can you measure things such as this? It would be like declaring I had Piano Playing Rank 3. How foolish.¡±


    ¡°Anything can be measured, against the right scale. If you knew who was the worst at Piano in the world, and also the best, could you not split the skill levels of musicians between into Ranks? We do it in a way, with competitions and status such as amateur, professional, teacher, and more, right?¡± So, Kikuchi-san, Suzuki-san, Kondou Kazuo, and now Miyu-san, none of them have status sheets. I¡¯m now certain that the Examination skills were a big part of my own blessing from Tyr. But that can¡¯t be it all. No, looking at Miyu-san now...


    ¡°That is true.¡± she conceded, flipping through the sheets I had torn from her sketchbook. On reaching her own she paused, frowning.


    ¡°You see it, right? Around your neck and your forehead?¡± I was surprised I could see it now, and when I looked down at my own wrist with my Eye I could see a similar occurrence.


    ¡°Sakaki leaves.¡± She nodded. ¡°Like the necklace the goddess gave me.¡± Her hand went to her forehead. ¡°But here too? And what are these coloured balls and lines?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a visual representation of your Astral subtle body. That world in the dream the irresponsible goddess pulled you into is called the Boundary, the junction between the Astral and Material worlds. And yes, it can be dangerous. But Miyu-san, you were chosen. One of around two thousand in Japan. There probably isn¡¯t more than a few hundred thousand worldwide. I get that it is frightening, but this is an opportunity...¡±


    ¡°Opportunity? For what?¡± she shuddered. ¡°I am already a doll, my future mapped out, the only say I have in it my piano and dance. Even Michiru will be dismissed when I graduate from Hanafubuki and get married, I will not even get to choose my bodyguards. No, everything will be dictated by my husband.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. I¡¯m not telling Hinata what to do all the time, am I?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, you are very different to the nobles, Akio.¡± Hinata sighed. ¡°I think any husband chosen for a granddaughter of Fujiwara-sama is likely to be entitled and overbearing. Before, I¡¯d have said that would be a small price to pay for being seen as true nobles amongst nobles, but these few weeks have changed me. I sympathise, Miyu.¡±


    ¡°I do not need your sympathy, I need this curse gone! I am not giving up what remains of my freedom for this! What have the kami ever done for me?¡±


    Apart from the life of wealth and privilege? Well, who am I to judge. I guess being poor and happy like Eri and my sis is better than being wealthy and miserable, right? ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying it is impossible.¡± I can think of two ways, based on what I know and have guessed, but I don¡¯t like either of them... ¡°But you¡¯d need to fully understand the risks and ramifications...¡±


    She brightened at my words, hope springing in her eyes, interrupting me before I could fully explain the dangers. ¡°You can do it? You can free me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ve ideas but I still think it¡¯s a foolish plan on many levels. There¡¯s a solid chance you could be injured or even die.¡± I pointed to the paper she was holding, and bade her compare hers with an ordinary person. ¡°See all the differences? The subtle bodies are linked, so if the foreign parts are removed, it might have a serious, potentially life-threatening impact on you. That¡¯s assuming it even works at all.¡±


    Koga-san gasped, and Hinata looked troubled. Miyu-san looked down, gathering her composure.


    ¡°I see. I suppose it is too much to hope for the works of a Goddess to be undone so easily, or without price.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honoka is a better dancer than I. A better everything, despite being younger. Well, she is the heir. I am shocked that Ame-no-Uzume passed over her to choose me. Perhaps the Goddess felt I should be the one to suffer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s utter crap.¡± I denied her, and she was again shocked, unused to being contradicted. ¡°Having seen your dance, I can tell you if I wanted anyone to dance the Dawn and the Dusk, it would be you.¡±


    ¡°Search your feelings, Akio. This is why!¡± Hinata sniggered, and I remembered our earlier conversation, flushing slightly.


    ¡°Well, I stand by it. Perhaps you aren¡¯t as inferior as you believe. Though I¡¯m just an ordinary person, I don''t really understand the nobility or how they think. But what I do know...¡± I declared, watching as Koga-san handed her a towel to wipe the sweat from her flushed and red face. ¡°I doubt Ame-no-Uzume wishes you to suffer either. I have my reservations, but I¡¯ve no doubt the world is in danger, and we have been chosen to save it, or at least protect those we love. So if nothing else, Ame-no-Uzume is a kami of dance, so you should be proud she chose you as her Candidate!¡±


    ¡°Are you always so forward?¡± she asked, and Hinata giggled again.


    ¡°Yes, he definitely is. He usually knows what to say to make us feel better. Still, he¡¯s right. It was a marvellous dance. Like a goddess indeed.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would like to play you a piece on my piano too, but we have little time.¡± Miyu-san had taken quite a while to get changed and apply the relevant make-up to do her dance properly, with help from Koga-san, so now her parents would likely return in only a few hours.


    ¡°You are hardly ordinary.¡± Koga-san piped up, face tense, as we had explained what was to come. ¡°No ordinary person can sit here and speak to Miyu-sama so casually, make demands and contradict her. None would dare!¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why I just don¡¯t get how big a deal it is. To me, Miyu and you are just girls, all right? But first, I¡¯m going to ask you again. Having seen your dance, I¡¯m more sure of this than ever, you were meant for this. I¡¯m not a fool to believe in the gods blindly. The ones I know are just small kami and seem as foolish as the rest of us, and I¡¯ve met Candidates who are petty, evil... but I know this. I¡¯m still grateful.¡±


    ¡°No, my mind is made up.¡± She shook her head, too stubborn to back down now, perhaps. ¡°This is the only choice that leaves me with any happiness, no matter how fleeting.¡±


    Hinata made a sound of displeasure at that, and I understood why. To be honest, I¡¯m not confident this will even work, let alone safely. And having seen her dance... no, this is foolish. She¡¯s not capable of making a rational decision, and she can¡¯t offer enough to make it worth our while.


    ¡°I know you are in a hurry, but first, humour me. After all, it doesn¡¯t have to be today, does it? If you are so set on this, waiting a day or two won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°But I have already...¡± she began again, and I shook my head, fed-up.


    ¡°No. We¡¯ve only established what you think you want, and what pittance you can offer. Now we are really going to talk about it. What do you want, Miyu-san, no, Miyu. Hinata is right. Forget about your status, just be Miyu. What do you want? No lies.¡±


    Koga-san growled at me, at the harsh way I was speaking, but I was having none of it. This situation sits badly with me. Even if she somehow talks me into it, I need to experiment first, doing it blind would be idiocy. There is one way I can, though it leaves a really foul taste in my mouth. No, that¡¯s for later... ¡°Koga-san, if you care for her, then shut up and let us talk this out. Do you really want to see her potentially hurt or die for nothing? Do you honestly think this is the only way, risking so much to cling on to a few scraps of happiness, when she could have so much more?¡±


    ¡°Of course I want Miyu-sama to be happy! I love her!¡± Koga-san declared proudly.


    ¡°Then shut your mouth and let me handle this.¡± I said, and Hinata grinned.


    ¡°I think you should both listen to Akio. He hates sacrifices, and this... well, it¡¯s annoying me with how stupid you are being, Miyu. Considering your grades are decent at school, I¡¯m not sure why you are being such a fool.¡±


    ¡°Miyu.¡± I said, looking her directly in the eyes. She flushed a little, uncomfortable at being so close to me, but was unable to look away. ¡°Tell me, honestly, what do you want out of life?¡±


    ¡°I want to dance, and play, and spend time with Michiru, until...¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not what you want, that¡¯s what you think you can have. Forget your common sense, or what you believe. What do you want, if you can have a dream?¡±


    ¡°A dream? We daughters of nobility don¡¯t have dreams...¡± she began, and Hinata interrupted again.


    ¡°That¡¯s rubbish. I have a dream, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you are...¡±


    ¡°Well, what about Motoko? Her status is only a step below yours. She has a dream, and now it has come true. Well, there¡¯s work to be done, but with Akio supporting her, she can have it all.¡±


    ¡°A step, yes, but a small step is large. Grandfather, he does care for me and Honoka, but he cares for the nobility and Japan more. He will sacrifice anything to keep them safe for future generations. I have a role...¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Hinata. For a smart girl, you are being rather foolish.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for a list of reasons why you can¡¯t have what you want. Just answer my question honestly.¡±


    ¡°I think... I think you should, Miyu-sama.¡± Koga-san said then, surprising me. ¡°We have no power in these negotiations, if you wish this man to aid you, you must do as he says.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Miyu bowed in defeat, as pale as to match the white embroidery on her charming pink kimono. ¡°If the world was different, I would wish to be free to love as I choose, not be forced into a marriage purely for the continuance of the nobility.¡± Her gaze went to Koga-san then, who looked down. Oh, so is that how it is? ¡°I would be able to dance as I pleased, play my piano unfettered by worry about the future. I would wish to find my own path to make grandfather proud, and be able to hold my head up high, a match for Honoka. I am tired of always being the perfect flower, an empty doll. I want to be filled with happiness, able to be myself. But such cannot be.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked, genuinely confused. ¡°It all seems quite easy to me. I would say Ame-no-Uzume has smiled on you. What better chance to find some value your cousin doesn¡¯t have?¡±


    ¡°But I have no wish to fight.¡± She declared once more. ¡°Why do you not understand that?¡±


    ¡°I hope I am not as foolishly sheltered as this.¡± Hinata sighed. ¡°Even I know you have to fight for what you want out of life. Otherwise you¡¯ll only receive what your parents and the nobility give you, and pay what they ask in return. Nothing is free in life, you can only choose what you want to buy and how you¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Yeah. This isn¡¯t going to get through to her. She¡¯s closed off her heart. The dance was beautiful but it pushed the audience away, just like her heart. So I need someone who can... hmm. I pulled out my phone, surprising everyone, and dialled a number, opting for a video-call. She should be about now, I think.


    ¡°Wow, hey bro, what¡¯s up? Finally finished with your business in Shaeula¡¯s home?¡± My sister answered, surprised. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t mean to call Eri?¡±


    ¡°Nope, definitely you I wanted today sis. I was hoping you could help me out with something.¡±


    ¡°Me, huh? Sure, I don¡¯t mind. So, who¡¯s there with you?¡±


    ¡°I am, Aiko.¡± Hinata piped up, and I turned the phone so they could speak. ¡°It is good to see you again. Did you get the message I sent you?¡±


    ¡°Sure did. I¡¯m jealous, but it makes sense. We¡¯ll be there. Besides, I have big news myself!¡± she grinned. ¡°But that can wait. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Akio is trying to convince a stubborn girl not to do something massively stupid. But alas, she won¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Uh... not another girl for your harem is it, big bro? Eri told me it¡¯s up to what, six now? I¡¯m both proud and ashamed of you, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. No, she¡¯s just a sad girl who is letting her fears cage her, and she wants to do a monumentally stupid act of self-harm, but needs my help to do it.¡±


    Miyu made a strangled noise of annoyance at that, and Koga-san was glaring, but keeping her silence. I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t want Miyu to suffer, to risk her life for no gain, no not just no gain, but to risk her life purely for a loss.


    ¡°I see. Well, you do hate seeing a girl sad, bro. Just try not to be too smooth and win her heart by mistake, all right? So, fill me in...¡±

 Two Hundred And Twenty-Nine – Reworked Version

    Two Hundred And Twenty-Nine ¨C Reworked Version


    ¡°That... is monumentally dumb. I can¡¯t believe you were even considering going along with that, bro. Wow, for someone with stats so high, you can be a blockhead.¡± My sis criticised me, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But I didn¡¯t, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess not. Anyway, you, Miyu-san.¡± My sis shouted, and Miyu was surprised she had been addressed. While I was telling my sis the gist of the story, she had looked mortified and angry, but towards the end she seemed more pensive, thoughtful. I guess hearing everything laid out by a third party helps one see the flaws in their arguments.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she answered despite her annoyance at the rude, shouty way my sis was addressing her, perhaps her good breeding in action.


    ¡°Hey, you are cute! Don¡¯t go falling for my bro though, I¡¯ve got enough sisters-in-law. Wow, no, never mind, that doesn¡¯t matter. Seriously though, I don¡¯t get it. My bro is standing right there, and you haven¡¯t just said the magic words.¡±


    Magic words?


    ¡°Well, let me tell you something. I wish a goddess had chosen me. Wow, I¡¯d have settled for a damn devil, if nothing else was available, or even some sort of slime monster, just so long as I could share the burden with my bro. Speaking of...¡± her expression on the screen brightened. ¡°Great news bro! I did it! I mastered fire element!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said, surprised yet proud. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I knew you could do it!¡±


    ¡°Damn right! I only get a pittance of levels compared to the others, so I need to get stronger somehow. The study materials your secretary sent me really helped bro, so thanks. There was... uh... one problem though.¡± Her eyes were swimming, and I knew something was up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s relevant to Miyu-san here though.¡±


    ¡°Come on sis, spit it out. What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Well... so I wanted to be damn sure I could learn fire, right? And I thought it¡¯d be helpful when I take the plunge for light too, so it made totally logical sense at the time, and...¡±


    ¡°Enough stalling, out with it.¡± I was frowning. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    She pulled a pose, sticking out her tongue and knocking her head with her free hand, which had been hidden from view. It was then I noticed. Hinata too, as she gasped in shock.


    ¡°Aiko, your hand and wrist...¡± You stupid, stupid girl! What the hell have you done?


    ¡°Well, I figured if I really wanted to know fire, I had to get burned, right?¡± She shrugged, and I could feel my anger boiling. An ugly burn scar was running from the back of her hand down her wrist and up to her forearm, the skin shiny and crimson. ¡°It definitely worked, I learned it much easier than Eri, so don¡¯t go mad, bro! Though she did manage to learn it afterwards...¡± She finished quietly, causing my already boiling anger to start erupting.


    ¡°What the fuck have you done, stupid Aiko! Your poor arm! What if it leaves a scar, or affects your archery? It must have hurt so...¡±


    ¡°Yeah it hurt. But not as much as not being able to stand with you.¡± she said, cutting me dead. ¡°Miyu-san, these are the lengths people like me will go to, merely to get a fraction of what you were given and so despise. Face reality. You¡¯re lucky.¡± She snorted bitterly. ¡°When my arm burned I realised my bro was suffering wounds like these all the time. Shaeula told me when he faced her brother, he set himself on fire to win, for her. When I remembered that, I didn¡¯t hesitate. Maybe I¡¯m an idiot... no, in fact, compared to bro and Eri I¡¯m pretty sure I am one.¡± She smiled then. ¡°But I¡¯m an idiot that loves Eri, Shaeula, my big bro... and I¡¯m never going to let them fight alone. You don¡¯t have to either, Miyu-san. All it takes are the magic words.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me, Aiko? I¡¯m hurt.¡± Hinata laughed, though her eyes were sad, looking at the nasty scar.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know you that well. But... well, you love my bro, so I guess I respect that. And you are thinking of me and my family so... well, I¡¯m happy to have you as a sister-in-law, bad friend though that makes me!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Koga-san said diffidently, speaking for the first time since the phone call started. I turned the phone to her, still seething, but at least willing to let Aiko explain before I took a train back to Nishimorioka, and Aiko squealed, excited.


    ¡°Wow? That¡¯s a ninja right? Is that cosplay? Wow, so cool!¡±


    ¡°It is not a costume. I am a ninja!¡± She declared huffily, before returning to her prior thoughts. ¡°That does not matter now. That burn... I do not understand entirely, but you suffered it to grow stronger, correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Here.¡± Aiko grinned, and a small wisp of flame appeared above her palm, flickering like a candle in the wind. ¡°I¡¯m a firebender!¡± she giggled. ¡°Maybe I could have done it a different way, like Eri did. But I¡¯m a girl who thinks with her body, not her mind, unlike her. And it worked. Results are what matter, right?¡±


    I¡¯m thinking you need a damn spanking like I gave Koga-san. I told you to stay safe and not to be reckless! I can¡¯t believe Eri allowed her to do this...


    ¡°Do you not worry about being scarred? Your marriage prospects will be hurt by such an injury.¡± Koga-san continued.


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m still young. Not really thinking about hooking up any time soon. Besides, if there was a guy I liked, and a scar put him off, well I guess he wouldn¡¯t be worthy of me. Besides, I know the magic words. Want to see how they work, Miyu-san?¡±


    ¡°But, even so, a girl should not...¡± Koga-san insisted, and my sister sighed.?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com a sister before I¡¯m a girl. Not just that, a sister-in-law too. Eri wants to stand with my bro, Shaeula already does. I want to be with them all. Not sitting at home, worrying if they¡¯ll be all right. This last week has been hell. I hope you haven¡¯t been back long bro, or Eri and I will have to kill you if you forget to text us to let us know you are okay. You were doing some scary stuff, right?¡±


    Damn, I did forget, as there was all the impurities, and then having to see Miyu... no, they¡¯re just excuses. I had time to text them instead of messing around in the bath. Even so, it won¡¯t stop me being pissed off Aiko did something so stupid!


    ¡°We came here as soon as he woke up. Shaeula still hasn¡¯t returned, but is fine.¡± Hinata covered for me, smiling at a confused Miyu. ¡°Sorry, we should have messaged you, but he was trying to help Miyu here, so can you forgive him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just glad he¡¯s safe. Now, Miyu-san. Listen well. If you are hurting, or sad, or don¡¯t see a way out, don¡¯t do anything stupid. Never give up what you¡¯ve been fortunate enough to receive without a fight! Just do this.¡± Her gaze on the screen turned to me then, and she smiled so sweetly I was surprised, her sapphire eyes earnest. ¡°Hey, big bro. I¡¯ve been a bit of a little sis sapphire...¡± she giggled, using her own mockery of me against herself. ¡°... and I burned my hand. It kind of hurts like a bitch, bro. Can you fix it for me? I¡¯d be happy if you would.¡±


    I sighed then, a long exhalation, trying to get all of my anger out. That¡¯s right. She¡¯s an idiot, but not stupid. She knows about Ether Healing. A burn like that, Shaeula or I could fix it easily enough, and if she¡¯s gained eight levels, the boosts to her Fortitude should have reduced the damage and hastened her healing anyway... ¡°I¡¯m still mad, but there¡¯s no way I can leave you hurt like that. By the way, what did father and mom say?¡±


    My sis winced. ¡°Dad... he chewed me out, but when I told him why I did it, and that you¡¯d fix it, he came around. Mom knew straight away that you¡¯d heal it, so she wasn¡¯t too mad. Hey, Miyu-san, your grandfather can¡¯t be any worse than my dad. He¡¯s scary when he¡¯s furious!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to Nishimorioka as soon as I can.¡± I promised. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether it matters to you or not whether you have scars. I hate the thought of you being hurt. Don¡¯t do shit like this again. Promise me!¡±


    ¡°No way bro. I can¡¯t make that promise. If I have to, I have to.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Miyu-san, if you want the impossible, you have to be prepared to pay for it, but if you want the impossible, there¡¯s nobody better to ask than my bro.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to Nishimorioka. I¡¯ll push up the schedule.¡± Hinata promised, and Aiko nodded.


    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it! Damn, my bro keeps finding nice girls. I guess it¡¯s karma for being a loser all those years. So anyway, Miyu-san. All you have to do is open your heart and say the magic words to my bro. I¡¯m sad, I¡¯m hurting, please help me! It¡¯s easy. Though I suppose a gloomy, defeated girl like you might find that hard. It looks to me you enjoy being a martyr.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about me, you common...¡± Miyu snapped, fire in her eyes.


    ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t know shit about you, stupid.¡± She cursed. ¡°Only what I¡¯ve seen and heard, which doesn¡¯t impress me. But I don¡¯t need to know anything about you, do I? I know everything about my big bro. And I know he wants to help you, the gods only know why, as I¡¯ve talked to you for all of five minutes and I¡¯m all for telling my bro to cut his losses and forget he ever knew you!¡± As Miyu gaped, open-mouthed at sheer rudeness that she had never experienced, my sis turned to me. ¡°But you won¡¯t, will you bro? Can you do it, if she asks?¡±


    Can I? Well... if we consider the issues one at a time...


    ¡°He can. And if he can¡¯t, well, we can fill in what he¡¯s lacking, right Aiko?¡± Hinata said, and she smiled, her annoyance fading.


    ¡°Yeah, we sure can. He doesn¡¯t like hitting girls, so feel free to slug her for me!¡±


    ¡°I won''t let him...¡± Koga-san whispered, eyeing me warily. Still, she was not interfering in the abuse Miyu was receiving, so perhaps she realised what was going on.


    ¡°I do not understand why you are being so rude to me! I am the one suffering here!¡± Miyu shouted, all her usual noble restraint shattered, her raw emotions out now for all to see. ¡°I am all alone, surrounded by people who only care about my family. I¡¯m not Miyu, I am only Fujiwara Miyu! I am proud to be a noble, but even so, I want people to look at me, to respect my choices!¡±


    ¡°Alone? Hardly. What about your ninja friend there? Or my bro and Hinata, who are listening to your whiny bullshit? Aren¡¯t they looking at you?¡± My sis continued. ¡°It seems to me, your problem is too much pride. I suppose I get it. if you are anything like Hinata and the others, then you don¡¯t know much about anything outside of your narrow world. A bunch of princesses. Of course you aren¡¯t free! Nobody in life is! Not unless you have power. Power you are so eager to toss aside, just because you are scared. Damn bro, I can see why you called me. You aren¡¯t going to get through to a girl like this!¡±


    ¡°Again, how dare you...¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, princess! It¡¯s a simple choice. You can keep your pride, wallow in misery and lose everything, and I¡¯ll make damn sure my bro won¡¯t help you, if I ask Eri and Shaeula, they¡¯ll stop him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree as well.¡± Hinata said, looking at Miyu sadly. ¡°Miyu, I think you are scared, aren¡¯t you? I get that. But you can¡¯t seriously ask Akio to risk everything for your convenience, when you offer so little in return. When Aiko here is willing to go so far to obtain power like yours... when all of us at the training school, noble, commoner, shrine maiden alike are struggling. And yes, sometimes I¡¯m worried, afraid of what it could all mean, but... I¡¯m not alone. And you don¡¯t have to be either.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Aiko approved. ¡°My bro will keep us all safe, and we¡¯ll keep my bro safe. It¡¯s like, just wow, girl. Surely you know what the best thing to do is.¡± She flexed her burned arm in front of the camera.


    I was suddenly surprised as Koga-san spoke up. ¡°Miyu-sama. I do not wish to see you harmed. I understand them. These girls are worthy of my respect, as they wish to stand by the side of their lord. As I wish to stand by your side, mistress.¡± She turned to me then. ¡°Could... could it be possible for me to stand by her side, in this dangerous place? After all, your training school...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy enough.¡± I agreed, and Hinata snorted.


    ¡°Only for you and Shaeula. Nobody else. So, what will you offer as payment?¡± Hinata asked.


    ¡°Everything.¡± She knelt in seiza, head pressed against the floor. ¡°But... could you save Miyu-sama from her suffering? Your sister is a brave girl, and she believes you could. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I do know this. Miyu needs to want it herself. And she needs to pay for it. If she really wants to step out of the cage she is in, then she needs to unlock the door herself.¡±


    ¡°But can I really...¡± she began, uncertainly. ¡°To go against grandfather, to shame my family...¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to do that?¡± I shook my heard irritably. ¡°I told you. Tell me what you want. It¡¯s okay if you think it¡¯s impossible. We can then decide how to get that. And what price you¡¯ll have to pay.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s more.¡± I grinned. ¡°Some relatives of Shaeula need new documents. There¡¯s no way I can let my vassal struggle alone. I have to provide support. There was one name you might be interested in. Though we¡¯ll have to change it a bit. How about... Suzuki Harumi?¡±


    At that, Fujiwara-san reacted, his eyes going wide. ¡°You mean, she has returned to life? It could seriously be done?¡±


    ¡°Life? Well, kind of. She¡¯s still a ghost, though just like Shaeula can, she now has a perfectly fine physical body and can live a normal life. She could get married, maybe even start a family. But most importantly, she can see her father again.¡±


    ¡°Incredible. I must be present for that. The prime minister too.¡± He declared, thinking. ¡°You do constantly surprise me. And it seems those around you do too.¡± He smiled then, looking at Hinata. ¡°You¡¯ve changed, girl. I¡¯ve always kept an eye on you, since you are Itsuki¡¯s granddaughter, but you were always too concerned with what you could never obtain. Now you seem much happier.¡±


    She grabbed my arm proudly. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve obtained what I want, and I¡¯ll get everything else too. After all, I know the magic words.¡±


    Laughter echoed around the room, and I was shocked to see it was Miyu and Michiru-san, both laughing furiously, tears streaming down their faces. The sniffles turned into sobs for Miyu, and she rubbed at her face. Fujiwara-san made to come down and comfort her, but I shook my head, mouthing at him to let her cry it out.


    When she was finally done, she bowed, apologising for her unseemly display. ¡°I am ashamed you saw me lose my composure, grandfather. But it has been... a rough few months. I was always terrified, not knowing what to do. I asked Akio here to remove my curse, no matter the risk. But instead he persuaded me to stand strong. Well, him and his sister, anyway.¡± She smiled, her face still damp. ¡°I¡¯m frightened, I admit it. I don¡¯t think I am cut out for battle, for saving the world. But... I¡¯ll do what I can. So long as Akio keeps his promise to protect and support me. I¡¯ll dance for him, bringing the Dawn. After all, I did pledge to him.¡±


    ¡°Akio, I see, I see.¡± Fujiwara-san pursed his lips, before fixing me with a steely glare. ¡°Removing this curse? Can it be removed?¡± He asked, cutting to the heart of matters I wished to avoid.


    Yes, I think it possible. Not easy, but possible. I can¡¯t believe I was going to try it first on Miyu, the huge increase in stats I received recently must have short-circuited my brain. But there is... one way... to test it. I didn¡¯t want to do it. It was arguably an act of evil, despite everything. But was it more evil to do nothing, and potentially risk some future tragedy I could avoid with knowledge and experience? I wasn¡¯t sure. I can be as intelligent as my stats can make me, but issues of morality are far from black and white. ¡°I think Suzuki-san should confront Kondou Kazuo again, before his execution. It might give her some closure, seeing his end. I¡¯ll bring Shaeula too, so there¡¯ll be no issues.¡± I said cryptically, and his eyes widened as he took my meaning.


    ¡°I see. Yes. Since he co-operated, he is merely waiting for his execution. Perhaps that would be a good thing. After all, he should do some good in death to make up for his sins in life.¡±


    ¡°Right. So anyway. Miyu here has very good skills. I¡¯ll make sure she is trained to maximise them, as well as making sure she is safe. In exchange, I¡¯ll be using her as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°I see. And you are fine with this, granddaughter?¡± he asked.


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, but I¡¯ll do my best, that I can be a granddaughter you are proud of, that supports the nobility, that upholds Fujiwara house. Though I am afraid I cannot bear an heir right now, or get married, for... for the goddess Ame-no-Uzume has chosen me for greater things.¡± She smiled. ¡°I must dance, right?¡± she smiled at me brilliantly.


    ¡°Yeah, as much as you want, hell, probably more than you want, I¡¯ll have you working that body until you can¡¯t even stand up!¡± I smiled. ¡°And speaking of... you need to establish your Territory. I was thinking, perhaps if you moved in with your Grandfather? This area is home to many of the most prestigious noble estates. It strikes me as an ideal spot...¡±


    ********


    ¡°No problems at all. Not that scary, see?¡± I said, as the remaining giant centipedes evaporated into ether. I had shown off a bit when we entered the Boundary, emerging into the mirrored form of the Fujiwara estate, which was infested with spiders, centipedes, rats and bats. Bursts of water, wind and my trusty spear had dealt with them all easily enough though. I¡¯d have to be asleep to let small-fry like these bother me now. ¡°Seriously though, this place is nice. I suppose because it is so old, it easily reflects the Material. The ether density here is pretty good too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still frightened though!¡± she muttered, clinging to my back, looking around warily. ¡°I knew I couldn¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°You can get used to anything in time. Seriously, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here, even if a dragon attacks I¡¯ll fend it off. I wouldn¡¯t let my precious vassal get hurt, would I? After all, your grandfather would kill me!¡± I declared. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the garden and set up your Territory there. The position and ether density looks superior.¡±


    She nodded, and as we exited the building we were greeted by the aurora-streaked skies of the Boundary, shining down onto the wide, open garden, which was full of strange trees and bushes, mirroring the ancient trees from the Muromachi period. A small flock of bird-creatures saw us and flew our way, but wind blades effortlessly shredded them. ¡°Take a look. It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it? You can¡¯t see sights like this just anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is eerily beautiful.¡± Miyu-san nodded, looking around with widened eyes, taking it in honestly for the first time. ¡°Strange, to see the Fujiwara estate in such a light. I suspect you must have seen many strange and terrifying sights during your struggles. How did you get so strong, so brave?¡±


    ¡°Strong, yeah. That¡¯s easy. I just kept fighting and struggling, and I had a lot of luck too. I met the right allies, took some chances, and it just sort of happened. As for brave? Nah, no way. I¡¯m still a coward at heart. But what worries me more than the danger is being unable to protect those I care about. That¡¯s why I need power, and I advised you over and over not to give up your blessing. That way is filled with regret.¡±


    ¡°So, am I one that you care about?¡± She asked, surprising me.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re my precious vassal right?¡±


    ¡°I find the way you keep calling me your vassal rather suspicious.¡± She smiled delicately, still looking around the garden, clinging to my back. ¡°Does it please you so much to have authority over me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did say you¡¯d pay me anything right?¡± I shot back, amused.


    ¡°I did, but must you be so forward? Michiru likes it, because now she sees you as her master, thanks to her ninja creed. If you keep repeating that, I shall begin to think you only helped me to get your claws into me.¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t help for free, sure. Especially now I know what skills you have. ¡°Well, I suppose it must be annoying to a young lady such as yourself, being a vassal to a commoner like me. Yeah, well, I¡¯ll try to be respectful, all right?¡±


    ¡°I think you do not understand my issue, but that does not matter, I suppose. At school tomorrow I shall also carry out your wishes, and make sure that Motoko-san, Hinata and Natsumi are seen to have my favour. It might stimulate Honoka, but seeing as I have moved in with grandfather as well, now, I suppose that was inevitable. I do not do well with other daughters of nobility, but I will try my best.¡±


    ¡°Michiru-san will help as well.¡± I patted her head to thank her, and she squirmed, looking down. ¡°So anyway, you know how to set up your Territory, right? Here seems good.¡±


    She looked up at me. ¡°Well, Ame-no-Uzume wished me to plant the Sakaki tree and dance, protecting the area from harm. But she said I would not be able to do so without destroying the vile creatures that dwelt here, gathering their essence to form the tree.¡±


    ¡°Trees huh. Seems we share a bit of similarity.¡± Now that my Territory is Rank 3, the silver Anchor is definitely looking more tree-like, and I did get the Mystic Eye of the Tree of Knowledge skill too. I guess it makes sense, a lot of myths have sacred trees, as do the Fae, with their Rhyming trees... ¡°Anyway, just let me finish off all the enemies around here so you can claim this place.¡± Water element surged, and a cascade of piercing water droplets showered down around the entire garden, easily crushing all of the weak foes that made this domain their home. ¡°Draw in the remaining ether. You¡¯ll need it.¡±


    Miyu-san nodded, eyes wide at the instant devastation. ¡°So, is that the skill your kami granted you? Is Okami-no-kami of the rain your patron deity? It seems more useful than dancing.¡±


    ¡°No way. All I got was a lecture, a little tutorial, which don¡¯t get me wrong, was helpful, as the aftercare a lot of the gods seem to give out to people like you is pretty shit, and apparently a seed from the fruit of a World Tree. Information cheats basically. My kami isn¡¯t even Japanese.¡± I grinned, remembering my first day in the Boundary. As I recited my tale I pulled out some red and orange Etherites I kept for emergencies, handing them to the surprised Miyu-san. ¡°No, first day, I had to beat down zombies and monstrous insects with whatever weapons I could scrounge up, heavy branches and old railings. It took me a while to learn how to use my first element, and that was only because my fiance?e taught me. She¡¯s a Fae, you know. Well, a Yokai too. Did you know I¡¯m marrying a Kamaitachi? You heard us talking about her. Shaeula. You¡¯ll like her. She¡¯ll also be visiting sometimes as part of your protection detail.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± she muttered, shocked.


    ¡°Not just possible, inevitable. It won¡¯t just be humans that are a threat, otherwise why would the gods need us? No, Yokai, monsters, demons... who knows what terrors we¡¯ll face. Which is why I¡¯m proud of you, for finally realising your responsibilities. Although you were a pain about it.¡± I ruffled her hair again, and she smacked away my hand.


    ¡°Do stop that. Please! You should not touch a young lady carelessly. Michiru would rage. Or perhaps you are hoping I will get used to your touch so you can manhandle me as you please? Well, I suppose I did...¡± she looked down.


    ¡°No way. Sorry, force of habit. I¡¯ve looked after my sister and Eri, another one of my girls, for so long it¡¯s just something I do without thinking. I¡¯ll be careful. Anyway, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I am. I have made my resolve!¡± She swallowed, eyes wide with nerves. ¡°So, what must I do with these?¡±


    ¡°Concentrate on absorbing them. That should give you enough to plant your tree.¡±


    She nodded, and after a few moments the red Etherites shattered, silvery ether pulled into her. Then the orange ones broke, and she pulled in over a thousand ether in one go. My Eye glittered under the dark sky, and I could see a rainbow aura around her body. Concentrating, my Eye at Rank 2 significantly keener than before, and also incomparable to when I relied on Examination skills, I watched her closely, as the ether circulated to her throat and forehead, where it was absorbed by the strange leaves that were merged with her. If nothing else, seeing this is definitely beneficial to my own understanding of how all this works. I glanced down at my own right wrist, where the bangle of silver seeds Ortlinde had bestowed on me dwelt, and though I could barely see it, if I concentrated until my Eye burned and my head ached, I could observe a thin strand winking in and out of existence, connecting me to my far-off Territory. A bit like the silver cord, but translucent, less tangible. I hope less vulnerable, too.


    She began to dance, a similar one to the one I saw in her condo, yet somehow more majestic. Golden light seemed to be radiating from her, and as it illuminated the rooftop, ether began to shape a tiny bud, brilliant lights glowing prismatically around it. So, this is the Returning Dawn, huh? I definitely feel aether surging within me, and it sems to be interacting with the Anchor. The Anchor is attracting aether too, though mostly it is the ¡®red¡¯ type I have started to notice since I gained my Spiritually Pure Body.


    I watched her dance for a while, her body graceful, silvery droplets of sweat flying from her. The strengthening of aether within me was slowly increasing, by the merest trickle, but even so, her skills had great potential. The Anchor sprouted, growing, using the excessive ether the Etherites had provided, and soon the Territory formed, and I was able to check the status of it. Miyu sagged down, exhausted, yet with a brilliant smile on her face.


    ¡°That dance... I felt divinity touching me. A curse? Perhaps. But... a blessing too.¡± Her pink face looked at me. ¡°So, how was it? Did this vassal please you?¡± Her smile was mischievous.


    ¡°You sure did, but...¡± I tossed her another Etherite, this time a shining blue one, my precious cargo. Turns out we found another couple of blue ones in the forest around the Spring when we were doing our final round of looting. So if I save one for Suzuki-san, I can still spare this one.


    She caught it, and I grinned. ¡°I did say I would work your body to the bone. Just consider me a ruthless dance instructor. Crush that, suck in the aether and get dancing. The aim is to grow your Anchor to Rank 2. If it¡¯s like mine, at ten thousand, with forty thousand rush-build costs, we can get a Rank 2 up and running and still have spare change. Besides a hundred thousand is small change to me now...


    As a nimbus of shining ether scattered, Miyu began to dance again, and I observed her and the Anchor with my golden Eye, learning many interesting things...


    ********


    Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 11 to level 12. Nice, I forgot vassals can give me levels in Conqueror. Only one though? A shame.


    ¡°Please let me rest.¡± She slumped down, exhausted, chest heaving. ¡°I have danced until my feet are raw and my body is aching.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, you did good.¡± I gestured to the small forest that occupied her new Territory. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you are starting so far behind the curve compared to others such as me, but I¡¯ll twink the hell out of you and Suzuki-san. Long-term that works for all of us.¡±


    At each corner of the expansive garden lurked a strange tree, a single crystal fruit hanging from the branches. Her buildings are rather pretty. Trees and glass fruits. They were Defensive Emplacements, and since she had a defensive barrier and was concentrating on keeping her Territory compact for now, that should be safe enough. I hope, anyway. Thinking about how I would remove Candidacy from someone has given me quite the set of worries. I need to see Kondou Kazuo, confirm some things...


    In addition there were six long, slender white trees topped with bunches of glittering diamond berries, Ether Spires to draw in ether, two of which were wreathed in glowing light, as they began to upgrade. There was also a single small bush with glass leaves, that was somehow her Silo.


    ¡°All you need to do now is when these two are done, upgrade your Silo and another Ether Spire, then work on the other three Spires. Then go for upgrading the Defensive Emplacements. Damn, I need a Rank 4 Territory before I can reach this place. That¡¯s not happening any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I am too afraid to be reckless. Though I have to admit... watching you defeat such creatures was very impressive and reassuring. I am glad I do not have to do this alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Michiru-san might not be much help to start with, but at least she can keep you company. And I¡¯ll have someone on rotation to assist you, at least for now, until you find your feet. I may well also call you over to my Territory to dance for me.¡± I grinned wickedly, imagining the potential time savings. Every little helps, after all!


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± she said stoutly, but I could see her feet were aching.

 Two Hundred And Thirty

    Two Hundred And Thirty


    The streetlights of Tokyo shone in through the window of the expensive car we were being chauffeured in, illuminating the tired face of Hinata, who was leaning against me, an expression of contentment on her face.


    ¡°Quite the day, huh?¡± I said with a smile, and she returned it.


    ¡°Yes, definitely not what I had expected. To think Miyu was like you. And so stubborn as well. Still, you finally got through to her in the end. I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was mostly you and Aiko, really. That sister of mine, doing something so dumb as burning her hand. I¡¯m extremely angry with her!¡± She¡¯s definitely going to get a piece of my mind when I see her. Once I¡¯ve healed her, of course...


    ¡°She is very proactive. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand though. It must be frustrating for her. It is for me. All I can do is spend money, and that isn¡¯t even really mine, it¡¯s grandfathers. That reminds me...¡± she looked up at me, expression serious. ¡°Do you think you could have removed the ability from Miyu?¡±


    ¡°A good question. I think... probably. I have my suspicions about the Conqueror class that I need to test, and if not, perhaps via Chirurgery. Yeah, that might also work, but it¡¯s definitely less likely. I¡¯ve never done it before, after all.¡± Thinking about it makes me worried. Conqueror seems a class at odds with saving the world, in a way, though it¡¯s definitely geared towards becoming stronger...


    ¡°I see. And what would you have done with it, if you successfully extracted it? I for one would be happy to take it. I¡¯d put it to proper use.¡± She assured me, and I found that cute, so I patted her head gently, and she squirmed like a cat under my touch.


    ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that simple. Assuming that I could even succeed and that the ability remained free, I expect aptitude plays a big part in it. How good are you at dancing?¡± I smiled then, trying to shake my gloomy thoughts.


    ¡°Not very. I guess I make a poor noblewoman.¡± She sighed. ¡°I see. Yes, that makes sense. It is a good thing as well, otherwise if people found a way to transfer such powers, the world would fall into anarchy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll still happen. Though I suspect it¡¯ll be more a case of Candidates hunting each other down rather than normal people trying to gain powers, though there still could be an element of that. It¡¯s easier to do what we are doing though, and train from scratch. Look at my sister and Eri, they¡¯ve done all right.¡±


    Hinata agreed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite jealous. Not of the fighting, or your sisters¡¯ recklessness.¡± She clenched her hand reflexively, perhaps imagining the feel of fire, and shuddered. ¡°But I¡¯d like to do more. Besides, the more I understand about this other world and how it affects and is affected by this one, the more I can do for you. Motoko and Natsumi will obviously wish to fight, but me... well, I¡¯d do it to gain these levels, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Miyu is the same. I don¡¯t think she has the temperament for battle. Though who can say how things will change when she gets used to it? But her gifts are simply too good to waste. Gaining her as a vassal was huge.¡±


    ¡°Are they really that impressive?¡± Hinata asked, still happy under my stroking, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the only thing you can never buy with money?¡± I asked, and Hinata answered immediately.


    ¡°More time.¡±


    ¡°Good girl. Well, in the Boundary, that¡¯s not exactly true. You can buy time, in a way, but the cost gets ever more ludicrous. But Miyu¡¯s dance... it¡¯s still weak and the benefit is small, but she can speed up the formation of a Territory and the buildings within with her Dance of the Returning Dawn. If she trains hard and dances... well, the more time we can save, the stronger we¡¯ll be overall.¡±


    ¡°I see. And if someone does try to take your power, if you are too strong, then it doesn¡¯t matter as they¡¯ll simply fail.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit worried, so I need to confirm my suspicions, even if doing so... isn¡¯t exactly a good act. I gave Miyu enough resources that her Territory should be safe for now, but until she grows stronger, I¡¯ll have to protect her. Well, she is my vassal now, so that goes without saying.¡± Three vassals. So counting myself, that¡¯s four Chosen from Japan working together. I¡¯d like to increase the number, but the easiest way of doing that is winning the support from the Shrines and Temples at their conclave, whenever they get around to it.


    ¡°So, are you going to marry Miyu?¡± Hinata asked impishly, and I shook my head, not even surprised by the question.


    ¡°No way. Firstly, I¡¯m happy enough with who I have now.¡± Hinata made a pleased noise at that, so I continued. ¡°Secondly, I agreed to help her find love with who she wanted, and I may not be the sharpest when it comes to love, but the relationship between her and Michiru-san... it seemed to me there was something there, right? Lastly, I doubt Fujiwara-san would consent. He accepted the situation with Miyu being my vassal, but he didn¡¯t exactly have much choice. I bet I pissed him off by my handling of it.¡± Though less than if my experimenting hurt or killed her, of course.


    ¡°Well, yes. It isn¡¯t unusual. Motoko and Natsumi have that vibe going as well, right? We attend school with other girls, rarely see any men but our brothers and fathers, it¡¯s only natural affection develops, and as long as it is discreet, well, it isn¡¯t like it can disgrace a family like getting pregnant, is it?¡± Hinata shrugged. ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t mean that they have no interest in men. Motoko and Natsumi are quite taken with you too.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± I teased, and she flushed, hitting me in the arm gently.


    ¡°Me and Kazumi? No way, she¡¯s my friend, but I¡¯m into.... No, I guess I¡¯m not into men. I¡¯m into you!¡±


    I answered with a long kiss, more comfortable with physical affection ever since our bath. As we separated, breathless, she continued. ¡°So, not interested in Miyu huh? Well, so long as she pays her compensation for your kindness I don¡¯t care. Use her as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°I sure will. I¡¯ll have her dancing until she drops.¡±


    ¡°Great. So, did you want to come over to my home?¡± Hinata asked. ¡°Grandfather would be happy to see you, and I¡¯d like to spend some more time with you.¡±


    ¡°Tempting, but I want to get the preparations done for bringing my new Heroes back to the Material.¡± I grinned, imagining the reactions to some of them. ¡°But I definitely intend to visit another time. I probably need to visit Motoko¡¯s parents, Natsumi¡¯s too.¡± I still don¡¯t know how Natsumi¡¯s parents took her request. Motoko messaged me to say that both engagements have been approved by the nobility, but Natsumi is from the Three-Hundred, so they might have just bowed to pressure. Another worry, but a minor one for now, I guess...


    ¡°A shame. Oh well, perhaps another kiss for compensation then?¡± she laughed, and our faces moved closer together, our breaths hot...


    ********


    Opening the door to my room, I wrinkled my nose, the smell unpleasant. ¡°Yeah, need to clean up first. Oh well, luckily I am prepared.¡± When Hinata¡¯s driver dropped me off, I visited a store that was still open, buying a number of large glass bottles, as well as buckets and cleaning products. Might as well get to it, this mess won¡¯t clean itself..


    ¡°Grul understands.¡± He said, sounding... surprisingly patient. When I checked, I noticed he had capped his levels at fifteen, and his mental stats were now actually high, probably outclassing the average person! Still, it wasn¡¯t like that would suddenly pump him full of knowledge, but even so, I could tell the difference. ¡°Grul is curious about the world the princess talks about, anyway. Grul also trusts you.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I said, pleased. ¡°As for you, Shirohebi, I want you to meet those of your Shrine, as well as our other religious allies. It¡¯ll prove my words true, and should push them further towards supporting me at their conclave.¡±


    ¡°It ssshall be done.¡± it promised. ¡°It hasss been too long sssince I walked the mortal world. I am curiousss to sssee how it hasss changed.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be surprised.¡± I smiled. ¡°As will the Izumi¡¯s. I know Kana has been here already, but hearing from her won¡¯t match seeing you in person.¡±


    I outlined the itinerary. They would all be photographed so that Fujiwara-san could get them documents and a valid Japanese identity, to prevent trouble and allow foreign travel if necessary. Being able to bring them to the Material meant I could also take them back to the Boundary far distant, opening up options of farming areas of significant value for experience and resources. Damn, I have almost too many options now.


    ¡°Master, we have returned!¡± Hyacinth called out, skipping towards us, followed by Shaeula, who looked tired but happy, surprisingly enough in her Kamaitachi form, Velna, and... Shaeraggo and Selensha. On seeing me looking, Shaeraggo snorted sourly, but said nothing, merely nodding at me in greeting.


    ¡°I have missed yooou! But Hyacinth has dooone well, right?¡± She giggled, rushing up to me. I checked her level, and she was at thirteen, which apparently she had achieved rather quickly, according to Azuki, who was ascending the steps of the tree, staying out of Hyacinth¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°Yes, you have.¡± I pulled her into a hug. She stiffened monetarily before returning it, smiling, before her usual perversion returned and she started sniffing me, her hands groping. I allowed it for a moment, before patting her head and disengaging. ¡°Later. All right? We have guests it seems.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shaeula came for her own hug, her fur warm. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve hugged in weaselkin form. I suppose it¡¯s nice occasionally. I still was definitely not a furry, and obviously was attracted to her human form, but she was a weaselkin, so I had no problems with a little skinship like that. ¡°My brother and his wife have decided to visit. The Price-Price of Trial in that regard is meaningless now. For I have met my father and my sister again.¡± She smiled, her form returning to that of a mortal, bringing another wry snort from her brother, though Selensha was looking on fondly. ¡°It was good to see them again, though I did-did wish you were with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I daresay I can¡¯t put it off forever.¡± I said, relinquishing the hug. ¡°Shaeraggo, Selensha, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true then.¡± Selensha declared, peering at me. ¡°I feel an equally strong water element from you too, that which lingered in the Spring. Sister-in-law did say, and I didn¡¯t doubt her, but even so, I¡¯m shocked. Your presence is so much more powerful than before, and so quickly too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that reminds me.¡± I thanked her for her compliment, then spoke to Shaeula, who was holding my hand now, much to the irritation of her brother. ¡°When you get back be careful, as my body went crazy and poured out all this black impurity crap. I mean, I¡¯ve definitely benefited heavily from that, but... well, it ruined our bed, and you got a bit messy. I cleaned you up though, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°You share-share a bed?¡± Shaeraggo asked, and Selensha shook her head, embarrassed.


    ¡°Of course we do, brother. Surely you must-must accept it now. Akio and I are to be married, even father must yield on that. Of course we share a bed, and use-use it too.¡± She grinned wolfishly at his discomfort. I could hear Hyacinth muttering enviously, and hid my own grin. Soon. Soon enough.


    ¡°Listen well, Akio.¡± Shaeula began, incredibly excited, which made her look shockingly cute. ¡°Primal Forest, my father, the Prince of the Elves, they...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... so I will require Grulgor to fulfil his promise and stand with us against Duke Formor, should he oppose our settlement.¡± Shaeula finished her lengthy tale, explaining to me that she had successfully swayed significant support to our cause, from the Way-Wardens to three of the Princes of the Seelie. Her claim to the Spring was likely to be granted, though there was still work to do. What was most important was that she made up with her father and sister though. Her other brothers are still absent, on the borders, but in time... she can have everything back. ¡°I want my maids back too. I must rescue she who was loyal to me-me, and as for that traitor Risha...¡± I felt a faint tremble in the spirit lights around me. ¡°... I must have retribution.¡± At her fury, Grulgor nodded his massive head, agreeing to hold to his Oath.


    ¡°She will indeed pay-pay.¡± Shaeraggo snarled. ¡°Thanks to her the mansion I gifted you is-is ruined!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re rebuilding it.¡± I said. ¡°Besides, it was a necessary sacrifice to deal with those two idiot cats from the Night Parade. I¡¯d pay a house to take out a few strong enemies every time.¡± Again there was a trembling, this one more intense and angry.


    ¡°Yes, the Night Parade has crossed a line, aiming for my beloved sister. Father and Shaeranna are both most-most wroth.¡±


    ¡°Sister-in-law was raging, wasn¡¯t she, Ula?¡± Selensha giggled.


    ¡°Ula? Cute nickname.¡± I stroked her hair as she looked embarrassed at the memory, before turning my attention to Selensha. ¡°So, what brings you here then?¡±


    ¡°I am here to teach you and Shaeula water element, as I promised.¡± Selensha declared. ¡°My darling is here because his sister is watching the Spring right now, along with a force of Way-Wardens, so he finds it more comfortable to be away from her. She¡¯s still very angry he hid this all from her.¡±


    ¡°I still cannot believe you would be so reckless as to attack the Spring. Though results do-do speak for themselves.¡± He peered at me, eyes glowing a fierce green. ¡°If I was to battle you now, perhaps I would lose again. Shaeula, sister, you... your growth has been-been monstrous.¡±


    Yeah, while I¡¯m here I need to take a look at that.


    ¡±Impressive, no?¡± Shaeula grinned, seeing me looking at her with my Eye glowing amber to match hers. ¡°You have grown much as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I had to agree. I did notice that instead of Spiritually Pure Body, she had a skill called Enhanced Spiritual Form, which was very similar but seemed to apply more to spiritual lifeforms. Turning to her brother, I asked him a question. ¡°So, I promised that your sister would grow strong enough to silence her critics and reclaim her place in the Seelie Court. It didn¡¯t even take three moons, did it?¡±


    ¡°No, it did not.¡± He agreed sourly. ¡°I suppose I must-must thank you. My sister... she is happy now. Both of my sisters. Father too. And my brothers will be pleased as well-well. I may not like it, but I must-must accept it. Brother-in-law.¡± His face twitched as he said it, but I held in my mirth, imagining the day when I would have to say the same to Aiko¡¯s fiance?. Well, so long as he isn¡¯t trash and treats her right I¡¯ll smile and shake his hand. If he¡¯s no good though... I¡¯ll bury him...

 Side Seventy-Five – Zhao Daiyu – Incorruptible Jade Sect

    Side Seventy-Five ¨C Zhao Daiyu ¨C Incorruptible Jade Sect


    ¡°Sixteen guards, six by the main entrance, ten patrolling in pairs. Sloppy though, their course looks random at first glance, but it¡¯s actually patterned and therefore predictable.¡± Wei Feng declared, the sea breeze blowing off the mountainous cliffs causing his hair to ruffle around his handsome face. The air smelt of salt and ozone, and Daiyu was once more reminded of how she preferred her own home, deep in the mountains of Shaanxi Province. There are mountains here, yes, but the sea encroaches on them unpleasantly...


    As her attention wandered, Brother Wei frowned. ¡°Daiyu-er, are you troubled?¡± He asked, the other Cultivators they had gathered for this important task looking equally nervous, as she was the trump card in their assassination attempt here. Troubled? Me? No, I just have a portentous feeling, as if something is going to happen, be it for good or ill... Looking up at the moon overhead, she forced her features to her usual mask of beautiful, calm stillness.


    ¡°It is fine. I was just... just extending my senses. Carefully of course.¡± With her Foundation realm, she was most suitable for detecting the Qi of other Cultivators without being detected, so it was not entirely a lie. With one last glance at the moon, she extended tendrils of Qi outwards, the invisible threads spreading out like an ethereal spiderweb.


    ¡°I feel three.¡± She said at last, puzzled. ¡°That seems at odds with the information we had gathered.¡± The favoured Chosen of the Heavens that we have uncovered at great risk, he should not be so unguarded. The information that we extracted from the disciple of Chong Gui, that vile traitor, advised that there would be at least five, from the Unquenchable Sun, and the Emerald Lotus sects, the two Great Sects that had betrayed the Cultivators of China and sided with the Party.


    ¡°Surely that is to our advantage. We brought eight to ensure we could overpower their five, and we should surely be superior in skill, should we not?¡± A woman said arrogantly, her twin sister beside her echoing those sentiments, nodding her head, short brown hair framing attractive features, though the cast of her dark eyes was harsh. ¡°My sister speaks true! When fortune offers favours, only a fool declines out of cowardice.¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be so rude to Beautiful Daiyu¡¯er, Min¡¯er.¡± Brother Wei interjected, causing the two sisters to pout, irritated, and Daiyu wished she could show such annoyance herself, but as she was in charge of this delicate operation, she was allowed no such luxuries. ¡°I too am suspicious of such good fortune. When meat buns fall from Heaven, only a fool eats them without checking for poison.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps when we disposed of that treacherous member of the Unquenchable Sun they changed up their defences? But why weaken them?¡± One of the Cultivators from her own sect said, scratching at his head, puzzled. ¡°Unless they have an art or technique to mask their Qi from even our Daiyu¡¯er, and are lying in wait somewhere. But how would they even know when we planned to strike?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no traitors here.¡± The other twin sister snapped. ¡°If there has been a leak, it hasn¡¯t come from the Mountain Fang sect, look to your own!¡±


    ¡°Peace, Mei¡¯er.¡± Brother Weng interceded again, and Daiyu was finding her patience with the two sisters slipping. They are both Blade Cultivators, well known for being hot-tempered. Still, they do raise a good point.


    ¡°None of my people would betray us and leak information. My Honoured Patriarch would surely dispose of them, but not until they had suffered endless torments, as befits a traitor.¡± The breeze off the sea up the mountain roared, snatching at her words and fluttering the deep black dress she wore in lieu of her usual white gowns, the materials made from anti-ballistic fibres, a technology that was an affront to the noble art of Cultivation. Divination, Formations, Refining, Smithing, Talismans and Taming. Though I suppose one could argue that it could count as smithing, though no Qi or arts has gone into the crafting... ¡°If there is a leak, it must have come from Golden Starfall, after all, did not Tang Bai assist us in luring out and capturing that swine? Even so, what merits would it have for him or his sect? No... it is either coincidence, or...¡± she looked up at the moon again, biting her lip in a rare display of nerves. Some of the members of her sect held in their surprise, to see the fearless, intimidating Ever Beautiful Black Jade so animate. ¡°.. well, if you do not trust coincidence, as I do not, then it is either the Dao showing us the way to strike, or something else unrelated to us has happened.¡± Chang¡¯e, Goddess of the Moon, why do you watch us so? And what will you see? Our victory, or...


    ¡°So, do we turn tail and run, missing our chance?¡± Mei¡¯er demanded, and her sister Min¡¯er echoed her, the long, heavy curved Blade she carried shining dully in the moonlight. ¡°We need to cut the head of this chicken, to show the monkeys of this CCP that we have no intention of being bullied! Our sect may not be of the new Six Great Sects, but our founder was still from Kunlun!¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Daiyu said, her tone harsh. ¡°Keep calm, or you are no use to us. My honoured Patriarch has decreed this Heaven-blessed who knows too much must die. But we shall leave no evidence it was us. After all, Qi cannot stop steel, even now.¡± Not without... no, I must not think of that.


    ¡°Yes, we need to stick to the plan, but remain vigilant.¡± Brother Wei agreed. ¡°So, Daiyu¡¯er, your sect brothers and sisters will take the guards patrolling in pairs and those at the gates to the mansion. Silent and deadly. Bodies go over the cliffs into the water. We leave no traces. The four of us who have the best combat skills will infiltrate, kill any enemy Cultivators or Heaven-chosen we encounter, then make sure that the worm who sold us all to the government meets a just end.¡±


    ¡°Then the mansion shall be destroyed in fire. I want none to discern what happened here. If however, the target is not here, or it is a trap... well, you all have the pills, I believe?¡±


    ¡°That we need to resort to such methods is a great shame on us all. I would rather die drowning in the ocean, but... yes, we cannot leave proof behind that damns our sects. That bitch from the Emerald Lotus would certainly see us destroyed if she had evidence she could use.¡± Mei¡¯er cried.


    ¡°Enough then. We all know what we must do, and what is at stake. Begin!¡± Daiyu commanded, with one last glance at the moon. For good or for ill, the eyes of the enemy must be blinded. Father, pray for your daughter. Perhaps the Gods will listen...


    *********


    ¡°How did you get in... argh!¡± the soldier cried out, head bisected from his neck by a single slash from Mei¡¯er, her heavy, thick blade cutting through flesh and bone like butter. A second fell to a slash from her sister, and Brother Wei had his sword out, Qi glittering around the edge of the blade. One soldier raised the weapon they carried, an automatic rifle, a vile and crude weapon, that robbed one of the need to hone strength, to improve, to Cultivate. It was worthless in the face of smithed steel wreathed in Qi wielded by a Sword Cultivator though, and metal and plastic were severed, before the severed arms and head of the soldier hit the ground, blood spraying.


    Sword Cultivation is effective, I must concede. But I abhor the inelegance of it. The last two soldiers were backing off, one reaching for some sort of communication device, a phone or a radio. Dodging the spreading droplets of blood that were splashing as the sisters and Brother Wei did their grizzly work, Daiyu concentrated, unleashing two lethal palm strikes. The first guard staggered, Qi forced into their body detonating within his meridians, instantly rendering him unconscious and dying, while the second was struck in the throat, and with her training and newfound strength, even a slender girl like Daiyu could crush a throat and snap a neck with ease, flesh and bone giving under her fist.


    Not the first I¡¯ve killed, but it never feels good. Especially not when they are merely hired soldiers, doing their duty. Still, mercy is a luxury for the strong, and right now our position is one of weakness. ¡°None of the Cultivators have noticed us yet.¡± Daiyu frowned as she extended her sensing Qi. ¡°That seems... odd. Still, it will only be moments before they react. Your sword Qi was very... noticeable. I must congratulate you on the technique, by the way. Is it a lost art?¡± She said as they raced for the stairs, ascending rapidly. As they did so a blearily blinking face peered down over the banister at them, an older woman in a lacy nightgown, her face bare of makeup.


    ¡°Intru...¡± she began, eyes going wide in alarm, before a pair of thin throwing blades took her in the eye and throat. Her body jerked and spasmed, hand scrambling at the sharp edges, cutting her fingers to the bone, before she was beheaded by a swing of Brother Wei¡¯s sword as he crested the stairs. The headless body fell, and Daiyu caught it, the spray of blood soaking her hands.


    Disgusting. She fought the urge to wipe off the blood as she lowered the body to the ground gently. The twins were looking proud at their first strikes, rows of throwing weapons visible in belts over their dresses. Well, they did act fast. She was a Cultivator, though only Qi Refining, not even at the peak.


    Qi cannot stop steel yet. Though perhaps... she thought of the moon once more. Numerous impacts shocked her, her bare arms being sliced open by trailing bullets, her dress blocking other hits, though her speed, already surpassing those who lacked the will to Cultivate, had been boosted by her blessing from Heaven and the Dao. She did not like to use such, as power that was not her own was power she could not control, but even so... I must not fail here, else the sect will be targeted!


    ¡°Can¡¯t you fools do anything right?¡± The man shouted, pushed back by Brother Wei. He suddenly swelled, muscles bulging grotesquely, and his blows increased in power, his metal rod pushing Brother Wei back.


    ¡°Come now.¡± Sun Lisha smiled, meeting Daiyu in a flurry of blows, her own style relying on poisoned blades that were wrapped around her knuckles, as well as using her Qi to reject intrusions. ¡°We are up against some tough opponents. Blade cultivators, huh?¡± she smiled at the twins, who had cut down most of the soldiers. ¡°We should have waited outside.¡±


    ¡°Regret your folly in your next reincarnation!¡± Daiyu declared, finally landing several blows. Her cheek stung, poison already seeping in, but she forced Qi to the site to neutralise it as best she could, stimulating her natural healing. Sun Lisha staggered backwards and out into the open air, followed by her male companion, who despite his sudden massive strength, lacked skill, and one arm went flying, Brother Wei slicing through it with his sword, bone and all severed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what sect you brought these weapon Cultivators from, but we¡¯ll find out when you are captured!¡± Sun Lisha grinned, despite the pain of foreign Qi from Daiyu¡¯s blows that was seeping into her. ¡°But that means we only need you alive!¡±


    Min¡¯er staggered, blood blossoming. Then a mighty roar sounded, the bullet from the distant sniper having exceeded sound. Her sister howled out a cry of pain and fury, rushing towards her, but Min¡¯er waved her away as a second and a third bullet pierced her torso, the wounds clearly fatal, even for a tough weapon Cultivator.


    ¡°Sister!¡± Mei¡¯er howled, her blade cutting down the last of the soldiers, and she threw her small blades at the one-armed man and Sun Lisha, though they both evaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m done...¡± Min¡¯er coughed, blood streaming from her mouth, as well as soaking her legs and the clifftop beneath her. Bright flames from the blazing mansion were reflected in her dark eyes as she made a decision. ¡°No honour, you have no...¡± she fumbled a bloody hand and was swallowing something. The eyes of Sun Lisha widened as she leapt backwards. More bullets were coming in, and Daiyu felt a sickening impact on her shoulder, the fabric stopping the bullet from penetrating, but the force enough to crack her collarbone and gouge a crater in her flesh. Even so, she never took her eyes off Sun Lisha, knowing she had to die, no matter the cost.


    ¡°Farewell, sister!¡± Min¡¯er had swallowed, and all those who could feel Qi recoiled as the treasured pill, a rare, precious legacy of Kunlun erupted within her, triggering a wild cascade of Qi energies, raising her body temperature explosively, creating human combustion. Qi Flame Cascade Pills. Father gave me these to ensure we would never be taken alive, and any evidence of us would die with us. Even so... Sun Lisha knows me!


    Even in death, the flaming Min¡¯er leapt, her legs carbonising and shattering below her. She flew at the one-armed man, and even as bullets pierced her disintegrating body, she distracted him enough that Brother Wei was able to use his most secret skill, Puppet Sword. Strings of Qi held his blade at a distance, and such a feat was only possible now that he had grown stronger after his blessing, and it was still a mere shadow of the arts of old. Even so, an extra metre of reach was enough to send his blade scything through the neck of his distracted opponent, and the man died, choking on his own blood, before the weight of his head tore it free.


    ¡°Well, this didn¡¯t go to plan, did it?¡± More sniper rounds rang out as Sun Lisha hopped backwards. ¡°We¡¯ve suffered far too many losses trying to capture you alive. I am in for quite the scolding. Perhaps they¡¯ll dock my allotment of pay and spiritual resources for this.¡± She smiled. Daiyu had taken a second hit, and some of her ribs were broken, and her dress was torn. ¡°That one should have killed you though.¡± She noted. ¡°You have grown strong, miss Black Jade. A shame. Why couldn¡¯t you and your sect just be happy with what you had? Is it such a hardship, sharing your talents with the Ministry, for the good of the Country, no, the world?¡± She raised a fist and the bullets stopped, which was timely, as Brother Wei was barely able to stand, a bullet having blasted through his thigh, only his Sword Cultivator training and Qi restricting the pain and blood loss keeping him upright, and Mei¡¯er was wracked with grief, her eyes dead to all but rage and revenge.


    ¡°Are you all so selfish that you would drink from this blessing alone until you were full, denying others even a drop? Already, several of us have reached the Third Circle, as the Ministry calls it. Far better we have fewer, stronger Chosen, than let everyone serve only themselves. It leads to this. Four chosen dead, plus how many Cultivators? A waste.¡± She shook her head, and several armoured vehicles drove up, heavy machine guns pointed at Daiyu and the others. ¡°So, you might as well surrender. Your sects will be sanctioned, but if you agree to be bound by one of our Chosen who has a suitable divine mandate, then you can live and pay for your sins against the Party, China and the World!¡± She gestured to the mansion, which was now fully ablaze, the heat scorching their skins in the cool night.


    I see. Divine mandate. Yes, this power has come from the Heavens, but I do not trust it. Power I cannot dominate is power worthless to me. But right now... I will grasp at any sword, even one without a hilt, one that cuts me deep, so long as I can survive this. Chang¡¯e, give me your strength!


    ¡°Die, murderous bitch!¡± Mei¡¯er cried, rushing forwards, blade in hand, and Brother Wei threw his sword, piercing Sun Lisha in the shoulder. He then retreated, hobbling desperately on his ruined leg, calling out for Daiyu to run.


    ¡°Fine. Damn, that hurts.¡± Sun Lisha cried. ¡°They chose death. A shame...¡±


    You can run, they don¡¯t know your sect, though I do. Still, there is no retreat for... Sounding like a buzzsaw, the machine guns opened up. Mei¡¯er was down, both legs sawn clean off by the blasts, and before she could fumble for her pill, Sun Lisha was there, poisonous blows striking her arm, numbing her.


    So fast, unstoppable. And I am slowing from that poison too. Even my Qi cannot fully neutralise it. Even with her boosted kinetic vision and speed she was helpless, the numerous small calibre rounds battering her, shredding through her armoured dress. Qi and the power of Chang¡¯e held her body together, but even so, she was losing blood too fast, her Qi almost entirely depleted. If it wasn¡¯t for the blessing I would be dead already. She stumbled, knees hitting the ground next to the edge of the cliffs, the waves crashing on the jagged rocks below sounding almost soothing, as if to lull her into the next world peacefully. Her mouth tasted iron and bile, and she tried to turn her head to see if at least Brother Wei could escape, but everything hurt too much.


    ¡°Oh well. Your corpse is proof enough, I suppose.¡± Sun Lisha said, having yanked out the sword, looking pale from her own blood-loss. ¡°Or you can have one last try at killing me, I know you want to. But my fellow Cultivators are back from killing the rats from your sect.¡± she gestured to the two robed men, accompanied by more soldiers and armoured vehicles, coming across the clifftop.


    It¡¯s over then? Her hand went to her dress, where her pill remained. Going out in a blaze of flaming Qi was perhaps a better fate than this, her life draining away. Chang¡¯e was supposed to be immortal, having stolen the elixir of immortality from her first husband... well, it seems she chose poorly in me. For here is where my jade shatters. Incorruptible? Hardly. For a moment then her thoughts strayed to Jang Huifen, the poor businesswoman who had no clue of the world she was thrust into. She had proved surprisingly good company, and mercifully she would not be implicated by this disaster. If she continues to support the Ministry, our defeat will not touch her. With a bright, bloody smile, she coughed, messily scattering a rain of red.


    ¡°Well, down on your knees. How the haughty have fallen. My sister should take note. Qi cannot stop steel, right?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Daiyu spat an epithet, most unlike her. ¡°I stopped plenty of it.¡± Her hand moved towards her pill, and Sun Lisha paused, unwilling to be burned along with her. She raised a hand to signal another barrage, but Daiyu merely leaned backwards, her body tumbling off the cliffs towards the inly blue water below. Jagged rocks passed by her fading vision, and then there was an impact, and she was sinking, the night skies above fading away, only the shining moon left in her eyes...

 Side Seventy-Six – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side Seventy-Six ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°They are coming out the damn water!¡± David said, wielding the heavy spiked mace he had received as a reward from the treasury under the Tower of London. At the time he had complained that such an old, ugly mace was ¡°ill-befitting of a war god such as him¡± but once they were in the mirrored version of London, the crude-looking mace had become a shining silver ball of death, and he wielded it to shatter the flesh and bones of the hideous creatures that were crawling out of the Thames and onto the shore. Overhead loomed numerous skyscrapers, many of them even larger than they were in the real world, the Shard being particularly distorted, now a polished sword of obsidian and diamond jutting far into the skies.


    ¡°Just fucking die, fishy shitheads!¡± David slammed the mace down on the head of another of the aquatic beasts, before spinning gracefully and smashing the ribs of another. Bolts of water came flying out of the water at them, but Aditi returned fire, her bow sending arrows of brilliant light piercing through their bodies, spilling stinking blue and green blood into the polluted river.


    ¡°A big one is coming.¡± Sir Arthur declared, watching the battle from beside her, using his age and experience to keep everyone calm and the formation effective. ¡°The water is bulging up.¡± Orange energies were radiating everywhere, and a long, serpentine neck broke free of the mirror Thames, the head very similar to that of a dinosaur, yellow eyes glaring at them balefully.


    ¡°They¡¯ve brought a damn Nessie down tae here, I¡¯ll be bloody damned!¡± Sarah declared with her thick Scottish brogue, eyes going wide in surprise.


    ¡°Shield up, idiot, I don¡¯t like the looks of this. I can¡¯t take them all by myself!¡± David roared, continuing to wade into the seemingly endless tide of creatures that were boiling out of the Thames, squirming onto the banks with their foul webbed feet, clutching spears, tridents and nets, their beady, dark eyes glittering with anticipation as they waited for their foes to tire. ¡°And get off your arse, Donovan, Princess, old man. I may be a God of War, King of the Octagon, but there¡¯s only fucking one of me! And Mary-Jane, are you done yet? I¡¯m getting pushed back!¡±


    ¡±Sorry Mr Reckless, everyone.¡± She apologised, the middle-aged woman wiping sweat from her brows as she held up her long wooden staff, energies gathering around her as a slender column of white marble was rising, the dark skies streaked with auroras above sending down shimmering prismatic motes of silvery light, which were being sucked in. ¡°It will not be long, I hope. Until then, I ask you all to do your best!¡±


    Yes, she does sound like a schoolteacher. Eleanor thought idly. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time. Come on Donovan, no need to worry. We have done this before, right?¡± Yes, if we hadn¡¯t seen the establishment of multiple domains scattered around Central London already, the sight would be quite breath-taking and magical. Her hands tightened on the hilt of her sword as she raced to aid David Reckless, her blade cleaving. Each time she cut flesh, she felt sick, bile rising, but she forced it down, just as she ignored the blue-green blood splattering her green armour. A spear pierced her wrist, a lucky blow stabbing through the joints. Pain flared, but she slashed out and the creature fell back, dying, face cut to the bone, skull cracked. The spear tore free, and Eleanor shook her wrist, pain diminishing as the wound closed, her gift from the Green Man giving her ferociously quick regeneration. I still can¡¯t get used to the pain though. Every time it hurts, and it never gets any better...


    ¡°Well, these old bones are getting quite the workout.¡± Sir Arthur was beside her, sword slicing in a figure of eight pattern, fishmen dying around them. Donovan was there too, his long spear giving him significant reach, as he thrust and stabbed at the seemingly endless horde.


    ¡°Incoming, you dumb fuckers!¡± David roared as the ¡®Nessie¡¯ belched out a stream of concentrated water, shining a brilliant orange, heedless of the fishmen in its path, which exploded into clouds of the shining silver energy that they needed to collect as they died to the friendly fire. David leapt backwards, but it looked like he would be caught in the blast, until Sarah stepped in, a massive bronze shield held in front of her, a tower shield in the old Roman fashion, the face polished to a mirror sheen. The compact jet of water struck, and the cascade scattered backwards, droplets of water slicing through the packed mob of enemies. David was hit by several, one slicing his forehead, and silvery-red blood started running down his face.


    ¡°Shit, I be getting pushed back here! There¡¯ll be trouble if I cannae hold the line!¡± Sarah cried out, her feet sliding backwards as the endless wave of water continued unabated. It was then the beam shot upwards, the beast rearing back, one eye exploding as a bolt of light from Aditi took it in the head. The beast roared, the fishmen too, and then the reptilian monstrosity dropped into the water, disappearing from view.


    Panicking, the fishmen started to break, their forces fleeing back to the sanctuary of the Thames, and David grinned, slaughtering as many of the retreating foes as he could. Eleanor joined him, Sir Arthur and Donovan at her side, and they hacked, slashed and stabbed until their muscles ached, breath came fast and hard, and the shore was empty, the remaining fishmen trying to escape the arrows Aditi was unleashing.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Fucking run, fishheads!¡± David waved his mace at the fleeing enemies, before he wiped the blood from his face, frowning. He glared at the exhausted Sarah, expression unpleasant. ¡°What the fuck was that? Knock it away from me next time, if I get scarred, it¡¯ll be a national day of mourning!¡±


    ¡°If ye say so. I cannae see it myself.¡± Sarah scoffed, lowering her heavy shield to the ground with an audible thud. ¡°It be Donovan who is popular with t¡¯ladies now, ain¡¯t he?¡± she chuckled, causing the shy young man to flush.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly true.¡± Sir Arthur agreed, joining in the teasing, and Eleanor held in a smile herself. Trust sir Arthur to lighten the mood. I feel much happier with him at my side. With all of them, really. Grandmother was right. Not being alone is wonderful.


    ¡°Donovan does attract a lot of attention during the parties at the palace. So, which will you be dating? That heiress from the Marches, or the daughter of that Tech Company? Or both?¡± Sir Arthur grinned at his obvious embarrassment.


    ¡°Well, er...¡± Donovan stuttered, turning bright red. ¡°I do think Nicola is very pretty, but Marie is fun to talk to... but then, Suzanne is also very...¡±


    ¡°A third, huh? Damn, he¡¯s making us look bad, David.¡± Sir Arthur clapped Donovan on the back, nearly knocking him from his feet.


    ¡°Oh shut the hell up.¡± David was resting on the polished wooden shaft of his mace, eyeing Mary-Jane and her shining pillar. ¡°I can get any woman I want, but I have high standards.¡± His gaze flickered over to Eleanor for a moment, and she nearly missed it. Really? Me? No, I don¡¯t think so... he¡¯s a bit too angry for my taste, even if I do like the pretty-boy look coupled with muscles. Ugh... why am I wasting my time with this? Aditi was chuckling gently as her last few arrows pierced the water, dropping a few fleeing fishmen, and Sir Arthur was chortling hugely. I hope I¡¯m not blushing...


    It did amuse her to see David was looking a little embarrassed too, as if he had been caught out doing something he shouldn¡¯t. Still, there is no point making an issue of it. At least the tension has decreased.


    Her lips quirked into a smile. ¡°Mary-Jane, are you done?¡±


    As David and Sarah continued to bicker belligerently, Eleanor shook her head, walking away. If I was more crude, perhaps I¡¯d tell them to get a room. Placing her now-empty glass on the tray of a passing server, she surveyed the guests at the party. She recognised a number of them, other nobility, her extended family, as well as leaders of politics and business. Sadly I have to put myself out there. Grandmother is relying on me to be the foundation of this venture, and we¡¯ll need the support of politicians of both parties. Though getting Labour and the Conservatives to agree on anything was impossible. If one said the sky was blue, the other would declare it was surely red. We¡¯ll need money too, and technology. I¡¯m not cut out for this... but it is easier than battle.


    Eleanor greeted the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and after that she was introduced to several important figures in business. One of them was a tall, well-built man, with close-cropped brown hair and a suit that was clearly from the top end of Saville Row, the buttons seemingly made from antique ivory, which might just have been barely legal, if tasteless. He was accompanied by a woman, perhaps her age or maybe a touch younger, who had simply stunning blonde hair, which reached her knees, the longest hair Eleanor had ever seen. That must really take some drying after a shower...


    She also had the most intense deep-green eyes, as well as extremely attractive features. But what was stranger was she was wearing some sort of religious vestment, similar to priestly cassocks, but with a more gown-like skirt flowing down to match her hair. On seeing her gaze, the woman merely smiled at her charmingly, while the man spoke, holding out a hand. I don¡¯t recognise her, but she must be Church of England, right? Perhaps a bishop, though I haven¡¯t heard of any new female appointments recently...


    Eleanor took it, giving it a gentle shake, before offering the same to the woman, whose grip was surprisingly firm.


    ¡°I am Maxwell Power, it¡¯s an honour to be here tonight, princess.¡± The man said, and Eleanor stifled a giggle.


    ¡°Max Power? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I get that a lot.¡± He grinned, not offended. ¡°But it truly is my name. Perhaps my parents had a sense of humour. Anyway, I am here with this beautiful lady here, who...¡±


    ¡°I can introduce myself, Max, you flatterer.¡± The lady gave a gorgeous smile. ¡°I can speak for myself too, and let me say, alas I am pledged to God, not man, so I¡¯m afraid no matter how shamelessly you flatter me, I¡¯ll never spread my legs for you.¡±


    Eleanor choked at that frank comment, but Max Power seemed not to care, merely smiling silently under her chiding. ¡°Anyway, it is a pleasure to meet you, princess. I have heard much about you up until now. Isn¡¯t the world a strange place? Anyway, I am Mary Stuart. A pleasure, this was surely ordained by God, this meeting. Are you a woman of faith, princess?¡±


    Faith? Well, it¡¯s hard not to have faith considering what I¡¯ve experienced, but I doubt that is what she means. ¡°Well, like most of my family, I¡¯m Church of England. I must admit to not attending Mass as much as I probably should, but... well, God is forgiving, no?¡±


    ¡°Church of England? A shame.¡± Mary shook her head, beautiful golden-blonde hair swaying around her like a long cloak. ¡°Still, God is indeed forgiving, of everything but worshipping false idols. At least Protestantism has its heart in the right place, even if it has a filthy, heretic mind.¡± She was idly playing with a unique-looking golden ring on her finger, which looked very unlike something a woman of the cloth would wear.


    ¡°Come now, my pretty.¡± Max Power interceded, seeing the strained look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t berate the princess so. You know the Royal Family has to be C of E, it¡¯s pretty much an unwritten rule, no?¡± As Mary gave a snort at odds with her appearance, Max continued. ¡°Well, princess. I did want to spend more time talking to you, but alas, I need to discuss business with some other boring old men, but you can count on the support of my charitable foundation.¡± He handed her a business card, which she glanced at. It was black, with silver lettering, saying ¡°Silver Hands Foundation¡± with various contact details. ¡°If you need personnel, land, money... well, just give me a call. The Queen herself is gearing up for a massive project, it seems, and you are to be at the heart of it. Interesting times indeed, are they not? I wonder what is going on?¡± he smiled conspiratorially. ¡°Care to give me a hint?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid not. Grandmother will announce the details in due time.¡± Eleanor demurred. So far she¡¯s merely laying the groundwork, keeping secrecy to prevent panic. Slowly more and more influential people are finding out about the legacy of the Royal Family and our hidden duty, but if the populace knew of the chaos lurking through the mirror, separated from us by nothing more than a dream... there would be chaos.


    ¡°Do be a good boy and get lost.¡± Mary waved her hand at him, and with a last chuckle, Max Power left. Mary watched him go. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not entirely a sinner, though the blasphemous name of his organisation will see him suffer on Judgment Day. God does not have a fine sense of humour, I fear.¡±


    As Eleanor paused, unsure of what to say to this strange woman, Mary shrugged. ¡°Well, enough of that.¡± She reached out a hand, caressing Eleanor¡¯s cheek, surprising her. What the hell?


    ¡°I am here to give you some advice. In the name of God, of course, for I am but his humble worshipper, speaking his words, his will. Step aside from your course. God will not forgive anyone who forsakes him, drawing on powers profane and blasphemous. I would hate to see your beautiful skin burnt black from the fires of perdition." She gave a brilliant smile, and Eleanor was still frozen, shocked at the knowing words of the woman. ¡°Of course, should you be prepared to abandon your foolish ways, the Church, the true Church, can reach out a caring, compassionate hand to you. Your companions too.¡± Her gaze went to the other members of her party, as they were spread around the room. ¡°I suggest you think about it. Do you really want to offend God?¡± Mary shrugged again. ¡°Well, I understand you might be confused, but do think about my words. After all, did not Satan tempt Jesus by offering him all he wished for when he was in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights? It may seem wise, the only way, to accept the gifts of Devils, false gods, but the price paid is always more than you can bear. Now, I must take my leave, now I have seen you all. I daresay we will meet again. If you decide you wish to know more of what is truly going on, or wish to repent, feel free to call Mr Power. He can get in touch with me. Now, I see some of your companions are coming, so I shall take my leave. Farewell for now, princess.¡±


    As Mary Stuart swept away, David and Sarah strode up to Eleanor, watching her go.


    ¡°Who the hell was she? Damn, she was fine.¡± David whistled. ¡°That hair, those eyes. Nice.¡±


    ¡°Ach, shut up, you pig.¡± Sarah chided him, and as they started arguing again, Eleanor looked down at the card, with the strange name shining silver, an email and mobile number below it. Just who was she? It seemed... it seemed she knew about everything. Is she chosen like me? But... For a long moment Eleanor remained frozen, thinking. I need to speak to grandmother about this... after all, didn¡¯t she just threaten me to my face? Or did she? I don¡¯t really know. Religious allegory isn¡¯t my strongest suit. I only go to Church at Christmas and Easter...


    Shaking her head, she shook off her sudden gloom. After all, they had achieved their goal in the mirrored London, so letting some strange priest upset her would be foolish. No, nobody dangerous would be here anyway, the guest list has been vetted by my father and grandmother. She was probably just concerned for me. Still, if she is like us, she could have been clearer. Well, in any case, if she is, I¡¯ll see her again, as grandmother will recruit her to protect other cities, other places. Now, I could use another drink...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-One

    Two Hundred And Thirty-One


    ¡°So, you are staying here for a while then, Shaeraggo?¡± I asked, and he nodded, still looking sour, but I could feel he had grudgingly accepted me, in a way he hadn¡¯t before. Well, it makes sense. His sister has returned in triumph, and their enemies are on the back foot. No brother looks forward to the day his sister falls in love, but at least I¡¯m a decent catch. I had to keep in a grin at the thoughts I had, which would have been sarcasm back in July, but now I actually mostly believed them. If I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d make the girls who love me fools, which they aren¡¯t...


    ¡°Yes, I shall-shall keep an eye on this Territory while my sister is absent. Father and sister Shaeranna have much to do, many-many negotiations with troublesome pests.¡± He glared at Grulgor, who actually looked uncomfortable, perhaps his renewed intellect allowing him to comprehend the awkward position he was in with regards to our forces, as he and his trolls were of an opposing faction. No, that¡¯s not really true. He¡¯s pledged to me now, so he¡¯s in our faction. I¡¯m not sure whether Shaeula would be considered a Royalist like her father or not? After all, she thinks she should be the Queen. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter in the end. What Shaeula wants, I¡¯ll see she gets. ¡°Though I must declare, the Territory is a far-cry from the pathetic state it was in when I first-first arrived here. I thought then you were leaving my sister in danger with your incompetence, but this is better. Though of course an Unseelie raid or the Wild Hunt would still tear through this land like it was-was nothing.¡±


    ¡°What I think my darling means to say...¡± Selensha giggled, drawing our attention. ¡°... is that you have impressed him, and he was wrong about you. I¡¯m impressed too. To think you both mastered a water so strong, as well as transformed the lands so.¡± She gazed around at the gleaming red and gold Earth Alter, the Rhyming Tree with the winding stairs around it and the first construction of the Treetop cafe? beginning, kobolds working away busily, and she nodded, impressed. ¡°Yes, it is far weaker than the Seelie Court, but... this land has been in existence for what? A year? Less?¡±


    In astral days, yeah, eight or nine months at a rough guess. Might even be less. I nodded. ¡°Somewhat less than a year. Though it was helped by the fact we managed to seize what remained of Myrcolaxriath¡¯s domain and used it to build up here. It isn¡¯t every day we get such a bounty. Though I like to think we invested it wisely for long-term gain.¡± Yeah, the way we built up nearly three hundred thousand ether so quickly, when such sums before took ages, shows we have the generation part down. Next is defences...


    ¡°Well, even so. Shaeraggo is impressed, aren¡¯t you, darling?¡±


    He grunted. ¡°I admit to being... not entirely displeased.¡± He paused then. ¡°My bow. I hope it is being used by one who cares about the art of archery? Your sister, I believe you-you said?¡±


    Damn, remembering sis makes me a little mad right now. She¡¯s really going to get a lecture... ¡°Yeah, she likes it.¡± I saw no reason to lie. ¡°She¡¯s also mastered the fire element herself, which is quite the feat.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It seems talent runs in your bloodline.¡± Selensha praised, and I wondered why she was being so complimentary, looking at us with starry eyes, until Shaeula grinned fiendishly.


    ¡°Do not-not worry. The water of the spring and the power it carries will be yours when the Spring replenishes itself. I have promised, and I do not-not go back on my word without good cause. Though that may take years until there is-is enough. Far faster perhaps to...¡± Shaeula looked at me then, her amber eyes telling me to trust her, so I silently nodded, letting her scheme away. ¡°... find a source of significant water energy we can hold within the Territory. Akio and I can-can convert water element into the stronger, more potent spirit water, though it takes far-far more than I can muster. But if-if we had such a source of water element, then your gift comes all-all the sooner.¡±


    ¡°Dearest husband, can we perhaps...¡± Selensha began then, making her own pleading eyes at Shaeraggo, and he conceded with a sigh. It¡¯s amusing seeing he is a henpecked husband too. Makes me feel a little better.


    ¡°Well-well, we always intended to remain here for a while.¡± His gaze strayed to us. ¡°Sister, Brother-in-law, do you perhaps know of such a source that can be captured?¡±


    No, but we have guesses. ¡°Well, to the south of us is a large bay. Where better to find water elemental energy than the sea? If you could cut a path to there, bringing the land into my control, I¡¯d appreciate it. Shaeula too, right?¡±


    ¡°It would indeed be a fine-fine present would appreciate greatly, and remain thankful for.¡± Shaeula agreed, knowing how to provoke her brother and his siscon instincts. ¡°And it is one that can not-not be destroyed either.¡±


    Not entirely true, as we could always lose the Territory, but if there is water element there, we¡¯d need to move a couple of the Ether Spires there and set up a fifth defensive front. We can afford it though. Making Spirit Water seems a good plan. Eri, my sis, the trainees... I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll take to make such a lot of water, but if they are going to learn, why not learn the best? No, I should prioritise my sis, Eri and the other girls first, rather than my allies. Unless they support me fully at their conclave of course. Another bargaining chip. Neat...


    ¡°Very well. We shall handle it. Ulfuric should be more than capable of holding the Territory, and commanding the other forces.¡± Shaeraggo agreed, and I thanked him, to which he growled that he ¡°did not need my thanks, and was only doing it for his sister.¡± Yeah, male tsundere are so not cool, especially ones that have animal ears...


    ¡°Excellent. I shall not-not be absent long, for I have much to discuss regarding my stewardship of the Spring. Oh, brother, they may-may be sending an elf over to be our liaison. If she arrives, treat her with all due-due respect. It would not-not do to alienate her.¡±


    ¡°I see. That.¡± He eyed me sourly, and I was a bit lost.


    ¡°Do not-not worry about it. I shall explain later. For now, I wish to relax in the mortal world for a while, play some games, drink some strong-strong alcohol, and enjoy myself. I shall aid you in performing more-more Chirurgery before returning, and I can-can show Hinata and the others around tonight?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I have a busy day ahead, so you might as well take it easy.¡± With that we finalised our plans, and gathered the group to return to the Material...


    ********


    ¡°Well, this is... unpleasant¡± Shaeula muttered. Shortly after opening her eyes, she discovered she was naked and resummoned her yukata after teasing me about mopping her naked body. Moments later though, she started ejecting her own impurities. Unlike with me, where the massive flow forced me to fall unconscious from the strain, Shaeula was merely dripping it out, as perhaps with her body being so new, it had not the long exposure to contaminants that accumulated through everyday living.


    ¡°It sure is.¡± I commiserated. ¡°At least you only have a...¡± before I could finish my sentence, the door to my room slammed open, and someone came bounding in, tremendously excited, exuding levels of energy and enthusiasm that would put a hyperactive child to shame. What the hell is she wearing?


    ¡°Master, mistress, this is yooour other home?¡± Her nose wrinkled in disgust as the smell of the impurities hit her. ¡°Nooo this will not dooo, not at all. Such mess!¡± She began to bend down as she pulled out a cleaning cloth from her skimpy outfit, but I stopped her in a panic.


    ¡°Hyacinth, don¡¯t bend down or you¡¯ll have a wardrobe malfunction!¡± I declared, and she paused halfway, cocking her head in confusion. ¡°Seriously, what the hell are you wearing?¡± I asked. ¡°That maid outfit isn¡¯t functional like your usual one. It¡¯s a maid cafe? outfit, and a particularly scandalous one at that!¡± Yeah, it¡¯s a frilly French maid outfit, but the skirt is a mini, showing off her slender, long legs, and the front is so low cut that she¡¯s bulging out just standing there. There¡¯s no way she can go out wearing that...


    ¡°I dooo not understand? Is this not what you wanted, master?¡± she said slowly, and I paused, frowning, Shaeula chuckling beside me, though it was interrupted by coughing gasps as more impurities were pushed out of her pores. Well, I admit I¡¯m attracted to Hyacinth, she¡¯s very pretty with a large chest. And her personality, it makes me want to shower her with affection, showing her life isn¡¯t all bad... but do I want her dressed like that? I know I used to frequent maid cafe?s with Hayato-san and the gang all the time back at Uni, but even so... ¡°Fine, I think we have scarves or shawls in Shaeula¡¯s room. You can cover that chest up before we go out. But before that, no cleaning. Not for now.¡±


    ¡°But master...¡± she whined, and I got up, patting her head.


    ¡°Normally I¡¯d say something like you sure are dedicated to your maid roleplay, girl but since the world has gone mad, I doubt it¡¯s that.¡± She looked at Shaeula. ¡°And you are okay with her flirting right in front of you?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth has more than earned her right to be intimate with Akio. I could not-not deny her, nor would I wish to. She can also satisfy Akio when neither I nor-nor Eri are present.¡± Shaeula grinned, and Hyacinth flushed, her face red, her breath coming in hot gasps.


    ¡°Tonight.¡± I promised, causing Hyacinth to giggle wildly, and I was surprised to see faint spots of red dripping onto her shawl, her nose bleeding. ¡°But before that I have quite a lot to attend to. Karen-chan. Tanaka-san, Hashimoto-san.¡±


    ¡°I told you to call me Noboru.¡± Hashimoto-san protested, and Tanaka-san echoed him, asking me to call him Taku.


    ¡°Fine. I will in future.¡± I promised. ¡°Anyway, I know Hinata has bound you under contract, and you know secret stuff is going on here. I understand if you want out, and as long as you keep secret what you learned here, I¡¯ll give you glowing references and enough severance to get you back on your feet. But if you want to stay, then you¡¯ll need to become stronger to aid me. As employees, I¡¯ll expect a lot more from you than I would my trainees. Though overtime will be paid at a fair rate, and you¡¯ll find you have more energy, so working long hours won¡¯t kill you.¡± I smiled to rob that of its sting.


    Karen-chan was the first to accept. ¡°When I heard about this, I knew I¡¯d accept. You gave me a second chance, and I do like this job. I¡¯ll accept everything it entails.¡±


    ¡°Great. Well... you can accept the pain then.¡± When Karen-chan blanched, I shrugged apologetically. ¡°It only hurts at first. And as a side benefit, you get comprehensive medical care afterwards.¡± With Ether Healing, if they get ill or injured I can fix them, so in a way it¡¯s better than medical insurance.


    ¡°I am in too!¡± Noboru-san declared, confidently. ¡°I want my daughter to continue to respect me, and to prove my ex-wife wrong. No pain can hurt worse than my own daughter looking at me as if I am a worthless loser.¡±


    Taku-san hesitated for longer, but in the end he agreed as well. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be the only one who quits. I thought I might be too old for this, but... Watanabe-san is right. You gave us second chances, and I¡¯d be a fool not to see it to the end. Besides, with Nichibotsu backing you, you¡¯re going places. Their young lady is going to be your wife, right?


    ¡°Oooh, another mistress? Hyacinth simply must meet her!¡± she cried, having been looking around the office at all the unfamiliar devices such as computers, the fax machine and more with chronic excitement, although her urge to clean and tidy was rising, only held back by her lust, which was also on the rise, her face ruby red.


    ¡°Putting her aside, I have to wonder, who are the other three? The poor girl looks like she¡¯s in mourning, but the other two... is she a girl or a guy? I can¡¯t tell...¡± Karen-chan observed the priestly Shirohebi. ¡°As for the hulk there, he¡¯s a big guy. Love the suit though, makes him look like a professional bouncer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. This is Grulgor.¡± I gestured to him, as he looked bored, standing there with his muscular arms folded. ¡°He¡¯s... well, the ultimate hired muscle. If we ever have more trouble with yakuza, he can go and break some heads, or if you need an escort somewhere, like when you are depositing massive piles of money or something, he can be used. As for this... err, well I don¡¯t know if it even has a gender. It¡¯s the patron deity of the shrine, Shirohebi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that... what?¡± Karen-chan declared, and the other two looked equally shocked. ¡°A kami? Really? Here?¡±


    ¡°Yep, no kidding.¡± I laughed at their reactions. ¡°With all that goes on here I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be more composed.¡±


    ¡°Composure is one thing.¡± Taku-san shook his head. ¡°Meeting a god face-to-face is another. I had best start donating to the shrine!¡±


    ¡°I think faith is good enough. Kami like your prayers.¡± I grinned. ¡°Once we are done here I¡¯ll introduce Haru-san here, and then one of you can take Shirohebi to the shrine proper. I think the Izumi¡¯s would want to meet the kami their family has served for all these years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure they would!¡± Noboru-san said, shaking his head too. ¡°But done here, what do you mean?¡±


    I grinned, still amused. ¡°Well, first we have to perfect your networks. We have a lot of others to do tonight, so I want to let my aether rebuild before then. Come on you two. Shaeula will handle Karen-chan, but you boys are all mine.¡±


    The two of them exchanged wary looks before nodding. Might as well get this done. I¡¯d probably enjoy Karen-chan more, but after her experiences with her boss, I¡¯d never be so crass...


    ********


    ¡°That hurt...¡± Taku-san said, shivering, as we re-entered the office. ¡°... but my mind does feel clearer, and my aching joints don¡¯t feel as bad as they usually do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like...¡± Noboru-san began, only to stop as we had visitors, the atmosphere tense. Karen-san and Shaeula were back, and Hyacinth was busy cleaning, my absence allowing her to regain some sanity, leaving her pink delusions. Grulgor had actually gone back to the training school, as I told him about the special enhanced fitness room, so he had gone to lift weights. I told him not to mess with the machines until I showed him how... they were custom-made and expensive, so he had better listen!


    Shirohebi was sitting quietly in the corner, observing, and our visitors... they were eyeing up Haru-san, who was looking away, nervous.


    On seeing me enter, Officer Usui waved at me brightly, us having grown closer since we busted the moneylenders and their scammer comrades, but Detective Kato was focused entirely on Haru-san.


    ¡°You are Suzuki Haru, right? You look exactly like the photos and videos of you we¡¯ve seen. But you are dead! I¡¯ve seen your severed hand!¡± His gaze dropped to her lap, where both hands were resting.


    Oh, great. More complications... Still, we were going to have to face this sooner or later, so I might as well get this handled now. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forwards, shielding her from view. ¡°Well, Detective Kato, nice to see you again. You too, officer Usui. Now, why don¡¯t you calm down, take a seat, let Karen-chan bring you some tea, and we¡¯ll discuss this... unusual situation.¡±


    He gave me a very pointed look, before nodding, taking a deep breath to steady himself. ¡°Yes, I think we should. I think we should.¡±

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Two

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Two


    ¡°So, care to explain why you aren¡¯t dead?¡± Detective Kato asked. ¡°We have your severed hand, although thinking about it...¡± he touched his stomach, remembering when he was shot and nearly died, and the healing I did to keep him from bleeding out and hasten his recovery. ¡°... our Oshiro-san here has quite the healing hands, doesn¡¯t he? If you can regrow lost body parts, you could make a fortune. Anyway, Kondou Kazuo confessed to your murder. Even without you being dead, he¡¯d still be due the death penalty for the others, but even so...¡±


    ¡°No, I am dead.¡± Haru-san said sadly, and the Detective blinked at that.


    ¡°Sorry, could you repeat that?¡± he asked, perturbed.


    ¡°I am dead. That man... he killed me. But Kiku brought me back as a slave to her, with her nails.¡± She shuddered. ¡°But I¡¯m dead. Definitely. A ghost.¡±¡°A ghost? Sure, that makes sense... did you think I¡¯d believe that? I¡¯ve seen a lot of strange things and mysterious powers, but raising the dead isn¡¯t something I¡¯ll easily swallow.¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun...¡± Haru-san called me, surprising me, as she didn¡¯t seem that close to me before. ¡°I want to show the Detective. Is everyone here trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We are indebted to Akio-kun, just as you seem to be.¡± Karen-chan grinned. ¡°We have been taken into his confidence, and if we blab, well, that Hinata-chan is quite the scary girl, I doubt she¡¯d let us get away with it.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Can someone bring me a knife?¡± Haru-san asked, and after some rummaging a sharp knife used for cutting vegetables was found, the edge gleaming and tapered. Haru-san took it gingerly, and reversed her grip on it, the blade pointing towards her neck.


    ¡°Hey, wait...¡± the Detective said, panicked, but Haru-san paid him no mind. She thrust, and the blade slid into her cloth-covered throat. Everyone except Shaeula and I panicked (well, Hyacinth didn¡¯t either as she was busy in her element cleaning, humming to herself) but Haru-san merely sighed, sweeping the knife through her flesh repeatedly.


    ¡°See? I¡¯m dead. An Onryo, a vengeful ghost killed by a man. Even this borrowed form Akio bestowed on me still retains the properties of a ghost.¡± Under her veil she smiled weakly.


    ¡°So, how can you hold an object them? Can you be touched?¡± the Detective held out his hand to grab hers, but Haru-san flinched away, causing Officer Usui to sigh loudly, chiding him.


    ¡°Seriously, Detective. Calm down! You know Suzuki-san was a victim of assault, being touched by strange men is the last thing she¡¯d want now.¡± She turned to Haru, speaking with a kind tone. ¡°But just to verify, can I take your hand?¡±


    Haru-san nodded, pulling off one glove and offering her own pale hand for a shake. Officer Usui took it, and gripped it firmly. ¡°Feels normal to me. Can I?¡± She took the knife and after a brief moment of hesitation, her common sense warring with what she had seen, she stabbed it down through Haru-san¡¯s palm, wincing in advance of the expected feeling of cut flesh and pierced bone, only to gasp in shock as the blade passed clean through, falling to the floor, making everyone jump, her expectations shattered.


    ¡°See?¡± Haru-san said sadly. ¡°I¡¯m definitely dead. Only thanks to Akio-kun can I come home, see daddy again, breathe the air, eat and drink, watch TV...¡± she started to cry, her emotions getting the better of her, and Officer Usui and Shaeula consoled her while she wept, leaving us guys sharing an uncomfortable silence, until Karen-chan broke it.


    ¡°So, uh... you can bring back the dead then? Are you... a god?¡± she asked, half-serious, and I shook my head in denial, but before I could answer, Shaeula spoke up from where she was hugging the sobbing Haru-san.


    ¡°Hardly a god, no. Akio is rather powerful though. But Haru, her circumstances were quite-quite special. Her soul yet remains, as does several other victims of Kondou Kazuo, though many have gone to their eternal rest. So please do not-not die, Karen, for Akio would not-not be able to save you. It was the vile arts of Kiku, coupled with his power, that created this-this miracle.¡± That¡¯s a bit rich, considering your Kin Bonding, but you are right. Returning from death is a rare and precious gift indeed.


    ¡°I see.¡± Karen-chan said weakly, and Detective Kato spoke up. ¡°So, where is this Kiku now? I believe she is the accomplice Kondou spoke of who betrayed him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But she¡¯s dead and gone too. She was beyond help, so sending that vengeful ghost back to her rest was the only way.¡±


    ¡°I slew her myself.¡± Shaeula affirmed. ¡°It is quite-quite the shame, as she would have made a good-good ally for Akio, but I would rather have Haru now-now.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if she was a ghost too, I expect it is technically not illegal to kill her... or is it even killing what is already dead? Damn.¡± Detective Kato scratched his head. ¡°You weren¡¯t lying when you said we needed new laws and a new police force to deal with the changing world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, anyway...¡± I turned to Noboru-san. ¡°Can you nip out and get Haru-san a phone and a few other essentials, and draw her out some money? She needs to experience being back to shake off her gloom.¡± As he nodded, I turned to Taku-san. ¡°As for you, can you get the camera set up, we need to take photographs of everyone for their new documents.¡±


    ¡°And me?¡± Karen-chan asked.?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°As for you...¡± my grin was wicked, causing Karen-chan to look nervous. ¡°... I need you to make a couple of phone calls. The first, is to this guy here...¡± I showed her my phone.


    ¡°That says... personal secretary to the Prime Minister?¡± Karen-chan gasped. ¡°That¡¯s a nickname, right?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Detective Kato said, knowing who I was acquainted with, and I echoed him.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s legit. Tell the secretary that I need to speak to the Prime Minster regarding Suzuki Haru and her father. He should make time, especially if Fujiwara-san has spoken to him, if you tell him it¡¯s a go, ahead of schedule.¡±


    At that Haru-san winced, but I reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Take today to get your thoughts in order. Go out, go shopping, eat some parfait, do girly stuff. I¡¯ll be there with you when you see your father again, it¡¯ll be all right.¡±


    ¡°Well, I still remember when we met your father, Suzuki-san.¡± Officer Usui said. ¡°He was so devastated at your death. I hate that part of the job. But I never thought I¡¯d have this part of it, where we could reunite a father with his dead daughter. Makes you think, huh?¡±


    That hurts my feelings a little! ¡°Well, why should I be worried? I¡¯m delivering good news. Anyway, that¡¯s settled now, Haru-san. You can stay in that room tonight, and we¡¯ll meet your father tomorrow. When Noboru-san returns with a phone and money, feel free to enjoy yourself. It¡¯ll be a tough day tomorrow, emotionally.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± She nodded, drying her eyes. ¡°But... after I meet daddy, what will I do? What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Your abilities are great, so we¡¯ll have to work out where they fit. But worry about that after tomorrow. Hey, Hyacinth, are you done?¡± I called, and she scurried over, dirty cleaning rag in hand.


    ¡°Yes, I am. All clean, all clean!¡±


    ¡°Great. Then it¡¯s time to head to Shirohebizumi shrine and introduce Shirohebi to his loyal adherents.¡±


    ¡°Much as I¡¯d love to see that, we have work to do.¡± Detective Kato turned to Haru-san. ¡°I apologise for my earlier hastiness. I was rather shocked to see the dead walk. No offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± She replied slowly. ¡°I am dead, after all.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯ve kept a sense of humour.¡± Officer Usui smiled. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve established Watanabe-san had nothing to do with the crimes her old firm committed, so I guess we are done. I daresay we¡¯ll see you again.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so too.¡± After all, the need for police who can deal with Candidates and creatures from the Boundary is growing, especially after what the Prime Minister said...


    ********


    ¡°This beggars belief...¡± Izumi-san said, slumping down in his chair, eyes wide with shock. ¡°I know my granddaughter met him in the spiritual realm, but even so, to see our kami...¡± tears were forming in his eyes. ¡°Son, did you ever dream this day would come? It is like the tales of our ancestors, when they detailed the kami, yokai and spirits walking the earth, before science and secular times took over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡± Daichi-san agreed, also incredibly emotional, as he looked at the androgynous Shirohebi, who was sitting cross-legged at the table, sipping elegantly on some tea, serpentine eyes narrowed in pleasure. ¡°It is a miracle. No, it is what Oshiro-san promised us. Though you did say it would take until Christmas, did you not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, the situation changed. Everyone has worked hard, so I managed to gather the relevant spiritual resources faster than anticipated. And Shirohebi here graciously agreed to work with me, so here we are. It¡¯s all thanks to your foresight in allowing me ownership of the shrine.¡±


    ¡°I am mossst pleasssed at your ssstewardssship of thisss sssacred ssshrine.¡± Shirohebi hissed sibilantly, and at his praise the two older men looked as if they were children receiving the birthday present they wanted. ¡°Akio here hasss been a fair neighbour and a good massster. You have done well to trussst him.¡±


    Its praise pleased them, though one part of it caught the attention of Masaji-san. ¡°Master?¡± he raised one greying eyebrow. ¡°A kami would serve a mortal man?¡±


    ¡°Ssserve? In mattersss not of the ssspiritual, yesss.¡± Shirohebi said slowly. ¡°Asss for hisss mortality, isss he? I think not, and Thisss powerful ssspirit ssservesss at his ssside, no?¡± It nodded at Shaeula, who was also enjoying tea, as well as some delicious homemade cream cakes Nagi-san was serving.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She muttered, when she hastily swallowed the cream in her mouth. ¡°Your kami is wise. The Shrine in the Boundary is rather-rather impressive now. We have made many improvements. There is no-no shame in serving Akio. I am his lover, so it is quite-quite different for me, but even was I not-not, I would allow him to lead me to victory.¡±


    The two priests still looked troubled, but Nagi-san sighed, speaking conspiratorially to Shaeula, though her whispers were comically loud, clearly meant to be heard. ¡°Shaeula dear, Kana was very impressed by what she saw. She came back all pink and trembling. She told us ¡®Akio is incredible, Shaeula too, there was this huge tree, and a shiny building with golden snakes, and so much more...¡¯, she couldn¡¯t stop gushing. What was it she said after that? Oh yes, it was ¡®Akio, we can¡¯t let him get away! If larger shrines get their claws in him he might be lured away. He¡¯s ours, I found him first!¡¯.¡± She giggled charmingly, not looking her age. ¡°Kana seems determined to hold onto you, Akio. It makes sense. After all, we are a shrine family. I may have married in, but I know how important it is to my husband and father-in-law.¡± She turned to them then. ¡°Kana never used to like the shrine, she was ashamed of it and our poverty. Now she is genuinely invested. And who do we have to thank for that, and this miracle? Besides shouldn¡¯t you trust that your god knows best?¡±


    As Nagi-san expressed her thoughts as somewhat of an outsider, Shaeula nodding approvingly, not forgetting to gluttonously devour more snacks, I grinned, happy. Hyacinth was cleaning up some of the unused storage rooms that hadn¡¯t been converted into Marika-san¡¯s bedroom, the mess intolerable to her, and she had also been a shock for the shrine, seeing another spiritual being like Shaeula. Oh well, this is well in hand. Time to do another matter I¡¯ve put off long enough. I pulled out my phone and dialled a number. Putting it to my ear, I waited for an answer. And waited. And waited. No answer huh? And as usual her answerphone is switched off, as she says she never needs it. I checked the time, and it was still early afternoon. She could be in class, maybe? Though to be honest she skips half of them. Her grades are good enough to get away with it, and she can always pull the health card...


    I hung up and fired Shiro a text, asking her to call me when she was free, before turning my attention back to the conversation, which was reaching a conclusion.


    ¡°... so, this is a good thing for us, our shrine, our good kami here...¡± Nagi-san smiled brightly at Shirohebi. ¡°... and our daughter. The other shrines have good fortune too, but it¡¯s only ours that can see their kami in the flesh right now, no?¡±


    ¡°Others may join us in time.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°But the resources required now are significant, if we wish-wish for more. And we have many demands on our time and powers. Shirohebi is here-here as Akio believes in fulfilling Oaths, as all should, and he would not-not wish to disappoint Kana.¡±


    ¡°Oh my!¡± Nagi-san covered her mouth in mock-surprise and I rolled my eyes at that. I¡¯m pretty sure that impressing Kana was not exactly a priority for me. But Shaeula would see it like that, I guess...


    ¡°Putting that aside.¡± I drew everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I think it¡¯s time that we expanded the training to you as well, Masaji-san, Nagi-san. After all, the shrine is likely to become the centre of Tokyo faith, and I¡¯d feel better if we had the insurance of you all having some extra power.¡±


    ¡°Me as well?¡± Nagi-san asked, surprised, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, you as well. I don¡¯t want to see any repeat of the yakuza attack, but wouldn¡¯t you feel some peace of mind being a bit stronger? It might just be enough to prevent future problems, although with Hyacinth, Grulgor, Ixitt and Haru-san able to traverse both worlds now, we have less issues with security, although I expect they¡¯ll all be pushed for time. Besides...¡± I asked her seriously. ¡°... won¡¯t you feel left out if your husband, father-in-law and daughter are all involved, and you aren¡¯t? My mother and mother-in-law are both training too, so I believe it¡¯s for the best.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Nagi-san said, smiling shyly. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not curious about what has my daughter so excited. It was quite the day she came running back to the shrine, with news of you. My husband was chewing her out, accusing her of skipping chores to play around with her friends, and...¡±


    As Nagi-san reminisced, I found myself smiling at her exaggerated tales of Kana. This is nice. It¡¯s been a tough week, and I had little time to relax yesterday, what with the situation with Miyu. Tomorrow will be stressful as well, meeting Haru-san¡¯s father, so I might as well enjoy today...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Three

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Three


    I left the Izumi¡¯s with Shirohebi after Shaeula and I had perfected the networks of the family. It was easy enough for me to make tweaks to Kana¡¯s father to turn his already-prepared network into a more perfect one, though I had to be very careful around his solar plexus chakra, as he had a natural, if incredibly weak, gift for flame energies, and doing Chirurgery around other elements required finesse, as I had discovered with Ren-san previously.


    Masaji-san managed to endure it without complaint too, though he did mutter that he was too old for such trials, but when I reminded him his granddaughter would be happy if he could see the world their kami came from too, he set his jaw and endured. When I was helping him out of the room, back to the others, Shaeula was bringing back Nagi-san, who was red-faced and teary eyed. She looked at me accusingly, and said ¡°That hurt! You¡¯re cruel, Akio-kun!¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s joking. But seeing her looking like that, I¡¯m once more reminded Kana is fortunate she takes after her mother. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I apologised. ¡°But it does cut out most of the tedious training.¡±


    ¡°So, did you do that to Kana?¡± she asked, and remembering Kana in her underwear I tried to keep a straight face. Shaeula was snickering and the men of the shrine seemed a little resigned.


    ¡°Your networks should be a little prickly and tender for a while until aether flushes out all the debris and soaks into the capillaries.¡± I ignored her question, changing the subject. Nagi-san gave me a knowing smile, her face still red, but let me continue. ¡°All I will say is, never enter the Boundary anywhere but the shrine, as the Boundary is not safe. Around the shrine is my Territory, so you shouldn¡¯t have any problems. I dare say Kana will want to take you in herself, anyway.¡±


    As they listened to my warnings earnestly, Shaeula was nodding, backing me up. Hyacinth finished her cleaning, so we took our leave, allowing Shirohebi further time to spend with the loyal family that had taken care of its shrine for years. Well, that¡¯s one good job done. My Chirurgery didn¡¯t take too much aether now I was more skilled, so by the evening I should have refilled, especially since I had a lot of Rank 3 Ether Spires running, sending me some extra, even with the earlier Chirurgery on my old neighbours too. Tonight, we need to perfect the networks of as many students as possible...


    Back at the office, I saw that Noboru-san had returned, and Haru-san was gone. At my questioning gaze, Noboru-san explained. ¡°Yes, I got her a prepaid phone. Just a cheap one, as I¡¯m guessing she¡¯ll want to get her own when she gets her new identification. My daughter is always going on about how shameful it is to have a cheap phone. Well, I hope I didn¡¯t overstep?¡± he said, and I shook my head in denial.


    ¡°No, good job. Today is just for her to calm herself down and solidify in her mind she¡¯s back and still a girl, despite everything. Anyway, is there anything else that needs my attention while I¡¯m here? Might as well catch up on things, as I¡¯ve been way too busy lately.¡±


    ¡°There are a few things.¡± Karen-chan said, coming over. ¡°Do you want tea or anything?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth will dooo it, I must be the one to serve master!¡± She declared, hustling off, her legs eye-catching under her miniskirt maid outfit. I saw Noboru-san and Taku-san looking, and our gazes met. They both looked embarrassed, but who was I to judge? After all, my wandering eye has been getting me into trouble a lot these last few months.


    ¡°Careful, that¡¯s his woman you are eyeing.¡± Karen-chan warned, shooting me a grin. I looked down, shamefaced, and she continued. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not wrong, am I? She¡¯s desperate to serve you, to be of use. I think it¡¯s kind of sweet. And the way you look at her... well, tell me I¡¯m mistaken?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± I said, and beside me Shaeula chortled, having been in consistently good humour ever since she met her father and sister.


    ¡°It is not-not complicated at all. Akio desires Hyacinth, for she has a terribly sad past, and has a deep-deep hole in her heart. Akio is weak to such females, and wishes to make -make them happy. Hyacinth reminds him of his sister and Eri. As for Hyacinth, she is not-not accustomed to such kindness as she is shown, but her erstwhile nature as a brownie means she is disposed to serve-serve a master faithfully, tend a home. It will not-not be so easy to have the relationship you wish for, you know-know this, right, my Akio?¡± she turned to me, and I sighed in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah. If I just wanted a master-servant bond, that¡¯s easy. But I¡¯d feel bad with just that. But it¡¯s a problem for another time. I want her to meet Eri first, and Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi. It¡¯s only fair.¡± As Hyacinth returned with tea, expertly prepared despite her unfamiliarity with modern appliances, we changed the subject. It¡¯s not the time for that yet. Besides, that¡¯s a problem I don¡¯t have to hurry to resolve. It isn¡¯t life or death, after all. ¡°Hey, this is great. Well done, Hyacinth, and thank you!¡±


    She blushed and squirmed at my praise, muttering to herself, and Karen-chan shook her head. ¡°Damn, when I shared a few beers with you on the balcony that time after work when I was depressed, who could have thought we¡¯d end up here?¡± she smiled, her mood also having improved significantly, now that she knew her ex-boss had got what was coming to him. ¡°Though perhaps I should have guessed when you had me take that purse back to Konoe-san. That was something out of a manga, definitely.¡± She took a sip of her own tea. ¡°Anyway, outstanding matters. Sure.¡± She opened up her laptop. ¡°We sent the university information to your sister, as well as the stuff we gathered on elements. I think I get why you want some of these strange things now.¡± She smiled at me slyly. ¡°The guys pulled together information on Tyr, Valkyries and Norse gods in general. Most of it seems like garbage though, I doubt it¡¯ll help. Oh, and there¡¯s a follow-up report on the matter you asked me to look into about the rates of crime, suicides and missing persons.¡± She handed me a stack of printouts.


    Scanning through them, I remembered. Yeah, I was trying to track down other Candidates that way, amongst other methods. I remember glancing at the report, but I was incredibly bogged down with important matters at the time, so never finished reading it. My eyes scanned the contents and went wide with shock. Nearly two thousand percent higher rates of suicide, general crime and missing persons than the national average, and the figures had been rising steadily since... July. This can¡¯t be a coincidence. Shit, I should have paid more attention to this, but I can¡¯t be everywhere at once. There¡¯s only one of me after all. That¡¯s why I need strong, trustworthy allies so we can cover more ground, solve more problems. So, where is this? Shit... that¡¯s not good, not good at all. There were several areas listed, one of which was Kyoto, which had numerous mysterious deaths. I can attribute that to the higher preponderance of Candidates in that area, after all, priests and shrine maidens have a disproportionately higher rate of being chosen. The others though... several major cities around Japan, several areas of Tokyo, and... Inuyama.


    At that, my thoughts went to the strange shop where we bought Azuki. The Boundary version contained that hideous creature that was a mass of dark slime, tentacles and eyeballs, and we had not only rescued Azuki from it, but found the pink jade bells and dagger of light, as well as a vestment, although we hadn¡¯t found a use for that yet. That store was clearly not ordinary. I have the number though so...


    A bit rattled, I dialled the number in my phone. Inuyama was still a fair way from Nishimorioka, but it was the closest city, so it was only natural I¡¯d be concerned. The phone rang and rang, and I thought bitterly that it seemed to be a day for people not answering me, before suddenly there was a click. I went to speak, assuming someone had picked up, but alas it seemed to be an answerphone message.


    ¡°We are sorry to inform you that Takakura Antiques is closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience.¡±


    Well shit. Hanging up, I sighed. Shaeula looked at me quizzically, and I explained the situation. Once I was done, she nodded, eyes burning with anger as she remembered the injuries I had suffered. ¡°You think it is perhaps this creature, rather than another like you-you, who is causing the deaths and disappearances?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Perhaps some of the deaths were other Candidates. I know we weren¡¯t exactly powerhouses at the time, but even so, that creature was dangerous. I could easily see it killing an unprepared Candidate of Kondou Kazuo¡¯s calibre.¡±


    ¡°Should we be worried about this?¡± Karen-chan asked, and I realised we were speaking about such matters in the open, completely disregarding our listeners. Still, they aren¡¯t completely in the dark on these matters now, and are pledged to support us, so I guess it¡¯s fine.


    ¡°Not here. Our Territory covers the shrine, the surrounding area, and stretches up to Hisuikomushi and the hotel around there. It''s growing all the time. Eventually everything within ten kilometres of here should be under our control. No monsters or other Candidates should find it easy to cause trouble, not with Ulfuric and your brother around, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Our Territory may not-not be as powerful as the Seelie Court, yet, but it is simply a matter-matter of time.¡±


    ¡°But what about elsewhere? My daughter... she lives on the other side of Tokyo.¡± Noboru-san said, rattled.


    ¡°Look, calm down.¡± I declared. ¡°This is all just speculation. But if you are worried about your daughter... isn¡¯t the best thing to do work hard, earn money, and perhaps you could get custody of her? In any case, even with the massive increases, it¡¯s still just a handful of people out of the city who are affected. But I don¡¯t think we can leave it to worsen.¡± Shaeula agreed, and Hyacinth piped up, saying she would be happy to squeeze my enemy to death, and I entertained a briefly amusing thought of a tentacle battle between her vines and its nasty slimy ones. ¡°Well, we can take care of it this week, but... ugh. If monsters can affect the Material already, this is pretty bad. It means that Hinata was right though. Property values in areas that are within a safe Territory should start to spike... looks like her grandfather is going to make those sweet returns on his investment after all...¡± That reminds me, we still need to go over just what properties Hinata has control of now, in our name. I¡¯m going to have to make sure we capture those areas in the Boundary, and we might need a Material to Boundary connection or two...


    While I was thinking, I dialled another number. Third time lucky, I hope. Moments later, it was answered, and a familiar voice spoke gruffly. ¡°Hey. I was just there this morning, what do you want now, Oshiro-san?¡±


    ¡°Well, Detective, I think you might want to hear about this...¡±


    ********


    After discussing the matter with Detective Kato, I spent some further time catching up on everything else that demanded my attention, before it reached late afternoon. Marika-san had returned from school, and I was now watching the most adorable scene, as she fawned over Shirohebi like an excitable puppy.


    ¡°This is incredible, Akio-sama!¡± She cried, hopping over to me, eyes bright. Still can¡¯t get her to drop the -sama huh? ¡°A kami, in the flesh! I was so envious when Kana-chan said she met her kami!¡± But she¡¯s Kana-chan now? Well I guess I¡¯m happy you are fitting in here and have made a friend. I feel bad pulling you from home, even if it¡¯s for my ambitions at the conclave, whenever that¡¯ll be. ¡°Do you think that Chairo can come soon too? I want to meet him! Grandfather will too!¡±


    ¡°Well, Chairoakitara shrine is a fair way outside my control. But yeah, in time, he¡¯ll be able to visit the Material. You¡¯ll probably be able to visit him first though.¡± I promised, gesturing to Shaeula beside me. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to perfect your network, using all the skills and experience we¡¯ve gained. Are you ready?¡± I said, bending down and looking the young girl in the eyes. She seemed a little pale, but she nodded, her expression resolute.


    ¡°I am.¡± She swallowed, her small throat working as she sought her words. ¡°Ever since I agreed to come to Tokyo, I made a promise to grandfather and myself, and to Chairo, that I¡¯d do anything. I love being a shrine maiden, serving Chairo. I want to be the best one I can be! It¡¯s the whole reason I came here! Kana-chan says it hurts a bit and is embarrassing, but I know you wouldn¡¯t do anything bad, Chairo and the White Snake both trust you!¡±


    ¡°It does hurt, I¡¯m sorry. But the pain is only temporary.¡± I patted her head gently, reassuring her. ¡°And as for embarrassment, don¡¯t worry about that. Shaeula, this one is yours.¡±


    ¡°She would not-not mind...¡± Shaeula began, and I cut her off.


    ¡°Wait, is that...¡± Ren-san said, and others started talking over him, the shrine maidens and priest-apprentices recognising the aura of divinity Shirohebi was radiating.


    ¡°Yes, this is the White Snake-sama, kami of this shrine!¡± Marika-san declared. Her face was a little pale from the Chirurgery, but she was a tough little girl, so she had bounced back fast. ¡°Akio-sama promised us our kami would walk the world once more, and this is the proof he did not lie!¡±


    As that declaration stoked everyone¡¯s passions, other than the schoolmates of Kana who were dragged into all this, who were merely looking confused or interested, I shrugged. Yeah, we aren¡¯t getting much training done tonight... oh well, we need to do the Chirurgery anyway...


    ********


    ¡°So, the numbers do not-not work for us.¡± Shaeula grimaced. ¡°There are too-too many females, and few males. You will need to take two females, else we can not-not finish tonight.¡±


    Well, we can wait until tomorrow, but I admit, I have a lot on my plate, so finishing tonight would be better... Still, the girls here who required Chirurgery varied in age from middle school to recently graduated from high-school. So I wanted to avoid having them strip, it felt wrong. My ruminations were interrupted by a surprising source, as one of the listening girls, Kikuchi Maiko-san, spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± She declared, her expression stiff. ¡°My father has told me just how much we owe to you. You cleared our debts, you¡¯ve saved his life, you protect Hisuikomushi and our kami... this is the least I can do.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, and she nodded. ¡°Izumi-san told us about it. It¡¯s embarrassing but no more than a medical check-up, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it too.¡± Takagi-san shouted, sticking up her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want Kikuchi-san to go through it alone.¡±


    ¡°It is decided then.¡± Shaeula said, before I could speak. ¡°I shall prepare the other females. Akio, you do the males and these-these two.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, and Kikuchi-san slowly nodded, and Takagi-san agreed more forcefully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done. I still don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here, but... I think for an ordinary nobody like me, this is a chance that will never come again.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s a problematic statement, but it isn¡¯t as though I don¡¯t understand. I thought that when Ortlinde first came knocking. But perhaps... it was her fate, and if not, it is now, due to her own choices. I wish she had more confidence...


    Taking them to a spare room, I prepared myself mentally. ¡°Right, yes, this is a medical procedure, so don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not...¡± I stopped, as Takagi-san had already shed her shrine maiden outfit, down to her plain underwear. Seeing me looking, she flushed a little, biting her lip, before snapping at me, a touch acerbically.


    ¡°Oh, I know you don¡¯t want to ogle me. I¡¯m just a boring plain girl. Not like Izumi-san or her friends. Or those twins. Those haughty rich girls too. And Shaeula. All the girls around you are stunning and you can take your pick. Why would you care about molesting an ugly girl like me?¡±


    I thought we agreed this was a medical procedure and nothing weird? ¡°Hey, Takagi-san, you aren¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t lie to me. I hate that. If you were to say something stupid like you aren¡¯t ugly, you¡¯re attractive I¡¯d be angry. I respect you a little because as far as I can tell you don¡¯t lie much. Don¡¯t spoil that now.¡±


    Hey, I lie plenty when I have to. Though I admit, I do have a problem with being too honest, sharing too much. Hinata chides me about that all the time. ¡°Fine then. Lie down on the bed and we¡¯ll get started. It does hurt a fair bit more than the initial work, so I apologise for that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard, but if Izumi-san can handle it, I can too.¡± She relied on her stubbornness to keep her calm, but even so, she flinched as I touched her belly gently, shivering as Aether flooded in.


    ¡°Well, in that case, I might as well be honest. Takagi-san, you are far from ugly.¡± She glared at me as I spoke, but I shook my head, denying her. ¡°Honesty, right? Okay, well I admit there are some gorgeous girls here, so I understand it must be tough. But really, you¡¯re just a bit plain. I think if you changed up your style a bit, tried some different makeup, you¡¯d scrub up quite nice. Comparing yourself to Kana or Shaeula is a mistake. Just concentrate on your own charms. Besides, you have something that is beautiful. Your personality. You came here to help your classmate, worried she was being bullied, right?¡±


    As her eyes went wide, Kikuchi-san agreed. ¡°Yes. Thank you Takagi-san. It meant a lot to me. You¡¯re nice. That¡¯s why... you should stay here. You might not know how big a deal all this is, but... we saw a kami, a god! You worry you¡¯re plain and boring, but you are here, doing something almost nobody else has ever done before! That makes you somebody!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± I approved, my concentration intense as I made adjustments to her chakra network and forced open some minor chakras. Takagi-san moaned in pain, but biting her lip, she once more stubbornly refused to cry or scream. ¡°Well... I... do get... paid for this. The money is... nice. I¡¯ll stick it... out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should. I¡¯d be lonely without you.¡± Kikuchi-san agreed, as I was finishing up.


    ¡°There, all done.¡± I patted Takagi-san on the back, impressed. ¡°You barely cried out at all. Oh well, your turn now, Kikuchi-san.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great.¡± She muttered, trembling hands doffing her hakama. ¡±I can hardly wait...¡±


    ********


    ¡°All done.¡± I said to the sweating boy who had just endured my Chirurgery. ¡°You were my last one, let¡¯s head back.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The boy grated, redressing. ¡°Damn, that hurt. But I do feel spiritually cleaner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, think of the positives.¡± I approved. Back at the training hall, Shaeula was not back yet, but she did have more people to do, so I decided to step out and take some air, Hyacinth trailing after me. Kana looked like she wanted to follow me too, but her friends were lying there limp and weak, Shaeula having done them first, so she wasn¡¯t able to.


    ¡°Master has worked hard.¡± Hyacinth said, wiping my sweating brow with a cloth as we took in the soothing night air. The lights of central Tokyo were shining dully in the distance, blotting out the stars. ¡°I am impressed. Yooou are very kind. I looove that, masters should be kind, nooot...¡± she shuddered, and I pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair. For once she didn¡¯t start to pant, merely looking at me with her shining silver-violet eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. Those times are over.¡± I promised. ¡°Hmm, looks like someone is flying tonight. You¡¯ve never been on a plane or helicopter, have you?¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I do nooot know what those are.¡± She shrugged, and I pointed to the silhouette of the helicopter as it flew our way.


    ¡°It¡¯s a flying device. You can go places very fast and in comfort if it¡¯s a nice helicopter like Hinata¡¯s. Hmm, wait, that does look a familiar helicopter. And it¡¯s coming this way.¡±


    A minute later, it was descending to the usual landing spot at the shrine. The door opened, and out popped a boisterous girl, leaping down and landing with elegant grace, before flashing me double victory signs and a smile. ¡°Hey bro, surprised?¡±


    Aiko? Here tonight?

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Four

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Four


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®hey bro¡¯ me, stupid little sister sapphire!¡± I snapped, shocked to see her here but quickly overcoming it. ¡°Your damn hand... show me it quickly!¡± I could see the vivid burn on her hand more clearly now than I could over the video-call, and just looking at it made me angry. Aiko quailed under my gaze, looking momentarily sorry, before putting on a bright smile. ¡°Well, cheers for worrying. Bro, but...¡±


    ¡°Can we do this later?¡± Eri said, climbing out the helicopter with far more decorum than my sister. She brightened when she saw me, only for her expression to twist sourly when she saw Hyacinth in my arms. ¡°And who might this be?¡± Eri asked, her tone cold. ¡°You said six, right? Or are we on seven already?¡±


    If looks could kill, I¡¯d be stabbed to death by that obsidian glare now. Hyacinth too. ¡°No, still six. This is Hyacinth, she¡¯s a bit like Shaeula. Anyway, I¡¯m surprised to see you both.¡±


    ¡°Both?¡± Eri shrugged, still annoyed, but she turned to the helicopter, where her mother and mine were both descending, my mother looking enraptured by the exotic travel, while auntie Hana was matching her daughter in looking at me and Hyacinth warily. ¡°No, it¡¯s all of us today.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Father and Uncle Junpei were last out, and while I was happy to see them all, I hadn¡¯t prepared for their arrival, so I was at a bit of a loss. ¡°Oh well, why don¡¯t we take this inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Eri agreed, speaking for the group, and I led everyone inside the training school...


    ********


    ¡°Wow bro, be a bit gentler, that bloody hurts!¡± My sis complained as I examined her hand.


    ¡°Of course it hurts, idiot.¡± I shot back. ¡°You stuck your hand in the fire!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I had a good reason, didn¡¯t I? Seriously bro, you don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like, being outclassed by my best friend and brother. I feel such a loser sometimes. But I¡¯m not one to stay down! No, I thought how can I pull this off and I came up with this. And it worked!¡±


    Kana giggled, marvelling at the idiocy of my sister. She hadn¡¯t had the pleasure of Aiko before, and seemed to have taken to her quite well. ¡°You know, Aiko-chan... I can call you that right?¡± My sister nodded, and she continued. ¡°You are a lot like Akio here, aren¡¯t you? He¡¯s always coming back injured, isn¡¯t he Shaeula?¡±


    Hey, back me up here! I pleaded silently, to no avail, as Shaeula sold me out, as she tended to do when other girls were involved. You know, I think I¡¯m staring to understand why. Without her mother, and her one sister being rather a tomboy from her description, and the maids being well... largely traitorous bad influences, Shaeula hungers for genuine female comradeship. I suppose I can¡¯t be too upset then... ¡°Yes, well, injuries in battle are to be expected and can not-not be avoided, but Akio is willing to endure anything to grow-grow stronger, why, to train his Ether Healing, he...¡± she then regaled them with a brutally-honest tale of how we used the dangerous spores to train, despite the pain. I tried not to listen as I worked my Healing on my sister, and she groaned as the old, burned flesh flaked off, revealing pink, healthy skin beneath. I just need to check for internal damage, and... done.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome. No more pain, and not even a scar.¡± Aiko wiggled her fingers. ¡°I can do archery again... ouch!¡± I cuffed her around the head, not hard, but enough to show my displeasure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stupid again , all right?¡± We are going to have long words about this later, and she isn¡¯t going to enjoy it!


    ¡°Stupid? I think you are being quite the hypocrite here, Aki. We heard Shaeula¡¯s story just fine.¡± My mom said, taking a sip of the tea Hyacinth had prepared. ¡°Oh wow, this is good. And as a Brit, I know tea!¡± She grinned at Hyacinth. ¡°So, you were hugging my boy when we arrived. Are you his new girl? Damn, my son is so sinful. He¡¯s definitely going for a football team made up of his wives!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like an explanation too. Did you know about this?¡± Eri asked Hinata, who was in the corner with Motoko and Natsumi. They had met my parents back in Nishimorioka, but they were only prospective partners then, not fiance?es like now, so their nerves were getting to them.


    ¡°No, Eri. I promise.¡± Hinata spoke for her. ¡°We only knew he had a sixth girl, not who it was. We won¡¯t keep secrets from you, we promised...¡± Hinata looked at me then, before shutting her mouth. Auntie Hana, Uncle Junpei and my father were looking incredibly displeased, but that was only to be expected.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m glad I got chosen to offer the hospitality of the shrine.¡± Kana grinned. ¡°It¡¯s pretty funny seeing you suffer like this, Akio. You deserve it though, you heart breaker.¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I am nooot master¡¯s woman, I am his servant, his maid! Tend hearth and hooome, cook the meals, warm the bed, looooook after the children, service the master when he is in the mooooood...¡± Hyacinth denied it, shaking her head, her long hair cascading, shimmering green and purple.


    ¡°Warm the bed? Service the master?¡± My father was fuming, clenching his fists as if he wished to hit me. ¡°Son, just what have you...¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything!¡± I denied the accusations. Ever since I confessed to my father what I¡¯d been doing these last few months, the instinctive fear of him had diminished a lot, and I felt we were on a similar footing now. ¡°I would never abuse my position of her being a servant to force her into that. I mean, come on. Don¡¯t you remember this conversation last time and how it went? Jumping to conclusions is bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... then it was only Shaeula. Now you have all these others.¡± Uncle Junpei said, and I couldn¡¯t refute that.


    ¡°Little Eri, what do you think?¡± Auntie asked. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it, but... everyone is here now, so it seems this might be the best time to be open about everything.¡±


    Everyone? I looked at Kana quizzically, and she shrugged, returning a slight smile.


    ¡°Yes, I think that best. We girls, we talked. As for what was said, that is for us girls to know. It¡¯s our secret. I have to say, I didn¡¯t see this happening. I was so happy when Akio accepted my confession.¡± She looked at me, her dark eyes moist, and she did look happy, which was awful for my guilt. ¡°And I¡¯m still happy, even with these... these annoyances.¡± She sighed. ¡°Look around? We have nobility, I didn¡¯t even know Japan even had those, I thought only Auntie Emily would be from a country with nobles.¡± as my mom giggled, nodding her agreement, she continued. ¡°And we have Fae, creatures from myth.¡± Shaeula smirked at that. ¡°And a shrine maiden, whose kami has been brought to this world by none other than our Akio here.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes that¡¯s true, but I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m being brought into this.¡± Kana said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to show our hospitality, as the family of our great benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... from what Eri said, and from what I can see, you totally like my big bro, right Kana-chan?¡± Aiko piped up.


    ¡°Well yes, of course I do.¡± Kana agreed, surprising me, though I had an inkling, as the way she talked to me recently had been significantly more intimate, though she never made a move or any suggestions regarding it. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d ever be accepted. After all, you hate me quite a bit, don¡¯t you, Mori-senpai, and Akio won¡¯t do something you all truly hate, will he? For a man who can take a bullet to the face without flinching and defeat beings from myth and legend, he sure is under the thumb.¡± She grinned sourly, taking a sip of her own tea, purring at the excellent taste, nodding politely at Hyacinth, who was quite overawed by the atmosphere of having all the mistresses in one place. ¡°And I have my pride. That and my looks are all I ever had until now. I know I¡¯m shallow, so what? We never had anything to boast about before. My grades at school are middling, I¡¯m not exactly sporty. But boys always liked my looks. Still, I¡¯m not a cheap girl. I wanted my boyfriend to be someone special, handsome, rich... madly in love with me. And he isn¡¯t, and he won¡¯t be.¡± She let out a long sigh, and I could hear the bitterness. ¡°I¡¯m too proud to ask, and I¡¯m not going to beg you to like me, Mori-senpai. I mean, there are plenty of other guys out there. I have other things to boast about now, I¡¯m special.¡± Her sad smile turned to a grin, though it looked fake to me. ¡°So, don¡¯t mind me. At least I don¡¯t feel bad losing to you girls. My pride can handle that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you. You¡¯re so false.¡± Eri said, and then her gaze softened a bit. ¡°But you seem a bit better than last time I saw you. Akio has a good influence on those around him. Shaeula told me that. We¡¯ve all changed, thanks to him.¡±


    ¡°Though she also said the reason you and I were so messed up in the first place is because we learned the wrong things from him, Eri!¡± my sister chortled. My parents and the Mori¡¯s were listening to this closely, their expressions different. My mom¡¯s was happy, while father and uncle looked grim, and auntie was unsure. ¡°Still, I get it. Every girl dreams of being special to someone. I¡¯m a girl, I get it. But my bro, he¡¯s destined for bigger things it seems. But you, Kana-chan, I think you¡¯re all right! You seem fun!¡±


    ¡°I think I like you too, Aiko-chan.¡± Kana returned her praise. ¡°You¡¯re cute, and you don¡¯t seem bitchy about it. Plus, you must have the patience of a saint, putting up with her all these years.¡± She gestured with her head to Eri, who pursed her lips yet said nothing.


    ¡°Hey now...¡± I interjected, only for mom to shush me. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Aki. Girls get like this. They are feeling each other out, and sometimes we do that by being mean. Boys do the same, right, alpha male stuff? Remember the baseball?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± I groaned. ¡°I got carried away. At that point I was fighting trolls and worse, and I used that strength to bully an immature kid. Even if he was a prick.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you still won, right?¡± Uncle said, surprising me. ¡°I wanted my little girl to be your one and only. But... she¡¯s still so happy. She never expressed herself like this before. Showing how much she dislikes someone, she¡¯d always have been too shy before. And the training... she throws herself into it with such a smile, no matter how hard. Though she¡¯s not stupid enough to burn herself for it.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± My sis protested. ¡°I¡¯m a tactile thinker, my volleyball coach says. And it worked! Bro did the same too with those spores, so I¡¯m just following him again! I can¡¯t be blamed!¡± Oh, I think you can be. But not now.


    ¡°That¡¯s for later.¡± Eri said, stopping the derailment. ¡°This is for now. We¡¯ve laid the groundwork, but... we need to make everything clear, and have you on board, Akio. Else there¡¯ll just be chaos. I love you. I love Shaeula. I can be happy with the three of us.¡±


    What about Hinata and the others? My thoughts were soon answered, as Eri repeated the sentiments she offered when we were making love on her birthday. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you girls. And Akio likes you, and you offer him a lot. If he was just a normal man working a normal job, then I wouldn¡¯t accept it, I¡¯d tell you all to piss off and find your own man, but... I¡¯m first wife. Shaeula may have given me the role so I¡¯d accept her too, or maybe to push off the troublesome crap to me...¡±


    At that Shaeula looked away nervously, giggling. Eri glared at her, before continuing. ¡°... but we all promised we¡¯d make sure we all were loved and had his love, and that none of us would ever be sad. Look around, nothing about life now is normal. We can¡¯t reach for ordinary happiness. It won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Akio said that he would marry us all. Not mistresses, concubines or clouded relationships.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°I get it. The only way this could ever work is if everyone agrees to stand on the same stage.¡±


    ¡°I think what would make me sadder is if you continue to see yourself that way. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like it if you could be more than just a servant. If it makes you happy to serve, then do it as much as you want. Just... be more than that too. Be more to me, to us!¡±


    ¡°You would be a fool-fool to turn down Akio now.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°You are one of the slayers of Myrcolaxriath, none shall look down on you, and if they do, well then...¡± she grinned balefully. ¡°Akio shall surely smite them. I too will rage-rage and crush any who does!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Hyacinth cried, throwing her arms around me, wailing. ¡°I never wish tooo leave! Hyacinth is happy! If master wishes, I can be a mistress! Thooough I will always respect and serve the other mistresses!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for now.¡± I returned her hug, and surprised by my boldness, I kissed her. Her tongue tangled mine, and I could hear my sister complaining I was soiling her eyes again, not that I had time to pay her any attention. As our lips parted, she giggled. ¡°Master, I looove you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t feel so great watching Akio pick up another girl in front of me, but... it¡¯s hard not to feel sorry for her.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°See?¡± she addressed our parents. ¡°Akio isn¡¯t frivolous. So accept this, and accept them. I¡¯d hate to have to fall out over this.¡±


    ¡°She swings a mean axe, don¡¯t let the YandEri get you!¡± my sis joked. ¡°Seriously, bro. Congratulations, I guess? And to you too, Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°As the sister of the master, I shall serve yooou too!¡± Hyacinth promised, still rubbing at her lips soaked with my spit, giggling.


    "So, yeah. this makes me feel kind of bad. can I go?" Kana asked, and Eri shot her a flat look.


    ¡°I know you said you couldn¡¯t be proud of your brains...¡± Eri began, and Kana interrupted her sourly.


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t say that, I said my grades were nothing special.¡±


    ¡°Huh, well, whatever. But it¡¯s up to you. I think it¡¯s pretty clear what is going on here. But anyway...¡± Eri turned to the others. ¡°Honesty time. Are there any others on the horizon? I¡¯d like to firm up our stance now. I know you mentioned a possible arranged marriage to this Sakura girl. I don¡¯t like it, but...¡±


    That¡¯s Hinata¡¯s cousin, right? I don¡¯t need any more noble marriages, I have plenty.


    ¡°Yeah, but maybe it might be Miyu instead now. That makes sense.¡± Hinata said, thinking, and I had to protest.


    ¡°No way. Miyu and Michiru-san are totally into each other.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Hinata shrugged. ¡°Would you stop them if you married Miyu? I know you wouldn¡¯t. Besides, that would be a good marriage for her, as you are rather understanding, and as your vassal, she knows you¡¯ll look after her. But well, it might not happen. Sakura still strikes me as the logical choice.¡±


    ¡°Okay, any more?¡± Eri asked.


    ¡°I fear there might-might be an arranged marriage from the Seelie Court in time.¡± Shaeula chimed in. ¡°The Prince of the Elves wishes closer ties to us, since-since our glorious reclamation of the Spring. I do suppose he could engage Aiko to one of his sons instead...¡±


    ¡°No way. My sis isn¡¯t getting lumbered with arranged marriages!¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rule it out yet bro. A pretty-boy elf sounds kinda hot! But yeah, no commitments or arrangements, I¡¯m too young for marriage anyway, and I¡¯d want it to be a love match. Besides, the way you said that kinda makes me feel bad for Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°We know he doesn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Hinata laughed. ¡°He is very overprotective of you, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Sure is, a big bro that isn¡¯t super siscon isn¡¯t a true big bro moonstone. Seriously though, elves huh? I bet elf girls are gorgeous. Feeling threatened, Eri?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± she snorted. ¡°An Akio who doesn¡¯t love me the most is clearly an imposter.¡± She echoed my sis. ¡°So, that¡¯s it then? Two more maybe?¡±


    As everyone nodded, she turned to me. ¡°And you? Any more girls like Hyacinth you are keeping from us? Seriously, I promise I¡¯m not mad, neither are our parents. I think they get it now. This isn¡¯t a normal situation. So, if there are any girls, any at all, that you have your eye on, best tell us now. We need to vet them, and prepare.¡±


    Well, one does come to mind, but she¡¯d never want me... ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s only one other girl I¡¯ve ever really been interested in, and she¡¯s just a good friend. She¡¯s got high pride. You get it, right Kana?¡±


    ¡°Do I? I think so, but... sorry Akio, you made all these girls here accept sharing you. It¡¯s crazy, but I think you underestimate yourself. Maybe you could get her if you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll get the details later. But just one, you promise?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I swear. I mean, I used to quite like Aimi-chan, but she¡¯s got a serious boyfriend. So yeah, just one girl.¡±


    ¡°Great. Now we know what we are working with. Well, almost.¡± Eri scowled at Kana again. ¡°It¡¯s time to get these perfect networks you were offering.¡± Eri¡¯s smile turned bright then. ¡°Anything that makes us stronger is great, right Aiko?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready! Shaeula, get down to it!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I can not-not today!¡± Shaeula shrugged, her eyes tired. ¡°I am too-too low on aether. Akio will have-have to do the Chirurgery. His skills have exceeded mine now anyway.¡±


    ¡°No way. Eri and father are fine, Uncle Junpei too. But I¡¯m not doing mom, auntie or my sis. Too embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? You told me it was only my underwear, so not to worry.¡± Kana said meanly, and Eri chuckled, though I felt there was little humour in it.


    ¡°I see. Well, we¡¯ll be talking about this later, anyway. Aiko, you don¡¯t mind do you? After all, you wore that risque? bikini in Las Vegas. This is nothing different. As for you, mother. Akio has no interest in you, and you¡¯ll be his mother-in-law, suck it up. I know you don¡¯t care, auntie Emily.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Mom giggled, her sapphire eyes twinkling. ¡°Come on Aki, stop being a baby. We flew a long way to get here, man up! The helicopter was awesome by the way, thanks again, Hinata dear. You¡¯ll make a fine daughter-in-law! I¡¯m set for life!¡±


    ¡°Why thank you, mother-in-law.¡±


    As the girls bantered, I sighed. Eri¡¯s actually right. It is nothing to be embarrassed about, unless I had weird thoughts in the first place, which I don¡¯t. Still, this is going to tire me out. ¡°Okay, guys first. Just to be warned though, this hurts, much more than the previous time.¡±


    ¡°Probably not as much as seeing my daughter¡¯s fiance? secure his sixth wife! I don¡¯t know how Arab fathers manage the pain.¡± Junpei grinned weakly. ¡°Still, Eri is right. Seeing the process does make us understand it better. You aren¡¯t being trash.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Son, I promise to stop jumping to conclusions. You are shouldering a lot, and not making decisions lightly. I may disapprove, but... it¡¯s your life. Just do not screw up, as I won¡¯t help you pick up the pieces.¡±


    Praise from father. Again! Damn, this truly is a bigger miracle than anything so far...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Five

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Five


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s strange. I¡¯ve worn swimsuits with less fabric around you before, but since it was my underwear, I felt super embarrassed.¡± Aiko remarked, glad to be putting on her clothes again. ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt as much as you said, either.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re a girl after all, Ai.¡± My mom said with a wan smile. ¡°Underwear and swimsuits are psychologically different. As for it not hurting... lucky. I was in agony, I can¡¯t believe my Aki would do that to us!¡± she pouted.


    ¡°Wow, rude! I am a girl, a totally cute one.¡± My sis protested. ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it bro? I¡¯m very girly!¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± I agreed, patting her head in mock-praise. She joined my mother in pouting, cheeks puffed out at my response, so I turned to our other parents. ¡°Are you three all right? You took it especially hard, Auntie.¡± I had to stop three times during her Chirurgery to let her recover from the pain a bit, but now we were done at least.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t fun, little Aki. Not at all. But you are right. I am starting to feel better already.¡±


    ¡°The exercises work better now.¡± Father observed, as he sat cross-legged in a meditative position, concentrating on drawing in ether. ¡°Though I suspect a lot of that is that it is this shrine, am I right?¡± That¡¯s my father, he¡¯s no fool, never has been.


    ¡°Yeah, the ether density is a lot higher here, which means you naturally find it easier to absorb more of it. Though you aren¡¯t wrong, the perfected basic network should have an easier time anywhere.¡± I continued explaining, again emphasising my warnings that if they ever wished to enter the Boundary, which I did not recommend, to enter in Chairoakitara shrine, as that area was secure. I know Inuyama is a fair distance away, but it still makes me paranoid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± My sis smirked, her mood improved as she started moving her body, now fully dressed, stretching and crunching to relieve the ache in her muscles. ¡°My bro is a real worrywart, he says the same to me and Eri!¡±


    ¡°As he should.¡± My father supported me, surprising me a little. Aiko looked shocked, but father continued. ¡°Your brother knows more about all this than you do, and it can be extremely dangerous. He doesn¡¯t want to see you hurt, you should know that from his reaction to your burned hand. Neither do we, Aiko. As your parents, we want you to be happy and healthy.¡±


    Aiko looked down. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± she sighed then. ¡°But I also want to join in. I don¡¯t want to be left behind.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be, stupid. Eri and I, we¡¯ve always been by your side, haven¡¯t we? Nothing has changed even now, only that Shaeula and the others are joining in. The more the merrier, right?¡±


    ¡°It certainly is for you bro, I¡¯m like a tagalong for your harem.¡± Her pout was back, but I could tell she was putting it on, mostly, anyway. ¡°But yeah, I get it. It¡¯s just hard seeing how Eri is soaring ahead of me. I was the one who always had to look out for her. And Shaeula, well, I can¡¯t complete, can I?¡±


    ¡°Well, no matter how pissed off I am about your reckless methods, you mastered flame element, right? I¡¯ll be asking you to give me a rundown when we enter the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Eri did too, so my advantage was short-lived.¡± My sis shook her head in irritated denial.


    ¡°You need to understand the mind of a girl, little Aki.¡± Auntie Hana chided me. ¡°Poor Ai is feeling the pressure from being surrounded by a lot of rivals for your attention. After all, she doesn¡¯t want you to forget about her, right Ai?¡±


    My sis flushed a bright crimson, looking down again, embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I need you to pay attention to me, bro. Not at all. I have plenty going on. It¡¯s just... oh, screw it. We promised, didn¡¯t we? Back in Nishimorioka, and in Vegas too. We were never going to drift apart again. And I feel like you and Eri are flying ahead, while I flounder, struggling for every little gain.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, I get it.¡± I nodded, patting her head again. ¡°We¡¯re all changing, but we know what we don¡¯t want to change. So... how about the light element? If you mastered that, it¡¯d be an edge only you have.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to blow it.¡± She admitted. ¡°So I haven¡¯t tried yet. I was hoping Shaeula could help me?¡±


    ¡°Fine, well, when we enter the Boundary, I¡¯ll have a coaching session as well as showing everyone around my Territory. I¡¯ll have to... wait a sec, hold on.¡± My phone had started ringing, so I pulled it out, wondering if it was Haru-san, but it turned out to be Shiro.


    ¡°Oh hey Shiro, thanks for calling back.¡± I said brightly, trying to ignore the curious stares of my sis and the rest of the family. ¡°I wanted to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Shirohime, I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve told you that, Aki. And of course I guessed you wanted to talk to me, I had a missed call. It isn¡¯t like you to ring me, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got me there. Still, it isn¡¯t like you to not answer, either. I don¡¯t need an answerphone, I¡¯m always available, remember?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± she paused, a touch embarrassed. ¡°... a real man wouldn¡¯t throw that in my face. Even I have things I need to do. Lectures for one. Even though I¡¯ve already passed all the classes, I still have minimum attendance requirements. It¡¯s honestly so stupid, but...¡± her voice dropped. ¡°... I get a medical exemption, so my numbers are reduced quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°I see. That makes sense. Oh, well, anyway, I wanted to ask you if you are free this weekend to go out?¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Already?¡± Shiro was surprised, probably that I was the one initiating, as well, as usually it was Aimi-chan or Hayato-san who got us together. ¡°I know we said we should catch up more, but it¡¯s only been a couple of weeks, Aki. I doubt everyone has the time or money for another meetup. Oh well, I forgot you were pulling in decent cash now, right? Even so... I¡¯m just a poor, hungry student.¡± She paused then, before putting on her best wheedling tone. ¡°Besides, you should be spending the time working on my game right? You promised to help me more, right? Since you feel sorry for poor little beautiful Shirohime, working her fingers to the bones, wasting away like some kind of pale ghost.¡±


    ¡°As I recall, I promised to think about it. I¡¯m snowed under with work at the moment, but when I get some leeway, I can do a bit.¡± With my stats I can probably grind out a week or so¡¯s worth in half a day.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve said it now, so no takebacks.¡± Shiro declared grandly. ¡°Trust me Aki, you don¡¯t want to be going back on a deal. It isn¡¯t worth the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay.¡± I said, curious at her attempts to make me agree. ¡°So, are you free this weekend then?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say...¡± she began, but with a smile I interrupted her.


    ¡°No, sorry, I meant just you, not the others. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll cover the bills, we can¡¯t have a poor hungry student pay and go without her noodles and cup ramen, can we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I eat healthily. I have to.¡± She denied me, before pausing. A long uncomfortable silence extended out, broken only by the sniggering of my listening sister, before Shiro spoke again, her tone... conflicted. ¡°Look, Aki. I don¡¯t want things to get weird between us. I¡¯m sort of wishing I never really told you what I did in that taxi. Things between us were comfortable before. So if you just feel sorry for me then don¡¯t. I hate that. I made a deal with myself that I¡¯d never give in and wallow in self-pity like my parents did.¡±


    ¡°So, where is my brother and Selensha?¡± Shaeula was asking, and Velna shook her head. ¡°He is to the south, leading his forces, princess. He did-did declare he would seize the coast for you. I can send-send a runner to alert him to your return?¡±


    ¡°Do so.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But tell him he can finish up what he is doing. I shall remain here for some-some time before returning to the Spring.¡±


    ¡°Master, mistresses. Eat, eat!¡± Hyacinth declared, bringing over some of the fruit she and Asha were growing. Hinata took a bite, and her eyes went wide at the incredible taste, so unlike mortal fruits. ¡°This... this could sell. If only we could bring it back to the Material.¡± Her business mind was whirring with possibilities.


    ¡°All right, you¡¯ll have plenty of time for exploration later.¡± I clapped my hands, and everyone looked at me. ¡°First, we need a brief orientation. We¡¯ll do it by the main shrine. Then it¡¯s training time.¡± I looked at Aiko, who glanced away, whistling innocently, knowing me well enough to know I was still angry.


    On route we passed Bjarki¡¯s forge, and Ixitt and the ratkin were working outside. On seeing us, Ixitt brightened, tail lashing. He rushed over, grinning. ¡°So, you brought your wives then, Akio? How delightful. And you are back too, young lady.¡± He nodded at Kana, who shrugged.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Hinata asked, and she was shocked to find it was Ixitt. It was then she noticed a sparkling pile of silvery metal on a table. ¡°Pretty. What metal is that?¡±


    I think I know. ¡±Ixitt, you haven¡¯t been dismantling anything you shouldn¡¯t, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, I assure you, all I have done is remove a bit from some of your upgrading buildings. All that does is pull in a little ether to repair the deficit. Your supply is plentiful, you can spare some for me. I assure you it will be well worth it!¡± he paused then. ¡°I do need more knowledge though. Mortal science is fascinating. I trust I can return when I need to access more of this internet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t cause Karen-chan trouble or you¡¯ll be barred. If you need any particular technical manuals or textbooks, Karen-chan can give you a budget.¡±


    As we hashed out the details, I noticed Eri and Aiko were talking to Shaeula, mirror in hand. ¡°So, I was hoping you could pour in more light element. I¡¯m not confident I¡¯ll get it in one go.¡±


    ¡°I am quite-quite low on aether. I would rather not-not, if possible.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°I did much Chirurgery tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Her face fell, and that gave me an idea, my grin wicked. Beside me, Ren-san shivered, his intuition kicking in. Well, it won¡¯t hurt him... it¡¯s good training, after all...


    ********


    ¡°So, time runs differently here, usually faster, so it¡¯s not only the ether density here that makes it the perfect place to train. So I¡¯m counting on you all to take charge.¡± I looked at Kana and the girls, as well as Ren-san. ¡°Remember, I can¡¯t stress this enough. Only enter the Boundary at the shrine, as you are protected here by my Territory. I don¡¯t want to come back one day to hear that one of the trainees is badly injured or dead due to disregarding my warnings.¡±


    At their nods, I smiled. ¡°Okay then, time for your personalised training. Motoko, Natsumi. This here is Master Ulfuric, my teacher in combat arts.¡± I gestured to the imposing badgerkin, who had returned via the Ring Gate. He bowed politely.


    ¡°So, you are more of his wives, I see. Well, your stances are good, I can see you have a foundation in weapons.¡± He said in his usual booming voice.


    ¡°Indeed, we study the Tsumura family arts, passed down for generations.¡± Motoko said, excited. ¡°I shall be in your care, master of my husband.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are inexperienced, but eager to learn.¡± Natsumi joined Motoko in bowing, martial-arts fashion.


    ¡°Just go easy on them. They are still only human.¡± I warned, and Ulfuric snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Yes, but their foundations are solid. With the right work, I believe they can both be better than you with the sword and spear.¡±


    At his praise the girls looked delighted, validated, and I chuckled myself. ¡°Yeah, probably. I relied too heavily on my stats at the start to cover for lack of skill. They don¡¯t have that problem, and the stats will come in time.¡± Eventually, when we get married, Lovers¡¯ Link...


    ¡°Hinata, you and Kana should try and learn an element. Kana, I think earth, since that is the basis of Shirohebi¡¯s strength. Hinata, wind for you. I¡¯ve wrote down what worked for us, and you can have Shaeula help with wind. I can help with earth later.¡± I looked at Ren-san then. ¡°Aiko, give Ren-san your mirror.¡±


    She cocked her head, confused. ¡°Okay bro, sure thing. Be careful with it, Ren-san, this is quite precious.¡±


    He took the mirror gingerly, and I addressed him. ¡°Okay, Ren-san, you have a natural powerful light element. All of you listen up. The foundation of strength, at least the way we learn, is the chakra network. We are fortunate to be working off a non-human one, that we have somehow made work. That¡¯s pretty much thanks to Shaeula.¡±


    She grinned, waving to accept their praise, even though it wasn¡¯t offered, so with a slight smile, I continued. ¡°The silver cord connecting your subtle bodies is important too. And then lastly, elemental abilities. Gaining and honing those is a sure route to power.¡±


    ¡°What about skills and levels, bro?¡± My sis asked, sticking up her hand like she was in class.


    ¡°Yeah, levels are important, but not something easy to get yet, but what levels give you is largely based on the quality of your silver cord and chakra networks, so improving them will never betray you. As for skills, yeah, important as well, but the foundations are what I¡¯ve said.¡± As everyone took that in, I turned to Ren-san again. ¡°So, you having a powerful, mutated element means you are a big deal.¡± I winked, stoking his ego. ¡°So to that end, you need to train it. Concentrate on outputting it into the mirror, which will absorb it. Practice both output and fine control, and you¡¯ll grow powerful quickly.¡± And Aiko will get a nice boost to the quality of the light energy she can try to absorb. Everyone wins.


    ¡°So, what about me and Eri, bro?¡± Aiko finished, satisfied as to why she had given away the mirror.


    ¡°Well Eri, you can use the Darkness energy around the Rhyming Tree, practise absorbing it and manipulating it. It¡¯ll be a trump card for you, so make the best of it.¡± At her nod, I then turned to Aiko, my smile wicked.


    ¡°As for you, my dear little sister sapphire, you are with me, for a special course of training, perfectly suited to an idiot who would burn her precious hand, putting kyudo and volleyball at risk, worrying her family and friends. Since you are so eager and willing to be reckless, I have just the regimen for you.¡±


    At my grin, she swallowed nervously, looking away. ¡°Well, shit. And here¡¯s me thinking you¡¯d be the best big bro and let this go...¡±


    ¡°No way. But don¡¯t worry, I am the best big brother, hence why I¡¯m going to educate you properly. You¡¯ll thank me for it one day!¡± Yeah, to be honest, I am a bit of a hypocrite, I¡¯d do it myself in a heartbeat. And I let Shaeula suffer with the spores too, though it hurt me. So I¡¯m not going to punish her... but I¡¯m not going easy on her either. I¡¯m going to show her the right way to be reckless...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Six

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Six


    ¡°So, uh, bro... go easy on me, all right?¡± My sis said as we found a quiet spot to train. My answering smile was kind, yet it still seemed to unnerve her a bit.


    ¡°Aiko.¡± I said seriously. ¡°I¡¯m angry, and you know why. But it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t understand. Don¡¯t think this is a punishment, it¡¯s training. You want to be stronger, and I want you to be stronger. I¡¯d have more peace of mind, and you wouldn¡¯t feel so irritated, left behind.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Fine. I may regret this, but I trust you bro! I¡¯ve shown I¡¯ll do whatever it takes, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I agreed. ¡°So, prepare yourself.¡± As my sister nodded, eyes damp, pumping her fists to motivate herself, I scanned her status, my Eye shining a majestic amber. ¡°Well, we have to see what we are working with first.¡±


    ¡°Nice, that looks just like Shaeula¡¯s eyes. Kind of cool, bro...¡± my sis said, but I wasn¡¯t listening, as I was reading the amber letters detailing her progress.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I approved. ¡°I¡¯m feeling less worried now I see your stats. You¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± my sis muttered, embarrassed, before gaining strength and declaring. ¡°Yeah. I have! Good job on noticing bro, now that you are a popular guy, you¡¯ve finally worked out how to compliment girls. Good job!¡± She gave me a thumbs-up to cover her embarrassment. ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict? Damn, it¡¯s so inconvenient we can¡¯t check our own status. Isn¡¯t that like... fundamental? That¡¯s what those two in class said, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think so, wouldn¡¯t you. But it seems that even a lot of the others like me don¡¯t get that. Anyway...¡± I read out her stats, and Aiko was pleased, though she noticed one thing that puzzled her.


    ¡°Hey, a skill has vanished. Unstable Lunar Chakra, or something like that, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think it was just a representation that your Eight Moons Chakra Network wasn¡¯t adapted properly for human use. But since we¡¯ve fixed that and your network has hit Rank 2, I guess there¡¯s no need for it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. So, I remember yours from before. Care to fill me in on your progress, bro?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing¡± I laughed, and after I was done, Aiko punched me in the arm, though gently, as she was learning. With her cheeks puffed out in an annoyed pout, she grumbled at me. ¡°Well bro, that is just so unfair. Are you even human with those numbers anymore? And your stat sheet is stuffed with skills, and a load of them are high level! And what¡¯s with all those classes? Even Eri has one and I¡¯ve got nothing... damn. Wow, now I¡¯m super pissed off!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget I had quite the head start and other advantages.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve made good progress too. I¡¯m impressed your archery has gone up, you must have put in a lot of effort leveraging your new stats. If it works like my combat skills though, you won¡¯t get any better without finding your own path or borrowing one from others. Combat Techniques is a nice pickup as well. I was going to recommend that and daggers too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed this last week I¡¯ve been able to hit the target pretty much every time, without much difficulty, even at longer distances than usual. My hands just do what I want without effort, and my eyesight is unreal. I reckon if I entered a tournament this year I¡¯d take first place. I¡¯ve also had to really try to not be too awesome at volleyball club. But hey, no changing the subject, bro! So, what¡¯s the training you are going to put me through?¡±


    ¡°Well, like I said, the keys to strength seem to be your chakra network and silver cord, as well as your elements. So we¡¯ll work on something that combines them all, as well as a little something else. Though... no, never mind.¡± I said, shaking my head, a look of mock-sadness on my face.


    ¡°Wow, don¡¯t do that bro, spill it. I can take it!¡± My sis said, pumped up for her special training. I guess being sporty, sis always did enjoy practise. To be honest, I get the appeal now, even if I never did before. Numbers going up is damn addictive.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I reached out and patted her head, my face showing a sad smile. ¡°Since my brave little sis sapphire is capable of bravely enduring savage burns just to grow stronger, there is one skill I think you should have. I was torn over whether to have you and Eri try for it, as the thought of the two of you suffering made me ill, but... well, you¡¯ve gone and grown up, right? So, I decided.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean...?¡± Aiko began, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Ether Healing. It¡¯s too good not to try for, though with how little Aether you have compared to us, I doubt you¡¯d be able to get more than a rank or two. Even so, it offers a ton of benefits, and for a girl about to go out into the wide world, it¡¯s a handy skill to have.¡± You do hear horror stories about spiked drinks and so on at uni. I doubt it happens much, at least I never saw any at my uni, but just the thought of it... no, resistance to drugs, poisons and foreign substances is something I want all my girls to have.


    My sis looked around then, as if she expected Hyacinth to jump out, but I laughed at that, amused. ¡°No, the spores are the advanced course. No way you¡¯d learn anything from that right now, and I don¡¯t want to hurt my precious sister for no reason. We¡¯ll start slow, and try and develop your true lunar chakra as well, as it¡¯s stronger than any of the other seven as far as I can tell, and you already have fire element. This is going to be tough, but it¡¯s what we both wanted, right?¡±


    ¡°You know it!¡± she laughed, holding out her palm, while a ball of yellow flame blazed above it. ¡°So, I¡¯m not scared of hard work! In fact, I¡¯ve always been less lazy than you! Hit me with it, what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Fine. To learn Ether Healing, it was a multi-step process. The first... well, sorry sis.¡± Even though I want to teach her not to be reckless, this is still hard for me. Still, what brother would want to hurt his sister? No brother I¡¯d like to know, that¡¯s for sure. This wasn¡¯t for pleasure or punishment. It was a skill she needed. The others too. It won¡¯t just be my sis learning from this, I will as well, as if I can teach her, I can teach Eri and the others too.


    ¡°I get it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Healing, huh? I have to be hurt to heal. Makes sense. Just... just go easy on me bro. Please.¡± She winked at me, trying to be endearing, and I gently rapped her forehead with my knuckles.


    ¡°Easier than you went with the fire huh? Well, sure.¡± I took her hand. ¡°Hold still, this is going to sting." She squeezed shut her eyes as I drew on a thin strand of wind energy, and pierced clean through her palm. She let out a yelp of pain, before closing her mouth, muscles in her jaws working. Blood both silver and red splattered from the wound, and I felt an instinctive sense of revulsion that I was harming my sister, just as I had felt with Shaeula and the spores, but I hardened my heart, Resilience working overtime to keep me calm.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I said, and my sister opened her eyes, her blue ones meeting mine, resolute despite the tears that were accumulating. ¡°You need to feel aether moving through your body to heal the injury, but that¡¯s the easy part, sadly. You could just use aether to heal it with the proper image, but that¡¯s not what we are doing. This is much more fundamental than merely using aether manipulation. Anyway, once you master that, the next, far harder step begins.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± She squeezed shut her eyes again to help her concentration, and with my Eye I could see aether moving through her network. Still, her command of it was one I could call rudimentary, if I was being charitable.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t moving it right. You are making the wound heal through aether manipulation, not through your body.¡± I chided her, reopening the closing wound suddenly, causing her to yelp.


    ¡°Fuck bro!¡± she swore, unusual for her. ¡°Give me a warning before you pierce me like that.¡±


    ¡°Phrasing.¡± I snickered, and she flushed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll get it, I will. The first time I picked up a bow I could barely draw the string. And when I did, I sliced open my fingers, remember?¡±


    You know, I think I do. There are still some extremely faint scars on her fingers from that, but you can only really see them when she gets a suntan in summer. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve always been reckless. Oh well, keep at it. But you might want to...¡± using my Eye, I could see the flow of aether in her body, through her recently perfected network. This intense training was doing a good job at flushing out the debris of the Chirurgery and strengthening the new capillaries and lesser chakras, but Aiko was rapidly running out of aether, so I placed my hand on her belly. Her eyes snapped open at my touch.


    ¡°Wow bro, I said don¡¯t shock me like that. What are you doing?¡± she asked, and I answered that I was giving her a boost. Aether flooded from me, cascading into her network. A lot of it was wasted, but enough was usable for her.


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯m all full of energy again!¡± she grinned. ¡°This time, I¡¯m getting it for sure!¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± I sighed. Even with the power of my Eye, it was a little hard to see the exact path the aether was taking as her clothes obscured it. ¡°All right, shirt off.¡± I declared.


    ¡°This again, huh? Looks like you got a taste for me in my underwear, Eri will be devastated... ouch!¡± once more I rapped her head, and she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just lightening the mood, bro. Don¡¯t be such a grouch...¡±


    ¡°I know. But I have others I want to tutor a bit too, so there¡¯s no time for messing around. It isn¡¯t often we get an opportunity for everyone to be together like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± She sighed, unbuttoning her blouse and setting it aside. ¡°Well, here goes.¡±


    Yeah, I see it. There¡¯s the problem. ¡°Some debris has gathered here.¡± I poked her shoulder and base of her ribs. ¡°It¡¯s diverting the flow. Flush them out with concentrated aether... yeah, just like that...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Seriously, your Eye is a cheat and a half, bro.¡± My sis said, flexing her healed hand again. ¡°I wish I had one too. The colour is pretty as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve definitely grown to love that colour.¡± I agreed. As my sister laughed and said she¡¯d definitely tell Shaeula that, I moved onto the next part, the hardest part. ¡°All right. Now you¡¯ve mastered healing the astral body, you have to realise the link between the material and the astral, and use your aether to heal that too.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, my real body is being all sliced up by you bro. Ugh, you should be grateful you have a sister who is prepared to endure all that pain and blood for you!¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re phrasing it that way on purpose now.¡± I chided her again, though I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was great to be on such good terms with my sister again. ¡°In any case, your hand.¡± I took the offered hand and pierced it several times. Aiko barely even flinched now, having grown used to it over the last few hours. ¡°That should be enough damage to be working with on the Material. Now, this time, instead of taking in ether from your silver cord, this time you are pushing aether through it and back to your material body. This step is hard.¡± Once you realise the bodies are linked and how, and condition aether to move to heal both of them, then the silver cords and subtle bodies change to absorb and disperse healing aether naturally...


    ¡°Well, with you in my corner, I can do it, right?¡± My sister was hyped up, and that lasted about ten minutes, until she was grinding her teeth in frustration. ¡°Damn, how the hell do you do this, bro? It¡¯s like pushing treacle through a sieve, it just doesn¡¯t want to go!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember that. Really, it¡¯s just a case of practise and focus. Having the proper image and control is important, and you are trying with skills far less developed than I had.¡±


    ¡°Yeah keep bragging about your high numbers bro.¡± she sighed. ¡°Hang on, maybe...¡± she closed her eyes, and adopted a strange pose. One I recognised, her feet and body-line placed very specifically, even though her hands were empty. That¡¯s Ashibumi, right? Placing the feet. Now she¡¯s moving into Do?zukuri. Her body was straight and proud, and her arms stretched out, even though she held no bow, mimicking the three stages of Yugamae.


    That¡¯s incredible. No wonder Kyudo is a spiritual art. Her aether was reacting to her will as she focused, and her silver cord was pulling in aether at a fairly decent rate for its low level. Spiritual Kyu?do? is no joke. I expect Motoko and Natsumi will be able to achieve similar heights with the Tsumura techniques, though they are more martial in essence...


    At Ulfuric¡¯s nod, I grabbed a spear. ¡°Fine then, Natsumi. Show me what you¡¯ve got!¡±


    ¡°With pleasure!¡± she cried boldly. ¡°I¡¯ve learned so much in just a brief time here under your master. This is heaven, is it not, Motoko? We can fight and train as much as we want!¡±


    Heaven, huh? Ulfuric is a hard taskmaster. Let¡¯s see if you still say that after a few more sessions. Still, keeping the smile off my face, I attacked, my spear darting out, only for Natsumi to knock it away, countering with a swift thrust. Motoko and Kazumi-san were facing off against Ulfuric again, and as another sharp stab whizzed past my face, I found I had no time to worry about them...


    ********


    ¡°So, I bet I¡¯m the last, huh? Not that I should complain.¡± Kana was saying, as she sat in a meditative position, watched over by several white snakes, the ruby energies of earth surrounding the Earth Altar being drawn slowly into her body. To one side was a pale-faced Ren-san, who to his credit was still concentrating on the mirror in his hand, trickles of gold and indigo energies sparking into faint life before being drawn into the polished surface. ¡°Though you did say you¡¯d be helping me with my training. So I can¡¯t help but be a little disappointed.¡± She looked a bit frustrated too, so I apologised.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. My sister took a fair while to assist. But you aren¡¯t last. I haven¡¯t seen Eri yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I can¡¯t compete against your sister, now can I? Though I¡¯m ahead of her, huh? She won¡¯t be pleased. Oh well, you can make it up to me now, right?¡± her smile turned bright. ¡°I¡¯m struggling a bit. And I¡¯m starting to really ache.¡±


    ¡°Right, let me take a look.¡± I agreed, my Eye glowing.


    ¡°Do I have to strip again?¡± she grinned, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Not for this, it doesn¡¯t look to be too delicate a work.¡± I placed my hand on her stomach, allowing aether to flow, soothing the minor yet accumulating damage around her root chakra, where earth energies were slowly accumulating, yet since they weren¡¯t under control they were being used by the network like aether, which Shaeula warned me was harmful, back when I first tried to master wind. Even so, the damage isn¡¯t severe. I daresay it would recover in time. Though with repeated exposure without success, it might cause permanent harm, maybe...


    ¡°That tickles and is pretty shivery.¡± Kana shuddered. ¡°Still, whatever you are doing is helping. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You know, I was thinking. Your gift is a visual one, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah, I would say it was pretty useless, but it found you, so maybe it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I think we need to work on that as well. With the ability to see what you are doing, all this training is far easier. Not easy, but still.¡±


    ¡°So, how would I go about doing that?¡± Kana asked, interested.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I¡¯m going to look deep into you now, it might feel a little strange, but it¡¯ll help me assess you better.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I guess it¡¯s too late to mind that now.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to strip?¡± she winked, enjoying embarrassing me.


    With a chuckle, I focused my gaze, trying to locate her ability, just as I did with Ren-san¡¯s, though his was easier, as I knew it was light-related, so likely to be around the third eye chakra. Still, I had no idea with Kana, so I had to scan her thoroughly.


    ¡°Yeah, that does feel uncomfortable. It¡¯s like you are peering into my soul. Damn, this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve toyed with my body, you really do need to take responsibility for that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, I¡¯m sorry, just bear with it, and I¡¯ll do whatever you want to make it up to you.¡± I said idly, my concentration engrossed in the search for her ability. In the end I managed to find it, and it was strange, not anchored to any main chakras, or even the lunar one, but tied to several minor ones around the eyes, which had tenuous links to the third eye chakra. I¡¯ve never seen anything quite like it...


    ¡°What is it? No takebacks.¡± Kana declared as I frowned, only to sigh as she realised I hadn¡¯t heard what she had said before it. ¡°That¡¯s an unpleasant face. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Your skill is just unusual. I guess I¡¯m too used to seeing elemental skills. This is more... well, a divine one, maybe, due to your heritage. Anyway, here goes...¡±


    She gasped and shivered ather erotically as I peered into her skill, but I paid it no mind. Here.


    Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden Rank 1:


    These eyes are a remnant of a divine blessing bestowed on the bloodline of a faithful worshipper, though the adherence that created this blessing has almost been exhausted. These degraded eyes were only capable of occasionally perceiving fragments of mystery, or sensing the surface thoughts of others during rare moments of stress, yet due to the increased flow of aether and stronger supporting network, these eyes are beginning to regain the form they possessed by her ancestors, allowing conscious control over the Eyes.


    ¡°So, how is it?¡± she continued to ask me, so I answered. ¡°Yeah, not bad. Eyes of the Shrine Maiden. Seems pretty apt. Apparently some ancestors of yours were blessed by a kami, but over the generations what created and powered the blessing was exhausted and it degenerated, hence why you had so little control or power.¡± I explained the rest.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it?¡± she asked, and I asked her what she meant by that.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you know a lot more about Eri, your sister and a few others? I don¡¯t get all my stats and skills? If not, how can I improve that skill and the others?¡±


    To think Kana has changed so. Originally she used to hate her shrine and all her duties. Now she seems keener than ever. ¡°Well, I only get full details on those I consider kin, or who have Lovers¡¯ Link. I¡¯m sorry. Maybe when my Eye levels up.¡±


    ¡°Right. I see.¡± Kana nodded. ¡°A shame. Still, you¡¯ll help me until I master the earth, right?¡±


    ¡°I sure will. But first, let me just check on Ren-san.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kana smiled, winking at me. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t keep a girl like me waiting too long, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got it.¡± I chuckled, waving her away. I approached the tired Ren-san, who glowered at me with his handsome face as I approached. ¡°I told you.¡± He said, and I cocked my head, confused. On seeing that, he snorted bitterly. ¡°Never mind. it doesn¡¯t matter, and you won¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so how¡¯s your training going?¡± I asked, and Ren-san shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s draining. I¡¯ve never done anything harder. Still, I think I¡¯ve improved.¡± He let out more soft light which was drained by the mirror.


    Yeah, but compared to what Shaeula does with the dagger, it¡¯s a trickle. My sis won¡¯t succeed with just that. ¡°Good job, it definitely looks stronger. But when Eri was practising with darkness, she also practised withdrawing darkness out of the mirror too. It¡¯s even better training for you, as you have a very high-quality mutated element.¡± Which I want to get for Aiko. It¡¯s like the Moonlight Spirit Water, it¡¯s too good not to share...


    ¡°Yes, I do. After all, our shrine is one of the most important outside of Kyoto, it only makes sense.¡± He stood taller, shining with pride, and I felt a little bad. Well it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m tricking him, really. He will grow stronger, it¡¯s just I¡¯m getting a side benefit too...


    After some further encouragement I watched him start extracting the light and absorbing it, using my Eye to correct him a few times. It sure would be great if Kana could develop her eyes more and she could help with this sort of thing. Shaeula and I have too many demands on our time as it is, and it¡¯s only going to get worse... Seeing Ren-san convert the store of light into mere trickles of sunlight, I bit down on a sigh. It looked like I would have to delay my plan to have my sis learn light element, until Ren-san had become better able to fill the mirror. She¡¯ll probably be relieved...


    I left Ren-san with a few last words of praise, keeping him motivated, before returning to Kana, who was watching me, amused.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know you that well, but I know you better. You had a wicked gleam in your eyes as you instructed him. Maybe you should buy my silence with some more training?¡± she smirked.


    ¡°Sure thing, I can spare a bit more time.¡± I laughed, demonstrating some of my own earth elemental abilities...


    *********


    Okay, I¡¯ve used up more time than I planned, but Kana is close to a breakthrough... Leaving her with fresh insights, I headed towards the graveyard, where the Dark Rhyming Tree was. When I arrived, I could see Eri and Hyacinth sitting under it, both talking softly, their expressions annoyed. As I approached, they both whipped their heads towards me, fixing me with hungry gazes, one black as obsidian, the other silver-violet.


    ¡°About damn time!¡± Eri snapped, reminding me of that time in Nishimorioka she went a bit mad on darkness element. ¡°Why did you keep me waiting so long?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master. Hyacinth is sad. Where were yooou?¡± They leapt to their feet and came rushing towards me, their faces changing between a myriad of emotions at a rapid pace.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Eri declared, grabbing one of my arms, while Hyacinth conjured vines that grabbed my other.


    ¡°We have yooou now, master! Nooo escape!¡±


    Sure, I could have easily avoided them, but it¡¯s Hyacinth and Eri, they mean me no harm. But... the way they were looking at me hungrily was making me distinctly uncomfortable, and as the darkness element swirled around us, I remembered it was an element deeply connected to negative emotions... Like jealousy, right? Well, damn...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Seven – R18/Contains Sex

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Seven ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked, and Hyacinth giggled, looking at Eri and I with warm eyes.


    ¡°Mistress was missing master. Hyacinth was listening tooo her, she loooves you a lot it seems!¡±


    Eri flushed, but she didn¡¯t deny it, pulling me close by my captured arm. ¡°Well of course I do. Unlike Shaeula, I don¡¯t get to see you as much as I¡¯d like. I understand it, and I know it¡¯s not forever, but I still get jealous. I know I shouldn¡¯t, I accepted Shaeula, but... it¡¯s hard sometimes.¡± She snuggled into me, seeking a kiss, so I didn¡¯t refuse. Our tongues tangled, and she sought me greedily. She guided my arm into her cleavage, the soft feeling slightly masked by the armoured gothic-lolita dress she wore. On seeing the slight look of disappointment on my face, her kisses became more frantic, as if she wished to devour me, and we were both breathless as we separated, saliva glittering on our lips.


    ¡°Still... no matter how jealous I get, how envious of Shaeula... all it takes is seeing you, touching you, to know you love me.¡± Eri¡¯s dark eyes were like limpid pools as she gazed at me, love clearly visible, and I felt warm in my chest, heart pounding. I¡¯ve made love to Eri a few times now, but every time it still feels exciting. To think my childhood friend could be this cute, no, this seductive!


    ¡°Thinking about having sex?¡± Eri grinned, face red. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. No, I want to. It¡¯s hard being at home alone. When I touch myself, thinking of you... but it¡¯s not the same.¡± She then asked me a surprising question. ¡°Do you... no, you wouldn¡¯t I guess. You have Shaeula. But... I¡¯m curious. When you are all alone, doing what guys do...¡± she went crimson, her flush intense. ¡°... who do you think of? Is it me?¡±


    Seriously? What a question... ¡°Uh, well, I¡¯ve not really had time recently. Not since I¡¯ve become a Candidate.¡±


    ¡°So, before?¡± she asked, insistent, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Not really, no. Before... I thought of you as just a young girl, a sister to me. Really, it was... other girls.¡±


    ¡°This one you like then?¡± Eri shook her head, disappointed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know her and I feel a bit defeated, as a woman. Seriously, I¡¯m beautiful, everyone says so.¡± She pushed against me again. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you never used to think of me that way. You¡¯re an idiot sometimes, Akio.¡± she struck me with her free hand, the small fists making gentle impacts. ¡°Still, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I was the one you turned to in the end. I¡¯ll always have that. But...¡± she closed her dark eyes. ¡°... it¡¯s all right to hope for more, right? For this happiness to continue forever?¡±


    My only answer was to sever the vines holding my other arm with a burst of wind. Hyacinth grinned, watching, as I pulled my free arm around Eri, tugging her close, forcing my lips onto hers. Her eyes remained shut, but her mouth loosened, and we kissed again. Once the wet sounds were done and we separated, I patted her on the head, stroking her hair like I used to, and she made noises of happiness, snuggling close.


    ¡°I get it. You¡¯re uneasy. It makes sense.¡± I sighed. ¡°Shaeula was one thing, but... Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi. You feel threatened, and I don¡¯t blame you. But whatever happens, I¡¯ll never abandon you. I love you Eri, I think I always have, as love is love, as Shaeula would say, right? Yes, it¡¯s not hoping for more, it¡¯s knowing there¡¯ll be more, endless days of joy. Though we¡¯ll have to fight for what we want to protect now, hence all the training.¡±


    ¡°So smooth.¡± Eri giggled. ¡°Sorry, I know I¡¯m needy and clingy. It seems worse when I¡¯m practising darkness, it¡¯s as if I can¡¯t keep my emotions bottled up anymore. But... I don¡¯t need to hide anything from you, do I?¡± When I shook my head, she grinned, a touch maliciously. ¡°Besides, I think you forgot a name, didn¡¯t you? What about Hyacinth here?¡±


    On hearing her name, Hyacinth twitched. ¡°Me, mistress?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you. I don¡¯t know you at all, but... you seem tormented by your past. I don¡¯t claim to know what you¡¯ve been through, and I think it¡¯s wrong to ask. I¡¯m just a stranger to you. But Akio isn¡¯t, is he? You like him, I know.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth does, I looove master.¡± She declared proudly.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the first wife, the first mistress, right?¡± Eri said, and I wondered where she was going with this.


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Hyacinth agreed, equally puzzled.


    ¡°Well then. I need your help, Hyacinth. We¡¯ve talked about it between us women, but you need to know as well. The rules. Akio, go over there a minute.¡± She finally released my arm, and shooed me away. ¡°And go far away, I know your hearing is too good!¡±


    ¡°Fine. How long do you need?¡±


    ¡°Five minutes should be enough.¡± Eri said, pulling Hyacinth behind the large trunk of the Rhyming Tree as I retreated. I wonder what they are going to discuss? Girl talk, I think... uh, this isn¡¯t going how I expected. From the conversation, I had expected Eri wanted to have sex, and I was hardly opposed to that. Caring for her fragile emotional state was one of my duties as her husband, after all, and a lovely girl like Eri, who I adored... well, what man wouldn¡¯t be happy to make love with her as often as possible? Oh well, we need to train, anyway. I¡¯d really like Eri to get Ether Healing too...


    As I pondered that, five minutes passed, and I returned to see Hyacinth nodding furiously, a serious expression on her face. On seeing my return, Eri smiled. ¡°Good timing. Come here.¡± She patted the grass underneath the Rhyming Tree. We sat down, Hyacinth standing beside us, and Eri turned to me.


    ¡°Akio. I love you. I do. I want to make love.¡±


    My gaze strayed to Hyacinth, and Eri shrugged. Her hands were already at the clasps on her dress, and she pulled it down, exposing her sizable chest wrapped in a pretty pink bra. That¡¯s different underwear to last time. I wonder if it¡¯s what she¡¯s wearing in the Material today? Thinking stupid thoughts I watched as she pulled her dress off, revealing matching panties, and I could see the material was already damp, her slit clearly outlined.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, don¡¯t you want to?¡± Eri smirked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. I can see your body is honest, anyway.¡±


    I guess it is. My dick was straining against my armour, the sight of the scantily clad Eri, her panties growing more and more see-through as she grew more aroused, driving reason from me. ¡°But, Hyacinth, she¡¯s watching...¡± I began, only for Eri to snort in denial.


    ¡°You were the one who declared so boldly to us you wanted her as your sixth. Well, why worry now? Are you shy? I am a little.¡± Her skin was pink, a mixture of shame and passion dotting her skin with sweat which steamed silver as it faded. ¡°I don¡¯t know her well, not at all. But even five minutes is enough to know she loves you. So... it¡¯s just like when Shaeula and I...¡± she smiled, embarrassed, remembering the times they had served me together. ¡°... it¡¯s probably not as bad as when we had sex in front of Aiko.¡± Eri was converting shame into arousal, and as my Eye glimmered, I could see she was absorbing darkness element at a significantly higher rate, perhaps magnifying her emotions.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m here.¡± She spread her arms, inviting me. ¡°Stop thinking of stupid things and eat me up, make love to me. Fuck me, so I have the memories to tide me over until I can return to your side again!¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth thinks yooou shooould, master.¡± She muttered, eyes on the scene, twisting and squirming, skin boiling red. ¡°The master and the mistress need tooo looove one anooother.¡± Her speech quirk was going into overdrive, and I could smell something sour in addition to the scent of Eri, one of citrus and freshly cut grass. ¡°Hyacinth... I ooonly know how cruel beings looove. Please.¡± She bowed, her eyes scattering bright tears. ¡°Shooow me sooomething brilliant, that I can believe in!¡±


    Fine. It¡¯s stupid to worry about dumb stuff, when my precious Eri, and the Hyacinth who I¡¯ve grown to care for are here. I should just do what I want, what makes us all happy. I quickly stripped, flinging my armour aside, and when I pulled down my pants and my engorged member popped out, a spear ready to pierce, Hyacinth squealed a little.


    ¡°Touch it.¡± Eri commanded her, and I frowned. Wait, what?


    Still squirming, Hyacinth hesitated. ¡°But, mistress was goooing tooo...¡±


    ¡°I still am. But... you should touch it first, trust me.¡± she looked at me then. ¡°I know I¡¯m the one you worry about the most. Shaeula doesn¡¯t care, the noble girls see multiple partners as normal, and probably think servants are there to be banged.¡± I was a little surprised at the crudeness of her speech, but then I had discovered these past few months that Eri was surprisingly aggressive under her shy fac?ade. This is a case in point.


    As Hyacinth gingerly reached out, a hand both eager and timid slowly grabbing my penis, her skin cool against the heat of my lust, Eri continued, talking over the gasp Hyacinth made, looking at her hand and my dick in dazed shock, her hand timidly sliding up and down it a little, crudely but still enough to send shivers through me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve given up on wanting you for my own. I did that when I accepted Shaeula. There¡¯s no going back now. And I was honest when I said if you needed the nobles, take them.¡± She paused, eyeing Hyacinth. ¡°That¡¯s enough stroking. Put it in your mouth now. Suck it a bit, get it nice and wet.¡±


    Seriously? Uh, wait... Hyacinth nodded, face aflame, and she slid down me, licking my glans timidly at first, the taste of my precum surprising her, before she swallowed my tip, her tongue working it. As she grew more confident, her head slid down my shaft, swallowing me up, and her tongue was licking me. It was undeniably crude, but also arousing enough to make me shudder. On seeing that, Eri nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Look, Akio. I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯m a jealous, envious girl. But I¡¯m not stupid, all right? Aiko has been acting weird recently. She¡¯s worried she can¡¯t catch up, right? To think I used to be the one looking at her back. The nobles, they have their worries too. Shaeula did as well, but seeing her now... she seems like they¡¯ve been blown away. You did that, right?¡±


    ¡°No, we did... ugh, gods, this is...¡± I gasped as Hyacinth continued to attack me. She had pulled at her maid dress, and her chest had spilled out, exposing herself to me. ¡°... we did it together!¡± I managed to gasp out somehow.


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough, Hyacinth.¡± Eri said, and she paused, her eyes regretful. Even so, she slid off my soaked dick, saliva and precum dripping onto her dress and bare breasts.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Eri approved. ¡°Now, before we begin... my only regret is I never made you mine earlier. I don¡¯t regret Shaeula, or the noble girls. Or even this Hyacinth. I¡¯m jealous, envious, sometimes a little angry, but I¡¯m always angry... when you look at me with guilt in your eyes. Now enough talk. Fuck me. Fill me up with your love!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t resist any longer. Motes of dark blue energy were swirling around us, the atmosphere around the Rhyming Tree reacting to the strong emotions. I lay down beside Eri, one hand pushing aside her panties, exposing her dripping pussy, which was leaking constantly, her thighs soaked. Wet enough for sex. My other hand tore down her bra, and I started sucking on her breasts. She moaned in pleasure, her body arching, and her arms circled me, pulling me down.


    ¡°Give it to me!¡± she gasped, and I pushed my dick against her sopping cunt. It slowly started spreading her open, and she gasped, a gasp matched by the watching Hyacinth, who was still kneeling there in a daze, her lips and chest still stained with liquid.


    ¡°Of course I will. I love you Eri!¡± I moved my mouth from her breasts to her own mouth, and we kissed savagely. In that moment I thrust my hips, and I slid inside. She was still tight and warm, and I found tears in my eyes, happiness overwhelming me. ¡°I love you!¡± I whispered as I pulled my mouth away, and that caused her body to spasm, tightening up on me. I then began to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed, my dick searching out her most sensitive areas, and as Eri gasped and moaned, her smile was so bright, so happy, that for a moment I forgot my guilt.


    ¡°Eri, I¡¯m going... going to cum!¡± I gasped, and she shook her head, eyes full of happy tears.


    ¡°No, ahn, uh, please, just a little, ahn, longer and we, uh, ahn, can go, ahn, together!¡± she whispered, and I nodded, focusing all my muscle control, tightening my ass, holding in my rising tide of ecstasy.


    ¡°See, Hyacinth, ahn, this is, uh, ahn, uh... love!¡± Eri cried after twenty seconds more of my thrusting. The tip of my dick was rubbing a particularly sensitive spot, and her body shuddered, climax building.


    Really? Eri, I think you love me too much. It isn¡¯t entirely healthy, but then... it¡¯s my fault. After all, Eri and Aiko learned from me, right? Besides, does it matter so long as she¡¯s happy? If I was a bad person, she¡¯d end up sad and ruined in the end, but... I¡¯ll do right by her, and all my women. That¡¯s it. No more fucking useless unproductive guilt. I¡¯ll accept what should have been obvious. The choices are made. This elf... I¡¯ll refuse her if it¡¯s merely political. Hinata¡¯s cousin too. Unless it is going to bring us all more happiness, they can fuck off. They have to be right for us. Shiro... well, I¡¯ll heal her, whatever it takes. And... damn, I¡¯ll even ask her out. Fuck it. I know I always told myself I was merely attracted to her, as every straight man would be, and even a lot of women too. But no more lies, convenient misunderstandings. I do love her. She¡¯s got a bad personality, but she¡¯s funny, prideful, sad, tormented, complicated. And now I know her inner pain, I love her all the more. Still, she¡¯ll probably tell me to fuck off and I¡¯ll have to accept that. But even if she refuses healing, I¡¯ll find a way to give her a chance at a normal life.


    ¡°I love those eyes.¡± Eri said suddenly. ¡°Those are the eyes I, Aiko, Shaeula, the others all want to see. You¡¯ve decided, and are going to do something noble. I understand just why you were the one chosen to save the world. I don¡¯t remember much about that day with the dog...¡± she shivered. ¡°... but I remember you looked at us with eyes like that before fighting it off. The day I fell in love. With those eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth knooows just what yooou mean, Eri!¡± she screamed, exultant, her tears running down her face now ones of joy. ¡°When Hyacinth begged tooo die, and he gave me a name, Akio looooooked at me like that and saved me. When he faced down the Duke ooof the Myconids, his eyes were free ooof doubt and fear. Such eyes... Hyacinth is ... I looove you Akio! Nooot as a master, but... I looove you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guess there¡¯s no more time for luxuries such as shame and guilt. I¡¯ll embrace it. I¡¯m greedy, and I¡¯ll make everything I want in this world mine. But what I want most of all is to make those I love happy. So I will, impossible or not. And then I¡¯m happy.¡±


    ¡°And when you are happy, we are.¡± Eri nodded, approving. ¡°An endless circle.¡±


    ¡°Akiooo, if you can looove this dirty, wretched me, please... I wooould give yooou everything!¡± Hyacinth declared, and I took her in my arms, carrying her down to the soft grass next to Eri.


    ¡°Hold her hand, okay?¡± I asked, and Eri nodded, reaching out. As Hyacinth clasped her hand, the darkness around us boiled, the blue deepening. With one final kiss I pushed my penis to her sopping wet pussy. Her temperature was noticeably colder than Eri or Shaeula, and as I slid inside, Hyacinth twitching, I felt her walls of flesh wrapping around me, squeezing.


    I took her free hand in mine, my other hand playing with her chest and clit, stimulating her. As she gasped and moaned I slid in further and further, her groans filled with pleasure, until our bodies met with a wet slap. ¡°I¡¯m in. We¡¯re one, Hyacinth.¡± I whispered, and she nodded, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°I can see it. I can feel it.¡± She agreed, looking at her bare belly in wonder. ¡°But, surely yooou must fill me up, like with Eri, nooo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So I¡¯m going to move now, all right?¡± At her assent I started thrusting, and her body was shuddering with each time I pounded her. The look in her eyes, dazed, lustful and happy, only made me hornier, and I started biting her nipples playfully. As my lust rose, like a hot ball of lead inside me, Hyacinth started pouring her elemental energies and aether into me. Oh, the Fae way of bonding. I guess that makes sense. Remembering what I had done with Shaeula, I started sharing my own, and Hyacinth began to shake, the twin stimulation of her physical body, being hollowed out by my thrusting penis, mercilessly targeting the spots that aroused her most, and her spirit, which was invading mine as well as being invaded in turn, was driving her to new heights of happiness and ecstasy. Her words turned barely comprehensible, which worried me a little, but her eyes and her kisses told me she was still wanting it, so I continued. Though as if I could stop now... I don¡¯t think any man could...


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eri asked, noticing our state. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s so not fair. I wish I could make love the Fae way too.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have the energy to answer her, our lunar chakras beating as one. Darkness energy was heightening my emotions, focusing on the traditionally negative ones. My lust spiked, but was lust so bad? I loved my girls, and if I didn¡¯t lust for them, then they¡¯d be devastated, thinking I didn¡¯t care. Anger, but I was angry at the cruelty Hyacinth had endured, and it helped me resolve never to allow her to face that again. Envy and jealously. I was a man, I envied those that had it better, but I could use that to grow, gain what I wanted. It¡¯s all how emotions are used. There¡¯s no good or bad, only light and dark. I could feel my understanding rising. There was another energy too, made up of water and earth energies, seemingly, yet forming a unique, perfect whole. It was beyond my reach though, so I merely focused on the beating of our hearts and lunar chakras, the moment my penis made contact with her body, bringing us both pleasure.


    Yes, it won¡¯t be long, but Hyacinth is close too. It¡¯s her first time. It should... should be together. My other hand stopped groping her chest, and Eri grabbed it. Her black eyes were envious, jealous, yet still happy for me, for us. I squeezed and she returned the gesture, mouthing at me to make Hyacinth feel my love.


    ¡°Hyacinth doooes nooot knooow what is happening tooo me? I feel... this is nooot what they said looove was! Nooo pain, ooonly pleasure!¡± Her words became coherent as her body climbed towards an orgasm both physical and spiritual. Eri was pouring out her darkness energy, adding it to what we were drawing in, trying to be a part of this. ¡°Yes, Hyacinth knows. I swear three Oooaths! I will serve Akiooo fooorever! I will be Hyacinth tooo yooou! And I will looove yooou always!¡±


    Fuck, that¡¯s cute as hell. I felt my own eyes tearing up at the love and joy she felt, knowing that my decision to spare her that day had saved her from her sorrow. Though she¡¯s so damaged it¡¯ll be a lifetime of commitment and effort to fully banish her demons. But a lifetime we have. Together.


    ¡°I am boooiling away!¡± She cried, and at that moment I joined her, cumming violently, sperm gushing into her body. At the same time as we both came physically, our lunar chakras merged, and the feeling was rapturous.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 27 to level 28.


    You have gained a skill, Throat Chakra Of Darkness Rank 1. Your Throat Chakra will generate Darkness energy. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    You have gained a skill, Darkness Manipulation Rank 1. You have gained the ability to manipulate and control Darkness energy. Your understanding of Darkness has slightly increased. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    Yes, understanding the emotions behind darkness, and that they are not necessarily bad, or wrong. I get it. Yin and Yang, Female and male. Darkness and light. Without both, neither can exist. Still, even the result that I had gained new skills, despite the fact I was supposed to be training Eri, was not important now. What was... was Hyacinth, in my arms.


    ¡°I see. The warm heat ooof looove. I get it.¡± Hyacinth sighed, nuzzling close to me. ¡°Akio. Thank yooou.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Eri laughed.


    ¡°Oooh yes. Akio. I looove you.¡±


    ¡°Better.¡± Eri approved, a pout appearing on her face. ¡°Damn, you looked like you really enjoyed her. I know I shouldn¡¯t get jealous, but I¡¯d not be a woman if I wasn¡¯t. Why can¡¯t I make love like that? It¡¯s frustrating.¡± She bit her lip, irritated.


    ¡°Why nooot?¡± Hyacinth shrugged, giggling, stroking our hair as we released her hands.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not a Fae like you.¡± Eri sighed.


    ¡°Nooo, but you are nooot entirely mortal either, right?¡± Hyacinth seemed puzzled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not?¡± she asked, and I remembered the conversation we had with Shaeula about it, that it was the lunar chakra that made one a Fae, to an extent. It might be possible... maybe?


    ¡°Yeah, it might just be possible. Do... do you want to try?¡±


    Eri nodded so fast I worried she¡¯d hurt her neck. ¡°Of course! I want to be closer, however we can!¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth will help.¡± She giggled. ¡°I knooow how it wooorks now.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll happily accept your help, Hyacinth.¡± Eri smiled happily. ¡°We need to stick together, be better, else Shaeula or the rich girls will take more than their fair share of his time.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then, in exchange, Eri, shooow Hyacinth hooow to do all thooose fun things Akio likes.¡± She bent down and licked my now floppy dick, pulling a face at the taste. ¡°I must be good at it, ooor else I will be shamed!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly an expert. I was a sheltered girl who was terrified of other boys until recently. We just do what seems fun.¡± Eri shrugged, causing her sweaty breasts to jiggle. ¡°But sure, come here.¡± They both knelt in front of me, and Eri began to instruct her in how to give a blowjob. As my dick hardened, Eri slurping it, her cheek bulging, Hyacinth started telling her how she could merge her lunar chakra with mine. I interjected when I could, but a few minutes later I was exhausted, cumming yet again. Hyacinth coughed, semen spilling from her mouth, but she gulped furiously, trying to swallow like Eri instructed. Even so, as my penis had slipped free, some jetted out and splattered Eri¡¯s hair and down her breasts.


    ¡°Well, good job this isn¡¯t back home.¡± Eri laughed, and I found the sight painfully erotic, her beauty dishevelled. ¡°Though compared to the mess we made of my uniform...¡± she blushed. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Then listen tooo Hyacinth...¡± she instructed, and I pulled darkness energy from the Silo here, funnelling it into Eri along with my other elements and aether. We were lying together, our naked bodies touching, but we weren¡¯t having sex, as neither Eri or I were confident we could manage both at once. Not the first time, anyway.


    ¡°This feels strange. I¡¯m shivering inside. I can feel your love for me. Really feel it.¡± Eri marvelled. ¡°But it¡¯s light and dark. Oh, so sweet.¡± She giggled. ¡°You are possessive too, you worry I¡¯ll cheat on you because you did it to me. Silly.¡± She kissed me softly, a gentle brush of our lips. ¡°But you also love me deeply, and that¡¯s both light and dark too.¡± She kissed me more fiercely then, rubbing my hand on her soiled breast. ¡°You like it when you dirty me. When I¡¯m lewd. Well I always feel lewd for you. You can feel my heart, right?¡±


    Perhaps it¡¯s the darkness energy that makes it so intense emotionally, more than even with Shaeula and Hyacinth. But yes, I do feel her. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve been a fool. I was always worried about how guilty I felt, not what you feel. But now I know. No more mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Those eyes... again.¡± Eri gasped. Hyacinth was whispering in her ears, and I could hear her guidance, telling her to move the darkness and flame energies she held. ¡°Those are the eyes everyone wants to see. Though I love your lewd eyes too! I¡¯m glad I was born a woman. Though if I was a boy, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d love you just the same!¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you are a girl too.¡± I laughed, my Eye glowing. ¡°Eri, you are almost doing it. Just move the flow down these routes...¡± I traced her body with my fingers, and she shivered at my touch, the smell of the grass carpet around us. As our elements and aether merged, our hearts started beating in sync, breaths coming fast, and again I wondered for the thousandth time how our astral bodies worked.


    ¡°Oh, so... this is... being one. Truly one!¡± Eri convulsed, orgasming again, the experience too much for her sensitive body. ¡°I... I can make oaths too. Three, right? In the stories it¡¯s always three. I swear to be yours for a lifetime. I¡¯ll love no other man. I¡¯ll make sure no bitches take advantage of your kindness, only the worthy should have your love. And... we¡¯ll win. I don¡¯t know against who or what, but whatever threatens you, this world... we¡¯ll crush it together!¡±


    The darkness energy swirled in response to her oaths, and I felt a powerful tide of Eri¡¯s love. Even though we weren¡¯t having physical sex, my penis discharged, cum soaking her yet again. The experience was... definitely ... sensual. Darkness element was powerful when it came to heightening emotions such as pleasure and lust. Even so, as Eri laughed madly, semen trickling down her belly and thighs, my Eye could see a change in her body. When I read what it was, the amber letters spelling out the details, including a pair of new classes, my eyes went wide. We can do that? Seriously? Damn, that¡¯s good, but... I wasn¡¯t entirely unfamiliar with Chinese novels and content, no otaku truly was, so even though I didn¡¯t know much I had a passing familiarity with the term dual cultivation. As our hearts and lunar chakra beat as one, we kissed, Hyacinth laughing happily as she watched over us.


    ¡°That... that was incredible.¡± Eri smiled, after she calmed down, the glow of her climax fading. ¡°I like sex too though. How about both together next?¡±


    ¡°Not now though. I may have high Fortitude, but I think my balls are empty. Give a man a break.¡±


    She grabbed them, squeezing, a grin on her face. ¡°Hmm, you might be right. Still, taking on multiple girls multiple times is the sexy punishment you deserve. Now, tell me. I know you know. Something happened within me. It¡¯s like the link we shared, the Lovers¡¯ Link, has changed. It¡¯s stronger now. Much stronger. I¡¯m happy!¡± We kissed again.


    Well, Lovers¡¯ Link did rank up, but that¡¯s not what you feel. Shit, I don¡¯t want to be a dual cultivator, powered by sex. Sex should be for pleasure with those you love, not for power. Ugh... oh well, I should be happy for Eri. Gesturing for Hyacinth to lie down beside me, I snuggled between the two girls. ¡°Fine, give me a minute and I¡¯ll explain...¡±


    Oh well, Aiko is going to be pissed off. One step forwards, two back it seems. Eri has leapt ahead again...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Eight

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Eight


    ¡°Looooook at mistress Eri first, Hyacinth can wait.¡± The adorable boggart said, her head lying on my extended arm as we stretched out on the grass under the Rhyming tree. Eri, on my other side, smiled prettily.


    ¡°Fine. I have to admit, I¡¯m curious. I want to know what changed.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I agreed, my Eye shining a brilliant amber, and Eri giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to see, but when you look closely at your eye, it¡¯s like a sea of stars, little flecks of amber in the grey. It¡¯s unique, but I like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you have an eye fetish.¡± I said, relaxed, and she giggled a second time, her good humour after our lovemaking radiating from her.


    ¡°No, I have a you fetish.¡± She said softly, and Hyacinth chimed in as well, agreeing.


    ¡°All right then. Enough banter. Here we go, prepare to be shocked, as I am. I don¡¯t get it myself...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Fae-Bonded doesn¡¯t make sense as a class. What Noble Fae did Eri make a compact with?¡± I complained, though the boosts to her stats were significant and welcome. Still, the description of the class was slightly different to when I had obtained it, not even counting the lack of question marks.


    By agreeing a Covenant with a Noble Fae who has become your lover, you will gradually take on more of the aspects of the Fae, who are renowned for their great Fortune and Charm. Aether will increase and your elemental abilities increase more rapidly. There is a chance you can obtain abilities your Covenant-bearer possesses that are mediated by the Lunar Chakra.


    So, the difference is she¡¯s become my lover instead of my servant, but even so... Shaeula is hardly my servant now, I expect if I examined her class again it would have changed.


    ¡°What dooo you mean, Akio?¡± Hyacinth asked, puzzled. ¡°Are you nooot a Noble Fae yourself?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m a human.¡± I disagreed, but Hyacinth would not be dissuaded.


    ¡°Nooo, you are wrong, Akio. You are very much a Fae nooow too, just as I am both boggart and brownie, Seelie and Unseelie. It was hard fooor me to accept this, but...¡± she paused, embarrassed, and Eri finished for her.


    ¡°But now it doesn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s just a part of you. A part Akio loves.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Hyacinth shook her head furiously in assent, happy. ¡°And Akiooo is the same. Human and Fae too. Besides, you are marrying the princess, Duchess of the Spring ooof Clear Reflections. That makes you Noble, no? Your elements are many toooo.¡±


    ¡°I see, well, your other class reminds me very much of Shaeula¡¯s Pledged One, but...¡±


    Spirit Pledged is a token of the unbreakable bond freely given by a Fae and gratefully received by the recipient. It is a mingling of souls, a deep bond, facilitated by the sharing of powerful spiritual energies. Strength flows between those so bound, and skills known by either partner are easier for both to grow, as knowledge is shared on a spiritual level, and impurities will gradually be expelled from the Pledgers¡¯ body, as more spirit water is absorbed during the act of sharing essence and lunar chakras. As this class grows, a small amount of Adherence will be generated slowly for the recipient of this pledged bond.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. If people in love could get classes that easily, everyone would have them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it either.¡± Eri admitted. ¡°Now I¡¯m a Fae?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eri, yooou are. After all, Hyacinth believes you could nooot share your lunar chakras were you not, at least in part.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m glad.¡± She accepted it easily, giggling. ¡°Now I¡¯m closer to you. I¡¯m not particularly attached to being human. Does it matter? Shaeula, Hyacinth... they are all people to me.¡±


    Hyacinth was touched, and started sniffling, while I leaned over and kissed Eri on the cheek. ¡°Good girl. That¡¯s exactly right. So it seems that it is the astral subtle body and lunar chakra that defines a Fae. So we are able mass-produce Fae it seems. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s problematic or not...¡±


    ¡°Well, who doesn¡¯t want to be a long-lived, beautiful Faerie?¡± Eri giggled. ¡°Besides, if I¡¯m more charming, you¡¯ll like me more, right?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, my love for you is already maxed out.¡± I grinned, kissing her again, and Hyacinth pouted.


    ¡°Akiooo, Eri, stop flirting! Hyacinth wants to know how I have improooved!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Eri smiled gently. ¡°My bad. I¡¯m curious too.¡±


    ¡°All right then... round two.¡± I said, reading out how Hyacinth had changed, to her shocked gasps.


    ¡°Hearing your stats and skills makes me understand how Aiko feels.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Even so, I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank yooou Eri. You are kind tooo me.¡± Hyacinth sniffled, and Eri looked away, embarrassed. Still, this was Hyacinth¡¯s moment, so we waited, as Hyacinth gathered her thoughts.


    ¡°Grey Fae? Noble? I dooo not understand that. Hyacinth is no noble.¡±


    ¡°Well, neither am I, right?¡± I smiled as I recalled our conversation mere moments ago. ¡°But if I can be a Noble Fae by virtue of marriage and power, surely the same applies to you? After all...¡± I kissed her on the cheek now. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this our engagement vows?¡±


    Hyacinth flushed, but nodded weakly, her mind racing, so I continued. ¡°And as for Grey Fae... I like it better. And I think your new class explains it.¡±


    Fae of Light or Fae of Darkness, all are the same under the light of the moon, the Fae lands eternally in Twilight. A Dweller in Twilight is neither of light nor darkness, but claims both. Oaths, Pledges, Weal and Woe, all are the same to such a Fae, who eschews concepts such as light and dark, doing as their will dictates. The abilities of both Fae and Dark Fae can be utilised, and Woe can be paid in ways other than pain and suffering. Charm and Majesty increase, as does League. Affinity to both darkness and light elements increases.


    ¡°I see.¡± Hyacinth muttered. ¡°Sooo Hyacinth is no boggart nor brownie. I was right.¡±


    ¡°You were.¡± I grinned. ¡°You are your own self, a self we love. So I can¡¯t fix the past, but I can make sure your future is bright. After all, even twilight is light, right?¡± I kissed her cheek again, and she giggled.


    ¡°Akiooo is a bad man, seducing his servant like this.¡±


    ¡°He sure is.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Which is why I need you to balance Shaeula, as we agreed.¡±


    ¡°I will dooo it! Hyacinth does nooot want this happiness to ever go away!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, enough of your scheming. We still have a little to look at. Pledged One, we know what that does. And your lunar chakra is working again, which has strengthened your elemental abilities a lot. But Weal and Woe...¡±


    Weal and Woe is an art of twisting Fate. Great blessings, the Weal, can be granted, the nature of these blessings depending on the nature of the wielder, and then the Woe must be paid, an equal or greater amount of suffering and harm. This is often paid by another. Should the Woe not be paid, Fate will backlash, snapping back into a proper course, inflicting three times the Woe upon the wielder, so the ability must be used with great care.


    ¡°But if you can pay the Woe other ways... that¡¯s either going to be useless or great, right?¡± Eri asked, thinking.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± He agreed, falling into my trap.


    ¡°So, to that end, keep the mirror for now. It¡¯ll be your training to have it filled up.¡± If I borrow the dagger of light, we can all use it to make light element for him to play with. For a mutated element, no amount of trouble is too much...


    Eri gave me a look, knowing how valuable the mirror was, but my smile told her not to worry, so she merely leaned her head on my shoulder, as Ren-san looked at her and blushed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a man, I can do it!¡± he said stoutly, and Eri rewarded him with a smile. Wicked woman, a Dark Temptress indeed. Still, as soon as we turned away towards Kana, I knew Eri had forgotten Ren-san already.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s it going?¡± I asked Kana as she was surrounded by a halo of ruby energies.


    ¡°Not bad. Still, there¡¯s a ways to go.¡± She snorted at Eri sourly. ¡°So, how¡¯s it feel, knowing you were last, Mori-senpai?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Eri. I think we understand each other better now.¡± Eri said. ¡°And well, don¡¯t the British say they save the best until last? I¡¯ve heard auntie Emily say that plenty of times.¡± She was unruffled, secure in her happiness. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve grown stronger, which is all I wanted. And I have a new sister.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kana was surprised.


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth. She¡¯s accepted Akio. She was so happy, it moved me. Normally I¡¯d be upset and jealous, but... well, maybe I¡¯m growing up.¡± She winked at me, and she was so beautiful at that moment we had to kiss.


    ¡°Doing that in front of me...¡± Kana muttered, red-faced.


    ¡°Why not? We are all friends here, right?¡± Eri smirked, touching her damp lips as we pulled apart. ¡°You should have seen it, Kana-chan. The Fae way of making love is magical. I can¡¯t wait to try it again.¡±


    Okay, this is quite a strange conversation for Eri. It sounds like she¡¯s taunting Kana, but... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that.


    ¡°You do you.¡± Kana said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to hear about your love life.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just remember... you don¡¯t have forever, do you? Now, don¡¯t you have school tomorrow?¡± Eri said cryptically, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to master this first, but I guess there¡¯s no rush.¡± Kana stood from her meditative pose, brushing off her shrine maiden hakama, before following us out, Ren-san joining us. We all gathered at the centre, where Ulfuric did his drills, and I thanked everyone for their hard work.


    ¡°From now on, there¡¯ll be others joining us. You¡¯ll have to guide them. I¡¯ll do what I can, but I have many demands on my time.¡± I told everyone. ¡°Still, I¡¯ll at least give everyone personalised plans to work on, and if you get truly stuck, I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could stay longer.¡± Motoko said. ¡°But we have noble dignity to uphold. We cannot stay out all night and seem tired at school. As it is, we may struggle a little.¡±


    ¡°Miyu will cover for us.¡± Hinata laughed. ¡°But we need to go. A kiss first though?¡± she grinned, face red, and I kissed her. She skipped away, letting Motoko and Natsumi have their turn.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give that a miss.¡± Kazumi-san laughed. ¡°But thanks. This has been fascinating, and seeing Hinata like this is something special.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass too.¡± Kana said, and this time it was Eri that laughed, causing Kana to flush as red as Hinata had. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, all right?¡±


    Ren-san also said his goodbyes, returning to the Material in relief, and that just left Eri and Aiko from the human side. ¡°You aren¡¯t quitting yet, are you bro?¡± Aiko asked. ¡°In that case, we might as well keep going. It¡¯s not every day we get to blow school off with our parents¡¯ permission , right Eri?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m tired, but I can go on.¡± Eri declared stoutly.


    ¡°Fine. You have come a long way. Be sure to thank Hinata for that later, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course we will bro. We have manners you know.¡± Aiko pouted. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan now?¡±


    ¡°Well... for you, my dear sister. Aether Manipulation, Ether Healing and learning how to use aether in combat. You also need to study up on the wind element, as Ulfuric gave me some good advice on that.¡±


    ¡°Two elements huh? That¡¯s hard, right?¡± Aiko asked, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°It is indeed quite-quite difficult. But I believe in you, Aiko, and we shall aid you where we can.¡± Shaeula promised, and Aiko sighed in relief.


    ¡°As for you, Eri. Uh... it might be worth taking you out to grind a few levels now your cap is decently higher. And since you are doing well with darkness at the moment, pushing through with that. And... learning Ether Healing too.¡±


    ¡°Bad luck, Eri. That sucks.¡± Aiko winced.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be fine. If I have to be injured...¡± she looked at me, face pink, licking her lips. ¡°... I can think of some ways it can even be fun.¡±


    ¡°Wow, lewd!¡± Aiko chortled, and everyone joined in on the laughter...


    ********


    ¡°So you do this all the time?¡± My sis asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, well, obviously we have downtime. It¡¯s not healthy otherwise, but when we train, we train hard. Still, you¡¯ve impressed me sis. You¡¯ve really tried your hardest.¡± I rubbed her head, and she stretched like a cat.


    ¡°Well of course. How can I not, when I see you and Eri putting in all that effort? I¡¯m a team player, it¡¯s like volleyball. I won¡¯t be the lazy one to screw the team over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cute, Aiko.¡± Eri said, lowering her axe. She had been sparring against several weaselkin, and had actually won, despite her inferior weapon skills, due to her significantly higher stats. ¡°But I believe in you. You can do it.¡±


    Before Aiko could answer, Velna came rushing in, bowing to us. ¡°Master, prince Shaeraggo has-has returned!¡±


    Eri pulled a face at that, remembering, but Shaeula perked up, smiling. ¡°So, has my useless brother managed to find-find what Akio requires?¡±


    I extended my senses to my Territory, which now extended south to the bay, and out several hundred metres into the water, where... yes, that''s water element. Good job Shaeraggo, I guess wanting to impress your sister is the best way to motivate you to be useful.


    I was cut off from my answer just like Aiko was by Shaeraggo swaggering in proudly, his embarrassed wife Selensha behind him, looking apologetic. Yeah, she¡¯s got it hard...


    On seeing Shaeula, he smiled. ¡°Sister, I have returned in triumph. This Territory now extends to the sea, and there is plentiful water element! I...¡± he paused them, green eyes going wide as he looked at my sister, who was idly playing with her bow.


    ¡°That... that was my bow. So you are the one it was for-for.¡± He muttered, and my sis shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, so what? I have to say, it¡¯s a nice bow, so... thanks, I guess?¡±


    Thanks, I guess? That¡¯s my little sis sapphire, as flippant as ever...

 Two Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    Two Hundred And Thirty-Nine


    ¡°You lost the Trial fair and square, brother.¡± Shaeula interjected huffily. ¡°Do not-not berate Aiko now, or else I shall be most-most displeased.¡±


    ¡°Berate?¡± Shaeraggo looked affronted. ¡°I merely noticed. I remember you saying his sister was an archer. So this-this is her then?¡±


    ¡°Wow, tense atmosphere.¡± My sis said, bringing a little giggle from Eri.


    ¡°Yeah. It was a heated struggle.¡± I agreed. ¡°Luckily it was between family, and family may fight, but they stick together in the end. Right?¡±


    Shaeraggo nodded, as did Shaeula. ¡°Of course. I did as you asked and found you some water element, did I not-not?" Shaeraggo said defensively. ¡°I accept that things have changed. My little sister is all grown up, and has chosen a husband.¡±


    ¡°He sure doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s happy though...¡± my sis whispered loudly, causing Eri¡¯s giggles to grow worse. Even Selensha was stifling a laugh behind one hand, and Shaeraggo¡¯s green eyes twitched. Still, with an effort of will, he continued speaking.


    ¡°Whether I approve or not is hardly relevant. My sister has chosen.¡± He looked at Aiko then, before glancing back my way. ¡°I look-look forward to the day when you have to face the same choice as I do.¡±


    Yeah, no way, I¡¯m not as much of a siscon as you. As long as the guy loves her and isn¡¯t trash, I¡¯ll give my blessing. Though if he¡¯s no good... well, yeah, perhaps I understand Shaeraggo more than I¡¯d like to. ¡°Speaking of, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it, and I know Shaeula does too. Her home is here as well as the Seelie Court. By the way, what about these Mirror Bees?¡±


    ¡°We destroyed many pockets of resistance, foul creatures who were not-not fit for the Territory my sister dwells in.¡± Shaeraggo said. ¡°However, the Bees, after our initial combat, where we slew many workers and warriors...¡±


    ¡°Bees are vulnerable to both wind and water element, so we had little trouble.¡± Selensha broke in. ¡°Their wings are vulnerable to getting wet, and wind element renders their flight a liability.¡±


    ¡°Yes, just that.¡± Shaeraggo continued. ¡°The Queen then ventured forth and surrendered, knowing we could easily defeat her and destroy her hive. I deemed it acceptable. After all, the Bee Fae are quite respected, creating wonderful honey, nectar and other delights. I assumed these ... foreign... creatures could do the same. Besides, I do not believe you are-are terribly bloodthirsty, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, well done indeed, brother. You are beginning to recognise the many-many good points of Akio.¡± Shaeula praised him, and I could see him perking up.


    Still, he¡¯s not wrong. I do prefer allies where possible. ¡°Yeah, good work.¡± I followed up. ¡°I¡¯ll have to pencil in a meeting with the Queen of these yokai, but since they¡¯ve surrendered to us and joined the Territory everything should be fine. We¡¯ll have to toast with honey mead and wines in the future.¡±


    ¡°That would be pleasant.¡± Shaeraggo admitted. ¡°Sister Shaeranna is very partial to sweet alcohol, so you should-should surely prepare some.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not remind me. It was good to see my sister again, but she is even more stifling than you, brother, and she did not-not take well to news of my engagement.¡± She turned to me then, looking apologetic. ¡°I fear she will likely seek-seek to test you, Akio. But stay strong, I believe in you!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you have it tough, bro. I have to say, I¡¯m quite curious about your sister though, Shaeula.¡± My sis said. ¡°She¡¯s a fighter too, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Sister Shaeranna is quite the spear-wielder. She can use the bow too-too, yet it is not her focus.¡±


    ¡°Our family is going to be huge it seems, right Eri? Who¡¯d have thought that a month or two ago.¡±


    ¡°I surprise myself at how happy I am about it.¡± Eri grinned. ¡°You too, right Hyacinth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am finding the feeling ooof family quite irresistible, mistress Eri!¡± She said softly, and Shaeraggo fixed her with his gaze, surprised.


    ¡°You... Boggart... what happened to you?¡± He was perplexed. ¡°The foul aura you radiated has changed. You are not a Seelie, but... not Unseelie either?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth is Hyacinth. Nooo more, no less. I am a servant of master, and also...¡± she squirmed, blushing. ¡°Alsooo his mistress too!¡±


    Selensha and Shaeula shared a look, and at Shaeula¡¯s unconcerned shrug, Selensha smiled, extending out a hand to Hyacinth, who stared at it warily, which made Selensha smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I merely wished to greet you. Since I am married to Shaeraggo, and you will be to the husband of his sister, that makes us sisters too.¡±


    Hyacinth took her hand, tearing up, and Shaeraggo snorted. ¡°I suspect nothing I say will make a difference. Still... the pace of change here is rather... swift.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Hyacinth merely realised she isn¡¯t bound by labels. She¡¯s who she wants to be. And she doesn¡¯t want to be a bad girl.¡± I said, and Shaeraggo nodded, agreeing sourly.


    ¡°It is a good thing. Many powerful Seelie must meet my sister, to cement her rank of Duchess and control over the Spring. Having a powerful maid is prestige, yet-yet this one was problematic. Now... she will cause problems still, but different, more manageable ones.¡±


    ¡°This is all very well and good, but we were supposed to be training, bro!¡± Aiko chimed in. ¡°It isn¡¯t every day we get so long with you, and you said you were busy tomorrow, right? So every minute wasted is a shame. Come on, come on! Training!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry sis.¡± I said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to neglect you.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Shaeraggo said, smiling, showing his teeth. ¡°You sister here...¡±


    ¡°Aiko.¡±


    ¡°Aiko...¡± he said, as my sister named herself. ¡°Since she has inherited one of my bows, I would wish to see how she uses it. One of my bows used by an unworthy, unskilled wielder would make me weep.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m plenty skilled.¡± Aiko protested, hurt.


    ¡°Well, you shall-shall have no objections to demonstrating this then? And if you prove worthy, I shall give you some instruction. It is quite the honour, as I am a great hunter, renowned amongst the Fae.¡±


    ¡°It is true.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Whatever character flaws my brother might have, he is quite-quite the skilled hunter.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Aiko nodded. ¡°I admit, I¡¯m curious. Seeing some of the weaselkin use their bows, it¡¯s very different to kyudo. Watching an expert in action should be useful.¡±


    Yeah, my sis loves archery. She¡¯ll never pass up this chance, even if Shaeraggo is pretty annoying...


    ¡°Right, well we might as well take a break and watch this.¡± I said. ¡°I have to do some Territory maintenance, and...¡± I looked at Eri. ¡°... you need to prepare yourself.¡±


    Eri grinned. ¡°It¡¯s only pain. I want to be stronger, and I want you to have peace of mind. If Aiko can do it, I can too!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡± I declared, sending some of the weaselkin out to set up a much more difficult set of targets. Right, now it¡¯s time to take advantage of the extra Territory Shaeraggo brought us...


    I cleared a queue by rush-building the Sniper Emplacement in it to Rank 2, further buffing our defence. But now I needed a fifth point of defence, so I rush-built my usual four Emplacements (one Sniper, one a Rapid-fire) and that set me back just over fifteen thousand ether. That still left me with a hundred and seventy thousand. The large amount my Territory brings in now is great, and to be fair, Shaeraggo contributed a lot seizing a route to the bay. A rush-built Rank 2 Silo and Rank 2 Elemental Silo was around twenty thousand, then Rank 3 Silo for eighty thousand. That leaves me a bit short of my Rank 3 Elemental Silo too. It wasn¡¯t as if I needed it, exactly, as the other Silos would receive water essence when it was extracted, but doing it this way would make long-term storage and utilisation easier. It¡¯ll be less that an astral day before I have enough, and I can always burn a few Etherites, yeah, I can get it done before we go.


    First though, I needed to move some Ether Spires down there. Using the open Queue, I pushed four towards the bay area, one from Shirohebizumi Shrine, one from Shaeula¡¯s old Territory, and two from around the Rhyming Tree. I might move a fifth there later as well, but we¡¯ll see what we can extract with four Rank 3 Spires...


    With the new area defended, and Spires slowly moving down there at the rate of one every hour and a half or so, I decided to enjoy the archery. My sis was being supported by Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth as she warmed up, going through the stages of kyudo in anticipation, while Shaeraggo was watching his sister sourly, Selensha and several of his weaselkin captains by his side. Ulfuric had come to watch as well, it seemed.


    Yeah, don¡¯t be jealous that Shaeula is in Aiko¡¯s corner. Though maybe it might have been better if she showed a little support for Shaeraggo... Starting to feel just a little sorry for him, I walked over to him.


    ¡°So, just what are the rules?¡± I asked, as he was stringing a large bow, significantly bigger than the one my sister was using. He snorted, shaking his head.


    ¡°Archery, the art of the hunt, it-it is all about accuracy, speed and killing power. So there shall be three trials.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t actually a Trial of Three, is it?¡± I asked, wary, and he shook his head.


    ¡°Of course not. I would not-not bully a mortal so. She stands no chance against me, so any Price would not be fair. No, I merely wish to see her abilities. The bow she inherited is too precious to be left to an amateur.¡±


    Well, I¡¯m thinking you had no problem accepting a Trial against us that you thought you had no chance of losing. Oh well, no point dwelling on that... ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve faced your arrows. You are quite skilled.¡± I admitted, and at that he let out a growl of approval, his black-furred maw twisted into a grin, teeth showing. ¡°My sister, of course I believe in her, just like you believe in yours, but... well, it¡¯s a big ask. So, I won¡¯t ask you to go easy on her, she wouldn¡¯t want that either, she¡¯s a sporty girl, she likes competition, fair competition, but I ask that you evaluate her fairly, knowing she¡¯s only a mortal girl.¡±


    ¡°My darling will.¡± Selensha said, and Shaeraggo looked away with a sigh, before nodding. ¡°Your sister will learn a lot, just watching, I¡¯m sure.¡± Selensha finished.


    Before I could answer my sis called me over. ¡°Hey bro, stop hanging around over there and come support your sister! It¡¯s my time to shine, after all. Now you can see all that money you scrimped and saved to get me that Yumi was worth it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Bro!¡± She turned to me, her tone excited. ¡°Remember that anime about all the ninjas? Think you could gouge out his eyes and transplant them into me?¡±


    ¡°Do not-not joke about it.¡± Shaeula warned, though she smiled at the humour. ¡°Akio might just try it, and I would not-not have my brother be blinded.¡±


    ¡°Besides, we like your blue eyes. If you had his green ones, we¡¯d have to call you Emerald rather than Sapphire.¡± I laughed. ¡°Seriously though, those wind arrows are killer, I remember taking a battering from them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well... wind element huh? I¡¯m definitely going to have to step up my game. Wind and light. I¡¯ll get them both.¡± She concentrated, and her next arrow actually hit the target at four hundred metres. ¡°Wow, I broke the Japanese record for a kill-shot. I don¡¯t want to forget the feeling.¡± Another arrow, and this one was dead centre. Her last arrow joined it.


    ¡°Nice. I think I beat myself, if not you, Shaeraggo. Good match.¡± She held out a hand, and after a moment he took it.


    ¡°So, one-nothing to you, big guy. What¡¯s next?¡± she tossed her head, black hair glittering with silvery sweat, and her smile was joyous. Damn, seeing my sister so happy, I feel my antipathy to Shaeraggo fading... still, he has to work harder to earn my forgiveness!


    ********


    ¡°In battle, you need speed.¡± Shaeraggo said. The new target was a larger one, and set at just two hundred metres distant. Just. That¡¯s still a massive ask for an archer...


    ¡°Your accuracy is impressive, and in ambush you would be able to slay your target were they not too far distant. But given the same time, I would have killed-killed many. So, this time, it is how swiftly you can strike the target. I shall go first. Watch as I demonstrate the difference between us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m watching, sure am.¡± Aiko agreed. ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He grinned, in good humour. He had switched bows to a smaller one, like Aiko¡¯s. Taking the bundle of arrows, he began to unleash them, one after another. The speed was magnificent, and after delivering nine, the remaining three he loosed all at once with his wind, and the target was pin-cushioned, splitting apart.


    ¡°Very impressive.¡± I admitted, and Aiko nodded.


    ¡°Sure was bro. He¡¯s right. Kyudo isn¡¯t about speed. I can see if I want to go further, I¡¯ll have to go beyond. It¡¯s been a good lesson.¡± She bowed to Shaeraggo, before taking her stance. The first arrow struck dead centre, but getting back to her shooting position was slow, too slow. Even so, she tried to speed up, and by the sixth arrow she was noticeably swifter.


    ¡°Still, not quick enough. Kyudo is about the mindset, the stages get you into the mindset... so do I need the stages?¡± Her next arrow was quicker still, and it was a bit off-centre, but it was followed by two even more rapidly. They hit, but again the accuracy wasn¡¯t perfect.


    ¡°Not quite... it¡¯s no good if the accuracy blows. Even so...¡± two of her last three arrows flew out, and were nearly centre mass, before her final arrow left a mere moment after the last left the bow. Her eyes hadn¡¯t even opened, but she turned away, a brilliant smile on her face.


    ¡°That one¡¯s dead centre. I know, because the arrow already exists there in my heart. Zaiteki.¡±


    ¡°She is correct.¡± Shaeraggo nodded, as the arrow slammed home in the bullseye, piercing deeply, cracking the target.


    ¡°Wow, shit, I did it, I did it!¡± she cheered, hugging me and Eri, before gesturing for Shaeula and Hyacinth to join in. As we hugged, she was crying, happy tears. ¡°Wow, shit. I don¡¯t know if I can get back that feeling easily, but that... that was true Kyudo! It¡¯s not just a sport, it¡¯s a combat art, like the Tsumura ones. And that arrow was killer. I¡¯ve only ever had one like it in practice.¡± She rubbed at her forehead idly.


    As we praised her, Shaeraggo agreed. ¡°Indeed, that final arrow had true intent. Out of the twenty-four arrows you have unleashed, perhaps four have been worthy of my bow. But-but... it can stay with you.¡±


    No shit. We won it fair and square, you think I¡¯d let you take it back? Still, my sis will appreciate it more now, since an archer of your calibre has approved of her.


    ¡±Four huh? Yeah, I think I know which ones. Not a great average, but I¡¯m happy. There¡¯s always higher mountains to climb. So, you kicked my ass again, but it seems a shame not to finish.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You might learn something.¡± He agreed, caught up in the challenge himself. Even though he was winning handily, it looked like he was enjoying himself. ¡°Destruction. Arrows must kill their target, else they serve-serve no purpose.¡±


    Ulfuric created targets of stone, and once more arrows were handed out, this time only three of them.


    ¡°Watch closely.¡± He said, and my sister eyed him carefully, absorbing every nuance. ¡°Without wind.¡± His first arrow pierced the rock, but only sank in a couple of inches.


    ¡°With wind.¡± His second arrow bored deep, and would have fatally wounded many foes.


    ¡°Full power.¡± His eyes flashed, and a great whirlwind of weasel-snakes formed around the arrow, causing me to shiver as I remembered facing those down. His arrow whistled through the air, savagely tearing through the rock, ripping free a massive chunk and sending cracks radiating out from the impact.


    ¡°Nice.¡± Aiko clapped. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do that, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Her first arrow bounced off the rock, leaving a deep scratch. She clicked her tongue, and using the quiver, she imbued the arrow with flame. This time it penetrated, but only enough to remain stuck.


    ¡°Shit. All-out now I guess.¡± She poured out her flame energy, boosting the blazing arrow, and this time it penetrated well, melting a little of the stone. Even so it was a far-cry from what Shaeraggo could do.


    ¡°Lame. Really got to do better.¡± She exchanged another handshake. ¡°Well, you kicked my ass, but thanks for the instruction. I¡¯ve a lot to think on. Oh well, there continues my record of tournament losses. I¡¯d say I¡¯d win at uni, but I doubt I¡¯ll be allowed to take part. Sooner or later the world will know about us, right bro?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But even so, I¡¯m proud of you sis. See? You may be jealous of Eri, but you¡¯ve worked hard too and come a long way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose so.¡± She agreed. ¡°If I can just grasp those insights...¡±


    ¡°It was a worthy match. Of course I won...¡± Shaeraggo boasted, but at a growl from his sister he changed his tone. ¡°... but I was not entirely disappointed. Five arrows from twenty seven. Train until at least ten impress me. I shall have you sent some things that may-may aid you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? Thanks, I guess!¡±


    Thanks, I guess? Again? Stepping in on her behalf, I nodded, thankful. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it. Us brothers should look after sisters, right?¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°I am not-not doing it to earn your gratitude. She simply performed better than I had anticipated, and I see her potential. Jewels should be polished, lest they remain worthless-worthless pebbles.¡±


    ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m a pebble!¡± Aiko laughed, and as Shaeula chastised him again, I smiled. Yeah, this has been good for Aiko. She¡¯s been feeling down, so seeing her growth is bound to soothe her...


    ********


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Shaeula, Shaeraggo.¡± Aiko thanked them for her training. While I was supporting the satisfied but exhausted Eri to master the first rank of Ether Healing, those two had taken charge of training her in wind element. Shaeraggo could control the wind with his Eyes, while Shaeula could see inside Aiko, and also had experience of wind and fire together, even if it was in reverse. She could also heal the damage with her Ether Healing, and it helped train Aiko¡¯s too. ¡°I think I might be able to get it, eventually. Hurts like hell though. Is all special training so tough?¡±


    ¡°Mine wasn¡¯t.¡± Eri grinned, flushing, and Aiko rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to know what kinky sex games you two got up to. Did you learn it then, Eri?¡±


    ¡°I did. After all, I want my skin to remain beautiful and scar-free.¡±


    ¡°So vain. Oh well. Damn, I¡¯m exhausted. Are we going back now bro? Didn¡¯t you say you had a busy day?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have a meeting this afternoon. We should still have time though. At least we gathered enough resources...¡± as time had passed, as well as Shaeraggo¡¯s forces aiding ours in Territory expansion, I was able to do that Elemental Silo upgrade to Rank 3, as well as filling the queue with another Rank 2 Sniper Emplacement upgrade, though I had to break a number of Etherites to have enough. The Spires are set up too, so now we should start gathering water element, ready for conversion. ¡°Oh, that reminds me... Eri, you may start expelling some vile black liquid from your body. I doubt you¡¯ll flood like I did, but... it¡¯s probably just a beneficial side-effect of the class you gained. It¡¯s nasty though, so sorry...¡±


    ¡°You can wash me off then.¡± she giggled, and I nodded.


    ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s go back. Shaeula, I know you are busy, but I¡¯ll need to borrow your befuddling winds at some point.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I shall make-make time. But before that... I have a meeting I would rather avoid.¡±


    ¡°Well, we both do then.¡± I sighed. ¡°But we¡¯ll be fine. Hyacinth, look after Shaeula, okay? Shaeraggo, thanks for holding down the fort.¡±


    ¡°Until my sister has settled matters, I shall remain here.¡± He promised.


    ¡°All right then.¡± With our goodbyes done, we returned to the Material...

 Two Hundred And Forty

    Two Hundred And Forty


    There was a brief panic when Eri and Aiko rushed in, Eri leaking a little disgusting black ooze, as I had told her to expect, but the volume was small compared to what I had exuded, so after taking Eri to the bath to clean her off (and have some fun, of course), the girls decided to take a nap for a couple of hours. With their stats that should be enough to refresh them, and then they could spend a few hours enjoying Tokyo with the money I had given them previously, before returning for the evening training session. As for me...


    Yeah, perfect. I had dressed in one of the armoured cloth suits I had commissioned, and paired with the relevant accessories, such as an expensive watch, cufflinks and some gentleman¡¯s jewellery, as well as a change to my usual hairstyle, I was looking pretty sharp, I felt. Today was going to be rather trying, but it was necessary. Not just for Haru-san, but for my ambitions as well. With Fujiwara-san and the Prime Minister in attendance, I anticipated some business being discussed, and I had a few ideas I wanted to get out there for consideration.


    Leaving my room I headed down to the room Haru-san was occupying, and knocked gently. A few moments later the door opened, revealing her in her mourning dress and black veil. I could see her eyes through it, and they looked scared, yet filled with yearning. On seeing that my own worries were washed away. Yeah, this meeting is going to be tough, but for Haru-san it¡¯s worse. I need to step up. As my vassal, she is owed my full support.


    ¡°Oh, Akio-san, good afternoon.¡± She said timidly. ¡°I¡¯ve... I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, last night ran long, but we¡¯ll still be on time. Fukumoto-san is sending over a car for us, I guess that¡¯s one perk of being engaged to his precious granddaughter. Besides, we are meeting at the Ministry of Finance in Kasumigaseki, we can¡¯t turn up in a taxi.¡± I smiled gently. ¡°So, how was it? Did you have fun?¡±


    Haru-san nodded, eyes tearing up. ¡°I did. It was a bit strange by myself, a bit scary, but I remembered that I was stronger than anyone else there now, and as a ghost I¡¯m hard to hurt...¡± she laughed, a touch shrilly, but even so, it was progress. ¡°The voices came and went, but when I really concentrated, I could shut them out. It¡¯s tiring, but still progress, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Good job.¡± I praised her, and she sniffed, trying to regain her poise.


    ¡°You¡¯re my age, aren¡¯t you, Akio-san? You don¡¯t need to treat me like I¡¯m a child. Still. Thanks for worrying, I guess. So I went and sat in a diner, I ordered a meal and a dessert. Eating again was such a joy it made me cry. What the people around must have thought of me...¡± she laughed again, this one more natural. ¡°I went to karaoke then, by myself of course. It was lonely, but... I used to go with my friends all the time. I came so close to breaking down and messaging them. But they went to my funeral. What would I say? I can¡¯t see them again...¡±


    ¡°Not yet, true.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But there¡¯s hope. Eventually knowledge of the powers we wield will come out, and then you¡¯ll be able to step out of the shadows, back into the light. So just bear with it for now, okay.¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not a younger girl like you seem to be into.¡± She shook her head, though her wan smile showed she was only teasing me. ¡°Look... I know. My mind feels clearer now I have more of that Resilience, as you called it. Still, it was a shock to me. After karaoke I just wandered about, taking in Tokyo again, the lights, the people, the sounds. And then I knew I was back. I... I can¡¯t thank you enough. I get so see daddy... err, my father again.¡±


    ¡°No need to change the way you speak for my sake.¡± I grinned, pleased that she seemed okay. ¡°I get you love your father. Just speak as you always have.¡±


    ¡°Jerk.¡± She said, though again without any true annoyance. ¡°Still, I am grateful.¡±


    ¡°Well, Kiku may have been evil, but we have her to thank too. I hope wherever she ended up, she can rest in peace.¡± I clapped my hands together in a brief prayer, and Haru-san nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. She was clearly insane, but in her own way she did care for the women Kondou... killed.¡± She swallowed, gathering her courage. ¡°So, shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s time.¡± I nodded, leading her out of the building, towards the expensive foreign car that was waiting for us...


    *********


    ¡°So, here we are.¡± I said, as we sat in the plush waiting room at the Ministry of Finance. Haru-san had attracted odd looks from security in her mourning dress, but we were allowed passage unquestioned as it had been arranged for us. ¡°Are you ready? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here, and I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°From what?¡± she said wryly, though my words did at least distract her from the rising tension and fear she was feeling. ¡°Save those words for your fiance?es. I... my daddy is here, he¡¯ll... he¡¯ll be overjoyed to see me. He will." She said that as if reassuring herself, and I understood. This is make-or-break for her. If her father shows any reluctance to believe she¡¯s herself, it¡¯ll crush her. Still, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s too likely from what I know of him.


    ¡°Sorry, force of habit. But am I not allowed to offer protection to my vassal?¡± I winked, and she looked away.


    ¡°Seriously. Stop that. You must be doing it on purpose. I¡¯m sure your fiance?es are going to have a hell of a time worrying about you every time you are out, imagining you bringing back yet another girl. I don¡¯t envy them!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that bad!¡± I protested, but then I did have a habit of making flippant comments. It wasn¡¯t as if I didn¡¯t mean them, though. I did see Haru-san as someone to be protected. Still, I was saved from having to make further excuses by the door opening, and the secretary to the Prime Minister entered.


    We both stood, and he spoke, bidding us enter.


    ¡°Well, here goes. Deep breaths, okay?¡± I said, and she nodded, face pale under her veil.


    Once inside the spacious room, I could see a pair of chairs set in the centre. Around the edges were the Prime Minister, Fujiwara-san, Tsumura-san, surprisingly enough, Hinata¡¯s grandfather was there too, which I didn¡¯t expect, as well as two old men who I didn¡¯t recognise. There was also Haru-san¡¯s father, who was looking sick, ill and tired, his dark eyes looking our way with an incomprehensible expression. Lastly there was also an old man wearing a somewhat stylised suit, the cut and colour, grey and dark crimson, reminding me a little of shrine maiden garb. There were also a dozen members of Fujiwara security, as well as several other bodyguards I didn¡¯t recognise, as well as a half-dozen soldiers, two of which I remember training with that time we were taken to the Ministry of Defence, and one gave me a reassuring nod, which I returned. Yeah, this is a big deal. More than I thought. Still, more important people means more chance of getting what I want.


    The Secretary cleared his throat. ¡°I shall do the introductions. Fujiwara Shige-sama, head of Fujiwara house.¡± The old man nodded at me, expression stern. No surprise. It¡¯s only recently I vassalized his precious granddaughter out of the blue. ¡°Then we have Ichijou Kira-sama, head of Ichijou house.¡±


    ¡°Well, to put a face to a name that¡¯s been on many lips recently is worth the trip. So this is your ally then, Shige? Interesting. He does look strong. Though I suppose little Miyu-chan is in play now. Shocking. I¡¯m glad my Mayumi is well out of this.¡± Ichijou-san said, his eyes piercing, like a bird of prey, his bald head still largely free of wrinkles, despite his advanced age.


    Fujiwara-san snorted, a touch unhappy. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I expected this outcome, that my Miyu would hide such a secret from us, from me. But the outcome could have been far worse. A bad man could have done terrible things to her, and I would not have known. Still, it is a... complicated feeling.¡±


    As Ichijou-san laughed at his friends¡¯ discomfort, the next of the three old men who were likely the heads of the Three Great Houses, spoke up, after a bout of hacking, phlegm-filled coughs. Damn, he looks ill. His hair is lank and yellow, and his face is hollow. There¡¯s blood in that too. My keen eyes spotted red on his handkerchief. ¡°Now, we can discuss that later, can we not? Please continue.¡± He addressed the secretary, who was thankful, unwilling to interrupt the powerful men who ruled Japan from the shadows.


    ¡°Thank you, Takatsukasa-sama.¡± The Secretary said, relieved. ¡°Takatsukasa Itsuki-sama, head of his house.¡± Hinata¡¯s other grandfather, I see. Well, he seems to be casting glances at Fukumoto-san, so...


    ¡°Then we have The Prime Minister, I am sure you know him, Abe Riku-sama.¡±


    ¡°We meet again, under hopefully happier circumstances.¡± He said, casting his gaze at the uncomfortable Haru-san, who had instinctively moved her chair closer to mine, shrinking under their regard, her eyes darting towards and away from her father constantly.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. I came to fulfil my promise. Amongst other matters.¡±


    ¡°Then, Tsumura Katsuro-sama, Minister of Defence and Head of the Armed Forces of Japan.¡± We exchanged respectful nods. After all, he¡¯s my grandfather now.


    ¡°Fukumoto Kenji, head and founder of Nichibotsu Technology.¡± No -sama for him, I note, but again, he¡¯s my grandfather now and worthy of my respect, even if politicians don¡¯t. ¡°Grandfather.¡± I said cheerfully, and he laughed.


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that warm the heart of this old man. You should try it, Itsuki-san.¡± He turned to the sickly noble. ¡°After all, my Hinata is your granddaughter too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Preserving the nobility and the best of Japan is your goal. A worthy one, I suppose. But...¡± I said, going to his side. His bodyguard, a middle-aged man standing behind him, eyed me warily, but I knew he couldn¡¯t do anything to me, so I ignored him. ¡°...some change is inevitable. You need to decide what change you are prepared to accept, to save what you absolutely cannot give up on.¡± I started extending aether outwards, my Eye glowing, drawing gasps from those around us.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give up on my family and those I love, and I intend to see them happy and safe through what¡¯s to come. So be warned. If the day ever comes that you feel I¡¯m a threat to you, come against me, and I might even show you mercy when I win. If you go against my family or friends instead, then you¡¯ll not even know peace in death.¡± Well, it¡¯s not like I can do anything to them when they are dead, but considering Haru-san has returned, they don¡¯t know that. I¡¯m done being pushed around.


    ¡°I¡¯d listen to him.¡± Fukumoto-san said, and surprisingly, Tsumura-san agreed.


    ¡°My granddaughter talks about you all the time, Akio-kun.¡± He said, smiling. ¡°I haven¡¯t had chance to speak to her yet today, but last night she was entering this strange world, the Boundary, you call it, right? Everything she tells me makes you an honourable man, one that would not act recklessly, unless it is to protect those you love. I find it reassuring, what grandfather doesn¡¯t want his granddaughter to be protected and cherished? My Motoko was stifled by the nobility, despite being the very image of a noble girl. She could not give up her dreams. Perhaps a little change is a good thing.¡±


    I nodded, finding several problems in Takatsukasa-san¡¯s body. Failing heart and lungs, looks like several cancerous growths, as well as some old damage. I think I can fix it. ¡°Look, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi. They are all lovely girls, and I guess Miyu is as well.¡± There were some frowns at my lack of honorifics, but I was close enough to them all for various reasons not to need them. ¡°But I do think you keep them prisoned too much, they need to be able to stretch their wings. But that¡¯s a talk for another time. This is going to hurt a fair bit, Takatsukasa-san, so bear with it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what...¡± he began, only to double over, coughing blood ferociously. His bodyguard and several soldiers moved, only for wind to gush from me, driving them back.


    ¡°Calm down, this is a medical procedure, and even if I let you shoot me, it¡¯d barely break the skin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember this. Stay strong, Itsuki-san.¡± Fukumoto-san chuckled, thinking back to his own healing. ¡°I thought I was having a heart attack, but look at me now.¡± He stood and danced a jig.


    ¡°Yeah. Now this is tough, so let me concentrate...¡± Right, first, cut free the cancerous cells and regenerate them. Repair the other damage, but make sure no tumours or anomalies remain. Toughen the heart, clean the arteries... finally the lungs. Remove dead matter and regenerate it. And... done.


    Takatsukasa-san shivered, coughing out more blood and foul matter, before wiping his mouth, face pale. He took a long, shuddering breath, before his eyes went wide at the lack of pain and shortness of breath. ¡°What, I...¡± he began, breathing rapidly, without the wheezing and torment.


    ¡°Told you so.¡± Fukumoto-san slapped him on the back. ¡°Akio-kun is a wonder, and he loves his family. And you¡¯re his family, through Hinata. So be grateful.¡±


    ¡°That healing... I know of two Chosen who can heal. But Tyr... that is a Norse god, correct?¡± Takakura-san said, pensive. ¡°One of battle, I believe. Healing shouldn¡¯t be your portfolio.¡±


    Now that piques my interest. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I believe I have value. Value I intend to get a fair price for. I¡¯m not so bound by what I was given, and I can help others realise their talents.¡±


    ¡°This training school. Yes.¡± Takakura-san said. ¡°I have some news you will soon hear about, no doubt.¡± Takakura-san eyed me, waiting for my reaction. ¡°The date of the Kyoto Conclave has been set. Too many have been injured or died in Kyoto. These... sentient spiritual beings, you mentioned earlier. After all, I believe you have brought some to this world with you, like you did with Suzuki-san, have you not? Well as the Spiritual Centre of Japan, the Night Parade walks Kyoto during the dark hours. The infighting has to stop, the Diviner has spoken. Else Kyoto and the Country itself will fall.¡±


    ¡°The Night Parade, huh? Yeah, they caused me trouble too. A pair of bakeneko. Well, they died like the fools they were, anyway.¡± I felt a shivering annoyance, pushing it down. ¡°I can see why the full Night Parade would be dangerous though. I won¡¯t say those cats were easy to take down, but I¡¯m still standing, right?¡±


    ¡°I see. A proud boast. Well, the three factions, with some mediating from myself, have agreed to hold the Conclave on the weekend of the 18th. I trust you and your backers will be there?¡±


    ¡°We will. And I can show solid results. Speaking of...¡± I turned back to Takatsukasa-san. ¡°How are you feeling? Ether Healing can be rough, but I think I¡¯ve fixed your lungs and heart, as well as purged a few cancers. Feel free to get a doctor to check you out though.¡±


    ¡°I... well, thank you.¡± Takatsukasa-san remembered his manners, and as Ichijou-san congratulated him, Fujiwara-san shot me a stern look. ¡°My Miyu. She is in danger, is she not?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is.¡± I wanted to talk about several matters, before getting down to what I could get for my aid and knowledge. ¡°But I¡¯ve taken precautions. She is going to fortify the Territory around your mansion. I gave her enough resources to set up defences enough to deter casual attackers, and I intend to send her reinforcements on rotation until she can stand on her own.¡±


    ¡°I see. If she is hurt...¡±


    ¡°I know. We¡¯ve been through this.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I look after my own. Now, as to danger. Takakura-san, are you in any way related to the Takakura Antiques in Inuyama?¡±


    ¡°A strange question.¡± He said, but he agreed. ¡°Yes, they are a long-separated branch family of the Takakura family, but due to circumstances, I had to recall them.¡±


    ¡°I see, I thought so. That store was strange. I found a Zashiki-Warashi there, as well as several unique spiritual items. But that¡¯s not the point. Is any government agency aware of the significantly higher rates of missing persons, suicides, death and other crimes in Inuyama?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the reports.¡± The Prime Minister said. ¡°It isn¡¯t the only area of concern. We naturally assumed those like you were involved. Several have caused... issues, and have had to be dealt with carefully.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to hear about that later.¡± I declared. ¡°Well, it could still be related to a Chosen Candidate, but I have my own theory.¡± I explained about the monster of ooze and eyes, and they were horrified, especially Takakura-san, who had a more spiritual background.


    ¡°That sounds... very much like a family myth, handed down through the years. Takakura house has a long history, matching the Three Great Houses, but even we lost much in the war, only the main house and the branch family from Inuyama survived.¡± He frowned, thinking. ¡°Still, we remain influential with the faith of Japan and even abroad, and have much knowledge. Long ago, supposedly as the kami were departing, one by one, the yokai retreated too, the days of the Night Parade moving through the streets of Kyoto or Edo long forgotten. Even now, they do not show themselves physically.¡± He shrugged, recalling our talk moments ago. ¡°Yet some few managed to survive, drawing strength from other sources than the diminishing spiritual plane.¡±


    ¡°And this mass of darkness was one such?¡± I asked, and he agreed, expression serious.


    ¡°If you believe the history of Takakura house, our strongest shrine maidens and priests sealed it, at the cost of many lives. It was once a kami, a god, yet in its efforts to stay in a spiritually bereft world, it became monstrous, living off pain and what spiritual energy it could suck from living beings and spiritual implements.¡±


    I see. So that¡¯s why so many treasures and Azuki were there. And now... ¡°I see. Well, I can¡¯t be certain, but I think it¡¯s got out, and is preying on those who can touch the Boundary, be they Candidates or people with natural gifts. It¡¯s probably been strengthened by the stronger Boundary and greater touch of the lower Astral.¡±


    ¡°The Antiques shop was built on the site of an old shrine, which was destroyed long ago by fire.¡± Takakura-san muttered. ¡°It was related to our branch family, but...¡±


    ¡°So many problems.¡± The Prime Minister muttered. ¡°My predecessors were fortunate all they had to deal with were lost decades and deflation. I¡¯d say Chinese aggression too, but I have that in spades...¡± with that he sighed. ¡°So, what can we do? We should seek aid from Kyoto. Could you moderate that, Takakura-san?¡±


    ¡°Well, why not let me handle it?¡± I said, making my pitch. I planned to do it anyway. Might as well get paid for it as well. ¡°I¡¯ll prove I can get a job done, and in exchange... well, firstly, I think you have something for me, from the US Government right?¡±


    ¡°We do, but... firstly?¡± the Prime Minister asked, the Three Grandfathers also waiting to hear what I wanted.


    ¡°Yes, firstly. Secondly... there¡¯s some things I want. Most of them will be good for you all as well, so shouldn¡¯t be a problem, I hope. Others... well, we here know the world has changed, and we have a Candidate, nobility, the military, faith, big business and political power. Surely between us all, we can agree a roadmap to prepare for the inevitable, when the world finds out about the changed paradigm?"


    I need to get in on shaping these rules, as they have to work for me and those that depend on me. And if we get the laws ready before shit hits the fan, then we can avoid anarchy and chaos. Well, hopefully...

 Two Hundred And Forty-One

    Two Hundred And Forty-One


    ¡°So, first we need to establish what we all know about the situation and what is going to happen in the future. I know a decent amount, so of course, I¡¯ll expect suitable compensation for my reveals.¡± I said, and the Prime Minister raised an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°What about your patriotism and sense of civic responsibility?¡± he said mildly, and at that I had to smile.


    ¡°Patriotic? Well, I do love my country. Of course I do. But... I¡¯m a half, right? Luckily I can pass quite easily as a pure Japanese, though I¡¯m quite tall and my eyes are grey, I still look largely Japanese. My sister too, other than her eyes and build. But even so, as kids we did face some discrimination and bullying, until I put a stop to it.¡± It helps that my sis is cute, so once I stepped in, the harassment stopped quite early, I doubt she even remembers it now. ¡°My mom, she¡¯s British, right? So when she moved to Nishimorioka, the first few years she wasn¡¯t accepted, and if she didn¡¯t have auntie and uncle in her corner, it might have taken even longer. It¡¯s fine now, as when you get accepted as Japanese, even if you were born a foreigner, everyone treats you well, but... don¡¯t try and tell me to support the country unconditionally. Especially now.¡±


    ¡°You raise a fair point. There¡¯s a lot of outdated customs and behaviours that need to go. The war changed a lot, but even so, too much remained stagnant.¡± Fukumoto-san said, earning a look of ire from Takatsukasa-san.


    ¡°If that is a complaint about...¡± he began, and I sighed loudly.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to open old arguments. I get what the nobility is for, and I don¡¯t disagree, in principle. Japan has a unique culture, with a lot worth preserving. We also have a deep history of faith, which could well save us. All I¡¯m saying is... we have to decide, now, what we are willing to set aside to preserve what truly matters. Grandfather...¡± this time I was addressing Tsumura-san, but he was my grandfather too. Motoko was mine now, and no matter how it started, I was really warming up to her. ¡°You have some Candidates among the soldiers. A couple are here right?¡± I nodded at the two I recognised, and they smiled back, relieved they didn¡¯t have to fight me earlier, as they could feel that my strength and League outstripped theirs significantly. ¡°You too, Ichijou-san, Hinata told me your granddaughter said you had gathered several under your banner. So... you must know. Of the oncoming danger to the entire world.¡±


    ¡°If I may have permission to speak?¡± one of the soldier Candidates asked, and Tsumura-san nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you were told, but I was informed when I was chosen I would need to fight, to protect my country and the world. I¡¯m a soldier, the choice is an easy one. But I am not entirely clear on who or when.¡±


    The other soldier also asked for permission and added his thoughts. ¡°I am a chosen of Bishamon, which is also apt. I didn¡¯t see his face in my dream where I was chosen, but only a shadow. But he did warn me that the time of destruction was coming.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Those who serve great kami seem to have merely seen shadows or heralds.¡± Takakura-sama said pensively. ¡°And the shrines of Kyoto are empty of deities, barring the lesser, like your Shirohebizumi shrine. Even so, the message is the same. The old ways are returning, but with that comes great danger. So, I expect you could not see Tyr, being as he is a god of power.¡±


    I guess that¡¯s one good thing about Japan, our religions are very accepting about other gods from other cultures. Some countries and faiths are going to struggle badly. ¡°No, not Tyr. Instead I was greeted by a Valkyrie, though she was hidden under a cloak at the time so I didn¡¯t even know she was female until... well, until later.¡± There¡¯s no need to discuss the connection between us yet. I mean, it¡¯s obvious the powers come with attachments. After all, she did say she was hoping when we succeeded saving Earth, I¡¯d stand with her camp. Norse Pantheon then, I guess? Whether that hope has some means of... enforcement... I wouldn¡¯t like to speculate on. Yet. One problem at a time.


    ¡°I think, due to my fortunate meeting with Shaeula, that I know a lot about the Boundary and lower Astral beyond it. I expect that there simply isn¡¯t enough... well, ether and spiritual power, I guess... to support such mighty beings. I think they dwell up in the higher Astral, well beyond our reach. For now.¡± I looked at everyone, my eyes serious, drawing their attention with my Charm and Majesty. Majesty should make people more likely to listen to and agree with me. And I need that now more than ever. ¡°I believe that¡¯s the danger. There are civilisations out there in the lower Astral. Many, like the Fae and the Night Parade, lived partially in our Material world before, when ether was plentiful. And above us dwell gods and civilisations we can only dream of. Think about it. I can already shrug off a lot of modern weapons, run as fast as a sports car, heal grievous injuries, wield elemental abilities. I¡¯m proud of what I¡¯ve achieved, but... the Night Parade, the Fae, they already have many as strong as me or stronger. Do you think these higher civilisations above us are any weaker?¡± Might as well get in a brag about my strength to deter any attempts to pressure me...


    ¡°That seems unlikely.¡± Fujiwara-san said, frowning. ¡°So, what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, the danger and the apocalypse... as the inevitable increase in ether happens as the Boundary dissipates, drawing the lower Astral and Earth together, we¡¯ll become vulnerable. Fae, the Night Parade, Yokai... they¡¯ll walk amongst us again, like they did more than fifteen hundred years ago. Worshipping gods and kami will likely be a matter of power, rather than faith, and society itself will collapse unless we prepare. But that isn¡¯t what I fear. I¡¯m already preparing. After all, I¡¯m going to be married into the ruling class of the Seelie Court, the Fae, and Shaeula is also of the Night Parade.¡±


    At that, Takakura-san gasped, and I grinned, having revealed one trump card I had that held great value to the Conclave, especially if the Night Parade was killing Candidates from the shrines in Kyoto.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to help Shaeula with both, and if I can safely integrate them into the mortal world, we have the advantage. So don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m not patriotic. Who else could do as much?¡± Though again, I¡¯m doing it for Shaeula, rather than the country, though since my family and friends and lovers live here, of course I want to preserve it. ¡°No, I fear invasion from other, higher lands. An army of people like me... well, we¡¯d be done, despite all our weapons and technology. And who is to say that they don¡¯t have technology better than ours? I was always more a studious guy than a sporty one, and I remember my history. What happens when a technologically advanced, more powerful civilisation sets its sights on a weaker one? Even from Japanese history, there¡¯s been enough examples, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, we have not always acted... humanely... as a nation, though of course, we had justification.¡± The Prime Minister trotted out the official line, and I understood he had to. My mom made sure Aiko and I (and Eri too, by association), had a more balanced view of history. Still, I wasn¡¯t here to debate the past. I was here to learn from it.


    ¡°Yeah, well, the history of wars and slavery around the world tells the same story. The British Empire, Conquistadors, the slave trade... Ortlinde, my Valkyrie, she told me that the major gods have agreed to leave us alone for a while, though to be honest I suspect that¡¯s because it¡¯s not worth their effort yet, and that it would take time for the Boundary to become fragile enough for Earth to be noticed by outsiders. How long that is though, she didn¡¯t say. It could be weeks, months, or years. I¡¯m hoping not weeks.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Your Valkyrie, she seems quite talkative.¡± Takakura-san said. ¡°Only the Diviner seems to have gathered as much information.¡± The Diviner? Sounds important, who¡¯s that? On seeing my inquisitive gaze, he smiled back, his grin matching mine, despite his advancing age.


    ¡°The Diviner is a state and religious secret, so this information should pay for some of yours.¡±


    Damn, dealing with these old men keeps me on my toes. Still, give and take is necessary for any negotiations. At my affirming nod he continued. ¡°She was blessed from a very young age, able to see visions of the future, cryptic but also precise. Several disasters have been avoided due to her visions. She has now been Chosen, as you would expect, by Tsukuyomi, and through her vision she was able to communicate with the kami, though it was brief and much was beyond concepts she could understand.¡±


    Well, isn¡¯t this interesting. ¡°Please, go on.¡±


    ¡°It is as you surmise. The tides are shallow around our world, and we are beneath the notice of the sun, the moon and the stars high above. Yet as the tides wash down, the filth will be cleaned from this jewel we call Earth, and the shining gem will be lifted by the waves, drawing notice. Many then would spend the effort to stoop down and pluck such a bauble.¡±


    ¡°So, how long?¡± I asked, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Even the Diviner did not know, but hearing the voice of the moon, it seems that acts within or without can hasten the process, cracking the shell of filth that surrounds us, letting the jewel within shine.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense. Though it¡¯d be helpful to know just what we should avoid.¡± I sighed. ¡°So, look. This goes beyond money, patriotism, history. The very world is at stake. And we don¡¯t have a timescale. So we need to prepare now. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You think we haven¡¯t been considering this?¡± The Prime Minister said. ¡°Not just us, internationally as well. Though our discussions with the US have been influenced by your actions.¡± At that implied criticism I shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯ve been getting insight from those of us who have expertise.¡± I said. ¡°As if we get this wrong, it¡¯ll be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why you are here, right?¡± Fukumoto-san laughed.


    The door opened then, and Haru-san and her father came out. Haru-san came to my side, sitting down, and gave me a teary smile, while her father took his seat again.


    ¡°Everything all right?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s better than all right. I¡¯m... I¡¯m home.¡± she said, wiping at her eyes. ¡°So now, I have to help you, right?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it. Anyway, now we¡¯ve established the danger, we need to look at the key issues.¡±


    ¡°And what are those?¡± the Prime Minister asked, curious.


    ¡°Well, obviously, the defence against incoming threats, the way to deal with ownership of land representing Japan in the Boundary and astral. Ether, aether and the ability to provide it to and extract it from others, and immigration, especially non-human immigrants. Also the timing of and way we reveal this to Japan at large. Oh, and there is one small concession I would like as well, though it¡¯s not directly related to this matter. More regarding... a promise.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, does anyone have any objections to having a preliminary look at these issues?¡± the Prime Minister asked, and Fujiwara-san shook his head.


    ¡°This is why we are here, is it not? Not just to reunite a father with his daughter, worthy though that is. So, Oshiro-san, please, share your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Well, I believe security should be first, as it¡¯s where the greatest mistakes can be made, and mistakes won¡¯t just sink our country, but perhaps the world.¡± Dramatic, but clearly true. ¡°It also ties into land claims.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been busy recently, wasting your money, Kenji-san?¡± Takatsukasa-san asked, irritation plain, though he was again feeling wonder at how clear his breathing was. ¡°Dedicating a park, buying the lease on a struggling shopping complex. Bad business. Buying a lot of land and cheap real estate around the area where this man dwells too. You should stick to electronics.¡±


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming. But I know this. Having control of land both here and in the Boundary gives many benefits, not least greater ether density. I¡¯m sure there has to be a reason for that. But that¡¯s for later. First, there are a limited pool of Candidates, right? I don¡¯t know if there¡¯ll be a second wave, but we have to assume what we got was all we¡¯ll get. Ortlinde told me she expected a few thousand countrywide, so we are looking at around a hundred to two hundred thousand worldwide. And we are losing plenty already.¡± At that Takakura-san agreed, thinking of the lost Chosen of faith.


    ¡°It¡¯s an issue of national power. Hence why the US has crossed the line. Oh, by the way, tell him the good news, Akimitsu-san.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s ... I have the documents here.¡± He shuffled around on his desk, looking dazed yet happy. ¡°I think it was ten million more dollars we extracted for you...¡± he began, only for Haru-san to surprise us all by speaking.


    ¡°Ten million? That doesn¡¯t sound fair. We received another fifty million in debt forgiveness, as well as... hmm...¡± she frowned, concentrating. ¡°... a deal to modernise military equipment which had been stalled, with significant discounts. I know the diplomats had to negotiate for that, daddy, but don¡¯t you think you are short-changing Akio-san here? It¡¯s frankly insulting.¡±


    Suzuki-san choked at that, looking shocked, while the Prime Minister was smiling wryly. Fukumoto-san was laughing heartily too. ¡°Sorry daddy.¡± She said, her smile light and refreshed. ¡°But I work for Akio-san now, so I read your mind. It¡¯s giving me a headache, but if I don¡¯t master it I¡¯ll never be fully well. Anyway, surely you can do better than that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d do that to me...¡± he muttered, surprised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous, daddy. I love you a lot. But... I owe Akio-san, and I¡¯ve been observing him and his allies for a while now. They can be trusted. So, considering... oh, you only paid ten million last time and got so much more. For shame, Prime Minister.¡± She giggled. ¡°I think you ought to show sincerity.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this surprising.¡± The Prime Minister chuckled, chagrined. ¡°I think I get your point now though. With a wide variety of abilities and strengths we can¡¯t predict, each Chosen is a national treasure, that likely will only decline in number yet increase in worth. So we should value you all more.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I expect you are trying to replicate our training school in the military, right grandfather?¡± I asked, and Tsumura-san agreed, looking at his soldiers.


    ¡°Of course. My Motoko does talk. She¡¯s stronger and faster than before, noticeably so. I¡¯ve obviously tested her and Natsumi-chan, during their morning sparring. The gains are modest compared to the soldiers who were Chosen, but even so... a young girl can compete with a strong man and win. So I assume an already strong man would break records.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though there¡¯s obviously a limit to what can be done via Chirurgery.¡± I¡¯ll keep elements and classes to myself for now. ¡°But I don¡¯t claim to be the only one who can come up with a way to strengthen others. I¡¯m just ahead of the game. The boosts won¡¯t be earth-shaking, but just imagine an army with significantly better intelligence, reaction speeds, perception... they¡¯d still die to bombs and bullets, sure, but I expect battlefield casualties would go down and combat results way up.¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Tsumura-san agreed, and everyone was watching our conversation intently. Haru-san reached over to hold my hand, squeezing me gently, and I guessed that was her way of communicating her thoughts. I think that means I¡¯m on the right track here.


    ¡°Test results in training show our few Chosen soldiers, even without using their unique gifts, which they struggle with here, they can easily outperform small squads of other soldiers.¡± He continued. ¡°Though the figures you provided us with were helpful, I suspect they are out of date?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. This is why to grow, we need to control the other world. It¡¯s a mirror to this one, so I dare say some would say the government owns it, and many wealthy people would argue that if it¡¯s a mirror of their own land, they should have control of it too. Some countries might go that route, but I believe we won¡¯t be that foolish.¡±


    ¡°How so? I¡¯m curious to hear your reasons.¡± The Prime Minister asked.


    ¡°Well, when someone holds up a mirror opposite your house and it¡¯s reflected, do you own the mirror then? Obviously not. But more importantly, we are specifically tasked by those who chose us to gain ownership of a Territory. I believe that doing so will give us the best possible chance of defending against our future enemies. Stronger Buildings, more defences... now, as time passes, I suspect there will be more overlap, like Shaeula tells me there was in the past. Faerie glades, the Ryu?gu?-jo?, Dragon King¡¯s Palace, all strange areas that occupied spaces we could get to. I¡¯d say they were myths, but Shaeula says they weren¡¯t. When overlap happens that might cause issues, but... well, have any of you seen a dungeon?¡± I asked the two soldiers, and one nodded.


    ¡°You mean those areas of warped space, which are much bigger on the inside, right?¡± Bishamon¡¯s Candidate said. ¡°I¡¯ve been in one, it was pretty crazy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So... again, this is just speculation, but imagine what will happen if something like that merges with Earth. It seems impossible, but who can say what is and isn¡¯t now? After all, I have it on good authority there wasn¡¯t a Boundary until recently, and fifteen hundred years ago it was just the Astral and Material. Doesn¡¯t that mean if areas overlap, Earth would technically be getting bigger, while staying the same size? So who would get a claim over that? Is it who controlled the original land, the government, or the Candidate who causes it to happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see this is a mess. So, let¡¯s hear your proposal first.¡± The Prime Minister said, and I took a deep breath, giving voice to ideas I had been thinking about deeply, and Hinata had given me input too.


    ¡°Okay, well let¡¯s say there are three layers. The Astral, the Boundary and the Material. There might be more above that, who knows, but for now let¡¯s concentrate on what we know. I propose that land in the Astral and Boundary belong to those who claim it, via their Anchors. The system itself is set up that way. Besides, only other Candidates, or those they have trained and invited can enter anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see. Go on.¡±


    ¡°Well, as for land that merges, overlapping, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s right or fair to usurp people who have owned the land, but it¡¯s also not fair for the effort we Candidates put in to be wasted either. It is also going to depend on the price you put on extra ether and probable defences. This is largely speculation, but imagine if your house was on merged land, and a military invasion happened. It would be much harder to attack it, and could offer numerous benefits that are impossible to enjoy now. So, I believe that a tax should be levied to cover those benefits, a stated maximum based on the level of services provided, at the discretion of the Candidate.¡±


    ¡°You should have first refusal to purchase any overlapping land or facilities that are for sale, legally. And the government should come to an agreement to cede non-essential works such as parks and so on, and pay a levy for essential government buildings, just like private citizens would.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not ideal, and I don¡¯t know how often or even if mergers will happen, but I¡¯d rather have a set of laws drafted first, rather than fight about it later.¡±


    ¡°More taxes are always a hard sell to the electorate.¡± Suzuki-san muttered. ¡°Passing them will be hell.¡±


    ¡°Really? I think if they are included as part of a larger bill covering these secret matters, most people will write it off as a joke or a mistake and forget about them.¡±


    ¡°The Opposition Party will have a field day. Only the leader and a few of their Diet representatives are aware of the changing world.¡± The Prime Minister said, and Haru-san squeezed me again. I see.


    ¡°Maybe so. But you had the misfortune to be Prime Minister right now, so deal with it.¡± I smirked. ¡°Do you see any issues in principle? Ideally, I¡¯d like to go further with another suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, go on.¡±


    ¡°This is more a... personal... request. Still, I¡¯m prepared to offer fair compensation. I¡¯d like the government to help me buy up as much of my Territory as possible, around certain critical areas. I mean, I¡¯m sure my grandfather here will help, but in the unlikely event of the merger we fear, Territories have certain areas that should not be compromised. In fact, I¡¯d go so far as to say other Candidates who align with the state should get the same privilege. But that¡¯s next on the agenda. In exchange... ether. I believe we have to strengthen the overall ether density of the country.¡± Onto part two, the harder sell...


    ¡°That would be shockingly expensive, and an abuse of taxpayer money, ordinarily.¡± Suzuki-san noted, but his daughter disagreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, daddy. I can see how much benefit Akio-san has caused the country, putting his life on the line against foreign agents. And you fobbed him off with pitiful remuneration, I didn¡¯t know you were so petty!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s simply politics, Haru, you worked for the Government, you know that...¡± he began, but she pouted fiercely at him.


    ¡°I know without Akio-san, you¡¯d be flailing in the dark. Are these people from the Shrines considering this?¡± she asked Takakura-san fiercely.


    ¡°No, in fact they are more concerned with securing Spiritual Kyoto. They own their own shrines of course, so the issue may not have occurred to them. But perhaps it should have.¡± He conceded.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a big request.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m all for helping the country, but asking for such high level assistance... well, the compensation would be huge, even if they could learn it, not everyone can.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I was hoping that we could attach these two as miliary liaisons to your force, as part of the new Ministry.¡± Tsumura-san nodded to the two soldiers, who saluted me. ¡°Seeing some of your expertise first-hand would be of help to us, and also it might build trust.¡±


    I see. ¡°Well, they can accompany us venturing to Inuyama. That¡¯s all I can offer for now. And again, I¡¯ll expect suitable concessions.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well... how about the Special Forces? There are around three hundred members of the Tokushusakusengun, the true elite of the Japanese military. And best of all, they are already completely trustworthy and can keep state secrets. I suspect that being stronger would be far more useful on such elites than on regular troops too. Could you set up a training school for them?¡±


    Three hundred? Hmm. Shaeula won¡¯t do Chirurgery on the males, and I doubt there are many females in the Special Forces. Still, my skills and aether are far higher, I can certainly handle a fair few each day... ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be impossible if I did a few a day for a few months. At least for the Chirurgery. As for a training programme, I could put one together, but doing that takes time from my own projects, and has quite the opportunity cost...¡±


    ¡°Well, how about this?¡± Fukumoto-san proposed. ¡°Akio-kun needs land under his control, and the Ministry needs sites. I did manage to get the rights over the best park within ten kilometres of Shirohebizumi shrine, as requested. I did notice there were ample opportunities to purchase land around it too. Why not set up a training facility and Ministry building there. Cede ownership to Akio-kun, on the understanding it has to remain for Ministry business. He then benefits.¡±


    ¡°I do, but it¡¯s not enough.¡± I said, determined not to sell myself short. Hinata would be sad if I do. ¡°We mentioned the possible effects of ether and aether. Well, I¡¯m prepared to spend some of my precious spiritual resources, which money can¡¯t buy, to create an area that provides a lot of ether, and also an area that drains aether from people. Buy me more land around that site, and help me run tests on normal people, enhanced people who have been through Chirurgery, and other Chosen. Then you can determine the effects of that, with empirical data, and if I¡¯m correct, it¡¯ll also help protect the area against potentially hostile foreign Chosen. It all needs research, so this way everyone wins.¡±


    ¡°Special Forces soldiers are a huge investment.¡± Haru-san chimed in. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to read your mind to know that, Tsumura-san. If you use some military budget for it, as well as the new Ministry budget Akio-kun has raised through his actions, it seems a worthwhile investment.¡±


    ¡°It is important to have more data. All these strange powers concern me.¡± The leader of the Opposition said, frowning in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t approve of government money going towards a private citizen, but... in this case it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I think all the Ministry facilities should be under the same contract.¡± Haru-san said. ¡°It might be unpresented, and cause you some concern, but... I¡¯ve seen the other world, the Boundary. I¡¯ve attacked a Territory and defended one. If the day comes when the apocalypse Akio-san fears spills over to the world we know, it¡¯ll be too late to wish we had greater defences then.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t decide that now.¡± The Prime Minister sighed. ¡°Like my good friend in Opposition says, it¡¯s... well, problematic. But since our request to train the Special Forces is an imposition, we can allow that facility to be under your aegis, Oshiro-san. And we¡¯ll consent to the experiments too. It¡¯ll be part of the remit of the Ministry to research and codify these new powers. Damn, we¡¯ll need scientists too, and those are some of the hardest people to find that¡¯ll keep secrets...¡± he sighed, looking tired.


    ¡°All right. But I still think I need further renumeration. I¡¯m still being exploited here.¡± I declared, and Fukumoto-san laughed.


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. As Suzuki-san said so aptly, the value of Special Forces is massive, and don¡¯t tell me after they are done, you won¡¯t want the Rangers done too, then our top pilots, and so forth... besides, we¡¯ll need to make sure all our clerical staff are worked on too. The last think we want is for our people to be vulnerable to kidnapping. A bit of strength could go a long way to preventing that. Besides to work in this Ministry is to require understanding.¡±


    ¡°True. I would ask for our fighter pilots to have Chirurgery.¡± Tsumura-san admitted. ¡°The extra reflexes and resistance to G¡¯s could be huge in terms of combat potential.¡±


    ¡°Well, I need all the information on the Chosen that support the military and the nobility. I want to know their Territory locations too, to prevent me from destroying them, if naught else.¡±


    Ichijou-san looked unhappy at that, but Tsumura-san agreed. ¡°Fine. That isn¡¯t a problem. I expect you want to know our information on other locations we have discovered Territories? That I¡¯m not sure we can give, it is likely unconstitutional.¡±


    ¡°Well, in time I¡¯ll find them all myself. But... identifying Chosen is vital. Oh... there is one favour you can give me, and it¡¯s important, if... unpleasant.¡± I turned to Haru-san then, and at my serious expression and my thoughts which she must have read, she paled, gripping my hands tightly.


    ¡°Haru-san, I think you need to face Kondou Kazuo one last time. Otherwise he¡¯ll always haunt you. I won¡¯t force you, but... I think it¡¯s best. I can¡¯t know what you¡¯ve suffered, though I saw a fraction of it through your light, but when you see he can no longer hurt you, that he faces retribution...¡± I looked at the Prime Minster and the leader of the Opposition. ¡°... I need permission to experiment on Kondou Kazuo, on what happens when a Territory is destroyed. I hope it won¡¯t hurt him, but... it might. It might even kill him. I... well, I effectively killed him already, he¡¯s awaiting his execution, but... well, it hits different, killing with my own hands. I¡¯ve killed those agents that attacked the shrine, I killed sentient beings in the Boundary and lower Astral... I...¡±


    ¡°Soldiers kill.¡± One of the Chosen, the one of Bishamon, spoke up. ¡°But we don¡¯t revel in it. It can haunt us, sure, and it¡¯s never easy. But for the right reasons, sometimes we have to take the burden upon ourselves. So that others can live free. Can you honestly say you need to do this, it isn¡¯t for revenge, or selfish reasons?¡±


    ¡°Well, it might be slightly selfish, but...¡± I looked at Fujiwara-san. ¡°Your granddaughter, Miyu. She wanted to be free of this Candidacy. I thought of several ways, but the risk was awful. I think... I think we need to know if it can be done the way I think. It¡¯s dangerous knowledge, for sure, but knowing is important. It might be the only way to deal with truly dangerous foes, or to save those like Miyu who wish for freedom.¡± Though Miyu, I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t need to be free. A girl who wants to have some control over her life, retaining power is better...


    ¡°And there¡¯s no other way?¡± The Prime Minster asked. ¡°Even a prisoner awaiting death has rights and dignity.¡±


    At that, I could see Haru-san looking down, and her father grinding his teeth, angry. I don¡¯t blame him. Scum like Kondou Kazuo have no rights in my mind, still... ¡°No. I don¡¯t ask for this lightly. But if he can assume some risk, or even dies... if it can save a life down the line, I think it¡¯s a sin I¡¯m willing to bear.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± The Prime Minster agreed. ¡°What about you?¡± he asked the leader of the Opposition, who after a long deliberation, sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read the reports. I trust you, Oshiro-san. I trust that this is for good reasons. Try not to harm him though, if he dies, even though he¡¯s vile, it¡¯ll haunt my dreams...¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± I asked Haru-san. She released my hand when she realised she was gripping with all her might, though it didn¡¯t hurt me.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I... well... can I think about it tonight?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have any regrets, so consider it well.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of prisoners...¡± Tsumura-san said wryly. ¡°The US has officially disavowed those mercenaries who attacked your shrine. I know you wanted to meet with them, perhaps they can be of some use as compensation? Though I doubt we can trust them for anything more than grunt work. They are too loyal to the US and the mercenary code.¡±


    Yeah, I did want to see Aliyah and her brother, see what we could work out. ¡°If they are prepared for it, I might have a way to make them useful, without much danger of betrayal.¡± We always need trusted manpower, and Shaeula has her befuddling winds. Surely if they consent to it, it¡¯d be stronger... ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see anyway. I at least wanted to talk to them one time anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see, so then, onto the next issue...¡± the Prime Minister declared, and I stifled a yawn, mentally tired from having to deal with all these politicians and important people...


    *********


    ¡°So, we are in agreement then, for now.¡± The Prime Minster said, and murmurs of assent passed around the room.


    ¡°Great. Then the Ministry will be approved. The Opposition Party will give me a hard time at first as a cover, and I¡¯ll compromise by giving them the Minister position. Oshiro-san and the Diviner will be special advisors, but with significant sway, due to their knowledge.¡±


    Takakura-san agreed. ¡°I do hope that Conclave will stabilise the infighting between the shrines and temples, allowing us to bring them into the fold. Compelling them to join the Ministry would be difficult politically, but if they don¡¯t they¡¯ll miss a chance to shape the laws to their favour, so I¡¯m hopeful.¡±


    ¡°The Ministry will cover several areas. Law and Power, which will be based near Oshiro-san¡¯s Territory, where we will train the military who can be trusted, as well as a police force. Detective Kato Reiji and his officer will be approached for the role of heading this new force and selecting trustworthy officers. The Military Chosen will be stationed here too, while two will be seconded to Oshiro-san for training and support. There will also be scientists conducting tests on ether, magic and other phenomenon who will be based here. The land will be purchased by the state, and deeded to Oshiro-san, under the understanding he protects it, and makes no changes without Ministry consent.¡±


    Nods all around at that. I was pleased as I was going to inherit a very significant amount of land. The downside was I had a ton of Chirurgery to do, but I was making connections, and the trained troops were likely to have positive feelings towards me, and also likely a fear of going against me.


    ¡°A second Ministry site will be established with the other Ministries in central Tokyo. Suzuki-san will be Undersecretary to the Minister. It¡¯s a big role, but...¡±


    ¡°I can handle it!¡± Haru-san said, excited to be fulfilling one of her dreams she feared lost forever. ¡°I¡¯ll help find suitable recruits too!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Well, that site will handle legislation such as special immigration, which we have agreed in principle. And...¡± the Prime Minister rolled his eyes. ¡°... handle permits for polygamy. I can¡¯t believe you expect one person to have the weight to change a long-established law just for their own benefit.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need my help, right? So I think changing a little law for me isn¡¯t such a big deal. It¡¯s cheaper than paying me money, right?¡± I was still getting the ten million dollars, which was nice, but instead of further monetary compensation I was getting concessions that would otherwise be unthinkable.


    ¡°It will also handle international diplomacy dealing with Chosen, as well as lawyers and civil servants drafting laws and legislation to handle the new paradigm. Recruitment will be handled here too. Territory claims to this Boundary will be officially registered, as per our discussion, and those that abide by the laws drafted will not have their Territory infringed upon.¡±


    It¡¯s good that at least I am getting national agreement that my Territory in the Boundary is mine. As for potential conflicts if or when the Boundary merges with the Material, that needs further work, it seems. I would also be able to interview every chosen the Military and the nobility had gathered as part of my settlement, and from that I could gather a lot of useful information, and I was also allowed to... deal... with Kondou Kazuo. It was an extra-legal event, outside of the law due to national security, so even if something went wrong, I wouldn¡¯t be held accountable.


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget, dealing with the new land law.¡± Fukumoto-san agreed with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, that.¡± The Prime Minister agreed sourly. That had been the biggest area of haggling, but in the end it was approved. Within a registered Territory, Chosen could now apply to have ownership of public areas, such as roads, parks, government buildings. A nominal rent would be paid by the government, at a single yen per square metre per year, and the Chosen would not be able to make changes without permission from the Ministry, which would have a department managing it. Of course, this was also all pending the results of my ether and aether-depletion research. But if all went well, soon I would have significant overlap with my Territory and the Material. It has of course been agreed that I don¡¯t have to apply, as when it is proven safe, I¡¯ll automatically have everything approved. I also get my special immigrants such as Shaeula, Hyacinth and any others approved without question.


    ¡°I¡¯m already envisioning the profit.¡± Fukumoto-san chuckled, annoying Takatsukasa-san. ¡°I suspect land within your Territory will eventually be as valuable as prime central Tokyo real-estate.¡±


    ¡°If that happens, I hope it¡¯s because we proved ether is beneficial to people at large, not because your speculation about the apocalypse is proven true.¡± The leader of the Opposition sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll set a date for introducing you to the Minister and Vice-Minister. After this... Conclave, is best, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I hope they are easy to work with.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve just the person for the job.¡± He laughed.


    ¡°In addition, despite your... rather ludicrous... request regarding polygamy...¡± Tsumura-san and Fukumoto-san looked rather pleased at that, as well they should be, as I did it for their granddaughters, after all. ¡°... we still owe you significant renumeration for your training, research, knowledge and technical support. As well as your agreement to fight, should any Chosen prove problematic and too much for our nascent new police force to handle.¡± They wanted my support against potential threats, which didn¡¯t come cheap. Hinata would be proud, I was selling myself hard.


    ¡°... so you will be paid a yearly retainer, as well as additional renumeration for extra tasks such as the Chirurgery on the Special Forces. It will come out of the budget for the Ministry.¡± The Prime Minister had a bit of a headache at how much money I was demanding, but I had made it clear I could be persuaded to forgo money in exchange for more... favours. Land too. The state owned a surprising amount of land that unlike parks and other facilities had no current use, and I would be taking a number of sites within my Territory, with all planning permissions already granted. I was going to pass that out to Fukumoto-san to develop for me, since he had connections in business. Even so, I¡¯ll be earning enough money each year that my family, extended even though it is, will never have to worry again.


    ¡°... further details such as handling rare and impossible materials, ether tax, and other matters are still up for debate.¡± The Prime Minister finished. Everyone agreed, and the Secretary sealed the notes, signalling we were finished. I didn¡¯t get everything I wanted, but I got everything I needed. More importantly, Japan was making preparations for the inevitable reveal. Chaos was the last thing any of us wanted.


    Haru-san was quiet, probably thinking of Kondou Kazuo, so I turned to my grandfathers. ¡°At some point, you¡¯ll need Chirurgery too. I¡¯ve done mine and Eri¡¯s family, well, I still need to visit Eri¡¯s grandparents and see if I can help their illnesses, they¡¯ve always been frail.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, but that can wait. Special Forces first.¡± Tsumura-san said, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Fine. I guess I am getting paid per soldier.¡± The amount wasn¡¯t trivial, either, at five million yen. Money buys land. I can generate some back by renting it out... It seemed impossible, but I wanted to to own every scrap of land within my Territory, though doing such was surely beyond anyone. Especially when it expands...


    ¡°In that case, we are done here.¡± Ichijou-san said, eyeing me with good humour. ¡°I believe you are holding a meeting of your own tonight, to set your own plans, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how did you know?¡± I asked, and he grinned happily.


    ¡°It seems Mayumi found out from Hinata-chan. They are good friends after all.¡±


    Well, as much as this Mayumi-san actually understands friendship anyway. Hinata was upset by her before, but she wants more than ever to be equal, true friends...


    ¡°I see. Yeah, I wanted to set my own course out clearly for my allies. It¡¯s especially important if Conclave is coming up. So?¡± I asked, getting a raised pale eyebrow in return at my boldness.


    ¡°So, I was thinking I¡¯d be interested in seeing how you do things. After all, Ichijou house has found its own Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks.¡± I denied him, earning a laugh from Fukumoto-san, who was going to be present, as he was instrumental in securing me land. ¡°No offense, but even though I don¡¯t want to be enemies with anyone here, or your Chosen, I also don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise tipping my hand. There¡¯s nothing in it for me.¡±


    ¡°So mercenary.¡± Ichijou-san laughed. ¡°But you¡¯re wrong. You already have a relationship with Fujiwara house, and Takatsukasa house too.¡±


    Takatsukasa-san grumbled a bit at that, but after his healing, there was no way he could deny my request to treat Hinata better, so I supposed Ichijou-san was right. He is her grandfather after all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want a closer relationship with the last of the Three Great Houses? There are many young men who would jump at the chances of that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to be at odds, but that¡¯s very different from disclosing my secrets.¡±


    ¡°Something to hide, a guilty conscience?¡± he asked, inquisitive, and I shrugged.


    ¡°No, my conscience is clear, but of course I have things to hide. I don¡¯t doubt you are the same, and wouldn¡¯t be happy if I asked to sit in on your private meetings?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± He continued to grin, seeming to enjoy the conversation. ¡°But actually... I am here to offer you a proposal. But first I need to know if it¡¯ll be worth my while, if you are the man I need. Besides, Hinata-chan and I have met a number of times when she has visited my Mayumi. We are on good terms.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this proposal?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Ichijou Heavy Engineering is going through a bit of a downturn at the moment. We specialise in military equipment for export and the JSDF, and heavy high-tech machinery for manufacturing, but times are hard, and US and Israeli arms manufacturers are dominating the military fields, while China, India... they are eating up our market share in machinery.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and what does that have to do with me?¡± I asked. Unless... does he mean to...


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know we are aware of your immigrants, after all, Fujiwara Security Services guards your shrine around the clock. Now, this Ixitt... he is a specialist, right? Why not... put him to use?¡±


    Shit, he was thinking that. Powerful old men are always quick to detect opportunity. ¡°I see. But what do I get out of it?¡±


    ¡°What do you want? A significant shareholding goes without saying. But just imagine it. What wonders could we as a country be first to develop? But such a commitment of my resources, you can¡¯t expect me to invest without being satisfied with your plans, can you?¡±


    Damn, it¡¯s tempting. ¡°Fine, but you have to agree to one thing first, to protect my secrets...¡±

 Two Hundred And Forty Two *Contains Maps*

    Two Hundred And Forty Two *Contains Maps*


    In the training hall at Shirohebizumi, my allies were arrayed around us, surprisingly numerous. I¡¯ve come a long way in just a few months, from being alone, to adding Shaeula and her weaselkin, to Grulgor and his trolls, allies from the shrines and temples, and many others. Still, that was just my idle thoughts, trying to distract me from the scene in front of me.


    ¡°So, why are you here, Mayumi?¡± Hinata was demanding, face red. The girl in front of her looked a little affronted at the lack of honorific, but she radiated confidence in a regal way that reminded me a little of Shaeula, who was watching with interest, the spectacle at least relieving some of the deep weariness that was shadowing her features.


    ¡°Why would I not be, Hinata?¡± The girl, who obviously was her friend Mayumi-san, said, puzzled. ¡°Since grandfather was coming, I thought it would be a good opportunity to finally see this man you are so proud of. Besides, it seemed fun.¡±


    Motoko and Natsumi had both greeted her respectfully, Natsumi falling back into her role as bodyguard and lesser noble, which aggravated me a little at her diffidence, but it would take a while for her mindset to change, so I set it aside for now. Behind them, Ichijou-san, shadowed by a single, powerful-looking bodyguard, was grinning at the sight of his granddaughter and her curiosity.


    ¡°Fun? This isn¡¯t a spectacle for you to laugh at!¡± Hinata spluttered. Her brother, Hiroto-san, was watching with a concerned look on his face, knowing well the status of Mayumi-san. ¡°This is serious, important discussion that will decide our future, the future of Japan, maybe even the whole world!¡± Her face was bright red, and I was struck by how cute she looked, but even so, I thought I would throw her a lifeline.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you¡¯d be bringing anyone else.¡± I said to Ichijou-san, who had turned up after everyone else had gathered, arriving fashionably late as if he was the star of the show. Which I guess he¡¯s used to being. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now, Oshiro-san.¡± He said, watching his granddaughter warmly. ¡°Surely you wouldn¡¯t begrudge an old man the opportunity to teach his granddaughter something important, would you? Besides, she¡¯s been a little down since she had a quarrel with Hinata-chan. Speaking of...¡± He interrupted the two arguing girls.


    ¡°Hinata-chan, it¡¯s been too long.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Ichijou-sama...¡± Hinata paused, realising she had been arguing fiercely with Mayumi-san in front of everyone, and her red flush was now one of shame, not anger. ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry you had to see such an undignified display...¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± He waved it away. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly been fierier and more outspoken recently, my Mayumi has told me. Besides, I believe she rather enjoys the discourse, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Mayumi-san nodded. ¡°Of course. Who else would dare to speak her feelings to me, or speak so informally? Still, there is a limit.¡± She warned.


    All right. enough of that. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid that Mayumi-san... I can call you that, right?¡± I asked, and the girl nodded after a moment, eyeing me curiously, as if I was some sort of strange animal. ¡°... Mayumi-san will have to agree to the same terms as you and your bodyguard. We will be discussing extremely confidential matters here. Oh, and let me introduce these two.¡± I gestured to the two soldiers who would be my attache?s and liaisons with the military as part of the agreement, who would also have to undergo a similar process. ¡°These are First Lieutenant Nakano Banri and Major Sasaki Yasu. They¡¯ll be working with us for a while, and also coming on my next mission.¡±


    Major Sasaki, who was the chosen of Bishamon, nodded politely at Motoko, who returned a similarly polite greeting. I guess perhaps they might have seen her before, considering her father and grandfather hold high positions in the military. ¡°I am Major Sasaki Yasu, it is an honour to be here, and I intend to prove my worth. Bishamon, kami of war spoke to me, and told me to defend Japan. As I have always been a career soldier, such an ask was merely a formality, as I intend to defend Japan to my last breath!¡± he said, expression stern. He was older than me, in his early thirties, it looked like, and his short-cropped brown hair and dark eyes gave him an intense look.


    ¡°And I¡¯m First Lieutenant Nakano Banri. I¡¯m only recently a First Lieutenant, I got a rank bump when I disclosed I had been called upon by the kami Kagutsuchi.¡± He laughed, and as he was around my age, with similarly close-cropped hair as the major, but a dirty blonde shade, and his eyes were a lighter hazel, and his build more wiry and lean, he came across as a little crude. ¡°Still, we were the first two, though now there¡¯s six of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember you two.¡± Shaeula observed, grinning sourly. ¡°I trust you have managed to grow stronger, else Akio will have left you further-further behind.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s in a bit of a bad mood. It must have been tough, dealing with Seelie politics.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Major said, saluting her. ¡°The information you left us when you visited the Ministry proved helpful to our training. Still, it would be presumptuous of us to expect to match you two. That is why we are here, to offer our support and learn.¡±


    ¡°Well, I concede you know-know your place.¡± She sniffed. Behind her the various members of the faith were muttering on hearing the gods they were Chosen by, which were by no means minor like a lot of their kami.


    ¡°I see. And what does Akio get in exchange for that? I¡¯m not sure how helpful you can be.¡± Hinata said, looking at them shrewdly, and a lot of us smiled as the sight of a young girl staring down some career soldiers, but then Hinata was fairly fearless when it came to these sort of matters, especially now. Mayumi-san watched on in interest.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to talk about that as well. After all, a lot was discussed today. You can tell that by the presence of our guests.¡± As Ichijou-san took a seat, his bodyguard behind him, Mayumi-san pulled a chair out and sat beside Hinata, watching her, her chin held in her steepled hands. Hinata bit down on a sigh, raising an eyebrow at where she chose to sit. Yeah, okay, there¡¯s a lot of girls there, but... no, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s only a seating arrangement, nothing more. Hinata would probably tease her about it later. ¡°But then, a lot has happened, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Hikawa-san said, grinning, his handsome features drawing the eye of those around him. Though I notice my girls don¡¯t seem to notice. Feeling happy at that, I let him speak. ¡°Conclave has finally been decided on. It¡¯s a bit short notice, but it¡¯s the weekend after next. So we need to decide on just what we plan to do. When we first started this alliance, it was just to grow our strength and increase our influence, giving our faction a larger voice. But... matters have changed somewhat.¡± He cast his gaze at the two kami who were present in human forms.


    ¡°Yes. I was informed by Takakura-san of this.¡± I agreed. ¡°So of course we¡¯ll be talking about that too.¡±


    ¡°Takakura-sama, I see.¡± The old woman who had been brought in by Hikawa-san, Chiyo-san, who was neutral in terms of faction struggles, and head of the old and influential Yushima Tenjin shrine, in Ueno, which venerated Ame-no-Tajikarao, a god of agriculture and strength, although in latter years Tenjin had also become worshipped there. Shifting worship is unusual for true shrines. But I¡¯m still not fully versed in such matters. ¡°And what did such an august personage wish with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll talk about it. But he hoped we could help put a stop to the wasteful infighting in Kyoto. Anyway, Ichijou-san, as we discussed, I need you to listen to Shaeula and obey her, all right? And she¡¯ll use an ability to make you keep your promises. You too, I¡¯m afraid, Mayumi-san.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I don¡¯t believe I agreed to anything. Are you saying my word cannot be trusted? Your fiance? is rather offensive, lacking in...¡± she started berating Hinata over my demand.


    ¡°Cease your yapping.¡± Shaeula snapped, and her annoyance she was barely holding in boiled out. ¡°You come-come as an uninvited guest, and seek to rile my dear friend and sister Hinata. I shall not-not stand for it. Be silent and obey.¡±


    Mayumi-san paused for a second, unsure of what she had heard, before her brain caught up and she opened her mouth to protest, pale with anger, only to shrink back as a jade aura filled the room. The bodyguard accompanying Ichijou-san made to move, but he was frozen by her piercing amber glare. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Princess of the Seelie and Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections. You may be proud of your heritage, I would not-not deny you that, but do not-not forget your manners. You are intruding into matters both important and secret. Be thankful Akio is kind and will-will let you remain here with merely an Oath of secrecy.¡± Her League, Charm and Majesty combined to make it so none could look away, and Mayumi-san was completely overpowered by her. There was silence, until Hinata broke the deadlock, starting to giggle. When she did so, Eri started too, followed by Aiko. Soon even Motoko and Natsumi were laughing as well, hiding their smiles politely behind their hands.


    ¡°When it comes to being noble, Shaeula has you outclassed, Mayumi.¡± She snickered. ¡°Though at times she¡¯s surprisingly... normal. You could learn a lot from her.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m pleased at this. First telepathy, now mind control. How can anyone ever know if their will is their own with such powers unleashed on the world?¡± Ichijou-san said, shaking his head, deep in thought.


    ¡°It is hardly mind control.¡± Shaeula tossed her head, long amber hair fluttering. ¡°Merely encouragement to keep-keep your word.¡±


    ¡°Well, I made preparations. I¡¯ll be tested, Mayumi too. Regularly. If I find any discrepancies in our actions or memories that can¡¯t be explained, I¡¯ll have no choice but to assume you tampered with our minds, and the full might of Ichijou house and the nobility will be arrayed against you. Be assured, no matter how strong you are, you can¡¯t fight a country.¡±


    ¡°True. For now.¡± I agreed, looking unruffled. ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve investigated us. You know we won¡¯t do that. But I agree, precautions are wise. Anyway. Shaeula, go ahead...¡±


    ¡°Very well. You shall keep-keep secret all we discuss here and refrain from disclosing it in any way at all-all, be it verbal, written or...¡± as Shaeula bound them to secrecy, the winds blowing, I gathered my thoughts. Everything is falling into place. We are starting to get the political landscape moving, Shaeula is finally home, my Territory is growing, and soon we can start dealing with the long-awaited Conclave...


    ********


    ¡°So, thank you for coming, everyone. This is quite the gathering. I¡¯m glad I made the training school pretty large.¡± I joked, breaking the tension our display of Shaeula¡¯s power had caused. ¡°There are some people here for the first time...¡± I gestured to the soldiers, as well as Ichijou-san and his daughter, who was still pouting a little at her treatment, but from her seat beside Hinata she was now looking around, curious, taking in everything. ¡°... but now it¡¯s time to take stock and plan our moves going forwards.¡±


    ¡°A good idea. Conclave is going to be... tense. I¡¯ve heard there have been fatalities. I can¡¯t say I fully understand everything that occurs in the other world, the spiritual one where the kami dwell.¡± Hikawa-san said. ¡°But Ren has been there now, and from what he saw it is a dangerous place. I don¡¯t want to believe fellow priests and maidens of the old shrines, the true faiths, would go so far as to kill each other, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we cross factional boundaries here. Takakura-san also wishes for the faiths to come together and join with the new Ministry we are establishing. I¡¯ll talk about that in a moment, but first I¡¯d like to make some decisions about who is going to attend Conclave. Obviously I¡¯ll go, with Shaeula, Hyacinth and my other allies. We need to display strength, after all.¡±


    ¡°These old bones will be there.¡± Chiyo-san declared. ¡°I have long been tired of the silly games Kudou-sama and the others play. My granddaughters, who have so graciously been improved by this Chirurgery of yours, will also attend.¡±


    ¡°I shall represent Hachisen shrine, as will my grandson and his cousin.¡± The frail, elderly man gestured to the trainee priest and shrine maiden, who had also received Chirurgery. ¡°Ryu?jin shall not go unheard at Conclave.¡± He was Uchiumi-san, right. A fitting name, as it means ¡®inner sea¡¯ and they worship the Dragon God of the oceans, and their shrine is on the bay.


    ¡°As will me and mine.¡± The last neutral priest declared. He was old as well, yet not as frail as his colleague. He too had a boy and a girl as his representatives, who had been trained. ¡°Akaiwashi shrine many not be the most well-known, but we have kept faith for fifteen hundred years for this day.¡± Behind him the trainee priest, who was pierced and had bleached hair, looking more like a delinquent than a man of faith, nodded fiercely. The girl beside him rolled her eyes, clearly irritated.


    ¡°Every voice counts, Akaminai-san.¡± Hikawa-san declared, and Chiyo-san agreed.


    ¡°Too many shrines have been lost or destroyed over the centuries, or even abandoned by faithless fools. Your kami may be humble, but it shall be represented.¡±


    ¡°Well, you all know me.¡± Hikawa-san declared. ¡°I am Hiroto Hikawa-san.¡± At the name, Hinata nudged her brother, who had turned up today since the meeting was important. When he had undergone his painful Chirurgery, he had not made a sound, perhaps not wishing to be compared unfavourably to his younger sister. I could understand that.


    ¡°My shrine is Hikawa-Kawagoe, where we revere Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the kami that is the namesake of our faction. I wield considerable influence. My son Ren and my daughters, they have great skills, which have only grown under the care of our good friend Akio-san here.¡± he gestured to me. Ren-san was puffed up with pride, and I winked at him, causing him to pale. Yep, no getting out of filling that mirror for me.


    ¡°I shall obviously be in attendance, and am expected to support the head of our faction, Uchida-sama. Obviously I am a man of my word, we all are. But things have changed. Making precipitous moves not knowing the situation is foolish. Besides, we have esteemed neutral shrines here, and even... even an Amaterasu faction minor shrine.¡± He grinned, gesturing to Kikuchi Shuta-san, who looked ill at ease, his daughter, Maiko-san, and another.


    ¡°I feel that your words are quite wise, clik.¡± The bald, thin man in jade green vestments said, and everyone could feel divinity from him, though to me it was weak. ¡°I am the Jade Beetle kami of Hisuikomushi shrine. My loyal priest has followed the advice of Akio here, who saved us from a cruel fate. Thus I am here before you, clik.¡±


    There was some hubbub around the room, but since news of Shirohebi had spread and some had even met him, a second surprise always carried less shock than the first. Still, as Shuta-san and his daughter affirmed their intent to travel to Kyoto and support me, being a bridge to their faction, I scanned his Territory details.


    Vassal Territory: Rank 2


    Constructed Buildings: Ether Spire Rank 2, Ether Spire Rank 2, Ether Spire Rank 2, Throne of Heroes Rank 1, Ether Spire Rank 1, Ether Spire Rank 1, Ether Spire Rank 1


    Build Queue 1: Ether Spire Rank 2


    Build Queue 2: Ether Spire Rank 2


    Tithe Rate: 25%


    Status: Active ¨C Uncontested ¨C Barrier 100%


    Looking at it I felt a bit bad, as I had helped Miyu boost her Territory to a greater strength, and wasn¡¯t even tithing her. Still, I had provided Defensive Emplacements and a safe environment, as well as advice. He could just continue to upgrade his Ether Spires and then the Throne.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this Conclave, only that it¡¯s important and in Kyoto, but I don¡¯t want you to go alone!¡± Takagi-san declared to Maiko-san, surprising her.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit premature, but...¡± I looked at my parents and the Mori¡¯s, who were sitting at the back silently, watching with impressed eyes as I managed this diverse crowd of important people. ¡°... I feel a bit bad asking for Eri and my sis to miss more school, but I was hoping they could come with me. After all, Eri and Aiko are definite success stories, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, Kyoto trip! That¡¯s like a classic, right?¡± Aiko grinned, nudging Eri, who looked a little embarrassed by her antics.


    ¡°Hush, Aiko. This is a serious meeting.¡± She hissed. ¡°Of course. I need to be there. If anyone disrespects you, then I¡¯ll set them straight!¡± She made a grabbing gesture, and Aiko laughed, muttering that Eri missed her axe.


    ¡°Eri¡¯s grades and attendance are fine.¡± Uncle said, agreeing. ¡°As for Aiko-chan...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. My studies are going well, and I know what exams I have to take. Missing a few days won¡¯t set me back!¡± she promised, and my mom grinned. ¡°Fine. Enjoy the trip.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll be going too, right Akio?¡± Kana declared, and I agreed.


    ¡°Of course, not only is Shirohebizumi shrine our base of operations, Shirohebi is essential too.¡± I gestured to the androgynous figure, who nodded. ¡°Keomi-san and your father are your delegates.¡±


    ¡°So... uh, do we get to go?¡± One of Kana¡¯s friends, Mio-san, stuck up her hand. ¡°I missed our school trip there, and this sounds... well, fun.¡± Her other friend, Asami-san nodded too.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t playtime. It¡¯s serious business.¡± I warned. ¡°But you have undertaken Chirurgery like everyone else, and have signed the agreements.¡± Hinata looked pleased at that. ¡°You¡¯ll need to work, to show what normal people can achieve when running through our training school, all right? If you do, we can pay you some pocket money to enjoy the trip.¡±


    We then went through the other shrines that had been brought in originally. A thin, wizened bald old priest accompanied by a pair of shrine maidens who were still in middle school, Hanabusa-san, was the head of Hanabusa Inari shrine in Akihabara. It had been relocated several times due to war or disaster, and worshipped the kami Uda no Omachi, of the harvest and food.


    There was a surprisingly young man, only in his early twenties, my age, Shiba-san, who had his young nephew, one of the few males I had performed Chirurgery on, and his sister, who was the oldest of all the shrine maidens, and attending University. His shrine was a minor one, located in Hachioji and rather run down, yet despite its ramshackle appearance, Kashima shrine was an old one indeed.


    Outside of Tokyo, and the furthest shrine from us, was a shrine led by a small, dark-skinned woman, her age was something I couldn¡¯t quite determine and wasn¡¯t rude enough to ask, but I assumed she was around my mothers¡¯ age. She had two similarly dark-skinned shrine maidens accompanying her, one about to graduate high-school, the other just starting. Her shrine was dedicated to a minor kami called the Wolf That Howls, or Hoeruokami. I can¡¯t say I warmed to the idea of that one. Dogs still make me a little nervous. I¡¯m sure Tyr agrees. Still, with the shrine being in the foothills of the mountains north of Saitama, they had a horrible commute, and it was lucky their town was near a line to Tokyo. I think they were the most grateful to be able to use the rooms at the training school.


    Then there was another old man, bald and bearded, looking rather ascetic, like a Buddhist monk. He was Fuchigami-san, and he also had a pair of shrine maidens behind him, looking like sisters. One was looking at her phone, and when she saw me looking, she put it away with a wry chuckle. Their shrine was located in Kawasaki, and venerated Benten, one of the seven Japanese gods of fortune, though they were probably the least influential true shrine that worshipped her, according to Izumi-san.


    Lastly, from Tokyo there was a final elderly priest, accompanied by another pair of shrine maidens. Seriously, the ratio is skewed as hell. No wonder Shaeula suffered doing all that Chirurgery. Still, she¡¯s about to get her revenge, as the Special Forces are likely to be ninety percent male... Their shrine was tucked away in a little corner of Shibuya, and worshipped a minor kami, Aoikaeru, the Blue Frog of the Skies.


    That just left one, and Marika-san was bobbing up and down in her seat, excited by the presence of two kami in the flesh, and the prospect of seeing her grandfather again. ¡°I shall of course be attending, Akio-sama. My grandfather will be there to represent Chairoakitara shrine. Oh, how I wish that Chairo-sama could come like these two.¡±


    ¡°Well, in time.¡± I promised her, infected by her enthusiasm, even if I could never get her to stop calling me by -sama. She¡¯s too serious for her age, even if she¡¯s a good, studious girl. ¡°So that¡¯s three neutral shrines, one from Amaterasu, and eight from Susanoo faction. Twelve in total. Two shrines are quite major, right?¡±


    ¡°We also have two kami who can walk the earth, and your other spiritual beings.¡± Hikawa-san interjected. ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised we came this far so quickly.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been wondering...¡± Hinata asked. ¡°Just how many of these true shrines and temples are there? In school we were taught there are some forty thousand notable shrines and temples in Japan, and if you include minor ones with only a statue or an offertory box then it is over a hundred thousand.¡±


    ¡°Akio, what are your thoughts? If it¡¯s initial capital, you have money, and as do I. Grandfather will help. You can also get funds from your bank, right? You are with Chase Midas Gold.¡± Hinata looked proud. ¡°Kira-sama, be serious. Sure, you might be able to lowball Akio now and feel good that you pulled one over on him, but down the line... Akio will remember. I¡¯ll remember. We¡¯ll remember, right?¡±


    ¡°Those who do not-not treat Akio with the respect he deserves will find no favour with the Seelie Court, as he is a liberator of the Spring of Clear Reflections and my husband.¡± Shaeula declared, and Hyacinth giggled madly. ¡°Yes, if ooone cheats master I will strangle them, choooke them, turn their world to dust and ruin!¡± Back to calling me master I see. Well, so long as she remembers in private...


    ¡°I¡¯m nobody special.¡± Eri said. ¡°But don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you look down on Akio just because you¡¯re a noble!¡±


    ¡°I think...¡± Motoko began. ¡°... you should reconsider, Ichijou-sama. Grandfather might want weapons to defend our country, but if they come by cheating my fiance?... I think he would be unhappy. After all, Akio is giving much to this nation.¡± Natsumi agreed with her.


    ¡°You are all being quite rude. Ten percent of our industrial company is massive. Hinata, you may have wealth, but...¡± Mayumi-san began, and Aiko snorted, looking at Miyu, who looked down.


    ¡°I take it back. Compared to her, you were positively reasonable.¡± My sis told her.


    ¡°Why, you have no right...¡± Mayumi-san began, so I gestured then, and flame roared into life in my palm, stopping everyone in their tracks.


    ¡°Enough. My sister has every right to speak. You¡¯re a friend of Hinata¡¯s, so I¡¯ve been overlooking your rudeness, but my patience is not infinite. Now, if you have something constructive to say, feel free. Otherwise leave the talking to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of you!¡± she said, though her shaking hands and pale face belied that, as her dark brown eyes stared at the flame until I dismissed it.


    ¡°Fine. Well, I agree. That could be a lot of money. But... Hinata thinks like I do on this. Really, it isn¡¯t something we need you to help us with. The idea is good, but don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t already thought of it. Ixitt and his Mortal Engineers can improve both worlds by combining their strengths. So let me be blunt. Any agreement is going to be vetted by lawyers, although we¡¯ll need to have some from the Ministry first, ones we can trust.¡± Damn, doing business dealing with Astral matters is tough as hell.


    ¡°Fair, and it goes without saying. The sums and technologies involved are too precious not to be secured by an ironclad contract. Go on.¡±


    ¡°I want to bring Fukumoto-san in on it as well. The two of you should work together and construct a new plant and research department within the sphere of Territory I control. I¡¯ll then spend significant spiritual resources strengthening the ether there. That¡¯s something money can¡¯t buy and I doubt any of your Chosen can manage it. It¡¯ll cost me a lot as start-up energy, so in exchange the pair of you should cover the land, construction of the facilities, equipment Ixitt needs for the production lines, and more.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s not entirely unreasonable.¡± Ichijou-san agreed, and Hinata nodded.


    ¡°In terms of the stake, ten percent is fine.¡± Hinata said, seemingly going back on her previous words. ¡°Ten percent in Nichibotsu too. Half from the share I¡¯ll inherit, half from you, grandfather.¡± Hinata said.


    ¡°All right, but...¡± he began, and Hinata smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s for his expertise. Which is priceless. In terms of any breakthroughs...¡± her eyes glittered with avarice. ¡°... the intellectual property and patents belong to Akio through Ixitt. However he can¡¯t trade them or sub-licence without both of your consent. Profits from any device or finished product will be split evenly, separate to the shares.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I would say that if we need to make additional factories to meet demand, what of the costs there? And of materials and the staffing budget?¡± Ichijou-san asked, and Fukumoto-san agreed.


    ¡°Facilities will be shared between the two of you, as Akio will have to bear the cost of providing ether, something only he can do. Staffing and materials... split between Nichibotsu, Ichijou Heavy Industries and us, but obviously Ixitt¡¯s wage comes out of what we pay. Though finding other trustworthy staff might be an issue...¡±


    ¡°We, huh, Hinata?¡± her grandfather smiled wryly. Well, when a girl gets engaged, she¡¯s naturally joining a new family. Tough break, old man.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite the initial investment, so... I think we¡¯d need some assurances, right Fukumoto-san?¡± Ichijou-san addressed her grandfather.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, shrugging. ¡°It was you who came to us. And it¡¯s a smart move. So far Ixitt has been involved in recreating firearms, helping with a biological project, and you heard him. He¡¯s trying to create artificial Buildings for my Territory. I¡¯d imagine it¡¯s only a matter of time before we come up with something useful. If it¡¯s weaponry or other useful items though, I want the right to buy them at cost for my own forces.¡±


    ¡°It would be useful to build a suitable facility to mirror it in the Boundary.¡± Ixitt mused. ¡°That way I could be significantly more efficient., and use insights from each world to further the other.¡±


    ¡°So, when did you get so bold?¡± Mayumi-san asked Hinata sourly. ¡°Does getting engaged really change you that much? I admit I mostly came here to see him. I grant that he seems impressive, but... he¡¯s not a noble.¡±


    ¡°Wow, this one¡¯s definitely dumber than you, Miyu.¡± My sis said loudly again, to more sniggers. Kana was trying her best to hold it in, which made me grin.


    ¡°I think...¡± Miyu began, fighting her natural timidity. ¡°...perhaps you are looking at things wrong, Mayumi-san?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mayumi-san arched an eyebrow, surprised she was addressed.


    ¡°Yes. My grandfather trusts him, and... well, he helped me when he didn¡¯t have to. Even when we were disrespectful. And Motoko-san, Hinata-san... is a man who marries them really not noble?¡±


    ¡°I always get forgotten.¡± Natsumi muttered to Eri with a smile, earning a smirk in return.


    ¡°Yes, but... if marrying nobility made one noble, then the whole nobility loses meaning.¡± She protested. ¡°it¡¯s why you are not considered a Takatsukasa.¡± Mayumi-san said, and I interjected.


    ¡°Not true. All three houses, Takatsukasa, Ichijou and Fujiwara agreed that Hinata would be treated as a Takatsukasa descendant and respected as such.¡± I broke in. ¡°Not that I care. Hinata is Hinata, and to be honest, she¡¯s a lot more likable than you, from our brief acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°What do you know of me?¡± she sniffed. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have to be likable. I¡¯m Ichijou Mayumi! Grandfather, is this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In exchange for healing Itsuki, and a few other matters. We¡¯ve agreed some reforms. Mayumi, don¡¯t forget your noble pride, but times are changing. I believe new nobility is being born as we speak. Best we get used to it, and control what the nobility can concede, and protect what must be protected. Best we guide in those who can work within our rules and strengthen us. like Oshiro-san here. He understands the good in what we do, even if he takes issue with some matters. And his marriage to Hinata-chan, Motoko-san and Natsumi-san tie him to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone.¡± I apologised. ¡°This is taking up our time and we still have stuff to go over. Can we wrap this up?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Well, I don¡¯t know about you, Fukumoto-san, but I suppose I can agree to the terms. Ichijou house will be at the forefront of this new world. A little money is a small price to pay.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Hinata agreed, looking at me. ¡°Akio, I don¡¯t want to go behind your back, I know you hate that, and I feel bad about doing it before. I¡¯m not going to agree to anything you wouldn¡¯t want, just lay some groundwork to give you options. Can you trust me to talk to Kira-sama alone?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess. I do trust you. We¡¯ve all learned our lessons, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming too.¡± Mayumi-san said. ¡°You¡¯ve grown cheeky, Hinata. You should jump at the chance to have your fiance? work with us.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Come on, Hinata-chan.¡± Ichijou-san smiled. As the three of them left, followed by Kazumi-san and the Ichijou house bodyguard, I turned my attention back to the others. ¡°Sorry about that. It was kind of personal business. But... look at it this way. It shows the strength of our position, right? Money, political power, potential new technologies... I can offer a lot. And from now on, I want to expand the training. As soon as you trainees have enough aether to enter the Boundary, you¡¯ll be assigned a training plan tailored to you. When we enter the Conclave, though only twelve shrines are represented, we should be able to field a force in the Boundary there that has no equal. Also... if the Night Parade truly are an issue, we have our trump card.¡±


    Shaeula grinned. ¡°I would dearly love-love to see my mother again. As a member of the Night Parade myself now, I shall see-see to mediation between us, should Akio be properly respected. Though first...¡± she sighed. ¡°I have a meeting with Duke Formor. I wish-wish for him to cease hostilities, and return my maids, both the traitor and-and the loyal.¡± Her face fell.


    ¡°Damn, I wish I could be there with you.¡± I felt awful that I couldn¡¯t be, but we simply had too much to do. ¡°But you¡¯ll be safe, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. My father has arranged it. He will be coming to the Spring. I shall require Grulgor, I trust that is not-not a problem?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It makes sense, and is probably good for Grulgor too. I hope the Duke is reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Grul will speak to the Duke. It should not come to violence. The Duke hates the Unseelie. Our victory was legendary, Grul says. And he respects strength. Princess is strong.¡±


    ¡°Fine. So see? We have even more leverage at Conclave.¡± We spent a little longer discussing that, before I turned to the next issue.


    ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll be leading an expedition to Inuyama. I fear there¡¯s a monster there that is responsible for killing Chosen and possibly ordinary people. It¡¯ll also be a good way to increase the strength of some of us ready for Conclave. So... Haru-san, Kikuchi-san, I would like you to come along.¡±


    They both nodded. I then turned my attention to Miyu. ¡°Miyu, I¡¯d ask that you come too. Don¡¯t worry, I intend to protect you all.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow Miyu-sama to go alone!¡± Koga-san protested, but I had to be firm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look after her. You are still too new, too untested in the Boundary.¡± Besides, you can¡¯t grow. Miyu should be able to level up. Getting her a bunch would definitely make me feel better. And some confidence for her too can¡¯t hurt.


    Koga-san continued her protests, but my sister was the one to stop her. ¡°Look, I get that you are worried, but my bro won¡¯t let her get hurt. Protecting girls is like totally his thing. So wow, just shut up and get stronger, then next time he¡¯ll want to take you, ninja girl. Speaking of...¡± she looked at our parents. ¡°... while we¡¯re here, why don¡¯t Eri and I tag along? We can head home from Inuyama, it¡¯ll only be one more day of school we miss. You want to, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I want to get stronger. And I know I¡¯ll be safe with Akio.¡± She answered, before turning to Koga-san. ¡°Look, I get it. This girl is your friend, and you want to keep her safe. But let Akio do it this time. I was weak before too, but I¡¯ve worked hard. It¡¯s been painful and scary at times, but if you want it badly enough, you¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Though with missing more school for this Conclave, I am expecting you to work extra hard on studying for your exams, Aiko.¡± My father said. ¡°Eri-san, you too. You may not have entrance exams, but letting your grades drop is foolish. A smart girl like you should not hurt your future.¡±


    ¡°I understand, father-in-law.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m sure I told you not to use honorifics for me, it feels wrong now.¡±


    ¡°Yes well...¡± my father was quite the old-fashioned man, and struggled with displays of intimacy, and I got a brief bit of amusement watching his internal struggle. ¡°... I shall try to remember Eri-san, no, Eri.¡± He paused. ¡°Though I do note you vary between calling me father-in-law and uncle. Perhaps it is not just I who need to remember.¡±


    Damn, a joke from my father. It¡¯s happening more and more lately. Putting that aside, I addressed everyone, the soldiers particularly keen on hearing what I had to say. ¡°Look. Shaeula and I encountered this monster there. Not all spiritual beings are bad. A lot of the Fae we can make common cause with, kami too. Maybe even the Night Parade. I know what we¡¯ve been told, but until I see the situation myself I don¡¯t want to make any decisions. But this creature is not friendly, not at all. And if it¡¯s causing needless deaths and suffering, well, it¡¯s our job to deal with it. Right?¡±


    The soldiers agreed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we¡¯ve been seconded to you. To learn.¡± The Major said.


    ¡°It¡¯s also part of the duties of the Ministry we are setting up to manage both criminals abusing their powers, and dangerous non-human creatures. I think that those of faith should be involved in that too.¡± I continued. ¡°I intend to make sure this threat and any others are taken out. But in danger comes opportunity. Don¡¯t worry, Haru-san, Miyu. We¡¯ve done this before.¡± I smiled reassuringly. ¡°I¡¯m a bit short on manpower as Shaeula, Hyacinth and Grulgor will be dealing with the Seelie Court, but even so, I¡¯ve faced this monster before, and while I was forced to flee then, I¡¯m ten times stronger now. At least. So I¡¯ll keep you all safe, and I have the backing of these soldiers too.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sounds fun.¡± The First Lieutenant quipped.


    ¡°So, our plans as a whole are thus.¡± I addressed the room. ¡°Shaeula, you focus on securing the Shrine and dealing with the fallout. Those of you who are trainees, continue to train, ready for Conclave. We need every edge we can. Those of you who are fellow Chosen, we¡¯ll be striking at Inuyama. Natsumi, start thinking about wedding dresses.¡± There was laughter at that, lightening the heavy mood. ¡°Ixitt, I¡¯m curious about these artificial Ether Spires. Try and push it to testing as soon as you can. If you can make it work then there¡¯s no limit to what we can achieve. Also, well, we¡¯ll see how negotiations go, but start thinking of ideas. Karen-chan, you guys...¡± I said to my secretarial staff. ¡°... accommodate Ixitt as best you can, and keep coming up with the data we need. You¡¯ll also likely be working with Haru-san when the Ministry is set up.¡±


    ¡°Right, we can do that.¡± Karen-chan said, but my next words shocked her.


    ¡°Oh, but you have to get your training plan and visit the Boundary too. Unless you see it, you won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    Then I also have to visit Kondou Kazuo and perform my experiments, then see Aliyah and her mercenaries, though I need Shaeula back for that, and finally, see Shiro at the weekend and hopefully fix her like I did Takatsukasa-san. I also need to make time to interview the soldiers and Ichijou house Candidates before Conclave. Damn, I¡¯m going to be busy... as usual. I also have to set up the testing ground for the Connections, and maybe sort out the factory site, all of which will use a ton of ether too...


    ¡°Damn bro, and here¡¯s us hoping we could spend more time with you. And not in the battling an eldritch abomination way.¡± My sis joked, and I apologised.


    ¡°Sorry. But I hope you had fun sightseeing.¡±


    ¡°Well, we sure did, didn¡¯t we Eri?¡± At her nod, my sis continued. ¡°Akihabara was pretty cool. The trains in Tokyo are way better than back home, we can get from here to the centre in half an hour, it takes near enough that to reach the next damn town to Nishimorioka.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I bought some... souvenirs.¡± Eri said, face flushed, and at that Aiko grinned.


    ¡°Well, not what she was looking for. That¡¯s a story for another time though, ouch, stop hitting me Eri, your strength is brutal now!¡± As Aiko cried out in mock-pain (although some of her wincing looked pretty real) Hinata and the Ichijou¡¯s came back. Ichijou-san had a refreshed look on his face, while Mayumi-san was frowning pensively. As they took their seats, Hinata winked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we reached an agreement. I¡¯ll let you tell him, Kira-sama.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Ichijou-san grinned. ¡°I agreed to the terms, we¡¯ll split the costs down the middle and all your other wants will be met. But the factory will be managed jointly by Hinata-chan and my Mayumi. Also, after Conclave, Mayumi will join the students here. The world is moving too fast, if she doesn¡¯t keep up she¡¯ll be left behind.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, grandfather, I don¡¯t need to, we have our own people to rely on...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but thinking that way is a mistake.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Just ask Haru-san. You never know what will happen in life, and one thing you can rely on is your own skills. Just learn. Hinata would grieve if you got hurt. I¡¯m sure your family and friends would too.¡±


    ¡°Friends, huh?¡± Mayumi-san looked at Hinata, who smiled knowingly. ¡°Well, don¡¯t forget this. I¡¯m different from you all. Only Miyu-san here knows how I feel. But I guess it does seem a little interesting...¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s so transparent. Queen of the little castle called Hanafubuki, sheltered, inquisitive yet utterly bored, without a true friend. Well, Hinata wants Mayumi-san to see her as an equal, and now she¡¯ll have her chance. She¡¯ll be accepted as a Takatsukasa, work with her running this new factory project, and even train together. If that doesn¡¯t give her the chance, nothing will...


    ¡°All right then.¡± I clapped my hands. ¡°Meeting over. We all know what we need to do. I¡¯ll see our honoured guests off.¡± I nodded at the Ichijou¡¯s and Fukumoto-san. ¡°The rest of you, get to work!¡±

 Extra Two – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan and Hyacinth – R18/Contains Sex

    Extra Two ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan and Hyacinth ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°Wow, you look exhausted, Shaeula. Are you all right?¡± My sis asked, eyeing Shaeula with concern. To be honest I was a little worried as well. She was pale-skinned, more than usual, with dark rings around her eyes, and her hair was lank and tangled. Still, even in such a state she had assisted the trainees with her usual poise, and the newcomers who had charged enough aether in their newly-perfected networks were wowed by the Territory, enjoying the sights, served fruits and wine by Hyacinth and Asha, enjoying a moment of wonder, before being dragged off to their own tailored training regimens.


    Still, now that the last of the trainees were either returning home, or staying in their rooms on the upper floors, it was time to finish up, the faint glow of the Tokyo lights in the distance colouring the darkness outside. I was with Aiko, Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth, taking a break, and my sis was the first to speak, as tactless as usual.


    ¡°I am fine-fine.¡± She assured Aiko, a grin on her face, though it looked a little forced. ¡°I am happy, truly. I have reunited with my father, and even my sister. My other brothers have been told, though they can not-not return yet, as their tasks keep them distant, on our borders. Even so...¡± she paused, thinking, tired eyes moist with unshed tears. ¡°... it is good-good to be home. Though without Akio, it is not-not a true home.¡± Her grin turned more natural then. ¡°It is simply I have many-many demands on my time, much to decide, and the meeting with Duke Formor... I worry.¡±


    ¡°Understandable.¡± I pulled her into a hug. Hyacinth cackled at the sight, and Eri shook her head, smiling. ¡°You worry about your maids. Both of them, despite everything. And you need support for our plans. But don¡¯t worry. I know I¡¯m busy, but if you really need me, send Azuki. I¡¯ll drop everything.¡±


    ¡°Smooth move, bro.¡± my sis said, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s quite educational watching you work. Ouch, I told you to stop hitting me Eri, you¡¯ve turned violent since you asserted your dominance as first wife! Bet you didn¡¯t see polygamy coming though... ouch, quit it!¡±


    ¡°I will when you stop being silly, Aiko.¡± Eri said, using her superior strength to bully my sister playfully. It had the desired effect, as Shaeula began to laugh, a weak snicker at first, before it turned into full-throated giggles, then peals of hearty laughter.


    ¡°Oh, how I needed that, Eri, Aiko.¡± She grinned when she was finished. ¡°It is good to remember I am not-not alone.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re up, bro. Shaeula needs pampering.¡± My sis said, rubbing surreptitiously at her arm and back when she thought we weren¡¯t watching.


    ¡°All this talk of marriage makes me rather hot...¡± Shaeula pulled at the cloth of her yukata, fanning herself, making sure to give me a tantalising glimpse at her small chest within. I could see her nipples were already hard, like tiny cherry-coloured mocha. ¡°... it has been quite a while since I made love. Akio, before I go into battle, politically speaking, with my enemies, I would have you inside me.¡± She patted her stomach. ¡°If I am full of your warmth, it will be like-like you are there with me.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I¡¯m ducking out. I¡¯ve seen my bro fucking enough...¡± she said crudely. ¡°Thinking of it, I doubt many sisters can say that. Damn.¡± She tossed her head, dark pigtails bouncing. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then. I promised to show mom and dad around Tokyo. It¡¯s late, but if we aren¡¯t going to school tomorrow due to this mission, there¡¯s still plenty to see and do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come too.¡± Eri said, and Shaeula shrugged. ¡°You can-can remain, Eri. I do not-not mind sharing with you. We have before, many times.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eri flushed at the memories, a mixture of shame and arousal colouring her. ¡°But, well, I think you need this. And as first wife, I have to be fair, right? Besides, I¡¯ll go with my parents and Aiko¡¯s. Between the two of us, they¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Hearing that from timid Eri is quite a shock. That she¡¯d defend our family from muggers or whatever. I guess she¡¯s not that timid girl always hiding behind me and Aiko anymore. I feel quite proud of her. Amongst other feelings. ¡°All right then. You have money, right? Might as well treat them. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Well, your secretary, she booked us tickets to a show and a table at a fancy restaurant...¡±


    ********


    ¡°I shooould be going too, Akio, mistress.¡± Hyacinth said, after Eri and Aiko left. ¡°Call me if yooou need anything.¡±


    ¡°No, I do not-not see the need for that.¡± Shaeula continued to smile, taking her arm. ¡°I know you gave yourself to Akio, that is good, but I hear you calling Eri mistress Eri, you seem to have grown closer. That is also good-good. But do call me mistress Shaeula then.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth can nooot do that!¡± she was aghast. ¡°You are a princess of the Seelie, it wooould be disrespectful...¡±


    ¡°I am Akio¡¯s bride before I am a princess.¡± She sniffed, irritated. ¡°Do not-not ruin my good humour. I am his female, the same-same as you. But I think I understand. You shared intimacy with Eri, and are thus close to her. Well, that-that is easily solved.¡± She tightened her grip on Hyacinth¡¯s arm. ¡°You have not-not enjoyed love in the Material, have you?¡± she looked at Hyacinth, whose massive chest was straining against the fabric of her cosplay-style maid outfit that she wore here. ¡°Well, Akio will not-not be satisfied with just me, and I would be closer with you. After all, did you not-not help me with my dream?¡±


    ¡°But, mistress, Hyacinth can nooot...¡± she began, but I silenced her with a kiss, my tongue twirling with hers. Her skin flushed, and when I pulled free she was silent. Moving to the impatient Shaeula, who was already panting, her cherry lips opened wide, I thrust in my tongue, and we greedily sucked at each other. When we were done, Shaeula smirked.


    ¡°So, Hyacinth tastes like that, does she? Curious.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, sooo embarrassing.¡± Hyacinth whined, but she was aroused as well, remembering our last lovemaking.


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula.¡± She corrected. ¡°Now come.¡± She guided Hyacinth up to our room on the top floor, and when we were there, Shaeula led us to the bed.


    ¡°Now, Hyacinth, could you help me? Akio is eager for me, I can tell. Please help me out-out of my yukata.¡±


    I see. She¡¯s including Hyacinth. Clever. She wasn¡¯t wrong though, I was eager to have Shaeula, to help relieve her stress, and also because she was sexy and adorable.


    ¡°I can dooo that.¡± Hyacinth agreed, slowly pulling free the sash, allowing the yukata to fall fully open, revealing Shaeula¡¯s slender body, her small yet beautiful breasts, and her dripping slit, shrouded with a thin thicket of amber hair.


    ¡°I am quite-quite wet already.¡± Shaeula grinned, one small hand opening up her pussy for us both to see, thin trickles of sour love nectar staining her inner thighs. ¡°I have been craving you, Akio. For comfort and passion.¡± She looked at Hyacinth then. ¡°Do you seek him too? Be honest. And show us. Stand beside me, let-let Akio compare us.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s kind of sexual harassment as an order, but looking at the way Hyacinth is squirming, she likes it anyway, and though the concept is a bit foreign to her, she has agreed to be a mistress. ¡°You have some lewd ideas, Shaeula...¡± I muttered, getting a bright grin in return, as Hyacinth pulled up the short skirt of her dress, revealing the cute panties she wore in the Material. They were white with little purple ribbons to match her eyes, but they were also side-tied, which was erotic. With one trembling hand, she untied the left side, and the panties fell away, revealing her own pussy, which was indeed soaked.


    ¡°Take a look, Akiooo. Hyacinth has nothing to hide from you!¡± She declared, standing beside Shaeula. Seeing the pair of them like that, both Fae, yet so different in build and personality, I felt I was the luckiest man alive. If Eri was here too, it¡¯d be perfect. A treacherous part of my mind remembered when Hinata and I had washed each other in my bathtub, as well as the beautiful figures of Motoko and Natsumi as they finished training, their hakama sticking to their flushed, damp skin, turning sheer, but I pushed that down. No, not until marriage for those three. It¡¯s what they expect and their families want. I can wait, I¡¯m not a beast. It was certainly regretful though.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see.¡± I leaned in close, sniffing them, noticing the subtly different odours. Then, as they coloured in shame and arousal, I started to lick at Shaeula, gently, probing, up and down her loosely opened pussy, tasting her love nectars, using it to polish the ruby bean of her clitoris. While I was doing that I used my hand to stroke Hyacinth gently, and her body was so eager for it my finger kept sliding inside her, even without trying.


    ¡°Yes, that-that is quite wonderful.¡± Shaeula grabbed my head with her thin arms, keeping me close, so I intensified my tongue, licking deeper, more fiercely caressing her clit. Soaking, sodden noises could be heard as she was gushing forth, and her deep, sexy pants and moans turned me on. My hand worked, stimulating Hyacinth too, and with a final surge I brought Shaeula to ecstasy, her orgasm shaking her whole body, filling my mouth with the sour taste of her joy. As she fell down on the bed, looking up at me with eyes now moist with tears of relief and happiness, she let her legs gape open, giving me a good view of her defenceless body. Still, it wasn¡¯t time yet.


    Hyacinth was close, my finger rubbing at her own clit, which was larger than Shaeula¡¯s, and perhaps even more sensitive, had left her a shivering, drooling mess. Seeing that was cute, so I kissed her again, sucking at her spit, tasting a hint of herbs and grass. Her eyes cleared a little, and she realised she was kissing me. She returned the favour, her tongue squirming around mine ferociously, and after several fierce kisses, I sild down, pulling her breasts free from their cloth prison, licking and sucking at the nipples, groping her mounds that were noticeably bigger than last time I made love to her, conscious of Shaeula¡¯s eyes on me. That¡¯s only making me more aroused. Shit, it¡¯s a feeling no ordinary guy gets, unless he¡¯s a cheating bastard. Well, I¡¯m a cheater, but I promised Eri I¡¯d own it. Shaeula doesn¡¯t mind, so...


    ¡°Well, why not-not give it a try? I believe you have not-not made love here in the Material world, have you?¡±


    Hyacinth shook her head, dark hair streaked with colours cascading over her bare body. ¡°Nooo, only with mistress Eri under the tree.¡± She giggled at the memory.


    ¡°Then... I shall aid you.¡± Shaeula let out a sigh of loss as she pulled off me, my dick popping out her pussy, accompanied by more dripping cum. She made sure to bend over, giving me a view of her soaked cunt and twitching asshole, and I couldn¡¯t help but grope her ass. She giggled, but squirmed away.


    ¡°It is Hyacinth¡¯s turn. She was waiting quite-quite enough.¡± Shaeula said, chastising me teasingly.


    ¡°Yeah, but you looked too cute and sexy, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± I grinned. ¡°Still...¡± I turned to Hyacinth. ¡°The most beautiful maid in the world is alluring too. If you were a magical girl, you¡¯d be Magical Maid Genocider Hyacinth.¡±


    She cocked her head at that, not used to such references, but Shaeula, who loved magical girl anime, laughed. ¡°That she would indeed. Now, up on him like this-this... you look wet enough.¡±


    She guided Hyacinth to sit on top of me, and she placed her hand on my dick, guiding her to place it inside her. Hyacinth shivered as my penis started spreading her mortal pussy open, my sensitive tip sliding inside her, still soaked with my ejaculation and Shaeula¡¯s fluids.


    ¡°Now, take it all in. If it is your first-first time in this body, I hope it does not-not hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine.¡° I said, as Hyacinth slid down, forcing my dick in without any resistance. Her body felt different to Shaeula¡¯s or Eri¡¯s, and while it wasn¡¯t as tight as Shaeula, her insides were wriggling like an octopus, tickling and caressing me.


    ¡°It is in me.¡± Hyacinth giggled, touching the point of our connection. ¡°If yooou say I should be greedy, then Akio, can Hyacinth kiss you? I feel liked when yooou do that.¡±


    My answer was our lips locking, and again, unlike our passionate kisses of before, this one was gentle, our tongues slowly exploring each other, licking tongue, teeth, cheeks and more. When we parted, she was crying, her violet eyes full of happy tears.


    ¡°Hyacinth feels hot deep inside. Here.¡± She touched her crotch again. ¡°But alsooo here, most of all.¡± She put her other hand over her heart. ¡°I think... the box. That was ooonly a dream. This is real, is it nooot?¡±


    My answer was another soft kiss, my hand also over her heart, playing with her breast, the nipple squeezed between my fingers.


    ¡°Learn well.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°You need to use your whole body here. Move up-up and down, stimulate him, while finding where you feel pleasure too.¡± Shaeula coached her, whispering in her ear, and Hyacinth began to move, mimicking Shaeula from before.


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth feels good, feels sooo warm!¡± She cried, her body producing copious amounts of fragrant nectar to lubricate my dick as she slid up and down the shaft. ¡°I looove this. It feels the proper way to serve!¡± She giggled, twisting her body in a different way to Shaeula. Shaeula had focussed more on the angle, but Hyacinth was spinning, changing her whole axis, as well as rubbing my dick in spots it had never been touched before. I let out a gentle moan, and Shaeula patted Hyacinth on the back.


    ¡°Good work, you are indeed a quick-quick study. His face looks so pleased.¡± Shaeula bent down to lick my sweaty cheeks, and Hyacinth, still squirming like an eel, was sticking her tongue in my mouth, even as her bottom moved up and down, my penis being caressed erotically.


    ¡°Greedy. I can see I shall have to be quite-quite wary of you.¡± Shaeula teased her. Hyacinth was about to protest, before pouting, realising it was a joke.


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula is a bully. Hyacinth loooves all the mistresses. They are all nice, all accepted Hyacinth. I can wait for my turn.¡±


    ¡°I know. Do not-not pout, or Akio will be sad.¡± She slapped Hyacinth gently on her bare back. ¡°Now, are you feeling it too? Else Akio will be angry.¡±


    ¡°Here, I do.¡± She shifted, my dick sliding against her inner walls, hitting the entrance to her womb. She shuddered, her body reacting, and I realised Hyacinth was incredibly sensitive inside.


    ¡°Then race to the finish. Akio looks like he wishes to cum-cum.¡±


    Hearing Shaeula say cum and seeing her lascivious face, while the shuddering, drooling and yelping Hyacinth was giving me cowgirl sex (I knew of the term from lewd doujins of course, but who would have thought Eri was looking for dirty books so she could learn more moves to please me. That was probably the biggest shock I¡¯d had all year!) was impossibly lewd, impossibly exciting, and even though I had filled Shaeula with two huge ejaculations, I felt a third coming. Hyacinth was moving like a corkscrew, hammering my penis into her deepest areas again and again, and each time I hit her there she yelped louder, her whole body convulsing.


    ¡°Hyacinth, I¡¯m going to blow soon, I can barely hold it...¡±


    ¡°Akio should go when he pleases. I am serving, my pleasure can...¡± I cut her off with a hug, pulling her close. The sudden warmth and pressure caused her to move faster, my penis somehow boring deeper into her with each thrust, and I let out my load, cum pouring from me for a third time. Even as I pumped it out I made sure to thrust, feeling Hyacinth melting in my arms, and an ear-splitting cry rang out as she started her own orgasm. Despite my own orgasm, I made sure to probe her sensitive spots with my weakening dick, prolonging her pleasure, before we slumped down together, the sheets further despoiled.


    Shaeula lay on my other side, and I was sweaty, covered in cum and nectar, but surely satisfied. As Shaeula used my arm as a pillow, she peered at Hyacinth, her head on my chest, eyes unfocused, drool spilling from her open mouth.


    ¡°So, was it fun?¡± Shaeula asked, and Hyacinth managed to nod weakly. ¡°Hyacinth felt very loved. I am loooved. Thank yooou for sharing with me, mistress Shaeula. And thank you, Akio, for accepting me, giving me a name, a home. A purpose. For nooot throwing me away because I was a bad, dirty girl.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Hyacinth is Hyacinth. That bad girl was never dirty, but even if she was, she was someone else, not Hyacinth. All right?¡± I said, and she nodded, relieved, while Shaeula snorted.


    ¡°Sharing? Of course we must-must share. I shall be away at the Seelie Court, as will you be, attending me. We need our fill before we go. It is a shame Eri can not-not have him to herself for a while, as she will have returned home, but... we have a long, long road ahead of us. Love must be worked at, and together we can make sure we polish each other, are jealous of each other, wish to be better. The rules. Eri is quite-quite the stubborn girl, but not-not entirely wrong.¡±


    The rules? I¡¯ve heard Eri mention them before, but the girls won¡¯t tell me. Oh well, I can leave them some secrets I guess...


    ¡°Hyacinth understands. But now...¡± she looked horrified all of a sudden. ¡°The sheets, the bed. Akio. All is dirty! Nooo, I must clean them, this is no gooooood!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Shaeula said, reaching out to hold her down. ¡°Yes, the sheets are dirty. So before we wash them...¡± she licked her lips again, looking at me hungrily. ¡°Why not use them? We do not-not need to worry about further mess then, and I still feel a little stressed. Duke Formor is a pain, after all..¡±


    Great, looks like they are going to wring me dry. Oh well... It was a fate any man would envy. With a grin, I scooped them both up in my arms, and we kissed, revelling in the moment of peace and quiet...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Three

    Two Hundred And Forty-Three


    ¡°So, did you have fun with Shaeula and Hyacinth?¡± my sis asked, speaking loudly to be heard over the noise of the JSDF transport helicopter we were all packed into, as we headed for Inuyama.


    ¡°They drained me dry.¡± I said wryly. ¡°Shaeula needed the reassurance though, she¡¯s got it tough right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my heart bleeds for you. If the guys back in Nishimorioka could hear you now, complaining about two gorgeous girls humping you until you pass out, they¡¯d be green with envy. Then probably try to kill you. So, how many times, bro?¡±


    ¡°Aiko, watch your language! A young girl should not be so crude!¡± My father said, stern as ever. Aiko merely tilted her head and winked cutely, heading him off. Yeah, sis has it easier with father than I do. Fathers are weak to their daughters, I guess.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± She said, shrugging. ¡°I guess Auntie and Uncle don¡¯t want to hear about it, do they?¡±


    Auntie Hana did look uncomfortable, eyeing her daughter, who was sitting snuggled up against me, resting her head on my legs in a lap-pillow, despite the vibrations of the helicopter. ¡°Well, no, hearing about little Aki having sex with other girls when he has my little Eri, it¡¯s awkward. But... well, Eri looks happy enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m frustrated. Of course, why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Eri said from my lap. ¡°But... I love Shaeula. Her and Aiko, they¡¯re my sisters. Really. And Hyacinth... well, she¡¯s a sad lonely girl. So be nice to her, mother. She¡¯s searching for a family, and if you ignore the crazy, she¡¯s really rather sweet, and loves Akio a lot. I¡¯m not cold-hearted enough to refuse her. Why did I fall for such a popular boy?¡± she let out a mock-sigh, dark obsidian eyes looking into mine. ¡°Back when you were in Nishimorioka, I had no competition. I mean, there were always girls who looked at you, but you either never noticed or chose not to. But now... you¡¯re a hero, fighting to save the world, and meeting the Prime Minster, forcing him to change the law... you¡¯re not ordinary any more. And neither am I. I¡¯ll fight by your side against anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Eri...¡± I stroked her hair, patting her head, and she blushed a little, snuggling down deeper in my lap, before smiling, her eyes looking deep into mine. ¡°So, how many times? I¡¯m curious, I need to know what my next share is.¡±


    There was laughter at that, my mother laughing louder than anyone. She was always a free spirit, and once she got over the idea of my having Shaeula as well as Eri, and then Hinata... well, now she was firmly invested in this football team of wives. Still, not everyone was smiling. Miyu was in the corner, looking frightened, and next to her was Haru-san. She was doing a good job of keeping Miyu calm for the upcoming mission, even though talk of sex brought up raw memories for her, especially with the suggestion of meeting Kondou Kazuo again still fresh in her mind. Our third Chosen, Kikuchi-san, was also stiff and uncomfortable, not part of our usual circle. Well, we all have our crosses to bear. Mine was making a call to Fujiwara-san, borrowing Miyu for this... That had been hell, and I had to promise that she would be completely unharmed. Missing school for Hanafubuki girls was not done either, so I was causing Fujiwara-san trouble, but at least he was Chairman of the school, so it wasn¡¯t impossible to make a valid excuse.


    ¡°Are you always this carefree before a mission?¡± The Major, Sasaki-san said. He was already in the combat mindset, but beside him, the First Lieutenant, Nakano-san chuckled, looking even more like a delinquent, despite his uniform.


    ¡°I get it. if I was in deep with a load of cute girls, I¡¯d be relaxed too. Why do you think I joined the military? They said men in uniforms were fighting off hot girls. Not true, like all the recruiting brochures and its bullshit.¡± He snorted idly.


    ¡±Yeah well, actually I normally get tense. But... I also have to show a strong, confident face for our newbies, right?¡± I smiled at Miyu, who was the only one who had no real experience of Boundary battles, though Haru-san¡¯s and Kikuchi-san¡¯s turned out... poorly. Not only do I want to get them some levels and strength, I want to rebuild their confidence. ¡°Speaking of confidence, so your Territory is in Ichigaya, right? Covering the JSDF barracks there?¡± I asked the Major to confirm the information I was given.


    ¡°Yes, I was on-site when Bishamon came to me. I must say, when you were talking about your Territory, it seemed very different to ours. Mine grows stronger the more enemies I defeat there, but I don¡¯t seem to have the knowledge or control you do.¡±ViiSiit  for latest novels


    ¡°I got roasted when the brass found out I¡¯d dropped mine at my sisters¡¯ place. I was on home leave when Kagutsuchi came knocking. Still, it¡¯s out in the boonies in the mountains north of Tokyo.¡± Nakano-san chuckled, looking out of the helicopter at the mountains below. ¡°A lot like your place it seems. I¡¯d be right at home here. Still, our town only has a few hundred residents. I¡¯m pretty certain it¡¯s safe there.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered moving it?¡± I asked, and he shook his head. ¡°Nah, the brass just care about our combat prowess. Speed, strength, reaction times, all that shit. Although...¡± he looked at Eri and I, his mischievous eyes pensive. ¡±Seems like you know a lot more than the brass do about it all. Maybe the JSDF will start worrying more about making sure everywhere important is covered.¡±


    ¡°I still find this hard to believe.¡± My father said, and uncle Junpei sympathised with him.


    ¡°Yeah, your boy, working with the military. Though I suppose he did fight off that dog...¡±


    As chatter turned light again, I concentrated on Eri in my lap, letting the talk wash over me...


    ********


    ¡°So, this is Inuyama, then? Pretty crappy for a city.¡± Nakano-san said. Now it was just me, Eri, Aiko (who to be honest, I had no wish to bring, as she wouldn¡¯t gain much from it, but I couldn¡¯t bear to leave her out if Eri was coming), Miyu, Haru-san, Kikuchi-san and the two soldiers. ¡°Everyone looks so damn rushed and gloomy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± Aiko agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember it being like this before. Though I hate Inuyama now. I remember when you and Shaeula came back from buying that doll... wait, that was Azuki, right? Lucky find...¡± she shook her head to clear her thoughts. ¡°... well, you both came back looking hurt as shit, bro. You tried to lie to us too. If we didn¡¯t already know about it from Shaeula then... seriously, you can be a dumbass sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I guess it was this monster that we are hunting that hurt you then?¡± Eri tightened her fists, knuckles white. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to punish it for daring to hurt you, but you are sure we can, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so. You are nearly as strong as I was then, Eri. We have all these allies too. And as for me... well, lets just say I¡¯m looking for a rematch.¡±


    She shook her head, long black locks flowing, matching her dress. ¡°No, it¡¯s actually pretty good for me. I¡¯m restocking well.¡±


    ¡°Great, but avoid darkness-based attacks, I think.¡± My Eye was glowing, and I could see shadows creeping closer even through the walls of the small hotel, that had twisted and changed to a dank, depressing place filled with shadows and twisted vines here in the Boundary. ¡°Right... we have incoming. Aiko, you and the Major will provide ranged support. Haru-san, I know you¡¯ve been practising how to use your light element as an attack, so do your best.¡± I handed her and Miyu some of my pistols, while I passed the shotgun to Kikuchi-san. ¡°Use these if you think you can get an easy kill. I want you all stronger. The Lieutenant and I will tank. Eri, you handle protecting the others, all right? If your aether runs low, I can top you up. Fighting in enemy Territories is a pain, and it gets worse the longer we go on, so we need to finish quickly.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll show you the JSDF isn¡¯t just a bunch of weaklings.¡± Nakano-san grinned in his delinquent fashion. ¡°Lead on, boss man.¡±


    I slashed out with my Twin Fangs and space was torn, ripping open the vines and darkness, exposing the sight outside. The city was filled with writhing tentacles, crawling over the buildings and streets like roots or thick cables, varying in diameter from a few inches to several metres. Blinking yellow and red eyes opened and closed, appearing and disappearing at random, and the tentacles... dripped. Puddles of darkness like soiled ink were left everywhere, and amidst the tentacles were a mass of shambling, zombie-like beings, which vaguely resembled people, though some were far larger, towering as much as three or four metres. They were wandering the tentacle-choked streets, their features impossible to make out under the dark goop they were coated with, reminding me a bit of the shambling mounds the Myconids had at their disposal.


    Well shit, this turned bad quite quickly. Still, the Territory is only hitting me like a Rank 2, and not a strong one at that. I should be able to shrug it off with only minor loss of efficiency.


    ¡°This... this is why I never wanted to do this.¡± Miyu closed her eyes, looking sick, shedding tears which evaporated into silvery mist, until someone slapped her on the back. Her eyes shot open, to see it was Eri, a girl who had intimidated her a little with her atmosphere, which if Eri knew would have amused her and surprised her in equal measure.


    ¡°Cheer up.¡± Eri said, boldly swinging her axe. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get you. And before you ask, Akio won¡¯t let them get me, so I¡¯ll be safe to protect you. Better to face your fears than let them crush you. I learned that recently.¡± she took a few more practise swings, the crescent-shaped blade whistling. ¡°Besides...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get you, Eri.¡± Aiko finished, looking gloomy. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s so not fair. Bro, can¡¯t you do something about your stupid powers? Don¡¯t you love your adorable sis enough? Rank 1? Rank 1 is shit! Miyu-chan here is going to overtake me in no time!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you know my love for my adorable little sis sapphire is as deep as the oceans. The Marianna Trench, even.¡± I joked. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t love me enough?¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Eri reassured Miyu, and also gave Haru-san a knowing look. ¡°He even has time to flirt inappropriately with his entirely and definitely blood-related sister. You think you¡¯re scared and worried? Look at how relaxed he is. And it¡¯s not just boasting, is it, Haru-san?¡±


    She shook her head, scared, but her increased Resilience and experiences were allowing her to function. ¡°No, no she¡¯s right.¡± She assured Miyu. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him beat the odds. He can do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, the pep-talk is over, right? They are coming this way.¡± The Major said, sighting on a group of shambling zombies, tentacles swirling around them, closing in, seeking us out.


    ¡°Yeah. Eri, while on defence can you see if it¡¯s the darkness energy that is giving us away?¡± she nodded, so I turned to the Lieutenant. ¡°Want to show me how good your flames are then? Feel free to light them up.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask. Well, for the JSDF, this great nation of Japan, and Kagutsuchi, kami of flames... I declare you damn abominations hostile, so get the fuck off our land!¡± He roared, and the glow around him intensified, until he was breathing out a tide of glowing yellow flames, right into the packed masses. Darkness energy and the Territory was weakening it, I could see around the edges it was fading, the citrine flames dimming, but even so, a dozen zombies and multiple dark, ropey tentacles ignited, the smell horrific as toxic fumes were vented.


    ¡°Not bad, huh?¡± he said, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen worse. I¡¯ll show you mine when a target worth my time shows up. All right, we head deeper in. Major, Aiko, cover us.¡±


    The rattle of bullets could be heard as the major opened fire, the recreated ammunition shimmering with aether as it pierced the head and torso of one of the giant shapes. Ether was being scattered as we attacked, my blades cutting down anything that approached, Eri occasionally striking down a closing tentacle, her axe severing it easily, Aiko loosing arrows with the renewed confidence her duel with Shaeraggo had given her, despite her loss, and she winked at me when she saw Nakano-san admiring her flaming arrows. ¡°Flame is pretty common, right Eri? You can do it too, can¡¯t you?¡± she whispered loud enough for him to hear, making Eri snigger.


    ¡°Aiko, don¡¯t be mean.¡± She answered, her hair and eyes tinged with dark blue light as she greedily absorbed the plentiful darkness around.


    ¡°Am I the only... fool here?¡± Miyu whispered, her empty hand grasping at the air, perhaps seeking Koga-san, who had to remain absent. ¡°Is there truly nothing to be scared of?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯d be a fool to be unafraid. I have suffered greatly here in the spiritual world...¡± Kikuchi-san said, a swarm of flying beetles glittering green, blue and gold appearing, diving into the muck to start devouring tentacles. As they died and turned to ether, chewed apart, I noticed (with my expanded vision using aether, so I could keep my eye on the rear line as well, though the headache was as annoying as ever, if bearable) he was looking a little less pale, and the rate of aether depletion he was experiencing was slowing. Guess he is levelling up, maybe?


    A sudden quake hit, staggering us momentarily, and three large, thick tentacles burst free from the ground, eyes opening, blinking at them, mouths ringed with lamprey-like teeth opening and closing, drooling black slime. Eri reacted, her axe biting deep, and with a second blow she cut it apart, ether showering down around her as the severed part disintegrated. Still, the other two were too fast, swinging down at Miyu and Kikuchi-san...


    ¡°Nope.¡± I declared, a volley of fine strings of wind sweeping out from me, bisecting the tentacles into multiple disgusting pieces which exploded apart as they fell to the ground. I thought I heard a savage scream as several unblinking eyes were shredded, but perhaps it was my imagination.


    ¡°See?¡± Eri said, helping up Miyu, who had stumbled in panic. ¡°Akio is always watching. Now get that gun up and start shooting, you don¡¯t want to miss out on all the levels, do you?¡± As Eri darted off to cut down another zombie, I exchanged a wry look with Aiko. Yeah, Eri¡¯s changed. A lot... still, the way the world is going, that can only be a good thing... Not wanting to be outdone by the Lieutenant, who was continuing to burn a swathe through the streets, I raised my hand. All right, I¡¯ll save my fire element for the main body, when we find it. How about some water...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Four

    Two Hundred And Forty-Four


    Bullets of shimmering water formed around me like a halo, the water incandescent with indigo energies, mixing with the orange glow of water element. For a moment, my expanded sight surveyed the area, taking in the numerous enemies, before I unleashed the water droplets, shooting them out with an additional acceleration from wind energy, like a hail of sniper rounds.


    ¡°Holy shit...¡± the Lieutenant said as they whizzed past him, piercing though tentacles and shambling humanoids alike, with a sickening hiss. As the dark ooze began to disintegrate, and dozens of smaller eyes were pierced, shattering into clouds of silvery ether, a faint steam began to rise, the air filled with moisture, although this time it seemed less toxic, cleaner. ¡°That¡¯s water?¡±


    To be honest it worked even better than I expected... I fired off a second round of water bullets, this time aiming for the thicker, tree-like tendrils that were snaking towards us from front and back. The drops bored holes in the thick, slimy flesh, punching in deep craters, scattering inky sludge, but then the tendrils melted, as if the water was acid. Is it because it¡¯s spirit water, or maybe the moonlight part of it..? The reason didn¡¯t matter, what did was that it was highly effective, so much so that I decided it would be a waste to keep using it here.


    ¡°Nice. That¡¯s from the Spring you and Shaeula captured, right?¡± My sis said as another flaming arrow struck home. She had pierced a red eye that had appeared in the sludge at the side of one of the buildings near us, and another shrill scream echoed in our minds as it burst, the vitreous jelly within igniting under the heat of her projectiles.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Nice shot by the way...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve picked up a few hints from my contest with Shaeula¡¯s bro.¡± she said proudly. ¡°I felt myself get stronger there... but that means I¡¯m done for now, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, but you can always work on your skills.¡± I commiserated.


    ¡°Stay focused!¡± The major warned, his rifle barking as more aether bullets streamed out, blasting through the retreating wave of tentacles. ¡°We are still surrounded, and a routed enemy is often a dangerous one!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± I agreed, using more threads of wind to slice and dice as much of the surrounding muck as I could. ¡°Haru-san, can you try light element?¡± I asked, and after a moment, she nodded, focusing her will on her third eye chakra. Seconds later a thin beam of indigo energy streaked out, slicing a pair of thick tentacles in two, the edges cut clean like glass, faintly emitting steam, before they started to disintegrate.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I said, praising her. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard too.¡±


    With swarms of scarab beetles eating the slime, flames from Nakano-san pushing outwards ahead of us, and my cutting strands of wind, we pushed forwards, ever-closer towards Takakura Antiques, but as we did so the pressure of darkness element was increasing. My sis and Miyu, who had the lowest stats, were starting to suffer, while even Haru-san, Kikuchi-san and the soldiers were looking uncomfortable, though Haru-san drew on her light element, easing her suffering.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that the lair is still in Takakura Antiques.¡± I observed. ¡°At least that hasn¡¯t changed, but...¡± I looked at my flagging colleagues, except for Eri, who was positively aglow with flickers of blue light as her throat chakra pulled in and accumulated ever more darkness energy, her axe dancing as she sliced apart any tentacles that dared to snake near her, a broad grin on her face, her eyes gleeful. I wish I could follow suit, but... at Rank 1, my throat chakra was clearly not capable enough to handle the density of energy here, which outstripped the area around our Rhyming Tree significantly. I was still able to draw a little, but the rest was tugging faintly at my emotions, though my superior stats kept it from being more than a minor nuisance.


    ¡°... if we don¡¯t do something, most of you will have to drop out. Well... Haru-san, can you use your Sharing Light on everyone? Well, except me and Eri. I think we¡¯ll manage.¡± Eri grinned happily at me for that endorsement.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked, uncertain, wisps of indigo rising from her body, meeting the blue mist around us and dissipating. ¡°If I don¡¯t control it...¡± she left unfinished that she might end up subjecting the people here to her painful memories, which I definitely didn¡¯t want for my sister or Miyu.


    ¡°Look..¡± I said, wielding my curved swords, slicing down several more zombies that shambled closer. One more fell, disintegrating, and I noticed it had been Miyu who had fired the pistol I gave her, her trembling hands causing the metal to rattle. But even so, she¡¯d made a kill. Good girl. ¡°You aren¡¯t who you were before. You¡¯ve gone home, met your father again, even managed to take up your career you thought lost to you forever. You¡¯ll see your friends again too, one day. You¡¯ve trained for this. I believe in you, Haru-san. I know you can do it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, damn bro, trying to pick Haru-san up too, while Eri watches? You¡¯ve got some nerve.¡± My sis giggled, though it was a touch shrill with pain and exhaustion. Haru-san looked at me askance at that, and I shook my head in denial, but before I could reassure her, the Major spoke up.


    ¡°Relying on untested, unsure soldiers is a mistake. Far better to let them retreat, if you think you can handle this alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Major Sasaki.¡± Nakano-san agreed, hurling balls of flame forwards, turning a probing tentacle into flaming ashes. ¡°This is a battlefield. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve managed until now, but mistakes don¡¯t just get you killed, but those around you too.¡±


    Well, yeah, I guess I have trusted to luck too many times. But I do believe in her. Still, there might be another way... I drew some spirit water out of my body, using it to soak the heads of everyone but Eri. My sis shook her head like a cat, water scattering. ¡°Damn bro, I¡¯m in a jerkin, no wet t-shirts for you. Wait, I feel better?¡±


    ¡°You should. There¡¯s light energy in the water too.¡± I topped off her aether while I was at it. ¡°Seriously sis, I think you should step out. You¡¯ve had your gains...¡±


    She bit her lip, looking into my eyes with hers, before she dropped her head in agreement, looking downcast. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re right bro. I¡¯m being selfish. Sorry, it¡¯s just I get tired of being left behind all the time...¡±


    ¡°I know. Still, I promised you are my focus for a while, and I meant it. Now, go back to the hotel and wait for our triumphant return.¡±


    ¡°Later Eri. Girls. Oh, and you guys too.¡± She grinned at Nakano-san. ¡°I can¡¯t wait until you see my bro¡¯s flames. Bye!¡± With that I stopped providing her aether, and she rapidly expelled her remaining stock, until her astral body was unable to remain manifested. Sorry sis. But really, this is the right call.


    The Major agreed. ¡°Good. But we still have those who are not suited to the mission.¡± He looked at the pale Miyu.


    ¡°No. Sorry, but Miyu isn¡¯t as weak as she looks.¡± Besides, she has such skills that not using them would be a criminal waste. ¡°Miyu, can you dance?¡±


    Everyone looked at me as if I had gone mad, but she, still in a version of her school uniform here, nodded. ¡°I can, though not being in a kimono, it would feel quite strange.¡±


    ¡°Right. Then how about we see the dusk depart? As it¡¯s a darkness element dance, it should work better here.¡±


    ¡°Dance, just what...¡± the Major began, but I stopped him.


    ¡°I do appreciate your help and advice. In fact, having you here has helped my sis realise this was a risk she didn¡¯t need to take, so thanks. But you came here to learn from my expertise too...¡± my Eye shone amber, illuminating the surroundings, casting deep shadows. ¡°... and I know Miyu can help us here, and the sooner she grows stronger, the better. There are so few of us who can do this, we all need to maximise our gains, or else all that awaits us is surely only regret.¡±


    Miyu nodded. ¡°I hate this. I never wanted this. I just wanted to spend time with Michiru, and dance, and play my piano.¡± She swallowed. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Eri said, spinning her axe idly one-handed, which would have broken her slender wrist were she still the weak, ordinary girl she used to be. ¡°We have your back. I was like you, I remember my first time...¡± she shuddered. ¡°Scorpions, the size of a car! But Akio and Shaeula were there, and they made me strong.¡±


    ¡°No, you made you strong.¡± I said, ruffling her long, glowing hair. ¡°I wanted to coddle you too much, but you told me I was wrong.¡± I looked at Miyu then. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll still protect Eri from any and all dangers, but protecting isn¡¯t the same as coddling. I needed to let her spread her wings. You have to do the same. After all, you have people to protect too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Miyu nodded slowly, swallowing. But when she looked up, her eyes looked better, more determined, and then, her damp hair from my spirit water still sticking to her face, she began to dance, and I could feel the power of it, the surrounding darkness and aether responding to her call, the enemy Territory shivering, the effect of it on us lessening noticeably.


    ¡°The divine. I can feel it...¡± Kikuchi-san whispered.


    ¡°Yeah, I imagine it¡¯s like Ame-no-Uzume dancing, from the myths.¡± Eri giggled, watching, her own darkness element responding to the dance.


    ¡°Funny you should say that...¡±I said, knowing it was indeed that kami who chose Miyu, and for good reason. ¡°But that¡¯s for later. Everyone feels better now, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, time for water.¡± I formed another cloud of shimmering water bullets, and they sprayed out in an arc, peppering the walls and ceiling. Eyes tried to disappear to avoid them, but the slime disintegrated as the spirit water struck, and multiple eyes blew apart, shrill shrieks filling the air. My foot struck something solid, and I bent down to pull it from the knee-deep jelly below, revealing it was some sort of locked book. More loot, huh? Using Foehn was probably going to destroy some treasures here, which was a shame, but finishing the beast was my top priority. Still, I¡¯d definitely take what I could find... As I thought that, tentacles erupted around me, dozens aiming for my head. Haru-san yelped in surprise, but my free hand drew a Fang and cut them apart at blinding speed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at Akio, concentrate on your own battle.¡± Eri warned, and Haru-san flushed at the lecture from the younger girl. ¡°Sorry.¡± She apologised, before light flashed, a brilliant bolt illuminating the murk and burying itself in a staring red eye, which exploded. ¡°Oh, I got one!¡± She cried, a little excited despite her fears.


    ¡°Yeah, good job!¡± Eri praised her. ¡°For me...¡± she swung her axe, the eye she was targeting retreating, a slime-man blocking the blow, even as the flames slit it in half. ¡°... it¡¯s a pain.¡±


    ¡°Maybe together?¡± Haru-san asked, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Right, I force it to move, and you blast it.¡± she swung her axe through the muck below, unearthing an eye, tentacles sprouting from it to attack, only for Haru-san to pierce it with another brilliant arc of light.


    ¡°Nice.¡± Eri approved. ¡°See, we¡¯ve got this! It sure is satisfying to get revenge. I was so pissed off that day!¡±


    Dozens of eyes were congregating on the high ceiling, peering down at us, and the slime around us throbbed, withdrawing to try and form a massive, colossal figure. There was no way I was going to let that pass, so I again drew on Foehn, feeding in wind energy for that extra kick, before flooding it out into the rising hill of black mud. The Foehn was swallowed up, yet continued to burn, and soon the creature broke apart before it could even finish forming, burning chunks and droplets raining down through the darkness, gleaming yellow and gold.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s actually pretty.¡± Eri grinned, her axe finally making contact with an eye that was fleeing the flames, cleaving it. ¡°Got one. Oh, Haru-san, your hands are empty, grab that please.¡± She said, spotting a discarded item, and Haru-san nodded, bending down to snatch it.


    The slime is shrinking. It¡¯s only ankle-deep now... I called upon earth energies, and the ground under me surged upwards, a pillar projecting me towards the cluster of eyes on the ceiling. The quicker ones fled into the shadows, while the remaining stragglers were quickly caught out by a storm of watery projectiles that hammered through them, blasting them apart. Damn, this is satisfying. It¡¯s like going back to a newbie zone after levelling up a ton...


    I spun, casting Foehn around me in a great spiral, drenching the ceiling, which was already starting to sag inwards in places as the support pillars were burned or otherwise destroyed. More eyes combusted in the fury of the hungry flames, and I finally levelled up. Silver ether was falling like snow, and I let the other candidates take it in, keeping their aether topped up, and fiery droplets of Foehn were also dripping down, with scarab beetles darting between them, feasting on tentacles as they tried to strike at us. It was a surreal and gorgeous sight...


    ¡°Careful...¡± Eri warned, backing off from the falling curtain of Foehn, her axe never stopping, though she was starting to tire, even with her decent stats. Light burst from Haru-san as her confidence grew, and slime sizzled away in a cone in front of her, bare stone revealed beneath, one more eye squealing and burning under the indigo glow. She had grabbed several items, as had the Lieutenant, having realised I wanted whatever we could save from the murk.


    ¡°I¡¯d say we are winning. Still, as victory approaches that is the moment the enemy will struggle hardest.¡± The Major warned, and it seemed he was right, as the whole space vibrated then, a piercing squeal ringing out. The slimy mire separated, pulling apart, the flaming areas shoved aside, a few panicking eyes flitting frantically through the burning mess until they cooked, while the remainder surged into one corner, twisting into a parody of a Wyrm, long, thick body like a twisted tree-trunk, two metres thick, the head vaguely reptilian, but eyeless, the fangs writhing, sharp tendrils that oozed inky drool. The mouth roared, black spittle scattering, and then hundreds of eyes appeared, red, yellow, black... all hideous and with slit pupils. They focused on us, eyes rolling crazily, before it charged, moving surprisingly rapidly for its size.


    ¡°Shit...¡± the Major opened fire, his bullets peppering it, while flame roared from the Lieutenant. Eri, realising that was a fight she had no place in, hurled her blazing axe, and it struck the charging serpent of eyes and sludge, biting deep. It reared, tentacles spraying from the wound, only for light from Haru-san to scorch then.


    Hope Devourer [Corrupted kami] was what my eyes saw it as now, and each individual eye was now a Sorrowful Watching Eye. ¡°Right, that¡¯s the target.¡± I confirmed, using the momentary recoil from everyone else¡¯s attacks to unleash my own. Spires of rock tore free from the ground, piercing the creature, preventing it from moving. Several eyes exploded, and as the remaining ones struggled to break free, spawning tentacles, arms and other hideous protuberances from the jiggling body, the beetle swarm attacked, as did Haru-san with her remaining energy. Eri had taken the pistol from Miyu before she left, so she opened fire, her aim not brilliant, but with such a large target at this range she couldn¡¯t miss, and the bullets tore craters in the murk, one unlucky eye blinded permanently.


    ¡°All right then...¡± I created another rocky spear, the ends hardened with so much earth energy it was gleaming like rubies. I injected most of my remaining flame energy into the shaft, and with my great strength and a burst of air to accelerate it, I flung the spear, sending it piercing through the beast. It chomped down reflexively even as it was impaled, and the Foehn within sprang to life. It writhed, tearing itself apart as the rocky lances prisoning it shattered, and as it screeched, flaming fluids burning the eyes one after another, I gathered my water energy for the finishing blow.


    ¡°This is for Azuki...¡± I said, as the water gathered into a shining sword-like form, glittering fragments of earth energy held within, sparkling. ¡°Spirit Water Cutter, Ruby Moonlight!¡± I named it on the fly, ignoring the giggles from Eri and Haru-san, swinging down my arm, the sword transforming into a single long blade of high-pressure water, with gem-hard abrasive dirt within. It was a blend of water, earth and wind energies, and I was quite impressed with it. The Hope Devourer was not so happy, as the savage jet ground through the burning, torn body, bisecting it, eyes desperately fleeing, but being caught in the moisture that was spraying off it, casting rainbows in the air. The moonlight within was poison to it, and soon the beast was dissolving, a few remaining eyes washed out in a tide of inky filth, Foehn flickering fitfully as it continued to burn.


    ¡°Disgusting...¡± Eri said, stomping on a few of them, breaking them apart, while the soldiers finished off the others, and the scarab beetles feasted on the debris.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Two to Eighty-Four. All of your Material statistics have increased by twenty-two. Aether has increased by fifty-eight.


    Nice, that¡¯s three levels in total. Honestly more than I was expecting. I briefly thought of my sis, who would be annoyed, as if I had only managed one more level she¡¯d be able to get to nine. Well, I¡¯ll make it up to her. Looking around, the remaining slime had dissolved into ether, as the Territory collapsed, the space around us shivering, violet sparks scattering. Uh, that doesn¡¯t seem good.


    ¡°Okay, everyone out!¡± I gestured to the window, snatching up what items I could see around us with my remaining wind energy.


    Eri grabbed her fallen axe and leapt through the shimmering portal, followed by Kikuchi-san and then Haru-san, who was sighing in relief.


    ¡°You too.¡± I told the soldiers, and after a brief moment of hesitation they were gone. I took one last look around, my senses tingling, and spotted the glitter of something wedged in the cracked stone floor. My wind hadn¡¯t pulled it free, so I channelled a little earth, shattering the ground and hurling it my way. I snatched the object, before leaping through the rippling window, feeling spatial energies briefly, before I was tumbling onto the ground outside.


    Looking up, I could see that the buildings around us that made up the Boundary version of Inuyama were shedding the tendrils and ropey tentacles that covered them, the black slime petrifying, before flaking away to powder that vanished into the still air. Eri reached down, helping me to my feet, and I dusted myself down too, curious at the small object in my hand. Looks like a seal of some kind... I pocketed it, and realised my arms were full of assorted junk.


    ¡°Here, let me.¡± Kikuchi-san said, taking the mismatched items off my hands.


    ¡°Great. We¡¯ll sort through it all later. Hopefully there¡¯s something of value there. Well, mission accomplished, right? So, how was it, being my liaison?¡± I asked, and the Major smiled.


    ¡°Intense. But it was surely an experience. I am not sure we could have handled that alone, could we, Lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d have given it a good go, but yeah.¡± He admitted, giving me a delinquent grin. ¡°Maybe with the other guys too... but I think it didn¡¯t get to show its true strength. You started by burning the bastard, then that water... shit, how many abilities do you have?¡±


    ¡°Well, who knows?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Still, everyone must have grown stronger. If I got three levels, even though I did most of the work, I¡¯d expect you all gained at least twice that. Maybe more.¡±


    ¡°I do feel stronger.¡± Eri said, but then yawned. ¡°But I admit... I¡¯m exhausted now. You and Shaeula were really lucky before. That horrible thing was brutal and disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°Still, I¡¯ve laid that ghost to rest, and more importantly, I have a benchmark of how far I¡¯ve grown, now. Duke Myrcolaxriath was more dangerous, surely.¡± If I had to take on the Duke alone, could I do it? Before, no. Now, after gaining water and darkness, and a few other boosts? It¡¯s not impossible, but it¡¯d be stupidly risky and I¡¯d put my odds at maybe one in ten, and that might be generous. Still, the gap has narrowed... hoping Shaeula was doing all right, back in the Seelie Court, I sighed.


    ¡°Oh well, I think we¡¯ve done what we came for. Now all that remains is to see if the atmosphere here clears up and the suicides and disappearances go down. Though I think it¡¯s too late for any Chosen here.¡± There should have been one, maybe two, by population anyway, but sharing a small, compact city with that... yeah, they¡¯re dead, I bet. What a waste. ¡°So, we should get back. My sis and Miyu will be worried about us. We can debrief when we return.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I know this isn¡¯t my material body, but I still think I want a bath before we go.¡± Eri said. ¡°How about you, Haru-san?¡±


    ¡°I... I guess so.¡± She nodded, still processing the battle, but she had performed well enough.


    ¡°Great, well, the tub looked big enough for two, want to go in together?¡±


    As the girls bantered, the Lieutenant put a hand on my shoulder, again looking like a delinquent doing a shakedown, despite his uniform. ¡°So, want to tell us about how you get guns to work here then? We¡¯re soldiers, we should have weapons we are familiar with. And the Major... well, it makes him a little redundant, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No, your ability has much greater potential.¡± I assured Major Sasaki. ¡°Your ammunition is only limited by your skill, and it can be a spear and other long weapons as well, right...¡± Yeah, this isn¡¯t awkward at all. We do kind of overlap here, what with my Foehn and Ixitt¡¯s guns. Still, I don¡¯t see why I have to feel bad...


    As Eri and Haru-san disappeared, returning to the Material, I made good my escape as well, knowing the inquisition would likely continue momentarily...

 Side Seventy-Seven – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side Seventy-Seven ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    Shaeula sat on her throne, a pensive expression on her face, as she watched the workers scurry about the Spring, slowly constructing the various wooden platforms, walls and walkways she required for her plans to come to fruition. There were kobolds, some of those from Akio¡¯s Territory, but more from the Seelie Court, as well as goblins, and even a few dwarves. To think, I had disparaged the kobolds as mere ¡®dirt-grubbing mutts¡¯ and goblins as brutes more suited to the Unseelie. Though I am hardly alone in that. Perhaps it was being noble that caused one to look down on those beneath them with contempt, or maybe...


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula...¡± Hyacinth said softly, since they were out of earshot of others, her other maid, Velna... absent... for good reason, after the events of the morning. ¡°... if yooou are unhappy, I can fetch you a drink, ooor some fruit. I can find your sister, if you wish, or...¡±


    With a slight smile, Shaeula raised her hand, forestalling her. ¡°No, I appreciate it, Hyacinth. But I fear my malaise is not-not so easily remedied. You were there, were you not-not?¡±


    At that Hyacinth nodded, and Shaeula turned her thoughts back to this morning, where she made a painful decision....


    ********


    Hyacinth was giggling to herself, face flushed, as she readied wine and fruit for her, and Shaeula was pleased herself. ¡°Did you enjoy it that much then, Hyacinth? I do confess, I find it quite-quite delightful myself, to share love with Akio. So I do understand...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth is very happy, but nooot just because I am closer to Akio now.¡± Her smile was bright, matching the gleam in her eyes. ¡°I am alsooo close to you, mistress Shaeula. It was fun to dooo things together. Hyacinth never knew!¡±


    At that, Shaeula had to smile. ¡°Yes, it is quite-quite strange. Perhaps it is why I feel very close to Eri and Aiko, Hinata too, for they love-love Akio too. Motoko and Natsumi, they too have fallen for him, as well-well they should. I should like-like to know them better as well. Really, mortals have some curious beliefs. That a person can only love one other, and no-no more.¡±


    ¡°Sooo, Mistress Shaeula loves other men then?¡± Hyacinth giggled, and she snorted, denying that.


    ¡°Well, not-not in the romantic sense, no. Though I suppose I do love my father and brothers, even if they can be quite-quite troublesome. Akio is enough for me. But I do not-not begrudge him other likes, other loves. After all, if I had, there would be no love for me, or for you, would there? Eri would have taken it all-all. It is merely a matter of... grandeur, perhaps?¡± She had been thinking about this for a while. Ever since she had been forced to reveal that the reason she pushed other women onto Akio was partly through fear, fear that love would one day end, Shaeula had been pondering her innermost desires and wants. ¡°My father has many lovers, because he is a great-great male of dignity and power. It is only natural females would feel the allure of such. After all, what-what do we wish for?¡±


    Hyacinth cocked her head, thinking. ¡°I just wish tooo serve, Akio and the mistresses, you and mistress Eri. It makes me happy, it is what I was booorn to do. But...¡± she giggled again, flushing, and Shaeula was greatly relieved that most of Hyacinth¡¯s laughter recently had been joyous rather than crazed, though she did slip back on occasion. ¡°... Hyacinth thinks it is very good tooo show Akio affection. Hyacinth loooved it.¡± she started swaying up and down lewdly, as if mimicking the sex they had shared with Akio recently.


    ¡°Enough of that.¡± Shaeula chastised her, and Hyacinth nodded, giggling, but her keen eyes couldn¡¯t help but notice the drool that was leaking from her maid¡¯s mouth, nor the lewd way she was licking her lips. Thinking to herself that they had created a lusty monster, and looking forward to more fun times ahead, Shaeula continued her train of thought, more to distract herself from what was about to come than anything else. ¡°Well, most females wish for love, I deny it not-not. But they also wish for security, wealth, other females to have fun with and be close to... females wish for many things. And my father can provide them all. Akio too. He may not-not know it yet, but he is a ruler, just as my father is. Females seek out those such as he to bask in their love and protection. And Akio is not-not one to withhold his love, especially from females who are sad, lonely or burdened. I was one such, you as well-well.¡±


    Hyacinth nodded, listening intently, so she continued. ¡°Think. He has pressured the leaders of his country to change their very laws so that he may-may marry us all fairly. What female would fail to be moved-moved by that?¡±


    ¡°I dooo not understand marriage, not really. Brownies seldooom wed, we take our joooy in serving the master and tending the home. But... it doooes not seem so bad. Hyacinth will learn!¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, you feel-feel the warmth he holds in his heart for you and respond.¡± She sighed, her eyes glowing amber as she inspected the pair of soul-lights that flickered around her, the solidity of them showing they were nearing rebirth, despite their struggles to remain mere shadows. ¡°We all do. Thus we have no-no wish to leave him. Mortals live but a short time, perhaps that is why they wish to cling on so, yet... none who love Akio will be as fleeting fireflies, lost to time-time. They will have to change their mortal mindsets, should they wish eternity by his side. Those you can love-love and trust, knowing they will always be there in your hour of need, that you can laugh, cry and even-even fight with, yet always certain they will remain there beside you ever more, sisters... such is a precious gift they do not-not yet know the value of, being mortal. But they will, as we Fae do. And yet...¡± her eyes narrowed, glistening with tears that threatened to burst free. ¡°...now that I know-know of love and friendship, it makes betrayal burn all the more fiercely. Fetch my sister. It-it is time.¡±


    Hyacinth had nodded, hurrying out, and Shaeula leaned back on her throne, eyes squeezed shut. Aether was trickling out of her, a constant flow into the soul-lights around her, though there were only a handful remaining, as Akio provided aether too, through their Kin Bonding, and the pair of them had orders of magnitude more aether to spare than when Shaeula first met him and was defeated, those many months ago, as the astral reckoned time. Still, all of those times were precious memories to her now, and there were more to come, an endless future of them. She bit at her lip, emotions running wild. She hoped the future would be endless, but they had many obstacles to solve yet, foes to overcome...


    ¡°Ula, what is it, is there danger, is there trouble?¡± Shaeranna cried, as she rushed in ahead of Hyacinth, who had looked apologetic. Her sister had stayed at the Spring while her father returned to their domain, and along with the Way-Wardens, was making sure the area was secure while it reintegrated into the Seelie Court.


    Opening her eyes, Shaeula had shaken her head, denying the danger. ¡°No, sister. It is merely something painful I can not-not bear to do alone.¡± She had wished Akio was there with her, but that was selfish, for she knew he had many demands on his time as well. Still, it made her sigh self-deprecatingly, as she understood in that moment the wishes of Eri, who had wished for Akio all to herself for the longest time. ¡°I am grateful to have you here, sister. Perhaps I have not-not said that enough.¡±


    Shaeranna paused, her green eyes blinking in surprise, before she grinned wolfishly. ¡°My Ula, you make me so happy, so pleased, saying such. Now, talk to me. What is it you are struggling with?¡±


    As Hyacinth assumed her position, her other maid, Velna had also come running. Shaeula had tried to send her away on an errand, rather than subject her to this, but perhaps by some intuition or instinct she had known this was coming. Her eyes were full of shadows, her expression grim, but even so, she was there. ¡°Princess.¡± She managed, her voice cracking under the emotional strain.


    ¡°Sister. You know of my ability, correct? My gift that saves the spirits of my kin, preventing them from passing, giving hope-hope of rebirth?¡±


    Shaeranna had nodded, proud of her sister. ¡°Indeed it is a gift of great worth, great value. Though with your frail body and inadequate aether, using it was...¡± she stopped, shrugging. ¡°... that was then. Now you are more than strong, very powerful, and can use it well. I expected no less from my cute little Ula, my pretty Ula. So...¡± at her questioning gaze, she had nodded.


    ¡°You are correct, sister. My traitorous maids, even in death I caught them. And though they did-did struggle against it, their return is imminent.¡± Behind her, Hyacinth muttered darkly, her hands making squeezing gestures, as if she wished to wring the traitors to bloody ruins, while Velna was whispering to herself, distraught. ¡°In my heart, I still-still must consider them my kin, despite everything. Yet... I can not-not allow them to go unpunished.¡± Her hands had gripped her throne, the jade blades that were part of her Kamaitachi form gouging the wood. ¡°Sister, I...¡±


    ¡°Say no more, my dear Ula. Your sister knows what to do, what must be done.¡± She said, proudly. ¡°You did well to rely on me.¡± She pulled her wicked spear from her back, the greatest work of Master Bjarki, at least until Akio¡¯s Twin Fangs, anyway. ¡°I shall not let them escape, nor flee.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Shaeula had whispered, concentrating on the bond, the last flickers of aether draining from her. The soul-flames burst into brilliant light, detaching themselves from her, and as the shining fires touched the ground, they resolved themselves into two frightened weaselkin, who promptly threw themselves prostrate on the ground in front of her, babbling over each other as they cried out apologies, requests for mercy and clemency, appeals to their time together, and more, until Shaeranna slammed the butt of her spear into the ground ferociously and called out for silence. Then everything fell quiet.


    ¡°Do you dare to be insolent in front of us, daughters of Shaetanao, princesses of the Seelie?¡± she snapped, furious at the display. ¡°Traitors to my precious sister, despite the noble role you were offered, were given. Be silent. Let my Ula speak!¡±


    The two maids pondered, while Shaeula had considered her words, her heart aching. Still, two maids were gone from her, and she had not asked her father or Shaeraggo what had become of them, though their lights had not returned to her. Slowly, she had opened her mouth, and bitter words had emerged. ¡°Saeca, Mureila. Why did you betray me? No, I suppose you did not-not, Saeca. For you never served me from the start, did you?¡±


    ¡°I... please forgive me!¡± Saeca cried out. ¡°My family has always been a friend to the foxkin, so when you were-were looking for maids, Duke Vulpatrius approached my father, and-and...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at fault here-here!¡± Mureila interrupted her. ¡°Saeca and Risha were the ones that started all this-this! I took the payment, I did, but I only encouraged you, princess, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong...¡±


    ¡°Why you rotten little bitch, you were eager-eager for the gold and jewels...¡± Saeca tore into her colleague. As they squabbled, each blaming the other, and throwing all their ire against the absent Risha, Shaeula had gathered all her strength, and spoke.


    ¡°I see. You meant me no harm. Well, when your foolish incitements had me sent to where-where I should surely have died, were it not-not for the miracle of meeting Akio, did you lament? When the Night Parade were brought to my very mansion, when poison was prepared, ready-ready to strike. When Klena was taken...¡± At those words Velna flinched, and Shaeula subtly held her hand behind her back, and Velna had grasped it, trembling. ¡°Do not-not make me laugh, though this is far from humorous. Sister, what do you think I should do?¡±


    ¡°It is obvious, Ula.¡± She was glaring at the two maids murderously. ¡°They can not be forgiven, never forgiven. After all, a traitor once is a traitor always. Lies and treachery are poison to trust, destroy faith.¡±


    ¡°I fear so.¡± As Shaeula said that, the two maids protested, calling upon their past times together, the times Shaeula had seen as good and happy. If it was her before, she might have broken, given in, but now she had new happy times. Velna was squeezing her hand tightly, and she heard Hyacinth whisper her name with sympathy, so, clinging to the now, Shaeula had unleashed her befuddling winds, bathing the two in its full power.


    ¡°You will confess all your betrayals, all your plots, and answer any question my sister or father gives you honestly, with no-no lies or omissions.¡± Shaeula spat, face twisted with pain. ¡°Now go. You are not-not my kin any longer, nor my maids. No, you are but-but strangers.¡± She turned to Shaeranna then. ¡°Take them to my father. He might-might find out something of value. And then... I do not-not wish to see them again.¡±


    Shaeranna nodded, grabbing the two stunned maids by the scruff of their necks. ¡°Do not worry, my little Ula. You have been brave, been strong. These two... well, they have much to answer for, and much to tell...¡±


    As they were dragged out, Shaeula had watched them go, eyes suddenly dry of tears, her heart hard. Even so, she had trembled a little, her grip on Velna tightening too. ¡°Farewell, Saeca, Mureila. May you find peace one-one day.¡±


    ¡°What will happen to them, princess?¡± Velna asked, timidly, and she had sighed in answer.


    ¡°I do not-not know. My father will have them questioned, I have no-no doubt. We need to know how deep the rot goes. After that...¡± she shrugged. ¡°... exile, if their crimes are considered light enough, perhaps. Imprisonment. Perhaps even...¡± she did not wish to finish her sentence, but Velna understood.


    ¡°If... if I may be excused, princess?¡± she asked, tears running from her eyes, soaking her fur, and Shaeula had nodded, releasing her hand.


    ¡°Yes, take some time to grieve. As they were my servants, who I thought loyal all-all these years, they were your colleagues and friends. Rest assured, we will get Klena back-back, and Risha will face judgement.¡± And with these words, Velna curtsied and fled, crying, the emotional strain of seeing her dead friends return, only to have them face summary punishment, too much for her.


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula, if yooou need to cry, Hyacinth can look away...¡± she said tactfully, and Shaeula had laughed, bitterly but with strength.


    ¡°No, though I thank you for your consideration. You are quite-quite worthy of your position as head maid now. No, I have no time for tears. We have much to do. And when I cry, I wish-wish it to be in the arms of Akio, letting him spoil me. I can-can hold my grief until then...¡±


    ********


    Shaeula shook her head to clear out the memories of earlier. I have too much to do today to be feeling down and disheartened. No, I must remain strong. After all, I have... auspicious guests. Two very different ones in fact. One, she was looking forward to meeting, as if all went well, it would firmly cement her claim to the Spring and rank of Duchess. But the other... Duke Formor. How I wish I could squash you like a bug for all the hatred you have shown towards me, the harm to my loyal maid, the attempts on my life, but... It was impossible. Duke Formor and his forces were too important to the Seelie Court, guarding the north from the Unseelie and their own foul giants from occupied Salamandrastrae. Civil war would be a disaster, even now. Still, I demand compensation. Hinata is right. We should get fair worth for what we receive, be it for good or ill.


    ¡°Mistress. Prince Aethelathrion and his guests have arrived. Shall I shooow them in?¡± Hyacinth curtsied perfectly, back to her brownie grace now that there were guests. I see. Well, the first trial is here.


    ¡°Indeed. Please do so.¡± She agreed, her face a mask of noble poise, her doubts hidden within. Hyacinth disappeared for a moment, to return with the noble elven Prince, who was followed by a half-dozen elven females, as well as a cloud of flying faeries, their small stature belying the fierce power coming from them, rainbow energies shrouding them like a thick aura, the one at their head, perhaps only two feet tall, but remarkably powerful, drawing her gaze. With her stunning green hair and eyes, as well as delicate refined features, Estalian, Princess of the elemental Fae, one of the seven surviving royal branches, was quite the sight to see, and Shaeula felt her skin itch from the multiple elements she was radiating. Estalian is a sylph, I recall from my lessons, though I have never met her in person. She was also one of the rare few Fae who have transcended their innate elements, and not once, but twice. The elemental fae are fickle, these will be difficult negotiations.


    Still, she said none of this, merely standing politely to welcome them, gracefully bowing in greeting. ¡°Good Prince, we meet again. And you must be Princess Estalian. It is quite an honour to meet the one known as the Greatest of Sylphs, The Triad of Elements.¡±


    The giant cocked his head, seemingly puzzled, but Shaeula wasn¡¯t fooled. He recognised her earlier. And we suspected one of the Dukes was behind her appearance in my brother¡¯s wagons. ¡° I see. Is this true?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Hyacinth nodded. ¡°Though... Hyacinth was nooot well then, I was always angry, wanting to kill, to break, tooo burn. It was right to punish Hyacinth. Besides, nooow I know where I am meant tooo be!¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I suppose I should be thanking you then, should I not-not?¡± Shaeula grinned, though it was utterly lacking in humour or goodwill. ¡°To think you would send us such a worthy servant, I am quite-quite touched. Still...¡± she glared at the giants before her. ¡°... she took quite the labour to subdue. She could quite easily have killed many-many. Rather reckless of you, to send her unannounced. I wonder just what-what you were thinking? An attempt to do me ill, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°You dare accuse me?¡± Duke Formor rumbled. ¡°I take that as an affront...¡±


    ¡°As you should. For I intended it so. Speaking of servants. I want them back. Both of them. Risha, that traitorous bitch, and Klena, who remained loyal. And if Klena is hurt, I shall not-not rest until you suffer. I AM NOT SCARED OF YOU!¡± she declared boldly, and was surprised to find she meant it. If I can not defeat him now, alone, then Akio will help. If together we can not, others will aid us. If we still can not, then we will grow stronger until we can! ¡°You aided some-some of the Night Parade to infiltrate our lands, to slay me. Well, where are they now? Dead. I slew one with my own-own hands and claimed my place in the Parade. Fae, Yokai. Mortal. You are a fool if you think these things matter, Duke!¡± she showed off her Kamaitachi form proudly. ¡°I have slain Wild Hunt, Unseelie... all that matters is the will, is it not-not? Duke Formor, you have transgressed against me and my family repeatedly, and I am most wroth. But I am not-not one to hold grudges, after all, was I not-not forgiven by my Akio, the one I love?¡± All eyes were on her now as she unleashed a speech of fiery passion, captivating them. ¡°Duke Formor, you hate-hate the Unseelie, the traitors, and wish to reclaim our stolen land, do you not-not? Well, I have reclaimed the Spring, and ask for the right of the conqueror, to rule it for the good of all the Fae. But I shall not-not stop. Salamandrastrae.¡±


    At that one word, everyone held their breath. If Ulfuric were here, he would be shocked indeed. ¡°Salamandrastrae.¡± She repeated. ¡°The giants that took it and hold it still. I intend to drive them out-out, crush them. And I will succeed!¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Duke Formor roared, furious. ¡°Do you mock me, little weasel? Against the might of..¡±


    ¡°Oh shut the fuck up!¡± Shaeula surprised them with mortal invective. ¡°You do not-not get to tell me what is impossible. It was impossible to defeat Grulgor, to tame Hyacinth, to defeat the Wild Hunt who raided our lands, to slay-slay those assassins from the Night Parade. To reclaim the Spring and purge the foul Myconids. You do not-not get to tell me what is impossible or not-not, for with Akio and the others by my side, what we can achieve is limited only by our ambition.¡±


    ¡°Marvellous.¡± Prince Aethelathrion clapped suddenly, taking the time to defuse the explosive atmosphere. ¡°You have to admit she speaks well and boldly. Duke Formor, you are not recognised as a Prince, despite leading the branch of the giantkin. Even so, you have great influence and importance, guarding our northern borders. Why not use it wisely, support the princess here? She is offering you an olive branch.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Give me back my maids, and do not-not be a fool. And you had best-best pray they are unharmed, or it will not-not be the giants of the Unseelie who bleed first.¡±


    Estalian whistled softly at the threat, and Moira, who was writing away ferociously, noting all this down, had gone deathly pale, even her stoic lack of emotion overwhelmed by the fury on display. For a long moment there was a deep silence, before Duke Formor squeezed shut his eyes, laughing, the booming sound echoing through the hill housing the Spring.


    ¡°Little weasel, you have great courage to say that to my face, or do you only say that because these others are watching?¡±


    ¡°Try me. You are strong. I do not-not deny it. The thought of fighting you does make me tremble, but I have learned to fight for what I want. And do not-not think your greater strength means you shall triumph. I have bested foes stronger than me before, and if I must, I shall-shall do it again.¡±


    ¡°She means it.¡± he rumbled to his two giant companions, after a long stare, the fires in his eyes simmering down to orange and red embers. ¡°The little weasel would fight me. How... charming.¡± A long sigh escaped him, and he conceded. ¡°Grulgor, you fool. Are you still loyal to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Grul deeply respects you, Duke. But Grul cannot break his other Oaths. Grul will side with the princess against you if he must. But Grul thinks you will see who is not worthy of hatred, and respect her strength. Strength is everything to the giantkin. You told Grul that.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is fascinating.¡± The small giant said. ¡°When did you get so smart, Grulgor? I thought you only had rocks for brains.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s stronger too.¡± The other giant, who was carrying a tall staff, and had been silent until now, said suddenly.


    ¡°Yes. You are.¡± Duke Formor gazed at Grulgor until he looked down, unable to endure the pressure. ¡°Very well. You have bested me here.¡± The Duke declared, and Shaeula let out the breath she was holding, the sick feeling in her stomach dissipating. Even with the Prince and Princess watching, this has been rather stressful. Oh Akio, how I wish you were with me. But no, you will be getting revenge on that creature about now, the hideous one that wounded us both... I shall show you I am strong, worthy to be beside you.


    ¡°Good. So my maids?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid the one you call Risha is not with us. She has gone, she left swiftly after arriving.¡±


    At that Shaeula tensed, angered, but the Duke continued. ¡°The other. You called her Klena? We have her. She is of no use to us.¡±


    ¡°She had better not-not be harmed...¡± Shaeula warned, remembering Akio talking about the blood he found at the site she vanished.


    ¡°Well, she was in a poor state when we received her, I apologise.¡± The smaller giant said. ¡°It seemed she objected to... well, never mind. Why rake up old wounds?¡± he grinned, and Shaeula fought the urge to call upon wind, flame and water to attack him, so annoying was his smug smile. ¡°However she came to be in our possession, we did not torture her or anything like that. We are hardly Unseelie. In fact, I patched her wounds up myself, you should be grateful.¡±


    I hate this giant. But I can do nothing. Not if I wish to solve this without civil war. My father would rally the Beastkin, and Duke Vulpatrius would rebel, it would be chaos...


    Biting her lip in frustration, she spoke in monotone. ¡°Oh, I am indeed most-most grateful. So, she is well?¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps rather hungry and frightened. We did leave her in one of the oubliettes under Mount Formor. But will that not make her reunion with you a joyous one, to see the moon again?¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s throne shattered under her sudden tense grip, and Moira tensed at that, while Estalian whistled again, clearly enjoying the barbed exchange and spectacle. ¡°I see. Well, have her sent to me forthwith. And not-not in a box, like poor Hyacinth, lest you raise my ire.¡±


    ¡°It shall be done. So the matter rests here?¡± Duke Formor asked the other nobles, the Prince and Princess, and they both agreed.


    ¡°Oh, for now, yes. But I trust-trust you will endorse my claim as Duchess of this Spring?¡± I hate letting this go, but it is for the best. It is more important to get the support of the Duke and Klena returned safely. Though Risha¡¯s time will come. She must have fled to Duke Vulpatrius...


    ¡°Very well.¡± The Duke declared. ¡°Grulgor...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grul is listening.¡± He replied warily.


    ¡°You may remain here, as a... mark of goodwill. It seems we have misunderstood each other. Perhaps you are not as useless as I had feared.¡±


    ¡°Grul is happy to hear that. Grul still respects the Duke.¡± He slammed his stony fist on his chest in a salute.


    ¡°I shall see to the safe return of your maid.¡± The small giant said. ¡°The poor thing, she might well be a little... shaken... by the experience. I expect her to make a full recovery, but I doubt her memories of Mount Formor will survive.¡±


    Bastard. Still, I am in no position to argue. I can not put Klena at risk. I shall make it up to her in time. Shaeula shot the giant a flat, angry look, but he merely giggled, reminding her a little of Hyacinth at that moment. ¡°Well, I am happy for you, princess. Or is it Duchess now?¡± the giant continued to chortle, as if everything was greatly amusing him. ¡°After all, us half-breeds must surely sympathise with each other. I am happy for you too, boggart... no, not a boggart. Something different.¡±


    Hyacinth tilted her head, confused, but still thanked the giant, while Shaeula shook her head, irritated. ¡°Half-breed or not-not, I am me. We put too much stock in such matters. It is our heart that determines our value.¡± She turned her gaze back to the Duke. ¡°When the time comes to retake Salamandrastrae and the north, I shall call-call upon you. Your giants are mighty, I deny it not-not. But before that... cease your trafficking with the Night Parade. I shall do something about them. After all, I am my mother¡¯s daughter, am I not-not?¡± she proudly showed off her jade blades, cracking with wind energies, at wrists and feet.


    ¡°Bah.¡± The Duke grumbled. ¡°It seems you are, more than your father¡¯s daughter. Cowardly Royalists are seldom so bold.¡±


    ¡°Well, I care not-not for the factions, only our victory.¡± Shaeula declared, and that brought a smile to the Duke¡¯s face. Perhaps Grulgor was right. Duke Formor does respect strength. If only Duke Vulpatrius was so easy...


    ¡°Worthy sentiments. Ones I share.¡± The Duke paused. ¡°Duke Vulpatrius will not so easily accept you. His hatred for your father runs deep, and not merely over factional disputes. And he did rather wish to have your sister. The Duke desires proud women, and to bend one of your father¡¯s daughters to his will... well, it seems it was not to be, but the fox holds grudges. It will only stoke his ire. Watch yourself. I would not see you fall until the Unseelie and Wild Hunt lie crushed and in ruins. Seeing the destruction you have wrought here pleases me.¡± He laughed again, like rocks crashing together.


    ¡°Well, far be it for me to tell that worthless fox who he can or can not-not marry, but my sister is too good for him. No, I shall-shall tell him. Talaisha is too good for him too. I intend to offer her a position myself, if she can not-not fend him off. My sister cares deeply for her friend, and I have learned, friends are without price.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that matters little to me.¡± The Duke said, nodding to the elven Prince and the sylph Princess. ¡°Ferexulu here will return your maid, and the matter ends here. I must depart, I do not wish to leave the northern border undefended too long.¡±


    ¡°Farewell, princess, strange maid.¡± Ferexulu giggled, as the trolls and other giant withdrew silently. ¡°I shall see you soon!¡±


    Delightful. I could do without that. But no, Klena comes first. Once they were gone, Shaeula turned to the sweating Moira. ¡°So, how was it? Did it meet-meet your expectations?¡±


    ¡°You cannot be serious.¡± She said, wiping at her soaked forehead, pushing back her damp black locks. ¡°Salamandrastrae is a fortress that the Fomorians have reinforced and turned into an impassable barrier. Many have the strength to match Duke Formor himself. It would be suicide.¡±


    ¡°Well, you shall have time to learn.¡± Shaeula smiled, relieved now that the Duke was gone. Grulgor seemed to share her sentiments, as he had slumped down, exhausted. ¡°So...¡± she turned to the two rulers of the Fae. ¡°Duke Formor has consented. That will split the Aggressor faction. My claim should-should be cemented, no?¡±


    ¡°I see no issues.¡± Estalian giggled, and I knew that Prince Aethelathrion was already committed, hence why the elves were here.


    ¡°Well in that case, I will not-not be satisfied until I have retrieved that traitor Risha, as well as freed Talaisha from the threat of marriage to her moronic firefox of a father, she is too-too good to waste on him, and I owe my sister. So, you heard the Duke. They may not-not have overtly broken our laws and Oaths, but they skirted very close to it. So, you will answer my one small request, right...?¡±


    As the elves brought by their Prince and relative looked on, smiling, except for the gloomy-looking Moira, Shaeula pressed her advantage, unwilling to allow her enemies to escape punishment, even if she could only inflict token damage as retribution...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Five

    Two Hundred And Forty-Five


    ¡°So, just what are those items we brought out of there?¡± Major Sasaki asked, curious. ¡°Do they have any relation to the equipment you had in there, those guns, that axe and bow...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re soldiers. Sure, abilities are nice, but we rely on our training and equipment. Without those our effectiveness drops dramatically.¡± The Lieutenant backed him up. Trying not to be distracted by the noises coming from the girls¡¯ room next door, which I could easily hear through the walls, I decided to disclose a little information, as it would be out soon anyway if we did set up factories to produce items for both the Material and Boundary, and they had been subject to Shaeula¡¯s befuddling winds as insurance and to prevent information leaks.


    ¡°Well, items with a significant presence seem to endure just fine in the Boundary.¡± I went on to explain that the guns, swords and axe were made by the combined efforts of some of my allies, while the bow was an item similar to the ones we had salvaged.


    ¡°Great. So, are we going to check them out?¡± Nakano-san asked, eager, once more looking like a punk trying to shake me down, and so I had to smile. The girls next door seem to be taking a bath and chatting, we¡¯ll have time...


    ¡°Fine. We might as well take a quick look.¡± With that we briefly returned to the Boundary, and using my Eye I quickly sorted our loot into two piles. One was like the vestments from before, full of seemingly useless items (that I would keep anyway, just in case), but the other, more interesting pile was the one that my Eye detected use out of. Four items huh? Nice.


    ¡°So, do we get a share?¡± Nakano-san asked, and I snorted wryly.


    ¡°Yeah nice try. I¡¯m prepared to furnish you with guns and so forth, if you are going to work with me, but for now I¡¯ll be able to find the best use for these treasures.¡±ViiSiit  for latest novels


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame a man for trying, right?¡± the Lieutenant laughed, and the Major chastised him, though I could tell he was curious and eager too, just too disciplined to ask.


    Putting that aside I examined the first item, the small, jade and metal seal I had nearly missed out on, but felt an urge to retrieve. My Eye couldn¡¯t read all the information, the dreaded question marks were back, but what I could read piqued my interest significantly.


    Heirloom Jade Seal of Kunlun- Item Class: [Imperious] Item Type: [Law]


    This seal is used to ??????????? ??????????? and can bypass the defensive workings of Kunlun, to allow ?????????? and well as access ???????????.


    I could feel the power radiating from the item, and it had the same flavour as the spatial element Ginneka had used. On closer inspection it looked like it was inscribed with some sort of kanji, though they didn¡¯t look Japanese. Chinese probably. I¡¯m curious as to how it ended up here. I had resolved to learn another language, with Chinese being top of the list, and that only convinced me further. Perhaps I would need to look into classical Chinese as well. I wonder what Kunlun is, or where it is...


    Pocketing the seal, I then inspected the book I had rescued. It had a plain cover, but was sealed by an ornate-looking lock. My Eye hadn¡¯t really produced much of note when I looked at it, but it was a book, a source of information, so it didn¡¯t necessarily need to have a specific power. Considering the lock, I thought of just breaking it, but that seemed needlessly damaging, so I trickled in a thin layer of wind, using my Eye to navigate, and after some fiddling, the lock clicked open. Great, so, what do we have here? Oh...


    On opening the book, I saw that it was full of densely written characters. They were definitely Japanese, but the language was so old, eclipsing even the classic Japanese we were taught at school, I could barely make out more than a few words. It had several interesting pictures, of what looked like mythical beasts. I recognised what looked like an oni, and another that was a nine-tailed fox. ¡°Well, looks like I¡¯m going back to school...¡± I murmured. I guess it¡¯s time to see just what a thousand-odd points of mental stats can do...


    The third item was a pendant, made of black stone, and my eye identified it as Obsidian Amulet of Sacred Fuji- Item Class: [Powerful] Item Type: [Rule]


    An amulet carved from volcanic glass from one of the most spiritually pure sites in Japan, this amulet wards off misfortune, and will warn Yokai that the bearer is an important figure, not to be touched carelessly, lest they invoke the anger of powerful people.


    Lastly, there was some sort of long rod, which was made from what looked like bone, but it turned out it was actually a shakuhachi, an ancient flute, and what was bone was some sort of bamboo that had fossilised to a stone-like texture. Petrified Ritual Flute - Item Class: [Powerful] Item Type: [Pinnacle]


    An ancient flute used in ceremonies to praise the kami and also in marriages, funerals and other similar secular events when the blessing of the gods was sought. This flute was once blessed with light element, but now due to exposure to the darkness over endless days and nights in the Boundary, it has become charged with darkness and earth elements.


    ¡°So, just where did all this crap come from?¡± The Lieutenant asked, as I was pondering what to do with the treasures we had rescued. ¡°Did that slime and eyeball monster gather them all?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure of that. ¡°Either that or it found a place where there were lots of treasures already and decided to make its lair there. Maybe Azuki knows more. But...¡± I pondered it. ¡°I suspect that it is how the creature was still so strong. It seemed to eclipse most things we¡¯ve found in the Boundary... well, according to Azuki and the family history Takakura-san told me, it seemed to be feeding off them. Well, it¡¯s dead and gone now, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. We should go back. I¡¯ll allocate the treasures later.¡± The amulet should go to someone like Eri, Aiko or maybe one of the noble girls. As for the flute... Darkness is Eri¡¯s element, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s musical. Hyacinth? I¡¯d have to ask her, and she has Nature, which is partially based on earth element... as for the seal...


    ********


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great, but we still have more work to do with you. Anyway, in addition we gathered some ether, though to be honest, it¡¯s a pittance compared to the hauls I¡¯ve brought in recently. Still, it all spends, and I do have some expensive builds to do for the factory and testing park. And finally...¡±


    ¡°The loot, right?¡± Aiko looked excited. ¡°The mirror that kid from the shrine has now was from there, right? The pretty dagger and bells Shaeula has too. Maybe that thing should have been a dragon, since it had a hoard!¡±


    Now there¡¯s an image. But it makes me wonder, what treasures would such creatures hold? After all, there have to be dragons, both eastern and western, since there are Faeries and kami... ¡°Yeah, I got an old book, I need to remember and copy it out for translation, as well as a flute. I¡¯d give the flute to you, Eri, since it has darkness element, but...¡±


    She looked away. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m... not great with instruments.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Aiko chortled. ¡°You always hide in music class. You used to in Physical Education too...¡±


    ¡°There was also a pendant. I¡¯m not sure who gets that yet either. And lastly... a very interesting jade seal.¡± I explained that it was spatial element and related to a mysterious place called Kunlun.


    ¡°So, overall, not a bad haul. A shame some of the stuff we saved seems to have no use, and some might have been destroyed, but I¡¯m happy enough. So... lunch? Today it¡¯s on me.¡±


    As everyone agreed, fresh from the success of the mission, I took a look around again. Yeah, I have to be stronger. This battle proved it. Before, I got hurt, and worse, Shaeula did. This time, my strength was more than sufficient, and everyone got out unscathed, and in many cases stronger... With that resolve burning in my heart, I quickly looked up a place on my phone. Three levels. Not bad, but it¡¯s getting harder and harder to level up. But Kyoto and the Night Parade... if things go badly in terms of negotiations, well...


    *********


    ¡°So, I get that you found today frightening, but it wasn¡¯t all bad, was it?¡± I asked Miyu as the expensive car her father sent to fetch us pulled up beside her house. After a hearty lunch, we saw Eri and Aiko off, and then took a military helicopter back to Tokyo. The soldiers left for their debriefing with Tsumura-san, while Haru-san was left behind to work with Karen-chan on my next round of requests, since the Ministry was still in the formative stages. Yeah, a Chinese language teacher, as well as a pair of historians that can speak and read ancient Chinese and Japanese. The first should be easy enough, but the classic languages...


    My memory was good enough to reproduce several pages of the book, so I had sketched them out during the helicopter ride, and also written out the characters on the seal. Of course, Shaeula would need to bind them to secrecy with her winds, but we would pay well. Still, there was one other matter on her mind, and the trip to Inuyama, horrible though it was, had helped Haru-san avoid thinking about meeting her murderer for some closure. I¡¯m not going to push her, she still has until Shaeula returns to decide, but... well, it isn¡¯t my decision, I can¡¯t know how she feels...


    ¡°It was hardly good. That place was vile, and my feet still hurt from dancing. Though when I danced, I felt... no, never mind. So, excuse me if this sounds rude, but why are you visiting my grandfather¡¯s home?¡± Miyu asked, looking a touch perturbed.


    Hmm, is this tsundere, or did she really hate it that much? Well, I took her there for several reasons, not just to gain her a few levels. ¡°Well, I thought now you¡¯ve seen the worst of the Boundary, it¡¯s time to show you how to take care of your Territory properly, and give Koga-san an induction. It¡¯ll be on you to stop her taking risks though.¡± I said sternly. ¡°She¡¯s like my sister. She¡¯s keen, but lacks the ability to grow easily, unlike you or Eri. If she was to get hurt you¡¯d feel awful, right? I know I would.¡±


    ¡°Well, Michiru would happily take a wound for me. She is very proud of being a bodyguard.¡± Miyu said slowly. ¡°But... I would rather Michiru never has to make that choice. She is my precious friend too.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll get the door for you.¡± It might have been the driver¡¯s job, but I still got out and opened the door, allowing Miyu to step out. ¡°I¡¯d much rather take injuries than have my allies hurt, but it makes them sad and worried. You heard my sis and Eri talking about the time I got hurt last time I was there, right? That¡¯s why, obviously I¡¯ll take a wound that¡¯s meant for them, or any of my other friends and allies, or you, without hesitation. But it¡¯s better to be so strong that any enemy doesn¡¯t even think about attacking, or if they have to be fought, they can be crushed without placing anyone in danger. I¡¯ve put in the groundwork for that, and today it paid off.¡±


    Miyu looked at me strangely, before looking down. ¡°I too have no wish for Michiru to be hurt. That is why I wished this... well, perhaps it is not a curse, but this... burden... gone. But I see. You brought me along so I would see this is not a burden I can lay down, not if I wish Michiru to be safe.¡±


    Well, that was one reason. Oh wow, this house seriously is something special. Last time I was a bit too busy to look around properly. I know Azabu is the heart of Tokyo nobility and influence, but even so... the massive estate had multiple buildings, from truly ancient and historic mansions, to a modern Japanese one, and a replica of a British stately home. Multiple gardens surrounded them, Chinese, Japanese, British, Scandinavian... Yeah, Fujiwara house sure is rich, sometimes I forget that. Now I¡¯m even more glad Miyu didn¡¯t get a scratch, well if you don¡¯t count her sore feet...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying you couldn¡¯t...¡± I disagreed. ¡°But Ame no Uzume chose you, didn¡¯t she? I have to believe there¡¯s a reason for that. Sure, there have been some horrible excuses for Candidates I¡¯ve met and fought, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s so important those of us who are chosen do our best. And I have your back now. You won¡¯t be alone.¡± We entered the mansion Miyu had moved to, the modern Japanese one. On seeing my look at the more traditional mansion to the side, Miyu let out a soft giggle.


    ¡°Grandfather says that the old mansion isn¡¯t comfortable to live in. We host events there, I¡¯ve been to plenty, but you can¡¯t just knock down walls to install heating, or air conditioning, or even damage them for power cables and wiring. So it¡¯s beautiful, but cold, draughty and lacking in amenities. The modern mansion is better to live in.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yeah, rich people do live in a different world. Well, wait, I¡¯m rich now, but nowhere near this level. So it¡¯s still a different world! ¡°Well, your Territory is at Rank 2, so you can cover the grounds. I think.¡± Seriously, just how big is this estate?


    Miyu was greeted by maids and a butler as we entered, and as they bowed to her I could feel their eyes on me, wondering who I was and what a man was doing there. Well, I have permission! I¡¯m not trespassing... Some of them should have seen me the last time I was here. Even so, facing their judgemental stares was somehow harder than fighting in Inuyama...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Six

    Two Hundred And Forty-Six


    Doing my best to ignore the stares of the servants, Miyu led me through the halls of the modern Japanese mansion. It was styled after the historic mansion, though the difference was apparently in the modern lights and other features. It didn¡¯t take long for the quick patter of footsteps to be heard, and moments later a small figure flew at us, red scarf flapping behind her, still in the uniform of Hanafubuki.


    ¡°Miyu-sama, are you hurt?¡± Koga-san declared, inspecting her carefully, hand reaching out to feel her for wounds. Miyu looked puzzled for a moment, before copying what I had done to Aiko earlier and rapping her gently on the head. This surprised Koga-san, who should have been able to dodge, but Miyu was moving more fluidly now. As Koga-san paused, Miyu managed a smile.


    ¡°I am unhurt, I assure you, so there is no need to panic, Michiru.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, I was keeping an eye on her. I¡¯m confident enough to keep her safe, and we didn¡¯t let her face the most dangerous foe.¡±


    At my words, Koga-san frowned at me, before smoothing her face and giving me a small nod of gratitude. ¡°I am grateful. Even so, I do believe Miyu-sama should not have been put in such a position at all.¡±¡°I thought so too.¡± Miyu agreed. ¡°It was rather awful, and very frightening. But Akio-san is right. I was seemingly in no actual danger. He is very powerful. You have seen that for yourself Michiru, but he was clearly holding back. Mori-san and Suzuki-san told me about how he destroyed the strange creature there with ease."


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t get that way overnight. That¡¯s why you need to grow too, Miyu.¡± We started heading towards the wing of rooms Miyu had been granted, making small-talk. Apparently Koga-san had also skipped school, as a bodyguard going when her mistress wasn¡¯t present was seen as strange, and she had been waiting here nervously all day, imagining the worst, which made me feel a little sorry for her. Yeah, next time we need to send her a message, I can¡¯t believe Miyu didn¡¯t think of that. Then, noble girls live in a different world...


    ¡°I should be the one protecting her...¡± Michiru-san said, her face downcast. ¡°But I am not strong enough. Even with the Koga Ninjutsu my father taught me, I would not be able to defeat such a beast...¡±


    ¡°Yet.¡± I felt a bit sorry for Koga-san, she clearly cared very much for Miyu, and not just as a bodyguard, and I wasn¡¯t one to deny love between two girls, or two guys either, for that matter. People can love who they want, as long as both parties are happy with it. Besides, I lost any moral high ground on relationships the day I had sex with Shaeula, and then Hyacinth, not that I had a problem with it before. ¡°There are...¡±


    ¡°My, cousin Miyu-sama, it is good to see you.¡± A polite, melodious voice interrupted us, and I turned to see two girls looking at us with curiosity. Both were in the Hanafubuki uniform, yet the style was slightly different, as it was the middle-school variant. One girl looked like a younger version of Koga-san, wearing a similar scarf, yet it was smaller and less flamboyant. On seeing Miyu and Koga-san, her expression hardened, brown eyes expressing resentment and annoyance. The other was very pretty indeed, with a gentle, delicate face, and petite body, thin and graceful. There¡¯s a slight resemblance to Miyu, makes sense if they are cousins. But Miyu-sama, huh?


    ¡°Cousin Honoka-sama...¡± Miyu said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°... it is good to see you as well.¡±


    Oh yeah, she seems to have a bit of an inferiority complex towards her cousin, doesn¡¯t she? I hesitated, unsure of whether to say something, and then Koga-san¡¯s sister spoke, her tone withering.


    ¡°Michiru, I hear you were not at school today. Really, you are a disgrace. In public I have to tolerate you, lest you and your mistress shame Honoka-sama and the Fujiwara name, but since you will be living here now, a decision I cannot fathom, I¡¯ll no longer be silent. You are a joke, just like father. You cannot keep anyone safe like that. Such a waste of your natural talents!¡±


    Ouch. That¡¯s got to sting coming from a younger sister. If Aiko said something like that to me, I¡¯d be upset. Indeed, Koga-san looked unsure and saddened, while Miyu was shrinking back at the aggression. I opened my mouth, having decided to intervene, but Honoka-san was first.


    ¡°Kozue, do not be so rude to poor Michiru. You are in front of a guest.¡± She spared me a brief look before turning back to Miyu. ¡°I do apologise for the behaviour of my bodyguard. She has been out of sorts of late. And I believe your sudden decision to move into grandfather¡¯s estate has confused her. I must admit to being surprised too.¡± She cocked her head inquisitively, even that movement graceful, like a dance. ¡°I also wonder... who is this? Is it perhaps your fiance?e, Miyu-sama?¡±


    I choked a bit at that, and Miyu looked similarly unhappy, though she quickly masked it behind a placid expression. ¡°No, Honoka-sama, this is Akio-sama...¡±


    -sama huh? Well, I guess I do have a certain status as her lord, technically speaking. The relationship between these two is hard to work out. They speak to each other pleasantly enough, but Miyu feels inferior to her sister, they both address each other as -sama...


    ¡°... he is like Kudou-sama, a special teacher, specialising in matters of... well, not quite faith, but importance.¡±


    I was attracting a glare from Koga-san¡¯s sister, which made Koga-san glance at me apologetically, but I winked, assuring her I didn¡¯t take offense, or blame her for it if I did. I suppose considering all the male servants other than bodyguards in the house are old men or women, seeing a man of my age here is worrying for them.


    ¡°I see. He¡¯s young for a teacher at our school. Still, grandfather would have vetted him I imagine. Perhaps he is already married?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m engaged.¡± I said, and Honoka-san looked surprised I¡¯d interrupt them. ¡°To Fukumoto Hinata, Tsumura Motoko and Hori Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± A glimmer of recognition passed over her face. ¡°You are that one. Motoko-sama has been rather happy recently now her engagement has been decided, but... I don¡¯t believe you are a noble? Such a shame, her status will be meaningless.¡±


    ¡°That is where you are wrong.¡± Miyu said, surprising everyone, especially her cousin. Honoka-san¡¯s bodyguard reacted strongly to that, but Koga-san moved, and even though she was unable to level up, even the buffs from the basic Chirurgery had made her significantly faster, and so she caught her sister flat-footed, some sort of long needle in her hand, held menacingly towards her sister¡¯s face, who froze, the tip pointing at her eye.


    ¡°I will not hesitate to punish disrespect towards Miyu-sama, or Akio-sama.¡± Koga-san said. ¡°You are my sister, you should understand that if nothing else, Kozue. Father taught us that. One¡¯s master is your only true family.¡±


    ¡°Now, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± I moved too, and suddenly the needle was in my hand, Koga-san looking puzzled for a moment. Flipping it around I handed it back to her. ¡°Miyu is right.¡±


    At that Honoka-san and her bodyguard looked shocked, likely at my lack of honorifics, or perhaps the speed I displayed. That didn¡¯t stop me continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honoka-san, I can call you that, right?¡± She seemed unable to answer, perhaps unused to talking to men closer to her own age, but she slowly nodded.


    ¡°Great.¡± I continued. ¡°Anyway, Miyu is right. Motoko will not be disadvantaged in terms of nobility. I have assurances from your grandfather, as well as Ichijou-san. Hinata too. She¡¯ll be treated as a daughter of Takatsukasa now, since her mother is of the direct line. Natsumi should have equal status too. As for me... no, I¡¯m not a Japanese noble, but I am engaged to a Princess, so I wouldn¡¯t call me common.¡± That made me smile, just saying it.


    ¡°He¡¯s a dangerous man, Honoka-sama.¡± The younger Koga-san spoke up, glaring at me. ¡°Not only is he combat trained, but he is also seducing daughters of nobility one after the other. You would do well to stay away from him! You are to inherit Fujiwara house, leave the disgrace to your cousin.¡±


    ¡°Kozue...¡± Koga-san growled, incensed, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it escalate.


    ¡°Yes, I am dangerous, though I must say, the girls seduced me.¡± I made a small joke to lighten the tension. ¡°In terms of combat training...¡± I turned to Miyu, asking her a question. ¡°Just how much does Honoka-san know about Chosen and what is going on right now?¡±


    ¡°Not much, I¡¯d imagine. Only what we were all asked, whether we were called upon by the kami. Grandfather and the others were subtle, relying on those who knew to understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please do explain that to me, Miyu-sama.¡± Honoka-san said. ¡°I understand that it has to do with our new lessons at school, but grandfather has not fully explained it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is hard to explain.¡± Miyu said. ¡°We should not discuss this here in the hallways. You do not know who might be listening.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, do forgive my rudeness. Kozue, we shall go to my room...¡±


    *********


    This room is... kind of depressing. I glanced around, seeing that while everything was extremely expensive, the bed clearly antique, the bookshelves stuffed with old historical books, the artwork on the walls probably real works by Japanese artists, there was no tv, no computer, no manga or anything for entertainment.


    ¡°... so you lied to grandfather, Miyu-sama?¡± Honoka-san was shocked, and her bodyguard shifted the glares she had been constantly throwing at me back to Miyu.


    ¡°I had no choice. You do not know how frightening this all is, Honoka-sama.¡±


    ¡°Honoka-sama would not be afraid!¡± the little Koga declared. ¡°After all, she is the heir, and better than you at everything! She is no timid coward like ....¡± She froze as the weight of my displeasure started to smother her, my League making my anger almost tangible in the air. She still managed to step in front of Honoka-san, which was commendable, her legs trembling, face deathly pale, but I was in no mood for this.


    I think it¡¯s too late for her... she¡¯s a pervert, like her damn father. He¡¯s ruined her. No wonder her younger sister has lost patience with them. Besides, Miyu looks saddened at the thought. ¡°Look, Eri said it best, a while back. She was wrong at the time, Shaeula was doing it for love, but she said sex for gain is just prostitution. I¡¯ll not have you be a prostitute, Michiru-san, you are a bodyguard. Besides, it¡¯s disrespectful to my fiance?es, and it might not even work. The skill is Lovers¡¯ Link, and even if we had sex, I¡¯m not sure there¡¯d be love.¡±


    ¡°Michiru, I am happy you would sacrifice for me, but Akio-san is right. I have no wish for you to be hurt, or ... well, you should keep your chastity. It is a precious thing. You may not be a noble, but even so, to shame your family by having sex before marriage...¡±


    ¡°But then how can I...¡± she began, and I flicked her forehead again.


    ¡°There are other ways. In time we might find even more. Look, I¡¯m an ally. If I can help I will, but that is a step way too far. For all of us. Now, we are here to show you both how to leverage what advantages you can, until I can send help. So can we drop this?¡±


    Miyu nodded. ¡°We should. And thank you. I am sorry for how I have behaved. You are a good man, who does not seek to take advantage of our weakness. Motoko-san and the others are rather fortunate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m the fortunate one. I never dreamed I¡¯d be engaged to such wonderful girls.¡± I laughed, glad the mood had improved.


    ¡°I have decided.¡± Michiru-san said, nodding. ¡°When it comes time for me to bear a child, I shall seek you out, Akio-sama.¡±


    Wait, what? ¡°Where did that come from?¡± I said, stunned.


    ¡°Well, I have no intention of marriage. I intend to stay by the side of Miyu-sama forever, though there are challenges. But Hori-san, the bodyguard to Tsumura-sama is marrying you too, and I have heard you will allow her to continue her bodyguard duties, so perhaps there is hope for me too... so if I am to bear an heir I will need a male, for women cannot create life alone. I do not think a child from Akio-sama would be wrong, would it Miyu-sama?¡±


    ¡°Well, a child is necessary, but...¡± Miyu obviously found the thought troubling. Of course she does. She has feelings for Michiru. ¡°... well, I suppose I shall be married in time. I will have to please my husband and bear an heir too. So I ...¡±


    ¡°Or...¡± I said, wanting to put an end to this torture. Michiru-san was cute, but I wasn¡¯t some stud. Besides, I wanted to encourage their love if I could, not that it was any of my business. ¡°... you could grow strong here, Miyu, an indispensable Chosen, and you can dictate your own terms then. After all, you¡¯ll be noble still, but even more precious. I¡¯ll help, so... no hasty decisions. I can speak to Fujiwara-san if necessary, after all, I¡¯m owed a few favours...¡±


    ¡°Yes, enough of this.¡± Miyu agreed, relieved. ¡°Michiru, Akio-san does not favour you it seems. Besides, you cannot bear a child any time soon.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he is just shy.¡± She pouted. ¡°But you are right. I am getting rather ahead of myself. I first need to ensure your safety! But...¡± she looked at me then. ¡°... in the future I may call upon you, should I have need.¡±


    I really don¡¯t get how these girls think. Well, just so long as Shaeula never finds out, else I¡¯ll probably wake up to find Michiru-san in my bed one day. To think being too popular could be an issue... even so, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s actually interested in me, and if she¡¯s going down the Girls¡¯ Love route, having a child would be problematic... no, not my problem, and even if it was, it¡¯s an issue for years from now. I¡¯m not going to give in anymore, and a lot can change in a few years anyway. ¡°Right, can we get back on topic? We are wasting time here...¡±


    ********


    Bolts of aether slammed into the strange cat-like creatures that were flocking towards us, the Defensive Emplacements of Miyu¡¯s Territory pouring shots down on them. A group of them slammed into the defensive barrier of the Territory, bouncing off in a shower of silvery sparks, stunned. As Miyu danced, graceful and charming, growing in confidence, the continual surge of darkness elemental damage increased, the enemies disintegrating, turning to ether.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I approved. ¡°Using your Territory to your advantage is the best way to expand and grow if you aren¡¯t in a reckless hurry.¡± It was a bit wasteful, as the ether cost of the bolts from the Emplacements were not that much less than the recovered ether, but Miyu didn¡¯t have to rush yet. ¡°Let the barrier and your turrets do some of the work, while you dance to harm them. Alternatively you can dance the Light and buff up Michiru-san, against weaker opponents.¡± I had handed Michiru an old weapon, a throwing spear tipped with wyrm fangs. It was nothing special, but Michiru-san had been taught a lot of strange techniques by her father, so she could handle it. I watched her stab several of the cats, killing them without hesitation. Well, I suppose if she¡¯s prepared to fight and kill to protect Miyu in the Material from other people, a few monsters won¡¯t phase her...


    Several larger cats, these ones having multiple tails and being the size of tigers had led the charge, but I had incapacitated them by severing their legs, judging they would be too much for Miyu and Michiru-san, and now the struggling beasts were dying to her darkness damage. It was cruel, but recently I had resolved myself, so I hardened my heart and watched them perish. In time, the surviving cats scuttled off, one of the slower ones speared by Michiru-san.


    ¡°That was... tiring.¡± Miyu said after stopping her dance. Michiru-san ran over to offer her a hand, and wiped off her silvery sweat. ¡°Still, it is nothing compared to the scene in Inuyama. I believe I have learned the lesson you wished to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And how about you, Michiru-san?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I know I cannot compete with you.¡± She sounded frustrated, but looked a little happy, and I was starting to understand her subtle expressions. ¡°I can also see I will not be of great use to Miyu-sama here, but... I can still be of some use.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, as long as you don¡¯t do anything foolish.¡± I agreed. ¡°Use the tools at your disposal, and don¡¯t take on anything too challenging. I¡¯d rather you fled to live and fight another day, and lost the Territory, than risked death.¡± I do worry about the effect of losing the Anchor, but it didn¡¯t harm Kondou Kazuo or that casino guy the first time. But then, Conqueror was low-level then. No, I¡¯m going to test it soon. It¡¯s still better to run away than to die... ¡°Once the Conclave has been successfully concluded, if all goes well, I¡¯ll be concentrating on dealing with matters in Tokyo and I¡¯ll have the time to send proper help here. Until then, you need to practise your training...¡± I had given them their training plans. Miyu was obviously to slowly raise her levels, while working on improving her dance skills and general fitness, while Michiru-san was to practise aether manipulation, similar to what my sis had to do to start with.


    ¡°I see. For Miyu, I will not fail!¡± Michiru-san declared, happy that I had let her keep the spear, as well as a few other smaller items I had.


    ¡°I still am very frightened, but...¡± she seemed more relaxed after our battles this evening. ¡°... I do appreciate you showing me safer ways to proceed. I shall do my best as your vassal, as I promised, raise my value and... get what I want.¡± She blushed a little, her gaze on Michiru-san, and I smiled back, pleased. Yeah, that¡¯s kind of sweet. Motoko and Natsumi have a similar vibe, though much more platonic, I think. Even so... as my vassal and the guard of my vassal, I have to make sure they are well cared for and can reach their potential...


    *********


    ¡°I have returned.¡± I looked away from my computer, to see Shaeula opening her eyes, blinking at me blearily. Soon Hyacinth was also up, fussing around trying to find booze and snacks for us.


    ¡°I see. Did it go well? Again, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be there. I¡¯ll be glad when we have more time to breathe.¡±


    ¡°I do not-not disagree.¡± She sighed, snuggling up to me. ¡°I too wished you could be there. But I was not-not alone. Hyacinth was there, and even Grulgor. I endured, and was triumphant.¡±


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula was very brave, I knooow!¡± Hyacinth said, handing us some beers. I asked if she was going to take one for herself and she started to shake her head, only to relent when I reminded her as we were alone she was on mistress time, so deserved the same treatment, even if she enjoyed serving, so she popped the ring pull on one and drank deeply.


    ¡°Yes, I was. But it was surely-surely because I had allies there, giving me courage.¡± Shaeula finished her first can noisily, before starting on a second, some life coming back into her eyes from the beer and our closeness. ¡°I have done-done it. Four of the Seven are in agreement, and Duke Formor too. Surely the Spring shall be ours now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± I kissed her, tasting her scent and the rich malty beer. Hyacinth looked envious, so I called her over and took her in my arms too, kissing her thoroughly as well. Doing this with both of them together is very decadent, but... it¡¯s not bad. When I was done, I asked Shaeula the most important question. ¡°What about Risha and Klena?¡±


    Her expression tensed and I feared the worst, but fortunately I was relieved when I heard Klena would be returned. Though the disappearance of Risha and the fate of Saeca and her other maid weighed heavily on her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I squeezed her tight in my arms. ¡°Everything will be all right. I¡¯ll make it so, if I must. As for Duke Formor, do you think he¡¯ll stick to his word and stop his attempts on you?¡±


    Shaeula shrugged in my tight hug. ¡°I believe so. Grulgor was right, it seems-seems.¡± She seemed shocked at that, a sardonic grin on her pale face. ¡°His eagerness to defeat the Unseelie means he is quite-quite pleased with the deaths of the Myconids. I tempted him with a future plan to retake Salamandrastrae and the north as well, though-though that is quite the undertaking, and nothing we can-can achieve right now.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth was sent to Akio and the mistresses by the giants, sooo I feel quite grateful to them!¡± Hyacinth declared, joining in the hug. ¡°Perhaps ooone day, Hyacinth will ... return to the Dark Court. But this time...¡± her expression darkened. ¡°Hyacinth will nooot be the one to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, those who hurt you will be punished.¡± I promised. ¡°But just like you, those who can be redeemed should be. Anyway, I want to be there if I can, when you get Klena back. I¡¯d also like to meet some of these Princes as well. Though maybe not your father, yet. Nor your sister.¡±


    Shaeula snickered nastily at that. ¡°You will have to at some-some point, surely. But yes. Not-not now. Speaking of, we have some rather interesting new allies to aid us as adjuncts and secretaries. Elves. They are very-very attractive.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to pursue them just because they are pretty. But we do need the help...¡± as we discussed our respective days, Shaeula told me about Moira, and she did seem interesting, though not in a romantic sense. She¡¯s smart, thinking of similar plans to me. That¡¯s what we need. As for me, I told her and Hyacinth about the events of the day, and Shaeula cheered when she heard I slaughtered the corrupted kami that had bested us before, and was curious about Honoka-san and Kozue-san. I¡¯m not telling her about the stupid idea Michiru-san had though. She¡¯ll change her mind in the future anyway. Probably. As the three of us laughed and playfully fumbled with each other, I turned my thoughts to tomorrow.


    Ugh. Meeting Aliyah again should be fine, but... Kondou Kazuo. It¡¯s necessary, but even thinking of talking to the bastard again makes me sick. Still, I needed to be sure, for not only my own misgivings about being a Candidate, but for Miyu, Haru-san and Shuta-san too. And anyone else in the future too, and soldiers like the Major and Lieutenant, who just want to protect Japan...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Seven

    Two Hundred And Forty-Seven


    After a bit more skinship and enjoyable drinking, the three of us settled down for a few hours of sleep, more to refresh our minds rather than from any real physical need. Still, there was definitely something relaxing about opening my eyes when the sun started streaming through the windows, to find Shaeula asleep on one side of me, her chest rising and falling softly in the throes of her dreams, while on the other Hyacinth was lying there staring at me, her purple eyes soft.


    ¡°Good mooorning Akio. Did you rest well?¡± she asked me in a whisper, so as not to wake Shaeula.


    ¡°I slept like a baby.¡± I grinned, though I always wondered about that saying, as I¡¯m sure I had heard babies didn¡¯t tend to sleep well. I¡¯m pretty sure my sister didn¡¯t when she was a baby... ¡°How could I not, with you and Shaeula here?¡±


    Hyacinth flushed at that, her pale flesh tinged pink, and she looked away, eyes moist. ¡°Akio is a flatterer, a heartbreaker. A bad man, but Hyacinth still loooves you!¡± With that she made to stand to start breakfast, but I stopped her, pulling her in for a morning kiss first.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t I know it. Six fiance?es and I¡¯m thinking of a seventh, though she¡¯ll shoot me down in a heartbeat, I have no doubt.¡± Shiro¡¯s a proud girl, I suppose it¡¯s how she¡¯s survived this long with her condition. It might have broken a weaker person. But we¡¯ve been friends for years, the least I can do is see if I can help her with Ether Healing. I¡¯m not doing it to make her owe me, or make her like me more. I¡¯m... not. Hyacinth gave me a look, one I was starting to recognise from all my girls, that she could tell I was thinking something dumb. How do they all do it? It¡¯s a mystery to me.


    ¡°Yooou should be more confident, Akio.¡± Hyacinth declared, finally pulling free, straightening her rather short skirt, which gave me a tantalising glimpse of cloth beneath, before hustling to the kitchen, leaving me some final words. ¡°Else it is rather rude to the mistresses who looove you, like Hyacinth!¡± With that she was gone, and I pondered that. Well yeah, that¡¯s two different things. I can¡¯t deny I¡¯m a catch now, even that silly girl Michiru-san was talking about my babies, though I¡¯m kicking that one into the long grass. There are other options in her future I¡¯m sure, and even though she¡¯s cute, I¡¯m not enough of a bastard to father a child on her just for that. But a few months ago, I could never have dreamed of that. Apparently... Kana is interested too? That was what the girls had said, but I wasn¡¯t so sure. Kana was a naturally flirty girl, but she was a bit like Shiro in a way, with high pride, and she had said numerous times she wanted a guy to think only of her. It¡¯ll be a lucky guy. Kana¡¯s a real beauty, and she has talents too. Though I suspect whoever it is will end up wrapped around her little finger. Maybe Ren-san would be a good match for her? Well, enough of that.


    Careful not to wake Shaeula I reached for my laptop and began tapping away softly, working on several pressing issues that needed my authorisation, such as preliminary plans for the Ministry and other related matters...


    ********


    Shaeula let out a long, contented sigh, causing me to roll my eyes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have whiskey with breakfast, I don¡¯t want you turning into a drunk, do I?¡±


    Shaeula grinned, putting down her empty glass, causing Hyacinth to top it up from the bottle, looking delighted to serve. Shaeula smirked at me, before taking another long gulp of the amber liquid that matched her eyes and hair, small throat working as she swallowed. Placing down the now half-empty glass again, she sighed, more serious. ¡°Akio, you worry too-too much. You know if we choose, we can instantly heal the alcohol with Ether Healing.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I am merely happy to have this reprieve from my many-many troubles. To think that the politics...¡± her lips curled sourly at the word. ¡°... would be harder than defeating the Myconids. Still, I hope the worst-worst is over. But... just because Four of the Seven support us, that is not-not enough. I wish to bring at least one more-more onto our side. Then I shall do something about Duke Vulpatrius. Even Duke Formor declares that stupid firefox will not-not stop his hatred of me and my family.¡±


    ¡°All right, I get it.¡± I said, patting her head, making her smile. ¡°I promise I¡¯m going to help with that, once we¡¯ve got all the current problems here in the Material sorted. Speaking of... we are scheduled to meet Aliyah and her brother this morning at the military prison they are confined in. If all goes well, and we can use them... well, I¡¯d like your winds as insurance.¡±


    ¡°That female. I remember her well. Foolish, to think-think a few mortals with their toys could defeat you. She was annoying, but rather-rather fun to tease.¡± Shaeula reminisced. ¡°So, what do you wish from them?¡±


    As I explained, Hyacinth brought over steaming bowls of rice, miso and also more western breakfast dishes. As we filled up, not forgetting to thank Hyacinth for her service, which made her glow with happiness every time, I explained my plans. Shaeula listened intently, but I notice she did cut back on her drinking, probably to not worry me.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula said when I was done. ¡°Well, yes they could be useful, but-but... you have no need for it to be them, do you? Others would suffice, and might be more trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and we can¡¯t just focus on Japan. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m Japanese first and foremost, so obviously I want my country to be safe, but... this is a worldwide issue. I¡¯m hoping this could be a good first step to international co-operation. And also a warning.¡± My gaze hardened. ¡°Hit out at me and mine, and I¡¯ll not only crush your plans, but turn them against you. I want other countries to think twice about targeting anyone I care about.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I have no objections.¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°After all, it is no worse than what Duke Formor has done-done. I suspect it will leave a foul-foul taste in your mouth though, such forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about forgiveness?¡± I disagreed. ¡°I¡¯m just being pragmatic. It¡¯s up to them, but if they accept, I¡¯m going to work them until they bleed as compensation. I can forgive attacks on me, but they put Kana, Marika-san and the others at risk, as well as nearly killed the Detective and Officer Usui. That doesn¡¯t just get forgiven.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, I understand. Much as I have no-no wish to pardon Duke Formor, but I must-must for the stability of the Seelie Court, and to get Klena back safely. I see-see. Yes, we must be compensated, and they must labour to earn the precious gift of our clemency!¡± she laughed loudly at that.


    Quite the way to put it, but yes. They only get a second chance because Aliyah was right. She kept Eri and Aiko out of it, when our carelessness, no, my carelessness had put them and our families in danger. As to if they¡¯ll take it... well, it¡¯s up to them.


    ¡°Well, once that is done...¡± I sighed. ¡°We are visiting Kondou Kazuo in Katsushika later this evening. He¡¯s awaiting execution in the prison there, so...¡± I explained to Shaeula about my theories, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes. You would have been a fool-fool indeed to try that on the granddaughter of an important backer. Much-much better to put such a vile male to better use, so he may redeem a mere fraction of his many-many sins, before his just death.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°This power from the gods you have been given is indeed a great mystery, and one we should surely-surely seek to unravel. So, what of Haru?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think it would be for the best if she faces him down, so she can put it behind her. Well, that¡¯s what I think, anyway, but I can¡¯t really imagine what she suffered, so maybe that¡¯s just my arrogance speaking. It¡¯s her decision in the end.¡±


    ¡°Arrogance? Compassion, I would say.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°You simply wish her to be happy in the future, do you not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... I¡¯m not a woman. I know I was hit by her empathic light, but even then, it wasn¡¯t real to me, not being a woman I couldn¡¯t process everything she felt or suffered. It¡¯s just... oh, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s hard to put into words. But my gut instinct says that if she was to confront him, and realise he couldn¡¯t hurt her any more, she might be able put it behind her, eventually. Not easily perhaps, not quickly, but in time.¡±


    Shaeula kissed me then, and I responded. As we pulled apart, lips damp, her grin was blinding. ¡°I do so love-love the kind side of you. I am a female. Though I have not-not suffered such cruelty, and never will, for you will protect me, and I shall protect myself.¡± She declared. ¡°But... if I think of another male, abusing and slaying me... yes, it would be scarring indeed. Hence why show Kondou Kazuo no mercy. If your experiments prove cruel, remember what he did to Haru, and many-many others.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. And I¡¯m prepared for that. Just another good intention on the road to Hell.¡± I snorted.


    ¡°Well, were we to end up in this Hell, perhaps we shall rebuild it more-more to our tastes.¡± Shaeula joked, and I felt my heart ease, as it often did when I was with Shaeula, or Eri, or the others. Hell, even being with my sis can lighten my mood. To think I spent several years barely going out, just working, when apparently I¡¯m a person who needs companionship.


    Hyacinth scuttled over, eating her own breakfast, and started joking with us and the tense mood dissipated. Yeah, I¡¯ll ask Haru-san one last time. No pressure. And then... off to prison again. Though as a visitor this time, fortunately...


    ********


    ¡°I... if you really think I should.¡± Haru-san said uneasily, as I asked her again if she had made her decision. Behind us, Karen-chan was shaking her head at me, pulling a face, and I realised she had suffered as well, though luckily it had not gone beyond harassment for her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I said honestly, surprising her. ¡°I really don¡¯t. How could I? But...¡± I looked her in the eyes seriously, trying to convey my feelings. ¡°... look, how was last night? Did you enjoy spending time with your father again?¡±


    Haru-san nodded, thrown by the change of subject. ¡°I did. It¡¯s been like a dream, spending time at home with daddy again, seeing my old house, the photographs of my mom. Sleeping in my own room. Sleeping. I¡¯m a ghost, how does that even happen?¡± a slight smile crept onto her face. ¡°And I have you to thank for it, Akio-san, I know that. I still miss my friends, but you were right, it won¡¯t be forever. Daddy is going to see if any of the friends I worked with are suitable for the new Ministry, and... oh sorry, I¡¯m rambling on.¡± She looked at the amused expression on my face and looked down shyly. ¡°But yes. I¡¯m happy.¡±


    ¡°But you still hate him, right?¡± I said, and she sighed, a long, bitter exhalation.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Her fists clenched. ¡°he... I was an innocent young woman. I¡¯d never even had a boyfriend, and he took everything from me. The pain, the fear, the loss... in the end, death was a mercy. But somehow I came back. I didn¡¯t survive...¡± she always seemed to make a joke of that, and I was sure it was a coping mechanism. ¡°... but I came back. But I¡¯m still dirty, ruined. What happened to me still happened, even if not to my new body. My heart... it¡¯s stained in filth and scars. At least I¡¯ll always have my daddy, and I can get back my friends, but nobody is ever going to love...¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. That¡¯s crap and you know it.¡± I said sternly. My employees other than Karen-chan had made themselves sensibly scarce, and Karen-chan was glaring at me, as if telling me to shut up, but I wasn¡¯t going to bow on this. ¡°The fact that you were a victim doesn¡¯t make you any less than you were before, and anybody that thinks that can fuck off. I...¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± she whispered, but her tone held deep anger, self-loathing. ¡°Talk is cheap. You can say that because you don¡¯t know, you can¡¯t know! Your girls...¡± she looked at Shaeula, who shrugged, staying out of it. ¡°... they were pretty and clean, right? That¡¯s what everyone likes. I¡¯m tainted. I¡¯m grateful you put me back together, Akio-san, but I¡¯m like a vase who has been glued, I¡¯ll never be beautiful again...¡±


    Damn, I¡¯ve stepped in it here. And she¡¯s right. I don¡¯t understand. I know she knows it isn¡¯t her fault, but even so... she¡¯s suffering, and I hate that. But this isn¡¯t something I can help her with. Hence why I thought if she had closure, it¡¯d help, at least a little...


    As I went silent she smiled triumphantly at me, and was about to speak again, when suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped, alarmed, only to see it was Hyacinth, looking incredibly sympathetic. ¡°Hyacinth understands.¡± She said, shaking her head. ¡°I was hurt fooor a long, looong time. Many terrible things. I do not care to compare ooour suffering, but I did not get the mercy ooof death. So when I left the booox, Hyacinth just wanted to die. I had nooo name, no hope, only memories of ... bad times.¡± Her voice dropped, cracking with emotion. Haru-san had paused, surprised. She had spent a little time with Hyacinth in the Boundary, but had never talked about such matters.


    ¡°Master means what he says. Master loooves Hyacinth, I know it. He treasures this dirty, ruined me, and my tears, they wash away the filth. I am cooovered, caked with ruin, but every day, Hyacinth feels the burden getting lighter.¡± She tightened her grip, and Haru-san winced under the pressure. ¡°Master doooes not see the dirt. He is a fool, but a kind ooone, and he does not lie.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth.¡± I said softly. ¡°I¡¯ve told you. There¡¯s nothing dirty about you. You¡¯re you, and your past doesn¡¯t matter to me, or Shaeula, or Eri, or anyone else who matters. The same goes for you, Haru-san. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯ve been through. And I honestly don¡¯t think you are tainted. No more than Hyacinth is. Some might think differently when they know. You might lose some friends, people might talk about you behind your back. But those fuckers don¡¯t matter. Those that see you as you and care about you do. Your father. Does he love you any less?¡±


    Haru-san shook her head, and Hyacinth giggled, touched once more that I continued to reassure her. ¡°You¡¯re Suzuki Haru, candidate called by Kannon, goddess of compassion. So please, spare a little for yourself. Don¡¯t let that fucker win. I assure you, I am going to track down every last Unseelie that hurt and tormented Hyacinth, and I¡¯m going to present them with the bill. They won¡¯t be able to afford it, but I¡¯ll still make them pay. And not because doing so will make Hyacinth cleaner, or make her forget the past. That¡¯s part of her. The good and the bad. Again, it sounds awfully arrogant of me saying this, as I never suffered the fear, the shame, the regret... but without it, Hyacinth wouldn¡¯t be here today. I still wish she had instead lived as a brownie, happy, never knowing such horrible times, just as I wish you never went to that party, and suffered what you did. But I¡¯m not a god, I can¡¯t turn back time. I wish I could! But you are both here now, and I want you to know, when I look at you, I only see who you are, and you are both kind, good girls.¡±


    ¡°I find it funny master always talks tooo me like I am sooo much younger.¡± Hyacinth snickered. ¡°I have lived many, many years. But Hyacinth likes it. I feel like a yoooung girl again. I feel... hope.¡± She cocked her head. ¡°Dooo you feel it, Haru? Master shines. He hates sadness. Even if yooou hate him for speaking about things he knows nothing about, he will still try to reassure yooou. He may be foolish, but he wants to help!¡±


    ¡°We trust you boss. Do whatever you think!¡± one urged, the other nodding. Aliyah sighed, and added her own words of assent to Trey, who conceded.


    ¡°Right. Well, it¡¯s obvious that some guys like you have gained superpowers. Not sure why or how. It can¡¯t be too many, not like one in a dozen, or even a thousand, and it can¡¯t have been too long ago, or there¡¯s no way the world can keep this shit hidden.¡±


    I kept my face impassive, impressed at his guessing. I motioned for him to continue.


    ¡°Well, we have a code as a PMC. We don¡¯t divulge mission info or client info. So don¡¯t expect that. It¡¯s not just loyalty to good old Uncle Sam. Our country isn¡¯t all rainbows and unicorns.¡± He chuckled. ¡°But we don¡¯t hate our country, just some of the bastards in it. So we won¡¯t betray them. Even if we did, we¡¯d disappear. We know too much. But we can tell you this. There are others like you, and others worldwide hunting them down. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s to kill them, or for experiments, or just to make them part of the army.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense. Any government that doesn¡¯t try and root out their own Chosen is one that isn¡¯t going to last. But kidnapping from other countries... that¡¯s like stealing nuclear weapons. That isn¡¯t going to fly, especially from allies.¡±


    ¡°No shit. Why do you think we didn¡¯t want to do this job?¡± Aliyah sighed. ¡°But it was a red notice. In the business, you don¡¯t get a choice on those, not if you want any jobs in future other than babysitting nobodies or manning bases while other companies get to do the real shit. Fuck, I wish I¡¯d never reported on you, it was off-mission, but what can I say, I¡¯m a professional.¡± She did look sorry.


    ¡°Well, I understand necessity.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°After all, to secure our Territory we have had to push out or kill-kill others. But this is about far-far more than what is right or what is wrong, This is about survival. For everyone.¡±


    ¡°Survival?¡± Trey asked, and I realised it was now time.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. We do know what is going on. But trust between us... well, it isn¡¯t exactly high, is it? Still, you gave yourself one chance, by coming after me, not my family. Shaeula here has a gift. She can make it so you can¡¯t break a promise to us.¡± Well, it doesn¡¯t quite work like that, but her befuddling winds will easily bind them if they accept it and think that is how it works.


    ¡°Shit. Mind control?¡± Aliyah cursed, wary. ¡°That how you got all those cute girls to...¡± she trailed off at my witheringly humourless glare. ¡°Fuck, come on, if I can¡¯t have some gallows humour here, when can I? Mind control is worse than death, being somebodies puppet... fuck, I knew you were a bad bitch. Cute as hell and just my type, but bad to the fucking core.¡±


    Shaeula merely flashed her engagement ring, taunting her with a smile. ¡°I could perhaps do that, but why would I? Akio does not-not care for such evils. He would order me in a heartbeat, could it save someone he cares about, but for this-this...¡± she shook her head. ¡°... mindless puppets would be useless. No, we are the ones who have the power here, do we not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You want answers and want out? Well we have answers and can get you out, but what can you offer us in return?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re pros. We can¡¯t betray secrets or the code, but... pay us and we¡¯ll work for you.¡± Trey offered. ¡°You might be in with your government, but a force you can control independently, that¡¯s got to be worth something.¡±


    It is. Fujiwara Security is all very well, but relying on them to protect my family isn¡¯t a long-term solution. I need my own private guards, trained, ruthless and in my debt. But most of all, fully my own. The befuddling winds can ensure that.


    ¡°It is. So let me be blunt. I need security I can trust absolutely. If I get that, I can pay for it. After all, I¡¯m marrying money too.¡± I grinned. ¡°But the tenets are... all of our secrets must be kept absolutely. You must do everything possible to prevent harm to the ones you are guarding. You must follow the training programmes you are assigned no matter how strange it seems. And lastly... you don¡¯t answer to anyone but me and my fiance?es.¡±


    ¡°You sound seriously confident. I like a man with confidence.¡± Trey smiled.


    ¡°Knock it off, bro.¡± Aliyah rolled her eyes. ¡°I doubt he¡¯s up for a tumble with you, you ain¡¯t his type. Lose the cock and balls and shrink down a lot and he might consider it. Anyway, fuck, by anyone you mean ignore the law and shit, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Laws can and will be changed. And I¡¯m owed favours from important people. But harm to those I love can¡¯t be undone. It¡¯s obvious which I¡¯d prioritise.¡±


    ¡°So, about the pay...¡± Trey said. ¡°... I get you have the stronger position here, but shit, we have to eat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fair, considering your position. Perhaps in time, with your loyalty, even more than fair.¡± I said. ¡°After all, we don¡¯t want brainwashed drones, but loyal allies. We¡¯ll get you dual citizenship under the new scheme too, and immigration for your people who agree our terms. But they have to take the oath under Shaeula too, so they can¡¯t betray us. Any that don¡¯t, we don¡¯t want.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you did dual nationality...¡± Aliyah muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s new. Part of the paradigm. Whatever you think you know, we know more. And we¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°Can we talk to our people?¡± Trey asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be discreet.¡±


    I handed them a phone. ¡°Knock yourself out.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± He turned to the guys, who nodded, then his sister.


    ¡°Well fuck, is the Black Wolf Company going to be Black Wolf Security now? Doesn¡¯t sound like the sort of job that picks up girls...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± I grinned. ¡°But no. I still think your mercenary connections could be of use, too...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Fine then. We accept.¡± Trey said. He had spoken to Luciana on the phone, and after some back and forth, Aliyah had butted in. It¡¯s the only fucking way we are seeing daylight without looking through prison bars! And fuck, we¡¯re still getting paid! were some of her cleaner retorts. It seemed that she had warmed to the idea as they discussed it, and we revealed a little of what we wanted.


    ¡°So, we bring in trustworthy PMC¡¯s, good fighters with morals, and we still take on missions we can handle that don¡¯t cause problems.¡± Trey said, surprised. ¡°And you and some of your people are joining the Black Wolf?¡±


    ¡°In name only. Though maybe if we are needed we can lend a hand. But security comes first.¡± I said. ¡°That way we can get access to information without you betraying the US or the PMC code.¡±


    ¡°Technically. Sneaky literal genie bullshit.¡± Aliyah said sourly. ¡°They are still going to look at us like failures, we won¡¯t get shit for intel. And if you start exploiting it, they are going to catch on fast. Then it¡¯s kill squad time on our asses, every merc a foe.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s why you pull in as many other trustworthy groups as possible. Look, you are going to find this hard to believe, but this is bigger than politics, whose country is best. This is the potential, likely end of the world unless we do something about it. I¡¯m doing my best to get Japan ready, and make sure those I love are safe. But it won¡¯t be enough if the rest of the world gets invaded by demons or something like that. Shit, for all I know zombie apocalypses could break out, or an ancient evil god wakes up. Maybe all of those at once!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me, right?¡± She said, and when we shook our heads she slumped in her chair, puzzled.


    ¡°So, how do we fight something like that?¡± Trey asked, and I smiled. A dazzling jade aura rose around Shaeula, their prison smocks blowing in the breeze.


    ¡°Well, if you are ready to swear those oaths, so we can fully trust you, then I¡¯ll tell you...¡±


    The mercenaries exchanged one more glance, before Trey nodded. ¡°Fine. We don¡¯t have a choice. Not if we want freedom.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s bullcrap.¡± She peered at Shaeula, who was grinning. ¡°If you fuck with my mind so I start craving his dick, I¡¯m going to find a way to kill you if it¡¯s the last thing I do...¡±


    ¡°What a marvellous idea. Perhaps I shall do just-just that...¡± Shaeula teased her, until I interceded.


    ¡°Come on, why would I do that? I have Shaeula, Hyacinth, Eri and the others already. I don¡¯t need you... besides, I¡¯m not that much of a bastard.¡±


    ¡°Good. You best not be.¡± She said, her arms crossed under her chest as she scowled. ¡°Though somehow the way you said that pisses me off. Nah, maybe it¡¯s just you who makes me mad in general. Fuck, I thought it was my lucky day when we captured the target in Vegas and I won that money. Guess it wasn¡¯t after all. Fuck, when I get out of here, I want a steak dinner and some damn hard spirits...¡±


    As the winds blew and Shaeula asked them to focus, pledging to us, the winds sinking in and fogging their minds, convincing them it was their own desires to keep faith with us, making it extremely difficult for them to betray us, I shook my head. If she knew I was trying to rig things to help her and Buck get second and third, she¡¯d probably be even more annoyed. Best I say nothing. My thoughts turned to our next meeting, which was likely to be far more unpleasant...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Eight

    Two Hundred And Forty-Eight


    ¡°So, are you ready?¡± I asked Haru-san, who was looking pale enough to seem a ghost, to an outside observer. We had fetched her, and along with Hyacinth and Shaeula (who was still basking in the amusement of having teased Aliyah rather unmercifully) we had arrived at the rather ominous Tokyo Detention Centre, in Katsushika. It held the majority of the prisoners awaiting execution in Japan, and looked like a series of old-style tower blocks, grey and drab.


    ¡°I... well...¡± she hesitated, before shaking her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°If it becomes too much at any point, just go.¡± I said, trying to reassure her. ¡°I¡¯m here, Shaeula and Hyacinth too. There¡¯s no way he can hurt you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have my hand around his heart.¡± Shaeula quoted from one of her anime. ¡°He can not-not refuse my will and my winds.¡±


    ¡°If this wretch causes yooou any trouble, I will throttle him, dooo not worry.¡± Hyacinth also chimed in, and Haru-san smiled a little at their support.


    ¡°Thank you. Shaeula, Hyacinth. And you too, Akio-san. I don¡¯t feel good about this, not at all, but I know you mean well. We might... might as well get this over with.¡± She swallowed nervously, before letting out a long sigh, and then gathering her strength. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that can happen, right? After all, I¡¯m already dead...¡±


    I do wish she wouldn¡¯t joke about that so much. ¡°Well, shall we go?¡± I offered her my arm, and we headed for the entrance, looking very out of place here...


    *********


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t this a pleasant surprise.¡± The man in front of us, Kondou Kazuo, spat. His blonde hair had been shaved to a crew-cut, clinging tight to his scalp, and his scarred face and milky-white eye gave him a baleful countenance. One arm was bound to his side, and he looked... smaller somehow, less threatening. Even so, Haru-san was waiting outside with Hyacinth, only Shaeula entering with me to start with.


    ¡°Not-not for us.¡± Shaeula said, sighing, and he turned his attention to her, his one eye gleaming cruelly.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the bitch who thwarted my plans.¡± He ran his tongue along his dry lips, the expression disgusting. ¡°Pretty as ever. Fuck, I¡¯d just love to get you bent over and...¡± his words were cut off by a single blow from my fist. He staggered to his knees, vomiting stomach acids and the remains of his morning meal, splattering the table. I pulled my punch, but I might have gone just a touch too hard. There¡¯s blood in that vomit.


    ¡°The fuck are you doing...?¡± he gasped when he could speak again, looking up at us from where he lay sprawled on the table. ¡°... I may be a prisoner, but I know my fucking rights...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well sorry to say, you don¡¯t have any.¡± I declared. ¡°After all, you didn¡¯t contest your trial, did you, so you are just awaiting death.¡±


    ¡°That fucking whore there made m...¡± he started again, only for me to backhand him across the face. His head struck the table, and only his Candidate strength prevented serious injury. Even so, I caught sight of a tooth flying from his mouth, bouncing off the wall.


    ¡°Slow learner, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said, shaking my fist to clear off the blood. ¡°You don¡¯t get to talk to Shaeula like that. You have a real problem with women, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± He spat more blood, before wiping at his chin with his hand, his one good eye staring at us balefully, full of hatred. ¡°What man doesn¡¯t want to fuck every pretty woman he sees? You¡¯re doing this one, right? I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± I admitted. ¡°So what? There¡¯s a big difference between that and what you do. Rape, torture, murder. It isn¡¯t just about sex is it? It¡¯s about power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about what¡¯s fun, dipshit. You should get a clue. I always knew I was special, ever since I was a kid. I deserve what I want. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t feel the same way? You and her.¡± He looked at Shaeula, and even with her unruffled personality, she found his gaze disgusting, so she took a step behind me, shielding her from it. ¡°You are just like me, special. Chosen by the very gods. Chosen to be gods.¡± He let out a bloody sigh. ¡°To think I met my defeat at that hands of a self-righteous pussy like you. Well, Kiku was useless in the end too, the whore. Tricking me, trying to control me...¡± he paused suddenly. The door opened again, and Hyacinth entered. She was wearing her coat though, I was not giving Kondou Kazuo the satisfaction of seeing her in her skimpy outfit. Even so, his gaze was slimy, as though he was appraising a cut of meat, even now, and I felt what little trepidation I had at the thought of these experiments vanish. Damn, the bastard hasn¡¯t changed at all. Even defeat and his impending death hasn¡¯t made him any less a monster. Shit, whichever god chose him was a moron.


    And after her, Haru-san was following, her head down, bangs hiding her eyes. Still, Kondou must have recognised her, as he let out a gasp of shock. ¡°How... you¡¯re dead, bitch! I remember...¡±


    At that Haru-san flinched, and Kondou started smiling, the blood dripping from where I had hit him making him look ghoulish. ¡°Oh, couldn¡¯t get enough of when I tasted you, bitch? See, I knew you were inviting me, shaking that ass, looking like a timid...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shaeula declared, the winds surging around her, the room filled with flecks of jade. ¡°Be silent and do not-not speak unless spoken to, and cease such foul words.¡±


    Kondou nearly bit his tongue as his jaw slammed shut, the energies absorbed into him. I took the opportunity to unveil my Eye, watching the process, and I could see his astral body, the capillaries and chakras shining dully, though his clothing made it harder to see precise details, blocking my view. Though what I could see was the nail Shaeula had repurposed from Kiku, that was still lodged within his subtle body, and the winds were being sucked inside and amplified, dramatically strengthening the effect.


    ¡°Haru, dooo you wish me to squeeze him to death?¡± Hyacinth giggled. ¡°If you feel sad, seeing him hurt might make yooou feel better?¡±


    ¡°That would be wasteful. We came here to learn, did we not-not?¡± Shaeula disagreed, having controlled him. Even so, Kondou Kazuo was still struggling, his face red, the effort to resist bursting some of his blood vessels, bruises starting to form on his skin. ¡°Though I do understand. His very existence is an affront to us all-all.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± I said softly to the shaking Haru-san. I was careful not to move towards her or touch her, waiting for her to calm down, speaking in a gentle, soothing tone. ¡°Sorry if that brought back bad memories, but... see? He¡¯s helpless now.¡±


    As if to emphasise the point, Shaeula struck him with her small fist, rather hard, and he was slammed into the table yet again. His expression was murderous, but he could do nothing against the lingering binding of her winds, centred on the dagger.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Haru-san whispered, before repeating it, her voice a little stronger. ¡°Yes. He... oh I feel sick. But...¡± she shook her head. ¡°Just seeing him again, my heart races faster, my breath burns, I feel faint. I...¡± wisps of light were rising from her, indigo sparks. ¡°... I hate this. Hate you. Why?¡± she asked, tears in her eyes. ¡°Why? Fun?¡± her tone was shrill, she had been listening in before she entered. ¡°What about that is fun? Answer me!¡±


    As he had been asked a question he was able to speak. ¡°What wasn¡¯t fun about it? Are you stupid? Oh, I guess you are, psycho girl.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Look, I was frustrated. Me, Kondou Kazuo, I was still denied entry to the Three-Hundred, despite my successes. My hotels... you took then, you...¡± he tried to curse at me, but Shaeula¡¯s earlier order still bound him, to cease the foul words, so his mouth merely flapped open, droplets of blood falling. ¡°... why can¡¯t I speak? You...¡± he then tried to insult Shaeula again, with an equal lack of success. ¡°Fine.¡± His expression changed, becoming more relaxed. ¡°I saw some beautiful girls at the party. That Nichibotsu girl, she would have been good, or...¡± his head bounced off the table once more as I slammed his head down. You think the bastard would learn to stop provoking me. The table is pretty battered...


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak about Hinata that way, or else.¡± I warned him. ¡°She¡¯s worth a billion of you... well, no, that¡¯s wrong. You¡¯re worth nothing.¡±


    As he stared up at us, he realised he had touched a nerve. ¡°I see. Hinata huh? Well, you should get it. Have you done her yet? She¡¯s cute and young and rich. A girl like that, it¡¯s almost too wasteful to torment her, she¡¯d be a good wife. Though... discipline would be needed to...¡± The warped table finally shattered as I slammed my foot down on him, and he rolled on the ground, wheezing, the impact enough to kill an ordinary person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck. Haru-san asked you a question, answer it. Before I get angry.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t now?¡± he wheezed a giggle, spitting more bile and blood, before answering Haru-san. ¡°Well, I was frustrated when I couldn¡¯t touch her, or the girl from Takatsukasa house. Too much trouble. Then I saw you with your pills and thought there¡¯s a girl who won¡¯t be missed.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Haru-san whispered. ¡°So it was just that. Bad timing and a coincidence. And my life was over. So meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Hardly meaningless. You meant something to me.¡± He grinned savagely, despite the pain, leveraging all he could to hurt her. ¡°You were one of the best I ever had. Daddy, save me, oh daddy... I was surprised you were a virgin, from the sounds of it, I thought you and daddy would have been enjoying a...¡±


    Light flashed, vivid and bright, azure afterimages left on our vision, and Kondou Kazuo squealed, the noise of a tortured pig. He writhed around, his one hand clutching at the blood splattering from his groin. ¡°My dick, what did you do, you... ugh... ahh.. I can¡¯t even curse you. I¡¯m not done... I¡¯ll get out...¡± another beam of light flashed, the shattered table melting and Kondou writhed, his thigh pierced, the foul smell of burning flesh rising.


    ¡°Fun, huh? Is this fun?¡± she cried, the dam on her emotions breaking, glittering tears running down her face. ¡°I¡¯m not finding it fun! Hurting you...¡± another flash of light, another scream. Shit, good job we¡¯ve got dispensation for him to die. Though that was achieved by very special channels.


    ¡°... it just makes me feel worse. But don¡¯t talk about daddy like that! He loved me. You don¡¯t know what love is!¡± She cried out, tormented.


    ¡°I love me. Everybody is the same.¡± He gurgled, once he could finally speak again, his high stats keeping him from passing out. Turning to me, he scowled. ¡°You think this guy is any better? Tell me he doesn¡¯t look at you and wonder what it¡¯d be like to ... gah, can¡¯t even say the f word, or the s one. I¡¯m Kondou Kazuo, not some slave.¡± my Eye detected a surge of aether within him, fighting the winds, but Shaeula¡¯s hold was too strong.


    ¡°Nothing. I see.¡± I said, having watched the destruction of the second Anchor. Shaeula had absorbed some of the fragments, and more damage had been caused to Kondou¡¯s water cord, but Shaeula had not gained the class. The process had otherwise been similar though, the only difference... ¡°There¡¯s nowhere for the power to go, to bed in. Your body simply treated it like any other.¡± I mused.


    ¡°I think that may-may well be the case.¡± Shaeula shrugged, ignoring Kondou, who was panting heavily, his whole subtle body also showing signs of wear and tear. ¡°Perhaps without the blessing of these so-called gods, you can not-not earn this class?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so now... my turn again.¡± I tossed over more Etherites.


    ¡°Have mercy...¡± he moaned, but Haru-san smiled at him maliciously. There was still fear in her movements when she looked at him, but she was making an effort.


    ¡°No, Akio-san needs to have his fun. You were just unlucky.¡± She taunted him, working out some of her rage and grief.


    ¡°Nothing fun about this I¡¯m afraid. But the data could be priceless.¡± Once the Anchor was up again, I retrieved my sword, and in one slash, I severed it diagonally. It exploded into a cloud of ether, and as I started to absorb it my Eye observed a strange phenomenon, moments before Kondou Kazuo collapsed, screaming and convulsing. Huge chunks of the water rope, probably around eighty percent of it, were torn free and sucked into me, and amber letters flared, numerous and important, as fresh insight sparked my abilities to new heights.


    Your skill, Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge, has increased from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Class: [Legendary]. Type: [Law]. Your Eye can now peer more deeply into the workings of the world, drawing on multiversal knowledge the Tree guards. Mundane barriers cannot block your sight, and adherence can also be observed, if in sufficient quantities. Your ability to discern the quality of ether has significantly increased.


    You have destroyed the Anchor of a hostile Territory. Your class, Conqueror is sufficient to claim and extract the divine favour within this Territory and its owner. Your adherence is sufficient to utilise Mujihimuchi¡¯s Blessing Of Salt That Brings Pain, but you are incompatible with this divine favour. You may consume it to significantly increase your strength and adherence, or find a suitable vessel.


    Mujihimuchi¡¯s Blessing Of Salt That Brings Pain: Class: [Legendary] Type: [Principle]. This divine favour is made of concentrated adherence, refined ether and ??????????. The wielder gains the ability to inflict pain merely by word, gaze or touch. As did the Hare of Inaba suffer, when tricked into the burning salt sea, so shall the enemies of Mujihimuchi, cruel trickster and kami of pain, face their just punishment.


    So, my first Legendary ability, to match my own Legendary item, well, divine favour, I guess. Sweet. It¡¯s just a shame I now effectively have x-ray vision. I could be the ultimate peeping tom. Obviously I won¡¯t do that, but... damn, all that info. I wonder...


    Ortlinde¡¯s Wolf-Hair Bracelet Of Silver Wisdom ¨C Item Class: [Legendary], Item Type: [Principle] - ??????????????


    Why did I expect anything else? Still no description of it, although... with my Eye now noticeably keener, I could see the cords streaming into the upper astral, and there seemed to be two different styles of them, unlike what Kondou displayed. Still, there was no time for investigation, as he was writhing in agony, his voice dimmed from screaming so loudly.


    ¡°I believe something happened, did it not-not?¡± Shaeula said impassively, not caring for his torment. ¡°I observed you take something in.¡±


    Haru-san was biting her lip, looking conflicted, but she made no move to help him either.


    ¡°Yeah, no time for that now. I¡¯ll explain later. I need to see this through.¡± I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t try this on Miyu. As I suspected, I¡¯d have removed her ability from her, but she¡¯s pretty fragile, her chance of surviving unscathed would be minimal. Rushing over to Kondou, my Eye told me he was compatible with the blessing, so I returned it to him, to see what would happen. Immediately the blessing merged with the remnants within him, starting to reintegrate, but even so, most of the damage to his subtle body wasn¡¯t repairing itself, so I had to work significantly complicated Ether Healing, which was only possible due to my vision which could now see ever-smaller capillaries and minor nodes and chakras. I¡¯m pretty certain my physical stats have gone up a bit too, my fine control and perception seem better... Even so, if I¡¯d have tried to remove the gift from Miyu with Chirurgery, I¡¯d have just ruined her. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to manage it now I know what happens, never mind then... The gift was thoroughly entwined with his subtle body and silver cord, and with my Eye I could estimate that he would direct most of his power on levelling up into his gift, strengthening it. Sure, I think his stats will go up a bit, and he undoubtedly got quite the starting boost, but over time he¡¯ll fall behind...


    When I was done, Kondou Kazuo finally opened his eyes, spitting silver, his astral body barely stabilised. Shaeula raised one quizzical eyebrow. ¡°So, why did you give-give it back to him? It was quite important, was it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Shut... up...¡± he grated, still lying there, limp and broken. ¡°The pain... you don¡¯t... know...¡±


    ¡°I do though.¡± Haru-san said softly. ¡±How was it? Was it fun for you? Are you sorry for all those you hurt? For me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t... make... me laugh. I¡¯ll survive... and... one day...¡±


    ¡°He appears to lack remorse.¡± Shaeula noted. ¡°A fool. Even an Unseelie would beg-beg for clemency in these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I have... my pride. I ... can...¡±


    I looked at Haru-san then. ¡°If this is too hard to watch, feel free to return. Hyacinth will look after you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she shook her head. ¡°I need to see the ending. If only he showed a speck of remorse, a little guilt... though maybe that would just hurt me more. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What are... you... no! NO!¡± he tried to shout as I produced another Etherite.


    ¡°Go again. You don¡¯t deserve that gift...¡± I declared, as Shaeula summoned her winds, and painful cries for me to cease and pitiful screams rang out, until there was silence...


    ********


    ¡°She¡¯s all tired out, emotionally anyway.¡± I watched the sleeping Haru-san, using Hyacinth as a lap-pillow, as the expensive car drove us back to her father¡¯s home to drop her off. ¡°It¡¯s for the best. She¡¯s been strong today. It¡¯s been hard emotionally.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°If... just if such happened to me, or Eri, or Hinata, or the others, what would-would...¡± she stopped her words as I sealed her mouth with a kiss, before stroking her hair gently.


    ¡°I¡¯d never abandon you. You wouldn¡¯t be at fault. And whoever hurt you would find the fate Kondou Kazuo suffered merciful indeed. Still, we won¡¯t let it happen to anyone we love, will we?¡± We had removed Mujihimuchi¡¯s blessing once more, noticing it looked even more tattered and battered, more shards scattered within his body, but even so, apparently it was still functional. Though I have to keep spending ether and adherence to keep it in a useable state and repair it slowly, apparently. It¡¯s tempting to break it down for the power my Eye promised, but then... if I can find someone who is compatible with it, we¡¯d have a new Candidate...


    ¡°I doubt he will ever wake again. You did-did your best.¡± Shaeula shrugged, pleased at my resolve. ¡°Your Chirurgery was complicated, your Ether Healing impressive. I fear I must-must improve or I shall be left behind.¡± She grinned. ¡°Still, the damage to both his subtle bodies, and his silver cord... such are not-not easily cured.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I agree. He¡¯ll go to his execution asleep, which might be kinder than he deserves, but...¡± No, his suffering was immense, having the divine favour torn from him twice in quick succession. I doubt it¡¯ll bring Haru-san any peace, but it does bring closure.


    ¡°So, you have concluded what I have, have you not-not?¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°From what you have told me... it is a competition to make a single, strong hero, is it not-not? Hence why you gain so much from destroying other Territories.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a damn Gu Vessel. I remember seeing that in a few anime. Us Candidates are the insects, scorpions, toads and other venomous beings. The Earth and the Boundary is the Vessel. We are all trapped here, encouraged to eat each other, until only one strong one remains, with truly deadly venom.¡±


    ¡°But you can not-not do nothing, lest the world be destroyed, like your Valkyrie warned you of. Unless you think that-that is a lie?¡± Shaeula asked.


    ¡°No. At least she believed it, I think. And I believe she wants me to grow strong. Perhaps whatever is outside the Boundary and the lower Astral is so terrible a planet without such a hero is worthless? I did feel she was sincere when she asked me to join her faction when I become an Astral Emperor.¡±


    ¡°So what will you dooo?¡± Hyacinth asked, stroking the sleeping Haru-san¡¯s head gently. ¡°Akio, I knooow you do not care fooor such cruelty.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth speaks the truth. I know you must have your own-own idea.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯m not going to play that game. Yes I¡¯ll get strong, strong enough to shatter the Gu Vessel. But it won¡¯t be just me. We¡¯ll all reach the peak, together.¡± My gaze was hard as I thought about it. A world where hundreds of thousands of Candidates perish, all to feed a few... that¡¯s not a world I want. No, I¡¯ll grow strong on my own terms, and defend the Earth together with humanity as a whole. Not one lone hero, but every brave soul their own hero, led by me...

 Two Hundred And Forty-Nine

    Two Hundred And Forty-Nine


    After dropping off Haru-san, who was happy to get home to her father, putting the painful day behind her, we returned to Shirohebizumi shrine. As the chauffeur-driven car pulled in to the grounds, a luxury I was becoming far too accustomed to now, I thought back to the parting words of Haru-san, as she turned back to us before opening the door to her father¡¯s home.


    ¡°Akio-san. Shaeula. Hyacinth. Thank you for being there with me. I... I¡¯m going to get stronger. I hate him so much, so I¡¯ll never let him win. So please... if I¡¯m struggling, if I¡¯m straying off the right path, please help me, please reach out a hand to me. I don¡¯t want a world where people like him get to hurt innocent people, get to ruin lives. I want the world you talk about, where we all work together and live happily.¡± She had smiled then, tremulous but with brittle humour. ¡°... even if it¡¯s a world where you have more than your fair share!¡±


    Shaeula and Hyacinth had laughed at that, and we all promised to look out for her, be her strength when she was feeling unable to carry on, as would likely happen many times, until time slowly healed her wounds. As the door had shut behind her, my keen ears heard the sound of her hitting the ground, and gentle sobs. Even so, they sounded less bitter, less poisoned, for want of a better word. They were tears of release.


    ¡°Well, we should return to the Boundary, and then the lower Astral. But first, I¡¯d like to see all our trainees.¡± I said, putting Haru-san out of my mind for now. Kondou Kazuo was done. His ability had been taken, the divine favour of Mujihimuchi still residing within me. The feeling was uncomfortable, the power radiating from the torn spiritual braid of seawater sending little sparks of pain through me, though luckily I noticed that the spirit water I possessed seemed to be counteracting the effect. ¡°It¡¯d be interesting to see if anyone is compatible with the power we retrieved.¡± Needless to say Haru-san certainly wasn¡¯t. Shaeula wasn¡¯t either, and I had thought perhaps Hyacinth might be, but either Fae weren¡¯t eligible to gain these abilities, or Hyacinth had no compatibility. It seems like she has had an unfortunate history of suffering, but then she doesn¡¯t exactly revel in causing pain, so she might just have no affinity.


    ¡°Yes, such knowledge is indeed-indeed important to us.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Also, you can consume it for power, can you not-not? We need to test that too, and this ability... it is not-not irreplaceable, is it?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. While I hope we don¡¯t end up fighting other Candidates, I know we will. So I suspect we¡¯ll end up recovering more divine favours. Still, I really want to see what happens when someone accepts this too. Damn, if only I had two divine favours, it¡¯d be so much easier.¡±


    ¡°Such greed.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°I do understand though. We have learned much from Kondou Kazuo. I do not-not wish to forget the hardships Haru and the others suffered at his cruel hands, but we gained much from his defeat. Money, levels. Power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what worries me. It¡¯s almost too tempting to go out and find another foe to defeat.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You should just dooo what you want, Akio.¡± Hyacinth declared. ¡°After all, ooothers surely will. I would hate you to fall behind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point. Seeing the Major and Lieutenant, I feel I¡¯m in a good place, but... I¡¯m not foolish enough to believe I¡¯m the strongest out there. For now though...¡± we entered the training school, and were suddenly the centre of attention. Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Kana, Marika-san... many people rushed over, greeting us excitedly, and as Marika-san waxed lyrical about the wonders of my Territory, looking like an excited puppy, I began the arduous task of seeing if any of them were suitable to inherit the divine favour...


    ********


    ¡°Nobody.¡± I sighed. ¡°Out of all those people, not one matches it. I guess that makes sense, if it was that easy, perhaps Kondou Kazuo wouldn¡¯t have been a Candidate in the first place. Or maybe it needs to be someone as cruel as him, who delights in causing pain.¡± We were looking out over the whole of my Territory, high up on the now-completed cafe?-style terrace that ringed the top of Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree. Asha hummed softly to herself as she took in the view alongside us, while Hyacinth busied herself serving us drinks. One Kamaitachi was also here, taking a break, and surprisingly enough so was Tillyae and several of her musicians, and they were playing us a gentle tune. At least the ambience here is nice... ¡°Ideally, my sis would be the best option, if it worked, but... maybe it¡¯s selfish of me, but I wanted to try gifting this to someone else first. If I¡¯d have followed my gut instinct with Miyu she might be crippled or worse, and seeing the damage to Kondou Kazuo I¡¯m even more wary. Besides...¡± I sighed again, troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a good fit for her. Eri neither.¡±


    Shaeula snorted at that, but agreed with my caution. ¡°Indeed. I would not-not have you risk them, even for strength. Eri is progressing well, is she not-not, and Aiko... well, she has hit a wall, but you have helped her break those before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just... she¡¯s feeling she can¡¯t keep up, and I get it. But considering how justifiably pissed off I was when she burned herself, there¡¯s no way I can just hand this over to her, even if I could. I doubt any family or friends are suitable for it either, and keeping it long-term is just going to drain me dry of adherence, not that I know how much of it I even have.¡±


    ¡°So then, it seems like you have made-made up your mind?¡± Shaeula asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Fine. We¡¯ll break this one down, and see what that gives us. Then at least we¡¯ll know what other Candidates might be gaining, as well as have a better idea how it works and whether giving divine favours to others in future is a worthwhile trade-off.¡±


    Finishing the fruity juice Hyacinth passed me, my Eye flared a brilliant amber. Shaeula was watching too, intent on gleaning any information she could. Concentrating hard, I started to unravel the rope of water within, the flecks of stinging salt disintegrating into ether and also... is that adherence? The motes of energy were completely different to ether and aether, instead they seemed almost to be dyed with an invisible colour, yet which was somehow purple, dark green and black, as if it was a festering, angry bruise. I know that doesn¡¯t make sense, but at the same time it¡¯s invisible and yet not. Weird.


    The adherence disappeared within me, and as it did so I could feel the pain, as well as the emotions, the prayers surrounding it.


    Oh, please kami, make the pain stop. Why won¡¯t anyone help me? Please, I¡¯ll do anything! Stop hurting me, I beg you! Oh god, why must I suffer so? Venerable kami of pain, please help your worshippers, pain is living, pain is life! I¡¯m so... hungry, everything hurts. Please kami, give me some food! That water burns, Mujihimuchi you monster... you¡¯ll never marry the Yagamihime, none of you, bastard yasokami! One more blow, hit him again, by god, teach that fucker a lesson! Kami, turn your wrath away from us, let your pain fall elsewhere! That Village is full of heathens and heretics, the kami will surely strike them down, set them ablaze with pain and torment! Trick them into accepting the water laced with salts, then when they are weak and sick, we will fall upon them, and...


    The tide of adherence was absorbed within me, and with it came the essence of it, hundreds, thousands of words, prayers, simple wishes or hopes... all focusing on pain, the giving or avoidance of it. Still, as my mind processed them, my strong Resilience enabling me to weather the storm, the adherence that was left when the ... colour... for want of a better description, was stripped out, was pure, clear, and alternated between fathomless black and brilliant white, occasionally shining a silver-grey. Though again, those aren¡¯t so much colours, as impressions. As my Eye strained to see, I tried using the adherence, willing it to move as I wished, to strengthen me, and some of it... vanished.


    Your Might has increased by one. Your Fortitude has increased by one.


    You have gained a skill, Adherence Manipulation, Rank 1. You have started on the path to manipulating Adherence, enabling you to use pure Adherence to achieve minor miracles. You have a slightly increased ability to accrue Adherence, and are more able to purify Adherence that does not suit your ????????, or is inimical to you. As you do not possess a Divine Spark, your ability to accrue and manipulate Adherence is capped. [Class: Noble ] [Type: Law]


    As I pondered that, I found it significantly easier to break down and absorb the remains of the divine favour. As the adherence and power within was fully absorbed, I felt the incoming water resonate with my own spirit water one final time, strengthening it. It wasn¡¯t enough to push me to a higher Rank, but it also seemed to have a resonance with the darkness element, and I received several more messages.


    Your Skill, Throat Chakra of Darkness has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. Your Throat Chakra now generates more darkness energy and is better able to handle variant and unique darkness.


    Your Skill, Lunar Chakra of Wind, Flame, Earth and Water Rank 3 has become Lunar Chakra of Wind, Flame, Earth, Water and Darkness Rank 3, strengthening your control and generation over darkness energy.


    I also gained a level in the classes of Wielder of a Mutated Element, and Wielder of Elements, Classic Western, probably due to the strengthening of my water element.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Four to Eighty-Seven. All of your Material statistics have increased by thirty-three. Aether has increased by eighty-one.


    Your League has increased by one.


    Three levels huh? That doesn¡¯t seem a lot, but then I am finding it hard to level up ever since I reached level fifty. It¡¯s pretty much what killing that corrupted kami in Inuyama got me, so it¡¯s not too bad... The last change I felt as the adherence and remaining energy was absorbed, was that my silver cord seemed thicker, more brilliant, and yet somehow also less present, intangible, similar to adherence itself, and my chakra network was stronger, not enough to Rank me up, not even close, but it was noticeably cleaner, the aether flowing more smoothly through it, the elemental energy at my chakras more vigorous.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula said, having watched my chakra network and existence change with her Mystic Eyes. ¡°You have grown much-much stronger indeed, the League of your existence has risen. Still, I do wonder if perhaps your talents did help?¡± she eyed me curiously, licking her lips, finding my new, stronger lunar chakra enticing. ¡°The process of breaking down the favour seemed rather-rather wasteful, but you seemed to noticeably improve as time passed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s made largely from adherence, so I already had some affinity with that apparently, and now I even have the skill, like Shirohebi does, plus with my Eye I can see it, which makes it much easier to control. I still think it¡¯d be a welcome boost to anyone who broke it down though. I doubt I¡¯m the only one that has. Shit.¡± I cursed. ¡°This just encourages Candidates to hunt each other and destroy Territories. Still, now we know how breaking it down works, next time I¡¯d like to test out granting it to another compatible person. If I could, would it make them a Candidate, would most of their growth go to the ability, is it even safe? Damn, so many questions we need answers to.¡±


    ¡°But you can answer them soon, Akiooo.¡± Hyacinth reassured me, the stronger darkness energy I was radiating also alluring her, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily. ¡°Surely another fool will gooo against you, and you can take their pooower too!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see, that¡¯s what worries me.¡± I said, scolding her gently, which made her giggle happily. ¡°It won¡¯t just be me that thinks that. Though my only solace is most people don¡¯t seem to be able to see their own stats and classes easily, so perhaps this information might go unnoticed for a while. Though I doubt life is that kind. Perhaps they would automatically break down any captured divine favours? Kikuchi Shuta-san is probably fortunate he was the first one Kondou Kazuo defeated. His Conqueror class probably wasn¡¯t strong enough to extract his divine favour...¡± So likely it¡¯ll only be on the second or later time they destroy an enemy Territory they would notice the bounty they can receive. But sooner or later it¡¯s going to happen...


    ¡°Well, all you can do is what you are doing now, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula reassured me. ¡°Making alliances, asserting your importance. If the laws you proposed do indeed pass, then surely-surely destruction of other Territories will decrease?¡± I had obviously discussed my plans with Shaeula, and she knew what I was aiming for.


    ¡°Yeah. If Territories registered with the Ministry can¡¯t be attacked legally, that will help, but... not everyone will play nice. There¡¯s too much at stake.¡± My thoughts were boiling, trying to calculate the dangers, but Shaeula hugged me tight, snapping me out of it. When I looked down she kissed me impishly, little pecks like a feeding bird, before moving in for a richer, deeper one. When we pulled apart, our saliva forming a glittering bridge between our lips, she grinned.


    ¡°We still have time-time before we must return to the Spring. You are too-too tense, I believe you should relax in my arms. Hyacinth, you are quite-quite welcome too...¡±


    As Hyacinth nodded frantically to agree, so rapidly I feared she would hurt her neck, we headed for somewhere with privacy, leaving the gentle music behind us. It was nice to see all the trainees from our school wandering our Territory, many of them still looking awestruck by the spiritual world, but we avoided them, not wishing to get into a conversation. As we entered one of the buildings the kobolds had put up, Shaeula asked me a question, just before pulling me down onto one of the crude beds that occupied the place.


    ¡°So, your god is this Tyr, I believe. So why do you not-not have any abilities related to him? He is a god of heroism and battle, you have said, and he bound a dreadful wolf at great cost to himself. Your abilities... they are not-not like that at all, are they?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ve been thinking about that myself. I don¡¯t have an answer yet, but when I do...¡± I trailed off, thinking once more. My abilities seem perception and knowledge-based. But I wonder what would have happened had I taken the path of instant power Ortlinde offered. Would I have gained the power of Tyr then? Can I still gain it? Damn, there¡¯s so much I don¡¯t know, but I think claiming the power of Kondou Kazuo¡¯s divine favour for myself helped me a little... my gaze strayed down to my wrist where Ortlinde¡¯s bracelet lurked within, before Hyacinth and Shaeula fell upon me, and my mind went elsewhere, to other, more enjoyable matters...


    ********


    ¡°Akio, allow me to introduce you to our assistants that have been dispatched by the noble Prince Aethelathrion, ruler of the Elves of the Seelie Court.¡± Shaeula declared grandly, from her throne inside the Spring. There was a second one there now, apparently for me, and the throngs of kobolds, dwarves and other workers around the hill were transforming it completely. With that wood and stone construction, looking like a series of terraces, it looks like the beginnings of a bustling tourist street, all surrounding the Spring. Shaeula wasn¡¯t messing around when she said she was going to bring mortal ideas to the Seelie Court...


    Sitting down on the chair next to Shaeula, uncomfortable at the grandeur it implied, I looked at the three elves in front of me. I had met elves before, such as Way-Captain Caeladaera, and their impossible beauty had always grabbed me, but these three were very pretty indeed. The first was a very well-endowed elf with bright green hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a long, flowing dress, and her hair was braided with flowers.


    ¡°It is an honour to meet you, if a surprising one.¡± She smiled, and my breath caught. Damn, she¡¯s gorgeous. That reminds me a bit of when Shiro smiles at you properly. It was never a common event, but you¡¯d not be a man if you didn¡¯t suddenly stop, lost in the moment. Elves in general reminded me of her, actually. It was the same impossibly gorgeous looks, that almost seemed designed, as if making an avatar in a game. In some ways it should be off-putting, being so flawless, but at least in Shiro¡¯s case, her personality fixes that, making you subconsciously realise she¡¯s still human...


    ********


    ¡°Damn, no more, please.¡± I said, lying sprawled down on the ground, my whole body aching, covered in bruises and bloody contusions. The field we had chosen, a site that had not been reforested, had accumulated a large number of watchers, plantkin, weaselkin, other Fae, our elven secretaries, passing Way-Wardens, and they had all seen quite the show, as the field was now devastated, great craters blown into the mud, filled with puddles of water, flickering tongues of fire still burning fitfully. I was looking up at Talaisha, who had just battered me into submission, flaming tails of fire striking me from all angles. To be fair, I was exhausted after my prior battles with Shaeranna, which was pretty much a draw, my beams of water striking her down at the same time she unleashed a devastating attack with her spear, a cage of wind-javelins piercing me multiple times and shattering the area around me, and then I was forced to fight Shaeraggo, as his sister browbeat him into a rematch. This time he wasn¡¯t naive or overconfident, and I barely eked out a win after suffering numerous hits from his wind-weasel arrows, only managing to take him out by using a combination of water and earth to sink him waist-deep into a quagmire.


    ¡°You fought well. But your lack of experience shows.¡± Talaisha said, offering me a hand up, which I took, letting her haul me to my feet. I can¡¯t believe she got so excited watching us fight. I guess like attracts like, her and Shaeranna are both battle maniacs, it seems. ¡°Your strength and breadth of elemental powers are incredible, but you lack combat instincts only honed through rigorous training and numerous hard-fought battles.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ulfuric tells me that all the time. I¡¯ve been working on it, but...¡± I began, before Shaeula ran over and hugged me, commiserating me for my defeat, but praising me for going toe-to-toe with two of the fiercer Beastkin fighters, in her sister and her friend.


    ¡°If Master Ulfuric recognises your shortcomings, I am convinced. You should join the Way-Wardens.¡± Talaisha declared, surprising everyone. ¡°A mortal within the sacred guardians of the Seelie Court would be unprecedented, but since you are marrying this little one...¡± she smiled at Shaeula. ¡°... it would not be abnormal. I have some sway, I can make it happen.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the offer, but no.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not now, anyway. I have too much going on right now both here, in the Boundary and in the mortal realms, that demands my attention.¡± Hyacinth handed me a damp towel, and I took it gratefully, while Velna brought us some cold drinks to refresh ourselves. The maid had returned recently, having been rather upset by events prior to this, and was now awaiting the return of her fellow maid. Yeah, that reminds me, that should be any time now...


    ¡°A shame. Your successes with the Wild Hunt and Unseelie are what we need.¡± Her happy grin turned vicious, showing sharp teeth, the teeth of a carnivore. ¡°And Way-Captain Caeladaera would love to train you, though I would not relinquish that responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, we shall not-not stop our fight to free the lost lands of the Fae from enemy hands.¡± Shaeula said, before clapping loudly. ¡°Well, the fun-fun is over. Back to work with you all. We have guests to receive, and my maid to reclaim!¡±


    At that, Velna burst into tears, and as Shaeula comforted the foolish maid that had stuck by her, despite the mistakes they had both made, I noticed Shaeranna watching on with damp eyes. Seeing me watching, she sniffed regally, looking away, but it was too late. Yeah, I guess you are quite soft at heart as well...


    ********


    ¡°Klena!¡± Velna declared, as the grinning giant released the weaselkin maid, who staggered over to us weakly. My Eye was already flaring amber, checking her condition, before Shaeula was there, checking her over herself.


    ¡°Are you well, Klena? Did they... mistreat... you?¡± her flinty gaze flickered over to the giant, whose smile intensified.


    ¡°I... mistress, no... it was... ugh, I do not remember, I am sorry-sorry.¡± She muttered weakly. ¡°I remember following Risha, she led me into the forest, then... there was pain, so much blood, and I was somewhere dark-dark... cold and hungry...¡±


    As she muttered, seeming a touch feverish and confused, my Eye detected damage to her chakra network. It had been crudely healed, and in time, were she to rest and recuperate, likely she would make a full recovery. But for now, she was in a poor state. ¡°Shaeula, don¡¯t push her. She¡¯s still hurt and needs rest. But I think she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula continued to hug her, Velna standing by, tears in her eyes. ¡°Well, giant. I did say if I found my maid in poor-poor condition, I would be most wroth, did I not-not? Does Duke Formor think to try my patience?¡±


    ¡°No, surely not, never that.¡± The giant giggled, something I never expected from something so large and serious, though this one looked smaller than Grulgor had described his giant kin. ¡°You wrong the Duke, dear Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections.¡± His gaze turned to me then, a piercing, searching one. ¡°Do tell her, mortal consort.¡± He chuckled again. ¡°We simply do not know how to care for fragile creatures such as her, we had no ill intent. After all, she is here now, whole, is she not? A few scars, well... that was the doing of your other maid, not us. The Duke wishes friendship with the slayers of the Unseelie menace.¡± He turned to Talaisha then, who had waited here to witness this, along with Shaeula¡¯s siblings.


    ¡°Be reasonable. After all, did not Duke Formor turn his back on your father, and ensure your freedom, dear Talaisha, warrior daughter of Vulpatrius, rising star of the Way-Wardens? He did not take it well, after all, he has long had his eye on you, has he not? But Duke Formor endured his ire, all to keep his word to you, princess.¡± He turned his attention back to Shaeula. ¡°Us giants are not clever with elemental energy, only using it for destruction, but I did the best I could to heal her injuries, though her mind was fogged by her stay in the oubliettes. But she will recover. Of that I assure you. So please, do forgive us.¡± He bowed then.


    He seems sincere, but that smile, that laugh. Those eyes. I just don¡¯t trust him. But for now, we got what we wanted. Support, Klena, and apparently that incestuous wedding called off. So much as it pains us, we have to let it go. ¡°Well...¡± I said, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°I¡¯m sure Selensha can help. She¡¯s the best healer I know.¡±


    At his wife¡¯s name, Shaeraggo nodded, proud. ¡°She is indeed quite skilled.¡± Seeing an opportunity to earn back some lost trust with his sister, he promised her aid, and Shaeula graciously accepted, making him rather happy.


    ¡°We can help too, right?¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°Klena. Rest for now. You have been loyal, when most were not-not.¡±


    ¡°But, princess... I...¡± she began, but Shaeula gently trickled out spirit water, sending her into a deep sleep.


    ¡°Here. Hyacinth, Velna, take Klena back to the mansion.¡± It hadn¡¯t been entirely rebuilt, but parts of it were now decently habitable, so she could rest there. She turned to look at the giant then. ¡°I thank you. My maid is returned. But do not-not think I have forgiven this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we understand.¡± The giant laughed once more. ¡°But we hope in time, you can see our sincerity, as your feats here have proven yours. Well, princess, mortal. Esteemed nobility of the Seelie Court. I bid you farewell, may we meet again on the field of battle, the Unseelie crushed under our feet...¡±


    As I watched him go, Shaeula came into my arms, seeking the reassurance of a hug, and I obliged, as I watched the giant leave, his escort of trolls forming up around him. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I like him.¡± I said absently, stroking her head, and as she snuggled into my arms, she laughed, a touch of humour breaking through her gloom at seeing her maid so shabby and defeated.


    ¡°I do not-not either. Not-not at all. But...¡± everyone looked away as we kissed, though Shaeranna couldn¡¯t help but peek through her fingers, face red as her beloved little sister demonstrated her adult charms.


    When we were done, Shaeula finished her words. ¡°... we do not-not have to like them to use them. Come, Akio. You have time until you must-must return to meet this fake princess, the white one, Shiro, do you not-not? There is much to do here, and I would welcome your aid-aid.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± We kissed again. ¡°I know you only want my presence as you feel sad, but isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m here for?¡±


    ¡°You are indeed.¡± She laughed, this time genuinely. ¡°Well then. We have much-much to do!¡±


    *********


    ¡°So yeah, I¡¯ll meet your father next time. The gods help me, Anna.¡± I said to Shaeranna, who smiled. In the days I had spent in the lower Astral, I had met the other elves, and sadly they were not the stoic warrior type. I mean, yes, a couple of them were cool beauties, but they still were clearly following their instructions to try and appeal to me. I had also travelled with several Way-Warden patrols, as well as worked with Moira on various projects regarding reconstruction of the Spring. It had all been fascinating stuff, but even so, I was mentally exhausted. And physically too, as Shaeranna and Talaisha had sparred with me numerous times, if you could call mock battles where injury was a certainty, not a risk, sparring.


    ¡°I shall try to prepare my father, calm him down.¡± She promised. Anna (I was calling her by her nickname now, as shockingly she seemed to have warmed to me, even if she did still grumble that I had taken her little Ula¡¯s innocence incessantly) was now in our corner, an outcome I had no way of predicting. While she was enraged at the story of my first meeting with Shaeula, and had thrashed me soundly on the sparring field after that, when she heard more of our daily life, what we had shared and endured, she actually thanked me, a shocking turn of events for such a siscon. It was quite a touching moment, I thought. Well, I may be a siscon myself, though nowhere near what these siblings are like, but if someone loved my sister genuinely and looked after her, I¡¯d thank him too, and respect him.


    ¡°In his head he understands, he knows. Without you, Ula would be slain, surely dead, and it would be our hands stained with the blood of my precious sister.¡± Her face fell just thinking about it. ¡°We were too weak, not strong. But even so, he cherishes Ula dearly, a remnant of her lost, departed mother. I never liked her, the stuck-up foreign bitch, but little Ula was born without sin, so cute, so tiny. I should have stuck my spear in that fucking fox until he bled out, though his blood likely stinks like the crap his soul is made from. Well, never again!¡± She shook her head, angry at herself and the Duke who was father of her closest friend, yet a bitter enemy of her family.


    ¡°Yes, never again. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good!¡± she slapped me on the back heartily. ¡°Yes, I like you! At first I thought you would be some scum who had taken advantage of my innocent, foolish sister. Raggy tried to tell me about you, but the only sharp thing about Raggy is his arrows, not his mind. I was very angry, most furious. But...¡± she smiled again, and I saw a little resemblance to Shaeula in her weaselkin form, even if she was black-furred and significantly larger. ¡°... the more my Ula praised you, the more I saw the look of affection, love in her eyes, heard it in her voice, her words... well, I could no longer deny it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. Family is very precious to me, and you are my sister-in-law now.¡± I reassured her. ¡°If you are ever in need, just call me, and I¡¯ll come.¡±


    ¡°I need nothing but your love for my Ula. Talaisha is free too, another tragedy I was too weak, far too feeble to prevent alone. But your deeds made it happen. And I am most grateful.¡±


    ¡°Well, she seems nice, so I¡¯m glad. Though this idea of marrying family isn¡¯t something we mortals do. I mean, I¡¯m not judging, but I don¡¯t get it. Anyway, speaking of family, since you like little sisters, I have one too, Aiko. She¡¯s adorable and very fond of Shaeula. I think you¡¯ll like her. She¡¯s hitting if off with Shaeraggo, they¡¯re both archers after all.¡±


    As we continued to talk, getting along surprisingly well, Shaeula returned, looking pleased. Klena had made a decent recovery, Selensha proving as excellent a healer as I believed, and then she had left to join her husband, as Shaeraggo had taken the opportunity to retreat back to my Territory to escape his older sister, with the excuse that he wanted to further expand my control. I wasn¡¯t going to argue, as it benefitted us.


    ¡°So how¡¯s Klena? Still tired, I¡¯d imagine.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded to me, and smiled at her sister.


    ¡°Yes, she is still weak-weak, but her mind seems to be clearing, and her body is free of wounds and scars. Selensha is quite-quite the marvel. I shall learn more from her, I would like to be able-able to heal like that myself.¡±


    ¡°I still cannot believe my little Ula is able to wield water, use such an element. It is a curious feeling. Pride and sadness.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s natural, to be a little sad seeing your little sister grow up. They are cute when they are young...¡± I grinned, and Anna agreed, embarrassing Shaeula, who called us both a pair of idiot siscon. As we laughed and joked with each other, I realised it would soon be time to go. My Territory is safely accruing ether, I¡¯ll sort out the upgrades before I head for the Conclave. But now... it¡¯s time to meet Shiro. I really hope I can help her. She¡¯s been through a lot and is a dear friend, even if her personality sucks... with a wry smile on my face, I remembered the silver-haired girl who could match the elves for her incredible beauty, but whose personality could only be called quirky if one was charitable...

 Two Hundred And Fifty

    Two Hundred And Fifty


    As the car pulled up alongside the dorms where Shiro lived, I sent her quick text to say that I had arrived. My driver got out and opened the door for me, and I briefly regretted allowing Hinata to talk me into taking the Fukumoto car for this. Still, she¡¯s right about one thing. If I want to be taken seriously by the higher nobility, politics and business, I have to project the right air of power and authority. Of course, that wasn¡¯t all I wanted to be taken seriously by. Tonight, I needed to impress Shiro enough to... well, it was too much to hope she¡¯d agree to go out with me, I wasn¡¯t an idiot, but I needed to reveal some of my secret to her if I was going to be able to heal her. Even if healing with Chirurgery and Ether Healing wasn¡¯t directly possible, then even giving her a perfectly-adapted chakra network would boost her Fortitude significantly, possibly enough for her to live a normal, healthy life.


    To that end, Hinata had coordinated my outfit, but not alone. Apparently she had conference-called Eri, and along with Motoko and Natsumi, and surprisingly enough my sis, they had decided on my outfit, hairstyle and accessories. It¡¯s still quite the unsettling feeling having my fiance?es prepare me for what is effectively a date with another woman. Still, even Eri feels sorry for Shiro, not able to live a normal life... I thought I looked surprisingly good. I was wearing my hair a little wilder, and a lavender shirt matched with grey suit jacket and trousers set off my eyes and hair. Paired with a nice watch and some male jewellery, a flashy necklace, I cut a rather dashing figure.


    Approaching the dorms, the door opened, and two girls stepped out, eyeing me curiously. I¡¯m sure they are the ones from before, when I brought Shiro back... ¡°Oh hey, your boyfriend is here, Shiro!¡± one crowed, a smile on her face. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s hot. I bet the pair of you look like celebrities together. Lucky.¡±


    The second girl had approached, but instead of me, she was looking at the car, with the smartly-dressed driver now back inside. ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t a taxi is it? Nice. I¡¯ve always wanted to take a drive in one of these. Foreign, right?¡± she turned her attention back to me. ¡°So, are you like some rich heir to a conglomerate or something? How do you know Shiro? It¡¯s her looks, right? Got to be her looks. Beautiful girls have it easy. Though I guess Shiro would be hurt if I told her that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not too bad yourself.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but answer politely, and objectively the girl was pretty enough, if the sort you could see anywhere. Even so, she blushed a little, looking away.


    ¡°Naughty. Flirting with me before your date with Shiro. I¡¯ll tell her you¡¯re a playboy!¡± she mock-threatened me. I waved her amused threats away, my conscience clear. I was just being polite.


    ¡°Come on Shiro, don¡¯t keep your boyfriend waiting, else he might get bored.¡± The first girl called in again, before a somewhat grumpy voice responded.


    ¡°I keep telling you, Aki isn¡¯t my boyfriend. Talking to you is like talking to an NPC, I swear. Same responses no matter what I say.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯d say you should drop that sort of stupid otaku talk, Shiro, as hot guys don¡¯t like that crap, but... well, you never listen anyway, and your boyfriend seems not to mind, right?¡±


    ¡°What did I just say? Aki¡¯s just my old senpai and friend... oh forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯ll think what you want anyway. I¡¯ll just tire myself out trying to convince you.¡± Shiro stepped out of her dorm, blinking as her eyes took in the bright streetlights outside.


    As beautiful as ever, but still Shiro. After all, who else would call her friends NPC¡¯s? I found myself smiling though. Shiro never changed, and was always true to herself, which was something I liked and respected. She was in her usual white jeans, hugging her long, shapely legs, and it was yet another white patterned t-shirt, this one decorated with blue and white flowers. It was surprisingly girly for her, but I couldn¡¯t look for long, as her large chest was straining against the cloth. Pulling my eyes up I greeted her with a smile, my grey eyes meeting her dark onyx ones, and as her silver hair fluttered out behind her in the gentle evening breeze, I felt my face heating up. No, I need to remain calm. I can. My Resilience isn¡¯t just a number!


    Keeping my expression natural, I walked over to Shiro. ¡°Hey there, Shiro. I¡¯m here to pick you up. You¡¯re looking as good as ever.¡±


    ¡°Trying to flatter me, Aki? Since when did you get so bold?¡± She replied, crossing her arms under her ample chest. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true though. I always look gorgeous. After all, I am a princess. It¡¯s Shirohime, remember? Come on Aki, don¡¯t be as mindless as these NPCs.¡±


    As she casually insulted the other girls, I felt bad for them, so I apologised on her behalf. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind Shiro here. She¡¯s grateful to you, she¡¯s just not good at expressing that. I¡¯m thankful too. I know looking after Shiro is a thankless job, but I¡¯m happy you look out for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh we know.¡± The second girl said, returning after having finished checking out the car. ¡°Shiro isn¡¯t very honest. But thanks, Mr Boyfriend, hearing that makes it worthwhile!¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Aki isn¡¯t my boyfriend. He. Is. Not.¡± She said for emphasis. ¡±Besides, he¡¯s already engaged. Why does nobody listen to me? Is it bullying? Am I just too beautiful that you girls are jealous? Going to stick pins in my shoes or hide my textbooks? Are we back in middle school?¡± she sniffed, before whispering something so softly only my hearing could pick up on it. ¡°... not that I¡¯d know. But it¡¯s in manga so it must happen...¡±


    Feeling a sudden sadness which only fuelled my resolve, I opened my mouth to say something, but one of the girls beat me to it.


    ¡°Engaged huh? Well, I bet you don¡¯t lose in looks to his girl, Shiro. And he¡¯s totally into you, I can tell. Besides...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s hot, loaded and likes you, Shiro. I bet you could win him over.¡±


    ¡°You girls are fools. Why would I want anyone who was so callous? Besides... Aki may have got a new job, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly say he¡¯s loaded...¡±


    ¡°I forget you don¡¯t get out much, Shiro.¡± one said, before the other shot her a look to keep quiet. With an oops expression on her face, the girl continued. ¡°Only because you are too busy studying, right? All I meant was... uh, that watch he¡¯s wearing, that cost a lot. And, well, the car... never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter. All I¡¯m saying is, he looks a great catch.¡±


    ¡°No way he¡¯d break up with his fiance?e.¡± Shiro frowned. ¡°She¡¯s his childhood friend and sister¡¯s best friend. Aki is a real siscon too, so there¡¯s two reasons he wouldn¡¯t. So drop the subject, okay? Aki¡¯s just taking me out for drinks. We go out occasionally, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s usually that big-boobed bimbo or the shy little thing that picks you up, right? Not him. This isn¡¯t a get-together, but a date, right?¡± she squealed. ¡°A forbidden affair. Maybe you really are a princess right now!¡±


    ¡°Tch. Idiot. I¡¯ve had all of this I can take. You pair are out again later right, anyway? I¡¯ll be back before you, probably, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡± As she stepped forwards I moved to take her arm. She allowed me to do so, but where before she might have pulled my arm into her chest to tease me, this time she kept a little distance, looking slightly troubled.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought this last time we were out, but you sure have changed, Aki. I¡¯m not sure whether that makes me happy or sad.¡± Shiro looked at me, pensively. ¡°Where did little Aki who blushed as soon as a girl so much as looked at him go?¡±


    The two girls exchanged looks. ¡°Well, if you are going to be late back, let us know so we don¡¯t worry.¡± One said.


    ¡°I told you, I won¡¯t be late...¡± she started, but the second girl cut her off.


    ¡°Sure, Shiro. All we are saying is if you end up getting a hotel or something, just let us know, okay?¡± the girl winked at me.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be a perfect gentleman. After all, the princess here is far beyond my reach. Though for now, I have the pleasure of her in my arms.¡±


    The two girls squealed at that, while Shiro flushed a little, unusual for her, as she was usually the one making us blush. ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure she messages you if there are any problems. But I¡¯m with her, so she¡¯ll be in no danger.¡±


    ¡°How gallant!¡± one chuckled, while Shiro complained.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m fragile, but Tokyo is hardly that dangerous... well... so you¡¯ll protect me, huh?¡± she said quietly, some indiscernible expression in her eyes. ¡°Anyway, enough chit-chat, Aki. I need a stiff drink. And the bar will be crowded if we take all night chatting to these morons.¡±


    ¡°We love you too, Shiro!¡± they chorused, clearly used to her insults.


    ¡°Later! Have fun tonight!¡± I said to them, and with that opened the door and helped Shiro into the car, before getting in beside her. The driver nodded, and the car pulled out smoothly, leaving Shiro¡¯s dorm behind us.


    ¡°So, yeah. This does seem rather expensive for a taxi. I¡¯m no expert though.¡± Shiro observed.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s... well, kind of like a company car?¡± I deflected, and Shiro looked at me searchingly, her gaze deep and dark.


    ¡°Fine. Whatever you say, Aki. So, what is tonight really about?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it just be me wanting to spend some time with you, Shiro?¡± I asked. ¡°By the way, I know you like white and all, and your T-shirt is cute as ever, but... I think you¡¯d look better in different colours sometimes.¡± It¡¯s like when Eri changes her look, she¡¯s like a fresh new person, or how Hinata looks so different in her school unfirm or a party dress, or Motoko and Natsumi in their hakama or dresses... I¡¯d dearly love to see Shiro in something different... Realising what I had said, and that I was already starting to think of Shiro in the same way as my other girls, despite the fact we were just friends, I was amazed at my boldness and foolishness.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you basically said this was a date! Is it something about you and cars, Aki? It was the same in the taxi.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I told you, Aki. I¡¯m not interested in an affair, being somebody disposable. Not even... even for you. And it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll ever give up on your fiance?e, will you? You aren¡¯t that type of guy. Though to be honest... no, never mind.¡± It looked as if she was going to say something important, but stopped herself at the last minute.


    ¡°Well, I suppose if you consider a date two people going out to have fun together, it might be.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t kidding when I had something important to discuss. Still, my point stands. A different look for you might be a bit fresh...¡±


    ¡°Well, I like white. I am white. Shirohime.¡± She retorted.


    ¡°Oh come on. You¡¯d still be Shirohime even if you wore something different. Maybe black, red or dark blue. You never wear dresses or skirts either, with legs like yours...¡±


    I trailed off, realising the look she was giving me was rather odd.


    ¡°Yeah, unexpected indeed. This is throwing me for a bit of a loop, Aki. I¡¯m not sure I like it.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Look, I talked... about my circumstances in the taxi, right? How... how my parents didn¡¯t want to spend the money on my treatments?¡±


    Crap, I stepped on a landmine. Still she doesn¡¯t look too upset, just... resigned. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m an insensitive fool.¡± I reached out and started stroking her head, just as I did when she was exhausted in the taxi. I had stopped myself from doing that habit recently, but this time it was a conscious choice. Shiro froze for a moment, but perhaps remembering how I had comforted her before, she allowed it, looking at me, a pained expression crossing her face.


    ¡°Well, my parents pay for my accommodation and fees, but I don¡¯t want to ask them for money unless I have to. I barely go out, so what clothes I have do me just fine. When you look as good as me, Aki, it doesn¡¯t matter what I wear. I¡¯m still going to be gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. One of the prettiest girls in the world.¡± I agreed, saddened by her story.


    ¡°One of? Who is better? Well, I guess... you have to say that.¡± She sighed, leaning in on me.


    ¡°Well, we could always take a detour. I could ring the bar and push our booth back, or we could go elsewhere.¡± I promised. ¡°Before that we could go shopping, get you a new outfit. My treat.¡±


    ¡°Your fiance?e will be pissed off if you are lavishing your money on another woman, Aki.¡± She said, shrugging off my offer, as I sadly knew she would. Despite, or perhaps even because of her condition and struggles, she¡¯s proud. Too proud for charity. Even if I¡¯d love to see her in it. Damn, years of being too scared of feelings of affection for other people has ruined people¡¯s impressions of me. Shaeula was right. Eri, Aiko and I, we are all broken. But we are starting to fix ourselves... ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no way I can accept that from you. Besides, imagine what that idiot Yasu would say if he saw me wearing clothes you bought me. No way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll help you make that world you wanted, for you, that¡¯s kind to you. Nothing will change that you don¡¯t want to between us. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that Aki. Too much has changed already, and what is lost is never recovered, is it...?¡±


    With those cryptic words I escorted her out to where the car was still waiting, opening the door and helping her inside. Getting in beside her, I held in a sigh. Damn, Shiro is perceptive as hell. I mean, I knew she was going to shoot me down, she¡¯s Shiro after all. But she could have at least let me ask her first. Now I know how those poor girls struggling to give out valentines chocolates feel, trying and failing. Though come to think of it, I was pretty lucky, as I always got giri chocolates from my sis and Eri, though... well, looking back, they weren¡¯t giri from Eri, were they, she was just too shy to say they were love chocolates, not obligation. Thinking of that, this coming Valentine¡¯s Day... who the hell am I spending it with? And I¡¯m going to have to eat a ton of chocolate...


    ********


    The private room in a nice restaurant in Ueno was rather swish, and Shiro picked at her rather lavish meal while shooting me glances. ¡°So, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t have the guts for it Aki, but you aren¡¯t trying to get me drunk and... no, no way. Sorry.¡± She shook her head. ¡°This new you is bold, but people don¡¯t change so easily.¡± She took her glass of wine and sipped from it, the ruby liquid splashing on her lips. ¡°Damn, this is good stuff. I really feel like a princess right now. Which makes sense, as I am!¡± Another gulp, and she asked me a question.


    ¡°So, like, I get it. You¡¯ve got a good job, not that you¡¯ve explained what it is. But even so, this is a really pricey place, isn¡¯t it? And a private room too. Are you sure this isn¡¯t going way too far, Aki? I mean, I¡¯m impressed, but... it¡¯s kind of a waste, isn¡¯t it? Your girl will be cursing you, spending all this money on another woman.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a waste.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It isn¡¯t often you get to go out like this, is it? Besides, I¡¯m setting the mood for what I want to ask you. And I can afford it.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ll let you ask, I owe you that. But you already know my answer, Aki. Damn, I¡¯m starting to feel bad for you. But no, I¡¯m not weakening, no matter how pitiful you are, even if you stoop to Yasu¡¯s level! I¡¯ll not be swayed!¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I¡¯ll never hit Yasu-san¡¯s level!¡± I laughed, making a joke at our friend¡¯s expense. ¡°When I got engaged, I left that all behind.¡±


    ¡°True, but... seriously Aki.¡± She sighed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t mention your fiance?e when you are trying to woo me. I mean, that¡¯s a total Yasu move, although he wouldn¡¯t be engaged in the first place, unless you count 2D girls...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie to you, Shiro. In fact everything I¡¯m going to say is the truth, no matter how unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, that sounds ominous.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Damn, this steak is so good, is it grade A5? The marbling is gorgeous, and the taste heavenly. Shit, I¡¯ll give you credit for trying Aki, guys have attempted to woo me with offers of dates before, but I doubt they¡¯d go this far...¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised. If not for your personality, you¡¯d be perfect!¡±


    ¡°My personality? Tch, you don¡¯t know anything, Aki! I expect you¡¯d rather I was all kuudere and melt at your attention, or... no, actually I think you¡¯d like me being all tsundere. But that¡¯s just not me.¡± She was shoving down bites of the meal in between words, so that spoiled her declaration.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you seem pretty tsundere right now.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°You wish! I¡¯m not saying no when I really mean yes.¡± She promised.


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m just happy I get to spend some quality time with you.¡± I said, and she nodded.


    ¡°I bet you are. Well, the mood seems right, so you might as well make a start.¡± She said. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m getting shivers just thinking about it. This is going to be hellishly embarrassing. The meal was the least I deserved for putting up with this. You know, I¡¯m going to tell everyone about this next time we are out. Hina and Hayato are going to be so disappointed in you, Aki. Aimi too. Shugo I don¡¯t know about... Yasu would probably applaud your greed though, but that¡¯s why the bonehead is going to die alone...¡±


    ¡°Well, no rush.¡± I said, starting to feel a little hurt at how Shiro kept shooting me down, even though I expected it. ¡°First, I have a question. It may seem a bit odd, but please be honest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, another fresh approach, huh? Damn, you¡¯ve got me curious Aki, you¡¯ve definitely grown! This Shirohime will hear you out. Really, if you weren¡¯t engaged and were rolling in money, I¡¯d seriously consider giving you a try, so be grateful! A shame, really...¡± her tone was joking, but I felt maybe she was serious. Still, I would never wish I¡¯d not accepted Eri, or Shaeula, or any of the others, not even for Shiro. Sure, I like her, but... healing her is what matters. Then I can watch over her happily, living a normal life... though I¡¯ll be jealous of whatever man ends up with her. Damn, I am becoming a harem protagonist, now I am actually thinking of expanding my harem... It hurt a little, thinking I was such a greedy person, but like Eri said, I would own it, and not shy away from it, nor let the guilt dominate me.


    ¡°Shiro, if you could be healthy, you¡¯d want to be, right? Even if... it was through... unconventional... means?¡±


    ¡°A stupid question there Aki, but I assume you are going somewhere with it. The evening sure has been something, so I¡¯ll see it through. Yes, of course I want to be healthy, I¡¯m tired of being a burden. But ... a magical solution... well, do you think it¡¯s that easy? Unconventional means, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve found a shady doctor or pharmacist? I¡¯d hope you were smarter than that, Aki. There¡¯s been a few, but some of them just wanted to get hold of my body, I¡¯m sure, and others were just interested in the fame. Nobody had my best interests at heart.¡±


    ¡°Well I do.¡± I assured her. ¡°And you know you can trust me. After all, I¡¯m just the wimp who¡¯s going to get NTR¡¯d, right?¡± I laughed at her earlier words. ¡°The guy who wants to help those sad girls he likes.¡± I opened up my phone and showed her a contact. ¡°Look, here¡¯s Eri¡¯s number. Take it. That way, you know I can¡¯t do anything bad, right? You could just tell her.¡±


    ¡°Well, unless you killed me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But I can¡¯t see you doing that. Well... yoink!¡± she snatched the phone, entering the number in her own. ¡°I¡¯ll take it anyway. And I am so going to tell her everything about tonight. You may say she knows you are meeting me, but I call bull on she knows you are trying to score a mistress.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I am not thinking of you as a mistress, or anything like that.¡± I said seriously, my grey eyes sincere. She met my gaze, before looking away, masking her embarrassment with some more wine.


    ¡°Well, I thought you said no lies... Aki, that¡¯s not fair.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lie. But... anyway, do me a favour, while you have my phone, open up my banking app. The Chase one. It¡¯s listed under Midas Gold.¡±


    ¡°Sure, okay. Hmm, this is very mysterious. But I¡¯m not easy to buy! Show me a billion and I¡¯d at least look on you kindly.... What the hell...¡± she trailed off.


    I¡¯d left it logged in, for this moment. The look in her face is pretty priceless. As I struggled to hold in my mirth she turned to look at me, head moving robotically. ¡°Uh, Aki... did you spike my wine? I¡¯m hallucinating, right? I didn¡¯t think you had the guts...¡±


    ¡°The look on your face is priceless now.¡± I managed to say, and she glared at me resentfully. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. Shiro, you don¡¯t really care about money all that much, do you? I think it¡¯s just a defence, so you can push others away. I think you are a bit like me at heart, or like I used to be anyway. But...¡± I paused meaningfully, before pointing at my phone. ¡°... sorry, I¡¯m a billionaire now. So I¡¯ll take that kindly look...¡±


    Her mouth flapped open and closed a few times, before she slid my phone back to me. ¡°Well, Okay. You beat me, Aki. This pitch blows all the others out the water... seriously, where did you get all that money? Are you a drug kingpin? Running guns to terrorists? Shit, you talked about unconventional means, are you kidnapping people and selling their organs? Am I destined to have my beautiful, pristine body chopped up and transplanted into a load of fat old men?¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± I channelled my sister. ¡°I¡¯ve broken Shirohime. Earth to Shiro, come in! It¡¯s your good friend Aki! Please respond!¡±


    ¡°Oh shut it, you!¡± she managed, before rubbing at her temples. ¡°Shit. You went and got all hot and charming, and now this? Why must you tempt me so? But... I¡¯ll not be swayed... hang on!¡± she said accusingly, and I braced myself for her question warily.


    ¡°If you are so loaded, why the hell don¡¯t you have time to work on my game?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your question?¡± I laughed, relieved. ¡°That answer is easy. I have a lot to do, and it isn¡¯t all related to money. But rest assured, Eri, my family... they are well looked after. You could be too.¡±


    ¡°Seriously... what happened to you Aki? It... yeah, it must be.¡± She looked at me a touch warily. ¡°But whatever. I¡¯m not for sale. You said yourself it was a defence mechanism.¡±


    ¡°I know. And I¡¯m not trying to buy you. Look, this isn¡¯t exactly why I came, but... Shiro, I¡¯ve always liked you, even if I didn¡¯t ever have the guts to say so. I never believed I¡¯d be able to protect you, help you, or be worth your love. But now... I know I can. So... please, I¡¯ll make you happy. Go out with me!¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re worth my love when you already have a fiance?e? Seriously? You¡¯ve surprised me, Aki. I never thought that of you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me neither. But... a lot has changed.¡± I admitted. ¡°I learned a lot about myself. I... well, actually I¡¯m engaged to more than just Eri.¡±


    ¡°What the hell? Okay, now I know you drugged the wine, Aki. The beef too! Bigamy? No way. You don¡¯t have the guts...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I did either. But I¡¯ve always had it in me. When the dog threatened Aiko and Eri, I saw red, and I fought it off. When those I cared about wanted to be happy, the law, common sense, decency... it was in my way, so I powered through. It¡¯s crazy, but I love them and they love me, and I¡¯ll do anything, anything to ensure their happiness except give up on them! And Shirohime...¡±


    ¡°... yes?¡± She said, overwhelmed, looking incredibly adorable with her flushed face and moist, shocked eyes.


    ¡°... I love you. I¡¯ve been too shy to say so for years. You are beautiful, and funny, and unique, and I don¡¯t give a shit about your illness. In fact, I want to crush it, so I will. You don¡¯t have to answer me... I know expecting you to return my love is a one in a million chance, but... shit, Shirohime, just allow me to do one thing, one thing, and I¡¯ll be satisfied, even if you tell me to leave, reject me...¡±


    ¡°... uh, Aki, I¡¯m... well... damn, I didn¡¯t expect... come on brain, start working...¡± she babbled. ¡°... I¡¯m not ready for a kiss, my lips are chaste, and ...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love a kiss.¡± I said, and she turned purple with embarrassment, amazed I had been so bold. ¡°But that¡¯s not my request. My request is... I need you to keep something absolutely secret. Promise me.¡±


    ¡°If... if it¡¯s not something bad.¡± She managed.


    ¡°Great. In that case, try not to be shocked, okay.¡±


    ¡°Wait, my heart isn¡¯t ready, Aki. I know this is a private room, but I swear I¡¯ll scream! I will, and... uh?¡± she paused as my Eye began glowing brilliantly orange, overshadowing the candlelight in the room. As she opened her beautiful dark eyes wide, her expression shocked, I focussed my vision to check her body.


    For a moment it was as if she was entirely unclothed, and I was beholding her glorious naked image, which was burned into my mind... Shit, sorry Shiro. I promise I didn¡¯t mean to. But... you are a work of art. You really are... before my vision went deeper, investigating her physical body. I don¡¯t see anything abnormal, like cancer or... well, I¡¯m not a doctor, so... her subtle body blazed into focus, and I gasped at the strange set-up it had, dim and barely functional, before...


    ¡°Well, is that how a gentleman should react?¡± Shiro said... no, not Shiro. Her lips were moving, but a different voice was coming out, her tone and inflections completely different. I gasped, as her hair had changed to a vivid red, flames licking down her long locks, a blazing crimson, and her eyes had also turned blood red, her smile angry. ¡°Peering into a woman¡¯s secrets is worthy of great retribution. Now, how will you make it up to me?¡± she grinned, showing her teeth, which were now rather sharp. ¡°I am hungry for your answer, and your recompense!¡±


    Shiro? No, is that even Shiro? Confused, I gathered my thoughts to respond. Is she another Candidate, or something else? Seriously, what are the chances of that? Well, Shiro always has been special... Mind racing, I opened my mouth to make my apology...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-One

    Two Hundred And Fifty-One


    ¡°Well, I apologise for prying without asking but... who are you? Where the hell is Shiro?¡± I asked, stunned at her transformation. The now red-eyed and flame-haired beauty in front of me smiled, but it wasn¡¯t the sort of smile I was used to seeing on Shiro, not a smile of teasing amusement, or excitement about her game or some anime, but a smile of greed, of hunger.


    ¡°Shiro is here. With me. But right now I believe I am required. Your gaze is intrusive. Cease immediately, it does not please me.¡± She licked her lips, though it wasn¡¯t seductive at all, merely... thirsty.


    ¡°Uh...¡± I let the amber glow of my Eye fade, though I didn¡¯t lower my guard, but my mind was racing. Shiro¡¯s a Candidate? But... this doesn¡¯t seem like a skill, she seems like an entirely different person... My confusion and wariness must have shown on my face, as a brief expression of pain crossed the features of the beautiful woman in front of me, and one eye returned to the black shade I was so used to, her flaming hair starting to dye silver again, though various strands and the tips were still a brilliant rusty crimson, faint flames flickering. It¡¯s lucky those flames don¡¯t give off any smoke and there are candles in here anyway, so no fire alarms can go off... but shit, what do we do when the waiter comes in to see if we want more drinks? Thinking useless thoughts I fixed my gaze on the strange being that appeared to be Shiro.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure I should be surprised. You¡¯ve changed a lot, Aki.¡± Shiro said, her voice normal again. Her black eye was looking at me, amused, while the red one was still aggressive, not matching the facial expression. It was a little disturbing, like looking at a composite of two disparate people. ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t think you were like me. The odds of it seemed rather slim. Hard as it was to believe, the most likely explanation was you just got your act together when you got engaged. If it was Yasu, I¡¯d never have believed that...¡±


    Hearing the joke in her teasing tone relaxed me, and I slumped back in my seat, still confused but a little relieved. Yeah that¡¯s still Shiro. Nobody can fake our princess...


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so wary, Tan.¡± Shiro said. ¡°That¡¯s Aki. He wouldn¡¯t hurt me. He¡¯s not the sort. You were listening, right? Besides, he¡¯s trying to ask me out. That hasn¡¯t changed, right?¡±


    Before I could answer, the other side of Shiro spoke up, her tone different completely. That¡¯s Tan, right? Is that a name, nickname, or what? Is she possessed or something even crazier? ¡°Do not be nai?ve, my little princess.¡± Tan said, twisting Shiro¡¯s face into a frown. ¡°He was looking deep inside you, such an act is not merely a gross invasion of your privacy, but a clear threat to you. Besides...¡± she licked her lips again, and I noticed that all of a sudden her lips were dry and cracked, as if she hadn¡¯t eaten or drank for days. It looked painful, and was different to how she had looked only moments before. And it isn¡¯t like we haven¡¯t just been eating and drinking...


    ¡°... you do know he used his vision to see beneath your clothes? Everything was laid bare to him, each nook and cranny that nobody else has ever seen.¡±


    Shiro froze at that, as did I, the description too lurid. Well it¡¯s true I caught a glimpse, but only for a second. Though my traitorous mind could clearly remember it vividly.


    ¡°Really? Aki wouldn¡¯t have the guts... I would have said. But you¡¯ve changed.¡± She puffed out her cheeks in an adorable and annoyed pout. ¡°That¡¯s such a Yasu move, I¡¯m disappointed and angry.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, Yasu wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± I defended him. ¡°Even that time Aimi-chan was drunk and the clasp on her skirt broke he didn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°You were all supposed to forget that!¡± Shiro snapped. ¡°Besides, no changing the subject!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I bowed low, genuinely apologetic. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that would happen, and it was only for a moment. I just wanted to see if I could identify your physical issues, and also if your weakness was caused by a subtle body defect. I was planning to see if I could help you.¡± I said all that in a rush under her disapproving black and red stare, before taking a deep breath to steady myself. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility, I promise!¡±


    Shiro growled, before her face twitched and she was suddenly laughing bitterly, two separate responses a beat apart. ¡°Take responsibility? You offering to marry me, Aki? That¡¯s one hell of a way to get what you want...¡± a long sigh then followed. ¡°Look, Tan. I believe him, all right. Anyway, Aki, you don¡¯t need to take responsibility...¡± her face was pink, and her dark eye looked down, embarrassed. ¡°You should be thankful, you are the only man to see this princess that way since I was a child. My doctor is a woman now. Though sometimes she still looks at me strangely...¡± she stared at me then, her red eye blazing. ¡°Well, Tan, you probably want more food and especially drink, right? Aki can pay as a token of apology. We need to talk. Honestly.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I agreed, glad to get over that awkwardness. I went and spoke to a waiter, and soon there were multiple meals on the table, as well as wine, beer, sake, juice and more, enough to feed six or seven people. Watching Shiro... well, this Tan I guess... shovelling a huge amount of food into Shiro¡¯s mouth, washing it down with barely a pause with great mouthfuls of liquid, was a surreal sight indeed.


    ¡°Uh, you don¡¯t get sick doing that, do you?¡± I asked, and Shiro shook her head, still eating, but when she finished swallowing, she answered.


    ¡°No, it may be my body, but it¡¯s Tan who is eating. It¡¯s a spiritual thing, apparently. I don¡¯t get it. Well, I do get to taste what she eats at least, and I don¡¯t put on weight... it¡¯s been a pain on my meagre budget though, luckily I get money from... well, that doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡±


    Money from who, or where? ¡°So, a few things are making sense. You don¡¯t seem as tired and fragile as normal. When we were out last time you only started collapsing when I mentioned you were doing better than usual... so, tell me, are you cured?¡± If so I¡¯d be grateful to this Tan, at least a little.


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Shiro disagreed though, dashing my hopes. ¡°Though I¡¯m a bit stronger than before. Don¡¯t get me wrong, Aki. I¡¯m still pretty tired now, but Tan can take over if I¡¯m ever in trouble, so I don¡¯t have to worry about collapsing somewhere and getting into danger!¡± she flexed one arm, showing off, while the other was deftly slicing up another steak.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t get many stat gains from levelling then?¡± I asked, and Shiro fixed me with her single black eye. She swallowed hastily, before sighing. ¡°Seriously Aki, this isn¡¯t a game. You don¡¯t just beat up some trash mob and gain a level or two. Are you taking this seriously? Wait a minute...¡± she paused. ¡°Aki, you¡¯re otaku through and through, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d make that sort of mistake.¡± Both of her eyes glittered, excited, the red one glowing hungrily. ¡°Shit, you went and got the classic, didn¡¯t you?¡± she gave me a thumbs-up with one hand. ¡°Trust Aki to get the appraisal cheat, right? You did, didn¡¯t you? Starts off shitty but a smart hero can really leverage it to success.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that, yes.¡± I agreed. I can give Shiro some information. She¡¯s Shiro! Besides, now there¡¯s another option... ¡°So, yours is uh... this Tan girl, right?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look and see? Wait, just at my stats, if you look at me naked again I¡¯ll kill you, I swear! It¡¯s all right, Tan, I trust Aki.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly that convenient.¡± I said. ¡°It only works fully on myself, or those... well, connected to me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I can divine a few details if I know what I¡¯m looking for, but...¡±


    ¡°Still too low level, huh? For shame, Aki!¡± Shiro¡¯s grin was back, and close to what was normal, the smile she had when talking about her game or a manga she liked. ¡°I¡¯d have expected you of all people to be grinding non-stop! Or have you been spending too long wooing your childhood friend and building a harem? Shit, Aki, that stuff has to come when you are overpowered, not before... hang on a minute...¡± she blinked at me, stunned, which came out more as a wink, as the red eye was still staring.


    ¡°Aki. I get it. I do. Serious talk time. Uh, Tan, can you go easy on the drinking for a minute?¡± as her arm put the half-drunk can of beer down, Shiro looked at me, expression pensive. ¡°I¡¯m glad in a way. Tan isn¡¯t someone who understands this, and I only have one other person I can talk to about these matters, and she... well, she¡¯s not exactly easy to talk to.¡±


    I sat there silently, listening, and that got me a smile. ¡°If it had to be someone I knew, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s you, Aki. Hayato would be good too, but... well, he¡¯s not a fighter, is he? You have experience. I remember when Yasu and Shugo made you show everyone your scars. They aren¡¯t that impressive, but... well. Damn, this is hard to put into words, and it makes me sound a bit shitty, but... well, I¡¯m a princess, I can be forgiven that, right?¡±


    ¡°Just say it. We agreed honesty, right?¡± I said reassuringly, reaching out a hand to her, placing it on hers across the table. She looked down surprised, before looking up at me again, shaking her head. Still, she didn¡¯t move her hand.


    ¡°Smooth bastard. Even Hayato would be proud of that move. Shit, I¡¯m going to text Eri that you were hitting on me, Aki. Anyway... look. We used to reminisce all the time when drunk, right? Which Sekirei would you want, what world would you want to be isekai¡¯d to, which super-power would you like, which manga character would you swap with?¡±


    ¡°Yasu said Yuuki Rito, I remember.¡± I smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly, waiting for what she really wanted to say. ¡°I said at least be Negi Springfield, right? Hah, thinking back, I think that¡¯s a bit ironic.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± she asked, and I waved off the question for later. ¡°Fine.¡± She said. ¡°Look. I¡¯m ill, right? And not just normally sick, but a sickness nobody can diagnose properly. I¡¯m also amazingly cute, right? Just like the heroine of a story. There¡¯s only two ways I can go from there, see?¡± She was talking seriously, and I could feel her trembling pulse through her hand. ¡°Either I can curse the unfairness of life, give up and die... or I could believe I was special. A princess. I¡¯m special. I¡¯ve always known it. I was just waiting for my time to come. The world I was building, my game... it¡¯s a representation of my dream of being someone important, to be...¡±


    ¡°You are important.¡± I assured her. ¡°To me, to Hayato-san and the others. Hell, I¡¯m sure even the girls at your dorm think you¡¯re important.¡±


    ¡°Flatterer.¡± She scoffed. ¡°But I don¡¯t hate it. Anyway, as I grew older, surprised I was still alive, well... it turns out I¡¯m special after all. I was right.¡± her smile turned bitter, which surprised me as she was vindicated, she should have been happy.


    When I said as much, she sighed again. ¡°Oh Aki. I don¡¯t know how it was for you, but I¡¯m too special. Tan, please explain. I don¡¯t mind if Aki knows, after all... well, that¡¯s for later.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure. I hope this is not unwise.¡± Her voice changed. ¡°You think you are special, man? One in a hundred thousand, chosen by a divine being? Well, perhaps you are.¡± She said, and it was unnerving, the completely different tone, inflection and word choice she was using compared to Shiro throwing me off. ¡°But if you are one in a hundred thousand, she is one in a hundred million. The fact she still lives is surely divine providence.¡± Her burning gaze fixed me, and I couldn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°Well, this girl... she should not be alive. A world without connection to the higher Astral, the lands of the divine... her body, an atavistic reversion to an older form, requiring spiritual power to survive...¡± she shook her head, silver and crimson hair cascading, her dark eye looking sad and bitter. ¡°Rare are those who regress so, and they would likely perish young, if they were carried to term at all. After all, the spiritual informs and influences the physical.¡±


    ¡°What she¡¯s saying, Aki...¡± Shiro took over once more. ¡°Is that I was special after all. But born at the wrong time. My body needed spiritual power to function. I think it¡¯s called aether, right?¡±


    I nodded at that, allowing her to continue. Small, silvery tears were sliding down one of her cheeks as the black eye wept. ¡°It¡¯s not fair. Not at all. why did I have to be so unlucky? One in a hundred million? I could have won the lottery with odds like that, Aki. Though somehow I¡¯d still have ended up with less money than you...¡± she grumbled, forcing a smile, though it was strange, as only half of her face responded. ¡°... no wonder the doctors and specialists couldn¡¯t ever find anything. I guess my parents were right, even if they were selfish. Their money would have been wasted...¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been a waste.¡± I denied that. ¡°Even if it didn¡¯t help you physically, if it made you feel happier, gave you peace of mind, it would have been money well spent.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, not everyone thinks like you, Aki. Shit, if you love your future kids like you do your sister, assuming you don¡¯t get arrested, they¡¯ll be happy, well-loved kids.¡± She made a crude joke, lowering the rising tension a little. ¡°But... well, now I see the reason for it all. it¡¯s all so obvious in hindsight. I was born for this.¡±


    ¡°So, uh... your ability is to share a body with this Tan, right? That¡¯s unusual, and isn¡¯t it a problem in your daily life?¡± I asked, feeling her out. I want to know everything, and then I¡¯ll ask her to join me. Another candidate would be really helpful, especially it being Shiro. I know I can trust her, and since I want to protect her, well, two birds, one stone, right?


    ¡°Not exactly. As for my daily life...¡± she shrugged. ¡°Tan sleeps most of the time, when she¡¯s not eating or drinking. Or when...¡± her gaze softened. ¡°Shit, you know what I mean, Aki, you must do.¡±


    I think I do. Nodding slowly, I agreed. ¡°It still seems hard though. You¡¯ve got used to spending your daily life alone...¡±


    ¡°Well, what choice did I have?¡± she began, before her voice changed.


    My expression must have been a picture, as she snorted. ¡°That¡¯s cute Aki, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m still white. In fact, it was another woman who betrayed me. Though I guess I have been the subject of a lot of pushy advances from lesbians too...¡± she laughed weakly at the joke, drinking from a half-empty can of beer to steady her nerves. ¡°She was like us. How did I find her, you ask? Well, she found me...¡± She put down the now-empty can. ¡°An older woman, very motherly. Full of advice, wanting to help... I fell for it. And you know me, I don¡¯t trust easily!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do put up a certain shell. A defence mechanism.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Well, Tan didn¡¯t trust her, but I was just so happy to have someone to talk to about this stuff. Then one day, a month or so in... she tried to kill me. Luckily Tan had pretended to just be my ability, so she was caught out when Tan took over. And now... she¡¯s dead.¡± She looked so downcast. ¡°Do you know Aki? What it¡¯s like to kill someone else? Of course you don¡¯t. Goblins and so forth... sure, they may have minds, but it¡¯s not like killing another human, is...¡± at her bitter self-reproach I was on my feet, wrapping her in a deep hug, pushing her to my chest. She made to protest, tears sparkling on her cheeks, but I wouldn¡¯t let go. A brief flash of red was in her eyes, probably Tan watching warily, but seeming to know I meant no harm Shiro¡¯s eyes remained black.


    ¡°Look, Shiro, it wasn¡¯t your fault. I promise. She betrayed you. Being too trusting... well, it¡¯s not a good thing. I know it¡¯s a fault I have myself. But... I¡¯d rather trust and be betrayed than not trust anyone and miss out on friends, allies, lovers.¡± After all, if someone betrays me now, I¡¯m strong enough to overcome it and strike back. ¡°It was Tan, right? You may have felt it, but...¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t know, Aki! How could you?¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯m Tan and Tan is me! It was me, I snapped her neck and watched her choke to death, and then Tan... ugh. Well, I¡¯m a murderer! That¡¯s why... it was great to see everyone again, forget about it for a while, laugh at stupid jokes, talk about happy things. I wanted to be special, I did. I wanted to live, but the price is heavy. Still... I don¡¯t regret it! I¡¯m saving the world, Aki. The world may hate me, it wanted me dead, but I¡¯ll save it, and if I have to dirty my hands...¡±


    ¡°That was close.¡± I said, surprising her, as it seemed random.


    ¡°What was?¡± she sniffled, annoyed I interrupted her self-flagellation.


    ¡°If my Resilience stat was any lower I¡¯d have kissed you then to shut you up.¡± I joked. Though she looked so tragic, so beautiful, it was genuinely hard to resist...


    ¡°You¡¯re still hitting on me now? I¡¯d have bit off your tongue Aki!¡± she snapped, embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m saving my first kiss for...¡±


    ¡°... for me.¡± I declared confidently. ¡°I¡¯m surer than ever I¡¯m the one for you! After all... I do understand. After all, I¡¯ve killed people, and I don¡¯t even have the excuse that it was someone else like Tan. My family, friends, innocent bystanders... they were threatened, by my mistakes, so I had to take that burden, put it right. I too want to save the world, Shiro. I understand your pain, the guilt, the grief, the haunting feeling it was wrong, that I could have done better, that I¡¯m making mistakes. But I just have to look at the smiles on the faces of Eri and the others to know... it was worth it. And I want, I need to see that smile on your face too, Shiro.¡±


    She looked at me then, her dark eyes searching mine. ¡°That¡¯s selfish. You¡¯re asking for all of my love, and only giving me a portion of yours in return. How¡¯s that fair? You¡¯re being a jerk, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I freely admit it¡¯s not fair. But... who else can understand your struggles and support you? And I... I¡¯ll never betray you. You know that. Besides, if a portion of my love makes other guys look like trash, how are you losing out? We¡¯ll finish your game together, and make that kind world you craved a reality in this world too. But it won¡¯t be just you and me. It¡¯ll be all of us, together. Friends you can trust, who understand your struggles... I can be there for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait... wait just a minute, let me think!¡± she snapped, bright red flaring, but on her skin, not her hair and eyes. She was trapped within my embrace and I could feel her heart beating, weak and irregular, but somehow very soothing. ¡°Stop trying to overcome my common sense with this smooth gigolo bullshit. You are shining right now, it makes me all confused and I start to think about your new looks and your damn bank balance... shit.¡± She took a deep shuddering breath. ¡°Aki. No talking crap. You¡¯ve killed? People?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Three so far. Two had just shot a Detective and were about to kill an innocent policewoman. She was our age. I¡¯d tried to sort things without anyone dying, but that was my reward. I also... well, I killed another one like us. He was garbage, worse than garbage. I¡¯m glad you never met him. He deserved death, but... my reasons weren¡¯t exactly pure. I¡¯m not proud of it.¡± I looked her in the eyes, showing my sincerity. ¡±But I¡¯d do it again. And if it was for you...¡±


    ¡°You must have really worked that appraisal to get stronger. The people I know...¡± she closed her mouth, but I didn¡¯t miss it. She must know others. She said she had someone to talk to about this but she was ¡®hard to talk to¡¯ earlier. I don¡¯t think she meant Tan. ¡°Look, there are some monsters out there with powers that are deadly. Your knowledge cheat isn¡¯t going to cut it, Aki.¡± She reached out a hand, touching my cheek, which surprised me. It was quite a gentle, tender touch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you die. Not like they did...¡±


    ¡°They?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°There was a second reason I trust Tan, right? Well... promise me Aki. I tell you this and you never tell anyone else.¡± She was deadly serious, but we were finally truly talking about what mattered, so I was happy to promise. At my nod, she whispered. ¡°There was a second one like us. A guy. He was no good too. So... Tan killed him. But... she can take the divine favours away from those she kills and use them. Not often, it¡¯s not easy, but...¡±


    Conqueror, maybe? Or something else... ¡°You think a knowledge cheat is busted? Skill-taking is worse.¡± I joked, and she scowled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. The ability... it was from some sort of judgement god, I think. The ability was to enforce contracts, and if either party broke the terms, then they would have to pay compensation as agreed, and if not... well, their spiritual body would be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°That explains what Tan said earlier. And why you¡¯ve been telling me to abide by my promises recently. So, you say you trust Tan now. I guess you have a contract too?¡±


    She nodded, face still damp, her long flowing hair cascading, tickling my hands. ¡°Yes. Tan pledged that when she is victorious and becomes the true ruler of this world, an Astral Empress, and forges her own divine domain, ascending to true Godhood, that I¡¯ll be free. But not just free, by then she says that she¡¯ll have empowered me enough to live centuries more, happy and healthy. In exchange... I¡¯m not allowed to stop her from doing what she needs to do to win. Even if that means... killing. So yes, I¡¯m still a murderer. I¡¯m responsible for every death that Tan causes from now on. I agreed to it, Aki. I agreed.¡±


    More information. So, Astral Emperors rule worlds. Does that mean there can only be one, or could there be more? After all, what¡¯s a world? Our Universe is full of them... and Godhood. So Tan is something like Ortlinde, at best a demi-god or pseudo-divine being...


    ¡°If either of us betrays the other, then the contract will activate, and the compensation is... the life of the other.¡± She shuddered. ¡°So you see, I trust her.¡±


    ¡°And... the wording doesn¡¯t leave any dodgy loopholes? These spiritual beings can be tricksy as hell.¡± That time Shaeula told my sister and Eri about me when I didn¡¯t want her too, she was very careful to only sound like she was agreeing with me, she never actually promised to do as I said. The same with her first Oaths.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, Aki. I¡¯m not getting caught out with that. Now are you going to let me go? I get it, we are both bad people. I¡¯m fine now. I promise!¡± She wriggled, but there was no way she could break free from my grip. ¡°Look, let go, damn it!¡±


    ¡°No. Because you obviously don¡¯t get it. You may be doing things that aren¡¯t good, but... they aren¡¯t for selfish reasons. You genuinely worry about the world, even though it did nothing for you.¡±


    ¡°No, I...¡± she began, but I silenced her.


    Look. Shiro. Shirohime. Shut up! I know better than you the weight of responsibility. I¡¯ve taken on a lot. If... if it¡¯s too much for you, let me take yours on too. I can carry it, and if you find that too pretentious, too unfair, then at least let me help you carry it. I can do it because I¡¯m not alone. So... if it¡¯s too much, let me help you!¡±


    ¡°But... this is my burden. I wanted to be special, prayed for it all these years, knew I was...¡± she said doubtfully. ¡°... besides, I made a contract with Tan. It¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°You are special to me! And shit, Tan didn¡¯t say you couldn¡¯t have help, did she? I don¡¯t know about being an Astral Emperor, but that¡¯s a long way off. We can work something out. After all, I already have three others like us in my corner. And I¡¯m the boss.¡± I grinned. ¡°See, Aki isn¡¯t afraid of doing what needs to be done. I¡¯m a new man!¡± I leaned closer, until I was looking right into her eyes, her breath mingling with mine, hot on each other¡¯s faces. ¡°Shiro, I care about you. I love you. I love Eri, and others too. It¡¯s unfair, it might make me a bad person, but I know one thing. I am confident of one thing. I know what it takes to make you happy. Probably more than anyone else in the world, right now. And if you give me the chance, I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll make you the happiest person in the world. Well, equal happiest, anyway!¡±


    ¡°Shit. You¡¯re just an Aki...¡± she breathed out, breath tickling me. ¡°But my heart does clench when you look at me like that, say those words. It¡¯s a bit... thrilling. And when I look at you, I see all the things about you I like, like your looks, and how you are the same as me, and the fact you¡¯re a cheating bag of crap seems less important and... damn, it¡¯s like my emotions are betraying me. This shouldn¡¯t happen! I¡¯m Shirohime, I¡¯m the one who makes people fall for her, so I can crush their hearts!¡±


    ¡°You crushed mine years ago...¡± I whispered softly, and she shuddered. Sorry, I¡¯ve got rather high charm, but all that does is make what you like about me seem more important. Forgive me...


    ¡°Shit. I¡¯d believe your ability was charming girls. Are you sure it wasn¡¯t you who swapped in for Yuuki Rito?¡±


    ¡°Would Rito have the guts to do this?¡± I asked, moving ever so slowly closer to her face. She squeezed shut her eyes, and I took that as an invitation. Our lips touched, and I gently kissed her. Just lips to lips. After a moment I pulled away, and her eyes opened in wonder.


    ¡°That... that was my first kiss.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Not mine.¡± I apologised. ¡°But my first with you, so it¡¯s a first I¡¯ll always remember and treasure.¡±


    ¡°Shit, not Yuuki Rito or any other pussy protago... mmm, mmm!¡± she lost her words as I sealed her lips again. This time her mouth was open, but I didn¡¯t force it. She was shy, inexperienced, and hurting emotionally right now. But I still used my tongue, licking at her lips. She made more protesting noises, but didn¡¯t pull away, eventually shutting her eyes again, relaxing into me. Great. She¡¯s loosening up. I want this to be fun for her...


    My tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring, and Shiro kissed me back. I felt her trembling body giving off heat, as her flushed skin was scalding with nerves and passion. As our tongues tangled I marvelled at the feel of her in my arms. She was unlike any of my other girls, taller, more mature, and with a chest that rivalled the busty version of Hyacinth. Still, I was not going to be a beast and give into my instincts. Kissing was all I would do, until she confirmed in words she would be my girlfriend.


    ¡°Puh, hah, mmm...¡± Shiro panted as I pulled away. Her black eyes opened, and she looked at me, dazed. ¡°My... I never... a deep kiss.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sorry. I would have stopped at just your lips, but Shiro. I love you. And I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to taste you. I hope you enjoyed it?¡±


    ¡°You sound like Tan...¡± she muttered, dazed. ¡°I... I didn¡¯t hate it. It was just a kiss anyway. I am an adult, a proud princess. Kissing is nothing to me!¡± she declared.


    ¡°Good! In that case then...¡± I leaned in, and we were kissing again, this time our eyes open, focussed on each other. Shiro. I swear I¡¯m going to keep you safe... Tan, don¡¯t be a traitor or a user, I want to believe in you too. If you genuinely help Shiro, I¡¯ll be your ally. But if not... I tightened my grip on Shiro, and my tongue tangled with hers more passionately, her taste on my tongue, her swallowing saliva as we kissed. ... if not, I don¡¯t care what or how. You¡¯ll be the one to pay, contract or not...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Two

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Two


    ¡°That was intense. Aki, you¡¯re a brute!¡± Shiro sighed, red-faced. ¡°To think... I was going to shoot you down, and somehow we ended up kissing.¡±


    ¡°The moment seemed right.¡± I smiled, still holding her in my arms. ¡°Seriously though, I haven¡¯t heard your answer. I love you, Shiro. Let me help you with your burdens. I¡¯ve got broad shoulders, I can help you carry them.¡±


    She eyed me then, my muscles rippling under my lavender shirt. ¡°Yes, I never noticed, but you do, huh.¡± She sounded surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working out, trying to strengthen the right muscles. I¡¯ve been doing combat training too. I started with YouTube videos, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, that sort of thing. Gaining levels helps, it strengthens everything, but without hard work it means nothing.¡± Shit, I sound like my father there. Speaking of... mom¡¯s going to be overjoyed at having another daughter-in-law like Shiro, but father, auntie and uncle are going to be annoyed. At least... at least this was expected.


    ¡°So lean on me. Please.¡± I said again. ¡°After all, no man hates working hard for a girl he loves.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t said yes yet...¡± she muttered. Reaching for her phone, she started typing a message. Curious, I asked her what she was doing.


    ¡°Sending a text to your childhood friend, telling her you are kissing other women. And... send.¡± She tapped the screen with an impish smile. ¡°I hope you enjoy getting scolded, Aki.¡±


    ¡°For you I don¡¯t mind. But you are doing it wrong.¡± I grabbed my own phone, leaned in and placed my lips against hers, holding my phone up to take a selfie. Her dark onyx eyes went wide, but perhaps as she had become accustomed to kissing me over the last few minutes, she didn¡¯t resist, and we were soon entwining out tongues again. There was a shutter sound as my phone took a snapshot, and I then turned all my attention to Shiro, our kiss deep and passionate. As we parted, Shiro red-faced and breathing heavily, her chest straining under her t-shirt, I forwarded her the photo.


    ¡°Damn, we look good together, don¡¯t we?¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Anyway, if you are tying to get me in trouble, use that. Look... they know, all right. I¡¯ve told them there¡¯s a girl who I¡¯ve always liked, a beautiful, cheeky and proud princess with a lousy personality but a good heart. I want to help you, and I want you to be mine. So please, Shiro. I¡¯m asking again. Be with me. Forever.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± she looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be just some mistress, Aki. I dreamed of a glorious wedding, where I wore a white gown fit for a princess, and everyone cheered and threw flower petals at me. Even my useless parents were there, watching and crying. If you say you can make me happy, then...¡±


    ¡°Shush now.¡± I placed a finger to her lips that were damp with my own saliva. ¡°I promise you this, I¡¯ll marry you, and it¡¯ll be magical, everything you¡¯ve dreamed of and more.¡±


    ¡°But, Eri, the others...¡± she began, only for me to seal her lips, this time not with a finger. When we were done, I allowed no further protests.


    ¡°Everyone. I¡¯ll marry you all. And before you say ¡®that¡¯s illegal Aki you idiot¡¯ or ¡®have you lost your mind?¡¯ I¡¯ll tell you this. I¡¯ve thought it all through. Originally I was going to stay loyal to Eri, but... she was the one that pushed for me to accept others. Well, one other, really, but that kind of opened the floodgates a little. Still it opened my eyes. Eri wasn¡¯t wrong. But if I¡¯m going to do this, I¡¯m going to do it right. I called in a few favours with powerful people, and now polygamy is going to be legalised.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Aki... I know you want me to say yes, but you don¡¯t have to bullshit me. I¡¯m not a little kid.¡±


    ¡°I know you aren¡¯t. You¡¯re a gorgeous princess.¡± I smiled. ¡°Look, I could call up the Prime Minister¡¯s secretary right now and get him to put his boss on the phone. No bullshit. He¡¯d be pissed off I was doing it simply to get a beautiful girl to fall for me, but if I have to do it, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Shiro looked at me, expression dubious, before sighing. ¡°I... I don¡¯t think you¡¯d lie to me, Aki. Not now. Not about this. So... just what the hell have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°Stuff that keeps me from working on your game.¡± I winked at her. ¡°But to be honest, I think your game will have to be put on hold for a while. I want to get you stronger first.¡±


    ¡°But Tan is doing that...¡± she protested.


    ¡°Yeah well, sorry to Tan, but I don¡¯t entirely trust her yet. That contract... well, I¡¯d like to have an expert in trickery look it over, but for now...¡± Shiro doesn¡¯t need Lovers¡¯ Link, I¡¯d imagine, being a Candidate, but... now that it gives a small percentage of my stats if hers is lower and my stats are pretty decent... it¡¯s still worth a try. Wait... is she even actually a Candidate? How does it all work anyway, with Tan? Shit, too many unanswered questions...


    ¡°You are grinning at me rather unpleasantly, Aki.¡± She chided me. ¡°Are you thinking of lewd...¡± before she could finish, her eyes flared red and Tan peered out at me.


    ¡°Trust is earned, not given. She trusts you, I do not. There is too much to gain were you to betray her. As for our contract, that is a matter for she and I to deal with. Your input is unwelcome.¡± And with that Shiro¡¯s eyes darkened once more.


    ¡°Sorry about Tan, Aki. Since she drank... err, got that skill she¡¯s... well, it doesn¡¯t matter. So, you never answered me. What have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°Making mistakes. I was too visible.¡± I shrugged. ¡°So I naturally crossed the radar of politicians and powerful nobility.¡± Giving her an abridged version of the political situation, though with few actual details, she looked at me in shock when I was done.


    ¡°Damn, Aki you are radiating major protag energy right now. I¡¯m impressed. All I¡¯ve been doing is helping Tan. Though I guess we¡¯ve done all right, considering the rough start. Anyway, I... look, Aki. Ask me again, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Wait, the mood isn¡¯t right. Bear with me a second...¡± I nipped out of the private room and called over a waiter. I had a brief discussion, and while my first request was rather ordinary, the second confused him a little. Still, considering that I¡¯d rented a private room, and bought enough food for six and drinks for a dozen, thanks to that greedy Tan, my unorthodox request was accepted. Taking the item I had requested, as well as the bottle of champagne and two glasses I had asked for, I re-entered the room, shutting the door behind me. Placing down the glasses, I uncorked the bottle easily, and poured us out some of the bubbling liquid. Placing down the bottle, I handed Shiro a glass.


    ¡°Damn, the suspense is killing me. So theatrical, Aki. And... uh, just how much was that bottle? I¡¯m sure I saw it on the menu and it cost...¡±


    ¡°... a lot less than the worth of a single smile from you.¡± I finished, and her already flushed face darkened as she writhed in embarrassment.


    ¡°Shit, another critical hit. Aki you bastard, you¡¯ve been keeping your natural talents hidden all these years! No longer will I consider Hayato the heartbreaker of the group, you¡¯ve killed him dead!¡± she took a sip to cover her nerves. ¡°Oh wow, this stuff is fit for a princess. At least you have good taste...¡±


    ¡°I do, especially in women.¡± I grinned, before getting down on one knee, surprisingly enough clutching a silver spoon in my hands, which was drawing her gaze.


    ¡°Uh, what are you doing, Aki?¡± she asked, before I silenced her with a look. ¡°Shiro. I¡¯m asking you once more, will you go out with me? No, will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Marry?¡± she squeaked, completely blown away by the escalation.


    ¡°Yes. I want you to stand on the same footing as Eri and the others. Now, I¡¯m well known for my shitty proposals, it¡¯s sort of a running joke...¡± I grinned, a touch shame-facedly. ¡°... and normally I get the rings later, but... not this time.¡± With spoon in hand I crushed it into a ball, eliciting a gasp from Shiro, though that was nothing compared to what I did next.


    ¡°Well, Tan isn¡¯t the only one that can monopolise fire...¡± I grinned. A tongue of flame, quickly swelled by my plentiful wind energy, sparked into life, and Shiro let out another, longer gasp.


    ¡°Aki, that¡¯s... what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this? Yeah, I may have started off with just appraisal, but using that I managed to pick up a few more useful skills.¡± I winked at her as I worked, the silver ball turning molten. Earth energy insulated my hand as I worked, and with a mixture of more wind energy and aether I began to sculpt the object.


    Shiro peered at me, black eyes curious, and I spared her little attention, concentrating on this difficult work, though I did notice a flicker of ruby light in her gaze, probably Tan watching, perhaps alarmed by the elemental energies I was channelling. Well, I¡¯m only using a little, nothing special... though Shiro is so fragile I guess even this could harm her easily. ¡°Well, this is harder than I thought, but...¡± I shaped the metal, folding it over and over again. Eventually, sweat dripping down my face from a combination of heat and the strain of doing such delicate work, which was only possible due to my significant Precision and Alacrity, I finally finished, summoning a little water to cool the ring, which hissed as it solidified. The ring glimmered brightly, reminding me a little of the moon in the Fae lands...


    ¡°What the hell did you do, Aki?¡± she asked, as I reached out towards her, the ring, a delicate circle of silvery petals, resting on my palm.


    ¡°You said you wanted flower petals at your wedding, right?¡± I grinned. ¡°Consider this an advance. Sorry the ring is only silver, but... I put my heart into it. So... uh, Shiro, your answer?¡±


    She absentmindedly picked up the ring from my palm, examining it cautiously, turning it around so she could see the detailing. ¡°Uh... you made this right here in front of me, right?¡±


    ¡°Is that so surprising? After all, Tan is surely weirder than that.¡± I said reasonably, and she nodded mechanically.


    ¡°I guess so, Aki. I guess so. So... uh, you want to marry me? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I love you Shiro. I admit, I love others too, but that doesn¡¯t mean I love you any less. So, please, make me happy by saying yes, and I¡¯ll return that happiness to you double! I¡¯ll always have your back!¡±


    ¡°But... well, Tan.¡± She said, awkwardly, and I understood.


    ¡°Well, Tan just has to... keep sleeping... when we are being intimate. That solves that problem. And as for the other... you trust Tan, right?¡±


    ¡°I do. I haven¡¯t really explained everything about why yet, but... I get that she means me no harm. Besides, she needs me, otherwise she¡¯d have to go back home. But... she wants to be an Astral Empress, right? So... well, don¡¯t you want to be the best, Aki?¡±


    ¡°Not having second thoughts I hope?¡± I said, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, if anything you said before was true, it was that there aren¡¯t going to be many men who can understand me like you do. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m thrilled at all about having to share you, but... well, I guess I¡¯ll be busy helping Tan a lot, so... hmm, that feels kind of sad now. Damn, I never thought I was such a... well, girl. I¡¯m already starting to feel like I want to spend more time with you.¡±


    ¡°I should hope so...¡± as we continued to talk, we reached the first destination. Shiro was panting heavily, clearly very tired, but I let out a trickle of Ether Healing. Her eyes flared red, and Tan surfaced once more.


    ¡°What are you doing? Using aether is a hostile...¡± she began, but my withering retort shut her down.


    ¡°Are you being this dumb deliberately? I get the impression you don¡¯t like me much. I¡¯m just restoring some of her strength. It¡¯s a talent. Now if you seriously think I¡¯m going to hurt her, then you need to get a clue. Now, shut those red eyes and leave us alone. I¡¯m on a date, I don¡¯t need a third wheel!¡±


    Tan made an indelicate noise, before Shiro¡¯s eyes turned onyx again. ¡°Really, she¡¯s just worried about me.¡±


    ¡°Sure. if you say so. But I resent her paranoia. But enough of her, I¡¯m not talking about Tan on my date with you, my dear fiance?e.¡±


    ¡°Well, my dear fiance?, where are we going?¡± she asked, chuckling.


    ¡°Here.¡± I declared.


    ¡°Here? A department store?¡± she asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, this one is the only store in Akihabara open this late, and there¡¯s a fun little maid cafe? on the top floor I believe, a little quirkier than the mainstream ones we usually go to. So, in we go...¡± I guided her in, and while it was quiet inside, we still had a short while to shop. Guiding her to the ladieswear section, I smiled. ¡°Time for that new outfit. And none of that ¡®you don¡¯t want to waste money¡¯ bullshit. If I can¡¯t treat my girlfriend, I¡¯m a pretty shitty guy, right? In fact... you don¡¯t have to worry about money again.¡±


    ¡°That seems a bit sudden...¡± Shiro was a little uncomfortable with the rapid pace of the night, which I understood, but... We don¡¯t have time for leisure. The world won¡¯t wait for us.


    ¡°It is sudden. But Shiro, I don¡¯t want you worrying about finances. You have enough to worry about. Besides, I bet you are going to look gorgeous in something like that...¡± I pointed, and Shiro flushed.


    ¡°Oh, fine.¡± Shiro conceded, and after taking the items I pointed out to the changing room, I waited for her to try a fresh new look...


    ********


    ¡°So, uh, how do I look?¡± Shiro asked, emerging from the changing room.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± I gave her a thumbs up, admiring her gorgeous figure. She was wearing a deep purple jumper which hugged her curves, as well as a blue skirt for contrast. The skirt was pretty long, but even so, seeing her ankles was a different experience. ¡°I knew with your hair and skin, you¡¯d look fantastic in deeper colours. We¡¯re taking them!¡± I bundled up her other clothes, as well as several other things she¡¯d tried on earlier. ¡°Excuse me!¡± I called to a tired-looking shopgirl. ¡°We are taking all these. She¡¯ll wear those out if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    She assented, so shortly afterwards we were on the top floor of the building, sitting in a rather small maid cafe?, the waitresses not just normal maids, but ones wearing cat ears, tails and other animal accoutrements. We had asked for a small booth to ensure our privacy, and the maid who had served us complimented us both regarding our outfits, which made Shiro blush. The maid just earned herself good feedback. I must remember to email the cafe website later.


    After a while, Shiro was picking away at a parfait and a glass of beer, while I was happy enough just to drink along with her. But it¡¯s time to ask. ¡°So, Shiro. Your contract with Tan. It seems... well, shit, to put it bluntly.¡±


    ¡°Well, I might have exaggerated a little. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Talking about the blood on my hands, even though you said you understood and had been through the same... well, I was shoving you away, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Too late for that.¡± I glanced down at her ring, she followed my gaze and blushed. ¡°So, you can tell me. I¡¯d like to know.¡±


    ¡°No she cannot. I see no reason why you should be privy to such information...¡± Tan declared, her hair smouldering with flames.


    ¡°For fuck sakes, Tan you moron. Stop with the flames in public. I know this is a private booth, but it isn¡¯t another room like before.¡±


    At my criticism the hair turned silver again, only the tips crimson. As she conceded to me, I continued. ¡°As for why I should be privy to the information, it¡¯s obvious. I¡¯m going to be marrying Shiro. I know you¡¯ve been listening. That means I need to know I can trust you, or I¡¯m going to have to take steps to secure her safety.¡±


    ¡°You believe you can?¡± she scoffed. ¡°Do not get ahead of yourself, foolish man. If the contract is broken, then it will be Shiro who suffers as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your threats. It doesn¡¯t sound very friendly. Now piss off and let me talk to my damn fiance?e in private. You want to win, right? Well, shouldn¡¯t you be trying to appeal to me then?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tan mused. ¡°Very well. You may know.¡± And with that she relinquished control back to Shiro.


    ¡°Sorry. She¡¯s normally only this grumpy when she¡¯s thirsty.¡± Shiro apologised. ¡°Now... the contract is sealed between us. Tan is to protect my life, keep me from harm as much as possible, and interfere with my daily life as little as she can. She¡¯ll slowly repair my body, and help me grow stronger, so I can eventually live a better than normal life. When she triumphs as an Astral Empress I¡¯ll be given any position of my choice below her. I¡¯ll be well rewarded.¡± She smiled. ¡°In exchange though... I can¡¯t stop her doing what she needs to win, even if that¡¯s killing an opponent.¡± She sighed. ¡°However, she has to abide by causing the minimum harm possible to achieve her goals. See, I¡¯m not stupid, Aki!¡± She pouted, stirring at her half-full parfait with her long spoon. ¡°She is not to harm people needlessly, or perform evil acts unless there is no alternative. And she intends to rule benevolently, though our world will join her faction as her demesne when this is all over. But apparently that would happen whoever wins. It¡¯s normally the Throne, she says, and they don¡¯t play nice with any other faction, leading to trillions of needless deaths, countless worlds lost. She¡¯s just taking a chance to redress the balance a bit, and it¡¯ll benefit me and us all too.¡± She smiled, relieved to have told me.


    Uh... yeah, okay. That sounds good at first listen, but... it¡¯s... basically the same as what she said when she was supposedly ¡®shoving me away¡¯. One thing Shiro was proud of was her mind, so for her not to notice seemed... odd. ¡°So, uh... yeah I get it. There¡¯s some benefits for you, but... who decides what is possible, what is necessary? If it¡¯s Tan... well, to put it bluntly, what if she decided she needed to level up, and the best way was to massacre a town or two?¡±


    ¡°Oh Aki, don¡¯t be so silly.¡± Shiro giggled, and I caught a hint of red in her vision. ¡°That would be an evil act. Surely there¡¯s an alternative way to level?¡±


    ... yeah, that¡¯s true. There would surely be... wait, no. that¡¯s nai?ve. ¡°It depends how stringently you apply it. If it needs to be done this minute then there wouldn¡¯t be an alternative, so she could go right ahead, by the terms of the contract, right?¡±


    ¡°Well... uh...¡± Shiro said, idly spooning parfait into her mouth. ¡°That seems logical, but there¡¯s a problem with that! There would be other ways to win, so she¡¯d have to do those!¡±


    Okay, I¡¯m a little worried. She seems too trusting of Tan. What Shiro says may well be true, she knows her better than me... wait, no, I can¡¯t trust to chance. Shiro is my priority. I¡¯m done making mistakes. Shaking my head, I decided to approach the matter differently.


    ¡°Hey, Aki. I know you are rightly suspicious of Tan. You don¡¯t know her. But she¡¯s saved my life several times. And others trust her too.¡± She looked down at her ring again, running a finger over it. ¡°Aki, you told me you have allies too, right? Well, I do as well. Tan helped me gather them. I think it¡¯s fine to tell you. Though...¡± she looked at me with her dark eyes, her cheeks flushed. ¡°... I¡¯m not sure if I want you to meet them. One¡¯s a cute girl, and another is a gorgeous woman. I worry they¡¯ll turn your head...¡± she pouted. ¡°... I think seven is plenty, thanks!¡±


    ¡°Oh Shiro.¡± I chuckled, rubbing her head, leaning in for a kiss. With a giggle she obliged. As she pulled away, she licked at her lips, but the view reminded me a little of Tan, which niggled at me. Still, I kept my face impassive as Shiro giggled.


    ¡°I got used to kissing you so quickly. Damn, Aki you are truly a master seducer. Yep, no way I¡¯m letting you meet them! Well, there is a third woman, sort of... but she... well, you can meet her, I guess.¡± She giggled again.


    ¡°So just girls then?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, we have the guys too. I have more allies than you it seems.¡± She winked. ¡°Now don¡¯t be jealous, none of them are my type, and I¡¯m the boss, aren¡¯t I?¡± she pushed out her chest proudly, which was a sight in her new jumper. ¡°Besides, unlike you, this princess doesn¡¯t cheat! I¡¯m content to be monogamous.¡±


    That stung a little, but I laughed it off. ¡°Well, it would be good to pool our forces. Working alone or in small groups will just lead to needless conflict and deaths. As for the rest...¡± I paused, considering. I still don¡¯t know what compensation is in this contract. It said death if the compensation wasn¡¯t paid, but if the compensation is modest enough... Whether that would be a good thing or not was hard to say. Any lessening of the risk to Shiro would be good, but if Tan could do whatever she wished for a minor cost... as I opened my mouth to raise that issue, Shiro asked something else.


    ¡°So, uh. I know Eri, right. Your childhood friend. So... who are the others? And... when do I get an introduction? I don¡¯t believe it, but I¡¯m actually nervous. Me, Shirohime, the white princess! Nervous about meeting your other girls! Damn, Aki, what have you done to me? If Aimi and Hina could see me like this I¡¯d die of shame...¡±


    That¡¯s true. I haven¡¯t really talked about them. I suppose I have to. I can use it to give me another opening to talk about Tan again too... ¡°Well, there¡¯s Hinata, and Motoko, Natsumi... oh, that¡¯s right.¡± I grinned. ¡°Funny thing is, my beloved Shirohime, you won¡¯t be the only princess in my harem.¡± I winked, to show I wasn¡¯t serious with the term harem. Well, it is one, but calling it one makes it seem like I¡¯m just collecting girls, not loving them properly.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s weird. Just so you know, anyone else calling themselves a princess is obviously a faker, unlike me.¡± She picked up her spoon, scraping away the last of the parfait from the glass.


    ¡°Yeah, her name is Shaeula, and she¡¯s a...¡±


    There was a gentle clinking as Shiro dropped her spoon, frozen. Puzzled, I looked at her, only to see she had turned deathly pale, looking sick. The tips of her hair were darkening, turning red.


    ¡°Shaeula? Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan?¡± she asked, and as her hair burst into flames, I nodded dumbly. How do you know about Shaeula. I¡¯ve never mentioned her name to you...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Three

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Three


    ¡°How do you know Shaeula?¡± I growled. ¡°And I told you, calm down with the fucking fire hair, Tan. I¡¯m running out of patience with you rapidly.¡± I looked around, but luckily the quiet booth we were at was in one corner, and no tables near us were full at this hour, so nobody had seen us yet.


    ¡°I do not have to entertain your...¡± Tan began, before her eyes turned black again, the flames dying down as her hair turned silver once more. Those fires must be spiritual, as otherwise that jumper should have burst into flames...


    ¡°Aki. Sorry.¡± Her face looked dreadful, ashen and pale, and her eyes were tearing up. She bit on her lip nervously, as if to prevent the words she would have to say next. ¡°I need you to be honest with me. Do you know someone who calls himself the Raven Knight?¡±


    My eyes went wide with shock, but I quickly composed myself. Yeah, that¡¯s one explanation. Not the one I expected, but... ¡°I¡¯m always honest with you, Shiro. Yes, I know the bastard. He nearly killed me back when I was just starting out.¡± I remembered the Jaws of the Questing Beast and how it was a near-miracle I dodged that. ¡°He and his spider friend killed some of my allies too.¡± I remembered the trolls and white snakes that died. Unlike the weaselkin, they weren¡¯t brought back by Kin Restoration, so their deaths were a true and permanent tragedy.


    ¡°It¡¯s true then... you¡¯re the one.¡± Shiro said, before bursting into tears, great heaving sobs. As she wailed, it drew the attention of the other patrons, though being Japanese they quickly started minding their own business, except for a waitress who came over, looking concerned, especially when she saw Shiro bawling. Fixing me with a stern glare, which was a bit incongruous when coming from a maid dressed as a cat-girl, she asked if everything was all right.


    ¡°No, not really.¡± I said, unwilling to lie, puzzled by her sudden outpouring of emotion. ¡°We were celebrating an important occasion when Shiro got some very bad news. She¡¯s pretty distraught. Can you give us some privacy for a while? I¡¯ll of course pay extra for the disturbance.¡± I pulled out some money and handed it over. ¡°Get everyone here a drink, with my apologies.¡±


    As she took the money she asked Shiro again if she was all right., and she nodded, wiping her nose on one of the napkins. ¡°Yeah... it¡¯s just... today was the best, and now... I¡¯m sorry for causing a fuss.¡± She apologised. ¡°Just... leave us alone... a while. Okay?¡±


    With one last look the waitress departed, starting to ask the other patrons for what drink they wanted and to advise them to give us space. I reached over to console Shiro but she pulled away from me, her face stricken.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this about? Why the tears?¡± I asked, having a bad feeling. I¡¯m the one? The one what?


    ¡°I... he never said the name of the person who was working with Shaeula. Either he didn¡¯t know it or care to remember.¡± Shiro managed after a moment to compose herself, her tears bright on her cheeks. ¡°But apparently you worked with an evil Faerie to steal a Tree from him and nearly killed him, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I growled, remembering. ¡°And you know me, Shiro. Would I be doing the bidding of some evil Fae? Shaeula is far from evil. If anything, it¡¯s that bastard Raven Knight who is vile. The things he said to her...¡± I shook my head to clear those painful memories. ¡°Anyway, you know that bastard? Wait... if you are close enough to exchange stories... is he one of your allies?¡± I asked, and as Shiro nodded, numb, I felt a ball of dread in the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°Fuck. This is what we get for letting him escape last time. Although he outclassed us then, it¡¯s true. You don¡¯t... have a contract with him as well, do you?¡±


    Another pained nod. Shiro was shaking, trembling life a leaf in the wind. ¡°We... we do. And the terms...¡±


    ¡°If the fucker wants his Tree back, well, we can sort something out.¡± I grated. ¡°A Tree like that, it¡¯s nothing, compared to getting you free from that bastard.¡± It¡¯d be a shame to lose the Darkness element the Tree puts out, but in terms of Ether generation, it¡¯s gone from a big part of our gains to only a fraction.


    I thought that would cheer Shiro up, but she only bit down harder, as if to stop herself crying out. I reached for her again, but once more she shrank away. I started to feel my own eyes feeling hot, my chest hurting. Why? Why is she backing off? Surely she wouldn¡¯t believe that bastard over me?


    I was soon answered, as she spoke, voice hoarse. ¡°Yes, we made a contract to get back his Tree. But also... to help him kill Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, his enemy, and also... the mortal that helped her.¡± She flailed out with one fist, catching me on the arm, heedless of the pain of striking my tough body. Again and again she struck me, gentle as a whisper, but her hands started to bruise, her fingers swollen. As she cried I finally managed to grab her resisting body, pulling her head into my chest.


    ¡°Aki... what do I do? What...¡± her wails were heartrending, and I could feel us drawing more and more attention.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± I whispered, stroking her head gently, using Ether Healing to heal her battered hands. Tan stirred at that, but remained quiescent, perhaps Shiro keeping her at bay, or perhaps... waiting. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. I promised I¡¯d help you carry your burdens. This is just one more.¡± I whispered in her ear, and she gasped miserably, stifling her cries.


    ¡°That stupid crow bastard. Obviously I can¡¯t let him kill me or Shaeula. But for a punch in the fucking face and a promise to never bother her again, I can give him the Tree.¡± I decided to be bold. ¡°Then he can fuck off. You don¡¯t need allies like him.¡± I assured her. ¡°Shaeula and I are far more worthy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... not that simple.¡± Shiro sniffled. ¡°We have a contract. We have to follow through. Or else we have to pay the compensation, or die!¡± she was trembling in my arms, and I felt my rage towards the Raven Knight growing rapidly. ¡°I¡¯m skirting the terms just being with you now I that I know your identity! It¡¯s making my body ache, Aki!¡± she cried. ¡°It¡¯s only because Tan can¡¯t fully manifest here, and I know I can¡¯t kill you, that I¡¯m not in violation of the contact!¡±


    Shit, shit, shit! This is the worst case scenario! I need to think. ¡°Okay, well... what¡¯s the compensation? I might be able to pay it for you to free you. That could work.¡± Shiro hadn¡¯t done more than touch on the issue of compensation before, so I was reaching, but...


    ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t work, Aki.¡± She said, dashing my hopes. ¡°We... well, Tan set it up so that either way, she¡¯d get access to the Fae realm. And I agreed. After all...¡± she chuckled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯d rather she gains strength from draining non-humans dry than people. Though knowing the Raven Knight and his Jorogumo, I know they are sentient beings too, with hopes, dreams and fears...¡± her hands were bleeding, her nails shredding her palm, and as droplets of blood ran down her pale flesh and stained my suit, I continually eased her wounds with Ether Healing, soothing her.


    ¡°... but I¡¯m not a monster, Aki, I¡¯m not! I¡¯m selfish yes, but... we won¡¯t win without sacrifice! You must know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I whispered to her. ¡°I¡¯ve killed Fae creatures, Wild Hunt, Unseelie. Yes. It¡¯s the same as killing people. I hate to do it. But if it¡¯s to save those I love from suffering, or to save more lives...¡± I hesitated, before making up my mind.


    ¡°If... if I kill the Raven Knight, wouldn¡¯t that void...¡± I suddenly felt pain as flames licked over the whole of Shiro¡¯s body. It was as if something was taking bites out of my flesh, sucking at my blood. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the feeling of agony I was enduring watching Shiro suffer, the elation of finally finding someone to understand her, to love her, come crashing down in the cruellest of ways. My chakra network responded, cooling spirit water pulsing through me, dampening the injuries, and my Ether Healing started on the burns to my Astral body.


    ¡°You utter fool.¡± Tan snapped, one eye a brilliant crimson. ¡°To say such, it is almost as if you wish to make us forfeit the terms of our contact.¡± She let out an angry hiss. ¡°Do not say such foolishness to us! Besides...¡±


    ¡°We have contracts with all the others, well, except for that spider-woman, she¡¯s with the Raven Knight. If we break faith with any, how will the others ever trust us again, Aki?¡± Shiro chimed in. ¡°Besides, you may hate him, and I agree he seems unpleasant, but... he has his pain too.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Apparently his mother and father were betrayed by his aunt, a powerful sorceress. He seeks revenge on her. Wouldn¡¯t you, Aki? If... if someone betrayed me, you¡¯d want justice, right?¡±


    ¡°I would. Well... look, calm the flames, Tan, they bloody hurt! I¡¯ll be careful about what I say.¡± I promised. ¡°I want the best outcome for everyone, but... well, a contract can surely be nullified if both parties agree, right?¡± I suggested. ¡°I can return his Tree, and even offer to help him with his aunt. Then he can go on his way, happy and satisfied. Surely standing by my side would benefit you more. He may have been stronger than me before, but he was still the one to lose. Now... he¡¯s not my match.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, that might...¡± Shiro paused, eye looking into the distance, before Tan took over.


    ¡°This is not the place to hold such... discussions.¡± Tan said, pointing to a stairwell at the back of the cafe?. ¡°We cannot speak freely here, and I have no wish to incur the consequences of your idiocy without recourse.¡± She licked her parched lips. ¡°Such would not please me.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Slipping out, the drained Shiro in my arms, I left money on the table to cover our bill, before heading for the exit, but instead of taking the stairs down we headed up, to the roof. The door was locked, but a whisper of wind wriggling in the keyhole had it open quickly, and we stepped out, the view and bustle of Akihabara around us normally enough to bring joy, but now it was only background noise.


    ¡°You could be a master thief too, Aki.¡± She muttered, as I locked the door behind us, setting her down gently. ¡°This... definitely wasn¡¯t how I saw today going, you know? It seems a bit of a cruel joke.¡±


    ¡°I know. To be honest, I thought today would go very differently as well. Look, Tan... I want the outcome that Shiro, Shaeula and I are all happy. Anything else here I¡¯m prepared to compromise on. Can we make something work?¡± Paying compensation, having the contract withdrawn by mutual consent, killing the Raven Knight. Killing Tan, maybe... There were options, but I didn¡¯t know the ramifications of many of them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this Shaeula, but... I can¡¯t let Aki... ugh...¡± she clutched her chest, expression terribly pained, and her eyes turned crimson.


    ¡°Foolish girl. Do not deny the contract, lest it ensnare you. Do you wish to be his servant until he takes revenge on his aunt? Or you die? I shall lose too, if that happens. That would not taste sweet at all.¡± Tan growled.


    His servant? Damn, no way I¡¯ll let Shiro do that. Although... if she voided the contract, then started serving him, I could kill him quickly then before he did anything unpleasant, but... fuck. There¡¯s too much I don¡¯t know about the details. If I did that and she then died with him... why the hell would a god decide to hand down such troublesome powers?


    ¡°No. Shiro. Best think that you are going to kill me right now.¡± I said, with a heavy heart.


    ¡°But Aki...¡± she glanced at her ring sadly, one eye black again. ¡°... I don¡¯t know...¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be damned if I let you die or be the servant of that bastard for god knows how long. Shit, Tan, did you have to make such stupid deals? What moronic pacts did you make with the others?¡±


    ¡°It was hardly foolish. I do not approve of your insolent tone.¡± Tan grated, licking her parched lips. ¡°We secured the services of the Raven Knight, opening potential new grounds for us to exploit. The others are bound to us as well, able to protect us, expand our influence and are there for if... well, I do not see why I am explaining this to you.¡±


    ¡°Tan, please.¡± Shiro pleaded. ¡°You¡¯re smart and powerful, you must be able to do something about all this?¡±


    With one dark eye peering at me with pain and sorrow, the other a crimson orb of indifference and unpleasantness, I found myself torn. What to do? I¡¯m leaning towards just trying to kill Tan here and now, then rely on Chirurgery and Ether healing. But if Shiro dies... I don¡¯t know if I can forgive myself. As my muscles clenched, responding to my desire to fight, to beat down this unreasonable situation, half of Shiro¡¯s face quirked into a grin.


    ¡°I believe we should continue this discussion in a more... appropriate... location.¡± Tan said. ¡°The spiritual realm, the Boundary that surrounds your world.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Tan, if you go there, won¡¯t you and Aki...¡± Shiro began, but she was silenced by Tan placing a finger to her own lips.


    ¡°Hush, little princess. This is a matter of victory is it not? You should not interfere.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Shiro managed, before Tan spoke over her, her whole body now under her control, her crimson, flaming hair fluttering in the breeze, her ruby eyes matching the lights of Tokyo around us for intensity. It looked somewhat strange, seeing a girl in fashionable blue skirt and rich purple jumper looking so... unnatural, but having experience with Shaeula and Hyacinth I could put that aside.


    ¡°You say you care for her, man. Well, prove it.¡± she smiled coldly, utterly lacking in humour. ¡°Else I cannot permit you to stand by her side.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be her choice?¡± I observed. ¡°After all, you aren¡¯t to interfere in her daily life, are you?¡±


    ¡°If your presence would destroy her, it violates many of the tenets of the contract.¡± She shook her head, fiery locks flowing. ¡°I am to protect her safety, after all. You should want this, no?¡± she persisted.


    ¡°Fine. You make a good point.¡± I grated. ¡°But, let me be clear. I only want Shiro¡¯s safety. I¡¯m liking you less and less the more I learn of you. And I have no trust for you.¡±


    ¡°How unkind.¡± Tan chuckled. ¡°Why, do you worry I shall return while you are within the Boundary and devour your mortal body, drinking deep of you? So untrusting.¡± She giggled. ¡°I should fear you will do the same to me, should I not?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fucking idiot. You know I can¡¯t risk hurting Shiro. I¡¯m the one at risk, after all, I¡¯m the target of your dumbass contract.¡± I looked into her eyes. ¡°I know you can hear me, Shiro. Next time, let Tan take all the risks in a contract. And if she tries to bullshit you saying ¡®she needs to put you at risk to win¡¯ then you know she¡¯s no good, all right?¡±


    ¡°Then come to me, man, and give yourself to my thirsting flames, give all that you are for love, and I will ensure they remain happy for all eternity!¡±


    ¡°Aki... what the... you do this, Tan!¡±


    More amber letters wavered across my vision, and they repeated the words I could barely hear, faint whispers through the steam...


    ¡°Aki, I¡¯d rather die than have you die for me. Think of the others, think of Shaeula! If you die, I¡¯ll have to kill her too!¡±


    That¡¯s right, Shaeula! Wait, what am I... I choked on the fingers in my mouth, gagging and spitting. Staggering back, I slapped myself in the face hard enough to break bone. Blood spurted from my nose, agony sparking. Forcing my Resilience, Determination and League to rise to their maximum, my head cleared, the smell of burning incense fading. In front of me was Tan, wearing Shiro¡¯s body, only a few dangling strips of cloth on her gorgeous form. Her hair was half silver, half red, and one eye was the soothing black I remembered, the other a fiery crimson full of thirst.


    ¡°Oh thank all the gods.¡± Shiro said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d wake up. Tan, you can¡¯t do this! I won¡¯t let you! I don¡¯t want you brainwashing Aki!¡±


    ¡°Brainwashing? How... upsetting.¡± Tan actually sounded offended. ¡°I do nothing of the sort. All I do is free the desires that one holds within. I allure, I inspire, I awaken. But to think you resisted, even with help. How vexing.¡± She sniffed, crossing her arms under her ample chest, which pushed one pert nipple into my view.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t flash Aki my goods!¡± she protested.


    Yeah, that¡¯s... terrible. Shit, my mind is fogging again. With an effort I shut my eyes, and was greeted by numerous messages in amber letters that I had been ignoring before as I struggled against whatever it was Tan was doing.


    Your Resilience has increased by one.


    Your Resilience has increased by two.


    Your Resilience has increased by one.


    Your Resilience has increased by one.


    Your Determination has increased by one.


    Your...


    Damn, I must have been fighting against it, even if I felt like I was giving in. Well done me. But now... I¡¯m pissed off. I guess this must be what it¡¯s like to be on the receiving end of the befuddling winds. Shit, it¡¯s scary...


    ¡°You can look away from me, when I am exposing everything?¡± Tan sighed. ¡°You have wounded my heart, brute. I have not been so mortified since the Buddha passed me by without succumbing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my everything! Aki, keep your eyes shut, no peeking, all right?¡± Shiro cried. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, Tan. This seems wrong. Aki is right. Maybe...¡±


    ¡°I am afraid this is not an issue for debate. I need his power if I am to triumph. I am sorry, but you should sleep. It will be over when you wake and I will comfort you. We will find his friends, his lovers, his family, and protect them too. You can ensure they are safe, princess. Let your love for this man and his sacrifice inspire you to find your own happiness.¡±


    ¡°I was happy!¡± Shiro howled. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d answer his love, but... I did! So bloody well stop, Tan, please!¡±


    Flames wreathed her as she raised one hand, gathering her power. She winced, and I could hear shrill pain from Shiro mixed in with her own chants, which put me on edge. Ignoring the blood running down my face I readied myself for her next move.


    ¡°Flames of Thirst and Famine!¡± Tan declared, her long, blazing hair transforming into a boiling tide that rushed at me. The flames were a sooty, dark red, matching her eyes, and I could see adherence within it, shaping the elemental energies. Still, I was not without a counter.


    ¡°Foehn, devour!¡± I called. As the yellow napalm exploded outwards and collided with the flames Tan hurled at me, there was a large explosion, and a fountain of flames boiled up into the sky.


    ¡°See, I have hungry fires too... oh fuck!¡± Fire was raining down, and Tan was in Shiro¡¯s body, right below some burning droplets of Foehn. Dashing forwards, I grabbed the nearly naked girl in my arms, rolling clear of the deluge. Shiro screamed, while Tan grimaced, the two different sides of her face clashing wildly.


    We landed heavily, me on my back to protect Shiro, and I winced, realising I was covered in numerous painful burns. My lips were scorched, and my body was covered in burning hand-prints. Starting to work Ether Healing, I was about to check if Shiro was all right when hot agony flared in my body, as a flame-wreathed hand had pierced my side. Silver blood splashed and turned into scalding steam, and I could see Tan grinning, saliva and blood dripping down her chin.


    ¡°Do not resist, man. I had no wish to make your death painful. She cares for you, and I am not heartless. Merely... thirsty. I shall put your gifts to better...¡± she reared back as I made to headbutt her, only to stop a fraction before impact, realising that it would be Shiro who was injured too. Fuck, I¡¯m so much at a disadvantage here.


    Rearing backwards, I pulled free from her burning penetration, the pain focusing my mind. And what I saw was several of Shiro¡¯s fingers were broken, bending in unnatural angles, even with Tan¡¯s additional power, her body was too fragile to battle me. ¡°Fuck, Shiro...¡± I growled, my rage growing ever-more volcanic, which I felt impossible before. ¡°... Tan, you stupid bitch. That¡¯s Shiro¡¯s body you are breaking!¡±


    ¡°A necessary evil.¡± Tan shook her head, silver and red locks flowing out behind her as she summoned more flames, a maelstrom of them spinning in the air above us. The Boundary Tokyo stretched out beyond the rooftop, and several groups of winged scavengers were drawing closer, only to suddenly flee as they felt the power being marshalled. ¡°Do you not see? While you struggle and squirm, trying to steal trinkets from the other little fishes, I am best able to use that power wisely. I can drink them down, bend them to my will. I will bring peace. To be ruled is to be happy, man.¡±


    ¡°Only if... the ruler is benevolent.¡± Shiro said from within her. ¡°I thought... you were good, Tan... that you cared.¡±


    ¡°I do care for you, my white ghost of a princess.¡± Tan answered, the flames growing in size and intensity, hot enough that my slowly-healing skin was starting to burn again. ¡°But to achieve victory, we must all sacrifice. After all, my father tasked me long ago to allure a great man, and to do so I was prepared to suffer any indignity. Yet it was all for naught. Those free of craving and passion... they may as well be dead. Existence is craving, thirst for happiness, pleasure, joy. That is why I love you, for you thirst so deeply for what the Sam?sa?ra has denied you. This man too. He also deeply thirsts, but also... he wishes to pour out his water of happiness, to quench the thirsts of those around him.¡± She grinned then, and it seemed almost... honest. ¡°Were you the great man my father wished to turn from his path, perhaps we could have shared much joy together. For you are naught but craving and passion. But alas, such was not to be. Give me everything within you, and know that as I drink deep of you, so does Shiro. You shall live on inside her, inside me, forever!¡±


    Water of happiness, huh? Maybe that...


    ¡°Once more, Flames of Thirst and Famine! Do not hate me for this, girl! In time, you will see the necessity of...¡± The fiery nova erupted into dozens of flaming tiger-heads, each maw open and roaring, trying to devour me. Shiro was screaming, Tan staggered, her words interrupted, and as the flaming death descended I made my move. Water boiled from me, the powerful spiritual water, suffused with the light of the moon, forming a softly-glowing dome. Buildings around us exploded, flames towering dozens of metres into the sky, and the roof around us ignited. Hot.


    Even so, as the fires died down, the dome of water surrounding me still stood strong, though the volume was much reduced, and it was bubbling and steaming. Tan was lying on the ground, clutching at her heart, face pale, and as she wobbled, her eyes went dark again, meeting mine.


    ¡°Hey, Aki...¡± she managed, coughing up blood, her broken fingers dangling uselessly. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± I asked, dismissing the dome, water scattering, sizzling as it fell on the burning roof around us, putting out the flames. ¡°You made a mistake, sure, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry for Tan. Well, I am, but... No, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t marry you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, kneeling beside her, taking her hand, trying to heal the fingers. ¡°If it¡¯s because...¡±


    ¡°No, silly. It¡¯s because I¡¯m going to die here. It¡¯s the only way. I... see that now.¡± Tears were squeezed from her eyes as she looked at me, suddenly calm, though red flames were flickering fitfully within her gaze, Tan trying to reassert herself. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea how I¡¯m managing to supress her, but... it won¡¯t last long.¡± She coughed up more blood, and as my Eye blazed, I could see it clearly. Her fragile, pathetic chakra network, so withered and atrophied, was almost entirely disconnected from her chakras, and the brilliantly blazing, non-human form of Tan¡¯s was overlaid on it, and should have been in control, yet somehow Shiro was burning her life to seize back authority, pulling on the numerous chains that were looped around her root, heart and crown chakras, nearly a dozen, glittering dully and yet twisting and tightening, causing more and more damage.


    ¡°Contracts are...¡± she coughed weakly, and I started stroking her hair, pouring in aether into her, trying to heal the damage, but it was escalating rapidly. ¡°... important, right? Well, I learned... when I found out... you were the one I had to kill.¡± More coughing, an expression of pain crossing her beautiful features, yet she was deathly calm. ¡°... if I have no intention of honouring the contract... then I... have to pay the compensation. And if I don¡¯t... I die, right Aki? So even if Tan tries to stop me, and can ... control me... she can¡¯t control my will. So... I can die, just... by wishing for it.¡± More blood was splattering on me as she spoke. My aether was being sucked in, but it was like trying to fill a bucket full of holes, it was achieving little.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t die! Please Shiro! Contracts are important, and we made one! We are going to get married!¡± I was crying, the tears feeling hotter than even the flames I endured. ¡°You even sent a picture of the ring to Eri! There¡¯s no backing out now...¡± I was silenced as through herculean effort Shiro stretched upright and kissed me, just a fleeting touch, but heartfelt.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m breaking multiple... contracts here, already. What¡¯s... one more? Though... it does feel... pretty cruel.¡± She breathed, choking. ¡°Shit, Aki. To think... I found love... in the end. I guess... I¡¯m glad I got to get engaged before I died. But... you won¡¯t ever be able to tell Hayato or the others... you bagged a princess. Unlucky, Aki... unlucky... in... deed...¡±


    Her eyes started to slide closed, and I howled in rage. Aether flowed from me, and I desperately started working Chirurgery, trying to untangle or sever the chains, but they were made of shining adherence, and resisted my modest skills. Fuck, no, fuck no, no, NO! I am not letting it end like this... no!


    An eye turned red, looking at me weakly. ¡°It is no use, man. She is dying through her own repudiation of the contracts. An act of defiance, and one... I could never have expected. But perhaps I should have. After all, the deep thirst that drew me to her...¡± she shook her head weakly. ¡°... she now thirsts for you to survive. Perhaps the contract was an error, but... I gained the power, and I thought I could prevent her blank, white heart from breaking, if I made it all... my own responsibility.¡± Tan looked at me, her own Astral body, linked to Shiro, starting to fragment. A few of my tears fell on her face and trickled down, steaming.


    ¡°Tan. If you really care about her like you say... listen to me!¡± I breathed, desperate. ¡°Shiro, can you hear me? Stop! Neither Tan not I want you to die! That¡¯s a bad ending, and I am not going to sacrifice you for this! Stop being a fucking martyr, Shiro, it doesn¡¯t suit you! I want your selfish, high-handed, prideful yet always funny presence in my life!¡±


    ¡°Too... late now. I think... something broke, Aki...¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°... starting to get... dizzy, everything... fading to... black. Shit. I¡¯m going to be... only one in the group... die a virgin. Oh wait, no... there¡¯s Yasu. I¡¯m so.... relieved...¡± her smile was self-satisfied, smug, and somehow haunting.


    No, no, no! ¡°Tan, tell Shiro you¡¯ll cancel your contract with her. Then you¡¯ll make one with me. You made Shiro carry all the other contracts, right, so I have an idea. Shiro, Shiro listen to me! Don¡¯t you dare die on me now! I¡¯m just an Aki, remember? You know I won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±


    I reached out and put one of her hands upon her other, clasping her fingers around the engagement ring. ¡°Feel this. It¡¯s our promise, right? Don¡¯t... don¡¯t throw that away. Fuck, Tan, TAN! If you don¡¯t get the fuck out here right now and do this I swear I¡¯m going to find out which Pantheon you belong to, and one day raze it all to the fucking ground! You said it yourself, I could kill endlessly for those I love! Don¡¯t test me!¡±


    ¡°So... noisy. So... passionate.¡± Tan licked her dry lips. ¡°I hear you, fool. But this is surprisingly more painful... than I had anticipated. Perhaps... I entwined myself... more deeply than I planned. I wish... I could devour you. Your passions, rages, joys and sorrows. I wish... well, perhaps you could have... died in my sweet embrace. It would have been... divine.¡± She coughed, and her blood was fiery and golden, reeking of adherence.


    Her eye slid shut, and for a moment my heart clenched, fearing they had died, before my Eye noticed one of the binding chains shattering, turning to mist.


    ¡°It is done.¡± Tan croaked, her eyes still shut, more fiery blood trickling out. ¡°And she has stopped fighting the other... contracts. But... I fear it is... too late. Such... a waste. Father will... scold me, I am sure...¡±


    ¡°No, you did good. And I won¡¯t forget that when it comes time to remember what your fate should be.¡± I said urgently. ¡°Now, here¡¯s what I need you to do next...¡±


    Praying to every god, kami, mythical being and other deity I could think of, I poured power into my Eye, taking out a precious blue Etherite and shattering it, sucking in all the ether to restore my depleted stocks. Fuck, why is it my girls have to worry me so? I thought Shaeula caused me enough trouble, but compared to Shiro, that was nothing. I¡¯m going to punish you when you wake up from this, I am, I am! Tears dripped from my face unnoticed onto the dying Shiro below as I desperately gathered my composure, Resilience starting to kick in...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Four / Side Seventy-Eight – Shirohime, The White Princess

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Four / Side Seventy-Eight ¨C Shirohime, The White Princess


    So, this is death, right? It¡¯s... not as painful as I feared. Dying really sucks though. Her thoughts were starting to slip away from her, sinking into the dark mud of unconsciousness. Well shit. I suppose I did all right, for being born unlucky. To think, all those years of suffering, tests and consultations, my parents gradually growing colder and colder towards me, resenting the money it cost to keep me alive... and it turns out I¡¯m a magical girl, born into a world without any damn magic. It¡¯s enough to make anyone laugh, right? It was hard to concentrate, and the distracting noises from outside were echoing in her head, unpleasant and making her chest ache. How does my chest even hurt? I¡¯m dying or dead... but... please, Aki, stop crying. This is for the best. I... well, sure, I wanted to live. Tan showed me I could be special like I wanted. But... you have so much more to live for.


    Are you sure? Is that really true?


    Tan? Is that... is that you? Sorry I guess... I ruined all your plans. But... leave it to Aki. He¡¯ll take care of it. She laughed internally, bitter yet still a little happy. Aki, taking care of it. Never thought I¡¯d say that, but... he¡¯s changed. Hey, Tan, do you think it¡¯s because he got powers too, or...


    No. He is like you. Thirsty, deep inside. But his thirst is for the happiness of others.


    So, you are saying I¡¯m selfish, right? Way to make me feel bad when I¡¯m already dying. That¡¯s cold, Tan. I thought you liked me. But I get it. I dreamed of being a princess, loved and adored, the world shining, a bright future ahead of me. But like all dreams, we have to wake up don¡¯t... if she could scream, she suddenly would have, as knifing pain tore through her, multiple points of agony flaring. Shit, come on, death! If I¡¯m going to die just let me die painlessly. I had enough suffering when I was alive!


    That fool of a man, he... is...


    Tan, Tan? Are you still there? Am I alone? Ugh, she¡¯s gone... quiet. More pain, as if something was being cut from her, her dim consciousness fading more. Still, I guess... the last few years weren¡¯t so bad. Friends. For me. Hayato, the group leader, who welcomed me warmly, made me feel included. Shy Hina, who struggled to fit in with such an outgoing otaku group, despite her secret love of manga and gaming. Shugo, a bit introverted and with a thing for cheery, girl-next-door types... why the hell am I thinking about that now? Ugh, stop with the pain. And please stop crying Aki. It makes me regret this, and I shouldn¡¯t... Now the stabbing pains had changed, and it was as if fire was flowing into her, burning through her body in unusual ways. To distract herself from the pain, continuing to wait for her inevitable death, she continued to reminisce, the happy memories easing her regrets. Aimi. Damn, she¡¯s got a body on her. Totally unlike the usual image of a gamer girl. Wait, I¡¯m even hotter and I¡¯m a gamer girl, right? Well, she was funny, flirty, charming... to be honest, I modelled a lot of my own personality on her. After all, it isn¡¯t like I had any girl friends growing up. Any friends at all... Yasu, poor foolish Yasu. Still, being the butt of all the jokes is an important role, and if push came to shove, he¡¯d always be there. Yasu, if there¡¯s an afterlife and I meet a god, I¡¯ll ask them to send you a girlfriend... well, maybe I could have asked Tan? No, then what if she sent me to him? Ugh, sickening...


    Inside her mind she managed a rusty chuckle, but it was tinged with shame. Tan? Are you there? I can¡¯t believe you danced with my body in such a shameful state in front of Aki. I was so embarrassed I could just have died... oh wait, I guess I did.


    Shiro...


    Yes, Tan? I¡¯m listening...


    I do care for you. Believe me.


    I know, I do. Though I have to wonder... did you brainwash me, like you tried to do to Aki? If so... was anything real?


    I do not brainwash anyone. I allure. Only those with no desires at all, such as the Buddha, or single-minded desires too great to stoke can resist me. And him. Tan sounded stressed and pained, her voice echoing in her darkening mind. I simply free the desires you hold within. It works better on men, of course. But even so... your desires were pure and beautiful. I simply fuelled them. I cannot make anyone do what they do not wish to, only that which they secretly desire, well-hidden and buried deep within...


    I see. Aki did keep saying I was stupid. Ugh, if I wasn¡¯t dying I¡¯d give him a piece of my mind. It all seemed perfectly logical to me at the time. But then I guess I had a lot pent up inside me for you to unleash, huh?


    There was silence, only more pain flowing through her as Tan didn¡¯t answer. Oh. I¡¯m all alone again. just like before. Still, today... I wasn¡¯t, was I? I can still feel it. Odd. It¡¯s all I can feel, that and pain. The delicate petals on the ring were cool against her burning fingers, fingers she shouldn¡¯t even be able to feel. Shit, I got engaged. I wonder what my worthless parents would say? Always complaining I was a bad daughter, saying I¡¯d never give them grandkids or even get married. Well fuck you, guess who got engaged? Oh... but I guess I¡¯m still not getting married, am I? Shit. Aki... I never meant to break my promise to you. But I¡¯d rather die than you die. After all, Eri, Shaeula, the other girls you mentioned... they¡¯d be heartbroken if you were gone, right? Tan, why couldn¡¯t you listen to me? We could have worked something out...


    My thirst for him was too great. You do not understand. The seeds from a World Tree Fruit... so precious. Every Pantheon has some closely guarded treasures... to think someone must have carried them down here... If I could consume them, I would surely be able to triumph here. And the blessing from Tyr, pristine and unused... well, can you blame a starving being for wishing to eat the meal in front of them?


    You know what, I think I can! That¡¯s no meal, that¡¯s Aki! Shit, this was the best day of my life! I thought it was going to suck and make things real awkward with him from now on, so I started the day feeling just awful, and then it was one happy surprise after another. And I realised... I could totally love Aki, and see myself with him. Shit. At least I¡¯m not a total loser, got a kiss before I died. Oh, and flashed him my tits. Thanks for embarrassing me there Tan...


    Search your thoughts, your heart. You wanted to be special, a princess. Someone who mattered. You offer him your love, all of it, and in return he gives you... what, merely a seventh of his? Does that not ache your heart, leave you thirsty for more?


    Oh, alluring me again huh? Well yes, you think I¡¯m happy about it? Obviously not. But you think Eri loves sharing? I bet she doesn¡¯t. Life... life isn¡¯t perfect is it? I know that better than anyone, poor, helpless little Shirohime, a burden on everyone. He told me he loves me and... can¡¯t you hear him wailing, crying out, Tan? Have a heart. Shit, this isn¡¯t what I wanted at all...


    But it is not fair, is it? He would cast you aside, force your death, by not giving up Shaeula. He must have known her but a fraction of the time he has spent with you, the time he professed mattered to him. If he loves you, surely he would choose you over her. Now... now you are dying. For him. Is he worthy of your sacrifice?


    You know something, that¡¯s a really nasty way to put it, Tan. I¡¯m disappointed... oh shit, why does this hurt so much? Death should be calm and empty, right? Crap, well... anyway I think maybe before, I would have felt pretty bad about that, yeah. But... The ring was cold to her fading touch. Shit, Tan. Aki... you can¡¯t tell me he doesn¡¯t love me. And... just say he had agreed to betray Shaeula, abandon his childhood friend, toss aside the others, love only me... well, is that really even Aki at all? Aki is Aki precisely because he¡¯s an idiot, a siscon, too stupid to know when a girl is clearly crushing on him. I mean, come on! He used to talk about his sister and Eri all the time when drunk, anyone with ears could tell Eri was into him! And to be honest, maybe I was a little too, though I didn¡¯t even know it myself, disguising it with playful bullying and banter. Damn, I¡¯m such a kid.


    Search your feelings, my white princess. You must have such rage, such anger at him. He promised to make you happy, carry your burdens, instead you die for him, and he cannot...


    Shup up, shut up, shut up! Shit, I hope I was red-haired then, that would have been apt. Look, Tan... how is any of this Aki¡¯s fault? We made the deal, didn¡¯t we? Sure, you may have had good reasons, but how can I fault Aki for that?


    Because he...


    Why are you trying so hard to make me turn on him? I don¡¯t get it. When I die, you¡¯ll be banished, right? Better run on home fast, because Aki sounded mad pissed at you. Best hope he doesn¡¯t find you! Come on, listen to how he¡¯s hurting, how angry he is with you, and try and tell me he doesn¡¯t love me! Damn, I get it... she would have smiled, full of mirth, if she could control her body ...if he just wanted me for my looks, or because he felt sorry for me, or anything stupid like that, like I¡¯ve always feared... why would he be going so far for me now? Why would he weep for me and rage? Aki has lots of cute girls who like him, he doesn¡¯t need me. So... it must be love. Shit, I saw it too late. Now I feel bad...


    ... are you satisfied then? In the end? Can you pass on with no regrets?


    Shit, no I¡¯m not satisfied! I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t regret accepting you, Tan. It might have been wrong, selfish, maybe even evil, but... it was obviously what I wanted, what I needed, deep down. Else you wouldn¡¯t have been able to allure me into it, right?


    ... ... ...


    Well, who knows, without these events, maybe things would have been different. It seems like Aki was going to make his move regardless, but maybe I¡¯d have turned him down, that seems like something I could have done. But I didn¡¯t. I hardened my heart to reject him, and he slid in like a wolf, devouring me. Hah, is that why you are so pissed, Tan? Aki was the one who had a good meal. I guess... I¡¯m sorry he couldn¡¯t eat all of me! He really missed out. But today... for a few hours, it was everything I ever wanted. So I¡¯ll have to be satisfied with that.


    No, you are not satisfied. I know, I can feel your thirst. Give someone a drop of water in the desert and they are happy, relieved, exultant. But then... the craving for more of that sweet water consumes them. I know you lie to me, to yourself...


    Of course I¡¯m lying to myself. The pain in her heart was more agonising than the fiery sawing tortures that were savaging her body. How else can... can I handle this? I¡¯m not scared of death, I told myself. It¡¯s been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. I could faint and crack my skull, catch a bad cold and die from infection. My heart could just simply stop beating. So I had made my peace with that. But now... I find myself wanting to see what the future holds. Spend more time with Aki, hold hands, kiss. Maybe do something more. Finish my game, fight together, get married. Meet his sister, the other girls. Spend more time with Hayato, Aimi and the gang. Tell them I¡¯m happy to be in love. I don¡¯t get any of that now. Of course I fucking want more, Tan! How could I not? But we don¡¯t always...


    ... fine. Be silent. Princess who is no longer white. A pale ghost with a thirst waiting to be quenched. Save your strength, and hope...


    Hope... hope for what?


    That the man you say you love has enough strength to overturn death itself, and the will, the thirst for you, to drive through impossibility...


    ********


    ¡°Shit!¡± I wailed, furious, my Eye blazing. ¡°What the fuck do I do? How can I fix this? Kin Restoration and Bonding? No, she¡¯s not bonded to me yet. Fuck... if my sister can be, why isn¡¯t Shiro? No, look, calm down.¡± I told myself, Resilience slowly eroding the panic, bringing me back to an equilibrium, my rapid breathing slowing, heart calming, though tears still sprang from my eyes endlessly, obscuring my vision. Angrily, I dashed them away, my Eye examining every inch of the still Shiro.


    Fuck, that network really is a travesty. But I know what a perfect one looks like. Still, there was the mess that was Tan attached. Her network was wildly different to anything I had seen before, numerous chakras in strange arrangements, concentrated whirlpools of adherence as well, and there was little hope of my making sense of it all. When I tried to examine Tan, all I ended up with was masses of question marks filling my vision.


    ¡°Right... maybe if I cut Tan away first...¡± I focused aether into a point close to Shiro¡¯s root chakra, where Tan had one of her glittering capillaries twisted in, and with a slash I severed it. Moments later I wished I hadn¡¯t, as Shiro spasmed and jerked in pain, her dying self weakening further. Even Tan was seemingly injured by it, as her voice came from Shiro¡¯s body as though she was speaking from a great distance away, one eye popping open, looking at me dully, her red orb glowing.


    ¡°Fool. Do you wish to speed her passing? If you intend to grant her a merciful death, aim for the heart, do not slice away at her like some foolish butcher.¡±


    ¡°You do know, if she dies, I¡¯ll try everything to kill you before you can leave this place.¡± I warned Tan, dashing away more tears. The hot flames of my mind were cooling now, Resilience finally having choked out the hysteria, leaving me abnormally calm, yet with a cold anger that threatened to spring back to flame at any moment.


    `¡±Threats? How...¡± she began, but I cut her off.


    ¡°A promise. With Shiro gone, there¡¯ll be no reason not to strike you down, will there? It¡¯s what she¡¯d want, too. After all, she¡¯s giving her life so that I could survive. Foolish girl.¡± Ether Healing had healed my broken nose, but I must have looked dreadful, with flesh still pink from Tan¡¯s fires, and my visage stained with silver and red blood. Tan remained silent, as I continued. ¡°The only way you get out of this is if Shiro makes it. But she¡¯s a real mess. Most of her chakra network isn¡¯t even linked up to her chakras. Just at the root and the crown. The rest is... well, you. Then there¡¯s all those damn chains tangled everywhere. So tell me, what can I do to save her?¡±


    After a moment of waiting for her to answer, I shouted, furious. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me, bitch! I¡¯m barely holding in my rage right now, so...¡±


    ¡°Do be quiet. Taking out your anger on me will only shatter the tiny chance you have remaining.¡± Tan spoke. ¡°The white princess, she... she is resolved, yet secretly hopes for a different outcome. She does not wish to die, though she would rather die than fight you, it seems. No, she told me... she wants to see what the future holds with you.¡±


    At those words I let out a choked sob, before clamping shut my mouth hard enough to crack several teeth. No, there¡¯s no time for panic. Every moment is sand running out of the hourglass of Shiro¡¯s life.


    ¡°Fine. Now how do I untangle this fucking mess? Wait a second...¡± it looked like one of the chains had inflicted severe damage on her root, heart and crown chakras, but the chain had cracked, perhaps the contract starting to break. Even so, it isn¡¯t gone... I started sawing away at the chains, concentrated aether hacking at it, but even so, it was to no avail.


    ¡°It is useless. The chains are a divine representation. Such efforts are ultimately futile.¡± Tan declared solemnly.


    ¡°Divine, huh? In that case...¡± I gathered my adherence as well, though manipulating it was fiendishly difficult, similar to ether when I first started out, and tried to slice the chain. Shit, it¡¯s not working... Whether my adherence was too low, or I was too unskilled, it was failing, energy leaving Tan and fortifying the chain, which was slowly causing the cracks to heal and the chain to tighten further, shredding into Shiro¡¯s fragile body. That body convulsed, blood splattering, and I had another worry. Fuck, Shiro¡¯s actual material body is so fragile even the transferred damage must be killing her...


    ¡°Tan.¡± I said, shocked at the coldness of my voice. ¡°I made myself clear, if she dies, I¡¯ll strike you down, right?¡±


    An eye slid open lazily. ¡°I remember. I am not so senile as to forget your threats from a mere moment ago. But while you threaten me, she slips ever closer to death...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m saying... you have a divine favour that governs these contracts, right? What happens if that is destroyed? Would the contracts break too?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Tan admitted. ¡°The gift of Sancus produces the chains. But...¡±


    ¡°But nothing. We break it, now.¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It is not so simple...¡± she tried to shake her head but couldn¡¯t move, barely twitching.


    ********


    What the fuck is Aki doing? Ugh, it¡¯s like I¡¯m being filled with a hive of angry wasps that keep stinging me from the inside, with no way to scratch the burning itch. And that¡¯s not the worst of it. I can feel so much pain. My eye, my throat. My arm. Even... down below. Shit... I¡¯m going insane here, I don¡¯t know if I can...


    ... no, you must hold on.


    Tan? You¡¯re back. You¡¯ve been gone for hours. Days? I don¡¯t know...


    Merely a minute, I promise. I had to talk to your man. Reach a deal.


    A deal, with Aki? Wait a minute, it isn¡¯t anything shady is it? He won¡¯t let you eat him in exchange for saving me, will he? If so, I¡¯ll just kill myself again, he must know that...


    Nothing so foolish, I promise, thirsty one. Besides, if I could save you, would I not have done so, rather than this? Your man... he has talents. I admit to being rather impressed. In the time this world has been blessed the by the divine, he has made great strides. Is this the power of the Seeds, or...


    So, what was this deal? And is it going to be over soon? I... I thought I was good with pain, but this... this is beyond what I can bear. I can barely hold on...


    It seems nothing has changed, my white princess. No, we will be together a long time. And we shall still strive for victory.


    No, I don¡¯t want to fight against Aki. I mean, I do want to help my allies, even that dumb Raven who got me into this mess. I gave my word, you know. Arisu. Suzu. Bunta. Daizen. The Raven Knight. You. I want... I want to see your dreams realised. Because I never thought I¡¯d get to see my own come true. And now... now I have a dream, know how joyous it is, I want it all the more. But I want Aki¡¯s dream to come true too. What do we do when we have dreams that clash, that oppose each other? Shiro wanted to weep, pain and sorrow overspilling from her, but without eyes, she could not cry.


    Simple. But first, hold on to the link between you and that man, cling tight and do not let go. The answer... it is surprisingly simple. Why, you merely have to...


    ********


    Your skill, Adherence Manipulation has increased from Rank 1 to Rank 2. Your ability to control and utilise adherence has strengthened. You are more able to manipulate another¡¯s adherence, should they allow it.


    Your skill, Aetheric Chirurgeon has increased from Rank 7 to Rank 8 and has reached the second wall. Your understanding of adherence, divine sparks and other foundations of subtle bodies has increased and Chirurgery works significantly more effectively on beings who have a single, combined form. You can perform Chirurgery on divine sparks if the bearer of said spark is willing. [Class: Noble] [Type: Principle]


    Your skill, Ether Healing has increased from Rank 6 to Rank 7. You can compress aether more densely, injecting it through damaged silver cords and capillaries. Your already great resistances to harmful substances and foreign matter increases further, and the speed at which you acclimatise to such contamination, rendering it harmless, has significantly increased. You can achieve greater feats with higher quality ether, and your aether when used to heal will slightly strengthen all attributes of the target.


    Your skill, Crude Body Enhancement Rank 4 has become Body Enhancement Rank 4. Your body suffers significantly reduced damage from this ability, though as you still lack a suitable mediating element such as lightning or light, your brain and nervous system still suffers significant pain and injury. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    A huge bounty of skills had been my reward for the arduous task I performed, but I didn¡¯t care about that right now, no more than I cared about the fact I was a broken, shattered husk of a man, every part of my body injured, my brain a mess, hideous stabbing lights piercing my vision like the worst migraine imaginable. I had drained all the adherence I had, as well as most of my aether, and had shattered every Etherite I had on me without hesitation, as well as pulling what aether I could from my distant Territory. Even so... It was barely enough. But... did it work?


    My Eye flared amber, causing a further wave of pain through me, blood trickling down from my eye socket. Even so, I blinked the gore away, focussing on the battered form lying still beneath me.


    Shiratori Himeko, huh? That¡¯s her real name? I guess I see where Shiro and Shirohime come from now... Oh thank the gods. With her survival confirmed, I slumped down, exhausted but victorious, though unfortunately, it was not a complete success, not by any means.


    As I did so, I saw Shiro¡¯s body twitch, and as she opened her eyes, black with just a hint of red within them, I saw a smile that made everything worthwhile, despite the... problems.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. You did it, Aki. I¡¯m alive. Though ... ouch, what the hell. You did a pretty shoddy job, not going to lie.¡±


    As Shiro cried out in agony, her body finally starting to send the pain signals her awakening had suppressed, her eyes turned red, and Tan... Tan?ha?, I guess... took control, twisting Shiro¡¯s tortured face into a grimace as she contested the agony.


    ¡°I think you do him a disservice. This was a work of art, princess. Though we cannot call you white anymore. Red perhaps. You are quite the fright.¡± Using aether she conjured a mirror for Shiro to see herself.


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Shit.¡± Shiro hissed in a breath, and not from pain. ¡°Well, uh... Aki. If you want to call off the wedding, I don¡¯t suppose I¡¯d...¡± I leapt to my feet, despite my savage injuries, and seized her in a tight hug. As Shiro leaked tears from one of her eyes, she put an arm around me. One arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. You¡¯re still wearing the ring, aren¡¯t you?


    ¡°I guess? I can¡¯t... feel it anymore.¡± Shiro said softly. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my left arm at all, or move it.¡±


    I nodded, gloomy. ¡°Yeah, the damage was too severe, what with the flames of thirst and famine ravaging your arm, to destroy the blessing there. I guess that¡¯s the problem with sharing a body. Even my Ether Healing wasn¡¯t up to it. as well as...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My face. Not so princess-like anymore.¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°I know that injuries here don¡¯t go fully back to the body back on earth, but...¡±


    I shook my head, unwilling to give her false hope. ¡°You are probably even worse off there. I couldn¡¯t get much energy down your crappy excuse for a silver cord until towards the end, so...¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call me crappy! I was born this way.¡± She pouted, one eye winking at me, the other a blinded mess of blood and scarring, just like her face, which was gouged deeply. As she trembled in my arms I could see she was putting a brave face on it. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯d like to say I wasn¡¯t going to regret it, that I¡¯d rather die for you than have you die for me, and it¡¯s true, and ... I¡¯m glad to be alive, but... damn, I¡¯m... pretty much ruined as a woman, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    I made to kiss her, but she pulled away. ¡°I¡¯m hideous, Aki. I look like some sort of Halloween monster. Don¡¯t force...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M NOT!¡± I shouted, surprising her. ¡°Don¡¯t close up your heart, Himeko, or else everything is for nothing. If you wanted to pull away from me, you should just have let Tan fight me.¡±


    ¡°Himeko? How do you know that name? No, it doesn¡¯t matter. What does is... I¡¯m broken. I treasured my beauty, it made me feel special, and now...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still special.¡± I promised, finally manging to kiss her. After a moment she pulled away, trembling. Tan was still suppressing her pain, but she could do nothing about the wounds to her emotions.


    ¡°Himeko. Or do you prefer Shiro?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Shiro. I hate that name. No, I¡¯m Shirohime... no. I¡¯m not. Just... Shiro, I guess.¡± She looked down, vulnerable and hurting.


    ¡°Yes, just Shiro. My fiance?e. The girl I moved heaven and earth, and bound a divine being to you to save.¡±


    ¡°He is right.¡± Tan declared. ¡°Now dry those foolish tears. We did not suffer such agonies, merely to have you break now. Did you not want to see the world ahead with him?¡±


    ¡°I did, but...¡± Shiro protested.


    ¡°Then feel the truth. You have my Lovers¡¯ Link, right? Surely you can feel my emotions?¡± I pressed. ¡°And I¡¯m just an Aki. How presumptuous would I be if I turned away from you because of a few imperfections?¡±


    ¡°A few?¡± she snorted, still shocked, but a brief spark of amusement flaring. ¡°I look like a cyclops that went through an industrial grinder. So... was this Lovers¡¯ Link the feeling I got when I was dying? Your warmth, your care?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a tangible proof I love you. and I always will. Trust me. I¡¯ll work hard until I can heal you. I¡¯ll call on people I know too. Selensha might have ideas. Normally injuries like this should be no problem, but... your body isn¡¯t normal now. We had to take seriously drastic steps.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I gave up a little of my divine spark for you. Though this man will pay for it.¡± Tan declared.


    ¡°Seriously? Well thanks, Tan. Don¡¯t... don¡¯t price-gouge him, okay?¡± she said, suddenly seeing my ragged state for the first time. ¡°Shit Aki, you look as bad as me!¡±


    ¡°I had to push past my limits a lot here. But there was no way I¡¯d ever let you die. Shiro...¡± I reached down, removing the ring from her twisted, immobile arm, and slipped the ring on her other hand. ¡°I love you. Still. Please marry me. Your face, your body, your arm... I hate that I wasn¡¯t good enough to save them, but... even so, I love you and I¡¯ll make you happy. Feel my love through my bond, see it in my eyes. Taste it in my kiss!¡±


    This time when our lips touched, she didn¡¯t pull away, tasting of sweat, blood, tears and salt. When we parted, a string of saliva between us, she nodded. ¡°Fine. Aki, I love you too. But it¡¯s going to be hard for me to adjust. What made me special is ruined now...¡±


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t. Your heart made you special. And now you have other special properties.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are a true manifester of the divine now.¡± Tan muttered. ¡°For good or for ill. I know not which.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but who gives a shit what skills you have? The only special property I care about is your love for me!¡± Our lips met again, and the trembling was slowly stopping, Shiro melting into my embrace. When she was done, she pulled away from me, giving me a brilliant smile, one full of pain but humour too, and a little sliver of hope.


    ¡°Well, yes, I¡¯ll marry you Aki. Why else did I suffer this? Shit, it¡¯s only an arm and an eye, I can still make my game so long as I can type and see. Ugh... but what do we tell the others? They are going to be heartbroken...¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s true. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll never give up, not until you can truly smile from the heart again.¡± I knelt down and kissed her hand that wore my engagement ring. ¡°Shiro. Let¡¯s go home. All right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. Aki, Tan. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve had enough of this shitty place...¡±

 Side Seventy-Nine – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side Seventy-Nine ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    Back in the Material, Shiro cried out, pain surging through her, far more intense than in the Boundary. The groan that came from her lips was piteous, and as she whimpered she realised Aki was there, scooping her up into his arms, and suddenly a warming surge flooded into her, reducing the pain from unbearable agony to merely savagely painful. As she gasped hoarsely, she realised her clothes, the clothes Aki had bought her, were soaked with blood. So much blood. Damn, I¡¯m in bad shape. After all that, am I still going to die?


    ¡°Sorry, Aki. Guess I ruined the clothes you bought me...¡± she managed, before having to clamp her teeth shut to hold in another cry. Half her vision was dark, and it was confusing her senses, and her arm dangled limply, completely dead. ¡°... sorry for... making such stupid noises too. Not much of a princess now, am... I?¡±


    ¡°No, but... you don¡¯t need to be. Just be Shiro.¡± Aki said, and she could feel his arms around her, and still feel the bond they shared. Lovers¡¯ Link, huh? Seems a weird power, but... I guess it¡¯s pretty much like Aki. Stupid, but kind... ¡°As for the clothes, when you are better, I¡¯ll buy you as many as you want. There¡¯s so much I¡¯d like to see you wearing. So many places to go. So many battles we¡¯ll have to fight together. So hold on, please!¡±


    He sounded on the verge of tears, which was stupid, as they had just been through this same situation moments ago in that strange land called the Boundary. Even so, it left her heart feeling warm, matching the pain that surged through her torn flesh. He had his phone out and had called someone, asking for a helicopter for transport to a military hospital. I guess Aki really is connected. I mean, he¡¯s not a liar so I didn¡¯t doubt him, but... deals with the Prime Minister? Shit, Aki¡¯s hit the big time.


    ¡°... yeah, I¡¯m doing field first-aid, but her condition is terrible.¡± Aki was saying. ¡°We¡¯ll need a blood transfusion, probably. Which blood type? I¡¯ll check... Shiro, what¡¯s your blood type?¡±


    She managed a rusty grin. ¡°Of course it¡¯s B! I¡¯m passionate and creative, but I¡¯m also selfish. Just...¡± she groaned, teeth clenched, taking a long breath before she could finish. ¡°... like a princess.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s B.¡± he declared. ¡°Great. We are at...¡± he rattled off the address. ¡°... I¡¯ll send up a flare when you are closer. There¡¯s no time to waste.¡±


    A flare? ¡°So... guess I¡¯m no prettier here now...¡± she croaked. ¡°I can¡¯t really process it right now, but...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± he declared firmly. ¡°Whatever you look like, however you feel, we¡¯re engaged. And we¡¯ll be married. I refuse to allow anything else. Besides...¡± he spoke gently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give false hope. It must be hard on you, and...¡± he trailed off, and her remaining dark eye could see the pained emotions in his steel grey ones, unshed tears glimmering. I¡¯ve always thought his eyes looked kind of cool, but now I¡¯m seeing them up close, they look kind of hot too. Or is that just because I see Aki that way now? ¡°... the world is full of abilities we are only just scratching the surface of. I¡¯ll move heaven, earth, hell, outer space, anything and everything until I find a way to heal you. Shaeula and the others will help too. They¡¯ll welcome you as a sister, I promise! You¡¯ll like them all!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She rattled. ¡°Guess you really want my gorgeous looks back. I can¡¯t say I blame you. Looking at me right now must be turning your...¡± her words were sealed with a kiss, surprising her. As his tongue entered her mouth, despite her wounds, Shiro responded, desperately seeking reassurance. I want to believe Aki doesn¡¯t care, and I know he loves me for more than my looks, but... not loving someone just for their looks, and not caring when I¡¯m a disgusting, mutilated cyclops is very different. But in this moment, I...


    Pulling apart, allowing her to breathe, for a moment Shiro forgot the terrible pain assailing her. His eyes looked so kind. ¡°Look, Shiro.¡± He said seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t approve of your attempt to kill yourself. I¡¯m only fighting for a world without sacrifices. If you die, why am I even bothering? But... how can I not love you for that? How can I look down on the fruits of your noble effort? Sure, it¡¯s a regret that you suffered wounds, but... to me, those are badges of honour. Stupid honour.¡± He joked, eyes sorrowful. ¡°But honour nonetheless.¡± He kissed her on the lips, a fleeting touch. ¡°So don¡¯t think I won¡¯t still find you attractive, or not want to make love to you.¡± He winked, and Shiro felt her heart race, even now. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d go to this this extent to protect your chastity! Are all princesses so determined?¡±


    A laugh burst from her throat at that, until tears ran down her cheek, and her chest ached from something other than her wounds. ¡°Damn, Aki. You can laugh... even at a time like this? You¡¯ve... grown strong.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± He agreed. ¡°And I have to laugh, or else I¡¯ll scream, shout and rage. But that won¡¯t help you right now.¡± He shook his head, pained. ¡°Besides. I meant it. This... this is only temporary. If it takes me a hundred years, I¡¯ll find a way to heal you. And in the meantime, you¡¯ll marry me. Natsumi will be excited, it¡¯ll be more dresses for her family to make.¡±


    Natsumi, huh? He mentioned her before...


    ¡°Hey, Tan. Can you take over for a bit? Shiro¡¯s hurting badly...¡± Aki said, and Shiro felt herself shunted back a bit, her eye turning red, though she could still feel everything, though now at least it was once-removed from her, significantly duller in intensity.


    ¡°Fine. Though her body is in dire condition. If I try to exert my abilities, she will shatter.¡± Tan declared. In the distance Shiro could hear the thrumming of blades, something noisily approaching.


    ¡°Yeah, just numb the edge for her. You can do that, right? It¡¯s lucky she gained those levels and is benefitting from Lovers¡¯ Link. Her Fortitude is actually decent now, otherwise she¡¯d have died.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Fate smiled on her.¡± Tan agreed.


    As Aki and Tan chatted, Shiro watched as a military helicopter approached. Aki raised his hand and a ball of fire shot into the sky. Some passers by were watching the approaching helicopter, surprised, and as it arrived it started hovering above, lowering down a ladder. ¡°All right then.¡± Aki said, cradling her gently. ¡°It won¡¯t be long until we get you to a hospital. Up we go!¡±


    As Aki hopped up the ladder at speed, while still keeping Shiro safe in his grasp, she turned her thoughts inwards. Hey, Tan? Are you there?


    I am. Of course. Can you not hear me talking to him?


    Damn, I know that. She would have puffed her cheeks in a pout if she was in control. Is it me or have you got a little cheeky over the last few hours? Anyway... I was just thinking. Turns out I¡¯m not the protagonist I thought I was, am I? I¡¯m not special after all. Looks like Aki was the one...


    How foolish. You are surely special indeed. Perhaps more now than ever. Besides...


    Besides...? As she was bundled into the helicopter, a medical team on standby, aghast at her injuries, Shiro waited for Tan to speak.


    If he is the protagonist, then you are part of his story now. As you wished. Why else would you have defied me so, stopped me from eating him and claiming inevitable victory, forced yourself to die for him?


    I wasn¡¯t going to let you eat Aki... she was starting to lose consciousness, an army medic injecting her with anaesthetic, linking her up to IV and blood packs, Aki still holding her hand, pumping in healing warmth. I... that... was too... cruel a fate. Eating bad people, fine, but... Aki...


    Sleep now, princess. I shall take care of the rest...


    ********


    So, Tan... you made a deal with Aki, right? What... what did he offer? You know I won¡¯t let you...


    Again, you are being foolish. We have reached an agreement. I shall not seek to devour him, or any of those under his protection. Here. Let me show you my memory. It is easier now, for we are more closely intertwined than I had expected or wished for...


    The memory flowed into her, as vivid as if she was there. Aki was standing over her shattered body, looking deadly serious, and her heart clenched as he demonstrated his care for her.


    ¡°Because Shiro¡¯s life is above everything else. Now listen, and if you agree I think we can work together. You want to save the world, right, and help your Pantheon? Well, I¡¯m not beholden to any. I have some gratitude for Ortlinde, sure, and I don¡¯t repay favour with ingratitude, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to go along with everything they ask. I can consider helping you out. And there¡¯s room for more than one Astral Emperor, right?¡± he had said, and Tan had protested.


    ¡°Did I not say that is a recipe for disaster? Resources are finite, and one stronger is more useful than two weaker...¡±


    ¡°I heard you before. But I don¡¯t believe that.¡± He denied her. ¡°After all, didn¡¯t you say your presence here is a miracle, and I have these Seeds, which is also unusual. Besides... what are your options? Don¡¯t support me and you fail. Shiro will die...¡± his breath caught at that. ¡°And I¡¯ll try and kill you. You gain nothing.¡±


    ¡°I can still eat you...¡± Tan warned, and he had shaken his head in denial.


    ¡°You can try. And I may not be able to kill you, if you are as strong as you claim, but I bet I can damn well hurt you!¡± he roared. ¡°We are wasting time. Every second is precious. If you don¡¯t agree to help Shiro, I¡¯m going to do my best to kill you. And if you beat me I¡¯ll destroy myself rather than let you consume me. And if I somehow survive and you flee, I¡¯ll track you and your Pantheon down, if it takes me an eternity! All I¡¯m asking is you help me fix Shiro! I have skills, but her body is too fragile... dying.¡± Again, he bit down a sob. ¡°You are partially bonded to her, using her as a host. Well, if we make that connection tighter, stronger...¡±


    ¡°It will not suffice.¡± Tan disagreed. ¡°Her main chakra are on the brink of collapse. It would take skills far greater than yours to repair them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but... what about that?¡± he pointed to something Shiro couldn¡¯t see in the memory.


    ¡°My Divine Spark, just what do you...¡±


    ¡°All we¡¯d need is a little. I think it would work...¡±


    The memory faded, and Shiro was surprised. So, just what happened in the end?


    In the end, he was right. It did work. I sacrificed some of my Divine Spark, and he injected it into your shattered chakras. He then, with my aid, tied my being more tightly into yours, using my network to replace the parts of yours that were untenable. Alas...


    Alas?


    Even with that, we could not replace the damage the flames did to our arm. And the backlash from injecting the energy from my Divine Spark, all that adherence that was not attuned to you... it did damage. Hence your lost eye, the savage scarring. And being caused by divinity, it does not heal easily.


    I see. Well, that makes sense. Still... you both went so far for me. Thanks, Tan.


    Do not thank me. I have been promised compensation. To replace the lost divine favour of Sancus, as well as the diminishment of my very core, I am allowed to claim and drink deep of the divine favours of three suitably... evil... beings.


    Shiro could hear the smirk in Tan¡¯s voice, but she was surprised at that. ¡°Aki is allowing that? But...¡±


    Did he not tell you? He has killed before. At least I have the justification that I drink deep and grow stronger from their deaths. He is not as moral as you think. After all, did he not threaten my whole Pantheon, thousands of worlds, untold beings, just over you? Tan¡¯s voice was incredulous. No, he knows to gain, you must give. And for you, he could concede on that. I am also to be offered a share in additional favours he obtains later that he can find no use for. In exchange, I am to continue to protect you, and aid him if you wish me to.


    Of course I do! Aki... I¡¯m part of his story now. You said it yourself. Still, yeah, Aki¡¯s killed people. It still surprises me. Do you think... Kondou Kazuo was his doing as well?


    ¡°Uh... that you lied, and I actually was your boyfriend, and we went on a romantic holiday. I notified your Uni too. They are used to long absences from you, so it¡¯s all cool.¡±


    Shiro burst out laughing. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s priceless. But shit, I wish I could see the looks on their faces, but I can¡¯t go back like this. Guess I¡¯ll have to drop out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too hasty to say that yet. For now though, yeah. You¡¯ll have to stay away.¡±


    ¡°Oh well. I don¡¯t need Uni. I guess I can quit if I have to. After all, I¡¯m getting married, and one day you¡¯ll help me make my game. Or hell, make reality into my game.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and speaking of... Tan, you might want to listen in to this.¡± Aki started healing her, pumping her full of aether, and Shiro felt her remaining pains die away, the anaesthetics and drugs in her system clearing. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk about Shiro¡¯s current status.¡±


    ¡°I see. Just talking about your Eye makes me thirsty. If I had that...¡± Tan said, before Shiro protested.


    ¡°No, bad Tan! No eating Aki! That¡¯s my job...¡± what was visible of her pale skin blushed at her crude joke. ¡°I can do that at least...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Aki patted her head. ¡°When you are discharged, we¡¯ll see.¡± He winked. ¡°Now seriously. Your injuries aside... we succeeded to an extent. With a proper network and nine levels, your physical stats are actually decent. I doubt you¡¯ll collapse anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shiro asked, surprised. ¡°I¡¯m actually kind of excited. Appraisal cheats really make this feel like a game. So go on, lay it on me!¡±


    Aki first went through her stats, and when Shiro realised she had superhuman mental stats now, she puffed up her chest proudly. Though when she saw his gaze on her, she blushed again.


    ¡°Uh, you can... touch them if you want to. I¡¯m rightly proud of my tits. I mean, you saw them when Tan was dancing...¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Much as I¡¯d love to, this is time for serious business. We¡¯ll have ample time to enjoy ourselves in the future. Now, not to crush your dreams, but here¡¯s my mental stats...¡±


    That¡¯s insane? And so not fair. Over a thousand? ¡°You are seven times smarter than me? I call bull, Aki! That can¡¯t be right. If so, why do you make so many damn mistakes?¡±


    He shrugged, grinning. ¡°I ask myself that a lot. I think it¡¯s two factors. Firstly, it¡¯s like a computer. Being able to factorise thirty digit numbers takes genius level brains, right, but a computer can do it near instantly. But then you ask it to identify a human face and it struggles. My calculative, learning and processing power is through the roof sure, but I can¡¯t suddenly know how to do stuff I¡¯ve never thought of or experienced. But as an example, I¡¯m learning Chinese. Well, I was supposed to be, this week, but well, this happened.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Aki.¡± She apologised, and he laughed it off.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. If I¡¯d have killed the Raven Knight back then, none of this would have happened. Anyway... we¡¯ll see how long it takes me to learn Chinese, ancient Chinese and the oldest Japanese language I can get a teacher for. I¡¯d imagine not long. Mental stats are great at that.¡±


    ¡°And the second factor?¡± Shiro asked, now very interested. Damn, this is like an RPG. So cool. It seems more real with numbers and skills. Sorry Tan, but Aki¡¯s winning me over!


    Tan snorted huffily in her head as Aki continued. ¡°Resilience. It seems to do more than indicate mental strength. Sure, it does that, or I¡¯d have shattered under the weight of killing long ago, or seeing you nearly die. But it also seems to help maintain personality and core traits. Otherwise with my enhancements, I¡¯d be a completely different person, right? Sure, I¡¯ve changed a lot, but it seems to moderate changes to personality, slow them down. That way I remain me. In a way I¡¯m grateful. I don¡¯t want to be someone else. But I think that stops me using a chunk of the brainpower I have now. Over time I imagine I¡¯ll be able to access more and more as it won¡¯t destabilise me, but for now...¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Nobody can have such a change to their mental abilities without undergoing a metamorphosis. Oh well, now onto the good stuff. I have skills, right? Hit me with them. Sure, Tan will still be doing all my fighting for me, but having stuff of my own... shit, it¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s my Shiro. That smile is genuine, the first I¡¯ve seen since... then.¡± Aki reached out and patted her head, stroking her hair, and Shiro sighed, happy. ¡°Anyway, here goes...¡±


    Divine Moon And Star Chakra Network - A hybrid chakra network, made up of eight nodes, perfectly adapted to a mortal body, supported by a trunk pathway and numerous branches, as well as a Divine Spark, which has been connected, orbiting the lunar chakra, and linked to the other primary chakras. This network processes aether as well as adherence. Ether is drawn, converted to aether and circulated, while adherence is drawn in and circulated to the Divine Spark, as well as circulated to the damaged primary chakras. This network is fully functional, but is missing several branch sections, such as the left arm, an eye and some other minor branches. It is also connected via the seven primary chakras and Divine Spark to another being, which allows the damaged areas to be bypassed and the damaged chakras to be load-balanced, allowing slow recovery from their crippled state. This chakra network is a miracle and likely can never be replicated.


    Divine Spark - The core of Divinity, comprised of concentrated adherence, removed willingly from another being and implanted, nourished by a connection to said being. A Divine Spark will take on the aspect of Divinity that the adherence embodies, offering positive benefits to all actions regarding said embodiment, and also dramatically increases the League and Fate of the bearer. [This Spark resides with the lunar chakra and embodies Fire, Hunger, Allure and Sacrifice]


    Lovers¡¯ Link ¨C This ability links the subtle bodies and hearts of the Bonded together, allowing them to share in the strength each possesses. If nearby, the possessor and their Bonded one can freely share a small portion of their strengths with each other, and even when separated by great distance or strife, their linked hearts will allow one percent of the stronger partner¡¯s statistics to be shared, up to a maximum of the partner¡¯s maximum statistics. It also strengthens the potential of the Bonded pair, allowing their maximum level to increase by ten percent of the other¡¯s current level. It also allows the Bonded pair to sense the emotions and feelings towards each other and as it strengthens all effects increase, and the Bonded pair will find their compatibility in romance strengthened.


    Divine Possession, Tan?ha? ¨C As one who carries a being who contains Divinity, you may allow them to possess your body willingly. Their strength will be limited by your own, but this skill allows them to release more of their power than would otherwise be possible. In addition, Tan?ha? can allow you to access some of her power, increasing all your statistics and skill Ranks related to her portfolio temporarily, though persisting in this state may cause backlash.


    Flames Of Thirst And Famine - This unique fire of divine origin will consume what it burns, transferring a portion of the strength of the consumed being to the bearer, though this will deplete adherence to perform safely, and one cannot consume recklessly, lest the spirit of the wielder suffer damage from being overloaded.


    Alluring The Buddha ¨C This ability draws the hidden desires out of a target, allowing you to inflame and manipulate them. It has a stronger effect on men. You can see the desires of a target, though high Resilience will prevent this. Your Charm statistic is also noticeably more effective.


    Shiro was enraptured by finding out what she could do. Though she did have a few reservations. ¡°Alluring the Buddha? No damn way I¡¯m using that, ever. Or wait... no, I lied. I guess I can use it on you, Aki.¡± She laughed, her bitterness temporarily suppressed by the joy of this. ¡°After all, our romantic compatibility is strengthened, right Aki? You perv!¡± she laughed harder, until she started coughing. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s the sort of skill I¡¯d expect Yasu to bag.¡±


    After more laughter and teasing over that, Aki pointed out the problems with her network. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the skill doesn¡¯t call it a Crude network, like my sis and Eri used to have. But in any case, it¡¯s far from settled yet. But in time Tan will be able to leave you, your body and network fully healed.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me...¡± Shiro said when she calmed down. ¡°Aki... you don¡¯t trust Tan, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do, when it comes to you. Other than that, no. And Tan doesn¡¯t trust me. That¡¯s fine. The way it should be. I do learn, even if slowly. Time may build trust, but until then, we are keeping a wary eye on each other and are preparing for betrayal.¡±


    ¡°But Tan won¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°He is wise.¡± Tan disagreed. ¡°Blind trust when we were just enemies is foolish, still, we are connected. By you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I trust you, Shiro. So you¡¯ll tell me if she steps out of line, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure. So play nice, Tan.¡± She giggled, her heart feeling a little lighter. ¡°So, anything else?¡±


    ¡°Just your classes.¡± Aki said, and at that there was another wave of excitement.


    ¡°Classes? Awesome! This really is starting to sound like my game!¡± she flailed her arm wildly, feeling brief regrets that she was unable to move her other arm. No. I¡¯ll grieve later. Where Aki can¡¯t see. I don¡¯t want to spoil the mood...


    ¡°Yeah. One isn¡¯t so special, all it does is strengthen the effect of your Divine Possession skill, and generates adherence for both you and Tan, as well as offering increased growth in Fate and League. I mean, it¡¯s plain but damn good. But the other...


    Mortal Spark is a class granted to those who possess the Flame of Divinity within them. Children of the Gods, Blessed Children and those who have stolen Divinity from the Gods, this class increases the power of one¡¯s League, as well as strengthens subtle bodies. Adherence is easier to generate and manipulate, and the bearer of this class gains long life, and eventually transcends mortal rules altogether, becoming ageless, though not immortal. All Material and Intangible statistics increase as the class does.


    ¡°Uh, so I¡¯m some sort of demigod. Like Achilles?¡± Shiro muttered, amazed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go quite that far.¡± Aki disagreed, stroking her hair. ¡°But it¡¯s one of the best classes I¡¯ve seen yet. If you can level it up, then yeah, who knows what is possible. And maybe, just maybe...¡± at the earnest look in his grey eyes, Shiro smiled.


    ¡°You think it might help with my injuries, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one option. Speaking of...¡± he said, serious, and Shiro realised it was time to stop joking. She listened intently, as he explained his reasoning.


    ¡°... I asked them to keep your arm, even though it¡¯s risky. I¡¯ll need you to see me or Shaeula regularly, so we can stop it turning bad or becoming infected. I think it''ll be easier to save it than regrow you a new one. But I know it''s inconvenient, so I¡¯ve ordered a top-end military prosthetic. It¡¯ll take a while, as they have to make it from scratch to go over your arm to allow movement, but... at least it¡¯ll give you a little mobility back.¡±


    Oh Aki, thinking of me as always. ¡°Thanks. I mean it. I wish this hadn¡¯t happened but... I guess it was meant to be. And speaking of...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your allies. But shouldn¡¯t you wait until you are better?¡±


    ¡°She will be in my hands. I shall take over.¡± Tan declared. ¡°Best we sort this sooner rather than later. Tonight, we shall rest, then tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t settle until I¡¯ve spoken to them, Aki. Don¡¯t worry, Tan will kick their asses if they cause trouble. We may be injured, but Tan is still powerful, right? I¡¯ll not let anything bad happen to me. I don¡¯t want you to worry. Now... I¡¯m awake, so... stay with me for a while?¡±


    Aki nodded, leaning in close. ¡°Sure. I¡¯d like that...¡±


    I hope they can accept our change of direction, that the contracts are cancelled. If not... well, I¡¯m sorry, but Aki and me, that¡¯s non-negotiable!

 Side Eighty – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side Eighty ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    So, are you ready, Tan? The day had been interesting. First meeting Motoko and Natsumi, two other girls who loved Aki, as well as several other visitors. Aki had spent most of the day with her, which had eased her regret a little, even if it was impossible to forget the feeling of her dead, immobile arm, or the massively reduced range of vision she now suffered. It¡¯s been quite the day, right? Yes, your man seems rather important. Meeting with people of power. Though I still feel it would have served us better for me to eat him...


    Enough of that! Shiro didn¡¯t find that amusing, even if she was fairly sure Tan was joking. You know we¡¯ve settled that. But yeah. Motoko¡¯s father and grandfather are big-shots too, huh. And then we met Haru. Ugh, I¡¯m glad we never worked with Kondou Kazuo now. He had it coming...


    Yes, she was rather weak, but allies are a good thing, are they not? And speaking of...


    Yeah, we¡¯ve been away a while. And with the contracts breaking... well, I just hope no-one has done anything stupid. A brief shiver of pain ran through her body, though due to the anaesthetics and the significant amount of Ether Healing Aki had done for her, she was in no real discomfort now.


    I have my worries. But... well, if I eat one of them as a lesson to the others, we can restore order.


    Look, no eating, all right? Not unless we have to, or they are bad people like Kondou Kazuo. I was stupid to let you have free reign, Tan. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡®m grateful you helped me, tried to save my life, but we are doing it Aki¡¯s way now, aren¡¯t we? So you¡¯ll just have to go thirsty for a bit!


    I am so saddened, that you would take the side of your man over your friend. Such a pity...


    Was that a joke, Tan? That¡¯s unexpected. Now, I¡¯ll leave everything to you. I don¡¯t... feel up to much myself. Though I do want to talk to Arisu...


    Very well, leave it to me. I shall project strength. I will not allow them to look down on you. Especially the Raven. With that Shiro shut her remaining eye, and they entered the Boundary. Inside the hospital there was silence, apparently Aki had cleaned out the beings within while she was sleeping, just as an extra safety precaution. He¡¯s such a worrier. But... I don¡¯t hate it.


    Moving to the roof of the building, where there was more open space, her thoughts immediately went to the battle on the rooftop of the store in Akihabara. Touching her dead arm, she sighed. ¡°Well, done is done, I guess. it worked out in the end. I just wish...¡±


    Yes?


    ¡°I just wish I stayed beautiful. You can laugh and call me vain, but... I want Aki to praise me for how pretty I am.¡±


    You are indeed quite vain. But... that is being a woman, is it not? I was proud of my beauty too. That is why it was so frustrating when the Buddha ignored me and my sisters. Though... perhaps it was for the best. After all, allure should be used sparingly...


    Yeah, Aki only! Ignoring the fact I look like shit now, I don¡¯t want other people looking at me that way. I¡¯m Aki¡¯s. Now, I¡¯m going to call Arisu, right?


    Tan assented silently, and Shiro retrieved a small token she had been given. Tan had explained to her how the ability seemed to work, and had expressed a little jealousy of it. Clutching the token, she let a little aether trickle into it, and called out. ¡°Hey, Arisu! It¡¯s me! Sorry I¡¯ve been away so long, but can you get everyone together in the room? I have something major to talk about.¡± For the others, she always let Tan take change, projecting her front as the proud leader of their alliance, but with Arisu, the first ally she had made who was trustworthy...


    I still do not know why you trust her so. There is a darkness in her, a black wellspring of malice.


    ¡°She¡¯s just been treated badly.¡± Shiro sighed. Her voice was transmitted through the token, heading elsewhere. As she waited, she looked up at the sky, noticing that the usual multi-coloured lights seemed different somehow, silver lightning flickering high above, the dark skies rippling with radiance. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s happening, Tan?¡±


    The tides are changing once more. It is a regular occurrence, the lower Astral follows events of the higher, and the Boundary, while somewhat isolated from the wider Astral, is hardly immune to such events. Whether a rising or a falling tide, it is too soon to tell.


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll talk abut it with Aki. Anyway, do you feel that? She¡¯s coming...¡±


    Tan fell silent, wary of Arisu, as a black slash opened in space, forming a doorway. With the robes and hood she wore here in place, Shiro was pleased that Arisu couldn¡¯t see the ruins of her beauty, her crippled body. At least there¡¯s that... Stepping out of the portal was Arisu, her long dark hair flowing down her back, her matching eyes as cold as ever. Today she wore a black dress, and as usual it was cut low, showing off her decent chest.


    Not as big as mine though. Arisu sure is a beauty, though I¡¯m better. Was better. She amended her thoughts, feeling sorrow. Still, the way she carries herself, as if she¡¯s the most important person in the room... well, you¡¯d expect such off a famous actress. Well, though now she¡¯s mostly infamous, after the scandal...


    ¡°Well, White.¡± Arisu said with a sigh, her tone melodious and word-perfect. She seldom spoke in the meetings, but would open up to Shiro, a little at least. I had to do research on her scandal myself, since she wouldn¡¯t talk about the particulars, only her fiery need for revenge...


    ¡°When the contract binding us shattered, I had worried you were dead, or had... betrayed us. Suzanne-san insisted you wouldn¡¯t do that, but she¡¯s simply a nai?ve runaway, easily fooled. I would like to think we have shared too much for such a betrayal, but... I am old enough and wise enough to know better. Friends are just close enough to stick in the knife fatally.¡± Her expression shifted then, a mixture of grief, hatred and a haunting sorrow on her features. It almost made Shiro want to hug the older woman, but she knew if she tried Arisu would only throw her off and grow angry.


    ¡°I assure you it wasn¡¯t a betrayal of you, Arisu. Though our friend the Raven...¡± her face twisted under her hood at that. ¡°... might see it differently. But we¡¯ll talk. So, everyone is coming?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. I had quite the time stopping Daizen-san and that Raven creature from destroying your land and splitting the wealth between themselves. Suzanne-san stood with me, of course, and Bunta-san... well, he is a weathervane, always blowing in the direction of the prevailing winds. It is good you have returned, for I expect it won¡¯t be much longer before someone does something foolish and irreversible. However...¡± her dark gaze alighted on Shiro, who shrank a little under her regard.


    I can take over, should you wish it?


    No, not with Arisu. I can handle it...


    ¡°... so, what happened to your arm? The balance of your body is off. And you keep turning your head more than you need to. Is something wrong with your sight?¡±


    Shiro hissed, surprised. Still, I should have expected Arisu to notice. ¡°You got me. It¡¯s a bit of a long story, and why the contracts are gone. But yeah... my arm¡¯s pretty much ruined and... well, my days of bragging I¡¯m hotter than a famous actress are over...¡± She pulled off her hood, and this time it was Arisu who drew in a shocked breath.


    ¡°Such injuries. Your beautiful face...¡± her dark gaze hardened. ¡°So, which bastard did this to you? I assume it¡¯s why you called the meeting? Rest assured, I¡¯ll see them perish...¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Shiro put the hood back on, and waved her one hand calmingly. ¡°It isn¡¯t what you think. Let me explain it to you, and then you¡¯ll understand...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... so yeah. I¡¯m getting married.¡± Shiro giggled, feeling a strange elation saying it. ¡°... but I¡¯m not sure I want you to meet him, Arisu, you are pretty hot!¡±


    ¡°I have no wish to meet him.¡± Arisu had listened in silence, her expression growing more and more grim. ¡°Take it from me, you are an idiot, White. He sounds like the sort of cheating gutter-trash I saw in the industry all the time. When the going gets tough, he¡¯ll throw you aside like...¡± Arisu paused, as Shiro had started manifesting her Divine Possession skill, which burned at her adherence-infected scars, but put out an ominous presence.


    ¡°... be very careful what you say next.¡± Shiro warned, furious. ¡°We¡¯re friends, Arisu, but you don¡¯t know Aki like I do, or how hard he worked to save my life! I made the choice to die, rather than kill him, and he worked a miracle to save me! Then he tried to save my heart as well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tan spoke then. ¡°I share your annoyance, woman. I would rather have eaten him than had the princess suffer so. But she chose, and I could not stop her. The contracts were a double-edged blade, it seems. But even I must concede, he genuinely cares for her, and her survival is indeed the miracle she claims.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll fix me!¡± Shiro pouted. ¡°He promised. I... I don¡¯t hope for it. My wounds are too raw, too new yet, and hope will only bring me despair, but... if anyone can, Aki can, and his friends. I met another like us too. But we need to go, right? They¡¯ll be getting impatient.¡±


    ¡°True. Daizen is like a child, despite his age. Unable to wait for anything. And who knows what the Raven and his spider will do if left unattended. Well, you had best let her take charge. If your strength becomes weakness, then even a coward like Bunta-san might try for your life. After all, we did concentrate a sum of our efforts to developing your Territory.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured...¡± Tan declared, firmly settling in, her abilities somehow stronger due to the closer link between their bodies, even if she had to moderate it to reduce the pain Siro felt from her injures. ¡°I am in no mood to be trifled with. Her man defeated me, with the princess and her foolish help, and I had to accept this, but those fools...¡± she laughed nastily, her tone completely different to Shiro¡¯s. ¡°... well, I am in the mood to take out my thirst upon someone. They had best pray it is not them.¡±


    Arisu sighed at that, before her doorway opened once more, and she led Shiro inside. The room was the same as ever, a black space separate from elsewhere in the Boundary, a dimensional rift, as Arisu had called it. That sure is a neat power, right? It¡¯s really hard to use in the Material world, as Aki calls it, but when she grows stronger, she¡¯ll have an item box and more! A great skill!


    I do not see why you get so worked up over these matters. Elemental abilities can be learned, as your man shows. He uses... what, water, flame, earth and wind? Impressive.


    Before she could answer, or indeed reach her seat at the occupied table in the centre of the space lit by glowing orbs of multicoloured light, someone called out to her, a young foreign girl who insisted she was Japanese, despite her Caucasian features, noticeable accent and bright blonde natural hair.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the boss! I was getting worried, but I suppose I didn¡¯t need to be! After all, you¡¯re pretty badass, right?¡±


    Daizen, wearing his customary white suit, in defiance of the usual traditions of Japanese businessmen, paired with a purple tie, growled angrily, leaping to his feet. ¡°Just what is the meaning of this? I felt our contract shatter, and you have not paid what you owe me, so I demand compensation!¡±


    ¡°Not as much as that mortal did.¡± The Raven Knight mocked, the spider-woman hissing laughter behind him. ¡°Pathetic. Now, speak, so we can be done with this, with you.¡±


    ¡°Have a care, Raven. Else it will not be your Tree that is your undoing.¡± Tan warned.


    ¡°Unfortunately, it seems that we have overreached. Things might have been different, had the Raven not made us enemies with this powerful Territory. Instead, I have been able to come to an agreement with him. I intend to join up with him.¡± She declared, leading to uproar. Arisu was wary but unsurprised, as she knew they were engaged, and Suzu seemed interested, but as for the Raven Knight...


    ¡°No. No I cannot countenance this! The bastard stole my Tree, drove me out...¡±


    ¡°And he can return your Tree, allow you back.¡± She countered.


    ¡°... do you not hunger for vengeance, since he injured and stole from you too?¡± he howled, a dark aura of misfortune swirling around him. ¡°My wrongs cry for redress! I never achieve vengeance! I will not let you deny me...¡±


    ¡°Then do you wish to be my food here?¡± Tan growled.


    ¡°I am leaving. Open the door for me, woman.¡± Daizen stood, brushing off his suit. ¡°I do not agree to work for anyone else. It seems... I have sorely misjudged you. Come.¡± He snapped at Bunta, who cowered. ¡°You cannot trust her.¡±


    ¡°... uh. No. I think I¡¯ll stay. After all...¡± he muttered, surprising everyone. ¡°... if this guy beat up her, then ... if I make a mistake, I¡¯ll die. I... I came on board to be safe.¡±


    ¡°And work with us and you would be safer still.¡± Tan promised. ¡°After all, with my Territory and his, as well as your own, and his allies, we would easily be able to dominate all of Tokyo.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m in!¡± Suzu cried. ¡°This sounds fun! More friends are always good. I don¡¯t care much about ruling the world, but I do want to be the world¡¯s best idol! Besides, if we rule Tokyo, just think of all the...¡± she started giggling to herself, and once more Shiro considered the foreign girl to be a bit dim, if very cute. I hope she isn¡¯t Aki¡¯s type...


    ¡°This is splitting our shares too thinly!¡± Daizen complained. ¡°I am done with this. I was worried about the direction we were taking, and now I find...¡±


    ¡°Are you such a fool?¡± Arisu declared. Daizen suddenly found himself trapped, the space around him warping in on him. ¡°You think I am going to let you walk out and stick a knife in our backs? Give me one reason why I shouldn¡¯t just finish you here? You and the Raven too.¡±


    ¡°Try me if you dare!¡± the Raven Knight shouted. The Jorogumo and her spiders adopted a combat pose, as everything shattered into chaos. We need to get everything calmed down, Tan! This isn¡¯t what I wanted at all!


    Those chosen by the divine favours are usually selfish. You are, are you not? The others here too. Even your man, he is a lustful beast, that desires much, even if his desires are often for the happiness of others. But for that, he would stain his hands. I fear you too must sacrifice.


    I have already. Shit. Tan, can I take over for a bit?


    ¡°Listen.¡± Shiro said as Tan relinquished some control, though still maintained her presence. It was hard to mimic the tone and way of speaking Tan had, but she did her best. ¡°Daizen, if you wish to leave, then do so. But be warned.¡± She glared at him with her one eye, still wondering how she could see through the opaque hood. Tan had never explained. ¡°We can part with no hard feelings. After all, neither of us have breached the contract we have with the other, have we? But... if you go against me, or my allies, both old and new... well, I am sure you know what will happen. You may have lost your respect for me, but... I thirst to prove you wrong. Do you really think you can make it on your own?¡±


    ¡°What about me? You broke your contract with me, offering a truce to my enemies!¡± The Raven Knight was gathering his energy, ready to fight.


    You should let me eat them. Even your man would not condemn it. It would remove an enemy who hates him, as well as a potential thorn in his side.


    No, I won¡¯t turn on them. Not now. I¡¯ll give them a chance. ¡°So foolish.¡± Shiro declared. ¡°You want the power to make your dreams come true? You can still have it. There are many worlds out there, countless domains. To give a little now, for later gain. Daizen, I thought you understood business.¡±


    ¡°I understand I cannot trust you. Let me out of here, you bitch! Or do you still have a thing for entrapping men, you dirty, failed...¡± he snarled at Arisu, before there was a sudden cracking noise and Daizen screamed, falling to the ground, his legs crushed by the collapsing space. Bunta howled in panic, scrambling backwards, and Suzu looked sick, but she merely averted her gaze, whistling.


    ¡°You bitch, I knew...¡± he began, before his windpipe was crushed too, Arisu totally in control of the space.


    ¡°First Weal, First Woe.¡± The Raven Knight called, responding to the sudden carnage. ¡°First Weal, Dark Wings Of Flight!¡± he declared, and Arisu growled in rage. She tried to smash the Raven Knight with the closing space, but he moved through it, unharmed, the Jorogumo clinging to him. ¡°First Woe... Venom of the Questing Beast!¡± Even as they vanished, a cascade of foul poison sprayed out. Many of the spiders left behind melted, disintegrating, the Raven Knight leaving no backlash to chance this time. More of the venom scattered towards the group at the table, and it was Tan and Suzu who reacted first. Suzu brandished her parasol as a shield, and surprisingly enough that stopped the poison, droplets bouncing off it, sizzling on the floor. Tan also protected herself, but by hauling up Daizen. As the acid burned into his dying body, she grinned, flames boiling.


    But... he was our ally... Shiro was conflicted, not wanting to turn on even such an argumentative and unpleasant man as Daizen. He might still make it. Damn, he poked at Arisu¡¯s wounds. Inside her own space. What an idiot...


    No, the venom carries some of the curse the Raven endures, as well as dark arts. Even if he was to survive with smashed legs and his crushed throat, which I doubt, he will die. So we should not waste his foolish sacrifice. With that, Daizen let out a single choked gasp as he was instantly consumed, burning away to ash, his divine favour flowing into Tan.


    Yes, this one is rather nice. It will take me a while to learn how to use it. It is not a patch on your man¡¯s, of course, but since I cannot have that...


    No, you certainly can¡¯t. Ugh, this feels way more unpleasant than when we ate those other two. Is it because they were out to betray me? Daizen might not have done... or is it because I want Aki to think I¡¯m a good person again? I guess I miss your allure, at least a little...


    Conscience is a terrible thing. Well, now to clean up this mess. A shame the Raven got away. He will cause trouble for your man, I am sure. Bunta had scuttled away from the chaos, while Suzu was trying to look composed, but was trembling hard, her face pale. Only Arisu looked untouched, sneering a bitter curse at the dead Daizen.


    If he messes with Aki, he¡¯ll get smacked down. Why couldn¡¯t he give up his revenge and take his Tree? I don¡¯t get it.


    All he has at his core is hatred and desire for revenge. He believes he is doing it for his parents, wronged by his aunt, but I have my doubts. He is an empty being, cursed and vengeful. He would not be himself if he conceded here. Even if he suffers for it.


    ¡°Do calm down. I simply put him out of his misery.¡± Tan said, back in charge, after Shiro¡¯s failure to bring everyone together. ¡°Arisu, I understand your feelings, but you went too far.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who parrots those lies about me, I¡¯m going to kill them. Just like I want to...¡± she trailed off, biting at her lip. ¡°... but sorry, White. We¡¯ve broken up, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Raven Knight is at fault, his ill-fortune seems to have led us all to this path.¡± She consoled Arisu. ¡°Well, do calm down, Bunta, Suzu. I have no intention of doing you ill, and neither does Arisu.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure neither of you are so foolish as to provoke me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, big sis.¡± Suzu said, trying to act nonchalant, though she looked pale. ¡°Still, damn... seeing a person die isn¡¯t anything like killing monsters. I don¡¯t think I like it.¡±


    Bunta nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. The Raven was foolish. He lost sight of what he needed, for what he wanted instead. Now there will be no Tree for him, unless he comes crawling back. And since he tried to kill us all, I am not inclined to welcome him. So, let me assure you, so long as you remain with me, I will be your ally.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t leave you now, boss. But I have to know, just who is the guy that beat you up? The enemy of master Raven? I¡¯m curious...¡± she smiled, and while it was air-headed, it was cute. Annoyingly so.


    Taking over, Shiro spoke. ¡°You can be curious all you like, but just know he¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like that, huh?¡± Suzu smirked. ¡°But wait, didn¡¯t the Raven say he was with that Shaeula woman? Damn, is this some sort of love triangle? Neat!¡± as Suzu babbled on, Shiro felt a headache to match the sickness she felt at the death of Daizen. Well, I was hoping I could reconcile the Raven Knight with Aki, as he¡¯d be useful. But... I guess bringing Arisu, Bunta and Suzu to his camp is good enough. That reminds me...


    ¡°Daizen is dead, so his Territory will have ben destroyed, Bunta, it¡¯s your turn. Go and scoop up whatever is left there. Arisu, let him out.¡±


    As Bunta gratefully departed, still fearful of being killed like Daizen, Shiro rubbed at her aching eye-socket sourly. Best I keep Bunta happy. His skill is dangerous. I don¡¯t think it could take Aki, but if one of the other girls or some people around him were caught unawares, they¡¯d die. For his timid nature, he sure did get a brutal skill...


    ¡°So tell me more, then!¡± Suzu demanded. ¡°Just what¡¯s so good about this guy? And if you are like that, how come your arm got all screwed up? You didn¡¯t lie to us, did you? No way you¡¯d do that, boss...¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s never quiet. I suppose I need to answer some of her questions... ¡°As it happens, while Aki was stronger than me...¡± Shiro began, forgoing the cold tone of Tan, caught up in her recent memories. ¡°... the wounds are actually to save my life...¡± as Arisu yawned, having already heard the story, Suzu looked on, making appropriate noises of wonder...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Five

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Five


    ¡°Well damn, it feels good to be out.¡± Aliyah stretched, yawning. She was dressed in a sharp suit, trousers and jacket, in a more male fashion, her hair freshly styled and the beads back in, jingling softly. ¡°Got to say, steak and a beer or ten was like being in heaven. Only thing was the meat was a bit fatty. I like mine leaner.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, sis, does that really matter?¡± Treyvon asked. He was in a suit as well, carrying himself like a bodyguard, always alert. ¡°I was grateful just to be out of prison. You shouldn¡¯t push your luck.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much, Trey.¡± Aliyah disagreed. ¡°Sure, we weren¡¯t in a strong position, but we work for this guy now, right? Employees just like anyone else.¡± She looked at me then, and I shrugged. ¡°Speaking of...¡± She spared a glance for the other person with us, the Lieutenant. ¡°... what¡¯s army boy doing with us?¡±


    ¡°Army boy?¡± Nakano-san snorted. ¡°Might want to show some respect, James-san.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why.¡± She disagreed. ¡°We didn¡¯t join the army, like I said before, we work for him.¡±


    ¡°Aliyah!¡± Trey chided, sighing. ¡°Look, I get you are in high spirits, but cool it, all right? If we get sacked it¡¯s right back to prison for us, right? Or worse, considering what we know now.¡±


    As the three of them bickered, I rubbed at my temples, feeling a headache coming on. Still, it was tempered with relief. Shiro had called me, saying that she needed to talk to me about her allies and the Raven Knight. I had worried about letting her go alone, but she and Tan assured me she could handle it. I guess that must have been true then.


    ¡°This is a military facility, so of course he needs an escort, even if he is like an honorary member of the military, considering his relationship with Tsumura-sama¡¯s granddaughter.¡± Nakano-san said, grinning in his delinquent fashion. Aliyah cracked her knuckles, annoyed, but before it could escalate, the Lieutenant turned to me.


    ¡°Speaking of... everyone is quite troubled. You were supposed to have started work on the Special Forces, as well as met with several important people, but you blew us all off over a girl. That raised a few eyebrows.¡±


    True, I¡¯ve been distracted these last few days. I need to take charge of my Territory again, discuss the Conclave with Takakura-san, start fulfilling my promises to various people. I also set up a meeting with Natsumi¡¯s parents before this happened... shit. That¡¯s this evening. Time really does fly. I smiled sadly, apologising. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry. I know I have a lot of commitments I¡¯ve been neglecting, but... my mind has been on other matters.¡±


    ¡°Her. I get it.¡± Nakano-san agreed. ¡°Word is she was in a terrible state. I¡¯m guessing...¡± he shot my new bodyguards a pointed look, speaking cryptically. ¡°... an accident over there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You don¡¯t have to be discreet. Shaeula had them swear to her, so they can¡¯t cause problems.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re not wrong. Damn, I wish things could have been resolved another way, but... at least she¡¯s alive. While alive, there¡¯s always hope.¡± I reassured myself. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m going in, so can you wait out here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, guys shouldn¡¯t be going into the hospital room of an injured woman.¡± The Lieutenant agreed.


    I made to enter, Aliyah, and surprisingly enough, her brother, followed me. When I looked queryingly at him, he shrugged. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any interest in women, do I? if anything, Aliyah should probably stay outside. I guess you know what she¡¯s like, though she refuses to talk much about what happened in Vegas.¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Trey.¡± She snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not shitty enough to hit on a sick woman, even if she¡¯s hot. She is hot, right? All the girls you seem to know are.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± I defended her. ¡°Even now. but... she¡¯s sensitive about her injuries, all right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re mercs... well, we were.¡± Aliyah protested. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got a few scars? You might even have seen... ugh, never mind. Shit, shut your yapping and let¡¯s go.


    Trey mouthed an apology at me as I rolled my eyes at her lack of respect. It was rather refreshing, if a little problematic for someone who worked for me. Still, she¡¯s fresh out of jail, it¡¯ll take her a while to adapt. The door slid open and I entered. Shiro was sitting up in bed, still bandaged up, covering her eye and the worst of her wounds. On seeing me her expression brightened, before she spotted Aliyah and Trey, immediately bowing her face so her long silver hair covered it, shielding her from view. Even so, they had seen.


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Aliyah whistled, aghast.


    ¡°Sis.¡± Trey went to whack her on the head but she swayed aside, dodging. ¡°He¡¯s our boss now, and he specifically told you to be sensitive.¡±


    ¡°Well shit, I¡¯m sorry. But fuck me... poor girl.¡± She sighed. ¡°What the fuck happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Who... who are they, Aki? Others like us?¡± Shiro asked, still hiding her face, which was putting me in a bad mood. Trey, more sensitive than his sister, was picking up on that, so he apologised for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my sis here, she¡¯s got a big mouth and never thinks before she speaks, but she doesn¡¯t mean any offense. Uh... we were just surprised at your injuries.¡±


    I could feel Shiro pouting. ¡°Aki, it¡¯s cruel bringing others to see me. You know I hate myself now.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t. Please.¡± I went over and took her good hand, noticing the ring had been moved to there. ¡°Look, Shiro. You¡¯re still you, and I don¡¯t love you any less, whatever you look like. Besides... one day... one day we¡¯ll heal it all. I¡¯ve spoken to Shaeula, and she¡¯ll be back for the Conclave, seems things are going well for her. She¡¯s eager to meet you, and she¡¯ll be bringing Selensha to our Territory again, so between the three of us, we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±


    ¡°Another of your girls, huh? Well shit. I knew there was a reason I hated you.¡± Aliyah stomped over, and surprisingly enough lifted Shiro¡¯s hair. Trey made to stop her, but she snapped at him. ¡°Fuck off, Trey. You might be gay, but you¡¯re not a woman. You don¡¯t know how we think.¡± As Shiro let out a yelp and tried to cover her face, Aliyah looked at her, her blue eyes fierce yet gentle. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s some fucking nasty scarring there, no kidding. Your eye... uh, shit, that fucked too is it?¡±


    Shiro nodded, tears brimming in her good eye.


    ¡°Well, tough break. You must have been gorgeous before. Fuck, I like cute girls rather than beauties, but you¡¯d have been right in my strike zone.¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring this person here?¡± Shiro complained to me. ¡°Is this some sort of harassment, or do you have a fetish for other people hitting on your women?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not you, it¡¯s us.¡± I corrected her, and her blush deepened. As we talked, Aliyah complained we were flirting, but soon Shiro was too tired to continue, and we left her to her rest. The Lieutenant was still outside, and as we exited the room, he grinned.


    ¡°Well, Special Forces have arrived. So, how many of them are you doing today, boss?¡±


    I suppose I¡¯d better. Looking at my watch I had plenty of time before I had to meet Natsumi and her parents this evening. I can also start working with Treyvon and Aliyah. ¡°As many as I can, I guess. These two as well. By the way, how¡¯s your company? The Black Wolf, right? Damn, that¡¯s oddly apt, working for me.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Trey asked, and I grinned. ¡°Well, funny story, but have you heard of the story of Tyr and Fenrir?¡±


    ¡°Enough of that crap. Who cares what we are called? We¡¯re not a PMC anymore, mercs neither, technically, though we might do some jobs still. So, thirty percent quit. Less than I thought, actually.¡± She ran a hand through her hair, making the beads jingle. ¡°Luciana is dealing with your government at the embassy out there in the sunny seas. The paperwork is shit, but looks like they¡¯ll be able to enter soon, and bring our gear too. So, what do you want with us?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, guarding important people like Shiro. We may seem strong, and we are, but we have periods of vulnerability. I am currently getting noble support with bodyguards, but I¡¯d like my own. Special ones.¡± I grinned, which made Trey sigh and Aliyah grimace.


    ¡°Babysitting some girls huh? Well, I can think of worse duties...¡± she said, before the Lieutenant piped up.


    ¡°You might get caught out if you treat them as just some young girls. I went on a mission with Oshiro-san here and some of his entourage. One swings a mean axe for sure. And even the ones that don¡¯t are pretty special.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten Shaeula, don¡¯t worry.¡± She snorted bitterly, and Trey agreed.


    ¡°Shit, yeah sis, the way she manhandled that agent, while carrying that sniper rifle like it was a toy pistol. And her ability to control our minds... we won¡¯t take anyone lightly.¡±


    ¡°Good, then you have a bright future ahead of you. Well then, good luck with your... Chirurgery, it was, right?¡± Nakano-san grinned.


    ¡°It was indeed. Lucky for them and the Special Forces, while trying to save Shiro my skills increased a lot. I might just be able to catch up with the quota I missed due to being worried.¡±


    ¡°Great, that¡¯d help out a lot. The brass is eager to get started. Well, guess I¡¯ll leave you to it then and send over the troops.¡± With a lazy salute, he headed off. I turned to the two of them and grinned. ¡°Better fetch your other two as well. Time for surgery.¡±


    At my smile, Aliyah flinched. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad flashback to Vegas here...¡±


    Well, no need to worry. I don¡¯t need to have you strip anymore, my Eye does it all for me...


    ********


    ¡°So let me guess, I have to strip.¡± Aliyah declared sourly. ¡°That¡¯s how these things usually work, right?¡± her hands went to her buttons, but I stopped her with a word.


    ¡°Actually, not anymore.¡± My Eye flared a vivid amber. ¡°I can see just fine with this, and contrary to what you think, I¡¯m not interested in bullying you. You may be damn attractive, but I don¡¯t make it my business to hit on girls, especially ones who don¡¯t like guys.¡±


    ¡°Shit, right.¡± She grimaced. ¡°Says the man with... that girl from Vegas, Shaeula, the girl we just met with the mangled face... uh, the princess, right?¡± she changed her expression as my amber eye glared at her. ¡°And the granddaughter of the boss of this base too right? And aren¡¯t you meeting the parents of another girl later? So five? And you say you don¡¯t go out looking for women.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I protested. ¡°Oh, and it¡¯s actually seven. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Jackass. I so want to hit you, but it won¡¯t do shit. Fuck. Might as well get started. This is some crazy mad scientist shit, but just the sort of thing the DoD and Pentagon are looking into, I reckon. This is... safe, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, we worried to start with, but we¡¯ve done it a lot of times now, so it should be.¡± Thank all the gods we¡¯ve never had to use a safety measure like trying for Lovers¡¯ Link to stabilise anyone suffering a catastrophic failure of their networks or chakras. ¡°And if you are going to be of use, you need the buffs and the ability to enter the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Shit, strange creatures and superheroes I get, but to think there¡¯s another fucking world out there we can go to. No wonder that casino in Vegas was such a shitty, gloomy place. A lot more makes sense now. Fuck, I wonder how much the brass back in the good old US of A knows about this shit. If they¡¯d have told us what to expect, you wouldn¡¯t have fucked us in the ass so hard.¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s crude as ever. It¡¯s almost funny though.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, your ass looks pretty fine to me.¡± I said, and she froze, mouth hanging open, unable to process it until I snickered nastily, showing it was a joke. Annoyed, she sat down on the gurney that was in the room.


    ¡°Tell that joke to Trey and he¡¯ll tell you to go right ahead. Maybe you should play for the other team, pretty boy.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m happy enough with my girls. Now, lie down and we¡¯ll get started. You might feel ... well, no, you will feel a shitload of pain, but schoolgirls have managed it, even young ones, so a big bad woman like you should be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Trying to taunt me, huh? Well, you¡¯ll find I¡¯m no blushing schoolgirl. Bring it on!¡±


    Her bravado lasted a minute before the pain started getting to her, but even so, she managed the Chirurgery without complaint, glaring at me the whole time...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Six

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Six


    ¡°Damn, that hurt.¡± Trey said, swinging his shoulder, working the aching pathways within. He was slicked with sweat, but even so, like his sister and the soldiers from the Special Forces I had also done, they endured it all in one session without much complaint. Even though it hurts far more now... whereas before I could manage six or seven complete sets of Chirurgery in one go, now I had Ranked up twice, desperately trying to save Shiro, the efficiency and aether usage of the skill was much improved. In addition, using my new Split Thoughts skill, I could also work on multiple areas at once much easier, which led to me being able to manage Chirurgery on twenty of the Special Forces, as well as Trey, Aliyah and their two guys. Still got a bit of energy left as well.


    Once I had finished with Aliyah, I was going to start on her brother, but then the Lieutenant had returned with some of the Special Forces, and they had taken priority, as per my agreement. As expected most of them were men, but there were two women, and it had been a little uncomfortable working Chirurgery on them, as I had of course glimpsed them through the black tank-tops and combat trousers they were wearing with my Eye. Still, they didn¡¯t seem too embarrassed, I guess elite soldiers really are different. After they were done, I had finished up with Trey and his two, and that led to this.


    ¡°Quit whining, Trey.¡± Aliyah said in satisfaction. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt that much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and who was sweating and moaning under this guy¡¯s touch?¡± he shot back. The two behind him, both still rather pale and uncomfortable, seemed amused by the joke, not hiding their grins, only to further whiten as Aliyah shot them a glare.


    ¡°I hate the way you phrased that, you did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± She snapped, before shaking her head, beads jingling. ¡°Oh forget it. Fuck, it did hurt, but not as much as when you beat the fuck out of me.¡± She glared at me then, and I had to stop myself from apologising. No, I¡®ve done nothing wrong either time.


    ¡°Like I told the soldiers, the work is done, but you¡¯ll suffer quite a lot of discomfort, until you flush the debris from your chakra networks, and it grows accustomed to taking in significantly more ether. Once aether has pooled in all your chakra, well... then the fun really begins.¡± I declared, and Trey snorted.


    ¡°Sure thing. I don¡¯t really get it, but from what that Lieutenant was saying...¡± he frowned momentarily, perhaps not appreciating working with someone from a foreign military. ¡°... even a weak schoolgirl can change into an axe-swinging maniac with enough training in this, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Eri would appreciate being called a maniac.¡± I complained. ¡°And there¡¯s more to it than that. Don¡¯t expect her level of success. But even so, you should definitely notice a difference in reaction speed, strength, stamina and thought processing. And that should help you train your bodies further too. Put in the work, and it¡¯ll pay dividends.¡±


    Aliyah nodded. While the soldiers were under the metaphorical knife, she had found some dumbbells and was doing reps, marvelling at how much extra weight she could do before straining her muscles. She¡¯d also ran a bleep test, and compared herself to several of her known benchmarks, crushing them all easily. ¡°Shit Trey, he¡¯s not kidding. I¡¯d be winning Olympic medals in weightlifting if I could compete right now. I know what that dumbass from Scandinavia who said he was the second coming of Thor or whatever, meant now.¡±


    That piqued my interest. ¡°Uh, Thor? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Trey allowed. ¡°... it¡¯s mission info, so we can¡¯t really talk about it, but...¡± he exchanged a look with his sister, who sighed.


    ¡°Well, does it matter, Trey? Old news, and a lot of it was public domain.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Right. There was a professional weightlifter, who shattered the World Records in multiple events. Not just by a little, but by an absurd amount. Obviously the records were pending drug tests and so on, as nobody would believe such feats were possible, right?¡± he laughed bitterly, arms and legs still trembling a little from the memory of the painful Chirurgery. ¡°Still, it seems clear to me that it wasn¡¯t bullshit after all.¡±


    ¡°So what happened to him?¡± I asked, intrigued. Thor, huh? That¡¯s Norse Pantheon, one of the big gods everyone knows about, especially with those super-hero films that have been popular the last decade. I imagine we¡¯d be natural allies considering that...


    ¡°Stupid bastard was even more of a loose-lipped prick than you.¡± Aliyah scoffed. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know how to keep a low profile, but to openly declare you were rocking supernatural powers in the National press, after effectively proving it... fucking stupid. In fact, it seems none of you bastards know how to keep a tight ship.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair, sis.¡± Trey interjected, and for a moment I felt a little grateful, until I realised he wasn¡¯t defending me. ¡°Obviously we don¡¯t know about the ones keeping a low profile, do we? There must be some, I¡¯m sure. Anyway...¡± he continued. ¡°Egil Andersen was his name. He came up on our target list, but instead we chose Vegas.¡±


    ¡°Should have fucking went for Russia.¡± Aliyah chuckled bitterly. ¡°I would rather have taken my chances with the Spetsnaz...¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, that¡¯s a load of shit, sis, and you know it.¡± Trey sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather be alive and working, even if it¡¯s not exactly on our own terms, than buried in a cold, unmarked grave in Siberia, like the Bad Moon Brotherhood.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a Candidate in Russia too?¡± I asked, and he shook his head, denying that.


    ¡°No, this was a more normal mission. There¡¯s a genius researcher in AI and robotics there. Obviously the US and her allies feel that their political enemies having access to a prodigious genius in such a critical field is unsafe, so there¡¯ve been attempts to ... repatriate her... forcefully. All failed, of course. Back on topic. Egil Andersen disappeared, and he¡¯s likely dead, from what I hear. Stupid bastard.¡±


    ¡°I see. Damn.¡± The number of Candidates are dwindling. That¡¯s... not necessarily a bad thing, for me personally, but for the world... shit, it¡¯s more important than ever we pull together, and if we can¡¯t, saving the divine favours and finding new, useful hosts for them... Damn, Thor, I bet that would have been awesome... Still, since he was a sportsman, my thoughts naturally strayed to my sister. ¡°My sis was looking forward to the last Tournament of her school life, before her entrance exams in January. But... she decided not to compete.¡± She had mentioned it to me before the mess with Shiro, but I had not had time to process it due to the hectic pace of recent events. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, as she wanted to win one tournament if she could, but... she said it wasn¡¯t fair to other competitors, since she¡¯s stronger and was able to compete with Shaeula¡¯s brother now, even if she got her ass kicked. I¡¯m... I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Not sure how?¡± Aliyah asked, remembering my sister, who she had found very attractive.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still Aiko¡¯s ability. Sure, I helped with the Chirurgery, but it¡¯s her efforts and training that make it work. But if that¡¯s what she¡¯s decided, who am I to stop her? I just really wanted her to win one, as her brother, you know?¡±


    ¡°Shit, you really do love your sister too much. Trey, don¡¯t ever get so creepy on me, okay?¡± Aliyah shuddered, and as I went to protest, I caught a mocking grin on her face. Realising she was teasing me, I shut my mouth.


    ¡°Sisters are a pain, I get you, man.¡± Trey commiserated, slapping me on the shoulder heartily. ¡°But... I think I get it. A lot of the Japanese sports are more about beating yourself or some meditative shit like that, right?¡±


    I wanted to protest that was a Western stereotype of Japan, but... Kyudo was a lot like that. Seeing my expression, he continued. ¡°Well, sure. But even so, it¡¯s not a type of hard work just anyone can do, is it? Shit, sport is going to be thrown into chaos by this. If a little kid can outperform a big guy with the proper enhancements, can you imagine the sight of that on the football field? Shit...¡±


    ¡°Who gives a fuck about that?¡± Aliyah complained. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the battlefield. Still, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a gamechanger. Yet.¡± she looked at me. ¡°Level with me. If I¡¯m working for you, you have a duty to look out for my wellbeing. Just how far do you think this¡¯ll go? Will every soldier end up shrugging off bullets and moving like a damn race-car like you did in the end?¡±


    ¡°Honestly... I don¡¯t know.¡± I admitted. ¡°I can speculate... but I think without being able to gain levels, even with better networks, the end result is going to be modest. But if there is a way that levels can be gained too... Maybe not everyone, but elite units like Special Forces, Rangers, Fighter Pilots... maybe.¡± I just hope that there are other ways to gain levels than simply defeating enemies. Else... the dwellers in the Boundary might end up being hunted recklessly to extinction. Shit, I know I¡¯ve been doing that too, but I do offer alliance to those who might be friendly. It¡¯s a bit hypocritical, but I don¡¯t want a free-for-all massacre. If the Seelie Court was to be attacked by an army of power-hungry humans... and then, what¡¯s worse is...


    Swallowing down a sense of dread, I pondered as the two of them bickered, Manx and Travis occasionally joining in. I didn¡¯t level up when I killed those two agents, but I was pretty high-level then, right? What if... what if people could grow stronger, by killing other people? Ordinary people...


    ********


    After I performed the first Chirurgery on the Special Forces, I arranged to do another batch tomorrow. I would try to get as many done before I headed for Kyoto as possible, but it seemed I would be ahead of schedule, even with the delays and without Shaeula¡¯s support, thanks to my newly improved skills. I then met my new tutor on Chinese and Classical Chinese. He was a thin, fussy-looking man in his late fifties, and he seemed to be of mixed descent, his Japanese flawless, but slightly accented.


    ¡°Indeed. Seeing you so full of life, what mother could object, so long as family honour is maintained. But we have another concern.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to that.¡± Natsumi promised, and I was shocked at how forward she was being. Seeing that, she squeezed my arm gently. ¡°Well, I know I usually fade into the background, but we¡¯ll be together forever, right? I have to assert my charms when I can, or Motoko and the others will monopolise you!¡± her smile was enough to make my heart skip a beat. ¡°Anyway... mother, father. Shaeula and Hyacinth aren¡¯t human, but they are girls nonetheless. Shaeula is a genuine princess. So to say Akio isn¡¯t noble is foolish. She is very fond of traditional Japanese clothing as well. You¡¯ll love her. She¡¯s refined, delicate... and also wild and playful. Then Hyacinth... she can be a bit scary, but she¡¯s genuinely dedicated to Akio, and us. Like I want to be a bodyguard, she dreams of being a servant to us. But Akio wanted her to be more. Then there¡¯s... Shiro.¡± Her expression turned troubled. ¡°So beautiful, she must have been. I know that the daughters of the Three Great Houses are renowned for their beauty, but... she was like the gods made her themselves. Now... now she¡¯s very badly hurt. But... when she¡¯s well again, mother, you¡¯d have a desperate urge to fit her for clothing. It could be your life¡¯s greatest work.¡±


    ¡°You did say you wanted our wedding outfits...¡± I began, and Natsumi finished for me.


    ¡°... yes, all of them, made by our own hands, me and my parents. Here in our workshop and home. Western and Traditional both. Mother, father. We¡¯ll do it, and it¡¯ll be the grandest wedding ever. A wedding for seven. For now anyway.¡± She grinned. ¡°After all, the Prime Minister himself is being forced to work towards changing the law. Polygamy will be legal for those who need it. So... you¡¯ll see me married properly, mother, father.¡±


    ¡°What can we say to that?¡± her mother conceded. ¡°I have worried that as a concubine, a mistress, she would miss out on a little happiness. It seems that won¡¯t be the case now. but we have one issue.¡±


    ¡°The danger.¡± Her father said, and I understood. It was why I didn¡¯t want to tell Aiko and Eri, or my family, about the return of the old ways, of elemental magic and the Boundary. Still, I¡¯ve learned that is pure folly. The world isn¡¯t so kind as to leave the uninvolved alone. Kondou Kazuo proved that.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie and say there¡¯ll be no danger. After all, Shiro... she... well, she¡¯ll survive, and in time I¡¯ll make her well again. But... I would rather they are prepared to face any danger, strong, resolute and skilled, fully aware, rather than be caught by the skeins of misfortune and strangled. The world has changed, and there¡¯s no going back. I want... I want them to be able to stand tall, free from fear. And with a girl like Natsumi, who shines most when wielding bow, sword or spear... it¡¯ll be easy.¡± I smiled at her then, and she blushed, looking delighted at my praise. ¡°A dedicated girl like you... you¡¯ll be more than able to hold your own. After all, Master Ulfuric praised you and Motoko, right?¡±


    I could feel it then, Lovers¡¯ Link connecting, and Natsumi blinked, eyes going wide as she could feel the care and love I had for her, which had come to me so suddenly, the heartfelt desires of Motoko and Natsumi having overwhelmed my reluctance. Though I¡¯m probably too much of a pushover. Still, now I¡¯m resolved to only accept those I feel a genuine desire for... though, looking at Natsumi, Motoko and Hinata, if you told me I couldn¡¯t marry them now, I¡¯d be enraged, so...


    ¡°This is...¡± Natsumi said in wonder, face hot and crimson. ¡°... I feel it. You do love me!¡± With that she leant over, and heedless of her makeup, our lips met, a kiss gentle at first, becoming more heated, our tongues entwining, heedless of her parents watching.


    ¡°Daughter.¡± Her father said, and at that she pulled away, wiping at her lips.


    ¡°Sorry, I ... I got carried away. I know we shouldn¡¯t be kissing yet, but... you don¡¯t understand. I can feel it. This is the Lovers¡¯ Link I¡¯ve heard of. Hinata told me that...¡± she trailed off, before changing the subject. ¡°Mother, father. I can have tangible proof of his love. And it tells me he¡¯ll always protect me, as I¡¯ll protect him. Daughters of nobility are sheltered, hence why I have to give up being a bodyguard, or so I thought. But... the nobility will change. For the better. We¡¯ll keep the best of it, the arts, dancing, music, clothing, architecture, elegance... but the worst... Akio will never stand for that. Not for his women. Not for us. Not for me.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, it is impossible to question our daughter¡¯s resolve.¡± Her father declared. ¡°But... I ask you again. As a man, can you make sure she¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°If Natsumi dies, I¡¯ll already be dead, because I¡¯ll fight anything that threatens her.¡± I promised. ¡°But she can be strong enough to defend herself too, as...¡± I smirked at her. ¡°... well, at least you can get to level nine now. Motoko too.¡± My feelings for Motoko had solidified as I realised what Natsumi meant to me, and now, like Hinata, they had the single Rank of Lovers¡¯ Link. ¡°She¡¯ll be surprised.¡± Right now they would be in the Boundary, but I expected a phone call on her return.


    ¡°I love you!¡± Natsumi kissed me again, and as her parents looked on she raised one well-groomed eyebrow. Once she pulled free, she spoke to them. ¡°Well, my lipstick and makeup is already ruined, so what does it matter? I just wish... that we could get the Lovers¡¯ Link even more strongly. Hinata asked Shaeula about it, but she wouldn¡¯t give us the full details afterwards, only blushing and looking away. From that... I can imagine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too soon for that.¡± I said. ¡°For Eri it was a bit different, we¡¯re both just childhood friends and normal people, so getting... intimate... before marriage isn¡¯t a huge deal. The nobility is very different.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is too soon.¡± Her mother agreed, but surprisingly enough, her father...


    ¡°Well, the engagement is announced, there¡¯ll be no breaking of it now, Fujiwara-sama and the others wouldn¡¯t stand for it. Whether you are a noble or not, Oshiro-san, you are treated as one, so... look. Tell me more about this... this Lovers¡¯ Link. Natsumi, take your mother and step out for a moment. Fix your makeup, Oshiro-san might find you frightful in such a state.¡±


    ¡°No he won¡¯t.¡± Natsumi pouted. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t get much time with Akio by myself, I want to...¡±


    ¡°Look, just give us fifteen minutes. This is an important talk, man to man.¡± He declared, and with that she had no choice to retreat, her mother in tow. When they were gone, he fixed me with a stern gaze over the now-cooled tea. ¡°So, Oshiro-san...¡±


    ¡°Akio. I¡¯m going to be your son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Akio-san it is then. Just how does this make my daughter safer, and what does she have to give up in exchange?¡±


    Ugh, it¡¯s a good question, but not one I¡¯m eager to answer. If... if it was up to me, I¡¯d want to make sure everyone had Lovers¡¯ Link as high as I could get it, but I¡¯m not prepared to ruin their honour or force them into stuff they clearly aren¡¯t ready for to do so. But... Shou-san is the first parent or guardian to really ask about how it all works. Damn, explaining this to him is going to be excruciatingly embarrassing...


    I spent the next fifteen minutes detailing it to the increasingly contemplative Shou-san, before Natsumi and her mother returned, the makeup removed. When I asked why, Masae-san shrugged. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point as my foolish daughter will only mess it up again, right?¡±


    As Natsumi nodded, blushing, she smiled herself, a wry one, that suited her noble features. ¡°I never thought I would see my Natsumi like this. She¡¯s changed. For the better, I hope, but even so...¡±


    ¡°We need to speak to Tsumura-sama.¡± Shou-san said suddenly, surprising us all. As Natsumi looked at him questioningly, he sighed. ¡°We need to move up the wedding. As soon as we can plausibly hold it, traditions be damned. Our daughter... well, it¡¯s the least we can do to help her.¡±


    Natsumi was shocked, but I knew why the sudden shift. He¡¯s a man who cares very deeply for his daughter. I respect that. He¡¯ll make a good father in law. Shit, I know Hyacinth doesn¡¯t have parents, but... I¡¯m going to have a whole flock of in-laws of varying shades of trouble...


    ¡°In that case...¡± Masae-san was thinking, accepting her husband at his word. ¡°If we are to make these outfits, I¡¯ll need to take measurements, see the girls to determine which colours and patterns will look best...¡±


    ¡°Hey, we can make a start.¡± Natsumi grinned. ¡°Akio, you have pictures of them all, right?¡±


    ¡°I do, but...¡± I said, taking out my phone, which Natsumi snatched.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not quite how I intended to spend this precious evening, but... father. Call Tsumura-sama immediately. He seems to like Akio too, so there should be no problems!¡±


    Oh... kay. The laws haven¡¯t even changed yet, I don¡¯t think they are thinking about that. Shit... looks like I¡¯d best start buttering up the Prime Minister by working on those Special Forces soldiers and the experiments I promised even faster... Still, I knew I was smiling. Seeing Natsumi look so happy, her parents likewise invested in her... no, our future, it just once again reaffirmed what I needed to do, what I needed to protect. Conclave. That¡¯s going to be the key to it. I was content to just get some support, but now... no, looks like I need to make sure I¡¯m right up there at the top, calling some of the shots...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Seven

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Seven


    After spending the evening with Natsumi and her parents, including a rather interesting time seeing how some of the cloth and dyes were made in the traditional manner, even having a go myself, which earned lavish praise from her parents, as with my stats it was easy to pick up and operate the complicated, historic machinery, I finally said my farewells, returning to Shirohebizumi shrine by provided car.


    Once there, I had many more demands on my time, as there was a lot to prepare before Conclave. I had a meeting with Kana¡¯s father and grandfather, who advised me that Hikawa-san had organised all our shrine attendees for the Conclave. That included Chairoakitara shrine, back home, and Marika-san would be happy to see her grandfather again, and surprisingly enough, her mother, who was taking time off work to visit Kyoto. The only exception was Hisuikomushi shrine, which was Amaterasu faction, so it was problematic for Hikawa-san to interfere, politically.


    Even so, we had a productive discussion, and while I would be bearing the cost of transportation, we would be taking the shinkansen from central Tokyo to Kyoto, at just over two hours. As for getting to Tokyo, Hinata was arranging transportation for everyone, and would be bringing Eri, Aiko and our families to Tokyo beforehand via helicopter again, which my sis was really happy about, having seemingly developed a great liking for helicopter travel.


    With that done, I said my farewells and headed back for my home, only to run into Ixitt, who was back on the Material. When he saw me, his human face brightened, and he hurried over, bundles of what looked like schematic papers or blueprints in his arms. ¡°It is good to see you!¡± he enthused. ¡°The princess has been missing you terribly, though all is well in your absence. However...¡±


    ¡°However...?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have hit a wall in my research, so I decided to return to the mortal realm. There is so much that is fascinating here.¡± he gushed, launching into a long spiel about computers, the internet, bookstores and more. ¡°... and your secretary, this Karen, she is most helpful.¡±


    ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t causing her trouble. She¡¯s got a lot on her plate at the moment.¡± I warned, and it was true. What with dealing with all of the administration regarding the new Ministry and my role in it, as well as my own projects, keeping on top of the hotels, her own training... sure, Haru-san was helping out, in her new role, but even so, Karen-chan was doing overtime, despite my promises to the contrary. At least I¡®m paying her fairly for it, I guess...


    Reminding myself I needed to drop her in another few bottles of good booze as thanks, I listened more to Ixitt.


    ¡°No, of course not. I have a fair handle on how the mortal world operates now.¡± he grinned. ¡°And since I was able to gain a few more of these levels in the expansion of your Territory while you have been absent...¡± his grin broadened. ¡°... the prince has been most eager to expand your reach, if only to stay away from his elder sister, I believe. You will be very impressed on your return. But that is another topic. No, now my thoughts are clearer and my memory better, it was trivial to master the internet and your... Japanese... customs. Though I fear I have spent rather a sum of money.¡±


    ¡°Well, money I have.¡± I said, knowing investing in Ixitt was a wise move. But something he had said worried me. ¡°So... Ixitt, have you been going out by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He laughed, and I imagined if he was in his ratkin form his tail would be lashing happily. ¡°It was not my first time, I was escorted before. So I remember. And a great Mortal Engineer, no... a great scientist...¡± he seemed to relish the word. ¡°... has no problems learning by observation. The stores of Akihabara are a treasure-trove of parts and pieces. I have made several of what you call personal computers now.¡±


    Thank god he was there for the electronics. If Ixitt became interested in anime and manga, that¡¯d be ... disturbing. ¡°Yeah, but buying one off-the-shelf is probably easier.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but if I do not have hands-on experience, how can I understand how everything works? So clever. Electronics, machinery, robotics. The Fae has none of these, though the Unseelie sometimes use the dead, possessed by mindless spirits, in a similar way... what wonders could we achieve, if we blended together our arts and mortal science? True Mortal Engineering. To that end...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± I sighed, seeing as he wasn¡¯t going to let up. Once in, we were seated round a table, a bottle of whiskey opened, several blueprints spread out, empty glasses holding down the corners. ¡°So, just what is this?¡± I asked, though from what I could see, it seemed to be a schematic of sorts for some sort of Building. The Boundary kind of building.


    ¡°It is as you surmise.¡± He chortled. ¡°Using a computer and these CAD programs, it does make it far easier to draft designs, without so much waste. Especially as the material is precious.¡± He looked a bit guilty at that. ¡°Fortunately, with your Territory growing rapidly, due to the efforts of the prince, Ulfuric and your loyal troops, the ether is plentiful to... repair... the construction after I remove the material for experimentation.¡±


    Yeah, he was working on that, wasn¡¯t he? Luckily he tested it out on Kikuchi-san¡¯s Territory before mine, even so... ¡°This looks a lot like an Ether Spire.¡± I mused, observing. ¡°But surely it can¡¯t be that easy...¡±


    Ixitt scratched at his chin ruefully. ¡°It is not easy indeed. Still, I do so relish a challenge. I did prevail upon the princess to do me a boon and use her keen eyes to peer inside some Spires when she last returned and draw me what she sees, which was this...¡± the second blueprint was a bit different. ¡°... even so, the structure seems to have little relation to the function. Most puzzling. It¡¯s almost as if there is something... missing... that the princess cannot see.¡±


    Yeah, the Spire doesn¡¯t seem to be entirely solid, instead it seems to contain a pattern of small tubes and voids. In a way, it seems similar to a chakra network... voicing that thought, Ixitt grew excited, and once I fetched down several of the portraits from the room at the training school, we studied them side-by-side. When we had seen the similarities, Ixitt went still, thinking hard, before bursting into life suddenly, animated and waving his hands wildly.


    ¡°Of course, that must be it! The Spires must function as does a subtle body, drawing in and accumulating ether and elemental essences. Marvellous. Such cutting-edge work!¡± he enthused. ¡°So that is why my prototypes have failed. It could be...¡± he looked at me then, hopeful. ¡°... there are strange fragments of crystal I end up with, along with the silvery metal. Perhaps... well, in the longer term, I may be able to make a facility that creates this metal and crystal, rather than having to extract it from your growing Buildings, but for now.... perhaps if we used Etherites as a catalyst... without knowing precisely how it works, it is a long shot, but...¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯ve seen crystal in pretty much every Territory, especially Miyu¡¯s and that wretch Kondou¡¯s. Silver metal seems to be common too, though there are other basic components of buildings, such as brick for Kikuchi-san¡¯s. But these clear crystals seem constant. It makes me wonder... if they aren¡¯t Etherites, are they something else?


    ¡°... so, I was hoping to use some of your Green and Blue Etherites.¡± Ixitt finished hopefully, and I sighed.


    ¡°No?¡± he said mournfully. ¡°I understand they are precious, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just I used them all up to save Shiro. All we have are the ones back at the Territory and in storage.¡± Not that I regret it at all. Shiro is far more precious than any amount of ether.


    ¡°I... see. Well, a blow, to be sure.¡± Ixitt mused. ¡°Still, I think we have found an avenue to operate on...¡± as the discussion stretched on, the bottle of whiskey emptied, a warm glow of drunkenness spreading through me, thanks to the ability of Ether Healing to ignore certain contaminants now, if I willed it, Ixitt changed the subject.


    ¡°The area you wish to establish the factory in the Material, we have started construction of a site in the same area.¡± He said. ¡°More and more kobolds are joining us, whole tribes migrating from the lands of the Fae. It seems that rumours of you and the princess have spread, that your lands are welcoming to all, and even those looked down upon can find work and happiness there. Quite the irony, considering the rumours I had heard of the princess before meeting her. In any case, the kobolds work hard, and are already making good progress. Apparently there may be some additional sites for mines nearby, though they of course wait for your permission to break ground.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well it¡¯s a good spot for it, as I need to set up some Buildings there and it¡¯ll have Defensive Emplacements too.¡± I conceded. ¡°So, what are you going to use the factory for?¡±


    ¡°Well, now that we can manufacture guns and ammunition, I have begun to train a unit of ratkin, kobolds and others who wish to fight. After all, strength is not so necessary with these weapons, merely good eyes and steady aim. But alas, it takes far too long to make each gun, and we have limited ammunition, even if I have become far more adept at using what materials we have to their maximum, after researching here in the mortal realm.¡±


    Uh, well, hopefully he isn¡¯t on any government watch-lists now. If he is, I¡¯ll speak to the Prime Minister...


    ¡°So?¡± I asked. ¡°The factory is for guns and bullets then? How will that work without machinery or power... oh. I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I imagine you do, being mortal. Well, mostly.¡± He chortled. ¡°I have been researching machinery, computers and power sources. I believe if I can make these artificial Ether Spires work I can use them to supply the factory, and to possibly automate other things, such as our own Defensive Emplacements and more. Alas, without Etherites to test, my work will be set back, but...¡±


    I see. A unit of gunners, as well as production facilities. That would be pretty great. As for more mines, yeah, that makes sense, more mines means more resources... We continued our talk until the sun came up, when Ixitt returned to the Boundary. Banishing my drunken feelings with a trickle of ether, I yawned. No sleep huh? Oh well, I¡¯ll manage. Today is another busy day, first I need to perform Chirurgery on as many soldiers as possible, then I¡¯m meeting Takakura-san to go over the strategy for Conclave, then I need to head to my Territory and spend the ether I¡¯ve been accumulating, before we head off...


    ********


    ¡°So, we meet again.¡± Takakura-san said. He was still wearing a strangely-coloured suit, this time white and black. Even so, his eyes burned with strength. ¡°I am pleased you could make time for us.¡±


    Us? Indeed, there were four girls with him, of varying ages, and one of them I recognised, her attractive, calming features graceful, her long black hair giving her an elegant appearance. On seeing my gaze, she cocked her head, puzzled for a moment, before smiling brightly as she remembered.


    ¡°Oh, Customer-sama.¡± She said. ¡°You were the one who bought the doll for your pretty girlfriend. And then tried to get my phone number.¡±


    ¡°The Zashiki-Warashi. She¡¯s called Azuki. Anyway... there might be other treasures. I¡¯m also curious. I found several treasures in the spiritual realm too, and I wondered if there might be any family records about them. It¡¯s a long shot, seeing as where they were found, but...¡±


    ¡°That seems fair.¡± Takakura-san agreed.


    ¡°Well, also...¡± I pushed. ¡°If you are going to be at Conclave, I want your support too.¡±


    ¡°We are mediators, we have no concrete influence.¡± Takakura-san said, thinking.


    ¡°Yeah, which means as mediators you can see whoever you want, right? Well, I need to meet people. The right people. You know how the world has changed. And what I can do, what I¡¯ve proposed. I have Haru-san, Miyu and Kikuchi-san, as well as another Chosen in my corner, maybe some more too. After Conclave, I¡¯ll need to meet Bunta-san, Arisu-san and Suzu-san, as Shiro called them. Hopefully they¡¯ll be reasonable, though some of her stories about them don¡¯t... exactly fill me with confidence.


    ¡°Well, the nobility as a whole has agreed that the infighting must stop.¡± Takakura-san declared. ¡°Foreign countries are making troubling moves, you know that well.¡±


    I nodded, remembering the attack by US agents.


    ¡°But making the factions work together is like herding cats. It is easy to say, hard to do.¡± He finished.


    ¡°Which is why an outsider like me, coming in with fresh knowledge and assets, is the perfect catalyst to get things done.¡± I¡¯m not going to sit around and offer what I have for a cheap price anymore. I know my value. Hell, dealing with the corrupted kami in Inuyama proved it. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m the strongest, such is foolish arrogance, but... I¡¯m certainly up there, and I have access to knowledge others don¡¯t. Shaeula. Ixitt. Even Tan.


    ¡°I... well, grandfather will want to meet you anyway.¡± Shiori-san said. ¡°So I¡¯ll do what I can. But I wasn¡¯t blessed by the kami, so I don¡¯t fully understand...¡±


    ¡°Well, all you have to do is train.¡± Motoko smiled then, always eager to talk about that. ¡°After all, Akio can work miracles. I have seen the spiritual realm, the Boundary. It is really very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Karen-chan agreed, while Haru-san was silent, still having few good memories of it. ¡°Seeing animal people walking about, trees towering to the skies, beautiful temples, strange sights... it made it all feel real.¡±


    ¡°Akio, you could perform Chirurgery on Shiori-sensei. As a gift. And then...¡±


    ¡°Shrewd.¡± Takakura-san laughed. ¡°Yasuhide dotes on his granddaughter. He must be terribly disappointed she did not become one of the Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Still, Shiori-sensei, this privilege comes with responsibility. The Boundary is dangerous, so you must listen to Akio¡¯s teachings and not be reckless. But even so, should you never even set foot there, the benefits are still massive.¡± Motoko pressed.


    ¡°It... seems hard to turn down.¡± Shiori-san said, finally. ¡°I¡¯ve been taught from a young age about the spiritual world. And I have some small gifts, meagre as they are.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll grow stronger if you have Chirurgery.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯ve recovered enough aether since the Special Forces earlier.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Takakura-san said, thinking. ¡°These girls too. After all, the Takakura bloodline is said to be one that was blessed by Tsukuyomi. Perhaps they might awaken some power? Before, I would have thought that laughable, but now...¡±


    ¡°And what do we get out of it, Takakura-sama?¡± Motoko insisted.


    ¡°Well, you said it yourself, you wish my support. I cannot be overt, as I must remain balanced, but I can certainly facilitate meetings and propose suggestions, as you wished. And my voice is well-respected.¡±


    ¡°Fine. That seems like a good deal.¡± It¡¯s a shame that no nobility is allowed, so I can¡¯t take Miyu, despite her Chosen status, nor can I take Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi, without losing support from the hardliners that don¡¯t want any noble meddling. Even so, I still have plenty of trump cards, and these could be two more...


    ********


    ¡°Sorry, I went as slowly and as gently as I could.¡± I apologised to the last of the girls, the youngest, Takakura Kiaria, as she cried a little. ¡°But it¡¯s done now, and you¡¯ve been very brave.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I feel all burning and itchy...¡± she sighed. ¡°My insides feel tingly and hot.¡±


    ¡°Not surprising.¡± I said, rather surprised by how it had all turned out, my Eye observing quite the show. Firstly, Shiori-san did have talents, a vestigial ability to use both fire and wind. With her chakras strengthened and her network perfected, and the addition of a lunar chakra, it was quite possible she would be able to learn to harness them properly in future. But the biggest shock was the three Takakura girls. Their networks were off, somehow, slightly different to what I was used to. Looking at them, it seemed closer to Shaeula¡¯s new network, that had changed when she became a Kamaitachi. It was enough to make me wonder. Is there Yokai blood in their family tree? How is that even possible? Or does it go back fifteen hundred years, when creatures like that still roamed the earth? Wouldn¡¯t any bloodline have thinned by then...?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pathetic, Kiaria.¡± Mizuki-san complained, though I noted her face was still damp from her own tears, as she crossed her arms under her frankly absurd chest. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    Well, I did try to use Ether Healing to lessen the pain they felt, and it worked to an extent, but even so, this was the whole-body equivalent of a bad trip to the dentist...


    ¡°Incredible...¡± Shiori-san said, surprised. Her feeble ability to perceive the wind and conjure small flames had strengthened noticeably. It was still pitiful, but even so, the gain had enraptured her.


    ¡°Yasuhide will be pleased.¡± Takakura-san smiled at her warmly, before turning back to me. ¡°Well, this was indeed quite the interesting day. Rest assured, I support your ambitions for the country, a strong, united country where faith is seen as a common part of normal life, and misuse of these new powers are regulated. After all, did I not meet you along with the other pillars of our society?¡±


    I nodded, and he continued. ¡°Many of those at Conclave will agree with the sentiments. However, gathering everyone together, overcoming their own vested interests, to act in the greater good of all... that is the challenge. Are you up to it, Oshiro-san?¡±


    At his suddenly piercing gaze, I merely stared back, my inner strength and League shining. ¡°Up to it? Damn right I¡¯m up to it. I¡¯ve seen what lurks in the shadows, and how the Boundary can affect the real world. Duke Myrcolaxriath, the corrupted kami. Kondou Kazuo. That casino in Vegas. All of it shows us the world and those we love are in peril. And I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m content to sit back while that¡¯s happening. I thought if I looked after everything myself, built up my own powerbase slowly, it¡¯d be fine, but... no. I¡¯m going to do what I must.¡±


    ¡°I see. Very inspiring.¡± Takakura-san agreed, and several of the girls, including Shiori-san, nodded. ¡°No wonder you were so bold, making demands of us. Polygamy. So amusing. As a noble, I¡¯m no stranger to that, but it¡¯s more of a quiet secret amongst the upper classes. To declare it so boldly, just to please your women. Well, Tsumura-san, you must be very happy.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± She brought my arm close to her, smiling. ¡°Natsumi too. So, I¡¯m sure my father and grandfather will support Akio, so please do so as well, Takakura-san.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have given my relatives a gift, so it would be churlish of me not to give something in return. Very well, let me fill you in on the situation in Kyoto currently...¡±


    As I listened to the old man talk, Shiori-san occasionally interjecting when it came to Tsukuyomi faction matters, Karen-chan and Haru-san taking notes behind us, I started formulating a strategy. Although much will depend on how things progress, at the very least, I need to get two of the three factions to support me. And the Diviner, it sounds like she¡¯ll be key as well...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Eight

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Eight


    Once back in my Territory I was greeted by the sight of the skies of the Boundary shimmering with silver light, the usual purples, greens and inky blacks starting to look washed out and pale, occasional flickers of silver lightning, glittering with rainbow lights at the edges, held within. It¡¯s quite beautiful, but troubling. I wonder if another etheric tide is coming?


    As I was thinking this, Asha the dryad strolled over to greet me, her long green hair flowing. She had regained her vitality now, and was practically shimmering with ruby earth energies. ¡°Welcome back, Akio. You¡¯ve been gone a while. Is everything well?¡± she handed me a juicy-looking fruit from the growing orchard which I bit into, tasting a refreshing, citrus tang.


    ¡°Well, there was... trouble... certainly. But for now it¡¯s resolved. That reminds me, I need to speak to Selensha. I hope she¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± the dryad answered. ¡°There are lots of Fae coming and going, and many of them like to dwell in the shade of my Tree, or up amidst the treetop.¡± She smiled, pleased. At first she had been surprised and a little put off by the idea to turn her Tree into a spot for relaxation and fun, but having seen the care that the kobolds had taken in setting up the stairs and cafe?, she had warmed to it in the end. ¡°Look, here they come now.¡± She said, pointing, and I smiled as I saw Shaeula and Hyacinth heading my way, and since I hadn¡¯t seen them since the whole mess with Shiro, I felt my heart ease, the small loneliness I felt at their absence dissipating like fog.


    ¡°Akio, I heard.¡± Shaeula said, reaching out to hug me, nuzzling close. Behind her, Hyacinth frowned, looking as if she wished to do the same, but since we were in company, her need to be a perfect servant outweighed her desire to be affectionate with me. ¡°It must have been quite the trial. I am only sorry I could not-not be there with you in your time of need.¡± She did look a bit down about it, so I reassured her by squeezing her tight and rubbing her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I know dealing with the Seelie Court is important. I¡¯d hate to lose all that we¡¯ve gained now.¡± I sighed. ¡°Still, the worst case was avoided. Shiro¡¯s still alive. That is what matters.¡±


    ¡°To think that wretch, the Raven Knight, was responsible for more-more of our woes.¡± Shaeula ground her teeth in annoyance, perhaps remembering the abuse he had heaped on her, and the ambush that nearly claimed my life. ¡°If we had only defeated him back then, none-none of this would have happened.¡±


    The thought had crossed my mind, but... ¡°There¡¯s no use dwelling on the past. We were more nai?ve and foolish then, we often charged in without a proper plan, and we were much weaker. However, since he spurned my sensible offer of negotiation, when next I see him...¡± I clenched my fist, my grip on Shaeula tight. ¡°... well, I¡¯m not the weakling I was then. As he¡¯ll find out.¡±


    ¡°The Raven... he-he is trouble.¡± Shaeraggo said, frowning. He, Selensha and several other important weaselkin had accompanied Shaeula to see me, and I could see the two maids, Velna and Klena, looking on as the two of us hugged. If I¡¯m not mistaken I¡¯m seeing a lot less disapproval in their eyes. I suppose the tough events they¡¯ve been through have changed their outlook. I¡¯m glad Shaeula got Klena back, otherwise it would have wounded her badly. At my nod of greeting, Klena looked down, abashed and embarrassed.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s known to skulk about the borders of the Fae lands, neither of the Seelie, nor the Unseelie.¡± Selensha added helpfully. ¡°Though I¡¯ve head tales of his skirmishes with father-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shaeraggo agreed. ¡°He has caused many-many annoyances. Still, hearing how he has targeted my precious sister, perhaps it is time to deal with him once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Something we agree on then.¡± I said, and at that, Shaeraggo frowned, perhaps unwilling to agree with me so easily.


    ¡°Well, enough, how-how long are you going to paw at my little sister?¡±


    Shaeula snorted at that, rolling her eyes, but I released her, reaching out to pat Hyacinth on the head, surprising her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural I would want to hug my fiance?e after a long absence, right?¡± I teased him. ¡°Still, thanks for helping out, brother-in-law. I can tell the Territory is flourishing.¡±


    As I spread my senses I could see the area we controlled had expanded by nearly half, a significant increase. In addition, I could see that the Kobold Warrens had increased to Special Rank 6, and now allowed the addition of Elite Leader-class kobolds such as Kobold High Foreman and Kobold High Artisan, as well as surprisingly, Leader-class Kobold Artillerists. I wonder if that has anything to do with Ixitt¡¯s experiments?


    In addition the Kobold Mine at the Shrine had reached Special Rank 5, and now produced significantly more bluesteel and other precious metals and gems.


    ¡°Well, I would not wish my dear sister to face any hardships.¡± He said, and I let him have that little victory.


    ¡°Even so, I appreciate it. You do too, don¡¯t you Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She agreed. ¡°As my time has been quite-quite full with meetings with the rulers of the Seelie Court, I have not-not had the time to dedicate myself to this Territory. So it was reassuring to have your support, brother.¡± At her praise he seemed pleased, and she continued. ¡°You too, sister-in-law, though I fear I have had little-little time to learn the water element as I had desired. However...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said, bowing to her, asking for a favour. ¡°I am hoping soon to bring a friend of mine who is gravely injured, even beyond my skills to heal her, and I would ask for your assistance, as you are a master of water healing.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She tightened her grip on the ornate staff she held. ¡°I want us to get along, I would be happy to help.¡±


    ¡°I shall need-need to see this so-called white princess first, before you allow her access to this Territory.¡± Shaeula warned. ¡°I know you believe in her, and so I would-would wish to as well, but Azuki informed me she is host to a dangerous entity. We must tread carefully.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... you¡¯ll like her, I promise.¡± I sighed, full of difficult emotions. ¡°Still, I understand. Her allies are equally as wary of meeting us. But if we can work together, our strengths will be magnified.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere.¡± One weaselkin captain said, and looking at him, I could see he was one of the black-furred weasels who had been with Shaeula from the start. ¡°There is-is a new office that the barking dogs...¡± at my frown he corrected his words. ¡°... the kobolds have-have built. That elf is there.¡±


    Elf? Moira I¡¯m guessing, as I¡¯m sure the other two were helping out around the Spring. ¡°Fine. We have a lot to do, anyway.¡± As we crested the hill, past the Earth Altar, I noticed that the area had been transformed. New buildings had gone up, including impressive-looking wooden and stone towers, which offered excellent firing lines over the surrounding areas. Amidst those was a pretty-looking circular building, with large glass windows, appearing a bit like what I¡¯d have imagined an old-fashioned Viking roundhouse to look like. Although there wouldn¡¯t have been glass windows, of course.


    ¡°Yes, that is wise.¡± Moira agreed. ¡°With the kobolds and other artisans building defensive structures around these key locations as well, the extra firepower would be useful in suppressing invading foes, allowing our troops to hold for a sustained period while bleeding the enemy...¡±


    She sounded surprisingly bloodthirsty, but then she did tell me her speciality was military logistics. Shaeraggo offered his own input, mostly about where to deploy ranged troops such as archers and mages for maximum effect, and soon we had made numerous annotations to the maps, planning walls, fortified infantry traps and hidden firing platforms we wished the kobolds to build.


    ¡°What will you do with the remaining ether, Akio?¡± Shaeula asked, and I pointed to a spot outside our normal area of operations.


    ¡°I did promise to set up the testing facility. So...¡± A Rank 1 Material to Boundary Connection and a Rank 1 Boundary to Material Connection set me back thirty-two thousand for the rush build, and pushing them both to Rank 2 cost a further hundred and ninety-two thousand. It was costly, but in terms of my promises, I couldn¡¯t afford to wait. ¡°Well, now we are running on dregs, but the kobolds and dwarves can use the empty queue and what we have left to establish their mines. I¡¯ll set up Defensive Emplacements around the testing site when we return from Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, we shall have to work far-far harder on other matters. The Fae Stone barrier around the Spring of Clear Reflections and the Warning Bell network is being re-established, but I would most-most like to extend it to this Territory as well. After all, I consider it all one great Territory.¡± Shaeula said, pointing to a second map, which covered the Spring in its new location, as well as the newly rebuilt mansion by the Ring Gate that Shaeraggo had provided us.


    ¡°You know, I still don¡¯t get how the Spring will now remain with the Seelie Court and move with it.¡± I said, scratching my head.


    ¡°The lands of the Fae are mutable, though Territories remain fixed.¡± Shaeraggo answered in a condescending tone, eager to show his superior knowledge. It irritated me, making me want to annoy him, so I pulled Shaeula close again, before reaching out for Hyacinth too, who tried to protest that it was not seemly, but I ignored her, taking her in my arms as well. As he bristled, Selensha giggling softly beside him, I asked him for a further explanation.


    Grinding his teeth in annoyance, he did so. ¡°The Spring was located in quite-quite a different part of the Seelie Court before, but when it was taken by the foul Unseelie and corrupted, it broke-broke away. Therefore when the Seelie Court moved, it remained, occasionally bordering us as the Court travels from moon to moon. But now...¡± he lectured. ¡°... it is re-joined, and once more is part of the whole, so will remain and move with us.¡±


    I see. I get it, I think. It¡¯s a bit like a block puzzle. ¡°Well, it might be a bit presumptuous to consider a part of the Seelie Court as ours, but Shaeula, Hyacinth and I, we did manage to reclaim it, and Shaeula is in charge of it, so... yeah, obviously if it came under heavy attack, we¡¯d send reinforcements, so it¡¯d be nice to have some Fae technology protecting us.¡±


    ¡°Well, such would be unprecedented, but...¡± Moira consulted more documents. ¡°...to protect a Territory of this size it is possible, though obviously the Spring is our priority for now.¡±


    ¡°As long as it happens, we can wait, right? That reminds me, how did your meetings go with the others?¡±


    ¡°Our support base is solid.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°Five stand with us confidently, and the remaining two are not-not opposed. That stupid fire-fox Duke Vulpatrius must be biting at his tail in frustration about how it has all-all played out.¡± As she talked happily about her political machinations, I found myself admiring her, how animated and happy she was. She may not rule the Seelie, not yet, but in terms of my Oaths to her... I like to think we¡¯re definitely getting there...


    ********


    ¡°Sooo, soon we are going to this Kyotooo, right?¡± Hyacinth was fastening up her maid outfit, still flushed and sweaty from our lovemaking. Shaeula was still naked, the bed covers tossed back, leaving her to tantalise my eye. As she saw me looking, she spread her legs with a giggle.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I had to smile at their antics. We had returned to the Material in the early hours of the Friday morning, which gave us a little time for sleep and... other activities, before we were due to head into central Tokyo and catch the bullet train to Kyoto. Lodgings had been arranged for us in a very exclusive and upmarket ryokan, and my sis and Eri were extremely excited about the prospect of that, and apparently mom and Auntie Hana too. I guess girls love hot springs and outdoor baths... ¡°There is one thing though. Shaeula...¡± I said, serious, and she closed her legs, getting up to kneel on the bed carefully, awaiting my next words.


    ¡°... the Night Parade is likely active in Kyoto. We are bound to come across them, I¡¯d imagine. What would you like to happen?¡±


    ¡°A good question.¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°And one I have thought much-much about these past few days. Obviously I dream of seeing my mother again. I hope-hope for that. But even if I do not-not... I have business with the Night Parade. After all, those foolish cats...¡± her smile was wicked, and I felt a brief sting through Kin Bonding and Restoration. ¡°... they were sent to slay me. Sadly for them, they failed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you are part of the Night Parade now, at least that¡¯s what my ability says.¡±


    ¡°Mistress should just dooo what she wants.¡± Hyacinth declared. ¡°Akio too. I will support you, as a good brownie shooould. And a good mistress.¡± She giggled happily. Shaeula responded by patting her on the shoulder, smiling fondly at the maid she had once distrusted.


    ¡°Yes, you are right. I shall seek-seek redress, compensation. And I shall demand my due as the daughter of my mother. But before that... Akio, what is your plan for this Conclave? I dare say you are not-not satisfied with merely getting some crumbs of support now. Nor-nor should you be.¡±


    ¡°Akio is strong. The weak should nooot bother him, merely follow.¡± Hyacinth giggled.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not all about strength.¡± I said. ¡°But while you¡¯ve been gone I¡¯ve been laying the groundwork for... hey, what¡¯s that look for?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Shaeula pursed her lips. ¡°From what I have been told, you neglected your duties to panic-panic over this white princess.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did some of that.¡± I admitted. ¡°But even so, I¡¯ve gained support from Takakura-san, who represents the nobility. It¡¯s a shame we were told Hinata and the others can¡¯t go, but...¡± as I outlined my plans, Shaeula nodded along happily, while Hyacinth occasionally interjected.


    Yes. Like Shaeula and the Spring, I¡¯ll only be satisfied coming out of this with a position of power and influence. I¡¯m curious though, there are about two thousand four hundred true shrines in Japan, according to Chiyo-san. So there¡¯s going to be an awful lot of people at Conclave. How many Candidates though? That¡¯s the question...

 Side Eighty-One – Emily Jade Oshiro

    Side Eighty-One ¨C Emily Jade Oshiro


    ¡°Wow, this ryokan looks awesome.¡± My daughter, Aiko, was saying to her childhood friend and daughter of my best friend, Eri-chan. As they both huddled over the laptop, looking at photographs of the lodgings we would be occupying in Kyoto, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Ai always was very excitable, that¡¯s for sure. She gets it from me, I think.


    That was one thing I had always struggled with, the reserved nature of the Japanese. My husband, Taichi, who even now was sitting at the table frowning, was no exception, though obviously in private he was more open and affectionate than he was in front of our children, or the Mori¡¯s, despite being friends with them since his childhood. I remember meeting him when he was in England for work. He was a pretty cold guy back then, and we didn¡¯t hit it off immediately. Still, as he became a little more accustomed to life in Britain, he did warm up.


    Shaking my head, I focused on what was important, which was the happiness of our kids. Well, Eri has always been my daughter too, just as Hana thinks of Ai and Aki as her children. And it¡¯s not as though it isn¡¯t true, is it?


    ¡°Look mom, auntie!¡± Ai was practically screaming. ¡°This is so cool! You even have to take the boat to reach it, cruising along the river! And the restaurants, open air baths, hot springs... wow, it¡¯s amazing! And of course bro got us great rooms!¡±


    Beside my excited daughter, Eri was calmer, giving a small, contented smile. That¡¯s not something I used to see much. Eri-chan was always a taciturn girl, cripplingly shy. Still, Ai used to drag her everywhere, following after her brother. It was pretty heart-warming to see how Aki always used to look after them. I really did think that he and Eri-chan were destined to get married, back when they were kids. After all, she¡¯s really cute, and boys do love a cute, shy girl...


    ¡°Look, Aiko.¡± Eri-chan sighed, a touch exasperated. ¡°We are going there for work, to support Akio. It¡¯s not a holiday. I¡¯m a bit nervous, you know. We¡¯ll be meeting all these important people, some like Akio, and... well, if we make mistakes, it¡¯ll cause him problems. I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°I know, all right.¡± Ai pouted adorably, and once more I was struck at how much she resembled me, where Aki was more like his father, and not just in eye colour. Ai had my boisterous temperament and thirst for adventure, whereas Aki was quieter, but deadly serious when it mattered. I was surprised when Aki decided to move to Tokyo. Taichi didn¡¯t approve, saying it was too expensive, but Aki dug deep and worked to support himself through Uni. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, after all, he did save for half a year to help Ai buy her bow for Kyudo, even if what he put together was no more than a token. To think... to think he was just running away from Eri-chan and Ai. My stupid son...


    Ai had told me about it, that it was their overdependence on him that had overwhelmed Aki, him not being a strong person. Sure, in a situation like with the dog, when there was no time to think over it or stew in his thoughts, he could be as brave as a lion, like his father. But when that was over, he was surprisingly cowardly. All the more reason I¡¯m surprised now. Although... I always did feel there was something about Aki that was different, special. Maybe that¡¯s a mother¡¯s prerogative?


    ¡°Let little Ai have her fun, Eri.¡± Hana said, looking over their shoulders, peering at the pictures on the screen. ¡°I¡¯m sure she knows how serious this is. But why not be excited? I must say I¡¯m looking forward to a soak in the outdoor bath with Emi and my precious daughters.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got more daughters than you know.¡± Ai smirked. ¡°Seems like my bro picked up another woman, though this one was expected. I think... there could be one more too, if she grows a spine.¡±


    At that Eri-chan looked displeased. ¡°That girl... I don¡¯t much like her. But Akio does, it seems, so if she pushed, he wouldn¡¯t say no. I do concede she doesn¡¯t seem quite as fake as she did before, but even so... well, I can¡¯t do anything about it now, can I?¡±


    At that Hana looked troubled, as well she might, and Taichi and Junpei exchanged looks. They were both drinking, rather early in the day, but at least it was beer, not the nice spirits Aki kept sending us. Still, as for me... It¡¯s really strange. All this time, I wanted Aki and Eri-chan to get together, make us and the Mori¡¯s a true family. And I¡¯m delighted they have, Eri-chan always looks so happy now. But... I can¡¯t help but be thrilled that my boy is charming everyone left and right. Well, it helps that Shaeula was so cute and nice, and those noble girls are so refined and elegant. What mother wouldn¡¯t want such daughters-in-law? Our grandkids are going to be something else...


    ¡°Well, looks like my dream of having a football team of daughters-in-law is going to come true.¡± I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all very well, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m too thrilled about it.¡± Hana said, and I winced. Yes, it¡¯s a sore subject for her.


    ¡°I think... we¡¯ll just leave you all to it. we have to pack anyway.¡± Ai said, deciding to scuttle out, the atmosphere tense.


    ¡°Yes, I should pack as well. Mother, mother-in-law, please don¡¯t fight. This... this is for the best.¡± Eri-chan said, as if to convince herself. ¡°Akio isn¡¯t normal, he¡¯s a hero. Well, he always was mine, but now he¡¯s everybody¡¯s. What¡¯s normal doesn¡¯t apply to him, or to us. After all, Aiko and I, we chose to join him, to fight by his side. So... try to understand.¡± And with that, the two of them departed, leaving a strained silence behind them.


    ¡°So, yeah. Eri-chan sure has grown bold.¡± I said lamely, and Hana shook her head, annoyed.


    ¡°Look, I get it Emi, I do. Your boy, the little Aki we both watched grow up into a fine young man, he¡¯s breaking hearts left and right. As the mother of a son, it must make you pretty happy. But... my Eri, I wanted her to have a normal romance, a normal love, a normal marriage. The sort I had with Junpei, and you with Taichi. Is that so wrong?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is not wrong.¡± Taichi said, sighing. ¡°There is a reason marriage is between one man and one woman. It¡¯s the proper way.¡±


    ¡°This Boundary.¡± Junpei agreed. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it. Another world full of strange creatures and magic overlapping our own. Still, there¡¯s no choice but to believe, is there?¡±


    That¡¯s true. We¡¯ve seen it for ourselves after all. ¡°Yes. I worry about Eri-chan and Ai, that place is dangerous. But then...¡± I remembered seeing Ai with that fiery bow, and Eri-chan swinging that huge axe, her pretty goth-loli dress fluttering as she darted about at inhuman speeds. Apparently Aki made those clothes, or helped or some such. He must really Like Eri-chan in those sort of outfits. Poor Ai only got a leather jerkin and trousers and seemed rather sore about it. Still, what could she expect? Eri-chan was his girlfriend, Ai was only his sister, and what brother wanted to dress up his sister in cute outfits? Not even Aki was such a siscon.


    ¡°... my Eri seems so strong.¡± Hana agreed. ¡°I can hardly believe it myself. The other day, I asked her to move a chest of drawers for me, forgetting it was still full of clothes, but she lifted it up and carried it like it was her schoolbag. Seeing that makes this real...¡±


    ¡°My aches and pains seem a lot better too.¡± Junpei agreed. ¡°Ever since the... Chirurgery, wasn¡¯t it...?¡± At our nods, he continued. ¡°... I¡¯ve felt less tired, with more energy and my bad knee barely hurts at all. I think if nothing else, that¡¯s a great thing.¡±


    ¡°Still, I do not like it.¡± Taichi frowned. ¡°My son... fighting. He isn¡¯t just responsible for himself anymore. He is responsible for your daughter now, Junpei, Hana. And this Shaeula, and more. If he dies...¡±


    The thought chilled me. I had no wish to think of Aki getting hurt. I had been horrified when he was wounded as a child, fighting that dog. But I was also proud. He stood up for his sister and his friend, despite the risks. But does he need to be the one to stand up here? I¡¯m not sure...


    ¡°... if he dies, Eri will be heartbroken. But... secure.¡± Junpei said bitterly. ¡°It feels rather shameful, taking money from our son-in-law, even if we¡¯ve always been close. Apparently provision has been made should anything happen to him, with Eri and Aiko the joint beneficiaries.¡±


    ¡°Well, our families have always done the best we can. After all, we aren¡¯t exactly wealthy, any of us, are we?¡± I smiled at Taichi. His job put food on the table, but that was about it. Junpei made even less, and his family had debts from the expense of paying for Hana¡¯s parents to undergo treatment for their illnesses. ¡°Now Aki is just doing what a good son should. But yes, money or no... Eri-chan would be devastated.¡±


    ¡°He will not back down though. No matter what we say.¡± Taichi declared. ¡°How many times did I scold him and chastise him when he was younger, for taking your daughter out up into the mountains at night?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did do that a lot.¡± Junpei recalled, and Hana smiled fondly.


    ¡°My Eri, she always loved the stars, and would pester him to take her to the mountains so she could see them. Even now she loves them. The other night she took the telescope Aki got her for her birthday up to do some stargazing. I tried to tell her not to go alone, but she just laughed at me, saying if a bear attacked her she could beat it up. And seeing her in that Boundary, I believe it...¡±


    ¡°Yes, and there was that time you were called into school, Taichi...¡± Junpei was chuckling. ¡°... when he made the girls that were picking on Eri cry. And that other time, when someone stole Aiko¡¯s outdoor shoes...¡±


    As they told stories of our children, I found myself smiling. Kyoto, huh? I¡¯ve never been, despite living in Japan for so long. Going as a family is nice, even if that family is a lot larger now. It¡¯s a shame that the noble girls can¡¯t come, some naked socialising would help us get to know each other better. Still, Ai said I would get to meet this Hyacinth girl. She¡¯s like Shaeula, right? A Fairy? Brownies, I¡¯ve heard of them. Fairy tales are all real, it seems...


    ¡°So, we are all in agreement then?¡± I said, as the story time finished. If Eri-chan and Ai were listening still, no doubt they¡¯d be even more embarrassed. I¡¯ll have to make a nice dinner to make it up to them. ¡°All that matters is protecting the happiness of Ai, Aki and Eri-chan, as well as the new daughters we¡¯ve made?¡±


    Hana pursed her lips. ¡°As long as my Eri is consenting, I can hardly say no, can I? But if any of these girls hurt her...¡±


    ¡°Akio would not stand for it.¡± Taichi denied her. ¡°He is a man now, and while he has chosen a reckless, selfish path, much like when he faced the dog, so long as the injuries are only his own, and those he has chosen to love come to no harm, their hearts protected, well then... as a man myself, and a husband who loves his wife...¡±


    I blushed at that. Taichi wasn¡¯t particularly demonstrative, but could be surprisingly affectionate when he wanted to be. A bit like Aki it seems. Romanic dinners, gifts and more. I¡¯m proud of my little boy! I guess there¡¯s hope for that football team yet. I wonder what this girl he liked from University is like? I hear... I hear there was a bad accident. I hope she¡¯ll be okay...


    ¡°... I can respect that, and call him a man, if a greedy, reckless one.¡± Taichi finished, and we applauded the sentiments.


    ¡°So in that case, we need to remember, Kyoto isn¡¯t a holiday, it¡¯s work, right?¡± I said, and everyone else agreed. ¡°Give me that.¡± I took a beer, ignoring their protests that I couldn¡¯t handle my booze, which was clearly wrong, as being British, drinking was in my blood. Cracking the ring pull, I took a sip, satisfied. ¡°Well then. First, what we need to do is...¡±

 Side Eighty-Two – Zhao Daiyu, Incorruptible Jade Sect

    Side Eighty-Two ¨C Zhao Daiyu, Incorruptible Jade Sect


    ¡°...Umi no shoujo!¡±


    ¡°Kanojo o hikinuku!¡±


    Strange voices were filtering through the dark murk of her consciousness. She was cold, so terribly cold, as if her blood and been drained and replaced by frozen water. Even so, that cold was nothing compared to the gnawing, bitter feeling of hunger that clawed at her insides, and a savage thirst that had compelled her to drink the salty water that had surrounded her, driving her near to madness, only stoking the cruel twin demons of famine that wracked her body.


    More unintelligible voices, speaking a language she didn¡¯t understand. Unable to open her eyes, the lids gummed shut by salt and debris, she flailed weakly, a new pain burning through her body, that of Qi deprivation, her reserves burned to the dregs and beyond by her long drifting. That pain was then joined by yet more, her half-healed wounds, constantly bathed in stinging, caustic seawater, some inflamed and infected, others ripped and torn by the many creatures that dwelt within the water.


    ¡°Ah, how is it... I ... still live.¡± She croaked weakly, eliciting another burst of words from her would-be rescuers.


    ¡°Kanojo wa ikite iru, isoide...¡±


    Something coiled around her wrist, and her delicate body nearly shattered under the sudden strain, vertigo assailing her as she was lifted out of the chilled water, only to land heavily on some sort of wooden surface. Her exposed flesh burned, and she realised she was clad in only the bloody rags of her combat dress, before her consciousness started to sink once more, her head spinning, the last words she could hear unknown ones to her...


    ********


    ¡°Hidoi kega. Kanojo wa dono yo? ni ikite imasu ka?¡±


    Daiyu surged back to consciousness, the assault of pain dragging her from her sleep. She felt something pressed against her mouth, and opened her salty, cracked lips instinctively, skin tearing, the pain not even noticeable. It was then cool, blessed water entered her mouth, not the salty, brackish seawater that had been her only company for what seemed like forever to her.


    She swallowed, choking, and suddenly someone was thumping her back. That sent new jolts of pain through her battered body, but even so, the sensations were welcome, proof that she was still alive. As her dry gums and throat were moistened, she worked her throat, gulping down the refreshing liquid. She could feel something around her, a blanket perhaps, the fabric scratchy but warm, and she tried to open her eyes, but they were gummed shut by salt and blood. With what faint trickles of Qi she had remaining, she let out her senses, meridians burning from the constant overuse during however many days she had been lost at sea.


    It''s a boat? At her Foundation level, it was quite possible to get an image of the surrounding area with Qi, though reading text or seeing fine details would be impossible. Even so, she could see the aura of more than a dozen people, as well as make out the rough structure of the ship. There was a carcass on deck, rather large, still containing the faint remains of the Qi that was its life force, pools of blood on the deck radiating more energy that her Qi sensing picked up as plumes of mist. A whale, perhaps? Is this a fishing vessel?


    More words were said to her in that unintelligible tongue, and she realised it was another Asian language, for while she only spoke Chinese, Daiyu could tell the difference between that and common Western languages like English, of which she knew a few words, much like everyone worldwide. Korean perhaps? Or Japanese? She frowned, finishing the last of the water, unable to respond. When she remained silent, someone spoke again, and then she flinched as something suddenly touched her face.


    ¡°Do not touch me so carelessly!¡± she snapped, her voice sounding strange to her, rusty and hoarse, as though it had not been used in days, maybe even weeks.


    ¡°Chu?gokugo? Chinese?¡± a man said, and Daiyu recognised the English word.


    ¡°Yes, Chinese. Chinese.¡± She agreed, feeling the filth being wiped from her face. Her eyes finally opened, only for the sudden sunlight to pierce her weary black eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks from the unexpected glare. Biting down on a curse, she groaned, her limbs not willing to obey her as she tried to stand. That panicked the fishermen, and though they were but indistinct shadows in her dim vision, she could see them bustling about.


    More words she couldn¡¯t understand, though a few of them seemed familiar to her, making her sure that she was now on a Japanese vessel. Their pidgin English was scattered in too, and Daiyu managed to interpret a little.


    I see. You say not to stand up. Well, I have to agree. She gave up on her futile efforts to move her body. Collapsing back to the deck, ignoring the further shouts of the fishermen around her, she squeezed shut her eyes, the moisture running down her face now tears of grief, not merely a reaction to the harsh sunlight. I... I am alive? But how?


    Biting her cracked, bleeding lips, tasting iron, she started to sob, her usual stoicism, her training as a Cultivator, all nothing in comparison to the emotions surging within her. Relief at survival, horror at the days and nights of torment, drifting in the ocean, dying slowly, and grief at the thought of her failure. The mission... well, the one who could trace those of us chosen by the Heavens and the Dao seemed to be dead already... and then... her whole body shuddered, her wounds blazing with fiery pain, as she remembered the catastrophic failure of their assassination mission, the troops from the new Ministry and that bitch from the Emerald Lotus, Sun Lisha... and the outcome. The twins were surely dead, and as for Brother Wei, he might have survived, but the odds were clearly against him, and that meant... My father. The Sect... I¡¯ve been drifting for days. It¡¯s too late to prevent the Ministry from finding out about our actions now... Father, honoured patriarch, your foolish daughter has failed you. I pray that the Incorruptible Jade remains unbroken, but I fear... I fear the worst...


    Leaking a sob, Daiyu covered her face with one bloody and scabbed arm, before she started wailing, a dam bursting inside her. I survived, but if the Incorruptible Jade is gone... what worth is living anyway?


    ********


    ¡°I am sorry for my unseemly display.¡± Daiyu said, though the fisherman clearly didn¡¯t understand her words. Even so, he passed her a mug of some sort of hot soup. Daiyu took it gingerly, thanking him, which the man seemed to understand, as he smiled at her. She was also wearing fresh clothes, though they were a set of male overalls, far too large for her, so she had to tie up the sleeves and hems. Even so, compared to the tattered rags that was her dress, which had barely covered anything, she felt much better, although...


    The whaling vessel had little in the way of amenities, especially those that might prove dangerous in stormy waters, but there was a small mirror, a little cracked, but still serviceable, and Daiyu had inspected herself when she had changed, still amazed that she was alive, and what she had seen... Well, no wonder I feel so wretched. It is surely a miracle I still live. Perhaps the will of the Heavens, or the Dao itself. She was so terribly gaunt, barely skin and bone, and her once lustrous dark hair was tangled and starting to turn white from stress. Her body was littered with half-healed wounds where the bullets had broken her flesh, and raw, angry tissue was swollen where fish and other sea creatures had attacked her as she drifted, thinking her an easy meal. There were broken bones too, most likely. One of her legs wasn¡¯t supporting her weight properly, sending needles of agony through her every time she tried to move it, and several ribs were surely cracked.


    Cultivators are far hardier than mere humans, especially while one has an adequate supply of Qi. And I was made stronger still, by the blessings of the Heavens, my body tougher than even the old scriptures said of the realm above Foundation. Even so, to survive adrift for days, weeks... only the legendary Cultivators from Kunlun, those of the Golden Core or above, should have been able to endure. Though she had to admit such a powerful Cultivator would not be in her situation in the first place. That bitch Sun Lisha would have been vapourised by Qi strikes, or perhaps blasted by lightning, and the guns of the Ministry would have been useless against her. Qi cannot stop steel now, but back then... well, I dare say if one can stop the raging fury of a Qilin, then one can endure bullets.


    Jang Huifen is a good woman. It seems even those who do not Cultivate can be honourable. I am touched by her concern. ¡°Well, I am rather durable, it seems. Though to call me all right is far from the truth. I look like a jia?ngshi?, all gaunt and grey. Still, I am a Cultivator, in the Foundation realm. Given time, I can heal.¡± Especially with the blessing of Chang¡¯e, it seems.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± She muttered. ¡°I suppose I have noticed I¡¯m stronger too now. So... what do you plan to do?¡±


    ¡°A good question. Even a dragon cannot suppress a local snake, so rushing back to my death would be foolish. And I need to recover before anything else. Wait, Huifen, do you speak Japanese?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Japanese? No. Some English is all.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea why I expected anything else.¡± Daiyu sighed. A shame. I need to know where I am and where we are headed. Once I¡¯ve found a place to rest and recover I can make my plans, and see if I can get in touch with my father, if he does indeed still live.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Huifen said in a small voice. ¡°But... my phone has a translation app. I can use that?¡±


    ¡°I see...?¡± Daiyu said, a little puzzled.


    ¡°Put them on, and I¡¯ll use it.¡±


    With that, Daiyu handed the fisherman the phone. He spoke, and after a minute oddly accented Japanese, narrated in a robotic tone, came back. He brightened and replied, and after some back and forth, he handed the phone back to the impatient Daiyu.


    ¡°So, well... I found out what you wanted to know.¡± She said hesitantly.


    ¡°Excellent. I thank you, I will not forget your help, Huifen.¡± She praised.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t thank me yet. They say you are in the Pacific ocean, on a whaling vessel.¡±


    ¡°I knew that. I saw the whale.¡± Daiyu sighed.


    ¡°Yes, and... apparently they are not due to return to Japan for another three weeks...¡± she said quietly, and Daiyu wondered if she had misheard.


    ¡°What did you say? Three weeks?¡± That cannot be right...


    ¡°I am afraid so. They usually stay out for three months, and were starting to head back to Japan. I suppose... though don¡¯t worry, they say they can call in an emergency medical evacuation to the Japanese Navy. Though...¡±


    ¡°Though what?¡± Daiyu said, having a bad feeling.


    ¡°Though they are quite far out to sea, and so rescue might not be immediate. They have some medical facilities on the ship, and can treat you for now, but they say that with the condition you were pulled out of the ocean, it¡¯s a miracle you are still alive. They are delighted you are up and eating, but they fear you could drop dead at any time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am quite tough, as you know.¡± Daiyu sighed. ¡°I do not need their assistance, with my Qi and the blessing of Chang¡¯e, I can heal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they don¡¯t know that, do they?¡± Huifen said reasonably. ¡°In any case, they are only prepared to call the Japanese Navy or Coastguard, not the Chinese, as... well, whaling vessels are not well-regarded, are they? So...¡±


    ¡°I do not speak Japanese and I do not care for them. That would be a problem.¡± Daiyu reasoned. ¡°But then, if I return to China, I fear...¡± her mind worked, not as clear as usual, as her injuries, while slowly healing, were severe, and she had only just replenished her fluids and eaten, her energy levels low.


    ¡°You can call me in an emergency, and I can use the application to translate.¡± Huifen said. ¡°But... I have some fears. If I get a lot of international calls... I worry that my phone might be tapped. If they find out I¡¯m helping you...¡± she trailed off, afraid, and Daiyu felt a little bad for her.


    ¡°Do not worry. I will try to get by, somehow. Tell them to call in my rescue. I cannot bear to be trapped on the ocean for three weeks, nor do I have the time for it.¡± She handed the phone over, leaving it to Huifen, before slumping down, mentally and physically exhausted. Cradling her weary head in her hands, she ruminated on her options. Three weeks? Trapped in the middle of the ocean, with a crew whose language I do not speak? There is no way I can endure that, but my alternative is ending up in Japan, in the care of an enemy country. No, even if I wait on the boat, it will just make port in Japan anyway. Right now her heart ached more than her wounds, which burned fiercely enough. By the Dao, how can I start my revenge while I am stuck in another country? It will be a miracle if they do not detain me as a spy, or torture me for information. The only small mercy was she would have time to heal her body with Qi, and hopefully eat and drink enough to regain her former vigour, before rescue arrived, as she did not wish to reveal Sect secrets to outsiders, least of all foreigners.


    As the fisherman finished speaking to Huifen and hung up the phone, giving her a thumbs-up, to indicate everything was okay, she held in a sigh. I cannot complain, after all, they pulled me from the ocean. If I drifted there much longer, perhaps even the vitality of Chang¡¯e would have failed me. They saved my life, and I, a proud Cultivator, always honour my debts. Even so... to be forced to enter an enemy country! Well, I guess enduring ever deepening pain is one path to the Dao. Suffering breeds strength after all. And how we have suffered at the hands of fools who seek to ruin China and betray the ancient mysteries of Kunlun...


    Gesturing to the fisherman for more food, he smiled and left the room. Maybe if I eat all their supplies, they will make my rescuers hurry? If they do not simply try and toss me overboard again, of course... she thought, bitter self-mockery all she had to cling to now, that and thoughts of finishing the job on that bitch Sun Lisha that brother Wei had failed at, and burning down the Emerald Lotus Sect, Xiao Xia along with it... Japan. Just what am I going to do? I have no money, no identification, I do not speak their language... The Dao is a hard path indeed...

 Side Eighty-Three – Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch

    Side Eighty-Three ¨C Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch


    ¡°Director White, we have the up-to-date figures on the black cats.¡± Files were passed over by the sharply-dressed African-American woman who was his under-secretary, and Adam surveyed them curiously.


    I see. The numbers seem to check out. To think there were so many of these cats on our own soil, lurking just below the surface. Adam sighed, running a hand through his sandy brown hair, his hazel eyes squinting at the report. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how many people use their phones and the internet carelessly, isn¡¯t it? Still, it makes our jobs easier. And that would be nice for change. With the election coming up and the President throwing his weight around... well, fortunately he doesn¡¯t know about any of this.¡±


    ¡°Director!¡± the woman said, scandalised. ¡°That is our President, show more respect!¡±


    ¡°Presidents come and go, but the State endures.¡± Adam disagreed, having a personal dislike for the brash President that made everything about him, not policies. ¡°If he wins re-election, then he¡¯ll have to be briefed. But for now, we need to get a handle on this situation.¡± And what a situation it is. Magical powers, another parallel dimension. It sounds like a fever dream from the CIA and their Stargate Project. No, only this one is real... ¡°Anyway, are we keeping surveillance on these targets?¡± he indicated the new ninety-seven names on the list, taking their tally to somewhere around three thousand domestically, and seven hundred internationally.


    ¡°Of course, though it is stretching our agents thin. Even with help from the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security and the Military, monitoring so many is straining our resources. And... accidents... happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They do.¡± He agreed sourly.


    ¡°We have the latest reports from China as well. They make grim reading.¡± She continued, handing over another file.


    Looking at the next set of highly-classified documents, Adam felt a headache coming on. ¡°All dead huh? They may be deep-cover agents, but even so, they were US citizens and patriots. Still, what information they did manage to smuggle out was a prize worthy of their sacrifice. I¡¯d say they all deserve the Medal of Honour, but only a handful of Congress are aware of the situation, so I¡¯m afraid their heroics will have to go unrewarded, at least for now.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± She said, shaking her head. ¡°From what little information we got back, it seems that the CCP is leading a massive purge. To remove so many assets at a time like this...¡±


    ¡°Well, they value loyalty over potentially loose cannons.¡± Adam disagreed. ¡°I think they have a saying, don¡¯t they? Kill the chicken to scare the monkey. Now not only those who avoided this purge feel pressured to stay in line, it¡¯s also a message to foreign powers like us, to keep our noses out of their business. Besides...¡± he observed, rubbing at his aching temples. ¡°... it isn¡¯t like we haven¡¯t been guilty of the same.¡± His gaze strayed to a laptop, where the truly secret intelligence was kept. The device didn¡¯t even have internet functionality or hardware installed, and the encryption was the best the NSA could use, cutting edge quantum encryption. It would take either a quantum computer, or some sort of insane genius to hack it.


    ¡°You mean?¡± she asked, a touch awed and also fearful.


    ¡°Yes, the Vermillion list.¡± Adam, surprisingly enough, was a keen wargamer, and in the corner of his office a display case rested, with row upon row of neatly painted figures and tanks arrayed there. Not that I have had much time to play recently. Since August, I¡¯ve been working non-stop. I¡¯ve barely had time to see my wife and kids, never mind time for hobbies. Still, as a proud American, he had always identified with the human faction of that wargame, and with the Inquisition in particular. After all, I am in the same business, making hard, dirty choices, my hands filthy, all for the good of everyone. If only the American public and the politicians understood that...


    ¡°So, anyway...¡± she didn¡¯t want to think about the contents of the list, and who could blame her, as the information contained within was disturbing, and borderline unconstitutional. Borderline. Hardly, but in times of crisis we need to be bold.


    ¡°... the deal with Japan for the F-22 Raptors is done. but the Department of Defence is still kicking up a stink. Handing over such advanced fighter jets to another nation, even an allied one, goes against every policy we have had until now. And we are selling them a dozen at barely break even.¡±


    ¡°Well, we fucked up, plain and simple. And on the back foot, what could we do?¡± Adam shook his aching head, pulling open the laptop containing the Vermillion list. In addition to quantum encryption, it needed passwords, retinal and thumb scans, and a little extra secret to unlock. As it blinked on, he entered a few characters, and a profile was displayed.


    ¡°Akio Moonstone Oshiro.¡± The names were in American order. ¡°Priority Rank: Vermillion. Threat Rank: Vermillion.¡±NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Double Vermillion.¡± She gasped, shocked. She was long used to Adam¡¯s foibles when it came to classifying things, so the Vermillion/Magenta/Violet/Indigo/Black system wasn¡¯t anything she didn¡¯t understand. Even so, she was stunned. ¡°Is he really so important.¡±


    ¡°Well, he was Magenta and Indigo before.¡± Adam sighed. ¡°From the intel we got from that Private Military Contractor via the DoD, it seemed like he knew a lot, but wasn¡¯t that strong. Indigo for sure. Our assets should have been able to take him.¡± On a button press another profile popped up.


    ¡°Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. Priority Rank: Vermillion. Threat Rank: Magenta.¡± Unlike Akio¡¯s profile, which had a lot of data the NSA had managed to hack, including family records, college history, and phone records, which had yielded some interesting information, Shaeula had almost no information listed about her. They were not even sure of her country of origin.


    ¡°The Japanese are wise to us, and we can¡¯t use our satellite intercepts or tap the internet so freely anymore, now that they¡¯ve put countermeasures in place. If we get caught out messing with them again, well, the several billion we¡¯ve ended up paying out in this incident will look like nothing, and we can¡¯t really afford to upset allied nations right now, not when the situation is so grave.¡± He clicked through more of the files, listing several Vermillion Rank Chinese nationals, as well as a Brazilian who they had tried to capture but likewise failed on, though at least this time the Brazilian government hadn¡¯t been involved, as he was the self-styled ¡®king of the favelas¡¯ and was beneath their notice, despite the large organisation he was forming, to rival the gangs of Rio de Janeiro.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s this mess. Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor. Priority Rank: Violet. Threat Rank: Violet. A princess...¡± he snorted at that, America being a republic. ¡°... and apparently quite popular. There¡¯s no way we can make a move on her. Still, our embassy noticed some strange behaviour at parties, and from that...¡± he brought up more files, including one particularly strange one.


    ¡°Mary Stuart. This girl is a mystery, and she doesn¡¯t seem to use the internet or any sort of mobile device, so our ability to gather intelligence on her is limited. It was considered worth an attempt to bring her in, and we even sent one of our own people... but our agents disappeared without trace, him too. We have to assume them dead, and her threat rating was buffed to Vermillion, but...¡±


    ¡°Look, I get it.¡± Christina said, in what she probably thought was a soothing manner, but just showed her lack of empathy. ¡°With both your son and daughter being an asset, beating odds of ten billion to one, no wonder you are rattled. That¡¯s why we are keeping the dangerous tests to foreign nationals, and those US citizens who lack the moral fibre to contribute in other ways.¡±


    Her cold words glossed over the fact that several US prisoners had awakened to powers, as well as gang members, crooked businessmen and other such troublesome people. They had been gathered up where possible, by arrest, or black bag snatch squads, sometimes done by PMC¡¯s for additional deniability. Most of the Government was in the dark about the exact actions that were being taken, due largely to the political instability at the head of government. Hopefully the election will lead to a definitive result, and we can start getting things done again...


    ¡°This is still skirting the limits of decency.¡± Gina complained. ¡°That¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t repatriate those Japanese when we were on the back foot. They are alive, sure, but... their treatment made Guantanamo Bay look humane. And while we are not part of the International Criminal Court, it¡¯s still a bad look, what we did.¡±


    ¡°We have to make sacrifices.¡± Christina said piously. ¡°Better those than loyal, good people like your son and daughter, right Chris?¡± she said, annoyingly informal, and the head of the FBI, Christopher, scowled, not dignifying her with an answer.


    ¡°Anyway. Then we have the effect types. They have one or more abilities which defy science. Conservation of energy, mass, the laws of thermodynamics..¡± she was blushing now, her breath coming in hot gasps, and it was a disgusting sight to see. ¡°... none of those seem to matter! Some can shoot fire, or heal their wounds, or even create permanent items! It¡¯s amazing! But even they are nothing compared to the mystery types. The most exciting of all!¡± she was practically drooling now. ¡°Manipulation of things that should have no concrete existence! Probability, for one. That test subject... err, good citizen from Las Vegas, we¡¯ve run test after test, coins, dice, cards, random number generators. The data is solid! And there¡¯s more...¡±


    She continued to talk, until she finally ran out of breath, winding down. ¡°... and so it seems that their abilities are slowly growing, except for a few outliers, which I call growth types, so for example, an effect-growth type would be someone whose ability grows. Say, their fire burns hotter, lasts longer, covers a wider scale. Oh, how I wish I could see this mysterious mirror world they speak of, it would be...¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the explanation, Miss Christina.¡± Adam broke in, heading her off from another repetitive lecture. ¡°We are getting off topic. What matters is... well, you¡¯ve all seen the reports. Information we have gathered from each person tells the same story. Beings that we would have called mythical, have somehow descended and picked out people, and in one notable case, an animal...¡± I still can¡¯t believe it. A damn crocodile was called in breathing fire like a dragon. I thought it a prank at first, but I¡¯ve seen the footage. It¡¯s being kept under lock and key at the Pentagon right now, and while it cannot speak, it seems capable of understanding us to some extent...


    ¡°... and warn that unless we prepare for an unspecified upcoming disaster, the world is doomed. Well, there is no way we can stand idly by and let America fall. Three hundred million Americans demand our best, ladies and gentlemen. To that end, a few minor issues such as a few fighter jets is nothing. We are behind the times, I am afraid. China moved first. We are playing catch-up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± One general said, frowning. ¡°Intelligence told us that in July some sort of commotion was happening there. We had hoped it was a coup against the CCP, but no such luck.¡±


    ¡°Right, and we didn¡¯t start noticing what was happening until August.¡± Adam agreed. ¡°Most people who received these divine visitations... well, they kept it to themselves. Most still are, though there are some exceptions.¡±


    Christoper agreed, sighing bitterly ¡°Yes, my son and daughter only revealed it when they came up on your radar, Adam. I¡¯m still pissed off you had the temerity to tap my family. That¡¯s a national security issue!¡±


    ¡°Well, we are using AI to crawl the data for keywords and matches. We¡¯ve gathered what look like dozens of variants of the same terminology, but some come up again and again. Chakra. Astral. Boundary. Cultivation. Qi. Silver Cord. Aether. Ether. Anchor. Territory. Hallowed Ground.¡± He looked around at the great and the good, who were in charge of America¡¯s response to what was possibly the greatest crisis they ever faced. ¡°Anyone talking about these goes on the list for further in-depth analysis. Doing it that way, and searching for any other keywords we gather, we widen the net, and now we have identified a great number of our fellow Americans. The question is... recruitment.¡±


    Everyone lives online nowadays. Those people who think the Government microchips them and avoids hospitals for that reason are more than happy to have their every move tracked by carrying a mobile phone. Idiots. Still, that works to our benefit so I shouldn¡¯t complain...


    ¡°China is doing it. We got little but scraps from our dead agents, but news of this Ministry for Managing Divine Mysteries got through to us.¡± Gina allowed. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to start bringing people other than the undesirables in. We already have all of those in the army, CIA, FBI and related agencies in the fold, helping us research and control this new phenomenon. As well as those who we have extracted, both at home and abroad.¡±


    ¡°I hate letting China force our hand.¡± Adam complained, but he was in agreement, as were most of the hawkish military personnel. ¡°Sorry Christopher, but we¡¯ll need your kids to help us too. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let Christina near them.¡± Christoper and Christina, they could be a double act...


    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m curious as to which type they are... hey, don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± Christina shuddered as she was subjected to a murderous glare. ¡°I won¡¯t run any experiments on them. I have other avenues of study. But I will need to ask them the standard questions. The more we know!¡±


    The more we know, indeed. It¡¯s a shame that we never did bring in that Akio guy. He tripped a lot of the keyword flags, and seemed to know much more than he let on. That Shaeula is suspicious too. There seem to be... discrepancies... in the little data we pulled on her. Well, cutting loose that PMC isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on them, and it seems like they are moving to Japan, those that didn¡¯t suddenly quit. At the end of the day, they are an American mercenary outfit, so if we call, they¡¯ll support us. Might as well let it slide... ¡°Do you think we should open up information sharing with our allies?¡± Adam asked, and Gina frowned.


    ¡°You mean Japan, the UK, France and the others?¡± she asked. ¡°I doubt they know much more than us. It seems China are the ones in the know.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it might be worth it. Assuming we don¡¯t give too much away.¡± Adam had a feeling. ¡°Still, I suppose it can wait until we¡¯ve gathered up all our citizens. Who knows, if they can mess with probabilities and such abstract concepts, surely we¡¯ll find one or two who have an ability to understand this other world?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Christina agreed. ¡°An information cheat, I believe they call them in stories.¡± She giggled. ¡°If I was chosen to inherit power, that would surely be my gift! These gods have no taste, overlooking me!¡±


    No, I would say it¡¯d be an evil god indeed who would gift that mad scientist any knowledge. After all, it was knowledge that led to the exile from Eden, and curiosity killed the cat. The laptop screen was on a list page, detailing all the three thousand and seven hundred individuals who were classified as black cats, at home and abroad. Black cats bring ill fortune, so it¡¯s said, but these cats... well, they will either be the key to saving the world, or dooming it. I wish I knew which...


    ¡°Knowledge is power.¡± He said, closing the lid, shutting away the list. ¡°We have some, and need more. All right, start bringing everyone in. We¡¯ve observed long enough. I fear the day will come when a single one of these people might be worth far more to us than a few F-22 fighters...¡± For now, even the strongest of them can still be easily killed by enough firepower, as the accident proved. But is that going to last forever? If they can grow stronger, is that process endless? Will we one day be facing superheroes, men and women of steel, with no kryptonite in sight? If so... even if America survives, it will never be the same again...

 Side Eighty-Four – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side Eighty-Four ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°You sure about this then, princess?¡± Sarah asked, leaning on her large shield, looking unusually pensive. ¡°Ye¡¯ll be rather defenceless for a good while, aye?¡±


    ¡°I told you to call me Eleanor. We¡¯re friends now, right?¡± she sighed, not for the first time. ¡°We¡¯ve been working together a good while now, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Aye, that we have.¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°Still, I cannae quite believe I¡¯m here in this situation, despite everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, enough bullshit.¡± David sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking a lot of shit recently Sarah, and it¡¯s annoying.¡± His heavy mace was slick with evaporating gore, silver ribbons drifting up from it. ¡°You should be more like the boy, he adapted quickly.¡±


    At that Donovan looked away, blushing, which seemed to amuse Sarah, as perhaps David intended. Sure, we argue a lot, and at first I was worried about working with them, but now... well, who would have thought I could get used to battle? ¡°He did, didn¡¯t he? How many girls is it now?¡± She chuckled, and his blush deepened.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve promised any of them anything.¡± He said at last. ¡°But they are all very nice, I feel bad letting any of them down.¡±


    ¡°Rich too.¡± Sarah agreed, reaching over to ruffle his hair playfully, until he batted her off, tired of her teasing.


    ¡°I am glad we are all relaxed.¡± Mary-Jane waved her staff, continuing to heal Aditi, who had taken an unlucky hit from a goblin arrow, her arm pierced. ¡°But really, is this the time, Miss McLaughlin?¡±


    ¡°As much a teacher as ever, aye.¡± Sarah smirked. ¡°But I get it. I was just tryin¡¯ tae lighten the mood, right? This is a big moment, no?¡±


    That it is. She looked at the group of heroes her grandmother had gathered for her. Sir Arthur, mighty sword in hand, looking younger and more vigorous than ever, the battles nothing to him, as though he truly was a knight of old. Sarah, her heavy shield a bulwark against all their foes, her fiery temper and hot teasing a match for her brilliant hair. Donovan, a young pretty-boy who apparently was the hottest property on the London dating scene amidst the wealthy. Sarah-Jane, a matronly schoolteacher, who had mastered blessings and healings, calm in every situation. Aditi, a quiet, diffident archer who was always reliable. David Reckless, a loud-mouthed and brash martial artist, whose mace had killed more goblins in this version of London than anyone. And lastly... me. She looked at her reflection in the glass of one of the windows nearby, and was amazed at what she saw.


    ¡°Admiring your reflection?¡± Sir Arthur noticed. As Sarah, David and Donovan bickered, Sir Arthur put a hand on Eleanor¡¯s shoulder comfortingly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good one. You¡¯ve really grown to fit that armour, Green Knight.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. Compared to you or David, I¡¯m still a liability.¡± She said self-deprecatingly. Even so, I have grown, definitely. Not that I ever wanted to grow as a fighter, but grandmother was right. I don¡¯t have a choice. The armour seemed more comfortable on her somehow, and strangely enough, she found battle less stressful than everything else that came with the job, such as the endless socialising. As a princess I should be more used to it, but I was always one to spend galas and balls by myself. My father knew that and never pushed it, but now...


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right, princess.¡± He continued, and she flashed a weary smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to call me Eleanor, Sir Arthur.¡±


    ¡°No, not a chance.¡± He grinned back. ¡°I know you wish to be less formal, but unlike these fine people, I¡¯m an old-fashioned man. And I¡¯ve known you since you were a little girl. I¡¯m too old to change how I address you now. Besides, you do call me sir, right?¡±


    Guilty as charged. You have me there. ¡°Look, everyone, it¡¯s time.¡± She said, clapping her hands together, green and bronze gauntlets ringing. ¡°Sarah, yes, it¡¯s a risk, but one we have to take. After all... it¡¯s why you are all here. Positions of honour and lavish salaries are earned for precisely this.¡±


    ¡°Do not be like that, Eleanor.¡± Aditi protested. ¡°I am here because I admire you and want to help my country!¡±


    ¡°But you still take the money.¡± David broke in nastily, and Sarah cuffed him on the back of the head, causing another argument.


    ¡°Of course she does.¡± Mary-Jane said as they bickered, exasperated. She had finished healing Aditi, and was now leaning on her staff, resting. Yes, her healing and blessings take a lot out of her, it¡¯s more tiring than our combat, for sure. ¡°No matter how much you like your job, you take a fair wage for fair work. That¡¯s the British way, and what I teach the children. Oh, by the way, thank you for introducing me to that... gentleman.¡± Her face twisted a little, which was unusual, as Mary-Jane was usually faultlessly polite. ¡°I cannot say I was taken with him personally, but... the money will fund an orphanage and school for disadvantaged children.¡±


    ¡°Max Power? That guy?¡± David stopped his argument to spit angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t like the prick, nor his foundation. Still, I guess money has no sin, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he... well...¡± Donovan stammered. ¡°... he knows a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Girls, right?¡± Sarah laughed. ¡°Anyway, aye, he¡¯s been bothering me a little too, but he seems harmless enough, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°...incess. Princess. Are you all right?¡± Samuel was asking, and Eleanor blinked, the surroundings snapping back into focus. Tasting bile, she shook her head.


    ¡°Sorry, I think I¡¯ve overworked myself. I should probably take a break. Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing to forgive. You¡¯ve worked as hard as any of us, and God knows it isn¡¯t easy, what we do.¡± He smiled reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ll go mix with the other teams, and maybe a celebrity or two. There¡¯s some really famous faces here. Come on, gang.¡± He said, and with that they moved into the mass of people at the party. Eleanor went to leave, before looking back over her shoulder, only to see the older woman watching her, and for a moment her vision blurred again, and all she could see was her face wreathed in shrouded shadows, only her eyes visible. Blinking, she looked again, only to see that the woman had turned away.


    She was looking at me, right? Well, I guess that makes sense. I am a princess, I suppose. Ugh, my stomach hurts... With that she rushed to the toilet, in a rather undignified hurry...


    ********


    This truly is hell. I hate this... The party should have been winding down by now, but dozens of guests still remained. She looked around for Sir Arthur, Mary-Jane or anyone else she was close with, but couldn¡¯t see any of them. David sloped off earlier with a girl from one of the new parties, right? Donovan too, I think. As for the others... wait, there.


    Grateful, Eleanor made it through the crowds to where Aditi was, standing by one of the buffet tables, a plate in hand. On seeing her approach, she brightened, raising a hand in greeting.


    ¡°Eleanor, are you all right? You look pale.¡± Aditi fretted, putting down her plate.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, fine.¡± She declared, though she didn¡¯t feel fine. It felt like someone was watching her, and when she looked around, people were looking at her, but no more than was usual. I¡¯m just jumpy today, that¡¯s it. Getting pushed back by the creatures there must have rattled me. ¡°I just hate these events, and I had to meet more people than usual.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Aditi commiserated. ¡°I am uneasy in such circles too, though some, like young Donovan, have taken to it well.¡± She smiled fondly, remembering the youngest member of their team.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone has.¡± Eleanor complained. ¡°So, where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Mary-Jane went off with Sarah and that Max Power fellow.¡± She said, frowning. ¡°Apparently his foundation is interested in setting up additional orphanages countrywide, and was talking about getting additional staff and teachers. It was rather beyond me, I am afraid.¡± Aditi apologised.


    ¡°Well, Mary-Jane does love children.¡± Eleanor mused. ¡°And for a supposed philanthropist like Max Power... no, I don¡¯t feel he¡¯s that charitable. Do you think he is doing it with ulterior motives?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course he is.¡± She replied, and Eleanor was surprised.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡± She echoed. ¡°Just how easy is it to get close to a princess? Such an opportunity cannot be bought. I mean, there¡¯s your cousins, right? But other than them... and of course, there is more.¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°After all, are we not heroes protecting the country? You are doubly important. The fact you are very pretty does not hurt, too.¡±


    At that Eleanor felt her face heating up. Pretty? I guess so, but... ¡°You think he¡¯s trying to get closer to me?¡±


    ¡°I do. And the Queen, she desires you to make allies, hence all these gatherings.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Perhaps this man is indeed a charitable sort, and wishes to help Mary-Jane with her dreams, perhaps not. But well, he would be a fool to cause you trouble. After all... are you not able to crush him one-handed, if you wish?¡±


    ¡°Oh Aditi, don¡¯t tease me.¡± She found herself smiling, her troubles momentarily forgotten. ¡°Though I guess that¡¯s true. Did you ever wonder just why we get stronger the more we fight?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It puzzles me greatly.¡± She said. ¡°I do wish Arjuna had been more clear with me, but I thought I was dreaming at first, and then... well, I was terrified. Me, chosen by such a famous hero that I thought mythical. But I do remember, he did say that only through battle shall you gain the strength to survive. It is very like a game, no?¡±


    ¡°A game? I suppose so.¡± Eleanor was hardly an avid gamer, though she was not so sheltered as to not understand her point. ¡°I played a few as a child, Final Fantasy, Zelda, that sort of thing. It does seem that we level up as we defeat enemies. But life isn¡¯t a game...¡±


    ¡°Maybe not.¡± Aditi agreed. ¡°But we have fought monsters that could only exist in stories, and we are clearly growing stronger. I can think of no other explanation, other than we seem to be drawing something out of the foes we defeat. After all, we gather that energy, that ether, and it is drawn into our Avalons, creating strange wonders. Remember how mine repelled those fish-creatures with bright blasts of energy?¡±


    Eleanor nodded, remembering. They had fallen back to safety, and then the press of merfolk slammed into the mysterious barrier that protected them, before being blasted apart by volleys of brilliant light from the strange towers that had sprouted in Aditi¡¯s Avalon. I guess it does make sense, as much as anything does. Really, what we need more than anything is knowledge. I know grandmother has tasked the Prime Minister with setting up a diplomatic core to deal with foreign nations regarding this... even so...


    Talking to Aditi was relaxing her, and fortunately everyone else was keeping their distance. From time to time she felt the gaze of people on her, but not being alone, it was far more bearable. Next time... next time we¡¯ll reach the Palace. We grow stronger, and Sir Arthur says we are more skilled, so... next time, we won¡¯t fail!

 Side Eighty-Five – Princess Claira Vi Du Palludia – ??????? – End of Arc 6

    Side Eighty-Five ¨C Princess Claira Vi Du Palludia ¨C ??????? ¨C End of Arc 6


    ¡°Push forwards! Hold the Lemures back!¡±


    ¡°The Ironguard is with us, we cannot... argh!¡±


    ¡°Mercy, I don¡¯t want to die...¡±


    ¡°Die, foul demons, back to...¡±


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    ¡°Help me, it burns, it burns!¡±


    Dozens, no, hundreds, thousands of voices were blending together in a howling tide of pleas, curses, shouted orders and cries of agony, yet they were almost drowned out by the screaming of the endless demon tide that was pouring through the plains, throwing themselves against the beleaguered defensive forces, trying to tear down the Astral fortresses that blocked their advance time and time again.


    Under the blue skies above, that also glittered with glimmering rainbow stars, the Astral bleeding into the land, expanding the plains significantly, allowing ingress from the spiritual realms, two armies were clashing. And the mortal one was being forced back, step by painful step, each inch paid for by the deaths of thousands of the vile Lemures, the endless shock-troops of the demon horde that had been attacking these lands for generations.


    I hate the Lemures most of all. Vile abominations. They were weak and compared to other demons were no threat individually, each Lemure perhaps only as strong as an average warrior. Even so, it was their hideous parody of humanity she hated, the endless, needless sacrifices they made to try and break the defenders. ¡°Bloom, Frozen Flowers!¡± she declared, the ancestral energy of ice that had been concentrated within her bloodline for generations sparking to life. As her glorious golden-blonde hair blew behind her in the wind, a contrast to the white dress made from enchanted fabric she wore, she breathed out, her breath frosty despite the heat of the summer day.


    Ice exploded in the packed ranks of the Lemures, their pale, fleshy bodies, often lacking armour and even weapons, began to freeze, great flowers of ice metres across bursting to life, sucking them in. Petals formed of delicate clear ice, which soon turned a vile shade of green, soaked with the blood of the numerous Lemures the petals cut apart with their razor-sharp, magically hardened edges.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, keep up the assault!¡± a cry came from the mob of warriors fighting in the gaps in the walls of the once-mighty fort. Time and time again the demons had returned, and each time the fortress was besieged it suffered more and more damage. Even so, it still stood proud, extending through the Material into the Astral. Towers made of shining metal and glimmering crystal unleashed bursts of light, balls of fire and forks of lightning smashing into the horde, while more mundane weaponry, numerous banks of ballista, catapults and pots of boiling oil were discharged. Even so, it did little to stem the seemingly inexhaustible tide.


    ¡°No backwards step!¡± another voice roared, and Claira looked down to see a heavily armoured champion crashing through the packed ranks of the Lemures, massive halberd more than twice the height of an average person sweeping through the horde, sending bodies tumbling away. Davian, one of the Metalguard. Even so, he can¡¯t hold alone...


    Raising her hand, she unleashed a hail of icy javelins down on the foe, piercing dozens, then hundreds. Corpses burst apart, some disintegrating to ether, and the defenders desperately drew it in, trying to bolster their strengths as much as they could. On the battlements and towers, archers and those who had elemental talents were also pouring down firepower, and gradually the tide of Lemures slowed, before reversing, leaving behind a carpet of the dead. A cheer went up, but Claire knew it was premature.


    The Lemures are just to drain our reserves, the demons care nothing for their pathetic shock troops. As if to illustrate her point, the next host was forming up, even as the more powerful demons made sport of killing many of the retreating Lemures, forcing them back into some semblance of order, ready for another charge. This wave was taller, bulkier humanoid creatures, with green skin and long, ape-like arms, and vaguely reptilian faces. Unlike the poorly armed Lemures, these were in armour, even if it was mostly ragged chain and leather, and they were equipped with long brutal maces, spears and axes.


    But before that... Claira was no stranger to the war, so she was already forming a shimmering shield of ice in front of her and the archers and mages on the battlements around her. It was not a moment too soon, as from the distant shadows of the Astral, where the demons were marshalling, bright flashes could be seen, dark, sooty reds and oranges flaring to life, barely visible even with her incredible kinetic vision.


    ¡°Engage the barrier!¡± came the cry, and the presiding general, safe in the highest tower, must have done something, as the first impacts were stopped before the walls, the air shuddering, shimmering rainbow and silver sparks cascading downwards. It was a pretty sight, but a dreadful one too. The barrier has barely recharged since the last engagement. It won¡¯t last long...


    A second wave of projectiles struck, massive hunks of crudely hewn metal, shimmering with flames, bouncing off the barrier. One flew back, slamming through a straggling group of Lemures, crushing them to paste, but then the barrier failed. A chunk of battlements was carried off, stone and bodies scattered over a wide area, and a Defensive Emplacement shattered, energy boiling free. Her shield of ice was struck, and the air was filled with motes of ice, like a brief snowstorm. Still, she had no time to admire the sight, strengthening the wall and expanding it as far as she could, as more and more shells were launched by the distant artillery. The Emplacements tried to strike back, but other than a couple of them, they didn¡¯t have the range, only able to take out some of the massing Lemures and Dregs.


    This is... unpleasant. Her face twisted into a bitter grimace, her blood chilled and the crenelations around her freezing over, stone starting to crack, turning brittle. ¡°Frozen Lotus!¡± At her cry, energy rushed from her once more, the deep lake of power she held within finally noticeably depleting. The incoming balls of metal were caught in overlapping petals of blue and pink ice, harder than steel. It was enough to knock them off course, and after several more volleys, the firing stopped, a great cry coming from the demon lines.


    ¡°Here they come...¡± she muttered, watching as the host of demons flooded forwards. Hair blowing behind her in the breeze, she raised her hand once more. ¡°Bloom, Frozen Flowers!¡±


    *********


    ¡°White Universe!¡± At her desperate cry, the world around her stopped. The spider-like assassin demons that had emerged from the shadows, wreaking havoc on the beleaguered defenders, cutting through archers and mages with their vicious multitude of bladed limbs, simply turned to frozen statues, as did a number of fleeing defenders. One tower nearby shattered, collapsing under its own frozen weight, and the battlements were also starting to splinter, ice spreading through the weakened stone like veins and arteries.


    There was no choice. Sacrifices had to be made... Her most powerful ice attacks were not targeted, merely indiscriminate assaults, and there was no time to call upon anything more subtle. Telling herself that the allied troops who died would have been slaughtered by the assassin demons anyway, she turned her attention to the melee below. This was the fourth wave, and hopefully was the last. Lemures and Dregs were few and far between, most of the demons now noticeably stronger ones, and the vista below was one of Hell; fire, lighting, acid, poison and more constantly discharged, the screams of the demons merging into the cries of the dying and desperate calls to rally, to hold, to somehow push the enemies back.


    Davian was still fighting there, his halberd continuing to reap a great toll of the enemy, but even as he fought, a mob of Barbarites, demons who looked like wizened, crazy old men, with wiry, filth-choked beards, moved in to engage him, cleaving down several noble defenders with their own spears, glaives and hooked polearms. Despite their unassuming looks, Barbarites were some of the fiercest common demons, and when their own blood was spilled they quickly went into a berserk frenzy. Still, Davian should be able to hold. Though I wish Demera was here. It would be reassuring to have her immovable presence. Immovable...


    Winged demons were coming now, a flock of them blotting out the setting sun overhead. The moons were rising, the shimmering dark-light of the Astral that was seeping into the world illuminating the pack. Arrows and the Defensive Emplacements began to strike then down, and dozens of the small, gargoyle-like creatures started falling from the sky. In return they began launching vicious barbed bolts from their tails, as well as breathing down streams of toxic filth on the beleaguered defenders.


    ¡°Mother, sister, I have returned triumphant.¡± Claira said, after leaving her curious younger sister and cousin behind. ¡°The border holds, though further ether will need to be deployed to patch up the walls and replace the destroyed Emplacements. We need some way to combat their artillery, it continues to take a heavy toll on us.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, daughter.¡± Her mother said, her face an expressionless mask. Her older sister, Elenya, gave her a slight smile, her green eyes dull. Well, it is not like I do not understand her...


    ¡°So, we held. That is good news, and we sorely need it. As for resources... I doubt we can spare much. Ether is running low everywhere, and the demons continue their advance in other places, to brutal effect.¡±


    At that there was a reaction, her sister flinching, which Adoria didn¡¯t miss. ¡°What happened? Is it our allied kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°No, not an ally.¡± Her mother said. Luckily the Chancellor wasn¡¯t present today, for Claira found him terribly trying. To say nothing of his toad of a son. At least the Chancellor has served my mother and the country well, even if he is rather conservative. But his son... talent can make one rot, it seems...


    ¡°Then...?¡± she asked, only to receive a surprising response.


    ¡°The Noble Elves were attacked. A delegation they were sending us to request ... well, demand... our allegiance, fostered by marriage. Your father was due to meet them to escort them here, to meet Elenya, but...¡±


    ¡°... but? Is father all right?¡± Claira said in a panic, quite unlike her usual cool exterior. Like her, father was often on the front lines, but his abilities were more in martial arts and command, so he was far more vulnerable.


    ¡°It is all right, Claira.¡± Elenya spoke up, an unreadable expression on her face, a gleam in her deep green eyes. ¡°Your father came upon the aftermath. He returned safely, but had to depart for another front soon after, just before you returned.¡±


    Oh, thank the Elements. Claira slapped her chest in relief. ¡°So, the Noble Elves? They are all powerful warriors and elementalists, what happened?¡±


    ¡°A massacre. Perhaps while we were dealing with numerous weaker demon assaults on the Astral fortresses, a number of powerful demons crept though our lines, striking at where we were vulnerable.¡±


    I see. It makes sense why there were only lesser demons in the attack I faced... ¡°So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Thirty Noble Elves dead, including two of the Elven Windmasters, including the grandson of Keldruin. A tragedy. Noble Elves are so few...¡± the Queen, her mother, shook her head sadly.


    ¡°But he was the candidate for you, Elenya. How ... how do you feel?¡± I know she never met the Elf, but even so, there had been some correspondence between them, and at least he would be better than Barbro, even if we would have to give her up to the Elves in exchange for the bloodline¡¯s continuation...


    ¡°It does not feel real yet, sister.¡± Elenya said calmly. ¡°We exchanged letters but a fortnight ago, and now this... I find it hard to believe they went down easily though. Two Windmasters and a Watermaster, dead. Plus many fine warriors. A Noble Elf is worth a hundred of our soldiers...¡±


    ¡°It is worse than that. Keldruin was isolationist, wanting to wait this storm out, more fool him.¡± Her mother was angry. ¡°But in the end by offering my precious daughter I was able to entice him out of his forests, and now this. Messengers are not even allowed past his borders now. The grief-maddened fool. By the time he sees fit to relent, everyone but the Elves will be gone, demon food, or worse.¡±


    ¡°I do not see what a few demons that evaded our fortresses could do.¡± Claira thought. ¡°Unless... no, surely not. One of the four great demons? Or domain users?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. Elves are powerful, but with water and wind turned against them, their end was assured. Damn it all to the Elements!¡± she slammed her fist down on the armrest of her throne. ¡°This is a disaster!¡±


    ¡°My Queen, calm yourself!¡± Elenya said, earning a displeased look as she went to check the hand of her mother. ¡°Injuring yourself achieves nothing.¡±


    ¡°I told you to call me mother.¡± She protested, but Elenya shook her head, stubborn.


    ¡°No, now more than ever I must remain formal. After all, is not my betrothal cancelled? That means...¡±


    My poor sister. No, I have no time to worry for her. My marriage will be soon. There are several candidates already from other allied kingdoms, I believe. What matters is...


    ¡°Domain users are the most hated of the demons. Why, a single Metal or Stone domain can cripple our armies. To think that they would have an Air domain and attack the Elves. It seems... rather too much of a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°You are not alone in thinking that.¡± Her mother allowed Elenya to tend to her bleeding fist. ¡°Keldruin¡¯s last message practically screamed that we had betrayed him. What a fool. Who would work with the demons? There is no benefit in it. Even she would not be such a fool. And I would believe her capable of any evil. No. I suspect infiltrators.¡±


    Infiltrators? Demons who can appear as one of us? That is... terrifying. Meeting the deep green eyes of her sister, she shuddered. If so, who can we trust? If even the person next to us could be a demon...

 Arc 7 – The Conclave: Side Eighty-Six – The Diviner

    Arc 7 ¨C The Conclave: Side Eighty-Six ¨C The Diviner


    The moon hung massive in the sky overhead, blotting out most of the heavens, looking like a huge, unblinking eye. It was dark and still, no wind to speak of, and the sounds of the peaceful city around were muted, silent.


    Still, there was a noise, out of place in this peaceful setting, a clicking, rattling sound, as if chitin or bone was rubbing together, and the sibilant hissing of something, no, a multitude of somethings, as they surged through the streets of what was possibly Kyoto, but could have easily been elsewhere, the scenery fluid and impermanent, changing and shifting as if mist.


    The first creature came into view, a hideous red ant the size of a small pony, feelers swinging to and fro as it searched for something. More were coming, crawling over the pavements and roads, climbing walls and up onto the roofs of nearby houses and shrines. Everywhere they went a foul sludge was left behind, acrid and vile, leaking poisonous mist, and what was beautiful was befouled.


    The woman ran, trying to avoid the creeping ants, though she was not fast, and her legs tangled in the long hems of her white and red robes, causing her to stumble. She fell, hitting the ground painfully, and rolling onto her back she looked up at the moon, which was staring down at her.


    Time is running out, the sands falling through the hourglass. A familiar, distant voice echoed in her mind.


    Eyes blinking behind her veil, the woman could see a shadow passing over the moon, a huge dragon, long and serpentine, coiled like a figure of eight, twisting and turning. The rattling was louder here, and she realised it was the many ruby scales of the dragon rubbing together. Even as she watched, several scales flaked off, falling to the earth, and as they landed they changed, becoming more of the ants, joining the others in mindlessly despoiling all they came across.


    Panicked, the woman struggled to her feet. Her hands were stinging where she had scraped them trying to break her fall, and one ankle wouldn¡¯t bear her weight. Even so, she had no choice but to limp away, the moon looking down on her from overhead. It was then the dragon looked at her, and she could see it had mismatched heterochromatic eyes. One was a dirty yellow, alien and rapacious, leering at her with a foreign, dangerous hunger, while the other was ever-shifting, many colours blended into one. Still that eye looked at her with no more warmth, merely instead of hunger it was detached curiosity, as one might look at an insect or exotic animal.


    The Great Red Dragon Of The Numberless East stirs. It is not yet time for it to awaken, but even as it slumbers, its scales... they fall, searching for prey.


    More scales, more ants. She recognised where she was now, she was in the grounds of Ryo?an-ji temple, the beautiful rock gardens now smeared with burning, acrid ooze, dozens of the ants crawling about blindly. The meditating pools were choked with filth, disgusting her, all but one, which was clear, reflecting the moon above, drawing her gaze.


    Oh daughter of the moon, she who hears my voice, you have served me well all these years, and I thank you. But your time is coming to an end. The Red Dragon stirs, thrashing about, seeking prey, and you have fallen under its gaze.


    Looking into the lake, she saw many visions, some she had seen before, others new to her, the moonlight bringing glimpses of what was, what will be and what should not be. The Red Dragon roared, splitting open, scales and blood raining down, revealing a mountain range, space itself collapsing, rippling prismatic aurorae spreading out, unveiling a strange ancient-looking city, full of ants of greater size, scale and magnificence, their red chitin inlaid with jade and precious metals.


    She tried to pull her eyes away, only to see the White Divina Dragon Of The West. Brilliant blue and white flames leapt from the maw of the beast, scorching the land below, and temples, shrines and the faithful burned under the great reptilian fiend, which suddenly grew great feathered wings of white and gold, a multitude of them, though six stood out, their massive shadow covering the land, and a song started, melancholic and frenzied, which hurt her ears, no, her very soul.


    ¡°I do not wish to see these visions. Not... not anymore.¡± She gasped, half-choking out the words amidst sobs. ¡°They... they are so grim.¡± She caught a glimpse of her friend, the Imperial Princess, as the ants swarmed over the Grand Shrine at Ise, which should have been impossible to see, since it was many miles distant, but in visions, as in dreams, anything was possible. ¡°No, I do not wish to see you die again, alone and afraid!¡±


    Shutting her eyes did nothing, as the reflected light of the moon pierced her lids, showing her more. This time, another rippling explosion of space, a small pink bird fluttering through, trailing blood and feathers. Moments later reality shuddered, and three massive stone pillars crashed through, slamming into the ground, towering into the sky. One was black obsidian, a second was petrified wood, gleaming dully, and the third was shrouded in fog, and could not be seen. Looking at these pillars made her shudder, even more so than the twin dragons...


    ¡°No... no more.¡± She sobbed, shoulders heaving as she sucked in desperate breaths. The ants were closing in behind her, and their chittering cries froze her blood. ¡°I have done what I could. Conclave...¡±


    You have done well, my precious chosen one. Unlike the others, you were mine since you were born, a precious existence. It pains me to see you suffer, to see your fate, but I can not intervene. Were I to reach down, then...


    The woman screamed, a new vision flooding her mind. The sky shattered, the realm of the spiritual mixing haphazardly with the one she knew. People died in their millions, and more pillars came crashing down, of jade, ruby, gold and more... creatures undreamed of walked the earth, and soon the millions became billions, and the living envied the dead...


    ¡°I... I am trying to change things. I have always believed that fate, prophecy, destiny, nothing is set in immutable stone.¡± She gasped. ¡°But things have changed, the Red Dragon has stirred sooner. We are far from ready. This is not fair!¡± she cried, realising she sounded like the frightened, petulant child she never had the chance to be. ¡°How can my dear Yukiko be saved, if the Dragon comes now? The one with light, darkness and twilight, I have not found him, I have ideas, but...¡±


    Fate has already shifted. You are correct, my dear daughter. Even speaking to you like this causes ripples, weakens the protection your world shelters within. So I can only touch you in dreams, through the Divine Gift you share with me...


    The moon seemed to fill her vision, and she could see one of the Six Princesses. She was a lonely creature, one of hunger and flame, thirsty for salvation. She was one of three that posed a great threat to everything, yet if she perished, then one of the Six Disasters would surely shatter the Earth... ¡°Why is everything so... so simply impossible. Even though I am blessed, I have foresight, I still fail to ... wait, what... what madness is this?¡±


    The Princess should fight that which she held dear, the thirsting flame within growing and feasting, until she was a creature of mere appetite, even attempting to consume everything she loved. Yet now, in her vision, she was shattered, broken, the thirsty flames mere embers, yet... the face, hidden in shadow and surrounded by a halo of shining metallic hair... she was smiling.


    ¡°What... what is this? There is no man carrying light and darkness, filled with twilight. I have used every last speck of my will to scour the skeins of fate, the threads of destiny. I have searched and sought, trying to find the junctions where definite and destiny intersect. But it is hard, and I grow weary...¡±


    ¡°Yes, outside events have caused a change. Fate is a delicate web of fragile strands of glass. Beautiful but sharp. The Red Dragon I warned you of stirs, and the ants will come surging our way far sooner than even noble Tsukuyomi anticipated. The Dragon itself shall not move, but even so, I fear... we will lose too many.¡± Her mysterious voice, young yet old, trembled uncharacteristically at that. Nobody noticed, except for Yasuhide, who was too wily to miss such a tell. His gaze looked at her, compassionate, and he gestured for his own people to leave.


    ¡°You too.¡± She told her maidens, who protested, but she was insistent. When the room was vacated, she channelled a little aether, creating a bubble of soundless space, so they could not be overhead. With her face covered by her veil, she did not have to fear a spy reading her lips, and Yasuhide was aware of such too, raising one hand to cover his own mouth.


    ¡°What is it? We have known each other since you were but a child, Lady Diviner. Speak.¡± Yasuhide urged her. After a brief pause to gather her thoughts, she did.


    ¡°Tsukuyomi believes... that I shall die, to these ants.¡± She swallowed. ¡°I see this shrine attacked too. The ants leave a trail of filth and death in their wake, gorging and plundering what is not theirs. I am tasked with finding an heir for the divine favour I bear.¡±


    There was a shocked silence, as Yasuhide contemplated that. ¡°Lady Diviner, you... can you not turn aside this fate? As you are striving to do for the Priestess of Ise?¡±


    For a moment she was stunned by that, before she spoke, her anger quite unlike her. ¡°Of course I am searching for a way. I have no wish to perish here. I have too much left undone. I must find and protect the six Princesses, lest Japan and the world be destroyed!¡± she fumed. Fool of an old man. Why would you assume I am not racking my brains, searching for any strands of hope? But I am not omnipotent, even with my gifts enhanced. I have failed before...


    ¡°Calm down, I meant no offense...¡± Yasuhide tried to mollify her, but her raw emotions, burned by long nights of ever-more vivid visions, would not be soothed.


    ¡°I know, but it is still deeply annoying. I do not wish to die! I have served Tsukuyomi and Japan since I was but a small child, giving up everything else! Nobody has even seen my face! You think I do not know what goes on outside? I see the tourists, in pretty dresses and laughing, holding hands with their lovers. I gave up everything for my God, and now... and now it is just find a worthy heir for my blessing...¡± she laughed, hollow and bitter. ¡°I know that if I am to meet my end, it is my duty to pass on what I can. Otherwise, why have I strived all these years? But I had hoped... well, I still hope. But it is hard. So hard.¡±


    ¡°Do you know... when?¡± he asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, only that it is soon. Very soon. That is why... Conclave must go well. We must end the infighting. Else divided we will fall to these hungry, abominable ants, whatever they represent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that.¡± He mused, wanting to change the subject, chagrined that he had upset her so. ¡°You think... you think they might be foreign enemies? If so... well, one Country springs to mind from the description.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°While I do not think that the Dragon is purely a metaphor for a country, I suspect there is involvement yes. The Numberless East. While technically it is west of us...¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yasuhide stroked his beard, puzzled. ¡°But why would they attack us now? What has changed? If you knew, perhaps it would help you change your fate?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. But... other things have changed too. The Hungry Ghost...¡± she explained what she had seen in her vision.


    ¡°Interesting. So she lives, but is changed, steered away from a destructive course. Well, that is good news at least.¡± Yasuhide agreed. ¡°Do you think that caused further changes? After all, the way you explained destined futures to me, it is very much like the butterfly effect.¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± She said, frustration in her strange voice. ¡°I wish I did. I shall meditate on it today, as much as I can. For tomorrow I will have no time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Conclave at last. You¡¯ll need to be there. Takakura-sama will represent the nobles, and the Princess the Imperial Family. You will represent the Gods themselves, and our traditions. I just hope that Uchida-san and Saionji-san can see reason. With less time, we need to act as one.¡±


    ¡°I shall do my best to convince them. But there have already been grim accidents, has there not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Deaths.¡± He agreed. ¡°Well, since my Ryo?an-ji is rather close to that devil Saionji-san¡¯s Kinkaku-ji, which causes its fair share of problems, but... in this case, it might be helpful. But know, I support you, Lady Diviner, and if I can help prevent your untimely death, I shall do all I can!¡±


    Feeling a little gratitude, she bowed. ¡°I appreciate it. But please do forget my angry words from earlier, they were not my thoughts. I am ashamed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why.¡± He scratched at his chin, smiling. ¡°I am as terrified as you are, knowing my shrine is in danger. While I¡¯ll be glad to see my Shiori again, in a way I¡¯m glad that she will be returning to Tokyo after Conclave, hopefully she¡¯ll not be involved in any of this danger.¡±


    ¡°I do not think this hastened misfortune will escalate. Even so... I hope to head it off. If someone who can stop this does not exist, we must create them.¡± she echoed her earlier sentiments in a slightly different way. ¡°At Conclave... I will find someone worthy.¡± I shall pass on the blessing, as Tsukuyomi entreated me. But... I will not give up hope, that I can be saved. That I can save myself...

 Two Hundred And Fifty-Nine

    Two Hundred And Fifty-Nine


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± I asked, carrying several large suitcases. We were only going to be away for a long weekend, but even so, girls needed a lot of things, and Fae were no exception, it seemed. Looks like Haru-san has some business to attend to first, she texted me to say she¡¯ll be getting a later train...


    ¡°Indeed, though I confess to some-some trepidation.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°The Night Parade may be in Kyoto, may they not-not? In that case...¡± she frowned, nervous, so I pulled her into a hug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If your mother is there, you can be reunited. And if there are any problems, we¡¯ll deal with them, like we always do.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, and I could see a mixture of resolution and nerves on her face. I gave her a quick kiss, a fleeting brush of our lips, and patted her head. Still holding her, I looked at Hyacinth, who was in her maid outfit, though the skirt was longer, as I didn¡¯t want her underwear to be exposed. To anyone but me anyway, I¡¯m such a possessive hypocrite. Still, I was resolved to own that, so I had Karen-chan get me some maid clothes from Akiba, and ironically they were more modest than what Hyacinth customarily wore, showing less leg and cleavage.


    Seeing Hyacinth looking at me, unwilling to show her affection in company, I resolved to treat her to some skinship later. ¡°So, you ready, Hyacinth? You¡¯ll be meeting my family again, so be good, all right?¡±


    Hyacinth nodded so frantically it was as if her head was going to fall off. ¡°Yes, I shall be good, I prooomised. Your family is mooost important to me too!¡± She had spoken to Aiko a bit when they had arrived in Tokyo for the big planning meeting, and exchanged a little talk with my parents and the Mori¡¯s, but they were still hardly well-acquainted, and I worried she would cause friction, especially with auntie Hana...


    ¡°Really, I can hardly believe this.¡± Kana¡¯s mother, Nagi-san said. Since she was married into the shrine, rather than of the direct line of Shirohebizumi, she did not need to attend Conclave, but there was no way she was going to be left behind. She was wearing casual clothes, and looked like a very pretty, more mature Kana. And speaking of...


    ¡°Here, straighten that up a bit.¡± Kana was saying, neatening the hakama of Marika-san, who was excited, acting her age for once eager to see her mother and grandfather again. ¡°There, all tidy.¡± Kana then turned to me, looking a bit sour. ¡°Akio, do you have to flirt so early in the morning? And with two girls at the same time... ugh, no, why do I even care?¡±


    ¡°Jealous, Kana dear?¡± Nagi-san asked with a smile, and she denied it, shaking her head fiercely. She too was in red and white hakama, though this was an expensive custom-made version, that all of our shrine maidens and trainees were going to wear at Conclave. I¡¯ll spare no expense in impressing the faction heads. A little money is nothing that can¡¯t be replaced...


    ¡°Jealous? Why would I be?¡± she tossed her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t know what you mean, mom. Anyway, come on, we need to go soon.¡±


    ¡°Grul is ready.¡± Grulgor declared. ¡°Any foe that tries to fight, Grul will crush them!¡± he clenched a powerful fist menacingly.


    ¡°Sure. But hopefully that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± I sighed. ¡°But if it comes to any battles in the Boundary, you¡¯ll get your chance. And if the Night Parade needs a lesson...¡±


    ¡°Then Grul will give it!¡± he roared, too loud for the early morning.


    ¡°Please show more decorum.¡± Masaji-san warned him, and Daichi-san agreed. Kana¡¯s father and grandfather were dressed in fine robes, and were nervously escorting their kami, Shirohebi, who was strolling beside them, in his white robes and strange four-cornered hat. ¡°Conclave will be a time of contemplation, of discourse. There is no room for violence.¡±


    Grul sighed, a cavernous gust of breath. ¡°Grul will not make trouble. But trouble often comes looking. If so... Grul will crush it!¡±


    As they bickered, Aliyah snorted. She was dressed in her suit, and carrying several concealed weapons that were likely illegal in Japan. Her brother Trey was beside her, similarly attired, while Travis and Manx were wearing more casual clothing. None of them spoke Japanese, so they were looking a bit confused, but from our body language and actions they could make educated guesses. ¡°Seriously, what the hell are you doing this early in the morning? It¡¯s as though you are trying to piss me off, flirting with cute girls.¡±


    ¡°Cool it sis.¡± Trey warned, but she shook him off.


    Before she could speak though, I fixed her with a stern glare, my grey eyes hard, which made her swallow nervously, stepping back a little. Speaking to her in English, I made a matter clear to her. ¡°Look, Aliyah, this is your first task. You and Trey are going to be muscle in Kyoto, and guards for certain people. But I don¡¯t want you to use too much bad language. Besides, we have young girls here.¡± I warned, gesturing to Marika-san and Keomi-chan, who was now a firm friend of hers, with a similar mental age despite being quite a bit older. On seeing her, Aliyah nodded, contrite.


    ¡°Damn, yeah... uh sorry. Anyway, you can count on me and Trey. We are stronger than ever!¡±


    ¡°With that arranged, I shall remain here.¡± Ixitt cackled. ¡°I am close to a breakthrough regarding the artificial Ether Spires, if I can just salvage some decent Etherites. Anyway, I shall look in on the shrine here regularly, have no fear. And keep any eye on these two.¡± He looked at Travis and Manx, who were staying behind to guard the shrine, along with several guards from Fujiwara Security. Since Ixitt spoke English like Shaeula, Hyacinth and strangely enough even Grulgor (which was weird in itself) there should be no problems.


    ¡°In that case, we should be going.¡± I gestured to the minibus that had been laid on for us by Hinata. She was very disappointed she wasn¡¯t able to attend, but had made all the other arrangements, including for my family and Marika-san¡¯s. She¡¯s getting more and more capable. She¡¯s quite the catch... ¡°We¡¯ll be meeting up with everyone at Tokyo station, as well as Kikuchi-san and his daughter.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe my friends at school are involved in this.¡± Kana shook her head. ¡°This is your fault, Shaeula!¡±


    ¡°My fault? Why, I was simply giving them a great-great opportunity, out of the goodness of my heart...¡±


    As they argued we all boarded the bus, me giving one last check to make sure we had everything, and then we were off...


    ********


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s here! Bro, over here!¡± my sis was waving at us as our large, conspicuous group entered the station. Of course, the group with my sister was gathering plenty of looks too, as it contained Eri and my mom and auntie Mori, so two gorgeous women and two pretty girls. Father and uncle looked a bit plain by comparison. Marika-san¡¯s grandfather and mother were there too, and on seeing them Marika-san brightened and rushed over to hug her mother.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve missed you!¡± she said, happily.


    ¡°Me too, my little girl.¡± She fixed me with a glare then, still not liking me. ¡°So, have you been looking after my daughter like you promised? There¡¯s been no trouble, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Marika-san protested stoutly. ¡°Akio-sama and the people of Shirohebizumi shrine have been good to me, I assure you!¡±


    Oh Marika-san, you good little girl. Considering the disaster with the yakuza, she was lying. I¡¯d have to reward her later. Still Nagi-san, Keomi-chan and Kana reassured Marika-san¡¯s mother and grandfather, while my sis and Eri barrelled over to me, our parents following. ¡°Damn, bro. You brought her? How the hell did that happen?¡± she scowled at Aliyah.


    ¡°Long story.¡± I laughed. ¡°Well, they work for me now.¡±


    ¡°Well, just don¡¯t try anything funny. I don¡¯t swing that way.¡± Aiko warned. Trey and Aliyah looked relieved as she spoke in English, giving them more people to talk to.


    ¡°Aliyah won¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Trey promised. ¡°We are on our best behaviour.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no shit... err, no problem.¡± She corrected herself, scratching one cheek hesitantly. ¡°You¡¯re a real cute girl, but your brother is a madman. I¡¯m not having him break any of my ribs again.¡±


    The journey on the bullet train to Kyoto had been smooth and pleasant. We had ended up with nearly an entire carriage in the green car, and the time had passed with a mixture of catching up, socialising, people getting to know each other and some planning as well. Chiyo-san was intending on doing the rounds with all three factions, since she was politically neutral but influential, and the plan was to arrange for me to meet those willing to listen.


    Kikuchi-san and his daughter would need to meet their fellows in Amaterasu faction, and while they were lacking influence, being a tiny shrine in a shitty part of greater Tokyo, with him being a Candidate this was his chance to change that.


    Kana and her family were going to sit out their own initial faction gathering, leaving it to Hikawa-san, as they had their kami present, which was a trump card we were keeping to ourselves. The jade beetle would not be accompanying Kikuchi-san, as it was too early to reveal that to Amaterasu faction, who were potentially our biggest stumbling block to cooperation.


    My family had spent the trip with Shaeula and Hyacinth, getting to know my newest woman, and I felt embarrassed as my mother squealed and fussed over her. Damn, I wish she¡¯d act her age...


    That left me with Eri and Kana on either side of me, and the atmosphere was... interesting. I remember Eri asking Kana if she was interested in me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I think Kana likes me, but just as an older brother. She¡¯s too prideful to accept sharing, she¡¯s made that plain. Still, as I looked at Kana, I did admire her beauty, as well as her unflinching selfishness. She was always true to herself, even if that did ruffle some people the wrong way.


    Of course, my wandering attention stimulated Eri,. Who became very affectionate, and she spent a good portion of the trip kissing and cuddling with me, which led to a lot of gentle mockery from my sis and the other girls. Still, as the train pulled into Kyoto station, we could see the whole of historic Kyoto. My sis was thrilled, as expected, and she also embarrassed me with her antics. Like mother, like daughter I guess... Still, the thought was a fond one.


    ¡°All right. Hinata should have sorted out a minibus to take us to the docks where we catch the boat to our ryokan. Now I know Kyoto is beautiful and interesting, but we¡¯ll have time to gawk later. First, let¡¯s get back and get set up at our lodgings. Then we might have some time before I have my first meetings.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± My sis declared, grabbing a case. When I raised my eyebrow, she grinned.


    ¡°My Olympic recurve bow you got me, bro. Damn, hope I don¡¯t need it here in Kyoto, but I¡¯m taking no chances.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I like her more and more...¡± Aliyah smiled, realising she was carrying a weapon.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t like you, so back off.¡± My sis shot back in English.


    ¡°The air here isss thick with ssspiritual power.¡± Shirohebi said suddenly, and the jade beetle kami concurred. It was then Shaeula added her own agreement.


    ¡°Yes, there is power here, definitely.¡± Her eyes glowed. ¡°And a familiar taste-taste to the air. The Night Parade is here. I can feel-feel them. And much more besides.¡± Her hand sought mine and I squeezed it gently. Yes. More besides. I can feel Territories affecting the Material. And not just one or two, but at least a few close to us here.


    ¡°Grul says we will crush them if they cross us.¡± the bald-headed yet oddly handsome brute reassured her, and Hyacinth chimed in as well.


    ¡°It shall not-not come to that, I hope. But if it does... well, those foolish cats perished, did they not-not? Any who cross us shall meet the same end.¡±


    Feeling a sting in my head, I grinned. ¡°Sure. Now, I think that¡¯s our bus. Hmm. There sure are a lot of shrine maidens and priests about.¡± The station was bustling with them, and we were drawing attention as well.


    ¡°Well, with nearly two and a half thousand shrines, and everyone wishing to attend, I expect there will be upwards of twenty thousand faces here for Conclave, many of them priests and maidens. Though only a few will be eligible to attend the major meetings and the Conclave itself.¡± Chiyo-san said, ushering her granddaughters into the bus, where they went with long suffering sighs.


    ¡°Oh, look, look! A cake store!¡± Keomi-chan pointed. ¡°Can we get some for the ride? I love cake!¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Get enough for everyone, and also some for gifts. That reminds me...¡± handing my father and uncle some money, I told them to buy a load of spirits and other alcohol. I might as well be prepared...


    *********


    ¡°Well, this is worth the money.¡± I remarked as we reached our ryokan, after a delightful cruise down the Katsura river to the outskirts of Kyoto, where there were plentiful natural hot springs and other delights. As we were greeted by a pair of impeccably-dressed women wearing yukata, mother and daughter by the looks of it, I returned their greetings politely.


    ¡°Let us show you to your rooms.¡± The mother said, while the daughter marshalled several other staffers to take our bags.


    ¡°This is so cool! Right Kana-chan, Marika-chan?¡± Keomi-chan giggled, her face still somehow smeared with cake.


    ¡°I must admit to being impressed.¡± Marika-san¡¯s mother said. ¡°I had worried my daughter was being treated poorly. I still don¡¯t get just what is so special about all this shrine business, but... it obviously matters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t get it either.¡± My mom said. ¡°But we know Aki is doing his best, so cheer up. Us girls from Nishimorioka have to stick together!¡±


    As my mother worked her charm, we entered. We were shown to a pair of large rooms, one for males and one for females, both richly appointed, with futons already laid out, along with yukata and other clothing to wear around the ryokan, and a late breakfast spread, full of fresh fish, meat and other delicacies.


    ¡°And this is your private room.¡± The hostess said to me, showing me a rather nice room with its own private open-air area with outdoor bathing and terrace. Four futons were already laid out. Nice. It isn¡¯t that I mind sharing with the guys, but...


    ¡°Wow. No fair bro, that room is killer.¡± My sis said, turning to Eri and Shaeula. ¡°I get that you want to get all cosy with my bro, the maid too, no doubt.¡± Hyacinth nodded at that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, but...¡± my sis continued. ¡°This is like a holiday, so you have to spend at least a couple of nights in the communal room. Like a giant school trip sleepover! I won¡¯t take no for an answer, all right?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eri laughed, in good humour. ¡°I won¡¯t abandon you, Aiko.¡±


    ¡°This will be great.¡± Aliyah rubbed her hands, only for my sis to deny her.


    ¡°No way! You can sleep with the guys. Or even in my bro¡¯s room. No way I can trust you with us!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, your bastard brother... err, my employer... would kill me if I tried anything. I don¡¯t have a damn death wish...¡± she looked at her brother, but Trey raised his hands in surrender.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t touching this one with a ten foot pole, you are on your own!¡±


    As she howled in betrayal, I laughed. ¡°All right then. Everyone get your stuff put away, then we might as well eat. We have a busy weekend ahead of us, so we should all relax while we can!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. Come on, my son is paying for all this, so we might as well enjoy it.¡± my mom said, and at that everyone burst into action, stowing bags and getting changed...

 Two Hundred And Sixty – R18/Contains sex *contains map – Kyoto*

    Two Hundred And Sixty ¨C R18/Contains sex *contains map ¨C Kyoto*


    After changing to the provided yukata, we all had a late breakfast. I let the others explore and relax, most of the girls, including my mom, auntie Hana, and Marika-san¡¯s mother going to check out the open air baths for females, while my father, uncle and the two Izumi males went to the men¡¯s baths. Still, I had other things to do first, and Chiyo-san agreed. Her granddaughters had gone to the baths, but she, along with the two kami, Shaeula, Eri and my sis, all gathered in my room, where Chiyo-san unfolded a tourist map of Kyoto, with the prominent shrines and temples displayed.


    ¡°Here is the current political situation in Kyoto.¡± She indicated the marks in four colours. ¡°Blue is factionally neutral shrines. As you can see, in Kyoto neutrality is difficult. So foolish.¡± She shook her head, irritated. ¡°Nearly every shrine in Kyoto is a true one, and all the major ones are, as even shrines and temples destroyed and rebuilt retained their bloodlines and were resettled, or where bloodlines died out to disease, misfortune or war, other shrine families would establish a branch to take over. So I suppose it¡¯s only natural...¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the difference between the triangles and the circles?¡± My sis asked, showing she was paying attention. Seeing my wondering gaze, she stuck her tongue out at me, amused.


    ¡°Well, those are the shrines of the faction leaders.¡± Chiyo-san said. ¡°Though to call Kegon-ji the head of the neutral shrines is wrong. It is just old man Bankei has the largest voice outside of the three factions. So I have labelled it as such.¡± She sighed. ¡°His shrine is relatively new anyway, built in seventeen twenty-three. Through the line itself is true, having moved from a prior temple that was destroyed. But enough of that.¡± She continued. ¡°Ryo?an-ji is where that old swine Kudou Yasuhide heads the Tsukuyomi faction. They are middle-of-the-road fence-sitters, but should be one you try to gain influence with. Then you likely have to pick any one from the other two. Kiyomizu-dera and the Susanoo faction, led by Uchida Ren, would seem the natural choice, as you have support from Hiroto-kun and the other lesser shrines of the faction from Tokyo. Even so...¡± she paused, before pointing to the red circle. ¡°... at Kinkaku-ji, Saionji Gin heads the Amaterasu faction. They are the most bold at wishing for the shrines and temples to regain their former influence. He is somewhat of a snake, smug and cunning, but... if you wanted to increase the power of the shrines, he would be your ally. Though he would no doubt want to take the lion¡¯s share of the benefits, the sly bastard.¡±


    ¡°So, blue for neutral, red for Amaterasu, yellow for Tsukuyomi, and green for Susanoo. I see.¡± My sis declared. ¡°But...¡± I saw where her finger was pointing, and it was something I had pondered as well.


    ¡°Yes, Kinkaku-ji and Ryo?an-ji are practically right next door.¡± Chiyo-san smirked. ¡°The two of them often butt heads.¡±


    ¡°Well, normally that would just be a funny coincidence. But with the Boundary such as it is... that could be problematic.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Any Territories established would likely overlap, causing great-great conflict. I fear kami and more could be caught in the battles.¡±


    ¡°There are sssome who dwell here, I have little doubt.¡± Shirohebi said, the jade beetle echoing him. ¡°Asss well asss darker beingsss.¡±


    ¡°The Night Parade.¡± Shaeula clutched my hand tightly, and I squeezed her back reassuringly.


    ¡°Yes. And we¡¯ll come into contact with them, I have no doubt. In a way, it¡¯s lucky we are lodging on the outskirts of Kyoto. We can start building a power base here in the Boundary if we need to. Though if we decide for Haru-san to drop her Territory here, that would cause problems in the longer-term, as she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave Kyoto easily then. Hmm... no, what we need is to win over a Candidate from Kyoto, or one that comes to Conclave and has a deployable Territory.¡±


    ¡°See, this is why Eri or I should be able to do that.¡± My sis said. ¡°Why can¡¯t you help us with that, bro?¡±


    ¡°Silly Aiko.¡± Eri chided her. ¡°Then you or I would be stuck in Kyoto too. What about school? I don¡¯t care, but you have your Uni exams after Christmas, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± My sis was abashed. ¡°Still... it isn¡¯t fair. I want to be able to help more, like Shaeula and Hyacinth does. Hell, even this Shiro girl can, right?¡±


    Not wanting to talk about Shiro now, who was recovering back in Tokyo with the best medical care the military and money could provide, I changed the subject a little. ¡°Well, no use wishing for what we can¡¯t do, but I have some ideas. Give me time, okay, Eri, sis?¡±


    At their nods, I pondered the map. ¡°I think we need to find out where all the Territories are. As well as which ones affect the Material. Since the shrines and temples are largely owned by the families in charge, I expect that we can tell a lot by ether density, though Kyoto seems to have a noticeably higher one than Tokyo in general.¡±


    ¡°Kyoto isss a sssacred place for kami. Many are enssshrined here.¡± Shirohebi clarified. ¡°Ssspiritual power remainsss freely flowing from the land here.¡±


    ¡°Lucky. Though I guess it has downsides too.¡± I muttered. ¡°Well, there are also smaller shrines dotted about that might be relevant too. We¡¯ll have to make annotations to the map as appropriate. So, we know what we need to do.¡± At everyone¡¯s nods, I turned back to Chiyo-san. ¡°So, you are going to go around the neutral shrines, and meet this Bankei-san, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I shall take my lazy granddaughters, when they have finished playing in the hot springs...¡± She snorted at that. ¡°... and make the rounds, seeing some old faces and new. I will show off the spiritual awakening you bestowed on my granddaughters, and see if I can¡¯t persuade some to try it themselves. You can do it, if needed, right?¡±


    ¡°I can. My skills have gone up, and I¡¯ve been practising a lot on soldiers. I can do thirty without too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°I doubt we will have that many takers.¡± She laughed. ¡°But if we do, I¡¯ll prioritise. You¡¯ll want to save some strength for the three factions, right?¡±


    ¡°I can assist too-too.¡± Shaeula promised. ¡°Besides, we will be entering the Boundary here, and I rather-rather expect trouble. We can replenish our aether by defeating the foes that will likely confront us here, can we not-not?¡±


    At that I agreed. ¡°Yeah, and we might well find a decent number of Etherites too, if the Candidates here don¡¯t know the value of them.¡± That would please Ixitt, and I really want a blue one for Haru-san, so that when she does decide to place her Territory, she can use it to reach Rank 2 with defences near instantly. I don¡¯t regret saving Shiro, not one bit, but even so, losing the blue Etherite was a blow...


    ¡°So anyway, I have a question.¡± Eri asked. ¡°Are all the shrines in factions based on their enshrined kami or god?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Chiyo-san shook her head. ¡°Though some kami naturally lend themselves to one faction or another, the family that runs the shrine will dictate which faction a shrine belongs to, and this may shift over the generations. So... nothing is set in stone. It largely depends on whether they believe that the faith should step out of the shadows and take power.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eri nodded. ¡°So if we start our own faction, then that wouldn¡¯t be anything strange...¡±


    ¡°Ambitious.¡± Shaeula laughed, giving Eri a hug, leading to giggles all around. ¡°You are starting to think like a female of Akio¡¯s, I do-do approve!¡±


    Aliyah, who was observing quietly from the corner, choked on her soup, Trey slapping her on the back until she stopped coughing. Seeing that, I rolled my eyes at her, and she had the grace to look down, embarrassed. Damn, and people say I¡¯m a pervert. She¡¯s got cute girls on the brain more than I do. Oh well, she¡¯s a fighter. That could be useful here. Though I hope it won¡¯t be needed, we have to plan for the worst...


    ¡°I think setting up a new faction would be nigh-impossible, even with the support of the Hikawa brat and the neutral shrines.¡± Chiyo-san mused. ¡°But... then, you do have support from Takakura-sama too, I believe. Nobility is disliked, as while they are also hidden in modern times, for many centuries they enjoyed greater power than the shrines. Even so, his words carry weight. Oh well, it is time for me to move these old bones.¡± Standing, she nodded to us, before opening the door to the female baths, calling her granddaughters, telling them to hurry up and finish.


    ¡°All right then. Well, we have some time, want to check out the baths?¡± My sis said. ¡°You¡¯ve got a private one, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea, Aiko. You should use the communal bath.¡± Eri said, flushed, and my sis paused.


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. That huh? Makes sense. Damn, all three?¡± she looked at me, and I nodded, a touch shamefaced.


    ¡°Wow, damn. You keep blowing my mind, bro. Just... keep it down, all right? I don¡¯t want dad, uncle and auntie getting mad. Besides, Marika-chan is too young to hear that sort of thing, right?¡±


    ¡°We shall be good.¡± Shaeula promised, standing, pulling me to my feet by the hand she still held. With the other she gestured to Hyacinth. ¡°Come. It is time-time to attend to Akio.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth is always ready fooor that!¡± she giggled, and my sis sighed.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m going into the communal bath then. Try not to take too long, I want to do some sightseeing before the boring stuff starts, all right?¡± with that, she headed into the baths. With Hyacinth and Eri on one side of me, Shaeula on the other, we headed into my private room, past the bedding, and out onto the wooden terrace, where a rather nice hot-spring was bubbling away, casting steam into the warming morning air.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°So, shall we go in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Shaeula said, tying up her hair with an ornate hair stick, to keep it out of the water. ¡°I did-did rather enjoy when I made love in the bathtub. This should be quite-quite the treat too.¡± She lifted the hem of her yukata, before wading into the hot water.


    ¡°You should rinse off first.¡± Eri called to her, looking at the wooden buckets, but she just returned a grin.


    ¡°Why? We are alone here, and just-just going to get dirty again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad manners to dirty the spring, but... oh forget it.¡± Eri too pulled up her yukata, revealing her legs, and stepped in. ¡°This is the perfect temperature!¡± she sighed happily.


    I exchanged a look with Hyacinth. ¡°Well, we might as well get in then, right?¡±


    ¡°I wooould love to!¡± she giggled. ¡°Akio.¡± Now that we were alone, well, with just me and what she termed the mistresses, she was back to intimacy with me. Following the lead of the others, she entered the spring, her yukata growing damp and clinging to her curves, turning transparent. Gulping my saliva, I quickly shrugged my own yukata off, and at that I noticed three pairs of eyes, amber, black and violet, all looking at me greedily. Three at once, huh? Is this heaven or hell?


    The water was indeed perfect, and I splashed over to the girls. As I did so, Eri loosened the chest part of her wet yukata, and I could see her ample breasts, her nipples hard. She was flushed from both heat and arousal, and on seeing my eager gaze, and my eager dick, as it grew hard on seeing her, she giggled a little. ¡°Like what you see?¡±


    ¡°Always. I can¡¯t believe I was such an idiot to almost let you get away.¡± I laughed. ¡°I know anime and manga has a huge thing about childhood friends losing, but I¡¯m glad you won!¡±


    ¡°She did not-not win alone.¡± Shaeula pouted. She had pulled herself out of the water onto the rocks artfully arranged around the spring and spread her legs, short yukata skirt parting to reveal her damp slit, the thin thicket of amber hair around it. Reaching down with one hand she opened it lewdly, and fluid gushed out. ¡°I won you too-too!¡±


    As my gaze strayed from her, Eri went further, her yukata sliding to her waist, and then falling off into the water, which amused me as she had complained about poor bathing manners only a moment before. Her own pussy was then spread open, though doing so clearly embarrassed her. Before I could speak though, I felt a weight against me, as Hyacinth jumped on my back, having already thrown off her own yukata.


    ¡°Hyacinth will wash yooour back. Stay still...¡± I felt her rubbing her ample breasts against my back, and could smell the scent of her hair as it tickled me.


    ¡°No fair.¡± Eri pouted, splashing through the water and grabbing my front. Her breasts pushed against me, and she started rubbing me up and down.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have any soap on you, unlike...¡± I started to protest, only to have my mouth filled by Shaeula, as she leapt, using her great stats to effortlessly vault over everyone and land on my face, her pussy slamming into me, her arms snaking around me. If not for my own incredible strength I would have fallen, but instead I supported her. My tongue opened up her folds and pushed inside, and as I was familiar with Shaeula¡¯s sensitive spots, she was soon gushing sour love nectars and gasping lewdly, her legs tight around my neck.


    ¡°Ah, this... this is bliss.¡± She moaned. ¡°Eri, did I not-not tell you that to share him would be simply more happiness?¡±


    ¡°I still think there¡¯s plenty we should do alone. And I still have dreams where Akio never moved away from Nishimorioka, none of this happened, and we got married, had children, and lived a peaceful, modest life...¡± I couldn¡¯t see her expression, my face still full of Shaeula as I licked at her, sucking on her clit, making her shudder with ecstasy. Still, I imagined it was troubled. ¡°... but happy though that would be, it never happened. And this did. And... I¡¯m not unhappy. I like you, Shaeula. I think I like Hyacinth too. Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi... they are good girls, sheltered but kind. As for Shiro... I don¡¯t know her, but I think...¡± I felt a hand around my iron-hard dick, touching it gently, a finger rubbing on my glans, my precum staining someone¡¯s fingers. ¡°... if Akio never came into this power, he might have ended up with Shiro. So I¡¯ll learn to like her.¡±


    I wanted to answer, but my mouth was full.


    ¡°... I fucking hate you.¡± were the first words Aliyah said to me as we exited my room a couple of hours later, freshly bathed and dressed in clean yukata. My sis was watching TV along with several other girls, the friends of Kana, mostly, while the others were absent.


    ¡°Uh... could you hear?¡± I asked, and she nodded, frowning sourly.


    ¡°Out here, enough, yes. The sliding door is surprisingly good at blocking sound, must be because it¡¯s a damn high-end establishment, so those in the communal baths probably didn¡¯t, but I damn well did.¡± She shrugged bitterly, chest heaving. ¡°It was in Japanese, but I got the gist of it. All three, right? Fuck me.¡±


    ¡°Language, sis!¡± Trey declared.


    ¡°Shit, yeah... whoops.¡± She sighed. ¡°Anyway, you have a guest, and she... well, see for yourself.¡±


    My sis gave us a thumbs-up behind her back, causing Eri to blush and Shaeula to snicker, and then my eyes fell on a woman in the corner of the room, in a nice suit, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.


    ¡°Oh. Haru-san. You made it.¡± I said, shamefaced. Shit, Haru-san is probably traumatised thinking about sex after what happened. That¡¯s not good... Before I could apologise though, Shaeula spoke up.


    ¡°Haru, good to see you. Do not-not mind us and our fun. I understand that you suffered, but do not-not let it blind you to the truth, that love between those who care for each other is quite-quite sublime!¡±


    Wow, that¡¯s bold.


    ¡°I... I¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡± She looked down, embarrassed, so I decided to change the subject.


    ¡°So, everything go okay?¡± I asked her, and Haru-san, relieved to be back talking about business, nodded.


    ¡°Sorry, some last minute issues came up regarding the new Ministry. You¡¯ve set up the devices for the test site, right?¡± At my nod she continued. ¡°Well we had to get scientists interviewed, and some of them were insisting on Chirurgery or other similar things as payment instead of money, and we had to start planning the rigorous and robust testing regimen, and then...¡± as she rattled off a list of problems, I felt a bit sorry for her, still, she was smiling, perhaps glad to be back doing what she had before her... untimely death... even if it was with a twist.


    ¡°Well, sounds like it¡¯s been hard. Well, this trip is equally as important, but there should be time for some relaxation too. Speaking of, where is everyone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kana and her family had to go meet Hikawa-san.¡± Mio-san said, looking over at me from where she was sitting, watching TV and eating snacks. ¡°The snake and the beetle are in the bath.¡± she said, using strange nicknames for them. ¡°They waited until it was empty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the old woman and the others headed off too. You were in the bath ages, Akio-kun.¡± Asami-san chimed in. Her gaze took in the three satisfied-looking girls with me. ¡°Poor Kana-chan.¡± She giggled, and strangely enough that earned a look from Takagi-san, who was reading in one corner, though I noticed she was still picking at treats. On seeing my look, she smiled a little.


    ¡°Kikuchi-san and her father headed off too. Going to Kinkaku-ji I believe. She said her brother was coming along from Uni too.¡±


    ¡°And our parents went out to go to a nearby pub.¡± Aiko said, yawning. Looking at Eri she spoke. ¡°You know... seeing as Kana-chan has all her friends here, don¡¯t you think we¡¯re a bit mean? Rika-chan and Yae-chan... they missed out, despite knowing big bro and Shaeula first.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There are quite enough girls around.¡± Eri pouted. ¡°We don¡¯t need to involve that idiot duo. Do we?¡±


    Shaeula laughed nastily. ¡°I have already been chastised for involving Mio, Asami and Hisano, Akio was quite-quite annoyed. But... you do not-not regret it, do you?¡± she asked them.


    ¡°No way! I¡¯d feel bad for Kana-chan to be doing this all alone!¡± Mio-san said, and Asami-san echoed her.


    ¡°Yeah, besides, someone needs to look out for Kana-chan¡¯s interests. She¡¯s so stubborn!¡± she giggled.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m not sure.¡± Takagi-san said, pushing at her glasses idly. ¡°I¡¯ve gained a lot from this, I know, but... well, I still don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on. But... I should after this weekend, right?¡± she said hesitantly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. ¡°This weekend should put everything into perspective.¡± I went over to her, kneeling down beside her. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t have you girls doing anything dangerous. Leave that to me and Shaeula.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Hyacinth toooooo!¡± she declared, and suddenly a rumbling voice echoed her, Grulgor coming out of the bath in a yukata, muscles rippling, quite the disturbing sight, how annoyingly handsome he was in a rugged sort of way.


    ¡°Grul is looking forward to crushing, smashing and breaking some puny foes! It has been too long since we crushed stupid weak fungi!¡± his laughter was cruel.


    ¡°Uh, he¡¯s a bit scary!¡± Mio-san declared, and Asami-san agreed.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not going to hurt any of you.¡± I assured them. ¡°And in a fight he¡¯s a reassuring ally to have.¡±


    ¡°Back on topic...¡± My sis said. ¡°You really don¡¯t want Rika-chan and Yae-chan? Yae-chan seems to like you a lot, even now. She still talks about that date sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no real benefit. But... well, sis, you know I¡¯ll help you out if you really want something.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m desperate for them to join in. Forget it, maybe later.¡± She grinned. ¡°When you work out a way for us to set up a Territory in Nishimorioka, maybe then, okay! That reminds me, Marika-chan and her family went with Kana¡¯s family. Same faction, right?¡±


    I nodded at that, and realised that was everyone accounted for then. ¡°In that case... we have a little time to kill. Want to go sightseeing? Though we should probably stay away from any shrines right now.¡± I can use the time to start making note of Territories as well, do double duty...


    ¡°Hey, how about this, bro?¡± Aiko flourished a leaflet at me. ¡°There¡¯s a boat cruise that goes along the Katsura river the other way. It takes us north past several shrines on this map, and supposedly the scenery is amazing. And they provide food and drink!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get fat if you keep stuffing yourself, Aiko!¡± Eri warned, only for my sis to snort, amused, and shut her down.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t exercise as vigorously as you do, Eri. It sure sounded like you were working up a sweat.¡±


    As Eri flushed, and more laughter filled the room, I agreed to that suggestion, and we all returned to our rooms to get ready...


    ********


    ¡°So, there was definitely a Territory by Tenryu-ji, and there might have been another one south of the river, though I can¡¯t be sure.¡± I said, making pencil-marks on the map.


    ¡°Wow, bro. I know you want to get stuck in, but seriously, that cruise was simply gorgeous.¡± My sis said. We had all changed to street clothes, and had drawn little attention, though we had spotted a number of shrine maidens and priests on the shores going to and fro. ¡°You should appreciate it more!¡±


    ¡°I did, I did!¡± I promised, and indeed, it was nice, the trees lining the shore were in their autumn foliage, reds and oranges extremely attractive, and a fitting match for Kyoto, with all its shrines. ¡°Did everyone else?¡±


    Eri nodded happily, and Shaeula agreed that the sight was quite an entertaining one, hoping that the Spring of Clear Reflections would be reforested in such a fashion soon. Kana¡¯s school friends were equally impressed, revelling in the fact they got to skip school to have fun.


    ¡°Easy job.¡± Aliyah said, and Trey agreed with a slight smile. ¡°If only all escort missions were this smooth. But you don¡¯t need us there, do you? You can handle anything yourself.¡± She snorted.


    ¡°True, but they need to get used to you.¡± I gestured to the girls. ¡°If a situation happens, you get them to safety, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You¡¯re the boss.¡± Trey agreed once more.


    We were back at our lodgings, and it would soon be time for people to start returning. Indeed, the first group back came a few minutes later, our parents, looking rather tipsy. My mother was half-asleep, with a contented smile on her face, and a drunk auntie Hana stomped over when she saw us, Shaeula, Eri and Hyacinth by my side, Eri lying on my lap, using me as a pillow.


    ¡°Did the four of you have fun?¡± She said, expression tense. ¡°You were so loud... ugh, my poor little Eri...¡±


    ¡°Poor? Hardly.¡± Eri disagreed. ¡°I had my fair share. Nobody lost out. Though Akio was the winner.¡± She grinned brightly, which embarrassed her mother. ¡°Anyway, you all look worse for wear. Why not let Akio fix you up?¡±


    ¡°I shall do it. You can stay-stay there, you look rather content.¡± Shaeula grinned, standing. She went to mom first, and placed a hand on her stomach. Aether flowed, and she blinked, coming back to full awareness.


    ¡°Wow.¡± she echoed her daughter. ¡°I feel great all of a sudden. That¡¯s a great talent, daughter-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, is it not-not, mother-in-law.¡± Shaeula asserted her status in front of auntie Hana. ¡°Now allow me to cleanse the rest of you.¡± Even auntie did not refuse, and soon everyone was sober again, though I did wonder what was the point of drinking if one didn¡¯t stay drunk.


    ¡°Well, now we wait for everyone else to return... wait, my phone is ringing.¡± Since Eri was on my lap, Hyacinth slid a hand into my pocket to retrieve it, though it took a while as she made sure to grope me thoroughly while doing it, before handing it to me with a grin. On seeing the caller, I was a little surprised. Takakura-san, huh?


    ¡°Good afternoon.¡± I said. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?¡±


    ¡°I will cut to the chase.¡± He eschewed the pleasantries. ¡°I know you are already in Kyoto. I arrived earlier, and have already had fruitful discussions with one faction. And they wish to meet you. Come to Ryo?an-ji as soon as you can. Kudou-san, head of the faction, he wishes to see you with his own eyes. After all, he does love his granddaughter so.¡±


    Kudou Yasuhide? Yeah, I did perform Chirurgery on Kudou Shiori when I did the three granddaughters of Takakura-san... Well, I don¡¯t think I can turn down this opportunity. I agreed to attend forthwith, and hung up. ¡°All right then. Shaeula, Hyacinth, you two are with me. Grulgor, Aliyah, Trey, you three are in charge of security. When everyone else returns, let them know where we went.¡±


    ¡°Aww, I can¡¯t come?¡± My sis complained, but I shook my head. ¡°Not this time. Don¡¯t worry, your time to shine will come. You and Eri can hang out, talk to the other girls.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°That reminds me... we should check to see if there¡¯s any more info on that guerrilla concert...¡±


    ¡°All right then. This is a big deal, so we need to do the best we can.¡± Shaeula and Hyacinth nodded. And with that we set out for the docks, for a boat to take us back to Kyoto proper...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-One

    Two Hundred And Sixty-One


    Ryo?an-ji temple was quite the sight. The zen garden with its moss and artfully placed rocks was rather beautiful, in a desolate sort of way. As was usual, there were plenty of tourists about, a noticeable number of them foreign, but what wasn¡¯t usual was the number of shrine maidens and priests. Shaeula, Hyacinth and I were drawing attention from them, the more perceptive of the faith noticing the large amount of aether, or spiritual power, that we were imbued with.


    One of the priests came over, he looked a bit older than me, with a clean-shaven head and his robes being more Buddhist in design, in a burnt orange colour. He greeted me by doing the traditional Buddhist greeting, the Anjali Mudra, his palms pushed together by his chest. ¡°Greetings. What brings you to Ryo?an-ji? You are not a normal group of tourists.¡± He observed politely.


    ¡°No, nor-nor are you.¡± Shaeula observed, eyes blazing amber, though the bright autumn sunlight meant it was hard to see unless one was actually looking for it. ¡°You are a Candidate, are you not-not?¡±


    At hearing such smooth Japanese from such a foreign-looking young girl, he paused momentarily, before shaking off his concerns. ¡°Candidate? Oh, I do believe you mean one chosen by the divine? Yes, that is correct, I am fortunate to have received some brief enlightenment, to serve the Buddha.¡± He bowed politely. ¡°You as well, I trust? Are you an adherent of this faith?¡±


    ¡°No, not-not me. It is my fiance?e here.¡± She pointed to me. ¡°I am simply here as his escort, Hyacinth too.¡± At that the maid giggled, nodding.


    ¡°But your spiritual presence is quite notable.¡± He mused. ¡°Are... are you one of the kami, walking the land again at long last?¡±


    ¡°No, though you could say we are quite-quite similar.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Yes, and they are with me. I¡¯ve been invited by Takakura-san to meet Kudou Yasuhide-san. I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me where they might be, all Takakura-san said was to come to Ryo?an-ji, but what with Conclave coming up, everywhere is packed with people from the shrines and temples.¡± We were speaking quietly, but even so, we were attracting some attention.


    ¡°I see. You know of Conclave. That is good, I had worried you were an enemy.¡± The monk sighed in relief, before looking a little ashamed at his show of weakness. ¡°Kudou-sama is in the tea house. Allow this humble monk to escort you, as befits guests of such power.¡±


    Shaeula was pleased at that, as she loved receiving that sort of noble respect. I agreed, and the monk led us to the ornate tea house at the side of the zen garden. Upon knocking on the door, a voice called out.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Kudou-sama, it is I, Zuiki. I bring guests who say they have been summoned by you and Takakura-sama.¡±


    The door then slid open, and it revealed a girl I had seen before, Kudou Shiori. On seeing me she nodded a greeting, her eyes taking in Hyacinth and Shaeula, surprised. Behind her, I could see the tasteful inside of the room, decorated austerely but with great attention to detail. Takakura-san was seated there in a purplish-red suit paired with a white shirt, while opposite him, a steaming clay bowl of tea in his hand, was an older man with a spectacular long beard, and piercing eyes which held a keen wisdom. And next to him stood... a woman, judging by the body shape... but she was wearing a long white veil that completely covered her features, as well as shrine maiden hakama. A long cascade of black hair trailed her, spilling out over the floor, the longest hair I had ever seen.


    ¡°My thanks, Zuiki. I am expecting them.¡± The bearded man, who must have been Kudou-san, from Chiyo-san¡¯s description, said. ¡°You can go now. I¡¯ll call for you later.¡±


    With that the Buddhist priest bowed, before saying a brief word of farewell and leaving us. Shiori stepped aside, and we swept into the tea house, the door shutting behind us. With that done, Shiori went back to the table, sitting beside her grandfather.


    ¡°Three of you, huh?¡± Kudou-san observed. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have enough seats.¡± There were only two open spaces, but that was solved instantly.


    ¡°I will stand, as is proooper for a servant.¡± Hyacinth declared proudly, puffing out her ample chest, as if to match the veiled woman, who also had an impressive body-line, though it was partially obscured by her clothing. Seeing my gaze, Shaeula grinned, and whispered to me to keep my mind on negotiations. Good advice.


    I allowed Shaeula to take the first seat, pulling it out for her, while I took the second, only after ascertaining the standing woman was not planning to sit.


    ¡°Shiori, dear. Some tea for our guests.¡± Kudou-san said, as I exchanged greetings with Takakura-san.


    ¡°How are those three? No problems after the Chirurgery?¡±


    ¡°No, though they did complain of discomfort as you anticipated.¡± He answered. ¡°Still, I expect that they can endure it. I am most grateful for your assistance in that matter. The Takakura bloodline, even in its current diluted state in the branch families, is one as old as any of the shrines. Perhaps in time the old gifts will reawaken.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a fascinating topic?¡± Kudou-san observed, stroking his beard. ¡°I would like to discuss what you did to Shiori, but before that...¡± his gaze was probing, seeking information. ¡°Introductions are in order I believe. You, I think I know.¡± he said to me. ¡°The outsider that Uchida-san got permission to bring to Conclave. Your spiritual presence is quite overwhelming. As for these two...¡± his gaze sharpened. ¡°I know of the Uchida pup¡¯s golden warriors of Kannon, and supposedly some kami have been able to walk Kyoto once more in Saionji-san¡¯s camp, but... to see it first-hand is quite the shock for this old man. The days of faith are returning. It¡¯s almost enough for me to decide Saionji-san and those from Amaterasu are right. How troubling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I got permission to attend Conclave through Shirohebizumi shrine and also Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Do excuse my middle name, I¡¯m a half, and it was my mother¡¯s idea.¡± I said, a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Moonstone, huh? Auspicious.¡± He grinned, but the veiled woman twitched, seemingly surprised. Still when I looked at her questioningly, fancying I could perhaps catch a little glimpse of her eyes through her silken veil, she remained mute.


    ¡°Yes, and these are my companions. Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, and Hyacinth.¡± As I introduced then, Shaeula bowed charmingly, and Hyacinth curtsied.


    ¡°I see. Not names of kami or gods. But you are certainly not human, are you?¡± Kudou-san enquired. Shaeula opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a strange voice, ageless yet melodious, soothing but hard to place.


    ¡°The Princess of Beasts...¡±


    ¡°Beasts? How rude.¡± Shaeula sniffed, offended. ¡°I am no beast-beast, but a princess I am.¡± She declared, crossing her arms in displeasure. ¡°And who are you, to speak to me so rudely?¡±


    ¡°Lady Diviner?¡± Kudou-san said, a little wary. ¡°... the prophecy? Is she...¡± he seemed uncertain. Takakura-san and Shiori-san were likewise puzzled.


    ¡°I see a great black giant looming over you.¡± She declared. ¡°One eye blazes red like the sun, and everything it sees turns to molten ash. It opens its mouth, fangs glittering, and...¡± she paused, taking a deep breath. ¡°... should the flame or fangs touch you, you shall perish, and hope is lost.¡±


    A black giant? Duke Formor? Well, he was grey skinned, but...


    Shaeula must have been thinking along similar lines. ¡°Duke Formor? Surely not-not, there is no benefit in him or his attacking me now. A giant... with a red eye... perhaps... one of the fomorians?¡±


    Fomorians? Not Formor? ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked, and everyone leaned in, interested, except Hyacinth, who shuddered, perhaps remembering something.


    ¡°The fomorians are the giants who are the children of Balor, greatest and most-most foul of the giants, who transcended and became divine.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°Many of them, Duke Formor included, who did-did remain loyal when the fomorians joined the Unseelie, manifest eyes of flame that can destroy what they see-see. Duke Formor uses his to defend our borders, but the fomorians...¡± shaking her head she met my eyes. ¡°Balor is known for having the first-first and greatest evil eye, and nothing, not-not even other gods could stand against it.¡±


    ¡°Just who are you?¡± Kudou-san asked, somewhat awed. ¡°To speak of a god, even a foreign one, so casually... and your spiritual power is intense. Are you truly the Princess of Beasts?¡±


    ¡°I do not-not like that name!¡± Shaeula growled again, offended. ¡°I may be a Beastkin, but I am no beast. Princess I am though, true daughter of Shaetanao, of the Seelie Court.¡± She sniffed, raising her head regally, seeming to glare down on them despite her shorter frame. ¡°As for speaking casually of Balor, do not-not mistake me. He was gone long-long before I was ever born, fifteen hundred years ago. Though his children live on. It was the fomorians who were instrumental in breaking the impenetrable defences of proud-proud Salamandrastrae after all. Perhaps...¡±


    ¡°... perhaps our actions at the Spring have riled the Unseelie up?¡± I finished, and she nodded.


    ¡°If... if they cooome, Hyacinth will not cower, not this time. Giants always hurt me, but I am nooot afraid, so long as we fight together!¡±


    ¡°To think that I would see one from the vision, face to face like this, other than her.¡± The strange woman marvelled. ¡°Oh, do forgive me, I am seldom so rude.¡± She paused to introduce herself. ¡°I am the Diviner, chosen of Tsukuyomi, the moon. Moonstone. It is indeed an auspicious name.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is-is.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°The Seelie love the eternal moon, so I found it quite-quite amusing when I heard it. Though to think I would love he who carries the name-name of the moon too...¡±


    ¡°A trade then. Information for information. You seemed quite-quite noticeably interested when I mentioned the white princess. I am the Princess of Beasts...¡± she sniffed, annoyed. ¡°... so perhaps there are others? And you suspect that Shiro is one-one of these?¡±


    The Diviner nodded. ¡°I believe so, and... I simply have to know, as her destined path shifted wildly, the Princess of Hungry Ghosts...¡±


    Fuck. It definitely is Shiro then. She used that sort of terminology in bitter jest, and it fits Tan?ha? to a tee. ¡°Hang on a minute. Beasts, Hungry Ghosts... I¡¯m no Buddhist, but I¡¯ve seen Naruto, I watched it with my sis back in the day...¡± smiling slightly at when she had asked me to do eye-transplant surgery, like the anime with all the brightly-coloured ninjas, I posited my idea. ¡°So, are there six of these Princesses?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Diviner said at last. ¡°And the Hungry Ghost was supposed to devour all in her path, until she turned on those she loved for her thirst to be sated, even as she wept bitter tears of sorrow, regret and loss. Yet even so, she could not perish, else the world fall to ruin. Six Princesses, six great disasters, one Princess must survive to avert each fate. And only he who caries light, darkness and twilight, blessed by a god not of this land, yet favoured by the kami of Japan, can protect them. I had thought it you, but...¡±


    ¡°... but prophecy, this demon of Laplace is trash.¡± Shaeula spat. ¡°Do not-not trust in a demon, trust in yourself, Diviner.¡± She snorted angrily. ¡°We make our own destiny. If the white princess was to devour those she loved, then Akio would surely-surely never stand for it. Such a fate is merely to be shattered, is it not-not?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I can say what you fear won¡¯t happen. Shiro... I¡¯ll protect her, body and heart.¡±


    ¡°You make your own destiny?¡± The Diviner asked. ¡°But what of this Tyr?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t slave away for Tyr, I work to make the world a better, safer place for those I love. I love Shaeula, and I love Shiro. Whether they are these Princesses you speak of or not, they¡¯ll survive as long as I draw breath. I¡¯ve seen Shaeula and Shiro hurt enough. I fucking hate it.¡± I swore, getting an indrawn breath of shock from Shiori, as I cursed in front of such important people. ¡°Though I can¡¯t wrap them in cotton wool, keep them trapped. They have their own dreams and goals, and I¡¯ll support them with those. But I¡¯ll do everything I can to shield them from harm, and I¡¯ll never let them die!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The Diviner seemed at a loss before my vehemence, and she remained silent, leaving Kudou-san to pick up the slack in the conversation.


    ¡°Look, Oshiro-san. Let me be frank.¡± He said. ¡°Takakura-san speaks highly of you, and you have the support of the nobility. And that old bag Chiyo has mentioned you. It seems that you have some support with Susanoo faction too. Though to be frank... their position is weak.¡± He sighed. ¡°Amaterasu is clearly ascendant, and why wouldn¡¯t they be? Their whole ethos is to regain what faith lost, for the shrines and temples to be a true power again. And look around.¡± He gestured to Shaeula and Hyacinth. ¡°The world is changing so rapidly. It only makes sense for the faith to regain the ground we lost fifteen hundred years ago.¡±


    I listened patiently, waiting for him to get to the point. He did not disappoint. ¡°So, just what are you seeking, what do you believe? How should the faith face this new world?¡±


    A good question. ¡°What do I believe and want? That¡¯s easy. I want the world to remain safe and happy, while taking advantage of new opportunities and welcoming those who are worthy to it.¡± I smiled at Shaeula and Hyacinth. ¡°As for right now... it¡¯s a little too soon. We are trying to get ahead of the game, working with the nobility and government to try and get laws, police and more in place to adapt to the new world. We should keep these matters secret as long as possible, though it¡¯s been three months or so already, I don¡¯t know how much longer we can keep a lid on things.¡±


    Takakura-san agreed. ¡°The government and the nobility is in agreement, but it is only a matter of time. Internationally, most governments have made the same decision, but even so, it will take a single event that cannot be covered up to bring this into the public eye. Already the internet is rife with rumours, and journalists are sniffing around. We and other governments have taken measures, but the cracks are spreading...¡±


    ¡°I see. And when this is revealed to the world, what then?¡± Kudou-san pressed.


    ¡°Simple. I¡¯ll fight to protect the world, be it from disasters, invaders, or Candidates who will use their powers for evil... as for the shrines and temples, yes, they should have influence, after all, I¡¯ve met multiple kami and other beings similar to them. And I¡¯ve been blessed by a god. They¡¯ll be important for protecting Japan and the greater world. But dominance? That¡¯s a bad plan, I don¡¯t want the faith to dominate, any more than I want the nobility to.¡± I fixed Takakura-san with a stern gaze. ¡°Nobility has a lot worth saving, and a lot that needs changing. The shrines too, no doubt. And the government. Now is the time to make sure the good is kept protected, and the bad ejected.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kudou-san said, turning back to the Diviner. ¡°Well, he says that, what do you think, Lady Diviner?¡±


    ¡°I think... if one does not exist, one must create it.¡± She muttered. ¡°Your words, they are true. I too wish to make my own path, sever the strangling strings of destiny.¡± I could feel her gaze on me, even if I could not see it. ¡°I do not know if you are the one. You are strong, but not strong enough to turn aside the calamities to come. But the Princess of Beasts yet lives, and if you truly broke the fate of the Hungry Ghost and steered her to another path, then... you will suffice, until another comes, perhaps the true one I foresaw.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care whether I¡¯m your guy or not, but Shaeula and Shiro, I¡¯ll protect them, not some other person.¡± I declared, and Shaeula blushed at that, looking at me with melting eyes. On seeing that, Shiori smiled, enjoying the atmosphere.


    ¡°Indeed, I shall not-not leave you, Akio, even should this one with darkness, light and twilight appear. For I have pledged to you, and none-none other!¡±


    ¡°I see. I admire your resolve. I should be resolved as well. I know the identity of one of the Princesses. The Princess of Heaven. She is the Imperial Princess Mikasa, my dear friend Yukiko. And soon... soon...¡± her voice became unsteady. ¡°... the destiny heading her way is the Great Red Dragon of the Numberless East, and the falling scales, as plentiful as rain, becoming great ants that will devour her and much of Japan. Her fate is to die, and I would turn it aside, prevent it becoming definite. Yet to do that, Tsukuyomi tells me I need this man. And if he is not you...¡±


    ¡°...if he¡¯s not me, I¡¯ll just do it in his damn place.¡± I snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t wait around for someone to bail you out, else you¡¯ll wait forever. So, I remember seeing her picture in the paper and on TV. Princess Mikasa, huh?¡±


    ¡°She is also chosen as we are. Amaterasu.¡± The Diviner said. ¡°So now I have shared, please tell me. Is this Shiro, white princess, truly the Hungry Ghost?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I sighed. ¡°She¡¯s a chosen of Tan?ha?, and was... very hungry for hope. But instead of succumbing to what Tan?ha? wanted, she chose to sacrifice herself for me. And it was just after she agreed to marry me. I¡¯m still pissed off it ended that way. Fucking Raven Knight...¡± I cursed again, and Shaeula grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.


    ¡°Congratulations, I guess?¡± Kudou-san said. ¡°Anyway, Lady Diviner, about the ants and the dragon, shouldn¡¯t you...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she cut him off. ¡°I need to think. I am still not sure, though I agree to not act is foolish. The other three Princesses... Human, surrounded by false friends and poisonous allies wearing masks, daggers dripping venom. I fear she shall be betrayed and perish, allowing a creature from the deepest depths of the dark seas to rise and cover the land in destruction. Hell, a creature not human, who has slumbered long in her tomb, only to be woken by the sprinkling feathers of white and gold. Now she runs, growing angrier and more furious, and in her rage blood will spill. Yet if she should fall... only ruin awaits us. Lastly, Asura, caged bird from a land of endless war. Her coming will bring a doom down upon us, yet if she does not survive, the doom will consume us all, and should she not be found, pillars of gold, iron, stone, fog, flame, ice, steel, lead and more will shatter the skies, and all is lost.¡± She finished her speech, breathing heavily, chest heaving.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± I said, running through the information. ¡°So, I take it you don¡¯t know who or where these three are?¡±


    She shook her head, long hair cascading, veil blowing. ¡°No. I did not know the Hungry Ghost or the Beast either, only my good friend Yukiko. I ask that you meet with her at the least.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I can do that.¡± I promised, curious despite myself. Well she¡¯s a celebrity, I guess, even if she¡¯s kept to herself, mostly.


    ¡°Forget your demon, Akio will most-most definitely ensure her protection.¡± Shaeula boasted about me. ¡°And as for this Red Dragon, it is merely an oversized Wyrm, we shall fell-fell it, and ants... what can bugs do against us-us? They will simply be experience points.¡± She licked her lips.


    ¡°I like your confidence.¡± Kudou-san laughed. ¡°Though confidence and arrogance are two sides of a coin. Don¡¯t get cocky. I have seen many a young fool fall on their faces.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve learned that already. Even so, I¡¯ve worked hard to get here, and I can work harder. Especially to save people in need.¡±


    ¡°It helps that she is a woooman, right master?¡± Hyacinth giggled, and I rapped her head gently with my knuckles, causing her to laugh harder.


    ¡°Well, this has been a more profitable a meeting than I expected.¡± Kudou-san said. ¡°And to think, we haven¡¯t even touched on my Shiori, or the benefits you can bring. Sadly, I have many demands on my time, and you will no doubt need to meet Bankei and the neutral shrines, if that old bag has her way, and you did get an invite from Uchida-san so...¡± he paused, frowning. ¡°Tonight, are you free?¡±


    ¡°I think so, I was just going to do some sightseeing.¡± And map out some Territories.


    ¡°In that case... I may lead Tsukuyomi faction, but I am not a dictator. I will meet those chosen by the Gods, and those that have no objections... I would like you to evaluate them tonight, and they you. In the Spiritual Realm of Kyoto.¡±


    I see. That could be useful. ¡°That sounds fine. I¡¯ll let Takakura-san know if there are any problems.¡±


    As we said our goodbyes and left, the door to the teahouse shutting behind us, my hearing picked up a few words.


    ¡°... sure you shouldn¡¯t tell him it is not just the Princess who is in danger from the Red Dragon?¡±


    ¡°No. It is not the time. I have only just met him. He might well not be the one, and even if he is, to save me is far more difficult than deflecting the fate from Yukiko. Although...¡±


    I see. Well, when one relies on prophecy it¡¯s inevitable to second-guess everything. Even so, at least she seems willing to entertain the idea that waiting for a saviour is less wise than becoming a saviour yourself... So, turning aside her fate, huh? I don¡¯t know if I can, I doubt very much I¡¯m some prophesised hero, but Shaeula is right about one thing. This Red Dragon... it sounds bad news, and also a ready source of XP...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Two

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Two


    The trip to Ryo?an-ji had given us a lot to think about. On our way back to the lodgings we discussed it, and the only conclusion we could come to was that nothing had changed. So Shaeula and Shiro had to live, else there would be disaster. Well to me, if either of them died, that would be the true disaster. Apparently one of the daughters of the Imperial Family was a Candidate too, and also needed to be saved. Well, I had no obligation to help her, but it was impossible to lie to myself, hearing about her potential danger, I would at the very least meet with her as the Diviner wished. The Diviner... I suppose if one can see the future, even if its imperfect, the urge to accept it will creep up on you. Still, she did seem committed to changing it, and no wonder... if she knows her precious friend is going to die, and Japan will be ravaged too... and I expect there¡¯s more. When she talked about the Red Dragon her voice wavered... Shaeula had asked me on the boat ride back whether I thought I was the one the Diviner had prophesied, and I had answered that it was the wrong question. The right question was could I prevent the disasters to come and save these Princesses (and the Diviner) anyway?


    I don¡¯t know, but I know I might want to try... Opening the door to our section of the ryokan I was greeted by a bit of a scene. Kana and her family had returned, and Kana was lying on her back on a sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest and kicking her legs like a child having a tantrum, her friends, and surprisingly enough my sis and Eri, trying to console her. Her mother and father were around the table, drinking, and her grandfather was talking to Shirohebi, a bitter scowl on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, and it was Hikawa-san, who had also arrived, who answered me on their behalf.


    ¡°Welcome back, Oshiro-kun.¡± He smiled slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Well, the Izumi family managed to grab a minute with Uchida-sama, which is quite an honour for such a small shrine. However...¡±


    ¡°That arrogant prick!¡± Kana yelled, cheeks puffed out with annoyance, her face red. ¡°... no time to listen to a little shrine like ours, that didn¡¯t even boast any chosen.¡± She sneered. ¡°Grandfather tried to reason with him, but...¡± she let out a frustrated yell and started punching the cushion, furious. ¡°... it¡¯s thanks to us that you are even here, Akio! We were the shrine that found you, I found you, and we brought Hikawa-san in! And now he gets all the glory! I¡¯m so angry!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Kana-chan!¡± Mio-san soothed her. ¡°I get that you are annoyed, but you don¡¯t want Akio-kun to see you like this, do you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Akio-kun will put him in his place!¡± Asami-san agreed, and even Takagi-san spoke up.


    ¡°Well, sorry Izumi-san. At least... well, don¡¯t you have your kami? Won¡¯t that surprise him?¡±


    Eri looked at me, her eyes asking how our trip went, but before I could speak, Hikawa-san apologised. ¡°Sorry Izumi-san. I think that Uchida-sama naturally assumed that as the more major shrine, all the achievements were ours, especially since I helped Oshiro-san get permission to attend Conclave. And I had mentioned Ren and my girls and their new strength thanks to his Chirurgery.¡±


    ¡°I find it quite vexing.¡± Kana¡¯s grandfather complained. ¡°Uchida-sama did not even listen. It does not bode well.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very stressed.¡± Hikawa-san apologised for him, before turning back to me. ¡°It seems that Susanoo faction is under significant pressure, Amaterasu is in the ascendant. However he does want to know more about your Chirurgery, as he hopes it can offset their paucity of Chosen, apparently Amaterasu has more, even after the... well, the deaths.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Akio. Please!¡± Kana said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯d hate it if you helped that jackass! Toss him aside like the trash he is! If you do, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll make it worth your while!¡±


    Eri rolled her eyes at that. ¡°Do be quiet, Kana-san. Akio can¡¯t make important decisions based on you having a fit of pique.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Eri-san.¡± Kana changed the way she addressed her, possibly in response to Eri being more familiar with her. ¡°But if you were in my position, and someone stole all your achievements and told you that you weren¡¯t worthy to stand beside Akio, you¡¯d be fuming, right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got you there, Eri!¡± My sis agreed, and the other girls nodded. They hadn¡¯t spent much time together, only a few hours, but it looked like they had already worked her out.


    ¡°Speaking of, how was your meeting, bro?¡± Aiko changed the subject, not liking the tense atmosphere. ¡°That Kudou guy, right?¡±


    At that, Hikawa-san¡¯s focus sharpened, as it did for the Izumi men. They all looked at me questioningly, and I shrugged. ¡°Well, it sure was interesting. I met Takakura-san there again, and also the Diviner. She had a lot to say.¡±


    ¡°She kept calling me a beast. It was quite-quite offensive.¡± Shaeula pouted. Hyacinth giggled, and started pouring us some alcohol. My sis snatched a glass and started drinking it too. When objections were raised she merely laughed it off, saying I¡¯d heal her up. That didn¡¯t please the elder Izumi, who was like my father, very old-fashioned, but since I was in charge here and she wasn¡¯t his granddaughter, he kept his silence.


    ¡°In any case, I learned something interesting. It seems that the Imperial Princess is a Candidate too. Princess Mikasa.¡±


    ¡°Really? That will just further bolster Amaterasu¡¯s position. The Grand Shrine at Ise is dedicated to Amaterasu, so even though she remains in no faction, being part of the Imperial Family, there¡¯s a certain expectation...¡± Hikawa-san mused. ¡°Do you know which deity?¡±


    ¡°Amaterasu.¡± I said, and he winced.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good omen for them. The factions are named after Gods, but obviously the Gods themselves are not involved, but we are superstitious, certainly. It will seem an omen to those who are wavering.¡± He looked at me cautiously then. ¡°So, what of Kudou-san. Is he going to support you?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Tonight some of his Candidates are going to evaluate me, and I can scout them out. Even so... I¡¯m appreciative of your help getting me an in with Uchida-san, but I don¡¯t need support from someone who disrespects my friends.¡±


    ¡°Akio!¡± Kana cried, damp eyed. ¡°I knew I could trust you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± I warned her, causing her to pout again. ¡°The situation has changed, I¡¯m significantly more powerful with more allies than when I initially offered to aid him in return for some support. I want a fair arrangement. To that end, I¡¯ll need to see him.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hikawa-san said. ¡°Because he wants to see you before Conclave. So if you are free now, we can go to Kiyomizu-dera. And bring these two.¡± He pointed to Eri and Aiko. ¡°He¡¯s curious about the Chirurgery, but these two aren¡¯t chosen, nor are they from faith backgrounds, so seeing what they can achieve... it will likely impress him.¡±


    ¡°Cool, I wanted to go sightseeing. We should jump off the stage at Kiyomizu! It¡¯s only thirteen metres, I bet we can take it! Then we get a wish granted, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯d be a little risky with your stats, sis. Eri could tank it easily though.¡± I warned her.


    ¡°You sure? Well damn, that¡¯s no fun.¡± She complained, only for Eri to say something surprising.


    ¡°I think you need Jishu-jinja shrine while we are there, Aiko. After all, if you are going to find love, it seems you need divine help!¡±


    ¡°No way, you betrayed me, backstabber!¡± Aiko howled, and the mood lightened. It also gave me an idea.


    ¡°Okay. Shaeula, ready to go back out? Hyacinth, you can sit this one out. I¡¯ll take Aiko, Eri and Kana.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Kana said, surprised, dropping her cushion.


    ¡°Yes, you. You wanted to show Uchida-san you were important, right? Well, you were the one who found me, you weren¡¯t wrong, so I¡¯ll help you get the respect you are due.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s sweet.¡± Mio-san muttered, and Asami-san agreed.


    ¡°Good for you, Kana-san!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Masaji-san asked. ¡°I do feel our family and shrine was insulted, but there is no need to compromise your own interests for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Besides, it gives me an opportunity to see just how flexible Uchida-san is, and if he is someone I can work with. It¡¯s too early to use Shirohebi as a trump card, and there¡¯ll be the Candidates from Tsukuyomi faction coming over later, so having Grulgor and Hyacinth here makes me feel better in case of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Fine then¡± Kana bolted off the sofa, brushing down and straightening her shrine maiden hakama. ¡°Mio-chan, grab me that brush, my hair is a mess. Damn, I do look a fright.¡± She caught sight of her reflection, and again there was more laughter, the tension lifting...


    ¡°Really? How very... amusing.¡± Shaeula sniggered, the only one who wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°Such a tin female is not-not impressive.¡±


    ¡°Mind your tongue, this is a warrior of...¡± Yamato-san began, before Shaeula took a single step forwards, peering at the statue with her glowing amber eyes. With one small fist she surprised everyone, knocking on the gilded breastplate.


    ¡°Rather weak.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Akio could break it with one-one hand if he wished. He would not-not even need a weapon.¡±


    At that some laughed, and I could see one of the shrine maidens, who looked like a fashionable university student, with bleached blonde hair, one side shaved short, and numerous piercings in her ears and nose, smiling broadly, amused by everything. This mirth seemed to annoy Yamato-san and Uchida-san further, but in an act of self-control I could only applaud, they didn¡¯t let Shaeula¡¯s provocation tip them over the edge.


    ¡°Really? Well, would you be prepared to show the proof of that, Shaeula-san, was it?¡± Uchida-san asked, frowning.


    ¡°Just Shaeula. I am not-not from these lands.¡± She said, flexing one small fist. The next moment there was a loud clang, and the shield shattered, arm carried away as well. Hints of jade energy were dispersing, and Shaeula shook her hand, grinning. ¡°A little harder than I thought. But you will kiss it better, will you not-not, Akio?¡±


    Before anyone else could move, the golden warrior reacted, remaining arm swinging bared blade at Shaeula¡¯s throat, moving quickly. I stepped forwards, making sure that my Might of the Furious Earth was still buffing my Fortitude. Catching the falling blade with my closed palms, I snapped it, before lashing out with a kick that broke the statue to pieces, leaving it fading back into ether.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a bit dangerous. Not that I¡¯m worried about Shaeula, no way some crappy golden sword is going to hurt her. But we have other people here.¡± I said. ¡°Still, I have to admit, that¡¯s a pretty great skill. I assume they are a bit stronger or you can call upon more of them in the Boundary?¡± I mitigated my casual insult by sprinkling in some praise, and I was genuinely curious. It¡¯s got the toughness of one of Grulgor¡¯s trolls, I¡¯d say, if a little less strength. If he can call upon a few of those, he can expand without too much trouble...


    Yamato-san looked shocked at the way Shaeula and I had manhandled and wrecked his golden warrior, but at my compliment he puffed up, regaining his poise. ¡°Yes, you do well to recognise it. I can indeed call upon more of the warriors. Through dedication to Kannon, I can now call upon six at once.¡± He paused, before feeling he had to give some ground back. ¡°You are quite impressive, Shaeula. You too, Oshiro-san.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Kana spoke up. ¡°And I was the first from any shrine to find them. It¡¯s thanks to me and my family he is even here!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Hikawa-san allowed. ¡°Though I did a lot of the legwork growing his support.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wow, no need to fight.¡± My sis chimed in, and she was seconded by the shrine maiden from Susanoo.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Like, that was totally a show. I¡¯ve not had the chance to see anything like that since I got here.¡± She giggled. ¡°Hey, nice to meet you, I¡¯m Minatogawa Mine, but you all can call me Mine, cool? Minatogawa is such a mouthful. Our shrine is in Kobe, so we¡¯ve had quite the trip down here. Our enshrined kami is pretty much a nobody, but it was pretty wild to meet him, you know?¡± she talked rapidly, as if she was worried people would stop listening if she didn¡¯t say everything she wanted to. ¡°But yeah, I had a dream of Ugajin, which was damn weird, let me tell you. Ugh, it needs to make up its mind whether it¡¯s a man or a woman. Anyway, so I got these powers, and ...¡±


    ¡°Mine-san, can you please be quiet?¡± Uchida-san complained, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Whoops, sorry. I just got excited by the show. Uh... carry on!¡± she said, abashed. Even so, she winked at us, and I found myself amused.


    ¡°All right then. I think we have wandered off-topic.¡± I sighed. ¡°I can improve the abilities of others.¡± I gestured to the girls. ¡°But I¡¯m also pretty strong with a few other tricks. And I have other commitments, so coming under you and running a shrine isn¡¯t something I would be interested in, I¡¯m afraid. An alliance, however... where both sides give and take, that I can do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen my daughters and son.¡± Hikawa-san agreed. ¡°And these girls here are even bigger successes. The limit on those able to enter the spiritual realm is what each faction is running up against, right? Well, with Oshiro-san that limit can be broken.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still dangerous.¡± I said. ¡°Sure, there are boosts and gains, but most will be far, far weaker than those chosen by the gods.¡±


    ¡°Most?¡± Uchida-san noticed my phrasing, eyes narrowing.


    ¡°Well, there are obviously exceptions.¡± I patted Eri on the shoulder, and though she was shy, being with so many unfamiliar people, she steeled herself and nodded politely.


    ¡°Good afternoon. I am Mori Eri. Akio helped me a lot, and now... well, I¡¯m nothing compared to Shaeula and some of the others, but... I can hold my own.¡± She said proudly, a flicker of flame on her hands as she displayed a little of her elemental abilities. ¡°And I had absolutely no connection to any spiritual matters or any talents before this.¡±


    ¡°Except for hard work.¡± I hugged her, causing Mine-san to whistle. ¡°I can open doors, but it¡¯s up to those who step through how much effort they put in.¡±


    Yamato-san was looking at us, deep in thought. ¡°I see. Well, how about this?¡± he said. ¡°I cannot show off my true value here. Why not take this to the spiritual realm? I was having an... issue, that if you are that confident, I could use your help resolving. And I can see with my own eyes just how strong these girls are. Will that be all right, father?¡±


    Uchida-san considered it. ¡°I see no issues. Take Mine-san with you, as well as Naruhito-san.¡± The Candidate I had spotted nodded, while Mine-san seemed pumped up.


    Well, this is an opportunity, but even so... ¡°Shaeula, Kana, you two stay here.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, grasping my meaning, but Kana shook her head in protest. ¡°No, I need to go, to show I¡¯m not forgettable!¡± she tried to appeal to me.


    ¡°But... it could be dangerous.¡± I said, and she grabbed my arm fiercely.


    ¡°I know, but you are taking Eri-san and Aiko-san, right? Besides, with you there, I¡¯ll be safe, won¡¯t I?¡± she appealed to me, and I felt myself waver. Well, it¡¯s true that I am confident of keeping her safe, but... fine.


    ¡°All right, but you do what I tell you without question, all right? No complaints!¡±


    At that Kana blushed, and my sister snickered, while Eri rolled her eyes. I ignored them and turned to Shaeula. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just you then. You get it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Leave everything to me-me.¡± She promised. ¡°Now, is there a room we can-can use?¡± She gets it. I don¡¯t think that Uchida-san would pull anything, but leaving our bodies vulnerable is not a good plan. But Shaeula can defend us with ease...


    ¡°Before we do this though, it¡¯s all very well evaluating each other, but it seems like you get the better end of the bargain here.¡± I said. ¡°I assume you want us to deal with a problem blocking your expansion. That entails danger and benefits you a lot.¡±


    ¡°And why would you not want to benefit us?¡± Uchida-san looked at his son, who nodded. ¡°After all, are you not looking for influence in our faction? Despite not being of the faith, Hikawa-san and... this shrine...¡± he gestured to Kana, annoying her again by his dismissal. ¡°... as well as others, have vouched for you, and if you have the ear of Takakura-sama... well, the nobility should keep their noses out of our business, but faith cannot exist without support. So, consider this your entry fees.¡±


    A bad deal. I know it, and Hinata would be complaining bitterly right now. But... ¡°Fine. But consider that when you want further aid from me, I¡¯ll be setting a similar price. Don¡¯t regret this.¡± I lose a bit here, but longer-term...


    ¡°Very well. Show them to a side room.¡± Uchida-san said, and one of the priests led us to a modest alcove. Shaeula took up her position, guarding us, while the girls laid out bedding to sleep on. Kana looked at me, chewing her lip, clearly worried, so I patted her on the head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kana. I get it. They do seem rather arrogant, but then they are men of power and influence. The nobility are the same way. That doesn¡¯t make them bad, just... trying. Still, won¡¯t that make it better when you finally show them they were wrong about you and your shrine?¡±


    She nodded, smiling brightly. ¡°That¡¯s true. And I bet poor Marika-chan and her family went through the same shit. So... I want you to blow that guy away with your awesomeness.¡± She smiled. ¡°The look on his face when you and Shaeula smashed up his statue... I loved that!¡±


    ¡°I bet you did.¡± As I slumped down, letting my consciousness drift, I was excited to see just what a shrine of this magnificence would look like in the Boundary...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Three

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Three


    For a few moments the Territory resisted me, trying to prevent my entry to the Boundary. It was as if the Territory barrier was striving to keep me out, but considering the strength of it, I believed I could force my way through if necessary, but it didn¡¯t come to that, as suddenly the Territory yielded, welcoming me in. Opening my eyes, it didn¡¯t take long for Eri, Kana and my sis to appear.


    ¡°Damn, that was uncomfortable. Never felt that before.¡± My sis said, and Eri nodded. Kana, who had less experience, merely waited for my answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s because we dived into a Territory that wasn¡¯t our own and was properly Anchored. In any case, it seems to have relented. Shall we meet up with Yamato-san and the other two?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Kana said, crossing her arms, looking peeved. ¡°But I guess you can¡¯t put him in his place if we don¡¯t.¡±


    We opened up the door to the small room we were in, revealing a spectacular sight. The main chamber of the shrine was massive, defying the laws of physics, occupying far more space than its outer size should have allowed. I see, it¡¯s a dungeon, in effect. Massive, gilded braziers lined the walls, blazing with golden and white flames that did not flicker, casting a brilliant glow. The statue of Kannon was there too, towering into the sky far more magnificently than its glory in the Material, arms outstretched, each as thick as tree trunks, and it radiated a powerful presence. My Eye could not help but respond...


    Glorious Idol of Kannon Rank ??? Unique ¨C This building exists at Kiyomizu-dera. It will strengthen all light-aspected creatures and allies under the command of the owner of this Territory, and this ability will be magnified for Kannon, other kami of the shrine and their adherents. Kannon and kami of Kiyomizu-dera can gather more adherence and utilise it more efficiently. Light element production and purity in the area will be increased, very slightly increasing the chance of unique elemental lights forming. Ether Spires within the Territory will generate light elemental energy and additional adherence.


    I let out a dull whistle, jealous. Damn, that makes the White Snake Earth Altar look weak. I guess this is a major shrine, so I have to expect better stuff here...


    ¡°It puts our shrine to shame.¡± Kana said, thinking the same thing. ¡°But... we can do better, can¡¯t we?¡± she grabbed my arm. ¡°You could have a statue of Shirohebi built that¡¯s that impressive, right?¡±


    As Eri rolled her eyes and my sis snickered, I shook my head. ¡°Physically, yes, I could get the kobolds to do it, though we¡¯d not have enough silver, assuming you wanted to make it out of precious metals like this one. But... it¡¯s the adherence. The statue is soaked with it, probably over hundreds, thousands of years, which is what makes it special. Still...¡± I breathed in the light energy around, indigo energies suffusing the area. It fought with my darkness and was quickly scattered, stinging my network, causing internal damage, but Ether Healing easily took care of that. ¡°... when the Earth Altar is upgraded again, it¡¯ll grow and be better. I intend to do it on our return, anyway.¡±


    As Kana thanked me, I turned to Eri and Aiko. ¡°Eri, careful. The light element opposes your darkness. You¡¯ll take damage to your chakra network if you can¡¯t balance it. As for you, Aiko... go crazy. Draw in all you can. It¡¯s not sunlight, but let¡¯s not be greedy. If you can learn light element, that¡¯d be good enough.¡± If we get Ren-san to train here, he could use the mirror to store a ton of light element, convert it to sunlight, and... profit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Eri was already taking damage, but she had Ether Healing at the first Rank, like Aiko did, so she should be able to cope, and if not I could assist. As we finished admiring the impressive, yet empty halls, noting golden Ether Spires jutting up amidst the braziers, the owner of this Territory, Yamato-san, and his two allied Candidates arrived.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± Mine said enthusiastically. ¡°This place sure is cool. Makes my shrine look like a dump.¡±


    Should you be saying that? Your kami will be angry... The other guy didn¡¯t say anything, leaving it to Yamato-san to speak. Before he did though, six golden warriors shimmered into life around him, and these felt somewhat stronger than the one on the Material. They bore different weapons, sword, spear, axe, mace, flail and a huge two-handed blade. On seeing those, Kana looked at me nervously, but I merely winked, reassuring her I could handle them. I¡¯m sure I could. They¡¯re strong, no doubt, outmatching a troll in stats, but I still have them well beaten... my Eye was shining, and I read the data.


    Golden Warrior of Kannon ¨C these warriors, with excellent speed, strength and durability, can be called upon by those blessed by Kannon. They will dispense mercy to the evil, freeing their souls to do penance in Yomi. Yet if one uses them for ill, Kannon will show her displeasure.


    ¡°Yes, it is rather impressive.¡± I conceded. ¡°But... rather empty. Where are your troops, Yamato-san?¡±


    ¡°Troops?¡± he looked puzzled and annoyed. ¡°None of the kami that Kiyomizu-dera venerates are weak enough to manifest here. I have had to strive alone, but for my golden warriors.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you mean like... well, my shrine has a load of creatures who dwell there. They¡¯ve helped me out a bit.¡± Mine-san declared boisterously.


    ¡°My bro has a whole army, hundreds and hundreds of troops.¡± Aiko grinned. ¡°No fancy golden statues though.¡±


    At her words, Yamato-san looked surprised. ¡°So, you can enter here, despite not being chosen? Hikawa-san spoke the truth.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course.¡± Kana snorted sourly. ¡°My father and grandfather tried to tell you that. Akio has mastered the art of Chirurgery. And he uses it to help us grow stronger.¡± She sounded proud, as if it was her own achievement, only looking down and flushing when Eri stared at her silently for a while.


    ¡°I see.¡± Yamato-san said, frowning, deep in thought. He then took in the equipment Eri, Aiko and I was wearing, though before he could speak, Mine-san chimed in. She¡¯s certainly a genki girl, for sure, very energetic and forward...


    ¡°That dress, it¡¯s like super cute.¡± She gushed over Eri. ¡°That axe though, not sure it suits a pretty girl like you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it does. I use it to cut down pests that buzz around Akio.¡± She warned, eliciting a giggle from Mine-san, who hopped over to Aiko.


    ¡°Leather huh? That¡¯s a good look. That bow though... whoa, it¡¯s like... totally on fire. Cool! Where did you get that? Is that a sacred relic? My shrine didn¡¯t have any, our place is a dump. But I can see Yamato-sama has some!¡±


    Yes, I noticed that. He was wearing golden vestments, as well as carrying what looked like a censer to burn incense, and I could smell sandalwood, aloe, lotus and saffron.


    ¡°Actually, my bro and Shaeula won it from her brother. So it¡¯s a genuine magical item.¡± She grinned. ¡°But my bro¡¯s gear, that¡¯s all custom-made, right?¡±


    I nodded, and it was then Kana grabbed my arm again, something she seemed to be doing more often. ¡°Hey, Akio, why don¡¯t I have anything?¡± she pouted, still wearing just hakama.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t fight.¡± Eri shot her down. ¡°If you could level, Akio would make sure you had what you needed.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± she conceded, pouting, only to look surprised as I handed her my spear.


    ¡°Use this for now. I¡¯m fine with swords and pistols.¡± I told her, as she blushed.


    ¡°Thanks, Akio...¡± she said in a small, mosquito-buzz voice.


    ¡°Enough of this. I am very busy, and I still need to meet more shrines with my father before tomorrow and the Conclave.¡± Yamato-san said. Mine-san shrugged, hopping back to him, whistling, and we regrouped. ¡°So, you understand the majesty of Kannon now, I believe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I certainly do.¡± I agreed. ¡°But... this Territory, it¡¯s only Rank 2? I would have thought with such a wealth of Ether and light element, you could have pushed it to Rank 3, though without troops... yeah, you¡¯d have to take some significant risks and be here a lot...¡±


    ¡°Kyoto is hardly so safe as to be able to afford the long period of weakness.¡± Yamato-san sighed. ¡°Which is why Conclave is so important. We need to gather and allocate the faithful properly. Though we will still not have the numbers...¡± his eyes lingered on the girls then. ¡°... or so I would like to say. If ordinary people can be made useful...¡±


    ¡°They still don¡¯t compare to most Candidates.¡± I warned. ¡°But we¡¯ll give you a show. So, what¡¯s your problem you wanted us to help you with? In exchange, I¡¯d like to have access to this Territory for a while. The light element here is pretty dense, and I¡¯ve been wanting some.¡± It¡¯d certainly shock the Diviner if I turned up with light element...


    ¡°Light element? You mean the indigo energies?¡± Yamato-san asked. ¡°The Golden Warriors are stronger when within it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you must know the elements. Earth, water, wind, flame, light, darkness...¡± I left out spatial, wood/nature, lightning and other more complicated ones. ¡°The energy can be used.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know this?¡± The silent priest spoke up, looking intrigued. ¡°My ability is one of water. I do feel stronger when I am by rivers or lakes.¡±


    I remember deciding that this whole mess with the Candidates was a Gu vessel. Kodoku was the Japanese version of that myth, right? And a Tsukumogami is a tool that has become a spiritual being, I think? Shit...


    ¡°Beware the mists!¡± Yamato-san cried. ¡°It will rot you if it touches you. The creatures are not to be underestimated as well. They are endless so long as the pot lives!¡±


    ¡°In that case, like... we take out the pot?¡± Mine-san said, and my sister agreed.


    ¡°On it.¡± She loosed an arrow, which blazed into flame, the bright yellow blaze strengthened by her own fire element now. It soared towards the pot, only for a spider to leap up and block it, dying as the arrow consumed it. ¡°Damn. That was a good shot too...¡± she reached for another arrow.


    ¡°If it was that easy, I would have defeated it by now!¡± Yamato-san declared, two more of the statues starting to collapse, the other three holding back the host, smashing and stomping the vermin tide, green, red, blue and silver gore splattering the streets and overhanging walls. ¡°But together, perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Well, time to show off what that creepy snake Ugajin gave me.¡± Mine-san slandered her own patron, which I felt was unwise. ¡°Growth!¡± she called, and vines burst from the ground, reminding me of Hyacinth and her attacks. A rich nature element was radiating from it, and the front rank of bugs was snared. Even so, the fog was starting to eat through it quickly, but that didn¡¯t seem to phase her. ¡°And decay!¡± she called, and suddenly the vines withered, and as they died so did the creatures they were holding, and as they turned to dust, bright ether spilled. ¡°Not bad, yeah?¡± she finished. ¡°I¡¯m like... not bad at all!¡±


    ¡°The numbers are endless though.¡± Yamato-san warned. A fourth golden statue was overwhelmed, wrapped in snake coils and pulled down by massive centipedes. Aiko was loosing arrows at the pot, but each one was blocked by a sacrifice. Eri was clutching her axe, unable to get close, and Kana... She¡¯ll be fine. She wanted to come... it¡¯ll be a good lesson.


    ¡°The river flows, the banks break. Let all be washed away by the fury of the floods!¡± the priest declared, and my Eye could see water element surging within him, moments before a wall of water burst into being, sweeping away the low-lying fog and crushing the front rank of the creatures, dashing dozens to pieces on the walls or drowning them. Even so, the strength was spent before it made it halfway through the packed ranks of vermin.


    ¡°Uh, I need like, a minute or two to go again.¡± Mine-san gasped. ¡°You going to show us what you can do, handsome?¡± she looked at me, before winking at Eri, teasing her, having worked out by her possessive attitude she had some sort of close relationship with me.


    ¡°If we cannot defeat it we must retreat. Four of the Golden warriors have been destroyed.¡± Yamato-san warned, frustrated. ¡°At this rate, we will never reach Chion-in.¡±


    ¡°Back off your statues, they don¡¯t want to get caught in this.¡± I warned. ¡°I can handle this.¡±


    Yamato-san gave me a querying look, to ascertain I was sure, but my confident smile must have convinced him. The fog was back, the verminous horde too, the Kodoku pouring them out from the broken wax seal, so it was as if our efforts had achieved nothing. The golden warriors clanked backwards, and as soon as the path was clear, I gathered my flame energies, drawing upon Foehn.


    ¡°You creatures are soiling the eyes of my sis and her friends.¡± I declared, earning a snigger from the girls in question. ¡°Burn to ashes until nothing remains. Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze!¡±


    A tide of roiling yellow flame poured from my hands, filling the streets. The first wave of insects, arachnids and frogs were caught in the blaze, flesh vaporising, a few of the stronger, more armoured creatures like the millipedes thrashing around, trailing white and red flames, as their insides cooked and boiled. The torrent continued, and the fog itself caught fire, the air igniting, and a wall of heat pressed against us. Still, I was not done, and even as the pot continued to discharge creatures, the head of a brutally-large centipede emerging, the tide reached the Kodoku, engulfing it as well. Clay began to crack, and the wax started to dissolve, the smell of blood filling the air.


    ¡°Like... that¡¯s crazy. Your boyfriend sure is a wild one.¡± Mine-san said to Eri, who shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Akio do better.¡± She said proudly. ¡°Like he said, this isn¡¯t anything special to him.¡±


    Nice brag. I need to look domineering here. I want to rub it in their faces I¡¯m not to be messed with or taken for granted. The Tsukumogami tried to flee, but tongues of Foehn were surrounding it, even now falling inside the opening, and a great flood of ether was pouring out. Some was taken by Yamato-san and the others, but most was coming my way.


    ¡°Shaeula told me about that giant mushroom guy.¡± My sis said. ¡°I guess compared to that, this stupid pot isn¡¯t anything special.¡±


    ¡°Amazing...¡± Kana whispered, holding my sleeve with her free hand, her dark eyes reflecting the blaze. There was a moment of silence, only the screech of dying vermin filling the air, before the Kodoku shattered, exploding, flames spelling its end.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Seven to Eighty-Eight. All of your Material statistics have increased by eleven. Aether has increased by twenty-seven.


    A level-up. Nice. I get the feeling I¡¯m pretty close to the next one, as well. ¡°The Foehn will keep burning until all the fuel around here is gone. Just give me a second...¡± I channelled earth element into the ground, splitting the earth, moving the blazing flames to either side, forming a corridor through the blaze for us to traverse. It was a bit theatrical, but also rather impressive. ¡°Shall we go then?¡± I asked, and as everyone except my companions looked as me dumbly, I started strolling through the passage of hellfire, admiring the pretty droplets of flame as they cascaded down like rain.


    ¡°You... what... what is your ability? You can see things, empower people, call upon flame and earth? It seems strange. Which kami has blessed you? Izanagi, Izanami? It surely must be a powerful one.¡± Yamato-san seemed a bit aggrieved as he followed me with his remaining two statues in front of him.


    ¡°No, though it is a powerful god nonetheless.¡± I said, leading us through. On the other side of the flames, a mob of skeletons and zombies dressed in rags that resembled clothing from well over a thousand years ago, started shambling our way. That gives me an idea...


    ¡°Hey, Eri, Aiko. You take these ones out. I¡¯ll back you up, so go wild.¡± I then turned to Kana. ¡°Kana, you too, okay. Just... just spear a few at range. I promise I won¡¯t let you get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Uh, why?¡± Kana asked, face pale.


    ¡°Because even if it doesn¡¯t directly benefit you, it¡¯ll help you overcome your fear. Besides...¡± I leaned in close, whispering right into her ear, so even Yamato-kun couldn¡¯t hear her, though Kana went bright crimson at my closeness. ¡°... you want to show Yamato-san you kick ass, right? I¡¯ve got your back. You saw me deal with that crappy pot, right?¡±


    She nodded, swallowing, gathering her resolve. ¡°All right. I trust you, Akio. And if I do get hurt, you¡¯ll take responsibility, all right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, not a hair on your head will be harmed.¡± I promised, only to have her frown, looking away, irritated. Uh, okay. She¡¯s very changeable today...


    ¡°Come on then, Kana-san.¡± Eri ordered. ¡°Watch how I do it.¡± Axe raised, she rushed into the mob, while Aiko was firing off arrows. Having an idea, I called upon a little Foehn, and with her own fire element and my assistance, she could imbue her arrows with Foehn, making them far deadlier. Although she can¡¯t create it herself, it¡¯s still neat. Hmm, I wonder if she could learn Foehn if we worked together? Watching Eri hew through the mob, Aiko shooting down stragglers, while Kana, trembling, was using the long spear to poke at weaker foes, was a strange spectacle indeed.


    ¡°Uh, you like, sure you don¡¯t want us to do anything? I¡¯m feeling kind of like a third... uh...fourth, fifth wheel here?¡± Mine-san giggled.


    ¡°Save your strength. We aren¡¯t done yet. It¡¯s still some distance to Chion-in.¡± I said, unleashing the occasional burst of earth or flame to strike down enemies that were approaching Eri¡¯s or Kana¡¯s blind spots, though Aiko was catching most of them.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yamato-san mused. ¡°But perhaps first... a detour?¡± he proposed, eyeing the girls contemplatively. ¡°I admit, your boasts are true, you do have skill. If we avoid the Night Parade and there are no other wandering dangers like that vile pot, then we should manage to reach it, and I can claim it.¡± He smiled avariciously. Yeah, he¡¯s definitely getting the better deal here. I¡¯m going to drain as much of his Territories¡¯ light element as I can as compensation, no doubt.


    ¡°Certainly. Your father, Uchida-sama will be very pleased. It will bolster his position at Conclave significantly.¡± Naruhito-san declared. ¡°Saving our strength to achieve this is a worthy aim.¡±


    ¡°So, level with me, Oshiro-san.¡± Yamato-san asked as the girls finished mopping up the wave of enemies, Eri having levelled twice more. ¡°Do you still have the strength to go on? Using such powerful flames must have drained your spiritual power.¡±


    Feeling me out, huh? ¡°There¡¯s no problem for another few battles like that.¡± I assured him.


    ¡°In that case... I was planning to clear a path directly to Chion-in, but since you are so confident, if we could take a small detour and secure Kodai-ji and Yasaka-jinja shrine? As well as some smaller ones in the area. That would consolidate the shrines that are part of Susanoo faction.¡±


    I gave him a hard, searching look, before nodding. ¡°Fine. But I don¡¯t have all afternoon. I know time flows differently here, but I have plans this evening. So let¡¯s make this quick.¡±


    Surprised at my arrogance, he nodded, and we all gathered up, ready to press on...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Four

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Four


    ¡°There it is.¡± Mine-san observed, the shrine coming into view. We had already captured Kodai-ji, which being a relatively modern shrine (built in the sixteen-hundreds) it didn¡¯t have a resident kami, though we did bring in some Kodama, tree spirits, into Yamato-san¡¯s fold. On seeing them he finally understood what I meant by adding troops, and was able to start constructing Barracks in his Territory.


    Up ahead, the Yasaka-jinja shrine was coming into view. We had cut our way through the undead, as well as several groups of lesser creatures, such as a swarm of large wasps, who were far less friendly than the Mirror Bees apparently were. I had let Mine-san and Naruhito-san handle the larger crowds with their divine favour, while Eri gained what experience she could hacking down mobs around the edges. Still, Eri had gained yet another level out of it, and Kana no longer trembled in fear on seeing the undead, though her spear-work was still hilariously sloppy.


    ¡°As this is a shrine dedicated to Susanoo, Kushinada-Hime and eight of their offspring, it is a point of factional pride to protect it.¡± Yamato-san said, pleased, as the beautiful building came into view, larger than in the Material, the roof shining ruby and polished brown wood, though strangely enough a large and ancient tree towered out of the centre of it, rising hundreds of metres into the sky. As we secured Koda-ji, it linked up to his Territory, so even if we failed to go further, he would have gained security and a new, closer front to press on to Chion-in. And as we progressed even closer he was becoming more and more jovial, his pair of golden statues barely even having to fight.


    ¡°Great. Well, let¡¯s get this done.¡± I declared, and we entered the grounds of the shrine. The tree loomed over us, branches spread out, dozens of pretty birds looking rather like parakeets peering down on us with their unblinking eyes, and the shrine itself was revealed to be solid, varnished wood, plated with ruby and gilded with golden leaf. Statues of the eight children venerated here surrounded the entrance, and as we approached, the door opened, and out stepped a woman. No, she only looks like a woman.


    Her appearance was too sculpted to actually be real, and her brown robes were seemingly living wood, small shoots and sprouts growing at noticeable speed from her clothes. Dark brown hair, tinged with green and red, cascaded down behind her, and where she stepped, sprouts grew beneath her.


    ¡°Like, just whoa!¡± Mine-san said, eyes wide. ¡°I can feel her nature energy. It¡¯s powerful! She puts the kami in my shrine to shame!¡±


    I agreed, feeling the waves of nature element pouring from her, even eclipsing Hyacinth. As she looked at us with eyes the colour of mossy bark, Yamato-san decided to speak, bowing before her.


    ¡°Great kami, it is an honour to meet you. I am one blessed by Kannon, goddess of Mercy. You... you are Tsumatsu-hime, daughter of Susanoo, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± She spoke, her voice melodious, and the wood around us vibrated, shimmering with aether and adherence. ¡°I am she. It has been long since I have conversed with any other beings.¡± She paused, contemplative. ¡°The spiritual power here is growing, yet it is difficult for beings such as I to manifest here. My brothers and sisters, they cannot be supported yet, so I alone have entwined my being with an avatar here.¡± Her eyes were distant, as she surveyed us. ¡°The shrine... only my efforts have kept it from destruction, but now my duty is over.¡± Her skin, which was pure white, suddenly turned a woody brown, matching her robes, and I realised what I had taken for the kami was actually some sort of wooden puppet, and indeed, the roots from the great tree in the centre of the shrine were growing into her feet, making her part of the shrine itself.


    Avatar of Tsumatsu-hime [kami] - ???


    As my Eye blazed, she reacted, meeting my gaze.


    ¡°I see. A power of a Tree not from this land.¡± Tsumatsu-hime intoned. ¡°Yet you are blessed by some of the eight million, the myriad deities of our sacred land. And...¡± she snaked closer, on her roots. Soon she was peering into my eyes, her breath close enough to ruffle my hair. ¡°... such rich water, with a taste from a far-off land. Would... would you nourish me, stranger?¡±


    Okay, I was not expecting this. And she¡¯s a bit too close... ¡°I can spare some spirit water, yes.¡± I agreed, drawing on my reserves, creating a palmful of water that shimmered with luminous silver energy, moonlight. With my hands held out, pushed together to make a crude bowl, I watched as she bent down to drink. This feels rather sacrilegious...


    ¡°Oshiro-san, I don¡¯t think you should...¡± Yamato-san began, but Eri silenced him.


    ¡°She asked, didn¡¯t she? I¡¯ve met kami before, so I know they are no different than us at heart.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kana agreed, revelling in seeing me taking the lead ahead of Yamato-kun, in one of Susanoo¡¯s own shrines. ¡°Besides, she asked for an offering. It would be lacking faith to turn her down after that, right?¡±


    ¡°That water...¡± Naruhito-san was transfixed on the glimmering energy within my hands. ¡°... so powerful. Just where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Far from here. Very far from here.¡± I replied, uncomfortable as her lips touched the water in my hands. She began to drink, and as she did so, the water energy in me was being pulled out, and I could see a deep orange glow shimmering around her.


    ¡°So strengthening.¡± She spoke, water running down her throat and chest, dripping onto the roots below her. Everyone else was silent now, as the League of the avatar was fully unleashed, oppressing everyone else. Yamato-san was merely a little pale, but the others were shaking from the force of her existence. ¡°I fear this is but a construct to contain a measure of my consciousness. I am Tsumatsu-hime, yet not all of Tsumatsu-hime, for my true League would likely shatter this fragile Boundary, and you are not ready. Though...¡± she smiled at me then, and though she now looked strange, like a living tree-woman, nothing like Asha, who appeared largely human, it was somehow alluring. ¡°...you are passable, mortal man. And your water was sweet and nourishing, like none I have had before, a gift from another realm. Allow me to reward you.¡± She said, when around half of my water element reserve was drained.


    As the thought of reward passed through my mind, I felt some impacts on my back. Turning my head, I saw Eri had whacked me with the flat of her axe, while Kana had jabbed me with the spear. It did nothing, of course, but seeing them both pouting was amusing.


    ¡°Oh hey, is this like, a bloodbath?¡± Mine-san was asking my sis, who shrugged.


    ¡°No way, this stuff happens all the time with my bro now. To think I was calling him a virgin loser only a few months ago...¡±


    ¡°A reward?¡± I asked, and she nodded. ¡±You have the affinity. Pure, beautiful water, rich, strong earth. Bloom with me!¡± she said, and her roots burst into flowers, glorious white and golden blossoms springing to life, giving off a calming fragrance. Red and yellow energies blended together, forming a shining brown light. One root came from her hand, and it glittered brilliantly with adherence, my Eye easily picking up the sheer quantity of it, and an amber message scrolled across my vision, the letters dazzlingly bright, quickly followed by several more sentences.


    Your Class, Kami-Blessed, has increased from level 6 to level 9.


    Your Fortune has increased by one. Your Charm and Majesty has increased by two.


    Your Aether has increased by ninety-nine.


    It¡¯s been a while since it¡¯s gone up, and now three levels at once? Well, I did feel it was close to levelling when Shirohebi accepted the Throne of Heroes. Even so... Well, she was a daughter of Susanoo, so even if Tsumatsu-hime was not a particularly powerful kami, she was closer to a powerful divinity than Shirohebi or the jade beetle was.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the reward, I thank...¡± I began, only to be cut off as the root split into two, piercing my body, plunging into my root and sacral chakras. Ruby and silver blood gushed, and Eri cried out, readying her axe, but I raised a hand to stop her.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, she means no harm, and this level of injury won¡¯t stop me.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Indeed, I merely wish to return the favour you have shown me. Now... feel the energy of the wood for which I am worshipped flow through you, and use it to build a shelter to save this land, this world. For I am the kami of wood, used to build houses safe from the elements, where one can be safe and endure, give birth to life and return to the soil in death.¡±


    I could feel it, a brown energy growing within my chakras, joining the others. It felt similar to the energy Hyacinth used, and Mine-san. Closing my eyes I tried to focus on it, how it related to water and earth, feeling the energy of nature.


    You have gained a skill, Root and Sacral Chakras of Wood Rank 1. Your Chakras will generate Wood energy. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    You have gained a skill, Wood Manipulation Rank 1. You have gained the ability to manipulate and control Wood and Nature energy. Your understanding of Nature has slightly increased. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    ¡°I see you understand. Use this power well, mortal. For unless those with bravery and will stand strong, this world, like so many others, is doomed.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°The Wood within you is weak, but it shall grow. Nurture it, and the powerful Nature it contains will bloom. Defend this shrine, do not let it fall to the forces of ruin.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I promised, bowing. ¡°And thank you. I¡¯ll use it wisely.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Yamato-san spoke then, impatient. ¡°I am the one whose domain will cover and protect this shrine. Can I not share in your gifts as well?¡± he asked, and the kami regarded him, her eyes shifting between green and brown in the light of the Boundary overhead.


    ¡°Your attributes are metal and light. You are not suitable.¡± She looked over the others. ¡°Flame and darkness. Earth. Flame and light.¡± She pronounced Eri¡¯s, Kana¡¯s and Aiko¡¯s in turn.


    ¡°Light? Wow, strange. I¡¯ve not even mastered it yet.¡± She grinned. ¡°Must be fate I guess. Eri and I, two sides of the same coin.¡±


    ¡°You are water, but lack the earth.¡± She said to Naruhito-san, before finally speaking to Mine-san. ¡°You, you harbour the earth, the blessing of divinity from another god of nature.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that weird Ugajin.¡± She agreed. ¡°Growth and decay.¡±


    ¡°You could accept some strength from me, but I am spent. The powerful water I took in, which I changed to my energy, it is all dried up.¡±


    Mine-san spun, turning to look at me then. ¡°Uh, so, like... hey, I don¡¯t know how to ask this, but... you got any water left in the tank, handsome? I could really use that boost!¡±


    ¡°No way, why should he?¡± Eri protested. ¡°Akio¡¯s already brought you all this far!¡±


    ¡°I have to agree.¡± Kana nodded. ¡°Why should he give up power for you?¡±


    My sis merely gave me a troubled smile, allowing me to decide. Though really, it¡¯s just depleting my stock of water element, I¡¯ll replenish it in a day or so... though it will mean I¡¯ll be down a trump card in any battles here. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll leave me noticeably less powerful in battle for quite some time.¡± I exaggerated. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to risk it, unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡± Mine-san asked, leaning forwards, keen.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d need compensation. I¡¯m already helping out a lot. I need to get fair value for what I offer.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has been long since we last caught a mortal. We will be praised!¡±


    ¡°It was well worth roaming ahead of the main Parade during this day! The Grand Katasharin will be pleased!¡±


    Grand Katasharin? Well, they mentioned the Parade, so I was right. I guess some branch out and do their own thing. That¡¯s better than having to face the entire Parade at once, as judging by the strength of Kinneka and Ginneka we¡¯d just get murdered...


    ¡°Well, in that case, I greet you on behalf of the Ninetieth of the Parade.¡± I declared confidently. My keen ears picked up a gasp from Yamato-san, who was able to listen in, even from his hiding spot.


    ¡°Ninetieth? What is this foolish mortal saying? That is that stupid cat.¡±


    ¡°Such foolish lies will not save you. Come with us to hell, enjoy the flames and the torment!¡±


    Ignoring the twinge of pain that sparked at the back of my mind and bonds, I pressed on. ¡°Actually it was Kinneka. But now he¡¯s dead, and a Kamaitachi holds the Ninetieth rank.¡±


    ¡°Those weasels? Troubling. She¡¯s Twentieth, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There is already a Kamaitachi. Your lies are worthless.¡±


    ¡°Enough discourse! We should drag this mortal away, listen to his screams!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Let us do that! Profaning the good name of the Night Parade... perhaps we should give him to Nurarihyon?¡±


    I see. A female Kamaitachi, The Twentieth? That... that¡¯s likely Shaeula¡¯s mother, right? Still, it looks like they aren¡¯t willing to believe me, so...


    Roars and screams of baleful fury echoed out as the four wheels rushed at me from multiple directions. Their flames blazed, and I immediately started taking damage, though due to my elemental resistances from Ether Healing and overall toughness, it was bearable. Drawing my Fangs, the first wheel was upon me, and I slashed. The blades bit into wood, the momentum forcing my feet to slide a little along the floor, before a second slammed into my arm. Bone creaked and flesh burned, but as a third came my way I drew on Foehn, and it went up like a blazing torch, the wood charring and cracking, flesh searing. The wheel toppled, falling onto its side as it was consumed, and as the fourth tried rolling around me to attack from behind it ran into a glittering haze of vibrating jade strings of wind. Yeah, just because it has its own flames doesn¡¯t mean hotter, better ones don¡¯t work...


    ¡°Such pain... why?¡± the wheel cried. Its wood was harder than steel, yet even so, momentum and the vibrating edge of the wind combined to shear through, splinters flying everywhere, and the head within was bisected, falling apart in a welter of red and silver.


    ¡°That is her technique!¡± The wheel held by my blades cried, and the other tried to trample me again, breathing out a stream of toxic flames in my direction. I blocked that with an eruption of earth, and my slashing blades chipped away at the wheel pressing in on me, until Rending triggered, and space shuddered, the head exploding.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Eight to Eighty-Nine. All of your Material statistics...


    Nice. The last wheel, the other having burned away, tried to retreat, but there was no way I was allowing that to happen. ¡°Hang on a minute. By her, you mean that Twentieth, right? The Kamaitachi?¡±


    ¡°I must retreat, return to the Parade...¡± the Wanyu?do? screeched, eyeing the corpses of its companions. ¡°Such trouble should be dealt with firmly, cruelly!¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Spires of earth ripped free, piercing through the gaps in the spokes, holding the wheel in place. ¡°I think you ought to stay put.¡±


    ¡°Let... let me go!¡± the wheel struggled, but it was useless, as even as it tried to pull free or burn the rock spikes, I reinforced them with more earth element.


    ¡°No, answer my questions.¡± I said firmly. ¡°I want to know about the Kamaitachi.¡±


    ¡°I am trapped, my fellows slain. Such disappointment.¡± The wheel fought back, reversing course, trying to run me down. It caught me a little by surprise, but I was not so foolish as to neglect my defences, and Foehn sparked to life, and the wheel cried, pinned in place and blazing until it collapsed to ash and ether.


    Damn. I clicked my tongue in frustration. The Wanyu?do? were clearly minions of this Grand Katasharin, who is likely one of the Hundred Demons. So they know Shaeula¡¯s mother. Oh well... As the others emerged from hiding, Kana and the other girls looking at me with sparkling eyes, Yamato-san clearly worried, I shrugged. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t get the information I wanted, but I told you I could handle them. They weren¡¯t weak by any means, their fiery aura was a pain, but I¡¯m damn tough.¡± Yeah, I¡¯d have struggled back when I was in the high forties, probably, before my stats got their huge boost and I got extra resistances and Fortitude from the Furious Earth. Obviously, if these were just stragglers from one Demon of the Parade, taking on the whole thing would be total suicide.


    ¡°You really showed them!¡± Kana cheered, eyeing Yamato-san sideways. ¡°If you were here in Kyoto, I bet you could clear it up!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go overpraising me.¡± I laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get arrogant. Sure, I won, but they weren¡¯t weak. If their Grand Katasharin and more of the wheels came at me at once, I¡¯d be under real pressure, no doubt. Anyway, they¡¯re done, we should move on.¡±


    ¡°Before we do...¡± Yamato-san said, frowning. ¡°You said you were with the Ninetieth of the Night Parade, I heard it clearly.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Shaeula is the daughter of a foreign prince and one of the Night Parade. The Twentieth, it seems.¡± I said, unwilling to lie, as Shaeula was proud of her heritage. ¡°On killing a member of the Night Parade, the Ninetieth, she became one of the Parade. Though obviously she has no intention of joining it and roaming the land doing evil. No, she merely wishes to see her mother again. Hence why I wanted information. Not that they would talk...¡± I nudged the shattered fragments of one wheel with my foot, still irritated. ¡°I trust this isn¡¯t an issue? If anything, it makes my aid more valuable. We can¡¯t face the Parade head-on, this fight just proves it.¡± The Wanyu?do? were basically trash-clearers, unless you had enough strength to resist their baleful, fiery aura, you¡¯d perish quickly, so it wasn¡¯t like numbers could do the job either.


    ¡°I... I will need to take word of this to my father.¡± Yamato-san said finally. ¡°But before that, we must claim all the Territory I can.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s like, get the hell out of here. First the pot, then those ugly wheels. I¡¯m so done with this.¡± Mine-san pouted. ¡°Though I guess getting my power-up was pretty sweet. Hey, you want to hit a bar afterwards, Akio-kun? My treat! I owe you!¡±


    I could see Eri puffing up annoyed, but it wasn¡¯t as if I was going to anyway. ¡°No, sorry, I probably have to meet the neutral shrines after this. Chiyo-san was arranging that. But maybe another time.¡±


    ¡°Sure, another time. Did I just get turned down? Like, woah!¡± she giggled, and my sis patted her on the back reassuringly.


    ¡°You ought to keep out of my bro¡¯s clutches anyway. He¡¯s a true harem protagonist, only he¡¯s actually getting some action!¡±


    Eri flushed at that, hissing her name, while Kana looked away, also a little pink.


    ¡°All right. Enough of that.¡± Yamato-san said, and Naruhito-san agreed. ¡°Time to finish this! Kyoto is still full of danger...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± I asked Kana as she opened her eyes, back in the Material. Eri and my sis were already up, stretching tired muscles. Several hours had passed, and it was now the evening. On checking my phone I had seen messages from Chiyo-san, so I sent a reply indicating I would travel to the meeting she had arranged as soon as possible, while also firing off a few texts to other people I needed to contact.


    ¡°Pretty scary. But... you were cool, I have to admit it.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°So, ready yet?¡± My sis asked her, and Kana shook her head.


    ¡°All right then. It¡¯s your life.¡± Eri said ominously. ¡°The doors are closing. I don¡¯t like it, but we all came to a decision. You need to as well.¡±


    ¡°Look, well... oh hell, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a big decision, isn¡¯t it?¡± she sighed. ¡°Can we... look, Akio has to go out, right? Want to go somewhere too?¡±


    ¡°Your treat?¡± my sis asked, and Kana nodded sourly. Shaeula, who had also been watching this, snickered.


    ¡°You are as amusing as ever Kana. I do-do rather approve of you.¡±


    ¡°So, did anyone try anything while we were sleeping?¡± I asked and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, everything was peaceful. I did not-not expect anything, but it is better to be safe than to be sorry, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely. Anyway, since the girls are going out... well, Eri should be able to keep them safe I imagine. Shaeula, we need to talk on route.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she cocked her head quizzically.


    ¡°Yes, I found out some information. Just a little. On... on your mother.¡±

 Side Eighty-Seven – Saionji Gin – Master of Kinkaku-Ji, Amaterasu Faction

    Side Eighty-Seven ¨C Saionji Gin ¨C Master of Kinkaku-Ji, Amaterasu Faction


    ¡°Thank you, Saionji-sama. I will not disappoint!¡± the priest bowed low, his two sons doing likewise. As they left, Gin turned to his adjunct, one of the newly-gathered chosen of the Gods, who had arrived from Namba Yasaka-jinja, in Osaka. It was an Amaterasu faction shrine for several generations, and was famous for the massive lion-headed building that attracted many visitors every year.


    And the fact that it is another shrine that claims to worship Susanoo no doubt annoys that bastard Uchida. Though the shrine worships other deities too. Although... He regarded the older priest, whose black hair was going to grey around his temples and nape, his small body a little hunched and crushed by age. To think that such a notable shrine, even if it had to be restored multiple times over the years, due to religious persecution and then war, would be chosen by a foreign God, not one from these sacred shores.


    It was an issue he was wrestling with. Being chosen was power, power the faith sorely needed if they were to regain the respect and authority they had once possessed, and Japan sorely needed in these troubled times. But being chosen by a foreign deity... In time, we will need to look at that again. It would not do to dilute faith in the eight million kami too easily... But whatever thoughts he had on the matter, right now, Yasaka-san had a power that Gin could not do without, one he was unaware even existed until he answered the call to Conclave.


    ¡°So, how many is that now?¡± Gin asked, knowing the answer, but he found it sometimes helped to organise his thoughts to have someone else announce it for him, allowing an outside perspective.


    ¡°That would be nine, including yourself, Saionji-sama.¡± Yasaka-san looked at the list. ¡°Four here in Kyoto. Yourself, here at Kinkaku-ji, while Shimogamo-jinja, Kouzan-ji, and a minor shrine located near the river, Aoishinkaihebi shrine also boast chosen.¡±


    ¡°There should be two more. First we lost that idiot who squandered the blessing being chosen as the heir of Tofuku-ji, and then another who was blessed from one of our minor shrines perished, getting too greedy and running into something deadly in Spiritual Kyoto.¡± Whether it was the Night Parade or something else, Gin had no way of knowing. Even so, the idiot was dead too, and that was a heavy blow.


    ¡°Also, a shrine maiden from a minor shrine that was part of Tsukuyomi faction perished, but in her case... the shrine itself collapsed, the kami... gone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am hardly pleased about that.¡± Gin sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t weep for the loss of idiots who get greedy, even if it weakens us, but... that foolish girl managed to get a kami killed, a shrine deconsecrated. Even though it was merely a minor member of the eight million kami, its loss is irreplaceable. That damn fool Kudou needs to get a grip on his minions. Though I suppose I shouldn¡¯t put on airs. I¡¯ve suffered losses too.¡±


    In addition, there had been deaths outside of Kyoto, affecting every faction, precious chosen from the shrines and temples dead. And we have injured chosen too, though unless the injuries are fatal, most seem able to recover, given enough time...


    ¡°Then there is me.¡± Yasaka-san said, with a dry, self-deprecating laugh. ¡°As well as four others who have arrived for Conclave.¡±


    ¡°And I only knew three of those.¡± He muttered. ¡°A number are trying to hide their own abilities, it seems.¡± Like I did, until it became impossible to hide the presence of my divine blessing on Kinkaku-ji and the surrounds. That fox Kudou knows for sure. ¡°Still, like recognises like. Avalokiteshvara is with me. Ironic that Uchida¡¯s whelp seems to be chosen by Kannon. After all, Kannon is merely one representation of Avalokiteshvara. Someone serving a lesser fragment should not lead the faith.¡±


    ¡°The gods are hard to understand. They can have many faces, many aspects and avatars.¡± Yasaka-san said piously. ¡°I understand this.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you do.¡± Gin admitted, knowing his ability and foreign deity. ¡°I am no religious scholar, not of foreign faiths anyway, but the Roman deities were usually just deemed a version of their Greek predecessors, correct?¡±


    Yasaka-san agreed. ¡°Yet it seems that they now are separate. Or perhaps like Avalokiteshvara and Kannon, they exist together as aspects of a greater whole.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is fascinating, but I have much to do before Conclave tomorrow. Needless to say, I expect some others will be hiding their status, so we need to ferret them out and bring them into the fold. Speaking of... what of Princess Mikasa? Has she agreed to see me?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid her attendants said she was most fatigued from the journey. She asks not to be disturbed.¡± He shook his head.


    I see. It is a little vexing, but I cannot make demands of her, as she is both an Imperial Princess, and a chosen of Amaterasu, of the Grand Shrine at Ise, no less. But her implicit favour would do much for me at Conclave, and even if she declines, as she has been doing, I would still like to broach a few further issues with her, ones she might well support...


    ¡°No matter. We can try again tomorrow before Conclave.¡± He dismissed the failure, choosing to concentrate on more pressing matters. ¡°And the Diviner? Will she meet with me?¡± That old man Kudou keeps her close, and while she is firmly in his faction, the Diviner belongs to all Kyoto and the wider faiths, so she will extend her hand to others...


    ¡°No. The Diviner and Kudou-sama had a visitor, and after that, the Diviner took to her chambers at her shrine, and has not been seen since.¡± Yasaka-san let out a long sigh. ¡°I tried using my Book of Providence to seek an answer as to why, but all I could gather was that a vision had driven her to despair.¡±


    ¡°A vision of despair? One strong enough to shake that icy woman?¡± Gin frowned. ¡°If it is that important, no doubt she will speak of it at Conclave. But I dearly wished to win her over, separating her from that damn fox Kudou. Well, enough of that. I suppose I need to continue greeting the guests. Who is next?¡±


    ¡°A minor shrine from Tokyo. Hisuikomushi. Kikuchi Shuta-san¡± Yasaka-san checked the list.


    ¡°Another minor shrine, huh? So tiring.¡± Gin frowned. Still, that name seems familiar. Wait... ¡°Did you say Hisuikomushi? I am sure I heard that the priest of that shrine was dead, or in a serious accident, or some such.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Apparently he was in a significant coma. Though more importantly... that was caused by spiritual matters. He is a chosen.¡±


    ¡°Father, this is an opportunity! We were beholden to rough yakuza and living hand-to-mouth for years!¡± his son urged. ¡°Now Saionji-sama is offering you a place of high regard! Do it, if you are a man!¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up. Brother.¡± His sister said, face pale, each word punctuated by anger. ¡°We already have a place of high regard.¡±


    Curious. Though considering his company, and the nobility backing this Oshiro-san, it makes sense she would see it that way. But upstarts are upstarts, we have fifteen hundred years of history, no, more, on our side.


    ¡°You sister is right.¡± Kikuchi-san agreed. ¡°Oshiro-san is our benefactor, I would be worse than dead, and you two would be homeless if not for him. Still, I do need to give Saionji-sama his due. He turned to Gin. ¡°So... are you aware that under certain conditions, kami can be brought to this world, given a body, such as you or I?¡±


    Gin drew in a breath, not expecting that. It is the most powerful secret I possess, that I and several others of Amaterasu have managed to bring lesser kami from the smaller shrines of Kyoto to this world, though the one I brought forth seems content to sleep most of the time. Still, producing them at Conclave was going to be my crowning moment of glory... ¡°So, Shaeula and the... maid, was it?¡± Gin said, thinking. ¡°Are they kami? Shaeula, the name does not sound Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Not kami nor gods, but powerful spiritual beings.¡± Kikuchi-san answered. ¡°As for kami... our jade beetle, he walks the Earth. He is back at the lodgings Oshiro-san paid for. I was... hoping to reveal him to you when the time was right.¡±


    Gin eyed Yasaka-san, and a little aether surged, signalling he was using Book of Providence to verify these claims. Kikuchi-san shifted, perhaps sensing some aether usage nearby, but he remained silent and humble. A moment later, Yasaka-san gave a small nod. So, it¡¯s true. ¡°Fascinating. So is it just your kami?¡± he asked and Kikuchi-san wavered. ¡°You do not have to answer if it would put you in a difficult position.¡± He said reasonably, though in his mind he was annoyed. From that reaction there¡¯s at least another. So either neutral or more annoyingly, Susanoo faction. That lessens the impact of mine, and these spiritual beings also are a conundrum...


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± Kikuchi-san smiled a little. ¡°I am in a quandary. I do not wish to deny you what I know, but... I also have to serve Oshiro-san¡¯s interests.¡±


    ¡°Well, if your kami is able to manifest, then your place under Amaterasu is assured. Even more so...¡± he said, his expression friendly. ¡°... if you can pass on my regards to Oshiro-san. I would dearly like to meet him, he will find me likely more accommodating than Uchida and his arrogant whelp.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll offer him your words, but he is very busy.¡± Kikuchi-san apologised. ¡°But I am sure I can persuade him to make some time for you, Saionji-sama.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. So, Yasaka-san...¡± Gin said, thinking on how best to extract further information. ¡°Bring some drinks for our guests. I would speak to Kikuchi-san further. Push back the other visitors.¡± He looked at the son and daughter. ¡°I fear we will bore you talking of shrine matters. Go enjoy yourselves for now.¡±


    ¡°Be careful about what you say, father.¡± The girl warned, before Yasaka-san led them out.


    ¡°Well, you have a good daughter there.¡± Gin grinned, trying to lower Kikuchi-san¡¯s guard. ¡°She must be very proud her father was chosen.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I made a mess of things.¡± He muttered. ¡°Only luck and outside aid saved me and my family. But now... I have a chance to be better. To do better.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Gin agreed. ¡°So, allow me to ask...¡±


    ********


    Well, wasn¡¯t that both fascinating and troubling in equal measure. Gin looked at Yasaka-san, who was reviewing information from his Book of Providence. ¡°So, is what he was saying true? That this chosen has opened a training school for both the shrines and nobility, and can allow access to the Spiritual Realm, where the kami dwell?¡±


    ¡°There can be no mistake. The answer is clear. Kikuchi-san¡¯s daughter has been through this too, apparently, and it strengthens her spiritual power, as well as her strength, durability, intelligence and more. Providence says she would be able to fight on equal terms with a relatively strong adult man. As for nobility... Providence has answered. Oshiro-san is favoured by Takakura-sama, as well as some of the most powerful noble houses in Japan. He also has political capital. The Book spells the name of the Prime Minister.¡±


    The Book of Providence has many drawbacks, but Yasaka-san has quickly become my right hand after proving himself with it. It will not answer questions with evil intentions, and one must have a clear idea of the sort of answer one is likely to receive, and certain events with spiritual significance deny revelation... ¡°Being a vassal, too. It doesn¡¯t seem possible, why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± Gin sighed.


    ¡°The Book shows me it is possible.¡± Yasaka-san said again. ¡°So while Kikuchi-san does support your faction, he is unable to go against his master without consequences.¡±


    ¡°Consequences political, financial and spiritual. Yes, I can give up on having Kikuchi-san for my own, but even so... I refuse to allow that fool Uchida to reap the benefits of alliance with his master. Japan has been declining ever since the faith lost their voice n the running of the country, and the nobility have lost their way as well, more concerned with their own influence, and keeping alive old traditions. A worthy goal in itself, true, but... sooner or later Japan would fall, even before this new age of faith, our foreign enemies eyed us covetously, looking to punish us for past transgressions or taking us over for their own greed.¡± He shook his head, aggrieved. ¡°No, we need a strong hand, one that realises we must be powerful and united. And that is not Uchida, or that old fence-sitter Kudou, or even old man Bankei. It must be me.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how should we proceed?¡± Yasaka-san asked. ¡°The information we¡¯ve gained is rather important, right?¡±


    ¡°It is. We¡¯ve learned a lot, even though Kikuchi-san was careful in what he revealed. Your Book... it¡¯s a fascinating tool. And I am afraid I am going to need to put it to further use. I am especially interested in how his master manages to give even spiritually-bereft nobility their new aptitude. The spiritual is the province of the faith, it should not be shared too widely, nor too carelessly... I shall have to protest to Takakura-san...¡±


    With his mind working on the problem, Gin sighed. Damn, still so many more adherents of Amaterasu to see today, when I merely wish to work on this new problem. Well, it is the price of leadership, I suppose...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Five

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Five


    After Eri, Kana and my sis left, heading for a tourist area of Kyoto so they could find a cafe? or somewhere similar to eat, Shaeula and I hopped in a waiting taxi, to take us to Kegon-ji, where we would meet Chiyo-san and the neutral shrines of Kyoto. It¡¯s certainly been a busy day, and it¡¯s not over yet. I can¡¯t imagine how much more intense it¡¯s going to be tomorrow, at the actual first day of Conclave. I also had a text from Kikuchi-san, saying that the head of his faction, Saionji-san, earnestly wished to meet me. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have time today, being fully booked for the remainder. Maybe just before Conclave, after I¡¯ve finished at Kiyomizu-dera and the light element there...


    Firing back a reply, I considered the three girls. If it was before, I would have been concerned about them all alone in an unfamiliar city, but it would take a Candidate to cause trouble for Eri and my sis now, and Eri was still very wary of other people, especially men, so there was no need to worry. Besides, I promised to let them do their own thing, and take their own risks, so long as it was sensible. I cant wrap them in cotton wool, or treat them like trophies, to only be taken out when I want to admire them. It was hard though, as by nature I was a worrier...


    ¡°Thinking about Eri and the others?¡± Shaeula asked, leaning against me, content. She was a little sad to have not been able to see the Boundary version of Kiyomizu-dera, but on hearing of my heroics and how that pressured Yamato-san, she had laughed, happy. ¡°They will be quite-quite fine on their own, you know that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was just thinking that.¡± I admitted. ¡°But... it¡¯s an odd grouping. I was under the impression that Eri didn¡¯t really like Kana, although...¡±


    ¡°Although...¡± Shaeula echoed, a small smile on her face, looking annoyingly smug.


    ¡°... look, I like to think I¡¯m not as dense as I used to be. She did think I was interested in Kana, right and... well, I think Kana is quite the flirty girl, so I was trying to not get the wrong idea, but...¡±


    ¡°I do not-not think you have read Kana right.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°I do believe at our first meeting and subsequently, she did-did indeed try and flatter you outrageously, using her beauty to great-great effect, but that was because she wanted something from you. Ordinarily, I do believe she is not-not fond of males pressuring her and trying to ... pick her up, I believe they say here.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard her and her friends talk about being hit on by older guys and stupid idiots her own age, and they sounded pretty pissed off with it. But... she¡¯s been very clear that she wants a monogamous relationship, one where the man pampers her. And I can¡¯t say I blame her. I thought I was getting that with Eri.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it? Regret me?¡± Shaeula asked, and I shook my head, hugging her tightly.


    ¡°Of course not. How could I?¡± I kissed her gently, a fleeting brush of our lips. ¡°I love you too. It was... it was troubling. And ... well maybe this was the best solution for everyone. But I still feel I got the better end of the deal.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course you did-did.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°You have me, and you have Eri. But that does not-not mean we were denied our fair due. Akio, you love and cherish us, and more-more importantly, you accept everything and help us towards our dreams. You allowed Eri the choice to enter the Boundary by herself, though you did-did everything to make her as safe as possible. You accepted my foolish family and my dream, supporting me to achieve it with my own-own hands. It would be meaningless if it was just given to me. So have no doubts that I and Eri are happy. Do you... do you regret Hinata, or Motoko, or Natsumi?¡±


    Regret? No... though I do regret I was pushed into it so easily. I¡¯m not strong to sudden pressure, especially from girls who seem like Eri or my sis, though I am working on it. ¡°No, no matter how it started, I¡¯ve grown to care for them deeply, love them. I do like to see girls trying their hardest at their dreams...¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth then? Or this Shiro?¡± Shaeula persisted.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t. Hyacinth... she¡¯s given everything to us, and... she seemed so sad, and now she¡¯s so happy. What man could regret that? As for Shiro... I only regret she got so hurt. Every time I think about her arm, or her scars, it makes me so angry...¡±


    Shaeula patted my head reassuringly. ¡°Since she lives, there is surely hope, is there not-not? I will aid you, and Selensha can assist. Between the three-three of us... we shall succeed. So, you do not-not regret us all?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not. And I promised Eri I wouldn¡¯t let guilt poison me, so I¡¯m trying but... it¡¯s still hard not to feel bad, guilty.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°But at least you are giving it quite-quite some thought. Now... Kana. Would you regret her?¡±


    ¡°Look, I said I¡¯m not having any more girls. I¡¯m stretched thin as it is, and even if I¡¯m a bastard, I want to make sure you all have your fair share. As it is, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi are being a bit short-changed. Once Conclave is over, I¡¯ll have to make it up to them.¡±


    ¡°But... you like Kana, do you not-not?¡± she persisted. ¡°And you know Kana likes you, much as you try to deny it to yourself.¡±


    ¡°It seems so. Though yes, I would like to deny it. Most of the things I¡¯ve done that might have made her like me, like saving her from the yakuza, were my fault anyway really. I feel like I¡¯m tricking her, somehow... and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Foolish Akio. You do not-not understand the heart of a female. Yes, I am quite-quite sure that moment had a large impact on her heart, but if that-that was enough, then these police you have would have many-many females, no? You are pleasing to look-look upon, since you have started taking care of yourself, you show her kindness and pay attention to what she does and says, she trusts you to look-look out for her and her interests... many-many females would have their heads turned by such. It is the accumulation of many little things that grow love. It was the same for me-me. Though a large event can turn seedlings of affection into a mighty tree...¡± she grinned. ¡°...so, if Kana asks earnestly for your love, would you refuse her?¡±


    Would I? A good question... With that thought in mind I fell silent, and was deep in thought until our destination, Shaeula wordlessly leaning on me, breathing softly...


    *********


    The loud sound of crickets and cicadas chirping echoed throughout the evening air of Kegon-ji. The bamboo forests and mossy beds around the shrine were extremely attractive, and the statues and other sculptures gave the place a rather refined air. Though that air is somewhat overshadowed by the feel of a Territory surrounding us. Since it affects the Material as well, someone in the shrine must be a Candidate...


    The priest that had met us, shaven-headed and dressed in Buddhist robes, pointed to one magnificent statue, the Kofuku Jizo, or wish granter of happiness. ¡°This humble one has had the pleasure of... no, I shall let master Bankei and master Hakue explain.¡± The monk demurred, a slight smile on his face.


    Since the temple was shut to the public right now, it was rather quiet, only us and the adherents of the neutral shrines present, so Shaeula was able to be as inquisitive as she wished. ¡°It can grant-grant wishes? Powerful indeed. Though I do not-not believe we need to wish for anything, as together we can succeed by our own strength, can we not-not?¡±


    I agreed with a smile. Approaching the main building I could see a number of Buddhist monks, priests and shrine maidens waiting for us, along with Chiyo-san, who was sitting down on a chair that had been placed in the gardens. On seeing us, her expression brightened.


    ¡°Well, you have certainly kept these old bones waiting. Bankei and the others are waiting within.¡± She said, standing with a sigh. ¡°Be mindful of how you speak to him. Bankei is a forgiving man, but he does not care for liars, so speak the truth.¡± She eyed me, before letting out a loud snort. ¡°Not that you should struggle with that. You are the garrulous sort, for sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, Uchida Yamato-san talked us into helping him out in the Boundary.¡± I apologised. ¡°And it took a while.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t recall asking for your opinion...¡± she began, angry, but I stepped in.


    ¡°Sorry. Shaeula can be quite opinionated. And... well, she knows what it is to be in the shoes of the powerless, her fate not her own. And she¡¯s clawed her way back up out of that hole. So she understands. It¡¯s better to have a choice than not.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Bankei looked at us searchingly. ¡°Better to have a choice than not. This humble one thinks those words are wise. So, tell me, Oshiro-san, what choice would you make, were you at the head of the faithful? Do you wish to claim power, dominate? Or advise those in power, while protecting your own interests? Or sit aside, and see what happens, hoping to pick up the pieces?¡±


    So that¡¯s the question. And relevant to the three factions, I believe. ¡°That¡¯s simple. Preserve the best of faith, throw out the worst. Just like with nobility, business, politics. Seriously, this is no time for games. The end of the world could be upon us at any time. I don¡¯t know if you have any knowledge for us, Kofuku Jizo-sama, but I was told it is coming by a Valkyrie. And I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m unprepared and let those I care about suffer. Hell, even those I don¡¯t care about deserve a chance to prosper.¡±


    ¡°Alas, I have not met one of the great Gods for a long time.¡± the kami said. ¡°I was slumbering, the spiritual energy of this place only enough to sustain me in my rest. Though recently, the shell around this world, the Boundary that separates the lowest of the Astral from the rest, has begun to crack, the lower Astral leaking in. Kyoto is one such place. Yet I know this. As we become ever more bathed in the Astral Tides, creatures long banished from this world will return, and... you are not ready.¡±


    There was silence in the room, but nobody looked shocked by this. No doubt they¡¯ve been discussing this. ¡°In that case, what we have to do is clear.¡± I declared. ¡°We strengthen ourselves as much as we can, and our Territories too. But that won¡¯t be enough. The faith alone. Nobility alone. Government alone. Candidates alone. If we all do our own things, only worrying about our own interests, then we¡¯ll fall. But if we all work together, not only can we have a chance of surviving what¡¯s to come, we can also take the opportunity to make the world better for everyone. Out with the toxic baggage of the past, but bring in ideas that will create a bright future.¡±


    ¡°You said similar to Takakura-sama and the nobility, didn¡¯t you?¡± Chiyo-san cackled. Turning to Bankei-san and Hakue-san, she explained about my training school, and how it was run. After that, Bankei-san looked at me, thinking, stroking his chin.


    ¡°So, you have nobility, the common people, the military, the shrines and temples... all working and training together? Interesting. This humble one does wonder though... do you see yourself in charge?¡±


    ¡°When I make deals, I like to make sure both sides benefit. For example...¡± I explained about the rather losing deal I made with Yamato-san earlier. ¡°... but if infighting and stupidity are going to cost me and everyone else, I¡¯ll put a stop to it. I don¡¯t have to lead, but if I can¡¯t see a better alternative, or those that do are making a mess of things, I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll step up.¡± I looked at Shaeula then. ¡°After all, I have those I need to protect, and I¡¯d rather regret doing than not doing.¡±


    ¡°I see. It is much as you said, Chiyo.¡± Bankei-san agreed. ¡°Nephew, Kyoko, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you are asking me.¡± Kyoko-san sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no backing out for me. But I¡¯d like to follow someone who knows what they are doing. He seems strong. Her too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This humble one would like to exchange information.¡± Hakue-san agreed. ¡°Kyoto is dangerous, but it sounds like you assisted Uchida-san well. I would appreciate your expertise. You too, I presume, Jizo-sama?¡±


    The kami agreed. ¡°Well, with those terrors stalking the city by night, and the many hostile creatures who make Kyoto their own lair, I am hardly eager to venture out of Kegon-ji. I don¡¯t wish to end up destroyed like that poor fool...¡± he shuddered.


    ¡°Yes, a shrine lost its kami, and collapsed, the chosen of the gods within dead by her own foolishness. A great and bitter shame.¡± Bankei-san mourned. ¡°We wish to avoid that at all costs. This humble one mourns the other deaths as well. Conclave... it has come at last, though long delayed by infighting and jockeying for position. So now I ask... what do you aim for? Make it plain.¡±


    ¡°Right. Chiyo-san should know already, but I believe that we need to work together. For now, I agree with the government that we need to keep matters secret, but we should start preparing for the inevitable day soon when it is revealed to the world. The first thing we need to do is pool our knowledge and prepare a united front. To that end, we plan to set up a Ministry...¡± as I narrated our plans, the eyes of the neutral shrines were upon me. Chiyo-san was smiling, which I hoped was a good sign, but even so, I exerted all my Majesty and Charm, hoping it would make them listen...


    ********


    ¡°That was exhausting.¡± I said, watching the autumnal trees on the riverbanks pass us by as we took the boat through the night air back towards our ryokan. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think I did too bad a job.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded, her amber eyes watching the play of the moonlight on the water. ¡°An agreement to join with the Ministry and have some-some input in forming the new rules, as well as stand in your corner in Conclave. Their numbers are few-few, but two more who have the blessings of the Gods shall be your allies.¡± She snuggled close, autumnal chill creeping in, though with our stats it was no problem for us to endure, even lightly dressed as we were. ¡°And another who can walk the mortal world as well. This Kofuku Jizo.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It went much better than with Kudou-san or Uchida-san, though we still have tonight to earn full support from Kudou-san.¡± I remembered the Diviner and her worries. ¡°Still, so long as we have the Susanoo shrines in our corner, we can make this work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so long as we do.¡± Shaeula declared, frowning. ¡°I just hope they do not-not try anything foolish.¡±


    ¡°You think they would?¡± I was surprised by that. ¡°We¡¯ve been good to them, and are allowing them leeway to keep up with their prior commitments. There¡¯s no benefit in stabbing me in the back. Only demerits.¡±


    ¡°True...¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But then, the Seelie Court is the same. The Aggressors, the Isolationists. They make little sense to me, as often they take actions that hurt their own-own interests. Do not-not deny the possibility of foolishness.¡±


    I see. Yeah, not everyone is rational. And people act on their own interests. Hell, I do the same... ¡°Yeah, politics is hard. But I¡¯m waist-deep in that now. The minute I got involved with Shirohebizumi shrine that started, and now the bill is coming due. But... I¡¯ve also learned I need to look after my own interests.¡±


    ¡°Yes, such as multiple marriages.¡± Shaeula grinned saucily. ¡°You are indeed-indeed weak to females.¡±


    ¡°Not just that.¡± I laughed. ¡°Suitable laws governing our powers, and more. If Conclave goes well and the factions can agree, we can integrate the faith into the Ministry, and gain access to a wealth of potential knowledge and abilities... bridging the gap between the political world, Imperial Family, faith and nobility... a new Japan, that is both spiritually strong, and in a good place to endure whatever might come...¡±


    ¡°A noble goal indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed happily. ¡°And the Seelie Court shall surely be the same-same, and a close ally to your land. After all... this is the land of my mother, is it not-not?¡±


    Pulling her close, I agreed. ¡°Yes, and who knows... maybe you¡¯ll see her soon.¡±


    ¡°I would like that, though the thought does-does scare me.¡± She admitted, as the boat pulled int the dock, our ryokan visible, paper lanterns shining prettily all around us.


    ¡°Well, we are both scared. But we¡¯ll power though.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She agreed. ¡°We will, for we both must...¡±

 Side Eighty-Eight – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side Eighty-Eight ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°This one looks nice, how about it?¡± I said, looking at the two girls with me. Kana-chan was wearing her shrine maiden hakama, so ordinarily would have stood out, but not in current Kyoto, as we passed multiple groups of them. It was strange, as quite often the groups would eye each other warily, as if looking at some sort of rival. Wow, you can cut the tension with a knife.


    ¡°Yes, it seems pleasant enough.¡± Eri agreed, checking out the small cafe?, with pretty coloured lights in the window and charming old-fashioned tables. More to the point, those parfait and drinks look good!


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s my treat, after all.¡± Kana-chan shrugged. The bell on the door rang, and a waitress rushed over to seat us. ¡°Over there, I think.¡± Kana-chan said, pointing to a more isolated corner, as there were several tables occupied by gaggles of shrine maidens. Damn, my bro must be loving it here right now, I¡¯m sure he has a thing for shrine maidens, the way he¡¯s going about gathering them...


    As I slandered my big bro in my thoughts I pulled open a menu, admiring the pictures. ¡°So, yeah, I¡¯ll have the jumbo chocolate parfait and a fruit juice combination.¡± I picked mine, getting a look from Kana-chan.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m not going to go easy on your wallet, Kana-chan.¡± I giggled. ¡°Besides, I know my bro has been giving you all pocket money for attending his training school, and you and Marika-chan get the most, right? He spoils you.¡±


    ¡°Keomi-chan too. She¡¯s always getting him to buy her cake...¡± Kana-chan said sourly, picking out her own treats, Eri too. As the server came over to take our orders, Kana-chan looked down at her hands, frowning. ¡°So, are we going to talk...¡±


    ¡°Not right now, right?¡± I said, stopping her. She looked at me in surprise, but I didn¡¯t want to talk about it right now. We¡¯ll all calm down a bit first, and there¡¯s other stuff to mention as well. ¡°It isn¡¯t often that we get to hang out, Kana-chan. So... how did you find it? Battle, I mean.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a question, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kana-chan sighed. ¡°It... well, it was frightening, but I guess I knew Akio was watching, so he wouldn¡¯t let me get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro¡¯s just stupidly overprotective. It¡¯s actually getting worse too, now that he knows what dangers are really out there, even if he is trying his hardest to fight against it.¡± I shared a glance with Eri, who smiled. ¡°He really didn¡¯t want to let Eri fight in Nishimorioka alone, so he got her all sorts of armour and weapons, and insisted she had the followers from the shrine go with her.¡± I sighed, a long exhalation. ¡°Totally overprotective, but...¡±


    ¡°... but it¡¯s better than having him not care.¡± Eri finished for me. ¡°I love him for it, even if it frustrates me!¡± Eri declared boldly, and I was once more struck by just how much she¡¯d changed. Her appearance too. She¡¯s cut her hair a little differently, the bangs over her eyes are shorter, making her look a bit less timid. Not that my bro said anything to her about it, I bet. Wow, for a guy who is six-timing her, or is it seven, now, he can sure be dense. Case in point... I looked at Kana-chan, who seemed to understand the sentiment.


    ¡°Yes, I have to admit, he does make me feel safe. Even though the whole mess with the yakuza was his fault!¡± she pouted, and I had to admit she looked great even doing that. I was used to being around other pretty girls, Eri and I, our mothers, the two from school... but Kana-chan wasn¡¯t beaten by us. She¡¯s younger but doesn¡¯t really look it, she¡¯s got a mature air about her. Is that because she¡¯s from Tokyo?


    ¡°Though...¡± Kana-chan continued. ¡°... the next time there was trouble, I never saw any of it. He and Shaeula had beaten them down before they got anywhere near us. Some sort of Special Forces soldiers too... it is reassuring.¡± She stopped talking as the server brought over our treats, and as the rich and surprisingly huge parfait was placed down in front of me I wiped my mouth, hoping I wasn¡¯t drooling.


    ¡°Right.¡± Eri had a fruit one, which looked equally good, stuffed with cut strawberries, grapes, raspberries, mango and more, all slathered in cream, honey and chocolate sauce. It¡¯s no good, I¡¯m going to have to... I leaned over, spooning out a mouthful of hers and eating it triumphantly, earning a look from Eri, and a brief giggle from Kana-chan.


    ¡°You two sure are close.¡± She said. ¡°I guess that makes sense. You are always together, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound weird.¡± I protested. ¡°Sure, Eri is super cute, and if I was into girls and she wasn¡¯t my bro¡¯s woman, I¡¯d eat her up like that parfait.¡± I grinned to show I was joking, well, mostly, anyway. ¡°But that¡¯s a topic for later. Battle.¡± I reminded them. ¡°Do you think... you want to get stronger?¡± I asked the serious question.


    Kana-chan spooned in a mouthful of her own dessert, following it with a gulp of iced coffee, giving herself time to think. ¡°I didn¡¯t before, but now... I¡¯m not a proactive girl, I admit it. I¡¯ve coasted along on my looks and charm. But what I want doesn¡¯t matter that much now, does it? Since that day I saw your brother...¡± her eyes suddenly changed. It wasn¡¯t like when Shaeula did it, or now my bro, there was no hugely noticeable glow, but I could see flecks of colour in her brown eyes. It was pretty.


    ¡°... everything changed. He¡¯s even helped me control my gifts, that I thought were useless. And he tells me... he tells me that sight-type abilities are amazing, and I should be proud of them, and I found somehow I was, at least a little. I used to hate all this shrine shit.¡± She confided, voice low. ¡°We were poor yet my father and grandfather were always putting on airs about our legacy and our bloodlines. I¡¯d have traded it all in a heartbeat for money.¡± She poked at her parfait idly. ¡°Now we have money. I guess you know what it¡¯s like, right? Akio said you were pretty poor.¡±


    ¡°Pretty poor? An understatement, at least your family owned land.¡± Eri complained. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Akio¡¯s family helping us out... well, I never had anything as a child, other than some hand-me-down books and toys. But Akio... he made life bearable and fun. So I can¡¯t say I never wanted money. But money doesn¡¯t buy happiness...¡± she scowled.


    ¡°I know. Though without it, happiness is hard to find.¡± Kana-chan shrugged. ¡°Now, I have another gift. I can¡¯t control it that well, even with the help of the Chirurgery, but... sometimes it comes, much more frequently than it used to. And I don¡¯t even need it now, but here we are.¡± She looked at Eri, her expression calm, but I was sure I could see nerves and tension under her placid surface. ¡°You really don¡¯t like me much, do you, Eri-chan?¡±


    I nearly spat out my juice at her bold declaration. Wow, not the time for that!


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Eri agreed calmly, and once more I nearly did a spit-take.


    ¡°Hey, no need for that, we are all...¡±


    ¡°Oh, do be quiet Aiko.¡± Eri said, shutting me up. Her black eyes had gone hard, and I knew Eri could be surprisingly stubborn. I suppose it¡¯s good to get things out in the open. After all, Kana-chan, she...


    ¡°I thought so. It¡¯s not jealousy, right? I¡¯m sensitive enough to know that.¡± Kana-chan laughed, a touch bitterly. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve been living with that from the day I started school. Being beautiful is a curse, I guess you two know that as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had my fair share of problems. Eri too.¡± I admitted. ¡°Even so, I¡®d rather be beautiful than not.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Kana-chan said, thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve always done my best to keep in shape, to dress as well as I could afford, to be charming and funny. Though thinking about it, that was all to appeal to other people. Not for myself. I guess I am shallow and false like you told me before, Eri-chan.¡±


    ¡°You are.¡± Eri agreed, once more surprising me. Seriously, go easy on her, Eri! ¡°And to be honest, I don¡¯t like the idea of you and Akio at all. But...¡±


    ¡°... but?¡± Kana-chan asked, surprised at her candour.


    ¡°... there¡¯s lots of things in life I don¡¯t like. At first I didn¡¯t like the idea of Shaeula and Akio. But in the end it turned out I actually didn¡¯t mind sharing him with her. Strange. I wonder when I started feeling that way?¡± she shook her head. ¡°After that, there were those noble girls... I feel conflicted about them, but they are sheltered, well-bred girls who understand how to give me my due as his first. So even if I don¡¯t much care for it, I can live with it. The dream of having him to myself died when I accepted Shaeula. Now it¡¯s just... managing it.¡± Her dark eyes glittered, and I fancied I could see hints of dark blue within, darkness energy, maybe. ¡°Hyacinth... I don¡¯t care about her sharing at all. She¡¯s devoted to Akio, and will never overstep her bounds. She¡¯s overjoyed just to play as our maid. And...¡± her face went hot and red, which was adorable. ¡°... I was there when they first had sex. I even joined in. I... I kind of liked it.¡± She whispered.


    Whoa, seriously? I know Eri told me she and Shaeula have been with my bro together in a threesome a few times, but... well, I guess it¡¯s always the shy ones that are the dirtiest in bed, or so Rika-chan and Yae-chan tell me anyway. Not that they¡¯d know, they are still pretty sheltered and inexperienced really. Their posturing is kind of adorable... just like our little scarlet Eri right now.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so, Kana-chan was amazed too. ¡°That... well, that surprised me.¡± She admitted. ¡°You don¡¯t seem the sort, Eri-chan.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She nodded. ¡°I never dreamed of it either. But... what else can I do? Akio would have refused the others if I had insisted. I know that. But the guilt would have crushed us both. I would have grown more and more needy and selfish, until even Akio was sickened by it. I know. As for this new girl, Shiro. Her... she worries me. Akio actually loved her it seems, and she¡¯s part of his life I don¡¯t know much about. But I will know. We have to fight for what we want, Kana-chan. Can you do that? Will you do that?¡±


    Laughter echoed at that, and as she reached out a hand, Eri and I took it. ¡°Fine then.¡± Eri said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it to Shaeula. I guess she¡¯ll support you. She¡¯s strange like that. As for training... all right. Tomorrow, ask to come along to that shrine again. If you could get an element, it would really help you...¡± as they continued to discuss Kana-chan¡¯s options, I smiled, surprised to find myself a little sad my bro looked like he wouldn¡¯t be getting another cute girlfriend just yet...


    Now that the mood has taken a turn for the better, let¡¯s change the subject. We can come back to this later. ¡°Hey, remember that guerrilla concert? I think I¡¯ve got the info.¡± I said, showing them my phone. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s being held tomorrow evening. I wonder if we should ask Akio to come? It might be the perfect atmosphere for something, you know?¡± I smirked.


    ¡°The first day of Conclave should be over by then.¡± Kana-chan mused. ¡°But is Akio into... no, stupid question. He¡¯s an otaku, I saw his room. No way he wouldn¡¯t be into idols. Plus he just loves shrine maidens. It¡¯s a double threat.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Maybe I should dress up too?¡± she was looking at my phone screen. ¡°So, it¡¯s held at the park opposite the Kyoto Imperial Palace? Neat.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Conclave is being held in the Palace, the shrines and temples have a lot of sway here in Kyoto.¡± Kana-chan said. ¡°And if the lead of Red and White is a shrine maiden from Tokyo like they say, chances are her shrine will be at Conclave. Not that she¡¯ll get to speak, no more than I would.¡± She sighed. ¡°Father will be representing Shirohebizumi, and normally I¡¯d be pleased I don¡¯t have any work to do, but... I actually feel like getting involved, you know?¡±


    ¡°Guess you are growing up, Kana-chan.¡± I said pretentiously, and she gave me a flat glare.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t that much older than me Aiko-senpai! Seriously though, I think I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to take over the shrine when I¡¯m older. I¡¯ll be a powerful shrine maiden in this new world, a beautiful, refined and strong catch, who any man would want!¡± she smiled.


    ¡°Any man, huh?¡± I said, referring to her earlier words, and she blushed, looking down.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to your brother, isn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m even saying it. These last weeks have been crazy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I approve.¡± Eri said, surprising Kana-chan. ¡°Not about Akio, but... well, I can respect your determination to hold onto your pride. Though I think if you are waiting for him to confess to you, you¡¯ll be waiting a long time, but growing stronger and being helpful... yes, that¡¯s good.¡± She held out a hand, and Kana-chan took it. ¡°Let¡¯s work hard together to help Akio.¡±


    ¡°Help with what?¡± I chuckled. More treats and drinks were brought over and as we dug in, I teased my best friend. ¡°Last I heard, you were planning to just be a housewife!¡±


    ¡°That was then.¡± Eri pouted. ¡°I was feeling insecure, but...¡± she giggled. ¡°Being able to fight gives you confidence, right Aiko? You¡¯ll see soon, Kana-chan.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯m going to ask Shaeula if there might be any other ways Kana-chan and I can grow stronger. If anyone knows, it¡¯d be her.¡± I rapidly typed out a message and fired it off. ¡°So anyway, what are you thinking now, Eri?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to be his personal assistant. I¡¯ve thought about it before, but... he needs someone with him who looks after him. I¡¯m smart, everyone says so, so I can learn what I need. I know he has Karen-san and the others, but... they work for money.¡±


    ¡°And you work for love, right Eri-chan?¡± Kana-chan giggled.


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± Eri admitted, unphased. ¡°But I¡¯d feel better knowing I was helping. After all, when it comes to fighting, we can¡¯t compare, but when it comes to money, making deals and keeping secrets... well, Akio isn¡¯t the best.¡± She admitted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± I grinned. ¡°Even when my dumb bro was lying to us about all of this, he kept doing stupid things like coming back injured when we were in Inuyama. If we didn¡¯t already know we¡¯d have worked out something was very wrong. Even Yae-chan and Rika-chan did.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Hinata is going to look after his financial decisions, which I guess makes sense.¡± Eri shook her head, eyeing her dessert. ¡°But that leaves a lot of room for other problems. I can help with those.¡±


    ¡°And that means you get to spend a lot more time with him, right?¡± Kana-chan asked, and Eri flushed.


    ¡°Yes, there is that.¡± She admitted boldly.


    ¡°But can you do it?¡± Kana-chan pressed. ¡°I might not know you that well, but I get that you... aren¡¯t exactly a people person, Eri-chan. ¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡± She snorted. ¡°But true. I don¡¯t really care much for spending time with people I don¡¯t know. Or even most I do know. But then, when you know you can break someone in half if they cause trouble, it makes you feel better about it! And as for the skills I¡¯ll need, I can learn. I can take courses, do training.¡±


    ¡°Was she always so violent?¡± Kana-chan asked me, and with a gently mocking smile I answered.


    ¡°I never thought so, but then... she has quite the wicked tongue when she¡¯s annoyed, and I¡¯ve often caught her looking like she wanted to hit people who were bothering her. And as for when I mentioned my bro might have a girlfriend in Tokyo... she sure had the yandere eyes then. A true yandERI no less...¡±


    ¡°Aiko, don¡¯t talk about that! I feel so embarrassed...¡± Eri waved her arms frantically, and Kana-chan and I laughed loudly.


    ¡°So that¡¯s Eri-chan and I. What are you going to do, Aiko-chan?¡± Kana-chan asked. ¡°You said you wanted to continue with your kyudo and sport, but is that all?¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m going to go to Uni in Tokyo. So you¡¯ll be seeing a lot more of me, Kana-chan!¡± I declared proudly. ¡°I want to get into sports science and physical training or teaching. But... you were right about magical sports. So... magical training too. I¡¯m going to be the world¡¯s greatest authority on magical enhancement and training. But for that, ugh...¡± I groaned. ¡°I have Ether Healing, but I¡¯ll need to learn Chirurgery as well, and my bro and Shaeula both say learning and using it without special Eyes is really hard. Wow, I envy your eyes, Kana-chan! Want to trade? I can scoop them out, ninja-style!¡±


    ¡°That sounds like some stupid otaku reference, so no thanks. My eyes are too pretty to trade, even for your blue ones, Aiko-chan. But... I guess I¡¯m happy to hear that my gift is appealing to someone. It makes me think my choice isn¡¯t wrong. Though I must say, learning all these skills... Akio really spoils you, Aiko-chan. No wonder everyone thinks he¡¯s a siscon!¡±


    ¡°Well, he likes you, so when you ask him to help you out, he¡¯ll jump at it!¡± I protested. ¡°It isn¡¯t just me, my bro is just generous, all right.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s seen me in some shameful states, so about taking responsibility...¡± she smirked. ¡°...I¡¯m not going to push him into anything, my pride won¡¯t stand it, I can win hearts on my own merits, but... at the least, he can teach me! If I¡¯m going to put aside my lifetime of hatred for the shrine and be a true shrine maiden, I¡¯m going to be the strongest, best, most beautiful one I can be. So, skills...¡±


    ¡°Just be warned. Learning Ether Healing hurts a lot!¡± I warned, and Eri echoed me. ¡°So anyway...¡± I continued. ¡°Now we¡¯ve talked about the important stuff, want to just hang out and gossip?¡±


    ¡°Sure, that sounds nice.¡± Kana-chan agreed. ¡°Damn, Mio-chan and Asami-chan are going to be annoyed they missed out. Keomi-chan too.¡±


    ¡°Well, why not invite them? Hinata organised a contract with a taxi firm, all we need to do is call, and voila...¡± Yep, having a rich, cute sister-in-law is the best. As for Kana-chan... well, we¡¯ll see. But I still think my bro would be a fool to let her slip away. But... not my business really. In any case, looks like we¡¯ll all be working together a long, long time...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Six

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Six


    On returning to the ryokan, I was greeted by an enthusiastic Hyacinth. She had apparently been looking after my family and our guests, pouring drinks and serving snacks. My mom had found it all rather hilarious, having one of my women waiting on them hand and foot, but she had quickly accepted Hyacinth¡¯s many quirks, so there were no real problems.


    ¡°Welcome back, son. I trust your business went well?¡± My father greeted me, looking rather red-faced and tipsy. Uncle Junpei was beside him, as well as surprisingly enough, Marika-san¡¯s grandfather, the two Izumi¡¯s and Kikuchi-san, as well as a younger man that must have been his son. On the other side of the table was my mom, auntie, Marika-san¡¯s mother, Haru-san, Nagi-san and also Aliyah. On seeing my inquisitive gaze, she frowned.


    ¡°What? I wasn¡¯t drinking. I¡¯m still doing my job properly.¡±


    ¡°She is.¡± Trey insisted. He was seated in the corner with a bored-looking Grulgor, as well as three men I didn¡¯t recognise, who seemed to have been waiting patiently for me. ¡°She¡¯s armed and ready to go if something goes down, though with those two here...¡± he looked at Grulgor and Hyacinth. ¡°... I¡¯m not sure what use we¡¯d be yet. So while my sis is keeping an eye on them, I¡¯ve been entertaining our guests. Lucky a couple of them speak English.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that your family speaks it too.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°Sometimes all the foreign talk gets to me. If it was Russian, I could manage.¡±


    ¡°So, you gentlemen must be the chosen from Tsukuyomi faction, right? I¡¯ve been expecting you. Sorry I¡¯m late, but I ended up having a lot of business with Uchida Yamato-san and Bankei-san.¡±


    The lead priest frowned at that. He was the age of my father, though he was running to fat and his hair was starting to thin. Even so, he was wearing expensive robes and I noticed several plain golden rings and a decent-looking watch. I guess he likes to show off his wealth. The other two were younger, both my age, or a little older. One was blonde, with a spiky hairdo and casual clothing, wearing faded blue denim jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, while the other was more traditionally clad, wearing similar dark orange monk robes to the ones many of the neutral faction wore. More along the Buddhist side of things than Shinto then...


    ¡°I see. Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± The leader conceded. ¡°My pardons for the late introductions. Your family and camp has been most hospitable.¡± I could see empty cups of sake and beer cans scattered around them, so it seemed that despite them not sitting with the main group, they had been looked after. Hyacinth giggled as she followed my gaze, and I guessed she was responsible for serving them.


    ¡°I am from Matsunoo-Taisha grand shrine, my name is Taishakama Isamu. These two are from outside Kyoto. Engetsu-san...¡± at that, the monk bowed and made the traditional Buddhist greeting to me. ¡°... and Kinkawa Touma.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good to meet you too.¡± Kinkawa-san sighed. ¡°Man, at least there was some good booze here. I¡¯m not cut out to be a priest, and now this...¡±


    It seems we have a male version of Mine-san here. The kami sure did choose strangely. ¡°Well, you know already, but I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Please ignore the middle name.¡± At that my mom sniggered. ¡°And this is Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. I trust you¡¯ve been introduced to everyone else?¡±


    ¡°All done.¡± my father promised, swaying a little. Mom couldn¡¯t have been drinking too much, as she was still awake, but she must have kicked him under the table, as he flinched, which did amuse me. ¡°I mean, yes, we showed proper manners.¡± He corrected himself.


    ¡°Excellent. In that case, when I¡¯ve checked a few things we can get started. Firstly, where is everyone else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My Marika went to bed, she was all tired out.¡± Her mother said, seeming rather annoyed. ¡°That Uchida-san, he was rather rude to us, and father-in-law just took it! The nerve of the man. Marika-san was so excited to be doing something important for the shrine, not that I get it, and this was the result! I¡¯m angry!¡± she declared, downing another cup of sake. She was looking rather tipsy too...


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Takeyabashi-san said, downcast. ¡°We are still a small, unimportant shrine, even though our faithful are doing great things.¡±


    ¡°Uchida-san has grown arrogant, as his son is a notable figure here in Kyoto, both Kyoto.¡± Taishakama-san declared. ¡°I am sorry for his attitude. Kudou-sama would not be so crass, I assure you.¡±


    Fishing for a change of faction, huh? Well... ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I bowed in apology to her, which surprised her. ¡°It isn¡¯t just you, Kana¡¯s family suffered the same, though I do believe I¡¯ve made Yamato-san re-evaluate them at least.¡±


    ¡°True. Speaking of my errant granddaughter...¡± Masaji-san sighed. ¡°... she has not returned. In fact, her friends and Keomi-san left recently to go into Kyoto. I do worry, but supposedly they will be taking a taxi once they have reached the docks. Only Kikuchi-san and her friend remain, and they are in the baths again, I believe. The... our other guests...¡± he eyed the three from Tsukuyomi warily. ¡°... are also enjoying the other bath.¡± He must mean the kami. They do like hot springs, it seems.


    ¡°Well, so long as they are with Eri and Aiko, there should be no trouble.¡± I said. ¡°They might as well enjoy themselves. Anyway, sorry, I got interrupted there.¡± I turned back to Marika-san¡¯s mother. ¡°If I may... I¡¯d like to borrow Marika-san tomorrow morning. As well as a few others.¡± I had also messaged Hikawa-san, as I would need Ren-san and the mirror he was borrowing, as well as the twins. ¡°You too, Haru-san.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± She asked, puzzled. I could see she was nervous around so many unfamiliar men, but my mom and Nagi-san had taken her under their wings, so she was managing.


    ¡°Yes. And probably tonight too. Got to grind those levels.¡± I smiled gently, and she returned it, a bit hesitantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not anything... problematic, is it?¡± Marika-san¡¯s mother asked, and I shook my head in denial.


    ¡°No, not at all. Look, when we first took her to Tokyo, you didn¡¯t really know much about shrine business. Now you know it¡¯s a big deal. Marika-san is the granddaughter of the shrine, and when she grows up she¡¯ll need to look after it. That¡¯ll be very different to what it used to be like before.¡±


    Kikuchi-san nodded. ¡°Maiko, she has the same issue. Though as one of the Chosen, I will be the face of the shrine. But the world has changed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all everyone ever says.¡± She complained. ¡°But I just want my little girl to get a decent job, get married, give me grandchildren...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s young yet. Give her a chance.¡± I reassured her. ¡°But now being a shrine maiden is a career. One that will have many rewards, though a few risks. So I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s prepared for those.¡±


    ¡°Curious.¡± Engetsu-san said. ¡°It sounds to me like you are confident of making the ordinary into the extraordinary. Quite shocking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though after my trials with Yamato-san I¡¯m pretty tired, so I need to keep my strength for what¡¯s next. Speaking of... your shrine is near to Bankei-san¡¯s, right? You must have issues...¡± I asked their leader, who nodded, frowning, deep in thought.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Taishakama-san agreed in the end. ¡°We are aware. Both of us are jockeying for resources in spiritual Kyoto, though of course we are not so foolish as to start any sort of unnecessary conflict.¡±


    Grulgor took that opportunity to bring the mace down again, this time breaking the outstretched leg, and as the bird toppled with a shrill scream, bolts of light pierced both crimson eyes, boiling the brain fatally.


    Not bad. Not that I had the leisure to be observing. Two large corpses were already decaying into ether behind me, a litter of the black and red feathers covering the elegant mountain pathway, and a third was trying frantically to bring me down. With a wingspan of nearly ten metres, this one was the alpha of the pack, and as it tried to strike me with a beak the length of a greatsword, and equally as sharp and deadly, I moved, my body empowered by Body Enhancement, my own sharp and deadly Fangs retaliating. Sparks cascaded as one grated along the beak, diverting the strike, while my second chopped at the birds¡¯ neck. The feathers whirred and shivered, blocking my strike, deflecting some of the impact back my way, but I was undeterred, slipping under the bird, and attacking the more vulnerable underside of the throat. A rain of blows landed, feathers cracking and breaking, but the bird was unharmed, merely infuriated by the pain of the impacts. As it tried to use its massive size and weight to crush me, wind energy spiked around me, whirling into a jade sword that had a fine, oscillating edge, and with one slash the feathers were sundered, and the head was severed, the bird tilting to one side, before crashing to the ground, slain.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Nine to Ninety. Your...


    Level ninety! Great! I wonder if there¡¯s any bonus at a hundred, like there was at fifty? Sheathing my curved swords I watched as several smaller birds that were circling overhead were blasted from the sky by bolts of focussed light element from Haru-san, and then crushed ruthlessly by Grulgor. ¡°Good job!¡± I said as they finished up. ¡°You¡¯ve really mastered the idea of turning light element into lasers.¡±


    Haru-san nodded. ¡°When you explained how some of your wind element attacks work, it only made sense to apply the same scientific principles.¡±


    ¡°Cool, let me check your level. Nice, it¡¯s gone up by seven. That should help you a lot.¡± I grinned, and Haru-san returned my smile a bit bashfully. ¡°These birds are damn fine experience, and also...¡± I looked down at the scattered feathers, which remained. ¡°I think these might make great crafting materials.¡± Picking some up I let a little aether flow through them, which caused them to vibrate, their edges shimmering with a faint prismatic glow. I pulled the edge over my palms, and even with my high stats it managed to slice my flesh a little. Only when I used Body Enhancement was my flesh impervious to the damage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start grabbing them.¡± Haru-san said, looking for something to use as a bag.


    ¡°Uh, that was quite the impressive showing.¡± Taishakama-san said, he and his colleagues shocked by our impressive showing. ¡°When I see those nightmarish birds flocking, I have to flee. One at a time, I am confident in dealing with it, but to take on a small flock? Reckless. Fortunately they seem to have their nests in the mountains around Kyoto and don¡¯t often come here.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I said, disappointed. ¡°A shame, I was going to go wipe them out. Oh well...¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you guys are insane.¡± Kinkawa-san muttered. ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask us for help. And here I was getting ready to show what I could do!¡±


    ¡°And what can you do?¡± I asked, helping Haru-san gather the remnants of the giant black birds. ¡°If it is helping us carry the loot, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky bastard.¡± He muttered in response. ¡°Though... actually I can help with that. Come, my Black Cloak!¡± he declared grandly, and a shadowy mantle of darkness fluttered out behind him, and from those shadows came living beings, crawling out one after another, until forty small creatures had emerged, with long, sharp claws, hairy body reminiscent of some of the Beastkin I had in my Territory, long necks and bald, misshapen heads. Not pretty,


    Himamushi nyu?do? [Yokai] - ???


    As I was looking at them with my Eye, and Haru-san was shying away from the rather ugly creatures, Kinkawa-san clapped his hands. ¡°All right, you fools. Go collect all the feathers. And make it quick!¡± he clapped his hands again, before laughing at our strained expressions.


    ¡°Yeah I know. These are the little wretches that infest my shrine. I have hundreds, maybe thousands of the ugly little bastards crawling all over the place. Probably because my shrine is dedicated to a kami who is a Tsukumogami lantern. Yes, it¡¯s as unimpressive and stupid as it sounds...¡±


    ¡°You should not denigrate your noble kami.¡± Engetsu-san frowned. ¡°Even in jest. They deserve respect...¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± He waved away the complaint. ¡°Anyway, when I was visited by a real god...¡± he snorted, further annoying Engetsu-san. ¡°... this was the ability I got. Well, part of it, anyway. I can carry spiritual beings in my cloak with me, so I¡¯m never alone, always with an army. Or in this case, a janitorial staff.¡± He ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, sighing. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯d rather be able to throw laser beams like you, beautiful.¡± He turned his grin on Haru-san.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all nice.¡± Haru-san said, uncomfortable with his closeness, so I intervened.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice ability. If you have warriors good in a fight, it¡¯s an instant army for an infiltrator. It¡¯d be hard to defend against...¡± It would be an excellent way to sabotage or destroy an enemy Territory. I expect that creatures within that space are sheltered from the drain of a hostile Territory, so they¡¯d come out fresh...


    ¡°Thanks man. Hearing that from the guy who murdered all those bloody big birds makes me feel a bit better.¡±


    ¡°I must say, you are impressing me so far.¡± Taishakama-san said, nodding. ¡°Though I must ask... you have mentioned levels a few times. Just what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I dare say we¡¯ll discuss that at Conclave.¡± I deflected. ¡°For now, we need to push on once the feathers are gathered.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, now I have hope that you can defeat the foe that prevents us linking up with the noble Lady Diviner at her shrine.¡± He allowed me to change the subject.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll certainly give it a shot.¡± I promised. I¡¯m low on water and flame elements, but I still have plenty of wind and earth. It should be fine...


    ********


    ¡°Akio-san, I¡¯m scared...¡± Haru-san said, clutching my hand tight for reassurance, which was surprising. Even Grulgor was silent, overawed by the scene in front of us. Squeezing her hand back, I whispered to her. ¡°Worst-case, you just go back to the Material while I buy you time to flee. But hopefully...¡±


    Under the silver sky of the Boundary, a sight I had never imagined I would see was unfolding below us. The streets were packed with revellers, a massive horde well over a thousand strong. No, more like two or three thousand of them... From our vantage spot on a small, winding path that looped around parallel to the main route below, we could see a veritable tide of Yokai, the amount and variety dizzying. Many of them were banging ritual drums or blowing flutes, or even beating on glass bottles or metal pots, and numerous voices were singing wildly.


    Torches in red, yellow, blue, and other, stranger colours, were held aloft, colouring the night, and barrels of sake and other strong spirits were being broached, reckless monsters that defied description splashing the contents into cups and bowls, or simply upending the barrels over their heads and drinking deep of the alcoholic shower. Roasted hunks of meat, possibly pork, or maybe something worse, were being passed around on skewers as long as spears, for the horde to feast upon, and various brawls and arguments were breaking out amidst the throng, quickly gathering a circle of jeering onlookers to encourage the violence.


    As the slowly-moving host poured through the streets of Kyoto, my Eye shone, my hands over it to hide the glow from below. As name after name of Yokai scrolled across my vision in burning amber letters, I breathed out a faint whisper. ¡°The Hyakki Yagyo?, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. To think that we¡¯d actually see it in reality...¡±

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Seven

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Seven


    I have to say the Night Parade is certainly impressive. Looking down at the pandemonium below, I considered how I would do it if I was going to attack them. The most obvious way would be to rain down Foehn on them, that would certainly take out some of them, but with the sheer number and strength of the Yokai below, that would only lead to swift retaliation. No, taking them head-on, even from ambush is stupid. Besides...


    My eyes scanned the crowd. I could see numerous types of Yokai, such as a massive pair of Oni, horned ogres who towered above the others, one with deep red skin, the other with pale blue. They look like brother and sister... They were wrestling over a barrel of sake, sloshing it everywhere as they fought, trampling and kicking aside other smaller Yokai.


    A great flaming wheel, this one with a burning woman trapped inside, was rolling around the edges, her flaming hair setting small iridescent fires along the road the Parade was travelling, dozens of other wheels full of howling heads and similarly tortured women following like an honour guard. Is that the Grand Katasharin? It looks powerful...


    ¡°Such a host. To think that they roam Japan at will within the spiritual realm. Any of us caught unawares would surely die.¡± Engetsu-san observed warily.


    ¡°Grul... would like to fight those big ones.¡± He rumbled quietly, pointing cautiously at the two Oni as they brawled happily. ¡°... but Grul thinks even Duke Formor would not be able to defeat all foes down below.¡±


    Well, hasn¡¯t Grulgor grown up? Since becoming a Chosen Hero he¡¯s definitely been able to reason better. The Grulgor from before would be champing at the bit to rush in and fight, heedless of the odds. It¡¯s almost enough to bring a tear to my eye... Waxing sentimental, I nodded. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know how strong the Duke is, but against sheer weight of numbers, including the powerful Hundred Demons...¡± I could see other Yokai I recognised from story and song, as well as from personal experience. Several cats similar to Ginneka and Kinneka were leaping to and fro, while others were drinking deep from barrels and picking at roasted meat.


    Ignoring the stinging pain I felt at that, and a sense of lingering nostalgia, I turned to Haru-san. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We aren¡¯t going to do anything foolish, so relax. Besides, I don¡¯t want to start trouble and end up harming relations with them.¡± Sure, I killed those Yokai earlier, but they attacked first, weren¡¯t open to negotiations, and were outliers. If I was to rain down Foehn now and harm, or worse kill Shaeula¡¯s mother or some of her Kamaitachi, that would be a disaster I don¡¯t think I could recover from. ¡°No, we¡¯ll take this as a priceless opportunity to observe the Night Parade in their natural state. So keep a close eye and report anything suspicious.¡±


    I trained my own gaze on trying to find anyone who could be Shaeula¡¯s mother. I did manage to spot several Kamaitachi and other Yokai weasels wandering about, black, brown or blonde-furred, yet none seemed to resemble Shaeula, and from what I gathered her mother had the same amber fur as she did. None of them look that impressive, either, although some are clearly more powerful than our own Kamaitachi.


    There were other fantastic beings amidst the host, numerous weird Tsukumogami bouncing around, such as pots and barrels, which reminded me unpleasantly of the Kodoku pot from earlier, as well as living weapons and armour, looms, farm equipment and other ancient furnishings. More common myths such as the aquatic Kappa, the long-nosed Tengu and more were all jumbled together, and it really was a sight that could only be seen here in the Boundary. At least for now.


    Several more of the birds that had attacked us flew overhead, only for them to suddenly fall out of the sky with pained cries, landing heavily on the ground, only to be swarmed over by the Parade, tied up and dragged into the packed ranks, meeting a grizzly fate. We slowly crept after the Parade, careful to avoid notice as small groups or lone Yokai often split off from the crowd for a little while, before eventually rejoining them.


    ¡°Hmm, no sign of Shaeula¡¯s mother.¡± I whispered to myself, after long observation. ¡°Though...¡± I did have my suspicions. There were several carriages with blacked-out windows being pulled by fantastical horse-like Yokai, as well as a dozen or so palanquins, being carried on the shoulders of Oni and other powerful beings. Several great snakes were slithering along, each the size of the wyrm that had attacked my Territory so long ago, and great chains were attached to their flesh by long nails driven in-between the scales, weeping inky blood. These chains were looped around a massive, wheeled house, which was at the centre of the host.


    There are other strange conveyances, too... a flock of birds was carrying an ornate cage, while a giant snail the size of a bus had windows and openings carved into its shell. If I had to guess, Shaeula¡¯s mother is in one of those... not the snail though, I¡¯d wager...


    As I observed, unwilling to use my Eye to probe too deeply in case the mystical power drew notice we couldn¡¯t handle, Haru-san clutched at my sleeve. When I turned to see what she wanted, she whispered an observation to me. ¡°Look, Akio-san. Do you see how they avoid all the shrines and temples? Everything else is fair game, but... not those.¡±


    ¡°Now that she mentions it, I¡¯ve wondered that.¡± Kinkawa-san said, scratching idly at one pierced ear. ¡°There¡¯s a little shrine just there, right? But the Parade went right past it, even though I can see it has inhabitants.¡±


    More nods from the others agreed with this. ¡°I see. So, I know there have been casualties and a shrine was destroyed, right. But... was that the Night Parade?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is hard to say. The Parade has definitely attacked those caught out and about at night who chanced upon them.¡± Taishakama-san said, thinking. ¡°But I have not heard of any of our shrines being directly attacked.¡± The others agreed with him.


    ¡°I see. Good job, Haru-san. This could be important information. Let¡¯s watch a bit longer to confirm that.¡± As she nodded, happy at my praise, we continued to shadow the Night Parade at a safe distance, me continuing to deploy a little wind element to create dead spots in the air to mask our sounds, marvelling at the chaos which somehow also contained order. It was definitely as if the horde had some direction, probably from a leader. Nurarihyon, if one believes the myths, right? And with all I¡¯ve seen over these last three months I¡¯ve no reason not to.


    Kitsune, ghostly men and women, hundreds of glowing fiery balls of light like miniature stars, creatures that shapeshifted endlessly between numerous forms both possible and impossible, creatures that were simply shadows, voids cut into reality, and many more, all were enjoying the revelry, and as they approached a more major shrine which was directly in their path, we all held our breath, only for them to turn, avoiding the divine grounds. To the side the crowd flowed there was a small Buddhist temple, and they avoided that too, streaming through the middle, flutes, horns and drums blaring, chaotic songs filling the still, Boundary night.


    ¡°I see. It looks like you were right, Haru-san. Their route takes them away from the temples and shrines. Now if only we knew why.¡± I let out a long sigh. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no point risking it following them further, and while I saw several ghastly carts that could have been your oboroguruma, we might as well do what we came for. If it¡¯s out there we¡¯ll defeat it, right Grulgor?¡±


    He nodded happily, again smashing a heavy fist into his chest. ¡°Yes, Grul is angry he could not fight those strong foes. Grul needs to crush and break an enemy to make him feel better!¡±


    ¡°You heard him.¡± I grinned. ¡°And even if it¡¯s not there, you should be able to claim the area for your Territory, Taishakama-san. I¡¯d feel better knowing the Diviner¡¯s Territory was protected.¡±


    ¡°Oho, interested in the Lady Diviner, huh?¡± Kinkawa-san laughed a touch crudely. ¡°Well, you and everyone else. Rumour has it she¡¯s as beautiful as a goddess, not that anyone has ever seem her face in years. But somehow I doubt you¡¯ll be the first to peek under that veil.¡±


    ¡°Show some respect.¡± Engetsu-san warned. ¡°Our noble Lady Diviner is not to be thought of in carnal ways, she is a spiritual light we must all follow in these troubling times.¡±


    Even Haru-san was glaring at me, which I thought unfair, as it was Kinkawa-san who was being disgusting, not me. Still, now that I was spending more time with women, I understood that apologising was often the best move. ¡°Sorry. I definitely didn¡¯t mean it like that. I get that she¡¯s important, therefore making sure her Territory is defended is a top priority for me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Haru-san said flatly. ¡°I thought you were interested in another woman, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°I have quite enough.¡± I promised. ¡°So, shall we go?¡± I changed the subject desperately, and with that we headed away from the Night Parade, towards the small and mysterious Tsukuyomi-jinja, the shrine that apparently the Diviner dwelt at. As we traversed the streets of Boundary Kyoto, the rippling aurorae of the Boundary overhead fading into silver as time passed, crackles of lightning streaking through the heavens, soundless without thunder, we noticed that they were largely deserted.


    ¡°I believe the passing of the Night Parade has scared the natives off.¡± Engetsu-san observed. ¡°After the fate of those black birds, I cannot say I blame them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it makes our lives easier.¡± I agreed, as several areas had been joined to Taishakama-san¡¯s Territory without incident. ¡°But I was hoping for a bit of combat. You too, right Grulgor?¡± At his bitter laugh, I continued. ¡°Oh well, I suppose we can¡¯t... wait, what¡¯s that?¡± My ears picked up the sound of wood and metal striking stone, and a sibilant, unpleasant muttering, as if several beings were having a hushed conversation.


    We all stopped to listen, and after a few moments the others could hear it too, as it was closing in. ¡°I think it is our target.¡± Taishakama-san said, wary. ¡°I would recognise those noises anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Great. I guess this won¡¯t be a bust after all.¡± I was actually starting to get a bit excited. It wasn¡¯t as if I was a battle junkie, though I had certainly fought enough battles recently. But I did enjoy the rewards, and not just my own. Seeing my sis, Eri, Shaeula, even people like Haru-san, grow stronger, well, it was addictive. ¡°Haru-san, you¡¯ll back me up. Hopefully you might be able to scrape up another level or two. Grulgor, you¡¯re with me. It might be a tough fight.¡± Although probably not... I¡¯ve definitely grown stronger. Though I am handicapped by being rather low on a few of my elements...


    ¡°Do you not wish to see what we can do?¡± Engetsu-san asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Yes, well, I am quite convinced of your talents. Suzuki-san and this... Grulgor... too.¡± Taishakama-san mused, and his two companions agreed. ¡°I believe we can safely tell Kudou-san you are someone we can work with.¡±


    Great. That¡¯s the other mission accomplished then. It didn¡¯t take us long to reach the shrine, which was small, set into the foot of a mountain, bubbling hot-springs all around it. Yet the power here was unreal. ¡°This Territory is only Rank 2, but it feels... noticeably stronger than that. It¡¯s like the Spring of Clear Reflections.¡± I looked around, fascinated. It feels a little familiar, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve never felt it before.


    As we looked around the magnificent shrine, the buildings modestly-sized yet made from beautiful white and blue marble, with silver inlay studded with diamonds, moonstones and other clear gems, numerous cypress trees growing everywhere, trailing vines full of pure white flowers cascading down like veils, a figure started coming towards us, exiting the main shrine. On seeing us, the man bowed low.


    Who is that? He looks old-fashioned, wearing regal silk garments and his face is made-up, with bone white powder and deep violet lipstick. He¡¯s also carrying a golden staff, topped with a huge diamond...


    ¡°Welcome, noble travellers.¡± The man spoke, his accent strange, and the Japanese archaic, yet somehow we had no trouble understanding it. ¡°This shrine is dedicated to my divine Lord Tsukuyomi, the moon that guides us. I am Prince Sho?toku, after my death I found myself here, enshrined. It is not a bad existence, being able to serve my God in death, seeing the priestesses come and go. Though the noble Matsumuro Tsukiko is perhaps the greatest of them all. It was a blessing to finally meet her.¡±


    Who? My puzzlement must have shown, as Taishakama-san answered, his tone tinged with wonder. ¡°I knew the noble and sacred Lady Diviner was from Matsumuro heritage, but none even speak of her name anymore. To think we would hear it here. Tsukiko. Daughter of the moon. How fitting.¡± He seemed awed by the meeting, and the Prince chuckled.


    ¡°Yes, she has a blessing from Tsukuyomi that few can boast.¡± I felt his gaze linger on me just a fraction. ¡°Though as the moon waxes, it too must wane.¡± His powdered face fell, pondering. ¡°Though Tsukiko-sama would not hesitate to choose the correct path. But it seems a lonely one. If you should see the opportunity, please extend a kind hand to her. Those who serve the Gods have the hardest path of all, as you will no doubt find.¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s certainly got a lot on her mind.¡± I agreed. ¡°But at least now Taishakama-san can protect this Territory. That¡¯ll be a weight off her mind. As for the other matters... I¡¯ll do what I can, Prince Sho?toku. Though I can¡¯t say I really believe in prophecy and destiny.¡± Although my Foresight seems real, though with it only triggering a couple of times it could still be coincidence. And if it is a Laplace¡¯s Demon type scenario... well... ¡°But if misfortune is heading our way, I¡¯ll just crush it.¡±


    ¡°A bit arrogant, saying you¡¯ll help out the Diviner, but... I guess you¡¯ve got some skills to back that up.¡± Kinkawa-san muttered.


    ¡°I am relieved to know that Tsukiko-sama and my lord Tsukuyomi are held in such high regard.¡± The Prince declared, pleased. ¡°In that case, go with my blessing, children of this land, and you, wanderer who is like us yet not.¡± He addressed Grulgor, who surprisingly enough merely nodded.


    Your Class, Kami-Blessed, has increased from level 9 to level 10.


    Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm and League has increased by one


    Your Aether has increased by thirty-three.


    Your ability to gather and utilise Adherence has slightly increased. Your maximum capacity for Adherence has increased.


    I felt his blessing settle on me, and his favour, and though it was not the strongest I had received, it was one that seemed to fit me the best. As my League increased, I could feel my ability to handle adherence further improve, and my body was brimming with strength. A bonus I didn¡¯t expect. The Conclave has been very profitable, power-wise, and we haven¡¯t even really started yet...


    ¡°I thank you for your kind blessing. I¡¯ll strive to be worthy of it.¡± I bowed again, even more deeply.


    ¡°I trust that you will. Now, I get so few visitors here. Would you care to stay for some tea?¡± the Prince asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I declined for us all. ¡°Though perhaps we can visit again before I leave. Time is passing, and Conclave is tomorrow.¡± I turned to the priests from Tsukuyomi faction. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you want to try and link up to Tenryu-ji? If we hurry we might make it now the Night Parade has passed us by.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s true.¡± Taishakama-san agreed. ¡°My apologies, noble Prince Sho?toku. In these troubled times, the faithful who still believe in and serve the kami and greater Gods most come together. So we must demur for now.¡±


    The others echoed him, and the Prince sighed, a trace of melancholy in his voice as he bade us farewell. ¡°So be it. I have waited long here at this shrine for company. I can bide my time a while longer.¡±


    As we left the shrine, I glanced back, to see the prince looking at us, his dark brown eyes immeasurably sad. Damn, it must be hard, becoming a kami after death, spending all this time alone... oh well, maybe the Diviner... no, Tsukiko-san, can get him some company, with a few Buildings...


    ********


    I opened my eyes to the rays of the sun streaming in through a window. Blinking, I looked at my watch, to see it was nearly five am. That¡¯s later than it should be by a few hours. Either we were in the Boundary longer than I thought, or... perhaps the etheric tide is kicking in? Looks like a slowing...


    ¡°Finally up then?¡± Aliyah said from where she was lying against one wall, looking bleary-eyed and dishevelled, a pistol on her lap. ¡°Damn, watching you guys sleep was a fucking hassle.¡±


    ¡°Mind your language, sis.¡± Her brother warned her, as Grulgor and Haru-san stirred.


    ¡°Fuck it, the kids ain¡¯t here Trey, and it makes you want to curse, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Her gaze strayed to Hyacinth, who was preparing some tea, looking very happy. ¡°Having to watch that...¡±


    ¡°Watch what?¡± I asked, and Hyacinth flinched, though her hands were still working smoothly.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.¡± Aliyah grated. ¡°Your maid really does love you, it seems. It¡¯s sickening.¡± She yawned hugely, stretching, and I couldn¡¯t help but watch her. When she saw where my own eyes were looking, she returned a flat glare.


    ¡°Eyes over there, boss.¡± She said sarcastically. ¡°If you want to ogle someone, your handsy maid will be more than happy, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Okay, just what was she doing? As Hyacinth passed me a cup of tea, I downed it quickly, feeling the warmth spread through me. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. We are behind schedule, and today is Conclave, so it¡¯s going to be ludicrously busy.


    ¡°That was good. Thanks Hyacinth.¡± As she giggled and blushed, I helped Haru-san to her feet. ¡°Right, back to the ryokan, we have to get changed for a long day of politics. We did all we could here, now it¡¯s time to plunder Kiyomizu-dera for all it¡¯s worth.¡± My grin was vicious. Light element. I¡¯m not sure which of us will manage to master it, but I¡¯ll be damned if we don¡¯t have our mirror brimming with it by the end of the morning...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Eight

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Eight


    On returning to the ryokan, despite it being early, everyone was up and getting ready for the big day. I was greeted by my father, who surprisingly enough didn¡¯t seem hungover. On seeing my gaze, he looked down, a little embarrassed, which was a surprise.


    ¡°Daughter-in-law Shaeula used her ability to cleanse me of the hangover.¡± He admitted, but I was just happy that he was accepting Shaeula as his daughter. I could see her behind him, giving me a triumphant smile. She was in a kimono rather than a yukata, one we had brought with us, a rather fetching white and pink one, and instead of wearing her hair long it had been expertly pinned up with expensive hair sticks, giving her a rather mature air, despite her delicate appearance.


    As I admired her, my mom and Auntie came out, talking to Marika-san¡¯s mother, and the three of them were dressed up too. ¡°It¡¯s... a bit weird, but... you all look good.¡± I said, surprised.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been fascinated by the cosplay this country has a tradition of.¡± My mom said, doing a twirl in the shrine maiden outfit she was wearing, though from the cut and the material you could see it was expensive and custom-made, not merely cosplay. ¡°We don¡¯t really do it back in the UK.¡±


    ¡°I think we are too old for it.¡± Auntie Hana complained, but she looked good in it, if you asked me. When I said that, she gave me a flat look. ¡°No need to flatter me, little Aki. Save your flattery for Eri. And I suppose the others.¡±


    It was then that Marika-san came out, her shrine maiden attire looking great on her, very natural. She was with my sister, Eri and Kana. On seeing me, my sis grinned. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s back. Looks like I got to use your private room after all. We had quite the sleepover didn¡¯t we, and we were all in the baths together, Marika-chan, Keomi-chan and Kana-chan¡¯s friends too. You missed out, bro!¡±


    ¡°Not entirely.¡± Aliyah observed sourly from behind me, stifling a yawn. ¡°Hey, I know we¡¯re trained to stay up all night on operation, but seriously, can¡¯t Trey and I grab a few hours? Travis and Manx can take over.¡± She nodded at the two, who were already suited up and standing in the corners, keeping an eye on things.


    ¡°Sure. Conclave doesn¡¯t start yet, although some of us will be busy before that.¡± I haven¡¯t had any sleep myself, but I can do without due to my stats, and it¡¯s even easier with my Split Thoughts skill, as I can rest half of my mind while keeping the other half active. It was a godsend, as I had too much to do and there weren¡¯t enough hours in the day, although sleep was still very satisfying, especially if it was with those I cherished.


    As if reading my mind, Eri giggled. ¡°Well, I did have fun. We didn¡¯t get back until late. Mother and father were upset, but I did point out if anyone tried to harass us, Aiko and I could beat them up. I missed you there though Akio. Not just me, too.¡±


    At that Kana flushed a little, and clenched her fists as if hyping herself up for something. I could see her family, also impeccably dressed in shrine attire, Nagi-san looking more comfortable in it than mom or auntie Hana, and their expressions were mixed. Nagi-san had an amused smile, while her father and grandfather looked troubled.


    ¡°Hey, Akio? Can I have a minute?¡± she asked, and I had a bad feeling. Is it... that?


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said, resigning myself. This is likely all my fault, anyway.


    ¡°Great.¡± she said, face red. ¡°So, uh... Akio. I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while, and you know, I think.. no, that¡¯s not right. To be honest, I know how I feel now, and so I was hoping... no, asking really, if...¡± her words were coming out alternatively rapid and sluggish, and she looked incredibly nervous, so I decided to help her out.


    ¡°Sorry Kana. I... well I know what you want to say, and I¡¯m flattered, I really am. You¡¯re a really cute girl, and I like your self-confidence, but right now, I just...¡± I realised everyone was looking at me, amused expressions on their faces. My sis broke the silence by guffawing loudly, and Eri was shaking her head. Wait, am I wrong?


    Kana took a deep breath to calm herself down, forcing a smile. ¡°Hey, Akio. You really have some confidence, to think every girl you meet likes you and wants to go out with you. You¡¯ve changed a lot since the first time I¡¯ve met you.¡±


    Oh, so I am wrong? I felt relief, but also a treacherous little thorn of disappointment. Kana¡¯s right. I have changed, despite having so many girls, a part of me still wanted Kana. And why not? I do like her personality. I think she¡¯s the sort other girls hate, but she¡¯d be popular with boys... ¡°Oh I see. So then, what...¡± I began, only for her to cut me off.


    ¡°Still, you aren¡¯t wrong. I do like you Akio. A lot.¡± She said, and I stopped, stunned. Wait, what?


    ¡°Yes, I like you.¡± Kana repeated, her face crimson, but her expression was resolved. ¡°But... well, I¡¯m no beggar, no weak-willed girl who needs to ask for crumbs from your table, Akio. I¡¯m not going to ask you to date me, or anything like that.¡± She took a deep breath, resolving herself. ¡°I¡¯m Izumi Kana! I¡¯m the most beautiful girl in our whole neighbourhood! At least until you others turned up, but I still don¡¯t lose!¡± Shaeula and Eri snickered at that. ¡°I have my pride. And I want to be doted on, loved, cherished. I could live with having Eri-chan, Shaeula and the others as my rivals. In fact, they are the only girls worthy enough to match me!¡±


    ¡°What about us, Kana-chan?¡± Mio-san said, earning a glare from Kana and more giggles from the other girls.


    ¡°Ask him out if you think you are worthy. I¡¯ll laugh when he shoots you down though.¡± Kana said to her, before turning back to me. ¡°What I can¡¯t accept is having to beg for scraps and force you into it, using your guilt and the fact you are a total pushover to pretty girls. I totally could.¡± She bent over, appealing to me with her body wrapped in red and white hakama, and I swallowed. Yeah, Kana is already beautiful, and judging by her mother, she¡¯ll only grow more so as she matures.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that¡¯s wrong. I know you were being dense as hell when it came to Eri-chan and Shaeula, so they had to take drastic measures. As for the noble girls, well, what chance did they have? From talking to them I can see they don¡¯t know anything about men or dating. This way was probably better, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy.¡± She smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll make sure of it, right? I get that. Damn, it¡¯s one reason I like you. Ordinary guys, posers, they say stuff like I¡¯ll look after you or leave it to me but you actually do it. Against anything.¡± Her smile was genuine and wistful. ¡°Ever since I first saw you with my useless gift I hated, my life has been a rollercoaster, but... it¡¯s always going upwards.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that, but I knew I shouldn¡¯t interrupt, as Kana was genuinely speaking from the heart here. As she continued, I forgot everyone else around us was watching, and I was drawn into her speech.


    ¡°I like you. I do. But I have trouble liking myself at times, you know? At first I was jealous of Eri-chan. Apparently we are similar.¡± More giggles at that from my sis. ¡°But...¡± Kana continued. ¡°... she had everything I wanted. Now I realise she actually did earn it. With her own determination. Even if she did rely on you being unable to say no to her!¡± she smirked, but I could see a hint of bitterness there still. ¡°That¡¯s not for me though. Even if you were single, I think... I think I¡¯d want, no need you to be the one chasing me. My pride won¡¯t stand for less. So, Akio...¡±


    ¡°...yes?¡± I said, overwhelmed by her intensity.


    ¡°... I do like you. Hell, who am I kidding? I think... no, I know it¡¯s more than like. But that isn¡¯t what¡¯s important. What is... is I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to take over Shirohebizumi shrine, and become a true shrine maiden, one with power and who is able to stand by your side in the new world that¡¯s coming. I¡¯m tired of just being a pretty girl who has nothing but her looks. I¡¯m not that shallow! So Akio, please...¡± she bowed to me then. ¡°... train me. I¡¯ll learn, no matter what it takes. So take me with you today!¡±


    So, uh... that was a confession, but it sort of sounded like she was also turning me down, too? I¡¯m a bit confused. Still, training, huh... ¡°Kana. Are you sure? I think learning how to be strong is good, and I mean to train everyone at the school. But going beyond that, to the level of Eri or my sis... it¡¯s gruelling. It¡¯s painful. And when I invest that much effort in you, I can¡¯t let you go, afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Was that you asking me out?¡± she joked, before shaking her head. ¡°No, I know it wasn¡¯t. Seriously, for a guy as smart as you, you can be incredibly dumb at times. I said it. I¡¯ll stand by your side. So train me. I don¡¯t like hard work and I¡¯m scared of pain. But I¡¯m scared of being a loser, a nobody, even more...¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± I reached out a hand, and she took it. ¡°Welcome to the team. I¡¯m glad to have you here.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Kana shook my hand. ¡°By the way, I like you. I¡¯m not lying. But I¡¯m not an easy girl. I¡¯m not going to sit here pining for you, wasting away. If somebody catches my eye, you might find even if you ask me out down the line, it¡¯ll be too late.¡± She grinned fiendishly. ¡°After all, I¡¯m a beauty, and when I¡¯m one of your disciples, I¡¯ll be even more desirable a catch. You might hate it, as if I¡¯m by your side and all over another guy, you¡¯ll surely regret it.¡± She winked.


    Maybe I will, but... I liked Kana a lot, but I didn¡¯t love her, and I had enough on my plate. For right now... ¡°Well, maybe I¡¯d deserve that. Anyway, better get your things together then Kana. We have work to do before Conclave.¡±


    Kana clicked her tongue, irritated. ¡°You know, with that momentum, I was sure you¡¯d confess your feelings for me. Oh well, I hate being beaten. Fine.¡± With that she hurried off, her friends following, alternatively congratulating and commiserating, leaving me in an awkward position.


    ¡°Well, my daughter is certainly stubborn.¡± Nagi-san observed. ¡°But... well, you¡¯ll continue to take care of her, right Akio-kun?¡±


    ¡°I will. Even if it¡¯s only as a trusted friend and ally.¡± I answered, earning an amused look in return.


    ¡°Only, huh? Well, Kana can be quite stubborn as you can see, but I think she knows how to get what she wants from boys.¡± Nagi-san gave a little giggle. ¡°Though for now... I¡¯d appreciate it if you made sure Kana was strong, like the other girls.¡± She looked at Eri and Shaeula. ¡°My daughter is right. The world has changed.¡±


    ¡°It has.¡± I declared, glad the drama was over. ¡°And to that extent, Conclave.¡±


    We went through the details with everybody. The first day was split into two sessions. Each shrine and temple would have one representative in the main hall of Kyoto Imperial Palace, where the faction leaders, Kudou-san, Uchida-san, Saionji-san and Bankei-san would be, along with Takakura-san representing the nobility, and Princess Mikasa the Imperial family. Another princess huh? And it feels a bit more real than Shaeula, not that I¡¯d ever tell her that. The Diviner will be there too, Matsumuro Tsukiko. Perhaps... I¡¯ll be able to find out more. But first, light element...


    I and Haru-san would be allowed as guests, and some rare shrines were allowed a second entry. Those with kami brought to this world, or where their Candidate wasn¡¯t the main person in charge. I would be taking Shaeula, while Haru-san was bringing along Eri. The two kami, Shirohebi and the jade beetle, they were also going to attend this session, and were richly dressed and an impressive sight, currently.


    There was a series of secondary sessions, where other shrine personnel and related parties would be attending, for networking and faction politicking, and this is where Aiko, my family and the other trainees would be mingling. With Grulgor and Hyacinth to prevent problems, it should be safe for them, and we could expand our influence and make new allies.


    As I explained this, my father frowned. ¡°So, we can spread news of this Chirurgery safely, and talk about daughter-in-law Hyacinth and the others?¡±


    At his words of acceptance, Hyacinth giggled madly, and I was once more struck at how my father was being far more accepting than I had expected, or even hoped for. Correctly interpreting my thoughts, father sighed. ¡°It is not the time to talk about family matters here, but... I know you are serious, son. I may not approve, but I know you are doing your best, and even the law will recognise that in due course. Besides...¡± he looked at Kana¡¯s family, who he had come to know. ¡°... even their daughter understands. So leaving that aside, you are sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is one reason why we developed the training school, to show what we can do and how we can benefit people. As for bringing spiritual beings here, the kami will be revealed, and others know how to do it already. So we need to show we have more and can do it better.¡± I grinned proudly. I had two Thrones at Rank 2, which I doubted anyone else could boast yet. ¡°So go out there, mingle and win people over. I intend to offer some Chirurgery as examples to Kudou-san¡¯s faction, the neutral shrines under Bankei-san, and possibly the others, if they play ball. But if you see anyone we want to make alliance with, feel free to sweeten the deal. A bit of bribery greases the wheels.¡±


    ¡°Oshiro-san...¡± Kikuchi Shuta-san said diffidently. ¡°You have not forgotten you are to meet with Saionji-sama before the Conclave begins?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯ll have a little time so I¡¯ll do it. But... before that.¡± I looked at Eri and my sis, as well as Marika-san. ¡°It¡¯s time to get training.¡± I grinned at Kana who had emerged from her room, and I tried not to notice she had washed her face, her eyes looking puffy. ¡°Kana, I hope you are ready. It''s time for the Kyoto training camp!¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, what are you doing here, Yamato-san?¡± I asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be preparing for Conclave?¡±


    Trust Shaeula to master it quickly.


    So, what do we do now, Akio-sama? That was Marika-san, the youngest here and still quite nervous, though pride at her being chosen for this was also present.


    ¡°Right, yes.¡± I said out loud, as Yamato-san was getting restless, watching us in our silent, eerie circle. ¡°Haru-san and Ren-san will lead. Draw in light element and show us how it¡¯s accumulated and used. Ren-san will also show us how he converts it into his mutated element, sunlight. Then... then I¡¯ll give it a try. Hopefully between us all sharing our thoughts and feelings we can learn how to use it.¡±


    ¡°Really, that works?¡± Mine-san asked. ¡°Yamato-sama, like... can I give it a try?¡±


    He nodded, sourly, and Mine-san shut her eyes, drawing in a little of the light. I hope she doesn¡¯t hurt herself too badly. Oh well, we can heal her if we need to, and she already owes me a favour, so...


    Haru-san and Ren-san were pulling in the light around them, and their thoughts were flowing into our minds. I opened my Eye, as did Shaeula with hers, and we shared our vision of what was happening inside them. The strain on people¡¯s minds was harsh, so I started releasing Ether Healing to everyone, soothing their pain and stabilising them.


    Thank you. That wasn¡¯t nice. Marika-san spoke for everyone. Even so, it was fascinating seeing the light energies pool around the Third Eye, when suddenly my sister spoke.


    ¡°You know what, I think... I get it! Seeing a success, feeling a success! Your sis has this, bro! Watch and learn!¡±


    She suddenly started pulling in a large amount of light, while not forgetting to share her emotions and senses. I could see the flow with my eyes, moving past her chakras, some of the energy pulled away as it passed the heart, swirling around her lunar chakra. The main flow passed the throat, where suddenly we felt a spike of emotion. Dark jealousy flooded the bond for a moment, before my sis clamped down on her mind. Wow, sorry about that. It just leaked out. I¡¯m totally not jealous of Eri, or Shaeula, no way! I¡¯m stuck at a piddly level nine, and... ugh, forget it. So embarrassing. I¡¯d better succeed now or this totally won¡¯t be worth the shame...


    As the flow reached her third eye, it began to coalesce, although a little continued up towards her crown. Suddenly the emotions over the bond changed, love, joy, compassion... all these strange emotions were generated, and my sister was turning red with embarrassment at having her emotions interpreted by us all. Though within the positive, there¡¯s also...


    Yes, Hyacinth feels it toooooo. In light, there is sooome darkness, and in the darkness, light. Hyacinth... I understand as well! She also began to draw in large quantities of light, though as the light reached her throat it began to clash with the blue darkness there, and emotions cascaded through the telepathic bond, fragmentary and dark. Hatred. Yet hatred is not always bad, as one can hate evil and injustice. Anger. Righteous anger is a thing. Jealousy and envy. Yes, Hyacinth was jealous and envious of the life she lost, those who had the life she wanted, but... it gave her the opportunity to change.


    I knooow... light and dark, two sides of the same coooin. Aiko told me, Hyacinth was not Seelie or Unseelie, Hyacinth is simply me! Poison can be used tooo save, like we did at the Spring, and looove can lead to great evil, like the Dark Queen!


    Yes, love can turn to a need to dominate and possess. Pride comes before a fall. Charity can quickly turn to superiority. Good emotions taken to excess cause just as much harm as those we consider bad. Darkness and light, yin and yang... I too started drawing in the light energy around us. It was fortunate so much had built up around the shrine over time, but Yamato-san sure was going to be pissed off when we plundered it all... well, he owes me. And it isn¡¯t like it won¡¯t recharge eventually. There¡¯s a ton of sources here...


    This is hard... I... I¡¯m... no, I¡¯m not just a jealous, wicked woman! I like you, Akio! I... I like you Shaeula! And you Hyacinth! You¡¯re a good girl, Marika-san. As for you, Kana-chan... I... I don¡¯t hate you.


    Eri¡¯s emotions were scattering wildly, her network starting to corrode as light and darkness clashed, as she had started drawing it in after I made my move. Shaeula used her own Ether Healing, soothing and repairing the torn capillaries, siphoning off the excess light element into herself.


    I should hope not. Last night... well, Aiko-chan tried to give it all away to Akio, but... we talked and became real friends, right?


    Right. But... is now the time? Eri was struggling. Her affinity was definitely for darkness, so the light blinded and fought her. But I know it is sometimes easier to balance opposing forces. I found it much easier to learn water because with it, earth, wind, flame... everything balanced in perfect opposition...


    That sort of thinking is not-not the way of the Fae. We fear our opposites, loathe them. Yet... Shaeula was drawing in light element from Eri, as well as the surroundings. Lightning and Nature oppose, yet the Queen and King embody these aspects... perhaps... perhaps we were simply quite-quite foolish, not-not seeing the truth.


    It''s just like a magnet, I think. We used them in class the other day. North and South.


    Aren¡¯t you clever, Marika-chan? I wish Keomi-chan was smart like you. If I gave her a magnet, she¡¯d try to eat it, I bet... at Kana¡¯s joke we all laughed, and one by one everyone started pulling in the light energy, a dizzying indigo halo surrounding our circle.


    Your balance is slipping there a bit, Chiasa-san. Oh, Kana, you need to reroute the flow down here... yes, Marika-san, good. But you are letting it scatter, no wonder it hurts...


    As I multi-tasked frantically, making adjustments with Ether Healing and Chirurgery as needed, my Split Thoughts skill Ranked up, easing the strain. With my newfound leeway, I switched concentration back to my own struggles, trying to balance the elements.


    Hyacinth is grey, neither light nooor darkness! Only me! I am just like mistress Shaeula nooow, Hyacinth can change herself, remake herself! She was the first to succeed, her light and darkness in flux, balancing perfectly. With her heaving breaths, silvery sweat dripping from her, she extended her thoughts to Eri and I, as we struggled through the same trial she did. Mistress Eri. You are trying toooooo hard to be the light. Accept the jealousy, the envy, the desire tooo possess. They are you, and Akio loooves you despite that. Light is possessive too, it wants. Happiness. Kindness. Yet Looove is both light and dark. Let your love encompass both, like Akio does fooor us. And Akio... you... nooo, I think you understand. But you have sooo much to balance. Dooo your best!


    Uh, that¡¯s barely advice, but I¡¯d rather she does help Eri...


    ¡°I see now!¡± Eri spoke out loud, forgetting the link for a moment. ¡°Encompass everything! No, be everything. For without light, darkness is meaningless, and without darkness, light is blinding and uniform. Both... we need both!¡±


    That¡¯s... well, yes, the missing thing I needed. The primary elements, they seem strange. After all, fire is a process, earth and wind are affectively mixtures of elements, and water is a uniform compound. They really don¡¯t make much sense as a system. It¡¯s almost as if someone decided on them... but light and darkness... well, light is obvious, but darkness... I couldn¡¯t tame it, as I didn¡¯t understand it. But... it makes sense now...


    This is incredible. So this is what an element is like? I would say I don¡¯t have to be jealous of you anymore, Eri-chan, but looks like you beat me to it. Kana was delighted as her own third eye was blazing. She was drenched in sweat, her chest heaving in pain from her ragged, battered network, which I immediately started to repair, but she had succeeded, with my Eye I could see that. Eri had too, surprising me. I thought she¡¯d struggle the most...


    We don¡¯t have darkness, Chiasa, but our brother, Ren-sama, he has the light, so why should we be different?


    That¡¯s right Chiaki. I¡¯ve always thought it strange. But... we can do it. I can see inside you, and you can see inside me.


    Yes, together we can see through Akio-sama¡¯s eyes, what we need to do. And if it¡¯s hard...


    We can each be half of the whole!


    The twins, something strange was happening there. Their third eye chakras had gathered the light, but the light was also crossing between them, linking them further, and some strange awakening seemed to be taking place within them. It seemed something that wouldn¡¯t harm them, so I concentrated on my own struggle, just as Shaeula let out a cry of triumph, her body glittering with light.


    I have-have evolved again. Now I am a Fae of light too! Akio, the water... the water within us contains the light, draw-draw upon it!


    Heeding her words I delved within. I didn¡¯t have much energy, I had recovered some over time, but having given most of it away, there were merely trickles. Even so, she was right. The spirt water contained trapped moonlight, so I already contained light, in harmony with my body! Pulling in the water I let it flow through me, soothing the raging mess of my throat and third eye chakras, and as it settled, I felt something click into place.


    Your Class, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 28 to level 30. Your Class is now at its maximum strength. Charm, Fortune and Foresight have increased by four. Majesty, League, Determination and Fate have increased by three. You can now survive with only an Astral body. Damage shared between your Material and Astral forms is dramatically reduced. Your Aether has increased by 150.


    You have gained a skill, Third Eye Chakra Of Light Rank 3. Your Third Eye Chakra will generate Light energy. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    You have gained a skill, Light Manipulation Rank 5. Your ability to manipulate and control Light energy has dramatically increased. Your understanding of Light has significantly increased, and you can handle Light with less wastage and greater efficiency, and are more able to adapt to and control unique Lights. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    I guess my study of the physics of light paid off big-time. And while I don¡¯t get all the spiritual aspects, from experiencing what Ren-san and Haru-san have, and having moonlight within me... as well as the insights everyone has shared... I think I get it a bit... so, that¡¯s everyone, right? This went way better than I could have ever expected... The twins and Haru-san, using them as a way to link our shared experiences and senses proved an incredible learning tool. Coupling that with our Eyes, and a difficult process was made seemingly smooth... although I¡¯m having to do an awful lot of repairing damage to networks. I think if not for that, there might be permanent side effects. We¡¯ll have to do this carefully in...


    No, this isn¡¯t enough. I can do better. If I¡¯m going to do this, I need it to be perfect! I don¡¯t want to disappoint big bro, and more importantly, I don¡¯t want to disappoint myself!


    Wait, that¡¯s Aiko? She... she¡¯s the only one who hasn¡¯t learned? That seems... We could all feel the frustration oozing from her. Eri and Kana, Shaeula and Hyacinth, they all sent her their support, and my sister let out a roaring cry, which startled Mine-san, making her fall over, opening her eyes, the light energy she was pulling in scattering. Yamato-san was only looking on, a troubled expression on his face as the light around us was rapidly diminishing.


    Hey, Ren-san, fork it over. I need it all. Be a good boy, okay?


    Wait, what? Ren had been sharing the feelings of controlling light with us, and constantly pulling in energy and converting it. He was noticeably smoother, the mirror an invaluable tool to him, so had accumulated a decent amount inside, but now it was being pulled out of the mirror, indigo and gold, flooding into Aiko, overwriting the gathered light energy she had accumulated.


    Not enough. Got to have more. I feel it, and I know I can master light, but that¡¯s not what I want! Hey, Ren-san, sorry, but... I¡¯ll buy you an apology gift! Before anyone could respond my sister was drawing sunlight energy from Ren-san too. He groaned, as the forcible extraction was causing pain and minor damage to his network, so Shaeula and I leapt in, me to heal Ren-san, Shaeula to use her Chirurgery to guide the flow into Aiko, and heal her rapidly shredding third eye chakra. Pain was flaring from Aiko, and only hard work from Haru-san, who was struggling, was keeping it from afflicting everyone else.


    Nearly. I can... it¡¯s warm and gentle, like a spring sun, harsh and oppressive, like a summer sun, soothing and calm, like an autumn sun, and nostalgic and wan, like a winter sun. Light... light is just a reflection of the source, so if I am the source... obey me! Even that kami said I was light element! ¡°Do it, change! Become the sun!¡±


    As my sister roared out her last words, the mirror radiated a brilliant glow, falling from Ren-san¡¯s hands as he dropped it in shock. My sister was enveloped in a similar aura, the last of the light energy around us pulled in, and her third eye glowed a brilliant azure and gold. Damn, she¡¯s done it! That looks like a mutated element to me! Like Ren-san...


    With that, the link we had established shattered, coming apart, everyone hit by the recoil of our own thoughts, and as we slumped to the ground, drained, the mirror struck, bouncing away. And as it rolled across the ground, before I could compliment everyone on their hard work, my Foresight started screaming at me, that a sudden danger was on the horizon, hanging not over me, but those close to me...

 Two Hundred And Sixty-Nine *Contains Status – Akio, Aiko, Eri, Shaeula, Hyacinth*

    Two Hundred And Sixty-Nine *Contains Status ¨C Akio, Aiko, Eri, Shaeula, Hyacinth*


    A grim Foresight? This feels similar to when the yakuza attacked the shrine but worse. And it feels... imminent. There¡¯s no way I can keep this to myself, but... as I stood and retrieved the mirror that had fallen from Ren-san¡¯s numb hands, I looked up to see Yamato-san hurrying over to us, a frown on his face.


    ¡°Just what have you done?¡± he asked, looking at the surrounding Territory, which had largely been drained of the indigo light energies, although due to the rather generous supply of elemental light Kiyomizu-dera possessed, faint flecks of deep blue were drifting up from the surroundings already, though it would likely take many months or longer to reach the density of before. ¡°The light has gone.¡±


    ¡°For now. It¡¯ll return, and it isn¡¯t like you were using it properly.¡± at my firm tone, Ren-san and the twins made noises of shock at my lack of respect for Yamato-san. But it¡¯s not about respect. I respect people, but I¡¯m also not part of their faction, so I have no need to bow and scrape. Besides, he owes me... ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you did say I could have the light energy here. I still think it¡¯s insufficient for my aid, but... well, I want to be on good terms with you and your father.¡±


    Mine-san, who was lying on her back, her face twisted into an expression of pain, let out a small laugh. ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Yamato-sama. I, like, totally remember you saying he could have the light energy. I¡¯m not sure how they did what they did though... I started sucking it in like they were, and all its done is hurt and make me feel sick. Like, a total bummer, right?¡±


    ¡°Hang on, let me take a look.¡± My Eye flared orange, and I could see that her clumsy efforts had indeed caused noticeable damage around her root chakra, spreading up towards the sacral and solar plexus chakras. ¡°Yeah, that isn¡¯t good.¡± I declared. ¡°You can¡¯t just force this. It takes significant effort and understanding to make it work.¡± That and good eyes and some luck. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I remembered Shaeula and her efforts to teach me the wind element, and the damage I suffered. Sure, now we have it down to a bit of a fine art, having a lot of experience, Chirurgery, Ether Healing, her and my Eyes, and now even telepathy and mental linking. Really, we have a set-up few can likely replicate, though I don¡¯t want to believe only we can have this level of success. Others might have different methods that work. Even so, I doubt many are more efficient...


    ¡°Hey, no laughing at me. I thought I¡¯d, like, give it a shot? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?¡± Mine-san protested. I knelt down beside her and asked her if I could touch her briefly to heal her injuries. She gave me quite the look, before nodding, piercings jingling softly. ¡°Okay, but no funny business, right? Though I guess, in front of the girls over there, that¡¯s like, not a good plan, right?¡±


    ¡°True. They¡¯d be distinctly unimpressed.¡± I let aether flow, starting to repair the damage. My stocks were diminished, as I had to keep supplying the twins to keep the link working, as well as perform noticeable healing in everyone, but my ability to generate and store aether was pretty damn large nowadays, so I could spare a little more. ¡°And all done. I¡¯ve flushed the remaining light element and patched you up. Really, I suggest starting with earth element if you need to. You have affinity already since you are a nature user, and it¡¯s the first chakra in your body.¡±


    ¡°Really? Uh... chakras, right. Sounds new age. I was kind of into that, like, a few years back. I think I still have the jewellery somewhere. Oh well, thanks again, I guess. That¡¯s two I owe you.¡± She let me help her to her feet, before she brushed herself down and adjusted her hakama.


    ¡°That is all very well, but just what have you done?¡± Yamato-san persisted. ¡°It sounds like you have all grown stronger by doing whatever it was you were doing.¡±


    Everyone else was letting me handle this, though Shaeula was looking at Yamato-san with a rather baleful gleam in her eye, not liking the way he was talking to me. So I¡¯ll need to sort this out quickly. I turned and tossed the mirror back to Ren-san, who caught it weakly, fumbling and nearly dropping it, though a simple fall wouldn¡¯t damage such a mystical item. ¡°Well, yes. Increasing the elements one can use is fundamental, at least in my training school. I expect to talk more about it at Conclave. Though as Mine-san here found out, going in unprepared can be harmful, though at her level, it''s likely there would have been little lasting damage and she¡¯d have recovered in time once she stopped doing it. Although if you blindly try to mix clashing elements, then bad things can certainly happen...¡± When I tried to learn fire, already knowing wind, that was wild...


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about how this works.¡± Yamato-san mused. ¡°How is that?¡±


    ¡°I had a good teacher.¡± At that Shaeula puffed out her chest, and Yamato-san noticed.


    ¡°I see. A spiritual being. That makes some sense.¡± He then looked at Ren-san. ¡°That mirror. It seems to be some sort of light-related spiritual treasure, is it not?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Ren-san said, earning him a scowl from Eri at his loose tongue. ¡°It can store light and darkness energies for later use, and...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to go into that, do we?¡± Eri cut him off. ¡°If you have a loose tongue, Hinata might come cut it out.¡±


    Ren-san flinched at that. Seriously, I doubt she¡¯d go that far, but... Hinata does really want me to be more discreet, and she¡¯s right. Certain information such as kami and elements are going to be well known anyway, but specifics like the mirror should be kept under wraps... ¡°Now, we are all allies here, right?¡± I said in a friendly manner. ¡°Yes, the mirror is useful, but it¡¯s only a training aid.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Yamato-san asked, frowning again. ¡°Well, as a Chosen of Kannon and bearer of a long history of faith, perhaps you should entrust it to me, as my Territory has a great abundance of light element, as you can see.¡±


    Oh yeah. My link with Haru-san was the only one that remained after the twins were exhausted by their labours, so I sent her a message to not say anything about her being a Candidate of Kannon too. We¡¯ll save that for when the time is right. Before Eri, Shaeula or the others could explode, I declined politely. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not. I¡¯ve no interest in trading away the mirror right now. Besides, if anyone should be interested in mirrors, it¡¯d be Princess Mikasa, right? After all, a mirror is part of the Imperial Regalia.¡±


    Yamato-san looked like he was about to protest, when Mine-san spoke up. ¡°Oh come on, Yamato-sama. It isn¡¯t nice to ask to take his things, is it? I mean, like... I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d rather have him as a friend, right?¡± she winked at me. ¡°Let¡¯s not fall out over something stupid.¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking I could put it to better use, as a bearer of the light...¡± Yamato-san said, and at that I had to chuckle.


    ¡°Well, looks like we all bear the light now.¡± I let a small beam of focused light shoot from my palm into the skies. Yeah, forming it into a laser like Haru-san does is the easiest way to use light element as an attack, though I daresay using it in combination with wind as a flashbang would be good too... ¡°But well, perhaps I could part with it, if you had something I needed more to offer in exchange.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I shall speak to my father. The ability to store light would strengthen me noticeably. But I am not so churlish as to take it without permission.¡± He sighed. ¡°I am not that bastard Saionji.¡±


    As the conversation took a turn, Hyacinth rushed up to me, grabbing and embracing me, rubbing her face on me. It was unusual for her to be so forward in company, but it seemed that she was simply that excited.


    ¡°Master! Akiooo! Hyacinth did it, I changed myself! I want tooo know, how am I now? Am I stronger?¡± Her speech quirk was working overtime, as she was extremely happy. On seeing the display, Mine-san doubled over, guffawing.


    ¡°Like, whoa, that maid is all over you. You sure are a smooth operator, Akio-kun. I¡¯d definitely better watch out!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± I said, allowing Hyacinth to hug me. ¡°We are going to discuss some confidential information, so we¡¯d like a little privacy.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, do you intend to spend much longer in my Territory?¡± Yamato-san asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°A little longer. That went quicker than I had expected, so we have some time before Conclave, right?¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, Mine-san and I shall be over there. Come.¡± He spoke to her harshly, and after she pulled a face and winked at me, she followed him away.


    ¡°All right...¡± I walked back to the group, Hyacinth still clinging to me. A flare of jade flickered around us, as I created a ward of silence. ¡°... I had a flash of Foresight. And it isn¡¯t good.¡± I said. At that, Shaeula froze, aware of what had happened before.


    ¡°Do you know-know what it may be regarding?¡± she asked, deadly serious.


    ¡°No, but I feel it around us. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s targeting me directly, more... those around me.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is troubling indeed. If you were the target, Akio, I would trust-trust that you could protect yourself. We need to be very-very cautious.¡±


    ¡°So, when did it start?¡± My sis asked, being supported by Eri, her face and clothes drenched with slowly-dissolving silver sweat after her efforts.


    ¡°Just now, when you exploded with light energy.¡± I said, and she flinched.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything I did!¡± she insisted.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s probably a coincidence. But... look, everyone needs to be aware to watch out for danger. We¡¯ll need to step up our guard on our parents, our friends and everyone else we are with here in Kyoto.¡± I advised. ¡°Hyacinth, you¡¯ll need to step up as well. We¡¯ll want to bring Grulgor in on this, too. You can swap with him now.¡±


    ¡°Ooof course, but...¡± she hesitated, a tense expression on her face, and I rubbed her head, stroking her hair.


    ¡°I know. You want to know your growth first. Well, here we go...¡±


    ¡°Nice. Your Chakra Network, Silver Cord, Aether Manipulation and Lunar Chakra skills have all gained a Rank, and your stats have all gone up a fair amount.¡± Her classes had gone up as well, especially Pledged One and Dweller In Twilight. ¡°Lovers¡¯ Link... uh, that went up by a couple of Ranks.¡± At that it wasn¡¯t just me and Hyacinth that were blushing, as Shaeula and Eri remembered our foursome. ¡°All in all, you¡¯ve got a lot stronger. Well done.¡± Though her grasp of light is rudimentary, just like my grasp of darkness. Though now we have learned it, we can improve it. We have time...


    ¡°I am happy!¡± she declared. ¡°I am glad I came here with yooou!¡± Her hug tightened on me again, and I let her do it for a minute, before she realised where she was, and face flushed, she released me. There was laughter, Kana surprisingly bold in ribbing her, and after that, Hyacinth disappeared, returning to the Material.


    ¡°All right then. We still have a bit of time.¡± I said, looking at my weary but proud crew. ¡°So, we might as well use up the last of our strength on training. Especially with potential disaster coming for us.¡±


    ¡°You really are a monster when it comes to training.¡± Kana sighed.


    ¡°Well, you asked for this.¡± I reminded her, and she nodded, a wry smile on her face.


    ¡°Yes, I guess I did. Oh well, what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I want to learn Chirurgery!¡± my troublesome sister complained, and that gave me an idea. Though I hate doing it.


    ¡°All right then. Since everyone who didn¡¯t have it got light element... thanks to you, Ren-san, Haru-san, sorry you didn¡¯t benefit that much, but next time you will.¡± I apologised to them. Haru-san merely smiled, while Ren-san nodded, still drained by my sister¡¯s plunder of his resources. ¡°I think that we should focus on Aether Manipulation, Ether Healing, and yes, no need to pout, sis, for you, we¡¯ll look at Chirurgery. Shaeula, can you help?¡±


    ¡°Of course I shall-shall.¡± Shaeula agreed, while my sis threw her weary hands up in a cheer.


    ¡°Thanks bro. You really are the best!¡±


    Shaeula and I started topping up everyone¡¯s aether with our own larger stocks, which even diminished were significantly higher than anyone else could boast. As we were finishing up Grulgor appeared, and he was still carrying the massive sack of loot from before.


    ¡°Whoa, you look hilarious.¡± My sis snickered, and Grulgor put down the sack, ignoring her.


    ¡°Hyacinth said to Grul to come here. Are there foes to smash?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet, although...¡± I explained my portents of grim trouble to Grulgor, and he was now intelligent enough to understand it, even if he still spoke the same way. ¡°... so I¡¯d like you to be on your guard during Conclave and keep an eye on everyone. Got it?¡± I finished.


    ¡°Grul understands. Grul will crush and break any puny enemies who try and hurt my allies. Huh...¡± he paused, looking at everyone. ¡°Grul thinks you have all got stronger. Grul approves.¡±


    ¡°You have a keen eye, Grulgor.¡± Shaeula said happily. ¡°We have indeed. I am now a Fae of light as well-well, and it does not-not need saying that Akio mastered it as well.¡±


    ¡°I had intended you to have a go learning too, Grulgor, but the supply of light element around here has been pretty much gutted for now. We¡¯ve kind of speed-run the mass adoption of light here.¡± I said, a little embarrassed.


    ¡°It does not matter. Grul wants to master water first.¡± Grulgor said, surprising me. I wasn¡¯t aware he thought about things like that. I know he¡¯s always looking to be stronger, but... why water element?


    Seeing my confused expression, Grulgor gurgled with laughter, huge, slab-like teeth clashing. ¡°Grul knows water is good for healing and strengthening the body. Grul thinks if he has that, Grul will be unkillable, able to fight and fight until all enemies are stomped to bloody paste!¡±


    ¡°That sounds true, if you ask me, bro.¡± My sis chimed in, recovering from her exertions now that she was going to learn what she wanted. ¡°Stacking regeneration is one of the tricks those two perverted idiots told Eri and me about...¡±


    Mine-san was listening, as were everyone else, the twins giving us their full attention too. Only Ren-san looked uninterested, but Yamato-san strode over and started up a conversation with him. Probing for information, no doubt. Well, it¡¯s not like it can be replicated. In fact...


    ¡°The only issue is, since we aren¡¯t kin, it¡¯ll be hard for me to know when you¡¯ve acquired the skill, but I should be able to manage with my Eye.¡±


    ¡°I can assist as well-well.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°So do not-not worry. Pain is temporary, beauty is forever, is that not-not correct?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kana said at last. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Ugh, what I have to suffer to be the best. I won¡¯t ask you to take responsibility, but I will ask you to be gentle.¡±


    ¡°She sounds just like me...¡± My sis snickered.


    ¡°All right then, here we go...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Finally.¡± Kana was cradling her arm. We had rolled the sleeve back on her hakama and inflicted nasty injuries on her, though we kept then internal, so that she didn¡¯t bleed all over her clothes back in the Material. Eventually, with help from my Eye and Haru-san showing her how I did it, as well as Shaeula and I guiding the flow within her, Kana¡¯s body reached the point aether was automatically being sent around both her bodies, affecting minor healing. ¡°That sucked. It sucked to the maximum. It was hell. But... at least I succeeded.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± my sis warned her. ¡°You get to hurt all over again when you are going for a Rank up.¡±


    ¡°You sure are a sadist.¡± Mine-san said, having watched the scene. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say that was torture.¡±


    ¡°It can be quite-quite cruel to learn, but compared to how we learned by using the Myconid Death Spores...¡± Shaeula barked a bitter laugh. ¡°No, this was kind and quite-quite gentle in comparison. So, who is next?¡±


    ¡°Ren-san, you¡¯re up.¡± I said, and as he went pale, Shaeula mocked him.


    ¡°I shall-shall be working on your sisters. They will not-not refuse, right?¡±


    The two girls were holding hands, looking down, but they shook their heads after silently communicating with each other. ¡°No, we shall endure, Shaeula-sama.¡± ¡°We can do it. As daughters of Hikawa-Kawagoe, we need to be strong.¡± They both answered her.


    ¡°You see? So man up.¡± I laughed, grabbing Ren-san by the collar.


    ¡°Would you be so good as to explain what you are doing?¡± Yamato-san asked, his conversation interrupted.


    ¡°Training. You are welcome to watch, though I doubt you¡¯ll learn that much. I dare say I¡¯ll end up talking about it in more detail at Conclave.¡±


    He seemed frustrated, but he merely acquiesced, backing off, and soon, Ren-san was wailing like a little kid...


    ********


    ¡°To think that you two sisters could share-share the pain between yourselves, halving the intensity. That was most-most clever. And then to split it still further with Marika...¡±


    I was patting the head of our teary-eyed Marika-san, though she smiled at me tremulously, her body still shaking. ¡°It is fine. I wanted... to be useful to Chairo-sama, and to you, Akio-sama.¡± She bit her lip softly, remembering the pain, as even split into thirds it was quite agonising. ¡°Though... can I wait a while before going further?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You were very brave. The twins too.¡± I turned to thank them. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to suffer the pain for Marika-san, so I¡¯m really impressed.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, Akio-sama. Or so I would like to say...¡± Chiaki began.


    ¡°... we don¡¯t regret it, but... we would like to wait before further training as well.¡± Chiasa finished her sentence.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no urgency. We¡¯ve laid the foundations.¡± I said, only for Ren-san to speak up.


    ¡°If only you¡¯d have waited, my sister could have shared my pain and...¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± I denied him. ¡°Brothers are there to spare their sisters from pain.¡±


    ¡°Says the brother that is always hurting his sister deliberately, it seems.¡± Mine-san giggled. ¡°It¡¯s like, you have no self-awareness at all!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± I brushed that aside, knowing I did it for the right reasons, even if I hated it. ¡°Haru-san, Grulgor, we are running short on time, I¡¯ll work on the pair of you later, along with Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t... enjoy pain. It brings back bad memories.¡± Haru-san whispered.


    ¡°All right. Mine-san, Yamato-san, we¡¯ll be going soon, I just want to try one more thing, so... privacy time.¡± the barrier of wind went up again.


    ¡°Before that-that, Eri and I would like to see our growth.¡± Shaeula asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll make I quick, as time is passing.¡±


    ¡°I see-see. I am certainly stronger, and I do rather enjoy being able to understand my skills as you do now, Akio, but-but...¡± she sighed mournfully. ¡°I have been far-far too busy on Seelie Court politics to battle and raise my level. I have stagnated, and Eri is close-close to catching me.¡±


    As Eri grinned triumphantly, my sis complained. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I feel so sorry for you Shaeula, here¡¯s me, stuck on level nine!¡±


    ¡°Well, I have-have come up with an idea, but first we need to speak to...¡±


    As they bickered, they looked happy. Tangible growth was the sweetest of all rewards, and though I had helped them along the way, a lot of it was their own efforts. In fact, we all help each other. Haru-san, the twins, Ren-san, Shaeula, today wouldn¡¯t have been such a success without everyone working together. As I was reading out more of Eri¡¯s stats, I glanced outside my wind barrier to where Yamato-san and Mine-san were talking. Conclave, huh? If we can all work together, more Candidates helping each other, what value can we add, what feats can we achieve together? If only my Foresight wasn¡¯t warning me, putting a dampener on my hopeful feelings...


    With Eri¡¯s stats looking like that after all her hard work, I definitely don¡¯t need to worry about casual criminals or stalkers. It¡¯d take a mob of yakuza, the army or a Candidate to handle her... I guess her affinity for light is low though, considering her gains. Hmm, I think I know their next training regimen...


    It was similar to what I was doing now, trying to link my wood and light elements to my lunar chakra, as doing so massively increased the recovery speed, power and maximum amount of such elements I could hold.


    ¡°I was so proud of breaking the hundred barrier and all of yours are past two hundred! Some are nearly three hundred!¡± My sis complained. ¡°Although... I have sunlight, you have plain measly old light!¡± she said triumphantly.


    ¡°Hey, I have just an ordinary light element too...¡± I laughed. ¡°And speaking of...¡± using my Split Thoughts and my experience from before, along with my high understanding of light element, it synchronised with my lunar chakra, upgrading the skill. Wood element... well, that¡¯s a lost cause for now. I suppose we should get going...


    Before I could declare we were done, everyone insisted on knowing my stats. ¡°Oh well, I can tell you, but promise not to be depressed, all right?¡± I grinned cheekily. ¡°If Eri¡¯s bother you, you¡¯ll cry when I tell you mine.¡± I teased Aiko.


    ¡°Just shut up and do it. We have to get going soon, right?¡± she retorted.


    ¡°Sure. In that case...¡±


    My lunar chakra was now a four element, light and darkness one, and the swirling energies were orbiting it in seeming harmony, generating me noticeable power. My stats were all around a thousand, barring Aether, and when I integrated the new light element into Body Enhancement, I might be able to effectively double them for a short time, or run them at a noticeable but lesser increase for a decent length of time.


    ¡°Wow, just .... Wow.¡± My sis said. ¡°Damn bro, way to make us all look bad!¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a Candidate, so it¡¯s not fair to compare. Considering everything, you and Eri have done wonders. And now Kana, Marika-san, Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, Ren-san, you¡¯ve taken the first steps on this path too. The others... we¡¯ll have to bring then up to speed as well, but for now... Conclave.¡± I exchanged looks with everyone as the privacy barrier dropped again. ¡°Are we ready?¡±


    ¡°We sure are!¡± Kana declared, hyping herself up. ¡°My father may be the face of Shirohebizumi shrine, but I¡¯ll do my part, as the future heir to the shrine, and your ally, Akio.¡±


    As the others echoed her, Yamato-san and Mine-san returned. ¡°Sounds like you are all pumped for Conclave. I¡¯m like, glad someone is.¡± Mine-san chortled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish. This is vital to you. To us all.¡± Yamato-san then addressed Ren-san, the twins and Kana. ¡°As Susanoo faction, I hope you¡¯ll give it your all, even if you are not at the main meeting. I¡¯ll make some time to come and see you, all right?¡±


    Ren-san nodded, excited. Kana hid her expression behind her usual flirty mask when she was trying to dissemble, and nodded as well.


    ¡°As for you...¡± Yamato-san said. ¡°My father invited you, don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    True, but... oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll do what I need to do, regardless of faction. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I never forget a favour done to me.¡± A slight neither. Let¡¯s hope he gets that message. ¡°Well, we should be going. Thanks for the light element, Yamato-san. I¡¯ll consider it a little payment towards the cost of my help yesterday.¡± And with those words we returned to the Material, ready for Conclave, though first there was the small matter of my meeting with Saionji-san...

 Two Hundred And Seventy

    Two Hundred And Seventy


    ¡°So, we all know what we need to do?¡± I asked, looking at our rather large group, standing in a sheltered spot across from the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It was quite the varied one, with a mixture of spiritual beings, kami, shrine personnel, our families and some American mercenaries, but we all had the same goal. Making Conclave a success for both Japan and us. I can¡¯t just be a lackey, a grunt for one of the three factions. No, I need to be an equal partner at least.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kana¡¯s grandfather Masaji-san was the first to speak. Her could see the change, the confidence, that had come over his daughter, as she finally took the duties of her shrine seriously, and he was delighted and proud of her. ¡°Though our shrine is Susanoo faction... our loyalty is to you, Akio-san. After all, our kami trusts and serves you.¡± He looked at Shirohebi, who alongside the Jade Beetle was waiting, ready for his debut before the faiths of Japan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be attending the main meeting.¡± His son, Daichi-san said. ¡°So I¡¯ll raise my voice in support. My daughter will attend one of the many smaller side meetings and look for those who might be amenable to listening to her.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me. I won¡¯t let you down, Akio.¡± Kana grinned, before unleashing a glowing orb of light on her palm that flickered and bobbled for a few seconds before fading. ¡°I¡¯ll be the talk of the Conclave. No, we will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Kana-chan, big bro Akio.¡± Keomi-chan, who was talking to Marika-san, turned to me, her big, guileless eyes wide. ¡°You forgot to take me! I want to make pretty lights too! And Kana-chan and Marika-chan look so pretty now. Their skin is as soft as silk!¡± she poked Marika-san in the cheek, who flushed.


    ¡°It was not very fun.¡± Marika-san sighed, remembering. ¡°It was scary and painful at times, but... Chiaki-sama and Chiasa-sama are kind. They helped me...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t approve of hurting my precious Marika!¡± her mother complained. ¡°But even so... I can¡¯t believe it. Gods and spiritual powers. And Marika has them too now. I suppose... I should be grateful.¡± She said at last, looking at the Palace as groups of shrine maidens, priests and others were going inside, hundreds, thousands gathering for what would likely decide the course of Japan¡¯s religion, and would have a huge impact on its politics.


    ¡°I want to be helpful to Chairo-sama. And to everyone.¡± Marika-san insisted, and everyone smiled, as seeing a young girl trying her best with such an earnest wish was definitely a heart-warming sight.


    ¡°I guess we missed out as well, huh Asami-chan?¡± Mio-san giggled. ¡°You too, Takagi-chan, Kikuchi-chan.¡± The girls were closer friends now, and even the standoffish Takagi-san and the shy Maiko-san were opening up. ¡°I hope next time, we¡¯ll get our chance! Kana-chan said it hurt like hell, but for perfect skin, I¡¯d sit in a vat of boiling oil!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there too, along with my kami.¡± Shuta-san said. ¡°My daughter will do her part, with the other members of Amaterasu.¡± At his words, Maiko-san paled, but she nodded, resolute, and as Takagi-san grasped her hand reassuringly, I could see the tension lift from her. ¡°I will offer my voice in support at Conclave as well, but first... Saionji-sama is waiting.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know just what we can do.¡± Uncle Junpei said, and auntie echoed him. ¡°But your parents and I, we¡¯ll do our best.¡±


    ¡°Just being there and showing off what your Chirurgery can do is what you wanted, right Aki?¡± my mom asked, enjoying the feeling of being in hakama, and preening under the gazes she was getting from passing tourists and other shrine personnel, being a British woman of excellent looks, wearing such an outfit. ¡°I¡¯ll tell all the pretty girls they can be just like us if they ask you nicely, Aki!¡±


    ¡°I think our son has more than enough girls around him already.¡± My father shook his head, a little exasperated. ¡°But yes, you can count on us, son. At first I thought you were hiding something when you said you were doing work with the shrine at Chairoakitara. And you were. But to think it¡¯d come to this...¡±


    ¡°And we know our role.¡± Trey said in English, as his sister stifled a yawn. Beside him, Travis and Manx nodded too. ¡°Since we don¡¯t speak Japanese, we are just security. At least your family and the others...¡± he looked at Grulgor and Hyacinth. ¡°... speak it too. So we¡¯ll just be suitably intimidating.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because we need to be on high alert.¡± I had of course shared the warning of my Foresight with everyone. Aliyah and my parents hadn¡¯t really believed it, until Shaeula and Kana supported me, talking about the yakuza attack and the betrayal of Shaeula¡¯s maids. Now everyone was tense, but we had made preparations.


    ¡°Right. Well, don¡¯t forget, we have other allies. Chiyo-san and her neutral shrines, as well as those others we brought in, and Hikawa-Kawagoe. So mingle with our friends and colleagues, and build our support base. I¡¯ll work on those at the top, but even if they won¡¯t play ball, if we win over enough of the shrine maidens and priests who support them, we can pressure them that way.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s grown up, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Uncle said, and my father nodded, approving.


    ¡°So, bro. Will we see you in the break after the first session?¡± my sis asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Probably not. I dare say I¡¯ll end up having to meet the Diviner, or Takakura-san, or maybe one of the other faction heads. Maybe more than one. If I do get chance, I¡¯ll text you though.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that sucks but... whatever. What about afterwards though? No way you¡¯ll miss out on that concert by Red and White. All of us girls are going, right?¡± At that they all nodded, Takagi-san looking particularly thrilled.


    ¡°Sure, your brother will be there to keep an eye on you.¡± I smiled. ¡°Anyway... so there¡¯s the first session until four pm, then a two hour break, then another session until ten pm. It¡¯s a long day, so everyone, pace yourselves. Haru-san, Eri, Shaeula, you ready?¡± I turned to Shuta-san. ¡°I suppose we had better meet with Saionji-san, we don¡¯t have a lot of time before the first session begins, and we don¡¯t want to be late...¡±


    ********


    The inside of the Imperial Palace was luxurious indeed. Signs were up outside saying it was closed to the public this weekend, and now it was filled with thousands of visitors from all the true shrines and temples of Japan. As we admired the architecture and interior de?cor, a young priest led the seven of us to a small room, where three people were waiting for us.


    The first was a middle-aged man sitting behind an antique desk. He radiated an aura of authority, as if he was used to being obeyed, and his black hair was neatly trimmed and styled, framing an austere face with a sharp nose that gave him the look of a hungry raptor. His dark eyes surveyed us as we entered, his interest plain to see. Standing behind him was a somewhat older man, a bit tired-looking, and hunched, with his hair going to grey. Still as our eyes met, I could feel power within him. Within both of them. So, Saionji-san is a Candidate too. And quite a powerful one. A match for Yamato-san at least...


    It was the third figure that drew my eye though. She was sitting down, seemingly half asleep, her dark chocolate skin a shade lighter than Trey or Aliyah, but her body-line was tight and clean, with a decent chest, accentuated by the deep red sundress she wore, with white detailing around the bust, wrists and hem. Her long brown hair was covering her face, dangling down, and as I looked at her, one eye flickered open lazily, a brilliant ruby colour, yet her eye held little heat, only a dull exhaustion. She looked past me, to see Shaeula and Haru-san and the Jade Beetle kami, only to jolt upright, nearly falling out of her chair.


    ¡°You... you three are all like me!¡± The woman said, surprised.


    I heard Haru-san take a mournful breath, and I couldn¡¯t blame her. After all, she may be an Onryo now, but she¡¯s human at heart still... not some spiritual being.


    ¡°Calm yourself, Akai.¡± The composed man said, who was surely Saionji-san. ¡°If you are going to be annoying, you can go back to sleep until the Conclave.¡±


    ¡°But... that one is strong.¡± She eyed Shaeula warily. ¡°I smell fire, and light, wind, a powerful water...¡± she turned to Haru-san then. ¡°Light from her too.¡± She wrinkled her nose. ¡°That one...¡± she pointed at the Jade Beetle kami triumphantly. ¡°... is a divinity, though far less potent than I, of course. Stinks of wind.¡± She thrust out her ample chest proudly. ¡°Flame, light and darkness... ugh, I dislike the dark.¡± She glanced at Eri, shuddering. ¡°And you...¡± she turned to me, before her chocolate skin whitened, quite a feat. A sudden look of fear crossed her face. ¡°No, he¡¯s powerful! I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t think I can fight him! Darkness, light, fire, water, air, earth, wood... even hints of space. Ugh... a monster!¡± She shrank back in her chair, making herself look small, her hair wrapping around her like wings.


    ¡°The Night Parade.¡± Saionji-san shuddered. ¡°They are supposed to roam over the entirety of Japan, yet for the last few months they have stalked Kyoto. Did... did you face them?¡± he asked, incredulous.


    ¡°Just some of their offshoots who picked a fight. They won¡¯t be doing it again.¡± I said. No way I¡¯m going to fight the whole Parade head-on. Just seeing it was enough to tell me that would be total suicide. ¡°As for dealing with them in the long term... well, let me say I have an idea.¡±


    Behind me Shaeula grinned, though there was some nervousness in it, no doubt as she worried her mother wouldn¡¯t be pleased to see her, wouldn¡¯t accept her, so my hand snaked out and grasped hers. Eri took her other hand.


    That gave Saionji-san pause. ¡°I see. That aid... I would have given much for it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t as though I can¡¯t help you.¡± I said mildly. ¡°But I don¡¯t work for free.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well...¡± Saionji-san frowned, finishing his tea, so I did the same, drinking down the remaining liquid in my cup. ¡°... I had feared you were determined to support Susanoo. Or was a puppet of the nobility. I see that isn¡¯t the case... well, that allayed my fears a little.¡± He looked down, checking the time. ¡°Well, we should be going. Conclave awaits. Akai, I know you aren¡¯t sleeping. Get up.¡± He chided his spiritual being.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I don¡¯t like them. They¡¯re strong!¡± she said, nervous, peering at us through her hair.


    ¡°I am quite offended.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°What does my strength have to do with being likable? I am quite-quite the charming female, and Akio is very kind, should you not-not threaten him or his loved ones.¡±


    ¡°One last thing.¡± Saionji-san said, standing. ¡°I intended to introduce spiritual beings to the faithful at Conclave, but now I know I am not alone in having such a companion. I would ask that you let me raise Akai here first. Surely a small favour like this is nothing?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Although I want time to speak, so make sure you don¡¯t shout me down when it¡¯s my turn, all right?¡±


    As we haggled over some details on how we would proceed at Conclave, Maiko-san left to attend one of the smaller meetings. I told her to be careful, and she nodded, a small smile on her face. We reached the grand hall, where Conclave was taking place, and it was already bustling, four blocks of seating arrayed in front of the raised stage that occupied the back of the hall. A throne was the centrepiece, and it was actually occupied by a girl around my age, wearing a rich red, white and gold hakama, her hair pulled into a pair of brown braids, her face looking pale and nervous, her eyes darting about behind her red-framed glasses. Is that Princess Mikasa? I¡¯m meeting a real princess. A real human one, anyway...


    ¡°I must take my place. Akai, go with Yasaka-san and don¡¯t fall asleep.¡± Saionji-san ordered her. ¡°Shuta-san, join the others.¡± He turned to me then. ¡°And where will you sit? With Susanoo?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think I¡¯ll sit with Chiyo-san in the neutral seating for now. I can always change places later.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°That is quite a statement. It will annoy Uchida, so I don¡¯t disapprove. I hope when you hear my reasoning, you will see that supporting me and my plans is the only viable path for Japan.¡±


    ¡°Right back at you. My plan shouldn¡¯t totally disappoint you, even if you have to compromise a bit.¡±


    ¡°Well, I shall listen, in deference to you having saved Shuta-san, one of my own, and your honesty during our meeting. Just don¡¯t let fools drag you to their own pace. Susanoo reeks of defeatism, and that old fox Kudou... well, the splinters you¡¯ll get from sitting on the fence will annoy you.¡±


    With that he headed for the front dais. I could see the veiled form of the Diviner next to the Princess, Kudou-san next to her. Yamato-san¡¯s father was on the other side, and Takakura-san was there too. As Saionji-san took his own seat, I went past the Susanoo area, drawing a lot of looks, including a searching one from Hikawa-san, who was in the front row of the chairs. I merely nodded back, winking, and he sighed, getting the message. I¡¯ve talked to each faction, and while before I was begging for this opportunity, now I¡¯m owed it, earned it. Things have changed.


    The four of us were attracting a fair number of looks. Shaeula wasn¡¯t in shrine maiden attire, but her kimono, while Haru-san was in a suit. I didn¡¯t look like a priest either. Eri was in hakama, which was a fresh look for her, but even so, we looked out of place. Still, we took seats in the second row of the neutral area, a few people grumbling as they had to move for us, but Chiyo-san, who was sitting directly in front of us, smirked.


    ¡°So, sitting with us today, Akio-kun? A good choice. It¡¯s a statement. So, you had a good talk with Gin-kun, the reckless fool, right? That¡¯s everyone then. What did you think?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find out when I get to speak.¡± I said, earning a raised eyebrow. It was then, as the last of the attendees were taking their seats, over two thousand people filling the hall, that the great doors boomed shut, and the last of the moderators, Bankei-san, took his seat on the stage.


    Picking up a microphone, Bankei-san spoke. ¡°Testing, testing. Can everyone hear me, especially at the back? It has been a long time since the last Conclave. Many of us were not even alive for that.¡± There was some laughter at his joke, an amused ripple that went around the hall, but there was uneasiness too.


    ¡°I shall introduce those of us who are key to this. Though I expect you all already know us. This humble one is Bankei, and I shall be chairing this Conclave. So while I expect there will be heated debate, accusations and the usual infighting, please do not forget why they called me Bankei the Hammer. I may be old, but I can still smite you young ones if you step out of line.¡± More laughter, and the mood lightened a little. ¡°Saionji-san, Uchida-san and Kudou-san are well known to you all, keeping everybody in line. They will each have their chance to speak, as will any of you who need to, though we only have two days, so try and stick to the point. I do not wish to have to cast any of you out. Everyone should have their chance to hear and be heard.¡±


    I see. Well, it makes sense having a respected and unaffiliated priest like Bankei-san take the reins.


    ¡°The Lady Diviner is watching. Do not disgrace yourselves in front of her. As the voice of the kami, we will of course need her wisdom.¡± He continued, and she raised a slender hand, though my keen eyes could see it trembling a little. ¡°And as for the representative of the Imperial Family, one of our own, shrine maiden of Amaterasu, of the Grand Shrine at Ise, protecting the country from all spiritual ills, is Princess Mikasa.¡±


    ¡°I am honoured to be here, though I don¡¯t know what wisdom I can impart.¡± She said, despite her nerves, speaking clearly and with elegant diction. I dare say she¡¯s used to public speaking as a Princess, even if she¡¯s kept out of the public eye most of her life.


    ¡°Lastly, representing the nobility of Japan, is the friend of the faiths, Takakura-san.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to be here in these troubling times. As ever, I shall speak freely and fairly, honest to the needs of the wider Japan. I ask only that you listen with an open mind.¡±


    ¡°So, now this humble one...¡± he paused, allowing the gravity of the moment to sink in. ¡°... shall open with why we are all gathered here. It is simple. The kami, the Gods... they are returning. The world lost fifteen hundred years ago... the spiritual, both good and bad, the Yokai and other beings... soon the world will have to deal with them once again. To that end... we have to make a choice, as to how we shall respond. A choice that affects not just us, but Japan, no, the very world!¡±


    As Bankei-san spoke, I felt a rising tension within me. Here we go, this is it. I planned to be here months ago, and I¡¯ve laid the groundwork for it. Now all I have to do is convince those here of my plans. And it won¡¯t be easy...

 Two Hundred And Seventy-One

    Two Hundred And Seventy-One


    As Bankei-san spoke, I let my gaze wander around the surrounding crowd. I could see a variety of expressions, some fearful, others hopeful, yet more contemplative. I also spotted several beings like Shirohebi, though none were amongst the Susanoo seats other than Shirohebi themself. Well, it¡¯s obvious that others would be able to do what I do. Kikuchi Shuta-san proved that when with my guidance he managed to create a Throne of Heroes...


    ¡°We have carried faith for fifteen hundred long, often bitter years.¡± Bankei-san¡¯s voice boomed, rich and deep, his oratory crisp and evoking emotions of loss. ¡°Upheavals, wars, the destruction of shrines, the pillaging and rapine that often accompanied such times. Not every kami is remembered, many are lost to the sands of time, the hourglass ever flowing.¡± He sighed, the sound echoing over the speakers. ¡°Though new shrines to new kami were established, and sometimes a prosperous, fortunate bloodline would split off, dedicating themselves to a new faith.¡± There were some nods and murmurs of agreement at that, and that answered one of my questions.


    Prince Sho?toku, the kami we met at Tsukuyomi-jinja, the Diviner¡¯s shrine, I remember from my old history lessons that he was born in the late five hundreds, right? That would be after the Gods withdrew and the Astral receded from Earth. So if the shrines during that and later periods occasionally established branch families, that would explain how later kami deified by the populace could still have true shrines and temples. Though more interesting is that kami can still be created, even when the Boundary is all we had. Though I suppose the Prince and other similar kami would be like Shirohebi, rather weak compared to the true divinity that are still distant from us, up in the higher Astral...


    As I pondered the mechanism for becoming a kami, suspecting it was similar to my Fae-Souled class in a way, or perhaps required a lot of adherence, I listened to Bankei-san as he continued to speak. ¡°But as the years, the decades, the centuries marched on, our bloodlines thinned. Perhaps it was the loss of so many families, forcing us to bring in new blood or marry outside the web of faith, or perhaps it was the distance of the Gods from us, but powers we took for granted, the ability to create miracles, to heal the sick and dying, to conjure fire and lightning to smite our enemies, to listen to the wind and the rain, hearing the voices of the kami... that dwindled to mere flickers of power. Though a power rightfully ours, this humble one says it still was.¡± He boomed, his talent for speaking impressing me further.


    ¡°Unlike other countries, who stood firmly on the altar of science, and purged anything that did not fit their secular dreams, we were isolated, protected. The Tokugawa shogunate kept our nation isolated for two hundred and sixty-five years. Only in eighteen sixty-eight did we open our borders, and that... well, that was the beginning of our second, more rapid decline.¡±


    It really is like being back at school. Eri and I both studied Sakoku, the isolationist period. But to think it would be relevant here... I could see Shaeula¡¯s eyes glazing over at the talk, and I held in a grin.


    ¡°First, Western science and beliefs came in with renewed vigour. The Christian faith, which had first arrived four hundred and fifty years ago, only to dwindle during the Sakoku period, came back, bringing with it danger to our native faiths. There were... incidents, as I am sure many of you know about. But worse was science. With technology and ease of life, faith perishes, and over time belief in the kami, the Gods, became mere rote tradition. And then... the greatest blow...¡±


    He paused dramatically. ¡°The Second World War! Whether right or wrong, Japan fought and lost, and in the war and the subsequent occupation, more true shrines and temples were despoiled, more bloodlines lost than ever before. And worse... our truest bloodline, the Imperial Family, said to be descended from Amaterasu...¡±


    At that, Princess Mikasa looked down, biting at her lip.


    ¡°... they were forced to recant their divine blood. And from then on, we have truly been forced to hide our lineage, as with the advent of television, cameras, the internet and more, we would be discovered, studied, worse...¡±


    That was Kana¡¯s reasoning as to why she and her father kept their talents hidden. And it¡¯s a good one. I know internationally there are several rather large prizes for anyone who can demonstrate genuine magical or psychic powers, but... yeah, those are traps, most likely. Science has definitely made the world a better place, no question, but it can be ruthless in search of progress. I bet many scientists wouldn¡¯t think twice about doing horrible deeds to unravel the secrets of magic. I couldn¡¯t help but think of Ixitt then, our own resident mad scientist, no, Mortal Engineer...


    ¡°But now, this humble one, and all of you... the times have changed. The past is the past and now we have to decide how to face the future. There are those chosen by the Gods themselves among us, and the once lost spiritual realm alongside ours, it is now accessible once more. There are those among us who are Chosen. So, we now need to plot a course.¡± He lowered his voice conspiratorially, through the microphone still made it audible to all. ¡°We survived fifteen hundred years of war, plague, rebellion, clashes of faith and worse, because we were, if not unified, then of one mind to protect our secrets and our faith as a whole. Those that tried to betray us did exist, though fortunately they were few in number. We made hard choices, and our hands were bloody, but we survived. For this day.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Now, I shall allow a moment to reflect, while Kudou-san prepares to update you on the current nature of the Chosen of the Gods, and what we know.¡±


    He nodded, stepping back, and around the hall people started talking as Kudou-san was discussing something with Saionji-san and Uchida-san. ¡°So, what do you think, Akio-kun?¡± Chiyo-san said, turning to me. ¡°How would you proceed from here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. You were at our big meeting. You know my aims. Look, keeping the faith preserved through all these years, and still a secret, it¡¯s an amazing feat, just like Bankei-san said. I think it helps that we Japanese are generally superstitious and if we don¡¯t actually believe in yokai and kami, we don¡¯t disbelieve.¡± The difference was subtle, but it was there. ¡°But now, we can¡¯t keep it under wraps much longer, as the number of Candidates outside the faith far outweighs those within, who are used to keeping secrets, hiding their meagre gifts, and generally being wise. All it¡¯ll take is one idiot, and this all gets out. Which is why we need to act fast and bring everyone under one aegis before the inevitable happens.¡±


    ¡°The Ministry, yes?¡± She said, and I nodded, though before I could elaborate, Kudou-san had taken the stage, holding another microphone.


    Back on stage, I could see Saionji-san hiding a smirk, and I wondered why that was. I had little time to ponder (and wasn¡¯t going to waste the effort with Split Thoughts to think about it) as Kudou-san pulled everyone¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°As you can see, the Gods have blessed us. There are others with similar, varied gifts. It is simply not possible to hide matters for long, no matter what we decide to do. To that end, I call upon Takakura-sama to speak on what the nobility and the government have decided so far.¡±


    As Takakura-san took the microphone, I realised his eldest granddaughter Katsuki-san was in attendance, sitting not too far from me. Still, my attention was on the elderly Takakura-san, as he stood in front of the crowd, who were still buzzing over the reveal of the Golden Warrior. He waited a while, allowing matters to settle, before he spoke.


    ¡°There is little need to introduce myself. The Takakura family has been nobility in Kyoto for as long as the faith has endured. Indeed, we have a legacy of our own, and our own shrines, though our once-proud bloodline has become rather diluted in time.¡± He glanced apologetically at Katsuki-san. ¡°However, we have never forgotten our roots, and have always acted as the bridge between the secular nobility, the government and the Imperial Family, much as the Priestess of Ise always has.¡± At those words, the Princess looked down again, tense.


    ¡°Now, however, our mediation is needed more than ever. The emergence of these abilities poses a greater threat to the stability of Japan than anything seen since the war. No, it will likely exceed that chaos worldwide, when the populace at large finds out about it. And find out they will, as Kudou-san said. Make no mistake...¡± he warned. ¡°... a secret known to so many cannot be secured for long. Already there have been several near-misses, where only government intervention has stopped the leaks. Imagine it, if a statue such as Uchida-san can summon was called in the middle of a school, crushing and killing pupils and teachers alike. Or...¡± he lowered his voice. ¡°... as has already happened, a Chosen blessed by a cruel God used their power to abduct, torture and kill innocent people. Fortunately the perpetrator was stopped and received justice, but such power can surely lead the weak-willed into temptation. He will not be the last monster we have to face.¡±


    Kondou Kazuo. That bastard. I already knew the position of Takakura-san and the government, so I tuned out most of his talk, as he discussed the need for maintaining secrecy as long as possible, and the plans for a Ministry to oversee everything. In fact, a good chunk of it is my plan, anyway. ¡°... as the shrines and temples of the faith have a long history of managing such abilities, and have many Chosen, we ask your cooperation. In exchange, there will be incentives and protections.¡± He finished. A bit light on the actual details, but yeah, that¡¯s for later discussion.


    ¡°Thank you, Takakura-sama.¡± Kudou-san said as he finished. ¡°Now, I would call upon the Priestess of Ise, the most honourable and divine of shrine maidens, Princess Mikasa, who carries the will of the Imperial Family.¡± At that the crowd focussed, and under the gaze of more than two thousand people, the Princess gathered herself, managing a wan smile. Taking a microphone, she stood, her red, white and gold hakama shimmering under the lights.


    ¡°I... well, this is difficult. I never expected I would ever be called to a Conclave.¡± She managed a weak laugh. ¡°The Imperial Family, my family... we have always claimed to have the blood of Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, within us. There are those of you here who worship Amaterasu, and yes, even one of the factions here is named in honour of our Goddess.¡± Saionji-san looked proud at that.


    ¡°Even so... divine blood. I... as the Priestess of Ise, it shames me to admit, but I didn¡¯t really believe. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She apologised. ¡°I was content to live my life outside the public eye as much as possible. I¡¯m not the most outgoing person, you see.¡± She laughed a little, nervous. ¡°And I¡¯m certainly the least bold Princess in the world.¡± She took a deep breath, steadying herself. ¡°But that choice is gone. For the truth is...¡± she paused, allowing tension to build, her oratorial skills overwhelming her shyness. ¡°... I was wrong. Whether the Imperial Family has the blood of Amaterasu or not... she does exist. For I am one of the Chosen of the Gods.¡± At that moment a bright sun bloomed, shining above her head, and I could feel the heat on my face from here. Some of the cloth and tapestries around the hall started to smoulder, before springing into flame, and she gasped, realising she had gone too far.


    The sun winked out of existence, and as several priests and shrine maidens grabbed nearby fire extinguishers and doused the flames, she slumped down in her chair, exhausted. ¡°I am not skilled in controlling the power of the Goddess.¡± She admitted. ¡°Do forgive me.¡±


    I can feel light energy, no, sunlight from that. It makes Ren-san¡¯s look like a candle though. I wonder if Aiko can get as strong as that if she trains hard?


    ¡°As to why I have been granted this power... well, every country has a legend, and ours is, if the Imperial Family does not have a shrine maiden, a Priestess, at the Grand Shrine, then Japan will fall. I am just the latest tasked with the role, yet the burden has fallen to me... I wish it went to someone else, but it didn¡¯t. But that is irrelevant. What matters is... what does the Imperial Family want, how do we wish to deal with the return of the old, the faiths? Well, I have spoken to father and grandfather, grandmother too.¡± She took a deep breath, steadying herself. ¡°We want stability, and Japan to remain a country of the old ways, yet adapting to the modern world. Chaos is anathema to us. So... please come to a consensus. We can¡¯t have everyone doing as they please. There is too much at stake.¡±


    With that she bowed, and gentle applause went through the room. As the relieved Princess placed down her microphone, Kudou-san spoke once more. ¡°Our thanks to the Princess, now true heir to Amaterasu! That sun sure was brilliant, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He grinned, stroking his beard, amused. ¡°Obviously Princess Mikasa and Takakura-sama will have more to say, once the discussion starts, but finally, before we begin... I would ask Lady Diviner to speak.¡± He passed the veiled woman a microphone. ¡°Everyone knows of her, though few have spoken to her. Up until now, she was the one with the truest powers, the like of which had not been seen since the Gods abandoned Japan. We have used her gift to avert disasters both amongst the faith, and the wider country. And now, her guidance is more important than ever!¡±


    He bowed, and the woman stood, her unearthly presence bringing the hall to a hush. Yes, there¡¯s something very special about her. But... she seemed so very sad and afraid.


    ¡°I am the Diviner. And I prophesise... Japan, no, the very world itself is facing doom, and will surely be destroyed!¡±

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Two

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Two


    At her pronouncement, there was chaos. Saionji-san, who was aware of her portents, if not the contents, opened his eyes wide, shocked at the scale of the prophecy, whilst many others were panicking. Even so, the Diviner was unmoved, and she clapped her hands once, the noise quiet, yet seeming to cut through the hubbub, everyone captivated by her. A soft, silver glow seemed to radiate from her, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Peace. There is no cause for panic. I am the Diviner, I see the future, blessed ripples of light on the surface of a lake, the reflected moon of Tsukuyomi.¡± Her veil that covered her face moved softly with each of her breaths. ¡°I was perhaps the first. I am not arrogant enough to believe I was the only one in this world gifted the true powers of the Divine. Other countries have other Gods, and I would not dare to say they are any less real than Tsukuyomi.¡± She turned and I could feel she was looking at me then, and the gazes of the rest of the hall followed her. ¡°In fact, I now know foreign gods to be as real as our own.¡± She took a long breath.


    ¡°But ever since I was but a small child, I have been able to see the future. Clouded, wispy fragments, dreams and allegories. Hard to interpret, but over the years I have grown skilled in it. But some may ask, what use is seeing the future? The answer is simple. Not all events are fixed. We have turned disaster aside many times, though we have failed often too. But now...¡± she raised her arms, and the silvery glow intensified. Shaeula seemed to find it soothing, as she was leaning into me, her face flushed, and I could feel it resonating within me, the High Moonlight Spirit Water that was trickling from my sacral chakra responding. ¡°... I, who somehow was reached by Tsukuyomi before this current state of affairs, I have now received his true blessing, and I am one of the Chosen of the Gods.¡±


    At that declaration, further murmurs went around the room. Chiyo-san turned back to me, her expression curious. ¡°I am not surprised that the Lady Diviner was chosen. What do you think, Akio-kun?¡±


    ¡°Well, from what I know, the Gods choose based on affinity. And I guess nobody has more affinity for Tsukuyomi than the Diviner. So it makes sense. Though if we knew why she had such powers long before anyone else, that might answer a lot of important questions.¡±


    Chiyo-san frowned, thinking. ¡°I see. Well, we should listen. She is going to speak again.¡±


    Once more her soft clap echoed, drawing all our attention. ¡°Being Chosen is an honour, and a burden. But I am long used to burdens.¡± Her strange, ageless voice cracked a little, so subtly that likely only the Candidates around us could pick up on it. ¡°But with Tsukuyomi reaching down from the silver skies high above to gift me his power, I can see more clearly than ever before. And what I see... six disasters, each one greater than the last. The shadows loom over us, over Japan, yet it is not just Japan alone that is in danger. Should we fall, the Earth will follow, and in the darkness, there will be no moon, no sun, no stars. Only silence and death.¡±


    Her grave pronouncements had captured everyone, and I now understood more of why she was so afraid. Such a heavy burden for anyone to bear, let alone on those slender shoulders. Light, Darkness and Twilight. I had no idea what twilight was, but ... well, fuck prophecy. If someone needs to stop it, then I¡¯ll step up. I¡¯m no fatalist. If we grow strong enough, we can fight. I didn¡¯t believe in that sort of thing, although, just like with my Foresight, which was still blaring an irritating warning at the back of my mind, I wasn¡¯t going to chance ignoring it anymore. As I thought earlier, better to be prepared for no reason than be unprepared and regret it forever...


    ¡°I believe it is as Kudou-sama and Bankei-sama say.¡± She continued, captivating everyone. ¡°The Gods have given us the power to stave off the end. They do love us, their lost, errant children, and though they cannot intervene directly, they have given us the tools to save ourselves. If the end was inevitable...¡± she said, a soft whisper, as if to convince herself, that the speakers spread to all corners of the hall. ¡°... then why show me? I believe Tsukuyomi to not be so cruel.¡±


    Yes, I agree. This Red Dragon she talked about... if it¡¯s an actual dragon, it can die. Duke Myrcolaxriath seemed impossible to defeat, yet with preparation, neutralising his strengths, it was possible. A Dragon is no different. And if it¡¯s a metaphor for something else... well, power is the answer. And we are growing strong.


    ¡°So, I ask everyone, put aside your selfishness, your squabbling. This is about more than the return of our gifts, the grace of the kami and Gods restored to us. No, this is about survival. Of our country. Of the world. Of humanity. I beg of you... come to a decision, and prepare.¡± She sat down silently, and I could see her shoulders trembling under the silk.


    For a long moment there was silence, before Kudou-san nodded at Bankei-san, who stood, taking centre stage. ¡°Powerful words from the Lady Diviner. Come to a decision. That is why we are here, and why we do not stand alone. For this humble one, I... I would urge everyone to remember that we serve the Gods, and our faiths lived through fifteen hundred years of hard times. We must not shame those who came before us and the memory of those hardships by becoming careless and selfish when such hardships have finally ended... huh. Do you have something to say?¡± he asked, as in the back benches of the Amaterasu faction, one old man was looking furious, talking to his neighbours loudly. Saionji-san looked annoyed at one of his followers being disruptive, but he allowed Bankei-san to moderate.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± The man stood, arms crossed, scowling at everyone around him. ¡°I am not one to dismiss the words of the Lady Diviner.¡± He nodded, showing her some respect at least. ¡°But... a decision? Why? Those of us who aren¡¯t Chosen, what changes for us? Knowing the Gods are real? We knew that anyway! We are the true faith! Respect, honour? That will go to all the larger shrines as always, and the new Chosen. What can we do, what can we achieve?¡±


    Others from the Amaterasu and Susanoo seats echoed their agreement. As a ripple of unrest spread, Bankei-san tried to calm it down. ¡°Peace. We were going to discuss this shortly, but since you seem so adamant, we can talk a little about it now. Though I am disappointed. Haven¡¯t we always believed that the strength of one was the strength of all? Our united front has kept us safe all these years.¡± He shook his head wearily. ¡°Hikawa-san, if you could speak?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Hikawa-san stood, drawing all eyes. ¡°Now, we have decisions to make about how much we share with everyone here. I am in favour of full disclosure.¡± He looked at me then, a fleeting glance. ¡°... as I am sure everyone here can be trusted. After all, we have kept our secrets for fifteen hundred years, I¡¯m sure that we can keep the secrets of our Chosen now. And as for your worries... well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not disappointed too. After all, did you envy the Diviner and hate her for her gifts? I doubt many of us would be able to bear the weight she has over the years. Or is it simply now that it isn¡¯t merely her, you got jealous? Well... fear not.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the man said, still angry. ¡°And it isn¡¯t envy, I simply feel that our voices will mean nothing, opposed to those who have divine favour.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, I¡¯ll take your word for it, to spare your feelings.¡± Hikawa-san shrugged. ¡°Instead, let me tell you a story. Hikawa-Kawagoe is an old and powerful shrine, you know that. Well, our bloodline is strong, and all three of my children inherited some spiritual gifts. Strong ones by the standards of anyone but the noble Lady Diviner.¡± He nodded to her respectfully. ¡°... but even so, little tricks compared to the distant past. Yet...¡± he paused dramatically. ¡°... now, thanks to a course of special training, the gifts of my children are flourishing. And many other shrines have taken part as well, across Susanoo and also those of our friends in the unaffiliated seats.¡± He winked at Chiyo-san, who stood, voicing her agreement.


    ¡°Indeed. My troublesome granddaughters went through the same process. They showed great growth. But perhaps words will not suffice, though during the interval, feel free to go seek them out and confirm for yourself.¡± She snorted, before looking at Eri, who returned her gaze, puzzled. ¡°It is your time to show off, girl. After all, are you not Akio-kun¡¯s greatest success?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it would be quite-quite good for you to bask in the adulation of these people.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°You trained to be of use to Akio, did you not-not? His fame will soar, and many will seek out his aid, should you show your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Kinkaku-ji has an ornament on the roof, as I am sure you are all aware. A Phoenix. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across a young phoenix chick, sleeping amidst the splendour that is my temple in that realm. Initially she was wary, aggressive, but... we soon came to an agreement. And here she is. Akai, do it.¡± He nodded at her, and she gulped, before suddenly she too was ablaze, her dark brown hair fluttering out behind her like flaming wings.


    ¡°I think my father and grandfather are going to be annoyed...¡± Princess Mikasa muttered. ¡°This is the third time we¡¯ve set the hall on fire in only a few minutes...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have no wish to burn this sacred place.¡± Saionji-san agreed. ¡°That will do, Akai.¡± And with that the phoenix let her flames die down, her hair returning to cover her shy face. The ground under her was charred and glowing, so after another round of extinguishers, he was ready to confront the uproar. Everyone was talking about spiritual beings and their ability to walk the earth.


    ¡°Now Akai may not be a worshipped kami at Kinkaku-ji...¡± he began, only for Akai to interrupt.


    ¡°All Phoenix are divine. I am no exception!¡± she pouted, cheeks puffed.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± He said, a touch exasperated. ¡°Let me finish. Just go back to sleep for now.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleeping!¡± she complained, scuttling off the stage and back to her seat, shooting Shaeula and I wary glances as she went.


    ¡°But there are kami too. Those of you who tend to minor shrines will likely find your own, should you be so fortunate as to enter the spiritual realm.¡±


    ¡°But how can we? We aren¡¯t blessed by the Gods!¡± one woman cried, and Saionji-san grinned.


    ¡°Shuta-san, can you advise her?¡± he asked, and over on the Amaterasu side, he stood, the Jade Beetle beside him. His nerves were showing, but even so, he bowed and spoke.


    ¡°I am Kikuchi Shuta, priest of Hisuikomushi shrine. I am a Chosen of the Gods, though not a God of these sacred shores.¡± There were murmurs of discontent from the crowd at that, causing him to swallow reflexively before continuing. ¡°And this... this is my kami. A true, genuine kami of Japan, walking the mortal realm, the Material.¡± He said, using my terminology, as was becoming the habit of my allies. ¡°And to answer your question... my daughter, Maiko, she has little spiritual talent, though now she has undergone some of the same training as Mori-san over there...¡± he nodded at us. ¡°... she too has entered the spiritual realm at Hisuikomushi. Anyone can, with the proper assistance.¡±


    ¡°So you mean...¡± the woman said, and Saionji-san took over.


    ¡°Thank you, Shuta-san. And he is not alone. Look around, and you might see other out-of-place figures. Most are kami and others like Akai, here today to prove the truth. The world has changed, and it is ours! Faith will once more be accepted as being as true as science!¡±


    At his declaration, the applause from the Amaterasu faction was deafening. Even a number from the other factions were joining in.


    Yeah, it¡¯s hard to argue with that. Real, demonstrable power is back, and since many wielders are now strong enough to defend themselves, and it is no longer just a mere few, the dangers of being used as test subjects and lab rats is reduced. But there are other dangers...


    ¡°Yes, not only will we be accepted, we will blaze the path humanity will follow!¡± Saionji-san declared arrogantly, only for Bankei-san to speak up.


    ¡°Well, we need to decide what path we will follow first, which is why this Conclave is called. Everyone, take five minutes to cool your heads from these revelations, and then... the leaders of Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi will outline their wishes and plans for the future. Judge them wisely, not blindly, for this humble one would hate for us to be led astray by hysteria and wonder, when so much is at stake.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Diviner said, taking her cue from his words. ¡°Deciding unwisely may not just doom us, but all of humanity. Take time to pause, to think, and to pray...¡±


    Shaeula, Eri, Haru-san and I exchanged glances. Yes, for the ordinary members of faith it¡¯s been one shocking event after another. The Golden Warrior, The Princess, The Diviner, Eri, Akai, more... the mood was changing, and I needed to decide how best to chart our own course through the political intrigue, to achieve the results we wanted...

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Three / Side Eighty-Nine – Kudou Yasuhide

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Three / Side Eighty-Nine ¨C Kudou Yasuhide


    The first to take the stage was Uchida-san, and he addressed everyone with a benevolent smile. ¡°I am speaking to those of you in Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, and of course those of you who have no connection to the other factions.¡± He began, radiating confidence.


    ¡°We in Susanoo favoured keeping hold of what we had. Making aggressive moves when we had little power was considered risky and foolish, and so...¡± as he reiterated the stance of Susanoo, I started to think about what I wanted from this Conclave. Really, I thought I wanted the support of the shrines and temples, that it would be necessary. But... There were definitely reasons to have their support. Shrines in the Boundary could provide lesser kami who could bless us, increasing the level of Kami-Blessed, giving more bonus stats, and now that we had worked out the way to grant that class to others, it was a ready source of power, even for those who couldn¡¯t level up. In addition, some of them might be worthwhile candidates for a Throne of Heroes, although I guess I¡¯d rather bring more Fae to the Material first.


    ¡°... so I would implore you to support my goals, our goals. My son Yamato is blessed by Kannon, and mercy is sorely needed in this hard world. It is time for the shrines and temples to take back their place as the source of spiritual guidance for all of Japan.¡± He was continuing.


    As Saionji-san smirked again, I continued my own line of thinking. Kiyomizu-dera also had a wonderful supply of light element, as well as a unique building. Plus it could allow the construction of better Defensive Emplacements, though I did have my hopes Haru-san could build them for me now, though without a source of light element I imagined it would be impossible. So the shrines are valuable in that regard, and there are more Candidates here... Yamato-san¡¯s Golden Warriors would make excellent tanks, for one. Still, what matters, what makes one powerful in the world has changed...


    It didn¡¯t really matter how strong a person was before. A truly mighty fighter could be a boxer, martial artist, or some sort of gangster or yakuza, and they might make a decent living, be famous, but any thug with a gun could still kill them. And if there were those with powers like the shrines possessed before the advent of the recent changes, then they must have been far weaker than Candidates, else the world would surely have known about them. But now... My stats can resist a lot of weapons, but there are limits. Anti-tank rockets, missiles, bombs... all of those would still finish me... although, my League... Fortune, Foresight, Fate... those stats seemed the most mysterious, but one towered above them all. League. Mine had been steadily growing, and as it had massively jumped recently, I now felt... different.


    ¡°... we are grateful to Takakura-sama for supporting us through the nobility, and for the Imperial Family.¡± Uchida-san nodded to the Princess. ¡°We needed the stability having the Imperial Family provides Japan, and without the nobility to protect our country financially and our traditions, more and more shrines would have been lost, especially during the occupation. They have their roles. But... those chosen by Japanese gods to save Japan should be under our aegis, be they part of an already established shrine or temple, or not. After all, we allowed the nobility control when it was purely a matter of money stabilising and protecting Japan, so now times have changed, it should be us...¡±


    With my current League, it was as if some of the laws of the Material applied to me noticeably more loosely. I suspected now that small arms or being stuck by a speeding car wouldn¡¯t even damage me, never mind my current stats. And perhaps... I could likely survive attacks that should kill me, even with the defences my body could muster, though I wasn¡¯t eager to test that, as I would surely still incur significant damage, and if I was wrong I could easily die. What was true though was before, financial and military might were the supreme powers in the world. But now a single person could match that. Personal power, political power, money, Territory. Vassals and Heroes, troops and resources. Everything together makes true power... and those that don¡¯t keep up... I returned my full attention to the speech Uchida-san was wrapping up.


    ¡°.. so if you agree that we should be taking the lead, a strong, powerful pillar amongst the three, then I urge you...¡± he eyed the opposition seats. ¡°Stand behind Susanoo. And with your support, we shall lead Japan through faith!¡±


    At that there was some gentle applause from the Susanoo benches, but only two people actually stood and moved, both from the neutral seats behind us. Chiyo-san and Bankei-san looked at them with some disdain, but even so, they joined the back of the Susanoo group.


    ¡°Well then, a... surprising opening.¡± Bankei-san announced. ¡°Next, Saionji-san will speak.¡±


    ********


    ¡°I see my good friend and long-time rival Uchida-san...¡± there was some snickering from the crowd as he called Uchida-san a friend, and Yasuhide had to agree. The three of them had fought over their ideology for years, and there was little love, if some grudging respect, between them.


    ¡°... has decided to join Amaterasu at last. That was the sort of speech I¡¯d have liked to give myself.¡±


    He¡¯s not wrong. Susanoo were all about remaining hidden and quiet, continuing to preserve what we had. A noble goal, though sometimes I would have liked to go further, leaving a better legacy for my children and grandchildren. His son was at the front of the Tsukuyomi benches, as he ran his own smaller temple in Kyoto, and also Shiori was there. Shiori, my precious granddaughter. His son and daughter-in-law always mocked him about how he doted on the girl, but if an old man couldn¡¯t cherish his cute granddaughter, what could he do?


    Gin continued, his tone slightly mocking. ¡°So it would be churlish of me to pick apart what he has said, considering it aligns so neatly with my own interests. Although... why would anyone wish to be led by someone who has done such an about-face in their ideology, merely because circumstances have changed?¡± His smile warped to a triumphant grin. ¡°Surely Amaterasu is the wisest course, considering we have advocated for this even when the situation wasn¡¯t favourable. We are no flighty weathervanes, but true believers!¡±


    Ren looked furious at the mockery from Gin, but it was hardly unwarranted. He¡¯s right. If both sides are the same, then what separates them? Logically it makes more sense to support Amaterasu, just looking at it like that, but... His gaze strayed back to his granddaughter, who was also at Conclave, though he had to bend the rules a little to include her. I want her to be a part of everything that takes place here. After all, this is monumental, it will shape the future of everything. And now...


    ¡°Indeed. Though I suspect that you would feel-feel Akio should rule, even were he weak, would you not-not?¡± Shaeula laughed loudly again, drawing more eyes. Eri flushed, yet she still nodded boldly.


    ¡°But he isn¡¯t, so why bring that up? You¡¯re the same, right Shaeula?¡± As they bickered, I could see amusement on the features of Kudou-san and Bankei-san, though the others up there were either unreadable or annoyed.


    One thing is true though. I do feel I¡¯m qualified, if not to lead, then to be heavily involved. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been involved in the Ministry, in setting new laws. After all, I have a lot of knowledge through Shaeula and others... I was no politician, but I had allies who were. I met the eyes of Takakura-san, who nodded, reassuring me.


    ¡°I am strong, my faction is strong, and we have the greatest number of those like Akai with us, as well as more of those blessed by the kami.¡± Saionji-san continued. ¡°It isn¡¯t just a matter of which shrines are influential, which temples are wealthy. No, now any shrine can become a place of wonder, the centre of the new world. But earlier, a true point was made. There are many more Chosen out there in Japan than are here. We have some honoured guests.¡± He nodded at us, and I returned a slight, non-committal smile. ¡°All of us leaders have had the opportunity to meet with Oshiro-san, who has come to the meeting today. His insights have been valuable in understanding those who do not have a background of faith. We saw the girl, did we not?¡± he nodded at Eri too. ¡°She has grown through his assistance. So let me say this. If you all support me, I will endeavour to bring in Oshiro-san to our side, and all of you will be able to regain the powers you once possessed, and can all grow like that girl has.¡±


    I was stunned for a moment. What? I never agreed to that. We never even discussed it. The cheeky bastard...


    Beside me, Eri frowned, her hand opening and closing, as if she wished she was holding her axe, and Shaeula looked ready to unleash some wind-weasels, so I needed to do something, before the situation took a problematic turn...


    ********


    Yasuhide was watching Gin speak, impressed by his persuasive power. He has always been a decent speaker, but now... it is as if his words resonate with me. Everything just seems so persuasive. A small number of people were slowly, shyly moving seats, quietly so as not to be noticed, peeling off from the back of their factions, including his own. Well, it makes sense, unfortunately. Our factions are not a monolith, and there are plenty of shrines and temples that are only in a faction for that feeling of belonging, or are even dissatisfied with us.


    Listening to Gin talk about the strength of Amaterasu, it was undeniable. They were the strongest, if you simply took their Chosen and spiritual beings at face value. However... One of his and one of Ren¡¯s is under Akio-kun. And I am aware of another, from Takakura-sama. Knowing that a daughter of one of the most powerful nobles in Japan was Chosen was a huge shock, but to find that she was actually under Akio-kun... that girl beside him is another. Alone, he commands almost as many as Susanoo does, and as for his spiritual beings...


    The girl in the kimono was powerful. Yasuhide could feel it even without being Chosen, relying purely on his experience, and there was the maid, a giant troll, and more. As Gin talked about power being the surest reason for him to be preferred over Ren, he found himself agreeing, until his mouth dropped open in surprise, as Gin made a final pitch to everyone.


    Wait, I know Akio-kun met with Gin before this meeting, and I know how powerful his ability to strengthen others is. Did he come to an agreement with Gin? If so, Amaterasu would be... his racing thoughts were halted as he noticed Akio-kun looking rather stunned, and the angry faces of the women with him. No, it seems that he is as surprised as we are. Even so... The hall was erupting into another uproar, with many people talking over each other. Gin watched with a keen eye, before clapping his hands, a halo of glimmering violet energies forming around him, almost seeming to look at everyone, piercing through them, and Yasuhide was no exception, shivering at the intrusive yet rapturous sensation. Is... is this the touch of Avalokiteshvara?


    ¡°Everyone should be calm.¡± Gin declared, and it was hard not to listen to his words, they had a powerful persuasiveness. ¡°I confess to not having finished my negotiations with Oshiro-san yet, but it isn¡¯t a bad deal, is it?¡± he smiled, confident, and Yasuhide found himself nodding. Yes, it seems Amaterasu can offer the most...


    It was then Akio-kun stood, striding to the front. Murmurs went around at his insolence at the interruption, but the look in his eyes was cold and hard, as steely as the grey colour they were. He looked at Takakura-sama, who managed a nod of approval after shaking his head slowly to clear it. The Diviner shifted as well, and suddenly Yasuhide found his mind clearing, as though moonlight was washing away his confusion. He turned, only to see her incline her head in acknowledgement, her veil shifting slightly.


    This old man is ashamed. Fancy letting myself get swayed by his honeyed words. The halo of deep violet light was still sparkling above, glimmering stars within, and it was drawing the gaze of many, but Akio-kun barely spared it a glance, before he stood next to Takakura-sama, taking his microphone. He drew in a deep breath, then spoke, and his words echoed over the hall, pulling everyone¡¯s attention to him instantly.


    ¡°I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and I felt it important to speak. After all, it seems like my aid is being requested. It would have been nice to know about this beforehand.¡± His voice was cold, yet even so, it was captivating. The Diviner drew in a long breath, and Princess Mikasa was hiding her face. He seems angry. I see...


    ¡°Well, we did not have long to talk, did we?¡± Gin said reasonably. ¡°But tell me, Oshiro-san. It isn¡¯t a bad deal, is it? And together, we can easily chart the best path for the faith.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You think so? Well, perhaps that¡¯s the case.¡± Akio-kun said, and Gin seemed to relax a little, before he continued. ¡°... but, let me tell you what I think...¡±

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Four / Side Ninety – Saionji Gin

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Four / Side Ninety ¨C Saionji Gin


    ¡°I think...¡± I began, as my Eye assessed the information on the vivid purple halo around Saionji-san. His Charm and Majesty had spiked alarmingly, and I estimated it was higher than mine currently, which was surprising to say the least, as Fae-Souled was a class that gave me a ton of those stats. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple, but... even with my own Majesty, his words had made a noticeable amount of sense to me, but then my League surely overpowered his, as moments later the effect of his Majesty was gone. His words still made sense, as the arguments were somewhat solid, but there was no feeling of it.


    Now I know what it feels like to be hit by Charm and Majesty, it¡¯s no wonder I¡¯ve been getting my own way lately. Although I don¡¯t think it can make the impossible or stupid into an argument people will accept. There needs to be good, plausible ideas at the core. That wasn¡¯t the current problem though.


    Affectionate Gaze Of Avalokiteshvara ¨C A rift in space to a higher realm, allowing energy to leak down, bestowing favour on the watched, creation and all within it looking on favourably. ??????????.


    The description was troubling. Not about the favour, which did explain the sudden huge spike in Charm and Majesty. After all, it would be hypocritical of me to complain about the use of stats to get ahead, considering how I¡¯d used my own Fortune and Charm at times. No, it was the spatial rift. The ether my Eye could see filtering through the rift, that looked like glimmering stars, I couldn¡¯t identify it, meaning it was a higher-level, purer ether, so wherever it was connected to was not the Boundary or the lower reaches of the Astral, but higher. It was strong enough I could feel the density of ether in the surrounding area increasing a little as time passed.


    ¡°... that you should release your ability.¡± I said firmly. Saionji-san looked at me, a little surprised that I was resisting his sudden elevated stats, but what I said next shocked him more. ¡°If you want your words to resonate, well, I get it. But... that ability is dangerous. Messing around with spatial element recklessly could put the whole world in danger.¡± Imagine a God like Avalokiteshvara being so careless... although... The ability was powerful, and I had a feeling that other gazes were possible too, not just affection. Perhaps it was considered worth the risk for such a decent ability?


    Mutters went around the room at that, people still shaking off the effects of Saionji-san¡¯s affection. Beside us on the podium, Kudou-san spoke, stroking his beard, his eyes clear, and a faint silver-indigo light lingering on him, a stronger aura around the Diviner. ¡°I see. And just what do you mean, Oshiro-san?¡± he asked, respectfully.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t whoever you met on behalf of Avalokiteshvara explain it to you, Saionji-san?¡± I asked. ¡°The Boundary is limiting us, sure, but it also protects us. If there are any gamers here, you might have heard of newbie protection.¡± I glanced over the audience, but only a few seemed to understand. ¡°It will take time before we are fully vulnerable and exposed to the wider Astral, the multiverse. Which is why I agree we need to take steps to sort out leadership and direction now. But... I¡¯ve played enough mobile games and MMO¡¯s to know...¡± I fixed my gaze on the Diviner then, who seemed to tremble, as if she knew something. Which I expect she does...


    ¡°... that certain events and thresholds can suddenly break that protection, even if the player isn¡¯t ready. And we aren¡¯t ready, are we? Look at the trouble everyone has been having in the Boundary here in Kyoto.¡± I snorted sarcastically.


    ¡°Who is this man?¡± I heard the Princess whisper to the Diviner, who waved away her question, her veil shifting with her breath as she addressed me.


    ¡°Are you merely speculating, or do you have any proof to back up your claims?¡± she said, her voice soft yet carrying to everyone.


    ¡°Yes, I would ask the same. If someone told you to stop using what power you were given, would you, Akio-san?¡± Saionji-san snorted, trying to regain the initiative. ¡°The avatar of Avalokiteshvara that brought me this power told me that I would be instrumental in saving the world. Yet you say I am putting it in danger?¡±


    Did nobody bother talking this through? Maybe Ortlinde just really liked explaining? To think I called her Exposition-san, looks like I was spot-on with that. Sure, this was largely my speculation, but it was educated speculation. ¡°Look at it this way. You are poking a small needle through the Boundary each time you use that ability. Sure, the hole is small, and I don¡¯t know if it heals up or not, but I still don¡¯t think damaging what protects us is a good idea. And if something we weren¡¯t able to handle could find such a hole...¡± I didn¡¯t need to say the rest. At that, the Diviner spoke up again.


    ¡°The wounded pink bird, followed by stone pillars...¡± the Diviner breathed out, shocked. ¡°Oh Tsukuyomi...¡± as she shuddered, the Princess was asking her if she was all right, and on seeing that, Saionji-san released his ability, the ring bursting apart into a shower of deep violet sparks.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Saionji-san said. ¡°Tell me what you know.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. Yes, I think we all need to know just what is truly at stake before we decide anything...¡± I said, preparing to make my case...


    ********


    ¡°So, it makes sense to sort out leadership before charting a course, as the leader will have the biggest say.¡± Akio-san said, and his words were ringing in Gin¡¯s ears, grabbing his attention. It was almost as if Akio-san had his own Affectionate Gaze, and Gin held in a slightly bitter smile. So this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end? He never does cease to surprise me. Gin had good reason to believe Akio-san would be amenable to his sudden request for alliance he had sprung on him in front of everyone, as Yasaka-san had been giving his all, asking the Book of Providence many questions, based on information from his meeting, as well as what Kikuchi Shuta-san had told him. It paints a picture of someone who tries almost too hard to be fair, and is weak to pressure, especially when it comes from girls who resemble the one over there... Mori Eri-san, right?


    He considered the information he had obtained, plus the feats she had shown. Sure, Gin was confident he could defeat her without much issue, after all, were he to call upon the Benevolent Gaze or the Compassionate Gaze, he would be able to win, just as he had defeated Akai and obtained her submission. Even so, for an ordinary person, to have come so far...


    ¡°But I think before that, we should be clear on what we face, as a nation, as a world.¡± Akio-san continued, his words reasonable, and the hall was agreeing with him, as were those on the dais. ¡°I¡¯ve already touched on this with those in my faction.¡± He said wryly. ¡°I¡¯m always told I like to overshare, and so I¡¯m not going to go into any mechanical details. You want those, well... only my allies get the full picture. Else Hinata would kill me.¡± The girls he had brought with him smiled at that.


    It was then that the girl in the kimono stood up, picking up her chair with a broad grin on her beautiful, doll-like features. The two girls with her tried to stop her, but she shrugged them off, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°These seats do not-not suit us. Akio is as worthy as any here, his numbers small, but his powers and knowledge quite-quite great.¡± Her gaze went to those on stage, and the old bastard Kudou inclined his head, conceding, followed by old man Bankei. ¡°Therefore, we should not-not be here, but there.¡±


    She moved her chair to an open space, followed by the other two girls. Chiyo-san let out a hearty laugh, and with the scrape of metal on wood, she led a number of the neutral seats over too. Furtively, Shuta-san also moved, not before shooting Gin an embarrassed look. Annoying, but it can¡¯t be helped. He¡¯s a vassal, and the information he told me and that Yasaka-san confirmed with the Book of Providence... he has little choice. He gave me more than enough information to stay in my good graces. And it isn¡¯t as though Akio-san and I are at odds...


    Surprisingly enough, Hikawa Hiroto-san and the members from Susanoo didn¡¯t move, with the exception of the head of Shirohebizumi shrine, and he was followed by the kami he served. Hikawa-san had the grace to look embarrassed from beside the Uchida whelp, and Gin didn¡¯t fail to notice there was a blonde, punk-looking girl who seemed like she wanted to move, but was unable to do so. One of Susanoo¡¯s candidates. He works quickly, that¡¯s for sure.


    ********


    So, not only one can lead, huh? Well, that¡¯s true, but too many voices lead to waste and a mire of inadequacy. Gin pondered as Akio-san spoke passionately. After all, if that fence-sitter Kudou, old man Bankei and his fools, and that arrogant bastard Uchida had fallen into line, we would be in a much stronger, more united position. And now... Gin could see some people in the rear seats of all the factions looking restlessly at the smaller area occupied by Akio-san¡¯s allies. He had been persuasive, certainly. With the support of Takakura-sama and the nobility, as well as some shrines and temples, the military and politicians, it was hard to argue that the Ministry wouldn¡¯t dominate Japan.


    ¡°... the safety of the Boundary.¡± Akio-san was saying, no, demanding. ¡°Before you decide on anything further, you need to agree on this, else I am leaving, and I¡¯ll offer no further help to the faiths of Japan that don¡¯t support me. If you think you can manage without me, go right ahead. After all, my God isn¡¯t a Japanese one.¡± Akio-san snorted. ¡°What will you do with those that don¡¯t follow your faiths, or those overseas blessed by Japanese Gods? There are no simple answers. I don¡¯t have to play this game, but I do believe in working together for mutual benefit. So, firstly, anyone that has powers that might cause the Boundary to break..¡± Gin shuddered under his hard gaze. ¡°... should be careful about using them. I won¡¯t say you can¡¯t, after all, that¡¯s unreasonable, in life or death situations, I¡¯m not asking anyone to sacrifice themselves.¡± He clenched his fists. ¡°I hate sacrifices. But think of the dangers.¡±


    Gin signalled to Yasaka-san, and he received a nod. I knew he would check out the claims made by Akio-san. It seems like the Book of Providence has validated some of his claims. Yasaka-san looked truly awful from overusing his Book, dark circles under his eyes, and drying blood under his nostrils, but it was necessary. ¡°Very well. I shall refrain from carelessly calling upon Avalokiteshvara.¡± Time to use what we¡¯ve learned. He¡¯s a fair man, so I should be able to get a favour for a favour. ¡°However, that weakens me noticeably. And you yourself are an expert in the spiritual realm that you call the Boundary. An apt name. I like it. But... should I not be compensated for my efforts towards the greater good? Wouldn¡¯t that be fair?¡±


    Akio-san hesitated, before agreeing. ¡°Yes, depending on what you want. I¡¯m not going to support you blindly just for that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect so much.¡± Gin bowed, reversing his earlier position, conceding defeat graciously, making an effort to impress everyone else in attendance, and soothe his earlier misstep. ¡°Though I still believe working together is the best way. You said it yourself, there doesn¡¯t need to be one leader. I have few objections to you having a position of honour equal to mine.¡± I can¡¯t make him a subordinate. That seems a foolish dream. Though I see Uchida hasn¡¯t given up on that, the damn idiot.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll work with what you all decide. I¡¯m not in charge of you all. Neither is Takakura-san. But what I am in charge of is protecting those I love, and I won¡¯t let anyone¡¯s recklessness endanger them. So... the Boundary must be protected. To that end, as one of the founding principles of the Ministry, if you declare your Territory, then as long as you don¡¯t commit any punishable crimes, it will be against the law to attack and destroy the Territory of others.¡± There were some who reacted at that, most noticeably the Uchida whelp. ¡°Of course, if you choose to keep your Territory a secret, you can¡¯t expect people not to expand. And if you do commit crimes... well, I¡¯ve destroyed several Territories of those evildoers, and I will train a force to enforce these laws.¡± His expression was grim, and once more it was as if he was at the centre of a storm, his words thunderous and powerful. Akai was hiding under her chair, her bottom sticking out, and the sight was so amusing, that Gin had to laugh uproariously.


    ¡°What¡¯s so entertaining?¡± Akio-san asked mildly, and Gin snorted, wiping at his streaming eyes.


    ¡°You think you can, Akio-san? I¡¯ve seen her power.¡± He nodded at Mori-san. ¡°But one man alone, even if you train forces, I can¡¯t see how you can oppose everyone. Kyoto is dangerous, isn¡¯t it? And we may be hiding powers you can¡¯t comprehend.¡±


    ¡°I know I can. Right Mine-san? Yamato-san?¡± He addressed those from Susanoo, before turning to those from Tsukuyomi. ¡°Taishakama-san, Engetsu-san, do you think I can¡¯t?¡± As they shook their heads, he turned to Takakura-sama. ¡°The nobility knows what I can do, so does the military. I¡¯ve fought alongside their Chosen.¡± He then turned to the Diviner, and said something puzzling.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what twilight is... but here is light and darkness.¡± And with that two orbs formed over his palms, similar to what the Mori girl had done earlier. One was a glowing ball of blue darkness, seeming to draw in the light, while the other was a brilliant vivid indigo, illuminating everyone¡¯s shocked faces. ¡°So, Diviner. You seem to carry a lot of weight, both in terms of here... and also on your shoulders. So, why not lay some down and let me carry it for you?¡±


    Wait, is he... propositioning the Diviner? That... that can¡¯t be right? As Gin thought that, his mind racing, the Diviner spoke, puzzled.


    ¡°You... would carry the burden of the uncertain future with me?¡± she asked, and he nodded, bringing the two balls together, trying to merge them, only for them to become unstable and start to fizz alarmingly.


    ¡°Uh... damn.¡± He quickly spun up a sphere of some sort of jade energies, the clothing of everyone in the room rustling, before tossing the orbs inside. There was a soundless explosion, and the jade winds dissipated, leaving a puzzled-looking Akio-san untouched. ¡°You know, I was really sure that would give me some twilight. Not that it matters. Why wait for some hero, when I think I¡¯ll do just fine? I¡¯ll be honest with you. My premonitions are getting worse, and I¡¯m not prepared to risk it... so, I¡¯ll be firm if I have to be.¡±


    Firm indeed. That was... quite the display...


    ********


    I was sure that would be twilight. Light and Darkness definitely do have some sort of composite element, I¡¯m sure of it, but my ability to control and understand darkness is far inferior to light. Oh well... I reached out to the Diviner, knowing if she supported me, then that would go a long way, but she seemed rather confused.


    ¡°So, I know talk is cheap, and I don¡¯t like relying on power rather than diplomacy.¡± I said, looking at the leaders on stage with me, and then at the crowd. ¡°But without law, there is only chaos, and I¡¯ve dealt with a monster who used his abilities for great evil.¡± At that Haru-san shuddered, remembering. ¡°I¡¯ll not let that happen again. By the way, Hikawa-san, you others...¡± I said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thinking about where you are sitting?¡±


    Yamato-san glared at me, and Hikawa-san looked a little embarrassed. ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit early for that, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t forgotten all you¡¯ve done for me and my children.¡± He said, so I shrugged.


    ¡°Suit yourself. This is a long Conclave. Speaking of...¡± I considered. ¡°... there¡¯s a recess soon. I believe I¡¯ve already adequately demonstrated my strength to you.¡± I addressed the faction leaders. ¡°... but perhaps those of you who don¡¯t understand...¡± I looked at the Diviner, who was hesitating. ¡°... can see for yourself. Maybe then you¡¯ll decide to trust me. And realise I¡¯m not to be taken lightly. To be honest, I¡¯ve been working all night and all morning, but I can still manage a little Chirurgery. So, how about it? Uchida-san, Kudou-san, Bankei-san, would you like to see the world your priests and shrine maidens do? Takakura-san, you too. And of course, I couldn¡¯t possibly leave out the Princess. Nor you other Chosen.¡± I bowed elegantly, surprising her. Well, I¡¯m used to Shaeula, so it¡¯s no big deal... Damn, I¡¯m drained, but Shaeula can supply me with aether, so... I can make this work... and if I display a might so strong as to cow them all, then getting them to accept the Ministry is going to be a lot easier. Plus to be honest, some of them are pretty annoying, it¡¯d be fun to cut loose and show them something terrifying...


    As I waited for their answer, smiling at the thought of terrorising them, all for the greater good, of course, I pondered two things. It looks like Shaeula has decided I need to start my own faction here. It wasn¡¯t something I planned for, but it¡¯s certainly one option. And if I am to make headway, I need to truly demonstrate without a shadow of a doubt to all of them that I¡¯m serious in my demands about the Boundary and the Ministry. But then... when I had made my declaration that known Territories should be respected, my Foresight had responded, the threat becoming heavier and closer. I¡¯m not an idiot. With the Yakuza the threads were hard to pull, but with Shaeula¡¯s maids the timing made it clear the mansion was the danger. So now... something is going to happen in the Boundary, not to me, but those close to me. And it¡¯s going to happen soon...


    ¡°Very well.¡± The Diviner said after a long pause. ¡°I shall see your light and darkness first-hand. Demonstrate to me that you have the will to change what cannot be changed, the diamond strands of definite futures...¡±

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Five / Side Ninety-One – Yukiko, Princess Mikasa

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Five / Side Ninety-One ¨C Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    As the Diviner responded to me at last, even though her words were a little defensive and perhaps a touch defeatist, I couldn¡¯t help but grin victoriously. ¡°Well, you seem a little confused. Either the future is certain or uncertain, it can¡¯t be both can it? And if it¡¯s uncertain, well... we don¡¯t all have your gifts, so everyone sees the future as uncertain. We hope, we wish, some of us pray...¡± I got nods at that, considering I was at a Conclave of those who worshipped the Gods and kami. ¡°... but I¡¯m done with hopes and wishes, and I¡¯ll leave the prayers to those who are best suited for it.¡± Damn, I wasn¡¯t really expected to speak until after they¡¯d sorted out all their issues, but I guess this way is better. I don¡¯t have time for them to make a mess of things. There can be more than one leader, but one of them is going to have to be me.


    No, my resolve which had been firming up, ever since the idea to form the Ministry, was now peaking. Everyone looked out for their own interests, that was natural, and I did as well. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be such a bastard getting the law changed just so I can be a harem protagonist... The difference was, I was prepared to think wider, deeper. After all, Eri, Aiko, my family... even if I could protect them during the apocalypse, take them to safety as the world burned, they wouldn¡¯t be happy. Motoko, Natsumi, Hinata... they all cherished Japan and the traditions nobility protected. If I just saved them and their families, but Japan burned... No, I can¡¯t let that happen, no more than I could let Shaeula lose her family and the Seelie Court, or Shiro die breaking her oaths to that fucking Raven. I still had a score to settle with him. Taking a moment to prepare what to say next for maximum impact, my Majesty and Charm were at their peak, for this was the crux of the matter. ¡°... instead, I¡¯ll plan, prepare, calculate, lay contingencies, make allies, grow strong. Protect what needs to be protected.¡± My voice carried to the whole room, and I could feel all eyes on me.


    This should be less stressful than speaking to the Prime Minister, or big-shots like Fujiwara-san and Ichijou-san, but somehow it isn¡¯t. I guess that might be because there are so many Candidates present, as well as a mixture of those who support me fully... my gaze went to the small cluster of seats, where my allies sat. Those who support me but also have other concerns... That was Hikawa-san and the other members of Susanoo who were still sitting there, though Marika¡¯s Grandfather had followed Shaeula¡¯s will and was in my seats, along with Kana¡¯s grandfather ... and lastly, those who have reason to oppose me. Uchida-san, Yamato-san, Saionji-san and others. They were used to being top dogs, being in charge, and so seeing an upstart like me come in must surely annoy them.


    ¡°Lady Diviner.¡± I said, using the honorific that those from the faith did. I strode up to her, close enough that she flinched back a little, and bent down, so my eyes were level with her face behind the silken veil that obscured her features. It was sheer enough for her to see through, yet covered her from view. ¡°The only certainty is that even were you to tell me that we have ten minutes until the end of the world, I¡¯d spend nine of those minutes planning and preparing, the best I could.¡±


    ¡°Why not all ten minutes?¡± the Princess asked from beside us, tilting her head curiously, her mousy brown braids and red-rimmed glasses she wore giving her the sort of prim, secretarial look that was totally at odds with the flashy way Shaeula presented herself.


    I¡¯m glad somebody took the bait. With an alluring smile, I spoke...


    ********


    Perhaps heroes are made, not born. Her friend, the nameless Diviner, had said that to her recently, as she had fretted and struggled at the Grand Shrine at Ise, her blessing from Amaterasu weighing heavily on her. After all, it was Great-Grandfather who had to repudiate our links to Amaterasu after the War. It broke his heart, killed him. But then, who could have imagined it was actually true? Yukiko remembered little of the time Amaterasu¡¯s servant descended, to bestow on her a fragment of the Sun, saying her bloodline was of the purest, and her temperament was a perfect fit for the power. My temperament? I know I¡¯m shy and gloomy, no match for the sun, but... she remembered setting the hall on fire an hour ago, and she flinched at the memory, all eyes on her, making her wish she was anywhere else. Even so...


    It was impossible not to ask him that question. The way he had quizzed the Diviner about light, darkness and twilight, it was as if... her train of though shut off as he smiled, and she felt her face heating up.


    ¡°Why nine minutes? A great question, Princess Mikasa. I¡¯ll do all I can to face our end, even if it¡¯s impossible. After all, I¡¯d like to think most of us would choose to fight rather than blindly wait for death. But... that last minute is because I don¡¯t want to miss a single second I could spend with those I love. If the world ends despite our best efforts, if the Red Dragon...¡± at those words she felt her flushed face cool, blood draining from her as she remembered the prophesy of her death. ¡°... manages to devour us all, well, at least I¡¯ll have the pride to know I faced it down first, and that it¡¯ll never touch those I love until I¡¯m dead and gone. We fight better for what we cherish, right?¡±


    He turned away, and Yukiko bit down on a sigh, glad his cool yet passionate gaze was off her. ¡°Everyone here must have family, lovers, friends, siblings, children. This isn¡¯t a game. As close as it seems to one.¡± Yukiko couldn¡¯t see his face as he had turned away, but from the trembling of his shoulders she could tell he was holding in wry laughter. ¡°This also isn¡¯t your politics of old. The shrines and temples are rising to prominence. I promise you that. Be it a week, a month, a year... no, I doubt it¡¯ll be a year. It¡¯s been miraculous that the world doesn¡¯t know about us already.¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s obvious. No secret can be kept when so many know it. She looked at the Diviner, who was also trembling, though she could tell not from supressed mirth, but from uncertainly, doubt... maybe even fear. Yukiko realised the Diviner had never spoken of her own fate. If Kyoto was attacked, then the Diviner, in Tsukuyomi-jinja, would surely be forced to battle...


    ¡°Uchida-san here has realised that. Keeping hidden won¡¯t serve much purpose for long. And well, Saionji-san has made his stance clear. But what won¡¯t change is the mathematics. Perhaps one in a hundred are from the shrines and temples. You¡¯ll never be able to monopolise the Gods and kami, not anymore. After all, I¡¯ve been blessed by a God not of this land. Tyr, God of Heroes. I find that a bit ironic, considering the kanji in my name means hero...¡± he chuckled, with good humour. ¡°Bright hero of the moon. It¡¯s laughable, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He was back looking at the Diviner. ¡°Before that day, I was a nobody, a freelancer doing enough work to get by, the only life-or-death struggle I ever had facing off against a dog to protect my sister and her friend. Tyr and I have that in common, we both hate dogs.¡±


    Yukiko let out a gasp, and he turned, puzzled. ¡°Sorry Princess, is there something wrong?¡±


    I¡¯m so embarrassed. As a member of the Imperial Family, I¡¯ve had lessons to keep my cool, but... ¡°My apologies. I just wondered something. You called yourself bright hero of the moon. Why?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s lame, I know. But since my middle name is moonstone... I¡¯m a half, by the way.¡± He said, embarrassed. ¡°The kanji my mother chose for it, well, combined with Akio it reads that way. Besides the moon seems to be a lucky omen for me these days.¡± He turned, smiling at the beautiful, petite doll-like girl in a kimono, who had gorgeous golden-amber hair and eyes.


    ¡°So you¡¯d say the moon favours you then?¡± she asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Oh yes. I would say so. but this is a bit off-topic.¡± He said. ¡°Is there a reason you are asking?¡±


    He shall be blessed by a God not of this land, yet hold the favour of the kami that dwell here, and the favour of the Moon shall be with him. That¡¯s what the Diviner told me about the one who she prophesised, and the Six Princesses of the Six Paths. Is she... Shaking her head, Yukiko was suddenly overwhelmed by feelings she didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°No. I¡¯m... please do carry on.¡± She muttered quietly, and after a searching look from his grey eyes, he turned back to the Diviner.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is, sure, some things are certain. But we never give up. If the hero with a magical sword is needed to defeat the demon lord, and there¡¯s no magical sword around, well, we find one. Or if we can¡¯t, we make one. And if that fails, try a gun, a missile, hell, a bloody nuke. What we don¡¯t do is give in and call it inevitable, stop trying. Because then the demon lord wins, right?¡± His voice was compelling, and Yukiko found herself nodding, and she wasn¡¯t alone.


    Make one. Heroes are made, not born. Could... she felt an urge to speak out, but held it in, as the Diviner was radiating an atmosphere of solemnity. ¡°You seem confident you... you are the one.¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡± he shook his head at the question the Diviner asked. ¡°Like I said, I was a nobody. But just like anyone, when the situation called for it, I could act. Just like I did when Aiko and Eri were in danger. And I¡¯m acting now. Just on a grander scale. Tell me. The Hungry Ghost... her fate changed, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The Hungry Ghost? Another like me? Yukiko concentrated fiercely on the discussion that had no meaning to most of the people in the Conclave, although Kudou-san seemed to understand. No, not just him. That girl, the amber-haired one, she is smirking proudly.


    ¡°It did, but that is but one chain, one link in the tangled thread of fate, and to break them all...¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t have a magic sword, I¡¯ll look for one, or make one. I didn¡¯t have light element when we spoke, did I? Now I do.¡± More glowing azure energy radiated outwards, momentarily blinding. ¡°And if I can¡¯t find this twilight, well, if it¡¯s what¡¯s needed to save Shaeula, Shiro...¡± he then turned to Yukiko, and his expression was resolute, heroic. ¡°... and you, Princess of Heaven. Then I¡¯ll push through until I have it, or if not, then I¡¯ll find something better. I¡¯ve fought more battles against the odds than anyone here, and though I¡¯ve bled, my friends, my lovers, they¡¯ve bled too, we are still standing. As long as nobody dies, we win. No Red Dragon will be eating Japan while I draw breath.¡±


    ¡°No way, I told you Eri, Shiro was the last!¡± he said, panicking, and the Fae girl denied him.


    ¡°Hardly. You have me, you have this white princess. I think it only natural to assume other Princesses should-should be yours too. As for this one...¡± she looked at the Diviner, who suddenly fell to her knees, shaking, trembling uncontrollably. ¡°...why not-not? Your heart ached for her, when you realised her life, her fate, did it not-not?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ve had this discussion, and now, in front of two thousand people, is not the time to revisit it!¡± Oshiro-san shook his head, flustered. ¡°I¡¯ll help them, sure, but I¡¯ve my hands full and...¡±


    ¡°I shall die. My first prophecy was that if anyone gazed upon my face, my body, spoke my name, my time was up.¡± She said softly. ¡°To think it would come... huh?¡± she cried out as she was pulled to her feet, the dark-haired girl and Oshiro-san each grabbing one of her hands and hauling her up.


    They touched her! She¡¯s been named, seen, touched! That¡¯s... blasphemous! Yukiko was shocked, frightened, but a little spark within her was happy. At least... at least somebody will remember what she looks like, and now we can all speak her name.


    The crowd was turning angry at the situation, but Oshiro-san cowed them with a glare. Still holding the Diviner¡¯s, no, Tsukiko-san¡¯s hand, he addressed her kindly, yet firmly, his eye still glowing.


    ¡°I can see you crying. You shouldn¡¯t ruin your beautiful face like that. Besides, it¡¯s stupid. You were dying anyway, right? So what, are you going to die twice? That¡¯s crap. Look. Now I have to take responsibility right? If my words and actions are going to kill you, then I have to save you, and I won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Yukiko found herself speaking. ¡°Heroes are made, not born. And if we need a hero to stave off the Red Dragon, well...¡± she turned to him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do. Can you do it? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t, then Shaeula will help. If we still can¡¯t, Grulgor and Hyacinth can join in, and everyone else too. If it¡¯s still tough, well, shit, I¡¯ll go crawling to Shaeula¡¯s family and the military for help. Still no good and... well, you¡¯ll help your friend, won¡¯t you?¡± Their eyes met, Oshiro-san¡¯s burning deep into hers, and she looked down, feeling a tension in her chest.


    ¡°I... will.¡± She admitted. ¡°I¡¯m scared, I never asked for this, for Amaterasu to bless me. But the Diviner... she never asked for it either. Nor did you, did you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. But if I¡¯d have been given the choice, I¡¯d have taken it in a heartbeat.¡± He suddenly tossed off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. Yukiko squeaked in shock, embarrassed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she gasped, covering her face with her hands, though she couldn¡¯t help but peek as his toned torso came into view.


    ¡°See here?¡± he showed her, and then the angry crowd, who had forgotten the purpose of the Conclave and were furious at his treatment of the holy Lady Diviner. ¡°All my battles since, I¡¯ve healed my wounds without scars. Ether Healing is great for that. But these remain.¡± He tapped a faded set of bites around his abdomen. ¡°I never asked to fight a dog, but fight it I did, and would do a million, a billion, a trillion times again, because there¡¯s no world in which I want them to get hurt. So yeah, you win, Diviner. Some things are inevitable¡±


    Ignoring the black-haired girl who was blushing fiercely, her eyes damp, Oshiro-san turned to address the crowd. ¡°So here¡¯s what I stand for. We kind of derailed everything, and I¡¯m sorry. But... the Ministry is happening. Nothing you agree here will change that. You can choose to take part, or simply do your own thing. But I stand for full integration. That way, like the nobility, you get to decide what¡¯s important, what matters, what¡¯s a treasure of faith that Japan can¡¯t lose. And we can take steps to protect it. I¡¯m doing that now. Matsumuro-san, stop your tears. I¡¯ll punch that Dragon square in the face and render it down to some tasty experience points. You¡¯ve worked hard all these years. Harder than anyone. So now it¡¯s time to reach out a hand for help. How is it? Aren¡¯t our hands warm? There¡¯s no need to bear the weight all alone.¡±


    My eyes feel hot. Am.. am I crying too? Her gaze was blurry, as though she was looking through fog. Still, Yukiko managed a smile. Yukiko and Tsukiko. Quite the coincidence. It is as if we could be sisters... ¡°Tsukiko-san...¡± even saying a real name made her chest feel hot and tight. ¡°... please. You told me I could be saved. Believe that you can be too. Clasp onto the hand that¡¯s offered to you.¡±


    ¡°You as well, princess.¡± Shaeula grinned, grabbing her hand. She nearly fainted from the shock of being suddenly touched, but the small hand was warm, just like he said. ¡°Our policy is to protect you too-too. After all, this female believes you are needed to save the world. But before that... us princesses should stick together, should we not-not? I am rather jealous though.¡± She puffed out her cheeks in a pout.


    ¡°Why?¡± Yukiko was confused.


    ¡°Princess of Heaven! It sounds so much more-more noble that Princes of Beasts.¡±


    With that Yukiko gaped, shocked at such a... banal... complaint, despite the heavy weight of the Conclave and the Diviner¡¯s revelations, and she made no resistance as the girl pulled her off the stage, and towards their small area of seats...


    ********


    Pulling the stunned Diviner along with us, Shaeula bringing the Princess, I smiled apologetically at Kudou-san. ¡°Sorry, looks like I ate into your turn quite a bit. You should probably go next, all right? Sorry to you all as well.¡± I bowed to the amused Saionji-san and the glowering Uchida-san, then Bankei-san, who despite being the moderator had let our ten minutes of chaos happen. I then turned to Takakura-san, only to find he had followed us down, also going towards our seats.


    ¡°You sum up the noble point of view very well. We choose what to save, and we wish to work with the faith, the government, the army, business and the Chosen of the Gods. Nobility supports the Ministry, and as a family of faith, I believe we should as well. Better to shape the laws rather than be bound by them.¡±


    Yeah. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying. By stepping in first, I¡¯m going to have an advantage in that the laws are advantageous to me, even stupid ones like the polygamy amendment. The Diviner was still crying, I could see through her veil, though the tears were silent, and her ruby eyes were staring unblinking at me like a doll. I let her sit down, mechanically, and beside her sat Eri, and beside her... Yeah, it¡¯s the Princess. Uh... she should still be up there, she¡¯ll be needed for the debate...


    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s your turn to speak, Kudou-san.¡± Bankei-san coughed. ¡°The revelations have been shocking indeed. This humble one prays... that the ill-winds of death that hover over you may be averted, Princess Mikasa, Lady Diviner.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Well, this old man...¡± Kudou-san said, taking the microphone. ¡°... has said enough.¡± With a smile he hopped off the stage, having said effectively nothing, and strode over to his faction. As Saionji-san and Uchida-san watched their wily opponent concede, they weren¡¯t prepared for what happened next, as instead of sitting, he grabbed a chair, before strolling over towards us and sitting down beside us. ¡°I guess you do have the favour of the moon after all, Akio-san.¡± He grinned, as if a grandfather pulling a prank on his grandkids.


    What the hell?

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Six / Side Ninety-Two – The Diviner, Matsumuro Tsukiko

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Six / Side Ninety-Two ¨C The Diviner, Matsumuro Tsukiko


    ¡°Just what are you doing, you sly old fox?¡± Saionji-san asked, clearly a bit puzzled by the move.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Kudou-san grinned, stroking at his long white beard regally, clearly enjoying the discomfort of his political opponents. ¡°I¡¯m putting my weight behind Akio-kun here.¡± The way he addressed me changed, as if to show his new closeness to me. ¡°Tsukuyomi was the balance between the extremes, and now the reason for that has finished.¡± He addressed his own faction. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not saying you have to join me, you can make up your own minds, but Akio-kun is right. It¡¯s no longer a choice between trying to reclaim past glories or protect what we had. It¡¯s a choice between whether we try and stand alone, or join the new order.¡±


    ¡°I think, having seen you in action, I can agree with Kudou-sama.¡± Taishakama-san, one of the Tsukuyomi faction Candidates I had taken through the Kyoto Boundary said. He was followed by Engetsu-san, and Kinkawa-san then got up too.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not so fixated on being a priest as you all.¡± He grinned. ¡°But I know you¡¯re strong, man. So I¡¯ll follow you.¡± I guess his gangster look matches his personality. With that the exodus started, and soon around a third of the Tsukuyomi faction had joined behind us, though the majority was uncertain, hesitant. Even so, it¡¯s quite the haul.


    ¡°Why would you do this?¡± Uchida-san grated. ¡°Letting an outsider come in and make a mockery of the Conclave...¡±


    ¡°Who invited him, eh?¡± Saionji-san broke in, to much laughter from the crowd, enjoying his discomfort. Uchida-san turned red with anger, but seeing the situation, he swallowed it down, keeping himself as calm as he could.


    ¡°I did, yes. And I stand by it, as clearly he has some influence and power. However... are you really satisfied to be a lapdog to the government and the nobility, Kudou? And to this boy who disrespected the noble Lady Diviner, and even the Priestess of Ise!¡±


    Well, there is that. I glanced at them. The Diviner was still next to me, still, silent and yet my gaze could pick out the minute tremors that shook her. The Princess, however, merely looked confused, as if she wasn¡¯t sure how she had come to be sitting there.


    ¡°Disrespect? It certainly was shocking, but...¡± Kudou-san frowned, looking at the Diviner as I had. ¡°... I knew. The Diviner had informed me of the upcoming disaster and her death. I grieved, but what could I do? I¡¯ve always felt...¡± he said. ¡°... that you are like a daughter to me.¡± He turned to me with a sly smile on his face. ¡°She¡¯s not twenty though, not even close. Though I shouldn¡¯t speak of a woman¡¯s age so carelessly. To think she looks so young still. That or you are a dangerous flatterer, Akio-kun.¡± He glanced at Eri and Shaeula. ¡°Well, perhaps both are true. But... I too wish for the Diviner to survive. And perhaps live a life she has earned. Even were I opposed to this Ministry, I would be thankful for your consideration, Akio-kun.¡± He turned back to the Conclave.


    ¡°The ten minutes of chaos with Akio-kun and his women may have seemed to derail everything, but those of us with sharp political minds gleaned much. Do you deny it, Bankei, my old friend?¡±


    The nominal head of the neutral shrines and temples agreed. ¡°Why else would I have allowed it? This humble one is hardly senile yet, Yasuhide-san.¡± He addressed everyone in his role as moderator. ¡°This first session was to establish a leader, before we moved on to other matters. Perhaps we should have decided on our course first, as the young man and Yasuhide-san are right, there really are only two paths now. But... you all know us. We have stood at the head of the faiths for years. But... his character is a mystery.¡± He pointed to me. ¡°Therefore we needed to see it. After all, power without the wisdom to use it properly is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Hence why we were checking him out, right?¡± Kinkawa-san said triumphantly. ¡°I knew it wasn¡¯t just to grab a few bits of Kyoto.¡±


    From the Susanoo benches, Mine-san spoke up, a female mirror to Kinkawa-san. ¡°Well, like yeah, totally! He was pretty badass, I¡¯m not going to lie, but... he shared his water with a kami so I could get a blessing. There was like, nothing in it for him, but he did it.¡±


    On hearing that, Shaeula eyed Mine-san appraisingly, causing her to look away, face red. Still, she continued. ¡°He helped Yamato-sama too. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a bad guy, and the girls obviously like him. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be so taken with him if he was a selfish man.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s not true, I¡¯m plenty selfish. Even so, I like to be fair when I can be.


    ¡°Most of us have had the opportunity for our factions to see him in action.¡± Bankei-san opined. ¡°And those that haven¡¯t have at least a favourable impression, right?¡±


    Saionji-san shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have invited him to be my ally if I didn¡¯t. Yes, I get it. The chaos was insightful to his character. A self-made man, rags to riches in both financial and power terms. Yet one who is looking to work with others.¡± He paused, thinking a moment, before continuing. ¡°Though somewhat reckless, the way you rode over the objections of our Lady Diviner. You might want to think a bit more, Akio-san, lest you get yourself into trouble you can¡¯t get out of. But then, you¡¯re ruthless too. Kondou Kazuo. I expect everyone has heard of him. After all, he is Japan¡¯s most prolific serial killer. There was a story in the news that he fell into a deep coma and is likely to die when the machines keeping him alive are switched off.¡±


    Haru-san flinched at that, but Shaeula whispered to her reassuringly. Saionji-san didn¡¯t miss that nuance. ¡°I expect you had something to do with that, right Akio-san?¡±


    ¡°Those who do terrible things will find that this new world isn¡¯t kind to them. And now we know there¡¯s an afterlife of sorts. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s a Yomi or a Western-style Hell, but if there is, he¡¯ll be enjoying a nice, eternal vacation there soon enough.¡± I declared, not confirming, but not denying either.


    ¡°I see. Well, abusing powers given by the kami is certainly something we would disapprove of.¡± Bankei-san agreed with me mildly. ¡°So, having said all that, you support him, Yasuhide-san?¡±


    ¡°I want a future where my granddaughter Shiori, the Lady Diviner and everyone associated with the shrines and temples of this land can live happily, with honour and respect, and the Gods have the worship and adoration they deserve. It seems to me that Akio-kun is aiming for a similar goal. But...¡± he frowned. ¡°... the danger coming is likely to be significant. And looking at the girls around him...¡± he nodded at Eri. ¡°... as well as the aid he has offered my Shiori with this Chirurgery... Akio-kun is best placed to make us stronger.¡± He turned to Takakura-san then. ¡°Takakura-sama, if the nobility and also mainstream politicians support this Ministry, then I shall as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, can I just say a few last words?¡± I said, as Kudou-san came to a conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s true. I want a world where we can all live in peace. But to do that, we need to make sure that power isn¡¯t abused. And we need to make sure that whatever threats are coming, be it this Red Dragon, or anything else, we are strong enough to defeat it. And the best way is to work together. That¡¯s what the Ministry is for. Sure, there¡¯ll be some inconveniences, some concessions...¡± I frowned. Concessions, not sacrifices. I don¡¯t want people like the Diviner to have to suffer. But in life there is always compromise. ¡°... but working together is the best way. I didn¡¯t get this strong alone.¡± I declared. ¡°And even this morning, with the help of Yamato-san...¡± I nodded at him as he looked back at me, his face an expressionless mask. ¡°... and your children, Hikawa-san, we were able to grow stronger still.¡±


    ¡°I have my commitments.¡± Hikawa-san said. ¡°But were my son and the twins here, I would allow them to sit behind you.¡±


    ¡°Great, because the twins are actually amazingly helpful. Their gift is something special. And Ren-san can improve everyone¡¯s light element. I¡¯ll be working them hard, but in exchange, I¡¯ll make sure they are always protected. That goes for everyone else.¡± I finished my pitch strongly. ¡°Those of you who have gifts within your bloodlines, or have family who do, please get in touch with Haru-san here.¡± At that she looked at me, before nodding, understanding I was giving her secretarial work, as well as work the Ministry would find helpful. ¡°Chirurgery is a limited resource, but I intend to prioritise those prepared to work with us, and those of you with talents, we should help them to flourish, as even seemingly useless ones might turn out to be the key to strengthening others. If I had to sum up my position in one go, it would be...¡± I took a deep breath, as this was my slogan that would form the basis of my support.


    ¡°One twig is easily snapped, but a bundle tied together cannot be broken by human hands. And bundles tied together, strengthening each other, well, even fate and destiny will not break them. What one cannot do alone, five can. When five are not enough, then fifty. If someone is facing inevitable death, then five thousand will oppose it. Preserve what is good, crush what is evil, and together make the future a shining one, where nobody has to stand alone.¡±


    ********


    ¡°I see. And would you be prepared to share such prerequisites, and perhaps offer teaching? It would go a long way to establishing cooperation, and it would take some of the burden off your shoulders.¡± Saionji-san asked.


    That¡¯s sly. But it isn¡¯t unreasonable. ¡°I can agree to that. Though I would have to insist that the Ministry keeps a list of everyone that Chirurgery is performed on. I don¡¯t want to accuse anyone of impropriety, but the last thing we want is for yakuza and organised crime gangs to start powering up.¡± It¡¯ll happen sooner or later. In fact, odds are there are a couple of yakuza families with Candidates already. Even so, keeping a handle on things from the start will prevent problems later.


    ¡°You heard him, Uchida.¡± Saionji-san smiled. ¡°Really, I see little choice. He¡¯s right. Working with the Ministry from the start is the best course of action.¡±


    Wait, Saionji-san is falling into line with my plans now? That¡¯s... quite the turnaround.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Uchida-san relented. ¡°Yamato, what do you think?¡± he addressed his son, who had seen me in action.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s inevitable too. Even so, we should have a position of authority equal to Oshiro-san at the least. In fact, in matters of faith and the Gods, our voice should be heard loudest, as we have taken care of Japan¡¯s faith for fifteen hundred years, and to go unrewarded for that spits in our faces, and those of the Gods themselves.¡±


    Well, looks like the major decision is reached, although now we are arguing shares and roles, I expect things to get very messy next session after the break. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not speaking for the Gods, so I can certainly allow other voices.¡± I conceded. ¡°However, I also can¡¯t make any decisions on that, and neither can Takakura-san, without the other participants...¡± as I detailed in-depth more of the planned structure of the Ministry, Saionji-san declared a branch should be placed in Kyoto, and that sparked fresh discussion...


    ********


    ¡°It seems clear to me that as the heart of the faith, a branch of the Ministry should be in Kyoto.¡± Saionji-san declared, and the Diviner, as she still thought of herself as, pondered that. It does make sense. From what Oshiro-san has described, there will be bureaucracy, military, law enforcement, political, legal legislative and research elements. Faith should definitely be included too. And likely the Imperial Family. She looked at Yukiko, her veil shifting as she moved. I do not need my gift of prophecy to see work there in your future, should you survive. No, you will survive! Her hands were still being held, otherwise she would have clenched her fists determinedly. It was annoying, but she knew they were holding on to reassure her. But I am fine now! My mind is clear. Although...


    She pulled at her hands, and they released her. She nodded politely, placing them in her lap, while she listened to the arguments of Amaterasu and Susanoo, unable to tell the difference between them now. And Yasuhide has effectively disbanded Tsukuyomi, throwing in his lot with Oshiro-san. He has the favour of the moon indeed...


    ¡°Perhaps we can compromise.¡± Saionji-san was grinning. "A Ministry needs vice-ministers. One of us, as the most worthy, should surely take up such a post. Although..¡± he assumed a look of pity. ¡°As a Chosen of Avalokitesvara, I have divine qualifications. And as I made a promise to Akio-san, for the good of all...¡± he was laying it on thick. ¡°... to not abuse my gifts, I should not only be compensated, but I would have the time and leisure to devote myself to keeping the faith in order.¡±


    Uchida-san was thrown off by that, but rapidly countered. ¡°No, it would be a waste. Your gifts, much as my sons¡¯, should be put to defending Kyoto. After all...¡± he turned to the crowd, looking at her. ¡°The noble Lady Diviner has foreseen her death, and as she never leaves Kyoto, that means some disaster here. You would be better served in the defence of Kyoto, rather than playing at politics. I should be vice-minister, and my son Yamato could head up the local branch here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but those mighty Golden Warriors should be at the forefront of any line of defence. If I am too useful for leadership, then surely your son...¡±


    As usual, they seek power, influence. It is always so tiresome. One blessing is Yasuhide sheltered me from that as much as he could. Power. I must... make a choice. Tsukuyomi bade me find someone to accept his blessing. Doing so will remove much of my strength, though doubtless what I already possessed will remain. But... it is the most important task I have been entrusted. But there was no guidance given to me, no visions. Does that mean... I am free to choose?


    As she pondered that, the argument was coming to a head. The old monk Bankei was trying to moderate, but they were going in circles, and just listening to them was giving her a headache. I am trying to think about something more important than these petty squabbles. I will likely be dead soon, and all they can argue about is this? Feeling rather irritated, she stood, drawing all eyes.


    ¡°Lady Diviner, do you have something to say?¡± Bankei asked solemnly.


    ¡°I do.¡± She declared. ¡°This squabble is unseemly. A disaster is coming, one that will surely take my life, leaving my work undone, but do you think I shall perish alone? Those of you who argue over who shall be in charge of what, would do well to consider that soon you may be dead.¡± At her words there was a shocked silence, only for the Princes of Beasts to burst out laughing.


    ¡°That is quite-quite true. Fools divide the spoils before the battle is even won, do they not-not? I like you, Tsukiko. I think you will be a fine-fine ally for Akio and I. Your death? Bah...¡± she spat, annoyed. ¡°I have no wish to see you die, and nor does Akio. You like the moon, yes-yes? Well, the moon in the lands of the Fae is quite-quite the sight to see, so huge that it can cover much of the skies above. Until you have seen such, I shall not-not allow you to surrender...¡±


    ¡°I am not giving up!¡± she declared, surprising herself. ¡°Though I am not so foolish enough to believe I can turn aside a fate that Tsukuyomi has decreed inevitable, I shall not turn my face away. Until the last minute I shall strive and struggle.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Diviner...¡± Yukiko said, her eyes behind her glasses tearing up. ¡°... you gave me confidence, a little hope, so I¡¯ll stand by you. After all..¡± she swallowed. ¡°The flames of Amaterasu burn within me. I¡¯ll blaze until anything that threatens you is ashes!¡±


    ¡°I like this much better.¡± Oshiro-san said with a bright grin. As he looked at Yukiko and I with his grey eyes, he nodded, as if pleased with something. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not asking you to deny your fears, I¡¯m just asking that you don¡¯t give up until the end. And we have more than ten minutes until the end of your world, right? If you¡¯ve resolved to fight, then we¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Mori-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯m still weak, but... I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°I too. I have died. It is... unpleasant.¡± Haru-san echoed mournfully. ¡°I would like others to avoid that fate if they can.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Bankei declared. ¡°I think this is as good a time for our recess as any. It is somewhat early, but we shall resume as planned. I suggest that for our next session, you all prepare your thoughts on what concessions the faith would require from this Ministry, as well as those we are prepared to give in return. We shall open the floor to all speakers, though do try and be brief and not repeat previously raised points, as our time is finite.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hoping I don¡¯t have to waste my time demonstrating my abilities since things went a bit different to how it seemed to be going, thanks to Kudou-san here.¡± Oshiro-san nodded at Yasuhide. ¡°So, we have some time. Matsumuro-san, Princess Mikasa. We should talk. If we are going to fight fate, we need a solid plan, and I need to know precisely what we are up against.¡±


    Seeing his confidence, the Diviner found herself nodding. ¡°Very well. Yukiko, come. We have much to talk about. Much that is frightening and little that is hopeful. But...¡± she smiled under her veil. ¡°... little is not nothing.¡±

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Seven

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Seven


    As we were about to leave for a private room in the Palace, Uchida-san came over, followed by Yamato-san and Hikawa-san, who at least had the grace to look somewhat ashamed. Kudou-san raised one eyebrow sardonically as they approached. ¡°What brings you here? Going to make more complaints about my stance?¡± he said.


    ¡°Hardly. I understand it.¡± Uchida-san sighed. ¡°No, you saw it the earliest. There isn¡¯t another way. It might be different if most of the Chosen rather than a few were from the shrines and temples, or you were...¡± he looked at me then. ¡°... but we have to accept that we will be unable to control everyone. Though that does not diminish our expertise. I still believe we should have the most influential voice on these matters.¡±


    ¡°Right, right!¡± I felt sudden slaps on my back. I had sensed Mine-san approaching, but as she meant no harm I let it pass. As she clutched her hand, shaking it weakly, she muttered. ¡°Damn, are you made of, like, granite? No wonder you can fight.¡±


    Eri shot her a look, while Shaeula merely cackled. It was then several people I didn¡¯t recognise, two men my age and an older woman wearing hakama that looked a bit out of place on her, came over to us, going to Haru-san directly.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The first man said. ¡°I would like to tell you the bloodline of our shrine. I¡¯ve thought it useless, but...¡±


    Haru-san exchanged a glance with me, before pulling out a tablet computer from her handbag. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll collect your information and put you forwards, but he¡¯ll make the final decision on your priority, all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯ll be good practice for later, so do your best. Haru-san.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡± She grimaced, more animated than I usually saw her. She must be happy to do something normal, like she used to. ¡°I¡¯ve got experience. I¡¯ll do it right.¡± More were coming over, a line forming, so she moved to the side. That gave me an idea. ¡°Hey, Eri. Can you stay here with Haru-san and organise the queue and keep people in check? You did say you wanted to learn, so consider it some work experience.¡±


    She looked at me for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Fine. But you have to tell me everything later.¡± She glanced sideways at the Diviner then. ¡°I¡¯m worried about Matsumuro-san.¡±


    ¡°You are a kind girl.¡± The Diviner inclined her head, embarrassing her.


    ¡°No, no... I just don¡¯t want Akio to be sad if you die. That¡¯s all. For all I care you could go live in Antarctica or somewhere far away. I just don¡¯t like it when Akio is sad.¡± She then turned to the Princess. ¡°Uh, you be safe as well, Princess Mikasa. I don¡¯t know what Princess of Heaven means or anything, but... I think you¡¯ll have it hard.¡± She looked at Shaeula. ¡°No causing trouble, all right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hoping I don¡¯t need to display my power anymore, to get you all to fall in line.¡± I said to Uchida-san, who shook his head. ¡°No, but I am still interested in this Chirurgery you mentioned. I would still very much like to take you up on your offer. My son can show me this Boundary you speak of afterwards.¡±


    Figures. I was using it to browbeat them in the heat of the moment. ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Kudou-san and Takakura-san, who both declined.


    ¡°I am an old man, I do not need it.¡± Takakura-san said, while Kudou-san merely chuckled heartily.


    ¡°Maybe some other time. I¡¯m grateful enough you did it for Shiori. I am too busy managing issues here in Kyoto to play around with the kami.¡±


    ¡°And I have no need of it.¡± A third voice said, and I could see Saionji-san, followed by Akai who was hiding behind his back, peering at Shaeula and I as if we were dangerous animals, her hair sticking up as if it was a cat¡¯s tail bristling at a rival. Next to him was the man who had been with him at our meeting, and he looked incredibly unhealthy, with grey skin, dark bags under his eyes, and streaks of blood beside his nose and ears.


    ¡°Uh, is he all right?¡± I asked, and Saionji-san shrugged.


    ¡°Yasaka-san here has been overusing his gift. Normally I would keep such a thing to myself, but... cooperation.¡± He said mildly. ¡°Sharing information is key, is it not?¡±


    ¡°What about Bankei-san?¡± I asked, and Kudou-san assured me he was on good terms with the old monk and would fill him in later.


    ¡°All right. So, we need some privacy.¡± I sighed as Shaeula grabbed my hand, flowing some of her aether into me, making sure I was topped up. I had recovered a decent amount of energy while Conclave was going on, but doing it this way we could both recover aether, helping me reach full significantly quicker.


    ¡°Do I have to go?¡± Akai whined. ¡°I could stay out here...¡±


    ¡°For a mythical firebird you are quite-quite the coward.¡± Shaeula snapped as we walked, still holding my hand, now for pleasure, not work. ¡°Are you sure-sure you are not a chicken?¡±


    Akai hissed at her, before realising what she was doing and cowering again. Shaeula¡¯s laughter was joined by Mine-san, who had somehow inveigled herself into the group, behind Yamato-san. ¡°Well, I, like... was kind of moved by your speech. And I do owe you, for your help with, like, that kami that gave me her blessing. So... I thought I¡¯d come along, right?¡± she said, as if it was a question.


    ¡°Well, as long as nobody else objects?¡± As there were none, we entered a smaller, richly appointed side room, led there by Princess Mikasa, whose family owned the Palace, even if they seldom used it due to the move of the Imperial Family to Tokyo.


    ¡°All right then. I suppose we should clarify our objectives. That is... to avert the threat of this Red Dragon, and make sure that Matsumuro-san and Princess Mikasa stay alive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want my friend to die.¡± Princess Mikasa agreed. ¡°I... I obviously don¡¯t want to die either.¡±


    ¡°Since this is a matter concerning Kyoto and the faith, I think you should share the details in full with everyone here. After all, it looks like the consensus is that we¡¯ll all be working with the Ministry, even if some details need to be worked out.¡± It¡¯s going better than I had planned for, which is always nice.


    ¡°I know this already. The Lady Diviner is of my faction, well, was. I guess Tsukuyomi has served its purpose.¡± Kudou-san said, taking a seat.


    ¡°Susanoo shall do what it takes to prevent disaster befalling our sacred Kyoto.¡± Uchida-san said, and his son echoed him.


    ¡°And as for me, well, what better way for the Chosen of Avalokitesvara to display compassion? Besides, it will show why I am the best person to be the voice of the faith in this new Ministry.¡± Saionji-san mocked his political opponent.


    ¡°Well, first I¡¯ll get the Chirurgery out of the way. Consider it a demonstration, though some of you have seen what those worked on can do, first hand.¡± Well, all of them saw Eri at Conclave, but seeing her in the Boundary gives a better impression. She does look powerful, wearing that dress armour and swinging her axe.


    ¡°I would appreciate it.¡± Uchida-san said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°You can say that after the pain. It hurts a ton and then takes a few days for the prickling and aches to stop. Oh well...¡± my Eye blazed, and as people were getting a closer look at the amber glow they were impressed. ¡°... Interesting. Yeah, your bloodline is pretty strong, I can see why Yamato-san was chosen. Chances are some sort of ability will be usable when you get used to the supply of aether. Oh well, here goes...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So how was it?¡± Saionji-san grinned maliciously, revelling in the pain his rival had endured. ¡°It sounded delightful.¡±


    The pale Uchida-san, who was being comforted by his son, shook his head. ¡°It felt like fire was boiling through my veins. Still... I do feel... sharper. Though the itching is infernal.¡±


    ¡°That should wear off in due-due time.¡± Shaeula smirked.


    ¡°So, my children, they went though this too?¡± Hikawa-san sighed. ¡°Brave little tykes. I think I¡¯ll pass for now. We have more pressing matters.¡±


    ¡°First up...¡± I turned my gaze on the adjunct to Saionji-san. ¡°Your network is suffering wear and tear, especially around the crown chakra. I¡¯m not sure what your ability is, but it¡¯s hard on your body. You need to gain some levels, get higher stats, if you are going to keep using it. For now...¡± I began Ether Healing, and the man yelped, though it shouldn¡¯t be painful, quite the opposite, in fact.


    ¡°Well, I am not waiting, my death is certain. But Yukiko, the Princesses, and the world, they can still be saved. Hence why the vision. Tsukuyomi is a benevolent God, he sends me visions only for what I can possibly change, even if it is hard, near impossible.¡±


    I see the flaw in that argument. ¡°Then surely you can change your death too. It isn¡¯t definite!¡± I declared, and others echoed me.


    ¡°I wish that were so. Sadly, I was given the vision of my death for another reason, not to change what cannot be, but to do something first.¡± she shook her head sadly. ¡°Anyway, the Princesses face their own disasters. Masked Figures, the Red Dragon, the Black Giant, more. But that is not the end. The true threat comes later. On the first sunrise of a new year, reality will shudder and something foul will break through and ravage the earth. If even one of these Princesses has fallen, then... our chances of victory dwindle away...¡±


    ¡°A new year? That¡¯s less than three months away!¡± Saionji-san complained, alarmed. ¡°And you kept this to yourselves?¡±


    ¡°Peace. It is not this year. I am certain of that. The threat felt distant. But it is also near. I doubt we have ten years. Maybe not even five. And I advised Yasuhide to delay Conclave, as it was needed to find the one who could stave off the Red Dragon, and its opposite the Divine White Dragon of the West.¡±


    ¡°Two dragons huh? Well, that¡¯s twice the experience points for us.¡± I tried to remain positive, though one question had been answered.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you supported me in my request to hold off on Conclave, huh you old fox?¡± Saionji-san grimaced. ¡°Damn, having access to the future is rather helpful.¡±


    ¡°You can talk, what with him.¡± Yamato-san spoke up, looking at Yasaka-san, who flinched under his regard.


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s a question. Yasaka-san, can you tell when this will happen, or find out the identity of this Human Princess?¡±


    He nodded, and as the book flapped open, only visible to him, Shaeula and I, I was surprised. ¡°Really? Princess Eleanor Windsor? She¡¯s from the UK right? My mom talks about her sometimes, being a Brit herself.¡±


    Yasaka-san nodded, before asking the second question, only to stagger, his crown chakra starting to fracture. The book vanished in a spray of aether, and I leapt to him, flooding him with healing energies. ¡°Shit, your ability is a damn death-trap.¡± I complained as I rapidly worked Chirurgery and Ether Healing, patching up the rather brutal damage.


    ¡°You very-very nearly died there. I fear asking questions related to this is quite-quite impossible.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°Though you did name the Princess, I wonder...¡±


    ¡°I had identified her already.¡± Matsumuro-san sighed. ¡°Perhaps that is why he could find an answer.¡±


    Seems likely. ¡°Well, for now it¡¯s too risky to try and find out more. But... did you get anything?¡± I asked, and he nodded, sweat still streaming from him, body twitching with remembered pain.


    ¡°Not five years.¡± He gasped hoarsely. ¡°Then as I tried to concentrate on the answer something inside my head exploded.¡±


    ¡°That was your crown chakra. If that completely broke you¡¯d likely not only lose your ability, but your life. Okay, so best case we have just over four years. Worst case, just over a year. Well shit. I¡¯d hoped for a lot longer before the apocalypse. I guess it¡¯s time to step up my game.¡±


    ¡°You seem rather calm?¡± Saionji-san observed, but it was Hikawa-san who answered.


    ¡°I doubt he is. But he¡¯s been planning and making alliances for this very moment, right?¡±


    ¡°I have indeed. Okay, first step, I might need to take a trip to Britain. I wonder if Fujiwara-san might be able to get me into a party with the Princess. Mom was saying some pictures of her at a gala ball came out recently...¡±


    ¡°I see. So not only the white one, but you wish to claim two more-more.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I see one princess is not-not enough for you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know you and Shiro are the only princesses I need.¡± I laughed, squeezing her hand. ¡°But we need them all to live. But still... this is all stuff we need to know, but what about your death, Matsumuro-san? We haven¡¯t heard about that.¡±


    ¡°The slumbering Red Dragon, it will shed scales, which will turn into ravenous ants, seeking prey. They will swarm over Tsukuyomi-jinja Shrine, and devour me, spreading filth and death across Kyoto. And it will happen soon. Very soon. I know not when, precisely, but I suspect I will not live to offer greetings to the new year.¡±


    Princess Mikasa bit down a sob at that. ¡°Oh, Tsukiko-chan...¡± she suddenly reached out and pulled the Diviner into a hug, shocking her. At first she struggled, but after a moment, she relaxed, her fatalistic sigh shifting her veil.


    ¡°I suppose it does not matter. My hands have been touched, what does a hug do further? I have one task to do before my end, that Tsukuyomi has charged me with, and I would like to find the one who can change the fate of my dear friend Yukiko, who understands my burdens.¡± I could hear tears in her voice, and Princess Mikasa was shedding them freely too.


    ¡°The one with light, darkness and twilight, right? And the favour of the moon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and blessed by a God not of this land, but favoured by the kami of Japan.¡± Princess Mikasa sniffled. ¡°That¡¯s what she told me.¡±


    ¡°It sort of fits you.¡± Hikawa-san said. ¡°Tyr isn¡¯t from this land, but plenty of shrines and kami support you. As for the favour of the moon...¡±


    ¡°Well, you could argue Shaeula is a princess of the moon, a Fae version of Kaguya-sama from the legends. Hey, I wonder if she really exists too... no, stupid thought. I also have moonlight spirit water flowing through me... no twilight though. But hey, screw waiting around, if some hero shows up wanting to save the world, more power to him, but I guess I¡¯ll have to do for now.¡±


    At the agreeing nods from everyone except Matsumuro-san and the scared Akai, I started brainstorming.


    ¡°So yeah, Eri was right, you could leave Kyoto and that would break the vision, although... you have your Territory here. These ants... if they attacked the Boundary, well, even with the defences of Taishakama-san¡¯s territory, I would imagine it could fall. And you don¡¯t want that.¡± I remembered the fate of Kondou Kazuo. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what these ants are, but if they can rip your blessings from your Anchor...¡±


    ¡°That is why I cannot leave. For Tsukuyomi has tasked me to find a suitable person to carry the blessing, before I die. I cannot and will not abandon Kyoto!¡± she declared firmly.


    ¡°And you can¡¯t move your Anchor? Well, I couldn¡¯t until Rank 3, so... shit. I guess the easy plan is out. But then, it wouldn¡¯t be inevitable if that was all it took.¡±


    ¡°You can not-not remain in Kyoto either. You have your own Territory to manage.¡± Shaeula warned. ¡°And many-many other commitments.¡±


    ¡°True, but... okay, so these dragons... are they actual dragons or metaphors? I¡¯ve fought a Wyrm before, but a real Dragon? Would the Material even be able to support one? I doubt it. And as for the Boundary... sure, Kyoto is very close to the lower Astral, but even so...¡± I was dubious.


    ¡°I often see in metaphors. The Dragon itself contains many dangers within. These scales that become ants are but a part of it.¡±


    ¡°If they are scales...¡± Kudou-san mused, thinking deeply. ¡°... then they are but part of the whole, and so we will be facing numerous smaller opponents, rather than one huge one. An army, perhaps? What of the Night Parade?¡±


    At that Shaeula flinched, but once more I held her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We hope to do something about the Night Parade, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°So in that case, what can we do?¡± Saionji-san asked. ¡°I am loathe to let Yasaka-san risk his Book again.¡±


    ¡°First up... if I can¡¯t be in Kyoto all the time, then... I just have to make it so I can get here quickly when I¡¯m needed.¡± I took out my mobile phone and made a call. It rang several times and I thought he wasn¡¯t going to pick up, until finally someone answered. ¡°Good afternoon, you just caught me, I was going to train the troops. So, do you need something?¡±


    ¡°Major Sasaki, yes, I do. I guess I could have called Tsumura-san directly, but I figured I¡¯d come to you first...¡± Why have connections and people who owe me favours, if I can¡¯t call them in when I¡¯m in need? ¡°... I need some military hardware, so...¡±

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Eight *contains map – Kyoto*

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Eight *contains map ¨C Kyoto*


    ¡°... yes, the fastest helicopter we have. Fully fuelled. Yes, I know I don¡¯t know how to fly it, arrange an instructor. I hear it takes a few hundred hours to learn how to fly a helicopter. I should be able to do it in a day.¡± I was discussing with the Major. Let¡¯s see, it¡¯s two hundred and thirty miles from Central Tokyo to Kyoto, I¡¯m on the outskirts so call it two hundred and twenty... the absolute best speed a Japanese military helicopter can do is around two hundred and forty miles an hour so... Damn, it would still be around an hour to Kyoto.


    ¡°It would be faster if I could just run there...¡± I muttered, before quickly giving up on that idea. Sure, it was possible I could make it faster than an hour, as with burst speed using Body Enhancement I could exceed the speed of the helicopter, but sustaining it over more than two hundred miles would likely still elude me. There are other problems too... the Boundary was less restrictive about matters like this, and I still was struggling to fully understand the rules, such as why we still seemed to breathe there, but issues like air resistance seemed far less problematic. If I tried to run to Kyoto, I¡¯d end up arriving exhausted and in no fit state to battle dangerous foes. And I¡¯d be seen. I can¡¯t afford to be the one who leaks the existence of Candidates to the world...


    ¡°You see, there is no way to turn aside the definite fate that is my immediate future.¡± The Diviner said sadly, seeing the look on my face as I was on the phone. ¡°Something will always conspire to prevent your aid.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are so certain then, what does it matter if I try? You don¡¯t lose anything.¡± I retorted, rather annoyed at her fatalism. It isn¡¯t like she doesn¡¯t want to live, so why not struggle harder...


    ¡°He has you there.¡± Kudou-san agreed with a wry chuckle.


    ¡°I... I understand.¡± Matsumuro-san agreed, her head dipping under her veil, probably looking down.


    ¡°Okay, Major Sasaki, we have credible intelligence that someone or something is likely to attack Kyoto in the very near future. Do you think we can get some JSDF presence here?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯ll be something the top brass need to agree. We are stretched pretty thinly at the moment. What with the complicated situation with China, as well as training and other logistical issues.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, can you let Tsumura-san know I¡¯ll be needing a meeting with him on my return then? Oh, and...¡± I rattled off a few last instructions. Once I hung up, I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts.


    ¡°Right. So we know that an attack is coming in the next three months, if you are to be believed, Matsumuro-san, and I have no reason not to believe you.¡± I clarified. ¡°It will strike Kyoto, and will envelop your shrine at Tsukuyomi-jinja. Am I clear so far?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That is correct. And I shall perish there.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡± I said, unwilling to concede. ¡°Now, there can only be two attack vectors, right? Here in the Material, and the Boundary. So if we protect the Material, by stationing soldiers here...¡±


    ¡°But can the army stand up to whatever threat these ants are?¡± Kudou-san asked.


    ¡°If they are as strong as Akio or me, then surely not-not.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°However, I do not-not believe that there are many as strong as us. Could you-you survive engaging your mortal army, Gin, Yamato?¡± She asked pointedly.


    ¡°No, I doubt it. I could likely kill a fair few with Avalokitesvara¡¯s Gaze, but I am hardly immune to bullets.¡± Saionji-san admitted.


    ¡°My Golden Warriors would reap a bloody toll.¡± Yamato-san said proudly. ¡°I don¡¯t fear them, as the chosen of Kannon, I will be victorious.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± I said, surprised at his vehemence. ¡°It¡¯s true your warriors would be excellent at surviving small-arms fire and tanking, but... well, my point stands. I think we can take precautions to secure the Material Kyoto. See, this is another reason the Ministry is needed. Coordinating various branches of government such as the Military is necessary.¡±


    ¡°So if the attack happens in the spiritual realm, then... that would be harder to defend against.¡± Kudou-san mused. ¡°I haven¡¯t been there, but Taishakama-san and the others talk. Kyoto is a very dangerous place.¡±


    ¡°It definitely is.¡± I didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°But we have advantages there. Don¡¯t forget, the attack will end up striking Tsukuyomi-jinja, right? If we know that, we can prepare. But first, we need to take stock of our assets. Well, we have Prince Sho?toku there, right?¡± I said, surprising everyone, especially the Diviner.


    ¡°How do you know of the Prince?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, I met him when I was helping Kudou-san¡¯s people secure their Territory. How else do you think I got your name, Matsumuro-san?¡±


    She looked startled by my answer, so I carried on. ¡°Saionji-san, you have Akai, right? She¡¯s a Phoenix, so even as a chick, she must be pretty strong, right?¡±


    Akai hissed at me, before realising who she was cursing at, shrinking down, eyes spinning wildly. I don¡¯t get why she dislikes Shaeula and me so much. It can¡¯t just be that we are strong, right? It isn¡¯t like we threatened her or anything...


    ¡°I do, but, what¡¯s your point?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Simple. Bodyguard work.¡± I grinned. ¡°Also, the neutral shrines have their own spiritual being who walks the Material as well. Kofuku Jizo. I would have him also guard the Diviner.¡±


    ¡°Should you be spilling their secrets, Akio-kun?¡± Kudo-san asked.


    ¡°I think this is the time for it. Besides, I¡¯m hoping the neutral shrines will decide like you did, Kudou-san, and support my aims. And right now, my aim is to not let the Diviner die. I hate all that fatalistic bullshit.¡± Ironically, my own Foresight was still ringing, which I would have to deal with as well, but one problem at a time. ¡°We have an advantage, we know a target. Which means we can prepare.¡±


    Pulling out the map of Kyoto I had, I started making some annotations to the map. ¡°These are the Territories I know of, and their rough extent. As you can see, the Matsunoo-Taisha Grand Shrine Territory surrounds Tsukuyomi-jinja now, since our efforts. That allows us the opportunity to fortify, although there isn¡¯t much time.¡± I also drew in the other nearby Territories. ¡°I know that the neutral shrines have one around Kegon-ji, yet not the extent of it. So... am I missing any of your factions, Kudou-san, Uchida-san, Saionji-san?¡±


    ¡°Well, that information is rather... sensitive.¡± Saionji-san mused. ¡°However... in light of your proposal that known Territories shouldn¡¯t be infringed upon...¡± he gave me a smile then, sly and knowing. ¡°There are some others. Like mine, here.¡± He drew in an area around Kinkaku-ji. ¡°I¡¯m right on your borders, old man.¡± He smiled at Kudou-san.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I have Chosen too.¡± Kudou-san scoffed.


    Uchida-san, who was still weak from the Chirurgery, exchanged a look with his son and Hikawa-san. Hikawa-san nodded confidently, while Yamato-san looked troubled, but in the end conceded.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain. I struggled with Kondou Kazuo, true, but that was then. I¡¯m many times stronger now. And if we are lucky, the Night Parade or the other denizens of Kyoto should thin them out as well.¡±


    ¡°But if we do that, then the rest of us will be vulnerable!¡± Yamato-san protested. ¡°The attack will be on Kyoto, surely we can¡¯t risk ourselves to save one person?¡±


    Really? That¡¯s the kind of man you are, Yamato-san? Before I could answer, Shaeula snorted with amusement, and his face went red with annoyance and embarrassment.


    ¡°Well, you do have a point, Yamato.¡± She said, shrugging. ¡°Though what male would not-not be willing to impress a female, even at the risk of their own life? Akio would have no-no hesitation.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about that!¡± Yamato-san spat, incensed by her mockery. ¡°We¡¯re talking about the safety of Kyoto, the centre of our faith! One life, even a noble one such as Lady Diviner, isn¡¯t worth risking that!¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean, Yamato-sama...¡± Mine-san said, after having been silent for a while due to the tense and high-level conversations. ¡°... but, like, if you say it that way, girls won¡¯t be impressed.¡±


    ¡°I think we are all getting heated. We need to calm down.¡± Hikawa-san said calmly. ¡°We still only have the barest idea of what will happen. This is why we are discussing it now.¡±


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t prepared to leave your Territory and protect the Diviner, so why should we risk ourselves?¡± Yamato-san pressed, and I had to admit it was a fair point. Although if you¡¯re a man the answer should be obvious...


    ¡°I¡¯m also not telling you to risk your own Territory, only to spend time and effort protecting Matsumuro-san.¡± I shot back. ¡°Look, we have one advantage. We may not know the enemy numbers or strengths, but we do know at some point they¡¯ll attack Matsumuro-san at Tsukuyomi-jinja. That means we have the advantage, it¡¯s easier to defend than attack. Even the relatively weak Territory there will have an effect, and we can use it to thin them out, slow them... as for me not being prepared... I¡¯ve already said one man can¡¯t do everything. But I¡¯ll do what I can. After all...¡± I looked at the Diviner. ¡°... you¡¯ve given up a lot for the world, you shouldn¡¯t have to give up your life as well.¡±


    ¡°Can I help? I don¡¯t want Tsukiko-chan to suffer any more.¡± Princess Mikasa asked. As we looked at her in surprise she bowed her head. ¡°Besides, if I too am to face this Red Dragon, I¡¯d like to do all I can to learn about it. Maybe even weaken it here?¡±


    ¡°True. If it is China, well, based on population they should have a lot of Candidates. Obviously I¡¯d hope to avoid war and work together with them, as we all share the same boat in the end. Hmm, the way Yasaka-san said pursued...¡± that gave me pause. I wonder if perhaps they are dissidents, something similar... no, I can¡¯t get fixated on it being China. That¡¯s only our guess...


    ¡°Well, my suggestion is... well, I promised my sister and the other girls that I would be attending some sort of concert tonight, so after that, how about we all gather and enter the Boundary together near Tsukuyomi-jinja. Yasaka-san, Matsumuro-san, getting you a few levels certainly can¡¯t hurt, and we can start some construction. I have a few Etherites to spare.¡± I don¡¯t want to use the blue one, I want to keep that for Ixitt, but even so, I gained plenty of others... ¡°I can craft some gear too...¡± my mind was whirling with ideas.


    ¡°A concert? You never change, Oshiro-san.¡± Hikawa-san chuckled. ¡°The world is falling to pieces and you are going on dates.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not a date.¡± I sighed. ¡°But yeah, I don¡®t know how much longer I can enjoy myself. If we have between one and four years left to get prepared... time is obviously precious. But it¡¯s like I said. Nine minutes to plan, one minute to spend time with those I love. That way works best for me.¡±


    ¡°Well said. That¡¯s, like, touching!¡± Mine-san agreed. ¡°So, you mean Red and White, right? The centre is a Shrine Maiden from Kanda-Myojin shrine, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of ours.¡± Kudou-san grinned. ¡°Well, one of yours now, I guess, Akio-kun.¡± His smile broadened. ¡°The head of the shrine was sitting on your chairs. Maybe you can even get her autograph.¡±


    ¡°My sis would like that, I¡¯m sure.¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°But anyway... after that, we can dive in. Any objections?¡±


    ¡°You do not have to go so far for me...¡± Matsumuro-san began, but surprisingly enough it was her friend the Princess who told her to shut up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Tsukiko-chan! If someone wants to help, let them! Especially a capable man like Akio-san...¡±


    Oh shit, an Imperial Princess of this country just called me by my first name. it shouldn¡¯t bother me, as Shaeula¡¯s a princess too, but it seems more real, somehow... no, no time for this.


    ¡°After all...¡± she continued. ¡°You did say I should hope for that person carrying the light, the darkness and twilight to help save me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s him, but I don¡¯t care. Tsukiko-chan... if you survive, we can... we can be real friends! You¡¯ll have no reason to hide your name or face! And you¡¯ll have fulfilled your purpose! You can be normal again!¡±


    ¡°No, I still have one final purpose, I must...¡± she began, only for the Princess to stamp her foot in annoyance.


    ¡°... listen to me! Kudou-san, please tell her!¡±


    ¡°Look.¡± I broke in. ¡°Even when this is over and we¡¯ve beaten off these ants, she¡¯ll not be normal. Every Candidate is precious, and with her gift, she¡¯s even more so. But Princess, you can still do normal things, go out, have fun. After all...¡± I turned back to the silent Diviner. ¡°... that¡¯s how I saved Shiro from her thirst, right? We aren¡¯t machines. If all we do is train and fight and worry, we¡¯ll break down. And if we know, feel, what we have to protect, then we can fight harder.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We never-never would have been able to defeat Duke Myrcolaxriath unless we were together, fighting for each other.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Damn, I like, want to know the story behind that. It¡¯s been mentioned a few times. Is it, like, heroic and shit?¡± Mine-san asked, bright eyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know, it¡¯ll be scary.¡± Akai muttered.


    ¡°Well, those who are interested, do-do gather around.¡± Shaeula began, Mine-san and the Princess going to her. ¡°... the Myconids are a terrible race...¡±


    As we finalised the details, Yamato-san spoke up. ¡°So, what about... well, this morning. Your sister, the others... they learned to control the light, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your daughters too, Hikawa-san. They were very brave, and integral in smoothing the process. Ren-san helped a lot too.¡± I praised them, earning a proud, fatherly smile from him. ¡°That was a good thought, Yamato-san. Matsumuro-san, why wait for someone who can wield light, darkness and twilight when you can learn it yourself? I¡¯ll put it on the agenda...¡±


    Yes, we should be able to set things up so that Matsumuro-san can buy enough time for reinforcements. Damn, If only we could set up Ring Gates between... huh... wait, is it that simple? It was like a bolt of lighting flashed through me. Faerie Ring Gates...

 Two Hundred And Seventy-Nine

    Two Hundred And Seventy-Nine


    I had a lot to think about, but since there was still some time until the second session of the Conclave, I decided to go and see if I could find my sister and the others, as they were involved in a series of smaller, less formal events for shrines and temples to mingle. Leaving behind the Diviner, Matsumuro-san, who was fending off the Imperial Princess, who was trying to cling to her, which was an endearing image and not one I thought I would ever see only a few months ago, I was followed out by Shaeula, and also by Mine-san. On seeing I had noticed, she shrugged.


    ¡°Well, like, it¡¯s a bit overbearing for me in there, right? Too many important people. And well, I do know you a little, right?¡±


    ¡°Important? Are you saying I, a princess of the Seelie Court, am not-not important?¡± Shaeula sniffed, and Mine-san hastily apologised, not realising Shaeula was teasing her. Putting that aside, I made my way through the Imperial Palace, still a bit surprised at the flock of shrine maidens and priests everywhere, a sight few people would ever see. It wasn¡¯t long until I was able to find some familiar faces, with my sis, Kana and Marika-san, being escorted by Hyacinth, in amidst a group of people around their age. On seeing us, my sis brightened, waving us over.


    ¡°Hey bro, what kept you?¡± she called over. ¡°How¡¯d things go? Where¡¯s Eri?¡±


    As exuberant as ever. ¡°Eri¡¯s helping Haru-san take care of some admin for me. She¡¯s quite enthusiastic about learning things right now, so it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, Eri-san worries that she¡¯s not being useful. She sure does like you a lot, Akio.¡± Kana chimed in. ¡°So, you still following him around?¡± she looked at Mine-san, who looked away quickly, her piercings chiming softly.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got, like, nothing better to do right now, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Kana laughed. ¡°By the way, these are some people from various shrines in Tokyo and the surrounds we haven¡¯t dealt with yet. Don¡¯t worry Akio, we¡¯ve been busy. Though...¡± she grinned impishly. ¡°... Aiko-chan surely is popular. The girls think she¡¯s cool, and the boys...¡± a few of the younger priest apprentices were blushing at her words, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    ¡°Wow, gee Kana-chan, don¡¯t be a pain! Sure, a few guys were interested in me, why not? I¡¯m beautiful right, and when they heard our stories about the Boundary... besides, Kana-chan is pretty popular too.¡± She grinned. ¡°Jealous much, bro?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be jealous of my sis getting the attention she deserves?¡± I patted her on the head gently, causing her to flush and giggles to spread through the watching crowd.


    ¡°Hey bro, quit it!¡± she knocked away my hands, embarrassed. ¡°And you know I meant of Kana-chan, right? Don¡¯t pretend to be a dense harem protagonist, someone with as many girls as you doesn¡¯t get to pull that crap!¡±


    ¡°Well, of course Kana would be popular. She¡¯s pretty and has a bright future.¡± I looked at the young people around us. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be happy if you are popular. Though any boy that treats you poorly will regret it.¡± I said, and my sis sighed, while Kana turned pink.


    ¡°You know, I really want to punch you now, but I know it¡¯ll only hurt me.¡± Kana sighed. ¡°You must be doing that on purpose. Besides, what are you, my dad? Seriously, sometimes I wonder just why I like you, Akio...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you.¡± I grinned, but Hyacinth chimed in then, and the faces of those around us went pale.


    ¡°Hyacinth was watching, sooo you do not have to worry!¡± She said proudly. She certainly attracted attention, her looks and her flashy maid outfit were in great contrast to the hakama and robes most of the attendees were wearing, including Kana, Marika-san and my sis, of course. Even so, the more perceptive were acting wary around her, for good reason. ¡°I did cooonsider strangling those pests who were bothering them to death, but I dooo remember I am not supposed to do that, unless they are in danger. It is annoooying, though. She should nooot be bothered by these fools!¡±


    ¡°I keep telling you it isn¡¯t like that. Sure, I like Akio, but I¡¯m not going to chase him like a loser!¡± Kana protested, and Hyacinth went into a long rant about how it was obvious she should be mine. The grim atmosphere dispersed, although I couldn¡¯t help but notice a few of the boys looking disappointed. Including...


    ¡°Hey Ren-san, Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san.¡± I spotted Hikawa-san¡¯s children at the back of the crowds. Ren-san was looking at Kana. Well, they are similar ages, and Kana is very cute. ¡°Have you recovered from this morning?¡±


    Ren-san scowled a little, but his ever-polite sisters bowed, like mirror images of each other. ¡°Yes, thank you Akio-sama. It was hard and painful, but we have recovered.¡± The first said, before the second agreed. ¡°We spread the word amongst other suitable people as you wished, Akio-sama. If we... have to assist you again, we will. Though I do wish the pain was less.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t ask you to overuse your abilities.¡± I consoled them. ¡°Anyway, if you are looking for your father, he¡¯s in a meeting with the heads of the three factions.¡±


    ¡°All three?¡± Ren-san asked, his sullenness forgotten. ¡°But we are Susanoo faction...¡± I could see a lot of the other people in the room listening intently for my answer.


    ¡°Well, things have changed. Uh... well, it looks like Tsukuyomi is disbanded, as Kudou-san has decided to throw his weight behind me and the Ministry. So there¡¯s a lot to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Way to go, bro!¡± My sis declared, puffing out her chest proudly, as if it was her own achievements. Which of course has boys and girls alike eyeing her. Damn, she¡¯s full of energy since she got her new classes this morning. I can¡¯t say I blame her though. ¡°Already making the big moves!¡±


    ¡°Can you expect anything less-less?¡± Shaeula was also proud. ¡°Akio is clearly the most experienced there, and his power-power has been demonstrated clearly to them, as well as his foresight.¡±


    Speaking of Foresight... ugh, the disaster seems a little stronger now, but I don¡¯t see what¡¯s changed. It¡¯s imminent too. I have to have Hyacinth and the others on high alert. Though surely nothing could happen here at Conclave, right? Even so, I can¡¯t take chances... I looked at Hyacinth and she nodded, interpreting my caution, as expected from someone who prided herself on serving.


    ¡°So, Akio-sama, if I may ask...¡± Marika-san said shyly, tugging gently at my arm. ¡°... what did grandfather decide?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I need to know as well. I don¡¯t think my grandfather would be stupid enough to forsake you, but he does honour his commitments.¡± Kana said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I reassured them. ¡°Both of them decided to stand with me.¡± I looked at Ren-san and the twins. ¡°Your father is still in Susanoo, but it isn¡¯t like we are at odds or anything, and he said he¡¯d let you decide yourselves and sit behind me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ren-san said, pensive.


    ¡°Enough with the gloom. Leave the politics to my bro, it¡¯s boring!¡± my sis declared brightly. ¡°Bro, these are the people I want to introduce you to. And get this... one is a shrine maiden at Kanda-Myojin shrine, and she knows the centre of Red and White! She reckons she might even be able to get us in to meet her afterwards...¡± as my sister gushed with enthusiasm, I put on a smile and started my meet and greet of the various apprentices and shrine maidens, knowing expanding my support base would be vital in the long term...


    ********


    ¡°You look tired. Must be, like, hard being a big-shot.¡± Mine-san commiserated, still with me. I had indeed exchanged a lot of greetings with various young people, a lot of whom were very interested in the stories Kana and my sis had told them. Shaeula had stayed behind with them and was going to re-join me for the second session of Conclave, but Mine-san said she had nothing better to do.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t what I originally planned for my life.¡± I agreed, heading for where Kana told me her friends likely were, and possibly our parents. ¡°Before this I was just a freelancer, working on various IT and gaming projects. It was a living, but hardly luxurious. Still, working for yourself has its charms. Less pressure!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, father, uncle.¡± I said apologetically. ¡°As I said, I have no intention of chasing after women. Shiro was the last.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡± My father sighed, giving me a stern glare. ¡°In any case, putting aside whoever this Lady Diviner is, I doubt very much that an Imperial Princess, even a rather reclusive one such as Princess Mikasa, would be interested in you. Now, our report.¡± He looked at uncle Junpei.


    ¡°It¡¯s been interesting, definitely.¡± He sighed. ¡°There are a lot of priests and priestesses here who are unable to attend the main Conclave. They tend to stick with their own factions, but with assistance from some of those you have gathered, we mingled. There were a lot of people interested in Chirurgery. I can see why...¡± Uncle clenched a fist. ¡°I¡¯ve felt great ever since the irritating itching and pain wore off. But for them I guess it¡¯s more spiritual.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± My father agreed. Mine-san was talking with mom and auntie, so I gave my full attention to this talk. ¡°I still find it near-impossible to believe any of this, and I have seen it with my own eyes. Those of the old faith... well, it still surprises me that they have carried on such traditions, and that Chairoakitara shrine is one of them. They of course want to be able to see the world where their kami reside themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though they are very wary of committing to anyone outside of their faction.¡± Uncle confirmed. ¡°Although some were less reluctant than others.¡± He pulled out a notebook with a list of names, shrines and numbers. ¡°I think there might be some profit in contacting these people. Huh, why are you smiling?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just Eri is currently doing something similar, helping out Haru-san gather information. Having you do it as well just struck me as funny, uncle.¡±


    ¡°My little girl...¡± Uncle shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s definitely grown up. Though...¡± he looked at Mine-san, who was still bantering with mom. ¡°... she has a lot of troubles ahead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all? But seriously, nothing¡¯s going on with Mine-san. I¡¯ve only met her recently, and she feels she owes me, as I did her a favour in the Boundary last night.¡± She¡¯s a nice girl, sure, and kind of fun. Being as she¡¯s a Candidate, we¡¯ll likely be working together too...


    ¡°You seem to be doing a lot of favours for women recently, son.¡± My father warned. ¡°As your mother would tell you, you should be careful of that. Women are always reading things into what men do. It would not do to lead them on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Though it¡¯s hardly like women are going to throw themselves at me just because of that.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that Marika-san¡¯s mother over there?¡± I noticed her talking to a group of older women.


    ¡°Yes, she wanted to speak to other shrines, so that she might understand what her daughter is involved in. I suppose it is hard for those not from the shrine side of the family to comprehend.¡± Father agreed. ¡°I think her stance is softening, hearing others talk about it so candidly.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of... Uncle. Eri¡¯s been telling me you¡¯ve been complaining about the money I send to you.¡±


    ¡°We have enough.¡± He said, scratching his cheek, a sign of nerves. ¡°I know we are family, but even so, it feels bad. Sometimes too much kindness hurts, son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°I get that. But... well, how about you work for me? I¡¯m going to need more and more people, and who can I trust more than family?¡± I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while. When Eri and Aiko move to Tokyo, our parents... they could move too... As Uncle expressed some shock, I started outlining my plans. It¡¯d also be better to keep our families close. That way, if danger threatens, I can respond more easily...


    ********


    Time was running out before the next session of Conclave. After speaking to my father and uncle for a while, I had ducked out, leaving Mine-san still bantering with my mother and auntie. Towards the end there Mine-san was looking rather henpecked. I hope they weren¡¯t too hard on her. Poor woman.


    It didn¡¯t take me too long to find my last group. Kana¡¯s friends, Asami-san and Mio-san, along with Takagi-san, Maiko-san and several apprentices and shrine maidens from my allied Susanoo shrines were in a big group, the hulking figure of Grulgor watching over them in his suit, looking like a nightclub bouncer. On seeing me he nodded reassuringly, and I was reassured, as if there was any trouble here Grulgor should be able to handle it.


    ¡°Oh hey, it¡¯s Akio-san!¡± Mio-san declared, and I was relieved that they weren¡¯t calling me -kun at least. ¡°Did you come to see how we were doing?¡±


    ¡°How was your meeting?¡± Asami-san asked. ¡°It went well, I hope? Kana will be gutted if not.¡± She smiled wickedly at her absent friends¡¯ expense.


    ¡°Yeah, pretty good.¡± I admitted. I saw that Maiko-san looked a little uncomfortable, so I decided to check on her. ¡°It must be rough, being in a different faction to the others. Are you managing all right?¡±


    Maiko-san managed a nod. ¡°Well, everyone is kind, and I have Hisano-san here.¡±


    Takagi-san reacted at that, looking pleased, and it was heart-warming to see them get along.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. But don¡¯t worry, things have changed. I¡¯ve kind of got my own faction now. Tsukuyomi, well... finished, and a good chunk of them joined me, as did your father.¡±


    ¡°Hey, is that true?¡± a young man asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I daresay that this evening you¡¯ll hear more, we are hashing out the final details.¡± A muted buzz went around at that, people talking excitedly about the shift in shrine politics.


    ¡°So, enough of that.¡± Mio-san said, excited. ¡°Everyone our age is talking about Red and White! I hear the centre is here somewhere, but we haven¡¯t seen her, and we sure have been looking!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Takagi-san said, suddenly animated. ¡°I can hardly wait for the concert. It isn¡¯t every day that we get to see something so amazing!¡±


    ¡°Well, Kana actually met someone from her shrine. She thinks we might get to meet this girl afterwards, and...¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Takagi-san grabbed my hands, shocked. ¡°That would be amazing!¡± she then yelped and released me, flushing and looking down, her lenses covering her eyes, Maiko-san giggling at her shock.


    ¡°Hisano-san really is an idol fan. Not that I blame her...¡± Asami-san said, having warmed to the shy girl and classmate over the time they had spent training together.


    ¡°Well excuse me.¡± She protested weakly. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. She¡¯s so cool, and I couldn¡¯t get tickets to the Christmas Eve concert... I didn¡¯t win the lottery...¡±


    Watching them chat away, Maiko-san seeming a little relieved, I held in a smile. I was a bit worried about Maiko-san and Shuta-san, being as they were the only Amaterasu shrine in my group, but it seems my worries were unfounded. And now Saionji-san seems to be more reasonable than I¡¯ve been told, that problem should hopefully disappear. I¡¯ll never eliminate factions entirely, that¡¯s human nature, but with the Ministry, my support and the hard work of everyone... I watched as more people I didn¡¯t know joined in the conversation about the idols... I should be able to get everyone on the same page.


    Smiling, I slipped away, leaving them to it. So, what¡¯s going to happen at this session of Conclave? Hopefully it¡¯ll be less dramatic than the last...

 Two Hundred And Eighty

    Two Hundred And Eighty


    On returning to the main Conclave hall the first thing I noticed was that as the seats were filling up there had been a definite shift in the numbers, a noticeable group forming behind Kudou-san, who must have finished his meeting, and Haru-san and Eri, who both looked pretty tired. On seeing me, Eri smiled in relief, mopping sweat from her brow. Oh, so the Diviner and Princess Mikasa are back on the stage, but Kudou-san remained here, huh?


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Eri asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°Hanging out with the others. She¡¯ll return in time for the start.¡± I said. ¡°So, how was it, doing some adult work?¡± I asked teasingly. ¡°Does my old school even allow part-time jobs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, very funny.¡± Eri pouted adorably, and Haru-san smiled a little at our banter. ¡°You know they do, our school isn¡¯t that strict. Besides, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m getting paid.¡± I made a quip about paying her in hugs, so she rolled her eyes at my lame humour before continuing. ¡°Still, it was... interesting, I guess? I thought I¡¯d be more wary of speaking to people, but when it¡¯s for work, it doesn¡¯t seem so hard.¡±


    Haru-san nodded, flourishing her tablet which now had pages and pages of data. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m... not the outgoing person I used to be. Well, I¡¯m not even a person now, I¡¯m a ghost.¡± She deadpanned, and I was beginning to realise that sort of grim humour might be one way she was coping with her trauma and guilt. ¡°Although...¡± she let out a long sigh. ¡°... I was never really that outgoing. Sure, I had friends and went to the usual drinking parties with my colleagues, but I was always a daddy¡¯s girl, I guess. I liked spending time at home. But...¡± she looked at Eri, a touch fondly. ¡°... well, when it¡¯s for work, all business, it¡¯s a lot easier. You know what to expect, what you have to do. Although...¡± her smile changed, as she tapped at her head. ¡°... I do have an advantage in that. See the notes in purple here?¡± she showed me the tablet, and I could see she had made annotations based on reading their thoughts via telepathy.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty shrewd.¡± I said, impressed. ¡°So, your control, is it improving?¡±


    ¡°I still get leakage.¡± She sighed. ¡°But I can largely turn it off, and I can focus on a person now, though again I can hear other thoughts nearby.¡± Her voice dropped to a faint whisper at that, before she glanced at Eri. ¡°I think you did well, considering your worries. I¡¯d hire you at the Ministry with how committed you are, well, to helping Akio-san, anyway.¡±


    Eri blushed a little at that. ¡°Reading what I¡¯m thinking isn¡¯t fair. But, well, you did give me pointers and advice as I was helping, so I forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Ah, to be young again.¡± Kudou-san laughed, and from beside him, Chiyo-san agreed.


    ¡°Indeed. I never thought I¡¯d be sitting here on the same side as you.¡±


    ¡°Well, us elderly folk have to stick together. I dare say Bankei will come around as well? What we are aiming for is very much in line with his desires, right?¡±


    As the two continued their discussion, that reminded me. ¡°So, Haru-san...¡± I said, serious, and as Shaeula came into the hall and sat down beside us, I raised the next stage of my plan. ¡°I was thinking, your Territory... I know you were planning to establish it in Tokyo, which makes sense, but... perhaps instead, if we could find a place with suitable earth or water element here in Kyoto, we could set up a Ring Gate linking it to Shirohebizumi Shrine...¡± If the upcoming threat from these ¡®ants¡¯ is in the Boundary, then via Ring Gate we could respond in minutes, and it offers other possibilities. We can station troops here, prepare defences...


    Shaeula scowled, thinking. ¡°Well, that-that would be one idea. The plentiful earth element thanks to Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree should be able to support another Ring Gate without much-much issue, but Primal Forest, the ruler of the treekin and plantkin, is a greedy one indeed.¡± She frowned, her brows furrowing. ¡°My useless brother often complains about the price he had to pay to secure the gates he did-did. Though... well, it is not-not as though we do not-not have leverage. Though he may demand a price that you are unwilling to pay.¡± It seemed she had some idea of what he would charge.


    ¡°Well, as long as it¡¯s not too onerous, we can consider it. I really don¡¯t want to let the Diviner die. It isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°Always with the girls in trouble. No, well, she¡¯s not a girl is she? An older woman for a change.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°You should have more tact, I¡¯m sitting right here.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want her to die either.¡± I ruffled her hair to stop her pouting. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s a bit like you in a way. She¡¯s never had that much of a life. At least you had Aiko by your side. All she had was her visions. It¡¯d be nice to show her that fate isn¡¯t absolute, and that life holds a lot of fun, happy things.¡±


    ¡°I get it, damn, I get it.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°It was the same with Shaeula. Why did I have to fall in love with such a playboy?¡± she sighed. ¡°Well, one or two more... I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯ve denied it a lot, but I suppose after Shiro, there¡¯s no reason for them to believe me. Giving up on that, I turned to Haru-san again, who was looking on, her pale face amused. ¡°So yeah. I know you have the Ministry job, and I think this can be a part of that, in a way. It¡¯s a bit cheeky of me telling you where to place your own Territory, but this way you can commute to it through mine when needed, and I can support you. You might have to spend some nights at Shirohebizumi, which I¡¯m sorry about. I know you want to live at home with your father, but... well, at least until we stave off the upcoming threat...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Haru-san shook her head. ¡°After all, I¡¯m your Vassal, right? Not just that... if you dismissed me, I¡¯d lose my body and I¡¯d be back to being a sad little Onryo, drifting though that Boundary, just crying all the time.¡± She smiled then, her melancholy somehow beautiful, like a sad work of art. ¡°This... this is satisfying.¡± She gestured to the tablet, with all its data. ¡°It¡¯s work with dignity and meaning. And I¡¯ve been around your Territory enough to know that matters too. So I¡¯ll do it. Though making me work at the Ministry by day and in Kyoto at night...¡± she winked at Eri and Shaeula, surprising me. ¡°... Akio-san sure is a slavedriver, right? Talk about the boss of a black company!¡±


    ¡°Well, he does-does work this princess hard.¡± Shaeula admitted. ¡°Yet he does not-not spare himself, so I forgive him. I am rather magnanimous after all.¡±


    ¡°I want Akio to rely on me.¡± Eri said happily. ¡°As long as we have time for each other, I don¡¯t mind!¡±


    Kudou-san burst out laughing at that. ¡°Lucky, a flower in each hand. More, if Takakura-san is to be believed. I¡¯d better watch you don¡¯t sink your claws into my precious Shiori!¡± he joked. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nearly time.¡± He gestured to the stage, where Uchida-san and the others were seated. ¡°You should head up. Take my place. After all, you have some support.¡±


    I do. The seats behind me have faces I saw on the Susanoo and Amaterasu benches before. I guess people have talked during the recess. Oh well... With one last nod to my allies, I strode confidently to the stage and sat down beside Matsumuro-san and the Princess. ¡°How was she?¡± I asked the Princess, who seemed shocked I had addressed her, before she managed a shy smile.


    ¡°Tsukiko-chan is as she always is. Stubborn.¡± She managed a small chuckle. ¡°But... I think she¡¯s happy you are so vehemently defending her, Akio-san. Oh, I can call you that, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I get that¡¯s just how princesses are, my own is rather forward.¡± She followed my gaze, before nodding, her braids swaying.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t mind it then.¡± She let out a tired sigh. ¡°But... you do have a plan, right? It seemed to me our talk during the break was left unfinished.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I turned to the Diviner, who was listening impassively. ¡°So when you hear it, I hope you¡¯ll see how serious I am.¡±


    My only answer was a slight inclination of her head, and resisting the urge to use my Eye to check her facial expression behind the veil, I waited for Bankei-san to start the next stage of the Conclave, which had moved away from a debate on leadership or the Ministry itself, to what faith sought as a whole from this new order, and could contribute. As the old monk stood up to speak, I readied myself for another battle of wits, hoping it would go as well as the first one, despite the craziness and personal revelations that had required...


    ********


    ¡°... a lot of shrines have been lost over the centuries.¡± The middle-aged man in priestly robes was saying from near the front of the Amaterasu benches. ¡°I think that since we have proof that is undeniable that the Gods are real and that they favour Japan, we should be helped to restore our old, crumbling shrines, and for those that have lost the land over the years due to poverty or duplicity to be offered restitution and helped to reclaim it.¡±


    ¡°Though those we cannot, we should show no mercy.¡± Yamato-san declared, talking over me. ¡°Especially creatures such as orcs. After all, are they not myths imported from other lands? We have no use for such immigrants.¡±


    Wow, harsh. I echoed my sister in my thoughts. ¡°Well, we have to remember that while the Boundary might seem a bit like a game, like a trapped-in-a-VRMMO story...¡± Mine-san and a few of the younger people reacted to that. ¡°... it isn¡¯t NPC¡¯s we are fighting, but living beings. And the danger is very real too.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. People have died, and even a shrine has now fallen, deconsecrated, the enshrined kami slain. All because the idiots within took unnecessary risks.¡± Saionji-san declared. Kudou-san let out a long sigh, signalling his agreement, even if I thought the sentiments were harsh. After all, it could easily have been me dead enough times, though lately I finally seem to be getting ahead of the curve...


    ¡°Protecting a Territory is hard work. In mine, I have a lot of Fae and other creatures I¡¯ve allied with. A mutually beneficial agreement. Look, we can¡¯t regulate everything that happens in the Boundary, in someone¡¯s Territory, but I do suggest making allies, there are other benefits as well. But generally, a Territory is ruled by the one who holds power over the Anchor. And I firmly believe that we shouldn¡¯t attack each other recklessly. Chosen are a finite resource, and the Diviner, Matsumuro-san, has predicted we don¡¯t have a lot of time, which tracks with what I and some others have been told. We can¡¯t predict what will happen, but we can prepare. To that end...¡± I grinned. ¡°I was hoping to be able to have one of my companions set up a Territory in Kyoto, so I can make good on my promise of protecting Matsumuro-san, as we can provide support and expertise.¡±


    ¡°But if Territories declared to the Ministry are inviolate, then that means you would effectively be claiming a chunk of Kyoto for your own.¡± Yamato-san said, suspicion radiating from him. He really needs to learn how to mask his emotions better, not that I¡¯m an expert at it...


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Obviously any shrines that fell under that area, I would offer the same deal as I did to Shirohebizumi shrine, and I would hope anyone affected would talk to Izumi-san and Shirohebi to understand the implications of that. I would also need an area rich in earth or water elements.¡±


    ¡°Elements, huh. I think we should explain, as only those who have been Chosen will understand.¡± Bankei-san said, still moderating the discussion, which was far more peaceful than this morning¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s simple. The Boundary contains a wealth of mysterious things. One resource that can be exploited is elemental energies. They can be used by those with talent, and though it is difficult, people can learn to use them, just like Eri did. Kiyomizu-dera has an abundance of light element, for example. Obviously, one can control who uses the elements on their own Territory, but I foresee a future where elements and other such things are taxed by the Ministry and government, and the tax can be used to benefit the country and other worthy causes....¡± I launched into my idea. While I wouldn¡¯t welcome any reduction, longer-term we had to think as a country, as a world, as a whole. ¡°... so I need access to that element here to link up a travel gate, which is Fae technology. Just another reason to try being friendly with others.¡± I concluded, after explaining to the rapt crowd.


    ¡°Excuse me, Akio-san.¡± Saionji-san had a rather scary expression on his face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you chide me for using the Gaze of Avalokitesvara recklessly, when now I find you messing with spatial abilities yourself?¡±


    Oh. Yes. That¡¯s true. But... ¡°Yes, I can see why you might be a bit upset. However, I am being cautious and not overusing them.¡± The cost, for one. I wonder what this Primal Forest is going to ask for... ¡°The ability is different too. Shaeula could move between the lands of the Fae and Japan¡¯s Boundary without a Gate, so they are already connected, and it is a single, fixed point. So while I won¡¯t say the risk is none, it is far less problematic...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you convince me. This time.¡± Saionji-san smiled, though it wasn¡¯t a pleasant one.


    ¡°That still sidesteps the main issue.¡± Uchida-san said then. ¡°I applaud your willingness to safeguard the noble Lady Diviner.¡± He stubbornly wasn¡¯t using her name. ¡°However, the end result is you will claim a chunk of Kyoto, and under the laws proposed, it will remain yours forever.¡± Yamato-san echoed him, agreeing with his father.


    ¡°Well, obviously there can be trades done.¡± I sighed. ¡°One can offer Territory to another, or even break down the Territory completely and relocate elsewhere. Moving it seems to take a higher-Ranked Territory, but breaking it down and starting a new one should work. Obviously to prevent issues, it should require the consent of all parties, and be mediated by the Ministry, another duty it should take on, that way we can avoid power harassment, extortion and other underhanded means. But trading for favours, money or resources, that should be fair game.¡±


    ¡°I see. That seems... reasonable. So once the threat has passed to the lady Diviner...¡± Uchida-san mused.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s wasteful breaking down a Territory, but certainly, my goal is to safeguard Matsumuro-san. Anything else is secondary.¡±


    The Princess giggled at that, whispering that I was a dangerous man.


    ¡°So, the Boundary has an influence on the Material, and is filled with beings and resources, that even if they don¡¯t bear fruit now, in a year, five or ten, we might well see a paradigm shift in science and diplomacy.¡± I summed up. ¡°Working with the Ministry, politicians, scientists and the nobility, I hope to bring a revolution to this Country. Imagine if we could make transport gates that worked here in the Material. Wouldn¡¯t that hold infinite possibilities? Medicine, energy, material science... who knows what we could achieve?¡±


    At that, Haru-san and Eri started to applaud me, and a few others joined in, though it died a bit of a death. Still, I¡¯d said my piece. Nothing would be decided today, there was still the two sessions tomorrow, but it definitely looked like people were taken with the ideas I had presented. Leaning back in my chair, I listened as another member of the audience asked their question...


    ********


    Well, that was lengthy. As the closing remarks of the day were made by Bankei-san, I headed back towards my seats. I passed by Akai, who shrank back in her own chair as I passed, hissing, but I was starting to get used to that by now so I paid her no mind.


    ¡°That was very well-well done, Akio.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°You sounded rather regal. I do so hope you can be as eloquent when you meet-meet the rulers of the Seelie Court.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. So, Eri, Haru-san, ready to meet up with Aiko and the others? They¡¯ll kill us if we miss the concert.¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡± Haru-san shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not much into popular music. Besides...¡± she looked a bit embarrassed, her pale skin flushing slightly. ¡°... Your parents asked me to join them for a meal, along with some of the other adults.¡±


    Really? Well, I guess it¡¯s all good. It¡¯s nice to see her socialising. ¡°Well, in that case...¡± I turned to see Mine-san there, looking expectant. ¡°... did you want to come with us, Mine-san? You don¡¯t look like an idol fan, but...¡±


    Before she could speak, Uchida-san had arrived, grabbing her arm. ¡°You have no time for playing around. We have a meeting to go to.¡± Behind him, an apologetic Hikawa-san shrugged.


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s totally lame. I was like, looking forward to having some fun.¡± She sighed. ¡°Oh well, see you later, Akio-kun. Girls.¡± She puffed out her cheeks, piercings glittering. ¡°Have some fun for me!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± I said, watching as Yamato-san gathered up more of his faction, including most of the shrines I was involved with, as well as Susanoo¡¯s other Candidates. Well, Susanoo is bleeding numbers to Amaterasu and whatever the hell my faction would be called? Tsukuyomi still? Or Tyr? No, Ortlinde sounds cooler...


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him very much. He has cold eyes.¡± Eri said, pouting.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a bit arrogant, sure. He does have some talent to back it up though. Those Golden Warriors are a very nice skill, and his Territory is great for a Rank 2. Oh well, let¡¯s go meet up with the others. I can hear my phone pinging constantly.¡±


    ¡°Mine too.¡± Eri agreed, as did Shaeula. ¡°Aiko is going crazy with anticipation.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Although...¡± Hopefully the concert will distract me from the ever-increasing bad feeling my Foresight is giving me. Well, Haru-san will be with my parents, that¡¯s good. The Mori¡¯s should be there too. And I¡¯ll be with my sis and the shrine maidens, so I can protect them... even so... Taking no chances, I sent a message to Grulgor and our mercenaries, giving them some instructions. Conclave¡¯s been going well, so... No, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting disaster strike...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-One

    Two Hundred And Eighty-One


    ¡°Bro, bro, what the hell kept you! Eri, Shaeula, hurry!¡± My sis was literally bouncing with excitement, a very strange sight as she was wearing red and white hakama. Kana was beside her, along with her friends Asami-san and Mio-san. Takagi-san, normally the shiest of the group, was pink-cheeked and excited as my sis, badgering her friend Maiko-san and the slightly bemused looking Marika-san about the upcoming concert. There were several girls I didn¡¯t recognise there, one my sister¡¯s age, with short brown hair and brown eyes, freckles all over her face giving her a slightly cute look, while there was a younger girl too, her dark hair pulled into twin-tails, reminding me a bit of Keomi-chan. Speaking of, where¡¯s Keomi-chan? I haven¡¯t seen her since this morning.


    ¡°You know we were busy.¡± I chided her. ¡°You should behave more dignified in front of other people.¡±


    She shot me a flat look. ¡°Oh really bro? Sure, sure. You don¡¯t get to tell me that! Besides, if I¡¯m not excited now, when can I be? First I managed to get some classes this morning, and now I¡¯m going to see Red and White live, and even get to meet them afterwards!¡± she was bubbling with happiness. ¡°Oh yeah, these two are Ito-san...¡± the older girl nodded politely. ¡°... and Tamura-san.¡±


    ¡°Hello there, pleased to meet you.¡± she said politely, her eyes a little wide looking at the kimono-clad Shaeula.


    ¡°These two are from Kanda-Myojin shrine, just like the lead for Red and White, Tamami-sama!¡± my sis continued to gush, and I felt second-hand embarrassment just by watching her.


    ¡°Sorry about my sister.¡± I apologised to the two girls I didn¡¯t know. ¡°She isn¡¯t normally this bad, she must really like this idol group. Tamami-sama... heh.¡±


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t mind. To be honest, everybody loves Tamami-chan!¡± the younger girl, Tamura-san said. ¡°She¡¯s so cool, and yet she still works as a shrine maiden at our shrine, despite being so busy!¡±Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ito-san agreed. ¡°Big sis Tamami, you wouldn¡¯t think she¡¯s an idol, she¡¯s very down-to-earth. The other two as well, they come to train at the shrine sometimes. Ugh, the crowds then though...¡±


    ¡°So have you been to Kanda-Myojin shrine, big brother?¡± Tamura-san asked me, and the way she addressed me made me a little uncomfortable, but as the adult here I let it go. On seeing the look of mild discomfort on my face, Kana burst out laughing, followed by my hyperactive sis.


    ¡°See, I told you he¡¯d react like that! You want to be careful, Tamura-san. He¡¯s a major siscon, don¡¯t trigger his flags!¡±


    ¡°Well, now we¡¯ve all had a laugh at my expense...¡± I changed the subject. ¡°As it happens, yes, I¡¯ve been to the shrine a few times. I visit Akihabara on occasion, and the shrine steps are pretty famous in certain circles, right?¡±


    ¡°You mean in anime, right?¡± Ito-san agreed. ¡°They¡¯ve been featured in a few, yes. And we get a lot of tourists, foreign ones too. So, if you go to Akihabara, are you an otaku?¡± her smile was gently mocking.


    ¡°I do not-not know why that term is so insulting.¡± Shaeula mused, interjecting. ¡°I find your anime most-most entertaining.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, she¡¯s as cute as Tamami-chan!¡± Ito-san squealed then, and Tamura-san agreed. As they fussed over Shaeula, marvelling at her hair and eyes, I looked for someone who could give me an answer as to why they were with us.


    ¡°Seems like we are a little bit like celebrities around here.¡± Kana said, a touch proud, and her friends giggled in agreement. ¡°Word went around about the training school and us being part of it, and what we can do, and then...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair. You always favour Kana!¡± Mio-san teased me. ¡°Now she can throw balls of light out of her hands! I mean, I don¡¯t know what it is useful for...¡±


    ¡°... but it¡¯s not fair that Kana gets to and we don¡¯t!¡± Asami-san came in close, grabbing my arm teasingly.


    ¡°Yes, why always Kana?¡± Mio-san grabbed my other arm, only for Eri to haul them both off, lifting them easily one-handed.


    ¡°No, not happening. Kana-san I can just about tolerate, but not you pair!¡± she declared.


    ¡°That¡¯s discrimination, Eri-chan!¡± ¡°Yes, discrimination!¡± they replied, laughing.


    ¡°It¡¯s always... very lively.¡± Takagi-san observed, for once her presence front and centre. ¡°But we don¡¯t have time for this! We need to get good spots, or we won¡¯t be able to see everything!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Marika-san.¡± I asked the youngest girl there, who was still a bit nervous being in a group of older, loud girls. ¡°Do you know where Keomi-chan is? I would have thought that she¡¯d want to be here for this.¡± They get on quite well at Shirohebizumi shrine, so she might know.


    ¡°No, I think she was with some of the other girls from the training school.¡± Marika-san shook her head, looking serious. ¡°She is not answering her messages, but that is nothing new. Keomi-san is... well, I do not like to be rude, and she is very nice to me, but she can be a little careless at times.¡± Damn, that¡¯s adorable. She¡¯s always so serious.


    ¡°Yeah, Keomi-chan is the sort that would forget her head if it wasn¡¯t screwed on.¡± Kana sighed. ¡°I did ask the other girls from the training school if they wanted to tag along, but seems like most of them had plans. We¡¯re meeting a few over there though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, come on, come on! Let¡¯s go!¡± My sis declared, and with that I let them lead me towards the park opposite the Imperial Palace, where a temporary stage had been set up...


    ********


    That¡¯s surprisingly impressive. I looked at the large stage, complete with coloured spotlights and festival speaker towers. I¡¯ve heard of guerrilla concerts, but this seems a step above the normal type of thing you see in Akiba.


    The crowd was already pretty large, and tourists and residents of Kyoto seemed to have been attracted too, though the majority was the younger shrine personnel who had come for Conclave.


    ¡°Over here, here!¡± My sis declared, leading us to near the front of the stage. Hyacinth was waiting there, along with some more of the trainees from my school. I had asked her to make sure they got here safely, unable to shake my bad premonitions, but now they were here I could be relieved. Grulgor, Shirohebi, the Jade Beetle and the mercenaries under Treyvon are on alert, and I¡¯ve told the adults to gather together, so everyone should be safe, even so...


    ¡°Master...¡± Hyacinth began, drawing nearly as many looks from the crowd as the large stage that had been erected. Well, she is pretty eye-catching, with that streaked hair and... the outfit. ¡°I have escorted everyooone safely, though these were all there were.¡± Chiyo-san¡¯s granddaughters were there, along with the four from Hachisen shrine and Akaiwashi, the older priest apprentice from the latter reminding me of Mine-san and Kinkawa-san, what with his bleached blonde hair and piercings. Is it me, or are there way too many who like delinquent fashion amongst the shrines and temples?


    As we exchanged greetings, I noticed there were a number of others in the group as well, new acquaintances of my students they had met during the smaller Conclave sessions they attended. I made sure to give everyone my greetings, while Kana, looking annoyed, was on her phone trying to call Keomi-chan. After a while she gave up, shaking her head, irritated.


    ¡°The little airhead. It¡¯s just ringing out. I wouldn¡¯t have put it past her leaving it back at the ryokan.¡± She let out a long, peevish sigh.


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t it look like anybody from Susanoo faction is here, from our group, anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s with them?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we Susanoo?¡± Kana asked, and Marika-san nodded.


    ¡°Kind of?¡± I answered. ¡°I think you¡¯re whatever I am now. Well, I''m still a bit worried. Although I''m sure it isn''t like Keomi-chan should be in any trouble." I said, taking no chances. "Hyacinth, can you go look for her? I don''t think she''ll have wandered off anywhere, she''s probably still in the Imperial Palace." As Hyacinth agreed and pushed her way through the growing crowd, I watched her go, pensive. The premonition feels too strong for it to just be Keomi-chan in danger. Kana''s right, she''s probably just hanging out with new friends, like we are...


    ¡°That reminds me...¡± Eri said, speaking up. It didn¡¯t look like she was too interested in idols, but she had been paying attention. ¡°Which faction is Kanda-Myojin?¡±


    ¡°Tsukuyomi, or they might have been...¡± I said, realising what she meant. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know, maybe they are under our faction now.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, you should ask her to the training school!¡± Takagi-san declared suddenly. ¡°To think we¡¯d be able to train with Tamami-sama from Red and White!¡± she had a dreamy expression on her face.


    ¡°I know, right!¡± Mio-san agreed. ¡°Damn, why wouldn¡¯t she want to? After all, being an idol is brutal, gruelling work. The endless repetition, exercise and dieting. I bet having Chirurgery would make her an even better idol!¡±


    Uh, the school isn¡¯t for that sort of thing, although... my faction had just formed, so maybe putting in some effort to gain solid support from the bigger shrines would pay off. I can¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed in Hikawa-san and the Susanoo faction shrines. Sure, they¡¯ve backed me, but they still seem to want to support Uchida-san over me...


    ¡°Damn, that makes me wonder, do you think I could be an idol, bro? That¡¯d be awesome!¡± Aiko said, getting caught up in the moment.


    ¡°Why would you want to? I thought you wanted to be some sort of personal trainer and sports scientist.¡± Eri sighed.


    ¡°Besides...¡± Kana grinned. ¡°Your brother would be all upset and jealous if you were an idol, all those boys and girls sending you love letters and going to handshake sessions. Though I bet he¡¯d buy all your photobooks, especially the lewd ones!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Tamami-chan doesn¡¯t do those!¡± Ito-san protested. ¡°Well, Red and White have done some swimsuit issues, but they were tasteful!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Takagi-san added her own voice of complaint. ¡°I have their most recent one. It¡¯s not dirty, just cute!¡±


    .... The moon watches you like an unblinking eye...


    ... but I¡¯m always watching you, not just at night...


    ... so please, I beg you, just as the moon reflects your eyes...


    ... won¡¯t your eyes reflect mine?


    ¡°An auspicious song.¡± Shaeula approved, glancing around. ¡°It seems-seems rather popular.¡±


    As I looked around, I could see that. It seemed even foreigners were enjoying it, as I spotted one young girl not too far from us. She was wearing a black and blue gothic lolita-style dress, similar to the armour I had made for Eri, and a black parasol was put down beside her. Despite the press of the crowd, she had a bit of space around her, possibly because she was clearly not Japanese, but western in appearance. Or maybe because of her hair. Seriously, I¡¯ve never seen such perfect drill twin-tails outside of anime... It must have been a great effort to get her long blonde hair to stay curled like that, and as she danced energetically, her blue eyes gleaming with excitement, both hands holding glowsticks, her hair swung and danced with her. It was almost mesmerising, in a way.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Kana asked, following my gaze. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s cute. Is that your type, huh?¡±


    ¡°Kana, just because I am looking doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m planning on making a move.¡± I hissed back, feeling slightly wronged. ¡°I was just admiring her hair. I¡¯m not a girl, but I imagine that would be a nightmare to style.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. It¡¯s why I leave mine loose most of the time.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°I bet she goes through cans of hairspray and styling wax each day. But enough about her, leave the tourist to enjoy the concert. You should as well...¡±


    ¡°Right. I should.¡± I agreed, turning my attention back to the three university students who were giving their all on stage. Idols, huh? You know... maybe idols could be useful, in the longer term, for raising awareness... as I pondered that idea, they started another song, this time Kanako-san at the front, the mood changing...


    ********


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a great audience! On behalf of Red and White, let me just say, we love you all!¡± Tamami-san declared.


    ¡°We sure do! It¡¯s been a real honour to be able to perform here in Kyoto!¡± Kanako-san followed up.


    ¡°Especially on such an important weekend.¡± Tsubame-san agreed. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t know what we mean, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°But this weekend is special!¡± Tamami-san continued. ¡°So, may the light of the moon shine down on you, and may the kami bless you!¡±


    They then took a bow and headed backstage, the fog machines pumping out more smoke over the stage, the lights dimming, but not going out.


    ¡°Shit bro, that was awesome!¡± my sis bounded over. ¡°Just the encore to go now, I guess. Ugh, I really want to go to the Christmas Eve concert in Tokyo now, but the tickets are already allocated...¡± at her pouting face, I sighed.


    ¡°If it really means that much to you, maybe we can talk to her? After all, Ito-san and Tamura-san said they could introduce you. If their shrine has come under me, maybe I can get you in somehow... no promises though.¡±


    ¡°Way to be the best big brother ever!¡± My sis hugged me, to laughter from those that knew us, and bemusement from the surrounding crowd. I could feel the gazes of Kana¡¯s classmates, and I silently conceded I would have to try and get them some tickets too.


    ¡°Do calm down, Aiko. People are looking!¡± Eri said, embarrassed, and I could see people were, including the foreign girl, who was giggling at my sis and her antics.


    ¡°Well, if I don¡¯t let bro know I appreciate him, he might start taking me for granted. Why, jealous? You can give him a hug too!¡± she teased, and Eri soon began to pull her cheeks a little. ¡°Ouch, quit it!¡±


    Kana was checking her phone during the interlude, and there was still nothing from Keomi-chan. I checked mine, and I had reports from Treyvon and Travis, all detailing that everything was normal, and there were no issues on their end. I split them into two teams, for extra coverage. Our parents and the older adults of the shrines should be safe, Grulgor is watching them. Even so, this bad feeling isn¡¯t going away... I was starting to get very worried about Keomi-chan, and while I didn¡¯t think my bad feeling could be just about her, if she was part of the event... shit, where the hell is she?


    Suddenly the light flashed up, and Red and White were back on stage, this time wearing flashy mini-skirted shrine maiden hakama, with gold and silver decorations and accessories. ¡°All right, you knew we weren¡¯t done!¡± Tamami-san shouted into her microphone. ¡°Like we said, this weekend is special, so just for tonight, we have an extra-long encore for you! We¡¯ll start with our second single, you might remember it from way back then...¡±


    The music started, and they began to dance, and the three of them flourished sets of kagura bells, swaying them in time to the music, filling the air with tinkling sounds.


    ¡°I love this one!¡± Asami-san cheered, and my sis and Takagi-san seemed to agree, as they were dancing happily along with the crowd. Our foreign tourist seems to love it too... Shaeula as well. Both of them were watching with wide eyes, blue and amber respectively.


    ¡°... and now, another new song, one a bit slower.¡± Tamami-san was grinning, her smile tired yet contagious, and I couldn¡¯t help but admire her dedication, and think a little of Miyu, who was also a dancer, though of a very different sort. Yeah, no way she¡¯d ever perform at a concert like this.


    ... see the future, it¡¯s looking bright...


    ... every day, I¡¯m smiling, feel my delight...


    ... if you can¡¯t see, then I¡¯ll shine a light...


    The lyrics were hopeful, and I found myself swaying along with the rapturous crowd. They resonated with me a bit, as after all, I was trying to be one of those lighting our path towards the future. It was dark and unknown, and many dangers lurked, but just like the moon in my name, I could be a beacon, and...


    Suddenly I could hear a disturbance at the back of the throng, and people were panicking. The crowd was parting, and up on stage the girls had noticed it, the music grinding to a halt, much to the dismay of those who hadn¡¯t noticed yet, like the rest of our group.


    ¡°Huh, the music stopped. Was it a power cut, or...¡± Takagi-san said, puzzled.


    ¡°Sorry, there seems to be some sort of commotion.¡± Tamami-san used her microphone to talk to the crowd. ¡°Is someone hurt or fainted? It does happen sometimes, so please make room and get them out of the crush. Medical professionals know what to... uh...¡± her jaw dropped in surprise, as an unusual sight greeted her.


    What the hell is going on? Fuck! As the crowd parted, some people were screaming, others shouting, and panic was starting to spread.


    ¡°Uh, please keep calm everyone.¡± Tamami-san recovered her poise. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be all right, so...¡±


    My god, is that Ren-san? Forcing his way through the crowd, which was parting before him, I could see him now. His face was covered in blood, numerous deep cuts and gashes on his flesh, as though something sharp had cut him. Neither of his arms seemed to be working properly, hanging limply, blood dripping to the floor, and his black hakama was torn, dreadful cuts visible below, not deep, but still nasty. On seeing us through the packed field, he brightened, rushing our way, breathing heavily.


    ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s Ren-san, right?¡± My sis said, spotting him now amidst the chaos. ¡°What... what the hell happened?¡±


    The more ordinary girls were panicking, Maiko-san and Takagi-san holding each other tightly, while Asami-san and Mio-san looked on in dumb astonishment. Marika-san was being consoled by Kana, as the scene was triggering her memories of the Yakuza attack, and everyone else was looking on dumbly or crying out. No, not everyone. The foreign girl had retrieved her parasol and was watching with some interest.


    I moved towards Ren-san, Eri and Shaeula flanking me. As he reached me he collapsed with relief, and I caught him, heedless of the blood that was soaking me.


    ¡°Ren-san, what happened?¡± I asked, an ominous feeling within me.


    ¡°It¡¯s... my sisters. That dumb girl. The others. We... it¡¯s bad, awful!¡± he coughed, a little blood spilling from his mouth. ¡°We can¡¯t get away, we¡¯re trapped! I only got out by feigning I...¡± more coughing, more blood. ¡°...was dead.¡±


    I immediately started Ether Healing to heal the worst of his internal injuries. ¡°Calm down, take a breath. What¡¯s happened?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trapped.¡± He groaned, tears spilling down his cheeks. ¡°It was a miracle I got out.¡± His words were becoming less laboured as my aether flowed into him. ¡°Even so... it¡¯s too late. So many are dead already, and it took me... too long... to get here.¡± He wailed. ¡°Please, do something! Save them! My sisters, the others... do something!¡±

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Two

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Two


    ¡°Do something about what?¡± I asked urgently. Around us the crowd was in turmoil, so I asked Eri, Shaeula and my sis to clear a path.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, we¡¯ll take him to a hospital.¡± Eri said, glaring at the panicked, yet inquisitive crowd.


    ¡°Yeah, back off, back off.¡± Aiko agreed. ¡°Look, we¡¯ll take care of this, so you might as well finish your show. I¡¯d hate for this to end on a sour note, it¡¯s been great, no, not great, incredible!.¡±


    ¡°Be reasonable!¡± Tamami-san declared, a troubled expression on her face as she saw me pulling the ravaged Ren-san into a princess-carry. There was no time for him to be worried about being shamed, we needed to act fast. ¡°You think we can carry on now?¡± she spotted her fellow shrine maidens in our group. ¡°Hey, Ito-chan? Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Sorry folks, I guess the encore is finished.¡± Kanako-san said. ¡°Give them some room. Come on, fans of Red and White wouldn¡¯t be troublemakers, would they?¡± she struck a cutesy pose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Itou-san was saying, as Tamami-san hopped down off the stage and hurried over. Ordinarily mingling with the crowd would be unthinkable for an idol, but the situation was grim. ¡°... uh, anyway, these... well, these are the girls from that training school Susanoo faction was boasting about, and...¡±


    I was barely listening to what was around me, as I raced through the crowd, Ren-san gasping out pained words in my arms.


    ¡°This... it¡¯s bad. We... all went to the Boundary.¡± He managed. ¡°All of the Susanoo students from your school. Well... other than those with you.¡± he coughed, groaning, as I was working Ether Healing quickly, not caring that it was painful, only that it was effective. Yeah, these wounds are sharp and cruel, but worse, they seem to be tainted with some sort of darkness element. It¡¯s making repairing the wounds difficult...


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± I was angry, and worse, the premonition wasn¡¯t decreasing. It was as if the danger was spreading. ¡°This isn¡¯t my Territory at Shirohebizumi! Kyoto is dangerous, you should know that!¡±


    ¡°Do not-not shout at the fool.¡± Shaeula said sharply, a hand on my arm, knowing I was furious and worried. ¡°I dare say he had little choice. Do continue.¡±


    Ren-san managed a limp nod, thanking her. ¡°Yes, we should... ugh, it¡¯s your fault anyway! Yours and your sister and Mori-san!¡± he declared, shocking me.


    How can that be true? I¡¯ve not done anything. ¡°Yamato-sama... he thinks we are all as strong as Mori-san or your sister, so that we¡¯d be useful. My sisters did try to tell him, but...¡± his eyes slid shut, still leaking tears. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to boast a bit. After all, I¡¯m the son of Hikawa-Kawagoe, and I have a special gift, you said so yourself!¡± he wailed, mortified, filled with self-loathing at his part in this, whatever it was. ¡°So I said I was strong too. Besides, Yamato-sama wanted the mirror.¡±


    ¡°The mirror?¡± At Shaeula¡¯s grim tone, he flinched, and it was a good thing his eyes were shut as her expression was cold enough to freeze one¡¯s spirit. ¡°That was lent to you, it is not-not yours to give away...¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± he gasped. The crowd was thinning now, and there was an ambulance standing by. As I leapt into the back to have some privacy, Shaeula unleashed her befuddling winds, causing the paramedics to ignore us and get in the front.


    ¡°I told Yamato-sama that, and he said he just wanted to borrow it. He wanted to strengthen his own light element.¡± As more and more of the darkness element was ejected from his body, his laboured breathing grew quieter. I¡¯m actually impressed, Ren-san is quite weak to pain, but he¡¯s barely complaining at all, despite his injuries.


    Shaeula pulled the doors of the ambulance shut, Kana hopping in with us, Eri and Aiko guarding the outside. As it shut I could see the worried faces of our friends, as well as the pale Tamami-san, and also... that foreigner, she seems to have followed along. Perhaps she¡¯s curious. I know Westerners tend to be less polite and more inquisitive than us Japanese. Though, just to be safe... my Eye flared amber, and her blue eyes went wide as she was looking directly at me. The door shut, but it was little barrier to my vision, and I could see that she was brimming with aether. Another Candidate? Is she related to this?


    ¡°Shaeula, I¡¯ll handle Ren-san. You go catch her, she might be unrelated, but that might be a coincidence too far right now.¡±


    ¡°I shall bring her to you, have no fear. And she shall tell us what she knows-knows.¡± Shaeula crashed through the doors, kicking them shut behind her.


    ¡°Okay, Ren-san, keep talking. Where is everyone? We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you said that dumb girl, right?¡± Kana inquired desperately, worried for her cousin. ¡°You mean Keomi-chan, right? She¡¯s been missing all day.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not missing. She was with my sisters and some girls from Hoeruokami shrine, and then Yamato-sama scooped them all up. He wanted everyone for the Boundary, he... no, there¡¯s no time!¡± he suddenly remembered. ¡°You have to go to the Boundary now!¡± his face twisted into a bitter mask of despair. ¡°I¡¯ve seen them die...¡± he muttered. ¡°A severed head, right in front of me, and... Chiaki, she was hurt badly...¡± more tears fell. ¡°They were toying with us, and we couldn¡¯t escape, they had some sort of luminous barrier, even when we emptied out our aether like you taught us, we were stuck.¡±


    ¡°Who? Who was?¡± Kana asked, terrified by the talk of dead people, her voice rising in pitch as she panicked.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± I pulled her into a hug. ¡°Just... I¡¯ll do something.¡± I handed her my phone. ¡°Call everyone. Get them here to the Imperial Palace. I¡¯ll find out where to go. That¡¯s the real question. Ren-san, where did Yamato-san go with you all?¡±


    ¡°We dived into the Boundary from the Imperial Palace, Yamato-sama borrowed a room. It was while Uchida-sama was meeting with dad and the others...¡± he coughed up blood which was leaking deep blue darkness under the glow of my Eye. Still, I¡¯ve extracted most of it now. Soon it¡¯ll be safe to leave him to the paramedics. ¡°... at first it went fine. Yamato-sama borrowed the mirror and I showed him how to fill it. There was that girl, the punk one, she was there too, as well as a couple of others like you. So we didn¡¯t...¡± he coughed more gore, speckled with fading darkness. ¡°... struggle to start with. Apparently you told Yamato-sama that any Territory claimed would be his forever, so he thought... that he could capture the Amaterasu shrines above Kiyomizu-dera, and Saionji-sama wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything but... rage.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where they are now?¡± I asked. ¡°Kana, you look after him. I¡¯ve done enough so that you¡¯ll live, Ren-san. I¡¯ll fix you properly later.¡± Shit, Yamato-san is being so petty? He did look interested when that law was proposed, but still, how is he doing it? His Territory won¡¯t reach that far. Wait, Mine-san and the other Candidates... I mentioned relinquishing Anchors. Did they....? Did he make them do it?


    As I opened the door, Kana tossed me my phone back. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Ren-san. I¡¯ve spoken to my dad and yours, as well as Grulgor and that crazy black lady. They¡¯ll all be here soon. Just... just save Keomi-chan and the others, all right? I believe in you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this. Keep pumping Ren-san for info and text it to me as soon as you get it. I don¡¯t have much time to waste so any scrap of information can help.¡±


    ¡°They... they are toying with us.¡± Ren-san¡¯s parting words were grim, yet offered a fragment of hope. ¡°They enjoy it, taking their time.¡± He sobbed. ¡°They want us to feel fear, terror. But... it means some of them might still be alive... Chiaki, Chiasa... I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    I landed outside to see Shaeula had grabbed the foreign Candidate by the arm, and during the scuffle it seemed that she had suffered some bruising, as the cheek of the blonde woman was swelling, and her dress was a bit scuffed and dirty. Even so, she seemed cheerful, and was trying to talk to Tamami-san, who was attempting to calm the situation. Shaeula was unleashing her befuddling winds to support her, but doing it on so many in so public a setting while restraining a potentially hostile opponent was taxing her greatly, and her already pale skin was even whiter from effort.


    ¡°... look, it¡¯s just a special concert surprise, all right? An event, yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± Tamami-san lied, striking a pose. ¡°... it wasn¡¯t our idea, but... well, we¡¯re professionals, you know! Red and White can do anything if it¡¯s for the fans! So... uh, the show¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°This is such a good day!¡± the blonde girl said in decent Japanese, only her accent giving away she wasn¡¯t a native speaker. Ignoring the vice-grip Shaeula had on her arm, she was giggling with happiness. ¡°To think I¡¯d get to meet the Tamami from Red and White up close like this! I¡¯m a little bit scared, but... can I have your autograph? And a handshake? Maybe a hug? Oh no, too forward. I¡¯m going to be an idol myself, you know, so I should know better! Idols have to be pure after all! No hugging! A chaste handshake only! Although, we¡¯re both girls, beautiful young shoujo...¡± she giggled.


    As the idiotic words tumbled from her lips, I spoke to Shaeula. ¡°You heard, right?¡±


    She nodded, her hearing good enough to pick up our conversation from through the ambulance door. ¡°The situation is most grave. And my winds will not-not calm the situation here indefinitely, though I am encouraging everyone to forget, which is the easiest of tasks.¡±


    ¡°Mio-san, Asami-san, get in the ambulance and go with Kana and Ren-san. Get Kana to call for backup. Get her father to bring Shirohebi, he should deter most threats. The rest of you, stay inside the Imperial Palace until everyone else arrives. Uh, Tamami-san, thanks for your help.¡± I said, before Shaeula and I sprinted across the park towards the palace, where Hyacinth would be waiting, Shaeula dragging the protesting blonde behind her.


    ¡°No, no, I want to talk to Tamami!¡± she protested. ¡°Oh, well, at least you¡¯re quite cute too. Are you an idol as well?¡± she turned her attention to Shaeula innocently, taking out a lollipop with her free hand. ¡°Want one?¡± at Shaeula¡¯s flinty scowl, she merely giggled again, before popping it in her mouth, sucking at it.


    ¡°Well, you are with my juniors, Ito-chan and Tamura-chan, so I don¡¯t mind. Besides, I¡¯ve heard about you.¡± she called after us. ¡°Still, I want to know just what this is all about, later. You owe me for ruining the encore!¡±


    ¡°No time for that now.¡± Eri said, racing after us, able to keep us as we were keeping our speed to merely Olympic level due to the numerous witnesses. ¡°Later. This is an emergency!¡±


    Racing out of the magnificent palace, the Hitodama and other Yokai making a path for us, the ruler of the place obviously unwilling to fight, we bounded out into the streets of Kyoto, the riot of colours and lights feeling quite different to the suburbs of Tokyo or the mountains of my hometown. There were groups of Yokai, though most scattered when we passed, perhaps sensing our power, unwilling to engage us. One foolish group did try, a gaggle of wizened humanoids with bird legs instead of human ones, as well as gaping mouths filled with lamprey-like teeth, but Shaeula quickly swept her pinwheels across them, the thrumming wires wreathed in jade energies slicing them to ribbons. We didn¡¯t even pause for the ether, continuing to head for the area Ren-san had told us of, Ginkaku-ji. Now we were in the Boundary there was no more need to hide our abilities, so we were running at a speed only top sportscars could reach. Eri was clinging tightly to me, her face pale, but we crossed the three kilometres like lightning, the massive silver edifice of Ginkaku-ji towering overhead, a massive silver pagoda-style tower shimmering with rainbow reflections, mirroring the skies overhead.


    I hear that on the Material Ginkaku-ji isn¡¯t actually silver, unlike Kinkaku-ji, which is covered in gold. Now, where... where are they? I concentrated aether into my Eye, as well as expanding and strengthening my already impressive vision. The riotous lights and sea of lesser spirits and Yokai that flooded Kyoto was distracting, but I quickly located something out-of-place, a faceted dome-shaped barrier of glowing reddish-violet energy, comprised of hexagons anchored by what looked like paper talismans, strange kanji-like symbols daubed on them in a reddish ink that looked like dried blood.


    Kijo Occultist Restraint Talisman Barrier ¨C This barrier uses Yokai arts, a modified form of Onmyo?do?, to create an area where the spiritual body and the material body are separated. Those trapped within may not return to their material bodies, instead being sustained by the latent aether and energy within the Barrier.


    That¡¯s it! There! ¡°Are you two ready?¡± I asked, changing course towards the glowing prison. ¡°Eri, once inside, you can¡¯t just flee the Boundary until you leave the barrier, so... be careful, all right? I know you want to help them, but I can¡¯t lose you, not even for them!¡±


    ¡°I want to fight.¡± She said stoutly. ¡°I wanted to be your strength, like Shaeula and Hyacinth. I can¡¯t bring you noble connections or money like the other girls, but... I can fight!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Shaeula approved as we approached the barrier. It seemed to mute sound as well, all we could hear from within dull noises, as though it was deep under the ocean, a different realm. ¡°I shall be sure to keep an eye on you, Eri. After all, you would not-not want to die, leaving Akio to us?¡± Her smile was mischievous, and I could see she was trying to calm the tense Eri down, as this fight would likely be more brutal and intense than any she had faced before.


    The barrier offered little physical resistance to us, and I could see how Ren-san had managed to escape. Once inside, my eyes instantly adjusted to the ruddy light within, and I lowered Eri to the ground, drawing my blades, Shaeula beside me, her eyes two brilliant stars of amber in the gloom. And what greeted us was a vision of hell... fucking hell! This is... I felt my stomach sink, bile rising, and Eri did indeed throw up, a mess of silver and grey splattering the floor. ...a vision of hell indeed...


    The first thing was the smell. Just like the fact we seemed to need to breathe in the Boundary, the fact that we could smell was strange, but then, thinking about it, was there any reason to be surprised? We could see, why was that different? My mind was trying to shy away from the scene with these useless, scattered ruminations, but since I had Split Thoughts, the other half of my mind was clear, taking in the situation, calculating.


    The stench of blood, terror, sweat, and the cloying smell of fermented rice wine... it all mixed together into a hellish musk that dulled the senses. My feet were wet with smeared ruby blood, and silver vapours were rising from it, streamers of metallic mist drifting upwards. And there was... what once was a person, leaking aether. That¡¯s Shiba-san, from... Kashima shrine. The woman was only a few years younger than me, a university student, quite fashionable and flirty, but now... now she¡¯s nothing. Just... meat and whatever our astral body is made of... the body that had been torn in half was cradling a severed head, her young brother, who was only just in middle school. His eyes were frozen open, staring sightlessly, and the skin was already turning transparent, beginning to fade away...


    ¡°Oh... oh... uh...¡± Eri cried, lost for words, seeing another severed head, one of the dark-skinned girls from Hoeruokami shrine lying in a puddle of drying blood. There were several other bodies too, the sisters who were shrine maidens of Benten lying mangled and broken, a hideous foot pressed down on top of one of them, the possessor of such a monstrous humanoid nearly eight feet tall, with ruddy, leathery skin, piggish, dark eyes and a pair of impressive horns jutting from his brow. There were others too, perhaps two dozen more Oni, and also a rag-wearing female creature, with long talons and blazing crimson eyes. She was holding a staff in one hand, the long wooden stake hung with talismans and fetishes. On seeing us, she gave us a toothy grin, even as she unleashed a shimmering bolt of energy, which hammered into a cracked Golden Warrior which was fighting her desperately, wielding a long flail. The Golden Warrior staggered, crumbling, golden dust cascading as it dissolved.


    ¡°Bastard creatures!¡± Shaeula roared, her pinwheels darting out, forming a barrier ahead of a group of huddled people. It¡¯s Keomi-chan, and the twins... the other girl from Hoeruokami shrine too. As the shimmering barrier of wires drove back several Oni, I moved, darting forwards. I could see that there was a dead man I didn¡¯t recognise too, surrounded by several dead and dying Oni, but in a final indignity, his broken corpse had been stuffed into a barrel filled with sake, an expression of terror on his lifeless face, his limbs squashed and crushed.


    ¡°Yamato, you mother fucker!¡± I roared, incensed. So... so horrible, so tragic! Nine Golden Warriors were circling him and Naruhito-san, the priest candidate who had accompanied us on our first foray to the Boundary. They were battling the Oni, but even as I watched, several Golden Warriors were shattered by brutal clubs and long cleavers, only for the fallen warriors to reappear, though to my Eye Yamato was drained of aether, his reserves bottoming out. So he lied abut being able to call on six, the fucking rat... no, that¡¯s unfair to Ixitt. ¡°You... you...¡± my Resilience suddenly calmed me, dousing my rage as if it was plunged into icy water. Even so, I was still furious. ¡°As for you...¡± I glared at the Oni that staggered back from the pinwheels, bright blood dripping from its cut arms. ¡°... killing is one thing, my hands aren¡¯t clean, but you fuckers are enjoying it!¡±


    Drawing the Twin Fangs, I struck out at the callous, monstrous Oni, his mouth twisted into a joyful grin. I was faster, massively so, as I was running Body Enhancement, but even so, it was like striking a wall. Skin tore and bones cracked, but the Oni did not fall. Pulling my earth element into Might rather than my usual Fortitude, I flooded my body with strength. ¡°Stop grinning, you bastard!¡± I snapped, my next blows biting through the armoured flesh, severing his arms. The Oni gaped at me, only for my fist to slam into the open mouth, shattering his teeth. ¡°Foehn.¡±


    ¡°Behind you!¡± Eri cried, but I was already turning, even as the Oni¡¯s head behind me exploded into flames. Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels darted around me expertly, tangling the charging Oni, biting deep into warty flesh. Eri, her face still soiled with her vomit, was racing towards another survivor, one of the girls from Aoikaeru shrine. One of her arms was gone, and the stump was fountaining blood, her life draining away, and several of the smaller Oni were dancing around her, poking at her with bloody spears. ¡°You get away from her, monsters!¡± she shouted, her voice rising into a scream.


    ¡°Save me, save me!¡± the girl wailed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    ¡°Shaeula, help her!¡± I said, space shredding around me as the Fangs discharged, slicing the Oni into three pieces, chunks of meat slamming into the receding cage of wires. Racing past, I heard a cry of ¡°Growth!¡± and suddenly the Oni Eri were confronting were caught by growing vines, rippling free of the ground. ¡°Decay!¡± Mine-san called, and the Oni started to struggle, their flesh blackening, rot starting to sprout from them, reminding me of Hyacinth¡¯s abilities.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you!¡± Eri grabbed the screaming girl, throwing her over her shoulder, before using her axe to fend off the Oni, though her blows were too weak to do much more than stagger them.


    ¡°Keomi, are you...¡± I paused, my expression grave. Keomi-chan was so pale with fright she resembled Haru-chan, and one of her legs was twisted at a brutal angle, and she had several gashes in her torso, leaking dark light like Ren-san was afflicted with. Chiaki-san was unconscious, and was as gravely wounded as Ren-san had said, so much blood staining her clothes crimson and silver, to match the red and white of her hakama. Her sister was horribly scarred, her flesh scored deep enough to see bone, yet the blows were not enough to kill, clearly torture, and the last girl, her dark skin was likewise marred, and her eyes were open but empty, a savage cut having robbed her of sight, and she was lying there, mumbling to herself, her mind shattered.


    ¡°... oh, Akio-kun...¡± Keomi-chan managed mechanically. ¡°... are...¡± and with that she fainted, leaving Chiasa-san as the only one able to speak.


    ¡°... you came. Did Ren-sama manage to...¡± she croaked, her face wracked with pain. ¡°... reach you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± I assured her. ¡°Now, you just... hold on. I¡¯ll heal you all as soon as we¡¯ve dealt with this. It¡¯ll be all right, it will!¡±


    ¡°Dealt with? How... amusing!¡± the Kijo cackled, her staff waving, another flurry of talismans soaring out from it like origami birds. This time they headed towards the Golden Warriors, pasting themselves to their bodies, only to detonate, shards of golden metal flying like shrapnel, cutting into Yamato as he tried to shield himself. ¡°Well, letting that one little mouse scarper seemed to have borne fruit, and sweet fruit at that.¡± She chuckled, her voice sounding dry and desiccated, as though she had barely spoken for years. ¡°I would not have allowed him to flee our fun, but the look in his eyes, the fool was trying to bring help. And help he brought. Troublesome help at that...¡± an Oni fell headless, Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels thrumming with wind, the bluesteel wires stressed to their limits, now able to cut the tough foes. ¡°... well, we were getting tired of toying with these weak playthings, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Die! Die! Die! Die!¡± Eri was crying, tears streaking her pale face, her axe raining blow after blow on an Oni that had tried to snatch the wounded girl from her. Even so, all she could achieve was to bruise the iron skin that was a match for Grulgor. A second Oni rushed her from behind, and I called upon light element, shaping it into a powerful beam. The Oni staggered, face smoking and burning, flesh melting from his skull where it burned him, and my next attack, a volley of droplets of infused moonlight spirit water, pierced the exposed bone, exploding within the skull, popping the head like a balloon. Even so, it was too late, as the second struck at Eri with the darkness-infused blade it carried. Her armoured dress tore, slowing the blow, but even so her flesh was cleaved, a cut from her chest down to her waist deep enough to expose her ribs. The wounded girl was thrown from her back, and as a foot from another Oni was raised to stamp on her, Shaeula and I both reacted, wind and flame barraging the brute, driving it back.


    ¡°Eri!¡± I called, panicking, drawing on earth to shape a series of hollow-point rounds filled with Foehn, which I peppered the Oni around her with. As they were engulfed in flame, I heard Yamato calling to me, as he was being beset by many foes.


    ¡°Do something!¡± he cried. Naruhito-san had fallen, a long staff one Oni was wielding having shattered his legs, reducing them to a broken mess, and two more were closing in on him. Vines burst out from the ground as Mine-san tried to stop them, but then she groaned in pain, and I could see an Oni larger than all the rest had seized her by both arms, hauling her up, her shoulders dislocating with an audible pop.


    Pinwheels danced and more bullets scattered from me, only for paper talismans to fly from the Kijo¡¯s hands, forming several shining barriers that deflected them. Pushing my mind to the absolute limits, using light element to hasten my reflexes and thought speeds, an idea I had thought of but not attempted due to the risk, it was as if time had stopped. No, not stopped. Just.. slowed.


    Eri was being menaced by the Oni with the cruel, cursed blade. I could see her face twisted to an expression of pain, but she was looking at me, her mouth forming words saying she was all right, even as blood spattered the ground and her skirt was turning red. Behind her, the wounded shrine maiden was about to be crushed by another Oni. Three more were ready to kill Naruhito-san and that fool Yamato, another one heading towards Keomi-chan and the girls, while the remainder were rushing towards me and Shaeula to block our progress, apart from the Kijo, who was laughing at us, and the biggest brute, holding the limp Mine-san.


    How... how does everyone get out of this alive? The situation was worse than even I had feared, and if the Oni were not so intent to toy with and torture their victims, this would have been all over before we even arrived. Even so, so many dead, so much suffering already...


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I roared, my grasp on the light element slipping, a blinding pain searing through my body as my nerves burned.


    ¡°Decay...¡± Mine-san called, the Oni holding her screaming in pain as his hands started to corrode. At the same moment, Shaeula unleashed a beam of concentrated water, focused by her wind, and the Kijo was forced to call upon more talisman barriers to block it. Her pinwheels swept out in two directions, and the Oni that was menacing the victim Eri had tried to save was cut at the waist, steaming guts falling out as his surprised face gaped in wonder. The wire couldn¡¯t take the huge amount of wind Shaeula was pumping into it, and it snapped, the pinwheel itself whirring like a shuriken, flying into the distance. Her second pinwheel fared better, and one of the Oni attacking Yamato, the other target she could reach, perished, but it was too late for Naruhito-san, as one Oni stamped down, shattering his head.


    ¡°Die!¡± I roared, Spatial Rending activating as I flung myself at the one attacking Eri, heedless of the others around me. I warded off one blow, converting my earth energy back to Fortitude, and spikes rose from the ground, filled with boiling Foehn, and it was pierced through the chest. Flames flared, springing from its eyes and mouth, and it fell. The one facing Eri also died, tough skin and bone unable to resist as space distorted in a slashing wave, cutting one arm free and shattering its skull. The amber letters within my vision I dismissed as irrelevant.


    That just leaves... I ignored the Oni closing in on me. One Fang was shattered, a massive, spiked club breaking it and bouncing off my ribs, driving the breath from me, while a spear gouged at my thigh. Shaeula was likewise taking injuries, but even so she made sure that the Oni targeting the dying girls perished, wires of wind energy wrapping around its neck, digging into bone and slicing through until the head popped free. Blood was splattering, her kimono ripped and torn, but she fought back, wind weasels, flame weasels, water weasels and light weasels snaking around her, dozens of them, giving her the look of a sort of strange hydra...


    Earth element exploded in a wave, the ground detonating spectacularly, and it surged towards the Kijo as a distraction, while I focussed my Foehn down to a single, heated orb, condensing it harder than I ever had before. It fought me, so I compressed it with air, and it began to change, the yellow flame first turning orange, then finally shining a baleful blue, the air around me turning to plasma, my exposed flesh hot and starting to smoulder. The Oni attacking me shied back, protecting their eyes, and I swung my fist, the searing orb melting through the Oni, Foehn burning the life from them. I then hurled it, aiming at the Oni holding Mine-san. She was looking at me, her eyes wide, and the expression on her face was free of pain, and... I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s... no, she can¡¯t give up!


    The Oni grinned, face twisted in torment from his rotting hands, swinging Mine-san into the path of the glowing orb of condensed Foehn. Mine-san squeezed shut her eyes, giving me a small smirk, as if to say at least I¡¯ll die quickly and painlessly, but I had other ideas. Wind threads, so fine as to be essentially invisible, which I was constantly replenishing as Foehn consumed them using half of my Split Thoughts, twisted, and the orb spun, darting to the side before slamming back into the Oni, detonating soundlessly. For a moment shining blue flames bloomed, and then...


    ¡°My sister is going to be very angry with me.¡± The Kijo laughed. ¡°Losing all these Oni, when this should have been nothing but some fun sport, hunting fools who trespass on our Parade. The Red bastard will be furious too, and the Blue bitch. After all, you¡¯ve just killed his brother. Although...¡± the Kijo had mostly shielded herself from my earthen distraction, but some of the surprises inside had hurt her, and blood was running down her face and side. ¡°... at least I¡¯ll have your despair to enjoy. Give him a present.¡± She sneered.


    What happened next was horrific, seared into my mind. There was a sickening tearing noise, and a bubbling scream, as the giant Oni, half of him ablaze, Foehn burning deep into his body, consuming his innards and bones alike, had pulled, ripping the arms from Mine-san with his rotting hands. Eri was screaming too, and Shaeula looked ashen, her face twisted into a scowl of hatred. The Oni gurgled a laugh, flecks of blue Foehn expelled from his burning throat, drifting down onto the now armless Mine-san, setting her short hair and clothes alight. As one arm disintegrated, he used it to punch through her guts, blasting a hole clean through her, and as Mine-san coughed blood to join the spray fountaining from her missing limbs, the Oni tossed her at me, before he collapsed, Foehn greedily ending his life.


    My remaining Fang dropping from my hand, I didn¡¯t even feel the blow to my side one Oni dealt me, staggering me, and as a spear stabbed me again, piercing my flesh, I caught the light, oh so terribly light body of Mine-san, heedless of her gore mingling with mine, and as more orange letters entered my vision, I could barely see, so misted were my eyes with tears...

 Side Ninety-Three – Aliyah James

    Side Ninety-Three ¨C Aliyah James


    Well isn¡¯t this a fucking tragic shitshow? Keeping her face impassive, she exchanged a look with Trey, who nodded, showing he agreed with her. Of course he does. Shit, that worthless shitbag, getting children involved in this mess... she hadn¡¯t approved of her new boss training such young children, although she agreed it was good to grow strength when young, but even he wasn¡¯t dumb enough to take them anywhere dangerous...


    After getting frantic calls from that girl Kana, and his sister Aiko, she and Trey had started to organise things. Manx and Travis had accompanied the old man from the shrine and that weird androgynous snake-thing towards the hospital, and she had impressed on them the seriousness of the mission. Apparently another kid is badly hurt. Shit. Anyway, it¡¯s lucky we were all in a restaurant near the Palace so it only took us minutes to get here.


    Inside the room, the sister was in conversation with a girl who didn¡¯t seem to be Japanese, and one that Aliyah didn¡¯t recognise. She¡¯s pretty enough, but why is she here? The crazy maid was here too, fussing over the slumped bodies of Akio, Eri and Shaeula, while several other of the trainees were huddled in one corner, terrified.


    ¡°Damn, what the hell is my bro doing?¡± His sister, Aiko declared suddenly. She¡¯s damn cute, but... no time for that now, this is operation time. Contrary to what people thought, when it was time for focus, Aliyah could be as stone-cold as it gets, though somehow not when Akio was involved. He ... annoys me. Smug bastard. I can¡¯t help but feel like I lose every time we clash. Even so... Aiko was kneeling down beside Eri, his woman, as suddenly the strange clothing she was wearing, that was apparently some sort of Japanese religious garb, darkened. It was hard to see her blood on the red cloth, but the white... that turned crimson quickly as a long wound had suddenly opened up on her body. ¡°Shit, Eri¡¯s hurt. If she scars, I¡¯ll never forgive you bro!¡± she clenched her fist, emotions surging.


    Shit, it sure is crazy seeing that. It¡¯s been one shock after another recently. Another world, crazy monsters... her gaze went to the hulking yet oddly handsome bald brute in a suit that had accompanied them back. A troll, supposedly. A fucking troll. Worst thing is, that my brother thinks he¡¯s hot...


    ¡°Hyacinth, Grul needs to know what has happened!¡± the brute rumbled, his dirty yellow eyes furious. ¡°Why did you call us back?¡±


    ¡°Master Akio needs help!¡± the maid declared, her face twitching, her body trembling with supressed rage. The blonde monster, Shaeula, she too was starting to manifest wounds, and as bruises and cuts opened on her pale skin, and the young girls that had come with them, who were watching from one corner, were terrified. This is why kids shouldn¡¯t be involved in stuff like this!


    ¡°Marika, my darling, are you all right?¡± her mother rushed to her, scooping her into a hug. The young girl was pale-faced with a green, sickly pallor, her usually serious eyes brimming with unshed tears, but she managed a nod. The other adults were likewise coming over.


    ¡°Eri, my little Eri... what¡¯s this blood? Ugh, do something!¡± her mother, who was a fine-looking woman, despite her age, Aliyah had to admit, was panicking at the blood leaking from her daughter. Her husband was trying to console her, while the parents of my new boss were looking around with grim expressions.


    ¡°I would if I could. Shit, I don¡¯t know how to use Ether Healing on anyone but myself.¡± Aiko said, her expression twisted into one of mocking self-loathing. ¡°Do you, Hyacinth?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ether Healing? What¡¯s that?¡± the blonde foreigner with the magnificent twin-tails asked curiously, seemingly unphased by the mood of the room and the invisible violence.


    ¡°Well, you take aether and pour it into the body.¡± Aiko said, her hands wet with the blood of her best friend. She blinked at them, before her expression changed, being one of helplessness. ¡°But I can only do it on myself and even that¡¯s largely instinctive.¡± She shook her head, blue eyes damp. ¡°Shit. I should have trained harder, better. Hyacinth, can you do healing?¡±


    The crazy maid shook her head. Aliyah was always wary around her, as the look in her eyes sometimes was ... well, I¡¯ve seen those eyes on missions. Eyes that are willing to commit any atrocity if required. Damn, I can barely follow what most of them are saying, though I¡¯ve picked up a little Japanese here and there. But I don¡¯t need to understand to get the gist of it. Fuck, this is grim. ¡°Nooo, I cannot heal, Hyacinth is useless. I shooould have learned too, but...¡± the maid looked furious, suddenly. ¡°If mistress Eri and mistress Shaeula are hurt, then master Akiooo will be furiooous!¡±


    ¡°So, that makes me wonder...¡± the blonde said, seeming to completely ignore the mood. I exchanged a look with Trey, and nothing needed to be said. She¡¯s another dangerous one. A girl her age who looks like a sheltered princess shouldn¡¯t be able to remain calm when all this is going on... ¡°...are you like us, Aiko? That¡¯s cool, I never thought I¡¯d meet any in Kyoto, let alone the one boss was talking about. He¡¯s pretty handsome, I agree, but... she¡¯ll be heartbroken when she finds out what a playboy he is, a cheater.¡± She giggled, tossing her now-spent lollipop stick into the trash. ¡°She can be really scary when mad!¡±


    That girl Eri was manifesting bruises on her face, one cheek laid bare to the bone, and her mother let out another piteous wail, while Emily, the mother of Akio, that smug bastard, was angry, shaking off her husband¡¯s hand, kneeling beside the unconscious girl, heedless of the blood getting on her tight jeans. I have to say, looks run in his damn family...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give Aki a piece of my mind when they get back.¡± She looked at Eri¡¯s mother, a solemn expression on her face. ¡°... and they will be back. Aki won¡¯t... he won¡¯t let Eri die. But... letting a girl get scarred like this. It¡¯s lucky they are already getting married, or else he¡¯d have to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s just scars, bro can fix them. But... he didn¡¯t want Eri to go. We talked him into it.¡± Aiko shuddered, guilt gnawing at her. ¡°Eri had been training so hard, even though she¡¯s just ordinary, like me. So she wanted to be useful. Even so...¡±


    ¡°Calm. The. Fuck. Down.¡± Aliyah declared, and her tone brooked no argument. ¡°She¡¯s hurt, you jackass. Don¡¯t scare her.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± he said in passable English. ¡°... I need to know about my son. Yamato, he¡¯s the hope of Susanoo, the hope of the faith...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hope?¡± she replied incredulously, gesturing to the bodies being taken out, the floor splattered with blood. ¡°He¡¯ll be lucky if I don¡¯t put a bullet in his head for this when he wakes up. Never take kids or uninvolved women to war. It¡¯s the job of adults. Fuck.¡± She was furious, but her mind was still on the job. ¡°Now. Sit down. Let her speak.¡±


    ¡°Doctors are on their way.¡± Aiko said, confirming. ¡°Kana-chan reached the hospital okay, so...¡±


    ¡°Yamato-sama... he too is trapped there.¡± The twin muttered, exhausted. ¡°... his foolish pride. I think... he wanted to show... he was as good... as Akio-sama...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak, my darling daughter! Doctors will be here soon, and... you and your sister will be fine.¡± Hiroto was sobbing. Other adults dressed in the peculiar clothing that these religious people wore were also arriving, seeing their dead relatives and breaking down. The atmosphere was hellish, and it could spiral out of control at any minute. Wailing, shouting, denials, grief. Someone needs to take charge, before this powder keg blows.


    ¡°All right. Shut up!¡± Aiko clapped her hands, scrubbing at her tear-stained cheeks. ¡°Shut up. Listen to me.¡± She said, this time in English, for her benefit, Aliyah imagined.


    ¡°My bro, well, looks like he got there a bit too late.¡± She swallowed, her face grief-stricken, before she forced herself to recover. ¡°So here¡¯s what we do.¡± Surprisingly, the blonde runaway, Suzu, was translating into English for them, so Aliyah and her brother could follow along. ¡°My bro asked for Grulgor, but...¡± she eyed the hulking, oddly-handsome brute. ¡°... I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be enough alone. Hyacinth, you...¡± she lowered her voice, as if afraid to continue, before making up her mind. ¡°... you can do that, right? It might come down to it, so...¡±


    That? I wonder what she¡¯s talking about. Though if that crazy maid can do it, it can¡¯t be anything good.


    ¡°I can dooo that, though I promised master I would nooot use it carelessly.¡± She declared. ¡°Even sooo, Hyacinth wishes to go, but I must proootect you and the others. If you are hurt, master will cry and scooold me!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to translate that stupid drawling she does with her o¡¯s.¡± Aliyah grumbled, but Suzu just giggled.


    ¡°Well, I still want to go. But since you won¡¯t let me, I can stay here and guard?¡± Suzu piped up. ¡°It¡¯s a bit silly leaving your body unprotected. He¡¯s a bit careless. I wouldn¡¯t want the boss to find out I left her beloved like that.¡± She giggled. ¡°She¡¯s pretty, but I don¡¯t want her to eat me. It would be the end of my idol career!¡±


    Yes, he is. And this is the result. As for you staying, I don¡¯t think...


    ¡°I shall remain too...¡± the god-damned Princess said! As Aliyah and Trey reeled in shock, the robed and veiled woman said something that seemed to be agreement, and others volunteered as well.


    ¡°Fine. In that case, Hyacinth, surely these people won¡¯t turn on bro and us, right? Besides...¡± Aiko called a ball of flame on her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with any problems.¡±


    She¡¯s bluffing, but... Aliyah¡¯s hand was on her combat knife again. In a room like this, they¡¯ll underestimate us, since we don¡¯t have these strange powers. But... if it came down to it, one thrust to the throat or at the base of the ribs, or a cut to the armpits or inner thighs... It might not work on Akio, that tough bastard, but these... it didn¡¯t matter what powers one had, when bleeding out, everyone died, just the same...


    Trey nodded, signalling his agreement. The maid protested a little more, before she and the troll lay down, and their bodies were suddenly empty, lifeless husks, not even breathing. There was a sound like breaking bone, and Aliyah winced as she saw that Shaeula¡¯s still body was now sporting a very brutal broken arm. Shit. Akio you fucker. You¡¯ve told us you want to protect those you love. So why are you barely hurt and your girls are suffering? If they have any scars, I¡¯m going to find a way to beat you the hell up, I swear it!

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Three

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Three


    This... this isn¡¯t fair. No. Cradling the terribly light Mine-san in my arms I felt another injury as a spear gouged my flesh. It was painful, but no more than an insect bite, and I paid it equally as little mind. Blood was soaking my hands and chest, and a heavy impact rocked me as an Oni slammed a club down on my back. I heard cries from Shaeula and Eri, but it was as if they were coming from far away. Another stab from a spear, and my fragile patience shattered.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± I roared, concentrating wind energy onto my fist. I struck out and slammed a punch into the thick skull of the Oni that had stabbed me. For a moment bone resisted, but my fingers jabbed out, plunging into the eyes, and in a welter of gore the yokai collapsed, dying, brain minced. The other paused, and since the attacks had ceased, I ignored it, my Ether Healing naturally restoring the minor wounds I had suffered so far.


    ¡°Ether Healing, that should work...¡± I said, aether surging from me, trying to repair the grievous wounds Mine-san had suffered. Even as I desperately poured in my reserves, working to repair the shattered astral body, Mine-san shook her head weakly, her eyes on mine.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. Guess... well, I¡¯m dying, right? It¡¯s, like, really painful, but...¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± I protested. I have to heal her quickly, Eri¡¯s hurt too, and the surviving girls from the shrines. Surviving. Just thinking about the dead filled my heart with anger and despair. Yamato, that stupid, stupid fucker... no, I need to focus. Shaeula was fighting hard, and Eri was doing her best, so I needed to get this done so I could help clean up these Oni. Even with Split Thoughts, it was proving difficult, as she had three brutal injuries, and the wounds were tainted too, darkness energy circulating, inflicting constant damage to her capillaries and chakras.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be all right. I will... I will heal you! It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been training hard for!¡± I declared, continuing to work. An Oni approached me, but wind and flame weasels from Shaeula drove it back, taking an arm from it.


    I can¡¯t fix her missing arms for now. Even Ether Healing isn¡¯t a miracle cure. She¡¯d need regeneration like Grulgor. Speaking of, where is he? I need him now! Seal the wounds, then concentrate on the torso wound, though... the heart chakra is destroyed completely, along with... ugh, what do I do? The wounds were catastrophic.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m... not...¡± she coughed, spraying sparkling silver-crimson blood. Looking down on her I could see her face was wet with tears, and more were falling onto her. Rain, in the Boundary?


    ¡°Hush, don¡¯t try to speak, I¡¯ll... do something. Just stay with me!¡± I protested. Looking down on her, the image in my mind went to Eri and Aiko, imagining them mauled by that dog from our past, dying, or Shaeula, killed by the Bakaneko. Shiro, she too had grievous wounds and could easily have died, but she pulled through, so...


    ¡°Nothing you can do.¡± She sighed. ¡°Damn, I knew, like...¡± more coughing, more blood, as I desperately poured aether in, though it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit, achieving little. ¡°... I never wanted to do this. Dying sucks, but, like... this ending could be worse.¡± She managed a smile, which tore at my heart. ¡°Going out in a guy¡¯s arms, him shedding tears for me. Like, that¡¯s pretty... cool.¡±


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t!¡± I protested. ¡°When you die, it¡¯s over! I... it shouldn¡¯t end like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, like, our choice, is it? Stuff happens, that¡¯s life.¡± She said, strangely calm, though the tightness of her facial muscles belied the great pain she was in, though at least my aether was soothing that, if nothing else. ¡°You¡¯re strong, no question. But... you¡¯re not a God, like, are you? Even Gods...¡± blood was running down her chin, and her eyes were starting to become unfocused. ¡°... we¡¯ve met that kami right? They aren¡¯t all powerful. I¡¯m just...¡±


    ¡°Just...?¡± I echoed desperately.


    ¡°Just unlucky, I guess?¡± her words were faint now, only my hearing allowing me to pick them up. ¡°I should... have, like, moved to your seats. Guess I¡¯m sorry. You helped me impress that... kami, and now... what a waste...¡± her voice was a quiet mosquito buzz, barely a sound.


    There has to be something I can do? Wait, Kin Bonding! If those stupid cats are there, then surely Mine-san... I tried desperately to connect to her spirit, to consider her kin, so that even if she died, she¡¯d be like Haru-san, and eventually I¡¯d be able to upgrade a Throne and bring her back, but... ¡°Why? Why the fuck doesn¡¯t it work? Shaeula could even bond with the maids that betrayed her, so why is Mine-san not...¡± I let out a frustrated roar, emotions boiling through me. It wasn¡¯t like with Shiro, where I was terrified she would die, because I loved her. But the pain I felt was still deep, because it was just so unfair, and it triggered bad memories for me, of Shiro, and the dog, and when Shaeula was hurt against Ulfuric. I only knew Mine-san for a few days, but she was upbeat, cheerful and the sort of woman Shaeula and I would probably have enjoyed going to a bar with, drinking the night away. And now, she¡¯s dying, because she listened to a stupid bastard and got involved in things she had no business with...


    ¡°Just, like... stop. You have... to save... the others. There¡¯s some alive still, right?¡± she forced herself to speak. ¡°Whoa, I can¡¯t, like... see. Guess this... is it. Besides, if you die, or the girls who came to save us... that¡¯s stupid. So... don¡¯t cry. Be strong. And...¡± she was becoming transparent now, aether leaking from her, as well as shining brownish elemental essence of nature, as her divine favour started to shatter.


    Shit. I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t just accept her as Kin, because I know in my heart she¡¯s only somebody I just met. Why is the skill so unfair? ¡°And...?¡± I asked gently, accepting the inevitable, my grief simmering down into cold, dead ashes of anger and fury. But I never received an answer, as a great cloud of aether was released, her life ending, her limp, fragile corpse slipping through my arms.


    For a moment I was lost in a horrible vision that it was a girl I cared about hitting the ground, dead and lifeless. Eri. Aiko. My mom. Auntie Hana. Shiro. Shaeula. Hyacinth. Hinata. Motoko. Natsumi. Miyu. Karen-chan. Haru-san. The faces flickered endlessly in my vision. No. No more. Never again. I have... to learn from this, or else... her death is meaningless. They¡¯ll have all died for nothing. I had made mistakes, somewhere. And some things weren¡¯t in my control. Even so, this was the result. It was heart-breaking, but... Even dying, Mine-san was still brave. And she¡¯s right. There are still people to save, and I can¡¯t let Eri and Shaeula get hurt more...


    The tide of aether her death had released was drawn into me, my chakra network bursting with energy. I expanded my vision to a full three hundred and sixty degrees, the pain in my brain intense, only being mitigated by Split Thoughts. There were still Oni fighting Eri and Shaeula, and that Kijo bitch was laughing and cursing at us as we fought. You think this is funny? Well... I need an attack. One that shows as much mercy as these yokai. Battle was one thing, but they were torturers, as the wounds they inflicted showed. They were doing it because they enjoyed it.


    Tyr. In the myths, he lost his hand, as Fenrir took it. Fenrir. Even Odin was destined to die to him, right? Even a God as powerful as him couldn¡¯t survive the jaws... I shaped aether, converting it. The silver rainbow of energy began to change. Red, to orange, then yellow. It shone green, darkening to blue, which in turn shaded indigo, until finally the aether was converted into a series of shimmering violet lights.


    That¡¯s so wasteful. Converting aether into an element is hard work... but as my previous experiments showed, it can be done. Now... ¡°You vile bastards. If you find it so funny to be the hunters, toying with your helpless prey, then find out what it¡¯s like to be on the receiving end of the biggest dog, no, wolf of them all!¡± I said, my fury cold, calculating, burying my grief until later. ¡°Fangs of Fenrir!¡±


    Spears of indigo energy shot from me, aimed at each Oni, space itself parting, as if the Twin Fangs were discharging. Speaking of... I bent down and picked up the remaining Fang, and idly thought master Bjarki would be furious one of his masterpiece blades was destroyed. Screams filled the air, as the Oni died, their toughness nothing against the warping of space that sliced and tore them to shreds. I¡¯ll... take stock later. For now, Mine-san was right. If I can save anyone, I have to accept that was a win, to balance the losses, even if just a little. This can¡¯t all be in vain.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Shaeula breathed, her face a little bloody, but her eyes holding compassion, as she knew what I was feeling. Eri did too, and I... I knew they were grief-stricken as well. After all, we had merged our souls via our lunar chakras multiple times, we were... connected. ¡°Now hurry, the wounded females need...¡±


    ¡°You trash!¡± the Kijo howled, somehow still alive, though missing an arm where the Fangs of Fenrir had pierced her talisman barriers. ¡°You killed them all! Monster! Fiend!¡±


    ¡°Such staggering hypocrisy.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°I must say, I am not-not impressed with the calibre of the Night Parade, if you are an example of it. You can kill and torture as you please-please, but when you become the prey, you whine and cry? Pathetic! Well, I shall one day do something about it. Just as I will the Seelie Court. Now die-die!¡± Shaeula unleashed her remaining elemental hydras, and the Kijo retaliated, surging clouds of talismans detonating. Shaeula was thrown back, though she called upon wind to deflect the worst of the blows, and the Kijo began to call on more talismans, before she slumped forwards, eyes going wide in shock.


    ¡°Hikawa Ren told me he was strong, like you!¡± he protested weakly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe him? Besides, I... wasn¡¯t really expecting them to fight.¡± He was defensive, and as we headed southwards towards Kiyomizu-dera, where we could at least use the defences to buy time for Eri to shake off her curse, he tried to excuse himself. ¡°Sure, I thought they could probably handle a few weak enemies, but Naruhito-san, Mine-san, and the other one... I thought we could deal with matters well enough. I just wanted to make them understand. Is that so wrong?¡±


    ¡°Understand what?¡± Shaeula asked, eyes glittering with curiosity.


    ¡°That I was a worthy leader! After all, Kannon has blessed me. The world needs mercy. My father agrees. You said it yourself, that Territory would belong to those who claimed it. Kyoto... it should be ours. We¡¯ve always carried the faith, for this day! Surely we should be rewarded?¡±


    ¡°That reminds me. Mirror. Now.¡± I snapped, and he gingerly handed it over. I examined it with my Eye, satisfied. Though as I did so, Shaeula gestured, and I nodded. I can hear them. Coming from multiple directions. I don¡¯t think we will reach the edges of his Territory in time... ¡°Yamato, hard work does deserve reward. And your gifts are great. But... you lack compassion. Haru-san is a far better Candidate of Kannon than you. Now you need to atone. I don¡¯t know if you can, but...¡± I suddenly seized him by the collar, shocking him. ¡°... make a start. I know you replenished some aether from the dead Oni, so get out your Golden Warriors. You¡¯ll fight until your last breath to make sure Eri can get out safely. I fucking swear, if anyone else dies because of your idiocy here, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare, that¡¯s murder...¡± he said, face ghostly white.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t? I wonder. My hands are red with blood already. Those who deserved it, and they killed less than you. You killed my students, Yamato. I trained them so they could grow stronger and be safe in the future, instead, you brought them to this hell and got them killed!¡±


    ¡°Akio, I don¡¯t need...¡± Eri began, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Eri, do shut up, please.¡± I said, surprising her, before she smiled, realising I had done just what she asked earlier. ¡°My priority is you. And if Yamato has to die for that, well, that would tie things up nicely.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± he began, before Shaeula flourished her dagger of light at him menacingly, which silenced him.


    ¡°But if you die here, Akio... Hyacinth, Motoko, Natsumi, Hinata, this Shiro girl... they¡¯ll grieve. How can you do that to them?¡± Eri still tried to persuade me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll not die here.¡± I assured Eri. ¡°And nor will you. Well, no. I¡¯ve learned I can¡¯t just say that. But if I¡¯m wrong and the worst happens... well, dying for my fiance?e isn¡¯t such a bad ending. Now... enough talk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°I can hear them.¡±


    Indeed, the loud, raucous revelry was approaching us swiftly, the sound of bells, drums, trumpets, flutes and unearthly singing and howling closing in on us rapidly. All around us, there were creatures on the strange buildings of Kyoto, cats, snakes, humanoids and more, watching us with eyes of a myriad of colours. ¡°Looks like the Night Parade is here. This isn¡¯t something we can fight... huh?¡± An object came flying out of the darkness between buildings, heading for Eri, but Shaeula was faster. She threw up a wall of glittering jade energies, which slowed the projectile enough. She caught it one-handed, her arm bending then breaking, before the object fell to the ground, a sloshing sound heard from within.


    ¡°A... gourd?¡± Yamato-san said dumbly, seeing a massive pottery jug, of the sort used to hold fine sake. It was nearly as tall as Shaeula was, so it was no wonder she had been injured stopping it.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Shaeula clicked her tongue in annoyance, bending her broken arm back into place and beginning to heal it. Eri was frozen, shocked at the sudden attack, and then... out of the shadows from whence it came stepped an Oni. This one was massive, nearly ten feet tall, and with deep crimson skin and eyes. The horns it sported were huge and majestic, and in one hand it dragged a club the size of a small tree, while the other held another gourd of booze. On seeing us it sniffed angrily.


    ¡°I smell my bro¡¯s worthless blood on you, man-thing.¡± The Oni said. The Red bastard, I presume? ¡°I can¡¯t say I ever liked him, but kin is kin. Even the slow ones have to be cherished.¡± He showed massive, tusk-like fangs. ¡°A lot of my Oni I can smell on you all as well. A bad day. A bad day indeed. Enough to drive me to drink.¡± He took a gulp from his gourd, burping noisily. ¡°Well, they¡¯ll all be pissed if I don¡¯t let them watch. We were promised entertainment, so...¡±


    He made no move, neither did the array of yokai all around us in the trees, on rooftops and inside buildings. Along the road behind us I could see the massive cavalcade of the Night Parade coming into view, thousands, tens of thousands strong. Palanquins carried by numerous slaving yokai, carriages pulled by strange horses, massive snakes pulling a house on chains, cages being carried by hundreds of flapping birds and Tengu, rolling barrels and pots and other sights of wonder and terror.


    ¡°Not going to run?¡± the Red Oni grinned. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nowhere to run. Oh, yo. You made it.¡± He spoke to a smaller but still huge Oni, this one a blue-skinned female, with a colossal chest. She was... oddly attractive, in a feral way, and Eri rolled her eyes at me, even in this desperate situation not liking me looking at other girls.


    ¡°Of course I did, ya fool.¡± Blue snorted. ¡°Ya didn¡¯t have to run off like that. Ya worthless brother, he was dead already, ya get it? Besides, I can smell the curse-stink from here, but...¡± she wrinkled her brow, thinking.


    I¡¯ve nearly expelled the curse, Shaeula too. But Eri... Ether Healing and Chirurgery won¡¯t work, and I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take to diminish. The caster is dead, so I doubt it¡¯s anywhere close to permanent, so every second we can delay is great, but...


    ¡°... ya two smell... pleasant.¡± The Blue Oni eyed Shaeula and I. ¡°Though ya have some strange sweat there.¡± She observed the black liquid leaking from us. ¡°I think ya need to be careful. Looks like the curse is kind of pathetic, these two nearly got rid of it, ya get me?¡± she told the Red Oni.


    The Parade was upon us, thousands of jeering creatures pulling to a halt a dozen or so metres away. Eri reached out for my hand, taking it, and Shaeula faced them boldly. Of course, her mother might be within the Parade. That¡¯s one thing we can try, but... Yamato was frozen, his mind wavering under the pressure of facing such mighty foes. Tch, useless. Well, Eri comes first. There has to be a way to beak the curse, but... will we have the time or the leisure to do so?


    ¡°So, everyone¡¯s here?¡± The Red Oni grinned, ignoring the blue one. ¡°Well, may as well get started. I¡¯m gonna pull off your arms and legs, then give you to whoever wants you. Toys or food, I don¡¯t care. My bro was slow and ugly, but if I let it slide, well, I¡¯ll be facing off challenges from the lower numbers for months. So, gonna have to make an example.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Shaeula declared, puffing out her chest, striking a majestic pose. ¡°As the Ninetieth of the Hyakki Yagyo?, I demand we talk this out-out!¡±


    There was a moment of absolute silence, all the instruments and screaming chatter stopping, before pandemonium erupted. Well, yes, that¡¯ll buy us some time, I think, but... I¡¯m not sure that was the time to use our first trump card... Watching Shaeula, I continued to heal Eri, the scar in her stomach healing up rapidly. If we have to fight, at least Eri will be able to. But if it comes to Eri fighting, we are already screwed...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Four

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Four


    ¡°Har. Har. Har.¡± The Red Oni barked a magnificent laugh, echoed by the jeering host of Yokai around us. A quick glance revealed many of them had broached barrels of sake and other spirits, and some were roasting meats and strange, misshapen vegetables over fires, as though it was a festival. Eri shrank in closer to me, the atmosphere intimidating her, and I whispered that it would be all right. It will be... no, I hope it will be. No more naivety. Bad things can happen. But... I¡¯ll not see them, because if Eri dies I¡¯ll be dead first...


    Yamato-san tried to creep closer to us too, but at my glare he faltered, left exposed surrounded by the host on all sides of us. Still, he was a matter of little concern. It was the huge Red Oni that was our current problem, and I waited to see how he would respond to Shaeula¡¯s unexpected declaration.


    ¡°You are one of us, you say? Ninetieth?¡± the Red Oni sniffed, taking another gulp from his massive gourd. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s those pair of stupid cats, right?¡± he addressed the Blue Oni, who nodded, her long hair swaying.


    ¡°Ya, that thieving cat and her dumb brother. I remember when they stole that wine from me. Ya, I caught and punished them good.¡± She snorted. ¡°I know those cats are good at disguise, but ya can¡¯t fool me. Ya certainly aren¡¯t them. Although...¡± she sniffed the air. ¡°Ya do smell a bit like them.¡±


    Shaeula looked at us, her gleaming amber eyes questioning, and I nodded. I guess it can¡¯t hurt to try diplomacy first. I¡¯ve almost finished healing and topping up Eri. I¡¯m trying to break down the curse, but my skillset doesn¡¯t lend to it. But with more time, maybe I can at least hasten it¡¯s dispersal...


    ¡°Well, that makes sense, does it not-not?¡± she let out a fearless laugh. ¡°Those foolish cats did try-try to slay me, and instead, I killed the foolish male.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to be sorry to see him dead, but ya can¡¯t just kill one of us and take their place, unless ya already...¡± the Blue Oni paused, mouth hanging open as Shaeula transformed from her human form to that of a Kamaitachi, gleaming golden-amber fur and eyes matched by elegant jade sickle-blades at her wrists and ankles. Yamato-san was also gaping, shocked at her sudden change in appearance.


    ¡°You were-were saying?¡± Shaeula interrupted proudly, as she always was when she showed off her pure Kamaitachi form.


    ¡°Ya be a Kamaitachi?¡± the Blue Oni said, puzzled. ¡°Really now? Well, the weasels of wind be Yokai for sure.¡± She seemed at a loss. I could see there were other Kamaitachi in the crowd around us, as well as some other types of weasel Yokai, and a number of them made ribald comments, remarking on her figure, fur and blades. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t hear you, and that I¡¯m not remembering this...


    Eri, despite her stress and fear, whispered to me reassuringly, an impish smile on her face. ¡°Jealous, Akio? Well, shouldn¡¯t you be proud instead? That she chose you?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I whispered back. Shaeula was similarly offended though, as she puffed out her cheeks angrily, which I of course found adorable.


    ¡°Yes, really now.¡± she snorted. ¡°So I believe that means my conquest should be accepted, should it not-not? I found those Oni killing and torturing those under my protection, and I took-took issue with it. Such is simply the way amongst the Yokai and the Hyakki Yagyo?, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Under your protection? Humans?¡± the Red Oni scoffed. ¡°You were going about aping one too. Puzzling.¡± He gnashed his great fangs, irritated. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around here before. And if I had...¡±


    ¡°Ya would know not to mess with our kin.¡± The Blue Oni finished for him, and a murmur of agreement went though the raucous crowd. ¡°Should have just let his idiot brother have the humans and be done with it. They were outside hallowed ground at night, ya know. No sanctuary, they had it coming.¡±


    Outside hallowed ground, no sanctuary? Is that why the Night Parade was avoiding the shrines and temples? Is there some sort of agreement we aren¡¯t aware of? As I pondered that, the tense conversation continued.


    ¡°Even so, what is mine is mine, and surely you would not-not expect me to overlook it, just like you did not-not overlook the death of your brother, no matter how deserved it was?¡± Shaeula retorted, her experiences in front of the nobles of the Seelie Court recently giving her a noble poise. ¡°Can we not-not put this behind us, as an unfortunate misunderstanding and clash of ideals?¡±


    ¡°I think... not.¡± The Red Oni shook his giant head peevishly. ¡°I don¡¯t know you, weasel-thing.¡± He said rudely. ¡°But if you killed those cats, more power to you. I can tell, now I look at you, you are part of the Hyakki Yagyo?. It¡¯s strange, but the rules are the rules. The great Nurarihyon likes order within the chaos. Even so...¡± he looked at the Blue Oni, who took over.


    ¡°Ya be what, Ninety? Sure, that might give ya the right to push around his dumb bro, but us, see... you think we are as low as ninety?¡± she smirked. ¡°Ya ain¡¯t got no right to talk back, unless ya can beat us?¡± she flexed, her massive muscles rippling under her deep azure skin. ¡°Well, ya will get a chance, sure enough. But Red here, he¡¯s pretty mad, so best ya can hope for is a clean death, right?¡±


    This conversation has bought us some time, but even so, I can¡¯t figure out the curse. My Eye was inspecting deep into Eri, and I could see the curse was a combination of darkness and light elements, darkness to bite in, and light to supply the energy that prevented Eri from returning to the Material. It¡¯s surprisingly clever, I¡¯d be impressed if it wasn¡¯t putting Eri in a ton of danger.


    ¡°So then...¡± Shaeula¡¯s shoulders were shaking a little, and her voice was higher-pitched than normal. I didn¡¯t think it was fear of the Oni or the Parade, not fear of them, but... This is a moment she has longed for since her childhood. And these are not the circumstances she wanted.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Yamato-san hissed, terrified.


    ¡°Shut. Up. Let Shaeula handle this.¡± I responded, unwilling to talk to the bastard any more than necessary.


    ¡°... if I had someone to vouch for me, that would suffice, would it not-not?¡± she asked, and the Blue Oni sniggered.


    ¡°On par with us? Ya be reaching, stranger. None of the other weasels around here have ever seen ya before. Ya think any of them will vouch for ya and help pay ya debts, against us, of all Yokai?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I have not-not met any of these before.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°However, there is one-one I do know.¡± Steeling herself, she drew in a long, shuddering breath before calling out, her voice shimmering with jade wind energy, shockingly loud. ¡°Mother, I have come-come back to you! It is I! Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, your daughter! Mother Urakaze, the superior biting winds, I, your daughter am here!¡±


    At the word assassin, Urakaze seemed angry. ¡°Some of the Parade would aim-strike at my daughter, who I left so as to keep her safe-well?¡± she turned to the Black Kamaitachi, who bowed. ¡°Make queries-entreaties. I must know about this. And if I find out who was behind this...¡± her threat went unspoken. ¡°... so, my daughter has grown strong. I am pleased-happy to see it. I too would like to talk, but matters are seldom so simple-easy.¡± She glared at me. ¡°What can you offer-give my daughter? Why should I not rend your flesh down to dust now, invisible-unknowable death claiming you?¡±


    I glanced at Eri quickly. She was trying to absorb the darkness part of the curse, the darkness congregating around her throat, though it was hurting her noticeably, though she was keeping her face impassive. Even so, the curse was weakening terribly slowly, and it would surely be hours before she was able to flee. We still need more time. Bowing to Urakaze, I put on my best smile. ¡°Mother-in-law, it is an honour to finally meet you. I have already introduced myself, but let me assure you I love your daughter, and I¡¯ll be sure to protect her, cherish her and support her towards her dreams. One of which came true right now. I would find it an honour if I could join the Parade alongside Shaeula. After all, mortal, Fae, Yokai... aren¡¯t we all the same in the end? We live and love. I can see there was some dreadful misunderstanding here, caused by an idiot, who will surely pay for his sins.¡± I glared at the pale Yamato-san, who was finding it hard to keep up with the ever-changing conversation and the information presented within. ¡°There¡¯s no need for further bloodshed. In fact, I would be delighted to mediate between the Hyakki Yagyo? and humanity, if required, just as I am with the Seelie Court. Well, Shaeula is mostly handling that.¡± I admitted, praising her, and she grinned, her weasel-face cute. Ugh, still not a furry, but... Shaeula is always pretty, no matter what form she¡¯s in.


    ¡°If you try and slay Akio, good Oni, I shall fight you, and if I must-must die, I shall.¡± Shaeula warned them. ¡°It would grieve me to die in front of my mother when we are just reunited, but if needs be, I shall have no-no hesitation.¡±


    ¡°You have indeed changed, daughter. A selfish cry-baby no longer.¡± Urakaze observed. ¡°I find it somewhat bittersweet-melancholic. It is said that mortals are creatures of process, while us Yokai and other spiritual beings are creatures of emotion. Obviously mortals have emotion, and we have processes. But emotion changes-shifts and is mercurial, processes are solid, consistent, less prone to change. You have become more like a mortal. I do not know whether to be sad-cry or laugh-weep.¡±


    ¡°Ya think we should drop it, Red?¡± the Blue Oni sighed. ¡°Now that I look at him, he¡¯s not really human anymore. He¡¯s no Yokai, ya get it, but... he¡¯s not entirely unlike us.¡±


    ¡°Fine. As the husband of your daughter, I¡¯ll chalk this off to bitter misfortune, Urakaze. Once.¡± The Red Oni rumbled. ¡°A bit excessive though. Three or four of ours for every one of yours who died. Gonna be one hell of a funeral. Well, since this cold bitch... uh, Urakaze is breaking out her supply of ceremonial liquor, I guess we can hold a wake.¡±


    ¡°I thank you. Perhaps I can return the favour, should you care-care to visit the Seelie Court, one day.¡± Shaeula said grandly. ¡°Akio and I will be delighted to show you around. The mortal world is delightful too. I do rather enjoy-enjoy the alcohol there.¡±


    The Blue Oni raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Ya know what mortal booze tastes like?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Akio brought me to the mortal world. I can come and go freely. And I am quite-quite sure any that allied with him would be similarly rewarded in due time. Beer, Wine, Sake, Shochu, Whiskey, Cocktails... so many-many delightful drinks. And the snacks, one must not-not forget the snacks...¡±


    Red and Blue were drooling, and as Shaeula went into the description of Faerie Wine and other Fae delicacies, they broke down.


    ¡°Fuck, yeah, my bro... I¡¯m sure he was a bastard, or adopted. Oh well, I¡¯ll pour one out for him anyway.¡±


    I see. Emotion and Process. Yokai and Fae have great, deep emotions, but they change like the wind or the tides. Shaeula used to be like that, shifting between emotions swiftly, but now she is more grounded, consistent. Fascinating...


    ¡°Of course, that does leave one-one issue.¡± Shaeula said, having dragged them to her pace. ¡°Eri here. My dear sister and fellow-fellow wife of Akio. She should bear no guilt, and I implore you to allow her to join us in the celebration, and leave unharmed.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Yamato-san hissed urgently, and Shaeula scoffed.


    ¡°What about you, Yamato? This is all-all your fault! The blood is on your hands, and worse, you have wounded Akio¡¯s heart quite-quite deeply. Get yourself out-out of your own mess.¡± She continued imploring the high-ranking members of the Parade, her mother and the two Oni, as well as several others who had come to watch, radiating power. There was a voluptuous fox with four bushy, golden tails that radiated even more power than the Oni and Urakaze, a massive white giant with one leg and a pointy head, some sort of snake-creature with a wizened human head, and others too.


    ¡°I can not-not allow Eri to be harmed. After all, she has done nothing but defend...¡±


    ¡°This cannot stand!¡± a shrill, feminine voice screamed, and at the same time, another voice, colder and male, called out a complaint as well.


    What now? As we tensed, a female Oni came stomping out of the crowd, dressed in ragged ceremonial robes, every inch of the dirty cloth covered by talismans and fetishes. She carried a huge staff topped with cracked and rusted kagura bells, and her face was similar to one we had seen recently.


    ¡°Matriarch of the Kijo, what is this?¡± Urakaze asked. ¡°Do you object-disagree? Would you fight me over my daughter?¡±


    ¡°No, I would not challenge you!¡± the ragged woman declared, her hair streaming around her like a halo of writhing snakes, even more talismans in her dirty, matted tresses. ¡°But that mortal wretch killed my sister!¡± she pointed to Eri. ¡°I would have her soul as recompense!¡±


    ¡°Ya got like a hundred sisters. Most of them are ugly harlots.¡± Blue said, unhelpfully. ¡°Can¡¯t ya let one go, like Red did?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± she moaned, enraged. ¡°She is outside hallowed ground at night, so by the compact Lord Nurarihyon agreed, I can take her. A lot can be made from such a soul. It isn¡¯t virgin...¡± Eri blushed at that. ¡°... but even so, there is a purity to it. And it takes to darkness well.¡± She giggled cruelly, her withered tongue licking over cracked lips.


    ¡°I also object! I do not care-care about the mortal...¡± a massive Kamaitachi, red-furred with bright green eyes, declared, striding forwards. ¡°But aunt, your daughter is well-known as a failure, a disgrace-disgrace. Her words could be all-all lies. How do you know her father approves of this-this mortal, that she has done the deeds she claimed? The cats were strong yes, but fools. I would not-not put it past them to have grown careless. She could have killed them sleeping.¡±


    My bond protested at that insult. Before anyone could speak, Shaeula asked him who he was, and he snorted. ¡°You would not-not know me, half-breed failure. Shame of the weasels. I am your cousin. And I shall show-show everyone here that you are nothing.¡± He looked at Urakaze. ¡°Give me leave to show you just what-what your daughter truly is!¡±


    ¡°I ask for no leave! My right is to take her life!¡± the Matriarch howled, pointing at Eri, who was raising her axe, expression grim. ¡°Afterwards, if you choose to make me your enemy, so be it, but even you would not want to oppose all my sisters, you of the biting winds.¡±


    Urakaze remained silent, and I considered the situation. Well, we bought some time, but... it¡¯s not enough, and now we have to fight. Where the hell is Grulgor, although... strong as he was, adding Grulgor would hardly make a difference when we were outnumbered by so many powerful foes. My only consolation is that Yamato-san is shitting himself. If we go down, he¡¯ll go to hell with us...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Five / Side Ninety-Four – Mori Eri

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Five / Side Ninety-Four ¨C Mori Eri


    Taking her soul? Turning my attention from the worthless Yamato-san to the things that mattered, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. There was no way I would accept Eri getting hurt, or worse killed, but there was always the voice in the back of my mind that said that if the worst did happen, there was always Kin Restoration. We would grieve, but Eri would return to us in time, even if she was limited like Haru-san. But... it isn¡¯t the answer to everything, is it? First Mine-san, and now Eri¡¯s situation. I¡¯ve perhaps been bolder and less careful than I should have been because of having that safety net. Now... The skill was still amazing, incredible, and I was sure that having it would save us so much grief and hardship in the future, but not now. At least if the souls of the poor apprentices from our training school were taken by that Kijo bitch, then they should have been released to go wherever the dead do on her death...


    As I pondered this, Shaeula spoke up, addressing her arrogant cousin. ¡°I am not-not a half-breed. I am a pure breed twice over.¡± She laughed, shocking everyone around her. ¡°Such words did haunt and torment me for long years, exposed to mockery and insult in the Seelie Court. But now I know my own-own worth, and my worth in the eyes-eyes of others. Mother...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Urakaze sighed, looking at her daughter with a complicated expression.


    ¡°I can not-not stand for Eri to face battle. I ask that you intercede. Then, though I have nothing to prove, I shall-shall show my foolish cousin his errors.¡±


    The Kijo Matriarch screamed her disapproval, and Urakaze sighed. ¡°I cannot do that-this. She has the right to her anger, and while I am strong-mighty, I am no tyrant. Lord Nurarihyon dictates our rules, but essentially we are free spirits. Look-gaze around you, daughter of mine. They are only keeping their peace because entertainment is precious. Well, Red and Blue here are fools-easy, so their anger is mollified by some alcohol and apologies-sorrow, but...¡±


    ¡°Ya really are a cold bitch.¡± Blue complained, and the Red Oni shook his head, irritated. Even so, they kept their peace.


    ¡°I am quite-quite disappointed.¡± Shaeula sighed softly.


    ¡°I do not care-care whether you are...¡± her cousin began, but Shaeula¡¯s glare made him step back, before he recovered, angry at his own momentary weakness.


    ¡°Enough, cousin. Stop your yapping, we shall let our fists and winds talk-talk shortly.¡± Shaeula continued to speak, and while I had a lot to say myself, and Eri did too, huddling close to us, intimidated by the maddened Kijo, I left it to Shaeula for now. ¡°Such pointless cruelty. What-what does it serve? We defended ourselves, and thus there was death. Do we not-not have a right to life? If we were all slain, then none-none would have wasted time on such petty things as vengeance.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s totally a lie. Hyacinth would be here turning this into a new Myconid Forest, I expect...


    ¡°Eri is my dear sister, as dear as Shaeranna or my brothers to me-me. More important than you who I have never met, cousin. Though being family, perhaps we can become close-close in time.¡± He roared angrily at that, only the circle of watching Yokai preventing him from losing his mind completely and starting a battle. ¡°If Eri is forced to fight, then Akio and I shall. This trash too.¡± She nodded at Yamato-san, a sour expression on her face. ¡°I have little-little hope we can take the entire Hyakki Yagyo?, I am not-not such a fool...¡± her sour expression had changed to a rueful grin. ¡°... but the streets of the Boundary Kyoto shall be awash with blood when we are done. I will not-not ask you to stand with me, mother, nor my Kamaitachi kin, after all, I am a stranger to this land, for now-now. But you shall watch our lives blaze out, and the dead will pile to the skies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Eri is Shaeula¡¯s sister in ways thicker than blood. Love binds us, and I¡¯ll harden my heart and send as many of you to Yomi as I can, if she is harmed. There has to be another way. After all... the world has changed. You can¡¯t exist in a vacuum, doing evil deeds, forever. It isn¡¯t just the mortal world that will be swept away with what¡¯s coming, the Boundary and lower Astral will be invaded and destroyed too.¡±


    ¡°Evil? Ya misunderstand.¡± Blue said suddenly, and Red agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, evil? That is for you man-things to decide. Back when we roamed the Material, mortals didn¡¯t think it evil to enslave and kill one another for trivial reasons. Killing you for my poor dead, stupid, possibly-illegitimate bro is a noble reason in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Evil is a sign of the times.¡± The four-tailed fox woman, her golden-red hair cascading down her voluptuous body, clad in a yukata that was open at the front, revealing vast expanses of her massive, pale bosom, came forwards. In one hand she held a long golden pipe, which smoked with some foul-smelling herbs that made my head hurt. ¡°There are no absolutes.¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s mother and the Oni greeted her respectfully, and the Kijo Matriarch was silenced at her words. She¡¯s a big-shot indeed. I wonder what rank she is in the Parade. Higher than Twenty, that¡¯s for sure. The fox walked over and reached out, stroking my face, at a speed I would have struggled to avoid. Shaeula narrowed her eyes and Eri hissed like a cat, but the fox-woman merely smiled alluringly. Ugh, she¡¯s beautiful. No, I mustn¡¯t be fooled. Charm, Majesty and League, I released it all, barely fighting off her allure. She gave me a slight grin, before turning to Shaeula.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you just a surprise? Your poor mother, how she was scorned and disdained for falling for a foreign prince, and even more shame when she was forced to return without you, the rumours of your... character and competence... unkind.¡± The fox smiled, and I had the urge to punch her in the face. Sensing that, she raised an eyebrow at me, amused, tails wagging. ¡°But just like you humans change what is good and evil as the times change, we all have our own ways. Even the Fae...¡± she smiled at Shaeula¡¯s surprise. ¡°Oh my, yes, I have journeyed amongst them too. The Wild Hunt, the Unseelie Court too. I am welcome anywhere. After all, with mother and the rest of the foxes with many tails slain, hiding or imprisoned, I remain the strongest of us all. Well, I know the Fae, even those you would call good steal children and leave changelings in their place, trick with fools gold, start fires, lead travellers over cliffs and into swamps... there is no universal good in this land. Only power sets precedent. So do not be children.¡± She advised us. ¡°You appeased the duo here, but Red and Blue, despite their fearsome appearance, are surprisingly pleasant for Oni. Perhaps because they actually have brains.¡± She snorted, sucking on her pipe, blowing steam and fog.


    ¡°Shut ya mouth, big tits.¡± Blue complained and the fox laughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, melons.¡± She giggled girlishly, belying her appearance. ¡°Anyway, you could fight and die. Die you would. But... what we long for is entertainment. Make us an offer.¡±


    Urakaze nodded. ¡°Matriarch of the Kijo, I have little-no wish to see my daughter die before me. My fool nephew wishes to fight her, but what mother wishes her own daughter to be hurt, even if she is disappointing-pathetic?¡± He had the grace to look abashed at that.


    I see. I get it. Just like the Fae with their Trial of Three. There¡¯s a narrow spiderweb of hope to cling to, if we can just climb it. Shaeula had realised too, and strangely enough, so had Eri, shocking me. But then she always was smart, and being quiet, she looks around and thinks a lot...


    ¡°I killed the Kijo.¡± Eri said suddenly, drawing all eyes. She shrank under the gazes, before taking a haughty expression. ¡°And why not? Even if it wasn¡¯t for vengeance, it was to protect my husband and dear sister Shaeula. Besides... soul-takers... can¡¯t dead children have peace even in death?¡± she scowled, her black eyes hard, her grip shifting nervously on her axe. ¡°I get it though. Listening to your talk.¡± She nodded to the fox and Urakaze, getting amused looks in return. ¡°You are saying you aren¡¯t evil, just doing what your culture dictates. I guess it¡¯s like how in some countries you can still be imprisoned or executed for adultery and stuff like that. We best never go there.¡± She managed a smile, forced though it was. ¡°Well, then let me say, I was justified in putting the axe through the head of that bitch. As my culture is that as long as Akio and those he loves and wants to protect are safe, the world can fucking burn for all I care.¡± She swore crudely and the Kijo Matriarch was practically gibbering in rage at her insolence. ¡°If you are evil, I¡¯m evil too, the evil of indifference. I was sad when the other girls died. Nobody likes seeing those around them die, and I knew them a little. But I was mostly sad because it hurt Akio. So, if you hate me, then I¡¯ll fight you. But... Akio and Shaeula get to live, and I¡¯d ask... you at least let my soul remain free to enjoy peace in death. If you do that, I¡¯ll entertain you all.¡± She looked the crowd in the eyes boldly, though I could see her hands and knees shaking.


    Clever girl. That way... we can at least use Kin Restoration...


    ¡°You think you can bargain, you slayer of my sister?¡± the Matriarch growled. ¡°I¡¯ll tear you limb from...¡±


    ¡°I too will entertain, then.¡± Shaeula spoke up. ¡°My cousin, whose name I do not-not know, nor care to right now...¡± she threw a casual insult at him. ¡°... well I shall take him on as he wishes. If I am defeated I shall suffer a suitable punishment. However...¡± she grinned, her smile reminiscent of when she was pulling a prank. ¡°... I rather-rather feel a wager is in order. After all, I am Yokai, one of the Hyakki Yagyo?, but I am also Fae, a Duchess and princess of the Seelie Court. We do so-so love our wagers.¡±


    ¡°A Trial of Three?¡± the foxwoman smirked. ¡°it¡¯s not our way, but...¡± she looked at Urakaze, who nodded.


    ¡°You are bold indeed, daughter. So, speak. I know-understand of these traditions. They will not bind-compel us, but I would not cheat my returning child after all these years.¡±


    ¡°If I lose, then from Akio, Eri and I, three prices can be demanded. Our lives-lives, souls, whatever you wish.¡± She declared, gasps spreading around the crowd. ¡°I care not-not. For we live and die together anyway. Besides, there is no-no way I can lose to this idiot.¡± She riled him up, getting the crowd excited at her insolence, some impressed, others wishing to see her humbled.


    ¡°But if I win, then first, Eri¡¯s...¡± she began, but the Matriarch roared in rage.


    ¡°No, I shall not allow her to escape my fury! My sister cries within me for her blood and suffering!¡±


    ¡°... why is everyone here so rude-rude?¡± Shaeula sighed magnificently. ¡°... no, I understand your hatred will not-not be quenched so easily. But putting Eri against yourself, one of the Hundred of the Hyakki Yagyo? is no fun, is it?¡± she goaded the crowd. ¡°At least send an opponent she will be able to display some sport against.¡±


    Damn, that¡¯s cold, but we are playing poker with no cards, so any result is welcome. Eri understands that. She¡¯s listening intently.


    ¡°No, I wish to tear her apart myself!¡± she cried, only for the foxwoman to shake her head, luxurious locks flowing, bosom heaving.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be like that. Send one of your sisters. That would be far more poetic. She¡¯s just a mortal after all, what can she do against a Kijo alone? Or are you telling me she overpowered your sister all by herself?¡±


    ¡°If so, she¡¯d be pretty pathetic.¡± The Red Oni laughed as he took a refill of his bowl from Urakaze. ¡°If she was still alive, she could have married my useless adopted bro.¡±


    ¡°However...¡± she began, only for the fox to fix Shaeula with a glare. ¡°We can even consent to not keeping her soul for eternity, but...¡± she gestured, and a disturbingly handsome, almost feminine fox came out. ¡°This Kitsune is interested in you, girl.¡± She smirked. ¡°Just death will not satisfy the Matriarch, I am sure. So... a year and a day. He will keep your fallen soul for that time, girl. Although, should you wish to stay after that, well... I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    The grin of the golden-tailed fox was lascivious and disgusting, and I felt the immediate urge to murder him and the damn Kitsune queen or whatever she was. Eri blanched, prepared for death but not for such a fate, and Shaeula bit her lip, looking troubled. My Foresight is still telling me the danger is intense around those close to me, but not me. Why? Is it because I was destined to not fight here, while everyone else suffered and died? Perhaps the answer is fire... if I blast Foehn in all directions, use Yamato-san as a distraction, maybe we can... no, it¡¯s hopeless. That would never work. Overhead flocks of Tengu and other aerial Yokai flew, so there was no escape.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that...¡± Eri said. ¡°He looks a pervert, and... nobody should ever touch me but you, Akio. I can face dying, but...¡± tears were leaking from her black eyes now, stirring my heart.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s a wager, no?¡± the Kitsune said, grinning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after all, the pleasures of the spirit can often exceed the pleasures of simple flesh. Though maybe...¡± he looked at the foxwoman with her four magnificent tails, expression sly. ¡°... could you fashion her a body to house her spirit, you old hag?¡±


    ¡°If the price was right. And you manage to calm your insolence, youngling.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Then... only if I lose.¡± Shaeula declared, panicked. ¡°If I win, then such a punishment can not-not...¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. You are stacking rather too much on this. It won¡¯t be fun.¡± She answered, blowing more scented, cloying smoke.


    ¡°Then... if Shaeula wins, I get to fight.¡± I declared suddenly. ¡°I¡¯ll fight the bastard first.¡± As soon as I said that, from the triumphant grin on the faces of the foxes, I knew this was the result they were looking for. Though strangely, the danger around me personally doesn¡¯t seem to have increased. Well, it¡¯s not that Foresight is actually reliable anyway...


    ¡°Daughter, tell your husband to withdraw. That Kitsune is dangerous-trouble. He has risen-soared up the Hundred rapidly of late. He is not-never one to trifle with. His strength...¡± she raised one furry eyebrow disdainfully. ¡°... well, it is middling-average, but his cunning and trickery has defeated many stronger opponents.¡±


    ¡°You did claim to be Ninety, human.¡± The male Kitsune smirked, looking annoyingly beautiful in the way men shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Well, I am Seventy-First. And I do believe I can reach higher.¡±


    Still, I have no choice. Eri... she¡¯s prepared to die, but she¡¯s not prepared to be the toy, the plaything of someone else. And I¡¯m not prepared for it either. I¡¯ll die first. Kill first. Shaeula and Eri were both watching me, and I clenched my fist. ¡°Fine then. Should be entertaining, but... since I can¡¯t claim the rank, when I kill this fox who reached a hand for what he should never have touched, how about you give it to Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that, man-thing.¡± Red disagreed.


    ¡°Why not? All I have is Shaeula¡¯s, after all? And if those cats can both be Ninety, and you can both be whatever rank you are, well, I don¡¯t see the issue sharing with Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Well, I doubt very much he can beat our proud Seventy-First here.¡± The foxwoman teased. ¡°So I see no issue. If the prodigal Kamaitachi who has returned from foreign lands is able, she will keep the rank, if not, well challenge will soon reveal that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Though...¡± the Kitsune added a condition, egging on the crowd. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you until after our first night.¡± He sneered, mocking me, before grinning at Eri, who shrank away, and the crowd went wild with amused laughter and catcalls.


    ¡°I will kill you though.¡± I vowed, earning another seductive, repulsive smile.


    ¡°Well then.¡± Urakaze sighed. ¡°Daughter, you could-should have let that one die.¡± She looked at Eri sadly. ¡°Now instead your hard-won plea of safety-succour has been squandered.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°Do not-not count us out yet. Now as for my third request. I call on you, my mother.¡± She said, surprising everyone. ¡°I am grateful for the Kamaitachi you sent me for my exile, without them I would surely-surely have been slain long before I met Akio. Even if they are not-not more than runts of the litter.¡± She grinned, and at that Urakaze cocked her head, puzzled. ¡°... but it shames the Hyakki Yagyo? that the Fae are providing me with most of my army, when I am pure-blooded on both sides.¡± She emphasised that again. ¡°So I would ask, when I triumph, you provide me with further Kamaitachi and weasels to fortify our Territory.¡± She looked around, meeting the gaze of the great and the mighty of the Night Parade. ¡°If any of you wish-wish to earn our favour and provide assistance, we will gladly-gladly take them. And for those who wish to walk the mortal world once more-more, the Material... well, if you are strong and willing to be loyal, we shall not-not turn you away.¡±


    Her pitch finished, the Night Parade came to a conclusion, and it was as expected. ¡°Very well then.¡± Urakaze said. ¡°I would ask more about my Kamaitachi, but should you win-defeat your cousin, I shall allow you to select further kin to accompany-follow you. but it is likely you will be going home alone and a widow. You overreached. Greed is poison, daughter. It is a lesson you need to learn.¡±


    She¡¯s right. We¡¯ve taken too many risks and been too greedy at times. But some things aren¡¯t greed, they are necessary. I can lose Territory, lose allies, even lose my powers, but I can¡¯t lose Eri, Shaeula or the other girls who love me. So we have to find a way out of this where we keep those, even if we suffer other losses...


    ¡°As for him...¡± the Kitsune sneered at Yamato-san, her tails swishing. ¡°Do you not ask for his safety? I daresay there are many who would love to deal with a fool from hallowed ground who acted so unwisely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you need to ensure my safety!¡± Yamato-san agreed desperately, but we all brushed him off.


    ¡°If Eri or Akio are hurt, I will make sure-sure you pay for it too.¡± Shaeula warned him, and he slumped to his knees in despair, knowing he had no friends here, only those who hated him.


    ¡°Very well then. I shall follow the example of our dear Urakaze of the biting winds and offer up libations for the celebrations.¡± The foxwoman declared, the other Kitsune now eyeing Shaeula as well. Yeah, he¡¯s definitely dead... Cheers erupted, and soon a small arena had been prepared, Shaeula facing off against her cousin.


    ¡°I shall show the Parade what-what you are! Aunt Urakaze could be higher than Twentieth, if not for the shame of her dalliances with foreign scum. Father says so. She is strong, yes, but she has shamed the Night Parade, and us Kamaitachi as a whole.¡±


    Shaeula twitched at that, her expression grim. ¡°I do not-not appreciate such slanders. Love knows no boundaries, nor should it. I do not-not know uncle, and I do not-not see him here...¡±


    ¡°No, indeed that would be no sport.¡± The foxwoman agreed. ¡°Which is why you are fighting now, rather than waiting. It¡¯s the tension of not knowing your fate if you lose that makes it fun.¡± She grinned, revealing sharp teeth, incongruous in her human face. ¡°We are the Night Parade. You are not in hallowed ground. Consider this grace a favour for the return of a prodigal daughter.¡±


    ¡°See? Nothing we can do.¡± I said cheerfully, my insides knotted with grief and fear. ¡°Just... if I do lose, tell Aiko and my parents I¡¯m sorry, but... don¡¯t tell them the rest. Okay?¡±


    Shaeula returned my gaze with a look of anguish, before nodding. ¡°I shall believe in you, Eri. And in Akio too. Even if you fail, which you will not-not, then Akio will surely triumph. I know it. I do.¡± She said, as if to convince herself, but the situation was grim, I could tell without looking.


    ¡°Well, enough talk.¡± The Kitsune tossed me out in front of the baying crowd, Tengu, Kappa, Kamaitachi, Oni, and stranger, more aberrant things drunk and capering, cheering and crying for me to be tortured and killed. I clutched my heavy axe, the edge pitted and chipped, and the trembling stopped. I¡¯m still scared though. I think I¡¯ve just gone so numb I can¡¯t feel it anymore. Oh well... mother, father. Father-in-law, mother-in-law. If you are watching my Material body now, I hope... well, just try not to grieve too much.


    My opponent stepped out, the Matriarch of the Kijo instructing her to make me suffer, but not kill me until I had watched the defeat of Akio, my one hope. That... gives me a small chance, right? No, I¡¯m too weak. Why am I even here? I¡¯m such a fool. Too greedy for my own good. I hated the fact that Shaeula and Hyacinth could stand beside him in places like this. I was his first, I should have this too. Well, I got what I wanted, and... it¡¯s too large for my hands to hold.


    My opponent strode out under the baying of the drunken crowd of monsters. This was nothing like Akio¡¯s Territory, where things were quiet and largely peaceful, or even Nishimorioka, where the enemies were mostly strange animals and insects, with the occasional undead thrown in. No, this was a tale as old as Japan itself. The Hyakki Yagyo?. Well, I suppose... at least I¡¯ll see out my end as part of a myth. Though nobody will ever speak of me, no doubt...


    ¡°I will peel the flesh from your bones and keep you alive even then!¡± the Kijo called. She was a vile Oni, her horns yellow bone and dripping pus, while her ragged robes were likewise stained and matted. In one hand she carried a long cleaver, dripping with darkness element, an azure blue glow suffusing into the surroundings, and in the other some sort of four-pronged rake, the nails at the end dirtied with dry blood. Just looking at it made me sick.


    ¡°Sure, you do whatever you want.¡± I drew a long shuddering breath, glancing over to where Akio was struggling blindly against that pervert. It seemed there was some commotion towards the back of the Parade as well, but I paid it no mind. I had to focus. If I can¡¯t win, then why should I be scared? The result is a foregone conclusion, so all that¡¯s left is to go out proudly. I asked to be here, now I have to pay for that. I can¡¯t disgrace Shaeula, not in front of her mother. She said it herself. We¡¯re sisters. And she is, just as much as Aiko is. Having reassured myself, I swung my axe a few times, loosening up my tense, tired muscles. ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s pathetic? You Yokai sure aren¡¯t as frightening as I heard, you are just petty children, throwing tantrums and picking on those weaker than you. And then you complain when the weak fight back?¡± I snorted, annoyed, the warm embers of anger starting to push away my fear. ¡°Come on then. Be the big, scary Kijo and take me on!¡±


    Laughter rippled around the audience, and the Kijo roared in rage, spittle flying from between dirty needle-like teeth. It howled some words, but they were incomprehensible, so I readied my axe, channelling flame into it to heat the metal again. This really was a nice axe. It looks good and it takes to elemental energy really well. The dress... I like it too. I¡¯d never have thought to wear these sort of frilly clothes before. A shame it got ripped. I gnashed my teeth at that, anger staving off dread. I swung my axe down, but it was blocked by the cleaver, the impact nearly jarring the axe from my stinging palms. It was as if my bones were cracking under the impact. I let out a grunt of pain, before that was driven from my lips by a pained screech as the rake dug into the tear in my dress and pierced my skin. It was a shallow wound, but feeling my skin being ripped away was excruciating.


    ¡°Eri, careful!¡± Shaeula cried, but I didn¡¯t have time to reply as I brought my axe down again.


    ¡°Useless. You worm! My sister will have peace knowing her slayer is dead!¡± The Kijo kicked me and sent me flying. I landed heavily, air driven from my lungs, only to see the brute rushing at me. The cleaver fell, and though I tried to get out of the way I suddenly froze, as the force of her presence stopped my mind for a second. There was an impact, and a feeling of cold heat, as impossible as that sounded. I reached for my axe, only to look down dumbly, unable to process the sight, as ... I had no arm.


    ¡°Uh... awa?¡± I cried, my brain frozen. I could hear Shaeula raging, and I turned my eyes away from the sight, seeing her being held back by the pair of White and Black Kamaitachi, who were ignoring the injuries she was inflicting upon them in her anger. Oh, Shaeula. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I just need to... blinding pain flared through my arm, my nerves catching up with the injury, and I vomited, only for my back to be ripped open, flayed down to the spine, flesh peeling.


    ¡°Feel the pain of my slain sister! Feel the wrath of the Kijo!¡±


    This... yeah, I couldn¡¯t do it after all. I just... my mind was sinking down into darkness. More flesh was flayed from me, and the cleaver hacked down, severing my leg at the thigh. I turned, flapping my broken body so that I could see Akio, but my sight was already dimming, sinking into inky blue darkness, sparks of indigo and green flecking my vision. Stupid bitch. I thought you were keeping me alive, I¡¯ll... die for sure. There was another impact, but my body couldn¡¯t feel anything anymore. I could see Akio, he was struggling, yet every time the Kitsune approached, he would dart back, avoiding the constant output of attacks Akio was throwing in all directions. Even so, he¡¯ll have to tire soon. He¡¯ll get tired. Like me. I¡¯m... so... tired. More impacts, more numbness. It was as if I was under the same curse as Akio.


    If this is the end, I don¡¯t mind. I just... don¡¯t want to come back, if I¡¯m not with you. That¡¯s... not a good ending. Even so... it was fun. Not this dying though. That¡¯s not fun... at all. Regrets? I have some. I¡¯m a greedy girl. I wanted... to be with you... always. Her remaining hand reached out, instinctively, towards Akio. A bond. I have it. Lovers¡¯ Link. That was proof... I loved you, and you... loved me.


    It was as if my mind was sinking, now all there was to see was an ocean around me, deep blue and indigo, green lights floating up like seaweed or kelp towers. It was a strangely beautiful way to die. I reached for them, the green lights drawn into me, tingling and buzzing. My consciousness was barely a whisper, and I could feel something terribly cruel happening to my body, but it was like it was happening to someone else, my mind drifting free.


    I guess the fortunate winds weren¡¯t with me. Or is this lucky? If I die first, maybe they can¡¯t get my soul? Or... no, I can¡¯t expect that. My mind cleared, green light all I could see now. I need... I need to get to Akio or Shaeula. Otherwise... the thought of that Kitsune having me nauseated me, even without a stomach. No, maybe if I pull myself their way, they can take me away. Even if I have to sleep for years, as long as I wake to them one day... so I can wipe away their tears and apologise... I¡¯m too greedy to die now! No, this isn¡¯t me! I wanted Akio, I overcame my fears! I don¡¯t... want... this!


    There were strands all around me, threads of thoughts and emotions, a great tangled rope. Instinctively I could feel that some were larger than others, and the whole mess was concentrated around two people. Shaeula. Akio. I can feel them. Feel... Shaeula was angry, furious. The rage boiling from it was so intense, so full of hatred, that my hand... hah, not my hand, my imaginary one, I guess... recoiled from it as if burnt. Turning to the other, Akio¡¯s strand, I could feel calmness. He still wasn¡¯t panicking. And love. And trust. And faith. In Shaeula? Yes. Of Course. But... deeper, I could feel it in me, as well. He believed he would win, never letting that fox have me. And that I would somehow find a way to survive, even if I had to die for it. Well, that was my plan, until those Kijo bitches ruined it. But maybe I still can... it would have been safer to reach for Shaeula, but that was impossible currently. My strength was fading, my consciousness now down only to a dwindling point of green light, so I had but one choice. Reaching out, I grabbed one of the threads and pulled, dragging myself inside. It would take a miracle for something to happen, but I felt a breeze, despite being only consciousness, and then a surprised voice spoke to me, one I had never heard before.


    ¡°What do we have here, Nya?¡±


    I was surprised to see a figure there, a naked woman, bound in threads. It was pitch black, yet I could still see her clearly, her silver hair and tail glowing, her cat ears twitching. Wait, cat ears?


    ¡°Another trapped soul like me? No, a visitor. The strings bind you, but... something is trying to pull you out, Nya. You look dreadful. Must have had a bad time, Nya.¡±


    I looked at myself. I was just a deep blue shadow, a torso, head and single arm, missing all my features, an inky blue gash in the deep black void, holding one single string, the thickest one, that wrapped around the catgirl in front of me, faint green lights fading around my touch. Uh... if that¡¯s what my body looks like... I guess I¡¯m better off dead. Still, at least I have someone to talk to in the end. And if I cling on... I tightened my grip on the thread.


    ¡°Nya, that smarts. Don¡¯t be so rough. Do you think I want to be trapped here? I can¡¯t reach my brother either. Well, I suppose I was greedy. This skill... it¡¯s not to be trifled with carelessly, Nya. Well, I never guessed that handsome devil would kill me like that. So brutal. So... hot, nya.¡± She purred, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether she was annoyed or happy. Still, I know I don¡¯t like her.


    ¡°You mean Akio? Why else would you be here?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Nya, yes, that¡¯s the one. Well, I really wanted to kill the princess and take her skill, but then he just had so many perfect ones to take, including the one the princess had that I wanted, so... well, I¡¯m greedy, nya.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Guess I got stuck here, trapped by my own greed. Well, I am a thieving cat, after all. But I¡¯ve been here what seems like an eternity. I think I¡¯ll be stuck here forever, and I don¡¯t like it, nya.¡±


    That¡¯d be nice, in a way. With Akio forever. ¡°Well, if you are his enemy, I doubt he¡¯d be willing to bring you back to life. Ugh, the tugging is getting worse. I... I don¡¯t think this will work.¡± If I could cry I would have, but I wasn¡¯t really here. Was this all my imagination as I was dying? I didn¡¯t know, but if it was, it was a peaceful, if weird end.


    ¡°You want to be here, Nya?¡± the catgirl asked, and I sighed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m dying. I might already be dead. And now some piece of shit whore called the Kijo Matriarch is trying to give my soul to some perverted Kitsune. Obviously I¡¯d rather sleep inside my Akio, even if I can never come back again. I struggled to come here, feeling my way along the bond, but... I¡¯m weak. Pathetic. I thought I¡¯d grown stronger. But no, I was a burden until the end. Maybe... maybe I should have let Akio go, left him to Shaeula. Stayed alone in Nishimorioka...¡±


    The cat gazed at me, searchingly, her eyes gleaming in the unlight of this place. ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, nya. You¡¯re greedy, I know. As a woman should be, nya.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean it.¡± I lamented. ¡°But I¡¯m feeling sorry for myself! Wouldn¡¯t you be? I¡¯m dying and someone is taking my soul! My only mercy is I¡¯m not feeling the pain!¡±


    ¡°Just like me, Nya! So I understand you.¡±


    ¡°Well, you were trying to kill Shaeula to steal from her, so I doubt it. I was just trying to protect people. It¡¯s not fair.¡± I took out my anger on her, as she was the only person around.


    ¡°So catty, nya! I¡¯m the thieving cat, of course I steal! It¡¯s like asking a mortal not to breathe!¡± she protested. ¡°Well, being here is hardly all good. I think I¡¯ll go crazy from the boredom, nya, and he thinks bad things about me and my brother all the time on purpose. Nya, hot guys can be so cruel.¡±


    I surprised myself by laughing. I guess even in the most horrible of circumstances, gallows humour is a thing. But then, I was always strange. Everyone used to say I was too shy and withdrawn, not good at understanding or caring about others. I¡¯m supposed to be a nice girl, but it¡¯s really just an absence of interest in others. Why be mean or cruel when you simply don¡¯t care? Although I have started to care for some others now. Progress, I guess? Though that Kijo... all of them... I¡¯d cheerfully show them what cruelty is. ¡°Well, sorry to say, I don¡¯t think I am going to be here for much longer, so I can¡¯t keep you company. ¡° my blue thought-form was unravelling, the mist being dragged away. ¡°I would wish you good luck, but I doubt you¡¯ll ever be reborn, Akio has no reason to. So goodbye, catgirl. Enjoy an eternity of solitude.¡±


    ¡°Nya, I¡¯m Ginneka. The Thieving cat, Ninetieth of the Hyakki Yagyo?. Well I was.¡± She sighed. ¡°Now I¡¯m just a fool, trapped in the darkness. So... uh, you¡¯re close to the guy that killed me, right?¡±


    ¡°For now. If that fox has his way I¡¯ll be nothing but a brainwashed toy. Fuck, I wish I could extinguish my soul right now.¡± I had accepted my death, but not... not that. I suppose I could be consoled that I probably won¡¯t care... no, no. There¡¯s no consolation to be found here.


    ¡°So, uh... how about you put in a good word for me? If I get out, I promise to kiss his feet or be his toy, or whatever. I can kiss yours too, nya!¡±


    ¡°Disgusting!¡± I spat. ¡°Why would I or Akio want that? Besides, didn¡¯t you hear me? I¡¯m dying. I can¡¯t beat a Kijo. Even if it¡¯s not the Matriarch, just one of her sisters.¡±


    ¡°Her sisters, nya? Well, they aren¡¯t weak, but... hey, come closer.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, I¡¯m not really here, and I¡¯m being pulled away so hard, it¡¯s all I can do to hold on.¡± I protested.


    ¡°Fine. Then reach out.¡± Ginneka stretched her tail towards me. I sighed one final time, knowing I had only moments left, grabbing her fluffy silver tail.


    ¡°Nya!¡± she shrieked, blushing, and I gave her a flat look, or would of, if I had a face. ¡°Sorry, nya. Caught me by surprise. The first contact I¡¯ve had in like... forever. And my tail is sensitive. Still... nya, you suck. Even if I ignore the horrible damage to your body, you¡¯re a piece of crap with hardly any ability.¡±


    I had a good mind to let go, but as this might have been my last conversation with someone sane, I let it slide. ¡°Well thanks. I know I¡¯m weak. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be dying, would I?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t use Void Motion, no spatial element.¡± She pursed her lips, frowning. ¡°And your body can¡¯t sustain much. There¡¯s just... hey, what¡¯s your name? I told you mine, nya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Mori Eri. Remember it. If you ever do get out, tell Akio and Shaeula I¡¯m sorry I was pathetic in the end.¡±


    ¡°Well, Mori Eri. You¡¯re lucky. You grabbed two strands, Nya.¡± She looked down, and it was true. I thought I had only pulled one, but it seemed two had become tangled together. ¡°Looks like heaven smiled on you. You¡¯ve used a lifetime of Fortune in one day. And ... if you think that he would be willing to share with you, maybe, just maybe...¡± Ginneka sighed. ¡°If you think you can double-down on the luck, and I help you... can you promise me, tell him to let me out, Nya? My brother too, but... I¡¯d settle for just me! Like I said, I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    ¡°Help me?¡± I asked, my grip on her tail loosening. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Well, thing is, I¡¯m still tangled up here good with his skills. The princesses too. I can¡¯t get out, but I¡¯m still conscious, I still exist. And so... well, a cat that can steal can always give back, nya.¡±


    ¡°Even so. Akio¡¯s skills, Shaeula¡¯s skills. I¡¯m a limbless husk. Even with those...¡±


    ¡°Got no limbs, huh? Those Kijo bitches, never liked them, nya. Do me a favour and tell them Ginneka says eat shit!¡± her tail started to glow, and I felt something invade me, and energy start to be pulled through one of the strings I held, the warm feeling of Akio seeping into my ravaged soul. ¡°Well, let me tell you, as long as you have a head, who gives a crap? Now, nya... don¡¯t forget your promise.¡±


    ¡°I never promised anything...¡± I said, and her eyes gazed at me sorrowfully.


    ¡°Are you going to cheat me? I¡¯m giving away my very identity here, Nya!¡±


    ¡°... fine. If I live thanks to you, and can see Akio smile again, I¡¯ll call you my damn sister and respect you for life!¡± I¡¯d worship any devil if they could give me that now. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t want it to end like this.


    ¡°Nya, cute sister! I like. My brother isn¡¯t cute at all! Now, time to go. I¡¯ll... be waiting, nya!¡±


    I could suddenly see again, opening my eyes. I was being dangled in the air by my arm, my one arm, by the bitch of a Kijo. Below me was puddles of gore and my legs. I felt the urge to be sick, but my stomach was already empty. I caught sight of Shaeula then. Injured and dying Yokai were scattered around her, and she was covered in blood, weeping crimson tears, her teeth cracked from the force of her rage, the Red and Blue Oni now restraining her, while Akio was still desperately hurling out attacks against the taunting Kitsune. Good. Akio hasn¡¯t lost. Nor will he. Shaeula though... my heart ached at the pain in her eyes, and once more I affirmed that letting her love Akio too was no mistake. Perhaps some of the others I wasn¡¯t too fond of, and in future there would likely be girls I hated, but... Shaeula was someone who loved me and I loved back. Now... now I have to step up. I¡¯m done. I¡¯m done being pathetic!


    ¡°You returned?¡± the Kijo leered at me, jaws clashing. ¡°I pride myself on my flaying skills. But you were just so... weak. Oh well, that fox likes submissive women, so...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t look down. If I did and saw my ravaged body, I know I¡¯d break, my mind unable to take it. But... ¡°Hey, Kijo...¡± I croaked, my words barely audible.


    ¡°What, limbless worm?¡± she chortled, spittle drenching my face.


    Drawing deeply on the threads that I had caught through an incredible, one in a thousand stroke of heavenly luck, aether surged into me, my ruined network shifting and twitching as if it was alive.


    ¡°Still got a head, haven¡¯t I?¡± The pain was... excruciating. My whole body apart from my head basically disintegrated to aether, before reconstituting itself, now with embarrassing cat ears and tail swishing about. I was standing on the Kijo¡¯s arms, looking into her face, and my nails, now sharp talons, like those of a panther, glittered dully, reflected in her eyes. ¡°Oh, by the way...¡± I shouted out. ¡°Matriarch of the Kijo, Ginneka says one thing. Eat shit, fuck you, die painfully and go to fucking hell!¡± That felt good. I adlibbed a bit, but I got the point across. Now then... Akio, Shaeula, lend me what you can. And in return, I¡¯ll stop being a burden. This time I mean it... ¡°Foehn!¡± My fingernails burst into yellow flame, burning me cruelly, but it was only for a moment, as I jammed them right into the eyes of my tormenter, burning claws piercing deep, as the roars of the Yokai around me changed, boredom becoming wild delight...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Six / Side Ninety-Five – Eri Mori

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Six / Side Ninety-Five ¨C Eri Mori


    I could feel the claws sink deep, the pain from the fires of Foehn burning my nails, spreading to my hands, but the pain was a welcome one, reminding me I had arms and legs again. It hurts this Kijo bitch more than it does me, too. I could feel my mouth twisting into a feral grin, and fangs poked at my lips. ¡°Die, you bitch, just fucking die! Flay me will you? Well I¡¯m not a cruel woman, I¡¯ll give you a merciful death!¡±


    The Kijo flailed, rake scraping my cheek, drawing blood, but repairing that only cost me pain, so it was trivial. There¡¯s no pain greater than the thought of that fox bastard getting his vile hands on my soul... I twisted, and flame shot from the Kijo¡¯s eyes, ears, nose and mouth, the greedy citrine flames eating into dying flesh and bone. Leaping into the air gracefully I landed, watching as the bitch died.


    ¡°Eri...¡± Shaeula called, her voice breaking, and that snapped me out of my anger. I turned, to see her still being restrained, the arm that had been broken by the thrown gourd once more snapped and twisted behind her back by the Red Oni, while the Blue had her other arm locked, and she was dangling in the air, her small feet kicking angrily. Her fury had been fierce, as around her was a disaster site, flickering flames still burning fitfully, great gouges in the earth where her winds had scoured it soaked with blood and body parts of wounded Yokai. ¡°Eri...¡± she managed again. ¡°You ... live?¡±


    The pain in my heart then was worse than when I lost my arm. Seeing her so grief-stricken and careworn I felt sick, and once more realised it was my recklessness when I insisted on following Akio and Shaeula here that had caused her so much pain. Though even through the sick feeling in my heart, I also felt warmth too. That you¡¯d care so much for me, a selfish girl who is so jealous and uncaring... maybe that¡¯s as much a miracle as meeting Ginneka and surviving.


    ¡°Sorry Shaeula.¡± I breathed out, apologetic, but smiling and shedding tears, so happy I was to have survived. ¡°I... guess it must have been hard to watch. But you shouldn¡¯t have done... this.¡± I gestured at the chaos. Urakaze, her regal-looking yet frightening mother, was watching her with her cold eyes, and the four-tailed fox was smirking, obviously enjoying herself, blowing more lungfuls of vile smoke. I left behind the dead Kijo, moving towards them, and as I did so, the Kijo Matriarch rushed towards me, talons outstretched, aiming for my throat.


    ¡°Another sister cries out for vengeance, you vile creature! Were you Ginneka all this time, fooling me? I shall send your soul...¡± her words were cut off by a glowing golden light, the beam flashing between them. I felt a searing sensation on my skin, and the smell of burning hair and keratin was quite vile, as the fur on my ears and tail smouldered. The Matriarch reared back, her nails trimmed by the blast, and her head swung to glare at the fox who had cast her beam of golden light between us. ¡°What are you doing? You dare...¡±


    ¡°Of course I dare.¡± She grinned. ¡°Have some dignity, Matriarch. You agreed to the terms of the wager. Now abide by them!¡±


    ¡°I had no wish to abide by...¡± she began, only for the Red Oni to bark a laugh. ¡°Har. Har. Har. Pathetic. I feel sad that Kijo are considered Oni. You don¡¯t think I wanted to tear them apart? But... things have changed. Although...¡± he glowered at Shaeula, and I noticed he had a livid burn across one cheek. ¡°... have you calmed down, little weasel? You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re her daughter¡± he inclined his head at Urakaze.


    ¡°Ya, that¡¯s no joke.¡± Blue agreed. She was bleeding from her arms where blades of wind had cut her skin shallowly. ¡°You agreed too. Ya knew she was going to die, ya had accepted that, I thought.¡± She released Shaeula, who tumbled to the ground.


    ¡°I...¡± Shaeula bit her lip, apologetic. I raced over to her, pulling her up into a hug, tears spilling from my eyes, and Shaeula sank into my grip. ¡°I... forgot myself. Mother, honoured Yokai of the Hyakki Yagyo?, I do-do apologise. But seeing the cruel torture of Eri, I could not-not stand silent.¡± Her gaze, her eyes still bloodshot, red within the amber, her face and fur covered in gore, turned to the raging Matriarch. ¡°You Kijo... I shall not-not forgive you.¡± she spat.


    ¡°Oh Shaeula. I¡¯m sorry I worried you.¡± I ignored the raging Matriarch and her growing band of sisters, who were gathering behind her, as the foxwoman and the Oni were keeping her back. ¡°I... I was a fool. But...¡±


    ¡°No, I was the fool. I allowed you to come with us. Akio and I should have came alone. But enough-enough of that.¡± She declared, stunned and happy, her eyes curiously taking in my ears, and her small hand grabbed my swaying tail, which made me yelp, the sensation uncanny. ¡°What of this-this? And you said Ginneka? That was that harlot Akio killed, just what-what...?¡±


    ¡°That is quite the story I would like-wish to hear myself.¡± Urakaze said. The White and Black Kamaitachi had risen, though they were in rather a sorry state after Shaeula¡¯s aborted rampage. ¡°However, are you not forgetting something important-vital, my daughter?¡±


    Shit, Akio! With a curse on my lips I turned my head to see that Akio and that vile Kitsune were still fighting, if you could call it that. Akio was fumbling blind and deaf, his attacks missing the smirking fox, although his expression was strained now, unhappy. Even as he stepped aside from the blasts of wind Akio was throwing out, he looked at us, his mouth twisted into an expression of disdain.


    ¡°Well, looks like the girl survived her battle. Unexpected.¡± He said with a sneer.


    ¡°Yes, so you shall not-not ever have Eri in your clutches, fox.¡± Shaeula spat, once more wrenching her broken arm back into place and working Ether Healing, her expression pained yet happy. All around us the Yokai Shaeula had felled during her rampage were being tended to by others, the worst, near-dying ones dragged off to Yokai who could heal, apparently. ¡°You might as well give up, your battle is quite-quite pointless.¡±


    ¡°Pointless?¡± Even as the Kitsune effortlessly dodged a volley of wind-blades hurled seemingly at random by Akio, he shrugged, golden tail twitching happily. ¡°Hardly. Nothing has changed, not really.¡± His smile was vile, and I clenched my fist, wishing I could drive my nails into him. As I did, my body quivered, pain spiking through me, and I barely kept it from my face, forcing the agony down deep inside. Lucky I¡¯ve had practise getting hurt, I guess...


    ¡°How so?¡± Shaeula asked. ¡°Even if you win, Eri shall not-not... oh.¡± Shaeula raised one eyebrow in understanding.


    ¡°Yes, you get it. I¡¯d expect no less from the daughter of the superior biting winds.¡± The fox darted away from another ring of attacks, this time golden-yellow fireballs, but he slipped easily though the inevitable gaps in the seemingly blind barrage. ¡°Before, I was just playing around with the poor, senseless fool. Senseless indeed. Without sight, hearing, smell, touch or even taste, I am amazed he is still fighting, even if all he can do is throw out attacks in all directions desperately, hoping for a miracle. Usually they break by now...¡± he scowled. ¡°Well, now I will get serious. I wanted him to stay alive to...¡± he dodged another volley, this time earthen spikes ripping free from the ground in all directions, like a thicket of spears. ¡°... see you in my arms, cute human. But... well, now I¡¯ll simply kill him. That should entertain the crowd. We Yokai do so love a sad ending.¡±


    Piece of shit. But... how can Akio beat him without his senses? He¡¯s even worse off than I was...


    ¡°Of course, you could agree to become my woman. Seeing you looking like one of the Bakaneko is rather exciting. Shapeshifting... is there a more precious gift a girl can have? Endless possibilities to fulfil male lust.¡±


    The female Yokai other than the Kitsune with her four tails looked at him with disdain, Blue even going so far as to spit a steaming gobbet of saliva on the floor angrily. I snarled, claws growing from my fingers, though that brought the sudden pain my body was experiencing back into focus, and beside me Shaeula looked ready to leap forwards, though the Red Oni put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.


    ¡°But...¡± the fox taunted us, sliding through another barrage of wild attacks. ¡°... that would have been enough, but... now I think you should offer yourself to me too, daughter of Urakaze. Shaeula, was it? I think a pair of up-and-coming Yokai like us would be good together. I watched your struggles while I was toying with this fool here. You¡¯ve got potential.¡± He sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time with this trash.¡±


    ¡°You would reach-grasp for my daughter? Bold indeed.¡± Urakaze declared, her anger plain to see, and I shivered, glad it wasn¡¯t directed at us. Maybe she¡¯ll get angry enough to do something about this mess? I wasn¡¯t like Shaeula or Akio, I didn¡¯t have great combat senses, but I could tell Yokai like that four-tailed fox bitch, the Red and Blue Oni, Urakaze and the Kijo Matriarch were on a different plane of power to the rest of us. She could squash that Kitsune like a bug, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°Why not? Wouldn¡¯t a proud Kitsune like me make a better lover for your darling daughter who has returned to the Parade, than this human I am toying with? I am a generous fox, I will even let her bring her ¡®beloved sister¡¯ with her, and cherish them both together. It isn¡¯t a bad deal, is it?¡±


    There was a long silence, before the dangerous aura around Urakaze diminished. ¡°Shaeula can decide for herself. I have no rights-authority to dictate to her. After all, I left her with her father-prince, and have had little-nothing to do with her since.¡±


    ¡°As reasonable as ever. Some old hags could learn from you.¡± the Kitsune bowed, shooting a gaze at the cackling foxwoman, whose tails were swishing with great joy. ¡°So, what do you think? Will you take my hand and spare your former lover? Or shall I get serious and actually start killing him?¡±


    What... what should we do? I exchanged my own glance with Shaeula, who merely snorted, amused. ¡°Really, Eri, do not-not worry. I told you, I had no concerns over my battle with my cousin, nor Akio¡¯s against this... pathetic fox.¡± She taunted the Kitsune. ¡°We worried only for you, and somehow you prevailed, although...¡± she eyed my tail and ears warily. ¡°I must-must know how.¡± Her eyes were glowing, and there was a look of worry on her face. Seeing that, the pain that wracked my body returned, and my skin squirmed, a faint mist of silvery aether rising from me. With a great effort I forced the pain down once again, though it was harder than before. ¡°But, how can Akio...¡± I don¡¯t want to doubt him, but... the Kitsune is toying with him...


    ¡°Oh Eri. Look closely and you shall see there is nothing at all-all to concern yourself about. Well, you need-need to show Akio a smile when he can see once more. Do not-not worry him. We can... do something about it.¡±


    As I thought, she¡¯s noticed there¡¯s something very wrong with my body. Well, I¡¯ll take it over being dead or left a limbless husk, even so... holding back tears was difficult.


    ¡°Are you ignoring me? Not a good idea. I think I¡¯ll take inspiration from the Kijo and take one of his limbs to show you just how serious I am...¡±


    ¡°Fool.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°You may have good-good eyes for females, but your skill in battle is lamentable. Seventy-First? If so, the Hyakki Yagyo? is not-not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°You bitch, you¡¯ll see, I...¡± he began to rant angrily, still dodging the attacks from Akio effortlessly.


    ¡°Watch closely, Eri, and you shall see.¡± She whispered, and on looking at the next wild volley of blasts of air that flew in all directions, I looked closely, wondering what she... oh. I see. Yes. Akio, he¡¯s... he¡¯s still fighting hard.


    It was then I noticed something else, flocks of Tengu and other flying Yokai were heading to the north, looking agitated. ¡°What... what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, clutching at my wrist. ¡°The Parade seems disturbed.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why?¡± Red grinned. His already crimson skin was now nearly dark purple from the amount of alcohol he had drunk. ¡°It¡¯s been one rather eventful night. First you lot go and kill my stupid miserable idiot of a bro, and then it turns out you...¡± he nodded at Shaeula. ¡°... are the lost daughter of Urakaze here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± the enraged, tailless Kitsune roared, and I realised that we had never been given his name. Oh well, I don¡¯t care to know it anyway. I¡¯d rather spend time with the two pervert kings from my class at school... ¡°I don¡¯t even care about those stupid bitches anymore, I just... stop that!¡± he roared, lasers interrupting his angry ranting. Twisting his body to narrowly avoid the beams he returned to his humanoid form, one furry ear still missing, his fur soaked with blood, and his tail too, a mere stump where it used to protrude from his robes. Well, his arms and legs are healed, but... I guess he isn¡¯t as good at repairing himself when he shifts forms as Ginneka is...


    ¡°Hey, you dumb bastard! He can¡¯t hear you, right? Did you forget you took his hearing? I bet you did. You¡¯re vulgar, stupid and lazy! I would call you a fox, but what fox has no tail?¡± I mocked, venting on him.


    ¡°You ... whore.¡± He said coldly, turning, the talisman he was brandishing in his hand forgotten. ¡°... I¡¯ve changed my mind, I no longer want you. You call me vulgar? I¡¯ll give you to the Kijo and...¡± he staggered, three bolts of light piercing his torso, Stumbling, ruby and silver blood scattering, he brandished the talisman. ¡°Four corner barrier!¡± he declared, and a pyramid of energy flared into existence around him, as he slumped to the ground, gushing blood, panting heavily. More light flashed from Akio, but the gleaming triangular barriers deflected them.


    ¡°Such a bad loser.¡± Red observed.


    ¡°Ya, he¡¯s an enemy of women, to be sure.¡± Blue agreed, before turning to me. ¡°The grudge between ya and the Kijo Matriarch is her business, not his. Ya fought until the end, so if he tries anything, I¡¯ll give him a smack for ya.¡±


    That surprised me. ¡°Thank you.¡± I managed, looking down shyly.


    ¡°And look, here comes ya friend.¡± Blue continued. ¡°Well, damn, ya both be right, she is a maid! And who¡¯s the big guy with him?¡±


    Shaeula was pushing her way through the crowd, followed by Hyacinth, her maid outfit torn and her body pierced with numerous arrows which had been snapped off, the shafts still embedded in her. Even so, her silver-violet eyes were bright, and when she saw me, she giggled happily, before turning her attention to Akio, an expression of grief flashing over her mercurial features. Behind her was Grulgor, and the massive troll was missing an arm and half his face, though even now flesh was bubbling and regrowing, and he seemed to be paying it no mind.


    ¡°Did I miss-miss much?¡± Shaeula asked, eyeing the battlefield curiously, before breaking out in a rich laugh. ¡°Oh, so the fox is forced to hide in his den? Akio is robbed of his senses, and he still can do nothing but-but cower in fear. And what happened to his tail? Perhaps he decided to cease being a fox and become something far-far less worthless?¡±


    ¡°My, saying such things, you shall surely hurt my feelings.¡± The Kitsune who had started this mess chuckled. ¡°Not all of us Kitsune are trouble, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Ya be the most trouble of all.¡± Blue sighed. ¡°So...¡± she eyed Hyacinth. ¡°... I don¡¯t see how ya can kill so many Yokai? Ya don¡¯t look so tough.¡±


    ¡°A maid must be prepared tooo kill the enemies ooof the master and mistress at all times.¡± Hyacinth said proudly, heedless of the many injuries she had taken. On seeing Urakaze, she curtsied, her ghastly, bloodied face in stark contrast to her servile demeanour. ¡°You must be the mooother of mistress Shaeula. It is an honooor to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Not Unseelie. But definitely not-never Seelie.¡± Urakaze muttered. ¡°Well, it seems my daughter has quite the loyal-strong servant.¡±


    As they talked, I looked at Shaeula, who nodded. ¡°It was just-just as we suspected. Grulgor and Hyacinth came to aid us when the twins and the other female woke up. The situation there is grave. You...¡± she turned her attention to Yamato-san, who was lurking quietly, trying to be forgotten, numb to the whole chaotic situation. ¡°... have caused much trouble. Covering this disaster up will not-not be possible. To say nothing of the deaths...¡±


    ¡°He has angered the Hyakki Yagyo? too.¡± Red observed. ¡°From what I hear, it was this man-thing that was outside hallowed ground and led to this situation. Sad. Hey, Urakaze? I¡¯m out of sake! Fill me up!¡± she shot him a flat look, but did refill his bowl, of which he then took a deep sip. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good. Well, there is time to talk afterwards. First... the battle will be ending soon.¡±


    That seemed to be the case, as Akio¡¯s attacks could not breach the pyramidical barrier, nor could the Kitsune attack out of it. Even so, he had prepared a half-dozen ominous-looking paper talismans, and he was grinning balefully, face covered in shadows from the golden light of the pyramid making him look terribly evil, as did the blood that soaked his torso and lower body from his deep wounds. On seeing the crowd looking his way, he sneered. ¡°You all laughed at me when I got hurt. And yes, I was careless. This man is far more trouble than I expected. But then, so was your daughter, Urakaze, and that mortal girl aping that idiotic cat. I should not be mocked alone. After all...¡± he sneered. ¡°... I shall be the only one to triumph!¡± he began a chant, sibilant and tongue-twisting, as if he was reciting multiple sentences in multiple languages at once, and the talismans began to glow in a multitude of dark, angry colours, deep, bloody reds, virulent greens, mouldy yellow, bruised purple and more...


    ¡°Six Curses of the Flesh and Spirit.¡± The female Kitsune lashed her tails, impressed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware he knew such an art. It is rather excessive...¡± she sucked on the stem of her pipe, thinking. ¡°... but perhaps now is the time for overkill. After all, he¡¯s been humiliated enough, poor little boy.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not worry.¡± Shaeula took my hand, soft and warm. ¡°Akio will not-not be beaten.¡± She grinned, tapping under her eye, which was now glowing a brilliant amber. ¡°I have seen it. And that is not-not all I have seen.¡± Her expression changed, and she leaned in to whisper in my ear, serious. ¡°So, exactly what-what is wrong with your body? Your chakra network has changed, and it is not-not fixed, but squirms and dances like snakes through long grass. Your body itself shudders and twists too. It must-must be painful.¡± She squeezed my hand gently, and I fought the urge to burst into tears. Yes, it does hurt. But pain means I¡¯m alive, right?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m only borrowing Ginneka¡¯s ability to shapeshift and change my body. And apparently I¡¯m a weak piece of crap so I wasn¡¯t even strong enough on my own to do it. I¡¯m draining energy from Akio constantly to stop myself from disintegrating. But... I¡¯m still here. So I can live with it.¡±


    At the invective, Shaeula expression hardened. ¡°That cat, she is lucky she is dead-dead, else I would pull out her fur a strand at a time, insulting you so-so. Here, allow me to aid you.¡± Shaeula placed a hand on my belly, reminiscent of when I was first learning the exercises that would help me master my chakra network, and I felt a warm glow as her aether flooded me, the pain dying down to a dull, quivering ache, my body stabilising.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I whispered, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No thanks is needed between us. After all, you did-did whatever you needed to win, and save me from the despair of knowing my arrogance and softheartedness had killed you. So, smile. As the Red Oni says, this shall-shall be over soon.¡±


    Hyacinth and Grulgor had taken up positions beside us, and across from us the Kijo had gathered, nigh on two-score of them now, a most intimidating force. Even so, I paid them little mind, as all that mattered was Akio, whose lasers had stopped, and the chanting Kitsune, who was finishing up his baleful sing-song curses, the six talismans arrayed in a ring around him.


    Come on, Akio! Win! Please win! I don¡¯t want it to end here, not after I crawled back from death just to see you again! Hyacinth and Shaeula seemed certain Akio would triumph, as did Grulgor, so I wondered if it was just me who had doubts. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t believe in him. Nobody believes in Akio more than me, except maybe Aiko. But... I can feel the evil in that spell from here, and Akio has stopped attacking.


    ¡°Very well then!¡± the Kitsune howled, the barrier around him shattering like glass, shards falling before disintegrating to aether. ¡°Rot. Age. Wither. Be Tormented. Crazed. Extinguished! Flesh is weak, and Spirit fails! I curse...¡± brilliant yellow flames suddenly exploded from below him, talismans doused in the burning fire. On seeing the flames, I felt shivery, as though I too was wielding them. Foehn. One of the skills Ginneka tried to steal...


    ¡°Wait, what... how... impossible...¡± the Kitsune wailed. Two of the talismans towards the top of the formation were unscathed, so he unleased them desperately. ¡°Wither, turn to dust and be blown away! Craze, go mad, bite and claw at yourself until you...¡± two beams of energy flared out as the talismans decomposed to ashes, only for Akio to step aside, and a single lance of light bored through the forehead of the Kitsune, whose eyes immediately went glassy, as he slumped into the raging inferno and was consumed.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly impossible.¡± Akio said, and I realised he could speak again! ¡°I simply finally managed to purify the curses. It was touch and go though. You nearly had me.¡± He watched the fox burn away to nothing, grimacing as a huge surge of ether was drawn to him. ¡°But when you stopped moving, sure, you couldn¡¯t be hurt by my attacks thanks to whatever barrier you conjured, but...¡± he bent down and tapped the floor. ¡°I could dig through the ground using earth element until I was underneath you, and then I just had to let the Foehn flow through and wait.¡± His grin was triumphant, cocky, savage and I loved it. Relief flooded through me and I raced towards him, quickly followed by Shaeula and Hyacinth, but I was first to reach him.


    ¡°Akio!¡± I hurled myself into my arms, in tears, as the watching Parade exploded into furious cheering and exuberant celebration, barring the Kijo, of course. ¡°I was so worried. I thought you were going to die! I thought I was dead!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was never in any danger from him. I think.¡± He amended. ¡°Although... Eri, you were the one that saved me in the darkness and silence of my own mind. I could feel you, and feeling you made me realise I was still alive, that the universe held more than just me. Though I¡¯m curious...¡± he trailed off, looking at me with an amused expression. ¡°... just when did my Eri become a catgirl? Care to explain? Although... it¡¯s cute...¡± he grabbed my new cat-ears and ruffled them, and I turned pink with embarrassment, all the pain and discomfort forgotten.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s... quite a story.¡± I managed.


    ¡°But it will have to wait.¡± Shaeula agreed, hugging us both. Hyacinth hesitated, not wishing to overstep her bounds in public, before Akio opened an arm to her and Shaeula hauled her into the group hug.


    ¡°Akio, congratulations on your victory. And winning me a new rank.¡± She snickered, before spitting over at the flaming pile of ashes that was the Kitsune. The gobbet flew a great distance before landing, and I had to shake my head at the wastefulness of using elemental energy just to insult a dead foe, no matter how much of a hateful, perverted prick he was. He¡¯s dead, it¡¯s just a waste of time to think about him anymore.


    ¡°So, Hyacinth. You made it? Grulgor too?¡± Akio asked, trying to catch up on what he missed. ¡°You look... awful?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°It is ooonly some arrows, master. Hyacinth will live and serve, I prooomise.¡±


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the situation outside?¡± he continued, and she shook her head, saddened.


    ¡°It is bad. Toooooo many dead, and it is distressing your honourable parents.¡± She sighed. ¡°And nooow...¡±


    ¡°No, this will not stand!¡± We were interrupted by the roar of the Kijo Matriarch, who was eyeing us all with baleful fury. ¡°Two of my sisters lie dead, many of the Parade have been slain or maimed, and you all stand here, watching like cowards? No, I shall not accept this! Never!¡± as she worked herself up into a rage, her sisters behind her brandishing an assortment of cruel weapons of torture, I felt a chill. I thought it was over, but... well, at least this time we have Hyacinth and Grulgor. Although... that likely meant we would just kill a few more before we finally fell...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Seven

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Seven


    ¡°I shall kill you all!¡± the Kijo Matriarch continued to rant. I was mentally exhausted and my reserves of elemental energies were, while not empty, certainly running lower than I would like. At least I replenished my aether by killing that piece of shit Kitsune. Even so, there was no way I could allow the situation to escalate. Judging from what I could gather, it seemed that Eri had been forced to fight while I was engaged in battle, and on seeing my aggrieved expression, the four-tailed Kitsune smirked, her steaming pipe dangling from her plump lips.


    ¡°Well, this is quite the conundrum. Do be silent for a moment, Matriarch.¡± She said, and the Kijo howled back imprecations.


    ¡°You do not command me, fox! My sisters and I are of one mind...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t, do I?¡± the Kitsune said, her tone suddenly low, hard and cold, the exact opposite of the flirty, sultry persona she had projected before. Eri flinched, feeling oppressed, and the League radiating from the Kitsune was powerful, surpassing mine. ¡°Perhaps not, but if you continue being insolent, I will have to teach you the difference between us, Kijo.¡± At that, the Matriarch paused, eyes wary.


    ¡°You don¡¯t hear Red and Blue complaining any more, do you? We are the Hyakki Yagyo?. We fight, we die. Besides...¡± her gaze flickered over to me, before it alighted on Shaeula. ¡°It seems that Lord Nurarihyon smiles upon our little returning Kamaitachi here. Her ... husband too.¡± Her hard, oppressive image vanished almost as soon as it appeared, almost as if it was an illusion, though from the nervous Matriarch that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°After all, you can feel it, right?¡± she nodded to Urakaze and the two Oni.


    ¡°Ya, I get it. Seventy-First. Bit of a shock, ya know.¡± Blue said, shrugging.


    ¡°Yes. Lord Nurarihyon has accepted your argument.¡± Urakaze told me, and I was a little surprised. I didn¡¯t really think it would work, it was more me being facetious. But if Shaeula has ranked up in the Night Parade, that might be our ticket to getting out of here. I don¡¯t want to have to fight all those Kijo. Doing so would likely lead to our deaths, even if the situation didn¡¯t escalate further, unless I chose to rely on a terrible weapon, in which case the Kijo would... well, hopefully it won¡¯t come to that.


    Urakaze and the others looked towards the massive house-shaped carriage pulled by the huge snakes, and their gazes were respectful. ¡°Wait...¡± I asked, having a sudden bad feeling. ¡°Is... is Nurarihyon here?¡±


    ¡°Har. Har. Har.¡± The Red Oni laughed, amusement plain to see. ¡°Scared, man-thing? Well, you should be. Our lord, the Master of the Hyakki Yagyo?, yes, he¡¯s been watching the festivities. The others too, the big-shots.¡± He laughed again. ¡°Those who run afoul of the Parade, well, there is no escape.¡±


    Eri reached out a trembling hand to me and I took it, only to look at her, puzzled, as there was something off about her, not including the new catgirl stylings, which were rather cute, if not the image I imagined for her. The hands are quivering, and not from nervousness, it¡¯s as though the flesh itself isn¡¯t stable, somehow ephemeral... Before I could use my Eye to investigate it further, Shaeula spoke up, arms crossed, looking rather peevish.


    ¡°Threats, Oni? How-how disappointing. Have we not-not surpassed the trials you yourselves have set for us? Are the Hyakki Yagyo? so disappointing, as to be-be...¡±


    ¡°Enough of that, ya uppity weasel.¡± Blue sniffed. ¡°Listen to ya seniors. Maybe ya will learn something.¡±


    Shaeula looked offended at that, but she had grown up, so instead of protesting, she merely shut her mouth, her eyes glittering darkly. On seeing that, Red took over, a satisfied smile on his brutal face. ¡°Well, you can keep your cool. I worried you had your mothers¡¯ temper. Urakaze here can be as sharp as her winds.¡±


    ¡°I do not appreciate your insolence-insults.¡± Urakaze sneered. ¡°I shall take it from here.¡± She turned to us, Shaeula on one side of me, Eri on my other, Grulgor and Hyacinth beside me, and the cowering Yamato-san close by, his eyes darting to and fro, looking for an escape. Good luck with that. Even if Nurarihyon wasn¡¯t here, we are surrounded on all sides.


    ¡°Shaeula, my daughter. It is no mistake-error to say you are part of the Hyakki Yagyo?. And not merely-simply from my bloodline. You have taken your own place, and all of us can feel that. I am proud of you. Surprised-shocked, but proud. I... am sorry-apologetic that I had to leave you, and we will talk of this later. But for now...¡± she addressed the Parade. ¡°Shaeula is my daughter. Seventy-First of the Parade. Treat her with the respect-honour she deserves, lest you face my wrath, and the wrath of all the Itachi.¡±


    At her words, words Shaeula longed to hear, her eyes began to sparkle with tears, and with my free hand I pulled her into a hug. She seemed surprised and a bit embarrassed, though it was a bit harder to tell in her Kamaitachi form, but even so, I knew her well enough to sense her emotions. ¡°You did it. Your father, your mother. Both acknowledge you and your hard work. Your dreams, you¡¯ve made them come true. I guess our Oaths have been fulfilled.¡± I said.


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Shaeula denied, snuggling into my body, heedless of the gazes of the parade. ¡°This is just-just the start. We have further to go. I shall lead the Seelie Court back to glory, and perhaps...¡± she eyed the massive house, ambition burning bright in her amber eyes. ¡°... perhaps one day the Night Parade as well. After all, if there are ranks, I should surely be first, should I not-not?¡±


    ¡°She does not lack for ambition, this daughter of yours.¡± The Kitsune smiled. ¡°But first? Ambition should be combined with reason. Don¡¯t reach for the impossible, lest you suffer fatal misfortune.¡±


    ¡°Impossible? Tell that to Duke Myrcolaxriath.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Only a few scant months ago, I was rather-rather pathetic. In that short time, I have changed. I shall change further, I have no-no doubt.¡±


    It was then that a Tengu descended, beady eyes glittering in a crimson face with a bizarrely elongated nose. The black-feathered wings it bore reminded me unpleasantly of the Raven Knight, and Shaeula must have thought the same, as she regarded it with some disdain.


    ¡°Kamaitachi, I challenge...¡± it began, only for Urakaze to step forwards. ¡°... no, not you, mighty superior winds, but your...¡± he then cut off his words as the wind flashed, nigh-invisible, and thin beads of blood leaked from a shallow gouge on his neck. Seeing flesh so red go pale from fright is quite the surreal sight.


    ¡°I would never interfere with the right of challenge. Not in front-before of the great abode of Nurarihyon.¡± Urakaze whispered, her tone dangerous. ¡°But now is not-never the time, is it? Can you not see we have much still to discuss. The Matriarch...¡± she looked at the mob of Kijo coldly. ¡°... will not be satisfied, and I believe there are many-more others too, who wish this unusual matter resolved.¡±


    ¡°I... yes, later¡± the Tengu flapped away, relieved to be alive, and several other bizarre Yokai who looked like they were interested in challenging Shaeula also backed down.


    ¡°My daughter, Shaeula. She is one of us. Therefore her dispute-fight with the Oni is merely... one of typical difference of opinion-wills. More bloody and deadly than usual, but who amongst us can say-speak we have not killed other Yokai for petty reasons or old grudges?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I concede. It was merely bad luck my poor dumb bro got involved. He always was a fool, too proud of his size and meagre strength.¡± Red gnashed his fangs, lamenting. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure he was a bastard, no kin of mine should be so dumb.¡± He nodded to me. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll claim price instead of blood. I want alcohol. For my bro and the dead Oni, a barrel apiece. Good stuff too.¡±


    ¡°You might not be an evil man, just a foolish and arrogant one. But... will that soothe the cries of the parents of the dead? Or cover the losses of Mine-san and the others? Every one of us Candidates is precious. How many people will die as their abilities are lost?¡± It felt a bit hypocritical to say this, as I had basically destroyed Kondou Kazuo and his ability, but even so, there was a massive difference between him and Mine-san.


    ¡°All the more reason to help me!¡± he hissed, cowering in his ring of Warriors.


    Looks like I¡¯m out of options. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but... ¡°Well, how about this?¡± I asked the fuming Matriarch, ignoring Yamato-san while I considered our options. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend it, but... one more battle. You and as many of your sisters, versus us and any who wish to aid us. After all...¡± I looked out over the crowd, who were still enraptured by the tense emotion on display, their craving for entertainment of the most visceral kind being satisfied. ¡°... the Hyakki Yagyo? is a place Shaeula can call home too, but if Eri was to die here, she could never feel at peace here. And I¡¯d put all my effort into exterminating every Yokai in Japan. I¡¯m not Kannon, I don¡¯t forgive that. I may not need vengeance for the slain, but for Eri? The Parade would burn. Even if it took me an eternity!¡±


    ¡°Bold words...¡± Rumbled the hitherto silent one-legged white giant. ¡°... but fair ones. This grows boring, all this talk. Vengeance this, my slain sister that. Fight or forgive.¡± He looked down with a single, massive eye at Yamato-san below, licking his lips with a huge, disturbing tongue. ¡°We have other, sweeter matters to attend to. Matriarch of the Kijo. Decide.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± she eyed the Oni and Urakaze.


    ¡°Ya can do this alone.¡± Blue said to me. ¡°Ya made the suggestion, foolish and arrogant as it is.¡±


    ¡°I shall stand aside.¡± Urakaze also demurred. ¡°I trust you would not be so foolish-idiotic to have no plan, hmm?¡± her gaze flickered to Hyacinth so quickly I doubt many others noticed, though the Kitsune seemed to, her grin sly.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m tempted to swing my fists, I could use a workout, but...¡± Red looked at me, and seeing I was confident, he shrugged. ¡°... I¡¯ll stay as a watcher. Don¡¯t die, I want my booze to toast the fallen.¡±


    ¡°I will fight. Shaeula, Eri, Grulgor and Hyacinth too.¡± I said, surprising my companions.


    ¡°But, Eri, she is not-not in a fit state...¡± Shaeula began, only for her gaze to fall on a small droplet of water I created. A knowing look crossed her vision, before she nodded. ¡°... but, yes, I see-see. Eri, you should stick close to me. Grulgor, you as well, I shall need-need a defender.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Eri nodded, her head wobbling on a rubbery, unsteady neck.


    ¡°This is all so very pointless.¡± I said, advising the Kijo Matriarch, and more importantly, the watching Yokai of the Night Parade. ¡°Needless death won¡¯t benefit anyone. We all need to pull together. Humans, Fae, Yokai, those chosen by the Gods, and more. We stand or fall together. I¡¯d welcome a non-aggression pact, trade, alliances, and more. But not at the cost of anyone I care about. So let me just say this. Let this finally be an end to it.¡±


    ¡°You think you can win? Kijo are hardly weak-feeble, my daughter.¡± Urakaze said softly. ¡°And the Matriarch is powerful, if not on my level.¡±


    ¡°I am confident. Though Akio is right. This is quite-quite foolish. A pity.¡± She had begun to pour her own spirit water into Eri. Droplets of black ooze were running down her legs and arms, smoking as they hit the floor, and my Eye could see the curse screaming within her. To keep attention off Shaeula and Eri, I talked ostentatiously to Hyacinth.


    ¡°We need maximum virulence, right from the start. Don¡¯t worry about me or anyone else, I¡¯ll make sure things work out.¡± I had wanted to seal this terrible ability, but... it seems to be needed. I¡¯m too tired to take on a mob of Kijo all by myself, and the Matriarch is around about my strength, I¡¯d imagine... if only she would listen to reason, although... I hated myself for thinking it, but if Aiko died, I too perhaps would have gone mad and demanded vengeance, although I hoped I wouldn¡¯t get anyone else I cared for killed trying to get it, like the foolish Matriarch was about to do.


    Hyacinth cocked her head. ¡°Are yooou sure, master? That is quite dangerous. I do not wish to hurt you ooor anyone else.¡±


    I reached out and rubbed her hair. ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of the fallout. Just be ready to nullify them when I give the word, okay?¡±


    She nodded, her face expressionless, darkness back in her eyes. I hated to see it, as I liked the happier, more expressive Hyacinth, but we had been pushed to this. Yamato-san was torn, even surrounded by his Golden Warriors, he looked afraid, a host of unfriendly Yokai leering at him, so he didn¡¯t want to leave our protection, but he also didn¡¯t want to fight the Matriarch and her troops.


    ¡°Enough talk. I shall tear you apart, bitch!¡± she snarled at Eri, before pausing. ¡°Urakaze, if your daughter is slain, you will not hold me responsible? I would prefer if she stands aside. Even though the blood of my sisters is on her hands too, I would not provoke you...¡± she was starting to realise the position she was in, but was too full of hatred to back down.


    ¡°She decides for herself. I have little-no rights to speak, since I left her behind.¡± She barely answered the Matriarch, instead talking to Shaeula. ¡°Now, I have much to discuss. About your Kamaitachi, and what I promised. And...¡± she paused, and I actually thought she looked cute, as she fidgeted, embarrassed. ¡°... about your father. So do not die-fall here.¡±


    ¡°He misses you.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°But... yes, let us be done with this. We must-must return to the Material and clean up the bitter mess the fool Yamato has left us with.¡±


    As the crowd separated, the Matriarch gathered her sisters, a mass of the vile females gathering. We were significantly outnumbered, and her smile was malicious. I exchanged a look with Shaeula, who had guessed my intent from the conversation with Hyacinth. She nodded, and I drew my remaining Fang, though it was unlikely I would need it.


    ¡°Then let this farce be ended.¡± The four-tailed Kitsune smirked. ¡°Fun though this has all been, there are other matters we need to attend to. Begin!¡± she gestured with her pipe, and Hyacinth and I dashed forwards, while Grulgor, Shaeula and Eri moved backwards, away from the battle. Surprised, the Kijo swarmed towards us, dozens of them brandishing cruel hooks, blades and cleavers. It was then that Shaeula declared ¡°Emerald Wind Prison!¡± and a whirling barrier of wind sealed us all from view. I threw my own wind energy into the jade swirls around us, strengthening them, creating a swirling dome, and as the Matriarch rushed at me, mouth gaping open, talismans sparking to life around her, ready to inflict a host of curses on us, I nodded to Hyacinth. ¡°Do it now. No mercy. Flood the area.¡±


    With a gleeful expression, Hyacinth cackled. ¡°Yes, Akiooo. Only for you, I would kill an army! Die!¡± A tide of nature element rose from her, and a billowing cloud of spores so dense they were visible rolled from her flesh, mushrooms and fungi sprouting all over her skin, giving her a hideous appearance. The Kijo were momentarily surprised by the thick mist, before ploughing into it, unawares. As it touched me I felt my skin burn, and I immediately started to discolour, my Ether Healing struggling, even with my previous exposures. Yeah, this one is far nastier than the last strain. Either she¡¯s been practising, or her body is evolving them itself...


    It was then, my Eye piercing through the deadly soup of toxic spores, revealing the staggering, seemingly drunken enemies, that the screaming began...

 Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight / Side Ninety-Six – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight / Side Ninety-Six ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    ¡°What... is this?¡± the closest Kijo screamed in utter torment as fungal growths began consuming flesh from both within and without, tendrils and fronds of malicious growths surging free, fibrous roots spreading down into the soil below, corrupting her and her nearby sisters. Even as they struggled, Hyacinth let out a harsh giggle, and vines ripped free from the ground, snaring the struggling victims and wringing the fading life from them, the snapping of bones echoing through the barrier, muted by the thick toxic smog of spores.


    Ether scattered, most of it being drawn into Hyacinth, but there was enough spare for me to absorb, converting it to aether to accelerate my Ether Healing. I cut free the more corrupted, discoloured patches of my skin, slowing the growths, and was using air element to fill my lungs, meaning I didn¡¯t have to breathe in the spores. Once my exposure increases my resistance I should be fine, but... I looked at the carnage around us, which was far worse than even I had expected and once more reaffirmed my decision to keep Hyacinth from using such biological terror wherever possible. But it was the only way to finish off this situation. The Kijo Matriarch was refusing to back down...


    ¡°Defences!¡± the Matriarch cried. ¡°It is some sort of poison! Use detoxifying talismans and set up barriers!¡± she hacked and coughed, her hair a tangled knot of growing mushrooms and fungi, their caps vivid and virulent, reds and purples speckled with white and grey dots. Her own curse talismans flared out, and even though she was being consumed by the pestilence, she had the strength of will to cast her attacks. Streaks of dark light flew towards Hyacinth, energy fizzling and throwing off inky sparks, and I reacted instinctively, throwing up barriers of earth, wind and flame using a decent amount of my remaining elemental energies.


    ¡°Thank yooou!¡± Hyacinth declared as the soundless black explosions detonated against my conjured obstructions. ¡°Hyacinth can tell, that wooould have been bad.¡± she sniffed, more nature element flickering around her, a brownish-red ochre halo surrounding her. ¡°Nasty creatures, unwilling tooo accept the mercy you offered them!¡± More vines and more screams. One Kijo was hoisted up, her ribs showing as the flesh had been eaten away, only to be torn in two.


    ¡°My sisters...¡± the Matriarch half-screamed, half-sobbed. Several of her long, pointed teeth had fallen out of her now-mouldy gums, and she coughed blood and spores. ¡°I shall see you all burn for eternity, your souls... guh, kah...¡± more coughing, her flesh starting to bubble. ¡°... my toys for me to torment! I shall not fall so easily!¡± she withdrew another talisman, though her hand erupted into corrupted growth and disintegrated, dropping it. Even so, it burst into prismatic light, and through what I could see with my Eye, I was surprised... She¡¯s become a being of pure spirit, a bit like Haru-san? With no flesh to cling to, the Matriarch was safe from the deadly spores, and other surviving Kijo were likewise shedding their fleshy forms, becoming flickering, pale ghosts, though their translucent visages remained warped and scarred by the savage damage wrought by Hyacinth.


    ¡°So many dead, so many within me!¡± the Matriarch declared. ¡°When I kill you two, I shall then seek vengeance on the others. All will perish to assuage my guilt and grief!¡± she reached out with her remaining see-through hand, and the dark flames that remained of her attempts to curse Hyacinth formed a sea of twisting serpentine shapes, rearing up as if ready to crush us. A dozen flittering Kijo were moving to surround us, all that remained of those trapped within our elemental dome. So many died so quickly. No wonder that the Spring was considered impossible to retake. Ghostly balls of flame were appearing around them, flickering and burning, and talismans were clutched in pale hands, or even between the teeth of those whose bodies had already been thoroughly ravaged.


    ¡°Well, no point in suffering the spores if they can¡¯t be hurt anymore.¡± I said, and Hyacinth nodded, another exhalation of mist leaving her, decomposing and inactivating her first wave of biological terror. I blinked away the amber letters that had crossed my vision, Split Thoughts running rapidly to work out how to counter the incoming wave of curses, and as the agonising pain diminished, mushrooms and fungi digging into my flesh withering and shrivelling up, Ether Healing repairing the damage swiftly, Hyacinth smirked, her violet eyes hard. ¡°Yooou said you wanted them dead, Akio. I can dooo it. Their petty tricks will nooot...¡± even before she could finish her words, the serpents of dark flame crashed down towards us, forcing us to react quickly, evading their cursed maws...


    ********


    As I continued to pour spirit water into Eri, seeking to guide it to where the curse lingered within her with my Chirurgery, purging the hideous, dark remnants that oozed from her trembling body like filthy black slime, I shook my head in concern. I am of course pleased that Eri survived. When I saw that vile Kijo bitch cut off her limbs and tear the flesh from her, I thought I would die from grief. My rage was so blinding that I lost control of myself. I did feel somewhat guilty for the injuries I inflicted upon the nearby Yokai who tried to stop me interfering, though fortunately it seemed even though I had driven many to near-death, none would actually die, as those of the Parade that could heal would take care of them. Good. I do dislike needless killing. It is a terrible waste, Akio is right. Needful killing, however... my attention flickered over to the Emerald Wind Prison I had cast and Akio had strengthened. Well, we tried to end it without too much bloodshed, but leaving an enemy behind who has no sense of honour or fairness is folly...


    ¡°Shaeula, is... is it bad?¡± Eri asked me, picking up on my discomfort, and I cursed myself for worrying her, though I suppose I did need to talk about it.


    ¡°Fear not, Eri.¡± I reached out a hand and patted her head, as Akio did for us. ¡°It is not-not good by any means, but compared to being dead, well, we can manage, can we not-not? However...¡±


    ¡°However?¡± She asked, wincing as her body quivered and more foul impurities were expelled. The strange state of her astral body and chakra network had reduced the effect of the Kijo¡¯s curse on her, so it was likely I could soon break it, allowing Eri to return to the Material, but...


    ¡°While your body has healed here, even if it seems quite-quite unstable...¡± I began, unsure of how to say it. ¡°... you are aware damage is transferred between bodies, are you not-not?¡±


    Eri nodded weakly, and I saw the glimmer of understanding in her pretty, dark eyes. As well as resignation. I knew it. She has obviously considered it, she is no fool. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen Akio hurt, and I¡¯ve been hurt myself. I know. My body... it probably isn¡¯t in a good state at all.¡±


    ¡°I can tell.¡± I said, sighing. ¡°Your body certainly did-did heal when you restored yourself through the power of that thieving cat. And I am using Ether Healing to repair what other damage I can-can, while trying to stabilise your ever-changing network via Chirurgery. However... your limbs...¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, it makes sense.¡± Tears glimmered in her eyes. ¡°I thought... well, it isn¡¯t like limbs grow back, do they? I¡¯m not him.¡± She nodded at Grulgor, who was watching the shimmering dome of wind silently. The wind formed a perfect seal, so we couldn¡¯t see or hear what was taking place within the jade expanse.


    ¡°Yes, that is the issue.¡± The Kitsune drawled, knowing her presence annoyed me, so she came in too close, her breath hot on me and Eri, who also shrank back from her. ¡°Assume that your dear husband, the slayer of my poor nai?ve young fox, triumphs... well, if he falls and is slain, you will all likely be next, so there is no issue. But if he were to... win...¡± she giggled, belying her advanced age. ¡°... well then, we would have lost the Seventy-First, the Fortieth, and plenty more besides.¡±


    Fortieth, I see. It was the first time I had heard the rank of the Matriarch. It was a bit lower than I had imagined, but it was still high enough to make me fear. ¡°Well, he will surely-surely win.¡± I declared, mostly to reassure myself.


    ¡°I think perhaps he might.¡± She agreed, surprising me. ¡°You clearly had a plan, and considering your maid and how those around her died... it isn¡¯t impossible. But then, if that was to happen, how can we maintain our dignity? Why, the Parade is not the only force of Yokai within these sacred lands, and there are foreign groups too, such as the Unseelie Court. Why, we can¡¯t simply lose all face. So... we would need a victory, something priceless...¡± and with that her gaze went to Yamato, who quivered, his whole body trembling. I could see his curse still lingered, even though it was starting to fade. Akio will not like that, but... is there another way? I do not think so... Putting that thought aside, ignoring the terrified Yamato, who to my mind would deserve any number of cruel fates, I continued to work on Eri, only for my mother to ask a question.


    ¡°Now, daughter. About the Kamaitachi. You said they were weak-feeble. But I am quite sure-certain I sent some of my finest to aid you. I would not leave you alone in such a dangerous-troublesome land. So speak. Tell me... what happened.¡±


    ********


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from One Hundred And One to One Hundred And Two. Your...


    Another level. Great, but... I breathed out, my whole body shuddering, as the spectral Kijo I had just slain with a volley of light element, mixed with my remaining stock of moonlight spirit water, dissolved with a scream, heralding the amber letters. Even so, the situation was still problematic. I noticed when I killed that piece of shit Kitsune and reached level one hundred, I didn¡¯t get the same sort of event that I did at level fifty. I can still feel the bracelet and the seeds growing stronger, but it seems I haven¡¯t grown enough to trigger another boost... a shame. I could really have used it now.


    ¡°Die for my fallen sisters!¡± The Matriarch was yelling. She was surrounded by glittering orbs of light that flickered and faded, and it reminded me of Kin Restoration, though it seemed that there was no restoration to it, merely an absorption of strength. My Eye could see glowing strands connecting the dead Kijo to her throat and third eye chakras, and she was powering her baleful curses through that additional might. Seems like a lot of Yokai like curses. Which is fortunate for me...


    I coughed, a mixture of blood, silvery mist and clumps of spores sodden with blackened impurities leaving my lungs. It seemed a Spiritually Pure Physique recognised the spores Hyacinth was creating as impurities, which made sense, so it was magnifying my Ether Healing. Without that, even I might have suffered far more damage...


    Purple and black flames sprayed down once more, and I countered with my dregs of Foehn, yellow meeting inky and dark. They exploded, and droplets of fire that burned endlessly, and fire that inflicted damage directly to one¡¯s spirit, began to rain down around us. Through it all bounded Hyacinth. Her dress, already torn and riddled with arrows, was now little more than rags, matching the Kijo, and her skin was covered by livid burns and she shimmered with the remnants of many curses, ones to cause pain, befuddle the mind and more. Even so, she¡¯s beautiful. Beautiful and terrible.


    ¡°You should never have tried tooo harm mistress Eri or disobey Akiooo!¡± she cried, her violet-silver eyes hard. She was radiating strength, having rapidly grown stronger as her spores reaped a heavy toll of the Kijo, her levels increasing dramatically. She had mixed darkness element into the released second wave, and those spores could even attack beings that had no tangible body, such as the Kijo who had shed their flesh and donned ghostly forms. It had hardly gone all our own way, as the few surviving Kijo adapted, and we were discovering weaknesses to her deadly biological cargo, but even so, now only the Matriarch and another couple remained.


    ¡°Burn away!¡± one Kijo brandished talismans with old kanji for ¡®flame¡¯ upon them, and a torrent rushed down, detonating. The wind-dome surrounding us shook, as the ignited spores rapidly cooked off and blew up, in a phenomenon likely similar to a dust explosion. The searing wind drove into our bodies, but with our stats we pushed through, and beams of light pierced the Kijo who had woven such an art in multiple places, her wraith-form disintegrating. Two left. The Matriarch had surrounded herself with a glittering barrier, and though her form too was riddled with damage where she had been forced to cut away her flesh lest she be consumed, now her defences seemed able to keep out the spores and my attacks, whereas the initial barriers they had erected were vulnerable to the microscopic agents of ruin, perhaps not even realising they were within the thick mist.


    ¡°First Weal. Rapid Regrowth.¡± Hyacinth chortled, drawing on the Unseelie arts she possessed. The drifting fireflies that were smouldering spores raining down suddenly sprang back into life, floating back towards the surviving Kijo, and with a scream it began to corrode, translucent flesh blackening. The Matriarch roared as her last sister present was being killed, but with her barrier up, she could not be hurt, but could not interfere too.


    Clever. Hyacinth really is a genius when it comes to this sort of thing. A Walking Plague indeed. The few dead spores that were within the barrier also sprang back to life, and the Matriarch screamed. Even so, she was not faltering, unwilling to go down into death.


    ¡°Vile wretches! I shall surely slay you all! Even should I die, I will send you to Yomi!¡± and with that ominous proclamation, she reached out and grabbed one of the souls of her dead sisters, before forcing it into her mouth and chomping down with ragged, broken teeth. There was a sickening slurping sound, and her spectral form shimmered, her fungus-ravaged flesh restoring itself. She reached for another, and another, and her power was growing, a darkness radiating from her that even the drifting spores seemed unable to easily penetrate.


    Hyacinth and I exchanged a look. Well, I never thought this would be easy...

 Two Hundred And Eighty-Nine

    Two Hundred And Eighty-Nine


    As the Matriarch continued to devour the remains of her sisters¡¯ spirits, the darkness around her grew, thick and oily, shimmering with bruised tones of purple, green and blue. More of the serpents of fire were growing from the veil of her darkness, in a disgusting parody of Shaeula¡¯s wind weasels, only comprised of shadowy flames. Still, Hyacinth was undeterred, and she was determined to bring the Kijo who threatened us down. Even with the curses afflicting her, she is much faster than usual. Well, she has certainly gained enough levels during this battle. It¡¯s a glut of the sort I had genociding the Myconids... In fact, she had likely gained more strength in one go, though perhaps that was because most of the Myconids died at a distance and indirectly. No, there¡¯s no time to ponder the intricacies of the levelling system now...


    ¡°First Woe!¡± Hyacinth called, the energy she had received from regrowing the spores (which was a fascinating use, as the weal had been turned into an attack as well by that method) being converted into a shimmering cloud of polluted nature energy. ¡°Cruelsucking Vines!¡± The already burning and furrowed ground exploded upwards, showering us with dirt, and a number of waist-thick, thorny tendrils snaked out, growing rapidly, until they twisted and crawled around the barrier the Kijo was hiding in.


    ¡°Uh, Hyacinth...¡± I asked. ¡°If the Woe doesn¡¯t hurt her, then won¡¯t you face backlash?¡± I asked, remembering the Raven Knight and the sorry state he was in after the Jaws of the Questing Beast missed me.


    ¡°I am busy right nooow Akio.¡± Hyacinth said, surprising me, her face twisted into an expression of concentration. ¡°But even if I fail, I will endure, as the Woe... I can pay the backlash. But it...¡± her expression turned cruel once more. ¡°Will nooot come to that. I do not wish to worry you. Nooor let her escape just punishment!¡± Her hand tightened, and the thorns of the vines dug into the barrier. It flexed, groaning, and the Matriarch cried out in her own madness, jeering and mocking her seemingly futile efforts.


    ¡°Useless! My barrier is strong! And fuelled by my sisters¡¯ sufferings! Wait there, vile pests, and be consumed by the curses of my slain sisters!¡± she slurped up another spirit-light, the flames growing in intensity, seeming to draw in the faint light around her.


    ¡°We will see whooo is useless, arrogant pest!¡± Hyacinth shot back, a surge of deep blue darkness element injected into the vines. They shone brilliantly for a moment, before the light was concentrated within the thorns, which suddenly started pulsing, as though they were alive. Well, more... animal than plant, I mean. It looks like the beating of a heart... the barrier began to crumble, the thorns sucking the energy from the ward, darkness consuming it. Hyacinth was starting to look unwell, perhaps early signs of a backlash, but then a thorn pierced the shoulder of the Matriarch, her ethereal body wounded by the darkness element.


    ¡°Second Weal. Dark Moon Blossoming.¡± She intoned the minute the thorn struck home. The vines sprouted pale white flowers, though they were threaded with veins of blue, pulsing similarly to the thorns. As the flowers opened, looking somewhat like strange, distorted full moons, a shining light was radiated from the flowers, surrounding us and the Matriarch, looking eerily pretty yet somehow baleful at the same time.


    Pandemonium Curse Flowers ¨C This light is shed by the wicked flowers that grow around Pandemonium, the Dark Court of the Unseelie. These flowers feed upon darkness and light element, especially energies profane and cursed, as well as beings without physical forms. They then radiate a light that mitigates the effect of such curses, weakening beings that use them, allowing them to feed unopposed.


    Immediately as the light fell on me, I could feel the remaining dregs of spirt water within my body react, and my Spiritually Pure Physique was temporarily strengthened. My pores ejected drips of remnant curse energy that had built up during the battle, and with renewed vigour I glared up at the hovering Matriarch, who seemed to be struggling, her translucent face somehow seeming paler than before. The spirit-lights of her dead sisters were suffering more though, starting to smoke and shrink under the light, and as one drifted too close to a thorn it was pierced, the flower greedily drinking it away to nothing as the Matriarch screeched.


    ¡°Great job, Hyacinth!¡± I approved, turning to her, only to see she was labouring, the light obviously having some effect on her, though her smile was reassuring. ¡°I am fine, I assure yooou, Akio.¡± She huffed, drawing in a shuddering breath. ¡°I am a Grey Fae now, the flowers shall nooot hurt me much.¡± She shuddered then, and not from pain. ¡°I remember...¡± she whispered, silver-violet eyes distant. ¡°The pretty flowers, yet cruel. Sometimes they threw me intooo the vines, and the thorns dug deep. I thrashed and wailed, I did cry ooout for mercy, but all they did was laugh at me, and...¡± she was cut off by my sudden hug, enfolding her, heedless of the Matriarch above.


    ¡°... don¡¯t worry. Those days are over. Now, we need to finish this, so we can all go home. Eri, Shaeula, they¡¯re waiting for us to finish this.¡± I whispered, and she managed a smile.


    ¡°Yes. In yooour arms, I dooo not feel so scared. Not anymore.¡± She looked at the Matriarch as she gathered up her flame-snakes which began to fall towards us, their numbers and strength many times greater than her previous barrages, although vines and thorns snaked out, dragging some in to be absorbed.


    ¡°Second Woe!¡± Hyacinth declared proudly. ¡°Poison unto poison!¡± as the snakes fell on us, I blocked what I could, shielding Hyacinth and deflecting strikes at our heads and vitals. Even so, we couldn¡¯t escape injury, dark flames searing into us. Even so, the flames were... weaker... than I anticipated, and they appeared. My skin charred painfully, but then the flames went out, black ooze running down my burnt skin and dripping to the ground, the curse energy within rejected. I see. The flowers... Hyacinth was wreathed in flames too, suffering more than I was, but her newfound strength and toughness, coupled with her resistance to such curses and darkness, as well as the weakening light of the Curse Flowers, enabled her to push through. It was then the Matriarch screamed, as her own snakes rebounded at her. She dodged and weaved, only to be attacked by more ever-hungry thorny vines, the light disintegrating her slowly. She turned her attacks on the flowers rather than us, and some vines fell, but others merely smouldered fitfully under her barrage.


    ¡°Damn you, this should not be possible...¡± the Matriarch whined as she was struck by her own attacks. Dark light burst around her, and she stumbled, screaming. ¡°No, this... I must...¡± with that she started to clothe herself in flesh once more, a disgusting sight as aether was sucked into her, forming innards, before layers of muscles, fat and flesh grew over it. When she was done, she was breathing heavily, covered in deep burns and fitfully burning indigo and black flames, yet now she was smiling bitterly, only a handful of lights remaining around her, two of which she grabbed and bit into like foul apples. ¡°You shall surely suffer endlessly.¡± She crunched through her sisters. ¡°But your ploys have failed.¡± The radiance of the Curse Flowers had little effect on her now she had regained flesh, and Hyacinth was weakening.


    ¡°Nooow, attack and I will prepare an opening!¡± Hyacinth declared. ¡°Third Weal. From Darkness... Grow Strong.¡± She fell to her knees, nearly spent, as a surge of aether she had accumulated from the many slain Kijo poured into me, along with a cloud of her remaining darkness energy. Wait, what about the Third Woe? Will you be all right?


    Before I could speak, she shook her head. ¡°I will be fine. Attack nooow!¡±


    ¡°This curse is the most powerful I can cast.¡± The Matriarch said coldly, her rage having exceeded her limits and dousing her temper. The remaining soul-lights were consumed, and she stood alone, her eyes becoming inly black pits that seemed to suck in the light around her, even the flowers starting to tremble and shy away from her, the vines shifting warily, petals curling inwards. ¡°Taste all the resentment, hatred and rage of my slain sisters, and the boiling yet freezing fury I feel within!¡± A single talisman, heavy with blood and curses, was produced from her ragged sleeve and burst, dyeing the skies black, so that all I could see was her.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked, and she looked down, nervous. ¡°Akiooo. Does... does it nooot worry you, frighten you, that I can wreak such havoc, that where I walk, peooople die? Now the battle is ooover, I cannot help but worry. I wooould hate it if you feared me, but if you... ouch!¡± she looked at me, teary-eyed, as I poked her in the forehead, annoyed.


    ¡°Do you really think that? Hyacinth, I was the one who led you down this path. It is a terrible power...¡± as we talked earnestly, the wind dome isolating the battleground beginning to crumble, I held her close. ¡°... which is why we need to use it sparingly. If everyone starts fighting this way, all that will remain is death. It¡¯s like mutually assured destruction. But when we must, we will. Today... has been just awful. I could never have imagined the deaths. Though I should have. I¡¯ve been nai?ve, foolish.¡± I was starting to see through the fading barrier of wind, and I could make out Shaeula and Eri peering through at me, Eri still with those ridiculous yet cute cat ears, and I felt relief. I knew that curse was full of shit, even so, it was so painfully real. Well, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be much of a deadly curse if it wasn¡¯t. If my League or Resilience was a bit lower, or I wasn¡¯t buffered by the light from those plants, my mind could well have shattered, crippling or killing me. It was luck. Again. First against the Kitsune, now the Matriarch. ¡°We¡¯ve been relying too much on things going our way. And we¡¯ve suffered for it. Eri is grievously hurt, and... people are dead. Even in the aftermath, we¡¯ve had to ride our luck again and again. But no more. This... was a hard lesson, and one I have to bear the sorrow of for as long as I live. But...¡± I said, reassuring her. ¡°You no longer have to fear being thrown into the thorns, I can assure you, you¡¯re mine, Hyacinth, and so long as you want, I¡¯ll never abandon you. How could I?¡± I sighed. ¡°If losing people I didn¡¯t know well like Mine-san and the trainees hurts this much, I could never bear to lose you. Though after I nearly lost Shiro, I should have realised I was weak to this sort of loss.¡±


    ¡°Akio, Hyacinth!¡± Eri called, rushing over, though her gait was unsteady, her legs looking as though she was an awkwardly put-together puppet. ¡°How are you, did you win?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Eri.¡± Shaeula followed, looking equally anxious. ¡°I could tell-tell they were fine, as the Emerald Wind Prison was receiving wind energy from Akio the whole time. Well...¡± she grinned. ¡°You two look awful. But...¡± her amber gaze took in Hyacinth. ¡°Hmph. Your strength has increased significantly. I am quite-quite impressed. You have done well, Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mistress Shaeula!¡± she said, eyes glimmering. ¡°It was hard, but I cooould not allow her to live, if she wished to kill mistress Eri!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hyacinth.¡± Eri joined in the hug I was sharing with Hyacinth, though her skin felt cold, clammy, which worried me. ¡°You got so hurt... Akio, just what were you doing?¡±


    I exchanged a wry look with Grulgor, who was staying back. It was amazing how tactful he had become recently. Shrugging, I spoke to Eri. ¡°Sorry. Seriously, without Hyacinth, I don¡¯t think I would have won. The Matriarch was terribly strong. Though like Duke Myrcolaxriath, the matchup was bad for her. Hyacinth held nothing back for you, so... consider her wounds badges of honour, marks of pride. I¡¯m sure she sees them that way.¡±


    ¡°I dooo!¡± she nodded frantically, as the leaders of the Hyakki Yagyo? approached. ¡°Besides, you are hurt far wooorse than I, mistress Eri! How are you?¡±


    ¡°She is... well, not-not fine, not-not at all. But she will live. Her Material body is likely in a terrible state. We must-must attend to that soon. And the curse is almost broken, so...¡± exhaustion was writ on Shaeula¡¯s face from her efforts in Ether Healing and curse-expelling.


    ¡°Well, I thought you might win.¡± The Kitsune chuckled, looking at the disgusting mushroom-field that was the remains of the Matriarch. ¡°She never did know when to withdraw from a losing battle.¡± She sucked on her pipe, blowing out smoke, a sultry sigh on her lips. ¡°I see you are still Seventy-First.¡± She told Shaeula. ¡°I guess your man didn¡¯t kill her himself, so Lord Nurarihyon didn¡¯t accept it as your victory. A pity, but better for you, perhaps. Rising too far, too fast... well, look at my poor young foxling and his fate.¡± She grinned, biting the decorated system of her pipe playfully.


    ¡°Indeed. You should be cautious-careful, to rise is to make many foes-enemies.¡± Urakaze observed. She looked at Hyacinth and me, her expression tense, before her golden-amber eyes turned softer. ¡°Well, I can hardly disapprove of you as a husband for my Shaeula now, can I? You are strong-powerful, and you care for each other. And my carelessness-inattentiveness nearly cost Shaeula her life. I am most angry-furious.¡±


    Wait? What¡¯s this about? Before I could answer, a frantic Yamato-san called out to me. ¡°Oshiro-san. You survived. Well, I had no doubt you would!¡± he was huddling within a ring of his Golden Warriors, his face terribly pale and haggard. Numerous Yokai were surrounding him, watching, mocking smiles on their faces. ¡°You can¡¯t let this happen! I¡¯m the heir to Kiyomizu-dera, and my father heads Susanoo! You came to Kyoto at our invitation!¡±


    Damn, what did I miss? It seemed that whatever had passed between Shaeula and Urakaze wasn¡¯t all that had happened while we fought. It was then that an even greater commotion occurred, as the great house-shrine that was the centre of the Night Parade suddenly groaned, the great door on one side opening, steam hissing out, condensing as it hit the still, cold air of the Kyoto Boundary. Out walked a single figure, who at first resembled a very tall human, a priest, wearing rich red robes and much jewellery. His robes trailed behind him, and dozens of smaller humanoid Yokai were holding them off the ground. A priest, here? No, he... he only has one eye!


    ¡°It¡¯s the Grand Hitotsume Nyu?do?!¡± Red declared, surprised.


    ¡°Ya, been a long time since any of the old-timers have left Lord Nurarihyon¡¯s side.¡± Blue agreed. ¡°Not a good time for it, though. The Parade has been shamed. Pretty badly, don¡¯t ya think?¡±


    As the cyclopean priest strode forwards, he grew in size with every step, until he was towering ten metres tall, impossibly large, the ground shaking with his steps. His train had grown too, and it was now like an army of one-eyed Grulgors. The presence, the League, was powerful too, matching, no likely even surpassing that of the Kitsune and Urakaze. I felt tense, my breath coming in hot gasps, and I exchanged a look with Shaeula, to which she shook one hand a little. Shit, Eri still needs a little more time. Even if I was fresh, full of energy, I doubt I could take him on alone. Spores? No, if we use it here, then the whole Parade will attack, and we¡¯ll be wiped out.


    No, my only option was to stall, as we had been doing up until now. Meeting his piercing gaze, I waited, until he finally spoke. With one massive hand he gestured, back towards the huge house. ¡°Come. Lord Nurarihyon wishes to converse with you. He has wisdom and warnings to impart, and... reparations to claim.¡±


    Wait, what? My thoughts were drowned out by the incredulous shouts and bellows of the Hyakki Yagyo?, that Lord Nurarihyon would deign to ask for a mortal. Seriously? My thoughts went to Eri, who needed just a little more time, and all I could do was nod slowly. Shit, ever since Yamato-san foolishly caused this mess, we¡¯ve been having to come up with plans on the fly to get out of trouble, the only problem is, each one succeeds, but not fully, and just lands us in a worse situation. If... when... we get back to the Material, we have to take stock, and change how we do things. Holding in a sigh, I followed the one-eyed giant, while Eri, Shaeula, Hyacinth and Grulgor looked on, their grim expressions showing exactly what they thought of this turn of events...

 Two Hundred And Ninety

    Two Hundred And Ninety


    Approaching the huge temple-house, I felt nervous. One of the great snakes that pulled it hissed at me, a tongue bigger than I was flicking out and tasting the air. The junction where the chains were anchored to the snakes by massive spikes driven between the scales was crusted with dried blood, and I was torn at the casual cruelty and sheer scale of the act, the chains looking like they could anchor medieval battleships. Ahead of me, the Grand Hitotsume Nyu?do?, or giant one-eyed priest, stopped at the entrance to the huge house, his train of troll-sized fellow priests pulling the fabulous trailing cloth of his robes out of my way, so I could ascend the steps.


    Into darkness. Ugh, I don¡¯t want to do this, but until Eri is out of here... with one last look back at my wary companions, I swallowed once, steeling myself, before mounting the steps, and heading up to the dark portal that was still exuding a fine, cold mist. With each step, my legs felt heavier and heavier, and my body was shaking. It was as if I could start to feel the presence of a Territory, and something else.


    Damn, I¡¯m exhausted. If I have to fight, I can probably manage it, I did get a top-up of aether from my share of the Matriarch when she died, but against any foe comparable to her, or stronger... the cyclopean Yokai priest was staring at me, and I had no illusions I could take him. Even in my top condition, without my multiple tough trips to the Boundary since I arrived in Kyoto, it wasn¡¯t in my favour. With one last curse towards that idiot Yamato-san whose foolishness had led to all this, I took a faltering step into the dark doorway, and immediately aether and what little elemental essence I had started leaving me, an oppressive weight crushing down on my spirit.


    ¡°Wow, so... strong.¡± I gritted my teeth, my sister¡¯s favourite exclamation torn from me as I struggled against the Territory. It was strong, as strong as the Seelie Court that I had visited, but the difference was that while the Seelie Court was, if not welcoming to me, was accepting, as I was an invited guest, this one was hostile, and I once more realised why having a powerful Territory was so important. There¡¯s no way ordinary weaselkin or trolls would be able to put up much of a fight here until parts of the Territory were captured...


    My feet suddenly felt wet, and I splashed down into water up to my waist, surprising me. My eyes adjusted to the gloom within, and I realised the entire Territory was effectively a dungeon, space warped inside the house, and the black skies above rippled with deep purple and blue lights, much like aurora borealis. The spatial element in here is strong... I was standing in an ocean, that stretched further than my eyes could see, with the only land a series of obsidian spires jutting out, forming islands. In front of me was a series of pillars either just below or just above the surface of the inky ocean, and while I had never been to Ireland, my mother had in her youth, and her tales of the Giant¡¯s Causeway in the north of that country seemed remarkably similar. If I recall, wasn¡¯t the causeway something to do with the Fomorians? Huh, I wonder if I can actually find out, one day...


    With the door behind me having vanished, I was alone in the oppressive darkness, my strength waning. As the seas whipped up into small waves, spraying me with frigid water, I took a step onto the next pillar, and the one after that, slowly crossing the seas. As I did so, the Territory relaxed its grip on me, making me sigh in relief as it accepted me as a visitor, just as the Seelie Court had. Thank all the Gods for that. If I had to cross this being drained constantly, I think I¡¯d be kicked back to the Material before Eri...


    Now that I had some leeway, I looked around. It wasn¡¯t what I imagined the Night Parade¡¯s Territory to look like. But thinking about it, they travel Japan freely, so I suppose a mobile Territory makes sense. It¡¯s no stranger than the Fae¡¯s, anyway. As I continued to cross the sea, my sense of time numbed by the lack of any meaningful landmarks, I noticed that there were many huge, ominous shadows within the water. As I fixed my sight on one, I poured power into my Eye, and moments later, wished I had not.


    A colossal figure, making even the cyclopean priest look small, was watching me, head and shoulders above the surface of the water, black, featureless skin blending into the darkness of this place. Its eyes were like dull lamps, no iris or other discernible structure, and as it sank back without a trace, a massive plume of water rushed towards me, the waves nearly driving me from the path I was taking. Other similar shadows could be seen further out, rising and falling, all just heads and shoulders, with the same blank, staring eyes.


    Umi bo?zu [Grand Yokai] - ???


    Are they what are causing the tides with their movements? Chilled to the bone, soaked by the waves, I continued to cross. Flashes of brilliant lightning were now piercing the sky, all coming from the direction I was travelling, and as I traversed the seemingly endless causeway, an island loomed out of the gloom, the lightning flashing overhead. With my Eye I could see that the island was not bare and plain rock, like most of the smaller ones I had wound my way past. There was vegetation, trees and plants scattered about, and also... that house. It matches the design of the house-shrine I entered. Is that... picking up the pace I hurried across the pillars, even though I could see this island, it was still far distant.


    Eventually I reached the island, which had a set of rough-hewn steps leading up the cliffs. Using a little flame energy to dry myself off, I slowly ascended, feeling multiple powerful presences. Upon reaching the top, I emerged into a peaceful glade, grass underfoot springy and soft. Up ahead, in a clearing, sat the house, and outside was set an old-fashioned rocking chair, in which sat a strange-looking and wizened old man, with a puzzling, elongated head, the skin wrinkled and browned by age, wearing rich, Buddhist-style robes, yet the details of the robes were wrong, subtly showing disdain for the religion it represented. As I moved to appraise him with my Eye, he smiled, and I hastily cut off the flow of aether, immediately realising it would be a bad idea. His League, I¡¯ve never felt the like. In fact, my legs were trembling so hard, I barely saw the two other strange beings by him. Is this what it¡¯s like being an ordinary human when I release my full League? Shit, I need to be nicer to people...


    The first being was a large, four-legged animal. It looked like a cow, though judging by the shaking legs and proportions, perhaps it was a young calf? Though if it was just that, there would be nothing strange about it other than size. No, this calf had a human face, surprisingly beautiful, with long, flowing violet hair and matching eyes. And within those eyes, as our gazes met, I could see profound wisdom and sadness.


    The other being was a doll, of a small girl. At first I thought it might have been a Zashiki-Warashi, like Azuki, as it was cute and dressed in a beautifully-patterned child¡¯s kimono, with the sash seemingly woven from cloth-of-gold, but the feeling it gave off was very different, ominous and powerful. No, she¡¯s no less powerful than the Kitsune or the Red and Blue Oni. The calf too. Perhaps they are even stronger...


    ¡°Well, correct as ever, Uranai.¡± The strange old man who had such a powerful League, surely Nurarihyon himself, addressed the human-faced cow. ¡°We do have a visitor. One of the puppets of the Gods. Though... not using the power of one. Perplexing.¡±


    ¡°Prithee, have I ever uttered falsehoods, Nurarihyon-dono?¡± the cow-woman spoke, her tone old-fashioned, using vocabulary on old samurai from the warring states era might use, no, it was even more archaic than that.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say you have never been wrong.¡± He laughed, causing her to scowl. The doll was appraising me, her eyes hard, and he reached out a hand, stroking her head.


    ¡°Calm down Seirei, my dear. There is nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What do you wish for, dear?¡± she said, surprising me. Dear? They both called each other that?


    ¡°For now. Tea and sweets will do.¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡± The doll, Seirei said, and moments later an ornate table had appeared before us, steaming mugs of pleasant-smelling tea and plates piled high with steamed buns, skewers and other treats covering it. There was also a pair of ghostly female servers, transparent and wispy, but they quickly got to work.


    ¡°What do you wish for now, dear?¡± Seirei asked once more.


    ¡°Again, hmm? Well, a seat for our guest.¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡± She intoned, and I suddenly found myself seated by the table, facing the three of them, while one of the conjured servants pressed a steaming hot mug into my hand. Wait, what happened? I didn¡¯t notice I even moved...


    ¡°Confused?¡± Nurarihyon said, his smile appearing beneficent, but like his robes, there was a sense it was a false mask, and darker undercurrents lay beneath. ¡°As well you should be, servant of hollow Gods.¡± His smile twitched. ¡°Still, let it not be said that my hospitality is lacking. Drink, drink!¡±


    Well, I have no idea what is going on here, only that we had things to discuss, including.. reparations. Oh well, I¡¯ll have to hope Ether Healing can handle it if this is poison... the way I was manipulated just now, there¡¯s no escape for me except through Nurarihyon¡¯s say-so, unless I can flee to the Material. Taking a sip, I was surprised to find it was magnificent, the flavour rich yet not overpowering. ¡°This is good...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Of course it is. My dear wife prepared it.¡± he said, and I nearly spat out my tea.


    As the mug refilled with the fragrant brew, he took a sip, sighing like an old man. ¡°Ah yes. Predetermination. Destiny. I do miss the old days, where you humans understood your place. After all, Gods and Yokai, two sides of the same coin, ruled, and humans trudged along, ascribing meaning to every omen, to natural processes, to fate. There is no such thing as predetermination. And before you say something trite and stupid like then how does prophecy and foresight work, it¡¯s obvious. If you were to fight me now, you would lose. There is no preordained fate, it is simply a matter of... event following cause. Prophecy is simply having a great grasp on the causes and likely events. So your efforts, feeble as they are...¡± his smile was seemingly kind, but lacking any sort of human warmth or emotions. ¡°... have meaning. Were you weaker, or less prepared, then the events would have been different, and the same cause, with different events... has a different outcome. If you wish to prove it, you can always kill yourself next time. Nothing is absolute. Chance can always turn aside even the best laid, most certain outcomes. Do not make the mistake of feeling yourself immortal if your Foresight tells you there is no danger.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s similar to what Matsumoto-san said, with her definite and destined fates, though this is easier to visualise. Somehow it made me feel better, knowing that it was my hard work that kept me alive, not simply being a chosen one or some nonsense like that. ¡°Thanks for the advice. I guess... I like it better that way. Otherwise we are simply puppets, and nothing we do matters.¡± I suppose Nurarihyon wishes me no ill, else I¡¯d have no way of surviving, so Foresight should be screaming...


    ¡°Can the fate of a candle be seen next to the raging of a bonfire?¡± Nurarihyon scoffed, and I was getting a little tired of everyone seemingly reading my thoughts at will. ¡°Your feeble insights could not comprehend my actions. Even if your cause is a straight path, I can bring my effect to bear, shattering all certainties. Though...¡± he frowned. ¡°... I have other desires, at this moment.¡±


    ¡°What do you wish for, dear?¡± Seirei chirped, looking at me with contempt.


    ¡°Perhaps I wish for him to listen to my story, and make a wise decision, but I shall settle for his... undivided attention.¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡± She declared, and suddenly I was held rigid, my arms and back manacled to the chair, my neck held in restraints, so all I could do was look upon Nurarihyon.


    ¡°Uh, there¡¯s no need for this...¡± I said, unable to free myself. ¡°I am curious myself as to why you asked me here, and I have to discuss...¡±


    ¡°The pawns of the Gods, yes.¡± Nurarihyon said with some disgust. ¡°Of which you are one, even if the power you use is not directly from them, but simply an offshoot of a higher being. But then.. what are Gods? Are they different from Yokai, other spiritual beings? Can you answer?¡±


    I have wondered that. ¡°Well, considering in Japan we have the eight million kami, a lot of Yokai effectively are Gods? But I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not what you mean?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I mean beings such as Izanagi and Izanami, those higher beings.¡± He spat, his hand crushing the mug he held. It shattered, hot tea spilling. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t done that.¡±


    ¡°Granted, dear.¡± With her words time seemed to rewind and the mug was in his hand again.


    ¡°Well, I will not bore you with the actual details, as I am not someone who gives out knowledge for free.¡± His smile was cold. ¡°But... the true Gods of Japan, well, they are not Japanese. They are not even from this world. Many of the kami, who you mortals worship, they may have began as mortals or Yokai themselves, or sprung forth whole from... well, never mind that. We are talking of the forerunners, the most powerful...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re from the higher Astral, right?¡± I said, still immobile, and earned a nod from Nurarihyon.


    ¡°Indeed. And you might ask what such mighty beings want with backwaters such as ours. After all, were one to descend to these levels, then their very presence would be destructive, the fabric of the lower Astral unable to withstand them.¡± He smirked. ¡°Even I, were I to step outside this humble Territory, would be enough to cause disaster. For I am mighty. A match for the Three Most Evil Yokai.¡± His smirk intensified. ¡°I find the name insulting, and my omission even more so.¡±


    ¡°You mean, Tamamo-no-Mae, the nine-tailed fox? Shuten-do?ji, and ... do I know the other one?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°I am sure that Tengu would be furious to know that you are unaware of him.¡± Nurarihyon sighed. ¡°As for that nine-tails, I know where she lies. Poor creature. But they are not relevant to this conversation, other than as beings of great power... so, back to the Gods, what interest could they have in our world? Entertainment? Perhaps. Power? Definitely.¡±


    ¡°So, just what power can the Gods get from a weak planet like ours?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Again, such information is for me to know, and you to discover. I am not charitable. But... if I say that it goes both ways, you will understand. The Gods despise those that do not fawn on them or grovel before them. They prefer... mortals, credulous with wonder, to those of us higher creatures, who understand more of the mysteries and thus are not fooled by their power. Hence why none of the Yokai will be chosen. And why do they choose, hmm?¡±


    ¡°To give us a chance to save the Earth and those on it.¡± I said, as I knew what Ortlinde had told me and other Candidates had said.


    ¡°You think they care overmuch about one world of millions? Yes, you are not wrong, but you think such powerful beings, with numerous worlds at their disposal, armies the like of which you have never dreamed of, could not head off disaster? Are you that much of a fool?¡±


    ¡°No, but even so, they have offered some help. We have to be grateful for that. I know I am.¡± I argued.


    ¡°Grateful for a few sparks of warmth from a raging fire. Truly the Gods are more insidious than even we Yokai.¡± Nurarihyon mocked. ¡°But enough of that. It is true they hope to gain new adherents and a new world with as frugal an expenditure of effort as they can make. After all, when a world is washed by the higher astral tides, it is those of us who dwell in the shallows who perish first. A fate I formed the Night Parade to avoid. Even so... we do not strike on hallowed ground. We give the Gods their due. In exchange...¡± his face twisted, and the amiable old man with the strange-shaped head was gone, a powerful cruel ruler in his place. ¡°... any of those fools serving the divine we find during our nightly Parade, we take for our own.¡± His gaze bored into me, hot and powerful, his League making me shiver in my manacles. ¡°After all, power is power, Divine or not, and it can be... harnessed.¡± He paused, letting that sink in. ¡°I formed the Hyakki Yagyo? long, long ago. It pleased me to welcome Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan back. A true Yokai at last. And your suggestion that what was yours was hers, that was certainly bold. So I allowed it. The little fox was too arrogant, and his death, well, there are other Kitsune. But that does not change that you are dripping with divine power. That foolish adherent of the Goddess of Mercy as well. So, tell me...¡±


    ¡°What do you wish for?¡± Seirei piped up again, gleefully.


    ¡°I wish to know... what to do with you both.¡± His smile was cold. ¡°After all, my poor Parade was embarrassed, shamed. Many Oni and Kijo were slain, the Kitsune, other Yokai have perished to that thing that you call a maid. Though my Yokai, they crave entertainment, I have deeper goals.¡±


    ¡°Your wish is granted!¡± Seirei laughed, and at that moment the human-faced calf Uranai began to speak, her tone urgent, eyes burning with brilliance.


    ¡°The Hyakki Yagyo? stands at a crossroads...¡± she began, and as her words continued, I broke out in a cold sweat, while Nurarihyon pondered, his next wish for a heavy cleaver, which the doll gleefully materialised, the heavy, shimmering metal blade embedded in the table between us. Yeah, this is going about as well as I imagined. But... surely Eri is safe now? If not... fleeing back to the Material was starting to seem like my only option, if I could even manage it from here...

 Two Hundred And Ninety-One

    Two Hundred And Ninety-One


    ¡°... long hath the Hyakki Yagyo? endured...¡± Uranai continued, her prophecy spilling from perfect lips. ¡°... yet time drains as sand from an hourglass, soon to be spent.¡± Her eyes went vacant, as if she was watching something far distant, and I caught flickers of violet and gold within them. ¡°Verily, within the shallow tides across the ocean a great beast lurks, harbinger of a darker fate for the spirits of the land the Gods called the Rising Sun.¡± Uranai shuddered, her already shaky legs vibrating alarmingly. ¡°Gleaming eyes of gold, and a rapacious hunger, no boundaries does it or shall its greed know.¡±


    That sounds a little similar to what Matsumuro-san said, regarding Princess Mikasa. Though there seems to be a little more detail. As I thought that, Nurarihyon raised one eyebrow at me questioningly, while he stroked at the handle of the conjured cleaver wistfully. I get it. I¡¯ll keep silent for now...


    ¡°... already cause swirls endlessly, fixed into immutable event. The hunger devoured carelessly, and other lives were drawn into the maelstrom. A being of such fell power, it can never be satisfied with meagre spoils. And events... already set... progress.¡± Uranai blew out a long shuddering breath, close to a moo. ¡°... those bound to they who call themselves Divine, scattered by the winds whipped up by this descent, that shattered the Boundary like a falling star, Prithee, they shall cross the seas and clash with others like them, and the Hyakki Yagyo? too. Blood shall rain on Kyoto, city of countless shrines, and Yokai will perish, yet Yokai such as we hath always died, one day perhaps to be born anew.¡±


    I see. I think that must be the event that Matsumuro-san fears. This is good information. I¡¯m grateful, even if their hospitality leaves a little to be desired. Crossing the sea and ¡®bound to those who call themselves Divine¡¯, well, coupled with the Red Dragon, that made our prior speculations look more likely.


    ¡°... no, verily, we must dread the stirring of the hunger, and what comes in its wake. For the fell beast will be aroused by those fleeing insects, and will see sweeter prey. And against such, we are helpless, for this hunger is a being that should not be, it hath no place in this sheltered world.¡± Uranai slumped down, momentarily spent by the effort of her visions.


    ¡°Ominous.¡± Nurarihyon proclaimed. ¡°Though isolated within my world here, I have felt the rippling echoes of something powerful recently. I wondered if some fool using borrowed Divinity was kicking up a needless fuss, but it seems something worse has descended.¡±


    ¡°What do you wish for, dear? You look downhearted, please wish!¡± Seirei proclaimed, her face downcast. Well, in this light they do look like husband and wife. It¡¯s actually... a little cute.


    Nurarihyon snorted. ¡°Perhaps for the power to easily defeat this creature, no, such a wish is too greedy, my dear.¡± He reached out and ruffled her hair, disarraying her ribbon headdress, which she fixed with her small hands. ¡°No, perhaps...¡± he turned to me, an amused yet evil expression on his face that caused me to shiver. ¡°... what would you wish for?¡± he asked me, as Uranai remained silent barring soft, fatigued moo¡¯s.


    Me? Okay, I know how this goes. Making wishes with Yokai is only going to backfire, but... Nurarihyon¡¯s hand was on the handle of the cleaver, and I knew he could split me in half before I could even react if he wanted. Shaeula had told me about the power of the Queen of the Fae, and Ulfuric had mentioned the dreadful power of the Fomorans who destroyed his home, but I had got a little cocky after my recent victories and had believed I was a top-tier combatant. But meeting the numbers of the Night Parade, and most of all, these three... well, it¡¯d be just as foolish to start considering myself weak, as I¡¯m clearly not, but... I have a long way to go, and beings that can squash me like a bug if they wish are out there, possibly many of them. ¡°It would be presumptuous for me to make any wishes, especially since I¡¯m sure your wife only wants to grant yours, uh, Lord, Nurarihyon.¡± I stumbled over his title, deciding at the last minute to address him respectfully. As I declined the wish his grip tightened on the handle, so I made my pitch. ¡°So, I believe it should be you who makes such a request. Though I like to think as the husband of Shaeula, the Seventy-First, I could be an honorary member of your Parade, it is still too presumptuous. However, I would advise...¡± I was clear to stress it was only advice. ¡°... if you don¡¯t want to be greedy, then why not wish for the help of those who can stand against the oncoming disaster?¡± I¡¯ve learned. I can¡¯t do everything alone. I¡¯m guessing even those with real power such as Nurarihyon can¡¯t.


    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t done that?¡± Nurarihyon laughed. ¡°My dear, I wish to know who can aid us, and how they can be swayed to our cause.¡±


    ¡°You already wished for that.¡± Seirei pouted. ¡°And we stayed in Kyoto long, rather than roaming. My head... agh, it hurts...¡± the pretty doll clutched at her forehead, tears rolling down her pale cheeks, and Nurarihyon pulled free the cleaver, before slamming it back into the table a hair¡¯s breadth from my chained body. ¡°My dear, I wish for you and Uranai to be free of pain.¡±


    As he did so, she relaxed, and Uranai rose on unsteady legs, commencing her prophecy again. ¡°Cause flows, and effects shift. The world hath no certainties, only probably''s.¡± Uranai intoned. ¡°There is a hunger, a thirst that can surpass the greed of this creature. Only she can devour it, before all is consumed. The world is yet too small for such a being. Such a hunger that was bound by chains is now bound by other manacles, those of emotion. Verily, she shall not stir unless...¡± her gaze fixed on me, and it all started to make sense as to why I was here, and not dead. ¡°... he who holds the manacles speaks.¡±


    ¡°I know who you are talking about, but... I don¡¯t hold her in any chains. And I can¡¯t order her around. But... do you really think she can fight a creature that even the Night Parade, you, yourself, Lord Nurarihyon, cannot? I can see you love your wife, and I love Shiro. I wouldn¡¯t expose her to such danger carelessly.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that is quite understandable, is it...¡± he began, only for the cleaver to be slammed down, this time severing the table cleanly in two. ¡°... not.¡± His voice was as cold as the grave and as commanding as the devil himself. ¡°Do you think the Hyakki Yagyo? loitered here for fun? Well, I admit, we spend much of our time here in Kyoto, for it is the old capital, the place closest to our hearts. But we must roam, parade. It is what we do. But instead we have waited... now, it is time to claim our due!¡±


    ¡°Your due? You mean reparations for the deaths in the Parade?¡± I asked, Resilience keeping my tone level, even though I was deeply frustrated and angry.


    ¡°Indeed. The shame and deaths the Hyakki Yagyo? had suffered.¡± Nurarihyon grinned. ¡°So many dead...¡±


    ¡°Well, forgive me for saying this, but... how is that my fault? After all, you¡¯ve just admitted to waiting here for us, lying in ambush. Yamato-san may have been out unwisely, the stupid bastard, but even so, you were the ones who attacked first. We were only defending ourselves. As for the Kitsune, and I argue the Matriarch too, you could say they were rank challenges, which you approve of anyway.¡±


    ¡°Dear, do you wish for his insolent tongue to be torn from his mouth? To think he would be so disrespectful when he is in such a position.¡± Seirei complained.


    ¡°No, not yet, my dear. I confess to being somewhat amazed at his bravery, or is it idiocy? One gesture and he is dead, yet he dares talk back to me, Nurarihyon! Shocking. No, I wish for the table to be restored, it was such a shame to destroy your work.¡±


    As she granted that wish, he sneered at me. ¡°You would bargain with me? I am Nurarihyon, the one who takes as he pleases. Perhaps I can defeat this threat, perhaps not, but if I came out to battle, it would only hasten the worst fate, that lies beyond. The descent of far worse.¡± He sighed. ¡°No, do you pity the rabbit caught in the snare of the hunter? Does the rabbit get to complain and whine? You are here, and I shall have my due compensation. Else I can split you apart now.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I resisted. My nerves were screaming at me, his League was trying to pressure me to relent, and he must have had quite the Majesty as well. Even so, I focused on what mattered. Shiro. No way I¡¯ll ever hand you over to the Night Parade, even if you weren¡¯t injured. ¡°I¡¯ll never give Shiro up. And if I die here, well, she called me the one who holds the manacles. I disagree.¡± I looked at Uranai, who was once more exhausted. ¡°But I¡¯ll never be able to tell her to help you, and she won¡¯t on her own.¡± I doubt Tan?ha? would either.


    ¡°Your foolish little half-kitten is still outside.¡± Nurarihyon warned. ¡°The daughter of Urakaze too. It would pain me so to sacrifice her, and I may have to bleed the Kamaitachi if they protest, but... when I torment them, you will...¡±


    Chains creaked as I flexed all my strength, even using Body Enhancement, making up for the lacking elements with aether. Blood, silver and red, ran down the chains, but with a great effort I managed to tear one hand free, though it broke my thumb painfully.


    ¡°Well, surprising. But I wish he would fail.¡± Nurarihyon said, and suddenly fresh chains were wrapping me.


    ¡°Because if Shiro is still hurt and weak, then she won¡¯t be saving your sorry Parade.¡± I snapped. ¡°You need to offer something meaningful, otherwise it is just us losing out. And more threats won¡¯t work. You obviously fear this monster with the golden eyes. Killing me out of a fit of pique will just doom you to fight it alone. You don¡¯t even have the grounds to retain Yamato-san. You need us...¡± I said triumphantly, only to nearly piss myself as his League burned me, his eyes dark voids.


    ¡°I need you? Yes, I do. But I am Nurarihyon! For millennia I have roamed Japan, followed by my Parade. Emperors, Shogun, Priests, Warriors, Farmers, Peasants, Slaves. I have visited them all and been offered tribute, taken as I pleased! You think you can dictate to me? I am Nurarihyon, I will fight if I must, and if the world burns and the Parade dies, then so be...¡± he paused, his wife tugging on his sleeve, her eyes sad.


    ¡°Dear, I do not wish for you to perish. Nor for my end. I wish...¡± she was unable to state her own wish, though her mouth opened and closed. At that, he let out a bitter sigh.


    ¡°I want the God-touched mortal. I will squeeze him dry. I will send you a healer. And I will leave you alone, your place in Kyoto as well. Until this threat is defeated.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to trust you? You even said I can¡¯t believe your words.¡± I said, still shivering from his wrath. For a moment I had imagined the cleaver slamming into my head, and I thought I had gone too far. Sorry, Yamato-san. I tried. I did. But... I can¡¯t give up my life or anyone else¡¯s for you...


    ¡°I wish for our words to be binding on us for this pledge.¡± He declared, and his wife whispered that it was granted.


    ¡°I, Nurarihyon, will receive the mortal Yamato as my just compensation, as he roamed the night unwisely. All others who roamed tonight shall be forgiven and set free. Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, she will be treated as the Yokai she is, a part of my Parade. Your Territory in Kyoto shall remain unmolested by the Hyakki Yagyo?, and I shall dispatch a healer of the finest skills to the aid of this Shiro, though any adherence recovered shall be ours. In exchange, you shall bring the thirsty one to the aid of the Night Parade when we call for you, and provide aid yourself, to the best of your ability, until the beast is slain. Then we shall freely part ways.¡±


    ¡°I want no hostility between us and the Night Parade, yourself included, for a year afterwards.¡± I asked, and he nodded. ¡°A year to us is a mere moment. Very well. Is it agreed then?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I said, and once more the weight of aether fell upon me, and I found myself agreeing to the terms. Well, other than Yamato-san... ugh... shit, how am I going to explain this and live with the decision? Well, it¡¯s... the best outcome I can hope for. Considering we¡¯ve been playing poker with no cards, we finally won our freedom.


    ¡°I did believe you would have succumbed to my demands with far less resistance.¡± Nurarihyon muttered. ¡°I believe you are a worthy partner for one of the Parade. But be thankful for my mercy. I did not have to offer it.¡±


    Keeping my thoughts placid, I managed a nod, and a wish later, I was free of my chains, forcing my savaged arm back into position. ¡°Well, I shall see you out. Now be honoured, few have stepped foot inside my home and lived to tell the tale. Now depart.¡±


    With a flick of his wrist a doorway opened, and I found myself falling through it. I landed outside the wagon, and as I did so, Shaeula and Eri cried out, spotting me.


    ¡°Akio, you have-have returned! I was worried!¡± Shaeula cried, while Eri staggered over, her face haggard.


    ¡°Akio, you¡¯re back!¡± she grabbed me, hugging me awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the curse broken?¡± I asked, and they shook their heads.


    ¡°No, it is.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°I can barely keep myself here, only Shaeula trickling aether in has held me. But I couldn¡¯t go until I saw you were safe. I am going to have a hard enough time when I return as it is without that worry...¡±


    Oh yeah. Our parents... and the state of her body. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right.¡± I promised. ¡°Now go. I¡¯ll return soon. Hyacinth, Grulgor, you two head back as well.¡± Hyacinth was totally exhausted, more than I was, and Grulgor wouldn¡¯t be needed for what I had planned.


    I felt a fleeting press of lips against mine, and a furry tail brushed my leg, and then Eri was gone, vanishing from my arms.


    ¡°I shall rest toooooo. Hyacinth is... very weary.¡± She departed, as did Grulgor, the sack still over one shoulder.


    ¡°Well, mother. I shall-shall be off. But soon we shall meet once more. I can not-not wait.¡± Shaeula¡¯s grin was bright.


    ¡°I will send you more-some Kamaitachi as I promised, and when I discover-find who misled my forces, I shall make them answer to us.¡± she promised. As I took Shaeula¡¯s hands, Yamato-san spoke up, urgently.


    ¡°Wait. We can go? You managed to persuade Nurarihyon himself?¡± he said incredulously, hope in his eyes.


    Returning his gaze silently, I held in a pained sigh. I¡¯m not a god, I can¡¯t work miracles. Though, this ending does sit badly with me. I¡¯d like to strike back, even if just a little bit. I don¡¯t feel I can go against what I¡¯ve agreed, I can¡¯t save Yamato-san, but I can...


    Turning to Shaeula I whispered something into her ear her eyes went wide in surprise for a moment, before she nodded. I then answered Yamato-san, my tone apologetic.


    ¡°Sorry. I tried my best, but... there¡¯s no escape for you.¡±

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Two

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Two


    ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s no escape for me?¡± Yamato-san howled, eyes bulging and face red with anger. ¡°You can¡¯t just abandon me here. They¡¯ll kill me!¡±


    ¡°You think I want to?¡± I snapped back, my shallowly buried anger against him bursting free. ¡°You think I¡¯m doing this through choice? I¡¯m no God, Yamato-san, there¡¯s no way I can face the whole Night Parade, to say nothing of putting Shaeula at risk.¡± I let out a low growl. ¡°Besides, you didn¡®t meet Nurarihyon and his wife. Against them, I¡¯d be squashed like a bug if they chose.¡±


    ¡°So, you met the Lord and his wife, huh?¡± Red interjected, smiling. ¡°And lived to tell the tale? Quite the honour for a man-thing. So, we get to keep this one as a toy, huh?¡±


    ¡°Look, this is serious, so please shut up.¡± I told Red, leaving him guffawing loudly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you that booze, as promised, in due course, and I¡¯ll leave you with a warning, that any of the Parade who try and trespass on my Territory for hostile reasons will meet the same fate as the Matriarch. But for now, shut up.¡±


    ¡°Ya man¡¯s in a bad mood.¡± Blue said to Shaeula, who shrugged.


    ¡°I can see why, I fear. This decision is not-not one he would relish. Akio is kind, after all, he does not-not wish anyone to die needlessly, even trash like this foolish male.¡±


    ¡°Die! Yes, I¡¯ll die! You have to do something, Oshiro-san!¡± Yamato-san continued his appeal, hiding behind his Golden Warriors. ¡°After all, I¡¯m the Chosen of Kannon, and the most important man in Susanoo faction. You owe me!¡±


    ¡°Owe you? What about what you owed to those who you led to their deaths?¡± I asked him. ¡°Mine-san, Naruhito-san... they were like us, they had a choice and an understanding of what this world was all about... but my trainees... you brought helpless students into Kyoto, knowing how dangerous it was. That... that is your sin and I can¡¯t forgive it. Nor risk Shaeula or anyone else for your sake. After all, Eri...¡± I couldn¡¯t finish, and Shaeula held my hand reassuringly.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my fault¡± he protested bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve committed no crimes! I didn¡¯t intend for anyone to die. I wasn¡¯t expecting them to fight! It was just politics. I was just doing politics! Besides, your sister, and that Mori girl, they showed they were capable of protecting themselves, how was I to know your other students weren¡¯t like that?¡±


    Excuses. Just excuses, but tears don¡¯t wash out blood, and they won¡¯t bring back the dead. I need to go. I¡¯m exhausted, and I have one last bitter task to do, then I have to gather my strength and start healing the injured. Shit. A grim fucking day. ¡°Really? Chiasa-san and Chiaki-san tried to tell you, but you didn¡¯t listen. Besides, what gave you the right? Shit, what does it matter now? Children are dead, Eri is injured badly, and the Candidates we should be nurturing to protect Japan and the world are dead. You too. Your tale ends here. And I¡¯m not throwing good lives after bad.¡±


    ¡°Good lives?¡± he panicked, seeing the hungry eyes of the Night Parade around him, eagerly awaiting his fate, and revelling in his fear. ¡°Are you insane? I¡¯m a human, you¡¯re a human! It isn¡¯t like the lives of Yokai and other monsters have a right to compare to ours, you should be happy to... augh!¡± he fell over, landing on his ass, as I moved, a blur despite my exhaustion and injuries. One Golden Warrior shattered, unable to react to me, and showers of fragments rained down on him, only for them to fade into scattered ether.


    ¡°You piece of shit. Should you be saying that when so many good human lives were lost? Besides, human, Yokai, Fae, anything else... Shaeula is worth a million of you. Even if I didn¡¯t love her, I¡¯d not risk her for you. How dare you claim that she¡¯s worth less than you because of her birth.¡±


    Shaeula, who was left behind by my sudden movement, was smiling, her mother talking to her quietly. ¡°It seems you are quite well loved-adored, daughter.¡±


    ¡°I am indeed most-most fortunate.¡± She agreed happily, though her eyes narrowed angrily when she looked at the prostrate Yamato-san. ¡°However, this event was one of much sadness and sorrow. Akio is soft-hearted. This has hurt him deeply. But as his wife, I shall soothe his sorrows. The others as well. Eri too, once she is healed. And she will be healed, no matter how long it takes.¡±


    ¡°Well... uh...¡± Yamato-san was panicking, searching for a way out. If there was one, I don¡¯t know it. Not for you, not now.


    ¡°If I die, father will be angry. Susanoo won¡¯t support you, and other shrines and temples will...¡±


    ¡°Are. You. A. Fucking. Idiot?¡± I punctuated each word with a blow against one of his Golden Warriors. They tried to counter me, striking with swords, axes and maces, but I was too angry, too fast, and soon only a single one remained, holding a shield over him, spear pointed at me, silvery blood from my knuckles dripping to the floor. Damn, I broke my arm again. I¡¯m certainly taking abuse, but I guess it¡¯s penance for my failures. ¡°This mess has already gone beyond that. You¡¯ve destroyed confidence in my training school, as well as created a disaster that is going to be difficult to cover up. We were just starting to get unity, and now this. At this point, what your father thinks is the least of our worries. Besides, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯ve harmed you myself...¡± Yet. ¡°... I simply couldn¡¯t save you from the mess you created for yourself.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± he shut his mouth, realising it was futile to say any more. He took a long, shuddering breath. ¡°I hope you never forget this, you bastard. Fuck, I don¡¯t want to die... how did this happen? I... all I wanted to do was expand our Territory here, and curtail your growing influence. This is your fault, not mine! You aren¡¯t even from the faith, yet everyone was bowing to your ideas and your pressure! It should be the families of Susanoo, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi that rules! Instead, you came in, showing off, how even normal people could be powerful, and you had treasures like the mirror... you should have supported me as leader, not throwing your lot in with the government and nobility! You betrayed the faith, despite Hikawa-san vouching for you!¡±


    I opened my mouth to refute him, but Shaeula spoke first. ¡°There is not-not any point speaking to this idiot any further. It seems he does not-not grasp the situation. Besides, there is no point wasting your efforts on someone who is soon to be dead.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is a worry for another time.¡± She unleashed water this time, piercing bullets similar to those I¡¯d used, and another Hand exploded, the remaining bolts striking the barrier. ¡°Now, tell me about Nurarihyon. I was not-not terribly worried, as the Hyakki Yagyo? could have crushed us had they wished, but even so...¡± she shrugged. ¡°... seeing you venture into the dark void of his domain, it did-did concern me a little.¡±


    Some tsun there. It¡¯s been a while. Slamming the barrier repeatedly, faint cracks now visible to my Eye, I smiled, pushing aside the regrets over Yamato-san and the dead. I could mourn later. First I had to do this, then worry about healing Eri and the other wounded. The fallout and personal grief and reflection would be for after my needful tasks were done. I saved four lives. That was the best I could do. Which is why I, and not just me, but everyone working with me, needs more power. Hence this...


    ¡°Well, the Territory of the Parade is contained inside that house. It¡¯s like a massive dungeon, similar to your old Territory, yet far vaster in scale. Inside is a dark ocean, and...¡± as we fought, rapidly diminishing the number of Hands, while the barrier trembled, I regaled her with the tale of my meeting with Nurarihyon, his seer and his wife. Her face twisted in anger when she heard I was chained up, and when talk of the future and the need for Shiro was mentioned, her eyes narrowed, calculating. When I was done with my tale, we had defeated the outer Hands of Forgiveness, and now only the weakened barrier was in our way.


    ¡°I see now.¡± She said, the barrier wailing as she hurled her full might against it, flames, wind, water and even light sparkling around her. ¡°I did wonder why you would risk-risk this, an action that would possibly make Nurarihyon angry, yet it is now quite-quite clear to me.¡± She had grasped the situation as I had expected. After all, she¡¯s dealing with the quagmire that is Seelie Court politics now, she should easily see the issues at the heart of this.


    ¡°It seems surprisingly enough, you hold-hold all the aces.¡± Shaeula enjoyed gambling metaphors, especially after our Las Vegas trip. ¡°This white princess will not move unless you allow it, I believe, and it does-does seem that she is needed. Besides... it is not-not as though you are actively preventing him from taking Yamato-san, nor was it explicitly discussed just how-how they can extract this power from him.¡± Her grin was vicious. ¡°Even if Nurarihyon somehow finds out, you can hardly be blamed, can you? He may-may even respect your boldness. Judging by many of the ranking Yokai of the Parade, they respect forceful bravery.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll fail to extract the Divine Favour. I¡¯d say a good chance, considering he is in Nurarihyon¡¯s possession now. Poor bastard.¡±


    ¡°I have little sympathy. Remember the dead. Remember Eri.¡± She scoffed, as the barrier made a hideous grinding sound, starting to sunder under our repeated blows.


    ¡°Oh I do. I... can¡¯t forget them.¡± I still remembered Mine-san dying in my arms, me helpless to stop it. ¡°Even so, I believe he should make amends. So... all he can do is give up his Favour to someone else. We can¡¯t lose another. They¡¯re too precious.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Shaeula agreed, finally shattering the barrier. We raced into his Territory, heading for the golden shrine at the centre where the Anchor was. A remaining few Hands tried to stop us, but even with the Territory fighting us, such things were no match for Shaeula, who effortlessly destroyed them, allowing me to preserve my strength. ¡°Will you consume it, as you did before, or...?¡±


    ¡°No. I can get stronger on my own. I¡¯ll find someone that can use it, I have a few ideas.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well then, I shall not-not dissuade you.¡± Shaeula said as we reached the Anchor, the desolate, empty Territory undefended. Several golden Buildings were starting to form, probably Barracks, since I had explained how they worked, but it was too late. With a few blows we destroyed them, before facing the glittering Anchor and the great golden statue of Kannon. Damn, this feels blasphemous. I¡¯m sorry. This isn¡¯t exactly a good act. All I can hope is that I am doing it for the right reasons, not purely out of a need for vengeance and retribution.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too late for that now. I¡¯ve made my decision. Nurarihyon might protest, but there¡¯s nothing I agreed to that prevents this. We aren¡¯t friends, or even allies. Just ... we both want to stop the disaster coming for our own reasons.¡± Steeling myself, I focused my power into a single blow, and split the Anchor, shattering the Territory. My Eye was peering deep into the Anchor, the strands connected to the distant Yamato-san like miniature silver cords, and just as when we destroyed Kondou Kazuo¡¯s, the experiments in the prison leaving him comatose, something distant tore, and a power flowed into my body, amber letters glittering in my Eye...


    You have destroyed the Anchor of a hostile Territory. Your class, Conqueror is sufficient to claim and extract the divine favour within this Territory and its owner. Your adherence is sufficient to utilise Kannon¡¯s Golden Warriors Of Mercy, but you are incompatible with this divine favour. You may consume it to significantly increase your strength and adherence, or find a suitable vessel.


    Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 12 to level 13.


    You have gained in strength. your level has increased from One Hundred And Three to One Hundred And Four. All of your Material statistics have increased by eleven. Aether has increased by twenty-seven.


    I could feel the blessing within me, begging to be disassembled, the power within tantalising. No. absolutely not. This is my penance. This power is not for me to wield. However much Yamato-san screwed up, he didn¡¯t deliberately intend to get people killed. He should have been punished, yes, but not... not like he has been. So I¡¯ll take his power and give it to someone who can use it wisely. That will be his penance too.


    ¡°Did you succeed?¡± Shaeula asked me expectantly. ¡°I think I saw-saw something...¡± she said, her eyes glowing.


    ¡°Yes, I extracted his Divine Favour. It¡¯s within me now. I can¡¯t keep it too long though, it¡¯s slowly taking adherence from me. So I need to find a suitable host for it. Besides...¡± I looked around. Surprisingly enough the statue of Kannon remained, which eased my guilty conscience a little, but other than that the Territory had collapsed, the ether rushing into my exhausted, battered body. ¡°... this Territory is finished. There¡¯s no purpose remaining here. I want... I want to see Eri.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Shaeula patted my head comfortingly. ¡°She is a strong female. She lived, so we can-can do something about it. Though... I have my concerns.¡± As we started to return to the Material I nodded. Yeah. Our families. What... just what must they have seen?

 Side Ninety-Seven – Mori Eri

    Side Ninety-Seven ¨C Mori Eri


    Ugh, everything hurts, and my body feels strange. Too light, and ... squirmy. I guess I know why. I struggled to open my eyes, my body resisting me. As I did so the sounds around me started to resolve themselves, and I could hear the gentle hum and soft beeps of machinery, as well as some voices I recognised.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s awake.¡± A woman said. Haru-san, right? What is she doing here? I didn¡¯t have much to do with her, though she seemed nice enough, but apparently she was already dead. I sympathise. That was the best state I could have hoped for, until I ran into that cat...


    ¡°Thank all the Gods, she¡¯s alive.¡± A stern voice said, and my lips quirked into a small smile, even as my eyes slid slowly open, the scene, a well-lit hospital room, coming into focus. Even though I had only been in the Boundary for a short time, my voice was scratchy and dry.


    ¡°Father-in-law. Yes, I¡¯m still alive.¡± I managed, and seeing Akio¡¯s father looking down on me with bitter concern, I cracked a joke. ¡°I don¡¯t... feel too good though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get a doctor. It¡¯s times like these when Akio-san should be here...¡± Haru-san said, heading for the door. I tried to twist my neck to watch her go, but it wouldn¡¯t respond to me properly. I reached out, only... oh. No arm. I thought that might be the case. My stomach boiled with a sudden feeling of sickness, only for me to suppress it with sheer will. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m... I¡¯m alive. Worrying can come later.


    ¡°Where¡¯s mother and father, father-in-law?¡± I managed to croak, and the look he gave me in return was surprisingly gentle.


    ¡°Hana and Emily both had to be sedated, they were hysterical. Not that I can blame them.¡± His gaze hardened. ¡°Junpei is with them, though he¡¯s probably drunk, to take away the horror. Aiko too. Eri-san, just... what happened? Do you know? About... your condition?¡±


    Before I could answer, Haru-san came back in with a doctor and a nurse. The doctor, on seeing me awake, looked startled, before rushing over to me. ¡°Mori-san, how is the pain? We... well, we weren¡¯t sure of what doses of anaesthetic or any other medication was safe to give you, and after your unexplained injuries, well...¡±


    ¡°Needles broke on your skin, even getting the drip in was a nuisance, and your heartrate and vitals are wildly abnormal, even after all the blood transfusions.¡± The nurse said, frowning at a chart she had on a clipboard. ¡°Really, I wouldn¡¯t believe it if I didn¡¯t see it for myself.¡±


    ¡°More to the point. You¡¯ve been in some sort of terrible accident. Your body ... it¡¯s quite scarred, and your limbs... well, one arm was saved, but the rest...¡± the doctor sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this, but...¡±


    ¡°I know. It isn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t the one having my limbs chopped off.¡± I surprised myself by making a joke of it. Perhaps I¡¯m in shock? No, it¡¯s because I know... there¡¯s hope. Enough of it to not go mad from grief, anyway. Besides, this was all my fault. I¡¯m such a fool. ¡°Haru-san, what¡¯s going on? Is... is Akio awake yet? The others?¡±


    ¡°You should address your elders with more respect.¡± Father-in-law said, more out of habit than anything else, and my lips quirked into a half-smile once more. Yes, that¡¯s just like him. He was always tough on Akio, though he was sweet on Aiko and me. I think he¡¯s a bit easy to misunderstand. But I know he¡¯s proud of Akio now. That¡¯s probably why he¡¯s so upset.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, she¡¯s the fiance?e of my master.¡± Haru-san said. ¡°So her treating me with too much respect would be odd.¡±


    ¡°I hate that. How can my son be anyone¡¯s master? Especially...¡± he frowned down at me, before swallowing what he wanted to say. It was the doctor who spoke instead.


    ¡°Really, I have no idea what is going on. So many strange deaths, then the injured. We have five injured other than you under our care, four young girls and a young boy. In addition, there are those that they insist are alive, despite having no vital signs. And several who won¡¯t wake up.¡±


    ¡°The government is dispatching a response team to deal with the situation.¡± Haru-san said. ¡°This is a private hospital in Kyoto, and everyone here will be sworn to secrecy, it¡¯s a huge mess though.¡± She shook her head sadly. ¡°The press was already interested in the Conclave, though they had little insight into what was really happening. The concert drew a certain type of speciality press and internet streamers, and then... well, so many deaths can¡¯t be covered up. So, Eri-san, can you tell me, just what happened there? Perhaps I should have come too...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I tried to shake my head, but I was too weak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I never should have gone either. Father-in-law, Haru-san, this is all my fault. I pressured Akio into taking me. I thought I could help, that I¡¯d trained hard and grown strong. But... well, you can see the results.¡±


    ¡°No, it is my foolish son¡¯s fault.¡± father-in-law denied me. ¡°Akio believes he is a leader, so he should act as one, not merely indulge you. You may have pressured him, but it is his cross to bear to refuse if it is too dangerous. He has shown incompetence, and ... people died.¡±


    ¡°A leader carries the fault for mistakes. It¡¯s like that in government too.¡± Haru-san agreed sadly. ¡°But... it must have been terrible.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, as a doctor I must interject. Young lady, you... you have no legs and one arm has been lost. Are you in shock? Surely we...¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But... look, Akio will do something about it. I have ideas. That can wait. I need to talk about this...¡±


    ¡°My son will take responsibility.¡± Father-in-law said, and I was surprised to see tears in his eyes. I found myself gaping, only for him to look a touch annoyed, his more usual look. ¡°What? Eri-san... no, Eri. I shouldn¡¯t be so formal, you are right. Eri... you are the daughter of my dearest friends, like my own. My son was going to... no, is going to marry you, despite everything. It will be hard, but I¡¯ll make sure he gives you as good a life as... this isn¡¯t a laughing matter, Eri. You may be in shock, but... all the things you dreamed of are gone now, and it¡¯s all the fault of...¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up. Even if it is Akio¡¯s fault, so what?¡± I complained. ¡°He¡¯s not perfect. He never claimed to be. He¡¯s doing his best. It was that moron Yamato who took those who couldn¡¯t defend themselves into danger. I got hurt. It was scary. I thought I¡¯d die...¡± It was starting to become real to me now, a mixture of grief and relief. ¡°... no, I thought I¡¯d end up worse than dead.¡± I looked at Haru-san, and she somehow understood what I meant, and she reached out to squeeze my single remaining hand. ¡°.... But in the end, we saved four girls. Younger girls than me. I¡¯m sorry for the others we couldn¡¯t save, but... Akio did that. I did that. Maybe that¡¯s the only truly good deed I¡¯ve ever done. after all, you know I don¡¯t really care for other people, father-in-law.¡±


    ¡°You care for family. I don¡¯t expect you to be a saint.¡± He said. The doctor and nurse watched quietly, fussing over the machinery while listening curiously, while Haru-san continued to hold my hand. It was a little comforting. ¡°But ... to suffer such lifechanging injuries... it broke Hana¡¯s heart. Junpei¡¯s too. Emily is inconsolable, and Aiko... well, my daughter isn¡¯t that bright, I don¡¯t think she understands the gravity of the situation.¡±


    ¡°No, I think she understands it better than anyone. You do too, right Haru-san?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was dead. I still am.¡± She deadpanned, before making a ghostly noise, which shocked my very serious father-in-law.


    ¡°Is that the time for jokes? Eri is lying here crippled, my son won¡¯t wake up, and...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a joke. You won¡¯t understand unless you¡¯ve been through something terrible. I was tortured, abused, murdered... yet here I am. Life... well, it has its issues, I won¡¯t deny it, but I¡¯m content. Eri-san... what are you going to do? I asked them to keep the severed limbs on ice, though your stumps healed up.¡±


    ¡°Good. I knew I could count on someone!¡± I rejoiced. ¡°That should make it easier.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me.¡± I said firmly, managing to squeeze his hand, though it was an effort. ¡°I¡¯m sad and angry, but not with you. I¡¯m weak. I want to be strong.¡±


    ¡°Me too bro. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t come, or I¡¯d be dead, right?¡± she sighed bitterly. ¡°Shit, I wanted to be powerful, just like you and Shaeula, bro. Getting those classes went to my head, but I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t stubborn. No miracle would have come to save me, would it? No catgirl Aiko, that¡¯s for sure. And if I died, well, you¡¯d both be devastated, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I agreed, and Akio echoed me, rapping his sister on the head casually.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid sis. I¡¯d die before you, wouldn¡¯t I? But...¡± he looked at her, thinking, before shifting his gaze to Haru-san. ¡°I need to speak to the two of you later. But for now...¡± he released my hand, which made me sigh, a little lost and lonely. He looked tired, careworn. It wasn¡¯t a look I liked on him at all, reminding me too much of our youth back in Nishimorioka, when things weren¡¯t going our way, though he often tried to hide the expression from me and Aiko. Then it was gone, and the fire in his eyes was back.


    ¡°Doctor. Are the limbs still here?¡± he asked, and surprised, the doctor nodded.


    ¡°Yes, Suzuki-san here advised me to keep them on ice, though the damage to them...¡± he didn¡¯t get a chance to finish.


    ¡°Good job, Haru-san. I owe you one. I¡¯m not skilled enough to regrow whole limbs, not yet, maybe not ever. I¡¯m not Grulgor.¡± As she nodded her thanks, smiling, pleased at the praise, he asked the doctor to fetch them. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m exhausted, but... compared to what you suffered, Eri, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll get you stable, and then... we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Yes, a talk. That¡¯s a good idea. Otherwise... the guilt and grief will only fester...


    ********


    ¡°My Eri, you...¡± my father was weeping openly, hugging me, which was unusual, as our family wasn¡¯t very tactile. Even so, I understood. He reeks of booze. Well, I suppose the situation called for it. ¡°... can you move them?¡± he asked, and I managed to twitch the toes and fingers of my newly attached limbs, just a little, the barest whisper. Even so, they responded, the doctor looking on in awe at the readouts on his medical devices.


    ¡°Blood flow looks good, doctor, and I don¡¯t see signs of necrosis or nerve damage.¡± The nurse marvelled.


    ¡°Physically, they are fine. Although I¡¯m sorry for the horror-esque sight.¡± Akio sighed, pale and weak himself, now his aether was spent. ¡°I had to damage the stumps to make it heal properly. Even so, there¡¯s nothing physically wrong, other than the ugly scarring at the joins, and the remaining damage to the skin on her body. Fuck that Kijo, if she wasn¡¯t already dead I¡¯d kill her a thousand times.¡±


    I love it when you are angry for me! But... now isn¡¯t the time. Just be happy. Please.


    ¡°Physically?¡± my father asked, concerned, and Aiko echoed it.


    ¡°Yeah, what do you mean, bro? And the scars, you can fix those, right? I mean, technically Eri has her man, so a few scars shouldn¡¯t be a dealbreaker, right? If you ditch her now I¡¯m going to cut your dick off while you sleep, I swear...¡±


    ¡°Language, Aiko!¡± Father-in-law said, scandalised, and Aiko stuck out her tongue and pulled down one eyelid in a cute denial, making me realise she had said such crude things to lighten the dire mood.


    ¡°The scars I can fix. Just give me a day to rest up.¡± He promised, patting my head, gently, as if I was fragile glass. I prefer his rougher, warmer touch. ¡°The issue is her chakra network is completely in flux. If anything, it¡¯s a little similar to Shaeula¡¯s, but it¡¯s constantly changing and unstable. And the spiritual has an effect on the physical, so...¡±


    ¡°I understand. At first I did it instructively, changing form.¡± I mused. ¡°But then my body started to ache and tremble, and it didn¡¯t want to obey me. It¡¯s like that now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take Chirurgery, physical practise, probably some strengthening in the Boundary as well.¡± He said, checking me over. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it could take. Weeks, maybe months. But I promise you this. Eri. Uncle. Aiko. Father. I¡¯ll not rest until Eri is fully healed.¡±


    ¡°And what about Ginneka?¡± I asked. I know they were enemies, but I gave my word. If she could save me, I¡¯d call her elder sister and treat her as such, and I¡¯d ask Akio to return her to life. I still can¡¯t get my head around that.


    ¡°I have to be cautious, since her gift that saved you is unstable. But... when it¡¯s safe, I¡¯ll pay my debts. After that, she can run home to the Night Parade if she wants. Her brother too.¡±


    Pleased, I grinned. It flickered a little when I caught sight of the horrible ring of scarring around my shoulder, but Akio promised he would fix it, so why worry? I don¡¯t need to be beautiful so long as I¡¯m cherished, but... I do want my beauty back. After all, I want Akio to adore me. But he gave his word, so... I can wait. ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯m moving to Tokyo for my rehabilitation. I¡¯ll be in your care, Akio. Married life starts early for us I guess. I hope I get on with that Shiro woman though...¡±


    On seeing the look of consternation on his face, my grin became more natural. I¡¯m not the only one who is hurting. Akio... he regrets not being able to save the others, my injuries, and... whatever hard decision he made with that Yamato. If he wasn¡¯t comatose, I¡¯d be tempted to give him a lethal injection... well, just as Akio consoles and supports me, I¡¯ll help and pamper him. Damn, I need to get a grip on my body soon, otherwise there¡¯ll be no... physical fun... for a while. And he needs it now more than ever, to know he¡¯s loved.


    ¡°Hey Eri? Are you tired? You seem awfully red.¡± Aiko asked, concerned, and I managed to wriggle my good arm up to pat her head, though I missed and hit her shoulder. Seeing my frustration, Aiko bobbed her head, allowing me to ruffle her hair.


    ¡°No, well, actually yes, I¡¯m very tired. But... I want to be awake when mother and auntie Emily wake up, so I¡¯ll endure. You¡¯ll keep me company, right Aiko? Well, after you speak to Akio, anyway? It looks like he has something to say?¡±


    ¡°I shall remain too. Though I will want a long talk with you as well, son.¡± Father-in-law declared.


    ¡°This is better, right?¡± I said. ¡°I told you, father-in-law. I¡¯m a fighter, and Akio won¡¯t ever give up on us.¡± No, and I¡¯ll never give up, either. The time for that was at the festival in Nishimorioka. I wonder, if I had not confessed, I¡¯d probably be wasting my life away... but I did, so... this is just the price of reaching for my dreams. It was a hard price to pay, but I¡¯ve learned from it, and Akio has too. I would rather he avoided such horrible, painful lessons, but... life is seldom that kind...


    As we talked, Akio bent down and kissed me. I didn¡¯t care that people were watching, I greedily entwined my tongue with his, until I was satisfied. As he pulled away, a thin bridge of saliva linking us, I managed to wave my hand a little. ¡°Go on, go. You have a lot to do, and a lot of people to meet. The Government, the other heads of the shrines, and more. Don¡¯t let me keep you. I¡¯ll be all right. But send Shaeula my way when she¡¯s done with the others, okay?¡±


    He nodded, and with that Haru-san, Aiko and Akio left. Smiling at my father and father-in-law, I waited for the next round of lectures on my recklessness. That I¡¯m still alive to hear them... that makes it worthwhile. Besides, we did save the twins, Keomi-chan and that other girl... I guess, we can feel proud about that, if nothing else... Though I did still feel a little guilty, in that I was thinking that it was great that we saved them because their skills were great at helping others learn. No, obviously that isn¡¯t the only reason I¡¯m happy they survived, but... rather them than garbage like Yamato, that¡¯s for sure...

 Side Ninety-Eight – Suzuki Haru *contains status – Aiko*

    Side Ninety-Eight ¨C Suzuki Haru *contains status ¨C Aiko*


    I followed Akio-san and his sister out of the room, leaving behind the family, having their emotional reunion, and the strange, fey maid Hyacinth. I¡¯m still not sure what to make of her, though from the little we¡¯ve talked... I think we have had quite similar experiences in the past. I guess that makes me feel close to her, at least a little. It was really amazing what one could get used to in time. Daddy had said things would get better for me, and even if he didn¡¯t understand my struggles, he had tried to help, even if his advice had not always been the best.


    Eri-san has it hard too. But... it sounds like it could have been worse and the cruellest fate was avoided. Why... why are so many people... no, not just people, Yokai too, so eager to hurt others? As I pondered this, we were approached by two people who were guarding the outside of the hospital room, the large, muscular black woman Aliyah, and a tall, well-built western man. Travis, I think?


    ¡°Not with your brother today?¡± Akio-san asked, and she snorted, pulling a face.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we are joined at the damn hip, is it? Not like the pair of you.¡± she gestured to Aiko-san.


    ¡°Hey, my bro and I are hardly like that.¡± She protested, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. I don¡¯t have any siblings, but it must be nice having someone so close. Still, your words lack persuasion, I know.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± She grumbled. ¡°Well, as it happens, Trey and Manx are guarding the hospital rooms of the other casualties. It¡¯s unlikely that something will happen until reinforcements arrive from Tokyo, but shit, with the way things went down today, who can say? Best to be alert.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Akio-san agreed, a guilty expression on his face. ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    As Aliyah returned her agreement, I once more wondered at the strange turn of events that had consumed my life these past few months. We were all conversing in English, and while my English was considered pretty decent, as I needed to know it for my job in the Finance Ministry, ever since I had accepted Akio-san¡¯s offer to become his Hero, I found that I could understand it flawlessly.


    ¡°So anyway...¡± Aliyah¡¯s expression hardened, causing me to take a step back. I guess I¡¯m still a coward at heart, even though she can¡¯t hurt me. After all, if she punched me, it¡¯d just pass right through me. After all, I¡¯m already dead.


    ¡°I warned you, right?¡± she said, her voice cold. ¡°I¡¯m your subordinate, so this might be out of line, but... what the fuck were you thinking, getting your fiance?e all cut up like that? Shit, it was hideous. It¡¯s a wonder her poor parents didn¡¯t drop dead from the shock. She¡¯s just a damn kid. I said this would happen if you kept being careless. Now... she¡¯ll be crippled for life, at such a young age, but hell, she¡¯s better off than the dead.¡±


    Travis looked rather nervous as she launched into her angry complaints, but Akio-san merely nodded, taking it in, which seemed to annoy her more. Before she could escalate though, Aiko-san butted in, not backing down.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair! It¡¯s our fault, we were the ones who...¡± she stopped as Akio-san gripped her shoulder, she turned, looking surprised, but at the expression on his face she quietened down.


    ¡°No, Aliyah is right. I¡¯m the leader, I carry the can for my mistakes.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I should have listened. I got too arrogant. I¡¯ve coasted by too many times on guts and luck, and this time it nearly ran out. Even so, in the end we were saved by another miracle.¡± He looked so... down, defeated. I hadn¡¯t seen him like this, and it made me feel uncomfortable. After all, he was the one who saved me, defeated the monster Kondou Kazuo, and bent the Conclave to his will. Although I guess the results of that weren¡¯t as he hoped as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you finally get it. But shit, looking all sad and gloomy won¡¯t reverse what¡¯s been done. Your poor girlfriend...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll walk again. I¡¯ll fix the scars too.¡± Akio-san said, his tone level, not rising to her anger. ¡°Until I¡¯ve done that, I can¡¯t rest. And from now on, I¡¯ll be sure to weigh up the dangers before acting.¡±


    ¡°Really? Reattachment surgery isn¡¯t great, not for injuries like that. You can heal that well?¡± Aliyah asked, surprised.


    ¡°I would say see for yourself, but Eri¡¯s a bit self-conscious about the scars where I re-joined the cut limbs. I can¡¯t say I blame her.¡± Akio-san sighed guiltily. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to do anything about them, nor her body. Even so, with rehab and care, she¡¯ll make a full recovery in time. That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t understand what nearly happened though.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Aliyah said, a little thrown off by his unusually diffident attitude. I get it, I¡¯m used to his bolder, larger-than-life presence, his wild claims. ¡°It¡¯s all right for you to get injured, or those of us in the business. We are old enough to make our own decisions, take our own risks. Though shit, try not to get too hurt, or It¡¯ll only worry them. But... scenes like this, kids being carried out, horribly maimed and dead. Shit, it¡¯s Sierra Leone all over again. I never wanted to see that shit ever again...¡±


    ¡°Well, I know my bro did his best. At least... at least the twins and the other girl made it, right? And they can be healed too.¡± Aiko-san said quietly, having seen the horrible scene herself, and having only recently recovered from her hysteria at Eri-san¡¯s injuries.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯ll praise you for that.¡± Aliyah conceded. ¡°I get that you were rushed. When you let bigger idiots than you cause problems, sometimes there¡¯s no good solutions.¡± She shrugged, her chest, which was a wonder, outclassing mine and every other woman¡¯s around by quite some margin, jiggled under her suit, and her hair-beads chimed softly. ¡°Look, shit, you¡¯re the boss now. And I get there¡¯s a ton I don¡¯t understand yet. Even if you plan everything out, as soon as shit goes south, you never know what¡¯ll happen. If plans worked all the time, you¡¯d be in the US being interrogated right now.¡± She laughed bitterly. ¡°It¡¯ll happen again. People will get hurt, even die. Just... don¡¯t be careless or stupid, and hopefully it¡¯ll be those that were ready and willing to pay that price. That way, you¡¯ll not have the weight of guilt on your conscience, like you do now. These kids aren¡¯t soldiers, not yet. Maybe when they are older...¡±


    Surprisingly enough, she¡¯s giving genuine advice. Despite her looks and brash attitude, she might be a kind person at heart. It seemed Aiko-san felt the same. ¡°Yeah. I guess that makes sense. My bro always did take too much on himself, and was bad at saying no to girls. Hell, it¡¯s how he ended up with Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan.¡± Her smile was wan, but it was genuine, which was a relief. ¡°The only thing I¡¯ll disagree on is that Eri was willing to pay that price, and she¡¯s young, but she¡¯s no child. No more than I am. Our only mistake was believing we were stronger than we are. I guess the power went to our heads. But I know... I know Eri will learn from this. Besides...¡± her smile was impish now. ¡°... she¡¯s already convinced uncle she needs to move to Tokyo for her healing and rehab, the sly minx. Trust Eri to seize any chance to get closer to my bro. Next time... next time she¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well... I guess I was already a veteran at her age, me and Trey both, though we did have a very different upbringing.¡± Aliyah sighed. ¡°Well, so long as you realise. Overestimating your own skills, or underestimating the enemy, both lead to more deaths than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Aliyah...¡± Travis said, looking uncomfortable. ¡°Is that all you want to say?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not.¡± She shrugged again. ¡°Look... that kid, the one that got out and alerted you to the shitstorm going down... you did a good thing, saving his sisters. If they¡¯d have died, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d have ever forgiven himself. So...¡± she reached out and slapped Akio-san on the shoulder. ¡°... you made mistakes. Bad mistakes, don¡¯t get me wrong. But at least be proud of that, okay?¡± she smiled, and it was surprisingly charming. ¡°So anyway, you got shit to do, right? So go on. We¡¯ll hold down the fort here. And maybe I¡¯ll ask your girl to show me when her scars are healed, just to check you aren¡¯t bullshitting me.¡±


    Aiko-san laughed. ¡°No way. You¡¯re a dangerous woman, Aliyah-chan. Eri isn¡¯t stupid enough to let you ogle her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Drop the -chan crap. I ain¡¯t Japanese, and I¡¯m hardly the cutesy sort.¡± Aliyah waved that off, a little embarrassed. ¡±Now go on, get lost.¡±


    Akio-san nodded, and with that we followed him to another room. Once inside, we sat down, and there was silence. This atmosphere, it¡¯s... a bit grim. I had experience working in Government, so I knew that he was struggling to talk about something... problematic. In these circumstances, all I can do is smile reassuringly. After all, it¡¯d be rude to use my telepathy to find out. On spotting some facilities for making tea in the corner of the room, I stood up and started making some.


    ¡°Oh cool. I¡¯ll have a cup.¡± Aiko-san said, reading the mood. She¡¯s quite a personable girl, rather unlike Eri-san. Opposites attract, I guess. ¡°So... spill, bro. I know when you have something on your mind.¡± She continued.


    He looked at us for a moment, before addressing us. ¡°This might be a bit unfair to you, Haru-san, as you¡¯ve already found out what the Boundary is like, when Kondou Kazuo and I clashed. But even though I¡¯m asking Aiko, the same applies to you, all right?¡±


    ¡°This sounds serious.¡± Aiko-san said, though her expression told me she knew what he was getting at.


    ¡°It is. Aiko, Eri nearly died. People did die. I know we are all aware of that, but even so... this isn¡¯t a game. I still believe being strong is for the best, as Haru-san can attest. But the danger is real. Very real. We nearly lost Eri. Maybe... well, I¡¯m not saying you shouldn¡¯t train, but I think taking you to the battlefield is too much of a risk.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Aiko-san said as I handed her a mug of tea, before passing one to Akio-san, who took it with a small smile. ¡°Look, you saw the state I was in. Yeah, I... I never really accepted the truth. After all, I only heard stories from Shaeula, Hyacinth and the others. The epic battles, the heroism... it all seemed cool, like in a manga, right?¡± She took a sip. ¡°Hey, this is good! Well, anyway...¡± she continued.


    Of course it¡¯s good. A secretary always has to make good tea, otherwise they¡¯ll never get ahead. Epic battles, heroism. I know there¡¯s little of that to be found. Terror, violence, death. Even so... someone needs to be the one to take charge, fight to protect everyone. Otherwise... only those who revel in using power will have it. And that is not a kind world, not at all...


    ¡°... I¡¯m scared. Of course I am. Scared Eri was going to die. That you¡¯ll die, or Shaeula, or anyone else I care about. Look, I didn¡¯t know the people from your training school in anything other than passing, but they were still acquaintances, so to have them die one after another... yeah, I¡¯m shaken up, sick, scared. But...¡± she put down her tea, stood and took her brother¡¯s hands, surprising him. ¡°... I¡¯m more worried for you. I know you are too soft-hearted. It¡¯s why you could never say no to Eri or me. You feel the guilt, don¡¯t you? And there¡¯s more. No hiding the truth from me, bro. Out with it.¡±


    ¡°Yamato-san... he won¡¯t wake up again. We had no choice but to leave him for the Night Parade. Saving Eri was my priority, and I had to choose. So I chose.¡±


    I see. That complicates things. Susanoo faction will be crippled, it seems most of their Candidates died too. But the fallout, as a lot of Akio-san¡¯s support was Susanoo, like Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine... as I ran scenarios in my head, Aiko-san persisted.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯d take Eri over him in a heartbeat. And I¡¯m sure you did your best, bro. But... I said out with it. Tell me what you are really hiding.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no fooling you, is there, sis?¡± he managed, and she snorted, shaking her head.


    ¡°Of course not. Eri and I have been watching your back as long as we can remember. No matter what you say, I won¡¯t be upset. Look... Eri will live, right? And sure, I¡¯ll miss her while she¡¯s doing her rehab with you, but knowing that she¡¯ll be able to walk and move again, well, you¡¯ll just have to make it up to her, the time she¡¯ll lose. So, tell me. Why are we here? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got it, Haru-chan! Damn, Eri is going to be jealous of me now. You need to find her one too... uh, bad thing to say, considering, right?¡± she trailed off, mortified at her lapse.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± He sighed. ¡°Considering that would mean I¡¯ve had to fight another Candidate. But if I ever do find one, of course she¡¯d be welcome to it. Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Shiro has one already, right?¡± she asked, and I had to admit I was curious about this mysterious girl too.


    ¡°Yeah, in a way, definitely. So, last chance to back out?¡± he warned.


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m good for it! Let¡¯s at least salvage something from the disaster, right? And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep it quiet until it¡¯s safe to mention it.¡±


    ¡°First, we should cross-reference her statistics before and after.¡± I said, reaching for the tablet I carried with me everywhere nowadays.


    ¡°I was just going to suggest the same.¡± Akio-san agreed. His Eye flared amber, and he dictated the stats of his very excited sister, her fear, if not entirely forgotten, now submerged by the possibility of being able to do something about it.


    ¡°So like, my Lovers¡¯ Link skill has gone up?¡± Aiko-san said after we noted down her new statistics. ¡°Has my resolve won your heart, bro?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, little sis sapphire.¡± He answered. ¡°My skill grew stronger during the recent battles. So even if you didn¡¯t go for this, well, you¡¯d be able to get somewhat stronger.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not going to make me strong enough, not if I want to really be a part of things, right?¡±


    ¡°True. There are limits to easy growth. Whereas those with Divine Favours have more scope, though someone who works hard like you could probably surpass those Candidates who just rely on their gifts. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she wants eventually.¡± I interjected. ¡°Aiko-san...¡±


    ¡°Aiko-chan, I insist!¡± she objected, so with an exasperated smile, I changed my way of address. Seriously, it¡¯s hard to stay depressed with such a cheerful girl about. Tonight was awful, but she¡¯s right. If some good can come of it...


    ¡°Aiko-chan wants to help you now. And to be honest, she can¡¯t do as bad a job as Uchida Yamato-san has...¡±


    ¡°Uh, that praise seems a little lukewarm, Haru-chan.¡± She complained jovially. ¡°I guess it¡¯s true though.¡±


    ¡°Well, here goes then. Last chance to back out.¡± Akio-san said, and at her resolve, he began to channel aether, and something else, I could feel the heavy presence of it, and it felt familiar, resonating within me. Aiko-chan shuddered, sweat springing from her, and a rainbow glow shimmering with indigo and golden hues rippled over her.


    ¡°Wow, this feels... odd. It should hurt, it feels like hot metal running through me, but it... kinda feels comfortable, you know?¡±


    ¡°Let me concentrate. This is hard work...¡± he muttered, and as we watched in silence, he continued to inspect her with his Eye, manipulating the flows. There was one final brilliant glow, and then he slumped to his knees, exhausted.


    ¡°Damn, I was too exhausted for difficult work like that. My head hurts like hell.¡±


    ¡°No way. Wow, just wow. This is crazy. Wowowowowowowowow! This is what you feel like all the time, Haru-chan, bro?¡± Her eyes were wide in wonder. ¡°Damn, I get it. Golden Warriors, huh? I think...¡± she frowned, and moments later a golden statue shimmered into being, wearing a frilly dress-style armour, and carrying a long two-handed axe. Wait, isn¡¯t that... uh, okay. I felt a headache coming on myself, similar to Akio-san.


    ¡°So, uh, why does it look like Eri? Uh... well, maybe because when I think of a fighting woman, it¡¯s her nowadays? Well, the facial expression is quite different, but... yeah, I¡¯ll work on it.¡± she muttered. ¡°But hey...¡± she brightened up, addressing me. ¡°Guess we are sisters in Kannon now, right?¡± she dismissed the warrior, which popped into a shower of rapidly-fading ether. ¡°Guess I need to hide this for now. So, uh, bro. Hit me with the good news. How badass am I now?¡±


    ¡°Impatient as ever, huh? Give me a moment. And it wasn¡¯t as simple as I hoped, maybe because your chakra network is based on a Fae one, rather than human? I had to do some Chirurgery, and I was not ready for that.¡± He complained.


    ¡°Oh, quit whining, bro. You love sacrificing to help out your adorable little sis. Scoring points with me makes you ecstatic, I know. You get it, right Haru-chan?¡±


    ¡°it seems so.¡± I hid a giggle behind my hand respectfully.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Well, my troublesome little sister, here. I think... we¡¯ll all be satisfied.¡±


    On hearing the numbers and his impressions I had to agree. This is very valuable data, and comparing it to my own statistics, we can see the areas we have to take into consideration.


    ¡°Damn, bro, I¡¯m badass! Though compared to you and Shaeula, I still suck.¡± Her mood swung between elation and disappointment. ¡°Well, I¡¯m on a par stats-wise with Eri now, I guess, and I¡¯m much lower level, with better skills, so I¡¯ll overtake her soon enough. She¡¯s going to be jealous! That¡¯ll teach her for stealing the march and moving to Tokyo! No level cap now right? I¡¯m going to grind Nishimorioka until there¡¯s nothing left!¡±


    ¡°Start making sense, please!¡± Akio-san chided her, though he had a happy and proud expression on his weary face.


    ¡°I see. The important thing is, we can see what changed.¡± I said, heading off their comfortable bickering. ¡°All your stats went up by at least a hundred. Some of that is likely due to the increase in the Silver Cord and Chakra network too. It seems a little low, really. Especially compared to him...¡± I hated to remember that bastard, just doing so made me feel sick, but when I did so I forced myself to remember his end, us tearing his cursed gift from him, leaving him a living corpse.


    ¡°Yes, I think that while a lot of his blessing was focussed on his physical abilities, Aiko¡¯s is going towards the Golden Warriors. If it¡¯s anything like Yamato-san could do, each Warrior is definitely powerful.¡±


    ¡°I see, so what does that mean?¡± Aiko asked.


    ¡°I think that you¡¯ll get less stats levelling up than perhaps might be expected from your Silver Cord and Chakra Network. Though it should still exceed what you were getting before. But your Golden Warriors skill should grow instead. Well, it¡¯s just speculation, but from what I could see with my Eye and during the rush job on the Chirurgery, that¡¯s what I expect.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, isn¡¯t that going to be a problem later?¡± she asked, and I nodded, impressed at her insight. Compared to Akio-san and the others, most likely. ¡°After all, if I have crappy stats, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong the Warriors are, I could be taken out before I can use them properly.¡±


    ¡°True. Well, I think we are going to need to resort to further Chirurgery, your Network has been thrown off a bit due to the Divine Favour, I¡¯m sure it should be stronger than it is now. If I grow more skilled, chances are we can make further adjustments down the line...¡±


    As they discussed their future goals, I listened, amused. Yes, you can tell they are brother and sister, they are quite alike. And... at least the shadow of grief and guilt on their faces is starting to fade. I knew well what it was to feel sorrowful, hopeless. I still sometimes felt panic rising up, bad memories, but time and the company of those who cared could ease all wounds. Though for Akio-san, I fear worse is to come. Facing Uchida Ren-san... now that is going to be painful for him...

 Side Ninety-Nine – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side Ninety-Nine ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    I looked down at the sleeping girl, her usual pigtails untangled, her hair a loose brown halo around her. Hooked up to these many strange machines, which beeped and whirred softly, screens displaying strange lines, I still did not quite understand what they were all for, although having seen the devices in a number of anime, I understood they were medical in nature. Well, now that everyone is out of danger, I can surely focus on healing. Stifling a yawn, I turned to the other person in the room, the sombre-looking Hikawa Hiroto, and barked an order at him.


    ¡°You should turn away. It is not-not fitting for someone to see what I am about to do. She is a young female, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course. My apologies.¡± He muttered, his gaze flickering to some of the other beds in the room. He was haggard and pale, and he often did not respond to conversation. Of course, it is quite easy to understand why. In two of the other beds, lay his daughters, the twins Chiaki and Chiasa, both heavily sedated and sleeping. A fourth bed held another girl, a dark-skinned shrine maiden who was likewise brutalised, and in the next room lay his son, Ren.


    I must confess, I did not think much of Ren. He is rather weak and arrogant. He reminds me a little too much of my old self, impressed with bloodlines, having no real achievements. But now... as I lifted up the hem of the plain white gown Keomi, the injured little girl, was wearing, I clicked my tongue, irritated at the state of her leg. No, he did well escaping, even if the Kijo let him go to lure in more prey. In the end, his sisters, and the other two, they were saved. Though the cost was grim...


    ¡°How... how is it?¡± Hiroto asked, and I answered him impatiently, aether flaring within me as I started to work Ether Healing, injecting aether into her chakra network, guiding it to the right areas, as well as simultaneously using Chirurgery to remove the remaining lingering traces of darkness element that was polluting her wounds. This is difficult work. Still, I do not wish to lose to Akio in this. After all, I have my pride!


    ¡°Well, fortunately we were not-not too late.¡± I said, as the twisted leg began to straighten, the bone coming together. Sweat dripped from my brow as I worked, but even so, it was satisfying to see the wounds heal. Her chest wounds had already been closed, now mere jagged lines of ugly scarring. As a female, I was very sensitive to such things, but making sure no lasting injuries were left behind was more important than mere cosmetic work. Though later, we will surely cleanse such injuries too. But first comes safety. ¡°Not-not for Keomi and your daughters, at least.¡±


    Chiasa was the best off out of all of them. She had suffered the most numerous injuries, but they were all designed to torture, to wound, rather than kill, so after a little Healing, she was resting peacefully. Her sister Chiaki was far worse off, her wounds deep and cruel. I had healed the serious damage to her lungs where she had been pierced, but they were still fragile, and she also had broken limbs, in worse states than Keomi¡¯s. I have stabilised them though, so with further work, they shall recover. It would be a shame for them to die now, their gift is precious, when combined with Haru¡¯s, it can work many wonders.


    The same could not be said for the last occupant though. The small, dark-skinned girl from Hoeruokami shrine was apparently shattered by the ordeal. Her face was bandaged, covering her missing eyes, which were currently beyond my skill to regenerate, and her mind had collapsed, leaving her delirious and terrified. Perhaps in time, with care, she shall recover. But Ether healing cannot soothe the mind...


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad.¡± Hiroto pushed a hand to his chest in relief. ¡°If anything happened to my children... no, it¡¯s already happened, hasn¡¯t it?¡± his voice cracked. ¡°Thank you, Shaeula. For saving my kids.¡± Ren was in another room, it not being appropriate for injured males and females to be together, especially younger ones.


    ¡°I simply did what we needed to do.¡± I shook my head, working the remainder of my Healing. Keomi¡¯s small body trembled, but she was unable to wake due to the anaesthetic. ¡°They are our students, our allies. To have them perish is not-not something we could allow! Besides, to lose so many females, it is quite-quite the tragedy. Some of them such as your daughters are those I have been keeping my eye on. They would do quite-quite well as Akio¡¯s brides in the future, I surmise.¡±


    Hiroto looked aghast at my reasonable suggestion. ¡°My baby girls? How could you say that? No, I forbid it! They¡¯ll stay...¡± his voice cracked with emotion as he looked at the twins lying in bed, sedated and covered in bandages, hiding the wounds below. ¡°... no, I¡¯m not letting them get married! It¡¯s too soon! A decade too soon! They are only in middle school, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Keep your voice low, this is a hospital, is it not-not?¡± I growled softly, and he paused, embarrassed.


    ¡°Oh, yeah... ah... sorry, my emotions are running wild. I shouldn¡¯t shout at you who saved my children¡¯s lives. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you remind me of my own father, doting, possessive fool-fool that he is. Though I do not-not hate it. I am not-not saying that Akio and your daughters will marry. They have shared no intimacy, no love, little time together, and he has become strangely stubborn of late, despite many-many seeking closer ties with him through love.¡± Exhausted, my aether levels low, I sat down in a chair, breathing heavily. ¡°He is also uncomfortable with younger girls. He is not-not a lolicon, despite the jokes of his sister. He struggles somewhat with Hinata, finding her perhaps a little too young, despite her being old enough to marry. Girls the age of Eri, or a little younger yet mature-looking like Motoko and Natsumi, those he has no issues with. So the twins, they are not-not entering his vision, you see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Besides, I wanted them to have a normal romance, a normal life... but that isn¡¯t happening, is it?¡± he said sadly. ¡°Even before, it would have been difficult. Since they have the ability to communicate with each other with their minds, and can tell if someone is lying, finding a decent husband would be hard for them.¡±


    ¡°Well, not-not every worthy female will be his, of course. Even I am not-not so foolish as to expect Akio to have a thousand brides.¡± I sighed. ¡°My throat is parched. I wish-wish I had some alcohol. I shall have to settle for something else, it seems.¡± At my words, Hiroto remembered himself, and passed me one of the cans of coffee that were on the side table. I cracked the ring-pull, once more marvelling at the number of great conveniences the mortal realm had to offer, before gulping down the lukewarm drink. That is much better. Hmm, Emily did tell me of Irish Coffee, which contains whiskey. That would be a treat about now...


    ¡°Though if the twins do develop feelings for Akio, I would not-not stand in their way, no, I would aid them in winning his heart. He is stubborn, and steadfastly refuses to consider other wives, but I know-know his weaknesses for females and where to strike. Though again, that would be in the future, as you say, they are quite-quite young. But even if that never comes to pass, the twins must be treasured, protected...¡± I smiled, but it did not touch my amber eyes, as I was quietly furious at this whole disaster. Many good females and some loyal males lost. Those with precious abilities killed. Eri gravely injured, and Akio¡¯s heart was wounded too. Worse... this will be a catastrophe setting back Akio¡¯s plans tremendously.


    ¡°... their talents are tremendous, they shall surely need-need to be harnessed for the good of all. They should not-not be exposed to battle unnecessarily.¡± My tone was becoming bitter, angry. ¡°... so tell me, Hiroto. Just why-why was that fool Yamato allowed to place so many precious allies in such needless danger? You were at the meeting before we journeyed to Conclave. We had made agreements, had we not-not? You were going to support Akio in his ambitions, you and the other-other fools that made up our allies in Susanoo. Instead, you have put-put everything at risk, and it nearly cost you your children, did it not-not?¡±


    ¡°... I know.¡± He slumped down, eyes glistening with tears, and for a moment I felt some compassion for him welling within me. After all, my own father and mother made similarly bad choices regarding me, though it seems my mother was thwarted by those within her own ranks. Though I can not afford much sympathy here.


    ¡°... though if we had understood just what Yamato-sama was planning... no, that¡¯s just an excuse.¡± He looked over at his sleeping daughters. ¡°You must believe me, we have no intention of denying our support for you and Oshiro-san! Or breaking faith! But Yamato-sama is the hope ... was the hope...¡± he said bitterly. Yamato was also in the next room, beside Ren, though he would never wake again, most likely. I am not one for vengeance, but his folly was most costly. It was the correct decision to take his Divine Favour. I am surprised that Akio was able to be so ruthless, but even so... I approve. He must learn to harden his heart when it is needed. Now, I wonder, just who will receive the gift? I do not believe Akio will use it himself...


    ¡°... of Susanoo faction. Our family has been with Susanoo for hundreds of years. And it isn¡¯t like Susanoo would be at odds with Oshiro-san. We just didn¡¯t see the harm of making sure Susanoo¡¯s influence under this new Ministry was as great as possible, though Izumi-san and Takeyabashi-san have closer ties with you all, so they declined. And so their daughters and granddaughters were spared, apart from that unlucky girl, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± He nodded at the sleeping Keomi. ¡°If all went to plan, Yamato-sama would have impressed the younger members of Susanoo, while securing much of Eastern Kyoto there. And Oshiro-san would have lost nothing. Tomorrow at Conclave, our dues paid to Uchida Ren-sama, we would have then supported Oshiro-san, and everyone would have profited, except for the leaders of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Politically, it was a perfect move...¡± his face had twisted into an expression of self-loathing, and once more I felt a little sympathy.


    ¡°Politics. That I do indeed-indeed understand. The Seelie Court is rife with it, and I have many-many headaches. With more likely to come...¡± Securing a Faerie Ring gate from Primal Forest will cost us. They do owe us, but using up that favour on this is... wasteful. ¡°Perhaps we were at fault a little too, for not-not adequately explaining the dangers. Though we certainly advised the Boundary was far-far from safe. Even so... the result, it has been quite horrific, has it not-not?¡±


    ¡°I... well, idol training is pretty hard. The number of times I run up and down the famous steps at Kanda-Myojin every day is endless. My manager says I should get royalties from that anime that had a similar character... uh, wait, that doesn¡¯t matter right now. Uh, Suzu-san, you want to be an idol?¡±


    ¡°Want to be? I am an idol, a pure Japanese one! Though I have to admit, I¡¯ve not done any concerts yet. Maybe I could do a guerrilla event before your next show? And call me Suzu-chan, I insist! We must be best friends, rivals and fellow idols now, after being involved in this, right? Right?¡±


    As Tamami was overwhelmed by Suzu¡¯s inexorable excitement, I frowned. She is definitely quite abnormal. People can seldom be so excited in a hospital room with so many young, maimed females. Even if she knows they will recover, it is rather... crass. Besides, I do not approve of her manner of speech. ¡°I am not Japanese. Honorifics do not-not suit me. Unless you wish to call me Duchess or Princess. Besides, what do you mean, we shall be working together soon enough?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, Shaeula-Hime, huh? Well, that¡¯s a bit of an overlapping character, not sure how the Boss will see that one.¡± She giggled, ignoring the rebuke. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Boss is head-over-heels for that guy. She said she was going to marry him after all. Get this, she threw Master Raven under the bus for him. I never would have seen that coming, she was super scary before. I didn¡¯t even know she was so pretty under the hood. Well, she worries about her injuries, and sure, they look bad, but she¡¯s still gorgeous if you ask me! Anyway, Bunta-kun will do whatever she says, and I¡¯m in, it¡¯s already been a wild night, and we¡¯ve only just met.¡± She laughed inappropriately. ¡°Arisu-san, well... uh, she¡¯ll be a tough one to convince. But... well, I¡¯m up for it!¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is the time for that?¡± Kana voiced similar sentiments as I was thinking. ¡°My poor cousin is hurt and likely traumatised, and...¡±


    ¡°Is... is that you, Kana-chan?¡± Keomi said, her eyelids flickering. ¡°is... is it time to get up? I¡¯m not oversleeping, I promise...¡± her words were slurred, possibly due to the anaesthetic she had been prescribed.


    At her dull, out-of-place words, Kana burst into tears, burying her head into the blanket covering the young female. ¡°You stupid, clumsy idiot! You... don¡¯t you know how worried we all were? If... if you died, we¡¯d all be heartbroken. And why are you even awake? What the hell are the doctors doing?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they underestimated her powers? Her body is far-far stronger than you would expect, correct? They may have needed to give her a larger dose?¡± I made a suggestion, but Kana wasn¡¯t listening, merely crying and chastising her dozy cousin.


    ¡°I think maybe we should give them a little space?¡± Tamami said tactfully, and with that, we stepped aside...


    ********


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Tamami asked, her face grey from exhaustion. ¡°It¡¯s been a long night.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Suzu said, continuing to bombard her endlessly with questions about idol culture, agencies and more. ¡°I¡¯m strong, I don¡¯t really feel tired unless I pull a few all-nighters. It means I can practise my moves more, don¡¯t be envious!¡± she giggled. ¡°Hey, Kana-chan, are you tired?¡±


    Kana, who had listened to Keomi cry herself out, was watching as more sedatives were being injected into her, putting her back into a restful sleep. The doctor, with several supporting nurses, were all still rather flummoxed by the whole situation. Even so, now the hospital was surrounded by the miliary, it was not as if the staff had any ability to complain.


    ¡°Tired? Yeah, of course I am. I feel like I could sleep for a week. But I can¡¯t, can I? Now more than ever, Akio needs those of his students that remain to stand up for him and the training school. I¡¯m lucky I¡¯ve had the full course of Chirurgery, I have a lot more stamina and mental toughness than I used to. Perhaps if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d have broken down at all this.¡±


    ¡°No, I believe you have become rather strong-willed.¡± I disagreed, before commenting myself. ¡°I too am not-not physically tired, though my mental fatigue is great. Although, when you reach my level, a short break will surely-surely refresh me. And that is all I will get, I fear. After all, the second day of Conclave is here.¡± After yesterday, Akio had them in his hands. But now... I worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about this Chirurgery!¡± Suzu piped up. ¡°If it can make me stronger, I¡¯m all for it! You should get some too, and the rest of Red and White!¡± she said to the exhausted Tamami. ¡°If you did, you¡¯d be able to train harder and better, right?¡± she slyly offered benefits that were not hers to give. Yes, this one, I can not quite work her out. She is rather annoying though. But since she is a candidate, like Akio, she should be useful... if properly managed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Kana said, suddenly. ¡°And... if you did, maybe that would go some way to reassuring people that the school isn¡¯t finished, despite all the deaths and injuries. I mean, not that it should be, after all, it was hardly Akio¡¯s fault, was it?¡± Kana pouted, not liking the criticism that was sure to be levelled at us.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have to be really careful with my health...¡± Tamami seemed unsure. Which is reasonable, she knows little about it, and the request was sudden. However...


    ¡°I shall of course not-not force you.¡± I said with a wry smile. ¡°After all, Akio and I have doubtless used most of our strength healing the wounded. Chirurgery now would be quite-quite a chore. However...¡±


    ¡°However?¡± She asked, nervous.


    ¡°You have seen my skills in healing, have you not-not? Chirurgery is uncomfortable, but quite safe, and the benefits are significant.¡±


    ¡°No, I still don¡¯t think... well, I don¡¯t know much about any of you, other than gossip from the other shrines and temples.¡± She declined.


    ¡°I see. Well, why not-not sleep on it? A clear mind will see-see the benefits for all of us...¡± With that I stood, stretching. ¡°Well now, what shall this day of Conclave bring? Hopefully it shall not-not be the disaster I fear...¡±

 Side One Hundred – Kudou Yasuhide

    Side One Hundred ¨C Kudou Yasuhide


    ¡°The atmosphere is rather tense, isn¡¯t it?¡± I observed, stroking at my beard pensively. The Conclave had reopened for the final, decisive day, yet the complexion of things had been irrevocably changed by the events of the prior night.


    ¡°Well, what do you expect?¡± Chiyo-san, one of the most influential of the neutral faction, or rather, the Tyr faction, as we were coining the new block now, was looking particularly bitter this morning. ¡°You have a granddaughter who has been given Chirurgery, right? I have two. And but for the grace that we weren¡¯t in Susanoo and dumb enough to listen to the Uchida boy, it could be us mourning their deaths or maiming.¡±


    True, just seeing the bodies as they were carried out, young men, women and even children... it was enough to make me fear for the future. I may be old, but I don¡¯t remember the war, not like some of the old men of the nobility. So seeing this... it was a first for me. ¡°So, are you having second thoughts?¡± I asked.


    ¡°About what? Our course of action? Hardly.¡± She snorted, the sound loud enough to draw a few gazes our way. Up on the podium the major players were gathering, but a notable absence was Uchida Ren, who was likely with his son. A grim tragedy. I can¡¯t say that Yamato-kun was well liked, but as one of those Chosen by the Gods, his fate is cruel indeed. Perhaps he may yet wake, but from what I gather, the prognosis looks grim, as he is the only one remaining comatose...


    The Diviner was on the dais, alongside the Imperial Princess Yukiko, and Akio-kun was beside them, though his expression was grim, careworn. Notable absences on the Tyr benches were the girl, Mori-san, and Shaeula, the spiritual being. Of course, the Susanoo area was in a shambles as well. Those who had been part of Akio-kun¡¯s training school were mostly absent, understandable as so many of them lost children or grandchildren, while Hikawa-san was now near them on the Tyr benches, though he was listless, barely able to keep his eyes open. Again, hardly unexpected. He must worry terribly for his children, though from what I hear, they¡¯ll all live, which is more than most can say.


    ¡°Well, some would say the deaths of so many promising youths of precious bloodlines is an unmitigated failure.¡± I mused. ¡°To say nothing of the stir it has created, rapidly escaping our control.¡±


    ¡°Oh come now, I know you are wise enough to see through such emotional idiocy.¡± She growled. ¡°Think about it. Matsumuro-san...¡± her lip curled as she said the name of the Diviner, which until now had been taboo. ¡°... did say that a time of great danger is coming, which will lead to many deaths and possibly even the destruction of the entire world. The boy agreed.¡± She nodded at Akio-kun on the stage. ¡°Of course there is going to be danger. But look on the positive side. They managed to retrieve four people alive, and though Mori-san was apparently grievously hurt in the process... well, having such healing abilities is rather reassuring.¡±


    True. Apparently the rescued girls are likely to make a full physical recovery in due time, except for one of them, which will apparently take more work. Though mental scars are likely harder to heal... ¡°Even so, it shows the stark difference between us and the threats we face. Even Akio-kun was helpless to save the boy Yamato and the others.¡±


    As Gin took his own place, followed by Takakura-sama and old man Bankei, the Conclave was ready to start. Casting my gaze around the ranks of the faith, I could see a lot of disquiet, strained faces and hushed whispering abounding. At the back of the room, several soldiers, clearly and visibly armed, were waiting, and everyone was aware there were dozens more stationed around the Imperial Palace, the hospital that the dead and injured had been evacuated to, and also Kiyomizu-dera shrine. Yes, there¡¯s no hiding this. Only portraying it in a way the general public can accept. Well, that¡¯s for younger, wiser heads to decide.


    ¡°I believe everyone is aware of the situation that occurred last night, or at least that a situation did occur.¡± Bankei said, with little preamble, opening the Conclave. ¡°Uchida-san is understandably absent, he wants to spend time with his son, while he can. A grim day.¡± Clasping his hands together in a gesture of prayer and compassion, he continued. ¡°I believe we now have a greater understanding of what we are here for. It was a high price, but suffering is ultimately a mortal concern. May he be freed from it in his next life.¡±


    As many of us inclined our heads in acceptance of the prayer, me included, Bankei continued. ¡°This humble one is not the right one to explain precisely what happened. If you would, please.¡± He asked Akio-kun, and I caught a brief glimpse of pain cross his face, before it was once more an expressionless mask. Beside him, the Diviner inclined her head, perhaps in reassurance.


    ¡°Right.¡± He began, clearly feeling the pressure. Considering the circumstances, it would be stranger if he was calm.


    ¡°Last night... well, I don¡¯t want to speak ill of anyone, though I suppose some criticism is inevitable.¡± He sighed theatrically, though I felt he was truly exasperated and angered by it all. ¡°Uchida Yamato-san, as well as the three Chosen who were under Susanoo, decided to venture into the Kyoto Boundary. Now, there¡¯s nothing inherently wrong with that, in fact, it¡¯s generally praiseworthy to train and secure more Territory for what¡¯s to come. I mean, we talked about it yesterday, didn¡¯t we?¡± he grimaced at that.


    ¡°The issue is, they took the Susanoo trainees from my school with them. Now, don¡¯t get me wrong, I take them to the Boundary as well, but only to my safe Territory, to learn and gain experience. Taking them out into Kyoto was reckless in the extreme, and sadly, it led to disaster. But for a miracle and an act of bravery from Hikawa Ren-san...¡± His father looked both troubled and proud at that. ¡°... there would have been no rescue, for we wouldn¡¯t have known the mess they got into. It was...¡±


    As Akio-kun continued, quite a tale unfolded, of desperation and clashes with the brutal Night Parade. When he was done, recounting the grievous wounding of Yamato-san by the powerful creatures of the Parade, which he was helpless to prevent, due to needing to protect his terribly injured fiance?e, he looked down, clearly troubled, before talking of his meeting with the legendary Yokai Nurarihyon.


    ¡°... so I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve reached accommodation with the Night Parade.¡± He concluded. ¡°After all, the way they think isn¡¯t human at all. They don¡¯t object to perpetrating atrocities that would lead to execution here, yet they can change from rage-filled and vengeful one minute, to friendly and jovial the next. Creatures of spirit are mercurial, it seems. But I do know they have a lot of the same fears we do about the oncoming disaster. Provoking them is only going to lead to needless casualties.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, aren¡¯t you saying that because your own Shaeula is one of the Night Parade?¡± Gin said mildly. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t understand it. You wouldn¡¯t wish to fight her family needlessly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a factor.¡± He admitted. ¡°But the matter is done. It was a tragedy, and I still feel terrible. But those that were involved in the killing of our people, and the wounding of Yamato-san, they are all dead, having paid for their crimes. The Parade is certainly dangerous, but I wouldn¡¯t suggest we start a war against them, one we would likely struggle to win, because some of their members did terrible things.¡±


    ¡°I see. Akai...¡± Gin turned to his phoenix, who was half-listening on the front row of the Amaterasu benches. ¡°... what do you make of it? I must confess...¡± his smile was strained, for some reason. ¡°I had a good friend of mine do a little research, he¡¯s very good with books.¡± At that Akio-kun seemed resigned. A strange reaction, there is definitely more going on here than is being said.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry.¡± She chirped, her half-shut eyes snapping open. ¡°The Hyakki Yagyo?, you say? Ugh, I don¡¯t like them, not at all, not at all! Too many frightening Yokai! To survive meeting them... I was right, you¡¯re scary.¡± She scowled at Akio-kun.


    ¡°I see.¡± Gin laughed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t disagree. To hear of so many Yokai slain, though I notice you declined to give us the details on how...¡± he shook his head. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t suppose it matters. I myself have been Chosen, so I can easily imagine the dangers. So, you say that the Night Parade will not enter shrines and temples? That¡¯s valuable information, and will help us remain safe.¡±


    ¡°Well, I admit I¡¯ve had some fools bending my ear about withdrawing their trainees.¡± She admitted. ¡°But tell me this, Oshiro-kun. How will that protect them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will. Obviously, I¡¯ve learned that all my bold talk of I¡¯ll never let anyone die or I¡¯ll protect you without fail...¡± he looked at the Diviner then, apologetic. ¡°... is just meaningless boasting, without the dominant power to back it up. But just because I can¡¯t guarantee it, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t keep striving for a world beyond the tragedies!¡±


    ¡°Your resolve is praiseworthy.¡± Takakura-sama declared. ¡°Nobody can promise absolutely. The world can always change suddenly. After all, did Japan expect to lose the War, bombs obliterating our cities? Politicians promised, but could not deliver. Really, other than over-promising, I think you¡¯ve done well. Though I concede, if my granddaughters were amongst the slain, I might struggle to keep my perspective.¡± He sympathised with the grieving father, who bit his lip, face twisted into a horrible expression.


    ¡°Shaeula asked me for my blessing for my children to remain in your care.¡± Hikawa-san admitted. ¡°Amongst other things.¡± His strained expression lightened for a moment. ¡°I deny her second proposal, but... if my children still wish to, I won¡¯t stand in their way.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it. I am not lying or exaggerating when I say your children awoke to talents that could be the difference between our survival and defeat long-term. And that could go for any of you that Haru-san gathered information on. Those that want to fight can, if they have the will and the talents. Those that don¡¯t, we can find uses for everyone. I don¡¯t want to stop now. It isn¡¯t just I¡¯ve invested a ton of time and effort here, and I¡¯ve made promises to Izumi-san.¡± He nodded to him. ¡°It¡¯s that I want us to win together. Lest we fail alone. I can¡¯t do it alone. Nobody can.¡±


    I started to applaud, impressed by the change in his attitude. His arrogance and confidence has been dented, yet he¡¯s still resolute in wishing to protect those he cares about and those around him. Nobody knows how strong they are until they taste defeat. It looks like he might emerge better from it, though the guilt will weigh on him for a while, even though most of the fault lies elsewhere. Survivor guilt is not logical. Human nature seldom is. ¡°Well said, Akio-kun. As the former leader of Tsukuyomi, I know it well. The old saw about a single stick, no matter how sturdy, breaking under pressure, while a bundle of thin sticks endures, it is apt here, I think. But we¡¯ve used up a lot of time arguing over this tragedy, without addressing the main points of the day... Gin, Bankei, what do you say? Shouldn¡¯t we get down to details? We can haggle over shares and benefits later. Matters are far more urgent...¡±


    ¡°Well, I have no objection. We intended to cast in our lot with Oshiro-san anyway.¡± Bankei said, not surprising me. What did was that Gin of all people agreed easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. I still believe I am best placed to head the religious aspect of this new Ministry. Now even more so, considering I doubt Uchida is in any frame of mind for much, assuming his son never wakes, which... I have good reason to believe will never happen. I¡¯m certainly not planning to fight the Night Parade on my lonesome, or throw away my Chosen carelessly. Akio-san is right, we¡¯ve lost too many. This disaster changes nothing, my apologies if it is harsh, and I do give you my condolences for your losses, but we still need the Ministry, we still need your Chirurgery, Akio-san, and we still need to work together. More than ever. After all...¡± he eyed the soldiers. ¡°just what are we saying regarding the deaths? It was too public, too... unexplained.¡±


    ¡°Regarding that...¡± Takakura-sama said, drawing our attention. ¡°Fujiwara-sama and Ichijou-sama have called me already, as well as the Prime Minister. Currently there is a press embargo and blackout on news. That won¡¯t last long though. We are currently debating whether to declare it an unfortunate tragic accident, or a terrorist attack, but...¡±


    As I listened, I had a bad feeling that keeping the truth hidden would be impossible. My gaze shifted to Akio-kun, who was likewise troubled, still watching the grieving father of the slain shrine maidens. The other families of the dead were either with the bodies, or hidden away with their grief. A tragic accident, hmm? Gas explosion? Structural failure within the Palace? I wonder if the public will believe that... and if they don¡¯t...


    *********


    ¡°I think it is time for a recess.¡± Bankei declared, and I sighed with relief. These old bones do ache nowadays. Perhaps I should have consented to the Chirurgery, if it would strengthen my aging body. Growing old is no fun, no fun at all. Well, apart from getting to watch my children and grandchildren grow... I looked over at the Susanoo benches, which had lost most of their members, but was now effectively an entirely new faction, one that was holding onto feelings of blame and distrust for Akio-kun, an outsider, who had shaken up millennia-old traditions.


    Well, it¡¯s only the boy from Aoikaeru shrine that has genuine hatred for Akio-kun. I suspect in his heart of hearts he knows that Akio-kun is not to blame, but he can¡¯t throw his pain and grief against Yamato-kun anymore, can he? I believe time will allow him to think clearly, his grief is too new, too raw, for him to be rational. The group was small, perhaps fifty or so shrines, mostly from Susanoo, though a few from Amaterasu had broken from their leader after he requested cooperation. None too major. They¡¯ll come around in time, I¡¯m sure...


    ¡°If you would, I would like to speak to you privately.¡± The Diviner, no, Matsumuro-san, was saying to Akio-kun. It really is hard for me to even think her name, but I understand why Akio-kun shared it. Just being referred to by a title robs her of her humanity, makes her simply an object of worship. I hope and pray her visions and portents of her death are wrong, or that Akio-kun can turn them aside... before, he swore he would do so before us all, but now... he knows it might not be possible, just as he failed to save Yamato-kun and the others...


    ¡°Can I come?¡± Princess Mikasa asked, standing hurriedly, and Matsumuro-san paused for a moment, before voicing her agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I have something I want to talk to you about as well.¡± Akio-kun said seriously. ¡°I ask that you hear me out before judging.¡±


    That sounds ominous. But then, he did mention something about Nurarihyon giving him information that could pinpoint the disaster she fears. Who would trust such a creature, especially with all the deaths? As I watched them go, I couldn¡¯t help but wish I was there too, contributing. After all, I did consider Matsumuro-san to be almost like a daughter of mine, as potentially sacrilegious as that was. Shaking my head as I had fallen into the exact trap of worship and dehumanisation I had just decried, I turned to Chiyo-san, who was frowning, her face thunderous.


    ¡°What is it, Chiyo-san? I don¡¯t think things went too badly. A few small idiots who don¡¯t have the excuse of grief might have gone against us, but the vast majority are in agreement. We¡¯ve seldom been so united.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She muttered. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but feel we overlooked something. I am not the Lady Diviner, but I know a bad omen when I feel it.¡±


    Overlooked something, hmm? I couldn¡¯t think of anything that sprung to mind. ¡°Well, I guess we might cover it in the upcoming sessions? Though it seems to be fairly technical, regarding resource allocation, Boundary defence and more. I am not sure what those of us who haven¡¯t seen the spiritual realm can contribute. Even so, we¡¯ll do our best, right?¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Chiyo-san said, smoothing her aggrieved features. ¡°I do hope so...¡±

 Side One Hundred And One – Kudou Shiori

    Side One Hundred And One ¨C Kudou Shiori


    The atmosphere is horrible today... Shiori looked around at the gathering of the young men and women of the shrines warily. Whereas yesterday it had been boisterous and excited, rumours flying around about the glorious future of those who kept true faith, the events overnight had certainly put paid to that. Now most people were simply going through the motions, or gathering into small groups, talking in hushed whispers or exchanging loaded glances.


    Yesterday everyone wanted to talk to me as well. After all, I¡¯m a granddaughter of the Tsukuyomi head, after all, even if to me grandfather Yasuhide isn¡¯t anything special, just a bit of an annoying, overly doting grandparent, too wrapped up in this stupid factional stuff. Then... well, grandfather basically quit, and threw his weight behind Oshiro-san... Even so, it¡¯s more...


    ¡°There¡¯s no point worrying.¡± One of her companions said, frowning. She was the middle daughter of the Takakura branch family, Mizuki-san, and as she tugged at her tight hakama, the bold girl frowned. ¡°Idiots will be idiots after all.¡± She said loudly, drawing a few annoyed looks from those around them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, sister.¡± The youngest girl accompanying her, the small, boyish Kiaria-chan, whined. ¡°What will you do if they get upset?¡± I see she is still as shy as ever. Well, she¡¯s young, one of the youngest at the whole Conclave. Of course, Shiori was hardly particularly brave herself, when grandfather had told her that she needed to attend the famous Hanafubuki Private Academy for girls, the most prestigious school in Japan, and not just as a student, but giving classes to the rich and powerful daughters of nobility on matters of religion, she had been overwhelmed by equal parts happiness and stomach-churning dread. It¡¯s every ordinary girls¡¯ dream to attend Hanafubuki, wear the beautiful uniform, hang out with the prestigious heirs to longstanding families and the biggest companies in Japan. Though it¡¯d never normally come true, they don¡¯t accept ordinary students...


    ¡°Why should I care?¡± Mizuki-san groused, shrugging, drawing the eyes of all the boys and many of the girls in the room. ¡°I mean, it was me who was nearly killed, right? I was asked by that guy if I wanted to come along as representative of Takakura house. He nearly flattered me into it too. It¡¯s lucky I asked you first, big sis.¡± She addressed the third and final girl with me, the last of the Takakura sisters, and the oldest, Katsuki-san. With her long, straight black hair and gentle demeanour, she¡¯s very calming. It was thanks to the Takakura trio, who were also sent to Hanafubuki, that I didn¡¯t crack under the pressure. If I only had noble girls to talk to, I¡¯d constantly feel unwell...


    ¡°Well, we may be from a separated branch family, but we¡¯ve been called back by grandfather into the fold. So we always have to act in a manner befitting the noble Takakura house. It simply wouldn¡¯t be fitting for us to accompany Yamato-sama, especially when grandfather has other ideas. Besides...¡± she sighed. ¡°it felt... dangerous... somehow.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, big sis.¡± Mizuki-san agreed. ¡°When I think about it now...¡± She looked pale. ¡°... did you see the bodies as they carried them out? I didn¡¯t, but rumours are going around. That could have been me...¡±


    The youngest, Kiaria-chan, clutched at the hem of her clothing, knuckles white. ¡°If it¡¯s going to be dangerous, we never should have accepted this power. I don¡¯t want to be a noble daughter. I just want to go back to Inuyama...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. I for one think we deserve to be rich and pampered, respected.¡± Mizuki-san disagreed. ¡°Why should we be punished for what father and mother did? The store might have been an important site for our family, but why should we be forced to run it, grubbing out a living while grandfather Takakura has no heirs to inherit the family wealth?¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t talk like that, Mizuki.¡± Katsuki-san chided her gently. ¡°We have no right to complain about how the nobility, grandfather included, acts. Haven¡¯t you learnt from Hanafubuki what a different world they inhabit? What is good for them differs from what we expect as normal. Grandfather has many burdens.¡± After warning her younger sister, she turned her attention to the youngest. ¡°Now, Kia...¡± she used a nickname. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Grandfather is aware of the plans Oshiro-san put forwards for training. Considering that nobility from Tsumura house and Fukumoto house, which has recently joined the ranks of true nobility, are involved, there¡¯s no way that they would be exposed to danger. No. it seems that it was a tragic case of overreaching by someone inexperienced. Wouldn¡¯t you say so, Shiori-san?¡±


    Surprised to be addressed, she nodded. I got lost in my own thoughts as the girls talked then. ¡°That¡¯s what my grandfather said. Yamato-sama was just showing off, and it led to tragedy. It would have been much worse if Oshiro-san hadn¡¯t led a rescue attempt, it seems. Even so... a lot of people died. Hence the atmosphere.¡± She gestured subtly to the sombre crowd.


    ¡°Yes. I remember the first time I met Oshiro-san, when he was with Shaeula-san. I thought her a very pretty foreigner at the time, having no idea she was a spiritual being like from our old family tales.¡± Katsuki-san mused. ¡°He bought a very extravagant doll. I never knew it was a Zashiki-Warashi. It was one surprise after another when we met him again, right Shiori-san?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± She smiled a little, remembering. ¡°I complained that I wasn¡¯t Chosen, and so we ended up having Chirurgery. It hurt a lot. You cried, right Kiaria-chan?¡± I remember it. Even so, I was faster, stronger, smarter afterwards. I can see why Yamato-sama was interested in the results and those who took part. Even so, to have it end like this...


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± Kiaria-chan said defiantly, and her middle sister mocked her gently, teasing her. It was then someone I recognised entered the room, drawing all eyes to her, whispers increasing in intensity.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the sister. Aiko, I think it was?¡± Mizuki-san observed.


    Yes, I think it is. I haven¡¯t had much to do with her, though grandfather has mentioned her and the other girl, Mori-san. Though I hear she was nearly killed, suffering grave injuries. Just thinking about it, I feel sick. Ever since the Chirurgery, as it was called, her abilities with wind and flame had noticeably improved, though they were still nothing compared to what Mori-san could do. I saw the hole in the floor of the main hall she supposedly caused as they were fixing it before Conclave this morning. Even with abilities like that, she was nearly killed. The other trainees... they must have had no chance.


    Taking a closer look, Shiori noticed that Oshiro Aiko-san seemed surprisingly cheerful, considering, though she had dark rings around her eyes and her skin was pale, as if she hadn¡¯t slept. She was talking cheerfully to a group of young shrine maidens, but they quickly disengaged, giving her short shrift.


    ¡°Wow, annoying.¡± She declared, crossing her arms in irritation. ¡°Hey, you over there...¡± she raced over to another group, but they again seemed wary of her.


    ¡°Well, someone can¡¯t read the room.¡± Mizuki-san said sourly. ¡°Nobody is going to want to talk to her. Even though her brother is gathering everyone under his banner, too many rumours are going around about the deaths.¡±


    ¡°But that was Yamato-sama, right?¡± Kiaria-chan muttered.


    ¡°People don¡¯t think logically. All they know is, most of the people who got hurt or died were trainees under Oshiro-san.¡± Katsuki-san explained.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s dumb. People shouldn¡¯t decide without finding out the truth.¡± Mizuki-san declared. ¡°I mean, we only know what we were told or the rumours going around, but do you think she¡¯d be running around here if they were true? I¡¯m going to call her over!¡± With that she waved and called out, attracting Oshiro-san¡¯s attention.


    Wait, really? Well, I can¡¯t deny I¡¯m curious.


    ¡°Hey, you mean me? Want to talk? That¡¯s great.¡± Oshiro-san said as she came over. For a moment, she paused, grinning. ¡°Wow, uh... you¡¯re very... stacked?¡± she said to Mizuki-san. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not so small myself, but wow, you¡¯re just ... never mind, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just... stay away from my bro, okay? I don¡¯t want him falling under the sway of your assets! He¡¯s got enough woman troubles!¡±


    ¡°Is that any way to talk to someone you just met?¡± Mizuki-san grumbled, while her sisters smiled, and Shiori hid her matching grin behind one hand. She¡¯s definitely his sister. Similarly lacking in tact. Her smile faded. Though considering the rumours, how can she be so carefree?


    ¡°Besides, I have met your brother. And yes, he did look, the jerk.¡± She continued. ¡°Speaking of... uh, should you be here? Your best friend, I heard she was crippled, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, no delicacy at all. It¡¯s lucky you¡¯re cute!¡± Oshiro-san smiled. ¡°Look, I do what I have to, all right? Most of the girls are in no fit state to work today. It¡¯s just me, Kana-chan and Maiko-chan, the others are too shellshocked. Can¡¯t say I blame them...¡± she looked around. Nobody wanted to talk to her, but everyone was listening, and her tired blue eyes narrowed in irritation. ¡°You know what, this is a good time. Listen up, everyone!¡± she raised her voice. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of shitty misinformation going around. I know you¡¯ve heard about the deaths. I¡¯m not going to lie... a lot of people died. But if anyone here thinks my bro is at fault, well, I don¡¯t mind taking it outside, where we¡¯ll have a talk about it.¡± She cracked her knuckles, and Shiori found herself admiring her familial loyalty.


    ¡°Yeah, most of them were my bro¡¯s trainees from the training school everyone has been talking about. Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean my bro is to blame. It¡¯s like martial arts, right? Well, I only do kyudo, which isn¡¯t really an example, but... it¡¯s like he taught them karate or something, for self-defence. Is it the fault of the teacher then, when some idiot talks them into doing something suicidal, thinking they are all Masatoshi Nakayama or Bruce Lee?¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Kiaria-chan asked, and Oshiro-san giggled.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. But you¡¯re stacked, I don¡¯t think anyone can help it!¡± she apologised.


    ¡°Well shit girl, can¡¯t I call you when I want? And I¡¯m damn sure I told you to call me Hotaru. My shitty dad¡¯s Abe, not me!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t badmouth your father, he¡¯s doing his best...¡± Shiori said, overwhelmed by her friend.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Shit, if he was any good, he¡¯d get me into Hanafubuki like you, Shiori-chan. Well, they don¡¯t accept any girls from politician or entertainer families. So I¡¯m shit out of luck. A damn shame. If I was a Hanafubuki graduate, I could bag a rich husband easy. I don¡¯t want to follow dad¡¯s career path, too much like hard work...¡±


    ¡°So, uh, did you need something, Hotaru-chan?¡± Shiori asked when she could get a word in edgeways.


    ¡°As I said, can¡¯t a girl call up one of her besties when she pissing well wants?¡± her voice was barbed yet friendly. Besties? I admit Hotaru-chan is really fun, totally unlike other girls I know, way more worldly, despite her age, and she doesn¡¯t seem as catty as other girls with her level of good looks. Even so, to say we are best friends, she sure is bold...


    ¡°But no, shit girl, you¡¯re in Kyoto right? What the fuck is going on down there? My dad was up all night, shitting himself about some incident or other. Totally ruined my beauty sleep, get me? How am I going to bag a rich hottie that way?¡±


    ¡°Uh, aren¡¯t you a bit young for marriage yet?¡± Shiori asked, waving the Takakura sisters and Aiko-san into silence.


    ¡°Yeah, course I am. I want to look around, find the one. Or maybe play the field. But you have to lay the groundwork damn early, or else all the good ones are going to get taken by other girls. You want to get your head in the game too, Shiori-chan. You¡¯re reasonably cute, though not as good as me, so... fuck, I¡¯m way off-topic. So I had a look online, and what do you think I found? Go on, three guesses. If you don¡¯t get it, I¡¯ll take a nude selfie in exchange as punishment.¡±


    Ignoring snorted laughter from Aiko-san, Shiori had a bad feeling. ¡°Well... it¡¯s about Kyoto right?¡± her voice sank to a whisper.


    ¡°Bingo, Shiori-chan. It sure is. Take a fucking look at this. I¡¯m glad you answered, I was bloody worried, you know? There aren¡¯t many girls I like to talk too, you know. By the way, big jugs is there in Kyoto too, and her sisters, right? They okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me big jugs!¡± Mizuki-san howled down the phone.


    ¡°Why not? For your age, you¡¯re world champion. You¡¯ll have no trouble bagging a hot, rich guy, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Hotaru-chan giggled, but it sounded more like a dirty old man than a girl her age. ¡°Well, glad you¡¯re okay. The way my dad was carrying on, sounded like the Kyoto was a fucking bloodbath or something. So, I took a look, did a few searches, and ... here, it¡¯s easier if I show you.¡±


    Moments later, Shiori¡¯s phone beeped, having received a message. Looking at it, the title was kyotoconcertchaos.avi. I don¡¯t like this. I¡¯m getting a very bad feeling...


    With a shaking hand, the Takakura sisters, Aiko-san and around twenty or thirty others looking on, she tapped the link, and after a few moments a video loaded. It was taken on a bit of a shaky camera, looking at the stage where Red and White were performing.


    ¡°Wow, this is not good.¡± Aiko-san said, frowning. ¡°Not good at all. My bro is having a hard enough time as it is...¡±


    ¡°... not sure what¡¯s going on here. The music has stopped.¡± Someone was saying, probably the person taking the video.


    ¡°Sorry, there seems to be some sort of commotion. Is someone hurt or fainted? It does happen sometimes, so please make room and get them out of the crush. Medical professionals know what to... uh...¡± the video captured Tamami-san, the idol, before shifting focus to the crowd, where a familiar figure was visible, distressed and bloody.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Hikawa Ren?¡± Shiori said, eyes still glued to the video.


    ¡°It¡¯s... my sisters. That dumb girl. The others. We... it¡¯s bad, awful! We can¡¯t get away, we¡¯re trapped! I only got out by feigning I...was dead.¡± Hikawa-san in the video looked awful, coughing blood. It was too real.


    ¡°Calm down, take a breath. What¡¯s happened?¡± Oshiro-san could be heard saying.


    ¡°Is this some stunt, or what? No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± The streamer was saying, as he approached. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, but my folks are farmers. The smell of blood¡¯s all too real, and that¡¯s not special effects work...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trapped. It was a miracle I got out. Even so... it¡¯s too late. So many are dead already, and it took me... too long... to get here. Please, do something! Save them! My sisters, the others... do something!¡± Hikawa-san was crying now, and unless he was an actor on par with Hollywood greats, it was obvious his suffering was genuine.


    ¡°Trapped, dying? Maybe it¡¯s a prank, but...¡± the video then cut off, and Hotaru-chan spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s real, right? No fake shit? I have several more videos. One is a long range shot of what looks like bodies being taken out of the Imperial Place, and another is footage of the military and police all around the Palace and a Hospital. They are blowing up. There¡¯s thousands of views already, and people are tweeting it. My dad is going fucking spare. There are others too. You should hear him ranting about getting the videos taken down, but I doubt he can do shit. The sites are international, you get me?¡±


    Shiori looked at Aiko-san, who was grinding her teeth. ¡°Shit, I need to tell this to my bro. Shiori-chan, here, my number.¡± She bluetoothed it to Shiori. ¡°I got to run. Hey, thanks foulmouthed lady.¡± She shouted down the phone, before running off, her speed abnormal.


    ¡°So, who the fuck was that?¡± Hotaru-chan asked. ¡°Friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Shiori sighed. ¡°But she¡¯s someone important, that¡¯s for sure. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. Never rains, but it pours, you pissing well know it!¡± Hotaru-chan swore. ¡°I¡¯ll send them your way...¡±


    As the phone beeped again, it felt hot in Shiori¡¯s hands, the weight of what she was about to see weighing on her. Grandfather, Takakura-sama, I hope you can handle this. I think... your plans might need to change...

 Side One Hundred And Two – Yukiko, Princess Mikasa

    Side One Hundred And Two ¨C Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    Well, isn¡¯t this awkward. I¡¯m a little sorry I asked to come along. No, this is no time to be timid. My friend, Tsukiko-san, she needs me... Even just knowing her true name, I felt closer to her than ever before. Ever since I was young, as the Diviner, she had visited me, offering friendship and counsel that was difficult for more ordinary people to give, After all, I¡¯m from the Imperial Family. Since the War, we don¡¯t have the prestige we once did, but along with the British Royal Family, when you think Royalty, you think of us...


    ¡°Uh, Akio-san, about last night...¡± I ventured as we entered a small side-room, away from the main Conclave. ¡°Is... is your fiance?e all right? I had heard...¡± No, what am I saying? I¡¯m supposed to be trained in etiquette and appropriate small talk, but I¡¯m making a mess of things! There was something about Akio-san that made me nervous, and not just that he promised to help me turn aside my fate.


    ¡°Yes, like I said earlier, she should make a full recovery, though I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take.¡± He said, and I found myself sighing with relief, a hand to my chest. I had only met Mori-san briefly at Conclave, where she made quite the impression by blowing a crater in the floor, but even so, to have someone I knew, no matter how briefly, brutally wounded in that spiritual world... I can feel my heartbeat speeding up. It somehow makes the dangers seem more real...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± I said, once more cursing myself for my inadequate efforts at making conversation. I was feeling particularly tongue-tied today for some reason. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not glad that she¡¯ll take time for recovery, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± He said, his tone gentle, and I felt my face heating up, which made me feel worse. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s been a tough time for all of us that were Chosen by the Gods. After all, two... no, three are gone, just like that. Yamato-san... he won¡¯t wake, I¡¯m sure. I saw what happened to him.¡± His words were grim, and there was just something a little off about the way he said it. Though I shouldn¡¯t pry.


    ¡°Yes, seeing it happen, even the aftermath, it definitely drives it home how dangerous our situation is.¡± I said, taking a seat, careful to avoid embarrassing myself further. ¡°The battles I¡¯ve fought at Ise were frightening enough, but really, all I do is sit back and let the power of Amaterasu free, reducing them to ashes. Compared to that, what you must have been through was awful.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t great.¡± He admitted. ¡°The frustrating thing is that my Foresight told me there was danger around my friends and family, but not myself. So I was alert, I had guards on everyone I could manage, but somehow Keomi-chan and the trainees still slipped through the net.¡± His frustration and guilt was plain to see. I turned a little, looking at Tsukiko-san, who had been strangely quiet so far, willing her to speak. But my wishes were in vain as she remained silent, so, somewhat stressed, I filled the silence with soothing words.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing about prophecies, right?¡± Why aren¡¯t you saying anything, Tsukiko-san? This is your area of expertise! A few kind words might alleviate his guilt... ¡°I mean, just look at mine. Princess of Heaven, the great golden-eyed maw... it¡¯s hard to prepare for such nonsense, right? Not that you need to worry about that? You have your own Princess to look after. She¡¯s very cute. I¡¯m sure... I¡¯ll manage somehow.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think we are going to have a closer relationship than you think.¡± He said boldly. I gaped at him, mouth open. I know we¡¯ve discussed the other Princesses, and whether he¡¯s the one from Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions that might be able to change my fate, but even so, that¡¯s bold...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not talking about that sort of a relationship. I wouldn¡¯t be so bold.¡± He said with a touch of laughter, though his eyes were still lacking humour. ¡°No, I found out some interesting things from the Night Parade, Nurarihyon in particular.¡±


    Well, of course. With the girls he has with him, he wouldn¡¯t be interested in me. I¡¯m plain, and I carry too much baggage. After all, I¡¯m a member of the Imperial Family, even if I¡¯m not the heir. It¡¯d draw a lot of problematic attention to him... ugh, why am I even thinking about this? I can feel my cheeks heating up again. Have I learned nothing? I glanced at the still, silent, veiled Tsukiko-san again, remembering when she had said that maybe I would manage to find my heart¡¯s desire. Cursing my friend in my heart, I forced my racing heart to calm down, averting my eyes from Akio-san. ¡°Oh, so what do you mean then?¡± My voice came out colder than I intended.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He apologised, thinking I was offended. I opened my mouth to forestall that, feeling stupid, but my words were swallowed by the tale he told next, of Nurarihyon, the strange doll-wife that granted seemingly endless wishes, and the human-faced calf, and the prophecies it had offered.


    ¡°So... that doesn¡¯t sound like a coincidence.¡± I gasped when he was done, admiration on my face. How did he survive such a meeting? Mere luck? Or destiny? I¡¯ve always believed Tsukiko-san, ever since I was a child, but even so... my heartbeat sped up as I connected the dots. ¡°I think... no, it isn¡¯t my place to speak. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°If Princess Mikasa, Chosen of Amaterasu, isn¡¯t qualified to speak to one of her subjects, who is?¡± He said wryly, and I cursed him for saying something so flippant, yet reassuring.


    Damn, he¡¯s dangerous. Is this the charm of a man who womanises so casually? Well, I for one will not be fooled by his charm. Our relationship is simply business, the fate of Japan hanging on our cooperation. ¡°Well... I may be an outsider, and my combat experience pales compared to yours. As I said, all I do is burn my foes up, safe from harm...¡± What am I even saying? I said this already... ¡°... but from listening to your story, can¡¯t you be proud that you saved four lives? You can¡¯t carry everything. They made decisions, good or bad, and well... it sounds like you beat the odds. It was a miracle.¡±


    ¡°But, if I hadn¡¯t trained them then most of them wouldn¡¯t have been there. And I had a premonition. I knew something bad was happening, and I goofed off at a concert with my sister. Sure, I thought I had everyone covered, but...¡±


    ¡°Nine minutes.¡± I found myself saying. He raised an eyebrow, and I continued. ¡°Remember? You said it yourself. You prepare so that your loved ones are safe, but also so that you can be with them. If... if you are on a constant war footing, always alert, won¡¯t you break? Besides, you say you knew, but it isn¡¯t like you are Tsukiko-san, you only had a vague idea, right? And even if you had made different choices, well, bad things still would have happened. But putting that aside...¡± I could really use some help here, Tsukiko-san, you are the one who wanted to speak privately, so say something! I¡¯m floundering here! ¡°... have you never made mistakes before? The perfect being doesn¡¯t exist. Even the Gods make errors. Trust me, I know. I¡¯m the Priestess of Ise, after all. Besides, look at their selections. I... I don¡¯t think I was the right choice either. Someone like Mori-san, she¡¯s brave. If she had my power, then...¡± seeing the look on his face I knew I¡¯d said something wrong, but I wasn¡¯t sure what.


    ¡°Yes, I made mistakes before. Failed projects, endless reworks. But back then, if I made a mistake, it was just money, or setting a project back. It was bad, but now... shit, most of them were kids, still in school. And Mine-san, she died in my arms, still wishing I could save her. I let Shiro get hurt before, and Eri is like her now. Sure I¡¯ve had great victories, but... the cost of defeat isn¡¯t just something I can shoulder. After all... Shiro, Shaeula... the world rests on their shoulders, right? Yours too...¡± he said, realising it. ¡°Damn, sorry. I shouldn¡¯t be taking it out on you, Princess. You know better than anyone the weight of shouldering the future.¡±


    No, this isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to go. Still... when was the last time I¡¯ve had such an honest conversation, someone treating me as a person, not a Princess? Unafraid to throw my words back at me, or argue? ¡°Damn right I do. You think I want to face the Red and White Dragons, get killed by this golden-eyed devourer? Sometimes I cry myself to sleep at night. I¡¯m no fighter! I¡¯m just a sheltered woman nobody listens too. They only listen to my title, what I carry. That¡¯s why I respect you so much, you and Mori-san, and your sister, and anyone else willing to fight. The trainees too. Even if they didn¡¯t expect battle, they went, and must have known there could be danger!¡± I was shouting now, red-faced and irritated. Still, it feels good to let loose. As a Princess, I always have to be proper, elegant. But there¡¯s only Akio-san and Tsukiko-san here. And we all understand. After all, we¡¯re all the same! ¡°And if they didn¡¯t, well, that¡¯s still not your fault! I get it must be tragic, and I heard the anger of the families of those left behind. But even if it was your fault, what are you going to do? Lie down and quit? Wallow and let worse things happen? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d protect me? And Tsukiko-san, doomed to die? Didn¡¯t you say fate could go to hell? Are you giving up on that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not.¡± He snapped, and his dull eyes flared to life, and in the grey, with faint, beautiful sparks of orange in one, that I had never noticed before, I could see resolve. ¡°I know I have to get through this. After all... I lost people before. Trolls, white snakes too. It was different then, because I was new to all this, and they were unlikely allies. But I realised they won¡¯t be back either. Shaeula¡¯s spoiled me. Kin Restoration is too heavy a power to possess, it makes losses hurt much more fiercely...¡±


    Kin Restoration? I wanted to ask, but I was happy enough he was opening up to us.


    ¡°... still, it¡¯s a tool I¡¯ll never lay down. If I have to crawl across broken glass to reach the end I want, I¡¯ll do it. But shit, I can¡¯t afford to make mistakes like these again. I took Eri to a place she wasn¡¯t suited for, just because I can¡¯t say no to those I love. Well, that ends today. After her rehab, if she wants to be a part of this, she¡¯s going to have to train until she can take out a dozen Kijo at once. Minimum.¡± His passionate gaze turned to me. ¡°And as for you...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I squeaked, hating how my voice sounded.


    ¡°Well, it seems that Shiro is going to be needed to defeat the shadow that threatens you. I¡¯m not going to force her, but she¡¯s a lonely girl. I doubt she can abandon you. Hopefully the healer from the Night Parade can do something about the damage to her, as currently she¡¯s nowhere near strong enough, even with... well, that doesn¡¯t matter. What does is... we have more information. Don¡¯t we, our silent friend?¡± He addressed Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°Well, I did not wish to interrupt this heartfelt conversation.¡± I felt she was smiling behind her veil. ¡°It is good to talk, to understand. Foreknowledge is a curse. One that I have long struggled with. It robs you of what it is to be human. Much like this Kin Restoration you speak of, I believe. After all, how much grief and guilt can one shoulder, knowing and being helpless to stop much evil? Better to know nothing, than to be helpless. I should not have told you about my death. Do you now see it cannot be halted? All I have done is cause you pain. I am sorry.¡± She bowed her head. ¡°I thought I could help you prepare, raise your chances of surviving, Yukiko. Instead, I have burdened you all. Still, I am pleased. A piece of the puzzle unravels with these words from what surely was a legendary Kudan, prophesiser of great calamities. If you can be saved, Yukiko, and save in turn... well, four Princesses have been found. Will you protect them all, until they reach their destiny, Akio?¡± she said, using no honorifics, as if speaking to someone close, or an equal, and I found myself surprised.


    ¡°Destiny? I¡¯m starting to hate that. My Foresight is garbage, I need to get a ton more points in it to match yours. Being human... I¡¯d give up my humanity if it¡¯d stop even one of my loved ones or those I¡¯ve chosen to protect from suffering. After all, I¡¯m already a decent chunk Fae.¡± His grin was angry, but it had more to it than his gloomy smile previously. ¡°Now, let¡¯s cut to the chase, Matsumuro-san. But first, lose the damn veil. I don¡¯t like not looking in the eyes of the person I¡¯m talking to, when we get serious. I could use my Eye, but that¡¯s discourteous. And I¡¯m about to get serious.¡±


    Yes, I think he is. His hesitation... it¡¯s gone. Did... did my words help? If so... ¡°I admit, I¡¯d like to see your face. After all, it must be hard, not having anyone know what you look like. And isn¡¯t your prophecy of the dangers already activated? So it won¡¯t matter if I see. Please Tsukiko-san, I want to know you better.¡± I pleaded, and after a moment there was a rusting of cloth, and for a brief second I stood stunned, wishing I hadn¡¯t asked, a gasp leaking from my mouth, while Akio-san only smiled in satisfaction.


    Beautiful... ugh, now I feel even frumpier in comparison.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. It¡¯s a shame for someone so stunning to hide their face. Besides, it¡¯s dehumanising. The same with not having a name, only a title. I don¡¯t care for the reasons. That ends now.¡±


    The Diviner faltered a little under our gazes, which was adorable. She looked young, a similar age to me, though I knew she was quite a bit older, yet her flawless, pale skin shone, and her slanted crimson eyes were otherworldly, yet looked natural. And worse, she¡¯s ... I couldn¡¯t help but look down and compare. Under her shed veil she had a sort of corset-like part atop her upper hakama, but even so, her chest was massive. It seems impossible she hid it under her veil all this time. But her body is slender other than that...


    ¡°Yeah, you and Shiro are both weirdly too perfect, if in opposite ways. If I didn¡¯t believe in the Gods before this, seeing you both would make me a convert. Shiro has that woman you see from a distance in a cafe? or train vibe, and know you¡¯ll never see her like again, while you... it¡¯s solemn, almost reverent good looks, as though you were a statue of a Goddess.¡± Akio-san said, and I agreed with him regarding Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°The Gods never give two gifts, they say.¡± I complained. ¡°But I think that¡¯s not true, looking at you, Tsukiko-san.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t call her prophecies gifts. But I think we need them. But if I have to forgive myself for my mistakes, then you need to live as a human, as much as someone bearing your burdens can, Matsumuro-san.¡±


    ¡°Call me Tsukiko. You were the one who looked upon me first, spoke my name. Why worry now?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Tsukiko-san, I still want to save you. We could use your aid, if you are still willing, after all, my ability to use Foresight is pure shit, and even if I do load up more points in it from classes or other means, I doubt I¡¯ll get much better. Unlike you, Tsukiko-san, I¡¯m a novice in using the future. Well, that¡¯ll have to change. Even so, I want your help, not you bearing it all alone.¡±


    Classes. Points? I¡¯ve noticed that before...


    ¡°You would take up the burden, despite the pain it has caused you, and seeing the chains that shackled me?¡± Tsukiko-san asked. ¡°Besides, I have made it plain, I cannot be saved. Though if you wish for my final days to be spent aiding you and my dear friend Yukiko, I have no objections. Tsukuyomi has given me these gifts for a reason, and I hope that reason is to steer Japan and you through the upcoming storm.¡± Her smile was ageless, yet somehow heart-breaking, making my chest ache.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe I can¡¯t turn aside your fate. Destined and definite, right, or cause and effect. Whatever. Just because I can¡¯t doesn¡¯t mean I am going to give up. Besides, even if I fail, then... perhaps there is another way.¡± He said, pensively, and as everyone was silent, I thought it was a good time to speak up.


    ¡°So, Akio-san, you talk about Foresight like it¡¯s something measurable, and points and classes. That sounds like Final Fantasy or Persona.¡± I asked, and he nodded his agreement, surprising me.


    ¡°You play games, Princess?¡± he asked, surprised.


    Princess? Yet he calls Tsukiko-san by her name. Annoying. Earlier he was treating me like anyone else, so why now... Not noticing I had puffed my cheeks out in annoyance, I answered. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I may be born to the Imperial family, but I¡¯m just like anyone else. I get bored, I read, watch TV, listen to music, and I like role-playing games. To be honest, if I didn¡¯t have that experience, I might have shattered when I was first given this power by Amaterasu. Even so, it was tough. It¡¯s one thing knowing you were Chosen, and another living with it. Now... Princess? I have a name. And I know you know it, as Tsukiko-san says it enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough about that!¡± I said, wanting to get to the main point. ¡°Kin Restoration! Can it really save Tsukiko-san?¡±


    His expression was... complicated. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. In theory, yes. In time, I could restore Tsukiko-san, and she could live in my Territory. And while it¡¯d take a ton of resources for a Throne at Rank 3, it¡¯s something I want eventually anyway. After that she¡¯d be like Haru-san, able to walk the world again.¡±


    I don¡¯t quite get what he means by Rank 3, but if it¡¯s similar to what I can do at Ise Grand Shrine... I think I get it. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s resources you need, can¡¯t we help?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, but I think my Territory is probably producing way more than yours.¡± He said, proud. ¡°We have had a lot of battles and lucky breaks. Besides... well, that¡¯s not the issue. I thought it would be able to save Eri in the worst-case, but I discovered that the soul-lights people leave behind in death can be taken or destroyed. So depending on just what we are up against... it¡¯s no guarantee. But it is hope. Of course, I¡¯d rather prevent your death in the first place, Tsukiko-san.¡± He said to the silent woman. ¡°That¡¯s why Haru-san is here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to set up a Territory here in Kyoto, since you won¡¯t leave.¡± She said. ¡°Then Akio-san will get into debt with a bigshot of the Seelie Court to link the two places, so we can reinforce in an emergency, or worst case, you can run to us. Be thankful he has connections via Shaeula. Princesses sure are great, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± I demanded, feeling relief at the thought Akio-san was putting into protecting Tsukiko-san. Wait, aren¡¯t I forgetting I¡¯m in danger too? No, Tsukiko-san said she would die first... and while I barely know Akio-san, I can tell he regrets what has happened so far, and he won¡¯t forsake me. It feels... comforting. For the first time in a while, I feel a little hopeful...


    ¡°Just a little.¡± Haru-san said. ¡°There¡¯s another problem though, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you mentioned that. Just what is kin?¡± I said, remembering our recent conversation. ¡°Akio-san, can you explain it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Here¡¯s the rub. I tried desperately to see the dying trainees as Kin. I couldn¡¯t do it, as I¡¯m not Shaeula, who thinks differently to me. She sees all her weaselkin as Kin almost instantly, even those that betrayed her.¡± His expression was cold, and I knew there was a story behind that. ¡°For me... it¡¯s family, very deep friends, or... well, those I love and am connected with.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°So, what does that mean?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°It means... uh... well, I guess... Tsukiko-san, we should get married.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I howled, not believing what I was hearing. ¡°Are you insane, Akio-san? You can¡¯t just propose to Tsukiko-san, you hardly know each other! Besides, you already...¡± I was spluttering in shock.


    ¡°He¡¯s so doomed. Shaeula will love this, but he promised Eri-san and the others he¡¯d not have any more wives after Shiro. Not that they believed him.¡± Suzuki-san giggled. ¡°His promises on the subject aren¡¯t very persuasive. But...¡± her smile turned serious. ¡°... he isn¡¯t doing it for that. I know. Not in front of me. He knows... I hate men who treat women as their playthings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯d be the quickest way to being Kin. I can¡¯t just will it to work, much as I wanted to. If I could, Mine-san... she died in my arms, poor girl. I forced myself to believe it, but nothing happened. It has to be my whole being that accepts it, just as Shaeula wholly accepts her weaselkin. So... if we were married, well, of course we¡¯d be Kin, right? That¡¯s what marriage is all about.¡± He frowned, embarrassed. ¡°Look. I¡¯d never touch you, all right? And when the crisis was over, we can break off the engagement, no problem. Other people wouldn¡¯t even have to know. Hopefully you¡¯ll survive what¡¯s coming. But if not... well, in time you can return.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± I protested. ¡°Even by your logic that wouldn¡¯t work. If it¡¯s just a fake marriage of convenience, how will that convince you?¡± I looked at the silent Tsukiko-san. ¡°Say something! This is stupid. I mean, I don¡¯t object to anything if it can save you! But... this is dumb!¡±


    ¡°Yukiko is right.¡± She replied, and the expression she was making, that nobody but us had ever seen, amused and somehow also resigned, made my heart ache. ¡°If the definite was that easy to cheat, we would not struggle so with the future. I do believe such an arrangement would fail. Tell me, when did you consider your others as Kin? Was it not when you truly realised you loved them? A fake dream with me will achieve nothing. I will die, and vanish. Though before that I have a task I must perform.¡±


    ¡°Shit, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m feeling impatient. Sorry.¡± He sighed, and I felt suddenly sorry for him, despite his shocking request. He does care. And not just for the Diviner and her powers. For the woman beneath, Tsukiko.


    ¡°Look, there is... one other way. I know it¡¯d work. But even saying it, I hate myself. Look.¡± He sighed, and I held my breath waiting for his proposal. ¡°You¡¯ve carried the weight of being denied your humanity long enough. You¡¯ve given up everything before any of us even knew being Candidates existed, for decades.¡± His words resonated with me, and I felt my eyes misting as I thought of having no name, no face, no life except trying to avert numerous tragedies, heart cut apart by failures.


    ¡°I know of four Princesses, thanks to you, and while I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m the one you saw, I¡¯m the one you have. And even if he came I don¡¯t think I can step aside. Shiro and Shaeula are for me to protect. If this guy exists, he¡¯s more than welcome to help, I won¡¯t let my pride put them in danger, but even so, they are truly Kin to me. I¡¯ll protect you as well, Yukiko-san, and even Princess Eleanor, though I have no idea how I¡¯ll pull that off. Red Dragon or White, Ants or Golden-eyed Devourers, I¡¯ll put them down if they threaten us. I won¡¯t lie and say I can achieve everything perfectly. I¡¯ve already failed at that, and I don¡¯t need your powers to see I¡¯ll fail again in future.¡± His expression was pained, but resolute. ¡°So I want you to lay down your burden for a while and enjoy what you¡¯ve earned. If the world and the Gods can¡¯t even allow that, does it even deserve to survive? Let me pick it up for a bit. I said I¡¯d become a demon to save those I care about. I¡¯ll carry it forwards. So...¡±


    What he said next shocked me. I went red, looking away, and Suzuki-san shuddered, though more at her memories than at Akio-san, it seemed.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tsukiko-san said. ¡°You would ask me for that? Bold indeed. Blasphemous too.¡± Her own smile was wry, troubled. ¡°Let me ask you... is it only to save me, or do you desire me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a liar if I said I look at you and don¡¯t think of that. You¡¯re stunning, and well, I hate that you¡¯ve not had any life experience other than being the Diviner. I¡¯m not some pure hero, I have my flaws. Even so... tell me another way. I¡¯ll take it. What can I do to prove to you I want to help you?¡±


    He said it, he meant it! That¡¯s crazy, but... if... if Tsukiko could be saved...


    ¡°I ... still struggle to understand. You know the pain of the future, of knowing and failing. You would take up the burden, release me?¡±


    ¡°Release you? I¡¯d like to. But that¡¯s arrogant. If you truly want to continue this path, then do so. But let others, such as me, help you. And no longer hide your face, your name. Be Matsumuro Tsukiko, not the Lady Diviner. Then take the time to have fun, find love, be happy. What¡¯s the point of protecting a world that has nothing for you in it? I¡¯m sure Yukiko-san wants that for you too.¡±


    ¡°I do! I definitely do!¡± I shouted, still stunned. ¡°I... I don¡¯t think... no, if you can survive that way, no, damn what are you making me say?¡± I was so hot I could almost feel steam boiling from my crimson skin. ¡°I want Tsukiko-san to be free too. But that¡¯s something every girl should treasure... I mean, you¡¯re not terrible, but we barely know you.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Suzuki-san said mildly, and my skin darkened even further, nearly purple.


    ¡°You know what I mean! Akio-san, I appreciate your preparations, and I think it¡¯s a good fallback, but...¡± I was silenced as Tsukiko-san held up a hand.


    ¡°Akio.¡± She said, her voice calm. ¡°I will ask one final time. My weight... it is something that only the strongest can bear. You have had a small taste of the suffering that awaits, and it wounded your heart. Can you taste the same, ten, a hundred times more painful?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to suffer. But if I look back and hear you are gone, and I could have prevented it... then that¡¯ll certainly hurt me, whereas the future, despite what you say, it¡¯s not set in stone. I¡¯ll take possible future pain over definite future pain.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± she sighed, a long exhalation, as though she was releasing her fears. ¡°I am a boring woman. And yet ... well, you say that if we share something intimate, something I can only give once, your heart will see me as Kin, and even if the definite future claims my life, that may not be the end?¡± she closed the distance between herself and Akio-san, in her new armour, feathers vibrating softly.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m certain it¡¯ll work. I know my own heart.¡± He said quietly, a touch of shame on his face. ¡°Sorry. If I had power like Nurarihyon, perhaps I could see a better way...¡± she reached out her hands, clasping his cheeks.


    No way, no way! Is Tsukiko-san going to... but... she...


    ¡°In that case... yes, I am weary. It would be delightful to have someone to share the weight of the future with me...¡± she admitted, her lips closing in until her breath was hot on his face. ¡°However, I have a different idea. I have no wish to make you a liar. Besides...¡± she leaned in.


    She¡¯s going to kiss him! Oh my god, she¡¯s... huh? The expected contact didn¡¯t happen, as her head was pressed against his ear, whispering something I couldn¡¯t hear, even with my excellent senses. Akio-san¡¯s eyes went wide, and he nodded. As Tsukiko-san pulled back, a satisfied smile on her face, hands still holding Akio-san¡¯s face, a brilliant halo surrounded her, and she groaned, her face twisting in pain.


    ¡°Here. I give... you... what I can only give once. Now, even if... the one who holds light, darkness and twilight comes... you¡¯ve stolen what should be his! Perhaps it is not what you wanted from me, but...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± his grey eyes were compassionate, despite the pain that was on his features too. ¡°I¡¯m not such a bastard. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m sure any man would be delighted to have a beauty like you. And teaching you all the pleasures you¡¯ve missed out on, all the fun the world has to offer...¡± he groaned, sweat glittering silver on his body, the glow around the two of them blinding. ¡°... well, I¡¯ll settle for just lessening your burden. So I¡¯ll take this. And use it to protect you, Yukiko-san, and all the others. Thank you.¡± He said, and I could barely see it, but it looked as if Tsukiko-san was happy, her face pink.


    ¡°No, thank you. I still have little hope. But... the fact that you and Yukiko treat me not as the Diviner, but as simply Tsukiko... well, in the end I am happy, and I have fulfilled the task Tsukuyomi left for me. Now I can have no regrets. Because you will protect Yukiko, will you not?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He said, and I felt a rush of happiness. ¡°And if you have no regrets, your duty done... then live for yourself. If you still want to face the future, then fine. Do so. But not alone. After all...¡± his smile was wicked, charming. ¡°... I¡¯ve certainly taken your first time, right?¡±


    ¡°More than one.¡± She laughed, and I turned away, unable to look any further, happy tears streaking my face. I met the eyes of Suzuki-san, who shrugged.


    ¡°Yes, Shaeula is going to be overjoyed... even if nothing lewd happened, this is still definitely cheating!¡±


    Nothing lewd? The glow was starting to fade, and Tsukiko-san fell, to be caught by Akio-san. She was panting, her chest heaving under her black armour, sweat running down her face. It sure looks lewd to me. Even so... something had happened, something monumental. Something even Tsukiko-san, no, The Diviner hadn¡¯t planned for. That means... There was hope. Just a little, but hope was there for the taking, the future uncertain...

 Side One Hundred And Three – Mori Eri – R18/Contains Sex

    Side One Hundred And Three ¨C Mori Eri ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°Oh, my little Eri, how are you?¡± my mother said, and I held in a grimace. She looks awful. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t understand why, I¡¯m her daughter, it¡¯s only natural she should worry, but I came back alive, that means I¡¯m fine! It annoyed me a little that mother didn¡¯t have faith in Akio. Though it was tinged with just a little sympathy.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Well, not fine...¡± I conceded, bringing a tired chuckle from Shaeula, who after doing another round of healing on the injured trainees, had returned. Some of the worst scarring on my body was now fading, a series of peeling scabs and dead flesh flaking free. It was unpleasant, itchy and disgusting, but I wanted to return to the way I was before as quickly as possible, otherwise Akio would always be reminded of the time I got injured, and I hated that thought. ¡°... but I will be.¡± I twitched the fingers of my reattached arm, and managed to move it a little. ¡°... see? It¡¯ll take extra rehabilitation and more healing from Akio and Shaeula, but my own body also can heal, so in time I¡¯ll be good as new. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s hardly nothing.¡± Auntie Emily, my mother-in-law, said. She had also been horribly distressed by my condition, and also looked a fright, her face pale, and her expression quite unlike her usual boisterous good cheer. Uncle was with her, and I heard he had chewed Akio out pretty badly for taking me into danger. While a part of me insisted that Akio did nothing wrong, enough people had told me that as a leader, it was Akio¡¯s fault that he let himself get pushed around. I suppose I do understand that. But I still think it¡¯s unfair. How was he supposed to know we¡¯d end up stuck there by some curse? If it wasn¡¯t for that, we¡¯d have been in and out, saving lives. It¡¯s so frustrating!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry again, Eri. Please forgive my son for...¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Shut up. Shut up! I¡¯m sick of this!¡± On hearing another wave of apologies which were clearly aimed at shaming Akio, this one from his own mother of all people, I exploded. I was feeling particularly volatile, after what Aiko had told me earlier, so I wasn¡¯t able to keep my calm. ¡°I¡¯m not a child. If I was from your birth country, mother-in-law, I¡¯d be old enough to vote, drink and I could be deployed to a frontline combat zone in the army, right? Japan is a bit more stupid about what it considers an adult, but at my age I could still join the JSDF, right? Stop treating me like I¡¯m an idiot that lets Akio make all my decisions for me!¡±


    ¡°Eri is correct.¡± Shaeula piped up from where she was siting, sipping on a warm drink, her eyes tired and drooping. Hyacinth, who was standing quietly in the corner, keeping out of the way as she thought a maid should, looked at me consolingly. At least they understand. Yes, Akio should stick to his own decisions as leader, but other than that, blaming him is unfair! ¡°She has wielded her axe and taken the lives of our enemies, to save her own-own and the lives of others. One who can do that is most definitely not-not a helpless child. You knew there would be danger, did you not-not?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. But I want to be able to stand beside Akio, and Shaeula, and the others. The mistake was that we were unaware the Night Parade could prevent us from escaping. Blaming Akio for not being able to predict such an event isn¡¯t fair. If it wasn¡¯t for that, then we rescued people successfully, and would have escaped!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. You nearly died!¡± mother shouted, and I clenched the fist of the one arm I could move, though even that was getting difficult. Ugh, I know you saved my life, Ginneka, but even so, controlling my body now is nearly impossible...


    ¡°Yes, I nearly died. I was scared, terrified, crying and screaming. I know it well. And I guess I¡¯m a little scared about fighting again. I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± I pouted unhappily. ¡°But I was doing something good, wasn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t you think the families of Keomi-chan and the others, who we brought back alive, would have wished us to save them? This isn¡¯t a game. Akio isn¡¯t doing it for fun!¡± I had thought about it a lot. If Akio just wanted to enjoy what he had been given, he could. A life with us, his fiance?es, it would be so easy. He could make as much money as he wanted with little risk from a variety of means, and we could enjoy a celebrity lifestyle, always having fun and never suffering pain or fear. But that wouldn¡¯t last. It¡¯s obvious. I¡¯m not stupid, everyone says I¡¯m quite smart, so I worked it out without Akio needing to say much. The world will end soon. Well, maybe not the world, but humanity as the dominant force.


    Forcing my anger down, I drew my lips into what I hoped was a smile. ¡°You must see how hard Akio is working, to prepare. And when I see that, it reminds me over and over again why I love him, why I always have, from a child. When it comes to protecting those he cares about, especially those without any power of their own, there isn¡¯t anyone better. Mother, auntie, you both know this. You¡¯ve been watching him too. If we made a mistake here, then we made a mistake. Have none of you failed, done badly?¡± I shook my head a little, neck muscles twitching. ¡°Well, just be grateful we got through our mistake. I don¡¯t care if I should have died, or it was a miracle I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m alive! And no matter how beaten I am now, Shaeula and Akio assured me I¡¯ll be whole again. A few weeks, a few months, a few years. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll be with Akio, and he¡¯ll protect me. More to the point...¡± my gaze narrowed, my dark eyes hard. ¡°Akio¡¯s hurting more than me right now. You shouldn¡¯t be fussing over me. My wounds will heal. But Akio¡¯s heart is scarred. Auntie, Uncle, I hope you remember this. Your son risked everything to save others. To me he¡¯s a hero. And anyone that says otherwise I don¡¯t need in my life.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, master Akiooo saved me too, when he had nooo cause to. His kindness... I wooould not have it sacrificed ooon the altar of caution. Akiooo must remain who he is!¡± Hyacinth spoke up stoutly, and I fully understood. An Akio that won¡¯t put his body on the line for others isn¡¯t an Akio I recognise. I... I want to be like that too. I don¡¯t think I could sacrifice myself for a stranger, or a casual acquaintance. I¡¯m far from that nice or charitable. But if it was to protect Akio¡¯s heart, or Shaeula, or Hyacinth, or the others... I want to be the sort of person that can. Although for that, I¡¯ll need... my thoughts turned enviously to Aiko again, as Shaeula also spoke up.


    ¡°I understand your grief. But consider this a hard-hard lesson, one we all sorely needed. I do not-not downplay the severity of the losses we have suffered. Indeed...¡± she looked a bit shamefaced, her tired skin flushing, and once more I found her very cute, marvelling that I could share Akio with her. ¡°... when Eri was on the brink of death, I quite-quite lost myself and went berserk. My own mother was quite-quite upset at the carnage. But we needed to learn. We had won too much, grown arrogant. Now we know. We are strong, yes, but power alone is not-not enough, unless it is overwhelming. Our hands were forced by the fool Yamato, but even so, battle is seldom at our convenience.¡±


    ¡°I think what Shaeula is trying to say is... what¡¯s done is done. I don¡¯t regret it. Thinking back on what could have happened, the fate worse than death I was facing, yes, I¡¯m trembling, I feel sick. But then I only have to think that fate is over, to know that soon I can hold Akio in my arms again, to recover. I¡¯m tough now.¡± I giggled, a little amused. ¡°I can hardly believe it myself. But I draw my strength from Akio, and Shaeula, and Hyacinth. Even from Hinata, Natsumi, Motoko and I dare say I¡¯ll even draw strength from Shiro. Aiko too, I have to admit. I also...¡± I looked at our parents. ¡°... draw strength from you. So don¡¯t make me hate you, I don¡¯t want that. What girl wants to hate her own family? So stop with the criticism and the guilt-tripping. Akio knows, all right? We know! Instead, help him get over this. He¡¯s our Akio, isn¡¯t he? And not just ours, now. Japan¡¯s and the world''s. He¡¯s out there doing his best, even though I know he just wants to lock himself away and cry. So the least you can do is help soothe his pains. Advice, not condemnation!¡± I finished, the long spell of talking, which was unusual as I was usually more reserved, exhausting me. As I slumped back in the bed, surprisingly it was father-in-law who spoke, his grey eyes, similar to Akio¡¯s, strangely gentle.


    ¡°You have definitely grown up.¡± He sighed. ¡°Yes, I am not sure where this uncharacteristic boldness of yours is coming from. Though perhaps you are your father¡¯s daughter after all.¡± He looked at my father, who was still a little drunk, but I wasn¡¯t going to criticise. If it helped him get over this, it would be fine. ¡°Please understand though, can you imagine what it feels like, to see you cut apart before our very eyes, helpless to interfere...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also understand what it feels like, to be cut apart in person. I can¡¯t say I recommend it.¡± I sniffed. ¡°Which is why I¡¯ll recover, and train, and try not to let it happen again. But... we don¡¯t know the future. Tomorrow we could have a zombie apocalypse, a demon invasion, nuclear war, who knows what else! Which is why we should try our best, but not waste what precious time we have dwelling on regrets. I wasted enough time in Nishimorioka. If I confessed years ago, maybe I¡¯d have spent longer, happier times with Akio. But again, that¡¯s meaningless. I¡¯m happy now. And I¡¯m alive. The girls we saved too. So be grateful. And go and tell Akio you understand, and support him! We can, and we will, but he needs support from the adults in his life too!¡±


    ¡°I surrender.¡± He conceded. ¡°You really are looking like his wife right now, daughter-in-law. Eri.¡± With a wry smile, he continued. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me not to be stern. I¡¯ve tried to raise my son and daughter right, but perhaps the way I wanted them to be isn¡¯t what they were meant to be.¡± He sighed them. ¡°Speaking of Aiko, do you know what has happened? She¡¯s so cheerful you wouldn¡¯t think this disaster occurred. It¡¯s rather... inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do know. But we shouldn¡¯t talk about it until after Conclave. It¡¯s... a sensitive matter.¡± To me as well. No, I don¡¯t need it. I can still grow stronger without it. It¡¯s better for Aiko, she can¡¯t leverage everything I can, like Lovers¡¯ Link and more...


    ¡°is that really all right?¡± Auntie Emily asked, and I laughed drily.


    ¡°Of course. In fact, it¡¯s what we¡¯ve been talking about, and when you hear, you¡¯ll understand why complaining to Akio is pointless. He knows what he has to do from here. So now, do what you¡¯re supposed to do. He¡¯s carrying a lot. More than we should ask of anyone. So don¡¯t add to it.¡±


    ¡°My little Eri... so mature. I¡¯m a little touched, as your mother.¡± My mother said, and after that the conversation changed, the tension fading. Hyacinth started serving more tea, and I leaned back in my bed, relaxing muscles that refused to obey me, relieved that the first problem was resolved. Now it¡¯s our turn to try and relieve his burdens, cheer him up...


    ********


    ¡°So why¡¯s she here?¡± I asked, looking at the blonde foreign girl who insisted she was a Japanese idol, Suzu-san. Beside her, Aiko shrugged.


    ¡°Well, she was annoying those girls from Red and White, so Kana-chan told me to take her away. She really shouldn¡¯t be here at Conclave, but it¡¯s hard to let her go for a number of reasons, and well, she isn¡¯t entirely unrelated to this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, Aiko-chan!¡± she said, annoyingly bubbly, her blonde drill-tails bobbing up and down as she moved her body. ¡°I was just trying to get to know them as fellow idols, and...¡±


    ¡°Enough. If you are going to be here, then sit quietly here in the corner, and do not-not bother us.¡± Shaeula said, unusually stern. ¡°We have an important call to make, I do not-not wish for you to interfere.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed, taking out a lollipop and sucking on it. ¡°You¡¯re a lot cuter when you are smiling, Shaeula.¡± She giggled softly. ¡°To think, I¡¯d be in a room with so many rivals of the Boss. I feel a bit sorry for her, though she¡¯d eat me if I said that, probably.¡±


    Yes, she¡¯s such a strange idiot, you wouldn¡¯t think she was actually a Candidate like Akio. And Aiko now too, I guess. Damn, I¡¯m still so jealous, even though I don¡¯t need to be... Well, I guess we¡¯ll be seeing a lot more of her anyway, considering she¡¯s one of hers...


    Hyacinth was setting up a laptop, though she let Aiko help her with the majority of the work connecting the phones, seeing as she was still very unfamiliar with technology. ¡°Wow, this stuff is high security. I¡¯m still not sure why using some sort of messenger call isn¡¯t good enough, but if they are giving out equipment for free, I¡¯ll take it!¡± Aiko enthused.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they are noble girls. You remember when they came to Nishimorioka and we had that sleepover, they are very sheltered from the outside world. Their phones are special and can¡¯t even access most of the internet. So I guess this is just an offshoot of that.¡± I said, and Aiko shrugged again.


    ¡°Well, makes sense. But I think the girls are experiencing new things all the time now, aren¡¯t they? There¡¯s no way their parents¡¯ll be able to isolate them from the realities of the world, not when they have to share with girls like you.¡± Aiko said, which was rather rude.


    ¡°Girls like me? I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m normal!¡± I complained.


    ¡°Sure you are. Because normal girls totally come close to death and then are desperate to get right back into the fight. Well, not that I don¡¯t get it.¡± Aiko rolled her eyes, ignoring giggles from Suzu-san. ¡°Well, anyway, the calls are connecting, so I¡¯ll step back with Suzu-san here. It¡¯s not really my place to contribute to this.¡±


    Moments later the screen showed the faces of Hyacinth, Shaeula and I. I winced at the state I was in, lying near-immobile in bed, pale and stiff. Maybe I should have used some make-up? No, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter.


    The next face to appear was the elegant Motoko, quickly followed by Natsumi. On seeing us, they looked relieved.


    ¡°I am pleased to see you all well. Grandfather has been frantic ever since last night. He did tell me you were all safe, but seeing it for ourselves...¡± she paused, her image on screen looking suddenly wary. ¡°Eri, are you... well? You seem awfully stiff, your muscles seem to be strange.¡± Beside her on screen, Natsumi agreed, pointing out the odd way my legs were placed under the bedsheets.


    A good eye. I forced a smile. ¡°Well, I should have expected a pair of practised martial artists like you two to notice. I got hurt pretty badly, actually. Shaeula and Akio had to glue my legs and an arm back on.¡±


    ¡°Is that something to smile about?¡± Motoko said, horrified, and I was gratified at her concern, and I had a slightly unworthy feeling of smugness that I was the one who stood at Akio¡¯s side during the fierce battle. Though I immediately felt guilty about that. The young ladies haven¡¯t felt what it is to be a true lover with Akio. I understand it, they¡¯re younger, and they have family concerns. Without a strong Lovers¡¯ Link, they¡¯d be dead in a heartbeat facing what we fought... I should be glad they weren¡¯t there for that reason, not for jealous ones. I had to laugh. Despite talking a lot more than normal today, arguing with my parents and Akio¡¯s, I was the same at heart. Somehow that was reassuring, if embarrassing.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m smiling because I¡¯m still alive, here listening to you. Thanks, Motoko, Natsumi.¡± I said, ignoring sniggers from Shaeula. As I spoke, the mischievous and energetic face of Hinata also appeared on screen. She went to give greetings, but as we were already talking she showed good manners and waited. ¡°It was pretty bad, but we might as well wait until the last of us is on.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Hinata. How fares things in our absence?¡± Shaeula asked, and she answered happily.


    ¡°Well, other than you all worrying us, it¡¯s going well. I¡¯ve got the first clients for our Healing business lined up, and they are all wealthy and well-connected. But just what¡¯s been happening down there? Father and grandfather have been worrying about the news reports coming from Kyoto. I know you had to be involved...¡±


    ¡°Poor Boss, she¡¯s got it really tough, all these rivals.¡± Suzu-san was muttering. ¡°They could all be models or idols too. I wonder, maybe they have some interest in the business?¡±


    ¡°No. They are young ladies from good households. There¡¯s no way they can do anything like that, so just shut it, okay?¡± Aiko sighed.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late.¡± The last person dialled into the conference call, and I let out a gasp at her face, before clasping my mouth shut hastily with my one good hand, flushing in embarrassment.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s rather rude.¡± The woman, Shiro, who I had often heard tell of, yet not met, looked at me with her single eye. Her shining silver hair was draped long over her other, but even behind that I could see the edges of some dreadful scars creeping out from the cover, and as she shifted uncomfortably, through the hair I could see a closed, malformed socket. Her balance was off too, the way she sat showing she was favouring one side. ¡°A couple of weeks ago, I¡¯d take it as a compliment to my beauty, but now... well, not so much.¡± She narrowed her eye, a gleam in it shining red. ¡°Although you don¡¯t seem in much better shape than I do, Eri. It is Eri, right? I¡¯ve seen pictures. Aki was showing you off, so proud. Damn clueless idiot. Made me want to punch him. Though I guess I wasn¡¯t much better. I should have searched my feelings years ago.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something you said earlier, Eri.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Well, Princess in White. At last we meet, though not-not in person.¡± Shaeula¡¯s smile was a little scary. Perhaps it¡¯s a princess thing, she sees her as a rival? ¡°You truly are quite-quite stunning, barring your wounds.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°Well, we have news on that front. Though whether anything will come from it, I would not-not like to say.¡±


    ¡°Hey Boss!¡± Suzu-san interrupted the conversation with what I was beginning to discover was her usual lack of decorum. ¡°Whoa, every time I see those scars, I get all shuddery inside. Anyway, just thought I¡¯d say hi!¡±


    ¡°Suzu, you idiot.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Running off to a concert when the situation is so dire... I don¡¯t have much to do in this military hospital, though they did bring me books and games, so I suppose I can¡¯t complain too much. But when I heard that there was a disaster in Kyoto... well, you had best not be involved, or I¡¯ll send Arisu to fetch you. She was very angry, you know! We are down three people on our team after the whole mess with the Raven Knight and Daizen. So for you to go running off, with me injured...¡±


    I was amused to see the annoying girl go pale. She already had white skin, being a westerner, but you could mistake her for Haru-san in her Onryo form now. ¡°Well, I... oh no, she¡¯s really frightening. Arisu-san has a real temper! Seriously, Boss, can¡¯t you put in a good word for me? You¡¯re the only one she listens to! Uh, something to put you in a good mood... oh yeah, I met the guy! Akio-kun, the one you are totally into! He seems strong! Yeah... so, congratulations?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll fall for that?¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°For now, just shut up and stay out of the way. I¡¯ll deal with you later. Perhaps I¡¯ll ask my fellow ... fiance?es...¡± her own pale skin darkened in embarrassment at saying it out loud, and I could see her gaze go to a strange-looking silver ring on her finger. ¡°... to send you back. But for now, we need to talk. About Aki.¡±


    ¡°I believe we need to discuss Eri too.¡± Motoko said. ¡°You seem out of danger, but your injuries, they seem grave. It must be related to the matter grandfather was trying to resolve.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. I exchanged glances with Shaeula and Hyacinth. Both agreed, so I started to speak, detailing what happened to us overnight...


    ¡°So content yourself with the three who can show you love.¡± Motoko continued. ¡°And wait. Because the night we wed...¡±


    The two spoke together. ¡°The three of us, together, you shall make us both yours at the same time. And we shall create a child. Your child.¡± They echoed, faces scarlet. ¡°Because we believe in you. No matter the hardships, the failures, we believe you¡¯ll get back up. Our spears, swords, bows and our bodies, no, our lives, we¡¯ll dedicate them to you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... what did you force them to...¡± his words were cut off as Hyacinth started fondling his balls as well, and he gasped, pleasure rising.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t force them to say anything. They genuinely wish for your love. To noble girls like them, sex is for children, not pleasure, right?¡± I said, feeling a strange feeling of euphoria as he trembled cutely, mouth gaping open a little foolishly. ¡°And they... they want yours and no one else¡¯s. A threesome with two girls like that... lucky!¡± I laughed.


    ¡°I... no, cumming!¡± he gasped, unable to hold back. Hyacinth grinned triumphantly as he unloaded into her mouth. Her throat worked, gulping frantically, but there was simply too much, and it sprayed over her exposed chest, forming a puddle in her cleavage, and also rained down on me, soaking my negligee, my skin wet and sticky.


    You know, I¡¯m fairly sure I read in biology that males don¡¯t actually produce that much semen when they ejaculate. Akio didn¡¯t when he took my virginity, either. It makes me wonder... how much he¡¯s changed. How much we¡¯ve all changed. I couldn¡¯t believe I was lying here, thinking about such dry, academic things when Akio was there, his penis still hard and hot, pointed down at me.


    ¡°So tasty. Hyacinth loooves Akio¡¯s flavour. Here.¡± She brought her head over to me and held it above mine. She opened her mouth and some remaining cum trickled down. With a smirk I gulped at it.


    ¡°Yes, tastes just like you.¡± I told him, enjoying the mixture of lust and discomfort on his face. Here in the bedroom, Akio isn¡¯t a Chosen of the Gods, or a powerful superhero. He¡¯s just a man. Our man. And we... we have weapons that can easily bring him down. I giggled, opening the last message, even as his hands were bringing me closer and closer to an orgasm. Shaeula had already come, and was lying next to me, a dreamy expression on her face, thighs soaked with sour-smelling liquid. Though like the taste of Akio, I find the smell soothing and arousing. I guess I now associate Hyacinth and Shaeula¡¯s scents with lewd things. Well, we do often play with Akio together...


    ¡°Akio. It¡¯s me, your Hinata!¡± the cheery voice echoed from the speakers. ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like this before, obviously. I always wanted to be a good noble, so even though I was a bit more worldly wise... hah, I¡¯m just putting on airs, how boastful of me. When I met your sister and the girls from your school, I realised even though I thought I was knowledgeable, I was still sheltered and lacking wisdom. No, what I wanted to say was...¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Shaeula whispered to Akio, biting his ear playfully, rubbing her body against his. Yes, there¡¯s definitely something that¡¯s changed. He¡¯s the same, but... not. Is his hair blacker? It looks more like Aiko¡¯s now, I think. And his eyes, the shade... it¡¯s more... luminous? I could hardly think as I rose closer and closer to ecstasy with his hands. ¡°Eri... she needs to feel that you love her still. Take her, show-show her you will never abandon her, even if she is injured, even-even if she is wounded.¡±


    ¡°... remember that time when you were covered in that mess and we washed each other?¡± she was squirming on the monitor, and I knew how she felt. She¡¯s aroused. But wait, how come I¡¯ve not heard about this? Hinata and Akio bathing together? His hand stopped, and I bit my lip, saddened at the lack of sensation. My worries were short-lived, however, as soon his glans was poking at my entrance, and I started leaking hot sighs, eager for him to ravish me.


    ¡°Well, I was thinking, nobody will know I¡¯m not pure if you don¡¯t tell.¡± She winked. ¡°So, if you want to get dirty again, so that I have to wash you off... well, consider it a reward. Thanks Akio. For saving some of the students. I know you did your best. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there for you. But I¡¯ll be there for future hardships, so... smile for us, please? You have a lot to look forward to, and we have our future with you too! So for now, I¡¯ll let you practise with Eri and the girls. Our time will come.¡± Her voice dropped. ¡°Sooner than you think.¡±


    His smile was radiant now, and as he forced open my soaking pussy, slamming all the way into my womb with a wet smacking sound, the stimulation was too much, and I orgasmed, my body betraying me. Liquid scattered, and I realised I had leaked again. Damn, I thought I was getting better at avoiding that. I moved my free hand to cover my face in shame, but Akio grabbed my wrist, though his other hand was now being used by Hyacinth as a vibrator, she was aggressively shoving his fingers into her, gasping with pleasure, her black, purple and green hair sticking to her now naked, voluptuous body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. it¡¯s so very you, Eri. So seemingly shy, prim and proper, but I know you¡¯re actually aggressive, lustful and demanding. And...¡± he kissed me then. First our lips touching, a sweet sensation that made my heart ache, and then his tongue pushed in. I responded, and greedily twined mine together, heating up. For a few moments I was supremely blissful, then regretfully he parted from me, but with the twinkle in his eyes, I knew he was happy. With me. With us.


    ¡°... that goes for all of you.¡± he looked at Hyacinth, who was gasping furiously now as Akio took over fondling duties, his fingers scooping her out, finding her sensitive areas, and Shaeula, who was watching and waiting, so beautiful and charming, knowing that Akio desired her, composed as she waited regally for his penis, fingers or tongue. ¡°And... I¡¯m sorry. For making you worry. But... I understand now. What we did wrong. All of you are right. We did our best. And next time...¡± he started moving inside me, his dick sliding in and out of my sopping pussy. I could barely hold in my lewd gasps as he probed my most sensitive areas, my body responding. ¡°... we¡¯ll do better. Because I don¡¯t want you to get hurt again. not your body, not your mind, not your heart.¡±


    ¡°How very you, Akio.¡± Shaeula giggled. Her hand snaked out and gripped mine, and I squeezed her small fingers tightly as Akio pounded me, my breath coming faster and faster, my immobile, useless body arching by itself.


    ¡°Akiooo, Hyacinth is cumming, can Hyacinth go crazy?¡± she giggled, and he nodded, speeding his fingers, thumb grinding her clitoris as he had toyed with mine earlier. Just watching made me shiver, no, his dick sliding through my insides, rubbing at all my sensitive spots, that made me shiver, no, him tricking aether into me, rich with his essence, his very soul, was what was shaking me. I¡¯m turning foolish. But there¡¯s too... too much pleasure.


    ¡°Oho!¡± Shaeula said, her eyes glowing amber, as with every thrust liquid splashed from me, the sodden sheets already a mess, my negligee bunched up and sticky. Hyacinth howled in pleasure as she orgasmed, and I shared in her joy, feeling very close to her. This is abnormal, I know it is. Strange. But then, last night I was getting hacked apart by some bitch of a Kijo. Nothing is normal anymore. Nothing but being with Akio. That¡¯s the only normal I need...


    ¡°Eri. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He apologised again, and I tightened up, irritated. As my pussy squeezed him, I giggled at the look on his face, hot and aroused, so I beckoned him for another kiss. When we were done, I berated him gently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear I¡¯m sorry, you know what I want to hear.¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡± he said then, and my whole body shook, back arching. The release was ferocious, my whole body shuddering, and not just my body. My fragile, squirming chakra network was being flooded by Akio, and the flavours I could taste... Huh, different...


    My eyes went wide as I felt a flood of hot liquid pour into me. It was the moment I adored, even more than the pleasure of orgasm, because it was then I knew I was a woman, Akio¡¯s woman, just like I¡¯d always wanted. And if some Kitsune thinks he can take me, well... Akio had killed his rival, and as a woman, that made me happy, secure, knowing that if anyone tried to take me, Akio would never let it stand.


    A strange feeling went though my body, as though I was somehow sneezing with my whole being, and then Akio was looking down, astonished. ¡°What?¡± I asked, weakly, only to suddenly shiver as he reached out and stroked my hair. No, wait, that isn¡¯t my hair, that¡¯s my... ears?


    My tail twitched, and I laughed as it knocked against Akio¡¯s tail, a mess of semen, my love nectar and urine was caught in the fur. The feeling of having ears that I didn¡¯t normally possess stroked was surprisingly sensual, and as he reached for my tail, I found myself drooling a little, Shaeula and Hyacinth both laughing at what must have been the stupid look on my face.


    ¡°Mreow!¡± I let out a cat noise in surprise as he pulled at my tail, and I realised it didn¡¯t matter how I looked. Not here. Not with my family. Because that¡¯s what we are. I managed to roll my body, which was a little more responsive, if still largely immobile, onto Akio, sharing his warmth.


    ¡°Well, are you not-not the bold one today, Eri?¡± Shaeula grinned at my clingy nature. Being shy gets you nothing. I long learned that lesson. But that isn¡¯t important.


    ¡°Shaeula, something is strange with Akio today. When we made love the Fae way while we were... uh... having sex... it seemed a lot different to normal. Do you think that¡¯s why this happened?¡± my ears twitched while he toyed with my tail, causing my pussy to relax, leaking again, even though I had just come, a mixture of cloudy white liquid and my own scent dripping down my legs.


    ¡°No, I think you just wanted to bewitch Akio.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But you are right. Something has definitely changed. Akio, do not-not hide it from us. What have you done?¡±


    With a guilty smile, he started to explain. We listened, rapt, to his explanation, though Hyacinth grew impatient, and soon she was bouncing up and down on his cock, her body twisting and turning, stimulating them both, making Akio moan in-between his words. That¡¯s very energetic. I need to try that. I¡¯m sure I can do it as well as her...


    ********


    ¡°Yes, ahn, I can feel the difference. Mmm, ahn, it is ... most-most delightful.¡± Shaeula shuddered as they shared their lunar chakras, her small body shaking and jumping as Akio pounded their bodies together again and again. Hyacinth was lying on the other side of the bed, once more showing me her bare ass and slit, though this time it was smeared with semen, and she was giggling softly and dreamily, her eyes vacant from too much pleasure.


    It''s always strange watching Shaeula get screwed. It¡¯s hot though. She¡¯s so small and cute, it somehow seems very immoral. But then, I think it¡¯s the guilt that you are doing something naughty that makes it fun. I think Hinata would drown in pleasure, if she broke the rules of nobility and had sex before marriage. She¡¯s still a bit young for Akio¡¯s taste though, I think. Well, she¡¯s old enough to get married, so I guess it¡¯s up to her charms to win him over. I was shuddering myself, as he was stroking my tail, up and down, as though it was us stroking his dick. Every time it sent pleasure through me, I leaked a small mewling noise, like a little kitten.


    ¡°To think... your essence would change... ahn, ah, mmm, no, I feel it there, do not-not go so intensely, I feel I might break!¡±


    ¡°Then break!¡± Akio said, slightly sadistic, as he sometimes was in bed. Just seeing that made my chest ache. Tenderness, ferocity. It¡¯s the dichotomy between them that makes it so sexy...


    ¡°No, ah, please forgive my teasing, if you...¡± he pulled Shaeula over, so her ass was facing him, and he continued to drive in, deeper, showing me everything, shooting me a sidelong glance, a very knowing one, and I flushed, understanding he had worked out it was arousing me.


    ¡°If I what?¡± he said with a grin, continuing his onslaught, wet sounds echoing as his dick slid in and out of her tight pussy.


    ¡°I shall go crazy. The feel-feel, ahn, mm, of you inside me, coupled with... ahn, ahn, no, it is too-too much, ahn, mmm, the sweet feel of moonlight... ahn, your moonlight, becoming, ahn, one-one with meeeeeeeeeeeee I am .... Ugh!¡± Shaeula squealed, her body trembling, eyes losing their focus, drool dripping freely from her open mouth, just as her lower hole gushed a spray of semen, Akio overflowing her, despite having already made love to me and Hyacinth. I watched with interest as Shaeula slumped down, rolling onto her back, panting, her small chest heaving, nipples hard and stiff, flesh pink.


    ¡°That was fantastic.¡± Akio pulled up her damp amber hair, sniffing it, before leaning down to kiss the exhausted but ecstatic girl, and they tangled their tongues once more. When they were done, Akio laughed at my pout, kissing me in turn, before sharing the same with the dazed Hyacinth. He them pulled us all together, me lying on one outstretched arm, Hyacinth and Shaeula sharing his other.


    ¡°Did it help you feel better? We all wanted you to go back to how you were before.¡± I said, and he nodded. ¡°You three, and the others, I can¡¯t forget them. Yes, you did help. Although I think I made the breakthrough before this. Still, the last session of the Conclave was very annoying, even if the results were decent.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can tell us about that later.¡± I said, dismissing it. ¡°For now I want to hear about the Diviner, Matsumuro-san. I know you are eager to save her, but... this seems a little... much.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Shaeula snuggled in close to him, her hair draped over his chest. ¡°She simply gave you her Divine Favour? Such a precious treasure? I can sense it has had a great-great impact on you. Your Charm seems to have increased yet again-again.¡± she smirked at me. ¡°I fear we will have to be quite-quite alert if we wish to fend off females seeking the best male.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Matsumuro-san. Just what did you promise her? You didn¡¯t do something like ask her to be your girlfriend, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I can safely swear that I did not ask her to be my girlfriend.¡± Akio said, and the way he said it aroused my suspicions.


    ¡°is that so? Well...¡± I looked to Shaeula, who smirked.


    ¡°We can tease the details out from him later. Tease.¡± Her hand trailed lower towards his groin, tickling him. ¡°I am sure-sure we can make you talk. But for now... your light element, it has changed. It is calming, like the moon, yet it is also quite-quite changeable. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, the blessing, apparently I was extremely compatible with it. I was out of adherence after Aiko, but Tsukiko-san had enough to make it work. It¡¯s from Tsukuyomi, God of the moon. And the moon, it has the full and the new, right? You always do that, saying I¡¯m the full moon to your new, right?¡± he grinned, and Shaeula shifted in embarrassment.


    Tsukiko-san, hmm?


    ¡°I do indeed, yet it is quite-quite embarrassing to have my words thrown back at me, true as they are!¡± she pouted, her hand softly stroking in retaliation. That¡¯s fun. Let me join in. I think I¡¯m getting the hang of it now, at least a little... I giggled as Akio jumped, my tail stroking his dick, alongside Shaeula¡¯s small hand.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s because the spirit water we have contains moonlight, but my light and darkness elements have both mutated. The light is now based on the full moon, while the darkness has taken on the aspect of the new moon. I don¡¯t really know what they... hey, stop that, I¡¯m trying to be serious..¡±


    ¡°As are we!¡± I giggled. Suddenly Hyacinth was joining in too, her long hair twisting like vines and groping him. ¡°So, what did she demand in exchange for this blessing? After all the seven of us have done for you, I don¡¯t think tonight is a good time to tell me you went for bride number eight, is it?¡±


    As we toyed with him, the reverse of earlier, the guilty look he flashed us made me more sadistic. Oh, it¡¯s like that is it? You promised, Shiro would be the last, and I see you making a move on another woman? I get that you want to save her, and I think that¡¯s a good thing, but even so, you don¡¯t have to pick up every girl you save... I¡¯m rather pissed off. So... Akio gasped and moaned, while Shaeula started licking him, her tongue making him shiver, his glans smeared with her saliva. Seeing that I went for his nipples, while Hyacinth leant over and stole his lips. Other women? The Diviner? Bah, we¡¯ll bewitch you so thoroughly you won¡¯t even spare her a thought... you¡¯re ours!

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Three

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Three


    As I lay there, the girls in my arms, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was cute seeing the others record those video messages. I wonder whose idea that was? Shiro was usually very arrogant and standoffish, so seeing her cute side like that was fascinating. Motoko and Natsumi, their embarrassed faces, that was cute too, as was Hinata¡¯s impish teasing. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely a lucky guy. No question. Once more I can reaffirm why I fight. We suffered losses, losses we can¡¯t replace. But if I let that stop me moving forward, and those precious to me suffer... no way.


    ¡°So, are you feeling better?¡± Eri asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m already fine. I still have regrets, but we need to move beyond that, keep going.¡±


    ¡°We do indeed.¡± Shaeula approved from my other side, where Hyacinth watched silently, her purple eyes trusting. ¡°There are other matters to discuss, are there not-not?¡± She continued. ¡°I need more details about the blessing you received. I feel a sense of peace from it. You said it was from the God-God of the moon, correct?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious too. First Aiko...¡± Eri said, pouting a little. ¡°... I¡¯m a little sad she gets such a gift but not me, but I get it. Compatibility and all, plus she needs it more, but even so... well, never mind. Now you, too. I didn¡¯t even know they could be transferred like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently in the visions of her death, she also saw Tsukuyomi, who said she needed to pass the Divine Favour on before she dies. Whether I¡¯m the person she was meant to pass it onto, she wasn¡¯t sure, but... I guess I won her over?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eri answered. ¡°Won her over, huh? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Look, I know you feel sorry for her as well. All I¡¯m going to do is make sure she doesn¡¯t meet the fate that¡¯s ordained for her. Though it isn¡¯t just her. These Princesses, we need to make sure they don¡¯t die too. Well, I¡®m already protecting two, right? What¡¯s four more?¡±


    ¡°I am the only-only princess you need.¡± Shaeula snorted, tossing her head, hair tickling my bare chest. ¡°Though I suppose I can be tolerant. After all, am I not-not your first princess? Shiro, she shall have to settle for second place.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± I returned her snort with an amused one of my own. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be. Yes, we¡¯ll be working pretty closely with Yukiko-san going forwards, and somehow we¡¯ll have to persuade Princess Eleanor from the UK, and find the other two, but it¡¯s just that. Work. After all, Shiro is going to save Yukiko-san, if you believe the prophecies of Tsukiko-san, so it¡¯s quite possible that one of the others is going to be involved in facing the black giant than threatens you, Shaeula. It¡¯s complicated, but...¡±


    ¡°Yukiko-san and Tsukiko-san, huh? Sounds pretty intimate to me, calling such important people by their names when you¡¯ve only just met them.¡± Eri pointed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just... well, Tsukiko-san, the Diviner, she finally had a breakthrough, getting to share some of the burden she was carrying. In that moment, it seemed wrong to call each other formally. Besides, like I said, we¡¯ll be working together. That means all of you too!¡± I looked at my fiance?es, who were showing me different emotions. Eri¡¯s was complicated and a little jealous, Hyacinth¡¯s was endlessly accepting, and Shaeula¡¯s was proud and haughty. They¡¯re all different, yet in some ways all the same too.


    ¡°Fine. I get it.¡± Eri conceded. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want them to suffer or die, and if we need them to protect Shaeula and Shiro, then we need them. Though all this begs the question...¡± her expression changed, now one of curiosity. ¡°You told us a bit earlier, while we were... uh, enjoying ourselves?¡± It amused me that she could still blush like that when talking about sex, considering we had made love plenty of times now. ¡°Just what new powers did the Divine Favour of Tsukuyomi give you? And you could take it in, despite being a Candidate for Tyr?¡±


    Shaeula agreed, saying she also was curious, so I explained, as best I could. ¡°Well, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems accepting it. Though Tan?ha? did say I wasn¡¯t using the Divine Favour of Tyr, so I don¡¯t think we can say for certain without more experimentation that you can have more than one Divine Favour without special circumstances, like Shiro has. Well, I got a nice boost to all my stats overall, especially Aether, and my Charm went up noticeably.¡±


    ¡°In the legends, Tsukuyomi was a bit of a mystery, but it¡¯s generally accepted he was a handsome God.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°League went up a little, and my Foresight grew explosively.¡± I said. ¡°Then my light and darkness elements changed. And I got a new skill. The Future Reflected By The Moon.¡±


    ¡°A pleasing skill.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°So, do tell. What does this new-new skill do?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s more a passive ability, but this is the description I could read with my Eye. Here.¡±


    The Future Reflected By The Moon Rank 3 [Class: Legendary] [Type: Fate] -This skill draws upon strands of Fortune and Fate, sifting the myriad futures, searching for strands of intersecting possibilities where disaster may be averted by a single action, or great providence brought by a precise intervention. Mortal beings are unable to encompass the full scope of the tapestry of events that make up the uncertain future, so these moments of confluence, these nexus where events overlap, are seen as metaphorical dreams and visions, open to interpretation, but containing enough wisdom to serve as a guiding path, the illumination of the moon showing the way.


    ¡°There was more, but I couldn¡¯t understand it, question marks as usual.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°So, does this mean that the Diviner can¡¯t see the future anymore? I think, even if she¡¯s relieved, losing that would be hard.¡± Eri observed. ¡°After all, she¡¯s been seeing visions a long time. Decades, right? For an old lady like her to suddenly find the core of her identity gone...¡±


    ¡°I think that is mean, mistress Eri!¡± Hyacinth chuckled. ¡°I dooo not think she is that ooold, is she?¡±


    ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t really look much older than twenty.¡± I said, agreeing with Hyacinth. ¡°I think she¡¯s past thirty, yes, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s forty. I haven¡¯t asked, I¡¯m not that much of an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a woman¡¯s age is a delicate matter. I¡¯m happy to see your density is slowly decreasing. Well, I guess you would learn to handle girls, considering.¡± Eri laughed softly. ¡°Sorry Hyacinth. I just get a bad feeling that she¡¯s going to be a rival. We have enough!¡±


    ¡°True. No battle goes as planned, and perfect circumstances don¡¯t exist. Considering your tactical disadvantage having to rescue what effectively were civilians from a numerically superior and significantly powerful force in hostile territory, managing to come back with survivors without losing any rescuers was a good result. Though I¡¯m sorry about Mori-san.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, calling his fiance?e taking serious injuries a good result is tactless, Major. To think you criticised me!¡± He was trying to lighten the mood, and I appreciated it. Still, I¡¯d been through this enough already today.


    ¡°She¡¯ll live, and we can fix her in time. So I suppose it was a good result, if far from a perfect or even satisfactory one. So, what¡¯s the situation in Kyoto? I saw a few reporters loitering around the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Not good. Tsumura-sama has been running damage control. We have the key areas locked down, but it¡¯s impossible to stop information leaking in this day and age. Everyone has a smartphone and social media, after all. There was already a little interest in the Conclave, although outsiders only really knew that Kyoto was filled with more shrine maidens and priests than normal...¡± The Major filled me in.


    ¡°Yeah, lots of cute girls sure do attract attention. I¡¯m envious.¡± Lieutenant Nakano said, before his face fell. ¡°Oh, sorry. Considering what happened, that was an unkind thing to say.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but... well, that doesn¡¯t matter now. So, you¡¯re saying that a lot of information got out. I was sent some footage of Ren-san that was taken by a streamer. His words didn¡¯t give too much away regarding the Boundary, only that it wasn¡¯t any sort of accident. I¡¯m guessing that was originally the plan?¡±


    ¡°You know it. We¡¯re not saying anything, but again, footage of ambulances and even some of the bodies is online. All day tension has been building, it isn¡¯t like Japan has many events of this scale. It¡¯s why that serial killer got so much attention recently.¡± The Lieutenant agreed.


    ¡°Well, the current idea is to claim it was an extremist cult. At least on the surface. You¡¯re probably too young to remember the Subway attack back in the nineties. Well, fortunately everyone is pulling together. Your influence goes further than you think.¡±


    My influence? I asked as Hyacinth and I followed them to a room where Takakura-san, Saionji-san and Kudou-san were waiting, along with Yukiko-san, and surprisingly enough Chiyo-san.


    ¡°No Bankei-san?¡± I asked, and she shrugged.


    ¡°No, he has other business, so I am sitting in. Well, your face looks better.¡± She examined me, her eyes narrowed and tense. ¡°I see you¡¯ve reached a conclusion.¡±


    ¡°I have. No more looking back. But we don¡¯t have time for this. So, what did we decide?¡±


    ¡°Hasty, aren¡¯t you?¡± Saionji-san said, and I could see that Akai was sleeping, curled up next to him on a chair. ¡°Well, I understand. This matter is troubling. Yasaka-san has been busy too.¡± He grinned. ¡°I know my old rival Yasuhide here has his people running around too, old man Bankei as well.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is busy.¡± Takakura-san said. ¡°As for your influence... well, for once, the main and opposition parties of the Diet, as well as the heads of the nobility, and the Imperial family, as well as the shrines and temples...¡± he nodded at Yukiko-san, who gave me a wan smile. Well, she¡¯s had quite a shocking day too, thanks to me and Tsukiko-san. ¡°... have all agreed. Fujiwara and Ichijou houses have quite the investment in mainstream media such as Television and Newspapers, and other noble families follow their lead. We can¡¯t do much about the internet, but we can muddy the waters enough to offer a plausible explanation. As long as we do that, we can keep matters secret for now. However, when coupled with stories worldwide which are coming more frequently and with greater scale, it is only a matter of time. we certainly do not have years anymore. Months would be best, but at worst case we could have weeks, or even just days.¡±


    Days? I hope not. We aren¡¯t ready. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s likely to be civil unrest, possibly even rioting, depending on just what gets revealed. Internationally, there¡¯ll be chaos.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we share your fears, as does the Prime Minister and the nobility.¡± Takakura-san agreed.


    ¡°The Emperor as well.¡± Yukiko-san muttered. ¡°It¡¯s important to maintain stability and continuity.¡±


    ¡°Well, while we are maintaining silence, we¡¯ve been subtly leaking that a doomsday cult is responsible. None of the people involved are real individuals, but with some creative fabrication of data, we have faked a number of dissidents and their leader. We¡¯ve even started using the internet and social media as a cover, fighting fire with fire.¡± The Major explained.


    ¡°That won¡¯t stand up to in-depth scrutiny, though.¡± Takakura-san took his cue from the Major¡¯s explanation. ¡°The deeper cover is that this was an act of international aggression. Terrorism, as it were. Those that break the first cover story, after already breaching our wall of silence, will surely think that is the true reason. They¡¯ll feel proud they put one over on us and discovered the conspiracy, and most won¡¯t look further. All we need is to buy as much time as we can, while we finalise the Ministry and the supporting necessities.¡±


    ¡°Is that wise? Won¡¯t the country involved deny it, and take issue with us? Should we be raising international tensions right now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, we are merely pre-empting trouble.¡± Takakura-san sighed. ¡°Thanks to the information from the Lady Diviner, and what you have gathered yourself, consensus is that Chinese aggression is imminent, though considering that Kyoto seems to be a target, it must be related to the Chosen of the Gods. So having the final layer of our misdirection be an act of terrorism is a worthwhile risk.¡±


    ¡°Really? I can¡¯t say I like it, accusing another country unfairly. But I assume that wiser heads have thought of this?¡± I mused.


    ¡°Yes, stoking the potential for war, now of all times, is folly.¡± The Major agreed. ¡°The cover-up will make it seem like Chinese extremists, dissatisfied with past tensions, rather than a state-sponsored operation. China will deny it, of course, but many won¡¯t believe their denials. All we need is obfuscation and confusion to buy us more time.¡±


    Well, this is a real mess. Damn you, Yamato-san. Not only did you get so many people killed, but you¡¯ve also nearly revealed the existence of what we wanted to keep hidden... As the conversation continued, I stifled a yawn. It was looking like a long night...

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Four

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Four


    ¡°... so, we are all agreed?¡± Chiyo-san said, having taken the role of moderator that Bankei-san usually performed, by virtue of being one of the neutral shrines, at least up until this Conclave, and also by being the oldest there, supposedly a little older than Kudou-san, though of course I wasn¡¯t about to ask her age. ¡°To prevent a repeat of the unwelcome tragedy, not only will we respect Territorial boundaries for those registered with the new Ministry, those of us from the faith will actively cooperate to protect and expand, settling disputes over locations and resources with mediation, performed by a council, consisting of members selected from all the current factions. We will also make sure that coverage over precious sites of faith, such as the most important shrines countrywide, is secure and protected.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still the matter of ranking them by order of priority.¡± Kudou-san said, stroking his beard. ¡°In Kyoto, we have the advantage that numerous sacred sites are close together, but the numbers of the faithful who are Chosen is limited. More limited, now, I fear.¡± He sighed. ¡°It seems we will struggle to protect them all.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± I said, weary after several hours of fierce back-and-forth. Most of this had been agreed at Conclave in the afternoon session, but a good chunk of that had been wasted on recriminations and worries over the deaths, so this last session was needed. ¡°As Saionji-san can attest, as a Territory grows, the area it can cover expands. Eventually all of Kyoto should be protected by a single Territory. Likewise, I¡¯m hoping to expand my sphere of influence over Tokyo in due course. As of now I¡¯m merely taking a good chunk of the outskirts and suburbs.¡±


    ¡°That would be beneficial.¡± Takakura-san agreed. ¡°The nobility has few Chosen, and already...¡± he looked at me, and I knew what he didn¡¯t want to say. The only known Candidate in the nobility is Miyu, right? And she¡¯s already my Vassal. Probability wise, it¡¯s not impossible there is another one, but if so, they are also keeping hidden. They do have the Candidates that Ichijou-san found, but protecting all the legacies of nobility throughout Japan with these numbers is futile.


    ¡°Well.¡± He amended. ¡°The Three Great Houses, as well as Takakura house, and Tsumura house, agree that you can be trusted to control the spiritual side of Tokyo, though parts of it will likely be in other hands, correct?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly. Tokyo should have a few hundred Candidates across it, even if some have already fallen, or chose not to participate.¡± I went over it again. ¡°Even so, I intend to respect the autonomy of those who stay within the laws we are establishing, though perhaps being Vassals, or even relocating with my support, might be options to explore for them.¡±


    ¡°It would be comforting to have the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, and the residences of my family, under your aegis.¡± Yukiko-san spoke up. ¡°I myself have experienced expanding the area of control I possess, around the Grand Shrine at Ise. It isn¡¯t trivial. How long do you think your expansion will take? You boasted about your Territory to Tsukiko-san and me, so it must be soon, right?¡± she smiled a little, pushing up her red-framed glasses with one finger, as she peered at me.


    ¡°Soon? Hardly. Once you hit Rank 3, the jump to Rank 4 is massive. I need to sort a bit of other infrastructure first, and ideally gather significant quantities of resources ready for the push. There¡¯s no way I can leave my Territory so weakly defended for years. Besides... now doesn¡¯t seem to be a good time. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, those of you who are Chosen?¡±


    ¡°You mean the way time there is fluctuating? Of course.¡± Saionji-san was again the one to answer. ¡°It seems to be coming closer and closer to matching the time flow we experience here. Akai says...¡± he looked down at the still-sleeping phoenix, a little drool leaking from her mouth. ¡°... that ebbs and flows in the tides of the spiritual world higher than we can reach dictate that.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula says the same. Looks like we are in a shallow etheric tide, a slowing. So we¡¯ll gather less resources and take longer to construct improvements. It¡¯s a bad time for lengthy upgrades.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still amazed at how much detail you have about all these matters. I go mostly by instinct, although listening to you talk, I do get some ideas.¡± Yukiko-san mused. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll share information on how this all works, to benefit everyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the duties of the Ministry, for those that sign up.¡± I agreed. ¡°Although I also intend those who join my training school to have a grounding in such matters. After all, using them in combat... well, we¡¯ve seen how that went. Far better to just know how to protect themselves, but have uses in Territory development, item crafting, healing and other supporting roles.¡± Interest and excitement for the training school plummeted after the deaths, though during Conclave I offered proposals and managed to reassure some that such reckless disregard for their safety wouldn¡¯t happen under my watch. Some still approached Haru-san, confirming their interest though, mainly those with ambition, or bloodline powers they wished to enhance...


    ¡°Speaking of support... so, Uchida-san is understandably still in no fit state to make decisions, and Susanoo is effectively a splinter faction now...¡± I don¡¯t regret taking Yamato-san¡¯s power and giving it to Aiko. It was a sin to let it be wasted. I do certainly have other regrets though. ¡°... I want to confirm that it is agreeable for me to set up a connection between my Territory and Kyoto, managed by Haru-san? I need to find a suitable location, but if so, Haru-san and my forces can cooperate to ensure safe expansion of Kyoto, as well as head off the disaster that Tsukiko-san saw in the near future.¡±


    ¡°I have no objections, of course. But I can¡¯t help but notice you¡¯ve been addressing her and Princess Mikasa very casually, Akio-kun.¡± Kudou-san grinned.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m the one she saw in her visions, and I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ve made up my mind to protect her and Yukiko-san, because I don¡¯t want events like yesterday¡¯s to happen again. And I have the power to do it. Besides, for the first time, Tsukiko-san took a chance, trusting to her own instincts, rather than to her visions. How can I, as a man, not respect that resolve?¡±


    ¡°Respect, huh? Of course, of course.¡± Kudou-san chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see her getting along with you and the Princess. It warms this old man¡¯s heart. Her duty to the Gods is a heavy burden, and I appreciate your efforts to lighten it.¡± He smiled, still toying with his long, white beard. ¡°Well, anyway, I¡¯m not a Chosen, and I haven¡¯t had the Chirurgery yet. I¡¯m an old man, so I¡¯m in no rush. But those of mine who are, they are more than happy to have the support of you and yours. What say you, Gin?¡±


    ¡°Well, Yasuhide, you old fox, you know I¡¯m in no position to say no. Besides, I¡¯m a little hurt, Akio-san.¡± He put on a bright smile, but I could see the sly amusement in his eyes. ¡°Yasuhide¡¯s fellows here had the advantage of you helping expand their Territory. That foolish boy Yamato did as well, though that effort was wasted. Where was the help for me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was closer to the other factions...¡± I began.


    ¡°Well, what abut our dear friend Kikuchi-san? I¡¯m hurt that you didn¡¯t use him as a bridge between us more. Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. After all, we¡¯ll be working together from now on, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yasaka-san definitely needs to be supported to grow his strength.¡± I agreed. ¡°His Divine Favour is excellent, but only if nurtured. When I get set up, I¡¯ll be sure to have him taken out levelling, along with any others who need the growth. I¡¯m not underestimating the dangers of Kyoto anymore, so don¡¯t risk him without support.¡± I warned. Book of Providence is surely a power similar to The Future Reflected In The Moon, although querying future events seems to lead to backlash... Even if we were unable to use it frequently to detect future events, it was still able to gather information even my Eye couldn¡¯t, so I definitely wanted to bring him up to speed, but his combat abilities were likely woeful.


    ¡°Bankei has no issues.¡± Chiyo-san agreed. ¡°We wish for Kyoto to be protected, if it takes your aid, so be it.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good.¡± Hikawa-san nodded slowly. ¡°But... there¡¯s the issue of her mind. This girl too.¡± He gestured to Keomi-chan. ¡°She seemed rather hysterical when she woke up and realised what had happened. As for the other girl, her cousin is dead. That¡¯s not something we can gloss over. Well, all of them knew the dead students. But losing family...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Ether Healing doesn¡¯t work on the mind. Though we do have a trump card. Haru-san has Mind Healing Light, which supposedly can help stabilise and cure mental ailments. I¡¯m not sure if it can heal stress, depression and grief, but it¡¯s worth a try. There are also... other options she could explore, though I¡¯m loath to ask her, seeing what she¡¯s already suffered.¡± Using her Sharing Light and Telepathy, she might be able to soothe the minds of others, though I expect that would come at the expense of sharing their pain...


    ¡°It¡¯s a cruel world.¡± Hikawa-san sighed. ¡°Well, if my daughters, or my son, need her aid, I¡¯ll beg her, even if I must get on my knees, even if I must bow my head. I can¡¯t help but feel I failed them. I put politics ahead of the safety of my family.¡±


    No, I know where this leads. He¡¯s thinking the same sort of thing I was until Yukiko-san, and then the girls, helped me recover. ¡°No. the two things are unrelated. There¡¯s no way you could have anticipated it. Even Tsukiko-san couldn¡¯t, I wager. There are mistakes we¡¯ve made, but not everything that went wrong can be laid at our feet. Even so, whether it was our fault or not, all we have to do is put right as much as we can. We can¡¯t restore the dead, but we can make sure the living recover.¡±


    ¡°You... you have a stronger look in your eyes.¡± Hikawa-san admitted. ¡°Determined. I respect that. Although...¡± his wan face broke into a mocking smile, a lot more like the old Hikawa-san, even if I could tell it was forced. ¡°Tsukiko-san, huh? You certainly are close to the noble Lady Diviner now. What would your fiance?es think?¡±


    ¡°Master says that nooothing is going on between them.¡± Hyacinth said, speaking for the first time. ¡°I am nooot sure if I believe him, but it doooes not matter. I dooo not tell master who to love. If he wishes for her, then I shall simply have a new mistress tooo serve.¡±


    At that, a quiet laugh finally broke free from Hikawa-san. ¡°You certainly have your maid well trained. Though considering her nature, I would worry you might end up getting stabbed. Seriously though, you certainly do seem to attract the attention of powerful, important and most of all beautiful women. After all, you said behind her veil she was pretty, right?¡±


    ¡°Stunning.¡± I admitted. ¡°Like a statue crafted by a genius. I did persuade her to take off her veil when she was with Yukiko-san and me, but I was saddened to see she put it back on for the afternoon session at Conclave.¡±


    ¡°So, you think that¡¯s nothing?¡± he winked at Hyacinth. ¡°She has never let anyone see her bare skin for years, decades, and she just takes off her veil when he asks?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve already seen her with my Eye, and Yukiko-san is her dear friend, so...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure a man who has so many girlfriends should be so clueless.¡± He complained. ¡°Though to be honest, I doubt she would have romantic feelings for you anyway. She¡¯s not been a person, but an idol, someone revered, rather than a woman. She probably doesn¡¯t even understand such things. Although, for her to lower her guard so...¡±


    ¡°And mooore. She passed on her Divine Favour tooo master, saying it did nooot matter if he was the one she foresaw, he was the ooone that was there.¡± Hyacinth agreed with him, and her words shocked him.


    ¡°Seriously? Well, isn¡¯t that fascinating.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Yeah, I think you should be careful around girls and knives, Oshiro-san...¡±


    As Hyacinth again protested that she would never do such a thing, the tense atmosphere calmed. With one final complaint of ¡°I¡¯ll never let you have my darling daughters, no matter what Shaeula says.¡± which puzzled me, as I had never expressed any interest in the twins for anything other than their powers, Hikawa-san said he was going to visit Ren-san, so I agreed to come too and look over him.


    Yeah, the twins are definitely cute, and will be beautiful when they are older, but I¡¯m not into middle-school girls. I found it awkward enough getting teased in Nishimorioka just because Shaeula can look a little bit loli in a certain light. Besides, I have more than enough on my plate. Well, it won¡¯t be just me getting knifed then, Shaeula better watch out Eri doesn¡¯t have a stab at her if she¡¯s back to her old tricks again...


    As for Ren-san, my opinion of him had improved for the better. He made the right call, fleeing, even though it was a trap. Better to do something risky than to do nothing when disaster hits. He made a good judgement call getting to us as soon as possible so that we could help. That saved lives, undoubtedly, thanks to the fact the Parade was toying with the victims. Yes, there was footage of Ren-san on the internet, causing us problems, but it was hard to hold that against him when the situation was so dire and so much at stake.


    We passed the guards, heading to the next room, which likewise had soldiers outside. As the door slid open, the occupant turned to us, his face haggard, eyes dead. ¡°Oh, Hiroto-san, Oshiro-san. Good... good morning.¡±


    Uchida Ren-san. Ignoring the slight confusion of two different Ren¡¯s being in the room, I nodded politely, feeling very uncomfortable around him. And for good reason...


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here with Yamato-sama?¡± Hikawa-san asked, expression sympathetic.


    ¡°I am. He still has not regained consciousness.¡± He looked down at the sleeping figure below, linked to more devices than Hikawa Ren-san, who was sleeping peacefully in the other bed. Bandages were covering his body, and even as I observed him, faint wounds were opening on his face and neck, thin trickles of blood leaking out, running down his deathly pale skin.


    A grim sight indeed. It looks like Nurarihyon hasn¡¯t stopped toying with his prize, despite the fact I stole the Divine Favour. Once more I considered the consequences of my actions, before offering my condolences to his father, the hypocrisy stinging me. Well, done is done. At the time I made the best choice I could. Now I just need to learn to live with it...

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Five

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Five


    ¡°Looking at my son like this...¡± Uchida-san said, swallowing reflexively, his mouth working as he was struggling for the words to say next. ¡°... I think, how long can he stay like this? Why won¡¯t he wake up?¡±


    Yeah, the curse surprised me too. Battle in the Boundary is going to become ever more unpredictable, and likely extremely dangerous. ¡°It¡¯s complicated to explain, but essentially the Night Parade have a curse that continually supplies energy to the astral body, preventing a return to the Material.¡± Well, there¡¯s another component too, preventing willing return, but there¡¯s no point going into details.


    ¡°So... how long will that persist?¡± he said, trembling, as more faint wounds opened up on Yamato-san¡¯s skin. ¡°I... hate seeing him like this. But eventually this curse will wear off? There... there was nothing else you could have done?¡±


    At his tone, which was more resigned than accusatory, unlike the anger I had faced during Conclave earlier, I felt embers of guilt within. Pushing them down, determined to own my decision, I shook my head. ¡°Eri was already badly injured, and we were outnumbered thousands of times over. Worse, they weren¡¯t just weaklings, but there were dozens as strong or even stronger than we were. Fighting would have left us all dead or in a similar state to your son. I made a choice on who I had to protect. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Uchida-san groaned. As we watched a deeper wound opened on Yamato-san¡¯s leg. Knowing that injuries weren¡¯t fully reflected between the astral and material bodies, I couldn¡¯t help but feel for him. Yeah, I can¡¯t forgive Yamato-san for his arrogance and carelessness that cost the lives of so many, but... this isn¡¯t justice, it¡¯s cruelty. Once more I¡¯m reminded that creatures of spirit have a very different sense of morality than we do. I¡¯m sure Hyacinth wouldn¡¯t have any issues performing such torment if she thought it was in our best interests or what I wanted...


    ¡°I am a leader. I understand what it is to make hard choices.¡± His voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°While as a father I want to scream and condemn you, howl with rage and hatred, as a leader, I know throwing your lives away would have been meaningless. That... that doesn¡¯t make it hurt any less. Oh my son...¡± he started to weep. ¡°Kannon, show him mercy! Wake him from this endless nightmare!¡±


    Damn, this is painful to watch. Even though I was tired I reached out and started to trickle aether in, closing up the wounds, leaving only faint white lines of scarring. There¡¯s no point worrying about healing the skin. Uchida-san was surprised by my actions, but seemed grateful.


    ¡°I grieve for your loss, Uchida-sama.¡± Hikawa-san said, finishing watching over his peacefully sleeping son. Ren-san had woken earlier in the day, and when he discovered his sisters had been saved, he fell into an exhausted slumber, his own wounds mostly healed. ¡°It could well have been Ren or the twins in such a state. I¡¯m sorry. I feel guilty that Oshiro-san was able to save my children and not your son. But I¡¯m sure he did his best. And... while he lives, there must be hope, right?¡±


    Every time I hear that, it¡¯s like nails dragged across my heart. No, even from the perspective of the greater good, Aiko can put Kannon¡¯s Divine Favour to better use than Yamato-san ever could. And really, though I hate being powerless, I couldn¡¯t defeat Nurarihyon. His League alone would have made my attacks largely ineffective. As for hope... I can¡¯t say there¡¯s none, but unless Nurarihyon allows him to wake...


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to give out false hope.¡± I said, and Hyacinth, surprisingly, spoke up in support.


    ¡°Dooo not cling to sweet fantasies. The wooorld is cruel. Bad things happen, painful things, and they can nooot be turned aside.¡± She sighed, looking down on Yamato-san. She had no fondness for him, but even so, there was a trace of sympathy in her silver-violet eyes. ¡°I have experienced such tooorments for many, many looong years. Nooobody ever saved me.¡± I reached out and grasped her hand, surprising her.


    ¡°Those days are over.¡± I promised, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yet, in the darkness, I saw light. My booox, my prison, cracked open, and I emerged, seeking death, an end tooo pain. Yet, a hand reached ooout to me. Master¡¯s hand.¡± She tightened her grip, before continuing to address the two men. ¡°Do nooot seek false hope, yet nooothing is set in stone. Accept that sorrooow is the likely outcome, yet perhaps... there is sometimes light oooutside the box. Perhaps yooou should seek solace in what blessings you can find. I dooo not know if these wounds cause him pain.¡± Her gaze flickered to me, along with a slight, almost unnoticeable smile on her blank face. ¡°But perhaps by sooome fortune, he might nooot be able to suffer.¡±


    Oh Hyacinth. Seeing her heartbreakingly pure smile, the pain in my heart started to dissipate, like mist under sunlight. If it came down to Hyacinth, Shaeula and Eri against Yamato-san, it would be a betrayal of them, and a betrayal of my heart, if I chose him. Taking the Divine Favour, I was seeing it as an immoral act of harm, but really... I don¡¯t think it was. Hyacinth knows that. Not only did I give Yamato-san a chance to make amends, by passing his gift to other hands... the injuries forcible removal of his Divine Favour likely caused can¡¯t be any crueller than the tortures the Parade are inflicting. Perhaps, if he¡¯s lucky, his consciousness is gone, like Kondou¡¯s was.


    ¡°I pray that is so, and Kannon is indeed merciful.¡± Uchida-san said, reaching out for his son¡¯s pale hand, hesitating, before lying his hand over the cold flesh. ¡°It has only been a day, yet...¡± his chest heaved, taking in lungfuls of air as he held in more tears. ¡°... already he¡¯s required a blood transfusion, the number of small injuries he has suffered seemingly endless. If this continues, day in, day out... well, I wonder, perhaps if...¡± his expression was full of grief and self-loathing. ¡°... it might be better to just let him die. To end his suffering.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon to give up!¡± Hikawa-san protested loudly, before realising he was in a hospital with patients, and lowered his voice. ¡°It¡¯s been a day, just a day! I know Oshiro-san said the situation was grave, and he¡¯s a captive of the Night Parade, but... isn¡¯t there hope, any at all? Can¡¯t we bargain, or barter, or persuade? As the maid says, we can¡¯t have false hope, but we also shouldn¡¯t give up all hope either! After all, we are the faith, we believe!¡±


    There would likely be many people who failed in the future. Either through carelessness, greed, or any number of other reasons. I wasn¡¯t going to forgive them, just as I couldn¡¯t forgive Yamato-san, seeing the face of Mine-san as she died in my arms, the young men and women of the shrines who perished, the scars on those who survived, both physical and mental. But not forgiving them didn¡¯t mean I had to abandon them. After all, when one does wrong, one has to apologise and make amends. Though it also meant I didn¡¯t have to shoulder their safety, put others at risk for them.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely that we can persuade Nurarihyon to return him.¡± I admitted. ¡°But if there¡¯s a chance... well, I¡¯ll see what I can do. After all, we do have some common interests.¡± The Night Parade needs Shiro¡¯s aid it seems, and we have to defeat this golden-eyed creature anyway to save Yukiko-san. We can use that to our advantage. But I¡¯m not going to sacrifice for him. If I can bring him back, great. If not... well, I tried, and that will be his atonement. ¡°Just, like Hyacinth says, don¡¯t expect too much. While there¡¯s life there¡¯s hope, but holding too much will only break you if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°The Night Parade, the Hyakki Yagyo?...¡± Uchida-san mused. ¡°They wander Kyoto, don¡¯t they? Well...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I warned. ¡°I know I performed Chirurgery on you, so you should be able to access the Boundary. But even if you did, finding the Night Parade would be difficult, and surviving the encounter long enough to even meet with any of the Hundred Demons... no, you¡¯d be throwing your life away. Imagine what your son would think if he woke up in the future to find you dead so foolishly.¡±


    Uchida-san bit his lip, before managing a bitter nod. Turning to Hikawa-san, who had seen his son was resting peacefully, I gestured for us to leave, and we did so, departing silently while Uchida-san watched his comatose son. As the door slid shut, Hikawa-san let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Well, then, it was only hurting me, I thought. Sorry Eri, I was a selfish jerk and a coward back then. But now... if I¡¯m not good enough, it hurts everyone, and might lead to the end of everything. So I¡¯ve stopped running. And now I¡¯ve been forced to confront failure. And I hated it. So I¡¯m going to do everything in my power to make sure I never have to taste that sense of defeat again. I may not succeed, but I¡¯ll know I¡¯ve done all I can, and stopped running. So, leave Eri to me.¡±


    ¡°Fine. So long as you have. You are a man now, with responsibilities. So I shall trust you.¡± My father finished.


    ¡°Aki, we¡¯ll visit.¡± Uncle said, and Auntie Hana agreed. ¡°So please just look after Eri.¡±


    ¡°Aki, I know it¡¯s tough, and, well... we didn¡¯t understand just what you are going through. But now we know. It was shocking, but... I¡¯ll always be your mother, and no matter what I¡¯m on your side!¡±


    I guess Eri was right. they did want to apologise. Even so, I don¡¯t blame them. It was terrible. I never want to put them through that again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me!¡± Aiko piped up. ¡°Eri, I¡¯ll tell everyone at school you were caught up in the events at the Imperial Palace, but that you¡¯ll be okay. Expect a lot of calls and texts, Yae-chan and Rika-chan will be worried for sure!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Eri moved her head a little, embarrassed. ¡°Well, if I get time, I¡¯ll answer. But you need to be careful too, Aiko. You¡¯ve seen what getting careless and overestimating yourself brings. And you won¡¯t have Akio to bail you out.¡±


    At that our parents exchanged confused looks, but Aiko smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement. ¡°Of course I know that. Big bro told me all this when... well, anyway. I¡¯ll do my part, don¡¯t worry. Eri, Shaeula, I won¡¯t leave you to fight alone. I¡¯ll catch up. Oh, you too, Hyacinth.¡± She giggled, seeing the fleeting look of disappointment on her face at being left out. ¡°Kana-chan, you¡¯ll look after Eri too, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°Not that I¡¯m worried about her at all. She¡¯s quite the stubborn woman, after all.¡± her smile was wicked. ¡°No, I¡¯m more worried about Keomi-chan. So, you girls need to snap out of it.¡± She directed her ire to her friends Asami-san, Mio-san and also Takagi-san and Maiko-san. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game. You should know better than anyone else, considering what happened to your father, Kikuchi-san. But... that won¡¯t happen to you guys. Akio will be sure to use us wisely.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you want to quit the training school, I¡¯d understand, but... long-term, you¡¯ll regret it. I don¡¯t want anyone to wish if only, when something bad happens in the future that could have been prevented with more power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Major Sasaki agreed. ¡°It¡¯s hardly my place to speak in a gathering of family and friends, but I think personally, not taking an opportunity when offered only leads to regret. Even in the JSDF, there are many roles that don¡¯t involve combat, but everyone has some basic training, and learning is never in vain.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°I do not-not blame you for your fear and sorrow. You are young, and unused to battle, and the consequences of failure. I envy you, in some-some ways.¡± She smiled sadly. ¡°When I was but-but a young female, I was sheltered, insulated from the world. I did not-not see the efforts of those that kept me safe, our Seelie Court protected. I was like you all. Now-now we know. Time for grief and reflection, I can accept that. But like Akio, do not-not run from this.¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be so intense.¡± I went over and rubbed her head. ¡°Calm down.¡± I turned back to the girls. ¡°Shaeula means well, okay. Look, we¡¯ll be talking about how we are going to take the school forwards when we get back to Tokyo. And... well, I¡¯m hoping Haru-san can help with the distress. Look, we live in Japan, we aren¡¯t used to death, not sudden, violent death. But we only have that luxury for now. It may seem cruel to say, but you might be thankful you¡¯ve experienced this early, a few years from now.¡± Haru-san was getting the train back to Tokyo later, she still had matters to take care of.


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Maiko-san spoke up. ¡°You never know what might happen. When my father was in his coma, my life seemed like it was over. If it wasn¡¯t for my brother taking a leave of absence to look after me, I might not have survived.¡± She said softly. ¡°It was nice to see him again here in Kyoto, even if he was more interested in sightseeing and drinking than spending time with me...¡±


    It was then our final guest spoke up. ¡°Yeah, death can come in an instant. Poor Daizen found that out.¡± Suzu-san shrugged. She was in a different black gothic-lolita dress, a purple parasol over one shoulder, her usual lollipop protruding from her mouth. For some reason she had latched onto our group, though she was making her own way back to Tokyo. ¡°Well, I just wanted to see Red and White on this trip, and see some of the sites of Kyoto, like Ginkaku-ji and Kinkaku-ji. I never thought I¡¯d have so much fun.¡± She slurped at her candy. ¡°Well, all good things have to end, right? Uh... when you see the Boss, put in a good word for me, okay? I think she¡¯s mad I left without saying anything.¡±


    I had exchanged numbers with her, figuring since she was working with Shiro it couldn¡¯t hurt. Though I have to say I¡¯m worried. Shiro¡¯s allies sound rather... problematic, each in their own ways. The man Suzu-san called Bunta-kun was apparently blessed with a powerful ability, but was shockingly nervous and cowardly, while Arisu-san was supposedly vengeful and angry, easy to provoke. And I don¡¯t even need to say anything about Suzu-san and her... eccentricities.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell her, but you¡¯ll have to apologise yourself, all right?¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to wrap this up.¡± Trey said, his sister and the other two ready to go, escorting my family back to Nishimorioka and guarding those taking the train back to Tokyo. ¡°Time is wasting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Looks like we¡¯re done here. A shame, this was a really nice ryokan. I didn¡¯t get my money¡¯s worth...¡± I lamented. Well, I made new allies, found new information and the shrines and temples of Japan are on-board with the new Ministry. Yes, there were bitter disasters and losses, but... well, we¡¯ve cleared this hurdle. Now, the next step is to improve my Territory, continue to grow stronger, and... face whatever is coming for Tsukiko-san. I have a meeting with Tsumura-san, to consider our tactical options and the information that points towards China...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± My sis complained. ¡°It sure sounded like you had fun in the bath in your room that time...¡±


    As laughter echoed, I shook my head wryly, letting my sis make me the butt of her jokes. Right then. It¡¯s time to go. Eri smiled at me, moving her wheelchair, and we headed for the outer gardens, where a helicopter was waiting to transport us home...

 Side One Hundred And Four – Gwenhwyfar Pryce, Merched y Llyn

    Side One Hundred And Four ¨C Gwenhwyfar Pryce, Merched y Llyn


    ¡°It seems we have unwelcome guests.¡± Gwenhwyfar muttered, the play of the silver lightning overhead reflecting in the ripples of the small lake that sat at the heart of the glen, fragrant trees resplendent with pink, white and golden blossoms despite the season back in the Material. Well, autumn is no matter here, in the shadows of Avalon. Placing down the cup of half-drunk tea on the pretty, enamelled saucer, she put it on the table made from oak wood, inlaid with gold and silver in patterns of Celtic knotwork.


    A replica, of course, and a pale shadow of the original. Or so the stories handed down go. Turning to the shapely females that surrounded her, their hair long and auburn, their white dresses diaphanous and transparent, barely hiding their inhuman beauty, she asked them to fetch her guards. As they curtsied and backed away, Gwenhwyfar considered her options carefully.


    ¡°Well, I suppose this was only a matter of time. They were content to leave us remnants of the old times alone while the Gods were absent, but now... well, Aeronwen smiles upon the brave, does she not?¡± Standing, she swept her black cloak over her shoulders, in stark contrast to the white gown she wore, unadorned but of fine cloth, reaching for the rusted sword that lay against the nearest leg of the round table. Once it was in her hands, the feeling reassuring, familiar, she looked at her own reflection in the placid lake. Her clear blue eyes stared back at her, her rich blonde hair streaming down her back, the colour of spun gold. Unlike her sister or most of the few remaining Merced y Llyn, she was well endowed and tall, far from the willowy, nymph-like figures that those with Fae blood often sported.


    The tranquillity of the lake was broken by the sound of booted feet, as a half-dozen of her closest relatives, all men appearing from ages of twenty to fifty, arrived, wearing strangely old-fashioned chainmail armour, and carrying maces, axes and swords. ¡°Daughter, is it trouble?¡± one asked, his blonde hair faded to grey, a scatter of stubble on his patrician features. Beside him, the youngest of her guards also asked for her counsel.


    ¡°Peace, brother dearest, father. Yes, it is definitely trouble. It looks like the long-hidden arm of the great Church has come calling. I doubt very much they are simply here for tea and pleasantries. And if they know the location of this small hidden vale, it seems likely there would be little point in fleeing this fragment of Avalon. No, their advantage is likely greater there. They always did have the resources.¡± She smiled bitterly. The history of what truly happened fifteen hundred years ago on this blessed isle has long been distorted, sometimes by simple mischance and the acts of writers and historians, other times deliberately, by those who have no wish for any divinity to be praised but their own sterile, abominable, solitary being.


    ¡°Surely the strength of our will should keep them out?¡± a third man, this one a few years older than her, declared, his arm muscles bulging as he hefted a mace almost as tall as Gwenhwyfar herself. ¡°This sacred site is powerful, surely the lingering Fae will allow no trespass?¡± The expression on his face was angry at the intrusion.


    ¡°The Fae will do what they can, but we are long separated from the greater Court, and the proud Llyn porth cleddyf. The ones who remain here are not powerful.¡± She warned. ¡°And while the wards of this Territory can turn aside roaming beasts or passing scavengers, against a determined opponent, they will surely fail. By our Lady Nimue?, this is a bitter day. Why did it have to happen in my lifetime?¡±


    ¡°Well, we live long, don¡¯t we?¡± her father chuckled. ¡°Though to be fair, you are still a young fawn at your age.¡±


    ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere with me, father.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Well, there is no point making a scene. They know we are here, and they know we know they are here.¡± Gwenhwyfar raised her hand, and a brilliant play of rainbow light spread from her palm. The still lake responded, the reflection of the silver skies above fading, replaced by scintillating prismatic light, and for a moment the waters parted, revealing a series of beautiful black and sapphire spire-like trees beneath the surface, the leaves a brilliant azure blue, before the waters covered them again, leaving no trace of their presence.


    It is too much for them to overlook... no, the one who leads, I feel her power. It is sharp, cold and unyielding. There is something else though, another, weaker, yet... somewhat familiar.


    ¡°Well then. We may as well at least look like we are in control.¡± She proclaimed, sitting on her chair again, legs crossed, cloak wrapped around her. Reaching out she retrieved her cup of tea, taking a sip, only for her face to crease unhappily as it was now lukewarm. Placing it down again with a sigh, she watched as the tall trees, ferns and grasses that surrounded the tranquil glen parted, and their guests arrived.


    ¡°I give you my greetings, in the name of the One, True and Only God.¡± The lead figure smiled, her appearance a distorted mirror of Gwenhwyfar own. Well, the eyes are different, and not just the colour...


    The gleaming green eyes of the visitor were sure of themselves, showing no doubt, unlike Gwenhwyfar, who feared her decision to remain was the wrong one. No, I know that they will have found this place back in the mortal world as well, otherwise they surely would not have risked a confrontation... Behind the young woman, who was wearing priestly vestments of white and gold, numerous tinkling bells adorning them ringing sweetly as she moved, her long blonde hair wrapped around her like a cloak, came a score of men and women, wearing armoured robes and carrying bare steel, their swords bright and sharp. Amongst the group was someone strange though, someone who did not seem to fit.


    Wait, is that... no, that shouldn¡¯t be... dumbfounded, Gwenhwyfar missed her chance to return the greeting, leaving the woman to speak, her gaze hardening.


    ¡°Well, are you not going to offer your guests hospitality? Or even a few welcoming words? You heathens, so rude.¡± She sniffed. ¡°We have come a long way, so at least offer me a chair to take the weight off my weary legs. I am a Cardinal, not a soldier. I¡¯m delicate.¡±


    Behind her one of her relatives snorted wryly at that, and she raised a hand to beckon them to silence. It is probably too late to worry about bad impressions, it was probably too late the day I was born into this world. But there is no advantage to stoking their ire... ¡°My apologies. I can¡¯t say I was expecting such an... august... visitor. Father, fetch her a chair.¡±


    With a hard look, her father brought a chair forwards, and the woman sat down casually. Seeing that, Gwenhwyfar tightened her grip on her old sword, which she had pushed behind her with her leg, hoping to keep it out of sight.


    ¡°Oh, I am hardly so important, just a humble woman doing the work of God.¡±


    ¡°Humble, hardly.¡± Gwenhwyfar¡¯s father said as he backed off, his body language defensive, ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°I recognise that ring. That¡¯s the ring that old crone Magdalena Stuart used to wear. It has some stupid Latin name. You¡¯re British, right? At least use English. It¡¯s too much to expect Cymric or Gaelic.¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± she hissed, annoyed at his provocations, but while most of the forces the newcomer had brought looked furious at the insult, the green-eyed woman merely tittered, as if she had heard something incredibly amusing.


    ¡°Oh, so you knew my grandmother? How fascinating. Well, she did like to keep an eye on... special... people. Hence how we found you. There are records of the locations we know of ... what do you call them? Ah yes, Glades of Avalon. How very ... poetic. If rather blasphemous. Well, do allow me to introduce myself. I am Mary Stuart, and I have the honour of being Prophecy-Cardinal of the True Revelation. Oh, I suppose I am indeed an august visitor.¡± She grinned, placing a hand on her cheek, tilting her head cutely, though Gwenhwyfar was not fooled at all. This one is dangerous. Extremely so. She has the look of a fanatic. No, all of the True Revelation are fanatics. After all, even the secret societies of old, such as the Knight¡¯s Templar, were said to fear them. But her eyes shine with a different insanity.


    ¡°In that case, why not walk away? Give us time to decide. I know you said we had little remaining, but surely a day can be spared, no? You may be strong and outnumber us, but here within the glen, my Territory, I doubt it would be worth your time or the cost it would entail to try and force our compliance.¡± Her hand was sweating, the hilt of the old sword terribly cold on her skin.


    ¡°Oh, you think so?¡± Mary leaned back in her chair. ¡°Well... perhaps a... demonstration... is in order. I sense a lot of non-humans hiding in the trees. I have no need of them. Those of you who have human blood, well, there¡¯s still hope you can reach salvation. But those who were not created by God...¡±


    Wait, she wouldn¡¯t? ¡°Hold, there is no need for...¡± her words fell from her lips, leaving stunned silence behind as the air warped behind Mary Stuart, and something dreadful began to form, shadows and light coming together in impossible shapes.


    ¡°Come forth, Principality, and show the sinful the cleansing light of the Lord!¡± she intoned in a singsong voice. Immediately Gwenhwyfar¡¯s kin sprang into action, rushing forwards as a great breeze sprang up, rustling the trees and grasses, the lake waters blown aside, revealing the precious structures that kept the Glade functioning. Priest-Soldiers responded, and soon there were screams and shouts, the clashing of metal on metal, cries of agony, splashes of blood, silver and red, all defiling the tranquillity of the sacred glade.


    Gwenhwyfar watched as the gleaming golden light started to form a figure. It was vaguely humanoid, although the limbs seemed to have too many joints, and it had great, expansive wings. It was hard to make out due to the golden glow, yet she was sure she could see a multitude of eyes in places they should not be, unblinking and reptilian. Her head ached and her stomach was screaming, bile rising.


    An angel? Here? Impossible. There¡¯s no way that the thin spiritual power can support a being from such a higher realm. Even so... her instincts were telling her it was something terrible, and as her father staggered, blood pouring from a deep wound in his side, she made up her mind.


    I must end this, even if it costs me... Aeronwen, I need your strength. Avalon, answer my call... The Territory, the sacred spot, that was deeper in the shadows of the lower astral than most places, answered her fervent prayer, and brilliant silver and rainbow ether flooded her.


    ¡°Oh? Trying to resist?¡± Mary raised one blonde eyebrow, her green eyes sparkling. ¡°Well, before the servants of God, I fear your efforts will be... huh?¡±


    ¡°See this?¡± Gwenhwyfar brandished the rusty sword, an old, ordinary weapon, wielded by a nameless soldier fifteen hundred years ago. ¡°It may not be a noble blade, but when one is a true Merched y Llyn, any sword can shine!¡±


    ¡°No, you are one of the bloodline of that...¡± Mary began, and it was gratifying to see the look of fear on her face for the first time as power coursed through Gwenhwyfar, the blessing of Aeronwen combining with her bloodline and the power the Glade provided. The angel, if that is what it was, was starting to appear more corporeal, and the glow illuminated the skirmishing melee, her kin fighting the priests, only her, Mary and the cloaked figure unmoving. Though not for long.


    ¡°Sword that defends the Isle, Granted by the Arglwyddes y Llyn, Nimue?, one of the greatest of the Fae, to defend against injustice and evil, I call upon thee by my blood and power. Lend me thy edge, to cut that which threatens this land, the Fae and those they protect! Cleave hard, Caledfwlch!


    The rusted, old sword suddenly shone brilliantly, rust falling away to reveal a blade of unearthly metal. Glowing with power, the air around it seemed to warp, silver to rival the golden glow of the Principality. With a single swing of the sword, the gold was sliced, light pouring towards the stricken Mary Stuart. Die! If I can take you down here, then perhaps this place can be made secret again... There was a loud explosion, and Gwenhwyfar cried out as the force pushed her back. Fragments of black cloth were drifting on the breeze, and as she rubbed at her blinking, tear-filled eyes, the sword she once held now crumbling away to dust, she stumbled over the body of one of the priests, torn apart by the invocation of Caledfwich.


    That must have killed her. Surely she couldnt have...


    ¡°And the Lord spake unto Moses.¡± Something was spoken, and blood gushed from Gwenhwyfar¡¯s ears. It was as if her very soul was on fire. She staggered, and stumbled again, this time over the body of one of her relatives, who was lying still and unmoving. Dead, no, it can¡¯t be...


    Suddenly a heavy impact rocked her, and she caught a glimpse of red before splashing down in the shallows of the lake, vomiting red of her own, her ribs shattered. As she looked up, she could barely see that the priests were covering their ears, and her family was lying motionless, dead or unconsious.


    ¡°Good job.¡± Mary Stuart strode forwards, patting the shoulder of someone who had struck her. My eyes, they are messed up... my ears too, nothing works... she coughed, spitting fragments of broken teeth, her eyes full of sparks like the worst migraine imaginable, her ears hissing static. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    ¡°Kneel.¡± Mary declared, and blood sprayed from Gwenhwyfar¡¯s eye sockets, ears and nose. The lake was dyed scarlet, as her very skin began to weep blood.


    ¡°Well, I guess once more good fortune saves me.¡± Gwenhwyfar couldn¡¯t see it, but Mary was laughing wildly, her face and clothes soiled with blood, most of it Gwenhwyfar¡¯s, some of it her own, as her own nose was bleeding, blood tricking from her mouth, giving her a ghoulish cast. ¡°Well, that and your defence of me. The Lord will remember this. As will I.¡± She rubbed at the ring she wore, the golden knotwork of the band shining, the bells of her robes tinkling as she moved. ¡°Having you protect your ears this whole time was a good choice.¡± She coughed, spitting blood. ¡°The Gifts of the Lord are quite profound but should not be used carelessly. Oh Metatron, how great you must be to bear this without pain.¡±


    I have to do something. I have to... Gwenhwyfar struggled to rise, only for Mary to loom above her, a shape in shadow, as her eyes could barely focus. Even so, the deep green of Mary¡¯s eyes was clearly visible, looking down on her.


    ¡°Well, I offered charity, and all it would cost you is willingly surrendering your blasphemous gift, given by a false idol. Well, I suppose blood will tell. A child may be born sinful, but if they repent, they can be cleansed. But you, my half-breed sinner, have soaked yourself in it without regard for your immortal soul. Hmm, that¡¯s an interesting question. Do such hybrids even have a soul? Or is it just half a one? Curious. I wonder if Cardinal Lorenzo knows? No, if anyone would know, it would be Judgement-Cardinal Luca. Though I shall not be asking him, he rather seems to despise me... oh well... should you find yourself in Hell, tell the Devil I¡¯ll be sending more his way soon... ah, yes, there it is. Under the lake. Ingenious really. Sinners are so cunning. Well, best get to it...¡± there was a flash of light, something shattered, and Gwenhwyfar screamed, before her consciousness faded, the last thing she felt the sensation of sinking into a dark abyss, the pressure cold and soothing, washing away the fiery pain throughout her body...

 Side One Hundred And Five – The Raven Knight

    Side One Hundred And Five ¨C The Raven Knight


    The far reaches of the Fae Realms are bleak indeed... The Raven Knight shook his head in disgust as his jaundiced yellow eyes surveyed the landscape. The lush forests of the land of the Fae had given way to dead groves of skeletal trees, bark bleached bone-white, leafless branches spread out like dead arms, welcoming visitors to death. A river ran beside him, though the water was black and filled with choking reeds and muck, and so cold, so terribly cold, that it was a wonder it was not frozen.


    ¡°For me to be forced to come to this accursed place...¡± he spoke, his words shockingly loud in the silence around him. Pulling his black-feathered wings around his body, he wondered where it had all gone wrong.


    I let my hatred of the Fae, especially their royal lines, blind me to my greater goal. I was just so angry that the White creature betrayed me. Yes, I sensed her endless hunger, but even so... we had a deal, bound by the power of a Roman God. Roman. He sneered bitterly. The Romans were no friends of his, but he could still admire their prowess at governance, battle and more. They ruled better than Grandfather ever did...


    ¡°No, it is not my fault! It is simply impossible to remove the hatred from my heart. Many times I have been persecuted by the Fae, both the fair folk of the Seelie Court, and the dark, bitter creatures of the Unseelie.¡± He spoke as if to absolve himself, but it was mere hollow reassurance. ¡°My father too, and grandfather, both were cheated by the Fae. In fact, my very birth...¡± angry now, he reached for the shattered sword at his waist. The blade was made of unearthly metal, a son to a greater blade, but even that had not prevented the breaking of the metal, and only a few inches of jagged steel remained attached to the hilt, the metal glittering with ruddy spots and streaks under the glowing light of the massive moon above. ¡°Curse them all. Curse them!¡±


    Curse them. His thoughts naturally strayed to the past, and as he trudged through the dead lands surrounding him, searching for any sign he was close to the hidden, always moving realm he sought, he could almost see the distant past, his memories so clear it was as if she was before him again.


    ¡°You shall never find success, dear nephew.¡± The speaker was fey and terrible, her beauty sure, pale skin and eyes that shifted colour from green to blue to brown, matching her hair that was at some times red, others a deep black. ¡°After all, your birth itself was a sin, an aberration. Neither human nor Fae, yet not a half-breed either, like those foolish enough to fall for the honeyed words of the fair folk, or the dark seduction of the fallen ones. No, you are more half-human, half cursed.¡± She laughed then, her expression wicked and seductive, and he shuddered, having to drive the edge of his shattered sword into the flesh of his leg to keep from being mesmerised.


    ¡°Oh, you are no fun, dear nephew.¡± She sneered, the stink of sorcery diminishing, aether dying around her. ¡°So, you wish to know, do you? Why everything you try fails?¡±


    ¡°Yes, great-aunt.¡± He had grated, bitterly regretting having to seek out this relative of his, one that he held half-responsible for the ruin of his family, the unfair slanders of history. Only half, though. The other was her, Fae whore who had meddled with his family from the start, setting them on the path to ruin.


    ¡°Great-aunt?¡± her voice hardened instantly, suddenly frigid as the winter in the northern mountains. ¡°Do I look as old as that, nephew? Simply call me... aunt. I will not stand for anything else.¡±


    At her threatening tone, he had conceded, hating himself anew. ¡°Yes... aunt.¡± he resolved then to think of her as such from now to the day he would finally wrap his hands around her throat and choke the life from her, if it would get him the answers he sought.


    ¡°Very good.¡± She reached out a hand and stroked his cheek, and her skin was equally scalding and frigid, her lack of humanity clear through her touch. ¡°My poor nephew, born under such unfortunate stars. No, moons would be more apt. Yes.¡± She smiled, clearly enjoying his discomfort. ¡°I know your curse. It is the curse of self-destruction, that plagued your grandfather and father. After all, they brought their own doom upon themselves. You shall do no less, my dear nephew.¡±


    He had screamed back then, incensed. ¡°No, it was the meddling from you and that Fae! Him too, the accursed so-called wisest master of the arts. It all started going wrong then!¡±


    ¡°You are your father¡¯s son, definitely.¡± His aunt smiled maliciously. ¡°He was always blaming others for his own sins and failures. Just like his father before him. And your grandmother, and mother...¡±


    ¡°I will not hear you slander them, not you as well! You should know the truth, not the false history that has been...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Her dread voice cut off his rants. ¡°You are not to accuse me, nephew. You sought me out to know the truth, did you not? Well, the truth of your curse is, it is one of self-sabotage. All you attempt will fail, lest you find a way to unpick it from your very being.¡± She sniffed. ¡°It is even beyond me to untangle, loath as I am to admit it. The Dark Queen of Pandemonium, perhaps she could... though the price would be more than you are willing to pay, I dare say.¡±


    ¡°Useless.¡± He had cried out in rage at his relative, and her gaze was cruel and lacking pity in return.


    ¡°Useless? I grant you information you need to know, and this is how you thank me, dear nephew? I see we are done here. Begone. Do not darken my door again unless you have an attitude more befitting one seeking a favour.¡± With that she had raised a hand, and he was thrown out of her hidden home. As he was flung away by a surge of wind, the air glittering with a million jade and emerald sparks, he heard her last words to him, the last he had exchanged with her. ¡°If you ever see your brother once again, give him my regards...¡±


    Barghests. Three of them. Winning is not impossible, but against three at once...


    ¡°No need to be so tense.¡± The lead Barghest rumbled, before turning to the Black Cap. ¡°Run on home. We can¡¯t afford to lose any more lanterns. Now go, fool. I daresay your Packmaster will be wishing to discipline you.¡± At those words the goblin, already pale from blood-loss, blanched further, a comical sight due to the green skin it possessed.


    Watching it scuttle away, amused, tongue lolling out, dripping rivulets of drool, the Barghest barked a laugh. ¡°Well, what brings the fabled Raven of Ill-Fortune out to the very borders of the Fae lands, where all fear to tread? There must be a story here, hmm?¡±


    The other two barked their agreement, and the Raven Knight gathered himself. I have exhausted my options for allies. I need to make this work. ¡°Greetings, mighty Barghests. I... apologise for the violence, but I was forced to defend myself.¡± Apologising made him burn with anger, but even so, there was no other way. ¡°All I wanted was to meet with the leaders of the Wild Hunt.¡±


    ¡°Well, these are not the first deaths we have had recently.¡± One Barghest smirked. ¡°Our attempts to pierce the borders of the Seelie Court have hardly gone well.¡±


    ¡°But what does the famous Knight of the Ravens wish with us?¡± the next barked.


    ¡°Yes. Betrayed the Unseelie, hated by and loathes the Seelie. Poor little Raven, outcast everywhere you go.¡± The lead one chuckled, slobbering everywhere. ¡°So, what brings you to our door, desperate and alone?¡±


    Ignoring their slanders, true as they were, he took a deep breath. ¡°I come to bargain. I have news that the Wild Hunt may find useful. Even more so if your Hunts have been failing lately.¡± I can succeed. I am more than just my curse, my bitter wyrd! ¡°I wanted to bring tidings of a lone and vulnerable member of the Seelie royal lines. Were you to capture her, the by-blow daughter of Prince Shaetanao, well, your opportunities for exploiting her would be endless.¡± Send her to her father one piece at a time. That would be most fitting!


    The three Barghests were silent for a moment, and triumph stated swelling within his heart, before joyous laughter erupted from them. As he stood there, uneasy and wondering what was transpiring, the lead Barghest spoke. ¡°Your tidings are late, Raven. Perhaps you should learn to fly faster.¡± As it continued to mock him, the Raven Knight found the answer to his fears.


    ¡°The daughter of Shaetanao, she has returned in triumph to the Seelie Court, our infiltrators tell us.¡± he growled, furious. ¡°Worse, somehow she has defeated Duke Myrcolaxriath and the Spring of Clear Reflections is once more back in Seelie hands.¡±


    The Spring? Impossible. Mind reeling, hopes crumbling, the Raven Knight protested. ¡°That cannot be, even if the White one said that she had grown stronger, that wasteland of death is impenetrable, unconquerable...¡±


    ¡°So we thought, too.¡± The Barghest agreed. ¡°It was most surprising. But we are not alone in thinking this way. We cannot allow the Seelie Court to regain its former glories. And we are not alone in those thoughts. Several tribes of Fae who are linked to neither Court, much like you, Raven...¡± he sneered. ¡°... have decided to come together, to plot an attack the likes of which has not been seen since the last war between the Courts. Already, the Fomorian tribes who stood aside from the battle at Salamandrastrae have consented to join us, as have the Poison Nymphs, the Hobs, and many others...¡±


    As the Barghests spilled their information, the Raven Knight listened, rapt, not even wondering why they were sharing such with him, who had been their enemy mere moments before. When the plan was explained, he grinned, his mask hiding his joy. ¡°Magnificent. It... it could work! It would lay low not only the forces of the Seelie Court, but drawing in the Unseelie...¡± his mind raced, thinking of the permutations. ¡°It carries risk though. A great risk...¡±


    ¡°Of course. But we are the Wild Hunt. If the prey cannot fight back, where is the sport in that?¡± the Barghest laughed, tongue lolling joyously. ¡°So, your information might be stale, but your prowess is sure. Would you care to aid this endeavour? If so, we can pay a modest price. Consider it a favour for a favour.¡±


    A modest price? A Dark Rhyming Tree, surely they can secure me one... ¡°Yes, I think I shall. After all, this is why I came here, to seek redress and retribution. If possible, I would still like to speak to the Huntmasters. I have other information that might be... fresher.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± The Barghests spoke together. ¡°Do follow us, and we shall find you suitable... hospitality.¡±


    Aunt, I wonder if you are dwelling within the Dark Court still? If so, will our paths cross again at last? If they do... will I be able to make you repent, for the cruel fate you wrought upon my father and mother?

 Side One Hundred And Six – Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch

    Side One Hundred And Six ¨C Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch


    ¡°This is going to cause problems.¡± Adam declared, looking at the intelligence reports coming in from China. ¡°Viola, do we have the latest satellite images?¡±


    His African-American under-secretary, sharply dressed in an expensive skirt suit, handed him a series of images, detailing changes in several key locations over time. Adam inspected them, his expression growing strained. ¡°The numbers here... they seem problematic. What¡¯s worse...¡± he sighed. ¡°This bears out everything I feared. What do you make of it?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± she asked, surprised. Behind them, the TV was on, and one of the candidates for President was making a speech to a large rally of cheering followers, wearing hats and blowing horns. ¡°You want my opinion, sir?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You are my right-hand woman, my Interrogator.¡± He declared, and Viola rolled her eyes at his words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, sir, best keep that game talk to yourself. It¡¯ll lower the dignity of your position.¡± Even so, she took back the documents, as well as looking at further information displayed on her computer monitor, the images, from America¡¯s most powerful high-orbit spy satellites, surprisingly grainy and low-res, with a series of strange, unexplained distortions blotting out parts of the images.


    ¡°It¡¯s just us here, Viola. No need to be so tense.¡± He persisted. ¡°Now, assess the intelligence. Tell me what you see.¡± The same thing I did, I have no doubt. If the purge has resulted in this, spread so far, then not just China will be destabilised. Our interests in the Pacific region are in danger...


    ¡°It looks like the Port of Suzhou has become a small battlefield.¡± She said, puzzled. ¡°We already had indications that the CCP was conducting housecleaning...¡±


    ¡°Call it what it is, a purge.¡± Adam interrupted.


    ¡°A purge.¡± She corrected sourly. ¡°But this is far beyond that. Initial images seem to show...¡± the first set of pictures were significantly sharper, showing much more detail. ¡°... dissident groups, these so-called Sects, being chased out en masse. Although...¡± she mused, and as she thought, Adam admired her insights. Yes, Viola has the drive it takes to succeed. She¡¯s the sort of woman we need in these troubling times. Her only issue is that she¡¯s rather too soft, especially for these unique changes...


    Keeping his face impassive, he watched as she continued to explain. ¡°... China has no shortage of people, so I suppose several hundred deserters is hardly much of the whole. Anyway... these images...¡± she moved to the next set. ¡°...show the People¡¯s Liberation Army offensive, and several warehouses, some of the dock infrastructure, and more, destroyed in the firefight.¡± Smoke was obscuring the next images, but American technology was still able to get a largely clear view, which made the degradation in image quality that followed even more puzzling.


    ¡°It becomes hard to make out...¡± Viola sighed. ¡°I would say it should be impossible, but I¡¯ve seen the details on the Vermillion list.¡± Her mind was working, trying to understand the impossible. ¡°If there was a black cat with the ability to confound electronic surveillance, or... no, that makes no sense, why would they have such a power?¡±


    ¡°I think you are along the right lines. Though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything to do with electronics.¡± No, that would be too simple. And considering the other things we¡¯ve seen and learned...


    ¡°So, let me get this straight. You are saying it¡¯s some sort of obfuscation, that even works on the satellites high above that they don¡¯t even know are watching?¡± she said, incredulously.


    ¡°Is that any stranger than some of the other abilities we¡¯ve observed?¡± Adan replied. ¡°But yes, you are correct. It¡¯s some sort of stealth-type power, making detection problematic. But do the best you can. We¡¯ll have to run them through AI algorithms and noise-cancelling programs to see if we can sharpen the images. Technology won¡¯t be defeated so easily.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well...¡± she mused. ¡°It looks as though the PLA fractured, some units rebelling and siding with the dissidents. I¡¯m seeing dead soldiers as well as the rebels. These look to be burned out APC¡¯s and tanks, and here... a downed helicopter? It¡¯s amazing they managed to cover this up...¡±


    ¡°Yes, us developed nations certainly should envy that.¡± It isn¡¯t just us in need of that. Reports from our remaining buried operatives in Japan are saying something big went down there with far-reaching consequences. I have agents on it, trying to gather as much data as we can...


    ¡°This last shot...¡± Viola said, pointing to one that was most obscured. ¡°Are they... ships? An oil tanker, and smaller vessels. Looks like this one is destroyed, but the others...¡± her eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°So, it looks like a number of the dissidents and rogue PLA units managed to escape to sea? How? That makes no sense. They¡¯d be sitting ducks for attack helicopters, fighter jets and cruisers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only if they can find them. Think about it. That¡¯s our last image.¡± Adam coached her, leading her towards the conclusion, and she didn¡¯t disappoint, quickly reaching the same idea as he had.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°I see! So whatever power they used shields them from detection. Perhaps even from physical vision?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, but it seems the most likely solution. Well, the worst case, which we have to plan for anyway, is different. If the Chinese did manage to find the ships and sink them, drowning all the fleeing cats, well, problem solved, right? But if they evaded detection, then there are several hundred of these sects as well as an indeterminate number of black cats with unknown powers, other than detection obscuration, as well as rogue elements of the PLA with various armaments, who are heading for destinations unknown.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been bringing in well-trusted and vetted Chinese-Americans who work for the FBI, CIA and other Government branches, and setting them to researching Chinese myths and stories. Do you really think they have them? Cultivators? How would it be kept secret? It¡¯s as stupid as saying that we managed to keep an alien that crashed at Roswell secret all these years.¡± She looked at the TV where the rally was heating up. ¡°They think Governments are that efficient? We have more leaks, hostile briefings and self-sabotage every day.¡± Her snort was bitter. ¡°There are prizes for the first to demonstrate magical powers all over the world. Tens of millions of dollars. Surely someone would have broke ranks before now. It makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Well, while we like to think the world operates on logic, and people are rational, it¡¯s obvious they aren¡¯t. It¡¯s why people like us are needed. In the shadows, making the hard, terrible choices so that the innocent can sleep at night, safe and sheltered.¡± He went to his cabinet, admiring the neatly painted figures within. ¡°Well, whoever wins this Presidential race, they are in for one hell of a treat, dealing with this mess.¡± He sighed. ¡°So far, we¡¯ve had the ability to handle it however we wanted. We are hardly the only institution to... forget... to report to the sitting President. Now, don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t care who wins the election, I have little interest in whether the House is Red or Blue. No, I care about getting a handle on this situation, before we let the man in the Oval Office, whoever it might be, make a mess.¡±


    ¡°I think you should take more of an interest.¡± Viola shook her head, drumming her perfectly manicured nails on the desk. ¡°After all, what if he wins again? If he finds out you kept him in the dark, you¡¯ll be replaced. He can be quite a vindictive man, so it seems.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simpler than it seems. Anyway, the story.¡± He opened the cabinet, retrieving several of his miniatures. ¡°You know, this reminds me very much of psykers.¡±


    ¡°Psykers? More game talk?¡± Viola sighed.


    ¡°Yes. But you¡¯d be surprised at the parallels. Well, just consider them as magic users, psychics that have real power, though the power comes from another world, the warp, where dark gods dwell and spiritual creatures rule.¡±


    ¡°That does sound ominously similar.¡± Viola agreed.


    ¡°I know, right? Well, from what we have gathered, the world we have gained is hardly so dark, though we are still far from understanding even a fraction of all there is to know. Anyway, nobody wants to be a psyker, but when they are, they gain great power. But that power comes with danger to those around them. I won¡¯t explain in detail...¡±


    ¡°Thank God, when you start going you go on forever...¡± Viola sighed.


    ¡°... but for the good of those around them, these psykers have to be... dealt with. It¡¯s a dirty, thankless task, but to preserve the wellbeing of billions, a few, a handful, innocent or not, need to be sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°I get that. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Everything in life is a series of hard choices. I knew that when I took this job.¡± Viola agreed. ¡°Even so, it isn¡¯t like we can just get rid of them all, can we? All the information we are gathering seems to point to a greater disaster coming, any number of them. I wish we had more information, but so far we have a lot of gaps.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s why I¡¯m rather annoyed that Japanese guy got away. It seems like he has a lot of information. We dropped the ball on that one. And things seem to be rather... curious... in Japan right now. Well, no matter. Yes, you make a good point, Viola. And back to psykers... well, some few were brought into the fold, constrained and made safe. By cruel methods, admittedly. But to draw a parallel, we have those that we¡¯ve brought under our control, good citizens and foreign volunteers...¡± his lips twisted at that euphemism. ¡°... alike.¡± He scrolled through the Vermillion list, looking at numerous profiles. ¡°It would be easy if we could just get rid of them all. Some would scream that is a tragedy, researchers and scientists like good Ms. Bakker.¡± He shrugged. ¡°And I do see it. Many problems plaguing modern science could be revolutionised. But at what cost?¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t, can you?¡± Viola pressed. ¡°It would be impossible to find and dispose of all of them.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Here¡¯s the thing.¡± Adam disagreed. ¡°There is clearly a finite number of the black cats. Everyone we¡¯ve questioned admits to having their meeting with whatever being granted them their powers at almost exactly the same date. Well, there¡¯s a day or two of difference, but that¡¯s within the margin of error. While I can¡¯t exactly rule out a second wave, I¡¯m confident that those out there are all we¡¯ll have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though there¡¯s a flaw in that, right? I have the report here somewhere...¡± Viola went to her desk, and after a while, produced a thick report triumphantly. ¡°We even have updates from a few days ago. It¡¯s that Double Vermillion guy again, the Japanese one. Apparently he can grant powers to others. That throws off your calculations, right? And I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the only one. There¡¯s that one in India who has just come across our radar, right? And what of these Chinese sects?¡±


    Once more impressed by her knowledge and reasoning, Adam inwardly applauded her. ¡°All true, but you are missing the key point. It seems that all of these artificially created black cats pale in comparison to the cats themselves. Though I confess, I¡¯m interested. A way to create super-soldiers, without the more problematic aspects, might be just what we need. Though it¡¯s not a call I can make alone, of course. No, my job is to make sure all the cats in the USA are under our control, and internationally... well, there¡¯s the rub, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Calling it the rub understates the mess with Japan.¡± Viola protested.


    ¡°I think you are missing the bigger picture.¡± Adam explained, enjoying the back-and-forth with his fiery under-secretary. It takes my mind off the task at hand for a while. ¡°Consider each of the cats as a powerful doomsday weapon. Well, taking from our enemies or destroying their weapons... that¡¯s common sense, right? And does it really matter if we worsen our relations with our enemies anyway? If we have more power, they can¡¯t do much except howl and bite impotently. As for our allies... yes, I understand your concerns. Japan, Britain, France, Germany, South Korea... we¡¯ve been active in every sphere, though we¡¯ve not been caught red-handed like we were in Japan. Allies today could be enemies tomorrow, but more importantly... look at Japan. Relations are tense, but we still need each other. Japan is hardly going to side with our enemies over a handful of doomsday weapons, are they? Are they going to embrace China because of our meddling?¡±


    ¡°No. they wouldn¡¯t.¡± Viola agreed, thoughtfully. ¡°But, even so, co-operation seems less likely.¡±


    ¡°Bigger picture, Viola. Bigger picture. These doomsday weapons aren¡¯t replaceable as far as we can tell, sure, a few can make lesser replacements, but that won¡¯t cut it, not if the upcoming magical disaster that we can¡¯t even imagine comes true. So long as we hold all, or even most of the weapons that remain...¡± he put back the figures, smiling softly at them. ¡°... well, what choice do they have? We paid our due. Every life has a price, sadly. Even ours. If whoever wins the race decides I have to be the scapegoat for our deeds, well, I¡¯ll take the fall. I have no intention of that happening, but considering who is running, I can¡¯t rule it out. If so...¡± he pointed to the laptop. ¡°... I want to put us in an unassailable position first. And while Gina, Chris and the others might take issue with some of my methods, they know in their hearts that letting those such as this Midas, Akio from Japan, the King of the Favelas, and any number of potential disasters, run free, is far more dangerous than any potential political fallout that can be managed by money and other concessions.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Viola nodded, her expression bitter but resolute. ¡°Even so, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Among them, there are no doubt many who don¡¯t deserve this. Everyone deserves freedom and liberty. I mean, you¡¯ll get some that say these powers are just a further expression of the right to bear arms, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but most people don¡¯t have potential access to nuclear weapons, do they? If they did, and one pissed off person could turn a city to glass, they¡¯d soon change their tune.¡± It was hyperbole, and it might never come to pass, but some were clearly growing in strength. I have to plan for the worst, not the best. It¡¯ll be too late for tears when a city burns. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll harden my heart, do what needs to be done. Ruthless, cruel. Perhaps even evil. The history books will say all that of me and more. But I hope they say pragmatic too.


    ¡°Yes, I get it. I do.¡± Viola drummed her nails on the desk again, as she did when thinking deeply or agitated. ¡°Even so, I wish there was a better way. Sacrificing the few for the many, while logical and perhaps even moral, it... sits badly with me.¡±


    ¡°With us all.¡± Adam agreed. ¡°Well, perhaps one of our cats holds the key. Some powers are too dangerous to let exist, even in the hands of a saint, but there must be those we can use to constrain and secure. Well, if that¡¯s all, you¡¯d better get on the phone. We need our diplomats to pass on the information about the Chinese dissidents. We need to mend some burned bridges.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll get on it right away.¡± As Viola left with the documents relating to the Chinese purge and insurrection, Adam found his gaze going back to the laptop that held the Vermillion list. I can¡¯t help but feel we are only scratching the surface. Knowledge, we need that more than anything. If only we didn¡¯t screw the pooch with our capture attempt on Akio Moonstone Oshiro... well, no use lamenting. Done is done. Now the question is... do we try again? If we fail a second time, our relations with Japan will be damaged massively. Or we could try for a trade, information for information... Either way, it would be costly. And my capital to conduct international operations has been depleted. I¡¯d need to get support from the others...


    Grabbing the remote control, he turned off the TV, muting the Presidential hopeful. ¡°Well, the path to victory here is a narrow one. My only consolation is that China, Japan and other countries seem to be struggling just as much as we are...¡±

 Side One Hundred And Seven – Uriel, ‘Rei Dos Morros’, Rio de Janeiro

    Side One Hundred And Seven ¨C Uriel, ¡®Rei Dos Morros¡¯, Rio de Janeiro


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me! Don¡¯t you know who I am, you crazy piece of shit?¡± The man in front of him, overweight and wearing an ill-fitting silk shirt, the buttons straining, stained with sweat, cried out. ¡°Carlos, Luiz, where the fuck are you? I... argh!¡± the man cried out in pain as Uriel reached out, his arm wrapped in a strange grey armour, and twisted the man''s pudgy limb painfully, the joints creaking.


    ¡°Oh, I know very well who you are. Why else would I be here, you fucking Arrombado.¡± Uriel said coldly. ¡°As for those two pieces of shit, don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be seeing them again.¡± He pulled harder, and seconds later the pudgy garbage in front of him was crying as his shoulder was dislocated, flesh bruising like an over-ripe, rotten peach. A stinking rotten fruit. This human excrement only wishes he could smell as sweet as that. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the warnings? All the crime, the prostitution, the drug dealing, it stops. I said I¡¯d be here to dispense justice on those who failed to listen.¡±


    ¡°You... you¡¯re truly a madman! Even... even if you kill me, you think that you can just wipe out crime in the Favelas? Just you and your band of fools? I heard that you already lost some, gunned down in the street. This is a war you can¡¯t... ahh!¡± Bone splintered, Uriel¡¯s grip tightening up savagely.


    ¡°I can¡¯t? You better not mention those heroes with your filthy mouth. Merda, even talking to you disgusts me.¡± Uriel let out a bitter sigh. ¡°Money, power. All of that doesn¡¯t matter. What happened to humanity, decency?¡±


    ¡°Hah, they say you are named after an angel of judgement, an angry stone ghost.¡± The corpulent man was laughing now, giggling disgustingly, perhaps having lost his mind from the pain. ¡°Nobody knows your surname, or where you come from. But you aren¡¯t a ghost. You must have family, friends.¡± He laughed, dribbling saliva as he gibbered. ¡°Sure, you can kill me, but I¡¯m still a small fish. Yes, I run the gear around here, but you think I¡¯m the big boss, the Chefa?o? One man can¡¯t clean up the slums, the Favelas! You think the UPP, the police sent to clean up the streets, isn¡¯t corrupt? They¡¯ll send people to...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Uriel struck, and with one last giggle the fat crime boss died, neck broken. Uriel let the body fall, wiping the sweat from his palms. As he did so, a sound rang out, a gunshot.


    ¡°Hah, you fool. You think the boss only had two... huh?¡± The wiry would-be assassin gaped open-mouthed as Uriel¡¯s arm moved automatically, somehow catching the bullet in the grey-clad palm. As Uriel turned, eyes blazing, the man backed off, fearfully.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    I was careless. But I learn. ¡°I should have expected you. Anyway, here, you piece of shit. Have it back.¡± He flicked the now-squashed bullet away, and it struck the man in the temple. There was a dull crunch, and the man fell, never to move again. Reaching under his own clothes, Uriel held the crucifix he wore around his neck, a gift from his eldest sister, to commemorate his Confirmation, many years ago. Taking deep breaths, he calmed himself. It¡¯s fine. There aren¡¯t any problems left.


    ¡°Well, now to have a look around. But...¡± there was a large indoor plant in the corner, in a massive pot. It was a vanity object, to display status, but that didn¡¯t matter to Uriel. Walking over, he kicked it over, and as the soil spilt out, he bent down, heedless of getting mud on his pants. Forming the clay into some small, rough, humanoid shapes, he then closed his eyes, feeling the power he had been given within him. ¡°Come to life, puppets of earth.¡± With those words, the small figures, each the size of dolls, began to move, following his will.


    It never ceases to move me, seeing the statues of clay, soil and stone walk. I see the breath of God within such miracles. Yet I can¡¯t help but wonder, God, is this blasphemy, what I do? ¡°Search, destroy any drugs and firearms. If there is money, bring it.¡± Surely God is willing to forgive? Killing is a sin, definitely, but is killing such evil men, who prey on the poor and the helpless, who you wish to inherit the earth, really wrong? I gave them chances, chances to repent, to do the right thing, but they never do. Not without force.


    Stepping outside, Uriel tried not to notice the bloodstains on the porch area. Taking a deep breath, he realised that the usually busy streets of this part of the slums were empty. Good. People are alert to trouble. A few minutes later, his little golems returned, carrying wraps of Brazilian reals, as well as some American dollars. Uriel quickly thanked his creations, accepting the money. ¡°Was there drugs?¡± he asked, and the little creatures nodded.


    As expected. Drugs are the shame of the Morros. Uriel once more grasped his crucifix. His eldest sister had always told him to stay out of trouble, avoid the gangs, not to get involved in violence. She would be rather disappointed in me if she could see me now, I fear. Gabriela was always seeing the best in people, despite where we lived.


    ¡°Well, you can rest now.¡± He released his power, and the little puppets crumbled to dust. It always amazed him how well they could follow orders, so destroying drugs and guns was simple for them, though any drug Uriel was unable to recognise, they would fail to dispose of as well. They also respond poorly to circumstances outside their original creation. That¡¯s why I was almost killed... was it foreign gangs, or did the local bosses bring in hired muscle?


    It didn¡¯t really matter. Uriel was going to bring some salvation to those that needed it, the poor and disenfranchised of Rio De Janeiro. The crime bosses, the corrupt police, foreign troublemakers... why else would a little street-rat like me be given this gift, if not to use it? With that he slipped out of the silent street, and headed for his hideout...


    ********


    ¡°Hey amigo, you¡¯re back safe!¡± one of his companions, a young man with his long hair dyed a lurid green, smiled in relief. ¡°I mean, I know I shouldn¡¯t worry, considering, but that guy, he had a bad reputation.¡±


    Someone said something. He recognised it as English, but Uriel was barely able to speak a few words. Seeing that, the man, a foreigner, grinned. ¡°Hey, slum-rat. Looks like you pissed off the wrong people. Now, come quietly and we¡¯ll take you to the people that paid good money to have you.¡± He said in passable Portuguese. ¡°I think they¡¯ll want to make you pay for this mess. Try not to scream too much though, they¡¯ll want you to talk as well.¡± The blonde foreigner grinned evilly.


    No. it doesn¡¯t end like this. Why else was I given these powers, if not to make things better? No, this isn¡¯t how it ENDS! His power could control statues and beings made of stone, but that was it. He had tried to make it do other things, always failing. ¡°Why do you do this? Surely you know in your hearts this is evil.¡± Uriel said, just to buy time, as an idea he had considered yet never tried came to him once more. Under his hand he scooped up the dry dirt below, forming it into the shape of a glove. ¡°Is the money worth the sin on your soul? The end times are coming, Armagedom. Armageddon. Will your money keep you cool in Hell? Look around. Women, children, the elderly.¡± Despite his dry mouth Uriel spat. Please, God, just a little longer. Almost done.


    To his surprise, the foreigners had looked around. ¡°To be honest, it does hurt a bit.¡± The lead man said, his tone in stark contrast to before. ¡°But at the end of the day, this was a job. I take no pleasure in it, despite what I might have said. Just doing what¡¯s expected of me. All right then, time for you to go to sleep. When you wake up...¡±


    The statue of Maria barrelled into the hired muscle from behind, and several went down, white stone legs trampling the fallen with fatal effect. ¡°The fuck?¡± the man cried, English Uriel did understand, before pulling out a powerful handgun. ¡°Die, bitch!¡± he fired, the recoil rocking him, and the bullet hammered into the veiled face, shattering stone below.


    That won¡¯t stop her... indeed, the men froze in shock as the statue tilted, preventing a fall through sheer strength. Curses rang out, and for a moment Uriel was forgotten. ¡°Hand of dirt, I command you. Strengthen my grip, tear through what binds me!¡± sliding his hand into the glove he had crudely forged, he unleashed power, and the net tore, his bleeding hands stanched by the blessed earth.


    The leader didn¡¯t even see him, so busy he was with Maria, and with a single blow he ended the life of his assailant, his strength more than enough...


    Bad memories. Bad memories indeed. Uriel brought his thoughts back to the present. That day blood had been shed, both righteous and evil. And from then on Uriel had not hesitated to deal judgement to the evil, just as his namesake did. And of course, I mastered the partial golems. It wasn¡¯t possible to run too many golems at once, the broken, now faceless Maria taking up most of his power, as well as a couple of crudely made stone warriors to guard the base, and his lieutenants and himself with a golem arm to increase their defences. That leaves enough for a few smaller golems when I need them.


    ¡°Lost in your thoughts?¡± Samuel asked, and Uriel nodded.


    ¡°Yes, just in my regrets.¡±


    ¡°Well hey.¡± Samuel slapped him on the back heartily. ¡°We all have regrets. Ain¡¯t anyone alive that doesn¡¯t. Hell, I bet Jesus, up on that cross, he wished he just ran away, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be blasphemous.¡± Uriel chastised him. My older sister hated profanity and blasphemy.


    ¡°Sorry, but at least that snapped you out your gloom, right?¡± Samuel chuckled. ¡°Anyway, tonight we are meeting the other cells, right? Splitting up, it seems a risky move, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Uriel shook his head. ¡±There¡¯s too much risk staying together. I learned that day. If we are together, they can take us all at once. Evil comes like a storm, to destroy. Well, at the meeting you¡¯ll hear more about my plans, and the upcoming battle for the earth. The Devil is coming, Samuel. The Devil is coming. But do you think the world cares? No, the rich will wait in their mansions and palaces, and send the poor and the downtrodden to fight their battles.¡± His expression was cold. ¡°Well, not anymore. In the world that is coming, their money will be worthless.¡± He flexed his golem-arm. ¡°But until then, we have to look after our brothers and sisters.¡±


    ¡°Right, I get it. Fuck the Capitalist pigs, right?¡± Samuel laughed. ¡°Well, since you are the bearer of miracles, the King of the Morros, with Maria at your side...¡± He nodded at the silent statue in the corner. ¡°... how can we lose?¡±


    Uriel only smiled at that. How can we lose? Just being righteous is no guarantee of victory, and... well, my hands are red with blood. The blood of evil men, yes, but... as Samuel chattered away, his thoughts back on the other world he had revealed to him. There are many creatures, many evil beings there that need to be destroyed. Showing mercy to evil only breeds greater evil. I need strength. More strength, more power. So I can control more golems, protect more people. And if my power grows enough...


    He looked at Maria, a slight smile on his face. Maria, perhaps one day your son will walk alongside you...

 Side One Hundred And Eight – Constantine Nikolaou, ‘Truthseekers.com’ – End of Arc 7

    Side One Hundred And Eight ¨C Constantine Nikolaou, ¡®Truthseekers.com¡¯ ¨C End of Arc 7


    ¡°I always tell you to think these things through!¡± Constantine listened to his sister rant at him as usual. ¡°Seriously, you expect us to chase down more internet rumours that are clearly nonsense? By God and all his Angels, you really are an idiot, Constantine. Why can¡¯t you just get a proper job, like all our friends? Don¡¯t you know how embarrassing it is when I meet people that know us and they ask about you?¡±


    ¡°He?se mas, sister, don¡¯t be a bitch about it.¡± No wonder she¡¯s never made a relationship work. Sophia is always such a nag, so overbearing. Her name doesn¡¯t really match her, she should be called Tyrannos instead, as she rules the roost like a particularly shrill dictator. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. This time, it¡¯s for sure! We¡¯ll make it big!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you tell me to fuck off, you worthless layabout!¡± Sophia ranted. ¡°Get a real job! This conspiracy and mystery website crap isn¡¯t earning you anything! You even had to have me pay for the flights to Germany! I¡¯m sick of cleaning up after your mess!¡±


    ¡°Peace, Sophia. I¡¯m sorry, all right?¡± Constantine conceded, unwilling to argue further. It never gets me anywhere, and we are attracting attention. The people on the street in Berlin were watching them curiously as they passed, and that wasn¡¯t improving his sister¡¯s mood. Seriously, my twin sister is such a pain. We look so similar, so why are our temperaments completely opposite? With dark brown hair with some lighter highlights, olive skin, dark brown eyes and a voluptuous, curvy physique, Sophia had always been popular all through school and university, at least until she opened her mouth. ¡°Though you have to admit, I¡¯m onto something here! I¡¯m going to break the secrets of this world right open, and then we¡¯ll be rich!¡±


    ¡°I would be less surprised if you were on something, but you don¡¯t have the guts or the money.¡± She sighed. ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t like the stares. Let¡¯s get off the main street.¡± She pulled Constantine into a side junction.


    ¡°Careful. From my research Luisenstadt and the surrounds doesn¡¯t have the best reputation. A pretty girl like you should be careful here, Sophia.¡±


    She gave him a withering look. ¡°Too late to flatter me, little idiot. Besides, won¡¯t my big strong twin brother protect me? Oh, I forgot, all you do is sit on your arse all day, scrolling through crap. Not all of them for your stupid website either. Learn to clear your browser history, creep. That fetish is why you¡¯re single. No, one reason.¡±


    ¡°Skata?, you have no right to be snooping through my stuff, Sophia! I don¡¯t pry into your life, do I? Even though half the guys you¡¯ve dated I know, I never ask about...¡± he trailed off at the intense look in her eyes, his voice falling. ¡°... well, just give your brother some privacy, okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use such filthy language with me. God¡¯s grace, you suck. Well, maybe I went a little too far with that...¡± she apologised, at least half-sincerely, which was unusual for her. ¡°But I have a right to check up on you! After all, it¡¯s me who is subsidising your ... career.¡± She said the word as if it was dirty. ¡°I have a real job, you know, and I¡¯m taking time off to come chaperone you so you don¡¯t get fooled or scammed, Constantine.¡±


    Damn it, my sister trusts me about as much as she trusts politicians. I mean, I get it, but still, it hurts my pride. ¡°Look, I¡¯m hardly going to be fooled so easily. It isn¡¯t like I¡¯ll... uh, well, never mind. Look, we need to find somewhere to sit where we can talk to the locals. The rumour I¡¯ve been chasing is a solid one, and this place is the epicentre. I get a really good feeling about her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, judging by your search history.¡± Sophia said coldly.


    ¡°Enough about that. Look, there¡¯s a bar over there. It¡¯ll do for now, it¡¯s in the right neighbourhood.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? It looks a little shady.¡± Sophia muttered. ¡°Well, I guess this whole suburb is dodgy. I read the tourist advice. We need to keep our wits about us.¡±


    ¡°I always do, sister!¡± he boasted, only for her to sniff, unconvinced. Look, I¡¯ll show you! This time it¡¯s the one, I know it. Too many other coincidences and leads all point to something big happening. This time, I¡¯ll uncover the hidden truths of the world! Leading her to the bar he opened the door, and perhaps due to the early hour, there were only a few men drinking large glasses of beer at a scattering of tables. The patrons looked up when Constantine and Sophia entered, their gazes showing a slight interest in his sister, but they soon went back to their drinking. Sitting down, Constantine didn¡¯t forget to pull a chair out first, which his sister took gratefully.


    ¡°Thanks. My feet hurt already.¡± Sophia complained.


    ¡°Well, I told you not to wear heels. This isn¡¯t a shopping trip, this is an investigation!¡± he pulled out his old laptop and opened it up. Turning it on, he waited for a server to come over, before realising his mistake as the bald, older gentleman said something in German. Ah, I don¡¯t speak German, an oversight. After some awkward fumbling in broken English and some gestures, a couple of beers were placed on the table. Taking a sip, Constantine smiled. I guess German beer holds up to the hype.


    ¡°Not drinking, Sophia?¡± he asked, only to recoil at the look on her face.


    ¡°So, idiot brother of mine, even if you find this mysterious magical girl, how will you talk to her? You don¡¯t speak German!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve thought of that, honest! Look, sometimes we have to take risks, right? You¡¯ve already seen some of the data. Just look at the videos.¡± He opened a series of YouTube videos while drinking his beer, including his favourites, from an anonymous Australian content creator. Sadly after the first few, there had been no more, and the comment sections were alight with conspiracy theories that the big special effects companies had clubbed together to have them kidnapped to steal their technology, or that it was all a guerrilla marketing campaign for an unknown upcoming film.


    ¡°Oh yes.¡± Sophia agreed, finally taking a drink of her beer, watching. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that. Everyone has. It¡¯s really clever. But let me guess, you think it¡¯s magic, right? That¡¯s stupid. Occam¡¯s razor, ever heard of it? The simplest solution is usually the correct one.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve watched a ton of videos going over this and a few others. Nobody can tell how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I heard that there are a few areas where it¡¯s flawed, showing it to be a clever fake.¡± Sophia objected.


    This is why you don¡¯t have it in you to be a seeker of truth, Sophia! With a superior smile on his face, Constantine elaborated. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the clever part. If I was going to throw off those looking for the truth, I¡¯d drop a few clever hints to make it seem fake. It¡¯s genius, really!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, at least someone is, you certainly aren¡¯t, my gullible brother. But so what? You think that miracles and magic has been kept hidden for thousands of years, and then some magus just drops all secrecy and reveals it on YouTube of all places? Don¡¯t you see how insane that sounds?¡±


    ¡°It sounds reasonable to me. Have you seen the views? Hundreds of millions. That¡¯s a lot of advertiser revenue. I¡¯m jealous.¡± I don¡¯t have any advertisers interested in my website. For now. That all changes today!


    ¡°If someone could really control water like this video, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d need to resort to advertiser revenue. They¡¯d be a celebrity. But I don¡¯t believe in any of that. The only miracles come from God.¡± Sophia protested logically.


    ¡°Stop asking questions! We should go!¡± Sophia hissed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can back down now! This is the truth!¡± Constantine shot back.


    ¡°Yes, we know her now.¡± The man agreed. ¡°A lost child, buffeted by the storms. Coming to rest in our neighbourhood, seeking shelter.¡± The man lowered his voice, ashamed. ¡°There are many here that are not good people. She had it hard. But those who sought to abuse her realised that she is not for them. Now go back. The incarnation of the Furies has little mercy.¡±


    ¡°The Furies?¡± Sophia, who was oppressed by the atmosphere, perked up a little at that, her curiosity piqued. ¡°You mean the Erinyes? Well, obviously they never really existed, but to think we¡¯d hear about Greek culture here...¡±


    ¡°Is this really the time for that?¡± Constantine hissed, knowing she could be curious about the strangest things. ¡°We need to convince these people to tell us what they know.¡± And not beat us up and toss us out into the streets. Or worse.


    Another man came over and addressed the first man, in rapid, quiet German, too fast for the software to decipher. Watching their expressions anxiously, trying to determine whether they needed to run, he was surprised when the second man grabbed the laptop.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mine...¡± Constantine began, but a glare froze him, and a bit ashamed of his cowardice in front of his sister, he watched as the man looked at the other open windows. The two men then had a conversation, before the man handed back the laptop and said something to the barman. Moments later more beers arrived, and the newcomer gestured to several of the images. ¡°I am curious. What are your names, foreigner?¡±


    ¡°Constantine Nikolaou. This here is my sister, Sophia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± Sophia said timidly. ¡°Uh... my brother is an idiot, but he means her no harm, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can call me Karl.¡± The man said, giving no surname. ¡°So, a journalist? One with... interesting... views. Well tell me, Herr Constantine, why should she reveal herself to you? After all, if she hides like a ghost, clearly not wanting to be found, isn¡¯t it rude to seek her out? Besides...¡± the man said, this time not through the translation, but in tolerable Greek. ¡°... these images. The people in them disappeared, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°You speak Greek?¡± Sophia asked, surprised.


    ¡°English and Russian too. Back in the day, I was quite the important man. As to how I ended up here, that is a story I do not care to tell.¡± Karl declared. ¡°Now, is your truth worth putting a girl at risk, Herr Constantine?¡±


    ¡°Hang on, you are talking like all this is something real. It¡¯s a hoax. It has to be!¡± Sophia objected, and the man gave her a pitying look, which was riling her up.


    No, this is a bad time to get angry. ¡°Calm down Sophia, we don¡¯t want to cause trouble. Gamo?to, this is tense.¡± At his words, Sophia kept her silence, grabbing her beer and taking a long swig. ¡°So, you said that the police and the government and foreigners have been here looking for her? That makes sense, if I was able to find out, well then so could others.¡± As he talked about it, his enthusiasm returned. ¡°But how did she evade capture? Wait... were you helping her?¡±


    ¡°The ghost does not need our help, but we still choose to offer it.¡± Karl said. ¡°After all, she is vengeful, but does not forget those who show her kindness. Even for the Government, Berlin is a big city. They cannot cover it all. And there are many places to hide.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about surveillance. Tracking her phone or some such? I know that it happens. That¡¯s not a conspiracy, it¡¯s established fact!¡± Constantine proclaimed.


    ¡°She does not use them. After all, who would a lost runaway call?¡±


    ¡°A runaway? That¡¯s sad.¡± Sophia said, her tense expression becoming more compassionate. ¡°You must be kind people, helping her.¡±


    Karl looked ashamed at that. ¡°Hardly. Those who were not kind were many. But the ghost is not so easy to prey upon. Now go. You have what you need to know. The Rachsu?chtiger Geist exists. Let that knowledge be enough. So go. Do not return here again!¡±


    ¡°But I need to know. There are others! Others like her! The weightlifter, whoever was doing the YouTube videos, many others. Why is it secret, what is happening? If...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± A young voice said, and the translator app, left on German, repeated it back. ¡°Karl, I¡¯ve been listening. I admit to being curious about what he knows.¡± The speaker was indeed the girl in the video, though her appearance had changed, her hair pulled into a ponytail, and she was wearing a long duffel-coat, hiding her figure. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a problem that he managed to find this place. I¡¯d like to know how. I¡¯m sick of having to hide. I don¡¯t want to leave, not now I¡¯ve found a comfortable place to live.¡±


    ¡°But are you sure?¡± Karl asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°If they try anything, well... Alecto¡¯s anger will surely fall upon them. Besides...¡± she reached out and effortlessly hoisted up a heavy table one-handed, bigger than her own small body. ¡°They don¡¯t look so tough.¡±


    Sophia was gaping open-mouthed at the display, but all Constantine was feeling was triumph. That¡¯s not natural. No, I¡¯ve found it! The impossible, I knew it! Two Sigma, Sophia says. Well, what does that make this now? If this girl is the real deal, then are all the others? No, maybe not all, but it¡¯s impossible that none of them are. His breath coming fast, hands sweaty, Constantine stood up and greeted the girl. ¡°Greetings. I thank you for showing yourself to me. I promise I mean you no harm. I simply have to know more about you, and any others like you! The world needs to know, but...¡±


    ¡°What is he saying?¡± the language app interpreted her words and her confused look to Karl made Constantine wince. Oh yes, the app. I need to change the settings. It¡¯s only Karl that speaks Greek...


    ¡°He says he wants the world to know about you and those like you.¡± Karl translated, and her cold blue eyes made Constantine tremble, his sister Sophia shaking like a leaf in a storm. I can feel it. It¡¯s like her anger has a physical presence, a chill. No, if I was to anger her, who knows what she could do to me? Even so... he looked at his scared sister. ¡°Sophia. I was right, see? But... what should we do? Now that the truth is in front of me... Gamo?to, what in God¡¯s name do we do?¡±

 Arc 8 – The Shattering Calm – Two Hundred And Ninety-Six

    Arc 8 ¨C The Shattering Calm ¨C Two Hundred And Ninety-Six


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s strange how those cat ears and tail worked.¡± I mused, looking at Eri as she sat in her borrowed wheelchair in the corner of the helicopter. ¡°I wonder if I fill you with aether again, they¡¯ll come back.¡±


    Eri flushed as Shaeula chuckled and Hyacinth smiled slightly. ¡°If... if you liked them, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s really embarrassing though.¡±


    ¡°Well, I admit it was fresh, but Eri, you¡¯re fine just the way you are. And nothing about that has changed.¡± I reassured her. ¡°I know you are happy to come and live with me, but it¡¯s also a big step, being away from home and your family, especially since your body is in a poor state at the moment. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do everything to make life as easy as possible for you.¡±


    ¡°Left my family?¡± Eri tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°Yes, mother and father, uncle and auntie, Aiko too, they are remaining in Nishimorioka, for now. But my family is also you, Akio. Shaeula and Hyacinth as well. Shiro too, though I need to get to know her. She seems a bit... intimidating.¡±


    Shiro? Intimidating? She¡¯s certainly unique and thinks highly of herself, but then, that¡¯s a cover to cover her own insecurities, I think. Although Tan definitely has a sharp vibe... ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll sympathise with your situation. You saw her on the video, she¡¯s been hurt herself.¡±


    ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t matter. You chose her Akio, so I have to accept her.¡± Her smile was a little tense, but forgiving. ¡°Besides, it was partially my fault as well. If I¡¯d have been braver before you left Nishimorioka and been honest, maybe you¡¯d never have left at all. Then you¡¯d never have met and fallen for Shiro. But if she¡¯s a girl you love, then she must be something special.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do not-not think that Akio would have been able to accept your confession back then.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°Perhaps I am mistaken, but he did not-not feel himself worthy of love then. Of course, had you succeeded, then it is quite-quite certain I would now be dead. So forgive me if I am grateful for how it has all turned out.¡± Shaeula was grinning, a beer in her hand despite the early hour and the fact the helicopter was a military transport.


    ¡°I dooo not think that mistress Eri is worried abooout living with us.¡± Hyacinth said, surprising me. Her earnest violet-silver eyes were looking at us as she explained. ¡°I knooow her, she is oooverjoyed to spend more time with you, Akio. Scars and hurt is temporary, precious memories and time is fooorever. I know this well. Nooo, she worries about your sister.¡±


    Really? ¡°Is that right?¡± I asked, and Eri managed to nod, the effort a strain, which still hurt my heart to see. I have a lot to do today, almost too much, but I need to make time to do another round of healing on Eri, alleviate some of her symptoms and reduce the scarring further.


    ¡°I know she¡¯ll be all right, Aiko isn¡¯t a fool, especially not after... the deaths.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just, unlike us, she¡¯s all alone in Nishimorioka. Well, I know she has the dogs from Chairoakitara. Even so I worry. She¡¯s wanted to get stronger so badly, and now she has her chance. I just hope she isn¡¯t reckless.¡±


    ¡°Well, she has it easier than I first did.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I had some advice from Ortlinde, sure, but I started with no skills other than Examination ones, and my out-of-shape physical stats. You know, I still wonder how I made it to this stage without dying. Though I think it was worth it.¡± I tapped my wrist, where the bracelet was embedded into my astral body. ¡°There¡¯s more for me to gain if I get stronger, I know it. The power of Tyr at least. And it¡¯s time to start working towards that. Next time I meet Nurarihyon, there¡¯s no way I can let him look down on me, overpower me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we all desperately need-need strength. That goes most for you, Eri.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Lest Aiko leave you trailing in her dust.¡± Noisily gulping her beer, she belched happily. ¡°No, I am most-most pleased Aiko now has the chance to grow as she wishes. I had feared that if nothing else-else changed, she would grow more and more reckless to reach out after you and Akio. Now she has the safer means, we can rest somewhat assured. If naught else good-good has come from this tragedy, we should be pleased at that.¡±


    ¡°So now I¡¯ll be left behind instead huh? Yes, it does hurt a bit.¡± Eri sighed.


    ¡°Left behind? Hardly.¡± Shaeula snorted, reaching for another can. Several soldiers, special forces that had also gone through Chirurgery with me, were looking on, amused and awed at being in our presence, as we were apparently somewhat famous, according to the Major. ¡°You will be training harder than ever-ever. Your light and darkness elements must surely be improved, as Aiko¡¯s was. Lovers¡¯ Link can grow, and you can gain levels. Just because you do not-not have a Divine Favour, you are not-not limited in your growth. Besides, there are others who need it more. Hinata, Natsumi and Motoko, they do not-not have the leisure to strengthen Lovers¡¯ Link. It is quite foolish, though as a daughter of royalty, I do understand it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suppose I am luckier than them.¡± She smiled. ¡°Akio, I know you want to hold them, embrace them, like you do us. Can you not do something?¡±


    Hold them? Make love? Well, I won¡¯t deny it... Hinata was a touch on the young side, enough to sting my conscience, but it wasn¡¯t like it was an actual crime, being as we were engaged. She was full of vitality and excitement, always eager to do things together, to build an empire of finance. Besides, it was nice to be desired, and she said she had found me attractive from the first time she saw me. Motoko was the epitome of a noble woman, graceful, elegant and trained in what they deemed necessary for a noble bride, nearly from birth. Her body was honed by traditional martial arts, and her enthusiasm for those and unbending will to rebel against the nobility to preserve her family arts without compromising her standing was shining.


    Then there was Natsumi. She seemed rather quiet, standing beside Motoko, but her kindness, her devotion, it was appealing. She was also fit and trained, with a great figure, and yet also was charming and graceful. Compared to Motoko, who was reserved, and Hinata, who was forward, Natsumi was rather in the middle, but that made her fresh. She was also prepared to give up everything to see Motoko, her friend, reach her dreams. Such self-sacrifice moved me.


    Lastly, there was Shiro. Can¡¯t forget her. Obviously I loved Shiro, and had for years, though I denied it to myself, dense protagonist that I was. She was crude yet charming, beautiful yet lonely, at times one of the guys, and at other times a woman you knew was out of reach. And with her painful past and sad life, it made me want to take care of her. Though I¡¯ll not embrace her until she¡¯s ready. I understand. I don¡¯t care about her scars. To me, those scars are a mark of how much she cared. But... I want it to be perfect, the first time of her dreams...


    ¡°It looks like he is thinking about it.¡± Eri smiled softly. ¡°Really, you¡¯re engaged, what¡¯s the big problem? As long as they use birth control, it¡¯s not like anyone would know. You are going to marry them, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I defended myself. ¡°I¡¯ll do right by them. No, that¡¯s not it. I want to. No matter how it started, my reluctance, they¡¯ve grown on me, and now I can¡¯t bear to part with them. With any of you.¡± I chuckled, feeling like a bastard, but burying that deep, as I promised Eri I would. ¡°Well, Natsumi¡¯s father... he said he would allow it, if it made Natsumi safer.¡± I remembered that awkward talk when I visited their shop and home. ¡°But she wants her first time to be with Motoko as well, so it¡¯s difficult. As for Hinata, I still can¡¯t help but feel she¡¯s a little too young, despite how mature her attitude is...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°She can make her own choices. If she wants it, and you want it, why not? Although...¡± Eri shared a look with Hyacinth and Shaeula. It was Shaeula who spoke next.


    ¡°There is another, is there not-not?¡± Shaeula asked, and I froze, momentarily confused. Kana, right? No way, we¡¯ve had this conversation. I like Kana, I do, and it seems she likes me, but it isn¡¯t like with the others, we don¡¯t need each other, so...


    ¡°This Tsukiko, the so-called Diviner.¡± Shaeula said, surprising me. At my obvious shock, she raised an eyebrow at me sardonically, taking to the others. ¡°Look, he does seem surprised, does he not-not? I find it endearing.¡±


    ¡°Me toooooo!¡± Hyacinth giggled.


    ¡°I just find it frustrating.¡± Eri declared, her good arm moving a bit, her other arm twitching, and I imagined she wished she could cross them in annoyance. ¡°Akio, you should know we can read you like a book. Ever since I heard stories about her from other people at Conclave, I knew you¡¯d feel sorry for her. And when she said she was going to die... ugh, my head hurts. The worst thing about the apocalypse is it puts too many girls in danger! This isn¡¯t Poke?mon, you don¡¯t have to save them all!¡± she let out a long breath. ¡°But... that¡¯s who you are. I don¡¯t mind, I guess... though it is frustrating. Endlessly frustrating.¡±


    ¡°You forget, I too-too am linked to your bonded Kin, as you are to mine.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I can faintly feel her, as I expect you realised. I knew it was much too-too suspicious, your behaviour when she was mentioned, after that meeting. So confess your burdens, I am your elder and quite-quite wise. I shall listen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, something happened.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t ask her to be your girlfriend, so what did you do? I know you wouldn¡®t have slept with her. Surely not. But there must be some connection if you are Kin now.¡±


    Eri¡¯s perceptive as ever. I guess it¡¯s time to come clean. I didn¡¯t really want or intend to hide it anyway, and Eri¡¯s mood seems stable, I don¡¯t think her injuries are playing on her mind as much as I feared they would. ¡°All right. I wasn¡¯t going to keep it secret. Besides, it¡¯s not like I seriously want a relationship with Tsukiko-san. I felt sorry for her, as you imagined. I mean, sure, she¡¯s absolutely stunning, but... uh, wrong thing to focus on. I wanted to save her, yes, not just that, she deserves to be saved, after all those years of lonely service, appreciated but never rewarded. But I¡¯m no longer confident to say that I can definitely protect her. Too much has happened. So I wanted a safety net. I¡¯m not like you though, Shaeula, I can¡¯t easily think of my fellow humans as Kin, like you can with Weaselkin.¡± I took a moment to orientate my thoughts. ¡°No, I needed a connection that I believed would tie us together. So... I, well I asked her to marry me.¡± There. I said it.


    ¡°I see, so you asked her to... what?¡± Eri¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Marriage? That¡¯s a bit far isn¡¯t it? You barely know her!¡±


    ¡°You move fast.¡± Shaeula cackled. ¡°So, what-what did she answer?¡±


    ¡°Obviously she wooould say yes. Nooobody can turn down Akio, it would be foolish!¡± Hyacinth declared stoutly.


    ¡°Actually she never answered. Instead... well, as you know, she gave me her Divine Favour, and that was enough of a connection.¡± I grimaced, remembering. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m the one she foresaw, but I¡¯m the one to protect you, Shaeula. Shiro too. As for why I asked her to marry me... well, you become family via marriage, right? It¡¯s common sense. It isn¡¯t like we¡¯d consummate it, we could get divorced afterwards, no problem.¡±


    Eri let out a long sigh. ¡°Yes, that sounds just like poor dense Akio. You still don¡¯t understand the heart of a maiden, do you, impossible though that should be? And from her circumstances, Matsumuro-san has less experience in love than anyone her age should.¡± She sighed again. ¡°Well, logically you are correct, but you should have talked this over with us first. Well, I hardly want her to die, but... ugh, it¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Have no fear-fear.¡± Shaeula chimed in. ¡°I intend to return to the Spring of Clear Reflections and arrange a meeting with Primal Forest so that we may-may acquire the Ring Gate as soon as we are able to. Kin Restoration is quite-quite the useful safety net, though as we saw against those Kijo, it is not-not unbeatable.¡± She looked at Eri with a trace of sadness.


    ¡°Yes, but I still feel better. If she is so certain she¡¯ll die, well, if I can restore her and then use a Throne, like I did for Haru-san, at least she can live a relatively normal life. Though I still intend to prevent her death in the first place.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Akiooo, I shall be more than happy tooo kill any invaders!¡± Hyacinth declared stoutly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡± Eri said. ¡°Assuming I¡¯ve recovered enough. Maybe if we save her, she won¡¯t fall for you. In fact, that¡¯s a great idea. Shaeula, we should be in charge of saving girls in danger. Akio can save the guys!¡±


    ¡°But Eri...¡± her grin was wicked. ¡°What if these males-males fall for Akio then? Do we want such-such rivals?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no way! That¡¯s a no go!¡± she shuddered. As the girls laughed, I felt the mood lift. Well then, Shaeula¡¯s right. We have a lot that needs doing, and not much time to do it...


    ********


    As the helicopter headed for its usual landing site by Shirohebizumi shrine, I could see a number of people through the observation port, waiting for us. At one figure, my heart twinged, but it was good to see her waiting, even if she was standing rather stiffly, her body covered by jeans and a form-fitting, long-sleeved jumper.


    ¡°So that¡¯s her in person then.¡± Eri murmured, steeling herself. ¡°No, there¡¯s no point in being intimidated. I¡¯m just as much of a woman as her.¡±


    Yeah, the dynamic between Eri and Shiro is likely to be... interesting. ¡°Look, she¡¯s haughty and proud, but she¡¯s a nice girl. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± I reassured her as the helicopter descended to the ground, rotors spinning down to stillness.


    The soldiers accompanying us got the door, and a ramp descended. Grabbing the wheelchair, which was hardly necessary as it was electric, but I felt I needed to do, I led the girls out into the morning chill. The skies above were cloudy and it looked like rain was coming, so I wanted to get Eri inside as soon as possible. Even so...


    ¡°Welcome back, Akio-kun.¡± Karen-chan greeted us, the guys behind her also offering their greetings. ¡°I heard it was pretty awful. I¡¯m glad to see you safe.¡± As soon as she said that, she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide.


    ¡°Sorry, Eri-chan. I didn¡¯t mean to make light of your injuries.¡± She apologised, mortified at her lapse.


    ¡°Great. In that case...¡± Our talk turned to light-hearted news, talk about what Hinata, Kazumi-san, Motoko and Natsumi were up to, as well as Miyu and her ninja bodyguard. I laughed at some of her stories, especially talk of a clash between Michiru-san and her sister, which seemed outlandish. I can just imagine it. If her sister is anything like her, it would look like an episode from an anime.


    ¡°Well, I have to go. I need to eat, or I won¡¯t have energy for my afternoon lessons.¡± Hinata said after a while, and I wished her a good afternoon. ¡°Love you. Bye!¡± she finished with words completely unlike the nobles usually spoke, and they caught me by surprise as she hung up.


    ¡°Just look at him.¡± Shiro sniffed. ¡°Gaping foolishly when a girl says she loves him. I mean, doesn¡¯t he hear that all the time now?¡±


    ¡°He most-most definitely does.¡± Shaeula snickered nastily. ¡°But I find it charming he can still-still be caught unawares. It makes me wish to tease him.¡±


    ¡°I get that. Getting a rise out of Aki was always one of my favourite pastimes back at Uni. Though unlike Yasu, I don¡¯t think he rose that way.¡± She raised an eyebrow, and Eri gasped, a little shocked at her ribald joke.


    ¡°Oh relax.¡± Shiro said. ¡°When our usual conversations were about which anime waifu those idiots wanted to be real, or whether harem was better than one true romance, or whether knee socks beat thigh socks, you have to expect a bit of lewd banter. This princess remained stubbornly pure of course. I was waiting for my prince to come, though I expected he never would. I guess I¡¯ll have to settle for Aki after all.¡± Her eye was sparkling with humour, and I was relieved to see it.


    ¡°I had-had feared.¡± Shaeula chuckled. ¡°I did wonder whether two princesses such as us could get along, but now I can see my fears were quite-quite groundless.¡±


    ¡°Yes, from what I gather, you¡¯re quite the pervert yourself, always trying to hook Aki up with every girl he meets.¡± Shiro observed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk about that. At length.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should!¡± Eri agreed brightly. ¡°She¡¯s been better recently, but I¡¯m glad there¡¯s someone else here who understands why she shouldn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Well, enough of that. I think it¡¯s time we started sorting out your rooms.¡± I changed the subject before Shaeula could get in trouble. Besides, I kind of was the one who proposed to Tsukiko-san, even if I never intended to treat it as real. But she¡¯s right. I guess that wouldn¡¯t have worked if I didn¡¯t believe in it. I feel a bit guilty taking her Divine Favour, but if it ends up saving her...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± Eri smiled, looking around. ¡°Though I don¡¯t see why I¡¯m not staying in your room, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Eager, isn¡¯t she?¡± Shiro asked Hyacinth, who was staying quiet.


    ¡°Mistress Eri is quite the fooorward girl. She doooes enjoy making love with Akio too.¡± Hyacinth admitted.


    ¡°I see. So, what about you? I mean, I dig the maid outfit, maid cafes are great. Aki and the guys used to take me sometimes, though they went way more than I ever did, and not because they are mad perverts... well, mostly because they are, I suppose... but mainly because I had usually collapsed and was taken home by then.¡± She sighed. ¡°This beautiful princess always used to attract attention there anyway. Now I would for a different reason. So, putting that aside, you seem a bit hesitant around me. Hyacinth, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    A troubled expression crossed her features. I paid some attention as I explained to Eri that she was more than welcome to stay in my room when she wanted, but she should have her own space too, especially due to her health right now.


    ¡°Sooorry, mistress. I just... I dooo not quite know how to treat you yet.¡± She admitted, frustrated.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy isn¡¯t it?¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°Just like everyone else. Don¡¯t take me too seriously, it¡¯ll actually trouble me. You think that Aki and the others ever used to call me Shirohime, no matter how often I asked? I knew they wouldn¡¯t either. It was just a mixture of teasing and a defence mechanism. I feared getting hurt, so I always wanted to appear different, special, precious. My own parents let me down too often. Sure, I liked the attention it got me, but I feared it a bit too. Not Aki and the guys though. Aki was kind and I didn¡¯t think he had the guts to make a move on me. Yasu was a pervert, but an honest, harmless one. Hayato... well, he¡¯s got Hina now, but I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t think maybe he would have been all right as a boyfriend...¡± seeing my expression, she grinned triumphantly, pulling at the scars around her empty eye-socket, mostly hidden by her hair.


    That reminds me. If I can fix the eyes of the injured girl, then I should be able to fix Shiro¡¯s eye too, at least...


    ¡°Considering you asked me out when you were already carrying all this baggage, I think the least you can do is let me discomfort you. Besides, you had my first kiss. I was white as the purest winter snow. I still am, I guess. For now.¡± She grinned. ¡°As for Shugo, he was non-threatening as well. Aimi... well, she wasn¡¯t put off by my looks, since she was confident in her own, and the sort of girl geeky guys loved. Aki here was crushing on her too.¡± She pointed out, earning me a glare from Eri. ¡°Thank goodness neither she nor Hina are single. Hina¡¯s such a shy little treasure. If they were, Aki would be salivating like a wolf looking at prey now, I bet. Well anyway, I was too used to men desiring me, and girls hating me. It was... really comfortable, being with them. I miss it. I even miss those busybodies back at my dorm.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eri said. ¡°That was enlightening. I think I understand you a bit better now. We aren¡¯t so different.¡±


    ¡°I guess not. Especially now.¡± She winked, pointing to her ruined arm. ¡°We should be sure to make Aki feel terribly guilty so he pampers us until we recover. It¡¯s only fun because we will recover, right?¡± she winked.


    ¡°In that case. Mistress Shirohime...¡± Hyacinth changed her manner of address, and seeing Shiro gape, open-mouthed, we all laughed.


    ¡°I wooould like to know you better. And for you to knooow Hyacinth, too.¡±


    ¡°Stop laughing at me! I¡¯m a princess, not a comedian.¡± She grinned, caught up in the mood. When the laughter was spent, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit from Aki, and I met Motoko and Natsumi briefly, but... I want us to make this work.¡± She reached out with her good hand then, clasping mine. ¡°Aki, I may joke around, but I was serious back then. I would rather have died than killed you. I never really realised how lonely I was, how thirsty...¡± she grimaced at the ironic word choice. ¡°... I was for love, for someone to genuinely love me, not just for my appearance, but for who I was. If the world was normal, sane, I¡¯d be pissed off at your infidelity, but... looks like we are living in some anime now.¡± She sighed. ¡°I thought I was the protagonist, a female lead in a battle seinen series. Turns out I was just a Haremette for the true lead. Well, since it¡¯s you, Aki, I¡¯ll let it slide. I find myself kind of looking forward to all the hijinks, you know?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll try not to barge in on you in the bath.¡± I grinned, glad that Shiro was sharing in front of the girls, remembering she had rarely, if ever, shared so much of herself to others. Just in the taxi, to me, anyway.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not. Not until I¡¯m the way I want to be. I¡¯m hideous right now. My pride might have been mostly a shield, but I still have it. Until I can be my best self, there¡¯s none for you, Aki! Though I think you¡¯ll manage.¡± She looked at the other girls, who laughed again.


    ¡°Fine then. And speaking of that...¡± I filled her in on the information we got from Nurarihyon, including their promise of a healer.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said at last. ¡°Tan says she feels this creature may be like her, something that has found a way in prematurely. That makes it dangerous. Very dangerous. And it¡¯s to save another girl, a real Princess, no less.¡± She frowned. ¡°So, collecting princesses now? Six of them. That¡¯s kind of crappy. We¡¯ll need a bigger house. Best start earning piles of cash, Aki. Princesses have expensive tastes.¡± She winked again, though it was more like blinking with her vacant orb.


    ¡°We certainly do.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Though I believe that Tsukiko is a more likely candidate. At least-least for now...¡±


    ¡°Well, can we change the subject? Shiro, Tan, are you willing to help?¡± I asked, and she shrugged.


    ¡°If you¡¯re with me. I¡¯m not doing it alone. Not anymore. Oh, that reminds me. Sorry for the behaviour of that idiot Suzu. I¡¯ll be sure to punish her when she gets back...¡±


    ********


    We finished talking about Shiro¡¯s companions, including the fact that Arisu-san wanted to meet me, but only in her very dangerous room. I was nervous, mostly because Shiro had a bad feeling and worried Arisu-san would hate me on sight due to my... relationships... but hearing she had a powerful spatial ability really piqued my curiosity.


    We all gathered in my room, preparing to enter the Boundary.


    ¡°So, Tan?ha?.¡± Shaeula warned her. ¡°I shall-shall be watching you closely. I trust Shiro now, but I do not-not trust you! Do not-not cross us!¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°I have no intention of causing trouble. After all, her man and I, we have an agreement. Besides, the princess would die to spite me should I betray you all. I have no doubt of her resolve.¡±


    ¡°Tan won¡¯t do that.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°She¡¯s right though. When I accepted this weird ring...¡± she grinned at the ring I had made from cutlery on the spur of the moment. ¡°... I accepted Aki as the one for me. I don¡¯t go back on what I choose. I¡¯m Shirohime, the proud white princess. One of the many wives of the one who is going to save the world. I¡¯m not going to be the one who goes down in infamy for betraying him.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because I¡¯ll kill you if you do.¡± Eri warned, black eyes cold.


    ¡°So scary. Aki, you like yandere¡¯s huh? Well, I guess I¡¯m more tsundere? And would this maid here be a different type of -dere? Are you going for the full set?¡±


    ¡°Enough of that. We have a lot to do. I¡¯m curious about your Territory and how it¡¯s doing without you. I worry about it.¡± I said. ¡°But for now, we should get to mine.¡±


    ¡°Arisu is watching it. She can protect hers and mine without much trouble.¡± Shiro promised. ¡°Though from what the others say, your Territory is powerful. I¡¯m excited to see how different it is.¡±


    I see. I really hope Arisu-san can be trusted...


    ¡°Well, before we go, there¡¯s an experiment I¡¯d like to try. I meant to test it in Kyoto, but... well we know what happened there, so...¡± as I explained, Shiro nodded.


    ¡°That does make sense. Well, I don¡¯t mind. Tan doesn¡¯t either, though I suspect she already knows what will happen, judging by her amused thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Great, in that case...¡±

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Seven

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Seven


    ¡°All right, let me give it a try.¡± Shiro said, lying down comfortably. ¡°You know, this feels a little strange. I¡¯ve never been in a guy¡¯s room before. It¡¯s unusual for me to be worried about something like that, not at all like me. Oh well, this princess will have to get used to it, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°This is not-not a male¡¯s room.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°It is our room, for where Akio is, do we not-not belong?¡± With that said, she was preparing to depart for our Territory first, lying next to me on the large bed. ¡°I shall go ahead and gather our forces. I shall see you soon-soon.¡±


    With that her breathing stopped and her body lay still, an empty shell. Shiro raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°That¡¯s seriously creepy you know. So, go ahead, you can be honest Aki, have you played with her while she¡¯s not at home?¡± her grin turned mocking. ¡°Of course not.¡± I promised. ¡°I am the perfect gentleman, you should know that.¡±


    ¡°That just means herbivore.¡± she snorted. Eri was laughing at the banter. Hyacinth had also gone ahead, her body joining Shaeula¡¯s in being still and immobile. ¡°Well, I guess you don¡¯t need to, do you? Not when she¡¯ll freely let you if you ask.¡±


    ¡°Hey, a lot of the time, she comes onto me. She may not look it, but Shaeula has quite the appetite.¡± I turned my attention to Eri. ¡°Eri too.¡±


    ¡°Akio! Don¡¯t embarrass me in front of Shiro!¡± she protested, red-faced.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it true?¡± I pressed, and she nodded shyly, a barest movement of her head.


    ¡°Yes, but even so, embarrassing things are embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°You know, this feels very comfortable. Aimi would fit right into this conversation.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°When we are healed, Eri, I¡¯ll introduce you to them. You¡¯ll hear a lot of interesting stories about Aki here, I¡¯m sure. Just watch out for Yasu, he¡¯ll hit on you for sure. Just punch him. If he dies, he dies.¡±


    ¡°Harsh.¡± Eri giggled. ¡°But I admit to being curious about all the parts of Akio¡¯s life I don¡¯t know, which I missed out on by being too young. If only I was a bit older I could have joined him in Tokyo.¡±


    ¡°No point regretting what could never be. Now, fun though this is, the experiment?¡±


    ¡°Oh stop being such a slavedriver, Aki. Considering how many harem comedies you used to enjoy, you should know having your girls get on well with each other is the most important quality-of-life issue you need to be attending to. Hell, isn¡¯t your favourite Sekirei a troublemaker who doesn¡¯t play well with others?¡± At Eri¡¯s blank expression, she went on to explain.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the sort of girl Akio likes, huh?¡± Eri mused, and I felt the need to defend myself.


    ¡°Tsundere isn¡¯t anywhere near as cute in real life as it is in fiction. Well, unless it¡¯s the way Shaeula sometimes still does it. But violent tsundere¡¯s are a definite no-go. Now can we please continue?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Stop being a whiner, Aki.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Now, here goes.¡± She shut her remaining eye and tried to enter the Boundary, despite me willing the Territory to refuse her entry. For a few silent minutes Eri and I watched, before Shiro¡¯s eye snapped open, beads of sweat on her skin. ¡°Yeah, just as Tan thought. I can¡¯t get in. The Barrier is too strong. I might be able to force my way through given enough time, but this close to the centre, if I do I¡¯ll be utterly exhausted. Damn, putting a princess to hard labour like me, Aki, if my legion of adoring subjects knew about this, they¡¯d have you executed for Le?se-majeste?.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain that¡¯s not what that is.¡± I disagreed, and she pouted.


    ¡°Come on Aki, you won¡¯t be popular with girls if you don¡¯t learn to let the details slide.¡±


    ¡°I think that ship has sailed.¡± Eri chuckled happily. ¡°So, I always thought it was strange the way these things worked. I must admit, I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± I agreed. ¡°Otherwise protecting an Anchor would be impossible, as assassins and saboteurs could just dive into the Boundary from a nearby hotel or some similar place and easily strike before defences can respond.¡±


    ¡°If I may...¡± Shiro¡¯s eye turned ruby red, a sign Tan was taking charge. ¡°Such things can still happen, and do, even in the highest Astral, though the major Territories of the Pantheons are of course too well defended for such. But minor satellite Territories are often destroyed that way, it is easier than outright war.¡± She sighed. ¡°Battle is costly in resources and manpower. It is best avoided where possible.¡± She licked her lips, well, Shiro¡¯s, in a seductive manner. ¡°The rewards for destroying Anchored Territories are quite rich, as you no doubt know.¡±


    ¡°I see. So how do we defend against that?¡± I asked. It¡¯s important to know, as my plan revolves around a strong Territory overlapping the Material for the assorted benefits.


    ¡°Your barrier, to me it is but pretty paper, something I can tear through easily, were I not bound to this mortal vessel.¡± Tan sighed. ¡°But I confess, it is not terrible for how little time it has taken. Generally, stronger Territories manipulate their barriers, centring them around important points and leaving areas that can be risked with lesser protection. This makes it far more difficult to siege a prepared Territory. Yes, you can cause some damage to outlying areas, but the core remains stubborn and solid.¡±Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°I see. I remember...¡± There was a Barrier Anchor Spire amongst the choices. I decided not to go for that one, as I could only build three for now. Maybe when we reach Rank 4 I¡¯ll consider adding it... ¡°Well then.¡± I clapped my hands. ¡°I guess this was worthwhile. Shiro, I welcome you to my Territory. Try now.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Shiro¡¯s eye darkened once more, then after a few moments it slid shut, her ample chest rising and falling with her steady, soft breaths.


    ¡°I guess she¡¯s in.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I guess so. Ugh, those scars are blasphemy. I¡¯m a girl, and I have no interest in that sort of thing, despite the rumours that used to go around about me and Aiko... even so, she must have been beyond beautiful. I mean, she still is...¡± Eri flushed, ashamed. ¡°Scars and injuries don¡¯t make people ugly, right?¡± her own insecurities were shining through. ¡°... but I can see why you were hopelessly smitten with her. She¡¯s kind of funny too.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I was smitten...¡± I protested. ¡°Well, anyway, we might as well go in, and to answer your question...¡± I rolled over, kissing Eri softly. ¡°... you¡¯re still beautiful to me. Shiro too. Now come on, we need to catch up.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± She whispered, and I slid shut my eyes, quickly awakening in my Territory, beside a wide-eyed Shiro, who was admiring the Earth Altar, the Rhyming Trees that were towering above the hill, and more.


    ¡°This is wild, Aki. My Territory isn¡¯t bad, but this is way better.¡± She puffed out her cheeks. ¡°As a princess, I find it annoying my Territory is inferior.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± Bjarki frowned, his eyebrows drawing down ferociously, giving him an angry mien. ¡°So, where be the rest of¡¯n the metal?¡±


    ¡°I... I used it.¡± Retrieving the bag full of feathers and other materials I had brought from Kyoto, I showed him how the feathers worked, that they vibrated dangerously with only a little aether added. ¡°It was an emergency, I needed to make gear for someone, so I used the scraps.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± He said again, ominously. For a moment, there was silence, before he sighed explosively. ¡°Well¡¯n, there be nae point cryin¡¯ over spilt milk, right Ixitt?¡±


    Ixitt cackled his agreement, before Bjarki continued. ¡°Fine. I be makin¡¯ ye a new set of weapons. And more o¡¯these pinwheels too. Thinkin¡¯ about it, I be sure I can improve them. Ye be not bad as a craftsman, for a human, but ye has a long way t¡¯go afore ye be ready to match dwarven crafts.¡±


    ¡°I shall help too.¡± Ixitt grinned, tail lashing excitedly. ¡°But first I have some matters to discuss, my own reports.¡±


    ¡°You certainly do have a rather... colourful... cast here.¡± Shiro observed. ¡°It reminds me of Suzu. She¡¯s been collecting a lot of weird creatures. She calls them cute, but I think they are just creepy and odd. That girl has weird tastes.¡± She paused. ¡°I¡¯m still going to punish her for running off and getting in your way, though.¡±


    I patted her head, causing her to blush and mutter that she wasn¡¯t a child, but she didn¡¯t look to me as if she minded all that much. I waited for Ixitt to elaborate.


    ¡°I have been fascinated by the ideas your mortal world holds, and I have been doing quite the amount of research. Books, the internet, DVD¡¯s, the sources of knowledge available are quite endless. I also found some rather fun people to talk to. Exchanging messages with fellow geniuses of mortal engineering is quite liberating.¡± He smiled, and I told him to get to the point, as I was quite busy.


    ¡°Oh, of course, many apologies.¡± He lashed his tail again. ¡°Well, I have come up with three areas to focus on. Weaponry of course, as we need it to improve your army. Then, and more pertinent to the mortal realms, power generation and resource acquisition.¡±


    ¡°I see. What do you mean by resource acquisition?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Well, firstly... here in the Boundary, you need ether, do you not? As much as can be gathered. I have been working on an artificial Building for some time, gathering the silver material they are made from. It was not going well, but I have had a breakthrough, thanks to some knowledge from one of my new friends.¡±


    At that, my eyes sharpened, and it wasn¡¯t just me. Eri spoke up, her tone harsh. ¡°You¡¯ve been giving away secret information? Hinata is going to skin you alive. I¡¯m not sure if rat fur is good for anything, but...¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I would never be so foolish.¡± Ixitt protested. ¡°They have rather fascinating ways of thinking, so even with my subtle obfuscations, their ideas were revolutionary. Behold...¡± he gestured, and a group of ratkin wheeled a device forwards, a solid metal carriage of some sort, with a thin silver spire rising out of it, the top of the spire sparkling with an orb of crystal embedded within the needle point, a blue glow winking within. ¡°... the Artificial Ether Spire!¡±


    Okay, now he has my attention. My Eye flared, and looking at it, I was shocked.


    Artificial Ether Spire, Rank 2.5??? ¨C This device, made from Alchemy, Mortal Engineering, Ether Crafting and other esoteric arts, is constructed from extracted materials created by upgrading and constructing Buildings, as well as anchored by a Blue Etherite. It generates around half as much ether as a Rank 3 Ether Spire, but has a side-effect of reducing the ether density within the area over time, though this will recover when the device is moved. This side-effect also lends itself to the creation of red and occasionally orange Etherites in the vicinity.


    Seeing my look of wonder, Ixitt grinned proudly. ¡°Once I had the idea to catalyse the materials to life with Etherites, I made progress. Though any below green shatter and break from the strain. Such a waste.¡± He sighed. ¡°Fortunately a blue one was recovered from the grove, and I took the liberty of borrowing it for my research. I hope you can find it to forgive me.¡±


    Fine then. I tossed my two blue Etherites to Ixitt, who caught them in surprise. ¡°Set up another couple with these. We can¡¯t have too much ether coming in.¡± This¡¯ll work out better longer-term than breaking them down for ether. We just have to remember to keep the spires in an out-of-the-way place and rotate them regularly to prevent over-depletion. ¡°Can you make any other artificial buildings?¡±


    Ixitt shrugged. ¡°I was focussed on Ether Spires, but I believe at the least I can make mobile Defensive Emplacements. As well as one other idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would be great too. Damn, now we need as many Etherites as we can get. No wonder they are supposedly always in demand, even in the higher Astral.¡± I wonder what the other idea is?


    Tan let out a snicker using Shiro¡¯s mouth at that observation, and I realised I could use her knowledge more often, if I could persuade her to share it. ¡°Anyway, do you have anything else for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do. Since I am tasked with coming up with a product you can sell in the mortal world... oh, how my blood boils with excitement at the thought...¡± he waxed lyrical for a good few minutes. ¡°... anyway, I wondered, clearly my Material body is made from something that can exist on that plane, so why can I not similarly create something that will exist there? I ran experiments on my body.¡± He grimaced. ¡°It was rather painful, I admit, but I came up with some interesting results!¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it isn¡¯t unethical if you are doing it to yourself, but wow, that¡¯s messed up.¡± I echoed what Aiko might have said. Ixitt merely laughed.


    ¡°Perhaps, but I am prepared to suffer for progress. For many years my throat, skin and lungs were horribly mutilated thanks to experimental catastrophes, until you healed me, for which I am most grateful.¡± He bowed. ¡°But this shows progress always comes at a personal cost. This was trivial in comparison. Anyway, I believe that I can make an artificial variant of your Throne of Heroes. Though not how you are thinking.¡± He cut off my sudden shock at the idea.


    ¡°But the Throne creates the matter that makes up a Material body and moderates it. So I do believe we can create a facsimile that may be able to, if not create, at least support the existence of matter on the Material. Thus power generation.¡± He grinned. ¡°I have so many ideas for batteries and more. As for resource acquisition, there is so much waste in your world. Now, Alchemy can easily separate matter, and it is used by great blacksmiths like Bjarki as well. What if...¡± he grinned. ¡°... well, let me set the scene first.¡± he declared grandly. ¡°I did speak to your noble wife Hinata first, and...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite the attention-seeker.¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°Reminds me of Yasu.¡±


    ¡°No way, Ixitt has tons of wives and kids. He¡¯s surprisingly enough a riajuu. Despite being a research and development otaku.¡± I was both complimentary and not.


    ¡°... made her promise not to tell you until I was ready, but her eyes were sparkling. She does like money.¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°So, for this factory, we shall make devices for power generation and storage with half, while the other half... waste goes in...¡± he smirked. ¡°... component resources come out.¡± He then revealed an artistic sketch of old refrigerators, tin cans, bottles, old books and more in a conveyer belt, going through some devices, and then on the other side... ingots of various metals, piles of black powder, yellowing crystals and more...


    ¡°They will pay handsomely for you to take their waste.¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°And then we turn it from waste to a treasure trove of resources, you can either sell or use yourself. I believe the saying Hinata used was printing money!¡±


    No kidding. If that could be possible... I considered the joint venture with Ichijou house. With their clout, and if Ixitt could make the devices in my Territory that supported the factory... damn, it¡¯s making money by cleaning up the world!

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Eight *Contains Status – Akio*

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Eight *Contains Status ¨C Akio*


    ¡°That does sound an incredible idea.¡± I agreed. ¡°But even if it could work, there seems to be a ton of problems with it. Surely the scale of the Alchemy would just be too much.¡± I pondered how much I would be able to dismantle if it was me using my aether, and concluded that it would be a decent amount of trash, but hardly enough to make a working business out of it.


    ¡°Of course, nothing of value ever comes easily.¡± Ixitt lashed his tail happily. ¡°There are issues with identification of material, the sheer scale of power required and many other factors.¡± He nodded at Master Bjarki, who was half-listening while he inspected the remaining Twin Fang, thinking of his next craft. ¡°If Alchemy was so all-powerful, then we would have no need for Dwarven ingenuity. Although...¡± he whispered mock-conspiratorially. ¡°...the Dwarves do use a little Alchemy on the more stubborn ores, or to ease troublesome technical deficits.¡±


    ¡°I see. So do you have any actual solutions?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A few, mortal engineering and your human sciences are all about experimentation, are they not? I shall endeavour to make a working prototype on a smaller scale. To do that, I will require your assistance though.¡± Ixitt smirked. ¡°After all, your ability to see to the heart of things solves our biggest problem.¡±


    We talked a little more about it, and by the end I was truly exhausted by Ixitt¡¯s enthusiasm, but it was certainly promising. As we were finishing up, he dropped another bombshell. ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot to mention, we have created a few new toys for your weaselkin.¡± He gestured, and several of his ratkin brought out yet another couple of inventions. As the bundles were unwrapped, I looked at the first. It was a gun, definitely, but it had a very long barrel, as well as some sort of telescopic sight.


    ¡°Lenses are a passion of mine, and we used them to study the spores, did we not?¡± Ixitt chuckled. ¡°Well, some of your soldier allies in the mortal world were good enough to talk to me about sniper rifles. This is my approximation.¡± He grinned. ¡°The performance is lacking, from what I researched on Wikipedia and other sites. Although the bullets are quite simply spectacular.¡± He grinned, the second cloth opened to reveal a number of different rounds. There were heavy metal shells, shells containing a small amount of bluesteel, shimmering with earth elemental energies, even bullets that looked like they had been made from red and orange Etherites.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± I agreed. The calibre of the bullets was large, so if they could be ejected with any force, they would cause immense damage. ¡°Though how do the bullets launch? Our ability to make gunpowder is limited here, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Currently we are using wind element, contained in bluesteel here and here.¡± He pointed to various locations. ¡°It works acceptably well, though it cannot match the range and power of explosive powders yet. If we had a source of flame element was well, then we could use a modified twin-element system, which I do believe could even exceed the potential of your mortal rifles.¡± His grin turned wild. ¡°I also have a few other ideas that can be tested with enough fire element. So, to that end, if I could ask...¡± he brought over a large bluesteel battery, obviously based on some of my earlier designs. ¡°The kobolds are working hard, and output is up significantly. Hearing you have so many mines, and how you do not oppress them, entire clans have migrated here. Even those who dwell on the fringes of the Fae lands.¡±


    Fine, I get it. With a complicated expression on my face, I channelled flame energies into the barrel, causing it to glow a brilliant yellow. Shaeula added her powers too, as did Eri and Shiro, surprisingly, and soon the large, barrel-sized battery was charged.


    ¡°Excellent! With this we can make progress. I also have an idea for a rotary anti-infantry design, and also field artillery, but wind element alone is not efficient enough. Oh, if only we had some lightning element... well, it is not as though I can ask the noble Queen of all the Seelie to charge my battery. I can hardly even meet such an august personage...¡± as he rolled the barrel away, I noticed Ixitt was level fifteen now, having obviously taken the time to maximise what benefits he could get from the Throne.


    ¡°At least... he¡¯s a hard worker, and enthusiastic?¡± Eri said at last, and Master Bjarki let out a long chuckle.


    ¡°Aye, that¡¯n he be.¡± The dwarf looked up at us. ¡°Ever since t¡¯day yer brother came lookin¡¯ for ye, princess, Ixitt, he be overjoyed t¡¯be discovering new knowledge and ideas, ye ken? Well, I rejoice tae see it. I even be a mite jealous, ye ken? Now, I best be getting¡¯ back tae the forge. I have work tae do.¡± With those words Bjarki left, along with most of the others around us.


    ¡°Bringing guns to the fantasy world, Aki? Classic stuff.¡± Shiro observed.


    ¡°Well, in a word where Shaeula¡¯s brother and other top archers can shoot kilometres, and tough opponents can easily shrug off rifle-fire, guns aren¡¯t going to be game-changing.¡± I realised. ¡°Even so, against fortresses, or in skirmishes, they would give us quite the advantage. Imagine our weaselkin being able to snipe most of the enemy forces before they ever got into battle...¡± I shrugged. ¡°More weapons and better options certainly won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, makes sense. So... Aki, why¡¯s that girl with the slightly green skin giving you the puppy-dog eyes? She¡¯s a Dryad, right? It¡¯s pretty cool, but for some reason, this princess feels her heart aching a bit. So, let me guess, she¡¯s another one you saved?¡±


    I immediately went to deny it, before realising I couldn¡¯t, not entirely, anyway. ¡°Not alone. Grulgor, Ixitt, Hyacinth and Shaeula all helped. It was quite the wild ride. Literally.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shiro raised an eyebrow, curious. ¡°I want to know about that, sounds fun. But I was right, another damsel in distress rescued by you, Aki. You do have a hero complex, don¡¯t you? I wasn¡¯t sure you had the temperament for it, not like Hayato, but I guess for once, this princess was mistaken. Note the date, it doesn¡¯t happen often!¡±


    ¡°So, what can I do for you, Asha?¡± I asked her, and she looked at me, her yellow eyes appraising me.


    ¡°I was curious. Ever since you returned, I can feel a rich energy within you. It reminds me of father, a little.¡± She reached out gingerly, her pale hand stopping just before me as she flinched under the weight of stares from my female company. ¡°I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds. But to my Tree... such energy would be most restorative.¡± She whispered a few words, barely audible. ¡°... to me as well.¡±


    Damn my sensitive ears. Still, strengthening the Rhyming Trees is a good idea. Besides, I have no idea how to use wood element. ¡°Well, I received it in trade with a kami. I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯m doing, but if you think it would help...¡± we followed her to the tree. Up-close, the towering tree was an impressive sight, especially as it was now ringed with polished wooden steps, and in the crown rested a rather picturesque cafe?, the decking offering magnificent views over my Territory and the Boundary Tokyo proper.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Shiro asked, puzzled.


    ¡°A cafe?.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°It is quite-quite pleasant sitting up there and watching the world go by, drink in hand. Since there is no-no wind here, it is possible to enjoy open-air drinking at such a height.¡±


    Shiro frowned. ¡°Well, normally the thought of all those steps would be enough to make me pass out, but I have been a bit stronger recently. I do want to see as well... Aki, be a darling and carry me up there later, okay?¡±


    ¡°No way! If anyone needs carrying it¡¯s me!¡± Eri protested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why. Your legs work here, don¡¯t they?¡± Shiro bantered back.


    ¡°Not well! I insist on a princess carry too!¡±


    As they argued between themselves, Shaeula laughing at their banter, Hyacinth giggled.


    ¡°The new mistress seems tooo get on well with mistress Eri.¡± She observed.


    ¡°Yeah. Shiro¡¯s a bit cold and can be unsociable, but when she opens up a bit, she¡¯s quite playful. Besides, I can see she¡¯s making the effort to fit in.¡± I was proud of her, arrogant though that was. Shiro needed to step outside her comfort zone, to get down from the tower she was imprisoned in, a lonely princess, and interact and laugh with others. ¡°Anyway, enough about that. Asha, what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Pardon my interruption.¡± Asha apologised politely, and while I wasn¡¯t sure if Asha really was a daughter of Orion, the King of the Seelie Court, or it was just an allegory, in some ways she could be half-considered a princess as well. Looks like I¡¯m just surrounded with them at the moment...


    ¡°If you could nourish the tree with your wood element, and your earth element too.¡± Asha reached out, her own hand touching the trunk. Almost all the scars left from removing the spores and fungal growth had healed, and the bare branches were covered in brilliant green leaves. My Eye flashed as I watched the flow of earth enter the tree, as well as a tiny trickle of nature element. It seems Asha can use it, a little, but it¡¯s not even enough to give her the skill, I¡¯d say...


    Further observation showed me that Asha also had a small amount of water element too, though again the amount was tiny, her dominant aspect being earth. As the energy flowed within the massive tree it was absorbed, and the tree seemed pleased, the branches swaying a little, as if a gentle breeze was blowing. Okay, I think I get it...


    Placing my hands on the trunk, I let my earth elemental energy flow from my right hand, while my left, I tried to pull out my wood element. It was hard, as what even was wood element? It was clearly a mixture of water and earth elements, but how one would get wood from that... scientifically, it seems impossible. Still, my sis is always mentioning Naruto, well, that¡¯s one of the anime we watched together as a kid. The first Hokage, he was wood element, right? Image seemed to be the key, so I imagined some of the feats he could perform.


    ¡°Yes, that is perfect.¡± Asha smiled gently, looking rather regal. ¡°Allow your strength to bless the Tree, bless me. After all, my Tree would have perished, were it not for your efforts.¡± I wasn¡¯t really listening to her, but instead concentrating on guiding the flows. Where my energy spilled, I could see the chakra network within the tree, so unlike that of a Fae or a human, yet somehow also not entirely dissimilar, blaze brilliantly, strengthened. Still, my ability to use wood element was feeble, so after a few minutes I was spent, slumped to the ground, panting heavily.


    ¡°Looks like you ran a marathon, Aki.¡± Shiro observed.


    ¡°No, if he did that he wouldn¡¯t even be sweating.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°This must have been tough. Though he probably loves it, he¡¯s always training nowadays.¡± Eri said, looking at me fondly.


    Oh, you don¡¯t know the half of it! Your turn is coming shortly Eri, just wait and see. As I grinned, the tree suddenly cracked, bark splintering. I looked up in alarm, but on seeing Asha looking unconcerned, merely holding out one of the glass goblets we used for treats in the cafe? above, I relaxed.


    ¡°Always picking on Yasu, as usual. Well, you used to bully me a lot too.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°That was just affection, I promise.¡± Shiro winked. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a lot like an elementary schoolboy picking on the girl he¡¯s crushing on. Kid¡¯s stuff.¡±


    ¡°So, that means you like this Yasu too?¡± Eri said slyly, and Shiro protested, spluttering.


    ¡°Ugh, no way. I wouldn¡¯t date Yasu if he was the last guy on Earth. So creepy! Eri, I just said I thought you could be nice to me! And now this? My bullying of Yasu is all he deserves, nothing more!¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± I clapped my hands, snapping them out of their banter. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, I don¡¯t have such a relationship with Tsukiko-san. We all know where I stand. We¡¯ll save her, she deserves it. Now can we get back to my stats? I want to get training!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll let it slide for now.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°But this talk isn¡¯t over!¡±


    Seriously, who decides on these titles? Champion of the Diviner indeed. I was tempted to lie, but... the girls deserve better. Honestly, I don¡¯t know Tsukiko-san well enough to consider her in that light. Sure, she¡¯s gorgeous, and has such a bitter past I¡¯d love to show her life can be fun, the many good things out there, but... that¡¯s for later. After we save her. For now...


    ¡°Okay, this is such bullshit, Aki.¡± Shiro complained. ¡°I remember when you told me your stats just after you defeated me. Why are they so much higher now, and why do you have so many skills with awesome names? I call hacking!¡± she paused. ¡°Though actually, a lot of those names are a bit chunni, right? The devil sealed in my arm shall be unleashed and all that crap! Maybe it¡¯s best I don¡¯t have those. Flames of Thirst and Famine is bad enough...¡±


    ¡°Hey, when did I defeat you? We didn¡¯t really even fight...¡± I began, only for Shiro to snort, flourishing her engagement ring at me.


    ¡°You made me submit to your engagement, so you won. Anyway, don¡¯t you girls think this is unfair?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± Eri pouted. ¡°But considering I wasn¡¯t even chosen by any God, I think I can be happy with how far I¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Besides.¡± Shaeula interrupted, cheerful. ¡°A male should indeed be powerful, should he wish-wish to protect and lay claim to as many excellent females such as us. Were he a weakling, it would not-not do at all. Besides...¡± her grin turned sly. ¡°Eri and I have classes that make it easier to learn what Akio already has. So we shall only benefit twofold from his deserved growth.¡±


    ¡°Akio has fooought many hard battles, ooon the edges of life and death. If he does not grow stronger from that, the wooorld is unfair.¡± Hyacinth supported me.


    ¡°A class? Sharing growth?¡± Shiro looked at me then. ¡°No fair. I want, I want! I may be a newcomer, but I demand equality, lest the harem shatter into war!¡±


    ¡°Well, you earn it through your devotion. Though I do not-not believe without offering your body to Akio will it happen. You need-need to feel his love to wish to share everything, body, heart and soul.¡± Shaeula admonished her.


    ¡°Well... I have no answer to that.¡± she shifted, her one good arm across her chest. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unwilling, but...¡±


    ¡°I get it. You want to be perfect for our first time. So, this is why we are going to go through some training from hell!¡± I declared. ¡°Anyway, I have a ton of skills at Rank 5. It seems noticeably easier to get to the first bottleneck at Rank 5, than to break through to Rank 6 or 7. I think that needs to be my focus. Conversely...¡± I grinned. ¡°The aim is to get as many of your skills to Rank 5 as possible. Especially Ether Healing. Hyacinth, you should learn it too. I don¡¯t want to see more injuries like Eri and Shiro have, if we can avoid them.¡±


    She nodded her agreement, totally unafraid of the pain.


    ¡°Hey, Tan, I¡¯m curious.¡± Shiro said suddenly, drawing our attention. ¡°Having heard how Aki started with basic human stats and even forged his chakra network from scratch, albeit with advice from others, and all he had was appraisal cheats... how did he get this strong? It seems... well, it seems impossible, right? Aki, no offense, but you were hardly an athletic guy. I¡¯ve seen you get exhausted running for a train...¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Eri smiled. ¡°Aiko got all the sporting talent in the family.¡±


    Tan spoke up. ¡°I have merely conjecture. Bear in mind, I am not part of the World Tree pantheon, so I have limited insight.¡± She stared at me using Shiro¡¯s body, her gaze thirsty. ¡°However, the delightful smell of the forbidden fruit of the World Tree made me so very thirsty.¡± She reached up and wiped away a morsel of drool from her mouth, and I could tell Shiro inside was embarrassed. ¡°My speculation is thus. I did indeed wonder why the Divine Favour of Tyr is not integrated within you, mate of the princess.¡± She sighed. ¡°If you had access to that, I daresay all your earlier trials would have been far easier.¡±


    ¡°I would be dead-dead though.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°If Akio was not-not weak, barely able to defeat me, he would have wiped me and mine away without a trace, I am quite certain.¡±


    ¡°Those who have great power often win worlds. Sadly, those of the One True Throne have the greatest Divine Favours, generally. Though on rare occasion others triumph.¡± Tan continued. ¡°I do so hope I can consume some soon.¡± She licked her lips again, before at out gazes, and Shiro¡¯s silent urging, she continued. ¡°All those with Divine Favours can grow stronger, but there are those Favours specialising in growing stronger. Usually, those who wield such are defeated quickly, swallowed up by those with might to spare. Rarely, just rarely though...¡± her grin broadened. ¡°... those with the power to grow rapidly outpace those around them who were made strong, and triumph. I suspect your seeds are actually to help you grow. Perhaps these information cheats, as the princess calls them, are merely a side effect?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have the power of Tyr too, since I clearly have it, just unable to use or benefit from it?¡± I sighed. ¡°The only thing I can see is, either Ortlinde couldn¡¯t... or no... wouldn¡¯t...¡± I think that¡¯s it. What were her exact words?


    If you do not succeed in this manner, your performance will suffer in future. It is much better to allow your own talents to blossom rather than making irreversible changes to your subtle bodies.


    ¡°Talents huh? Blossoming? Like plants... seeds.¡± I suddenly had an idea. ¡°I think that Tan is right. It isn¡¯t an information cheat, it¡¯s a growth cheat. I think maybe the weaker, the more plain the foundations, the more it tailors the growth to me. Put simply, I was chosen because I was weak and had few talents. Ouch, kind of hurts when you look at it that way...¡± my grin was mocking. ¡°... so if she forcibly opened my chakra network, or let Tyr¡¯s Divine Favour do it, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that locked my growth paths. Damn, no wonder I struggled at first, until I met you, Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± she asked, and I nodded. ¡°That was the miracle. Without it... well, I might have grown stronger, possibly even opening the ability of Tyr to use, had I survived. But you knew so much about chakra networks compared to me, and elemental abilities too.¡± Everyone was watching me, curious, as I expounded on what I had surmised.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have survived you drilling me a lunar chakra. I¡¯m not a Fae, it shouldn¡¯t have worked. I was weak and fragile as hell then too. Likewise, all the contrasting and clashing elements I¡¯ve taken in... you said it yourself, these elements can take years to learn, but we do it quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is because we mix-mix mortal knowledge and Fae wisdom...¡± she argued.


    ¡°I agree. That¡¯s surely a big factor. And I¡¯m equally sure your bond with me, my class, Fae Bonded, at the time, was a factor too. But if my cheat is a growth one, able to adapt... then that explains a lot.¡±


    ¡°So if you want us to be strong, safe...¡± Eri mused. ¡°That explains why your skills seem able to help us grow as well. Lovers¡¯ Link is an example.¡± She realised. ¡°Your growth is to help everyone grow!¡±


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°It is speculation, and may not bear fruit in reality, but I do believe there is certainly some truth to this.¡± She sighed. ¡°Alas, I missed out on such a bountiful meal. Perhaps... perhaps others are out there.¡±


    From my vision I remember the other Valkyries talking about more. Even so, I¡¯ll never tell Tan that!


    ¡°Great. Well, it¡¯s time.¡± I clapped my hands again. ¡°This has been interesting, perhaps even useful, speculation, but we need to get cracking. It¡¯s power-levelling time!¡± We don¡¯t have long, if Tsukiko-san is right. We need to do everything in our power to be ready, so that there are no more tears, no more casualties...

 Two Hundred And Ninety-Nine

    Two Hundred And Ninety-Nine


    On the way to the coastal Territory, we stopped in to see the Mirror Beehive. It was quite the spectacle, hundreds of dog-sized bees with shiny wings that reflected the light brilliantly, likely giving them their name, darting about in great clouds, drawing strange pollens and nectars from the bizarre vegetation of the Boundary. Their hive was a towering structure that covered several low-rise flats, the buildings covered in yellow, reflective materials.


    The Queen of the hive had received us, and we were surprised to discover that it could communicate with limited telepathy, although the monotone droning that accompanied it was a bit headache-inducing. Still, we had a productive conversation, reaffirming the desire of the bees to remain part of my Territory. They were grateful that a lot of their predators, such as the monstrous spiders that dwelt nearby, had been eradicated by Shaeraggo and his forces, so they were now free to expand the Hive somewhat, and perhaps even found new ones. In exchange, they would defend the Territory and even send soldier bees when needed, and while they were not terribly fearsome, they were fast and could fly, so would definitely have uses. They would also increase the honey and royal jelly production for tribute.


    The girls weren¡¯t particularly keen on meeting the Bees, other than Shaeula, who was curious about the strange Yokai, but the next destination pleased them more, the southern tip of our Territory, where the land gave way to the sparkling azure waters of the Boundary version of Sagami Bay. Gleaming geysers of orange water element boiled prettily from the seas, casting rainbows of light as the spray fell down like rain. Ether Spires stood tall and proud, drawing this in, funnelling it to the Elemental Silo, and Defensive Emplacements sat watching the shore, occasionally firing a bolt into the distance, striking down the foolish predators that brushed up against the Territory barrier.


    ¡°Pretty.¡± Eri remarked. As part of her training, she had forced her body to work on route, staggering on unsteady legs, so our pace was slower than I would have liked. On our run here I had been working Ether Healing and Chirurgery, Shaeula too, trying to untangle the quivering, mutating mess that was her chakra network, but other than make it temporarily more comfortable for Eri, we had achieved little tangible success.


    ¡°Yes, I have to hand it to you Aki, you¡¯ve done good work here.¡± Shiro agreed. Shaeula and Hyacinth puffed out their chests in pride, as if they were being praised as well. Which I guess isn¡¯t entirely untrue. After all, they¡¯ve been instrumental in defeating Duke Myrcolaxriath, which really bolstered our Territory with his bounty. ¡°Having seen the centre of your Territory with the Trees and all those Buildings, and now here too, I¡¯m shocked. This isn¡¯t everything, right? You have mines and all sorts... I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°Well, I expect your Territory is pretty nice too. Is it around the University? You did say that your allies were helping support your Territory, and I¡¯m sure Tan knows how to develop one properly?¡±


    Tan spoke up, agreeing with me. ¡°Yes, we have put much effort in strengthening the Territory. Taking it by force would be manifestly unwise.¡± Her single glaring red eye, the expression on Shiro¡¯s face a warning one, made me chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Why would I attack the Territory of Shiro, my adorable fiance?e?¡± I said. ¡°So, is yours Rank 3 as well?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tan shook Shiro¡¯s head for her, her silvery hair shimmering with ruby flames cascading gently. ¡°Consolidation is more important. We did not wish to leave her Territory undefended for so long, especially with allies of such a... unique... nature. Daizen and Arisu were not to be trusted, to say nothing of that half-spiritual monster, the Raven Knight.¡±


    Half spiritual? Interesting. Before I could ask about that, Shiro protested. ¡°Look, Arisu is fine! Sure, she¡¯s... well, an angry person, but she¡¯s been betrayed a lot in the past, therefore she won¡¯t betray unless we do! Daizen... ugh, I didn¡¯t want him to die. But things happen, don¡¯t they?¡± Her gaze softened as she looked at me. ¡°Sometimes we can¡¯t save everyone, right Aki? I don¡¯t have a hero complex like you, so I¡¯m not as cut up about it. Well, you know me.¡± She muttered, self-deprecatingly. ¡°I can be pretty cold to those I don¡¯t care about. And while they were all my allies, I only really liked Arisu and Suzu. Bunta isn¡¯t so bad, I suppose, but... he¡¯s such a little coward, it can be a bit trying watching him cower all the time.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°Sorry for the interruption Tan, but I don¡¯t want Aki thinking everyone is a potential traitor!¡±


    ¡°If I may continue...¡± Tan sighed. ¡°You took quite the risk strengthening your Territory to this extent. I assume you have found the difficulties of expanding further? Ordinarily, there would be little need for haste, as it takes many years, decades, for the Boundary to thin enough for true dangers to find a world, barring perhaps the odd fortunate wanderer. I do not believe that to be the case this time, from what we have been told.¡± She paused. ¡°I also do not believe it is due to my unorthodox actions here, lodging myself within the princess here. So do not blame me!¡±


    Blame you, huh? ¡°Well, even if it was your fault, we¡¯ll have to live with the consequences anyway. You¡¯ll just have to make it up to us with your support. Yeah, no kidding, my Territory was almost destroyed by Kondou Kazuo, the bastard. Luckily we won out, and it¡¯s as you can see. But I¡¯ll not take such a risk again. Besides, the resources required to reach Rank 4, and the time, are truly mind-blowing. Though Rank 4 is necessary, because then we can swallow the entirety of Tokyo and possibly even reach Mount Fuji...¡± That¡¯s assuming it expands to a hundred kilometres, as I expect.


    ¡°Such a goal is admirable, but challenging. The resources in the Boundary are not plentiful.¡± Tan observed. ¡°We have made the most of what we could, and our Territory is well-defended, but most are rather feeble still. Well, it has been but a short while since we descended, so it is only to be expected.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. To be honest, most of our expansion was fuelled by destroying a stronger Territory in the lower Astral.¡± I admitted. ¡°Most of the ether went to quickly constructing what you see here. It might seem wasteful, but over time we¡¯ll recoup the costs. Time is the only thing we can¡¯t make more of, after all.¡±


    Tan paused at that, before nodding. ¡°Yes, you are wise. Time is the one thing equal to all. Well, I shall rest. No doubt you have much of this training to do.¡±


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± I grinned, and seeing it, Shiro¡¯s face twisted into an expression of wariness. I¡¯m not sure whether that¡¯s Tan or Shiro. ¡°Don¡¯t go running off, Tan. I want you to support Shiro. After all, it¡¯s going to be a bit brutal. But worth it in the end, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Damn, Aki. Were you always this scary?¡± Shiro muttered, only for Shaeula to answer.


    ¡°Of course-course. When Akio sets his mind to something, he will not-not stop until he sees it done.¡± Her grin was broad. ¡°So there is no-no point in retreat. Accept your fate, and prepare to learn, no matter the struggle!¡±


    ********


    Yes, I definitely owe Ren-san a bit more respect. This is damn hard... Admittedly, I was trying to do multiple tasks at once, using Split Thoughts, which scaled the difficulty significantly, but then I had the stats and skills Ren-san didn¡¯t, so perhaps it was comparable after all. With my field of vision widened by aether, the headache from such a feat long since faded, I focused simultaneously on the mirror in my hand, pouring my darkness element, my Shingetsu, into it, while simultaneously pulling out and drawing into my throat chakra the darkness element Hyacinth and Eri were flowing in.


    ¡°This... is very painful.¡± Shiro said, tears in her eyes, occupying another part of my vision and consciousness. ¡°Aki, you brute! When I tell everyone you get your kicks from torturing beautiful young girls like me, you¡¯ll burn with shame!¡±


    ¡°Young?¡± I laughed, and even as she attacked one of the many large multi-legged fish creatures that crawled out of the shining turquoise seas like it was prehistoric times, her flames burning them to ash, she had time to retort angrily, in between her gasps and moans of pain, which were disturbingly erotic. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s doing that on purpose to punish me...


    ¡°Yes, oh damn, this hurts...¡± she let out a moaning sob. ¡°Tan, take a little more of my, ugh, senses. Please.¡± With that she took a long shuddering breath, more flames cascading, steam roaring into the sky as the beasts cooked, though there seemed to be no end to them. ¡°Of course I¡¯m young! Younger than you, Aki, you cradle robber!¡±


    ¡°Cradle robber?¡± I chuckled, part of my attention also on Eri, whose face was also twisted in pain, her arms sprouting fungal blooms, flesh cracking and blood spilling, silver and red marred by black sludge. ¡°You¡¯re no child, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°I think...¡± she gasped, silvery sweat beading on her forehead, as she focused on pouring darkness energy into the mirror. She was simultaneously trying to direct her aether within her body to fight the damage the weakened spores Hyacinth had called upon were doing, a doubly-difficult task as her chakra network was a mess, and struggled to respond to her efforts in ways she was used to. ¡°... she¡¯s talking about someone else.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, show-off.¡± Shiro protested. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to be forced to try, aren¡¯t I?¡± She let out a long, bitter sigh. ¡°Sure, I can feel the aether flowing through my body, but it¡¯s nowhere near strong enough to heal my scars, and it can¡¯t regrow a missing eye, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± I bent down and kissed her on the forehead soothingly, causing her to freeze up for a moment.


    ¡°Damn it all Aki, stop that! You¡¯re not Hayato, to be putting out such smooth moves!¡± she protested, red-faced.


    ¡°Just getting started early on that reward.¡± I smiled, happy to have this sweet moment with Shiro, though I could see Eri looking jealous. Shiro could too, so she shifted a little, so her head was only on one of my thighs. Seeing that, Eri hesitated, only for Shiro to scold her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, I didn¡¯t take you for that sort. It¡¯s obvious you want to, I¡¯m not an idiot. I have an eye, you know!¡±


    ¡°Fine. You win!¡± Eri muttered, lying down, using my other leg for a pillow, her dark hair cascading over my lap. As Eri and Shiro looked at each other, their faces close enough for their breaths to be felt on each other¡¯s faces, Eri giggled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Just... this is somehow even more embarrassing than I thought. After all, we barely know each other, and here we are, using Akio¡¯s lap as a pillow. I never would have expected this.¡±


    ¡°Well, from what I can see, looks like you¡¯re the needy one.¡± Shiro told her. ¡°Those two seem secure in the knowledge that they are loved and can have his attention whenever they want, so they don¡¯t seem too bothered by him giving me a lot of attention. You though... well, I suppose I should give you credit for holding back, but the look on your face, Eri...¡± she laughed, amused.


    ¡°Really?¡± Eri said. ¡°Was it that bad? I... I¡¯m trying not to be jealous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I get it though. You should be honoured to think the same way as this gorgeous princess.¡± Shiro pressed her. ¡°Trying. Those two don¡¯t have to try, they just accept things as they are, as they have to be. Those two noble girls I met seemed the same way, unconcerned and sure of their own worth, that Aki will like them. I don¡¯t know about the other one though, I¡¯ve not met her.¡±


    ¡°Hinata¡¯s... well, she likes to spend time with Akio, doing business and making plans. But I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that possessive.¡± Eri admitted. ¡°So you are just saying it¡¯s me who is no good?¡± she pouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so downhearted. Aki will get upset unless you smile.¡± Shiro chided. ¡°You¡¯ve known him longer than me, you should know that. Besides, I said it, I¡¯m the same way. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve never been in love before, but I want him to look at me all the time. Well, except for these...¡± she touched her scarred face bitterly.


    ¡°You do look a bit of a fright.¡± Eri giggled.


    ¡°Oh thanks. Well, look at you with these!¡± she reached out and grabbed Eri¡¯s cat ears, causing her to yelp from the sensation.


    ¡°Hey, quit that!¡± Eri complained, batting her away.


    ¡°Damn, I get why guys like cat girls now. so soft...¡± Shiro said, her voice bright. ¡°Look, Eri, we need to learn from the others. I can see you¡¯ve made an effort, and I¡¯m genuinely grateful that you welcomed me warmly. If our situations were reversed and I was first, well, I¡¯m not so sure this princess could have been so magnanimous. I¡¯ve always been the needy type. It comes from not being able to do much for myself, I suppose. But Aki... he¡¯s got it hard. He¡¯s carrying a lot of weight, and it¡¯s only going to get heavier. So I think... when he¡¯s with us, he shouldn¡¯t have to worry about our moods, or keeping us happy. We need to make our own happiness, from being with Aki. And not just Aki. With each other. After all...¡± she turned, looking at Shaeula and Hyacinth. ¡°We are all in this together now, right? Sisters?¡±


    ¡°Well said indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Eri, you have been most gracious to me and the others, and I can not-not thank you enough. Continue to be our friend and sister, and happiness will come.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harder and more painful than learning Ether Healing, sometimes.¡± Eri muttered. ¡°But I know, I do. It¡¯s just... I¡¯m not stupid. You aren¡¯t the last, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. One is monogamy, two a threesome, three a harem. Four is the floodgates opening...¡± Shiro said. ¡°I get that Aki is at least trying...¡± her grin was wry as she repeated the earlier word. ¡°... to hold back. But when it comes down to it, there¡¯ll be others. I mean, that guy from Isekai Smartphone had nine. Come to think of it, that guy had a load of princesses as his wives as well. There you go, Aki. Two more. Unless you are shooting for the guy from Eighth Son? He had... ugh, too many!¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not planning on...¡± I began, only for Eri to shush me.


    ¡°Listen to Shiro, all right? I am. I think... you¡¯re pretty smart, aren¡¯t you, Shiro?¡±


    ¡°Of course. This princess is a genius!¡± she said proudly. ¡°After all, didn¡¯t I get Ether Healing to Rank 2 in a mere blink of an eye?¡±


    ¡°Well, Hyacinth managed that as well.¡± Eri teased her. ¡°Besides, mine is Rank 3 now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you had a head start!¡± Shiro pouted, though I could tell she was teasing Eri. ¡°Getting the first Rank is way harder than the second or third!¡±


    ¡°True!¡± Eri laughed, and as Shaeula joined in the banter, I looked up at the sky, silver lighting racing through the prismatic un-light of the Boundary. Well, we¡¯re still waiting on Shaeraggo to return with news on Primal Forest. The girls are getting exhausted from the pain of learning Ether Healing, so we should probably try something else... hmm, how about that? As soon as the idea struck me, it seemed a good one. With a smile, I pulled Eri and Shiro up, ignoring their groans of disappointment. I¡¯m feeling a little disappointed myself. It was rather nice having them on my lap. No, there¡¯s time for fun later. Now we work. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve tortured you all enough for now. How about we do this instead...?¡± it''s going to be tough, but I think it''ll be worth it...

 Three Hundred

    Three Hundred


    ¡°Well, at least this training shouldn¡¯t be painful.¡± I grinned. ¡°Although I do want to continue pushing your Ether Healing later too.¡±


    Eri bit her lip at that, remembering the agony, but she nodded, resolute. Getting up from my lap, she brushed herself off. ¡°Something to look forward too.¡± she joked.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired Aki. You know I¡¯ve not got much stamina.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°But... I guess you know what you¡¯re doing, and are thinking of us. Fine. I¡¯m out of aether though, so I don¡¯t think I can manage much.¡± Shiro got off my lap as well, a touch regretfully, I thought. ¡°You know, that was nice. Though it¡¯s usually the guy lying in the lap of the girl in manga, right?¡±


    ¡°Do not-not worry about what others do, only what we wish to do.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°Now, I am curious. What-what shall we train next? I am eager, as I had little-little to do while you worked.¡±


    ¡°As for aether, don¡¯t worry.¡± I pointed to the sea. We were a bit outside our Territory along the coast, able to see the orange geysers of elemental energy in the distance. ¡°While the tide of aquatic enemies has slackened off for now, I¡¯m sure we can always draw out some more. Sagami bay is likely full of prey.¡± My smile was savage. ¡°Of course, if we run into some aquatic Yokai who can communicate, we¡¯ll try for an alliance, bringing in some more troops can¡¯t hurt.¡± Besides, the more Fae, Yokai and other intelligent beings I meet, the less appetite I have for fighting them. Unless they need to be destroyed of course. Some of the Night Parade surely qualified for that, of course, such as the Kijo, but others could be reasoned with, accommodations reached.


    ¡°So you want us to fill up and keep training? Monster, brute, pervert!¡± Shiro complained.


    ¡°Hey, that last one is unfair!¡± I joked, to the laughter of everyone. ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong. We have an advantage, that I can appraise our skills, and Shaeula and I can also see the flow of aether and your chakra networks, as well as adjust them with Chirurgery. We need to leverage this.¡± When we get a Ring Gate set up in Kyoto, we can start working with Yasaka-san as well. He has a different sort of informative ability, but I suspect it can find out things I can¡¯t. Saionji-san should be interested in strengthening Yasaka-san as well, considering he¡¯s an ally... ¡°There¡¯s also one more source of information we have access to that nobody else does.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Shiro asked, seeing my gaze, before realising. ¡°No, Tan, right?¡±


    Yeah, Ortlinde, even in her brief few hours with me, imparted a lot of wisdom that at least pointed me in the right direction, even if it was rather scant on details. So having Tan?ha?, a being from a higher plane, one who might even be classed as a God, to some extent, here to advise us is surely a great boon.


    ¡°I do not wish to destroy your hopes...¡± Tan declared seriously, fully taking over Shiro, eyes and hair burning with iridescent flame. ¡°...but there is much wisdom I cannot impart to you. Many secrets of the higher Astral must remain just that. Secrets.¡±


    ¡°I am curious as to why-why that is.¡± Shaeula inquired, her eyes sparkling with interest. ¡°Surely your lot has been thrown in with us now, has it not-not? Your actions, to effectively take the Divine Favour meant for Shiro here and usurp her body are surely breaches of whatever agreement you did-did have with the other pantheons, am I not-not correct?¡±


    ¡°I did not usurp the princess.¡± Tan protested huffily. ¡°We came to an agreement. Perhaps the agreement was... rather more of benefit to me, but I did and always intended to honour my promises. Despite my lineage, and father having a... wicked... reputation, I do not believe I am evil, merely eager to secure what I wish. No, if you want to see true evil...¡± she clammed up then. ¡°Well, I cannot speak of that, for it touches on the higher Astral and the mysteries.¡±


    ¡°See, I don¡¯t get it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I get that all you pantheons have some kind of agreement, Ortlinde said so herself, but really, as Shaeula said, you¡¯ve already breached it. Who is going to know if you tell us a few things?¡±


    ¡°It is far from that simple.¡± Tan protested. ¡°There are always those that know. Oracles and seekers of truth, those that dig secrets free from the darkness where they are buried. The pantheons used to contend savagely with each other, many worlds destroyed, Territories annihilated. Now... now we have a truce, though skirmishes, covert wars and sabotage is not uncommon. Amongst pantheons and between them. Shadow wars.¡± Tan shook Shiro¡¯s head sadly, frowning as if to mock the stupidity of it all. ¡°Though most of the spoils of the agreement goes to the One True Throne, the majority of worlds that survive, in themselves a minority, that does not mean the alternative is any better. So yes, like the Valkyrie from the World Tree, who smuggled such a delectable fruit down to you...¡± she was drooling again, and I imagined Shiro was writhing with embarrassment inside her. ¡°... I made a choice. Originally I was to pass on the Divine Favour and return, but seeing the princess, her... fascinating and vanishingly rare circumstances, I decided to take a risk. To gain a world for my father, one that I control... well, I would be benefitting, as would my whole pantheon. Father and my sisters... we are not well liked within our sphere.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, your father does have an evil reputation.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Good and evil are relative concepts. What is beneficial for one is good, harmful is evil. But I am not here to debate philosophy. The risk was worth it, but now... I have lost my guarantee of this world becoming mine, have I not?¡± she glared at me, single remaining eye narrowed, crimson light leaking from within. ¡°I still believe that your world has a greater chance of survival within my grasp. Though I dare say the princess will not fight you for it.¡±


    ¡°No, I most certainly won¡¯t.¡± Shiro managed to protest. ¡°Aki and I, when it comes down to it, we¡¯ll work something out. But it should be one of us, right? Oh wait, your sister has a Divine Favour too now, right? Maybe you¡¯d concede to her, since you are such a siscon!¡±


    More laughter, and Eri shrugged. ¡°He might, but Aiko wouldn¡¯t take it. She¡¯s a bigger brocon than Akio is a siscon. She¡¯s content to be his strength, I think.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, is that even possible?¡± Shiro goggled. ¡°My mind is blown!¡± Tan then regained control, speaking sourly.


    ¡°Enough. These are important matters, I find this humour inappropriate. I shall impart some small wisdom. Territories of the third, fourth and fifth ranks are common. Many powerful beings control such, drawing on their strength. I myself possess a Fifth Rank Territory within the Pantheon, one that puts your trifling land to shame. I suspect that the Territory you call the Seelie Court is one such Fifth Rank Territory. The gap from Fifth to Sixth, where the higher Astral resides, is far. Few existing Territories go from Fifth to Sixth. Gathering the resources, the ether, defending it for long, bitter years as it lies helpless... no, the safest way to a Sixth Rank Territory is to grow a world from the shallows, commanding it as an Astral Emperor. But even that is largely doomed to failure, or another world joins the One True Throne. I believed I could take advantage...¡±


    Okay, the gap from Third to Fourth Rank is massive, I know that. Even assuming for Fifth Rank it goes back to a tenfold jump, which I doubt... then Fifth to Sixth being another bottleneck, possibly even worse than Third to Fourth... my head hurts just thinking about it. If it wasn¡¯t for me becoming more Fae-like, would I even live long enough to make this possible?


    ¡°Yes, mine seems to be connected to another, here. Is this Tan¡¯s?¡± she asked, pointing to various strange offshoots.


    ¡°I think so. My Eye doesn¡¯t seem to be strong enough to fully unveil Tan yet, so I only see some of the overlapping and connecting parts.¡±


    ¡°I should think not.¡± Tan said suddenly. ¡°I would be greatly ashamed for a mere mortal to spy my secrets. After all, I am Divine!¡±


    ¡°Akio, why is mine nooot here?¡± Hyacinth said, a touch enviously, and I once more rubbed her head, before adding it to the collection of holograms, further contributing to my aching head.


    ¡°There you go. Now...¡± I looked at the sandy beach around us, out of reach of the tides of Sagami bay. Channelling some earth element, I created a wall, isolating an area. ¡°...how about we get creative, and sketch these out in the sand?¡± The beach here is far nicer than the coast back in the Material. Maybe we should open a beach-side cafe? as well as the Treetop one?


    ********


    ¡°This is so hard!¡± Eri complained. ¡°And it¡¯s really uncomfortable. Like bugs squirming under my skin!¡± she protested, as she channelled aether, freshly provided by slain sea-creatures gathered by me. I had come up with some exercises to test strength and precision, and Tan, surprisingly, had let slip a few small ideas.


    ¡°I know.¡± My Eye glittered amber, and I could see that her control was being hampered by the flow of aether spilling from her twisted network. Even as I watched, the balls of water and sand Eri was moving started crumbling, and Shaeula yelped as seawater splashed her. As Eri apologised, I looked at Shiro, who was pale and sweating, her scars burning painfully in reaction to the aether she was channelling. Even so, she was living up to her boasts of being a genius, as her Aether Manipulation had already reached Rank 2. She was also drawing aether into her Astral body, constantly trying to nourish it, as the parts without Tan¡¯s interference, and her silver cord, were feeble, merely Rank 1.


    ¡°Damn, Aki, I agree with Eri. This is very difficult!¡± she pouted. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t such a wreck I¡¯d get it, I just know it.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s not fair, right?¡± Eri joined in with her complaints, sharing a sympathetic smile.


    ¡°You just wait until you need-need to reach Rank 6.¡± Shaeula joined in their complaints. ¡°Climbing over the first wall is most-most trying.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth is sooorry, I am bad at this.¡± She was juggling balls of sand, watching them fall apart regularly. ¡°When I dooo not think about it I can do it.¡± She demonstrated, and suddenly aether was flowing, gathering numerous balls of sand. ¡°But when I try tooo do it consciously, it goes awry!¡± she looked downcast that she couldn¡¯t meet my expectations.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s the point. Shaeula went through the stage of learning how to use aether consciously, and you have to as well. When you can, you can achieve far more than merely doing it by instinct.¡± I continued to chivvy them up. ¡°I already promised rewards for success with Ether Healing, right? I¡¯m sure I can upgrade the rewards, based on the number of Ranks you go up.¡±


    ¡°That is far-far from fair.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°I am trying to shatter walls and breach bottlenecks, my task is much-much harder.¡±


    ¡°True, but then, you are Shaeula, Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections, princess of the Seelie Court, right? This should be nothing for you!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She snorted, a little happy at my praise. As she agreed, getting back to her work, Shiro smiled.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s harem management.¡± She praised me. ¡°Ugh, I think I can¡¯t get the aether to flow through me here.¡± she pointed to the area below her heart. ¡°I can feel it getting stuck. Help me out, Aki!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± my Eye flaring, I inserted my own ether, making her shiver. I could have forcibly moved the flow for her, but instead I was gentle, guiding her, allowing her to feel the way it should be done. She shivered as I worked, though she never stopped her exercises.


    ¡°You know, this is kind of perverted.¡± Shiro said, surprising me. ¡°You are pouring your white stuff inside me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more silver.¡± I sighed, gently flicking her forehead. ¡°Now that¡¯s the sort of line Yasu-san might say. Although I suppose Aimi-chan might have said something similar reading her favourite BL stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I never did get the appeal of that.¡± Shiro strained, the flow reaching her heart and slowly moving upwards. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m good for now. Eri looks like she needs help too.¡±


    Indeed, Eri was watching our conversation enviously, so, supressing a grin, I headed over to assist her, all the while balls of sand and water circling me, my Split Thoughts constantly expending aether to manipulate them. After all, powering up the girls is important, but I can¡¯t neglect my own training...

 Side One Hundred And Nine – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Nine ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Hey, you missed homeroom!¡± Yae-chan whispered to me as I took my seat at the desk next to her. The look of concern on her face was touching, but also a bit troubling. I guess the news is out, it¡¯s not surprising, really. Just what do I say to everyone?


    ¡°Yeah, well, getting back from Kyoto isn¡¯t easy.¡± I whispered back. ¡°Anyway...¡± before I could say something, our teacher clapped her hands, drawing our attention.


    ¡°All right, settle down. This is school, this isn¡¯t the time for gossip. That said...¡± the teacher looked sympathetic, and I felt bad. ¡°... I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard the news of the tragic events in Kyoto, which some of our precious students were swept up in.¡± The teacher looked at me, then glanced over to Eri¡¯s empty seat. ¡°We¡¯ve had notifications from the parents of Mori-san, she¡¯ll be taking a leave of absence from school, to rehabilitate from her injuries. She is staying in Tokyo, with her fiance?e, and will be receiving the best medical care, and is expected to make a full recovery. We hope she¡¯ll be back to graduate with everyone, but if not, please hold her in your hearts, and be sure to support Oshiro-san, who was witness to such troubling events.¡± She smiled at me then. ¡°If you need any assistance, the school nurse and counsellor are ready to listen.¡±


    Ugh, the stares of my classmates are torture right now. I forced a smile onto my face. ¡°Thanks for the offer, sensei. But I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t put on a brave face and suffer in silence. The school is here for you, and you don¡¯t want to let this affect your performance in your upcoming exams, do you? Since you are aiming for a Tokyo University, you¡¯ll need to do well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Thanks again.¡± I said, embarrassed by all the attention. As class then started, fortunately it was English, so I could switch off my brain. A few minutes later, as I was half-dozing, considering my plans for later, the teacher was asking some of the students to read the paragraphs from their textbooks, Yae-chan had moved her desk a bit closer, and leaning over, whispered to me once more.


    ¡°Seriously, are you all right, Ai-chan? I bet you are just putting on a brave face. Little Ri-Ri is your best friend, I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like, getting caught up in an incident and seeing her hurt... well, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or to vent, I¡¯m here. Rika-chan too. Well, I guess the volleyball team and the kyudo club will support you as well...¡±


    Yeah, there¡¯s no way I can ever describe the feeling of seeing Eri¡¯s limbs get severed, her flesh ripping and shredding, blood spilling everywhere, while I was helpless to do anything but worry, and cling to hope that my bro would do something about it. Then the bodies started coming through... I shuddered then, the memories painful. Still bro did do something about it. Though Eri made her own luck, it seems. Wow, it was a miracle when you think about it...


    Noticing my trembling, Yae-chan looked sympathetic. She was going to whisper further words of consolation to me, but the teacher noticed, and told us to behave. ¡°Sorry, sensei.¡± I laughed. ¡°I should be paying attention, but... well, it¡¯s English, I could just sleep through and it wouldn¡¯t hurt my grades.¡± I put on a mocking expression, trying to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± our teacher admitted. ¡°But Chihiya-san here...¡± she looked pointedly at Yae-chan. ¡°... is hardly impressing with her grasp of English, is she?¡±


    ¡°My bad, teach.¡± Yae-chan giggled. ¡°You¡¯ve got me there!¡± With that the class joined in the laughter, and I was forced to listen to the rest of the class, my mind on other things, things that were much more important to me than English class...


    ********


    ¡°Lunchtime at last.¡± Yae-chan said, pulling out a bento box from her bag, opening it to reveal her lunch. Rika-chan came rushing over as soon as the bell went, as did several other of my classmates, including Tomoko-chan from my volleyball team. The doors to the classroom opened, and onlookers from the other classes were here too, including my junior from kyudo, Akari-chan, who rushed over when she saw me, her ponytail bouncing. Her eyes lit up with relief, and I felt both embarrassed and happy at her concern and idolisation of me.


    ¡°Aiko-senpai, thank the Gods you¡¯re safe! When I saw the news, I was so worried...¡± Akari-chan said, tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, we all were.¡± Yae-chan broke in. ¡°We went from achingly jealous at all the pictures you were sending us, to worried we¡¯d never see you again. So...¡± she paused, before making up her mind and speaking honestly. ¡°... how¡¯s Ri-Ri? Really? And little Marika-chan from Chairoakitara shrine. She was in some of your photos, right?¡±


    There were nods all around. ¡°Yeah, tell us.¡± One of the boys in class asked. I could see Masaki-kun behind the press of classmates, looking curious as well. I think it¡¯s genuine, not just to impress his ex, Yae-chan, about how much of a good guy he is.


    ¡°Look, Marika-chan is fine. She wasn¡¯t present when it all went down, though she¡¯s understandably shaken up.¡± Not as much as her mother though. Wow, the return journey was hellish, the atmosphere unbelievably frosty. She had wanted to take her daughter back to Nishimorioka, which was understandable, I supposed. Her father-in-law had talked her out of it for now, but she was definitely a ticking time-bomb, ready to explode at any moment.


    ¡°As for me... yeah, as you can see, I¡¯m totally unhurt.¡± I stood, spinning around to show I was uninjured. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see your looks, boys. But this Aiko is not so unguarded as to let my skirt flip up! ¡°Eri... well, don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not good.¡± At that, Rika-chan and Yae-chan looked awful. They had warmed to Eri recently, treating her as a friend, despite how frequently harsh and dismissive Eri was to them. I guess they are good girls at heart, despite their flashy appearances.


    ¡°My bro was totally distraught.¡± That¡¯s not a lie. He looked like a zombie for the first few hours afterwards. I get it. I think I do, anyway. Even it if wasn¡¯t his fault, it still was, as a leader. Damn, being in charge sucks. I¡¯d much rather play a supporting role. ¡°You should have seen him...¡± I exaggerated to lighten the tense atmosphere. ¡°... he was crying at her bedside and everything, saying he''d not rest until she could walk again! He¡¯s got the finest medical care for her, so...¡±


    ¡°Walk again? you mean... she¡¯s paralysed?¡± Yae-chan gasped. ¡°Poor Ri-Ri, what a tragedy. Those monsters who attacked Kyoto should get the death penalty!¡±


    Yeah, that was the story, wasn¡¯t it. A crazy cult. Well, a lone knifeman wouldn¡¯t fit what¡¯s already out there. ¡°I think the police shot most of them. I don¡¯t know, I was too busy looking out for Eri and the others.¡± I dissembled. ¡°And well, yeah, Eri¡¯s in a wheelchair at the moment. Spinal injury. The doctor¡¯s say that with rehab though, she¡¯ll be as good as new. But with the best care being in Tokyo, she¡¯s staying in the city. Besides, my bro could never let her suffer without him there to protect her.¡±


    ¡°What about scarring?¡± one girl I didn¡¯t know well, from the year below me, said, worried. ¡°A girl as pretty as Mori-san should be worried about that.¡±


    Wow, don¡¯t make me remember. When the skin on Eri¡¯s back and stomach began to shred, I nearly threw up. The results were hideous. It¡¯s fortunate my bro is a master of Ether Healing. Though, knowing my bro, he¡¯d treat Eri just the same, whether she was covered in scars or not. But Eri wouldn¡¯t like it. She¡¯s proud that bro likes her looks... ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been lucky. Apparently the majority will fade away in time, and bro got his cash out, so she¡¯ll have whatever repair-work Eri needs to fix the scarring.¡±


    ¡°You mean plastic surgery?¡± another girl asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m no expert. All I know is, I was there when the specialist called in by bro was summoned.¡± I lied. ¡°And he assures us with a few months of recovery, she¡¯ll be good as new.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Yae-chan sighed, hand on her chest, Rika-chan echoing her.


    ¡°Yeah, if little Ri-Ri was permanently injured, I don¡¯t know what we¡¯d do. Those bastards...¡± she cursed the fictional terrorists. ¡°... but if Ri-Ri misses graduation, that¡¯ll be terrible. Really, if she¡¯s living in Tokyo now, we might never see her again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It sucks. We were just starting to get along.¡± Yae-chan pouted. ¡°I¡¯m glad she¡¯s going to recover, of course, but...¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯m starting to feel genuinely bad for them now. I wonder... ¡°Hey, well, if you want, why not visit them in Tokyo? It isn¡¯t like my bro will turn you away, will he? For some reason...¡± I eyed them up and down impishly, and Yae-san blushed, looking shy, while Rika-chan merely giggled softly. ¡°... he likes your company. Men!¡± I snorted.


    ¡°Hey, she¡¯s badmouthing her brother!¡± Tomoko-chan smirked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t happen often!¡±


    Well, my bro¡¯s wandering eye is something to criticise. Though to be fair, it¡¯s not cheating, as everyone agreed to it. Well, it¡¯s also a good chunk my fault, as I pushed Eri into accepting Shaeula. Wow, it sure did snowball from there though. The problem is, I love all the girls my bro likes. They¡¯re all different, and beautiful, and are so disgustingly into him. Plus they treat me right... wow, I¡¯m so shallow! But what sister wouldn¡¯t want her brother to be popular? ¡°Well, it¡¯s a sisters prerogative to call out her bro when he¡¯s messing around, right?¡±


    At that, the girls that were at the sleepover with the noble girls back before Eri¡¯s birthday shared knowing looks. They had seen first-hand the carnage that was my bro¡¯s love-life, and Shaeula had made it clear where she stood.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯d love to visit Tokyo, see how Ri-Ri is doing, but it just isn¡¯t happening.¡± Yae-chan sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have enough money, do we Rika-chan?¡±


    ********


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m skipping kyudo today. I have business at the shrine.¡± I said, waving to Rika-chan and Yae-chan. ¡°Can one of you run down to the archery range and let my club members know?¡±


    ¡°Sure, we can do that for you, Ai-chan!¡± Yae-chan smiled. ¡°But then you¡¯ll owe us a favour. I... I¡¯m going to speak to my mom tonight. If she says yes...¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care. Please ask Aki for us.¡±


    Still with the nickname, huh? ¡°I will. Now, I have to be off.¡± With a wave, I headed towards the mountains, where the shrine was. ¡°It¡¯ll be weird doing this alone, without Eri. I¡¯m not scared, why would I be? I¡¯m way stronger than before. But it¡¯ll be lonely, having nobody to share this with...¡± a treacherous thought that maybe if Rika-chan and Yae-chan had Chirurgery, they could keep me company, flickered through my mind, but I dismissed it. No, I¡¯ve seen the deaths of unprepared people. I couldn¡¯t take others in, unless they had the strength. Just Chirurgery isn¡¯t enough...


    Taking the steps to the shrine three at a time, bounding up, my stamina seemingly endless after I received the Divine Favour of Kannon, I quickly passed the weathered canine statues and more traditional Shi?sa? that watched over the shrine, only to wish I hadn¡¯t, coming to a sudden stop.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re here.¡± The woman, Takeyabashi-san, Marika-chan¡¯s mother, said sourly, having stormed out of the shrine, red-faced, after another argument with her father-in-law. ¡°It must be nice to be young and stupid.¡±


    Wow, excuse me? I narrowed my eyes, annoyed. ¡°That seems a bit uncalled for, Takeyabashi-san. I may be young, but I¡¯m not that stupid.¡±


    ¡°You are. Though you can easily be old, senile and stupid as well.¡± She shot an angry glare back to the shrine. ¡°Getting involved in this dangerous madness. I never wanted Marika to go to Tokyo at all, and now this... people died! Your friend was maimed. Children shouldn¡¯t be doing this!¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± I said, surprising her. A look of triumph crossed her features, before I continued. ¡°Ideally, we should leave this all up to my bro. He¡¯s an adult, right? Sure, put all the weight of the world on his shoulders. He can take it. Until he can¡¯t. Besides, just being an adult doesn¡¯t mean much, does it? After all, Uchida Yamato-san was an adult, a student at University, and look at the mess he made. The deaths are down to him. Not my bro. and I know you know that, Takeyabashi-san.¡± I looked at her, my blue eyes frosty.


    ¡°Well, even so, he was too young...¡± she began, only for me to cut her off.


    ¡°Age is just a number. What matters is willingness to fight.¡± I declared. ¡°You may not be deeply involved in what¡¯s going on, but I know you know more than most. The end of the world is coming. If we don¡¯t do anything, do you know how many people are going to die? And it won¡¯t just be adults. I don¡¯t know what Marika-chan thinks about all this, but I... I¡¯m not going to stand by and do nothing. Not when I can help.¡± I clenched my fist. ¡°My bro... he wanted to keep Eri and me out of this, but that¡¯s wrong. Being weak, ignorant... it only leads to despair. I¡¯d rather try and fail, than never try at all.¡± It was just like kyudo. It was the act of trying to pierce the target, being one with the target, that mattered, not whether one succeeded, though success was always better than not.


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. You should be protected, until...¡±


    ¡°Until what?¡± I snapped. ¡°Until something bad happens, that I¡¯m not ready for? I was scared. I admit it. I cried and wept when Eri was hurt. But not just because I thought she would die. That was horrible enough...¡± I gathered my thoughts. ¡°... but it was because I was too weak, too pathetic, to be there with my bro, Eri and the others. If I was stronger...¡± my clenched fist ached, nails digging into my palm, drawing trickles of blood as my knuckles went bone-white from strain. ¡°... I could have done something, helped somehow. Maybe I could have helped them save more lives, stop Eri getting so hurt... powerlessness is the greatest pain of all, Takeyabashi-san. Trust me on this.¡± I had always reached out for my bro, even as a child, watching his back as he went on ahead. It was worse now. He was so strong, fighting so many battles, and all I could do was run after him, waddling on unsteady feet like a child, watching him get further and further away. Then Eri even passed me, running after him. Left in the dust, many nights I cried myself to sleep, wondering if I would ever catch up, able to walk alongside them. Now... now I have the chance. And I¡¯ll never squander it. What a view it would be, walking hand in hand, seeing the same things my brother, Shaeula, Eri and all the others see, beside each other, not looking at their backs...


    ¡°Marika-chan... she¡¯s a smart girl for her age. She wants to be of help to her shrine, to others. I think you should be praising her. Is it safe? I can¡¯t honestly say there¡¯s no danger. Even before whatever disaster is coming to the world, there¡¯s always risk. But my bro isn¡¯t Yamato-san. No, he¡¯s taking every precaution. Marika-chan will grow strong, already she can use light element. She¡¯ll only get better, a determined young girl like her. One day, she might be thankful of that. You might be, when danger comes calling, and unlike other children, she has the ability to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s too young...¡± Takeyabashi-san continued to protest, and I understood, but I didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°Back in the Second World War, I remember from my history classes, boys at age fifteen and girls at seventeen, they were drafted and sent to fight and die. Hell, kamikaze pilots were certain to die, right? How is that...¡±


    ¡°That was the War! It was long ago, the situation has changed, Japan has changed...¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. If anything, it¡¯ll be worse.¡± I shot her down. ¡°War is coming, and it¡¯ll be ruthless. My bro knows this. The Diviner, Matsumuro-san, she knows this. Shiro apparently knows this too. Takeyabashi-san, I get it. You want to protect your beloved daughter. You think my parents don¡¯t worry about me, about my bro? But the best protection she can have is being with my bro. If she was ever in a situation where she was in danger, he¡¯ll run to her, and move heaven and earth to save her, just like he did this time.¡±


    ¡°But people still died.¡± She frowned. ¡°And Mori-san was still grievously injured.¡±


    ¡°Yes. People died. But he brought four back alive, who otherwise would have died too. And Eri was grievously injured, yes. But she¡¯ll be as good as new soon. I¡¯ve seen what my bro can do. That¡¯s why we all need to be stronger. So that this doesn¡¯t happen again, or if it does, we can look after ourselves, hold on, contribute, until help arrives.¡±


    Takeyabashi-san looked at me, stunned by my earnest advice. Biting her lip, she struggled for words, and I decided to let her speak. ¡°I knew marrying into a shrine family was a big step. My daughter loves the shrine. She¡¯s a passionate believer in the kami. I¡¯m not.¡± She muttered. ¡°Even so, I never thought it would lead to this.¡±


    ¡°Look, I get it. When Shaeula first told me about my bro, and what he was doing, I went a bit crazy.¡± I flushed, remembering how I had ranted about my bro being a playboy seeking a harem, whose talents were just handed to him without any work. In the end, she had slapped me, to bring me to my senses. Wow, though wait a minute. Hasn¡¯t my bro actually got a harem now? Though I do know he¡¯s worked hard, shedding sweat and blood for every advantage he¡¯s gained... ¡°You fear what you don¡¯t understand, and Yamato-san has screwed everything up by getting innocent people killed. Though I guess... he¡¯s paid his penance, right?¡±


    ¡°I... all I know is, people died. I can¡¯t help but fear my daughter is going to die too, or that her future will be bleak.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll die. My bro will protect her. I will too.¡± I promised, repeating it again. ¡°As for a bleak future, that¡¯s the stupidest thing you¡¯ve said so far.¡± I smiled at her indignation, that a younger girl was talking so harshly to her. ¡°You think having these abilities isn¡¯t going to be worthwhile, whatever she does in the future? Even the basic Chirurgery can turn a weak girl into an athlete. And she can use light element too! That¡¯s not nothing!¡±


    ¡°Light element, so what?¡± Takeyabashi-san complained. ¡°How does that benefit my Marika, what can it do?¡±


    I wish I knew myself, though Eri told me bro was using it like a laser. I¡¯ll have to try that out myself when I enter the Boundary. ¡°Well, it can do lots of things. We¡¯re still experimenting. But it¡¯s a tool for defence, at the least. Look, Marika-chan loves the shrine, so she¡¯s happy to be involved, even if she¡¯s scared. I think that¡¯s precious, and you should support her. But even you must see that sticking with my bro is the best chance of a good future. Either the apocalypse happens, and everyone will want to be under the strong, those who¡¯ll protect, or we¡¯re full of shit and nothing happens. If that¡¯s the case... well, my bro is starting up all sorts of businesses, and Hinata is from Nichibotsu, so there¡¯s good job openings there. Even if she wants a career, well, I¡¯m sure my bro won¡¯t stint in helping her find one, when she¡¯s older.¡±


    ¡°But to risk her life for it...¡± Takeyabashi-san persisted.


    ¡°... like I keep saying, I can¡¯t promise no risk, but accidents happen. She could get hit by a car crossing the street, or get a bad fever, or be attacked by a wild dog...¡± I shuddered at that. ¡°It isn¡¯t just what we are doing that is dangerous. Life is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll not convince her so easily.¡± The priest of the shrine, Marika-chan¡¯s grandfather came out. ¡°I¡¯ve been listening, and you make good points, Oshiro-san.¡± He looked at his daughter-in-law. ¡°I think you should listen to her. Oshiro-san hasn¡¯t taken things lightly. How could she? Her best friend was nearly killed. But most of the shrines think she¡¯s right. We agreed to move forwards, despite the risk. Because the risk of inaction is not something we can bear. As for Marika... I¡¯m proud of my serious, earnest granddaughter. After all, there can be no bravery without fear.¡±


    ¡°If you want to understand better, give my bro a call. He¡¯ll make time to talk it out.¡± I said, and she frowned, before letting out a long sigh.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the end of this discussion. I still think Marika should come home!¡± she declared. With that she swept away from the shrine, down the mountain.


    ¡°Sorry about that, Oshiro-san. I assume you want the usual room?¡± he asked, and I nodded, my excitement rising again, now that tense conversation was over.


    ¡°Yes please. I might be down a while today, so don¡¯t be surprised, okay?¡± I¡¯m going to put the Golden Warriors and my sunlight element through their paces! I¡¯m going to grind and level until I catch up with everyone else!


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to leave you some rice balls and cold tea.¡± The priest promised, and I nodded my thanks, as I entered the small shrine, quietly going to a back room, which had recently been fitted with a proper door with a solid lock. Eri and I had said it didn¡¯t matter, but the priest had insisted, saying it wasn¡¯t proper for girls to sleep in such a place without some peace of mind. Well, I guess he¡¯s right. My bro worries like that too. Oh well, time to get levelling!

 Side One Hundred And Ten – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Ten ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    Once inside the Boundary, I was greeted with the kami Chairo, the brown dog of the mountains, and his canine followers. I found it hard not to giggle at the amusing appearance of the dogs, wearing their comically oversized hats and some even wore strange capes that looked a bit like a poncho. I mean, I¡¯m not particularly fond of dogs, but I¡¯m not as scared of them as my bro and Eri are. Though I don¡¯t think there are many dogs that can threaten my bro anymore...


    ¡°Grr, welcome back, child of the shrine.¡± Chairo growled at me. ¡°Will you be seeking our assistance again?¡± He tilted his head comically, tongue lolling out. ¡°I do not see your comrade, the other daughter of this shrine, grr.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Eri won¡¯t be returning for a while, so it¡¯s just me.¡± I answered, feeling a little lonely. I have to shake it off. It¡¯s only for now. Besides, Eri managed alone when I wasn¡¯t able to enter with her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need your support, but my bro will worry if I don¡¯t take you up on it.¡± My excitement was bubbling up, and I closed my eyes, concentrating on the Divine Favour within me, picturing it as a sparkling mixture of golden and indigo light, much like the sunlight element I had obtained.


    ¡°Come forth, Golden Warriors!¡± I declared, feeling aether flooding from me. I could hold a lot more within me now, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to fully utilise the power I was given. Even so, four golden statues appeared, golden women carrying various weapons. One that looked a bit like Eri had an axe, while another resembled Shaeula somewhat, with a thin, rapier-like sword. A third carried a great shield, while the fourth was holding a brutal-looking spiked mace. Those two look a bit like Rika-chan and Yae-chan. Maybe they were on my mind?


    ¡°Such a summoning, grr!¡± Chairo barked, surprised. ¡°You have grown strong, daughter of the shrine.¡± He sniffed me, and I dropped back so that none of his drool got on the leather jerkin my bro had made for me. ¡°That power, grr, it is of a God far beyond me. You now follow your brother, I see.¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile, forgiving the kami for nearly soaking me with drool. Yes, I¡¯m walking with my bro now. Or I will be, when I catch up... ¡°Like brother, like sister, right? Well, I need to test out my new abilities, so if you could let me know if there are any enemies that threaten the shrine, I¡¯ll go take care of them!¡± I pumped one fist, psyching myself up as I would before a volleyball game, and then drew my bow, the brilliant, ruby-red weapon I had received from Shaeula¡¯s brother. Well, it was really from my bro and Shaeula, I suppose.


    ¡°Very well, grr. There are those who have wandered in from neighbouring Territories, who seek to claim this shrine, or prey upon us, grr.¡± As Chairo explained his foes, supposedly some rather large walking trees, and their locations, I idly toyed with my bow. I want to challenge Shaeraggo again. Sure, he kicked my ass, showing me I¡¯ve still got a long way to go, but you learn more in defeat than victory, right? Besides, he did give me some helpful pointers as well... I truly loved kyudo, so being able to put it to use in arenas other than sport was thrilling for me. As the kami finished up, I nodded, eager to get started.


    ¡°All right then, doggies, lead the way!¡± I declared, and four of the adherents of Chairoakitara shrine raced ahead of me, leading me up into the mountains, and I stifled another giggle at their antics. I followed, marvelling at the ease in which I was running over the rough terrain, my movements agile. The four golden girls stomped after me, their feet crushing smaller rocks and strange plants underfoot. The mountains in the Boundary were home to lots of unpleasant creatures, many of which seemed to be giant insects and arachnids, and I soon caught sight of one, a spider the size of a car, spinning webs across the paths between trees. Yellow, compound eyes blinked at us, and it hissed, venom dripping from oversized fangs that were like knives.


    ¡°Yuck. Disgusting. I¡¯m not scared of bugs, but I do hate them. Well, time to try out my skills.¡± I was an Archer of Light now, so I had to try and see what that meant. I remember bro saying I could add flame or light into my arrows, or create them myself. I guess I¡¯ll do it like bro would. Experimentation!


    Drawing an arrow from the quiver I had been given, I fitted it to the bow, flaming yellow energy springing to life. I then tried to add my own flame to that. Before, when I first learned it, in a way that made bro really mad, I found it pretty hard to control, but now it seemed far easier, and soon the arrow was blazing, my face feeling the heat. Yeah, maybe burning myself to understand fire was a little bit crazy, but it worked.


    Moving through the stages of kyudo rapidly, as speed was important, as Shaeula¡¯s brother had taught me, I made to release the arrow, before shifting my aim a little, as I instinctively had a grasp of the path my arrow would take. And... loose. Releasing my indrawn breath, the arrow left my bow, piercing the air noticeably faster than I had ever managed before.


    The spider tried to scuttle away, crossing the web rapidly, but my aim was true, and the arrow pierced deep, purple ichor spilling as the spider wailed. Flame flared, and suddenly the spider exploded, burning flesh and chitin consumed by the yellow blaze. ¡°Nice.¡± I remarked, sending another arrow out to end its suffering, the arrow piercing the spider¡¯s head, before another explosion of flame mushroomed. Silver ether scattered, sucked into my body, and I started circulating it around my chakra network, it being far easier than ever. ¡°I could totally get used to this...¡±


    ********


    ¡°All right, there¡¯s the first target.¡± I grinned, looking down from my perch amongst some rocks, bow in hand, golden warriors behind me. The walking tree was towering some ten metres tall, with numerous bare branches reaching out like dead, bony fingers. The trunk was weeping green sap, from knotholes that could have been eyes and a fissure that might have served as a mouth. Even as I watched, some scuttling beetle-like creatures were snatched up by the branches and ferried to the mouth, which ripped open with a tearing noise. Bugs were shoved inside, still alive, and the trunk closed, the grinding of bone accompanied by more green sap, and silvery-red innards.


    ¡°Wow, Gross!¡± I declared, repulsed by the sight. Looking at the dogs accompanying me, I addressed them. ¡°I can totally see why you want these trees gone. Well, I could snipe from here and be done with it, but that¡¯s boring.¡± I had tested the flame abilities of my arrows thoroughly now, and I could successfully conjure a flaming arrow out of nothing and shoot it, though that did tire me out much more than using the quiver. ¡°I want to see the golden girls in action.¡± I gestured grandly, despite there being nobody to see me. ¡°Attack, show me what you¡¯re made of!¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ll explore the mountains behind us.¡± I looked out across the jagged, rocky peaks. I had been there a few times before, as the fire element Eri and I had learned was gushing from the rocks there. The ants that had been occupying the site previously had been cleared, but the various mountains and foothills behind it were likely teeming with prey. ¡°Might as well get as strong as I can!¡±


    ¡°Grr, are you quite sure?¡± one of the dogs barked. ¡°You have safeguarded our shrine, is that not enough for you, grr?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± I protested. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep going until I¡¯m at least as good, no, better that that jackass Yamato-san. Otherwise how can I face my bro? This gift, sure, I was compatible, but that¡¯s not to say others weren¡¯t a better choice. But my bro chose me! I know why, my bro worries about me, about all of us. That¡¯s why I want to reassure him, and shit, I want to prove that he was right to choose me as well, not just because of pity and worry, but because I¡¯m badass, the right girl for the job!¡±


    The dogs gave me quite the interesting look, a bit judgemental, I thought. Though expecting me to interpret the gaze of some dogs is asking a bit much... Still, there was no way I was backing down. My pride, both as a younger sister, and an athlete, was on the line. Besides, Eri managed with far less advantages than me. I concentrated on the battered and cracked golden girls, and aether flooded from me, their visages reknitting, the scars fading. When I was done, I wiped sweat from my brow, feeling rather drained. ¡°Cool, so I can repair them using aether. Makes sense I guess.¡± Even though I was very low on aether, I wasn¡¯t feeling like I was going to be kicked back to the Material, like what would normally happen. It seems that I¡¯m constantly pulling in enough of a baseline of aether to keep me here for now...


    ¡°Right, come on.¡± I declared, pressing onwards, keeping my eye out for more Etherites. Soon we reached the area of flame element, and that made me pause for thought. I know bro doesn¡¯t have any fire element in his Territory. So if I could contribute some... no, it seems premature. I know sooner is better, for Territories, as it takes a long time to build, from what he and Shaeula told me, but... just like that idiot Yamato-san, I could be robbed of my power and hurt bad if someone destroys my Territory, and I¡¯m not staying in Nishimorioka forever... I could feel the ability to anchor a Territory, and it was tempting, like an urge that was hard to control, but I had to remember it was my bro who gave me this chance. Not Kannon. She didn¡¯t choose me, she chose a moron. So I owed my bro, not Kannon.


    Leaving the gushing geysers of yellow flame energy behind, after I spent around an hour drawing in energy to replenish my dwindling supplies, I continued to explore, my golden girls crushing the occasional giant spider or other nasty creature we encountered. Soon though, we started to run into trouble. Chittering ants the size of large dogs were gathering in groups numbering ten to twenty, and as they saw us they started to attack, several ants trying to retreat while the rest engaged us.


    ¡°Looks like the experience points have turned up!¡± I grinned savagely. The dogs from the shrine whined their displeasure, but I wasn¡¯t going to pass up this opportunity. It¡¯s definitely addictive, growing stronger, I see why my bro likes it. My first arrow pierced the head of the lead fleeing ant, slaying it, while my second ripped several chitinous legs from another, before a final arrow ended it.


    ¡°Go, my golden girls, crush them!¡± I urged my warriors forwards, and soon they were engaged in ferocious battle. The rapier pierced heads, the axe and mace crushed bodies brutally, while the shield held back my opponents. When there was an opening I unleashed an arrow, piercing my foes, and as the dead mounted up, I exulted as more and more ether was drawn into me. The only issue was further groups of ants were being drawn in. We were slaughtering them, but their numbers were increasing, and now we were up against sixty or so... I do remember from biology class that ants give off a pheromone when they die, to alert other ants...


    Arrows were piercing the enemies with lethal accuracy, my instincts on where to shoot, what trajectory to pick, almost instinctive, and I wanted to try my luck against Shaeraggo once more. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d win, but I knew I¡¯d do better this time. One ant with garish red and black patterning on its chitin rushed at me, too close to shoot, and with a solid kick I flipped it over, allowing the dogs to savage it to death. Wait, the dogs... I had been swept up in the battle, and hadn¡¯t noticed that as the numbers of ants were increasing, the size too, some being far larger and armed with savage, slicing jaws like pincers, the dogs had suffered a number of wounds.


    ¡°Grr, we need to fall back.¡± The bog barked, spitting a little blood, flank slashed, brown fur dark with red blood, silver mist rising. ¡°Numbers of enemies are too great, grr.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but, we have the golden girls...¡± I said, surveying the battlefield, only to notice I was mistaken. Wow, shit. This isn¡¯t good. Yes, bodies of ants were heaped high, dozens, scores of them decaying to aether, and I was getting stronger by the minute, but as the number and ferocity of the ants grew, the golden girls were unable to keep up. As I watched, the Eri-analogue with her axe stumbled, a leg mauled off by one of the larger ants. That ant died, axe buried in the skull, but other ants used that moment to attack, and soon it was limbless, golden arms snipped away. The smaller rapier-wielder was suffering similar indignities, buried under a writhing swarm of ants, and the other two were also hard-pressed.


    I sent a few arrows flying, driving back the mob, freeing the small golden warrior, only to see it was also in no condition to fight anymore. Aether left me, starting to regenerate the limbs, but then a massive ant, bigger than any others, the size of a family car, trampled forwards, smashing the golden girl to pieces, a rainbow shower of aether all that was left.


    Damn, I get it. I got too cocky. All right... ¡°Yeah, retreat!¡± I declared, using my warriors to hold off the ants, drawing their attention, while I scuttled away, bow reaping a heavy toll on the ants, the dogs flanking me. I¡¯m not my bro. I can¡¯t take on armies. Not yet...


    ********


    Opening my eyes back in the Material, I considered what I had learned. ¡°Damn, the Boundary is still pretty dangerous, even here in Nishimorioka...¡± I muttered. I could hardly even imagine what my bro, Shaeula and Eri faced, going against the Night Parade. Standing up and stretching, I cricked my neck, working out the cramps. Though one thing is for sure. I certainly grew stronger. Nothing I did tonight was in vain. I learned, and I saw what the golden girls can do, and what they can¡¯t. I may be better against a smaller number of stronger foes than a horde, but... next time, I¡¯ll do better. I must have gained a few levels, maybe even a lot. Those ants... I¡¯ll crush them. Their xp is mine!


    With my mind made up to continue growing stronger, I smiled. ¡°Sure, I lost today. But tomorrow... I¡¯ll win!¡±

 Three Hundred And One

    Three Hundred And One


    Bursting free from the surface of the chilly water of the Boundary Sagami bay, I held my prize in my hand, the shining green Etherite. All around me, the water was turning red from the bodies of the sea creatures that had attacked me, and gathering the scattered ether, I couldn¡¯t help but grin, having seen amber letters flare across my vision, notifying me I had reached level one hundred and five. Sure, individually the monsters here vary from about as strong as one of Kondou Kazuo¡¯s degraded orcs, all the way up to about as strong as a Silent Hound or similar threat, but the weight of numbers makes them good experience still. Though, out in the deeper waters...


    My Eye glittered, and I could see shapes far out in the depths, vast shadows, that perhaps might have been whales or giant squid in the Material, but here, were no doubt very dangerous foes. When I had first noticed the glimmer of Etherites in the water, while I was training the girls, I had been excited, especially as I was in desperate need of them, and I had swum out too far, only to be attacked by a shoal of vicious shark-like fish. I had triumphed, beating them back, using my water element to turn the sea into a series of cutting blades, but even so, my body was hampered by the water, more sluggish than on land, so after that I stuck to the shallows. Besides, if I swim out too far, I can¡¯t keep any eye on them...


    The girls were practising still on the distant shore, though Eri and Shiro were rapidly reaching the end of their strength and stamina. No, they had gone beyond their limits, pushing themselves truly hard to try and master new skills. It made me both proud and worried, as they were both in poor condition. I can¡¯t forget to praise Shaeula and Hyacinth too. Swimming back, I channelled a little more water element to send razor-sharp currents swirling around me, the maelstrom slicing up incoming predators. Earth is what, seventy percent oceans? There¡¯s no way we can leave those resources or assets alone.


    As I closed in on the shore, Shaeula waved at me, welcoming me back.


    ¡°Well, did-did you profit?¡± she asked, and I showed off my haul, a glittering three dozen Etherites, including a pair of green ones.


    ¡°Yes, the ocean is a treasure trove, even if the danger is great. I levelled up as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s lucky.¡± Shiro sighed, also coming over, followed by Eri and Hyacinth. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be a Candidate, as you call them, yet I¡¯m the only one who has a damn level cap. Aki, that¡¯s just not fair.¡± She puffed out her cheeks adorably, pouting, and I had the brief, amused thought that if the gang could see the cold, aloof Shiro acting so... well, so cute, they¡¯d likely be shocked.


    ¡°Well, any time you want to raise your cap, we can.¡± I suggested, only for Eri to turn to Shiro, a sympathetic look in her eyes.


    ¡°You see? Akio just wants to sleep with you. He¡¯s phrasing it like he¡¯s doing you a favour, but secretly he wants to indulge, I know it.¡±


    Before I or Shiro could answer, Shaeula burst out laughing. ¡°Really, Eri? You who-who seduced Akio first and always craves physical intimacy would say such? Your words, they do not-not have much persuasiveness.¡±


    Eri flushed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because Akio was too shy and gentlemanly then! He didn¡¯t really see me as a woman, just a little sister to protect! I had to be bold to shatter that image. That was then, this is now!¡± she paused, taking a breath to steady herself. ¡°Well, I get it. I do. You want to have your first time when you feel a hundred percent, when you are as beautiful as you want to be. I still remember that nice penthouse suite in Las Vegas, the night so beautiful. I knew it was time. But... how about the way the Fae do it? That usually gets a Rank in Lovers¡¯ Link, right? It did for all of us.¡±


    Hyacinth nodded, but Shaeula dashed her hopes. ¡°I do not-not think that is possible.¡± Her eyes shone a brilliant amber. ¡°Shiro, your chakra network is rather-rather distinct. It has many strange features, but it lacks a lunar chakra. Without that, I do not-not see how the sharing may be done.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, way to make me feel inferior.¡± Shiro continued to pout.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your network is in any way inferior, just different.¡± I consoled her. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s getting late and you are all tired. We might as well think about finishing up.¡± I looked at Shiro, nodding approvingly. ¡°Your Silver Cord has thickened noticeably, and you¡¯ve Ranked it up to 2. Good job!¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Eri asked, and I investigated her as well.


    ¡°No breakthroughs yet, but I think you are close.¡± I could observe her network and cord in detail, and they were definitely pushing noticeably more aether through her body, though I could see from the numbers she hadn¡¯t managed to Rank up. ¡°A day or two more of hard training and I think you¡¯ll breakthrough. I¡¯m hoping it being higher Rank might stabilise the chaos that your network is now.¡± I paused, a little guiltily. ¡°But we need to do another round of Ether Healing training first.¡±


    Eri shuddered at that, but her face was resolute. ¡°I hate that. But I want to get better, and I know it¡¯ll help. I suppose it¡¯s too much to ask the twins for help with that.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a bad girl for even thinking I wanted to share this pain, especially after what they¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ren-san was tougher than we gave him credit for, and his sisters seem like brave little fighters. They might be back sooner than we think. But if they do genuinely want to quit, of course I¡¯ll honour that. Anyway...¡± Shaeula and Hyacinth were next, and neither had Ranked up, though that was to be expected, as they were working towards higher Ranks. Besides, considering how long it took me to Rank up some of these skills, seeing them do it so quickly does sting a little...


    ¡°It¡¯s damn inconvenient that we don¡¯t have any way to check our skills.¡± Shiro sighed, sitting down, exhausted. ¡°Can¡¯t you focus on teaching us those, Aki? Well, it¡¯s not terrible having you oversee our progress, but...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I apologised, holding in a smile at her hints of tsundere. Despite her protests, there¡¯s definitely a touch of it in her personality. ¡°I got Examination skills to start with, but I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d teach anyone else them. Tan, surely the pantheons had similar methods of determination?¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eye flashed ruby as Tan took over. ¡°We do indeed. I myself can roughly gauge a person¡¯s strength and skills through their ether.¡± She licked her lips, well, Shiro¡¯s, and continued, ¡°I can also smell and even taste the calibre of a skill. It is how I know you would be such a divine way to quench my thirst.¡± The hungry look she was giving me was disconcerting. She then laughed bitterly. ¡°Have no fear. I cannot eat you now, much as I would wish to drink in your essence. As to these exact numbers, these... game-like measures...¡± she shook her head in denial. ¡°World Tree is fascinated by knowledge, they likely have a way. Some of the other pantheons too. We merely use colours to mark Rank. It works adequately. Most wish their exact strengths concealed anyway.¡±


    I agreed with that. Shaeula then spoke up, as Hyacinth, exhausted through she was, was busily preparing drinks and snacks for us. I need to remember to show her some affection later.


    ¡°You know games?¡± Shaeula smiled. ¡°Fascinating. I did not-not understand these things until I ventured to the mortal world. Though now I would not-not be without them, as they are rather entertaining.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have been with the princess for many months.¡± Tan clarified. ¡°I would be a fool not to have learned from watching and listening. I could not hope to rule a world I did not understand. Besides, there are worlds with technology greater than yours within the pantheons, I said so mere hours ago, remember?¡± she said, a touch huffily. ¡°Though most technological worlds do not endure to reach the higher Astral, I admit. Too hidebound and stubborn, and Material laws yield to Astral. While technology and culture spreads between worlds of a pantheon, many distrust such Material ways. Therefore I had heard of such things, but until now had little detailed knowledge of them.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, I suppose in a way that makes sense. I get a bit uncomfortable when my abilities seem to break immutable laws like conservation of energy, so maybe some scientific civilisations would outright reject such abilities. I¡¯d think more would study them though...¡± I¡¯m also not entirely convinced that the Material laws don¡¯t apply. I¡¯m no scientist, but I¡¯ve heard of things like zero-point energy, parallel universes and more. The energy could be coming from somewhere, like the Astral itself... also... I had thought on this. Ixitt was combining the two, and Shaeula and I had benefited from modern scientific knowledge in breaking through with our elements, though that was obviously only a portion of the whole picture, else we would have been much higher Ranked now, most likely.


    Shaeula seemed to think so too, as she looked troubled. Even so, she kept her silence, and after some refreshments and banter on more recreational topics, we left the coast behind and returned to the heart of my Territory. There I had a meeting with those of my advisors that were present, hammering out our expansion and defence plans. Moira, looking as stone-faced and austere as ever, was delivering a report, when Shaeraggo returned.


    ¡°Master?¡± Karen-chan spluttered. ¡°Oh, right. Yes, I guess to you he is...¡±


    I half-listened to their banter, pleased to hear more liveliness in Haru-san¡¯s tone, a little surprised she¡¯d volunteer to go out with just the two of them. I¡¯ll definitely pay for their night, no question. Soon my phone was answered, and I was greeted by the Prime Minister, Abe-san.


    ¡°About time you called, Oshiro-san.¡± He said with no preamble. ¡°We have a situation. Another one.¡± He complained. ¡°You see your Chinese teacher there? You bragged you were able to learn fast, right? Well, prove yourself. Every second you aren¡¯t spending with work today, learn.¡±


    ¡°Why the rush?¡± I asked, and he snorted bitterly.


    ¡°Two matters. Only one of which I dare speak of over the phone. You never know who might be listening. Damn Americans.¡± He complained. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I need you to pay particular attention to any Chinese that might be helpful to talk... Cultivation.¡±


    Cultivation? The term surprised me. ¡°You know about that sort of thing?¡± I said, curious.


    ¡°Not until now.¡± He said, sounding like he had a terrible headache. ¡°I¡¯ve been using search engines frantically, checking Wikipedia, more... oddly enough my daughter had heard the term, even if she didn¡¯t know much about it, and it turns out one of the undersecretaries read some literature on the side... no, there¡¯s no time for this. Get the Chirurgery on our Special Forces done as quickly as you can, then deal with these mercenaries, get them settled. Then come to...¡± he rattled off an address, and it turned out to be a secure military facility on the outskirts of Tokyo.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be there.¡± I promised, taking a deep breath. Yeah, this is going to be a busy day. No rest for the wicked, as my mom would say, it seems...


    ********


    ¡°... so, if anything feels out of the ordinary, or the pain becomes unbearable, do alert someone. Just because the Chirurgery has always been safe before, that doesn¡¯t mean somebody won¡¯t have side-effects.¡± I warned the man before me, who was merely wearing his underwear, which wasn¡¯t strictly necessary now my Eye had improved, but the Special Forces didn¡¯t seem to mind, not even the few women who were being attended to by Shaeula, who only wore sports bras and comfortable, extremely unsexy panties.


    ¡°Yes sir, I understand!¡± the soldier said, saluting me, sweat dripping from his body, the faint tremors of the pain he had endured remaining. As he left and the next soldier took his position in front of me, my Chinese teacher was constantly saying new phrases, which I would memorise and repeat back, occasionally being asked a previous phrase or combination of several, which I answered flawlessly, the teacher continuing to be shocked. Though what was more shocking is that as I learn Chinese, Shaeula seems to understand it as well. It¡¯s extremely strange.


    I began my work on the next soldier, ignoring his groans of pain, constantly parroting what the teacher was telling me, committing it to memory. A lot of the terms were ones I had only heard Japanese translations for, things like Dao, Realms, Dantians and other strange, yet slightly familiar terminology. The teacher couldn¡¯t hide his puzzlement at the request, and I was a bit confused myself. I need to learn Chinese quickly, especially around Cultivation? Does that mean... are Cultivators real? Or are some Divine Favours Cultivation-related? Or... yes, it¡¯s probably that.


    The only reason I could think of was that there was a Chinese Candidate we had somehow captured. The location I was asked to go to was suspect, and this sudden rush... It seems a risky move though, especially after what the Americans tried... well, I¡¯ll soon see.


    The morning passed like a blur, and there was a flurry of extra lots drawn, as with Shaeula¡¯s help and my noticeably strengthened aether reserves, we were able to do significantly more Chirurgery than planned. One more day should see Special Forces completed, though I guess they¡¯ll try and persuade me to expand my work to military personnel where reflexes and stamina is vital, such as fighter pilots. I certainly can, but... well, I¡¯ll need some concessions.


    Once we had quickly washed ourselves off, the extreme mental concentration trying, we were in a transport vehicle heading towards Tsumura-san¡¯s base, Aliyah, Trey, Manx and Travis accompanying Shaeula and me, along with the Lieutenant, and the now somewhat-afraid Chinese tutor, who I was starting to feel a great deal of sympathy for, as he continued to drill new words, phrases and language rules into me. The poor man. He even had to continue shouting through to me while I was showering...


    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s creepy how quickly you learn.¡± Aliyah cursed, the few hours of sleep she had snatched obviously not helping her temper. Though, I still remember she was useful when the disaster in Kyoto happened. I guess when she needs to she can turn it on. As expected from a top mercenary, I suppose.


    ¡°It¡¯s purely a matter of numbers.¡± I shrugged, before committing the next set of phrases to memory. ¡°My processing power and memory are insane. Of course, it doesn¡¯t help so much with abstract thinking, like relationships, but if it needs calculative abilities, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°The whole world¡¯s going mad. If we can¡¯t compete with people like you, then there¡¯s no point to us anymore.¡± She sighed, hair beads jingling as she shook her head bitterly. ¡°And shut up Trey, I get it, I do! I¡¯m just venting. I know that¡¯s why we had that painful treatment shit they do. I already feel faster, smarter and stronger. Though it¡¯s nothing compared to these monsters.¡± She said, her tone grim.


    ¡°For now.¡± Shaeula answered, amused by her irritation. ¡°Aliyah, you would do well not-not to think so small. Otherwise, what use do you have to us? We are shouldering your lives, and the lives of your comrades, and paying them quite-quite well, are we not-not?¡± her gaze was fierce. ¡°If you are of no use, then we should...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± She interrupted, frustrated. ¡°When it¡¯s time for shit to go down, I¡¯m your woman. Fuck, I¡¯m even a little grateful, much as it tears me up inside. But we are mercenaries, not good little soldier boys like him over there.¡± She nodded at Lieutenant Nakano. ¡°If you want polite words and ¡®sir, yes sir¡¯ then you¡¯re damn well out of luck!¡±


    ¡°As it happens, I¡¯m not the most respectful of soldiers.¡± The Lieutenant grinned. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for all this, my career path would have stagnated.¡±


    The talk continued along those lines, until we reached the compound. We were waved through by numerous armed soldiers, the place having a heavier guard than ever before. Soon, we were seated in a large gymnasium, nearly a hundred people lined up, their ethnicities and skin tones varied, yet all looked foreign, exotic. At the front was someone I recognised, having met her in Las Vegas briefly. On seeing Aliyah and Treyvon, her tense expression loosened.


    Beside us sat Tsumura-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather, as well as several ranking military officials. ¡°So, these are the Black Wolf Company members who remained after accepting your offer.¡± He said. ¡°They have all passed the background checks. We have had to be noticeably more careful than usual, due to the current circumstances. Besides...¡± he looked at me, his gaze fierce. ¡°As a grandfather, I cannot help but worry.¡±


    ¡°I get it. Motoko will be safe with me, I promise.¡± I reassured him. ¡°Now then...¡± I turned back to Luciana, who was leading the group. ¡°Luciana, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Her gaze strayed to Treyvon, who nodded to her. Taking a deep breath, she replied, smiling as best she could, despite her nerves. ¡°Ciertamente, it has been. I... hope there are no hard feelings?¡±


    ¡°Hard feelings? Well, I have my complaints, but... it¡¯s all water under the bridge, right?¡± I turned to Trey and Aliyah. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you two start things off?¡±

 Three Hundred And Two

    Three Hundred And Two


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see everyone. It must have been hard.¡± Treyvon said, his voice choked with emotion. Beside him, his sister Aliyah snorted savagely, disagreeing.


    ¡°Hard? Fuck me Trey, they weren¡¯t the ones who got the shit kicked out of them, then ended up in prison, and had to put up with this crazy shit, were they?¡± she complained. ¡°Besides...¡± her eyes sharpened. ¡°... I guess you did a good job, Luciana, but those bastards who cut and ran, don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget them. They needn¡¯t come damn well crawling back later. Cowards.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, sis.¡± Treyvon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a big step. Moving to a foreign country, being under someone else¡¯s control. I get why those who chose to leave did. You agreed it was for the best too.¡±


    ¡°I know, but...¡± she clenched a fist, aggrieved. ¡°...it doesn¡¯t matter, does it? Done is done.¡± she let out a long sigh. ¡°Not all of us are born American, but even those who aren¡¯t, we¡¯ve been working under the flag for long enough. I guess some cold feet is normal. Shit.¡± She controlled herself. ¡°Luciana, deliver your report so we can get this done. I really need a drink now. Or ten.¡±


    Treyvon winced at that, and I held in a snicker myself, remembering Aliyah¡¯s behaviour when drunk. Shaeula was not so polite, letting out a hearty chuckle. ¡°A drink or ten does sound quite-quite delightful.¡± Shaeula licked her lips delicately. ¡°I am only sorry I do not-not have time right now. Our schedule is packed. So may we continue?¡± she declared.


    ¡°Of course. Un momento.¡± Luciana said. ¡°The remaining members here have all agreed to the terms, and are prepared. Though...¡± she trailed off nervously, looking at Tsumura-san and the other obviously military people around. ¡°... we do hope to avoid engaging our fellow mercenary groups, or... actions that our homeland, adopted or not, would find... de traicio?n, treasonous.¡± Her expression was somewhat gloomy, and several of the men and women behind her looked restless at that.


    Tsumura-san looked at me then, so I guessed it was time for me to take the lead on this. ¡°I¡¯ve hired you all. Any who haven¡¯t the stomach for that have left already, right?¡± At her nod, echoed by Treyvon and Aliyah, I continued, making myself clear. ¡°You¡¯re not mercenaries any longer, but paid employees. That said, I have no intentions of being reckless with you, and there are still opportunities for mercenary work, when it is beneficial. As for engaging other groups...¡± my eyes were hard, glaring at the newcomers. ¡°... I have no wish to start trouble. I¡¯m a man who loves peace. But if enemies come against me or those I care about, then my retaliation will be swift and brutal.¡± I¡¯ve learned being too nice and forgiving is just dangerous. I thought I¡®d hardened my heart at Kondou Kazuo, but it took Yamato-san to really drive home the point. I¡¯m not going to turn into a brutal monster, but I am going to eliminate threats if there is no better way. ¡°If mercenaries take on a job, they have to accept the consequences, right? You should know that. As for America...¡±


    Tsumura-san took over. ¡°We have no current hostilities with the United States, who have been a long-term strategic ally of ours for decades. The current... friction... is being worked out, and as part of the agreement, the Black Wolf Company has been ceded to us, with full permission to access the information that mercenary groups can obtain through their special channels. Though we have agreed not to ask for any information you are aware of before this point.¡± He looked unhappy at that, and I could see why, as it may well have pertained to the missing Japanese citizens. Apparently we had been delivered some important information by the US recently, though Tsumura-san had not yet told me what that was, and with it came videos of our stolen people. They were alive, at least, though our military suspected the videos were made with heavy coercion, as the countenances of the captives were rather... dishevelled, to say the least. Just thinking about it makes me angry. My only solace is, while they aren¡¯t returning them, our diplomats and negotiators are having an easy time on other matters.


    ¡°We understand. Though if you wanted to get it out of us, who would know?¡± Treyvon asked, eyeing Shaeula, knowing she had winds that could command.


    ¡°I honour my agreements.¡± I said firmly. ¡°If I promised it, I do it. Though I¡¯m not going to let oathbreakers off easily.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Breaking Oath and Pledge is what mere-mere scum do.¡±


    ¡°Trey isn¡¯t really worried.¡± Aliyah said, surprising me. ¡°You¡¯re a nai?ve shit, but you seem to be toughening up. Which is good. The Black Wolf doesn¡¯t howl for a weakling. Look.¡± She addressed Luciana and the rest. ¡°This is a job, a bit different to our other jobs, but only in terms of length of employment. The pay is decent...¡± she shot a sidelong glance at me, a little thankful we were paying her and Treyvon anything at all, considering how badly we had them over the barrel, as my mom might say. ¡°... and yeah, having to be bound by her...¡± she looked at Shaeula then, who merely smiled back calmly. ¡°... is a bit insulting, but shit, it¡¯s understandable. This is highly classified stuff. And the benefits... well, the job gives some advantages you can¡¯t get anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°In terms of your equipment we confiscated on entry, it¡¯s being vetted and will be returned shortly, along with additional supplies as necessary.¡± Tsumura-san advised them. ¡°From a legal point of view, this is extremely irregular. Even Japanese citizens are not allowed such items, to say nothing of foreign citizens on our soil, and mercenaries are banned by our Constitution, unlike your home country. However, the Constitution is a relic of times past. A necessary, welcome one, and one we by no means regret. But... it cannot cope with the changing world, so the new Ministry will hold jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t like America, where everyone has the right to bear arms.¡± Treyvon agreed. ¡°But then, this is a world where some people can probably shrug off a round from a tank, then pick up and throw said tank.¡± He looked at me then, and I nodded slowly. Well, I¡¯m not sure I could lift a tank yet. But an APC? Sure.


    ¡°Yeah, some real Hulk shit.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°So doing things the old way ain¡¯t going to cut it anymore. You all agreed, but I¡¯ll let our boss here explain it again.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I declared, flexing my Majesty and Charm to their maximum, feeling all eyes on me. I could see everyone giving me their full attention, and some of the faces were flushed. ¡°What I need is a force I can rely on totally. Now it may seem odd, even idiotic, to rely on a foreign force, especially one I have quite the history with.¡± Travis and Manx were both grinning ruefully, no doubt remembering how I crushed them in battle. ¡°Of course we have safeguards.¡± Shaeula smiled at that, nodding proudly. ¡°But from what Aliyah and Treyvon here say, you guys are the best of the best, an easy match for the US army, or any other, for that matter.¡±


    Aliyah puffed out her massive chest proudly at that, and it took all my Resilience not to look. ¡°Damn right we are.¡±


    ¡°Here in Japan, we lack that resource. Of course, I intend to recruit suitable Japanese people to form part of the team.¡± The issue again is loyalty. Most of the best are already in the JSDF, or in Fujiwara Security Services, for civilians. The feelers are going out, but it¡¯ll take time. ¡°In addition, long-term, there will be others too.¡± When Fae and other spiritual beings are more able to walk the Material, I¡¯ll have a ready source of troops, but I don¡¯t want it to be all on them. Spiritual and Mortal beings need to work together, else I don¡¯t see how we¡¯ll survive what¡¯s coming, or thrive in the higher Astral. Even the scraps Tan has told us point to that...


    ¡°You¡¯ll be responsible for security details, onsite liaison, testing of training regimen and techniques, experimental equipment, and overseas and extraterritorial missions as necessary.¡± I delivered the euphemism, these newcomers being unaware of the Boundary. ¡°Now, there¡¯s one final chance to leave, and we¡¯ll even pay your plane tickets home. But once you stay...¡± I said firmly. ¡°... then there¡¯s no backing out. Is that clear?¡±


    There was a long moment of silence, where nobody moved, before Luciana spoke. ¡°Entiendo. Nobody will leave. Perhaps some job security might be what we all need in these dangerous times.¡±


    With everyone in agreement, I left it to Treyvon and the others to settle the new recruits in. It would take a day or two to get them settled, their gear approved, and any shortfalls filled, before we could start the Chirurgery. But before that... Shaeula met my gaze, with a tired smile.


    ¡°Yes, the befuddling winds shall blow a gale, it seems-seems. I demand a reward later, since I was not-not able to break through earlier!¡±


    I rubbed her head gently, my smile equally kind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll have one. How could I neglect you?¡±


    As Shaeula started preparing herself for the tiring task ahead, while I considered their best uses, such as helping Ixitt with the testing of his new weapons, being as the mercenaries were far more used to using such things on the battlefield than any of us, I watched as Treyvon, Travis, Manx and Aliyah were being greeted by their comrades, everyone all smiles.


    ¡°Hey, boss lady!¡± One man was saying, his skin a deep olive, his short brown hair close-cropped. ¡°Still kicking? I thought they¡¯d have been torturing you into being a submissive woman by now, a big girl like...¡± his words were cut off by her fist, as it landed in his guts. She pulled it, obviously, but even so he doubled over, wheezing, tears streaming from his eyes, to the laughter of everyone around them.


    ¡°Still not lost it then...¡± he managed, and others echoed him.


    Meanwhile, Treyvon was talking to Luciana. ¡°So, everyone who left was looked after?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no.¡± Morita-san shook her head. ¡°She has made no attempt to break out. Perhaps she knows she can¡¯t, as she still seems wary of guns. She eats, sleeps, meditates, asks for news, and when she doesn¡¯t get what she wants, she subdues the guards, then returns to her cell, attacking the walls in seeming frustration.¡±


    ¡°Well do we know much about the situation in China? I¡¯ve already reported that Tsukiko-san, known as the Diviner, has predicted events that make China an all-too-likely suspect in an upcoming calamity. Nurarihyon too.¡±


    Abe-san spoke up now. ¡°We take your warning seriously, of course. But more to the point, our friends...¡± he said the word wryly. ¡°... in America, they sent us over some information, rather detailed at that. It seems the CCP and some of these sects have begun a bitter purge, and the remnants of this purge, sects, Chosen like yourself, and even some PLA forces, have absconded onboard several large vessels. Oddly enough, our satellites don¡¯t seem able to track these remnants, but America suspects we are one of the destinations they could see landfall on.¡±


    ¡°If they are rebels and oppressed, maybe they could be allies?¡± I mused. ¡°Though... no, we can¡¯t take chances, can we? I hope actions are being taken.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Morita-san said primly, spreading out some documents on the table between the mugs and bowls. ¡°We have our navy and coastguard on high alert and have spread the net wide, as well as deployed the JSDF to coastal areas deemed most likely for a potential landfall. We¡¯ll spot them if they come this way.¡±


    ¡°What about Kyoto?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, we take your warnings seriously.¡± She repeated. ¡°Even though the military brass deemed Kyoto a very low likelihood of landfall, we have deployed forces there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula was looking through the files with interest, so I started doing the same.


    ¡°This information is pretty detailed.¡± I noted. ¡°They even list the names of some of the sects involved. No Incorruptible Jade though.¡± I observed. Mountain Fang, Brilliant Dawn Shield, Diamond Mountain, Unconquered Heights... damn, I don¡¯t read much Chinese literature, but even I can tell these are classic-sounding.


    ¡°Yes, well, when it comes to gathering intelligence, as we¡¯ve found to our cost...¡± Abe-san was rueful. ¡°The Americans have us beat. Their spy satellites, internet intercepts, phone tapping...¡±


    ¡°I warned your Party about this.¡± The Opposition leader snorted. ¡°But nobody listened. Now it¡¯s a real problem.¡±


    ¡°I know. I blame my predecessors.¡± Abe-san smiled bitterly. ¡°But we had no cause to distrust America. Well, we can¡¯t do much about the internet other than employ new, better encryptions, but we are working on replacing all the cellphone network hardware, though the cost is stupendous. Some of the money we extorted from the Americans can help towards that, but even so, we¡¯ve concentrated on the military, political and noble spheres initially. As for satellites, unless you can fly into space and destroy them, we¡¯ll have to live with it.¡±


    ¡°We can not-not yet. Though I would dearly wish to visit the moon one day.¡± Shaeula grinned, finished reading the papers, her eyes back on the girl, Zhao Daiyu. ¡°What do you intend for us to do-do with her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point. Whether she¡¯s a Cultivator, Chosen, or both, she¡¯s a vital resource.¡± The Prime Minister said, to nods from the other two. ¡°All she¡¯ll tell us is her name and sect, and express her hatred for some other sects and the Chinese Government. When we can¡¯t answer her, she just disables our guards harmlessly, and either stands there in a trance like she is now, or takes out her anger on the walls.¡±


    ¡°We want to get her on our side, or at least secure some vital intelligence. We wanted you to speak to her, as you might understand her, and she might feel more comfortable talking to you. Besides, she can hardly disable you, right?¡± Morita-san pushed up her glasses again, looking at me pointedly.


    ¡°I doubt it, though nothing is impossible where Divine Favours and spiritual powers are concerned.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of...¡± Abe-san said. ¡°If all else fails, perhaps I can ask for your assistance, Shaeula? With your winds?¡±


    Shaeula looked up, surprised. ¡°Is the situation that-that dire? I believe the new Ministry is not-not in favour of such measures except when voluntarily accepted, or against criminals?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± He sighed. ¡°But we are at our wits¡¯ end here. We need answers, especially if the Diviner is correct. Is it coincidence now that some Chinese rebels are out to sea? I¡¯m not a fool.¡±


    Shaeula was troubled. ¡°I will do it, if Akio deems it necessary. Otherwise, I shall not-not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid it. She¡¯s just a girl, a long way from home. But... well, I agree to being curious.¡± And whatever happens, I promised to protect Tsukiko-san. I¡¯ll do what¡¯s necessary for that.


    ¡°In that case, if you could meet with her now?¡± Abe-san asked. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to understand modern technology that well, she hasn¡¯t destroyed the cameras in her cell. So we can watch safely from here and record the audio.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I agreed, and a few minutes later Shaeula and I were standing alone in front of the door to her cell, electronic keycard in hand to activate the security locks. We had dismissed the guards, both because they would be of little use, and also to reassure her of our intentions.


    ¡°Here goes then.¡± I took a deep breath. The keycard beeped, and the sounds of machinery were loud, disengaging the heavy steel bars that were sunk into the reinforced walls. The door opened, and the girl within looked at me with her lifeless black eyes, only to pause, surprised, some spark of life returning.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she said in Mandarin, immediately moving into a combat stance, her jumpsuit making it look comedic. ¡°Cultivator? Accumulation realm? No, that¡¯s impossible. Instead, you... you have the Favour of the Heavens!¡± she was shocked. ¡°But... it feels familiar. An energy. Weak. Qi Refining, perhaps?¡± She then took in Shaeula, and her eyes went so wide I feared she¡¯d hurt herself. ¡°A ya?oji?ng? Here?¡± she muttered, seemingly confused. ¡°The same familiar feeling. Weak Qi. Who... why have you come here? I, Zhao Daiyu, uphold the remaining will of the Incorruptible Jade sect! I shall not surrender, never relent, until my sect is avenged!¡± she backed off towards the wall, seemingly expecting us to attack her at any moment.


    Putting on my best smile, maximising my Charm, I bowed politely, speaking my own near-perfect Chinese. ¡°Daiyu¡¯er... I can call you that, right?¡± I asked, not waiting for her response. ¡°We¡¯d like to talk. About your sect, China. And you...¡±

 Three Hundred And Three

    Three Hundred And Three


    ¡°I asked you who you were!¡± Daiyu said again, her dark eyes cold. My words had obviously grabbed her interest, as had our strength, and I was impressed she could tell at a glance we were powerful, though I was rather curious about her assessment of my Qi, considering I had an ability dealing with Qi, and I still wasn¡¯t sure how it differed from aether.


    ¡°My apologies. I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and this here is Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. Akio is my given name, and Shaeula is her given name. She follows Western naming order.¡± At my words Shaeula nodded regally.


    ¡°That tells me nothing!¡± The girl said, angry. ¡°I shall not be bullied or coerced, I am Zhao Daiyu, Black Jade that remains Ever Beautiful!¡± Lips twisting at the name she spoke, her pride was strong, but I could see the fragility underneath it. It¡¯s as if she has nothing else to cling to, to keep her together.


    ¡°That is quite-quite the epithet indeed.¡± Shaeula laughed, amused. ¡°I can see why you would hesitate to call yourself so, it must be rather embarrassing, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula had also seen through her spiky defensive reactions, the girl trying to make herself seem larger, more powerful. ¡°I must say though, if you were to smile, you would be far-far more attractive, and perhaps live up to the title.¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± the young girl snapped in response, needled by Shaeula¡¯s comments. ¡°I would see you smile, when your Sect, your family, has been endangered, likely destroyed, by your own failures! Those who do not follow the Heavens, the ways of the Dao, would not understand, especially a ya?oji?ng such as you! And here I lie, powerless, trapped by my enemies in a foreign land, not knowing if my father, if any of the Sect still lives...¡± her eyes were empty again, radiating sorrow, and a thin trickle of blood leaked down her chin from her torn lip, ruby against her pale porcelain skin.


    ¡°Ya?oji?ng? I do not-not know the word.¡± Shaeula said, and I had to think. It wasn¡¯t one I learned myself, but from the etymological roots...


    ¡°I think it must mean something like a faerie, maybe? It seems similar to other words like ghost or spirit.¡±


    Shaeula considered that, before smiling broadly. ¡°That does-does make sense. You have a keen eye.¡± She complemented Daiyu, though I didn¡¯t think the girl meant the word as praise, and I was soon proved correct.


    ¡°Evil spirit, have you come here to taunt me for my failures?¡± she cried out, and I could feel aether, no, not aether, but something slightly different gathering in her body, the thin ether density of the world around us declining noticeably. ¡°Begone! If you have no wisdom to share, leave me be!¡±


    She raised one hand, and my Eye flared, seeing the gathering of energy within her subtle body. Well, that¡¯s strange. Her chakra network looks fully functional, but it¡¯s put together in a very strange way. It seemed that the ether was not being turned to aether, but instead a strangely similar energy, one that was gathering in a central location. Is that a Dantian? My Eye perceived ether and aether with pure colours now, when I looked deeper, rather than silver or an iridescent rainbow, and most of what Daiyu was gathering was red, or shading to orange.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be hasty.¡± I said, reaching out and grasping her thin arm, feeling a faint tremble through her prison jumpsuit.


    ¡°Unhand me!¡± she declared, unleashing the energy she was holding within. It surged into my body, attempting to render me unconscious, but other than feeling a bit sick, I shrugged it off, my own energy too strong to supress. Seeing that, Daiyu deflated, another trickle of red running down her face.


    ¡°I had little belief I could overpower you, less still in my current state.¡± She looked forlorn. ¡°So, this is my fate. Know that I will never bow to your tortures. Disgrace me, humiliate me, tear my flesh, break my bones, I shall endure. I cannot rest until I have avenged the dead, and saved any who may yet live.¡±


    ¡°I think you have the wrong idea.¡± I released her, feeling a little offended. I guess she¡¯s nervous, a young girl, no matter how strong, being locked up alone in a foreign prison. ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m just here to talk. As it so happens, we came into some information about what happened in China...¡± her eyes brightened at that, some life returning once again.


    ¡°You will tell me?¡± she asked. ¡°I have not been allowed to make contact with anyone I know in China, so I was unable to...¡± she cut herself off, realising she was close to giving something away. ¡°First, answer me. Who are you? Not your names, but who you are. Why are you here to question me?¡± she rubbed at her arm where I had grasped her, even though I hadn¡¯t held her tightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Candidate, like you.¡± I said. When I had used my Eye, I could see a Divine Favour within her. ¡°A Chosen of the Gods, if that makes it easier to understand.¡±


    ¡°I am a Fae, as you noticed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I am a princess of the Seelie Court, a Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections, fiance?e to Akio here. We have the ear of the powerful, so do not-not hesitate to speak. Wisdom for wisdom.¡±


    ¡°The ear of the powerful?¡± Daiyu queried. ¡°Does that mean you have the information I seek?¡±


    ¡°That depends.¡± I answered. ¡°You want to know about your Sect? Well, to be honest we know little about China, and less about Cultivation and Sects. Until a few months ago, I¡¯d have dismissed it as merely fanciful tales. So, why not tell me precisely what happened, and in exchange... well, what do you want, other than information?¡±


    ¡°That I cannot say, until I know.¡± She breathed out, clearly curious, yet also wary. ¡°I was grievously injured and fell into the sea, drifting for many days, only Chang¡¯e, the Goddess of the Moon, keeping me alive.¡±


    ¡°A moon goddess?¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°A fine omen indeed-indeed.¡±


    I shushed her, allowing Daiyu to continue. ¡°My injuries were... caused by enemies, faithless dogs who have sold out the long heritage we guard. Since I was defeated, they know the Incorruptible Jade was involved. I...¡± she frowned, clearly unwilling to speak.


    ¡°Look, I appreciate you are probably unhappy about being imprisoned here, but you didn¡¯t try to escape, when you could have, and you didn¡¯t permanently harm any of the guards.¡± I looked around at the gouged walls, seeing frustration within the scars. ¡°We can help each other. If you cooperate, maybe I can even get you released.¡±


    ¡°Escape? Perhaps, though my strength would not be sufficient to overcome your soldiers. Qi cannot stop steel, not yet, not enough.¡± She pouted. ¡°As for killing, my hands are red enough with blood. A Cultivator must be ruthless, a daughter of the Five Great Sects, even more so. But my heart is weary, sick. I would not kill needlessly, not when I must save all my rage and vengeance for the faithless dogs who betrayed us.¡± She ground her teeth together balefully. ¡°Even were I to escape, I do not speak Japanese, I am no expert with your technology. I have little chance of returning safely to China, and even if I did...¡± she was trembling with rage and other emotions.


    ¡°I understand. So why not tell me what you can? I won¡¯t ask for Sect secrets or other matters, but you clearly want to know about what happened, right? You¡¯ve been asking everyone for information.¡±


    ¡°I know my Sect was attacked.¡± She sighed, defeated. ¡°I have a ... a friend, I would suppose. She is not a Cultivator, merely an ordinary woman, but Caishen chose her. The Party that leads China nowadays, they have rooted us all out, the Sects, those the Heavens have blessed, and are forcing us to do their bidding, like timid dogs eager for scraps, while the master eats rich, bloody meat.¡± She scowled. ¡°Ordinarily, we would have paid them no mind. We Cultivators live in seclusion within our Sects, doing what we must, as we have since Kunlun abandoned us.¡±


    Kunlun, huh? That seems important. But maybe for later. Seeing as she was talking, the words pouring from her as if a dam was being released, I merely smiled reassuringly, while Shaeula kept quiet, watching with her amber eyes.


    ¡°We were forced to slave away for those the Party chose, strengthening them, at great detriment to our own powers...¡± she suddenly laughed, a wicked one that was full of malice, yet also somehow cute. ¡°... well, they shall not plunder mine further, for I shattered it.¡± after more laughter, she continued. Shattered it? Does she mean her Territory? Curious, I concentrated, and found that I could indeed break my Anchor, even from this distance, though I felt it would take some time for the Anchor to be destroyed, due to the distance. Hastily, I withdrew my will. Yeah, not doing that by accident!


    ¡°My father, the honoured Patriarch of the Sect, believed there was one who was able to find those with power.¡± Her face went blank, and I realised when her emotions were too strong she buried them. I see. A bit like what Tan can do now, right? She ate such a Favour, I believe.


    ¡°He felt that assassinating this seeker would give us a way out, or at least offer opportunities. Others agreed with us. So, we finally located this treacherous snake, and set out with allies from other Sects to strike. It should have been a trivial matter for those as skilled as us.¡± Her face still an expressionless mask, only the tremble in her voice betrayed her distress.


    I see. A young girl, sent out as an assassin? She seems mature, but I can¡¯t imagine she¡¯s any older than Eri. Maybe even younger. I¡¯m already not liking these Sects.


    ¡°When we arrived, the man was already dead, his guards too. Their strengths had been torn from them, devoured!¡± she shuddered. ¡°And it was an ambush, those from the Party and Sects that had cast their lot in with them waiting for us. That bitch...¡± she ground her teeth. ¡°Well, most of us were killed, and I was gravely injured. I took a chance, trusting to the Heavens, and threw myself from the cliffs into the seas below. I had expected to die, but... the Heavens have given me a chance for vengeance. Yet here I am, trapped and blind.¡± She swallowed. ¡°When I was rescued...¡± she hesitated, clearly unwilling to speak.


    ¡°Look, I want to help. But I need you to be honest with me.¡± I said, and she relented.


    ¡°I was given one of these telephones. I do not understand how they work...¡± she continued. ¡°... but I remembered that my friend I mentioned had given me her phone number. I remembered it. Cultivators must have excellent memories.¡± she said self-deprecatingly. ¡°When I talked to her, she said my Sect and many others were on a proscribed list, and that... and that the Incorruptible Jade had been destroyed. Though there may be faint hope that father and some others may have escaped.¡± Her eyes went dark again, brooding. ¡°I need to know, if they live, I would save them and whatever precious legacies of the Incorruptible Jade they fled with, and if they perished...¡± her face twisted, a hateful expression on her beautiful features. ¡°... then for the Heavens and my Dao, I would seek vengeance, to cast those who destroyed that which should remain unbroken into the afterlife, to suffer for eternity as they no doubt deserve!¡±


    I see. Despite her age, she¡¯s a warrior. I wonder if all Cultivators are like that? ¡°So, this friend of yours, you still remember her number?¡± I asked.


    Daiyu looked at me sharply then. ¡°I have no wish to get her involved. She is a normal person, swept up in this chaos. I will not sell her to you!¡±


    So, she still retains some kindness. That¡¯s good. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Though depending on what your future holds, having a friend is never a bad thing.¡± I leant forwards, serious now. ¡°Since you shared with me, I¡¯ll return the favour. I believe in keeping my word.¡± Behind me, Shaeula nodded happily. ¡°So, we received a tip-off from America, and it must have been about all the civil unrest and purges you described. There were survivors, but before you get your hopes up...¡± I could see her expression change, so I wanted to avoid giving her false hope. ¡°... the Americans can¡¯t confirm any members of the Incorruptible Jade as part of those.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She nodded to herself, speaking softly. ¡°Yes, I should not expect too much. The Heavens are cruel, to make us strong.¡±


    ¡°Look, are you hungry?¡± I asked, wanting to soften this hard topic. ¡°I can get the guards to bring you some food.¡±


    She eyed me warily. ¡°I have been well-fed, your guards are not as cruel as some of the Sects, they treat their prisoners with decency. I have not been disgraced or tortured up to now either.¡± She eyed me cautiously. ¡°When I saw you stride in so arrogantly, I felt sure you were a Young Master of some repute, and that my time to suffer had come at last.¡±


    ¡°Such a thing...¡± Shaeula burst out laughing, tears streaming from her amber eyes. ¡°I am quite-quite amused! Akio is a lusty male, that is not-not in doubt. But he has no-no taste for forcing others. Besides, Eri, Hyacinth and I satisfy him regularly, with others who will no-no doubt join us soon.¡±


    She looked at me with some contempt. ¡°Yes, a Young Master indeed.¡±


    ¡°I resent that! I¡¯m only with those I want to cherish and make happy.¡± I protested. ¡°Anyway, you probably are bored of Japanese food, right?¡± I signalled to the camera, and the door opened, a guard coming in. ¡°Look, can you send some people to a decent Chinese Restaurant and get some of everything for takeout. I¡¯ll pay, of course, and you guys can eat anything that¡¯s left over.¡± I produced a number of ten-thousand yen bills. With that done, I turned back to Daiyu. ¡°So, shall we talk more over dinner?¡±


    ********


    Around forty minutes later, Daiyu was looking at the massive spread of Chinese food laid out in her barren cell. We¡¯d had tables brought in, and it looked like a proper buffet. She looked hesitant, but then her stomach grumbled noisily, causing her to flush with embarrassment. Shaeula was already digging in, stuffing dumplings into her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, help yourself.¡± I advised her. The look she gave me in return was wary.


    ¡°So, you see...¡± I addressed Daiyu. ¡°... there¡¯s still hope. I won¡¯t tell you something trite like I¡¯m sure your father is okay or I¡¯m sure that your Sect got away because I simply don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t believe in false hope. There¡¯s real hope though. I¡¯m sure your father is happy that you at least survived. And if the legacy of your Sect is so important, it lives on in you, doesn¡¯t it? Rebuild for those who can¡¯t, and most of all, for yourself!¡±


    ¡°I was the one who failed, if we had only waited, then...¡± she began, anguished.


    ¡°You can not-not wind back the clock. What has happened can not-not be changed.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°Besides, if you did-did your best, you should not-not be so hard on yourself. Even Akio and I fail sometimes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Only a few days ago... we lost a lot of people. Young people. And a young woman, a Candidate like me, she died in my arms. I failed to rescue them. I wasn¡¯t fast enough or strong enough. But I did rescue some. I was distraught, but I can¡¯t let that failure weigh me down, otherwise it¡¯ll just happen again. So stand up. You want to find out what happened to your father? Well, you have information to trade with us. I¡¯ll see you get a fair price.¡±


    Daiyu shook her head. ¡°I am no fool. My value is little, compared to what you could get for my death. The Party and those treacherous Sects, they would no doubt look favourably on you and your country were you to sell me to them. It would show others who may be thinking of rebelling that nowhere is safe. When I see a free meat bun, I always assume it is poisoned. I am seldom mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Well, dinner wasn¡¯t, was it?¡± I gestured to the uneaten food. ¡°Look, I get you are paranoid, lost, but I¡¯m not the sort of person who sells out people to death or worse.¡± Not unless they deserve it, like Kondou Kazuo, or there¡¯s no other real choice, like with Yamato-san. Neither applies here.


    ¡°You may be an arrogant Young Master, but you don¡¯t run the Country.¡± She scoffed, her eyes hard. ¡°I despise people who make promises they cannot honour.¡±


    ¡°As do we.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded. ¡°What it comes down to is, our interests are aligned. We want to prevent the potential threat from these runaway elements, you want information from them, and need backing, as you¡¯ve lost your own. I can provide backing. If you are prepared to let Shaeula bind you to a promise of cooperation with her befuddling winds, you can leave here with us right now. And if you agree to help me, that makes you my ally, my friend. And I never back down when my friends are in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Bind me? Winds?¡± she asked, wary, perhaps knowing of similar Qi techniques.


    ¡°I have the ability to confuse the mind, it is quite-quite true.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°We have discovered that a better way to wield such power, is to seek-seek voluntary acceptance of it. An oath honestly sworn under the winds, it sinks deep-deep, and breaking given word then is... challenging. Indeed, you would likely see no-no reason to.¡±


    She still looked doubtful, but I really wanted her onside. Cultivation... it¡¯s another route to power, most likely. Even if I¡¯m not able to do it, others can benefit. The stronger we are, the better. There was also the suspicion that the Red Dragon Tsukiko-san saw in her many visions was also China, or at least something related, so if it came to battle, having someone who had knowledge, and also apparently a person on the inside... well, I¡¯ll have to sweeten the pot.


    ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± Daiyu asked, sensing the change in the flow of aether and elemental energy within me. Pouring all of my energy into the sacral chakra, I condensed all of my water element into a small droplet in my palm, the water shining silver.


    ¡°Daiyu¡¯er, you wanted to know about the Spiritually Pure Physique. Well, I¡¯m not sure I can teach anyone, but... for a friend, I¡¯d try my best.¡± Her eyes were fixed on the shining droplet, her usually stoic expression shattered, mouth hanging open.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to promise to help you get revenge. I don¡¯t know the full circumstances, and some of the people involved may have their reasons. But if you think that the people involved are as vile as you say... well, chances are they¡¯ll make a move on Japan at some point. And I will not stay silent, or show mercy then.¡± I made to close my palm, but her hands shot out, grabbing my fingers in an iron grip. I could have overpowered her, but the look on her face, of such rapture, was amusing.


    ¡°That... that is Spirit Water!¡± she breathed, shocked. ¡°Of such purity, and flowing with a great yang energy! Even the blessing of Chang¡¯e inside me aches for it... where did you get it? Such a treasure is found in the deepest of springs and purest of streams maybe once in a hundred years!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a tough one to answer. But... here.¡± I gently eased my hand free, and pointed a finger to her mouth. The shining droplet slid down it, and as it neared her mouth she licked out, taking up the water. Swallowing it, she shuddered. Quickly adopting a mediative pose, she began to Cultivate, and Shaeula and I watched her with our Eyes, gaining insights as the energy was, instead of being ferried to her sacral chakra, broken down and changed, becoming similar to aether, yet still containing water and moonlight. I see. Just as aether can be changed into elemental energy, rather inefficiently, so can elemental energy be changed into something akin to aether. Is that the essence of Cultivation? I don¡¯t know enough to say...


    After around twenty minutes, she was done, her eyes opening. ¡°That was a precious gift. If only there was more. Breaking through to Accumulation realm might not just be a dream...¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged looks, but I didn¡¯t want to promise anything else. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you understand such rare water can¡¯t be easily given away.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Though a favour unlooked for should always be repaid, lest my Dao suffer and my soul be clouded.¡± She looked at us then, weighing up her options, before she asked me, looking vulnerable, more her age, rather than the confident Cultivator, just a young, scared girl away from home, one who was full of self-loathing and fear. ¡°I... want to do what is right. By my Dao. By my Sect. Even by my country, though I do not recognise these upstarts as the China we swore to protect when Kunlun fled like cowards. By my father, my honoured Patriarch. But I am all alone, and no matter how strong I am, against the might of the Great Sects that betrayed us, I am a chicken, to be killed merely to scare the monkeys.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should reach out. We can help each other.¡± I said, and she nodded slowly.


    ¡°I... if the time comes, when you see what my enemies truly are, scum who betray, steal and think nothing of taking everything for themselves... would you stand by me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did say you were part of an assassination mission, so I don¡¯t think the situation is black and white. But I believe in atonement.¡± That¡¯s why I¡¯m so gutted about Yamato-san. He never got a chance to. Of course, some, like Kondou Kazuo, are lost causes... but if even beings like Duke Formor can relent, then maybe... ¡°If the day comes when they bare their fangs towards Japan, or us... well, they¡¯ll be shown no mercy by me or mine. I know what it¡¯s like to lose people.¡±


    ¡°Us? You would stand up for me? But I am one who has killed, my hands are stained...¡±


    ¡°Mine too. I¡¯ve killed as well.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Did you enjoy it? Revel in it?¡±


    She shook her head, dark hair swaying, in contrast to her drab, grey jumpsuit. ¡°No, I regretted the necessity. But I understood why father wanted me to kill this man, as I understood the previous times. We did not act for greed or cruelty, merely survival.¡±


    ¡°Then I see-see little to worry about.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Become our friend, Daiyu, and we shall help each other.¡± With that, Shaeula held out her hand, another drop of the shimmering water, one she had squeezed out, glittering. With a casual flick she sent it arching through the air, and Daiyu panicked, darting for it, mouth open, only showing relief when she had swallowed it.


    Damn, that was cute.


    ¡°I... find it hard to trust. The path of Cultivation is a lonely one. That is why we group into Sects. Some say it is to share knowledge, but I believe... I believe it is to have those you can share the times with. Friends and rivals. Cultivators must horde power. After all, to Cultivate is to seize what one desires from the world, even the Heavens themselves. Such often leads to temptation and betrayal.¡±


    ¡°I like to look at it a different way. Being strong alone, I can¡¯t protect everyone. If we are strong together, then we can share the burden.¡± I answered her. ¡°And to prove it, I¡¯ll help you master the Spiritually Pure Physique. I can have Shaeula bind me with her winds if you wish, so you know I¡¯m not cheating you.¡±


    Shaeula looked rather affronted at that, but I felt it important to be fair. Too much is at stake. I¡¯m getting a bad feeling, the more we talk about these Cultivators. Perhaps it¡¯s my Foresight starting to react... hesitation would only put Tsukiko-san and others at risk.


    ¡°I see. Well, I do not know just what arts these winds are, but...¡± she met my gaze, dark eyes peering into my grey ones. ¡°I swear it to the Heavens, upon my Dao itself, may my Cultivation be shattered if I break my oath, leaving me forever powerless. May Chang¡¯e, immortal Goddess of the moon, condemn me should I prove faithless. For as long as you...¡±


    My Foresight was screaming at me that something was about to happen. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was dangerous, but it surely wasn¡¯t good. ¡°Wait, stop, you don¡¯t need to...¡± I began, but she tossed her head, irritated, speaking out.


    ¡°... aid me in my quest to restore the Incorruptible Jade, helping me show my enemies the justice they deserve, protect me and teach me the arts you have promised, I, Zhao Daiyu, perhaps the last of the Incorruptible Jade, Black Jade the Ever Beautiful, shall stand with you, and never betray you, unless I am betrayed first, following your orders. If betrayed, I shall not rest until I have struck you down, ended your faithless life! This I swear, the Heavens as my witness!¡±


    My Eye picked up something then, a vivid streak of what should be invisible lightning, somehow manifested in the Material, and it struck Daiyu. She shuddered momentarily, energy cascading through her network, and then she let out a hoarse gasp, sweat dripping from her. ¡°It seems the Heavens have accepted my vow.¡± She said, the floor damp from the falling droplets. ¡°Now you must hold to your own bargain.¡±


    ¡°That was foolish.¡± I chided her, worried, and the look she gave me was amused, despite her sudden weakness.


    ¡°Why? My vow binds me more tightly than your winds ever could. Do you still not trust me?¡± she answered.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that. Your vow... do Cultivators do that often?¡± Now I¡¯m worried. That was clearly reaching up high into the Astral. Too high. I don¡¯t want anything that draws attention to Earth yet, that¡¯s why I warned Saionji-san to be careful with his abilities...


    ¡°Vowing to the Heavens and the Dao is only done when one wants to be absolutely sure others will trust them, so no, it is rather rare. None in our Sect have done it in over two hundred years, so the records say.¡± She said, as Shaeula helped her steady herself. ¡°If I break my oath, then I will never again be able to Cultivate, my spiritual body shattered.¡±


    ¡°Well, please don¡¯t make any more of those vows. Besides...¡± I realised then the full weight of it. ¡°A girl such as yourself shouldn¡¯t vow to follow someone else¡¯s orders, especially a man.¡±


    ¡°Why, is Young Master Akio...¡± she used my name for the first time. ¡°... going to order me to please him? I had thought you said you were not such a man.¡±


    Shaking my head, listening to Shaeula¡¯s gales of amused laughter, I realised we had picked up quite the firecracker. She¡¯s feeling reckless, desperate, else I don¡¯t think she¡¯d have made such an oath. But really, she made a good choice. I can help her, and her knowledge can be of massive use to both me and the Ministry.


    As I was thinking, she spoke again. ¡°So, am I free to leave this place? Or were you all talk?¡±


    ¡°No, we can go.¡± I looked at her then, glancing up and down. ¡°But first thing we need to do is visit a clothing store, I think...¡±


    With that we strode out past the guards, who stood aside. Daiyu watched them apprehensively, but as soon as they let her pass she relaxed.


    ¡°So, what-what is next?¡± Shaeula asked, and I checked my watch.


    ¡°It looks like the training school and these big-shots Hinata is bringing. There definitely is no rest for the wicked...¡±

 Three Hundred And Four

    Three Hundred And Four


    Shaeula and I took Daiyu to a nearby department store, buying her some new clothes and the daily necessities she would need. It was entertaining seeing her overwhelmed by the crowds of people and the large buildings of Tokyo. When I asked her why she found it so surprising, it seemed that other than a few rare occasions, such as when she was summoned by the new Chinese Ministry (which was surprisingly similar to my concept, although I wasn¡¯t intending to force everyone to donate their strengths to me, of course) she was seldom outside her Sect¡¯s mountain home, constantly Cultivating.


    On the way back to Shirohebizumi, we took a car provided by the military. Daiyu was uncomfortable, seemingly wondering if she would be taken back to prison, but after a while she relaxed. Dressed in a Chinese-style tunic and trousers, her hair now neatly tied together, she looked a different person, some light in her eyes.


    ¡°So, this Cultivation.¡± Shaeula was asking her. ¡°I am most-most curious how it compares to our own training methods. For example, this Qi. It seems merely like ether and aether to me-me.¡±


    Daiyu was a bit troubled by this question, but after a moment of thought, she answered. ¡°The world around us is full of Earthly Qi, though it is scarce compared to the heights our ancestral scrolls talked of. Did talk of.¡± She said, eyes glittering with moisture, probably remembering the loss of her Sect¡¯s home and histories. ¡°The Spirit World is far denser with Earthly Qi, and supposedly there is a purer, stronger Qi, from the Heavens.¡± She looked at me then, curious, as I had told her a little of the description of Spiritually Pure Physique, which did indeed mention Heavenly Qi. ¡°A Cultivator must first learn the art of refining the Qi of the world around them into a form suitable for the body, for using Cultivation arts and techniques.¡±


    ¡°I see. Do you not-not make the distinction between elemental energy and ether?¡± Shaeula asked, having seen the same as I did when she refined the droplets of Spirit Water.


    ¡°It is all Qi, though some Qi is flavoured by an element. Earth, Water, Wood, Metal, Fire. Yin and Yang.¡± She said. ¡°My Foundation requires earth and yang energy to progress and strengthen itself. That is why...¡± she looked down, seemingly embarrassed. ¡°I am grateful. The Spirit Water was rich in yang energy. It is... difficult... for a woman to raise such energy, without resorting to certain troubling techniques.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it.¡± I mused. ¡°Elemental energy can be converted into aether, I did that initially with wind, right?¡± I reminded Shaeula, who nodded. ¡°It caused damage to my network doing it, as wind energy isn¡¯t the same as aether, but I¡¯ve long thought they are all connected. After all, aether can be changed to the elements at a high loss of efficiency, and the body can convert elements to aether, at the risk of spiritual injury.¡±


    Daiyu was listening, clearly interested in such information, anything that might help her improve her Cultivation, and as we pulled up the hills towards the shrine, I asked her if she would be willing to partake in our training session.


    ¡°I would need to observe. I cannot do anything which would affect my Foundation. Now is the most critical time for me, if I am to complete my Foundation and progress to Accumulation. Though were I to be able to learn your Spiritually Pure Physique...¡± she paused, a little confused. ¡°... I still do not understand how you have a Foundation when you have clearly not mastered Qi Refining though, Young Master Akio.¡±


    My lips twitched at how she was addressing me. I¡¯m not a Young Master! ¡°Well, we have other skills that deal with aether, rather than Qi. I¡¯ll give you the rundown when we start.¡± As the military driver opened the door for us, we stepped out into the rapidly darkening evening. Up ahead the training school could be seen.


    ¡°Do not-not worry. You shall be granted a room here.¡± Shaeula promised. ¡°Anything you require, Akio will pay for it. All we ask is your cooperation, and if the moon wills-wills it, those who destroyed your Sect, they shall-shall receive due retribution in time.¡±


    ¡°Anything I require...?¡± Daiyu shook her head. ¡°I need little. Food, a place to Cultivate. What I require, the ancient scrolls, tablets and tags, they will not be found in this land. Though perhaps...¡± the look in her eyes was greedy. ¡°If you have any more of that Spirit Water... I am aware it is a great treasure, so were the Incorruptible Jade still strong...¡± her face was impassive now, denying the harsh reality. ¡°... then such would win our favour, and we would offer riches or knowledge for such a precious treasure that could aid me in breaking through the Foundation. I expect if you provided me with two droplets, you have several times that remaining to trade or coerce with?¡±


    Cultivator logic. I see. ¡°Putting aside the Spirit Water, I¡¯d like to make a portrait of your chakra network, all your meridians and chakras, the capillaries and... dantians, I guess?¡± I asked. ¡°In exchange, I can show you ours, and you will be clearly able to see the differences. It might be useful.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did say I would follow your orders. I do not know how you will see such details, is it another technique?¡± she answered.


    ¡°I have a good Eye. As does Shaeula here.¡± We reached the door of the training school, only for it to open as we arrived, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Eri, Hyacinth and Shiro all waiting for me, Eri still in a wheelchair of course.


    ¡°Akio, welcome home!¡± Hinata said, flying into my arms for a hug. ¡°it must have been hard.¡± She consoled me, beaming a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you!¡±


    Motoko and Natsumi also greeted me warmly, though they were far more reserved than Hinata. Shiro looked at them with a mocking smile. ¡°No need to be so shy. I know you want to hold Aki as well. I know Eri here does.¡± She turned to Eri, who was looking at Daiyu beside me, a wary expression on her face.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± She asked, and everyone¡¯s eyes were now on us. Daiyu seemed a little wary, adopting a fighting stance, but Shaeula patted her back, calling her down. Well, I knew this was coming. But there¡¯s nothing to worry about. She¡¯s an ally and I suppose my ward, in a way, as I¡¯m responsible for her now. But there¡¯s nothing else going on.


    ¡°This is Zhao Daiyu. She was picked up by the military after some... trouble, and as she¡¯s a Candidate too, I seemed the best person to look after her.¡±


    ¡°She holds a strong favour.¡± Tan said, taking over Shiro for a moment. As her hair flickered red with flames, Daiyu called out in shock.


    ¡°Luocha!¡± she cried, on full alert. ¡°Young Master Akio, Shaeula, we must prepare to defend ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Silence, little girl.¡± Tan said in faultless Chinese. I didn¡¯t recognise the word Daiyu had used, but Tan seemingly did. ¡°I am no mere Rakshasi, I am Tan?ha?, daughter of Ma?ra. Your feeble arts, cribbed from your betters, are nothing but words howled into the empty night against me. Were I to so wish, I could crush you and devour you whole.¡± Her ruby eyes flickered to me then. ¡°Alas, I cannot drink deep of your Divine Favour, unless this one here allows.¡±


    ¡°No, I think you know I won¡¯t let you. I¡¯ve agreed to shelter Daiyu¡¯er here, and in exchange she¡¯s sworn to help me with her talents. She¡¯s a Cultivator.¡± I told everyone, Hinata still in my arms, looking between the newcomer and Tan with an expression of wonder.


    ¡°Sworn? A Heavenly Oath. I see. I did so wonder why I could smell the stink of it. Well, fools will be unwise. Drawing the attention of the dwellers in darkness and flame is pitiable, but those of light are hardly any less dangerous.¡± Her eye slid shut, and once more Shiro was in control, seeming to have understood what Tan said, even though she didn¡¯t speak Chinese. I wonder if Tan translated for her in her mind?


    ¡°A Cultivator?¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Well Aki, you¡¯re certainly collecting the tropes. So, sure nothing¡¯s going on? You can tell me, big sis Shirohime won¡¯t be mad. Best confess now, or Eri here might just get her axe...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that!¡± Eri pouted. ¡°Besides, how can you be his big sister? Akio¡¯s older than you!¡±


    ¡°Mayumi-san will suffice. Are we not both daughters of the greatest noble houses in Japan?¡± At that, Miyu looked down, before managing a small, affirming nod.


    ¡°Well then.¡± Mayumi-san clapped her hands together. ¡°Shall we get down to business?¡±


    ********


    ¡°... so of course grandfather has concerns, as do the other noble houses. The events in Kyoto were a disaster, right? You really made a mess of that, Akio-san.¡± She had jumped to using my first name, her confidence, even with an older man like myself, really quite something. I glanced at Hinata, who was grinning wryly, and she shrugged, as if to say what can you do?


    Yes, it seems her friend is extremely confident. Well, I remember that from her attitude at the big meeting, when Shaeula had to put her in her place. ¡°I know Kyoto went poorly, but we won¡¯t let that happen again.¡± I promised. I¡¯ve seen enough injuries and deaths of those around me I swore to protect.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to be certain. After all, if I, Ichijou Mayumi, am to take your Chirurgery, and your training, if I get injured Grandfather will be furious, and the nobility too! Sakura-san and the others will be in your care as well as my brother. None of them can afford injuries.¡±


    I looked at Hinata again, who looked down, a little ashamed. ¡°Sorry Akio. I couldn¡¯t stop the momentum. Fukumoto house may be part of the Fifty-Eight now, but we don¡¯t have much actual influence. I did manage to get my mother to argue for concessions though. She¡¯s still of Takatsukasa descent, after all.¡±


    ¡°You have quite the obsession with profit. Not that I don¡¯t understand, Hinata.¡± Mayumi-san said, ignoring my obvious displeasure. ¡°I myself am taking this venture seriously. That follower of yours, Ixitt, wasn¡¯t it? He sent over some rather interesting plans. My brother will inherit Ichijou house, so I want to make something for myself. This joint business venture seems ideal. You can¡¯t complain, Akio-kun. After all, you¡¯ll be a shareholder in Ichijou house, something few can boast.¡±


    ¡°I apologise as well.¡± Motoko bowed to me, looking chagrined. Beside her Natsumi also seemed down. ¡°I fear this might have been our mistake. We have been showing excellent results in our studies and sports at school. It is only natural that other daughters of nobility would talk to their brothers and parents. The Chirurgery offers great benefits, even if they do not attend the training school after that. It is no wonder they want it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always had excellent grades, as have you two.¡± Hinata pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t need the boosts to excel. But I admit they help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Hinata.¡± Mayumi chided her, imperious. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are hesitating to share such wonderful gifts. I hate missing out on interesting things, and when I see Kabuki or Sumo, I always need to sit at the front! Just remember, I am not to suffer injury!¡± she said, and Hinata snorted, having had enough of her friend¡¯s ignorance.


    ¡°Of course you¡¯ll get injured. I¡¯ve been bruised and battered a lot.¡± Hinata said cheerfully. ¡°But then, I can take it. As long as Akio or Shaeula can heal you up, what does it matter? I doubt you¡¯ll be able to get as strong as us anyway.¡± She stoked Mayumi¡¯s competitive nature. ¡°I¡¯m afraid if you aren¡¯t prepared to suffer a little, you¡¯ll never grow!¡±


    I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fair. Hinata has access to a Rank 2 Lovers¡¯ Link now, of course she¡¯ll be superior. Damn, I can¡¯t believe the nobility wants me to perform so much Chirurgery. I have my hands full with the last of the Special Forces, and I have the Black Wolf Company to do, and...


    Seeing my expression, Miyu came over, trailed by Michiru-san. The look on her face was similar to Motoko¡¯s, rather ashamed. I could see Daiyu watching all this, puzzled and defensive, but Shiro was with her, eye red, Tan obviously talking to her in Chinese so she wasn¡¯t left all alone. Shaeula, meanwhile, was with Ren-san and Keomi-chan, with the rest of the trainees, Eri and Hikawa-san gathered around them.


    Yeah, we aren¡¯t getting much done this evening. Well, I don¡¯t have too much time, anyway.


    ¡°I apologise for this. Grandfather is also keen on having my cousin Honoka-san, as well as other nobles, blessed by your efforts.¡± She bowed deeply. ¡°I understand it might be a burden, but I shall make it up to you. I need to please grandfather, now more than ever, after keeping my status a secret for so long.¡±


    ¡°A real man would push through and perform, no matter the odds!¡± Michiru-san insisted, stoutly.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true I¡¯m stronger now, but even so, the sheer weight of Chirurgery, coupled with what I need to do other than that... damn, my schedule is going to be brutal for the next few weeks. I have to look at Chirurgery for those Haru-san identified as worthwhile from Conclave as well...¡±


    ¡°You have my sympathies. I... I am learning just how hard it can be to have power, not just relying on the weight of my family.¡± Miyu declared. ¡°it is not as frightening as I feared, but even so, it is hard. I do not envy you.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been keeping up with your Territory, as well as your dancing?¡± I asked, and she nodded gracefully.


    ¡°With your help, I have been able to grow my realm. I still shake with fear fighting monsters, but I can defeat some now.¡±


    ¡°I, Koga Michiru, shall never allow you to come to harm so long as I draw breath!¡± the little ninja girl declared to her, red scarf flapping.


    That gives me an idea. Considering what I have planned later... ¡°Miyu, if you want to return the favour, how about helping me out tonight with some experiments in my Territory. It¡¯ll be safe, there¡¯s no danger. Can you get permission from your grandfather to stay out tonight?¡±


    ¡°Ordinarily, it would be a great shame being with a man unaccompanied. But he trusts you, as do I. I offered you a precious gift that I did not know the value of, and instead of taking it from me gleefully, you helped me understand my worth, and gave me the strength to put it to use. I shall contact grandfather. I assume Michiru may accompany me?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. Anyway, let me have a word with Hikawa-san, and then I have to get Daiyu¡¯er settled in, and start Chirurgery and Ether Healing...¡± the expression on my face must have been forlorn as Miyu let out a small laugh, unusual for her, as she was quite the solemn girl. Even Michiru-san behind her looked similarly amused.


    ¡°I shall leave you to your efforts then. I shall aid Hinata-san in restraining Mayumi-sama... Mayumi-san. Come, Michiru!¡± With that they joined the noble group, trying to calm the feisty Mayumi-san...

 Three Hundred And Five

    Three Hundred And Five


    ¡°Oshiro-san...¡± Hikawa-san spoke as I approached him. He was on the edge of the group of trainees, looking pensive, especially when he looked at the pale Keomi-chan.


    ¡°Hikawa-san.¡± I returned his hesitant greeting. Glancing around, I realised I couldn¡¯t see Ren-san. Asking where he was, I got a surprising answer.


    ¡°My son is down in the gym. Even though he¡¯s injured, he said he wanted to get stronger.¡±


    I see. I guess the experience has changed him. ¡°Well, those are laudable sentiments.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to him later. He shouldn¡¯t push himself too hard, especially when he¡¯s still healing.¡±


    ¡°Just like you didn¡¯t, or Mori-san?¡± Hikawa-san looked at Eri in her wheelchair with some guilt. ¡°Look, Oshiro-san...¡± he hesitated again, searching for what words to say, before deciding to be honest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We should have come to you first, rather than propping up Yamato-sama. But we agreed it wouldn¡¯t do any harm, and that it would be an ideal way of fulfilling our commitments...¡±


    I disagreed with his sentiments, but I let him speak, knowing he needed to get it off his chest. ¡°... well, you know how it ended up. Susanoo is effectively destroyed as a faction. Uchida-sama is secluded in grief, Yamato-sama is in a coma, and those of us who let our children, grandchildren and other relatives die are wracked with guilt.¡± His smile was bitter as he continued. ¡°Tsukuyomi seems to have ended too, so now it¡¯s just your faction, and Amaterasu. Even Saionji-san seems to be supporting you to an extent.¡± He let out a bitter sigh. ¡°When I first met you at the behest of Izumi-san, I simply thought you¡¯d be a good tool to boost Susanoo. Who would have thought that you¡¯d end up saving my daughters...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the twins, how are they? They should be out of danger, but even so, healing such horrible injuries takes time.¡± I asked, concerned. Shaeula and I do need to give them a further round of Ether Healing to remove scars and other minor wounds we didn¡¯t focus on, but since they are stable, it doesn¡¯t need to be immediately, even though I want to prioritise them. Damn, I have too much on my plate. If only there was someone else that could learn.


    ¡°They surprised me.¡± Hikawa-san muttered, shaking his head. ¡°Despite their terrible ordeal, they still want to return to the training school. They aren¡¯t even out of middle school yet, but they have more guts than their father, that¡¯s for sure. Ren too. Can you say something to him again? He¡¯s still blaming himself.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I agreed. ¡°I understand what it is to feel guilty over things like this, but really, he did the best he could, and thanks to that... well, we avoided the worst. So, Chiaki and Chiasa are willing to continue?¡± I was relieved at that. If they wanted to quit, of course I¡¯d respect that, but coupled with Haru-san, they were invaluable as a learning tool, and were they to continue gaining strength, they should be powerful assets in the future.


    ¡°Yes. They are here too, along with the girl there.¡± He nodded at Keomi-chan, who had turned out to be the one with the least injuries of the four girls we rescued, despite looking so horrible initially, so her physical wounds were now healed. Though the mental shock she suffered was worse, along with Hotene-san, the girl who was blinded. I don¡¯t think Hotene-san has been released from the hospital in Kyoto yet...


    ¡°I see. Well, if I get chance I¡¯ll do a little more healing to finish their recovery. The sooner we can mend them the better, right?¡± I tried to lighten the mood a little.


    ¡°Right.¡± Hikawa-san managed weakly. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve said my piece. As for the others, they are likely too ashamed to show their faces here. Other than the neutral shrines, of course. Not that they are neutral anymore.¡± He let out one last long, bitter sigh. ¡°To think the dream of uniting the faiths of Japan would be done largely by an outsider. Well, I suppose with the noble Lady Diviner, Saionji-san and Kudou-san in your corner, our traditions and history will endure. Well, I¡¯ve taken enough of your time.¡± He stepped away, having said what he wanted to.


    With that I went to speak to Marika-san, Keomi-chan and Kana. The students from the neutral shrines were there as well, and I exchanged some words with them, thanking them for their prudence, before speaking to Keomi-san. ¡°How are you? You shouldn¡¯t have forced yourself to come if you don¡¯t feel well.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is my shrine, isn¡¯t it, Akio-kun.¡± She managed a weak giggle. ¡°I didn¡¯t come far. And my leg is healed, isn¡¯t it.¡± She stood, showing us she could walk again. She was clearly trying to appear as the impish, airheaded young girl I knew her as, though her grin was a touch off, and her face was pale.


    ¡°I know, but mental scars are harder to heal. If Haru-san wasn¡¯t so busy we could try her Mind Healing Light and a few other things. Just... hang in there, okay?¡±


    She nodded, faint tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I promise. But maybe... maybe some cake from that super-good store would cheer me up?¡± she winked at me adorably, pigtails bouncing, and I gave in with a laugh.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll send someone to buy a lot.¡± I promised, and as she gave a happy ¡°Yay!¡± in return, I turned my attention to Marika-san.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked. ¡°Your mother was pretty adamant about bringing you back to Nishimorioka, and I can¡¯t say I entirely blame her. I do think you¡¯d be better off here, learning more and becoming stronger, but... in the end, it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    The group was silent as Marika-san thought about it. ¡°Mother was very forward.¡± She admitted, in a quiet voice. ¡°I was terrified. People I knew... they¡¯d died.¡± She was as serious as ever, acting way beyond her age. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced a lot of fearful things here in Tokyo and Kyoto, since I chose to honour Chairo-sama by following you. But this is the path I chose. I¡¯ll be a shrine maiden that Chairo-sama can be proud of, that Japan can be proud of. That grandfather, father and... most of all, my mother can be proud of.¡± She gave me a wan smile then. ¡°Perhaps it might be different if I was hurt like Keomi-san, but...¡± even so, I could see she was afraid, her hands trembling a little.


    Damn, she¡¯s a very brave little girl. Reaching out, I patted her head, surprising her. ¡°With an attitude like that, you¡¯ll definitely succeed. Can I ask you to look after Keomi-chan for me?¡±


    As she nodded, Keomi-chan protested. ¡°But Akio-kun, I¡¯m the older one, shouldn¡¯t I be looking after her?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, I think that Marika-san is more mature, so... I¡¯ll leave it in her hands.¡±


    As Keomi-chan protested, there was laughter, and the tense mood evaporated. Kana was next to speak to me. ¡°Hey Akio, if you are wondering, my friends were definitely shaken up by the whole mess, but... they¡¯ll be back. Especially when I showed off the light element I gained.¡± She smiled. ¡°So anyway, who¡¯s the new girl?¡±


    Several others echoed her, interested. ¡°She¡¯s Zhao Daiyu, from China. A Cultivator, if you can believe in such things. She¡¯s also another Chosen by the Gods.¡±


    ¡°I see. Collecting them, aren¡¯t you?¡± She smirked, though I could see a touch of irritation in that smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be of use to you, assuming you can trust her.¡±


    ¡°Well, she swore an oath I don¡¯t think is easy to break.¡± I reassured her, but strangely, that only served to irritate Kana more, and she tossed her head, making an indelicate noise of disapproval.


    ¡°I see. Well, whatever, I¡¯m not the boss of you, am I?¡± her expression softened then. ¡°So anyway, seems there¡¯s some big-shots about tonight. I remember them from the huge meeting we had.¡± She nodded at the group containing Miyu and Mayumi-san. ¡°Her bodyguard is here too, outside with the people from Fujiwara Security Services. There¡¯s more of them than ever. I guess it makes sense, with all that happened...¡± her voice dropped, barely more than a whisper by the end, and I knew that Kana had been affected by the deaths as well. Seeing me looking at her with compassion, her skin tinged pink, and she met my gaze.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m fine, all right? Like Marika-chan, I¡¯ve been through some horrible experiences. I¡¯ve toughened up. I¡¯m not the selfish girl I used to be. Well, not totally.¡± She paused. ¡°I do have a request, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s selfish or not, though.¡±


    Oh? ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been a real help to me recently, so ask away, and if I can, I¡¯ll grant it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s saying things like that which lead to misunderstandings.¡± She pouted. ¡°If I¡¯m so valuable to you, why don¡¯t you... you know what, never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter. What does is...¡± she took a deep breath, steadying herself. ¡°... I¡¯ve been thinking. A lot. Unusual for me, I know.¡± She smiled mockingly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how hard you and Shaeula have been working, trying to heal the injured, granting power to so many... I¡¯ve listened to Aiko-chan and her dreams of becoming someone who deals with fitness and magic. Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s older than me, she seems so determined.¡±


    ¡°No, my sis isn¡¯t as mature as you think.¡± I assured her, amused. ¡°It¡¯s just... she never really had a goal, now she does. A goal changes people. It changed me. I was drifting aimlessly as well. Now I can¡¯t afford to any longer. It¡¯s simple.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say you can¡¯t, Akio.¡± Kana laughed. ¡°You have a lot of people to support, and not just your pretty girls. All of us. Japan. Now this girl from China too. I hear you promised the Lady Diviner as well. You¡¯re stretched pretty thin.¡±


    More laughter all around, as I scratched my head ruefully. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t I know it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve decided too. You said I should be proud of my gifts, my eyes, and my ability to sense fragmented thoughts. Well, I¡¯ve talked to my parents and grandfather when I got back from Kyoto, as well as Shirohebi...¡± she shook her head. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe I can talk to our kami whenever I want. Well, Akio, I want to learn Chirurgery and Ether Healing too. I want to help, and I think this is something you need. You and Shaeula have been looking exhausted since Friday night. It¡¯s kind of pitiful to see.¡± She teased me.


    ¡°The other two are Mr Schwartz, who runs one of the largest hedge funds in America. He had a bad fall recently, destroying his hip and upper leg. Due to a hereditary condition and the severity of the injury, it seems that a hip replacement won¡¯t work, so he¡¯s destined to be confined to a wheelchair. If we can prevent that, well, he¡¯s prepared to pay us fifty million dollars. He¡¯s a man who cherishes being active and his hobbies, despite his advancing age.¡± Hinata continued.


    ¡°Small change compared to what I managed.¡± Mayumi-san said proudly.


    ¡°True. But even so, fifty million dollars can purchase a lot of necessary property in our Territory. Good job!¡± I praised Hinata, who leaned in, happily.


    ¡°As for Mr Goldmeyer...¡± Hinata¡¯s expression changed, troubled. ¡°He has recently suffered a large cardiac incident, suffering damage to his heart, but worse, to his nerves, and he is partially paralysed. Doctors say that if he doesn¡¯t have surgery he¡¯ll certainly suffer further worsening of his condition, but that the surgery only has a forty percent survival rate. He is the largest shareholder in a major computer chip company, one everyone has heard of, and we use a lot in Nichibotsu products. If we can improve his condition, we¡¯ll receive a five percent stake, as well as preferential deals on their products... and also access to some of their scientists and researchers.¡± She smiled. ¡°He was puzzled at that request when Grandfather gave it. He thinks Nichibotsu is intending a new product line, but it¡¯s actually for Ixitt.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, cancer, shattered bones and the heart and nerves. This is going to be tough.¡± At least it¡¯s not regenerating lost parts. Though again, I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t.


    I must have been frowning, as Hinata looked a little worried. Still in my embrace, she looked up at me. ¡°Can you do it? I should have asked first, but I just thought if it was you, it¡¯d be possible. After all, you healed my grandfathers, and have managed to save the girls...¡±


    ¡°She has a great deal of faith in you.¡± Mayumi-san grinned. ¡°I can hardly wait to see if it is misplaced or not.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I reassured Hinata. ¡°Shaeula and I will manage. And we¡¯ll reap the rewards.¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, I¡¯d best go see grandfather and let him know to start.¡± As she left my arms, a touch regretfully, Hinata entered the room, while I turned to Kana. ¡°Well, your eyes, they only pick up abnormalities, right? I think it¡¯s going to be hard for you to make this work, but we¡¯ll have to see precisely what you can do.¡±


    Kana nodded, and soon we were ready to go. The nurse had sedated the patients, while the doctor was monitoring their vitals with portable medical machinery. Exchanging a look with Shaeula, I asked which patient we should work on first.


    ¡°The bones. That seems quite-quite the challenge.¡± She grinned. At the bedside of Mr Schwartz our eyes flared amber, as we inspected the damage. I let out a low whistle, indeed shocked. ¡°Yeah, the hip-bone and parts of the upper thigh are barely fragments and powder, and most of the muscles are ruined. There¡¯s some nerve-damage here too. No wonder they can¡¯t just try a hip replacement.¡±


    ¡°How shall-shall we proceed then?¡± Shaeula asked, and I paused for thought.


    ¡°Well, all, or at least enough of the bone is still there, even if it¡¯s not intact. We gather it together in the proper shape, and...¡± as we discussed it, the doctor and nurse looked on, equal parts awed, terrified and curious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are from the hospital in Kyoto.¡± Fukumoto-san chuckled. ¡°They know how to keep secrets, and what would happen if they don¡¯t.¡±


    That concern allayed, Shaeula and I started our work, extending aether through the body of the patient. It wasn¡¯t as simple a matter as some of the injuries that the girls had suffered, grievous though they were. Just using aether to regenerate the bones wouldn¡¯t work, they were clearly too fragmented, and the damage around it was severe, infection starting to set in despite the obvious presence of extremely potent antibiotics in his system. ¡°Hmm...¡± I muttered, pursing my lips. ¡°Shaeula, can you work on cleansing the infection, repairing the surrounding damage and helping the muscles recover? I¡¯ll try and gather all the fragments into a semblance of the correct shape, and then we can go from there.¡±


    She nodded, and I began to concentrate, all my Split Thoughts working overtime. It was like speed-running a ferociously complex jigsaw puzzle, but with the comparison from his mostly undamaged other hip, I was able to see the ideal outcome, though I needed to activate Body Enhancement for the extra processing power. I really should touch up that other hip and some areas of wear and tear while I¡¯m here...


    Once I had assembled the bone, I noticed there were a few missing areas, but only small parts of the whole, worn away by age and time. As aether flooded into his body, knitting the bones together, I also allowed a little earth energy to permeate them, the idea striking me as my Body Enhancement and Might of the Furious Earth used it in that way. After an hour of stressful work, I mopped my sweaty brow, stepping away, Shaeula already having finished.


    ¡°Done. It looks much improved to me. Consider the tune-up to the other leg a bonus. Right, I think we¡¯ll do the other man next.¡± After a cool drink provided by Hinata, her grandfather watching us together with a sly grin, I inspected our next patient.


    ¡°The heart is in a bad shape. Still, we have some experience with it.¡± I mentioned, and Fukumoto-san shrugged, no doubt remembering the pain he felt at my efforts. Observing with my Eye, I pointed out to Shaeula the areas that seemed damaged.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± She agreed. ¡°Well, it is not-not much more difficult to repair than the last male. I shall leave the heart to you!¡±


    The beats were slower, due to the anaesthetic, but still irregular. Looking at the damaged tissue, I channelled in aether, reducing swelling, cleaning valves and more. I¡¯m glad my memory is good and I studied some anatomy and medical textbooks in my free time. Free time... I remember that...


    The Doctor panicked as the monitoring equipment screamed a warning, saying the patient was flatlining, but that was because the heart had stopped as I did the most delicate work. A few seconds later I restarted it with a jolt, and after a while, we finished up, the damage repaired.


    ¡°That was easier than repairing shattered and powdered bone.¡± I said, and Shaeula nodded. ¡°Well, onto the last, most critical case.¡±


    The woman, miss Lindiwe, looked terrible indeed. I could see her bones under her gaunt, paper-like skin, and despite her rich, dark skin tone, she somehow managed to sport an unhealthy pallor. Poor woman. Cancer is a terrible thing. ¡°Right then, let¡¯s make this a clean sweep.¡±


    This was a different experience to before. Cancer was rife in her bowels, but had also spread to several internal organs. Removing the cancer was easy enough with Ether Healing, but her body was so weak that even cutting free a little pushed her close to death, so Shaeula had to keep infusing her with vitality. It was painfully slow going, harder even than fixing bones, as a mistake here meant death, but after around another hour, we were done.


    ¡°Great job!¡± Hinata enthused, as I gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°When word gets around about these successes, in addition to my grandfathers, we¡¯ll have no shortage of clients from America, Europe, Africa... there are already some from Japan¡¯s nobility and business world who are interested as well...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but not for a week or two, please.¡± I groaned. ¡°We have so much to do, and not enough of me to do it!¡±


    ¡°A shame you are so short on time, I would have loved to invite you out for a drink, grandson-in-law.¡± Fukumoto-san laughed, and I promised him I would visit in the future. Returning to the room behind the mirror, I saw Mayumi-san looking at me with some respect for a change, while Kana was rubbing at her eyes, exhausted, and Daiyu seemed excited.


    ¡°You... what did you do? That woman, her Qi was almost exhausted, the flames of life ebbing low, and now she is regaining her vitality. What arts are these?¡± Daiyu asked me eagerly.


    ¡°Healing arts. We can discuss it later.¡± I assured her. She complained at that, that I was brushing her off, but I had other concerns right now.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± I asked Kana.


    ¡°Difficult.¡± She sighed. ¡°So hard the old me would have given up by now. I have much better control over my sight, it¡¯s true, but you are right, it only sees abnormalities. I could see the aether you injected in, and what you were healing, but little else. Now I have a fierce headache as well.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well, that gives me an idea. But that¡¯s for later. For now, I want to see the twins and run a bit of healing on them to finish their recovery, before we go to the Boundary. We have to meet Primal Forest soon.¡±


    ¡°Wait, before that.¡± Mayumi-san said. ¡°While we are here, I believe you might as well give me this Chirurgery. Hinata here survived it well enough, and I¡¯ve seen proof of your talents in action. I am no longer concerned by it. So, go ahead.¡± She smiled at me challengingly, and I heard Hinata laugh a little bitterly.


    This girl. She really is a selfish little princess, far more than Shaeula ever was. Oh well, I suppose today or tomorrow, it doesn¡¯t matter, but... A mischievous grin crossed my face. I wonder how little miss pampered will cope with the rather nasty pain...

 Three Hundred And Six

    Three Hundred And Six


    ¡°Wait, I can¡¯t let you take the risk, Mayumi-sama!¡± her elegant bodyguard declared, eyeing me fiercely, moving protectively between Mayumi-san and me, as if to defend her. Bemused, since it was Mayumi-san who was asking me for this favour, I waited for her reaction.


    ¡°I appreciate you looking out for me, Tsurugi, but there¡¯s really nothing to worry about. I¡¯ve told Akio-kun to keep the pain levels down, and Hinata has had it done already, Motoko-san too. That reminds me.¡± She said, curious. ¡°Why can¡¯t you anesthetise us, like you did for your healing surgeries?¡±


    A good question. ¡°Since the Astral body is so tied to one¡¯s consciousness, I think it might be problematic to not be awake when the Chirurgery happens. I can¡¯t say for certain, but it¡¯s a gut instinct, and Shaeula agrees with me.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well then...¡± the elegant yet dangerous girl said frantically. ¡°I should go first, to absolutely make sure it¡¯s safe! I can¡¯t let you take part in something I haven¡¯t experienced, Mayumi-sama, despite the supposed safety of such a procedure!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mayumi-san mused. ¡°Well, I think you worry too much, Tsurugi. Akio-kun has no reason to cause me harm. After all, we¡¯re going to be partners in Ichijou House¡¯s new venture. But if it would put your mind at ease...¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have an agreement to perform Chirurgery on any bodyguards.¡± I protested. I know Chirurgery is important, but I¡¯m getting a bit sick of it at the moment, and there¡¯s still so much more to do.


    ¡°Surely it isn¡¯t an issue?¡± Mayumi-san smiled. ¡°After all, we are business partners, aren¡¯t we? This small favour won¡¯t hurt you, so can¡¯t you spare it to make our relationship stronger?¡±


    ¡°If I might?¡± Hinata interrupted, her expression impish, and I could see the ambition in her eyes. I see she has an idea. At my nod she continued. ¡°Mayumi-sama, I hope you can excuse my rudeness, but it seems to me that all of these favours only flow one way.¡±


    ¡°Hinata, that¡¯s rude. And wrong!¡± Mayumi-san argued. ¡°After all, haven¡¯t I brought Akio-kun a stake in a large, no, a world-leading mining company?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you managed to secure an equal stake for yourself, despite Akio doing all the actual work.¡± She pointed out, and I found myself nodding. Well, it¡¯s not that I mind, after all, I¡¯d have never known about Miss Lindiwe and her cancer, and it saved her life, so Mayumi-san taking payment from that isn¡¯t necessarily wrong, but still, she¡¯s very demanding.


    ¡°Well, Akio-kun is getting a stake in Ichijou house¡¯s industries, which is unprecedented. Even my future husband won¡¯t receive a direct stake, only the ability to use mine.¡± Mayumi-san protested.


    ¡°I see. So you¡¯re saying your future husband could come in and start causing problems for Akio in your joint industry? Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Why are you being so hard-headed, Hinata?¡± she protested. ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± I winced at that, knowing that Mayumi-san¡¯s definition of friend was different to Hinata¡¯s, and that had caused her a lot of anguish. Though some good did come out of it. Hinata admitted her upset that day had pushed her to propose properly to me, with the help of her parents. At the time I found it an imposition, but now... with how cute and affectionate Hinata was, as well as how very helpful she was in supporting my interests, it had all worked out for the best, and I wasn¡¯t letting her go now.


    ¡°I like to think we are, yes.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Or at least, we definitely will be true friends one day. But business and friendship are two separate things, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I hear that the military are paying a fee, so I¡¯ll pay for Tsurugi!¡± she pouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s a separate deal worked out behind the scenes.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°There are a lot of hidden concessions and benefits that Akio received as well. So just handing over money is worthless.¡±


    ¡°Well, in that case...¡± Mayumi-san began, but Tsurugi stopped her.


    ¡°No, mistress. In matters of security, not even your word can stall me. I¡¯ll not allow you to have this Chirurgery without me. I know you, Mayumi-sama, next you¡¯ll insist on seeing this other world, and if I¡¯m not there...¡±


    Seeing the obvious distress on the face of the bodyguard, I wavered, but Hinata shot me a look, telling me to keep quiet. ¡°I see, well, then how about this? A favour for a favour.¡±


    ¡°What sort of favour?¡± Mayumi-san asked, suspicious.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll be equivalent, I wouldn¡¯t dream of exploiting you, Mayumi-sama.¡± Hinata smiled reassuringly, but I could see the plotting in her eyes, as I knew her pretty well now. ¡°Go ahead Akio. I know it must be tiring constantly performing Chirurgery, but Mayumi-sama here is an invaluable partner. I just hope she realises that what you bring to the table is irreplaceable, whereas if it was money or industrial connections, I¡¯m sure Fujiwara house would suffice, or even our Fukumoto house.¡±


    Mayumi-san continued to complain, but now the deal was struck, Tsurugi-san sat down on the bed, muscles tense. ¡°I am ready. Don¡¯t try anything strange, or else...¡± her gaze was hard.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± I assured her, and Hinata laughed.


    ¡°Oh, Tsurugi, you couldn¡¯t do anything to Akio even if you tried.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°Stop being such a worrier. I know it¡¯s your job, and you treasure Mayumi-sama, just like Kazumi does me. But know your limits.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± I chided them both. ¡°Now, let me work. This is delicate and complicated.¡± I began by using me Eye. Tsurugi, despite her male clothing, had a rather impressive womanly figure, and her muscles were toned and tight. Her network was pretty typical for an ordinary person though, and after a brief assessment, there seemed to be no issues, so I extended my aether, beginning to open her first chakra. Sweat immediately sprang up on her face as she stifled a groan, biting on her lip, brown eyes flashing with pain.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Mayumi-san asked, concerned, but after unclenching her jaw, Tsurugi-san said she was fine, and bade me continue. Some ten minutes later, she was lying down, drenched with sweat, her white shirt sticking to her body, panting heavily.


    ¡°All done. Sorry about the pain, I tried to lessen it as much as I could with Ether Healing, but when you are carving the proper pathways and boring the chakras, it isn¡¯t easy to keep it from hurting. The only consolation is it¡¯s not so much physical pain as mental, so it fades quickly. There¡¯ll be discomfort for a few days while your network purges the debris. Kazumi-san, you can teach her the proper exercises for raising aether.¡±


    At Kazumi-san¡¯s nod I turned to Mayumi-san, who had watched with fascination, but her face had grown pale as her bodyguard suffered. I expect as a pampered ojou-sama, a little princess, she¡¯s never had to face any pain...


    Hinata must have agreed, as her smile was outwardly kind, but I could sense the amusement within it. ¡°What¡¯s up Mayumi-sama? Didn¡¯t you want this? Surely you aren¡¯t scared of a bit of discomfort? Even I managed, commoner girls as well, some younger than you.¡±


    ¡°No, no I¡¯m not! Who do you think I am?¡± Mayumi-san declared, successfully goaded. ¡°I want to see this world Hinata talks about. After all, how can I assess your talents and worth as a business partner without the full information? I just... well, it¡¯s only natural to worry!¡± she declared confidently.


    ¡°Mayumi-sama...¡± Tsurugi-san said warily, concerned.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°Just do it! I don¡¯t like to wait!¡± Mayumi-san said, lying down, though her eyes were wavering. All right then. Here goes... Moments later the screaming began.


    ********


    ¡°Such a shameful display. If the young ladies at school could have seen you...¡± Hinata giggled at the red-faced Mayumi-san, who was breathing heavily, her face covered with snot and tears. ¡°As for you, Tsurugi, you knew what was going to happen, and that Akio meant no harm.¡± The bodyguard had instinctively tried to stop me as I worked, but Kazumi-san and Natsumi had held her down as she struggled. ¡°Besides, if you can¡¯t even beat my Kazumi or Natsumi, how would you stop Akio?¡±


    ¡°She was just concerned.¡± I said, feeling a little guilty. Still, it looked like my secondary objective had been achieved, as some of her boisterous and pushy nature had been curbed by the experience, at least for now.


    ¡°Can you charge them up?¡± Hinata continued, ignoring the bitter look Mayumi-san gave her. ¡°They don¡¯t have time to gather aether naturally, and I want to give them the grand tour. Show them just what you command.¡± Her smile was now shading to the malicious.


    ¡°I shall do it.¡± Shaeula said, having watched the Chirurgery silently. ¡°Akio, you wanted to speak to the twins and finish their recovery, did you not-not?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯ll probably have time to finish Ren-san too. Then we have to meet Primal Forest, right?¡±


    ¡°Who is this Primal Forest?¡± Mayumi-san managed, the lingering pain not having completely destroyed her curiosity.


    ¡°One of the highest nobility of the Fae.¡± Shaeula answered for me, as she poured aether into Mayumi-san¡¯s network, causing her to groan as spiritual debris were flushed, and also her skin to redden, as the experience was mildly pleasurable. ¡°Very much like your grandfather, I would-would surmise. The old tree is quite-quite the mercenary one, always looking out for his profit, but we need-need what he has, so I do hope things go well.¡± Her amber gaze met mine and I knew she shared my desire to protect Kyoto, and Tsukiko-san. Feeling a warm sensation of happiness as Shaeula supported my ambitions, I spoke to Miyu.


    ¡°You can take a look around my Territory too, it might give you some ideas for your own. Then I have something I want you to do. It should double as training, but it might be hard.¡±


    Mayumi-san watched with interested eyes as Miyu agreed readily, probably as she was one of the few girls she would ever acknowledge as an equal because of her family lineage.


    ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll see you shortly.¡± Leaving them to enter the Boundary, I entered the room that the twins were staying in. Ren-san was there now, having finished his gruelling exercises, his hair sticking to his scalp and his priest-robes drenched. ¡°Looks like you really overdid it.¡± I laughed, a breeze from my wind energy quickly stripping the worst of the sweat from him, cooling him down. He looked away, briefly annoyed, but managed an appreciative nod in the end.


    ¡°Well, how are you two?¡± I asked the twins. ¡°I don¡¯t want you pushing yourselves either.¡±


    They exchanged a long glance, probably communicating telepathically, before speaking. ¡°Akio-sama, we appreciate that you worry for us.¡± Chiaki-san said, before Chiasa-san took over. ¡°But we are fine. After all, we have each other. And we have our pride.¡±


    ¡°We want to support our shrine and Ren-sama. And now we have seen the true darkness that lurks...¡± Chiaki-san said, and Chiasa-san finished for her. ¡°... in the world that the kami inhabit. How can we, as daughters of Hikawa shrine, step aside?¡±


    Ren-san looked pained at that. ¡°Please, stop calling me Ren-sama. Look at how hurt you got... and it¡¯s all my fault...¡±


    ********


    ¡°I love what you¡¯ve done with the place.¡± I laughed, as we took our seats, well, our wooden thrones, at the Spring. All around the lake, decking had been laid down and polished to a rich, dark shine, and the Spring itself, while barely, slowly refilling, was clean and pure, rich water element radiating off it. Scaffolding was up along the walls, and viewing platforms were being set up so people could observe and also bathe in the moonlight reflected from the crystals above.


    ¡°Well, it is far-far from finished.¡± Shaeula said, a touch nervously. ¡°Just like the mansion, it is but-but an outer shell. We require cafe?¡¯s, bars and more-more. But even so, it has come-come a long way.¡± She then sighed, changing the subject. ¡°Primal Forest should be here quite-quite soon. Do remember, the treekin see all the Rhyming Trees as theirs, do not-not mention our Territory has them. It might cause friction.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± I agreed. ¡°And I need to remember to not take offense at the slow speed of his actions and words. Really, he sounds just like an Ent.¡±


    ¡°Ent?¡± Shaeula asked.


    ¡°Treefolk from a very famous British story. Perhaps the most famous fantasy one.¡± I looked around. Hyacinth had accompanied us, along with the weaselkin maids Klena and Velna. There were also a few new maids who had been selected for training, as apparently with Shaeula¡¯s lofty status, so few maids was insufficient, and one of them was a black-furred ratkin, possibly one of Ixitt¡¯s many relatives.


    ¡°Well, do not-not make assumptions. Primal Forest is crafty. I shudder to think of what price we shall have to pay. He will likely sense our need, and bargain most-most strictly.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Of course. We need to bring Kyoto into range of our defences. Yes, we¡¯ll have a helicopter on standby soon, and we have pilots in the Black Wolf, and I¡¯ll learn myself, but...¡± If the attack comes on the Material, the Ring Gates will be useless. If however the attack is as I suspect in the Boundary, then we can react near-instantaneously...


    It was then a herald came over, declaring Primal Forest and his entourage had arrived. Shaeula reached out, one hand grasping mine, the small hand warm in my grip, and we waited, trying to look dignified and imposing. So that¡¯s one of the Princes of the Seelie, huh?


    Seeing the massive Treekin unfold to his true height after passing through the tunnel in a crouched pose, I marvelled at him, Primal Forest being one of the stranger sights I had seen. He was surrounded by a cloud of what looked like honey-bees, and small sprites seemed to be hiding in his mossy beard and hair, only to jump out and flit about here and there on gossamer wings. When you think faeries, they are definitely what first comes to mind...


    Primal Forest was followed by what looked like women made of vines, with long, white petals dangling from their waists like bell-skirts, as well as some smaller treekin. Stopping in front of the Spring, close enough for his roots, which he was walking on, to dangle in the shallow water, he sat on the massive bench we had hastily thrown together for the occasion.


    ¡°It is good to see you again, noble Primal Forest.¡± Shaeula took the lead in greeting him. ¡°This is my chosen husband, Akio Moonstone Oshiro.¡± She gave it in Western order.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you.¡± I said as regally as I could, relying on my Majesty and the hasty etiquette lessons Shaeula had drilled into me. ¡°I have heard much about you from Shaeula and Shaeraggo.¡±


    ¡°Har. Har. Har. Nothing good, if your brother has anything to say.¡± He intoned slowly, greeting Shaeula, before turning slowly to me, his hoary face peering at me, the eyes holding a slow but ancient wisdom. ¡°As for you... mortal, yes. But not wholly so. There is a great deal of Fae about you. Fitting, yes.¡±


    ¡°My thanks. I do hope to be a fitting husband to Shaeula, and support her ambitions here in the Spring and the wider Court¡± I accepted his compliment, and returned one of my own. ¡°I must thank you for your efforts to reforest and replant the barren area around the Shrine. It would have taken us far longer to even begin, were we to do it ourselves.¡± The broad expanse was still bare in many places, but small groves had formed, and seeds were spreading, weeds and grasses the first to start returning over the wider expanse. Shaeula pointed out some useful herbs that had started to bloom. Perhaps this land will be a treasure for us in time...


    ¡°A great tragedy...¡± his words were slow, but showed no impatience. ¡°... when the vile Myconids took the Spring, so many fine trees and plants died. Do you know, the Rhyming Trees used to bloom here, earth and water trees towering high above the forests, enriching the lands.¡±


    This is the subject Shaeula didn¡¯t want to touch on. ¡°Well, I fear that any such Trees would have died over the centuries, but perhaps they can rise again.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°We would be most-most happy to see Fae trees growing here once more. But Rhyming Trees are not-not common, there are few seedlings.¡±


    ¡°That is why each loss is such a great tragedy.¡± Primal Forest boomed. ¡°If only you could have struck down the foe sooner. Well, haste makes waste, as they say, and it is not fair to expect miracles.¡± He paused for longer than usual. ¡°So, Princess. You called me here to make a trade, did you not?¡±


    Shaeula seemed surprised the long-winded and ponderous Treekin cut to the chase, but she nodded regally. ¡°Yes, noble Primal Forest. Just as you traded the mushrooms to create a paired Faerie Ring Gate to my brother, I would ask-ask that you offer Akio a pair, for a fair price. We will not-not forget this favour if you do.¡±


    ¡°Ala...¡± he turned to one of the plant-women. ¡°Show the Princess.¡± With that, the petalled skirt of one vine-woman unfurled, and a number of mushrooms were visible, the same sort as Shaeraggo had installed for us.


    ¡°Such mushrooms are scarce. Fewer even than the beautiful Rhyming Trees. Only we plantkin can cultivate them.¡± He boomed. ¡°The price is seldom cheap. I ask, why do you need them?¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged looks. She nodded, so I explained. ¡°I need to protect a land far from my own. I made Oaths to that effect. Knowing that, I seek a boon of a Faerie Ring Gate I can establish, so that when enemies strike, I can react and crush them as we crushed the Myconids here.¡± I played that up, knowing how much Primal Forest hated them.


    ¡°I see. Oaths. Speaking of Oaths...¡± He sniffed, sucking in a great rush of air, ruffling Shaeula¡¯s amber hair. ¡°Tell me, where did you meet a Dryad?¡±


    The question gave me pause. ¡°A Dryad?¡± I asked, and he nodded ponderously, wood creaking, bees and sprites scattering.


    ¡°Yes. A Dryad. One that favours you greatly. I smell a Kiss upon you, not-quite-human.¡± He boomed, and his face twisted into an amused, knowing expression. ¡°You have a long way to go yet, little Duchess.¡± His laugh was staccato, slow and thunderous. ¡°Your face reveals too much. I understand, as the rumours said, your education was... lacking.¡±


    Shaeula conceded with a nod. ¡°I admit it freely, noble Primal Forest. My attitude was most-most poor as well. But I shall learn. I thank you for your counsel. I shall learn from my father, and my mother.¡± At that, she grinned, as Primal Forest clearly reacted. ¡°Yes, I did-did find my mother again, in the land Akio wishes to protect. She was most pleased to see me once again. I do so-so hope that this is the start of a rekindling between my mother and father, and perhaps between the Night Parade and the Seelie Court.¡± She frowned. ¡°While there are no-no doubt many of the Parade who the lower Astral would be much-much better off without, I would rather accept and manage them, than allow the Parade to traffic with our bitter-bitter enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, better to have allies than enemies.¡± I agreed. ¡°Besides, I guess we already did cull a number of... unsuitable... allies.¡± I remembered the Kijo that Hyacinth slaughtered with her spores, and she did too, as she had a nasty grin on her face.


    ¡°Har. I suspect there is a story there?¡± Primal Forest said at last, after another long rumination to think.


    ¡°There is.¡± I agreed, and I told an abridged version of the battle against the Night Parade, Shaeula interjecting when appropriate. When done, Primal Forest seemed amused.


    ¡°Fierce fighters, the pair of you, it seems. Perhaps you could even give this old wood a challenge. Though do not grow arrogant. Those of us who have endured from antiquity are no weak fools. So, tell me again, where did you meet a Dryad so fond of you, she would give what can only be given once. And to a mortal, of a sort, no less.¡±


    ¡°Noble Primal Forest, if I may-may...¡± Shaeula began, but he waved one massive branch-covered arm, to silence her.


    ¡°I am speaking to your husband. Man to man.¡±


    Fine. I know Shaeula said not to speak of it, but he¡¯s clearly on to us. With my Majesty and League at their maximum, I put on an imperious mien. ¡°Well, in truth, three Trees had survived, well, if you could call it that. The poor Dryad had also endured, mostly insane, by devouring her dead and dying sisters to stay alive. The Trees had barely any time left, the spores consuming them. We took a chance and evacuated them before the final battle with Duke Myrcolaxriath, lest they become the final casualties of war.¡±


    ¡°Evacuated?¡± he looked at me, unblinking. ¡°To where?¡±


    ¡°To a safe place, with rich earth energies. Alas, the weaker tree couldn¡¯t survive, but two did, the Dryad¡¯s tree as well. Even so, it took a lot of work to save it. I guess she was grateful.¡±


    Shaeula winced, but there was only silence. Eventually it was broken. ¡°I see. Ala.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mighty Lord of Nature?¡± the plant-woman with the mushrooms responded.


    ¡°Go with them and help them set up the Gate. I wish for no problems. The mushrooms should not be wasted.¡± He looked at Shaeula then, before letting out long gales of laughter, lasting for an uncomfortably long time. When he finally stopped, he snorted, the sound of tearing wood.


    ¡°I see you worry I may lay claim to the Rhyming Tree. I do believe such trees should be cared for by the treekin, is it not natural? We are the Fae of the trees, after all. But those blessed by Dryads, noble daughters of King Orion, may his wounds heal swiftly, well... perhaps they should be protected most of all. But a Dryad¡¯s Kiss cannot be compelled. It must be given freely. So I have no right to interfere. However...¡± his gaze sharpened. ¡°If I find these Trees neglected, my wrath will be terrible. Each Rhyming Tree is a legacy of the lands of the Fae. So few new ones are born, and with war unending, they dwindle.¡± He spread his branches. ¡°As far as the eye can see, I would have groves and glades. If it takes ten thousand years, I shall still be here to see it done.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, noble Primal Forest, we care for the Trees-Trees greatly, and give them the best-best of everything.¡± Shaeula hastened to reassure him.


    ¡°I do not doubt you, who freed the Spring. But even so... Ala will be my witness, and perhaps when the time is right, I shall see for myself.¡±


    ¡°Right, so what payment do you want for the Ring Gates?¡± I could return the second Earth Tree if necessary, though Asha might mourn...


    ¡°Payment?¡± he snorted once more. ¡°This time, I shall just ask for a favour, in due course. It would not do to be... hasty... in deciding.¡± He laughed again, for nearly twenty minutes.


    ¡°A favour?¡± Shaeula asked, and he nodded slowly. ¡°Well then.¡± Shaeula continued. ¡°I shall not-not allow any favour that hurts our interests, nor goes against my conscience, or Akio¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°So demanding. Just like your father.¡± He boomed. ¡°I can agree to that. After all, I have seen your plans for the Spring.¡± He gestured to the strange surroundings. ¡°So unlike before, yet... better than before, as you demanded. You offered participation, mutual benefit, and I can do the same. Just remember, Faerie Ring Gates are special. And your need is great.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I nodded, accepting the deal. It¡¯s not like I have a choice. Well, at least now I¡¯m starting to feel a little sympathy for Mayumi-san, because we just got Hinata¡¯d...

 Three Hundred And Seven

    Three Hundred And Seven


    With the deal done, despite my unease at the favour we had promised, the next steps were set. Looks like Haru-san and I will be back to Kyoto tomorrow to establish her Territory. No rest for the wicked indeed... Primal Forest seemed interested in the Material world, especially since Shaeula had apparently mentioned some things about it at their prior meetings, and as I explained that Japan was two-thirds forested still due to its mountainous nature, he expressed a desire to see it someday.


    ¡°Well, as a guest, you would be quite-quite welcome.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Although I would ask you to not-not cause any trouble. After all, Akio will rule that land soon enough.¡±


    Wait, what? ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be a figure of influence, but I¡¯ll hardly be in a position to rule Japan.¡±


    She only gave me a pitying look, rolling her eyes at me, before turning back to the slowly laughing Primal Forest. ¡°I confess, I have not-not seen too much of the nature of Japan, though Nishimorioka, his home town, has its fair-fair share of beautiful forests. Speaking of forests, I do believe Akio has gained control over a forest inhabited by Yokai, and they have accepted him. Perhaps you would find those trees quite-quite appealing...¡±


    It''s certainly true that whoever becomes an Astral Emperor is going to have great power, and it seems according to Tan they usually rule the world their Territory encompasses... there¡¯s still no guarantee that¡¯ll be me though. But... I was prepared to rule, to protect those I cared about, and also to prevent those who would abuse their power from gaining authority. It was still hard to think of myself as a ruler though. We finished up our meeting with the treekin, and as it had taken quite a while due to his glacial pace of speech and action, even with the greater time dilation in the lower Astral, we had used up a lot of our time.


    ¡°Right then.¡± I said, gathering the maids, including Hyacinth, and the new plantkin Ala, who was still holding the mushrooms for the Ring Gate. I expect she¡¯ll be reporting back to Primal Forest, but again, he has us over a barrel, as we really need the Ring Gate. ¡°Shall we return?¡±


    Ala, who was floating behind us as we headed out of the Spring and back towards the Ring Gate at the mansion, looked around curiously. Seeing the freshly replanted trees, which were noticeably younger than the rest of the forest around the mansion, she frowned, an unusual expression on her face which was largely human-like, but on closer inspection you could see the skin was made of woven-together vines and fronds. Seeing her displeased look, Shaeula shrugged.


    ¡°Sacrifices needed to be made to save the Rhyming Trees and slay-slay the Myconids. As you can see-see, we are replanting, and the scars will be healed.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ala bobbed her head, her hair, which was a series of vines covered in white and gold flowers, dancing. ¡°To save a Rhyming Tree, much can be risked. Even so, I pity the trees and plants who perished.¡± Her expression changed, the slit in the vines that was her mouth narrowing. ¡°And to slay the defilers of life, the pestilent fungi, I expect the trees rejoiced, knowing their sacrifice was not in vain, nor for mere vanity.¡±


    Vanity, huh? ¡°Well, sometimes we need to cut down trees, or remove plants, right?¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Ala agreed. ¡°Though it pains me to see beautiful trees turned into mere lumber, or plants picked for their beauty, only to wither and die. But we plantkin accept this as the circle of life, that some must give so that nature endures. Though you mortals...¡± her strange scowl intensified. ¡°... you do go overboard, stripping the land bare, polluting the soil and water...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± I acknowledged that humanity had done a lot of ill to nature under the banners of greed and progress. ¡°But Japan is still a country with a lot of nature. And as for my Territory... yes, I want it to be modern and take advantage of progress, but I also want it to be welcoming and peaceful too, full of natural beauty.¡± As we reached the Ring Gate, the mushrooms drinking in the shining ruby energy of the earth to fuel it, I addressed her worries. ¡°I know you are here to scope out my Territory for Primal Forest, otherwise you¡¯d have just given us the mushrooms, like what you did for Shaeraggo. But don¡¯t worry, I think Primal Forest shouldn¡¯t have any complaints.¡±


    Passing through the Ring Gate there was the usual brief moment of dislocation, before I stepped out into Shirohebizumi shrine, followed by everyone else. The air was filled with the scent of soil, bark and fruit, which was another strange thing, as without wind, how could the scent spread? Still, all the talk of nature and trees made me appreciate it more, and I took a deep breath, enjoying the moment.


    Behind me, Ala looked up at the towering Rhyming Tree. ¡°I see. It is as you said.¡± She murmured. ¡°An old Tree indeed. It¡¯s loss would have been another tragedy.¡±


    ¡°I quite agree.¡± A gentle voice said, as Asha appeared, a broad smile on her face. ¡°Welcome back.¡± She greeted us, before turning to the plantkin. ¡°It is rare for me to see plantkin here. I greet you nonetheless.¡± She nodded, her every motion regal, and Ala looked a bit overwhelmed.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine, noble Dryad, daughter of Orion.¡± Ala curtsied, her skirt of white petals held in her dainty green hands. ¡°Your Tree, may it be blessed with good growth and roots that run deep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it shall be.¡± Asha finished. ¡°May your flowers never wither.¡± She returned the greeting. ¡°Now, while you are here, would you like juice? Fruits?¡± she asked, gesturing to the burgeoning orchard. Before we could answer, Ala let out a gasp, as she was examining the mighty Tree.


    ¡°What... what is this?¡± Ala gasped. ¡°Your Tree, what are these?¡± she pointed to the row of stairs spiralling around the trunk, and the large wooden platforms up in the crown.


    ¡°Oh, those?¡± Asha smiled calmly, amused. ¡°It is nothing to be concerned about, merely some functional ornamentations.¡±


    ¡°But... your precious Rhyming Tree, to have such crude construction bolted to it, the bark pierced, wood weeping... such blasphemy!¡± Ala insisted.


    ¡°Blasphemy? Hardly.¡± Asha disagreed. ¡°My Tree, it was dying. Only by falling into barbarism, preying on my weakened and dying sisters, did I manage to endure that hell.¡± Her pretty eyes turned distant, as she remembered what she could of the horrors, fortunately she was not sane at the time, so the worst was clouded. ¡°At great risk, they saved me and my Tree. Another too.¡± She pointed to the second Tree, smaller but still growing healthily, ruby energies playing around it, rising like bubbles. ¡°Even so, my Tree was sickly, dying. Yet the princess and Akio laboured to remove the taint, cure the damages, and even now they fortify my Tree when they can. If you would?¡± she smiled at me brightly, tilting her head.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I reached out to the Tree, pouring my Wood element into it, trying to spread it evenly throughout the Tree. Watching this, Ala was shocked.


    ¡°Great Primal Forest knew he had been blessed by a Dryad, offered her Kiss, but to think he has the power of nature within him... for a mortal, such is vanishingly rare!¡±


    ¡°Rich earth and pure, shining water too.¡± Asha smiled, her pale, green-tinged skin contrasted by her head of luscious red hair. As I watched the two Fae of nature converse and argue, I was struck by how Asha had changed. Her hollow-cheeked pallor had faded, and she had filled out her figure, now no longer thin, but voluptuous and womanly, much as her Tree had recovered. ¡°The earth element is weak compared to what the grove I dwelt in originally possessed, but it strengthens.¡± Her smile at me was joyful. ¡°You promised, didn¡¯t you? When you could, you would strengthen this... this temple...¡± she pointed to the magnificent Earth Altar. ¡°... and the land will be enriched.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should have enough earth element in the Elemental Silos now, it¡¯s just a case of waiting for the open build queues.¡± Actually there are other reasons too. I want to see if the earth element levels and the believer levels stack. If so, that opens further opportunities...


    ¡°See the fruit trees?¡± she gestured to her orchard. ¡°The maid here...¡± she pointed at Hyacinth, who grinned bashfully. ¡°... she helps too, growing her own fruits and vegetables. There is a darkness in her, but her affinity for the land is strong. Flowers too. The hillside is changing, growing.¡± She pointed to a brilliant carpet of white and purple. ¡°That is not all.¡± She smiled, her face in wonder. ¡°We have bees too, strange bees not of the Fae, yet they gather and pollinate, helping the forest, the grove, take shape... spreading seeds. The land, this Boundary...¡± she gestured, arms wide, as indeed several flights of large bees with shining reflective wings were gathering pollen from some of the fruiting trees and flowering bushes. ¡°... it will bloom anew, rich with nature and beauty.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to object to this... this...¡± words had failed Ala. Instead of replying, Asha merely smiled, and it was Shaeula who answered her.


    ¡°All we know-know are the ways of the Fae, the Seelie Court. Other than the Scotsman and those who know him, we have little-little traffic with mortals. Even the Scotsman, he is old.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°I doubt he knows much-much, if anything of the new ways. But I do. Hyacinth as well. We have travelled the mortal world, seen much that is good-good, and some which is evil.¡± She looked around, her eyes glowing. ¡°Yes, the stench of mortal industry does not-not appeal, not-not to me, although Ixitt, he seems to adore it. But such is needed. Luxury, like we do not-not know... I would not-not be without games, and delightful food and alcohol. Travelling through the air is a wonder as well-well...¡±


    Shiro shrugged at the compliment. ¡°I like efficiency. Besides, I get tired of being the one to burn all those grotesque fish-creatures. Aki, it¡¯s been tough, pamper me!¡± She leaned in, only for Eri to join her.


    ¡°Tough? All you did was throw some fireballs. Even just climbing the stairs here is hard work for me right now!¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± I laughed, pulling them both close. Hinata¡¯s eyes flashed regretfully at that, but Shiro smiled.


    ¡°His lap¡¯s free, right?¡±


    ¡°So it is! Sorry, Natsumi, Motoko, I¡¯m going ahead!¡± And with that she sat down on my lap, in-between Shiro and Eri, the top of her head under my chin. ¡°Well, this is nice.¡± She shifted position, and I felt myself heating up. Uh, your bottom is a bit close to... never mind.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Aki? A bit too hot for you? Cradle snatcher!¡± Shiro taunted me cheerfully.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see any man not react when a pretty girl like Hinata is sitting on his lap, and her bottom is... well, you know.¡±


    ¡°Can you all stop making a fool of me?¡± Mayumi-san protested, face red. ¡°And that isn¡¯t proper, even with your fiance?e!¡±


    ¡°Why not? This is like a private resort, owned by Akio. Nobody here can complain.¡± Hinata rebuffed her. ¡°Anyway, the ratkin and weaselkin had these long contraptions, a bit like fire-hoses, and then they went whoosh and sizzle!¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°They were like giant flamethrowers, and soon the whole bay was ablaze. I could feel myself getting stronger just standing there. Not that I was allowed to just stand there.¡±


    ¡°You have to get your hands dirty.¡± Eri said quietly. ¡°I struggled at first, but when I realised sometimes you have to take the life of your enemies... well, it gets easier. At least they are fairly ugly. If they were cute rabbits it might be harder.¡±


    ¡°Harder? But you¡¯d still chop them up with your axe, right?¡± Shiro teased, having already established a rivalry with Eri in the short time they had lived together.


    ¡°If I have to. Motoko and Natsumi are used to handling weapons. They had no trouble. But Hinata isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very noble pursuit for women, martial arts. I know...¡± Mayumi-san looked at Motoko and Natsumi, who were about to protest. ¡°Your family arts are different, being traditional and precious. Even so, it should be the sons who carry them on. But.. if your husband allows it, who am I to say differently?¡± she shook her head. ¡°Well, yes, the flamethrowers were impressive, as were the ones that hurled clouds of jagged rock needles, and the ones that fired jets of pressurised water. I don¡¯t understand how they work, but they would be horrible to fight against. They wouldn¡¯t be a good product though. I am fairly sure such horrific weapons violate International Law, and national dignity.¡±


    ¡°Well, dad has others.¡± Quaela spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve seen my brothers using them.¡±


    ¡°Enough talk of this. You made your point, Hinata.¡± Mayumi-san conceded. ¡°Even so, I shall be a worthwhile partner. I¡¯m Ichijou Mayumi! Everything I do is destined to succeed! Though...¡± she looked discontented. ¡°It¡¯s hardly fair that you are all so strong. I feel wonderful, apart from the irritation, like needles prickling at my veins.¡± She shivered. ¡°I can tell my body is faster, and my mind feels clearer. But compared to you, Hinata...¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just too bad. Anyone can get Chirurgery, but to go further... well, sorry again.¡± she taunted her.


    ¡°I think we should change the subject.¡± I said, as I could tell Shaeula was getting excited, and I could predict exactly what she was going to suggest next, and wanted no part of it. Taking another drink, I looked at Miyu. ¡°So, how was your dancing?¡±


    ¡°Tiring. I do practise traditional dance every day at home, but to dance for hour, after hour... after hour...¡± she did look fatigued. ¡°It was gruelling.¡±


    ¡°You looked like an elegant angel!¡± Michiru-san protested. She then turned to me. ¡°Please praise Miyu-sama, she worked very hard!¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt you did a good job. So, do we know the results?¡± I asked, having already checked and been pleasantly surprised, though I wanted to know more of the breakdown on how we achieved that result.


    ¡°We do. One of your... uh, rat-people...¡± Miyu said, struggling to describe them. ¡°... they were keeping track. At first, my dancing had little effect. But as I continued, the effect increased, the glow of ether in the air growing noticeably brighter around the Anchor. This continued as I danced. If I rested for a short time, no more than a few minutes, the rate continued to grow. If I stopped for longer, it resets.¡±


    I see. Well, it¡¯s as great as I hoped. I¡¯m so glad I didn¡¯t stupidly try and remove her Divine Favour, Miyu is a treasure. ¡°Well, you did well. Very well. Though I¡¯m sorry to say... your ability is so useful I¡¯m going to need it more and more. So to that end, you¡¯ll need to get stronger.¡±


    Miyu nodded slowly. ¡°I understand. I am not eager to fight, but... if I must, I will.¡±


    ¡°Miyu-sama, Natsumi and I shall aid you!¡± Motoko declared, only for Miyu to pull an upset face, surprising them.


    ¡°I am grateful you would offer, Motoko-san. And I intend to accept your gracious offer. I am not too proud to know I am lacking in many areas. But... do not call me Miyu-sama. You are the fiance?e of my master. That makes you my equal, certainly, even if Fujiwara house stands above. That goes for you too, Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡± Natsumi protested. ¡°I am a bodyguard, and Hori house is nothing to...¡±


    ¡°Well, learn to do it.¡± I reached out and patted her head. ¡°It might be difficult, but Natsumi, you stand equal to my other fiance?es. So learn to puff out your chest with pride!¡±


    As we continued to talk and laugh, discussing what Mayumi-san had seen, and what the girls had achieved, I cast my gaze over to where Ala was sitting, drinking more refreshing juices. It was hard to read her face, but I could tell she was rather thrown by the situation in my Territory. Well, she¡¯ll get used to it. I don¡¯t think Primal Forest will be too displeased by her reports. Now, we need to set up this side of the Ring Gate, then she¡¯ll have to give me the other mushrooms. After all, Ala can¡¯t enter the Material to travel to Kyoto. I was looking forward to seeing Tsukiko-san again, and starting to fulfil my promise, but as I appraised the progress of my Territory again, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited by the fact that the Build Queue Spire and Ether Spire upgrades had both advanced at a noticeably faster rate than the passing of time would account for...

 Three Hundred And Eight

    Three Hundred And Eight


    As we descended the steps around the Tree, heading to establish the new Ring Gate, I turned to Daiyu, who had been largely silent and unobtrusive as the large group chatted away on the terrace.


    ¡°So, what do you make of all this, Daiyu¡¯er?¡± I asked, and she frowned, thinking.


    ¡°She¡¯s been quietly paying attention to everything, trying to understand.¡± Shiro said. ¡°I guess it makes sense, she doesn¡¯t speak Japanese, and only a few of us can understand Chinese. Well, I don¡¯t, but Tan does...¡± she smiled. ¡°If I was in her place, I¡¯d do the same. It must be quite nerve-wracking for her, Aki. You¡¯d best be nice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always nice.¡± I protested. ¡°So anyway...¡± I addressed Daiyu again. ¡°... I imagine this is a bit different to what you¡¯re used to?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Your domain here in the Spirit World, it is admittedly impressive. Mine is... was...¡± I was starting to be able to read the small expressions her usually impassive face gave off, and I could see bitterness. ¡°... not this filled with life and bustle. The Party and the Ministry has several like it, the efforts of us all funnelled into their greedy clutches...¡± she looked around, taking in the scenery. ¡°... to manage this alone, off your own effort, I admit to being impressed.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hardly achieved this alone. I don¡¯t think anyone could. But I don¡¯t like to take the hard work of others for myself without fair compensation.¡± I assured her. ¡°So, your own Territory is gone, at your own hands, right? Well, I think that was a clever move, it¡¯s dangerous to leave your Anchor vulnerable, if another Candidate destroys it, the results can be catastrophic. So, you¡¯ll need to create another, won¡¯t you?¡± It was the same issue as with my sis. Aiko could certainly use a Territory, as the strength it provided was hardly insignificant, but Nishimorioka was too much of a backwater to justify it, especially as she was moving to Tokyo soon. Daiyu had the same problem. ¡°I can find you somewhere on my border if you want, or...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she cut in firmly. ¡°Even if...¡± she paused, gathering herself. ¡°... the Incorruptible Jade has been destroyed, you are correct. So long as I live, it endures, and can rise again. My realm in the Spirit World must be reclaimed, and the Sect must rise again.¡±


    I see. ¡°Well, I respect your ambitions. But that might be a long way off. For now, won¡¯t you at least think about your options?¡± Since it was me saying it, and she had pledged to follow my orders, on the Heavens and her Dao, she at least listened. Not willing to push her further, as she was still new here, and our relationship was thin, I changed the subject.


    ¡°So, these Territories that are in China, are they trying to push for a Rank 4? I doubt it¡¯ll be easy, as my Territory is abnormally productive in terms of resources...¡± With the Rhyming Trees, and all the Ether Spires to Rank 3 due to the bounty from defeating Duke Myrcolaxriath, my Territory pulls in far more ether than anyone else¡¯s should, barring some crazy fortune.


    ¡°I believe that is the intention of the treacherous Party and their puppets in the Ministry, the Sects that betrayed all of China.¡± Daiyu confirmed. ¡°But even with everyone being forced to work together, I imagine it will be a monstrous undertaking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it would be.¡± Getting ten million ether is hard enough, but then protecting the Territory for years is harder, unless they try and speed up the process, but that will require many tens of millions... yeah, even with hundreds of Territories funnelling resources in, it¡¯s the work of months or even years...


    Ala had produced the mushrooms for the Ring Gate, and was searching for a suitable spot. As she did so, Daiyu continued to speak, perhaps relieved to have someone to talk to. ¡°I watched the girls train.¡± She said, dark eyes betraying some interest. ¡°Training both body and Qi is important, for a pure Qi cannot take root in a neglected, unworthy body. There were many differences, even from my methods of Qi refining, but perhaps there are things I can learn. Such as the Spiritually Pure Physique.¡± She looked hungry at that.


    ¡°Do not-not be so impatient.¡± Shaeula said in Chinese. ¡°There are many-many who seek our Spirit Water, and you are but-but a newcomer, are you not-not?¡±


    Daiyu seemed frustrated, but she simply lowered her head, conceding. I felt the urge to pat her head, consoling her, but I was learning, so I refrained from touching the prickly girl. Instead I opted for verbal reassurance. ¡°Look, we have plenty of time. You¡¯ve only just met us. First we have to build trust, and then once I¡¯ve dealt with the threat that is coming for Tsukiko-san, then... well, I dare say we are going to have to have some dialogue with China.¡± It was likely going to be at the Governmental level, but if the Red Dragon of the East was a metaphor for China, then we couldn¡¯t leave them alone, especially if their own Ministry was ahead of ours in terms of planning and force of arms. Though we intend to take a different route, of course...


    ¡°Here.¡± Ala was saying to Asha, having found a spot amongst the flowers where the Ring Gate could be placed. ¡°The earth energy leaks from underground veins here, so the mushrooms will flourish. It will lead to a reduction in the escaping earth energies though.¡± She sounded concerned, but Asha merely giggled softly, her eyes fixed on me.


    ¡°Akio, you will upgrade this temple and strengthen the earth to compensate me, will you not?¡± she asked, and under that gaze and with that smile, I could hardly refuse. Besides, I wanted to do it anyway. ¡°Yeah, when the Build Queue Anchor Spire is done in a few days, I¡¯ll rush-build it before queuing in more Anchor Spire upgrades. So it¡¯ll only be a few days, I hope you can endure it.¡±


    ¡°Compared to the torment that was the Spring, such will be nothing to me.¡± She smiled in gratitude, before bending down to help Ala plant the mushrooms, carefully removing plants that were in the way, roots and all, to move them to safer locations. Soon a small ring of mushrooms was planted, and they began to absorb energy, glowing a brilliant crimson, and rapid growth ensued, swelling them to the size of small pillars.e of the girls gasped, impressed, but I was used to such wonderous sights now. Ala and Asha stood, dusting themselves off, bushing soil from their hands, and Ala handed me the small mushrooms that made up the paired Gate. ¡°Keep them fed with earth element so they do not wither. I recommend planting them in an area rich with earth energies as soon as possible.¡±


    Accepting them, I nodded. ¡°I thank you, Ala. Primal Forest as well. This generosity won¡¯t be forgotten. Though...¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°... I do hope his favour doesn¡¯t cost me too much.¡± I winked to take the sting out of the statement.


    ¡°Lord Primal Forest will be pleased to hear the Trees are cared for.¡± Ala looked at Asha, who reassured her with her own smile. ¡°And that you do not seek to despoil the land for your own gain.¡± She looked over the crest of the hill, to where dwarves and Ixitt¡¯s mortal engineers had their forges and workshops, as well as the Kobold Mine. ¡°Too often is progress dependant on the destruction of what comes before, of what is natural.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, funny you should say that. A lot of mortals worry about that too. Global Warming. Pollution. Fossil Fuel depletion. Waste mountains.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t say I was ever too concerned, I just concentrated on living day to day, but now... well, while there are more pressing matters, such as the oncoming apocalypse...¡± my grin was bitter. ¡°... I certainly don¡¯t want the world to become a dirty, ugly place. Not when I¡¯ve seen what the Spring of Clear Reflections had been corrupted into...¡±


    ¡°Laudable sentiments.¡± Ala agreed.


    ¡°Well, Ixitt put out some quite impressive ideas. I didn¡¯t know Alchemy could be used for effective recycling. If he could pull that off, it¡¯d make a huge difference to a lot of problems...¡±


    Our ratkin maid-in-training looked both proud and exasperated at my praise of her father. Hyacinth scowled at her, and she quickly assumed a more professional face, to giggles from some of the other girls.


    ¡°So, will you be returning to the Seelie Court?¡± I asked Ala, and she nodded, giving me another curtsy, flower-petal skirt rustling. ¡°Well in that case, feel free to visit anytime. I¡¯m sure Asha would enjoy the company of other nature-aspected Fae.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I shall.¡± Ala agreed, leaving me to address everyone else.


    ¡°All right then, we¡¯ve been here too long, it must be pretty late outside, and a lot of you have school tomorrow. I know that you need less sleep after Chirurgery, but I still don¡¯t want to be accused of keeping you all out all night...¡±


    ********


    After waking up, I saw the girls home, escorted by suitable security of course, and then started planning my next moves. Eri and Shiro were sleeping naturally now, their bodies likely didn¡¯t need it, but the mental fatigue of dealing with their injuries was surely taxing. Seeing that, Shaeula was quiet, so as not to wake them, and when I returned, she was sitting in the kitchen, sipping at a can of beer. On seeing me come in, she slid one across the table to me.


    ¡°So, you have the Ring Gate. What is next-next?¡±


    ¡°Well, I tasked Hyacinth with gathering up a load of red, orange and yellow Etherites we have available. Ixitt is using the few green and blue ones, but we should still have enough... I want Haru-san to rush-build up to Rank 2, and get the basic Spire setup. Then I think she can focus on Defensive Emplacements, Barracks if possible, and if not, then Spawning Spires. I¡¯m not expecting her to defeat any attacking Candidates or armies, just so long as she can protect the area long enough for word to reach us and reinforcements to arrive. I intend to call Ulfuric back from the Spring, and have him on standby, if that¡¯s all right?¡±


    Shaeula shrugged. ¡°I do not-not think it will be an issue. The Spring is largely fortified now, and the Way-Wardens patrol regularly. Bellaera and Soliteare seem to have matters well in hand, and Moira has already formulated many-many contingency plans. The elves are indeed excellent. Most-most attractive too.¡± Shaeula grinned.


    ¡°I only care about their competence. But yeah, your brother is hanging around a lot too, and when he¡¯s finished capturing everything within my borders, he¡¯ll be at a loose end. Damn, we¡¯ll need to compensate him for all his help.¡±


    Shaeula snorted, amused and indignant. ¡°Hardly. If-if anything, my fool of a brother still owes us for all the trouble he has caused me. But yes, the Spring seems-seems secure, for now. I believe Ulfuric can be trusted to ready the army...¡± We continued to discuss our plans, drinking the night away, the early light of dawn creeping through the windows.


    It was then Shiro entered the kitchen, yawning. ¡°Hey Aki, Shaeula. Not resting? You might not need it, but you should have read enough stories to now that going without rest affects your judgement and performance, Aki. Before, if you made a stupid blunder, this princess would have just laughed, or perhaps if you were very lucky, given you a shoulder to cry on. But now I have to worry about it.¡± she flourished her finger, where the crude ring sat. ¡°After all, with this ring, we¡¯re bound, right?¡±


    Shaeula chuckled, amused by Shiro¡¯s banter. ¡°Indeed, Akio has many lives to shoulder. Now, take a seat, do have a beer.¡±


    ¡°Beer? It¡¯s barely light out.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a drinker anyway. Aki could tell you the number of times I¡¯ve collapsed on our nights out. Speaking of...¡± she looked a bit troubled, pulling the large dressing gown she wore over her pyjamas tight around her, as she flourished her phone at me. Really, I know she¡¯s ashamed of her scars and her ruined arm, and doesn¡¯t want me to see her body until she¡¯s perfect again, but...


    ¡°it¡¯s Aimi! She¡¯s somehow heard I¡¯ve taken a leave of absence from University! What do I tell her? I don¡¯t want to worry her, but I can¡¯t meet her like this!¡±


    ¡°Tell her the truth-truth!¡± Shaeula teased. ¡°Akio has captured your heart, and you moved in with him. That will silence her, will it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not exactly super helpful, are you?¡± She blinked, irritated. ¡°I can see why Eri gets annoyed with you sometimes. Not everything in life is a joke, you know? That would have worked before our last night out together, though everyone would have been shocked this gorgeous princess lowered herself to date an Aki! But now they know he has a fiance?e. So we¡¯re either cheating, or he ditched his precious childhood friend, breaking her heart!¡±


    ¡°Breaking who¡¯s heart?¡± Eri said sourly, rolling in on her wheelchair. She was wearing a thin nightgown, and the hem had ridden up as she got in her chair, showing a vast expanse of pale thigh.


    ¡°Eri, we¡¯re just talking what-if¡¯s. Which is easier to explain, and which makes Aki look less like a bastard? And more importantly, makes Aki look less like a Yasu!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Yasu would never have got engaged to a gorgeous childhood friend, and certainly would never dare to cheat on her if he had such good fortune.¡± I said, not sure whether I was defending him or not.


    ¡°Just tell the truth.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so hard to grasp.¡± She reached for one of the beers, opening the ring pull with some difficulty, frustration on her face as her arm didn¡¯t want to obey her. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m so much more mobile in the Boundary. Why won¡¯t my stupid body heal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Aimi began, only to find me on the phone, as Shiro pressed it into my hand.


    ¡°Uh, hi there Aimi-chan. I was meaning to get in touch, but I¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hi there, Ami-chan me!¡± she complained, mirroring her words to Shiro. What is this? Some kind of skit? ¡°Putting aside the crap about you being Shiro¡¯s boyfriend, is it true? Is she injured?¡±


    I met Shiro¡¯s gaze, and she nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s... pretty bad. I hate myself that I couldn¡¯t do more, but there¡¯s still hope. In Kyoto I spoke to some specialists...¡± That¡¯s certainly one way of describing Nurarihyon... ¡°... and they are sending their finest healer over. No expenses spared. I won¡¯t rest until Shiro¡¯s back to full health again. I promise you that. So... don¡¯t be mad at her, okay? It wasn¡¯t her fault.¡±


    ¡°... shit.¡± Aimi-chan cursed at last. ¡°So it¡¯s her arm and eye then, if she¡¯s Hajime? I suppose the hair matches. Shit.¡± She cursed once more, more foul-mouthed than usual, not that I blamed her. ¡°So, next question. You¡¯re looking after her while she recovers. That¡¯s great. She never talked much about her family, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re close, right? And you have a new place. But... come on, there¡¯s no way you and Shiro are...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s every way, I¡¯m afraid. Like Shiro said, this whole mess made me realise I¡¯ve always carried feelings of affection for her. And nearly losing her... well, life¡¯s too short. So yes, Shiro and I are going out now.¡±


    ¡°But your fiance?e...¡± Aimi-chan spluttered. ¡°Are you cheating on her, going behind her back? I misjudged you if that¡¯s the case...¡±


    ¡°Give me that.¡± Eri snapped, rolling over in her wheelchair and snatching the phone with her good arm. ¡°Hello. Your name is Aimi, right? I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know your family name, so I¡¯ll have to be forward.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Aimi-chan asked, confused by the sudden change of speaker.


    ¡°Pardon my rudeness. I¡¯m Mori Eri, Akio¡¯s fiance?e. First fiance?e, I suppose. You can just call me Eri though, Aimi-san, since you are a dear friend of Akio¡¯s, and quite a bit older than me.¡±


    ¡°Why is it the way you say I¡¯m older pisses me off... wait, fiance?e? You¡¯re in Tokyo? I thought you were at school back home? No, that¡¯s not the issue here...¡± her words were tumbling from her lips in a rapid cascade. ¡°... you¡¯re letting Akio-kun spout such nonsense about Shiro in front of you? I knew it, this is a joke...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. I used to wish it was, but... I got used to it.¡± Eri breathed out a long sigh. ¡°Really, it¡¯s my own fault. Akio... well, he¡¯s special. Not just to me, but to Shiro, and others too. I can¡¯t keep him all to myself.¡±


    ¡°I admit... I worry.¡± Shiro said, loud enough for Aimi-chan to hear over the phone. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been so welcoming, and Aki... well, he¡¯s Aki. As kind as he used to be, but shit, he¡¯s so much more manly now. It totally makes my heart ache. I wish... I wish I wasn¡¯t so hurt, so I could go on dates. A love hotel would be fun!¡±


    ¡°Love hotel?¡± Aimi-chan gasped. ¡°You¡¯d go that far...¡±


    ¡°Why not? Aki and I are in love. Just like he loves Eri. Shaeula too.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula? Who the hell is that?¡± Aimi-chan was confused.


    ¡°Me!¡± Shaeula called out cheerfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her.¡± Eri continued. ¡°No, Akio isn¡¯t cheating. We all agreed. And I can empathise with Shiro. There¡¯s a reason I can¡¯t be too mad with her. I... I was in the Kyoto disaster.¡± Eri said sadly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty badly hurt too. Though like Shiro, Akio is sparing no effort or expense to see me healed. So, you should feel sorry for him, having two girlfriends who are ruined.¡±


    ¡°No way? Kyoto? That rampage by those death cult crazies?¡± Aimi-chan said.


    ¡°Yes. Those.¡± Eri lied. ¡°For now I can¡¯t walk, and one arm is paralysed, but the doctors say in time and with rehabilitation, I should recover. Just as Shiro will. But until then, Akio will protect and take care of us. So stop saying you¡¯re disappointed in him! It pisses me off!¡±


    ¡°Aimi, it pisses me off too.¡± Shiro took the phone back. ¡°You don¡¯t know what Aki has done for me. What he¡¯ll continue to do for me. And you know... I finally found someone I want to give back to. It¡¯s not been long, but I¡¯m already having fun here, with Aki and the others.¡±


    ¡°Others? How many...¡± Aimi-chan began, but Shiro cut her off.


    ¡°Look, you know where I am. And you know I¡¯m, if not okay, I¡¯m safe in Aki¡¯s hands. Explaining everything is too hard. After all, this is just part of what you need to know.¡± Shiro took a deep breath. ¡°So listen, Aimi. Aki and I, we have some big news for you. Unbelievable news.¡±


    ¡°More than Akio-kun living a harem life, and you being part of it?¡± Aimi-chan gasped, still struggling to take it all in.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shiro said, sounding a little proud. ¡°So, how about this? Get the gang together this weekend. I¡¯ll text you the venue.¡± She looked at me then. ¡°You think Hinata can get us somewhere suitably swanky? We need somewhere with a bit of a different vibe to usual.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I bet she¡¯d be happy to help. She, Motoko and Natsumi should probably be there too, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Great. So yeah, it¡¯s going to be a hell of a night, but... I just want you to promise me to keep an open mind, Aimi.¡±


    ¡°I... guess I can do that. Akio-kun... it¡¯s hard for me to see him as a playboy. He didn¡¯t seem the sort. But... he¡¯s my friend. Our friend. As are you, Shiro. I¡¯m sorry for your injuries. I feel awful. We¡¯ve left you behind, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Well of course. You¡¯ve all got lives to lead. You¡¯ve got your guy now, and I bet he loves it. You¡¯ve always had a hot body, that rack...¡± Shiro laughed like a dirty old man.


    ¡°Shiro! Don¡¯t be crude, you don¡¯t know any of that stuff anyway... or wait, do you? With Akio-kun?¡± she asked, suddenly morbidly curious.


    ¡°Not yet. Well, just kissing.¡± She flushed. ¡°I want to wait until I¡¯m healed. My first time, I don¡¯t want it to be as the scarred wreck I am now.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s... that bad?¡± Aimi-chan whispered, so we could barely hear her.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not good. But you¡¯re a woman, Aimi. You understand, I¡¯m sure. Anyway, try and keep an open mind until the weekend, all right? I¡¯ll leave you to gather the gang, as Aki and I have a ton to do this week. Besides, it¡¯s the prerogative of a princess to work her subjects hard, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that at least that hasn¡¯t changed. I swear, Akio-kun, Shiro, if this is some sort of prank...¡± I could hear tears in her voice now. ¡°... I promise you, I¡¯m going to be really mad!¡±


    After a few more jokes and earnest words, Shiro hung up, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t how I envisaged breaking the news I had a boyfriend to the group. But then, I never really saw myself with one. Damn, I¡¯m tired now.¡± She put her head down on her arm, pouting, and I stroked her head gently, consoling her.


    ¡°Well, that was certainly something. But we don¡¯t really have time for this. Shiro is right, we have a lot to do this week, starting from now...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is in hand here.¡± Aliyah declared, happy to be in command of her squad again. Shaeula had bound them with the befuddling winds to not harm or betray us, and while it was hardly fool proof, it would be a hedge against problems. I nodded to her, as well as exchanging another brief greeting with Luciana. ¡°Trey, keep out of trouble.¡± She said to her brother, who was boarding the second helicopter that was waiting at the Shrine, along with Travis, Manx and a group of further Black Wolf personnel.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that?¡± he said, incredulous. ¡°Don¡¯t let the pretty girls here go to your head and cause any trouble, or else the boss man here will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡± she snapped. ¡°I can do my job. Better when he¡¯s not around.¡± She looked at me then, serious. ¡°Look, we¡¯ll keep everyone safe in your absence. I know you¡¯ve not had time for this Chirurgery for the Black Wolf, so we aren¡¯t as strong as we need to be, but we¡¯ll lay down our lives for the mission if we have to. That¡¯s our pride. Shit, I was prepared to die against you that time, right?¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, Eri, Shiro, I¡¯ll see you later. Keep her in line, okay?¡± I was leaving them here, as they were too injured to travel comfortably. ¡°You can join us later though the Gate when it¡¯s open. As for you...¡± I turned to Haru-san, who was looking nervous, yet determined. ¡°It¡¯s time to become a true ruler of a Territory.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. I was born ready, and I guess I was reborn ready!¡± she smiled, and I couldn¡¯t help but nod. I¡¯m still not sure how healthy her ¡®I¡¯m dead¡¯ humour is, but I think it¡¯s helping her. Which is good. She¡¯s irreplicable, in both the Ministry and for Boundary matters...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll support you and your Territory so you¡¯ll not be left alone.¡± I promised. ¡°And it shouldn¡¯t impact your Ministry work too much.¡±


    I then turned to Daiyu, who I was taking with me since I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do with her. ¡°We¡¯re going to another city to establish Haru-san¡¯s Territory. I¡¯m hoping there won¡¯t be any battles in the Boundary, but you never know, so stay alert.¡±


    As we boarded the helicopter, I noticed the group of Special Forces soldiers who were already there, expressions eager. Well, it¡¯s nice to have the additional manpower, but damn, Chirurgery while on a helicopter isn¡¯t going to be fun...

 Three Hundred And Nine

    Three Hundred And Nine


    ¡°Back in Kyoto already. It seems like we¡¯ve hardly been away.¡± I sighed, stepping out from the helicopter, offering a hand to help Haru-san and Daiyu down, while Shaeula elegantly leapt out herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s because we have only just left.¡± Haru-san smiled, covering her nerves at what we were to do here.


    ¡°Well, whatever.¡± We had landed the pair of helicopters on the outskirts of Kyoto, a bit south of the Katsura river, not too far from Matsunoo-Taisha Grand Shrine, Kegon-ji, and more importantly, Tsukuyomi-jinja, which was the shrine Tsukiko-san oversaw, and the heart of her Territory. I wonder what it¡¯s like now she¡¯s given up her Divine Favour to me?


    The Special Forces soldiers trooped out of the helicopter too, showing their toughness, as they were seemingly unphased by the painful Chirurgery I¡¯d done over the last couple of hours. Trey was leading his Black Wolves out of the second helicopter, and several mercenaries as well as some Special Forces stood by, guarding the site, while the guests here to greet us smiled, bowing in welcome.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s been a long time, Akio-kun, but that would be a lie.¡± Kudou-san declared happily. Beside him was Taishakama-san, the Candidate from Matsunoo-Taisha, whose Territory encompassed and surrounded Tsukiko-san¡¯s shrine, so would be a vital part of any plan we devised.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Taishakama-san said warmly. ¡°So, we will be venturing into the world of the kami again, I must say I am quite pleased at the prospect. Our last sojourn together was quite beneficial for me.¡±


    Daiyu suddenly tugged at my sleeve, and I turned to look at her, curious. ¡°What is it, Daiyu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°The Earthly Qi here is strong and pure.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°It reminds me of the mountain fastness that is home to the Incorruptible Jade. Is this an area of Heavenly significance?¡± she asked.


    I nodded. ¡°Kyoto, the old capital, is sometimes called the City of a Thousand Shrines. It¡¯s an exaggeration, so I¡¯m told, but it¡¯s true that many of the most important and ancient temples and shrines in Japan are here, and their enshrined kami too. I¡¯ve even met a couple.¡±


    ¡°I see. That would explain matters.¡± She frowned. ¡°It is not as rich as around the shrine you took me to. Is that a major shrine as well?¡±


    I shook my head, knowing Kana would be both pleased and mortified at her shrine being mistaken for one to match Matsunoo-Taisha. ¡°No, that¡¯s mostly down to my Territory flowing down ether from the Boundary. Before, the ether rate in Tokyo was pitiful. I¡¯m a bit jealous of areas like Kyoto where the density is naturally higher.¡± Well, it would have made my training easier, and in the early days when I only had a partial network, I wouldn¡¯t have had to wait two or three days to gather the required aether to enter the Boundary. Though the density here is, what, roughly five to ten times what it was back in Tokyo? It¡¯s still thin compared to the Boundary, there¡¯s no question. My Territory is several times higher still within the radius of the Boundary to Material Connections, though again, only a fraction of what the Boundary possesses.


    ¡°I see. It is like those domains the Party possesses...¡± her face twisted slightly, and I could see the animosity in her eyes. ¡°...turning barren areas into ones where the Qi is rich enough a Sect would fight for it. Though none were as rich as yours.¡± her expression changed slightly, now mocking and bitter, rather than angry. ¡°How the Sects have fallen. Before Kunlun departed, even your domain would be seen as a poor, Qi-starved backwater. Now it is an oasis. No wonder our Cultivation has stagnated, with only access to the Spirit World the Heavens and the Dao has granted us allowing any hope we can reach the heights of old.¡±


    ¡°Such is nothing.¡± Shaeula said to her. ¡°We will need-need to increase the rate of ether flowing between the Boundary and the mortal realm-realm, if we are to achieve the feats of mortal engineering here that Ixitt dreams of. But for that, we need ether. Much-much ether. My brother is proving useful, conquering, and the endless creatures of the deeps-deeps provide a good source of wealth. We must work-work hard. You too, Daiyu.¡± She eyed the Cultivator. ¡°We are giving you time-time to become accustomed to Akio and Japan, but you can not-not simply partake of his kindness without providing compensation. Your revenge will not-not be fulfilled that way.¡±


    ¡°I know that well enough.¡± She complained. ¡°I swore, upon the Heavens and my Dao. I will be useful, and grow stronger!¡±


    ¡°So, who is this, Akio-kun?¡± Kudou-san asked. ¡°That¡¯s Chinese, right? I learned a little in my misspent youth.¡± He grinned, stroking his long beard.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s someone I¡¯ve picked up. The Government asked me to look after her. We¡¯ll need to speak about that at length too. I could do with speaking to Bankei-san, Saionji-san and... Uchida-san, if he¡¯s up to it, as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have no luck there. Since his boy Yamato-kun is still in a coma, he¡¯s been completely withdrawn from religious matters. Well, the others we can arrange. So, more soldiers, I see.¡± He glanced at the Black Wolf and the Special Forces. ¡°Kyoto sure is getting crowded nowadays.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Well, this will not do, will it? We¡¯re keeping all you young ladies standing outside. We should at least discuss matters somewhere comfortable.¡± With that, we followed the two of them back to Matsunoo-Taisha, and were soon seated in a modest room, being served tea by several apprentice priests and shrine maidens.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± Tsukiko-san spoke, back in her veil, I noted. ¡°I see you have returned.¡± Since I wanted to see her face, her expressions, I allowed amber light to leak out of my Eye, and I could see she was smiling gently, with a touch of melancholy.


    ¡°Of course. I did say I¡¯d protect you, Tsukiko-san. Yukiko-san, the Princess, too. Is she not here?¡± I asked, only for Tsukiko-san to laugh softly.


    ¡°No, Yukiko has returned to Tokyo. Even despite her blessings from Amaterasu, and her role as the Shrine Maiden of Ise, she has no wish to have her life consumed by these matters. I understand her sentiments, even if it is too late for me.¡±


    ¡°It is never-never too late to change.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°After all, I changed. Akio has as well. But that does not-not matter. You will know in time, when Akio saves you from your burdens.¡± She grinned broadly, as if imagining such a scene. ¡°For now though...¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now we need to talk contingencies. Not just for Tsukiko-san, but for Kyoto as a whole. You¡¯ve noticed the increased military presence, but I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve been told...¡± I explained about the information we had from the US Government about the Chinese deserters.


    ¡°... so landfall in Kyoto is unlikely. I mean, geographically, it¡¯s quite the detour. So normally we¡¯d worry about coastal areas to the West. But coupled with Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions... well, like I said, I¡¯m not taking any chances. The mess in Kyoto over Conclave was bad enough...¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite the tragedy that was. Poor foolish Yamato-kun.¡± Kudou-san agreed, and Taishakama-san clasped his hands and bowed his head in prayer. ¡°Well, Kyoto is still in uproar, the fake information that the Government dispersed is fooling people for now, but how long will that last? Takakura-sama did inform us of the Chinese threat, but not in so much detail. Even so, do you believe that an altercation in the streets of Kyoto is actually likely? What would be their endgame in that scenario? A few rebel PLA units, some of these Cultivators...¡± he eyed Daiyu curiously, and she merely stared back, unintimidated. ¡°... and more dangerously, some Chosen. Even so, against the might of Japan¡¯s JSDF, they¡¯d surely be killed in short order.¡±


    ¡°Well, they would do significant damage first. Though combat forces would be dispatched from the local base and would be here quickly.¡± Haru-san mused. ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t seem a logical objective.¡±


    ¡°Well, people don¡¯t always think logically when pressed to extremes.¡± I looked at Daiyu. Shaeula was translating for her, so she nodded.


    ¡°I believe that Mountain Fang Sect, at least, would not act without some plan in mind.¡± Daiyu said confidently. ¡°Nor would they wag their tails to the Party and this Ministry, not even in defeat. So I doubt this is some ruse, and they are acting under the orders of my enemies.¡± Her dark eyes were filled with hate, talking about this Ministry.


    ¡°I suspect an attack in the Boundary is more likely.¡± I stated my opinion, to nods from the others. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just their Candidates, if there are a number of them and they have decent Divine Favours, even with the penalty for attacking Territories, it¡¯ll be possible for them to overwhelm us.¡±


    ¡°Especially with Yamato-kun and Susanoo faction having been massacred.¡± Kudou-san mused. ¡°What a bother. What ill timing.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here, to make sure that if the worst does happen, Kyoto doesn¡¯t fall, and we don¡¯t lose any more precious Candidates, like you, Yukiko-san.¡±


    ¡°I am no longer Chosen by Tsukuyomi.¡± She said, surprising Kudou-san. ¡°Though I still retain his grace, as I always have. My well-being is hardly as important as all of Japan.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, but Tsukiko-san ignored him.


    ¡°So, have you received guidance under the moon?¡± she asked me, and I shook my head.


    ¡°It is not a lie. I have accepted my fate. I have changed so many, and failed to change more. If you have to turn aside the destined, then Yukiko, Shaeula, the hungry ghost you shelter... turn aside their destinies. Even the Princess of Britain. My life or death will change nothing. Theirs will doom all.¡±


    Wow. Wow. Just fucking wow. Now I¡¯m pissed off. I shouldn¡¯t be, I know it¡¯s not her fault, she¡¯s been told to finally lay down her burden, and she doesn¡¯t know what to do any more. She¡¯s backsliding. I thought after she gave me her gift she¡¯d realised what she wants, but I guess after I left she reverted. But anyway, I¡¯ll be damned if this is the reward she gets for all her good deeds. ¡°Yes, perhaps your death won¡¯t be as meaningful as the deaths of those others. But to say it¡¯ll change nothing? That¡¯s utter shit. Kudou-san here treasures you like his own daughter.¡± The old man blushed at that, quite the funny sight, and he covered his embarrassment as Saionji-san jeered at him, by taking a long draught of the fragrant wine.


    ¡°Yes, but still, I am not...¡± Tsukiko-san began, before I cut her off, continuing.


    ¡°Those of Kyoto and even from as far afield as Tokyo who know of you, the priests and shrine maidens, they all deeply respect you.¡± I continued. ¡°If that¡¯s not enough, then what about Yukiko-san? Princess Mikasa will be heartbroken if you die. You¡¯re her best friend.¡±


    ¡°She has many burdens. I am sorry I have failed to ease them, but I have brought the two of you together. My role is done in her life...¡±


    ¡°Fuck, this is annoying.¡± I shouted, shocking everyone. ¡°No, as a friend, your role is never done. Your role is just to be there, be her friend. Not give up. Besides, your role in my life isn¡¯t done, either. You¡¯re kin to me now, and like Shaeula, I never abandon my kin.¡±


    ¡°Oho!¡± Shaeula chuckled, still downing wine from the seemingly inexhaustible bottle. ¡°Yes, Akio and I are quite-quite alike in that regard. But kin... yes, perhaps he means like an older sister. He lacks one-one of those. Or perhaps...¡± her smile broadened, and I wanted to correct her, but it wasn¡¯t the time.


    ¡°Look, you¡¯re still wearing the clothing I created to protect you. I¡¯m going to try, with or without your blessing, but I want you to fight, to struggle, to believe! If Tsukuyomi is a generous, kind God, you won¡¯t be thrown away after you¡¯ve done your best. And even if he isn¡¯t, well, I¡¯ll step up. If you give up, you¡¯ll devastate those who care about you. If in the end, you can¡¯t be saved, but you fought and clawed at what you call definite, biting until your teeth shatter, gripping on until your bones break, then in the sadness, at least we can remember that. Wish for happiness, even if it¡¯s impossible. And maybe, just maybe we can make it work. I thought you were ready for that, when you stopped waiting for this mythical, non-existent hero with the light, darkness and twilight, and settled on giving me what you can only give once.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dead. I know what it feels like, to die. Worse, to lose hope.¡± Haru-san said quietly. ¡°I wished someone would have saved me from the horrors of my death. Well, I suppose...¡± she sighed, before nodding at me. ¡°... being saved after death will have to do. Hearing you speak, it reminds me of myself, when I thought I was mad, and there was no way out. Look, Akio-san here is an idiot. He won¡¯t stop just because you tell him to, and he won¡¯t allow you to stop either. Besides...¡± she grinned. ¡°I have telepathy. Sorry. I don¡¯t like to use it that much, it reminds me of when I thought I was having a psychotic break, but... I can hear your thoughts, the voice of your heart. You do want to live. You wish for it. But wishing for it and not getting it terrifies you, you aren¡¯t used to wanting something, so you vacillate between flickers of hope, and thoughts it would be better to just give up, so your hopes can¡¯t be betrayed. You don¡¯t want the Princess to be sad, and you want to watch over her as she survives what¡¯s to come, and fulfils her long... cherished... dream?¡± Haru-san¡¯s pale face flushed pink. ¡°Oh my. That¡¯s what you want for her? Bold. Well, good luck with that. It¡¯s a nice dream. A wish, shall we say?¡± she glanced at Kofuku Jizo, who looked on, amused. ¡°But being a part of that, wouldn¡¯t it be more fun?¡±


    Tsukiko-san looked down, and I winked at Haru-san, hoping she could read my thankful thoughts. She nodded, and I prepared my final argument. ¡°Tsukiko-san, even if you don¡¯t believe you can be saved, I¡¯m sure any event that kills you will be massive. What about the others? I¡¯m here anyway, I¡¯ve planned anyway, so what harm is there in grabbing hold of what you want? The worst that happens is you fail. But success, and you are free for your own path in life. I remember those tears. They were the most genuine I¡¯ve ever seen you. Your veil is back on. You¡¯re masking your true self. I hate that. Strip off your veil and live on.¡±


    ¡°I... it still feels selfish of me. I have served, done everything I can to serve Tsukuyomi, to save people, avert tragedy...¡±


    ¡°So then wish for it. You deserve it. And even if you don¡¯t, I want you to have it, and I¡¯m a selfish bastard with seven fiance?es, you can see I always get what I want, no matter what.¡±


    She bowed her head, silently, and I could see fresh tears behind her veil, soaking her perfect cheeks. Even so, she was smiling, sad, but also relieved. The same expression as before. This one suits her much better than cold, stoic resignation. Though I can think of other expressions that will suit her better still!


    ¡°Your wish, I like it.¡± Kofuku Jizo said. ¡°I shall walk up on these feet and visit you soon. Not every wish comes true, but you have my blessing, and I shall fight for you if needed!¡±


    ¡°As the moon waxes, it must wane. But the moon then waxes again.¡± the Prince said piously. ¡°The moon has passed on, to be reborn. Though...¡± he looked at Daiyu curiously. ¡°We have a second moon here. A mirror to the first.¡±


    Shaeula translated his words, and Daiyu frowned, no doubt wondering what he knew. Still, the Prince continued. ¡°Kofuku Jizo, old friend. I too wish to fight if I can. I have lived a long time, venerating Tsukuyomi, and though Tsukuyomi is not omnipotent, I do feel sorrow that his finest priestess has such grim prospects.¡± He turned to me then. ¡°When last we met, I asked if you could extend a kind hand to her. I am pleased to see you heeded my words. Respect for the kami and the greater Gods is always welcome.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it because you asked.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I did it because I wanted to, because she deserves it. But... I am still grateful for your blessing, so thanks. And if you fight, I¡¯ve got your back, presumptuous of me though that might be.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. You are quite strong.¡± The Prince demurred. ¡°Well, Tsukiko-san. Your moon wanes. Your legacy could be all the good deeds this new waxing moon can do with the gift you bequeathed. Or it can be something more. You deserve the right to choose. To wish, as my good friend here would say.¡±


    ¡°I am still... it is hard.¡± She muttered, but with trembling hands she removed her veil, letting it fall to the floor. As those around us looked at her stunning face, our eyes met, and she smiled. ¡°But... I do want to see the world outside Kyoto, do many things. But I am worried that trying to defeat the definite will break you. and you are sorely needed. For Yukiko and many others.¡±


    ¡°You let me worry about breaking. I¡¯ve been broken before, but I¡¯ve got back up. This time won¡¯t be any different.¡± I promised. ¡°The more I have to protect, the stronger I am. So be my strength, and I¡¯ll be yours!¡±


    ¡°You know, if she was my daughter in truth, I¡¯d be seriously worried that he was asking her to marry him with lines like that.¡± Kudou-san said mildly, to much laughter around.


    ¡°Well...¡± Tsukiko-san picked up one of the mugs of umeshu and drank deeply, skin flushed, her red eyes gleaming with a mixture of longing, mirth and sadness. ¡°it is rather amusing you should say that...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, here will do.¡± I said, handing over a handful of orange and yellow Etherites to Haru-san. She had already shattered a handful of red ones to top up her ether prior to this, and was now prepared. The river was a few hundred metres distant, orange energies rising in a misty veil, while just under a hundred metres south of us ruby earth energies gushed from fissures in the rocks. I wonder if any mines could be set up here... ¡°When we push to Rank 2, we should be able to reach your Territory, Taishakama-san, and that gives us unbroken access to Tsukuyomi-jinja as well, all protected. Though we¡¯ll need to clear the area first to bring it under our control.¡±


    Yasaka-san groaned at that, correctly realising I was going to force him into numerous battles, as I had with the few encounters we had so far outside safe Territory. ¡°Suck it up. You need to get stronger to use your Divine Favour better. Besides, you aren¡¯t the only one who has suffered today...¡±


    Haru-san and Shaeula had made me the target of their ribbing over my desperate proposal when I was trying to activate Kin Bonding, and seeing that, everyone other than the serious Taishakama-san, the diffident Yasaka-san, and the uncomprehending Daiyu, had joined in. It¡¯s lucky my Resilience is so high, or I¡¯d want to bury myself in a hole. So embarrassing...


    ¡°Well, we might as well begin. Daiyu, watch closely, and let me know if there are any differences with how you do it.¡± At her nod, Haru-san concentrated, and a small beam of light shone down from above, forming a small pillar.


    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± She declared, shattering the remaining Etherites and absorbing their energies, quickly funnelling them into the Anchor. Moments later it was done, the light coalescing into a rather attractive golden and crystal needle, not too dissimilar from my Anchor.


    ¡°I see. So this is a Territory...¡± Haru-san mused. ¡°I feel it. It¡¯s definitely strange.¡±


    ¡°That seemed... anticlimactic. And rather fast.¡± Saionji-san observed.


    ¡°Yes, Isamu, I believe you told me this was a far more taxing, lengthy process.¡± Bankei-san asked Taishakama-san.


    ¡°It should be...¡± he said, surprised.


    ¡°Well, if you think that is something special, just you wait.¡± I produced the mushrooms for the Ring Gate, smiling evilly. ¡°But first, we need to clear out everything down to there.¡± I pointed at the ruby earth energies, and the buildings in the way. ¡°Haru-san, Yasaka-san, you¡¯re up.¡± I then looked at Daiyu. ¡°If you want to show off a bit, feel free. I still don¡¯t know what you can do.¡±


    With a determined nod, she smiled a little, looking eager for battle. I wonder, how do Cultivation techniques differ from our own? I admit, I can hardly wait to find out...

 Side One Hundred And Eleven – An Ordinary Day (Territory Edition)

    Side One Hundred And Eleven ¨C An Ordinary Day (Territory Edition)


    The kobold grasped the pickaxe in furry paws and slammed it down into the rocks that were softly illuminated by the lanterns strung up on wires across the tunnels. The reassuring shock of impact jolted him, and he struck again and again, chips of rock flying, and the motion was echoed by many other kobolds, all busily working away, with pickaxes, hammers, shovels and more.


    ¡°Look-see, nice treasures!¡± one barked excitedly, pulling free a number of nuggets of shining metal.


    ¡°Yes-good, keep digging and we will find more!¡± A Foreman barked happily, and after keeping some for himself, the kobold tossed the rest into a mine-cart, to be taken away. With renewed vigour at his comrade¡¯s find, the kobold continued to hack at the rocks, striking until his paws were tingling and his muscles were aching with a warm, reassuring glow. It was good to mine, without being forced into it like slaves, grubbing in the dirt, as had happened to the kobolds too many times in the recent past.


    As he was thinking this, his pickaxe shattered the rocks in front of him, striking metal with a delightful ring. Excited, his eyes opened wide, and he bent down to brush aside the scattered debris, only to be greeted by a most welcome sight, glittering silver-blue metal ores, as well as some shiny blue gems, not sapphires, but something more precious.


    ¡°What happy-joy! Bluesteel ore, bluestones!¡± he barked, delighted, and that drew over many more kobolds, as well as a few other workers, mostly dwarves, who now had their own mines, but sometimes went into the kobold ones, when searching for specific resources.


    ¡°Most impressive, quite the find-haul!¡± the Foreman barked. ¡°Bluesteel is highly-most sought after. Much rewards, many praise!¡±


    The kobold grinned, showing his canines. ¡°Yes-quite. But the bluestones are best of all!¡± To kobolds, bluestones were lucky, and a favourite courting gift. Taking his share, the kobold then passed the rest of the ore and bluestones to the cart. It was amazing that they were allowed to keep a decent share of their treasures, not being worked like slaves, and as another kobold began to wheel out the full cart, the kobold went back to work, seeing if his luck would hold and further treasures would be unearthed before the end of his shift today, when perhaps he would go see a kobold specialised in crafting, or perhaps a dwarf, and see if he could have a necklace made, as there was a kobold he had his eye on, and her fur was as soft as silk, her laugh infectious and her manners kind....


    ********


    Pushing the heavily-laden cart along the tracks, the kobold watched many of his kin come and go. It was strange seeing so many from different clans working the mine, as usually the kobolds tried to hide, to be beneath notice of the pure-blooded Fae that ruled the Seelie Court. Seeing the occasional ratkin or weaselkin in the mine was enough to make the kobold tremble a little, but he soon steeled himself, knowing that other than a bit of disdain, he wouldn¡¯t suffer any worse fate.


    ¡°Well, that looks a fine load.¡± One ratkin said, coming over. He was wearing goggles and heavy overalls, as well as thick gloves. Even so, his exposed fur and skin was singed and stinking. Instinctively, the kobold panicked, seeing the presence of a beastkin Fae, even one from a reviled group like the ratkin, before he remembered where he was.


    ¡°Yes, not bad-terrible.¡± The kobold barked nervously. ¡°Many ores and gems. Some shinies too.¡± He said, referring to a number of red and orange Etherites that had been unearthed.


    ¡°Great, great, good work.¡± the ratkin rubbed his gloved hands together, tail lashing happily. ¡°We can barely keep up with demand right now, even with all the other mines. Did you get any bluesteel ore?¡± he asked, and the kobold barked agreement.


    ¡°Excellent. If I could trouble you to bring it to the workshop area, that would be appreciated. Boss Ixitt has a new prototype that needs a ton of it...¡± with that the ratkin strode off, leaving the kobold to sigh in relief. The relief was short-lived though, as another voice soon spoke out.


    ¡°Well, that was rather interesting a conversation.¡±


    The kobold nearly released his mine-cart in panic, before calming down. ¡°You startled-scared me!¡± he protested, ashamed. Nothing bad had happened since he and his fellow clansman had emigrated from the backwaters of the Seelie court. In fact they had been welcomed warmly by other clans, and the Fae here did nothing. Even so, old fears still lingered, and it would take quite some time before the kobolds and other persecuted creatures of the Court who had found their way here could fully trust true Fae.


    Beholding the speaker, he paused, astonished. The figure was a kobold, yes, but not one of the canine kobolds that made up the vast majority of the population, but... blinking in surprise, the kobold muttered a few words. ¡°To see one such as yourself here, a pure, high kobold...¡±


    ¡°I hardly was expecting to be here myself. There are so very few of us left.¡± The small, dust-covered man said, looking like a dwarf at first glance, though on closer inspection one would see that his proportions were less short and stocky, and more childlike and thin. The man wore dusty overalls and was carrying a lantern that burned with a flickering indigo glow. ¡°No need to be nervous. We don¡¯t look down on the clans who... who changed.¡±


    The kobold whimpered a little at that. It was the change that had relegated the kobolds to little more than persecuted toys and slaves to the stronger, purer Fae. Others had changed as well, such as goblins. Few of the old race were left, and they were far more furtive than even the kobolds, though he had seen some lurking within this Territory...


    ¡°No need to be shamed.¡± The high kobold soothed. ¡°I came because I heard rumours many kobolds made this land their home, and they were happy here, free from tyranny. I see you are still mining. Good. I like the mines.¡± The high kobold smiled, and for a moment his skin looked stony, but that was perhaps a trick of the flickering lantern-light. ¡°So, tell me, how does my estranged kin fare?¡± He reached down into the cart and sorted through the ores and gems. ¡°Are you being worked unfairly, exploited?¡±


    ¡°No not-never.¡± The kobold declared, still somewhat awestruck to meet such a rare kin here, of all places. ¡°We pay tithe yes, but we get to keep-claim much, and we have homes to live, security. Fun.¡± The kobold sometimes watched the weaselkin musicians practice, and despite his fear of weaselkin, he found the music beautiful. ¡°Good food for all, safety too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The high kobold let the ore drop from his fingers. ¡°Well, perhaps I shall... dig a little deeper... and see what else I can find out...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Yes, great, over there!¡± the ratkin, one of the many mortal engineers under Ixitt, one of his numerous sons, gestured to the loading area that had been constructed. As the kobold emptied out the many metals and ores onto the large flat surface, other ratkin, weaselkin and dwarves began to sort the metals and ores, sending important ores to be worked with Alchemy, while the metals were sent down a different track for immediate use.


    As the kobold retreated, his task complete, the ratkin had already forgotten him, like his father, one to get engrossed in his work to the exclusion of all else. Gathering up the bluesteel ores within, he quickly carried it to the first testing area, where the earlier prototypes of the Alchemy machine were waiting, attended to by numerous mortal engineers of many different races.


    With his chest puffed with pride, the ratkin was delighted to be part of what was surely the largest single gathering of mortal engineers in the lands of the Fae. Well, he amended, adjacent to the Fae, at least. It had even gathered some foxkin and other inquisitive Fae, and while some had worried they might be spies, trying to steal secrets and sabotage the efforts towards progress, his father had declared them to be trustworthy, true seekers towards enlightenment, scientists and mortal engineers all, so they had been accepted. So far there had been no issues.


    ¡°Great, more ore!¡± one dwarf said, eager, rushing over to see the spoils. ¡°That¡¯n be bloody excellent. T¡¯last load was diverted tae Master Bjarki¡¯s forge, workin¡¯ on weapons for t¡¯princess and the boss man. About time we be getting¡¯ our share, right?¡± His grin was broad, and the ratkin couldn¡¯t help but agree, though obviously they were secondary to the needs of the Territory owners.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s good that we have so many miners nowadays. I never thought I¡¯d be glad to see so many kobolds and dwarves about. More miners, more resources!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am quite-quite ashamed myself.¡± One weaselkin engineer said happily. The ratkin had worked with him before, as he was one of the group that Prince Shaetanao, the father of the princess here, had fostered, but with father and daughter reunited, the ability to come and go was taken for granted, as everyone knew how overly doting the Prince was towards his youngest child, and the mortal engineers were taking advantage of that to join Ixitt¡¯s grand schemes.


    ¡°Yes-yes. We were bad maids, and were lucky to have a second chance.¡± Klena said, eyes distant, perhaps remembering something horrible, and Quaela recalled the dark rumours she had heard about the princess and her maids.


    ¡°There are many other tasks that you could do. Like helping out in the...¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± she protested. ¡°I¡¯m not following dad and most of my family into mortal engineering! It¡¯s dirty and messy and painful. At least being a maid I get to wear pretty outfits and keep myself groomed. Besides...¡± she grinned. ¡°Isn¡¯t a maid important? You¡¯re trusted with secrets few others know, able to be a part of your lord or lady¡¯s life. I¡¯ve got ambitions! I¡¯m going to be somebody! Dad can keep his explosions and his toys, I¡¯ll work my way up in my own way!¡± she chewed her lip then, a little frustrated. ¡°Though dad was delighted when he heard. It annoys me a lot!¡±


    ¡°Oh. I see.¡± Klena smiled. ¡°I do not-not think you need to worry overmuch. The master does not seem interested in us.¡±


    ¡°But Hyacinth is ravished by him regularly...¡± Velna pouted, eyes distant.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t want him to...¡± Quaela said, surprised, and she jolted, startled out of her reverie.


    ¡°No-no, of course not. I was just remembering something shameful. Yet necessary. It all worked out. Klena came back, even if the others...¡±


    ¡°Well, this gloomy mood just won¡¯t do!¡± Quaela declared, waving. ¡°More drinks. Something stronger!¡± she cried, and soon they had mugs placed in front of them by one of the servers, a short, human-like figure, looking a bit like a child, with pale green skin and small horns at his temples. As he left, she pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s a goblin, right? You don¡¯t see many that still have their sanity nowadays.¡±


    ¡°Yes, all-all you hear about are the twisted fiends of the Unseelie, the cannibals, frenzied warriors and abominable perverts...¡± Velna agreed. ¡°Though clearly not all goblins have fallen, just like the trolls and giants. A few remain true.¡±


    ¡°Well, enough of that.¡± Qualia chugged at her foamy mug, warmth permeating her. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be called upon, or do we have some free time? I¡¯d love to go see some of the other sights this Territory has to offer.¡±


    ¡°I think it will be fine-fine. The Head Maid said master had other important matters to attend to, that did not-not require us.¡± Klena drank as well. ¡°You know, apparently this is just-just the beginning. The princess says this is modelled on a high-class hotel skyscraper bar, whatever that is. They have plans for a casino, a concert hall, which I guess is some sort of place to hear music...¡± she glanced at the still-practising musicians. ¡°... and more. One thing is certain. They do not want-want the Fae who dwell here to be bored.¡±


    ¡°Not just Fae, right? Yokai too. I¡¯ve seen them. Those cats...¡± she shuddered. ¡±... something about cats always scares me. Then there¡¯s the bees, and I hear we have living trees too, as well as other races. Plenty of mortals come and go as well. I saw them earlier, but I was too nervous to approach them. I don¡¯t know how dad goes amongst them. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s odd? How can so many groups live in harmony?¡±


    ¡°Because of a vision. The princess is Fae nobility, and of Yokai royalty too. The master, he is the ruler of this domain, and a man of influence. You see some of the mortals, but some-some that the master loves, they are nobles of the mortal world.¡± Velna declared. ¡°Together, they want to create their own world. And having conquered the Spring of Clear Reflections, who can-can deny them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My dad is crazy for them. Ugh, do either of you know what electricity is? Dad was raving about it last time I saw him, saying it was the answer to all his problems. Ugh...¡± she finished her drink, calling for another. ¡°I¡¯m glad we get paid, so I can relax like this. I didn¡¯t think servants got paid. Do you?¡±


    ¡°Before, it was the honour of serving, but now we are told a fair day of work requires a fair compensation.¡± Klena recited, and a booming, gurgling laugh came from an unlikely source, a troll sitting on another table. It was devouring a massive chunk of meat, likely culled from some sort of massive insect, the type that plagued the borders of the Territory.


    ¡°If troll want to eat, troll must hunt. Now troll hunt, eat and get fed again. Me happy!¡± he grunted, before drinking from a massive, half-barrel sized tankard.


    ¡°Even trolls can see it, it seems. I¡¯m more and more impressed.¡± Qualia laughed, slightly tipsy. ¡°Well, now that the Head Maid is away, let¡¯s play! I can¡¯t believe dad was all I wanted to offer Akio a few of my daughters, but he said no, well done on burying the moat!¡± her snort was bitter. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for that! Though...¡± taking another large swig, she glanced up at the silvery skies, lightning flashing across it. ¡°...anyone who can build this little empire is worth taking seriously. Especially if they can make my crazy dad take notice...¡±


    ********


    The goblin nodded politely to the weaselkin who was in charge of the cafe?, before scurrying off, his shift over, arms full with a large wrapped package. Once at the base of the Rhyming Tree, the goblin hurried past the groups of many different Fae and other species, heading deeper into the Territory, where he dwelt in a small, yet cosy room. Reaching the door, he checked to see nobody was around, then he knocked several times in a pattern.


    Moments later the door opened, revealing more goblins, a dozen of them. Stepping inside he shut the door, before producing some leftovers he had been given after his shift from the heavy bundle. The goblins fell on them greedily, devouring them.


    ¡°I have been here for weeks now.¡± The goblin said, a little exasperated, but unable to contradict the chieftain and his allies, who had taken shelter in his house, entering the Territory unnoticed, and making no effort to join in with any construction or other work. ¡°The Fae, they do not oppress anyone, other than their haughty attitude, all are treated the same.¡±


    ¡°It is too soon to be complacent. The princess that rules here is a fickle creature who hates lesser races. It is known.¡± The chieftain spat when he was finished with his scraps.


    ¡°It is known.¡± The others echoed.


    ¡°Well, I think she has changed, or the rumours were wrong.¡± The goblin said. ¡°She even complimented me once when I served her a drink, I saw no disdain in her eyes. Besides, you should reveal yourselves. There are other goblins here too. We are not numerous, not anymore. We should...¡±


    ¡°Those are fallen clans. Not fallen like the vile twisted creatures that were once our brothers and sisters, no, but they have no... no link to the first goblin.¡± The chieftain shook his head.


    The goblin who was hosting them sighed. ¡°Maybe not, but I have seen unruly trolls or drunk weaselkin be punished for causing trouble or injuring kobolds. I think what I have seen and learned is proof enough. And I cannot continue to support you all, I am drawing suspicion already, when I asked for leftovers. Please, by the first goblin, just at least work.¡±


    The chieftain frowned. ¡°Well, you are one of us. I shall remain hidden, for I still guard the sacred treasure, our link to the first goblin. You others...¡± he gestured to his entourage. ¡°Go with him and do what you need to.¡±


    Somewhat relieved, but still a little irked the chieftain was shirking his responsibilities, the goblin bowed. ¡°I shall take them to one of the Kamaitachi who organise such immigrants. As warriors, perhaps you might wish to fight, or...¡± as the goblin ushered them out, he barely heard the words of the chieftain as the door shut behind them.


    ¡°... hope this is a place we can trust. The treasure, it is not safe. Soon we shall have to move it again, and our options are limited...¡±

 Three Hundred And Ten

    Three Hundred And Ten


    The audience was impressed as the mushrooms burst into life, forming a standing circle of pillars, similar to those of Britain, if those were made of towering plants and not monolithic stones. Drawing in the ruby energies, they began to give off just the faintest hint of deep violet light, barely perceptible to my Eye. Makes sense I guess, most of the spatial energy they create is used to connect the two points. Maybe this time I¡¯ll keep my Eye open during the transfer... It was somewhat uncomfortable during the momentary dislocation, one¡¯s senses going haywire for a moment, so I had always kept my eyes shut, but perhaps this time I would suffer the discomfort.


    ¡°This is most impressive.¡± Bankei-san observed, eyes wide, and his nephew agreed, Hakue-san also shocked.


    ¡°So, this ... Gate... can connect two points in space?¡± he asked, and I nodded. It was then Saionji-san spoke up, a little annoyed.


    ¡°So, Akio-san, I believe you warned me off the Gaze of Avalokiteshvara, saying such abilities were dangerous, and now I find you making tunnels in the spiritual world? Forgive me if I¡¯m a little annoyed...¡± his smile was angry.


    ¡°Really, do not-not be a fool. There is quite clearly a difference.¡± Shaeula scoffed, her eyes gleaming amber. ¡°Your ability reaches high beyond this place, tearing holes. These are-are, as you so cleverly put it, tunnels. They do not-not go high into the Astral, and they do not-not leave holes, but are sealed passages. Do not-not compare the two.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed, tapping my own Eye. ¡°I¡¯m not saying these are entirely risk-free, but I don¡¯t think they do much damage to the Boundary. Very little spatial element seems to leak out. Besides, if your life or the lives of others are in danger, I wouldn¡¯t hold you back on your abilities. It¡¯s all very well protecting the world, but if those you love aren¡¯t in the world... well, just think carefully and be cautious, all right?¡±


    ¡°You know this is necessary, Gin.¡± Kudou-san grinned, entranced, the earlier discomfort of Chirurgery long forgotten. ¡°If only such Gates could be created in our world. It would revolutionise everything!¡±


    ¡°Well, I believe such-such arts are rare. However...¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°The Seelie Court moves on the tides of the lower Astral, distance and location are but-but mere suggestions to us. It is little-little wonder we can create such magnificent Gates.¡± She smiled, patting a mushroom proudly.


    ¡°Well, you know what this means.¡± Kudou-san continued, looking at Tsukiko-san happily. ¡°Divinations or not, you have a chance!¡±


    She merely returned a troubled smile, looking down, still obviously uncomfortable at letting others see her beautiful face.


    ¡°Well, time to test the Gate. There shouldn¡¯t be any issues, but we want to make sure it¡¯s connected properly.¡± I turned to Haru-san. ¡°Then it¡¯s time for some serious powering up of out here. You¡¯ll have to register the Territory with your own Ministry now.¡± I joked, and she frowned.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it really yours, Akio-san, since I¡¯m your Chosen Hero? That reminds me... a Throne. It¡¯s wasteful, but I would very much like to give the surviving... no, not surviving...¡± she exhaled slowly, expression changing. ¡°Well, the existing victims of that man the same chance you gave me. Though since they are far less... well, present than I was, I am not sure if it will work, and bring them enough consciousness to be themselves again.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be your Throne. I¡¯m not a tyrant, you have some freedom. But for now, Thrones are on the back-burner.¡±


    ¡°I know. Well, there¡¯s no point hesitating.¡± With that, Haru-san entered the Ring Gate and vanished, my Eye detecting another faint exhalation of spatial energies. I tried pulling them in, but they were too weak, insubstantial, fading rapidly.


    ¡°I shall go next.¡± Shaeula vanished, and after that I turned to the others.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go last then. Don¡¯t worry, you know I wouldn¡¯t let Shaeula go through unless it¡¯s safe.¡± I paused for a moment, considering. ¡°Since you all have a proper silver cord after Chirurgery, there shouldn¡¯t be any issue being separated from your Material bodies, at least not at this distance. If it was me with my crappy white cord I possessed to start with...¡± I had to smile, remembering that.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± Kudou-san was excited, stroking his long beard, eager to see what was on the other side. With a jaunty step, he was in the circle and vanished, swiftly followed by Taishakama-san.


    ¡°Where that old coot goes, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll fear to tread. Come on.¡± Saionji-san was next, Yasaka-san, still tired after the effort to clear the small number of monstrous cockroaches and millipedes that had made the area their home, swept in after him.


    ¡°Well, this humble one should go as well.¡± Bankei-san and his nephew went through too, followed by Daiyu, leaving just me and Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°Worried?¡± I asked her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be. I know you don¡¯t want to leave Kyoto, but... Kyoto¡¯s literally just a single step away.¡± I pointed to the Ring Gate. ¡°I want you to have a quick look at my Territory, just to set your mind at ease. I know you know I¡¯m strong, but I get that you worry I¡¯m not the one you were waiting for, and you¡¯ve made a mistake. But who cares?¡± I grinned. ¡°There¡¯s a very famous anime... do you know what anime is?¡± I asked, and she nodded, though admitted she had never seen any, or indeed much of anything, only the news, usually.


    ¡°Well, there was this girl, she¡¯d been waiting many, many years, hundreds even, for what her mother, who was also a kind of prophetess, a Diviner, called that person. In the end, she never found that person, because someone came along and said I¡¯m not that person, but I¡¯ll be better for you than that person ever could be. I get that now. So when you waver, I¡¯ll be sure to be there to reassure you. Shaeula too. In fact, why settle for one hero, when we can have many?¡± I grasped her hands, her skin cool to the touch. She flinched a little, but she let me lead her towards the Gate, and we were swallowed up by the crimson light.


    Damn, it¡¯s hard to make anything out... even with my Eye open, the long, frozen moment as we passed though the Gate revealed little, other than giving me a stinging pain in my head. Writing it off as something I was unable to process just yet, I appeared on the other side, still hand-in-hand with Tsukiko-san, to find the others marvelling at the massive Rhyming Tree and the hustle and bustle of my Territory, which was admittedly much busier than other Territories I had seen.


    On seeing me arrive, Hyacinth ran over, grinning happily, a heavy sack in her hands. ¡°Master...¡± she called me thus as there were guests present. ¡°I have gathered all the Etherites, as yooou requested. I believe there should be plenty fooor your needs!¡±


    ¡°Great job, I praised her, taking the sack, feeling the reassuring weight. With the bounty from Sagami Bay, as well as all our mines, we were definitely securing a decent supply of the red, orange and to a lesser extent yellow Etherites. Though they are always in demand by Ixitt and his cadre...


    ¡°Well, while we are here, why not take in the view?¡± I gestured to the Tree, and some of my guests noticed the strange set of stairs coiling around it. ¡°I¡¯d like everyone to have an idea of what might I wield, before we discuss strategies...¡±


    ********


    ¡°I have to say, the view is magnificent. Who could have thought of this?¡± Taishakama-san said, stunned as he looked out over my bustling Territory, seeing the hosts of Fae come and go, the workshops producing weapons and other items, soldiers drilling and training, ordinary inhabitants going about their daily lives. Taking another drink of his honeyed mead, he grinned. ¡°I thought the world of the kami was merely one to be embraced, not altered...¡±


    Shaeula grinned proudly. ¡°The Seelie Court has many-many wonderful things, but your mortal world has many more. We merely wish-wish to blend them both.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that you¡¯ve got a good feel for what I command, it¡¯s time to get down to business.¡± I declared, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my words. We had brought Ulfuric and Moira up to the cafe? with us, and from memory I had produced a map of what I remembered of the area around Tsukuyomi-jinja and our new Territory defending the Gate, spreading it out on the tables we had pulled together to seat everyone.


    ¡°Great. Well, how about a mixture of mostly orcs and ghost orcs from the Spires, as they are cheaper, and use some forces from the Barracks to command them, covering for the degraded troops biggest weakness, their lack of adaptability? We¡¯ll also need to set up Defensive Emplacements in key positions, but we need Moira¡¯s say-so on where...¡±


    As we discussed it, the surroundings were rapidly being cleared. Shaeula was getting bored, so she took Daiyu and Hyacinth, heading the opposite way to Ulfuric, and soon ether was flowing in. Two more Spawning Spires were quickly rush-built, and the first orcs and ghost orcs spawned, along with a Hunting Cat.


    ¡°Why those?¡± I asked, as the cat started to twine around Haru-san playfully.


    ¡°They¡¯re cute?¡± she smiled. ¡°I need that to counterbalance the orcs, who are hideous and make me sick. Besides, they seem smart enough to direct the orcs, right?¡±


    The cat meowed happily, and Haru-san petted it, quite the relaxing sight. It was then that the Ring Gate flared, and we were visited by a tired-looking Bjarki. The dwarf looked around in surprise at the scenery, before shrugging.


    ¡°Strange place it¡¯n be here. Well, it¡¯n be no business o¡¯mine.¡± He snorted, bringing several cloth-wrapped bundles. ¡°Where¡¯n be t¡¯princess?¡± he asked, and I pointed southwards.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be back soon, just clearing out a few problem areas.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Fine. I can well do with t¡¯break. I cannae keep up with t¡¯way ye keep wrecking t¡¯weapons I forge ye.¡± He snorted again, this one angry, the sound like ripping cloth.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I apologised, feeling rather guilty. ¡°But we do keep ending up against powerful foes, so it¡¯s inevitable.¡±


    ¡°So ye say. Here.¡± He handed me the first bundle. It felt like a single massive object, not a pair, and it was heavy, much heavier than the Twin Fangs. Opening the bundle up, I let out a gasp at the large double-edged sword within. The blade was gleaming darkly, a pale whitish-blue like the moon, with ripples of darker blue and black like waves folded into the metal of the blade.


    ¡°One sword?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Well, ye did only return enough o¡¯ the tainted metal f¡¯one, ye ken? Besides, this¡¯n be made tae be nigh-unbreakable.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°That¡¯n be no challenge, get it? I be wantin¡¯ tae do m¡¯own projects, not fixin¡¯ ye moon-damned gear ev¡¯ry five minutes! Besides, Master Ulfuric, he taught ye how tae use it, right?¡±


    I nodded. Single swords were easier, though with my reflexes I could handle two just fine. Hefting the blade in my hand, I gave it a few test swings, before letting my energy flow into the blade. It then lit up, giving off a deep violet glow, like the sky at dusk or dawn.


    ¡°It¡¯n be named Cutting Twilight.¡± He said proudly. ¡°And it¡¯n be made from mighty materials, purified by Ixitt and his mad bunch.¡±


    The blade hummed as I slashed the air, and faint wisps of spatial energy leaked from the blade. ¡°I love it. The name is perfect.¡± And maybe a coincidence, but an amusing one. ¡°It does feel it can even cut light.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± He passed me the sheath, and I noticed it was a bit of an odd design, with a strap attached.


    ¡°It¡¯n be a touch long for t¡¯side-carry.¡± He advised. ¡°So this blade, it be pulled across yer shoulder.¡±


    Cutting Twilight, carried on my back. If prophecies truly are that stupid... well, it doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I ran a few tests on unsheathing it quickly, and soon had the hang of it. I realised I had an audience, as Tsukiko-san and the others had returned.


    ¡°This place is defensible, to a degree.¡± Moira sniffed, taking out the map I had produced earlier and making changes. ¡°We need work here and here...¡± she made marks. ¡°I will send some kobolds and dwarves through the Gate to erect suitable fortifications. Emplacements should go in these spots, and...¡± as she talked I nodded, agreeing with her plans. Apparently she had talked with Prince Sho?toku as well, and had pressed him into service. Yeah, Moira sure is a force of nature when she gets going.


    A little later, Shaeula and the others returned, and on seeing Master Bjarki, and my new sword, she grinned.


    ¡°A fine sword indeed. You look most dashing, Akio. Like-like a warrior.¡± She praised me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I grinned, eyeing Tsukiko-san. ¡°The sword is called Cutting Twilight.¡±


    Tsukiko-san reacted to the name, hand going to her mouth, before she realised she had, and reddened with embarrassment. Trying not to laugh, I turned to the dwarf, who was unwrapping his other craft. ¡°Here, princess. This¡¯n be a bit different too. Careful, but try castin¡¯ yer energies into the pinwheel itself, but when it¡¯n be well away from anythin¡¯ ye don¡¯t want destroyed. That Ixitt, he be a mad rat, but a canny one, ye ken?¡±


    He handed over two new pinwheels, the design sleeker and more aerodynamic, the wires thinner and stronger. ¡°Hmm, most interesting. Let me give it a try-try.¡± Shaeula launched one, the wire humming as it thrummed taut, shining with olivine energy. As the pinwheel itself was some forty metres away, Shaeula concentrated, and suddenly a hidden series of spindles triggered, unleashing fine, nigh-invisible threads which rotated rapidly with the wheel, carving everything within ten metres apart, a building collapsing.


    ¡°Oho, very good indeed.¡± Shaeula muttered. ¡°So, how-how can I retract those wires?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯n be simple. Once it be thought of, f¡¯sure.¡± Master Bjarki pointed out the presence of a second switch, which elemental energy could trigger, causing the inside of the pinwheels to spin in the opposite direction to the pinwheel itself, winding the deadly threads back in. As I watched Shaeula happily experiment, I glanced over at Tsukiko-san, who was looking at me and my sword alternatively. I know just what you mean. But then, when you start putting all your faith in prophecy, everything starts to fit if you look at it the right way. I stand by what I said before. I¡¯m not the one, but I don¡¯t need to be...


    ¡°Right.¡± I clapped my hands. ¡°I want to test this sword out. So I¡¯m going to help us clear the last of the Territory quickly. Then it¡¯s time to see if we can find the Hyakki Yagyo?. You said they are here, you believe?¡± I asked Shaeula, and she nodded.


    ¡°I believe so. I can-can feel the Night Parade, more strongly now, since my Number has increased.¡± Her smile was cold, remembering the kitsune I had slain to make it so. ¡°They are in the east, north of Kiyomizu-dera, not-not too far from where we clashed before.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, so long as they aren¡¯t here to interfere.¡± I reached out, pulling Cutting Twilight, liking the weight in my hands, the blade so heavy it would have been impossible for me to lift only a few months ago. ¡°Right, we¡¯ll pair up and spread out, capturing quickly. I want it done in a few hours. Daiyu¡¯er, you¡¯re with me.¡± Right, time to see her Cultivation in action... my Eye glimmered a brilliant orange. I wonder just what I¡¯ll see...

 Three Hundred And Eleven

    Three Hundred And Eleven


    I looked at Daiyu as she prepared to engage our first opponent. As we reached the river, which we now needed to capture to enable us to have unbroken access to Tsukuyomi-jinja, the surface boiled, and a massive surge of fetid, mist-laden water billowed out, washing onto the shore, leaving heaps of pungent, rotting plant matter behind. As the water receded, foaming down, what was revealed was some sort of massive, mutated crayfish, the grey and green shell thicker than tank armour, the face twisted into a mass of gaping mouths and jagged teeth.


    I let out a low whistle on seeing the beast. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s not some sort of Yokai from the Night Parade. But damn, that thing¡¯s quite the monster.¡± The crayfish was waving claws the size of vans, and it had more than the usual two arms, multiple limbs flailing, chitin clicking and clacking as they reached towards the shore. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s got to be twenty-five metres long. It could give the Wyrm pause.¡± I remembered the creature that had come down during the etheric tide long ago. Kyoto sure is full of stronger creatures than the outskirts of Tokyo. It¡¯s just another reason that the Candidates here were struggling to make a foothold in the Boundary...


    The back of the colossal monster was crawling with man-sized creatures that were a twisted parody of crayfish, crabs and monkeys, and as the beast rose from the Katsura river, they began to jump to shore, confronting us. Well, if this was me from a month ago, I¡¯d be feeling the pressure. But now I can handle it. In fact, I was a little eager to test out Cutting Twilight, and Haru-san could definitely use a nice ether boost to upgrade her new Territory. Casting a sidelong glance towards Daiyu, I noticed a slight expression of disgust on her beautiful, stoic face.


    ¡°Not a fan, Daiyu¡¯er?¡± I asked, and she looked at me as if I was an idiot.


    ¡°Of these? That is foolish.¡± She sniffed, annoyed. ¡°Qilin, Dragons, Phoenix, those are Spiritual beings of beauty and power, blessed by the Heavens, the sort of Spirit Beast ancient Cultivators used to covet. These...?¡± she eyed the rapidly approaching tide of stinking chitin and bilious weeds. ¡°... these are merely abominations, grown out of unstable Earthly Qi. Such should be destroyed, freeing up the Qi to return to the Earth. With the Spiritual separated long, many aberrations fill the Spiritual World.¡± She sighed, taking up a fighting stance, before giving me a sidelong glance. ¡°You wished to see me battle, did you not? Well, I feel the same. If I am to seek vengeance...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you need to know I have the power I say I do.¡± Drawing my new sword from my back, I let aether flow into it, and the blade began to glow a brilliant purple. My Eye examined the blade curiously, and I smiled at the description.


    Cutting Twilight ¨C Item Class: [Noble], Item Type: [Rule]


    A heavy double-edged blade made from enhanced dwarven-steel and bluesteel alloyed together meticulously, made by the renowned Dvergr craftsman Bjarki, by melting down the surviving Twin Fang, retaining and strengthening its spatial element, with the restoration of bluesteel to the mix. The ability to store and use elements has been restored, though some will always be converted to spatial element at low effectiveness, and the ability of the blade to draw in ether from the surroundings and aether from the user has been noticeably increased by the impregnation of powdered Etherite into the alloy, giving the blade an incredible sharpness, and the ability to sever nearby space for an instant.


    Yeah, I think Bjarki has created a new masterpiece. It feels great in my hand... ¡°All right then. Here we go!¡± Body Enhancement running, I leapt forwards, my speed multiple times that of the mutant crayfish, my blade a blur. Chitin shattered, green and blue blood splattering, but I dodged the falling droplets, wielding Cutting Twilight elegantly, alternating between one-handed and two-handed strikes, swapping between hands as needed. For a moment Daiyu was frozen, before she too joined the battle, her modest look of disgust intensifying as blood splatters soiled her outfit, her first punch crushing the head of a mutant, her movements elegant and swift.


    Not bad. Though since she¡¯s not too tall, she has a bit of a disadvantage in terms of her reach, still, she seems to make up for that with speed and power. Two more surged towards her, but she merely stared at the oncoming creatures. My Eye detected a fluctuation in the aether within their bodies, and they slowed, movements becoming uncoordinated. Daiyu didn¡¯t miss this opening, and surged forwards. One fist slammed into a head, and I noticed she was circulating a modified form of aether, likely Qi, through her body, in a lesser variant of my Body Enhancement, allowing her to strike without damaging herself. The second she kicked out at, but the blow was weak, if swift.


    Oh? I smiled as my Eye detected what she was doing, as the kick struck, barely inflicting any tangible damage. Qi left her foot, entering the body of the opponent, moving through the mess of its chakra network, before detonating, inflicting noticeable damage to the meridians and capillaries. It wasn¡¯t enough to take it down, but it screamed, spilling more blue blood, and Daiyu used that opportunity to leap up and strike with her Qi-strengthened fists.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡± I approved, watching as her gaze continued to slow and confound the numerous enemies, while I proceeded to hack through the oncoming hordes. Spatial rending activated, sharper than ever, over a wider area, and four mutants split apart, severed diagonally, upper bodies sliding free.


    ¡°First Strike: Single Palm!¡± Daiyu declared, and my eye noticed Qi condensing. Her hand shot out, and when it made contact with the nearest opponent, the discharge shredded its insides violently. ¡°Second Strike. Twin Palms!¡± she cried, and two more fell. ¡°Third Strike. Four Tiger Claws!¡± silvery sweat flew from her forehead as she attacked rapidly, the creatures slowed and disrupted by her Qi-infused gaze suddenly torn apart, most of the damage internal, savaging their malformed networks, but this time the Tiger Claws also created nigh-invisible blades that severed chitin and bone too.


    I see. I¡¯d better step up my game. Grinning, I poured wind energy into Cutting Twilight, glad I could do it again. Some of the jade energies was shading to violet, and it was harder to control the wind, but even so I was able to tame it, and with a swing of my rapidly vibrating blade, I cleared a path, effortlessly chopping through the armoured creatures.


    As the swarm of vile creatures were thinned rapidly, the large beast within the river bellowed angrily, drawing in a surge of water into its many malformed mouths, and an orange glow was radiating from its eyes. With a roar it unleashed multiple jets of water, fortified by water element, hosing the shoreline, gouging great furrows into the ground and collapsing nearby structures. I swung Cutting Twilight, diverting one beam, while dodging several others, keeping my eye on Daiyu, but she evaded agilely, and my Eye picked up she seemed to be using some sort of expanded sense, Qi spreading from her, interacting with the surrounding aether, allowing her to pre-empt the attack. Even so, she was showered in several cascading droplets, scattered like missiles, and her arm was bleeding from numerous painful-looking gouges.


    ¡°Careless...¡± Daiyu muttered, chiding herself. Still, she looked unconcerned by her injuries, and even as I watched, the gashes and oozing punctures in her body were starting to heal, a pure Qi, shading a pretty golden yellow in my vision, starting to surround and consume the tainted water element that soiled her injuries. That... that feels familiar somehow...


    ¡°All right then. Now I¡¯m annoyed. You shouldn¡¯t attack girls, jackass!¡± I complained, now adding shimmering yellow flame element to the blade. Surprisingly, Daiyu seemed annoyed at that declaration.


    ¡°What arrogance is that? I am Zhao Daiyu, Peak Foundation Realm Cultivator. To not attack me because I am a girl insults all that I am, all that I have achieved. I am not a girl, I am a Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°Uh, sorry.¡± I said, abashed by her furious denial. ¡°I guess that was arrogant of me. Let me rephrase that then... don¡¯t attack those I¡¯m protecting, beast!¡± Swinging Cutting Twilight against another spray of the beams, one clawed arm was cut off, flesh searing, not giving off the pleasant smell of roasted crab, but a vile stench of cooked rotting waste. As the claw hit the water, my blast of wind, flame and spatial elements continued on, punching through the shell and piercing deep, armoured fragments scattering away. The colossal mutant crayfish bellowed, and multiple massive pincers were sent at me.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so...¡± Remembering how Daiyu was confounding the enemies with her Qi, projected from her eyes, I tried to push out aether from my own Eye, using it in the same way. My eyeball hurt, a stinging pain rocking my brain, but with Split Thoughts I quickly alleviated that, and for a moment I felt I had it, the crayfish slowing, before the sensation slipped away. Space was severed, and another claw struck the riverbed, splashing filthy water everywhere.


    ¡°Foehn!¡± I declared, and a tide of roaring napalm sprayed over the beast, engulfing its torso and half of its face. Even though a thick shell protected it, there were still gouges and cracks the Foehn seeped into, and the beast screamed once more, thrashing, legs and clawed arms crushing many of its own soldiers. It turned, trying desperately to flee, sinking back into the river, and I paused for a second, considering.


    No way, I can¡¯t let it go. If it comes back and attacks Haru-san¡¯s Territory, I doubt she can hold it off alone. ¡°Fine then. Taste the light of the moon. Mangetsu. Full Moon Pierces!¡± Spinning my light energy into a single beam, I pierced the burning head of the beast. With a skull so large, the brain was equally huge, so it was not a fatal blow, despite the superheated laser incinerating surrounding tissue, causing a shockwave to rattle the brain. However, I swept the beam to the side, ripping open a long gash, bringing more trumpeting howls from the stricken beast. My intent wasn¡¯t to destroy the crayfish with the light though, but to penetrate the thick chitin protecting it. The laser winked out, and Foehn crawled in through the gap, and burning yellow tears were spilling from its eyes and flames were spewing through the burned hole. With one final cry the beast sunk under the water, ether surging, and I allowed most of it to go towards Haru-san¡¯s Anchor.


    Job done. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely finding battles that would have been impossible a month ago far easier. I still can¡¯t get cocky though. Remember the powerhouses of the Hyakki Yagyo?...


    You have gained in strength. your level has increased from One Hundred And Five to One Hundred And Six. All of your Material statistics have increased by eleven. Aether has increased by twenty-seven.


    Just one level huh? Yeah, it¡¯s getting tougher to level up. Well, I shouldn¡¯t complain... I cut down a few fleeing creatures, watching as Daiyu was using her Tiger Strikes to cleave down those around her. As the last fell, other than a few who scuttled away into the river, I observed her as she finished up. Her wounds were still healing, but at a noticeably more rapid rate than I would have expected from the aether or Qi her body contained. Well, apparently she did survive being adrift in the ocean with terrible wounds, perhaps it¡¯s her Divine Favour...


    Seeing the direction of my gaze, she sighed. ¡°Yes, Chang¡¯e, the eternal goddess of the moon, seemingly has not forsaken me. I cannot die, not yet, until I have achieved vengeance on those that wronged my Sect, and it lives anew.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t die then, either.¡± I grinned. ¡°Well, let me take care of those for you.¡± I reached out and took her arm. She flinched for a moment under my touch, before being surprised as my Ether Healing reinforced her own ability to regenerate from her injuries. Her eyes opened a little, a large show of surprise from her, and I was shocked too. That power she has within her... it¡¯s strong. I think... if I could study it, learn it, I could push my Ether Healing far enough to...


    As her wounds closed, I wasn¡¯t the only one in shock. Feeling my energies, Daiyu looked up at me, a troubled expression on her face, one full of longing. ¡°Your yang energy is pure and radiates the energy of the moon, just like the Spirit Water you hoard away from me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but I can¡¯t help but feel that Shiro overlaps with me too much.¡± Eri complained. ¡°I definitely feel like you¡¯re my rival too!¡±


    ¡°Well, in manga, the childhood friend almost always loses, but... well, we¡¯re deep into harem genre now it seems, so let¡¯s fight it out fairly, Eri.¡± Shiro answered.


    ¡°This is all very-very good, and I do enjoy seeing us sisters getting along well, we have much to do, do we not-not?¡± Shaeula interjected, putting a hand on Tsukiko-san¡¯s shoulder, making her flinch, unused to physical contact. ¡°Tsukiko, do not-not fear. We shall all work together. If an impossible feat such as reclaiming the Spring of Clear Reflections can be achieved, this shall surely be rather-rather simple in comparison. But for now, we must-must visit the Night Parade.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all a lot of fun watching Akio-san try and manage his many conquests...¡± Haru-san joked. ¡°... but we actually have some serious matters to attend to. I¡¯ve gathered a lot more ether while you all helped me out. So, what do I spend it on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious.¡± Saionji-san agreed, and Bankei-san¡¯s nephew and Taishakama-san were also listening carefully, as their own Territories were managed in a different manner. ¡°When I strengthen my Territory, I don¡¯t have such detailed knowledge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of my Divine Favour.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Well, normally I¡¯d say increasing the Rank of your Ether Spires would make the most sense for sustained growth, but the Territory is set up to defend Tsukuyomi-jinja and Tsukiko-san, so that can wait. How much ether do you have?¡±


    ¡°A little under twenty-five thousand.¡± She declared. ¡°So what do I do with that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not as much as I hoped, considering we all powered through the whole area and took out a few decently strong enemies, but I suppose I¡¯m just too used to big gains. Tsukiko-san, you said that your death is imminent, right?¡±


    ¡°I did. Tsukuyomi has told me my time remaining is measured in mere days.¡± She said calmly. ¡°But do not grieve. And spare me further chastisement. I have noticed you do rather enjoy lecturing me.¡± Her smile seemed genuine for once. ¡°I will trust in your defiance and will to fight to protect me and Kyoto. How can I not, when you have gone to such efforts? I thank you too, Suzuki Haru-san.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. Dying is scary. I should know. After all, I¡¯m dead!¡± Haru-san replied. ¡°Besides, as a fellow woman toyed with by fate, chosen by Gods that despite their natures, seem to lack compassion for us... I¡¯d rather extend a hand, like how one was extended to me.¡±


    ¡°This is all very well.¡± Moira spoke up suddenly, having completed her on-site survey. Kobolds, ratkin, weaselkin and dwarves were now coming through the Ring Gate, carrying an assortment of tools and materials. ¡°But this detour is taking up time and resources from the plans for your Territory, Akio, Duchess.¡± The way she spoke made me feel I was back at school again, and I barely managed to prevent myself standing to attention. ¡°If we could return to the matter at hand?¡± she assessed our best course of action.


    ¡°By all means.¡± I agreed, ignoring mutters from Kudou-san that I was easily bullied by women. I can¡¯t complain because it¡¯s clearly true, but for it to be an older woman like Moira is unusual, normally it¡¯s younger girls who bend me to their whims. Well, considering my relationships, it¡¯d be stupid to bemoan that...


    ¡°There is little point wasting resources on further boosts to the Spawning Spires and Barracks for now. Any threat strong enough will sweep aside any number of poorly organised, weaker troops. We have enough to delay, allowing reinforcements. No. We should maximise the shock value of hidden Defensive Emplacements. Since we are dealing in mere days...¡± she pursed her lips. ¡°... we will have to expend resources on completing them instantly, which is wasteful, but cannot be helped. Here...¡± She marked seven places on the map, before adding several more in a different colour.


    ¡°I see.¡± I could understand what she was going for. ¡°Yeah, individually, Defensive Emplacements at Rank 1 aren¡¯t too threatening, but if we hide them in carefully-constructed fortifications, we can likely catch out at least some enemies, and at worst, buy us more time...¡± Moira certainly is excellent at military planning and strategy. Using them that way, we can definitely make a difference.


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll follow your judgement. I¡¯m not really much of a fighter.¡± Haru-san agreed, and soon the first seven Emplacements were erected.


    ¡°All right, Shaeula, shall we go? Hyacinth, you come too.¡± Her performance against the Kijo should give any enemies pause.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sit it out.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°I¡¯m still far from well, and there¡¯s no benefit to us if I go, only risk.¡±


    ¡°I see you are learning.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°Yes, remain here-here and later we will train some more. Perhaps Chiaki and Chiasa will be well enough to assist us, with help-help from Haru here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to go.¡± Shiro said, surprising me. At my puzzled look, she shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that, Aki? After all, isn¡¯t there supposed to be a healer from the Night Parade who is coming to help me, and they need my assistance in the future, you said, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems?¡± she pouted, giving me a look I¡¯d never seen on Shiro before, embarrassed and flirty. ¡°Are you ashamed to be seen with me because of my injuries, Aki?¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not that.¡± I knew she was teasing me, but even so, I pulled her into a hug. That just made her more embarrassed, but her one good arm coiled around me, and I realised she was nervous. I guess even the faint prospect of being healed is enough to make her both hopeful and afraid.


    ¡°Well, if there is any trouble, Tan can take over. Well, it¡¯s not the date every girl dreams of, visiting a parade of monsters, with her boyfriend¡¯s other women in tow, but... well, I¡¯ve played so many games featuring Oni, Kitsune and more, I admit to being curious. So I guess it¡¯s the date I dream of.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, Daiyu¡¯er, you come too. Kudou-san is hardly fluent in Chinese, so I don¡¯t want to leave you here. But if there¡¯s trouble, you flee back here, all right? There shouldn¡¯t be any, but I¡¯m not going to be complacent.¡±


    With that decided, we started to set off. Moira was directing the construction, while Ulfuric busied himself with making various strategies for a number of battlefield scenarios. ¡°Mori-chan, why don¡¯t you have a talk with this old man?¡± Kudou-san grinned. ¡°I was rather impressed by your display at Conclave, for someone not favoured by any kami. I¡¯d like to learn more about you. There¡¯s a story behind those, right?¡±


    Eri looked a bit put off, but she was making more of an effort to be sociable, so she sat down, resting her quivering legs, her tail twitching and cat ears flickering. ¡°Yes, there is. It¡¯s not a pleasant one though. But I¡¯m luckier than most...¡±


    ¡°I would like to talk to you about how you measure Ether, and how you¡¯ve established these new constructions so quickly...¡± Bankei-san¡¯s nephew was bombarding Haru-san with questions, and Saionji-san sidled closer, an expression of deep interest on his face.


    Do your best, Haru-san! I cheered her on internally, as my group set off, following Shaeula.


    ¡°The Ministry is gathering details of best practise for Territory construction.¡± Haru-san sighed. ¡°All this information will be made available then, but...¡±


    All right then. Time to collect Shaeula¡¯s new Kamaitachi, and get this healer...

 Three Hundred And Twelve

    Three Hundred And Twelve


    Shiro, Shaeula, Daiyu and I moved through the streets of Kyoto, the silver skies above illuminating the many buildings and odd structures around us. Lanterns strung overhead on long chains, burning in a rainbow of dark colours, gave it a completely different feel to Tokyo. Fortunately, we encountered no difficulties as we followed Shaeula¡¯s lead towards the Night Parade, the few creatures out and about in Kyoto either in other areas or steering clear of us. Perhaps they fear a confrontation. After all, last time I was here I did defeat a couple of powerful denizens...


    ¡°Over there-there.¡± Shaeula pointed elegantly, and already we could see numerous strange and frightening Yokai perched on the surrounding buildings, looking down on us. There were Oni, Kitsune, Kappa, Tengu and many weirder creatures that I couldn¡¯t even put a name to. The atmosphere seemed... tense... somehow, far less boisterous than the raucous festivities that we had witnessed in our prior meetings, and I was starting to get a bad feeling. It¡¯s not Foresight or anything like that, but I do feel a bit... wary.


    Daiyu was on edge, seeing so many dwellers of the Spirit World before her, and she moved closer to me instinctively, readying herself for battle. Shiro, meanwhile, was only curious, perhaps trusting my words that Nurarihyon wanted, no, needed her cooperation, according to the visions from the Kudan accompanying him.


    ¡°This is seriously amazing, Aki. We¡¯ve nothing like this in Tokyo, do we?¡± she gushed, her curiosity and instincts piqued.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯ve found, just isolated communities, and a lot of zombies and insect monsters.¡± I admitted. ¡°But then, I¡¯ve hardly scouted all of Tokyo. The Greater Tokyo area is a big place.¡±Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°True.¡± Shiro conceded. ¡°By the way Aki, girls don¡¯t like it when you nit-pick at everything they say! Just some advice from this princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my sis has told me that before.¡± I said, a wry smile on my face, happy she had tried to lighten the mood. We slowed to a halt, the Yokai, thousands of them, still watching us. It was then a large group of muscular Oni came through the streets towards us, led by the familiar sight of Red and Blue. On seeing us, Red¡¯s face curled into quite the malicious grin, his fangs showing, bone white against his crimson flesh.


    ¡°Well, we meet again, little man-thing.¡± He had a gourd over one shoulder, and he took a swig, before wiping his mouth messily. ¡°And daughter of Urakaze.¡± He nodded at Shaeula, who returned his greeting with an airy wave of her hand, still confident. ¡°These two are new, no?¡±


    ¡°Get to the point, will ya?¡± Blue complained. ¡°We¡¯ve been bored waiting for ya, and now even the booze is running out. I was beginning to think ya were never coming back. That might have been smart.¡± She snorted, the sound deafening. ¡°Some of the Numbers, they¡¯re wagering on whether you¡¯d come back, or whether ya¡¯d survive if ya did.¡± She paused, her smile grim. ¡°My tally was on ya not returning. Guess I lose.¡±


    ¡°Har. Har. Har.¡± Red laughed boomingly. ¡°Blue here always was one to go with her gut. Me...¡± his smile changed, and his dark gaze was serious. ¡°... I knew you¡¯d come back. After you walked out of here, the old Kijo bitch dead and gone. You¡¯ve got guts, for a foolish little creature.¡± He looked at Shaeula then. ¡°Besides, no daughter of hers could be a coward. Old Four Tails placed all her treasures on your return too, and your survival. That...¡± he belched, and I could smell the stink from here, Shiro and Daiyu looking disgusted. ¡°... I¡¯m not so sure about.¡±


    At his words, laughter broke out amongst the watching Parade, a mixture of hoots, growls and cawing. Well, this is about Yamato-san, right? But it¡¯s not like I broke any agreements. I left him there, alive, just as I promised. Though I admit that¡¯s only the words, not the spirit of the agreement. ¡°Well, can I get in on that? I¡¯m willing to wager that we¡¯ll walk out of here alive.¡± I said confidently.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I can see-see several Kamaitachi and other weasel Yokai watching us. Do hurry along and tell my mother I have come-come to claim the true bodyguards and servants I was promised. I have great-great need of them.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Aki, you¡¯re being quite forceful here.¡± Shiro whispered. ¡°We are pretty outnumbered, and they all seem strong.¡± Daiyu nodded, not understanding her words but getting the idea from her facial expression and tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± I said loudly. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve no idea why our welcome is so... unwelcoming. It¡¯s rather disappointing.¡±


    ¡°No idea, ya sure?¡± Blue chuckled bitterly.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. So, shall we go? I need to speak to Nurarihyon.¡± I said fearlessly. I¡¯m still confident that we have the upper hand in negotiations here. After all, he needs Shiro and Tan more than we need him, I¡¯d say.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Red declared. ¡°I admit to being curious about how this¡¯ll all play out. No matter, if you die, I¡¯ll pour out what little booze I have left for you, just like I did for that foolish idiot that was my bro.¡± he tapped at the gourd.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I promised you some booze, didn¡¯t I? Well, it so happens we can make good on that tonight.¡± I smiled at the sudden look of interest in the eyes of Red and Blue. ¡°But before that, business, right? We shouldn¡¯t keep Nurarihyon waiting, and Shaeula wants to reunite with her mother again.¡±


    ¡°This way.¡± Blue gestured, and we swept down several twisting streets, until we reached a larger open area, a modest park, where the massive snake-drawn pagoda-style shrine house was waiting, along with the massive carriages and stranger dwellings from our last meeting. Fires were burning here, great bonfires, the flames yellow and purple, and thousand more Yokai were milling about, a crazed circus of monsters. Wait, is that...


    Seeing where I was looking, Red laughed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him.¡± The golden cage, hoisted high on a long, shaved tree-trunk, was dangling on golden chains, a sad, barely conscious figure in rags within. ¡°Our prize.¡± Ugh, the golden bars below the cage are rather... rusty-looking.


    ¡°Not that it was as rewarding as we hoped.¡± A voice said suddenly in my ear, a brush of warm flesh against my cheek. I jumped, reaching for Cutting Twilight, only to see it was the four-tailed foxwoman. She then darted backwards as a blade of wind furrowed the ground where she was standing, Shaeula glaring at her, irritated.


    ¡°Well, is that any way to greet your senior in the Numbers?¡± the Kitsune grinned, seemingly pleased at her joke. ¡°Your mother would be so sad you are treating me poorly.¡±


    ¡°I would have no-none issues if she carved you apart with her winds.¡± Urakaze disagreed, emerging from the crowd, flanked by four large, powerful looking Kamaitachi, two male and two female. ¡°You foxes are so very-greatly irritating.¡±


    ¡°Indeed they are, my dear mother.¡± Shaeula agreed, smirking. ¡°Father has his share of troubles with foxes as well-well. As for this one, she should keep her hands off-off what does not-not belong to her!¡±


    ¡°Really? How sad for me.¡± The kitsune sighed theatrically, rubbing at her eyes and shedding what were clearly a scattering of fake tears across her beautiful face. ¡°I believed you were one who understood a man of power should have many dalliances with the beautiful, wise and powerful.¡± She licked at her sensual lips, and tugged at the chest of her yukata, exposing an expanse of creamy white cleavage, her golden tails twitching behind her.


    ¡°Shit, Aki. I do not approve of her.¡± Shiro pouted, a bit lost but making her own interpretation of events. ¡°This one¡¯s no good, she strikes me as a bit of a slut. She won¡¯t remain faithful! You¡¯d never be sure her children are yours!¡±


    Uh, I feel a sting in my conscience when Shiro says that. Before I could answer her, Shaeula spoke for me. ¡°Of course I understand that. How could I not-not? And I am indeed proud of all-all the females, my sisters, that Akio has chosen. They are beautiful, wise and strive to better-better themselves, and support Akio as he does what he surely must-must. But dalliances?¡± she snorted, disgusted. ¡°Unless they can pledge heart-heart and soul, unless they seek eternity together with him and us, I have no-no use for them. Nor for you-you.¡± she snorted. ¡°Shiro is indeed correct. You are not-not faithful, are you fox? If Akio wishes to seek pleasure, we are here. There is no-no room for you!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Shiro agreed, blushing. ¡°As for the pleasure bit, Aki, uh... well, soon, I hope? After all, we are here for a reason, right?¡±


    Yes, we are. Feeling a bit sorry for the overwhelmed Daiyu, who was only here as leaving her with the others was a bit cruel, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, sorry, but I promised to be loyal to those I cherish, no matter how arrogant and insincere that sounds. So while I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be... fun...¡± the kitsune snorted at that. ¡°... I think the price would be rather too high for my tastes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She smiled. ¡°Well, it is quite true that we foxes are always seeking pleasure. Tamamo-no-Mae, may she rest wherever she now dwells, was said to have a thousand lovers after all, and her blood burns in all of us foxes of many tails.¡± Her smile was now wicked. ¡°But perhaps if you were strong enough to dominate me, body and soul, I would be constant...¡±


    ¡±Enough.¡± Urakaze growled. ¡°I have no wish-hope to see my daughter¡¯s husband wasting his time and love-passion on you. Get to the point-reason you are here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun. Your daughter seems to have inherited your prickly nature.¡± The kitsune sighed, pulling out a beautiful fan and snapping it open, shading her face. ¡°Well, greetings. You have returned. As I wagered you would.¡± There were grins and cheers regarding that, and old coins, small bars of precious metals, Etherites and more were changing hands, some thrown by the crowd at her feet. Urakaze was collecting some as well, from Blue, who had a sour look on her face as she handed over a necklace made from what looked like black pearls.


    ¡°Of course. We have common purpose. I have brought the one Nurarihyon wishes to meet, and who requires a healer which was promised to us.¡± I gestured to Shiro.


    ¡°Aki, you bastard. Give me some warning first!¡± she complained, her single eye looking down shyly. ¡°You know I¡¯m pretty much a shut-in, apart from you and the gang. I don¡¯t do well with people I don¡¯t know, let alone a crowd this big. A crowd of Yokai!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. You have to get used to this sooner or later. After all, when you are healed, you¡¯ll have no excuse to stay isolated. You¡¯re no longer the weak and fragile Shiro, but Shirohime, noble princess of the Hungry Ghosts!¡±


    ¡°I suspect my dear husband wishes circumstances were far different, and he could freely chastise your arrogance.¡± Seirei snorted. ¡°Alas, such a wish is beyond even my power.¡± With that she gestured, and all of a sudden the fish disappeared, the lake water rippling. ¡°But my dear did wish that the one needed should recover from her wounds. Be grateful.¡±


    ¡°Is that... Har. Har. Har.¡± Red grunted out a series of slow laughter. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we saw two of the Single Digits, right Blue?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, will ya? If ya draw the ire of Lady Seirei, it¡¯ll be ya up in the cages, enjoying the taste of blades and whips rather than booze.¡±


    Is it that weird fish? Is it the healer? If so, considering it came out from Nurarihyon¡¯s Territory with his wife, it must be powerful... The water rippled, and suddenly two purple horns broke the surface, swiftly followed by long indigo hair, and a feminine, elegant face with dark eyes. Bare shoulders were next, and then a ripe body in a deep black gown. Soon the horned woman, looking nothing like the Oni, with their crude, angry features, was ashore, dripping dark water, the hem of her robe trailing behind her bare feet.


    ¡°Bintara, it has been a long time.¡± The kitsune giggled. ¡°Have you been well, hidden away with Lord Nurarihyon?¡±


    ¡°Nebisuki, I see you have hardly changed at all.¡± The beautiful woman declared. ¡°Well, other than growing a new tail, I see. Four. Well, you have a long way to go to reach your mother.¡± At that she ignored the kitsune, looking at me, her eyes searching. ¡°So, you are the one that the Lord states I must aid. You seem well to me, as does...¡± she glanced across Shaeula, ignoring her, gave a brief inspection to Daiyu, frowning, before looking at Tan and Shiro, letting out a long, drawn out breath, some dark lake water trickling from her lips. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you see, fishwoman?¡± Tan asked, and Bintara tossed her head, irritated.


    ¡°I am no fishwoman, foolish divinity, trapped inside such a flawed shell. Even from here, I can feel the poisoned adherence stinging my skin. It seems impossible that weak mortal could have survived this long, burdened by such an atrophied, long-starved spiritual body, as well as the strain of your entanglement, and the poison....¡± She flicked out her tongue, tasting the air. ¡°... not your adherence. One of laws, broken promises. Some of the nastiest kind.¡±


    She¡¯s good. I hope she can heal as well as she can analyse. ¡°Of course she¡¯s still alive. Shiro¡¯s a fighter, and she only suffered those broken oaths because she wanted to protect me and others, not for her own gain. And Tan is doing her part. She helped me to save her. But... well, Shiro and Tan can¡¯t fight properly like this, and their strength is needed. And to see her so wounded, scarred, I hate it... can you heal her, Bintara? I know Nurarihyon has asked you to, but you¡¯ll have my gratitude as well.¡± I bowed low, imploring.


    ¡°Can I?¡± she sighed, more water trickling down her body, her hair leaking it over her bare shoulders. ¡°I am the Bitan, the first Bitan, she who heals all ills, and brings life even to the dying.¡± She looked at Shiro once more. ¡°Let me see, foolish host to a divine parasite.¡± She reached out, and Tan quivered under her touch, as she stroked the savage scars around Shiro¡¯s empty eye socket, brushing aside the flaming hair, steam rising as water met flames.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bintara tutted, dark eyes knowing. ¡°Such dark adherence. Truly the divine that seek to bind are cruel. But...¡± she sucked in a breath, and Tan shuddered as some of the energy was drawn in. Bintara rolled it around her mouth with a disgusted expression, before swallowing. ¡°...little pleases the Hyakki Yagyo? more than denying them their due.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Shiro, those scars...¡± Shaeula declared, excited, her eye glowing. ¡°They are surely fading, I know I am not-not mistaken!¡±


    My own Eye glowed, and though my ability to see adherence was low, I could definitely notice the difference around Shiro¡¯s eye. As more was sucked out, she let out a cry of pain, her working arm clutching at her face, her hair shading to silver once more, as the sun yielding to the moon.


    ¡°I shall allow you this pleasure. If I remain at the forefront, I will likely suffer at her hands.¡± Tan declared, before offering some parting words as she went to her slumber. ¡°Princess, I am happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this... fuck. Shit. Aki, this hurts, this hurts badly!¡± Shiro cried in agony, panting.


    Stepping over, I placed my hand on her back, allowing my Ether Healing to numb her sense of pain. As my Ether soaked towards whatever Bintara was doing, she turned to me, an angry expression on her face, before pausing, puzzled.


    ¡°I... you have some skills. Inferior. Pathetic even. But if you study for a few hundred years, perhaps you could prove worthy.¡± She sniffed, allowing me to do my work, my arms around Shiro, as tears streamed from her eye and her empty socket, which was twisting with audible cracking noises.


    She¡¯s drawing out the adherence, that is easy to see, and doing that causes horrible damage, just like when we tried, and should be causing further adherence to spring forth, making it worse, but she¡¯s managing it... and more...


    With one final, harrowing crunching sound, Shiro would have collapsed if I wasn¡¯t holding her. She let out a series of long, tortured gasps, while Bintara was also breathing heavily, her skin pale and clammy, dark water leaking from her as sweat. ¡°For now, I shall require rest.¡± She gasped, splashing back into the lake, floating there like someone at the beach, hair and robes spreading out.


    ¡°I¡¯m... ugh, I¡¯m not all right.¡± Shiro shuddered. ¡°Maybe being hideous is better than enduring that. It felt like my whole body was being pulled apart. But... Aki, do you think...?¡± she paused as I gently brushed aside her bangs.


    ¡°Yeah, the scars have definitely shrank a little. It¡¯s subtle, but I can tell. There¡¯s a hint of new flesh around the edges. And...¡± I managed in wonder. ¡°Shiro, your eye!¡±


    ¡°My eye? What about it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s there! An eye!¡± I half-shouted. The milky orb was dead, clearly, and Shiro wasn¡¯t aware there was anything in her scarred, battered socket, but it was clearly new. I wonder if this has appeared in her Material body as well.


    ¡°Are you sure, I can¡¯t see a damn thing...¡± she flinched, her fingertips brushing the surface. ¡°...uh... yeah. I guess there is something here.¡± She said quietly, before turning to the floating Yokai. ¡°Thanks, I guess? Though I can¡¯t say I appreciate the pain.¡±


    ¡°With such a divine curse responsible for your wounds, you should be grateful I can even aid you. Do not think you are recovering the adherence I extract, that belongs to Lord Nurarihyon, I shall offer it as tribute.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, I don¡¯t care about that crap. Do you, Aki?¡± she asked me, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, I just care about getting you healed. Nothing else. Excuse me, Bintara, may I ask... are you confident of healing Shiro completely, and even her Material body?¡± Shiro tensed in my arms at the question, and the expression on her face was a mixture of hope and despair, ready to accept disappointment again.


    ¡°Such a feat is not beyond me, though it will take some time and much effort.¡± Bintara said. ¡°Lord Nurarihyon expects effort in equal measure to mine own in return, when the time for battle comes against this dark creature, who belongs here as little as this parasite does.¡±


    ¡°So, she¡¯ll recover fully, even the scars?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°Do not make me repeat myself. I am the first Bitan, fool. My very talents changed me, made me immortal, a Yokai. You insult me to think I would leave a woman scarred. Men treasure their wounds, women are cursed by them. Apt, in this case. In time, I shall surely repair her, all of her.¡± She looked at me then, eyes glittering. ¡°Perhaps your aid in reducing her pain will be welcome. The poisoned adherence is rooted deep, and I am stymied at easy removal due to her tangled network. If I am not cautious, I shall remove the parasite as well, and she shall surely perish. Not that I would ever make such a foolish error.¡±


    ¡°You hear that?¡± I said to Shiro, happiness surging through me. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. I told you we¡¯d get you back to the beautiful girl you¡¯ve always been.¡±


    ¡°I... yes. Yes, I heard Aki. I... I... awa... I...¡± her words became unintelligible as she sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes, clutching me tightly. ¡°... I...¡±


    ¡°Best let her cry.¡± Shaeula declared softly as I held the trembling, bawling Shiro, while Yokai around us looked on, bemused. Turning to Daiyu she explained what was going on in Chinese, leading her to nod sympathetically. Turning back to me, Shaeula grinned. ¡°I too know what it is-is to see an impossible dream come into your grasp. So for now, let her release her pent-up sorrows.¡± Turning to Bintara, she bowed, this time with noticeably more respect than she showed Seirei. ¡°I too am in your debt, if you can heal-heal Shiro. I shall not-not forget this favour...¡±


    Nor shall I. Nurarihyon may be acting out of self-interest, but I care about results. And if Shiro can truly smile again from the heart, like she used to when we were in Bar Sekirei, or at Uni, or talking shit about games and manga... then I¡¯ll return the favour, agreement or not...

 Three Hundred And Thirteen

    Three Hundred And Thirteen


    ¡°I¡¯m all right now.¡± Shiro said, after crying herself out for a while. Wiping at her nose, she looked very embarrassed. ¡°Seriously, Aki, you just forget about this, all right?¡± she insisted. ¡°I¡¯m not myself, I¡¯m normally ... ugh, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget it.¡± I said, surprising her. As she looked at me, I bent down and kissed her forehead softly. ¡°After all, it¡¯s not every day I get to see such a genuine side of you.¡±


    Shaeula was snickering nastily now, adding to her embarrassment and confusion, while Hyacinth was merely standing there, impassive, and Daiyu was still on alert, surrounded by Yokai as we were.


    ¡°Oh well, I apologise.¡± I said to the surrounding crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can understand she was just overcome by emotion. Now, onto the details.¡± I looked at Bintara as she floated there. ¡°If it¡¯s going to take time and be a difficult process, is the Parade going to remain in Kyoto? Or are you going to come with us?¡±


    Bintara frowned. ¡°I cannot chain the Hyakki Yagyo? to this place. It has been long since we roamed, and many grow restless, and Kyoto is being exhausted. I shall accompany you for the moment, until my task is done, the healing complete.¡±


    ¡°Best treat her with respect, or the old sea-cow will rampage. She may be a healer, but she¡¯s been alive a long time, the old crone.¡± The kitsune, Nebisuki, laughed.


    ¡°Old crone?¡± the atmosphere changed, the lake rippling under the force of her aether, as Bintara raised her upper body, dark eyes glaring at the fox. ¡°That is rich, coming from a whelp who has only recently grown her fourth tail. If you wish, I can show you the gulf between us.¡±


    So strong. She¡¯s pretty damn powerful... the pressure coming off her was intense. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll treat Lady Bintara with the utmost respect and courtesy. Not only is she an honoured guest and emissary from the Night Parade, but as I¡¯ve said, I couldn¡¯t be more grateful for your help healing Shiro. If you have any needs or requests, we¡¯d be happy to accommodate you.¡±


    ¡°I require water.¡± She said, turning away from Nebisuki, who was grinning, her tails lashing happily. ¡°I am no sea-cow...¡± she exhaled, and a lance of water shot out, drenching the kitsune, who shuddered, being bombarded with icy cold water, her loose kimono soaked and dragging down, exposing her skin, her tails and ears drooping, fur and hair sodden. Red and Blue were guffawing happily at the humiliation the fox suffered, while Urakaze merely crossed her arms, frowning, unimpressed by the display.


    ¡°... however, I am a Yokai of water, and without it, I cannot fully utilise my powers.¡± She finished, as Nebisuki sneezed, her tails shuddering.


    ¡°So cruel. It sems that your temper hasn¡¯t mellowed with your age...¡± Nebisuki sneezed again, blowing her nose nosily as she began to wring the water from her with a shimmer of yellow energies, steam rising from her fur and clothes.


    Water Yokai? Well, considering that Selensha is an expert healer, and water element as well, I see the correlation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my Territory contains some coastal areas and the sea. There are a lot of creatures there, but within the barrier it¡¯s perfectly safe.¡± I assured her.


    ¡°Perhaps I can feast well then.¡± Bintara declared, seemingly interested, dark eyes gleaming.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll be sure to provide you with food and alcohol, if you wish it.¡± I assured her, and Shaeula chimed in.


    ¡°Indeed. Our Territory is now-now producing delightful honey wines and mead, as well as fruit wines, ciders and stronger-stronger spirits. With Hyacinth¡¯s talents, and the aid of Asha, a Dryad, we have rich-rich orchards and bountiful fields.¡± She puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Oy!¡± Red declared, interested. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯d be getting booze? To show there is no hard feelings for the death of my dumbass bro? I haven¡¯t forgotten!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I assured him. ¡°In fact, we should sort that out now, as well as prepare some for Nurarihyon and his noble wife.¡± I smiled politely at Seirei. ¡°I¡¯m sure he would wish to try some.¡±


    ¡°Har. Now you are talking!¡± Red grunted happily. ¡°My gourd is near empty.¡± He flicked the large clay vessel, and indeed the sloshing sound from within was faint. ¡°I could use a refill.¡±


    ¡°Leave it tooo me!¡± Hyacinth declared proudly. ¡°I shall make sure ooonly the finest alcohol is brought out!¡±


    ¡°Now that matters seem-seem settled...¡± Shaeula glanced up to the cage where Yamato-san was held, before glancing at me, a little worried. I shook my head, indicating there was nothing we could or should do. I¡¯m not bargaining for his return, there¡¯s such a thing as pushing your luck too far. ¡°Mother, I shall take-take the Kamaitachi you are so graciously providing me, as is befitting my station as your-your daughter, and the Seventy-First. However, I would ask-ask that you allow me to retain the Kamaitachi who were their substitutes. Despite their presence being an act of treachery, they-they themselves have not-not failed me, and have even fought and died for me. I count them as my loyal kin.¡± Shaeula continued after my dismissal.


    Urakaze pursed her lips, but nodded. ¡°That is not a problem-issue. If they have not betrayed-harmed you, then I praise them for their labours and I will see them compensated-rewarded. But I shall need to consult-speak with them. I intend to root out those who would harm-hurt my daughter, as well as collude with foreign powers.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Shaeula looked at me, a touch of pleading in her eyes. ¡°... mother, would you care-care to see our Territory? I can reassure you that I am well-well cared for and protected, as well as make-make the Kamaitachi available to you. I too would like to unearth those who have worked against me-me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem.¡± Well, there clearly are issues, but I think we should be able to suppress Urakaze were she to try something treacherous. And I don¡¯t think she will. She seems to have affection for Shaeula. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand some areas are delicate and under construction, so are best avoided.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not interested in sightseeing. I just want booze!¡± Red declared.


    ¡°All right then. You fine now?¡± I asked Shiro, still in my arms, who had been tidying herself up and recomposing herself as we talked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± We parted, a touch of regret on Shiro¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m fine. This princess is made of sterner stuff, really. Well...¡± she smiled at the still-floating Bintara. ¡°... I apologise for my weakness. No matter the pain, bring it on!¡±


    ¡°Haste is foolish. Such work must be done delicately. Yours are no simple wounds, to be healed in a moment, and your circumstances are complicated by that parasite...¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eye flashed red, as Tan objected to her words, but she remained quiescent, likely knowing provoking the healer was a bad idea. ¡°I understand. If it takes time, it takes time. I¡¯m not greedy.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Though I admit, I would like to be beautiful again soon...¡± I caught her barely whispered words, and the earnest thoughts held within them...


    ********


    ¡°Do you take part in matters such as these often?¡± Daiyu was asking me, as we reached the borders of Haru-san¡¯s new Territory. We were being followed by Red and Blue, Urakaze and the Kamaitachi, as well as Bintara and the kitsune Nebisuki, who after drying herself out had managed to inveigle herself into this procession. I had invited Seirei, but she had refused, returning to her husband within the Territory.


    ¡°More often than I¡¯d like, and definitely more often than I¡¯d ever have believed only a few short months ago.¡± I replied ruefully, watching as Shaeula was talking to her mother and the Kamaitachi excitedly, while Hyacinth was being bothered by the kitsune. ¡°I¡¯ve still got to meet Shaeula¡¯s father and her other two brothers. Come to think of it, she¡¯s not mentioned the third one much...¡±


    ¡°China is a realm that has many Spiritual Beings, but... the path of Cultivation seldom lends itself to amicable contact between us. Many would see them as treasures to harvest, fools to plunder, or even to be enslaved, tamed. In the distant past, Kunlun supposedly tamed so many Spiritual Beings that Taming was considered one of the Six Great Noble Pursuits of Cultivation.¡± She looked at Shaeula and Hyacinth. ¡°Perhaps you could be considered to have mastered that already.¡±


    ¡°This is good stuff!¡± Red belched, having emptied half a barrel down his throat by now. Drunkenly, he had offered to wrestle Ulfuric, who as he was sober, had quickly subdued Red, who had drowned his sorrows with more honeyed wine. ¡°Blue, why don¡¯t you give him a try? Is that why you aren¡¯t drinking?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, will ya?¡± Blue said, not for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting, not now.¡± she frowned, thinking. ¡°This is serious, ya get it? Lord Nurarihyon let them go, even though the toy was broken. Ya can¡¯t be the one to stuff this up.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you get so sensible, Blue?¡± Nebisuki laughed, also enjoying some spirits, her tails lashing happily. Even the presence of a kami, one they should be very wary of, could not dampen the festivities that had sprung up on the borders of Haru-san¡¯s territory. Urakaze was talking to Shaeula and Hyacinth, drink in hand, while Shiro was with Bintara and Haru-san. Kudou-san and the others from Kyoto were also taking this rare opportunity to socialise with such potent spiritual beings, though it amused me to see how nervous Yasaka-san was getting. Sorry, but you¡¯re integral to my plans, you¡¯ll have to get used to this...


    ¡°Do you want a drink?¡± I asked Daiyu. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    She looked as if she was going to refuse, before she nodded, a little curious. I poured her out some golden liquid, and I could feel her Qi sense spreading out, enveloping it. She raised one eyebrow a little in an expression of surprise. ¡°This contains energy that can be refined into Qi.¡± She said, surprised. ¡°It is weak, but definitely there.¡± She took a sip, shocked again by the rich, smooth flavour.


    ¡°Good, yes?¡± I grinned, and she nodded, taking another small swig, and with my Eye I could see she was also drawing the lingering aether out of the drink, changing it slightly to a form her body was more used to and could better process.


    ¡°It is not inferior to our cooking in China, using the arts of Refining.¡± She admitted. ¡°Though I do miss the tastes of home...¡± she whispered.


    ¡°This is definitely welcome booze!¡± Red snorted drunkenly, the bruises he had suffering wrestling Ulfuric fading already. ¡°Damn, I really want more now.¡±


    Oh do you? I held in a smile. Shaeula and Hinata had planned for this sort of occasion. ¡°Well, obviously our supplies aren¡¯t unlimited. It¡¯s quite the effort to raise such succulent fruits and ferment them, adding in precious honey, ingredients from the Seelie Court...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Red groaned, licking his lips. ¡°But booze is life, isn¡¯t that right, Blue?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me right now!¡± she said, hunched down, occasionally glancing over at the taciturn badgerkin who had defeated Red earlier.


    ¡°In that case... we could... no, maybe not.¡± I said, pretending to be troubled.


    ¡°You could what?¡± Red took the bait.


    ¡°Well, I suppose I could sell a few barrels now and then. It¡¯d disappoint those I¡¯ve already promised it to, but then, I do want to be on good terms with the Night Parade, especially since they seem to have suffered a disappointment recently...¡±


    ¡°Sell? For what?¡± Red leaned in, and I could see the kitsune smirking behind him.


    ¡°Well, all sorts of things. But Etherites are certainly acceptable. Any old artefacts that you find as well, or special metal ores like bluesteel. I saw some of those being exchanged during the wagers, so I know the Night Parade has them, right?¡±


    ¡°Hard luck for you, Red. I told you, they would walk out alive.¡± Nebisuki taunted him happily. ¡°I think you lost most of your trinkets and baubles.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± he grumbled. Rummaging around in his loincloth, he grinned. ¡°Ah, still have this!¡± he pulled out a rather impressive blue Etherite. ¡°I found this one many years ago. It¡¯s a lucky charm. Nearly forgot I had it. So, will this do?¡±


    Blue Etherites are very useful to Ixitt, or for emergencies. Of course I want it... Even so, Hinata had been coaching me in not showing too much eagerness during negotiations. I hadn¡¯t exactly heeded that advice with Bintara, but Shiro¡¯s health wasn¡¯t something to bargain for. This however... ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s a shame it isn¡¯t an Indigo one, but...¡±


    As I was making a show of considering, Nebisuki produced not one, but three blue Etherites, as well as a number of green and yellow ones, plus some ores I didn¡¯t recognise, and some pretty gems, casting them to the ground in front of me. ¡°Oh, why take his pathetic savings, when I am rich with my recent winnings?¡± She winked. ¡°You did help me to triumph, after all.¡±


    ¡°Back off, bitch!¡± Red groused. ¡°I asked first, got it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how commerce works. You think with your muscles, don¡¯t you, Red? She who pays the most gets the prize.¡±


    ¡°Why, you...¡± as he surged up, meaty fists clenched, Blue grabbed his arm, holding him back.


    ¡°No fighting, ya moron! Not... we have to look good here, not be drunken fools, ya get it?¡± she was talking to him urgently, while the kitsune continued to taunt him. Well, in that case, these are mine. There was no way I was passing up such a bounty, and I quickly gathered them up.


    Urakaze sighed. ¡°They are always so noisy-loud. The Seelie Court has many annoyances-inconveniences, but at least it is not so... chaotic-savage. You should perhaps be happy-joyful you were raised there, Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am. Though my upbringing was hardly-hardly flawless.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I do however rather enjoy the ... sheer energy... of the Hyakki Yagyo?. Though I do concede it is quite-quite likely to grow tiresome in time.¡±


    Smiling at the chaos, and the potential profit, I turned to prince Sho?toku, and Tsukiko-san, who had sat beside him, her veil back on, uncomfortable about being around such Yokai. ¡°Well, looks like everything is coming together. We have the healer we need, and Haru-san has this Territory well in hand. Now we wait. Days, you say?¡± I asked again, and Tsukiko-san nodded.


    ¡°I am not able to say precisely which day disaster will strike, but Tsukuyomi revealed to me my time is perilously short.¡±


    Watching Red, Blue and Nebisuki squabble, while Urakaze and Bintara watched on disdainfully, Shaeula, Hyacinth and those from Kyoto laughing and joking, I clenched my fist. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll make every second count. I¡¯ll leave no stone unturned in my preparations. And you¡¯ll fight until the end too, right?¡±


    ¡°I shall.¡± Tsukiko-san nodded. ¡°I do... I do want to live. Seeing an impossible scene like this... it makes me wonder, just what have I missed out on, what will I continue to miss?¡±


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that just mean you have a lot to look forward to?¡± I said, and Prince Sho?toku chuckled at that, nodding approvingly. ¡°In any case, whether you were in danger or not, Tsukiko-san, I¡¯d have to fight. After all, I was the one who pressured the Government to set up the Ministry, to protect Japan. So I¡¯ll not let danger threaten it. So don¡¯t feel guilty, or if you must, fight anyway. Because I¡¯ll do the same.¡±


    At her nod, I took a sip of my own drink. Yes, it¡¯s more than just Tsukiko-san, as important as she is. Japan is mine to protect. Not alone, never alone. But if these red ants that intend to take Tsukiko-san down are coming, well, I¡¯ll have to give them a warm, Japanese welcome, show them the... appropriate... hospitality for a troublesome, evil guest...

 Three Hundred And Fourteen

    Three Hundred And Fourteen


    ¡°Well, I shall depart.¡± Nebisuki grinned, watching as Blue was pulling angrily on one of Red¡¯s horns, trying to drag him off as his endless round of challenges to Ulfuric was causing her much consternation. ¡°I must say, this has been far more amusing than even I had hoped.¡± Her tails swirled happily. ¡°Just remember, I am a woman who likes strong men. If you ever feel like an affair...¡± she grinned lasciviously, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°Just shoo!¡± Shiro flapped her hand at the kitsune. ¡°Aki has better taste in women than you, I hope.¡± She said sourly. ¡°Besides, when... when I¡¯m all healed...¡± her voice was still trembling with emotion. ¡°I¡¯m hotter than you!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Your chest, it cannot compare...¡± she crossed her arms under her kimono, pushing out her simply vast cleavage.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all about the size. Aki¡¯s favourite Sekirei is pretty damn flat.¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°And Shaeula isn¡¯t much different. He has a broad strike zone. Damn, never thought I¡¯d say that about poor shy Aki.¡±


    ¡°While I am quite-quite secure in the knowledge Akio loves and desires my body, I must-must point out that I do indeed have breasts.¡± Shaeula rejoindered, and Shiro laughed.


    ¡°Hey, like I said, Aki¡¯s into that, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Shiro continued. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s always excited when he sees me, or Aimi in her low-cut tops. Size isn¡¯t everything, shape and quality matter too! And I don¡¯t lose to a slutty fox like you, I¡¯m hardly petite when it comes to my chest!¡±


    Well, isn¡¯t this quite the awkward conversation? It isn¡¯t as though Shiro and the others haven¡¯t talked about this before. A few beers in Akihabara and we were always discussing the types of guy or girl we liked, often in embarrassing detail, and the girls could be embarrassingly frank, well, Aimi-chan and Shiro anyway, Hina-chan was always too shy. But when it¡¯s this unfiltered and... well, real... Deciding to change the subject, I glanced over at where the two Oni were brawling, Blue looking particularly irritated, before turning back to Nebisuki. ¡°So, a question? I know you enjoyed the alcohol, and I think it¡¯s pretty fantastic, Asha is doing a great job, but why did you throw out so much treasure to purchase it?¡±


    ¡°Well, like most Yokai, I do rather enjoy it.¡± she licked at her sultry red lips. ¡°But it was more to annoy Red, and lord it over him.¡± She smirked. ¡°Besides, the treasures are mere baubles I wrested from other fools who bet against me. Rather than lose them back in the future, I would teach the unwise fools a lesson in proper gambling, by disposing of my winnings.¡±


    ¡°Do not pay her any mind-heed.¡± Urakaze sighed. ¡°The fox has a terrible personality, she is tricky-flighty and savage-cruel. As for my part... here.¡± She produced some more shining Etherites, before handing them to her daughter, Shaeula taking them gratefully, with a small look of surprise on her face.


    ¡°These are...¡± Shaeula began, seeing the shine of blue and green.


    ¡°These are a gift-present.¡± Urakaze tilted her head, perhaps embarrassed. ¡°As the sly fox says, I did win-plunder these from fools who went against my judgement. You seem to have great-much use for them. Consider it... an apology.¡±


    Shaeula shook her head. ¡°I do not-not need your apologies. I understand. Just as my father had his-his own circumstances and trials, so do you, mother. Besides, it all worked out in the end, did it not-not, and surely that is all that matters.¡± She paused for a second, before tucking away the Etherites. ¡°I will-will be keeping these though, as you are correct, mother. We do have great need-need of these, so I thank you!¡±


    In that case... I called over Haru-san and pressed one blue Etherite into her hands. ¡°Keep this in case of an emergency. We don¡¯t know precisely what¡¯s going to happen, but using it you can throw up a number of Emplacements near-instantly. I¡¯d feel better if you have a trump card.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to do any actual fighting.¡± She smiled, a trace of sadness on her features. ¡°After all, I¡¯m not much of a warrior. I¡¯ll leave that to those who are suited for it. I¡¯m just an administrator.¡±


    ¡°Which we need.¡± Moira had joined us as we were finishing up our business here in Kyoto for now. ¡°It is always good to know your own strengths and weaknesses. The proper person in the proper place leads to success. Fools who overestimate their abilities lead to chaos and ruin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if everyone does their best, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± I looked at Tsukiko-san, who was with the Prince and Kudou-san, as well as Eri and Hinata. When did she get here? On seeing me having noticed her, Hinata hurried over, followed by Eri.


    ¡°Akio, so this is Kyoto?¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°To travel so far in an instant, even here in the Boundary, it¡¯s revolutionary. I hear you¡¯ve opened up trade too? I got curious when I saw all the barrels going through the Ring Gate.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I agreed, briefly explaining the details of our arrangement with the Oni and Nebisuki.


    ¡°I see. Yes, that sounds great. But it makes me wonder... is there no way you can make Buildings to strengthen and improve the orchard? The Night Parade is the most powerful group of Yokai in Japan, right? Wouldn¡¯t they be as rich as the Seelie Court?¡±


    Eri agreed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense that they¡¯d be poor. I¡¯d rather Akio has all their Etherites and puts them to use!¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°You know, I think you might be unexpectedly suited to commerce after all, Eri. Oh, that reminds me, the reason I came wasn¡¯t just to talk about this. Your sister called me earlier.¡±


    Aiko? What did she want? Calling Hinata and not me, too?


    ¡°She¡¯s planning to come over to Tokyo during the weekend, and hoped I could arrange her transportation. I said I¡¯d have to ask you first though, but I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d mind, being as it¡¯s your sister?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind, but I don¡¯t like to impose on you, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t spare some effort for my sister-in-law, I¡¯m not that good a fiance?e, am I?¡± she smiled happily. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s hardly much trouble, and if it¡¯s only money, we can earn more. I¡¯ll be lining up the next batch of rich and influential people for healing soon.¡±


    ¡°I guess she¡¯s worried about you, Eri. To be honest, the timing isn¡¯t so good, this weekend Shiro and I have to settle matters with our friends, and we have this whole potential disaster about to go down here in Kyoto... but...¡± I didn¡¯t like turning down my sister, not when she was probably lonely without Eri.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look after her while she¡¯s here.¡± Eri promised.


    ¡°Really?¡± I raised an eyebrow at that, and she had the grace to look embarrassed.


    ¡°Well, sure, I can¡¯t walk, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m totally useless.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping as well. Natsumi and Motoko would surely be happy to look after her too. After all...¡± Hinata smiled. ¡°... we all want to score points with you, and the best way to do that is to be nice to your sister!¡±


    ¡°She has you there!¡± Eri giggled.


    ¡°Fine. I can¡¯t say no to her anyway, I never have been able to. Not unless it involves danger anyway, and it won¡¯t.¡± My sis may have the Divine Favour Yamato-san used to have, but she¡¯s not ready for a war yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements then.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°By the way, who are they?¡± After I explained who the Yokai were, Hinata showed great interest in Bintara. ¡°So you say she¡¯s an even better healer than you? So, do you think she could heal truly impossible injuries?¡±


    ¡°Enough. They will-shall be useful and obedient-loyal.¡± Urakaze declared, and the four quietened down. ¡°Else my winds shall bite-tear them cruelly. No, I believe you or your husband could punish-chastise them yourselves, Shaeula. If you must, then do so. As for you...¡± she looked at the others. ¡°We have much to speak-consult about. There is much I would know, of why you are here, rather than the chosen-selected I decreed!¡±


    The newcomers laughed at the scared expressions of the Kamaitachi, though their faces held a trace of sympathy, perhaps having been harshly questioned themselves, to root out those who would work against Shaeula and Urakaze in the Night Parade.


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we all have some refreshments, and then we can do the grand tour, and get our guests settled?¡± I said, clapping my hands for attention...


    ********


    ¡°So how are you holding up?¡± I asked the twins, who had joined us on top of the Rhyming Tree, sipping at non-alcoholic cocktails.


    ¡°We are quite well, Akio-sama. Our remaining wounds are not worth considering.¡± Chiaki-san started, before Chiasa-san agreed. ¡°Yes, we have recovered, only a few scars remain, Akio-sama.¡±


    ¡°Well then... we have the answer to that!¡± I grinned, and gestured to Bintara, who was also drinking, admiring the view. Seeing my attention, she sighed.


    ¡°Their wounds are indeed superficial. Your actions in healing them are terrible, but your ideas are sound. Perhaps in a hundred years I might consider you fit to touch an injured creature.¡± She gestured, and her aether once more poured out, into the twins. I used my Eye to observe, and gained several valuable insights.


    ¡°There. No scars will remain on your spirit or your flesh.¡± Bintara promised.


    ¡°Again, I appreciate it. We have a couple of others who could use the same. I know you are here for Shiro, but...¡± I implored, and she sighed, tossing her head, horns nearly striking a nearby troll, who nearly fell from the wooden log he was using as a chair.


    ¡°Bring them to me. I cannot abide unhealed wounds.¡± Bintara ordered, paying the troll no mind.


    ¡°So, she is the healer for Shiro?¡± Motoko asked. Unusually today she wasn¡¯t wearing her training hakama, and neither was Natsumi, instead they were in rather showy kimonos, which puzzled me. On seeing my look, Motoko smiled gently. ¡°Yes, today we were trying something new, with help from Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san. Though it did not go as planned.¡±


    ¡°Miyu-sama is here again today. She had to shepherd the numerous young ladies of the nobility, along with Mayumi-sama.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I explained you were dealing with an urgent matter, so they understand.¡±


    Yeah, they wanted me to start working Chirurgery on the various noble sons and daughters, didn¡¯t they? Well, Shiro comes first, as does Tsukiko-san, so securing Kyoto and bringing Bintara back was far more important... ¡°I see, well, if any are still here, I can rush through a few.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could do Sakura.¡± Hinata smiled impishly. ¡°She¡¯s not only the only granddaughter of Takatsukasa house, but she¡¯s also my cousin, as you know.¡± Her smile was wicked. Yeah, you¡¯re totally thinking about how painful it is going to be for her.


    ¡°Putting that aside, Miyu-sama was dancing at the Shrine again. It was a very inspiring sight.¡± Natsumi continued, Motoko nodding gracefully. ¡°So we asked some of your weaselkin to tailor us some kimonos. It didn¡¯t take too long, as apparently they¡¯ve been working on clothing similar to Yukatas, thanks to Shaeula¡¯s liking of them.¡±


    ¡°I am trained in classical Japanese dance as well, though I lack the skill of Miyu-sama.¡± Motoko declared.


    ¡°Yes, she didn¡¯t want to take time away from her lessons in the Tsumura arts when she was younger.¡± Natsumi leaned in close to my ear, face red at the distance, and she whispered to me, though she made it loud enough so everyone could hear. ¡°I have heard the stories from her grandfather about how she cried and complained, quite unlike her upright and dedicated attitude now.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi!¡± Motoko gasped, embarrassed, but Natsumi didn¡¯t stop her teasing.


    ¡°Until Tsumura-sama pointed out that battle required grace, and that dance would help with that, she stubbornly refused.¡±


    That is quite the story. It seems so unlike her, at first glance, as she is a model noble daughter, although... no, thinking on it, it¡¯s exactly like her. Tsumura arts come first. ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ve seen Miyu dance, but I¡¯d love to see the two of you try it sometime.¡±


    ¡°Well, Hori house only sent me for lessons as we make many of the clothes for the noble daughters who dance.¡± Natsumi said shyly, pulling away from me, face still pink. ¡°I am not as good as Motoko, to say nothing of how good Miyu-sama is. But I don¡¯t mind dancing for you.¡±


    ¡°Nor do I!¡± Motoko declared, unwilling to be left out.


    ¡°So, you joined Motoko in her dance then? With the twins?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We were unable to dance.¡± Chiaki-san said.


    ¡°Yes, we were trying to link the noble daughters to our telepathy.¡± Chiasa-san agreed.


    ¡°But we failed. It was too hard.¡± Chiaki-san finished.


    ¡°I see. Well, Haru-san is busy, but maybe when she¡¯s free, you can ask her to be the link. So, what were you trying to achieve?¡±


    ¡°Well, you seemed so very pleased with Miyu-sama¡¯s ability.¡± Motoko said quietly, and Natsumi nodded her agreement. ¡°We thought that if we helped her with her dance, we could perhaps learn it, or maybe strengthen it. The weaselkin musicians have been learning a score Miyu-sama gave them, and though the results are inconclusive, we believe that music strengthens it, if appropriate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fascinating idea.¡± I said, leaning forwards, excited. ¡°Though it¡¯ll probably be very hard, if not impossible to learn her Dance Of The Returning Dawn, as it¡¯s granted through her Divine Favour. But if more linked dancers could strengthen it...¡± as I considered that, something else came to mind. ¡°Oh, and while I appreciate you have etiquette to follow... while you are with me, don¡¯t call her Miyu-sama. She¡¯s just Miyu, all right?¡±


    Motoko looked troubled, but Natsumi shook her head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t. Hori house is nothing compared to Fujiwara... huh?¡± she seemed surprised as I placed my fingers to her lips, shushing her.


    ¡°Well, Hori house aside, Hori Natsumi is going to be my wife, and Miyu is my vassal, so there¡¯s no need for such formality between you, is there?¡± At my smile she blushed and nodded, looking away, even her ears pink. ¡°Well, now I¡¯m curious. Just how did it feel, dancing along with her...¡±


    As I bombarded them with questions, Hinata looked on fondly, Shiro too... Shaeula is showing her mother around, accompanied by Hyacinth. Ixitt is up to who-knows-what, and Grulgor is out along with Shaeraggo, bringing the last scraps of the ten kilometre radius under my control. So, what¡¯s next...?

 Three Hundred And Fifteen

    Three Hundred And Fifteen


    Meeting up with Miyu and Mayumi-san, Hinata and I returned with them to the Material. Mayumi-san was complaining that I had kept the noble sons and daughters waiting for my Chirurgery, but before I could respond, Hinata was first.


    ¡°Really, Mayumi-sama, I¡¯ve explained all this.¡± She sighed theatrically. ¡°Akio already had plans, important plans, and the schedule for Chirurgery wasn¡¯t agreed by Akio, was it? It¡¯s just asking for a favour, without adequate compensation.¡± She nodded at the bodyguards accompanying us, Kazumi-san, Michiru-san and Mayumi-san¡¯s elegantly dressed guard. ¡°Akio is kind enough even to perform the Chirurgery on our bodyguards, when really, it¡¯s a priceless service. Only Akio and Shaeula can do it, so you can¡¯t put a value on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, who can say whether some of these people with strange abilities, these Chosen, that Ichijou house has found, will be unable to do such feats?¡± Mayumi-san protested, stretching her knotted muscles.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hinata raised one eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯d compare them to Akio? That¡¯s very... bold... Mayumi-sama.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will admit that they seem more motivated by money and are less... impressive, all told.¡± She pouted a little, not used to being talked back to. ¡°Even so, Akio will be marrying Tsumura Motoko-san, and even you, Hinata. As part of the nobility, there is an obligation to the greater whole, even if only related by marriage.¡±


    ¡°Really, I think the nobility needs Akio a lot more than he needs it. Besides...¡± she looked at Miyu, who nodded slowly.


    ¡°Mayumi-sama...¡± she said formally, much shyer than the outgoing daughter of Ichijou house. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the lands and host Akio-san commands. I... I am a Chosen too, though my power is pitiful in comparison...¡± she looked down abashed.


    ¡°That¡¯s far from true. Your Dance of the Returning Dawn has the potential to be a cornerstone of my plans, and its value is incalculable.¡± I assured her. She gave me a slight smile, before continuing.


    ¡°That aside. Many will be like me. A coward, unwilling to press onwards. Selfish and weak.¡±


    ¡°As a daughter of Fujiwara house, you should not denigrate yourself so, it sets a bad example to the rest of the nobility.¡± Mayumi-san was irritated.


    ¡°I only speak the truth.¡± She stood her ground. ¡°I regretted that this came to me, hid it from Grandfather, and was even prepared to risk my life, or die, to avoid this terrible burden. Until Akio-san, Hinata-san and his sister all set me on the right path.¡±


    ¡°Me too, Miyu-sama!¡± Michiru-san declared grandly, flourishing her scarf. ¡°As your bodyguard, I should have been able to protect not just your body, but your spirit and happiness! I failed...¡± she gnashed her teeth. ¡°... but I have a second chance!¡± she bowed to me. ¡°And I am most grateful, Akio-sama. I will protect Miyu-sama forever.¡±


    ¡°This is missing the point.¡± I interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miyu, Michiru-san. I too will protect you both. But ... I also have other people to protect.¡± I fixed Mayumi-san with a stern gaze, which she met placidly. Yeah, I have to admire her confidence, if nothing else. ¡°Chirurgery is not a priority, when it comes to protecting Tsukiko-san. Now that the situation is stabilised in Kyoto, I have a little time, so we¡¯ll see.¡± It¡¯d be quicker with Shaeula here, but I don¡¯t want to interrupt her time with Urakaze. It would be helpful if Kana and my sis were able to do Chirurgery as well, like they both hope. But I¡¯m not sure how we can make that happen, yet...


    ¡°Well, from what grandfather says, the Diviner is an important woman in the pillar of faith.¡± Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°Even so... proper time management is important in business, grandfather says so. You need to do better!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, though not the do better part.¡± Hinata protested. ¡°Akio is already doing more than anyone else could and...¡± as they argued, Michiru-san leaned in, whispering to me very faintly, trusting my ears to pick her words up.


    ¡°Please, call me Michiru. If Miyu-sama has no honorific, it wounds my heart to have one myself, it is so disrespectful. No ninja can tolerate it!¡± her face was imploring, so I found myself nodding.


    ¡°Well, we are here.¡± We entered one of the rooms in the training school, where a few familiar faces were waiting, as well as a number of newcomers.


    ¡°Hiroto, how are things?¡± Hinata asked her brother, who was sitting with two others, a younger boy who was waiting nervously, perhaps of middle-school age, and someone who seemed of a similar age to Hiroto-san and looked a lot like Mayumi-san. Behind them were sharply dressed, strong-looking bodyguards.


    ¡°Fine. Though... I don¡¯t like being in such rarefied company.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot. You know cousin Minoru-sama and Hideki-sama. Sakura as well.¡± She smiled at them, as well as the girl who shared some similarities in appearance with Hinata, who must have been her cousin Takatsukasa Sakura-san. ¡°As for our other guest...¡± she nodded politely. ¡°Honoka-sama, it is a pleasure to have you here.¡±


    The youngest girl out of those here, who I had met briefly before at Fujiwara-san¡¯s mansion, nodded. Her bodyguard, Michiru¡¯s sister, Koga Kozue-san, was glaring at Michiru and Miyu, which surprised me.


    We exchanged glances, before Miyu shook her head. ¡°That would likely cause more problems than it solves, at least for now. Grandfather annulled my engagement, because it is more beneficial for me to be available, a prize for others to covet. But I cannot be given away so easily. And I cannot marry Akio-san, for it would be disrespectful to Tsumura, Hori and Fukumoto houses. I would be elevated above them. No, this way is better.¡±


    Yeah, you don¡¯t have any interest in men as far as I can tell. In fact, you¡¯ve come a long way in how you are less shy around me, in just a few meetings. I remember the first time we met... as I reminisced, Hinata jumped in once more, delighted.


    ¡°You see how it is, Sakura? Well, poor Takatsukasa house has no ties to Akio, unless you or cousin Minoru-sama forge them.¡± I noted she gave her younger male cousin a lot more respect than she did Sakura-san, although while they argued, I thought I knew Hinata pretty well, and it seemed to me she wanted Sakura-san to understand her. ¡°Oh wait...¡± she continued. ¡°Silly me, I am descended from Takatsukasa house, so I suppose you have no need of ties. I¡¯m already his fiance?e!¡±


    ¡°Such insolence towards Sakura-sama!¡± Kozue-san protested, fuming, but Sakura-san waved her to silence, her face red.


    ¡°I admit, father and grandfather have tried to find others of these special people, like Ichijou house. But we haven¡¯t the resources to persuade them to work for us.¡± she sighed. ¡°Hinata, if you want to be seen as true nobility, you have to act like it. That means showing respect to the higher nobility, deferring when necessary.¡±


    ¡°Well, as I said, my sister-in-law is a princess. Another is a proud daughter of Tsumura house. And my husband is Akio, who can¡¯t be measured by conventional wisdom.¡± She smiled.. ¡°So I think I stand in a high enough place to be informal. Besides, you¡¯re my cousin, Sakura. Shouldn¡¯t we be closer? Akio cherishes family, and that makes you part of his family too. Family shouldn¡¯t have these stupid rules.¡±


    ¡°I wonder, if Miyu-sama is your vassal...¡± Honoka-san said, thinking. ¡°Does that make me your family too, if you are taking care of her?¡± she asked me.


    ¡°Well, Miyu and I don¡¯t have that sort of bond.¡± No more than I have with Kikuchi Shuta-san. Though my bond with Haru-san is a lot deeper... ¡°But if you are ever in trouble, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be happy to help.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Honoka-san mused. ¡°Well, I still think this will not work, but I admit...¡± she smiled at Hinata gently. ¡°You make a compelling case for the necessity of a new infusion to the nobility. Perhaps my dear cousin Miyu-sama has formed the connection grandfather wished for after all...¡±


    ¡°All right, this is all very interesting.¡± Mayumi-san was grinning. ¡°I have never had such a frank conversation with those who are my equals. It is very stimulating. But Hinata is right. Although...¡± she peered at Hinata curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being this cheeky. Well, you¡¯ve always been entertaining, but this forceful personality of yours is rather new.¡±


    Hinata merely laughed at that, allowing Mayumi-san to continue. ¡°Maybe there are others out there with equal or greater worth than Akio-san, but he is here now. Hideki, wait and see. I have grand plans which will amaze you. But as for you all...¡± she smiled at me. ¡°It¡¯s time for Chirurgery.¡± She shuddered a little. ¡°I feel truly wonderful, now, but it¡¯s extremely unpleasant enduring it at first. Well, it can¡¯t be helped, can it? Besides, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t miss the opportunity to show off, right Hinata?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! My cheeky words are not as impactful as seeing the Territory.¡± Hinata smiled, releasing my arm at last. ¡°Well, are you starting with the bodyguards as usual? How about...¡± she pointed at Kozue-san, and behind me Michiru bit down on a happy snort. Yeah, I¡¯m pretty certain there¡¯s far too many people here who enjoy the idea of others suffering a bit of humiliation and pain. Oh well, I might as well get started. After all, I had gained a few new insights from watching Bintara work, and I wanted to try them out...


    ********


    ¡°... was quite the amusing sight, seeing Sakura and the others so stunned.¡± Hinata was rubbing her head against me affectionately as we sat in my room on the Material. Unlike the others, who had been whisked away by limousines back to their homes, Hinata had stayed longer. After I had performed the Chirurgery, finding it a bit easier and less pain-inducing due to using a fraction of Bintara¡¯s techniques, I had charged them up and gave them a very brief tour of the Territory.


    ¡°The bodyguards were so on edge, especially meeting Grulgor.¡± She continued to laugh happily. ¡°And Mayumi was having a grand time seeming like she was an expert, despite only having been to your Territory twice before.¡± She sighed. ¡°Sakura is... well, it¡¯s hard to be her cousin. I do wish I could get on with her more, but she¡¯s in a difficult position. As the daughter of Takatsukasa house, she needs to act as regally as Mayumi, which is a tough ask, and Miyu and Honoka-sama too.¡± She sighed. ¡°But Takatsukasa house is only holding on due to Fujiwara and Ichijou house supporting them, and the rest of the nobility knows it. Ordinarily, I¡¯d have never been born, my mother should never have married down, as Sakura so rudely put it. But the whole nobility thinks it. It¡¯s so unfair. Mayumi thinks of it similarly. She sees me as a friend, and I know she likes me. But she¡¯ll never see me as the type of friend we have, unless we can change her perspective. And I do so want to be friends. I love her charm, her arrogance, her drive to succeed.¡± She looked up at me, brown eyes pleading. ¡°Akio, can you do something about it? No, you will, I know.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I bent down and kissed her lips tenderly. As we parted, she was flushed but happy. ¡°Your cousin, well, she¡¯ll come around. The old ways have to change. As for Mayumi-san, well, it must be lonely, being at the top, looking down on everyone else. So I¡¯ll help you climb up beside her.¡±


    ¡°Great! I love you!¡± We kissed again, and after we were done, I patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s late. You¡¯d better head home, or you¡¯ll not have any strength at school tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can get by on a little sleep nowadays, at least for a day or two.¡± She promised me. ¡°I won¡¯t disgrace my husband-to-be, or my parents, by showing weakness at school. So, what will you be doing?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to get some sleep, it¡¯s been days, but...¡± I haven¡¯t slept since before Tsukiko-san transferred me her Divine Favour. But right now there¡¯s too much to do... ¡°I need to return to Kyoto and pump Yasaka-san for answers to a few questions, and I have other things to do as well.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you need to take care of yourself, none of us want you breaking down from bearing too many burdens. I¡¯ll be sure to ask Eri the others if you did so.¡±


    ¡°All right, I promise.¡± I assured her, and once Hinata had also left, I returned to the Boundary, a lot still to do...

 Three Hundred And Sixteen

    Three Hundred And Sixteen


    ¡°... shrouded by a providence in rivalry to my own.¡± Yasaka-san read, his face pale, blood staining his lips. Having answered my final question with the Book of Providence, he slumped down, exhausted. ¡°Damn, you shouldn¡¯t work your elders so hard.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hardly that old.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Even so, you¡¯ve done good work.¡± I helped the older Candidate up. As he mopped the trickled red and silver blood from his face, we considered the answers we had obtained. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t get much information, but at least the final answer was revealing.¡±


    ¡°A providence in rivalry to my own? It sounds like there is some obscurement that I can¡¯t read through.¡± he agreed. ¡°It didn¡¯t occur instantly though, when we asked about before the ships left China, we were able to get an accurate read on them.¡±


    ¡°Even so, what we got is troubling.¡± The details on the PLA divisions that were included in the breakaway were really detailed, and proved the value of the Book of Providence, but knowing the equipment and weapons they had loaded was concerning. Anti-tank weaponry, sniper and anti-material rifles, several attack helicopters, missile batteries and more. Sure, the JSDF could handle them easily enough, their numbers aren¡¯t great, but the casualties if they attack Kyoto with those would be ruinous, and there¡¯d be no way to cover it up. It could quite easily lead to war between Japan and China too...


    ¡°There¡¯s still no evidence that their destination is Japan.¡± Yasaka-san said. ¡°But whether it¡¯s Japan or not, there¡¯s going to be trouble, right?¡±


    ¡°Big trouble.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m certain that they will attack Kyoto. I¡¯m starting to have my Foresight buzz unpleasantly, and now that I have a much higher stat after Tsukiko-san gave me her Divine Favour, as well as the blessing of Tsukuyomi, I can feel a rising danger to Tsukiko-san, as well as those I¡¯ve met in Kyoto such as Taishakama-san. While that still doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be these deserters and rebels... there¡¯s far too much coincidental about this. There¡¯s the Sect forces, and the number of Candidates. Twenty-Three!¡± That was what really worried me. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was comfortable handing attack helicopters or taking hits from anti-material rifles. But compared to more than twenty Candidates with varied abilities and powers, I¡¯d take them on any day.


    ¡°Some of them do seem... troubling.¡± Yasaka-san consulted his list. ¡°And there were seven we¡¯ve been unable to read the information on, either protected in the same way as the information after their departure, or simply... inaccessible.¡±


    Well of course. My Eye is Legendary, and even it struggles with question marks all the time. It¡¯s only natural he can¡¯t get information on powers that outclass the Book itself. That¡¯s why he needs to grow stronger, Rank it up. ¡°Even so, at least we know about some. Those with destructive abilities, well, it¡¯s easier to deal with those than the others. Flaming Wheels and incredible speed. The ability to freeze a wide area. Calling lightning. Tremendous physical strength. Those we can handle. It¡¯s the ability to compel others to fight beyond their limits, carry items to the Boundary and more that concern me. Even so, thanks to you, we can start brainstorming countermeasures.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I could help. Does that mean I can rest?¡± Yasaka-san asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No way. No rest for you. This shows more than ever we have to empower your ability. Fortunately you¡¯re on easy street now though, since we have the Ring Gate. You can get power-levelled against the sea creatures everyone is farming on my coastline for levels and ether.¡± I slapped the tired man on the back as he groaned.


    So, I need to pass this information on to Tsumura-san, so the JSDF can be made ready. But seriously, why the hell are all these Candidates and Sects coming here? It makes no sense... there¡¯s got to be more to it that we aren¡¯t seeing and can¡¯t ask. Perhaps we don¡¯t know the right questions...


    ********


    ¡°... a series of incidents that defy description.¡± Detective Kato was saying, while Officer Usui sat beside him. Karen-chan brought them steaming mugs of coffee, which they took gratefully. After taking a sip, the Detective continued. ¡°Fortunately it only seems to be theft at the moment, but even so, a number of high-end jewellers have been robbed of their stocks, and a security firm transporting a significant sum of yen to be placed in ATM¡¯s around Tokyo found that at their first destination, the van was empty, only a scattered handful of bills left behind.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, were there any clues?¡±


    ¡°Fingerprints were found at the scene, but they don¡¯t match any on the police database.¡±


    ¡°Whoever this is, they¡¯re an amateur.¡± Officer Usui sniffed. ¡°Not even wearing gloves. But nothing ever shows on the cameras, and there¡¯s no sign of breaking and entry.¡±


    ¡°The officers dealing with it are wracking their brains trying to come up with a solution that might be plausible, but they¡¯ve got nothing.¡± The Detective continued. ¡°Then I caught word of it, and thought it might be a case that would fall under Ministry jurisdiction. Now I know...¡± he conceded. ¡°... the Ministry isn¡¯t operational yet, the legislation not passed through the Diet. But even so, I don¡¯t want to just leave it alone.¡±


    ¡°Invisibility seems the most likely answer.¡± I mused. ¡°They could slip in behind the guards as the van was loaded, then get out as they panic, money safely hidden.¡± With improved stats, carrying a lot of money should be plausible, as should keeping quiet. Even so, it does seem risky. ¡°Though who knows? Maybe they can teleport, via some sort of Spatial ability?¡±


    ¡°Really, we need to have a better idea of everyone who can use these crazy abilities.¡± Officer Usui complained. ¡°This registry can¡¯t come soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, I believe that the Candidates from the JSDF are forming a map of Tokyo, and have identified quite a few smaller Territories. Of course, that doesn¡¯t exactly narrow down the Candidate behind them, but it¡¯s human nature to have their Anchor somewhere they feel safe...¡±


    ¡°Yes, a number have been brought to the attention of the Government that way. We also...¡± the Detective had the grace to look ashamed. ¡°... took a leaf out of the USA¡¯s book, and managed to unearth more via phone records and other... less than constitutional means.¡± He frowned, unhappy. ¡°But I understand. Just as the laws have to change to accommodate these new powers, we can¡¯t be picky in what methods we use to account for everyone. It sits badly with me, but I¡¯ve learned from nearly dying I have to be a little more... flexible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, if people want to get rich, then there are plenty of ways they can use their Favours for good. I¡¯d be prepared to pay for assistance from those with the right abilities.¡± I mused. ¡°So, I happen to know a guy who can get detailed answers to questions...¡± I grinned. ¡°Unless the thief here is protected somehow, I daresay we can get their name or more...¡±


    ¡°I doubt that would be admissible as evidence in court.¡± The Detective leaned forwards, interest in his eyes. ¡°But I admit, being able to put a name to this case would be a great boost to our standing, and make the Tokyo PD more likely to support us when we go live...¡±


    ¡°Well, in that case, give me a few minutes...¡± I said, realising I had to return to the Boundary, mere minutes after leaving it. Shit, I¡¯m overworked. I know my mom says ¡®no rest for the wicked¡¯, but other than my many relationships with girls, I swear I¡¯m a good guy!


    ********


    ¡°Hey Ixitt.¡± I yawned, as the ratkin entered my office, laptop in hand. I was polishing off an evening beer, after a very long day, running errands, talking to numerous people, and arranging matters. The girl from Hoeruokami shrine, taking her into the Boundary was hard work in her shocked mental state, but Bintara managed to restore her eyes, claiming it was far easier than restoring Shiro¡¯s blind orb. Ren-san too, as well as Keomi-chan. Now all the physical scars are healed, it¡¯s just the mental ones... Haru-san had used Mind-Healing Light a little, in her few spare moments, and now it was just that poor girl who was still unstable. Hopefully in time she¡¯ll make a full recovery. In addition to that I had also performed Chirurgery on another significant batch of Special Forces, as well as Luciana and a few squad leaders from the Black Wolf Company.


    ¡°Good evening.¡± He answered, a knowing smile on his face. ¡°A hard day, I see.¡±


    Deciding to check with Tsumura-san whether the military and coastguard had any luck detecting the deserters from China, I dried my face and headed downstairs, ready for another round of Chirurgery, and a long night of other tasks that needed my attention...


    Damn, that golden eye. It reminded me of Tan, when she wanted to eat me. Shit, why did it have to turn its gaze upon Japan? Isn¡¯t there enough food in China for it? Thinking such uncharitable thoughts, I laughed bitterly. The world had changed, and such problems were only going to become more frequent over time...


    ********


    Finally. It¡¯s been forever. Standing in front of the Territory Anchor, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Eri and Shiro at my side, I watched as the Build Queue Anchor Spire finally completed, reaching Rank 2.


    ¡°This would have been done many-many days ago, were it not-not for the slowing.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°Well, it is done now.¡± she grinned. ¡°So, what will you spend your bounty on?¡±


    ¡°A good question.¡± I mused, having a bit under a million ether available. A significant chunk of it was generated from the constant farming of sea-creatures in Sagami Bay, a tide which seemed largely inexhaustible, and the rest was made up of the final bounty for bringing all of the Territory within ten kilometres under my control. Though we can¡¯t rely on Sagami Bay forever. Sooner or later, either we¡¯ll defeat all the creatures that make the Bay their home, or we¡¯ll provoke a nastier response. I¡¯m worried, but we need the ether and more importantly, the levels. I was trying to strengthen not just my own forces, but those of Candidates with key abilities, such as Yasaka-san. It was already paying off, but soon I would be receiving the details of the Candidates Ichijou house and the other nobility had gathered, as well as the others in the military, and if any of those had usable Divine Favours, I¡¯d need to support them as well. Though, in exchange for their support with my own projects of course. I¡¯m not helping for free.


    ¡°We should be quick.¡± Eri said, still unsteady on her feet, cat ears and tail flickering restlessly. ¡°After all, Aiko will be here this afternoon, right? She¡¯ll be mad if we aren¡¯t there to greet her.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m rather enthusiastic.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Meeting the legendary brocon queen that is the object of Aki¡¯s twisted siscon affections is going to be great! Though I do wish I was able to make a better first impression. If the sister doesn¡¯t like me, I¡¯m done for. Aki will kick me aside, leaving me all alone. Sob sob sob!¡±


    ¡°No monotone sobbing!¡± I scolded her affectionately. ¡°My sis won¡¯t care about your scars. She¡¯s probably the sort to think them cool. Besides, though they¡¯ve only shrunk a bit, you can tell they are improving. Bintara really is a genius healer.¡± Even watching her, I gain new insights.


    ¡°True.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°After all, she didn¡¯t cry over mine.¡± She pouted. ¡°I know she was relieved that I wasn¡¯t dead and I got my arm and legs back, but she could have stood to be a touch more sympathetic. Anyway, shouldn¡¯t you be worried about some other people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Oh God Aki, we¡¯re meeting Aimi and the others this evening! Damn, I got carried away talking to her, but... what do we do? My chest aches and I feel nervous. This isn¡¯t like me at all! I¡¯m a princess, and...¡±


    Shaeula snorted, interrupting her, while Hyacinth giggled. ¡°Really?¡± Shaeula said, smiling. ¡°Well, you will not-not be alone, will you? All of Akio¡¯s wives shall gather, and we shall discuss it together. I must admit to being eager-eager to meet these oft-mentioned friends too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Shit.¡± Shiro cursed once more. ¡°I won¡¯t be alone at least. But will that make it better? No, focus on the positives. I¡¯m not a dateless loser who can¡¯t find love because of her frail body anymore. That¡¯s just Yasu. He¡¯ll be crushed. That¡¯ll be funny if nothing else... ugh, it¡¯s not helping. Aki, do something to take my mind off this! You¡¯re my boyfriend, man up! If you don¡¯t help girls in their time of need, they¡¯ll get snatched away from you, and none of us need to see you as an NTR protagonist. That¡¯s more Yasu, if he ever did get a girlfriend...¡±


    To laughter all around, which worried me a little, as I hoped that Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth didn¡¯t know what that acronym meant, I put that aside, remembering a past discussion I had been involved in with Shugo-san and Yasu-san over a few drinks in a bar in Shibuya, where we had rated various fetishes. Damn, Aiko was right, I was such a typical otaku virgin loser. But I¡¯m not the worst. NTR and the other cheating fetishes had rated at the bottom of the pile with us.


    ¡°Well, enough talking about stupid stuff. Shiro, Aiko will like you, I promise. As for the gang, we¡¯ll make them understand and get their blessings. Hayato-san will support us, I¡¯m sure. He¡¯s the sort of guy who just wants his friends to be happy.¡± I imagined the scene later, cracking a smile. ¡°Anyway, the Elemental Silos are full of earth element, so... time for an upgrade.¡±


    With that, three quarters of a million ether and two and a half thousand earth elemental essence were consumed. The White Snake Earth Altar grew suddenly, more magnificent gold and ruby decorations appearing, mixed with white and green jade, life-like serpents crawling all over the gold, ruby and obsidian roof.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s impressive.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m neglecting my Territory. I really need to push for Rank 3, as you call it. I¡¯m glad Arisu is looking after it in my absence...¡±


    Another problem to solve. Oh well, for now, let¡¯s take a look...


    White Snake Earth Altar Rank 2 Unique ¨C This building can only be constructed at Shirohebizumi shrine. It will further strengthen all earth-aspected creatures and allies under your command, and this ability will be magnified for the kami of the shrine and his adherents. The kami of the shrine will be able to gather more adherence and utilise it more effectively. Earth element production and purity in the area will be increased, further slightly increasing the chance of unique elemental earths forming. Earth element aspected allies have their maximum level raised by two. The kami of the shrine, his adherents and devout worshippers have their maximum level raised instead by four.


    ¡°Great. This should more than offset the drop in earth element due to the extra Ring Gate. More to the point, Kana and Keomi-chan should be able to get four levels now, right? And while it does say instead, it doesn¡¯t rule out that if they learnt earth element they¡¯d get the extra two levels as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that can wait.¡± Eri reiterated. ¡°So, are you done?¡± she asked me, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Not quite. Now we have two open Build Queues, and it¡¯s actually ether rather than time that¡¯s the problem, thanks to the slowing vastly reducing our intake, and Sagami Bay being the last place within our Territory worth farming, I might as well tie up the queues with something that makes us income. Besides, we¡¯ll have an empty queue soon enough when the Dwarven Smelter and Foundry completes in a couple of days.¡± I didn¡¯t want to experiment with rush-building Special Rank buildings unless there was a need for it, and right now there wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°So, what we need is more ether generation and density. So...¡± with that I queued in the Ether Spire Anchor Spire, and the Ether Density Anchor Spire, both a hundred thousand ether, and taking a hundred days to Rank 2.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s us poor again, and I can¡¯t see us getting any large bounties any time soon. Even Sagami Bay will surely dry up. Oh well, when the slowing ebbs out, we can go back to being rich.¡± I grinned, before explaining the final status of our build queues.


    The Build Queue Anchor Spire was now upgraded and functioning again, and was holding the Ether Density Anchor Spire to Rank 2 at a hundred days. The queue that had been performing that upgrade was also free now, and thus held the Ether Spire Anchor Spire, also at a hundred days to completion. We then had the upgrade on the Ether Spire to Rank 4, still a long way off at two hundred and nine days away, and lastly, the Dwarven Smelter and Foundry had about two days left, lagging behind as it hadn¡¯t shared the benefits of Miyu¡¯s regular visits to dance. That also makes me wonder. We still seem to have a bit more ether than even Shaeraggo¡¯s hard work would indicate. Miyu was dancing near the Rhyming Trees and a number of Ether Spires... putting aside another thing to test and quantify, I turned to the girls.


    ¡°Right then, we have to get ready. Tonight¡¯s a big night. Aiko will be here soon, Hinata¡¯s having her flown in by helicopter again. As for Hayato-san and the gang, we¡¯re meeting them tonight in a hotel in Ueno I believe. Hinata says she¡¯s booked out a number of suite rooms, as well as made reservations for dinner. So, shall we go?¡±


    As everyone smiled at me with varying degrees of worry and excitement, I couldn¡¯t help but think about the dream, no, the vision I had received yesterday. Shit, well, we¡¯ve done all the preparations we can. The JSDF, the Government, the faiths of Kyoto, Haru-san, even the Night Parade... all we can do now is wait, and respond as appropriate... with those last thoughts, we returned to the Material...

 Three Hundred And Seventeen

    Three Hundred And Seventeen


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Shiro said with a bright smile, spinning round for me, showing off what she was wearing. As usual she was in a pair of white jeans, but this time her jumper was a pretty deep-red wine colour, and it had long, puffy sleeves, so that she could hide the state of her damaged arm. Her hair was also pulled back away from her face, and she was wearing a white eye-patch, looking rather like a pirate, with all her scars. The outfit was topped off by some jewellery, such as a fetching necklace, which was unusual as Shiro normally didn¡¯t bother with such trappings, though the white gold looked good against the richly coloured jumper she wore.


    ¡°I thought that since you were always nagging me about sticking to white, I¡¯d make a change Aki. Though I still think my legs look best in white jeans. As for the rest...¡± she touched her exposed face softly, wincing. ¡°Damn, even with all the healing I¡¯ve had done over the past few days, I still look like I¡¯ve tripped and fell face first into a barrel of knives.¡± Her lip wobbled, and I reached out to console her, but she slapped my hands away.


    ¡°No messing up my outfit, Aki.¡± She stepped back. ¡°It took me ages getting ready, though not as long as it did Eri.¡± She nodded at my wheelchair-bound childhood friend. Eri was wearing a similar outfit to Shiro, though her tight jeans were blue, and her jumper was a layered one, with shades of black and purple. She also wore her sparkling engagement ring, as did Shiro, as well as some pretty earrings.


    ¡°Well, you try getting dressed when you can barely move.¡± Eri said acerbically. ¡°I was going to wear a skirt, but then it isn¡¯t just girls we¡¯ll be meeting tonight, so I thought this would be safer.¡±


    ¡°How prim and proper.¡± Shiro said sarcastically. It does surprise me, but they seem to get on quite well, even if they argue a lot. ¡°But I guess you¡¯re right to be worried. Hayato is far too much a gentleman to look, but Shugo and Yasu... especially Yasu... yeah, I wouldn¡¯t want Aki¡¯s old friendships to end in a bloodbath as he defenestrates Yasu from the fortieth floor of our hotel.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d do it too.¡± Eri giggled. ¡°I never really noticed when we were younger, probably because he was too busy being a coward and running away from me...¡± Eri looked at me reproachfully with her dark eyes. ¡°... but he¡¯s actually surprisingly possessive.¡±


    ¡°Well, can you blame him? Look at us. Well, not now... but when we are back on top form, we¡¯re gorgeous!¡± Shiro proclaimed proudly, and I smiled at her bravery. It must have been difficult for her to think of meeting our friends in the state she was in now, being as her looks were something she was always proud of.


    ¡°We¡¯re still gorgeous.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s only a matter of time. To be honest, I¡¯m a bit worried about meeting Akio¡¯s friends too. They¡¯re older, and I don¡¯t know a lot about the world so I worry they¡¯ll think I¡¯m just a stupid little girl. But if they are Akio¡¯s friends, I want them to be my friends too, or at least respect me.¡±


    ¡°I think they will. You might get on with Hina, she¡¯s such a cutie. And taken.¡± Shiro grinned knowingly. ¡°Really, Aki¡¯s such a hypocrite. It¡¯s almost refreshing at times. He¡¯s got so many girls that would put your average harem protagonist to shame, and yet he gets annoyed when people look at them. Worse, you just wait and see...¡± she winked, well, blinked at Eri. ¡°If Aimi is wearing her usual sort of clothes, Aki won¡¯t be able to help himself and he¡¯ll ogle her. And she¡¯s got a boyfriend now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no good. You can¡¯t go stealing other people¡¯s girls.¡± Eri chastised me.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that, I promise!¡± I said, feeling guilty, even though I hadn¡¯t done anything yet. ¡°Seriously, can we get back on topic of how good you both look?¡± I turned to Hyacinth, wearing her usual maid outfit, though she too was wearing additional accessories. It had been a struggle to convince her, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it slide this time, as she was attending this gathering as not just my maid, but my fiance?e as well. ¡°Thanks for your help, Hyacinth. It¡¯s reassuring to have you helping Eri.¡±


    She blushed and giggled. ¡°Think nooo more of it, Akio. I am more than happy tooo help mistress Eri! Though I wooorry. These are important friends of yours, Hyacinth does nooot know how to behave as a mistress. What if I dooo things wrong?¡±


    ¡°I hardly think Akio will-will worry about that.¡± Shaeula said, entering the room, having finished her own preparations. ¡°He is more than happy to make allowances. Do not-not be so concerned.¡±


    Hyacinth nodded, while I admired Shaeula¡¯s outfit, a fetching emerald green gown, offsetting the fiery amber of her hair and eyes beautifully. She had pinned up her hair with ornate bejewelled hairpins, similar to what she had worn at the party Fujiwara house had thrown.


    ¡°Looking annoyingly good there.¡± Shiro agreed with me. ¡°Shit, I hear the voices of a million lonely men crying out in anger against you, Aki. And this isn¡¯t even all of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi will be here later.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Aiko too.¡± She finished, before also complimenting Shaeula on her dress and hair.


    ¡°Well, Aki may be a siscon to rule all siscons, but she isn¡¯t actually his girl.¡± Shiro grinned wickedly. ¡°I¡¯d say our silent little Chinese flower over there is more dangerous.¡± She looked at Daiyu, who was sitting quietly in the corner, in a red Chinese-style Cheongsam replica, with a pattern of white flowers. Obviously with Daiyu being under my care now, I had to sort out her daily necessities. Getting Chinese clothing wasn¡¯t easy, but Akihabara strikes again. The outfits were not exactly authentic, but very expensive cosplay was good enough for now.


    I was going to argue with Shiro, not that I had won many with her over the years, but decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. She was teasing me, I was pretty certain, and I was happier to have her in that sort of mood than wallowing in her nerves. Looking down at the watch I was wearing to check the time, a rather costly Patek Phillipe, one of the number I was gathering, as I had been told I needed to make sure my cufflinks, shoes, tie and watch were appropriately expensive when meeting nobility and politicians, as that was the first thing anyone looked at, I could see Aiko was due to arrive soon. The suit that¡¯s been ordered for the party with the Royal family in the UK is scandalously expensive. I¡¯m glad I earned all this money recently or I¡¯d have a heart attack at the bill... I had been told by Hinata and her grandfather to spare no expense on these things, so of course I had listened, even if the expense pained me. Not that it should, I¡¯m rich now, but I guess old habits die hard...


    ¡°I feel bad leaving Daiyu¡¯er home alone, when most people don¡¯t understand her. Besides, she might as well have a good meal. I hear the restaurant on the top floor has amazing views out over Tokyo, and does a decent Chinese.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense. So it¡¯s definitely for that reason, and not that you¡¯ve fallen for her, and decided to spring a surprise on us, as well as Hayato and the gang, right Aki?¡± Shiro questioned me, and while she seemed to be joking, there was a trace of anxiety buried within, as far as I could tell.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t.¡± Eri answered for me. ¡°Not that the girl isn¡¯t pretty, but... no. I can understand why he wanted you, and to an extent the Diviner, but... she seems a bit too cold and composed. Akio likes the needy, damsel types. Ugh, it hurts saying that about myself, but I was so very pathetic back in Nishimorioka.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not say that. We all have a past we wish to forget, shameful behaviour we must-must surely cast from our minds.¡± Shaeula reassured her, though her eyes were on Daiyu. ¡°As for Akio falling for the girl... it is inevitable, I fear.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shiro choked. ¡°So I was right? I thought I was only joking!¡±


    Daiyu was looking at us all, face expressionless, with just a trace of annoyance, as we talked. From our looks and gestures she could tell we were talking about her, so I decided to reassure her. I wouldn¡¯t want her to think we are bullying the newcomer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, Daiyu¡¯er.¡± I told her. ¡°They were just discussing the reasons for taking you out tonight. There¡¯s no sinister motive, I just wanted to help you relax a bit, and I felt leaving you here alone would just lead to you brooding.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s definitely pretty, stunningly so. the cool beauty type. But then, I¡¯m surrounded by pretty girls, and having been exposed to Shiro and Tsukiko-san, my tolerance is pretty high.


    ¡°Daiyu, let me ask you a question.¡± Shaeula interjected, also in Mandarin. At her slight nod, Shaeula continued. ¡°Have you ever-ever considered romance? And what-what is your opinion on multiple marriages?¡±


    I resisted the urge to facepalm. Yeah, that¡¯s Shaeula all right. I glanced over at Eri, whose face was set in a frosty expression, but oddly for once she was glaring at me, not Shaeula. Which is unfair! Unlike with Tsukiko-san, I¡¯ve definitely done nothing to indicate to Daiyu or anyone else I¡¯m interested in her!


    Daiyu¡¯s impassive mask cracked for a second, before she looked at me with an icy scowl to rival Eri¡¯s. ¡°I see. Is that the price for your... assistance?¡± she let out a bitter sigh. ¡°I am hardly unused to being desired. Even my wretched title the other Sects use, Black Jade the Ever-Beautiful, shows I am sought after. I should not have expected...¡±


    ¡°No. No. No, definitely not!¡± I reiterated, cutting off that line of thought. ¡°Just who the hell do you think I am? Well, I admit we barely know each other, but damn, I¡¯m not in the business of extorting marriage out of those I help, pretty or not.¡± I sighed bitterly. ¡°I would be mad at the girls, but... I guess I do have form on polygamy. After all, I did seek out a relationship with Shiro and Hyacinth.¡±


    Shiro nodded proudly at that, saying something provocative to Eri, and Hyacinth flushed, her pale skin turning pink in happiness. Ignoring them, I continued. ¡°All I¡¯m asking for is your help as a Candidate and a Cultivator. I¡¯m not such a bastard to demand your body in exchange. Besides...¡± my expression changed, an impish smile much like my sister would have crossing my features. ¡°... the Spiritually Pure Physique can be corroded by deeds with evil karma. You said it yourself, that¡¯s a powerful Technique. You may be very pretty, but I¡¯d hardly ruin my Foundation...¡± my smile broadened. ¡°... just for another lover.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Daiyu said, her expressionless mask back. ¡°Techniques of purity do often require one to keep a certain level of credit with the Heavens.¡± She admitted.


    ¡°Well, so now I¡¯m curious.¡± Shiro said, her words in Mandarin a little clumsy, Tan obviously providing them for her to speak. ¡°If you¡¯ve been pursued a lot, something I can totally sympathise with, then what is your type for marriage?¡±


    ¡°You said that if you ever were going to cheat on Eri, you¡¯d call me.¡± She winked. ¡°And here you have Shaeula, this girl here, and... wow, a real maid? Though that outfit is scandalous. Cute as hell though!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you really hurt Yae¡¯s feelings.¡± Rika-san winked at me. ¡°There¡¯s those noble girls who visited too. I guess we need to thank Hinata-chan for letting us come.¡±


    ¡°I think you misunderstand.¡± I began, but my sis stopped me.


    ¡°Just give it up, bro. Come on. This was inevitable. But, we should take it inside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of people watching.¡± Yae observed. ¡°Like, soldiers and stuff. That¡¯s a proper military helicopter, right?¡±


    ¡°You win.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Great.¡± My sis agreed happily. ¡°Oh, and by the way...¡± she looked at us all. ¡°Why the hell is everyone so well-dressed? Just to welcome me, I¡¯m flattered, but...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... can¡¯t believe you are ditching me tonight, when you knew I was coming!¡± my sis pouted, taking a mug of tea from Hyacinth, who had already given Rika-san, Yae and Marika-san, who had joined us since there were visitors from Nishimorioka, some steaming mugs. After the girls had fussed over her, she was sitting quietly in seiza, sipping her tea elegantly.


    ¡°Well, we already had plans to meet some old friends.¡± I apologised again. ¡°But it isn¡¯t like you can¡¯t have fun. Hinata has booked plenty of rooms, and you could have a meal out. It¡¯s a nice hotel, I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not dressed right. And these two look too cheap for an expensive hotel!¡± she complained, cheeks puffed out in annoyance.


    ¡°That¡¯s a low blow, Ai-chani!¡± Rika-san complained. ¡°We look fashionable! We aren¡¯t all slumming it in a hoodie like you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m dressed well enough to go anywhere!¡± Yae agreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I said. ¡°Hinata¡¯s booked out the whole restaurant, so there¡¯ll be nobody to complain.¡±


    ¡°For someone so popular, you still don¡¯t get girls, bro. Being out with all of you girls when all I¡¯ve done is wear a t-shirt and lame hoodie is going to suck...¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re pretty.¡± Shiro smiled. ¡°The fabled sister in the flesh.¡±


    ¡°Fabled sister, huh? Ugh, whatever my bro used to tell you about me, I¡¯m sure they are all lies...¡±


    As the reunion devolved into banter between my sis and Shiro, I relaxed. ¡°So, as you can see, Eri¡¯s... well, not fine, but she¡¯s doing okay. I¡¯ll look after her, and she¡¯ll make a full recovery, the doctors say.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m doing rehab, which is why I was too busy to reply to any texts or calls.¡± Eri said, not entirely a lie. She¡¯s simply been in the Boundary for days.


    ¡°Okay, so, real talk time.¡± Yae leaned over, looking at Eri, her hazel eyes looking into her onyx ones. I had to look away, as she was showing a lot of cleavage. ¡°What really happened, Ri-Ri?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was on the news...¡± she began, but Rika-san snorted loudly, insulted.


    ¡°Hey, come on. Like Yae said, we do have functioning brains, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Look, from the start everything was fishy. There was Aki turning up with Shaeula, looking all hot and fit. Then his performance in the baseball... you know, some of the guys back home say your moves were pro level. Then in Inuyama, you tried to cover up you got hurt when you were away from us for just a short time.¡± Yae looked sad, remembering. ¡°On our date, I promised to not mention it, but come on, you know everyone noticed, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, yeah bro. if Shaeula hadn¡¯t have told us about what was really going on, Eri and I would have beat the truth out of you.¡± she sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re shit at keeping secrets, you know? Hinata moans about that all the time.¡±


    It¡¯s nice to see my fiance?es talk to my sister, but... ¡°Uh, we¡¯re in company?¡± I pointed out, and she merely shot me a withering glance.


    ¡°No shit, bro. that¡¯s the point? Aren¡¯t you listening? Best spell it out for him, girls.¡± My sister swore again, clearly exasperated.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the money. The Mori¡¯s and your family, they suddenly were flush with cash. There are all these strangers around Nishimorioka, and while they keep a low profile, it¡¯s obvious they are watching your families. Then there¡¯s Hinata-chan and the others. Girls like those, they don¡¯t show interest in a normal person, from a boring town like Nishimorioka.¡± Rika-san said, and Yae took over.


    ¡°Yeah. And there¡¯s the injuries this girl Shiro-chan has, as well as Ri-Ri¡¯s. Put everything together, and a pattern forms. But that alone isn¡¯t enough. But if Ri-Ri miraculously gets good at sports, just like you, and Ai-chan here suddenly excels in her studies... I mean, she aces maths now without even trying...¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re making me blush.¡± My sis grinned.


    ¡°... well, it¡¯s obvious.¡± Yae finished. ¡°So give it up. Aki, you¡¯re some kind of superhero right? Ri-Ri and Ai-chan too! These girls as well. You must be too, Marika-chan!¡±


    Ugh, yeah, I suppose it was too much to expect those close to us to not notice. Even so, this is so awkward.


    ¡°I told you to give it up, bro.¡± my sis laughed. ¡°I haven¡¯t gone into details, but come on. They¡¯ve been suspicious for ages. I guess... I have been going a bit overboard at school though. Damn, the benefits of my Class make maths and physics trivial though, and English is already no bother, so...¡±


    ¡°So it is true...¡± Yae and Rika-san exchanged glances. ¡°I thought so.¡±


    Well, the evening of explanations to friends seems to have started a bit earlier than planned. So now what?

 Three Hundred And Eighteen

    Three Hundred And Eighteen


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Yae breathed out, her mug of tea half-full, having gone cold as she left it untouched, so wrapped up in the story she was. ¡°To think you were doing that sort of thing all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, while we were spending all your money on clothes, Akio-kun, you were fighting such a horrible monster.¡± Rika-san commiserated.


    ¡°Well, we were indeed-indeed forced to flee that time.¡± Shaeula smirked. ¡°But Akio did put an end-end to it on his triumphant return. Inuyama is freed from that fallen creature. It shall taint the world no-no longer.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Yae flushed. ¡°Really, it must be amazing! Superpowers, magic...¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡± Marika-san spoke up, surprising us. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± She repeated, small face sad. ¡°It¡¯s scary, and dangerous. Keomi-san, she was really hurt. She nearly died. Lots of people did die. People I knew.¡± Her little lip was wobbling, and on seeing that, my sis pulled her into a hug, surprising her.


    ¡°Hush. I was there, I know. It¡¯ll be all right. I hear Keomi-chan is fine now, isn¡¯t she?¡± Aiko said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, all her scars are healed and she¡¯s back to full fitness. She¡¯s still a bit unnerved by it all, not that I blame her, but Haru-san¡¯s Mind Healing Light seems to be helping, and she¡¯s even been using her telepathy to share the trauma, which strengthens the Light noticeably. But Marika-san is right.¡± I reached out and patted her head, pigtails bouncing under my touch. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to worry about. Shiro¡¯s scars and eye are proof of the dangers, as is Eri¡¯s state. Eri...¡±


    ¡°I nearly died. I should have died.¡± She said, surprising our guests. ¡°I was careless and selfish...¡± as she explained the terrible battle against the Kijo, my sis chiming in with how horrific it was to watch Eri¡¯s limbs be severed and flesh tear, helpless to prevent it, Rika-san and Yae looked horrified. They even tried to lift up her jumper, checking her skin was all right, until Eri cursed them to leave her alone. When everyone calmed down, I spoke.


    ¡°It can be glamourous. You¡¯ve seen it. The money, the power, the abilities no human can ordinarily possess.¡±


    ¡°The girls.¡± My sis snickered, and Eri, still flushed and frustrated, rolled her eyes.


    ¡°The girls, I guess.¡± I smiled sadly. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible that one day I might have returned to Nishimorioka and married Eri. Or maybe even stayed here and married Shiro instead...¡±


    ¡°I press X to doubt, Aki.¡± Shiro quipped, before sighing. ¡°Though I guess it¡¯s not impossible. Though I don¡¯t think we could have had kids or even enjoyed a long life together. I¡¯m damn sickly.¡±


    ¡°But Shaeula, Hyacinth... how could I even have met them? And Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, our paths would never have crossed. So yes... there¡¯s a lot to gain, but more to lose.¡± I continued to comfort Marika-san. ¡°People died. At the time I blamed myself, but in hindsight, there wasn¡¯t much more I could have done, once Yamato-san set that disaster in motion. It was already too late by then. But now I know. I¡¯ll be stronger, faster, better...¡±


    ¡°No, we shall be stronger, faster and better-better!¡± Shaeula disagreed, resolute. ¡°I too grieve for the dead. But the living must go on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve learned too!¡± Eri agreed. ¡°And... at least we made the best of it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, we sure did!¡± Aiko said proudly. ¡°Really, don¡¯t call me an expert on this stuff, I¡¯m not my bro, but there¡¯s sort of three types. There¡¯s those Chosen by the Gods, right? Like, the real deal. That¡¯s my bro!¡± she giggled, elated at finally being able to spill the truth. ¡°Bro is chosen by Tyr, a hero god from Europe!¡±


    ¡°Not just that. Tsukuyomi too now.¡± I said, a little touched and embarrassed at just how proud my sister was of me.


    ¡°Oh yeah, from that Matsumuro woman.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°Another woman I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see shacked up with my bro when next we meet. Guess you can¡¯t be all that enticing if my bro never came back for you, Yae-chan!¡±


    ¡°How rude you are, Ai-chan!¡± Yae pouted. ¡°If I was living in Tokyo, I¡¯d have Aki wrapped around my fingers right about now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wearing out my fingers pressing the X key about now.¡± Shiro scoffed. ¡°If Kana can¡¯t persuade him, despite all her flirty entreaties, you have no chance.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, is Kana the one you are talking about?¡± Yae said, irritated.


    ¡°Nope, Kana is the daughter of the shrine here. I have to admit, she¡¯s a real looker.¡± My sis smirked. ¡°Bro continues to be sickeningly popular.¡±


    ¡°Well, Kana... we have our differences. But I suppose she¡¯s not as bad as I first thought. I respect her stance, certainly. She wants Akio to chase her. Even if the easiest way is to play on Akio¡¯s conscience. That always seems to work.¡± she sighed. ¡°It¡¯s so annoying!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, Matsumuro-san, she¡¯s a big shot, called the Diviner.¡± My sis continued. ¡°And apparently she can see the future.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Rika-san asked, and it was Marika-san who answered, in her usual extremely mature and well-spoken way.


    ¡°Yes, The Lady Diviner is most respected amongst the shrines and temples of Japan. Her abilities are true and proven, without question.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me finish.¡± My sis exclaimed. ¡°So, she stands up and tells all these bigshots she¡¯s going to die soon, horribly, from what I gather. So what do you think my bro does? Oh god, I feel hot just thinking about it...¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s not a big deal...¡± I began, only for Shaeula to disagree.


    ¡°Not-not a big deal? I disagree.¡± Shaeula laughed heartily. ¡°You stood in front of them all, and declared I will not-not allow you to die! If that is what fate-fate and the future holds, I shall overcome it!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it like that.¡± I denied, but Eri shook her head.


    ¡°Maybe not those exact words, but you did mean that. And since then you¡¯ve been running around, making plans, trying to save her.¡±


    ¡°What-what female could be unmoved by such?¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°Hence why I feel when this is all-all over, there will be yet another dwelling here.¡±


    ¡°Well, bro¡¯s love-life is off topic, isn¡¯t it?¡± My sis smirked. ¡°Though I guess a girl can¡¯t have too many hot sisters-in-law. Anyway, Shiro, you¡¯re Chosen by the gods too, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the same, Ai. I can call you Ai, right? I don¡¯t want to be rude to Aki¡¯s beloved sister. I don¡¯t have a death wish...¡± Shiro said, abashed.


    ¡°Sure, go for it. I¡¯m half British anyway, I¡¯m not so formal myself. Besides, you¡¯re a sister-in-law too. Damn, I can¡¯t wait to show you off when your scars heal. Beloved sister, you say? That¡¯s cute. Uh, anyway... yeah, well, after Kyoto... my bro helped me get Chosen too. I can¡¯t say how, and it¡¯s not something he can do again any time soon. But now I¡¯m a Candidate for Kannon.¡± She said proudly.


    As the girls applauded, I used my Eye, amber light glittering. Yae and Rika-san gasped as they saw the shining glow. ¡°Hey, not bad sis. Level thirty-four, and it¡¯s only been what, a week?¡± I paused. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t being reckless? You¡¯ve seen what can happen.¡±


    ¡°Wow, uh, no way.¡± She said, looking a bit guilty, not meeting my eyes. ¡°I admit I got carried away the first day, but since then I¡¯ve been careful, I swear!¡± she then looked up, and I could almost see her eyes sparkling, she was so happy. ¡°The mountains are full of bugs and creepy crawlies. They¡¯re gross as hell, but my golden sister army takes them out with no problems!¡±


    Your what now? Shaking my head at that, I let Aiko continue her explanation.


    ¡°So yeah, then there¡¯s Shaeula and Hyacinth. They aren¡¯t human.¡± She delivered that shocking twist.


    ¡°Oh come on, Ai-chan? Not human? Don¡¯t pull my... huh, nobody is laughing?¡± Yae noticed.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m ready. Be gentle, Aki!¡± Yae managed, and my sis snorted at her phrasing.


    ¡°You wish.¡± Aiko squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Besides.¡± Yae muttered. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d care that much if Aki was here or not.... Argh... uh... you¡¯ve pierced me deep, I can feel it in my stomach...¡± Yae gasped and moaned as the careful blades of aether pierced her body, opening up the root chakra and boring the correct capillaries between that and the sacral chakra.


    ¡°I¡¯m being as gentle as I can.¡± I said, alleviating a little of the discomfort with a flow of aether. ¡°Be thankful I¡¯m getting way better and faster at this. We¡¯re already on your solar plexus chakra now. Though the hard bit is coming soon...¡±


    ¡°This feels... hard enough... already!¡± Yae was gasping, tears in her eyes, sweat soaking her t-shirt, turning it a little transparent, but I refused to be distracted. Not during Chirurgery anyway.


    ¡°Just think of the benefits. My skin has been beautiful ever since I mastered this.¡± Aiko promised. ¡°No more spots or greasy skin. Your hair will be supple and clean, which probably matters more to you as you bleach it, and...¡±


    Here goes. The lunar chakra. The hardest bit. Split Thoughts working rapidly, I quickly created the whole new network that no human should have, tying it into the surrounding main trunk of the body, which aligned with the seven ordinary chakras. I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the benefits my sis was extolling. Nothing about strength or intelligence, all beauty related. Well, I guess Yae and Rika-san aren¡¯t exactly going to be fighting, are they?


    ¡°... show you the Boundary. It¡¯s pretty cool. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be safe. My golden sister army will keep you both totally protected!¡± my sis was saying.


    ¡°You mentioned that before? You mean the Golden Warriors of Kannon?¡± I asked, before turning to Yae once more. ¡°Just the third eye and crown left. We¡¯re nearly done. You¡¯ve been brave.¡± I assured her, before inflicting further pain, wincing at her hoarse cry.


    ¡°Yeah well, it¡¯s all about visualisation, right? Like most of the exercises.¡± She looked down. ¡°It just so happens, I find it easier to think of Eri, Shaeula and the others, so the statues... well, they kind of look like them. Teehee?¡± she tried to look cute, sticking out her tongue and pulling down her eyelid with her free hand.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be very careful letting Eri see that.¡± I warned her. ¡°All right, just a final sweep through. Nearly done.¡± I promised, and with a last surge of aether she was completed.


    Drawing in shuddering breaths, Yae quivered. ¡°Aki, you brute. I should ask you to take responsibility.¡± When I laughed at that, she looked at me indignantly, only for me to explain that Kana had basically behaved pretty much the same during her Chirurgery, even saying most of the same things.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± My sis snickered. ¡°You¡¯ll get on with Kana. Her friends too. They are all fashionable girls.¡±


    ¡°Well, before that, you all need to change. And maybe you should take a quick shower and touch up your makeup first.¡± I pointed out, and Yae¡¯s hands went to her face, wincing as she felt the sweat that made her makeup run unpleasantly.


    ¡°I am nearly done-done here.¡± Shaeula called, over Rika-san¡¯s gasps. ¡°Go on ahead, we shall see-see you soon.¡± And with those words from her, I slipped quietly out of the room.


    ********


    ¡°I have to say, this is really nice. It reminds me of the first time we met.¡± Eri was saying to Hinata, as we sat at the best table, right next to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that opened up the view of central Tokyo to us. In the near distance, the lights of Akihabara were twinkling, and Tokyo tower was also visible behind that.


    ¡°Yes, it does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Hinata agreed. She was skimming through the wine list, Motoko helping her choose. ¡°I remember being with my brother after that awfully annoying party Takatsukasa house hosted to find people like Akio. And then, the three of you came over, and changed my life. Our lives.¡±


    Motoko nodded agreement elegantly at that, and Natsumi placed a hand to her mouth to hide her gentle laughter.


    ¡°Oh, and try not to look so tense. You are only meeting some dear friends, right?¡± Hinata giggled. She glanced over at Hyacinth, who was also looking restless. ¡°Her I can understand, she gets the urge to jump in and take the place of the waiting staff, but not tonight!¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°Tonight, your duty is to be one of Akio¡¯s women.¡±


    Hyacinth agreed, her expression tragically resolute, which did make me smile a little, loosening the tension.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Hinata smiled back at me. ¡°The pair of you look like you are in front of a judge, awaiting sentencing. There¡¯s no need for nerves.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± I agreed. ¡°My head does, anyway. But I just feel so stressed. Damn, my Resilience is doing a really shoddy job right now.¡±


    ¡°I know how you feel. It would be easy to be them!¡± Shiro inclined her head towards the tables where my sister, Yae and Rika-san, Kana, Keomi-chan, Marika-san, the girls from Kana¡¯s school, including Kikuchi Maiko-san, were all assembled. There was a separate table for Daiyu, and she was leaning on her palms, staring out of the window. I had wanted to put her on our table, so she had someone to talk to, but the others overruled me, saying that she could join us later, after everything was squared away. At least she wasn¡¯t alone, as Kazumi-san was sitting there, since Hinata didn¡¯t want her bodyguard on our table to further confuse matters.


    ¡°Let them have their fun. I¡¯m just disappointed that Hotene-san wasn¡¯t feeling up to joining us. I understand it though.¡± Even though the girl¡¯s eyes had recovered due to the work from Bintara, her mental state was still very fragile. ¡°Oh well, just got to keep an eye on my sis. She does like a drink, despite being underage.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is good practice.¡± Motoko said, having given the smartly-dressed waiter several selections from the wine list. He nodded politely at her excellent taste. ¡°When attending functions, balls and parties, it is expected for us to have a little alcohol. So being able to tolerate that is a skill all young ladies must know and practise.¡±


    ¡°Well, Aiko isn¡¯t a noble...¡± Eri protested, but Motoko shook her head firmly.


    ¡°She is the sister of Akio. Just as much as you are as his wife, she will be treated as a noble too.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡± Eri conceded. ¡°I don¡¯t really like the taste of alcohol all that much though.¡±


    ¡°That depends on what you try.¡± Natsumi reassured her. ¡°If you tell me what sort of foods you like, I can recommend...¡±


    Having all seven in one place, all dressed up, it makes me nervous yet happy. Looking down at my ruinously expensive watch, I could see it was getting close to the time that our friends were due to arrive.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Miyu couldn¡¯t make it, but she has an event to attend involving Fujiwara house.¡± Hinata smiled, trying to calm my nerves again. ¡°Well, I suppose you could have insisted as she¡¯s your vassal... I can still hardly believe that.¡± Hinata giggled, always happy to show our value against the true nobility. ¡°... but then there¡¯s no point needlessly upsetting Fujiwara house, is there? Anyway, I¡¯ve sent out a driver to collect all your friends, so they should be here any time now.¡±


    ¡°Aki, does my face look weird? I mean, apart from the obvious. Shit, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying... booze. I need booze.¡± She grabbed a glass of wine and gulped it down, which was risky, as Shiro was hardly a strong drinker. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand reassuringly, trickling in some aether to strengthen her alcohol processing.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You look radiant as always. What are a few temporary scars? You¡¯re Shirohime, remember. Dear friend of us all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Damn, I feel bad making them worry about me. Well, we¡¯ll make it up to them by partying hard tonight! Maybe I¡¯ll even make it to Akihabara for once!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± I laughed, and for a little while the atmosphere of the table was relaxed. That peace was broken by the opening of the restaurant doors, a concierge showing in a group of familiar faces.


    Here they are. Hayato-san was in the lead, wearing a smart charcoal suit with a pale lavender shirt. He was holding the hand of Hina-chan, who was wearing a demure yet attractive dress in dark grey, to match Hayato-san, maybe. Next was Shugo-san, more casually dressed, though still smart in jeans and a turtleneck jumper. Then came Yasu-san, whose gaze roamed over the tables where my sis and the others were, looking surprised. I see he¡¯s made an effort, he actually looks pretty decent in trousers and a waistcoat over a dark shirt.


    Lastly, Aimi-chan entered, looking around restlessly. For once she was wearing clothing similar to Hina-chan, a long dress with minimal exposure, in a plain white. Her eyes roamed the room, then she saw our table, spotting me first, before her eyes slid over to Shiro next to me, and her mouth dropped open in horror. Hayato-san had noticed us as well, and he was holding Hina-chan, whose face had gone pale at the sight of Shiro.


    ¡°What the hell, man?¡± Yasu-san half-shouted, turning to Shugo-san, who was frozen in shock. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    My gaze flickered over to Shiro, whose remaining eye met mine, an expression of sorrow within it. Yeah, I know. This was never going to be fun. But... it¡¯s time. To be honest. About everything.

 Three Hundred And Nineteen

    Three Hundred And Nineteen


    Aimi-chan was the first to move, racing over towards us. Reaching out she reached for Shiro¡¯s hand, only to realise her arm was dangling limp, covered by the sleeve of her jumper. Left hanging, frozen, Shiro gave her a gentle smile, reaching out with her good hand and taking Aimi-chan¡¯s. ¡°Glad you could make it.¡± Shiro said, her smile disguising her pain.


    Aimi-chan¡¯s mouth flapped silently, as she struggled to speak. Next up was Hayato-san, who was trying to calm things down and lead as usual. ¡°Aimi-chan, please calm down. I get why you¡¯re upset, and... well, it does look worse than you¡¯d said...¡± he looked over Shiro, shaking his head. ¡°... but Shiro seems all right?¡±


    ¡°Trust you to get to the heart of things, Hayato.¡± Shiro praised him. ¡°Come on Aimi, there¡¯s no need for this. I get it¡¯s shocking, but like Hayato says, I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m happy. No big deal, right?¡± she smirked, before turning to me. ¡°Aki, say something. This is where you step up, right? A princess needs her loyal knight in these circumstances.¡±


    Shaeula snorted loudly in amusement, and that broke the stillness. Yasu-san was next to speak, looking flabbergasted. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on, Akio-kun? First I get a tearful call from Aimi-chan, saying something bad happened to Shiro. I tried getting more details, but she was totally hysterical. Then Hayato calls, calming the situation, saying we needed to free up our schedules for Saturday.¡± He shrugged, clearly irritated. ¡°Then I get a call from somebody I¡¯ve never met, saying that transportation and the venue for Saturday has been arranged...¡± he mimicked a snooty voice, and I could see Hinata was smiling broadly, as amused as Shaeula. ¡°... and then what pulls up but a damn swanky limousine! And this restaurant... it¡¯s top class, right? And why is there nobody here but a load of pretty girls?¡± he paused. ¡°Well, pretty girls and you!¡±


    ¡°Aimi, take a seat. You can sit next to me.¡± Shiro pulled her down to an open seat on her other side. ¡°Hina, you can sit there.¡± She nodded towards a pair of open seats, next to Motoko.


    ¡°Shiro... are you... really all right?¡± Hina-chan managed. Aimi-chan had sat down, overwhelmed, still looking at Shiro with teary eyes.


    ¡°Look, that¡¯s why we are here. To talk.¡± Hayato-san said reasonably, guiding Hina-chan to the seat. Shugo-san had sat down at another open seat silently, face pensive, but Yasu-san was still standing there, pressing us for answers.


    ¡°What the hell happened, and why are you here with Akio-kun, Shiro? And who are all these girls?¡± he continued. As he looked around, he noticed Eri in her wheelchair, and paused for a moment. ¡°She looks familiar. Wait, isn¡¯t she the girl from the pictures you always show us when drunk? Eri-chan, right?¡±


    There was a sudden scraping of a chair against the floor, and suddenly one of the girls over on my sister¡¯s table stood up. ¡°Stop embarrassing me, cousin Yasu!¡± a voice dripping with shame said, and we all looked over to see Takagi-san standing up, face flushed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down and listen, rather than running your mouth for once!¡±


    ¡°I thought I recognised you over there, Hisano-chan, but I thought I was mistaken. Why would you be in such a place?¡± Yasu-san replied, his momentum derailed. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have any money. My uncle is poor as dirt.¡± He froze for a moment, brain working. Taking a look around at all the young girls, his eyes went wide. ¡°No way, are you doing compensated dating, Hisano-chan? You¡¯ll break uncle¡¯s heart if he finds out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she exclaimed, stunned. There were some giggles from the girls around her, and Kana barely gasped out a comment in-between laughs.


    ¡°Takagi-san, doing that? That¡¯s so hilarious...¡± she doubled over, grinning.


    Takagi-san shot her a somewhat annoyed look, before turning back to Yasu-san. I suppose at least it¡¯s distracted everyone from Shiro for a moment. ¡°Seriously? You think I¡¯m doing that sort of stuff? Here? Are you an idiot, Yasu-san?¡± she seemed incredulous.


    ¡°Well, what the hell are you doing here? Why is it all just girls?¡± he persisted. ¡°It seems suspicious to me. Does uncle and auntie know you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Of course they do. As for why I¡¯m here, weren¡¯t you supposed to be asking her and Oshiro-san?¡± she gestured towards me. ¡°Maybe if you actually listened for a change you¡¯d find out. It¡¯s a team-building outing, or some such. I didn¡¯t really get it, but it¡¯s not very often I get to wear a nice dress and eat expensive food.¡±


    ¡°Team building?¡± Yasu-san paused. ¡°So, you¡¯ve got a job? And it¡¯s not something dirty? Hang on, Oshiro-san...?¡± realising she had addressed me by name, he turned his head mechanically to us. Shiro couldn¡¯t help herself and burst out laughing, surprising the upset Aimi-chan and Hina-chan.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know you had a young cousin.¡± I said, surprised. ¡°Weren¡¯t you always complaining it wasn¡¯t fair I had a cute sister? You¡¯ve kept that hidden.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but...¡± Yasu-san began.


    ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m cute.¡± Takagi-san said softly. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not, just look around us.¡±


    Oh yeah, this again. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again, you¡¯re plenty cute enough, Takagi-san. I know it can be hard to have confidence, especially when you¡¯re surrounded by very beautiful girls, but... have a little faith in yourself, all right?¡±


    She let out a faint sigh, pushing her glasses up her nose to hide her embarrassment. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, but...¡±


    ¡°Hang on. Akio-kun, are you hitting on my cousin, here in front of me?¡± Yasu-san seemed annoyed. ¡°She¡¯s way too young for you. Besides, don¡¯t you have a fiance?e?¡±


    ¡°I think we all need to take a breath and relax...¡± Hayato-san began, trying to calm the situation as he always did. Yasu-san had heated up though, and wasn¡¯t listening.


    ¡°Hey, shut up. This is family we¡¯re talking about here!¡± he complained. ¡°I still want a good explanation about all this...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you an explanation. And if you want one, Oshiro-san will give you one. Like he¡¯s been trying to!¡± Takagi-san retorted. ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you here about your friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Yasu-san was scowling at me, an unusual experience. ¡°Hey, Akio-kun. You wouldn¡¯t like it if I was messing with your sister, would you? it¡¯s not cool, man! Besides, you¡¯re already engaged!¡±


    Yeah, this is getting tiresome. I started gathering my Charm and Majesty, but my sis spoke up first. ¡°Well, you¡¯re more than welcome to try... Yasu-san, was it?¡± she said, drawing his attention. ¡°But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re my type. And look around. There¡¯s a whole room full of girls you aren¡¯t impressing. Damn, I remember when bro was this much of a loser with women. Such nostalgic days.¡± She smiled wryly. Yasu-san was thrown off his step by that, and Takagi-san threw the final nail in his coffin with her next words.


    ¡°You truly are a bother, cousin.¡± She sniffed. ¡°You really think Oshiro-san would spare me a second glance when he¡¯s so popular?¡± she gestured to the table. ¡°Get a grip, please.¡±


    ¡°All right, I think we¡¯ve heard enough about this.¡± I said, and my voice drew all eyes to me, though Shaeula was able to resist my Charm, merely grinning sardonically. ¡°Yasu-san, take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Uh... okay.¡± He managed, dropping down into the remaining empty seat, next to Hyacinth. ¡°Uh... is that a maid from Akiba? Why?¡± he said, distracted, only for me to clap my hands together, silencing him.


    ¡°Look, I know there¡¯s a lot going on. But that¡¯s why Shiro and I called you here.¡± I met the gazes of my friends one after another. Yasu-san was a bit dazed after my concentrated Majesty, but his expression was sour. Shugo-san was composed and sympathetic, while Aimi-chan and Hinata-chan were worried and tearful. Lastly, I looked at Hayato-san, who nodded reassuringly, smiling at me. ¡°So why don¡¯t we all order some decent food, and we¡¯ll talk. There¡¯s already plenty of good wine here, but if you want anything else just ask. Then when we have some privacy, we¡¯ll start...¡±


    ********


    A couple of minutes later, after taking all our orders, the waiting staff left, ready to be summoned again if we needed them, affording us the privacy we needed.


    ¡°All right then. First things first, I guess...¡± Shiro began. ¡°Aimi already knows this, but... yeah, I¡¯ve had a bit of an accident.¡± She tapped her eyepatch. ¡°It looks worse than it is, really. So don¡¯t get all distressed about it.¡±


    ¡°From what I can see, it looks dreadful.¡± Hayato-san commented. ¡°Look, Aimi-chan called me, she was very upset. We were worried when we hadn¡¯t heard from you in a while, Shiro. All Uni would tell us was that you were on a leave of absence. I tried asking some of the students in your special dorm, but all they¡¯d say was that you¡¯d eloped with a guy. That didn¡¯t seem likely, so we were even more worried...¡± he looked at me then. ¡°But Aimi-chan says otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave us hanging, man!¡± Yasu-san had perked up after starting to drink the luxurious wine. ¡°I mean, shit, it¡¯s a tragedy that a face like yours got ruined, Shiro, but at least you still have a smoking hot body...¡±


    ¡°Aki, you want to hit him, or shall I?¡± Shiro quipped. ¡°I know I¡¯m gorgeous, but I can¡¯t let you make those sort of jokes anymore, Yasu. I¡¯m a taken girl now.¡± She looked down with her one eye, to the ring I¡¯d crafted out of that silver spoon.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± he said. ¡°Even with that face... ouch.¡± Shugo-san had kicked him under the table.


    ¡°If I may, seniors?¡± Eri spoke up politely. At Hayato-san¡¯s reassuring nod, she continued. ¡°I am Mori Eri, Akio¡¯s childhood friend and fiance?e. I apologise for not getting up to greet you, but... I¡¯m a little indisposed.¡± She gestured to her wheelchair, eliciting looks of sympathy. ¡°I think it¡¯s obvious, and some of you know...¡± she looked at Aimi-chan, who frowned, her expression stricken. ¡°... but Akio is actually engaged to more than one woman.¡±


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s like, totally illegal!¡± Yasu-san protested.


    ¡°Not for much longer.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°If you want to try and build your own harem, Yasu, now¡¯s the time. Didn¡¯t you always used to joke around with Shugo and Aki about it? I remember you used to enjoy a good reverse harem as well, Aimi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... that¡¯s just fantasy, fun. You...¡± she managed, struggling to maintain her emotions.


    ¡°Excuse me. I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I am Fukumoto Hinata.¡± Hinata said, a sly smile on her face. ¡°I am the one who arranged for this tonight. I thought that if Akio was to win over his old friends, we would have to be dynamic. And...¡± she nodded to the other tables. ¡°... a morale-boosting gathering for those who were shocked by the tragic events in Kyoto seemed in order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do-do believe introductions are in order.¡± Shaeula agreed. At her voice, Aimi-chan was startled.


    ¡°You! You were on the call as well!¡± she said, her tone strident and stressed.


    ¡°Of course I was. After all, am I not-not one of Akio¡¯s fiance?es as well?¡± she flourished her own ring.


    ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t guessed, which means you, Yasu, the others probably worked it out already...¡± Shiro giggled. ¡°This table is Aki¡¯s harem. He¡¯s living your dream.¡± Her smile was wicked. ¡°He¡¯s got princesses, nobles, rich girls, childhood friends...¡±


    ¡°No way. This... this is all some sort of hidden-camera show, right?¡± Yasu-san protested. ¡°The fact that Hisano-chan is here too, yeah, that¡¯s it. I mean, come on! Shiro, you said there¡¯s no way you¡¯d ever date any of us, but if you had to, you¡¯d consider Hayato-kun! Akio-kun, he¡¯s engaged, he¡¯s... shit, well, he¡¯s Akio-kun, there¡¯s just no way!¡±


    ¡°Do you think so?¡± Motoko asked, puzzled. ¡°From my perspective, Akio is the perfect husband. I will be allowed to continue the Tsumura arts without shaming my family, grow stronger and fight beside him, and never be separated from Natsumi.¡± She smiled gently, and Natsumi mirrored it. The cute atmosphere was causing Shugo-san embarrassment, and I chuckled gently at his expression.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ll never get anywhere like this.¡± I leant over and kissed Shiro in front of them. I intended to only take her lips, but with her good arm she pulled me in tight, her tongue swirling with mine. Aimi-chan looked on, shocked, while Hayato-san had a knowing expression on his face. Hina-san was looking away, shy, face flushed, while Yasu-san and Shugo-san were staring, eyes wide with surprise, shocked expressions on their faces. After a long moment we pulled free, and Shiro grinned, her scars pale against her flushed face. Licking her lips, she giggled.


    ¡°Shit, I still can¡¯t believe how much I enjoy kissing. It surprises me. Happy now, guys? Have I proved my point? Though my word should be enough. I¡¯m Shirohime, I never tell lies.¡±


    I felt a tug on my sleeve, and it was Eri, her eyes telling me what I needed to do. I exchanged a wet kiss with her, and Eri was even bolder, forcing my hand into her chest, so I gave her a little squeeze. When we separated, her eyes and mouth moist, Shaeula dropped onto my lap, arms around me, and I was kissed a third time, her technique different to Shiro and Eri, but equally sexy. Behind her I could see Hyacinth getting to her feet, giggling lasciviously, and as my gaze wandered, Hinata was already blushing. I see. Yeah, this is one way to prove a point...


    ********


    Yasu-san was sitting back in his chair, tipsy and lifeless, while Shugo-san was also drunk, too shocked to comment. The display of kissing all seven of my fiance?es, even Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi doing their best to give me a passionate embrace, had completely shattered their preconceptions. All except Hayato-san, oddly enough.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s got you beat. So, uh, is that maid outfit like an affectation, or...?¡± Shugo-san was fascinated by Hyacinth.


    ¡°Nooo, I live tooo serve Akio, and the other mistresses. It is what I dooo.¡± She explained again. ¡°Nothing brings Hyacinth greater joooy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is a brownie, or at least-least she was. It is close enough.¡± Shaeula observed, drinking wine with great gusto, in-between bites of food. ¡°So, as Akio was saying, this healer, she is most powerful. It shall be but-but a matter of time before her wounds are healed.¡± She grinned. ¡°I do not-not wish you to think that we all love and cherish Akio for base, feeble reasons.¡±


    ¡°I want to know how it happened. I mean...¡± Hina-chan looked embarrassed as she glanced at Hayato-san. He¡¯s been awfully quiet since the reveal. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking. Hayato-san smiled back at Hina-chan, so she continued. ¡°... when Hayato asked me out, I was shocked. I never thought a plain girl like me would catch the attention of Hayato. He was always popular. But the more time I spent with him, the more I liked him.¡± She was blushing, and it was pretty cute. ¡°So, how was it for you? I mean, you always said you wouldn¡¯t go for anyone that doesn¡¯t have a billion in the bank, and... oh.¡±


    Shiro had the grace to blush. ¡°Well, shit. That¡¯s a low blow Hina. When did you get so bold? Everyone¡¯s changing so fast. Well, not Yasu, he¡¯s still the same old screwup. Now even his younger cousin is putting him down.¡± Takagi-san looked embarrassed at that. ¡°Anyway...¡± she continued. ¡°... yeah, I have a good reason to want a rich husband. My hospital bills and healthcare needs drove my parents to pretty much cut me off. I still feel bitter about that, even if I understand it.¡± I reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. At that, Aimi-chan raised an eyebrow, making a quip about how smooth I was being.


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s smooth. Aki¡¯s been grinding those stats like a madman.¡± Shiro chuckled.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling you mean that literally?¡± Hina-chan giggled.


    ¡°I guess I do. Anyway, I guess Aki¡¯s always carried a torch for me, but I think he always thought I was out of his league. Well, I definitely score ten out of ten for looks and personality...¡±


    ¡°Uh, looks, definitely.¡± I said, and she giggled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, you love my personality too. Well, Hina, Aimi, Aki¡¯s the sort who likes to look after girls, right? All his stories about his sister Ai, and Eri, they show that, don¡¯t they? Well, I can¡¯t say I enjoy being treated like a burden, I had enough of that when I was younger. It¡¯s why I decided to go to University, even if it might have shortened my life. I wanted to live for once.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°Well, I met you guys, and I found Uni was actually more fun that I thought. I was still bitter though. Why was I the one suffering like this? So then... well, I made a deal with a God...¡± she smiled, loving the way her friends were listening to her with rapt attention. ¡°... and everything seemed to be all right. But then, in comes Aki, having already mastered the path of a harem protagonist. Once he started two-timing Eri with Shaeula, well, the third is easier, and the fourth easier still, right?¡±


    ¡°I resent that remark.¡± I complained jokingly, but it was true. Well, I don¡¯t regret it. Who could? But... I just have to make sure I always have enough time, put in enough effort, to make sure they are all happy. If I do that, then nobody, not even myself, can complain. And I can¡¯t say it won¡¯t be fun. Even talking about such heavy subject matters, dinner with my girls and my friends was fun.


    ¡°Still true though, right?¡± she blinked at me slyly. ¡°Well, Aki took me out on a very nice date. I was going to turn him down gently as thanks for everything, but he won me over by being... well, surprisingly bold, and earnest. One thing Aki isn¡¯t is a liar, right?¡± at their agreement, she finished. ¡°... so when he proposed, making an engagement ring on the spot out of a spoon...¡± she showed if off, smirking. ¡°... you know, I thought... what the hell am I hesitating for? I realised that Aki had been one of my only friends, and he¡¯d always been thinking of me. Besides, he¡¯s hot and rich now. It helps. Sharing... well, it¡¯s not so bad. Beats being lonely, right? Anyway, after that, stuff happened, I got hurt... but it¡¯s in hand. So no more tears, unless they are tears of joy. Be happy for me, for us, okay?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I approve.¡± Aimi-chan spoke up. ¡°I know we love manga and anime, harems and everything like that. But that¡¯s fiction. I just worry you¡¯ll end up getting hurt. I mean... look at you!¡±


    ¡°Aimi, I¡¯m not a child. You might be my senior, but I can make my own decisions. And I decided I love Aki, and he loves me. If in the end, I get hurt, well, right now I¡¯m enjoying being in love. I¡¯ll love it more when my scars finally heal and I can finally...¡± she flushed, and Aimi-chan gasped. ¡°Oh come on. You¡¯ve got a boyfriend, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t been teasing him with that sexy body of yours.¡± She pulled her hand free from mine and grabbed Aimi-chan¡¯s chest, giving it a squeeze. She squealed, darting away.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s... not something to talk about in company.¡± She said primly.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind talking about it. I know Aki¡¯s been... fucking...¡± she said the word proudly, chest puffed out. ¡°... Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth. Sometimes all three at once, right?¡± she laughed like a dirty old man, and the old, familiar Shiro made my heart ache happily.


    ¡°It is quite-quite true. Nothing can beat combining both body and spirit, becoming one, and sharing that with sisters you love and trust...¡± Shaeula grinned wolfishly. ¡°... well, I do indeed pity those who do not-not have such love in their lives. Shiro, I look forward to a long-long life, sharing joys and triumphs together.¡±


    ¡°I swear, this is the worst day of my life.¡± Yasu-san said, still determined to eat and drink as much as possible, while his exasperated cousin looked on. He turned to her. ¡°So, why did you get mixed up in all this, you little minx? What does uncle and auntie know? Are you some sort of magician too? Or are you gunning for his harem? Ugh, no way! My little cousin, who used to be so innocent, making eyes at older men.¡±


    ¡°Come on Yasu-kun, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Shugo-san criticised him. ¡°Jealously is an ugly thing. There¡¯s no need to take it out on a relative.¡±


    ¡°Shut it! You have a hot teacher girlfriend, don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten. Anyway, you didn¡¯t answer me!¡± he pressed Takagi-san.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not powerful.¡± She sighed. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t really know why I¡¯m involved. I¡¯m not special like Izumi-san or Maiko-san. All I wanted to do was make sure that Maiko-san wasn¡¯t bullied.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do not-not regret it.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I confess, I thought it rather-rather amusing to grab Kana¡¯s friends, and you happened to be there, Hisano. It is a chance few-few will have, and it comes with many benefits. As for seeking Akio¡¯s favour, I suspect you have no interest in that, but...¡± she grinned. ¡°Should you ever change your mind, come seek-seek me out.¡±


    ¡°So it was you? Corrupting my cousin?¡± Yasu-san howled, and Shaeula merely laughed in his face.


    ¡°This is all very well.¡± Hayato-san said, breaking his long silence, drawing all eyes to him. ¡°Akio-kun, Shiro. If you are happy with each other, then who are we to say your relationship is wrong? I¡¯m sure as your friends we¡¯ll support you, and if it does end badly, we¡¯ll help pick up the pieces, right?¡± he looked around, and everyone nodded, even Yasu-san, who stopped arguing with Shaeula and his cousin for a moment.


    ¡°Thanks Hayato. I appreciate it. Aki and I, we were pretty worried you¡¯d get upset and mad with us. We don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°Upset? Mad?¡± his voice was hard. ¡°You¡¯re damn right I¡¯m mad. Aimi-chan too. I didn¡¯t tell Hina what was going on, because I knew it¡¯d be too upsetting for her. Sorry darling.¡± He said, and she nodded in understanding.


    Ugh, I thought Hayato-san would understand. I¡¯m a bit shocked. Still, I had no right to complain, and taking their anger and frustration was the least we could do.


    ¡°You never told us anything.¡± He declared, surprising me. Wait, it¡¯s about that? ¡°Money, power, women, fame, whatever. I get that you seem to be in a different world now, Akio-kun, Shiro. I¡¯m not greedy, I don¡¯t care about money so long as Hina and I have enough to get by. Power, we don¡¯t need it. Women... well, sorry to say this, but my darling Hina is enough for me.¡±


    Way to make me feel bad... ¡°I see.¡± I managed.


    ¡°But... friendship. That matters.¡± He declared.


    ¡°It does.¡± I agreed. ¡°And I value ours.¡±


    ¡°So excuse me if I feel aggrieved that you put yourselves in danger without asking for help. Are we so unreliable?¡± he looked at the girls chatting and enjoying the Chinese food, including Daiyu, who was feasting with quite some relish.


    ¡°Yes, I hate this!¡± Aimi-chan agreed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something Shiro? Anything? You disappeared without saying anything at all! Don¡¯t you know how worried we were?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re your friends, Shiro.¡± Hina-chan joined in. ¡°We may have graduated, and so we don¡¯t get to spend as much time together as we¡¯d like, but... weren¡¯t our nights out in Akihabara fun, even for the short time you managed to stay awake? Yasu-san would make a crude joke, Aimi-chan would see hot guys and fantasise about them together, Akio-san would say something witty...¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡± Yasu-san agreed. ¡°Ugh, sorry man. I know you wouldn¡¯t do anything to Hisano-chan. I think.¡± He immediately backpedalled, to an amused laugh from Shaeula. ¡°Well, I never would have thought you¡¯d be able to cheat on your childhood friend, with our princess of all girls.¡± He said defensively. ¡°So how can I be totally sure? Ugh, yeah I get it, I can read the mood just fine!¡± he said defensively under everyone¡¯s glares. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re like a brother to me. You and Shugo-kun and Hayato-kun. The girls are like sisters too. They have to be, they¡¯re all taken now...¡± he sighed. ¡°It hurts that the sort of world we used to dream of, you never let us know about.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not all fun and games. There¡¯s danger everywhere, and...¡± I began, only for Shugo-san to interrupt.


    ¡°That would be more convincing if you didn¡¯t bring us to a room full of schoolgirls. Come on, Akio-kun.¡± He shook his head, irritated. ¡°If we were keeping secrets from you, wouldn¡¯t you be pissed off?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve got you there, Aki!¡± Shiro agreed, only to face the brunt of their anger next.


    ¡°Yeah, not this time Shiro.¡± Shugo-san declared. ¡°I¡¯m even more mad at you.¡±


    ¡°Me? Why?¡± She said, and Aimi-chan reached out, gripping her good arm with a tight death-grip.


    ¡°Why, you ask? And here I was thinking you¡¯re a genius, Shirohime.¡± The way she said it gave me chills. ¡°Setting aside the injuries that make me want to cry just looking at them, since you both say it¡¯ll be fine... it better be!¡± her grip tightened.


    ¡°Uh, Aimi, that is kind of uncomfortable...¡± Shiro protested, but she was ignored.


    ¡°Forgetting how much you¡¯ve worried us, you didn¡¯t even confide in Akio-kun, did you? You tried to carry this all alone. You. Our fragile little princess. How many times have we carried you home, unable to move?¡± Hina-chan was nodding too, expression surprisingly stern.


    ¡°And you think you can handle it all alone, not relying on your friends?¡± Aimi-chan persisted.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what is so frustrating. I¡¯m no fool. Even if we consider your injuries an accident, as you said, what about your childhood friend?¡± Hayato-san homed in on the weakness in our argument. ¡°If the so-called terror cult incident all over the news was related to you, then... did you idiots even think?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as if...¡± I began, and Shiro was trying to look innocent.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, don¡¯t blame me!¡± she said, only to be silenced by the piercing looks from our friends.


    ¡°I suppose I should have expected this.¡± Hayato-san sighed. ¡°Akio-kun, you don¡¯t like to bother other people, and you tend to watch out for Shiro. And as for you...¡± he looked at Shiro, who actually shrank under his gaze. ¡°... I get it. You hate being weak, and always relying on us. But Shiro, Akio-kun, that¡¯s just insulting. Friends are meant to be relied on. So from now on... no more secrets. If you two are going through something hard, we want to help, right?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± everyone agreed, and I could hear Shaeula expressing her appreciation for their sentiments.


    ¡°See, Akio?¡± She smirked. ¡°Have I not-not been telling you that more allies is a good thing? Besides, your friends, you do not-not wish them to be a weakness for you, do you?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t argue with that, and neither could Shiro. We looked at each other, and then stood, bowing apologetically.


    ¡°Sorry guys. We should have been honest sooner. Though, at least cut us some slack, it¡¯s pretty hard to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s always the worry you would have thought we¡¯d gone crazy.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not spending my remaining days locked up in an asylum, that¡¯s not how the tale of this beautiful princess ends!¡±


    ¡°In that case, well, the night is still young, right?¡± Hayato-san took charge, just like old times. ¡°You can fill us in on just what¡¯s at stake, and what we can do. Well, the timing is bad at the moment, work was just taking off, but... friends come first, right darling?¡±


    Hina-chan smiled back at him. ¡°That¡¯s right. After all, Shiro, Akio-san, I¡¯d be sad if you suddenly disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that¡¯s settled...¡± Yasu-san said, glass of wine in hand. ¡°When do I get my harem? Hey, ouch... when did you get so strong, Hisano-chan? I think you broke my arm...¡± as her slap sent Yasu-san tumbling to the floor, rubbing his shoulder, laughter broke the tension for a moment. All right then. Yes, there¡¯s a lot to discuss. But I do feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders... and looking at Shiro, who smiled sweetly at me, I knew she felt the same...

 Three Hundred And Twenty / Side One Hundred And Twelve – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Three Hundred And Twenty / Side One Hundred And Twelve ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a story.¡± Hayato-san said, hands under his chin, giving Shiro and I an ominous look. Beside him, Hina-chan looked down, seemingly content to pick at her dessert, though I knew she was listening intently. Aimi-chan still looked upset, casting glances at Shiro¡¯s face and arm, but Shugo-san and Yasu-san were both contemplative, though Yasu-san had a sloppy grin on his face. ¡°I even understand why you didn¡¯t tell us anything.¡± At that Shiro looked relieved, but I knew it was too early to relax, and moments later I was proved right.


    ¡°But...¡± Hayato-san continued. ¡°I think I speak for all of us, when I say considering that you¡¯ve involved other people...¡± he glanced over at the group of girls. ¡°... the fact you didn¡¯t come to us in such a situation hurts. I get that you were doing it with the best of intentions, but... even so, we¡¯re your friends. Do you really think we¡¯d abandon you, even in such an impossible situation?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think that. Of course not.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°But this isn¡¯t fun and games. Look at me. Sure, it¡¯s my own fault for trusting unwisely and then having bad luck. But imagine it was Aimi or Hina who paid the price for a mistake of mine. And don¡¯t say it couldn¡¯t happen. We know it can, all too suddenly, right Aki?¡±


    I nodded, remembering Mine-san dying in my arms, and the dead shrine maidens and apprentice priests. Even Yamato-san. ¡°Yes, originally I wasn¡¯t going to tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Not-not even his dear sister, or Eri.¡± Shaeula agreed. She was pretty drunk, having emptied several bottles of wine, though I knew she could sober up instantly if she wished with her stats and Ether Healing. She let out a wicked laugh. ¡°It is not-not in Akio¡¯s nature to pass off a burden he can carry to someone else. Though he is slowly learning. We put much-much effort in, do we not-not?¡± she eyed my other girls around the table.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± I protested. ¡°I can learn. Even so, there¡¯s such a thing as being too willing to accommodate others. That¡¯s dangerous too.¡± I glanced over at Eri, who was talking to my sis and Kana. ¡°I let Eri talk me into letting her help, and she ended up in a wheelchair. She should be dead.¡± I saw the looks of annoyance on the faces of my fiance?es and raised a hand to forestall them. ¡°Look, I get it. I do. I¡¯m reflecting, but I¡¯m not letting it stop me from doing what I must. But see, Hayato-san, I never wanted people to get hurt, or die. And if it was one of you guys...¡±


    ¡°This is a war, a battle for the future of the world.¡± Shiro said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have the luxury of asking for that, Aki. But I get it. That Raven and his spider fled, and Arisu killed Daizen. I mean yeah, Daizen wasn¡¯t a nice guy, though I wouldn¡¯t exactly call him evil. Ruthless and pragmatic, sure, but... well... uh.¡± She clutched at her head, expression pained. ¡°Arisu isn¡¯t bad either. She¡¯s just... well...¡±


    ¡°I think the strangest thing here is that Shiro managed to make other friends.¡± Yasu-san laughed. ¡°Well, they sure must be a bunch of oddballs if that¡¯s the case. But is this Arisu pretty?¡±


    ¡°Trust you to ask such a stupid question. You know, I¡¯m almost grateful.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°That¡¯s such a Yasu thing to say. To answer you, she¡¯s gorgeous. Not as good as me at my best...¡± Shiro couldn¡¯t resist getting a boast in. ¡°... but enough I¡¯m a little worried about having Aki meet her. Well, and not just because of that either. Suzu is an airhead, I mean, she¡¯s cute, but...¡± she looked at me and I nodded.


    ¡°True, when I met her in Kyoto, I had to admit she was very cute. Those blonde ringlets, and her Western looks... but there was definitely something a bit off about her when we talked.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, Suzu isn¡¯t into guys right now, she wants to be an idol. No, she thinks she already is.¡± Shiro replied. ¡°But Arisu... well, she¡¯s very distrustful of both men and women, after... well. Things happened.¡±


    ¡°And you can trust her?¡± Aimi-chan said, worried. ¡°She won¡¯t turn on you?¡±


    Shiro shook her head. ¡°No way. Arisu hates disloyalty. She... well, she also hates cheating, so I¡¯m pretty worried about her first meeting with Aki. Ugh, it makes me sick thinking about it, but we¡¯ll need her onside.¡±


    ¡°But Akio is not cheating.¡± Motoko said, having mostly just listened quietly to our long conversation, her noble poise shining through, impressing both the girls and the guys here. ¡°Our marriages were all agreed with consent. Surely she could have no complaints.¡±


    ¡°You see, that isn¡¯t how it works for us commoners, Motoko-san.¡± Hina-chan spoke up, using her first name, which surprised me. That¡¯s not like Hina-chan, it takes her a fair while to warm up to people. I guess maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s braver now she¡¯s with Hayato-san, or maybe because these girls are my fiance?es? Both perhaps...


    ¡°I was surprised to find out that there¡¯s really nobility in Japan still. I thought that all ended after the war.¡± She continued. ¡°And to think they practise multiple marriages and concubines. I¡¯m shocked.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is usually only the lead, legal wife, of the highest standing.¡± Motoko clarified helpfully. ¡°Ordinarily, that would have been myself, though...¡± she flushed a little, and that drew the eyes of Shugo-san and Yasu-san, admiring her charms. ¡°... I was prepared to accept being a concubine, if it was to secure my happiness. I was selfish.¡± Natsumi nodded beside her.


    ¡°You were? Well, I was first.¡± Hinata sighed. ¡°But it all worked out in the end. Akio even browbeat the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition Parties in the Diet to change the law for us. It makes me happy he went that far. I know you all feel the same way.¡±


    Shiro nodded, looking at her ring. ¡°Well, at first I thought Aki was crazy, but then, the world is crazy now. So I just went with it. And despite everything, I¡¯m happy enough that I did.¡±


    ¡°So, Shiro...¡± Shugo-san asked. ¡°This Arisu woman, from what you said, it sounds like she¡¯s famous, and has trust issues. Do we know her? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised at anything now.¡±


    Shiro sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not spilling any of her secrets. You just need to know she¡¯s innocent. But if you remember the big scandal last year, when a famous actress was accused of cheating on her fiance?e, as well as sabotaging her kouhai¡¯s efforts in the industry, embezzlement and more...¡±


    ¡°No way? It¡¯s that Arisu?¡± Shugo-san said, shocked, and everyone else was likewise stunned. Hell, even I¡¯ve heard of that scandal. It was a big deal at the time. The poor girls that went on TV crying about the abuse they¡¯d suffered at her hands. I mean, I hardly paid much attention, but they looked genuine...


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all bullshit though.¡± Shiro snarled, incensed, and I reached out to pat her arm gently, as she got angry for her friend¡¯s sake. She smiled gratefully at my reassurance, before continuing. ¡°It was her fiance? who was the cheat, and her agency did the embezzlement, and then they tried to blackmail her into... ugh, just imagine the plot of one of your doujins, guys. But Arisu isn¡¯t an idiot, she told them to piss off. And in retaliation they ruined her. So yeah, she has a lot of anger issues. So try not to trigger her, Aki? I don¡¯t want to have to fight her, she¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Hina-chan observed. ¡°I feel terrible. I remember thinking at the time she must have been a bad person. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hina-chan said contritely and Shiro waved it away.


    ¡°What¡¯s more interesting...¡± Aimi-chan said, speaking up about normal matters for the first time in a while. ¡°Is that Akio-kun looks very natural with you there, Shiro.¡± She looked at my hand, resting on Shiro¡¯s. ¡°Very smooth. I¡¯m shocked.¡± She managed a smile then, again the first since she had seen Shiro and her wounds. ¡°I wasn¡¯t as surprised when you kissed...¡±


    ¡°Aki has a long way to go, right girls?¡± she looked around, and they laughed. ¡°Even so, when I¡®m with him now, I feel my heart racing, and it feels good, exciting. Though I get enough excitement from the prospect of what we are up against.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wondered when we would get back to the main point.¡± Hayato-san said mildly, but I could tell he was still angry. ¡°What are we going to do about this situation? I get why you worry about us getting hurt, and I¡¯m actually happy about that. After all, none of us want our friends wrapped up in something dangerous.¡± As I nodded, his gaze sharpened. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I agree with you. Just knowing, helping, doesn¡¯t necessarily put us in danger, does it? It sounds like there¡¯s a lot we could do to help. You¡¯re pretty short-staffed, it sounds like.¡±


    Hinata fielded that one. ¡°Yes. Watanabe Karen-chan is undoubtedly loyal, as are the two she recruited, and Haru-san is not a concern. These mercenaries, I know Shaeula has used her winds, but I still worry a little. We can pull staff from Nichibotsu, or Fujiwara and Tsumura houses, but can we be certain they¡¯ll be wholly committed to our interests? I have my concerns...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a smart cookie, this one.¡± Yasu-san laughed. ¡°Cute too. A bit young though, I think your sister is older even, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as I¡¯m old enough for marriage, I don¡¯t see a problem.¡± She replied impishly. ¡°And I believe I¡¯m cute enough that Akio won¡¯t have any issues.¡±


    ¡°You sure are that.¡± Yasu-san agreed. ¡°Though if he¡¯s going after our Shiro too, he has quite the wide strike-zone.¡±


    ¡°The thing is, what can we do?¡± Hina-chan said quietly. As everyone looked at her, she looked down for a moment, before gathering her strength and continuing. ¡°I want to help too. Shiro, Akio-san, you were friends with me all these years. I know I¡¯m a bit shy and gloomy, but you always made the effort to get me to open up. It¡¯s thanks to you all I finally matured and found love.¡± She looked at Hayato-san, who copied my earlier moves and reassured her with his hand on hers. ¡°But we are programmers, artists, game designers. We don¡¯t have much to offer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m worried about that too.¡± Shugo-san agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not going to come out and say ¡®I¡¯ll be a hero, power me up!¡¯ because from your stories and Shiro¡¯s injuries, it¡¯s all too clear this isn¡¯t some light novel. I don¡¯t want to die, I¡¯m not that brave...¡±


    ¡°No kidding man.¡± Yasu-san agreed, and Aimi-chan nodded too. Even Hayato-san agreed.


    ¡°When I think of my darling Hina in trouble, fighting, it makes me sick. So I get it.¡± He sighed. ¡°But even so...if we bury our heads in the sand, trouble will come our way sooner or later. I¡¯d rather be ready, and help out our precious friends in the process.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what about your new job? Things were just coming together for you, right? You should probably focus on...¡±


    ¡°Well, you were going to pay us, right?¡± Hayato-san smirked, for a moment back to the old, confident Hayato-san. ¡°We aren¡¯t greedy, enough to get by is fine. As for how we can help... there must be something we can do. I refuse to believe we can¡¯t help out our friends in this situation.¡±


    ¡°I... I want to look after Shiro. At least until she¡¯s better.¡± Aimi-chan said suddenly. ¡°As for anything else... well, I can probably be a secretary. I know how to use computers. I¡¯ll even make the tea if I must!¡±


    ¡°Oh Aimi...¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Will your boyfriend be happy if you abandon your career for this? I¡¯m flattered, and happy, but you have your own life now...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s a pretty understanding guy. Besides...¡± she managed a smile, though it was a bit wan. ¡°... which guy is going to give up on these?¡± she squeezed her arms under her chest.


    ¡°True.¡± Shiro laughed, though the joke was poor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about money. Akio has the capacity to earn as much as he wants.¡± Hinata chimed in. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m rather wealthy myself.¡±


    ¡°Dude, my life is boring as hell. I¡¯d be up for this!¡± Yasu-san broke in. ¡°Uh... well, again, not sure what I can do, but...¡±


    ¡°Why not-not think of it a different way?¡± Shaeula said, grinning. ¡°We have willing helpers. We need all-all the assistance we can gather. Simply bring them on board, and see what-what needs doing.¡±


    ¡°I think that could work.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯m confident that together we can achieve great things, just like we did back in our club at Uni.¡±


    As we made a decision, I did wonder if I was doing the right thing, but Hayato-san was right. They don¡¯t have to face danger, no more than Karen-chan does. And they would be safer in the know, and with proper Chirurgery...


    ¡°Now that¡¯s settled, I have a question. So you two... you¡¯re faeries, right?¡± Shugo-san asked Shaeula, who nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, proud-proud weaselkin princess of the Seelie, Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections. Hyacinth here is a brownie, or well-well, close enough.¡±


    ¡°Ooonce more, I am Hyacinth, servant to Akio and the ooother mistresses. I have the great honour of being loved myself, though Hyacinth is unwooorthy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just crazy.¡± Shugo-san shook his head. ¡°But I guess it¡¯s true enough, with golden statues appearing out of thin air and Shiro bursting into flame, I don¡¯t see why you¡¯d lie. Those verbal tics are cute too.¡±


    ¡°Tics?¡± Shaeula and Hyacinth both looked identically puzzled, and I laughed, having heard that for the first time in a while. I do feel lighter, now I¡¯ve told my friends the truth. Now I don¡¯t need to keep secrets from my friends and family anymore. Even my sis has told her friends too...


    ¡°Well, in that case, I have a question!¡± Yasu-san called out. ¡°So, you¡¯re a weaselkin, you said? Does that mean like... weasel ears and tail, or... full furry?¡±


    As Aimi-chan and Hina-chan took him to task, Shaeula answered the question naturally. ¡°I am a weaselkin, of course I resemble a weasel. Akio tells me I look quite-quite adorable.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, uh... has he ever... well, in your weasel form... ouch, why the hell did you hit me? Why does everyone do that?¡± he protested, Aimi-chan having socked him a good one across the arm. As laughter passed around the table, I found myself grinning, reaching for one of the half-empty bottles of wine...


    ********


    ¡°They sure are having a lot of fun over there.¡± I remarked, looking over at the table where my bro and most of his girls were, along with his old Uni friends. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t begrudge him that. Keeping secrets is a pain. Bro sucks at it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°He sure does.¡± Rika-chan agreed, and Yae-chan nodded along with her.


    ¡°Yeah, we totally had pegged something was up. I never thought it was this though.¡±


    Rika-chan and Yae-chan had totally fit in with the girls they didn¡¯t know, which didn¡¯t surprise me. After all, the most popular, outgoing girls in class were easy to get along with. They¡¯d even managed to win Eri over, which was no mean feat. As if to prove my point, Eri spoke up.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing it for what he thinks is a good reason though.¡± Eri defended him, before sighing. ¡°Even if it¡¯s foolish. Shaeula was right. We deserved to know, no, we needed to know. Akio is taking too much on his shoulders to do without our emotional support.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only support you are giving him, is it Eri-chan?¡± Kana-chan snorted. I didn¡¯t know quite what to make of this girl. She was pretty similar to Eri in personality, oddly enough, though it manifested quite differently, Kana-chan being outgoing yet ultimately concerned mainly for herself and her image, while Eri was shy, but could be brutal when she had to defend what she wanted, and didn¡¯t care at all about other people unless she was actually close to them.


    Before Eri could answer, Shaeula and the others, barring Shiro, had come over and joined us at our table. The silent Chinese girl and Kazumi-san were brought over as well, and after a brief bit of rearranging, we were all sitting together, enjoying excellent deserts. And I¡¯ve sneaked some wine. It¡¯s not bad. I doubt I¡¯ll get hungover now I¡¯m stronger, and even if I do, my bro or Shaeula will fix me. I really need to learn how to do it myself sooner or later...


    ¡°I feel we should leave Akio and his friends to their reunion.¡± Motoko said, taking the lead, which was unusual. Sister-in-law Motoko is usually quiet and reserved, a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, the ideal Japanese wife. My bro is such a lucky dog...


    ¡°Yes, they have much to discuss, and our role is done-done.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°So, you were saying we offer Akio love as well, correct?¡± Shaeula grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ashamed to say so.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°I said it at school, didn¡¯t I? We¡¯re in love, so we have sex. Is that so wrong? I¡¯m happy I can give Akio comfort.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all, is it?¡± I pressed, as she flushed. Teasing Eri was fun, and I was honestly happy she¡¯d grown up. Thinking about her dying, seeing her torn apart, I hated it. I wished it was me instead. But she¡¯s alive. She says it was an impossible miracle, but I know it¡¯s due to her efforts, and my bro¡¯s. It¡¯s why I¡¯m so glad to have these powers now. I might still be weak, but if I put in the effort, I can stop my bro and Eri suffering again. The others too. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes... ¡°You enjoy it too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She pouted. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful. But only because it¡¯s Akio!¡± she shuddered. ¡°I don¡¯t want any other man touching me, that would be disgusting. But Akio¡¯s so caring, and sexy, and your head goes blank, and you feel like you¡¯re shooting into the sky...¡± she trailed off, realising everyone was grinning at her. Annoyed, she shot back at Kana-chan, who had asked the initial question. ¡°What, jealous?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a low blow, Eri-chan. You know I¡¯m jealous.¡± Kana-chan lowered her voice, possibly so my bro couldn¡¯t hear her, but that was a lost cause. I knew he had sharp ears, and from the way my senses had grown sharper over the last week, I could tell he¡¯d be able to hear us all even over loud music from this distance, if he wanted.


    ¡°Really? I knew it.¡± One of Kana-chan¡¯s friends, Mio-chan, said excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, it¡¯s totally clear to us, Kana-chan.¡± The other, Asami-chan, giggled. ¡°No fooling us, how long have we been friends?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you loved that hairclip he bought you, then you started calling him big bro when you weren¡¯t thinking. Besides...¡± the two of them exchanged glances. I barely knew them, but they were definitely the sort of girls it was easy to get on with, rather similar to Rika-chan and Yae-chan, who were looking on in rapt fascination.


    ¡°Yeah, you always used to be so pissed off with guys hitting on you, but you never seemed to mind spending time talking about Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stop making me sound so shallow. But I admit it! I am shallow. All I wanted was to be rich and pampered, treated right. Let¡¯s be honest, I¡¯m gorgeous. I¡¯m not exactly a top student, but I¡¯m not an idiot either. I think I¡¯m a real catch.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did worry you¡¯d bully Kikuchi-san.¡± The shy girl who turned out to know one of my bro¡¯s friends said. She had returned to our table quite quickly, not being comfortable with so many adults. ¡°You have a reputation of being unapproachable and arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Hit him with what?¡± she asked. I leaned in and whispered to her, and her eyes went wide. I patted her on the shoulder reassuringly as I pulled away, grinning.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s as easy as that. Your pride is satisfied, and everyone wins. Except for Takagi-san¡¯s cousin, I think.¡± I laughed, and Takagi-san managed a weak smile.


    ¡°So, those were some heavy words. Anyone else want to speak up?¡± I asked, and Shaeula laughed.


    ¡°I shall go next. Let me regale you with a tale-tale...¡± we listened as Shaeula told us all her first meetings with my bro. Eri and I had heard it a few times, but it was always amusing.


    ¡°... so yes, my bond with Akio has changed me. I am no-no longer the selfish fool I was. But I do believe I have changed-changed him as well. He has grown confident, resolute. I can not-not love a male who is timid or fearful. Yet I do not-not wish him to be arrogant, as I once was. it is a fine-fine line to walk. At first he was... rather frail, unsure. I am pleased he has grown.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Akiooo is so very kind.¡± Hyacinth was next to speak. ¡°When all I wanted was tooo die, to end my sorrows, Akio refused to accept it. It was selfish...¡± she pouted, but her violet eyes were sparkling. ¡°But... it was ooout of love. Even then, Akio felt kindness for poor Hyacinth, monster nooobody cared for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rubbish.¡± Eri wheeled closer, and I was once again surprised by how close the two of them were. She pulled Hyacinth into a hug. ¡°We care for you. After all, wasn¡¯t I there when you loved Akio the first time?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, too much information.¡± Rika-chan giggled. ¡°Sorry, Marika-chan, you shouldn¡¯t hear these things at your age.¡±


    ¡°It is fine. I understand the idea. We studied it briefly in biology class. And Akio-sama does love you all, so I see no issue with it.¡±


    ¡°If only Keomi-chan was as grown up as you.¡± Kana-chan muttered. ¡°I bet if she was to answer what she liked about Akio, it would be...¡±


    ¡°He buys me delicious cake and sweets all the time.¡± Keomi-chan actually said, still half asleep.


    ¡°See...?¡± Kana-chan began, but Keomi-chan wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°... and he saved my life. I was... so scared. So hurt. But he came charging. Stopped the pain... got the nice lady to shine that light, make me forget the nightmares.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± I managed, as some of the girls went to console her. ¡°That¡¯s kind of heavy stuff.¡±


    Hyacinth bounded upright, past the girls, pulling Keomi-chan into her chest. She flailed, but Hyacinth soothed her. ¡°Hush. Hyacinth knooows. We are alike. Akio saved us from pain. Then, nooow and always. So be not afraid. I am here. Rest now.¡± she looked at us all. ¡°I looove master. Not as a servant, a brownie. Nooot as a boggart. Simply as Hyacinth. The name he gave me. I am Hyacinth, ooonly because he loves me. But I looove the mistresses too. And finally...¡± a single tear rolled from her eye and fell onto Keomi-chan below, who looked up at her, eyes wide. ¡°... I can finally looove myself. That is what it is toooooo belong to Akio. No, to belong tooo each other. We bring out the best in each other. As mistress Hinata, Mistress Moootoko and mistress Natsumi say... nooo sacrifices.¡± Her expression changed. ¡°It is why I hate that Akiooo hurts so, over the dead. It must never happen again. Never!¡±


    ¡°Damn right!¡± I agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to get stronger. And why... if any girl loves my bro, I¡¯ll never stand in her way. Sorry Eri. I continue being the worst best friend you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°No, I get it.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m resigned to it. But I¡¯ll never stop fighting for my share. And I wont take just anyone. I don¡¯t want girls added for the sake of it, and I¡¯ll never allow bad ones who will hurt Akio or those of us he has already. As first wife, I get final say!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± There was clapping, and we looked up to see Shiro had joined us. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but hear all this interesting talk.¡± She sat down. ¡°Aki is writhing in embarrassment, it¡¯s hilarious. And if Yasu and Shugo could hear the outpouring of love for Aki, they¡¯d die on the inside. Damn, I needed that after all the heavy talk.¡±


    ¡°He could hear us?¡± Yae-san said, blushing scarlet. Kana-chan looked pretty bad as well.


    ¡°He¡¯ll pretend he didn¡¯t. Aki does have tact, oddly enough. Who cares? It was all cute anyway. Well, let me say my piece. Aki was always... oddly reliable. He seemed flaky, but he could always turn a bad situation into a better one, sometimes by making a quip at his own expense, or by saying the right thing. I think he hates conflict, poor bastard. Going to be hell saving the world, when he hates to fight.¡±


    ¡°Akio is a warrior.¡± Motoko defended him, Natsumi agreeing, and Shiro sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, so was Kenshin Himura.¡± Shiro shook her head. ¡°But that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t step up when he had to fight, as much as he hated conflict, thought it wasteful.¡±


    ¡°I do not know that warrior. What house did he fight for?¡± Motoko asked, and I laughed to see Shiro flustered. Despite the hideous scars, her beauty was still incredibly oppressive, so seeing her lighter side made me like her more, made her more relatable.


    ¡°He was fictional, never mind.¡± She waved it away. ¡°But those that don¡¯t enjoy battle make the kindest warriors, right? He¡¯s not doing it for the glory, but for those he loves. And he gets strength from that. I¡¯m happy to be his strength. After all...¡± she grinned at Eri. ¡°I¡¯m the one he came after himself.¡±


    After that, Shiro regaled us with some tales of my bro in his Uni days, and then about how he had cried over Shiro as she was dying, and even forced a devilish god to bargain for her life. ¡°So yeah. I¡¯d always really liked Aki as a friend, but I was too stupid to realise it went deeper, just like he was. We¡¯re a perfect match. I¡¯m like Eri in that I don¡¯t overly like the idea of more competition, I want to spend time with Aki, play games together, go on dates, but as a latecomer, I¡¯ll accept it. And I¡¯ll make Aki want to spend time with me, rather than any new girl.¡± She looked at Kana-chan. ¡°I heard the plan Ai here whispered to you. Well, so did Aki, but our eyes met, and I know he¡¯d cave in. So its up to you. I get it. But I was chased, so I didn¡¯t have that struggle. Though Tan did try and make me reject him by pointing out I wasn¡¯t his first love, or his only one. In the end I accepted that.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Shut up!¡± Kana-chan went red and curled up into a ball. ¡°It¡¯s what I want anyway. As for Akio, I¡¯ll decide later...¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, only two people haven¡¯t spoken up.¡± Shiro looked at Kazumi-san and the Chinese Girl, Daiyu-san. Uh, I think bro called her Daiyu¡¯er. Is that the right honorific?


    ¡°Well, I did worry when we first met. He seemed dangerous, and low-born.¡± Kazumi-san said, and Hinata snorted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± She continued. ¡°He¡¯s definitely dangerous. Just look at all you girls gushing over him.¡± She winked, at odds with her stern image. ¡°I respect him though, honestly. He¡¯s good for Hinata-sama, and he too told me I could stay as her guard as long as I wanted, even after the marriage.¡± She nodded at Natsumi, who was smiling at that. ¡°It¡¯s not all good though. He¡¯s bad with money, indiscreet, and too easily pushed around by women. Hinata-sama, Eri-sama... you¡¯ll need to watch him so no bad gold-diggers or enemies get their claws in him. For a man who can be powerfully confident, arrogant and brash, forcing powerful men like Fujiwara-sama to yield, he can... well, cave in to pressure remarkably fast.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is too kind and easily pushed around. He is working on it, with our help.¡± Hinata agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, my bro... too eager to compromise. I get it, a win-win is great, but I wish he¡¯d be greedier.¡± I complained. ¡°Although... ugh, he¡¯s had an inferiority complex for years.¡± I exchanged a sad glance with Eri, guilt surging within me despite my best efforts to suppress it. Ever since the dog. Eri and I, our needs always pressured him, until he fled from us, not that he knew that was what he¡¯s doing. But he¡¯s back now, and we¡¯ve changed. That¡¯s the past.


    ¡°Well, if he was too greedy, that¡¯d be bad too.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Every girl here would be in his harem, you included, Ai-chan!¡±


    ¡°No way! Ugh, creepy!¡± I denied that, to more laughter. It was then Daiyu¡¯er said something, and Shiro translated.


    ¡°She said that Akio has made her promises, and she hopes he keeps it, but from seeing you all, she realises while he is inconstant and unfaithful, which she despises, from our smiles and laughter he is not cruel or overly lustful.¡±


    ¡°Well, he can be quite-quite the lustful beast on the bed.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°But he is never-never cruel. Even his enemies get the mercy they deserve. Though that is sometimes none. But yes, none of us claim him to be perfect. But... his faults, they are for us to help-help him with. We shall be his strength, as he is ours.¡± Shaeula looked around. ¡°Eri, as first-first wife, please sum it up.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡± she said, before sighing. ¡°All right. So yes, Akio... everyone here, whether you love him or not, whether you want to be with him or not... he¡¯ll defend us all, until his last breath and beyond. He¡¯s kind but sometimes too weak, loving but has many loves, generous, sometimes too much so, weak to pressure but never when it counts, and for any of us, he would wade into the jaws of death... but for others too. Deep down he often felt inferior, not good enough, not able to protect. That was my fault really. As a child... I was so pathetic, I just took from him, drained his vitality, his strength. But not anymore. Now we give him strength, and he needs it.¡± she sighed, grumbling. ¡°If he was living a life just with me in Nishimorioka, working a modest job, raising a family, he¡¯d do fine. But that¡¯s not what life had in store for him or us. Maybe, just maybe, despite his fears, and naivety and cowardice...¡± she smiled at Kana-chan then. ¡°... he¡¯ll be the one to save the world. He already saved me. No, us. For me, Akio¡¯s the only one, and his good qualities are precious, and his flaws, while annoying, are what make him who he is. The man I love.¡±


    ¡°Well said. There¡¯s no point wishing for what can¡¯t be. I tried that for years, and never got any better.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°The life Aki was destined for has dragged us all into it. And I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll regret it. I certainly don¡¯t. Anyone who wants to be with Aki has to accept it. Accept him, flaws and all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we aren¡¯t throwing our hats in the ring.¡± Mio-chan whispered to Asami-chan.


    ¡°No kidding. I wouldn¡¯t feel confident going up against Kana-chan in love. Against all these...? Maybe I¡¯ll make a move on your cousin, Takagi-san. Is he rich and cool?¡±


    ¡°No way! He¡¯s lame and barely getting by!¡±


    At that there was laughter, and I leaned back, satisfied, casting a glance at my brother. He met my gaze, looking embarrassed, and I stuck my tongue out at him. Serves you right, bro. A bit of embarrassment is the least you deserve...


    ********


    Turning away from my sister, who stuck her tongue out at me, I held in a sigh. Yeah, sure, it¡¯s flattering to hear praise, but it¡¯s also really painful as well. As for Kana... well, that¡¯s for another day. I do rather like her, but... I understood her wish to be chased, for her pride. Being honest, I felt that if I asked Kana to be my girlfriend, that would be crossing the final line, and I¡¯d have no excuse to reject any other girl I liked. Shiro was the exception, as I had known her before all this. Again though, I could put that aside for now. Ironically their criticisms hurt less than the praise. Maybe I am a coward...


    ¡°There¡¯s a real garden of flowers over there.¡± Yasu-san observed, not for the first time tonight. ¡°But... Akio-kun, seriously, is there anything going on between you and Hisano-chan? It¡¯d be... a bit weird, you and my cousin, and considering what I¡¯ve seen tonight, I¡¯d feel a bit bad for her, but...¡± he sighed. ¡°Man, I trust you. You¡¯d not let her get hurt. We¡¯re friends, I can trust you with that, right?¡±


    Yasu-san, I¡¯m touched. ¡°No, I promise you, I¡¯m merely sort of like a guardian to Takagi-san. Shaeula got her mixed up in this, but she¡¯s a diligent girl, always does her training. You have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I trust you, man.¡± He agreed. ¡°But... seriously, if something does happen, tell me. This surprise was bad for my heart. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d tell uncle and auntie. I mean, maybe they¡¯d be happy, uh... damn...¡±


    ¡°Poor Yasu-kun.¡± Aimi-chan laughed a little. Her mood had improved a bit as we talked, and while she was still pale and far more solemn than her normal, boisterous self, she was at least mostly back to normal. ¡°Not only did you get knocked down by the fact Akio-kun and Shiro are in love, your precious younger cousin, the only hope of a lonely otaku like you, is going to be snatched away...¡±


    ¡°No way, Hisano-chan and I aren¡¯t like that. Creepy!¡± he shuddered.


    ¡°Hey, how very normal of you...¡± Aimi-chan continued her teasing, while Hina-chan spoke to me then.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m glad to see Shiro getting along with other people. I¡¯m still worried though. I know you said you can heal her, and I don¡¯t think you are lying, but... how long will it take?¡± she then smiled sweetly, and I looked at Hayato-san, who was looking at her happily, before winking. Yeah, you¡¯re a lucky guy. Hina-chan is a real sweetie.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. We have a great healer. It¡¯s only been a few days, and the scars have shrunk a little, and she has an eye under the patch now, even if it¡¯s still blind. We are looking at weeks, not months, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Weeks, huh? Well... considering how sickly she¡¯s always been, a few weeks is no hardship, I suppose.¡± She sighed. ¡°The scale of this is a bit frightening.¡±


    ¡°It definitely is.¡± Shugo-san agreed. ¡°I know I¡¯m like Hayato-kun, pissed I didn¡¯t know about this, but now I do, and we¡¯ve calmed down... it might be the booze talking, but I¡¯m starting to get scared. There¡¯s an apocalypse coming, right? A lot of people are going to die. The world might end...¡±


    ¡°Shut up, idiot!¡± Aimi-chan complained. ¡°You¡¯re scaring Hina-chan!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scaring myself!¡± he protested. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do us any good ignoring it, that¡¯s what we got angry at Akio-kun for, right?¡±


    Aimi-chan bit her lip at that, and I smiled reassuringly at her, only for Shiro to call over jovially.


    ¡°I told you, Aimi¡¯s off limits. She¡¯s got a boyfriend. If you start stealing from others, it¡¯ll never end!¡±


    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha.¡± I laughed in monotone. ¡°Very funny. But I appreciate the comic relief. The table got a bit heated.¡± As Shiro waved in amusement, I spoke to them all. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to worry you. But yeah, we know that we have less than five years. Probably less than four. What¡¯s coming, we don¡¯t know... but we¡¯ll be as prepared as we can be.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hayato-san mused. ¡°All the more reason to gather help. This Chirurgery, you¡¯ll give it to us, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Shaeula will do Aimi-chan and Hina-chan though. I¡¯ll do you guys.¡±


    ¡°It hurts, right?¡± Hina-chan said softly, and I nodded.


    ¡°Afraid so, but even girls like the young Marika-san over there endured. Shaeula will be gentle.¡±


    ¡°Right, so, what¡¯s the plan then? The night is young, maybe we should hit Akihabara for old times¡¯ sake. We¡¯d even have Shiro with us this late for once.¡± Yasu-san said. ¡°We can hash out our plans for the future, like salaries, right?¡±


    ¡°Trust you to be greedy.¡± Aimi-chan complained.


    ¡°Well, a guy¡¯s got to live, right?¡± he said, and I actually agreed with him.


    ¡°Yeah, I pay pretty well, I like to think. Karen-chan has no complaints. Well, few complaints, anyway. Hey Shiro...¡± I called over. ¡°You want to hit Akihabara? Then maybe onto Shinjuku or Shibuya?¡±


    ¡°What about us, bro? Ditching us? Lame.¡± My sis complained.


    ¡°Sorry, but none of you are old enough to get in the bars, well, I guess Shaeula can.¡±


    ¡°No, I shall stay here. I would not-not like to intrude in your touching reunion. But I shall drink plenty of expensive alcohol, so be warned!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I grinned. ¡°Keep the... oh, hang on a second. My phone is ringing.¡± Which is odd, nearly everyone is... huh, it¡¯s Tsumura-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather. Is it for her, or...


    The moment I answered the phone, his urgent voice greeted me. ¡°Oshiro-san, there is an emergency. A helicopter is on route, there is no time for delay. There has been an attack on a coastguard vessel off the northern coast, but we think it is surely a feint. We believe Chinese insurgents are already on Japanese soil. And their destination...¡±


    ¡°Kyoto?¡± I said, Foresight suddenly blaring.


    ¡°Kyoto.¡± He agreed. ¡°We¡¯re scrambling JSDF forces, but...¡±


    ¡°But against Chosen and potentially Sects, they might not be enough, or even able to combat them, if they take the Boundary.¡± I finished for him. A few more exchanges, and I had hung up. Turning to my concerned friends and the girls, I put on a brave face. Well, the girls might call me reluctant to fight, or cowardly, and maybe it¡¯s true. No, who am I kidding? It is true. I don¡¯t relish battle, especially against other humans, hypocritical though that is, knowing Shaeula, Hyacinth, Ulfuric and others. But to protect those I promised to protect... the girls had that right too.


    ¡°Sorry everyone. Looks like no Akihabara tonight. Instead... I have to do my job. The job only I can do...¡±

 Three Hundred And Twenty-One / Side One Hundred And Fourteen – Suzuki Haru

    Three Hundred And Twenty-One / Side One Hundred And Fourteen ¨C Suzuki Haru


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hayato-san asked, worried. ¡°It sounded serious. What¡¯s this about Sects and combat? Akio-kun, are you mixed up in something dangerous right now? And I heard Kyoto...¡± he glanced over at Eri in her wheelchair. The girls over there were looking at me too, troubled.


    ¡°Yeah. Unfortunately it¡¯s a bit of an offshoot of that. I don¡¯t really have time to explain, but as soon as the helicopter gets here, I have to go.¡± Time is of the essence, I learned that in Kyoto, but also, rushing in unprepared can cost more than delay. This time, we have laid the groundwork as best we can, but we can¡¯t plan for everything...


    ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡± Shiro said, standing, and as we exchanged looks she shrugged. ¡°Shit, Aki. I may not be the strongest, but Tan here is, if I use Divine Possession, I can be of use. Besides...¡± her hair and eye flared red, sparks flying and cascading.


    ¡°I believe I shall be able to satisfy my hunger there, while defeating your enemies. I believe you call this a... win-win.¡± She licked Shiro¡¯s lips seductively. ¡°You promised me compensation, did you not? What better time for my thirst to be quenched, and your debts to be paid?¡±


    With that her hair began streaking back to white, a mix of crimson and silver, stunningly fetching yet coldly terrible. ¡°Aki, you can¡¯t do this alone.¡± Shiro said earnestly, and I found myself unable to argue.


    ¡°He shall not-not be alone. I will go, of course. Hyacinth as well.¡± Shaeula declared, after translating for Daiyu.


    ¡°If they wish tooo harm those Akio chooses to proootect, Hyacinth shall show them no mercy!¡± she stood, silver-violet eyes flashing angrily. ¡°Besides, I feel rather sad for the poor woooman. Her life has been lonely. Hyacinth knooows lonely and does not care for it.¡±


    ¡°Me too bro. I¡¯m raring to go!¡± my sis declared, a moment before Eri stoutly declared she would come as well, but I shook my head.


    ¡°No way. Eri, you¡¯re not on top form after Kyoto. I¡¯m not letting you push yourself again, this time you might not be so lucky.¡± As she started to protest, my stern gaze quietened her down, and she nodded, her expression upset but understanding. ¡°As for you sis, you¡¯re not ready for this.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve been pushing myself to get stronger, just so I can stand alongside you all...¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you were taking things sensibly?¡± I questioned her, and she had the grace to look away, flushed and embarrassed.


    ¡°Well, I was. But you know, bro, my golden sister army could be helpful, and...¡±


    ¡°Ai, Eri...¡± Shiro spoke up then, her voice kind. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s entirely that you¡¯re not strong enough. Aki... he doesn¡¯t want you to face this. Not yet. It¡¯s not monsters this time. It¡¯s people. Other living people. Aki... he doesn¡¯t want you to have to kill or be killed. He cherishes your innocence.¡±


    She¡¯s right. That¡¯s the heart of it. Though I definitely do believe they are still too weak for this. But... Kondou Kazuo, Yamato-san, the US operatives... killing, it¡¯s not something easy to bear. Even with my Resilience I think about it often... I don¡¯t want that for my sister, for Eri. Not yet. Not until they are fully prepared for the consequences. If I could, I¡¯d shield them forever, but the world isn¡¯t that kind...


    ¡°But Eri¡¯s killed other sentient creatures, like that Kijo who hurt her, right?¡± my sis protested, unwilling to back down. ¡°I think you¡¯re being a hypocrite here bro.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. but trust me... I¡¯m one who knows.¡± I said, everyone focused on me and my confession. ¡°I¡¯ve killed.¡± There were gasps from Hina-chan, Aimi-chan and even the guys at that. ¡°For good reasons, to save others, and... well, for a reason perhaps not so good, but necessary. And yes, I¡¯ve also killed other non-humans, with hopes and dreams, snuffing them out. But trust me, it hits different. I don¡¯t want you both to face that yet. It might be selfish of me, but I¡¯ve always wanted to protect you both. I can¡¯t shield you from this forever... but now isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    ¡°Aww, bro...¡± my sis gave in, looking down.


    ¡°When you say it like that, I can¡¯t refuse.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°I admit the idea scares me, taking my axe to another person. But... they chose to come and kill others. Live by the sword, die by it, right?¡±


    ¡°Eri, you¡¯re certainly a cold one.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°But... I¡¯ve killed as well.¡± Her single eye glittered darkly, still a dull sooty red. She turned to Hayato-san and the others, who were looking at her with even more shock than they had at me. ¡°Well, you could argue that Tan did it for me, if you want to split hairs. But really, there¡¯s no difference. I have blood on my hands too, and probably for less reason than Aki. And yeah, it¡¯s not a good feeling. I... I try not to think about it. But I accepted it when I made a deal with the devil, you know? To be honest, I was prepared to sacrifice a lot more, just to get what I wanted, until Aki showed me I didn¡¯t have to.¡± she sighed. ¡°Poor Daizen. I didn¡¯t like him all that much, but... hey, that reminds me... the situation is going to be bad, right? And you need all the hands you can get?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, more than twenty Candidates, and who knows how many Sect warriors. It¡¯s going to be a bloodbath if things go wrong.¡±


    ¡°I see, well then... not how I wanted this to go down, but...¡± Shiro muttered.


    ¡°Shiro...¡± Aimi-chan said suddenly. ¡°You¡¯ve... you¡¯ve really killed someone? You? it seems impossible...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to this, I think.¡± Hayato-san said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s been happening. We¡¯re out of the loop. At least, we were...¡±


    ¡°Yeah man.¡± Yasu-san agreed. ¡°In stories, this always happens. Bad guys get power and the heroes have to step up. But... this isn¡¯t a story.¡± He looked shaken, and I couldn¡¯t say I blamed him.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± I patted him on the shoulder, surprising him. ¡°And good and evil are relative. Maybe they have a good reason for coming to kill Tsukiko-san, maybe they have no choice. But I promised Tsukiko-san I¡¯d protect her, and I don¡¯t want any more innocent people to die in Kyoto.¡± I looked at everyone then. ¡°Sorry guys, the party got interrupted. But the night isn¡¯t over. Eri, Aiko...¡± I used my sister¡¯s name, showing how serious I was. ¡°Stay here and keep everyone calm, protect everyone, all right? Just because I believe the threat is heading for Kyoto, I don¡¯t want to be careless.¡± My ears could pick up the thrumming of a distant helicopter coming closer.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve paid for this, we might as well finish up.¡± Hinata said, expression worried, before she smoothed it out, putting on a confident smile. ¡°At times like these, your fiance?es should say good luck, and come back safely, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Fortunes of war.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°I wish I could go with you. I dreamed of going to battle alongside my husband ever since I was a child, but in this world, under its rules, I believed it impossible. But... despite my arts, I am too weak, just a flower to be protected. For now.¡± She looked at my sis. ¡°Perhaps we should talk. Just how did you gain the power to create that Golden Warrior?¡±


    Natsumi agreed. ¡°Akio, Shiro, Shaeula, Hyacinth. Promise us you¡¯ll come back safely. And promise us... one day we won¡¯t have to sit here alone and afraid, worrying about your return. I too took up the sword, spear and bow, because I wanted to be strong!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Good luck. May Tsukuyomi keep you safe. And ... may you keep the Diviner, no, Tsukiko safe as well. And even if not... don¡¯t let her be alone, not at the end.¡±


    Feeling a heavy pang of worry, I nodded, though he couldn¡¯t see it, being on the other side of the call. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do my best to overturn her fate. As for now... I have to go.¡± Hanging up, I dialled Tsukiko-san once more, before tossing down the unanswered phone. ¡°Right. In a few minutes we¡¯ll be in Kyoto. Are you all ready?¡±


    The girls nodded. Good. Everyone¡¯s prepared. I¡¯m glad I kept my sis and Eri out of this. This isn¡¯t going to be pleasant. This will be the first true war between us and other Candidates, making the battle against Kondou Kazuo, or the prick from Las Vegas, look like a child¡¯s argument...


    ********


    ¡°Well, it looks like it¡¯s started.¡± Suzuki Haru observed sadly, watching the explosions in the distance, fireballs soaring up into the heavens, a natural red and orange, rather than the vivid citrine yellow of flame element. She glanced at her own forces, the degraded Orcs led by her far cuter Hunting Cats. The sounds of gunfire were echoing in the distant streets, and Haru realised her own forces would do little more than buy a few seconds of time. Although, that might be all I need to do.


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± The ratkin, Ixitt, was jumping with joy beside her, tail lashing frantically like a whip. He had pulled down several of the lenses on his weird goggle-like contraption he wore over his forehead, and was looking at an impossible sight, that of an attack helicopter, soaring through the distant skies. Even as we watched, the sleek, grey helicopter opened fire on some distant target, air-to-surface missiles streaking down and detonating explosively, silver sparks scattering, followed by vivid flames. ¡°I never believed I would see such a sight here, my research will be advanced by leaps and bounds. If only I cold recover it. Well, I suppose the wreckage will have to do.¡±


    A little bit put off by his eagerness, Haru sighed. ¡°Well, setting aside how it got here, how does it even function? I mean, there¡¯s no air here, is there? Not really. How does it stay aloft? I was more a humanities girl than sciences, but unlike me, who doesn¡¯t need air anymore, being as I¡¯m a ghost, the rotors won¡¯t be able to generate lift without it, right? It shouldn¡¯t be able to get off the ground.¡± She paused. ¡°Well, I suppose Akio-san and the others do tend to still breathe here, out of habit. Maybe it works because it thinks it works? No, that can¡¯t be right, machines don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, that is the issue she was struggling with, until I... well, never mind that.¡± He coughed, changing the subject, behind him, weaselkin and ratkin were streaming through the Ring Gate, directed by the intimidating badger, Ulfuric. I get that he seems a nice... man? But he¡¯s still rather intimidating.


    ¡°Set the long range weapons up there and over there...¡± the elf, Moira was also directing them. ¡°We built these fortifications for a reason. As for those flamethrowers, and the other ones...¡± I feel rather useless. My only purpose here is to hold Territory as a bridgehead... shaking her head, she almost missed the answer from Ixitt.


    ¡°I can see lingering aether around the craft. It seems however it got here, it is being sustained and enhanced by some art.¡± He tapped one of his lenses pensively. ¡°The value of this continues to surprise me.¡± He turned to some of his ratkin, who were carrying the long-barreled firearm imitations he had made. ¡°It seems almost a shame to destroy it, but... well, Akio will be rather unhappy if those he has chosen to protect die while we marvel at the delights of your human sciences. This way...¡± he led the ratkin up onto one of the constructed towers, giving them greater elevation.


    ¡°Grul is here.¡± The troll rumbled, having also arrived with his own forces. His massive, misshapen mace was clutched in one meaty hand, and he was wearing armour that looked so thick and heavy that Haru felt tired just looking at him. Thankfully, I don¡¯t need armour. I¡¯m a ghost, so physical attacks pass right through me...


    ¡°Great, it¡¯s reassuring to have to have you with us.¡± Haru smiled professionally, drawing on her expertise from her days as a bureaucrat. Well, I believe I still am one, though it¡¯s rather amazing my work consists of this sort of thing as well as pushing paperwork now... ¡°Have you checked your role with Ulfuric and Moira?¡± she asked, expecting he would just be ready to rampage, but he surprised her.


    ¡°Grulgor has.¡± He nodded his massive head. ¡°Scouting in force, unlucky elf said.¡± He chuckled, the sound like rocks clashing against each other. ¡°Grul good at that. Find enemy, report back, then Grul gets his pick of strong enemies to crush.¡± His laughter continued. ¡°Grulgor has never had so much fun, so many battles, until he lost to Akio. This is just more of the same.¡±


    ¡°All right then...¡± Ixitt was calling. ¡°Firing angles look good, range... three kilometres, as the mortals measure it. Pushing the limits a bit, but...¡± he grinned. ¡°Time for my two-step combination.¡±


    Several Kamaitachi were there as well, two of the smaller ones, and one of the bigger newcomers. That one was looking rather aggrieved at having to follow orders from such a small, weak-looking ratkin, but it was obeying. Jade energies started to gust, and the barrels were lengthened by green cylinders. Is that an extended barrel for extra range? Clever. But will it work?


    ¡°Loading!¡± Ixitt declared, and heavy bullets of bluesteel, each of a fairly impressive calibre, were slotted in. Ixitt then began to glow, a brilliant yellow. On seeing Haru¡¯s surprised gaze, he grinned.


    ¡°Oh, come now, how long has it been since I have been Chief Mortal Engineer here? With Akio and the princess providing me with bluesteel batteries full of fire element when they can, and the princess¡¯ wonderful example to follow, an inquisitive Fae like me would be a fool if he could not master a new element. It is a strange feeling, being aspected, one us ratkin seldom know. As for why ... fire... well, that is obvious. After all, was not all mortal science built on the flames?¡± his grin was wicked, sharp teeth showing. ¡°Though next, perhaps wind would be helpful. But then, earth is useful for many crafts... well... that is for later.¡± His tail lashed once, like a conductors baton. ¡°is it in sight?¡± he called, and the gunners nodded.


    ¡°Well then. Fire!¡± he roared, and several heavy projectiles were released with a deafening sound, accelerating through the swirling winds, picking up speed, propelled by tails of flaming yellow energy.


    ¡°Uh, are those bullets, or rockets?¡± Haru asked, bemused, as the projectiles soared into the silver skies.


    ¡°They are whatever they need to be.¡± He grinned. ¡°The downside is the barrels break quite easily when using the heaviest shells. Well, these are merely advanced proto...¡± his words were drowned out by an explosion, followed by a second. The helicopter had burst into flames as the first bullet had torn through the main body before exploding within, while the second ripped the roof off, sending rotor blades flying. As the stricken craft hammered into the ground, secondary explosions kicking off, Ixitt shrugged. ¡°A shame. Well, the wreckage may still yield insights, if we can recover it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can worry about that later...¡± she sighed, as a second helicopter was seen in the far distance, followed by a series of four contrails from another point of Kyoto, missiles streaking from some hidden launcher to explode violently to the north. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more to go around...¡±


    ¡°Yes, so there is.¡± He agreed, nodding. ¡°Though perhaps we should think about defeating them first. Akio and the princess will be rather angry if they arrive to find us defeated.¡±


    ¡°That he will.¡± Haru agreed, watching Grulgor leading his trolls out. As they headed east towards Nijo Castle at the centre of Kyoto, a group of people were suddenly pushing through the strangely lit streets of Boundary Kyoto. No, not people. Haru realised, seeing the jerky way they moved, a strange, hopping gait. Their skin was also a deathly white, and their uniforms, which looked like military clothes of some sort, were torn, dirty and stained with long-dried blood. They¡¯re dead, like me. No, not like me... they had talismans on their faces, covering the eyes, but Haru could tell that these had no sentience, were not thinking, only hungering to kill.


    Grulgors mace swept through several, the heavy shaft knocking them aside, before he swung it down, absolutely pulverising one, fragments of bone and decaying guts scattering everywhere. He laughed uproariously, only to frown in annoyance as the couple he had knocked down hopped to their feet, despite broken bones and ropey guts hanging out, still capable of fighting.


    ¡°Ugh, Grul hates dead things. No fun!¡± he roared, his massive fist destroying the entire torso of one. His trolls were likewise rampaging, but they were being slowed by the need to completely destroy the undead before they would cease their attacks.


    Being dead is a hardship. I... I have it better than most. Haru thought, the bustle of forces behind her ignored. I can leave the planning and defence to the experts, and Akio-san will be here soon. No, I can spare a little mercy for the dead, as one of their fellows...


    Raising one hand, she conjured light, a brilliant inky blue glow, suffused with whites and gold, before the light spread out, bathing Grulgor, his trolls, and the shambling, hopping corpses. For a moment Grulgor looked around, puzzled, but as the enemies began to dissolve, their talismans bursting into sticky black flames as they crumbled, Grulgor locked eyes with Haru and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up with one mighty hand.


    Haru returned the gesture, feeling surprisingly abashed. Just where did he learn that? Oh well. At least I¡¯m helping. It feels good to be useful. And as their senior in death, the least I can do is grant them peace...

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Two / Side One Hundred And Fifteen – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Two / Side One Hundred And Fifteen ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    Entering the Boundary as soon as I raced into the home Aki had built on the grounds of the modest Shrine, barely having time to do more than throw myself onto the nearest bed, not caring about the mess or disarray of my hair and clothes, I found myself wondering if what I was about to do was the right call.


    It is not like you to doubt yourself, princess. Though I do understand. The darkness in her is deep, and you would open...


    Enough of that, Tan. It¡¯ll be fine. And if not... putting my doubts aside I saw the form of Hyacinth, that strange maid who was always giggling to herself, her expression set with the sort of resolve I needed. She¡¯s not laughing now. Her eyes are cold, and her expression is murderous.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right.¡± I was broken out of my thoughts by Aki slapping me on the back, something I could barely feel due to the strange outfit I wore. It¡¯s not exactly cute, but... it is strong. Modelled on the outfit he had supposedly given the one called the Diviner, this Tsukiko... I¡¯m not jealous he¡¯s giving other girls clothes, I¡¯m not. Besides, this is simply a protective gift, one Aki worked hard on, with help from the dwarves. Shit, I should be grateful...


    If so, why are your cheeks so puffed? Are you jealous that he risks so much to save a girl that is not you, princess? After all, while he has protected many, the frantic sorrows he radiated, his cries of misery and loss when he feared you would die, you were secretly happy and proud, were you not? After all, is that not proof of his love?


    All right, enough of that. I hate to think you¡¯re right Tan, but yeah... I did feel special. But then... Swallowing down her nerves and doubts, I turned, giving Aki a bright smile, making sure to appear as beautiful as possible, still difficult with these scars, but as my single eye met his, once more admiring what a beautiful grey they were, I realised again his gaze held no revulsion, no pity, only love and a certainty I would heal. ¡°Yeah, it will. However, the situation is still pretty grave, right?¡± I looked at Shaeula and Hyacinth, who were also donning the black, military-style combat suits made from strange metals and the dangerous vibrating feathers of some native birds of Kyoto. ¡°If those two are changing out of their beloved outfits, it¡¯s going to be brutal.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± He agreed. ¡°And I think you could sit this one out, if you wanted. It isn¡¯t your...¡± I shut him up by pressing my lips against his. His eyes widened in shock, which made me happy, but happier was the way he couldn¡¯t help but twine his tongue with mine, kissing me deeply. Damn, I feel hot, my head is going blank. And this is just kissing. Shit, I unfairly maligned all those lovestruck girls I called idiots for all these years. Who knew...


    Focus. This is not the time to be distracted. You have a request, foolish though it is. And I shall not be left out. I thirst, and of the abilities he has traced with this Book of Providence... oh how I wish I could drink deep of that one... there are some that I desire greatly, and one that would aid you. I shall have them all.


    Pulling free, mouth still wet with his saliva, I put my good hand on my waist, adopting a stern pose. ¡°It is my fight. Putting aside you promised Tan compensation, which now is the perfect time to pay up, you asked me to marry you, Aki. I don¡¯t take that lightly. I said yes, despite knowing you were already with another girl. I¡¯m not an idiot, am I? And neither are you. You should know what that means.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He sighed. Shaeula was talking to several of the Kamaitachi, who were filling her in on the current situation through the gate. Some of them are kind of cute. But that pair of bigger, angrier-looking ones are a bit frightening. No, I need to keep my focus.


    ¡°I guess we did agree to share our lives and everything we hold dear together.¡± He agreed. ¡°It¡¯s just... well, after what happened to the trainees, and Eri... I have faith I can fight, and...¡± he looked at Shaeula and Hyacinth, which pissed me off.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re talking to me!¡± I grabbed his face, turned it around and kissed him again, quickly this time, as I knew every second was precious. Even so, as a woman, there are some things more important than anything else. ¡°I get that Shaeula is strong, and you¡¯ve fought side by side for a long time now. And Hyacinth... well, she¡¯s like a walking war crime. So you don¡¯t worry as much for them.¡± My lips quirked into a sly smile as Shaeula reacted at that, pouting much as I did earlier. I guess being too competent has its drawbacks.


    How foolish. Ask him already. Time marches on. I would not have our food and drink stolen from us by such delays. After all, once there, I should be able to sense our targets, using the Favour we consumed before...


    ¡°I do still worry, of course I do.¡± Aki said the right thing, surprising me, and Shaeula¡¯s pout turned into a smile. ¡°But... well, never mind.¡± He gave in. ¡°Tan, keep her safe. My warning from before still applies. If Shiro dies, you¡¯ll regret it, even if I have to take on your entire Pantheon!¡±


    ¡°How bold. But rest assured, I have no wish for defeat. My plans may have changed...¡± Tan stole my mouth, twisting it into a grin somehow both sly and lascivious. Ugh, I bet I look strange now. I¡¯m embarrassed.


    ¡°... but my wish to protect her has not. Now, she has something to ask you. I know time is short, so listen carefully, and choose wisely.¡± With that Tan relinquished me, and I took a deep breath.


    ¡°Aki. Quickly. Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He answered, and his lack of hesitation thrilled me.


    ¡°Great. Then... I¡¯ll follow after you. You need to get there and take control of the battle as soon as you can, right? But first... can you give me permission to bring someone inside your Territory?¡± This one¡¯s what he calls Rank 3, and I can feel the strength of it. It would keep her out, I¡¯m sure...


    He glanced over at the important facilities near the Ring Gate, silver spires rising into the sky, glittering prettily. He then looked back at me. Before he could speak, I offered more reassurance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Aki. Nothing I do will disadvantage you, I¡¯m sure. And... if I¡¯m wrong, and something bad happens. I promise, I¡¯ll endure whatever you suffer, just the same. Even...¡± I could barely say it. it was flippant, but true. If she does turn on us here, I will fight, even to the death, before I let her hurt Aki¡¯s Territory...


    Ah, love. I must admit, experiencing it through your thoughts is quite the strange emotion. My other sisters took our rejection by the Buddha strangely. One drowns herself in pleasure with any she takes a fancy to, whilst the other shut herself away, playing only with other women. I, who kept aloof, have taken the wisest path, so I believed. But feeling your emotions, it is quite the entertaining, enlightening spectacle. Perhaps the reason I could not allure the Buddha as he passed by, was because I did not know love? Well, enough on that...


    My thoughts with Tan were much faster than speech, so only a moment had passed as she reminisced, and I caught glimpses of mental pictures of her sisters. Putting those aside, I continued. ¡°... we share the same fate, right? Isn¡¯t that what marriage is? I don¡¯t take it lightly, and I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t ask me to marry you without the confidence to shoulder that, Aki.¡±


    More troops were forming up at the ring of mushrooms shrouded by ruby light. They were carrying strange objects and large barrels, but I paid that no mind, merely waited for Aki¡¯s answer.


    ¡°I trust you Shiro.¡± He said, and his lack of hesitation made my heart ache, though the feeling was pleasant. ¡°But...¡± his tone changed. ¡°You think I¡¯d ask you to share any cruel fate I suffered, no matter who¡¯s fault it was? Idiot...¡± he said fondly, grabbing my cheeks and squishing them. I struggled, protesting, but I was too weak to break out of his grip. Damn Aki, nerdy you turned into a beast...


    He then released me. ¡°Do what you need to. Now, I have to go. Our base is in Haru-san¡¯s Territory, someone there should be able to tell you where we¡¯ve gone. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± He kissed my forehead, and then called out to Shaeula and Hyacinth, as well as the young Chinese girl.


    ¡°Shaeula, Daiyu¡¯er, Hyacinth, let¡¯s go.¡± And with that they vanished through the portal, leaving me touching my forehead idly. Aki, I already like you, there¡¯s no need to be all cool and make my heart race. It¡¯s annoying.


    You are quite the fool, princess. But I do not hate it. Now, he is right, time is pressing. Do what you need to do.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± I muttered, taking out the token I possessed. Aether trickled into it, and I felt a distant connection. Hey, with my better Aether Manipulation skills, as Aki called it, these things make a lot more sense to me. Now I¡¯m curious just how far I can go...


    ¡°Hey, Arisu. This is a damn emergency! Get over here now! I need everyone in the room!¡± Here¡¯s hoping she can get in...


    Moments later I felt the flow of aether change in the token I held. The air around me shuddered, as if something was trying to force its way through. Clenching the token hard in my fist, I hoped it would be fine. Aki said I could let her in. Though we still don¡¯t fully understand how these Territories work...


    Moments later space warped, a black slash forming a doorway, and Arisu stepped out, her long black hair unbound and flowing, her gown a deep wine-red. Her expression was cold, her usual mask, but as she looked at me, then around to where she was, the massive trees hanging over us, the constant stream of strange, animalistic troops coming and going, her eyes widened, some emotion showing for the first time in a while, before her usual angry mask reasserted itself.


    ¡°So, White... where is this? I feel oppressed. The very air presses down on me.¡± Arisu looked around. The moving forces were looking at her, wary, and I could see that Dryad peering at us from behind her tree.


    ¡°Uh, no time for lengthy explanations. This... well, this is Aki¡¯s territory.¡± She said, and at that Arisu narrowed her eyes. No way. I know what you are thinking! As Tan¡¯s laughter echoed in my mind, I puffed myself up as much as I could, trying to look stern. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, Arisu. We¡¯re friends, and I like you, but if you try and damage anything that belongs to Aki...¡± My hair glittered red, flames cascading down like a waterfall. ¡°... then we are going to have to fight.¡± As our black eyes looked into each other, testing our resolve, I delivered my trump card, the reason why I trusted Arisu to come here, even if I was extremely worried about her meeting Aki, for a number of reasons. ¡°Besides, you hate treachery, right? I promised Aki that you could be trusted. Don¡¯t make a liar out of me, Arisu. Please.¡±


    For a moment she contemplated, looking around, seeing the silver needles and the magnificent shrine building covered in snakes that was obviously key infrastructure, and I felt my heart clench, before she managed a small nod, and I relaxed, breathing out, relieved.


    ¡°Fine. Well, White, what possessed you to take such a risk to bring me here of all places? And why did the fool allow it? Taking a potential enemy into the heart of a Territory is madness. Betrayal can come in a heartbeat, from those you once called friends and colleagues. I know this better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Obviously because I said you were trustworthy, and Aki trusts me. He¡¯s a great guy, I promise! He got me a healer, the best there is, my scars have shrunk, and I even have an eye now.¡± I pulled down the patch proudly. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s still utterly useless, but progress, right?¡± I smiled, trying to win her over. ¡°Aki didn¡¯t hesitate. I offered to take responsibility if you screwed him over, but he doesn¡¯t even want that. Aki¡¯s a soft touch, but I love him.¡± Ignoring more of Tan¡¯s snickering, I made my position clear. ¡°However... what Aki wants or not, if you try to do anything bad, I will stop you. Even if we have to fight to the death. And for Aki, I¡¯ll win!¡±


    ¡°Well, White. Your resolve is... oddly irritating. Men are betrayers. This one isn¡¯t even faithful.¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡± I declared. ¡°Aki is utterly faithful. Just to... more than one woman. Look, there¡¯s not much time. Get Suzu and Bunta and bring them here through the room. There¡¯s a war on!¡±


    ¡°A war?¡± she asked, puzzled, and before I could answer, Asha came over, having relaxed seeing Arisu make no hostile moves.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Arisu asked, adopting a wary stance. Yes, she isn¡¯t good with refined women anymore, too many of her fellow actresses betrayed her.


    ¡°She¡¯s Asha. She manages the Trees here. Speaking of, impressive, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s even a cafe? on top, and you can get some awesome booze.¡± Shiro grinned proudly.


    Why are you so pleased? It is not your Territory.


    Wrong! What¡¯s Aki¡¯s is mine too, right? Besides, I admit, I kind of want to boast to Arisu what a cool guy I fell for. Aki, a cool guy... never thought I¡¯d ever see him that way. He was funny and kind, but never really cool before. But now... hell, he¡¯s leading the charge in a war...


    I have wondered this before, but you are quite... reckless, princess. You do not treasure your life. Things that should leave you fearful merely excite you.


    Rude! Though I guess, when you¡¯ve lived with the knowledge you could die at any time like I did, mortality just hits differently, right?


    ¡°A cafe?? Who cares about such things?¡± Arisu complained, eyeing the newcomer, only to be startled as another woman followed her, this one with long, curved horns on her head.


    ¡°Oh, hey there, Bintara.¡± I greeted the healer Aki had got for me. ¡°You not joining the battle?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Bintara scoffed. ¡°This fight is not my fight. Why would I care if the kami are slain, their temples razed? Though perhaps I shall witness it. Many shall require healing afterwards.¡±


    ¡°What battle, what war?¡± Arisu repeated, frustrated by the lack of clarity.


    ¡°Use the RPGs!¡±


    ¡°But what about...¡±


    ¡°Fuck it! If we don¡¯t we¡¯ll...¡± the leader declared, as his subordinate started to aim his weapon hesitantly.


    ¡°Too late.¡± I declared, angry at his disregard for the lives of his comrades. Bones shattered as I disarmed them roughly, not caring about breaking the limbs that held guns. As they fell, howling, Daiyu looked at me, blood soaking her robes.


    ¡°Sorry, I should have made you a set of these as well.¡± I tapped my own body armour.


    She shook her head. ¡°Such is a crutch.¡± She put a little weight on her leg, wincing, though a faint steam was starting to rise from her wounds as she began to heal, regenerating slowly but visibly to the naked eye. ¡°And without proper time to train and meditate, an armour containing Qi could interfere with my own techniques. Now, why did you spare these...¡± she began, only to freeze at the look of anger on my face. Her mouth snapped open, shocked as I lunged.


    ¡°What are...¡±


    My blade flashed, and the man behind her, no, not a man, a Jia?ngshi?, who was rearing up ready to unload the remaining bullets into the back of Daiyu¡¯s head, was split clean in two.


    ¡°Zombies!¡± I shouted, and Daiyu turned, seeing the ones she had defeated rising with broken necks.


    ¡°Hah, you stupid fools. Even in death...¡± the leader whose arm I had shattered coughed, pulling out a pistol with his good arm. ¡°... we have no escape.¡± He squeezed the trigger wildly, and I felt a series of dull impacts as the shells bounced off my skin, unable to penetrate, before he turned the last one to his own temple. ¡°But they¡¯ll suffer. War is coming! May the Party that betrayed us all know what it is to be dragged into their own quagmire!¡± he pulled the trigger, and as he fell, he spasmed, before rising once more, arms reaching out for me, ignoring the broken bones.


    ¡°It is no use. They are all dead men, cursed.¡± Daiyu declared, striking blow after blow, though it took many strikes for her to leave one broken enough to cease moving. ¡°Harden your heart! Enemies exist to be defeated!¡±


    She¡¯s right. Sorry. But... My blade danced, and soon only a dozen destroyed corpses littered the area. Grabbing one of the rifles, I slung it over my back. It might come in handy. If not, Ixitt would enjoy it as a souvenir.


    ¡°Much better.¡± Daiyu approved. ¡°An enemy you show mercy can stab you in the back, or worse, stab those you care about.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to comfort me?¡± I forced a smile. ¡°That¡¯s cute.¡±


    ¡°No, I am just... it would do me no good to have the one I swore an oath to be too cowardly and forgiving.¡± She looked away, taking a deep breath. ¡°Enough of this. Come. We must go.¡±


    ********


    ¡°The bastards are swarming everyone.¡± I said, aggrieved. There were numerous groups of zombies roaming, most of them soldiers, though other bodies were men, women and children, and putting them all down was wearing on my nerves. Soldiers were mixed in, and we had been caught in a number of smaller firefights. ¡°Just like wasps... or ants.¡± Remembering the dreams Tsukiko-san and I had, it all seemed so very familiar.


    ¡°If all this is being done by one Divine Favour, it seems unfairly powerful. Though I suppose...¡± Looking down on the half-dozen soldiers escorting a mobile missile battery, which had just launched a volley against the north, the skyline of Boundary Kyoto filled with smoke and flames, I grimaced. ¡°This blessing of Laverna seems rather cheaty too. I can see maybe moving one or two vehicles, but all of these, as well as numerous guns, ammunition and more...¡± I sighed. ¡°There has to be more to this we aren¡¯t seeing. Well, I guess I¡¯ve learned my lesson.¡±


    Flames roared, and Foehn left my hands, raining down. The soldiers screamed as they were set ablaze, and then they were blown apart as their remaining missiles and grenades cooked off and detonated. Stepping in front of Daiyu to shield her from the shower of shrapnel from the blasts, I watched as a gust of jade wind soared up from the east, and one of the remaining helicopters spun out of control, smashing into the tall, lantern-hung spire of a shrine archway before crumpling like a tin-can.


    I guess Shaeula¡¯s getting involved...


    ¡°We should go too. So you haven¡¯t seen any Cultivators yet?¡± I asked, and Daiyu shook her head.


    ¡°No, and it is quite troubling. Even as remnants fleeing persecution, we learn to fight from a young age. We would be far more a threat than this... rabble.¡± She gazed expressionlessly at the crater strewn with pieces of flesh and metal.


    ¡°I guess we just need to press on. Koryu-ji is just up ahead. From there, we can cross north and link up with the defenders there. After all, Kinkaku-ji is to the north, and there¡¯s no way Saionji-san will let that fall.¡±


    Rushing into the tree-lined grounds of the temple, we came across a number of small, child-like figures running the other way, wearing festival masks such as foxes, oni, butterflies and more. They seemed panicked, and as one stumbled and fell, the others turned and looked back, chittering and crying in fear, their Japanese old and archaic. Wait, are these... kami?


    ¡°Too slow!¡± a loud voice roared, as a man leapt out of the shrine grounds, blood and silver mist smearing his face and fists, bloody handprints daubed over his bare arms and chest. With a swift motion he reached out and grabbed the squirming little masked creature, lifting it by the scruff of the neck while it dangled, thrashing, like some kitten. ¡°Vile little pests. You filthy heathen spirits should just die. Your holiest city shall burn, and the flames of war shall... oho. What do we have here?¡± he paused, spotting me, his dark eyes going wide.


    ¡°You¡¯re a big one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said in Mandarin, angered by his display.


    ¡°Chinese?¡± he glanced at Daiyu, in her bloody traditional robes, before shrugging. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise either of you. Well, no matter, catch those shitty brats for me. We can feed them to the blades. The more carnage the better. Fucking Japanese.¡± He laughed, reaching for his belt, where a long sword made of yellowish-white metal sat... no, not metal, is that... bone?


    My Eye Flared, and even looking at the sword caused me pain, needles stabbing in my eye. A storm of question marks flooded my vision, but in the end I managed to filter out a few words.


    ????????? hungry bone ??????? of ??????????.


    A thick mist of indigo energy was rising from it, as well as something darker. Beside me, Daiyu shivered, looking scared.


    ¡°That is a blasphemy.¡± She muttered. ¡°It is thick with the stench of hunger and greed.¡±


    ¡°You sound surprised. It isn¡¯t like you don¡¯t have... huh?¡± he was surprised as the bone jerked his arm, pointing it at me, and the blade wept, some sort of transparent slime, violet sparks shimmering within. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this strange. Just what¡¯s your name? And where¡¯s your blade?¡±


    ¡°I am Zhou Daiyu, of the Incorruptible Jade...¡± she began to distract him, as the child-like spiritual beings ran behind us. Seeing us make no move to stop them, the massive bear of a man became even more suspicious.


    ¡°One of those witless Cultivators, huh? Running like cowardly dogs from their homes, despite their boasts of fifteen hundred years of history? Well, I¡¯m hardly better. Once I refused to heed the Ministry, I was done. But... I don¡¯t remember that Sect being talked about... as for you...¡± he looked at me.


    ¡°As for me?¡± I asked, slowly moving closer, so as not to startle him.


    ¡°As for you... I think you¡¯re not one of us at all!¡± he roared, tossing me the being he held. I reacted instinctively, grabbing for it, and he ran at me rapidly, the sudden motion blasting small craters in the ground underfoot.


    Shit, he¡¯s fast. Must be the one on the list focussed on speed...


    ¡°it looks like this wants you!¡± he cried. ¡°Die, knowing that Xuanwu¡¯s Disciple has ended you. It is an honour!¡±


    Split Thoughts and Body Enhancement activated, and I was able to react. I tossed the burden I was carrying gently to Daiyu, who caught the squirming masked creature, and the blade passed by my face. The stench was palpable, and I could see it drawing in aether from the world around us. It even started pulling from my network, wisps of silver and various elemental energies leaving my chakras, until I clamped my will down, resisting it.


    ¡°Dodged huh? Try this!¡± the man roared, his foot suddenly swinging at me. I parried, and I felt my bones creak, as I slid backwards, ripping furrows in the floor.


    So he¡¯s Xuanwu¡¯s Candidate huh? He was on the list, but for strength, not speed. And he is stronger than me, if only purely in numbers... his League is nothing special though. I shook my numb arms casually.


    ¡°Still standing? Looks like I found a big...¡± he darted at me, blade stabbing at me in a storm of thrusts, while his off hand tried to grapple me, and he kicked out like lightning. As I heightened my concentration, light energy surging through me, boosting my nerves and brain, it was as if time slowed a little, and I was able to keep up, then even surpass his speed. ¡°... catch!¡± he swept the blade towards me.


    ¡°If all you have is strength, you won¡¯t win.¡± I shot back, taunting him, as I drew on one of the many abilities I¡¯d worked for over the last few months, proof of my struggles.


    ¡°Oh? Well, how about...¡± he leapt, blade raised high, and I moved, only to see him flying past me, aiming for Daiyu. She was not his match, but even so, she flowed into her Jade Yang stance, ready to fight.


    ¡°Too predictable.¡± I answered, as threads of wind I had tossed out pulled him back. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re a durable one.¡± I aped my sister, as the threads had only sliced through his flesh, stopping at his steely muscles. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of that blessing. You make Grulgor look like a clown.¡±


    ¡°Let me fucking go!¡± he howled, but as he struggled he was just inflicting more damage on himself, and I noticed he didn¡¯t seem to have any sort of healing ability, as blood continued to stain the ground below him.


    ¡°Not until you answer a few questions for me.¡± I demanded. ¡°So, just why have you come to Kyoto? What¡¯s your objective? And what are those blades you talked about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want to know?¡± he grinned. ¡°Well, these blades...¡± he suddenly tensed, somehow managing to pull his arm free from the wind that held him, though it stripped flesh and muscle almost to the bone. He then sliced the blade through the remaining threads, and to my surprise the winds were severed, the green energies being drawn into the sword. ¡°...are going to devour you, sending your essence to...¡± he accelerated, blade aimed directly at my heart, only to halt for a moment, as if he slammed into a solid wall.


    ¡°What... no, I don¡¯t want to... be... food...¡± he managed, head leaving his body, my Cutting Twilight ripping through space, and the wall of solid air I had conjured, that had halted him momentarily. As the head bounced on the floor, the headless body toppling over, the yellowing blade quivered, and the message that was scrolling across my vision in amber letters changed, becoming a mess of question marks.


    You have ??????? in stre???h. Your level has ?????? to One Hundred ??????. All of your ???? ????? have incr????? by el??en. Aether ????????? ...

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Three / Side One Hundred And Sixteen – Lieutenant Nakano Banri

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Three / Side One Hundred And Sixteen ¨C Lieutenant Nakano Banri


    I had felt almost no resistance as my blade had severed the head of the crazed Chinese Candidate, Cutting Twilight discharging a burst of spatial element, slicing through the barrier of wind and his neck in a surge of violet energies. For a brief moment I felt sick as I watched his head part ways with his body, the headless corpse standing there motionless before starting to collapse, red and silver spraying from his neck. Damn. I knew this was going to happen, that there¡¯d be no way to get through this without killing. Even so, I can¡¯t say I like the feeling...


    My only compensation was the surge of aether that poured from his body, flooding me. It was thick, dense, and noticeably greater than I expected, and when my body began absorbing it, a message scrolled across my vision.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from One Hundred And Six to One Hundred And Eight. All of your Material statistics have increased by twenty-two. Aether has increased by fifty-four.


    Two levels for another life, huh? Wait, I wonder what will happen to the Divine Favour... before I could activate my Eye, and before the aether was fully absorbed, the bone blade the corpse had dropped shuddered, as though it was alive, and the aether I was pulling in started leaving my body, and the message became disarrayed, question marks overwriting a lot of the words.


    Is it... sucking back the aether? As my Eye flared amber, glowing brilliantly, Daiyu was watching on, worried, the little masked creatures hiding behind her, peering through her legs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so...¡± I had the urge to destroy the blade, but considering how greedily it was sucking in the aether around us, I didn¡¯t want to act recklessly. Besides, this is an opportunity. I owe it to the dead man, even if he was an enemy, to glean every last bit of knowledge from his death, give it meaning.


    My Eye could see the aether being pulled from me. Some had already integrated within me, and as the mess of question marks vanished again, I had instead only gained a single level, ending up at one hundred and seven. The most startling thing was the Divine Favour that the corpse held. I could see it shining, looking a little like a turtle resting under the chakra network in his left foot, but it was beginning to fade, sparks of powerful adherence drifting off it, vanishing into the upper Astral. No, it¡¯s not managing to escape...


    My Eye could see adherence now, so I was able to discern the blade pulsing, as if it was alive, and sparks of the collapsing Favour were being absorbed. A shimmering ripple of violet energies coursed down the blade, and for a moment my Eye could see an overlay of dozens of these bones, and something fleshy and disgusting, a blob with many mouths, tongues licking greedily at drained energies, before the image was gone.


    ¡°Shit.¡± I didn¡¯t like the implications of this, so I called on Foehn, and flames coursed out, washing over the blade. It fought, the flame energy of the Foehn being leeched away, dimming it, but I fed in more flame energy to the greedy fires, as well as pouring in a verdant wind, boosting it further. The bone sword quivered and screamed, blackening and charring, oozing a pestilent clear slime, which too sizzled and boiled, before the bone suddenly turned to ash, vanishing in a scatter of purple mist.


    That was surprisingly difficult to destroy... As I did so, the suction stopped, and I was able to reabsorb the remaining aether, pushing me back to level One Hundred And Eight, though I was probably just barely at that level, rather than progressing well into it like I was before the bone blade had interfered.


    ¡°Are you well?¡± Daiyu asked with some concern, having seen me unleash flames against the fallen sword and burn it to ashes.


    ¡°Yeah, just... well, whatever that weapon was, it was alive.¡± No aether came out of it when I destroyed it, but there were what appeared to be remnants of spatial element... I wonder if it was transported away somewhere...


    Behind us, a brilliant flare of red, green and gold exploded in the sky, and I smiled. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the fireworks to say Shiro¡¯s arrived. I really want to link up with her, but...¡± I looked down at the corpse, Eye probing the decaying Favour. It was rapidly vanishing, showing no indication of allowing me to take it, such as when I shattered Kondou Kazuo¡¯s Anchor. ¡°Whether that¡¯s because it was damaged by the blade, or...¡± I muttered, making a decision. I don¡¯t regret experimenting on him, but I wish I¡¯d tried to remove his Favour via Chirurgery first. It should be possible, but... shit, there¡¯s not much time.


    Gunfire, shouts and screams, explosions... all could be heard in the distance. Every minute of delay was potentially a disaster, but allowing this chance to pass me by was equally foolish. ¡°Daiyu, keep watch. I want to try something...¡±


    She nodded, and I accelerated my mind to its maximum, Split Thoughts enabling me to wield numerous blades of aether to try and carve apart the network around the Divine Favour, lifting it free. I quickly discovered a problem. The network was rotten and tore easily, being as the holder was dead, and that caused further damage to the dissolving Favour, adherence leaking. ¡°Yeah, this isn¡¯t going to be enough. I don¡¯t have a lot, but...¡± using my own stocks of adherence, my skills far inferior to my grasp on aether, I started severing the connections that held it, though my clumsy skills wreaked further damage.


    Wait a minute... I¡¯m doing it wrong, I think. If my skills with aether are better, why not use the adherence to fortify the aether? As soon as I had that thought, I acted on it, merging aether and adherence, and soon I had managed to lift free the Favour, the shining turtle, now faded in places and leaking a mist only visible to my Eye, sitting on my palm.


    Severely Damaged Xuanwu¡¯s Turtle Blessing Of Might: Class: [???????] Type: [????????]. This Divine Favour was made of concentrated adherence, refined ether and ??????????, though due to several sources of severe damage, it is barely functional, and strives to return to Xuanwu. The ability to wield strength far in excess of one¡¯s limits can no longer be used. As did all foes of Xuanwu perish under the mighty blows of sword and fist, so shall the wielder find the strength to crush all they find unrighteous.


    Returning to Xuanwu? Does that mean that the Favours of the dead that aren¡¯t taken via Conqueror go back to the God that granted them? That seems... wildly problematic. My gaze strayed to the silvery skies, lightning flashing and dark aurorae shimmering over Boundary Kyoto. I¡¯d hope that doesn¡¯t cause additional strain to the Boundary, but... ¡°Well, looks like this was a failure, anyway...¡±


    I clenched my fist, exerting all my energy, and the Divine Favour shattered. I felt strength enter me, and though I didn¡¯t level again, I did feel stronger. The adherence from the destroyed turtle topped up my supplies, and in addition I had a couple more messages. Significantly less potent than Kondou¡¯s Favour, but considering how much more of it was damaged and absorbed by that damn bone sword... I¡¯ll take it.


    Your Might has increased by fifty. Your Fortitude has increased by twenty.


    Your Skill, Might of the Furious Earth, has increased from Rank 1 to Rank 2. As long as you possess earth elemental energy, you can further fortify either Might or Fortitude significantly, based on a percentage of your base statistics, as well as the amount of earth elemental energy you currently contain. Your affinity for earth element has slightly increased, and your ability to recover earth elemental energies and their composites has also increased slightly.


    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t a complete waste of effort.¡± I muttered, feeling a noticeable increase in my strength provided by the skill. Turning to Daiyu, I gestured to the north. ¡°It¡¯s time to go. But first...¡± I looked at the little masked beings. ¡°It isn¡¯t safe here, you should seek shelter where the firework bloomed earlier. In the worst case scenario, you can flee to my Territory through the Gate. Though if you have the power to fight, I¡¯d be happy if you joined the defences.¡±


    They shook their heads, and while they were speaking in extremely archaic Japanese, the intent came through.


    ¡°No, we shall not abandon the sacred shrine.¡± They insisted, in a variety of ways that all meant the same thing. A refusal, huh?


    ¡°Look. Shrines and temples can be rebuilt. If you die, it¡¯s over. Surely you see that? And I won¡¯t be here to bail you out again. We have to press on.¡±


    Daiyu nodded, reaching down to touch the little head of one of the childlike figures. ¡°Indeed, he speaks the truth.¡± She could understand them as well, perhaps due to their divine nature. ¡°When this battle is over, rebuilding will surely come.¡± She paused. ¡°Just like the Incorruptible jade. I long to throw myself into the jaws of death, defeating my enemies, not caring whether I perish or not. But alas, such is not merely folly, but a betrayal of the hopes and dreams of not only myself, but of those who perished before me.¡± She looked at me then, understanding. ¡°While I live, their dreams live on, no?¡±


    Banri sighed. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll keep quiet. Shit, who¡¯d be a soldier? I know that there was always the possibility of conflict, of having to fight and kill other people, but...¡± he let out a bitter sigh, sighting on one of the few remaining walking corpses, before squeezing off another well-aimed three rounds. ¡°... I never thought I¡¯d be fighting on home soil. Even though we are the Self-Defence Force...¡±


    As the remaining zombies fell, Banri breathed a sigh of relief, until a gunshot cracked, and blood splattered, the Major staggering. Turning around, Banri noticed that a fog was rising, starting to obscure everything, the lights on their vehicles and even his night-vision goggles suddenly useless. ¡°What now? Major, you okay?¡±


    ¡°Shit, I got careless. My shoulder is wrecked. Lucky my instincts made me move my head.¡± Major Sasaki called back, though his voice was shrinking, as if the fog was absorbing it. ¡°Guess we... might ... targets... as...¡±


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Banri ignited his flames, the light it cast pale and wan, the fog almost seeming to be stealing it away. ¡°This is bad, really bad!¡± Readying himself, he charged into the fog, from the direction he thought he heard the shot coming from...


    ********


    Continuing north, we were heading towards the old Tsukuyomi-aligned shrines and temples. Ahead and beyond that was Saionji-san¡¯s Territory at Kinkaku-ji, where we were going to link up with him, as judging by the sounds of explosions and the flashes of baleful lightning in the distance, it was a major focus of the fighting.


    First though was the impressive edifice that was Myoshin-ji, the temple grounds here in the Boundary a resplendent series of gold, ruby and silver buildings, towering torii gates of scarlet and black everywhere, twenty metre-high cherry trees casting a storm of blossoms into the air, a wonderful sight in happier times.


    Now though, such things were a mere distraction, as when we approached we immediately came under fire from a group of PLA troops armed with rifles, and several had set up machine guns. A storm of bullets was raining down, as well as some grenades, so I drew on my recently fortified earth energies, and a wall of mud and stone rippled into existence, stopping the onslaught.


    ¡°My thanks. Qi cannot stop steel. Not yet.¡± She muttered, looking at me inquisitively. ¡°Though when you were shot earlier, I noticed that you barely reacted. Is that part of the Spiritually Pure Physique?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s simply a matter of numbers.¡± Vaulting up onto the mud wall I hurled blasts of wind outwards, breaking bones. A hidden sniper fired, and I staggered, blood blooming, but the heavy round had deformed and bounced off, gouging flesh but not breaking my bones. There. ¡°This ability to move items to the Boundary and have them work is such a damn cheat.¡± I muttered. ¡°Ixitt would kill for it, I¡¯m sure.¡± I quickly spotted the sniper, who was perched in a tree, and hardening my heart, I swept him with blades of wind, the body sliced apart, branches and blossoms falling severed. Clapping my hands together to pray for forgiveness for defiling shrine grounds, I turned my attention back to the soldiers I had attempted to incapacitate, but they were shambling to their feet, eyes and skin pale.


    ¡°When will you learn?¡± Daiyu criticised me mildly, reaching out to touch my shoulder. ¡°Huh, this does not look so bad.¡± She sniffed, relieved. ¡°Every group we have engaged has risen from their deaths. Why would this be any different?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I sighed. ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t want to casually massacre them if I can help it. Though that seems a forlorn hope about now.¡± Flames flared, and the zombies burned, the quickest way I had found to deal with them. As they perished, only a few dull moans heard over the sizzling of the yellow flames, I noticed that the temperature was dropping, an icy mist forming up.


    ¡°Careful. This could well be one of the ones on our list.¡± I warned, and moments later a hail of icicles started raining down from the silvery skies, each a cold blueish-white and hard as steel, the trees around us collapsing, the lances of frost piercing deep into the ground. More and more were falling down, and I grabbed the protesting Daiyu under my arm, making a break for it.


    As she squawked indignantly I apologised. ¡°Sorry Daiyu¡¯er, but if those hit us, we¡¯re in for a lot of pain.¡± The ground suddenly froze, flowers and trees instantly frosty, and I stumbled, before regaining my balance and racing clear, only to run into a group of figures wearing similar robes to Daiyu, accompanied by a woman carrying a strange mirror as if it was a shield, her expression cold. There¡¯s one of those blades hanging at her side. Some of those robed people have them too.


    Daiyu squirmed out of my grip, landing on her feet. Brushing herself down, her skin mottled with frost, she looked at the oncoming troops, her expression tense. ¡°Unconquered Heights and Brilliant Dawn Shield.¡± She declared, softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°What madness is this? Why are you here?¡±


    The woman with the shield snorted, and looking at the strange reflection in the polished, glassy surface, I had a bad feeling. If she¡¯s the power of reflections on the list, that¡¯s probably the most troublesome power of all... ¡°You want to speak?¡± she asked the Cultivators she was accompanying. ¡°If so, make it quick. These two... the blade hungers.¡± She caressed the hilt of her bone sword with her free hand, her expression both tender and revolted.


    ¡°I will speak. I recognise you, Black Jade the Ever Beautiful.¡± One older man said, his age perhaps in his forties, his robes an earthy brown, with gold highlights on his sleeves and shoulders. He gazed at her with his cold brown eyes, his face covered in fading scars, and her lip curled in disdain, possibly at the nickname she had told me she hated.


    ¡°Why are we here? Because of your failures! How could you let yourself be caught out by the Sects who betrayed us! Thanks to you, the Party has gone mad, rooting out any and all who refuse to bow to them. No, not merely bow.¡± He spat, incensed. ¡°Unless we kiss their feet, give away all our treasured secrets, labour as slaves, we are cast out, exiled. And then... worse...¡±


    He paused, his gaze flickering up for a moment before he opened his mouth, and I saw a brief flash of glee. Immediately, I grabbed Daiyu and leapt, as more icicles hammered down where we were standing, these exploding into glittering, diamond dust shrapnel. Landing a few dozen metres away, I spun, Daiyu still in my arms, to see the figure of a man coming, bone blade in hand, his white beard and moustache not the sign of age, but an affectation, as he was quite youthful.


    ¡°You dodged that huh? Such a pain.¡± The young man, his hair dyed a pale white, grinned. His body was covered in blue ice, like armour, and I once more wondered why all of the Candidates here seemed to be so strong. It doesn¡¯t make sense. And these are the losers of a struggle as well...


    ¡°Careful, they seem powerful.¡± The mirror-carrying woman said, her expression bored. ¡°The blade is craving them.¡± She looked down at the slimy stain spreading on her clothes, tutting. ¡°But more importantly... here we have one of the main reasons we ended up trapped in this misery.¡± She fixed her sight on Daiyu. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have disturbed the hunger of that thing. It was sleeping off a feast, the dogs of the Ministry, and your antics, you foolish Cultivators...¡± she snorted contemptuously. ¡°You woke it up!¡±


    Daiyu looked at her, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. ¡°Woke what? All I did was discover that the target we were after, for the good of us all, was already dead, along with its guards, their spirits drained dry of Qi...¡± she trailed off, her expression suddenly horrified, and I winced. I see. Yeah, I¡¯m starting to get the picture now...


    As the cold mist rose around us, Cultivators fanning out to cut off any escape, clearly unwilling to entertain more dialogue, I put down Daiyu. ¡°Damn, I wish Shaeula or Hyacinth was here now, even Shiro. Well, I suppose I should be glad that the mirror-wielder ran into us. Yasaka-san freaked out when he heard just what she could do...¡±


    ¡°Heard of me? I won¡¯t ask how. I don¡¯t care.¡± She grinned, though her eyes were still sullen and bored. ¡°Well, by this shard of the Mirror of Retribution, face your sins!¡± With that, she angled her shield, until Daiyu and I were reflected in it, and the strange, repulsive reflections we cast were as disturbing as they were ugly...


    Behind us, the temperature was dropping further, and with that I drew Cutting Twilight once more. ¡°Daiyu¡¯er, we have to fight. Whatever they say, whatever you did... right now, we have to fight!¡±


    With that she nodded, and together, we faced off against two other Candidates, the scattered Sect remnants with them taking up fighting stances and retrieving what treasured talismans and weapons they had escaped with, ready to crush us...

 Side One Hundred And Seventeen – Mori Eri / Luo Jiahao, Master of the Mountain Fang Sect

    Side One Hundred And Seventeen ¨C Mori Eri / Luo Jiahao, Master of the Mountain Fang Sect


    ¡°Well, this is a little awkward, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hayato-san said, his expression wry. I found it strange thinking of Akio¡¯s friends by their first names, especially since they were older, but they said they didn¡¯t mind, and were so relaxed with Akio and therefore us, they only introduced themselves by their first names so I had no choice. I wonder if that¡¯s because of Shiro? She seems to have a very... quirky... way of speaking, never using normal honorifics or polite speech. Maybe it has rubbed off on them?


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Yasu-san agreed. He was quite drunk, but he was still drinking more. Sneaking a glance at Aiko, I could see she was as well. I don¡¯t really enjoy alcohol that much. But as an adult I guess I¡¯ll need to get used to it. ¡°Fancy Akio-kun and Shiro dashing off like that. Battle, war... it¡¯s crazy.¡± He finished, taking another gulp of wine.


    ¡°Hey, you might want to be careful about what you say.¡± Aiko spoke up, her expression irritated. I knew she was upset about not getting to go with Akio, but also relieved. I understood that well. ¡°Takagi-chan here is looking shaken. You¡¯re her cousin, right? Step up! My bro wouldn¡¯t let a girl he knows tremble in fear like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m fine.¡± Takagi-san said stoutly, trying to control her fears. The other shy girl, Kikuchi-san, was holding her hand, trying to reassure her, and I remembered the times in the past when Aiko had done that for me. But those days are long gone. I clenched the arm I was able to control, hating that my body wouldn¡¯t respond to my will.


    ¡°It¡¯s just... I never was involved in the mess at Kyoto, I was watching Red and White...¡±


    ¡°Red and White, huh? The idols? Cool...¡± Shugo-san managed quietly.


    ¡°... but when people I knew died, so horribly, when that girl was blinded, when poor Keomi-chan was hurt...¡±


    The young-looking Keomi-san shuddered at that, before plastering a bright, idiotic smile on her face, but I knew enough about fake smiles to know how false it was. The scars from Kyoto were still fresh, and now Akio, Shaeula and the others were confronting that open wound again... gritting my teeth, I listened.


    ¡°... well, it just brings it back to me.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up, Hisano-chan.¡± Yasu-san finally stepped up. ¡°Whatever happens... you¡¯re safe here, right? Everything will be all right. Listen to me, your cousin!¡± he drunkenly punched his own chest, proudly. ¡°If Akio-kun tries to get you wrapped up in any danger again, I¡¯ll slug him good!¡±


    ¡°Like you could.¡± She shot back, but her smile was warmer. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, cousin. Oshiro-san could break you into pieces with just one hand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my bro is badass. Shaeula too!¡± Aiko insisted, and Hinata was nodding her agreement, Motoko and Natsumi as well. ¡°They¡¯ve fought and beaten many powerful foes. They faced down the Night Parade for Eri, the damn Night Parade!¡± she sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about how strong Shiro is, but with my bro and Shaeula, Hyacinth too, she¡¯ll be fine. I don¡¯t worry about that... what I worry about is... shit.¡± She cursed in an unladylike manner. ¡°Why do these bastards have to come and mess things up? My bro¡¯s got a tender heart. If he has to fight and kill other people, he¡¯ll take it really hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± Hina-san, the quiet-looking girl who was apparently Hayato-san¡¯s fiance?e, said softly. She was a quiet one, a little like I used to be, but I could tell she watched and observed carefully before speaking her mind. ¡°So, why did you want to go as well?¡± she asked Aiko and me, her eyes serious behind her cute glasses. ¡°After all, if you know how hard it is to take a life, why would you want to put yourself in a position where that is a necessity? This isn¡¯t a game, is it? Isn¡¯t Eri-san here already grievously hurt from last time?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Aiko spat, annoyed. Careful, Aiko. These are Akio¡¯s precious friends. We can¡¯t be too rude with them. Not that I didn¡¯t understand her annoyance. Being questioned over something so stupid was definitely annoying.


    ¡°Why do you think I wanted to be strong? Just because it¡¯s cool? Do you think I¡¯m so shallow?¡± Aiko continued, all eyes on her. ¡°No, my bro has always protected me, looked out for me. Eri too. Now he¡¯s looking out for you girls, isn¡¯t he?¡± she addressed Akio¡¯s other fiance?es, who agreed. ¡°But who will look out for my bro? I hate being powerless.¡± She sighed. ¡°Back in Nishimorioka, Eri and I, we just took from my bro. I mean, we tried to give back, but you know what a pain my bro can be...¡± she sighed, exasperated.


    ¡°He can be that, all right.¡± Yasu-san muttered.


    ¡°Well, then Shaeula came into our lives, and told us the truth bro was trying to hide, to protect us again. He was trying to carry it all alone, just like always!¡± she clenched her fists, face pale. ¡°The idiot was doing it all again! Fortunately there was Shaeula to help carry it with him. I¡¯m glad she¡¯s there. And now there¡¯s Hyacinth too, and others as well. But bro never learns does he, Eri?¡±


    ¡°Well, he does. But maybe you mean he¡¯ll never change his core, no matter how many girls he loves, how much wealth and power he has, or even if he has to fight demons and gods.¡± I chuckled rustily, my heart aching a little. I¡¯m scared. I got torn apart, I almost died. I don¡¯t want to fight again. But I¡¯m more scared of sitting here, waiting for Akio to return. I do trust him, and believe in him, but... if he dies where I can¡¯t see him... why am I even still alive?


    ¡°That¡¯s my point! And once more, he¡¯s carrying the burden again!¡± she snapped. ¡°I get it. Matsumuro-san is basically the sort of woman my bro goes all googly-eyed over. Really, I almost wish he¡¯d go for a normal girl without any troubles for once...¡± she paused. ¡°... well, maybe it¡¯s best he doesn¡¯t. If he starts hitting on normal girls, he¡¯ll have a hundred in his harem before the year is out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t object to others joining us.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°It¡¯s inevitable. But they have to be the right sort of woman, with things to offer. Just being pretty and nice isn¡¯t good enough. After all, we¡¯re disgustingly cute, right?¡±


    The mood lightened a little by that well-timed quip, I nodded, and Aiko continued.


    ¡°I get it. I hate it, but I¡¯m not stupid. Hey, no laughing you pair!¡± she scowled at Rika-san and Yae-san, who reacted to that. ¡°My bro... there¡¯s no one better for this. But even so... Eri and I, we want to help. Death is frightening, I want to live a long happy life, I don¡¯t want to die. But not being there when my bro is in danger, despite all the times I¡¯ve promised myself I¡¯d do better, I¡¯d be there for him next time... that¡¯s worse.¡± She finished with a bitter pout, and Hina-san smiled gently.


    ¡°I see. You are definitely Akio-san¡¯s sister.¡± She agreed. ¡°As much as he¡¯s very fond of you, you¡¯re equally in love with him, right Aiko-san?¡±


    ¡°Love? Well... of course I love my bro. But I do get tired of the jokes. Shaeula¡¯s really annoying in that regard.¡± Aiko pouted. ¡°But of course we love our family. That¡¯s family, right? Don¡¯t you like Takagi-san, Yasu-san?¡±


    ¡°Of course I like Hisano-chan. Though she could definitely do with being nicer and cuter...¡± he began, only for Aiko to throw an empty glass at him, causing him to squawk in panic.


    ¡°Damn, you make my bro look good with women. Never say things like that, even if it¡¯s true. Girls hate that shit.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Aimi-san said, speaking up. She had been withdrawn since Shiro left, and I wondered what was on her mind. ¡°The best way to say that would have been of course I like my cute cousin, but I wish we were closer...¡± she finished.


    ¡°True. Well, Eri and I, we know we need to be stronger. Strength is everything now. And I thank my bro for giving me the chance. But... well, damn it all. Next time I¡¯ll be there, and I¡¯ll be strong enough so nobody can stop me! Right Eri?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. Bintara has given me exercises to do, strengthening my control over my Astral body. I¡¯ll fix myself soon enough. And then...¡±


    ¡°You two are pretty brave, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hina-san said, surprised.


    ¡°Hardly. It¡¯s fear of losing what we care about. That¡¯s more real to us than anything.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised and pleased you talked to us about this.¡± Hayato-san shot us a welcoming grin, and I idly imagined that yes, he would be very popular with girls. Not that I cared. ¡°After all, it must be hard sharing such feelings and personal secrets with older people you don¡¯t know that well, especially guys.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the friends of my bro we¡¯ve never met.¡± Aiko shrugged. ¡°If bro cherishes you, well, we need to get on as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Hinata spoke up. ¡°After all, if you are going to come on board, we¡¯ll be working together, for a long time.¡± Her smile turned impish. ¡°Although first... Chirurgery. Though that will have to wait.¡±


    ¡°Chirurgery, that hurts, right?¡± Yasu-san said, nervous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a big baby, Yasu-san.¡± Takagi-san said, having cheered up a little from our talk. ¡°I managed, so a big strong man like you shouldn¡¯t even scream!¡±


    As they bantered, Hina-san finished her point. ¡°So I finally understand. I guess all that talk from Akio-san about his sister and childhood friend was true. You are very close. I think that¡¯s nice. So... just be careful. I don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s going on here, but... you might fear him dying, but he fears the same for you, I promise you. And having seen Eri-san here be injured, it¡¯s no wonder he¡¯s reluctant. So yes, work hard.¡±


    ¡°That was enlightening.¡± Hayato-san said mildly. ¡°I¡¯m happy you trusted us enough to bare your feelings to us.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re my bro¡¯s best friends. Why not?¡± Aiko laughed.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll take some advice from an older man...¡± he continued. ¡°... and bear in mind, while I¡¯m not an expert, I too have a gorgeous fiance?e.¡± Hina-san blushed again at that. ¡°... I think that people don¡¯t change easily. It sounds like even with all these new powers, Akio-kun is still the same man he was before. I know they say power corrupts, but... well, I think if you let Akio-kun love you, it¡¯ll all work out. After all...¡± his smile turned wry. ¡°He has a lot of love to give, it seems. He even roped in Shiro. And nobody seems too unhappy. I¡¯m shocked, but... results matter, in the adult world. As long as you are prepared to take responsibility for your choices, nobody can tell you you¡¯re not entitled to choose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, never thought I¡¯d see the day he melted our ice queen.¡± Yasu-san agreed.


    ¡°This calls for a toast!¡± Shugo-san declared. ¡°To Akio-kun, cheat harem bastard extraordinaire!¡±


    As Yasu-san agreed, Takagi-san started telling him he¡¯d had enough, but Hinata interrupted.


    ¡±It¡¯s fine. Akio can use Ether Healing on his return, and this evening was supposed to explain everything and help us get to know each other. We might as well... huh?¡±


    Aimi-san was looking down, frightened. She had her phone out, and a livestream was playing. I suddenly get a bad feeling about this...


    ¡°Just what is this?¡± Aimi-san was saying, and as we all crowded round, Shugo-san and Hina-san also pulling out their phones to search, we could see the images of a pitch-black city, lit only by flames rising from a number of buildings, and the sounds of gunfire and desperate explosions could be heard. ¡°This is Kyoto? Akio-kun, Shiro, they went here?¡±


    ¡°This is available for anyone to see? Not good...¡± Hinata frowned.


    ¡°Yes, grandfather and father should be working to keep everything covered up.¡± Motoko agreed, pensive. ¡°Besides, I believe Akio expected the battle to be largely within the Boundary?¡±


    Even as we watched, a bright flash flared, a surge of yellow flame appearing from nowhere, only for a dark fog to roll in, obscuring the image. Someone was commentating, their voice shrill, but I didn¡¯t hear it, merely clenching my fist once more. Come on, Akio. Be safe. Shaeula, Hyacinth, Shiro... you as well, Suzuki-san...


    ********


    The blob of slime squealed, a mental blaring that sent knives of pain through Luo Jiahao¡¯s mind, disrupting his Qi unpleasantly, forcing him to centre himself, quelling the churning waves of energy. As he did so the blob squirmed and struggled, tongues that hung from the many mouth-like orifices twitching angrily, a faint haze of purple energies rising from them. It howled once more, and then was still, as if sulking.


    ¡°It almost seems... upset? Frustrated?¡± his companion observed, the girl Ling¡¯er beside him. He had kept her close, for hers was a truly integral role, and one he was not eager to push on her. Perhaps she reminds me of my own daughter, slain in cold blood, so cruelly, unable to resist. No, if that was the case, then my need for vengeance should overrule such petty feelings. I am the master of the Mountain Fang, the Patriarch, I have no time for weak sentiments. Even so... hardening his heart, he looked at Ling¡¯er, the young woman also shaken by the wave of corrupted Qi that had been scattered by the complaining blob.


    ¡°Whatever is wrong with it, it didn¡¯t have to hurt us.¡± she pouted, rubbing at her temples. As a Chosen of the Heavens, she was certainly strong, but had no grounding in the skills Cultivators had learned and perfected over the years, so the petulant discharges had struck her hard. ¡°But then, I suppose...¡± she sighed, and her next words showed she had a good head on her shoulders, for a young girl, a mortal, not one on the path of Cultivation. ¡°... considering what a monster it is, it doesn¡¯t care if we get hurt, so long as it gets to eat in the end.¡± Her dark eyes wavered, and Luo Jiahao could see fear in them. He was not ashamed to admit, he felt the same fear too. No, there is no time for that. This is the time for revenge. Though... where is Wen Qiang? He should be here now...


    ¡°Perhaps he got distracted.¡± Jiahao muttered. ¡°After all, he does seem to hate the Japanese as much, if not more so, than the traitors who betrayed us. He is probably indulging in his anger.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Ling¡¯er pressed. ¡°I know you are doing this for revenge, but... do you think it¡¯ll satisfy your family? Would they want you to go this far?¡±


    ¡°My family? They were Cultivators, proud members of Mountain Fang. Yes, they would wish me to destroy their betrayers, show them the end we faced. And if not... they would be satisfied if I can ruin their plans. No matter how many innocents suffer. Do not mistake me, Ling¡¯er...¡± his time softened, as he had no wish to scare the girl, especially with what she needed to do next. ¡°... the days of Kunlun, where Cultivators could snatch a pretty girl off the streets and have their way with her, merely for sport, or a boy with backing could beat or even kill a commoner he claimed offended him, without anyone batting an eye, those days are gone. Likely never to return, until Kunlun does, if ever.¡± If they do return, I think they will find the world a rather changed place.


    ¡°As for now... well, the Five Great Sects, they are more powerful and arrogant... well, four Great Sects now.¡± He grieved for the Incorruptible Jade, a long-time friend to the Mountain Fang. Alas, when our forces failed to escape without notice, our end was written. But who would have thought that we would have drawn the attention of this creature in our futile struggles. Oh, would that we had left well enough alone, allowed the Ministry to chart their ruinous course. It would have been them who toil under the yoke of... he looked down at the mass of jelly in his arms. ... this vile creature of realms far beyond our own.


    ¡°... yes, they could be arrogant, and have little time for those who do not Cultivate. But such excesses are not hatred. Even we treat our servants as lesser beings. But actively harming them for sport... no.¡± He left unsaid that if harming them could aid one¡¯s Cultivation, many wouldn¡¯t think twice about it. ¡°... but for revenge... well, I have no disdain for the people of this foreign land, but all we can do is embroil our enemies in a war that might bring them down, will certainly cause them sorrow. Besides... it might buy us a little time before our own deaths. No, not just death. Oblivion.¡± He sighed. ¡°I would see my family again in the next life, but if we are devoured...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± She sighed. ¡°But I never wanted to fight. It¡¯s why I¡¯m called a rebel. Really... why must we use our powers to kill and hurt others? There has to be a better way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there was, until we were ensnared.¡± He agreed softly. His bone blade was tugging at him, urging him towards the food that the creature had marked out. ¡°And that is our sin. I am sorry, Ling¡¯er. But the die is cast. Think of yourself, not others. If it was merely death... but our hope of the next life hangs on delay. And to that end, we need to feed it other prey. That I can serve my needs for revenge at the same time is surely Karma, Fate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I believe in reincarnation, or the afterlife. Heaven seems such an unscientific concept. But...¡± she sighed. ¡°Looking around, how can I doubt any longer? Especially when I am supposedly blessed by a God. But, why has everyone split up? We should have stayed together. It would have made it easier...¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± He agreed. ¡°But everyone has their own need to prove themselves. After all, who knows when the beast will grow ravenous, and devour more of us?¡± Luo Jiahao frowned. ¡°Best prove more useful than others, so that those others become food first. Besides, we have the element of surprise. With all our powers combined, and greatly strengthened...¡± His thoughts turned to his old friend from Diamond Mountain, a traditionally close Sect to his own, said to be an offshoot created by a brother of Mountain Fang¡¯s Patriarch many long years ago. ¡°The Yin-Yang Karmic Desolation Measure Formation shows the corruption spreading, the walls between Spiritual and Earthly breaking down. Time... is not on our side. Everyone is hurrying, praying to the Heavens and Fate for solutions. We are no different. Now, Ling¡¯er, are you ready?¡±


    Tears in her eyes, she nodded. ¡°I can do it. The great flow of power that circulates to us through that thing...¡± she eyed the quiescent blob, a faint violet mist rising, before seeing the same mist leaking from the bone blade she carried, and indeed, her own lower body. ¡°... it allows me to do things I never could before. But it¡¯s so... abhorrent.¡± She shuddered, and did start crying. ¡°Nothing is a gift, nothing is free, is it? I can feel the energy it gives us eating away at me. I find it hard to sleep, the niggling pain burns at me. It will claim everything back it gave us, and more. We¡¯re going to die, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Yes, we are, Ling¡¯er. But if fate approves we can find a death free from the beast. And secure vengeance for our dead. In time, our enemies will fall under its growing hunger, become food for its recovery. But right now, I need you stronger. The final step of our plan to embroil the traitorous Party and the Sects into a war, depends on it. ¡°Nothing is set in stone. Even Fate can be changed, the Heavens challenged. That is what it is to be a Cultivator. We seize our own path with our own power. What we need most is time. Without that, no opportunity presents itself to us. We should be grateful it found those here it wished to eat more than us, though I will not lie...¡± he said, unable to completely mask the truth. ¡°... when our use is no more, it will devour us. It has no mercy, no clemency, only greed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I never wanted any of this. If there is reincarnation or an afterlife, I¡¯ll be going to a Hell when I do this!¡± she cried, broken-hearted.


    ¡°I think the Heavens will judge you had no choice.¡± He soothed her. ¡°Now... it is time. Use your gift, usher the flittering butterflies into the world of dreams, let them awake as men and women, seeing the true world for the first time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult. My gift from Zho?u Go?ng, it was to help others see this new world, or help the stranded traveller in dreams return to the safety of their home. Using it this way... it¡¯s too difficult and cruel. They¡¯ll... how many will die?¡±


    ¡°Less than the lives you might save, if somehow we can find a way free of this cursed creature.¡± He looked down at the blob with hatred, the tongues lolling out, drooling acidic slime, making a series of chittering noises that could have been mocking laughter. Does it know we plot against it? Well, how could it not? It barely even tries to hide our ultimate fate...


    ¡°You have the strength, and I trust in your skill. Do it, Ling¡¯er. We will shoulder the crime with you. Now draw deep and let the dreams begin, or end. Butterfly, man, can we ever know?¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The intensity of the indigo glow around her increased, and she shuddered, blood trickling from her ears, nose, mouth and eye-sockets, as well as elsewhere, her clothes stained red, black and silver. ¡°Zho?u Go?ng, find those who know not the embrace of sleep!¡± she cried, and the surge of Qi... no, not Qi, a less refined, yet somehow also purer, form of spiritual energy... spread from her, vanishing into a realm beyond their sight.


    ¡°I feel them... it¡¯s too hard. There are tens of thousands here, but... unwilling, distant, I can¡¯t grasp them.¡±


    ¡°Just do what you can.¡± Luo Jiahao soothed her once more. ¡°Fix on the closest. How many can you touch?¡±


    ¡°A few hundred, no, more.¡± Her eyes were thick with blood, black and red dripping down, silver mist rising, giving her a terrible, ghoulish cast. ¡°I have them. All I can. If I don¡¯t do it now, I shall break. The energy within me, it eats at me. I¡¯ll be hollowed out, a husk!¡±


    ¡°Then do it. Pull them into our dream!¡± he demanded, and with a scream, Ling¡¯er vomited blood down her front. The flow of her strange Qi that the Chosen of the Heavens shared surged, before dying off, glimmering stars of light shining around them, forming into dozens, hundreds, more... very confused people, men, women, children, the elderly. As they looked around, yammering in surprise in a language he didn¡¯t understand, likely Japanese, his lips curled in bitter amusement as some of them simply lay down where they stood, eyes sliding shut, perhaps thinking they were still dreaming. Others were looking excited, glancing about with wonder.


    ¡°You did well, Ling¡¯er.¡± He patted the staggering woman on her back gently. ¡°Now rest. Your role is over for the moment. Now it is our turn.¡± He looked at the remaining few members of Mountain Fang, who had been waiting quietly and respectfully while the two of them had talked. ¡°Now it is our turn.¡± He hardened his heart. ¡°We cannot afford to be merciful. Although...¡± he paused, before giving one last order. ¡°Do not use the blades of bone. Let these innocents find their way to the afterlife. The beast has claimed other food, he can pass on these morsels...¡±


    Gripping his own bone blade, feeling it squirm hungrily, he watched as his Sect rushed towards the helpless civilians, and then, as they adopted combat stances, preparing their Arts, the screaming began, and Luo Jiahao squeezed shut his eyes. No. This is my vengeance. I shall not be a coward and close my eyes to it. My family, see how far I will go to secure vengeance for you. I hope, wherever you are, you know I am still thinking of you. Drawing on his Qi, his eyes opened, and with that he charged, fist swinging down on a stunned elderly man, and blood splattered...

 Side One Hundred And Eighteen – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side One Hundred And Eighteen ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    ¡°That getup is crazy, boss.¡± Suzu was saying, and Shiro had to bite her lip not to respond. ¡°I mean, your usual hooded white mask and robe is a real shame, if you¡¯ve got it, flaunt it, right? Idols don¡¯t get to be famous for wearing clothes that cover up their looks. But this...¡± she snickered, and Shiro felt a surge of annoyance.


    Hey, Aki made me this. Besides, I¡¯m not one who wears items for the looks in games, I want the stats, the numbers, the power. Flicking the black, feathery armoured robe with one finger, she smiled coldly as it vibrated softly, giving off a gentle hum like a tuning fork. She lacked the wind energy to make it vibrate properly, unlike Shaeula, so Aki had also given her several small bluesteel batteries loaded with wind, for emergencies. ¡°Well, I think this is more suitable than a goth-loli dress.¡± She sniffed at last, as they prepared to enter the Ring Gate to Kyoto, Bunta following like a shy little animal, Arisu striding imperiously through like a queen, her head held high, eyes cold.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like you are going to need to impress anyone there with your looks, Suzu. Least of all Aki. He¡¯s mine, remember. I¡¯m bringing you here to fight, understand?¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Suzu giggled, producing another lollipop and sucking on it happily, twirling around the purple and black parasol that matched her dress. ¡°Seriously, boss, I always knew you were scary, but to think you were this cute too. I¡¯m an idol, if I had a scandal like stealing another woman¡¯s man, well, that¡¯d be career suicide, right?¡± she cocked her head adorably, blonde drill-tails bouncing, and Shiro idly wondered whether changing her own hairstyle might be worthwhile. ¡°Besides...¡± Suzu continued, scattering her idle thoughts. ¡°... big sis Arisu wouldn¡¯t like that at all.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this. We have work to do. Work I am unconvinced we need risk.¡± Arisu declared, and Bunta quailed at her frosty tone.


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s beneficial in lots of ways.¡± Shiro promised. ¡°Right, through we go.¡± I¡¯ll feel better having Arisu in Haru¡¯s Territory. If that suffers damage it¡¯d be a blow, sure, but Aki could live with it and help her rebuild. Here... her gaze strayed to the silver spires.


    You are quite the worrier, princess. After all, was it not your intention to bring her here? Now you second-guess yourself? There is no time for doubt. This is the time for deeds.


    I agree. Not that I¡¯m worried about Aki or... no, I promised I¡¯d never be tsundere. I just want to help. And if... if we profit a bit as well, all the better, right Tan?


    An amused snort was the only thought Shiro received in return, and the world shuddered for a moment, her consciousness distorting, and then she stepped out into Kyoto, followed by her comrades. On seeing their arrival, Haru floated over, looking relieved, sending up a brilliant burst of light into the sky, which scattered into an array of colours before fading away.


    Fireworks huh? Pretty. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here.¡± Shiro declared proudly. ¡°And I¡¯ve brought help. Where¡¯s Aki and the others? What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    Before Haru could answer, the stone-faced Arisu spoke. ¡°So, are you one more of his women?¡± her tone was arctic. For a moment Haru looked confused, before letting out a small, slightly bitter laugh.


    ¡°Me? And Akio-san? Perish the thought. After all, what would he want with an already perished woman such as I?¡± she laughed again at her own pun. ¡°No, I am merely a grateful ally, his vassal, and here to lead the defence of Kyoto. I assure you, I am not one of his lovers, not like this one here.¡± She looked at Shiro, who shrugged.


    ¡°Besides...¡± Haru continued. ¡°And I¡¯ll make this quick, as the situation is desperate, and your aid will be most welcome...¡± she glanced behind her, to where Ixitt was orchestrating a fiery defence of the Territory, ratkin and weaselkin firing long-barreled weapons, and a forward squad unleashing clouds of what looked like a miniature version of Aki¡¯s Foehn, burning some shambling corpses to ashes.


    ¡°... but you may have seen me in the news. I was murdered. Worse than murdered. So I don¡¯t think I have much interest in men right now.¡± She paused. ¡°You... I recognise you too.¡± At her words Shiro froze. Oh no, if she says anything to upset Arisu, it could be a bloodbath. I¡¯ll have to step in, if Haru is destroyed, Aki will be furious and heartbroken...


    ¡°... it seemed a shame. I can¡¯t say that I pay much attention to celebrity scandals, but... it sounds like you had a hard time. I get why you don¡¯t trust men.¡±


    Shiro sighed in relief, as Haru didn¡¯t blame Arisu, like so many who had believed the lies that had been spread about her did.


    ¡°I do not like betrayers, cheats. Liars.¡± She enunciated clearly, but her frost had melted a little, Haru¡¯s fate causing her to be sympathetic.


    ¡°Well, Akio-san is no liar, and betrayal...¡± she laughed. ¡°... he doesn¡¯t have it in him. As for cheating... well, surely the girls are just as much at fault? There¡¯s no secrecy, everyone knows what they are getting into, except perhaps poor Mori-san, and she admitted to allowing Shaeula in. Is it really cheating then?¡± she shook her head. ¡°Seriously, we don¡¯t have time for this. Akio-san went northwards towards Kinkaku-ji and the defences there, while Shaeula headed east. They could use the help...¡±


    It is time for me to step in. I have used the Favour we took long ago to find our prey. Three that I want, one that you need. Now... there shall be some... discomfort, princess. But for our strength, and your man, you can surely endure, can you not?


    Hey, Tan, wait a second... Shiro squirmed as her hair flared into fiery red, her eye turning crimson. That was not the end though, as even her facial structure shifted, her body shape changing a little. As the Divine Possession activated fully, rather than the partial control Tan had exerted before, Shiro cursed inside her head, her scars burning painfully. Shit, this bloody well hurts, Tan! My scars are agony... can¡¯t we go more gently?


    ¡°I am afraid ... not.¡± Tan spoke out loud, now fully in control, though Shiro realised that since the Divine Possession was her own skill, so Aki had said anyway, if she struggled, she could exert a measure of control over Tan. ¡°... my own adherence is clashing with the remnant adherence from the broken contract. Fortunately... that healer creature has done well. Even though the scars have diminished little, the adherence polluting them from within has noticeably lessened, making the resonance less of a torment.¡± Even her tone was different, with a faint accent, and her manner of speech was sultry, seductive.


    This is less? Well, that damn well doesn¡¯t make me feel any better! Well, I should be grateful, I suppose...


    Bunta was looking at Tan strangely, and Shiro felt a little ill at the adoring, almost fervent gleam in his eyes. On hearing her thoughts, Tan glared at him, and the timid man looked away.


    ¡°Wow, boss, you look so different. Sexy too. There¡¯s just an aura about you, right? Dangerous and hot!¡± Suzu giggled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sad to say it¡¯s not an idol look, too... too lewd?¡± she giggled again, fishing out another lollipop to suck. ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t we be off? I have to say though...¡± she finished with a happy whistle. ¡°... your guy, Akio, he¡¯s certainly got some things going on. Two Territories, ghost women, whatever those animal people have going on over there. Guns, flamethrowers. So cool!¡± she continued to gush. ¡°I thought this in Kyoto, but you sure can pick them, boss! I totally ship the two of you together, promise!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, Suzanne-san.¡± Arisu said sternly, and she grimaced, nodding. ¡°We have no time for such ramblings. You even said it yourself, we must make haste.¡±


    Tan nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡± I can exert only a fraction of my power, as your body is too fragile to withstand my aether and adherence. Besides, destroying the Boundary would not be wise. Although... ¡°There is a dark, filthy evil here. A hunger. It is not... pure... like mine own.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bintara spoke then. She had followed Shiro¡¯s group through the Gate silently, and had even ignored it when Tan had called her a healer creature, though she had frowned balefully. ¡°These little humans, the dead things, those others... they spread a filth wherever they go, like burrowing beetles, or voracious ants. Their power is not wholly their own, but borrowed.¡± She fixed her dark eyes on Tan. ¡°Much like you and this parasite here, human woman. So foolish, selling yourself to a divine creature. You will regret that, before the end.¡± She sniffed, tossing her head, horns nearly striking Bunta, who scurried away. ¡°But for now, Lord Nurarihyon wishes you healed. So I shall do it. Besides, I hate illness, sickness and injury. It should all be gone from the world.¡±


    I guess good Yokai do exist then.


    Not good, as you call it. Merely different. Spiritual beings are neither good nor evil, Divine beings neither. Each type of being must act according to its own whims and beliefs.


    ¡°This is all very well, but time is passing...¡± Haru interjected, and Tan nodded.


    We should consider this a mere skirmish against this foe. Since this poor deluded man is drawing on a huge reservoir of aether from it, it is why he is so powerful. It is too much for the Boundary to easily bear, I fear. All over this land, it is starting to suffer damage. Minor at first, but if not stopped...


    ¡°...well, no matter. We shall stop it.¡± Tan declared. ¡°Using borrowed power, such will never defeat me.¡±


    Uh, isn¡¯t that a bit, no a lot hypocritical, Tan? After all, aren¡¯t I borrowing your power?


    No, now part of it resides in you, truly. Your man has seen it, with that clever Eye of his.


    ¡°This is vexing, so frustrating. I must calm down.¡± He reached for his beads, realised they were missing, and the monk then grabbed the sword and started rubbing it, heedless of the way it cut into his flesh and sucked on his blood. ¡°I hate being ignored. And as for you, stop stealing my flames. They were given to me by the noble...¡± he suddenly roared triumphantly, face twisted with glee. ¡°Die, complacent fool!¡±


    The second wheel detached from him, spinning free and slamming towards Tan from the side while she was still holding his other wheel back. Arisu panicked, her Room trying to intercept it, but the wheel crashed through, scattering her efforts in a spray of violet and yellow sparks.


    Watch out... huh? Shiro looked on in wonder as Tan slipped one arm free from her burden, catching the other wheel. Her scars burned, but Tan merely laughed, trapped between the two blazing wheels. ¡°You believe I can not hold you back? I, Tan?ha?, she who thirsts? I am true Divinity, ruler of a realm above this. My father would weep were I to fall to such as you, even limited as I am. Besides...¡± she licked her lips, eye blazing balefully, the flames in her hair rising, forming a glowing crest of what looked like pale yellow feathers, a pair of wings of flame and hair trailing behind her, a strange almost beak-like mask of white-yellow fire covering her smiling mouth. ¡°... even her man could do this much, as could that Fae creature. Poor deluded Raven, thinking them weak, suitable targets for vengeance. Well...¡±


    As the monk ranted and raged, trying to retrieve his wheels, Tan finished, proclaiming ¡°Well I never did get to eat a Fae, and that looks unlikely now. But as for you... I shall drink deep! Flames of my Thirst, quench my Famine! Consume, take out what you were given and make it mine!¡±


    ¡°Never, this humble monk will live on...¡± he roared, as his flaming wheels were wrapped in the blazing tide of her elongated hair. Flame met flame, an impure, purple-tinged one coming up against a yellow so ferocious it was almost white. The wheels began to collapse, and the monk sagged down.


    ¡°... even a second longer, a minute! I am not ready for oblivion!¡± he howled, suddenly dismissing his flaming conveyance. Tan was caught by surprise, and Arisu shouted a warning, her Room opening. Seeing that, the monk threw himself aside. Even so, his trailing leg touched the door to the Room and Arisu closed it with her own rage-filled snarl, severing it. Blood gouted, and the monk frowned, vile blade in his hand shifting to the side, no longer aimed at Tan¡¯s head.


    ¡°I see. How careless of me. That wicked fragment could likely wound me badly. But alas...¡± caught in the wings of burning hair like a bug in a net, the monk screamed. Taking no chances, Arisu severed the arm, not used to using the Room so many times in succession, falling to her knees. As the bone blade hit the floor, it tried to squirm away, a tide of purple rising, but Arisu narrowed her tired eyes, recognising the similarities to her own ability.


    ¡°No. I think not.¡± A wave of violet struck the purple, and moments later the monk perished, becoming a bleached skeleton wreathed in white flame, then a silhouette of ash, before soon even that was gone.


    ¡°Well, the creature that empowered the fool was trying to claim the prize at the end instead of us. But...¡± she eyed the blade. ¡°Well done, Arisu. Now...¡± flame flared, and the blade screamed, a psychic screech that hurt their heads, tears in Arisu¡¯s eyes, Shiro unable to clutch her own head, forced to endure. Damn, this sucks. You¡¯re not going to eat that shitty thing are you, Tan?


    Of course not. This vile slime will hardly quench my thirst. No, I shall merely destroy it. Intensifying her flames, the bone finally melted, the goop remaining behind burning away, stinking and putrid.


    Well then, I have my prize. Now, next is one for you.


    For me? Shiro thought, puzzled.


    Indeed. I know you best, do I not? After all, as that healer creature says so rudely, am I not part of you now? Even when we separate in the future, as is inevitable, a part of me shall be with you, and a part of you with me. So I know... there is a Favour here you can use.


    Really? Shiro was surprised. I thought that I wasn¡¯t strong enough to survive a Divine Favour, which was one reason you decided to host within me?


    Yes. Tan thought wryly, as she watched Suzu and Bunta taking out the zombies. Suzu was doing most of the work, using brute force rather than any skill, her parasol functioning as a fairly effective bludgeon, easily crushing skulls. Moments later she cried out in joy, instead swinging her makeshift club at the leg of one zombie, and as it collapsed she browbeat Bunta into restraining it, dragging it into one of the few shadows under the silver sky.


    You were too weak, too fragile, your body adapted for a world long past, where the ether density was far higher than now. Though such times will soon come again. But... you have grown, strengthened. This Lovers¡¯ Link... Shiro felt Tan¡¯s amusement, and wondered what she really thought, considering how she had failed to win over the Buddha, and had then abandoned all interest in such matters. ...it is quite the ability. Rather clever indeed. It connects on a deeper level, and affords you the ability to grow, as he does. And you have worked hard. Your strengths, your skills... you have been augmented enough to bear it, I believe. Ordinarily you would not be able to take a gift from another without claiming the embodiment of it, their Divine Anchor, the root of what it is to become an Astral Emperor. But... I have my means. And I am not the only one, it seems.


    Wait, you mean... I¡¯m going to be a true Candidate, no more level cap, real abilities? Uh, not that I¡¯m not grateful for the ones I got from you... her thoughts were racing, and she found her lips quirking into a grin, not sure if she or Tan was the one smiling.


    Indeed. This Favour is quite compatible with you, though you may be surprised as to why. Now... let us go. I would not have such a morsel snatched from you, dashing your hopes, and besides, there are a couple more that I wish to consume myself. Your man made me promises, so he will be unable to complain. Besides... A pair of flaming wheels, this time wreathed in white-yellow flames, appeared, as did a burning platform. Tan held out a hand, helping Arisu up, where she stood, primly adjusting her dress, curious that the flames didn¡¯t burn her or her clothes.


    ¡°Whoa, neat!¡± Suzu snickered, as she leapt aboard, Bunta following, an immobilised female zombie with a shattered leg, wrapped in dark, inky blue shadows over his small shoulder, his expression downcast. ¡°So you got him then? Never had any doubt, boss. You sure like fire though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Tan declared. ¡°My thirst is an ever-raging flame. So this suits me perfectly. It was wasted on this coward.¡± She spat, and the saliva sizzled in the flames. ¡°To think one following the Buddha would fall so low. Even my father would be gravely offended. Now, we need to make haste.¡± The wheels turned, and they were propelled through the battlefield of Kyoto at a speed greater than a sportscar, flaming wheels crushing obstacles and zombies alike under their flaming rims. Suzu was cheering at the spectacle, while Arisu and Bunta were silent.


    Besides... Tan finished her earlier thought, Shiro waiting eagerly for it. I dare say he will even thank me for it. He does cherish you greatly, princess. And he is a man who wants those he loves to be strong. It is the one quality of his I admire. After all, weak women are pitiful, are they not?


    Why does that feel like an insult? But I get it, I do. Aki does want to protect me, protect us. But he knows that if he does that without us being able to protect ourselves... she looked back at the distance, and imagined she could see ashes drifting despite the lack of breeze. ... no, I don¡¯t want to end up like that. Besides, I¡¯m not weak. Not mentally. After all... she laughed inside her own mind. I was prepared to sacrifice everything, even the fate of the world, to get what I wanted. I¡¯m a bad girl, I suppose. But I¡¯m not a pitiful caged bird. Not anymore.


    No, and now you shall be able to soar. And the fate of the world still lies in your hands, those of you and the others. A different fate, but perhaps...


    Perhaps...?


    Enough of this. Quenching my thirst has momentarily made me contemplative. No, we have more still to do. We shall make haste... and with that she sped up still further, smashing through several debris-filled streets, reaching a park near Nijo castle, where their next opponent waited...

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Four / Side One Hundred And Nineteen – The Diviner, Matsumuro Tsukiko

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Four / Side One Hundred And Nineteen ¨C The Diviner, Matsumuro Tsukiko


    Daiyu surged into a new combat stance, one that looked strange to my eyes, after my training in the fundamentals with Ulfuric. Her body was quite open, flexible, and looked as if it wouldn¡¯t be well balanced or grounded, hardly able to take an attack.


    ¡°You should be paying attention to me!¡± the ice-wielding, white-haired man shouted, seeing my attention was distracted, and a hail of large blue-white ice spears flew at me.


    Oh I am. With Split Thoughts, Body Enhancement and my vision widened by use of aether, something I was doing almost constantly in battle nowadays, my vulnerable back was no longer an issue, and I dodged smoothly, using the opportunity to counterattack, my lure complete. Light formed into a series of shimmering beams, aimed for his vulnerable points, hoping to disarm him.


    ¡°Whoa, that was close.¡± Light reflected from him in a shimmering rainbow of colour, which would have been beautiful, if it wasn¡¯t so frustrating. Holes had been pierced in his icy armour at the knees, wrists, ankles and elbows, but the light had rapidly been attenuated, and had done little than scorch his flesh with its remaining energies.


    ¡°You have a few tricks. Fire and light, huh? Well, this works for me!¡± he grinned. ¡°The bigger the meal, the more satisfied it will be.¡±


    Daiyu was having a similar issue. The first Cultivator hurled a paper talisman at her, making some strange hand-sign, and calling out a Technique. ¡°Five Element Talisman: Earth. Grasping Quagmire!¡±


    Daiyu¡¯s face hardened, but she reacted swiftly as the ground underneath her was infused with a surge of ruby energies from the vanishing talisman, becoming a sudden quicksand bog, hands of stone reaching from them. One grasped her ankle as she leapt, but it shattered, and my Eye picked up her chakra network, such as it was, was emitting the processed aether she was calling Qi from the smaller capillaries around her lower leg.


    ¡°Five Element Talisman: Fire. Salamander Breath.¡±


    ¡°Five Element Talisman: Wood. Weeping Thorns.¡±


    Daiyu, still in the air, seemed a little panicked at the third declaration, and as a gust of flame left one talisman, a rolling red and yellow tide, she braced herself, Qi emitted in precise ways within her, and she spun, arms deflecting as much of the fire as she could, while avoiding the more dangerous long thorns. Even so, despite her elegant and practised movements, which I now realised were some sort of combat style, she was burned down the side of her face, the flesh raw, her hair smouldering.


    ¡°Hey, just freeze, will you?¡± the white-haired man was crying, and the temperature around me continued to drop, my underfooting treacherous as the ice spread. Worse, spikes were coming from the icy ground, cones like reverse icicles and as deadly as spears constantly harassing me. He¡¯s not just got a lot of power, he¡¯s got good skills too. He uses an element better than I do. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m a generalist, while he specialises? Well, it¡¯s giving me some ideas though...


    My expanded vision was picking up a greater danger though, and I launched more attacks at the mirror-wielder, blades of jade air and explosions of earth showering her. Blood was running down her cheek, a rock narrowly missing her eyes, and my blades of wind had also gouged her body, one leg hanging limp, barely bearing her weight. Even so, her will hadn¡¯t faltered, and her mirror shone, whatever ritual she was working complete.


    Shit. My hand tightened on the hilt of Cutting Twilight. I had considered rushing her, but if I did so, then Daiyu would be killed by the ice-wielder. He was focused mostly on me at the moment, but that was only because I was constantly harassing him, and moving myself into positions to cover Daiyu. Well, we have an idea of the power the mirror wields. It creates clones based on our sins, supposedly, but Yasaka-san couldn¡¯t get much more than that, coughing up blood and complaining of a massive migraine.


    ¡°Jade Yang Stance. Light Flowing Blossoms!¡± Daiyu declared, and the small reserves of a type of elemental light, different to what I or any of the others I knew possessed, were expelled from her, magnified by her Qi, pulling in the surrounding aether. A number of the Sect disciples who were preparing to attack her were caught unawares, and her ruthless petal-like blades pierced heads, throats and hearts, dropping them. She landed, springing into Crushing Palms despite her injuries, and the one who had spoken to her, the Patriarch of the Unconquered Heights, was forced onto the defensive, accumulating injuries by her ferocious, reckless attacks.


    ¡°Bitch! This is all your fault, you and those failures from Mountain Fang!¡± he grinned balefully, before spitting at her, a mist fortified by Qi forcing her to tilt her head to avoid suffering grave injury to her already vulnerable eyes. ¡°Well, you may be a Heaven-sent prodigy, but this old man has many tricks. Now, suffer!¡± he hefted his bone blade, only to fall into pieces, an invisible sweeping of strings of fine vibrating air slicing him apart, and nicking the blade, which tumbled to the floor, whining.


    ¡°My thanks.¡± Daiyu muttered, ignoring the blood that splattered on her, red and silver dripping down her face and arms as she attacked another Cultivator, who was wielding a long rod with a bell on the end carved from a yellow jade. Hey, that looks a bit like... My thoughts were interrupted by gleeful laughter from the woman, her mirror lowered, two new figures standing in front of her.


    ¡°Well, I can hardly keep up.¡± She wiped blood that was leaking from where I had nearly taken her eye. ¡°You¡¯ve killed most of them already, so much for their boasting...¡± she watched as Daiyu powered through the rippling tide of spikes that erupted from the ground, ignoring her increasing injuries to crush the skull of the foe in front of her, snatching the bell, and repeating the incantation that her victim had used, ¡°Turn, Earth, respond to your disciple. Hua?nglo?ng, hear the plea of those who venerate the land!¡± The bell rang, a rumbling chime, and most of the remaining Cultivators were pierced, the Brilliant Dawn Shield Sect Elders far enough away from the epicentre of the tide of earthen fangs to avoid death. Daiyu staggered, releasing the bell, her reserves of Qi running low, and then she was thrown backwards, an impact breaking many of her ribs.


    ¡°But... the tortoise wins while the hare thinks it has triumphed.¡± The woman barked. ¡°King Yama has judged your sins. Now you have to face them.¡± Her dull smile was mocking. ¡°Just know that you¡¯ll never face that great being in person. No. Your fate is to be devoured by these hungry blades.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Daiyu¡¯er!¡± I cried as she tumbled. Even so, her fluid stance allowed her to get to her feet, and her wounds were healing, the Divine Favour of Chang¡¯e working, though as she suffered more injuries, the rate slowed noticeably, its strength exhausting.


    The thing that struck her, it was... I leapt aside as a blade mirroring Cutting Twilight swept past me, the speed of the strike vicious. ... the same as this. My feet slid along the ground, digging deep furrows into the frozen soil. My body was starting to slow from the ever-increasing chill, so I let the warmth of flame energy flow through me, counteracting that. Raising my own blade, I parried the strike, muscles aching under the blow.


    ¡°Yeah, I do not look like that...¡± I muttered, disgusted and sickened by what was opposing me. It was me, but different. The figure had a lascivious expression on his face, licking his lips relentlessly, and he was thinner, less muscled, and looked rather foppish, with an open shirt and tight jeans, an attire completely unsuited to battle. The sword he carried was very real though. And though the blade was clean, his arms were red to the elbows, his hands and sleeves covered in gore. Worse, a number of shrunken heads were hanging from his belt, and while I didn¡¯t recognise many of them, I did recognise Yamato-san, Kondou Kazuo, and the Candidate I had recently beheaded.


    Yeah, I see. My sins, huh? Daiyu was likewise facing her duplicate, though this one was far more wild and animated, her lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing bony fangs, and her own bloodied hands were wielding an ornate fan. Following behind her was a trail of bleached, dead skeletons, crying and wailing, gnashing their teeth, all dressed in robes of identical colouration. Daiyu shook her head, as if unwilling to look at what confronted her, before letting out a shrill, pained scream and charging her twisted reflection.


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± The woman slumped to her knees, still holding her mirror. ¡°He was strong. Without the boost from that other guy, and the energy that greedy beast gives us... no way I could have reflected him. The girl¡¯s hardly weak either. Still, they¡¯re done now. The weight of their sins will crush them. But if you want, feel free to kill them. I¡¯m so over this. The outcome is so boring, and I hurt so much.¡± She said to the young, white-haired man.


    ¡°I think I will.¡± He agreed sardonically. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t trust you, but I¡¯m not a fool. I kill my enemies.¡± He let out a bitter sigh. ¡°After all, it was killing that uppity Party boot-kisser that got me into this mess. I mean, fancy making a powerful, blessed Chosen of Tengliu, beautiful goddess of snow, ice and winter, labour for a pathetic clown like that? It¡¯s not just an insult to me, but the very Gods of China, no, the entire World, themselves...¡±


    As he ranted on, I took my opportunity to attack my doppelga?nger. He was already a pain to handle by himself, I can¡¯t take on both at once, and Daiyu... she staggered, beset by a talisman cast by one of the few surviving Cultivators. This one was a metal talisman, and her body was pierced by needles, damaging some of her lesser chakra nodes, lowering her speed and strength. The twisted twin didn¡¯t hesitate to use that to her advantage, and she unleashed her own version of Crushing Palms. Daiyu kicked out, and they clashed, but it was Daiyu who was pushed back, and the sound of cracking bone echoed throughout the Boundary.


    A dull giggling rang in my ears as our blades clashed, and worse, I could see the train of figures behind my own opponent. These weren¡¯t skeletons, no, but ghostly, transparent women, with shifting features, but I recognised Eri, Shaeula, Hinata, Motoko and even some I wasn¡¯t involved with, like Tsukiko-san, Haru-san, Kana, and many more. They were whispering unintelligibly, but I could vaguely understand them, and they were wailing with sorrow and jealousy, tormented by my faithlessness.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I roared, understanding why Daiyu was so angry at her own foe. ¡°You don¡¯t think I know my sins, you piece of shit?¡± My Resilience was struggling, and focussing my mind, I forced myself to remain if not calm, somewhat composed. ¡°Well, no fake me is going to beat me!¡± Cutting Twilight activated, and Foehn roared. Though not at my foe, no, I need to help...


    Hollow-point bullets of earth, filled with Foehn, roared out. The remaining Sect members were helplessly pierced, flames boiling from their bleeding bodies. As they perished, more heads appeared on the belt of my opponent, and the kneeling woman clapped her hands sarcastically. ¡°Smart move there. Add more weight to your sins, why don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sins? You came here to... you know what, never mind, fuck off.¡± I snapped, rattled and angry, despite my efforts to calm myself. My Foehn bullets had also hit Daiyu¡¯s opponent, and while I had feared it would have no effect, several of the skeletons following her suffered some damage. Capitalising on this, I dodged a burst of flame from my mirror, and started rushing towards Daiyu to support her. If we can take out hers, then team up on mine... no, that won¡¯t work...


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get bored of this?¡± he laughed, unwilling to come closer to use his bone blade, as last time he tried I managed to use Cutting Twilight to cut through his icy armour, wounding him. He had sealed his own wound with ice, a brave move, but even now, his blue-white ice was turning pink and silver from the seeping blood. I got him deep. Damn, a little to the left and he¡¯d have lost his heart, and that would surely have killed him.


    ¡°I did not kill my Sect!¡± Daiyu screamed, fists and feet smashing skeletons, her body moving by sheer willpower, despite the grinding pain of her broken bones. ¡°I did my best! We were too late! Father, could I have done more? Should I?¡± Her wailing cries for her father¡¯s forgiveness touched a nerve within me, since I too had a challenging relationship with my own father, though it was much better recently. It seems the more we face our sins, the more it erodes our spirit, preys on our emotions. But...


    Blades clashed, and I conjured earth reflexively, a shield of rock forming as icicles hammered into it. They pierced through, but by then had no force to break my skin. Flame, water, earth, multiple elements were coming at me, the severed heads cackling, the ghostly women whispering to me, reaching out with nebulous arms to caress me. My eyes met the face of one, Eri¡¯s, looking at me with sadness, and then it turned into Shaeula¡¯s scowling with pain.


    That¡¯s not how it was at all. Not at all! Angry at the desecration of my memories, I staggered as more icy spikes slammed into me. Eri had asked me to accept Shaeula, and she meant it! How is that a sin, making them both happy? Sure, I only accepted Eri at first to please her, stop her pain, I... well, I definitely loved her, but it wasn¡¯t romantic love. But in time, well, no time at all, she won me over. Frozen rain fell, soaking me, trying to immobilise me, but it was weak, unable to match my flames. I¡¯ve noticed something. Your Ice is powerful, versatile, and you seem to have an endless supply of aether... my Eye could see energy leaking through the purple mist the bone blade exuded. ... but you do have a flaw. A fatal one. Your League. It¡¯s weak. Borrowed power isn¡¯t power you can wield to its fullest.


    My thoughts snapped back to Eri and Shaeula, even as a heavy block of ice slammed into my left leg. It hurt and inflicted some injury, proving that even with my far higher League, I could still be overwhelmed by enough sheer strength. Blood bloomed as my shoulder was laid open to the bone by a slash from my mirrored twin, taking advantage of my momentary lack of balance.


    Putting aside Eri, Shaeula... why would my sin be making Shaeula sad? Cheating on her? That¡¯s crap. She¡¯s always pushing new girls on me, though she¡¯s a bit better recently, I admit! No, I can safely say Shaeula isn¡¯t my sin! For a moment the twin staggered, and I found that two ghostly arms had wrapped around its throat, slowing it.


    Wait a minute. Is this... a curse? I had noticed that when it used water, it wasn¡¯t my Spirit Water. Likewise, light and darkness were simply ordinary, not my mutated elements. My Spirit Water bullets also seemed to hurt it a lot. I unleashed another round of them, and the doppelga?nger stumbled, ghostly arms, now two pairs, trying to choke it.


    Eri. Even in my head, you¡¯re yandere. But... I¡¯m grateful. If you hadn¡¯t confessed to me, I¡¯d never have realised I was able to genuinely love someone romantically. And I do... love you all. All of you. I¡¯ll do anything to make you happy. And that¡¯s no sin!


    More water bullets, and this time the ice-wielder panicked, freezing them solid, but I still retained a measure of control, and so Spiritual Ice slammed into the doppelga?nger, restraining one arm with a coat of glimmering ice. Now!


    Cutting Twilight sang, and space shivered. The frozen arm shattered, and now I was the only one holding a blade. Dozens of ghosts were wrapped around my foe, and I surged forwards. ¡°If King Yama... no, this wouldn¡¯t be his doing. The ultimate judge of our sins in death wouldn¡¯t make up these lies...¡± I slammed my foot into the heads on the belt of my opponent. I heard frantic screams and shouts from both of the candidates, but I paid them no mind as Kondou Kazuo¡¯s shrunken skull shattered. ¡°... Sorry Haru-san, even if you¡¯re a fake, you shouldn¡¯t have to look at that fucker. A sin? His end is justice. If that¡¯s sin...¡±


    I poured Spirit Water into Cutting Twilight, the bluesteel within soaking it up, and the blade glowed orange and silver. A sweeping cut, and all the heads but one shattered, my twin falling in half. As it fell, the ghostly women piled on it, and it shrieked. Bending down, idly using walls of stone and flame to defend myself from the ice coming my way, I bent down to pick up the skull of Yamato-san. ¡°You. The others, they were here to kill, so... those who are willing to kill should be prepared to die. I won¡¯t grieve for them any longer. But you, Yamato-san. My only sin I¡¯ll accept. I have every reason to hate you. Your carelessness and envy got so many killed, crippled Eri. But you never intended such malice. You needed to face up to what you did, and I was too weak to make that happen. But...¡± I placed the skull down on the face of my pinned opponent. ¡°... I don¡¯t regret taking your Favour from you. My sis needed it. And she¡¯ll never make the mistakes you did. And nor will I. I¡¯ll do what I must...¡± my blade pierced downwards, and the skull shattered, my blade tearing through the leering face of the copy of me, the fake me, turning my achievements into sins through twisted logic. For a moment there was silence, and then it shattered, breaking apart like a mirror, followed by more splintering sounds, and a hideous shrieking.


    ¡°... and what I must do is save Tsukiko-san. And anyone else I can. I¡¯m not a God, hell, even Gods can¡¯t do anything, else Tan?ha? would have slain me, and Shiro would still be lonely. But... I won¡¯t stop getting stronger, so I can do more. And... those I care about come first. If it¡¯s you or them...¡± I didn¡¯t finish, merely watching as a surprised Daiyu saw her mirrored, distorted twin break into a myriad of pieces. As the debris fell to the ground like glittering shards of rain, she fell to her knees, breathing heavily, her body trembling from lack of both Qi and physical strength.


    ¡°How... that... I hate this. In the end...¡± the enemy woman was babbling. Her mirror had cracked down the middle, the bottom half shattering, and both of her legs were impaled by the shards, and her fingers on one hand were gone too. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to be devoured. I had ... so much to... live for...¡±


    ¡°Shit, you useless bitch! I thought you said your mirror was unbeatable? Pathetic!¡± The white-haired young man roared, but she ignored him, a violet energy starting to rise from her body as she wept. I¡¯ll have to do something about that. But first...


    Foehn sparked into life, hungry and greedy. At the same time I called upon my water, forming a barrier of mist around me. Seeing that, the man laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, bastard! You may have broken her, but I¡¯m still going strong! You¡¯ll run out of energy sooner or later. You don¡¯t have what it gives out! Besides, water against ice? There¡¯s only going to be a single winner!¡±


    ¡°True.¡± The battle has been pretty damn tiring, and worse, there¡¯s a lot more fighting left to do. That¡¯s why I need to finish this, now. I was fortunate I had classes and a lunar chakra that allowed me to possess and recover a great deal more elemental energy than my raw skills would allow. Though it¡¯s still far from enough. Well, this bastard with his ice is a bad matchup for me...


    As the water around me froze, I could almost see his grin, more and more ice was piled on top of me, sealing me in. Fine. This should work. I called upon earth element, feeding it into the water element I was conjuring, which I then fed to the air, and finally to fire, which I poured into my Foehn. The four primary elements make a circuit, strengthening each other. This way I can create one hell of a fire. Foehn spread inside my frozen tomb, clinging to the ice. It tried to devour it, but the ice fought it, freezing the tongues in place.


    ¡°Well, fire doesn¡¯t much like water, does it? And what is ice but another state of water? Well, that¡¯s not the point.¡± My Foehn had devoured water before, and had also devoured air, the other part of this ice. And with its new strength... Just as I manipulated the frozen Spirit Water bullets, I did the same, preventing the frigid prison from crushing me under its sheer mass. Foehn surged, desperately devouring the ice while being stilled in turn, when suddenly more messages scrolled across my vision in amber letters, just as some had earlier. I¡¯ll take full stock over everything later. Now, the only one that matters right now is...


    Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, having conquered and devoured its one true nemesis, the frozen silence of Ice, the stillness able to stop the ever-burning fires, breaking through the first wall. Your flames burn ever-hotter, and the fire now possesses the ability to draw in heat from the surroundings, effectively becoming a flame of cold if so desired. Foehn finds it easier to flow as a liquid, and can also congeal into structured shapes, becoming a flaming sculpture akin to works of icy wonder.


    As soon as the Foehn grew stronger I could feel it. My Flame Manipulation, as well as my other Elemental Manipulations, all combined into a surge of power, and the Foehn explosively devoured the ice above and around me. As it did so, the ice vapourised instantly, my Foehn, fuelled by my superior League, easily outclassing the foe it once struggled with. The explosion carried the torrent of Foehn high into the sky, and I heard a hideous scream, as I looked up inside the hollow cylinder, peering at the silver sky above, the walls around me radiating a fierce heat. Wrapping myself in insulating air and water, I watched as the fire cascaded upwards, spraying out like a fountain, forming a plume that split, almost like branches.


    Well, that¡¯s pretty. It¡¯s a shame though... There was no way I was reclaiming the Divine favour of Ice, as the message had scrolled across my vision announcing I had gained more levels, so he must have been entirely incinerated. I guess that¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t understand your science. Ice can explode if your fire is hot enough to instantly vaporise it, and Foehn just leapt over that hurdle...


    The flaming branches drooped, millions of droplets falling like little meteorites, and the walls of flame around me collapsed, gushing out like a tidal wave. For a moment I panicked, worrying that Daiyu would be caught in the deluge, only to relax as I saw her well away from the fires, a maimed and still screaming woman in her grasp. ¡°It burns, it burns!¡± she was crying incoherently, and I noticed a disgusting, stinking smoke rising from the Foehn near her, and with my Eye, I could see a bone sword beginning to break apart, consumed.


    Okay, well now I¡¯m a bit stuck... no, wait... with some concentration, part of the Foehn began to draw in the heat, and moments later a bridge of cool flames was winding through the otherwise searing fires. Crossing it quickly, still nervous as the Foehn licked and lapped at the ground around me, I landed beside the very battered and beaten Daiyu.


    ¡°Daiyu¡¯er, are you all right?¡± I asked, and she gave me quite the complicated look, before shaking her head.


    ¡°I fear I am not. My reserves are dry. And I have pushed my body beyond its limits. It will take time to recover.¡± She looked over at where the corpses of the Cultivators and the treasures they had left behind were being consumed, reduced to slag and ashes. ¡°How wasteful. But we are alive. That must count for something.¡± She then kicked out, and the bloody, sobbing woman she was holding captive squealed, her words an incoherent stream.


    ¡°Well, this one was trying to flee back to the Earthly Realm, your Material.¡± She sneered. ¡°But after what she has done...¡± she shivered, her dark eyes filled with pain, anger and regret. ¡°... well, I had enough Qi left for one final act. I have disrupted her meridians. It will take her some time to be able to control herself enough for any escape.¡± Her sudden slight smile was menacing. ¡°Akio, I thank you for your efforts. That... that shadow of me... it was not...¡±


    Her words were cut off as I placed my hand on her head comfortingly. No more hesitation. Kindness is no sin, and as long as everyone who deserves to be happy is happy in the end... as she looked at me, surprised, I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You aren¡¯t to blame, I promise. You simply did what you thought was right, and bad things happened. That¡¯s all. It can happen to anyone.¡± Yamato-san too, the idiot. I don¡¯t think Daiyu acted for as foolish a reason as he did, even if the end result might have been the same. Even so, mistakes can happen. It¡¯s how we move on from them...


    ¡°But...¡± she muttered, lost.


    ¡°Well, then make amends. That¡¯s what you are planning to do, right? Those sins we saw... most of them were just our fears, packaged up with plausible-sounding excuses. We should never forget what mistakes we made, but so long as we do our best to rise above them, make up for them... do better next time...¡± I looked down at the cracked mirror. ¡°If this is a mirror that reflects us...¡± I kicked out, sending it flying into the Foehn, where it sank, melting away. ¡°... then it¡¯s a funhouse one. Nothing it shows is true, only distorted fakes. Now then...¡± I turned to our captive. ¡°... as for you...¡±


    No more hesitation. This woman came here to do us harm. Maybe she has mitigating reasons, but she seemed to enjoy causing pain and distress far too much. I¡¯ll listen, and then... I¡¯ll judge. I¡¯m not King Yama, I have no mirror, but... There was little time. And if I hesitated, others would pay the price. It was a lesson I had learned over and over, little by little. Kondou Kazuo. The yakuza. The US agents. The zombie soldiers here. Now these two... hardening my heart, telling myself I was doing it for those I wanted to protect, I glared down at her. ¡°... I think we need to have a quick talk...¡± my Eye flared, and she shrieked, shrinking back from me as best she could on legs torn and shredded by glass...

 Side One Hundred And Twenty – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side One Hundred And Twenty ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    I looked at the twitching, disintegrating corpse of the fool who had rushed at us with speed rivalling Akio¡¯s, watching as mushrooms and fungus sprouted from the flesh visible between his torn clothes. Rather vile. A pitiful way to die. But I do not care, the fool brought it upon himself...


    Instead, I looked at Hyacinth, who was grinning, her powerful nature energy dying down as she pulled herself to her feet. She coughed, a trickle of blood running down her face, and I absently reached over, wiping it from her mouth. Hyacinth paused, frozen, eyes wide, before she shook her head rapidly, displeased.


    ¡°Yooou must nooot, mistress!¡± she insisted. ¡°Hyacinth is but a maid, you should nooot dirty your hands with...¡±


    My tender wiping changed, and my fingers dug into her cheek and chin. She squealed a little, tears in her eyes, but I was resolute. No, this will not do, not at all. I will not tolerate backsliding. ¡°Do you not-not understand why I am upset, Hyacinth?¡± I asked, my amber eyes no doubt glittering with anger.


    ¡°Soooooorry...¡± she managed, and I released her, still frustrated.


    ¡°I understand you enjoy serving. Boggart, Brownie or something else, I would not-not rob you of joys. But you are not-not just a maid. You are also my equal, one of the wives of Akio. Use-use my name, not-not merely mistress. As for dirtying my hands...¡± I scowled. ¡°... how-how is wiping the blood from the precious face of one of my fellow sisters dirty, especially when you have just-just slain a foe that Akio wishes dead, taking a wound in the process?¡±


    Hyacinth looked down at that. ¡°I understand. Sooometimes Hyacinth forgets. It is... it is easier when Akio is here with me.¡±


    My scowl changed to a gentle smile. That is quite true. ¡°Indeed. That I understand. I wish we were with him now. But alas, we are not-not. We have more work to do. Then...¡± I licked my lips, eager. ¡°We shall celebrate. With poor Eri unable, wifely duties will fall to us, will they not-not?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth will warm the bed!¡± she agreed, also brightening up, coughing a little more blood, which I again wiped away, no more protests this time. Hyacinth is powerful, yes, and has grown more so, but compared to me she is still fragile.


    ¡°Are you injured badly?¡± I asked, concerned. After destroying a helicopter and disposing of a number of mortal soldiers, who had the ill-grace to rise again as disgusting dead creatures, we had headed deeper into Kyoto, searching for places where the heavy ordinance the enemy had somehow brought to the Boundary lurked. Even now, we could see trails streaking across the silvery sky, smoking and hot, followed by a series of distant, deafening explosions, as more of the architecture of this city was destroyed with reckless disregard and abandon.


    It was then we chanced on... that. I sniffed, the smell of fungus and mould unpleasant. The wretched fool had raced at us, waving some equally wretched blade of what looked like bone, which radiated a debauched kind of wrongness. Even seeing it now, where it lay on the floor, quivering and drooling, was enough to make me feel ill. Fungus and mould was growing on it, slowly eating into it, but it fought back, dirty violet energies trying to expunge the tainted parts. Not that it will succeed against Hyacinth¡¯s spores. She is now as dangerous as the Myconids ever were, perhaps more so.


    Hyacinth had reflexively released a cloud of spores. They were harmless to me, for I had already assimilated with such using Ether Healing, a most painful process, but one most satisfying in that when the agony was done, Akio would praise me and rub my head, perhaps even kiss me, telling me I had grown stronger, more skilled. Holding in a happy giggle, I stepped over the rotting husk, eyeing the screaming blade cautiously. ¡°Well, when that brute struck you, I was quite-quite concerned.¡± I said, using tendrils of wind to probe the blade, frowning as it started to draw the jade energies in, drinking them.


    ¡°Hyacinth is fine, dooo not worry, mistress Shaeula. Though... I am happy fooor your concern.¡± She giggled, good humour restored. The fool had pounced through the cloud of spores, sealing his inevitable fate, and had struck a mighty blow against Hyacinth, knocking her down. ¡°Fortunately, the gift frooom Akio protected me well enough.¡± She tapped her fist on the armour of dark feathers she wore, much as I did. Several bluesteel batteries glowing with olivine energies were attached to the back, and the feathers were humming softly. ¡°I dooo wish it was cuter though, this is nooot proper for a maid.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I am rather taken with the manner of dress-dress I use normally.¡± I said absently, probing the filthy sword with fire, light and water. The Spirit Water seemed to aggravate it, accelerating the speed the spores and fungi were consuming it, so with a grin I trickled more in, and soon the cursed blade was little more than decaying slime, a seedbed for new spores. ¡°Well, it is a great-great relief to me that you were not cut by this. I fear it would cause grave harm.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth thinks sooo too.¡± She nodded. ¡°I know bad when I see it.¡± She shuddered. ¡°Well, shall we gooo? There are more enemies Akio wishes for us tooo defeat!¡±


    I nodded, turning away from the destroyed blade. ¡°Yes, we shall. The trails came from over there. I do not-not approve of them destroying a city my mother seems to have-have fondness for, much less one Akio wishes to protect. We shall advance!¡± The Hyakki Yagyo? must have moved on from here, else these invaders would hardly be having such an easy time. Well, their leisure ends here. I am quite sure Akio is also reaping a toll of his enemies. It would be good to fight such intruders. Akio was too kind, and I loved that about him, but enemies... while some could be made friends, and even I had to accept and forgive Duke Formor, for the sake of the Seelie Court, others... others had to be put down, and I would like Akio to learn the difference. ¡°He will need-need to, if he is to be the King of the Seelie Court...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°What was that, mistress Shaeula?¡± Hyacinth asked, as we headed through the chaos, seeing monsters, Yokai and more alike scattering in all directions, trying to escape the catastrophe happening around them.


    ¡°Nothing. I was-was merely thinking out loud.¡± I demurred. It is far too soon to think of such things, though the Oath I swore when we first met... it still binds my heart, even though it was a shameful one, Akio has turned it into a true promise.


    ¡°There.¡± I gestured, and I saw another group of these soldiers, this group accompanying a long vehicle, somewhat like a truck, only with a series of large tubes on the back. While I had no interest in make or model, not being like that eccentric ratkin Ixitt, I did recognise it as a mobile missile battery, having seen them on the news, or depicted in anime.


    ¡°We will destroy it!¡± I cried, and at my words the interlopers turned, panicking. They drew guns and started firing, and I swirled wind around us, as well as infused my armour. Most projectiles were deflected, and the few that struck us deformed and bounced away harmlessly, no more than annoying stings. ¡°Farewell!¡± I declared, fine threads of wind lopping them to pieces, blood scattering silver and red.


    ¡°Crush, twist, tear!¡± Hyacinth caused vines to sprout around the vehicle, digging into the tubes, and moments later it exploded in a bright flash of flames, something inside detonating violently. The vines cushioned most of the force of the blast, though our hair still streamed behind us in the sudden breeze.


    ¡°Mortal devices truly are impressive. Such an explosion would-would require a talented Fae of flames to create. And here talentless mortals can-can replicate it, and launch it continuously. Were the Seelie Court and a mortal army to come to blows, I can not-not see it ending well for us. Perhaps the lords of the Fae, and the eldest, with their powerful Leagues, would weather the storm, but-but others...¡±


    ¡°Doooes it matter, mistress Shaeula?¡± Hyacinth cocked her head, wiping debris from her clothing. ¡°If Akio wishes the Fae destroyed, we shooould happily help him. If he wants to kill mooortals, then we should do so. And if...¡± she smiled then, a genuine one, and despite her callous, almost cruel pronouncements, I could see she was lucid. As she grew stronger, her mind settled. Though this is likely more due to the care and love Akio shows her. I do as well, and Eri. ¡°... Akio wishes fooor them to all get along, then we should make it sooo!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I agreed, laughing regally. ¡°And these scum threaten the peace-peace Akio seeks. Therefore, we shall show them no mercy.¡± I eyed the distance, where the remaining helicopter had ducked below the horizon. ¡°First, we shall-shall bring down their final helicopter. I am a Fae of wind first of all, the sky belongs to me!¡±


    ********


    ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± I was thrown backwards by a shuddering impact, blood in my mouth. I spat silver, and looked up balefully at the helicopter hovering overhead. Beside me, Hyacinth was twitching, smoke rising from her armour and skin, and her expression was oddly... ecstatic. Never mind that. What matters is...


    ¡°Most of the rest of the rabble here died to that. Impressive.¡± There was a man in the helicopter, the side door open. He was a little plain, dark hair and eyes commonplace in the land Akio called home, but the skin-tone and facial features were a little different, foreign. As he raised one hand, I saw gleaming sparks cascade around it, a vivid chartreuse shine glowing. Seeing that, my eyes lit up, and I found myself smiling. To think I resemble Hyacinth now. How ironic.


    ¡°I would thank you not-not to lump me in with such-such weaklings.¡± I said, clambering to my feet. I then channelled wind into my armour, the feathers vibrating rapidly, while gathering wind and water element, ready for use. ¡°Still, I do not-not think that is the way a male should great a female such as myself.¡±


    He barked a laugh, seeming genuinely amused. ¡°I apologise. You¡¯re quite right. But alas... the situation makes fools of us all. After all, when one starts riding a tiger, even if forced on at gunpoint, one can¡¯t simply get off, he has to go where the tiger takes him.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hyacinth had risen to her feet as well, scowling at the man. She was preparing to cast her spores, but I raised a hand, stopping her. ¡°Well, you seem a male we can talk to. The last... well, he merely rushed at us without any-any preamble, and was thus destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s gone to the belly of that thing already then, huh? Well, we knew that not all of us would get off the tiger alive.¡± He shrugged. ¡°So, excuse my rudeness, but are you a kami, as they call them here?¡±


    ¡°Bad move. They look like excellent conductors.¡± He grinned, lightning flashing down. My pinwheels blazed silver, the cords lit up brilliantly, and indeed, I screamed as lightning poured into me. Hyacinth cried out, panicked, but I reassured her with my eyes, even as smoke rose from my skin, wafted away by the vibrations of my armour.


    ¡°They are. I am not-not a fool.¡± I sniffed, smoke leaking from my open mouth, and with a faint clicking, the wires hidden in the heads of my pinwheels erupted out, and both of his hands were sliced off by the wind-infused strings. He screamed, losing control of his elemental mirrors, and as they vanished, he plummeted.


    ¡°Hyacinth, catch him!¡± I called out, and she unleashed vines, grabbing him none-too-gently, making me wince as I heard bones crunch and snap. Even so, he hit the ground alive. Striding over, my insides agony, but Ether Healing slowly restoring me, I stood over him.


    ¡°Well, you got me.¡± He managed weakly, barely able to move, one leg grotesquely broken, his arms missing. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t want to end up like this. But...¡± he coughed more blood. ¡°A question. Didn¡¯t you have other ways to kill me, ones... less risky? She could have fatally poisoned me at any time, right?¡± he nodded at Hyacinth, who giggled back.


    ¡°Indeed, you are not-not a fool, Ma Quon.¡± I declared, and he chuckled bitterly.


    ¡°So you do remember my name. Ah well, there are worse fates than being killed by beautiful women.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something rather foolish Akio would say.¡± I sniffed. ¡°Well, it is only natural to remember the name of someone I wish-wish a favour from.¡±


    ¡°A favour? I¡¯m dying. Even now... I can feel it reclaiming what it thinks belongs to it. We were only sent to find it some meals it wanted. In the end... we are its prey...¡± the bone sword was squirming, and I could see with my Mystic Eyes his chakra network was crumbling, being eaten away, the energy drawn into the sword, sent elsewhere.


    ¡°Be destroyed!¡± I enveloped the blade in Moonlight Spirit Water. It resisted, screaming and trying to absorb it, but my will was resolute, and soon it shattered. Hyacinth spread her spores over the wreckage, but the man merely shrugged.


    ¡°I appreciate it, but that won¡¯t stop it. It touched us all, changed us. There¡¯s some of it in us too. Filthy one-eyed piece of shit.¡± He swore for the first time. Indeed, I could see that while the rate of damage had slowed, he was still breaking apart.


    ¡°My condolences then. But... while I can not-not save your life, I believe I can send you to death painlessly, without becoming food. You fought well, and I can grant you that much at least.¡±


    ¡°You can?¡± Hope flared in his eyes, and I nodded.


    ¡°Though first, a favour. And a little revenge.¡± I smirked nastily. Akio often told me he loved all my smiles, even this wicked one.


    ¡°Revenge?¡± he asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Hyacinth, keep watch, and when I remove it, destroy it with your spores. I have no-no wish to be disturbed, this is most-most delicate work. And I must-must be swift. Akio will not-not be pleased if I tarry, but he will understand and forgive me. He is quite-quite sweet to us, no?¡±


    As Hyacinth laughingly agreed, I explained to the man what I wished. His eyes opened in surprise, but he laughed, pained. ¡°Very well. Yes, it is fitting. I¡¯ll do it...¡± He then started pulling in a huge amount of aether from the distant source that was consuming him, converting it all to lightning. Meanwhile, I started working Chirurgery, rummaging around in his ruined body, tearing out what seemed to be some sort of transparent, faintly yellowish slime, heedless of the surrounding damage. The man howled in pain, but he continued to pull in further lightning, his very body beginning to burn. I caught a glimpse of the Divine Favour within him, surrounded by most of the slime being devoured, and I tore into it. My body was wracked by lightning, my skin burning, the pain rather excruciating, but I had little time or leisure to care. It would not kill me, and what could be endured was nothing to fear.


    ¡°I dooo hate this icky goo.¡± Hyacinth declared as it was consumed by her ravenous spores, which had adapted to it, becoming more able to feast on it, though even as her spores went through generation after generation, the slime too fought back, eating it more rapidly. Even so, it was a battle that Hyacinth was destined to win, and soon all the foreign matter was removed, the air around us full of shimmering chartreuse energies, the man broken, dying, but at peace.


    ¡°I thank you.¡± He manged. ¡°At least... I won¡¯t end up as food. Perhaps I can find peace in the afterlife. Well, we killed many, so perhaps... not.¡± His eyes slid shut.


    ¡°Not yet, Ma Quon.¡± I warned, and his eyes cracked open a little. ¡°Your connection is severed, so you can not-not draw on more aether, but... the Divine Favour is close to breaking. Draw deep, and pass with it.¡±


    ¡°Slavedriver.¡± He muttered, and as his eyes slid shut a brilliant silver glow surrounded him, driving us back. Then lightning flashed, and his body exploded, reduced to a faint mist of silvery ash.


    ¡°Farewell, Ma Quon.¡± I said quietly. ¡°He was not-not an evil man. A shame. Perhaps he could have been an ally for Akio. Well, that is another foe slain. One each, I would say.¡±


    Hyacinth nodded. ¡°Are yooou well, Mistress Shaeula? You suffered many burns.¡±


    ¡±Of course I did. After all, did not-not Aiko boast that she truly understood the flames when she burned her hand?¡± I looked around the area, which was saturated with elemental lightning energies. ¡°I have studied. I know what it represents to the Fae. Swift retribution, the power to purify evil. I know what it represents to mortals, of electricity, and more. I know what it means to me.¡± I grinned, my teeth bloody. ¡°I was born with wind, I mastered flame. Lightning is created by cold and warm air colliding, well I do-do know it is more complicated, but... wind...¡± I grinned, starting to pull in the lightning element that Ma Quon had given his life to create, scattering it to the surroundings peacefully at my request. ¡°... wind I know like few others. And flame... well, lightning burns.¡± I giggled madly. There was little resistance, as I had no opposing or complementary elements to lightning, and my solar plexus and heart chakras, as well as my lunar one, were well accustomed to the elements that made up lightning.


    ¡°Yes, but Akio was very angry at her, was he nooot?¡± she pointed out, and my grin faltered for a moment. How could I forget that? Am I such a fool?


    ¡°Well, perhaps we will not-not tell him.¡± I said, shame-faced. Energy was pouring into me, and though there were traces of contamination still present, with the purity of my body powered by the Spirit Water, I could filter them out. ¡°I wish for this-this to be a happy event, where he praises me!¡±


    I remembered the powerful thunder buffeting me, the feel of electricity coursing through me, burning my spiritual self. I remembered the wonderful technology of the mortal world, mostly powered by the same phenomenon, if on smaller scale. As the energy rapidly diminished around me, I finally felt it, energy settling around my three relevant chakras. So... so powerful. I grinned, flicking my wrist, and a bolt of lightning coursed out, flashing through the air, thunder trailing behind it.


    ¡°You have dooone it!¡± Hyacinth clapped excitedly. ¡°Mistress Shaeula has mastered a Roooyal Element, that of the Queen!¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± I said, proud, before narrowing my eyes. ¡°Though do you not-not know Nature Element, the one of the King? So I suppose I should not-not be too proud. Even so...¡± I could hardly wait to face my father and siblings again, resplendent with such rare and royal energy. As I thought of that, I felt Hyacinth patting my head, confused, I looked up to see her tutting at me, expression stern.


    ¡°Your hair, it is such a mess nooow! All sticking up! You can nooot see Akio like this!¡± she fussed, and I felt myself flush with embarrassment.


    ¡°Fine. But we have tarried here long...¡± I paused, a column of flame rising like a majestic tree to the north. ¡°... enough.¡± I finished, as it died down. ¡°That was Akio. I recognise Foehn, since I was there-there when he acquired it.¡± My own half of Foehn recognised its fiery twin too. Well, it sems Akio has grown stronger too.


    ¡°Well, I dare say Akio is dealing with others, much-much as we are. Now, let us proceed.¡± And with that, we continued eastwards, towards the distant sounds of battle...

 Three Hundred And Twenty Five *contains status – Akio*

    Three Hundred And Twenty Five *contains status ¨C Akio*


    ¡°So, what will you do with her?¡± Daiyu asked me, as we looked down on the gibbering, injured woman. Her eyes wide and her mouth in a rictus grin of madness, she spat at me, but I easily stepped aside from the bloody, silvery spittle. ¡°I trust you are aware being merciful is folly? She attempted to kill us, and her ability is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I let out a long sigh. I get it now. ¡°No, while finishing her off quickly is important...¡± as I mentioned finishing her off the woman flinched, and her angry expression changed, becoming more wheedling. The blood flowing from the stumps of her arms was starting to slow, but her body was beginning to burn with purple energies, which definitely felt Spatial in nature.


    ¡°Please, I was... I was wrong.¡± She gasped out, somehow managing to roll onto her stomach. It was strange how quickly she changed her tune, from cold, bored hatred, to insane chittering, and now to what she likely assumed was seductive begging. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I never did. That¡¯s why I had no choice. I¡¯m being eaten alive, if you kill me... ugh, it would be such a drag being food. A fate really worse than death. I¡¯ve seen it...¡± her eyes were mad, and I wondered if her crazed behaviour might have something to do with what she¡¯d endured. Seeing my eyes softening a little, Daiyu elbowed me tiredly in the side, reminding me not to fall for it, but the woman clung to any shard of hope.


    ¡°Want me to kiss and lick your feet? I¡¯ll do it if you somehow save me from being eaten!¡± She stuck out her tongue, trying to squirm towards me with her bleeding stumps. ¡°I¡¯ll lick anything else you want! My arms... I¡¯ll even forgive you for taking them. If you get me servants and keep me in comfort, I¡¯ll let you use me however you want. However you want.¡± Her tongue was moving lasciviously, and there was a dark shadow in her eyes, even as her body was burning away. She screamed, spitting blood.


    ¡°This woman is beyond saving. Her mind has gone. Best to end her suffering. That is the only mercy you should afford her. You must make haste, no? While you delay, others are fighting.¡±


    The woman changed again, back to bitter madness, and she started screaming abuse at Daiyu, calling her a whore and worse, intermixed with screaming wails and sobs. Ignoring that, I bent down over her, my Eye glowing. The chance was too important to pass up. ¡°I¡¯ll try and save you from being devoured...¡± I whispered. ¡°... but first, shut. Up.¡± At my cold tone the woman froze. ¡°Daiyu¡¯er is no loose woman, she¡¯s a proud Cultivator, a warrior. A seeker of vengeance. Don¡¯t tar her with your brush. Now, choose quickly. I doubt you¡¯ll live, but... I want to remove your Divine Favour. Doing so, I¡¯ll also clear the poison that¡¯s devouring you.¡±


    ¡°You can... do that? Wait, I¡¯ll die?¡± she said, back to her languid, depressed state, her moods mercurial.


    ¡°Probably. You¡¯re in bad shape, and I¡¯m about to do radical surgery. But at least you won¡¯t be food.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± she cried. ¡±If I live, I¡¯m dead anyway! My body will be bleeding out, all alone underground!¡±


    ¡°Underground, huh?¡± I said, intrigued. For a moment she looked pained she had spoken, before physical agony once more overwhelmed her.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell you where we are hiding! I will!¡± she sobbed. ¡°But... in exchange, if I survive, you have to look after me for the rest of my life! Asylum! From China, and that... that hideous beast!¡± she begged. ¡°Servants so I can live my life without arms, prosthetics, whatever... you can keep me as a mistress, a slave! Just... don¡¯t leave me to die!¡± Tears were dropping from her eyes, and despite her obvious malice, I was a little moved by her cries. But I didn¡¯t even need the elbow from Daiyu again to know what I had to do.


    ¡°All right. Tell Daiyu¡¯er while I work. If you live through this, we¡¯ll come and get you.¡± Though you¡¯ll still have to answer to Japanese law. If you make it through that, then I¡¯ll set you up with a modest life. But...


    Hope flared in her eyes, warring with pain and madness. She began to gasp out words to the disapproving Daiyu, as I began to form multiple blades of aether, tinged with adherence. I see. They buried themselves underground, and used several abilities together to get both people and weapons to the Boundary. It¡¯s really ingenious. These bone blades though...


    The woman, who I realised I had never even asked her name, screamed. The slime within was fighting me, horrible transparent jelly, flecked with dirty yellow fragments of the same sort of bone that was comprising the blades we had destroyed. Even so, my skills with Chirurgery were pretty good, so soon I was pulling out chunks of it, burning it with Foehn. I even applied a little Ether Healing, just enough to keep her alive. I see, it seems that most of the slime is concentrated around the heart and crown chakras, as well as even more around the Divine Favour. The Divine Favour was located below her third eye chakra, and it was starting to crumble apart at the edges, adherence, aether and something else even my Eye couldn¡¯t discern pulled from it and ferried away by the spatial element the goo was leaking. Well, we can¡¯t be having that, can we?


    ¡°Wait, Luo Jiahao?¡± Daiyu said, surprised. ¡°The Patriarch of the Mountain Fang? He¡¯s in charge?¡±


    It seemed Daiyu knew one of the people involved quite well, but even with my Split Thoughts, this was difficult work. I had cleared out most of the goo, though the additional damage it had inflicted on the woman would have been fatal without some Ether Healing. As I worked, the last lifted free, and as Foehn burned it, her eyes went wide. ¡°Wait, the devouring... it¡¯s... it¡¯s stopped?¡± she muttered, incredulous.


    ¡°Yes. It was some sort of parasite, devouring you and sending your energy somewhere. It almost felt like some sort of colony or hive mind...¡± I had a little experience with that, thanks to Duke Myrcolaxriath and his Myconid puppets.


    ¡°Then the creature of slime Master Luo holds is...¡± Daiyu realised it as well.


    ¡°Also the creature. It seems that its body is one organism, even when separated. Ingenious.¡± I admired. ¡°If still disgusting.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve survived then?¡± the maimed woman said hopefully. ¡°I worried I...¡±


    Don¡¯t look at me like that, Daiyu. I know. ¡°The first part. Now...¡± I looked down with some sympathy, but also resolve. ¡°You have to give up your Divine Favour. You used it for ill, coerced or not, and you have to pay for your sins. Shouldn¡¯t you know that, considering what your ability was?¡±


    ¡°I... wait, we can talk about...¡± she began, only to shudder as I began to carve away at the Favour within her. It resisted fiercely, strings of adherence, aether and a third substance fighting me, and when I cut them carelessly, the Favour suffered further damage. My concentration was exerted to its peak, the world around me fading away, as I tried to unlock this fiendish puzzle. I need to practice. If I ever need to remove the Favour from someone safely, then this experience will be valuable...


    With a final wrench I pulled free the Divine Favour, an amber message scrolling across my vision. My focus diminishing, I looked down at the object I held, shimmering and crackling, a mist of aether and adherence rising. I glanced at the woman, but she had died, her maimed and partially devoured body unable to take the shock of separation. Seeing where I was looking, Daiyu put her hand on my shoulder awkwardly.


    ¡°It was for the best. She died as herself, that is a better end than she could have hoped for. If you had time to spend, then maybe she could have been saved, but there are victims here who deserve your aid, not the perpetrators. After all, have you not someone to protect?¡±


    I agreed, touched that she was trying to comfort me, rather clumsily, but I appreciated the sentiments. Placing my hand over hers, I grinned, and it was genuine. Yeah, it doesn¡¯t feel good, knowing she died, just so I could take her Favour, but... Tsukiko-san is right. Some things are meant to be. And for Tsukiko-san, or any of the Candidates in Kyoto, a hundred of her wouldn¡¯t be a fair trade... if I want to prevent having to make such trades in future, then more strength is what I need, which is why I did this...


    ¡°I shall return to the Territory of your ghost woman.¡± Daiyu declared, her wounds slowly healing. ¡°I will be a liability for you now.¡± She looked down, aggrieved, but not pulling her hand away. ¡°It pains me that I am so weak, but...¡± her dark eyes were resolute. ¡°I shall obtain strength.¡±


    ¡°I know you will. Perhaps we can talk about Spiritually Pure Physique when this is all over?¡±


    ¡°When this is over, yes...¡± she looked at me then, eye to eye. ¡°... when this is over, I will strive to become a worthy Matriarch of the Incorruptible Jade. Perhaps I will even find some worthy disciples in this land, amongst your colleagues. And there are... secrets... to share. That should remain secret no longer. Techniques, Arts...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll support you with anything you need.¡± I promised. ¡°Now, I have to hurry, this has already taken too long.¡±


    Clenching my fist, I remembered the corpses of my trainees, and a surge of anger welled up in me. It¡¯s happening again. Though this time, there truly was nothing I could have done to prevent it, but...


    Seeing the Cultivators hunting for any survivors, bone blades at the waists of some, I growled, before leaping forwards, furious. A Cultivator spotted me, but before he could raise a cry I had already struck him down. Blood scattered from Cutting Twilight, and behind me purple smoke was rising from the corpse. Shit. I¡¯m such a soft touch... flames burst into being, and Foehn consumed the corpse, slime and all, Foehn being noticeably easier to wield and more potent now. Seeing the flames, other Cultivators responded, and some even pulled their bone swords. Those I dealt with mercilessly, my speed outmatching them, leaving them looking as if they were wading through treacle, unable to respond to my fatal blows. Those that engaged me without wielding their swords, I ended mercifully, ripping out and burning the slime and bone blades to ashes.


    A few of the Cultivators who I had purged of the slime started rising to their feet, but I expected that, and flame blazed, reducing their cursed bodies to ash. When I was done, I looked around dully at the massacred Sect. I really hope none of them were Daiyu¡¯s comrades... no, even if they were, I can¡¯t forgive this...


    ¡°Aren¡¯t... you going to kill me too?¡± a quiet voice said, and surprised, I realised I had missed someone. There was a young woman kneeling there, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun, a bone blade beside her. Though the blade is clean. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been used. There¡¯s a lot of old blood on her clothes though. Her front was soaked with gore, and purple smoke was rising faintly from her, her face set in an expression of pain.


    ¡°And you are?¡± I asked, my hands tight on Cutting Twilight. She must have noticed that, as her pained expression became calmer.


    ¡°I am Nie Ling, and this atrocity is my doing.¡± She admitted. ¡°I...¡± she vomited, mostly empty pink-tinged bile, before rubbing at her chapped lips, her pale skin now a paper white. ¡°I...¡± she began again. ¡°I have the blessings of the Duke of Dreams. Though all my dreams, they are merely nightmares now.¡± She coughed. ¡°This... this is what I was tasked to do. I never wanted this, but...¡±


    Stepping closer, she flinched, before relaxing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, conscious time was short.


    ¡°I pulled these poor people into this world of dreams. Then... then they were murdered.¡± Her expression twisted.


    ¡°By you?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it. I know the others wanted to. They want revenge on the Ministry and on China. I... I just wanted to survive.¡± Her waxy cheeks glittered with a scattering of tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to die. I was selfish. And that led to... a worse fate. Ah, I can feel it eating away at me. The creature knows my role here is done. Won¡¯t... won¡¯t you kill me?¡± she looked at me hopefully. ¡°I considered it, but I was too scared to do the deed myself, and I can¡¯t use that...¡± she looked down at the bone blade. Suddenly she squealed, as Foehn erupted, flames consuming the blade, reducing the squirming thing to ashes.


    ¡°... so how many died here?¡± I asked, and she looked down.


    ¡°Hundreds, certainly. Some fled, but this place is dangerous. Few will endure until the dream wears off. Not so strengthened by the poisonous breath of it.¡±


    I focused my senses, using aether to enhance them, allowing me to see great distances in all directions. My brain ached fiercely, eyes throbbing, but moments later I let out a bitter sigh. ¡°Yes, I... I don¡¯t see anyone. Just dissolving corpses. Hundred and hundreds. Are you satisfied then, Nie Ling?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am not!¡± she declared. ¡°But what would you have done?¡± she accused me. ¡°It isn¡¯t merely death that scares me... though I¡¯m afraid of dying.¡± She admitted. ¡°But what waits for us is worse than death. At best, total oblivion, no hope of rebirth or any afterlife...¡± her lips quirked. ¡°The afterlife. I never believed in such a thing up until I was visited by a messenger from Zho?u Go?ng in my dreams...¡± she wiped at her face. ¡°... and if not that, then torture as its food.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I know I¡¯d never have done this!¡± I said, my Eye shining, seeing her Divine Favour and the mess of slime surrounding it. I see, it¡¯s largely untouched, looks like the devouring has only just started.


    ¡°I saw what you did.¡± She said, a trace of hope in her eyes. ¡°I... could you please remove the beast from me before you kill me?¡± she lay down in front of me, grinding her head into my feet. ¡°It is shameful to ask, my hands are so soaked with innocent blood. I never cared about revenge, not like many of the others. I just wanted to go far, far away, live in peace. But now... I shall settle for peace in death. Just... it may be selfish, but you allowed some of the others to be free in death, I saw.¡±


    My hand twitched on the hilt of Cutting Twilight. Yes, you may not have killed them with your own hands, but you¡¯ve killed nonetheless. Even those who fled successfully will likely die, slain by the dwellers of Kyoto, never understanding where the dangers lay... seeing that, she sighed. ¡°I expected it was too much to ask. Well, at least... make it quick. Being consumed is frighteningly painful. I pray you never have to face it.¡±


    ¡°So you met the golden-eyed creature then?¡± I asked, and she looked startled.


    ¡°You... you know of it?¡±


    ¡°I do. Let me ask you this. I want three things. Your Divine Favour. Information. And for you to face Japanese justice for what you¡¯ve done. I can¡¯t see any outcome but death for you, being honest. But if you face it, at least you¡¯ll die with some pride and dignity.¡±


    ¡°My Divine Favour? The gift? You can take it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can. Now choose quickly, I have others to pursue.¡±


    ¡°I can tell you of the others, some of them at least.¡± She said. ¡°But if I am to survive, you will have to... argh!¡± she screamed as I wrenched out the slime polluting her Astral body. I was not gentle, though I made sure to be delicate around her Divine Favour. I don¡¯t want to take it now, I¡¯d just end up breaking it down. If we can transplant it later...


    She dry-heaved and sobbed from the pain once more, as flames scattered, burning slime reduced to ash. ¡°Now, I know you are hidden underground. We¡¯ll find your bodies soon, but...¡± she nodded as I asked her various things. ¡°... oh, and don¡¯t even think of running.¡± I assured her. ¡°Or when I find you, and I will, you¡¯ll wish I left the slime in you...¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I will do as you have asked. I am so tired... so tired.¡± She was barely able to raise her head. ¡°I... do you think I can ever be forgiven for this?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m no saint myself, I can¡¯t judge. But...¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°In the end, you have a chance to give something back. If you try to make amends yourself, then perhaps the Gods will understand.¡± I finished, and she sighed.


    ¡°I see. So unscientific. Well, I pray for your victory, and... beware the one who calls himself the Judge of Death. He is dangerous.¡± She shuddered, remembering his threats to her. ¡°And should... you come across Luo Jiahao... please remember, he is not an evil man, just... just a desperate, grieving one.¡±


    With that she vanished, returning to the Material, to make contact with the JSDF, guiding them to the hiding spot. ¡°Not an evil man, huh?¡± I looked around, his slain Cultivators mingled in with the dead, the man himself apparently having moved on to the next stage of the plan. ¡°No, this looks plenty evil enough for me...¡± my gaze strayed North, to where the remaining Cultivators and apparently more Candidates had gone. ¡°... well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I have to finish this...¡±

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Six

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Six


    ¡°Keep up the assault, kill the Japanese pigs!¡± a soldier was shouting, as he ordered the Infantry Fighting Vehicle beside him to open fire, the machine guns rattling out a stream of tracer rounds towards the defences arrayed around Kinkaku-ji. The golden temple was truly magnificent in the Boundary, towering high into the sky, golden horns the height of skyscrapers glittering, their weight truly impossible to be supported in the Material. Other soldiers were opening fire with their own weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, which were impacting on the shrinking barrier around the Territory. Flashes of golden energy were launched back from a number of Emplacements, and all around us cries, shouts and explosions were echoing.


    Okay, I get it. My mom made sure Aiko and I, Eri too, we had a more balanced view of history than Japanese schools taught, as we studied from some English textbooks at home a well as our Japanese schoolbooks, so I understand that Japan wasn¡¯t exactly... pleasant... during the war. We were hardly alone in that, but still, there¡¯s a lot of justified resentment between us and other Asian countries. Even so, that hardly excuses that sort of hatred. Very few people living now were even born during the War... I was worried that the advent of the Divine Favours was only going to spark further conflict and hatred. Already we had this mess, and the USA kidnapping citizens of other countries for nefarious purposes. That¡¯s why I need power... a lot of power. I have to be in a position to deter war. Surely we have other enemies to fight. Like this golden-eyed creature. And it won¡¯t be the last. Six Princesses. Six events or enemies that threaten the whole world...


    My Eye glowed as I observed the vehicles and weapons. In addition to several IFV¡¯s, there were also several artillery pieces, and as they fired, the barrier around Kinkaku-ji finally collapsed, a spray of rainbow energies cascading everywhere. It was pretty, but ominously so. A shell fell inside the perimeter, gouging out a crater in the ground, shredding a Defensive Emplacement, scattering ether. Moments later, a circular hole in space appeared above the troops, and through it I could see a million glimmering stars of energy. Seconds later, the area under the rift was smote by a shining wave of light element. The Chinese soldiers dissolved to ashes, and the artillery pieces shattered, melted metal flying and causing further casualties, before the rift winked out, leaving traces of violet spatial element behind.


    I don¡¯t think that Gaze of Avalokiteshvara was a benevolent one... Ignoring the deaths, I continued to observe. It seemed that the ability, the surge of aether, that was attached to the vehicles and modern weapons of the troops was starting to fade, so it was only a matter of time before the items returned to whence they came. At that point, the soldiers would be largely useless. Other than zombies, that is... As if understanding that, the leader of the troops was exhorting his men forwards, even as they were taking fire from inside Kinkaku-ji, the Defensive Emplacements accurately targeting them with orbs of aether.


    Looks like it¡¯s being handled, but... Three Candidates were making their own way into Kinkaku-ji, bone blades in hand. They would be my target. But first... I moved, reaching the IFV¡¯s in a blink of an eye. Having switched Might of the Furious Earth back to enhancing my strength, my power was incredible, so I simply slammed one vehicle, metal shearing under the impact. As the side caved in, I channelled flame inside, and it exploded. I leapt onto the second, wrenching off the machine gun, and opened fire. Cries went out from the soldiers, but I hardened my heart and cut them all down. As expected, their bodies twitched, despite their many wounds, beginning to zombify, so I called out a blanket of flame, incinerating them all.


    This is what I don¡¯t want Eri and my sis to face. Being honest, my sis... with her Golden Warriors, she probably could have been useful, especially in the defence of Tsukuyomi-jinja, but... even with my sky-high Resilience, I¡¯m going to have nightmares about this. It may be selfish, and I know I can¡¯t protect them from this forever, but... let me have this now, as a big brother and as a lover. I want them both to stay clean as long as they can. Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi, they shouldn¡¯t face this either. Not yet...


    Seeing my sudden attack from the rear, the three Candidates panicked. Two turned to face me, a pair of men, while the third, a rather large woman, her gaudy clothing accentuated with a number of tasteless accessories such as chunky rings, thick necklaces and more, let out a dull squawk and ran, deeper into the Territory of Kinkaku-ji, vanishing from view with surprising speed. Maybe I should have taken these out first, but... the soldiers seemed largely unaffected by the devouring slime, unlike the Cultivators and these Candidates, so sending them to their deaths was one thing, but having them be devoured was quite another.


    ¡°Whoa, the blade, it wants to taste this guy bad.¡± one of them said, turning to his companion.


    The other, a fairly tall man for an Asian, even overtopping my height, nodded, holding his own bone blade, which was starting to drool clear slime and purple energies. ¡°Yeah. I thought it wanted some food in this gaudy golden shithole, but it seems this guy is the tastiest of all.¡±


    ¡°Guess he must be powerful then? You think we can take him?¡± the first man asked, his non-descript features hard to describe. He looks so ordinary, like someone you might pass in the street. To think he¡¯s a Candidate...


    ¡°With the cursed power we have? I think...¡± the tall man didn¡¯t finish his sentence, merely letting out a dull roar, an emerald shockwave striking me at the speed of sound. For a moment I was stunned, the pressure intense, my mind aching, but it quickly cleared. Only a moment had passed, but the second Candidate had rushed at me, covering the distance quickly, materialising an ornate suit of crystalline armour, the bone sword in his hand being enlarged, now rather than a single-handed blade, a massive, two-handed, pulsating chunk of bone and crystal nearly seven feet long.


    ¡°Too slow.¡± I said, Body Enhancement thrumming within me, my muscles pounding with energy, and I ducked aside as the bone blade swung down, ripping a great furrow into the ground. Sharp blasts of wind were flying at me, the other Candidate flanking me, and I was forced to deflect them with my own wind.


    ¡°You¡¯re fast, bastard. That your blessing?¡± the armoured swordsman asked, wrenching the blade free and swinging at me again.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Cutting Twilight met the bone sword, and spatial elements clashed violently, nearly jarring the sword from my opponent¡¯s grasp. As he gasped, a typhoon of green surrounded me, trying to hem me in. The insides were sharp and humming quietly, much like Shaeula¡¯s Emerald Wind Prison, but against my tough body the gusts were doing little damage, and I transferred Might of the Furious Earth back to improving my toughness, reducing the cutting gale to nothing.


    ¡°Fire beats wind.¡± I declared, and suddenly I was surrounded by an inferno, the wind consumed. I then hurled the flame out, and the sword-wielder staggered backwards, his armour smouldering, his face burned through the slits of his transparent, glassy helm. This one wasn¡¯t on the list that Yasaka-san gathered. The other must be the wind user that was...


    ¡°Shit, my eyes...¡± he snarled, half-blinded, blade swinging to and fro. I ignored him though, racing towards the taller wind-wielder.


    ¡°Fuck! Snake bindings!¡± he hissed, verdant air energies cloaking him, forming a jade serpent of wind that darted out towards me. I could feel a large amount of aether invested into it, bolstering the winds, but it was useless. Foehn exploded outwards, and the wind burned. Time to use its new tricks.


    ¡°Vibration horns!¡± he screeched out shrilly as Foehn turned itself into a fiery snake, creeping towards him. Two green horns erupted from his brow, and the Foehn scattered, torn apart by intense shockwaves. I was nearly splattered with my own flames, which would have been a very foolish way to get hurt.


    Time to end this. Light flashed, and the foe toppled, screaming in pain. Bolts of light energy pierced his knees, and he dropped to the ground, rolling around in agony. Yeah, these two aren¡¯t anywhere near as strong as the last pair Daiyu and I fought. ¡°Stay down.¡± I advised. ¡°I¡¯ve already removed that damn slime from a few others. I...¡± darting to the side, I was glad I continued to use aether to widen my vision, as the armoured man rushed at me, blade bisecting the air where my head was just moments before.


    ¡°The bastard did something to my legs!¡± the fallen wind-user cried, before dragging himself to his knees and summoning a massive mass of wind. ¡°Cut him! If we feed him to it, we might live a little longer!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got this! We don¡¯t even need that useless fat pig to help us!¡± the sword-wielder cried. He charged, and I threw out bolts of light to stop him too, but the ornate, crystal armour diffused the bolts in a shower of silver and indigo light. Switching to bullets of rock and water, I pelted him, driving him back, transparent chips scattering, his armour dented. Wind slammed down behind me like a dozen mighty fists, and the ground exploded. My own winds formed a shield around me, and I powered through, clashing my sword against that of my enemy. The blade squealed, acidic slime scattering, but I burned it all to ashes with Foehn before it could reach me, the droplets of Foehn hitting the ground, coalescing, and starting to climb the legs of my foe.


    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m on fire...¡± he snarled. His armour shattered around his burning legs, scattering the Foehn, before reforming near instantly. He used that moment to rush me again, his speed and strength far in excess of any normal person. But compared to Candidates specialising in such abilities, he might as well be in slow motion. His stats are what... three hundred, maybe? Four hundred tops...


    The ground exploded under him, earth element creating a massive crater. As he fell into it, suddenly all sound stopped, and I could see a shimmering green haze around me. For a moment my breathing stopped, chest burning, before I shook my head to clear my mind. I shouldn¡¯t need to breathe here, it¡¯s clearly psychological. Of course, the urge to breathe was such a deep-rooted biological impulse that happened automatically, so my brain was telling me that I was suffocating, a most unpleasant feeling. Separating off one of my Split Thoughts to manage that reflex, I turned away from the fallen knight and headed back towards the wind-wielder.


    With my own wind I shattered his vacuum bubble, before more focussed lasers plunged into his body, inflicting numerous deep wounds, blood scattering. ¡°You know, if I just wanted to kill you two, this would be easy...¡± I complained, surprising myself. I guess I¡¯m becoming desensitised to the slaughter. Ugh, no, I need to feel every death. I can¡¯t shy away from doing what needs to be done, but if I ever get too numb to it, I¡¯ll grow callous.


    ¡°You bastard...¡± he thrashed and writhed in agony. ¡°I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°Good to see you, Akio-san.¡± Saionji-san greeted me, exhaling wearily. ¡°Thanks for your help earlier.¡±


    ¡°You saw, huh?¡± I shrugged, as Yasaka-san brought me some tea. I quickly swigged it, feeling a little refreshed.


    ¡°Of course, the compassionate gaze of Avalokiteshvara sees all.¡± he said piously. ¡°The wrathful gaze too, alas.¡± He paused. ¡°I did manage to slay an enemy Chosen earlier, before we were forced back to Kinkaku-ji by weight of numbers. I¡¯ve been using my blessing, despite your warnings...¡±


    I waved that away. ¡°I said it was fine in life-or-death situations. And this certainly is that. Besides, I think just the presence of these Chinese Candidates and Cultivators is already damaging the Boundary. So anyway, you got one too, huh?¡±


    ¡°I expect you¡¯ve done better.¡± He grinned slyly, and I nodded.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been involved with six. Strength, Ice, Mirror Reflection...¡± Yasaka-san shuddered at that, remembering the rather baleful description of her powers, which to be honest, didn¡¯t do her justice. ¡°... and the two outside, wind, and one we didn¡¯t know about, some sort of summoned armour and weapon enhancement. They¡¯re all dead now.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t set out looking for violence, Akio-san, did you? You were merely defending our citizens. Wait, that¡¯s only five, you said six.¡±


    I nodded, allowing him to console me. ¡°Yes, I also ran into one who could pull or send ordinary people to the Boundary...¡± I told him the story of Nie Ling, and at the end he was horrified.


    ¡°So many innocent people dead. These bastards...¡± Saionji-san declared, enraged. ¡°Death is too good for them, even if they were forced by this golden-eyed creature. Are you sure you should have let her go?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s a gamble, but a calculated one. Her Divine Favour, I¡¯d very much like to find someone compatible, and taking it then and there was too risky.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can remove and transplant those abilities. I¡¯d keep that a secret known only to a select few.¡± He warbled, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the plan. Only the upper echelons of the Ministry, and those that receive the abilities, should know. The last thing we want is a worldwide hunt for Candidates. It¡¯ll be bad enough without that, there¡¯s still too much incentive for us to prey on each other for strength...¡± It¡¯s why I haven¡¯t told you about taking Yamato-san¡¯s favour, or that my sister has it now. Gu Vessel or not, I¡¯ll not allow it to end up like a ¡®there can only be one¡¯ situation. Too many people I care about would have to die.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s next? The area here seems stable, thanks to your aid.¡± Saionji-san mused.


    ¡°Not exactly. There¡¯s one issue left...¡± I said, remembering that fat woman who scurried off deeper into the Territory. ¡°I think a rat has crept in.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Saionji-san asked, and I nodded, smiling at Yasaka-san.


    ¡°So, time to get out the Book of Providence. I¡¯d like to know how many of our enemies remain, anyway.¡± I grinned at his expression, patting him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after all this is sorted, you can join me back in my Territory for more hard grinding. Maybe we¡¯ll even have time for a trip to the lands of the Fae.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He sighed. ¡°Let me ask...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, there¡¯s already ten of them dead. The five you killed, the one I killed, and four others.¡± Saionji-san mused. ¡°If you count out the girl who retreated after meeting you, that leaves twelve. We¡¯re still on the back foot here.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, but we also know that Haru-san¡¯s Territory is currently safe, as is Tsukuyomi-jinja. It¡¯s a shame some of them seem to be untraceable, and I¡¯m worried by this Judge of Death... but fancy finding out our fat little rat has the ability to move items between the Boundary and the Material.¡± I found myself excited, clenching my fist. What could Ixitt do with access to that? It would advance our plans by weeks, maybe even months.


    ¡°Right. But if she¡¯s in here, where could she be? And what¡¯s her objective?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I had to guess, maybe she¡¯s after your Anchor? Destroying that might give her the chance to steal your Favour, and even if it doesn¡¯t, it¡¯ll destroy the Territory. But aren¡¯t your Defensive Emplacements triggering?¡± That had been brothering me. Kinkaku-ji was one of the stronger Territories in Kyoto, and Saionji-san had not been lax in prioritising defences, as I had seen briefly during my earlier engagement with the Chinese soldiers.


    ¡°No, they haven¡¯t been, it¡¯s strange. Well, the Anchor is here...¡± he looked at the golden column behind us, shimmering with iridescent energies. ¡°... so if she comes for it, then she¡¯s done for, right?¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yes. So, just what is she up to?¡± I looked at Yasaka-san again, who groaned.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He wiped a little blood from his nose. ¡°But I want a holiday after this.¡±


    ¡°If I get that Divine Favour, I¡¯ll make sure you are given enough rewards to enjoy a fantastic break.¡± I laughed. ¡°Now, ask your book, where is this woman, and what the hell is she up to?¡±

 Side One Hundred And Twenty-One – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side One Hundred And Twenty-One ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    ¡°Boss, he¡¯s making a break for it!¡± Suzu called, waving her parasol frantically like a flag, as the scrawny Chinese dissident ran down one of the many side alleyways that made up this tangled part of Boundary Kyoto, overlapping walls and roofs of ornate design, festooned with streamers and prettily-burning paper lanterns, making a stunning backdrop ill-suited to the frenetic pursuit.


    ¡°I see him. He shall not escape us.¡± Tan said, still in charge of Shiro¡¯s body by Divine Possession, and as Tan strode through the myriad alcoves, Shiro winced inwardly.


    Hey, Tan, I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while, but should you really be so rough with my arm? I mean, it¡¯s pretty much ruined, yet you¡¯ve been doing quite a lot of hard effort with it, like when you caught that fiery wheel...


    Do not worry, princess. With my great adherence, forcing your damaged arm to work is a simple matter. Yes, it is suffering some backlash and further injury, but that will simply give that healer creature... the tone of her thoughts was cynical, unpleasant... ...something further to test her skills.


    I know you don¡¯t like her, Tan, but don¡¯t break me to prove a point! Shiro would have been pouting if she was in control of her face right now, and instead had to settle for indignant thoughts. You know how important it is for me to get back into good shape!


    I do. Tan¡¯s thoughts now contained amusement. I must say, I find your emotions rather charming. Even if I would rather devour your man whole. He grows ever tastier. But alas...


    Alas my ass, Tan! There¡¯ll be no eating Aki, or any of the others! I know you know that...


    ¡°I do indeed.¡± Tan said out loud, drawing a quizzical look from the silently following Arisu, who had recovered from her overuse of her Room. As Tan gestured it was nothing, her thoughts continued. I am resigned to such. Though it seems that my goals can still be met, even on this newer path. He has no attachment to the pantheon that has blessed him, so there is still hope he can be swayed to my faction. But you care little about that, no?


    As they stalked their prey, Suzu constantly calling out his location, on him like a very pretty bloodhound, Shiro caught a glimpse of Bunta ahead of them, hunched down, moving rather quickly. Damn right I don¡¯t care. That¡¯s for the future. Now I¡¯m just worried about my body and scars...


    Well, when we catch our prey, you will see that the little additional injury the Divine Possession is causing will be more than worth it in the end. After all, pain is merely temporary, is it not?


    Yeah, but it still damn well sucks. Hey, is that him again? Shiro asked, spotting their prey. Suzu leapt down from the rooftop she was on, scaring their opponent, who scattered to the left, passing under a shadowed archway, frantically trying to shake our pursuit.


    A bad move.


    Indeed.


    Moments later the shadows moved, coils stretching out, and suddenly the fleeing man was bound, tendrils of solid shadow creeping up, twisting around his limbs, holding him in place. Bunta stepped out of his hiding spot, looking nervous but pleased, small eyes glittering darkly, and the shadows constricted painfully, causing the man to howl in pain.


    Ugh, I¡¯ve often thought this, but Bunta¡¯s powers are pretty perverted. I bet Aki, Yasu and Shugo would love them... I¡¯d not feel safe going near them. Well, I guess I can trust Aki... wait, can I? No, I¡¯m pretty certain Aki wants to ravish me...


    ¡°Enough foolishness.¡± Tan proclaimed, her good eye blazing red, as she lifted their scarred face to sniff the air. ¡°I smell a second. Excellent, this is one I wish to devour.¡±


    A rain of brilliant white arrows of light started pouring down, and the bound prisoner tried to escape, his efforts futile, as several arrows grazed him, scattering blood which then steamed and smoked, the heat from the arrows of light intense. Bunta was still under cover, but the building around him was pockmarked and shredded, full of holes like a colander.


    More arrows were aimed at Suzu, and she flung herself backwards, barely escaping the savage deluge. ¡°Hey, watch out, if I get scarred or my legs get hurt, I¡¯ll not be able to perform!¡± she squawked, indignant. The rain of arrows then marched towards Tan and Arisu. The later opened her Room and ducked aside, shooting a glance at the flame-wreathed form of Tan as she did so.


    ¡°I shall be fine.¡± Tan promised as Arisu vanished. Flames expanded in a halo around her, and Shiro marvelled at how much greater her control was. I feel a bit pathetic, you know. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have left everything to you?


    Flames of Thirst and Famine clashed with the shining arrows, and the explosion as they fought each other shattered the hanging chains of charms and scattered the lanterns, now burning in their entirety. A nearby wall collapsed inwards, and the ground below their feet bubbled and boiled. Ouch, that¡¯s hot. My poor feet...


    Better that than being pierced by these arrows... ¡°Show yourself, little fool.¡± Tan taunted, casting flames in the direction the arrows had come from. ¡°I can smell you. You shall not escape my flames!¡±


    ¡°Help me! Please! I¡¯m not a fighter!¡± the man trapped in the shadowy coils was pleading. ¡±Without me, you couldn¡¯t be this strong!¡± Shiro felt bad as Tan translated his squeals for her.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± Tan sneered, as the man was blubbering, his eyes streaming and his nose leaking snot. ¡°They come here to kill, yet when the tables are turned...¡± more arrows of light interrupted her words, followed by a blinding flash of brilliant white light. Shiro felt pain as her body was pierced by several arrows, though due to Tan being in full control, they didn¡¯t inflict fatal wounds, as they would have to her.


    Hey, don¡¯t let me get all beat up!


    ¡°I do not intend to.¡± Tan leapt, adherence and aether powering her leap, and as she cleared the nearby buildings, the opponent was visible, an old, wrinkled woman, wearing a shimmering white robe, that seemed to reflect the surrounding light into a prism of various hues. Her face was twisted into a scowl, and at her waist was another of the horrible bone blades. As Tan came into her view, she darted to the side with surprising grace, pointing her fingers, which called forth another torrent of the gleaming white bolts.


    ¡°So insolent.¡± Tan sneered, her flames once more overwhelming the projectiles, sending smaller fireballs raining down around their opponent. They could hear Suzu cheering from her new vantage-point, her dress torn and ripped, her face smeared with dirt.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m super curious.¡± Suzu giggled. ¡°Just what would be perfect for the boss?¡±


    ¡°Well, I believe... a giver of gifts.¡± Tan smirked, and even though the captive couldn¡¯t understand her words, he must have been scared by her tone, as he soiled himself again, squealing in fear.


    You know, Tan... I wonder... are we the bad guys here? I mean, fair enough, that woman, we were fighting in battle, so it seemed a reasonable conclusion, but this... I¡¯m getting a guilty conscience. I don¡¯t know why. After all, I was going to give you the world, right? So why does this make me feel so damn awful?


    Well, as I admitted, I did allure you a little, soothing your conscience. Not forcing you to obey, never that, I would not be so crass. Merely... softening the pain. Now that is absent, for your man, he made it very clear I was to allow you your own freedom. But I believe there is another reason...


    Shit, yeah. I¡¯ve always been cold and selfish. Who could blame me? But Aki... well, he shines the most when he¡¯s out to save others, just like he saved my heart. I... I don¡¯t want him to hate me. But then, I don¡¯t want to lose either. Not to the other girls. I want to be the number one!


    And to do that, you need your own power. Besides... this one may not have fought, but... the prisoner squirmed under her crimson gaze. He empowered others to kill, and I am sure his hands are not clean. None of those who came here are. They came to feed many lives to their blades. Besides...


    Besides? Shiro was conflicted. The man was so obviously terrified of death, and had only fled, unlike the others Tan and her had killed, who had raged or fought until the end, or worse, betrayed her first.


    Your man, did he not secure a Favour for his sister? That will have come from somewhere. From someone. He will not blame you for this. Yes, he may be saddened by the necessity of staining your hands with blood, he is soft like that. But it is I who am doing it. I have killed many over my endless lifetime, and some for less cause. Such is the path of power. You... you shall simply have the reward. And if you shed tears, show sorrow... he will hold you and soothe those tears away.


    Tan! Shiro protested, mortified. That isn¡¯t the point and you know it! Though that does sound pretty nice... ugh. Fine. I know Aki is prepared to kill to protect Kyoto, and that Tsukiko girl. I¡¯m a bit frustrated. She¡¯s as beautiful as I was, which I find hard to believe, even having seen it myself. You¡¯re right. I need... I need to stand out, to be special to Aki. He doesn¡¯t want his sister, or Eri, or his little noble girls, to do things like this. So I can stand alongside Shaeula and Hyacinth. By his side, where the battle is thickest, and in his heart, where he has to comfort me. Do it. Before I change my mind.


    Of course. ¡°Flames of Thirst and Famine!¡± Tan declared, and a few moments later it was over, slime burning into ashes, the shadow bindings of Bunta crumbling.


    ¡°Whoa, that was brutal.¡± Suzu observed, as Tan released her Divine Possession, Shiro¡¯s hair and eyes returning to their natural colours. She immediately cried out in pain, as her body felt the hard use of her ruined arm, and the new gouges in her flesh.


    ¡°Shit, Tan, this damn well hurts!¡± Shiro cried, before shuddering. ¡°Hey, wait, what¡¯s that? I can feel it inside me... hey...¡± she squeezed shut her eye, concentrating.


    Suzu began to ask a question, but Arisu silenced her with a curt warning to be quiet, and Suzu shrank back, apologising silently.


    ¡°It feels strange, but... so this is what it¡¯s like to be truly Chosen, like Aki, or Arisu?¡± Shiro said, surprised. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it works. Uh... you said this one is well suited to me, but really, I don¡¯t get it...¡±


    Oh, I believe you do. You think yourself a selfish, uncaring creature, only interested in your own wants and needs, but really... were you not always longing, wishing to be loved, needed by your parents? You believe they abandoned you as worthless, too much trouble. It is the same for your friends. You believe you exploited them to make them work on your game, your dream, but really, all you wanted was for them to spend time with you, on you, care about you. Need you.


    Need me? I... Shiro shook her head, tears running down her cheek. I always wanted to give advice to Aimi and Hina, about love, about life, but what did I know about either? It was they who advised me, looked after me, when I was weak, they carried me home, when I was in trouble, they were there. The only advice I could give them was a pathetic sop to Hina, telling her to go for it, praying it would work out. False confidence, desperately hoping my reckless advice wouldn¡¯t backfire. Shiro felt a pain in her heart. The boys too. Well, mostly Hayato and Aki, anyway. But yes... I wanted to be more than just be a burden. When... when my game was finished, I was going to ask...


    I know. But now, things have changed. Your game, it is in the past. Now this is the arena you wish to be needed in.


    ¡°But...¡± Shiro cried, the heavy emotions working their way out, the shock of what effectively was an execution getting to her a little. ¡°... I still want to finish it. Together with Aki. Together with everyone. I will!¡±


    If you wish that, then you need to survive. Not just you, but your man, your friends, your rivals. Only should you all survive, will there be a time for peace. And to obtain peace, one must have unshakeable strength. That role... it is not for you. Do you believe you can ever match the strength of that Fae, or of your man?


    Maybe... but, it¡¯d be hard... Shiro admitted, saddened. ¡°After all...¡± more words came out, and the girls were tactfully pretending they couldn¡¯t hear, while Bunta scurried off. ¡°... I¡¯m starting with quite the disadvantage.¡±


    So your soul cries for a way to be needed, be useful, be able to protect, the opposite of the needy, useless girl who needed everyone¡¯s constant care and protection. You wish to shine, for he and the others to praise you. And so your soul is a perfect match for this.


    Anesidora, she who sends up gifts. Uh, isn¡¯t that just Pandora, from the Box myth?


    Perhaps. I care little for pantheons other than my own. But... a gift that strengthens the abilities of others. Is that simply not what you have longed for? Not your own strength, but the strength to help those few you care for, princess?


    Shiro wiped her tears, clenching her fist. ¡°Yes, I think... I think it is. I worry so much now, that Aki is going to get hurt, die. And I can¡¯t be with him all the time. There are dangers I can¡¯t face. But this way... my love can always go with him.¡±


    Ignoring the muttered choked laughter from Suzu, Shiro slapped her scarred cheek with her good hand, wincing. ¡°Fine then. I think... well, can we go find Aki now? After all, I need to tell him I¡¯m like him now. Besides, I want to try this out, and it has to be on Aki first.¡±


    Well, there is still one that I want. But... the remainder are gathering. Two large groups, one straggler. Yes, we should return. I believe the battle is about to enter a brutal climax...

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Seven / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Two – Suzuki Haru

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Seven / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Two ¨C Suzuki Haru


    ¡°Akio-san, several of the Buildings in the Territory have just been... destroyed, I think?¡± Saionji-san looked a little puzzled.


    ¡°You think?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like they were destroyed, really, but they¡¯ve definitely vanished. Fortunately they weren¡¯t too important.¡±


    ¡°Vanished, huh? Well, what matters is that we can narrow down where that woman has run to. Lead the way.¡± I said, and Saionji-san took off at superhuman pace, though it still felt rather slow to me. For the first time I had the opportunity to really observe Kinkaku-ji, and it was quite the impressive sight. For a Rank 2 Territory it had a lot of Buildings constructed, and quite decently upgraded ones at that, with some Rank 3 Ether Spires pulling in energy, golden and ornate, ringed with diamond-like crystals that resembled staring eyes.


    ¡°Quite gaudy for such a compassionate deity.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Well, perhaps it is because the shrine here is Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Besides, gold is a symbol of purity. Here it isn¡¯t used for wealth, but as a display of piety.¡±


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re good.¡± I laughed, extending out my senses as far as my brain would allow, feeling the stirrings of a migraine from the stress of processing a massive amount of information. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be dealing with important people all the time, I¡¯ll need to learn your way with words.¡±


    Saionji-san shook his head, a wry chuckle escaping him. ¡°I¡¯ve been head of Amaterasu for many years. Of course I speak like a politician. I¡¯ve had to contend with that old fox Kudou, as well as the fierce Uchida... well...¡± he trailed off, remembering that one of his rivals was now a broken man, even in Kyoto¡¯s time of great need, unable to respond, merely shutting himself away with his comatose son.


    ¡°I¡¯ll appreciate your help with the Ministry.¡± I said, changing the subject a little. It was then that I ordered him to stop, and as he ground to a halt, breathing heavily, he looked at me quizzically.


    ¡°There.¡± I pointed, my expanded senses picking up the near-invisible tripwires that were even harder to see under the strangely-hued silver light of the Boundary, than they would have been under the sun in the Material world. ¡°Tripwires. Linked to... yeah, mines. Nasty¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see them.¡± Saionji-san admitted. ¡°It really is strange, having to worry about such contrivances here in the spiritual realm.¡±


    I nodded. With a slash of air, I cut the threads, and the mines detonated, but they too were wrapped in air, muffling the blast and preventing damage, leaving them whisper-quiet. ¡°Hopefully this won¡¯t alert our running prey that we¡¯ve been this way.¡±


    ¡°I have to say, your versatility never fails to impress.¡± Saionji-san laughed. ¡°Though I contend my Eye of Avalokiteshvara doesn¡¯t lose in terms of power.¡±


    ¡°Well, sooner or later the Boundary won¡¯t be an issue and you can use it as much as you please then.¡± I promised, as we picked up the chase again, passing through a glade of trees with golden-yellow blossoms, falling around us in a gilded blizzard. The golden horns of the main temple loomed overhead, soaring into the sky, casting great shadows, but there were many smaller golden pavilions dotted around the grounds, each with their own golden edifices. Really, it¡¯s all a bit too much for me. I like tastefully understated, not this... tacky display of wealth. Not that I¡¯d tell Saionji-san that. It¡¯s probably sacrilegious thinking that way too...


    ¡°I still can¡¯t see her.¡± I muttered, despite having extended my senses. ¡°Wait, something¡¯s different.¡± I noticed that one of the gaudy decorations had vanished at a nearby shrine. As I watched closely, a large golden bell vanished as well, a flare of aether all that remained.


    Moments later, Saionji-san spotted it as well, as more and more precious metal and gemstone-encrusted items disappeared. ¡°You think it¡¯s her?¡± he asked quietly, and I nodded, pouring power into my Eye, as it glowed a vivid amber, searching for her.


    ¡°It has to be. Is she sending chunks of your Territory back to the Material? I don¡¯t get why these hunks of gold though. If she destroyed your constructed Buildings that way it makes sense, but these are just, well... ornamental, right?¡±


    As he agreed I continued to scan the area. I couldn¡¯t see her, whatever she was doing was blocking even my Eye, which was impressive, but then I noticed a faint haze of what looked like Qi, rather than unrefined aether. It was tiny, nearly entirely obscured by the force of whatever ability was snatching pieces of the Territory, but my Eye was perceptive enough to pick it out. Got you.


    ¡°I think I have her. She must be using some sort of art that obscures vision. It¡¯s good, whatever it is. If it wasn¡¯t for a faint leakage through the cracks in it, I¡¯d not have noticed.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, how do we proceed? I can use my abilities to destroy the area...¡±


    ¡°No, I want to take her alive if I can help it.¡± I said, and Saionji-san shrugged.


    ¡°That seems risky. It isn¡¯t because she¡¯s a woman, is it, Akio-san?¡± he smirked, and I fought down the urge to snap back.


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not that much of a lecher. No, I have my reasons.¡± The only issue is, if she tries to flee back to the Material. That could be a problem, although I did watch what Daiyu did before...


    ¡°Well, considering the number of innocent dead, I hope you¡¯re not planning to be lenient.¡± Saionji-san warned.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. That ship has long sailed.¡± I¡¯ve killed plenty this day. I... I don¡¯t regret it exactly, but it still stings. Saionji-san is right. Too much innocent blood has been shed, and for what? Petty revenge... Ignoring the treacherous thought that I had made it clear I would seek revenge on anyone if those I cared about were hurt, I at least consoled myself by knowing I wouldn¡¯t target innocents. ¡°Right, here we go. I¡¯ll rush in, as I¡¯m faster.¡± Without waiting for his agreement, I pushed my Body Enhancement to the maximum and dashed forwards. Several more traps were strung up, but I powered through, too fast for the explosions to be effective.


    The faint traces of Qi began to move away from me, almost imperceptible, but as they moved I saw faint shimmering in the air, little distortions that were there for a moment, and then everything was normal again. So that¡¯s how she¡¯s doing it... my Intellect allowed me to make the calculations, so it seemed like the strange ripples were the effect of bending light into a spherical shape, and the Qi leakage must have been coming from the axis where the two halves were joined. Now that I knew what to look for, I channelled earth, forming a series of rocky barriers, and wind, trying to snare her.


    ¡°How dare you, insolent wretch!¡± a booming voice called out in Mandarin, as the illusion protecting her shattered, a talisman in her hands burning away to ashes, the Qi dispersing. She was quite impressive, in one sense, being greatly overweight, her body wrapped in a straining yellow ballgown, which made me giggle, as it reminded me of the dress Takagi-san was wearing. Damn, I¡¯ll have to apologise to her for even comparing them. The woman was covered in jewellery, her hands packed with tasteless yet likely expensive rings, sometimes three to a finger, and her neck was hung with a vast number of golden chains.


    ¡°Stop now and surrender!¡± I declared, closing the distance. I had Cutting Twilight sheathed, as I believed I could handle her without too much trouble, and wanted to appear less threatening.


    ¡°Surrender? Me? Your barbarism is simply so trying. Not that I should expect much from foreigners. No class at all!¡± she declared, pulling out what looked like an assault rifle from her back. ¡°To think...¡± she sighed, forcing a sausage-like finger in to pull the trigger, seesawing the gun wildly, bullets arcing in all directions. ¡°... that I would have to dirty my own delicate, elegant hands with bloodshed. This whole mess has been most disconcerting.¡±


    I snorted, amused. Delicate? I¡¯ve seen more delicate bears at the zoo. Most of the bullets missed me, and those few that struck home did little more than sting. On seeing that the woman panicked, dropping the gun and producing a rocket-propelled grenade. That can definitely hurt me...


    ¡°Such disrespect!¡± she cried as the projectile discharged, a tail of flame pushing it towards me in less than a second. I twisted my body in the air, and it sailed past, detonating as it struck a golden wall, and she clicked her tongue, rubbing at her bruised shoulder where the counterweight had flung off and struck her.


    ¡°My dress, it is ruined.¡± She muttered, seeing the dirt mark and torn cloth. She then remembered I was mere moments away and her eyes went wide in panic, and my Eye could see she was purging aether, trying to return to the Material. I won¡¯t allow that. Nie Ling will be there too, and I can¡¯t afford to lose both abilities...


    Young? Beautiful? Someone thinks highly of themselves, don¡¯t they? Though if I was being fair, if she lost some... well, a lot of weight... then she might look all right.


    ¡°Is she for real?¡± Saionji-san muttered, amazed, and the woman shot him an angry glare.


    ¡°I would not expect foreigners to understand, least of all you barbaric Japanese. My great-aunt was abused by you foreign brutes. She was so mortified, she felt the need to take her own life, to expunge the disgrace.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± I bowed, apologising, which surprised her, but moments later her haughty nature reasserted itself.


    ¡°Well I should think so. and look, you are treating a fine lady so roughly! My poor hand! How will you compensate me, I would like to know!¡±


    ¡°Compensation?¡± I said, annoyed. I was prepared to listen to her babble, as it was keeping her busy while I cleaned out the corruption, preparing to retrieve the Divine Favour, but this was a step too far to take. ¡°You invade out country, kill our citizens? And you wish compensation?¡±


    ¡°Your citizens? Oh yes, well, that was that peasant girl. Nie Ling. No breeding, the daughter of a shoemaker, I hear. She was the one responsible, do not blame me for a peasant¡¯s wrongdoings!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± Saionji-san said, looking down at her. ¡°After all, why are you in my Territory then?¡±


    She glanced to the side, where the building of gold had massive chunks missing from it. ¡°Well, I can not go back to China. Ugh, exile in a barbaric foreign land. The fools from the Party, they hate us old families, and the Department... just because I was blessed by a Goddess from a foreign land, I was looked down on, even though it is clearly because the Goddess recognised my extraordinary value. Why, I do believe that with my fine taste in art and antiquities, there is none more suited...¡±


    As she rattled on, I finished clearing out the remaining slime, growing faster with each time I tried. Yeah, I¡¯m getting better at using adherence along with my Chirurgery, although what with the Divine Favour I¡¯m holding draining it little by little, I can¡¯t afford to waste much...


    ¡°... so yes.¡± She finished at last. ¡°...I was barely able to flee with the rings on my fingers and the necklaces around my throat. Shameful. So I need to accumulate more wealth. This gold... it will enable me to claim asylum, and re-establish my family!¡± she said proudly.


    ¡°You think that¡¯ll work?¡± I asked. ¡°Surely when the gold runs out of aether it¡¯ll return to the Boundary?¡±


    She started to sweat, her eyes swimming, and I realised that of course she knew that. ¡°So, you¡¯re planning to use it like fool¡¯s gold, are you? Here today, gone tomorrow.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well... sacrifices are inevitable. But enough of that, unhand me, brute!¡±


    ¡°So, how were you going to escape being eaten?¡± I asked. ¡°And where did you get that talisman that hid you from sight?¡±


    ¡°That paper? I do not quite know how it works, but those foolish idiots who called themselves sects...¡± she snorted. ¡°... needed me to bring some of their equipment through. It was a simple matter to keep some for myself.¡± Her smile turned colder. ¡°As for being devoured, that happens to others, to lesser people. Not to Yao Chun, no, not to me! The others will be enough of a feast, but the beast, he surely knows my value! I did my part!¡±


    Yeah, I think she doesn¡¯t understand how the world works. I doubt very much a creature as monstrous as this golden-eyed devourer cares about her family lineage. ¡°I see. Well, I appreciate your optimism, but now...¡± I paused as her smile changed.


    ¡°It was not just that one piece of paper I pocketed from those old fools.¡± She grinned, and out fluttered another paper talisman, with ancient Chinese written on it. ¡°I think they called it a Spatial Storage Tag?¡± she grinned, as the talisman flared to ash, releasing the contents, a number of hand grenades, the pins already pulled, right in my face. She rolled away, fighting my air bonds, as the grenades detonated.


    Fuck, that hurts. I had shut my eyes and turned away my head, hands covering my ears, just before the explosion. Saionji-san had jumped backwards, but even so, he was cut and bruised, shrapnel piercing his body. As for me, my skin was scored and nicked, thin trickles of silver and red dribbling down, but other than that I was unharmed, having protected my vulnerable points.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I managed, and Saionji-san nodded.


    ¡°I think so. Well, I hurt all over, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve taken any fatal damage. Fat old witch!¡± he cursed her, looking at the woman who was still trying to squirm away, stunned that a face full of explosives hadn¡¯t finished me. Her legs were shredded, and her body was pockmarked with small daggers of twisted metal, but her bulk had prevented major damage.


    ¡°Wait, how... that should... no, this is not fair!¡± she cried. ¡°Wait, that... that was unintentional. I just wished to show you what else I had taken. No, let me go!¡± She must have seen the expression on my face, as she went white, her jowls quivering in fear.


    ¡°Of course it was.¡± I agreed. ¡°Unfortunately, you aren¡¯t the only thief here...¡± She¡¯s a snake, she can¡¯t be trusted. Hell, calling her a snake is an insult to Shirohebi and his kin. Besides, she had brought many weapons to the Boundary, and they were being used to assail our Territories. As Yao Chun struggled, I tightened the bonds, heedless of the way the streams of wind cut into her corpulent flesh.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Saionji-san asked, curious, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Rendering her harmless.¡± I advised, working swiftly, cutting away the Divine Favour.


    Your skill, Adherence Manipulation has increased from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your ability to control and utilise adherence has further strengthened. You can more precisely affect the adherence of others, and are slightly more able to perceive and affect ??????????.


    Question marks again. But I think I know what they hide this time... all my efforts recently had borne fruit, and as I worked I noticed I was using less adherence to perform the removal, and that while I still couldn¡¯t identify the third, mysterious component of the Divine Favour, I was finding it noticeably simpler to cut the ties. Moments later, I had succeeded, and the woman fainted, her body spasming, her chakra network starting to collapse.


    Laverna¡¯s Grasping Hand of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld: Class: [Legendary] Type: [Law]. This divine favour is made of concentrated adherence, refined ether and ??????????. The wielder gains the ability transfer an item between the Material and Astral realms, and it will endure so long as aether remains, working as it would in the realm it came from. More complicated and larger items require more aether to make functional, so they will endure for noticeably less time. Laverna takes as she pleases, and what is stolen from Earth shall be treasured in Heaven, and what is taken from Heaven shall be lauded in the Underworld. What is pilfered from the Underworld shall surely find value in Earth.


    As I admired the stolen Favour, I rejoiced. Yeah, this is the one I wanted. Now that I was holding two Favours, the drain on my adherence was brutal, and even with the noticeable amount I had gained by destroying the damaged favours, I would run dry in mere days. Worst case, I¡¯ll break the Chimeric Winds, this one is far more useful. Remembering the helicopters that had been present here in the Boundary, I wondered just how much aether the woman had been provided by the golden-eyed devourer. Totalling up how much had been shared across all of the Chinese candidates, the amount was frightening. Orders of magnitude more than I have, that¡¯s for certain. But then, as we¡¯ve seen a lot today, it isn¡¯t the raw power, it¡¯s how you use it...


    ¡°So, what do we do with her?¡± Saionji-san asked, furious. ¡°We could take her and make her face justice, but...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said, preparing myself. It was then that the distant skies were dyed red, a massive surge of firework-style light rippling across the heavens. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s coming from the south. It must be Haru-san. Something bad must be going down... Saionji-san, I¡¯ll leave you here, you look a bit worse for wear.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked. ¡°I can still fight if needed...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head, as behind me a sharp blade of wind decapitated the unconscious woman. There was no level-up notification, perhaps because she had lost her Favour, and no longer had the stores of aether provided by the creature that had enslaved her. It was unlikely she would survive anyway, just like Yamato-san. It was a mercy, she won¡¯t be devoured at least... telling myself that to soften the blow of something that felt very much like murder, no matter how deserved it was, I gave my orders. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to be careless. Go back to Yasaka-san and get what information you can out of him. If there¡¯s anything I need to know, then you can come support us.¡± With that I was dashing back towards Haru-san¡¯s Territory, my Foresight blaring warnings. And beyond there... Tsukuyomi-jinja... Tsukiko-san. I guess the reckoning you¡¯ve dreamed of is here. But... I clenched my fist, ready for battle, against the surviving Chinese forces who invaded so callously, killing so many innocents, and threatening those I had sworn to protect. And against fate too. Definite ... there¡¯s no such thing. No, that¡¯s not true. The only definite thing here is I¡¯ll fight until the end...

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Eight / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Three – Zhao Daiyu

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Eight / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Three ¨C Zhao Daiyu


    As I raced towards Haru-san¡¯s Territory, I started noticing the presence of more soul lights forming in my Kin Bonding and Restoration, the numbers growing steadily. Before, I had just the two lights remaining, Ginneka, that cat Yokai who had saved Eri, who I was actively working to return to life, and her brother Kinneka, who I was allowing a trickle of energy to reach now. I owe her, not him. So we¡¯ll restore her, and then see... but anyway, Shaeula is going to be enraged...


    Pushing out my senses I could see a tide of hideous undead flooding towards the Territory, as well as several tanks and other human vehicles. Even as we watched, a great surge of flame was forming into a fiery elemental-type creature, towering an impressive ten metres tall. That¡¯s not all...


    A giant fiery chariot was racing towards Haru-san¡¯s Territory, but it then changed direction, heading towards me faster than a car. Moments later it arrived, and I looked up to see that Tan was riding it, Shiro¡¯s hair a blazing red, her one eye glittering brilliantly, a bright scarlet. On seeing me she smiled. Behind her was a girl I recognised, who was waving at me, her dress and hair dishevelled and dirty, a customary lollipop in her mouth, and some that I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh hey there, boyfriend of the boss!¡± Suzu-san giggled. ¡°We meet again in Kyoto, must be fate! I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re keeping Red and White hidden anywhere, I¡¯d love to meet them again?¡±


    ¡°Be silent Suzanne-san. We haven¡¯t the time for this.¡± The stunning yet somehow frightening woman behind her said. I didn¡¯t watch much TV, so I didn¡¯t recognise her, but this must have been Arisu, the actress Shiro was so fond of. Behind them cowered a smaller man, who looked away as our eyes met. Bunta-san then?


    ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t be mad! We¡¯re old acquaintances now!¡± Suzu-san complained.


    ¡°No, we really don¡¯t have time for this...¡± Shiro said, as her hair was turning silver once more, her eye darkening. ¡°... besides, stop flirting with Aki, as an idol, that¡¯s a no-no, right?¡± I found her slightly jealous pout adorable, but we had no time for pleasantries. Shiro knew that too, as she leapt down off the flaming wheels. I winced, but she landed properly, even if her face did look a little pained for a moment.


    ¡°Aki, I have so much I want to tell you, but...¡± her gaze took in the distant fire elemental. It had reached out a hand and was trying to burn the defenders, as bolts of aether flew back and struck it, only to come up against a construction of water, steam scattering, obscuring the battlefield like a fog. Wait, is that... Moonlight Mist Realm?


    ¡°... looks like it¡¯s all going to shit. Well, it¡¯s been easy up to here, right?¡± She winked at me. ¡°We got three.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I approved. ¡°So, what did you want?¡±


    Shiro fidgeted restlessly for a moment, before swallowing and steeling herself. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so not a blushing tsundere. Shit, I wish we had longer for this reveal, but... Aki, I¡¯m like you now. Properly. Not just Tan helping me out. Here!¡±


    She stretched her hand and aether and adherence shimmered. I felt it entering me, a temporary surge of power, and my Eye responded.


    You have been affected by Anesidora¡¯s Blessing of Many Gifts. All skills and statistics will be strengthened temporarily, gaining up to a maximum of one Rank.


    Surprised, I let out a dull whistle. Checking my status I could see that several skills had temporarily increased in Rank, and I was humming with new power. Before I could speak, Shiro kissed me greedily, face flushed. Behind us, Suzu-san whistled, while Arisu-san looked at us stone-faced, eyes glittering darkly. It was only a fleeting kiss, as time was of the essence, but it was passionate, our tongues swirling together. As we parted, damply, Shiro grinned. ¡°See, now I can stand beside you and the others properly. I mean, I never saw myself as a buffer, I always thought I¡¯d be DPS, right? But Tan saw through my heart, and knew I just wanted to be loved, needed.¡±


    I wanted to ask her how she had gained a true Candidacy, but there wasn¡¯t time, and I had my suspicious anyway. Tan. If I can do it, she surely can too. The two loose Favours I was holding weighed heavy on me as I felt my new strength. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy for you, but we¡¯ll celebrate afterwards. For now...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But I¡¯m not done. Anyway, hop on.¡± She grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll talk as we give you a lift!¡± Shiro turned then, before realising it was several metres up to the fiery wagon-bed. With a smirk, I grabbed her in a princess carry and leapt up. When we landed, she pounded on me with her fist, and her eye turned red again, Tan urging her fiery chariot forwards towards the enemy.


    ¡°So, uh, Arisu, this is Aki. The guy I love. I wanted you to meet in better circumstances. But...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She said frostily, looking at me with those judging eyes. ¡°These are... trying... times indeed. I was not expecting to be dragged into a war. I expect we shall have much to discuss, such as compensation for our efforts.¡±


    ¡°Arisu!¡± Shiro gasped, shocked, but I shook my head, calming her.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s only fair. After all, this is my fight.¡± My gaze went to the battle again as we closed in, flaming wheels eating up the terrain. Arrows wrapped in wind were flying from the Territory, and one tank was disabled, the main cannon pierced by several exploding arrows. Light was flashing too, brilliant laser beams, and I knew everyone was fighting hard. I guess Shaeraggo and Selensha came through the Gate. If so, the situation is dire... ¡°I too wanted to meet somewhere nicer. A cosy, secluded restaurant maybe. As a friend of Shiro¡¯s, I hope we can be friends too. Allies as well. We need to stick together.¡± I gestured. ¡°This mess proves that, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for later.¡± Shiro said, though Tan was now in control. ¡°Aki, I have a second ability too. Anesidora¡¯s box contains all gifts, right? Well, that¡¯s a lie, it isn¡¯t like I can give you an ability you don¡¯t have, even temporarily. But strengthening one... in addition to the general buff, I can give you a specific one, if one skill needed to be stronger for this mess, what would you pick?¡±


    That¡¯s easy. ¡°My Eight Moons Chakra Network. It¡¯s the foundation of all of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Your wish... is my command. Hey, Tan, Tan, let me move. I¡¯m supposed to be kissing him right now!¡±


    Your Eight Moons Chakra Network has been temporarily strengthened by Anesidora¡¯s Blessing From The Box. Your Eight Moons Chakra Network has temporarily been strengthened to Rank 8, surpassing another wall. All of your abilities have been strengthened temporarily, and you generate more aether and elemental energies.


    As the fresh sensation of power boiled through me, the twin-stacked buffs massively enhancing my powers, Tan snorted. ¡°You cannot steer the wheels of fire, princess. We would crash. Besides, I have no wish to share the sensation of your kiss.¡± Tan looked at me, her eye serious. ¡°I see you bear several Favours, torn from those who would oppose you. So you can hardly object to my thirst, can you? I want that.¡± She nodded to the fire elemental. Light, wind arrows and more desperate attacks were pelting it, but any damage done to the colossus simply reformed. ¡°With that, my stomach shall be full, my thirst quenched, for now.¡±


    ¡°No, you do what you must.¡± I agreed sadly. ¡°Besides, I cost you one Favour, saving Shiro, so... well, these people came here to kill, so they should have no complaints about dying.¡± The fiery wheels were grinding enemies underfoot, and we then rammed into the disabled tank, having arrived. Leaping off, I landed, Cutting Twilight slicing through the tank chassis, severing it in half. Whoa, with this much aether and throughput, everything is so much stronger... my base stats had all gone up by around five hundred temporarily, and Body Enhancement pushed it even further. I feel pretty badass right now...


    ¡°Good luck, Aki.¡± Shiro said softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tan¡¯s strong, as are the others, although...¡± she eyed Suzu-san sourly. ¡°Some of us aren¡¯t trying hard enough.¡±e on boss. I spent ages collecting them, I don¡¯t mind risking my life, but what idol would risk her group?¡±


    ¡°I know. The golden-eyed eater, the bone swords.¡± I agreed, reaching out to comfort her, but surprisingly she knocked my hand away.


    ¡°I shall be fine-fine, I promise. We have no time. Tsukiko, she needs-needs your aid.¡±


    ¡°But the situation here...¡± she stopped my words with one delicate hand.


    ¡°Here? You have me, Shiro, Hyacinth... three of your lovers working together. How can we lose? We have Haru too!¡±


    ¡°Please leave me out of it. I¡¯m not involved.¡± Haru-san said, and Shaeula merely snickered.


    ¡°Well, even if you are not-not engaged to Akio, your powers are great. I know you feel-feel you are weak, but...¡± she watched as more light melted a swathe of the invaders. ¡°... for this, your powers are quite-quite likely the best of all. Now, Akio, go!¡± she ordered me. ¡°Save Tsukiko, save our kin from this dreadful fate. And defeat our enemies. They have done many cruelties. A true-true ruler repays evil unto evil, while remaining kind to the good.¡± She raised one hand, beautiful jade energies swirling around her. "May the winds of fortune blow with you in this battle."


    As the fortunate winds settled around me, I nodded, torn, but resolute. With a last glance at my battling allies, I sprinted westwards, towards Tsukuyomi-jinja...


    ********


    ¡°Old Luo Jiahao...¡± Daiyu exhaled in shock. One moment she was resting in Tsukuyomi-jinja, her wounds slowly healing, helped along by the power of Bintara, the Yokai healer. The next, the Territory barrier had suddenly wailed, like breaking glass, and a large hole had simply been bitten out of it from below. The ground had exploded, and out from a rippling underground mess of liquid earth had appeared a solid stone sphere, which had shattered to reveal a number of enemy Candidates, as well as a group of spiritual beings from Chinese myth, and a number of Cultivators, first among them, someone she knew well, the Patriarch of Mountain Fang.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the beautiful daughter of Patriarch Zhao.¡± He said sadly, the horrific blob of transparent flesh in his arms twitching, tongues lolling out of many mouths drooling happily, a thick purple mist rising from it, endless corrupted Qi, no, aether, as Akio called it, pouring into the Candidates, fuelling their powers. ¡°I hardly expected to see you here.¡±


    Around them battle was ensuing. Prince Sho?toku, the other kami she didn¡¯t know the name of, a number of Candidates from Kyoto, as well as the great badger Ulfuric and his forces, all were plunged into a fierce battle. Ulfuric was facing a number of the spiritual beings, and they were strong and fast, clearly above humans, but he wielded a great axe, hewing them down, fishy blue blood scattering as the handsome men and women were cut. He bellowed for runners to be dispatched, and some were able to flee, but others fell, cut down by Cultivators or other attacks. One was horrifically swallowed by the fleshy mass Lou Jiahao was holding, a number of tongues snaking out to drag in the squealing weaselkin, before it vanished in a spray of purple.


    ¡°Protect Tsukiko-sama while she retreats!¡± Prince Sho?toku shouted, but moments later a shimmering, transparent dome had been erected around the battlefield, and Daiyu felt the oppression. I... I cannot return to the Earthly Realm. This barrier traps us here...


    Another Candidate had transformed into a six-armed golden giant three metres tall, wielding an assortment of nets, tridents and other weapons, while a third was vanishing into a strange fog, and then Ulfuric staggered, blood scattering from a savage wound in his thigh, rock armour shattered.


    ¡°Why... why would you do this?¡± Daiyu asked, taking up a fighting stance, striving to protect the healer behind her, knowing that as she had pledged to serve Akio, this healer was integral to his future plans.


    ¡°You think I had a choice?¡± he shook his head. ¡°You should know my pain, Black Jade.¡± He sighed. ¡°After all... your Sect is gone. Every. Last. One.¡± He punctuated the words harshly, but his face did show some sympathy. A Cultivator from another sect, Diamond Mountain, by the robes, did run at her, blade raised, but Daiyu moved swiftly, and with an open-palmed strike she broke his neck, blade falling from his hands, which she kicked away, disgusted by how it squirmed for her. The Patriarch of Mountain Fang merely watched, holding onto the hideous creature he chaperoned.


    ¡°Well, you will not grieve alone. After all, this has not gone as our new master planned.¡± He looked down at the salivating blob, as tongues lashed out, and Ulfuric lost his rock armour, the stone devoured. Spears struck at him then from the spiritual beings he was fighting, and blood scattered. He roared, his eyes turning dark and muscles bulging, drawing on all his strength.


    ¡°No, we had three targets that it wished to devour. It seems we shall only manage one. And most of us were supposed to be food as well, in the end. Well, I suppose you know that.¡± He looked sad. ¡°I wanted to protect what was left of my Sect. Our Prodigy, the twins Mei¡¯er and Min¡¯er... they died. You failed. And so my son, my daughter, my wife... so many perished. But I do not blame you anymore. We have instigated our revenge. It will not be stopped now, not after what we have done here. Yes, you failed, but you lost as much as I did. And now we will both lose... everything!¡±


    Tongues darted at her from the creature, and she barely evaded, a few drips of the saliva falling on her, the corrupted aether and spatial element in contained searing into her half-healed flesh, causing immediate dizziness. She stumbled, only to scream in pain as her flesh was gouged out, her healing starting to work, fortified by a gentle power. She half-turned, to see the horned head of Bintara looking at her, exuding aether.


    ¡°That corruption cannot be allowed to spread. Only death awaits those so tainted.¡± She pronounced, glaring at the creature and its bearer. ¡°A fragment of what Lord Nurarihyon fears. So powerful for a merest proxy. I can see why he sought aid. Disgusting.¡±


    As the battle raged around them, a chaotic melee filled with strange powers and devastating attacks, Daiyu concentrated her Qi, ready to strike a fatal blow, shattering all the meridians of the long-time friend of her father. Who is gone, as I feared. He has no reason to lie to me. So... I am the Incorruptible Jade now. I cannot fall here. No, I will rebuild. As Matriarch. I will find a suitable Dao Companion, and new disciples, and teach them the old ways, the scraps we received from Kunlun...


    ¡°We didn¡¯t fail. We were misled. The Department pig who was sniffing us out was already dead when we got there, devoured...¡± she trailed off, and Luo Jiahao laughed as the tongues shot out towards her again. A volley of flames from a mortal engineer drove it back, only for said engineer to perish, a giant metal hand descending from above and squashing him with a sickening squelching noise, blood spraying her.


    ¡°Yes, you understand. The creature we are chained to, it got there first. A coincidence, most likely, but on devouring he who finds those with Heaven¡¯s Blessing, he could too. And those of us the Party believes were responsible for the attack, us remnants, beaten dogs... well, it sought us out, enslaved us. Servitude or be consumed. What choice did we have? You have not seen it, felt it. Even the true rulers of Kunlun would have yielded, I believe this to be true, even despite the many injuries it still suffers, we had no other choice.¡±


    ¡°There is always a choice!¡± Daiyu yelled, tears streaking her face, for what reason she did not know. ¡°You could have fought, or died with honour, for our Sects! Even thrown yourself on the dubious mercy of the Party! There is always another path!¡± The Dao... once one abandons it, it can never be reclaimed. These cowards, they... they broke. I... I will stand, even if it consumes me, even if I never again enter reincarnation. I have my pride still, my Dao!


    ¡°There is no point.¡± Bintara said, once more hewing free her soiled flesh. She herself was covered in wounds now, open, bleeding sores where she had been forced to sever her own injuries. The shivering jelly was happier now, tongues lolling, but all of a sudden it let out a dull howl.


    ¡°Another one it did not get to eat.¡± Luo Jiahao chuckled bitterly. ¡°Our only consolation, it seems others are as hungry as this little beast.¡±


    ¡°There is no point in words.¡± Bintara repeated, one horn snapped off by her own hand, leaking a shimmering fluid full of powerful healing energies. ¡°This ant will track in filth and hunt for prey because it is an ant, it knows no better, only self-preservation. Such an insect. Even so...¡±


    ¡°Even so?¡± Daiyu shivered as she was showered in the glowing fluid, her gift from Chang¡¯e suddenly accelerating, repairing her many injuries, reinvigorating her. Her muscles swelled, tearing and repairing themselves constantly, and despite the pain she felt a boiling strength, as every part of her body endured destruction to exceed its limits. Soaked by her own fluid next, Bintara growled.


    ¡°Even so, these ants do a great deal of damage in their mindless parade. The Boundary here is thinning. Without care... well, no matter. We will not let it shatter.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Daiyu agreed. Another Cultivator rushed her, but she easily dodged and her Qi entered him, exploding his meridians and lower Dantian fatally, silvery blood scattering. ¡°No we will not. This Jade... it is Incorruptible. You ants will not soil it! Besides...¡± she grinned, as the barrier around them blazed with flame, a small gap opening momentarily. ¡°We are not alone here...¡±

 Three Hundred And Twenty-Nine / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Four – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Three Hundred And Twenty-Nine / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Four ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    ¡°Sister-in-law, you seem exhausted.¡± I said, watching Selensha leaning on her staff, fur stiff with silvery sweat, her eyes tired. ¡°Why not retreat? We-we are here now.¡± As if to prove a point, I raised my hand, feeling the delightfully intoxicating feeling of lightning element coursing through my body. As it rose, shimmering energies rushing from me, a mixture of green and yellow forming another, more subtle colour, tinged with purple, I could barely contain my excitement. Even so, it wars with my fears. No, there is naught to fear, I know this.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I promise.¡± Selensha replied tiredly, and once more I contemplated how she was far too good for my brother. ¡°The Moonlight Mist Realm... and my healing... I can save lives, turn the battle to a favourable one.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do-do applaud your resolve.¡± The lightning within me rose to a crescendo, and my amber gaze fixed on the tank ridden by the black-cloaked figure and several others. Wind. Feel the movement of the air. Fire, the spark to ignite the fury that smites evil. Well, I know enough to know that technically, electricity is not fire, nor is the plasma generated by the high temperatures. But... well, thinking of lightning as fire to smite evil is the Fae way. I can believe both, and both can be true. ¡°Begone!¡± I flapped one hand and the lightning was released, crashing into the tank in a solid stream, arcs lashing everywhere, burning the undead horribly, superheated air scorching them. Moments later, thunder resounded, and the defensive shield one of their Candidates was wielding, protecting the tank and its riders from harm, shuddered, once more shrinking inwards, and I was delighted to see sweat on the face of a female within, her expression one of desperate concentration.


    I see. She is not unappealing to the eyes, by any means. A shame. She could have made a wiser choice and found happiness. I cast glances around, at the dead and dying, the fragile, damaged Moonlight Mist Realm unable to restore Fae with truly grievous injuries, as well as the spirit lights that danced around me once more. Instead, only death awaits for this. Enemies... well, Akio still fights against it, but... the time where he allows those unworthy to live has passed. Pleased, I curled my lip, proud of his growth. He was always too soft, but I did rather love that about him. But a ruler required steel under the velvet, and now Akio was being forced to develop such steel, aided by foolish enemies such as Kondou Kazuo and these. I suppose I should be grateful, so I shall grant a merciful demise.


    ¡°Sister, I am concerned for you-you!¡± my brother complained, though the way he continued to shoot his arrows of wind did satisfy me. ¡°But, I do suppose you have no intention of retreat. Instead...¡± the expression on his face was a gentle one I had never seen before, and it momentarily halted my attacks. ¡°... it must-must pain you, remaining here. I know you wished to go-go with him.¡±


    I raised one eyebrow, shocked. Such insight, from brother Shaeraggo! Wonders shall never cease. And he is right, but... ¡°You are indeed-indeed my brother, for you know me well.¡± More lightning forked from my hands, but I decided to switch to wind element next, as I had a greater supply of it, originally being a Fae of wind. And I broke through my limits learning lightning. I have this too... withdrawing the pink jade bells that had served me well ever since we had liberated them in our desperate battle against the creature in Inuyama, I let my wind flow. ¡°However...¡± a near invisible tide of wind blades hissed from me, battering the tank and the surroundings, mincing the undead and furrowing the ground. The fire elemental staggered, cut apart, but it quickly reformed, and I clicked my tongue. Yes, wind is weak to flame. A shame. ¡°... I am needed here. After all...¡± I looked out at the battlefield. Shiro, or the spiritual being within her, was riding a flaming chariot, duelling with the flame elemental and the tank. All around them other vehicles were bring destroyed, and the enemy was running out of forces.


    ¡°... Shiro is here. I shall keep an eye on her. Akio would grieve if she falls-falls. Though she does seem stronger. Well, I trust Akio can handle matters. Those others like him from this city, as well as Master Ulfuric, they shall not-not be defeated easily. Besides, I am needed here!¡± I conjured more wind, focusing it down into a fine spear, sending it forwards, whistling furiously. It struck the shield of energy protecting the tank, halted, but the force continued, drilling into it, until finally it scattered, spent, yet the barrier was now extremely pale, and the radius had dropped significantly. ¡°No barrier can resist forever. Apply enough force, and all-all shall break!¡± I said in satisfaction, only to frown as a different sort of barrier appeared.


    A purple spray of spatial element heralded the opening of a door in space, and the fire elemental howled as one arm was swallowed up, the opening then vanishing. The elemental grew a new arm, roaring, the very ground trembling, but I did not fail to notice that the height of it shrunk a little. Clever. That woman is strong. Beautiful too. But dark. Not a fit for Akio at all. ¡°Well, even that barrier has weaknesses.¡± I said, reinforcing my point. ¡°Another spatial attack, or overwhelming it from multiple directions at-at once. There is not-not any unbeatable technique.¡± The slash in space opened again, lopping off a leg, and the elemental was now shorter to all observers.


    ¡°Now the second one is starting to panic.¡± I observed, and beside me, Haru agreed.


    ¡°Yes. And the zombie horde is slackening off. That destruction...¡± she looked at the grinning Hyacinth, who had turned the zombies far enough away from the flame elemental into a sea of mushrooms and mould. ¡°... it won¡¯t affect us here will it? I¡¯m not worried about myself, but...¡±


    ¡°It shall be fine-fine.¡± I assured her, smiling. From an unwilling enemy, to a good friend. Haru pleased me. She reminds me a lot of Ichika. I have been too busy to spend much time with her lately, but soon, we shall have some peace and quiet for a while. I believe we shall go out. Maybe with Akio¡¯s friends. That might be fun.


    ¡°Hyacinth knows well what-what she does. Now is your moment! Help me strike through the wavering shield! You too, brother! Ixitt, bring all your weapons to bear as well. This is not-not the time for caution, but destruction!¡± As I gathered wind, a devastating, swirling mass of vibrating energies, I looked at my exhausted sister-in-law. ¡°You really should-should learn another element, or work out how-how to attack with water effectively. There comes a time when defence, healing, is not-not enough.¡±


    Putting that aside, I threw my attack, watching it whine through the air. Arrows were impacting the shield, and they were followed by a burst of light bright enough to force me to squint, my eyes watering. Haru had focussed all of her light into a brilliant beam, and the shield had cracked. Her expression of joy was short-lived, though, as the tank returned fire, a heavy shell whirring through the air and striking her in retaliation... only for it to pass right through her, exploding harmlessly against a Defensive Emplacement, though the Emplacement was destroyed.


    ¡°I forgot I was a ghost for a second.¡± Haru mopped her brow, wiping away non-existent sweat. ¡°I thought I was going to die again.¡±


    I laughed at that, but my attention was on my own attack. The fire elemental was down to half its height now, gradually being eaten away by the spatial arts of the imperious female with Shiro. The strange female, Suzu was there too, though she seemed to be doing little, other than cheering them on. However, the being within Shiro was never going to miss her chance. As my attack slammed into the cracked shield, flowing like the wind it was, entering within, the tank was cut and scratched, deep gouges slashed into the long cannon, rendering it useless, wind finding a way inside to kill the crew within. Of course, they were not my true target...


    ¡°Strong...¡± I muttered. ¡°But... nowhere near strong enough!¡± I pushed back, blade slicing deep. Foehn blazed, and the hand retreated, avoiding the falling droplets, which passed through the barrier after a momentary resistance. The hand was taunting me, slowly starting to repair itself, the ground shattering and transforming to metal, and as I attacked with wind and light the hand blocked me every time.


    Well, life would have been easy if I started with an ability like that. It¡¯s like those magic hands from that famous role-playing game. Well, out here, it¡¯s going to be hard to take it out, as it can easily evade me and regenerate, while blocking most of my attacks. Hmm...


    My thoughts were taking mere moments, which was vital as within the barrier I could see the situation was finely balanced. The beautiful shrine was a mass of burned trees, shattered buildings and fallen archways now, and even the Emplacements Taishakama-san had established on the border of Tsukuyomi-jinja for added insurance were falling one by one. He was there, battling, alongside Kinkawa-san, who had called out the horrid swarm of shadowy, bald little creatures that occupied his shrine from his dark cloak. They were fighting well, using their numbers to counterbalance the Cultivators, swarming up their legs and dragging them down, wielding bone and bronze knives and even heavy stones to finish them, but then a massive golden statue three metres tall, with six arms wielding nets, spears and swords, crashed through them. Kinkawa-san managed to use his shadowy cloak to ward off the blow from a sword, but he was hurled aside, arm broken painfully.


    Hakue-san was there too, the nephew of Bankei from the once-neutral shrines was bleeding, yet he was standing firm beside Prince Sho?toku and his own kami, the Kofuku Jizo, who had changed from the genial, sandal-wearing youth into a powerful stone statue with a radiant halo of light energy behind him, his fists battling against eruptions of stone spikes that were pouring endlessly from the ground. Within the circle of defenders was the unveiled Tsukiko-san, shaking, teary-eyed yet resolute, as if accepting her fate. I tried unleashing wind to help them, but again It was blocked by those damn hands.


    Fuck, I need to get in there. Ulfuric is hurt badly, I can see, looks like Daiyu is in there, Bintara too, Kamaitachi, allies from Kyoto... I can¡¯t do shit from out here. Frustrated, I considered my options. This barrier was tricky, if it was a physical one, I could easily break it, given time. After all, I¡¯d broken Territory barriers that were Rank 2, so I doubted any personal barriers would be stronger at this stage, although my Eye did pick up a sickening amount of aether invested into it, so perhaps I was wrong on that. No, I need something that can affect the barrier itself... huh. Really... my mind went back a few moments, to when the Foehn had splattered it. For a moment it had clung to the barrier, before falling through. My Foehn had also been strengthened by the buff from Shiro, which was a wonder for another time. She¡¯s a true Candidate now. I¡¯m both worried and happy for her... no, think. Can it work?


    I had used a lot of Foehn, but with my strengthened abilities I was replenishing it at a tangible rate so... ¡°Come on, hungry fires. You spent god knows how many years feasting in the desert on that wind element, that must have been boring. Try... try eating this!¡± Foehn sprayed through, but again it lingered for a moment, as if able to touch it. A second try, and I thought the fires would take, but no, they merely sowed a blaze around me. Cursing loudly, the hand taunting me still, I supplemented the Foehn with wind, fanning the flames, and tried using aether too, imagining what I wanted. Aether flooded out of me, but I had never been so bursting with it, and the Territory was an allied one, so I had no worry regarding it fighting me. Foehn flickered, the yellow tinged with purple, and it then spread, forming a flaming doorway.


    Just one problem though... the barrier was regenerating almost as fast as Foehn could devour it, so there was no way through without passing through the Foehn. But then, I¡¯ve done that before. Idly remembering the time I showered myself in flames to face Shaeraggo, I grinned. This time I have more advantages...


    Drenched in water, wind around me as an insulating barrier, I leapt through, bursting in like a fiery comet. Panicking, the hand flew at me again, a second coming from my blind side, which wasn¡¯t blind due to my extended visual range I kept up at all times in the Boundary. ¡°Break for me!¡± I roared, determined to protect everyone I could, grieving for the dead, as some of my subjects had perished here, beyond even Shaeula¡¯s restorative powers. Imbuing my blade with a tide of light element, Cutting Twilight shone like a holy sword from the myths, and it sliced clean through the first hand. As it retreated, I spun gracefully, the second hand meeting the same fate, fingers shattering.


    ¡°No retreat!¡± I promised, earth element erupting into mud that trapped the fleeing hands. My sword flashed, light energy discharging, shimmering violet as it was partially converted to spatial energy, and the first hand simply exploded, remnants sucked into the mire. The second hand was slowly regenerating, but now I had a better target in mind. There. My Eye spotted a Candidate I believed was the wielder, based on what intel we could scrape up from Yasaka-san¡¯s Book. He was huge, getting on for seven feet tall, amazing for an Asian. He had a squashed nose and a number of facial scars, and his own hands were gnarled and pitted, the fists of a fighter.


    ¡°Just fucking die!¡± I yelled, moving with incredible speed, upon him in mere moments. Flames blazed as Cutting Twilight cut him from shoulder to groin before he could react, my speed in excess of five times his in my current buffed state. As his eyes widened I sent Foehn to destroy the slime within him, not out of compassion or so that he wouldn¡¯t be devoured, but merely so that I would get the gain, rather than the golden-eyed devourer. If only I had time to take out the Divine Favour... I lamented as I spun around, ready for my next target. I¡¯d be able to get a noticeably greater reward. Well, no use wishing for that. A level-up message flared in my vision. I can always grow stronger, but I can¡¯t replace the dead...


    As I flicked silver and red blood from my blade, steaming from the heat of Foehn, the remaining hand turned to metallic sand behind me, vanishing.


    My next problem was who to rescue next. The obvious first choice was Tsukiko-san, as she was being hard-pressed, but there were many strong allies there already, and while the golden six-armed statue and the earth attacks were overwhelming, her protectors were still holding their own. Ulfuric was in a bad way, having become near-berserk, though his enemies were falling around him, attacking with an unusual, desperate recklessness, as if they were maddened berserkers themselves.


    It seemed Daiyu was also up against it, being swarmed by Cultivators, though in her beautiful combat stance, the Jade Yang Stance, she was giving a good account of herself, despite being attacked by many foes, some wielding esoteric arts and Talismans, the last of their Sect legacies, no doubt. I then froze, immobile. What the hell? There was a middle-aged Cultivator, his face streaked with burns, carrying a barrel-sized blob of flesh in his arms, the transparent, faintly yellow goop filled with spiky yellow bones, and ringed with dozens of open, gaping mouths, drooling slime that exuded immense amounts of dirty purple elemental energy and dark chakra, yellowing fangs curved like shark teeth. As I was frozen, a dozen tongues lashed out, seizing some of the fallen warriors around Ulfuric, pulling then in, where they... disappeared, vanishing in a blur of purple mist.


    The blob laughed, making chewing noises, and I found myself wanting to throw up. My Eye blazed, and all I could get was question marks for a description, and that it was a Parasitical Clone Of ????????.


    That needs to die, but first... my Eye had seen something else, a man that nobody else seemed to have spotted, creeping forwards, shrouded by a thick fog that made one want to look away from it. His eyes were burning with hatred, and he was raising up his bone sword high, ready to thrust it into the vulnerable back of the fallen Kinkawa-san, while in his other hand he held a heavy pistol, pointing it at the head of Prince Sho?toku. Gripping my sword tightly, I pushed, aether flowing from me to boost my speed, and the ground below me cratered inwards, the force scattering rock and earth everywhere as I flew forwards...

 Three Hundred And Thirty / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Five – Suzuki Haru

    Three Hundred And Thirty / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Five ¨C Suzuki Haru


    Haru screamed out her emotions as her Blessing of Sharing Light took on all her buried fears, self-loathing, guilt and blame. It shot out from her like a glowing nova, and those who were not protected by the imprisoning barriers nearby shuddered and fell, spasming as the sensations, memories and feelings she had kept hidden within were forced into their brains. Only one person managed to ride out the storm of her detonating anguish, and that was Hyacinth, who had somehow also escaped being trapped in the spherical barrier prisons.


    Tears glittering in her silver-violet eyes, she staggered, but was still pressing forwards. ¡°Poooooor girl. Hyacinth feels for yooou, I do. But compared to what I... dooo not care to remember... well...¡± she gestured, and vines roared up around her, forming a spiky wall of tentacles. A barrier tried to ensnare her, but with the cloud of flailing thorny limbs, the sphere was unable to form. ¡°...best nooot to dwell on it. Sad times are ooover now!¡±


    Several tentacles shot out, coiling around the shield of the crazed man who called himself the Judge of Death, and began to squeeze. He looked pained for a second, blinking his eyes, while the severed head he held keened silently, no voice heard as the lips moved soundlessly. ¡°That was quite the fright. That light... it is not the one I wish for.¡± He knocked his blade-pierced hand against the barrier surrounding him, which rippled as it was slowly compressed.


    ¡°I... I may be dead, but I have my pride!¡± Haru cried again, her eyes turning a brilliant golden-blue, a strange mirror to Hyacinth¡¯s eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t get to judge me! Nor anybody else!¡± she gestured, and bolts of energy rained down, striking the barrier. Hyacinth tutted as some of her vines were severed, reinforcing them with more, preventing their opponent from moving.


    ¡°Oh? Really? Your attitude is unseemly. The dead should know their place!¡± A surge of aether flooded him, his body thrumming with it, and Haru felt her consciousness start to fade, an invasive presence straining to push her down, deep into the bottomless mire of darkness within her mind. Arms around herself, she let out a whimper as the darkness closed in, full of voices, his voice, telling her to give in, to obey, to serve the master of the dead...


    ¡°Bad man!¡± Hyacinth hissed, still shattering his attempts to cage her. The thorns on her vines were dripping a toxic venom, and slowly starting to bore into the shell protecting the Judge, faint fibres like roots spreading, digging in. ¡°Hyacinth has seen such eyes befooore, many times. The world does nooot need yooou!¡± she howled, pulling out more of her power, forming a screen of erupting mushrooms which detonated, filling the air in front of them with impenetrable spores, forming a smokescreen.


    I... I won¡¯t give up! I¡¯m not weak anymore! I¡¯m Suzuki Haru, Onryo! I¡¯ve been through hell once, and died for it. I¡¯ll not let myself go down without a fight again! Her dimming light fought back, eyes and body shining. Shooting a grateful look towards Hyacinth, she waved. ¡°Thank you. If I looked into his eyes for much longer... well, I might have cracked.¡±


    ¡°Think ooof something, you are smart, right? A servant, like Hyacinth? Yooou should help the mistresses!¡± she eyed Shaeula, who was trying everything to break free. At her words, Haru¡¯s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile, gentle and mocking.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a servant, I¡¯m an employee, there¡¯s a difference. Well, to be honest, that¡¯s mostly because Akio-san is a nice person. I¡¯m his Chosen hero and Vassal, I can only go home because of him...¡± as she spoke she began weaving light, pouring all of her willpower into it, as well as something else, the only thing that might work. ¡°... so I suppose you¡¯re not wrong. But just as you take pride in being a servant, I take pride in my job. Jobs. I¡¯ll be an important figure in the new Ministry, a Chosen of Kannon, Akio-san¡¯s hero, and whatever else I want to be! I¡¯m not limited like I was in life! I¡¯m dead, and free to do what I want! Don¡¯t think you can enslave me!¡± she roared, all her anger at the unfairness of her life before she died pouring out, tears falling like diamond sparkles.


    ¡°Such men only ever think of others as tools. Well, it is hardly confined just to men...¡± an elegant voice said from behind her, and as Haru turned, she saw it was the woman in red who had accompanied Shiro, stepping out from a slash in space, hands smoothing her dress, cold, beautiful face expressionless. Getting a good look at her for the first time, she gasped in recognition.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you Arisu...¡± she began, only to pause as she was glared at, dark eyes glittering with equally dark emotions, the likes of which Haru recognised. Betrayal. Pain. Anger.


    ¡°I am who I am. Myself.¡± She said, sidestepping the issue. ¡°My point is, nothing you say will reach him. I know the sort. Too well.¡± She turned, eyeing Shaeula who was struggling behind her, desperate to break free. ¡°We do not have long. I cannot open my Room within the barriers unless I am already inside. I did try. However...¡± she smiled. ¡°Are you not like White, very near here?¡±


    At those words, Shaeula¡¯s eyes opened wide. A grin spread and she said but two words. ¡°My thanks.¡± And with that, Shaeula slumped down, as if she had fallen unconscious, her body resting within the barrier.


    ¡°As for you...¡± Arisu began, only for the Judge of Death to roar in anger.


    ¡°Enough! I Judge you all and find you wanting! Perhaps in death you shall be obedient! I need to replenish my forces, these useless fools are all used up. Now, woman who has no business with the living, you shall be bound to me...¡±


    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think I would like that very much. I¡¯d rather be... dead.¡± Haru stuck out her tongue, despite her tears, and opened up her Telepathy full force. She winced, the sudden rushing influx of thoughts and emotions from those around her bringing back terrible memories of when she believed herself insane, before her untimely end and subsequent rebirth. ¡°I¡¯m not insane! I¡¯m just... special!¡± She opened up her mind, channelling everything into the head of her oppressor, amplifying it as best she could. The Judge of Death stumbled, staggering, his painful wave of commanding aether and something more faltering, and Haru found herself smiling. ¡°And now, the finishing touch!¡± her light went inwards, sharing all her agonies with herself, which were then sent through her telepathy. The Judge shuddered, eyes going wide and vacant, and the head in his grasp fell, spittle spraying from his mouth, followed by silver vomit.


    ¡°Hurts, doesn¡¯t it? Well, I¡¯ll let you be the judge of whether it¡¯s right to make others suffer like this. No, in fact, as the dead, I¡¯ll judge you. Guilty.¡± The barrier failed, and Hyacinth¡¯s thorns surged down, piercing flesh like a thousand poisoned knives. Now physical pain was joining his mental pain, only for a streak of lightning to pierce him, blasting one hand off his body, the sword falling away. Haru flinched at the sudden thunder, to see Shaeula, rushing out from the nearby Ring Gate, face pale with anger, lightning dancing around her. She was followed by Grulgor, who hurled a round ball of metal the size of a shot-put, crushing the other hand, and as the bone swords fell, Shiro was there, crimson eye glaring.


    ¡°Burn. But you shall not quench my thirst. Even were I not full, your vile evil would turn my stomach.¡± Flames flashed, only for Shaeula to grab her hand, stopping her. As she was glared at, Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°Do not-not kill him or her yet... the swords first.¡± She said, and the deity possessing Shiro, who was called Tan?ha?, Haru believed, inquired angrily as to her reasons.


    ¡°Why? If he recovers, he can trap us again, or perhaps do worse. Those bubble barriers are potent. Perhaps they could even be used to crush us within, with more skill.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Well, hence why I wish for you to stop. Hyacinth, do not-not kill him, but keep him immobile. Haru...¡± Shaeula reached out, patting her shoulder. ¡°I know it must-must be painful, but continue to assail his mind. Pour your pain into him. And then... how much ether do you have?¡±


    A strange question. Though during the battle I have gathered quite a lot, actually. ¡°Nearly ninety thousand.¡±


    ¡°I see. Not quite-quite enough. Well, no point hoarding, is there?¡± With that she produced several green Etherites. Handing them to Haru, she grinned. ¡°I am so very-very proud of you. You have repaid Akio¡¯s trust in you and proved worthy of a slot on his Throne, not-not just out of pity, but of worth.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Haru managed, emotional. ¡°I... I¡¯m worthwhile?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Now, prove yourself even more so. A Throne of Heroes. Rush-build it. A hundred thousand ether should be enough.¡±


    A Throne? Here? Haru was confused, but she trusted Shaeula, so she began to form a Throne with all her ether, rapidly constructing it. All around them the barriers were breaking, and Ixitt stumbled over, eyes curious.


    ¡°Princess, Grulgor, how did you escape the barriers?¡±


    ¡°It was thanks to this one here-here.¡± Shaeula grinned at the woman in red.


    ¡°Well, I have a good Eye!¡± I said, amber piercing the damp fog. ¡°I admit, it¡¯s really a good skill though. If my Determination and Resilience wasn¡¯t sky high, I¡¯d probably succumb.¡± Split Thoughts probably helps too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± he gloated, moving deeper into the mists, and my Eye was struggling, though I could still see his outline. ¡°I wish I could have killed more Japanese soldiers, or got some of their Heaven¡¯s Chosen, but... no time. We have a hungry god of vengeance to feed.¡±


    In the misty shadows I could barely make out his face, but I could see a broad, shadowy grin, full of malice, almost like a Dragon. ¡°So, you killed people, huh? And it sounds like it wasn¡¯t even for your survival, merely hatred...¡± I said as I ran into the mist. Taishakama-san and Daiyu were giving me odd looks, but then they couldn¡¯t see the assassin like I could. My blade split space, and blood was shed, but it quickly melted into the cloying, dense mist. More gunfire came back at me, but I shrugged off the rounds, feeling nothing now that I was under Shiro¡¯s buffs. That shocked the assassin, who called out his own words, moving and dodging, trying to make my gaze lose him.


    ¡°Go to hell! You Japanese, especially soldiers, you aren¡¯t people, but demons! We remember! We¡¯ll never forget the atrocities you¡¯ve done! And now... war. A war you won¡¯t win. Those who betrayed us will bleed...¡± I followed his voice, but the mist obscured even that, making echoes, and all of a sudden the man blurred into multiple shadows within the mist. ¡°... and you pig demons will die in your millions!¡±


    Yeah, again, I get the hatred some Asians hold for the Japanese, but... is this really what any sane person would want?


    ¡°Now, Guohua, do it! Kill the bastard while I have him distracted!¡± As the fleeing assailant spoke, his voice echoed through the mist from all the doubles. In that moment I was bombarded from all sides by a rain of rock, broken debris from the shrine such as burned tree trunks and branches sharpened to spears, wreckage from torii gates, lashings of sacred ropes and more. The impacts were heavy, easily enough to break bones and crush a person to death, but to me they were more than manageable. One sharpened branch did manage to pierce my skin, but it got hung up on my solid thigh bone, so I tore it out, still charging, my ears ringing as a large boulder slammed into my skull. Furious Earth, I need Fortitude!


    Swinging my blade at one of the shadows in the mist, I watched it split apart and dissipate like a mirage, while from behind me the Candidate appeared, pointing a very modern anti-tank grenade right at me. Yeah, that could clearly still kill me easily enough with a direct hit, but...


    ¡°Lo?ng Teng is not something a fool like you can...¡± blood sprayed as the strands of wind I wove behind me took his arms, shearing through flesh and bone with the ease of a bonesaw. As he screamed, stunned, I grabbed him by the neck.


    ¡°A fool? Sorry, I could see the real you the whole time.¡± I headbutted him, stunning him. ¡°I really think maybe you deserve to be eaten, but...¡± Just thinking about the blob of flesh, that even now was consuming all the attacks bring thrown at it and the Cultivator carrying it, tongues easily slurping up wind and earth element greedily, I knew I didn¡¯t want to feed it. ¡°But you still have to die.¡± I forced out the slime around his chakras and the divine favour with a multitude of aetheric strikes, heedless of the damage it was doing to his Divine Favour and his body. I wished I could take it, but removing it functionally would take precious time I didn¡¯t have. As flaming slime, Foehn burning it, rained down around me, I quickly decapitated the foe with a single strike.


    You have gained in strength. Your level...


    With him slain, two things happened at once. First was that three more enemies were revealed, the mist shrouding them vanishing. On seeing that, the three panicked. The one who was hurling rocks and other debris turned to flee, while the other two grabbed onto each other and started sinking underground. The second thing was that the vile blob of slime howled in inchoate fury, thrashing and twitching, a dozen tongues surging towards me, enraged. They moved quickly, but not faster than I could dodge, and I took that moment to race towards the golden six-armed statue, just as it had thrown down the Prince, trampling his leg savagely, breaking it. A brilliant beam of light from Kofuku Jizo staggered it for a brief moment, and Taishakama-san let out a sigh of relief, ushering Tsukiko-san away, despite his numerous injuries. She was horrified by the scale and fury of it all, her enemies indeed swarming over her shrine and Kyoto like ants, despoiling and destroying all, leaving filth in their wake.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± I cursed. The golden warrior swung a spear at me, but I parried, my sword full of light element. Space twisted, but the spear was pulled back, still able to function as a staff without the head, and suddenly I was struck by a heavy mace, and my arm was wrapped in a net of golden strands, wrenching Cutting Twilight from me. ¡°This bastard isn¡¯t fast but he¡¯s skilful. Hey Taishakama-san, where are the others?¡± I asked, using my physical strength to strike the statue, staggering it. My fists bled, but I clad them in earth element and continued pounding, dodging sweeps of the mace, a long hook, the net and more, and soon the golden statue was on the defensive, golden body full of cracks and dents, silver blood weeping like rain from the wounds, his movements slowing.


    ¡°Engetsu has returned to the cycle of reincarnation.¡± He said sorrowfully. ¡°Fortunately his death was an honourable one, not eaten by that.¡±


    I see. Shit. Well, he won¡¯t be the only one to perish... ¡°Well, he¡¯ll be avenged.¡± I said, only for the golden statue to laugh, his voice cracked and pained.


    ¡°You think so? Vengeance is what we are here for!¡± the statue cried. ¡°Unlike the rest, I have little dislike for you people. The past is the past.¡± The hook was gathering a brilliant radiance, and he was pulling in an immense amount of aether emitted from the gibbering blob, fuelling it. ¡°Only darkness can avenge the fallen light.¡± He said piously. I called flame and water, bombarding him, but the light quenched it. I could feel the radiance burning my skin, realising that it packed as much energy as my body held before Shiro¡¯s buffs into one burning attack, the supply from the blob endless.


    ¡°Darkness, huh?¡± I wasn¡¯t great with darkness element, I¡¯d never really got the concept of manipulating the absence of something, but since it had changed to Shingetsu, the darkness of the new moon, I was having inklings. New beginnings. Accepting all.


    ¡°Yes. We sin because we need to do this. If we must be devoured, let us do so knowing that we have struck a blow for freedom and fairness, and quenched our need for revenge. I am putting my very soul into this attack, die happily knowing I will perish myself soon after. But your death will surely be a spark of a great conflagration. I die happily for that. Now, farewell.¡± The light poured down on me like a torrent. I conjured spirit water, rock and flame walls, as well as wind, but none of them held more than a moment. But it was a moment I needed. My skin was scorching, despite my immense stats it was like I had suffered a hefty sunburn, and I knew it would surely get worse. The fortunate winds were blowing around me like a cloak, urging me on, giving me a feeling that darkness would be lucky for me, luck I sorely needed.


    ¡°Time to show me what you can do, darkness!¡± I cried, drawing it out, forming a circular, moon-shaped hole of inky darkness element. Aether, adherence, anything I could do to strengthen it was being poured out of me, the new moon, Shingetsu, shining darkly, as impossibly paradoxical that seemed. Even some of the fortunate winds was being drawn from me, feeding the darkness.


    ¡°Draw... it... in...¡± Prince Sho?toku was crawling away, burned by the light even as he fled, and around us the ground was beginning to bake, steaming. The light was diminishing, the golden body of my enemy, one of the ones we had no real details on from Yasaka-san¡¯s Book, beginning to lose its lustre, becoming dead and dim, the flow of blood becoming sluggish, the silver and red radiating a vile purple mist. Though at this rate... my eyes were bleeding from the brilliance, and though I was drawing it in, it wasn¡¯t enough. Shit... emptying aether from my Territory, I still couldn¡¯t completely stem the tide. However, the winds call to me, telling me I need to do this. Despite the urgings, I felt some regret, but having little choice, I crushed the Chimeric Winds, feeling power and adherence flow into me, the fortunate winds dissipating entirely, sinking into me along with the wind energy inherent within the Divine Favour.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from level One Hundred and Nineteen to One Hundred and Twenty. All of your Material statistics...


    Your Skill, Heart Chakra Of Wind has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, breaching the first bottleneck. Due to the effects of Anesidora¡¯s Blessing of Many Gifts your skill currently functions at Rank 7...


    Your Skill, Wind Manipulation has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first bottleneck. Due to the effects of Anesidora¡¯s Blessing...


    Your class, Wielder of Elements, Classic Western has increased from level 5 to level 6. This has increased further...


    ¡°My soul is devoured. This is my twilight, but I shall not share it... alone...¡± the statue cried, but I was not listening. The adherence and aether from the destroyed Divine Favour was fortunately just enough, and Shingetsu started to devour the light, moving across it like an eclipse, drawing it in. As it did so, the edge of the dark moon began to shine brilliantly, a gold and indigo hue.


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t share it alone. I¡¯ll take your will onwards. You may have done evil here, but I¡¯ll see the true evil punished. Your fate pays for your crimes, so... go in peace.¡± I promised, as the arms started falling from the statue, his very essence being eaten, the laughter from the many-mouthed blob of slime enraging me. Now my dark moon had sucked in the light like a black hole, converting it into something neither wholly darkness, nor light. In the end, the sight was beautiful, and for a brief moment the battle around us halted, seeing the fathomless black disk, with a brilliant prominence around it.


    ¡°Well, for my... last... sight... I suppose... this will... do. I suppose I will... go ahead alone. Do as... you see... fit. Just beware... those who would... betray and use... you...¡± with that, the statue crumbled to dust, and the tongues lolled, the many mouths laughing, an ugly, grotesque, ¡®sha-sha-sha¡¯ sound.


    Feeling an intense sense of anger, I looked at the disk of energy in front of me, a mixture of light, darkness and even containing some fragments of the Divine Favour that had been shattered as the man, fuelled by the endless poisoned chakra of the blob creature, had poured his everything into a sacrificial attack to take me out before I could defeat him. It was oppresive, powerful, reminding me of Foehn. It was also two elements, bound in one. But unlike Foehn, where I extracted the flame, and Shaeula the wind, two elements that supported, this was light and darkness, opposite, but also alike. And all mine...


    Tongues shot out from the blob, greedily grasping for it, hungry for what had been created, but I expected that. Cutting Twilight was boiling hot, charged full of the six-armed warrior¡¯s sacrificial light, and I pulled it to me with air and spun, using the great blade one-handed, and tongues were severed. The blob screamed, and the light was devoured from the blade, the edge starting to pit and crack... Oh shit, Bjarki is going to kill me for sure... but with my other hand I reached out, plunging my hand through the prominence of light into the accepting darkness, my darkness, the Shingetsu that had accepted the light, and I made it a part of me, the Mangetsu, the full moon of completion, of existing laws.


    You have gained a unique light and darkness, Prominence Twilight...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-One / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Six – Mori Eri

    Three Hundred And Thirty-One / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Six ¨C Mori Eri


    ¡°That¡¯s just... well, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Akio¡¯s friend Shugo-san said, shaking his head as some of us crowded around the laptop that had been brought into the restaurant at the request of Hinata. I know how you feel. This shouldn¡¯t be happening...


    ¡°Yes, I feel that too. This is Japan, we don¡¯t have any danger on our streets, we¡¯re a peaceful country.¡± Aimi-san said, looking downcast. My own gaze flickered down, to her rather expansive chest, and my lip curled. No wonder Akio used to like her, she¡¯s... rather impressive. But then, he likes Shaeula too. Well, enough of such idle thoughts...


    Seeing me looking away from the screen, Aimi-san forced her face to a sort of cheerfulness, brittle and fake. ¡°Eri-chan, are you all right? Do you want me to get you a drink or anything? It must be tough, being in a wheelchair. Don¡¯t worry, ask away, for Akio-kun¡¯s cute childhood friend, it¡¯s no trouble!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It isn¡¯t like you can see much detail on the video anyway.¡± I answered, reassuring the older girl, who had seemed really out-of-sorts after seeing the mess Shiro was in. Though I suppose that¡¯s understandable. Those scars are pretty horrible. At least my scars healed fine. Though I¡¯d rather be able to move I guess... ¡°Besides...¡± I continued. ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse...¡± at the expressions on their faces, I knew I had said the wrong thing, so I forced a smile. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look like that. You can see I¡¯m fine, right?¡± It was a bit of a struggle talking to these older people I barely knew, but they were Akio¡¯s friends, so I wanted to make a good impression, have them like me.


    ¡°You seem pretty good at taking care of people, Aimi-san. Maybe... yes, I¡¯ll have a drink. Not alcohol of course, unlike a certain someone...¡± I struggled to turn my head to look over at Aiko, who was with Kana-san, her face set in an expression of concentration, most of the Trainees around her. Aiko had been drinking sneakily, and then after Akio left, not so sneakily at all. She shrugged, and I continued talking to Aimi-san. ¡°... a juice. My throat is a bit dry.¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡± She said quickly, pressing it into my hand, careful I didn¡¯t drop it. Beside her, the girl in glasses, Hina-san, smiled a little, though she too was pale and afraid.


    ¡°Of course, Aimi-san has always been looking after Shiro. She¡¯s used to being kind and careful. It¡¯s one reason she¡¯s popular with both boys and girls.¡± She looked down where I had been looking and raised an eyebrow. ¡°One reason.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Shiro...¡± Yasu-san said, scratching his chin, worried. ¡°Is she going to be okay? And aren¡¯t you worried, Eri-chan?¡± I held in a frown at that rather informal way of speaking to me. ¡°About Akio-kun and the others...¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com not, no, Yasu-san.¡± I shook my head, the movements stiff and difficult. ¡°Well...¡± I took a sip of the cold juice. ¡°... that¡¯s a lie. I¡¯m not worried for their safety. Akio, Shaeula, Hyacinth, they can look after themselves, but... it¡¯s hard to do everything alone.¡± I nodded to the screen, which was displaying a grainy live-feed of Kyoto, and how parts of the city were ablaze. The fighting looked mostly over now, but endless ambulances and other vehicles were moving through military blockades. ¡°The situation looks bad. I hope they aren¡¯t taking on too much. I wish I was there...¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Whoa, getting called by name by a cute younger girl is quite a thrill.¡± He managed, earning a look of annoyance not just from me, but from his female friends too.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention Shiro.¡± Hayato-san, the leader of the group, a man Akio looked up to, observed shrewdly. He had been staring fixedly at the screen, taking in everything happening there, but he was still listening keenly to those of us in the room too.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know her that well, but...¡± I began, and Aiko cut me off. She was conjuring small flickers of flame and light for some reason, which was impressing Rika-san and Yae-san, but I didn¡¯t see the need for that.


    ¡°... but my bro wouldn¡¯t take her if she wasn¡¯t capable of looking after herself, even in an emergency. Wow, he wouldn¡¯t even take me last time. I mean, that was a good thing, or I¡¯d probably be dead... ugh, never mind, forget I said that...¡± she waved a hand at the look of horror on the faces of Rika-san, Yae-san and Akio¡¯s friends. ¡°... what matters is, bro trusts her, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So... Yasu-san...¡± I said it again. ¡°By the way, if you want to get all thrilled by younger girls talking to you, that¡¯s your business, it takes all sorts...¡± I sniffed. ¡°... just don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m already engaged, to one of your best friends. All right?¡±


    ¡°Ouch, sharp put-down, girl!¡± Aimi-san approved. ¡°With moves like that, you¡¯ll fit right in with the group when you¡¯re old enough to drink.¡±


    ¡°I think we are getting off-topic...¡± Hayato-san brought us back to the main subject. ¡°It¡¯s normal for us to worry, this situation is beyond our understanding. But we also have to defer to those with more experience, such as yourselves. So... this isn¡¯t normal, right? Tokyo isn¡¯t suddenly going to become a battlefield too?¡±


    ¡°Nope, no way.¡± Aiko answered for me. ¡°This isn¡¯t normal at all. Besides, even if chaos does erupt here, I¡¯m here to protect you all!¡± she thumped her chest regally, and I did note that the men¡¯s gazes were drawn to that. How predictable. Still, making a move on Aiko is one way to get on Akio¡¯s bad side. ¡°... although, I have to admit, and wow, this is embarrassing to say... I¡¯m pretty much a newbie still. I¡¯m not confident taking on someone like my bro or even Shaeula. Don¡¯t get me wrong...¡± she continued, still juggling light and fire prettily, Kana-san¡¯s eyes firmly fixed on her, staring weirdly, not even seeming to blink. ¡°...when bro gave me this gift, I knew it came with responsibilities. I¡¯ll get you all out, even if I can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty noble of you, Ai-chan!¡± Rika-san laughed, though there was a touch of nerves in it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fret, the situation in Kyoto is an unusual one.¡± Hinata said calmly, and I was once more impressed by the younger girl. When I had first met her I didn¡¯t know what to make of her, but she was really mature, probably far more than I.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Maybe in the future, this will be commonplace, from what Akio and the others say, but for now... Aiko, what are you doing?¡± I asked, frustrated by her constant juggling, but it was Kana-san who answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m training my eyes, Eri-chan.¡± She bit her lip, clearly frustrated. ¡°Seeing this... I¡¯ve really neglected my training. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ve been doing some, but... I realise, if I want to make something of myself, I need to reinvent myself, get over my loathing for hard work. And... I do. Aiko-chan here is helping me, as I¡¯m trying to get a better handle on what my eyes can see. Akio did say that if I trained hard, I might reawaken the true form of what he called the Eyes of the Shrine Maiden. I¡¯m not going to fight, I¡¯m not brave like Aiko-chan, or you, Eri-san...¡± she smirked, obviously feeling envious of us, which was a complicated feeling for me. ¡°... but I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to be left behind. Akio will need more and more support staff.¡± She turned to her friends and the other girls from her school. Marika-san wasn¡¯t paying attention, instead frowning at what was displayed on her phone. ¡°That goes for all of you as well. It¡¯s good to be trained, to have more options, but...¡± she nodded towards the display. ¡°... nobody expects us to take on that. And we don¡¯t have to. You girls neither.¡± She said to Rika-san and Yae-san.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to wrap our heads around it. But... the Chirurgery, it was crazy. Hurt like hell, right Rika?¡±


    ¡°It sure did, Yae.¡± Rika-san answered, remembering. ¡°And I still feel all itchy inside, it¡¯s gross. But... I¡¯m full of energy, and I feel smarter, maybe I¡¯ll even get good scores on the end of year tests.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re getting off topic again.¡± Hayato-san steered us back. ¡°But... I have to admit, it was enlightening. I want to help Akio-kun, but I don¡¯t want Aimi-chan or my Hina to have to fight. But then... if the fight comes to us...¡± he stared at the screen, pensive.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t... isn¡¯t this the view from Chion-in...¡± Marika-san said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. I¡¯ve visited there when we had some free time in Kyoto. It¡¯s... it¡¯s a Susanoo faction shrine, right? And they are close... close to the family of Kashima shrine, and their children... they... they died.¡± Her face trembled, and I felt the urge to hug her, cursing my crippled body. Marika-san is so smart despite being a child. I never would have noticed that. Not that I¡¯ve ever been to most of the shrines in Kyoto, we didn¡¯t get much time for sightseeing when we were there...


    ¡°If so, that is a clear betrayal!¡± Hinata raged. ¡°I grieved for their loss, and was planning to help Akio with supporting the shrines that suffered financially, but...¡± she looked at Motoko, who was on her mobile phone, nodding seriously. ¡°... this matter should be handled delicately, kept as discreet as possible. To spread footage is simply unforgivable!¡± she clenched her fist, and for a moment I worried about the fate of Chion-in and Kashima shrine.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just them, though.¡± Hayato-san pointed out, looking at other videos he had found, one showing several burned out military vehicles, JSDF forces trying to remove them, hauling off what looked like bodies, though the screen was mercifully blurred. ¡°This one has comments in the live feeds too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Ugh, some people...¡± Shugo-san shook his head, before reading some of them with a grim face.


    Lol, this has to be fake, right? Right?


    I wonder, does it have anything to do with the attack on Kyoto before?


    It¡¯s an alien invasion, didn¡¯t you see that fireball?


    No way man, don¡¯t talk shit. Are you stupid? I¡¯m ex-JSDF, that¡¯s clearly a Chinese ZBD-97, it¡¯s an invasion sure, but not by any god-damned aliens!


    You have gained a unique light and darkness, Prominence Twilight Rank 1. This unique combination of light and darkness was formed by an extremely fortunate clash between the brilliant light of one willing to burn their very soul like the flaming prominence of a dying star in an act of vengeance, and the dark moon of one fighting to resist until his last breath, to protect, drawing in the light and making it his own. Prominence Twilight has two states, as befits such a combination, a duality.


    Prominence Dawn allows you to fortify an element with the power of light, strengthening it. This light contains traces of Shingetsu, the darkness, within it, as just as the breaking light of dawn seeps into the darkness above, creating twilight, so does the brilliant bright prominence become visible due to the eclipsing shadow.


    Prominence Dusk allows you to draw in and usurp an element of the enemy, fortifying it with darkness element, which also contains the power of Mangetsu, the light, for just as the creeping darkness of dusk heralds the onset of night, so does the dark moon of the eclipse render the light all the more radiant. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    As the power flooded me, very reminiscent of how Foehn had before, settling around my throat and third eye chakra, as well as my lunar chakra, I considered it with Split Thoughts as I readied myself for my next move. Principle, huh? Yes, I can see this ability certainly does have some ties to the underlying principles of light and darkness. Perhaps if I fully master it, I can get insight into the laws behind them? I guess I¡¯ve been talking too much to Daiyu, Dao this, Laws that. Well, more power is what I need right now, even if losing the Favour was a definite blow...


    No, it was best to gain power now, rather than hope for another ally later. Besides, I¡¯ve still got one, and we should be able to pick up that woman Nie Ling if all goes well... Surveying the momentarily-frozen battlefield, the Cultivators and the Candidate who was bombarding me with debris with some sort of telekinesis, they all looked downheartened at the death of the six-armed golden warrior, and I took that moment to shout across the ruined Tsukuyomi-jinja, my voice powerful. Damn, after that I¡¯m low on aether and adherence. I will need to rely on my elements for a bit, I think. Narrowing my vision and reducing Body Enhancement, I still had the strength for victory.


    ¡°This battle is done.¡± I called, my League, Majesty and Charm capturing all eyes for a moment. ¡°Your numbers are dwindling, and ours will only continue to grow.¡± I saw Shaeula, Hyacinth and Tan in the distance, heading our way, which could only mean they had successfully defended Haru-san¡¯s Territory. I knew I could trust them to handle it. Damn, my girls are so reliable. This is definitely a battle harem!


    ¡°I am afraid the battle is far from done.¡± the Cultivator holding the hideous blob of flesh sighed, shaking his head. ¡°You claim you have won, and perhaps...¡± he looked at Daiyu, who was breathing heavily, Qi surging through her body, which was constantly breaking down and healing rapidly. I saw a flash of sadness in her eyes, and realised they must have known each other. ¡°... you have. But this was never about winning. Nor survival, much as I would wish to live.¡± His own smile was sad now, mirroring Daiyu¡¯s, and some of the few surviving Cultivators agreed with him.


    ¡°You see, we have struck a blow against those who betrayed us. And now... we have to pay the devil that has enslaved us. And it is so very hungry.¡± At his words the tongues lolled out, the ones I had cut starting to regenerate, and more hideous laughter came from it.


    ¡°I... we cannot stop!¡± a handsome, green-haired youth called out, amidst his duel with Ulfuric. The badgerkin was in a terrible state, his body covered in wounds, many so deep I could see bone, and the ground beneath him was soaked with blood, his, red and silver, and also blue and green. He was wielding a mace with such berserk ferocity, eyes red, and teeth gritted, that even I was shocked. A number of corpses were scattered around him, human at first glance, but turning back to their true forms, seemingly, which were a strange combination of human and fish, silver scales glittering dully as aether started to leak from their bodies. The youth managed to stop the blow from Ulfuric¡¯s mace with his own curved sword, and I could see dazzling silver scales along his arms, radiating power.


    ¡°If we do, all our children, our elderly...¡± several other of his kin darted in to try and bring down Ulfuric, only for my barrage of wind blades and rock projectiles to force them back, away from him. ¡°That beast holds them prisoner! He will devour them if we do not obey!¡±


    While we talked, Shaeula arrived, only to slam into the dome, bouncing off with a snarled curse. ¡°What is this? Akio, I can not-not enter.¡± Beside him, Tan and Hyacinth found the same.


    ¡°It only blocks you, not your attacks. Support me from out there!¡± I shouted quickly. ¡°Tan, you can probably use your flames to eat your way in!¡±


    As Shaeula acknowledged me, I continued addressing the battling warriors, as I raced towards Bintara, who was wielding one of her broken horns like a cornucopia, a strange liquid flowing from it. ¡°And of course it¡¯s totally trustworthy? Don¡¯t you know how this goes?¡± That laughing hunk of flesh, a clone of the real thing... it¡¯s pure evil, I can tell. Tan was greedy yes, but this exceeds her in terms of malice and hunger. And it will never give back food. After all, I¡¯ve seen the pieces of itself trying to devour the failed and the dying... ¡°Have you even seen your kin? And if you die here, you think it¡¯ll let them go, rather than kill them? If so, you must know a very different blob-monster, golden-eyed devourer, to what I¡¯ve seen!¡± I arrived next to Bintara, gesturing towards Ulfuric, and she nodded, understanding. Daiyu leapt back towards me, and I patted her shoulder reassuringly.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± the spiritual being tore at his green hair, face frustrated. ¡°No, we have not seen, but what can we do but trust? If we betray, then all hope is lost...¡±


    ¡°You are quite-quite the fool.¡± Shaeula shouted through the barrier. Hyacinth was snaking vines along the ground, towards the Chosen with telekinesis, who was continuing to attack even as we conversed. Well, I can¡¯t blame him. Ulfuric and his forces are still fighting, as are most of the spiritual beings. Talk isn¡¯t a free action, after all, as much as sometimes I do like to say too much. But... the poor, deluded spiritual beings were far too pitiful. Shaeula didn¡¯t seem to share my view though.


    ¡°You trust a creature that has shown itself to have no-no mercy or kindness. Better you fought and died, than live in such disgrace as a slave, only to face-face death in the end, knowing you sullied your spirits and honour for naught. If it was my kin, yes, I would-would kill for them, bloody my hands, stain my spirit...¡± she cried, wind and flame rising around her, forming blazing wind weasels. ¡°... but I would not-not do it for one I knew would betray me in the end! I would face him and fight until my last breath!¡± With that she attacked, her ferocious elemental weasels surging towards the largest concentration of enemies, the ones my Eye was identifying as [Ren Yu].


    Grabbing Bintara in my arms, I leapt towards Ulfuric, calling back to Daiyu ¡°Can you handle them?¡± and she merely nodded.


    ¡°Curse you all!¡± the green-haired man, clumps of hair torn from his scalp, cried, as the wind and flame weasels bombarded him and his surviving fellows, felling several. ¡°What can we do but fight?¡± he roared, watching as his people fell around him. Ulfuric snarled, mace crushing the skull of one, and as I landed, Bintara sloshed her horn, the liquid within steaming as it began to close the many near-fatal wounds on his body.


    ¡°You can stop this madness!¡± I cried, Cutting Twilight meeting his blade and overpowering it, even in its nicked and corroded state. Another clash of blows, and the Renyu tried to slice me with a jet of water element from his mouth, but my own water blocked it, droplets scattering everywhere. Space tore, and he was holding just a hilt, blood streaming from his arm, silver scales pierced clean through.


    Behind me, the Candidate was running from the tide of vines, while Tan had indeed managed to burn her way through the barrier, and her fires whipped across some of the remaining Cultivators, turning them to mere ashes.


    ¡°Stay down!¡± I ordered, kicking the Renyu in the leg. His scales were solid, but he couldn¡¯t endure the blow. Water then poured from his skin, forming a series of cutting tail-shaped blades, and I was pushed back, only for lightning to strike the water, followed by a boom of thunder that shattered the blades. The Renyu screamed, smoke rising from his flesh, and from beyond the dome, Shaeula laughed. ¡°Well, lightning does-does conduct through seawater, does it not-not? You should study more, if that water was pure, you would have suffered little harm.¡± She then eyed me, serious. ¡°Akio, go. You must-must see Tsukiko to safety. Even from out here, I can handle these foolish, pathetic fishes.¡±


    Seeing that the situation was in hand, I agreed. Racing towards Tsukiko-san and her guards, the burned and hobbling Prince Sho?toku being helped along by the now solid Kofuku Jizo, I was suddenly attacked by the ground under my feet turning to a quagmire, the rock liquefying. As I sank, sharp, jagged spears of rock aimed at my head and body.


    Time to try it out... reacting swiftly, I called forth the power of Prominence Dusk, and darkness, lit by a brilliant corona of light, drew in the blades. Damn, it¡¯s just like when I first got Foehn, I don¡¯t have a lot of it within me... My Eye flared, and I could see the energies of the two fleeing Candidates, one of which was maintaining the barrier, still hiding well below ground. Where he thinks I can¡¯t get him...


    The other Candidate had been snared by the vines Hyacinth had conjured, and he was howling and cursing as they tightened, his bones creaking ominously. The Cultivator facing Daiyu, holding the clone, let out a low moan, saying that ¡°It is over. We have lost.¡± Yes, it is over. Now... as the rock spears crumbled, the mud around me starting to solidify as Prominence Dusk pulled in the earth element, permeating it, the earth element changed, becoming a corrosive, corrupting dust. I¡¯ve seen this before. The samurai. Kiku¡¯s dead husband...


    ¡°You can have it back!¡± I cried, forming the purloined, changed energy into a lance that pierced through the ground, turning what it touched to dust as well, bonds and matter breaking apart.


    I heard loud, grotesque laughter, and a keening cry, followed by the shattering of multiple bones, a horrible sound like a rag being wrung out. A slobbering noise was heard, and the old Cultivator screamed in torment. My blast of dust poured down and pierced the target, which was the Candidate maintaining the barrier, and as most of his body began to corrode, the dome barrier dropped. I turned, only to see Shaeula and Tan casting forth fire, lightning and more, trying to stop...


    No way, I couldn¡¯t see it... the blob was soaring through the air, the man that was holding it on his knees, arms missing, mangled stumps gushing blood. Hyacinth had wrung her victim to death, but even as he had died he was smiling, arm outstretched. No, he didn¡¯t!


    Moving as fast as I could I realised I was too far away, as the blob was moving like a bullet towards Tsukiko-san and her group. Elements bombarded it, but it merely gulped them all down, giggling.


    ¡°Kofuku Jizo, take her and go!¡± The Prince declared, and the Jizo heeded him sadly. Dropping him, he reached out and grabbed Tsukiko-san, bodily throwing her aside. She soared through the air, out of the path of the beast, which lashed out with many tongues, causing grievous harm to the already hurt Prince, and tore chunks from the rocky flesh of Kofuku Jizo, who collapsed, his halo of light dimming. Seeing that, Bintara was heading this way. Shit, I hope they make it. But... a sense of relief was rising, as the trajectory of the last-ditch telekinetic throw was going to miss Tsukiko-san by quite some margin, and the minute it landed I was going to engage it and put it down, now that only a single Candidate remained, and my allies were here.


    There was a slimy ripple on the flesh of the creature, and a loud popping sound echoed, flesh parting to reveal a blinking, dirty-golden eye, with a strange, amphibian cast. It rolled around wildly for a moment, getting its bearings, before the mouths all merged into one great toothy split. It gaped wide, aiming seemingly at nothing, before...


    Oh fuck. No! The jaws closed on something I could only see with my Eye, a shimmering silver cord, trailing from the stunned Tsukiko-san, who had landed heavily. Then everything happened at once. The cord was severed, dark energies creeping up towards Tsukiko-san, purple hue unpleasant, while Tsukiko-san screamed, convulsing. The beast itself smiled, only to roar in rage a moment later, meaningless babble words that I somehow understood. [Such anger. Where is it? Where is my feast?]


    Your feast? Who gives a shit. Right now... fuck, only one thing left to do...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Two / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Seven – Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Two / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Seven ¨C Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner


    As Tsukiko flew through the air, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The creature that she knew would be responsible for her death, no, not just her death, but her final dissolution, oblivion, was flying at her, a piece of it, at least. Watching it attack the fallen Prince Sho?toku and the brave Kofuku Jizo, inflicting grievous, tainted wounds upon them, made her heart ache. Though it aches enough already. Curse these ants, and the damage they have wrought. But...


    She was torn, had been torn, ever since she was a child. Turning aside the destined, trying to minimise and prepare for the definite, it was her whole life, as the Shrine Maiden of Tsukuyomi-jinja, the famed Diviner, she born with the touch of Tsukuyomi himself upon her. And it had been enough. It had to be, else she could not bear the weight of expectations, the guilt at those she could not save, the stress, the loneliness.


    Fortunately, she made some acquaintances that she could be closer to than most in her life, though only two stood out. Kudou Yasuhide, the old fox who was the leader of the Tsukuyomi faction, at least until recently, who fortunately had left for the Material world, before the battle escalated and they were trapped there. He had left her with some sad parting words, and she now regretted she had not spoken with him longer, honestly expressing her fears, her desires.


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s breaking this old man¡¯s heart to see you still struggling to accept this fate. Akio-kun was right, there were many things that we could have done, you could have done. A vacation abroad, for example. You don¡¯t have a passport, but I¡¯m sure Takakura-sama would be able to swing it. Or even just staying protected in Tokyo, Akio-kun would have looked after you. Even staying in the Material Kyoto was surely safer. Instead, you chose to be here, almost as if to lure them in. I thought you wished to live, to create a tool to change destiny?¡±


    With those words she had been unable to reply, other than a farewell which she knew was her last. Yes, she wanted to live, to survive the ants scuttling over everything, just as she had foreseen. Worse it seemed that her fate was to go beyond mere death, to be devoured until any trace of her that remained was consigned to history. The ants had been ferocious, and she had stood in almost panicked shock as the enemies attacked with reckless abandon, leading to the deaths of many, good people such as the monk Engetsu, and a girl from the old neutral faction under Bankei. Others too, not human, but alive, nonetheless. All this for me? It is... is it justifiable, especially now I have surrendered the Gift I was tasked to hold onto? I do not know, and that scares me most of all. To have hope is more painful than to accept doom, and my heart aches so.


    As the ground came closer moment by moment, she believed perhaps that was why she made a stand here, the doom would surely follow her wherever she fled. Such was inevitability, definitely. But, despite her sheer horror at the sacrifices made for her, she was also happy, in the end. For what she had seen... a brilliant dark moon, shining with an incandescent halo, casting deep shadows everywhere. It was not on his back, but... perhaps... hitting the ground hard, her whole body shuddered, impact bruising her savagely. She remembered her other friend, a similarly lonely existence, if hardly so blessed as she was herself. Face twisted into a grimace of pain, she remembered her words to Yukiko, the princess who carried the burden of Amaterasu, and the weight of Ise Grand Shrine.


    I see golden eyes like the sun, staring at your shining silver link to the Sun, and a maw of darkness opens... should it snap shut, your death is certain... even as she gasped out a pained groan at the impact, she could see a dirty golden eye opening on the fragment of this evil creature, and the many mouths forming into one, ringed with savage teeth, tongue lolling mockingly. The eye rolled as it flew, mouth opening wide, looking not at her but... I see it. It is beautiful. How ironic, that I see it at the last, before it is destroyed. The pretty ribbon of silver that trailed from her body, vanishing into the mists, was directly in the path of the beast, and nobody could see it, it seemed. Well, almost nobody. With a smile, she thought of what else she had told her.


    He shall be blessed by a God not of this land, yet hold the favour of the kami that dwell here, and the favour of the Moon shall be with him and the only way they can be saved is by one who holds darkness in one hand, light in the other, and twilight within and lastly that he would carry the twilight on his back. All words, with many meanings. Indeed, prophecy was a fickle thing, and it had angered him, as he did not believe in Fate. He declared that he would not let her die, nor Yukiko, that he would save them both, show them a better life. Well, I was most surprised when he asked to marry me. The look of guilt on his face... it was a shock. As the teeth snapped shut, her shining silver link tearing asunder, she shuddered in unbearable agony, a chunk of her simply... falling away.


    I suppose that it would be a link to the moon, for me... she thought, her mind starting to fog, vivid sparks of dark violet spatial energy creeping up what remained of her silver cord towards her. At least ... perhaps... Yukiko can be saved. Words can be made to fit, after all. I gave the favour of the moon, Tsukuyomi¡¯s gift to him, and that... beautiful yet deadly dark moon...


    She shuddered once more, and everything was still, as if time had finally frozen, forever...


    ********


    [Such anger. Where is it? Where is my feast?] the creature called, licking his lips as a surge of darkness moved towards Tsukiko-san¡¯s fallen Astral body, which was already starting to lose lustre. My mind was blank with grief, but I shut it down, forcing my Resilience to its maximum potential, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I¡¯ve seen Shiro dying. Mine-san died in my arms... luckily I didn¡¯t see Eri get torn apart, but... even so... I need to remain calm, search my options. I¡¯ve been through this before, I can deal. Prophecy is dogshit, but... there¡¯s clearly more to the world than what I know, else how the hell would Fortune work? My Foresight too...


    The Prominence Dusk was fading, and I let it go, only an afterimage of darkness and light remaining. I could probably manage two, maybe three bursts more with it, but it was too new, too untested for prolonged use. I was so weary, drained, even with my buffed state, but I clutched Cutting Twilight, determined to implement the next plan, every second a precious second I could regain more aether.


    [Where did it go? I should not complain, she really was quite tasty, touched by a God, the lingering traces still so... fragrant...] the blob was shifting shape, two stumpy toad legs pushing out from the base, lifting it up, allowing it to start waddling ever closer towards the fallen body of Tsukiko-san. [... a meal as unique as any of those little elemental wielders I munched on. A shame I never did get to eat that Princess, damn Earl...] Suddenly it paused, surprised. [Wait, I still...] the eye rolled across the fleshy body to the back, until it was looking directly at me. [There! The taste of Fate! Wonderful, I had worried this little morsel lost it somewhere...]


    He licked his lips at the fallen, immobile Tsukiko-san, his purple spatial element having almost reached her main body, her cord devoured. [What a world. To think I would end up here by chance, while those who call themselves Gods were playing their foolish little games to work out who gets the shiny bauble and all the living beings on it. I guess my Fortune has not deserted me after all. Sha-sha-sha-sha.]


    It liked to talk, but I wasn¡¯t listening, instead considering my options. ¡°Shiro, can you change what skill you¡¯re buffing?¡± I cried, and she raced to my side, nodding.


    ¡°I can, Aki, but considering I dropped buffs on Shaeula and Hyacinth, maybe two more. At best. I might go down after one. I¡¯ve been... pushing myself a bit. Tan too.¡± She looked down at her ruined arm, which was now in an even more tattered state than before, and a lot of her scars were bleeding.


    ¡°Fine. Then swap mine to Chirurgery! If you have any strength left, buff Bintara¡¯s healing. Then leave the rest to me.¡± I clenched my fist holding Cutting Twilight angrily, until blood was running down the blade. All right then, I¡¯m going to have to break the last Favour to top up...


    Before I could, Shaeula was by my side, her expression baleful as she glared at the surviving Cultivators and Renyu. ¡°I shall-shall spare what I can.¡± She placed her hands on my back, by the lunar chakra, and allowed her Chirurgery to flood me with power. As she did so, Shiro finished her blessing, and I felt noticeably weaker, my Chakra Network dimming, but as a trade-off, I was far more adept at using Chirurgery, what had seemed on the verge of me grasping before, now fresh in my mind, understanding clear.


    ¡°If any-any of you continue to fight, I will annihilate you!¡± Shaeula promised, quickly followed by Hyacinth, who rushed in, spores dancing in the still air around her.


    ¡°If yooou have no wish to rot and become food for my mushrooms, stand dooown!¡± she ordered coldly. More reinforcements were coming, Ixitt and some of his engineers, as well as Grulgor, who raced in, and seeing the state Ulfuric was in, rushed to his side. ¡°Poor badger got all bashed up. Grulgor is disappointed.¡± And with that he clicked his tongue haughtily.


    ¡°Go, Aki. We¡¯ve got this...¡± Shiro said, as everyone glared at the golden-eyed enemy. ¡°...well, everyone but me, I¡¯m running on fumes here.¡± She warned, dragging herself towards Bintara as quickly as she could.


    ¡°Do what you must-must.¡± Shaeula said, hurling weasels of flame, wind and water at the blob, which was unable to evade with its stumpy legs, but it lashed its great tongue, eating the attacks. The ground then erupted, vines trying to imprison it, and a haze of spores and toxins enveloped it.


    ¡°Goooooo! Hyacinth hates sad endings. If Akiooo hates them too, then dooo it!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I murmured, rushing towards the blob. Seeing me coming, it laughed again, setting my mind on edge.


    [Ah, food coming right to me. I should have checked again, I suppose, but who would have expected the meal I so longed for to move host? Well, you were here anyway. Once I have devoured you, I shall get the meals from the north as well, and ...] a slimy drool stained the floor as it salivated. [...another delightful meal of spatial prowess has appeared. Simply wonderful, this place is like a feast.]


    Arisu-san, right? I raced at the blob, which was bathing in Hyacinth¡¯s spores calmly, the vines eroding as if they were dipped in acid. ¡°Get back to whatever hell spawned you!¡± I cried, Cutting Twilight discharging, space crackling as purple sparks met violet, and the clash rippled the air. A tongue sped at me, but rock spikes leapt from the ground, piercing the tongue, doing little damage before being eaten, but knocking it off course.


    ¡°Grul says here...¡± he was hurling a rain of solid metal balls, and though they seemed to cause no damage, merely disappearing, the aftermath causing little more than ripples in the slimy flesh, the beast was knocked away. I channelled earth element into the ground, creating a chasm, and it fell downwards, still laughing. Jumping over that, I landed beside the slowly fading body of Tsukiko-san, my Eye flaring, the aether Shaeula had handed me hopefully enough.


    I can¡¯t repair a severed astral cord. Not with my skills. Perhaps, just maybe if it was a fresh, untainted cut, but the dark spatial element of that fucker has completely eroded the cord going both ways. Her... her Material body is dead, that¡¯s for sure...


    The damage had spread to her Astral body, and I could see through the spatial element, leaking from her wounds. Some was going to the vile one-eyed blob that even now was struggling to get out of the pit, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Grulgor and more pouring attacks down on it. The fallen blades that hadn¡¯t been destroyed, the slime within the body of some of the Cultivators and the last Candidate... Tsukiko-san¡¯s essence was being slowly stripped away and funnelled through to what was beyond, a vile, bloated main body lying curled somewhere in the Boundary like a Dragon on its hoard. And the rate is accelerating...


    ¡°Time to excise this crap...¡± I psyched myself up, blades of aether forming, as I tried to halt the intrusion. My first blades failed miserably, as the spatial element devoured my aether happily, not being halted as it spread. That gave me an idea though, and apologising to Tsukiko-san in my head, I tore great chunks of her fraying Astral body out of her, before bathing them and the spatial element in Foehn. That still failed to entirely stop the spread though, and her whole body shuddered, becoming more transparent.


    I can¡¯t get a hold of her with Kin Bonding, it makes sense, her spirit is under attack by that shitty ball of slime. And if I damage her Astral body too much, or she gets eaten... well, I knew how that ended, as Shaeula was already grieving for some of her fallen kin, who had been killed by the blob or the bone blades, which were a horrible part of it, still sapient. ¡°So I need to act fast...¡± I said, the sounds of battle behind me intensifying.


    [I will eat all of you as well, no need to hurry, sha-sha-sha-sha!] The words from behind me were invading our minds, enraging me further, but I maintained my calm, allowing Shaeula and the others to reply for me, which they did with attacks, not words. Attacks, that¡¯s it...


    This time, I held Foehn within my aetheric blades for Chirurgery. It was incredibly complicated to not have the Foehn burn free and start consuming Tsukiko-san, but if I thought of it like chemo- or radiotherapy it made sense. I need to spend more time researching, but... no, I can make it work. The spreading spatial element tainted with what seemed to be incredibly tiny clones, similar to the spores the Myconids used, was a cancer, and using Chirurgery if I delivered precise killing agents, my Foehn, to the source, destroying it... Well, then I have to remove the Foehn safety, and use Ether Healing on her disintegrating body. This makes what I did with Shiro look easy...


    Dripping silvery sweat, my focus intense, Split Thoughts running as though to cook my very brain, the first strikes slipped in, Foehn eagerly consuming the tainted spatial element happily. All right, now to remove it safely, with as little damage as possible...


    ********


    In the frozen moment, Tsukiko could see nothing, yet everything was a pure, brilliant white, not a terrifying black. I see. So this is death then. And after that... dissolution. She had regrets, but all those were meaningless now. Sometimes, I dared to dream that I could turn aside the Definite, just once in my life. When Akio-san, or Yukiko, or that spiritual being, Shaeula, told me, I almost believed it. And wanted it. But...


    She suddenly felt a presence, one she only ordinarily felt in dreams, visions. It was as clear as when she possessed the Divine Favour of Tsukuyomi, no, even clearer. It was almost as if she could feel the breath of Tsukuyomi, and though she was merely her fading thoughts, she imagined she was speaking.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve come at the end, Tsukuyomi, to say farewell. I hope... I hope I have done well, pleased you.¡±


    Of course you have, my precious chosen one. You have, ever since you were born, a unique, precious existence. You have suffered much, given much, and saved more than you sacrificed. I give you my deepest thanks.


    ¡°I wish I¡¯d given less, at the end.¡± If she had cheeks she would have puffed them out in a pout, a gesture befitting a younger girl. ¡°I wanted... I wanted to do normal things, such as spend time with a friend, or travel the city and merely take in the sights, or watch a movie, or... fall in love. But it was not to be.¡±


    Life is seldom fair. Many Gods believe in justice, equivalent exchange. Sadly, that is merely an illusion, but one worth striving for. Even with all our powers, the Definite, Effect following Cause, these are still immutable. Not even the strongest of us, He Who Sits Upon The Throne, his followers suffer from the slings and arrows of Destiny and Fate as much as any. But in the end... I have come. Perhaps I should not have, your Boundary, it is perilously weak, and this might hasten the collapse, but... in the end, I do not wish you to cease alone.


    Alone? I see. ¡°Well, I do not think I am alone. I feel nothing, the end is surely here, but I doubt I am alone.¡± She imaged the expressions of anguish on the faces of those who had fought so hard to protect her, those who had even died, and despite having no tangible form, she shuddered, feeling sick. ¡°I wish I could see them again. But... I will not miss the visions. I grew numb to them, over the decades, but these newest ones, of the Golden-Eyed Devourer, the Red Dragon and the ants, the White Dragon, the Pillars... and all that comes in their wake, death, destruction, misery. Perhaps death will be a relief, never to see them again. I passed on your blessing, and now... it is his burden to bear.¡±


    Yes, at the last, you have succeeded, as best you could. Despite your gifts and the divinations of the moon, you are merely mortal. If even the Gods cannot comprehend the Mystery that lurks above Fate and Laws, and what perhaps exceeds even that, how can a mortal comprehend it, know it? But rest assured, what you have shaped and directed and averted matters. Small pebbles affecting Fate can create a great avalanche.


    ¡°I hope that avalanche can save Yukiko, and many others. Well, while you are here, can you answer me one final thing? Could... could I have saved myself, were I selfish, willing to throw away everything? Akio-san and Yasuhide seem to make a good point, even if I could not quite bring myself to believe it. Surely I could have done something, to evade this Fate?¡±


    A harsh question for the end. Well, let me show you...


    Tsukiko gasped as the vision changed to one of Akio-san and Shaeula. It must have been from a while ago, or perhaps the future, as they were in a small room, sitting at a low table, Shaeula¡¯s legs splayed out casually, while Akio-san was sitting more properly. They were looking at a deck of cards, and the hands they had been dealt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I mean, no, I get it mathematically.¡± He said, sighing, and Tsukiko giggled internally, despite her situation, at his puzzled look. ¡°One point of Fortune is two percent, give or take, in terms of probabilities. But... that begs the question, just what is Fortune? How does it know what cards to draw for me to make a winning hand? Hell, that¡¯s not even the strangest thing. When your winds blow, and I get the feeling I¡¯m going to be lucky, like when I first fought the Jorogumo, or when you won the slots at Vegas... how does it seemingly know the future? And the odds of some of our actions haven¡¯t been improved by a few hundred percent, they¡¯ve been million to one shots.¡±


    ¡°Well, you ask quite-quite the question, and it shames me to say I do not-not know. I never really considered probabilities until I entered the mortal world, and as for how my fortunate winds work, that is another question I can not-not answer. But perhaps... they interfere not-not merely with Fortune, but with Fate as well?¡±


    ¡°I really hate all that Fate crap.¡± Akio-san snapped, and my giggles died, becoming serene. Yes, he hated my fate a great deal. Quite the fool indeed, as Shaeula might say. But a kind fool. Well, he has changed the Fate of the Hungry Ghost, it seems, so perhaps he has gathered all the ingredients to change Heaven¡¯s Fate too, to save Yukiko.


    ¡°It makes everything we do meaningless if it was just meant to be. There¡¯s a film with a very famous line, ¡®There¡¯s no fate but what we make.¡¯¡± As Shaeula muttered that she had not seen that one, he continued. ¡°I don¡¯t mind events being likely to happen, or chance twisting to our favour, but I¡¯ll never just let us be pulled by the puppet strings of destiny. The future isn¡¯t written yet, and even if it is, it¡¯s not set in stone. And if somehow it is set in stone, then we need a hammer and chisel, because I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯ll let the future be shitty for us. I didn¡¯t save you because of some unknowable destiny I have, I saved you because...¡±


    ¡°... because?¡± she grinned, and he reddened.


    ¡°Well, because I wanted to, all right? You were pretty cute, even back then. But I swear I¡¯m not a furry!¡±


    ¡°Oho, well, did not-not my brother tell you...¡± the vision faded out, and she was back in the presence of Tsukuyomi, her God, her reason for living.


    What do you think? Is Fortune and Fate merely one and the same? If so... then your Fate was sealed.


    ¡°If I made other choices, or others did...¡±


    See for yourself.


    ¡°... you get in here...¡± Yasuhide was saying, blood sparkling on his chest, where a bullet had pierced him. As he slumped to the ground, the mist rose up, and a bone sword flashed, and her head parted from her shoulders, her vision fading to white, the last words, ones she shouldn¡¯t have been able to understand, as they were in Chinese, echoing in her mind. ¡°... killed the greatest target. I wish I could have killed more soldiers, but striking her down will ignite a greater conflagration.¡± He spat, vanishing into the hidden mist. ¡°... fucking Japanese pigs. Now for the others...¡±


    [Betray? I merely eat when I am hungry. Many treats I sent out here to find me food were taken from me. In my anger, of course I needed snacks!]


    ¡°You... you did not?¡± the green-haired leader cried out, only for laughter to be his only answer. Tearing at his lank, already patchy locks, he screamed, and his surviving kin echoed it.


    ¡°If you wish vengeance, aid us.¡± Shaeula ordered them. ¡°You are likely not-not of much use, but at least try to take revenge with your own hands, pitiful fools.¡±


    Harsh, but fair. ¡°Tan...¡± I raced over to her, where she was resting, her face pale, her red hair not the brilliant crimson it normally was, but a faded, lifeless colour, her flames flickering faintly. ¡°I have a question. How would you destroy it?¡±


    ¡°I am weary. And the princess, her body cannot handle much more exertion, we are setting back her recovery significantly as it is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± I said, and she glared at me. ¡°Look, no time. I believe we can heal any damage we suffer easily now. What I need is a way to beat that thing. How would you do it? I¡¯ve damaged it with spatial attacks, but it¡¯s far more skilled, all I have is Cutting Twilight, and it comes out worse each time.¡± I glanced at the chipped and pitted blade.


    ¡°Hurry, Hyacinth can nooot hold for too long!¡± I heard a cry, and desperately sped up.


    ¡°My fires, they can even devour other elements, as can yours.¡± She observed. ¡°But he recovers quickly, we have no time to strike a fatal blow before our own fires are quenched by his returning spatial flows. Worse, his whole body radiates it, we would need to consume it all, while striking with an attack that will completely destroy it. In our weakened, stretched states...¡±


    True. I once more considered breaking down the last Favour I held. I could barely support it with my adherence almost gone, anyway. I wanted to keep it, but... no, wait...


    The ground erupted, deadly spikes seeking us, as at least one other enemy was still fighting. The wielder of earth element. If I can get his favour...


    ¡°Tan, do you think you can destroy all his spatial element, even for a moment?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, my fires, they are dimmed. I have eaten well, but I am limited by the body I am possessing. If there was a way to strengthen them, replenish my fires, then perhaps, for a moment.¡±


    I have come, is everyone all right? Words echoed in all our minds as Haru-san joined the battle, having recovered a little. Light flashed, but it was once again consumed. A barrier formed around the lump of pale flesh, a shimmering sphere.


    [What is this? You did not die? Somebody removed me from you? How disappointing, at least...] his tongue lashed, tearing through the barrier [...I have not missed the chance to consume you!]


    Putting aside the woman with her, who looked very much like one of our enemies, I cheered her arrival. Shaeraggo was here too, his disgust for the vile creature palpable, as was Selensha, who was healing the wounded as best she could. Bintara had stablished Kofuku Jizo and Prince Sho?toku, but nothing would get them back in the fight any time soon. Taishakama-san was also spent, and the horde summoned by Kinkawa-san was gone too, mostly devoured.


    Haru-san, can you link me with others, like when we did it with the twins?


    I think so, if it¡¯s only one or two at a time.


    Great, then... as I relayed my plan, Tan frowned. She offered some amendments, suggesting an alternative, one that wasn¡¯t so wasteful. In mere moments we had rattled through it, as I rushed towards the blob, sword held ready for battle.


    [My food comes straight to me. Well, I understand. It must be frightening, just waiting to be eaten!]


    ¡°Get fucked!¡± I declared, unleashing my spatial rending. Again, it clashed in a spray of violet, cutting a slash in his flesh, but a momentary attack could not surpass his regenerating supply. But I needed to keep him busy, so he couldn¡¯t see the preparations, as Haru-san was co-ordinating the efforts. ¡°You want me? Come and get me! I have multiple Divine Favours and spirits to eat, but you won¡¯t get any, you piece of shit!¡±


    I darted past him, narrowly avoiding the tongue, which was becoming faster, as if it was growing hungrier. I used a little of my precious aether to look behind me, where Selensha and Shaeula were pouring out their water energy, fuelling the wind from the Kamaitachi, Shaeraggo and anyone else who could spare it. Ixitt was adding his flames, and it was all being funnelled to Tan, who was drinking it in, showered in the liquid from Bintara to keep her borrowed body as intact as possible.


    All right then, I have to keep the attention on me. Hyacinth was working something else, laying a series of roots through the earth and stone below us, humming softly to herself despite her torn clothes and many injuries.


    I reckon I can use Prominence Twilight twice... well, I¡¯m going to need once for the main thrust...


    I felt the shimmer of fortunate winds around me again, as Shaeula squeezed out the last of her energies, the remaining wind feeding Tan¡¯s growing surge of flames. Her hair was vibrant again, and her whole body was smoking.


    She says she is in agony, and you had best make it up to her later. Shiro of course, not Tan. Haru-san connected to me, her thoughts amused.


    I will. For now, can you link us for the timing? It might have been possible for us to time our attacks, Tan was pretty skilled and I had Split Thoughts, but with Haru-san connecting us, it should be possible to get a far higher precision. I clashed Cutting Twilight against the rasping tongue again, sparks of violet energy flying. I strengthened the blade with some earth element, but even so it was starting to chip and crack more, and would surely fail soon.


    [Sha-sha-sha-sha. Soon you will be mine! Why struggle? Maybe I can even... no, you would not believe me if I promised to spare them, would you?] Its tongue lolled, spittle, tinged with vile purple energies, spraying at me, forcing me to dodge.


    ¡°No I damn well wouldn¡¯t.¡± I agreed, starting to form Prominence Dusk, the darkness behind me like a shield slung over my back. The eye was glaring at me hungrily, and I distracted its attention by weaving Prominence Dawn as well, a glowing orb surrounded by darkness forming in front of me.


    [I see. I did so want to eat that. Unique elements are quite a treat. That world I was banished from, it had so many, sha-sha-sha-sha! A shame that those filthy Demons will get to enjoy them all...]


    ¡°Oh, eat it? I see. Well, I¡¯m a gracious host...¡± Eat it, you say? Poor choice of words...


    Shaeula, her job done, rushed in from one side, firing off what little elemental energy she had left. The bitter anguish of the Renyu was funnelled into their own attacks, water cascading, striking it from multiple angles. Grulgor was hurling iron balls like a machine gun, and Shaeraggo was firing arrows with the last of his own strength. Even a couple of the Cultivators had unleashed their last Talismans, attacking their erstwhile master.


    As the earth spikes came at us again, Hyacinth crowed, and with a flick of her wrist the user was caught, dragged out of the earth, limbs twisted to the breaking point. As he screamed, Daiyu staggered to her feet, exhausted, following the instructions I had passed on to her via Haru-san¡¯s telepathy, and she quickly used her Qi to damage his chakra network, preventing his voluntary retreat. He was then trapped in a shimmering sphere of energy. Another appeared around the blob, stopping it for a moment, as I charged up the twin Prominences.


    {Trying the same foolish tricks over and over again? Pathetic...] The barrier disintegrated in a shower of dark violet. [It seems I do not even need my slumbering body to deal with you!]


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I asked, my remaining Foehn sucked into Prominence Dawn. When I did so, I got a surprise, as what it created was not what I expected. But I can work with this... definitely. Haru-san...


    What is it?


    Change of plans... I¡¯ll make the first strike, Tan the second. The timing¡¯s the same, just swapped a moment.


    Got it. It... it will work, right?


    If not, we are going to have to flee and destroy the Ring Gate behind us. if we do that, we¡¯ll probably lose Kyoto... but I think it will.


    [Die, worthless fish. Seafood is a delicacy, you should be honoured to be consumed!] The tongue lashed out, dragging one of the few Renyu remaining to his death, a look of horror on his face as he vanished in a splash of purple.


    ¡°Here goes... hey, slimeball, I have a question for you.¡± I said, my body blocking his sight, the perfect lance of searing flames from Tan heading towards my back.


    [Oh, talkative food. I shall humour you]


    ¡°Why here? Aren¡¯t there plenty of good treats in China? This all seems so reckless and wasteful.¡±


    The lance struck, and the Flames of Thirst and Famine were absorbed by the Dusk, and as they were dyed a savage black, taking on a new aspect, one I had suspected, I felt that we had a good chance. Fortunate winds, I¡¯d love some good luck again, though maybe I used it all getting Prominence Twilight.


    [Wasteful? Perhaps. In time, all shall be eaten. But here there were many delights, all together... I could risk a meal to eat a better one... huh?]


    ¡°Twin Prominence, Light and Darkness as one, casting Twilight!¡± I called, just as another bubble of force surrounded the beast, holding him for a fraction of a second. Beams from Haru-san struck out, a distraction to disguise the true attack, which was the Prominence Dawn. A brilliant glow erupted, illuminating the battlefield, and for a second the creature looked shocked, his flesh smoking. Shouldn¡¯t be transparent, you piece of shit. If you weren¡¯t, our chances of winning were a lot less...


    [This stings, but the light passes and I shall...] his words were drowned by the second attack, the mass of surging black flames, filled with the hunger of Tan, and the hopes, dreams and wishes of all those who contributed their energy, dyed in the darkness, which wished to consume and take in all things.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only hungry one...¡± I said, as the flame enveloped him. This time his eye boiled and exploded, his outer layers turning to ash as the flames seared him.


    [Wait, what...]


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll tell you how I did this? You¡¯re just a fucking clone. Now burn... burn to ashes!¡±


    [My spatial element is gone... argh, I...] it screamed as the flames ate into it, most of the mass just charcoal now. [No. I lose. Frustrating.] the tone changed, the wicked playfulness all gone, now deadly serious. [But...] it crowed even as it burned, faint flickers of purple springing back to life, but too little, too late. [You are correct. This is merely a part of me. Losing it will set back my recovery, as will the loss of my food... but I know... you... now...] Only a few fragments of flesh were left, the bonfire roaring as it melted. [I shall... not ... rest until... you...]


    You have gained in strength... as a massive amount of ether was discharged, as well as strangely enough, a decent amount of adherence, I fell to my knees, the Prominences dying away. Yeah, it would have been... touch and go... even for a clone, without everyone working together. I don¡¯t... even want to think... about the main body...


    The threats it had made were only natural. I had what it wanted now, and had hurt it badly, albeit with a lot of help. Looking around the denuded shrine at Tsukuyomi-jinja, now no longer a Territory after Tsukiko-san¡¯s death, I groaned, my body on the verge of collapse, so hard had I pushed it. Fuck, even Duke Myrcolaxriath wasn¡¯t such a bastard. Spatial element really is too cheaty...


    As Hyacinth rushed over, still carrying the broken hostage, who was crying out in agony, starting to dissolve, purple energy poisoning him too, I sighed. Shaeula was at my side, helping me to my feet, followed by Haru-san who took my other arm. I broke down some ether for aether, and prepared to remove the Favour from the last of our enemies, glad I didn¡¯t need to use it up in the end after all.


    ¡°I¡¯d totally come help you, Aki...¡± Shiro said, Tan now dormant, as she lay on the ground, limbs splayed out, blood trickling from her slowly-healing wounds. ¡°... but... I just want to sleep for a week. And maybe drink a bottle of whiskey to numb this pain...¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel like celebrating, considering the losses, the deaths. But...¡± My Eye flaring orange, despite the fierce headache, I reached out with a complicated series of aetheric probes, the remaining slime within him starting to disintegrate under my rapid ministrations. ¡°... but I sure could use that drink...¡±


    Behind me Shaeula was not the only one to murmur her agreement. We were all shattered, pushed to our limits, but the battle for Kyoto had ended, leaving us the victors, and a number of Cultivators and Renyu our prisoners.


    ¡°Shit, there are still some bone swords and fragments left...¡± I cried as I tore free the Divine Favour. ¡°We have to tidy them up before we go.¡± The last thing I want is another clone to appear. Not yet, not for a good while, until we are all stronger, as I can¡¯t bank on the combination Tan and I did to work on him a second time. If we can learn, so can it...


    ¡°Well, come on.¡± I dragged myself over towards the Cultivators. ¡°They won¡¯t destroy themselves, will they?¡±

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Three

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Three


    As I extracted the small remnants of slime from the Cultivator in front of me, the pained expression on his face faded. With a few flickers of my remaining Foehn the slime was turned to ash, and I slumped down, exhausted. Done at least. Fuck that slime monster, the golden-eyed bastard. Leaving bits of itself in these people so they were his slaves... Drawing in a long, shuddering breath, I could finally relax a little, my Eye not seeing any further pieces of the monster around us, either flesh or bone.


    Daiyu, who was kneeling beside the corpse of the armless man, who had died rapidly after the clone had perished, his injuries tainted with the spatial element and the slime within him combining to eat away at him fatally, stood, coming over to me, a solemn, thoughtful expression on her face.


    ¡°Was he someone you knew?¡± I asked, and she nodded, dark eyes distant.


    ¡°Yes, he was the Patriarch of Mountain Fang Sect. They were on good terms with the Incorruptible Jade, and I went on our foolish, disastrous mission with many of the best of theirs. And... it seems I was the only survivor, despite my hopes.¡±


    ¡°It is understandable to be sorrowful.¡± One of the saved Cultivators said. They had accepted the battle was over, and were grateful Shaeula and I managed to save at least some of them with Chirurgery, though death came fast to many. Now seven were left, just seven. No, there¡¯s also the few remaining Renyu, who are over there, their spirits broken. Oh, and that Chinese Candidate with Haru-san... I need an explanation on that too... I had an idea though, considering checking the details on her Territory, I could see she suddenly had a Throne of Heroes built.


    ¡°And you would be?¡± I asked, and the man answered, casting a sideways look at Daiyu.


    ¡°This useless old fool is Lin Ming, Patriarch of Diamond Mountain.¡± He said self-deprecatingly. ¡°Our Sect had a long history with Mountain Fang, our founder was said to have been deeply involved with Mountain Fang. Hence why we were caught up in the purge, and subsequently taken by that monster. Not just ours, but others too. I am sorry again, Black Jade.¡± He bowed to the sorrowful Daiyu. ¡°You have suffered as much as any. But at least you did not fall to such a terrible fate as us. There is no salvation, is there?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Those who died here, innocent civilians... I get that you were all coerced, but that doesn¡¯t excuse... this.¡± I gestured with a weary arm to the ruin of Tsukuyomi-jinja, and the wider spiritual Kyoto. ¡°There has to be justice.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The man said, and his fellow Cultivators agreed. ¡°At least our Dao remains, and we shall have a chance at reincarnation, shameful though our rebirth is likely to be. It is more than my old friend shall have.¡± He looked at the armless, mostly dissolved corpse. ¡°So, Black Jade, now that you know all have perished, what shall you do?¡±


    She sighed, and as I waited for her answer, also wanting to know, she looked at me then, her dark eyes now serious, resolute. ¡°What else can I do? It is as I said, Akio.¡± She used my name without hesitation. ¡°I can never allow the legacy of the Incorruptible Jade to end with me. No, I shall rebuild. In this foreign land. China... it was and always shall be the home of the Incorruptible Jade, but unless we grow strong, we shall never return to punish those who betrayed the fifteen hundred years of protection we offered. So... I shall seek new disciples, and teach all the ways and hidden knowledge. No secrets, no holding back.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Such talents are hard to find, even in China.¡± Lin Ming said gently. I think he¡¯s pleased. I guess he too must hate the thought of his own Sect ending unremarked and unmourned...


    ¡°True, but...¡± Daiyu looked at me then. ¡°I would ask your help. I have seen the potential of those you have worked this Chirurgery on. It does not fit with any of the knowledge I have of the meridians, Dantians and more, but... with the knowledge of the Incorruptible Jade, passed down from Kunlun, I will aid you to learn, and then, I also request...¡± she trailed off, her face a little tense, and Lin Ming spoke up, earning a surprisingly wrathful glare from her.


    ¡°A laudable sentiment. Then allow me to offer you what remains of our knowledge and treasures. Here.¡± He produced a strange-looking plate. ¡°This is the Yin-Yang Karmic Desolation Measure Formation.¡±


    Formation, huh? That was one of the Six Noble Pursuits, right? At my expression, the man laughed.


    ¡°I see. Yes, Black Jade here would certainly have told you about Formation Plates. It seems she trusts you well.¡±


    Daiyu¡¯s expression only grew more angry and shame-faced. Shiro, who had dragged herself over, supported by Shaeula and Hyacinth, let out a laugh, which put Daiyu further on edge.


    ¡°She¡¯s mentioned it. So what does it do?¡±


    ¡°Well, with yin and yang energy added, by two separate people...¡± he nodded to a young woman, one of the few survivors. ¡°... well, we had help from him.¡± He looked at the grief-stricken Renyu, who was nearly catatonic, grieving at the likely knowledge all his kin were dead, devoured, and their sins had been for naught. ¡°... but, while I believe it was originally intended for Dao Companions to measure the nearness of their Tribulations, now it can be used to sense the level of... well, potential calamity, Heavenly distortion, in an area.¡±


    Tribulations? I haven¡¯t read many Cultivation novels, just a couple of the big ones... but they¡¯re a thing then? Ugh, Cultivation seems a really hard path. But I wonder how that squares with the Astral... ¡°So, what¡¯s the situation here then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You should try it.¡± Daiyu spoke up. ¡°Your light element, as you called it. It is not pure yang, but it should suffice, with my guidance, as I use yang for my own techniques, troublesome as it is for a girl to raise.¡±


    The old Patriarch nodded, and soon I was at the plate, Daiyu whispering guidance to me. As the light energy I had remaining flowed out, it was strange. It was as if I could see the portents for doom around us, and the tiny stones around the edge of the plate were almost entirely lit up ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s... grim. Well, the ether density around here has been rising steadily since the battle started, if irregularly... wait, is that it? Ixitt!¡± I shouted, releasing the plate suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± he rushed over, tail lashing happily. Most of the wreckage of the attacking vehicles and weapons had returned to the Material, but even so, he had been sorting through the battlefield happily, looking for treasures.


    ¡°I think the fraying Boundary here is leading to an ever-increasing ether density. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll help but...¡± as explained, his eyes lit up.


    ¡°Of course! Tears caused by too much pressure, power, spatial element.¡± Ixitt rapidly realised what I was talking about. ¡°It spreads from here to the lower Astral, and then...¡± he made a ripping gesture. ¡°Collapse. Even a localised one would prove disastrous, and the pressure would spread quickly, like those experiments with cans and air pressure. Your plan is a stopgap, but I will think on more permanent measures.¡±


    ¡°Great, so bring all the Artificial Ether Spires you can. We¡¯ll get as many green and blue Etherites via trade, begging to borrow those from Shaeula¡¯s father, whatever... we can keep the density down and buy us some time...¡±


    ¡°While profiting too, of course.¡± He chortled.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s China that worries me more though. If that golden-eyed shit is doing the same there... ugh, we need to speed things up. We have to be ready. Next time... well, if we had to face his full power, I¡¯m guessing we¡¯d be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°I shall entrust the plate to you, Black Jade.¡± The Patriarch took it from his disciple and gave it to Daiyu. ¡°As well as the few items we have left. And should we be allowed time before our deaths, all our hidden knowledge. Perhaps... perhaps you could name one of your halls Diamond Mountain, in time, so we are not forgotten?¡±


    ¡°I have a name. I am Zhao Daiyu, not merely Black Jade.¡± She sniffed. ¡°As for my halls, I currently have none, but I shall. And perhaps... I can be generous. But you interrupted me. I was about to ask...¡± her face was pink, and she looked like any young girl right now. ¡°Akio, my Invincible Jade Yang Foundation Technique is precious, and I will teach it to all, but... I desire the Spiritually Pure Body. I understand the spirit water you have is extraordinarily rare and valuable. But... if I am to rebuild the Incorruptible Jade, I will need all the advantages I can get. I... I can pay a fair price. I also... yang energy...¡± her usual confidence was gone, her words mumbled, impossible even for me to hear all of them.


    ¡°Oho, really?¡± Shiro smiled nastily. ¡°I guess I wasn¡¯t far off the mark then, was I?¡±


    Daiyu went scarlet. The Patriarch laughed heartily, though he looked impressed. ¡°Spirit water? Such a treasure. I can see why you would desire it. Surely a prodigy such as yourself could break through to Accumulation realm, heights that have not been seen in many years. As for yang energy... well, Patriarch Zhao might weep, but Cultivators must Cultivate, no matter the cost.¡±


    Well, there are many I want to give High Moonlight Spirit Water to, and she has others ahead of her in the queue, but if it has added benefits for her, then I can consider...


    ¡°A rather interesting turn of events.¡± Shaeula chuckled. ¡°Well, I do not-not hate this, but...¡± she left Shiro in Hyacinth¡¯s care, before whispering quietly in Daiyu¡¯s ear, though her gaze was on me, a slight smile showing she knew I could hear. ¡°The first-first wife believes that sex for gain is mere-mere prostitution. I have... other views, I confess, but I have agreed to support Eri as she manages things. So if you wish-wish to receive, then you must give. As a female, your heart is the only price worth paying, is it not-not?¡±


    I imagined I could see steam coming from Daiyu¡¯s ears, her usual cool demeanour entirely gone. Before she could answer, Shiro spoke up. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve read a few Dual Cultivation books. Don¡¯t judge me Aki, I know you like lewd stories, everybody does. Hell, Aimi loves her BL, doesn¡¯t she? I¡¯m kind of pissed off right now, but... well, what does it matter at this point?¡± she turned to the scarlet Daiyu. ¡°So, you think you want him for a Dao Companion or something? I mean, I get it. But isn¡¯t that like... an unbreakable commitment?¡±


    Your skill, Aetheric Chirurgeon has increased from Rank 8 to Rank 9 and has crossed the second wall, reaching the third pinnacle. Your understanding of adherence greatly increased and your ability to affect and extract harmful and beneficial adherences within the body has also increased greatly. Adherence you generate is slightly increased, and adherence spent is slightly decreased. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°Better still, I momentarily reached Rank 10 when you focused on my Chirurgery with your buffs. Though the knowledge, the feelings, they were too strong and strange for me to grasp yet. But... I can take out the adherence poisoning your wounds now. It¡¯ll be tricky work, but I can do it. Besides, I need the adherence.¡± I grinned sourly, as the two Divine Favours were constantly draining my meagre stocks. ¡°Without more, I won¡¯t be able to pass these on.¡±


    ¡°Well, way to make the rest of us look bad with more power-ups, Aki. But in these circumstances, I can hardly be pissed off. Can you help Eri now?¡± she asked, kissing me softly on the cheek, then the lips, while Hyacinth continued to cling to my arm, a happy sensation.


    ¡°A little maybe, but sadly Eri¡¯s body isn¡¯t damaged, it¡¯s just... in flux. I can probably ease her symptoms a little though.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Well, I guess that means more time for Shirohime!¡± she pounded her chest happily. ¡°So, next question. Just... just how did you kill that thing? Our attacks were pretty useless against it, damn spatial element. That¡¯s why Arisu is so dangerous in her Room. Spatial element is nasty. We need to learn it!¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I laughed. I was still shielding us within the bubble of wind, better safe than sorry. ¡°Well, it only seemed to fear spatial, which we couldn¡¯t win with.¡± I looked down at Cutting Twilight sadly, the blade chipped, nicked and cracked. ¡°The only other attacks that really bothered it were Tan¡¯s flames and my Foehn. Foehn can eat spatial element, though alone it wasn¡¯t strong enough to win, as the spatial element then regenerated, thwarting the Foehn.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Tan was having the same issue.¡± Shiro said, her body trembling with current and remembered exhaustion. ¡°She could damage it, burning through, but before the fires could do much to the freak, it swallowed them up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought a double whammy would win. I¡¯d hit it hard with Tan¡¯s flames boosted by all the power Prominence Dusk could add, and then it¡¯d be momentarily open. I figured a boosted Foehn landing in that brief interval before the spatial element could return would start to consume it, so that it couldn¡¯t recover.¡±


    ¡°But you changed the ooorder, did you not, Akio?¡± Hyacinth remarked shrewdly.


    ¡°I sure did. When I loaded Foehn into Prominence Dawn and saw what I had, I knew we had a good shot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense Aki, tell us, tell us.¡± Shiro preened cutely, even more affectionate now true hope of being healed had been offered to her.


    ¡°Well, it seems that light combines with fire to create radiance.¡± I said, and Shiro looked puzzled.


    ¡°Radiance? That¡¯s just light...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think, but it¡¯s not. What radiance is, is the ability for what is not light to act as light. So when I saw that, I knew the clone bastard was done.¡± I remembered my shock.


    ¡°Act as light?¡± Shiro said, before working it out, Hyacinth applauding her, the motions pulling me tighter into her embrace. ¡°Oh I get it. So, it was essentially a light of Foehn, rather than a flame?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And fortunately, the bastard was see-through. So essentially it was entirely exposed to Foehn all at once, stripping away and devouring all the spatial element. Then we hit it with the very hungry flames of Tan, enhanced further, and well... our clone was done. Without that turn of events, I think we could still have won, but it would have been much harder to bring down with combined Foehn and Flames of Thirst.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well...¡± Shiro was interrupted by Haru-san, who had brought over her Chinese Candidate.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you...¡± she said softly. ¡°But we need to talk. About her. And what comes after.¡± The Candidate shrank under my gaze.


    ¡°Fine, I guess we do need to take stock.¡± I agreed.


    ********


    ¡°So, you have her as a Chosen Hero. I can see the point of that. Well thought out, Shaeula.¡± She puffed up at my praise, grinning. ¡°You too Haru-san. That¡¯s a precious asset saved. But we¡¯ll still need to consider... punishment.¡±


    The woman shuddered, biting her lip, but she said nothing.


    ¡°Well then.¡± Moira listed off the gains. ¡°This girl here...¡± she pointed to Shiro. ¡°.. now has gained Anesidora¡¯s favour. And her... contractor...¡± that was quite the way to describe Tan. ¡°... has obtained three of flames. You control two, Akio, one of a thief god, and a god of the earth. Then we have this girl here with the barriers, and you believe that we shall have custody of one more, the one who can move people between here and the mortal realm.¡±


    Summed up like that, it was quite the haul. A shame it cost us dearly. Engetsu-san was dead, as was a girl from the old neutral shrine faction. Tsukiko-san had died, but her soul was safe. If we wanted her to walk the Material after her rebirth, we¡¯d need a Throne, though that wasn¡¯t insurmountable. Many ratkin, weaselkin and other Fae had died. A number were within the scope of Kin Restoration, but there were still those that weren¡¯t, and those that had been devoured, spirit and all. Over Kyoto as a whole, many shrines had been destroyed and kami slain, it was mere fortune that Kofuku Jizo and Prince Sho?toku survived, though their recouperation would be long, so they had been shipped back to my Territory. Then there are the civilian casualties, plus whatever else I don¡¯t know about in the Material. I need to get back soon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t just want to break down the ones we have. Ideally we need loyal Candidates. I¡¯ll try everyone we know first, then move onto trusted third parties.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty cool, right Arisu-chan?¡± Suzu whispered, bizarrely being trailed by a zombie in a rather fancy mini-skirt dress.


    ¡°Do be quiet, Suzanne-san. This is not the time for idle chatter.¡± She said sternly, Bunta-san behind them, looking around anxiously.


    ¡°Oh, I thank you all for coming to help.¡± I bowed before them. ¡°I¡¯d like to meet up and discuss compensation and cooperation, but can it wait a week?¡±


    ¡°A week?¡± she said suspiciously. ¡°Why is that?¡± Her cold glare was intimidating. Yeah, I can see why Shiro told me to beware of her temper, but she helped us out, so I¡¯m already warmly disposed towards her.


    ¡°Because in a week, Shiro will be healed, so we all need to celebrate. We¡¯ll throw a lavish feast. Then we can talk, when I¡¯ve shown you I can be trusted.¡±


    She looked at me, long and searching, before nodding. ¡°Very well. But know I hate two things more than anything else. Cheats and liars.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, cut me some slack on my relationships. Everyone agreed to them. So it¡¯s not cheating, right? I wouldn¡¯t do that. As for lying, you¡¯re a friend of Shiro¡¯s, so you''re my friend too. So, I hope when we next meet, we can become friends in truth. You¡¯ve seen this chaos, right? We need to stick together, or we¡¯ll die apart.¡±


    ¡°So you say. Come, Suzanne-san, Bunta-san, we are departing.¡± She imperiously opened up her Room, and they entered, Suzu waving cheerily at me.


    ¡°All right then. Sorry about her, Aki, you¡¯ll like her when you get to know her, I promise. Just... not too much, okay? Arisu as your wife would be hell for the rest of us, and you too!¡± Shiro sighed.


    ¡°Fine then. Well, shall we wrap this up? We¡¯ve got things to do and places to be...¡±

 Three Hundred And Thirty Four

    Three Hundred And Thirty Four


    Entering the hotel restaurant, the brilliant lights of the Tokyo night shining trough the windows like a million neon fireflies, we were greeted by everyone, anxiety on their faces.


    ¡°Akio, is everyone all right?¡± Eri asked, managing to turn her head, despite the discomfort. She was echoed by many of the other girls, and it was Aimi-san who first noticed who was absent. Her face cramped, going pale.


    ¡°Wait, Akio-kun, where¡¯s Shiro? She¡¯s not hurt is she?¡±


    I shook my head as Shaeula and Daiyu followed me into the room, shutting the door behind us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shiro¡¯s fine. Well, she overdid it terribly and reopened her scars, but Hyacinth stayed behind to look after her.¡±


    ¡°Is she going to be all right?¡± Hayato-san asked, and I noticed a laptop beside him playing footage from Kyoto. Damn, it¡¯s just like the messages I had on my phone when I returned to the Material. ¡°That sounds pretty awful.¡± He finished, concerned, and beside him, Hina-san looked as if she was going to cry.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be better than all right, I promise.¡± I declared boldly. ¡°But she¡¯ll be pleased that you¡¯re concerned.¡± I then glanced at Yasu-san, who gave me a puzzled look. Yeah, I think I get whey Shiro has been picking on Yasu-san tonight. It¡¯s to take my mind off the failures. But... The thought of the people that died, Engetsu, the civilians, our Fae, that still hurt, but this was a war. The first stages of it, most likely, but a war still. And saving those that mattered to me, winning, that had to be my aim. I was strong, and getting stronger every day, but I wasn¡¯t a God. I could only do what I could do. Besides, this time we prepared and did the best we could to not get blindsided. Sure, not everything worked as planned, but plans only last until the battle is joined, right?


    ¡°She was thinking of you, Yasu-san.¡± I said, smiling, and he looked puzzled.


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s unusual. So, what did she say?¡±


    I glanced at Eri, then at Daiyu, who was looking rather nervous behind me, though perhaps not everyone could tell, as her expressions were fairly muted on her face. Eri paused, raising one eyebrow, a complicated expression on her face.


    ¡°She said that she wishes she was here to ... uh... well, never mind, you¡¯ll get it.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s that, way to leave a bro hanging.¡± He sighed, before he and Shugo-san came over and slapped me heartily on the back, wincing a little as their hands stung. ¡°Glad you¡¯re okay though. It must have been pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°So, Shiro, please clarify her situation.¡± Hayato-san took charge like usual, and as I sat down, gripping a half-drunk bottle of sake and pouring myself a cup, I smiled.


    ¡°Like I said, she pushed herself way too hard, but she was dong it all for the right reasons. Well, Tan was largely doing the legwork. She had her other friends with her too. I suppose we¡¯ll all have to meet up at some point. Though I worry Yasu-san will get squished like a bug by Arisu-san.¡± As he protested at that, I continued. ¡°Shiro actually managed to become a true Candidate, like me and my sis.¡±


    ¡°She did? Wow, that¡¯s crazy. But awesome!¡± Aiko giggled, looking at Daiyu and Shaeula, the latter of which gave my sis a thumbs-up and winked. ¡°So, that¡¯s not all that happened, is it? So, did you save the girl bro? Isn¡¯t that the point of this?¡±


    Shaeula and I exchanged looks as she led Daiyu back to the group of girls. ¡°Well, not like I¡¯d hoped. But...¡± I gestured to the spirit light I could feel but nobody else could see... except surprisingly, Kana, who gasped.


    ¡°I see them!¡± her eyes were glittering with aether, and with my own heightened senses I could see a shimmering rainbow in her dark irises. ¡°So many glowing lights. Wait, I can... is that the Lady Diviner?¡± she asked, awed, and I nodded.


    ¡°Well done Kana.¡± I praised her, to giggles from her friends. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way with your eyes if you can see the souls resting in Kin Bonding. Yes, sadly she was right, as she so gleefully pointed out to me as she died...¡±


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Shugo-san said, confused. ¡°If she¡¯s dead, why are you taking it so calmly? That doesn¡¯t seem like you at all, Akio-kun, are you... are you all right?¡±


    Shaeula laughed loudly, trying to drown her own grief at the loss of some of her kin, as she poured herself some strong alcohol. ¡°Well, because in the end, for some, death is not the end of all things-things.¡± She filled another glass, giving it to Aiko. I frowned as it was strong whiskey, but she merely looked at me. I see. She needs this. Her bonds go deep, to lose any of them hurt her. The golden-eyed devourer is going to pay for this, and it can¡¯t afford the bill. She then handed glasses to Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi, who took them gingerly, used to drinking a little, but never strong spirits. ¡°Here.¡± she tossed me a pair of filled glasses, while handing one to Daiyu. At that Hinata suddenly narrowed her eyes, realising.


    Catching the two glasses gracefully, not spilling a drop, I handed one to Eri.


    ¡°A toast then.¡± I declared, ignoring whispers from Mio-san that Kana should take a glass too. Kana. Her eyes were still shining, and I had a strange feeling. Moments later I was surprised, but also excited. So that¡¯s how it is. I never thought of that, but I should have. It opens... possibilities. ¡°To the fallen, who fought bravely to save others and protect Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°To the fallen!¡± my girls echoed, as did the others, swept up in the mood, Hayato-san looking pensive and thoughtful, the girls toasting with juice, or in some cases sake. Man, father would be pissed off if he could see all these underage girls drinking...


    ¡°My kin who shall-shall return will earn my praise, and those that foul monster devoured, lost forever... they shall be avenged, and not-not forgotten!¡± Shaeula shouted.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll build a monument. No, two. One in Kyoto, and one in the Spring.¡± I promised. ¡°Tsukiko-san too. She gave her life for what she believed in... so, I¡¯m glad...¡± I was surprised to feel warmth in my eyes, dampness. I think... it¡¯s finally hitting me, we won, and while it wasn¡¯t a perfect victory, those I love all survived, and Tsukiko-san, she¡¯ll have a chance at freedom in the future... ¡°... that one day soon, she¡¯ll walk again. If Haru-san can be happy, Tsukiko-san can too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad too.¡± Eri said softly, making a face at the strong alcohol, but drinking it dutifully. ¡°She was a pitiful woman. Beautiful, so ungodly beautiful, but tragic. Well done Akio, you freed her.¡± Eri understood how Kin Restoration worked, so she knew that Tsukiko-san was safe now.


    ¡°Beautiful?¡± Yasu-san perked up at that, and I nodded, feeling the warmth of the whiskey within, holding down my Ether Healing so it would affect me.


    ¡°She sure is. She¡¯s as beautiful as Shiro, hard as that is to believe. She¡¯s older, though she doesn¡¯t look it. But she lived a life of always covering her face, so nobody ever saw her, understood her. It was a life of sacrifice, of service, so... I want her next life to be one she chooses for herself.¡±


    ¡°Akio was the first to ever see her face.¡± Shaeula laughed, putting aside her grief again, drawing strength from my presence, and that of her sisters, and for a moment I realised anew why Shaeula was so eager to push other girls onto me. Not being human and worrying about concepts such as monogamy, she saw it as a way to forge bonds. Make kin. And she drew her strength from that. Proud of her unwavering dedication to getting what she wanted, I then nearly spat out my drink as she continued. ¡°In her last-last moments, she boldly laid down her intentions.¡± Her smile was wicked. ¡°Even as her Astral body crumbled to transparent dust, she did lean up and...¡± she made a kissing gesture with her lips, to much consternation in the room.


    ¡°... no way. There¡¯s no way another girl as hot as Shiro exists.¡± Shugo-san said, and Hina-san replied that if his girlfriend knew he thought that he¡¯d be in trouble. Yasu-san had a different, equally stupid reaction.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue! Akio-kun doesn¡¯t get to have two goddesses! Life isn¡¯t that cruel! Spare a brother some mercy, man!¡± He reached out to shake me, and I chuckled, casually slapping him away, only for Eri to speak up from her wheelchair.


    ¡°So, what are we then?¡± she sniffed, irritated, and there was laughter as Yasu-san stammered to explain himself, insisting that she was definitely cute as well.


    ¡°Yeah, I never thought about trying to purposely change people so that they¡¯d be compatible, but ...¡± I laughed. ¡°Shaeula¡¯s fortunate winds blew when I was checking everyone out, and out of everyone here, only you have any compatibility with the two gifts I carry. Mathematically, that¡¯s not that surprising. It¡¯s not enough, but...¡±


    ¡°But...¡± she was leaning forwards, and I had to look away as her neckline gaped. Seeing that, her smile returned.


    ¡°...but, well it¡¯s an earth element gift. Shirohebi is an earth shrine. You already have spiritual talents you¡¯ve been growing, so I think, trusting in the winds... if you master earth element, you¡¯d be compatible enough.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that was in my training plan anyway. I think if the twins and Haru-san help me, like we did with light element...¡± her expression changed, and the glow in her eyes was brilliant now. ¡°Oh hey, I can grasp your emotions a bit. Damn, you do like me. And trust me too. That¡¯s why this is so frustrating... but, well, for now I¡¯ll settle with being the best ally I can be. So, I¡¯ll be a vassal like Haru-san or Kikuchi-san¡¯s father, right? That noble girl too. You¡¯ll look after me the same way, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but... you¡¯ll need to learn fast. If I find someone better before you...¡± she placed a finger over my lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, Akio. I may be young, but I¡¯m not much younger than Aiko-chan or Eri-san. Besides, Hinata is the youngest, and I bet you¡¯d give her a compatible one in a heartbeat.¡± I had to agree with that, and she knew it. ¡°Earth element huh. Well, I think Shaeula wanted to get that one too, right? Maybe we can help each other out...¡± she mused for a bit, before grasping my hand. ¡°... you¡¯re half-British, right? Well, let¡¯s shake on it like they do. Best regards, I look forward to working with you. I¡¯ll be Izumi Kana, Earth Goddess. Sounds awesome. Father and grandfather will be pleased too. You... you won¡¯t regret giving me this chance. I promise. Now... I need to go interrogate that Chinese girl with the others. And I¡¯m sure you have places to be.¡±


    I nodded, my phone vibrating constantly. ¡°I do. But I have to say bye to my friends first.¡±


    ¡°Well, get to it then. Us girls can handle ourselves. With Shaeula and Aiko-chan here, there¡¯s nothing to fear. I think your new Chinese catch can handle herself as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. She¡¯s a good girl at heart, I know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she is. I know your type well enough by now, big bro.¡± she teased me. ¡°Now get on with it. I¡¯ll fill the others in.¡±


    As I watched Kana head back to the group, Shaeula grinning at her and clapping her on the back, obviously having heard our whispered conversation, I headed back to the guys. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to go shortly. My phone is ringing off the hook. Well, there¡¯s a lot to cover, and cover up.¡±


    ¡°It must be hard.¡± Hayato-san said consolingly, and beside him, the others nodded, Hina-san looking especially worried. I winked, surprising her.


    ¡°No need to worry, Hina-san. I¡¯m just here to advise, I¡¯ve done my part, winning the battles. It¡¯ll be on the politicians to do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Just... just don¡¯t get too used to killing and dying, all right?¡± Yasu-san said, surprising us all. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a soft guy, it must be hard. Just stay the way you¡¯ve always been. After all, you have to, for their sakes, right?¡± he nodded towards the group of girls surrounding Daiyu and Shaeula. ¡°If you become strange, they¡¯ll worry.¡±


    ¡°Hey, they aren¡¯t all mine, you know.¡± I joked, but he shook his head, still serious.


    ¡°Of course not, or else I¡¯d spend all my savings on some yakuza to put a hit out on you.¡± He said, half-joking. ¡°But... you are their mentor, right? That means you have a responsibility. Shiro too. If you do a worse job making her happy than I could have, I swear I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°Oh Yasu-san...¡± Aimi-san laughed. ¡°Jealousy is such an ugly look for you. Pretty usual though. What isn¡¯t is... you were a little cool there. Don¡¯t let it go to your head though. He¡¯s right. We only saw flashes on our phones and the computer, but it looked bad. Remember all the shounen heroes we used to look up to? They value life, they protect others, but the best make hard choices when it counts. Can you be that guy?¡±


    Can I? ¡°I already am.¡± I had decided, ever since I pulled the Divine Favour from Yamato-san. ¡°I¡¯ll never treat killing as the first resort, I¡¯ll always try and resolve matters in the most peaceful way possible, but some people...¡± Kondou Kazuo, the agents who shot the Detective, the more insane of the Chinese Candidates, drunk on vengeance and hatred. ¡°... some beings...¡± That golden-eyed fuck, for one, Duke Myrcolaxriath and his deadly plan to make all existence himself... ¡°... if I don¡¯t stop them, even if it involves killing, then everyone pays the price. And... the more I shoulder, the more I have to protect, to love... the more determined I am to never let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Aimi-san sighed. ¡°That sounded pretty heroic, I admit. Just... well, we¡¯re your friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man.¡± Shugo-san chimed in. ¡°We¡¯ll keep you grounded, help you out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hina-san agreed. ¡°I think now more than ever, you need your friends. Shiro too. By the way, you said she¡¯d be better than all right, but never explained.¡±


    ¡°Trust you to notice, Hina-san, you¡¯ve always been sharp.¡± I smiled. ¡°Sure, she overworked herself, but she¡¯s now pretty much the ultimate buffer...¡±


    ¡°I always imaged her as mad DPS...¡± Yasu-san interrupted, and I had to laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s what Shiro said. But anyway, she¡¯s basically able to buff up all skills a bit, and one skill a lot. I Ranked up my healing skills, so coupled with her buffs and the healer the Night Parade sent us, who can be buffed too... I think a week should see her healed, back to the perfect Shirohime we know and love..¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Aimi-san breathed.


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± I countered. ¡°When she¡¯s fully healed, we¡¯ll all go out for drinks. Then...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!¡± Yasu-san pleased. ¡°The thought of our pure princess being defiled... ouch!¡± Ignoring the punch he took from Aimi-san, I turned to Hayato-san.


    ¡°If you still want to help, here¡¯s my secretary¡¯s number. I daresay I¡¯ll be busy, but we can make time for Chirurgery, and then... we can sort out wages, what you¡¯ll be doing, and all the other details. Don¡¯t worry about the bill tonight, take taxis home, I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    ¡°And what about them?¡± Hayato-san asked, ever the gentleman, nodding at the girls, Daiyu somehow looking small and weak, surrounded by eager questioners. Damn, okay, that is cute.


    ¡°Hinata will take care of it. Anyway, it¡¯s been good to catch up, sorry Shiro and I had to dash out like that, and I have to head off again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Hayato-san assured me. ¡°You¡¯ve got places to be, so we¡¯ll speak to your secretary. Nothing has changed. Now I know we need to help you out more than ever.¡± As everyone agreed, I felt relief. Yeah, no more lies. My family is onside, now my friends. It¡¯ll be reassuring to have them with me...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Five

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Five


    Gathered in a meeting room in the National Diet Building, the florescent lights flickering fitfully, I stifled a yawn, more mentally tired than anything else. Well, it has been a busy day. Not just for me though it seems.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    The red-eyed Prime Minister, Abe-san, was looking down at a number of screens, the built-in desktop surface PC¡¯s showing a number of livestreams and recorded videos. It looked rather futuristic, but if the most important government building in Japan didn¡¯t have good technology, where would? To his side was Takakura-san, wearing a different red and white suit. Saionji-san had made the trip from Kyoto, picked up by a fast military helicopter, and strangely enough Akai was here too, already mostly asleep and drooling.


    On the other side, was Haru-san, here as her role in the Ministry as Undersecretary to the Minister, notepad in hand, her expression tense, as was the head of it, her boss, the Minister herself, Morita Yuna-san, in a smart, expensive charcoal grey suit and skirt, her black-framed glasses and tight hair-bun making her look like a schoolteacher. Then there was Fujiwara-san, Miyu¡¯s grandfather and head of his house, and lastly Tsumura-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the situation. The question is, how do we play this?¡± Abe-san asked, clearly at his wits¡¯ end. ¡°The situation was... unprecedented, even with our knowledge from the Lady Diviner...¡± at that, Saionji-san and Takakura-sama bowed in grief. ¡°... and the US tip-offs. I understand that the Diviner perished?¡±


    Saionji-san looked at me, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, she did. However, just like Haru-san here, we were able to engineer the circumstances that she should be able to return in time. Don¡¯t imagine we can rely on that often, but because I knew of the threat to her in advance, I was able to set it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved.¡± Saionji-san said. ¡°She¡¯s a figure of support to the faiths, which are already reeling. Besides...¡± his smile was sly. ¡°... you made bold promises to her, and all of us, at Conclave. I¡¯d hate you to be a liar, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be back soon enough, I promise, though getting a Throne for her, well, we¡¯ll see. Kudou-san has notified me we¡¯ll be holding a funeral for her, as well as Engetsu-san and the other candidate who died in Kyoto during the week. I¡¯ll attend, of course.¡±


    ¡°From a military perspective, we have to count this as a great victory.¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°Though not without worries. We lost two, and killed or captured twenty-three, if we just look in terms of these Chosen. In other terms, we lost the Shikishima and all crew, and three of the Special Forces you worked on were assassinated, and a number more injured, though I hope you can assist in recovering them to full health?¡± he looked at me, and I had no reason to refuse. ¡°The Chirurgery on our Special Forces certainly proved worthwhile, the survivors, as well as Major Sasaki and Lieutenant Banri, say that without the extra strength and speed, the death toll would have been in the dozens, a loss we could ill-afford.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t as simple as that. We aren¡¯t at war with China. We¡¯re at war with the unknown. Every one of us lost is a disaster. But purely from a Japanese perspective, and ignoring the dead, only from looking at the absolute numbers, yeah we came out ahead in terms of Candidates. This information is top-secret for the Ministry and related parties only, but everyone here can be trusted, else we have bigger problems. Saionji-san already knows, as does his subordinate Yasaka-san...¡± I fixed everyone with a stern glare. ¡°... I learnt from Shaeula the Fae ways of manipulating spiritual bodies. It¡¯s not perfect, but I can sometimes extract the Divine Favour from a Candidate. I¡¯m holding two, though one, I believe I¡¯ve found a host for. Then we have Nie Ling, who we took into custody, as well as one Haru-san captured, though her Material body died... so potentially a gain of four.¡± No need to mention Shiro¡¯s gain, though that¡¯s a huge profit. The Chinese will regret letting that one go. Buffing abilities are huge...


    ¡°We also took seven of these so-called Cultivators into custody.¡± Haru-san noted, reading from her papers. ¡°The Renyu¡¯s physical bodies had perished, so they remain in your Territory as captives too. But when Nie Ling¡¯s gift wore off, the Cultivators returned to the Material.¡±


    ¡°Hiding them underground was a fascinating trick.¡± Tsumura-san observed. ¡°Fortunately Nie Ling and these Chinese fellows are cooperating with us completely. Even so, to think...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that they would be able to invade the Boundary en-masse.¡± I agreed. ¡°Let alone move equipment there. Really, without the preparations we made, we could have lost all of Boundary Kyoto.¡± At those words Akai woke up, bubbles of spit popping, scaring her.


    ¡°Uh, what, where am I? Uwa, it¡¯s the scary man! He¡¯s even scarier now!¡± she leapt to her feet, hiding behind Saionji-san, eyeing me warily.


    ¡°Calm down Akai, he¡¯s a friend. Without his help, we could have died.¡± He chided her, talking to her as if she was a child. She wrapped her crimson hair around herself like wings and sat down, still scowling at me. ¡°Akai and others like her helped in the battle too, hunting down soldiers and these Cultivators. Without them we would have lost more shrines and temples, as it was...¡± That¡¯s right, I did wonder where Akai and a lot of the defenders of Kinkaku-ji were. I guess Kyoto was pretty large for a few of us to cover alone...


    Takakura-san took over. ¡°Sixteen minor shrines have suffered spiritual desecration, their kami slain. It is like the shrine of that fool who got themselves and their kami killed by being reckless.¡±


    Saionji-san agreed. ¡°Yes, it seems that if a kami dies, the shrine in the Material world shows it, sacred statues suddenly shattering, or fires breaking out, despoiling it. Symbolic, but saddening. Even so, compared to what we faced, it was a small price. You lost some allies too, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asked me, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, we lost some Fae. Shaeula was terribly angry. I have to agree though, the losses were moderate compared to what they could have been.¡± Thank the Gods for Kin Restoration.


    ¡°I believe compensation should be paid to those shrines that suffered loss, as well as to those of you who fought and suffered these losses.¡± Abe-san said, and Morita-san pursed her lips, tapping on the touchscreen below her.


    ¡°We have considered these matters, but the legislation isn¡¯t passed yet. We¡¯ve been careful and secretive, so the Ministry for Spiritual Matters is barely functional, legally speaking. And then there¡¯s the biggest issue...¡±


    ¡°Civilian casualties.¡± Abe-san groaned. ¡°Nine hundred and four dead. Too many the elderly, women and children. Could we have done more, ladies, gentlemen? Could we have stopped this?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not without knowing the powers Nie Ling had in advance. The only thing that could prevent that sort of clever attack is having a strong Territory to defend the area, which would prevent entry. I think that Territory is going to become vitally important. It offers too many benefits in the Boundary, to say nothing of the Material protections.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Saionji-san commented. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have a platform to defend in Kinkaku-ji, my battle might have been very different. Besides, with monsters such as the golden-eyed devourer Akio-san described, we will need greater security.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly believe the reports.¡± Morita-san sighed, looking at the sketches and description of abilities I had provided. ¡°And this was just a fragment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a clone.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°It was vile. A monster.¡± Haru-san shuddered. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have dared to face it alone.¡±


    ¡°China has a lot of issues, it seems, but from your talk of the Boundary fragmenting due to it, that¡¯s a global concern. What does it mean for us?¡±


    ¡°It means creatures like it might be regular visitors, even invading armies of them. And we don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll remain confined to the Boundary. After all, the Renyu were given bodies en-masse while the clone survived.¡± I warned.


    ¡°So, what can we do? We can¡¯t invade China, not even spiritually.¡± Saionji-san pointed out. ¡°The only thing I can think of is strengthening the reach and power of the Territories all around Japan. We know the location of all of them in Kyoto, but countrywide...¡±


    ¡°Suzuki-san, a report, please.¡± Morita-san asked, and Haru-san swiped her touchscreen, and moments later all of ours were displaying graphs and figures I had provided, as well as a map of Tokyo and the surrounds that the Government had put together.


    ¡°Some other Susanoo faction shrines were involved as well. Was Uchida-san?¡± Saionji-san asked, and Takakura-san shook his head, denying it.


    ¡°No, he is still too grief-stricken with the fate of young Yamato-kun to partake in such treachery. But rest assured, the faith will come together to prevent this happening again.¡±


    ¡°Once more, the US is on our side. At a cost, of course, politically, but we have advantages. So they are also using their know-how to restrict the data on the internet. But this can¡¯t last. We need to accelerate our plans, to prepare for the inevitable, when the cracks shatter the dam of secrecy, and the water of truth floods out...¡± the Prime Minister said, and we all agreed, putting our heads together, planning what we could...


    ********


    The sun was shining outside, our talks running through the late night and into the next day. I was about to leave, when Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san stopped me.


    ¡°Do you have a minute, grandson-in-law?¡± Tsumura-san asked.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± I agreed, and we went to a separate room. ¡°So, what can I do for you both?¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to talk about the visit to Great Britain.¡± He said. ¡°The date is set, two weeks from now. You will accompany my Motoko as her husband-to-be, and attend a gala at Buckingham Palace.¡±


    ¡°My granddaughters will be going too, as will I.¡± Fujiwara-san said. ¡°Ostensibly we have been invited as it is an internationally-focussed goodwill event, celebrating cultural, military and economic ties, so I represent Japan. As for your attendance... it is as a Chosen. With the information from the Lady Diviner, who sadly... is no longer with us... for now.¡± he amended. ¡°... it seems that the Queen¡¯s Granddaughter is an important Chosen as well, one we have to make contact with. It seems she has a team of her own, so you¡¯ll scout them out, assess them, and hopefully build good ties. And if she is facing the danger that the Lady Diviner predicted, if we can provide support, then we will accrue many favours and closer support from the United Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wise. Well, the UK are backing us in the cover-up with China, right? Besides, I¡¯m half a Brit myself. That should earn us some favour.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I do not believe there is any danger, Buckingham Palace will be guarded by significant strength, both mundane and... special. But I would like you to make sure my granddaughters are protected, should the worst happen.¡±


    ¡°My Motoko as well, though I shouldn¡¯t need to ask about that, should I?¡± Tsumura-san grinned.


    ¡°No, you should not. I¡¯ll protect Motoko and Natsumi to the death.¡± I promised. ¡°And Miyu is my precious vassal, and since Honoka is her cousin, and we¡¯re already acquainted, leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°That reassures me. Well, I will take my leave.¡± Fujiwara-san said, leaving me alone with Tsumura-san. There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence, before he spoke.


    ¡°My Motoko is extremely excited about the first event as your fiance?e. I believe Natsumi-chan, while she cannot formally declare herself so, is also thrilled to be going with you both. I¡¯ve prepared suitable clothing, watches, accessories and gifts. I¡¯ll need you to come and have a final fitting a few days beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± I promised. ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what dress they¡¯ll wear.¡± They looked gorgeous in their outfits last night, so at such a gala...


    ¡°I see.¡± He smiled faintly, but I could sense the tension, and when he spoke, the question surprised me. ¡°You do love Motoko, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ll not abandon her in shame...¡±


    I blinked, shocked. ¡°Where did that come from? I¡¯m offended. Sure, I¡¯ve not spent much time with Motoko compared to Eri or Shaeula, Natsumi neither, and the way we got together... yeah, it was awkward. But no, I do love them. Your granddaughter is a proud, dedicated girl, who shines wielding her weapons, and also retains the elegance and grace of a noble daughter, and is kind to everyone, even her fellow sisters. I¡¯d be a fool to discard such a treasure, and I¡¯m no fool. I do love her, and I¡¯ll make her happy, just like the others, Natsumi too.¡± I vowed, meaning it. Going to need to invade Kunlun though, sticking to that joke...


    ¡°I see. Well, forgive this old man for worrying about his granddaughter and her future happiness. Well, I am relieved to hear you so openly praise her.¡± His smile turned sly. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I tell my Motoko your exact words here, do you?¡±


    Wow, embarrassing. But I guess not. I should say them more myself. Shiro¡¯s dead on. I have to maintain... no, it¡¯s not an illusion, I do love them... but I have to maintain the effort, so that they know it¡¯s true. Words are part of that. Words and deeds. ¡°Feel free, though I should tell her myself, more often anyway. So, what¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Well, this event has frightened me. If even our own country isn¡¯t safe from attack by supernatural abilities... I want Motoko to be stronger, safer. I¡¯ve spoken to the Hori family, and they agree.¡±


    ¡°I see?¡± I asked, though I had an inkling.


    ¡°If you will not forsake my granddaughter, and the marriage is set in stone, then... for the sake of strength, safety... I give you my blessing.¡±


    ¡°Your blessing? For what?¡± It can only be...


    ¡°As I said, I spoke to the Hori house, they discussed it with you, did they not? Lovers¡¯ Link. With such, our beloved granddaughters can gain strength similar to the Mori girl, from your hometown, right? Strength that can potentially keep them safe against these Chosen.¡±


    I knew it. ¡°Yes, it can certainly strengthen them a lot, with some extra training. Against a competent Candidate, they¡¯d still lose hard, like Eri would, but... yeah. Uh... have you talked about this with them?¡± I asked, and he put his arm around me, smiling, a touch scarily, I thought.


    ¡°While they do wish to maintain noble traditions, they and we recognise the extraordinary nature of the times. It will be a secret, and medication has been prepared to prevent... accidents. As far as the world knows, they will remain pure until the day of the wedding, preserving their honour, and not stirring up trouble with other noble daughters, who would be horrified. Do you have any objections?¡±


    I imagined Motoko and Natsumi in my arms. How could I object to that? And it¡¯s true, I would like them to be safer. Hinata too, but I¡¯m a bit resistant to her as she¡¯s still young, even if old enough for marriage, but then, isn¡¯t Daiyu a similar age to her, I haven¡¯t asked... Shaking my head, I denied it. ¡°Of course not. How could a man hate holding the woman he loves? Well, women.¡±


    ¡°Well said. Then I leave my Motoko in your care. Just know... if you ever disgrace and abandon her, I¡¯ll use all my strength to crush you! Well, that will never happen, I believe in her charms! Besides, you¡¯ll be showing her off as your fiance?e to the world soon.¡± As he patted me on the back, laughing heartily as he walked away, I nodded, impressed at his guile. He¡¯s trapped me good. After showing myself in front of the Queen of England and assorted dignitaries worldwide, he knows there¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever be able to break my engagement then. Not that I ever would. When I decide, I decide. Well, as cages go, it¡¯s a rather nice gilded one to be trapped in, but... how do I broach this to them? Feeling hot, I went outside to where a Ministry car was waiting for me, to take me back to Shirohebizumi shrine...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Six

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Six


    On returning to my home at the shrine, I found my sis eating a late breakfast, accompanied by Yae and Rika-san. On seeing me she waved cheerily. ¡°Hey bro, back from your meeting? How¡¯d it go?¡± Last night reminded me that I¡¯d been on my first ever date with Yae, technically, and I¡¯d promised to drop the honorifics. It¡¯s hard though. The only girls I don¡¯t use honorifics for are my fiance?es... and Kana, I guess?


    As I sat down beside them, I shrugged. ¡°It was long and talky, but I guess a lot of important matters were decided.¡± I narrowed my eyes then, remembering last night. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you surprisingly chipper this morning, sis? I remember you drinking rather a lot, I¡¯d say even with your boosted stats and Ether Healing you should feel like crap.¡±


    As Rika-san and Yae giggled at that, my sis winked at me, tilting her head cutely. ¡°Wow, so you saw all that? Well, it was justified, right Rika-chan, Yae-chan? You were drinking too, Rika-chan!¡±


    ¡°Well, the atmosphere was pretty tense, Ai-chan.¡± She said, and Yae nodded at that too. ¡°Besides, some of the other girls were drinking too. When else are we going to get the chance to act like grown-up adults in such a fancy place?¡±


    ¡°Then the party got pretty festive. I¡¯m still a bit mad though.¡± Yae grimaced. ¡°At least it isn¡¯t just me. That girl Kana-chan was super annoyed with you, Aki.¡±


    My sis was the one grimacing now at the nickname Yae used, but she took over the conversation. ¡°So yeah... putting that aside. Daiyu-chan... no, that won¡¯t work... screw it, I¡¯ll just call her Daiyu, she¡¯s going to be my sister-in-law anyway, she¡¯s pretty cute bro. Though having to have Shaeula translate for her is a pain... anyway, Shaeula had a lot of Ether Healing to do this morning, but she did it without grumbling. She¡¯s such a good girl.¡± She laughed a little at that.


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s a waste of aether, but now that we have Shiro¡¯s buffing, we can push our generation through the roof.¡± I took a bottle of cold milk tea from the fridge and chugged it, feeling refreshed. ¡°So, you girls are heading back tonight, Rika-san, Yae?¡±


    As I remembered to call her without an honorific Yae smiled happily, which made me feel a bit guilty, but I had promised. My sis nodded, answering for them. ¡°Yep, our parents won¡¯t let us miss any more school. You know what dad¡¯s like, bro. So we¡¯re flying back by helicopter again tonight.¡±


    ¡°So...¡± Yae said cheerfully. ¡°Before we go, surely Rika and I have to see this magical world you¡¯re all involved with.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind, but...¡± I looked at them seriously. ¡°What about the dangers? Last night... you saw what can happen. You heard people died. Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±


    Rika-san and Yae exchanged glances, before Rika-san shrugged. ¡°It was all a bit too much to take in, Akio-kun. It hardly seemed real, but we know it is. We may be gals, but we¡¯re not idiots though, even if our grades kind of suck.¡± She snickered. ¡°Though I do feel smarter now! No, this is your place, right? There shouldn¡¯t be any danger there, we heard that much.¡± Yae nodded behind her, and my sis chimed in again.


    ¡°See bro, that¡¯s just how it is. I¡¯d feel bad for them if they didn¡¯t get the works. I don¡¯t want to take them to Nishimorioka Boundary, there¡¯s no point, nothing to see, and it¡¯s not like they can gain any levels. So... might as well give them some happy memories, before Yae-chan here has to give up on you bro. No way she can compete with any of your other girls.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so rude Ai-chan!¡± Yae pouted, and there was more laughter.


    ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right in that my Territory is about as safe as the Boundary can be. But it won¡¯t be sightseeing for you, sis. I want to assess your growth and set you a training regimen before you go home.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, I was envious of Eri and the others, so I suppose I can¡¯t complain now. Wow, I¡¯ve really become a workaholic, what with study and training. Well, I¡¯ve always enjoyed practising, seeing my skills in volleyball, kyudo and athletics grow, so bring it on!¡± As she pumped her fist, I drank another bottle of tea, before starting to cook up some breakfast. The girls, seeing that, seemed excited, and so I was forced to make them some too, despite the fact they¡¯d already eaten. Just where do they put it all?


    ********


    ¡°Sorry instructor.¡± The Special Forces soldier said respectfully, as I inspected his wounds. I let out a dull whistle, amazed he had survived. There was a terribly deep gash along his abdomen, bone and even internal organs visible below, and even with his hardy physique and the Chirurgery boosting his base stats, it must be agony to endure. ¡°Guess I screwed up.¡± He managed to finish, sweat beading his brow, eyes dull.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself.¡± Major Sasaki sighed. He too was fairly bashed up, and had a lot of new wounds that would likely scar, even if they weren¡¯t life-threatening. ¡°Even Lieutenant Nakano and I were helpless, the best we could do was fight him off.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I...¡± he began, only to gasp in shock as my aether poured into him. With Shiro having refreshed my buffs this morning, currently on my Chakra Network, my aether regeneration is stellar, and since Ether Healing has Ranked up... I can do this easily enough...


    ¡°Just be glad you survived. There¡¯s always a next time. Well, not for the guy who wounded you. He¡¯s dead, I¡¯m afraid.¡± I said, watching as the flesh knitted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Guess the increased replacement of material flesh really does work. With this... well, today, I want Shiro¡¯s eye back.


    ¡°So the reports say.¡± The Major grimaced. ¡°I appreciate that you¡¯re strong, Akio-san, and that¡¯s a good thing, strong allies are a soldier¡¯s best friend, but it does sting my pride. Really it was the Lieutenant who drove him off, with desperate wide-area attacks with his flames. I was pretty useless.¡±


    ¡°Well, we each have our specialities.¡± I put half my Split Thoughts into the healing, while conversing with the Major. ¡°Really though, in terms of one-on-one battles, it¡¯s hax that will decide most fights going forwards I think. Raw power is for fighting armies.¡±


    ¡°Hax? I don¡¯t recognise the term.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I shrugged, aether scanning the insides of the healed soldier, checking there was no internal damage or infection remaining. Though Ether Healing is fantastic at removing bacteria and other contaminants, ever since I went through the mad training with Shaeula and Hyacinth to become immune to the Myconid Spores. ¡°It¡¯s a gaming term. It basically means cheats. That guy was able to bring down a mist that made him almost impossible to perceive. That¡¯s the ideal assassination tool. Unlucky for him, I have my Eye, and my mental stats are pretty damn high.¡±


    ¡°I see. That does make sense. It doesn¡¯t matter if I could conjure up an entire fortress of guns, if I can¡¯t see him coming, then I¡¯ll still be killed.¡± He mused. ¡°The top brass should be planning on how to deal with various scenarios, but...¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I agreed, before slapping the surprised Special Forces soldier on the shoulder. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re all good. Back to training with you.¡±


    As the surprised man gave me his gratitude, another was hobbling in, broken arm and numerous slashes on his face and shoulders bandaged up. As I got to work on him, ignoring the same apologies I had received from the other soldier, I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame so many Candidates had to die, but I suppose better them than us.¡± I kept the knowledge to myself that we had liberated some Favours. The two of them were still slowly burning my adherence, but luckily with what I had gathered from the fallen clone, I could still transfer one. And I can get the rest from Shiro¡¯s tainted injuries, I think.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The Major agreed. ¡°We were defending ourselves and our own soil, just as the JSDF was designed for. I think you¡¯re an honorary soldier today, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°My father would be so unhappy. He doesn¡¯t believe in violence or military force. He¡¯s old school.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to roll over and let our enemies have it all their own way.¡±


    As I worked on more of the soldiers, chatting with the Major, his perspective on the battle helped me process what I had been through. It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t accepted the battles, even the killing. But it definitely helps hearing how professionals compartmentalise it. It was then, as I dismissed the next healed soldier, that a man came in, hopping on crutches, one leg missing entirely below the knee. My eyes widened, and on seeing my expression, the soldier sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, instructor. I would salute, but my hands are tied up. The bastard took my leg, I knew it was too much to hope for any recovery. Guess I¡¯ll be pensioned out...¡±


    ¡°No, I was just caught off-guard.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°If you¡¯d have asked me yesterday, I¡¯d have said I¡¯d struggle, but... well, that was yesterday. Down on the bed please.¡±


    Hope warring with fear of disappointment in his eyes, I started to work. ¡°Okay, yeah, it¡¯s tough, definitely, but I can do it.¡± As the flesh started to regrow the man winced, and as bone, muscle and nerves spread, he broke out in a sweat, before starting to scream. As the Major looked concerned, I realised that the feeling of regeneration must have been agonising, so I used Ether Healing to isolate the regrowing leg. As he quietened down, I exchanged a wry look with the Major, before continuing my work...


    ********


    ¡°I can¡¯t apologise enough for the shameful failures of the Susanoo faction... well, there is no faction anymore, not really, not now Uchida-sama and his son are... indisposed, and the majority have fallen in behind you.¡± Hikawa-san was looking exceptionally downcast. His son, Ren-san, was beside him, as were the twins. Beside me, was Haru-san on one side, and Karen-chan on my other, both with laptops and copious notes, Karen-chan shooting Haru-san a sympathetic look. Well, it makes sense. I¡¯ve been working Haru-san constantly since the battles yesterday. But then, I¡¯ve been working non-stop too, so I¡¯m not asking her to do what I wouldn¡¯t!


    At that, Haru-san winked at me, having obviously used Telepathy to read my thoughts. Feeling rather embarrassed, I continued listening to Hikawa-san¡¯s apologies. ¡°I never believed that Chion-in and other longstanding Susanoo shrines and temples would betray the secrecy we¡¯ve kept for fifteen hundred years, out of misplaced spite. Rest assured, Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine now firmly stands behind you. After all... you saved my precious girls. That goes beyond politics.¡±


    The twins looked embarrassed by their father, which made me smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯d do it again if they were in danger. Ren-san too of course.¡± I affirmed. ¡°We all hate the way things turned out, and every time I look at Eri in her wheelchair, I get pissed off... but at least some of the blame for that is mine. So we need to draw a line under it. More importantly, there¡¯s no need for worry. The faith agreed to enter the Ministry and offer full support, though Saionji-san, the representative, he¡¯s still hashing out the details on what the faith needs in return, with help from Kudou-san.¡± I left it unsaid that the plan was still for Tsukiko-san to enter the Ministry as an advisor equal in rank to myself, though that was only if she wanted to, when she returned. Having the spirit light there is calming. I feel stirrings from Ginneka, occasional flashes of amusement, but from Tsukiko-san, merely a relieved quiet. But she should be able to decide her own path, in her next life. Live how she wants, finally, as Tsukiko, not the Diviner.


    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day when I was relieved that Saionji-sama, our greatest rival, was in charge. But in winning your favour, and keeping a clearer head and firm hand on his faction, he proved the wisest choice.¡± Hikawa-san bowed in defeat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have to admit, I was very disappointed in all of you Susanoo shrines, other than Chairoakitara and Shirohebizumi, of course, that you forgot gratitude...¡± he winced at that, having no excuse, and I continued. ¡°But there¡¯s no point holding grudges. The shrines that lost their apprentices and shrine maidens, they¡¯ve suffered enough, and as for Hikawa-Kawagoe, Ren-san, Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san have more that aided me enough to pay those debts, and I hope all three of them will continue to do so.¡±


    ¡°Of course we will, Akio-sama. After all, how can we not aid the one who saved our lives?¡±


    ¡°Indeed we will, Akio-sama. After all, you have the favour of many kami, and the Lady Diviner, and the Priestess of Ise.¡± The twins chimed in.


    ¡°Yeah, me too, I suppose.¡± Ren-san said, embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that my sisters were saved, and I know... if I¡¯m going to be strong enough to protect them, I can¡¯t get that strength without your help. I¡¯m not doing it for you though, but for my sisters, and my shrine.¡± He looked away, a touch red, and beside me Haru-san nudged my leg, amused.


    Yeah, I get it. damn, Ren-san, male tsundere just aren¡¯t popular, you want to watch that one. ¡°Well, now that we have that out of the way, I¡¯ve called you here to put you to work, Hikawa-san. Your children too, but theirs is more standard.¡± I nodded to Karen-chan, who brought up the list of shrine maidens and priests and even family members of the various shrines around Japan who had eagerly volunteered for Chirurgery to enhance their ancestral skills.


    ¡°I went through the list, narrowing them down.¡± Haru-san said, faking a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m dead tired right now.¡± She joked. ¡°Luckily, Onryo don¡¯t need sleep. My overtime pay must be shocking though. It¡¯s good fortune that the Ministry is paying, or you¡¯d be out of pocket, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever. I know you¡¯re worth the money.¡± I retorted. ¡°Anyway, these are the ones we think might be potentially compatible. I¡¯m trusting you with this, Hikawa-san, considering our past relationship. Secrecy is not just paramount, but governmentally enforced.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I have made my mistakes. I won¡¯t again.¡± He looked at his children. ¡°Your father was a fool, too blinded by political gain. Now, the future of the shrine rests on your shoulders. Work hard son, girls. Your father will do the same.¡± He studied the documents. ¡°So, you managed to get hold of a blessing from the Gods, a Divine Favour, of this Laverna?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And we need to find someone who can use it. There are potentially two others as well, and we are in the process of identifying candidates.¡±


    ¡°Please note...¡± Karen-chan pointed to the contract documents. ¡°... that the recipient must sign both a Japanese Governmental Contract, clearly stating terms and conditions of employment, as well as a Vassal Contract with Akio-kun here. Breaking the terms of either would lead to swift and ruthless penalties.¡±


    ¡°I understand. What with the news...¡± he grimaced. I hadn¡¯t had time to check it myself, but my parents had called earlier, shocked, and the newspapers and TV stations were constantly reporting on Kyoto.


    ¡°So, can we leave the faith representatives to you? I want to you contact them all and arrange travel to Shirohebizumi shrine so I can check their compatibility. Assuming they agree to the terms, of course. They would have to move to Tokyo if not already resident, as we need Laverna¡¯s ability for other projects.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I won¡¯t make the same mistakes again.¡± he promised, relieved to have another chance.


    ¡°In that case, Karen-chan, can you and the guys handle supporting him? I need Haru-san for our training.


    ¡°Sure, leave it to us. We¡¯ll be expecting a few nice bottles left on our desks later though.¡± She joked, and I made up my mind to deliver a whole case of decent whiskey.


    ¡°Well, sorry you three couldn¡¯t make the party last night.¡± I said to the kids as we moved towards the training hall. ¡°Up until the chaos in Kyoto, everyone was having fun.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. There were way too many girls there. And too many of them interested in you.¡± Ren-san said, embarrassed, and I held in a laugh, supporting his pride. I¡¯ve really warmed to him after he gave everything to reach us to save his sisters and the others. He¡¯s less arrogant too now. A good result. I can even forgive him for ogling Shaeula that time. Well, he is at that age where he likes girls, but finds it shameful to admit. I understand, we all go through that.


    ¡°Yeah, there sure were a lot, but my old Uni friends were there too. I get it though, sometimes guys need guy company... well, anyway, go to your rooms and dive in, we have training to do!¡±


    ********


    ¡°This is amazing. I can¡¯t believe you kept this from us, Aki, Ri-Ri, Ai-chan.¡± Yae was saying, as she sipped on a drink made from orchard fruits and Mirror Bee honey. Beside her, Rika-san was equally awestruck, but what had amused her more was the appearance of Eri, who in the Boundary was still sporting cat ears and tail. Apparently before my arrival, Eri had nearly lost her patience to the teasing and requests to stroke her tail and ears, and a laughing Shaeula had to wrest her axe from her.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you can see why.¡± I said, and Yae nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but yeah. Well, Ai-chan tells us you weren¡¯t even going to tell them until the secret came out, so I guess we can¡¯t feel too bad about it. This has been the most amazing trip ever.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seeing a little of Tokyo was crazy enough, but this too...¡± Rika-san agreed, her gaze once more going to Eri¡¯s fidgeting tail.


    ¡°Well, sorry that you won¡¯t have time to go shopping for souvenirs like you no doubt planned.¡± I apologised. ¡°But I need to make sure my sis is up to the task before I send her back to Nishimorioka. As her brother, I do worry.¡±


    ¡°Damn bro, way to make me feel bad. I¡¯m being careful, promise.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I happen to remember you said something about ¡®grinding every...¡¯¡± my sis clamped a hand over Rika-san¡¯s mouth while Yae laughed.


    ¡°Ignore her bro, wow, I wouldn¡¯t be so careless, not after everything we¡¯ve been through...¡±


    ¡°Really? What do you two think?¡± I asked Shaeula and Shiro.


    ¡°No way, she¡¯s guilty as sin Aki.¡± Shiro piped up, and Shaeula echoed her.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s frustrating. But you¡¯ve been putting in the work. You¡¯ll get there in the end. Be happy for Shiro, all right?¡±


    ¡°I am, I am...¡± she protested, and I made it up to her with a kiss.


    ¡°Aki, me too!¡± Shiro demanded, and then Hinata wanted one, impishly offering Daiyu the chance, but after translation, Daiyu shook her head, declining.


    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll take a break, and during that, you might as well do some hard levelling.¡±


    ¡°Shit Aki, I thought you¡¯d forgot that.¡± Shiro said, to much more happy laughter.


    ¡°He never forgets to level up. My bro is a fiend!¡± My sis rejoindered, and Eri muttered her fervent agreement...


    ********


    After setting Shiro and my sis up at the southern shore by the bay, along with some support, I marvelled as she pulled out a number of Golden Warriors, all of them resembling girls I knew. My sis, she sure has strange tastes. Oh well...


    Returning to Shirohebizumi, the ten kilometre jog through my Territory only taking a few minutes, I admired the bustle, Mirror Bees flying about the place, kobolds, ratkin, weaselkin and more making various improvements to the Boundary. Really, It¡¯s starting to look like a more cohesive, less fantastical mirror to Tokyo. Though it still has plenty of mythic elements for sure...


    Once there I met up with Kana, Haru-san, Ren-san and the twins, supported by Hyacinth and the kami of the shrine, Shirohebi. In addition, Kana¡¯s friends, as well as Marika-san, Keomi-chan and our other surviving trainees were there too, even Hotene-san, who was still extremely shellshocked by her experiences, but whenever Haru-san had any free time, she was using Mind-Healing Light on her. They were doing the telepathic linking again, all eagerly trying to learn earth element. Since none of my students had anything but light, which didn¡¯t clash or interfere, it should be feasible, with their perfected networks. On seeing me, Kana brightened up.


    ¡°Hey Akio. How¡¯s things been going? I hear you were going to have a go healing Shiro. Did it go well?¡±


    ¡°It sure did.¡± I smiled. ¡°She¡¯s got her sight back, and her face is fixed. There¡¯s still a ways to go, but we¡¯ll get there soon.¡± At my words the dark-skinned girl Hotene-san touched her own face, remembering when her own eyes were lost. Seeing that, Haru-san gently released a little more light, careful to avoid sharing her pain across the telepathy.


    ¡°Speaking of how things are going, how¡¯s the progress?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Slow going. Well, I¡¯ve been trying to master earth element for a while. I want to impress my kami, after all.¡± She laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how far I¡¯ve come. My attitude right now so isn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°Not true at all. You¡¯ve always been earnest.¡± I declared, and her friends started ribbing her.


    ¡°I am trying tooo help.¡± Hyacinth said, pondering. ¡°My nature element is ooof earth as well. It would be nice to master it myself. But it is tooo hard for me.¡±


    ¡°Yesss, well, I am offering my insssightsss where I can.¡± Shirohebi declared. ¡°I too would wisssh for the faithful of my ssshrine to partake of the earth asss I do.¡± They went on to explain a bit more, and with a smile, I got Haru-san to add me to the link, as I had insight into mastering it myself.


    After giving some pointers and letting Haru-san share my prior experiences with everyone, the memories vivid, I excused myself. Everyone was pumped up, especially Kana, so I didn¡¯t want to distract them. Shaeula was still using the Thunderbird blood, though she had nearly absorbed all she could, and so I returned to the bay, where my sister, protected by her golden sister army, as she called them, was unleashing storms of flaming arrows and arrows of light from her bow, clearly loving every minute of it. My sis... have I raised a monster? Well, at least she¡¯s enjoying herself, and strength won¡¯t ever betray her...


    Shiro was pretty exhausted, but she was using her own fire element, aided by Tan, and the seawater bubbled and occasionally fountained up in columns of explosive steam, the nigh-endless tide of sea-dwelling monsters being boiled alive or burned to ashes. The few that got up onto the beach were being carefully taken down by Eri, who was still trying to control her ragged, clumsy movements. I was a bit worried, but the others had assured me they would watch over her, and indeed Daiyu was beside her, using Shaeula¡¯s dagger of light that she had borrowed, as well as the three sets of bells, though for now, she could only call upon destructive earth, though she believed that Shaeula¡¯s pink jade bells should also be able to call wind element forth, as well as merely enhance it.


    Watching them all, I sat down beside Rika-san and Yae, Hinata too, who I was surprised to see here, Kazumi-san watching on with a silent smile as usual. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be trying to learn earth element with the others.¡± I asked Hinata, and she shook her head, surprising me.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve decided. Fire first. Though for that, I¡¯ll need you to fill a battery for me, the way Ixitt did it.¡± she chuckled. ¡°We really need a source of fire element, right? We have air, earth and water, but fire is vital to our future development. I asked around, and the Seelie Court has plenty in the mountains around Duke Formor¡¯s Territory, but that seems like something we shouldn¡¯t be considering. How about Kyoto? We have a foothold there through Haru-san to investigate...¡±


    I ruffled her hair affectionately, and she leaned into me. Shiro shouted out a curse at my flirting, but I merely waved and urged her to continue, which she did, grumbling to herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re always looking for the ways to profit. I love that about you.¡± I kissed her forehead softly, and she giggled.


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s my role, and one I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Seeing this hurts my heart a bit, Rika.¡± Yae protested, and her friend laughed.


    ¡°I bet it does, Yae. I¡¯m not really into Akio-kun, not that I¡¯d probably say no if I was asked, having seem all this, and hearing from Hinata-chan here just how rich you are now...¡± Rika-san snorted wryly. ¡°... but even so, when I¡¯m single, seeing you so flirtatious really stings.¡±


    ¡°Well, that aside...¡± Yae was watching my sis and Eri. ¡°... could we get to their level, one day? I mean, I can¡¯t see the appeal of fighting...¡± she looked down at her perfectly manicured nails. ¡°... I¡¯d chip my nails, my hair would get messy, I¡¯d sweat...¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Rika-san finished for her. ¡°... Kyoto. It scared us, Akio-kun. I don¡¯t want to be one of those nine hundred.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that to be our friends back in Nishimorioka, our families either.¡± Yae looked at me, her flirtatious nature vanishing, her brown eyes serious. ¡°I know Ai-chan felt bad keeping secrets from us. I¡¯d like to even think Ri-Ri did too.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I¡¯d never have told you!¡± Eri shouted back, having heard.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t mean it, I know. She¡¯s a dark, gloomy little thing, but when she does like someone, she¡¯s serious about it.¡± Yae countered.


    ¡°Shut up unless you want me to hit you with this!¡± Eri waved her axe, embarrassed, then almost falling, Daiyu having to steady her.


    ¡°Do you think Ai-chan can tell her friends in archery and volleyball?¡± Rika-san asked, and for now I had to decline.


    ¡°Not yet. The timing isn¡¯t right, and we are struggling to keep matters secret as long as we can. When the truth is out though, I¡¯ll pay Nishimorioka another visit, I promise. It was my home for a long time too. I have friends there as well.¡± I remembered Imai-san, and his new wife and child. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s early days yet.¡± I reassured them, even if I wasn¡¯t certain myself, things seemed to be moving a lot faster than Ortlinde had intimated they would. ¡°As for reaching their level...¡± I watched as my sis put an arrow through the head of some shark-creature still hundreds of metres out at sea, a trick she had learned during her duel with Shaeraggo, no doubt. ¡°... that might be a bit much. But stronger, mastering a trick or two... well, I don¡¯t see why not. Do the exercises, and if you stick to Chairoakitara shrine for your trips in, you can probably pick up a skill or two. Then in time, maybe even master an element. We¡¯re still working on a programme to help with that. You can test it out when we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise then?¡± Yae asked, tilting her head, eyeing me strangely.


    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t I keep those too? I even had that date with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You did.¡± Her smile turned to one I recognised, impish and amused. ¡°He blew it though.¡± She confided in Hinata, faking being scandalised. ¡°Here I was, ready to totally go the distance, put out, and he was a perfect gentleman! Why, I was looking fantastic, and...¡±


    As Hinata curiously asked what putting out was, which left Rika-san howling with laughter as Yae went crimson, and was forced to explain, I enjoyed the momentary peace, knowing I would be busy again soon, having to deal with the China situation and the potential fallout from that in the press...


    ********


    ¡°Thanks for everything, Hinata. Like I always say, having a rich sister-in-law is totally the best!¡± my sis gushed as she waited to board the helicopter, along with Yae and Rika-san.


    ¡°I know, I am great, aren¡¯t I?¡± Hinata agreed impishly. ¡°Seriously though, stay safe, Aiko. Akio would be crushed if you got hurt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it? My bro¡¯s the siscon King... no, the siscon Emperor!¡± she laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell mom you¡¯re going to the UK on a business trip soon. She¡¯ll probably want you to go see our grandparents, but do you think you¡¯ll have time?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Probably not, but if I can make time I will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡± Yae pouted. ¡°Foreign travel is cool. First Las Vegas, now this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s totally unfair. I need to find myself a rich boyfriend, but in Nishimorioka, there¡¯s no chance of that...¡± Rika-san agreed.


    ¡°Well, who knows what the future holds?¡± I said. ¡°Try and do well in your final exams, even if you don¡¯t aim for Uni, it¡¯s not a bad thing to push yourselves. And well... the world is changing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Wise words, bro. Now come on girls, we have to go!¡± my sis insisted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m jealous too.¡± Hinata said suddenly, surprising them all. She raised an eyebrow at our surprise. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Akio gets to go with Motoko and Natsumi, and he¡¯ll even be going as Motoko¡¯s fiance?. I¡¯m very jealous. My turn will come, right?¡± She gave me a cute look, tilting her head back to look up at me innocently.


    ¡°It sure will. Well, the trip is hardly going to be all pleasure, you know that.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter bro. You should be getting how girls think by now, being a harem bastard and all.¡± She giggled. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t see what she means.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he does.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°But he knows I¡¯m not really mad. After all...¡± she pulled me into a hug. ¡°... I¡¯m very excited about the prospect of Ixitt¡¯s new invention. If it works...¡±


    ¡°Well, we then have to work out a way to get it to the Material World, but...¡± If we can find a suitable candidate for the Divine Favour of Laverna...


    ¡°Yes, our new business will be printing money!¡± Hinata declared, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°I think we should go.¡± My sis made gagging noises. ¡°They are in their own world anyway.¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡± I snorted. ¡°We¡¯re listening. Anyway, Sis, Yae, Rika-san, I¡¯ll see you again soon. So be careful, and sis, stay safe, and don¡¯t get cocky! I don¡¯t know why I felt the urge to give you that amulet, but... no, I trust you. Just call me if you need anything, okay?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you went from full lecture mode to cool bro mode in an instant. Be still my heart!¡± she laughed.


    ¡°It was good to see you, Akio-kun. A shame we didn¡¯t get to do any shopping or see the sights, but.. next time, okay?¡± Rika-san said her goodbye.


    ¡°Yes, there has to be a next time. Otherwise I¡¯ll live with this sense of defeat forever.¡± Yae complained.


    ¡°Well, when things settle down, we can have a proper break. I¡¯ll show you around. Eri might even be out of her wheelchair by then, and Shaeula loves being in charge so... it¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    As we finished exchanging promises and small talk, they finally boarded, and as the sleek helicopter lifted off, blades thrumming, I turned back to Hinata. ¡°Well, what now? It¡¯s getting late, you have school tomorrow too, right?¡±


    ¡°I do. Yes.¡± She said, the nuance confusing me.


    ¡°You do?¡± I asked, as I noticed an expensive foreign car on the hill ready to take her home.


    ¡°Yes, I do. I know two girls that don¡¯t though. Go inside. Your night isn¡¯t over.¡± She paused, her skin flushed. ¡°I expect a full report, all right? After all... my time will come too. Anyway, I love you. Good night, Akio.¡± She kissed me on the cheek, before, after a moment of hesitation, moving to my lips. Our mouths touched, and then her tongue came into my mouth aggressively, surprising me. I responded, grasping her tightly into a hug, and then we separated, her gasping for breath.


    ¡°There. At least I had my share. Well, good luck!¡± she declared, as her driver got out and opened the door for her. She stepped inside, waving, and after I watched her car leave, I entered my house, looking down to notice two pairs of shoes by the door. My nose picked up a sweet scent, and... so, it¡¯s come to this. Well, from Hinata¡¯s words earlier I knew.


    Opening the door to my room, I was greeted by the sight of two young women, made up beautifully in furisode kimonos, hair and make-up impeccable, as if ready for a wedding. On seeing me enter, the two of them greeted me brightly, though their nervousness was clearly visible as well.


    ¡°Akio, my husband. Your wife is here to receive you.¡± Motoko said, followed by Natsumi.


    ¡°Akio, also my husband. I, Natsumi, am here to fulfil my wifely duties. I hope that we both satisfy you!¡±


    I smiled gently, touched and happy. ¡°No, I, Akio, your husband, am grateful to be receiving your care.¡± I said formally, since it fit the mood. ¡°May this be the first of many days we spend together, from now until eternity...¡± Well, looks like Tsumura-san was serious. Not that I can complain now, can I? Thinking such inane thoughts, the situation making my heart race, despite my past experience with Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth, I asked a question. ¡°Would you like a drink or something, to loosen up?¡±

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Seven – R18/Contains Sex

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Seven ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°A drink?¡± Motoko and Natsumi exchanged a glance, faces red, before Motoko slowly nodded. ¡°Perhaps that would be wise. I find my throat rather dry.¡± She admitted, and Natsumi giggled softly.


    ¡°Mine too. And my stomach aches as well, and my chest is tight...¡±


    As I retrieved a bottle of sake, pouring three small cups of it out, I looked at them again. ¡°I have to say, you both look absolutely stunning. Those furisode are amazing. Well, it¡¯s not just the clothes, of course you both look beautiful as well.¡± I grinned then, teasing them. ¡°I¡¯m a very lucky man, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Their flushes deepened, Motoko¡¯s going almost as red as her long-sleeved kimono, which was a delightful crimson, with beautiful white flowers. That¡¯s no store-bought one, that¡¯s for sure. I have an idea where they came from. She was wearing matching hair ornaments, beautiful red flowers, and her face had been lightly made up, to make her eyes look bigger, and her lips were shining with a faint hint of red, unlike her usual clean appearance, and the gap with her ordinary looks and demeanour was exciting.


    As I handed Natsumi her cup, our hands touched, and she flinched, before her smile changed. She too was wearing a little make-up to accentuate her beauty, her curly hair combed into a slightly more mature fashion, a blue flower pin in her hair. Her kimono was a deep ocean-blue, with white flowers to compliment Motoko¡¯s, and I asked the question I was thinking on seeing them.


    ¡°So, these are from your family, right Natsumi?¡±


    She nodded, her smile broadening. ¡°They are. I even did some of the embroidery myself. I started some time ago, hoping to see Motoko married in a furisode I had worked on myself. I thought it could be the only way I¡¯d have to be with her on that day, considering I¡¯d be dismissed as a bodyguard when we graduate, and I¡¯d likely have my own marriage arranged. I told you, right? I want us to be married in beautiful kimono or dresses the Hori family created.¡±


    ¡°Oh Natsumi.¡± Motoko was tearing up. ¡°I too wished you could be there, but it seemed impossible.¡± She took the sake from me, her long fingers, slightly calloused from her constant training, but still soft and feminine, lingering on mine, her touch hot. ¡°But now... well, this is not a formal wedding, but...¡± she took a sip, the strong sake contributing to her flush. ¡°... it is a wedding. Our pledge.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Natsumi said gently, drinking some of her own alcohol, as I did the same, feeling the pleasant sting of it in my throat. ¡°I still want us to wear my clothes when we marry in front of our families, the other nobility... and all the other families.¡± She giggled charmingly. ¡°That will include all sorts of spiritual beings too, right? But for now... these clothes will do.¡±


    ¡°Well, beautiful as the clothes are, you two are more beautiful.¡± I said, and I meant it. All of my girls were different, even the Japanese ones, and understanding their quirks and charms was something I was only just scratching the surface of. Motoko was elegant, graceful, yet driven, bold, unwilling to concede, while Natsumi seemed quieter, but had a wicked sense of humour, as well as being loyal, dedicated and kind. Really, they were the perfect flowers of nobility, if you asked my opinion, more so than the brash, selfish Mayumi-san, or the timid Miyu.


    ¡°Really? You are not simply flattering us?¡± Motoko asked, and I could see her vulnerability, her need for reassurance. Beside her, Natsumi blinked as well, waiting for my answer. I first paused, refilling our cups with a little more sake before adopting a serious expression.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Well, I¡¯m your fiance?e, of course I want to flatter you both shamelessly. But I think it¡¯s just your nerves talking.¡± I said, gesturing to a mirror over by the wall. ¡°Look at your reflections, both of you. See? You¡¯re both stunning. Don¡¯t worry though, I¡¯m nervous too.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Natsumi asked in surprise. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well why not? I know you probably hear Eri and Shaeula talking, maybe Hyacinth too, but I¡¯m not very experienced myself. But even if I was... the first time is always special, and I¡¯ll remember it for a lifetime. So, we probably don¡¯t want to get too tipsy, it¡¯ll spoil the fun...¡± the way they both looked eager and nervous at the same time, flushed faces sweaty, was simply adorable, and made me want to hold them both close to me. ¡°... how about a toast? To proof that we¡¯ll be together forever, and the two of you will never have to part.¡±


    The two of them exchanged a look, before Motoko spoke for both of them. ¡°I like those sentiments. Natsumi, Akio, I am... well, I admit to being hesitant still. When I travelled to your hometown, I admit to being selfish, only thinking of what benefits I could gain.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯m so ashamed.¡± Natsumi murmured.


    ¡°Then we got scared. I was so certain when I knelt before you, but then when I was back at my family home, in the cold light of day... it was as if a bubble burst.¡±


    ¡°I know just what you mean. I knew I was just taking advantage, and seeing you waver, I wavered too, of course. Back then...¡± Natsumi looked me in the eyes, and her brown orbs were filled with regret. ¡°... if it wasn¡¯t` for Motoko, I never would have considered you. I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m not as worthy as Hinata, or any of the others.¡±


    ¡°Back then?¡± I asked, getting to the heart of the matter, wanting all of this out in the open. We had touched on it before, when I accepted them, but if we were to truly become lovers, then I wanted it to be clear, our emotions and hearts all aligned on it.


    ¡°Now... well, I¡¯ve seen your kindness, and you¡¯ve never rebuked us for our selfishness. Not just us. You treat everyone the same.¡± She said. ¡°I am treated no differently to Motoko, and while part of me can¡¯t help but find that wrong...¡±


    ¡°Oh, Natsumi...¡± Motoko sighed.


    ¡°...I also find it makes me happy. Perhaps...¡± Natsumi looked at Motoko with a slight smile on her red lips. ¡°... if you wish to back out now, Motoko, I think... I would still offer myself here.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi.¡± She laughed in surprise. ¡°Do you think I would get cold feet at this late stage? I feel the same as you do. I feel pride and happiness when you are treated the same as me, or even Miyu... it is hard to say her name without honorifics, so ingrained in our school and noble society such hierarches are. But... things are changing. Mayumi-sama is in for a rude awakening if she thinks she can control you, I think, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Hinata won¡¯t let that happen anyway. Sure, Mayumi-sama has scored what she thinks are a few wins, but... she has a plan, I¡¯m sure.¡± Natsumi added.


    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t talking about Hinata right now, but us.¡± I said. ¡°Look, I get it. It all seems sudden for me. Eri... I¡¯ve known her a long time, ever since she was a kid. But Shaeula and the others... well, I¡¯ve not known them that much longer than you, really. But do I need to know everything about you, when all I need to know is... I want to see you both happy. And I think the best way to make that happen is to be with me.¡±


    ¡°But will that make you happy?¡± Motoko pressed, clearly insecure, at this late stage, and I directed them to the mirror again.


    ¡°See? I¡¯m not even talking just about your looks, which obviously I can have no complaints with. But your personalities shine through. And I love girls like you two. Really, you¡¯re both so dedicated and hard-working. In a way, it¡¯s a bit like my sis, though she could certainly stand to learn elegance and grace off you both. Forget about your family ties. I¡¯m not marrying Tsumura or Hori house, I¡¯m not doing it for political gain, though I won¡¯t deny that was what our marriages were definitely pushed as. I¡¯m doing it because I want to hold the two of you in my arms, and see you both smiling. Now, a toast!¡±


    My words caught them off-guard, and they instinctively raised their cups, the fragrance of the sake dim compared to the faint scent of sweat and perfume the girls exuded. ¡°So, to our future. Together.¡±


    ¡°To our future!¡± they echoed, and we drank, all smiles. That¡¯s better. They are much more beautiful when they smile, not when they¡¯re worried. I think... this is the right decision. The world is a dangerous place and only growing more deadly. And with their talent with martial arts, they should be able to reach Eri¡¯s level at the least... but for now, thinking that is an insult to them. Now... I should only be looking at their hearts...


    ********


    The bed was large enough for all of us, something I had insisted on, as I did enjoy sleeping with Eri and Shaeula together, and sometimes Hyacinth even snuggled in. On seeing that, the girls froze for a moment, before laughing sheepishly.


    ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± Natsumi asked. ¡°I feel as a bodyguard, I should go before Motoko, since I hear that some pain is involved, but... since this is a happy occasion, our shadow wedding, I think Motoko should go first, as befits her...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she shook her head. ¡°We are equals now, Natsumi. Truly equals. Akio has made us so, will make us so tonight.¡± Her breath was coming fast at the thought of what was ahead. ¡°I confess to not knowing much of the act of love between men and women, this sex, unlike your sister and the girls we met in your hometown.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re terribly sheltered. But... I feel a little pride that we¡¯ll be going ahead. We¡¯ll have to feign ignorance at school.¡± Natsumi was reminding me a little of Hinata now, her smile wicked. ¡°That said... Motoko, please go first, before me. Equal or not, I want...¡±


    ¡°How about this? Rock-paper-scissors should suffice to decide. Then... well, you wanted to be together, so how about the loser holds the winner¡¯s hand through it all, shares the joy? Then we can swap over, and...¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Motoko asked.


    ¡°... if you still feel up to more after your first time, well, we can have fun, the three of us.¡± I¡¯ve had many threesomes with the girls, even a foursome. These two probably aren¡¯t as sexually greedy as that trio, but even so... sex is fun, when it¡¯s with someone you love.


    ¡°The three of us?¡± Natsumi swallowed, eyes bright. ¡°Well, I suppose leaving it to chance is fair, if you don¡¯t mind, Motoko.¡±


    ¡°No, I certainly do not. After all, whether you watch over me, or I you, I shall be happy. Overjoyed. I feared for our future, but now... I am simply excited, eager to see it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s settled then.¡± I grinned. ¡°Well, whenever you are ready.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Janken... pon!¡± The two girls declared, showing their hands, and Motoko was still balling her fist, while Natsumi had her fingers apart.


    ¡°Looks like you win then, Motoko.¡± Natsumi said, red-faced, a mixture of worry and envy on her pretty features. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll watch you go on ahead, here by your side, where I¡¯ve always been.¡±


    ¡°And then, you will follow. As your sensei in the Tsumura arts, I find it fitting I should lead.¡± Her solemn expression cracked for a moment, a sly smile creeping in. ¡°Perhaps I can even instruct you in the art of love as well.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Natsumi denied. ¡°In this, we¡¯ll be fellow pupils. I can hardly wait.¡±


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t have to wait long.¡± I promised, my heart now starting to beat faster. ¡°So, Motoko...¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Motoko declared, and I paused. She exchanged a look with Natsumi. ¡°Wifely duties often involve helping a husband change when he returns from a hard day at his work, does it not?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed, her gaze drawn to me. ¡°Do... do you want to do it together?¡±


    ¡°I think we should. As sisters, as wives of the same man. Saying it... I find a thrill within me, but...¡± she squirmed under her kimono. ¡°I feel a hot dampness inside me. I hope I am not unwell, not today of all days.¡±


    ¡°I feel it too, and it¡¯s spreading to my chest.¡± Natsumi agreed, as they stood on either side of me.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s normal. It¡¯s just arousal.¡± As they looked at me, I once again realised they knew little of the biology or emotions behind the act of sex. ¡°It¡¯s... well, your body preparing for sex. I¡¯ll explain it in a moment.¡± I said, as Motoko¡¯s hands were skilfully undoing the buttons on my shirt. Natsumi had bent down, and was slowly taking off my socks, which felt very lewd, and entirely different to the way sex with my other girls started. She looked up, her head near my groin, and her eyes widened as the cloth was pressing out.


    ¡°I see. That must be...¡± she giggled, caressing my feet, before rising and unfastening my belt. As Motoko removed my shirt, she leant in for a kiss, and we did so, her tongue offering no resistance as I slid mine into her mouth. We tangled with each other fiercely, passionately, and then as Natsumi gasped, my trousers down, my pants rather tented, Motoko pulled away, eyeing me.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Natsumi said, her tongue licking at my lips, before hers was toying with mine, her kiss different, yet equally passionate. Motoko removed my trousers, tossing them aside, her eyes also fixated on my lower body, my manhood still hidden by my underwear. As Natsumi pulled free, spit on our lips and chin, she asked Motoko if they should remove my last stitch of clothing.


    ¡°No.¡± I answered for them. ¡°That I¡¯ll do myself, but first... Motoko. I love you, and I want to marry you. So tonight... will you be mine?¡±


    ¡°I shall. I Tsumura Motoko, proud bearer of the Tsumura Combat Arts, will be your bride, and offer my dedication, my love, my everything. I do not believe in half measures. Not anymore. My hesitation is gone.¡± So she says, but I still see her eyes trembling. Well, I suppose it¡¯s understandable. This is... a huge moment in the life of any girl, never mind a noble such as her.


    Her hand went to Natsumi, who grasped it tightly, a warm expression on her face. As Motoko lay on the bed, Natsumi sitting beside her, I once more told Motoko she was beautiful, kissing her again. When we were done, I started touching her, gently at first, her hair, her cheeks, her bare neck. My hands then slid down, and she tensed for a moment, before smiling invitingly, her free arm snaking around my back. My hands cupped her breasts through the fancy cloth, and I squeezed, toying with them a little. They weren¡¯t large, certainly smaller than Eri¡¯s, and likely Natsumi¡¯s. Actually, Hinata has bigger too, now I think about it. She¡¯s quite stacked for a shorter girl. Still, they felt good, and the damp moans coming from Motoko¡¯s flushed face were certainly arousing.


    My hands went further down, stroking her stomach through the cloth, and then I reached the obi, the decorated sash-like belt that held the kimono together. My eyes met Motoko¡¯s and she muttered to ¡°Please go ahead, my husband.¡± So stupidly adorable...


    ¡°I will.¡± I answered, and with deft movements I unhitched it, and as the crimson kimono fell away, I realised she wasn¡¯t naked underneath, but wearing a light, negligee-style silk undergarment in pure white, her toned, pale legs on full display from the short hem, the sides open and gaping, showing off much of her breasts. She must have noticed my puzzlement, because she snorted, surprised.


    ¡°It is a hadajuban. It does not show on the body line, so... are you disappointed?¡± she said, clearly amused, and I shook my head, before kissing her again, our hot breath mingling.


    ¡°Disappointed? By you? Never.¡± I assured her when we parted, a line of spit briefly linking our mouths. ¡°But...¡± I slid a hand inside the opening, now feeling her raw breast. She gasped, and Natsumi winced as her hand was squeezed tightly.


    ¡°I can feel your heart beating.¡± I grinned. ¡°And this, too.¡± Her nipple was hard, so I pinched it, toying with it, delighted at her gasps which were becoming more passionate. With that, I slid my free hand up her bare legs, before finally reaching her pussy.


    ¡°Wait, there, that is...¡± she gasped, but I continued my massaging, my fingers tracing her slit, feeling moisture.


    ¡°That¡¯s the place where we¡¯ll become one. Are you scared?¡± I asked, making sure to only gently toy with the outside, avoiding her clit for now. I moved my hand to her other breast, and bent in for a kiss while waiting for her answer.


    ¡°A little. This... well, I have the blessing of my grandfather, father and mother. Even so... we were told from our youth, never to allow a man other than our husband our bodies...¡± I increased the vibration of my finger, and it was now making damp sounds, to match her gasps. Her lips parted, tongue out, and I took her invitation, sucking on it playfully, while her eyes pleaded for a stronger, fiercer kiss.


    ¡°But he is our husband...¡± Natsumi, her face redder than Motoko¡¯s, her legs rubbing together, whispered, still clutching her hand tightly in both of hers, and at those words, Motoko¡¯s eyes went wide, and her body relaxed. Wet liquid gushed from her pussy, sour and lurid, and I took that opportunity to drive our tongues together, giving her a deeply passionate kiss.


    ¡°So... sensual. So much... fiercer... than I could¡¯ve imagined.¡± Natsumi muttered. ¡°So this... this is sex?¡±


    ¡°I... Natsumi, I think I am going strange!¡± Motoko gasped, and I turned to Natsumi, shaking my head.


    ¡°Nope, this is merely a bit of fun before the real thing. It¡¯s definitely sexual in nature though. Now...¡± I pushed up the cloth of Motoko¡¯s undergarment, which barely covered her private areas, and revealed her twitching slit, her inner thighs soaked. Motoko squirmed in embarrassment, her entire body flushed and sweating. She then said something that surprised me.


    ¡°I... I have heard that vigorous exercise can affect the body, which leads some men to believe that a woman is not a virgin. I can assure you that whatever you might think, Natsumi and I have never opened ourselves to any man. You surely...¡±


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± I stopped her worries with another kiss. When we were done, I looked at her seriously. ¡°As it happens, I do believe you¡¯re a virgin. You too, Natsumi. You¡¯re both very refined and strong-willed, and that¡¯s how you¡¯ve been raised. But whether or not you were... that would be the past. In the future¡¯s different, I¡¯m a jealous, sinful hypocrite...¡± I laughed, though it still stung a bit. ¡°... but for now, you¡¯ll be mine. But... well, are you curious?¡± I asked, and she nodded weakly, her damp hair spread on the pillows behind her like a halo.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    ¡°You want to see, Natsumi?¡± I asked, and she shivered. ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve bathed together naked, right? Have you ever shown each other your bodies?¡±


    Natsumi shook her head. ¡°Never, that would be improper. But... I admit, I would like to see. Motoko, do you mind?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I... can hardly object at this point. We are sharing... our most intimate moments.¡± She gasped, as I continued to gently stir the outside of her pussy.


    ¡°In that case... here.¡± I gently opened her up, and Motoko shuddered, groaning, as cold air touched the inside of her body. More liquid seeped out, and as I spread it, I could see a faint, pinkish-white film within.


    ¡°Well, like I said, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered to me, but there¡¯s the proof a girl is pure. The hymen. Yours is still intact.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Natsumi was eyeing it with interest. ¡°I never imagined I would be looking at Motoko so lewdly.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll end up seeing more girls lewdly.¡± I snorted, just imagining the future. ¡°Though you won¡¯t see any hymens. But Shaeula especially is keen to deepen her friendship with other girls by making love together. I expect you¡¯ll be getting the invite soon.¡±


    ¡°I am glad. I can do it properly the first time.¡± Motoko exhaled. I could tell she wanted to close her legs, embarrassed at having Natsumi staring at her so intimately, but I held them open with my own, and continued to toy with her chest and pussy.


    ¡°Well, the downside is, it¡¯ll hurt the first time. Girls with torn hymens don¡¯t really suffer as much. But I can use Ether Healing to fix the pain if you...¡±


    ¡°I... yes... uh...¡± she cried, suddenly arching her back, losing the ability to form coherent words as a massive orgasm rocked her. A few moments later she was gasping, exhausted.


    ¡°What... the world was shining. I felt euphoric. Was that...¡± she remembered what I had said to Motoko. ¡°... I came, right?¡±


    ¡°You sure did.¡± I said fondly, patting her head. ¡°That¡¯s womanly pleasure.¡±


    ¡°It was... very intense.¡± She shuddered, spent, before her earnest eyes gazed at me. ¡°But you don¡¯t look satisfied, Akio. My Akio. Husband.¡± She giggled. ¡°I feel it¡¯s real now. I worried and pondered... and it¡¯s all blown away. Sex is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s always next...¡± she stopped my words with her breast, thrusting it into my mouth. ¡°You licked Motoko, but not mine.¡± She said. ¡°I want the same! And you should pour it inside me, I¡¯ve had the medicine too!¡±


    As I sucked and groped on her breasts, Natsumi¡¯s expression was loose, languid. My dick was still rock hard inside her, squeezed by her damp, post-orgasm walls. With one final playful bite of her nipple, which made her gasp, I asked her if she was sure, and she nodded.


    ¡°Well, I do think it should be done right the first time.¡± I agreed. ¡°So... here goes!¡± I began to push into her again, her sexy gasps making Motoko flush. I slid in and out, lubricated by her copious fluids and the thin traces of blood, and soon she was shaking, mouth open, tongue lolling out, which I sucked on greedily.


    ¡°Natsumi, Motoko, you two are wonderful. I ought to punch myself for hesitating back then. If you¡¯d have gone to some other arranged marriage that didn¡¯t make you happy, I¡¯d have regretted it forever...¡± I¡¯m so selfish. But... everyone wants happiness. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong, in the end...


    ¡°Motoko, when he rubs me deep, I feel happy...¡± she cried, and Motoko smiled gently at her dearest friend.


    ¡°I am envious of you. mine was rather painful, but in time...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum!¡± I said, feeling the familiar sensation rise within me, hot liquid waiting to be released. ¡°Natsumi, do... do you want it?¡±


    ¡°I do, I want whatever you want to give me!¡± she cried, and I sped up, delighting in her moans, the soft feel of her body, and the warm eyes of Motoko on us.


    ¡°Natsumi, I love you!¡± I called, my final thrust knocking deep inside her, pleasure writ all over my face as I discharged. I could feel her insides writhing, greedily gulping at the semen as it sprayed inside her, and she shuddered, not quite reaching orgasm a second time, but clearly still feeling pleasure. I thrust again and again, emptying myself, before finally collapsing down beside her, spent, watching cum trickle out from around my shrinking dick.


    ¡°So warm. I get it. This is what it means to be a woman, Motoko.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We are both women now. His women.¡±


    As the two reaffirmed their unshakeable bonds, I lay back, staring at them both, burning their flushed, happy visage into my eyes...


    ********


    ¡°Here.¡± I brought them both some water, so they could refresh themselves. As the two girls drank, still wearing little but their dishevelled undershirts, I looked down at the bed and whistled. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s quite the mess. Well, Hyacinth doesn¡¯t mind cleaning this sort of thing up, but it does make me feel a little bad for her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing it.¡± Natsumi said, thinking. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing bothering me.¡± She looked at Motoko, pensive.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked, and Natsumi elaborated.


    ¡°I feel sorry for Motoko that she never came. I want her to know what that feels like. Can we go again?¡±


    ¡°I think Motoko is in too much pain. Though I suppose I can use Ether Healing if you want to have another try? I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t think I could ever get tired of holding you both.¡± Eri. Shaeula. Hyacinth. Motoko. Natsumi. Any of them would be enough to give a man a happy life. And I have five of therm. Well, I guess this means I¡¯ll have to save the world, otherwise I¡¯d be spitting on the good fortune I¡¯ve clearly gone and stolen from whoever was destined to be with them in the future, before Ortlinde came...


    ¡°No. Not yet.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I will bear the pain. I wish to do it properly. But... Natsumi, is it that amazing?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± She said confidently. ¡°It felt like it was meant to be.¡± She held out her arms, and with a smile I got between them, cuddling the two nearly-naked girls.


    ¡°Well, in that case, there¡¯s something else we should try. It¡¯ll probably boost your Lovers¡¯ Link more anyway.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious.¡± Natsumi kissed my cheek, and Motoko the other one, both of them still pink with shame and arousal.


    ¡°All right then. We are going to overlap our lunar chakras and share our aether, elements and... well, our souls, I guess? it¡¯s pretty mystical, but feels really good. It¡¯s apparently the Fae way of lovemaking, though Shaeula certainly likes our mortal ways too.¡± With both at once it might be interesting for their first time. I¡¯ve done it with Eri and Shaeula together so I am certain we can...


    I spent some time explaining, and more time guiding the two of them, as their skills were lacking compared to my other girls, something I was determined to correct in time. As I felt my essence seep into them, their eyes went wide, and I, in turn, felt theirs come into me, along with their thoughts, feelings and insecurities.


    ¡°I... I...!¡± Natsumi, confident, cheerful Natsumi, surprised me by bursting into tears, weeping and clinging to me. Puzzled, I looked over at Motoko, only to see she too was crying, shining sparkles running down her cheeks.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, only to feel their emotions as well. Oh, I see. Yeah, I understand that. These girls have been struggling so long to find a place to belong, no wonder they were so stressed.


    ¡°You truly love us both. We can feel it, feel you. How can we not cry, in joy or relief!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s...¡± Natsumi said in-between the sobs. ¡°I know you said it a lot, and that you¡¯ve always shown us kindness, but... words are just that, words. Even... even as you made love to me, I couldn¡¯t escape the suspicion that you just wanted my body. I buried it deep, as... I felt guilty, considering how poorly I tried to... use you... before...¡±


    Motoko took over as Natsumi started sobbing again. ¡°We do not trust words. We trust your actions, or we never would have consented to this, but... trust is not certainty. After all, Tsumura house is a noble one, second only to the Three Great Houses. There was a slim chance you were fooling us all for the purpose of usurping it.¡± She wiped at her tears as Natsumi hugged me, her breasts pressing against my bare back, my neck wet with her tears, my mind full of her emotions, happiness and relief consuming her remaining doubts.


    ¡°I believed, I did... but... I¡¯m sorry. I should have trusted you more. If you want, feel free to punish me!¡± she managed after getting her heaving sobs under control.


    ¡°Punish you? For what?¡± I asked, genuinely puzzled. ¡°We lay on this bed, we kissed, we made love. We pledged our lives together. Even if you had some doubts, you did it, and you meant it. Why would I punish you?¡±


    ¡°You see, Natsumi. We were right all along. He... is the one for us.¡± Motoko¡¯s smile was radiant. ¡°It is a comforting thing, this sharing of lunar chakras. I can see why Shaeula loves it so. We... we will always know the hearts of each other, a privilege the closed, regimented nobility will never have. Unless they come to you.¡±


    ¡°Well, like I told Natsumi earlier, Hinata certainly, but others... no way.¡±


    ¡°And like Natsumi, I will choose to believe you for now, though I have my doubts.¡± Seeing Motoko tease me like that fired my lust, as did the feel of Natsumi¡¯s hot skin against mine.


    ¡°Well, Motoko, I agree, I would like you to achieve orgasm before we finish. And I think Natsumi is quite a lewd girl, she¡¯s eager for more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lewd, I¡¯m just loving!¡± she protested, reaching her hands down and grabbing my hardening dick. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s hot and twitching. Motoko, touch it.¡±


    Curious, she stretched out a hand, long fingers wrapping me softly. They touched the tip, which was leaking precum, and even started fiddling gently with my balls, amazed at the difference between us. That¡¯s pretty sensual. They might have seen drawings in textbooks, but the real thing...


    ¡°He likes it. How about if I do... this?¡± Natsumi read my face and the emotions through our bond, and was now gently squeezing and stroking me, while Motoko was kissing me, her hands massaging me. Moments later, I felt my pleasure rise, and Natsumi giggled in shock as my semen sprayed out, all over her hands and chest, some even hitting her face.


    ¡°That surprised me!¡± she said, and Motoko was also transfixed, eyes wide. Natsumi licked her lips reflexively, tasting my semen. ¡°Bitter.¡±


    ¡°Is it safe to lick?¡± Motoko asked, and I nodded. With that she reached out with her own tongue, swiping it along Natsumi¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Yes, it is bitter. I do remember that girl talking about drinking it when we were staying with your family. Is it commonly done?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Well, oral sex isn¡¯t that rare. But you two have done it now.¡± I grinned, pushing Motoko down. ¡°That question makes me want to show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what are you...¡± Motoko began, as I spread her pussy open, beginning to lick it. ¡°... that place, it is dirty...¡±


    Ironically, now it is. They had cleaned themselves a little while I fetched water, but she still tasted of love nectar and other fluids. Not that I was deterred. ¡°Nope, nothing dirty about you, Motoko. You¡¯re my precious woman, and I love everything about you. Now...¡± I reached up a hand, playing with her chest, while my other gently touched her clit. At that, she shivered, and so did Natsumi, who was starting to twitch.


    ¡°What... uh... hey, I can feel... Motoko¡¯s...¡± she squirmed, her thighs gleaming wetly, despite being cleaned earlier. As I continued to lick the moaning Motoko, now swiping my tongue on her clit, kneading the little ruby bead gently with my fingers, she was gasping hoarsely, and with a little aether to widen my vision I could see that every time I teased Motoko¡¯s pussy, Natsumi leaked. Well, isn¡¯t this interesting? It must be the way I helped them synchronise their lunar chakras with mine, it¡¯s connected them too.


    ¡°Natsumi...¡± Motoko gasped, eyes going unfocused, body trembling incessantly. ¡°Is this what you... meant by shining? I feel the world is very bright right... now...¡±


    ¡°To think... we would have been separated, and never... known this together.¡± Natsumi managed, body arching. She collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, legs spread carelessly wide, defenceless, having came again. ¡°No, wait... I¡¯m still... so shaky...¡± she muttered, the relentless pleasure transmitted from Motoko still attacking her. Sorry, but there¡¯s no stopping until Motoko knows what it is to be a woman. I sped up my finger and tongue, her sour taste growing on me, alternating between licking and thrusting my tongue inside, before Motoko finally rose to euphoria, tears rolling down her cheeks again, this time from pleasure. As she shuddered, I laid her down gently beside Natsumi, who was gasping in relief that the assault of ecstasy had halted.


    ¡°How was it?¡± I asked her gently. ¡°In time, you¡¯ll be able to feel even better through actual sex, when the pain diminishes.¡±


    For a long moment there was no answer but their panting breaths, before Motoko spoke. ¡°Yes, I... think I am ruined. Natsumi, we have to keep this a secret at school, from other daughters of nobility?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± She managed at last. ¡°But I know it¡¯ll be hard. We promised though, even if we feel sorry for them.¡± She laughed dryly. ¡°Men are terribly scary creatures, our teachers were right. I felt my heart fall even deeper.¡± Her hand sought mine, as did Motoko¡¯s, and all three of us grasped each other, feeling the shared warmth, as happy emotions were shared through our bonds. ¡°If Akio was a bad man, we¡¯d be finished, Motoko. Hori house would surely be ruined...¡±


    I could see her smiling, but even so, her cheeky attitude was arousing me. ¡°Oh, I am a bad man. Fall for me Natsumi, Motoko. Fall until the hole you are in is so deep you never want to leave me!¡± I gave Motoko a deep kiss, stroking her hair as she lay there, sweaty but satisfied, before turning to Natsumi, who blinked at me, her big brown eyes earnest. ¡°I know you haven¡¯t had enough, I can tell.¡± I massaged her breasts, nipples still stiff, before gently touching her clit with a finger smeared in her love nectars.


    ¡°It feels different when it¡¯s a physical touch...¡± she gasped, the fresh sensation assailing her. Now it was Motoko¡¯s turn to moan, as the transmitted pleasure from Natsumi burrowed into her body, her muscles loosening, a sour smell coming again.


    ¡°It is, because each of you is different, unique. But I guess as girls you can feel it properly. I can tell you are in pleasure, but I can¡¯t really feel it.¡± I kissed her, toying with her breasts, pussy and clit until she was starting to rise towards another orgasm. The moans from Motoko were louder, and both sets of her lips were open and drooling, her face dyed in shame at her lewdness, but pleasure too.


    ¡°I think we should finish with a bang.¡± I grinned, putting my arms around Natsumi, who hung limp, helpless to stop my touch, rapidly coming to crave it. I turned her around, so she was facing Motoko, her ass up in the air towards me, which I gently slapped.


    ¡°Hey...¡± she said, surprised, not feeling any pain, just a slight stinging sensation. Motoko jumped as well as it was transmitted, the shock making her spray love nectar. Yeah, maybe it¡¯d be easier to burn the sheets than clean them now... they¡¯ve had a workout...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just a bad guy, punishing a lewd girl.¡± I laughed, occasionally gently slapping her ass, alternating it with more licking of her pussy and clit, fondling her breasts, and even once, roiling my tongue around her asshole. When I did that both of the girls moaned in mortified shame, but they visibly tightened up, their pussies clamping.


    ¡°Please, I...¡± Natsumi begged, eyes moist. I had been carefully keeping her from finishing for a while, so Motoko was far closer to orgasm again from the reflected pleasure. Watching, judging, bringing her to the boil, I slapped Natsumi¡¯s ass gently once more, before pulling her in for a loving kiss, which she greedily reciprocated. I then positioned her next to the limp Motoko, bending over to suck greedily on Motoko¡¯s lips, and as she thirstily drank me in, I pushed my dick into Natsumi¡¯s desperate pussy all in one motion.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± she groaned, still a little pained, as I scraped off the rest of her thin hymen, but after all the teasing her body was so excited it was barely noticed. As she gasped, feeling filled up inside, I glanced down at Motoko, whose eyes went to pinpricks as she shuddered, gushing so much it was like she had wet herself. Well, at least it¡¯s not urine. That¡¯s Eri¡¯s trick, though she¡¯s not so bad recently.


    ¡°I am surely dying. I did not... know... I could feel this way...¡± Motoko was murmuring, contented and confused, her brain fogged by her second powerful orgasm.


    ¡°Please...¡± Natsumi begged. ¡°I... can¡¯t wait...¡±


    ¡°Nor can I, good girl. Love you.¡± I whispered in her ear again, which caused a spark of joy through our bonds, and her body to tighten. As she did so, I started pawing at her ass and breasts, thrusting in, knocking deeper than ever. Yeah, stats make all the difference. I¡¯d have been asleep and snoring, leaving two very disappointed girls, long ago if I was just a normal guy.


    ¡°This... we get to do this again... when we get... married for real, right?¡± she said in-between her lewd panting, and the wet sounds of flesh on flesh as my body slammed against her ass, my dick piercing her deeply each time, her walls tight around me.


    ¡°Of course. Our true wedding night will be spectacular.¡± I gripped her ass and breasts tight, speeding up, as Motoko was moaning, the pleasure quickly bringing her to another peak. I see, it¡¯s tough, but since all three of us are sharing our bonds and I can feel all our pleasured thoughts, might as well try for a triple...


    ¡°But then, why wait for that?¡± I said, changing the angle, rubbing at a different spot inside her, allowing Motoko to have some respite from the reflected thrusts, while speeding Natsumi on. I could feel my own body eager to unleash more semen, to fill up the adorable girl in my arms. ¡°The beauty of being man and woman is... when we are horny, we can just have sex.¡± I grinned, enjoying her body, her moans, her thoughts, her heart. Really, these two, it would have been cruel to separate them. It¡¯s like my sis and Eri, they get along so well, it¡¯d be evil to part them...


    ¡°I see.¡± She brightened up, even as I changed back to spearing her deepest areas, and she looked down at Motoko, elated. ¡°You hear that, Motoko? We... any time we want...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She reached up, gripping Natsumi¡¯s hand as I pulled her into a half-standing pose, gauging that a final sprint should match the needed timing. ¡°Today... I am happy I was born a woman. I always thought...¡± more tears, these ones of relief and acceptance of an inner trauma relieved.¡±... if I was born a man, I could have carried on the Tsumura Arts with no resistance, that I would be respected. But then...¡±


    ¡°But then...? Oh, I¡¯m falling, the world is all shiny white...¡± Natsumi asked, before starting to shake, her body on the cusp, damp noises and hoarse breaths filling the room.


    ¡°I would never get to hold your hand like this, or feel so loved. So... I can finally hold my peace. I am glad... we were both born women, Natsumi. Our hardships...¡± her body spasmed, and her eyes lost their focus, her pussy twitching as if it was being pierced by my cock, as Natsumi also cried out, her body flooded with pleasure, and my hot cum as I poured another load deep inside her. ¡°... were all worthwhile, all for this!¡±


    ¡°I agree! Motoko, Akio... I¡¯m happy right now, so happy!¡± And with that I let her fall to the bed beside Motoko, and her arms snaked around her friend, Motoko reciprocating, as they hugged. Yeah, that¡¯s a good way of thinking. The past sorrows are behind us. And for the future, we have to make our own happiness, and... Motoko, Natsumi, there¡¯s no future I see without you two in it. Lying down beside them, exhausted despite my high stats, probably from all the deep emotions the two of them had shared with me through our bonds and lunar chakras, I joined in the hug, contented.


    ********


    Moments later the door to the room was slammed open, a cackling Shaeula rushing in. ¡°Well, that was quite the show, was it not-not?¡± she giggled. Motoko and Natsumi flinched at first, surprised, before relaxing when they realised who it was.


    ¡°Hyacinth will clean all the mess, have nooo fear!¡± she said, picking up the fallen kimonos and starting to fold them.


    ¡°No, we can do that...¡± Motoko began, panicked, but I merely held them tighter, sharing my warmth and affection.


    ¡°No, let her. It¡¯s her way of showing she accepts you as a proper mistress, as her sister.¡± At that, Hyacinth nodded, all smiles.


    ¡°Well damn, Aki, you¡¯re a beast!¡± Shiro said, her freshly healed face bright red, twirling her hair with her fingers. ¡°When... when it¡¯s my first time...¡±


    ¡°I have plans, don¡¯t worry.¡± I assured her. Last was Eri, in her wheelchair. Ordinarily I¡¯d have felt terribly guilty, meeting her gaze, but she had accepted Motoko and Natsumi, so there was no need, and it would just be an insult to everyone, their will, their resolve.


    ¡°Well, that seemed rather more impressive than my first time.¡± She pouted. ¡°I confess, the hotel was nice, but these furisode... a lovely touch.¡± She praised them, puzzling the two girls, who weren¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°But don¡¯t forget. I had him first.¡± She declared. With that, there was laughter from everyone, Motoko and Natsumi chuckling wearily in my arms.


    ¡°Yes, I guess you did.¡± I had to agree, a happy smile on my face. Eri may have changed, sure, but she¡¯ll always be the Eri I remember. Somehow that¡¯s comforting...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Eight

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Eight


    Motoko and Natsumi, despite being noticeably stronger than ordinary girls because of the Chirurgery and the few levels they had gained, were still exhausted by our lovemaking. It was probably more emotional than physical, but nonetheless I decided to let them relax in my bed. Though I¡¯m not sure how relaxing it really is... Hyacinth had gathered up the dirty sheets, which were in a truly terrible state, and was preparing a bath for us all. Until then, I made do with wiping my sweat and other liquids with an offered towel.


    ¡°So, how does it feel?¡± Eri pressed the two girls, though there was a hint of kindness in her obsidian eyes that if I was honest, never used to be there when she looked at her rivals, as I remembered the way she had railed against Shaeula so bitterly at times, insecure and jealous, at least until she had changed and pushed us together. Eri sure has matured. But... I think it¡¯s for the best. She can now make other friends, and ... I hope she, Motoko and Natsumi can be true friends too...


    ¡°It makes you feel like you are truly meant to be together, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Eri pressed. ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t, then you have no business being here.¡± she insisted, and Shiro shook her head, frowning.


    ¡°Eri, you shouldn¡¯t be so forceful. Besides...¡± her cheeks were pink. ¡°... you watched it the same as we did. Shit, they certainly looked like they fell hard. Damn, Aki... you were a loser virgin like me and Yasu only a few months ago, right? Or were you fooling us all this time... no, there¡¯s no way you were a riajuu, like recognises like...¡±


    Eri rolled her eyes, exasperated. ¡°Considering you are much older than me, Shiro, shouldn¡¯t you be more of an adult about all this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only got a couple of years on you, I¡¯m not some old woman!¡± Shiro protested, rebooting, and the utter lack of tension and usual banter between Eri and Shiro, who seemed to gel surprisingly well, relaxed the stress and pent-up emotions Motoko and Natsumi were feeling.


    ¡°Yes. I even said it myself, didn¡¯t I, Eri?¡± Natsumi¡¯s smile was tired but contented. ¡°I wanted to believe I didn¡¯t have doubts, but I did. Everything has been happening so fast, there was so much to take in, it was inevitable I¡¯d harbour misgivings in my heart. I was prepared to accept them, but... that white, sparkling feeling blew them all away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Sex is a fierce and powerful thing, a way for two hearts to be joined as one.¡±


    ¡°Three. I felt even closer to you than ever, Motoko.¡± Natsumi corrected.


    ¡°Yes, and I to you.¡± As the exchanged happy glances, Shaeula laughed and Eri coughed.


    ¡°Well, I get that you¡¯re both happy. I¡¯m glad. I feel better now that Akio has made love to you both. It¡¯s strange, but I feel closer to you both too. I feel you won¡¯t betray us.¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Motoko affirmed, and Natsumi nodded fiercely beside her. ¡°I saw his heart, and he saw ours. There was nothing there but love. Love and... desire.¡± She flushed. ¡°I see now that my eyes were not wrong. We should never have to sacrifice, did you not say, Akio? Well, now I truly understand your intent behind that. You hate seeing people in pain, hurting. But you never thought you could do anything about their suffering. You were like Natsumi and I, helpless against the tides. But no longer...¡±


    ¡°That was mostly my fault. Well, I¡¯ll blame Aiko too.¡± Eri admitted. ¡°We were... well, I was a needy cry-baby my whole childhood, until Akio finally had enough and left. I burdened him, which is why now, I want to support him. But not just that, love him too.¡±


    ¡°This is heavy stuff...¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°But I get it. Anyway, let¡¯s not rehash old ground, all right? I had my doubts too, you know? I was always too weak for love, likely to drop dead at any time, then there was Tan... well, screw it. I¡¯m just going to do what makes me happy, and you girls should do the same. We¡¯ll be happy, and that¡¯ll make Aki happy, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m just fortunate I¡¯m now in a position to support you all, make you smile.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°We keep our honour as nobility, we continue to stay together, we take Tsumura Arts to new heights, and... we even found love, and it was really nice.¡± She giggled and flushed, and Motoko hid her face behind her damp hair, but I could see her neck and upper body were pink with mortification.


    ¡°Speaking of Tsumura Arts...¡± I caught their attention while listening to Hyacinth humming happily in the bathroom as the hot water ran. As my Eye glittered amber, I observed the clear, complete status sheets of the girls. ¡°... you¡¯re both Bonded Kin like Eri now. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°I do not quite know what that means, but if Eri, the first wife is, then I shall desire to be so too.¡± Motoko paused. ¡°Do not worry, I understand my position. I shall not seek to usurp your place.¡±


    Eri looked troubled at that. ¡°Look, that¡¯s... well, mostly Shaeula causing trouble. I was first, and I¡¯ll always cherish that, but I know Akio won¡¯t play favourites, much as I¡¯m sure we all want him to.¡± She shot me a reproving look, while Shaeula found that very funny indeed and was cackling like a madwoman. ¡°Look...¡± Eri continued. ¡°I¡¯m first wife, so it¡¯s my job to make sure we don¡¯t let in any bad influences. So... if there are any girls aiming for Akio, we need to vet them, make sure they aren¡¯t just users or bitches.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough now, but when the world knows and accepts Candidates and those of us with powers, trouble will flock to Akio like cockroaches. We¡¯d best have the slippers ready to squash them!¡±


    ¡°Uh, but what if there¡¯s a girl I really like?¡± I asked instinctively, before wishing I hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Is there one?¡± Eri sighed, clearly frustrated. ¡°Well, we love you, but you also have to love and respect us. Don¡¯t fall for any bitchy fake trash, all right? Though I think you¡¯ve better taste than that at least. Kana-san wasn¡¯t anywhere near as bad as I first thought, and this Daiyu girl...¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, where is she?¡±


    ¡°You wished to make her watch this-this?¡± Shaeula snickered, still barely controlling her amusement at this situation. ¡°You are so depraved. I do not-not dislike that, I confess. But no... the girl, after training, which she partook in with great-great fervour, she retired to her room and said she would be transcribing all the many-many secrets of her Sect. She is good-good, a worthy addition. I do approve!¡±


    ¡°Well, Daiyu¡¯er is for later.¡± I said, going back to Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s status. ¡°Anyway, all your practice with Ulfuric sure has been paying off, but what¡¯s interesting is... Tsumura Arts is listed on your status sheets. Congratulations, it seems that the multiverse has accepted your hard work as valid.¡± I teased, only to be utterly shocked by the reaction of the two.


    ¡°Our arts...¡± Motoko was crying, holding on to the weeping Natsumi as they hugged.


    ¡°I know. Motoko, we were right! They can¡¯t end with us!¡±


    ¡°They will not!¡± Motoko wailed. ¡°After all... we will perfect and strengthen them, and...¡±


    ¡°Our children, they¡¯ll carry it on too. Maybe not just ours...¡± Natsumi blew her nose, her eyes streaming tears.


    ¡°Well, you should have expected that, Aki. It¡¯s good to see that despite you being smooth as hell now, you¡¯re still the same dumb little Aki I know and love. It was a killer line though. You basically just validated all their choices and sacrifices. Best let them cry it out for a bit.¡±


    ¡°The bath is ready! You should gooo in!¡± Hyacinth declared with perfect timing, and with a wry smile I took the two crying girls to the bath...


    ********


    ¡°I apologise for our shameful outburst.¡± Motoko said, bowing to the others, and Natsumi echoed her. The three of us had bathed together, but there was nothing sexy about it, instead I just let their tension work its way out, though washing their bodies was certainly enjoyable enough. Now we were freshly dressed, we were all sitting around the table in the kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Eri said magnanimously. Daiyu, who had arrived, yawning, tilted her head, inquiring, and Shaeula filled her in. When done, she had nodded, understanding.


    ¡°I see. Yes, it would be as if I was a failed disciple, looked down on for being weak, only to suddenly break through a realm, and be validated by a senior disciple I had always respected. It would certainly shake my Dao and my heart.¡± She then resumed eating.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an... oddly specific... example.¡± Shiro remarked. ¡°I think I get it though. Well, anyway, don¡¯t worry about it girls. If we can¡¯t cry in front of each other, laugh, share our hopes and fears, we¡¯ll never make it. Or someone will stick a knife in Aki. One of the two.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. We get it.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Now I¡¯m curious. I know Aiko¡¯s Spiritual Kyu?do? and how it works...¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you remember, Motoko?¡± Natsumi said, excited. ¡°Akio explained it to us when we visited his hometown.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do remember.¡± Motoko was leaning forwards, looking excited. She and Natsumi were in casual clothes as they had a rare day off from Hanafubuki. It so happened I was scheduled to meet her grandfather, among others, later in the afternoon, so the two of them were going to come, and hopefully Natsumi¡¯s parents could make time to see me too.


    ¡°Well... I probably shouldn¡¯t spill it without your permission?¡± I asked. See? I am slowly learning discretion. Hinata would be proud of me.


    ¡°There are no secrets between us here.¡± Motoko said stoutly. ¡°Besides, I would welcome any assistance in strengthening our Arts. So please assist us if you can.¡± Once more Natsumi echoed her.


    ¡°Fine then. I admit, I prefer it that way. So... you¡¯re both at Rank 3, so good job I guess?¡±


    ¡°Well, Motoko is more skilled than I...¡± Natsumi began, but Motoko patted her shoulder lightly, more comfortable with casual contact after last night.


    ¡°But the gap is closing fast. Akio¡¯s Eye would not lie.¡±


    ¡°True. Anyway... Tsumura Arts Rank 3. This skill is a representation of ancient techniques with spear, sword, bow and the physical body, arranged to fit modern, ether-starved battlefields. With a solid foundation in pure combat, the moves are designed to be complimentary with various elements, and it can only reproduce a fraction of its power without them. [Class: Cantrip] [Type: Foundation] ... pretty cool. Now, don¡¯t pout.¡± When they heard it was a Cantrip class, they felt deflated. ¡°The main thing is that it¡¯s a Foundation-type technique. I¡¯d say the closest match to it is my Elemental Weapon Technique. But I suspect this has a lot more utility, based on the description. So, you know what you need to do, right?¡± I asked, and they both agreed.


    He sighed in response. Looking at the others, who all nodded, he looked me in the eyes, speaking seriously. ¡°Come on, Akio-kun. Don¡¯t be a fool. We promised at Uni we¡¯d be friends forever, always help each other out and have each other¡¯s backs. Didn¡¯t we?¡± I nodded at that, as did Shiro, and he continued. ¡°At first it was just us six, then Shiro made seven. I don¡¯t know about all of you, but those words meant something. We always shared work with each other when we were desperate, were shoulders to cry on, always encouraged each other... and now, you and Shiro are both wrapped up in this. And now you want us to just turn our backs on you?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but...¡±


    ¡°Look, if it¡¯s money, our livelihoods, well, you¡¯re going to cover that, right?¡± Shugo-san pointed out.


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Aki.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°And I know you overpay like a moron sometimes.¡± Behind her Karen-chan stifled a laugh, and I had to admit that was true. I like to reward people for their efforts, is that so wrong?


    ¡°I have a question.¡± Hina-san asked, looking serious.


    ¡°Fire away.¡±


    ¡°This Chirurgery... it isn¡¯t something an average person is going to be able to take advantage of is it? It¡¯s like being an enhanced human, right?¡± She got straight to the point. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that will improve our lives, isn¡¯t it adequate payment?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aimi-san agreed. ¡°Come on, how often did we talk about being protagonists, super-human heroes, when we were in the bars of Akihabara? I get that it¡¯s scary and dangerous, but... Shiro, Akio-kun, I don¡¯t want you to shoulder it alone. And if I get some benefits along the way...¡± she smiled tremulously, her eyes damp with emotion.


    ¡°Fine. But what¡¯s your work situation like? I don¡¯t want you burning bridges and screwing your clients.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already started prepping up for a period of absence.¡± Hayato-san reassured me. ¡°Sure, there¡¯s a few projects to see off, but considering how fast you started working a few months ago, I expect with this Chirurgery we can rattle through it in a week or two? I should have realised something was up then, but I thought you were just working yourself to death without sleep, as you had money worries.¡±


    Yeah, I certainly wasn¡¯t that discreet, was I? Luckily Hayato-san is smart, so he¡¯d believe the simplest answer is true, not that it was mystical powers. ¡°So is that everyone¡¯s opinion on the matter?¡±


    As everyone affirmed their resolve, Shiro punched me gently in the shoulder with her good arm. ¡°Come on Aki, it¡¯ll be the gang of seven, just like old times.¡±


    ¡°Right then. In that case... Chirurgery. I¡¯ll send Azuki to fetch Shaeula and we can get started.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Girls, if Aki wanted to see you naked he could any time, he has a magic X-Ray eye.¡± She dropped my secrets. Aimi-san flinched reflexively, but Hina-san shook her head.


    ¡°Akio-san wouldn¡¯t do that, peeping.¡± She asserted, and I was touched. ¡°Besides, he has you, Shiro. That should be enough for him.¡±


    As Shiro preened at that, I sighed. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need you to strip anymore. I guess I can do it. Just be aware, it hurts a fair bit...¡±


    ¡°So we were told. Oh well. No point putting it off...¡± Hayato-san spoke for all of them, and I guided them to the training school across the hill...


    ********


    ¡°Damn, my whole body itches like a bitch.¡± Yasu-san squirmed. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding, this sucks.¡±


    ¡°It takes a few days to flush out the debris. Once the itching stops, pulling in ether and turning it to aether feels pretty warm and pleasant.¡± I reassured him. ¡°You girls okay?¡± I asked Hina-san and Aimi-san.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Hina-san sighed, looking pale. ¡°... but my head does feel clearer.¡±


    ¡°Just look at me lift!¡± Shugo-san was messing with some of the weights I bought during my first days of being a Candidate. ¡°I never could do this before without running out of strength in minutes!¡± As he continued to play with the dumbbells, I had to smile at their enthusiasm.


    Shiro smiled. ¡°Well, if you want to see some lifting, get Aki here to pick up a bus...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not competing!¡± he protested, laughing.


    Well, a car sure, but a bus? No way... well, not yet. Give me a few months and maybe...


    ¡°So, now that you¡¯ve had the Chirurgery, you need to clear any outstanding work the lot of you have. I¡¯d love to help, but I¡¯m too busy.¡±


    ¡°It seems that way.¡± Hayato-san commiserated. ¡°But between us we can all clear our backlogs. A bit of crunch for a week won¡¯t kill us. Especially now, right?¡±


    ¡°When you get to our level, you don¡¯t even need to sleep for days!¡± Shiro boasted, but Aimi-san protested that wasn¡¯t something to be proud of. Which is true. The body handles it fine, and performance doesn¡¯t drop, but it¡¯s mentally fatiguing. Plus... I need to sleep occasionally to use Tsukuyomi¡¯s Favour...


    ¡°So, what will you have them doing, Akio-kun?¡± Karen-chan asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I could use the help, especially as I end up getting seconded to help Haru-san with Ministry work.¡± The two of them had grown quite close recently, which was nice to see. ¡°That reminds me, I guess the job here does have good prospects, if you want to get into governmental service.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, I do want to have a couple of you working as researchers here. There¡¯s a ton I need checking, looking up and sourcing.¡± I agreed. ¡°Some of the queries might be easier for otaku like us to understand as well.¡±


    ¡°Like Valkyries, Tyr and Norse Mythology.¡± Hashimoto-san sighed. ¡°I remember that one, wading through endless pages on various games and manga. I was so confused, not sure of what was important and what wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, every little bit of info and hearsay can help. I also want someone to help Hinata. I know she¡¯s getting support from her grandfather, who is letting her borrow staff from Nichibotsu, but there¡¯s also a lot of stuff I¡¯d like to keep in-house, with trusted people.¡± The deal with the Night Parade for one. Selling booze for Etherites and other treasures is certainly a fantastic deal, but it¡¯s not something I want Hinata to handle alone... planning how to bring in rich patrons for my healing too. Then there¡¯s the partnership with Mayumi-san... I explained that briefly, as well as several other projects I wanted help with, and as we hashed out the final details, Motoko and Natsumi had returned. On seeing my friends they had met at the hotel the other night, they bowed politely and said their greetings.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s two more of your girls. Bastard.¡± Yasu-san mocked me, but the girls had a different reaction on seeing them. Hina-san and Aimi-san exchanged looks, before turning to me.


    ¡°Busy night?¡± Aimi-san asked, raising an eyebrow, crossing her arms under her ample chest, looking stern, while Hina-san spoke to the two of them softly.


    ¡°So, I hope you aren¡¯t too tired.¡± She asked, expression kind. The two girls blushed, realising that their new experience had been noted.


    ¡°No, we are ... quite well, are we not, Natsumi?¡± Motoko said in a small, embarrassed voice.


    ¡°Yes, it was fun.¡± Natsumi managed, face scarlet. ¡°Uh, is it that easy to tell? If so, we¡¯ll be in trouble at school...¡±


    ¡°Well, we saw you recently, and we also see how you are looking at Akio-kun here now.¡± Aimi-san reassured them. ¡°We¡¯re sharp, of course we¡¯ll notice. Well, congratulations, I guess?¡±


    At that, the guys had also realised, and apart from Yasu-san, who expressed his jealously, the others offered their congratulations too, even if they were a bit bemused, not used to my tangled harem lifestyle.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but we have to go. Shiro, are you going to hang out with the gang for a bit?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll catch up. Then I¡¯m gong to see about getting other elements myself. Or maybe I¡¯ll let Tan do some grinding for me. I don¡¯t know. Anyway, have fun, you three. Meeting the parents the morning after, huh...¡± she smirked, enjoying our discomfort. As Yasu-san whistled, clearly enjoying my comeuppance, I shrugged.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the easy part, sadly.¡± I pointed to the news feed on the television that was muted behind us, showing protests outside the Chinese embassy in Minato Ward, Tokyo, as well as other sites associated with them. There were even scenes of immigrants being harassed, and a Chinese restaurant had been firebombed. ¡°It¡¯s crap like this we have to put a stop to. Amongst other troubling matters.¡±


    ¡°Rather you than me.¡± Hayato-san commiserated. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯ll be assets, just like always. The seven of us working for a common goal!¡±


    With that said, the four of us (Hyacinth accompanying us as our maid) headed outside, where a black foreign car was waiting with a driver to take us to the Diet building, where we would be meeting the heads of the Ministry and other major figures. We really need to get a move-on with the Ministry buildings... we need our own space soon...

 Three Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    Three Hundred And Thirty-Nine


    Approaching the Diet Building, our car had to take a detour, as numerous police vehicles were set up in a perimeter, the police out in force to form a cordon, holding back the wave of protesters that were demonstrating noisily about the Chinese invasion. So far it seemed largely peaceful, if heated, but the numbers were steadily increasing, already up to fifty thousand people outside the Diet, with more in cities and towns all cross Japan. There were thousands more outside the Chinese embassy, and instead of the police, the JSDF had been deployed there, as any act of trespass, or worse, violence against the Chinese on effectively their sovereign soil would escalate tensions alarmingly.


    ¡°I believe these are the largest demonstrations since the late nineteen-sixties.¡± Motoko observed, and Natsumi offered her agreement. The two of them were obviously aware of the real reasons behind all this chaos, but the driver wasn¡¯t, so they said little else. I merely listened to them talk, amused as I had spotted a disgruntled Detective Kato and a bored-looking, yawning officer Usui among the police at the barricades. Guess they really have pulled in all hands. Today¡¯s the day to be a criminal, there¡¯ll be no police about to stop you...


    With such idle throughs, we pulled through a road the police were keeping open, and as the car passed through two lines of protestors, I listened out, trying to understand public sentiment, for later.


    ¡°Justice for the dead of Kyoto!¡±


    ¡°Chinese aggression must be stopped!¡±


    ¡°Our government is pathetic, we need fresh elections!¡±


    ¡°Prime Minister Abe must go!¡±


    ¡°More military spending! The JSDF needs reform!¡±


    ¡°We should have nuclear weapons too, deter Chinese expansionism!¡±


    The last one surprised me, given the rough history our country had with atomic bombs. Though in this time of trouble, I can understand wanting power. Damn, what a mess. If only Nie Ling hadn¡¯t had her power, we could have kept this disaster largely covered up... I would have to deal with her soon as well as the Candidate Haru-san had bound to her Throne.


    ¡°Sounds like the Prime Minister is going to have a hard time.¡± Natsumi remarked as we disembarked.


    ¡°Indeed. Well, it is the price of leadership, to bear responsibility when things go awry. The nobility is no different.¡±


    ¡°Well, this seems a little unfair, as he¡¯s been doing the best he could.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, you can go see your parents, I doubt you want to sit in on...¡±


    ¡°No, I do.¡± Motoko disagreed. ¡°I am the daughter of Tsumura house. Yes, my brother will inherit, and take on the military traditions our family has carried for many generations, but I wish to be involved. As a woman, I was never fated for such a role, but... now, I want it. And you will help me get it, will you not?¡± She leaned her head on my shoulder affectionately as she walked, and Natsumi giggled over her change, as she grasped my free hand warmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just interested in the Tsumura Arts, so I¡¯ll pass. But it¡¯s great to see Motoko revealing her true ambitions. Things... they feel different. And I feel happy to see it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not one to deny you, am I?¡± I smiled. ¡°If nobody else objects, then I suppose that¡¯s fine. Well, even if they do object, I¡¯ll insist you¡¯re my adjunct or something like that today.¡±


    ¡°I thank you.¡± She grinned, flushed, kissing my cheek. Natsumi, not to be outdone, kissed my other, and when I asked her what that was for, she merely shrugged.


    ¡°I just felt like it.¡±


    ¡°Akiooo, I am feeling rather sad here alooone.¡± Hyacinth protested, so I had to give her a quick kiss too, and then we stopped our banter and flirting, as the time for it had passed. Soon we were shown to the meeting room from before. This time it was packed full of people. Everyone from before was there, including Haru-san, who was here without rest after helping with the training on our Territory. Yeah, I need to get her some time off soon...


    There was also Takatsukasa-san and Ichijou-san, the heads of the nobility all here for this crisis summit, as well as the leader of the Opposition in the Diet, Kishida-san. Haru¡¯s father was there as well as several other heads of important Ministries. In addition, Motoko¡¯s father Minoru-san was there, as were a couple of soldiers that I recognised as other Candidates within the JSDF, though I hadn¡¯t worked with them much, unlike with the Major and Lieutenant.


    The last guest was also a surprise. It was Princess Mikasa, well, Yukiko-san, as I was calling her now. She was wearing smart casual clothes, not her shrine maiden attire, and her eyes behind the red-framed glasses she wore were equally red. When she saw me, she flinched, before her gaze wandered, as if trying to see something invisible. I get it. I¡¯ll have to console her later.


    ¡°Akio-san, so glad you could make it.¡± The exhausted, beleaguered Prime Minister muttered. ¡°Take a seat, and we¡¯ll get started. What a mess.¡±


    I pulled out two chairs, and got looks of surprise as Motoko and Hyacinth sat down beside me. I had to urge Hyacinth to sit as usual, but at least she was starting to be more of a wife and less of a servant when it counted, as Shaeula and Eri had explained at length to her it made me look bad when she insisted on her role in company.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡± Natsumi smiled slightly, nodding to Motoko¡¯s relatives in greeting. ¡°I want to see my parents, tell them the good news. If I see your mother, Motoko, I¡¯ll... let you talk to her.¡± With a polite bow she hurried out, shown the way by a secretary.


    ¡°Motoko here is working as my adjunct.¡± I said quickly, to forestall protest. ¡°She¡¯s keen to be a working woman, and while the nobility does tend to discourage that, I¡¯m more than happy to allow it if it makes her happy. Besides, we have some matters to discuss that involve her.¡±


    Minoru-san was frowning, but Motoko¡¯s grandfather extended us the benefit of the doubt. ¡°What matters, grandson-in-law?¡± His expression was kind, and Motoko was turning pink in shame at knowing he knew she had become a woman in truth.


    ¡°And of course, the real reason is, to be able to monitor their phone, internet usage and who they meet, to prevent leaks, right?¡± Ichijou-san laughed heartily. ¡°As shrewd as ever, Shige.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do about the protests and the civil unrest?¡± one minister asked, one whose name I didn¡¯t know. ¡°That firebombing was a black mark on us as a nation. The restaurant wasn¡¯t even owned by a Chinese national, it was a Western Asian immigrant. I¡¯ve also heard reports of anti-foreigner sentiment on the rise, even against those who aren¡¯t Chinese, such as Europeans.¡±


    ¡°Well, the protests are a good outlet for their passion, even if it¡¯s playing havoc with my chances of re-election.¡± Abe-san laughed bitterly. ¡°All we can do is let them burn themselves out. The criminality though, that has to stop. But the police are stretched. We could draft in some soldiers as temporary support. I think that you wouldn¡¯t instruct your Party to block that motion, right Kishida-san?¡±


    ¡°Not this time.¡± He agreed, but their plans were stymied by Minoru-san, who raised an objection.


    ¡°We have more important matters to discuss first! The performance of our Special Forces in Kyoto demonstrated that Chirurgery is required for a soldier to be effective in modern warfare. The remaining Special Forces are waiting on standby, ready for Chirurgery, so I would ask you do it as soon as possible, son-in-law. In addition... reports from your training school indicate further steps in the process, such as learning elemental powers. I admit, I find it hard to grasp just what those are, but it¡¯s clear that our soldiers need that power! And not just our Special Forces, the Rangers, our officers, Fighter Pilots...¡±


    Yes, just as I expected. I mean, I get it, from a Japanese Government standpoint, that¡¯s definitely the best solution, but... It wasn¡¯t just me who was a little frustrated. Motoko was glaring at her father, which surprised him.


    ¡°Look, I understand the benefits of strengthening the soldiers, and I do intend to finish my agreed-on Chirurgery on the Special Forces, just like I healed the injured. But as for going further, or more...¡± I shook my head. ¡°Right now I want to concentrate on improving my own allies. This battle in Kyoto was a lesson to me as well. I don¡¯t just need more power, I need to strengthen those with me too. If I had more allies as strong as Shaeula, then perhaps Tsukiko-san¡¯s death could have been prevented.¡±


    Yukiko-san stifled a gasp at that, biting her lip, and I smiled at her reassuringly, deciding to say a few words to calm her. After all, Tsukiko-san was thinking of her in the end. I¡¯ll speak to her more later. ¡°Rest assured, Tsukiko-san was brave, and remained true to herself until the end. And you will see her again, Yukiko-san.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± she asked quietly, and I nodded.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m many things, but no liar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you then, Akio-san. I know Tsukiko trusted you too. To the very end.¡±


    ¡°If we could get back on topic...?¡± Minoru-san said. ¡°I get that you are busy, son-in-law, but the needs of the country should be the first duty of any good citizen. Besides, the Ministry is going to provide you generous support so the least you can do is aid us in return. We can offer the same rate as before as payment.¡±


    You mean the rate that probably wouldn¡¯t add up to the money I got from one healing of an injured patron Hinata brought in, even if I did the whole military? It was frustrating. Sure, I did want to help my country, and I was always happy to provide a quick win-win, but this was going too far. Motoko obviously thought so too, as her grip on my hand was tightening, and I had to grab Hyacinth with my other hand, as she was trembling with suppressed annoyance.


    ¡°There are other unfinished matters as well.¡± Takatsukasa-san spoke up for the first time. We had a complicated relationship, as I was marrying his granddaughter who had been born outside Takatsukasa house, and he had also been healed by me from a rather grave illness. ¡°I do appreciate your aid with the children of the Three Great Houses, but there is still much to do. As a pillar that supports the country, the nobility too should be prioritised for enhancement. Our children are the future leaders of Japan, powerful in business and influence. They should be protected and cherished.¡±


    Well, I suppose I didn¡¯t mind doing the previous noble children. Honoka-san is Miyu¡¯s sister, so I want to get on with her like I do Miyu, and Fujiwara-san has been good to me. Sakura-san is Hinata¡¯s cousin, as was Minoru-san, and the others... well, it was fine. Annoying, but fine. I want Hinata to get along well with her peers and she wants it too, so a bit of annoyance is nothing, but... I was beginning to think perhaps I was going about things the wrong way.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are important.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I can¡¯t prioritise them right now. There¡¯s too much going on, look around.¡± I pointed to the screens in the desktop, which was displaying footage from outside, where people were shouting and waving placards.


    ¡°All the more reason.¡± Ichijou-san piped up. ¡°You need to shore up your support with the nobility if you are going to get ahead, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m marrying into nobility already. Hinata is Takatsukasa-san¡¯s granddaughter, and I¡¯m sure there was an agreement to treat her as a full member of Takatsukasa house, right? I should think my position is secure. Besides, I have that deal with your house too, Ichijou-san.¡± I said, fed-up.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± He conceded. ¡°But you can¡¯t have too many friends, where the power lies.¡±


    ¡°I think we should take a break.¡± Abe-san said. ¡°We are straying from the issues. We are in agreement we move forward with the legislation plan?¡± he scanned the room. ¡°No objections then. All the previously discussed laws will be passed, while this mess distracts the wider public.¡± He smirked at me. ¡°That¡¯ll be handy for you right now. Anyway, we¡¯ll reconvene in two hours, after we¡¯ve had time to take care of business.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Come on Motoko, let¡¯s go.¡± She gave me a worried glance, sensing my irritated mood, but agreed, following me out, Hyacinth behind us, her own mood rather foul.


    ********


    ¡°And you¡¯re all done.¡± I slapped the shoulder of the last Special Forces soldier, Chirurgery completed at a rapid pace. I had great experience now, and with my Chirurgery having crossed the second wall, and my network currently an order of magnitude more efficient than previously under Shiro¡¯s buffs, I was able to use Split Thoughts to grind through three or four at once. ¡°I think that¡¯s all of them, right?¡± I asked, and the Candidate who was overseeing the Chirurgery looked down at his manifest.


    ¡°Counting the ones you¡¯ve done before, this concludes the roster of the Tokushusakusengun. I thought it would take far longer.¡± He observed, having some understanding of aether.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so too, but practice really does make perfect. Even so, forcing it that way drains me far faster.¡± Without the better Network, I¡¯d have ran dry several times. I did have to borrow some from the Territory stocks too, but I just wanted this damn project completed...


    ¡°Looks like I still have a little while left.¡± Checking my watch, I still had a bit over twenty minutes until we reconvened. Just time to see Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s parents...

 Three Hundred And Forty

    Three Hundred And Forty


    On entering the small room I was directed to, I saw Motoko and Natsumi, being fussed over by their parents. Well, Natsumi anyway. On seeing me enter, Natsumi¡¯s rather energetic yet still beautiful mother Masae-san smiled gently, while her father Shou-san had a rather complicated expression on his face. They were both wearing yukata, likely from their family store. Motoko was with her mother, the elegant Tsumura Rikako, her long brown hair trailing down her back, and her movements graceful, like a dancer.


    And then there is... A sixth person was in the room, Yukiko-san seated in the corner, fiddling idly with her long braid, though when she saw me enter she reacted, perking up a little.


    ¡°Good afternoon.¡± I greeted the parents of my fiance?es, nodding to the princess politely, wondering why she was here. ¡°I trust that Motoko and Natsumi have filled you in on... progress?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Rikako-san said, her tone even and confident. ¡°I confess that the decision we made was a hard one. Tsumura house is amongst the most prestigious houses in the land. To... go against tradition in this way is unusual.¡± She lowered her voice, a slight smile on her face, one eyebrow raised, as if sharing a confidence with us. ¡°I will not say that no daughter of Tsumura house has ever chosen poorly and thrown away her chastity in the past, but usually that would be a cause for disinheritance. In this case however...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s manifestly unfair.¡± I protested. ¡°I bet there were plenty of sons who slept around and still inherited.¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°He has you there, Tsumura-sama.¡± Masae-san chirped. ¡°Though I do agree it¡¯s a bit different for boys. But... well, this situation is also different, isn¡¯t it? Even if our men struggle with accepting it.¡±


    ¡°Is that why father is being so... so rude to Akio?¡± Seeing Motoko¡¯s normally composed expression twist into an aggrieved pout was fresh and charming. ¡°Demanding from him, despite all Akio has given already! I shall not forgive that, not at all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true then.¡± Masae-san giggled, very reminiscent of her surprisingly wicked daughter. ¡°When a girl becomes a woman, they no longer cling to their parents, but to their man. Well, I suppose it was like that for me, wasn¡¯t it, darling?¡± she said to her husband, embarrassing Natsumi, who flushed.


    ¡°Father agreed to this!¡± Motoko insisted. ¡°This was not done lightly! Besides, there is no shame, none at all.¡± Her voice dropped. ¡°Natsumi and I, we could see his heart. There is no striving for gain or treachery. Only a wish to have us by his side. And we... that is where we wish to be.¡±


    ¡°I am glad.¡± Rikako-san stroked her head, surprising her. ¡°Your father... well, yes, seeing his precious daughter grow up is a complicated feeling for him.¡±


    ¡°I have always been a trouble to father and you, mother, with my obsession with Tsumura Arts. I know.¡± She said, tears in her eyes. ¡°But it was all worth it, it was!¡±


    ¡°I heard. Tsumura Arts and your Eye.¡± She said to me, still comforting her emotional daughter. ¡°It seems there is no more room for doubt. Your father though... do forgive him. The situation is very tense. The military is in crisis. Searching for more power, the power to protect the country... well, as a Tsumura, he feels that need keenly. Besides, expecting the husband of his beloved, if frighteningly wilful daughter, to help out is only natural. Though I confess...¡± she turned to me, before bowing, shocking the Hori¡¯s. ¡°... I worried for my daughter. I feared unhappiness or disgrace, perhaps both, awaited her. And yet, she remains a Tsumura, duty fulfilled. I look forward to our grandchildren.¡± As Motoko blushed, she surprised me again by winking, at odds from her stately demeanour. ¡°Not until well after the official wedding though.¡±


    ¡°Should I be here?¡± Yukiko-san said, uncomfortable.


    ¡°Uh, we¡¯ll be done soon, I think. I assume you wanted to speak to me about Tsukiko-san?¡± I asked, and she confirmed it. ¡°Well then.¡± I finished. ¡°We can talk in a minute. I do have things to say to you as well.¡±


    ¡°Before that... if I may speak?¡± Natsumi said diffidently, and Rikako-san smiled.


    ¡°Of course you can, Natsumi-chan. Not only are you my Motoko¡¯s loyal bodyguard, but... well, I am not quite sure how to describe it. Fellow concubine is wrong. Sister and wife, maybe?¡± At that, Natsumi looked happy.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Motoko¡¯s sister in truth, and a fellow wife. And I couldn¡¯t be happier, But don¡¯t distract me, please. You said... to help out is natural? But from what I can see... Akio is doing all the helping and getting little back. I... Hori house is not as noble as Tsumura house, being one of the Three Hundred, but... it¡¯s starting to upset me. I¡¯m not alone in this. Hinata too.¡±


    Hinata? I knew she had been making an effort to be accepted, to raise our status and power. She wanted to stand on equal footings with Mayumi-san, make her acknowledge her worth, her legacy. That should have been happening as Hinata was being treated as a Takatsukasa, but... is she? I remarked on it earlier. I¡¯ve tried to do whatever Hinata wanted, to help her out, but was I misreading her all this time, or was Hinata making mistakes in how to get what she wanted? I forget, she¡¯s a young girl, only recently spreading her wings... again, I liked quick wins that would benefit me, but it could certainly be argued I was getting back silver while giving gold, as the old saying went.


    ¡°Just what do you mean? After all, he has the privilege of marrying such fine daughters of the nobility, despite being a commoner...¡± Rikako-san seemed genuinely puzzled, and Yukiko-san tensed, biting down on a sigh.


    ¡°And we have the privilege of marrying a man who will defend, love and cherish us, and make our dreams come true. Who already is engaged to a princess, so common, he is not!¡± Motoko jumped in, defying her mother. ¡°Besides, I understand what Natsumi means. Kyoto would have fallen without Akio. Those that were saved... can still be saved...¡± at those words, Yukiko-san searched around, as if looking for the spirit lights again. ¡°...owe Akio everything. He has freely shared his arts with the nobility, getting dubious rewards in return. Rewards that are not... always... being honoured.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, having a bad feeling.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hanafubuki Academy.¡± Natsumi said, exchanging a glance with Motoko, who nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure whether to say anything, but after last night...¡± she blushed, before resolving herself. ¡°I know Hinata wants to be a strong wife who isn¡¯t always a nuisance or a burden, so she hasn¡¯t said anything. Oh, before I complain, I should say Miyu-sama... uh, Miyu... she¡¯s been extremely respectful of us and Hinata. I was a little surprised actually, but I have no complaints. And her sister Honoka-sama, well, she¡¯s trying, I think... and that¡¯s helped some of the Three Hundred and even a few of the lower Fifty-Eight to treat Hinata with a good deal more respect, but...¡±


    ¡°Let me guess? Everyone else is still treating Hinata the same, despite what I was promised?¡±


    ¡°Not the same.¡± Motoko insisted. ¡°It is not that bad, but... not like Sakura-sama, her cousin. Mayumi-sama has not changed her attitude at all.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s... disappointing.¡±


    ¡°It takes time to change the way people think.¡± Rikako-san said softly. ¡°The rule has always been those sons and daughters who marry out are not considered part of the main line. Even with the Three Grandfathers decreeing otherwise... it takes time to effect change. In due course, they will understand. Just as they will understand your marriage, Motoko.¡±


    ¡°I find I do not overly care whether other nobility understand or not. I know I serve Tsumura house. But...¡± she looked at Natsumi, who nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Akio to be looked down on! Not when he¡¯s doing everything he can now! If he took his due time, Kyoto would have ten thousand dead, more, not a mere thousand!¡± she almost spat. ¡°And we wouldn¡¯t have the Ministry, or any of this...¡±


    ¡°There are others, dear...¡± Shou-san said, worried she was being rude to a higher-ranked person in Rikako-san. ¡°The nobility, especially Ichijou house is gathering them. Though Takatsukasa house is... well, struggling.¡±


    ¡°Gather all they like, will they match up?¡± she refused to back down. ¡°I know Eri is pretty angry too, even if she doesn¡¯t show it. I¡¯m just grateful she doesn¡¯t take it out on us. She knows we don¡¯t look down on you. Not anymore.¡± She flushed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to apologise for being a bad girl again. Not after last night. Shaeula, she... well, she has a strange way of looking at things. She¡¯s noble herself, so she expects nobility to have their due. But if she decides that the lack of respect towards you isn¡¯t going to change...¡±


    ¡°... I do worry what she might decide to do.¡± Motoko finished for her. ¡°Mother, can you honestly say Akio is getting the respect he deserves?¡± she turned to Yukiko-san, surprising her. ¡°Forgive me for speaking to you so suddenly, Princess Mikasa.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s... fine. I¡¯m not much of a Princess, not really. Though I suppose I am Princess of Heaven...¡± she muttered, a touch forlorn.


    ¡°Well then, excuse me, but... what do you think of what Akio has achieved?¡±


    The question surprised her, but she stood, resolute. ¡°I... well, now is the time to speak of it. Tsukiko... you failed to save her life, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± I held nothing back. I owe it to her, the truth. Besides, Yukiko-san is one of the Princesses I swore to protect, along with Princess Eleanor, Shaeula and Shiro. Well, Shaeula and Shiro are givens, but... well, prophecy, I don¡¯t like it, and don¡¯t trust it, but I can¡¯t discount it either, considering Foresight and the fact that Tsukiko-san died, even if it didn¡¯t end with her annihilation. My Eye glowed, and I could see her light floating, gently sucking in aether. Besides, when did I need an excuse to save someone, especially a woman? Damn, I sound such a lecher saying it like that, but... well, save first, worry about the details and consequences later. ¡°She seemed almost cheerful when she told me she was right and I was wrong, but... I call it a draw. She will be back, just like Haru-san. And then... well, she laid down her life for her country and her God, so I think that she should be able to choose how she lives her new life, as simply Matsumoto Tsukiko, not the Diviner. You agree, right Yukiko-san?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She said, her expression softening. ¡°Did she... suffer much?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad. In the end, as she passed, it was peaceful.¡± I resisted the urge to touch my lips. ¡°And the ants plaguing Kyoto that sought her life were exterminated.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could have been there.¡± Yukiko-san said, teary-eyed. ¡°But... apparently I can¡¯t be risked, if I was to die, it would shock Japan, and Tsukiko made me promise I¡¯d protect myself. I did take your advice... my Territory is flourishing. Even to be here today, I feel uncomfortable though, but it is being guarded by some others that the Imperial Family has recruited. When... when she returns, I can provide one of these Thrones for her. You won¡¯t insist on doing it yourself, will you?¡± Her eyes were intense behind her glasses, boring into mine.


    ¡°Of course, she can choose. Didn¡¯t I just say that? I didn¡¯t do it to earn her gratitude, I did it because I wanted to save her. You agree, right Yukiko-san? With her life of service, she deserves happiness as a reward. Though if she does want to be part of my Territory, I¡¯ll scrape together the ether somehow.¡± Ten million for instantly building a Rank 3 Throne. That¡¯s... too much. But then... well, we¡¯ll see.


    ¡°And that just proves my point.¡± Motoko said confidently. ¡°Akio should also be rewarded fairly for his deeds, just as he hopes to reward others. A win-win as you call it is good, and I would not have you change, becoming greedy and grasping. But I cannot bear to see you looked down upon anymore. Even if I thought it was natural, I have changed. I am a woman now, and no woman can tolerate her husband being insulted.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡± Natsumi shouted. ¡°Rikako-sama, I understand why Minoru-sama is troubled. But Akio is not the answer to every problem, he has his own concerns. Our own concerns. Princess Mikasa...¡± she asked, expression serious. ¡°Do you believe in Akio?¡±


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ve seen no reason to doubt him, and Tsukiko... she trusted him enough to claim he was the one to save Japan, save me...¡± she shook her head, braid bouncing. ¡°... I know he¡¯s a kind man.¡±


    ¡°Too kind. And too nai?ve. Hinata is right on that.¡± Motoko declared. ¡°Akio, I think we need a change of approach. Do.. do you enjoy being humbled?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s my own fault.¡± I sighed, realising the truth. ¡°My father was pretty strict, so I was used to being told what to do, and then as a freelancer, I had to bow to the request of the client if I wanted to get paid. And I did want to get paid, or I wouldn¡¯t eat.¡± I smiled, remembering those tedious days, seeming so distant now, despite only being a few months ago. ¡°I think the habit to compromise, to accept... it isn¡¯t a bad one. But... well, if Shaeula was here, she¡¯d say I¡¯m too often folding my hand while holding all the aces. What do you think we should do?¡± I asked, though I knew their answer.


    ¡°The timing is awkward, but...¡± Natsumi checked the time. ¡°I should be able to reach Hinata. I¡¯ll call her, Motoko, you...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She nodded. ¡°Mother, I am sorry if this comes across as undignified, or could endanger my standing in Tsumura house. But I have to make a stand. I am a fighter, a warrior. Tsumura arts was everything to me. Well, that and Natsumi. But now I have other things I treasure. My dear husband, the other wives. And it is now time to show I am a warrior. For not all fighting is against enemies.¡±


    ¡°Daughter, I...¡± her mother began, only for Motoko to shake her head.


    ¡°I believe I am not being unreasonable. Grandfather will support me, even if father does not. He recognises value, having the eyes of a warrior. But I have apologised in case I overstep and the Three Grandfathers try to force you to discipline me. If so... I shall take my leave, and move in with Akio.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Natsumi said, as she was dialling.


    Yukiko-san laughed then, and the sound was full of good humour. She moved her glasses, wiping at her eyes. ¡°Oh, I needed that. It¡¯s been... it¡¯s been hard. You are all so passionate. The other women were like that too. You must inspire them, Akio-san. You even inspired Tsukiko. Well... my voice counts for little, but for what it¡¯s worth, I support you.¡±


    ¡°Our daughters have changed, Rikako-sama. They were changing, but to think... one night could transform them so much. Just what did they experience?¡±


    ¡°Love.¡± Motoko answered. ¡°And finding kindred souls. And that love is too fine to be squandered on the ungrateful, who think themselves great simply because they are old. Tsumura Arts were old, and yet scorned, despite the value they held.¡±


    ¡°The nobility doesn¡¯t like change.¡± Masae-san warned.


    Motoko was blushing scarlet at my praise, her father looking troubled.


    ¡°Excuse me, why am I being singled out?¡± Ichijou-san complained.


    ¡°Not just you, Takatsukasa-san too. I healed him, and he still doesn¡¯t treat his granddaughter properly.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place for...¡± Abe-san began, but I glared, silencing him.


    ¡°it is. I don¡¯t like making a scene, I¡¯m too adult for that, but if we don¡¯t correct these misconceptions, it could be a disaster down the line. I prioritise those I have to protect. Worst case, I could leave the country. I am sure that any country worldwide would treat me and mine like royalty, with the power and knowledge we can offer. Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth, would you come with me?¡±


    ¡°Ooof course. Where you gooo, Hyacinth follows.¡±


    ¡°Tsumura house endures, wherever we are.¡± Motoko approved, though her hands were trembling.


    ¡°If you and Motoko are leaving, then I will. I¡¯d be sorry to leave my family, but, I can probably persuade them to flee with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡± The leader of the opposition said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the reports. You¡¯ve invested huge amounts of effort in this Territory of yours...¡±


    ¡°I have, but before I go I¡¯ll break it down. We can likely use the Spring of Clear Reflections as a jumping off point and stash the remnants there. Sure, it¡¯ll set me back a few months, but with the Trees and support of the Seelie, and likely whichever country we end up in... I am a half, you know.¡± I warned them.


    ¡°But we agreed to support you, even with resources, despite it being a potential abuse of power and trust...¡± he persisted, and I rolled my eyes. Okay, now I need my Resilience. It¡¯s annoying playing with a deck of aces and people still try and bluff me.


    ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s the best thing for Japan. You know you can trust me, I¡¯m ahead of the game. And my complaints now don¡¯t change that. All I want... is our due. I¡¯m not even looking for power. But me and mine, we will be respected for what we bring to the table.¡±


    ¡°Change does not come easily.¡± Fujiwara-san said. ¡°And it needs to be managed carefully. The three of us have helped carry the nobility forwards. You may not understand, but we do protect much that is good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. But you also protect yourselves and your own privileges and rules. And that¡¯s going to have to be bent, if not broken. Hinata gets the treatment we¡¯ve earned her. Motoko and Natsumi, and their families, they get no disadvantage from our marriage. If anything, they should be honoured for their sacrifice in giving up their futures to tie me to Japan and the nobility. At least, that¡¯s the way it¡¯ll be, all right?¡±


    Your Determination has increased by 1.


    Still going up, huh? Well, I admit this is somewhat painful for me, but... it¡¯s happening. I¡¯ve had enough.


    ¡°A sacrifice? I¡¯d say we¡¯ve gained...¡± Natsumi muttered, only for Motoko to shake her head.


    ¡°Hush Natsumi, you know what he means.¡±


    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll not deal with any house that doesn¡¯t treat us fairly. Which is a real shame for you, Ichijou-san. Ixitt¡¯s finally designed a prototype aether generator. There¡¯s only a few more hurdles to overcome, and we¡¯ll have clean, cheap electricity. Ever since the nuclear power plant disaster of twenty-eleven, Japan has been dependant on outside sources of fossil fuels.¡± I looked at Haru-san¡¯s father, as well as Abe-san, Kishida-san and Morita-san. ¡°When the world starts seeing events like Kyoto springing up everywhere, when people like me go on a rampage, how long do you think supply chains and international trade will last? Energy, recycling, weapons... we have plans for them all. We could make Japan self-sufficient. But... maybe you¡¯d rather we take that elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°We could detain you...¡± Morita-san said, and Hyacinth broke the mood by laughing madly.


    ¡°Akio, there are toooooo many fools here. Hyacinth could purge them for yooou? Just ask and I shall dooo it!¡±


    At that the JSDF Candidates went tense, but Haru-san was next to speak. ¡°She¡¯s not serious... well, mostly. But if you move, you¡¯re both as dead as I am.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t hot stuff, I can tell. Even I could take you both. Akio-san could take twenty of you.¡±


    ¡°If your next words...¡± Motoko said, backing Haru-san up. ¡°... are something foolish like threatening his family or friends, I would be more than happy to kill you myself.¡± Well, that¡¯s bold of her. Natsumi is nodding too, even if she looks sick. ¡°I get it. I do. I was raised noble, I have only known Hanafubuki Academy, I know little of the outside world. But I know this. You will regret rejecting my Akio over misplaced pride. Some small sacrifices, and the nobility, the country will be strong, united. Faith, Imperial Family and Nobility. Business, Politics. Five Pillars as one.¡±


    Fujiwara-san laughed softly. ¡°Well said indeed. If you were born a Tsumura son, I would have you marry my Honoka and be my heir. But alas, such is not to be. Kira, Itsuki, I fear they have a point.¡± Well, once again, I guess he¡¯s reasonable. But then, Miyu is my vassal, so he has limited choices.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get why I¡¯m the bad guy here.¡± Ichijou-san said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯ve always been dealing fairly with you. Besides, my Mayumi... she¡¯s a complicated girl. She¡¯s the top daughter at Hanafubuki, no offense, Itsuki, Shige.¡±


    ¡°None taken. Sakura-chan, my Honoka, they are younger, while Miyu was too timid, though that is changing. I suppose I should thank you for sparking her fire, and looking after her.¡± Fujiwara-san said.


    ¡°Well, we started off on the wrong foot. Just like us now. She was rude and looked down on Hinata and I. Sound familiar? But when I helped her, she showed gratitude, and she pays her debts. Miyu, Motoko, Natsumi, Hinata. They are truly what I think of when I hear the word noble. Hell, Shaeula is more regal than Mayumi-san, and she can down an assault helicopter in battle. Compete with that!¡±


    Motoko and Natsumi were laughing, Hyacinth and Haru-san too. It was then my phone rang loud, and the table shook, as the hiding Akai jumped, slamming her head. She rolled out, pouting, and I checked the caller ID. Hinata. Great timing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all heated up a bit. We should calm down and think.¡± Abe-san said. ¡°We still have to deal with China. This is a distraction. You¡¯ve made yourself clear, Akio-san. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to see. Let me take this call first.¡±


    Morita-san tried to object, but Hyacinth glared at her, violet eyes frightening, her hair shifting slowly like black, green and purple vines ready to strangle.


    ¡°Hey Hinata.¡± I answered, and she appeared on a video call. I nodded to Haru-san and she fiddled around with her surface tablet, and soon my phone was displayed on everybody¡¯s screens, Hinata in her uniform, Miyu beside her, along with their bodyguards. ¡°Good timing.¡±


    ¡°I heard. Natsumi filled me in. So...¡± she looked at me with her dark eyes, therefore simultaneously staring into the eyes of everyone in the room. Her lip trembled with emotion, and she finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologising to me?¡± I asked genuinely confused.


    ¡°Because I wanted to be mature, a grown woman, to match you.¡± She sniffled, tears starting to come. ¡°Sorry, I wanted to be the perfect wife, respected, doing business, but...¡± she sucked in a breath of air. ¡°I¡¯m still a noble daughter, despite what people think. My mother is a Takatsukasa!¡± Her voice was shaking. ¡°I¡¯m trapped by that thinking, by the teachings of Hanafubuki. But I saw confident girls like your sister, like Shaeula, and I wanted to be that way. I wanted to be free... no, that¡¯s a lie. Sorry. I don¡¯t want to be free, I wanted to be me. I wanted to be accepted as a true friend to Mayumi-sama, as noble, as respected as any. She¡¯s dynamic, beautiful, prideful, imperious, confident... annoying.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Mayumi, all right.¡± Ichijou-san chuckled.


    ¡°... before I met Akio, and the girls around him, so unlike any I¡¯d ever met, she was my role model, I wanted to be just like her. I may be beautiful, but I¡¯m not full of pride, I¡¯m not confident, imperious, no. I... hope I don¡¯t annoy you, Akio...¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± I promised. ¡°Even when you were effectively blackmailing me into marriage, I think I secretly loved it. You were so cute then.¡±


    She flushed. ¡°Ugh, way to make me feel bad. Well... I tried to bargain hard. I did it with Miyu. Sorry.¡± She said, and Miyu nodded her acceptance.


    ¡°You had no choice. I was a fool, and my own pride and stubbornness would have killed me. I have no regrets.¡±


    ¡°Well, when it comes to Mayumi-sama, no, Mayumi-san, no matter how angry I get, I just... I just fold. I let her walk all over us. and Sakura too. My cousin... I know she cares, but it isn¡¯t fair. Just because she¡¯s born from the son, while I¡¯m born from the daughter, I¡¯m nobody. We¡¯re cousins! She¡¯s kind, in her own haughty way, but... it¡¯s not enough for me.¡± Tears were dropping now, and she sobbed, though she talked through them, trying to be strong.


    ¡°And when I wanted to appease them, was unable not to, you followed suit, Akio. For me. I know. I hate that. I¡¯ve failed.¡± Damn, I hate seeing her cry. Especially when it¡¯s not that at all. Well, I admit to trying to read what she wanted, not planning to rock the boat, put her ambitions, her wants at risk, but...


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I denied it. ¡°Okay, sure, I know how much being accepted means to you, so sure, I made sure not to alienate the other nobility, especially your peers, the girls from Hanafubuki, but...¡± Of course, I¡¯m also weak to girls, so it was a double-whammy of appeasement...


    ¡°...well, I¡¯ve realised I¡¯ve been thinking like a freelancer all this time. Weak to the strong, too diffident. Well, that won¡¯t get us anywhere. So Hinata...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she sniffled.


    ¡°Stop your tears. Even if we have failed, we don¡¯t win all the time, but so long as we don¡¯t lose... I couldn¡¯t prevent Tsukiko-san from dying, but I did save her spirit. Likewise, you couldn¡¯t get what you wanted, but you have another chance. I¡¯m no longer going to acknowledge those who don¡¯t respect us, be they politician, noble, priest or anyone else. We know our worth, and we have to get it. I¡¯m no monster, I want to save Japan, but a Japan that hurts those I love isn¡¯t a Japan I recognise. So... smile, okay?¡±


    ¡°I... I love you. I wish I could have been there...¡± she sniffled, wiping her teary eyes. ¡°... that night. But I know you think I¡¯m not ready. Honestly, the way I¡¯ve let myself be drowned in my insecurities and fears, I see why. I¡¯m still a girl. But... I won¡¯t lose either. No more.¡± She clenched her fist. ¡°So, if Mayumi-san won¡¯t respect me... so be it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Hinata, what do you think we should demand to provide our support? Obviously we¡¯ll prioritise requests as we feel are important, we aren¡¯t servants, but allies, but... I think you should decide.¡±


    ¡°I see. Up to me, huh? Well, I¡¯m glad you still trust me, you¡¯d still put your faith in me. Well, really, there¡¯s only one thing, and it would solve every problem.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Is everyone else listening?¡± she asked, and I answered they were.


    ¡°Great. That¡¯ll make things easier then. For our support... what we should have... what I want... is Takatsukasa house.¡±


    There was a silence that was somehow deafening, quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and then a chair scraped, breaking the stillness, as Takatsukasa-san leaned forwards, eyes bulging, almost falling out of his chair... ¡°What in the name of all the Gods...?¡± he shouted, and it was suddenly pandemonium...

 Three Hundred And Forty-One

    Three Hundred And Forty-One


    ¡°Oh? Was that grandfather Takatsukasa I heard there?¡± Hinata said brightly, though I could still detect a brittle undertone to her words, a fragility. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can put him on? We need to talk seriously.¡±


    I nodded at Haru-san, who started tapping away at the touchscreen set into the desk in front of her. My phone had a pop-up which asked if I wanted to accept the connection, so I consented, and soon my phone was displaying two images, one of Hinata, Miyu and their guards, the other of Takatsukasa-san, the surface screen in front of him acting as a phone.


    ¡°Grandfather.¡± Hinata said softly, a bit shaken by the look of restrained fury in his eyes. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°I can hear most of you thinking...¡± Haru-san said suddenly. ¡°... that this is all a waste of time, what with urgent matters on China to discuss, and personal business should be discussed in private.¡± Her smile was surprisingly teasing, with a hint of malice. ¡°Ordinarily I might be inclined to agree, but that¡¯s short-sighted, and as the leading lights of the country, we can¡¯t afford to be fools, can we?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Haru?¡± her father asked, and her smile broadened.


    ¡°Well, Akio-san said it himself, didn¡¯t he? If he doesn¡¯t like his treatment, he could just up and leave. Remember the aftermath of the War? Some of you are certainly old enough.¡± She nodded at Fujiwara-san, who signalled his agreement, eyes showing his understanding. He gets it, of course he would. There¡¯s no more a political animal than Fujiwara-san. I get it too. I¡¯m curious as to how Haru-san explains it.


    ¡°What do you mean, Takatsukasa house?¡± Hinata¡¯s grandfather fumed. ¡°You may be my daughter¡¯s child, but such insolence...¡±


    ¡°After the war, scientists from defeated Germany and Japan were taken in by the USA and other triumphant powers, and it was that strength and knowledge that progressed them to world-leading industrial powerhouses.¡± She looked at everyone searchingly, one after the other. ¡°Do you think that Akio-san and those like him are any less valuable? Scientist, Military Force, more... all wrapped into one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is why we have the Ministry... of which, need I remind you, you are my Under-Secretary, Suzuki-san.¡± Morita-san warned her.


    ¡°Yes, and again, who helped get backing for that, set out plans, shared knowledge?¡± Haru-san pressed, while Hinata and her grandfather were feeling around each other, trying to get past the initial outrage at her suggestion, no, her demand.


    ¡°When it comes down to it, If Akio-san says we¡¯re out, then I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll not be helping you any longer, and I¡¯ll have to resign.¡± Haru-san said, surprising her father, and most of the ministers. ¡°Why so surprised dad... err, father?¡± She paused, embarrassed, and I held in a smile at knowing that despite her composure, she was still the same daddy¡¯s girl she¡¯d always been. I should be grateful she¡¯ll put her loyalty to me over him. ¡°I¡¯m not just a vassal, I¡¯m thankful. I got a second chance, and I owe him for that. But it won¡¯t just be me. Shaeula too, Hyacinth here... they¡¯ll be out too.¡±


    ¡°I dooo not care what happens to any of you, ooor even this country, whether you live ooor die.¡± Hyacinth said sourly, her eyes harsh and glaring, full of deep, frightening anger, that was still within her, even now, just well buried by a happier veneer. ¡°If Akiooo cares, I care. What he wants tooo protect, Hyacinth will protect. But what he wishes was gooone, I will turn it to dust!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± I reassured her, patting her shoulder, and as she smiled, forgetting herself for a moment and leaning into me, a happy smile on her face, Haru-san pointed at us triumphantly.


    ¡°Exactly my point. Then there¡¯s Ixitt, Grulgor, even for you gentleman of faith, the White Snake kami. All this will be lost. Really, the primary duty of the Ministry is in appeasing and controlling the Chosen as best as we can, so that they want to stay, live in and protect Japan!¡± Her words echoed, and I grinned, knowing that Haru-san was exactly right. I¡¯ve read a few of the Korean Tower and Dungeon manhwas and they usually devolve into that. Hunters, as I guess we¡¯d be called, often changed countries, going where they were better treated, and the most powerful were laws unto themselves.


    ¡°So consider this a lesson, and hold in your annoyance, my fellow colleagues.¡± Haru-san finished. ¡°This is the best example of what the Ministry will be for as you could see. Besides...¡± she glared at the nobility contingent, her expression rather baleful. ¡°It doesn¡¯t please me to see Akio-san not get his due, considering what he¡¯s done for our country already. Kyoto alone should make him a hero, if only it could be known, and that¡¯s hardly all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, my baby girl...¡± Suzuki-san said, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The old me died, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s change or not. But I¡¯ve fought. I was at Kyoto too, I¡¯ve seen hell. And I assure you, upsetting and driving away your best asset to get you out of hell is a very stupid thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Even the Chosen will have to follow the laws. No, it¡¯s even more important for them, that¡¯s why we are doing all this.¡± The Leader of the Opposition insisted.


    ¡°What laws are we breaking?¡± I scowled. ¡°All I¡¯m asking for is what was promised, and a measure of being treated with respect, else I¡¯ll take my support elsewhere. As any Japanese citizen can do, right? We¡¯re not slaves. Now, sorry, we will get back on topic shortly, but clearing up this mess will give me peace of mind, and put me in a much more amiable mood, most likely. Which will benefit us all.¡±


    I felt hands on my shoulders, reassuring, and turned to see Motoko and Natsumi, each with a hand on one of my sides, smiling warmly, though again Natsumi looked pretty nervous, as we were being confronted by the peak of the nobility. Into the silence, Hinata spoke.


    ¡°Well, now that we have a pause, and you¡¯ve vented out, grandfather, it¡¯s time to listen to my proposal.¡± Hinata said, steeling herself. ¡°I¡¯ve talked this over with mother and father, my other grandfather too... sorry I didn¡¯t talk about it with you, Akio, but... I knew you¡¯d be mad about how things were going, and I didn¡¯t want to look weak. I¡¯m a bit of a fool when it comes to wanting to look capable, I guess. It shows I¡¯m still young.¡± She smiled weakly.


    ¡°Well, you are young. That¡¯s not a bad thing. But... you don¡¯t have to try and hide it. I promised to support you, as you support me, so next time... talk to me, all right? That goes for you too, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth. Even you, Haru-san. Any problems, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I may continue?¡± Hinata asked, her face red, and hers wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Well, then, grandfather... I would like to ask my uncle to adopt me as a daughter of Takatsukasa house.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he said dumbly, surprised, while Fujiwara-san nodded in understanding, and Ichijou-san let out a surprised escalation. ¡°... that little minx. Truly she¡¯s worthy of being a friend to my Mayumi...¡±


    Adoption? But why?


    ¡°Oh, mother and father agree, and obviously, our parental bonds won¡¯t change, I¡¯ll still live with them most of the week.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°But it will be a genuine adoption, legally. Oh, one thing. Uncle, no... father, he has no say in my marriage, I am engaged to Akio, and that will not be changing. So don¡¯t worry Akio, nobody is going to take me away!¡± She winked at the screen, and I heard Hyacinth laughing happily. Haru-san was giggling too.


    ¡°Even if you do that, your cousin Minoru-kun...¡±


    ¡°My brother Minoru-kun...¡± she corrected him cheekily, and his face flushed.


    ¡°Minoru-kun will still be heir. And when you marry Oshiro-san, it¡¯ll be as if you married out, and your status will drop again. You gain nothing.¡±


    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t say. Firstly, I¡¯ve been checking all the records, even beyond what we are taught at Hanafubuki. I¡¯m sure, grandfather, that you are aware every noble house has had times when a daughter has had to inherit, or a branch family heir was adopted into the family to secure a continuation of the bloodline, even if not direct? Takatsukasa is no exception.¡±


    ¡°Even Fujiwara house.¡± Fujiwara-san affirmed. ¡°No house lasting a thousand years will have the good fortune to avoid the death of heirs, or a barren wife. Even so, such is done when there are no heirs. Takatsukasa Minoru-kun and Sakura-chan still live.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± Hinata pressed. ¡°But just because it isn¡¯t commonly done... it is still fully in keeping with noble traditions. I want to work within the system to effect change. I don¡¯t want to tear everything down, I assure you. But changes have to be made, if we are to protect anything. Alienate Akio and you all lose a powerful protector and ally.¡± She warned.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Takakura-san declared. ¡°Due to similar misfortune, I had to adopt in my three granddaughters, from a distant collateral branch. It does sometimes happen.¡±


    ¡°Since we are having this discussion, much as I want to get back to talking about China...¡± Abe-san sighed, defeated. ¡°I might as well interject. Akio-san, you wouldn¡¯t really walk out over this, would you?¡±


    ¡°I fight to make my family and friends happy. If Hinata isn¡¯t happy, I¡¯m not happy. And an unhappy me isn¡¯t something you want to see.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Besides, I think this is an opportunity as well, Haru-san is right. The weakness of the Country to sanction Candidates is clearly visible here. You can¡¯t imprison me, it¡¯s not like you can easily affect my Territory without huge losses. Financially, yeah, you could take away my money, freeze my accounts, but I have an international account with Chase Midas Gold too, so that¡¯d be difficult, and I could make as much money as I need to support my family quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the next batch of those wanting healing will refill your coffers.¡± Hinata chuckled on screen.


    ¡°So, you need carrot, but also a stick. And right now I¡®m your best and only stick, and I¡¯m not going to beat myself. Longer term, that¡¯s a problem, you can¡¯t rely on just one person for that. After all...¡± I looked at Kishida-san. ¡°...that would be tyranny, right? But for now, I¡¯m all you have, as I doubt these boys here...¡± I nodded at the intimidated JSDF soldiers, who had been rattled by my display of League. ¡°... or even Major Sasaki and the Lieutenant would be able to handle a true powerhouse.¡± I left unsaid that I doubted many were of my calibre, but I suspected that even without the extra aether from the clone, that ice-wielding Chinese Candidate would have proved too much for many to handle.


    ¡°Of course, those of us from the faith would be happy to help, as we believe it falls under our purview. But... well, we feel working with Akio-san here is the best way.¡± Saionji-san said, and Yukiko-san was agreeing too. ¡°Better a benevolent dictator than an incompetent elected leader, in these troubled times.¡±


    ¡°You will not be the heir, Fukumoto-chan.¡± Takatsukasa-san said again.


    ¡°Why so stiff, grandfather? I¡¯m your granddaughter, direct child of your own daughter. At least call me Hinata.¡± She pressed her attack. ¡°Well, look. Sakura is going to be married out anyway, nothing has changed for her. I do believe you were considering an engagement to Akio for her before, right? But it was decided to risk me as a connected outsider, and the troublesome daughter of a major family, Motoko, who was struggling within what was expected of her. Natsumi was just a little bonus.¡±


    Natsumi blushed at that, her smile shy. Hinata continued on. ¡°Well, in the end, the sacrifice was no sacrifice at all, and those of us who agreed profited. And I¡¯m happy to say it¡¯s about more than profit. But I¡¯m sure all you listening people don¡¯t want to hear us being lovey-dovey during such a meeting so... I¡¯ll get to the point. Sakura can do as she pleases. She could even make a play for Akio if she wanted, but there¡¯ll be no arrangements. Akio doesn¡¯t like them. The three of us are the last. If he liked arranged marriages, we¡¯d be rolling in elves right now.¡± She smiled impishly, and I could see she was hitting her stride, ready to propose something huge.


    That¡¯s true. Well, Moira isn¡¯t interested in marriage, but the other two, they¡¯ve pretty much said they don¡¯t mind. Elves. Okay, they are gorgeous, but... well, we don¡¯t exactly gel, and I¡¯ve spent little time with them. Daiyu though... It wasn¡¯t just the profit we¡¯d gain from taking her in, having fought with her, witnessed her pain, seen her genuine smile and rare expressions, felt that there was at least a part of her that liked me, I decided I wanted to make her happy. I¡¯m shallow sure, but at least I¡¯m consistently so... ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pass on any more daughters of nobility thanks. I think that I have the best ones anyway.¡±


    ¡°You heard him.¡± Hinata flushed at my praise. ¡°But Sakura has always looked out for me, her annoying cousin, in her own way, so... well, if she does decide to win Akio over, I¡¯d be happy to give her some pointers. But enough of that. Minoru-kun... well, let me ask you, Grandfather. Takatsukasa house is only functioning due to the wealth Fukumoto house pumps in every year, as payment for my mother¡¯s marriage. Well, that and help from the nobility. Fujiwara-sama, Ichijou-sama...¡±


    ¡°Call me Kira, Hinata-chan. I insist, being as you¡¯re my Mayumi¡¯s only true friend.¡± He said, and Hinata shook her head.


    ¡°I wish I was. But she sees me more as a jester, a lackey. But she¡¯ll have no choice but to accept me soon, Kira-sama. So, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it grandfather? Takatsukasa house is the oldest surviving noble house, but it has no industry, no resources, only historical treasures and rich history. Things the nobility needs, but does Japan?¡±


    ¡°Of course Japan does! Without our heritage, we are nothing but barbarians!¡± Takatsukasa-san insisted.


    ¡°True. But without power and wealth, you have no way of protecting it. So, here¡¯s my proposal. Since I¡¯m kind, I¡¯ll even let Sakura have a shot. The three of us, the children of Takatsukasa house, we¡¯ll compete, to see who can restore most of the fallen glory of Takatsukasa house. Whoever can make it stand freely on its feet once more, free from needing special treatment and support, gets to be the heir...¡±


    ¡°The Regalia.¡± Yukiko-san agreed.


    ¡°... and likely even the nobility are hoarding treasures they don¡¯t know the purpose of. Well, if we have them, they should be gathered and put to use. Fight fire with fire, Cultivators with Japanese occult traditions.¡± He finished.


    ¡°But how do we know what is usable?¡± one minister asked.


    ¡°Well, we have to rely on Akio-kun again. He has good eyes, as he always says.¡± Saionji-san, no Gin-san, I could be informal too, laughed. ¡°Just one more reason that we need to keep you onside. You¡¯re a damn multi-tool of uses. I can get Yasaka-san to help as well though. He might even be able to track down lost items, if we know what we are looking for.¡±


    ¡°I see. Progress.¡± Abe-san said, relieved. ¡°Yes, that would strengthen our hand, but even so, there¡¯s a bigger issue. Numbers. The Chinese lost twenty-three Chosen in this battle, which is good, but a loss of twenty-three of ours would be a disaster. The population disparity between our two countries is huge. Assuming there¡¯s a linear relationship between Chosen numbers and population, they would have more than ten times our tally.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and more numbers mean there has to be more powerhouses.¡± I agreed. ¡°Well, I think there may be other factors in play, such as compatibility, but with China having Cultivators and possibly other old traditions, no worse than ours, I doubt we¡¯ll be blessed with more than our fair share compared to them. So... there¡¯s one other thing to consider.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like what?¡± Abe-san asked, searching for any light at the end of the tunnel, as the situation seemed precariously out of balance, in China¡¯s favour.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t just human versus human. The Boundary and lower Astral is teeming with life and civilisations. We can make alliances with them. I already have cordial relations with the Seelie Court, and the Night Parade... well, a little trade and mutual interest.¡±


    ¡°Trade?¡± Suzuki-san perked up at that.


    ¡°Yes. While the Fae and the Yokai are alien, living by different rules and thinking in different, often very unpredictable ways, all living beings with intelligence seem to share some common ground. I had support from many Fae during the battle of Kyoto, and some died.¡± I bowed my head respectfully. ¡°But not even counting Shaeula, who killed enemy Chosen herself, our Fae did defeat Cultivators and living soldiers.¡± And their zombie counterparts.


    ¡°I see. So... allies. We can plug our gaps with those.¡± One man said, and another agreed.


    ¡°Of course, alliances only work if both parties gain.¡± I warned. ¡°And China may be doing likewise, though from what Daiyu tells me, she doesn¡¯t think so yet.¡± Though honestly, she wasn¡¯t in the loop that much. We need to press our captives on this. The golden-eyed devourer wasn¡¯t shy in enslaving others, and the last Renyu were fairly pitiful, but their destruction meant one resource lost to China.


    ¡°Your influence is a bit worrisome.¡± Kishida-san declared. ¡°One man holding so much...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m prepared to give a little. Since my Territory is going to receive state largess, even though we all know that is because my Territory is the one that can be leveraged into providing the whole of Tokyo adequate protection, not just as a favour to me...¡± I reminded them. ¡°... I¡¯m prepared to set up an Embassy of sorts for Japan, and train some staff with Chirurgery to work there. You can conclude any deals with the Seelie or Night Parade you think is beneficial, though obviously as Shaeula¡¯s husband, I have my own arrangements with them.¡±


    ¡°That sounds... fair.¡± Abe-san allowed. ¡°But it still doesn¡¯t address the fundamental issue of us being outnumbered. If Material Japan is invaded, these spiritual beings won¡¯t be much help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather short-sighted,¡± I shook my head. ¡°The prisoners I have from the Kyoto battle include spiritual beings, who were able to come to Japan as they were granted Material bodies en masse. Now, I confess the sheer weight of aether required is beyond me for the foreseeable future, but it should get easier as the ether density of Japan increases. So eventually we¡¯ll be able to field allied armies.¡±


    ¡°Well, that raises the problem of... well, immigration.¡± Abe-san said, and I grinned.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t the special passport scheme part of the legislation we are passing right now during this crisis? See, planning ahead is a good thing. As for immigration, well, we can manage it, but aren¡¯t we worrying about the declining birth rate? This is one fix nobody thought of.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but ... what about crime? Spiritual beings, Chosen... Oshiro-san, you¡¯ve just hammered home the importance of appeasing Chosen where possible, but... when it¡¯s not...¡± Morita-san declared triumphantly. ¡°... we cannot allow Japan to be dictated to by the unwise or the criminal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, we¡¯ve started recruiting police officers under Detective Kato. When we¡¯ve gathered them all, I¡¯d like Haru-san to inspect their minds, check they are clean. They too will have Chirurgery and training, and sadly then we run into the same problem we do with the miliary, father-in-law, grandfather-in-law.¡± I addressed the Tsumuras. ¡°Even a little elemental training, while it would be a nice surprise and might turn a battle against another soldier, is going to be useless against other Chosen. What we need is trusted Chosen to take up the mantle of law enforcement, which is going to be a hard sell, as likely they can live a better life trading off their own merits. But... I have some ideas. We need specialist skillsets. Powers like Haru-san¡¯s would be helpful, also the ability to restrain or neutralise. The last thing we want are death battles in public...¡± Well, there is one power we have that is perfect, though the current wielder... well, we¡¯ll see...


    ¡°Any Chosen we have in law enforcement won¡¯t be in the military either, which is a loss of power where we need it most.¡± Motoko¡¯s grandfather mused. ¡°How can we encourage participation? Many who awaken these gifts will be unused to fighting, and unwilling to do so.¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to make it worth their while. I do concede that Chirurgery for snipers, Rangers and pilots is probably a good time and cost to benefits ratio, so... I can be persuaded to schedule that in, for a reasonable fee.¡±


    ¡°It would make more sense to train up some ... Chirurgeons... for the military.¡± Minoru-san said, and I held in a sigh.


    ¡°It certainly would, but do you think the skills required grow on trees? It needs to be someone with special eyes or senses at a minimum. Screwing up Chirurgery would be deleterious to the health of the patient. But... if you find the right person, I¡®d consider it. But the prestige of the technique would mean I would need heavy compensation.¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll search. We can¡¯t rely on one person anyway. If you were to emigrate, we would then be left high and dry.¡± He conceded, before speaking to Motoko. ¡°And I would miss my beloved daughter. I¡¯m sorry. Can you forgive me?¡±


    She nodded, pleased. ¡°If you learn from it, father.¡±


    ¡°Right, so, back on topic...¡± Abe-san chivvied us on, not wanting to get back into unrelated drama, not that I could blame him. ¡°... China. So, we¡¯ve considered the options for our defence, but politically... they have no case to attack us, other than they have the power to do so. With the prophecy, it seems like it¡¯s a certainly. But...¡±


    ¡°We need to delay.¡± Yukiko-san said urgently, her face ashen. ¡°I... I don¡¯t feel ready to face it. Nor is your friend, the one who is supposed to help defeat it. Right Akio-san?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d definitely like to do some strengthening of everyone before any future clashes. Really... if we know it¡¯s definite...¡± Yukiko-san and I smiled at that, and I continued. ¡°... then we need to bring it to a schedule we can control. If we are prepared, we can win, just like Kyoto. If we were blind to that attack, the situation would have been desperate.¡±


    ¡°Our eyes are blinded without the Diviner.¡± Abe-san began, but Gin-san shook his head.


    ¡°Not so. We have a replacement, as well as other sources of information, such as Yasaka-san. Perhaps we cannot replace her, but we are not without options.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I think for now, we have little choice but to publicly accept Chinese disavowal of this whole mess, treat it as the terrorism they claim it to be. I mean, it¡¯s functionally the truth, and it isn¡¯t like they¡¯ll pay us compensation, like the USA did, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. They¡¯d never admit fault like that.¡± Abe-san snorted. ¡°But we¡¯ve seen public sentiment. If we don¡¯t tale a hard line on this, the situation could escalate, and we don¡¯t want civil unrest, now of all times.¡±


    ¡°Better that than war.¡± Fujiwara-san said, and others echoed him. ¡°A war similar in scale to the Second World War would destroy all we have rebuilt. Let the populace vent, prevent what damage we can, and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Damn, my chances of re-election are about to turn to dust.¡± Abe-san sighed.


    ¡°Well, when my Party controls the Diet, I¡¯ll do you the courtesy of allowing your party oversight of this Ministry.¡± The Opposition leader laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re so generous. Well, my daughter will disown me if I lose shamefully, so... any ideas on how to deal with the public outcry, without provoking the Red Dragon until we are ready?¡±


    A few actually. And some are even from my sis, oddly enough. ¡°Your son is senior in MEXT, right, Fujiwara-san?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Well, MEXT covers culture, sports and education, right? Well, education is for the long term, but culture...¡± I outlined my plans. ¡°If we use television, music and the arts to start subtly preparing people for the changes to come, we can build acceptance. We don¡¯t have much time at all, so... instead, we use them to promote peace and forgiveness.¡± I could see the JSDF soldiers looking angry, and I didn¡¯t blame them. I hated to gloss over attacks on our soil, but I was pragmatic, and what we needed most now was calm and time. ¡°Things like idol performances for the young, TV documentaries and news pieces for the old... anything to distract from the troubles.¡±


    ¡°Bread and circuses.¡± Fujiwara-san approved. ¡°Clever. It worked for the Roman Empire, though modern times are different.¡±


    ¡°Well, anything that cools the heat down. The US still owes us more, so get them to help with perception management. Get them to record messages of support for our stance, or something...¡±


    As we continued to discuss this, I had another thought. Hang on, wouldn¡¯t that be perfect? ¡°How about a fundraiser for the victims? Put together by MEXT, and supported by a mixture of nobility, faith and even you, Princess.¡± I smiled at Yukiko-san.


    ¡°Me? I... don¡¯t usually take the limelight.¡± She said.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so perfect. As Amaterasu¡¯s Chosen, soon you¡¯ll have to, but your appearance will spark a lot of interest. We can use it to rally the populace and steer them away from escalation. Even if it just delays their rage, gives them a distraction, it looks like we are doing something.¡±


    ¡°Military drills as well.¡± Tsumura-san said, agreeing. ¡°We need to be careful not to provoke China, but I believe they will understand if... it pains me to say it, but if we use our few remaining diplomatic channels to stress it is a move to calm our internal unrest, we can probably get them to agree to cool their sabre-rattling. Though as a proud Japanese man, it pains me to give our enemies the satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°The thing is, they aren¡¯t our enemy yet.¡± I said, impressed at his willingness to consider unpalatable, humiliating options. Well, I¡¯ve done my fair share of sad pandering in my life too. It¡¯s what happens in the end that matters.


    ¡°Well, I can only tank my re-election chances to zero, I guess.¡± Abe-san laughed bitterly. ¡°All right, any other matters to discuss on China?¡±


    After a little more planning, we then moved back to legislation, this time on crime. ¡°So, we¡¯ve come up with a basic list of potential powers, and how they might be regulated and legally protected...¡± I stifled a yawn, maintaining my focus. This one¡¯s important. Well, everything is... damn, I know I wanted respect, but that sure comes with a lot of effort to maintain it...

 Three Hundred And Forty Two *contains status – Ixitt*

    Three Hundred And Forty Two *contains status ¨C Ixitt*


    ¡°So, that was quite a day, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said to Motoko and Natsumi, as the car we were in was driven back through the dark streets of Tokyo back towards Shirohebizumi. Hyacinth was in the front seat next to the driver, while the three of us were in the back together. Haru-san was going to follow later, after she finished up with her tasks at the Diet. And then she¡¯ll be in the Boundary again, huh? Yeah, she definitely needs a break soon. Well, hopefully things will calm down for a bit...


    ¡°I believe that to be an understatement.¡± Motoko smiled. ¡°I must apologise again for my father. His rudeness was inexcusable, but... understandable. He has worries. For me. For the country and the military.¡±


    ¡°I know. I get it. No father is ever delighted when his daughter becomes a woman, I¡¯d imagine. Noble ones far less so. Even if he agreed it was for the best, feelings aren¡¯t so simple, are they?¡± Well, I¡¯m not a father, not yet, but I guess it¡¯d be like when Aiko brings home a boyfriend. Even if he¡¯s a good guy, it¡¯d feel... complicated. But I¡¯m not a fool. I won¡¯t kick up a fuss like Shaeraggo if he isn¡¯t trash...


    ¡°Well, my parents didn¡¯t mind so much.¡± Natsumi smiled. ¡°But then, being a daughter of one of the highest-ranking of the Fifty-Eight is quite different to being one of the middling Three Hundred. But that wasn¡¯t what you were asking about, right Akio?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Hinata, huh? She¡¯s certainly fiery. But... how do you see it going?¡±


    ¡°I am touched that Hinata was thinking of us as well.¡± Motoko considered. ¡°Our future status... yes, it would have declined as we married out, even though we would have done it under the rules of nobility. Now...¡± she pondered, and Natsumi took over.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Hinata will win her competition. After all, she has us to support her. And with Fujiwara-sama and Ichijou-sama seeming to accept her proposals... well, looks like you are going to be Takatsukasa Akio.¡± Her smile turned wicked. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d ever be important enough to marry into one of the Three Great Houses.¡±


    ¡°It is quite a complicated tangle. But nobody will be able to gainsay us, were it to pan out as Hinata wishes.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°I... apologise we said nothing of how Hinata was being treated, but she did not wish us to speak of it. She has her pride, a noble pride. I would not trample that carelessly.¡±


    ¡°I get it. I should have noticed, and most of the blame is mine, I tried too hard to do what I thought she wanted, what would help, rather than looking at what she needed. I hope in the future any of you will tell me if you are being troubled. After all...¡±


    ¡°After all, you¡¯re our husband.¡± Natsumi agreed happily, and under the lights of Tokyo we kissed, Hyacinth making envious noises as she watched from the front...


    ********


    Back at the shrine, we had a quick dinner. Shiro and Eri were there, watching the TV, seeing more of the protests. The numbers had diminished as the day progressed, but there was still a die-hard mob that was outside the Diet and the Chinese Embassy. TBS News, one of the major TV stations, was broadcasting an interview with one of the protesters.


    ¡°... can¡¯t let this outrage stand! Whatever the Government says, I¡¯ve seen the footage! It¡¯s all over the internet. Those were Chinese tanks and armoured vehicles on our soil!¡±


    ¡°Well, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement that they were deserters and terrorists...¡± the reporter began, but the crowd drowned him out with shouts and jeers, very unusual for the reserved Japanese. Tempers are running high. Though time should cool the worst of it, I hope.


    ¡°If so, what about the previous Kyoto incident? A terrorist cult? That¡¯s a lie, and everyone knows it! Anyone who digs a bit deeper can see they were Chinese infiltrators too! Two attacks! Will it take a third to wake you up?¡± the man shouted.


    Well, I guess the cover story for Yamato-san¡¯s mess is working, though in a way that¡¯s problematic. Better that than knowing what really happened. Turning away from the television, I asked where Daiyu and Shaeula were.


    ¡°Daiyu is in her room again. Don¡¯t worry Aki, I made sure she had a snack earlier.¡± Shiro assured me. ¡°She¡¯s still writing down all of her secrets, it seems like. There¡¯s tons of notepads full of odd writing in there. Oh, and since it¡¯s a real pain with Tan having to translate for me all the time, I took a liberty and asked Karen about a language tutor. Apparently you already have a Chinese teacher, so I guess they can teach Daiyu Japanese, right? I put in the request anyway, hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯d be beneficial for her to learn.¡± I agreed, before smiling slyly. ¡°Just how are you paying for that though? That tutor doesn¡¯t come cheap, due to the discretion involved.¡±


    Shiro looked at me flatly for moment, before realising I was teasing her. ¡°Aki, don¡¯t be a jerk. I know you¡¯ll pay for that.¡±


    ¡°I sure will.¡± I agreed, enjoying Eri¡¯s pleasure at the flustered Shiro. ¡°So, Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been in the Boundary most of the day. She¡¯s very excited about her new lightning powers. Really, it doesn¡¯t seem that much different or any more effective than light element, but well, she seems happy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a cultural thing.¡± I said, and Eri nodded, having spent more time with Shaeula. ¡°For her, lightning is the element of her Queen, so having it is a big deal. Plus, well it does look cool, and you know she¡¯s always concerned with that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Well, a girl has to look cool and beautiful, Aki.¡± She smiled. ¡°Shit, I¡¯ve just been spending my day in and out of the Boundary giving buffs to Shaeula, Ixitt and that dwarf. He¡¯s not even coming out of his forge, and it¡¯s hot as hell in there, but when his buffs run out, that doll Azuki ends up coming running to fetch me.¡± She pouted, not really irritated but just trying to draw an affectionate response out of me. ¡°I¡¯m tired. You should pamper me, Aki!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment, before relaxing.


    ¡°So, how was your day, Eri?¡± Natsumi was asking. ¡°Did you go to the Boundary too?¡±


    Eri moved her head a little in an approximation of a shake. ¡°No, I¡¯ve been catching up on my remote schoolwork. I promised my parents, Akio¡¯s too, that I¡¯d not fall behind despite being away from home.¡± She flexed her good arm. ¡°Fortunately nothing was too difficult. I¡¯m on course to graduate with good scores.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I would expect no less from you, Eri.¡± Motoko said politely. ¡°As for us...¡± as Motoko and Natsumi filled them in on the negotiations, including the shocking turn of events that Hinata had sparked, and the potential takeover of Takatsukasa house, there was laughter from Shiro and smug approval from Eri. On seeing my look, she raised her eyebrow in surprise that I didn¡¯t get it.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t like seeing those snooty nobles walk all over you, Akio. It made me really angry, in fact.¡± Her good hand clenched, knuckles going white. ¡°It isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t like your kindness, your willingness to be fair, but... I¡¯d rather you were kind to those that deserve it, such as us. With others, you can be ruthless. After all, look at all you¡¯ve built, all you¡¯ve done, in just a few months. Imagine a year from now...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right. If you¡¯re too kind to everyone, it makes us feel less special. Oh, and it also lets jerks take advantage. So, this Sakura girl...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to consider. I¡¯m not accepting an arranged marriage, and it¡¯s not like with Daiyu, where there are a number of good reasons to consider it.¡± Not least of all I can see something in her, with the way she rarely shows her emotions, but definitely has them, her shy smiles, her determination. I like to see girls with that willpower and drive get ahead. ¡°Sakura-san can do as she pleases. Well, it¡¯d normally be as her father says, I guess, but if Hinata does take over Takatsukasa house, I think Sakura-san will be free to find her own husband. I know Sakura-san and Hinata have their difficulties, but I do believe the two of them care for each other, it¡¯s just been distorted by the fact that Hinata¡¯s mother was married out to a commoner family.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe the family that owns Nichibotsu technology is considered common.¡± Shiro sighed.


    ¡°In exchange for that... no, no exchanges.¡± Daiyu shook her head, angry at herself. ¡°I believe it is only natural for... for Dao Companions to share everything. After all, their Dao and their hearts will be entwined for all eternity.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bold one?¡± Shiro laughed, as we headed out of Haru-san¡¯s Territory, only to stop in wonder at the large sea of ratkin and weaselkin, all fussing around a number of silver spires mounted on wagons, green and blue Etherites mounted in their crowns, smaller numbers of lesser Etherites placed in other spots. Amidist them all was Ixitt, who had a larger wagon, one that was covered with a tarpaulin, but looked like it was hiding some large, ammonite-shaped device.


    ¡°To think that you¡¯d declare your love to Aki right in front of us. Well, you¡¯re damn cute, I guess. I¡¯ve always wanted to Cultivate too, ever since I read some of the stories. Female Cultivators are always beautiful. I¡¯d be the true heaven-defying jade beauty of this tale.¡± She paused. ¡°Hey, Tan. You know anything about Cultivation?¡± she asked, curious.


    ¡°I cannot speak of it, for such knowledge is above what we have agreed to impart. All I can say is that the Six Paths is deeply entwined with the art of Cultivation, and the many paths to Dao... no, perhaps that is too much to speak of. All I will say is, beware. Cultivation is one of the paths of power so well-forged that the multiverse itself, the very Astral, accepts and accommodates it. Such power does not come without commensurate dangers.¡±


    ¡°Dangers? The trials are many.¡± Daiyu said, fascinated with the meagre information Tan revealed. ¡°Heavenly Tribulations, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°I shall speak no more. Though, if you try to learn, princess, be advised that your spiritual body is... extremely abnormal.¡± And with that her eyes returned to black. Eyes. I¡¯m still happy to see them both.


    ¡°Well, enough of that.¡± I approached Ixitt, looking at the field of Artificial Spires. ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯ve been putting our trade bounty to good use.¡±


    ¡°More than that.¡± He lashed his tail happily. ¡°The prince paid a fee in blue, green and yellow for his tutelage, that for his wife as well. I put many of them to use. It has slowed the rate of construction somewhat, the amount of silver material and crystals we have removed from the upgrading Buildings, but that girl Miyu, with her dances... that has more than offset the losses.¡± He gestured to the working Spires. ¡°The rather impressive Ether Density here is yielding good results, your Silos shall fill nicely. And...¡± he looked down, where a small red Etherite had formed. Picking it up, he handed it to me happily. ¡°... as a side effect of the impromptu nature of these first and second generation devices, the Ether density around is indeed decreased slowly, and occasionally the overspill forms red or rarely orange Etherites.¡±


    ¡°Great. It sounds like you¡¯ve done a fantastic job. I¡¯ll have to thank Miyu as well. That reminds me... no, that¡¯s for later. So, what¡¯s under the tarp?¡± I asked, knowing the answer.


    ¡°Why, it is of course the aether-electric generator and converter.¡± He grinned triumphantly. ¡°I did have to put the finishing touches to it at the Spring, where the ether density was high enough to support my Mortal engineering.¡± He bowed to Shiro, who looked embarrassed. ¡°Without your wonderful blessings, I doubt I would have been able to finish it so quickly, or so well. And the insights from such a wonderful experience have surely driven me to even greater heights.¡±


    Curious, I checked Ixitt¡¯s status, the first time for a while, and let out a low whistle. Yeah, no kidding.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯ve really powered up.¡± I had to laugh as his tail lashed proudly.


    ¡°Indeed I have. Serving as your Mortal Engineer is certainly satisfying, and walking the mortal world has confirmed many of my theories, yet given rise to just as many more hypotheses.¡±


    Well, Firearms Technique is self-explanatory. Some of the others...


    Calculative Predictions Rank 1 ¨C This skill increases the ability of the bearer to perform complicated mathematics in areas of natural law, such as material stressors, gravity, propulsion, and other aspects of physics and chemistry. It allows a limited predictive model to be created to test theories and applications of the sciences mentally, though this is limited by the knowledge the bearer already possesses. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Artifice]


    Aether Conversion Rank 1 ¨C This skill increases the effectiveness of converting Aether into ???????? forms and the reverse. Conversion of Aether to Elemental forms such as the classic four elements and their composites and the reverse is further increased. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°Damn, that Aether Conversion skill is awesome. I could really use that one myself. In fact, all of you girls need it too.¡± My eyes were likely sparkling at the thought of that skill, as it was the missing piece in utilising a lot of my abilities effectively. ¡°How did you train for that?¡±


    ¡°Well, my experiments have led to me performing a lot of trials on various elements, breaking them down to the fundamentals. Originally I planned some sort of water turbine, like you mortals use to generate electricity, or perhaps some style of heat exchanger using flame element. I even considered the simplest, most elegant solution.¡± He smiled. ¡°A pair of small Gates, such as the Ring Gates, and a perpetually falling mass, pulling on some sort of wheel, creating electricity. Though that ran into numerous problems, not least the difficulty obtaining suitable spatial element, the chains kept being severed, and...¡± as he rattled on, delighted to be able to talk about such things, I checked his new class as well.


    Technomancer ¨C This Class is gained by crossing many bottlenecks in the crafting arts, as well as a deep understanding of both the spiritual sources of power and the material ones. Aether is greatly increased and skills to control it are enhanced substantially. Affinity to Earth, Water, Flame and Wind increase, as does affinity for their composite elements. Affinity to lightning element significantly increases in addition to this. Devices utilising Aether and electricity in conjunction are easier to create and have higher efficiency. Understanding of other material forces such as the nuclear forces is increased.


    Okay. Yes, that¡¯s an awesome class, and I¡¯m proud of him. But that¡¯s one hell of a dangerous class too... With that sort of skillset, he could start making nuclear weapons, probably!


    ¡°... so yes, in the end, the princess brought me the key to success. It is rather inefficient using intermediate steps. After all... entropy.¡± He grinned toothily. ¡°Each time you convert or include a new stage, the efficiency drops. I had never considered such before visiting the mortal world. Perhaps... perhaps the Unseelie were the entropy of the Seelie. A sobering thought.¡± He paused. ¡°Where was I? Oh yes. Well, the princess has now mastered lightning element, which is electricity, though the spiritual aspects do complicate matters. Happily, after she finished taking what she needed from the thunderbird blood, there was some material left over for me to play with. Well, Bjarki did take a lot of it, but... there was enough for my purposes. Now... with help from the princess, I was able to create a wonder.¡±


    ¡°A wonder?¡± Eri asked, her eyes spinning from trying to keep up with his excited ranting, and Natsumi was likewise flummoxed. Motoko was of course too polite to show her confusion, and Shiro was only half-listening, and Daiyu... well, she was interested, but seemed to know little of science.


    ¡°Yes. Behold!¡± Ixitt whipped off the tarp, to reveal a device made of a mixture of what looked like dwarven steel, the silver material and crystals my Territory was made out of, and kobold bluesteel. It resembled a silver shell like a snail had, though the spirals were ridged with thick bluesteel ropes. A number of spires jutted out of it, and they were topped by either strange purple crystals, looking a bit like Etherites, or clear transparent ones. My Eye flared, and I was surprised by what I saw.


    Lightning Transforming Crystals [Class: Noble] [Type: Artifice] These crystals are made by combining Lightning element-imbued material with powdered Etherite and a mixture of bluesteel and Territorial Silver. Aether is absorbed and converted to a weak lightning element.


    Lightning Absorbing Crystals {Class: Noble] [Type: Artifice] These crystals are made by combining Lightning element-infused materials with powdered Etherite and a mixture of dwarven silver and Territorial Crystal. Lightning element is absorbed and converted to aether. It can also absorb wind and fire elements, though at reduced efficiency.


    Territorial Silver? Territorial Crystals? Even my Eye only gave question marks regarding such materials, though I expected it was whatever my Buildings were made out of, since that was a material Ixitt was often extracting.


    ¡°So, impressed?¡± Ixitt asked, and I had to nod.


    ¡°So, how does it work?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you asked!¡± As he rubbed his hands with glee, the girls and I exchanged glances. Yeah, this is going to be a long explanation, I can tell...

 Three Hundred And Forty Three

    Three Hundred And Forty Three


    ¡°Simply put, we can use these to convert between lightning element and aether at will. That is spectacular enough, though I confess the lightning element generated is weak, a far cry from the power and fury the Queen, or even our princess commands.¡± Ixitt admitted, looking down for a moment before recovering his enthusiasm. ¡°I would expect improvements in time, but for now...¡± he grinned, tapping the strange purple and transparent crystals. ¡°The ambient ether density determines the amount of lightning element generated. In the lands of the Fae, it is higher than here, and while I need to run further tests in your Territory, as well as outside of it, in ether-poor areas, I believe it is a linear equation. The higher the ether, the more lightning is generated.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± I agreed. ¡°But there are two problems I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well the first one is easily solved. I have been widely studying when I visit the mortal world. I am grateful you seldom restrict me, and only call upon me when I am needed, such as the recent battles.¡± He laughed, his good humour evident. ¡°With access to the internet, many books, and also a wide array of like-minded correspondents, I have easily created a metal that changes the lighting element, by stripping out the spiritual aspect to the lightning, only pure, comprehendible power remains. And better still...¡± he slapped the silver dome. ¡°... with powdered Etherites added to the bluesteel, and careful intent while alloying it, I have created bluesteel that can retain electricity, like a true battery. In fact...¡± he grinned. ¡°I do believe that compared to these lithium-ion batteries you mortals often use, these bluesteel-Etherite batteries, as I call them, have a significantly higher ability to retain electricity. Bluesteel is as dense as aluminium, so ... well, if we measure by the litre, a lithium-ion battery is two and a half kilograms. The bluesteel-Etherite battery is around two point three kilograms. So it is a little lighter, and far less complex. But it is the ability to store and release energy is where it exceeds it in every aspect.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I may be off-base here, but... if that¡¯s the case, why do you even need to make anything else?¡± Shiro said, scratching her head. ¡°A better battery would basically take over the world. Everything pretty much uses batteries nowadays. Phones, Cars, Laptops...¡±


    ¡°Just how much better are we talking?¡± Eri asked. ¡°It¡¯s strange, I was answering questions on this sort of thing for my schoolwork earlier. Are we talking twice as good? More?¡±


    ¡°It depends on which Etherites are blended in during the process.¡± Ixitt smiled. ¡°But as I have only used up to yellow, since we need our green and blue ones for Artificial Spires...¡± he paused.


    ¡°We will stick to by the litre, since it was the metric I used before. Consider the average, to be roughly six hundred and fifty Watt-hours, or around two hundred and forty Watt-hours per kilogram. Whereas the bluesteel-Etherite batteries, they can easily hold ten times that amount without any issues, and in my testing, I have even doubled that, though the efficiency of charging does drop noticeably much past two thousand five hundred Watt-hours per kilogram. Not that this is an issue, with the passive absorption.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Aki? Ten times? Ten times!¡± Shiro was stunned. ¡°Well, no, it¡¯s too soon to be excited. There¡¯s still other issues. What about throughput? How quickly can it release the energy?¡±


    ¡°It can discharge the entire amount in one go, should one wish it.¡± Ixitt smirked. ¡°And before you raise concerns about having such a density of energy and the radiant heat...¡± Ixitt once more slapped his prided device. ¡°... heat is an aspect the batteries can absorb, so much of the waste is recycled as electricity. I confess it not being at all efficient, entropy again, alas, but of the emitted heat, ninety percent is reabsorbed, though only around ten percent of that lost energy will be used to recharge the battery.¡±


    ¡°What about battery life?¡± Eri asked next. ¡°I always hated it, having an old hand-me-down phone.¡± She looked mournful at the memory. ¡°Not that I was particularly materialistic, or cared what others thought of me having one so out-of-date. But... the battery would barely last a few hours on a full charge. It was old.¡±


    ¡°The battery does not degrade, as it is not a chemical process. It is applying spiritual laws to a purely physical process.¡± Ixitt said proudly.


    ¡°So, ten to twenty times the capacity, slightly less dense, better throughput, no degradation, and it even deals with the heat issue?¡± Shiro slumped down, flabbergasted. ¡°Aki, forget whatever the hell you were planning! We are in the battery business now!¡±


    As Ixitt laughed, explaining that the generator contained a significant amount of these batteries as well, so power could be saved while not being used, I pondered.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s still several insurmountable issues. Firstly, the batteries are here. They haven¡¯t been tested on the Material, so we can¡¯t be sure any of this actually works there, and we can¡¯t even get them there. Sure, we might be able to revolutionise my Territory, the lands of the Fae and more...¡± In fact, that¡¯s worth doing in itself, right? Shaeula always does moan she wants mortal entertainment... it might not be impossible after all...


    ¡°Of course, I intend to vigorously work on these issues. I shall test it in the most ether-poor areas I can find. In addition, as for getting the batteries to the mortal realm, eventually, the two shall merge, correct? I believe then it shall be possible. But is there not a better way?¡±


    Laverna¡¯s Divine Favour. ¡°Of course, that would work, but there are issues with that too. Firstly, the batteries would disappear when the blessing expires, which makes it useless. Secondly, relying on one person to move such a large amount of goods, even if we could, it would be too risky and problematic a supply chain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you are quite correct. I have ideas for a solution to the first issue, as for the second...¡±


    ¡°Well, putting that aside, could we even supply enough bluesteel and Etherites to create enough to supply Japanese industry? Our mines are producing well, but as for the Etherites...¡±


    ¡°All good questions. However, it seems that the hills around the Spring have a number of suitable mines. If managed carefully, they could provide significant rewards. There are likely many more in the mountains in your land here in the Boundary. We would need workers but...¡±


    ¡°Etherites are the bottleneck. Just how many went into this generator and all the batteries?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, three yellow, and quite a number of orange and red ones. Though I expect efficiency to rise. And perhaps...¡± he grinned, pointing to the field of Artificial Spires. ¡°... it is likely possible to create our own Etherites. Currently they are a side-effect of the process of drawing in Ether, but could this be extracted and streamlined, I believe we can create a facility to create Etherites as well. Certainly up to yellow, perhaps even green.¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°So, let me get this straight.¡± Shiro pointed out the obvious, and Eri was running the numbers too, looking pale. Motoko and Natsumi had the same response.


    ¡°You can make an Artificial Spire with a green Etherite, right? That pulls in ether. You then use that ether to eventually make another Spire. Now you have two pulling in ether, so you can make a third Spire twice as fast. Ugh, isn¡¯t this an infinite loop of ether? Wouldn¡¯t you be able to do anything that way?¡±


    ¡°More of the shit-throwing. Lovely.¡± Shiro cursed. Flame sparkled yellow and she unleashed a crashing wave of fire to meet the mud. The resulting explosion sent the foul-smelling smouldering muck everywhere, but I called forth more wind to deflect it.


    ¡°Thanks Aki. Fire isn¡¯t so great against earth. And I don¡¯t want to get any more of that crap on me...¡± The monkey reared back, an arrow in his eye, Motoko clenching her fist in delight at her great shot. Not wanting to be outdone, Natsumi put one in his throat, while Daiyu was leaping towards the second monkey. It ducked, swinging the inelegant scythe, but Daiyu pivoted gracefully, evading it by what looked like a mere hairs-breadth, but from my training with Ulfuric, I knew that was the sign of skill, not fortune.


    ¡°You take me to all the nicest places.¡± Shiro observed. ¡°This is surely a highlight, having monkey demons constantly hurl what might as well be shit at us.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be here, then you can go home!¡± Eri said, baiting her. She was concentrating on her own attacks, forming a laser of light that drilled into the monkey that had been pin-cushioned with arrows, dropping it, smoke rising from the hole bored in its skull.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say that, did I?¡± Shiro retorted, a third monkey that had wandered in suddenly surrounded by a bubble of flames. It screamed reflexively, which was a mistake, as flames seared down its throat, charring it from the inside until it burst into a spray of ether. ¡°I¡¯m just building up some sympathy so wherever we go at the weekend will be suitably impressive.¡±


    ¡°Motoko, shall we move into close quarters next?¡± Natsumi was saying. ¡°I¡¯ve watched them, and one-on-one I believe our skills should prevail.¡±


    ¡°We should not be arrogant, but... I believe we have adapted to the change in our status.¡± Motoko affirmed. ¡°Spears though, not swords. I have no wish to get too close.¡±


    ¡°I could kill these stupid monkeys, if only my body obeyed me.¡± Eri mourned, so I patted her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Working on your elemental skills is just as important as your axe skills. Besides, I¡¯m not doing much either, am I?¡± I was focussed on support during our power-levelling trip, but that was in part because all my concentration was on observing the effects of Shiro¡¯s blessing from Anesidora, and the rate at which it was fading, and whether I could extend it by adding my own aether. My Eye is a godsend for this.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because these trash-mob monkeys probably aren¡¯t worth your time, right?¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°Come on Eri, cheer up. I know it¡¯s a pain Aki can¡¯t help you with your problems, but you¡¯ll be fine in time, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just frustrating. Motoko and Natsumi will get stronger, and I¡¯ll lose my advantage.¡± She watched as the two of them used their long spears to keep more Sarugami at bay. One was pierced in the gut, but with an angry howl grabbed the shaft Natsumi was holding. I made to move, but stopped as I saw her calm confidence. Releasing the shaft, she unsheathed the sword she carried and darted forwards, blade slicing deep into the monkey¡¯s neck while it still struggled with the spear keeping it off balance. She then backed off and pulled out the spear, returning to her position next to the approving Motoko.


    ¡°That one levelled you up again.¡± I said, and Natsumi smiled brightly.


    ¡°That makes me wonder...¡± Shiro said, thinking. ¡°What would happen if you were level-capped, then I used Anesidora¡¯s blessing on Lovers¡¯ Link? Would you be able to exceed your cap? Would the levels go away when the buff wears off? Would something else happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that myself.¡± I admitted, stopping another monkey from howling to alert his comrades, Eri striking it with a wave of darkness that seemed to confuse and disorient it, leaving it easy prey for Daiyu. ¡°But it¡¯s not something I want to mess with right now, not after the pain we felt with Kin Bonding.¡±


    ¡°Your call.¡± Shiro agreed, before sighing as another half-dozen of the Yokai came scuttling in, clutching crude clubs and calling forth more torrents of disgusting mud. ¡°Damn, no end to these bastards. Well, I guess I best go get my share of experience points...¡± As I watched Shiro join the other girls, flames flashing yellow as she burned a monkey, I grinned. Well, at least everybody is getting plenty of gains...


    ********


    ¡°If I never see another monkey again so long as I live I¡¯ll be happy. Oh, wait, Yasu is at least close kin to them... a shame.¡± Shiro joked tiredly. She was helping Eri walk, her legs having stopped obeying her a little while ago. Beside me, Daiyu walked in contemplative silence, replaying the battles in her mind over and over again, looking for ways she could have done better, and Natsumi and Motoko were in high spirits, having gained a number of levels.


    ¡°Yeah, but in the end they stopped coming. You all must have killed a hundred or so of them by then.¡± I agreed. ¡°If there are more of them down to the south, I guess they might end up being a problem for Haru-san at some point, so we¡¯ll check again tomorrow. I¡¯ll actually be in Kyoto, so we can meet up there.¡±


    ¡°The funeral, huh?¡± Eri observed, and I had a complicated expression on my face.


    ¡°Yeah. Those who died, including Tsukiko-san. They want to do it quickly, since the situation in Kyoto is pretty tense right now.¡± As we passed through the Ring Gate, we emerged back on the hill. ¡°I should definitely be there. Not just because I¡¯m effectively the frontrunner for the faithful right now, but because... well, I need to see it, feel it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not still blaming yourself, are you?¡± she pressed, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Well, not really. I knew she could well die, which is why I took the precautions of making her eligible for Kin Bonding. I can accept this outcome. It doesn¡¯t stop me from wishing that I¡¯d done better though. But a good enough is still a win.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Aki¡¯s learning. I¡¯m impressed.¡± Shiro laughed, only to stop as we came face to face with most of our trainees, who were waiting for us despite the late hour, Hyacinth grinning broadly. So, what¡¯s going on here then?

 Three Hundred And Forty-Four

    Three Hundred And Forty-Four


    On seeing the group gathered, I asked Hyacinth what was up.


    ¡°Akio, they have sooomething to tell you.¡± Hyacinth pushed forwards two girls, one of which was Kana, and the other, the small, quiet dark-skinned girl Hotene-san, who was trembling a little. On seeing that, Haru-san, who was also mixed into the group, smiled a little and released a touch of soothing gold-tinged light, which washed over the girl, calming her tremors.


    ¡°I see.¡± I could use my Eye to find out, but considering the triumphant, if embarrassed, expression on Kana¡¯s face, I believed I knew the answer, and it would only be fair to let them have their moment of bragging. ¡°Well, I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    Behind me, Eri nodded at Kana, and with that approval, she spoke. ¡°Well, Akio. I¡¯ve done it!¡± She puffed out her decent chest proudly, her shrine maiden hakama almost seeming to glow. Behind the group I could see Shirohebi, and while it was often difficult to read the emotions of that androgynous snake, I was sure I could see pride in the way it was looking on her.


    ¡°Done what?¡± I asked, teasing, and she shook her head, laughing.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work on me today, Akio! You know what! Thanks to Shirohebi¡¯s guidance, as well as Hyacinth¡¯s, and with the twins and Haru-chan helping us all out...¡± I see she¡¯s much more friendly with Haru-san now too. Great. ¡°... I finally managed to master earth element!¡± With that she raised her hand and the ground shivered, rocks lifting free and forming a long stone rod, which she grasped, arm trembling a little at the weight.


    ¡°And what about you, Hotene-san?¡± I asked the girl who we had saved from death in Kyoto.


    ¡°I...¡± her expression was still gloomy, despite the success she had achieved. ¡°Well, I understood it. Earth is dark and cold and lonely, as dark as when I was blind, and as cold as when I thought I was going to die...¡± she said, not what I was expecting. ¡°...it can be as heavy as the weight of that darkness, and...¡±


    ¡°Hush now.¡± Haru-san said, striding forward and putting a hand on her head. Haru-san¡¯s eyes narrowed as she connected her Telepathy, sharing the painful memories, releasing more of her Mind-Healing Light. As Hotene-san started to relax, Haru-san looked at me. ¡°Can I take her away for now? She¡¯s done enough. It was all a bit much for her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best. In fact, it¡¯s pretty late, so anyone who wants to head home can. But first... well done, Kana. I knew you had it in you!¡±


    ¡°Well, if Eri-san or Aiko-chan can do it, there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t, or it¡¯d make me pretty pathetic, considering my bloodline and spiritual gifts.¡±


    ¡°It definitely would.¡± Eri agreed, and Kana barked a laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to agree with me there, but anyway...¡± she flung the staff she held, and with a shimmer of red energy, it shattered into a rain of needles, piercing the ground. ¡°... I have to say, now I really feel special. My eyes may be more important a talent, but this definitely feels more magical.¡± As her friends from school congratulated her again, I turned to Shiro.


    ¡°Well, guess I need you to work a little harder tonight. I need the general buff, and can you change my specific one to Adherence Manipulation?¡±


    ¡°I can, though I¡¯m damn tired, you slavedriver.¡± She shot back. ¡°What about your experiments though, Aki?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been observing. I¡¯ll try again another time to get more concrete data. But right now, Kana¡¯s pulled it off, so...¡± I felt around the Favour from Ks?itigarbha, and another hypothesis was proven. Yeah, Kana¡¯s got enough affinity for it to be given it successfully now. ¡°... we have other priorities.¡±


    Kana looked nervous, as well she might, as this was a big decision that would set the course of her life from now on. ¡°I¡¯m going to borrow Kana now. Great work today, everyone! Go and get some rest and those of you who didn¡¯t succeed, at least you¡¯ve seen another couple of role-models to show it is possible!¡±


    ¡°All right then, we need to talk.¡± I pointed to the terrace on top of the Rhyming Tree.


    ¡°Akio, we should go too.¡± Motoko said. ¡°It would not do for us to be too exhausted at Hanafubuki tomorrow, not after missing a day of schooling.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, Kana-san, good luck. I¡¯m a bit jealous, I admit!¡± Natsumi said, and as I kissed the two girls goodbye then watched them depart, those of us that remained climbed the steps.


    ¡°Akio, may I ask, what happened earlier? Hyacinth felt very clooose to you, very happy, but loots of pain. Is there sooomething wrong?¡± Hyacinth muttered as she joined us. Shirohebi was also following, an unusual occurrence. But it¡¯s probably about Kana.


    ¡°No, we were just experimenting with Kin Bonding. I¡¯m sorry if it hurt, we¡¯ll be careful in the future, all right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, I did nooot mind it. A little pain is nooothing really.¡± She said, and before I could answer, Eri did.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you should say here. Even if you¡¯re strong, Hyacinth, Akio doesn¡¯t want to hurt us. What you should have said is something like I enjoyed being closer to you, we should try to reach that state without help.¡±


    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be one to give advice to a rival.¡± Kana said, taking a seat as we arrived at the top, looking out over my Territory. ¡°When we first met, you were like an angry cat, puffing yourself up to appear larger and ward off your rivals, and any other girls around Akio.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed. We¡¯ve all changed.¡± Eri admitted, her cat-ears twitching in the breeze. ¡°But Hyacinth... I guess I never saw her as a rival at all. She¡¯s... well, I don¡¯t think I could live with it if I didn¡¯t give a little kindness, to let her be happy.¡± She paused to sniff, feigning irritation. ¡°You, however, I could quite cheerfully see go elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Really? I know you¡¯re lying, Eri-san.¡± Kana said happily as the rest of us sat down. Asha then appeared, smiling broadly, and soon we were feasting on fruits from the orchard, washed down with fruity, sweet honey wine and mead. ¡°But to protect your dignity, I¡¯ll let you have this one.¡± Kana finished.


    ¡°Yeah, save your tsundere act for Aki. It¡¯s wasted on another girl.¡± Shiro laughed. Beside us, Daiyu was sitting quietly, but Shiro was translating for her, via Tan.


    ¡°So, Akio, I... can I do it?¡± she asked, and I nodded.


    Yeah, from the day we¡¯ve met, I¡¯ve always seen something in Kana. I know Eri used to despise her, but that didn¡¯t last long, as... yeah, it¡¯s been said, but I think they have a surprising amount in common. I think both of them shine the more they push themselves. Kana to find a goal in life, Eri in trying to be more than just a girlfriend to me. Well, I¡¯ll watch over them both. It¡¯s the least I can do...


    I worked the complicated skeins of aether and adherence, inserting Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Earthen Womb within her Astral body, the favour wrapped around her root chakra and climbing up to where her womb was located in her Material body. As I started connecting it all up, Kana shivered, and she must have ben feeling pain, as she was shedding silvery sweat, but she continued to smile, reassuring me she could handle it. Good girl. Well, in terms of compatibility, she¡¯s got earth element, already had spiritual abilities, and Shirohebizumi shrine is a fertility shrine. It¡¯s no wonder she has some aptitude...


    ¡°There.¡± I felt adherence flood from me, leaving me low. As it poured into Kana, becoming one with her, sealing the Favour inside her, I bit down my own sigh of relief. The adherence drain on my reserves has plummeted now I only have one Favour in hand. That buys me more time to find a suitable host for Laverna¡¯s favour, and I think that one is vitally important.


    ¡°I see.¡± Kana blinked back her tears. ¡°That¡¯s... pretty impressive.¡± She smiled, and I had amber letters scrolling across my vision, announcing that Kana had become my vassal. ¡°Well, no going back now. I¡¯m under your control now. I just hope you don¡¯t start giving me any inappropriate orders, I¡¯d be simply helpless to refuse.¡± Her smile was pained but proud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t bully Miyu, Haru-san or Kikuchi Shuta-san, do I?¡± I laughed. ¡°Speaking of, was Miyu here tonight?¡±


    ¡°She was.¡± Hyacinth confirmed. ¡°She did dance a looot, Akio. I enjoy looking at her, it reminds me ooof happier times, before... before the pain.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Hyacinth likes her, she is gooooood.¡±


    ¡°I like her too.¡± Eri grinned. ¡°Especially since she has little interest in men. I can breathe easily around her. Though that flashy ninja... she¡¯s not quite right in the head, if you ask me. No way I¡¯ll let her have your child Akio, you¡¯re not some stud bull!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think she¡¯ll grow out of that.¡± I laughed. ¡°She¡¯s certainly a character. I hope that other ninjas aren¡¯t like her.¡± Ninja, Onmyo?ji, Cultivators... I expect other countries that haven¡¯t purged their ancient cultures have all sorts of shamans, witch-doctors, priests and cultists. I expect like the shrines they lost most of their power, but I would be naive to believe that others won¡¯t be leading them to regain lost glories...


    ¡°Well, how about another round of drinks to celebrate Kana¡¯s ascension to the ranks of the Chosen? We can discuss your Territory location and details another time.¡± As she agreed, I turned to Shiro. ¡°Oh, and next time Miyu comes to dance, I want you to test the effectiveness of your buffs on her, and...¡±


    As I outlined several more plans, Asha appeared with more drinks, and despite the likely late hour back in the Material, we continued to enjoy ourselves, the day having proved rather productive indeed....


    ********


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯d like to lie down on the table, I¡¯ll perform the Chirurgery.¡± I told the man who was a couple of years older than me. Behind me, Haru-san was taking notes, as was Hikawa-san, who was serving as my assistant today.


    ¡°Right. I hear it hurts.¡± The man said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not so much physical pain as it is spiritual. You¡¯ll also have discomfort for a few days...¡± I explained this for the sixteenth time today. The prospective candidates for Laverna¡¯s Favour had been brought to Tokyo, and after signing all the contracts and agreements we required from them, I had sought to check their compatibility. None had been successful though.


    As the man under me groaned as I used my Chirurgery absent-mindedly, so skilled I could now do the basic work in my sleep, I considered the situation. These sixteen were amongst the strongest in terms of latent gifts remaining in their bloodlines, so Chirurgery should help wake those up. At the least, that¡¯s useful for us long-term, and as we have them agreeing to aid us on both grounds of the faith and the new Ministry, they should be an asset we can leverage.


    My work done, Haru-san showed the unsteady man out to a waiting room, where he could rest and recover, before he would be returned to his shrine out Osaka way. Hikawa-san let out a long sigh, looking down at his tablet. ¡°So none of them were what you needed?¡± he asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No. Well, what I¡¯m looking for is quite specific, I¡¯m afraid.¡± If it was elemental, we could probably raise affinity for it by teaching a suitable candidate the relevant elements, but this... well, with the adherence I¡¯m collecting from Shiro, I can hold onto it for quite a while, so I can explore our options.


    Remembering this morning, when I had finally repaired Shiro¡¯s arm, I smiled to myself. She had been so happy she had thrown her arms around me in a hug, both of them, which had pushed her rather ample chest against mine, but she was too happy to notice for a while. When she did, she had turned so red I thought she would explode, and to cover up her embarrassment, she had swept me into a princess carry and mocked me for a while, while I let her, of course. Now it¡¯s just the mass of scars and damage to her body and legs. It won¡¯t be long now...


    Haru-san returned, shutting the door behind her. ¡°A shame.¡± She observed. ¡°Well, we could move onto the other prospects, right?¡± she said, bringing up nineteen more names, who were rated B in likelihood, as far as we could guess.


    ¡°Well, we can consider it. Getting them Chirurgery and signing the contracts is not a bad thing, but I have my doubts they¡¯ll be what we need. Well, a lot of important people from the shrines and temples will be at the funeral later, so I¡¯ll see if anybody there catches my eye. We can rule out some more names at least.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, the funeral of the Lady Diviner.¡± Hikawa-san said softly. ¡°You¡¯ll not take it too hard, I hope?¡± he asked, knowing how upset I was after the deaths of our trainees.


    ¡°I would, but... it wasn¡¯t in vain.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯ll go, as I owe it to her, and also so that my resolve doesn¡¯t waver. Besides, I wanted to talk to Yukiko-san again, I have something to discuss.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get over how casually you talk to the Imperial Princess, our Priestess of Ise.¡± Hikawa-san mused. ¡°You must have nerves of steel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Haru-san answered for me, with a laugh. ¡°He¡¯s just used to being surrounded by princesses. He¡¯s got numb to it.¡±


    ¡°You might be right.¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t be with me today, Haru-san, but you need to be at the Diet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the legislation for the new Ministry is being passed today, assuming there¡¯s no revolt by the Representatives. We aren¡¯t giving it a name yet, as Ministry for Spiritual Matters seems rather odd, unless you are in the know. Some of the legislation is rather... troubling.¡± She pointed at me accusingly. ¡°... the polygamy act most of all. You¡¯re a sinful man, Akio-san!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and unrepentant too.¡± I admitted. ¡°Hikawa-san, are you coming with me to Kyoto?¡± I asked, and he said he was.


    ¡°Yes. I need to be there. If Uchida-sama isn¡¯t capable or representing what was Susanoo at the funeral, I need to step up, for the sake of all our history. And if he is present, I¡¯d like to support him. It isn¡¯t like Conclave, where every shrine is sending representatives, but the major ones will be.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. I just hope that the funeral goes ahead without any trouble. Security in Kyoto is tight, but the protests and marches aren¡¯t dying down. If anything, the populace is getting heated up more by China¡¯s dismissive responses and our Government attempting to be cautious.¡± Yeah, the last thing we want is any trouble at the funerals. I know that Abe-san asked if they could borrow Shaeula to use her befuddling winds as we discussed, to at least allow us to release some of the foreign nationals we are holding, those willing to cooperate, and I believe the same goes for the families of the dead... The Prime Minister was definitely troubled by such a means of compulsion, as was the Leader of the Opposition, but in the end it was agreed that those willing could swear by the winds, on a time-limited basis if they wished. I suppose compromise is important... but sometimes you have to go beyond that.


    Remembering the scene at the Diet where Hinata and I had laid down the law to all those important people, I shook my head. Damn, I still can¡¯t believe I blew up like that. But I suppose it¡¯s for the best. Well, tomorrow I have the meeting with Hinata and Takatsukasa house, regarding her adoption. Then at the weekend I¡¯m meeting Shiro¡¯s allies to firm up our own cooperation. And the week after, it¡¯s the trip to the UK... damn, my schedule is packed, just like always...

 Three Hundred And Forty-Five

    Three Hundred And Forty-Five


    ¡°I appreciate you making time for this.¡± Kudou-san said, a sad expression on his face, the black suit and tie he was wearing completely at odds with his usual priestly attire. ¡°I know things are hard for you, with a lot of things you must do, Akio-kun, but... I¡¯m sure she would be happy, seeing you here.¡±


    He nodded at the coffin, where Tsukiko-san¡¯s pristine corpse lay, dressed in a white kimono, her body surrounded by flowers that had been offered by the mourners at the wake. Since I had missed that, Kudou-san insisted I offer a flower, and I had placed a single white lily beside her uncovered face, which looked peaceful in death. Beside the coffin were several Buddhist priests from the previously neutral temples, chanting sutras and burning expensive incense.


    ¡°I hope so. But... this isn¡¯t the end.¡± I avowed. ¡°Just... a stepping-stone in her journey.¡±


    ¡°It pleases me to hear you say that, Akio-kun. Too much grief can crush a man, but the right amount can strengthen resolve and character. Besides... though she was scared, she never once shied away from her destined fate.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Gin-san said, joining us, also in a mourning suit. ¡°Well, Yasuhide, to think we¡¯d all be gathered here like this, and so civilly as well. Wonders never cease.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Kudou-san smiled. ¡°But, if anyone would wish for our unity, it would have been Tsukiko-san. Yes, I always saw her as one of my own, but... she was above factions, above everything but keeping the faith and Japan safe. And now... her calling has ended.¡±


    ¡°One calling.¡± Gin-san disagreed. ¡°I do wonder what she will do with her new life.¡± He glanced at me, smiling. ¡°What do you think, Akio-kun?¡± He revelled in showing off his new closeness to me in front of his long-time rival, Kudou-san.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s up to Tsukiko-san. But whatever she wants to do, I¡¯ll support her. After all, she¡¯s my kin.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a proposal to me. Perhaps I should say something like I¡¯ll never let you have my granddaughter, but... well, I entrust her to you, Akio-kun. I hope next time, she can live the life she couldn¡¯t before.¡± Kudou-san sighed. ¡°Still, not everyone can know what we know. It is still an event filled with grief.¡±


    I had to nod at that, even ignoring the joke Kudou-san made about marriage. Sure, I offered it, but only as a means to an end. Tsukiko-san... she can do as she sees fit when she returns. Though knowing her, I doubt she can completely give up on her duties to Tsukuyomi... well, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it. The bigger issue currently was the two elderly people standing by the coffin, staring blankly into the still, composed face of their dead daughter.


    ¡°Do... do you want to speak to them?¡± Kudou-san asked, troubled. ¡°I know you still feel responsible for her death, but you did all you could. Not even the Gods themselves are infallible, we know this. Besides...¡± A look of self-loathing crossed his wrinkled face as he considered them. ¡°... they were very devout believers in the Gods. They rejoiced when their daughter who they had very late in life, was found to have a gift, the full trust and blessing of Tsukuyomi. So they didn¡¯t hesitate to encourage her to take up the role Tsukuyomi thrust upon her... from that day, not even they ever saw her face again, spoke their daughter¡¯s name. And their time with her grew infrequent, until by the time Tsukiko-chan was ten... she never saw them at all, barring rare family events.¡±


    That¡¯s certainly harsh. I was distancing myself from my family up until recently, and even that felt a bit uncomfortable. But to be isolated from such a young age... ¡°Well, I¡¯ll speak to them. Considering I was there at the end. And... I see regret in their faces. I think Tsukiko-san would like me to say something, try and console them. She was kind, and cared deeply for others.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you are right.¡± Kudou-san agreed. ¡°But she wouldn¡¯t wish you to feel uncomfortable on her behalf...¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°When I made my resolve to accept her as kin, I accepted responsibility.¡± I repeated my earlier sentiments. ¡°If you can excuse me.¡± I walked over towards them, noticing some of the other guests. Hikawa-san had travelled down with me by helicopter, and he was now with an extraordinarily pale and hollow-cheeked Uchida-san, who was as white as the corpse in the coffin. We exchanged eye contact, and Hikawa-san shrugged, showing that he had the situation in hand. Looking away guiltily, I caught sight of Yukiko-san in a rich black mourning dress. She was talking to Bankei-san, who was conducting the funeral, as a monk of some renown and with ties to every original faction of faith.


    There are other important people too. I recognised some from Conclave, the heads of major shrines from Kyoto, Tokyo and further afield. Even so, there were merely a hundred or so mourners, a far-cry from the throngs at Conclave, easily able to be accommodated by the calm, contemplative surroundings of Tsukuyomi-jinja.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I said politely, and the two elderly people turned, looking at me with a little curiosity. ¡°You were the parents of Tsukiko-san, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Tsukiko-san...¡± the old woman said, despite her grey hair and wrinkled features, reminding me a little of her daughter. She would have been beautiful when she was young, I wager. ¡°... that takes me back. Our child, our miracle under the moon...¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Her name was not to be spoken, she told us so. It seems strange, but what choice did we have? Our little girl, one we never thought we¡¯d ever have... she told us. And when the Gods ask, we mortals listen. But now... to hear her name so casually... well, she has passed, gone to the arms of her God at last, so I hope...¡± her grieving father managed, wiping at his reddened eyes. ¡°Even though we had little to do with our daughter, it still hurts to outlive her. We were old, it should have been her watching us as our souls are freed by the flames to find peace.¡±


    ¡°Were... were you close?¡± her mother asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Well, we were getting that way. We were working together for the good of Japan. It wasn¡¯t just me though...¡± I signalled discretely to Yukiko-san, who at first shook her head, but I insisted, gesturing again. Biting down a sigh, the Imperial Princess walked over, before introducing herself casually.


    ¡°I am a friend of Tsukiko¡¯s. She was my best friend, in fact. You can call me Yukiko.¡± She said, wary of whether they would recognise her, but it seemed they didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yukiko-chan. I see. A nice young girl, it seems.¡± The father said. ¡°Another to call her by her name. Did... did you do that while she was still alive? Did she like it? Did it make her feel human again?¡± He rattled off his questions, his wife nodding beside him. The scent of incense was in the air, and the gentle chants of the monks, making the situation feel a bit surreal, otherworldly.


    Yukiko-san looked at me, surprised by the questions, before deciding to throw it all to me. ¡°Actually, Akio-san here was the first to call her by her name. He said that she needed to be more than just the Diviner, that Matsumuro Tsukiko mattered just as much.¡±


    I did say something like that, didn¡¯t I? Damn, I can be pretentious at times. ¡°She did get pretty mad with me at the time.¡± I admitted, trying to turn it into a light story, one to soothe, at least a little, the grief her parents must be feeling. ¡°But I talked her round, and in the end, I think she¡¯d got used to having a name again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Her mother said, her voice cracking. She cast a glance at the cold, still body of her daughter. ¡°Our Tsukiko. We named her after the moon, as the night she was born had the most gorgeous full moon hanging in the sky. To think, just like the full moon, she was ephemeral, vanishing ahead of us, her light extinguished.¡±


    Yukiko-san looked uncomfortable with their grief. ¡°At the end... Akio-san here was with her.¡±


    I glanced at her, my eyes asking what she meant by telling them that, but she was urging me to console them further. Holding in a sigh, I nodded. ¡°Indeed. I was there as she passed. She had regrets, certainly, but until the very end, she carried out what she believed was her duty.¡±


    ¡°Kudou-sama has told us a little about her death.¡± The old man said softly. ¡°That she never backed down, not yielding to evil that was blasphemy to the Gods, and a danger to Japan. We know... it has something to do with the tragic deaths of so many in Kyoto. Not the details, but...¡±


    ¡°Our daughter was a quiet child. Until the time came when Tsukuyomi blessed her. But she would never have stood silent when evil threatened the land.¡± Her mother affirmed. ¡°So, in the end... she was satisfied? I pray so, that her soul might find peace in Tsukuyomi¡¯s embrace.¡±


    Yukiko-san and I exchanged looks. She knows as well as I that her spirit isn¡¯t in the embrace of any God, but... instinctively, I flared my Eye a little, able to see the ghostly spirit light of Tsukiko-san floating amidst a number of weaselkin, the bright light of Ginneka and the dimmer, orbiting moon of Kinneka around her, also joining the constellation only I and Shaeula could see. She¡¯s still here with me. And in time...


    ¡°Is that... a blessing of the Gods?¡± the old man asked, gasping at the light, and I nodded.


    ¡°It is. It allows me to see that which is otherwise unseen. So I know... Tsukiko-san ended up where she wanted to be. In the end, her last smile was happy.¡± I resisted the urge to touch my lips, remembering the fleeting kiss she had forced upon me as her Astral body disintegrated. I wanted to tell them that Tsukiko-san would return in time, snatched from death, but I didn¡¯t have the words, nor did I know if it was a good idea. Seeing my confusion, Yukiko-san was similarly stressed, until Kudou-san came to our rescue.


    ¡°I believe Bankei wishes to start the funeral.¡± He said, and indeed, the priests were now prepared. ¡°We can talk later, reminisce about the good times. And talk... about the future.¡±


    ¡°Future?¡± Tsukiko-san¡¯s mother said. ¡°What future can there be now our daughter has passed on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for later. Now...¡± he said, nodding respectfully to Bankei-san. ¡°... we celebrate her life and the manner of her death, and may the Gods hear all about it.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t she tell them herself? Surely she will be in Tengoku, eternally rewarded for her deeds and sacrifices in life?¡± her father protested. Kudou-san merely smiled mysteriously, meeting my eyes, and as Bankei-san began the service, I found myself listening to his praise of her devotion and piety, and the new name she was given in death, so as to not call back her dead soul by calling her true name, was the longest I had ever heard, signifying the respect Bankei-san and the other priests held her in. If only it was as easy as religion would have us believe, that a name could recall the spirits of the slain. If so, then many of those who died in Kyoto could be reborn. Alas, life is seldom so kind...


    ********


    ¡°I insist. My wife and I are old, and we have no other family left. Besides... I know our daughter looked on you as a father figure, Kudou-sama.¡± After the funeral, we had all offered more beautiful flowers to Tsukiko-san, and her coffin was overflowing with beautiful white petals as it was sealed shut. We had then travelled across Kyoto to a crematorium, where the coffin had been burned, along with her body.


    Seeing the look of horror on Yukiko-san¡¯s face had shocked me. When she asked me hurriedly if Tsukiko-san needed her body to return, I understood though. I had consoled her by pointing out that Haru-san had no body but managed just fine with one from a Throne. Really, she should already know that, I think the occasion is getting to her. Which is understandable. Funerals of those you love are never easy. We had briefly discussed my plans for Tsukiko-san when she returned, or rather, my lack of them, as I was planning to allow Tsukiko-san to choose her path in life from this point onwards, but it seemed all that had been forgotten in Yukiko-san¡¯s grief.


    ¡°Very well, I would be honoured to aid with the kotsuage, but... I believe that Akio-kun and ... Yukiko-chan...¡± he grinned over the name, as she was keeping her status as the Princess secret, causing her to look away, face pink. ¡°... should be allowed to assist us as well. After all, your daughter opened up her heart to them as she did to few others. Besides...¡± he smiled, as he picked up a pair of ornamental metal chopsticks. ¡°... Akio-kun here holds your hope of seeing your daughter again.¡±


    He went and said it. I mean, they are obviously devout believers, and know of Tsukiko-san¡¯s powers at the least, so I understand it¡¯s not a large risk, but... I exchanged a glance with Yukiko-san, who sighed. ¡°Just tell them. It¡¯s cruel not to, letting them think that Tsukiko is in Tengoku.¡±


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t relevant.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Of course I¡¯m angry and sad, and grieving.¡±


    ¡°Well then, aren¡¯t you ashamed of the pathetic response of our Government, clearly scared of the Chinese, despite them not once, but if rumours are to be believed, twice, causing a tragedy, and the government even tried to cover up this with laughable lies about a suicide cult.¡± He pressed me triumphantly. ¡°Your precious friend is killed, and not only has China not even accepted responsibility, their response is threatening and mocking! Doesn¡¯t your heart cry out for justice against those that killed your cherished friend?¡±


    My fists clenched at that. Damn right I want justice against that fucking golden-eyed piece of shit. All I did was destroy a clone, sure I probably hurt it a bit with that, but... well, next time I will destroy it. And not just for Tsukiko-san, but Yukiko-san too. Well, I guess Shiro will be helping me, if Tsukiko-san was right. Well, I¡¯m sure she is...


    ¡°I do. But...¡± I let a little more League leak out. Unsealing my full presence against a mob of ordinary people like this wasn¡¯t wise, but I wanted them to be overwhelmed by me. ¡°... the Government should be given time to formulate a response. If we act hastily... the last thing we want is war, imagine it. Bombs falling on our cities again, the numbers of the dead dwarfing the deaths here. Children orphaned, widows wailing, brothers clutching their dying sisters...¡± Ugh, too real an image, it makes me angry.


    ¡°So you say we should do nothing, let China get away with it?¡± The reporter said triumphantly, though he was sweating a bit as my words hammered into him. ¡°Then what about the next time, and the time after? War might come whether we want it or not...¡±


    ¡°No. I have faith in the Government, that the Prime Minister will keep a cool head. And that the Opposition won¡¯t play politics on this, putting gain above lives.¡± I wonder if they¡¯ll see this interview. They¡¯d be shocked, I bet. Well, it¡¯s a local Kyoto TV station, so I doubt it. ¡°I understand why you want to strike back. The girl here, Tsukiko-san...¡± I said her name, wanting to affirm she was herself, had existed. ¡°... she didn¡¯t want to die, but in the end, she fought bravely... so I¡¯m told.¡± I added, since obviously I wouldn¡¯t have been here to see it. ¡°Perhaps some survived who otherwise wouldn¡¯t, due to her actions, and the actions of the others who also died heroically. I would ask you all this...¡± I flexed my League, and for a moment everyone was captured, looking at me intently. ¡°... don¡¯t be hasty, don¡¯t put their bravery, Tsukiko-san¡¯s bravery, to shame, throwing mud on their deaths. Trust me, vengeance is coming, justice is coming, but it can¡¯t be at the cost of more lives, more happiness. I don¡¯t want anyone else to feel the grief I feel, that the others who lost people feel.¡±


    ¡°Well... uh, well said.¡± The reporter was rather flummoxed. ¡°So, do... you have any ideas of what you¡¯d like to happen, if not an aggressive response to China?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like the Government to be calm, measured, think things through. The thing about justice is, it needs to be just. It won¡¯t be served by being reckless and risking the lives of our citizens and soldiers. And revenge... well, there¡¯s a saying in the West. It¡¯s a dish best served cold.¡±


    ¡°I see. But not everyone feels that way. They want to see action now.¡± he gestured, and the remaining crowd, which had shrunk noticeably, shouted their agreement.


    ¡°I understand that. Obviously the quicker we seek redress, justice, the better. But I...¡± I drew their attention again. ¡°... am not prepared to lose anything else in exchange, see any more grief. So please. By all means, show your anger, but... let the experts do their thing, search for the best outcome. It¡¯s only been a few days. Give the Government time, and I¡¯m sure they can take action that will satisfy you. They¡¯d better.¡± I said firmly, getting a few laughs from the mob.


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s been refreshing to get a perspective from someone who has suffered loss from the invasion.¡± The reporter said, a bit overwhelmed by my stat-boosted charisma. ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°If you could move on now, please?¡± I asked the remaining protesters. ¡°I want to escort the grieving parents out, they don¡¯t want to see this.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable.¡± The leader of the protesters said. ¡°Sorry about this. You¡¯re one of us, you understand. I... well, maybe we can give the Government a chance. But it¡¯s so... frustrating.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I clapped him on the back, despite being irritated at their protests and attitudes. Well, they don¡¯t know what¡¯s really going on. Tempers are running hot and high, but they¡¯ll cool. We just have to keep the protests in check until they burn themselves out. ¡°I¡¯m sorely frustrated too. But... we need to stand together. If we show China weakness like political unrest, that won¡¯t be good, right? We need to be united, a monolith. That way, they¡¯ll think twice about further strife.¡±


    ¡°You make a good point.¡± The reporter said, capturing that footage. The march was breaking up, and as the people left, the reporter handed me his card. ¡°If you ever want to do an interview, or talk more about it, give me a call. You¡¯re quite the eloquent speaker.¡± He grinned then. ¡°I was planning to film the protesters all day, but this is more of a story. You single-handedly dispersed them.¡±


    Damn, this guy is a bit of a snake, no, that¡¯s an insult to Shirohebi. ¡°Well, normally my public speaking skills are a bit on the poor side.¡± I smiled. ¡°But I¡¯ve been doing more and more recently, so I had to improve eventually. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me...¡± I gestured to the crematorium. ¡°I¡¯d like their privacy respected.¡±


    As the camera crew left, I headed back inside, shaking my head. These protests are still small, with only a few incidents. I just hope nothing else happens to spark off further trouble...


    ********


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work.¡± Yukiko-san said, clinking her glass against mine in the small izakaya-style bar we had found in a quiet corner of Kyoto. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave with a camera crew out there. It¡¯d be very problematic.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Princess Mikasa at a funeral for the Kyoto dead. I mean, I¡¯m sure it¡¯d touch the hearts of the nation, but it might lead to questions as to why that small funeral.¡± I took a sip of my sake, feeling the pleasant burn of the alcohol.


    ¡°Well, my heart was touched.¡± She muttered, sipping her own drink. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m sure Tsukiko would have been happy you were there, and the things you said. I¡¯m certainly happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, her parents, they have hope now. I¡¯m surprised how readily they believed it, though perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be, considering who their daughter is.¡±


    ¡°Not just her. Me too. I... I don¡¯t want to live in a world without her. Where she never gets a chance to be rewarded for all her good deeds. She¡¯s supported me long before I was blessed by Amaterasu, since I was just the Priestess of Ise. Without her, I¡¯d have struggled. I¡¯m not outgoing, you know...¡±


    ¡°Really? You seem to be talkative enough with me.¡±


    ¡°I am, aren¡¯t I?¡± she said, surprised, pushing up her red-framed glasses idly with one finger, appraising me with her brown eyes. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s probably because we were both friends with Tsukiko, although...¡± she eyed me, one hand toying idly with her brown braid. ¡°... I wonder. No, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She finished her cup of sake, and poured another from the jug. ¡°It¡¯s probably because you¡¯re going to look after me, right? Light, darkness and twilight, and all that nonsense.¡± She snorted. ¡°Tsukiko didn¡¯t believe it was you she saw who could save me, but... what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it doesn¡¯t matter what we think. If you need saving, I¡¯ll help. After all, I¡¯ve already got two princesses in hand, what¡¯s a third?¡± I smiled, pouring myself more.


    ¡°With a fourth to come, right? You¡¯re going to meet Princess Eleanor from the United Kingdom, soon? I wish I was as elegant as her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± I assured her. ¡°But yes, that¡¯s on the agenda, I have to warn her about the dangers that Tsukiko-san foresaw.¡±


    ¡°Well, enough about that. Didn¡¯t you say you had matters to discuss with me? Oh, barman, some snacks please. And another jug, no, make it two!¡± As she ordered, the funeral clearly weighing heavy on her, as well it might, considering she saw the body of her friend cremated, helped ferry the bones and ashes to the ceremonial urn with her own hands, I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s time we established further lines of communication and cooperation, helped each other out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± She said, and I asked her about the Grand Shrine, and what was there. She described the stunning scenery, the rich history, and in the Boundary, the fiery fountains of Amaterasu that lit up the skies. That piqued my interest.


    ¡°... are very beautiful, if eerie.¡± She admitted, animated now she was a little tipsy. ¡°Golden yellow flames just as the sun is, soaring to the sky and cascading down like fountains, yet the droplets of gold aren¡¯t hot. It¡¯s... relaxing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to organise some ... cultural exchange.¡± I grinned, and as she tilted her head questioningly, I continued. ¡°A source of fire element like that... we¡¯ve been making do with what Shaeula and I can spare, but ideally I¡¯d like to send some trainees down to learn, and also we can fill up some batteries...¡± I planned. ¡°Oh, of course, I¡¯d be happy to exchange for elements we possess, like wind and water.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, not really, but... does that mean I¡¯d have visitors at the shrine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and in exchange you could visit my Territory. I can help you level up and optimise your skills. Maybe give you some new equipment as well.¡±


    ¡°I still have that armour you made for me. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± she asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°For now, maybe. But that slimy clone was strong. And I¡¯m not convinced what worked last time will work again. So we need to prepare, work together. Hey, that¡¯s a thought... are you leaving Kyoto tonight?¡±


    She gave me a flat, troubled look. ¡°I was planning too, though I¡¯m on a leave of absence from University at the moment. Why?¡±


    ¡°It just so happens I¡¯m meeting my friends here in Kyoto Boundary for some exploration and levelling up. It might be a good chance for me to see you in action, offer some pointers. It¡¯ll be beneficial, I promise.¡±


    For a long moment she looked at me, considering, her eyes wary, before she sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± She finished another cup, pouring some more out. ¡°I trust you, I suppose. Considering what you did for Tsukiko. Well, a toast then. To... training?¡±


    ¡°To training!¡± I grinned, clinking our cups together, before I downed the sake...

 Three Hundred And Forty-Six

    Three Hundred And Forty-Six


    ¡°So, who¡¯s the girl then, Aki?¡± Shiro asked, tilting her head, trying to place her. ¡°She seems a bit familiar, but...¡± Before she could say more her hair burst into flames and her eyes turned crimson, and Tan was licking Shiro¡¯s lips seductively.


    ¡°Such a magnificent fire, one bursting with divinity. My stomach is still full, but I believe I could drink a little...¡± she suddenly paused as I karate-chopped her head gently.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way you get to eat a friend and ally, Tan. Stick to bad people.¡± I warned.


    ¡°I was not seriously considering it. But the smell is simply so alluring...¡± she protested, before Shiro wrested back control. Behind her, Eri and Shaeula were laughing, having met Yukiko-san before and knowing who she was, while Kana, who also knew who she was, was shrinking, a little overawed. I don¡¯t know why though, it¡¯s not much different to Shaeula. Or is it because she¡¯s the princess of your country, not a foreign Fae one?


    ¡°Shit, Tan, calm down.¡± Shiro pouted, rubbing at her head. ¡°And Aki, that¡¯s my body you¡¯re whacking! I¡¯ve only just been healed, don¡¯t break me again! Besides, if you damaged my brain, the world would weep!¡±


    Her humorous complaints broke the tension, Yukiko-san looking on a bit bemused, the armour I had given her still part of her attire here in the Boundary. On seeing that, I introduced her. ¡°Shiro, this is Yukiko-san, she¡¯s the Imperial Princess of Japan, and Priestess of the Grand Shrine at Ise, as well as Chosen of Amaterasu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Yukiko-san said gracefully, though she seemed a bit uncomfortable. ¡°And to see you again.¡± She nodded politely to Shaeula and Eri.


    ¡°Yes, it is good-good to see a fellow princess here, even if your title of Princess of Heaven still makes me rather-rather jealous.¡± Shaeula chuckled, and Eri also returned her greetings, drawing a curious gaze from Yukiko-san.


    ¡°That was just what Tsukiko said. That¡¯s not my official title.¡± She protested. ¡°By the way... Eri-san... those ears and tail?¡±


    Eri flushed, embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s a side-effect of my survival. Try not to pay it any mind. I¡¯m embarrassed enough by it.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°I know you are pleased by the way it allures Akio, even now-now your tail is lashing happily, is it not-not?¡±


    As the banter continued, Kana spoke up, relieved. ¡°Is it always like this? So... carefree? I¡¯ll be honest, Akio. Since this is my first time as a true Chosen, going out to fight properly... I¡¯m scared. But everyone is so relaxed, like it¡¯s not a big deal. Am I wrong to be worried?¡±


    ¡°I think... it¡¯s because they are confident in their power?¡± Yukiko-san said to her, thinking. ¡°I see you are wearing hakama, but I don¡¯t recall seeing you as one of the Chosen at Conclave.¡± She inquired.


    Kana looked at me, asking for permission, which I granted with a nod. ¡°Excuse me then, for not introducing myself further. I am Izumi Kana, daughter of Shirohebizumi shrine. I... only recently became a Chosen, and I am Akio¡¯s vassal. This is my first time out and about like this, so I¡¯m pretty nervous.¡±


    ¡°I see. Only recently, huh? Well, at least you aren¡¯t alone. That makes a big difference.¡± She said contemplatively. ¡°Shirohebizumi? That was one of the shrines who has a kami able to walk the world, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡± as the two talked, I asked Shaeula how her day went, as I opened up my menu to check my Territory.


    ¡°I was indeed rather-rather busy. Firstly, a delegation from Duke Formor arrived. Several dozen-dozen trolls, led by a giant. Hyacinth, Grulgor and my brother are... settling them in.¡± Her smile was cold. ¡°Hyacinth does have a deep-deep grudge against the giants, since they defeated and imprisoned her, and they know it, but she does not-not care, since it led to her finding us, finding you. Even so, seeing her greatly increased strength, Grulgor¡¯s too, it does-does make them wonder. My brother, he can apply pressure from a political standpoint so...¡± she shrugged. ¡°... I anticipate no trouble, and we can use them to great-great effect in our defences. They do wish to be-be trained, to gain strength as Grulgor has, but... that is for later.¡± She smiled. ¡°Duke Formor is a proud, fiery and angry giant, but he is not-not a cunning schemer like Duke Vulpatrius. He does-does wish for the defeat of the Unseelie, and has pressed for our plans on assaulting Salamandrastrae. Of course, such is simply folly for now. I suggested that depending on where-where the Seelie Court ends up after the next transition, we may have other-other targets to attack first.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, extra forces are always nice, especially if we are going to go for a Rank 4 upgrade and the defences will be down. Assuming we can trust them, of course.¡±


    So, the Dwarven Smelter was done a couple of days ago, and since then I just stuck in a Treasury upgrade to Rank 3, as it was cheap and would fill the queue for a while, besides, with the mines working away, extra space to store precious metals and gems won¡¯t be useless. So the current queues are at


    Ether Density Anchor Spire Rank 2 at just under ninety-six days


    Ether Spire Anchor Spire Rank 2 at the same.


    Ether Spire Rank 4 at two hundred and five days.


    Treasury Rank 3 at thirty-eight days.


    In terms of ether, we were holding just a bit over eight hundred thousand ether. The amount was nice, but I couldn¡¯t help but lament the slowing that was dramatically reducing how much ether my Territory was pulling in. Ordinarily, over the last few days in the Material we¡¯d have made most of that from my Territory alone, but with time not being much faster here currently, and the reduced amount of ether gained due to the slowing itself... yeah, in a way we¡¯re lucky that worthless clone bastard gave out a lot of ether on death. In addition, everyone was working hard grinding, which was also increasing our stocks. So, in just a few days I can rush-build Haru-san¡¯s Territory to Rank 3, and then we can look at preparing the ether for my own upgrade. Damn, I¡¯m nervous...


    Shaeula was continuing to boast, chest puffed out in pride. ¡°At least the giant did not-not come empty-handed.¡± She was gloating. ¡°A box of Etherites and some more precious metals were-were given as... compensation... for the incidents that plagued us. Oh, they did not-not admit any fault of course, but they hoped such a gift would... help us forget about the past.¡±


    ¡°And will it?¡± Eri asked.


    ¡°No, however, I am not-not a fool, I will gladly take what is offered. There were blue and green Etherites, as well as a great-great number of red, orange and yellow ones. It makes the offerings my brother brought look paltry. Well, Ixitt was rather pleased.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Well, we should get going.¡± I declared. ¡°Today I¡¯d like to push all the way towards Kiyomizu-dera and check out the situation there. Since we have a guest with us, we shouldn¡¯t have any problems.¡±


    ¡°Kiyomizu-dera? That¡¯s the Uchida family shrine.¡± Yukiko-san said. ¡°I suppose with Uchida Yamato-san being... indisposed, the shrine is unprotected.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s in reach of Haru-san¡¯s Territory should she push to Rank 3.¡± I agreed. Gin-san could cover most of Kyoto from Kinkaku-ji with his own Rank 3 Territory, including Kiyomizu-dera, but the south would be out of his aegis, so it¡¯s better to have Haru-san, who is more central, go first. And I admit to being greedy, I want the light element there under our control, as well as the Unique Building, if it still stands. It was easy for me to justify it too, considering that Haru-san was a Chosen of Kannon, just like Yamato-san used to be.


    ¡°Hearing you talk, I¡¯m rather surprised to hear how simple you make these matters. Yes, I can strengthen the lands around Ise, with the grace of Amaterasu, but when you talk about Ranks like that, it does sound awfully convenient.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aki has all the classic cheat skills.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°I know...¡± her smile was teasing, and I knew she was about to say something outrageous. ¡°... why not become a vassal to Aki? That way you can benefit from all his cheats?¡±


    Yukiko-san paused for a moment, mouth flapping, before shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s... not a good idea. As the Priestess of Ise, as a member of the Imperial Family, I can¡¯t lower myself to be below anyone else. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t trust you... after all, Tsukiko chose you to be the one to save me and the other Princesses of the Six Paths...¡± at that, Shiro raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading on her face. ¡°... but, no.¡± she looked at Shiro then. ¡°Are you a vassal then? You seem far too proud for that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think... I can do much to help.¡± She admitted, and I shook my head, drawing my own weapons, the old spear I carried before and my old pair of first-generation pistols Ixitt made.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. You can help plenty. For a first outing, you¡¯ve been brave, and you¡¯ve surely gained a number of levels. So...¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll protect your precious Eri-san!¡± she affirmed. ¡°Now go!¡± Ruby light flickered, and the ground formed a wall around them, with a small window so they could see out of it. Not bad, she¡¯s picking it up fast. I know we¡¯ve been giving her pointers on how to use earth, and her gift is earth-based, but... It was possible she was a natural. From their position of safety, Eri could unleash bolts of light and darkness element, while Kana could use her powers to cause the earth to erupt, or counter enemy attacks.


    ¡°Shaeula, Shiro, Yukiko-san...¡± I called their names. ¡°I¡¯m taking down that big bastard, and freeing the captives.¡±


    ¡°By all means.¡± Shaeula grinned wickedly, lightning flashing, thunder booming as apes fell, the wet mud they were creating conducting the electricity, shocking them. ¡°I have no wish to face such a frightfully ugly-ugly creature.¡±


    ¡°I have no wish to devour it.¡± Tan agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯m very tired. I think... I¡¯ll hold the rear.¡± Yukiko-san agreed.


    ¡°Right, then here goes!¡± I activated Body Enhancement and raced into the mob, which was already losing Yokai fast as the barrage of deadly attacks from the girls was taking a heavy toll, ether scattering everywhere. Yeah, as the Myconids proved, genocide can be profitable... My thoughts irreverent, my spear stabbed home in the head of one foe, and as it fell, I used my off-hand to fire the pistol. The bullet tore into the body of an ape before detonating with a surge of wind element, blood scattering. Another squeeze of the trigger, and another Sarugami toppled, headless. Even so, in that time, I had stabbed three more to death, so with a sigh, I put away the pistol. Yeah, these first generation weapons don¡¯t do me much good anymore. They¡¯re better for the weaselkin, who don¡¯t have our level of power...


    A pinwheel whizzed past me, the wire bisecting a group of charging monkeys, their torsos tumbling free, and as the ground around me surged up, forming a tide of bludgeoning waves, it suddenly solidified, and I could hear a cheeky ¡°You¡¯re welcome...¡± from Kana. Light flashed, and a shaman tumbled, skull drilled by a focussed laser of light, Eri striking from a distance.


    ¡°All right, time to bring you down.¡± My spear stabbed and pierced, bodies falling, and with my free hand I trailed vibrating strands of near invisible wind, matching Shaeula in cutting apart the hordes. I don¡¯t want to waste Foehn or Prominence Twilight for a battle like this. I¡¯d like to be full before the next major battle...


    The crude palanquin carried by the giant apes was in front of me, and the first huge monkey screamed as my spear shattered one knee. It stumbled, palanquin tipping, and my next thrust took it through the chin, piercing through to the brain. Blood showered down, but with a flick of wind I deflected it, before my own earth element softened the ground, and two more monkeys fell, legs snapped by their suddenly arrested momentum as they trod in the quagmire. Using that moment I leapt onto the wildly tilting platform, only to dodge backwards as the Sarugami lord lashed out with his long blade, spittle flying at me, hot breath coming in angry rasps.


    ¡°So slow.¡± I slid aside, marvelling at how weak this clown was compared to some of the opponents I had faced recently, such as the kitsune or the Matriarch from the Night Parade, or the ice wielding Chosen, to say nothing of that damn golden-eyed clone.


    The prisoners were being pulled along by his movements, blood sprouting from torn, scraped flesh, so I needed to end this fast. Wind whined, the chains, made from crude pig-iron and shaped stone, shattered instantly. The captives tumbled, but with Split Thoughts running I caught them all with more wind, gently lowering them to safety. Flame bloomed, and a group of enemies behind them burned to blackened ashes, Yukiko-san rushing forwards. ¡°I¡¯ll get them to safety!¡± she promised me, and I waved back at her, my spear blocking a blow from the sword, before stabbing the ape in the chest. It should have been a fatal blow, but the Yokai roared, swelling up, muscles ballooning like a comical cartoon. The shaft of my spear snapped, and it grinned, laughing as it swung at me again.


    Too bad. Well, that weapon was old, Bjarki won¡¯t complain too much about me breaking that one... My foot moved, slamming into the sword, snapping it. My palm strike was modelled on Daiyu¡¯s style, which I found rather elegant, and I struck where the spearhead was embedded, driving it in further. As the lord stumbled, coughing blood, I brought out the pistols again, and squeezed the trigger. Moments later, the creature fell, headless. ¡°Right then. Now for clean-up.¡± Leaping down, my booted foot crunched into the skull of one of the surviving giant apes, and water bullets flashed, piercing the last one repeatedly...


    ********


    ¡°Well, looks like this is as far as they¡¯d expanded.¡± I said, once we had mopped up the remaining Sarugami. Scouting the surrounding area had only led to us discovering a few roving bands, which we had quickly purged. ¡°I guess the threat is over. Though there¡¯s a definite power vacuum in Kyoto now.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did defeat several of the Yokai that claimed parts of Kyoto as their own, did you not-not?¡± Shaeula chided me. ¡°And then the invasion destroyed many-many shrines and lesser Territories.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The major ones such as the surviving Chosen, and the Imperial Palace, as well as a few other prominent areas, are now islands in a sea of unclaimed land. And the Night Parade has moved on for now as well...¡± I observed, watching as Shiro burned the remaining crude fortifications, Tan having retreated, insisting such work was clearly beneath her. ¡°All the more reason we need to bring some order back to the sacred city.¡±


    The creatures we had saved were a minor kami from a fallen shrine who had somehow escaped the invasion, only to be captured by the newcomers, as well as three strange Yokai, who defied classification. All four of them were grateful and pledged their loyalty, so after some emergency healing we had them sent back to my Territory. Apparently the Sarugami tribe was one of many who lived in the mountains outside Kyoto, and they had lost a territorial dispute and were forced to risk Kyoto, normally a death sentence for them, but due to the unusual circumstances they quickly established a foothold.


    ¡°To think that a massive group of Yokai like that weren¡¯t your match.¡± Kana was impressed. ¡°I guess I really did choose the right lord to become a vassal too.¡± She winked.


    ¡°Well, how was your first night on official duties?¡± I asked as we made our way to Kiyomizu-dera. The golden fountains of light were still venting energies, the density in the air increasing again, after we had robbed it all during our training. My Eye blazed, and happily I could still see the Glorious Idol Of Kannon, unharmed. Offering a little prayer, that Kannon would accept Haru-san¡¯s stewardship, and she could forgive me for destroying Yamato-san¡¯s Territory, I looked to the girls again.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad. I¡¯d have been scared on my own, but together... well, I felt safe. I didn¡¯t like... killing... but when I saw the state those captives were in.... you¡¯re right, Eri-san, Akio. If it was my family or friends in their hands, I don¡¯t want to even think about it.¡±


    ¡°As for me...¡± Yukiko-san said, clearly exhausted, her eyes tired behind her red-framed glasses. ¡°... I admit it was nice to work together with others. Amaterasu cleanses all my enemies with fire, but... it¡¯s exhausting, and having those I can trust to watch my back is reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be a vassal?¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°Aki could watch you all the time then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± She said, sitting down. ¡°Well, it was profitable anyway. I feel stronger.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Kana agreed.


    ¡°Even I managed a level. I guess quantity over quality works.¡± I laughed, having seen the amber letters after cleaning up the remaining Yokai. ¡°More importantly, we pulled in a lot of ether. If everyone keeps working hard, in the next few days, we can bring Haru-san¡¯s Territory to Rank 3 and secure Kyoto. Perhaps then we can push out into the surrounding hills.¡± I looked at Yukiko-san then. ¡°Once my Territory is Rank 4, we¡¯ll have to secure Kyoto and the surrounds as well. My Territory won¡¯t reach Kyoto, nor even Ise Grand Shrine, it just falls short of that, if my projections are right. So either Haru-san, Gin-san or you will have to step up. Well, we¡¯ll worry about that when the time comes.¡± I bit down on a yawn. ¡°I have a busy day tomorrow. We should call it a night. Yukiko-san, it¡¯s been fun. We should work together again when we get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Well, us princesses should most-most certainly stick together.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Apparently I¡¯m supposed to be against this shitty golden-eyed blob, so...¡± Shiro began, and as the girls chatted, I turned to Eri, who was watching, a faint smile on her face, looking a little lonely. She then let loose a squeal of surprise as I pulled her into my lap, head on my thighs, while I stroked her hair, ignoring Kana¡¯s snickers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know you feel bad that you¡¯re still so unstable. But...¡± I bent down and kissed her forehead gently. ¡°... just like Shiro, in time you¡¯ll go from strength to strength, fully restored.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just... well, never mind. I¡¯m just the only human here who doesn¡¯t have a Favour. Even Aiko does now.¡±


    ¡°If I ever find an enemy who has one I think would suit you, I¡¯ll grab it for sure.¡± I promised, Laverna¡¯s Favour still weighing on my adherence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± Eri said softly, and as I cradled her head gently on my thighs, watching the pretty play of light element streaking to the skies, my thoughts turned to my next task, the nobility. Well, I guess my work is never done. Damn, I need a day off, I really do...

 Three Hundred And Forty-Seven

    Three Hundred And Forty-Seven


    ¡°And you¡¯re done. There¡¯ll be some discomfort and deep prickling feelings for a day or two while your body flushes out the debris, but you¡¯ll soon get used to it.¡± I clapped the large Hispanic man on the shoulder, and he thanked me in heavily-accented English, before pulling on his t-shirt and heading out of the room.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the last of them.¡± I sighed, relieved. ¡°Finding a time to fit the Black Wolf in was tough.¡± Luckily, I had received my buffs from Shiro during the period I had worked on her earlier. With my Chakra Network temporarily working at Rank 7, my aether capacity and generation was more than an order of magnitude stronger than normal, so performing mass Chirurgery was possible, if tiring. I think... one more day for Shiro. Now it¡¯s just the scars on the sensitive areas of her body that remain, and the last pools of adherence polluting her chakra network. Remembering how Shiro had blushed, wearing the shortest shorts imaginable and a crop top, while I removed the scars from her long, pale legs and her torso and back, I had to smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t entirely get it, but good job, man.¡± Trey said, handing me a cold drink, which I took gratefully. ¡°We still don¡¯t understand entirely how any of this works.¡±


    ¡°Shit, how could we?¡± Aliyah piped up. She had lost interest when Shaeula had left, after doing Chirurgery on the small number of female recruits in the Black Wolf. ¡°We¡¯re not special like you.¡± She snorted, crossing her arms under her massive chest, frustrated. ¡°We should be though. Fighting shouldn¡¯t be left to little girls.¡±


    ¡°Aliyah.¡± Trey warned her, his tone harsh. ¡°Considering how young you were when we started the Black Wolf, you aren¡¯t one to talk.¡±


    ¡°Shit bro, shut up! It¡¯s different for us, we didn¡¯t have a choice, we had to make hard choices or starve. No way I was going to sell myself like some of the other girls that grew up in our ghetto. These... they have a choice...¡±


    ¡°And they chose to be strong.¡± I said, understanding her point, as it was something I worried about myself, but... I had come to terms with the answer. ¡°I think... I¡¯d rather they had the means to defend themselves, even if that involves fighting, than to be ordinary, at the mercy of any disaster, just like Kyoto.¡± I clenched my fist. Behind me, the TV was showing a TV studio, where the journalists were discussing the emergency meeting of all the Representatives yesterday, and the strange emergency legislation passed.


    ¡°... new unnamed Ministry passed with near-universal support, with the Governing Party and the Opposition both agreeing to share responsibility and posts, in a near-unprecedented move.¡± one man was saying to his colleague, who nodded soberly.


    ¡°Indeed. It is good to see some sort of reaction to the disastrous events of Kyoto over the past weeks, and the aberrant actions of China. Though I do have to question some of the legislation.¡±


    ¡°I know. Fast-track immigration clearance and special dual-citizenship for those with ¡®talents fundamental to the safety and security of the nation in fields such as economics, technology and the military¡¯. Immigration and the treatment of foreign nationals has long been a thorny issue for conservative Japanese citizens, who worry about the dilution of our unique culture and heritage.¡±


    ¡°Especially with other strange sidebars. The liberalisation of marriage laws seems an extremely controversial choice and rather ill-timed.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You actually went and did it, you damn pervert.¡± Aliyah scoffed, hearing the correspondents talk about the polygamy act. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m actually impressed that you¡¯d go so far. I guess you do keep your promises.¡±


    ¡°I do. And back on topic...¡± I said, as the reporters moved on to provisions for the preservation of cultural and religious treasures and traditions within the new, seemingly nameless Ministry. ¡°... I have no intention of letting them fight alone, but Kyoto showed disaster can strike anywhere. So I feel at peace knowing that those I care about, those I want to protect, have the strength to, if not fight and win, at least protect themselves long enough to escape or for help to arrive.¡± I looked at Trey and Aliyah then. ¡°And that¡¯s why you were released from prison, right? To help protect me and mine?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there, sis.¡± Trey muttered, looking at me approvingly.


    ¡°Shit. Shit. I know...¡± she groused, and I got the impression most of her complaints were just reflexive, rather than heartfelt. ¡°Speaking of...¡± she pointed at the TV, where more of the new laws were being discussed.


    ¡°... internal security measures brought about by the changing world. Japan is committed to never being an aggressor, as the JSDF is purely a self-defence force, but it seems that the Government is taking matters seriously, despite their initial clumsy response, which might help damp down the explosive protests that have rocked the nation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though there have been only a few incidents of overt violence so far, such as that firebombing, and the stabbing of a Chinse tourist, the perpetrator, a forty-nine year old man...¡±


    ¡°...passing laws to increase scrutiny of foreign nationals and Japanese citizens, as well as a new branch of the police force with special powers to request cooperation from all citizens in emergency situations, as well as an expansion to the JSDF. That¡¯s the sort of secret police shit Dictators pull. I¡¯m amazed that the citizenry are swallowing it.¡± Aliyah said sourly.


    ¡°Well, Japanese citizens are generally very law-abiding, so most of them actually welcome stricter policing.¡± I sighed. ¡°Besides, you know what it¡¯s for. We need to track entering Chosen, Cultivators, perhaps even spiritual beings. If they come in peace, that¡¯s fine, but otherwise...¡± These powers also give us leeway to search for our own citizens who might be Chosen, and also for suitable candidates to accept Divine Favours we obtain.


    ¡°...new Research and Development projects to revitalise industry and upgrade our lacking military might to deter further attacks, as well as new land development and resource management laws. Some of these seem a little odd, such as the ability to requisition strategic resources from registered Territories for short-term emergency situations, with suitable Government compensation. The annexes to this legislation list a number of resources, but they seem to be code-names. And what¡¯s a registered Territory?¡± the reporter said, confused.


    Really, all the new laws tying the Ministry together could be summed up thusly.


    Culturally, there were the changes to immigration. Dual Nationality was allowed again in specific rare circumstances, with special, government-issue diplomatic-style passports, for high-value immigration, for example Shaeula or Ixitt, or say we poached a Chosen from the US but they wanted to keep their citizenship there. The change in the law allowing Polygamy was slipped in as part of a generous incentive scheme to import and retain such exceptional talent, and was already drawing attention, but with so many other odd laws, it wasn¡¯t garnering the lion¡¯s share. The nobility and the faith had also requested that certain laws were enshrined to protect their interests. Which is understandable, everyone has to look out for themselves. But later... the nobility has to learn that they aren¡¯t the rulers of Japan. Tonight... we¡¯ll get our fair due.


    There were then the security measures. Expansion of the JSDF and the technology and weaponry allowed was at the forefront. Current laws only allowed for defensive weapons, so we lacked long-range firepower and other staples of the Military other countries enjoyed. It looked as though the legislation was to address this, due to Chinese aggression, as a deterrent, but it was actually allowing the Military to make use of Chosen powers. The new Police Force was also established, with powers to screen citizens, so that we could easily find suitable people as needed, as well as deal with law-breaking Chosen, spiritual beings and foreign agents. The full set of laws on Chosen abilities was being worked on and couldn¡¯t be released yet without blowing secrecy wide open, but it was ready to be passed as a coda to cap off the Ministry as soon as the situation was appropriate. There were also laws on registered personnel having relaxed restrictions on armaments and use of force. This was not drawing as much heat as I had imagined, as the legislation was worded in ways that made it seem like it applied to the new Police, but it could actually be extended to those under Ministry aegis such as the Black Wolf. I daresay we¡¯ll have to deal with the fallout on this soon enough, but as national security measures, we can push it through.


    Then there were economic measures. The legislation passed on Governmental subsidies for certain special industries, which meant that for example my Research and Development with Ichijou house would qualify us for substantial tax benefits, so long as our technology was in key areas such as military, energy and resource security, or public order. The taxing of other Chosen who wished their Territories to be registered and protected by the Ministry for key projects, such as pushing my Territory to Rank 4, that also passed, and the list of resources, such as Ether, Etherites and more, was enshrined in law, though as the commentators on TV thought, most people assumed they were codenames for something. I don¡¯t feel guilty about it anymore. Though... before we can go for Rank 4, I¡¯ll need to upgrade some Silos, and it might be worth thinking of the Ether Spires as well. I¡¯ll need to run numbers, but... we¡¯re probably looking in the region of two hundred million ether in total. The numbers are insane. But not unreachable...


    Lastly in terms of economics, the law ceding nominal control of public and government infrastructure to suitable parties in exchange for support, passed. That would be the ceremonial payment of one yen per year per square metre. It seemed a small amount, and it was, but for example, if one was to convert the whole of greater Tokyo to this, it would be around thirteen billion yen a year, or around a hundred and thirty million dollars. Obviously this was a significant amount no government could afford lightly, but considering a large chunk of this was privately-owned land, the headline figure would likely be in the tens of millions range. And of course, the Government would end up taking back half of it in tax immediately, and various other schemes were set up to require the figure to be reduced where they could. It¡¯s damn complicated working out a fair system that satisfies a Chosen¡¯s need to be in control, compensating them fairly for it, without breaking and bankrupting the Government and the country. In my case, the majority of the funds for the first few years likely wouldn¡¯t go to me, but as compensation to the Chosen who were forced to support me as the Chinese were doing. Though after that, I¡¯ll have a steady, unassailable income, for supplying Territorial protection and Ether density, and that''s just Tokyo.


    Then there was the scientific field. In conjunction with the powers the new Police branch had, there was also the law that could require citizens to undergo testing for national security and emergency matters. This was said to be in response to the strange deaths in Kyoto, as people were already starting to notice that the civilian casualties were killed in abnormal ways. The Government had allowed false data to leak suggesting some sort of biological or chemical weaponry, or perhaps even something new and unheard of, like nanotech, was involved. This had the dual purpose of distracting from the real causes, and allowed us a further reason to screen the populace as and when was necessary to root out illegal infiltrators and find the talented. Laws on various fields of research that were banned were also lifted, though Ministerial approval and licencing was required for several. Of course, I am now fully licenced for pretty much every field...


    Lastly, diplomacy wise... As the anchors on the TV were discussing, our Government had strongly condemned the atrocious attack on Kyoto, while also carefully balancing their criticism of the Chinse Government, allowing that the Chinese response that they were a rebel breakaway could be true, but that the Government would still see China as partly responsible for such events, and that the victims must be compensated regardless. It¡¯s a hard path to walk, we know China isn¡¯t technically responsible, but we can¡¯t just roll over and look weak, as it would not only cause further civil unrest, but we know from Tsukiko-san, that the Red Dragon is far from done with us, and that Ise Grand Shrine is likely a target too...


    Tying back to the immigration bill and need for highly-skilled, specialised immigrants, Japan also planned to extend diplomatic channels to a number of countries, in the surrounding Asian theatre as well as others, and boosting ties by cutting delay and red tape on some trade deals and agreements that had been in talks internationally for years, sometimes even decades, as also mooted. In addition, while it was known internationally that Japan would never be the aggressor in war, more formal details on mutual-defence and aid pacts would be sought with likeminded countries who were perhaps unnerved by the supposed Chinese actions on our soil. The Ministry would manage our relations with foreign talents, Chosen and Spiritual beings, and when the secrecy was finally lifted, a register of these, as well as our own, would be established and kept in strictest secrecy within the Ministry, and agreements could be reached with individuals as well as countries.


    All in all, a lot of laws went through. The promises to me have been kept, so... As all those thoughts flashed through my mind in moments, Aliyah sighed. ¡°I get it. Fuck. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth though. Still, compared to some of the shit Uncle Sam is pulling, I guess it¡¯s mild. Well, I believe we come under this special passport scheme, right? Trey, maybe we should find ourselves a harem?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, just one cute guy would be plenty for me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°So, the question is, what do you want us to do? We can take over more security from those goons, but we won¡¯t stop something like China.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, no. Though the Special Forces did do their best, and managed to drive off a skilful Chosen with help.¡± I mused. ¡°For now, get your team trained in leveraging their new physical boosts, as well as some Territorial training, so that if they need to be deployed in battle there, they won¡¯t be shocked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put Travis and Luciana in charge of the teams.¡± Aliyah frowned. ¡°But, we rely heavily on our weapons, without them...¡±


    I then explained that Ixitt and his engineers were working on that, and once the paperwork and passports were properly issued, they would be armed in the Material as well.


    ¡°Fine then. So, what about training? We can get stronger, right?¡± Trey asked, flexing his muscles, grin wide. ¡°I do like working out, got to keep my body buff, right?¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t going to care about your figure Trey, he likes them cute, and female.¡± Aliyah snorted. ¡°Now, I have to admit though, seeing young girls and boys still at school outmatch me, I get pissed off. If you want us to protect people, and also take on jobs in a dangerous world, we do need more power. Just being fast and strong, a good shot and a cool head, it don¡¯t mean shit when a guy like you could mow us all down in seconds.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do have a training plan, as a matter of fact...¡± As I started to explain, the basics involving the way my sis and Eri initially learned, Aether Manipulation and Ether Healing the first steps while strengthening their silver cords and networks, the commentators on TV were now talking about something else the Government had proposed yesterday.


    ¡°... a National Fundraiser, a concert and event to restore the spirits of the nation, while providing compensation and surety to the many victims of Kyoto. You think that the public will buy into it?¡±


    ¡°In troubled times, a distraction can help, and I am sure the Government wants to divert attention from their own failures with elections coming up, so...¡±


    True, distract, divert, delay. Every day we can buy in secrecy is important. Our plans are advancing, but we can always be better prepared. Speaking of preparations... My phone blinked, and it was a message that Hinata was on her way to pick me up, ready for our showdown at Takatsukasa house...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± I squeezed Hinata¡¯s hand as we sat next to each other around a large wooden table. It looked to me as if the room was seldom used, as it had hastily been cleaned, and there was still dust in the corners. Beside us sat Hinata¡¯s brother, as well as her parents and grandfather. Across from us was Takatsukasa-san, his son and daughter-in-law, as well as a stony-faced Sakura-san and a shy Minoru-san.


    On the other side, Ichijou-san sat with his daughter Mayumi-san, along with Fujiwara-san and Miyu, who was smiling at us reassuringly, which I appreciated, as it made Hinata less nervous. For once, not a bodyguard to be seen. Kazumi-san, Michiru-san and the others were nearby, no doubt pacing nervously away from their charges.


    ¡°Right. Shall we... begin?¡± Takatsukasa-san said, his reluctance obvious.


    ¡°Before that, I have to speak, father!¡± His son, Hinata¡¯s uncle, who I was told was called Takatsukasa Hideaki, spoke out harshly. ¡°What nonsense is this, father? Why should I have to adopt my sister¡¯s daughter, and even give her consideration as the potential next...¡±


    I stood, pulling Hinata up. ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t. Come on Hinata, we¡¯re cutting all ties with Takatsukasa house.¡± I turned to Kenji-san. ¡°I know you likely still have agreements with them to provide support, but I¡¯d appreciate it if you scrapped them.¡± I looked around at the shabby furnishings and facades, so unlike the Fujiwara mansion I had visited in the past. In fact, while the building and the grounds had clearly been restored, and was a massive mansion occupying a large plot of land, it gave off the air of a dying prince, living off past glories, faded and bitter. And unlike Ichijou house, Fujiwara house or even a lot of houses like Tsumura house, they own few businesses or other assets. Most of it was lost during the War and the Occupation afterwards, and then more by bad management. Without selling their daughter... My gaze went to Hinata¡¯s mother Kokoro-san, who smiled at us wryly. ... and the support from Ichijou-san and Fujiwara-san, they¡¯d have collapsed and be left with nothing. Past glories are simply that. The past.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ichijou-san asked mildly, and it was Hinata who answered.


    ¡°Akio is right, Kira-sama. We didn¡¯t come here to argue or waste our time. Grandfather, please stop your support for my other grandfather and his son. It might cause us troubles with the nobility, but... well, when it comes to a clash between the nobility and Akio, I know who¡¯ll win.¡± Her smile was malicious. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try and stop a Kyoto incident when it happens in the streets of Tokyo with your history and traditions.¡±


    ¡°Well, we do have our own...¡± Mayumi-san spoke up lazily, enjoying the spectacle as though it was some sort of kabuki play.


    ¡°Sure, so did Kyoto, but without me, they¡¯d have been overwhelmed. I¡¯m not claiming I¡¯m the best, the strongest, that would be foolish.¡± I said as we actually walked for the exit, at a measured pace, but clearly intent on leaving. ¡°But I am the strongest I know, and I have a lot of allies, and together we¡¯ll grow stronger still. Do you know how many Chinese Chosen I killed in Kyoto? I¡¯m not proud of it, I hate killing, but... to prevent evil, and to protect the country and it¡¯s people, I¡¯ll do it. What do you protect, other than your dusty old pride? It¡¯s family that matters.¡± I fixed Hideaki with a glare, unwilling to give him an honorific, even in my head. ¡°Hinata is your niece, yet you treat her as if she¡¯s so much lesser. Well let me tell you...¡± As we reached the door we stopped. ¡°Compared to those of you who sit here in privilege and wealth, Hinata has been doing. And she works hard every day. I think that¡¯s far more noble than any of you.¡±


    Hinata was blushing, but she managed to look imperious even doing that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry uncle, if that¡¯s how you feel, then Akio is right. We weren¡¯t asking. I was promised by grandfather Itsuki that I¡¯d be treated the same as Sakura and Minoru-kun.¡± She was also changing her manner of address, no longer treating them as above her. ¡°When Akio promises something, it gets done, even if it seems impossible. Did you see the news today? Most of the girls at Hanafubuki are restricted in what news and current events they can access, but I¡®m not. I know what the Government has passed, and how it benefits Akio and Japan. Well, on that foundation, we¡¯ll build a new system. And we¡¯ll show the nobility neither fear nor favour. If they get crushed under our progress, well, I¡¯ll not shed a tear. Perhaps I¡¯ll feel sorry for Sakura and Minoru-kun when Takatsukasa house collapses.¡± Sakura drew her lips into a narrow, angry line at that, while the shy Minoru-san looked frightened by her vehemence. ¡°I could even offer you a job as a maid or a secretary, cousin.¡± She goaded Sakura.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are being rude, Hinata?¡± Mayumi-san chimed in. ¡°You¡¯re asking for a lot, and...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not asking, Mayumi!¡± Hinata said shrilly, omitting her honorific as well. ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening? This is our just desserts, what was promised, and less than we could demand. I want... I want to stand as your equal, I believe I can, no, I do.¡± She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and with a glance at my smiling face urging her on, she continued. ¡°Mayumi, you¡¯ve seen Akio¡¯s Territory, it all its splendour. No, not all of it. It expands even beyond Tokyo, to Kyoto, through Haru-san, and even to lands undreamed of. In Japan itself, we have power, wealth, the Government and the faith backing us. Even Miyu is our ally.¡±


    ¡°I support them. I no longer see Hinata-san as inferior to myself. If that offends you, grandfather, then I apologise. But in my hour of suffering and need, it was Hinata-san who brought me aid, the master I shall serve.¡± She bowed to me, which put sour looks on most faces, except for her grandfather oddly enough.


    ¡°I have steered the nobility through many crises, with aid from you, Kira, Itsuki. This one is no different. We protect what we must, but sacrifice what we cannot protect. My granddaughter is stubborn. But... I have made my peace with it. As should you, Hideaki-kun.¡± He addressed Hinata¡¯s uncle.


    ¡°But... I am Takatsukasa Hideaki, our house has an even longer history than Fujiwara and Ichijou houses, and...¡±


    ¡°See? He doesn¡¯t wish to accept reality. Farewell, foolish uncle. Well done on ruining not just your own noble house, but many others too.¡± Hinata said.


    ¡°Well, my sister is moving up in the world.¡± Hiroto-san, Hinata¡¯s brother remarked, as the discussion continued. ¡°Seriously, she seems happy.¡± We watched as she was talking rapidly to Takatsukasa-san, her mother and her cousins, no, her new siblings. ¡°Maybe I should attend your training school more, but I¡¯m always so busy.¡±


    ¡°Hitting on girls and drinking, Hinata says.¡± I laughed, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Not all the time. Though that¡¯s important too, and you can¡¯t exactly deny it, can you?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± I agreed. ¡°I do it too. You¡¯re more than welcome to meet my friends if you want. Maybe you¡¯d get on.¡± Yasu-san would certainly enjoy chasing girls...


    ¡°Everybody is ignoring me. I¡¯m quite frustrated.¡± Mayumi-san said, barging between us. ¡°Akio-kun... is that what you really think of me, that I¡¯m incapable of understanding others?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re interrupting a manly talk between brothers-in-law, so maybe.¡± I chided her, and she had the grace to look a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°I... apologise.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just... I¡¯m not used to being so soundly abused.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s not abuse. Consider that if Hinata didn¡¯t like you, she wouldn¡¯t care enough to offer such advice and criticism. She¡¯d just cast you aside. You¡¯re queen of your little world, but now... the big bad outside world is leaking in, and you have to change, if you want to succeed.¡±


    ¡°What he¡¯s trying to say, Mayumi-sama...¡± Hiroto-san said politely. ¡°... is that every person believes they are the star of their own life. But outside their own walls, the world doesn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Miyu said, having joined us, while the heads of the Three Great Houses were hammering out the details. ¡°I believed I was important, my life blessed, until I found myself a Chosen.¡± She sighed. ¡°Mayumi-san, one day, you will find yourself in such a situation, where all the wealth, power and honourable history of Ichijou house is useless.¡±


    ¡°And what do I do then?¡± she asked, curious. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I threw a tantrum, relying on what I had before.¡± Miyu admitted shamefully. ¡°Fortunately, Hinata-san and Akio-san here, they and his sister, they chastised me much as they did you. Their words are honest and meant to aid you. The world has changed. We can never have too many friends, true friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if you can rely on your own power, but it needs to be your power. Your house and history and wealth, sure, it¡¯s good, but you need to cultivate something all of your own. But if the day comes when your own strength isn¡¯t sufficient, that¡¯s when you realise you need a friend.¡±


    ¡°I see. And... Hinata isn¡¯t my friend?¡± she frowned. ¡°I adore her. She¡¯s funny, forthright, and she never fears to speak her mind to me. Others are too frightened to do so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but friends have to be equals. And you never accepted her as anywhere close to that. All because of the borrowed clothes you wore. If it was your own achievements that made you superior, she could accept that, but... well, look. She¡¯s taken over one of the Three Great Houses. Isn¡¯t that something you couldn¡¯t have done?¡±


    ¡°She helped save my heart, when I was about to shatter.¡± Miyu acknowledged. ¡°I will always be grateful, even though Michiru and I were disastrously rude and should have been discarded. They forgave us, so... Mayumi-san...¡±


    ¡°Mayumi.¡± She corrected. ¡°We are in the same year. I used to look down on you as timid, unfit to be a daughter of Fujiwara, but... perhaps I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s getting braver all the time. And a better dancer.¡± I laughed, only for Miyu to openly pout, face flushed, surprising Hiroto-san and Mayumi-san.


    ¡°You are cruel at times, Akio-san. I dance, dance and dance some more! All you do is make me dance! I confess, I do adore the dance, but... my feet become raw, my muscles ache...¡±


    ¡°Yes, but my Territory prospers.¡± I smiled. ¡°Seriously, thank you. I don¡¯t say it enough. Your gift, Ame-no-Uzume¡¯s grace, it¡¯s truly found a home in you. And what you do could save not just Japan, but the world.¡±


    As Miyu looked down quietly, embarrassed, Hiroto-san commented. ¡°Mayumi-sama, that¡¯s what he meant by something that isn¡¯t borrowed. Miyu-sama has gained that power herself, and uses it. She can be proud of that.¡± Well said. I couldn¡¯t agree more.


    ¡°I see. Well...¡± Mayumi-san frowned, thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I do enjoy stock-trading and running my own companies, but...¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve probably realised that whatever you do, your doting family makes sure it doesn¡¯t fail?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes. There are always suspicious successes when times are hard. Before, I assumed I was lucky or skilful, but... my perspective has changed.¡± She paused. ¡°Wait, does that mean our venture will be the same?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not going to bullshit you.¡± I promised. ¡°Hinata won¡¯t either. Well, bringing in Miss Lindiwe... that was a clever move. While I may dispute the share you took, considering I did all the work, you made that money yourself, and saved someone who was dying. That¡¯s something you did yourself.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely. I used my family connections to make it happen.¡± She denied it.


    ¡°Well, just because something isn¡¯t yours, doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t use it. That would just be foolish.¡± I advised. ¡°Just don¡¯t take excessive pride in it. As for our joint ventures... well, prove to me, to Hinata, you have what it takes to be proud, and if you can, we¡¯ll respect you honestly. And...¡± I looked at Hinata, who was arguing with her new sister again, trying to motivate her from the shock of this whole situation.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mayumi-san let out a long, drawn-out sigh. ¡°Even if I apply the rules of the world I live in, the nobility, Hinata is the same as me now. Takatsukasa house may be weak and only standing with our support, but... that ends today, I know.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± I affirmed.


    ¡°She¡¯ll still be my kouhai. So I¡¯ll still be treating her like a cheeky little junior.¡± Mayumi-san said, and I laughed, relieved.


    ¡°I doubt she¡¯d want you to change totally. All she wants is a genuine connection. A genuine friendship with the girl she admires.¡±


    ¡°I... you say I don¡¯t know how to be a friend.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°If you respect Hinata, listen to her honestly, and don¡¯t lord your status over her, not that you can, now... it¡¯ll happen naturally. And... can you extend the same courtesy to Natsumi and Motoko?¡±


    ¡°I can. After all, if you are going to inherit Takatsukasa, and they are your legal wives... not even concubines, but wives... they have a suitable status.¡± Well, she¡¯s still going on about status, but... it¡¯s a change, a crack in her fac?ade of lonely self-importance. ¡°You do spend a lot of time worrying about them. So... are you interested in Sakura-san after all?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I have enough on my plate for now. Besides, it¡¯d be a bit weird, cousins...¡±


    ¡°No, sisters.¡± Hiroto-san laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°So in the end, what was it all for? Just Hinata¡¯s happiness?¡± Mayumi-san asked, before Hinata herself had joined us.


    ¡°No, though it thrills me that Akio was thinking about that so seriously. Think about it, Mayumi.¡± She grinned, deliberately leaving off the honorific still.


    ¡°Yes, you can call me Mayumi, you cheeky little girl.¡± She didn¡¯t rise to the bait. ¡°You may be my equal now, but you¡¯ll always be my junior. So I¡¯ll continue to dote on you, so long as you never stop being fun.¡±


    ¡°You want to know fun?¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°Think about it. The Government itself is supporting Akio. The Ministry is his idea, and while there are obviously checks and balances, it will benefit him immensely. He has connections to the military, and the JSDF as well as the Tsumura house are indebted to him, and tied by marriage. The faiths have been brought into line, and support him, especially after Kyoto. He has vassals under his command...¡± she smiled at Miyu, who nodded gracefully. ¡°... and in terms of support, has Shaeula, Hyacinth and many others. Connections with the Seelie Court, the Night Parade...¡± she looked at her grandfather. ¡°Big business will invest wisely when the time is right, Grandfather Kenji will see to that. And now... Takatsukasa house. Not only is Akio marrying well in the nobility, he will be equal to Kira-sama or Fujiwara-sama. Mother may be installed to replace uncle, but she knows Akio will be calling the shots, through me. So the nobility will be unable to complain, especially when we revitalise Takatsukasa house, freeing up the need for the nobility to support it financially and through other efforts.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hiroto-san laughed, and Mayumi-san also caught on.


    ¡°That¡¯s every major power structure in Japan...¡± she whispered, putting together the puzzle pieces.


    ¡°Not quite. We¡¯re missing the Imperial Family.¡± Hinata winked. ¡°For now. Eri and Shaeula told me that we have to save Princess Mikasa. She¡¯ll be indebted to us as well, and likely join us. So then...¡±


    ¡°Everything in Japan...¡± Mayumi-san said, eyes wide. ¡°Nobody would be able to gainsay you, every single disparate faction and group united...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Dominance over the Boundary and those within. Immense power. The ability to train others and strengthen them. Money, political and military power, the backing of the faith, nobility and Imperial family. I don¡¯t just want Akio to be one of the Three, Takatsukasa house is a stepping stone on his path. I want Akio to be Prime Minister and Emperor both, no, something greater than both, and not just of Japan, but the Boundary as well!¡±


    Astral Emperor. Tan says it¡¯s the ruler of a world. Well, I¡¯m not sure whether I can make it there, there¡¯s a lot of threats, a lot of obstacles and opponents, but... she¡¯s right. Today was seemingly insignificant, political and marital wranglings to make some of my fiance?es happy, to get the respect we deserved, but... in actuality it completely solidified our powerbase. Now the nobility is tied to us with unbreakable chains, and have to follow as we pull. The one downside was, it made it harder for me to threaten to leave Japan if I didn¡¯t get my way, but... what more do we really need? Once we hit Territory Rank 4, there¡¯ll be no-one in Japan who can be my match...


    ¡°Emperor, huh? A lofty goal. You¡¯re even more ambitions than I thought, Hinata. But... it sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun?¡± She cocked her head, confused.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Ichijou Mayumi! I¡¯m beautiful, proud, confident, witty. And yes, arrogant too, all the things you said of me. But I¡¯m also... bored. And perhaps I don¡¯t understand how to be a friend, but... you¡¯ll teach me, won¡¯t you, Hinata? After all, now you can correct me if I¡¯m wrong, without hurting my pride and arrogance. Well, without hurting it much.¡± She corrected. ¡°So...¡± she held out a hand, leaving Hinata a bit confused.


    ¡°Take it, Hinata, my friend. You too, Akio-kun.¡± She smiled at us radiantly, her confidence dazzling. ¡°After all, this I have to see, just how far you can go. No, just how far we can go! After all, we¡¯re partners, right? First dominate Japan with our own power, and then...¡±


    ¡°The world!¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°No, not just the world, why stop there?¡± She laughed. ¡°There are other worlds than these out there! Waiting for us!¡±


    As we clasped hands, the girls caught up in the moment, I wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh or cry. The world? Other worlds? Just let me worry about saving Japan from the Red Dragon and the other threats first... Even so, I was happy. In the end, I still like compromising. Most people here benefitted in one way or another. But... us most of all. From small beginnings, mighty oaks can grow... ¡°Hey, Miyu. Join in. After all, you¡¯re a precious ally too, we¡¯ll take you with us as well.¡±


    ¡°By all means. Miyu-san, grab hold.¡±


    ¡°Call me Miyu. As Hinata does.¡± She said, before adding her hand to ours.


    ¡°Any room for me?¡± Hiroto-san asked, only for his sister to shoot him down, saying his hand would dirty Miyu¡¯s. There was laughter, and then it was time for me to step up, and take stock of all the assets and troubles that came with Takatsukasa house...

 Side One Hundred And Twenty-Eight – Treyvon James – Black Wolf Company

    Side One Hundred And Twenty-Eight ¨C Treyvon James ¨C Black Wolf Company


    ¡°Get running, you slugs!¡± Aliyah was yelling loudly, urging on the men and women of the Company as we ran through the strange, distorted mirror to the world that was the Boundary. We were attracting curious looks, just under a hundred of us sprinting through the strange silver-and-neon lit realm, while juggling a number of metal ball-bearings, not using our hands.


    ¡°And if you bastards run out of marbles, I¡¯ll beat your fucking heads until you¡¯ve lost your marbles too!¡± she cried.


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡± the troops cried, and I smiled to see it.


    ¡°Louder, you pathetic idiots! We¡¯re stronger, faster, better!¡± she roared. ¡°I expect world-record pace for this fucking marathon. So get on with it!¡±


    As we ran, we passed a group of strange, rat-like creatures playing a number of musical instruments, a pretty aura of green radiating from them. The sounds were unearthly, otherworldly, yet the song seemed strangely familiar. Several of the Company slowed down to stare and listen, despite having seen a multitude of such sights, and one of them was rewarded by my sister slamming her booted foot right into his ass, catapulting him off his feet, face-first into the paved path we were racing down. That¡¯s got to hurt. I¡¯d say he might lose a tooth or two, but now...


    ¡°Get the fuck up, dipshit.¡± Aliyah roared, in her element, working out a lot of stress she had been accumulating, ever since the events in Kyoto. ¡°And you¡¯ve dropped all your fucking balls. That¡¯s a hundred press-ups when we reach the break point. No, make that two hundred!¡±


    As the man groaned, laughter from those around him, Aliyah started spreading the punishments, and as I watched, my breathing steady, muscles burning, a satisfying feeling, Travis pulled alongside me. ¡°She sure is back in high-spirits. It¡¯s good to see.¡± He said, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    ¡°Well, my sis is soft-hearted. Too soft at times.¡± I sighed. ¡°It was hard, seeing those kids die, the small bodies carried out. Reminds us of Sierra Leone. That was a shit time.¡±


    ¡°Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped, could it?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± I agreed, thinking back. ¡°Well, not before it was too late. But... well, she takes it hard, you know. It¡¯s probably worse because she has a very... conflicted... view of our new boss.¡± They didn¡¯t exactly hit it off on first meeting, and then there was the whole mess when we got captured. But...


    ¡°She¡¯s got to let it go. It¡¯s like we¡¯re on permanent retainer now.¡± Travis said, his breathing even, pace good. They crested towards where the shrine was located in Tokyo, the hills occupied by a couple of massive trees, one so big as to dwarf many buildings. ¡°Besides, we couldn¡¯t complain if we were killed in action, or left to rot in prison. We get paid, and we even get the opportunity to train like this. We might just be the toughest group of former mercenaries going.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know Aliyah. She¡¯s like a dog with a bone. And that¡¯s why she¡¯s so annoying, when sober, anyway. When drunk it¡¯s an entirely different set of issues. Really, it comes down to her knowing he¡¯s not a bad guy. She¡¯s very sensitive to trouble affecting girls, if he was mistreating any of them, she¡¯d know.¡±


    ¡°Stop flapping your lips Trey, Travis.¡± She suddenly turned, scowling. ¡°And keep those fucking balls spinning. This is training, got it? Mercs... sorry, private security...¡± she adapted her favourite joke to their new circumstances. ¡°... need to be at their best at all times. We wouldn¡¯t want our charges to get kidnapped or worse, would we?¡±


    ¡°No, we would not. Akio would kill us for sure if our careless behaviour got any of his friends or family hurt.¡±


    I held in a smirk as my sister shuddered, thinking about it. ¡°Fuck, Trey, don¡¯t remind me of that. When he told me he¡¯d even kill the President of the fucking US of A, he was serious. But so am I! Get bloody juggling, I¡¯d be ashamed if my brother was the only one who was lagging behind. Not that I entirely get the purpose of the training.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I believe the instructions were rather entendible. This is to raise our proficiency with this mysterious energy, the aether.¡± Luciana said. ¡°Well, this is but the first energy we will learn, so I gather. I find it asombrosa, quite amazing. But it explains a great deal that had been puzzling me.¡±


    Yeah, Luciana is a smart one. She¡¯s now our right-hand girl, after doing good work keeping everything together in our absence. And being a girl...


    ¡°Shit, Luciana, you don¡¯t need to tell me. I get that, I¡¯ve seen Akio and his girls pull off some crazy shit. I¡¯m just... oh never mind, fuck it. Keep running, last couple of miles of the loop in a dead sprint. Last bastard there will regret it!¡±


    Travis and I exchanged glances, before picking up the pace, running at a sprint that we couldn¡¯t have imagined before. Yeah, my sis is weak to girls. If that was Manx or one of the boys, she¡¯d have knocked him on his ass for backchat... With a wry smile, I started focusing on the multitude of small balls, trying to manipulate the strange energy within me, cursing as several of the metal pellets escaped and went tumbling free...


    ********


    ¡°So, these are guns, you say?¡± I took hold of the long-barrelled rifle that the rat handed me.


    ¡°Yes, we call it a long gun.¡± The rat said in decent English. I still didn¡¯t understand why a lot of these strange creatures spoke English at all, and when asked, apparently it was one of the languages of the Seelie Court, which they learned from mortals? Well, it¡¯ll only make my head hurt to think about it too much. First thing¡¯s first...


    ¡°Well, how does it work? Is it front-loaded, or cartridge-fed?¡± I asked, inspecting it.


    ¡°Here.¡± He pulled at the rear stock, and the tube slid to the side, allowing me to slot a strangely-shaped bullet in.


    ¡°Single shot, huh? No scope too. I doubt that is going to be that accurate.¡± Around me, the rest of the Company was also inspecting various firearms, my sister of course somehow gravitating to some sort of odd flamethrower-type thing. ¡°Well, let me give it a try.¡± I looked towards a range of targets, and picked one that looked to be a couple of hundred metres away. If it¡¯s going to be useful, we need at least this level of range and precision.


    ¡°Line up... ugh, it¡¯s a bit heavy. It needs to be more compact, unless it¡¯s some sort of sniper or anti-material rifle. Well, here goes.¡± Sighting my eye, I used all my skills to estimate the shot. There was no wind, which made a difference. Squeezing the trigger, the gun kicked, and the bullet flashed out. Moments later the target was struck, somewhat off centre.


    ¡°Well, not bad. But a worse shot than me would struggle to have any sort of decent hit rate.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t put in any aether.¡± The rat-man observed. ¡°Here.¡± He took the gun from me, and sighted the same target, slotting in his own shell. A silvery glow, rippling with faint rainbow light, shone around the weapon, before the rat fired. This time, when the bullet struck, it exploded, scattering green and yellow light, the whole target shredded apart, small flames smouldering.


    Well, that was surprising. A bit like a high-explosive incendiary round. ¡°So how does that work?¡± I asked, casting a glance at my sister, who was gleefully barbecuing some nearby targets, shimmering clouds of yellow flame rolling out from the wide nozzle of the barrel-shaped weapon, clinging like an oily slick.


    ¡°It is quite the ingenious process. I took the first prototypes designed by Master Engineer Ixitt, and...¡± As the rat explained that the active ingredient was an elementally-charged metal powder, that was contained and activated by use of this aether, thus totally safe to handle otherwise, I was frowning over some other devices, picking up one that looked rather like a minigun. No, it¡¯s actually more like an old-fashioned gatling gun. As I hefted it, feeling the weight, the rat¡¯s yellow eyes brightened.


    ¡°You like that one? Well, that is one of my inventions.¡± His tail twitched. ¡°I felt that more barrels are better than one, but alas, I cannot seem to make it work, it fails explosively seemingly at random. The devices made by Master Engineer Ixitt based on mortal designs seem to work better, but to produce them at scale to arm all our forces is difficult. This design is far simpler, but...¡±


    ¡°You know, I see the problem.¡± I¡¯ve always loved weapons. Well, a gun is a Private Military Contractor¡¯s best friend, right? That and a damn good combat knife. I¡¯ve used a few miniguns in my time... ¡°You need cooling, the metal warps when it heats up. And if you¡¯re using those damn incendiary rounds and one pops off, no wonder it blows up. You¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡± I saw a number of scars through his fur.


    ¡°I see. Cooling. Fascinating. So, how would you suggest going about it?¡± The rat asked me, tail lashing, which took me a few moments to tear my eyes away from. Talking rats. The world¡¯s gone crazy ever since we took that job in Vegas.


    ¡°Well, air cooling is usually enough, but if you can¡¯t make that work, then water cooling is an option...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Shit, I feel so much better now.¡± Aliyah said, grinning. ¡°Nothing like some military drills to work out stress.¡± She shrugged, and I could see several of the guys eyeing her sneakily. ¡°Well, those guns weren¡¯t bad, but I miss my M16 rifle. Well, seems like that old man whose daughter that guy is smooching with will be delivering us a load soon. It¡¯ll be good to have a familiar weapon in hand.¡±


    A lot of the squad agreed with her. I do too, to be honest. Though at least if we have to battle here, we¡¯ll have some sort of gun to use. Without modern equipment the Black Wolf¡¯s effectiveness drops a lot. But then... I mopped the sweat from my brow, watching the remaining bouts as our recruits were pairing off and fighting in CQC, either unarmed of with combat-style knives which had apparently been procced from some Armoury or other. I had already defeated Manx, who was even now nursing his bruises, while my sis had kicked the ass out of one of the other big guys.


    ¡°Close combat is important too. After all, that¡¯s the training they¡¯re doing.¡± I said, and my sis shrugged again, sweat falling from her face, strangely silver.


    I remembered the small group of child-like, green-skinned creatures, carrying a strange wrapped bundle, which we had seen entering some old apartments. Yeah, they sure looked nervous and oppressed... ¡°Sounds like America. The American dream. But for a lot of people, it is just that. A dream. If it wasn¡¯t, me, Aliyah, many of the others in the Black Wolf, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today...¡±


    ¡°Yooour thoughts are still sooo small.¡± Hyacinth sniffed.


    ¡°Now, do not be so cold to them, Hyacinth. After all, it seems they too have had a hard life.¡± Asha smiled benevolently. ¡°If one is hurt, they shall be healed. If one wishes for food and shelter, it is given. Akio wishes for all to live happily. But is that enough? A life without pride is meaningless. I survived by doing terrible deeds in my plague-addled madness, devouring my lost sisters to keep alive and barely half-sane. No, here, dreams and reality mix. Should suffering be found, it will be resolved. Evil will not flourish, neglect rotting us, like it has begun to rot the Seelie Court and the lands of the Fae, Unseelie, Wild Hunt and more spawned from the chaos. No, here all contribute, and all will have a chance to love themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, moooney is about value. Work, good deeds, they have merit. Akio believes that good should pay. Is that sooo wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. But it¡¯s hard as hell to get right.¡± I agreed. ¡°The road to hell is paved with good intentions.¡±


    ¡°Well, if he was alone, maybe. But he is not, is he Hyacinth?¡± Asha said softly.


    ¡°Nooo. Never. The mistresses, they support him. Ooothers, smart Fae and proud Fae, Ixitt and Ulfuric, Moooira and the princess of the Fae, even clever mooortals, all rush to his aid. Because Akio cares, yet is nooot weak. He will forgive much, Hyacinth knows he forgave me, who tried to kill him. But when evil must be destroyed, he will dooo it!¡±


    ¡°As he did the Myconids, who were the downfall of so much of beauty.¡± Asha agreed.


    ¡°Shit, the two of you really seem head over heels for that bastard.¡± My sis scoffed, ignoring the look Luciana was giving her to calm down. ¡°Well... fuck.¡± She downed her drink. ¡°If it¡¯s free, I¡¯ll take another. No, since it should be paid for, put it on his tab. That¡¯s what he gets for scooping up all the women around here into his clutches. Leave some for me!¡± Aliyah paused then. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve heard him mention all the others, even the new Chinese girl, but... I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of you? He ashamed of you or something? I don¡¯t see why, you¡¯re hot stuff.¡±


    As Asha smiled mysteriously, it was Hyacinth who answered the question.


    ¡°Akio does nooot know.¡± She laughed heartily, her mood flipping on a dime, her earlier anger forgotten. Which is frightening in itself. She¡¯s definitely not the most stable woman I¡¯ve ever met... ¡°He thinks Asha simply has gratitude fooor him saving her and her Tree.¡±


    ¡°I do. Boundless, endless gratitude.¡± She patted a branch that was forming part of the canopy affectionately. ¡°He even saved another Tree, though no sister remains within it. But...¡±


    ¡°But yooou were captured by his shining light, no?¡± Hyacinth giggled.


    ¡°It did indeed seem like he was shining, his spirit on full display, bright like the moon.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°So I gave him my kiss. For one who saves a life should take responsibility and ownership for it. Especially when one is so heroic. In my fever dreams, my torments, I begged my father, the other Lords of the Seelie, anyone, to come save me, free me from that hell, even by killing me. And nobody ever did. Until he came. I begged to be put down, for mercy. Instead... he achieved the impossible, and here I stand, my Tree growing strong, and I spend my time cultivating fruits and vegetables and pretty flowers, tending to this terrace I would never have dreamed of.¡±


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula knooows too. She thinks it amusing.¡± Hyacinth continued to giggle. ¡°Akio does nooot know he has another woman. Nooot that Asha is particularly aggressive.¡±


    ¡°Well, why would I be? I am a Dryad, Daughter of Orion. I live as long as the eternal Rhyming Trees. For now, I am enjoying my time anew, living, growing. There will be ample time for love to sprout like acorns, growing strong, and procreation...¡± at that Aliyah nearly spat out her drink, and I can¡¯t say I blamed her. ¡°...comes later, when he wishes for it.¡± She finished.


    ¡°Procreation? You mean having a kid? How does that even work, if you¡¯re some damn tree spirit?¡± Aliyah asked.


    ¡°We have a lonely, empty Tree. Well, two, in fact. Daughters could be birthed to bond with them. Daughters will be, in time.¡±


    ¡°Time, huh? But Akio is just a man, right? Sure, he¡¯s got all these new powers, but... he¡¯ll grow old, and...¡±


    ¡°Akio is mooore a Fae than human now.¡± Hyacinth denied. ¡°Death from ooold age will not claim him. Death from battle... I fear that, but... Hyacinth will be dead first. I will proootect Akio, the ooother mistresses. Those under Akio¡¯s protection. This land... so you must do it toooooo! If you do, you are my friends. If nooot... I show no mercy to Akio¡¯s enemies!¡± She vowed, eyes chilling.


    ¡°Yeah, shit, I get it.¡± My sis snorted. ¡°You¡¯re all the same. But if you all promise to die before each other, how the hell does that even work?¡± She laughed then, in sudden good humour, and Hyacinth cocked her head, puzzled. That expression made me laugh too.


    ¡°Well, just means they won¡¯t die at all, Aliyah. Simple. But simple is best.¡± I took another long sip of my drink, savouring the flavour. ¡°Yeah, damn, this is good. Guess the boss has some pretty talented women.¡±


    As Hyacinth squirmed at that, clutching her cheeks, happy for the praise, the Dryad asked us to keep these matters a secret, as she did not want to be a distraction, not with so much going on. We all agreed, but knowing Aliyah, she was probably saving it for the perfect time to be a nuisance. Oh well, I suppose there are worse secrets to know. At least this one isn¡¯t likely to get us killed...


    ********


    ¡°Yes, this is outstanding! Unprecedented!¡± Ixitt was laughing, and I wondered what all the fuss was. We had been doing another round of mock-battles, making sure our bodies were fully accustomed to our differing levels of strength, only to come across a strange convoy. Numerous wheeled wagons topped with silver, cylindrical-shaped devices studded with orange and yellow gems, were rolling towards the workshop area, and out of curiosity we had followed. There we had found the mad scientist Ixitt, who was another frequent fixture at the shrine, though here he was a pale-furred rat-man, his face covered in lenses and other observation devices.


    ¡°If I may ask, what has you so excited?¡± Luciana inquired politely, gathering knowledge, and I silently applauded her.


    ¡°Oh, some of the mortal mercenaries Akio has taken under his wing.¡± He assessed us. ¡°Well, I was testing the new mobile Ether Silos...¡± he pointed to the wagons. ¡°Akio had asked me to solve the problem of granting ether to his vassals, and extracting ether from other Territories. Etherites are too precious to be wasted anymore. Oh, you hardly care about that, do you? Well, needless to say, it worked. Compared to Ether Spires, creating something to store ether is simple, my fellow Mortal Engineers and their apprentices could manage that from our shared research. Well, I digress.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do.¡± Aliyah agreed, watching his lashing tail. Well, it is kind of hypnotic. ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°I shall. In fact, you can save me some time, and report to Akio for me. I have much to do!¡± He glanced towards the strange building nearby, with many heavy metal chimneys that were belching out thick smoke and shining sparkles of rainbow energy into the skies in a straight column. ¡°If only Bjarki was not so deeply engrossed in his forging, I would share this delight with him. Hmm...¡± the rat pulled out a pocket watch. ¡°... well, time dilation between the Boundary and Material is hardly an exact science, but it should be roughly time for Shiro to come renew her buffs on us. I shall speak to him then...¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t getting to the point.¡± Aliyah insisted, shaking her head, beads in her hair jingling softly.


    ¡°So impatient.¡± He chided her. ¡°Look!¡± He pointed to where a small, silvery tree was growing. ¡°It is now self-sufficient! Yes, it can hardly provide as much material as stripping off silver and crystals from the upgrading Buildings, but it grows by itself from atmospheric ether! And this is just the beginning! Checking the Territory details, I can see it clearly!¡± He took out a number of red crystals, crushing them to powder before sprinkling the dust over the little sapling. ¡°Oh, how the possibilities are simply endless... but I have too many demands on my time. Weapons, Alchemy, batteries, generators, this tree and more...¡±


    As the rat rattled on, my sister and I exchanged glances. ¡°Well, he got to the point, but I don¡¯t really understand it. Do you, Trey?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You, Luciana? You seem to have taken to all this quite well.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. It is... el a?rbol A tree?¡±


    Travis, Manx, the others, none of them understood what was so special about it. In the end I shrugged, and we left, wishing that our curiosity hadn¡¯t led us to follow those wagons.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll tell the boss. Not that I know what I¡¯m telling him.¡±


    My sister slapped me on the back reassuringly. ¡°Good job Trey. Yeah, you do it. I think that¡¯s for the best.¡±


    Fine. Well, we might as well squeeze in a last round of training before we go.

 Three Hundred And Forty-Eight

    Three Hundred And Forty-Eight


    ¡°Yes, I see no further issues. Your recovery is sound.¡± Bintara said to Shiro, as she released a probe of aether through her body, making her shiver. Finally. I made good on my promise, and the mistakes we made have been washed away. ¡°Though I have concerns over that parasite within you, it is beyond my responsibility.¡±


    At her harsh words to Tan, Shiro¡¯s eyes flashed red for a moment. Biting her lip, eyes displaying her emotions, Shiro asked us again.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s really all healed?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Thanks to your buffs and help from Bintara here, which I very much appreciate...¡± I bowed to the Bitan gratefully, thankful to the strange Yokai that was dispatched here by Nurarihyon, and even though our interests coincided, it wouldn¡¯t make me any less grateful. ¡°... and I¡¯ll be sure to repay the favour for.¡±


    ¡°As will I.¡± Shiro promised, rubbing at her damp black eyes. ¡°If I have to fight the golden-eyed devourer, I will. After all...¡± she met my gaze steadfastly, despite her fears being plain on her face. ¡°... I¡¯ve already clashed with it. It¡¯ll be it or us anyway. And we¡¯ll do it together. I know you¡¯ll never let a monster like that run free, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so pass on my thanks to Nurarihyon.¡± I continued. ¡°As for you, Shiro... yeah, I might need to give your Material body a quick once-over with Ether Healing just to fully restore the skin and make sure there¡¯s no underlying internal damage, but... you¡¯re done. Cured.¡±


    Her arms went around me, pulling me into a fierce hug. That left all sorts of interesting things pressing against me, considering how scantily clad she was, and as she went to thank me again, she noticed, her face reddening, but her smile turning wicked, back to the normal Shiro. ¡°Oh, this getting you all hot and bothered, Aki? Well I¡¯m glad. After all, you just got an eyeful of me. I¡¯m pretty pissed off, I was hoping to save the full frontal until... well, the weekend, right?¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± I sighed. ¡°Instead, you should be thanking me for keeping a cool head when the junior I¡¯ve always secretly longed for was naked in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She snorted sourly, releasing her hug, adjusting the undergarments she wore. ¡°That excuse sounds so very good, but I¡¯m not buying it. When did you get so silver-tongued, Aki? Well, no matter. I guess a bit of shame is a small price to pay for making sure I¡¯m back to my former glory. It... it definitely won¡¯t make you any less excited for the real thing, will it?¡± she said, suddenly vulnerable, her emotions high as the damage that had plagued her was finally fixed.


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m serious. Yes, you¡¯re dangerously beautiful, and it was hard to ignore that, but I did ignore it. All I wanted was for you to be healed. I¡¯ll save getting excited for Saturday.¡± I winked. ¡°I have it all planned out.¡±


    ¡°Oh you do, do you? Well, assuming Arisu doesn¡¯t try and murder you, I¡¯ll look forward to it. Damn, you are silver-tongued. I don¡¯t know quite how to feel with you channelling those Hayato vibes.¡±


    ¡°I am not here to listen to your mortal pleasantries.¡± Bintara sniffed, and we hastily apologised. ¡°Very well.¡± She continued. ¡°My task is complete. I am eager to return to the Hyakki Yagyo?. Though we shall likely meet again, on the fated battlefield that has been prophesised.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks again for everything.¡± I reiterated, looking at her head, with one horn a mere stub, only now starting to regrow. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just Shiro you helped. I owe you, so if you are ever in trouble, get a message to me, all right? besides... Shaeula is one of the Parade too, so we should help each other when we can.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, my sudden feelings of normie-ness got away from me for a minute there.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Me too. If you need help, I¡¯ll give it. Just... try not to provoke Tan too much, okay?¡±


    Bintara let out a long snort at that. ¡°Such a parasite deserves no respect from me. It is creatures like her and the golden-eyed devourer that do not know their place, intruding where they do not belong, which are upsetting the harmony of our world. But my words matter little. There is no separating you now without great effort and risk I am unwilling to bear.¡±


    Putting that aside, I asked how she would return to the Parade, since it had roamed away from Kyoto. She hesitated, before answering. ¡°I have means of calling the Parade. All of us who rank highly do. So fear not, I shall return safely.¡±


    ¡°Great, well, if you disappear before we get to see you again, this is farewell.¡± I extended a hand, and after a moment, she took it.


    ¡°Indeed. Time marches on, and as the slowing ebbs, danger will come ever closer. Prepare yourselves.¡± With that she left the room we were occupying. As Shiro pulled on her discarded armour, I grinned, watching her turn red.


    ¡°Shit, I know you¡¯ve already seen everything you can, but at least look away when I¡¯m changing, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, teasingly, and she started to explain, before realising I was joking with her. She pouted, finally fully clothed once more.


    ¡°Jerk. Switching between Hayato mode and Yasu mode makes it really hard for me to stay calm.¡± With that, she slapped her cheeks to shake off her embarrassment. ¡°Oh fuck.¡± She suddenly said, and for a moment I panicked.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± My Eye flared as I scanned her, not believing Bintara would have been wrong about her healing being successful, but...


    ¡°Calm down. Though it¡¯s cute to see you worry for me.¡± Shiro laughed, having got her revenge on me for my teasing. ¡°it¡¯s just that if I¡¯m all better, then I should probably go back to University, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± I said, relieved. Though to be honest, I¡¯ve got used to having Shiro around. It hasn¡¯t been long, but it¡¯s been fun.


    ¡°Aww, is Aki all sad that I won¡¯t be hanging around you day and night anymore? Well, don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not going back just yet. I have a leave of absence for the rest of the year. I might as well take advantage. Yeah, thought so.¡± She reached out, poking my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re such a boy at times, Aki. But I don¡¯t hate it. Seeing that smile makes me happy.¡± She hugged me again, this time without the desperate emotion of the past ones. ¡°I really should go thank the girls at my dorm though. Since they were worried for me...¡±


    Yeah, Shiro¡¯s matured as well. It¡¯s good to see her thinking of other people. Living here at the shrine with Eri, Shaeula and the rest has been good for her. ¡°I¡¯ll come too, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did tell them we¡¯d eloped, so if you don¡¯t, they¡¯ll think I dumped you.¡± As we bantered back and forth, I considered my plans for the day. I had received a strange visit from Treyvon this morning, who had told me that Ixitt had invented a tree, or something along those lines. He seemed apologetic that he didn¡¯t understand, but on checking my Territory, I could see a new building, one that was quite surprising. It¡¯s just a shame that my Eye isn¡¯t higher Ranked, as there¡¯s still too many question marks, and indeed questions, to answer.


    Materia Tree Rank 1 Unique ¨C This tree has agglomerated from a mixture of Territorial Silver, Territorial Crystal, and small amounts of other similar materials, Territorial Gold, Territorial Mica, and others. Due to a strange ??????????? and the addition of scattered Etherite powder and stray ????????? as well as the remnants of a failed ??????????, ether of significant quality is being drawn from the surrounding Boundary and lower Astral, and converted into ????????????.


    Ether density and quality around the Materia Tree will naturally increase from the overspill, and as it grows it drops fruits containing ???????????. The Tree will naturally regenerate taken Territorial Materials if supplied with ether, and can be grown by further ????????? and Etherites.


    I haven¡¯t had such an obscured reading of something in quite a while. Just how the hell did Ixitt create this? Well, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not in Kyoto... We were trying to lower the density there. Fortunately, Tokyo was greatly inferior in that regard, despite all my efforts so far, so there were unlikely to be problems for the foreseeable future.


    Upon exiting the building, we proceeded over to the area where the Materia Tree was located, in the area occupied by Ixitt and Bjarki¡¯s workshops. As we approached I could feel the noticeably higher density of ether around us, and letting my Eye shimmer, the amount of reddish colouration I could see in the ether around us was lower than normal, a faint orangish hue leaking in. There were a number of Fae clustered around the site, many ratkin and weaselkin Mortal Engineers excitedly chattering away, taking measurements and using various strangely shaped instruments to probe the tree. On seeing our approach, Ixitt came trotting out of the crowd, smiling happily.


    ¡°Akio.¡± He declared. ¡°Have you come to see the tree?¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t quite get what happened, but it seems beneficial, at least for now.¡±


    The crowd parted, and now we could see the small silver tree, which was also sparkling, tiny shards of crystal within the metal shining in the light from the skies above. ¡°Hey, that looks a bit like your Anchor, Aki.¡± Shiro observed, and she was right.


    ¡°It does.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s doing anything Anchor-like. Ixitt, how did this come about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is really quite simple. You know I have been experimenting with material from the strange Buildings in your Territory and others. I also brought back materials from the Territory controlled by your vassals, even that girl Miyu. Did you know...¡± he said conspiratorially. ¡°... as a Chosen Hero, I can freely enter your vassal Territories? There is also now material from Kyoto. Well, using all of these, we have made many discoveries, though there is still so much we do not understand. But much material was gathered here and used to make Artificial Ether Spires, and more recently, Artificial Silos. Not every effort succeeded, and much waste and half-completed prototypes, failed devices and scatterings of excess Etherite dust was discarded here. Imagine my surprise when it all subsumed into this tree.¡±


    ¡°For the living huh, Aki? Not for trees of metal and glass? Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking? How did we not see it before?¡±


    ¡°Well, we missed the forest for the trees.¡± I smirked. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll take you time to recover your aether, so want to grab a drink first?¡± Thanks Tan. Though I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯d grasped it when you repeated that the gifts were for the living.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m excited Aki, but... you¡¯re not going to enslave me and make me your buff machine, are you?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I swept her up into a princess-carry, Shiro squealing with embarrassment, fists striking my shoulders softly.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, Aki? This is embarrassing!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still celebrating your full recovery. So let me treat you as a princess, Shirohime. For today at least. Oh, and Saturday!¡±


    ¡°Just had to throw that in, huh? Eri was right to warn me about you. Lecher.¡± She muttered, embarrassed. ¡°But... it doesn¡¯t feel so bad...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, you ready?¡± I asked her, and Shiro nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve enough for a few blessings. Shame it wasted a good chunk of your day.¡±


    ¡°I sent Azuki to say I¡¯ll be late. I¡¯m meeting a prisoner, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going anywhere.¡± Well, the Detective and Officer Usui might be a little annoyed, but they¡¯ll understand. ¡°If this works, it¡¯ll make a huge difference to our potential. So... ready?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be. So, Asha, this is fine, right?¡± she asked the Dryad, who was smiling softly, ever since we had explained what we wanted.


    ¡°If you are not hurting my Tree, but instead blessing it for healthy growth and potency, how could I be disappointed? My Tree does love it here. The earth element is still a bit weak, but it is growing. In time... no, well, we can speak of that later. Please proceed, I await the results expectantly, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Damn, now I¡¯m getting nervous, having you both so focussed on me. Well, here goes nothing. Anesidora¡¯s Blessing of Many Gifts.¡± She allowed her aether to flow into the Rhyming Tree, which was clearly alive. I don¡¯t know whether it has skills to be enhanced or not, but it¡¯s definitely living, and it¡¯s a Fae Tree, if any plant would have skills, this would...


    ¡°Oh I feel my Tree. It shudders in joy.¡± Asha squirmed, her slightly jade-tinted skin now a reddish tone. The Tree waved its branches, as if there was a gentle breeze. ¡°And the earth sings.¡± Keeping my eye on the Territory details, tracking my ether generation, which was by no means an exact science, as we had random amounts coming in from the efforts of all my forces, but I had mapped an average trend while I was drinking with Shiro, I waited. But not for long.


    Shit. It... it worked? I stared at the amber numbers scrolling through my vision.


    ¡°So, uh... success?¡± Shiro asked, and I pulled her into another hug.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s pretty good. It hasn¡¯t gone to Rank 6, well, there was no way it¡¯d be that easy, but the gain is significant. If only there was a way that we could know how we could use the Blessing From The Box.¡±


    ¡°If you tell me what you wish for, I can assist. After all, without your aid, my Tree and I would be dead, and all memory of my fallen sisters lost for all time. I shall do anything you ask.¡± Asha promised, her expression kind. Shiro paused, eyeing her for a second, before shaking her head.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing. Well, question then, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± When she got a continued smile in response, she inquired further. ¡°If I had to bless something to boost the way your Tree pulls in ether from the surrounding atmosphere, what would it be?¡±


    My Eye is struggling to see anything, as I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for, but if I had a hint, I think we could do it...


    ¡°I see. Well, this is a Tree born of Earth, so I would expect that it is the gathering of earth and sky. All Rhyming Trees call to the skies, the moon above, even if it cannot be seen here, but Earth Trees also call to the dark earth below, to soil and life, to...¡± my Eye blazed as she continued, and now that I had an indication, I was able to see the shining energy being drawn in by the leaves, and roots that drank deep of the ether and earth element hidden within the ground below.


    Roots Nourishing Earth, Branches Drinking The Moon Rank 5 ¨C This skill is the innate ability of an Earth Rhyming Tree to pull ether from the surrounding world, strengthening the ether density around it, and also absorbing and fortifying the earth element it requires to survive and grow.


    ¡°Shiro... oh shit, I¡¯m shaking.¡± My hands were actually trembling. ¡°Roots Nourishing Earth, Branches Drinking The Moon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Damn, now I¡¯m quaking, and it isn¡¯t even my Territory.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s mine is yours, right?¡± I winked, getting myself under control, Resilience kicking in. ¡°Now, go for it!¡±


    Moments later the Tree was shining brilliantly, and Asha, who had barely recovered before, was now on the ground, a rapturous expression on her face, but one that couldn¡¯t match mine, as amber numbers scrolled across my vision. The skill¡¯s at Rank 6... it¡¯s confusing my Eye as the Tree shows up as Earth Rhyming Tree Rank ??? Special at the moment, but the numbers don¡¯t lie... and it¡¯s not just Rank 6, it¡¯s also strengthened by the other buff, so the ether coming in... holy shit. This is huge!


    ¡°Judging by that sloppy grin, I¡¯m guessing that Miyu and I will be becoming the best of friends?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I won¡¯t be going back to Uni for a couple of months...¡±


    ¡°Damn right!¡± I grabbed her, spinning her around. ¡°You did it Shiro, you beautiful, beautiful princess! And thanks Tan, you picked the perfect gift for her!¡±


    ¡°Hey, put me down, I¡¯m getting dizzy! I¡¯m not used to this sort of roughhousing!¡± Shiro panted, and when I put her down, and helped the dazed, delirious and crimson Asha to her feet, getting her some water, I grinned. Gesturing to several weaselkin who were taking a break, I sent them off to fetch Azuki and Ixitt.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to make more apologies to the Detective, but this can¡¯t wait. We need to see just how far we can take this. I¡¯ll need Haru-san here too. We were close to having enough to upgrade her Territory all the way to Rank 3, but now... it¡¯ll be ready soon enough.¡± There are two more Rhyming Trees... sure, the leap won¡¯t be immense, but it¡¯ll still be huge. And I wonder... does Asha have any skills that are worth enhancing to help her Tree? Well, as soon as Ixitt gets here, he can start organising the transportation of ether using the mobile Artificial Silos. Then...


    ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad feeling that my days of leisure are coming to an end...¡± Shiro sighed, watching me think. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m nearly out of aether again.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care how wasteful it is, right now I¡¯m going to pour everything in me into your body. Every additional blessing is more data...¡±


    ¡°Phrasing Aki, phrasing.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Well, I guess Tan knows me pretty well. I wanted to be needed. And I guess I am...¡±


    ¡°In more ways than one. Saturday is going to be the best night of your life, but until then... it¡¯s buffing time, oh buffing princess!¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s a condescending name. I¡¯m not sure if Princess of Hungry Ghosts is better than that. Well, no rest for the wicked, I guess...¡±


    No, none at all. Fucking hell, the Rank 5 Rhyming Tree was obscene enough, but if we can keep it running most of the time at Rank 6, no, effectively Rank 6 and a quarter... My mind was running the numbers. This changes things... a lot...

 Three Hundred And Forty-Nine

    Three Hundred And Forty-Nine


    A Vassal Territory has reached Rank 3. Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 14 to level 15. Your League has increased by 2. Your Chakra Network and Silver Cord has been strengthened slightly, significantly increasing your aether.


    ¡°I see. I have a lot of options now.¡± Haru-san said, having consumed the large amounts of ether, a million strong, that Ixitt¡¯s clever Artificial Ether Silos had ferried through the Ring Gates. Each Silo couldn¡¯t hold that much, only a few thousand to perhaps ten thousand for the best designed, but the distance was short, so the ability to move it was efficient enough, and once the amount was there, Haru-san had rushed the upgrade. ¡°So, now we just need to consolidate as much of Kyoto as we can, right?¡±


    So now we can successfully donate Ether without using Etherites, which we need for other things. Sure, it¡¯s not going to work for distant Territories, but for those we can access it¡¯s fine. So, I could do the same for Shuta-san¡¯s Territory, but... well, currently he¡¯s confined to a small area around Hisuikomushi Shrine, so adding a lot more Ether Spires there wouldn¡¯t make too much sense. It would allow him to capture some land outside my own Territory due to his location, but... well, I¡¯ll think about it. We have a lot to do, and it might make more sense for me to be Rank 4 first, though the planning and cost...


    ¡°Well, all the unclaimed territory, sure. But we¡¯ll leave things like the Kyoto Imperial Palace alone for now. After all, there¡¯s no need for a fight, and the owner of that, whoever or whatever they are, made no move to stop us from entering or leaving during the Kyoto mess, so I think we owe diplomacy a try. For now, we want to claim Kiyomizu-dera and the surrounding shrines, Yamato-san¡¯s old Territory.¡±


    ¡°Some has already come under my control.¡± She smiled. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult, but ten kilometres is quite a wide area. I¡¯ll need some help if I¡¯m to do it quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what we¡¯re here for.¡± I grinned, gesturing to our weaselkin and ratkin forces, as well as Hyacinth and Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯m hoping we should be able to get this done by morning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hinata said happily, talking to the other girls who were here with us, despite the late hour. ¡°Seeing how a Territory expands first-hand gives me a lot of ideas.¡± She rubbed her hands together, excited. ¡°And to think that such a large amount of Kyoto will be under our control now. I think I need to speak to Grandfather about what land we have or can purchase in Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s under Haru-san¡¯s control.¡± I corrected, before the woman in question laughed, shaking her head.


    ¡°Silly, you know what is mine is yours. I¡¯m your vassal, no, more than that. Without your aid I¡¯d be floating around here wishing for death. No, that¡¯s not right, I was already dead. Oblivion, maybe? Well, no matter. Kyoto is yours.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad someone is happy.¡± Shiro said, sitting down, face pale, looking like a used rag, silver sweat streaming from her body. ¡°I¡¯m totally wiped out. Aki is a brute...¡± she complained to my other girls. ¡°He¡¯s used me hard all day. I can¡¯t even think about anything but having a damn rest.¡±


    As Motoko and Natsumi consoled her, taken in by her mock-complaints, I patted her head. ¡°You have worked hard, it¡¯s definitely true. And thanks to you, we have a good chance of securing our position faster than planned. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t feel worried about upgrading Haru-san¡¯s Territory like this.¡± Shiro had worked herself to the bone calling on Anesidora¡¯s gift. Hell, I was tired too, as I had exhausted myself giving her my aether. In the end, Shaeula had to help top her up too. Hyacinth had tried also, but her ability to transfer her aether successfully was meagre, much to her chagrin. It seemed that the successful transfer of aether in any quantity was affected by Chirurgery, so as well as Aether Manipulation and Ether Healing, a Rank or two in Chirurgery was something I wanted to be standard issue for everyone going forwards. At least those close to me, anyway. Chirurgery is a trump card for us...


    In terms of skills, Asha didn¡¯t seem to have anything that promoted the trees producing more aether, but she did have skills to promote elemental energy and the safe growth of her Tree, so we would be enhancing those as appropriate. As I thought that, Shiro looked at me, and I felt a touch guilty as she had seemingly guessed my thoughts. Oh well, when she levels up a bit more she¡¯ll have more aether to play with... Pushing the other two Rhyming Trees to effectively a better Rank 4 was far less efficient than the single Tree to Rank 6, but inefficient didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still worth it, and over time the extra ether quickly added up.


    ¡°So, what are the plans for my Territory then, as regards infrastructure?¡± Haru-san asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mind setting you a tithe rate of a hundred percent. After all, this is all down to you.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s too much, you need ether to upkeep the territory and the defences. Besides, I¡¯d like you to have at least some ether of your own, so that you can pursue your Thrones and anything else you want. But then, I do need a lot of ether...¡± Kyoto was producing abnormally high ether, so even at a reduced efficiency via tithes with the rate set high enough, it could be like having an extra Ether Spire for each one constructed here. And there¡¯s light element too.


    ¡°Right then. Well, first I¡¯ll set our Ether generation to the maximum. That means all my Spires to Rank 4, and all your Spires, plus the new ones, to Rank 4. That would hugely increase our accrual. I think... eighty percent tithe? Damn, I feel usurious. I¡¯ll have to look at Shuta-san¡¯s again, as well as Miyu¡¯s.¡± Miyu was currently alternating dancing and grinding for levels at the coast, and her Territory was prospering slowly. I can¡¯t easily get ether to her Territory through Ixitt¡¯s Silos though, so doing what I plan for Haru-san¡¯s Territory is impossible for now...


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind. Besides, I am the Under-Secretary at the Ministry.¡± Haru-san declared, proud of her role. ¡°I understand you need to reach Rank 4 as soon as possible. After that, when your urgent need diminishes, you can always lower the tithe a bit.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°True.¡± I laughed. ¡°Though I always have a need for more ether, we can never have enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask Akio nicely, I dare-dare say that he will provide you with what you need.¡± Shaeula teased her.


    ¡°Sure, sure. Well, she is my precious vassal after all.¡± I waved that off. ¡°In terms of rush-building, we know that Rank 1 and 2 Spires are trivial. You can build Anchor Spires now as well, right?¡± I asked, and she nodded. ¡°Well, in your case, let¡¯s hold off on the Ether Density Anchor Spire. That goes against what we are trying to achieve here. No, you want the Ether Spire Anchor Spire. You won¡¯t need extra queues yet either since we¡¯ll be relying on blowing ether on rush-building. I think we¡¯ll consider other options. Anyway, a Rank 1 Spire will set you back three thousand, and a Rank 2 twenty-two and a half thousand. We can have all of your Spires to Rank 2 including the new ones we need to build by the weekend. That¡¯s the most efficient for the both of us.¡±


    Haru-san agreed. Hinata was happily listening as well, eyes sparkling. She really loves the economic side of things. That reminds me... next week, looks like it¡¯s time to do some more Ether Healing. She wants to extract maximum value before our powers become common knowledge, and others gifted with healing Divine Favours or skills start competing with us...


    ¡°In that case...¡± Shaeula grinned wolfishly. ¡°We shall quickly secure areas with elemental resources. Daiyu, you come-come with me. Hyacinth, accompany Eri and Kana.¡± As the plans were set and the girls scurried off, while Ixitt and Grulgor were leading their own forces, Grulgor accompanied by a towering giant and a number of new trolls I had not been introduced to yet, I continued to explain to Haru-san, Shiro, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi the path I planned to take.


    ¡°Rank 3 Spires are expensive to build instantly, at three hundred thousand ether, but even in the slowing, with Shiro¡¯s exceptional work...¡± she groaned at that, but did look proud. ¡°... we are easily able to pull in well over two hundred thousand ether an Astral day as the Trees do their work. In fact, we can nearly afford one Rank 3 spire a day. If it wasn¡¯t a slowing right now, we could afford multiple each day that passes in the Material. Oh well, sooner or later the slowing will ebb out. Anyway, my Rank 3 Spires are pulling in on average around fourteen hundred ether per Astral day pre-slowing. It varies by location, of course. But then, the density is higher here, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if you can get a bit more. I think it¡¯s not unreasonable to assume with the tithe your Spires can give me around that as well.¡±


    So, overall, we were looking at four and a half million ether to this point, but it would be adding around twenty thousand ether an Astral day after the slowing ended. It¡¯d pay for itself in a hundred days on the Material then, assuming we didn¡¯t hit a deepening tide. Damn, I know quickened tides offer many more dangers, but the extra Astral days and heightened ether gain sure would be awesome.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s Rank 4 Spires. Now things do start getting expensive.¡± I admitted. ¡°Each one should produce anywhere between five or six thousand ether an Astral day. But they cost a bit under one point nine million ether for an instant build. If we assume that we are making around four thousand extra ether a day, that¡¯s... well, assuming the slowing ends, and time dilation at roughly two and a half days per day on the Material as I¡¯ve been used to... that would be half a year to pay for itself. Really, that¡¯s not too long, as after that, everything is pure profit.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°The Government wants you to push for Rank 4 to protect Tokyo, so while there is the chance of receiving support, it makes sense to build up your infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Grandfather says that the JSDF is so successful at what it does because it is built on solid foundations. Though he does worry that in these changing times, the foundation might crumble.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is rather like a marriage.¡± Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Well, ours were proposed that way, certainly. But I like to think we¡¯ve moved past mutual benefit and into love.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°Benefit is still great though.¡± The two of them were in high spirits, having been able to fight under the watchful eye of Haru-san and I. Even Hinata managed a few battles under our protection, and her level was capped out, considering the training she had been doing before. I feel bad for her only being able to reach level twenty-five, but for now, that¡¯s more than enough for her to be able to take care of herself from ordinary threats...


    ¡°Well, once we¡¯ve captured Kiyomizu-dera, you should head back.¡± I said, and we soon reached the brilliant golden geysers of light that shone with a cascade of indigo sparks. The magnificent shrine buildings were just as I remembered them, and the girls were awestruck.


    ¡°Shit, this is sweet. Why doesn¡¯t our Territory have anything like this, Tan?¡± Shiro complained, getting a lazy grunt as an answer.


    ¡°I feel... compelled to take it.¡± Haru-san said dreamily, drifting into the main building, which here was far bigger on the inside than the outside, golden pillars holding up the massive, vaulted ceiling. Inside, the likeness of Kannon, towering even taller than the giant with Grulgor, arms thick as tree-trunks, looked down on us benevolently. I¡¯m sure the reproach I see in her eyes is an illusion, only my guilt...


    ¡°So... I see.¡± Haru-san nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I can build them now. The Hands of Forgiveness.¡± She smiled. ¡°They aren¡¯t cheap, but I believe they have many benefits over normal Defensive Emplacements.¡± She paused. ¡°With your permission, I could even build them in your Territory and those of your other vassals too, I think. Assuming you have the light element for it.¡± She winked happily at me, and I was pleased to see her continued good cheer.


    ¡°That¡¯s something to look forward to.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get some Rank 1 Ether Spires down here to start with.¡± Haru-san nodded, and suddenly several beautiful golden needles appeared, and began drawing in the surrounding ether and light element. Probably going to need to upgrade my Elemental Silos as well, but that comes after Rank 4...


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s time for you girls to head back.¡± I said, and they agreed, though Hinata looked as if she wished she could stay longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Can I go as well, Aki?¡± Shiro asked, and while I did want her to grow stronger, she¡¯d pushed herself way beyond her limits today.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Haru-san and I will continue to bring more areas under our control. Get some rest. As you¡¯re going to need it!¡±


    ¡°Tyrant, monster, dictator!¡± She cursed me humorously, before she and the others vanished, returning to the Material, leaving me alone with Haru-san.


    ¡°All right then. We should push on.¡± I said, and she agreed. As we headed north, bringing more land under our control, we ran into Shaeula, as well as Daiyu, who were heading down from Ginkaku-ji and Heian-jingu shrine. These were areas under the old Amaterasu faction, but the Territories around there could not reach them yet, and in the case of Shisendo-ji, was now fallow, the owner having perished alongside Mine-san during the ill-fated expedition Yamato-san led.


    ¡°Akio, Haru, well met!¡± She enthused, amber eyes bright. ¡°I trust you have had-had successes?¡±


    ¡°Indeed we have.¡± I agreed. Daiyu merely nodded politely at us, as reserved as ever. ¡°Oh, Daiyu¡¯er, sorry to be a nuisance, but you¡¯re still free to come interrogate the prisoners with me, well, it¡¯ll be tomorrow now, right?¡±


    ¡°That shall be no issue. I confess wanting to speak to the survivors from Diamond Mountain Sect.¡±


    ¡°What about my prisoner?¡± Haru-san asked. ¡°She¡¯s being kept here in Kyoto, due to her... well, tie to me, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I want to speak to her too. But the prisoners in Tokyo first. I was going to bring you, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be busy.¡± She laughed ¡°Karen-san will be happy to stand in, I¡¯m sure...¡±


    ¡°Well, I have some interesting news indeed-indeed.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°We did bring a number of Yokai who dwell in Kyoto into the fold, my status as one of the Hyakki Yagyo? did not-not prove worthless.¡± Her expression was proud and expectant, so I praised her, pulling her into a hug. ¡°There were some strange burning spirits, tormented and sad-sad amongst these. But when I extinguished the flames with my spirit water, they did-did find release. Before they left, they advised me of a great-great flame, located to the north-west, atop a mountain called Atago. From their description, it did-did seem there is much fire element there.¡±


    ¡°Mount Atago, that¡¯s... too far.¡± Haru-san shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the exact distance, but it¡¯d be a little over ten kilometres from my Anchor.¡±


    ¡°Well, I remember the map. A bit over eleven, in fact. However... that¡¯s not insurmountable.¡± We can always solve that with an Anchor Spire. Territory Expansion Spire at Rank 2... that should push us enough, I think...


    ¡°Is it not-not? Excellent. I believe securing such a sacred place can only benefit us in the longer term.¡±


    ¡°True, but... well, we¡¯re going to have to fight. The hills and mountains outside of Kyoto seem riddled with Yokai.¡± I exchanged looks with everyone, who nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s for later. For now, we continue bringing Kyoto under our aegis...¡± Mount Atago, huh? If I remember from school that mountain does have a relationship with fire...


    ¡°Well then, want to stick together for a little while?¡± I asked, and Shaeula laughed.


    ¡°I always want to spend time with you, Akio, do I not-not?¡±


    Daiyu agreed as well. ¡°I would like to observe your spiritual waters further. When Shaeula did free those tormented spirits, I found it rather intriguing. The Spiritually Pure Physique is surely even greater than our old scrolls and jade tags say. I think... perhaps it is meant to be fed with yin and yang element as well...?¡± As we pushed outwards, I listened to Daiyu¡¯s musings with interest. Yeah, soon it¡¯ll be time to start digging deeper into Cultivation as well. Right now I¡¯m feeling strangely powerful for some reason, like I could do anything. Now might be the right time, and... I need to set things up properly between Daiyu and me. Work out just where we stand, and where we want to stand in the future... Yes, there was certainly a lot to think about, but right now, everything was starting to fall into place. Though there¡¯s always more to do. Always...

 Three Hundred And Fifty

    Three Hundred And Fifty


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve finally decided to show up then?¡± Detective Kato said, frowning. Beside him, Officer Usui let out a biting laugh, amused. ¡°You stood us up three times in the same day, that must be a new record.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I apologised, genuinely sorry. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped though, things kept happening one after the other. On the bright side, we¡¯re taking steps so that a Kyoto incident will be much less likely to happen again.¡± Behind me, Daiyu nodded, having been there as Haru-san¡¯s Territory reached Rank 3.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± The Detective sighed, pulling out some chewing gum and popping it in his mouth with a sigh. ¡°Damn, I miss smoking, especially at times like these.¡±


    ¡°Well, your wife and kids probably appreciate you quitting.¡± Officer Usui snorted. ¡°So, no Suzuki-san today?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, she¡¯s overseeing matters in Kyoto. Instead, Karen-chan will be taking notes for us.¡± I gestured to my secretary, who was carrying a laptop computer.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± She admitted. ¡°These people will be murderers, right? So many people died...¡±


    ¡°Well, that remains to be determined. Not... exactly, I¡¯d say.¡± The Detective was troubled. ¡°Though hang on, they don¡¯t speak Japanese, so how are you going to take notes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll translate for them if necessary.¡± I said. ¡°I think that the Government has sent trustworthy translators as well, right? I¡¯ll handle the more... esoteric... matters.¡± Well, with Daiyu¡¯s help. I¡¯m not great with Cultivation terminology.


    ¡°Esoteric. Right.¡± With that we were escorted by a number of Special Forces soldiers who were doubling as guards at this military detention facility, passing through bare, whitewashed corridors lined with bleak metal doors, until we reached one at the far end, guarded by one of the military Chosen who I wasn¡¯t particularly acquainted with. After he saluted us, the door was opened, and we filed inside.


    The room was similarly bare, a plain metal table set up with a number of chairs arranged around it. Seated across from us was a young Chinese woman, who I recognised as Nie Ling, the one who had given up herself and the location of the other Chinese invaders, buried deep under the ground. She was looking pale and haggard, her black hair loose around her, the pins that were holding her hair-bun in place removed from her, as was anything else she could use as a weapon or to harm herself, her nails cut brutally short, her clothes now a featureless grey prison smock without buttons, toggles, belt or ties. On seeing us her brown eyes held a flicker of interest, before despair took over her again and she bowed her head.


    There was another occupant in the room, a female interpreter. On seeing us she stood politely. We took our places in the room, and soon I felt a little bad, as it seemed that the six of us were ganging up on a young woman, before I hardened my heart. The civilians were innocent. I know she was under duress, but... nearly a thousand dead.


    ¡°Well, shall we get this started?¡± Detective Kato said, his face set professionally. ¡°If you would translate for us.¡± he gestured to the interpreter, who agreed. ¡°I am...¡± he introduced us all, before getting to the point. ¡°You are Nie Ling, age twenty-two, from Shaoshan in Hunan Province. Is this correct?¡±


    After hearing the translation she agreed. ¡°Yes, I am Nie Ling.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now... you stand accused of illegal entry to the country of Japan, as well as... aiding and facilitating nearly one thousand counts of premeditated murder.¡±


    Yes, it¡¯s hard to accept, but Nie Ling hasn¡¯t actually murdered anyone. None of the captured Chinese citizens have directly killed anyone. That doesn¡¯t lessen their crimes though. It was still like bussing out a thousand people to a death camp where the executioners awaited. That¡¯s not innocence...


    ¡°I can confirm that.¡± She said slowly, eyes damp. ¡°I called upon the Duke of Dreams, Zho?u Go?ng...¡± the translator looked surprised at that. ¡°... and pulled the innocent citizens of your Kyoto into the sleep where we waited.¡± Her face was so pale as to be bone white. ¡°Then Luo Jiahao did give the order and...¡± she covered her face. ¡°... there was killing, so much killing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a clear confession.¡± Officer Usui noted. ¡°A life sentence, for sure. You¡¯ll likely never be released.¡±


    ¡°What my Officer says here is right.¡± The Detective agreed. ¡°But... cooperation would go a long way to securing some leniency. Prison is still inevitable, of course, but if you ever hope to be released, or still be young enough to get married, start a family when you finally are... I suggest you answer honestly all our questions.¡±


    Yeah, since she¡¯s not actually committed multiple murders herself she¡¯s not subject to the death penalty by Japanese law, but life imprisonment is a given for crimes of this magnitude. ¡°I would second that.¡± I said in Mandarin Chinese. ¡°We talked briefly in Kyoto, but... we would know more of your circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I see. So... you survived. And... managed to defeat it? I am impressed. Luo Jiahao, he said even the piece of it torn from itself was a frightening monster that would have troubled even those of Kunlun, whoever they might be.¡±


    Daiyu reacted at that, eyes narrowing. Before she could speak, I pressed on. ¡°Well, we talked briefly before, and you¡¯ve honoured your end of our bargain by allowing yourself to be taken. Now... we need information. Just how did you all end up in this state? I get that you are rebels in China, but...¡±


    ¡°I do not know how the Government found out about me.¡± she sighed. ¡°I was very careful, I did not talk to anyone about the visit from the Duke of Dreams. Nor did I use my phone or the internet.¡± She sniffed. ¡°The Party is always watching, so they say. I did not believe it, being a woman of science, of reason, but... it turns out it was true. I received a summons, with failure to attend being seen as a political transgression against the People. I considered running then, but... I am a woman with few funds, and little influence.¡±


    As the translator spoke, Karen-chan was typing away, her expression sympathetic. She too had suffered at the hands of authority, even if the scale was hugely different. Though considering the end results, any sympathy for Nie Ling is hard to find...


    ¡°... were thousands of us gathered.¡± Nie Ling continued. ¡°The leader of the new Department for Managing Divine Mysteries, as they called it, Qin Wang lei, was a General under the Communist Party. At that point going against it was futile.¡±


    That tallied with what Daiyu had told us, but confirmation was always nice, and it boded well for Nie Ling to be telling us the truth. Daiyu was unable to keep her silence at this. ¡°Those snakes, betrayers... Chong Gui, Xiao Xia... how could they abandon truths we have guarded since Kunlun departed, toss away their pride to the dogs?¡±


    Talk turned to the way that the Chinese were managing their Chosen, and while it was pretty much what Zhao Daiyu had already told us, that Chosen were forced to effectively relocate to where the Party advised them to go, so that they could donate to adjacent larger Territories, fuelling them, which had led to a number of Rank 3 already, she had some additional insights. Though neither Daiyu nor Nie Ling had been involved, rumour amongst the Chosen was that further development towards Rank 4 was taking place in Shanghai, Beijing and other major population centres, and I held in a sigh of relief in that it didn¡¯t seem they were using any sort of vassal system, merely moving resources in a similar manner to Ixitt, by having connecting Territories so ether could flow between. That is hardly all, though... with the Chinese having to register their abilities, as much as they understood it, the Chinese were a step ahead of our Ministry, and were able to come up with teams that could benefit each other and synergise well.


    ¡°Those who did not consent were... dealt with.¡± Nie Ling said flatly, and we needed no further elaboration. ¡°Examples were made, and we were all cowed. But my abilities were to be used for... well, assassination.¡± She swallowed, clearly upset, her throat hoarse. I signalled to the camera, and a guard brought her some water, which she took gratefully.Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°My thanks. Well, most dissent was crushed, but there were a few of us who wished to flee but were too afraid. Then, rumour was spreading through those that called themselves Cultivators, like Luo Jiahao, that the one who could find us for the Party was dead. The purges were stepping up, and even some of the innocent were dragged away...¡± She put down her plastic bottle, hands trembling. ¡°... I didn¡¯t want to kill, or to die. Sooner or later, I¡¯d be forced to use my abilities for the Department, the Party, so... it seemed time to flee, despite the risks. But it was all useless.¡± Her words were bitter.


    ¡°Useless? How?¡± the Detective pressed, getting to the heart of her story.


    ¡°I abandoned my post, the area of the land of dreams that I had forged, destroying it behind me, for I felt whispers within me that leaving it behind would prove gravely dangerous.¡±


    Daiyu nodded at that. ¡°Leave nothing for enemies and traitors. Best to destroy it with one¡¯s own hands. Let the monkeys feast on scraps, it is all they deserve.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was going to take a boat to the Republic of China, the Party has no influence there yet. I gathered all the money I could to pay smugglers, and... then I was caught.¡±


    ¡°Caught?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I was captured by several others like me, as well as Luo Jiahao and his group. He... he was kind, yet even he would not allow my escape. I was... needed. That was what he said. And that I would have a chance to strike back at the country that had betrayed me, tried to use me, killed so many who wouldn¡¯t slave away for them.¡± Her hands crushed the bottle, a little water spilling onto the bare metal table. ¡°I don¡¯t care about revenge, I never did. I just wanted to live my life. But it was clear they would kill me if I didn¡¯t comply. I had no choice.¡± She repeated. ¡°They took me to a location further up the coast, and when I entered the realm of dreams... I met it.¡± She shuddered, remembering.


    ¡°The golden-eyed devourer?¡± I asked, and she agreed.


    ¡°No. A Dao of the Sword... well, it contains all the Laws that make up a sword and the will to use it as a sword. Physical force, cutting, sword intent, metals... a simpler example might be the Dao of Lightning.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it would be Laws governing Electromagnetism.¡± I mused. ¡°And also whatever spiritual aspect there is. Shaeula would know better than us. A Dao isn¡¯t a Law, it¡¯s a concept that collects Laws, thus is itself also a Law. It¡¯s complicated as you said. But that was helpful, Daiyu¡¯er.¡±


    She nodded, face slightly tinted pink.


    ¡°So, what Law would this creature be? I don¡¯t envy you having to fight such, Akio-kun.¡± The Detective smiled. ¡°Much simpler to fight thugs and even US agents, right?¡±


    ¡°Some sort of Spatial Law, and perhaps... hunger?¡± As I said that, everyone shivered, thinking of a greed that had driven it to send an army of slaves to our shores, to prey on us as if we were cattle fattened for slaughter....


    ********


    ¡°Patriarch Lin, we have come.¡± Daiyu said, as we entered the interrogation room he had been moved to. The old man looked up at us, his expression rather pleased.


    ¡°Ah, Daiyu¡¯er, you have come at last.¡± He leaned back in his chair, pointing to the stack of papers on the desk. ¡°All our Sect Secrets we could remember, as promised. Diamond Mountain now lies in your hands. I hope you remember us.¡±


    ¡°I shall remember all the Sects that fell foolishly. Though fools will be remembered, while traitors... when those Sects are destroyed, they shall be expunged even from history!¡± Her dark eyes were fierce.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Lin Ming said, despite his obvious despair, his eyes were clear, and he managed a smile. ¡°Seeing that bastard Chong Gui and the bitch Xiao Xia pay would be all this old man needs to soothe his path towards reincarnation.¡±


    Daiyu picked up the papers, scanning through them. ¡°I thank you. Should any of you remember anything more, we shall take it.¡±


    ¡°So, have you become Companions yet?¡± the old man asked slyly, and Daiyu dropped the papers. As she reddened, bending down to gather them up, she shook her head.


    ¡°In due course. There... there is much yet to do.¡± She said, and exchanged a look with me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I came to her aid. ¡°It¡¯s a big step, no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°The young often think that. But disaster comes unbidden. Look at us now.¡± he gestured to himself. ¡°Do not make the mistake this old fool did, and assume that there is always more time. Live with no regrets.¡±


    Wise words. Well, I know we are on a tight timescale. Less than five years before one of the major disasters that Tsukiko-san prophesised hits. I want Rank 4 before then... ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, the Detective here has some questions for you, about your crimes, and... other matters.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have nothing to hide about my guilt. I have handed over my treasures and my knowledge. All that waits for this old man now is the end.¡±


    As Detective Kato and Officer Usui began their questions, the translator narrating to Karen-chan, I looked at the papers with Daiyu.


    ¡°Calmed down?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°I am resolved. I grow more so every day. A Dao Companion, an anchor to this empty world for me, someone I can rely on with my life... it appeals, no, it is a necessity for me now. And before you say something foolish like... it does not have to be me...¡± I swallowed my words, surprised. ¡°... I know it does not have to be. I may be young, but I am not a child. I am a Cultivator, one of the greatest prodigies in generations, Peak Foundation Realm. It does not have to be, but I am convinced it should be. I have been observing your interactions with those around you, and I am satisfied. I wish a Dao Companion who can compete with me, who wishes to understand their Dao, the Laws that govern the Heavens and the Earth, and will... never leave me.¡± She shuddered, so I put an arm around her.


    ¡°You¡¯re still hurt by the loss of your family. I get it. But... you¡¯re our friend now, Daiyu¡¯er. You¡¯ve fought with us, shared knowledge with us. And none if us will abandon our friends. And as for us dying... well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to prevent that.¡±


    ¡°I know. But there are no guarantees. The full might of the golden-eyed devourer, or a Saint from old Kunlun... could you face them and live? I worry...¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that why we are growing stronger? I have plans, and so do you.¡± There¡¯s still a number of skills to test with Shiro¡¯s buffs, such as my Eye. Well, next week, I have too much on right now...


    ¡°I do. Though I would greatly appreciate more spirit water. And the ability to use the Spiritually Pure Physique. My Invincible Jade Yang Technique, or even these...¡± She pointed to the papers, where several other techniques were listed, ¡°... or the lesser Foundation Techniques I am aware of, should not be able to compare. And if I am to Cultivate together with you...¡± she paused, squirming in my arms. ¡°... I wish my Foundation to be as solid as it can be, for if I am to reach Accumulation, Perfection and even beyond, my Foundation must be firm.¡±


    Cultivation is complicated. We¡¯ve talked about it a bit, but it might be a good time to clarify some points. ¡°So Qi Refining is turning ether into aether and then that to Qi, right? There doesn¡¯t seem much difference to me, though I can tell there is some.¡±


    ¡°All beings possess Qi. Though it is in small amounts and hard to use.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°The very fundamentals is taking the internal energy of Earth and growing it. But no human can ever contain enough to reach the level of a Saint. Therefore we must take the energy of Heaven and Earth and refine it. Qi is the form most suited for the Techniques honed over the years, and the Six Noble Pursuits.¡±


    ¡°I get Earth energy, but Heavenly Qi... it isn¡¯t simply Astral ether, is it? After all, the density may be lower on the Material and according to my Eye, it¡¯s... lower quality, for want of a better term, but... it¡¯s the same thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Qi... is powerful, but I cannot claim to understand it or have seen any. Well, I am merely at Foundation Realm.¡±


    ¡°Foundation is forging your Astral body and honing your Material body, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The meridians, chakras, acupoints and Dantians must all be prepared, forged and strengthened, and Techniques to do this are a kind of blueprint, that will also allow the body to acclimatise and wield Yin, Yang or elemental energies. My Invincible Jade Yang Foundation requires earth and Yang energies, and strengthens those within me. Spiritually Pure Physique is water, and I believe likely both Yin and Yang.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it¡¯s not too much different to what we do, via learning new elements or strengthening our Chakra Networks. I¡¯d be curious to see how it all compares, since your Chakra Network looks nothing like mine.¡±


    ¡°After that, is Accumulation. Qi must be gathered in the Dantians. Well, actually, most Techniques only require a single Dantian. Using two or all three is lost knowledge. The Lower Dantian must be flooded with Qi and the relevant energies. The greater the Accumulation, the greater the potential.¡±


    That¡¯s around the root and sacral chakras, so should take earth and water element. Is that why most Foundation Techniques use earth and water? Or is it coincidence? But how would you gather Yin and Yang energy, which seems to be darkness and light element, there?


    ¡°Then, when one has Accumulated, the Perfection of Self begins, both the Physical and Spiritual body being improved, impurities and imperfections purged, meridians, acupoints and chakras opened to their fullest, Dantians prepared for the mysteries ahead. It is there our knowledge grows foggy, for this Realm has not been reached for many centuries, as the Qi around and within us has diminished. Perhaps only departed Kunlun holds the true secrets of realms such as Golden Core and Saint. Although, it is not impossible for one of the new Five Great Sects...¡± her voice trembled faintly, remembering her own Sect¡¯s fall. ¡°... holds some ancient knowledge. We have crumbs, certainly, which states turning the Accumulated Dantian into a mythical Golden Core is next, but as to how...¡± she shrugged.


    As we continued to talk on the subject, keeping an eye on Lin Ming as we did so, the Detective still asking more questions, I considered my next move. I need to create more High Moonlight Spirit Water, and not just for Daiyu. The amount my body produces has certainly increased, especially under buffs, but compared to what we¡¯ll need...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-One / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Nine – Mori Eri – R18/Contains sex

    Three Hundred And Fifty-One / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Nine ¨C Mori Eri ¨C R18/Contains sex


    After returning from the prison I had a small headache. What a day. Daiyu was somewhat pleased, still reading through the materials that the Diamond Mountain Sect had provided. On my return, Eri greeted me, but after some small talk, I decided to lie down for an hour, since I had been working so hard recently I hadn¡¯t slept in days.


    ... Choking... endless poisonous gas... the ground erupts, volcanic plumes of mud and sulfureous smoke rising into the sky. Staggering on burning feet, my skin blistering, I stumbled onwards, chunks of pumice and darkly glinting obsidian raining down around me. The sky was dark, and as I stumbled against the edge of the dark, jagged rocks, my flesh tore. Blood splattered down and I stumbled, reaching out as I fell.


    The impact jarred my bones, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible, with my stats it should have been no more than a flea-bite, but somehow, it was different. My hand sank into water which reeked of iron, sulphur and other minerals, and as the ripples in the water caused by my fall diminished I could see the surface of the pond settle, and reflected within was the moon, so big, so bright...


    ... waits. Break the prison. Else ... ... lose ... Yagyo? ... ... ... bring together ... else ... cannot defeat ... alone.


    A mysterious voice, hard to place as either male or female echoed in my mind, but some words were drowned out by static. Pulling myself to my feet, the blood from my torn flesh seeping into the water, obscuring the moon, forming strange, otherworldly shapes that were hard to interpret, I looked up, to see a shiny boulder, ringed with sacred shimenawa, the rope itself covered with talismans. My Eye flared a brilliant orange, and for a moment the blood in the lake resolved into a frightening, demonic visage, and the stone itself...


    I woke up with a fiercer headache than when I went to sleep, trying to catch fragments of my dream. The moon was in it, reflected in water, which made me believe it was a prophetic one, but it was hardly clear, not at all. ¡°Damn, if this is what Tsukiko-san had to go through, no wonder she was so frightened.¡± I looked up at her spirit light, which was still drinking in my aether. Around it gathered other soul lights, of Shaeula''s precious weaselkin, those we could save. Damn, I have a foul taste in my mouth.


    Walking to the kitchen, I saw Shiro sitting there, nursing a beer. On seeing me she raised an eyebrow sardonically. ¡°Eri wasn¡¯t kidding. You do look like shit, Aki. Want to talk to big sis about it? Pull up a pew and grab a beer.¡± She gestured to the chair.


    ¡°Big sis? You¡¯re younger than me, and don¡¯t even try to tell me you have more life experience.¡± I snorted, but took her up on her invitation. Grabbing a beer I drank deep, trying to wash away the bad taste that was clearly all in my head.


    ¡°Sure, but you already have a little sister who I can¡¯t compete with.¡± Shiro protested. ¡°So why even try? I¡¯ll go for older sister instead at times like these. As for life experience... you were hardly such a font of wisdom, Aki. Sure, you did your best to smooth things out for us at times back in the day, you and Hayato, but... well, hit me with it. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    What is wrong? No, I can¡¯t lie to myself. I know what¡¯s wrong. I made a decision in Kyoto, and I wanted to stick to that. I said I wasn¡¯t going to be weak, be pushed around, take shit from anyone anymore, but...


    ¡°Shiro, what¡¯s justice?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, where the hell did that come from? Oh, wait, I think I get it.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been visiting the prisoners we took from Kyoto, right? Daiyu mentioned it too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I... you didn¡¯t see the dead, did you? I did, my Eye saw their bodies. It... it reminded me of last time I failed in Kyoto. Of Mine-san dying in my arms, of the trainees. Shit, I...¡± Suddenly my head was pulled into Shiro¡¯s chest. For a moment I struggled to breathe, before I realised I could hear her heartbeat. It was slow, soothing, and for a moment my thoughts stopped.


    ¡°I get it, Aki. I do. But we all agreed you did what you could. We did what we could. We stopped the attack, gained Divine Favours, and saved a lot of lives. We¡¯re not Gods, Aki. Well, Tan kind of is.¡± She chuckled dryly. ¡°Even Tan couldn¡¯t stop everyone.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± I wasn¡¯t explaining myself properly. Concentrating on my Resilience, which was calming my emotions, I struggled against it, just as when I was with Hinata, allowing my true, unbuffered feelings to leak free. Doing so hurt, the sick feeling returning, and I closed my eyes, feeling Shiro¡¯s hand ruffling my hair.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not Haru. I won¡¯t know unless you tell me, Aki. What¡¯s up? Feeling guilty? I suppose that¡¯s natural. But I¡¯ve no sympathy for them. They came, they fought, they died. It was us or them.¡±


    ¡°But... they were under enslavement, at least some of them.¡± I muttered. ¡°I mean, they still had choices, cruel ones, but...¡±


    ¡°Aki, could you kill innocents to save yourselves. Men, children. Women?¡±


    ¡°Normally children should be last.¡± I protested weakly.


    ¡°Yeah well, this is Aki the harem king we are talking about. Women seem to tug on your heartstrings more. You just love meddling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± I protested, still in her embrace. ¡°I don¡¯t lose all reason just because it¡¯s a woman. As for your question...¡± I imagined it. ¡°No. I think I¡¯d choose death. If my hands were covered in blood, I doubt I could live with myself.¡±


    ¡°Me? Well, I¡¯m not so sure.¡± Shiro answered, surprising me. ¡°What? I was the one who was prepared to help Tan rule the world. You said it yourself. If she wanted, needed to sacrifice a town, all the people within... I¡¯d have been a party to that. Would... would you have stopped me, Aki? Fought me?¡±


    I thought about it, and though it caused me pain, I nodded. ¡°I would have. I wouldn¡¯t want you to live with that on your conscience, that shadow in your heart.¡±


    ¡°Even if I ended up dying?¡± she pressed me, and as I listened to her heartbeat, which had sped up a little, I really considered it.


    ¡°I... I could.¡± I muttered, hating myself for that truth. ¡°But... if you died, I think I would follow you. Atonement.¡±


    ¡°Shit, stupid Aki, that¡¯s totally the wrong answer!¡± Shiro slammed her fist into my head, and it hurt. I looked up, still in her embrace, as she struck me again. Her hair and eyes were flaming red, as she used Tan¡¯s strength to be able to injure me. Another blow struck, and another, until I grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Aki, let me punish you, moron, idiot, Yasu!¡± she spat, tears running down her cheeks, but I shook my head, tightening my grip.


    ¡°No. Your knuckles are bleeding. I don¡¯t want you to hurt yourself...¡± I trickled in Ether Healing as she struggled to pull free.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re doing a shitty job of that. Right Eri, Shaeula?¡± she called, and the two of them entered, Shaeula wheeling Eri in, dreadful expressions on their faces. ¡°My heart is bleeding right now. Shit. Fuck!¡± She used more vile language than usual. ¡°If you die, who¡¯ll look after the others? You chose the hard path of the harem, so losing a girl or two along the way... that doesn¡¯t give you the right to abandon the others. Shitty idiot! I guess it¡¯s good to see you haven¡¯t changed, despite getting stronger and cooler, you¡¯re still dumb, stupid self-sacrificing Aki.¡±


    ¡°If you leave me, I¡¯ll follow. Even to heaven or hell.¡± Eri promised, dark eyes glittering. ¡°I¡¯m frustrated, but I get it. But... if the choice came to my life or somebody else¡¯s, I¡¯d choose mine.¡±


    ¡°I too. Living is cruel.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°I do not-not say this lightly, but those I cherish shall always matter more to me than those I do not-not.¡±


    ¡°What about Aiko too? You¡¯d abandon her, leave her behind? You jerk!¡± Eri cried, as angry as I¡¯d ever seen her.


    ¡°You admitted for us you could kill a thousand lives, a world¡¯s worth of lives, if it meant we were smiling, isn¡¯t that right Tan?¡± Shiro chimed in, and I remembered that.


    ¡°Yes. You are quite the hypocrite, but I do not hate it. The Buddha forgives many sins, but he does not know love. I believe you have the better bargain. Now, my answer. You cannot die easily, for if you do, those lives you would have saved would outweigh the loss. You are one of Tyr¡¯s indeed.¡± She snorted, the sound like ripping silk. ¡°He always did love sacrifice. But your desire for that binds you. It wars with your need to protect those you love against all foes. After all, Tyr knows not love, only duty. And you expect the same of others, it seems.¡±


    ¡°It was the same in Nishimorioka!¡± Eri shouted, raging. ¡°Ugh, I wanted you to talk to me about your worries. I thought we agreed to communicate!¡±


    ¡°I did!¡± I shouted back, my feelings coming loose. ¡°But I don¡¯t know just what I¡¯m feeling, what the right answer is! I¡¯m angry, all right! Angry at myself for coming up short. Tsukiko-san still died! Chosen were lost, Kyoto was ravaged! I¡¯m angry at the stupid fuckers who dug up grudges more than half a century old, hatred for those Japanese that aren¡¯t even alive anymore. I¡¯m angry at the golden-eyed devourer, who started this mess, and I¡¯m angry at ... fuck. I couldn¡¯t do it. I couldn¡¯t kill an innocent to save my life. Let alone a thousand, more.¡±


    ¡°One of Tyr¡¯s, most definitely. Though your vengeful streak does appeal.¡± Tan purred, only for Shiro to get angry, her hair flowing to white, her eyes darkening.


    ¡°Shut the hell up Tan, that sounded awfully like flirting.¡± She pouted. ¡°I hate saying it, but she¡¯s right though. You¡¯re pissed off. I get it. I¡¯m pissed off too. We won, but... we were nearly killed by that damn blob. It took our magical super combo attack to defeat it. If that failed... well, some of us would likely have died.¡±


    ¡°it seems to me that you are struggling to understand your true-true feelings.¡± Shaeula muttered, reaching out to join Shiro in stroking my hair. ¡°Well, understand this well. We will not-not hate you, no matter what you decide. Be it for good or for ill, we shall stand by your side.¡±


    ¡°You promised me you¡¯d stop me becoming a tyrant.¡± I accused, hating myself a little for my pettiness.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Eri quoted my sister in monotone, sounding very disappointed. ¡°If Aiko was here now, she¡¯d be aghast at her awesome big brother being such a god-damn moonstone!¡± Her voice rose angrily at the end. ¡°A tyrant? Bullshit. Nobody does more than you, Akio. Even when it hurts you. You¡¯re only human. You hate feeling powerless, you hate that you don¡¯t have all the answers.¡±


    ¡°Nobody has all answers.¡± Tan spoke up again. ¡°Not even He Who Sits Upon The Throne, who claims omniscience, knows all. Else the Territory He commands would not be fraught so, as is ours. Some questions have many answers, none correct, merely... the best one can do.¡±


    ¡°But... I¡¯m angry.¡± I repeated. ¡°Why did people have to die?¡±


    ¡°Why does anyone die?¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°I was dying. Now I¡¯m not. But an earthquake could hit tomorrow and Tokyo could see a hundred thousand dead. Sure, that¡¯s not what you mean, it wasn¡¯t a conscious thing, you can¡¯t judge an earthquake, can you? But dead is dead. Maybe I¡¯m cold, callous... if I wasn¡¯t selfish like that I¡¯d never have accepted Tan. But... talk to us, Aki. Don¡¯t make me ask Daiyu. She¡¯s still looking up to you as some sort of hero. Only we should know your fragile side for now.¡±


    As the three girls surrounded me, I sighed. I guess I¡¯m defeated. I was trying to bear the pain alone. I thought it was my decision to make, what to do with those who surrendered. To... take the burden of the sins on myself. To sacrifice. Shit, I guess I really am compatible with Tyr. Why the hell can¡¯t I use his Favour?


    ¡°Fine. Beer then. Eri, you in?¡± I asked, and she nodded, looking less annoyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it so much, but I¡¯ll not be left out. I¡¯m first wife, after all. When my husband is hurting, I should be there!¡± she paused. ¡°I can call Aiko too, she can give you a pep-talk.¡±


    ¡°No way. Leave her out of it. I don¡¯t want her to have to suffer yet. Being a Chosen is hard, painful. And oftentimes we have to do things that aren¡¯t good... and I hate that. Being a hero isn¡¯t heroic at all.¡± I sighed, opening a beer and handing it to Eri, who took it with her good hand. Shaeula had also opened some whiskey, and the three of them were looking at me expectantly.


    ¡°Just what¡¯s right? I don¡¯t know. Legally... being compelled at risk of your own life isn¡¯t a valid reason to kill others. And even if she didn¡¯t hold the knife, Nie Ling... she threw them at the knives. It¡¯s the same in the end. She admitted it. She brought them to their deaths to save herself. I... I couldn¡¯t accept that. The right thing to do is to die...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shiro said coldly. ¡°The right thing to do is die? If our lives were on the line, could you do what she did to save us?¡±


    ¡°I... you¡¯d hate me for it, you wouldn¡¯t want...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to suffer. But I want to live, with you. I¡¯d never hate you for it, blame you for it!¡± Eri insisted. ¡°I¡¯m not saying she¡¯s right, that any of them are. They were clearly wrong. But... is it so wrong to want to live? I had to fight for my life against that Kijo. In the end I killed her. I¡¯m not sorry. Her or me. I chose me. Us!¡±


    Shiro turned to Shaeula, a wry expression on her face. ¡°Is it me, or did Eri take the good part?¡±


    ¡°She has grown quite-quite bold. I rejoice to see it.¡± Shaeula laughed.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem? You want to punish her for her sins? If that¡¯s what you think is right, do it. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s a sin or not. Killing is wrong, but surviving... who can blame her for that?¡± Eri pressed me.


    ¡°Well, when I saved her from being devoured, I was surrounded by the dead. At the time, I asked for information, her Favour and to face Japanese justice in exchange for removing the slime from her. The thing is...¡±


    ¡°How would you even judge her under the law?¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°Well, I mean, from a logical standpoint, you¡¯ve made a deal. You can remove the Favour? I mean, I can get you to Rank 10 Chirurgery, right? There¡¯s no way you¡¯d screw it up and kill her.¡±


    ¡°I may have said it to scare her, but... I¡¯m certain that I can remove it and fix her network back to a perfect one.¡± I didn¡¯t want to go back on the deal I made. After all, we need Favours, just like Yamato-san¡¯s and the others we¡¯ve taken. I could find someone who could save many lives with it. That would be balancing the scales, justice. But...


    ¡°Clearly you do not entirely wish to do this.¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°Then do not-not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. I... I honestly don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calling Aiko. Only she can talk sense into you now.¡± Eri protested. ¡°In fact...¡± she smirked as I reached out to stop her. ¡°I already did while Shaeula was talking.¡±


    Oh Eri... ¡°Fine. Hi sis. Sorry to bother you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no bother. But Eri sent me a message earlier saying you feel down and need a sister¡¯s love. You siscon you! Well, never let it be said your darling little sister won¡¯t answer the call. So... what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You see...¡± I poured my heart out, explaining about the deaths being caused by Nie Ling, the fact that she was bound by the golden-eyed devourer, and that she chose to sacrifice others, even potentially starting a world war, all to save herself. For a long moment there was silence, then I heard a strange crunching noise, before my sis spoke again.


    ¡°Bro, you owe me a new desk.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, puzzled.


    ¡°You owe me a new desk, big bro moonstone. I got so pissed off I punched it, but my strength now pulverised it. Now you listen, and you listen good. What the fucking hell are you thinking, dumbass?¡± She swore violently. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious you¡¯re making a bad choice here? I thought you were supposed to be smart. This is Miyu-san all over again, isn¡¯t it?


    What? ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing alike.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Miyu was seeking freedom from... oh. I see. It is a little similar. But Miyu did nothing wrong, whereas...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, people died. I get that you¡¯d rather die than do that yourself, bro. You¡¯re strong-willed, kind, annoyingly self-sacrificing and plenty stupid. But... this girl sounds like an ordinary, cowardly girl, afraid of her own death, no, worse than death. You can¡¯t expect her to make a hard decision like you would. Damn, let me ask you a question. If it was me who was caught by the damn blob, would you ask me to be destroyed, do the right thing?¡±


    I opened my mouth to say she should, but I couldn¡¯t do it. I couldn¡¯t lie to my sister, and with my Resilience suppressed, I teared up.


    ¡°Thought so. Me, Eri, Shaeula, the others... you¡¯d rather we lived, even with bloody hands, soiled souls, right? Hypocrite, you are such a hypocrite, bro. But seriously, that¡¯s why I love you. Look, if you don¡¯t know what to do... don¡¯t make a decision you can¡¯t reverse. Take your time, think about it. Really, I feel for the poor girl. I think... I could make the same decision as you, bro, and I¡¯d rather die than be a murderer, but... that¡¯s because I¡¯m your sister, and I look up to you bro, and want to make you proud. She doesn¡¯t have that tie. All she wanted to do was save herself, so yeah, she holds some blame. But... how much? That¡¯s the thing. But that aside... whatever her sins, whatever judgement she deserves, if punishing her is going to hurt you bro, then just don¡¯t do it.¡±


    Around me, everyone nodded. Hurt me? Really?


    There¡¯s certainly a life after death in some sense, as Haru-san proves. Kin Restoration as well. I don¡¯t excuse her actions at all, and I¡¯ll risk her life to take her Favour, but... there was definitely more to this. My own words from earlier came back to me. Yes, I believed she had done wrong, judged from my standpoint, and indeed the laws of the land. The dead deserved closure. But then, I was pushing my own sense of righteousness and willingness to self-sacrifice onto her. I still believed that was right, but could I make the same choice for my sis, Eri or anyone else I cared deeply about? I don¡¯t think I can. I am a hypocrite. Shiro was right too. She would have done the same or worse, if things had been just a little different... and she¡¯s forgiven. Well, intent isn¡¯t the same as action, but...


    ¡°Seriously, why couldn¡¯t she have been a man?¡± My sis exclaimed, and I was snapped out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Yes, that would make life easier.¡± Eri agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, no question. Aki¡¯s a soft touch to women.¡±


    ¡°That is quite-quite correct. Though he has toughened up regarding this matter recently, he does still not-not have the strength to easily forsake them.¡±


    ¡°Really, that¡¯s what you think of me? Were she a man or a woman, the dilemma would be the same!¡± I protested.


    ¡°Yeah, but your mood and heart wouldn¡¯t suffer so. Just admit it. Harem protags always save the girl when they can.¡± Shiro insisted.


    ¡°Well, now I¡¯ve said my piece, I¡¯m going to explain to mom and dad how I shattered my desk. You better cheer up and get this sorted. Too much is riding on you. Too many lives. If you hate what happened, try harder to stop it happening again, all right? And... whatever choice you make, I¡¯ll support you. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯d do, but I think it¡¯s wrong to make a decision that just hurts yourself. And... I sympathise with her. I really do. Dying for the sake of others isn¡¯t easy. If I had a choice between putting an arrow in you bro, or a random, innocent bystander... I might struggle to hold to my principles. At least remember that when you decide. Sacrifice is noble, but... life is all we have, right?¡±


    Before I could answer she hung up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no right or wrong, no absolute justice. It¡¯s a myth, Aki. Go with your gut.¡± Shiro said into the silence.


    ¡°Your anger and sorrow is not-not a good guide. I believe that you did delay seeing the prisoners for quite-quite a while due to knowing your heart and mind are in disarray. Well, decide in haste-haste, repent in leisure.¡±


    ¡°I think this Nie Ling needs to take responsibility.¡± Eri said coldly. ¡°I am going to go talk to her. Shiro, you come too, you can wheel my chair. You¡¯re her age, right? And just like her. So she¡¯ll have to listen. Besides, I don¡¯t speak Chinese.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but how will we get into a military prison?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Motoko can ask her grandfather. I¡¯ll go get her.¡±


    Shaeula smiled then. ¡°Bring Natsumi too. And Hyacinth. I believe Akio needs-needs to take his mind off his troubles. And what better way than making love-love, feeling our hearts, our connection? Our bonds.¡±


    Really, right now? ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the time for this. I have a lot to do...¡±


    ¡°No-no.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°You have been doing too much. Your mind, willpower, it is not-not limitless. We wish to be here for you, to indulge your lusts. It pleases us as well.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Now, division of labours it is. See, Akio? Having many-many wives is helpful after all...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your decision alone, Akio.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t make that sacrifice, taking it all on yourself. If you do that, we suffer as well.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Aki. What¡¯s the point of being your wives if you don¡¯t let us help you carry the burden? Besides, there are others who have to have their say as well. It¡¯s not all on you. It¡¯s bigger than just that.¡±


    I guess they¡¯re right? Maybe I¡¯m not in the right frame of mind for this. ¡°Fine. But...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on little miss yandere here, stop her putting an axe in the Chinese girl¡¯s head.¡± Shiro promised.


    ¡°Legally speaking, yes.¡± The Detective said unhelpfully.


    ¡°We¡¯re not talking about that now.¡± I said coldly, and he gave me a wry look. ¡°Look...¡± I addressed her again. ¡°I¡¯ve already said I understand, and I might well make the same choice you did. But... you think Akio asked for everything that happened to him? That he asked to be faced with the weight of your deeds? If you won¡¯t own them, who will? This golden-eyed creature? Well, in time, Akio will see it destroyed. Just like he did the clone, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, Tan and I helped rather a lot, but yeah. Aki and I, we¡¯ll destroy it, one day.¡± Shiro added, before translating it once more.


    ¡°So, if you won¡¯t accept responsibility, Akio has to, that¡¯s how he sees it. He doesn¡¯t want to harm you, and you know it. Otherwise, why would he save you? For knowledge? Perhaps, but Daiyu probably knows more than a girl who always tries to flee her problems, like you.¡± I understand it, and I¡¯m being a hypocrite too. If it was Aiko who did the same, I¡¯d be saying that she had no choice. But then... Aiko wouldn¡¯t be so damn pitiful about it, I¡¯m sure...


    Nie Ling gasped in surprise as Shiro¡¯s eyes and hair turned crimson, streaming flames. Her expression changed, and I realised Tan was in control for now. ¡°Yes, the Divine Favour always suits the wielder. That is an unshakeable rule. What better refuge for one who always flees from danger, wishes for respite, than a dream, which is the ultimate escape. And in dreams, this is no judgement, no responsibility...¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Nie Ling suddenly flared up, her face twisting angrily. ¡°I bet you have incredible power! You must do, if you survived, and killed the others. I... I did the best I could. It¡¯s not fair for me to die, I did nothing wrong!¡±


    ¡°And those that you dragged into the Boundary, helpless and unknowing, did?¡± Tan asked, getting to the point. ¡°There is a legend from the Endless Golden Desert. After death, the spirit of the dead is judged. Their heart, all that they are, is placed upon a delicate golden scale, and weighed against a feather. If their sins, guilt, their deeds, trapped within the heart, outweigh the feather... well, I dare believe you can imagine the outcome. It is judgement, after all. And your heart is heavy indeed, weighed down by the many dead.¡±


    ¡°Me, strong?¡± Shiro snorted, resuming some control. ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was so sickly and weak even going for a short walk could have killed me. So I get it. If someone told me I could be healthy, live a fun life, I¡¯d have been willing to sacrifice others. I made that choice. Luckily, Aki was there to stop me. But...even with strength, we still might face misfortune. Shit, girl. Don¡¯t use your weakness as an excuse. If you look back, was there nothing you could have done differently?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t do as Luo Jiahao wanted, well, I¡¯d... he would have killed me.¡± She said, and I narrowed my eyes when I received the translation. Her words weren¡¯t matching her expression.


    ¡°Liar.¡± I scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t believe that.¡±


    ¡°No...¡± she sighed. ¡°He was a man who was grieving the loss of his family. A broken man. He wanted revenge, but...¡±


    ¡°So you created many more grieving just like him.¡± I pressed, and she shot back.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t do it, they¡¯d have found another way! I...¡±


    ¡°Pitiful.¡± I snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Akio is agonising over this so hard. It¡¯s not my fault, if I didn¡¯t do bad things, somebody else would... what are you, five years old?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe someone older than me was so pathetic. ¡°You don¡¯t think that¡¯s just an excuse? You wanted to live, not be devoured? That¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t judge you for that.¡± I twisted my half-paralysed neck, looking down at my largely immobile limbs. ¡°I had to kill to survive. Though my axe was raised to save others, at first, in the end it came down to her or me. I won¡¯t forget and I won¡¯t make excuses. In the end, I became as you see. But... I won¡¯t run from it!¡±


    I paused as Motoko squeezed my hand reassuringly. Her brown eyes were kind, and her smile soft. ¡°Eri, please do not strain yourself. I know you have bad memories, and that this woman is proving frustrating for you, but... not everyone can be strong. Besides, you are scaring the good Detective.¡±


    He smiled wryly. ¡°You girls are certainly intense. But just shouting at her like this won¡¯t do any good. I understand your frustrations. By the law, coercion, duress, that will excuse you for minor crimes, but not ones of this serious nature. But... the law was never set up to consider her circumstances. The law was never set up to consider any of these circumstances. We have scholars, lawyers and lawmakers drafting feverishly, but anything we do will be incomplete at best.¡±


    ¡°That is why it is difficult.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°I see why Akio struggles, he is not good with decisions where people have to sacrifice. He hates that, as he told us. And here... there is no answer that satisfies everyone. Legally, Nie Ling should be punished severely, likely never setting foot outside of a prison for the rest of her life. Ethically, the woman was coerced with the threat of something so cruel that none would ever face it without trembling. Morally, perhaps she should have considered her own life less valuable than the lives of many others, and resisted, even in spite of that. But... none of that matches fairness, does it?¡±


    As Shiro translated, the prisoner looked up in surprise. Motoko smiled at her, still holding my hand. ¡°I am Tsumura Motoko. My family has been the heads of the Japanese Military for generations, and now head the JSDF. So I understand war. This was no war, but terrorism. However, your terrorism was not motivated by hatred, but by simple fear. I believe that is worthy of sorrow, of forgiveness. But forgiveness alone will hardly suffice. The scale... a thousand dead. Precious Chosen who would have gone on to protect Japan slain... more may die because of your actions.¡±


    ¡°What choices did I really have?¡± Nie Ling repeated, her eyes dry. ¡°Answer me that.¡±


    ¡°Each chooses as to their own will, and the circumstances. Akio and I would choose death. Yet were I threatened with death, and Akio compelled to do atrocious deeds... I fear he might succumb, though when I was safe, the guilt would no doubt lead him to take his own life...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aki, the stupid bastard, he even said as much. But I set him straight. When you accept responsibility for a life, like he has for all of us, there¡¯s no quitting before the end.¡± She looked at Nie Ling, lapsing back to Chinese. When she was done, the woman replied, and her expression changed.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Simple. We¡¯re obviously working down to this in the end, right? I asked her straight up. Legally, you should be imprisoned for ever. Ethically, I think that punishing you is wrong, and would by hypocritical. Morally, the dead demand justice. And fairly... I asked her what fairness would be, here and now. And she said... fairness would be making amends, but I don¡¯t know if I can...¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, not so stupid after all. Justice is about punishment, but also... rehabilitation and soothing the hurt of the victims, right?¡± I quoted, and the Detective agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the three points of the triangle. You have to judge against punishment for wrongdoings, the hope of rehabilitation, to allow the perpetrator to turn their life around when justice is served, and lastly, the victims must have their redress. A system that forgets the victims is merely cruelty masquerading as justice.¡±


    ¡°Show her the news on your phone.¡± I said, and Shiro did so. The protests were still going strong, though the violence was dying down, but it didn¡¯t take long to find further incidences of violence against the Chinese community here in Japan, or images of grieving families at funerals. On seeing that, she needed no words to understand, and Nie Ling bowed her head.


    ¡°What do you want to do, really?¡± I asked her, and as Shiro relayed me her answer, I felt my hand tensing in Motoko¡¯s soothing grip.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You don¡¯t know?¡± I was incredulous. ¡°In that case, let Akio take your Favour, he¡¯ll put you back together again, and after a little pain, serve out your sentence. That¡¯s the best thing for a coward. Let someone else shoulder your sins. That¡¯ll hurt Akio though. And I¡¯ll never forgive you for that.¡± I¡¯m cruel myself, I know it. I¡¯m not thinking of the dead, of justice, only what is best for Akio. But...


    ¡°Eri, that is not the way.¡± Motoko sighed, patting my head like Akio always did. ¡°She is clearly not strong, like you. Ultimatums will not work. Shiro, Eri, if I may?¡± She looked at the Detective too, who popped some chewing gum in his mouth with a sigh, nodding.


    ¡°You may as well.¡± he declared.


    ¡°Please translate for me, Shiro. My Chinese is rudimentary at best.¡± Motoko declared, and she then began. ¡°It is obvious to me you feel guilt at what you have done. Else why would you have surrendered yourself to Akio? Perhaps it was fear that he would kill you? I was not there. But I believe you are capable of remorse. Right or wrong, you directly assisted in killing many innocents to save yourself. I do not believe that can be overlooked. But I can understand. So, as I see it, are you prepared to shoulder that?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Nie Ling hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m strong enough for that. This is not a dream, it¡¯s a terrible nightmare. I did my best, I did. I never wanted this!¡±


    ¡°If you really just wish to flee your worries and responsibilities, not a praiseworthy attitude, but one I can accept, then you should simply face what justice the legal system can bring. I would also expect that you should give up your Divine Favour. It is too precious to be left in the hands of someone who abandons their responsibilities.¡± Her face twitched, and I could see a yearning in her eyes for a Favour like Aiko. I could understand that too. ¡°Taking it from you may seem cruel, but you agreed to trade it in exchange for Akio saving you from the golden-eyed devourer, no?¡±


    At that Nie Ling had nodded solemnly. ¡°Well, it may be a harsh agreement, but Akio has delivered on his end of the bargain.¡± Motoko continued.


    ¡°I am prepared for the risk...¡± she agreed.


    ¡°Well, as I said...¡± Shiro interjected. ¡°Aki is far better at Chirurgery now with my buffs. I think you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That is the choice of one who only wishes to escape into a blissful dream.¡± Motoko said, and Tan laughed, Shiro¡¯s eyes red again.


    ¡°Indeed. A choice suitable for the holder of such a Favour. A disappointing one. Let me give you some counsel.¡± That surprised me, as Tan spoke up. ¡°Running does nothing. One day you will run up against that which you have tried so hard to flee. Then, only strength can save you. Strength you will have abandoned.¡±


    Yes, just like running from my feelings for Akio nearly cost me everything I wanted. If I had run one more time... I wouldn¡¯t be alongside everyone now. ¡°That choice puts the most weight on Akio as well. Every time he takes a Favour, it causes him grief. But he knows he has to do it, as they are limited and precious. Your case most of all. Fairness is simply impossible here. All we can do is be the most fair to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Another choice is... you could simply make amends by protecting this country, working until you have saved as many lives as your actions have taken. That might be a thorny path, one that hurts you, but... you will have some agency, control over your fate.¡±


    ¡°Agency? Control?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Ever since the day I was visited by the Duke of Dreams, I had none of that.¡±


    ¡°Not true.¡± Motoko denied her. ¡°From the story I have heard, there were points you could have taken control, changed your fate. But... that is just in hindsight. We cannot change what has already happened. No more than we can change the truth.¡±


    ¡°Your Favour came to you for a reason.¡± Tan commented. ¡°Though not all Divine Favours go to a worthy recipient. The Divine is hardly infallible. We choose based on affinity and our instincts, passing on our gifts. Perhaps you were a mistake... but even mistakes can become true answers.¡±


    ¡°Punishment. I think that while you can¡¯t be held wholly responsible for what you did, you can¡¯t be held wholly innocent either. Do you have a family?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I was in your position, and your family, friends, hometown was consumed, would you forgive me, saying I had no choice, I had to put myself first?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Nie Ling admitted, and I felt at least a little respect for her honesty. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t. I would wonder if your life was really worth so many of ours... and our pain.¡± She bit her lip, and genuine tears were sparkling now in her brown eyes.


    ¡°So, your punishment should be something as fair as possible.¡± Shiro continued. ¡°Then, Rehabilitation. You could either have your Favour taken, or make use of it yourself, in a proper way. Either way would allow you not only to face your guilt, but to try and stop running. After all, where has it got you?¡±


    ¡°Even if it hurts, or makes you shiver in fear, push forwards.¡± I said, giving her a little advice. ¡°I too nearly had a fate worse than death. I would rather have faced oblivion.¡± I remembered the kitsune which Akio slew. ¡°So it isn¡¯t like I can¡¯t understand. But... I think pretending to yourself that you had no choice and I was forced, I bear little of the blame will only crush you in the end. Even if you truly had no blame, you¡¯re only human. It¡¯ll still worm its way into you and break you.¡±


    ¡°Lastly, restitution.¡± Motoko took over. ¡°My family has always served Japan, so we know what it is to protect. The dead... their lives were snuffed unfairly, their families grieve. To be fair to you and to be fair to them is a balance impossible to fathom. But... the world is in danger, Japan is in danger. You have abilities that are precious and rare. Use them to assuage your guilt and your selfishness. You chose your life over those of many, countless others. Now prove your choice holds some value, you hold value worth the price paid.¡±


    ¡°Like the heart on the scales.¡± Tan laughed coldly. ¡°There is no absolute standard of justice. Each Pantheon, each Territory, each being decides what is just, fair. But... you made an agreement with that man. I believe you should honour it in the end.¡±


    ¡°To be judged under the law, information, and my blessing from the Duke of Dreams.¡± She squeezed shut her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t objected to that, have I?¡±


    ¡°No, but your whole being just screams why is this happening to me, it¡¯s not fair!¡± I snapped. ¡°And no, it isn¡¯t fair. But a thousand not fairs outweighs one not fair, surely. I¡¯m trying to be sympathetic, Akio clearly is, even if he¡¯s trying to stick to his new bold self. But you make it hard. I respect those that grasp what they want despite their fears and hardships, like Shaeula. So... answer me this. What do you honestly think is justice here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± she stumbled as my gaze sharpened, before continuing, a little stronger, her face in a genuine, angry pout. ¡°... but I hate the way you¡¯re all cornering me! Sure, it seems like you know hardships, have suffered, could have been like me, but... I¡¯m me! Only I can be me! I never deserved this, wanted this! I didn¡¯t want to kill. Maybe that¡¯s why I gained a power that is ordinarily so harmless! But I didn¡¯t want to die either, and there was no way to have both! What was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°The truth at last.¡± I said, and as Shiro translated with a slight smile, I leaned forwards as best I could. ¡°You could have died, in which case we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation. Or you could have killed. Which you did, perhaps not legally, but fairly, morally, ethically... you did. But... we all recognise that the scales aren¡¯t balanced. Only self-preservation is the weight of your heart. But it¡¯s still a heavy, heavy weight. So... lighten it. However you can, from now until the scales balance.¡±


    ¡°I am... I¡¯ll accept imprisonment, I¡¯ll give up my Favour, I¡¯ll tell him everything I know, I overheard...¡±


    ¡°And that is one way, but it will not save your heart. In the end, you will just resent it, resent us. For you will still be running, feeling like you once more had no choices.¡± Motoko said. ¡°Far better, take a step forwards rather than backwards. When Natsumi and I did, finally... honest at last... when you reach out, sometimes the world reaches back.¡±


    ¡°Who would reach for me?¡± She scoffed.


    ¡°Akio will.¡± I answered, sure of it. ¡°Show him you are genuinely remorseful, not just feeling sorry for yourself, and offer to put things right. The dead won¡¯t return, but if you save a thousand, no, ten thousand lives, then you can know that your choice was, if not the right one, there¡¯s no right one here, then a choice everyone can live with.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but the law isn¡¯t something you can just choose...¡± the Detective interjected.


    ¡°I believe it is.¡± Motoko disagreed. ¡°To stretch current statutes to encompass her ability is possible, certainly, and likely moral, yet perhaps not ethical. Is that not why new laws are being worked on as we speak? But the cornerstone of justice is it can never be retrospective. Else nobody is ever safe from summary punishment.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is that. But...¡± he sighed. ¡°Well, I admit to feeling sympathy. But as a Detective, that¡¯s a luxury.¡±


    ¡°We can each imagine it, the horror of such a choice. It is very much like having a bomb inside you, that could be detonated at any moment. No, worse than that. Detective, what would your choice be? Or what would your choice be if your family was threatened in that way?¡±


    ¡°But the law...¡± he stubbornly clung on, but I could see him weakening.


    ¡°Is going to be hell.¡± I laughed bitterly. ¡°You think this scenario is bad? What if someone could genuinely compel someone¡¯s actions, some sort of mind control. Could we hold them at fault then? But then... could they simply be lying? I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to worry about those decisions. All I care about is making sure Akio doesn¡¯t suffer too much.¡± I turned back to Nie Ling, gesturing for translation. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, I get it. If you¡¯re weak, I¡¯m not much different, though I¡¯ve tried my hardest to be strong. Motoko here is the same. We¡¯re not all possessed by some demon like Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s damn rude! Tan isn¡¯t a demon...¡± Shiro protested.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s debatable, but I¡¯d embrace a demon or a devil if it wanted to help Akio. Now...¡± I gave my attention back to Nie Ling, who was listening to Shiro¡¯s translation with a complicated expression on her face. ¡°...it¡¯s your choice. It really is. The least you can do is pay up what you promised. Akio saved your soul, right? But that¡¯s the truly cowardly way. That¡¯s the I had no choice, I¡¯m washing my hands of everything choice. No... face your fear and your guilt. Offer to make amends, and do it yourself. Those of us who might well have made your choice will respect that, and offer a helping hand. Akio definitely will. Your power should be used for good, and if you are tired of being exploited by the evil in this world, then either entrust yourself to Akio¡¯s care, like others have, or be strong enough to stand on your own.¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t know. I¡¯m still so... numb to everything.¡± She managed in reply, but I could tell she was listening. ¡°But... I do understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± she wiped at her reddened eyes and nose. ¡°I... find it hard to trust, to forgive myself. Even those who were nice to me, like Lou Jiahao, they had darkness within them. I wondered... no, it doesn¡¯t matter. I would rather risk pain and death never having to worry about this world again, but...¡±


    ¡°You do understand. The world is changed forever. Just covering your eyes and ears won¡¯t make it leave you alone.¡±


    ¡°Can... can I think about it?¡± She said, meeting my eyes.


    ¡°I think you can. Akio needs time to think, too. I don¡¯t want this mess to be scar on his heart.¡±


    With that, we left her behind, and when the door was shut, Shiro turned to me. ¡°So, was that for the best? In the end, all we did was talk at her, tell her our opinions.¡±


    ¡°Well, there are some problems that have no solutions. It is the trolley problem, to an extent. Is it permissible to sacrifice many to save one, or one to save some? Though it is complicated as the sacrifices have already been made,¡± Motoko said. ¡°Our philosophy teacher often sets us these questions. My grandfather and father too. After all, the military is a tool of violence, killing to save and protect, and often soldiers must sacrifice themselves for the mission.¡±


    ¡°But soldiers know what they are signing up for. She didn¡¯t want any of this.¡± Shiro muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to push the solution to this problem as close to one that can be accepted by those involved as possible. No, not everyone. Akio.¡± I amended.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find it isn¡¯t just Oshiro-san that needs to be satisfied.¡± The Detective warned, but I snorted my disagreement.


    ¡°For me, that¡¯s all that matters. Though again, I do feel some sympathy for her, though her refusal to stand up to her troubles, always running... makes it hard. Well, Akio wants to be fair and hates sacrifice, so... we need a way that prevents further sacrifice. If she gives up her Favour, sure, she¡¯ll feel better, and in the end that might be enough for her. Lives can be saved if the recipient is worthy. But in the end, all that does is perpetuate the sorrow of this whole mess. Far better she agrees to stand up for herself, accept her share of the responsibility, and fight.¡±


    ¡°And Aki would help her, if that was what she wished, right?¡± Shiro agreed.


    ¡°He is affected by the dead, and the circumstances in which they met. But when presented with genuine contrition and a willingness to make amends, I believe he will reach out a hand to her.¡± Motoko agreed with me.


    ¡°Right. Well, it¡¯s up to her though. She¡¯d better not do anything selfish like kill herself and ruin everything, though I doubt she would, considering what she sacrificed for her own life... deep down she definitely knows Akio¡¯s threats are hollow.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wonder how he¡¯s getting on back at Shirohebizumi?¡± Shiro said suddenly, flushing. ¡°I kind of wanted to stay and watch, considering tomorrow...¡±


    With that, the tense mood melted away. ¡°You pervert, Shiro. Are you that eager to make love to Akio?¡±


    ¡°Hey now, I¡¯ve been waiting a long time, so it¡¯s natural I¡¯d be curious...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still here you know, please do shut up!¡± The Detective complained and there was some laughter...


    ********


    ¡°So, that¡¯s your conclusion?¡± I said, talking to Shiro on my phone as I lay in bed, Natsumi naked in my arms, Shaeula on the other side, an equally naked Hyacinth bustling about, making us some refreshments.


    ¡°Well, Eri did most of the talking, with some help from me and Motoko.¡± She said, sighing. ¡°Really, it sucked. I hate thinking about these sort of things. Life was simpler when I let Tan handle everything. But then... I was no better than our Chinese girl in that regard. So...I don¡¯t have the right to blame her.¡±


    ¡°Trolley problems, huh? Who to sacrifice? Shit, just thinking about that pisses me off.¡± As I snarled that, Natsumi nuzzled against me, trying to calm me down, and I softly apologised. ¡°I guess I really am a Chosen of Tyr. If someone has to stick their hand in the mouth of a wolf, I¡¯d rather it was me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, she¡¯ll think about it. You should too. Anyway, see you later. I want to hear all about it.¡± As I blushed, she hung up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you, Akio. You¡¯ve done the best you can.¡± Natsumi said, trying to cheer me up. ¡°You¡¯re angry with her, I know, but you also don¡¯t want her guilt or her crimes to destroy her. You wanted her to make amends, right?¡±


    ¡°You had an agreement. You said you would-would save her from the golden-eyed devourer. You did-did so. Now in exchange you should receive what she promised. Some might call it cruel, demanding prices for salvation, but she was not-not entirely without blame. I call it pragmatic. Now, how you receive the payment depends on her, does it not-not? If she is wise, she will strive under her own power, as I did, when you defeated me. A female of worth does not-not go back on her word when given.¡±


    When there¡¯s no good solutions, just... go with the one you can live with. I guess that applies not just to me, but to Nie Ling too. Then there¡¯s the other one Haru-san captured, though the situation is different, as if we release her she¡¯ll die. Then there¡¯s the treatment of the captured Cultivators...


    I tightened my grip on Natsumi, who sighed happily, while Shaeula tickled my back with her hair. No, the girls are right. I don¡¯t have to decide now. Not until my head is clear, and I can be fair over all the deaths I witnessed the aftermath of...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty- Oshiro Sapphire Aiko / Izumi Kana

    Side One Hundred And Thirty- Oshiro Sapphire Aiko / Izumi Kana


    ¡°So, who can answer this question?¡± our teacher was saying, looking around the room, frowning. ¡°Oh well... I suppose I may as well ask. Masui-san, go ahead. Though I¡¯m not expecting much.¡± She gestured to the chalkboard, where a maths problem was sketched out. There was a ripple of laughter around the room at the teacher¡¯s words, and Rika-chan laughed it off as usual.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll surprise you today.¡± She smiled, enjoying the attention, her usual flashy look drawing the eyes of the boys in class. I idly cast my attention to the problem on the board, my mind instantly providing me with the answer, and how it was worked out. Skills and stats sure are convenient...


    ¡°Well, the answer is... x approaches zero at...¡± she moved the chalk, filling in the problem, leaving the room in silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Masui-san.¡± The teacher frowned, her eyebrows arching she was so surprised. ¡°Uh, well done, I guess. Have you been studying? That¡¯s... well, not very like you. As your teacher I¡¯m pleased though!¡± She hurriedly corrected her rather insulting words.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been putting in a bit of an effort. Yae too, right?¡± At that Yae-chan waved her hand in agreement, her other hand idly twirling her bleached blonde hair.


    ¡°Sure have!¡± she said, and at that the teacher¡¯s eyes glimmered, as she sketched out another problem.


    ¡°Well then, go right ahead, Chihaya-san. If my precious students are trying their best, it would be remiss of your teacher not to test you!¡± There was more laughter at that, but Yae-chan merely got up from her desk, brushed down her (rather too short) skirt, and then wrote out the answer.


    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m still dreaming?¡± The teacher said with a laugh. ¡°Well, if it is a dream, I hope I¡¯m not late for work!¡±


    ¡°No dreams, teach.¡± Yae-chan teased, sitting down. ¡°Rika and I finally decided to take school a bit more seriously, you know? It¡¯s all down to good girl Ai-chan here! She¡¯s helped us out a lot.¡±


    Don¡¯t bring me into it. I¡¯m in a bad enough mood after last night! Just remembering it made me mad. My blue eyes were stern as I looked at her, but that only made her laugh harder, and the teacher wasn¡¯t going to let that go.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, our very own Oshiro-san whose grades have shot up. I think you have a good chance of entering the University of your choice in Tokyo, following in your brother¡¯s footsteps. I hear he¡¯s moving up in the world?¡±


    ¡°He sure is.¡± Rika-san smirked. ¡°It was pretty fascinating seeing where he lives and works in Tokyo.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so jealous!¡± Another classmate cried, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, you should be. It was... magical, right Ai-chan?¡± She winked at me, fuelling my annoyance.


    ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re as good at mathematics as you¡¯ve always been at English, Oshiro-san, these questions are probably too easy for you, right? You¡¯ve been frowning to yourself all lesson...¡±


    Well, that¡¯s got nothing to do with the class content! ¡°... well, I believe the job of a teacher is to challenge my students, unleash their potential, so...¡± as our teacher smiled slyly, I felt my annoyance spike. It doesn¡¯t really matter. There¡¯s only a few minutes to the end of class, and then there¡¯s only English to go until we¡¯re done, and I can switch off during that class...


    ¡°... here. don¡¯t be sad if you can¡¯t solve this problem. It¡¯s material you¡¯d cover during your first year on a Mathematics or Physics course at University, but it is solvable, if you apply everything we¡¯ve learned during your three years at high-school, and...¡± as the teacher droned on, I stood, striding to the board and grabbed a piece of chalk. My hand moved, elegantly sketching out the solution.


    ¡°Well, that was... fast.¡± The teacher said, shocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not intending to do a true STEM course.¡± I said primly. ¡°My focus is on sports science, but my bro told me that contains a lot of maths and biology, so there¡¯s a lot of overlap. So I¡¯ve been studying too.¡±


    ¡°I see you have. Uh... just out of curiosity, can you answer this?¡± She drew up an even more complicated problem, one that I could indeed answer, but I realised that a good chunk of the problem was material we¡¯d never covered. A trap, huh... well, I¡¯m not my bro, showing off in baseball in front of the whole damn town. I¡¯ll be careful...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I get it up to here...¡± I made some notes on the board. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve studied this, right?¡±


    Our teacher let out a little sigh, and I was sure I could see some relief on her face. ¡°You¡¯re right. We haven¡¯t. That¡¯s third year University material. I wonder... no, class will be over shortly. Ah, the bell...¡± As her words were spoken the bell rang, releasing us from the teacher and her annoying questions. ¡°One last thing...¡± the teacher said, looking at me sympathetically. ¡°I know everyone is worried about Mori-san and how she is doing away from home, but she is properly submitting her assignments and has been taking tests over webcam with us. I see no problems with her graduating with you all in March, so do your best so she doesn¡¯t leave you behind! As for her physical condition...¡± the teacher looked at me, so I shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, Eri¡¯s doing rehab, she¡¯s putting her all into it. Progress is slow, but her doctors...¡± Well, bro and Shaeula, anyway... ¡°... say that if she keeps up her hard work, she¡¯ll make a full recovery in time.¡±


    ¡°Must be nice, having her fiance?e look after her with such dedication.¡± One of our classmates said.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the minimum one can expect, isn¡¯t it?¡± Our teacher smiled as she was packing up. ¡°If you find a partner, make sure they¡¯ll be there for you in both good times and bad. If they are, then you¡¯ve found a keeper...¡±


    Yeah, well my bro sure does love Eri, but he isn¡¯t perfect, not by a long shot. I puffed my cheeks out in a scowl as I took my seat, head down on the desk, switching off. At least I get time to think about things...


    ********


    ¡°You know...¡± Asami-chan said, snapping me out of my thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Ren-kun is starting to act more manly? I think it¡¯s kind of hot.¡±


    ¡°Ren-san? Really?¡± I raised an eyebrow, surprised. Well, if I¡¯m going to be fair, he¡¯s definitely changed since Kyoto. A lot of people have. Akio too. ¡°Now that you mention it, he does seem more mature than his age. Like he¡¯s a bit older than us now, even though he isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°They say adversity makes a man.¡± Mio-chan said piously, as we waited for our final class of the weekend to end. ¡°Well, so, do you like him then, Asami-chan?¡± she asked, getting to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°Like is a bit strong a word, but... well, he¡¯s not so bad, right? I hear he¡¯s from a pretty important shrine, too? Before, even though I go to a faith school, I never really thought about it much.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡± Mio-chan agreed with her. ¡°I mean, no offense, Kana-chan, but your shrine, other than having a lot of land, it was pretty run-down. Well, not fair to say that now though, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, I won¡¯t argue with you. I always used to hate it.¡± I agreed. ¡°Things are different now though.¡± I could see some other girls listening to us, including Takagi-san and Kikuchi-san. I still wasn¡¯t all that close to them, despite everything, but since we were all allies in the same boat, we were spending more time together, and I had a fresh appreciation for their circumstances. Although...


    ¡°No need to be jealous, Kana-chan! After all, your achievements are way more impressive!¡± Mio-chan reassured me, and I managed a wry smile. I¡¯m not jealous. It¡¯s just...


    ¡°Maiko-san has worked hard.¡± Takagi-san defended her, her eyes sharp behind the glasses. For a shy girl, she was becoming bolder recently, and that made me like her more. ¡°She¡¯s a daughter of a true shrine, just like you!¡±


    I snorted a laugh at that, amused. ¡°Really, Kikuchi-san, you have such a brave hero trying to protect your honour.¡± At that Takagi-san looked down, flushed, and it was cute. The plain girl was definitely looking less out of place in our group of beauties, that was for sure, as she took better care of her appearance, and had even bought a more fashionable pair of glasses. Well, Akio does insist on making sure we all get paid. It¡¯s not a huge amount of money, but for highschoolers like us, it¡¯s certainly welcome. It¡¯s like a proper wage an adult would get... well, he did say we were doing the work of an adult so should be compensated accordingly. I like that he¡¯s fair. Like...


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully Hisano-san!¡± Kikuchi-san protested, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Bullying? This is banter. Don¡¯t you get it? It means we¡¯re friends, right?¡± I smiled. I really can¡¯t be bothered to play the queen bee anymore. There¡¯s more to life than being beautiful... I could feel the power thrumming within me, a great surge of earth element energy. It was muted here outside the Boundary, but I could still sense it boiling within my lower body, and if I chose, I could probably collapse the building we were in, if I put out all my effort. Me, effort. I can still hardly believe it, but... I¡¯ve never felt so alive. Every day makes my heart race, makes me discover new parts of myself.


    ¡°Friends?¡± Takagi-san said softly, seemingly puzzled.


    ¡°Yes, friends, Hisano-chan.¡± I changed my way of address, surprising a few of the listeners. ¡°If you don¡¯t think we are, you¡¯ll hurt my feelings!¡± I guess we certainly are friends, comrades. And I guess I¡¯d like to get to know them better.


    At that, Noguchi-san, another girl in class who I had been friendlier with recently, and had visited my shrine, spoke up. ¡°Really, the five of you have been pretty close ever since we visited your shrine, Kana-chan!¡± she pouted. ¡°I was there too, and I can¡¯t help but feel I missed out on something!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ai-chan.¡± Yae-chan returned the favour, patting my head now. ¡°He¡¯ll understand you care about him. After all, isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re doing all this?¡± She gestured around the Boundary. ¡°It¡¯s you, little Ri-Ri, Shaeula... all of you support him, make up for what he lacks.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just for my bro. I¡¯m doing all this for me too. I¡¯ve found something I want to do. As for you two...¡±


    ¡°I think this is something special.¡± Yae-chan continued. ¡°No matter how I feel about Aki, I¡¯m your friend too, Ai-chan. So let¡¯s not do this alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re friends for life!¡± Rika-chan agreed. ¡°Akio-kun aside, us girls should stick together!¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± my eyes gleamed, and as I pulled out an arrow they swallowed nervously. ¡°... best prepare yourselves. Training from hell begins now, get ready for it!¡± As they hastily made excuses, I didn¡¯t listen to their cries, my thoughts on my future plans. I really wish I could drop a Territory here, but bro says it¡¯s too risky, since I can¡¯t defend it all the time. He¡¯s right. Sure, there¡¯s probably no other Chosen anywhere near Nishimorioka, but if one does come across my Anchor... well, I¡¯ll wait until bro tells me where he wants it. Then I¡¯ll just squeeze him for resources like Haru-chan!


    ********


    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Ren-kun?¡± Asami-chan said cheerfully to him as he was practising with the mirror Akio had lent him, his admittedly handsome face screwed up into an expression of concentration as he was manipulating the glowing halo of indigo and golden light around the glass. Oh that¡¯s right, we should be getting light energy from Haru-san¡¯s Territory too now.


    Beside me, Mio-chan covered her mouth so we couldn¡¯t see her smiling at the antics of our friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± He said, looking up, his eyes flickering over us. He didn¡¯t pay me much attention, but his gaze lingered on Mio-chan and Asami-chan, and Asami-chan was going a little pink at his scrutiny. It¡¯s strange. Before, I used to get annoyed when boys looked at me with lustful eyes, but I also got angry when they didn¡¯t, I felt disregarded. I was such a bitch. Well, at least I know why he¡¯s ignoring me now...


    ¡°Yeah, but Akio says your contributions are really important.¡± I soothed him, and he nodded gratefully.


    ¡°Yes, I can see results, which helps. Well, Chiaki and Chiasa are at the usual spot. So if you want to join them, now¡¯s the time. Even without Suzuki-san, we¡¯re having some successes.¡± He said, proud of his sisters.


    ¡°We sure are. Maiko-chan mastered wind, that bodyguard of Hinata-chan¡¯s mastered earth element, and more us are close.¡± I agreed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give it a miss though. I have to level up.¡± Besides, there are all those Americans here too. I find some of them scary, even though I should be able to protect myself, and they have been bound by Shaeula...


    ¡°Good luck!¡± Mio-chan said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m going to get earth element too, today¡¯s the day, I just know it.¡±


    ¡°Well, do your best. Having an element will be a solid foundation to build on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best as well!¡± Asami-chan said, enthusiastic, and Ren-san blinked for a moment, before nodding. That¡¯s cute. You know what, I think she might have a thing for him after all, so competitive.


    ¡°Good. There¡¯s nothing worse than not having power when you need it. I know that now.¡± He looked at me, and while his eyes searched me, it wasn¡¯t in appreciation of my looks, like with my two friends, but it was as if he was trying to burn my new strength into his eyes. I like that a lot more. I¡¯m being valued because of what I can do, not what I look like. Although admittedly I have a long way to go until I master the Earthen Womb.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you two to it. If you can, help Keomi-chan, she¡¯s really struggling.¡±


    ¡°We will do. Honestly, your cousin is such an airhead. Cute though.¡± Mio-chan laughed.


    ¡°She is. It can be a pain tidying up after her though.¡± I complained, and Ren-san looked a bit sad, probably considering that she was wrapped up in the same mess as his sisters were. ¡°That reminds me... Ren-san, are you planning to do another round of light element teaching? Since it doesn¡¯t clash with the other elements, it might be useful. I think Asami-san might have a good affinity. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be grateful if you could give her a few pointers, some special training maybe?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m struggling here myself, but...¡± he looked at Asami-chan. ¡°A change of pace might be a good idea. This is hard work.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine!¡± Asami-chan took my cue gratefully. ¡°But yes, it¡¯d be really great to learn light element. And who better to ask than someone who was born with it?¡±


    As the two of them talked, Mio-chan and I slipped away. ¡°That¡¯s pretty cute.¡± Mio-chan giggled.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like a bit of flirting and romance is a problem.¡± I said, thinking. ¡°Ren-san is a pretty decent catch, as we said at school. And if it doesn¡¯t work out... well, it¡¯s all experience, right? And if it does, he¡¯s not bad looking, and his shrine is an important one, in Akio¡¯s inner circle. That¡¯ll make her important too.¡±


    ¡°You sure have changed, Kana-chan.¡± Mio-chan said as we walked. ¡°Although not too much.¡± Her smile was kind and gently mocking. ¡°You¡¯re nicer to everyone, but you still think like the Kana-chan we love. Speaking of love... how¡¯s it going?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Same as always. But I don¡¯t mind. I really don¡¯t.¡± I insisted at her doubtful expression. ¡°Right now, I want to focus on being the best me I can be. I want my gift to blossom, and as a Chosen I want to be strong. I¡¯m not going to depend on pity to get what I want, nor simply my looks. I¡¯m going to take it all!¡±


    ¡°Love the confidence!¡± Mio-chan laughed. ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan right now?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t put down my Territory, as we¡¯ve not decided where it should go, and Akio already has Shirohebizumi shrine. It¡¯s a shame, but I¡¯ll concentrate on getting more powerful.¡±


    ¡°You mean fighting?¡± Mio-chan asked, a little nervous.


    ¡°I do. Well, mostly against monsters from the sea, or I might take a trip through the Gate to Kyoto.¡± I pondered that. ¡°I¡¯ll find some others who are levelling up, there¡¯s always someone around. We¡¯re safer together, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, good luck, Kana-chan! As always, I¡¯m rooting for you!¡±


    ¡°Root for Asami-chan. She needs it more than me.¡± Directing aether into my eyes to activate my Eyes of the Shrine Maiden was starting to give me a slight headache, but it was largely successful, and for a moment I could sense a little of Mio-chan¡¯s emotions, amused and expectant. ¡°After all, I¡¯m Izumi Kana, Chosen of Ks?itigarbha, Shrine Maiden of Shirohebizumi, and therefore I¡¯m not going to lose!¡±


    Mio-chan clapped excitedly. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how everything plays out. Well, that¡¯s it. Today is the day I master earth element! Then you can show me the ropes!¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯ll be nice to be the teacher for once.¡± Speaking of, I need to continue with practising Ether Healing and Aether Manipulation. The new programme is really coming along. Trying to maintain the flow to my eyes, I gathered my thoughts and willed several small marbles into existence. If I stopped concentrating on them, they would vanish, scattering back into the aether from which they were made.


    ¡°You make that look so easy...¡± Mio-chan sighed, and I couldn¡¯t help but give her a cheeky smile.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m brimming with power now!¡± I boasted.


    ¡°Well, compared to Shaeula or Hyacinth...¡± she grinned, and I mock-pouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s a low blow! But... well, I have one advantage they don¡¯t. I can get there!¡±


    ¡°And if you do, you¡¯ll get praised and maybe even some head pats from...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that!¡± the marbles vanished as I was distracted, so I bit back a curse.


    ¡°Oops, you lost your focus there, Kana-chan!¡± she teased me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you focus!¡± the ground turned to mud and several globules shot at Mio-chan, harmless but dirty. As she was pelted, laughing, I found myself smiling. It¡¯s happy days like these that are so precious. Which is why we have to be strong to protect ourselves, those that can¡¯t. Eri-san was right about that. Disaster can come in an instant. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t ever want to be there just watching as Keomi-chan, Eri-san or anyone else suffers in front of me again... I¡¯m no longer helpless, weak...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Two

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Two


    ¡°Feeling any better now, Aki?¡± Shiro asked me, her dark eyes narrowed. ¡°You were looking pretty shitty yesterday.¡±


    I sighed, running a hand through my hair, combing it in front of the mirror. Casting a glance at Shiro, who was in her more usual attire, a pair of tight white jeans, highlighting her long legs, and a similarly clinging white t-shirt with accents of grey and blue, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I do feel a bit better. Though physically I¡¯m a bit washed out. Shaeula and Hyacinth can certainly be wolves when they get going.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t give me that shit. You love it, Aki!¡± She accused me jovially, clapping me on the shoulder, and I had to agree. ¡°Well, I hope you went easy on poor Natsumi, she¡¯s a beginner at sex, right?¡± she paused. ¡°Motoko was trying to hide it, but I could tell she was jealous. You¡¯d better make it up to her Aki, but... not tonight.¡± Her pale skin had a pink tint. ¡°Tonight is my night, though... oh god, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯m more nervous about that, or the meeting with Arisu.¡±


    Now it was my turn to reassure her, and I did it by giving her a light kiss on the cheek. She scratched at the spot idly, embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± I said. ¡°After the initial lovemaking Natsumi mostly watched them drain me dry, though they did teach her a few tricks. They carried on even after she went home.¡±


    ¡°I know. Eri and I could hear it. Sometimes I think it must be hard being a harem protagonist. Then I realise what gorgeous girls you¡¯ve gathered, and realised if you complained, all the losers in the world would have the right to burn you at the damn stake.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t I know it.¡± I agreed, my good humour restored.


    ¡°Well, tonight, you¡¯ll finally be sealing the deal with the most eligible, beautiful and powerful princess in the world, Aki. So look forward to it!¡± she joked, and I kissed her again, surprising her.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve done your usual Shirohime thing.¡± I observed. ¡°It¡¯s good to have it back. You may have a rotten personality, but it¡¯s yours, and you don¡¯t feel right without it.¡±


    ¡°Rotten? My personality is perfect!¡± she mock-complained. ¡°Besides I know you love it, Aki. You¡¯re the sort that gets off on being teased by cute girls, I get it.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± I fended off her insults. ¡°Well, Hayato-san and the gang are visiting today as well, aren¡¯t they? We did say you¡¯d be healed by the weekend, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and as promised, I am!¡± She spun around, showing off her bare arms, which were of course fully mobile. I had dusted off the few remaining scars her healing in the Boundary had left on her Material body, and she was now good as new, better than new in fact, as some old scars she had from invasive hospital tests had also vanished. ¡°On a more serious note...¡± she frowned, down to business. ¡°This mess with Nie Ling, I know you¡¯re still torn. You¡¯re too kind, Aki, especially to girls in pain. I don¡¯t think this a case you need to deal with. You¡¯re too close.¡±


    ¡°I know. Seeing the dead, it... makes it hard to be objective.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Well, why be? Just delegate. Isn¡¯t that why we¡¯re all here? I don¡¯t mind taking charge of her, so you don¡¯t have to struggle with it. Eri¡¯s already put her in her place, you should have seen her Aki, it was certainly something! But I think it could be for the best, after all...¡± she shrugged, a very interesting sight in that tight t-shirt. ¡°... I made the same sort of decision as she did, so while I sympathise a bit, I¡¯m also understanding just what was wrong about it. Though I will say, considering how you¡¯re working me to the bone buffing your Trees and staff, as well as making me grind like a pro-gamer, I feel like I work for a black company.¡± Her radiant smile robbed that of its sting.


    ¡°Well, the Trees are vital for now, as is Ixitt and Bjarki. I need it too, to hasten the return of Tsukiko-san and Ginneka, as for the rest...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I know. And we¡¯ve cut back on buffing others like Hyacinth so I can cope, but even so... it¡¯s damn tiring.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must be starting to feel it getting easier as you level.¡± I observed, and she agreed, though she was still pouting unhappily.


    ¡°I am, yes. But it¡¯s not all it¡¯s cracked up to be, having powers. It was easier when Tan was doing everything and I was just a passenger. That¡¯s right. We have my... well, Tan¡¯s Territory to think about. Mine too, I guess, when we decide where to put it.¡± At that, her eyes flamed crimson for a moment while Tan spoke up.


    ¡°Yes, as thanks to my aid the princess has the ability to call upon such blessings, I do believe it is only just to provide me with adequate compensation.¡±


    Hearing Tan?ha?, a Rakshasi, talk about what is just never fails to amuse me, but I¡¯ve come to accept she¡¯s somewhat different to the myths I¡¯ve looked up. I wonder how different things would have been if she had successfully allured the Buddha... ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t forget to aid those who aid me. First though, we need to form a safe corridor between our Territories so that we can use mobile Artificial Ether Silos to move the goods. Getting my Territory to Rank 4 is the agreed-on priority, but surely you have the ability to push for Rank 3 anyway...¡±


    ¡°I was cautious. When Territories try and expand, they are at their most vulnerable. I have seen them fall many times over the centuries. Even here, in a world I should have the clear advantage, I cannot be careless. But I digress.¡±


    ¡°Aki won¡¯t forget you, Tan.¡± Shiro promised. ¡°Anyway, we can talk about this with the others. Arisu, Suzu, Bunta... they all need to be involved in our decisions. I¡¯ve already hurt their trust with the loss of the Contracts the Favour from Sancus enforced, and the mess with the Raven and the death of Daizen...¡± she winced a little at that, though it didn¡¯t seem to affect her much, and I once more realised that Shiro was surprisingly cold when it came to the fate of others she had no care for. Maybe she is a good one to oversee Nie Ling, she¡¯d be objective, anyway...


    ¡°... well, I¡¯d like to not lose any more allies, if I can help it. Besides, I think they¡¯d be safer working with you, and potentially this Ministry, right?¡±


    As we talked, I had finished dressing, and today I was in casual clothes to match Shiro, also in jeans, though mine were blue, and an understated but fancy shirt. My watch and accessories were also suitably understated but expensive, the sort that would appeal to Arius¡¯s sense of taste. Motoko is very knowledgeable about what looks good on men, perhaps due to her noble upbringing, and has given me good advice. Hinata tends to go a bit too flashy for subtle events, though she does know what products are quality and which are looked down on despite the price. Oddly enough, Miyu has been giving me solid advice as well...


    We headed over to the office building, Shaeula having already gone out earlier, and Eri doing her schoolwork before she planned to head into the Territory to continue her exercises, apparently Shiro¡¯s recovery having motivated her to push herself further. I really need to keep an eye on her. There really is no rush, and when Ginneka returns, I can ask her advice...


    On entering the office, Karen-chan and the others were there, as well as a surprise guest. Shugo-san was waiting for us, and on seeing the two of us he looked up from the mug of tea he was drinking. ¡°Akio-kun, Shiro, looking good!¡± His eyes went to Shiro¡¯s bare arms, and she moved her previously injured one, giving him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Shugo, all fixed! But if you stare too much Aki¡¯s going to get jealous, plus I might have to tell your hot teacher girlfriend all about it.¡±


    Shugo-san coughed. ¡°Hey, you have to expect I¡¯m going to check. The others will as well.¡±


    ¡°So, what brings you here so early?¡± I asked, as Karen-chan brought us over more tea, smiling.


    ¡°Well, unlike the others, I¡¯ve wrapped up all my outstanding work. I¡¯m a free agent now.¡± he laughed. ¡°So, hopefully you¡¯re still hiring, or I¡¯m in trouble!¡±


    Shiro snickered nastily at that, but I clapped him on the back reassuringly. ¡°Of course we are. In fact...¡± I had been discussing with Shiro, Ixitt and some others just what my friends could actually do for me. Sure, I needed more loyal staff, but when it came down to secretaries and administrators, Haru-san could find me suitable ones through her connections, as could Fujiwara-san, Ichijou-san or even the Prime Minister, if I was pushed. No, we need to play to our strengths.


    Spying Azuki sitting on a desk in the corner, trying to look inconspicuous, I grinned. Striding over, I picked her up. ¡°Wandering about again, trying to avoid Hyacinth, no doubt.¡± I said to her, and for a moment Shugo-san looked confused as to why I was talking to a doll, only for his jaw to drop as Azuki struggled, her small fists and feet flailing.


    ¡°Put me down, please, you brute! I am a Zashiki-Warashi, not a plaything!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I need you to do me a favour though.¡± I said, and she nodded slowly.


    ¡°Of course, just put me down...¡± she complained, so I lowered her to the ground, and she dusted off her lace and velvet dress slowly, straightening the creases.


    ¡°Uh, what the hell...¡± Shugo-san said, open-mouthed.


    ¡°If things like this phase you, you¡¯ll go crazy in the future.¡± Shiro laughed, pleased at effectively pranking her friend.


    ¡°Can you go fetch Ixitt for me, assuming he¡¯s not in the middle of something?¡± I asked her. ¡°I¡¯d like to start filling my friends in on the plan.¡±


    ¡°I shall. Oh, I do hope I can avoid the maid...¡± her body went limp, eyes returning to their normal, glassy doll-like sheen.


    ¡°Zashiki-Warashi huh?¡± Shugo-san said after a moment, ignoring the sympathetic gazes from my employees, who had rapidly got used to working in the madhouse that was Shirohebizumi shrine. ¡°That¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day.¡±


    ¡°Around here you do.¡± Shiro teased, taking another sip of her tea, thanking Karen-chan for it. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve contributed to this plan, so you¡¯d best be impressed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always impressed by what you do, Shiro!¡± he promised, and as we continued to talk about simple matters, Shugo-san turned to his newfound powers. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never worked so fast in my life. My fingers fly over the keyboard, I don¡¯t have to look up nearly so many libraries or sources, I remember them, and I don¡¯t get tired or suffer eye-strain. I must have done a month¡¯s worth of work in a week!¡±


    ¡°I remember those days.¡± I reminisced. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re all at the stage I was around level eight. That seems so long ago... Chirurgery might be the most cheat ability I¡¯ve picked up, thanks to Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Level eight, huh? What about now then...¡± he asked, curious, his gamer spirit boiling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a lot higher than that...¡± I teased him. As he was trying to get me to confess my true level, Ixitt in his human form strode in, eyes bright.


    ¡°I have answered your summons, Akio. It was a good time for a break, anyway. I have reached an impasse without access to a method to move devices between the Boundary and here. So, this is one of your comrades? I am Ixitt, Akio¡¯s Master Mortal Engineer. A pleasure to work with you!¡± Behind him Azuki woke up and headed for the exit, no doubt to hole up somewhere else.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s not human, right?¡± Shugo-san remarked.


    ¡°I think we can do it.¡± Aimi-san said, her hair still damp from the sauna. Her mood had completely changed, and now she was bright and bubbly, back to her usual self. ¡°I¡¯m pretty excited. This is the sort of thing that goes down in history, right? Wins prizes! Maybe even a Nobel!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a Nobel for Astral Sciences.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yet!¡± Yasu-san said ebulliently. ¡°it¡¯s going to happen for sure, man! Have some faith!¡±


    ¡°I agree. Not about the prizes, I don¡¯t care about that, but... it¡¯s an opportunity. Considering we went to a decent but middling University, and spent most of our time messing around programming games and other hobby projects... I never thought I¡¯d be working on something so ground-breaking.¡± Hayato-san mused. ¡°Most importantly...¡± he exchanged a glance with Hina-san, who continued.


    ¡°We get to do it as friends, stick together. And after seeing Shiro so hurt, that gives us peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you won¡¯t be able to do anything about that sort of thing...¡± Shiro warned., but Hina-san answered back strongly.


    ¡°We know! But we want to do what we can!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Hina. You¡¯d never have talked back to me before like this! Shit, love sure changes a person, right Aki?¡±


    ¡°You can talk, Shiro!¡± Aimi-san shot back. ¡°You¡¯ve changed too!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not all down to love. I¡¯ve had my hardships too, you know.¡± She said mournfully. ¡°Well, enough gloom. So, now we¡¯ve laid out the goals, any ideas?¡±


    We continued to set out our plans and brainstormed ideas, and after a while Shaeula returned, followed by someone I hadn¡¯t seen for a while, Ichika-san. On seeing me she nodded politely, before looking nervously at the others.


    ¡°Oh hey, it¡¯s your other girlfriend, Akio-kun.¡± Yasu-san laughed. ¡°And who¡¯s the girl behind her? She¡¯s cute. Another one of yours?¡±


    Ichika-san and I both shook our heads in denial. ¡°No way, Yasu-san. Don¡¯t scare her, she¡¯s had a bad time recently. She¡¯s a good friend of Shaeula¡¯s who I¡¯ve helped out a bit recently. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°A good friend, huh? I don¡¯t feel that way.¡± She said, a bit down.


    ¡°I have told you, have I not-not? Friends are not-not defined by what one does for the other, it is simply a matter of feelings. I say you are my friend, therefore you are-are!¡± Shaeula protested.


    ¡°Yes, but... the Police told me I wouldn¡¯t get much of my money back, and the little I¡¯d get wouldn¡¯t come until long after trial, so... I can¡¯t keep accepting all this money from you! I only turned to you in the end because I was at rock bottom.¡±


    ¡°I told you, that does not-not matter. I have money, I wish to spend it in this-this manner...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with her?¡± Hayato-san asked. ¡°Police? Money? Sounds rough...¡±


    I explained some of the details, enough that wouldn¡¯t embarrass Ichika-san anyway, and at the end, Hina-san and Aimi-san were wiping their eyes, and Shiro looked angry.


    ¡°Good job wiping them out, Aki! Trash like that deserve oblivion!¡± Shiro spat.


    ¡°The poor girl...¡± Hina-san and Aimi-san, the guys too, were looking at her with sympathetic eyes. As the argument wound down, though it was hard to call it an argument, as Shaeula rebuffed all her points with the irrefutable statement that she was her friend as Shaeula said so.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see that. I feel so bad...¡± Ichika-san said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Shaeula may not look it, but she¡¯s a rich princess. And she didn¡¯t have many friends so you were one of her first. No wonder she treasures you. To her, a few tens of thousands of yen is like you buying a cup of coffee. So don¡¯t feel bad.¡±


    ¡°I wished to take her out, all she does now-now is study.¡± Shaeula pouted, opening the fridge in the corner of the office and taking a beer. As she gulped it down, sighing happily, Ichika-san defended herself.


    ¡°I have to study! I let my attendance and grades drop a lot when I was... well, when I was being harassed.¡± She muttered. ¡°And I need to save money to pay back all the other friends I screwed over with my stupidity. And before you say it again, no! I¡¯m not taking money for that! By your own arguments, you don¡¯t know them, so they¡¯re not your friends!¡±


    ¡°Well, as you can see, I have captured her! Tonight, we shall go out-out in Tokyo.¡± Shaeula¡¯s amber eyes met mine, and she grinned, still some foam on her face. ¡°Since I have been working too-too hard recently, I need a break.¡±


    ¡°Hey, great idea!¡± Yasu-san said. ¡°You should come out with us! Hayato-kun says we should all hit Akihabara, the old haunts!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be like old times, with some fresh faces.¡± Hayato-san said magnanimously. ¡°Although...¡± he gazed between Shiro and Shaeula, a questioning look on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. Us princesses get on quite well together.¡± Shiro said proudly. ¡°But alas, you shmucks are going to be disappointed. Aki and I have plans. We¡¯re actually meeting my other friends tonight. Then... well, we have a luxury hotel booked in Ginza, and Aki and I... well, I¡¯m all healed. Need I say more?¡±


    Shaeula laughed at that. ¡°No. I believe I do understand. Well, enjoy-enjoy it. I find the experience quite magical. Perhaps next time we can enjoy it together.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure.¡± Shiro said, now a touch embarrassed, face pink. ¡°Let me give it a try first though...¡±


    ¡°I think I hate you, Akio-kun!¡± Yasu-san cried. ¡°I knew this day was coming ever since we met all your girlfriends, but even so...¡± he looked at Ichika-san. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll still come out with us, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shaeula answered for her. ¡°There is naught-naught to fear, Ichika. These are friends of Akio¡¯s, they will not-not trouble you. And if they do...¡± her gaze narrowed. ¡°They will regret it! No-no, you should try and forget your cares for a while. Compared to those poor unfortunates who perished in Kyoto, your-your problems are nothing. If you need money, you shall-shall have it, but I will not-not let you waste away. No friend of mine shall!¡±


    ¡°Scary!¡± Yasu-san said, his expression exaggerated. ¡°Well, I¡¯m the only single guy here, having beautiful women around makes me feel like a winner, even if it¡¯s just an illusion! Anyway, from what I can see... uh...¡± he paused.


    ¡°Konoe Ichika.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Konoe-chan...¡± he ventured, seeing she was younger than him, and as she didn¡¯t react, he continued. ¡°... it seems to me that you have a good friend there. Take it from someone who has good friends, don¡¯t push her away. It might suck, thinking that you¡¯re not contributing, or that you¡¯re taking advantage of her. We all have times when we struggle, and maybe next time, it¡¯ll be Shaeula here who needs your help.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡± Ichika-san shook her head. ¡°But, thank you for the advice. Shaeula... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. Simply enjoy the night. I shall rather enjoy sharing tales of Akio, when I did not-not know him, and we can talk about how you met him-him too.¡± She giggled happily, reaching for another beer.


    ¡°Wise words from Yasu? Damn, that¡¯s a bigger miracle than my healing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can be cool sometimes! But I think Akio-kun used to feel the same way, right? Shugo-san too!¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself...¡± Shugo-san protested, but I nodded slowly. I do get it. Well, I did, anyway.


    ¡°Yeah, when you have a guy like Hayato-san leading the group, it¡¯s not hard to feel a bit overshadowed. But... we each had our place, and the group would be poorer without any of us.¡±


    ¡°Well said. You¡¯ve matured.¡± Hayato-san said, pleased. ¡°Well, with all the responsibility and people to protect, it¡¯s inevitable, I guess.¡±


    ¡°So, hang on a minute.¡± Yasu-san said suddenly. ¡°Shiro, you have other friends? I call bullshit!¡±


    ¡°I take it back.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Yasu, you¡¯re still a moron!¡±


    With that the room filled with laughter, and after some more small talk, reminiscing about the past, Shiro and I headed off for our rendezvous in Ginza, while Shaeula, Ichika-san and the gang prepared for their own night out...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Three

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Three


    ¡°Well, now I¡¯m feeling a bit underdressed.¡± Shiro said, looking down at her t-shirt and jeans.


    ¡°No, anything you wear looks classy enough.¡± I promised her, as we took a seat in one quiet corner of the rather exclusive restaurant in a hotel in Ginza. ¡°You look like a model with that figure, so...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right boss.¡± Suzu-san laughed. She had arrived before us with Arisu-san, as apparently she wouldn¡¯t have been able to get in on her own, looking out of place, her Caucasian looks, blonde drill-curls and black and purple goth-loli fashion making her appear younger than she was. That reminds me, I don¡¯t know just how old she actually is... ¡°When we used to meet you as White, I never knew there was such a pretty woman under those robes.¡± She pouted, eyeing the calm, cold Arisu-san, who was wearing a deep blue dress and looking at the menu, her lips pursed in concentration. ¡°You kept that all to yourself!¡±


    ¡°Do stop your prattling, Suzanne-san.¡± She warned. ¡°With characters such as Daizen-san and that crooked Raven around us, exuding an air of mystery and power to keep them in line was necessary. Even with the Contracts, there were no guarantees, as we saw ourselves.¡± She placed down the menu, having decided. Ringing a little bell that had been placed on the table, a smartly-dressed waiter appeared.


    ¡°We shall have the Lumie?re Sparkling Koshu, the twenty-fifteen vintage. Make that two bottles. And for you, Suzanne-san?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Oh... I¡¯ll have a coke. I think I need the sugar!¡± She giggled. ¡°Though I¡¯ll have to exercise later to work off the calories. I¡¯m on a really strict diet!¡±


    As the waiter took her order, I frowned. The last member of our party, Bunta-san, was sitting in the corner closest to the wall, twitching like a nervous rodent. Still, he had made the effort, and was in a reasonably smart suit, though it looked more like one a salaryman might wear, not one for a night out. Well, I get that he¡¯s the nervous sort. He helped during Kyoto though, so I¡¯m prepared to get to know him...


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Suzu-san continued. ¡°Yeah, it came as a real shock, boss. Especially when you seem so nice! As White, you were damn scary. I¡¯m glad to see it though, those scars...¡± she shuddered. ¡°If I had those, my career would be over. Idols have to be beautiful you know. Though, I don¡¯t want to compete with you, boss! You¡¯d be the world¡¯s number one idol if you could sing and dance!¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t sing to save my life.¡± Shiro admitted. ¡°As for dancing... I never tried, but I bet I could, now.¡± She smiled at me, and I squeezed her hand under the table. She¡¯s thinking she could barely walk a few hundred metres before, and now she¡¯s talking about dancing... ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in being an idol though. I¡¯ll leave that for you, Suzu.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a shame, but probably good for me!¡± She giggled, before eyeing me with her deep blue eyes that reminded me of my sister a little. ¡°Well, I guess Akio-kun here is the jealous type, his face twitched when we talked about it. Want to keep her all to yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°As it happens, I do.¡± I agreed plainly, and Shiro flushed, looking away.


    ¡°Cute!¡± Suzu-san giggled. The waiter brought over the wine and cola, and I neatly uncorked the first bottle and poured a little for Arisu-san to taste. She took a sip and nodded, so the waiter retreated gracefully, and I poured the four of us wine, Suzu-san the odd person out.


    ¡°Aki has become annoyingly smooth recently.¡± Shiro confided. ¡°But... I don¡¯t think I¡¯d change him. Hey, this wine is pretty good.¡± Shiro exclaimed after taking a sip to cover her embarrassment.


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Arisu-san said. ¡°I know my wines. Now, enough idle chatter. We are here for a reason.¡±


    Shiro nodded, placing her glass down. Her eyes shone crimson, and her demeanour and tone changed. ¡°We are indeed. Our alliance has become... rather messy, of late, thanks to this man.¡± She eyed me with a mixture of exasperation and respect.


    ¡°Oh, boss is back!¡± Suzu-san shivered, as did Bunta-san. ¡°I¡¯ll shut up and listen, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry.¡± I declared as I studied the menu, before making my decision. ¡°But Shiro is precious to me, and those Contracts... I don¡¯t like them.¡± No way I¡¯d let her end up serving that bastard the Raven Knight. It¡¯s not that I think he¡¯d abuse it or her, he doesn¡¯t seem the sort to be interested in women, from what I can tell, but... I don¡¯t like it, not one bit! ¡°I don¡¯t like the Raven Knight either. I¡¯m not going to hold a grudge, we did drive him out, though he was targeting Shaeula. But I offered his Tree back, and he would rather throw a tantrum, so... he¡¯s a fool.¡± And now Shiro can push his Tree to a solid Rank 4 it¡¯s even less likely I¡¯ll return it...


    ¡°Master Raven was a bit of an idiot.¡± Suzu-san agreed. ¡°Really, being single-minded is no good, you know? It¡¯s not cute.¡±


    ¡°You are one to talk, Suzanne-san. Now, to the main subject at hand.¡± Arisu-san said, leading the conversation. ¡°We came together to achieve our goals, and to secure ourselves a slice of the pie, as the deceased Daizen-san would have put it.¡± She scowled as though his name was something dirty, and I remembered Shiro had told me Arisu-san killed him after he threatened to leave their alliance and aggravated her, poking at her emotional scars. She¡¯s definitely a dangerous woman, and her skills are great, as she proved in Kyoto. Besides, Shiro looks up to her. Therefore I want to keep her onside.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, but Shiro and I are together now.¡± I declared. ¡°That¡¯s non-negotiable. We¡¯re getting married.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I saw the news. I don¡¯t watch it much but...¡± Suzu-san raised an eyebrow, excited. ¡°They were talking about the law being changed to allow polygamy. That¡¯s wild. Those stale old men were going crazy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This man changed the law, merely so that he could have what he wished for.¡± Tan laughed. ¡°Such a man of deep desires. It makes me a little... thirsty.¡± She drained Shiro¡¯s glass, before filling another and downing that too, despite Arisu-san¡¯s frown at her behaviour.


    I¡¯ve seen Tan overindulge before. Oh well, my wallet is taking a battering, but to firm up an alliance with Shiro¡¯s crew, no cost is too big. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she has an appetite sometimes. We¡¯ll just order more, and if she gets drunk... well, we have a room booked upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, tonight¡¯s the night.¡± Shiro said, a touch nervously, back in charge for a moment.


    ¡°I see.¡± Arisu-san observed us coldly. ¡°Well, I hope you won¡¯t have any regrets. Learn from my mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t. I¡¯ve always cherished Shiro, first as a friend, now as something more.¡± I promised. ¡°Which is why... we need to come together. I don¡¯t think much has changed. Sure, some allies of yours came and went...¡± That¡¯s one way to phrase it. ¡°... but now you have me. And you know I¡¯m not going to betray Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Do we?¡± Arisu-san mused, the wine sparkling in her glass, reflecting the candlelight ominously onto her face. ¡°I thought that my fiance?, my juniors, my Directors, they were all trustworthy, that they respected and cared for me. But I was wrong. I shall never trust blindly again. The Contracts... I accepted them for that purpose. Trust is hard to earn and lost in a mere moment of carelessness.¡±


    ¡°Arisugawa Arisu.¡± I said suddenly, surprising her. ¡°Star of a number of very famous films, such as the Woman in Deep Black and the wartime drama Lost Sons and Daughters.¡± Arisu-san¡¯s eyes darkened, her face an expressionless mask, and beside me Shiro flinched, clutching my hand under the table tightly. ¡°Engaged to be married to a famous actor, one with international appeal. In fact, rumour was that you were going to break into the Western market, with Hollywood interested.¡± Her eyes glittered darkly at me as I spoke of what I had learned. Well, what I got Karen-chan and the others to dig up, anyway. ¡°Then you were accused of cheating on him repeatedly, bullying, stalking and harassment of your industry colleagues, especially the less experienced ones, as well as fraud, embezzlement and more. It was quite the scandal, I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°Aki....¡± Shiro whispered, clearly aghast at my pointed remarks, but I gave her a look to let her know I knew what I was doing.


    ¡°You dare speak to me of...¡± Arisu-san began, Suzu-san and Bunta-san shrinking away from her.


    ¡°Dare?¡± I interrupted her. ¡°What am I daring? I¡¯m just repeating what the press reported, what rumours are going around. Anyone can find them out, even several years after the scandal. But... I don¡¯t believe blindly. So, I¡¯d like to hear your side, Arisu-san, and what you want. Shiro believes in you, and that earns you a lot of trust with me. You aided us in Kyoto too, which doesn¡¯t just earn trust, it means I owe you. So I don¡¯t want any shadows between us. Just like you have reservations with my relationship with Shiro, which I intend to clear up, I want us to have a clean slate between us.¡± I turned to Suzu-san and Bunta-san too. ¡°The same goes for you two. You helped in Kyoto, so I think that makes us natural allies.¡±


    ¡°Suzu didn¡¯t help much at all...¡± Shiro whispered loudly, and Suzu-san sniggered.


    ¡°That¡¯s mean, boss! I just didn¡¯t want to lose my dancers! I did what I could.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Arisu-san rubbed at her forehead, as though she was in pain. ¡°Very well. Let us order, since White here seems famished. As an ex-actress, let me tell you such appetite will ruin your figure. You wouldn¡¯t want your... man... here, to get disappointed in you. Especially now your wounds seem to have healed, as was promised.¡± She conceded that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind.¡± Shiro said, a touch relieved.


    ¡°Very well, let me tell you of betrayal. The thing I hate most in this world. Betrayal, cheating, disloyalty. I never forgive that.¡±


    ¡°Nor should you.¡± I agreed. ¡°I understand my marital relations are... unconventional, but the fact that Suzu-san here spotted the law has been changed, which is largely down to my pressure on the Government, should tell you how serious I am about doing the right thing, as well as the influence I hold. Influence that could help you all, if you continue to support Shiro and work with me.¡±


    After speaking to the waiter, Arisu-san began to talk, only to pause when our starters and more drinks were brought over. ¡°My fiance?, I¡¯ll not speak his lying, worthless name... he was my senior in the industry. Over time we grew closer, and eventually he proposed. I was happy, elated even.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Foolish, nai?ve too.¡± She criticised herself. ¡°It turns out he was only interested in me for my own fame and status, as a trophy. I was not aware of it, but he was working with several famous Directors on... you may have heard the term before, casting couch principles.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all too common.¡± Suzu-san said suddenly. ¡°The idol industry is full of that. Well, if you¡¯re cute and a winner like me, then there¡¯s no need.¡± She winked, but I detected sadness in it. ¡°But a lot of girls who just can¡¯t quite make it, or need a little push... well, they¡¯re lucky if they get away with just having to give it up to their Manager. The unlucky ones end up selling themselves or worse.¡±


    ¡°Suzanne-san!¡± Arisu-san said, scandalised. ¡°Young girls shouldn¡¯t talk of such things, although...¡± she paused, reflecting.


    ¡°Yeah. Not talking about it doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t happen. Well, I can see you looking worried, Akio-kun, boss.¡± She smiled at us. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m pure as the driven snow, not a hint of scandal. How else can I be the world¡¯s best idol? But... well, sorry. I should let Arisu-chan talk!¡± She busied herself with her starter and cola.


    ¡°Yes, well...¡± She coughed, clearing her throat. ¡°... not only that, but the cabal was involved in defrauding investors and the Government, enriching themselves. When I found out, I was horrified, but like an idiot, an overly trusting, nai?ve idiot who did not act her age... I denied it, believing it could not be true. But it was.¡± She stabbed her fork into the starter angrily. ¡°And then they needed a scapegoat. So everyone involved banded together, pinning it all on me. How could I even have managed it all? Laughable.¡± She sighed bitterly.


    ¡°In the end, a lot of the allegations were swept aside, right? All except the cheating and bullying.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, there was no way to make the fraud and embezzlement stick, I clearly had not received the money. But there was enough doubt that the real culprits escaped scrutiny long enough to cover their tracks. As for my so-called affairs and the bullying, it was my word against theirs, and in the court of public opinion, I was guilty. Oh, how some of the little bitches cried prettily, evoking sympathy. If they put their talents into their acting, perhaps they could have succeeded on their own merits, rather than whoring themselves out.¡± She snarled.


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need my sympathies, but you have them.¡± I said, and meant it. She may be a brilliant actress, but I doubt anyone can fake the hurt that is in her eyes right now. Besides, she¡¯s right. The evidence against her did seem rather too perfect...


    ¡°Heavy stuff.¡± Suzu-san said, and I agreed with her.


    ¡°So¡± I continued. ¡°We get to the heart of it. What do you want, as an Astral Emperor-candidate, a Chosen? Is it power, money, revenge?¡±


    ¡°I want power, yes. We all do, for various reasons.¡± At that Suzu-san, Bunta-san and even Shiro nodded. ¡°As for money, well, I had some decent amount of savings. I lived rather modestly, for a successful actress. Like a fool I did not want to shame my fiance?. Though I do confess, my money is dwindling.¡±


    ¡°Well, this goes for all of you. Powering up my allies is somewhat of a specialty of mine. In terms of Territory, that too is something to talk about. I intend to push mine to Rank 4 soon enough. It¡¯s an epic undertaking, but a vassal of mine holds a significant amount of Kyoto, and we have a great source of income. Plus I have Governmental support, for what that¡¯s worth. We¡¯re shooting for a year. It¡¯s a big ask, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible. So I¡¯d be able to protect your Territories after that. Even before that...¡± I produced a map I had, of the greater Tokyo area. ¡°... from what Shiro says, you¡¯ve been looking after her Territory while she¡¯s been injured. I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I do too.¡± Shiro agreed.


    ¡°Despite everything, White is still an ally I trust.¡± Arisu-san declared. ¡°Of course I would guard her precious assets.¡±


    ¡°Well, as she no doubt told you, pushing to Rank 3 is dangerous. I nearly fell afoul of that. But if the two of you wanted to start moving towards Rank 3, well, you as well, Bunta-san, Suzu-san, then I can supply guards. The situation in Kyoto has stabilised, and the Spring is under control as well, so protecting a few small Territories while their defences are down is very possible.¡±


    ¡°Daizen felt that we were splitting the potential rewards far too thinly.¡± She replied, thinking. ¡°He objected to bringing in more to our group.¡±


    ¡°My turn, huh? Cool.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your turn. In fact, you¡¯re the one I¡¯m most worried about, Suzu-san.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Suzu.¡± She said. ¡°Worried, about me?¡± She tilted her head.


    ¡°Of course I am. You¡¯re not Japanese, are you? And how old are you?¡± I questioned her.


    ¡°Oh. That.¡± She sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m Japanese now. I live here, I speak Japanese, I¡¯m an idol! I reinvented my life here. I love Japan and Japanese culture, I always felt I was born in the wrong country. As for my age... I¡¯m nearly eighteen! I¡¯m not a kid, I¡¯m an idol!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are Japanese, then you¡¯d still not be considered an adult until you turn twenty. You¡¯re American, right? In that case, you¡¯d not be an adult until eighteen. So that begs the question...¡±


    ¡°Look, I ran away, all right? I hate my parents! They never understood me. I came to Japan to live my ideal life. It was destiny. It must have been, why else would I have gained these powers? I¡¯m an idol, a magical girl... it¡¯s everything I ever dreamed of!¡±


    ¡°You hate your parents?¡± I blinked. ¡°Why? Did they mistreat you?¡±


    She puffed out her cheeks. ¡°Not really. They never abused my physically, if that¡¯s what you mean.¡± She shook her head, curls bouncing. ¡°But dad was always too busy with work to care much about anything I did, he just cared about my older brother and the company. He never even remembers my birthday or how old I am! Last time we spoke, he asked me what year at school I was in!¡± She shook, face crimson with anger. ¡°And mom...¡± she looked at Arisu-san sadly. ¡°I get it. I see why you don¡¯t like cheaters! She sleeps around, I know it! All she cares about is spending dad¡¯s money. At least Akio-kun...¡± she pointed at me. ¡°... he¡¯s up-front about it, and the boss seems to accept it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not cheating.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Everyone agreed. It¡¯s legal polygamy.¡±


    ¡°See? See!¡± Suzu-san said, satisfied. ¡°Our boss is so magnanimous. Though I did meet some of the other girls and they were all nice people! Nothing like my bitch of a mom.¡±


    This is hard to listen to. Not that I don¡¯t sympathise. My father was hard to live with a lot of the time, but... I did always respect him, understand that he was thinking of Aiko and me, at least. ¡°So you ran away? How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°About three or four months.¡± She sighed. ¡°Getting on a flight by myself was the hardest part, but... well, who can say no to me?¡± She pointed at herself proudly.


    That¡¯d be July time, around when all this mess started. Her timing was good, it seems. ¡°Hang on, what are you doing for money?¡± I asked, worried, and the look on my face must have been amusing, as Shiro was grinning, and Suzu-san laughed, her annoyance fading.


    ¡°That¡¯s cute. Boss, he¡¯s cute!¡± she said to Shiro, before answering me. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything dirty or foolish, Akio-kun. I¡¯m an idol, a whiff of that and my career would be over, you know? Besides, I have more pride. Like Arisu-chan says, if you have talent, you don¡¯t need the casting couch, or in my case it¡¯d be compensated dating, I guess? Money¡¯s getting a bit tight, my parents stopped all the credit cards I took, but I¡¯m not stupid, I¡¯d been saving up for months beforehand. Mom never misses money out of her purse either. Dad will always give her more. He gives me money when I ask too, he thinks that makes up for ignoring me!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I relaxed a bit. I don¡¯t like the thought of a girl my sister¡¯s age being in a bad situation. And it¡¯s not like we¡¯re strangers, even if I barely know her, she was at both Kyoto incidents. ¡°But... don¡¯t you miss them? And aren¡¯t they looking for you? They must have been able to figure out where you went.¡±


    ¡°They could if they actually listened to me. They should know I love Japan, but all they ever said was ¡®that stupid Asian crap¡¯. Still, dad¡¯s pretty rich, so he probably hired people to look for me. That¡¯s why...¡± she grimaced, her expression one of bitter pain, and for a moment I worried for her until she spoke. ¡°... I had to trash all of my books, anime and treasures. No point leaving them clues.¡±


    I see. Well I guess that would hurt. ¡°What about your brother?¡± I asked. ¡°Won¡¯t he be frantic at your disappearance?¡±


    ¡°Aki here is the ultimate siscon, so he would worry about that.¡± Shiro laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, I met his sister in Kyoto. Aiko-chan. We should form a group together, she¡¯s got killer looks!¡± she grinned. ¡°As for my brother, no way. All he cares about is sucking up to dad and inheriting all our wealth and the business. He¡¯s probably glad I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so...¡± I said, but then I paused. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s true, I feel sorry for you. A brother¡¯s job is to look out for his sister.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re way more big brotherly than mine.¡± She smiled. ¡°Want to be my big brother, Akio-kun?¡±


    ¡°Hey, no flirting!¡± Shiro protested.


    ¡°Flirting? I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, boss! He¡¯s your man. It¡¯s just... when he goes all brotherly and adult, it¡¯s kind of cool, see? And I thought it¡¯d be nice to have a brother who¡¯d look out for me for once, and well, you¡¯d be my sister then too, right boss?¡± Her blue eyes sparkled innocently.


    ¡°Shit, can¡¯t argue with that. Aki is definitely the brotherly sort. You should hear his childhood stories, such a perfect brother. It¡¯s why Eri can¡¯t leave him. But... asking a siscon like Aki if you can be his sister is like throwing yourself to the wolves! I won¡¯t allow it!¡± She crossed her arms in denial.


    ¡°I¡¯d just like to make clear I¡¯m not actually a siscon, I just care like any good brother...¡±


    ¡°Denied! Siscon levels off the charts!¡± Shiro crossed her arms again.


    At that, Suzu-san laughed until tears were streaming down her face. ¡°Oh. Em. Gee. I really needed that. Thanks boss, Akio-kun. You¡¯re really good together, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Shiro flushed at that, muttering that of course we were.


    ¡°Seriously, I left my parents a note saying I was running away. I paid for the tickets in cash and didn¡¯t fly straight to Japan. Sure, dad has connections, he¡¯ll know I¡¯m in Japan somewhere, but... I¡¯m not going back. Not ever. Besides, I came here to be an idol, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do. And the fact I got my powers here proves it was meant to be, right?¡±


    Dilemma. Bunta-san committed some crimes, but stealing from the yakuza and fighting them in self-defence aren¡¯t unforgivable sins. He can easily atone by putting his Favour to use. Arisu-san... sure, she killed Daizen-san, but the circumstances were... difficult. It¡¯s hypocrisy, but I don¡¯t want to blame her for it. Suzu-san... ugh, her family must be worried, despite what she says. But if we try and press her, she could run from us too. No, far better we keep her safe for now...


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Akio-kun? You look sad.¡± She queried, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Just thinking. So, Suzu-san...¡± at her scowl, I changed my address. ¡°Suzu. I don¡¯t know what to do about your family situation, but I do know this. As a brother or not, I don¡¯t want a young girl like you to be all alone. You¡¯ve survived until now, and sure, you have your Favour, but that won¡¯t save you from every danger. Join with me, and I¡¯ll see that you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°So, just what¡¯s a vassal entail? I can¡¯t do anything that¡¯d ruin my image, so nothing lewd!¡± she insisted with a smile, teasing me. ¡°I also have a request I want fulfilled, no matter what! If you can do that, I don¡¯t mind following the boss into your care. It¡¯ll be like old times, no, better! I like you way more than Master Raven already!¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s so exuberant. The way she punctuated most of her sentences with cheerful emotion was quite tiring to listen to. ¡°Basically, you retain your Territory, but I and my allies can freely enter and leave it, and I can impose a tithe of resources and have a significant sway in how you develop it. In exchange, I¡¯ll always protect it and you, and help you grow.¡±


    ¡°He will. Haru¡¯s already hit Rank 3 in no time at all thanks to his largess.¡± Shiro added. ¡°I¡¯m totally not jealous, despite the fact it¡¯s down to my sweet, sweet buffs!¡±


    ¡°I see. So... I guess it¡¯s time to test you, Akio-kun. Or do you prefer big brother?¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun is fine.¡± I said dryly. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a big charity concert and event being put on for the victims of Kyoto, right? It was on the news. Red and White will be there, as well as AKB0048 and loads of other groups. So... I need to perform!¡± She declared, hands on her hips, leaning forward. ¡°It¡¯s the chance of a lifetime! My debut, in front of Japan, no, the world!¡±


    ¡°Are you insane, Suzanne-san?¡± Arisu-san said coldly, and at her look of confusion, she sighed. ¡°Even if that was possible, getting an unknown onto such a stage, which it is not, you are a missing person, an international runaway. You would be found instantly!¡±


    That¡¯s what I was going to say! ¡°Yeah, getting you on the bill wouldn¡¯t be that hard, at least, not for an opening slot or something like that, after all, it was my suggestion anyway...¡± at that, Suzu was gaping at me. ¡°But Arisu-san is right. If your parents are looking for you, they¡¯ll find...¡± I trailed off.


    You have gained a Vassal Territory. Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from level 16 to level 17.


    ¡°I¡¯m your vassal now, right? You said you¡¯d protect me from anything, right? And you said you weren¡¯t a liar!¡± she pointed out triumphantly. ¡°Therefore you have to prevent my parents dragging me back home. I don¡¯t want that sort of life! I¡¯m happy here and now, Suzu, the magical girl idol, heading her own group! Can¡¯t you see this was meant to be?¡±


    Damn, such a pain. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t sympathise, and I know she¡¯s better off under our protection, but... I feel bad for her family. Even if they were uninterested and neglectful, there¡¯s no way they aren¡¯t distraught that she¡¯s ran from home at such an age. I imagined what I would do if it was my sis and shuddered. ¡°Fine. We can discuss the finer details later, but... for now, you do need an adult to protect you.¡± I concentrated, and could feel her Territory, not too far from Akihabara. Why am I not surprised? It was tiny though. Rank 2, definitely, but it looked like she had focused on a small patch of land. Bunta-san¡¯s is Rank 2 as well. I¡¯d imagine most are. Though Tan and Arisu-san are probably in a position to make the breakthrough any time they think it¡¯s safe.


    ¡°This really was a stupid way to get a vassal.¡± I remarked, and Suzu and Shiro laughed at that.


    ¡°Well, at least now we¡¯re all united as one!¡± Shiro declared, just in time as a series of delightful desserts arrived. ¡°Sure, there are problems to sort out and promises to keep, but they can wait. Besides, tonight¡¯s the night...¡± she glanced at me shyly, face turning pink.


    ¡°So cute!¡± Suzu laughed. ¡°Boss can be scary, but she can be cute too!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the growth plan for your Territories soon. And get you registered with the Ministry so that should cut down on future trouble.¡± Legally speaking, if America finds out that a runaway underage citizen of theirs is a Chosen, they¡¯ll do anything to get her back. So for now we need to be cautious...


    ¡°Before that, we should enter the other world, the Boundary.¡± Arisu-san said. ¡°I would give you a token, so you can summon me.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Shiro remarked. ¡°Arisu¡¯s Favour is awesome. She¡¯s made little chunks of her ability that give off a sound her ability can pick up. Well, not really a sound, more a distortion in space. That way she can come fetch you with her Room when you need her!¡±


    ¡°That sounds very useful.¡± I guess Arisu-san is another genius who¡¯s got high affinity with her Favour. ¡°But if possible, there are a few others I¡¯d like you to give one of those too. It¡¯d help us all out...¡±


    She gave me a flat look, but nodded. ¡°Very well. I remember where your Territory is. I can go there later.¡±


    ¡°Great, how about tomorrow? We need to meet anyway to discuss just how we are going to go about clearing your name.¡± She raised any eyebrow at that, surprised, and I chuckled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to take my time. I want our relationship to be rock solid, built on trust, so I¡¯ll get people moving on it as soon as we work out exactly what you want. But not tonight. As after this...¡± my gaze went to the still flushed Shiro. ¡°... we have a date.¡±

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Four – R18/Contains sex

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Four ¨C R18/Contains sex


    ¡°Cheers.¡± I clinked my champagne glass against Shiro¡¯s, looking into her dark eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, Cheers Aki.¡± She grinned, taking a sip of the expensive drink. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t my tipple but I could get used to it. I could get used to all of this, really.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to. It¡¯s the world we live in now.¡± I declared. Looking around at the plush hotel room, a suite on the top floor of one of Ginza¡¯s most exclusive hotels, above the restaurant that we all dined in earlier, I took in the night view of central Tokyo, which was rather breathtaking, both the Skytree and Tokyo Tower visible and brightly lit. ¡°It¡¯s fit for a princess, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh Aki.¡± She snorted softly. ¡°You know I¡¯m no more a princess than the next pretty girl, right? It¡¯s just a shell, a fac?ade to protect myself. I¡¯m only messing about. Shaeula¡¯s the real princess here...¡±


    Actually you¡¯re wrong. ¡°I disagree. Aren¡¯t you the Princess of Hungry Ghosts? I think you were more right than you knew.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I see why Shaeula gets upset. Hungry Ghost is such a lame title. Although...¡± her eyes glimmered red for a second under the beautiful, delicate lighting of our room. ¡°I guess it does suit me. I¡¯ve always been hungry for belonging, to feel needed, to be normal. And with my condition... I¡¯ve always been a pale ghost, just drifting through life, waiting to pass on. At least until I met all of you. And I guess... you most of all, Aki.¡±


    Finishing my glass, I placed it down, taking her hands. ¡°Shiro, those days are over. You¡¯re well now, better than well. And you¡¯re needed. I need you. I can¡¯t imagine life without you!¡±


    ¡°Smooth, Aki. So smooth. Shit, I¡¯m falling for you all over again. Maybe it¡¯s the atmosphere. This place is insane.¡±


    ¡°Hinata recommended it.¡± I said, and for a moment Shiro frowned, before shaking her head.


    ¡°Shit, no point getting jealous now, is there? Hinata¡¯s herself, and I¡¯m me. We both have our charms, and what we mean to you. Well, earlier was mad, wasn¡¯t it? I thought my heart would stop when you talked to Arisu regarding her betrayals.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to understand. You said she didn¡¯t do any of it, and if you say it, I believe you.¡±


    Her hands trembled in mine. ¡°Aki, lines like that are why you have so many women. Shit. Shit. My heart is racing worse than ever.¡± She swallowed. ¡°I love it that you trust me, but well... Arisu could have been fooling me, right? I¡¯m not that worldly...¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but you¡¯re smart. And worst case, you have Tan, right?¡± I objected. ¡°I trust who you trust. Besides, she¡¯s your friend, and any friend of yours is a friend of mine. After all, anyone with such good taste in friends...¡±


    ¡°Oh stop, stop it! This hurts my heart!¡± Shiro laughed, flushed red from more than the alcohol. ¡°Don¡¯t go creeping like that, it doesn¡¯t suit you! I prefer the bolder new Aki, the one who looks so alive. Although I could do without the one who was hitting on Suzu!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was just worried about her!¡± I insisted. ¡°She¡¯s a runaway living in Japan alone. All sorts of bad things could happen to a girl like her. Besides, well, we covered all this, there¡¯s no point...¡±


    ¡°I agree. It all turned out well. So...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°Tan, I think you should go sleep for the night.¡±


    ¡°I concur.¡± Tan said, twisting Shiro¡¯s expression into a mocking smile, her eyes crimson. ¡°I have no wish to feel the body I am sharing be pounded and groped. I am not my sister, lustful as she is.¡±


    ¡°Eww, pounding! It sounds so seedy!¡± Shiro protested, only for Tan to laugh.


    ¡°Well, you will be, will you not? That is how men and women join together.¡±


    ¡°Yes but... you don¡¯t just say it... hey Aki, what gives?¡± I had pulled her in to a hug, and she squirmed, though she didn¡¯t pull away, nor did she as I kissed her, my tongue sliding into her mouth. Her tongue was motionless for a moment, before it started entwining with mine, and she sucked greedily on my lips. For a minute we kissed deeply, before I pulled away, saliva linking us for a moment, her face crimson, her breath coming fast.


    ¡°You just looked so cute, couldn¡¯t help myself. Besides, Tan isn¡¯t wrong, is she? Though I don¡¯t think pounding is the right term either. Well, I guess we can decide for ourselves, shortly.


    ¡°I am leaving. Call for me when you are done.¡± Tan said, yawning. ¡°I still have to fully digest all that I have drunk down... recently. Do... enjoy... yourself...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s sleeping.¡± Shiro said. ¡°So, want to get down to it? Damn, my hands are shaking. I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯m ready for this, I want this...¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I hugged her again, pushing her head to my chest. ¡°Remember this? It¡¯s my turn. Listen to my heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°I hear it.¡± She muttered, calming down. ¡°It¡¯s slow...¡± she frowned. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this situation hot enough for you? Or is it you¡¯re used to it by now? You have had a lot of girls, right?¡±


    ¡°Hot enough?¡± I snorted, holding in laughter. ¡°I¡¯m holding you in my arms, there¡¯s a giant bed behind us, and in a minute I¡¯m going to push you down and make love to you. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s not hot. No, it¡¯s simply that I¡¯m at peace when I¡¯m with you, Shiro. We understand each other quite well, don¡¯t we? After all, we¡¯ve known each other for several years. And don¡¯t get me wrong, my love for Eri is a deep as any ocean, but I always remember that she¡¯s my childhood friend and I had to look after her, so even though things have changed, it¡¯s taking time to reevaluate our relationship. That¡¯s fun, sexy in itself, don¡¯t get me wrong... but with you I can be totally comfortable.¡±


    ¡°So you mean you don¡¯t have to make an effort? Way to make a girl feel classy, Aki.¡± She sniffed.


    ¡°Hardly. You know very well what I mean. In front of you, I always want to look good. I have to, to stay with a girl as beautiful as you.¡±


    ¡°Praise me more, Aki!¡± She said, hiding her embarrassment behind humour. She then squawked a little as I swept her into a princess carry.


    ¡°Sure. I need you. Arisu and the others do too. Shaeula likes you, and Eri really wants to be your friend. Hell, the world needs you, it seems. But... out of everyone, everything... I need you more. I want you. You¡¯re wanted!¡±


    ¡°I... Aki!¡± she hugged me with her arms, her face wet. She didn¡¯t even notice we were at the bed, so wrapped up was she in her tears and high emotions, that she was a needed, wanted girl, the way her parents had cast her aside vanishing from her mind.


    ¡°Down we go.¡± I smiled, laying her down on the black silk sheets. Damn, I¡¯m going to have to pay for some replacements, I reckon...


    I lay down beside her, and our eyes met. Her face was scarlet, a contrast to her brilliant silver hair. ¡°Uh, Aki, isn¡¯t this a bit sudden. We can have some more champagne, enjoy the view out over Tokyo...¡±


    ¡°We can.¡± I took her hand, interlacing our fingers. ¡°And we will, before the second round.¡±


    ¡°Second? Tan was right, you¡¯re going to pound me!¡± she pouted, though her eyes were sparkling. ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t help but be nervous, even though I know there¡¯s nothing to be scared about. I never... I never thought this day would come. I thought I¡¯d be dead before I found love, and after Tan, that I¡¯d have no right to love.¡±


    ¡°Wrong on both counts.¡± I kissed her again, softly, like a bird pecking at her lips. I rubbed her hand with mine, while my free hand stroked her long hair. ¡°We can¡¯t die now, the world, those we care about, they need us. And as for Tan... well, it¡¯s a thorny issue, but for now we can make it work, and problems down the line, we¡¯ll sort them too.¡±


    ¡°You make everything sound so simple.¡± She complained, though her breathing was speeding up.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not. Hell, the trouble I¡¯m having dealing with Nie Ling proves that. But right now... it is simple. So, Shiro. I love you. I want to make love to you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Aki.¡± She admitted shyly. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d reach this point... well, I guess you won me over. So... what do we do? No, stupid question. I¡¯m an adult. I know what to do. I mean... how do you want to start?¡±


    ¡°Gently.¡± I grinned, my hand gently climbing over her stomach. She shivered at my touch, as I slid her t-shirt up, revealing her pristine skin, her belly. It rose and rose, until the bottom of her bra was visible.


    ¡°Damn, this is embarrassing. It isn¡¯t like you haven¡¯t seen me naked when you were healing me, but... this feels different.¡± She twitched, her thighs rubbing together as I pulled on her t-shirt. She raised her arms, and moments later it was tossed to the side. My hands tugged, and her bra slid up, revealing her ample breasts, her pert nipples hard, her skin pink.


    ¡°Ugh, yeah, this feels shameful somehow. Is this what it¡¯s like to be a woman?¡±


    ¡°Ask me in a minute.¡± I grinned, taking one breast in my hands, squeezing the fleshy globe, while my mouth latched onto her other breast, gently biting the nipple, my tongue swirling on it, licking her chest.


    ¡°Wait, that... it feels weird!¡± Her hands grabbed my head, but she wasn¡¯t stopping me.


    ¡°Feel weirder!¡± I laughed around her breast, intensifying my sucking and groping.


    ¡°Damn, how are you so good at this, Aki? You only started going out with Eri... uh...¡± she shivered, losing her train of thought. ¡°Damn.¡± was all she could manage again.


    ¡°Well, maybe...¡± I sucked on her nipple, purposely making wet sounds to arouse her. My hand left her chest, heading down her belly, tracing her belly button, before I popped open the button on her jeans. ¡°... it¡¯s because I thought about doing this to you in the past? I¡¯m just living out my fantasies.¡± Though, I never imagined it until recently. Shiro always seemed out of touch, beyond the reach of ordinary men. But now... I can reach out... My hand slid inside the gap in her jeans, gently tracing her panties, feeling the slight dampness as her body responded. ... and touch. More pressure on my fingers, my tongue and other hand greedily toying with her chest.


    ¡°Aki, wait, stop...¡± she panted, flesh heating up, body leaking a cloudy liquid, the smell arousing me.


    ¡°Do you really want me to stop?¡± I asked, and she shook her head, silver hair sticking to her sweaty cheeks and shoulders.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but...¡± I kissed her again, silencing her confused doubts, and she bit my lip in her passion, which would have drawn blood were I ordinary. I took the opportunity to pull down her jeans, revealing the pale expanse of her thighs, and now I could clearly see her shaved slit, her panties transparent with her nectar.


    ¡°Yeah, well, you still don¡¯t get how girls think, Aki.¡± She pinched my nose playfully. ¡°You need to work on that, before the yanderes in your harem go nuclear. I think... I want to do something special, exciting. Something to make your heart race. That way when you do it with the others, you¡¯ll think I remember the time I did it with Shiro.¡±


    As I toyed with her breasts my other hand closed on her ass, squeezing, and she grinned. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s it. Aimi is always reading BL, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I nodded, not seeing the connection.


    ¡°Well, what about...¡± she lowered her voice despite the fact we were alone here. ¡°Anal? That¡¯s a big thing, right? I bet you¡¯ve not done that yet!¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Well, I¡¯ve teased their asses a bit with the tip of my finger, but I hear that anal can be dangerous for those that aren¡¯t used to it, and the girl doesn¡¯t find it that fun the first few times. Well, that¡¯s just hearsay and odd trivia from Aimi-san I guess. ¡°It¡¯s not something that you can just do. I don¡¯t want to injure your asshole.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a gentleman.¡± She grinned. ¡°That¡¯s what Ether Healing is for, right? You made my loss of virginity pretty smooth. In fact, my crotch aches because I¡¯m horny. That should be unthinkable for a girl who just lost her virginity an hour ago. And don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to. You¡¯ve groped my ass plenty. It¡¯s a damn awesome ass, if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I agreed. ¡°I love your ass and legs. But then, your breasts and face are gorgeous too, and your hair...¡±


    ¡°Flatterer! But you¡¯re pretty awesome yourself.¡± She trailed a hand down my bare body, poking at my muscles. ¡°You¡¯ve got steel under here. Shit, I got myself a hot boyfriend after all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯d be more than happy to ease the ache in your crotch.¡± My hand went to her slit, stroking it, and it quivered under my touch, as she gasped.


    ¡°Sure, we have all night. But... it¡¯s a woman¡¯s pride, Aki. I missed the boat on being your first. Eri and I, we¡¯re probably the most normal girls you know in relation to sex. So... she had your first time, I want your first something.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But if it¡¯s a problem or you feel bad, we¡¯re stopping.¡± I warned.


    ¡°All right!¡± she drained the last of the champagne. ¡°To the bed!¡± She dived onto it playfully, her ass facing me, her soiled thighs gleaming.


    ¡°Well then...¡± I spread her cheeks, and at my gaze her pussy and ass started twitching. Gently, I licked my finger, then started touching her softly around the ring, like I did to other girls.


    ¡°Oh, feels a bit strange. Not unpleasant though.¡± Shiro mused. ¡°Hey, think we can taunt Aimi about you doing anal? She¡¯ll imagine you with a guy rather than me, though. I wonder if she¡¯s let her own boyfriend do it... ahh, careful!¡± Her ramblings was cut off as I started playing with her pussy as well, and my fingertip sank into her ass, the sucking sensation making her shiver.


    ¡°A bit of warning would be nice.¡± She said, gasping.


    ¡°Well, you enticed me.¡± I slapped her ass gently, enough to surprise her. ¡°So don¡¯t be shocked I go the distance.¡±


    ¡°Me, shocked?¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°I¡¯m hoping for it.¡± She wiggled her bottom seductively. ¡°It makes me feel wanted. Shit, Aki, I thought I was an ice queen, but it turns out I¡¯m the easy princess!¡±


    ¡°So long as you¡¯re only easy for me.¡± I grinned, working her pussy and ass with my fingers. One had slid almost entirely inside her, and I had two more in her pussy, stirring up her insides.


    ¡°Whoa, this feels so different. Both my pussy and ass are on fire...¡±


    I then withdrew my fingers from her ass and she quivered. It gaped loosely, but even so... This is going to be a horrifically tight squeeze. Oh well...


    ¡°That¡¯s not a finger, is it?¡± Shiro asked, both nervous and aroused.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± My cock was against her asshole. I pushed, but it wouldn¡¯t go in. ¡°Yeah, this isn¡¯t trivial, but...¡± I sped up my fingers on her pussy and clit, my free hand pulling on her hair so she turned her head to face me, tongue out. We kissed as I thrust fingers inside her, rubbing at the bumps and folds within, each time making her ooze sour nectar. As we parted, saliva splattering, I licked on fingers wet with her juices, causing her to flush.


    ¡°Aki, that¡¯s... huh... ouch, uh... okay...¡± she muttered incoherently, as while she was distracted her ass twitched, and the tip of my dick slid in, spreading her open.


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s tight.¡± I moaned, the sensation from my glans being crushed by her ass unique.


    ¡°No ... kidding!¡± she gasped. ¡°So, the guys in BL like this, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about receiving, but...¡± I pushed inwards slowly, her body trying to resist me. I noticed as my hands on her pussy pushed her closer to orgasm, her body loosened, so I attacked her relentlessly, and when my dick was halfway in she let out a long gasp, shuddering, liquid squirting into the write-off of the bedsheets. Taking that moment, I forced myself inwards, splitting her open, my body slamming into her ass with a wet sound.


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± I gasped, being squeezed fiercely.


    ¡°Uh, give me... a minute. Still cumming.¡± Shiro pleaded, eyes moist, so I gently touched and kissed her until she relaxed. ¡°Shit, now I¡¯ve lost both virginities. What a day. It feels like I¡¯m stuffed. I don¡¯t quite know what to make of it.¡±


    ¡°I can stop if you want?¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m the easy princess. No chance I¡¯m going to blueball you now, Aki.¡± She winked. ¡°Besides, like I said, this moment, this night, I¡¯m your first. And I think I love that. It¡¯s thrilling, you know?¡± She stuck out her tongue, and I needed no invitation to kiss her again. As we parted after a noisy deep kiss, she laughed. ¡°Damn, I love kissing too. I¡¯m such a fool, but I find I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Well, then...¡± I slid outwards, the pressure varying as I moved, and I couldn¡¯t help but groan. Shiro did too, in a touch of discomfort and pain, but her smile was beautiful.


    ¡°Damn, Aki, your face. That little yelp. So fucking cute I could die. It makes the feeling in my ass worthwhile. Keep it up, I can take it.¡±


    Sliding in and out, I gripped her ass with my hands, careful to not hurt her with any sudden moves. It was sucking on me, and I felt my balls burning, eager to ejaculate yet again. Damn, my stats are pulling a lot of work here. I wouldn¡¯t manage, nobody would manage, if they had to do this normally...


    ¡°Okay, still hurts, but... I¡¯m getting a weird tingling in my tummy.¡± Shiro said cutely. ¡°I... whoa, okay, that feels strange.¡± She muttered, only to suddenly clamp down, nearly forcing my dick out. ¡°Hey, what changed? The pain¡¯s gone?¡±


    ¡°Of course it has. I¡¯m using Ether Healing. I want us both to enjoy this.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t quite know what to make of it. It¡¯s not bad though.¡± She started moving her own body, her ass sliding backwards into my thrusts. ¡°Huh... there. Right there.¡± She moaned. ¡°I feel something rising, not like before...¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll try and hold on, as I¡¯m near my limit!¡± The squeezing of her ass, now joined by the friction from my thrusts and her twisting movement, were pushing me to my peak.


    ¡°Hey, be a man and hold on, Aki! This... wait, keep grinding!¡± She was drooling, mouth open, and I released my grip and started playing with her clit and slit, gently stroking them. She groaned, her face loose, eyes melting.


    ¡°There.¡± I thrust again, and this time she twisted her body, seeking to maximise the touch of my glans on her insides. That sensation went through me like lightning, and I felt hot lead rising within me. I thrust again, and again, and her body was scalding to the touch, her ass shuddering.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it any longer!¡± I gasped. I clenched my own ass, trying to keep from spraying her insides, and as I barely held it in, I thrust again, sliding along inside her ludicrously tight passageway. Shiro cried out, her body going into convulsions, her pussy gushing, and moments later that was joined by my flood, hot sperm pouring deep into her ass.


    ¡°Shit, Aki. Shit... I¡¯m a pervert, I just came with my ass. Shit.¡± She babbled, and as I slammed her again and again, my flow unceasing, we sought each other with our tongues and hands, holding each other close. Finally her tremors stopped, and my flow ceased, so my dick popped out, pushed by her still relentlessly tight pressure.


    ¡°Oh, that feeling in my belly is gone.¡± She said tiredly. ¡°But...¡± she twisted her neck, trying to see the sperm dribbling from her twitching, gaping asshole. ¡°I still feel like the world is sparkling. Fuck. Aimi, anal is seriously wild.¡±


    ¡°Which do you prefer?¡± I asked, lying down beside her on the soiled sheets, stroking her hair and back gently, calming her down.


    ¡°Well, normal sex is fine for me. But on occasion, I suppose we can try anal again.¡± She grinned tiredly, snuggling down to kiss my glans.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s been in your ass.¡± I warned, and she grinned, licking the tip, before swallowing it into her warm mouth for a moment, sucking on it gently, before releasing it.


    ¡°So what? I¡¯m a beautiful girl, Aki, we don¡¯t defecate.¡± She said, espousing that old wives¡¯ tale. ¡°Besides, even if we do, I¡¯m a clean girl too. Nothing dirty about it.¡± She laughed then, the sound rich despite her fatigue. As she snuggled in close to me, she looked me in the eyes. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ll like whatever we do together. But for now, this was just for us. Though best prepare yourself. Eri and the others are going to be demanding this as soon as I brag about it. You¡¯ve got it hard, harem prince!¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°No kidding. But like you said before, if I ever complain about having any sort of sex with you girls, then the Gods will probably strike me down for my ingratitude. So, want to take a break?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a bath I think.¡± Shiro grinned, before looking at the bed. ¡°And... uh... let¡¯s take these sheets off. We¡¯ve been at it like animals...¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Well...¡± I kissed her one more time, a bare brushing of lips. ¡°... tomorrow is a busy day, so we might as well enjoy the rest of the night.¡±


    As we removed the sheets, I considered what Shiro had said. Yeah, Motoko and Natsumi are probably fine, but... the others. Damn, Shaeula¡¯s small, it¡¯s not going to be easy... Holding in a laugh, I felt a bit embarrassed at my envious problems that a lot of guys would literally kill to have...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Five

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Five


    ¡°So, how was your night?¡± I asked Shaeula as she strolled into the kitchen, yawning. In response she shot me a sly grin as she opened the fridge and retrieved a cold can of coffee. Pulling the ring, she drank it down, wiping at her mouth in satisfaction.


    ¡°I should be asking you that, should I not-not?¡± she laughed. ¡°Though I confess, your friends are rather fun. And they were-were very kind to Ichika, which pleases me. That Yasu was rather taken with her, though I fear-fear she was not reciprocating.¡± Sitting down beside me, she continued. ¡°We talked a great-great deal about you and Shiro, and your times together. I talked as well, of course. Ichika was quite-quite taken aback at all that is happening that she does not-not know of.¡± She paused. ¡°Now, that is quite-quite enough of me, how was your night?¡±


    Well, considering we only got back an hour ago, it was quite hectic. ¡°It was productive. We came to an agreement with Arisu-san, and I got two new vassals out of it.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is indeed good-good news.¡± However...¡± her smile broadened. ¡°You know that is not-not what I wish to talk about. Have you and Shiro become as one-one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there were no problems.¡± I hoped my face wasn¡¯t flushed. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that her Lovers¡¯ Link skill Ranked up a bit.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I am quite-quite pleased.¡± Shaeula said, looking at me expectantly as her stomach grumbled cutely. Taking the hint, I headed for the stove, ready to prepare breakfast. ¡°So where is she?¡±


    ¡°Taking a quick nap. We didn¡¯t get much sleep last night...¡± I admitted, thinking back to our lovemaking. In the end, Shiro and I had stayed up all night, talking, reminiscing and interspersing that with sex, although after the experimentation, we had kept it strictly vanilla. ¡°But she¡¯ll be up soon. We¡¯re meeting up with Arisu-san and the others later, she has something to give us. And then I want to make sure everything is working properly with the expansion of Haru-san¡¯s Territory. Before all that though, probably some training...¡± I¡¯ve got some ideas I¡¯d like to explore...


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula approved. ¡°Well, I do have to return to the Spring for some matters, but I shall-shall wait until after this training. Perhaps later I can meet Shiro¡¯s comrades properly, since they shall be ours-ours now.¡± As she talked, others started filtering in for breakfast. Eri was next, roiling in on her wheelchair, being pushed by Daiyu, which was a surprising combination.


    ¡°Eri, Daiyu¡¯er, good morning.¡± I greeted them, and Daiyu nodded, despite me having spoken in Japanese.


    ¡°Good morning to you.¡± She returned.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve been studying then?¡± I asked, and while she stumbled over some words and there were a lot of phrases she still didn¡¯t get, I was impressed in her progress over just a few days. The buffed memory and learning ability from stats really makes a difference.


    ¡°Today, is it a good time?¡± Daiyu asked me, a little shyly.


    ¡°For what?¡± We had switched back to Chinese while Shaeula and Eri were chatting at the table.


    ¡°I have codified the teachings of Qi Refining that I remember, as well as the details of Diamond Mountain¡¯s lore. Coupled with my own Qi Refining Technique... I believe I wish to search for disciples, as well as teach you my ways.¡± Her eyes were imploring, yearning, and I remembered her desire to re-establish her Sect, to not let the legacy of her family die out.


    ¡°Well, I was planning to doing some training myself today anyway. That works.¡± Shiro¡¯s in a good mood after last night, so she shouldn¡¯t mind me squeezing some extra buffs out of her. She squeezed enough out of me... ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to take a look at it. We could do with making a detailed analysis of your Network as opposed to mine, Shaeula and Shiro¡¯s anyway.¡± I also want to process the water element the Territory has been building up...


    ¡°By Network, you mean the meridians, acupoints, pathways and Dantians?¡± she questioned, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, it all seems to be the same thing, just put together differently. There are outliers, like the lunar chakra and probably your Dantians, but it all functions similarly, just like all living creatures, at least on earth, are carbon-based and are built from the same molecular combinations.¡± I said as I opened up the rice cooker, spooning out steaming rice into bowls for everyone. Hyacinth had joined us, and as usual had immediately started helping out, preparing some miso soup and pickled vegetables, and I was once more impressed at how well she had adapted to cooking Japanese food. Just waiting on Shiro now, but I do wonder if she¡¯s too shy to face everyone right now?


    ¡°I see. Codifying knowledge and probing deeper secrets to gain greater strength is one of the foundations of Cultivation.¡± Daiyu mused, before nodding politely as I handed her a bowl of rice. Luckily her dietary tastes are quite similar to us Japanese, though she does apparently miss medicinal herbs that help with her Cultivation. Maybe we can procure some?


    ¡°It¡¯s the foundation of everything worthwhile.¡± I laughed. ¡°Knowledge is power, after all. So, what sort of disciples are you looking for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Cultivation requires hard, dedicated study and training.¡± She said, reminiscing. ¡°Without the will to face endless hardships, to surpass their own and even mortal limits, no true progress will be made. But just as important is talent and luck. For without those, the heights of Mount Tai will forever elude them.¡± Her eyes clouded over, her expressionless face displaying clear signs of unease. ¡°I thought I had luck, I was blessed by the Heavens, even more when Chang¡¯e bestowed her touch on me, though arrogantly I sought to dismiss such a power as unworthy, beneath Cultivation, for a power one cannot make one¡¯s own is merely a sword without a hilt, harmful to the touch. Yet...¡±


    She looked up at me as I patted her head gently, trying to reassure her. ¡°You¡¯re still alive. It may not seem like that is such a great thing, but when you look back to now in the future, you¡¯ll realise why you survived, and how glad others are that you did.¡±


    She looked at me for a moment, before gently batting away my hand. As she did so, Shiro strode in, wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a plain blue t-shirt. ¡°Morning.¡± She yawned, before gesturing to the two of us. ¡°Making a move on Daiyu now? How soon I¡¯m forgotten. You¡¯ll make me cry, Aki.¡± She teased us.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not it. Anyway, did you enjoy your nap?¡± I asked, as she sat down beside Eri.


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t sleep. Too much on my mind.¡± She winked.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± Eri asked, and Shiro laughed happily.


    ¡°Oh, I just knew you¡¯d be eager to dig into the juicy, sordid details. Well...¡± she leant close and whispered in Eri¡¯s ear for a moment, so quietly that even I couldn¡¯t hear it. Eri nodded, surprised, face turning pink.


    ¡°You did that? How was it, did he like it? Did you?¡±


    ¡°it was different, that¡¯s for sure. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but... well, I¡¯m not very experienced so I wouldn¡¯t just take my word for it. Ask Aki.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking that.¡± Eri¡¯s face was flaming.


    ¡°Oho, this sounds quite-quite interesting. Do tell.¡± Shaeula joined in, and for a few minutes talk around the table turned dirty, which was a unique hell for me, Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth and Eri discussing sex. My only solace is that Daiyu doesn¡¯t understand most of this. Daiyu... ugh, Dao Companions. We have to set out just what that means as well...


    ¡°Well, this is all quite-quite interesting...¡± Shaeula looked at me, licking her lips like a predator. ¡°And I indeed wish-wish to try this out. Perhaps together?¡± She looked at Shiro, who shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Her grin intensified as she looked at Eri, who was frowning. ¡°After all, I have experience in that. We both have a first, right?¡±


    ¡°I have more than one!¡± Eri protested, though she seemed less annoyed than she was pretending. Even so, it was cute, so I went and kissed her and then Shiro. Hyacinth and Shaeula were then looking at me expectantly, so it turned into a major event, me kissing everyone for a number of minutes. Once that was concluded, I outlined the plans for the day.


    ¡°I see. Well, I can-can spare some time.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But, well...¡± she looked at Daiyu¡¯er, before asking her a few questions in rapid-fire Mandarin. Oh, she raises some good points. If we are doing a true comparison, we should do it properly.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll be included obviously, but as a man there are differences. So, we need a baseline woman, Kana should do for that, and since it¡¯s Sunday she¡¯ll be about. But since she¡¯s a Chosen, it might be best to have an additional non-Chosen sample. Maybe Keomi-chan or one of your friends. We then have Shiro, Shirohebi, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Eri, since your network is in a strange flux right now, and lastly Daiyu¡¯er. With all these samples, we should be able to come up with some comprehensive theories and applications.¡±


    After explaining this to Daiyu, she agreed. ¡°I have transcribed the scrolls and tags regarding a Cultivator¡¯s spiritual body from memory, and we can use them as reference.¡± Her expression had brightened just a touch, now that we were talking about tangible progress towards her goals, and Cultivation research, which clearly excited her.


    ¡°Great, well, let¡¯s finish up breakfast and then get cracking.¡±


    ********


    ¡°Sorry about this. Everybody else had plans today, Hisano-chan was the only one available.¡± Kana apologised.


    ¡°It happens.¡± I said, shrugging. Turning to Takagi-san, who was looking a little uncomfortable surrounded by the abundance of beauties that had gathered in the Boundary on the coast of Sagami Bay, inside a building the kobolds had erected for the now-departed Bintara, I apologised. ¡°Sorry to take up your Sunday, Takagi-san. Also... uh, did Kana explain what we¡¯re doing here? It¡¯s kind of like a medical exam, it might be a bit embarrassing.¡±


    She nodded slowly. ¡°Well, I trust you, you¡¯ve always been fair with us.¡± she looked around. ¡°Besides, I doubt you¡¯d be interested in me with all these far more beautiful girls than me around.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate yourself. I¡¯ve said that before.¡± I chided her gently. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re looking a lot nicer recently.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone at school has noticed.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°But seriously, I¡¯ve done this before. It¡¯s embarrassing, but it¡¯s only underwear, right? Just think of it like being at the beach in a bikini. Besides, other than Akio, we¡¯re all girls here. Well, there¡¯s a kami, but it doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Other than him, right.¡± she muttered, her voice small. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Though at the beach, if I went, I¡¯d wear a one piece...¡±


    ¡°Anyway.¡± I steered the subject back to what we were doing. ¡°The aim here is to properly codify all the differences between the various Networks we have, and hopefully not only gain insights into Cultivation, but on how to improve our own Networks too. The Silver Cord and Chakra Network is the foundation of everything. We¡¯ve made strides over the past few months, but there¡¯s further to go.¡±


    ¡°All right then. So, what¡¯s the plan, Aki?¡± Shiro asked. She raised one eyebrow in surprise as Shaeula had already removed her yukata, only a pair of panties covering her nakedness. ¡°We stripping?¡±


    They exchanged glances, and Kana shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d normally take you up on that, but... I really want to keep training.¡± she smiled. ¡°Seeing everyone working so hard, it really motivates me, you know?¡± She rubbed at her tired, bloodshot eyes. ¡°Besides, I couldn¡¯t do it again. It¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now.¡± Hisano-san said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll train as well.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But I¡¯m putting a bonus in your pay-packet for the month.¡± I grinned. ¡°All right, Shaeula, Hyacinth, you have to go to the Spring, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is a shame, but we must-must continue building support for our reconstruction. It is going rather well. Soon-soon... well, there will be time for this later, will there not-not?¡± She paused, a bit embarrassed by something.


    ¡°Arisu should be here soon. She¡¯s always punctual.¡± Shiro said. ¡°I¡¯ll go give her the grand tour, and buff up the Trees, Asha and the others while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    Once everyone had discussed their plans, that left Eri, Daiyu and me. Eri was frowning, concentrating, and when I asked her what was up, she looked at me, her dark eyes serious. ¡°I¡¯m going to fix myself! I will!¡± she insisted. ¡°I hate this, not being able to move properly back in the Material. Not being able to hold you!¡± Tears glimmered in her eyes. ¡°I know I¡¯ll get better, but I want it even a day sooner! Now Shiro¡¯s in your life, I don¡¯t want you forgetting about...¡± I pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back and hair (as well as her cat ears) as I softly comforted her.


    ¡°Hush now. It¡¯ll be fine. I know it must have been upsetting, seeing a visual representation of your network...¡± It was largely intact, though there were similarities to Shaeula¡¯s mixed in, and the capillaries and meridians were constantly in flux, as though they were taut guitar strings, moving and vibrating, which was distorting her chakras in turn. ¡°... but you can stabilise it, I know you can. As for Shiro replacing you...¡± I lifted her chin, looking deep into her eyes. ¡°Bullshit. I know you don¡¯t mean it, you¡¯re just feeling down and jealous, and I¡¯m sorry. But Shiro¡¯s Shiro, and you¡¯re Eri. I need you both in my life, and you¡¯re both my precious friends and girlfriends. Nobody will ever kick you out of my heart, Eri!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, before repeating it in a quiet voice. ¡°Sorry. I want to be strong, stand by your side, but ever since Kyoto, I¡¯ve been useless...¡±


    ¡°Useless? Hardly. You¡¯re an anchor Eri. With you here, I can¡¯t let myself be weak. After all, what guy wants to look pathetic in front of his childhood friend? Besides, I hear from Shiro you tried to help Nie Ling come to a decision. That¡¯s not something I can do right now, I get so angry just thinking about the dead...¡±


    ¡°Well, I just don¡¯t want you to end up wounded over her. And if she lets her cowardice rule her, she¡¯ll end up regretting her decision one day. I know that so well.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Akio, you¡¯ll wait for me, right? If it takes a month, a year... a decade... to recover?¡±


    I softly kissed her, trying to ignore Daiyu watching with a faint smile. ¡°It won¡¯t take years. I promise. But if it did... you know I¡¯ll always want you beside me.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Eri calmed down, wiping at her eyes unsteadily. ¡°I guess... even though I¡¯m only able to move clumsily here, I can still hold you a little.¡± She clung to me, arms quivering and trembling.


    ¡°You can.¡± I kissed her again. ¡°Any time you get worried, just talk to me. Or any of the others. Shiro likes you, even if she sees you as a bit of a rival, and you know what Shaeula and Hyacinth think. Even talking to Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi might help...¡±


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s all very overwhelming.¡± Eri shook her head a little. ¡°Sorry. I just had... a moment. Aiko would laugh at me and call me an idiot for doubting you, doubting myself.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s natural. But who knows, the research we are doing here might help in the longer run.¡± I laid Eri down, and she sat watching us, a solemn expression on her face. ¡°Sorry about the wait, Daiyu¡¯er.¡± I switched to Chinese again.


    ¡°It is not a problem. Seeing you soothe her worry, it makes me think...¡± her face reddened just a touch. ¡°...of Companionship. Now, I did not understand much of what was said, but I do know this. Can you translate?¡± she asked me, and she addressed Eri.


    ¡°Cultivation has many pitfalls and trials. A mistake can easily cripple the body, mind or spirit. That breaks most people. I do not know how you suffered such an abnormal wound, but... those that brave their sorrows, their Tribulations, and come out the other side, they rise stronger, unafraid of even Fate or the Heavens. Those are the strong. That is the sort of Cultivator, the sort of woman, I wish to be. Do you wish the same?¡±


    Eri¡¯s eyes widened at the words, before she burst out laughing.


    ¡°I see. I must look pitiful if she¡¯s consoling me.¡± She wiped away tears of equal parts frustration and amusement. ¡°Tell her I was just a bit rattled, but I¡¯m no longer a coward. I won¡¯t run from this. Or you. Or... her.¡± Eri met her eyes. ¡°Damn, I wish I spoke Chinese right now. having you translate for me isn¡¯t right, but... I accept you, Daiyu. As a rival. And hopefully as a friend. For we¡¯ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, won¡¯t we?¡±


    After her surprise at those words, Daiyu bowed, different to our Japanese style, but the intent was conveyed. ¡°Of course. I never imagined my Dao Companion would not be for me alone, but... when a Cultivator knows, she knows. And today has only proved that we are kindred spirits, souls of the same type. This... research... is very much the pinnacle of Cultivation, securing knowledge and turning it to power, power no one else can fathom.¡±


    ¡°Well, you two carry on. I¡¯m content to watch, and I¡¯ll do my exercises.¡± Eri said gently, and with that, Daiyu and I faced each other, my Eye blazing.


    ¡°While you work, I¡¯m going to be refining something myself.¡± I said, and a surge of orange energies were drawn from my Silos, pulled into me. ¡°But I can do several things at once, so...¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Very well. I shall demonstrate the basic tenets of Qi Refining. The technique I use is the one handed down by most major Sects. Qi Refining is not like the Foundation Realm, the end result is always the same, the methods merely differ a little in efficiency.¡±


    She pulled in ether, and her Silver Cord was visible to me. The ether broke down to aether, as I expected, and passed through the root chakra, only to be drawn to the area between her chakras, where the aether changed, being refined, almost flavoured. The energy was then dispersed throughout the body as we had seen before. ¡°The purified, refined Qi responds to our will with greater swiftness, precision and clarity.¡± Daiyu spoke. ¡°It also suffuses the body, making the next steps, of the Foundation, easier. We must hone our body, forging the connections that draw upon the Qi.¡± She sighed. ¡°The spiritual body is shaped with will and Qi, but unrefined Qi, that which you call aether, while more flexible, is not suited for the rigours and discipline of Cultivation. Anyone can follow a series of mental exercises, drawing in the energy of Heaven and Earth...¡± she paused. ¡°Well, no, an ordinary person would only see the basest energy of Heaven. Ordinary eyes cannot see the peak of Mount Tai, after all. But it would take many years to train the body to even a rudimentary level.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, those are the sort of exercises that Shaeula set Eri and Aiko on back when she first told them about all this.¡± Hearing her name mentioned, Eri opened her eyes briefly, before shrugging and going back to her exercises. ¡°But they hadn¡¯t achieved much in just a few weeks. Really, it took Chirurgery to make any solid progress.¡±


    ¡°When one can refine Qi, and follow Techniques honed by millennia of study, the spiritual body can be rebuilt from the ground up, hence Foundation. Though the greatest Techniques will also create the ability to use elemental Qi or Yin and Yang Qi. Such as my Invincible Jade Yang Technique. Though the lack of Yang energy is hard for a female to overcome, without sourcing it... from a male...¡± her voice became smaller towards the end there, her face red.


    ¡°I see. So, in a way, our current Chirurgery has reached Foundation level?¡± I asked, and she nodded, not meeting my eyes, instead looking at the massive orange halo of energies around me as I compressed and forced it through my sacral chakra, the energies within feeding on it, changing it. Most was absorbed, wasted, but with my efforts, more and more High Moonlight Spirit Water was stored within me.


    ¡°Yes, you could express it that way, from what I observed with your play of lights. Though compared to our Techniques, it is lacking. Not in ability to draw in this aether, but in other areas. I suspect that afterwards, there is discomfort and irritation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it takes time and gathering of a lot of aether to flush out the debris left over. After all, Chirurgery is pretty invasive.¡±


    ¡°An impure spiritual body is a weak Foundation. Yin and Yang energy is used to expel impurities, leaving the body as pure as possible. One must train both the physical and spiritual if the Accumulation is to proceed and lead to pure, powerful results.¡± She sighed. ¡°Of course, it is difficult to expel the deepest impurities with our current, lacking techniques. A further pass will occur during Perfection of Self, the Realm above. But just know, the more impurities removed and the stronger Qi, Yin and Yang energies, the stronger the Foundation.¡±


    That... oddly makes a lot of sense. Healthy mind, healthy body. ¡°Well, when I gained my Spirit Water, I was covered in black goo, it was disgusting. My Eye said they were impurities. My bed was a total write-off.¡± Shaeula had much less of an issue, perhaps because her Material body hadn¡¯t built up many impurities, being so new? Eri also leaked a little when we shared some Spirit Water though the Fae way of love, though the effect was minor, perhaps because my reserves had dwindled, or it was only second-hand?


    ¡°How envious.¡± She smiled. ¡°To have shed so much filth is to prepare well for Accumulation. Though I must wonder just why your body and spirit were so dirty?¡± She raised one eyebrow a little, and I realised she was teasing me.


    ¡°If you push me, you might find out.¡± I joked, and she bowed her head.


    ¡°I am not a fool. Last night, you joined with Shiro, the silver-haired woman. I do not complain, for I am aware that I shall not have your sole attention and affection as a Dao Companion, but... I do not wish to fall behind.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be hasty.¡± I reassured her. ¡°When the time is right... for now, you need to find disciples for your Sect, that should be your priority. I think... and stop me if I¡¯m out of line here, that combining our abilities, my Chirurgery, and your Qi Refining, should enable you to quickly put together some suitable candidates.¡±


    ¡°It would shorten the otherwise lengthy process. Most never make it past Qi Refining, though as the flow of Earthly and Heavenly Qi continues to increase, more disciples will break their limits, buoyed by the greater densities, making their talents, or lack thereof, less an issue.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Well, even amongst a thousand shards of glass, a gemstone still shines brilliantly. But first... can you even refine Qi?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Well, let me give it a try...¡± I focussed my vision on the processes happening within her network, and tried to replicate it...


    ********


    ¡°That is surprisingly... muda. Useless.¡± Daiyu smiled bitterly. Eri chuckled, since Daiyu had spoken the Japanese word, one she had learned, and from the expression on my face she must have known I had failed. ¡°Your spiritual body does not have the proto-Dantian, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, I can do it through Aether Manipulation.¡± I created Qi to match hers, though the efficiency was trash, at around thirty percent. ¡°Hey, even your conversion rate isn¡¯t perfect. There¡¯s a lot of aether swirling about your body, as we showed earlier.¡±


    ¡°So petty.¡± Her lips quirked in a smile. She turned to Eri, and managed some halting Japanese. ¡°Is Akio... always... childish?¡±


    Eri giggled happily, good mood restored after her earlier gloom. ¡°I think it¡¯s cute. He wants to look good in front of you, I think?¡±


    Daiyu cocked her head, and I translated, tempted though I was to ignore it. Well, Eri¡¯s not wrong. But it¡¯s not for why she thinks, honest! I just want her to think I¡¯m reliable, after all, she¡¯s put her trust in me. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be disappointed. If I could master your arts in an instant, then that¡¯d just be an insult to all your effort.¡±


    ¡°Effort without results is meaningless. Praiseworthy, but meaningless. If you find a better way to refine Qi, I shall adopt it in a heartbeat. Pride is nothing before success. Well, this requires further thought. Your methods and mine do not mesh well, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, onto the next lesson. You wanted me to help your Foundation, right? Well, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Her face immediately flamed scarlet, and she took a step backwards despite herself, before swallowing nervously. She shuddered, as if shaking away her doubts, and then looked me in the eyes, face still pink. ¡°Very well then. After last night I expected this moment to come soon. I am prepared, my heart is calm and without doubts.¡± She reached out a hand for mine, and I froze.


    Wait, I think she¡¯s misunderstanding something here... I turned to Eri looking for reassurance, but despite not understanding the Chinese, she obviously read the situation, as she unhelpfully laughed and gave me a thumbs-up. Okay... not what I expected either...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Six

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Six


    ¡°I think we have a misunderstanding.¡± I voiced my thoughts. To calm her down I materialised a large droplet of Spirit Water, and her eyes were immediately drawn to it, her hand freezing. ¡°There¡¯s no need for haste. I wanted to discuss Spiritually Pure Physique.¡± I moved my hand a little and her head tilted, following it with her eyes.


    ¡°I... I see.¡± She coughed, her face showing a faint expression of shame and regret. ¡°I was too hasty. A Cultivator must always keep a cool head, not let emotion rule her, lest if affect her Dao. I was foolish.¡± She looked me in the eyes then. ¡°However, my words from before are true. I do have no doubts. You shall be my Dao Companion, and it is only natural to do such things, to Cultivate together. I have seen from the others that it is not such a frightening thing.¡±


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s still an important thing.¡± I said, reaching out with my other hand to pat her head comfortingly. ¡°You¡¯re away from home, you¡¯ve lost your family, deciding in haste isn¡¯t wise. Besides...¡± I smiled slyly. ¡°I never give up a girl when she¡¯s in my hands.¡± My gaze strayed to the concentrating Eri, and Daiyu softly giggled, an usual sound from her.


    ¡°I can see that. To think that my chosen Dao Companion would be so inconstant, and not even a Cultivator at that.¡± Her slight impish smile took the string from that insult. ¡°Well, I do not change my mind when I have decided on something, for that will weaken my will and harm my Dao. Well, I have not yet discovered the true path of my Dao, but I know whatever it is, it will brook no cowardice, no backwards steps. So please do not insult my resolve. When I decide, I dedicate my all to it, no matter the obstacle. That is the way of Cultivation!¡± Her voice was raised at the end, her plea impassioned.


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d never make light of that.¡± I promised. ¡°But just as you are one who can make and stick to a decision quickly, I¡¯m a bit of a worrier, a thinker. I don¡¯t come to conclusions easily. But I do owe you, and I¡¯m flattered you¡¯d consider me.¡± I stroked her hair, my other hand still holding the glittering droplet. ¡°You know, I feel a bit like the sort of bad adult my mom warned me and my sis about when we were kids, only I¡¯m tempting you with Spirit Water rather than candy.¡±


    ¡°There are no doubt many Cultivators who would sell themselves for such a treasure.¡± Daiyu surprised me. ¡°And I would not blame them for that, if their pride and their Dao can withstand such a trade, well, power is all. I... I refuse to sell. I believe I offer fair value. More, I am alone in the world now, as you said. It is the perfect time to seek a Companion to soothe my heart, share joys and triumphs, sorrows and setbacks together.¡± She eyed me, and my expression must have been strange, as she sighed softly.


    ¡°Do you think I am a fool, a young girl unversed in the ways of the world? There is some truth to that, I know little outside of Cultivation. But I have been trained since I could barely walk, and have long been lauded as a prodigy, jealousy, spite and envy directed towards me in a constant stream. The mouse will always look at the tiger and wish it could bite, after all. I am not weak. Nor am I foolish. Look at yourself objectively. You are not unappealing, your looks are more than satisfactory. You have great strength and knowledge, influence too. And you have a lust for knowledge and power.¡±


    I blinked at that. I wouldn¡¯t say I lust for power. I just know we need to get as much as we can, if we want to stay safe, live a happy life. Before I could say so, she continued. ¡°You have been blessed by the Heavens, as I was, so we share such a burden and can understand each other. I have seen your resolve, and your bravery, as well as your emotions. And I am satisfied with what I see. If you respect me, my resolve, then say no more.¡± She turned to Eri then, who was watching us as she concentrated on her malformed network. ¡°Eri... do you... sorrow... no, regret ... your love?¡± she asked in her clumsy Japanese.


    ¡°Of course not. Never.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°I love Shaeula, I love Hyacinth. The others... well, it is hard to hate those who love who you do. And they make sure to give me my due.¡± Her words were a bit complicated, so with a sigh I translated for Daiyu. ¡°I worry about Shiro. Really, I had thought I was over being so clingy.¡± She said sorrowfully. ¡°I guess seeing Shiro so radiant, while I¡¯m stuck in this broken body... I got scared, it was like a darkness inside me. But Akio, he was there, to promise he''d never forsake me, and I knew it was true, and the darkness was washed away. I¡¯ve always loved Akio, and I could never leave him. Sharing... well, it has it¡¯s downsides, of course I¡¯m sure we all secretly want him to ourselves. Maybe except Motoko and Natsumi, but those two love each other as much as they do Akio. But we can¡¯t have that. So we accept it. And there¡¯s still more happiness to be found than I could ever have imagined.¡± She paused. ¡°Although, maybe you could imagine it. After all, haven¡¯t you been some sort of magical girl even long before all this happened?¡±


    ¡°Magical girl? I am a Cultivator.¡± Daiyu insisted after I translated. ¡°But I agree. I am not making this decision blind to the others my Dao Companion cherishes. I promise to cherish you all too, if you will support and guide me, as a senior.¡± She bowed in her odd Cultivator fashion again.


    ¡°Good. You have the right sort of personality, and you¡¯re cute too.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°As I said earlier. I support you. I guess I feel sorry for you, just like Hyacinth.¡± She sighed. ¡°I never used to care about anyone but Aiko and Akio. I¡¯ve changed.¡±


    ¡°For the better, I think.¡± I said, and Eri laughed.


    ¡°I hope so. Now, the romantic comedy is distracting me, can you get on with what you were doing?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I laughed, my doubts vanishing. I had resolved to accept Daiyu previously, but had put off understanding what that meant, shoving it to the back of my mind, in the that¡¯s for the future box, but she had made her opinion so plain that I had to face it head on. ¡°I am resolved for the life I¡¯ve chosen, and to take responsibility for you. But hearing your opinion on me, why me, despite our brief acquaintance... I get it. You¡¯re not doing this lightly. And if I was to evaluate you... you¡¯re strong-willed, driven, tenacious, full of esoteric knowledge we need, a Chosen... but you¡¯re also cute.¡±


    She faintly tinged red at that. Seeing that, I pressed on, the droplets of water growing bigger on my fingers, shining with orange and indigo energies, hints of silver sparkling within. ¡°I¡¯m done with arranged marriages. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not interested in any of those elves. I actually really like Moira, because she¡¯s all business, unlike those other two flirts. But I¡¯m past the point where I can lie to myself. Hearing the reasons you like me, your strength and resolve, it makes you all the cuter. And when I look at you, I think I want to make you happy. And...¡± I lowered my voice, embarrassed, which was foolish after all I¡¯d done and shared with my fiance?es now. ¡°... I wonder what it¡¯d be like to hold you, touch you, kiss you.¡±


    ¡°I am glad.¡± Daiyu said. ¡°I had thought perhaps I was not enough of a woman for you to like. I have been called Black Jade the Ever-Beautiful for many years, and though the name annoyed me, I was secretly proud of it. After all, what girl hates being praised for her beauty? Though I prefer praise on my skills, my character. Praise you give me. You see what matters within me. I know I can be satisfied, and grow stronger, together.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s settled. Well, it was settled before, but... Daiyu. I wasn¡¯t fair enough, bold enough. I¡¯d be happy... no, honoured to be your Dao Companion.¡± I said, kneeling before her. ¡°Just to reaffirm, you want to be with me?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She agreed. ¡°I find it sudden myself, but... it feels like the providence of the Heavens, Fate. I should never have survived the ocean, and I would not have, other than the blessing of Chang¡¯e which I had scorned in my foolish pride. Then I was given into your care by your Government, and I found... it a most comfortable, enticing prison. It was almost like being back at my Sect... do not get me wrong, you are nothing like Cultivators, the strict hierarchy, the discipline, it is non-existent. But your striving for power and knowledge... it made me think perhaps this is a better way. The Incorruptible Jade will be born anew, and while I shall be strict, I shall extend kindness, aid to my disciples.¡±


    ¡°Tell her she has to meet with us all later, we¡¯ll tell her the rules she has to follow, that we all agreed on.¡± Eri said, having guessed from my kneeling and her expression that I had fully accepted her. Once I had translated that, she agreed.


    ¡°Well, I am happy.¡± Her face was red. ¡°I feel affirmed as a girl and a Cultivator. Now...¡± she eyed the Spirit Water hungrily, before giving me a coy smile, one far more animated than her usual expressions. ¡°... you should praise me for resisting such a treasure that most Cultivators would sell themselves or kill for.¡±


    Pulling her into a hug with my free arm, she snuggled into me happily, and I gathered more and more of the water I had created, until her eyes were wide with shock. ¡°So much! How did you find such treasure?¡±


    ¡°Find? Well, I suppose that is true. At first, it came from a site deep in the lands of the Fae...¡± as I regaled her with the story of how we defeated Duke Myrcolaxriath and then cleansed the Spring, she listened in rapt fascination, eyes bright. When I concluded with how Shaeula and I had absorbed the concentrated Spirit Water and could now produce it ourselves, albeit at a trickle, she shuddered in my grip.


    ¡°Such... insanity.¡± She looked into my eyes, expression solemn. ¡°I am not convinced even my pride would withstand the urge to make you mine, the Spirit Water mine, were you to have told me this in different circumstances. I would have been glad of my beauty, were it able to entice you...¡±


    ¡°Well, fortunately you don¡¯t need to.¡± I said, and she sighed.


    ¡°I am grateful you seek me as I seek you. And I am relieved. My heart was calm. Though now, it is boiling again. That Water...¡± she looked at Eri, and asked in halting Japanese if she didn¡¯t mind Daiyu taking it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in water element yet. I can¡¯t do anything until my network is healed. So go ahead. It matters a lot to you, right? As your senior, I¡¯ll be caring and supportive, so long as you don¡¯t step out of line.¡±


    ¡°You heard her.¡± I laughed, as Daiyu looked meek at her implied threat. ¡°Though I doubt you¡¯ll manage to master water element with just this much.¡±


    ¡°I shall give it my all.¡± she paused. ¡°We should keep this secret. I have no wish to have every female Cultivator, and indeed many of the males, throwing themselves at you or trying to capture you for this Heaven-sent talent. Shaeula as well. You would hate it if men started trying to woo her, no?¡± She smiled teasingly, which was damn cute.


    ¡°Well, Shaeula would just brush them off, or chastise them if they got out of line. But I¡¯d like to spare her from such annoyances.¡± I said. ¡°So this will be a secret between us all. So... I¡¯m curious as to how you internalise the Spirit Water with your techniques. We would pull it to our sacral chakra.¡± My Eye glowed brilliantly. ¡°It might help us improve if I observe.¡±


    ¡°Feel free. I shall have no secrets from my Dao Companion.¡± She said earnestly. ¡°As I would hope you have none from me. Telling me you can create it, rather than it is a treasure you found, shows you trust me, which makes my heart beat fast. The Patriarch, my father, he warned me of this, of these feelings. That I must keep a cool head, not let them sway me...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But... you should also revel in them too. Love is a precious thing. I always ran from it like a coward, until good women, Eri and Shaeula, they taught me I could embrace it.¡±


    ¡°Embrace it I shall too.¡± She grinned, opening her mouth wide, looking like a baby bird, and I tilted my hand, the Spirit Water pouring into her mouth. Her throat worked, small gulps, and with my Eye I could see the energy spreading through her body.


    Okay, that¡¯s different. Immediately I could see similarities to how our Chakra Networks functioned, but also some strange differences. Instead of pulling it all to her sacral chakra, most of it was being drawn towards the strange whirlpool of energies that was her unformed Dantian. The rest did go to the sacral chakra, and like normal it was absorbed within. She was pulling on the ether around us, rapidly converting and then refining it to Qi, and I watched in surprise as a similar process began to befall the Spirit Water, as it too underwent changes, remaining the same yet subtly different. Some indigo energy was extracted as well, the Moonlight within the water being refined out and added to the swirling whirlpool. Wait, I see faint strands of red in there as well...


    ¡°So powerful. It contains Yang energy as well, enriching me, strengthening my Foundation.¡± She was enraptured, looking at me with a flushed face. ¡°Though soon, I will not have to worry about a lack of Yang energy, will I?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± In my arms her body was beginning to sweat small pieces of silver and black slime. My Eye gave me almost the same message as before, though this time it was saying that they were spiritual.


    Expelled impurities ¨C These remnants have been purged from a spiritual body, cleaning the meridians, pathways and Dantian, as well as acupoints and chakras. All living beings naturally accumulate impurities as the world itself and the act of living is inherently impure, and these impurities naturally inhibit the accumulation of Heavenly Qi, and lower the quality of Earthly Qi one can absorb and hold within the body.


    ¡°Such rapid cleaning.¡± Daiyu giggled happily. ¡°My Foundation is surely solidifying.¡±


    ¡°I suspect that you¡¯ll need to wash yourself off back in the Material.¡± I warned, remembering. ¡°This should be affecting your Material body as well.¡±


    She pouted. ¡°Well, sure I can, but that¡¯s not my style.¡± She then cried out as Shiro whacked her gently on the back of the head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to Aki, Suzu! Besides, you were the one who jumped into being his vassal, so tow the line! Oh, and are you drunk?¡±


    ¡°Drunk? No, this is just juice! It¡¯s fruity and sweet, I like it!¡± she giggled. ¡°Now you¡¯re bullying me, boss, and I don¡¯t like it! I don¡¯t drink, an underage idol drunk, it¡¯d be a scandal, and someone might try to take advantage of me!¡±


    ¡°No, that has alcohol in it.¡± Shiro shot back, irritated. ¡°And who the hell would take advantage of you? Aki¡¯s the only guy here... well, other than Bunta, but who counts him?¡±


    Not exactly true, even discounting poor Bunta-san, some weaselkin over there are trying to ignore us all, I don¡¯t blame them. ¡°All right.¡± I put my hand on her head, and ignoring her drunken cries of ¡°See, he¡¯s already making his move, boss!¡± I let my Ether Healing cleanse the booze in her system. I wonder if she¡¯s so weak to it because of who she was Chosen by? Her stats should have made this much alcohol harmless enough.


    ¡°Well, I want to investigate your puppets for their potential. It could be really useful depending on what you can do. I bet Ixitt and his Mortal Engineers would have some ideas. Anyway...¡± I turned back to Arisu-san. ¡°Sorry about that. So, your ability could be awesomely helpful and solve a few of our outstanding problems. Logistics is a real pain, too much of Tokyo and the surrounds are dangerous or otherwise occupied. Getting between places is going to be really valuable.¡±


    ¡°I am not some sort of courier.¡± Arisu-san frowned. ¡°Nor am I at your beck and call.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to imply that. But for example, if I wanted to transfer ether to Shiro¡¯s territory, for example, I currently can¡¯t, but if you opened your Room, we could move it there easily enough...¡± Miyu to Rank 3 strikes me as a good option, as well, considering her location in Azabu. I can tithe her solidly as well. Ugh, it pushes back the start of my Rank 4 upgrade, but would make it quicker and smoother when it begins, so it¡¯s probably worth it...


    ¡°Aki wouldn¡¯t be stingy, would you?¡± Shiro implored me. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯d help Arisu out, right?¡±


    ¡°I will. In fact, if you¡¯re ever in danger, we¡¯ll come rushing to your aid, and I¡¯m prepared to help your Territory to Rank 3 as well.¡± I¡¯ll consider the few days¡¯ worth of ether a prudent investment.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Bunta-san asked, having been observing me.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re a vassal as well. I will need to tithe a lot of ether until my own Rank 4 is done, but I can certainly push you to Rank 3 which will strengthen your defences, even if you don¡¯t expand much. I¡¯d be curious to see what elements and other assets are near your Territories.¡±


    ¡°I can pay for safety.¡± He nodded. Okay, so... well, there¡¯s not much gain in Ranking up Shuta-san¡¯s Territory considering where it is. I can still increase the tithe for a while and upgrade his Spires though. So, if we push these other Territories the way we do Haru-san¡¯s... well, it won¡¯t be as lucrative considering the ether density in Kyoto, but... ¡°We¡¯ll hold a planning session with Haru-san and the others, crunch some numbers. That means you¡¯ve got to keep buffing, Shiro!¡± There¡¯s still the Territories of my sis, Kana, and Daiyu to lay down as well. With Arisu-san, we might be able to forego the use of Ring Gates and establish somewhere useful which has access to something we need...


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it!¡± She laughed. ¡°Anyway, so Arisu, happy? Aki¡¯s a fair guy, he won¡¯t cheat you.¡±


    ¡°I had one more question.¡± I asked Arisu-san. ¡°You are extremely skilled at spatial element it seems, so I was wondering if I could get some advice?¡±


    ¡°Advice?¡± she asked. ¡°From me?¡±


    ¡°Who better? I¡¯ve no spatial element myself, but I¡¯ve replicated a bit of the effects with aether occasionally, though it¡¯s difficult and draining.¡± Shaeula and Kondou Kazuo both got hit by spears I moved through space via aether. The accuracy is lousy and it takes a lot of energy, but... ¡°I have a partial skill, called Void Motion, and I was wondering if you could help me get it to work?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Arisu-san looked at Shiro, who was giving her a hopeful look, while translating for the equally curious Daiyu. ¡°Very well, I can spare some advice, for... a companion.¡± I felt happy when she said that, and Shiro pumped her fist, elated. ¡°Do not get carried away.¡± She continued. ¡°I am prepared to trust you, since White here has vouched for you, and I have observed your Territory and it seems to be run fairly. The Dryad...¡± she nodded at Asha. ¡°... has also spoken of your heroics. So, Void Motion... it sounds like a skill to move through space.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I fought against a Yokai who could effectively teleport short distances. It was a pain to combat.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine. Well, my doors and Room are far less problematic. Consider this...¡± she lectured me, her charisma plain, and I thought that I could see why she was such a popular actress back before all the scandals. ¡°If you move carelessly through space, then you could easily end up trying to occupy the position of something else. Such would be... deleterious to your good health.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Intense, rapid thinking and an excellent grasp on your position and the position of that which surrounds you would be required. A mistake would be costly.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I can see all around me easily enough...¡± I flared my Eye and expanded my vision. It ached my brain, but my increased Split Thoughts could handle it. ¡°But I don¡¯t have the spatial element to get a grasp on it. But since you seem able to use yours in creative ways...¡±


    ¡°Fine. In exchange... I ask that you do as you promised. I will put my faith in you. I wish for vindication.¡± She finally admitted.


    Shiro and Suzu-san clapped happily, and Umi did a spin, waving her arms a bit mechanically. Even Bunta-san looked a little less edgy for a moment. ¡°Well, I¡¯d do that anyway, being as you¡¯re now my friend.¡± I promised. ¡°But if it makes you feel more comfortable having a give-and-take relationship for now, that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    ¡°Well, here then...¡± she began to draw in deep purple energies around her, starting to form the door, only to frown, the flow of energy changing, the door shattering into purple sparks and fragments...


    ********


    ¡°I did it!¡± I smiled triumphantly, only to stagger, blood pouring from my cut thigh. ¡°Shit, well, almost.¡± Ether Healing quickly sealed the wound, and I looked down to see I had winged a table.


    ¡°Calculation is hard, even for us.¡± Arisu-san observed. ¡°And this requires incredible precision.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the issue.¡± I mused. ¡°I did the calculations correctly, my stats are easily high enough for that. It¡¯s hard to perceive in three dimensions so precisely. Well, perhaps hard isn¡¯t the right word. Let me try again...¡± I used my Eye to gain a grasp on my surroundings, and as my Split Thoughts worked, I could feel one of my bonds, one with Shaeula, start to quiver, and for a moment my mind was filled with fuzz, before suddenly everything became clearer, and amber letters flared across my vision.


    You have gained a skill, Spatial Perception Rank 1. This skill allows you to understand, perceive and calculate positions and trajectories in space instinctively, allowing you to perform attacks from difficult angles and also dodge more easily. Your overall calculation abilities improve, and your ability to grasp and understand irregular and non-Euclidean spaces increases as the skill grows. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Rule]


    Got it! I can do this... I asked Arisu-san to supply more spatial element, and this time the jump was successful.


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it works. Well... now to replicate it with aether, since I¡¯m out of spatial element.¡± I used my Eye to try and replicate what I could see, the violet energies far more ephemeral and harder to grasp than even light or darkness. Pouring out aether to try and reach the same effect I failed, Void Motion not activating. After several more failures, I turned to Shiro.


    ¡°Hey, can you use your blessing to buff my Mystic Eye of the Tree of Knowledge? I was going to need it to check out more about Daiyu¡¯s Dantian anyway, so now is a good time to experiment.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± She unleashed a tide of aether into me, and suddenly the world around me changed, slowing down a little, my Eye burning a brilliant golden-amber.


    Your skill, Spatial Perception has increased from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You further...


    I see. Yes, and so the spatial element is like that. Channelling aether, I poured energy into a form that matched the finer detail of the violet energies. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was close enough, and then I shifted. Several dozen metres up in the air, above everyone¡¯s heads, I laughed, feeling flushed with success.


    You have gained a skill, False Void Motion Rank 1. The shattered remnants have been stitched together, and...


    As I descended, a little wind element slowing my fall, my Eye fell upon Daiyu, who was still refining the remains of the Spirit Water. This time, my vision blurred, needles of pain knifing into my head, Split Thoughts taking some of the strain. When I blinked, a number of question marks had vanished.


    Unformed Lower Dantian Rank 1 ¨C This energetic spiritual centre is instrumental in Cultivation and is the locus for Refining numerous energies into Qi, a variant spiritual system accepted by multiversal standards as a style of enlightenment and dominance. Refined Qi is gathered and standardised and the spiritual and material bodies are strengthened and normalised by ??????????? as the resulting Qi is dispersed throughout the body, as fuel for Cultivation Techniques and ????????????. Heavenly and other powerful energies will overload such a fragile Dantian, and potentially cause Deviation.


    I see. I understand. I... time seemed to slow down, and I realised I had lost control of my body, and as I heard panicked cries from the girls I slammed headfirst into the terrace, my consciousness fading, Split Thoughts scattering...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-One- Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-One- Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    ¡°So, there have been some minor skirmishes with the Wild Hunt on our borders, but the Way-Wardens easily repelled them.¡± The blue-haired, slender elf Bellaera declared. Beside her, my sister Anna nodded happily, the daughter of the bastard Duke Vulpatrius, Talaisha, beside her, smiling wolfishly.


    ¡°The Fae Stones have now been largely erected, and our Way-Warden patrols are keeping the area secure. It¡¯s definitely a concern that the Wild Hunt have no doubt discovered that the Spring is no longer a land of death, but in our possession once again.¡± She tossed her head in annoyance. ¡°But it was only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Talisha barked. ¡°For every one of those vermin we kill, another slinks away. The Wild Hunt are cowards. But keeping secrets from them is sadly impossible.¡± She flicked her bushy red tail idly. ¡°Well, we have prepared as best we can. If they try to infiltrate the Spring, they will suffer horrendous losses.¡± Her smile intensified, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°Indeed, I surely will not tolerate, never allow, any of those scum to trouble my darling Ula¡¯s domain!¡± my sister cried, holding her spear tightly. ¡°I say we take their heads and display them on spikes, shove them on spears, all along the border. That will teach them things have changed!¡±


    Oh Anna, you are still quite the worrier. Well, I do not hate it. ¡°We would not-not have enough corpses for that.¡± I said reasonably, before raising a hand to forestall my sister. ¡°And no, I will not-not suggest we go out hunting them down yet. Their time will come. For now I am pleased at our progress.¡± Hyacinth and my other maids, including the apprentice ratkin and weaselkin maids I had been assigned, were offering our treasured honey meads and wines to our noble guests, along with dishes made from various fruits and vegetables from both the orchard in Akio¡¯s Territory, and the first fields that the treekin and plantkin had restored around the Spring. There is still so much dead land, though in time, it will all bloom anew. I have many ideas for what the Spring shall contain, but for now...


    From my throne set at the centre of the Spring, overlooking the slowly refilling lake, which was bathed in the reflected light of the moon above, shining a soothing orange, I grinned. The surrounding terraces and decking had been established, and attractive furniture occupied the best spots overlooking the spring and the moonlit skies far above. The shops, bars and restaurants were still empty, the staff not trained, supplies not sourced, but in my imagination I could see it as bustling and lively as the heart of Tokyo, and Etherites and other wealth flowing into my coffers.


    ¡°No, there is no need to rush.¡± I turned to my father, who was sitting next to me, a complicated expression on his noble features, as he watched me receive reports and give orders. It is time you conceede I am no longer a little girl, father. I have grown. ¡°Grulgor, Ulfuric, the situation with our forces, if you would-would? Also...¡± I narrowed my amber eyes, inspecting Grulgor. ¡°You look quite-quite injured. I trust you are well? You as well, Master Ulfuric. Your injuries during the Kyoto battles were indeed-indeed grave.¡±


    Grulgor barked a laugh, and at his sly tone, I remembered back to when he was merely an idiotic, angry brute. Well, it is not just I who have changed. We all have. And it is for the better. Stagnation achieves nothing. ¡°Grul is fine.¡± He said, despite the fact in many places his stony carapace appeared to have melted, as had the flesh below, though it was slowly recovering. ¡°Grulgor was simply absorbing water element.¡± He scratched at his scarred face with one huge hand idly, fragments of damaged flesh falling away. One apprentice maid, giving him a wary look, darted in and started sweeping up the mess, which impressed me. I must remember to praise her later.


    ¡°Grul does not find it easy, not at all, but... Grulgor is resilient. Grul will master it soon.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Enough about Grul. The forces Duke Formor sent are good, strong. Arrogant and foolish too, but Grul beat them into shape.¡± He pounded his chest regardless of his injuries, laughing. ¡°They will be a great help next time strong enemies come.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is good-good to know.¡± I approved, before narrowing my eyes. ¡°As for water element, I can see why you would-would desire it. The healing properties would synergise well with you. But... if you promise not-not to scare the twins, try asking them to aid you. They can-can connect you to someone skilled in water element, like Selensha.¡±


    Grulgor nodded, and Ulfuric was next. ¡°Our casualties were surprisingly modest overall.¡± the great badgerkin rumbled. ¡°With your Kin Restoration restoring many of the fallen, it is only those who were unlucky enough to have their spirits shattered, or those who were not considered your kin. Overall, our preparations and fortifications proved their worth, and the new weapons of the Mortal Engineers were likewise effective, and the results we gathered from their use will help us deploy them more effectively in future. We have also been consulting the mortal warriors brought into the Boundary, since learning from experts is always preferable to blind fumbling.¡± He paused. ¡°As for my injuries, I am shamed to be found wanting. Fortunately, with aid from the Yokai, Bintara, I have now made a full recovery, and am able to lead the troops yet again.¡±


    Before I could answer him, my father spoke up sourly. ¡°This does not-not please me, no it does not. We Fae are few enough in number, fighting and dying for mortal wars-wars is merely going to hasten our fall. You are enamoured with that mortal brat, and I concede he has the talent to match you, it seems, but...¡±


    ¡°Really? This-this again?¡± I let a little lightning element crackle ominously, the fur of those around me standing up. I remembered happily the looks of shock and awe on the faces of my brother, sister and father as I had revealed the element I had made part of myself. And it is certainly handy in times like these. To the Fae, it burns with authority. ¡°Father, I understand you have-have to look out for our interests, as one-one of the seven remaining Princes of the Fae. But you are living in the past. The world-world has changed. Yes, I have no-no wish to sell Fae lives in mortal wars. But this was not-not merely such. The hunger of this vile creature threatened us all-all. Best to stop it now. besides...¡± I grinned, baring my teeth. ¡°Kyoto is ours. Haru has claimed most of it for Akio, and I am loathe to relinquish what-what is mine! I grieve for the losses, but... in our time of need, were the Wild Hunt or the Dark Court of Pandemonium to attack us again-again in earnest, Akio would answer, as would the mortals he commands. The past is dead. Old grudges are quite-quite meaningless. I am the bridge between mortals and Fae. Between Yokai and Fae too-too.¡±


    ¡°Urakaze...¡± father muttered, and Anna looked sour, never having liked my mother. Though I hope that can change, in the future.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I agreed, before Talaisha spoke up, her tone cold.


    ¡°The Yokai, they are not like us. They are closer to Unseelie, and many in the Dark Court treat with them and their ilk. We should be careful...¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± My father even praised the daughter of his sworn enemy. ¡°Urakaze, your mother... she was beautiful, her fur silky and shining, her eyes peering deep-deep into my soul... but the Night Parade houses many nightmares, many creatures who thrive on evil.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I do not-not dispute this. Though there are somewhat less-less of those now.¡± I smirked. ¡°Many fell at our hands, and we still-still established trade and common cause with the Hyakki Yagyo?. I am indeed a member myself, as is my mother. Should any Yokai do evil, Akio or I shall surely-surely strike them down. Those that act in good faith, they shall be our allies.¡±


    ¡°I am still uneasy at so much change.¡± My father muttered. ¡°I still-still support you, of course, my daughter. I am greatly proud of your growth, and that you have achieved much-much. That you have reconciled with your mother gives me hope too. As for this husband of yours...¡±


    ¡°I too shared the same concerns, some fears, father.¡± Anna chimed in, flourishing her spear. ¡°But though it pains me to admit, to concede, he does love my Ula deeply, and has been good for her. To think my dear little Ula went on ahead of me.¡±


    ¡°I too... can not-not gainsay your choices.¡± Father shook his head. ¡°Though I still wish to meet this thief who has stolen the heart-heart of my youngest daughter. I shall have much to speak of!¡±


    ¡°Well, the situation back in the mortal world and the Boundary is quite-quite tense, but when he has the leisure, he shall surely visit the Spring. I will bring him to you then-then. Just... do not-not cause such a scene as brother Shaeraggo did. I would not-not have him think my whole family is so annoying.¡± I sniffed, remembering.


    ¡°How-how rude, I did not, would never cause trouble like Raggy.¡± Anna protested, and I gave her a flat look.


    ¡°I recall you challenging him to battle many-many times, beating Akio bloody. He does not-not mind, as he appreciated the lessons, but I know-know you went hard on him on purpose.¡± As she looked away, I shrugged. ¡°Well, no matter. Back to the problems at hand. Our political support is strong-strong enough, it seems. Even Duke Vulpatrius is stymied.¡±


    ¡°For now. As long as all goes well-well, he can not act.¡± Father advised me. ¡°Not directly, at least.¡±


    Bellaera spoke up again. ¡°Nobody believes that he would act against the Seelie Court out of misplaced spite. Great-grandfather has spoken to the Duke, and he accepts the way matters stand. I would be more concerned about the movements of the Wild Hunt, as we discussed earlier. They hate the Unseelie too, but... if we push back too hard, too strongly, might they not find common cause, collaborate?¡±


    ¡°It would certainly be a danger it they did.¡± Ulfuric mused. ¡°The Seelie Court keeps out all but major Unseelie incursions with the barrier around us, but the Wild Hunt can evade it effortlessly at times.¡±


    ¡°Regarding that...¡± The final elf here, Soliteare, added her insights. With her bright green hair, blue eyes and massive chest, she was archetypal of the Elves that appeared in Japanese stories. Akio certainly admired her chest. Well, that matters little right now... ¡°I have been working with Mortal Engineers both in the Court and in your Territory, princess. As well as wise elemental Fae under Princess Estalian. Using the information and the remains of the broken lantern you liberated from the Wild Hunt, we have been able to draw some conclusions. I believe that...¡± she went on to explain that experiments with some of the rare few Fae that had spatial aspect had produced intriguing results.


    ¡°... so the barriers seem to keep out even spatial shifts, but not flawlessly. There must be a pattern we are missing, and if the Wild Hunt understand just how the barrier and the Fae Stone wards are flawed, that would explain their intrusions.¡±


    Troubling. We do not want the same issues cropping up in the Boundary as well. ¡°Very well-well.¡± I declared. ¡°I will ask Akio if he has any ideas, and will set some-some of his allies to searching the mortal world for clues. It is often quite-quite amazing what they can discover with their science and knowledge. I... hmm, what-what is happening?¡±


    There seemed to be some sort of commotion outside the Spring. Guards moved to block the path of the intruder, before I waved them aside. ¡°It is one of my Kamaitachi. What-what is the issue?¡± I asked the panting Yokai, who bowed before me, face panicked.


    ¡°It is your consort, princess. Akio, he has-has fallen into a slumber, and will not wake.¡±


    At that my eyes went wide. My bonds were not giving me any indication of danger, that he was injured, but for a Kamaitachi to run here to bring me the message must have meant it was troubling. Meeting the sympathetic eyes of my sister Anna, even my father looking a little worried, which gratified me, I sighed. ¡°I am quite-quite sure it is nothing to concern ourselves with. I would know-know if he was in danger, I believe. But...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have covered most issues anyway.¡± Moira said, frowning. ¡°We will make no progress with you distracted, princess Shaeula. Best you hurry to his side.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I said gratefully. ¡°If you will all-all excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I shall accompany you, Ula! Raggy can return here for now and guard your Spring!¡±


    I nodded, not willing to argue, and Hyacinth met my eyes. She smiled reassuringly, and I nodded. Yes, no mishap will keep Akio down. Though he shall have to compensate us for worrying us so, I do declare!

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Seven

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Seven


    The information seemed manageable at first, the greater insight into just what Daiyu¡¯s proto-Dantian was doing was enlightening. But then my expanded vision started flooding me with all sorts of knowledge, most trivial, and I froze up, even my high stats and Split Thoughts unable to cope with the endless torrent of information my Eye was providing me. It¡¯s like a computer, when the RAM is overloaded, or the CPU can¡¯t process all the data and it gets bottlenecked... time had almost seemed to freeze for me as I tipped over, losing control of my wind energy, and as I started to pass out, I felt my consciousness dragged upwards... no, upwards wasn¡¯t the right way to describe it, though it was definitely going... higher...


    My vision was filled with something, something brown, green and white, filling my vision. At first I thought it was the sky, only to discover that it was actually an object of nigh-incomprehensible size. No, not just an object, a living thing, a Tree of such scale as to deny belief, for it was the size of a continent, the trunk many thousands of miles in diameter, the tree soaring to the heavens, out of the atmosphere and into the space above, so massive that its branches were casting shade over the planet, seemingly stretching far out into orbit.


    The Tree of Knowledge? Yggdrasil, I guess? Just looking at the tree which made even the huge Rhyming Tree of Asha look like a mere acorn, I could feel a connection with it, and my Eye burned. Even as it did so, amber letters tried to form in my vision, though they were garbled and nonsensical. Yet even so, I understood, no, could intuit that the Tree itself was the centre of many thousands of worlds, Anchoring and protecting them, a great power surrounding it that made all my efforts so far nothing more than a mere children¡¯s game of make-believe. For a moment, the realisation of the gulf between us paralysed me, before I laughed out loud, though the sound was swallowed into silence, perhaps only me even hearing it.


    What does it matter if I¡¯m weak, if I¡¯m merely an ant to this sort of power? A few months ago I wouldn¡¯t even qualify as an ant... and seeing this, I think I understand... This was the power of a Pantheon, a group of worlds, realms, whole universes, united under a single banner, a single driving force, a single Anchor. The Tree embodied knowledge spanning worlds, and so spread that power to all under its dominion.


    Trying to tame the burning orange glow of my Eye, supercharged by the blessing of Anesidora, I realised I could see a number of faint strands of bonds linking me. Two were significantly stronger than the others, the orange strands nearly visible to my ordinary eye as well, and out of curiosity I tugged on one with my mind, only for my vision to blur, and suddenly my consciousness was elsewhere, looking on a scene...


    ¡°... nearly went poorly, Ortlinde.¡± A woman with moss-green hair and emerald eyes said, her armour ragged and dented. She looked down, frowning. ¡°I will have to get the Dvergr to forge my plate and mail anew. Cursed creature...¡± four vicious grooves were torn in the lower part of her armour, and blood had stained it, tainted with a black, gooey substance.


    ¡°Sister Waltraute, those injuries look severe. You should seek aid from the healers under divine Eir. It would not do to lose you. Us sisters have fought together for too long. I would not see our bonds shattered as has happened to our older sisters.¡± Ortlinde said, her golden eyes filled with worry, her fiery red hair a match to the inlay of a red and gold tree upon her armour.


    ¡°These? You worry too much.¡± Waltraute coughed. ¡°I was simply careless, the creature struck me in its death-throes. I did not suffer such an injury as Grimgerde did. Well, she was always close to a berserker in battle. Even so, the healers say they can still regrow her arm and eye. It will merely take a little time, due to the taint from the unholy aberrations.¡±


    ¡°Well, do not waste your time here talking to me, Waltraute.¡± Ortlinde sighed. ¡°I am fine. Just disappointed. More failures. Those from the new worlds fare poorly, their lights extinguished long before they have the chance to sprout and bloom.¡±


    Despite her injuries, Waltraute laughed, clapping her on one armoured shoulder, gauntlets ringing on metal. ¡°You were always one to care for those you chose to bear the favour of divine Tyr. Bloom is apt, Ortlinde. Like a field of white pansies, reaching for the skies above, only to be trampled under the bloody feet of warriors above. Rarely, one will remain amidst the sea of mud and blood, all the stronger for it, seeking the sun. You cannot protect all the flowers from the press of battle, sister.¡± She paused. ¡°Even though you tried. Was it not your idea to break open the forbidden fruit and share the seeds? Both of yours still live, yes?¡±


    Ortlinde nodded slowly. ¡°I know I cannot protect all. Yet we are Valkyrie, are we not? Those who find worthy warriors and bring them to Valhalla. Of course it grieves me to see so many lost before they can make a difference, reach their full potential. I know it grieves you as well, Waltraute, as it does Gerhilde, Siegrune, any of our sisters, even the elder circles.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± She admitted tiredly, her face pale due to her wounds. ¡°But it is necessary. A single success is worth celebrating. And despite my losses, yours still survive. Perhaps the gamble will pay off...¡± she coughed, a faint trickle of red at her lips. ¡°... it would be nice if something does. The Hel-Vegr are firing near-constantly these days, draining our ether reserves, leaving us little room to replenish our lost defences. And news from other pantheons is becoming scarce. Not that they would share such critical information with such as we. The eldest sisters would shield us from worry.¡±


    ¡°Not knowing is worse. But the void spews out ever-increasing numbers of abominations, and the stronger threats also increase. I worry that...¡± Ortlinde paused, golden eyes going wide. Her head turned, looking down at her wrist, and my Eye could see the joining of our thread of connection there. She then turned, golden eyes staring into my amber one, and opened her mouth to speak, only...


    The sudden lurch as the blessing of Anesidora was shorn from my Eye confused me, my consciousness seemingly sucked back downwards, though again such nuance was poor at explaining exactly what was happening. My mind calmed, the tides of information diminishing, and I found myself drifting off into slumber, exhausted...


    ********


    The Great Red Dragon, one eye a filthy golden-yellow, the other covered by a red-scaled lid, roared in pain. A great temple wagon, one that looked familiar to me, was engaging it, spears of darkness leaping to clash with the scales that were falling free, changing into chittering ants. Great gouts of blood and slime were pouring from the wounds, the slime attempting to encircle the portable shrine, only for a giant figure wreathed in crimson flames, shrouded from my sight, to burn away the remnants. The shadow of the figure seemed to dance within the flames, hidden from sight, her hair, dyed crimson by the fires, acting as a sort of veil. As the Dragon was driven back, flesh melting, it spoke, laughing savagely.


    The words were a buzz of static, indecipherable, but the dancing figure paused for a moment. Then flames leapt out from her, piercing the Dragon in the eye. Flesh boiled, giving off a bitter, disgusting scent, and the dragon thrashed, tail lashing out, causing tsunamis and earthquakes. The very sky itself, which was covered in dark, inky clouds, was suddenly cleared, and overhead a great full moon shone, which was reflected in the turbulent waters below. My eyes were drawn to it, and in the reflected waters I could see another dragon, this one white and gold, with a number of great feathered wings, wrapped around the shuddering mountains and valleys, watching, feathers falling to earth, as numberless as the ants surrounding the Red Dragon.


    Defeating one enemy gives rise to others, as surely as the moon waxes and wanes. Yet to do nothing is to condemn the world to destruction. I had heard this voice somewhere before, though the words previously were broken and filled with static, but this time they were clear, comprehensible. Six great trials threaten, yet many smaller and no less dangerous ones exist. But... all are linked, as are Six Paths. Destiny is knotted, twisted, and what is Definite must not be. Else...


    My head ached, and the world blurred to static. The Red Dragon thrashed, only to suddenly stop, the eye that was shut snapping open, revealing a rainbow eye shimmering many colours, before scales shattered, spine ripping, forming a mountain range full of magnificent, massive ants adorned with jade and precious gemstones, which fell to earth and began to build towering hives and edifices. Even as that happened, space itself shuddered and tore, and as I stared at the reflected moonlight, three pillars descended, a faint flicker of a pink colour in the corner of my vision. Then it was gone as the three obelisks fell. One was black obsidian, the other petrified wood, and the third... I was stuck by it, a massive shape shrouded by obscuring fog, and my vision shattered, water washing away the moon, only to...


    Another dream, no, a vision, I suppose... The sky above was pitch-black, a massive moon hanging overhead, reflected in the numerous puddles around me like broken glass. A giant shadow was approaching, towering overhead, eye gleaming crimson like a burning sun. Everywhere it looked, all died, and a small golden-amber weasel was fleeing from it, fur starting to blacken and twist. Shaeula! Even though it was a vision, a prophecy, I knew Shaeula to the depths of my soul, and could recognise her. I readied to interfere, only to find I could not move. Just as the gaze fell on her, and I feared she would be consumed, a green shield blocked the beam, melting and disintegrating. The figure behind the shield shivered, armour cracking, shattering, only to reform despite the pain, black threads of ash lifting into the dark skies...


    That which is threatened must be preserved, else all you have built will fall to ruin. The gaze that destroys all things, the fragment, Favour of a distant divinity, shall find a home within an ancestor, and show true power. Let not this gaze fall upon...


    The many moons reflected in the puddles were gone, the water flaring to steam instantly where the ravenous, all-consuming gaze passed, and the vision shattered. Now I was in a dark hall, standing on a mountain of old detritus, broken armour, old weapons, rusted and dull, goblets, jewellery, gemstones and more piled haphazardly. The room was circular, and I could see many tall, narrow windows, and through them... white scales, like a massive snake, wrapped around. In the centre of the room I could see a woman kneeling, dressed head-to-toe in green and copper, her head bowed, tears falling like diamonds to the ground, and a figure of blinding white light standing over her. I squinted, trying to peer though the light, only to see a vague shape both horrific and beautiful, something not to be comprehended by mortal minds. Looking away, I could see that the walls were lined by many figures, male and female, all wearing masks, polished white and with laughing, sneering faces...


    Only through impossible Fortune can this doom be overturned. Six Definite Futures, no, five... for one path has shifted and while the threat remains, those to face it shall surely overcome it... should these six strands of the same Fate be severed, then the world will have a chance. No more than that. But a chance to bloom, to find what will Anchor it in the limitless realms above...


    I could see the moon reflected in the window, only for the glass to crack, moon image severed, and as the glass shattered, shards falling all around me, the vision faded. I was in pitch darkness, a million glittering moons falling in the glass, and all I could hear were faint sobs, lost and empty, and the scratching of long nails on wood and stone...


    ********


    I opened my eyes, blinking away sleep, to find myself back in the Material. Well, weren¡¯t those dreams unsettling. No wonder Tsukiko-san has suffered so. Well, perhaps Tsukuyomi needs to start predicting some happier times... After the vision of the darkness and the crying, which ended with the faint drone of some distant singing, which was triggering a memory that was so old and faded that not even my own incredible memory could recall it, I had then had another vision of the rock with ropes, and the volcanic wasteland it inhabited. This one seemed out of place somehow, different. But I must be receiving it for a reason... well, I¡¯ll set the others to looking into it.


    ¡°Good morning, Akio.¡± Eri said, and I looked up to see her face above mine, staring deep into my eyes. I then realised I was using her legs to sleep on. Hastily I went to move, knowing I was heavy and she was injured, but her good hand stopped me as she gently kissed my lips.


    ¡°There should be no notable chakras, meridians or acupoints there.¡± She said, puzzled. ¡°Well, the closest is... the Middle Dantian, which lies in behind the heart...¡± she pointed, before pausing. I didn¡¯t fail to pick up on the gleam of interest in her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also wondering if the lunar chakra has any relation to the Dantian there. Just like your root and sacral chakras seem to be slightly deformed and misaligned by my standards around your proto-Dantian... well, it¡¯s something to look into.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I do wonder if...¡± her face was rapidly gaining colour as her voice dropped. ¡°.. it is something that can be explored through... Dual Cultivation...¡±


    Eri shot her a flat look, but sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a fool, it¡¯s going to happen anyway, whether I like it or not. I still stand by my comments to Shaeula...¡± she said to me, stroking my hair gently. ¡°... that sex for the sake of gain is simply prostitution. I don¡¯t like that. Not at all. Even if I was a little guilty of forcing you at first...¡±


    I opened my mouth to protest but she placed a finger on my lips, shushing me. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I loved you then, I still do now. I wanted it. But I also secretly wanted to get pregnant, to tie you to me so that you couldn¡¯t escape. I¡¯m a pretty terrible person sometimes, I know.¡± Since she didn¡¯t wish me to speak, I communicated my denial with my eyes, and she removed her finger, kissing me softly once more.


    ¡°Thanks Akio. But you always see the best in us. We have our bad sides too. But... back to Daiyu... I¡¯m not sure how, but it seems you¡¯ve won her over. She seems to genuinely be interested in you, and not just for what she¡¯ll gain. I see that yearning, for companionship, for love, for respect... maybe even for a father figure.¡± She grinned. ¡°Who would have thought you¡¯d end up so mature you¡¯d have girls seeking you for your manly nature.¡±


    ¡°I do wish his companionship.¡± Daiyu said after Shiro translated. ¡°And the respect of men... well, I wished my father and other Cultivators to respect me, but that was for my power alone. I found so quickly I wish Akio¡¯s praise for more than just that. Perhaps I am indeed broken, losing all my Sect, my family, my country, my pride... but... I oftentimes during training or writing out my memories of Sect secrets, wonder just what Akio would think, or say, what he would improve, whether he would praise me...¡± her voice was dropping again.


    ¡°She¡¯s got it bad.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Well, I get it. Aki¡¯s got the presence nowadays. It¡¯s like steel wrapped in velvet. You know he¡¯ll be nice to you, comforting, supportive... but if anyone threatens you, the steel comes out like a fist. Girls like that. Well, I certainly do.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Knowing that Akio will always look after me... it makes me want to give back, look after him too.¡± Eri agreed.


    ¡°Well then... in that case, Eri, you¡¯ve milked your victory long enough! Let Aki get up, we should go see Shaeula and Hyacinth, since they rushed back from their big meeting...¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯ve caused everyone trouble. Still, it couldn¡¯t be helped. And I¡¯ve learnt one thing. I glanced at my status screen, which had a higher Resilience and Determination than before. Overloading one¡¯s brain comes with perks, if we can withstand it. Also... one more thing had caught my attention, and as I flexed my wrist where the seeds Ortlinde gave me were located, I strained to see the bonds, my Eye flaring. Two. I can see two. One stronger than the other...


    ********


    ¡°Akio-san, you¡¯re well?¡± Haru-san asked, concerned.


    ¡°Of course he is.¡± Shaeula scoffed, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°I was not-not worried, not-not for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Mistress Shaeula is a liar!¡± Hyacinth giggled. ¡°Yooou were beside yooourself with worry, Hyacinth knows!¡±


    ¡°Well, you were quite-quite distraught too!¡± Shaeula shot back. ¡°You were searching for the enemy that had attacked him, muttering you would ¡®strangle-strangle them to death¡¯ did you not-not?¡±


    As the two of them bickered, I pulled them both into a hug. I had called up Haru-san, interrupting her work at the Ministry, to get her to come with me to her Kyoto territory through the Ring Gate so I could do my assessment on the progress of her Territory. Once I had consoled Shaeula and Hyacinth a bit, I returned my attention to Haru-san.


    ¡°Yes, sorry for worrying you.¡± I apologised. ¡°And thanks for taking time out of your brutal schedule for this.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the boss.¡± She smiled. ¡°Oh, and the newcomer, Ito Bunta-san, he¡¯s quite interesting. It¡¯s strange meeting someone more nervous than me.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask me, you¡¯re braver than you give yourself credit for.¡± I said, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m still an easily-frightened coward at heart. But... at least I know most things can¡¯t hurt me anymore. There¡¯s not a ghost of a chance.¡± Her smile turned sly. ¡°Well, you do know he¡¯s quite the ... dishonest... individual.¡± Her pause spoke volumes. ¡°It was hard to read his mind, but he¡¯s embezzled and cheated and crippled some criminals. Having him work with the Police sounds a bit unusual, if you ask me.¡±


    Normally I¡¯d agree, however... ¡°Well, that¡¯s why we have you, to keep an eye on the Ministry for corruption. It¡¯s too important to leave to corrupt staff. Besides, he agreed to be my vassal, so I have a measure of control over him...¡±


    ¡°As do I...¡± Shiro laughed, having joined us after rebuffing the Rhyming Trees, and enjoying watching Shaeula and Hyacinth bicker good-naturedly over whether they were worried about me or not. ¡°... Bunta is pretty scared of me, well, of White. He won¡¯t go against Tan. And if you can guarantee him safety and a good, rich life, I think he¡¯ll be loyal enough. He always did what Tan wanted, that¡¯s for certain.¡±


    ¡°There you have it.¡± I assured Haru-san. ¡°Well, if he doesn¡¯t work out, then we¡¯ll deploy him elsewhere. But his Favour is suited for capture and restraint, especially on the Material, so I think it¡¯s a good role for him. So, anyway, Territory time.¡± I looked around, grinning. Haru-san¡¯s Territory was also full of Mortal Engineers, many of them ferrying ether to and fro, others setting up more Artificial Ether Spires.


    ¡°All the Ether Spires are Rank 2.¡± She ticked them off on her fingers. ¡°Thanks to the ether your Territory has supplied, that was trivial. We¡¯ve also got the first Spire to Rank 3. It¡¯s just over a day per upgrade at the moment, we¡¯ll have enough for the second Spire soon.¡±


    ¡°Great. So, a bit over two weeks until all your Spires are Rank 3, unless things change. Then it¡¯s pushing all twenty eight of yours and mine to Rank 4... ugh, the cost is obscene, but our income will be awesome afterwards...¡±


    As we discussed the progress, some of my Split Thoughts were naturally dwelling on the visions I had seen. Well, Princess Eleanor is certainly involved somehow. If she¡¯s the Princess of Humans, as Tsukiko believes, then she¡¯s clearly going to face a trial, and equally be instrumental in defeating a great threat. But how do I convince her? My vision strayed to the floating spirit light of Tsukiko-san, which was still drawing aether from Shaeula and I, gradually growing larger and stronger. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter how. I have to, so I will...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Two – Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Two ¨C Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be more than happy to speak to my father for you, Takatsukasa-sama!¡± one girl gushed, a daughter from the Three Hundred, whose family was one running a long-standing media business.


    ¡°Me as well, Takatsukasa-sama.¡± Her friend declared, a rather plain-looking girl for a daughter of the Three Hundred, but the industry her family was in was anything but. Yamanouchi-san¡¯s family is the major shareholder in Astellas Pharma, owning more than half the stock. That plays in well with my aspirations. If Ether Healing or similar abilities can be medicalised, well, it¡¯ll put a lot of companies out of business, those that don¡¯t get in on the ground floor... ¡°I must say I¡¯m a little surprised at your interest, Takatsukasa-sama, though perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be. You have always been a follower of Ichijou-sama, and she has a keen interest in the stock market...¡±


    ¡°Yamanouchi-san!¡± the other girl hissed, and she flushed, realising she had been disrespectful. Her face then went deathly pale.


    ¡°Uh, I meant no offence, I promise. Your new house is a noble and honourable one, and...¡± as she muttered desperately to stave off her insult, Hinata waved it off with a generous gesture.


    ¡°Well, we all make mistakes, don¡¯t we? I promise not to hold it against you. Yamanouchi-san. I must say, I¡¯m very much looking forward to what your father has to say on our proposal. Grandfather is backing it. Well, both grandfathers, if you know what I mean.¡± Hinata was smiling, but her opponent wasn¡¯t feeling happy, sweat rolling down her face in a very un-noble manner. ¡°As for Mayumi...¡± Hinata clearly omitted any honorific, showing her closeness and new standing. ¡°... I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m a follower. A friend certainly. Best friend, I would say. But we do definitely share an interest.¡±


    ¡°Uh, we should be going. Sorry, Takatsukasa-sama!¡± As one girl hauled the other away, Hinata wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh or sigh. Really, I don¡¯t want to just throw my new weight around, acting like Mayumi does. But it annoyed me when she called me a follower. It touched a nerve. Perhaps because it was true. Back then, we couldn¡¯t have a genuine friendship. Our status was too different. Well, it¡¯s all a nonsense. My bloodline was as good as hers. Well, now...


    ¡°A lot of the Three Hundred don¡¯t know quite how to treat you.¡± Kazumi observed, as they headed towards the serving area where dedicated chefs prepared deluxe meals for the students of Hanafubuki each day. ¡°After all, before you were just like them, and now... well, the Takatsukasa name is powerful.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I wanted it.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Well, a large part of it was I wanted my birthright, and to make mother less sad. But it definitely does help with my long-term plans. And it should stop the nobility looking down on Akio. Oh, I¡¯ll have the seafood salad.¡± She said, and Kazumi quickly spoke to the staff. Moments later she carried a pair of trays with rice, the aforementioned salads, tea and other drinks, as well as various side dishes.


    ¡°Over there.¡± Hinata gestured to a table where Miyu was sitting along with her strange bodyguard, as well as Motoko and Natsumi. Mayumi was there as well, her androgynous, sharply-dressed bodyguard also watching. Really, we are just playing pretend here, those of us of the nobility. The Three Hundred don¡¯t have bodyguards, just the Fifty-Eight. Our school is safe, we are just aping the adults.


    ¡°Hinata, over here.¡± Mayumi waved cheerfully, and as Hinata sat down, taking her tray from Kazumi, she felt warm inside.


    ¡°Sorry, I was talking business with those girls. Though I believe Fujiwara-sama has already been bringing the media companies to heel, so that might have been in vain, perhaps.¡± Hinata said, picking up her knife and fork elegantly.


    ¡°Well, whatever you were talking about must have been something important.¡± Mayumi pointed out. ¡°The look on Yamanouchi-san¡¯s face wasn¡¯t one of joy.¡±


    ¡°Well, times have changed, haven¡¯t they Mayumi?¡± Hinata raised an eyebrow, taking a delicate bite of her meal, enjoying the flavour, before swallowing. ¡°Just a few careless words. But I am not one to hold grudges, no, not I.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ on that.¡± Mayumi snorted, composed even doing that. ¡°The way you forced Takatsukasa-san to heel certainly wasn¡¯t forgiving, even if grandfather and I can see it was to their own benefit. Not everyone sees that though...¡± She glanced over to another table, and Hinata did sigh this time, as her cousin, well, now her sister, was looking at her coldly.


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s short-sighted.¡± Mayumi continued, winding her fork in the pasta she was eating, preferring Western utensils for Western meals. ¡°You were right, Sakura-san hasn¡¯t lost anything, far from it. She would have to marry out, whether you got your way or not.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡± Hinata teased. Miyu looked a little down at that, so she regretted saying it, but as ever, Mayumi didn¡¯t read the mood.


    ¡°Me? Hardly. While I will have to marry out, there just aren¡¯t any good candidates at the moment. As the sole daughter of Ichijou house, my partner would have to be from Takatsukasa or Fujiwara house, or in very rare circumstances, a house like Tsumura.¡± She nodded at Motoko, who smiled, a touch pained. ¡°Well, you should be in a similar position, Miyu-san. Honoka-san would be the heir, since neither of you have brothers, so someone would marry in. Out is the only way for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, my proposed engagement has been cancelled, right now...¡± Miyu muttered quietly. ¡°... I want to focus on my duties. I have no time for marriage.¡± Hinata didn¡¯t miss her glance at Michiru, her bodyguard.


    ¡°Well, Akio has an agreement with Fujiwara-sama that your engagement will be when he feels the time is right. So there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Hinata said, and Motoko agreed with her.


    ¡°Indeed. Your value is simply more than your bloodline, Miyu.¡± She struggled to address her without honorifics, but was improving in that regard, Natsumi too, though she always looked so amusingly distressed when doing so, the feeling of disrespect ingrained in her. ¡°And Akio has taken responsibility for you, he will ensure you a happy union you can accept. Just as he did for us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, I¡¯ll be there as well. I think Akio will make some time for me too. I won¡¯t let you have all the fun, Motoko.¡± Natsumi laughed happily. Mayumi looked a little confused at the closeness between them, before shrugging.


    ¡°Sometimes I forget you are both marrying the same man. It must be difficult, maintaining a proper relationship, that way.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°I admit, it was hard at first, but... when you have those of all different status, such as Shaeula, who is a genuine princess, or Eri, a normal, ordinary girl... when we are with each other, or Akio, status isn¡¯t something we think about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do not think it would be possible to maintain harmony otherwise.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°There are challenges, but we do what we can. After all, compared to status, the fact that not every fiance?e is even human bears far greater weight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I imagine it would.¡± Mayumi made a face at that, thinking. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it. So, anyway, you¡¯ll be missing some school. I hope your grades can bear that, it wouldn¡¯t do to let them slip...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know first-hand the benefits of Chirurgery, Mayumi.¡± Hinata scoffed. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. I do wish I could have gone too, but instead I¡¯ll satisfy myself with laying the groundwork for our business ventures and the strengthening of Takatsukasa house. Although...¡± she grinned at Miyu and the others. ¡°... if you get a chance at the gala you are attending, do feel free to network for me. Healing, business opportunities... we can¡¯t confine ourselves to Japan alone!¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what opportunities I will have, since Honoka-san and I am there mostly as a reason for Akio-san and Motoko-san to be invited. Grandfather has met the Queen before, in the past, and as one of the most influential figures in Japan, it was possible to secure both us and Tsumura-sama and his family an invitation.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather and father, since they oversee the JSDF, and are from a longstanding noble house second only to the Three Great Houses, were able to be invited on Fujiwara-sama¡¯s recommendation.¡± Motoko explained. ¡°It is a longstanding tradition in the United Kingdom that the majority of royal sons go into their armed forces. The current heir and his two sons both served. Therefore the Queen and the Royal Family look favourably on us.¡±


    ¡°Well, my grandfather has met the Queen as well.¡± Mayumi interjected, and Hinata had to laugh at her competitive streak.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a competition.¡± Hinata managed after her mirth had faded. "Neither of my grandfathers have. But... the Queen isn¡¯t our objective. The Princess is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am rather nervous.¡± Motoko said softly. ¡°We need things to go well with Princess Eleanor, else all Akio¡¯s plans will be ruined.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Natsumi reassured her. ¡°If she¡¯s like Akio, she should be grateful for the assistance. We are warning her of grave danger, right?¡±


    As the girls talked, Hinata finished her food. I am definitely jealous, but then, Akio spent time resolving my worries with the nobility, so I suppose it¡¯s only fair to let Motoko and Natsumi have their time with Akio. Even so, a trip abroad together... I want that too. Hmm, well, perhaps when it¡¯s time to start overseas acquisitions of wealth and businesses... though... her thoughts turned back to the civil unrest. It¡¯s only a matter of time before the rest of the world start having similar incidents. In fact, there are rumours about South Korea and the disappearance of an entire army detachment. As for countries that we don¡¯t have diplomatic relations with... who knows what could be happening there, unseen and unknown?


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡± Kazumi mouthed at her, and Hinata shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m just considering what might happen to overseas assets in the near future. Perhaps it might be wiser to stick to Japanese expansion for now...¡± Even the value of foreign currencies might fluctuate wildly. Ugh, matters are so complicated. I think it might be prudent to step up capital spending, and bring in tangible assets we need, such as construction supplies, raw materials and more...


    ¡°Well, this was fun, but lunch is almost over.¡± Mayumi said, stretching languidly. ¡°Hinata, are you free this weekend then? I was thinking it has been a while since you¡¯ve visited the Ichijou estate.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was planning to deal with a lot of issues regarding our expansion...¡± Hinata began, only for Mayumi to exclaim brightly.


    ¡°Excellent. Well, I am your business partner, right? I should be involved in that! We¡¯ve had preliminary blueprints for our new factories sent through. Construction is due to begin this week. Maybe we can tour the progress too...¡±


    Well, that¡¯s true, but only for one industry. Akio and Ixitt have plans for a lot more than just that. Still... Hinata found herself smiling, the sting of not being included in the visit to the UK being soothed by the thoughts of her grand plans. ¡°Fine. You have to show me that you are worthy of being our partner!¡±


    ¡°How rude! Really, why am I friends with such a cheeky girl as you?¡± Mayumi grinned. ¡°I shall call you later to sort out the details...¡±


    As Hinata left, Kazumi following, she shook her head. I¡¯m cheeky? No, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s cheeky, Mayumi. Well, we¡¯ll see if you can keep that attitude when you see what Ixitt has made... I can hardly believe it myself. If we can replicate it here or transport it to the Material... well, those who control power, control technology, and those that control technology, they control the world!

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Eight

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Eight


    The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to training. I worked out the remaining tension in my body by clearing out enemies around Kyoto, bringing more of the remaining Territory under Haru-san¡¯s control. Other than the areas under the aegis of the other Chosen Candidates, and the small areas of Kyoto that were more than ten kilometres away from Haru-san¡¯s Anchor, we had now pretty much secured all of Kyoto. Attacks from the large birds that dwelt in the hills and mountains outside Kyoto had now been prevented, as they couldn¡¯t easily breach the barrier of a Rank 3 Territory, but when I stepped outside that radius a swarm descended, crying angrily, feathers buzzing with wind energies like razors.


    I guess it was as if they were indignant they had been blocked from their hunting grounds... I mused, looking around at the remaining scattered feathers, which Hyacinth was gathering up. I had brought her, Shaeula, Haru-san, Daiyu and Shiro here to hopefully gain them a few levels, though I was getting almost no experience from the kills myself. Well, that¡¯s not exactly true. From prior experience, wiping out swarms of lower-level threats can level me, just slowly. Nothing is wasted, and it¡¯s all ether...


    ¡°It is quite exhilarating to cleanse one¡¯s worries with combat, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula grinned happily, running a hand through her damp amber hair. I shrugged, my own smile wry, as she had said what I had been thinking. Hyacinth agreed, laughing happily, the twisting vines that she had summoned to help her gather the remains of the fallen enemies almost dancing.


    ¡°Do you think that too, Haru?¡± Shiro asked, yawning, and the ghost girl shook her head.


    ¡°No, not at all. In fact, I¡¯m rather tired of all this.¡± She sniffed, a slight smile on her face. ¡°But I understand it¡¯s important. It doesn¡¯t make it any easier though. What¡¯s worse is my backlog of work at the Ministry will be piling up...¡± she lowered her voice to a theatrical whisper, casting me a sideways glance. ¡°... I think Akio-san is trying to work me into an early grave. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s realised I¡¯m already dead.¡±


    As Shiro burst out laughing at that quip, I shook my head. ¡°All right, I get it. Well, we¡¯re done for now anyway. We¡¯ll take a break, grab some food, and then when the trainees arrive, those of us who are free can start training again.¡±


    At Shiro¡¯s loud groans, I laughed anew. Heading back through the Ring Gate, we returned to my Territory, only to come across a surprising scene. On seeing us, one of Ixitt¡¯s engineers ran off in a hurry. ¡°Do you think it was something I said?¡± I joked, only for my answer to arrive moments later as Bjarki came hurrying towards us, an intense expression on his face. Seeing that, Shiro ducked behind me.


    ¡°Shit, best protect your beloved Shirohime, Aki! I don¡¯t have the energy to give him any more buffs, not when I have to refresh the Trees and Asha later. Be a man and tell him no for me!¡±


    Yeah, I know you¡¯re joking, but it¡¯s kind of cute... Before we could speak, Bjarki stopped in front of me.


    ¡°So, you have returned, I ken? Excellent timing, m¡¯blood it¡¯n be boiling over! I have finished it, t¡¯masterpiece I nae thought I could forge, t¡¯perfect blend o¡¯ craft and artifice!¡± His breathing was heavy and his big, callused and scarred hands, spotted with burns, reached for mine. Instinctively I dodged to the side, Shiro cursing behind me.


    ¡°Nae only that, inspiration, inspired by t¡¯missy¡¯s blessings here, struck me like thunder from t¡¯forge. You must come¡¯n see at once!¡± His breath was as hot as the fires of his forge, the skin behind his beard flushed.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯m coming.¡± I said, stunned by his eagerness. Several Mortal Engineers and some other dwarves visiting our Territory were looking on in amusement as we followed the dwarf the short distance to his forge and workshop. When there, he disappeared inside, before bringing out a long, wrapped bundle. He presented it to me, and I took it, feeling the weight. Heavy, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.


    As I unwrapped the cloth covering the sword, the first thing I saw was the hilt. Unlike previous blades, this one had been decorated, and was in the shape of a tree, the branches forming the protective hilt, or tsuba, depending on whether it was a Western or Japanese blade. A tree huh? Coincidence, or... Trees seemed to be very influential on my life recently, whether it was the World Tree, or the Rhyming Trees that were allowing us to expand far faster than should have been possible for such a small Territory. Curious now, I uncovered some of the blade, seeing the slight curve of the metal. Yeah, it¡¯s not quite a katana, too big. But it¡¯s not a Western sword either. Some kind of hybrid weapon?


    The metal itself was a dark black, with a hamon pattern of blue, white and red, swirling into shapes reminiscent of the phases of the moon. It¡¯s certainly eye-catching. And moons are also central to my life at the moment as well. As I pulled the rest of the cloth free, my Eye flared, providing me the details on the new sword, which I hoped would last longer than my previous weapons.


    Storming Moonlight ¨C Item Class: [Imperious], Item Type: [Artifice]


    A heavy single-edged blade made from hyper-pure dwarven-steel, dwarven silver and bluesteel alloyed together meticulously, combined with powdered feathers with strong wind element, clotted thunderbird blood containing potent refined lightning element, and Etherite powder infused with flame element, made by the renowned Dvergr craftsman Bjarki, who transcended his limits and understanding via outside means and his own understanding. Spatial element has been retained via the careful salvaging of the previous blade, the Cutting Twilight, but instead of rending space, the blade itself generates a constant low-level field of spatial element, protecting against damage and leaving the blade¡¯s sharpness unparalleled by previous weapons.


    The blade has lost the ability to absorb elements via the bluesteel, but instead has the properties of wind, flame and lightning, and these can be generated, and even unique winds, flames and lightnings can be held within the blade, as it has great affinity with such elements, and any damaging effects of these are dispersed by the spatial field. Mere Rules no longer describe its power, as a number were forged together to create this weapon which has, due to a conflux of materials and a skilled craftsman working beyond his limits, buoyed by sudden insights, become a weapon not forged on this world in centuries.


    As I flourished the blade, giving it a few swings, proud Bjarki looking on, his eyes misted with exhaustion and fervent curiosity, Shaeula and Shiro were fussing over it.


    ¡°Pretty cool Aki. I guess it¡¯s close enough to a katana to satisfy your otaku soul, right?¡± Shiro teased me. ¡°Now all you need is a leather trench coat and some sunglasses to complete the look.¡±


    ¡°I feel an affinity for this-this blade.¡± Shaeula mused, her own Mystic Eyes glowing, before she nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Of course-course. You used the remains of the thunderbird blood, after I had taken what I needed, did you not-not?¡± She asked Bjarki, who nodded.


    ¡°Aye. I did. It¡¯n was nae easy forging it into t¡¯metal, and getting it tae balance with t¡¯other ingredients, but...¡± he looked at Shiro passionately. ¡°... m¡¯skills, they have reached new heights, ye ken? I hope you can continue tae offer me blessings, missy.¡±


    I exchanged a look with Shiro, who sighed. ¡°Well, maybe not all the time, but sometimes, sure.¡± She gave in. ¡°All right then, it looks cool, what else can it do?¡±


    As I headed to one of our training grounds to test out the functions of Storming Moonlight, Bjarki said he had more to show us, and would catch up with us shortly. Wielding my blade, the weaselkin and others who were training there, including Grulgor and a number of trolls and a towering giant, watching on with interest, I put the blade through its paces, a few swings enabling me to check the balance. Yeah, it¡¯s functionally a katana, so specialised in fast, one strike kills, but as it¡¯s a bit thicker and heavier, more Westernised, it¡¯s capable of going blade-to-blade with other weapons without being overwhelmed. I see. Bjarki sacrificed a little speed for utility. With my stats I should be able to compensate for the weight and balance...e rocks and other detritus were hauled over, and my blade sliced deep into them, and on inspection after, there was no damage, a faint, lingering purple glow visible where the blade had struck stone. ¡°Nice.¡± I praised the craftsmanship, before channelling aether, wrapping the blade in vibrating wind, further enhancing destructive force. I then tried flame, and the blade was wreathed in yellow tongues of fire. All right then... I let out some Foehn, and the blade glowed like a white-hot, hungry star. My next slash left a boulder burning, Foehn clinging deep inside the savage cut, and after I dismissed my Foehn, the blade was indeed unharmed.


    ¡°Okay, so it can handle unique flames as promised. I can see that being a trump card. Makes me wonder...¡± Combining it with Prominence Twilight... there¡¯s a lot of potential options...


    Lastly, I poured aether in to create lightning. It was hardly efficient, but the blade blazed with shimmering lightning, and on a slash I found I could throw out actinic bolts of forked energy, giving the sword an effective ranged option, though the bolts dispersed quickly over distances of around twenty or thirty metres.


    ¡°Yes, I do indeed-indeed approve.¡± Shaeula purred, watching lightning akin to hers as it blasted gouges in the hillside.


    ¡°Yeah, no disagreement from me.¡± Shiro agreed. It was then that Bjarki spoke up, having returned, a large covered cart pulled behind him, sweat gleaming on his brow.


    ¡°Aye, it¡¯n be playing to yer strengths.¡± He said proudly. ¡°Flexibility, and a weapon that is nae easy t¡¯break. This¡¯n be the sort of weapons m¡¯ancestors likely forged, back in t¡¯distant past, before t¡¯world changed. And that¡¯n be not all.¡± He took the tarpaulin off, revealing a huge bundle of what looked like black and white cloth. Daiyu, who had been rather quiet all afternoon, perhaps embarrassed about earlier, went over and started feeling the cloth, surprised.


    ¡°I sense strong Qi from these.¡± She murmured. ¡°Yin and also Yang... though...¡± she looked at me then, thinking. ¡°From what I have observed, perhaps I should say darkness and light.¡±


    ¡°Nooone shall hurt the mistresses, or those Akio wishes tooo protect while I am there!¡± Hyacinth declare proudly, eyes shining.


    ¡°I would be most reassured to have you with us. I second the suggestion.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth is reliable. Just... if you see a servant making a mistake and dropping the wine, don¡¯t try and strangle her, okay?¡± she giggled softly, amused.


    ¡°I too would ask this, grandfather.¡± Miyu said, surprising her cousin, as it wasn¡¯t often Miyu made requests. ¡°Hyacinth is strong, much stronger than me, and ... well, I am not a fighter, as Akio-san says. I am shamed at my weakness, but... my heart lies in dance, not in strength. I am grateful that is enough to be useful, but it means were a combat-focused Chosen to attack you, grandfather, Honoka-san...¡± her brown eyes were serious. ¡°... I do not wish to see you hurt. I could not bear that. So take advantage of the strength we have. Hyacinth is ideal, as she does not look threatening, not like...¡± she glanced at Left and Right, the two towering bodyguards. ¡°... your favourites, grandfather. She is surely perfect for this.¡±


    ¡°Ordinarily, it should be unthinkable for danger to befall us when at such an event. It would throw mud on the reputation and standing of the United Kingdom all around the world.¡± Tsumura-san mused. ¡°But... these are far from normal times. And we have noticed that Chosen tend to have rather extreme temperaments. I would certainly feel safer with Motoko under her watch. We can pass it off as an idiosyncrasy of the Japanese nobility, such as our daughters having their female bodyguards while they are of school age.¡±


    ¡°That is settled then.¡± Fujiwara-san conceded. ¡°She will accompany us. As for the rest... our flight will depart from Haneda airport Thursday morning, flying directly to London City airport. We will be taking my private plane, of course. Due to the flight duration and time difference we will arrive late Thursday afternoon, local time. In terms of accommodation, rooms have been arranged at the Savoy Hotel, in the Strand, London.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember that.¡± Honoka-san chimed in. ¡°We stayed there a few years ago, didn¡¯t we grandfather?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, on our last visit. Oh, that must have been... nearly seven years ago now. Time makes fools of us all.¡± he looked at me then. ¡°I shall arrange another room for your maid...¡±


    ¡°Nooo need. I shall stay with master.¡± Hyacinth denied him. ¡°He might be lonely without me tooo warm his bed!¡±


    ¡°I think that Motoko might want to do that.¡± Tsumura-san laughed, and while Motoko¡¯s mother flushed, looking a bit ashamed, Motoko remained poised.


    ¡°Of course. I am his fiance?e, all the more so on this trip. I expect the rooms are more than adequate for the four of us...¡± she looked at Natsumi. ¡°... to share?¡±


    ¡°Well, you two do have a suite.¡± Fujiwara-san agreed.


    ¡°So that¡¯s settled.¡± I managed, thinking to the likely fun at the weekend, staying in a room with the three girls.


    ¡°In terms of itineraries...¡± Fujiwara-san continued. ¡°On the Thursday evening we will be dining with some civic dignitaries, and I will introduce you to some important politicians and figures in the business world. Motoko-chan will of course be attending as your fiance?e. We need to make an impression.¡±


    ¡°I will not fail. I am a Tsumura, be it battle or politics, I am always poised and ready!¡± she pumped her fist cutely, at odds with her normal serious expressions, and Natsumi giggled softly.


    ¡°As for Friday...¡± he continued. ¡°That day is free until the evening, when there will be further meetings. So... spend it how you wish. Then the Saturday will be the gala. Sunday is then also free, though I am hoping that we will have made suitable connections with Princess Eleanor and others, so that you can meet with her to discuss mutual interests. Then we fly back on Monday.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I considered it all. ¡°Well, I can work with that.¡± So, a largely free Friday, huh? I wonder...


    ¡°Well, I have my own preparations then. Haru-san¡¯s Territory is on-track, so I¡¯d like to spend the time training.¡± I looked at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°I think I¡¯d like you to get an element before you go. It might not be much use against a Chosen, but ... well, if you catch an attacker off guard, it could buy enough time for Hyacinth or me to step in.¡± I looked over to see Hinata was talking with a red-faced Shiro, Aimi-san and Hina-san. ¡°Hinata, I think you should get in on this training. We¡¯ll borrow the twins and Haru-san. I¡¯m sure we can make it work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. Yes, I¡¯d love to.¡± She said. ¡°Oh, before that, where¡¯s your apology for worrying us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry. But I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. But look, I¡¯m fine now, right?¡±


    Hinata pouted. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Well, I won¡¯t hold it against you, but I¡¯m really jealous I¡¯m not going with you to the United Kingdom. I want to shout from the rooftops I¡¯m your fiance?e too!¡±


    ¡°Well, you can, since the law has changed. Well, we need to wait until the special passports are issued, but you know what I mean...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. I get why she¡¯s so envious.¡± Natsumi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be there, but to those present, I¡¯m just a bodyguard. I want...¡± her face went red. ¡°... you to make it up to me at night!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, though Motoko and Hyacinth will need their share. Oh, so... what were the three of them talking about? They look rather embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really understand it, and they didn¡¯t want to explain, but...¡±


    ¡°Oh for the love of god, don¡¯t say anything!¡± Aimi-san begged, red-faced, while Hina-san was looking away.


    ¡°Something about BL manga not being accurate, and that lots of lubrication was required...¡± Shiro clamped a hand over Hinata¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough of that, young lady. This is not the place for that. Needless to say, we were doing it wrong Aki. Well, not that I didn¡¯t still like it, but... uh, next time I know what to do...¡±


    ¡°Oh god, I can¡¯t even look at the two of you!¡± Aimi-san whimpered, and Hina-san nodded like her head was on springs... Well, isn¡¯t that the capstone to diffuse a serious situation?


    With that settled, Fujiwara-san and Motoko¡¯s families withdrew, leaving us to our evening. All right then, we have three evenings to train hard. I¡¯m confident that we can make some breakthroughs, with Shiro, the twins and Haru-san at our disposal...

 Three Hundred And Fifty-Nine *Contains Status – Shaeula, Motoko, Natsumi*

    Three Hundred And Fifty-Nine *Contains Status ¨C Shaeula, Motoko, Natsumi*


    Since they were here in my Territory, and it was something I had been thinking of anyway, the need to expand Chirurgery to the nobility that supported me as a whole, rather than just their children, though at my convenience, not just theirs, I offered to perform the work and show them around my Territory. They all declined, apart from Tsumura-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather, who expressed some curiosity.


    ¡°Well, we put our precious daughters and granddaughters, some of our sons too, under your care.¡± he had reasoned. ¡°I would not have risked Motoko recklessly, without being prepared to chance the same operation myself. Besides, I have seen the results on our Special Forces well enough.¡± His smile was kind, and I found myself liking the stern old man. Well, he is my grandfather now. Damn, I have a ton of family. I guess it makes up for not having too many surviving relatives before this. Well, when the secret is out, I¡¯ll go see if I can help auntie Mori¡¯s parents. They¡¯re both rather frail... though also rather gossipy. That reminds me, mom¡¯s parents are still living in Britain. Friday is largely a free day, so... perhaps I¡¯ll see if we can visit.


    ¡°Well, nothing is entirely without risk, but I have an excellent handle on the process now, and we expect it to get better in time. Rest assured, I¡¯d like you to live a long life, grandfather. You have to see your great-grandchildren born, right?¡± At that comment, Motoko flushed, and she wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°Of course.¡± He agreed. ¡°You are quite the filial young man, I do approve. The nobility believes in family above all else, then the wellbeing of Japan. You are quite invested in both.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± As I led him to another room, the others showed Fujiwara-san and the others back to their cars, though Miyu was staying for now, to perform more dances. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve spent most of my life here, those I love and want to protect are here.¡±


    ¡°Motoko too?¡± He smiled, but I could see he was probing me.


    ¡°Of course. We both know that our marriage was rather... arranged.¡± I answered back. ¡°And at first, I had resolved to reject both Motoko and Natsumi, and I think they had resolved to abandon pursuing me. But then... we talked, emotions were high and...¡± I scratched at my head ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure how it happened, but our intentions got all tangled up. And all of us ended up giving each other a chance. And I guess we liked what we found. Now I¡¯ll never give your granddaughter up.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s reassuring, as we allowed a rather significant concession.¡± he said, before suddenly groaning as my aether began drilling into his Astral body, Split Thoughts making short work of the now rote Chirurgery. ¡°If you... were to abandon her now... she would be ruined for marriage.¡± Sweat was beading on his brows, but he continued to stare at me, brown eyes resolute and intense. ¡°And her heart would surely break.¡±


    ¡°Like I said... oh, all done by the way.¡± I shot back, flushing out the last of the debris I could, to more groans. I then topped him up with enough aether to get him started. ¡°... I¡¯ll never give her up now. Aren¡¯t I presenting her as one of my fiance?es to the great and the good in the UK?¡± I helped him up and ran through the exercises required to enter the Boundary, which he grasped quickly. ¡°If you are worried, you can talk to me any time. We¡¯re family now. A big family.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we are.¡± he agreed. ¡°Well, I have heard many reports from the soldiers under the JSDF, as well as Motoko, but as a military man, I prefer to see matters first-hand. I should have done this some time ago. Besides, I feel full of energy, my mind feels clearer. It is as though the ravages of age have been pushed back a little, like I am twenty, no thirty years younger.¡±


    ¡°Well, make the most of it. Normally that treatment would be expensive, but as my grandfather, I¡¯ll give it to you for Motoko¡¯s sake.¡± I joked. ¡°Well, shall we go?¡±


    ********


    ¡°Yes, this is as amazing as the reports say.¡± Tsumura-san declared, observing the fantastic scenery and many strange creatures that made my Territory home. We had gathered by the plentiful earth energies, and the twins, Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san, were here, dressed in their red and white shrine maiden hakama, as well as Haru-san, whose work was being delayed yet again. Motoko, Natsumi, Hinata and the remaining trainees who hadn¡¯t mastered one of the four base elements were here too, prepared to give it their all. Shaeula was here as well, as earth element was her last major fear. Selensha is more interested in wind, and Shaeraggo in water or fire. Oh well... Eri was looking on in envy, her disarrayed network clearly not up to the task of learning new elements, her cat ears and tail twitching despondently, while Shiro consoled her. Daiyu was by my side, waiting and watching, a bit wary of Tsumura-san, who she had met when she was initially taken to Japan and imprisoned.


    ¡°To think that we need to defend this shadow of Japan as well.¡± He mused, taking a sip of the honey mead Asha had offered him. ¡°Again, the reports were clear, but to see it in the flesh, that makes it all the more real. I am further convinced your plan to protect Tokyo and the surrounds via your Territory is the correct decision, though the public many not look on it favourably in the longer term. Well, managing public sentiment is the job of the nobility and the politicians, and perhaps the faith. We will leave tasks only you can do to you, my grandson.¡±


    ¡°Yes, one person can¡¯t do everything.¡± I agreed. ¡°We need to increase competent, trustworthy staff in every field. Recruitment for the new Ministry is rather low, and poor Haru-san is suffering.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that mostly your fault, Akio-san?¡± she muttered. ¡°After all, here I am again, helping out with more of your schemes, when my paperwork is piling up! He¡¯ll be the death of me, I swear. Oh wait...¡± her smile was exasperated, but not unkind.


    ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re just so skilled with your telepathy, until the twins can mature their talents to your level you¡¯re just invaluable, Haru-san.¡±


    ¡°I think Suzuki-san would be happy to see his daughter so... lively.¡± Tsumura-san observed. ¡°Though I hear he does little but complain that his daughter doesn¡¯t spend any time with him.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m busy. Father...¡± she chose the word carefully so as not to embarrass herself, which was endearing, ¡°... he¡¯s been so clingy and worried for me recently. The worst has already happened, so he should be less worried.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is only natural for a father to worry. Besides, now he has received a miracle and his daughter is back, he wishes to cling to you more. As a father and a grandfather, I understand it well.¡± Tsumura-san reassured her.


    ¡°It¡¯s still so annoying.¡± Haru-san sighed, though I could tell she was secretly pleased about it. Well, she¡¯s definitely a ¡®daddy¡¯s girl¡¯, isn¡¯t she? Haru-san¡¯s head shot round to look at me, annoyed, and I realised she might have heard me with her telepathy. Apologising in my mind, I took over.


    ¡°All right then. Is everyone ready?¡± I turned to Kana, who was observing, forcing power into her eyes as best she could.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all gathered. Those of us who have managed to gain access to earth element will provide our experiences.¡± Kana¡¯s smile turned wicked. ¡°I should charge a fee.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you owe me first. Well, we¡¯ll move onto wind element after this, so those who are interested in earth element, step up.¡± I laughed, before preparing everyone. Miyu wasn¡¯t taking part, but Michiru-san was, since she accepted my Territory was safe. ¡°All right then. Haru-san, Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, if you can start the link, just like we did in Kyoto?¡±


    I felt an intrusion in my mind. I would easily be able to reject it, my mental strength, my Resilience, far surpassing what Haru-san could do, but I allowed it in, and soon I was connected to many thoughts, many minds, the twins straining with the heavy mental burden. ¡°All right. Those who want earth element, prepare yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I shall watch, if I may.¡± Daiyu asked me. ¡°I do not wish to damage my Foundation by mixing in other techniques, but as my Foundation requires earth-aspected Qi, it might be enlightening...¡± I accepted her request easily, and she was linked in, along with Motoko and Natsumi, who were going to take my earlier advice and learn wind for the synergy with the Tsumura Arts, but they still wished to experience others succeeding, to bolster their own chances. Hinata wanted flame element, but in the end she had compromised on earth element first, since we lacked ready access to fire in our Territory for now. It¡¯s difficult to generate enough in the batteries to train others... Michiru-san and the other trainees wanted earth element as well, for defensive purposes, as well as the two extra levels due to the White Snake Earth Altar, and that applied to the twins and also Ren-san, who had a manly, determined expression on his face.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m going to share my memories. Kana, Hotene-san, Kazumi-san, you as well.¡± As Haru-san and the twins spread our thoughts out, those who wished to learn drew in the ruby energies around us, Tsumura-san watching on with great interest. Everyone had different levels of skill and ability, Keomi-chan struggling most of all, but with my Eye and the shared thoughts I could offer targeted advice. I was about to open my mouth to tell Keomi-chan her concentration was slipping, her mental image of her root chakra incomplete, when Kana beat me to it.e on, Keomi-chan, I know you can do better than that. The earth element is spilling out and going up towards your sacral chakra. It must hurt, right?¡± Kana glanced at me, sticking her tongue out, proud she had noticed as well. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for, Akio? Healing now please!¡±


    I laughed at that. I guess Kana is drawing on the information from my Eye through the linked telepathy? She¡¯s come a long way. Really, that¡¯s good though. As I soothed the damage to Keomi-chan¡¯s network, a little Chirurgery polishing away some remaining imperfections, Keomi-chan asked me if we would be celebrating with cake if they succeeded.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you the cheeky little glutton?¡± I laughed, rubbing her head, wanting to pamper her, as like Hotene-san, she had been traumatised by the events of Kyoto and the deaths and her injuries. Haru-san had done good work with her Mind-Healing Light, but even so, such sorrows were hard to recover from. ¡°Fine, you manage it, and then gain the extra two levels as well, and you¡¯ll get a reward. The same goes for all of you.¡±


    ¡°Well, now I¡¯m pretty motivated!¡± one of Kana¡¯s friends, Mio-san said happily, before wincing as the earth energies slipped free from her grasp. Kana shook her head, tutting at her in annoyance, making her blush.


    Shaeula was at the centre of the vortex, drawing in far more earth element than anyone else, though she was sweating silver in rivulets down her face and arms, and her expression was twisted in uncertainty and fear. I attempted to balance her though our bonds, and I expected it should be easy to learn it as the other three elements were enough to form a complete circle, only to be proved wrong as the lightning element within her overstimulated the wind and flame around her heart and solar plexus. She groaned in pain, struggling, her Ether Healing joining with mine to repair the disarray within. ¡°Well, this is not-not as easy as you promised.¡± She accused me with a wry smile. ¡°It should just-just slot into place, all in balance, you said. I recall it clearly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about... hmm, good job!¡± I was using Split Thoughts to monitor everyone, and the first success had come, Ren-san solidifying the ruby energies at his root chakra. Whereas before he might have been boastful, now he merely smiled happily.


    ¡°Well, I missed out last time, since I already knew light element.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯d be letting down Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine and all our kami was I to fail here. Besides...¡± he looked at the others. ¡°... I should set an example.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, Ren-kun!¡± Asami-san said, face a little red. Kana looked at me then, and I felt a little of her thoughts leak over to me through the telepathy. Oh, so she likes Ren-san huh? Well, he is a handsome boy, no question. Well, good for him...


    ¡°Hmm, Asami-san, I think you¡¯re not too far off yourself.¡± I tried to boost her confidence. ¡°Your problem is you are narrowing the flow too much, and...¡± I gave some explanations, mostly though telepathy again, which made the process far simpler.


    ¡°I too am successful! My ninjitsu shall know no limits now!¡± Michiru-san declared, and she was immediately using earth element to conjure small, sharp rocks, throwing them like shuriken.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help Asami-chan and Mio-chan. Hisano-san too.¡± Kana promised. ¡°You focus on Shaeula, looks like she¡¯s having a hard time. You have to look after those you love, right?¡± she winked, and Shaeula managed a bitter cackle.


    ¡°I am fine-fine. For now...¡± she managed bravely. ¡°Do assist Hinata. My Eyes see she is close!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, before joining my other fiance?e, who was grinning at me ruefully.


    ¡°Akio, I¡¯ve been practising this for weeks, but there¡¯s something missing, I think...¡± she suddenly squeaked, flushing, as I took her in my arms.


    ¡°Just calm down. I¡¯m here. Listen to my thoughts...¡±


    ¡°This is a unique kind of hell...¡± Haru-san muttered, and the twins nodded tiredly, their faces red. ¡°There is far too much tender emotion we have to process. Oh well, I suppose I already knew what a romantic Akio-san was. Some of the rest of you surprise me though...¡± she grinned, and several people looked sheepish, but I paid that no mind, my warm feelings and detailed thoughts reaching Hinata.


    ¡°I see! Yes, seeing through your Eye really does make a difference.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°And knowing you support me... well, I¡¯m not going to lose!¡± Her brown eyes looked into mine, determined, and she began to draw in the rich energies with renewed vigour...


    ********


    ¡°I think you need more than just financial support. Manpower is what you lack, no? Well, we have a number of logistics divisions, what better to speed up many of your planned projects?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll need to haggle over that.¡± I agreed. ¡°But we are moving to the construction phase soon on a few ventures... anyway, for now, I have my own training to do.¡± I have to test out False Void Motion. I never really got the chance...


    Tsumura-san took the hint, and as it was growing late, he departed, but not before telling his granddaughter and Natsumi not to tarry too long, as they would be missing school over the weekend. As he vanished, I grinned.


    ¡°All right. Selensha, keep at it, I know you¡¯ll crack it. As for the three of you... status time.¡±


    ¡°I have been waiting for this-this.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I do very much enjoy the role-playing games you have in the mortal world. And seeing the numbers rise is so very-very satisfying. But compared to seeing our own gains, well, it rather pales in comparison, does it not-not?¡±


    ¡°I too wish to see the fruits of our labours.¡± Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Yes, I want to know how I stack up to Motoko. I won¡¯t lose!¡± Natsumi declared.


    ¡°All right then. Here we go...¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve had some nice Rank increases across the board, and your intangible stats have gone up a lot. Your level is a bit low, but sadly you¡¯ve missed out on a lot of the grinding sessions due to all the politicking you¡¯ve been doing at the Spring. But your cap is high enough that we can rectify that any time.¡± I approved. ¡°You got the Wielder of Elements class as I expected too, which is a nice boost to your elemental power and recovery. But really, there¡¯s only one thing of interest...¡±


    ¡°Royal Fae.¡± Shaeula grinned wolfishly, acknowledging what I had noticed.


    ¡°That makes me wonder. If Nature is also a royal element, why isn¡¯t Hyacinth one? Or other wood users. It¡¯s not as uncommon as lightning, is it?¡± I asked, and she agreed, eyes glittering with anticipation as my own Eye gleamed. Here goes.


    Royal Fae are female Fae with suitable strength and League, who are in possession of the female royal element, Lightning, or male Fae with suitable strength and League, possessing the male royal element, Wood. This does not mean that a Fae is of the Royal line, or rules any Fae, only that their bearing and pedigree has transcended mere Nobility to become greater.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula laughed, clasping my hands, while Selensha looked on, bemused but a little proud of her sister-in-law. ¡°Our Oaths we swore. We are one step closer! Now none-none can gainsay my rights, those who are holding out will surely-surely fall into line!¡± Her grin was radiant, before she remembered that Natsumi and Motoko were there too, and she blushed, before coughing, reining in her cute excitement. ¡°Well, that shall-shall suffice for me for now. Please enlighten them to their efforts.¡±


    Hmm, Natsumi and Motoko are pretty similar in terms of stats and abilities. If anything, Motoko has the edge, but Natsumi has a slightly stronger wind affinity for now...


    ¡°Well, Tsumura Arts is no longer a Cantrip Class. Is that because you have an element now and it¡¯s designed to be used with one?¡± I mused.


    Motoko ignored what I thought would have drawn her attention immediately, instead complaining, face red. ¡°Why is my Lovers¡¯ Link skill a lower Rank than yours, Natsumi? I do not love Akio any less!¡±


    Wow, De?ja? vu! I internally mimicked my sister. Why is everyone hung up on that?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that at all. I think... well, while you were absent, I helped console Akio with my body and heart.¡± Natsumi answered, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°Eri and I, we competed foolishly over the same-same matter. It is not-not a reflection of your feelings, only that your bond is deepening, through emotion and physical intimacy. If you worry about the Rank, simply resolve to give more to Akio, to drown deep-deep in his embrace.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have time in London. We do have a suite, just the four of us, right?¡± Natsumi laughed, and Shaeula sighed enviously, cursing she had other matters to attend to, so couldn¡¯t go with us.


    ¡°In any case, you¡¯ve become much stronger due to your training with Ulfuric. I think if you keep it up, you¡¯ll surpass my weapon skills in short order with your long years of carrying the Tsumura arts with you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose. I know I¡¯m not as good with the sword and bow as you, Motoko, but seeing it in raw numbers hurts! I won¡¯t rest until we are equal!¡±


    ¡°At least say you shall surpass me!¡± Motoko said teasingly, and with that, after some more laughter and congratulations on their successes, Motoko and Natsumi returned to the Material, well satisfied.


    ¡°Well, so, my sweet Royal Fae Shaeula, shall we go?¡± I extended a hand, and she grasped it happily.


    ¡°Indeed. Continue to train and you shall succeed, Selensha. And when-when you do, I shall petition Akio to make you the second to receive our Spirit Water, as a reward.¡±


    ¡°Second?¡± Selensha asked, and she nodded. ¡°Indeed. First is Daiyu. You wish her to gain the Spiritually Pure Physique, do you not-not? You worry for her, and her fragile mental state.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I agreed. ¡°Well, good luck Selensha. Even Grulgor is putting in effort I hear, so don¡¯t let him outshine you. Well, if you need further advice, feel free to seek us out...¡± and with that, we headed back towards Shirohebizumi shrine...


    ********


    ¡°So, what is Hyacinth doing?¡± I asked Daiyu, who was sitting in the lotus position within the tide of earth energies, slowly fortifying herself with them. Hyacinth was looking at a disgusting lump of what looked like fungus, which was eerily reminiscent of Duke Myrcolaxriath. As I watched, her face twisted, and nature energy surged from her, the lump drinking it in. I flared my Eye a little, and I could see she was producing Myconid Duke Spores? Stunned, I watched as the lump began to quiver and grow, increasing significantly in size, before Hyacinth slumped over, clearly spent.


    ¡°That rat-man came and explained to her about fungus cultivation. Shiitake mushrooms, I believe. He wanted Hyacinth to use the pieces you see to grow more. Apparently it has a great deal of uses....¡±


    ¡°Well yes, Bjarki was using it in the armoured cloth. Damn, we can just expand his corpse like that? That¡¯s so messed up, but also really clever. Ixitt never fails to come up with mad-scientist ideas. In that case...¡± The parts of Myrcolaxriath were the limited resource, so with that no longer the case, we don¡¯t have to be so frugal with the cloth, though there¡¯s no way that Bjarki can meet demand by himself... hmm... mass production? Some sort of cloth looms... uh, I daresay there¡¯s a ton of issues but... well, perhaps when I¡¯m back from the UK I¡¯ll have time to think about it.


    ¡°So, how was it? Observing I mean. I feel a bit bad you were one of the few who didn¡¯t gain anything from today.¡±


    Daiyu shook her head. ¡°I gained significant insights. And confidence.¡±


    ¡°Confidence?¡± I asked, and her smile was abnormally excited.


    ¡°Confidence.¡± She repeated. ¡°In my choices. Seeing the craft, the research that you place in your Cultivation... for what you do clearly is Cultivation, if under a different system, a set of rules...¡± she continued, her normally expressionless face blooming like a flower. ¡°... I want to be part of the same, to push my Cultivation, no, ours, to new heights together. And I believe we can do it. The blessings from the Heavens, elemental Qi, Heavenly and Earth Qi... I believe all can be understood and improved upon, until we reach the heights of Kunlun, without their advantages, their history. The Incorruptible Jade will stand proud once more. We will, my Companion.¡± She paused then. ¡°It was rather unpleasant, after the Spirit Water. I did ooze many impurities, more than I believed I held within me, after my life spent in ascetic rigour and denial of earthly pleasures... well, I have decided. I will deny myself no more. To Cultivate is to be greedy...¡± her happy smile turned wicked. ¡°... and I am greedy for what comes next.¡±


    ¡°What is next?¡± I asked, and she looked down slyly, reminding me of my sis when she was teasing me for a moment.


    ¡°Well, I shall leave that to your imagination. But... I wish for it to be soon. Alas, for now...¡± she looked at the ruby fountains of earth energies. ¡°... there is plentiful earth energy here, and I believe you are storing light element, which can serve as Yang Qi, though it would take much refinement. I could surpass Foundation in short order and begin my Accumulation. I remember our Sect¡¯s Techniques. But I refuse to move on, until I have rebuilt my Foundation with the Spiritually Pure Physique, and also... well, again, that comes later. But not much later.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to your meditation. I have to train myself, or else Shaeula is going to leave me behind. She¡¯s catching me up again.¡± I laughed. Unsheathing Storming Moonlight, I took up a position, before letting out a great surge of aether, trying to give it a spatial aspect, converting it to that element. A few moments later the world around me blurred, and I had reappeared some twenty metres away. Too slow. Too inefficient. Well, at least I hit my mark. All right, time to go again...

 Three Hundred And Sixty

    Three Hundred And Sixty


    I spent a number of hours practising False Void Motion, until I had a basic grasp on it. The efficiency was truly lousy running it off converted aether, but it was definitely a trump-card type of ability. I could safely teleport a couple of times without draining my stocks too low for combat, and I had also experimented with using Void Motion on my sword or other items, in a similar way to how I had moved my spear in the past. It wasn¡¯t cheap in terms of aether either, but the accuracy had increased significantly since my last effort that had missed a fatal blow on Kondou Kazuo. Again, in a combat situation I can use it to turn battles around in an instant...


    Shaeula had been practising with her earth element, and was finding it rather weak, perhaps due to her nature, or her mindset, but in time she would likely grow more proficient. I then checked my Territory build queues, and they were ticking along slowly, but since most of the accumulated ether was currently being transported to Haru-san¡¯s Territory to push her Ether Spires to Rank 3, there was no notable progress. Although there is one useful side-effect...


    The adherence demands on me by the Divine Favour of Laverna was manageable, I was still bleeding out my limited adherence slowly, but with the extra tithed from Haru-san¡¯s number of additional Spires, I was able to sustain it, and hopefully by the time all her Spires were Rank 3 in a couple of weeks, that trickle would be flowing in the other direction, my reserves slowly replenishing. I really do have to find someone who can use it, though so far, no luck... I was due to meet another number of potential candidates, this time from trusted Government staff and children of nobility who had the most promising answers on a questionnaire we had put together, but I wasn¡¯t holding out much hope. It¡¯s a very specialised Divine Favour, compatibility is going to be hard to find... well, perhaps if we searched for thieves and yakuza... That might have worked, but it wasn¡¯t something I was prepared to countenance, not with the experiences some of us had suffered with under criminal Chosen.


    With that done, I returned to the Material, having skipped out on sleep. Since I had rested after my mishap with my buffed Eye, I was feeling relaxed and rested enough, and the successes that Shaeula and the trainees had experienced only lifted my mood further. It was comforting to know that Shaeula was growing stronger almost as fast as I was. While a small part of me wanted to keep all the girls I loved away from battle, I was mature enough to know that was not only impossible, but doing them a grave disservice. No, they want to grow stronger, to protect themselves, each other, and me. They aren¡¯t birds to be kept in a cage. Though I won¡¯t compromise on doing my best to keep them as safe as possible...


    To that end, I had a number of plans. But most of them would have to wait until after the weekend. I took quick shower, changed into a comfortable casual suit, and after checking in on Eri, who was doing her schoolwork remotely to keep up with her attendance requirements, and then Shiro, who was having a lazy morning, I headed out to my first of many meetings, this one at the Ministry...


    ********


    ¡°None. As I expected.¡± I sighed, going over the files in front of me. None of the people that we had considered were suitable to take the Divine Favour from me. ¡°It¡¯s annoying. The Favour isn¡¯t a long term solution to our problems in terms of manufacturing and trade, but it would certainly push us ahead in both those areas as an effective stopgap.¡±


    Haru-san, who was working on her laptop, fingers moving like lightning, her stats allowing her to do the work of three or four secretaries, which she complained was handy, as that was what I often asked her to do, let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Of course we won¡¯t find anyone. We¡¯re one in a hundred thousand, aren¡¯t we Akio-san? If it was that easy, there¡¯d be no way I¡¯d have ever been chosen.¡± She shook her head meaningfully. ¡°Well, we have a very limited pool of candidates, even most of the applicants haven¡¯t been told a majority of the details. We can¡¯t trust people that might leak our secrets or go to the press. The protests are still simmering, it wouldn¡¯t take much of a spark to make them explode into genuine riots or civil unrest.¡± She rubbed at her temples. ¡°Really, I¡¯m searching so many minds with Telepathy, it¡¯s like I¡¯m going mad again.¡±


    I felt a surge of sympathy at that. ¡°If it¡¯s too much, then we can scale back our efforts...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Haru-san disagreed. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling sorry for myself. I can mostly control my Favour now, it¡¯s only when I¡¯m under a lot of stress or exhausted it sometimes activates unwillingly. Really, can¡¯t a girl vent to her boss? I¡¯d say you¡¯ll never be popular with women until you learn to listen patiently, but I¡¯d clearly be wrong.¡± She smiled, reassuring me she was fine, just letting off some steam. ¡°Really, I think the way the world is now is far stranger and madder than any of my delusions when I thought I was crazy. But this is our reality now, so we make the best of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just feeling a bit frustrated myself.¡± I admitted. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot to do. The Chirurgery on the military, building up your Territory, mine and then pushing to Rank 4, restoring Eri to health and Tsukiko-san to life, sealing an alliance with Princess Eleanor, beginning tests on Material to Boundary Conversion, the joint venture with Ichijou house, more... the list is endless.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why we are trying to push on as quickly as we can with the Ministry and other matters, without sacrificing safety.¡± She consoled me. ¡°We are making progress. Why not treat the weekend as a break? You¡¯ll be in good company, right?¡± she winked.


    ¡°Yeah. I guess so. Well, I was just spoiled in how my sis and Kana managed to take Favours. I guess I can¡¯t expect that sort of luck to hold forever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also forgetting that Kana-chan didn¡¯t just take the Favour, she had to prepare herself for it, gaining earth element and more, right? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find someone. For now, just focus on one task at a time. Leave the trying to do twenty things at once to your overworked and underpaid vassal, who you are tirelessly trying to work into an early grave. I swear I¡¯ll haunt you when you work me to death. Wait, I am already!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, very funny.¡± I laughed, my good humour restored once again.


    ¡°So what¡¯s next on your agenda?¡± she asked, going back to her typing.


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting Ixitt and Ichijou-san as well as several contractors out on the land we¡¯ve earmarked for the new Ministry building, and our joint factories. That¡¯s not for a few hours though...¡± I said, checking my watch, before realising I had put on a rather expensive one, out of habit rather than intent. I guess I¡¯m definitely changing. Well, with my girls, I can¡¯t look shabby and show them up when I¡¯m with them, I¡¯ll always have to keep relatively well turned out.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have a car ready for you. While you wait...¡± she pointed to her screen. ¡°Tsumura-sama has some of his pilots stationed nearby. You can always make a start on the Chirurgery?¡± She smiled happily, getting her revenge.


    ¡°Fine. You win. You take a break. I¡¯ll get to work...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you such a good boss?¡± her laughter followed me out...


    ********


    ¡°We can do it.¡± The contractor agreed, a big bear of a man, massive for being Japanese, and with a thick black beard, also unusual. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d love to take this job!¡± he boomed, his voice as loud as his scale.


    ¡°Well, I would also like to get started. My Mayumi is eager for this joint venture, to work with Hinata-chan. Oh, and you of course, Akio-san.¡± He was keeping his less warm manner of address since the meeting where Hinata and I had pushed back against the nobility, but I found that tiresome.


    ¡°Akio-kun is fine. I am a lot younger.¡± I said. ¡°And since Mayumi-san is keeping her word and treating Hinata properly, I think we can be proper partners. So long as you remember that most of the effort comes from our side.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t dream of forgetting that, Akio-kun.¡± He grinned wolfishly. ¡°But conversely, you¡¯re a very wealthy man just from the share in the Ichijou house industries you accrued by agreeing this joint project. So I think you could stand to be a bit more grateful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am.¡± I said, and meant it. ¡°Your name also opens a lot of doors. I don¡¯t deny it. But... well, I suppose arguing over the profits is premature.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Ixitt rubbed his hands gleefully. ¡°We all know we shall be fabulously wealthy soon. But that is hardly all. Mortal Engineering, Science... all shall be advanced.¡±


    The contractor looked a bit bemused at his enthusiasm, but the detailed plans we had presented him were holding his interest.


    ¡°Fabulous wealth, you say?¡± Ichijou-san laughed. ¡°Really, I¡¯m still curious as to what we¡¯ll be doing here.¡±


    ¡°Well, now is not the time to speak of it.¡± Ixitt eyed the contractor, and taking the hint, we headed to another room. ¡°You asked for weapons, the means to protect your country from war and woe, correct?¡±


    ¡°Well, it makes sense. Ichijou Heavy Industries does manufacture a number of crucial military assets, as well as export to allied countries around the world. Though I hardly think we want to be exporting anything involving these new abilities.¡± Ichijou-san replied.


    ¡°Well, perhaps not for now.¡± Ixitt allowed. ¡°Mortal Engineering moves on, and what was once treasured works of artifice becomes old and antiquated rather quickly. Well, so much more so now.¡± he grinned. ¡°As for the future...¡± he pointed to our set of blueprints. ¡°... we should first work on the intermediary steps, that which makes us our wealth.¡±


    Lastly, there was a Frenchman, Mr Arnault, who had brought his son. The young boy had been injured in a freak accident when a kettle of boiling water had exploded right next to his face, and even after a number of operations and painful skin grafts, the boy was still horribly scarred, and blind in his right eye, as well as deaf in his right ear. As the major shareholder in the famous fashion company LVMH and chairman of another equally famous one, he was prepared to spare no expense to heal his son, but modern medicine had failed him, until word amongst the rich and powerful had led him to Hinata¡¯s door. ¡°... so yes, fifty million euros total, ten million for the scars, ten million for his hearing, thirty million if you can fix his eye. In addition, well, our wardrobes could use a refresh, right? You have a lot of women, and they need clothing.¡± She grinned. ¡°He promised that aside from the money, his gratitude would be eternal, and we would never want for champagne again.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯ve certainly done well.¡± I praised her. ¡°I thank you too, grandfather, I know you¡¯ve been lending an air of authenticity to her role here.¡± The money is nice, we can put that to use immediately. The shares in various companies are only valuable if the world remains stable... but I¡¯d rather have them than not. The other bonuses, well... why not?


    ¡°As for our esteemed Japanese guests...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... can¡¯t believe it.¡± The man, head of one of the Three Hundred, was saying to Takatsukasa-san, tears in his eyes as he rotated his arm freely. ¡°I never thought it would move again, my doctor had given up on it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± another man said, looking at his wife, who was weeping soundlessly, hugging her own body. ¡°It... it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for her, I really am, but that one was pretty much torture for me, especially in front of Hinata.¡± I complained, though my tone was light. Seriously, I know I can actually regrow damaged tissue now, especially when I called in Shiro to change my buff over, but regenerating breasts lost to a cancer mastectomy was extremely embarrassing for me.


    ¡°I shall never forget this favour!¡± Her husband was crying too now, caught up in the emotion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what use my company has, but as promised...¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, as a Takatsukasa, I believe I should follow the lead of my grandfather, Ichijou-sama and Fujiwara-sama and protect the nobility.¡± Hinata laid it on thick, just as she had with the other half-dozen members of the Three Hundred, their families, and also one son of a truly major house, nearly as high in standing as Tsumura house, who had been born with a deformed hand. Yeah, that was harrowing in a different way to the breasts. Having to break his hand apart and rebuild it was pretty gruesome.


    ¡°I shall do as promised, of course!¡± the man said between tears. ¡°Anything you need, at cost, as well as the land we were planning to sell when we build our new offices.¡± After that, Hinata¡¯s adopted father escorted the nobles and their family out, leaving us alone.


    Overall, from the Japanese nobility we had gained a number of plots of land in Tokyo, most of them unfavourable, but still of use to us, as well as trade agreements and some money, though that was only a side benefit, and nowhere near what we were charging the foreign nationals. More interestingly, Hinata had managed to gain ownership of a rather nice Onsen inn in Hakone, somehow, and when that was added to the budget hotels I had extracted from Kondou Kazuo, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say I was in the hospitality trade. Though the hot springs are likely a lot nicer than the hotels... I had transferred control of the hotels to Hinata recently, and while she hadn¡¯t made any changes to their management or operations yet, I had a feeling she wasn¡¯t satisfied making modest earnings.


    ¡°Well then...¡± my father-in-law said, looking at his daughter with a happy but complicated expression on his face. ¡°The foreign patients and their families have been moved to a private hospital, where doctors will check your work and ensure that they are satisfied with the results. Then payment will be collected. You¡¯re rather rich now, son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a marriage partner that will not shame Takatsukasa house.¡± Hinata smiled at Sakura-san and her family. ¡°You see that now, right Sakura? And with all the support behind me, I¡¯m a worthy granddaughter of Takatsukasa-san. I¡¯m sorry, but things have changed. I¡¯m no longer the troublemaker you need to look out for. I appreciate it, even if I didn¡¯t always show it, found it annoying...¡± she took a long breath. ¡°Minoru-kun doesn¡¯t want to be heir. I don¡¯t blame him.¡± She laughed. ¡°It¡¯s hard work. But I¡¯ll make sure he gets to be the hero he wants to be. Safely.¡± She met Sakura-san¡¯s wavering gaze. ¡°So, now I can look out for you. Really, is there something you want out of life?¡±


    ¡°I... I am a daughter of Takatsukasa house. I will marry, start a family and...¡±


    ¡°If you want to, great. Being in love is sweet. Find yourself a good match and I¡¯ll be the first to congratulate you. But if you want more out of life, you need to decide soon. Well, if you don¡¯t want to talk to me about it, then what about Motoko or Miyu?¡±


    ¡°Our granddaughter is alive with passion right now.¡± Fukumoto-san grinned to his opposite number. The old man had no answer to that. ¡°Times are changing.¡± He continued. ¡°The nobility... they have to change too. You three old geezers know it, why else form the Three Hundred after the War? The only way to stop a decline is fresh blood, fresh ideas.¡± He turned to Sakura-san then, who was looking a little distressed, biting at her lip softly in a rare display of immodesty. ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to what Hinata has to say?¡±


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m flighty and unreliable, always pushing too hard, trying to be what I¡¯m not... and you were right.¡± Hinata agreed, looking at her cousin earnestly. ¡°I brought you here to show you how I¡¯ve changed, though you really should have noticed by now. It¡¯s a funny thing, love.¡± She smiled, and I found it stunningly pure and beautiful. ¡°Now I¡¯ve stopped worrying about chasing after Mayumi, or being equal to you, Sakura. Well, I still want respect, but now, not for vanity, or to make me feel better, but because... I don¡¯t want Akio or the others being looked down on! It¡¯s not for me, that makes all the difference. Though...¡± her beautiful smile turned wicked. ¡°... I do confess, I rather enjoy being seen as a daughter of Takatsukasa at last. But Sakura... look, this day alone, I¡¯ve garnered support for Takatsukasa house from both many of the Three Hundred, as well as foreign allies. I¡¯ve got a rich husband. Takatsukasa house needs money to rebuild itself, but more than that... it needs a reason.¡±


    ¡°A reason?¡± Sakura asked, unable to fight her curiosity.


    ¡°Yes. Fujiwara house is the true guardian of the nobility, and is invested in our security and stability against threats within and without. Hence Fujiwara security, Hanafubuki academy and more. Ichijou house is invaluable to the country with the Military and Heavy Industry. Takatsukasa house... well, what do we have, Sakura? Old glories, the oldest lineage... nothing else. No, we¡¯ll be the house mediating the Chosen. Sure, there¡¯s overlap, such as Tsumura house in the military, and Takakura house with the faith, but even so, we¡¯ll stand above. Look...¡± she said seriously. ¡°You would have married Akio here if ordered, right? I know it was mooted at one point. It made sense, really. Hence why I¡¯ve stepped in and taken that role.¡±


    ¡°I would have, though his pedigree would have been a shame...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it. His pedigree is that he¡¯s the leader of the Japanese Chosen. Perhaps one stronger will come along in time, though I have my doubts about that...¡± her wicked, sly grin returned. ¡°...but even then, our influence is solid. There will be no disgrace from Akio taking the reins. Far from it. Takatsukasa house will be revitalised, and live on for as long as Japan does. Seriously, Sakura... you need to find something you want to do. Well, if you want to help me rebuild Takatsukasa house, I¡¯m all for it. If you want to marry out, as long as the man is good for you, I¡¯ll support you all the way. If he''s trash though...¡± she glanced at me, and I took the hint.


    ¡°I see you as family, Sakura-san. After all, you¡¯re Hinata¡¯s cousin, sister or whatever. All I know is... we didn¡¯t do this to hurt you, or ruin your family. So if you have worries, you can come to us. But... I know it won¡¯t be that easy to change your mind about us. Even so, if you¡¯re ever in trouble, we¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± she looked at us then, before fixing her gaze on Hinata. ¡°... it is very frustrating. You have always caused me problems, embarrassed me so many times in front of our peers. The way you fawned over Mayumi-sama, not realising she saw you only as an amusing toy... yet somehow now you are standing beside her! The others of the Three Hundred mocked you for foolish pride, while the Fifty-Seven laughed at your overinflated ego and pride. Now nobody laughs, everyone wants to curry your favour. I simply cannot fathom it. How did it change? Am I the fool?¡±


    ¡°Not a fool.¡± I said gently. ¡°Merely seeing Hinata change. Hell, I¡¯m struggling to keep up with her ideas myself!¡±


    ¡°Hardly!¡± she laughed at that. ¡°I couldn¡¯t put any of my plans into motion without your support, and those of the others. Sakura... this is what you need to know. As nobility, the higher you are, the lonelier you are. Miyu, Motoko, you... even me... we all are princesses in our own walled gardens and the bigger garden that¡¯s Hanafubuki. But we¡¯ve shattered our walls. I shall run Takatsukasa house as an empire, supporting Akio financially and with political influence. Motoko and Natsumi are finally gaining their independence, the freedom to wield their weapons as their heart desires. Even Miyu is free to dance as much, no, more than she wishes.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°She is starting to pick up some colourful language from the others, and uses it to describe you sometimes, Akio.¡± She paused, reorienting her thoughts. ¡°So, Sakura, step out from the walled garden, the birdcage. And find what you want to do.¡±


    ¡°All right, I think that¡¯s enough.¡± Fukumoto-san said. ¡°I think she understands, but for a sheltered girl such as your cousin... no, sister, you¡¯re right, Akio-kun, this is rather awkward.¡± He laughed good-naturedly. ¡°... such thoughts run counter to her upbringing and nature.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Take all the time you need. Just rest assured, Takatsukasa house is safe in our hands, and we have no intention of gutting its legacy.¡± I promised. ¡°Only restoration, and a new purpose, for a new Japan, and a new world.¡± It¡¯s easier to build when the foundations are already in place...


    ¡°All right. Well, I¡¯ve said my piece, Sakura. You¡¯ve seen what we can do, the tears, the gratitude. Think about what you can do to match that.¡± She smiled at Minoru-san then, who had been watching quietly, careful not to interrupt. ¡°Well, Akio has more visitors to deal with, so why not come with me, Minoru-kun? We¡¯ll start your new training regimen. Sakura... no, I¡¯m not going to rush you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will take my granddaughter home.¡± Takatsukasa-san said, a touch ruefully. ¡°We both have much to think about. Perhaps I have misunderstood your intentions a little.¡± He looked at me then, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe so. Well, that¡¯s the beauty of family, and we are family. There¡¯s always time to talk things out. But for now...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ll send Kana-chan to you, right?¡±


    I nodded. It¡¯s been a while, the neutral shrines and their trainees have barely been here since Kyoto. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t understand why, but... time to clear the air...

 Three Hundred And Sixty-One

    Three Hundred And Sixty-One


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Chiyo-san, Kudou-san, Bankei-san.¡± I greeted the three important heads of shrines and temples. ¡°And to you, Takakura-san.¡± I then nodded to the old head of the noble family that mediated the faith, dressed in his usual two-tone suit, this time maroon and grey. Behind me Kana strode in, though her steps faltered a little under the looks she received from our esteemed guests, before she swallowed, smiled and sat down next to me, her own shrine maiden attire wrapped around her like armour.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been too long, Akio-kun.¡± Kudou-san agreed. ¡°Well, not so much as in time, but in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and be clever, old man.¡± Chiyo-san sniffed. ¡°You should be enjoying your retirement now Tsukuyomi faction is no more.¡±


    ¡°Such a harsh tongue as ever. I really don¡¯t know how Bankei puts up with you, Chiyo-chan!¡±


    ¡°Chan? I¡¯m as old as you, you damn fool.¡± She snorted, before Bankei-san put a stop to their bickering.


    ¡°My apologies. Well, we have been under a significant amount of stress since the battle of Kyoto, so it is only natural for there to be some... friction. It is mostly harmless posturing, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Well, shall we get down to business?¡± Chiyo-san sighed. ¡°We appreciate you making time for us, matters have to be busy for you right now.¡±


    ¡°Extremely so.¡± I glanced over at Kana, who smiled a little, though her face was pale. ¡°My schedule is packed as always. But I don¡¯t mind making some time to talk to my allies. Speaking of...¡± I raised the point that had been on my mind.


    ¡°Yes, I know. You were wondering where all the neutral faction trainees were, right? Well, why do you think they were largely absent?¡± she asked me, answering my unasked question with one of her own.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s because you lost faith in the project.¡± I looked at Kana, willing her to speak, and she did so, a touch proud.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I feel sorry for your granddaughters and the others, Chiyo-san.¡± She said brightly. ¡°We¡¯ve been having numerous breakthroughs in our training, and now all those that remained here have mastered either earth or wind element. Our training is only going to get better in time, I promise you that.¡±


    Well said. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been gathering data, and putting further refinements into practise. But I think... politics, right?¡±


    Chiyo-san nodded. ¡°Well, the neutral faction served a purpose of keeping balance, trying to prevent the three main factions of faith clashing and messing up everything. Men can be such boys, even old fools who know better.¡± At that, Kudou-san merely laughed.


    ¡°Well, with Tsukuyomi dissolved and its purpose fulfilled, I am taking some much needed time to rest my weary old bones. But then too much rest is boring, so I decided to help out where I can. Well, my long time rival Gin is content to flex his influence in the new Ministry, and poor Ren is still in mourning, his faction shattered... a dirty business that. Leaking footage of the Kyoto attacks benefits nobody.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The faith is somehow more and also less united than ever.¡± Takakura-san agreed. ¡°Which is a problem that is not on your shoulders to solve, Oshiro-san.¡± He assured me.


    ¡°Right. With the damage to Kyoto and the sad deaths of the Diviner as well as two of our Chosen, that hit harder than even the deaths of the trainees in Yamato-kun¡¯s mess...¡± Kudou-san said. ¡°Now, don¡¯t get me wrong, Akio-kun. Everyone knows you did the best you could, and with the many defeated invaders, morale is still surprisingly high. But the Three Factions of faith, plus old man Bankei¡¯s neutral parties, we¡¯ve been playing politics, jockeying for position, for hundreds of years. And in times of great change... well, great opportunities lie.¡±


    ¡°But many opportunities are simply poisoned.¡± Bankei observed piously.


    ¡°Indeed that is true. Well, the adoption of Fukumoto Hinata-san to Takatsukasa house has caused a stir within the nobility, distracting them from the unrest and worry, the potential threat from China.¡± Takakura-san mused. ¡°In fact, it may prove a well-timed boon. The nobility is still a monolith, but the faiths... Unlike Fujiwara, Takatsukasa and Ichijou houses, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu and Susanoo have changed. The firm grasp we had on the faith is gone. Though don¡¯t misunderstand, Oshiro-san. Your support is still strong, especially with those who wish to have their latent powers awakened by Chirurgery, or their kami walk the earth in the flesh. After all, what better demonstration of faith is there than that?¡±


    ¡°We need a purpose. And just as when Hiroto-kun, the young Hikawa brat, reached out to me, and I decided to test you... our new purpose is to act as a calming voice, preventing further disclosures and rebellions that harm the interests of our faith as a whole.¡± Chiyo-san finished.


    ¡°I see.¡± Kana spoke up, listening carefully. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been visiting the shrines and temples that don¡¯t seem fully on-board with us, showing off the trainees and the fruits of Chirurgery?¡±


    ¡°As well as applying the stick too.¡± Kudou-san laughed. ¡°With those from Chion-in effectively removed from control of their shrine, a branch family moved in to take charge, we sent a clear message that breaking the rules of secrecy we have long held to protect ourselves will not be tolerated. Nor should it be.¡± He stroked his long white beard sadly. ¡°Not everyone is as strong as Akio-kun here. The last thing we want is for the populace to turn on us for being different, supernatural. Most only have mere sparks of power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t believe how stupid they were, even if their revenge was justified, which it wasn¡¯t...¡± Kana reassured me, and I did appreciate her efforts. Yes, I¡¯m not all-powerful. Even Tan has her limits, and she confessed that even the rulers of the pantheons are limited which only makes sense, otherwise this whole mess here on Earth would be utterly pointless. I have to know what I¡¯m worth, but I also can¡¯t get arrogant and try too much...


    ¡°... then they should have picked another way. Remember when we first met, Akio? You wondered why nobody knew about the powers I and my father possessed, right? And I told you we didn¡¯t want to end up some scientist¡¯s lab rat or worse, dissected.¡± She shuddered. ¡°Well, now I don¡¯t have to worry about that, but most of us are feeble, helpless. Though...¡± she looked troubled, before speaking what had been on her mind. ¡°... it¡¯ll all come out soon. A cracked glass can¡¯t hold water anymore, right?¡± she said, and Kudou-san chuckled at her expression.


    ¡°True, and with Kyoto, both events, the glass sure is cracked, Kana-chan. Well, I won¡¯t say that nobody from the faith has ever broken ranks. But those that did were either... persuaded to recant, or those they talked to were kept in check by the nobility. Most problems can be solved by money and power.¡±


    ¡°While the pillars of Faith, Nobility and the Imperial Family all have their spheres of influence, and try not to meddle, certain threats necessitate a swift response. It is true that through Takakura house, in the past, troublesome fools from both the faith and the nobility have... vanished. Those who were more reasonable merely found themselves losing their shrines, another related family or bloodline taking over, while they that were more troubling and stubborn, well, they went into seclusion, to recuperate. Indefinitely.¡±


    I hope that isn¡¯t implying... At the look on my face, Bankei-san frowned. ¡°No, the family of Chion-in, as well as many of those who lost relatives either in the incident with the trainees, or the subsequent Kyoto battle against the Chinese, they are angry, hurting, but they are also not entirely without reason. We will watch them all, and some shrines will be reassigned, like Chion-in. If they cause no trouble, they can live comfortable lives. But we have to protect all we have built up over the years. Nothing else is more important. For those who can¡¯t protect themselves.¡±


    ¡°The Ministry is going to have a registry. Sure, it¡¯ll be mainly about the Chosen, but those under Chirurgery and with special gifts will be listed.¡± I said. ¡°Obviously, that will enable us to protect those with limited strength and influence.¡±


    ¡°Though the best way of course, would be what we are doing now.¡± Chiyo-san said softly. ¡°Just on a grander scale. It was one thing, those of the faith seeing what could be done at Conclave. Mori-chan¡¯s demonstration was most impressive. It turned heads. But a personal, tailored touch is necessary to overcome doubts, and to prevent those panicked by events making foolish, wrongheaded decisions.¡±


    ¡°Seeing the trainees from the neutral shrines, which are respected by all, and their progress and support, while Takakura-sama wielded the stick...¡± Bankei said sorrowfully. ¡°... it pains me that such is necessary. Conclave should have resolved the path we were to follow. No, human nature is ever changeable and disappointing.¡±


    ¡°As a Buddhist, you should be more positive. Say that human nature is merely about overcoming challenges, bettering oneself.¡± Kudou-san laughed meanly.


    ¡°So, are the problems resolved? Will we have any more leaks or rebellions?¡± I asked. Right now Japan is a powder keg. We don¡¯t need any sparks landing and triggering an explosion...


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s entirely possible we have missed some who are dissatisfied, and some of those we have cajoled will only be pretending to fall into line.¡± Chiyo-san snorted. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not the kami or the Gods, are we? Humans are fallible. We can only do the best we can, and hope it¡¯s enough.¡± She echoed my earlier thoughts, causing me to smile. ¡°But for now, the situation is contained. Though we now need to provide the carrot...¡±


    ¡°Honestly? Not terrible. There¡¯s obviously a lot of room for improvement, but if you want the role, you¡¯re going to have to learn as you go. You didn¡¯t blindly say yes and try and make it happen, which was good. But you need to exploit all the resources we have available. Even if it costs us more time now to get you prepared, if you save us more time later, it¡¯s a win. To that end, you¡¯ll have one of the most rigorous training plans of anyone.¡±


    ¡°I expect you¡¯ll be wanting to do more Chirurgery on me?¡± Her smile turned wicked, and she clutched her body with her arms, speaking monotonously. ¡°Oh no, Akio you brute, tearing a maiden¡¯s clothes off...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you wish.¡± I laughed, and she nodded.


    ¡°I guess I do. But now isn¡¯t the time, is it? Besides, you¡¯re more worried about our little Chinese girl right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°True. Daiyu¡¯er is a problem. She¡¯s very... proactive. And I feel a bit uncomfortable with it, really.¡±


    ¡°Why? She¡¯s like a doll, with that black hair and slender figure. She¡¯s definitely cute.¡± Kana pressed.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s like with Hinata. It just feels a bit soon for her. Well, Hinata is curious about love, but she¡¯s got her head full with business and raising her status as Takatsukasa heir so there¡¯s no rush. Daiyu¡¯er though... she¡¯s all alone in a foreign country, and don¡¯t get me wrong, I utterly respect her dedication to her craft of Cultivation and the restoration of her Sect, and what she¡¯s prepared to give up for that, but... it seems hasty, premature.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered maybe she just likes you?¡± Kana asked, and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Likes me? We hardly know each other. Sure, I accept that I promised to protect her and guide her, and help her with her goals, but if that was enough to make people like a person, then Police Officers and Politicians would all have massive harems.¡±


    ¡°Not according to my dad, he says the current government is full of crooks.¡± Kana shook her head. ¡°But yeah, I get it. But well, love at first sight does exist. Hinata says she fell for you on first meeting, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I admit she was looking at me strangely back then, though I didn¡¯t pick up on it. But lightning doesn¡¯t strike twice, does it? Besides, I think it¡¯s more complicated than that.¡±


    ¡°And while I¡¯m flattered you¡¯d turn to me for advice on your love-life, I¡¯m a bit annoyed and hurt. Is it fun, messing with my heart?¡± Kana pouted. ¡°But...¡± she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m trying to show I¡¯m a strong, useful woman. So I¡¯ll put up with it. It¡¯s the whole life companion thing, right? It¡¯s pretty heavy stuff, from what Shiro and Shaeula say.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s not entirely explained it, but...it¡¯s not just a relationship as we understand it, but an entwining of fates and also Cultivation, and her Cultivation is everything to her. It¡¯s a bit heavy, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Really? I hardly think it¡¯s any heavier than what you¡¯re already carrying.¡± Kana disagreed. ¡°A Faerie princess, a maid you have to keep in line else she¡¯ll probably go all serial killer...¡± Kana giggled at her joke. ¡°A number of the most eligible noble daughters in Japan, and a woman basically possessed by a devil. Hell, Eri-chan is the most normal one, and I¡¯d say she¡¯s got a good chance of joining Hyacinth in her serial killing if something bad ever happens to you.¡± She paused. ¡°Then there¡¯s those of us who like you and you dither about. But I promised this wasn¡¯t about me.¡± She pursed her lips, genuinely trying to offer me advice from a female perspective.


    ¡°Look...¡± she said at last. ¡°You told me if I didn¡¯t know something or needed something, to ask for help. Well, it¡¯s a shame that you cant ask this Book of Providence about how to win a girl over.¡± She laughed at that. ¡°Well, you can ask the two who matter. Daiyu, and your own heart. The others accept her. I¡¯ve noticed Eri-chan is a soft touch for the ones with heartbreak in their past, and if she says yes, the rest is easy. Why do you think I try to make her like me? Though to be fair to her, she¡¯s rather indifferent to those that don¡¯t bother her. A lifelong commitment, how is that any different to what you have now with the others? You¡¯re not ditching any of them, are you?¡±


    ¡°No. of course not.¡± I denied that.


    ¡°Well then. whether it¡¯s dating, marriage or Dao Companion, it¡¯s all the same then.¡± Kana pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, but... well, it seems to involve her Cultivation too. Dual Cultivation. I¡¯ve never really read any stories involving it, but Shiro has. Apparently it¡¯s raising Qi via sex, especially Yin and Yang. Well, there are surely other methods. Light element is supposedly some type of unrefined Yang Qi, and well, you¡¯ve got some without having sex, right?¡±


    ¡°True. I can¡¯t believe there are no other ways.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°But have you genuinely talked through these matters, explained everything, asked her genuine opinion? There might be good reasons she needs to. Or she might just be using it as a pretext to force you into a relationship. Girls do that, you know.¡±


    That they do. Eri admitted trying to get pregnant our first time to tie us together. But I don¡¯t think Daiyu is the sort to pull such underhanded stunts. She has a high pride. ¡°I think there¡¯s more to it.¡± I disagreed.


    ¡°Well, ask then. I know you¡¯ve had a busy day, but there¡¯s still time to talk to her, right?¡± Kana pressed.


    ¡°I guess so. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll clear the air. The thing is, I don¡¯t want to do anything that harms her Cultivation. That has to be avoided at all costs. But I also want to learn her techniques, for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so planning on Dual Cultivating us too?¡± she joked, and as I tutted, she shook her head.


    ¡°Come on, have a sense of humour. Or grow a spine. But seriously, most of her techniques don¡¯t involve sex, right? But to be fair to her, isn¡¯t the Fae way of bonding kind of sexual too, I heard? I think Cultivation isn¡¯t too dissimilar to what you do.¡±


    Wait. That... it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. Yes, the similarities seem too great to ignore. It might not be true, what I¡¯m thinking, but if it is... I grabbed Kana¡¯s hands, who flushed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Kana, you¡¯re a smart girl! I think you might be onto something here. I¡¯m going to go talk to Daiyu¡¯er now.¡±


    ¡°All... all right.¡± She said, her voice strangely high-pitched. ¡°Uh.. you¡¯re welcome?¡±


    Releasing her hands, I grinned. ¡°Thanks for your help tonight. I can¡¯t really talk about this sort of thing with Shaeula or Shiro, they¡¯d just tell me to make her mine. The others too. But there¡¯s more to these decisions, I don¡¯t want to be too hasty and have us regret it later.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t I know it.¡± Kana fanned herself, feeling hot. ¡°But... the thing you need to know is... love isn¡¯t rational, not most of the time. People love who they love, there doesn¡¯t even have to be a reason.¡± She paused, thinking. ¡°Though oftentimes there is, even if the person doesn¡¯t know themselves.¡±


    ¡°Well, once more I¡¯m impressed by your wisdom. While I¡¯m away, can you look after Daiyu¡¯er for me?¡±


    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t exactly speak Chinese. Shiro might be better... uh, maybe not. I¡¯ll... do my best.¡± She promised.


    ¡°Great. Well, good night, Kana. I¡¯ll be counting on your support from now on.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Me too. As a shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi Shrine, the Chosen of Ks?itigarbha, and also your aide. I¡¯ll do it all, and I¡¯ll excel. After all, I¡¯m determined. Just like Daiyu.¡± With those parting words she nodded to me and left, leaving me to my thoughts. All right then. Time to clear the air, and also... to explore my new theory on just how the lunar chakra might be comparable to a Dantian...

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Two

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Two


    ¡°So why am I here again?¡± Eri asked, looking at Daiyu and me with a wry expression on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need my help with what you¡¯re planning. Not in my current health anyway.¡±


    At that Daiyu flushed a little, which made sense as I had sought her out and told her we needed to discuss Dao Companions and Dual Cultivation. Even so, her expression was serene and resolute, as if she had no doubts. Which is amazing, as I¡¯m full of doubts myself.


    ¡°Actually you¡¯d be surprised.¡± I answered, reassuring them. ¡°But rest assured, we¡¯re largely just going to be talking tonight. It¡¯s a shame Shaeula and Hyacinth are dealing with matters at the Spring, but you¡¯ll do fine.¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯m second, no third choice, huh?¡± Eri pouted, though her onyx eyes were sparkling with bitter humour. ¡°Well, fine. Talk huh? Disappointed, Daiyu?¡± she asked, and Daiyu frowned, trying to understand the Japanese. I then translated for her, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I am beginning to understand his character, Eri. He is quite cautious when it comes to commitment.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Eri raised an eyebrow. ¡°I agree he used to be like that, but if you push hard enough he crumbles. He did for me, Shaeula, Hinata and the others. It¡¯s only Hyacinth and Shiro who didn¡¯t really ask him, though Hyacinth... well, trying to understand Hyacinth hurts my head sometimes. But she¡¯s a good girl who deserves some happiness. I think you¡¯re in that situation too, Daiyu.¡±


    At my translation Daiyu looked a little surprised, but she bowed gratefully. ¡°I have suffered loss and hardship yes, but life is full of sorrows. Only through adversity shall strength be forged. Though I admit...¡± she let out a soft, quiet giggle. ¡°... I would have preferred a little less adversity.¡± Her expression turned serious. ¡°But what is done is done. The will of the Heavens cannot be turned aside so easily. Now I am here, and I thank you for your kind words. It must not be easy, a stranger such as I, one who is not even Japanese, coming into your lives and making demands. I am ashamed, but... I do not regret it. The will of the Heavens is clear to me.¡±


    After that lengthy translation Eri snorted, managing to shrug a little, waving her one good arm. ¡°Well of course nobody likes to share. Ordinarily love is between two people, right? But then ordinarily the world isn¡¯t full of Fae, Yokai, Cultivators and more. I¡¯ve been through this with Akio, but he doesn¡¯t quite get it. He says the words, about making us all happy, but he¡¯s still carrying some guilt. So this is probably a good time. We might as well use this opportunity to clear the air yet again, hopefully for the last time. He¡¯s almost there, but he¡¯s still got a few peculiar hang-ups. Daiyu, tell me honestly, what do you like about Akio? I¡¯ll tell you what I love.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I love that he thinks of me. That¡¯s all there is to it. Love is very simple, I found. Back when I was a child, and Akio and Aiko were the only friends I had, I didn¡¯t even realise I was different to other people. Everyone, my parents, those at school, they just thought I was quiet, shy. And I suppose I am. Less so now.¡± she pursed her lips self-deprecatingly. ¡°But really, I had an empty, selfish heart. But when Akio saved me, when he used to take me stargazing on the mountains, or to a festival, or even just listened to me talk about my day, asked me how I was doing, my quiet, empty heart felt full. That¡¯s all there is to it. And when my empty heart was full, I wanted to spend my life with Akio and Aiko. Forever. And I wanted to make their hearts feel full, like mine did.¡±


    ¡°So, you love Aiko too?¡± I said mildly, and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Stupid. Of course I love Aiko. Not like I love you. I¡¯m not bisexual. Girls can love girls without it being about lust. Look at Motoko and Natsumi. You can¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t love each other.¡±


    That¡¯s true. I thought they might have loved each other in a sexual way as well, but from when we made love, it seems not. But their bonds are definitely deep. ¡°I know. I was just joking. There¡¯s lots of types of love. Family, romantic, more.¡±


    ¡°Well, my love for Aiko is deeper than familial. After all... we¡¯ve shared so much normal people never do. All this.¡± She gestured with her good arm. ¡°I can hardly wait until Aiko graduates so she can move to Tokyo and be with us. We¡¯ll have adventures, spend time together, laugh and cry. And not just with Aiko. Shaeula and the others too. The good thing is... all the others are easy to love. Shaeula especially, she¡¯s a force of nature that changed our world, isn¡¯t she? Without her, we¡¯d have stayed apart, you¡¯d never have made it as far as you have... really, she should be your first wife, not me.¡±


    Daiyu watched us as I translated rapidly. The conversation was intense, so I tried a little trick I had been thinking of. Using Split Thoughts I used wind element to create vibrations in the air, mimicking sounds. It was fiddly and difficult, and my first efforts sucked, though it gradually became intelligible, though Daiyu frowned at the lousy accent and pronunciation. Still, I¡¯ve created real-time translation. And it¡¯s excellent practice for Split Thoughts. Split Thoughts was one of my most powerful skills, as it let me perform multiple tasks at once, though obviously they had to be largely mental, as it wasn¡¯t as if my body duplicated.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Eri continued. ¡°Shaeula enjoys standing beside us, pushing us onwards. Whether that¡¯s because of her upbringing, or because she¡¯s a Fae, I just don¡¯t know. But I do know if I¡¯m ever in trouble I can turn to her. The others too... Shiro still makes me jealous, I can¡¯t help it. You¡¯ve shared so much of your adult life with her I don¡¯t know about, but... she¡¯s just so... forthright. There¡¯s no lies with her, no masks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only recent. She used to hide all her fears, her pains. But now...¡±


    ¡°Now she¡¯s free.¡± She eyed Daiyu. ¡°I filled my empty heart. Shaeula found someone who would accept and support her for who she was. Hyacinth found someone who would love her despite her past and broken nature. Hinata found someone who sees that she¡¯s noble as anyone else, and is willing to back her dreams. Motoko and Natsumi found a way to avoid sacrifices, and also remain together. Shiro... I think Shiro needs someone like Akio, someone who will accept any absurdity. And she found someone who truly understands her heart. Tsukiko-san, she found someone who would face the world for her, and would even try and turn aside death. Kana-chan... well, Kana-chan is the most puzzling. She¡¯s an ordinary girl, who finds herself loving extraordinarily...¡±


    Hang on a minute. ¡°I think you¡¯ve got a couple of unnecessary names there.¡± I pointed out, and Eri shook her head, a proper firm shake, though she grimaced in pain doing so.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re not doing this. I¡¯m not letting you play the nai?ve idiot anymore. It¡¯s frustrating. I have made my peace with most of it, though I admit I have to get over my jealousy with Shiro. This is Polygamy. It¡¯s never going to run smoothly. You¡¯ll be consoling various girls, soothing our worries and mediating squabbles for the rest of your life. Get used to it. But in exchange, you have the love of some of the finest girls in the world. I have to believe that. That I¡¯m a match for Shaeula, Shiro, Hinata, the others... otherwise I have no business being with you, and I can¡¯t bear that. So, Daiyu here wants to join our circle. It¡¯s too late to worry about one or two more now. But... I want everything sorted. Dragging this out is only hurting everyone.¡± She paused. ¡°When you went looking for Daiyu, Kana-chan came and spoke to me. She was pretty upset at you being so insensitive. You can be a jerk sometimes, you know. Don¡¯t you like Kana-chan?¡±


    ¡°Of course I like Kana. What¡¯s not to like? But... it¡¯s a case of need, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, a subject I¡¯d thought about too much.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a case of liking.¡± Eri disagreed. ¡°You know she likes you. She¡¯s taken the risk to say so a number of times. And that¡¯s hard.¡± Eri¡¯s eyes went distant. ¡°I was really scared when I confessed to you, you know. If you said no... I¡¯d have been devastated. I¡¯m not sure how I would have recovered from that. But... I would have had to. Just because someone confesses you don¡¯t have to accept them, do you? That¡¯d be stupid. But... it¡¯s worse to not give closure. You know, I¡¯m getting a bad feeling something is going to happen soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that Foresight?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think everything in life is about stats, Akio. Even before you got any, you were still a hero to me. Perhaps it¡¯s just everything that¡¯s happened recently, but... I worry.¡± Eri said earnestly. ¡°But, put aside Kana-chan for the moment.¡± She looked at Daiyu, who had been listening to my wind-translations intently.


    ¡°Daiyu, I want you to be honest. Well, I think you always are. You don¡¯t seem a liar, you¡¯ve too much pride for that.¡± Eri continued. ¡°You¡¯ve said you want to be Akio¡¯s Dao Companion. That¡¯s like marriage, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Though...¡± she paused, unsure of how to say what she wanted.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± I sighed. ¡°Eri is right. I need to be clear. I¡¯ve largely stopped feeling guilty about polygamy now. I genuinely believe I can make those I love happy. Whether that¡¯s arrogant or not I don¡¯t much care. But what I do worry about is whether I¡¯m splitting myself too thin. That¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t change, there¡¯s only one of me. To think I¡¯d be surrounded by a lot of gorgeous women and girls who seem to want me, despite all of you already. It makes me uncertain. So... we need to be clear, Daiyu. Though whatever happens, I¡¯ll protect and help you, and get you enough Spirit Water to improve your Foundation. You don¡¯t have to do anything but reach your potential, and use your gifts for the good of the world, Japan and your Sect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not being clear.¡± Eri said. ¡°Though it¡¯s very like you.¡±


    ¡°I shall speak. Eri, you are right. Dao Companions are a sacred bond. Not every Cultivator finds a Dao Companion they can share their lives and Dao with. But there is no greater comfort or joy. Love breaks, couples separate, but our Dao, they endure.¡±


    ¡°Not ours, it doesn¡¯t break.¡± Eri disagreed. ¡°That¡¯s part of the issue. Akio, I¡¯d be really sad if you were the sort of man who slept around, looked at girls lightly. But conversely, it means that you end up too passive, led into things. That¡¯s bad too. I thought that after Shiro, you¡¯d got better, but there¡¯s still problems. You believe that every woman now you accept will stay with you forever. And we all intend to. But we never know the future. Some of us could die, or fall out of love. Not me.¡± She insisted. ¡°But you have to prepare for that.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± I sighed. ¡°I know it isn¡¯t fair, me having all you girls and demanding faithfulness. Well, I guess that¡¯s just how men are. How I am, anyway. I¡¯m hardly an expert in romance. But then, you and Shaeula both told me that being so pathetic about it just hurt everyone, and demeaned you all, and your resolve and feelings.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s right. I¡¯m right.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°We¡¯re not idiots falling for you for no reason. Sure, some reasons were perhaps less sensible that others, but we¡¯re all our own people, and we chose this, chose you. But Akio... we have to accept reality. Not everything in our lives are perfect. Look at me right now. You think I want to be like this? But life is about making an effort, right? I¡¯m not a passive, clingy girl anymore. Because if I was, eventually I¡¯d end up alone. We¡¯re not normal. Our paths go beyond what we could have imagined before. So, Daiyu...¡± she continued her questioning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that this talk of Dao Companions and Dual Cultivation are just ways to pressure Akio into accepting you?¡± she narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I disagree.¡± Daiyu said immediately. ¡°In fact, I am a little affronted. I genuinely believe that Akio is the one for me. You are not a Cultivator, you do not understand our ways, our Fates. I am in awe of his skills, his drive to improve. I have always been a prodigy, respected by others but never liked. Even the rare few others who broke Foundation Realm at my age were behind me in skills. I never... I never had somebody I could compete with earnestly, research with, share triumphs and failures with. Then, in my lowest point, when I was alone in a foreign land, my Sect destroyed, I met Akio. And I knew. He was the one I did not even know I was searching for.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s all about power, this Dao of yours then?¡± Eri pressed, and Daiyu shook her head.


    ¡°Perhaps in the past it would have purely been about that. Cultivation was my all. I certainly would never have considered Dual Cultivation, considering it beneath me.¡± She paused, face pink. ¡°I confess, it is a Technique that was much derided in Kunlun, and that stigma has persisted through to this day with the new Great Sects, even though it is wildly efficient in allowing males and females to share their Qi, especially Yin and Yang. But often those who take this path are those who struggle with other Techniques, or those that have a promiscuous nature. Most do not have a Dao Companion, that deep connection.¡±


    ¡°So why you then?¡± Eri asked. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are one who isn¡¯t skilled enough to use other Techniques. You are a prodigy after all. Or is it you just felt you had to offer something?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she shook her head as I watched the two converse via my translations. They were very different people, Eri a largely ordinary girl, who had accepted the absurdity of our lives to get what she wanted, and Daiyu, an ascetic, disciplined, dedicated martial artist who already knew the impossible, hidden side of the world. I have accepted Daiyu as someone to protect. Dao Companions... well, that¡¯s perhaps another matter. ¡°I am not interested in bribes. Though I confess that strengthening each other is a welcome prospect.¡± She smiled then, a full, genuine one. ¡°I wish my Dao Companion to be strong, and kind. I am not promiscuous, I have never really considered romance, up until I lost everything. Now... I seek a family, no, closer than that. Really...¡± she reached out a hand, touching my cheek, and I didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°I do not see why you lack so much confidence. You do not believe I could like you so soon, do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t see himself objectively.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°I get it. I liked the modest, self-effacing Akio, even if it frustrated me. It matched my personality better, but it also stopped us getting together. It took Shaeula rocketing into our lives, spreading her confidence, to change that. But Akio¡¯s confidence is a fragile thing. Though recently it is starting to bloom.¡± As Daiyu stroked my face gently, tenderly, her dark eyes meeting mine, I really considered her.


    ¡°Hinata was thrilled you stood up for her and your rights with the nobility. I know you like win-wins, even wins where you lose a little so that both sides profit in the end. And that extends to your relationships as well. Else you never would have accepted Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi. Or even me.¡± Eri¡¯s smile was bitter. ¡°It¡¯s hard changing how you see someone, and I was always another younger sister to you. Not anymore though.¡± she said proudly to Daiyu. ¡°I won my war, Akio sees me as a woman he loves, and the same goes for the others. You... you need to step over that gap.¡±


    ¡°I genuinely wish for you.¡± Daiyu reiterated. ¡°I never saw my Dao Companion, if I even thought of him, having other Companions, wives. But... as I have said before, I accept it. It is not like I do not know what you are, what is expected of me. I find you handsome, kind, supportive, intriguing... my chest feels tight when I look at you, and you make me feel safe, despite the desperate battles we have fought together.¡±


    ¡°Well, most of that is likely because of what you¡¯ve suffered.¡± I told her, and she agreed, both hands on my face now, holding me, looking deep into my eyes.


    ¡°Of course. But we are what we have endured. After all, those that cannot endure will shatter, and their Dao shall break. However my feelings came about, they are true. I... I wish to be with you. Do you not desire me, like me? What can I do to make you like me, want me?¡±


    ¡°Not just Daiyu. It¡¯s time to get things sorted.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Daiyu, I appreciate your honesty. I support you. I think that you¡¯d fit in with us. We could be your family. I never saw myself being so open, not when I railed against Shaeula so, but that was jealousy, uncertainty. I was just insecure. Now I know that Akio will always love me, spend the long life Shaeula has promised with me, with us.¡±


    Daiyu nodded, releasing my face, a touch regretfully, I thought, the lingering warmth of her hands on my cheeks.


    ¡°Yes, Akio, you¡¯ve been rotten to Kana-chan. You rejected her in such a half-assed way it hurt to see. And you keep giving her hope. I get you don¡¯t understand why she likes you, which makes it hard for you to consider her in turn. But forget that. I understand her quite well. She was protecting herself with a false, selfish shell her whole life. It¡¯s hard being pretty, I know that. I hid from others, she presented a wall. Sure, she¡¯s a bit of an annoying girl at times, but I know... her interest in you isn¡¯t just for what she can get anymore. She¡¯s like Aiko. She wants to forge her own path, but a path you¡¯ll respect, be proud of. She¡¯s a fool, but aren¡¯t we all?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just so hard to understand...¡± I complained.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s easy to understand. It doesn¡¯t matter why. Kana-chan likes you. So... what matters is how you feel about her. But I think I¡¯m approaching this wrong. Ugh, I wish Shaeula was here, she¡¯s good at explaining these sorts of things.¡± Eri rubbed her eyes tiredly with her good hand. ¡°I really never thought I¡¯d have to play matchmaker for you, Akio. It should be a bitter feeling, but I find I¡¯ve already accepted this. We¡¯ll try another approach.¡±


    Yeah, I know I have to sort Daiyu¡¯s status. I get that. But... no, Eri¡¯s right. I have been pretty awful to Kana. But I do know why... ¡°All right. I get it. This might be a good time to hash everything out. But I have tried, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have. But I still find it hard to scrape up any sympathy for you.¡± Eri smirked. ¡°If you wanted an easy life, you should never have left Nishimorioka and just married me. We¡¯d have had a quiet life, I¡¯d be a housewife, you¡¯d be in a modest job. We¡¯d be poor and happy, having a couple of children, a boy and a girl maybe, and we¡¯d have to look after Aiko too, she¡¯d be no good without us.¡± she sighed. ¡°I could have loved that life. But that¡¯s not the one we got. Instead, I¡¯m going to love this one. But you have to resolve yourself as well. I don¡¯t want you to be the sort of man who accepts girls recklessly, strings them along. Either take them or reject them. Don¡¯t be like that trash that was hovering around Aiko back in Nishimorioka. You¡¯re better than that.¡±


    Ugh, like Kenji-san, huh? No, I never want to be that sort... ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve been selfish.¡±


    ¡°Well, being selfish is fine. We¡¯re all selfish, and you¡¯ve earned a little selfishness. But do it right.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°So Yae-san, Rika-san. Do you want to go out with either of them? Well, Yae-san would say she was your first date, and it annoys me that¡¯s technically true, but nothing happened there, did it?¡±


    ¡°No. it didn¡¯t.¡± I promised. ¡°It was just showing a younger girl a good time, like I would for Aiko. Just some dinner and a little gift. As for dating them...¡± No, they¡¯re nice enough and friends of my sis and Eri, but I don¡¯t know them that well. They feel like friends or younger relatives, not anything more.


    ¡°Or Kana-chan¡¯s friends and the other shrine maidens?¡± Eri pressed, not letting me sidestep the tangled web of relationships I was weaving.


    No, I mean, they all seem to be good girls, and I feel rather guilty towards Hotene-san and Keomi-chan, since they got so hurt and traumatised, but... I don¡¯t really have any interest in them that way. I want to see them grow, flourish, but... that¡¯s all. Shaking my head, Eri smiled in triumph.


    ¡°Now we are progressing. We went through this before, where you told us the truth, about wanting Shiro, despite already having us. That was good. But you¡¯ve been backsliding, and as first wife, I should be the one to talk to you about it. So, how about Karen-chan, or Haru-san?¡±


    ¡°Karen-chan huh? It wouldn¡¯t feel right. I¡¯m her employer, and she¡¯s had a bad time with her previous employer and harassment. She likes her career now. No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°As for Haru-san, that¡¯s worse. You know how she¡¯s suffered. I could never betray her trust like that, I respect her too much for that. I¡¯ll not do anything that¡¯ll jeopardise her newfound happiness.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Eri looked at me, thinking. ¡°All right. Interesting. Well then, what about Tsukiko-san?¡± she said, and I paused at that, remembering her death, the kiss she snatched, the look she gave me.


    That... Tsukiko-san... how do I feel about her? She was beautiful and tragic and heroic, and she deserved happiness, so much so that most of my struggle in Kyoto had been designed to save her life. I had been prepared to marry her, even if it was a sham, but instead, she had given me a great gift, part of her identity. ¡°I...¡± my mouth closed as I confronted it, really thought about it. ¡°... the thought of her being unhappy, of not being rewarded, it makes me angry, unhappy. I am determined to make sure she returns and that she lives the life she wants. I have to admit... she¡¯s truly gorgeous too, almost unreal. Shiro¡¯s as beautiful, but Shiro feels alive, vivacious, whereas Tsukiko-san is ephemeral, somehow sad. I hate that.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. Daiyu, what do you think?¡± Eri asked.


    ¡°That sounds rather like love to me.¡± Daiyu agreed with Eri. ¡°You wish for her happiness, you desire her, find her beautiful.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not love, it¡¯s sympathy.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t imagine holding her, soothing away her tears? Akio, you¡¯re deliberately evading the truth again. For you, love is rooted in sympathy and compassion a lot of the time. It¡¯s something I feel bad about, but I¡¯ll never regret. But that¡¯s not all. We¡¯ll continue. How about Princess Mikasa?¡±


    I nearly choked at that. ¡°Why Yukiko-san?¡±


    ¡°Well, firstly, calling her Yukiko-san is pretty suspicious.¡± Eri snorted wryly. ¡°But more importantly, Shaeula and Shiro are two of these Six Princesses Tsukiko-san told you about, right? Two is a bit early to be a pattern, but I¡¯m still wary you¡¯ll end up with the others too.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I really don¡¯t know her all well. I¡¯ve even spoken to Daiyu a lot more, but I liked her. She¡¯s a bit quiet and withdrawn, except when she¡¯s with Tsukiko-san, and I know she worries about the burden of her role as Amaterasu¡¯s Chosen, as well as being Imperial Princess, but when I¡¯ve talked to her we¡¯ve got on quite decently. I think we can be friends, and we¡¯ll have to spend more time together as time goes on, in both the Boundary and the political sphere.¡±


    ¡°All right. I get it. Well, how about Moira and those two flirty elves?¡±


    More? All right... ¡°Well, I find Soliteare and Bellaera a bit... ugh, too pushy. I feel like they are eying me up like meat on a grill. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they¡¯re gorgeous, but...their pursuit is a bit off-putting, and I¡¯m not into more arranged marriages. Moira, I like her a lot. She¡¯s all business, competent and a career woman. She¡¯s easy to talk to as well. And the fact she has no interest in me is almost relaxing...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the pieces are coming together now, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Eri said to Daiyu, who giggled a little.


    ¡°I see why you are asking all these questions. Making him think, making him analyse. It is a very Cultivator-like mindset.¡±


    I choose how to spend, who to offer... damn, she¡¯s right. Daiyu is more mature than I am. In fact, she¡¯s probably more mature than any of us, despite her age. Even Shaeula admits she¡¯s been sheltered too much, despite her age, and Hyacinth is well... never mind.


    ¡°I get it. Were you to take Daiyu out for a date, the police would be checking to see if you were a criminal.¡± Eri sniggered. ¡°But then, that happens sometimes with Shaeula, right? We had that trouble in Las Vegas when she wanted wine. Really... you do have a type. I don¡¯t really fit it.¡± Eri snuggled her ample chest against my other side. ¡°Once I stopped hiding my face with my bangs, everyone was saying how mature I looked, like a university student. Poor Shaeula¡¯s quite the opposite. Oh well... who cares what anyone else thinks? You¡¯re the one who persuaded the Prime Minister to change the law on polygamy, right? Why do you care if people look askance at you because some of your wives are a little on the younger side? It¡¯s not like you are hitting on middle schoolers like a lolicon pervert.¡± She turned to Daiyu again. ¡°I¡¯d be heartbroken if he did that. You and Hinata, you¡¯re both mature in your own ways. If he ever strays, we have to correct him.¡± She pressed my head into her chest. ¡°We¡¯re the only girls you should be looking at.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve drifted of-topic again.¡± I managed, when Eri released me from her dangerous softness. ¡°Daiyu, I am not shying away from you from lack of care, it¡¯s a genuine worry. I¡¯d like to show you how Eri and I share our lunar chakra, so that you have a better idea of the risks and problems, but I can¡¯t yet, so...¡±


    ¡°Well, you could reproduce it from memory, right?¡± Eri pointed out. ¡°With your stats you¡¯ve got a photographic memory for things, if not your promises, seemingly. Oops, me too, as I said I wasn¡¯t going to complain about your indecision and unfairness anymore.¡± She knocked her head and stuck her tongue out in an imitation of my sis, which was charming.


    ¡°Won¡¯t that be a bit upsetting for you?¡± I asked her gently. ¡°Considering your current state.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I know I¡¯ll be healed sooner or later, just like Shiro was. Sure, it¡¯s frustrating, but I can accept it.¡± Her ears flickered. ¡°Besides, I think I¡¯ll be Daiyu¡¯s guide. We all agreed.¡± She paused, looking at me. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing to do with you really. Us girls decided some things that any girl who loved you has to abide by, or we won¡¯t rest until we chase her out, even if you grow to hate us. But I trust you won¡¯t bring in idiots who are terrible people. One thing I can tell you, is we decided that everyone who joins us should have a sort of... mentor, if you will? That way we can teach her the right ways to behave. Well, Shiro sort of doesn¡¯t have one, as she¡¯s a special case, but she gets on pretty well with Shaeula. As for Daiyu...¡±


    ¡°I understand. I would be happy to receive your guidance.¡± Daiyu approved.


    ¡°So, as her mentor, I say go ahead and show her what you remember. I¡¯ll hide my embarrassment. As for Kana-chan... she probably doesn¡¯t need a mentor, and wouldn¡¯t want me if she did, but... maybe Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. After all, I might have missed my chance.¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Well, I doubt it, considering how upset she was. but you certainly would have soon. She¡¯s quite a catch, though she¡¯d end up in charge of any normal guy.¡± Eri rolled her eyes. ¡°All right then, get started.¡±


    All right then. From memory, and I¡¯ve never really looked at it with my Eye, but I could feel what was happening, so... After advising Daiyu it was just an approximation, I created images of Eri¡¯s previous chakra network and mine, brightly-coloured lights continued to demonstrate the aether and elemental energies flowing between us, and as I did so, Eri looking interested, Daiyu devouring it with her eyes, curious, I found some insights myself. I see, so that¡¯s how elements are shared. Fascinating...


    ********


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Eri asked me, and I nodded. Daiyu was there too, as well as Shiro, who Eri had obviously filled in that morning over our early breakfast, the way she had been grinning at me unsettlingly while pushing Eri¡¯s wheelchair.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± I agreed, feeling surprisingly nervous. I don¡¯t know why I am. Kana¡¯s already said she likes me, and even if she says no, well, it¡¯ll be a bit awkward for a while, but we¡¯ll still be friends and colleagues. I¡¯d have to watch my behaviour, be less selfish, but... ugh, why does this feel somehow worse than when I asked Shiro out? I thought she was going to shoot me down, so...


    ¡°Hilarious. Not that Aki is going for another girl, of course...¡± Shiro was saying as we headed to the shrine proper, where Kana would be getting ready for school about now. ¡°... I find that a little annoying, but you all had to put up with it, so I¡¯ll live, and Kana was obviously smitten with our idiot Aki, so I had it down as a matter of time, but... that he¡¯s so scared. Shit, Aki, you confessed to me, Shirohime, this should be a walk in the park for you! It can¡¯t be worse than facing that ugly toad blob, can it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think that, but oddly enough, I find battles easier, somehow.¡± I whined a little, and Daiyu reached out, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. Well, after last night and our talk, we¡¯ve definitely grown closer. She was so excited over seeing the Fae method, she¡¯s now insisting on seeing me do the real thing. She thinks she can make her Dual Cultivation Technique even better apparently... and safe for her and me to use...


    ¡°It will be fine. Even should the worst happen, you shall always have me by your side.¡± Daiyu said softly, and Tan must have translated, as Shiro cackled.


    ¡°Whoa, looks like you two had some sort of heart-to-heart, you¡¯ve got bold, Daiyu, and Aki here isn¡¯t making that dumb Yasu face he sometimes does like he¡¯s sucking on a lemon. Guess you¡¯re really in now?¡±


    ¡°I am. I shall not pressure Akio to be my Dao Companion, though I sorely hope for it. Only to be my man, my ... boyfriend, as you would say. Marriage, Dao Companionship, Dual Cultivating... I shall entice him into all of them by being worthy, but most of all, by being a girl he delights in loving.¡±


    ¡°Shit. That killed my mocking mood.¡± Shiro said suddenly, abashed. ¡°Hearing that, it just feels petty, laughing at Aki. Well, welcome aboard, Daiyu.¡± They exchanged nods, and Eri sighed.


    ¡°Done speaking Chinese? You could have translated for me.¡± She looked at me reprovingly.


    ¡°Sorry, I forgot, a lot on my mind.¡± We had reached the entrance to the shrine, where Nagi-san was out brushing the steps. On seeing us, she brightened.


    ¡°Oh, Akio-kun, what brings you here this morning? Nothing amiss, I hope? I can get you some tea, or breakfast, if you haven¡¯t had it? Are you here to see Kana?¡± She leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°She was in a foul mood last night. Are you here to apologise?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± I managed. ¡°Oh, no breakfast thanks, we¡¯ve eaten. But I am here to see Kana.¡±


    ¡°He certainly is.¡± Shiro snorted. At that and the look on Eri¡¯s face, Nagi-san¡¯s eyes went wide, before she smiled.


    ¡°Really. I see. So, is this something I should be fetching Daichi for?¡± she teased, and I held in a groan.


    ¡°Uh, well, I¡¯ll probably need to speak to you two afterwards, maybe?¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I know my daughters heart. Before all this...¡± she gestured with her broom, making a striking gesture. ¡°I¡¯d have chased you away as a pest and a pervert, Akio-kun. But...¡± she looked at the girls behind me, who were looking wry. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching your progress these last months. And I know. It¡¯s best for the shrine, and more importantly, it¡¯s best for my Kana. We have spoken to the White Snake kami often, and he tells us of the battles to come, the danger to the world. I¡¯d rather Kana is protected, cherished, even if she¡¯s not traditionally married. So long as she¡¯s happy. And I¡¯ll still see her in a wedding dress, right? Daichi won¡¯t compromise on that, every father dreams to see his daughter happily married.¡±


    I¡¯m sweating, right? I shouldn¡¯t be sweating, my Resilience should be handling this. But Nagi-san is pretty intense.


    ¡°Well, marriage is a bit hasty. The reason he likes Kana-chan is that he feels comfortable and not pressured with her.¡± Eri interjected. ¡°But...¡± she rolled her eyes, and Nagi-san softly laughed.


    ¡°I get it. Well, this feels a bit bittersweet. My Kana, interested in romance. She¡¯s always been popular with boys and men alike, but this is the first time she¡¯s been interested in someone else. Well, good luck. I¡¯ll dig out the good sake in case...¡±


    Feeling no better, I headed on inside. Once in there I ran into Kana in her school uniform, the red blazer, white shirt and red and white checked skirt reminiscent of her uniform at the shrine. On seeing me, she looked surprised, before smoothing her face into a smile.


    ¡°Hey Akio, good morning. It isn¡¯t like you to come visit this early. I¡¯m sure mom will make you something if you want?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already offered. In fact, it¡¯s you I¡¯m here to see.¡± I said, sweating internally.


    ¡°Oh? Is there something you need? I don¡¯t have much time now before school, but if it¡¯s plans for the party later, I can...¡±


    ¡°Uh, no.¡± I said awkwardly, hating how I could still be so clumsy with girls at times despite my experiences nowadays. Taking a deep breath, I surprised her by bowing. ¡°Look, Kana. I¡¯m sorry. For last night, and... for before.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she narrowed her eyes, her expression tense. ¡°And do you know why you should be sorry?¡± she asked, tilting her head. ¡°It¡¯d be a shame if you didn¡¯t treat girls right, big bro.¡± Seeing her flirtatious appearance from when we first met was somehow soothing, though Eri clicked her tongue behind me. On seeing her, Kana shook her head, and her demeanour changed.


    ¡°Seriously, I was upset. No, is that the right word? Annoyed. Certainly annoyed. You... wait, I haven¡¯t heard your answer.¡±


    ¡°I do know. You bared your heart to me, and I¡¯ve not been kind. It¡¯s not that I rejected you, I mean, we don¡¯t have to accept confessions, do we? It¡¯s just...¡± I sighed, feeling genuinely bad. I had been aware of it in the back of my mind, but flirting with Kana had been safe, relaxing, and was totally beneath me and hurtful to her. I guess even if I didn¡¯t like her, I¡¯d have to make it up to her somehow... ¡°Sorry, Kana.¡± I bowed again. ¡°It was wrong of me to treat you so carelessly, when I had rejected you. I shouldn¡¯t have got your hopes up like that. I needed to be clear.¡±


    She thought that over, nodding. ¡°Yes, you did. I mean, I get it. I am the sort of girl boys love flirting with. But... yeah, it sucked. It wounded my pride, you know? And made me feel bad. I get that you weren¡¯t doing it out of malice, but... well, I get it. We can keep a proper distance from now on, right? We are friends and I support your goals, but... I think it¡¯ll be better.¡±


    Okay, not quite the way this is supposed to be going. I¡¯m talking myself into the friendzone here, right? ¡°Kana, we do need to redefine our friendship.¡± I nodded. ¡°I want you to understand, I found you so easy to get along with, fun... it was nice to spend time with a girl who had no baggage, no weight to carry...¡±


    ¡°I have plenty of baggage. Every girl does, right?¡± She blinked, a touch puzzled at the fact I was continuing to explain myself. Behind me, Shiro shook her head, and whispered theatrically that I was fumbling hard. ¡°Well...¡± Kana continued. ¡°I did always portray myself in a way I thought would attract you recently. I failed though.¡± she snorted bitterly. ¡°So... yeah. Can¡¯t wait forever, can I?¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± I agreed. ¡°Stringing you along because I liked you, I was the worst. But... it was hard to admit I did like you. Because I feel, no... felt that unless a girl needed me, there were other options, better options for her. And you¡¯re strong, proud, able to do whatever, be whoever you want. I don¡¯t want to call you ordinary, as it sounds an insult, but... even without the changing world, you¡¯d have done fine.¡±


    ¡°I would. Rich, handsome boyfriend, all the shopping and luxury lifestyle I wanted. I¡¯d have been happy enough. Though now I see it¡¯s hollow. Even though I have more money than ever.¡± She sighed. ¡°You do pay us too well. I¡¯m still in high school, but making adult money. Now though... well, I¡¯m Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Chosen and I guess I¡¯ll be your vassal at some point, so we need to keep things good between us.¡± She tossed her head, dark hair fluttering, and I was struck again how pretty she was. I didn¡¯t want to judge her against Eri, that would be rude to both of them, but they were in the same class of beauty, there was no doubt.


    ¡°We do. But not because of that.¡± I said, and Eri nudged me with her good arm. Seeing that, Kana¡¯s breath caught as she replayed the words I had just said.


    ¡°Wait, you liked me?¡± she said, shocked. ¡°As in...¡±


    ¡°Sorry. No, I¡¯m sick of apologising, even though I was wrong. Kana, I thought you were cute when we first met. Without you, I¡¯d never have got started with the shrines, and I¡¯d have missed out on a lot. Even when my stupidity put you in danger, you never blamed me, though you should have. I¡¯ve changed your life, and you don¡¯t resent me. Instead, I find myself enjoying it when we talk together or hang out during training. I thought of you as a friend, yes, but... if I had the guts for it, I¡¯d have...¡±


    ¡°Hold on, hold on.¡± She said, panicked, face red. ¡°Eri-chan, Shiro, is he...? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yep, our Aki is a certified bonehead. Good to see not everything¡¯s changed.¡±


    ¡°If you thought he was being a jerk flirting with you because he was being mean, he wasn¡¯t. He was being selfish and insensitive, and don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll get his punishment.¡± Eri promised. ¡°But he couldn¡¯t be that way with someone he doesn¡¯t like...¡±


    ¡°Well, he flirts with Hisano-san, Mio-san and the others too.¡± She pouted, not willing to accept that. ¡°But I admit... it feels different with me. Closer to like what you all have. Though I wondered if that was just my envy and pride speaking, making me see what simply wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now can you all be quiet?¡± I asked, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Kana, I...¡±


    ¡°Is he doing it? I¡¯m still asleep, right?¡± Kana mouthed, and Eri managed to shake her head.


    ¡°... I like you. I may be a man with a lot of commitments, many women, but in today¡¯s world, I¡¯m hoping you can live with that. Well, you knew it before, so... I think you should be cool on that, all right?¡± I managed. ¡°But... I¡¯m not asking you out because I pity you, or feel bad for you. I wasn¡¯t pushed into it... well, I was helped along, but only to realise how unfair I was being to you, and why. Kana, I think you¡¯re the sort of girl I want to spend time with, play around with, hell, along with everyone else, we¡¯ll maybe be fighting the world with. I know I hurt you, turning you down when you had the courage to confess, and trust me, right now I know just how rough that feels...¡± I laughed a little to try and diffuse the tension. ¡°... and I¡¯ve been unkind since, letting your feelings for me make me feel good without giving in return, but... I do like you Kana, and I want to give you happiness, along with the others. Will... will you be my girlfriend, go out with me?¡± I said the words, feeling relieved, and she froze.


    ¡°You can speak.¡± Eri said, kindly, and after a moment Kana blinked.


    ¡°Wait...¡± her face was bright red, so red I feared she¡¯d faint, and all the bluster and bravado, Kana¡¯s flirty, charming nature crumbled. ¡°You... this is serious, right? You aren¡¯t going to suddenly change your mind?¡±


    ¡°As long as you haven¡¯t.¡± I promised. ¡° I like you Kana. Not just your looks, though I admit, they¡¯re right in my strike zone. But you. Your charming, kind heart. All the other trainees look up to you, your cousin adores you. I love the way you reinvented yourself, changed, grew. And if I¡¯m honest, when you said you¡¯d move on to another guy and I¡¯d be sorry one day, I knew that was true. So, if your feelings haven¡¯t changed, Kana, please join me and the others on our journey, though good times and bad, together. But more importantly, with me. As my girlfriend.¡± There, I said it. Daiyu, Kana, really, I like them both. Tsukiko-san... well, she doesn¡¯t know much of the world. But I think I understand. Like Yukiko-san wants, I¡¯d love to teach Tsukiko-san all she¡¯s missed. And if she wanted to experience romance, love... with me... I couldn¡¯t say no to that. I wouldn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Akio. You love the way I reinvent myself. You like me... my personality? Really? You love me?¡± she asked, somehow desperate.


    ¡°Well like and love, they are just words.¡± I started, only for Eri to disagree.


    ¡°Important words. We women live off words. At least until we can feel the answers.¡±


    ¡°Well, to me they are just words. Because, Kana, I¡¯ll prove with my actions from now on. Assuming you can forgive me, and still want to be with me, then...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Akio, I¡¯ll go out with you.¡± She said, smiling at me brilliantly, her face red.


    ¡°I... ugh... I...¡± she started to weep, and I suddenly embraced her, letting her cry it out.


    ¡°You dummy, idiot, moron!¡± she wailed, heedless of her normal composed appearance. ¡°You put me through so much, you made me wait. It¡¯s not fair. You¡¯ve always been so cool, when you saved me, from then on... I couldn¡¯t see anything else... you made the old farts in the faith kneel, made them look at me with respect, our shrine too. I... I saw what the others had and realised I wanted it too. But... you kept me... waiting! Made me feel bad!¡± her fists battered me. ¡°I felt so wretched when you flirted with me, like I was being... shown what I wanted but... couldn¡¯t... ever have...¡± I stopped her words and tears with a kiss, and then she hugged me back, brown eyes peering into mine. As our lips parted, she hiccupped once, before her tears slowly stopped.


    ¡°Damn, I must look a fright. I can¡¯t go to school like this. You¡¯ve scrambled my mind, anyway.¡± Kana protested. Then she visibly gathered herself, her flirty mask returning. ¡°Well, at least I can tell everyone at school I¡¯ve finally got a boyfriend, right? Tonight, at the party... you¡¯ll escort me properly, won¡¯t you? You owe me that much.¡±


    ¡°Already making demands. Another yandere get.¡± Shiro laughed. Eri sighed, saying she would allow it, and seeing how it went, Daiyu congratulated her in crude Japanese.


    ¡°All right then!¡± Kana declared. ¡°Just give me a minute to wash my face, okay? Uh... I¡¯ll let you tell my dad. Good luck with that!¡± and with that she darted off, red even to her ears, the soft feel of her lips and the wetness of her tears lingering on my face. Well, the die is cast. But oddly enough, I don¡¯t feel bad at all. Seeing her smile, a genuine one... I was an idiot not to reach out and grasp what was in my sight...

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Three

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Three


    Kana, her face radiant now that she¡¯d cleaned up her tears and reapplied a little makeup, was sitting next to me, holding my arm triumphantly. It was a strange feeling, but it didn¡¯t feel bad, and I cast my mind back to my earlier conversation with Eri, who was rolling her eyes at us, though her expression wasn¡¯t critical, merely a little exasperated. Yeah, if things had been different, and Ortlinde never came to me... I¡¯d have stayed away from home forever barring the rare visit, and I wouldn¡¯t have ever had the courage to admit to myself that I liked Shiro, figuring I could never have done anything for her. So, maybe meeting a girl like Kana, pretty, fun, low-pressure... huh, come to think of it, she does remind me of my sis a bit, she has the same appetite for life and doing her own thing. Well, not that she¡¯d have given me a second glance in an ordinary world, but maybe... maybe I could have seen myself dating her.


    ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about, Akio?¡± she asked me, and the tone in which she said my name was different, the end rising cheekily. My curiosity must have shown on my face, as she flushed a little, letting out a small giggle. ¡°Well, Shiro calls you Aki very familiarly, right? I like that, so I want my own way of calling you. You... you are my boyfriend now, right?¡±


    ¡°That I am.¡± I agreed, stroking her hair softly. ¡°As for what I was thinking, something stupid. Just what-if¡¯s. But what-if¡¯s don¡¯t matter. We care about what is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Kana turned to look at the other three girls, while her mother and father sat opposite us, looking on with different expressions. Nagi-san was smiling gently, a warm look in her eyes as she observed her happy daughter, whereas Daichi-san looked a little troubled. There was a third person with them, Shirohebi in their androgenous human form looking on with keen interest.


    ¡°Speaking of... damn, I get a boyfriend and he¡¯s going away for the weekend with another woman. Poor me.¡± She laughed, and I felt a twinge of guilt, before she shook her head. ¡°That was a joke. I¡¯m not Eri-chan, I¡¯m not such a heavy woman.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I¡¯m perfectly accepting, Kana-chan.¡± Eri narrowed her eyes, and Kana laughed anew.


    ¡°That was another joke, Eri-chan. I admit, we didn¡¯t exactly hit it off, but you¡¯ve grown on me. Besides, I have to thank you for your help.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Mom, dad, I know really it¡¯s not your business who, if anyone, I choose to date, but Akio has asked me out. I like him. I have for a while. Perhaps it¡¯s just that he treats me like an adult, or that... ah, it doesn¡¯t matter why. That¡¯s for us to talk about.¡± She winked at me happily. ¡°Well, I decided he¡¯s worthy enough for a catch like me. And I am a catch, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure are.¡± I promised, enjoying the relaxed banter, quite unlike the feeling I had talking to Eri¡¯s parents.


    ¡°So, yeah, I¡¯m his girlfriend. It¡¯s not a normal situation, being as I¡¯m one of many, and in the past I¡¯d have called him a cheating scumbag, but...¡± she shrugged. ¡°... well, forget normal, right? None of us are normal. Besides...¡± she twisted her hair with one hand, as if revealing something troubling. ¡°... I¡¯m not a fool. Any rich guy I wrapped round my fingers and married would probably just have cheated on me anyway. I wasn¡¯t so much looking for love as security. Sorry Akio, but you know I¡¯m pretty shallow, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. Driven, I¡¯d say. And you still are. Just... what you want has changed. Really, I respect, I like hard workers, and you¡¯ve thrown yourself into work at the shrine and as a Chosen wholeheartedly, and without you we wouldn¡¯t have the successes with the trainees. It isn¡¯t wrong to want a comfortable, easy life. Well, we certainly won¡¯t have an easy life, not with the world in danger, but... comfortable. That I can promise.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. He showers us all with gifts. It even got him into trouble back when he hadn¡¯t told our parents anything. They wondered where he got all the money from.¡± Eri paused meaningfully, exchanging a look with Kana. ¡°He¡¯s not so good at remembering though, considering.¡± Eri looked at Kana¡¯s hair, and I realised she was wearing the hairclip I brought her back from Las Vegas, and she had been wearing it almost constantly.


    ¡°He¡¯s noticed now though.¡± Eri finished.


    ¡°This was the first gift you bought me.¡± Kana touched it gently. ¡°I was pretty flattered. I wasn¡¯t into you then, honestly, but I was interested in you and your life. It was so important, interesting compared to my boring life in the shrine. But then my boring life changed, and before I knew it, interest had changed to liking you. But... well, why talk about that? It¡¯s been annoying, but that¡¯s over. A few months of waiting, I can live with it. I did. So yeah, mom, dad, I¡¯m not asking permission or anything, we like each other. We like each other.¡± She repeated it happily. ¡°But since Akio is such a benefactor of the shrine and technically we all work for him, I thought I¡¯d make it clear, prevent awkwardness. Okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, Kana my dear.¡± Nagi-san said softly. ¡°Like you, I never imagined this sort of thing for you, but... well, I expected you¡¯d do well in life. Us Izumi women have very good looks.¡± She laughed. ¡°But as I¡¯ve watched over these last months, I can say I trust Akio-kun with you. Even if as a mother it makes me feel very conflicted.¡±


    ¡°You should get together with my mother.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°In fact, you could form a support group. Don¡¯t invite mother-in-law Emily though, she¡¯s totally on board with Akio gathering all the beautiful women of the world. She wants enough daughters-in-law for a sports team. I think she¡¯s asking for a Rugby team now, as baseball doesn¡¯t satisfy her anymore.¡±


    ¡°Which code?¡± I asked, not knowing much about Rugby, but remembering a few mentions of it from mom in the past.


    ¡°Union of course.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°That¡¯s got the most, right?¡±


    My mother sure does resemble my sis sometimes. No, wait, it¡¯d be the other way around, right? ¡°Of course it would be that. Well, putting my mother aside...¡± I nodded to Kana¡¯s parents. ¡°... I like Kana. And it may be selfish, and I am grateful to Eri and Shiro, Daiyu too, for accepting my selfishness, but... I want to date your daughter. So I will. My best regards.¡±


    ¡°So, when will the engagement be?¡± Daichi-san asked, looking pointedly at the rings on Eri¡¯s and Shiro¡¯s fingers, only for Kana to hiss, puffing out her red cheeks, irritated.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be an idiot. We¡¯re dating, not getting married. We haven¡¯t even been dating an hour. I want to go on fun dates, hang out, snuggle together. I guess working and fighting battles together too. Never saw that coming.¡± She let out a little giggle. ¡°Marriage? I¡¯m not so insecure that I need to be engaged.¡± She looked at me, eyes sparkling. ¡°And I¡¯ve heard from Eri how poorly you asked her. If you do that to me, I¡¯ll kick you, I swear! Seriously... dating, romance, it¡¯s supposed to be fun, heart racing, breath coming fast.¡± She grinned. ¡°Well, I¡¯m feeling it now, so I hope you are too. But dad... if I still like Akio, I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll never get bored of me, so it¡¯ll happen. Naturally. No need to force things. So until then, just be happy for us.¡± She looked at the other girls then.


    ¡°Eri-chan, Shiro, Daiyu... uh, she can¡¯t understand me, can she? Oh, you¡¯re translating?¡± Shiro nodded. ¡°Well then. This goes for the others too. But I¡¯ll tell them myself. I think we have it hard. But feeling sorry for our hardships is stupid. Let¡¯s be honest. What do you look for in a guy? I looked for...¡± she checked her fingers. ¡°Handsome. Rich. Kind. I think we win. But now, I also look for likes me for me, who I am. And I don¡¯t need it, but it sure is good that he¡¯s powerful.¡± She closed her fifth finger. ¡°Royal flush, right? So if we complain, less fortunate girls have the right to hate us. I don¡¯t want to be the sort of bitch...¡±


    Her father frowned at her language but said nothing as she continued. ¡°... I used to hate at school. I know what I¡¯m signing up for. Only you didn¡¯t, Eri-chan, so you have my sympathies, but...¡±


    ¡°... no. This is down to me. I know Akio would have been faithful. But... seeing him and Shaeula clearly pining for each other hurt. So I made my choice. Kana-chan, you¡¯re right. And this is why Akio needs you. Look, he¡¯s smiling.¡±


    She¡¯s right, I am. I was enjoying the banter, and the sense of fun Kana was exuding, allowing me to forget the pressure I was under for just a moment. Though when my gaze fell on Eri and the others, my heart felt warm too. Really, they are all too good for... no, that¡¯s falling back in self-effacing, self-destructive thought patterns. Let me rethink that. They are all the best girls, and I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m not a man to match them. ¡°Of course I¡¯m smiling. I¡¯m happy. I finally realised something important, thanks to you all. Kana, some ordinary dates sound fun. I know the other girls enjoy things like meals out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll eat parfait, watch a movie, go to an arcade. Even sitting atop Asha¡¯s terrace drinking juice is fun. And maybe we¡¯ll even do some battle dates. Boys normally like playing video games, right? Well we get to do it for real.¡± Kana chortled. ¡°And as for us...¡± she looked at Eri and the others. ¡°... nights in, just us girls. Gossip and talk about fashion. Shopping! We have to do lots of shopping. We all have other friends too, we have to get together, get to know each other better. Really, I want to do everything an annoying in-love couple does, and everything friends do. Without being a bitch about it. We don¡¯t need to show off, we just need to have fun!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a smart girl, Aki.¡± Shiro approved. ¡°If we¡¯re constantly buried in the abnormal, we¡¯ll break, no matter how strong we think we are.¡± Shiro gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Welcome aboard!¡±


    ¡°So see, dad, mom. It¡¯s all good. You don¡¯t need to treat Akio any differently. We¡¯re just a boy and a girl dating, being in love.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°With thisss, the ssshrine hasss a sssecure future.¡± Shirohebi said suddenly, drawing all eyes. ¡°What isss wrong?¡± it asked, puzzled. ¡°The heir to the ssshrine ssshall be born from the union of my favoured ssshrine maiden and the benefactor who protectsss usss. Isss thisss not a cause for joy?¡±


    Kana was red as a tomato now, Nagi-san with a hand over her mouth muttering ¡°oh my¡±, and Daichi-san looked a bit shocked at that. Eri was also flushing, while Shiro was laughing uproariously, Daiyu looking on uncomprehending.


    ¡°No way!¡± Kana managed at last. ¡°Talk of stuff like babies is totally premature. We have to enjoy dating first, all the fun things couples do! Sure, I¡¯m not entering this relationship lightly. If we stay together, some day it¡¯ll happen. But not until we¡¯re older!¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± I stroked her hair some more, gently brushing it. ¡°But even if we wanted to, now isn¡¯t a good time. Until we¡¯ve headed off at least the disasters Tsukiko-san foretold, and we have power enough to be secure here in Japan and my Territory, that¡¯d be foolish.¡±


    ¡°So shut up, Shirohebi, or I¡¯ll turn this shrine into one for Ks?itigarbha! She¡¯s done more for me than you!¡± Kana said, half in jest, and there was laughter...


    ********


    Kana had left for school, her parents giving her a note explaining her lateness. One good thing about her school being a specialist shrine school was that the teachers were a little flexible about religious matters. With that done, I headed back to the Territory, taking Shiro to refresh her buffs, while Eri was doing her schooling, and Daiyu was studying her Cultivation, and also learning Japanese from my old Chinese teacher.


    I collected my upgraded gear from master Bjarki, who had bloodshot eyes and was pale and covered in burns. Even so, when he saw Shiro, his gaze narrowed like a bloodhound, and so more buffs were applied to him. My spear had been improved a little, becoming stronger and lighter, as well as having a hidden gimmick using some of the materials we had gathered during our battles. In addition, Hyacinth had received some weapons, though she wouldn¡¯t show me what, merely giggling to herself saying it was a surprise, and Shaeula¡¯s Pinwheels had been reinforced to better handle lightning element.


    In addition to that, Hyacinth was wearing her new armour, though she had it under her customary maid outfit. There was a set for Shaeula as well, and a set for me, which I put on, feeling more relaxed to have extra protection. Now that I had my sword and spear, as well as armour, I was ready for anything.


    Twilight Brigandine ¨C Item Class: [Noble] Item Type: [Rule]


    This armour is crafted from a combination of metallic Twilight Cloth, creating a double-layered design, black with white inner fabric, and further fortified by small plates of dwarven steel in key areas. The armour increase the stealth of the wearer and offers improved healing of injuries and a slight boost to recovery of aether, in addition to having very high defence, and the material can be somewhat repaired by the release of light or darkness energies as appropriate, stimulating the remnants of the Myconid Duke inside. However, full restoration is not possible and maintenance from a skilled master of Dvergr Arts is advised.


    ¡°I¡¯m just good at looking after young girls, like Eri and my sis. I know how to be supportive.¡± I assured him.


    ¡°All right then. Well, screw it. Hey man...¡± he addressed Hiroto-san. ¡°So you¡¯re Hinata-chan¡¯s brother then? Must suck to be you, our wolf here taking her away. Well, how about us two loser guys have a few drinks and talk about love, or our lack of it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to rain on your parade, Yasu-san, but from what Hinata tells me, Hiroto-san here is very popular with the ladies.¡± As Yasu-san looked at him, he nodded, a touch proud. If Hinata could see that, she¡¯d lecture him again...


    ¡°Ugh, seriously? Shit.¡± Yasu-san cursed. ¡°Oh well, you can listen to me vent then. Shit. At least the girls here are cute to look at...¡±


    As I left the two of them to it, marvelling over Yasu-san¡¯s double standards, I headed over to Kana¡¯s group. On seeing me coming over, she stood and grabbed me in a hug, showing off. ¡°Hi there, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, she¡¯s saying it like it¡¯s a nickname for her boyfriend.¡± Mio-san laughed. ¡°Well, I guess it is.¡±


    ¡°It definitely is.¡± She released me. ¡°Right Akio?¡± she repeated charmingly.


    ¡°You little tease.¡± I laughed, pleased. ¡°Anyway, how is everyone enjoying the party? You¡¯ve all worked hard and shown great results, with hopefully more to come.¡± I looked at the trainees from the neutral shrines then. ¡°Well, you all missed out, but I hear you were working hard in your own ways.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll whip them into shape. You¡¯ll help, right?¡± She asked the twins, who were sitting on the other side of Ren-san to the not-so-subtly flirting Asami-san. They answered in the affirmative, finishing each other¡¯s sentences, and Kana nodded, satisfied. ¡°We¡¯ll be having a lot of newcomers, a number of them soldiers and important people. I¡¯m a bit nervous but...¡±


    ¡°Well, you have the authority from Oshiro-san now...¡± said one of the returning students, the young man from Akaiwashi shrine. ¡°... it would be a fool who crosses you. And consolidating those skilled to you however necessary is a prudent plan.¡±


    ¡°I have to correct that misconception.¡± I said, idly stroking Kana¡¯s hair, while she looked happy and triumphant. ¡°Kana was already stepping up before this. She doesn¡¯t need my authority to be a leader. She was already a key figure here, everyone looked to her guidance, right?¡±


    As the others agreed, I continued. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t agree to date Kana because she¡¯s useful. I did it because I like her.¡± I kissed her hair, and she flushed scarlet, before grabbing me and giving me a kiss on the lips in front of everyone. It wasn¡¯t a deep one, but it was passionate, and her brown eyes were damp as we parted.


    ¡°Oh, so Kana-chan, when are you... you know?¡± Mio-san laughed vulgarly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Kissing is all he gets for now. I¡¯m not an easy woman. I¡¯ll be wanting romantic dates and treating right before I put out. I have to keep him keen, after all.¡± She lectured them, her face red even to the tips of her ears. She then looked at me. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. I know I can rely on others as well when I need to. Don¡¯t worry about anything this weekend, we¡¯ve got it all in hand. Though I hope...¡± she said shyly. ¡°... when you come back, we can be... well, a little more like boyfriend and girlfriend?¡±


    As some of the girls laughed and congratulated her, though to be honest a few did still look bemused by my casual polygamy, though most had become immune to it by the presence of my many women around the shrine and in their training sessions in the Boundary, I thought that Kana was simply adorable. ¡°Yeah, well, I promised Eri a weekend away somewhere, just the two of us. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to go into the heart of Tokyo. Go shopping in Harajuku, try on a lot of nice clothes that you like. Then a movie, dinner in a restaurant, maybe an aquarium, a theme park or the zoo... you know, date stuff. That would be enough.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice. We¡¯ll do that.¡± I promised, and I talked with them for a little longer, before heading to the last major group, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi and Eri. Shiro had been with them for a while, but she was now talking to Yasu-san and Hiroto-san, and from the look on her face she was having a good time toying with them both. Especially Yasu-san. He¡¯s like us all, Shiro is a force of nature we can¡¯t help but love, but she¡¯s always a handful.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Daiyu?¡± I asked after our greetings were exchanged, and Eri told me that she had decided to return to the Boundary to work on her new ideas, after the Japanese lessons. ¡°Oh I see.¡± I said, when she had explained. ¡°A shame, I wanted to spend a little more time with her before I go. Well, if she¡¯s busy, I get it. This is a party, not an obligation. Speaking of...¡± I looked at Natsumi and Motoko. ¡°... are you ready for the trip? I spoke to Tsumura-san, and he didn¡¯t want you back too late.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather worries rather too much.¡± Motoko said, though she didn¡¯t look displeased. ¡°Natsumi and I can manage on little sleep nowadays. But yes, it would not do to sleep on the plane. After all...¡± she looked at Natsumi, who finished the sentence, a bright expression on her face.


    ¡°... it¡¯ll be our first journey abroad with you, Akio!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m jealous, but... I¡¯ve been to America, and...¡± Eri looked at me.


    ¡°Yeah, I promised, I know.¡± I rubbed her head, and she leaned as much as she could into it. When that was done, and due to the looks in their own eyes, I ended up giving all of them head pats too. Girls really seem to like them.


    ¡°So, do you think things will go well with Princess Eleanor?¡± Hinata asked. ¡°We¡¯ve all been looking up articles on her, haven¡¯t we?¡± She smiled at the others. ¡°It¡¯s very fresh actually being able to use the internet and not be censored. It¡¯s a privilege only we get amongst our classmates at Hanafubuki.¡± She said, and Motoko and Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t look up anything weird. The internet is a strange place. And watch out talking to strangers. People lie on the internet all the time.¡± Eri warned.


    ¡°You are really set on being in charge of us recently.¡± Hinata laughed. ¡°Thanks for caring though, Eri. But no, I¡¯m not interested in looking for knowledge I¡¯ve been denied. Really... I don¡¯t agree with us being kept so sheltered, but it isn¡¯t all bad.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There is much we have no need of knowing.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°But that aside, the Princess of Great Britain is rather famous, though perhaps not as much as her brothers. She tends to keep out of the public eye as much as she can.¡±


    ¡°Though being a Princess, that¡¯s impossible.¡± Natsumi continued. ¡°Well, I think we¡¯ll do what we have to. It¡¯s why we are going, after all. Not just to have fun. Though I am sure we will have a lot of fun.¡± She said happily.


    ¡°Well, what are you all doing at the weekend then?¡± I asked, and Hinata shrugged.


    ¡°Mayumi invited me over. We¡¯re going to talk and strategise.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be giving away too much.¡± I said, and she snorted, amused.


    ¡°Just who do you think I am? I¡¯m not too soft-hearted and giving like you, Akio! I¡¯m a ruthless businesswoman! I¡¯m going to make her jealous of our plans without giving the important details away. Of course, if she wants to invest in some of my ideas, she can, but I¡¯ll maintain the controlling stake. Oh... that reminds me, I wanted to speak to your personal banker. You¡¯re with Midas Gold, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Here¡¯s their card.¡± I took it out my wallet and handed it over. ¡°But will they speak to you regarding my accounts?¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡± She said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m Takatsukasa Hinata, and those in high society know we¡¯re together. The Japanese branch of the bankers for the rich and powerful would have to know all the latest moves in the world of the nobility.¡±


    ¡°All right, I was just asking.¡± I laughed, and she giggled.


    ¡°I know. For the average person, that¡¯d be true. But the true upper class of Japan operates by different rules. I expect it¡¯s the same in the UK, so be careful. Don¡¯t offend royalty or the nobility or you¡¯ll regret it.¡± She warned. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, keep an eye on him so he doesn¡¯t do anything reckless, please!¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m only going to talk...¡± I said, a little affronted, and Eri sighed.


    ¡°I second that. When Akio has that expression on his face, it doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I protested again, and we laughed, before the conversation turned to what Eri would be doing. It seemed Shiro was going to look after her, and that she was planning on inviting Hayato-san and the gang, as well as Arisu-san and the others, and having a night out in Tokyo.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the explosive combination...¡± I said, eyeing Yasu-san as he bent the ear of Hinata¡¯s brother, who was too well-bred to shoo him away. ¡°... I¡¯d be more worried about that than the UK...¡± As we talked and the party started to wind down, I looked at my watch. ¡°All right, it¡¯s time for you two to head home. Hinata, you as well.¡± As we said our goodbyes, my thoughts turned to tomorrow, and the United Kingdom. Well, I¡¯d better give mom and Aiko a call first thing in the morning before I head off. If I don¡¯t then I¡¯ll only regret it...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Three – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Three ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    The sky is changing. Is that a good omen, I wonder? Eleanor looked up at the skies over London of the world of dreams, or the Avalon, as her grandmother said it was known as in the oldest records of the Royal Family. But Raidre calls it a different name, and says what we see and fight over is a mere shadow of the Astral, where dwells his lands. Silver lightning was continuing to arc across the skies, ripples of rainbow light playing around them, the light somehow both bright and dark at the same time, like sunlight through the brilliant stained glass of Westminster Abbey.


    From her position on top of the towering edifice of the Tower of London, many times more striking and higher than it ever was in the real London, she could see the Abbey, as well as the Palace, and other magnificent buildings, some of which her team had worked tirelessly to clear and bring under her control, though remembering made her shudder, her green and bronze armour rattling. Buckingham Palace had been hard enough, though ancient stone wards built into the foundations there had kept out the worst of the dwellers of this Boundary between the Astral lands of the Fae and the world Eleanor inhabited as a human. St. Paul¡¯s Cathedral was hell... I never want to go through that again, but... Such was a false hope.


    The creatures inside had been organised and vile, a veritable army of monstrous, black-skinned imps and twisted shadowy creatures like malformed, half-melted people resisting them. Only deft teamwork that her group had forged over dozens of bloody battles was enough to keep them from being overwhelmed, and in the end the ruler of St. Paul¡¯s had come forth, a goat-headed, four armed abomination. Its wicked gaze had caused them to freeze, stunned, even Eleanor, and only David had sprung into battle, shouting his ode to Caturix and swinging his great mace. Even so, he surely would have died to the great blast of fire and darkness the creature had conjured, only Sarah¡¯s shield deflecting it at the last moment as she shook off her fears.


    I remember. The shock spurred me into action, the others as well... As Eleanor watched the skies, the rainbow aurorae seeming more pronounced than they had been recently, she reminisced idly. Aditi had launched an arrow, while Sir Arthur had moved up to support the beleaguered, cursing David, whose mouth was as foul as ever. A faint smile touched her lips as she remembered their recriminations, David blustering that it was ¡°All your damn fault, you stupid red woman!¡± to Sarah even as her shield was rippling with suppressed flames, sparks scattering everywhere, all because she had pushed for taking the Cathedrals and other buildings around the Tower.


    Mary-Jane had then cast her spells, and strength settled in everyone. Donovan was using David and Sarah as a bulwark, his spear flickering, lightning flashing as he stabbed into the bellowing demon, and one arm of the fiend was crushed as David surged with power, calling out the words that activated his blessing in full. After that, Eleanor had charged, and though her body was rocked by explosions and drenched in dark, acrid poison, her armour taking blow after blow, her flesh tearing and reknitting... in the end they had finished the battle, and as they all basked under the healing glow of the last of Mary-Jane¡¯s power, they had fallen exhausted to the ground, but had liberated St. Pauls. Though after that, we¡¯ve been rather more prudent. But closer-knit as a team, too...


    ¡°So, this is where you¡¯ve been, Princess?¡± a familiar voice said, and as she whipped around, her brown ponytail swaying, a burst of motion happened around her, dozens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dog-sized ravens scattering, taking to the silvery skies above, black feathers falling behind them like rain.


    ¡°David, don¡¯t creep up on me like that.¡± Eleanor sighed softly, her startled heart settling. ¡°Why are you even here? This is scheduled as a rest day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m not like the girls or the pretty boy, nor over the hill like Arthur.¡± David grunted, running a hand through his unruly hair. ¡°I¡¯ve never been one to let my edge grow dull. I would never have been champion in the Octagon so many times if I took a bloody rest day every other day.¡± he exaggerated angrily, but Eleanor found that comforting, seeing as it was his usual bluster. ¡°Besides...¡± he jerked a thumb at her rudely. ¡°You aren¡¯t taking your own advice, are you?¡±


    ¡°So rude.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve told you to watch your language, David.¡±


    ¡°Ah, shit, you aren¡¯t the boss of me, Princess.¡± He said by way of apology, which it really wasn¡¯t, but as always she let it slide.


    ¡°Well, technically I rather am, I think. Grandmother would say so too.¡± She said, namedropping the Queen, gratified at the momentary look of respect in his eyes. Yes, grandmother, you still have it. ¡°As for your unfounded complaint, David... I am hardly doing much but resting. I simply like to come here and look out over the London I control, my Avalon. We¡¯ve done well, haven¡¯t we? Seeing this, it firms up my resolve.¡±


    At that David sighed, stomping over to her, joining her overlooking London. Being out in the open so high up in the ordinary world would have left them vulnerable to the breeze blowing them off the balcony, or been rather uncomfortable at the least, so it was a blessing that the air here was always still. They stood in silence for a moment, before David spoke. ¡°You know, you¡¯re not a coward, Princess. After all, we managed to do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did. Thanks to you all.¡± Eleanor smiled, a little pride worming into her heart. They had finally strengthened her control around the Tower enough that in theory she could claim nearly halfway to the M25 that ringed London proper. ¡°Well, we still have a long way to go. But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it.¡± David laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll stick with you for now, Princess. After all, I¡¯m getting well paid for it.¡± He snorted. ¡°And not just from you and the Queen. Though I still hate that Max Power prick. Silver Hands... with a name like that, do they think they¡¯re Celtic Gods?¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not doing anything improper.¡± She warned him. ¡°Being one of my team affords you a lot of leeway, but if you are embezzling charitable funds donated to you for good causes, I won¡¯t be keeping silent.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± He spat over the railings, watching the droplets fall to the ground far below. ¡°Give me some credit, Princess. I¡¯m not so hard up for cash I¡¯d take it from a shady prick like him. The last thing I want is for them to try blackmailing me. Though I¡¯m not some blushing schoolgirl, if he tried it on me I¡¯d just crush him and his Silver Hands. They won¡¯t match my fists!¡± He clenched his for emphasis. ¡°No, unlike that idiot redhead and Mary-Jane, I¡¯m not interested in orphanages or soup kitchens, or housing for the homeless...¡±


    Eleanor narrowed her eyes, and he paused, before moderating his tone. ¡°Shit, all good causes, I guess. But me... I¡¯m setting up gyms, boxing, MMA, practical martial arts. Best way to help people, boys or girls, men or women, is to teach them to be strong, disciplined, able to overcome their fears and oppression.¡±


    ¡°To be reckless, you might say?¡± Eleanor smiled softly, making a pun.


    ¡°Hah. Hah. Hah.¡± He said mockingly. ¡°Very droll, Princess. But no, the one thing I fucking don¡¯t advise is being reckless. A fighter has to keep a cool head, else he¡¯ll have it cut off by a blow he doesn¡¯t see coming. That¡¯s why a little caution is good. I¡¯d rather fight with someone who thinks themselves a coward but gets shit done, than an idiot who only knows how to charge ahead.¡±


    I think you describe yourself a little there. ¡°I see. Well, I suppose learning how to fight in these troubled times is as worthy a goal as any, so charitable institutions that teach such strikes me as a good use of money. I just wish...¡±


    ¡°That it wasn¡¯t coming from such a bunch of chucklefucks?¡± he said, and that crudity did get a laugh from her then.


    ¡°Such a vile tongue. Mary-Jane would wash your mouth out with soap and water.¡± She made a jest, and David agreed.


    ¡°She would, the old bag.¡± He then narrowed his eyes. ¡°Old Max and his clowns are annoying sure, but what about the stupid religious nuts? I mean, sure, that blonde is fucking gorgeous, and if she¡¯d just keep her mouth shut I¡¯d be more than happy to show her vows of chastity are for idiots...¡±


    Eleanor blushed at that, but she kept silent, as he was not too dissimilar in his attitude towards them. That Mary Stuart. Grandmother is keeping an eye on her and apparently she is a genuine member of a Catholic order, according to the Archbishop of Westminster, though it was an obscure, ancient one, with little to no standing in the modern Church, she was assured.


    ¡°... well, fuck it. I guess if all they are going to do is sermonise at me, I can shake it off. Words are wind, unless backed up by fists. And I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to give up my faith in Caturix for some Sunday Mass and a little Confessional. Here¡¯s where my faith lies.¡± He spat out over London again.


    ¡°Well, mine too.¡± Eleanor said softly. ¡°But sometimes I wonder... no, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Cheer up.¡± He said in a gruff attempt to console her. ¡°Well, look. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re doing this alone. There¡¯s Sam¡¯s team, Anderson¡¯s, more... sure, we¡¯ve had a few losses, but... every time you step into that Octagon, there¡¯s a chance you won¡¯t step back out. And war is far more dangerous, right? Fuck me, this is when Mary-Jane should be here, she¡¯s good at pep talks. Hell, you¡¯ve got that snide fair folk shit Raidre with you now, him and all his shape-shifting weirdos. And the living suits of armour you found in the Palace too. We don¡¯t have to worry so much about protecting this place twenty-four frigging seven anymore. Even the girls, pretty boy Donovan and old Arthur are starting to build their own little armies. Though shit, the redhead drives me nuts, spending all her time turtling up. You don¡¯t win a bloody war by cowering behind guns and trenches!¡±


    ¡°The redhead?¡± Eleanor mimicked. He¡¯s always so harsh on Sarah, they bicker like cats and dogs. It¡¯s very amusing, but I think there¡¯s a little more to it... ¡°You really do like her, don¡¯t you David?¡±


    ¡°Guilty conscience there, David?¡± she said at last. ¡°Fine. But I hope whoever will be attending the gala as emissary from Japan isn¡¯t such a small, unfaithful person. I don¡¯t want to have to deal with someone vulgar.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the Princess I know, so haughty and refined.¡± David scoffed. ¡°Well, whatever happens, happens. But it¡¯s not like you have to worry, is it? Sure, we have a lot of foreign guests this time, including the Japanese who spooked you so, but you know if they try anything, well, the whole gang¡¯ll be there, and a lot of us from other teams. It¡¯ll be their fucking funerals if they give you shit. I owe you that much, boss.¡±


    At his insincere respect, she sighed. ¡°Thanks, I guess. Yes, obviously I¡¯ll be safe in the Palace with so many of us around, even if there will be some potentially dangerous foreigners in attendance. Though of course grandmother will have made certain the Foreign Office does their due diligence on every guest, I¡¯m sure. In fact...¡± That¡¯s a good idea. I can go read their files. I¡¯d rather be prepared...


    As her mood brightened, as she was now able to do something tangible, David grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, back to the pushy Princess. Well, chin up, the way our progress is accelerating, maybe we¡¯ll be in control of all of London by Christmas?¡± he slammed his fists together happily.


    ¡°Christmas? Hardly.¡± Each step is far harder than the step before, though of course David is right, our progress is rapid indeed. But then, as grandmother often says, several times in our recent history have we said ¡®It¡¯ll be over by Christmas¡¯ and it¡¯s never gone well... ¡°But we do need to continue our momentum. I can¡¯t keep letting these matters distract me. Otherwise all our hard work up to now will be put to waste. And as a Windsor, I can¡¯t allow that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± David said, once more pounding his fists. ¡°So, while we are both here, want to go hunting? Somewhere close and safe... trust me, as a pro, I know keeping a routine is key. Getting rusty leads to injuries!¡±


    Perhaps this is what I need. To take my mind off other matters. ¡°Very well then. But...¡± she ordered sternly, her blue eyes like frozen sapphires. ¡°... we do this safely. I would hate for you to get injured. You don¡¯t heal like I do, David.¡±


    ¡°Hah, well, who cries and sobs when she gets hurt, Princess? Sure, you keep on fighting, which I can respect, but...¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up.¡± She said, her tone as cold as her glittering eyes. ¡°If we¡¯re going, let¡¯s just go...¡± David is annoyingly insubordinate, but... he is a comrade I trust...


    ********


    Walking back through the halls of the Palace to meet her grandmother, still exhausted from her battles with David, which had rapidly escalated and of course led to them both suffering minor injuries, Eleanor was sulking. Damn that man. Reckless should be his middle name, not his surname. Still, I had my revenge. Teasing David about his fiery relationship with Sarah was fun, as he reacted every time. Hmm, I think they have a word for that sort of person in Japan, don¡¯t they? What was it... hmm, no, I am afraid I¡¯m drawing a blank. Since she had Japan on her mind, as she was heading to retrieve whatever intelligence her grandmother had gathered, the thought just occurred to her, and as she was musing on that fruitlessly, she rounded one corner only to run into her middle brother, Henry, who greeted her with a concerned smile, running a hand through his spiky, reddish-brown hair.


    ¡°Hey, Eleanor. Good timing, I¡¯ve been looking for you!¡± he boomed, his voice as loud and bombastic as his personality. He was beloved by the people for his years of service in the Military, and his support of charitable causes related to that upon his discharge. Of course now, they are more interested in his love-life. Well, nothing much has changed there.


    As she smiled slightly, she raised a hand, forestalling him. ¡°Henry, brother dear, do keep your voice down. I¡¯m standing right here, you don¡¯t have to roar, I¡¯m not in a helicopter. So, is Melissa not with you today?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s got an interview for a fashion magazine, a photoshoot as well. You¡¯ll buy a copy, right?¡± he said, inordinately proud of his latest girlfriend, an American. Well, I¡¯ve seen it all before with Henry, but he does seem more serious about her than some of the others. I did like Chelsea though... a shame. Well, men¡¯s opinions on romance don¡¯t match with mine. My talk with David earlier proves that.


    ¡°Of course. So, you wanted something? I was just going to see grandmother, so...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± He said loudly. ¡°it¡¯s about the upcoming party here at the Palace. I¡¯m concerned. There¡¯ll be... others here, I heard.¡± He lowered his voice finally, looking around furtively. ¡°Not trustworthy like our own people. What if one tries to hurt you?¡± He looked troubled at that. ¡°Seriously, Richard and I worry about you, Ellie.¡± He used her nickname from when they were younger. ¡°Isn¡¯t there another way? I¡¯ve talked to father and grandmother, but...¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I wanted there to be another way.¡± She shook her head. ¡°But Henry, this came to me. I suppose better that than it passing to the next generation. If Richard¡¯s children... or maybe yours, perhaps with Melissa, right...¡± she teased her brother, and he flushed a shade not too dissimilar to his hair. ¡°... had to bear this burden, I would grieve for them and worry too. So... I appreciate your worries, Richard¡¯s as well. But... grandmother told you that you can¡¯t do anything but support me emotionally, right?¡±


    ¡°I hate that.¡± He pouted like a child. ¡°Seriously, the boys in the army adore you, Ellie. Just say the word and I could have a hundred, no, a thousand veterans ready to lay down their lives for you. We¡¯d have to be better than those stupid fairies.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to Raidre and his Fae. After all, they are technically British too, right? Besides, their knowledge and wisdom has improved our efficiency and safety significantly. As for your veterans... Henry, I hope you¡¯ve not been gossiping about this? Both father, grandmother and the Prime Minister all agree we need to keep this under wraps.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course not.¡± He managed after a while. ¡°Well, I might have said you might need helping out of a jam in the near future, but I gave no details, I promise Ellie!¡± he assured her. ¡°Well, we all know what happened in Japan right? That mess with China? Grandmother says it was people like you. If that happens here, you¡¯ll want the lads around, trust me. They aren¡¯t scared of mystical powers, they¡¯ll take a bullet, a fireball or a bloody dagger for you!¡±


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but... it¡¯s all in hand. Now, I need to see grandmother. I am taking care of my safety. Its why I want to check up on our visitors beforehand, to prevent trouble and unwelcome surprises.¡±


    ¡°Well, you always had the brains in our family, Eleanor.¡± He was back to their more adult address. ¡°I mean, I barely scraped through Eton with a couple of passes. You managed to pass everything. Dad was so proud.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Eleanor reminisced. ¡°But my passes were all in the C and B range, I¡¯m hardly clever. Though compared to you, Henry...¡±


    ¡°Ouch. I¡¯m hurt, you shot me with a truth bullet.¡± He grinned, before his expression turned serious. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be there at the party, though Richard has to stay away, can¡¯t have the heir and the spare both in harm¡¯s way. As for the guest list... well, there¡¯s a troubling one from Melissa¡¯s homeland, and the Japanese contingent is... odd. Well, apparently there¡¯s two coming who are like you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, thanks for the heads-up, Henry.¡± An American, huh? The Prime Minister has been raging at them recently, diplomatic relationships are more than strained. Well... ¡°Do invite me to dinner with Melissa sometime. If you are serious, I should put in the effort to get to know her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d like that. She¡¯s a big fan of your elegance, Ellie.¡± Back to that, I see. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t tell her how brave and awesome you really are...¡±


    ¡°Well, only when you actually marry.¡± Eleanor said, amused. ¡°Seriously though, keep it together, Henry. You know that grandmother is doing everything to secure my safety. You served, Richard served, it seems it¡¯s my destiny to serve Britain too, in a different sort of army.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you retire, I¡¯ll make sure you are looked after. You¡¯ll be a veteran too then.¡± Henry said jovially, though Eleanor could see his worry. ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll take a hint and leave you to it.¡± And after their goodbyes, Eleanor was alone in the quiet corridor. Steeling herself, she headed towards her grandmother¡¯s rooms, ready to find out all she could...

 Three Hundred And Sixty Four

    Three Hundred And Sixty Four


    ¡°God, I¡¯m so jealous bro, I¡¯ve always wanted to visit the UK, since it¡¯s where mom was from!¡± my sis was saying heatedly, as we talked on the phone early in the morning. ¡°You lived there too, when you were just a little kid, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t really remember all that much, though now my stats are higher, it¡¯s strange, it¡¯s like a lot of my old memories have grown sharper. Well, look, when you graduate, if we have time, we can go on a trip, but for now you have to knuckle down and make sure you perform. You do want to get into a decent Tokyo university, right? You won¡¯t do that missing any more school.¡± I warned.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Damn bro, no need to lecture.¡± She sighed, not sounding too displeased. ¡°I know you are just desperate for me to move to Tokyo and live with you, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t blow it.¡± She snorted, amused. ¡°Well, Eri¡¯s not going with you either, right? She must be depressed.¡±


    ¡°Actually...¡± I glanced at Eri who was listening, as I had my phone on speaker mode, and she managed a little shrug. Beside her, Shiro rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced by Eri¡¯s calm. ¡°... she¡¯s focused on her recovery. Besides, when all this is done, I¡¯ll be taking her on a weekend away, just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Nice. I guess you¡¯re learning how to handle girls a little bit, bro. So... wow, Kana-chan is finally in, huh? I¡¯m a little surprised, being as how she was pretty standoffish with Eri, but... well, it¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t like you bro. By the way, mom is hopping up and down beside me, eager to talk. It¡¯s probably something stupid though, so I¡¯ll keep the phone for now...¡±


    ¡°Now Ai, that was very rude. Your mom is going to say some very important things...¡± mom protested, but my sis continued to talk.


    ¡°So, Eri¡¯s going to be all right while you¡¯re gone? I do worry a bit...¡±


    ¡°Oh Aiko...¡± Eri breathed at that, but with a grin, Shiro talked into the handset, her breath hot on my ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right Aiko. I¡¯ll be looking after her this weekend. While Aki is away I¡¯m not going to sit around moping, I¡¯ll be hitting Tokyo hard, partying with friends old and new. I¡¯ll take care of Eri and we¡¯ll be too busy having fun to miss him!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Aiko said, relieved. ¡°Well, I can trust you, Shiro. But I don¡¯t envy you. Eri can get really cranky when she¡¯s jealous. YandEri indeed.¡±


    ¡°Aiko...¡± Eri growled, and there was some laughter, before we got back on topic.


    ¡°So, anyway, school going all right?¡± I asked, and she answered happily.


    ¡°Yeah, my maths and science grades are now top of the school. I have to be careful not to score too well. Coupled with my English scores and sporting abilities, so long as I don¡¯t blow Japanese and a few other classes, the exams should be a cakewalk. Wow, my life really did change when you brought Shaeula back to Nishimorioka bro. I¡¯m hurt you were keeping all this to yourself!¡±


    Well it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have a reason, even if maybe they weren¡¯t the best, too overcautious... ¡°Well, that¡¯s all in the past. So, how are Rika-san and Yae? Good, I hope. Not ... overexerting themselves?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them you asked after them. Yae-chan will be thrilled. But... no, I¡¯m not pushing them. I just let them do basic training. Mostly Aether Manipulation, and a bit of light Ether Healing. It¡¯s hard when you aren¡¯t here to guide us or see what Rank we¡¯re at bro, but...¡± she paused meaningfully. ¡°Wow, you should be proud of your sis, bro. I know this is a hurdle I have to overcome if I¡¯m going to achieve my dream of being the first Astral Sports Scientist, so I¡¯m working hard to gain experience. And... well, Rika-chan and Yae-chan have got all ambitious too. They¡¯re dreaming of leaving for Tokyo when they graduate now. And you know what, I guess they can do it. Wow, you¡¯ve changed so many lives bro, how do you live with yourself?¡±


    ¡°Quite easily.¡± I assured her. ¡°Anyway, are you doing okay? No more injuries, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, come on bro, don¡¯t ask me in front of mom!¡± she complained. ¡°Seriously though, I¡¯m safe, I promise. My golden sister army protects me, and I just pick enemies off with my bow, or rarely move in up close for the practice. I¡¯m an athlete at heart, right? I have to train hard. As for injuries, sure, it¡¯s impossible to fight without getting hurt at all, but nothing major, and Ether Healing takes care of the wounds no problem. I try and focus on the feelings when they do, and I think I might be near to Ranking up again. Praise me bro, praise me harder!¡± she crowed.


    Why don¡¯t her words fill me with confidence? ¡°Just be careful, all right? A girl shouldn¡¯t be risking scars. If you spoil your beauty, it won¡¯t just be me who is upset. Eri worries about you too.¡±


    ¡°Aww, bro, you¡¯re making me blush. Is this what it feels like to be Kana-chan? Well, of course I don¡¯t want to get hurt, I¡¯m being as safe as possible, while still bringing home the levels, right? Besides, if I did hurt myself and couldn¡¯t fix it, you¡¯d step up, like before, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should leave you injured as a lesson?¡± I warned, though we both knew I wouldn¡¯t do that, as her response indicated.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever bro. Try and look tough in front of Shiro and Eri, you¡¯re not fooling anyone. So, everything¡¯s fine here, you enjoy your trip with Motoko and Natsumi. I want pictures of Buckingham Palace! I still can¡¯t believe it, do you think you¡¯ll meet the Queen?¡±


    ¡°Give me the phone, Ai dear!¡± mom said, snatching it, despite her protests. ¡°What, you can still listen in, Ai... hi Aki, it¡¯s mom!¡±


    Yes, I know. ¡°Hi mom, I hope you¡¯ve been well?¡±


    ¡°Better than well. Everything is so exciting recently! Eri sends me updates, as does Shaeula. It¡¯s great having so many beautiful daughters-in-law, and the numbers keep increasing without end... we¡¯ll need to hire Tokyo Dome for the wedding at this rate.¡± She giggled like a much younger woman.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let auntie Hana hear you say that.¡± I warned, and mom tutted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Hana. She¡¯s used to it now. So long as Eri is happy. You are happy, right Eri?¡± she said, knowing Eri was listening.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d dearly love to be able to move properly again, but Akio and the others look after me, and I¡¯ll get there. Tell my mother and father they can come visit. There are always guest rooms available here. If not, I¡¯ll visit when I¡¯m better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, Eri. We do worry. Well, on that note... Aki, please do get pictures, Ai is right! I want to see the dresses Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan are wearing, and... do you think you might meet the Queen? It¡¯s the dream of every Brit to get to see her, talk to her, maybe even shake her hand!¡±


    Ignoring the cries of ¡°I already said that, mom!¡± from my sister, I grinned. Yeah, Aiko is like a miniature version of our mom, well, if you add in a heaping helping of sporting talent, I guess. Mom isn¡¯t athletic. Or good with booze. My sis shares that trait at least... ¡°I don¡¯t know. I should be meeting Princess Eleanor though, or the trip won¡¯t be worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°My son, with the Princess! She¡¯s the apple of Britian¡¯s eye, you know.¡± Mom gushed. ¡°I think she¡¯s everyone¡¯s ideal princess, beautiful, kind, modest... the public likes her brothers, but they love Eleanor! I can¡¯t believe it... get a picture! I need to brag!¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s already pictures of Aki with Yukiko.¡± Shiro pointed out, which was true, as we had taken a few at Conclave, and I had also snapped a selfie when we were out drinking in Kyoto after the funeral. ¡°And Shaeula¡¯s a princess too. Really, stop being so impressed. Besides... I¡¯m a princess as well!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be Shiratori-chan!¡± mom said, and Shiro shuddered theatrically.


    ¡°Please call me Shiro. I hate my name.¡± she complained. ¡°No honorifics.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry Shiro.¡± Mom apologised. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve yet to be formally introduced, but I¡¯m your mother-in-law. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. And seen the photos. You¡¯re a really stunning girl. My son has an eye for quality, it seems, just like his father!¡± she said proudly, managing to get in a boast about herself as well.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Anyway, Emily...¡± as usual Shiro wasn¡¯t phased by the situation. ¡°... don¡¯t worry about Eri, I have it in hand.¡±


    ¡°Great. I appreciate it, Shiro. And I look forward to meeting you soon. Well, back on the topic at hand...¡± mom coughed. ¡°... while you are in the UK, do you think you¡¯ll get a chance to pop in and see my mum and dad? It¡¯s been so long, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to see the handsome young man their grandson has grown up into.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have some time. I can probably manage. Are they still living in the same place?¡± I asked to make sure, and mom agreed.


    ¡°Yes, still that little village near Coventry. Well... there¡¯s just one thing though.¡± Her voice quavered a little, and I had a sudden bad feeling.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± I asked warily.


    ¡°When you got engaged to Eri, I was so delighted and proud, I let them know. So... uh, after that, I didn¡¯t know what to tell them, so I¡¯ve just said you¡¯ve been getting on well with Eri. So when you turn up with Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan... well, I¡¯ll let you come up with an explanation!¡±


    Typical! Yeah, mom and sis are definitely alike... Ignoring Eri¡¯s smirk which was basically ¡®serves you right¡¯ in smile form, and Shiro¡¯s laughter, I scratched at my cheek, thinking. ¡°Oh well, what¡¯s done is done. I¡¯ll... come up with something. Well, it¡¯ll be good to see my grandparents again. I know they hate travelling, but maybe I can persuade them to visit. After all, they¡¯ll want to see how you¡¯ve grown, sis.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, or we can go visit them after I graduate.¡± Aiko shouted.


    ¡°The fact that you believe you can survive a bomb on an aircraft still surprises me.¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°And I trust that Motoko would be first on your list to save? Though the Government might wish you to save Fujiwara-sama as your priority.¡± He said with a twinkle in his eye.


    ¡°Father-in-law!¡± Hikari-san said, scandalised, but he laughed it off, as did Fujiwara-san, who was also smiling.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t discriminate, so Motoko and Natsumi would be equal priority. If I had any leeway after that, then it¡¯d be Miyu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡± She said politely, and Michiru-san nodded firmly at my words.


    ¡°Well, I would rather my granddaughters survive than myself, though...¡± he paused. ¡°... well, I¡¯ve been laying plans so that Fujiwara house continues the path I have set for it. But we have no plans of dying, so do not worry, Honoka, Miyu. But safety is always a priority for the powerful. Having this jet makes sense, even if we use it infrequently now. As for security on our trip... well, I have brought Left and Right, but normally Junichiro-san would never allow us to travel with so few of Fujiwara Security Services on hand.¡±


    Oh yes, Ueno Junichiro-san, he¡¯s head of the Security Service, I met him a few times here and there. ¡°Well, the UK is a pretty safe country. Not that I¡¯ve been there in twenty years or so.¡± I said, and Tsumura-san spoke again.


    ¡°Well, we still aren¡¯t taking any chances. Major Sasaki and a dozen of our enhanced Special Forces have flown on ahead on a public airline and will be providing additional security. We would have liked to take further precautions, but the situation is tense. Our supposed staunch allies the United States of America have been doing similar black ops in the United Kingdom, and thanks to our information after your attempted abduction, they too caught them in the act. So there¡¯s a great deal of frost between old friends, and security is tight. To even get the Major in we had to give a great deal of assurances.¡±


    ¡°Our pretence for this trip is to discuss the American issue. I believe they have invited several American guests as well.¡± Fujiwara-san said. ¡°Well, I understand our true aim is to make contact with Princess Eleanor, as per the late Diviner¡¯s recommendations, but this talk is also important, and as it also involves the military, your presence as the fiance?e of Tsumura Motoko is explained, and you should hopefully draw little attention. Though likely the Americans already know all about you. That can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Well, enough of the troublesome talk.¡± Tsumura-san looked at Motoko and Natsumi, as well as Hyacinth, who was glued to the window, looking down below, violet eyes wide with wonder. ¡°It seems a waste to ruin the time they have to spend with him, Fujiwara-sama.¡±


    ¡°You could well be right.¡± Fujiwara-san looked at his daughters as well. ¡°You may relax. The flight time is twelve hours. Fortunately we do not have to land to refuel. So you may as well make the most of this time. Once we land, we will be taken to our hotel, to prepare for tonight¡¯s business.¡±


    ¡°Akiooo....¡± Hyacinth said. ¡°We are up sooo high! The people below are like ants!¡±


    Well, isn¡¯t that classic? I peered down, and with my superior eyesight and a little aether, I realised I too could see the ground tens of thousands of feet below. ¡°Yeah, I guess they do...¡±


    ********


    ¡°... finding my archery much improved!¡± Motoko was saying, leaning over towards me, hands in mine, eyes sparkling. I couldn¡¯t help but glance at her mother, who had fortunately given up frowning disapprovingly every time we were close and displayed our affection. Well, done is done of course. We¡¯ve already gone further than you no doubt wish, but... seeing Motoko looking so happy, it was hard to regret it. Why would I want to regret it anyway?


    ¡°Yeah, wind lends itself to archery very well.¡± I agreed. ¡°My sis wants to learn wind too, though she went for flame first due to the bow she got from Shaeraggo. That reminds me, he¡¯s an awesome archer. His character may be questionable, but his skills aren¡¯t. You should try taking some pointers from him, about how to use wind with your bow. I can help more with sword and spear...¡± I launched into a detailed explanation of how wind could be used to enhance cutting and piercing power, Natsumi and Motoko eagerly listening, as well as Miyu and Honoka-san, surprisingly.


    ¡°I see. Well, is that something I need to learn?¡± Miyu asked, before smiling archly. ¡°If you ever leave me time between dances, of course. I love Japanese Dance dearly, but you are leaving me little time for anything else. I want to play piano more.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Sorry. Your dancing is just so useful.¡± I apologised. ¡°As for wind... well, when you wear the furisode to dance, part of the dance is about how the sleeves and hems move and flutter, right?¡± I asked, having done a little light reading on it recently.


    ¡°That is true.¡± Honoka-san said, excited. ¡°Recently, our teacher has said that we¡¯ve improved so much, especially Miyu-sama! She¡¯s even passed down the verbal tradition!¡± At that, Miyu reddened, and Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san looked impressed.


    ¡°The verbal tradition?¡± I asked, and Honoka-san continued to gush.


    ¡°Yes, in the school of dancing that our teacher is the headmistress of, only the best dancers, those she considers true disciples, are taught orally! Miyu-sama was given instruction by her personally!¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s great, well done!¡± I said, and Miyu looked away shyly.


    ¡°Well, I am training harder than ever, and my grace and stamina are buoyed by Ame-no-Uzume.¡± She was flustered by the praise.


    ¡°So, anyway, I was thinking, you could use wind to direct your furisode to move perfectly, perhaps even more beautifully than is naturally possible?¡± as I explained, Fujiwara-san addressed the parents of Motoko.


    ¡°My two granddaughters have been on much better terms ever since Akio-san became involved with them, and Miyu moved to my mansion after her engagement was dissolved. In fact, the whole nobility has experienced a shakeup, most pronounced in Hanafubuki. I know you have reservations, but...¡± he smiled then, looking for a moment like an ordinary grandfather. ¡°... I believe that the daughter you entrusted to him will remain happy and proud.¡±


    ¡°I shall.¡± Motoko said, getting up from her comfortable chair and bowing to her parents. ¡°Mother, father. Grandfather.¡± She bowed, maintaining her balance perfectly even as the jet banked a little. ¡°I am so grateful that you allowed me to...¡± her face turned pink. ¡°... advance my vows to Akio. I have no wish to lag behind the others, to always be the one left out.¡± She looked at Natsumi, who gave her a reassuring nod, her eyes expressing that she agreed wholeheartedly. ¡°I know you worry, mother, father, and I have been a poor daughter, always putting Tsumura Arts first. But... these Arts are our legacy! Japan would be poorer without them, and the world needs them! Akio proved it to us.¡±


    ¡°If I may speak, Minoru-sama, Hikari-sama... Motoko speaks true. Our Arts have an existence outside of merely being dusty relics of the past. And we wish to carry our sword, spear and bow into battle...¡±


    ¡°Yes, for our husband.¡± She grabbed my arm lovingly, and Natsumi came over and grasped my other one. ¡°And he is one Tsumura and Hori house can be proud of. I have no doubts. After all, why else are you here, mother, father?¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Minoru-san sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve already been beaten once by him, when he took Takatsukasa house and made us capitulate. Dear, we have to be happy for her. As for... the other matter, you assured me it would make Motoko safer, Akio-san?¡±


    ¡°Of course. She grows stronger every day. In fact, with Motoko¡¯s dedication, Natsumi¡¯s too, I have no doubt that even without a Divine Favour, they¡¯ll become powerful beyond your imaginations.¡±


    ¡°Akio, I love you!¡± Motoko declared dreamily at my words, and not to be left out, Natsumi butted in as well.


    ¡°Me too, me too!¡± she grinned. ¡°And tonight, I¡¯ll show it...¡± she purred.


    ¡°I concede.¡± Hikari-san said at last, watching our closeness. ¡°I wanted my daughter to be happy, of course, while being the best she could be, and respected by all, as a Tsumura daughter should be. And looking at her now... Motoko, you have matured.¡±


    ¡°When one is no longer a girl, but a woman, one becomes resolute, for the knowledge of what a woman must bear is heavy.¡± Tsumura-san quoted some old poetry.


    ¡°You see, Miyu, Honoka.¡± Fujiwara-san took this opportunity to lecture them about noble marriage, while Hyacinth, finally unable to bear it any longer, leapt on me, her face red, demanding some skinship as well. As Motoko and Natsumi fought her off in a playful mock-battle, I exchanged a look with Minoru-san and Hikari-san.


    ¡°Sorry. But... there¡¯s no better man for your daughter than me.¡± I said, no longer hesitating. ¡°And despite the disadvantages clinging to me...¡± I pushed off Hyacinth, who fell to the aisle giggling. ¡°... I¡¯ll ensure that Motoko, Natsumi and even Hyacinth here are all safe, happy, loved and respected. I hope this trip will prove that to you, amongst our other objectives. Because make no mistake, the happiness of your daughter is as important to me as anything else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± Minoru-san said. ¡°Your eyes are clear, a fighter.¡±


    Yes. I don¡¯t just pity the girls, I love them, more importantly, I like them, and their good qualities. Motoko for her grace and dedication, unwillingness to bend. Natsumi for her loyalty, charms and cheerfulness, Hyacinth for her bravery, dedication and even her chaotic nature. ¡°Well, I confess to learning slowly, but when I¡¯ve decided, there¡¯s no going back.¡± I promised. ¡°So, well, if you want to fight me for Motoko, you can try. But even Left and Right...¡± I nodded at the two guards, who had been keeping discretely out of the way this whole time, professional as ever. ¡°... couldn¡¯t even stop Motoko if she was unarmed now, so... give it up. She¡¯s mine, and I¡¯ll treasure her. The others too.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I am a woman, I hardly dislike bold declarations of romance. Just... remember what we have allowed.¡± She said at last.


    ¡°I will. And I do. Thank you, mother-in-law.¡± I paused. ¡°I understand being a mother-in-law is the hardest thing with me, I do. Auntie Hana and Nagi-san have it rough too.¡± I turned to Natsumi. ¡°Your mother as well, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°Not so much. I was always likely to end up married for our prestige, or perhaps even only a concubine rather than marriage. Now I can marry for love, far better than we¡¯d hoped... my mother is happy for me.¡±


    ¡°Well, she can form a group with my mom then.¡± I smiled, before addressing Hikari-san anew. ¡°I¡¯m not joking, it might be good to connect with the others in your position. Auntie Hana and Nagi-san may be commoners, but they¡¯re good people who love their daughters. If you support each other as the girls do, well...¡±


    As we talked, I started reaching an understanding with Hikari-san, and by the time the plane was coming into land, I believed I had finally won her over, as she was smiling with Motoko, saying some rather frank things that had Miyu and Honaka-san rather embarrassed and confused. As I watched the plane descend towards London, various landmarks such as Big Ben, the London Eye and even Buckingham Palace, our destination at the weekend, visible below, I looked around the plane, at the diverse people on board. Right. This weekend is going to be crucial for us. But... we also need to enjoy it. I looked at the girls, as well as their families. Even Fujiwara-san is someone I cherish. He¡¯s been good to me, and Miyu is like family to me now, as a precious vassal, so I want her happiness to be ensured too, and who she cares for to be protected. So... ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± I muttered, only Hyacinth hearing my faint words. ¡°The land that gave birth to my mom... I wonder if it¡¯s how I remember it?¡±

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Five – R18/Contains Sex

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Five ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    We were taken through London in a pair of limousines, and while everyone with us was used to travelling, Hyacinth was the exception, as she gawped excitedly at everything we passed. I too was curious, seeing the differences between London and Tokyo, but my excitement was tempered by the thought of the evening¡¯s activities. Luckily none of the girls were tired, the boosts from Chirurgery keeping them fresh, but other than Tsumura-san who had undertaken the procedure, the other members of our party were starting to tire. Really, I should probably insist on Chirurgery for Fujiwara-san, Ichijou-san and Takatsukasa-san at the least. We don¡¯t want any disruption in Japan right now by one of them falling ill or worse, whether they have reservations or not.


    On arriving at the Savoy, which was a very impressive hotel, the impeccably dressed staff took our luggage, which consisted of a ludicrous amount of clothes for the girls, as well as a number of suits and smart casual wear for me. Then we were met by Major Sasaki, who saluted when he saw us.


    ¡°Good evening Akio-san.¡± He said brightly. ¡°I trust your flight was pleasant?¡±


    ¡°Sure was. Not cattle class like you all no doubt flew.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Well, we are wasting enough taxpayer money putting us up in such a luxurious hotel, but we need to be on hand in case of emergencies. Besides, I think the British want us all kept in one place so they can keep an eye on us.¡± He looked at the girls with me and smiled reassuringly. ¡°Rest assured, there won¡¯t be any trouble, but you can rely on us if there is. Consider this a little piece of Japan right now.¡±


    Natsumi giggled, while Hyacinth merely tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°Akio, what is the fooooool saying? If trouble comes, will we nooot be protecting him?¡±


    Now Motoko was laughing too, despite trying to hide her smile behind a hand in a refined, lady-like fashion. I rapped Hyacinth on the head gently, scolding her. ¡°Now, the Major is a professional, Hyacinth. It¡¯s not good to be mean. Sorry about that.¡± I apologised. ¡°You performed well in Kyoto, I hear. So, is the Lieutenant not able to make it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, Lieutenant Nakano was tasked with staying behind. We can¡¯t deprive Japan of too many defenders, not with the situation so tense. Though he did complain bitterly about the lack of a free holiday. Really, why did he even become a soldier?¡± Major Sasaki sighed.


    ¡°To get girls, he said.¡± I joked, before slapping him on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll try to make your job easy. Make sure that Fujiwara-san, and Motoko¡¯s family are protected. I¡¯ll look after the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± he said, before we entered the hotel. As I did so, Fujiwara-san stopped me. ¡°For this evening, wear something tasteful. Expensive, but not overbearing.¡± He looked at Motoko then. ¡°Motoko-chan, would you be able to prepare the suitable clothing for him? Your own dress should be matching him, showing off your best qualities without looking vulgar. We are representing Japan, we must look the part. Be ready by... let¡¯s see, seven.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Fujiwara-sama.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°What of Natsumi and Hyacinth?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not bringing Honoka or Miyu, so...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and watch them. Hyacinth, can you stay too? I¡¯d feel safer with you here.¡± Natsumi asked.


    ¡°Yes, I would feel safer too.¡± I said, and though Hyacinth pouted, she agreed, so I patted her head, rewarding her. ¡°Good girl. Well, once the dinner is over, tonight we can all have fun together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are going without bodyguards as a show of respect. Normally again that would be unthinkable, but with you here, we should be secure.¡± Fujiwara-san continued, and I agreed. ¡°Very well then, we shall all prepare ourselves. Tonight is but the first step, but an important one.¡±


    You don¡¯t need to tell me that. As I took the key to our suite from the Major, I noticed Hikari-san looking at us, her expression resigned yet not unpleasant, and I smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll... take good care of her. I promise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am imagining.¡± She sighed, much more friendly after the time we spent talking on the flight. ¡°Well, I should think you¡¯ll have little time for frivolities right now. Women take an age to get ready, you¡¯ll be waiting around a lot during your life, Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Akio like I said earlier, mother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Well, Akio, Motoko. We shall see you at seven.¡± Yeah, Motoko¡¯s mother is very elegant. I need to be on my best behaviour to fit in...


    ********


    ¡°This room is gorgeous. Makes my Las Vegas suite look tame.¡± I laughed, looking at the massive four-poster antique bed, easily large enough for all four of us. The wardrobe was a walk-in, so it was sizeable enough for the many dresses and suits we had brought. Hyacinth was humming to herself, putting them away, hanging everything up neatly. There had been a minor bit of confusion when the staff had insisted on unpacking our luggage, but Hyacinth was desperate to serve, her instincts burning, so I soothed things over with my Charm and Majesty.


    ¡°The bathtub is big too.¡± Natsumi smiled. ¡°Room for us all if we squeeze up close.¡±


    ¡°That sounds a plan.¡± I laughed. ¡°But unfortunately I only have time for a shower before later. Perhaps when we return.¡± I could hear the sound of running water as Motoko was cleansing her body before she would change. Natsumi had agreed to help with her make-up, though noble daughters seldom wore much, but as this was a special occasion where we were trying to impress, every little helped.


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Natsumi grinned. ¡°On a trip as Motoko¡¯s bodyguard, with my dear fiance?e. It could only be better if I was announced as yours too, but I guess it¡¯s too soon.¡±


    ¡°Dooo not fret, mistress Natsumi.¡± Hyacinth said, admiring the pretty dresses as she hung them up. My suit and the dress Motoko had chosen were already out, laid on the bed ready for use, along with suitable jewellery and accessories for us both. ¡°We knooow. And soon all will too. Until then, Hyacinth thinks you should enjoy knooowing what others do not, that you are loooved.¡±


    ¡°Oh Hyacinth!¡± Natsumi laughed, giving her a hug from behind, surprising her. ¡°You¡¯re so right! Well, it¡¯ll be just us girls this evening. We can have some fun, and then when Akio and Motoko return... a different kind of fun.¡± she licked her lips, and Hyacinth giggled at that.


    ¡°Yes, a maid must warm the master¡¯s bed, it is knooown!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for later. For now... be careful.¡± I said meaningfully, and Hyacinth stopped her laughter.


    ¡°Trooouble?¡± she asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Probably not, but I think we should be careful. Out of curiosity, I wondered if we were in any Territory here. As we passed by the Tower I felt the real-world effects of a Territory. And well, as expected, it feels like there¡¯s a couple here, actually, overlapping. One¡¯s a Rank 3, I¡¯m sure of it. The other feels much weaker, so likely a Rank 2. I could force my way in, I¡¯d imagine, but it¡¯d take a lot of my aether. Well, there¡¯s no point courting trouble. I¡¯d guess that it could be Princess Eleanor¡¯s. After all, Buckingham Palace is nearby. Well, we shouldn¡¯t be in any real danger, just... be on alert, all right? Hyacinth, if it comes down to their safety, or that of any intruder...¡±


    ¡°I will choooke and strangle them, have nooo fear!¡± Hyacinth promised.


    ¡°Listen to Natsumi.¡± I told her. ¡°Natsumi, you have a cool head. If you think Hyacinth needs to attack, say the word.¡±


    ¡°You can count on me!¡± she promised. As we chatted, the sounds of running water stopped, and then Motoko came out, wrapped in a towel, her long hair still damp.


    ¡°You can use the shower now. Natsumi., can you help dry my hair?¡± she asked, and Natsumi nodded, but she had a wicked grin on her face.


    ¡°Of course. But first... some preparation for later.¡± She reached out, tugging at the towel, which opened, revealing Motoko¡¯s lithe, trained body, her modest but noticeable bust and even her private areas. Motoko went red, her skin flushing even down to her chest, but she merely kept smiling and sat down on a chair, pulling up her loose, damp hair.


    ¡°Ah, I expected a bigger reaction.¡± Natsumi teased, winking at me. ¡°Well, I suppose it is too late to worry about being seen by you now. We¡¯re already yours. Just... consider it something to make you remember we¡¯re waiting back here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve become bolder since our second time.¡± I observed, and Motoko frowned at that, so I went and gave her a kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your time will come. Tonight.¡± I promised.


    ¡°I shall hold you to that.¡± She said, her flush intensifying, as Hyacinth laughed loudly.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to rinse off. I¡¯ll see you shortly...¡±


    ********


    ¡°You look rather fetching.¡± Motoko observed, as I looked in the massive, full-length mirror the room came equipped with. I was wearing a suit in a subtle dark maroon, and my hair was freshly styled by Natsumi, who after sorting Motoko¡¯s hair into a rather attractive braid, had done mine, taming my somewhat wild locks. In contrast, Motoko was wearing a light green gown, with a high collar but exposed shoulders and bare arms. She looked incredibly classy, and the addition of subtle golden jewellery rounded out the ensemble, as well as a pair of emerald enamelled heels, which she walked in with practised ease.


    ¡°Well, you look gorgeous.¡± I praised her, once more realising just how lucky I was.


    ¡°Well, we are nothing, it seems.¡± Natsumi commiserated with Hyacinth, and I shook my head.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re joking, but... well, tonight Motoko shines, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Well, I¡¯ll have my turn and I¡¯ll take your breath away, I promise.¡± Natsumi smiled charmingly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s time. You should go.¡±


    ¡°You two have fun with Miyu and Honoka-san. We¡¯ll see you later. So, Motoko, shall we go?¡± I offered my arm, and she took it elegantly with her own, her smile radiant.


    ¡°I would be delighted to, Akio, my dear fiance?.¡± Motoko said, and with those charming words, I escorted her out. My Charm was on full blast, and with Motoko having five points of her own, she was far more radiant than ordinary women her age. Even in the high-class hotel we were in, we were attracting envious and surprised looks. Motoko walked with her back straight and her head held high, her upbringing leaving her a model daughter, and I matched her, revelling in the whispers of ¡°Who are they?¡± or ¡°Surely some rich businessman from Asia and his partner...¡± that followed in our wake.


    The doorman greeted us with a polite nod, and I thanked him in my flawless English, surprising him a little. I passed him some money as a tip, remembering that unlike Japan, there was a tipping culture here, if not as prevalent as in America, and we moved to the waiting limousine, where Fujiwara-san, Tsumura-san and Hikari-san were already inside, leaving my faither-in-law Minoru-san waiting. On seeing us, he nodded appreciatively.


    ¡°You pass muster, Akio.¡± He too was calling me without honorifics, as it would have seemed strange otherwise to our company tonight. ¡°As for you, daughter...¡± he said, his face proud. ¡°Gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± I said proudly, and he gave me an exasperated look.


    ¡°Well, if Motoko was this docile and elegant all the time, she would have been engaged before ever seeing you, Akio. Well, seeing her like this, I do feel perhaps we raised her right after all.¡± He let the doorman open the door for him, while I opened one for Motoko, stepping inside after her. When the door was shut, the limousine pulled off into the London traffic, while I listened to Hikari-san praise her daughter for her dress and hairstyle.


    ¡°I must say, you definitely do look a perfect couple.¡± She conceded to me, and I nodded.


    ¡°No complaints from me. Well, I know good fortune when I see it, and having Motoko in my life certainly qualifies, so I pray nobody tries anything foolish this trip, or they¡¯ll regret it.¡± I was watching the lights of London pass us by through the window, and in the reflection of the glass I saw Motoko smile beautifully, so I reached out a hand and clasped hers tightly. Yeah, not letting go. Ever. Not Motoko or any of them. That includes... my Eye flared, just a tiny, almost unnoticeable glimmer, and the faint spirit light was visible for a moment.


    ¡°So, for the itinerary, while we have a moment.¡± Fujiwara-san said, drawing our attention. ¡°Well, we will be dining at a steakhouse which is frequented by the great and the good of London. The Prime Minister is often found there at weekends. Though not tonight.¡± He continued. ¡°No, tonight it would be problematic to meet with him, so we shall have to make do with the Foreign Secretary, Gerard Hunter. Also in attendance will be Katsuro-san¡¯s opposite number, the Secretary of State For Defence, Penelope Morgan, and several senior Civil Servants. In addition, Sir Roger Vance, chairman of the company BAE, the most powerful military manufacturer in Britain, and the chairman of Barclays Bank, one of the biggest and most powerful banking arms in Europe, Jeremy Staveley, will be in attendance.¡±


    ¡°Those are some big names.¡± I observed, and Fujiwara-san chuckled.


    ¡°Obviously. Well, when Kira or I visit, it¡¯s a big deal. Kira is well acquainted with Sir Roger after all, Ichijou Heavy Industries is also a big player in the international arms industry. As for Jeremy-san, well... let¡¯s just say we¡¯ve both cost each other money a few times. He¡¯s ahead of me, but not by much. Perhaps this time the tables will turn.¡±


    ¡°So, what is it you want me to do?¡± I asked, and he looked at me searchingly.


    ¡°Well, I am here to represent Japan¡¯s interests. So do not compromise them and we will be fine. As for your own interests... having the ear of the powerful is never a bad thing. The question is, how much of your hand do you reveal, and for what in return?¡±


    Motoko squeezed my hand, and at her reassurance, I relaxed. Yeah, no need to panic. Sure, these are big-shot Government ministers, but then I rub shoulders with the same or higher in Japan all the time. ¡°Well, obviously we need to start making moves to prepare for China. I¡¯d also like information sharing, and obviously support regarding the Princess.¡± I mused.


    ¡°Well, what can you give up? These people will not bargain easily.¡± Tsumura-san laughed. ¡°Miss Penelope is quite the rottweiler, I have experienced her bite during negotiations before.¡±


    ¡°Information for information. We have an information advantage due to my Eye, Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions, and Yasaka-san. We can leverage that. As for other options... we¡¯ll see. Let them ask for a price and I¡¯ll see if I want to meet it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to negotiate. Well, this is what I think...¡± Fujiwara-san said, giving me his advice, and as we talked, the limousine reached our destination, a restaurant floating in the heart of the Thames, at the centre of Canary Wharf, London¡¯s prized financial district...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long since you graced our shores with a visit, Mr Fujiwara!¡± Mr Hunter said warmly, reaching out for a handshake. We were all speaking English, luckily all of us were more than capable. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be such a stranger.¡±


    ¡°Katsuro, I heard about the mess in Kyoto. Must be damn rough, you handled it well though, made those Chinese look like fools.¡± Mrs Morgan said. ¡°And this is your son, right? And his lovely wife, so...¡± she paused, and all eyes at the table went to us. ¡°... this is your granddaughter, miss Motoko, I believe? And her fiance?? Recently engaged.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I said smoothly. ¡°I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, but of course, do call me Akio, I don¡¯t stand on ceremony. And yes, I have the honour to be Motoko¡¯s fiance?.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you all.¡± Motoko said charmingly. ¡°Yes, Akio is my dear fiance?. I understand arranged marriages are not so common in the United Kingdom, but I have no complaints or objections, in fact, I sought him out myself, as he is a man I respect deeply, and love too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mrs Morgan shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have it here, a lot from the Indian and Pakistani community partake in arranged marriages. Seems to work out all right for them. Anyway...¡± She introduced the others, Sir Roger was an older man, about the age of my father, still strong-looking and keen-eyed, while Mr Staveley was a dark-haired fit man of similar age, with a firm grip on his handshake. Then there were two Civil Servants, fairly non-descript, ordinary Western men, who were only introduced as David and Andrew.


    ¡°Got to have some bean counters here, otherwise the press will scream about secret dealings and underhand plays.¡± Mrs Morgan scoffed. ¡°Well, one¡¯s from the Treasury, in case we need to talk... finances. The other is from the Office of the Chief Whip, to keep us honest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll order the wine... will Miss Motoko be drinking? It¡¯s legal to drink over sixteen with a meal, not that anyone would bother us here.¡± Mr Hunter said, and at my nod, Motoko gratefully accepted.


    ¡°I often drink a little at parties. Grandfather and father believe I should learn early, so I do not make mistakes when I am attending in my own right.¡± She said, earning approval from Mr Hunter.


    ¡°Can¡¯t beat the steak here.¡± Mrs Morgan observed, flicking through the menu. ¡°So, you know I¡¯m bad at beating around the bush, so let¡¯s cut to the chase...¡± she rattled off a number of British idioms. ¡°He¡¯s one of them, right?¡± she looked at me closely, eyes narrowed. ¡°We¡¯re calling them Gods'' Chosen, damn foolish name. Going to have to come up with a better one, or we¡¯ll have the religious troublemakers rioting in the streets for blasphemy. Oh, don¡¯t worry, the staff here tonight are all elite. They won¡¯t hear anything or see anything. Multi-billion dollar deals are decided here all the time, it wouldn¡¯t work with loose lips sinking ships.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san. As neither seemed concerned, I merely scanned the menu, taking my time. ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ll have the fillet. Medium rare, with the side salad, and hot peppercorn sauce.¡± I said. ¡°Whatever wine we are drinking will do. Motoko?¡±


    ¡°I shall have...¡± she placed her order, and then when she was satisfied, I nodded.


    ¡°Well, since you know so much, not that I¡¯d expect the Defence Minister to be unaware... you should also know why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Not really, and that¡¯s the rub.¡± She snorted, and I could see Mr Hunter was allowing her to be his stalking horse, feeling me out, while the others watched. ¡°The Queen has invited you to the Palace it seems, and the Prime Minister, great blustering man that he is, won¡¯t tell us anything. I mean, having Mr Fujiwara and Katsuro here meet the visiting dignitaries, their family and lovely granddaughters in tow, not so unusual, but now? I call bullshit. Ah, the wine...¡± Andrew uncorked the bottles and poured us all out glasses of the red, fragrant liquid. Motoko took a sip and smiled, which was good enough for me, so I followed suit. Yeah, it is definitely expensive. It has a memorable taste.


    ¡°Well, I need to see the Queen.¡± I said simply. ¡°And as for why... well, just know it¡¯s for your benefit.¡±


    ¡°Look, we both know about the damn Yanks and their underhanded shit.¡± she continued. ¡°Gerard¡¯s been going bald over it.¡±


    Mr Hunter snorted at that, though he let her carry on.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m overkeen on letting foreign God¡¯s Chosen into the country. Let alone... three. Your granddaughter too, it seems, Mr Fujiwara.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am so blessed.¡± He allowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a joke. Well, you might not be aware, but we¡¯ve established the estimated death rate to be twenty-four percent already. That¡¯s quite the dangerous role, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, the start is always the hardest, most dangerous part, where the unlucky and those lacking prudence will fall.¡± I allowed. ¡°So, I¡¯ll offer you an answer. It¡¯s not the Queen, but Princess Eleanor I¡¯m here to see.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Taken a fancy to her, with such a lovely young fiance?e on your arm?¡± Mrs Morgan scoffed, though I saw the flicker in her eyes. Bullseye.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your Princess is indeed a lovely young woman, but Motoko is the one for me.¡± I said, leaning over and lightly touching her bare shoulder, so she leaned into me, careful not to disarray her hair, and I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. That done, I smiled. ¡°Well, you surely know the Princess is like me, right? How could you not?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take over.¡± Mr Hunter sighed. ¡°Of course we are aware. All the senior Ministers and important figures are in the loop. Big Business too. I imagine you found out similarly, Mr Fujiwara?¡±


    At that I held in a wince, knowing that I had revealed myself to Hinata like an idiot. Even though it had all worked out, I still felt stupid at how trusting I used to be. ¡°Something like that, yes.¡± He affirmed. ¡°Those of us with great power and many subordinates find out much before the common people.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± Mr Staveley confirmed. ¡°Though when I did find out, I had a rather different interest...¡±


    ¡°So, the question is, our Prime Minister knows what is going on, I¡¯m sure. Why do you need to see the Princess? Japan should have enough of your own God¡¯s Chosen. Even if you lost three to Chinese aggression.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed.¡± I said, irritated.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mr Hunter sighed. ¡°It¡¯s our job to be. Though we aren¡¯t like the Americans, we have no intention of causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me be blunt. This is more an act of... brotherly goodwill.¡± I lied. Well, technically it is, but Tsukiko-san said we need Princess Eleanor alive, or else Japan and the world will suffer too, and may be destroyed. But it¡¯s definitely an act to save the UK too, after all, last I checked they were part of the world as well. ¡°I¡¯m half British myself, lived here until I was five or so. My mom is a proud Brit. So...¡± as I considered my next words carefully, I let out a little aether, checking the surroundings. Yeah, I¡¯ve not been picking up anything abnormal... Glancing over at Motoko, I smiled at her, and she returned it. My mind made up, I spoke...


    ********


    ¡°Visions? Of a danger to the princess that threatens her life and Britain? Hard to believe.¡± Mrs Morgan said, in-between bites of her steak. Motoko and I were enjoying ours, and watching her eat so elegantly was always fun for me. Seeing me looking at her daughter so tenderly, Hikari-san raised one eyebrow at me, which I ignored, merely smiling slightly. I had given the British delegation a very abridged version, leaving out a lot of the details.


    ¡°I heard this Diviner of yours died to the Chinese. You must be furious.¡± Mr Hunter said, and I agreed.


    ¡°More than you know. But luckily she was a brave soul and dedicated to her God, so she left us a number of prophecies. And she was right about Princess Eleanor being a Chosen, right? So it stands to reason the danger is real too.¡±


    ¡°If the Princess was to be killed, and it was discovered to be some internal threat... ugh, yes, doesn¡¯t bear thinking about. Well, I see things clearly now.¡± Mr Hunter continued. ¡°I¡¯ll still be keeping an eye on you all, and won¡¯t feel safe until you and also our American guests are out of the country.¡±


    That piqued my interest. ¡°Americans?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, Quid pro quo and all. Though...¡± he glared at Andrew and David. ¡°... this never happened, understand?¡± At their nods, he spoke.


    ¡°I fear that is a secret. Needless to say, Akio is even more amazing.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s done nothing but gush praise for you.¡± Sir Roger laughed. ¡°And Katsuro here likewise. I can see you are a lucky man. A match made in heaven.¡±


    ¡°I think so. I still kick myself that I was nearly idiotic enough to turn her down.¡± I said, and Motoko blushed at that, kissing me on the cheek, leaving a faint smudge of lipstick. ¡°So, have we reached a conclusion?¡±


    ¡°We have.¡± Sir Roger agreed. ¡°I did wonder when the US sold some fighter jets to Japan whether something was up, but on hearing it was compensation for their wrongdoings it makes sense. But if they are selling, it can only be because they anticipate great technological breakthroughs, making that hardware obsolete. BAE systems will approach Ichijou Heavy Industries for some collaboration works. In exchange... I am prepared to offer you a one percent stake in BAE systems just for mediating a successful deal. Not a bad trade, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, should any joint projects require your... expertise... then the same deal as Ichijou-sama gave should be required.¡± Motoko spoke up, and Sir Roger winced.


    ¡°Ten percent. Now I¡¯m curious as to why a healer would gain the favour of... no, I think I get it.¡± He looked at Motoko then. ¡°There¡¯s more to this.¡±


    ¡°There is, but again, I don¡¯t want to disclose too much of my ability. I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, enough of that.¡± Mrs Morgan sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll report to the big man in Number Ten that I think closer ties with Japan is desirable, and that China needs to be watched carefully, as well as their usual allies like Russia and North Korea.¡±


    ¡°And I shall start pushing for a more favourable trade deal with Japan.¡± Mr Hunter said. ¡°I trust that if Fujiwara house supports it, the Japanese Government will have no objections and it will pass swiftly?¡±


    ¡°None, though we will need provisions for ether, Etherites, and other resources on the list, as well as acceptance of our special passport holders, and exemptions from prosecution on bigamy charges for said holders.¡± Fujiwara-san delivered my demands, before listing a lot of his and the Diet¡¯s own.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure the Prime Minister will have a field day trying to push those through without the tabloids going crazy. But... we¡¯ll make a start.¡± Mr Hunter promised. ¡°All right, now the hard talk is over, how about dessert?¡± He smiled then. ¡°And Miss Motoko can go back to telling us what she loves about you. It was rather amusing to listen to.¡±


    As Motoko blushed, hiding her face in my chest, I laughed, stroking her hair. Fine. Well, I made the connections that Fujiwara-san advised me to, advanced Japan¡¯s goals, made some cash... but above all, the Rank in Ether Healing is the most precious gift I received. And now... I looked down at Motoko, as she snuggled into my chest, smelling faintly of wine. Well, we do have a rather nice bed in the suite...


    ********


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Natsumi greeted us. She was wearing a silken dressing gown in a modest white, but the sheer fabric clung to her body alluringly, and as she moved to greet us the robe fell open, exposing a vast expanse of her bare cleavage and her body, similarly to the way Motoko had with her towel earlier. On seeing my gaze, Natsumi giggled.


    ¡°Akio and mistress Motoko are back. How did it gooo? Well, I hoopoe?¡± Hyacinth bustled in, still wearing her modest maid outfit. She had a tray of snacks ready, and despite having had a very nice steak dinner, I still felt a bit hungry after my Ether Healing, so I grabbed some.


    ¡°This is good. What are they?¡±


    ¡°Sausage rolls, pooork pies and pickled onions. Very British, Hyacinth was tooold.¡±


    ¡°Well, we had a nice dinner with Miyu and Honoka-san.¡± Natsumi still struggled calling them so informally. ¡°We talked about nothing much, just Hanafubuki, Hinata and a few other things. Hyacinth told us quite a lot about some of your exploits we didn¡¯t know about, like battling an Unseelie Duke. The tale was quite shocking.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I missed out.¡± Motoko said, having sobered up again thanks to Ether Healing.


    ¡°Hardly, you were on a date with Akio, as his fiance?e. That¡¯s a win.¡± Natsumi denied her.


    ¡°Well, I was with my family, Fujiwara-sama and some very important British people. It was not relaxing at all. But still fun, I admit it. I never dreamed of this, back when I dreaded a marriage that would separate us, force us to cast down our weapons.¡± She snuggled into me, her kisses leaving more lipstick on my face. ¡°Well, now that is over...¡±


    ¡°A bath? I am all sweaty.¡± Natsumi fanned her robe, making sure that I could see glimpses of her nipples and pussy as she did so, her smile teasing, and as I glanced down I could see she was already damp.


    ¡°Yes, I would like that too.¡± Motoko turned around, asking me to unzip her. Normally she¡¯d ask Natsumi, but I knew why she was asking me, so I pulled at the zipper, watching as she stepped out of it, wearing pretty green underwear to match the dress. ¡°Please, help me with my bra.¡± She grinned, so I unlatched it, and as her modest yet shapely breasts spilled out, I couldn¡¯t resist grabbing them. Motoko shivered at my touch, mouth open, so I stuck my tongue in, and we tangled ourselves together greedily, my free hand snaking down to her panties, rubbing at the rapidly growing damp spot.


    ¡°No fair. Me too.¡± Natsumi said, pressing her naked body against mine. Hyacinth was not to be outdone. She had doffed her maid outfit as she was filling the bath, and had managed to get water all over herself, her cute white negligee-style underwear soaked and transparent, her hard nipples on show. Seeing me watching, she turned, her ass wiggling at me, slit clearly visible.


    ¡°Look at me too.¡± As I parted lips with Motoko, Natsumi dived in, and I could taste her flavour. As her tongue sought mine, I pulled down Motoko¡¯s panties, and I had a hand at her crotch, as well as Natsumi¡¯s. I toyed with them, stirring the outside of their slits, occasionally lightly brushing their clits, and as I parted from Natsumi, saliva linking us for a moment, I returned my tongue to Motoko¡¯s mouth, only for Natsumi to thrust hers into the mix as well. I was shocked, two tongues fighting each other to tangle mine, their heads knocking together as they giggled and slobbered, and once we were done, I hugged them both tightly, the feel of their sweaty skin irresistible.


    ¡°Shit, you two girls are cute.¡± I paused. ¡°Hyacinth, you too, no need to try and appeal to me. I love you too!¡± Hyacinth was twisting into lewd poses, her soaked silk cloth hiding nothing.


    ¡°Well, shall we take a bath? Though the order is wrong, as I think we¡¯ll need another soon.¡± I teased, as they flushed, their reactions still adorable.


    ¡°Well, tomorrow.¡± Motoko allowed. ¡°For now...¡± she looked at Natsumi fondly, but with an unusual hint of jealousy. ¡°... I too shall have Akio embrace me again!¡±


    ¡°Aww, seeing you so envious of me is cute.¡± Natsumi breathed happily. We entered the bathroom, and I pulled the soaked underwear from Hyacinth, kissing her soundly until she made happy noises and her knees went weak. The bathroom was warm, so it was no hardship to wait naked. I let the girls strip my suit, and they made a game of it, touching my body from my face, nipples, stomach, thighs and ass to my dick. Hyacinth then hung up Motoko¡¯s dress and my suit, before we all entered the bath together. It was surprisingly large, and despite our earlier observations there was easily enough room for us all, but we huddled together, a ball of skin-on-skin contact, kissing and caressing each other, making observations about the differences between us all.


    ¡°So, I...¡± Motoko was holding my penis gently in the water. ¡°I confess, I am not sure what to do. I was never taught to please a man, and last time, you did all the work. But I have no wish to remain passive. I want to please you!¡±


    ¡°I had a little more instruction from Shaeula, but I¡¯m not an expert.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°But I¡¯m also eager to learn!¡± she promised cutely.


    ¡°Hyacinth knooows. Though I am not as lewd as mistress Eri nooor Mistress Shaeula. I have my thoooughts about mistress Shiro tooo.¡± She giggled. ¡°But... we should use ooour mouths. It is fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I did that too.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a strange taste, but Motoko should get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. The bath is not a good place for it. It¡¯s a nightmare to clean up. The... sperm, well it solidifies and gets stuck everywhere.¡± I warned.


    ¡°Hyacinth will clean it all up, dooo not worry. But...¡± her smile was sly. ¡°If we drink it all, nooo problem!¡±


    In the end I let them talk me into a game. They would each take it in turns, thirty seconds to fellate me in the water, while the other two would take it in turns to kiss me and fondle me. Then the one who I came in the mouth of had to drink it all down, not spilling a drop, or there would be a penalty. Though I did insist on the penalty being nothing too bad, I don¡¯t think that was what Hyacinth had in mind anyway...


    ¡°Yes, gooooood, just like that.¡± Natsumi was sucking my dick, a happy expression on her face, tongue rolling down my half-submerged shaft. Motoko was kissing me fiercely, brown eyes dreamy, while Hyacinth was using her hair to tickle me, while groping my ass, her fingers sometimes toying gently with my asshole.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to do right, but...¡± I shivered as Natsumi¡¯s tongue swept my glans, her hands squeezing my balls. ¡°... I like it.¡± she said happily.


    Motoko, jealous, bit my lip as we kissed, pushing my hands to her chest. Needing no further invitation, I toyed with her, flicking and stroking her nipples, squeezing her breasts gently. She let out a moan, her kiss becoming more fervent, and then Hyacinth declared it was time. With a flushed face, Motoko slid down to my dick, eyes spinning, and then gathered her courage, swallowing up as much of my cock as she could, gagging a little as it struck her throat. I was going to give her encouragement, but my mouth was filled my Natsumi¡¯s tongue now, and she guided my hands to her breasts, while her own hand was gently playing with herself, her arousal driving her crazy.


    ¡°Mistress Motoko, yooou should use your tongue like sooo...¡± Hyacinth demonstrated by snatching one of my hands from Natsumi¡¯s chest and sucking on the fingers lewdly, her expression dreamy. Replicating the movements, Motoko started to twine her tongue around my dripping cock, her face looking complicated at the taste.


    ¡°Careful, dooo not bite, that would make Akio wither!¡± Hyacinth giggled, giving Motoko further instruction, the feeling of my tongue, fingers and dick all being sucked on like lollipops at the same time irresistible.


    ¡°Time tooo change.¡± Hyacinth said at last, and she was devouring me once again, head moving up and down rapidly, her experience greater than the other two, water splashing, her tongue like a snake. Motoko looked at me, eyes shining as she licked my nipples, letting Natsumi keep kissing me, so I took my now saliva-soaked fingers and started caressing Motoko¡¯s pussy, making her shiver.


    ¡°I love this. I never thought... it would be so fun. All together... with Natsumi, Hyacinth...¡±


    ¡°I know why they keep it from us at Hanafubuki.¡± Natsumi giggled, separating her lips from mine for a moment. ¡°If the others found out these pleasures, then yes, many noble daughters would sully their honour, houses would fall.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hyacinth declared, her mouth still bugling, her words indistinct. ¡°It is good because it is Akiooo! Never forget that. Ooother men... I dooo not need them.¡±


    ¡°Nor do I.¡± Motoko agreed, and Natsumi nodded. As Hyacinth declared the change, Natsumi back on my cock, I was now snogging Hyacinth, tasting a mixture of my own flavour and hers. ¡°I just need you.¡± She said to me, her eyes earnest. ¡°I do. Not just because of what you have given me, prevented me losing. But... I now know what love is. When we are apart, I find myself wondering what you are doing, what you are thinking. And... whether you think of me.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Natsumi said, in-between her sucking. ¡°So, never think we are unwilling. If my parents tried to call off our engagement now, I¡¯d just run away.¡±


    ¡°As would I. But... I am pleased mother respects you now.¡± Motoko said, before Natsumi moved her head, and Motoko was going down on me again. I endured several more circuits of the three of them, until finally I could hold it no longer. Motoko¡¯s eyes going wide as I gushed a great flow of cum into her mouth.


    ¡°Hurry nooow, swallow it all!¡± Hyacinth cheered, as I poured out more and more. Yeah, with the volume I put out nowadays... this isn¡¯t exactly fair...


    Motoko was gagging now, though her eyes were deadly serious as she gulped at my flow, not forgetting to still lick my shaft with her tongue, increasing the pleasure. As she began to falter, Natsumi cheered her on too, but in the end it was too much, and she gagged, my cock slipping free, even as some more cum shot up into her hair and down her chest. She coughed, spraying cloudy white fluid into the bath, before she swallowed one final time.


    ¡°I am afraid I lost.¡± She said, before smiling, licking my sperm from her lips. ¡°Well, no matter. It does taste rather strange, Natsumi, I confess. But... somehow I do not dislike it?¡±


    ¡°I guess it tastes of love?¡± Natsumi titled her head, thinking, before grinning. ¡°So, you lost. Since Hyacinth now has to clean the bath, you get a penalty. What is it, Hyacinth?¡±


    I¡¯ll put a stop to it if it¡¯s anything too bad. I had worried prematurely though, as Hyacinth winked at me with her brilliant purple eyes. ¡°Simple. Since mistress Motoko spilled the preciooous seed of Akio, she needs to be pumped full ooof it. Akio will fill you up, until yooou are spilling like this. Nooo protests!¡±


    Natsumi gave Hyacinth a grateful look, knowing that Motoko was fretting about being the least experienced of the three of them. ¡°Yes, that sounds a good punishment. Motoko, if it hurts still or you get scared, you have to grin and bear it, all right?¡±


    ¡°This seems rather kind for a penalty.¡± Motoko smiled, understanding. ¡°But I thank you. Hyacinth, you are quite kind. Natsumi, you too.¡± As Hyacinth blushed and denied it, Natsumi merely smiled at her best friend.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I stood, grabbing Motoko in my arms. With a princess carry, I took her to the bed, laying her down gently, naked and dripping. Damn, I ruin a lot of sheets nowadays... oh well... ¡°First I¡¯ll loosen you up a bit, since this is only your second time.¡±


    ¡°If you think that best.¡± Motoko said, trusting me implicitly. I gently started caressing her breasts and clit, the little bean growing redder and more engorged. She shivered and moaned as I did, and her embarrassment from having Natsumi and Hyacinth watching over her, observing, left her flushed and burning with arousal.


    ¡°I feel strange, what... what is this?¡± Motoko gasped, and as I hadn¡¯t attacked her clit during our first sex, the sensations were new to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s the part of us that brings a lot of pleasure.¡± Natsumi laughed. ¡°Just give yourself to it and have fun. It¡¯s not scary, not with Akio.¡±


    ¡°I... I feel strange. Like before, a white light is coming, a wave... but... it is so intense!¡± She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes from pleasure. I kissed her deeply, before sliding my tongue down her chin, neck, over her breasts, making sure to suck on the nipples, playing with her clit and pussy all the time with my fingers, before I arrived at her ruby bean. Sucking on it, her back arched, fingers clutching the sheets, and water splashed my face, sour and sticky. Her moans were rapturous, and as my tongue and fingers intensified, she finally let out a shriek of pleasure, even her toes twisting as she came, her pussy glittering with spilt liquid.


    ¡°Uh... what... so... strange.¡± She muttered, and I gently sucked on her tongue, kissing her, entwining our fingers together, lying against her, until she regained her poise.


    ¡°Mistress Motoko looooooks so happy.¡± Hyacinth gushed.


    ¡°I am. Exhausted, but happy. So...¡± Motoko began, but Hyacinth wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°Now, penalty, penalty! It shooould feel very good, now that you are loosened up, I prooomise!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you lost, Motoko.¡± Natsumi grinned, sticking out her tongue. ¡°So... you get the prize!¡±


    ¡°I... welcome it.¡± Motoko gasped, still crimson and sweating from arousal and pleasure. Her moist brown eyes watched as my dick regained its fervour, and as I pushed my hot glans to her slit, she looked at me, her expression bright. ¡°Once more, affirm to me I am yours, Akio!¡± She reached out and circled my back with her arms, and I slid inside her, my cock parting her pussy, breaking in. She barely flinched, the release of her orgasm having numbed her to anything but exhausted pleasure, and as my glans slammed against the entrance to her womb, she gasped. ¡°Kiss me?¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡± We entwined our tongues, and after we parted, I started to move, my body sliding backwards and forwards in a pistoning motion, our bodies slapping together wetly. Motoko was moaning lewdly, her body spasming, her walls wriggling, trying to grasp my dick, and soon our hoarse gasps were coming together, blending into one. Hyacinth and Natsumi were talking, but all I was focussed on was Motoko. We kissed again, and my hands kneaded her breasts and ass, and soon my body felt as if a hot, molten ball was within me, waiting for release.


    ¡°Motoko, I¡¯m... soon...¡± I gasped, and as we kissed she bit my lip savagely, tongue darting inside.


    ¡°After today... I know... my parents, they accept... us happily.¡± Motoko gasped. ¡°Dye me with your... colour! I want... the white wave!¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s so hot... ¡°Of course, I want you to feel it, feel how much I like you, love you!¡± I sped up, my hands groping her, our breaths mingling, as her sour nectar splattered onto the sheets. Moments later, my body spasmed, and I discharged a gushing stream inside her. Motoko squealed, feeling the hot liquid filling her womb, and her kiss was savage.


    ¡°Like a fire inside me. Is this what love is like? Father, mother, grandfather, your Motoko is a woman!¡± she half-sobbed, half shouted, face crimson. I continued to thrust into her shuddering womb, filling it until a trickle of cum and love juice foamed out around my dick, and as I pulled free, Motoko gasped regretfully, seeking a final kiss, which I have her happily, tongues licking each other¡¯s teeth, lips and gums.


    ¡°I feel empty now.¡± Motoko observed sadly as I pulled out, though her hand went to her belly. ¡°But so warm inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was something to see.¡± Natsumi was crimson, filled with lust seeing Motoko make love so passionately.


    ¡°Yes, but... Mistress Motoko did nooot reach release.¡± Hyacinth observed. Her expression turned sly, and she reached a finger down, wiping cum from Motoko¡¯s pussy and licking it. ¡°This taste, Hyacinth loooves it. But... punishment is nooot over. It is still not gushing like in the bath. Gooo again.¡±


    Natsumi paused, looking at Hyacinth and Motoko, before smiling sweetly. ¡°Oh yes, I think you¡¯re right, Hyacinth. Motoko needs more punishment.¡±


    They are very kind, they just want Motoko to climax through sex again. Well, I don¡¯t mind... ¡°Motoko, are you all right?¡± I asked, and she nodded proudly, hair sticking to her sweaty, flushed naked body, her eyes showing her happiness, and her understanding of Hyacinth¡¯s and Natsumi¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°I am a warrior, and your fiance?e. I never go back on my word.¡± She grinned weakly. ¡°Shaeula would be angry if I did. So, have at me. I can take it!¡±


    ¡°That makes it sound like I¡¯m forcing you.¡± I said, teasing her, and she pouted, reddening further.


    ¡°It is mean to make me say it.¡± She grimaced, but then she laughed. ¡°But... it is no punishment. This is a joy. A joy we share. I feel very close to Natsumi and Hyacinth now, more than ever. So... make love to me once more. Let your seed gush from me as I promised... ah?¡± She was surprised as I hauled her up and slid her onto my cock, so she was sitting, facing me. I was poking her deep inside, and she squirmed, her body still tender from her first orgasm, and near a second.


    ¡°This way, you control the pace.¡± I grinned. ¡°And I...¡± my hands were stroking her thighs, back and ass, while my mouth was at her breasts, sucking her nipples greedily.


    ¡°I... ahn... see.¡± She moaned, quickly understanding. She began to rock up and down, each time she fell gasping as my dick hammered her deeply. Soon she was sliding up and down like a piston, my cum and her love nectars splattering, lubricating our join. I bit lightly on her nipple, and she groaned, speeding up.


    ¡°Yes, this is... fun. It does not have to be... ahn... always the man... in control... ahn ah!¡± She was delighting in exploring our bodies, her hands in my hair and stroking my chest. As she enjoyed herself, I decided to help her, and I started moving myself, dick scraping her inner walls, looking for her sweet spots.


    ¡°What are... hey, that... oh...¡± At first she was merely gasping, but then when I found a centre of her pleasure, which I targeted relentlessly, her rhythmic motion became lax, erratic.


    ¡°It¡¯s even better when we work together.¡± I grinned, and she kissed me again, her tongue thrusting deep into my mouth, to which I responded. My cock was burning, and through the sensitive glans I could feel her walls trembling, hot and sticky, with every thrust from me and rocking motion from her only amplifying the surging tide within us.


    ¡°I... this is... too much. No, it¡¯s perfect!¡± she said, her words a jumbled mess, her eyes locked on mine, as if we were the only people in her world. The voices of Natsumi and Hyacinth who were watching fondly faded away, and I concentrated my all on Motoko.


    ¡°Let¡¯s come together. Are you ready?¡± I asked her, and she nodded as if her head would fall off.


    ¡°Yes, please. I think... that is how, ahn, uh... I want it to be!¡±


    ¡°Well then...¡± I sat up too, hugging her, our bodies continuously colliding, and as my twitching cock dug out the deepest regions of her trembling pussy, she gaped, drool running from her mouth, which I licked up gleefully.


    ¡°I loooooooooooove you!¡± she cried, squirting love nectar in a flood, moments before I replied with a shout.


    ¡°And I you! Motoko!¡± My dick convulsed, showering her insides with another cascade of white sperm. Her already loose womb sought it, gulping down, and each squirming sensation crushed my dick, forcing more cum out, filling her anew. Soon the volume was overspilling, the sheets spread with a sticky white puddle, and as the waves of pleasure subsided, Motoko sagged against me, kissing me wildly, half-conscious, my nose, cheeks, chin and lips all greedily slurped at.


    That was intense. As Motoko slowly calmed down, I looked at the sheets, which were soaked. Then my gaze strayed up, to where cum was drooling out in a pearly tide. ¡°Motoko, it didn¡¯t hurt, did it?¡± I asked, a little concerned, as we had gone hard, despite it only being her second session of sex, but she shook her head, wiping damp hair away from her eyes, so she could peer into mine, expression serious.


    ¡°No, not at all. It was nothing but fun.¡± she said languidly. ¡°I feel... drained. Exhausted, but happy. Warm. Your love... it is a grand thing. To think we nearly missed out on this, Natsumi. Through our pride and his. But we did not. Truly, I am happy from the bottom of my heart. It feels full. As does...¡± She touched her abdomen, eyes wide at the volume of sperm drizzling down from her.


    ¡°Yes, watching made me feel warm too. Down here.¡± Natsumi grinned, using two fingers to open her pussy, showing the writhing, damp pink walls, her thighs already drenched. ¡°As for feeling full... now it¡¯s our turn, right Hyacinth? I think Motoko¡¯s punishment was a success.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hyacinth was also ready, looking at me lustfully, panting like an animal, licking her lips with her pink tongue. ¡°Mistress Motoko, take a rest, yooou are well filled, to the brim, spilling ooout. Now... Hyacinth wants it. But... mistress Natsumi, yooou first. Hyacinth is good, she can wait, yooou see!¡±


    Motoko roiled to one side, and we exchanged a lingering, passionate yet languid kiss, tangling tongues slowly, caressing each other. Then Natsumi clambered on top of me, hands grasping my cock, stroking it, restoring it to life. ¡°Thanks, Hyacinth. Next time I¡¯ll let you take the lead, but... seeing Motoko be soiled like this makes me feel hot inside. I need Akio¡¯s love, his penis...¡± she squeezed, and I was now fully erect, marvelling at my recovery speed once more. ¡°... to scrape away that itch.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi, I shall be watching.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi shivered.


    ¡°Hearing that makes me burn all the hotter. Well, I want to try that position too.¡± As she lowered her body onto my cock, my dick piercing her tight folds, slit scattering nectar to join Motoko¡¯s, I exchanged a look with Motoko, one filled with warmth and tender affection. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand, my other hand reaching for Hyacinth, so the four of us were joined as one. Yeah, I might die tonight, but... what a way to go... My idle, joking thoughts were then driven from my head as Natsumi began to ride me, my dick wrapped in her sucking pussy...

 Three Hundred And Sixty Six

    Three Hundred And Sixty Six


    Sitting in the Thames Foyer restaurant of the Savoy, overlooking the river, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, Motoko on one side of me, Natsumi on the other. They were both casually dressed, in smart t-shirt, jumpers and long pants, as the late autumn air in London was rather chilly. Hyacinth was sat with us as well, still in her modest maid ensemble.


    ¡°This is not bad.¡± Motoko said, taking a bite of the breakfast pastry. ¡°Sometimes having Western food for a change is a treat.¡±


    Natsumi agreed, nodding, her mouth full and cheeks puffed out like an adorable squirrel. The two of them were radiant this morning, as well they might be, after all the enjoyment we had in the bath and on the bed last night. On seeing their happy faces, Hikari-san had looked resigned, before asking Motoko if she had been satisfied. That was quite mortifying. Still, the reason that Motoko was so happy wasn¡¯t purely down to our lovemaking, but that I had confirmed her Lovers¡¯ Link had reached the same Rank as Natsumi. She had been a little down about the discrepancy, so that, coupled with becoming one with me again, had blown away the shadows of her anxiety.


    ¡°So, what will you all be doing today?¡± Tsumura-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather asked. ¡°There is another meeting planned this evening, with some politicians and businessmen on the other side of the political spectrum. It wouldn¡¯t do to place all our efforts in one direction. Until then, you should be free. Are you going to do some sightseeing? London is rather nice.¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, I¡¯m going to visit my grandparents. I haven¡¯t seen them since I was a kid, so I thought it¡¯d be nice.¡±


    ¡°I of course shall go too.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi echoed her. Hyacinth of course didn¡¯t have to say anything, everyone knew she would accompany us.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d be more than happy for you to meet my family. Although...¡± I looked rueful. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll tell them. Thanks mom, you¡¯ve left me a mess to clean up.¡±


    ¡°I would have liked to come too.¡± Miyu said, surprising me. She was eating with her grandfather and Honoka-san, mostly a Japanese meal that the Savoy had laid on specially for their esteemed guests. ¡°But Grandfather wishes to take us to see the same sights we did last time we were here, to observe what has changed.¡±


    ¡°I am looking forward to it, Miyu-sama! It is a lot of fun spending time together.¡± Honoka-san said cheerfully. Behind her, I detected that her bodyguard Koga-san was a bit annoyed, while Michiru-san seemed triumphant. Damn, those two ninja sisters sure are competitive with each other, on behalf of their mistresses...


    ¡°I have made the arrangements for you. The Savoy prides itself on being able to get anything a guest requires done with minimal fuss. Your Helicopter will be waiting at nine sharp. The distance is trivial, less than a third of Tokyo to Kyoto, so the journey will be swift.¡± Fujiwara-san declared, and I thanked him again. Yeah, we could catch a train, I checked the schedules and it¡¯s easy enough, but this way there¡¯s the convenience, and also I¡¯ve taken to heart his words about safety from the flight here. Speaking of safety...


    ¡°You need to be careful out there. London is a big city, there are certainly Chosen around here and there.¡± I warned. ¡°Miyu, you aren¡¯t a fighter.¡±


    ¡°You need not fret, we will have Special Forces soldiers shadowing us. They may not be a match for those such as you, but they can buy us time. Major Sasaki will also be joining us.¡±


    ¡°As for us, well, we are staying here. I doubt we would be targeted, but there will be Special Forces in the hotel so... you can enjoy your day, grandson-in-law, Motoko. We intend to make the most of ours and have some much needed rest.¡± Tsumura-san said, and Motoko blushed prettily. As he laughed at that, I nodded.


    ¡°All right. Well, the beauty of having a helicopter on standby is that I can dash back if there¡¯s trouble. But it shouldn¡¯t happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the British Government is watching over us. If we were to come to harm on their shores, it would be a diplomatic disaster, and not what they need in these times of heightened tension with America and China. So, do enjoy your reunion.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said dryly, still wondering how I would explain this to my grandparents. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not anticipating being there the whole day, so we should have an hour or two to look around London later.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can do that any time.¡± Natsumi said, having eaten her breakfast now. ¡°But we can¡¯t just meet your family casually.¡± Motoko nodded, as did Hyacinth, who was paler than usual, perhaps worrying they wouldn¡¯t like her. I doubt that. Mom likes you just fine, Hyacinth. I don¡¯t see why my grandparents should be any different...


    ¡°I would not mind seeing some sights, but... yes, Natsumi is right. This takes priority. After all...¡± Motoko smiled at me. ¡°... on this trip, I can pridefully claim to be your fiance?e!¡±


    Yes, I suppose you can...


    ********


    ¡°So, this is the famous school, is it?¡± Motoko said, curious. ¡°It has a reputation, even in Japan.¡± We were standing on the grounds of a private school. Since Motoko and Natsumi attended their own private academy, they were naturally interested in it. We had arrived at our destination after a brief, forty minute journey, and it turned out that this school had the best landing site for helicopters in the area, so here we were. The Savoy sure can pull strings since they got us permission to park here so easily. Or perhaps that¡¯s the Fujiwara name in action?


    We had been greeted by an impeccably dressed older man, wearing a suit I could tell was expensive from my own experiences. He had greeted us and offered a tour of the facilities, which we had declined, though since Motoko and Natsumi were interested, I made a mental note to see if we could make time if we were here again. This likely won¡¯t be the only time I visit the UK. And in future, the itinerary may be more relaxed.


    As we headed out, we were attracting some attention, as a group of boys of the same sort of ages as Natsumi and Motoko were playing Rugby under the watchful eye of a coach. However, Motoko and Natsumi were used to ignoring the inquisitive gazes of others from their upbringing and schooling, and Hyacinth, trailing along behind us like a proper maid, likely thought of them as mere bugs, so soon we were gone. Too bad. I know this school is full of the children of the rich and famous, who know high-class girls when they see them, but these two aren¡¯t here for you.


    ¡°Well, I got the address from mom. Seems like they live in the same house as before. It¡¯s a bit over a mile away, according to the map. Want to walk it?¡±


    ¡°Why not? This seems a pleasant little town.¡± Motoko said.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s different to Tokyo. But... it seems all schools for the nobility are similar.¡± Natsumi observed, and I corrected a misconception, based on what I¡¯d read.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really a school for nobles, though there are likely a few noble kids here. It¡¯s more for the rich and academically gifted, since I read they have some scholarships for poorer, talented students. And it now has both boys and girls in attendance, since the nineteen seventies.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not sure I would be comfortable with that. School with the sons of nobility... it sounds stifling.¡± Motoko said as we headed off. There were a few people about, but they paid us little more than a second look as we passed them by, speaking in Japanese. We also saw other Japanese and Asian groups, tourists checking out the school, taking photos.


    ¡°If Hanafubuki did suddenly open to boys as well, it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Natsumi giggled, taking my hand as we walked. Motoko quickly snatched my other, and seeing that, not to be outdone, Hyacinth grabbed the back of my jumper. ¡°After all, we are already engaged.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well said, Natsumi.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°I suppose we can put up with them if we must, knowing that our lives are already decided, and we will want for nothing.¡±


    We talked happily about nothing much as we headed down a hill, past an old Catholic church, and turned into a smaller side street. Soon we reached our destination, an old but well-kept end-terrace house, with a small but neat garden, the sound of a small waterfall tinkling away. Looking at it, I had a flash of memory from long ago. Yeah, this is definitely the place.


    ¡°I feel rather nervous suddenly, Natsumi. Do you?¡± Motoko said slowly, her footsteps dragging.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny you should say that. I¡¯m feeling a little worried myself.¡± She affirmed, only for Hyacinth to laugh uproariously.


    ¡°Why? Dooo not be foolish. There is nothing tooo fear. The mistresses are all good girls, I am sure yooou will both be loved!¡±


    ¡°You too. Don¡¯t forget yourself.¡± I said to Hyacinth, patting her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m probably the most nervous of all, having to untangle the mess mom left. But... I¡¯m not ever going to lie and deny my relationships to you all. That¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t allow, so... we¡¯ll just push through it. I¡¯m sure my grandparents are reasonable, after all, they raised mom, and she turned out okay. Even if she¡¯s a bit wild at times...¡±


    Steeling myself, I went to the door and rang the doorbell, the chime sounding very loud on this quiet suburban street. My keen ears could pick up voices, as we waited there.


    ¡°Is it our grandson? Do you think he¡¯s here?¡± a woman was saying, and a man answered a bit gruffly.


    ¡°Could be. Emily said he would be visiting today. I wish our daughter would call us more. There¡¯s such a thing as mobile phones, isn¡¯t there? Japan may be halfway across the world, but that shouldn¡¯t matter... uh...¡± I could hear a chain being unlatched, and soon the door opened, revealing a white-haired man in his seventies, and a slightly younger woman with greying hair and clear blue eyes behind him. They were both casually dressed and rather handsome despite their advancing years, especially the woman, who had facial features very reminiscent of the two other women in my family, my mom and Aiko. They paused on seeing me, recognition on their faces, before I spoke, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Grandmother Evelyn, Grandfather Jack, it¡¯s been a while.¡± I said in English. ¡°Sorry I haven¡¯t been in touch a lot more, but... well, you know how it is.¡± I apologised. ¡°So, can we come in?¡±


    ¡°My boy, it¡¯s been too long!¡± Jack said loudly. ¡°You¡¯ve got so big. And so handsome! Say what you like about your father, he was a good-looking man in his day. You take after him, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there talking.¡± Evelyn said, realising that I had company. ¡°He said we, dear. So, who are these lovely girls? And which one is Eri? They don¡¯t look like the picture...¡± she said doubtfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you, but...¡± I glanced next door, and curtains twitched in an upper window,


    ¡°Yes, better come in, Akio.¡± Jack said, scowling. ¡°We have nosy neighbours. It¡¯s a bit different to Japan, I hear. Oh, we have slippers by the door. Don¡¯t normally have much call for them here in the UK, but... well, considering who our son-in-law is, we keep a number of pairs handy, more out of habit than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Do excuse me then. I am coming in.¡± Motoko said, bowing politely, before taking off her shoes and slipping on a pair of fluffy footwear. Natsumi was next.


    ¡°Greetings to you. I am pleased to meet you.¡± She said, doling likewise.


    ¡°Hyacinth greets Akio¡¯s noooble grandparents!¡± Hyacinth said, and her tone and looks startled them.


    ¡°A maid? And... not Japanese? That hair...¡± Evelyn said, reaching out and touching it, marvelling at the green and purple strands within the black. ¡°Is this dyed? It¡¯s gorgeous in a punk sort of way. I used to be a bit of a rocker myself, back in the day, when I was still young and pretty.¡±


    ¡°Uh, are you all right, Hyacinth?¡± I asked, marvelling at how mom definitely took after her own mother. As Hyacinth giggled, Evelyn released the hair, her cheeks faintly pink. She apologised, and with that shuffled off to make some tea, while grandfather showed us to the small yet clean sitting room. Soon, I was perched on a sofa, sandwiched between Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth, while cups of tea were steaming on a table in front of us, Jack and Evelyn in their own sitting chairs, eyeing us curiously.


    ¡°So, introductions.¡± Jack repeated. ¡°I must say, they¡¯re all very cute. So, which one¡¯s Eri, your fiance?e?¡± he looked a bit puzzled.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Eri wasn¡¯t able to make the trip. So I¡¯m here with these three.¡± I started, steeling myself.


    ¡°This is Tsumura Motoko...¡±


    Meanwhile, Motoko was talking to Jack, telling him tales of her Tsumura Arts. When she said cheerfully that I was skilled with weapons too, Jack looked at me askance. ¡°An odd hobby there, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Not really? Aiko is Kyudo mad, she loves archery. I took it up later in life, but I find it fulfilling.¡± I looked at Motoko. ¡°Besides, Motoko loves it, and I want to share in the hobbies those I love enjoy.¡±


    Her face reddened, and Jack smiled at that. To cover her embarrassment Motoko explained. ¡°Well, I confess, I wish to teach the Tsumura Arts to our children. I will not let them die out. And having Akio appreciate the Arts, knowing their value, it makes me very happy.¡±


    ¡°Thinking of children is a bit premature, right?¡± Jack snorted. ¡°You should at least finish school, live a little bit first.¡±


    ¡°I know. Now is not the right time. But when that time comes, I want to be prepared.¡± Motoko replied, face still pink.


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s good to see that you are into Akio, it warms the heart of this old man.¡± Jack smiled. ¡°Young love is rather touching, don¡¯t you agree, Hyacinth?¡± he addressed her, and she grinned.


    ¡°Well, I am nooot as young as I look. But looove... it is a wonderful thing, I dooo agree. I never thought anyone wooould love me, that I cooould love again, but I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve had a rough time of it. So... what attracted you to Akio?¡± he pressed her, and her smile changed, becoming a little sad.


    ¡°How cooould I not love someone who cares for me sooo? Hyacinth just hooopes she can give back enough to balance what she has received. That is my ooonly wish.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Motoko said, a little angry. ¡°Hyacinth, you are thinking about this all wrong. I too thought that I did not have anything to offer.¡± She spoke to Jack, and Evelyn was listening. ¡°I pondered and searched my heart, and nearly gave up. But... it is not about who can offer what, or whether one is worthy. It is simply about whether one wishes to spend their lives together. And I wish to spend mine with Akio, and all of you.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth doooes understand.¡± She said softly in answer to that. ¡°But, I have tooo make up for the bad I did. I dooo not remember it well, but...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Motoko disagreed. ¡°That was not Hyacinth. You said it yourself, once you took the name Hyacinth, you became her, and were born anew. Hyacinth only has to be here with us, together. I would be sad if you were gone.¡±


    ¡°Me too! It wouldn¡¯t be the same without any one of us. And sometimes we get new friends, like Kana...¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°And sure, I get jealous or worried sometimes, like when I think I¡¯m not as beautiful as Shiro, or I don¡¯t know Akio as well as Eri or Shaeula. But...¡± her expression changed. ¡°... I just have to think about what we¡¯ve shared, and our bond...¡± I felt a tingle in my Kin Bonding, as Natsumi¡¯s warm, loving thoughts reached me, and Hyacinth froze. I think... she can feel it too, through me.


    ¡°... and I know, even if there are hardships, and times that we struggle, it¡¯s worth it, and I wouldn¡¯t change anything.¡±


    ¡°Nor would I.¡± Motoko approved. ¡°Akio may well have chosen the harder path, trying to love us all, hold us all within his grasp, but I will fight to remain within his arms, and to keep us all filled with joy. If we are this happy now, how much more joy will we see in the months, years, decades to come?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyacinth...¡± I looked at her seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your past. You know that. I know all I need to about the girl called Hyacinth. You¡¯re playful, kind to your juniors like Motoko and Natsumi. Last night proved it. You don¡¯t mind risking yourself for those you believe in, and ... I know I can trust that you¡¯ll protect them. I¡¯m never letting you go. None of you.¡± I looked to Evelyn and Jack, my Majesty and Charm shining, making my words more believable. ¡°This must be a lot to take in. I can hardly believe it myself. But... I¡¯ve always been a bit hesitant when it comes to love. Eri... I should never have left her behind in Nishimorioka. Thank all the Gods I got the chance to rectify my mistake. And from there, well, my life changed thanks to... there¡¯s no point going into details, but Shaeula entered my life, and I found I had feelings for her too. But loving two girls seemed horrible, selfish. Luckily... Eri and Shaeula are pragmatic, kind... they couldn¡¯t bear to see the other suffer. So... we agreed to share. I felt bad, let me tell you.¡± I laughed, getting out my feelings. That was then. I¡¯m now at peace.


    I talked and I talked, telling my grandparents about Shiro and my long-buried feelings for her, of Kana and how she soothed my heart with her easy-going nature, of Hyacinth and how I first pitied her, only for her kindness and loyalty to win me over, of Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi, and how at first I tried to avoid them, only to somehow end up loving them. As the two of them blushed happily, I then mentioned one last girl, one who I hoped one day would be happy, even if she sought someone other than me, just so long as she was repaid for her service...


    ¡°That was some seriously heavy stuff, my grandson.¡± Jack said at last. Evelyn had teared up, mopping at her eyes with a handkerchief. ¡°Well, for what it¡¯s worth, you have my blessing. From the three girls you brought with you today, I can tell they are all ones I¡¯d be proud to have in my family.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Motoko bowed. ¡°That means a great deal to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was worried. Explaining all this is hard.¡± Natsumi smiled. ¡°But... well, we¡¯re going to be true family soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I thank yooou.¡± Hyacinth finished for the girls. ¡°All Akio¡¯s family is kind. I like that. The wooorld is dark and cooold, but sooometimes there are good things to be fooound.¡±


    ¡°Oh Hyacinth! Call me grandmother! I¡¯ll be your family! That goes for all of you girls!¡± Evelyn sniffled, blowing her nose, her eyes wet with tears. ¡°Dear...¡± she addressed Jack. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t stand on pride. Not when we have a growing family. Before, a trip to Japan was too much, but... now I want to meet the others, see Emily and son-in-law Taichi again, see our precious granddaughter Aiko... meet all the families of these girls.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Jack sighed. ¡°Akio, I¡¯m proud of you. Well, I¡¯d be just as proud of you if you simply brought this Eri girl to see us, and you lived a normal life, without this breakthrough you made that led to all this. But, just like we gave Taichi our blessing when he made Emily smile, just as you girls smile when you look at Akio and each other... well, we give you our blessing. Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth... welcome to the family.¡±


    At that, the girls were incredibly happy, and as Jack went to the fridge, fetching a beer for me and him to toast with, Evelyn dragged out an old family album, full of pictures of mom, dad and me. ¡°Take a look at this! Emily was a stunning young girl, here she is in her school uniform. And here¡¯s Taichi when he first told us they were dating. Here¡¯s Emily, her belly the size of a whale! And... look, wasn¡¯t Akio so cute as a little boy, look at his red wellies!¡±


    As the girls cooed over the pictures, I took a beer from my grandfather. Pulling the ring, we slammed the cans together. ¡°Cheers. To my grandson and his insane bravery!¡±


    ¡°To my bravery?¡± I toasted back, a little confused. ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Taking a swig, the beer being a bit different to the Japanese beverages I usually enjoyed, I waited for Jack to speak. ¡°Well, even one woman is hard enough to keep happy. And you¡¯ve chosen a difficult road, Akio. If you make them unhappy, your life is going to be a living hell. Really, are you sure? You might end up hurting a lot of nice young girls...¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure.¡± I took another gulp of beer, enjoying listening to my grandmother talk them through old stories accompanied by faded pictures. Though I can do without her telling them about that time I fell in the nettles and wouldn¡¯t stop crying for hours... ¡°But the time for that hesitation is passed.¡± I had said it before, taking my cue from Shaeula. But now I knew she was right. I could do it. If I had to be a hundred times better than anyone else, so that I could make each girl happier than she¡¯d be with anyone else, I¡¯d do it. I cherish them all, and the thought of not being there for them, not able to protect them from what¡¯s coming... fuck that. No, I¡¯ll make them the happiest they can be. Sure, I¡¯ll make missteps, there¡¯ll be fights, tears and sorrows, but for every one of those I¡¯ll make a hundred, no a thousand joys. ¡°Jack, another toast. To all of the girls, the best in this world and any other, and their happiness!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that! To happiness, theirs, and yours.¡± He said shrewdly, and I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m already happy. If I asked for more, then I¡¯d be an ungrateful bastard.¡±


    ¡°True. Finding a money-spinning algorithm, having the law changed for you so you can marry a lot of girls... this time tomorrow I¡¯ll probably believe this is a dream...¡±


    ********


    ¡°This is a dream, right?¡± Jack said, looking at his banking app, Evelyn beside him, her face pale.


    ¡°Nope. That¡¯s the least I can do, to make sure you¡¯re both comfortable.¡± I know that auntie Hana has sent money to her parents as well, so... ¡°But you need to make sure you visit Japan soon. Mom is dying to see you, and Aiko is jealous I¡¯m meeting you again.¡±


    ¡°A hundred thousand pounds. That¡¯s a lot of money...¡± Jack parroted, stunned.


    ¡°Do accept it. If you do not, we will all feel bad.¡± Motoko smiled, and that snapped them out of it.


    ¡°Of course. We wouldn¡¯t want to be the cause of your sorrows.¡± Jack managed. ¡°So... well, what¡¯s your plans for the rest of the weekend?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are attending a function in London.¡± Motoko said cheerfully. ¡°Business, you understand.¡±


    ¡°I want pictures of you in your dresses, dears!¡± Evelyn said, having been totally won over by the girls. Just like mom. The apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree, I guess. As the girls promised that, I said my farewells.


    ¡°Well, it was nice to see you again. Next time... well, it seems it won¡¯t be so long, will it?¡± Jack said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°It¡¯d better not be. Come visit soon. Mom will be expecting it.¡±


    ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth... look after my grandson. Don¡¯t let the money go to his head. Many people have been ruined by lottery wins or sudden inheritances. And since it¡¯s money he earned himself, he could go crazy.¡±


    As the three promised to watch me, we said our farewells, and with that our visit had ended. As we walked back towards the school where our helicopter was, we talked a little about our day.


    ¡°Your grandparents are nice. They welcomed and accepted us so easily. I was concerned, I admit. I wanted to make a good impression.¡± Motoko said, and I nodded.


    ¡°They are, but humble and common. They never had much money. But from what I remember, and mom¡¯s stories, they¡¯ve always been kind. Besides, who in their right mind could dislike you three? If they did, I¡¯d have to question their sanity.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am grateful nonetheless.¡± Motoko said solemnly, and Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°Yes, and it was fun hearing all about you as a young boy, Akio. Normally we miss out on that, but I think even Eri doesn¡¯t know some of these stories.¡± She smiled impishly. ¡°She¡¯ll be quite jealous when I tell her.¡±


    ¡°I was happy tooo. Family... I dooo not understand it well, but I like it. It pleases me. Hyacinth knooows she is not easy to accept. But yooou, the mistresses, nooow family... I do not feel so alooone anymore.¡±


    ¡°Come here, you three.¡± Ignoring the stares from the odd passer-by, I held the three of them in my arms as I walked. As the school approached, I smiled happily, enjoying the moment of closeness with them. ¡°Well, really, what could they do? We were all there, the three of you in the flesh. I feel bad we lied about a lot of the details, and when the truth comes out we¡¯ll all have to apologise, but... they let their daughter follow her heart and marry a foreigner, and move to a distant land, despite knowing we were all poor enough we might never see her again. So... of course they are kind and accepting.¡± And I am very persuasive nowadays...


    ¡°It has been a wonderful day.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Following on from a wonderful night...¡± her face was red, and I grinned.


    ¡°Well, we should have a couple of hours to look around London before our engagement tonight. After that... why don¡¯t we have another wonderful night?¡± At that the three girls agreed enthusiastically, and as our helicopter took off a few minutes later, I glanced back at the hometown of my grandparents. This place holds memories for me... hmm, it isn¡¯t just Japan I need to protect, it seems...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Four – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Four ¨C Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    ¡°Yes, you are doing quite-quite well, sister-in-law.¡± I praised Selensha, who was struggling to integrate the jade wind energy that was swirling about the park where I had made my initial lair, back before Akio defeated me. Even now, the shimmering silver Ether Spires were drawing in the surrounding energies, funnelling wind to the Elemental Silo. We are gathering a respectable amount. Well, perhaps soon... I sniffed the air, the scent of the wind refreshing, but under it lay a tang of other energies. My Mystic Eyes shone a brilliant amber, and as I momentarily glanced at the sky, I could see vivid dark rainbows behind the endless silver lightning, faint trickles of dark unlight leaking free, dancing in the skies.


    Perhaps this calm is beginning to turn. That would be most welcome, considering the delays the slowing has caused our construction. Putting those thoughts aside, I continued to use my Eyes to observe Selensha. Her body was suffering, emerald needles of wind energy piercing her network in unlikely, inappropriate places, and she was even bleeding, red and silver. On seeing that, Selensha ground her teeth, clutching at her ornate staff, the orange crystal atop it glowing brilliantly, and her internal water element surged, washing away the wind, beginning to repair her injuries.


    ¡°Not-not a bad effort.¡± I sighed, offering my own Healing, her body knitting back together, fur regaining its brilliant white lustre. ¡°Sometimes I wonder just how-how my brother managed to win such a fine female as you, Selensha.¡±


    ¡°I do often wonder, consider that myself.¡± Anna, my sister, was visiting from the Fae Realms, and had been watching Selensha train with a little guidance from myself. ¡°Well, Raggy is not so bad, not too terrible. Though he should not forget that I am still rather angry, quite furious about the trials he put you through before.¡±


    ¡°All water under the bridge, as the mortals say, Anna.¡± I replied calmly. ¡°In the end, if brother Shaeraggo had not-not have been such a fool, we would likely have suffered greatly trying to secure our Territory and defeated our many-many enemies. And the Spring would never have been recaptured. Results do matter, my dear-dear Anna. And he has helped us greatly since. I hold-hold no further ill-will.¡± Ixitt, Bjarki and Hyacinth would not have been with us, most likely. I looked down at the rather fetching armoured dress Master Bjarki had made me, liking the way it both protected me and looked charming, the black cloth lined with shimmering dark scales of metal very pretty. It is a shame Akio did not have time to see me don it.


    I had barely thought that before Anna had rushed at me, grabbing me in a hug. Even with my newfound abilities I was still no match for her in terms of physical strength and speed, though I believed my elemental aptitudes rather outstripped her. ¡°Oh, my Ula, so cute, so adorable! Raggy is lucky to have such a forgiving, sweet little sister!¡±


    ¡°Please, let me go-go, Anna!¡± I squirmed in her embrace, and eventually she released me, eyes gleaming. Straightening my dress armour, I smiled. ¡°Thank you. Well, from what-what I can see, Selensha, you are not-not too far from your goal.¡± I detailed my findings, mostly about how the wind energy was not circulating to her heart chakra, and was instead mixing in with the water in her sacral one, leading to the wind growing too powerful, and exploding within her, causing injury. ¡°... so you must-must balance the flow. It is not-not trivial, I know. But... I like to believe myself a master of such!¡± I puffed out my chest proudly, missing the head pats I would likely receive after a declaration such as that were Akio here, so a sigh leaked from my lips.


    ¡°Do not be downcast, so disheartened, my Ula! Sister Anna is here for you!¡± My sister consoled me, and I smiled.


    ¡°I know. I am not-not down, not-not truly. I have many tasks to occupy my time. But... back to the matter at hand-hand. Mortals seem to have a far-far easier time adapting to elements, perhaps because their existence is plain, unaspected. Our aspects, they do surely-surely fight against what we try and achieve. However...¡± my gaze was intense, and Selensha shivered, while Anna shuddered with a different emotion. ¡°We know it can-can be achieved. In the past, more Fae managed, such as Princess Estalian and others. But most importantly... I stand before you as proof-proof positive. I did even overcome the earth that should be inimical to me, and now...¡± I gestured, and the ground exploded, though my earth element was far weaker than I had anticipated. Perhaps there is still more to do, to learn... ¡°... I command many elements.¡±


    ¡°So, are you saying mortals will surpass us, Ula? That I cannot tolerate, will not allow. If the war returns, the Seelie Court will surely be in grave peril, deadly danger!¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That will not-not happen, never. Akio and those he has allied with would fight with us against other mortals, I am quite certain. But we have other strengths, sister Anna, Selensha.¡± It was gratifying seeing them listen to me carefully, considering I used to be thought of as merely arrogant and weak. ¡°I believe that mortals find it far-far easier to change themselves, but we Fae and others like us, such as Yokai, we have inherent strengths, born stronger and most-most gifted. They are blank-blank canvasses, whereas we are already beautiful artworks, yet...¡± I gathered my thoughts. ¡°...blank canvasses can be painted, and already beautiful artworks can surely-surely be further improved upon. We, none-none of us, have found our limits yet.¡± Every day I discover more that we can do.


    ¡°You motivate me, Ula! I shall never let you go so far, too distant ahead of me. I have my pride as your sister to think of! I will surely master a second element, break my limits, shatter my boundaries.¡± She was pumped up, and I was happy to see it. I gave her encouragement, and as she once more grabbed me for a hug, my new maid-in-training, one of the many interchangeable daughters of Ixitt, rushed in.


    ¡°Princesses, Lady Selensha, Grulgor has come to see you. I asked him to wait to check it was fine and he did, but...¡± she wiped silvery sweat from her brow and I grinned.


    ¡°Why yes, Grulgor has-has become almost embarrassingly well-behaved recently. Did he say what he wished-wished to discuss?¡±


    ¡°No, I forgot to ask. Forgive me!¡± my maid said, mortified, and I waved it away with good humour.


    ¡°Well, please do better next time. You may-may allow him entry.¡±


    Anna bristled, reaching for her spear. Even though we were now in alliance with Duke Formor, and he had stopped his provoking of my father, my sister still did not trust trolls or giants, and the fact Grulgor had been sent to the Boundary of Japan to kill me was another strike against him. Though, it is most strange that I now trust Grulgor with my back in battle. Akio is right. Today¡¯s enemies may be tomorrow¡¯s friends. Well, those who are not beyond redemption, of course.


    Moments later, Grulgor traipsed in, his body a twisted mess of wounds and torn flesh, craters gouged out of his sturdy body. Even as we watched in disgust, his flesh was bubbling and regrowing, his regeneration, which was abnormal even for trolls, rapidly repairing him... my thoughts stopped, as I noticed something strange.


    ¡°Little princess would notice, Grulgor knew.¡± He laughed, massive teeth grinding. ¡°Yes, Grul has done it!¡±


    My Eye picked up a haze of orange around him, and he frowned, water splashing, and the pace of his regeneration increased, even some of his old scars and wounds that had regenerated improperly beginning to break down, orange mist rising.


    ¡°Wait, water healing?¡± Selensha said, stunned, and I nodded.


    ¡°Well, it seems like Grulgor has-has defeated you, sister-in-law. Rather shameful. I do expect you to try much-much harder.¡± I teased her, smirking at her chagrin. Anna was looking at him, her eyes cold, and I shrugged, amused. ¡°So, how-how did you succeed? You look quite the fright still.¡±


    ¡°Grulgor brute-forced it. Grul is still not too smart. Grulgor tried with the little twin girls and it helped a little, but...¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, none amongst them has-has mastered the water yet. An oversight.¡± I sniffed. ¡°So, you just destroyed your body with failures, and fought until you finally-finally succeeded? A very Grulgor way to do it. Well, congratulations. Akio will be most-most pleased. I know I surely am.¡±


    ¡°Grul wanted you to know. Now Duke Formor will have no choice but to send more and more trolls and giants for training here. Grulgor thinks that will make us safer, no foolish foe would try and crush so many powerful Fae.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are quite-quite the sly tactician.¡± I laughed, approving. ¡°Our training should come at a modest-modest cost. We will use the forces we receive as labour. Now, I think you should rest-rest and heal. You will scare the mortals looking like that.¡±


    ¡°Now you two...¡± the third guest said languidly, her four bushy tails twitching, as the beautiful kitsune woman gestured with her enamelled pipe, thin trails of blue smoke rising from it. ¡°...the defences always allow us through, and we have no trouble Parading, if we so wish.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± I said, a little disappointed, my gaze searching, and the blue Oni shrugged.


    ¡°Urakaze, she didn¡¯t come, ya see she thought it¡¯d be a bit awkward, if she ran into her old flame or one of ya kin, get it? Well, she can be a funny one, that Kamaitachi.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, do tell my mother I am thinking of her, and that she can-can safely visit.¡± I said at last. ¡°As for the Territory, I dare-dare say Lady Bintara has told you about what happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, such a shame.¡± The foxwoman licked her lips and the stem of her pipe vulgarly. Ixitt was sniggering at the display, but I had no care for it. ¡°Mortals fighting benefits naught but them, and many things of ours are destroyed in the meantime. Rather frustrating. But I hear your husband is well, little daughter of Urakaze.¡±


    I do not like this fox, not at all. ¡°Akio was triumphant. I myself slew several. And I do not-not care for your tone.¡± Lightning crackled, and the fox eyed me curiously.


    ¡°I see. Yes, the lightning. How auspicious. Well, don¡¯t mind me...!¡± she yawned, stretching, her massive chest bouncing, barely contained within her patterned kimono. Yes, I do not like her at all. ¡°I am only here to mediate the trade. I have a thirst for something... exotic.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°Perhaps mortal.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope soon-soon to be able to satisfy that in a way we can both enjoy.¡± I warned, not missing her implications. ¡°Mortal alcohol, brought to the Boundary. I believe it to be quite-quite possible. But for now... make do with the treasures I have-have brought.¡±


    Wesealkin and ratkin unloaded a number of heavy barrels and a few smaller ones, and Red looked rapturous. ¡°That smells good, don¡¯t you think, Blue? Worth coming all the way back to Kyoto for.¡±


    ¡°What ya got here for us, little daughter of Urakaze? I got a raging thirst for something good, ya know.¡± Blue licked her lips.


    ¡°Well, the larger barrels are Fae wine and mead, just as before.¡± I received some from father as a gift. I do enjoy drinking them with Akio and the others, but right now I would rather have the Etherites. A shame, but when our full production at the Spring is in full swing, such temporary sacrifices will be forgotten.


    ¡°As for the smaller-smaller barrels...¡± I paused meaningfully. ¡°They are sample products. Unique. Consider it the first trial run-run of a blend of Fae ingredients and mortal techniques. So you can not-not ever sample this elsewhere. Fae sake, Fae Whiskey and Fae Shochu.¡± I grinned at the way Red¡¯s face turned expressionless, to hide his eagerness, and Blue gulped, her throat working. Even that fox¡¯s tails are wagging.


    ¡°Well, I guess we can¡¯t be too pissed at you trying to protect Kyoto against foreign mortal trash.¡± Red allowed graciously.


    ¡°Ya, since we can roam freely, it¡¯s no big deal, ya get it?¡± Blue agreed, sweating, eyes on the barrels, nostrils twitching.


    ¡°Haru, the mistress of this Territory, under Akio, my dear-dear husband, she has graciously allowed the Night Parade to pass. All she asks is that-that you cause no trouble, and do not-not damage the new constructions or kill her people. I do not-not see this as an issue. We stick mostly to shrine grounds.¡± I pointed to the Spires in Kiyomizu-dera. ¡°We both wish this continuing trade to go well-well, do we not-not?¡±


    ¡°Ya, the Hyakki Yagyo? is always thirsty.¡± Blue agreed, speaking for them all, and I hid a grin behind my hand.


    ¡°Well, then let us talk-talk trade.¡± I suggested, and soon sparkling Etherites were arrayed before us, Ixitt looking on happily. The deal was soon swiftly concluded, and Red and Blue loaded up the barrels on their massive, broad shoulders.


    ¡°Pleasure to do business with you. If you ever get bored of playing around, well, you are seventy-first.¡±


    ¡°Ya, you can join the Parade anytime. The Kijo might complain, but might makes right, ya know. And most of the ones that hate ya all are already dead and gone.¡± Blue agreed.


    ¡°I thank you for the offer, and I do rather miss-miss my mother, but... for now, I shall remain here, with Akio and my friends, and my new domain. Of which I count Kyoto part-part. So just be warned...¡± I repeated, and the foxwoman blew smoke, grinning.


    ¡°Threats are so unbecoming of such a cute little thing. We have no wish for violence or bloodshed. After all, Lord Nurarihyon has common cause with you for now. The one who can aid him against his fated enemy is in your camp, no?¡±


    Shiro, or the dreadful being inside her. How she does not go mad with such a presence dwelling within I do not know, but I respect her deeply for her strength of mind. ¡°Indeed. And she will offer her aid only if Akio agrees. Bear that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Enough flapping ya lips. We get it. Until next time.¡± Blue said, and with that the powerful Yokai departed with their prizes, finally allowing me to release my tension, sweat dripping from clenched fists.


    ¡°Mistress, are you well?¡± Velna asked, and I sighed.


    ¡°Yes, just... facing the three of them alone, I would not-not be able to win. One, perhaps, though there are no certainties, but three? No. Well, Ixitt, you have-have your prizes. How then will you use them?¡±


    He grinned. ¡°More Artificial Ether Spires. If the calm ends as I suspect, it will put further pressure on the Boundary here in Kyoto. We need all the lowering of the ether density we can get.¡± He frowned, thoughtful. ¡°I suspect soon this area would collapse, the lower Astral merging here, and then the Boundary would begin to unravel entirely. Then the lower Astral itself might even start to become unpredictable. The mortal engineer in me would love to see what would happen, but... no, we should delay as long as possible. So, more Spires.¡± He laughed then. ¡°The side effect is, it will make Akio a significant sum of ether, so it is, as he would say, a win-win.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, we have-have stripped the Hyakki Yagyo? of more treasures. Now... we can search-search outside of Kyoto, Akio¡¯s Territory and the Spring for more Etherites, as well as the ocean... and if I can extract more-more from the Seelie Court...¡± my mind worked, planning, and I found my thoughts turning idly to what Akio would be doing now. In the mortal realm, it should be nearly time for him to meet this other Princess. I do wonder how it will go...

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Seven

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Seven


    The gathering of influential figures that evening was rather uneventful compared to the previous evening, and after some casual talk with some Opposition Party politicians and a few businessmen, Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san secured the agreements they wanted, and I made some further connections, as well as finding out a little more about the state of the British Chosen. We confirmed some of what Mr Hunter and Mrs Morgan had told us, that the Crown was gathering Chosen, rather than the Government, and the British seemed to be a bit ahead of us in that regard, as they were already forming them up into teams to capture the Boundary of the major cities of the UK. The strange thing was, almost none refused the call, not like some of our Japanese Chosen that the Ministry is identifying hastily. Is it loyalty to the Queen, or something else that brings them on board?


    After another nice meal with Motoko, her once more being presented as my fiance?e, which had massively improved her mood, we made it back to the Savoy, where the jealous Natsumi was once again waiting for us. That led to a night of passion, which Motoko and Hyacinth were only too happy to join in with, and once more the sheets were ruined. A silent prayer for the poor staff indeed... We did manage to snatch a few hours¡¯ sleep, and I had some strange dreams, the first of a brilliant yellow sun, and another yellow orb opposing it, this one a dirty gold. A shadow passed over the sun like an eclipse, and I could see jagged, curved teeth of dirty white bone. I then dreamed of a woman in green and gold, being chased through a dark labyrinth, white-masked figures constantly accosting her, diverting her. She cried out in joy, seeing shadowy figures ahead, reaching out with her hand, only for them to turn, revealing featureless white masks, which suddenly cracked, revealing smiling faces...


    Yes, the dreams were quite unsettling. Or perhaps I should call them visions? The yellow eye looked just like that of the slimy toad we vanished the clone of in Kyoto, and a sun was likely tied to Amaterasu, so it meant that we hadn¡¯t finished our fight with the toad, not that I wasn¡¯t aware of that anyway. Tsukiko-san had said that Yukiko-san would end up having to face the creature. Nurarihyon would need to as well, so he said, and also Shiro...


    As for the other, process of elimination meant that it was probably Eleanor, though I couldn¡¯t rule out entirely that it was the Princess of Hell or Asura, both of whom I knew nothing about. Shaking my head, I put aside the memories of last night that were running through my Split Thoughts rapidly, concentrating on the phone call I was having with my apologetic mom, while two staff at the hotel were styling my hair and dressing me, which I found rather embarrassing. I mean, I¡¯m totally capable of doing it myself. And even then, Motoko was eager to do it. But Fujiwara-san insisted that we got the professionals in, as everything has to be perfect... all I¡¯m grateful for is that they don¡¯t speak Japanese, so this conversation is private...


    ¡°Sorry again, Aki.¡± My mom was saying. ¡°When dad contacted me... well, you managed, right? I can¡¯t believe you convinced him to accept your polygamy. Dad¡¯s pretty devout as a Christian, unlike mum and me.¡±


    I let out a sigh, showing my displeasure. ¡°I know. It was horrible. But... while I don¡¯t regret my decisions, I do know this is the price I¡¯ll pay for the foreseeable future. Maybe if more people start entering into legally accepted multi-person relationships and marriage the stigma will change, but for now, to outsiders I guess I look the scummiest guy alive. But fortunately, the girls were there. Be honest, could you say no to those three when they are earnestly expressing their feelings?¡± I certainly can¡¯t. And they did win over Jack and Evelyn easily enough.


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t. Nor could your father.¡± Mom agreed. ¡°Even Hana and Junpei don¡¯t dislike them, even if they feel bad for Eri. So... yeah, well, I did say that the whole reason that the Church of England got started was so Henry the Eighth could get himself another woman, and he went mad at me.¡± I could imagine my mom pouting right now.


    ¡°Well, of course if you said something like that Jack would get mad.¡± I said evenly. ¡°Anyway... it all worked out in the end, Evelyn was even showing them our old photo albums. But... I didn¡¯t tell them what was really going on. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the right thing to do. If they know... well, it¡¯ll uproot their life, won¡¯t it? I did get them to take some money, at least. I tried to keep it modest so they wouldn¡¯t freak out...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a miracle in itself. Dad was always proud, and never liked handouts.¡± Mom said, and I sighed anew.


    ¡°Well, he wouldn¡¯t take it until the girls persuaded him. Again, it¡¯s hard to say no to them. But... mom, if you want to tell them everything, I don¡¯t mind. But when they know, their lives will change.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it Aki, I do. Well, I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯d rather do it in person though, so... it¡¯d be good if they finally visit. Aiko would be thrilled. Speaking of...¡± We talked a little about what Aiko had been up to, before I hung up. The timing was good, as I had just finished enduring the dressing up, and was now ready. I was in a formal black tuxedo suit, one of the ones made from ballistic and knife-proof fabrics from the shop Fujiwara-san had recommended to me. Paired with a crisp white designer shirt, and my most expensive Patek Phillipe watch, as well as some tasteful platinum jewellery and my engagement ring... well, my neutral engagement ring, anyway. If I had to wear one for each girl I¡¯d look like an idiot, but they all agreed on this one as standing for all of them, luckily... with one final check in the mirror I was satisfied.


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    Taking a seat, I waited for the girls to finish. Hyacinth was first, as she was wearing her maid uniform, though I could see she had a noticeable amount of makeup on, her usually pale face looking flushed with health. On seeing me looking, she giggled.


    ¡°Dooo you like it?¡± she asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s different, definitely. I don¡¯t dislike it, but the usual Hyacinth is fine too.¡±


    She preened happily at that, and next out was Natsumi. On seeing me, she smiled triumphantly. ¡°Looks like we match today, Akio.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yeah, that¡¯s different. She looks like Kazumi-san, or Mayumi-san¡¯s bodyguard. She was wearing a white suit and shirt, with a black tie for a splash of colour. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always thought girls looked hot in suits.¡± I observed, and Natsumi flushed, giggling.


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    ¡°Sorry, you can¡¯t kiss or hug me right now, it¡¯ll mess up my makeup and suit. Today I¡¯m a bodyguard, so I can¡¯t be wearing a dress, or something that could upstage Motoko, who¡¯s the star of our show.¡±


    ¡°That is hardly true, and you know it, Natsumi. Besides, you seemed confident you could upstage me last night, no?¡± Motoko entered, wearing a beautiful white ballgown, again, her chest covered by cloth, adorned with black ribbons, her hair also tied up. Her shoulders and arms were on show again, giving it a hint of allure without being trashy.


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    ********


    ¡°Well, you all pass muster.¡± Tsumura-san said, as his daughter-in-law Hikari-san was fussing over Motoko, making sure everything was perfect.


    ¡°I should hope so. No expense has been spared. Besides, we¡¯re working with good material here. Even an idiot could make a work of art out of these girls.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not awful yourself.¡± Minoru-san allowed grudgingly, watching his wife and daughter. ¡°At least my grandchildren will be attractive.¡±


    Grandkids, huh? Yeah, we talked about children didn¡¯t we? Not yet, but... someday. ¡°Well, you all look pretty dashing too.¡± I allowed. ¡°But then, I expect you¡¯re used to this.¡± The men were in suits similar to mine, while Hikari-san was in a blue dress suitable for a ball. Shortly afterwards, Fujiwara-san came, wearing a suit even more expensive than mine, and he was flanked by his two daughters, the two ninja girls behind them dressed in suits similar to Natsumi¡¯s, just in black, though of course Michiru-san was still wearing a voluminous red scarf.


    ¡°You look cute.¡± I said to Honoka-san, who thanked me politely. She was wearing a pastel pink ballgown, very childish, and perhaps a bit young for her age, and beside her Miyu was also wearing a similar dress, but in purple. Is Fujiwara-san playing up their childishness on purpose? I suppose it could be camouflage for Miyu¡¯s status as a Chosen. ¡°You too, Miyu. Purple suits you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It is not the dress I might have picked, but... it pleases grandfather.¡± She said softly, before turning to the two bodyguards. ¡°Michiru, Kozue, today we rely on you. There should be no danger at the Palace, but with the guests in attendance... we must always be on alert.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± I approved. ¡°In an emergency, if you can¡¯t get to safety, seek me out as soon as possible. I¡¯ll get us out and we can worry about picking up the pieces afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Do you think anything will happen?¡± Miyu asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it. This is Buckingham Palace, we already know a lot of the most important people in Britan will be there. But... with so many Chosen about, it only takes one crazy idiot to start trouble that could escalate.¡±


    ¡°If that happens, we will be relying on you. Unfortunately the Major can¡¯t attend.¡± Tsumura-san said, and I shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but we have Hyacinth as well, so I¡¯m confident we can at least get you all out safely if the worst happens.¡±Discover new chapters at novelhall.com


    With that said, we entered our limousines, and as we drove along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, numerous other limousines and expensive vehicles were taking the road too. It was fun looking out of the windows, seeing tourists gaping at the display of wealth and opulence, even taking pictures, though the specially tinted windows prevented photographs from working. It¡¯s a shame everyone else can¡¯t be here for this. Well, I¡¯ll make it up to those who stayed behind...


    ¡°So, are you ready? We have to impress Princess Eleanor.¡± I told the three of them, and Motoko smiled.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Motoko squeezed my hand happily. I exchanged a look with Natsumi, who shrugged, smiling wryly, and Hyacinth, who didn¡¯t much care about what others thought.


    ¡°All right then, shall we go? Oh.... Miyu.¡± I said, remembering. ¡°Careful. If you get talking to any Chosen be discreet, but if they start giving you a hard time, come get me and I¡¯ll deal with them.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± She paused, her smile a little teasing. ¡°Though I suspect it is simply because you cannot bear to lose my Dances, rather than any care for me.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I treasure you as a vassal and as friend. Besides, Hinata and the others like you. I know you¡¯re having fun at my expense, but... honestly, your Divine Favour is awesome. That reminds me...¡± I lowered my voice, asking Fujiwara-san and Tsumura-san a question. ¡°I may be paranoid, but... couldn¡¯t someone poison the food here? I know servants are watching, but with so many Chosen here it could be done.¡±


    ¡°It would look distrusting and be a breach of etiquette that would stand out, quite the opposite of our goal, to refuse all drinks and eat nothing.¡± Fujiwara-san warned. ¡°However, I did lecture you on safety and why we flew a private jet to this country. You have a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can check with my Eye. Just get my attention and I¡¯ll check and discreetly signal when it¡¯s okay.¡± I may be paranoid, but there¡¯s a lot of Chosen all in one place, anything could happen.


    ¡°In that case.¡± Hikari-san said, taking her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°Motoko, we will go talk with some other guests. Natsumi-chan, be on alert. As for you...¡± she looked at me, before shaking her head a little. ¡°After today there is no going back. Treasure my Motoko, show her a good time. This is her official engagement event, one that rivals any even Miyu-sama and Honoka-sama will likely see. Give her precious memories. Now... and forever.¡±


    I feel happy now she¡¯s accepted me as her daughter¡¯s true partner. ¡°I will.¡± I squeezed Motoko¡¯s hand. ¡°Though I need to do the same for Natsumi and Hyacinth at some point. Well, Natsumi anyway, the way Hyacinth rolled her eyes then I doubt she cares.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hikari-san said, looking at Hyacinth. ¡°As for you... uh, well, I confess to not knowing you well, but please do look after my daughter and protect her.¡±


    ¡°I will. I looove all the mistresses, mistress Motoko is nooo exception. Besides, Akio would be very sad if anything bad happened. All here will die befooore Hyacinth lets anyone get hurt, I prooomise.¡±


    With that ruthless declaration delivered with a cheerful smile, Hikari-san blinked, shocked. ¡°I see. I do appreciate your passion and care. Minoru, father-in-law, we should go.¡±


    Yeah I get it. Hyacinth can be off-puttingly intense, but it comes from a place of love, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°Well, Fujiwara-san, Miyu, Honoka-san, you two...¡± I addressed the rest of out group. ¡°We are heading out.¡± I watched a servant pass by, my Eye glowing, using my hand to shield the light. Seeing me looking, the servant paused, impeccably composed.


    ¡°Sir, would you and the madam like a drink?¡± he asked, and I smiled politely.


    ¡°Yes, and if you don¡¯t mind, one for her bodyguard and my maid. It¡¯s thirsty work standing up all day.¡±


    He seemed surprised I was allowing that, but with practised grace four glasses were handed over. Seeing as it was safe since I had taken them, Fujiwara-san got drinks for him and his granddaughters, though the ninja sisters did without.


    ¡°I noticed several people looking, including the blonde you were ogling earlier.¡± Natsumi said, her voice low. ¡°Oh, and thanks for letting me have a drink. I¡¯m pretty nervous. And you and Hyacinth are the real guards here anyway.¡±


    ¡°My Eye is pretty subtle, but people with sharp senses might detect the change in aether. As for you, just think you¡¯re here as my fiance?e as well. You might not be able to say so, but depending on how things go with the Princess...¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said, flushed.


    ¡°All right then, we should mingle too.¡± Strolling around, we were drawing a few interested looks, being clearly foreign, though as I had noticed earlier we weren¡¯t alone in our different ethnicity to the normal. With my keen hearing I could pick out interesting bits of conversation. Most was useless, though I did identify several more Chosen, a red-headed woman speaking in a broad, Scottish twang, oddly similar to Master Bjarki, just not so thick, and an older woman, who was wearing some of the plainest clothes of anyone in the room, a long woollen skirt and cardigan. They were speaking to a man wearing a suit of the same silver-grey shade as the group with the woman in white, and he had a large tiepin of a silver hand, a rather unusual decoration.


    ¡°... have tae thank ye for the help.¡± The redhead was saying. ¡°The orphanage, it¡¯ll be great. I could nae have done it without the support.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am most grateful, Mr Power. Seeing all their little faces, well-fed and eager to learn from the teachers at the facility... why I am so grateful you managed to arrange it all for us. It is why I agreed to help the Princess, after all.¡±


    I see. One of Princess Eleanor¡¯s team, maybe two? Interested, we drifted closer.


    ¡°A mutual friend supplied nuns to teach the children. Convent schools are quite traditional, aren¡¯t they?¡± the man said. ¡°I do think she is a frightening woman, but she does love the children. So your charitable works have touched her heart. Now if only she would stop calling me a godless heathen, I¡¯d appreciate her more. She¡¯s wasting her beauty. She¡¯s surely a goddess when her mouth is shut.¡±


    ¡°Come now, by the definition of it, ye are a heathen.¡± The redhead laughed. ¡°And if she hears what ye be saying about her, well, ach, ye¡¯ll be sorry.¡±


    It was then my ears picked up another conversation, back behind the curtain, and I turned. Seeing my sudden movement, Motoko and Natsumi followed my gaze, while Hyacinth was still eyeing the group of three we were eavesdropping on, a sour expression on her face, violet eyes glittering.


    ¡°You need to be careful, Princess of the Great Green.¡± A voice was saying, the accent strange. ¡°There¡¯s a bad smell out there. I don¡¯t like it, not at all. Makes me want to smell the salty spray on the breeze, clean my nose.¡±


    ¡°I have no choice.¡± A female voice said, no-nonsense and yet tired. ¡°Grandmother arranged this for me, after all. Apparently there are some foreign guests I simply must speak to. Besides, you¡¯re here, Raidre. Are all your boasts of being the greatest Selkie of the southern shores just that, boasts?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I am Raidre, Chieftain of Bermondsey Isle and the waters it commands. I do not fear danger. But I am no fool. I do not court danger either!¡±


    Hyacinth twitched. ¡°A Selkie? Annoooying. Handsome and lustful, with quick tempers. Hyacinth doooes not care for them.¡±


    ¡°You think they are quick-tempered? That must be something to see.¡± Natsumi said, amazed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t court trouble either. But David, Sarah and the others are all here, as well as the members of the second and third teams. If anyone tries to attack us then they will not succeed. I will listen to your warnings though, since your advice has helped us greatly so far, Raidre. Can you find this smell?¡±


    I gestured for us to back away from the dais, slowly and casually, and we made a play of looking around at other guests, as if we were looking for someone. Moments later the curtain parted, and out came a woman wearing a stunning sky-blue gown, matching her eyes, with sapphire jewellery of the highest quality, delicate platinum knotwork and lace around her hems and her de?colletage. Her brown hair was bundled up, and her expression was solemn.


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    ¡°That is her.¡± Motoko whispered, and I nodded. Here we are, Princess Eleanor at last. So... I now had to decide what to do. Fujiwara-san was confident that even if we didn¡¯t approach her during the gala, he would be able to secure me a private meeting with her afterwards, just as he gained us entry to the Palace. But... seeing her and interacting with her more informally might be better. And I¡¯m curious about this Selkie... a Fae that isn¡¯t in Shaeula¡¯s camp might be interesting, and offer a perspective we can¡¯t get elsewhere...


    ¡°So, do we approach her?¡± Motoko whispered, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, not yet. She¡¯s still up on the dais anyway. No, let¡¯s mingle for now, sound out some other Chosen, gather information. And we shall see how things go...¡±

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Eight

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Eight


    As we moved through the crowds, more and more visitors being shown into the great hall, I noticed that Motoko and Natsumi had perfect, professional smiles on their faces. Every time they met the gaze of someone, they would nod a little, acknowledging the other person without displaying any intent to speak to them.


    ¡°I guess you must be used to events like this?¡± I asked, and Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Yes, as a daughter of Tsumura house I attend many parties, galas, balls and other festivities. Natsumi is with me as my bodyguard, of course. I can safely say that few are on this scale though.¡± I glanced towards the dais. Princess Eleanor was still up there, talking to the Selkie and perhaps others who were still behind the curtain. She was drawing a lot of looks from the guests, and from what I could tell there were two types of stares she was attracting. The first was that of admiration, and they seemed to be from guests such as politicians and businessmen. The second was curiosity and a hint of wariness, perhaps. I believe it¡¯s largely other Chosen looking at her like that. Well, it makes sense...


    ¡°I will do my best, however, not to be seen as an embarrassment for you, Akio.¡± Motoko promised, and I gently whispered in her ear that was not the case.


    ¡°Hardly. Really, I should be careful not to embarrass you. I¡¯ve only been mingling with the rich and famous for a month or so.¡±


    Motoko flushed a little as my breath tickled her ear, but her smile was brilliant. ¡°In that case, we shall not embarrass each other. That should satisfy. In all seriousness, I wish to be the one to guide you in these matters. I cannot be your childhood or your university friend, nor am I a powerful Fae such as Shaeula or Hyacinth. But this... this I can do, and do it proudly.¡± Her hand in mine tightened its grip, and I once more felt great affection for this earnest girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care then.¡± I said, and beside Motoko, Natsumi looked at us, her expression warm.


    ¡°Me too. I want to help out where I can as well.¡±


    While we talked, we had put enough space between us and the dais, moving towards the back of the hall. As I looked around, my eyes met the woman in white, the strange nun, and for a moment her bright green eyes narrowed, before she smiled. It was a pretty smile, definitely, but I felt no allure from it, only a chill. Looking away hastily, Natsumi teased me.


    ¡°Checking her out again, Akio? She¡¯s very pretty, but don¡¯t Western shrine maidens... I suppose you¡¯d call them priestesses, maybe... take vows of chastity? You can¡¯t seduce her like you did Kana!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t seduce Kana, we just...¡± I stopped at Natsumi¡¯s eyes went wide and Motoko¡¯s grip on my hand tightened.


    ¡°She¡¯s coming over.¡± Natsumi hissed, adopting her position as bodyguard once more. Behind me, Hyacinth was glaring at her, silver-violet eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Good afternoon, would you be free to speak to... hmm, perhaps you don¡¯t speak a civilised tongue? That would be a great shame.¡± Her tone was melodious, her voice extremely easy on the ears, but her words were harsh.


    Motoko and I exchanged a brief glance before I turned. ¡°No, as it happens we speak English perfectly well. And who might you be?¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, Babel may have fallen and all God¡¯s children cannot understand each other, but it seems you have wisely learned to overcome such.¡± The woman said, her hair like spun gold and emerald eyes drawing my attention. Well, She¡¯s definitely stunning, but Shiro and Yukiko-san are about as close to perfect as you can get. Still, she¡¯d be one of the most famous models worldwide if she was in that industry. Except for the eyes... her gaze was predatory, like a sharks¡¯, and her smile did little to hide that.


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    ¡°I believe that it is customary for you to introduce yourself, before demanding a name from others.¡± she continued, and I couldn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°How rude of me. I do apologise.¡± I said, mustering up what sincerity I could. ¡°I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and this is my fiance?e Tsumura Motoko. We are accompanied by our bodyguard, Hori Natsumi, and our maid, Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I am Mary Stuart, humble Cardinal, here to give my blessing to this auspicious event.¡± Her smile was ostensibly kind, but it made my senses tingle. ¡°Fiance?e, I see. Congratulations, my dear.¡± she said to Motoko cheerfully. ¡°After all, God did say to us to go forth and multiply. Sadly, being from far-off lands I do expect you are a heathen. A shame.¡± She looked at Hyacinth then. ¡°Especially in the company you keep. An interesting choice of maid.¡±


    Hyacinth¡®s glare intensified, fingers twitching, and I shared a glance to tell her to remain calm.


    ¡°I¡¯d agree Hyacinth is interesting, but there¡¯s no finer, more dependable maid. As for being a heathen, well, I¡¯m more of a live and let live person. Besides, my mother was a Christian.¡± I said, and at that, Mary Stuart brightened up.


    ¡°I see. Good for her. Which denomination, if I may be so forward as to ask?¡± her eyes glittered like gems with curiosity.


    ¡°Church of England.¡± I replied, and immediately the glow in her eyes was extinguished.


    ¡°A shame. Another one who doesn¡¯t follow the true path. Well, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Unusual to see a Japanese man, for that is where you are from, I believe, as an Anglican. Besides, your country has hardly been good to those of the true faith.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re a bit out of date.¡± I said, remembering my history lessons. ¡°The ban was repealed in eighteen seventy-three. Japan is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world.¡± I was a bit affronted by her tone. ¡°As for my mom¡¯s faith, well, it¡¯s the same God, right? Why worry over it?¡±


    Her face twitched, but she smoothed it over with a smile. ¡°True, I suppose having faith in the Lord is better than having none, though I would argue perverting the true teachings is a greater offence than mere ignorance.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°But, I fear we are getting off on the wrong foot. Do forgive me. As a Cardinal, I have a tendency to... preach.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me for speaking out of turn...¡± Motoko said politely, fulfilling her role as a perfect partner for an event such as this, quiet and attentive. ¡°... but if you are a Catholic, I believe only men can be of the clergy?¡±


    Mary smiled, impressed. ¡°Motoko...¡± she spoke boldly without any distance. ¡°... you seem to know a thing or two. Ordinarily you are correct. The mainstream Catholic Church is like that. But all serve the Lord, and our denomination allows for service without discrimination. We are small, but as old as the first church established by Emperor Constantine.¡±


    ¡°I see. Forgive my curiosity.¡± Motoko said demurely, and I was struck by how cute she was all over again. ¡°One more question, if you will permit me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. As a Cardinal, I live to teach as well as preach. If only everyone listened to me, but alas, nobody said doing God¡¯s work would be easy. I myself was quite the nonbeliever in my youth, so I sympathise.¡±


    ¡°I thank you. So I would ask, what is it about Hyacinth that disturbs you so?¡±


    ¡°You ask me that? You may be docile, but you hide your claws.¡± Mary¡¯s smile turned wolfish for a moment. ¡°You know very well I am speaking of the fact she isn¡¯t human. Bringing her here is quite the statement.¡± She looked at us then. ¡°You, Motoko, and you, Natsumi... you are not favoured by any of those false idols and would-be deities. No, but you have trained. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say you attended a Choir or the lost Seminary. You however, Mr Moonstone.¡± She paused. ¡°Quite the name. They say moonstones are lucky, but I have no belief in luck, only the divine plan. Now, I shall get straight to the point. God hates liars almost as much as I do, so... which fake do you draw your power from?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not answer that.¡± I said. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve only just met, and your tone is a bit hostile.¡±


    ¡°Really? You would refuse me, poor beautiful Mary Stuart?¡± she laughed, though there was little humour in it. ¡°It does not matter, I would know if you served the Lord. But rejoice. I know talent when I see it, and if you recant your ways, you could be our friend. After all, there are more than a billion Catholics, and more who have maligned the true teachings but will still be our friends. That¡¯s more than all the heathens in China, no?¡± Her smile was wicked and knowing.


    She¡¯s not exactly subtle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it would be ungrateful to turn my back on the power I was given. Japan is a country of religious freedom. Though I am curious... you know of the Chosen, and I¡¯m guessing you are one yourself, right?¡±


    At her gentle nod, I continued. ¡°So you know other Gods are real. Why call them fake?¡±


    ¡°Just because someone calls themselves God, does not make it so, does it?¡± She smiled like a schoolteacher educating an idiot student. ¡°A man who calls himself God would be sent to a sanatorium, rightly suspected of being mad. Just because these beings have some little power, and call themselves Divine, it does not make it so. The Devil has power, but you would not worship him, would you?¡±


    Motoko actually looked interested at the philosophical discussion. Seeing that, Mary let her speak.


    ¡°So, what then makes a true God? Surely every faith could claim theirs is the only God by that definition? I am curious as to know your basis for asserting that your answer is the correct one, when every answer holds equal merit.¡±


    ¡°I do appreciate an inquisitive mind. But just like with Pandora¡¯s Box, searching for what lies within can be dangerous.¡± Mary scoffed. ¡°The Divine is not science, it cannot be picked apart or understood through logic. It simply is. The power of the Ninth Heaven is true, all others are false. That is all there is to know. But... those who repent shall be saved.¡± She looked at Hyacinth then. ¡°Even a devil who throws himself down in front of the Throne may find salvation.¡±


    ¡°Akio, she is nooo good. I think she is dangerous. We shooould kill her.¡±


    I was shocked at her words, but before I could speak, Mary Stuart laughed happily, as though she had heard the funniest joke of her life. Tears sparkled like gems at the corners of her eyes, and as she dashed them away, I realised we were drawing attention. Luckily she soon got herself under control. ¡°Oh, just what I would expect from such a creature. You should have stayed back in your faded ethereal realms and waited for the Final Judgement.¡± She snorted. ¡°Well, more and more of your kind seem to be crawling out of the woodwork lately. People do love to reject wisdom. If it wasn¡¯t a slightly blasphemous comparison, I would call myself Cassandra, my words always going unheeded.¡±


    That¡¯s just annoyed Hyacinth more. Well, I get it, she¡¯s damn rude... ¡°If God made everything, didn¡¯t he also make Hyacinth and her kind?¡± I saw no point in hiding what she was, since this woman already knew.


    ¡°Maybe so. I don¡¯t claim to know the mind of God. Only what is right. But there are many creatures who turned their backs on the Creator, just as many people have. You can hardly tell me this one is a pious believer?¡±


    ¡°I believe in Akio and the mistresses. I dooo not need to believe in those whooo have never helped me. Hyacinth suffered and cried ooout to the Queen, the Dark Queen, God, anyooone who could save her, but nobody ever did. Until Akiooo came!¡± Hyacinth¡¯s scowl was brutal.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°All right.¡± I offered a hand to the massive dark-skinned giant, and he seized mine and began to squeeze. I returned the favour, though using only a fraction of my strength. No need for Body Enhancement or Might of the Furious Earth here. Titan grunted, increasing the pressure, and I judged his stats to be Grulgor class, which was certainly powerful. I put a bit more effort in, trying to look troubled, and the squeezing increased, until I let go, shaking my hand as though I was in pain.


    ¡°So, Titan? How was it?¡± Christina asked, grinning.


    ¡°He¡¯s strong, woman. But I still have the edge. I be the strongest!¡± He laughed loudly, pleased by his victory.


    ¡°Yeah, I have to say you have a ton of power.¡± I said, meaning it. ¡°I bet you could lift a car and throw it easily enough.¡±


    ¡°Is that your limit? Well, since you indulged me...¡± she tapped her glasses. ¡°When the spirits from this mirror world are incarnated, they are always too symmetrical. Nobody is born with perfect beauty, nature isn¡¯t an engineer, more¡¯s the pity. Yet if you look at your maid here...¡±


    She¡¯s right. Hyacinth and Shaeula are incredibly regular. They don¡¯t suffer from skin blemishes and the like either. Yeah, I think you could pick them out if you know what to look for. Though I wonder what she¡¯d make of Shiro or Tsukiko-san. False positives, maybe?


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I admitted. ¡°But what does that matter?¡±


    ¡°It matters a lot!¡± She was right up in my face, and her breasts knocked against me. Motoko glared daggers at her, as did Natsumi. Ignoring them both, she expounded on her desires. ¡°We are only just now bringing over suitable numbers of them from the mirror world to America, and nobody will let us experiment on them. How can we get the data without some... sacrifices? If you let me have her, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want. Money, US citizenship, you name it. Anything!¡± she licked her lips.


    Anything, huh? Before I could refuse, Motoko surprised me by shoving Christina back. Titan looked ready to move, but he paused as my glare hit him, halting for a moment, and then the danger had passed. ¡°I think Akio has no need of your shameless offer. He is here with me, his fiance?e, today. If he has desires, we will take care of them, as well as all his other needs!¡± Her face was red, but her glare was a match for any Eri could throw out.


    ¡°Akio, you say? Oh, this is a lucky day, it¡¯s Mr Double Vermillion, the one that got away!¡±


    ¡°Double Vermillion?¡± I asked, and she laughed, waving a hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So, you were a physical type after all, huh? We had thought you were an ability type, or maybe even a mystery type. You seemed to know a lot. We¡¯re still debating at Star Mirror whether to adopt the terminology those poor unfortunate mercenaries brought back from you. So, this must be Shaeula then?¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I am Hyacinth!¡± she shook her head, and I could feel the prickling of nature energy stirring, as Hyacinth was incredibly wary of this woman, even more so than Mary Stuart earlier. Not that I don¡¯t get it, but this woman seems to be a civilian. She¡¯s just... crazy.


    ¡°Marvellous? Another, it seems. I¡¯m ever more interested now!¡± she looked at Motoko with a critical eye. ¡°Well, you¡¯re beautiful, if you like Asian woman, no doubt about it. Young too. Is that your thing? I mean, if it¡¯s inexperience you like, I¡¯m your woman. Never had time for romance, only research. I hear a woman¡¯s first time is worth a lot more. Not sure why, it¡¯s not like sex is a limited resource... I¡¯ll let you bed me, if you give me the maid! Not a bad deal, and it even counts as an apology for the attempted abduction, no?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I laughed in her face. ¡°Hyacinth is far more precious to me than anything you can give me.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to be offended right now, Titan?¡± she asked, and he shrugged. ¡°Oh well, the offer¡¯s open. Though I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll still be fresh.¡± She grinned. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of interesting assets here today, and several like her.¡± she snorted, amused by her own humour. ¡°Though oddly enough, you aren¡¯t the first to turn me down...¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s an obvious landmine. Sure she¡¯s got a nice face and a good body, it seems, but she¡¯s too much like Ixitt for my tastes. Hell, that¡¯s doing Ixitt a disservice, at least he tests his own theories and gear.


    ¡°Should you not have more pride?¡± Motoko said, affronted. ¡°As a woman, you should desire to do that with those you love. And watch your language, Honoka-sama is still young.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hardly old, girl.¡± she shot back. ¡°As for love? I love research, finding answers. I¡¯d experiment on myself if I could, to unravel the mysteries around us, but sadly, unlike Titan here, I wasn¡¯t chosen. So I¡¯ve been making do. Criminals, volunteers... and... well, Adam did tell me to be careful how I apologise, but... oh yeah. The US does not accept responsibility for the actions of a few... extreme... operatives. Therefore we will be offering no further compensation, nor will we accept any blame for the conditions of the abducted citizens.¡± She was sweating as she tried to remember what she had been told. ¡°We have stopped such operations, and it won¡¯t happen again. In terms of repatriation of the citizens... well, don¡¯t blame us for their mental states. We¡¯ve given them the best medical care we can, but...¡±


    ¡°Speaking as the Prime Minister...¡± he began. ¡°... I have to say, this is disgraceful. Black ops on allied soil is enough to shatter any alliance. To say that you bear no blame...¡±


    ¡°It is a polite fiction.¡± Fujiwara-san said, irritated. ¡°Obviously you know we will not accept those terms.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but, with China acting up, you don¡¯t want to burn bridges...¡± she said, and I jumped in.


    ¡°I believe it was America who set fire to the bridges first. No, we won¡¯t just ignore all this. As for China, we handled it. You must be aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but hardly flawlessly. You suffered losses.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°True. But you should be know we acquitted ourselves well. So cut the crap. I mean, here you are, with just a single guard. Or are you the sacrificial lamb, to sate our anger? That¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    She started to sweat, mopping at her brow, a slight smile on her face. ¡°I see. Well, Titan here is a powerhouse. Maybe we wouldn¡¯t get out unscathed, but he could crush all of you before the others here get him. I hardly think little Christina here...¡± she gestured to herself. ¡°...is worth starting a war over.¡± She looked at Motoko then. ¡°I think your fiance? is trying to get me for free. But torturing me won¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m just a scientist and a humble messenger. I do regret that it¡¯s come to this. We probably should have stuck to abducting from our enemies. But that¡¯s hard, you know?¡±


    ¡°You are insane.¡± Motoko declared, disgusted. ¡°Have you no sorrow in your heart at all?¡± That¡¯s what I was thinking.


    As the doors to the great hall shut behind us, all the guests now having arrived, Christina looked at us sadly. ¡°Sorrow? I did say I regretted it. But the price of progress is paved on sacrifice. The Atomic Bomb tests, failed medicines and surgeries, harmful chemicals such as CFC¡¯s, deforestation, industrialisation and global warming... if the sacrifice of a few can help the many, well, it¡¯s simply numbers, right?¡±


    ¡°Cut the bluster.¡± The Prime Minister demanded. ¡°There¡¯s no way that we can accept a no harm, no foul solution to this.¡±


    ¡°Well, I tried. I knew it wouldn¡¯t fly. Obviously I have the real offer in my pocket. But for now... I should take my leave.¡± She grinned at me, and my furious face. ¡°I¡¯ve upset Mr Double Vermillion and his fiance?e. If you want to come chat, feel free, but know that Titan here could break you like a twig. We¡¯ve never seen a stronger strength type! You¡¯re not his match, I can tell.¡± She tapped her glasses.


    ¡°Later, man.¡± Titan said politely, surprising Christina. As they headed back into the crowd, I let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Well, she was totally insane. I feel even more pity for our stolen citizens now.¡± I let out a bitter sigh.


    ¡°So, level with me? Was that Titan guy so strong? He beat you, right?¡± The Prime Minister enquired.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Nooo, have you got eyes?¡± ¡°Akio played him.¡± ¡°No, I believe not.¡± ¡°My Ninjitsu knows the truth.¡± ¡°He was faking weakness, a clever strategy.¡± Motoko, Hyacinth, Natsumi, Miyu, Michiru-san, and surprisingly Koga-san all denied that instantly.


    ¡°I see. Everyone here has a lot of faith in you.¡± The Prime Minister said cheerfully. ¡°Well, he looked strong to me.¡±


    ¡°He was. Just in terms of raw strength and likely toughness, he¡¯s top tier, though I expect his overall speed lags. But I didn¡¯t show all my cards, rest assured.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not a physical type, are you?¡± he asked shrewdly, borrowing her terminology. ¡°I know what you did for old Staveley¡¯s wife. Good job on that, by the way, the man was a wreck, it was affecting the share price. Our economy is bad enough right now without that.¡±


    ¡°I think sharing such information is more than we can countenance for free.¡± Fujiwara-san said, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Fine. One thing though. How did you fool her? She says she can spot your strength by things that you shouldn¡¯t be able to control.¡±


    True, but... ¡°You say that, but if you are dedicated enough, you can control automatic bodily reflexes.¡± Running one or two of my Split Thoughts to try and improve both them and the control of my body is something I do whenever I¡¯m not doing anything else. Got to grind those skill Ranks after all...


    ¡°It can be done in martial arts, too.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Not to the extent Akio can manage, but with proper breathing techniques, one can quell muscle tremors and more. Perfection in the Tsumura Arts is discipline, that even the uncontrollable can be tamed, and turned to strength.¡±


    Before we could talk any further on that, the curtain on the dais was drawn back, and I caught my first sight of the Queen, sitting on a modest throne. Beside her stood Princess Eleanor, and a grey-haired man in his fifties or sixties, rather imposing and well-muscled, as well as a young man with grey hair, but not the white of age like the man beside him, but a blueish grey that was incredibly rare. Coupled with steel-grey eyes that looked rather like mine, and his handsome features, I could surmise he was not human. He was surveying the crowd, a stern expression on his face, and seeing that, Hyacinth ducked behind me, scowling.


    The older man was carrying a wooden staff, and he beat the bottom of it on the stage three times, the bangs echoing through the room, stopping all conversation, silence falling. As all eyes were upon them, the Queen spoke, her tone rich and even, voice carrying effortlessly despite her great age.


    ¡°Greetings all. I thank you for coming to this special gala once again. Especially those guests from far-off lands.¡± For a moment her gaze fell on our group, before it passed on. ¡°I have called you here today, all of you who know the burden that my precious granddaughter Eleanor must bear for Britian and humanity, to share information and fortify ourselves...¡±


    All right then. My gaze was fixed on Eleanor. Time to be as convincing as possible. I¡¯ll not let Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions go unheeded...

 Three Hundred And Sixty-Nine

    Three Hundred And Sixty-Nine


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m not going to go into the details.¡± The Queen smiled benevolently. ¡°After all, we have children here.¡± She looked at several younger people scattered around, including at Miyu and Honoka-san. ¡°It¡¯s always so nice to see the young, when you reach my age.¡± She looked at Prince Henry then. ¡°Maybe my grandson will finally settle down and give me some grandchildren like his brother?¡±


    He laughed at that, running a hand through his reddish hair, while next to him Melissa looked down, her expression strained.


    ¡°Well, enough of embarrassing my family. Other than Eleanor, probably.¡± The Queen laughed, a rich, vibrant sound. ¡°But having children around serves a purpose as well. After all, surely nobody would suspect serious discussions happen at such an event, attended by happy families and foreign guests? Besides...¡± her expression changed. ¡°The young have been called too. The Gods are cruel.¡± She paused then, and I took the opportunity to look at Miyu, who had been terrified of Ame-no-Uzume¡¯s Divine Favour and the burden she had to bear. And rightly so. On seeing me looking, she smiled at me a little, and I turned my attention back to the Queen as she continued.


    ¡°There are those of you who may disagree with me, even hate me. Nor do we agree on the path to take easily.¡± She looked out over the crowd, her face showing some recognition as she searched the sea of faces. ¡°There are those of you who have come from abroad, some as friends, others to... if you¡¯ll forgive the bluntness of an old woman... try and convince us to eat manure and call it ice cream. I fear that will be a rather difficult task. This old woman has ruled too long to enjoy the taste of horseshit.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Eleanor gasped beside her, and nervous laughter went around the room, while my ears could pick up the familiar mirth of Christina Bakker, who was muttering that ¡°Yes, it¡¯s going to be a hard sell, damn Adam and his useless goons. I should be busy researching, not trying to be diplomatic. That¡¯s not one of my strengths!¡±


    No kidding. Though I can think of several reasons why she might have been sent here...


    ¡°Let me just say, and to those of you who¡¯ve heard this before, I apologise. When you reach my age, repeating yourself is an occupational hazard.¡± Her charisma was shining through, and I idly wondered if she had any points in Charm and Majesty. ¡°The world has changed, no, the world has shed its skin, showing what was hidden beneath this whole time. From the days of the earliest history, even before England was truly united, never mind Brittania as a whole, the Royal lines have guarded knowledge of the hidden world, that we call Avalon. King Arthur... well, perhaps he did not exist as the tales tell of him, but exist he did.¡± She snorted. ¡°And every King and the odd Queen, few as they were, passed down the knowledge of what we must protect to their heirs. Even bitter enemies, when they usurped and killed, conquerors from other countries, we passed on the words. For it is larger than simply the Monarchy, the fate of this green and pleasant land, this sceptred isle, but it involves humanity itself. No, even beyond that.¡±


    Her words were drawing us in, and I marvelled at the thought of knowledge passing down unbroken for fifteen hundred years. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. The faiths of Japan did the same, and the Imperial Family too, holding secrets such as Onmyo?ji. So it stands to reason that a similarly august line as the British Monarchy would have the same sort of knowledge. Especially when the Seelie Court originated here in this land too...


    ¡°We all of us, must set aside our differences and work together. If we do not, then I fear for our future. Not merely as a country, but as a species.¡± She paused to let that sink in as well. ¡°To succeed, we need to gather those who have been Chosen. I understand some reservations, and that it is not easy to change one¡¯s beliefs. I have had many hardships over the years. Being a ruler is far from easy. I hardly expect people to sympathise, but let me tell you, the crown is bloody heavy.¡± She said conspiratorially, to more laugher. ¡°We need unity, strength, sadly money... always money.¡±


    It''s a good speech, but yes, a number of people around us look like they¡¯ve heard similar. But not everyone... Trying to be subtle, I used aether to expand my vision, and I could see varying reactions. The men in silver and grey suits were nodding when the Queen mentioned money, and I could see that Mary Stuart looked as if she was chewing on a lemon, her mouth twisted.


    ¡°But resources are nothing if not directed. We need a leader. To that end, my granddaughter, the mantle has fallen to her. I wish it was not so, that my precious grandchild was not burdened with this, but... it is the destiny of the Royal Family, and it has come due. Even so, we cannot succeed alone. So I hope those of you who have supported us will continue to do so, and those on the fence get off it. Splinters fester, you know.¡± she said, archly. ¡°Lastly, I hope our foreign guests, despite their own troubles, looking towards their own lands and peoples, as they of course should, can work with us. Together, we stand strong. But if we fight, steal from each other and only consider ourselves, then none of us will pass this trial unscathed. I thank you for listening to this old woman. Now, a word from someone a lot younger and prettier. Eleanor, my dear.¡±


    As we all applauded, Eleanor took the stage, her face slightly red. Now I was taking a better look at her, I had to admit she was a good-looking woman. Seeing that, Motoko squeezed my hand, looking at me reproachfully, while Natsumi poked me in the back.


    ¡°You have us.¡± Motoko said, and I nodded.


    ¡°I know. Well, a man can look, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Eri told me looking gets you into trouble.¡± Motoko whispered.


    ¡°Akio is a princess-killer, we all knooow it.¡± Hyacinth giggled, before a harsh look from Fujiwara-san quietened us down. Yeah, focus on the speech.


    ¡°You all know me. Well, I don¡¯t like giving speeches. Really, unlike my brothers, I was content to stay out of the public eye. Cut the ribbon at a few hospitals, do some charity work...¡± her brother clapped his hands at that, embarrassing her. ¡°... I guess fate had other plans for me. Those of you who are already working with me, fighting with me...¡± she smiled at some of the people around the room, such as the redhead we saw earlier. ¡°... and those of the other teams, working to safeguard the cities and towns around the UK, I still appreciate what you do, and neither I nor the Crown will forget your service. I hope that one day, we can look back on all of this as something to be proud of.¡± She clasped her hands behind her back, sapphire eyes filled with deep emotion. ¡°As grandmother said, we have children here, so I won¡¯t say anything too scary. But Henry, you¡¯ve been a soldier, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You never stop being one.¡± He said calmly.


    ¡°Well, not all of us who are brave enough to take up the sword will return. At first I hated every last minute of it. I still do.¡± That got some nervous laughter to break the silence. ¡°I¡¯m not cut out for battle, and getting injured is hard. Especially for women. But grandmother told me what was at stake. And I¡¯m not able to turn my back on the people of this country, the people that have given my family so much, that my grandmother has served for all these years. But alone, I falter. Fortunately... I¡¯m no longer alone. Those of you who are fighting with us, it¡¯s a noble thing, and I thank you. But noble deeds alone don¡¯t sustain us. That¡¯s why those of you who weren¡¯t Chosen like I was, we were... we appreciate the money you give us, both for charitable endeavours, that soothe the sting of the terrible deeds we have to perform in Avalon, the laughter of happy children hides the sound of battle, the smell of flowers chases out the scent of blood, the sight of sick patients recovering helps us see something other than violence, and also for support in securing what we need to maximise the protection we give the citizens.¡± She paused, looking at her grandmother then. ¡°I do have an advantage in that regard.¡± Her lips quirked into a slight smile. ¡°Those of you who have remained undecided, content to plant your own flags and defend them, I can¡¯t tell you not to. Nobody can. All I ask is that you defend those that fall under your care. Though I would prefer it if you joined us. Together we are stronger, like the shieldwalls of old. It may seem like all this is distant from the people now, but it will change. We have some Japanese guests today...¡± she looked our way, as did everyone else, and the grey eyes of the non-human widened as he saw me and Hyacinth, and he looked troubled, unsure. I wonder what that¡¯s about. No way I¡¯m the bad smell, right? Hyacinth...? No, she¡¯s not a Dark Fae now...


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of reopening painful wounds, but... we have all heard of Kyoto. That is what happens when we fight each other, when we let greed and foolishness blind us to the need to help each other. And it was the civilians that suffer. A thousand of them, near all told.¡± Her speech was poignant, and our group bowed our heads at the memory of the dead. ¡°For now, only human arrogance and evil leads to these tragedies. And though we have been betrayed...¡±


    My vision picked up Christina squirming uncomfortably at that, drawing eyes around her. The Princess noticed too, and her soft gaze as she was looking at us vanished, to be replaced by annoyed scorn. ¡°... we have to set aside our hatred. Those who have wronged us shall make reparations, but then we need to forgive. For danger is coming, and if we don¡¯t unite, then we will surely fall. So thank you. Everyone who has fought by me, everyone who has fought to protect others, those of you who offered help with money and other issues, and even those of you who have just come to listen. Listening is the first step to joining us. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°My granddaughter, isn¡¯t she a marvel?¡± The Queen said, leading the renewed applause. ¡°I second her words. All of you here know this is not a joke, or some small matter. We do not have long to prepare. So... feel free to talk to each other, share your experiences. Eat and drink freely, make connections, and above all, think about what your role will be in the new world.¡± She paused. ¡°And why not finish with a word from our Prime Minister?¡±


    ¡°Way to put me on the spot...¡± he managed, blustering. ¡°... oh well, yes. Uh, the Government wholeheartedly supports the efforts of our Royal Family to safeguard Britain against the upcoming threats, whatever they might be. Well, it¡¯d be lovely if we had some more idea of what they might be, but... sorry, your Majesty, I¡¯ll shut up now! Just... if you can support Princess Eleanor, be you good citizens of the United Kingdom, or foreign visitors, please do so. She¡¯s a sparkling jewel of the United Kingdom, and the apple of our good Queen¡¯s eye!¡±


    One final round of applause, Eleanor blushing at the Prime Ministers praise, and a number of the crowd headed towards the dais, which was our cue to back up a bit. ¡°We should go, I don¡¯t like the way that guy was eyeing us.¡± Even as I said that and Motoko was nodding, the grey-eyed man came pushing through the crowd. As he did so, he bumped into the redheaded woman, and she shot him an irritated glare.


    ¡°Ach, watch it Raidre, what¡¯s your damn hurry, ye fool?¡± she said in her thick accent.


    ¡°Over there. By the scent of the salty seas, can¡¯t any of you smell it? I don¡¯t like it...¡± he answered, pointing towards us.


    ¡°Looks like a few Asians to me, nae big deal? Ye sure ye don¡¯t have a screw loose somewhere? They¡¯re with the damn PM, ach, there¡¯s no way they¡¯re anyone bad.¡±


    ¡°Just hurry it up.¡± The person, who must have been called Raidre, snapped. Well, there¡¯s no way out. Might as well see what he wants. He was up with the Princess so he¡¯s some sort of bigshot.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how this plays out. Fujiwara-san, do you want to leave?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I will remain. I am curious as to why he is so interested in you. I trust that you can protect my granddaughters if matters take a turn?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I agreed. Moments later, Raidre was in front of us, followed by the redhead, who was rather attractive, but the look of confusion on her face dulled that somewhat.


    ¡°So, just what do ye want with these foreigners?¡± she said, and Raidre froze, looking at me, face pale.


    ¡°Wait, why is a noble Fae here? I should have heard...¡± Raidre trembled for a moment, before his grey eyes narrowed. ¡°No, by the salt and smoke... you¡¯re no Fae, though you have the aura of one. Just who are you and...¡± he looked at Hyacinth again. ¡°Ugh, the smell. Is that... you brought an Unseelie here? Such treachery! Quickly, call for the others!¡± he shouted, and moments later, to our surprise, the Princess herself was approaching us, along with the spiky-haired fellow I saw earlier.


    ¡°The fuck¡¯s going on, Raidre? I was just about to have a drink.¡± He snapped, before looking at the woman with him. ¡°Should have known you¡¯d be causing trouble, redhead.¡±


    ¡°I have a damn name, ye get it, David? Call me redhead again, and I¡¯ll knock some manners into ye, I swear it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like you could, shield girl.¡± He snorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, everyone. Just a bit of boisterous energy. Men.¡± Princess Eleanor said, as everyone was looking at us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you want to talk to us, I¡¯ll be around all evening.¡± She managed to calm the situation down quickly with her charm and bearing.


    ¡°Nice work, Princess.¡± The Prime Minister approved. ¡°But... could you get your friend here to be less rude to our guests? These are VIP¡¯s you know.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Raidre demanded. ¡°Not without an explanation!¡±


    ¡°Stupid Selkie, have you left your brain ooon the shooore along with your seal skin? Or are yooour eyes so salt-burned yooou cannot see clearly?¡± Hyacinth said scornfully, and I froze. Uh, that was rather undiplomatic.


    Raidre froze too, his handsome face twitching, and he reached for his belt, where a long, narwhal-tusk dagger lay sheathed. Before he could though, Eleanor grabbed his wrist, while the man David also had reservations. They both spoke at the same time.


    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous. Got a crazy look in her eyes.¡± He said. ¡°This one is too.¡± He looked at me cautiously. ¡°He¡¯s a Chosen, I¡¯m certain of it. Done some killing, too. It¡¯s in the eyes.¡±Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°There are young girls here, calm down Raidre. You can¡¯t draw a weapon on our guests either. If a foreign visitor is injured, it¡¯ll throw mud on grandmother¡¯s name and also mine, and I¡¯ll lose hope of cooperation from the others.¡±


    As David and the Princess looked at each other, Fujiwara-san stepped smoothly into the breach.


    ¡°You treat them quite carelessly... Mr Oshiro.¡± She said witheringly. ¡°I do not believe you are the sort of man I will get along with. I appreciate you coming from Japan, but I have many others to speak to.¡± She looked at Motoko and Natsumi pityingly, before storming off.


    ¡°Akio-sama, I don¡¯t think she likes you.¡± Honoka-san said innocently, and I shook my head, as David roared with laughter.


    ¡°No kidding. Shit, we really needed to discuss the prophecy with her. I can¡¯t believe she got so worked up over my relationships...¡± Sure, I¡¯ve had some disbelief before, and envy, but never such outright hostility...


    ¡°Well, the Princess is a romantic.¡± David snorted, when he had things under control. ¡°I get it though, man to man. I¡¯ve had my share of romance, ended up with two or three girlfriends on the go.¡±


    ¡°I get it too.¡± Sarah said, and David froze.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said, ye deaf idiot, I get it. He¡¯s a handsome man, and he looks strong. Women go for that sort of thing, ye know.¡±


    ¡°Handsome and strong, huh?¡± David cricked his neck audibly. ¡°So, you think he¡¯s better than me, huh?¡±


    ¡°I nae did say that, did I, ye grand fool. Though right now, I think he surely might be.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Want to grab a drink over there and have a wee talk, handsome?¡±


    Wait, are they injecting me into their tsundere lovers quarrel? I¡¯m so not up for that.


    Motoko must have felt the same, as she looked a bit panicked, so I rapidly tried to soothe the situation. ¡°We need to talk to Princess Eleanor.¡± I said hastily. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of utmost importance.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that.¡± A stern voice said, and I saw it was the white-haired man from earlier. ¡°Prime Minister, esteemed foreign guests.¡± He bowed politely.


    ¡°Sir Arthur. Well, it was quite the unexpected result.¡± The Prime Minister mopped his brow.


    As David and Sarah bickered, Raidre having seized up, unable to process who we were, Sir Arthur spoke to us apologetically. ¡°I am afraid she was quite upset. Perhaps she will calm down later, but like her grandmother, she can be awfully stubborn. She might not wish to listen to what you have to say.¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to talk to her.¡± I repeated. ¡°It¡¯s about a danger to her life. If not her, the Queen, or maybe you can...¡± I swayed aside, arm snaking out to catch a glass that David had thrown at me. Glaring, I took a step forwards.


    ¡°Watch it, man. If you¡¯d have hit any of my party with that, I¡¯d make you regret it.¡± I warned. What a jerk. Throwing glass with girls about...


    ¡°You think you¡¯re hot stuff, don¡¯t you? Well, I¡¯m David Reckless, King of the Octagon, Chosen of Caturix. And I challenge you to a fight!¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯m confused.¡± I said, and Sarah shrugged apologetically.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a right bad temper, this pig. Guess he got jealous when I said ye be quite a catch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wonderful.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°No way I¡¯m going to fight you over something so stupid. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a nice girl, Sarah, was it?¡± she nodded and I continued. ¡°But aren¡¯t I in trouble with the Princess because I have more than enough girls to make me happy? And sorry, I¡¯m sticking with who I already have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please calm down, David. Luckily, he caught the glass before you caused a scene. Your temper will be the death of you.¡± Sir Arthur admonished him.


    ¡°Shut it, gramps.¡± David snapped. ¡°Something about him rubs me up the wrong way. Well, are you too much of a coward?¡± he looked at Motoko. ¡°Looks like your fiance? here is chickenshit. I wouldn¡¯t back down from a fight in front of a girl I liked.¡±


    Yeah, I get that. Hence this crap. ¡°I¡¯m rather opposed to needless violence. And to be honest, I don¡¯t need to look good in front of Motoko and Natsumi. They know my skills, and there¡¯s no benefit in me showing off. Only demerits.¡±


    ¡°No benefits, huh? Well, listen up, dipshit. You and me, one on one. Octagon rules. We can find a room in the Palace somewhere, since you¡¯re such a pussy you don¡¯t want your skills leaking. I¡¯m not afraid of people seeing mine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a no.¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, how about this then? You win, and I¡¯ll drag the Princess to you and make her listen to what you want to say.¡±


    ¡°Are ye sure ye should be promising that? You¡¯ll look a bigger idiot than usual if ye can¡¯t deliver. Only fools bet other people¡¯s stuff, ye know?¡± Sarah mocked him, which just stoked his temper more.


    This is not helping. ¡°Akio, why do you not just do it?¡± Motoko said mildly. ¡°I am sure that this gentleman...¡± she eyed David coldly. ¡°... will not take matters too far. Besides, I cannot abide his rudeness towards you.¡± She turned to the Prime Minister, who was trying to look like this all had nothing to do with him. ¡°This rudeness towards us as guests has been inexcusable. The Princess herself has disappointed me, though I do concede our relationships are unusual. As for you others...¡±


    ¡°Yes, as a bodyguard, I¡¯m honour bound to tell you to cease your disrespect.¡± Natsumi added.


    ¡°You shut your hole, girlie. I don¡¯t like hitting women, but if you say you¡¯re a bodyguard, then you have to expect a few bruises, and you¡¯re not my match, not even close...¡±


    Miyu was getting upset at the tense atmosphere, and we were attracting too much attention. Besides, I¡¯m getting tired of this prick running his mouth. Threatening Natsumi, even though I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t actually strike her, was the last straw.


    ¡°Now we should all calm down, before Her Majesty has us all thrown in the Tower for the night to cool down.¡± The Prime Minister blustered.


    ¡°What if you win then?¡± I said, and David grinned.


    ¡°Oh, interested now? Guess you do have some guts. Well, no guy who has this many women can be total trash I guess. When I win, you apologise to Princess Eleanor for upsetting her, to Raidre for... well, fuck if I know, but looks like you broke him, so make it right, and to me... well, I¡¯ll allow you to publicly admit I¡¯m the better man. Got it?¡±


    It¡¯s Shaeraggo all over again. But... I¡¯m not the man I was back then, and this bastard sure isn¡¯t Shaeraggo. ¡°Fine. Though if you can¡¯t get the Princess to listen to me, then...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never call myself King of the Octagon again. But dream on. You don¡¯t stand a chance. You losers get a bit of power and think you¡¯re hot shit. I was beating the crap out of fighters barehanded before I ever received a blessing from Caturix. You can¡¯t fake guts and skill. Hey, old timer...¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Sir Arthur said mildly.


    ¡°Yes, you. You¡¯re refereeing! You¡¯ll trust him, right? The old fart is renowned for fairness.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I conceded. ¡°I won¡¯t be long, you can stay here with...¡± I began, but Motoko and Natsumi shook their heads.


    ¡°No, if you are fighting a match, we want to see.¡± Motoko declared, and Natsumi seconded her.


    ¡°Yes, we wouldn¡¯t miss it. I realise I¡¯ve seen him before.¡± Natsumi looked at David. ¡°You¡¯re David Reckless, aren¡¯t you? I have seen some of your matches.¡± On seeing my odd look, Natsumi shrugged. ¡°I sometimes watched boxing, mixed martial arts and other combat sports in secret.¡± Her smile was wicked. ¡°I wanted to see how the powerful fought. Back then, I desperately wanted to be stronger.¡±


    ¡°So, I got myself a fan, and she¡¯s one of your girls. Must annoy you, right?¡± He laughed.


    ¡°Oh, I apologise, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan, sorry for misleading you.¡± she said brightly ¡°Compared to Akio, you don¡¯t even enter my eyes.¡±


    As David reddened, angry but too proud to snap back at her, Sarah laughed loudly, just pushing his anger higher. Oh great, just what I needed, escalation. So, David Reckless, huh... this is annoying. So far I¡¯ve been accosted by a crazed woman, no, make that two, and upset the Princess and angered this guy... and lucky me, there¡¯s still hours to go yet...

 Three Hundred And Seventy

    Three Hundred And Seventy


    As David blustered, the Prime Minister turned to Fujiwara-san with an apologetic expression. ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry about this, you know. For such honoured guests as you to be subjected to such rudeness, Shige, especially in front of your granddaughters... I have no excuses. For a man who insists on manners and politeness as is the noble Japanese way, this must be quite the shock to your system.¡±


    For a moment Fujiwara-san¡¯s gaze lingered on me. ¡°It is certainly disappointing, but I find myself having to learn to adapt nowadays. The Chosen all have forthright personalities, it seems. Our research has shown that there are very few who could be called ordinary. So a little friction is expected. As for non-humans, well...¡± he looked at the frozen Raidre. ¡°The one called Shaeula is the same, she is a rather polite little thing most of the time, but like Akio-san here, when roused she can be quite furious.¡±


    That got Raidre¡¯s attention, and he blinked his grey eyes, his thoughts catching up. ¡°That little weasel? Rumours say she¡¯s a vile, arrogant brat with few redeeming features...¡± he trailed off as my glare stopped his words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be slandering a Duchess like that, Raidre.¡± I warned. ¡°And that was a title she earned, and wasn¡¯t merely born with. She¡¯s changed and grown, so pay less attention to rumours. After all, you¡¯ve heard about the victory at the Spring and more.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but it seemed unbelievable, and I am seldom in the Court, so... by the waves, you can¡¯t blame me for my scepticism.¡± He stammered.


    ¡°I suppose not, but now when I stand here in front of you, telling you how it is, you¡¯ve no more right to misunderstand. I get that you are here to protect your Princess and the other attendees of the party, so I¡¯m not going to censure you for that. Hyacinth is here for the same reason...¡±


    She puffed out her chest at that, eyeing Raidre with an expression of superiority on her face. Ignoring that, I continued, also disregarding the impatient looks from David as he was eager to teach me a lesson. I think I might be the teacher though. Don¡¯t judge by first appearances. ¡°But you should have gone about things far more politely.¡±


    I ignored a small whisper from Miyu about my own attitude, and continued. ¡°No harm done, I suppose, though considering there are clearly suspicious and dangerous people here like that Cardinal woman, and the American mad scientist, you shouldn¡¯t be bothering us. The worst of it all is that we genuinely came here with important news for Princess Eleanor, which could save her life and this country, and she brushed us off. I suppose I can concede that a well-bred woman like her might be disgusted by my relationships, but a leader has to put that aside for the greater good.¡±


    ¡°I see. Have no fear, I shall carry your words to the Princess and the Queen if necessary.¡± Our referee, Sir Arthur said, grateful. ¡°Once this farce is over and you wake up, I¡¯ll be more than happy to intercede.¡± Oh, so you think I¡¯ll lose too, huh? Well, I am trying to keep a low profile as a healer and buffer type... Sir Arthur looked over to Fujiwara-san and the Prime Minister, ignoring David¡¯s grumbles.


    ¡°Again, I apologise. These young ones haven¡¯t a diplomatic bone in their bodies, unlike us older, wiser heads. It¡¯s why the Queen, may God protect her old soul, entrusted me with her safety. After this, we will talk, and I¡¯ll help set aside these misunderstandings.¡± He looked at me then. ¡°Do forgive the Princess please. She is a woman of great moral fibre, but under immense pressure. Our noble Green Knight has to carry Britain on her back.¡±


    ¡°Shit, cut the crap old man. I¡¯m eager to get started.¡± David moaned. ¡°As for her carrying the weight, that¡¯s why she has us, right?¡±


    ¡°I sympathise. I¡¯m carrying a lot of pressure myself. But in the end, I¡¯d rather do it than trust someone else to bear it.¡± I agreed. ¡°I may not be a man of high moral fibre, but I¡¯m a man who never lets down those he loves.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°I will never allooow a stupid selkie like yooou to slander Akio or mistress Shaeula. Cooome back when you have defeated the Wild Hunt ooor the Unseelie, and I might listen, fooooool!¡±


    ¡°I have to say, I was a little disappointed.¡± Motoko said archly. ¡°Her eyes must be clouded if she thinks that Akio is taking advantage of us. But I do allow that our customs and cultures are different. I shall not forgive until she makes an honest attempt to listen to Akio. I understand that we are here for an important reason, but... compared to Shiro or Shaeula, I am not impressed.¡±


    Ouch. Yeah, Motoko is really mad. Makes sense, this was supposed to be her engagement debut, a huge thing for Japanese noble girls, and the Princess basically said she was an idiot and being fooled and taken advantage of by me. No wonder she¡¯s mad.


    The Prime Minister winced. ¡°My God, seems like this has spiralled into a great mess.¡±


    ¡°Nothing you are not used to.¡± Fujiwara-san said. ¡°Your stint in the Foreign Office was marked with a few incidents and blunders, as I recall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a low blow, Shige.¡± The Prime Minister laughed. ¡°Seriously though, I hope this won¡¯t sour things between us. Japan and the UK need to come together now more than ever. The fact that the USA sent that madwoman here as an envoy shows they either aren¡¯t taking us seriously, or have an ulterior motive. As Akio has a British mother, he could be a bridge between us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to cast aside my mission just because I¡¯m angry.¡± I said, looking at David levelly. ¡°I¡¯ll treat this challenge as a spar, and to be honest, I don¡¯t give a crap about whether you¡¯re the King of the Octagon, or King of anything at all. But I do object to your rudeness ruining Motoko¡¯s evening. So afterwards I want an apology. A proper one.¡±


    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s kind of cool.¡± Sarah said, grinning. ¡°He¡¯s got some class, ye have to admit, David. Chivalry is nae dead, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Chivalry is for winners.¡± David snorted. ¡°Well, enough damn stalling. Though...¡± he took a deep breath, visibly calming down. ¡°I guess if you really are here because you know something that¡¯ll help our dumb yet brave Princess, I should apologise. Something just rubs me the wrong away about you.¡± He turned to Motoko then. ¡°Sorry. Like I say, I¡¯m a guy who has been around the block, and I get it. Guys like young girls, and a famous, handsome man can get as many women as he wants. No judgement, I¡¯m impressed you are taking it so well. But... well, there was that shit with her Uncle in the media, so yeah, she¡¯s pretty sensitive about how men handle girls, especially younger ones. And damn me if you don¡¯t look young. I bet you¡¯re not even legal to drink.¡±


    ¡°I am legally old enough to marry with parental consent, both here and in Japan, why should we care about any other country and their ways?¡± Motoko said. ¡°But I accept your apology, crude thought it is.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to fight still?¡± I asked, and he grinned.


    ¡°Fuck yeah, I never back down. Like I said, you piss me off. Real question, so I know how many rounds to make the fight. Just how many girls are you stringing along? I¡¯ll take you down once for each for the sake of the Princess!¡±


    Eri, Shaeula, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth, Shiro, Daiyu, Kana. For now. I guess I get it. From the outside it looks bad. ¡°Nine.¡± I declared proudly, as I had resolved never to deny any of them. ¡°For now, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Diviner....¡± Motoko said softly. ¡°Well, we shall see.¡±


    ¡°Nine? Shit, you¡¯re going to be a wreck when I¡¯m done.¡± David laughed. ¡°But shit, if you make it through all nine rounds, I¡¯ll call you my fucking brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nae expert, but isn¡¯t that what the Japanese call a flag?¡± Sarah laughed.


    ¡°Well, Hyacinth, you stay here.¡± I told her. ¡°I don¡¯t trust some of the guests. Miyu, you¡¯re in charge, Hyacinth will listen to you. If you feel you¡¯re in genuine danger, let Hyacinth do her thing. Your lives are priority.¡± I turned back to Hyacinth. ¡°Just... collateral damage to the minimum, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, nooo problem. Stupid selkie can stay tooo. I need to re-educate him abooout the glory of yooou and mistress Shaeula!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about this.¡± The Prime Minister said, but I waved off his words.


    ¡°Fujiwara-san has his own diplomatic goals, being rude to me shouldn¡¯t change that. Like I said, I¡¯ll consider this a spar, an exchange of pointers between two friendly countries. And when I¡¯m done, David here is going to get the Princess to listen to us, and I want everyone to bless Motoko¡¯s engagement. While I¡¯m at it, since the cat¡¯s out of the bag, Natsumi¡¯s too. Might as well. In fact...¡±


    I whispered something to Fujiwara-san, and he smiled wryly. ¡°I suspect that is an interesting idea. Both a power play and rather cruel. But...¡± he looked at the Prime Minister. ¡°... I believe we can.¡±


    ¡°Great. All right then. To be honest, after seeing Titan¡¯s strength, I¡¯m curious as to yours, David. Seems like you¡¯re famous too. If even Natsumi, ultimate sheltered girl that she is, has heard of you, then you probably have some bite to your bark.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± David said proudly, as we set off for the entrance. I was accompanied by Natsumi and Motoko, while David was bringing Sarah and Sir Arthur. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give you that. And I can tell you¡¯ve done some bad shit. Well, that¡¯s us Chosen, right?¡± he said sympathetically. ¡°I don¡¯t really get the Fairy shit that Raidre drones on about, but you think you¡¯re a big deal, killing this Duke or whatever? Maybe you are, but the difference between a guy like me who grew up living and breathing combat sports, who fought day in and day out for years against the best, spilling blood and breaking bone, stitching my own wounds... that gap can¡¯t be bridged by a little power given by some watching God.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi and I have studied our Tsumura Arts ever since we could first hold a practice blade.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°It is a way of life. It builds character, discipline and bravery. More importantly it builds combat sense.¡±


    ¡°Your girl here is a smart one. At least you got good taste. I like a woman who can look after herself.¡±


    ¡°Ach, ignore the pig. Don¡¯t fall for his banter, he¡¯s nae such a good catch as he says.¡± Sarah laughed.


    Before anyone could say more, David spotted a rather handsome young man, delicate and fragile, wearing black glasses and with long, silky hair. ¡°Oh hey kid, can you go grab Mary-Jane and send her my way? We¡¯ll need a healer to patch up this idiot.¡±


    He paused, surprised by the group David was with, and he brightened as he saw Motoko and Natsumi, though they paid him no mind. ¡°Actually, healing is my specialty, so I think we¡¯ll be fine.¡± I said, reinforcing the previous misunderstandings the British had.


    ¡°You think? Hard to heal when you¡¯re knocked out, flat on your arse. Just trust me on that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get her. Where are you going... and who are these girls?¡± the young man asked, curious.


    ¡°They¡¯re taken, that¡¯s who they are, Donovan. Don¡¯t go pulling any of your charming moves and causing more trouble. We¡¯ve done enough.¡± David actually looked a little ashamed, and Sarah snickered.


    ¡°Aye, Eleanor has already chewed this guy out, ye don¡¯t want to get what he did.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Donovan said quietly, face falling. ¡°Upsetting the Princess, I could never!¡±


    ¡°Well, just go find the schoolteacher. The guards can show you where to go...¡± as the young man scurried off, David shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good hand with a spear and oddly brave. But man, if there¡¯s ever a guy who¡¯d love to move to Japan now you have those stupid polygamy laws, it¡¯s him. Girls throw themselves at him constantly.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Sarah said, as we left the hall and Beefeaters showed us to a suitable storage room that was currently empty.


    ¡°Of the kid? Please redhead, give me some credit. Like I say, I like girls who can take care of themselves, not the delicate little flowers Donovan likes. They¡¯d all wither away within seconds in a real battle.¡± He looked around the room. ¡°It¡¯s big enough, but we don¡¯t have any ropes or matting.¡± He stomped down. ¡°Wooden flooring. Going to fucking hurt. Can you take it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should be risking injury.¡± Sir Arthur said. ¡°This is a friendly bout, you said?¡±


    ¡°Well, friendly enough, right?¡± David grinned, a feral look in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve got to show our foreign guests that sure, they may have kicked the Chinese in the balls, but us Brits are a whole different beast. Though I do feel bad beating the shit out of a healer. It¡¯d be like punching our schoolteacher.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth has lived a hard life and was saved by Akio.¡± Motoko declared. ¡°That is why I cannot easily forgive this Raidre. He slandered Shaeula too. That is as unforgivable as one insulting your Queen!¡±


    ¡°Hey, mellow out, firecracker. I get it. Okay, maybe you like crazy women.¡± He smiled at me, before addressing Sir Arthur. ¡°Hey old fart...¡±


    ¡°What, you rogue?¡± Sir Arthur said, more relaxed now that my healing had been shown to fix many injuries. ¡°The Queen will be unhappy when she hears about this.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I reckon this is the sort of diplomacy this guy gets.¡± He looked at me, and I shrugged.


    ¡°If I claimed it wasn¡¯t, I¡¯d be lying. This happens too much.¡± I admitted, and David laughed again.


    ¡°... this guy¡¯s the real deal. Makes me think... well, he¡¯s with some real important Japanese guests, and the Prime Minister is respecting the shit out of him, and you know what a tactless buffoon he can be. He¡¯s got the ear of the fairies, like our Princess... I think we can¡¯t afford to have them go home disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Ach, David¡¯s brain, are ye sure ye fixed it, he¡¯s talking too much sense!¡± Sarah snorted, her blue eyes wide.


    ¡°When men exchange blows, they can read each other.¡± David insisted. ¡°Now shut it, I know you agree too!¡±


    It was then the door flew open, and a woman around my mother¡¯s age burst in, looking aghast. ¡°Mr Reckless, Sarah, Sir Arthur, what is going on? Donovan told me you were off to fight a guest! Surely not even you would be so disrespectful...¡± she trailed off as she saw the damaged walls and floor, full of cracks and dents, and covered her face. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°Ach, it¡¯ll be fine, nae worries.¡± Sarah draped an arm around her, consoling. ¡°They both seem to be muscleheads, and get this, David even apologised! Besides, look, we have guests!¡±


    ¡°Oh, and who are you two girls?¡± Mary-Jane asked, and as Motoko and Natsumi introduced themselves, David raised his fists.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    David squeezed out every ounce of power and strength, but none of his blows could break my defence. He did nearly catch me out with one clever feint, but my rising knee struck him in a very sensitive spot, and moments later my foot was on his neck.


    ¡°Mr Reckless!¡± Mary-Jane cried, but he shook his head, face white.


    ¡°No way I¡¯m letting you heal that.¡± He spat. ¡°Well shit. Five to nil.¡± He slammed his fist into the ground, annoyed, shattering the wooden flooring.


    ¡°Ach, my wager lost. I should nae have trusted ye, David!¡± Sarah teased.


    ¡°So, should we call it?¡± I asked, and David shook his head.


    ¡°Tired already? No, You won, I¡¯m not a sore loser. But... at least let me have a chance to finish off strong. Man to man.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Your funeral.¡±


    ¡°Not with you and our schoolteacher here.¡± He said, earning a cold look from the woman.


    ¡°This is foolishness. I don¡¯t approve, Mr Reckless. Fighting a guest invited by Her Majesty is practically treason.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. In fact... I think I have something worthwhile to show him.¡± He grinned at me. ¡°Round six!¡±


    The sixth round I won as well, but twice David nearly struck a blow on me. As I patched him up, he nodded to me. ¡°Thought so. Well, keep it up.¡± Thought what?


    The seventh round was much the same, but a nagging doubt was at the back of my mind. It was then Motoko gasped. ¡°I see it, Akio, you...¡±


    ¡°Ah, no spoilers, girl.¡± David shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve got good eyes and a combat brain. Damn, why are all the girls around me like Sarah? Maybe I should start going for Asians?¡±


    ¡°Ye love it, ya bastard.¡± She snorted in response to that.


    ¡°Motoko, what do... wait, I see!¡± Natsumi clapped her hands together, realising something too. She smiled at me warmly. ¡°Well, do your best, Akio!¡±


    What was that? ¡°Round eight.¡± I said, and David nodded.


    ¡°It is indeed. But this round is mine.¡± He declared confidently, and attacked. I went to block his strike and counter, only to swing and hit air. My next attack missed him and two attacks came back at me, a kick and a grapple. He¡¯s off-balance, so... I countered, only for David to move seemingly at random, his legs snaking around my body, arms around my neck. ¡°Got you.¡± He laughed. ¡°You¡¯re done.¡± The momentum carried me to the ground, as he tightened his chokehold.


    I could break out if I wanted, but... replaying the action back in my head, I tapped out. I¡¯m still faster, but he seemed to anticipate my moves and lead me into a trap.


    ¡°Fuck yes. See that Sarah, I¡¯m not washed up!¡± David crowed. ¡°You want to tell him, girls, or shall I?¡±


    ¡°Akio, your moves are predictable.¡± Motoko said. ¡°Each time you react with an excellent, well-chosen move, attacking his weak points perfectly. It is a work of art, but...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t beat a master with pure skill. There¡¯s no guile.¡± Natsumi added. ¡°In the end, even Motoko or I would have stood a chance of dodging your strike.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they get it. Good job! I see why you enjoy teaching, Mary-Jane.¡± He said mockingly, before turning to me. ¡°They¡¯re right. You¡¯ve been trained well, but you have no style. Nothing but deliberate, perfect responses. Sure, with your speed and power that¡¯ll defeat most opponents, but when a true pro figures you out... well, like I did, I can predict all your attacks and lead you. Well, might as well wrap this up, and I¡¯ll take the last round. You¡¯re only as good as your last fight, after all.¡± He winked mockingly.


    I see. That does make sense. I¡¯m always taking the most efficient strike where I¡¯ll win. Ulfuric did say I needed to take the foundation I have and find my own way... ¡°Thanks for the lesson. I do appreciate it. I¡¯m sure the girls do too. So... let me return the favour.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Confident huh? Be warned, you¡¯ve learned to fight that way, suddenly throwing in some random shit won¡¯t beat me, not like the first round. This time I have your measure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. So...¡± we waited for the signal, and as soon as Sir Arthur spoke I surged forwards. Time for Body Enhancement. David blinked as my speed nearly doubled, and moments later he was embedded in the wall, one arm and leg bent at a brutal angle, coughing blood. Oops, overdid that a bit again...


    ¡°I¡¯m ending it, technical knockout!¡± Sir Arthur said hurriedly, as Mary-Jane panicked, screaming and rushing towards him.


    ¡°No... fucking shit... the fuck, you were holding back?¡± David managed. I was at his side before his own healer, letting aether flow, healing internal injuries, straightening the bone and numbing pain. Mary-Jane stumbled to a halt, and Sarah patted her shoulder.


    ¡°I know, ye think it¡¯s just ye who is shocked? David poked a bloody lion here. Luckily they both seem tae be boneheads. Like attracts like, I guess.¡±


    ¡°No shit. Wait, you¡¯re a healer, right? Putting aside your strength and speed, you have something like the Battle Hymn of Caturix? That¡¯s not fucking fair...¡± he stood, moving his now-healed limbs. ¡°Well, much as I¡¯d like to complain, I got royally battered. Eight to one. Shit. So, yeah...¡± he looked down at his ripped, ragged and bloody suit, while mine was still pristine except for a little dust Motoko wiped off happily. ¡°... a deal¡¯s a deal. I¡¯ll go change, lucky we have a break room here where I stashed my casual clothes. Perks of being the guards of the Princess.¡± He gave me a fist bump, which I accepted.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not so much I was holding back, as I don¡¯t want to give too much away. I think the Princess is going to be our ally when she hears what I have to say, but I sure as hell don¡¯t trust everyone here. Why tip my hand? But you earned it as thanks for the lesson for me and the girls.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Annoying as that is. Well...¡± he looked at Sarah, who was laughing, red-faced at his attitude. ¡°... sure, laugh it up, redhead. Next time you need saving from a mob of enemies, maybe I¡¯ll look the other way...¡±


    ¡°Ah, dinnae be like that, David. Ye know I¡¯m only teasing...¡±


    At that moment, my phone beeped, and reading the message, I grinned. ¡°All right. Motoko, you take Natsumi and...¡± I explained quickly, and she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll change with Hyacinth, and you take care of it.¡±


    ¡°I shall accompany you.¡± Sir Arthur said jovially. ¡°And I thank you for your patience with David, though it seems my worries were unfounded.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Well, I¡¯ll see you later, David. With the Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a man of my damn word. Come on, redhead. I need someone to vent to...¡±


    ¡°Sir Arthur, just what happened?¡± Mary-Jane said as everyone else left us.


    ¡°A good question indeed.¡± Sir Arthur laughed. ¡°Diplomacy, it seems. The young are a bit... energetic... for these old bones. But it seems to have all worked out.¡±


    Yeah, though impressing these other Chosen wasn¡¯t my goal. But they are the team Princess Eleanor has gathered, so having them onside can¡¯t be a bad thing. Right, now it¡¯s time for my diplomatic offensive. We took a lot of shit, time to retaliate. We¡¯re the ones offering aid, not looking for it, so we have the advantage. Time to play our full hand...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Five – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Five ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    Well, so far today has been simply awful. Eleanor drank from a glass of champagne the server passed her, taking big gulps. She wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, really, not like her brother Henry, and less so since she became the Green Knight, but today she felt the need, and cursed as her body rapidly purged her of the lingering effects. Finishing the rest of the glass with a gulp, she quickly procured herself another, biting back on a bitter sigh.


    Her gaze strayed to the ever-watchful Mary Stuart, the woman that had been plaguing her constantly recently. Grandmother had set eyes on her and her allies, of course, but the worst thing was that they had no reason to bar her from any of these events, as other than some harsh words about her faith, the woman had done nothing, and the Silver Hands Foundation she was in alignment with, under Maxwell Power, had spent a notable fortune on both charitable endeavours, realising Sarah¡¯s and Mary-Jane¡¯s ideals on various schools and orphanages, as well as providing monetary support for research and other expensive matters. As grandmother says, everything costs money. The Crown is sinking a significant amount of money into training and supporting all the Gods¡¯ Chosen that can be gathered... Putting aside the beautiful yet stern woman, whose probing questions and accusations were guaranteed to set her on edge, she considered the second reason she was in a foul mood. ¡°Those American bastards...¡± she swore quietly, quite unlike her usual polite demeanour. But if anyone deserves my invectives, it¡¯s surely them... surely her. The Americans, in either a calculated insult, or an act of tasteless hubris, had sent a researcher, most likely one who had performed tragic and cruel experiments on innocent people, her people, good British citizens, abducted from these very shores or vanished while on holiday abroad. It makes me furious. As a Royal, they are our subjects, and owed our protection. To think we weren¡¯t able to...


    She would have to meet her later, along with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, as well as several military figures. It was something she was not looking forward to in the slightest, but as the leader of the Gods¡¯ Chosen and a Princess, it was a role only she could do. Then there¡¯s the third reason I am so furious...


    She had accepted David¡¯s tales of womanising and careless relationships, mostly because she wasn¡¯t presented with evidence of them, they were more tall tales he liked to brag about during their downtime, and Eleanor was half-convinced he was doing it merely to get under Sarah¡¯s skin. I¡¯m fairly certain David is carrying a torch for her. Well, he does praise strong women... Donovan was a concern, it seemed every week he was romancing someone new, but he was a young man, barely past being a boy, and he was so soft-spoken and timid that she was sure nothing untoward was happening. Well, I¡¯ve warned him not to break too many hearts, but David says boys will be boys... Sir Arthur asked me not to judge him too harshly either...


    On her third glass of champagne now, she frowned. Well, Raidre doesn¡¯t trust them. That means I should be wary too. Besides... hearing about the awful polygamy laws Japan had put in place was frustrating, though David seemed to find it funny. Worse was to come, when the Japanese Chosen that claimed he was here to speak to her about something important was brazenly showing off his relationships with a young girl. Damn him! It¡¯s Uncle all over again! How can I trust or work with such a man... not when he has more than one. He is even making moves on Fae! Such a dangerous individual...


    Her fist clenched, and she gasped as the crystal stem of the champagne glass cracked. A thin bead of blood flowed before her flesh instantly sealed, healing. Gingerly she called over a servant, who took the glass and asked her with some concern if she was well. Waving her away, Eleanor nodded.


    Just why does he annoy me so? Well, it¡¯s obvious, but... Eleanor was starting to feel a little guilty, she had been undiplomatic, and whether the man was a saint or a scumbag, it was true that the United Kingdom needed allies more than ever, the disrespect America having showed them today a clear sign relationships would remain strained.


    ¡°No. I refuse to apologise. With great power, one must wield it scrupulously. Using it to satisfy base desires is wrong. It seems to me he is only interested in collecting women like they are trophies. Disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Princess, it¡¯s you.¡± A man said, and she turned to see that it was Samuel Davies, the middle-aged man who commanded the Manchester strike team. He was wearing a noticeably better tailored suit than last time he attended one of these events, and on seeing her looking, he grinned.


    ¡°Well, I thought it would be better to dress the part. The pay we receive is quite decent, and I¡¯m tired of feeling out of place at these large events.¡±


    Feeling out of place, I see. ¡°I heard that Manchester is coming along well.¡± Eleanor said, trying to take her mind off more annoying matters.


    ¡°Yes, though Callie got injured and is recovering. A bad business, we were lucky there. That¡¯s another reason why I want to dress to impress. No point being frugal, our line of work is very dangerous. It makes one think about their own mortality.¡±


    ¡°Callie? That¡¯s the youngest of your team, right? I haven¡¯t heard...¡± Eleanor said, horrified. ¡°... will she recover? Has Mary-Jane been called to help her? If not, I can...¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Princess. I¡¯m sure Callie will be delighted to hear you¡¯re so worried about her. She idolises you, our brave Knight who leads from the front, despite being a privileged Princess.¡±


    For a moment, Eleanor paused, not sure if she had heard his tone correctly, but then she dismissed it. I¡¯m a little tipsy. Though damn it all, I can already feel it fading. ¡°So she¡¯ll recover?¡± she asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it was some sort of poison, apparently, one that has left her weak and feeble. So I don¡¯t believe your healer will be able to help her, since it was far too late to cut out the poisoned areas, like I believe she has done before. Nothing we do is an exact science, is it, but we think she¡¯ll be back to fighting trim in a week or two. For now, the Manchester team is just keeping sharp, training. And enjoying ourselves. As you should. If there were any reporters from the tabloids here, they¡¯d love a picture of the depressed Princess.¡± He laughed heartily, and Eleanor sighed.


    ¡°True. Well, I do hope you¡¯ll continue serving Britain and the populace, Samuel. And when Miss Callie has some spare time after her recovery, do tell me and I will visit.¡±


    Samuel¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°I¡¯ll tell her. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be overjoyed. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me...¡± with that he headed off, and since he was heading in the general direction of people Eleanor had no wish to engage with, she looked away, only to spot a familiar, friendly face, her brilliant traditional red and gold Sari standing out amongst the suits and dresses of the other guests. At last, someone who I can relax with. Eleanor had grown very close with Aditi over the months they had spent together, her calm, soothing manner always lifting her spirits.


    ¡°Oh, Eleanor, it is good to see you.¡± Aditi said with her melodious accent. It had taken a while for Aditi to stop calling her Princess and use her name, but now hearing that made Eleanor happy, as it was an extra closeness that she had earned.


    ¡°Not half as good as it is to see you.¡± Eleanor said fervently, and the look on her face must have been unusual, as Aditi leaned in, surprised.


    ¡°Oh Eleanor, just what is wrong? If it is something you can talk about, I would be most happy to listen. I do not know if I can help with any weighty matters, but a trouble shared is a trouble halved, is it not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Eleanor said, a smile on her face for the first time in a while. ¡°But you do have an aura about you, Aditi. You always seem so cheerful, despite everything.¡±


    ¡°You are most kind, as always.¡± Aditi laughed with gentle humour. ¡°I simply have no reasons not to be cheerful. Yes, what we do is dangerous and terrible, but we do it together, working as one. As long as we have harmony, we shall succeed. Besides, seeing the smiling faces of the children and all those we have helped... is that not a more precious reward than any amount of money or fame?¡±


    I¡¯m very fortunate grandmother managed to find these members. Aditi, Sarah and Mary-Jane are all so kind, while Sir Arthur is someone I can trust. Even David and Donovan, despite their... problems... are good people at heart. Good at heart, hmm...


    ¡°What troubles you then, dear Eleanor?¡± Aditi pressed, jolting her out of her gloomy thoughts. ¡°I know you do not enjoy these events, to raise funds and awareness, but they are necessary. Even those who hold some reservations about us know we have to work together.¡±


    Ugh, that hits a sore spot. True, if even Mary Stuart offers us support, despite clearly disliking me, can I reject foreign aid merely due to personal feelings? But... it¡¯s not right. It isn¡¯t! Eleanor had very traditional views on love, and having watched her brothers go through very different paths of romance, she had firmed up an idea in her head of what love should be. Not... not treating women as trophies to be won, young impressionable minds to warp. ¡°Yes, well, I just find some of our guests today rather intolerable.¡±


    ¡°That is not like you, Princess.¡± Aditi observed. ¡°You normally do not let your displeasure show. But then, I have noticed you have been on edge recently. David has noticed it as well.¡±


    David? Really? But then, he has been there whenever I enter Avalon recently... Looking around, she realised she couldn¡¯t see David anywhere in the hall, nor the Japanese visitor and his too-young fiance?es. Just where did they all vanish to? She spotted Raidre, leaning on a table, expression lifeless, and she had never seen the powerful, brave Fae look so shellshocked.


    She caught the eye of Henry, who was with Melissa, his current girlfriend, one he seemed very serious about, and he waved at her to come over. The only downside was he seemed to be with a group of Asians, likely more of the Japanese delegation. Well, I¡¯ve seen him now, so...


    ¡°Are we going to talk to your brother? That will cheer you up.¡± Aditi smiled softly, and Eleanor once more was glad of her soothing calm.


    ¡°I suppose so. Well, I¡¯ll just shake off this gloom, then I will mingle, I promise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± As they approached, Henry called to her jovially.


    ¡°Ellie, Miss Aditi, come over here and meet an old friend.¡± He gestured to the oldest Japanese man.


    ¡°This is Katsuro-san...¡± Henry surprised her by using a polite honorific. ¡°He¡¯s the head of the JSDF, and we¡¯ve met several times at my Games, and also to discuss Veteran matters. He¡¯s a man who believes in looking after those who¡¯ve served.¡±


    ¡°Well of course, Prince Henry.¡± The man, Katsuro, returned the favour. ¡°The JSDF is an army to protect the people, but the soldiers themselves are of the people. To let their service be a detriment to them is something no righteous country can countenance.¡± As her brother let out a boisterous cry of ¡°That¡¯s damn right!¡± Katsuro turned to her. ¡°I am charmed to meet you, Princess Eleanor. The rumours hardly do you justice. I am Tsumura Katsuro, and this is my son, Minoru, and my daughter-in-law Hikari.¡±


    Tsumura? Eleanor froze for a moment, before venturing a question. ¡°So, the girl I met earlier with that... Chosen...¡± she looked at Melissa cautiously. I hope Henry hasn¡¯t been indiscreet. Yes, she¡¯s here so she knows the basics, but there¡¯s a lot we can¡¯t disclose to outsiders, and until they marry, sadly Melissa still is. ¡°... she was Motoko Tsumura...¡±


    ¡°Yes, my granddaughter. Isn¡¯t she lovely? She was delighted to be meeting a Princess such as yourself on her engagement debut, but...¡± he looked around. ¡°I can¡¯t see her, I wonder where she and Akio-san have gone.¡±


    So frustrating. She exchanged a glance with Melissa, who looked equally tense. I see we agree on some things. Not even Henry had been foolish enough to mention their uncle to Melissa much, considering she was an American and often championed women¡¯s rights. ¡°If I may be a little forthright then...¡± Eleanor managed, annoyed. ¡°Just what possessed you to allow your young granddaughter to be engaged to such an older man, especially one who has other women? Don¡¯t you care about her wellbeing at all?¡±


    Katsuro reacted at that, smiling wryly, while Hikari looked embarrassed.


    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s not like you to be rude to guests, Ellie. You should calm down...¡± Henry began, only to shut up as she faced him with a sapphire-eyed glare.


    ¡°Be quiet, Henry. Don¡¯t make a scene in front of your girlfriend. Don¡¯t call me Ellie during state events, and I hope you haven¡¯t been... indiscreet, or grandmother will have your hide!¡± Beside her, Aditi was shocked by her vehemence, shrinking back a little.


    ¡°Oh, no... well, I¡¯ve talked to Melissa, of course but... only about how cool and brave you are, and how proud we all are of you, Ellie... uh, Eleanor. Nothing bad. Besides... she¡¯ll be part of the family soon. I... uh...¡±


    So, my useless playboy of a brother is settling down at last? I¡¯d normally be happy, but I¡¯m too furious.


    ¡°I am sorry if we have offended you, Princess. That was not our intent. Not when we had such important news to bring you.¡± Katsuro said with the dignity of a true noble. ¡°I understand our culture might be foreign to you, but from what I know, you only have to go a few generations back and your partner would have been chosen for you.¡± he said and Henry agreed.


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Eleanor. Grandmother¡¯s marriage was hardly free of meddling.¡±


    ¡°In Japan, arranged marriages are, if not common, still a notable percentage of the population. Curiously, do you know which has the higher divorce rate? Arranged unions or marriages for love?¡± Katsuro said mildly, and Eleanor frowned.


    ¡°Since you are asking, it must be love marriages. That¡¯s not the point though...¡±


    ¡°No, but it is an illustration. With marriages of love, love can cool, and then they divorce. Arranged marriages need to be worked at. Both parties make more of an effort, and therefore they last.¡±


    Aditi spoke up, surprising her. ¡°That is true, in my culture, certainly. Arranged marriages are very common, our parents wish for us to marry well, so... I had my own marriage meetings and proposals. Now I am one of your team Princess, they have been cancelled. My status now is hard to calculate.¡±


    That¡¯s a relief. ¡°If you want my aid to refuse any offers or orders, I shall surely give it.¡± Eleanor declared stoutly, and Aditi smiled benevolently.


    ¡°Oh, I thank you. Your kindness is ever radiant to me. If I truly hate it, then I will take you up on that. But as I said, it is not unusual, nor is there any stigma amongst those of my culture.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just terrible.¡± Melissa defended Eleanor, while Henry tried to keep out of the conversation. ¡°Young girls should be able to choose to love freely. It¡¯s like slavery, forcing a marriage just on status or family ties!¡±


    Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°Sir Arthur?¡± Eleanor asked, feeling rising misgivings about the whole situation. The Prime Minister was saying something, drawing laughter, and the girls in their white ballgowns that invoked wedding dresses, all smiled charmingly, nodding.


    ¡°Yeah, looks like they didn¡¯t have any dresses fit for that fairy maid. Oh shit, look at Raidre, he¡¯s lost it...¡± David chuckled, and indeed, Raidre, on looking at the maid in her white finery, was stunned, his legs shaking as he leaned on a table, shocked. ¡°... so he asked Sir Arthur, and apparently he borrowed one of your dear mother¡¯s dresses from when she was younger. That¡¯s a statement, right?¡±


    Wait.. Sir Arthur allowed that? ¡°Well, it is odd, but she does look rather fetching.¡± Katsuro said, interrupting her scattered thoughts once more. ¡°And we could argue it¡¯s showing the respect and affection your two nations have for each other, that you would give us such a thing? I think, Princess Eleanor, that we should start again. Talk to them properly. Put aside your misgivings. If you speak to my Motoko and think she is being exploited or abused after hearing her out, then I give you my word I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, the wounds instantly healing, Eleanor sighed. I hate this. I made a rather large scene. David is right. But I will still demand he explains how he ended up fighting this Akio later! And losing too, it¡¯s shameful!


    ¡°Here they come!¡± David grinned. ¡°Now play nice.¡± He paused, before giving her his honest thoughts. ¡°Those girls aren¡¯t anything like you worry about. They¡¯re nothing like the girls your no-good uncle was caught with. No, they are fighters, and they have guts. It¡¯s wrong to assume they aren¡¯t capable of making their own decisions, or that the guy is fooling them. Trust me, when a man crosses fists...¡±


    ¡°Aye, he can tell the character of his damn opponent. Ye¡¯ve done nothing but yap on about it since then, David.¡± Sarah snorted, still clearly amused at his defeat.


    ¡°Very well. I... I need to hear what he has to say, don¡¯t I?¡± Eleanor managed. I can¡¯t let my pride ruin things grandmother has set up. Especially not with those women here... she glanced at the American envoy and also Mary Stuart. I can¡¯t show any more weakness or discord. As the group approached, she took a deep breath and forced a smile. ¡°I see you are being rather more... brazen.¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I am, Princess Eleanor. I am not ashamed of the three of them, how could I be? They are lovely, kind and loyal, and any man would be proud to have even one of them in his life. I have them all. I will say that keeping them safe, happy and fulfilled is going to be quite the task, but look at them and tell me it won¡¯t be worth it?¡± Akio said calmly, a smile on his face that quite annoyed her.


    ¡°I can see that. But don¡¯t you worry you might draw ire and scorn?¡± she shot back.


    ¡°I do worry,. But not for me. Scorn me if you wish, Princess. But never take it out on them, or you¡¯ll find out just why I got so strong.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. He hits like a fucking dump-truck.¡± David sniggered.


    ¡°Language!¡± Mary-Jane said, scandalised, and David waved her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious now. I¡¯d kill to have him on our team. We might really have London back by Christmas.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Melissa said, and Henry looked apologetic.


    ¡°I know. There¡¯s a lot we can¡¯t tell you yet. I want to, my darling, but... grandmother wants it under wraps. You know Ellie has these powers, and the others too. And that we have to protect Britain. Well... how they do it is complicated. I wish it was me or the boys in the military, but...¡±


    ¡°I too am prepared to fight.¡± Motoko said cooly. ¡°It is an honour to meet you, Prince Henry. Grandfather is in awe of your support for Veterans and your commitment to raising their profile and treatment worldwide.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a polite one.¡± He said, and Eleanor had to admit she was.


    ¡°Forgive my rudeness, but... you¡¯re not concerned by sharing a man who can never give you his whole heart? You¡¯re young, it might not matter now, but...¡± Eleanor began again.


    ¡°From one warrior to another...¡± Motoko said, sighing. ¡°... do not insult me, or my intelligence. Worse, do not insult my love. I too know what it is to fight in the Boundary. How I know this... is not for me to say. Therefore, my respect for you is immense. I ask that you accord me the same in return. A person who has fought to defend others is no child. I may not have his whole heart, but if I did, then I would weep for Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± The bodyguard girl, who had an entirely different allure out of her suit, nodded. ¡°I love Motoko. Not in a way that I would wish to marry her. No, we are friends, bonded in battle and in love. I thought I could never be more than her bodyguard, and we would be parted soon. But Akio changed that for us. He loved us both, and showed us we could both be happy. I too have fought monsters, again I¡¯ll not say how. I knew Akio loved others before us. I am not a fool. But...¡±


    ¡°It doooes not matter.¡± The maid, Hyacinth, spoke up. Seeing her in that familiar dress, it¡¯s strange. But she is beautiful, definitely. Though it is a cold, unapproachable beauty, yet... as the maid looked at Akio, her face changed, her harsh edges softening, her vivid violet eyes with a tinge of silver going gentle. ¡°Akiooo loves freely, but loves deeply. To rest in his arms is to know peace. But he doooes not stifle us. If he kept us as trooophies or toys, we wooould never have grown. Mistress Shaeula wooould never have reclaimed the Spring, earned the respect stupid little selkie must give her, ooor else.¡± She threatened Raidre so casually that Eleanor was momentarily amazed. Raidre is a powerful warrior, is she so bold?


    ¡°I know I¡¯m a bastard.¡± Akio laughed sourly. ¡°But I made a promise to let that go. I accepted responsibility for them, so I can¡¯t berate myself. No, instead of that, I simply have to love them, Princess. And to me... love is...¡± he looked at the three girls fondly. ¡°... protect them, yes, but also allow them to spread their wings, grow, achieve their dreams, and then find new dreams even more glorious. It¡¯s hard, but I honestly wouldn¡¯t do things differently now. Each one of them I love, and each one of them I¡¯ll see happy. It¡¯s why I fight.¡± He looked at Eleanor then, his steel-grey eyes earnest. ¡°Strength for oneself is meaningless. Only when you have things to protect and cherish will you ever be truly strong. The only worry I¡¯ll allow myself is that I might not have enough time to spend with them all, but...¡±


    ¡°That is why we work together.¡± Motoko said calmly. ¡°We learn to love each other as well. For me it was easy.¡±


    ¡°Me too! I love Motoko, I always have, and the fact that we can spend as much time together doing what we want is a dream for me. But the time I have with Akio is just as precious.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I feel the same.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°The others all have their quirks, but they are all good girls, strong girls. Not foolish, easily tricked girls who do not know their own minds. You are rather fortunate it is us who are here tonight, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, yes...¡± Natsumi looked at Eleanor, and also at Melissa, who had a sour expression, unconvinced. ¡°... we are definitely the mildest of Akio¡¯s fiance?es.¡±


    ¡°If you two are, I¡¯d love to meet the others.¡± David laughed, only to curse as Sarah slapped his head, and Mary-Jane told him to be quiet.


    ¡°If mistress Shaeula was here, she wooould declare her hostility to yooour country for this. Mistress Eri wooould grab her axe and rage...¡± Hyacinth giggled, amused. ¡°I did want tooo strangle you, or tear out yooour poisoned tongue. But Hyacinth is a goooood girl, Akio says so, sooo I refrained.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can¡¯t do that.¡± he said, patting her head. ¡°I understand people aren¡¯t going to understand us easily. But all that matters is that we are happy.¡±


    He¡¯s very frustrating! That Fae just threatened me to my face! ¡°Even so, shouldn¡¯t you respect the customs of the countries you are visiting?¡± she protested.


    ¡°Yes, but that goes both ways. Princess Eleanor...¡± his gaze was intense, and I stepped back a pace, swallowing nervously. ¡°I must speak with you in private, but if you refuse, then I¡¯ll need to speak with the Queen, or failing that, Sir Arthur here has agreed to listen, though that would be a last resort.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But what can be so urgent that you need to speak with me and would come here, showing off like this?¡±


    ¡°Showing off? This is Motoko¡¯s time to shine, though I decided actually, I wasn¡¯t being fair. Natsumi was happy as a guard, Hyacinth as a maid, but I thought I¡¯d kill multiple birds with one stone. Sorry, grandfather-in-law, Hikari, Minoru. But Motoko liked the idea too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Making happy memories with others is better than just me alone. And I do wish to share.¡± She met Eleanor¡¯s gaze. ¡°Shaeula and Eri often say, if Akio has to split his love ten ways, if he is a hundred times the man anyone else is, we still end up happier than we ever could with anyone else. And I believe it. I have never been so fulfilled and full of joy as these last few weeks. And I know that despite the hardships, the battles that we will willingly fight to protect our happiness and the happiness of those we love and cherish, our happiness will only grow.¡±


    ¡°This young man is like you, Princess. He carries the weight of Tokyo and Kyoto.¡± Katsuro said. ¡°But it is reassuring to know that should the worst happen and Japan was to fall...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get them out safely, even if I have to die. Which I won¡¯t, as dying will only make them sad. I have the will, the intent to die for them, but I know I can¡¯t actually fail.¡± Akio said decisively.


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s a real man¡¯s... wait...¡± David was once again clouted by Sarah, and Mary-Jane dragged him off, saying they had heard enough of his crudity.


    Carrying the weight. It is heavy and hard, and lonely... Even Aditi, David, Mary-Jane and the others, they didn¡¯t know the true weight that Eleanor carried. There was another secret beneath the Tower, one that nobody but the Queen and she knew of. Unless... has this man somehow found out? Worried, she nodded. ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t approve, I still believe what you are doing is immoral, but I will do my duty and set that aside for the good of the United Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Ellie. We all friends again?¡± Henry said, and Melissa scowled. You¡¯re not making a good impression, my brother.


    ¡°I honestly believe you believe your words, but... I want your phone numbers. If you ever realise you have been wronged, mistreated or exploited, text me without delay, and I will see you rescued and this man punished, I¡¯m not sure how, but I will use all the tools at my disposal!¡± I should let it go, but... I have to at least say this to these foolish girls.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Melissa agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll support you!¡±


    Akio merely smiled. ¡°Fine. That¡¯s fair. But first... this is the engagement debut, a Japanese noble custom. It¡¯s hardly gone to plan, has it, but... can¡¯t we at least get your blessings for now? In fact...¡± he grinned. ¡°Since you owe me an apology for attacking me verbally, why not introduce me to the Queen? I can see her watching. If we could get a picture of us with the Royal Family, I think that would go down very well back home, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Motoko agreed happily. ¡°The other girls at Hanafubuki would be most awed, even Mayumi-sama. It would also be a memory we can treasure.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Grandmother loves some excitement.¡± Henry laughed. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you think they¡¯re adorable young girls?¡±


    As Melissa scowled at him, Hyacinth laughed.


    ¡°I am ooolder than anyone else here, likely ooolder even than the stupid selkie. Hyacinth is nooo child.¡±


    ¡°But you are adorable¡± Akio snorted, and the maid blushed, her smile blinding.


    I somehow feel like I¡¯ve lost. No... it is still wrong. But... I understand Katsuro¡¯s thoughts. If London was to fall, who would I give my all to save, above all else, even at risk of my life? As Eleanor pondered that, Akio was smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we sorted all this out. Change won¡¯t come overnight. But in a world where people like Hyacinth and Raidre exist, where the Gods themselves hand out Favours... we must change. All I ask is you judge us on our actions, and how happy we are, not by what you¡¯re used to. We¡¯re not enemies, and honestly, with problems like Christina Bakker around, we shouldn¡¯t fight over such things. Princess Eleanor, what I have to tell you later might be painful to hear, but rest assured it¡¯s true. I¡¯m an ally, and I want us to help each other. So please, keep an open mind.¡±


    ¡°I think he speaks wisely, Eleanor.¡± Aditi said quietly, having observed politely as was her usual way. ¡°Securing happiness in this dangerous world is surely a good thing, whatever shape it takes, no?¡±


    ¡°Even you, I see?¡± Eleanor¡¯s shoulders sagged, defeated. ¡°Very well. But you chose this. If you ever hurt them, if they regret it, you¡¯ll be my enemy!¡± she said boldly, only for Akio to laugh happily.


    ¡°I welcome that. If you see me straying from the path, not thinking of my girls, being selfish, I¡¯d welcome a kick up the arse.¡± He said the British idiom smoothly. ¡°But for now, let¡¯s meet the Queen. That¡¯ll make a statement, won¡¯t it?¡± He was looking at someone, and as Eleanor followed his eyes, he could see he was eyeing the American, accompanied by her huge bodyguard.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose it will...¡± Eleanor agreed. ¡°I suppose it will...¡±

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Six – Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Six ¨C Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata


    ¡°Is this champagne?¡± Mayumi asked her, and Hinata smiled impishly, pleased at eliciting surprise from her friend.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a good vintage too. Courtesy of our deal with LVMH.¡± She puffed out her chest, looking proud. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I brought some for Kira-sama too, and also your parents. I do have good manners, you know.¡±


    Mayumi snorted. ¡°I suppose you do, but you are still as cheeky as always.¡± They were in Mayumi¡¯s house on the grounds of the Ichijou mansion. Mayumi had her own cottage-style apartment, separate from the rest, where she could host those few she considered her friends and generally be at peace. Well, it is hard being the daughter of one of the Three Great Houses. Don¡¯t I know it? Regardless of that, Hinata was more than happy to shoulder that pressure, as she had always dreamed of being fairly recognised, like her cousin Sakura. While I think about Sakura...


    ¡°I¡¯ll open up the champagne.¡± Mayumi said, her strength after Chirurgery more than up to the task. As the cork popped and cold steam left the icy bottle, Mayumi searched for a pair of long glasses and poured in the cold, bubbling liquid, as she had dismissed her servants for the night. ¡°Here. A toast, to my cheeky junior!¡±


    ¡°To friends!¡± Hinata returned, and the glasses clinked together. Taking a sip, Hinata was pleased by the flavour. It¡¯s definitely good stuff. Mr Arnault is sparing no expense. Well, he did buy a miracle, so...


    ¡°I really would have liked to invite Miyu-san and Honoka-chan here, as well as Sakura-san...¡± Mayumi mused, enjoying the champagne while they lounged on antique furniture inside the smartly decorated sitting room, both of them in informal, casual clothing they could only wear in private or with those they trusted. ¡°I think now things have been stirred up, it¡¯s time to reevaluate how us daughters of the major families do things. Hanafubuki could use a shakeup, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Oh, definitely¡± Hinata smiled. ¡°Of course, you want to still be at the top, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am the oldest... no, that¡¯s not exactly true is it? Miyu-san can be rather forgettable, so I often discount her, but she¡¯s changed. Do you know much about that?¡±


    ¡°I do, of course. Miyu is a good girl.¡± Hinata proudly called her without honorifics, due to the circumstances in which Miyu became Akio¡¯s vassal. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to remain timid and shy when Akio and Shaeula are pushing you constantly to be better. Besides...¡± her smile was wicked. ¡°... her Divine Favour is amazing. It really helps with constructing the Territory. Apparently she has a combat-focused dance too, but Akio says if we are ever in the situation we need that, we¡¯ll be in real trouble. She¡¯s still undergoing some training though, just in case.¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°That Boundary, as you call it, is rather impressive, I admit.¡± Mayumi¡¯s eyes sparkled, and Hinata had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Uh, Mayumi, you¡¯ve not been exploring the Boundary by yourself, have you?¡± It would certainly be possible. With Chirurgery and the networks Akio and Shaeula are currently giving out, gathering the aether to enter is trivial. ¡°Akio¡¯s Territory may look safe and fantastical, but I¡¯ve heard all the stories. They¡¯ve almost died a number of times forging it out of nothing. Most of the Boundary is full of dangerous creatures and worse. I don¡¯t want you to die or be horribly injured just because of your whims.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you worried for me? How sweet, and how cheeky.¡± Mayumi smiled, though her face and ears were red. ¡°I... can¡¯t say I haven¡¯t considered it. Isn¡¯t it exciting, a whole new world waiting for exploration, for conquering? Ichijou house should surely be at the forefront of claiming this shadow of Japan!¡±


    ¡°Well, you can set your Chosen that Ichijou house has gathered to do it, right? Kira-sama would grieve and all the girls of Hanafubuki would be heartbroken if our beautiful, proud Mayumi was scarred and mutilated due to her own stupidity and carelessness.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you worried about me? How sweet. But I can¡¯t help but detect...¡± Mayumi said, smiling, as she took another gentle sip of her champagne. ¡°...that you threw in a few insults there.¡±


    ¡°Me? Surely not. I genuinely would hate for you to do something stupid, Mayumi. After all, you¡¯re my best friend.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am, aren¡¯t I? I still find it hard to believe, but you always had something about you. Charm, ambition... only your pedigree was lacking, and even then, well, we could make an argument that was just misfortune. But if I was hurt, you¡¯d ask Akio-san to heal me, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What would you be willing to pay?¡± Hinata smirked, and Mayumi shook her head.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t mean that. Besides, he already has a ten percent stake in Ichijou Heavy Industries. What more could he want?¡±


    ¡°That stake isn¡¯t enough for what he¡¯s offering.¡± Hinata said firmly. ¡°But really, he did it partially for my sake. I feel bad...¡± she admitted. ¡°I was such a child about it. I wanted to be accepted by everyone in the nobility, but by you most of all, Mayumi. As an equal, a friend as I view friendship, not through the narrow lens of the nobility. So he was prepared to offer concessions to bring us closer together. Now you work with him on this joint project, we¡¯d have ample time to meet.¡±


    ¡°How sentimental. Well, I don¡¯t hate that.¡± Mayumi said, before her smile matched Hinata¡¯s in slyness. ¡°And here was me thinking that Akio-san had taken a liking to me, and just wanted to keep me close. I am quite the catch.¡±


    ¡°Dream on!¡± Hinata snorted. ¡°He has no interest in you in that way. If he wanted more noble brides and ties, he¡¯d probably ask Miyu. He likes her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it. Besides, Miyu seems very close to her bodyguard, that Michiru, the flashy ninja. It¡¯s not so unusual, our school is full of such emotion.¡± Tonight both of their bodyguards were at the main house, so that the two of them could spend time together freely.


    ¡°Oh yes, Michiru and Miyu are definitely in love.¡± Hinata smiled. ¡°But Akio would hardly come between such things. And just because they love each other doesn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t love someone else. It would solve a lot of her problems, even a marriage in name only where Akio didn¡¯t touch Miyu would allow her dignity and the freedom to pursue love without damaging Fujiwara house. I don¡¯t see it happening though. Akio is worried he¡¯s splitting himself too thin, and he¡¯s not even thinking of all already under his care.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Interesting, do go on.¡± Mayumi said, enjoying the gossip as they drank.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking after the Chinese girl, Daiyu, as you know, and I think they¡¯ve worked things out. Also, he¡¯s finally made things clear with Kana. So there¡¯s those. But he hasn¡¯t even realised that he¡¯s already married.¡± She laughed as Mayumi raised one eyebrow, shifting her bare legs under her to change position on the sofa.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to the terrace on top of the Tree a few times now, right?¡± At her words, Mayumi nodded.


    ¡°Well, if you speak to Asha, she¡¯ll tell you they shared a kiss, which she can only give once.¡± Hinata giggled wickedly. Poor Akio. If he will go around saving people from dreadful fates, he has to expect that he¡¯ll win hearts and minds. Really, I see why Eri is having such a hard time. Shaeula was clever, pushing the status of first wife onto her. Well, we¡¯ll all help out where we can...


    ¡°I see. Fascinating.¡± Mayumi laughed. ¡°Well, back on the subject of marriages... what about Sakura? I know you want to get along better with her, since she¡¯s your cousin... well, no, now she¡¯s your sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s frustrating. Our roles have reversed. Before, she was exasperated and worried by me and my actions. I understand she was looking out for me in her own way, even if she was so insufferable about it. Now... now things have changed, and I am the one concerned about her. I want her to be happy. She¡¯s not lost anything, she wouldn¡¯t have been heir anyway, but she can¡¯t accept how our statuses have diverged.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s being a noble daughter. We bear a burden for our privileges. Hmm, more champagne?¡± she asked, and Hinata nodded, as Mayumi refilled it for her, something unthinkable only weeks ago. ¡°Sakura is a model daughter, polite and refined, but she isn¡¯t good at dealing with matters that cross the boundaries of noble culture. I found it a shock myself. And it¡¯s mostly down to you.¡±


    ********


    ¡°So, Hinata-chan, thanks for coming to spend time with Mayumi. She appreciates it.¡± Kira-sama had come to Mayumi¡¯s cottage, letting himself in.


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Mayumi said, embarrassed by his words, but Hinata merely giggled.


    ¡°I know. She¡¯s not honest. But she¡¯s getting better. Well, with Akio and a lot of the others away, I was at a loose end.¡± Her grin was mocking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like I¡¯m an afterthought, cheeky girl.¡± Mayumi snorted. ¡°So, grandfather, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± He looked down at the blueprints and documents on the table, as well as the empty champagne bottles. ¡°I see you¡¯re looking at the latest details. Quite the surprise when I heard from the chairman of BAE. Well, old rivals working together for mutual benefit is a good thing. Akio-kun certainly has been busy. Do you miss him?¡± He grinned, and Hinata found it a little annoying, but she nodded.


    ¡°Of course, Kira-sama. With Akio away with Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth, and Shaeula back at the Spring, it¡¯s quieter, certainly. So it was the perfect time for a visit. I hope you enjoyed the champagne.¡±


    ¡°I did, it was rather nice.¡± He grinned. ¡°My son and daughter-in-law are enjoying some now. Don¡¯t worry, your bodyguards are being entertained. So, what of the others?¡± he asked, and Hinata shrugged.


    ¡°Shiro is taking them all out tonight. She¡¯s meeting up with some of her friends, but didn¡¯t want to leave Eri or Daiyu alone, considering their circumstances.¡± She paused, smiling. ¡°Shiro seems to have fit into the mother role, a little. If you tell her that though she only gets mad.¡± She shouts that she¡¯s still a young woman, and that she¡¯s only looking out for us as we¡¯re younger than her. It¡¯s surprisingly adorable for such a cold-looking woman. Well, she¡¯s far more expressive when Akio is around.


    ¡°I see. So, I hear you made quite a killing off your last round of Healing?¡± Kira-sama asked, sitting down in the vacant seat, smiling.


    ¡°Yes, we did.¡± Hinata agreed happily. ¡°Hence the champagne. We got sent a number of dresses and accessories too for everyone. We¡¯ll all play dress-up at some point, it¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sad I missed out. It was very profitable, referring miss Lindiwe.¡± Mayumi sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you missed out. You got too greedy! Next time, make a good referral and take a modest profit, and I¡¯ll allow it...¡± Hinata paused as her phone beeped. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Akio. A photograph... huh...¡±


    Wait, that¡¯s Princess Eleanor, that was part of the plan, But... the Queen? And what is Natsumi and Hyacinth doing? As she looked at the photograph, stunned, Mayumi leaned over, curious.


    ¡°Is that from the United Kingdom? Let me see...?¡± Mayumi paused, blinking.


    ¡°Oho! Very bold.¡± Kira-sama said, also looking. ¡°Three at once? How domineering. So, her Majesty looks rather impressed, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the plan supposed to be for Motoko-san to be having her engagement debut?¡± Mayumi asked, puzzled. ¡°So why Natsumi? The maid makes even less sense. Though I have to admit, she looks rather gorgeous in that flashy dress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Hyacinth wear something like that.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡± She leaked a long sigh.


    ¡°Wishing it was you, Hinata-chan?¡± Kira-sama teased her, and she nodded.


    ¡°Of course. I said I was jealous, didn¡¯t I? But... my turn will come. I¡¯m happy for Natsumi as well. Hyacinth too.¡± She frowned, thinking. It¡¯s not like Akio to be so proactive, unsubtle. Something must have happened to provoke him, or there was a need for it... ¡°I¡¯m guessing he felt the need to make a statement.¡±


    ¡°And quite the statement it is. Legally speaking, he¡¯s entitled to marry them all now, so...¡± Kira-sama mused. ¡°If I had to say from looking...¡± he appraised the photograph with his long years of political experience. ¡°The Queen looks as dignified as ever. This is Prince Henry, he looks a bit uncomfortable, but... his girlfriend, and Princess Eleanor, they are trying to hide it, but they both look unhappy. Of course, as people used to being in the spotlight, their expressions dissemble rather well. Only old heads such as Shige and I would notice. No, this is a fabulous endorsement for Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan.¡±


    ¡°So, how will I top this for my debut, grandfather?¡± Mayumi said slyly, as she tapped away on her own phone. ¡°Send me the picture, Hinata, I¡¯ll send it to some of the other daughters, let word spread.¡±


    As Hinata sent the picture to her, Kira-sama laughed loudly. ¡°So you want to top that, huh? I¡¯ll see what I can do. Are you in a rush to get married then, my dear?¡±


    ¡°No, not especially.¡± Mayumi shrugged. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m having far too much fun now. After all, it¡¯s not just this world up for grabs, right Hinata?¡±


    At her words, Hinata smiled, and Kira-sama looked at them with a sparkle in his eyes. ¡°Not just this world? I see you understand well. So, if you¡¯ll forgive this old man for intruding, why don¡¯t we talk more about our joint ventures? Is that fine with you both?¡±


    It isn¡¯t like I can refuse you Kira-sama, but I do want to progress a few plans. Ten percent is going to be selling us woefully short. A deal is a deal, but if I can make another on top... ¡°Of course Kira-sama. I¡¯d be happy to. As you are aware, we have big plans...¡±


    ¡°Well, if Hinata doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll allow it, grandfather. But this is my fun time with Hinata, so at least be useful!¡±


    ¡°I bet you don¡¯t talk to your grandfather so coldly, Hinata-chan?¡± Kira-sama joked.


    ¡°Only when he¡¯s being annoying.¡± Hinata replied, earning another chuckle.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to play nice. So, now that we have interest from overseas companies, and Mayumi here has secured good access to raw materials at a cheap price, the question is, how can we maximise profit and minimise costs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Hinata said, smiling. ¡°Ideally, we want to further increase the ether density over the site. There¡¯s three ways to achieve that, with the second Rank of the Ether Density Anchor Spire, which is in progress, and also by upgrading the Boundary to Material Connection to Rank 3. The cost of that would be significant, and delay our push to Territory Rank 4, which would be the biggest boost of all and the final method, but...¡± Yes, even if we are splitting the profits for this venture, if we bear the costs such as the Alchemy Devices, ether and power generation, then I should be able to make our share a much larger slice of the pie...


    ¡°Careful, grandfather. She has a hungry look in her eyes...¡± Mayumi laughed, and Hinata didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m hungry. After all, I need to show my good side, don¡¯t I?¡± Spending time with Mayumi is fun, now I¡¯m on her level and can be genuine friends. But it¡¯s even more fun, planning the empire we¡¯ll build, through Japan, the Boundary, the Fae Realms, the United Kingdom and the whole world... Hurry home, Akio, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth. There¡¯s so much more fun we can have, dreams we can realise...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Seven – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Seven ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    ¡°That sad face of yours is really starting to annoy me, you know?¡± I said, frowning. The young woman in front of me, a University student a year or two younger than I was, only looked more downcast. It¡¯s damn annoying. Oh well, Shaeula will owe me a favour for this...


    ¡°But I...¡± the woman, Ichika said. She was really rather pretty, in an average way, and would probably be the target of interest for many men if she would just smile a bit more. As a case in point, Yasu was eyeing her with some interest, though most of his attention had been drawn by Arisu. Fortunately even Yasu wouldn¡¯t try anything foolish with her or Suzu. At least I hope not, not after my warnings...


    Speaking of Suzu, the girl was extremely excited, considering that before he left, Aki managed to get her assigned to the fundraising charity event that was coming up as one of the opening acts. She would only get to do a couple of songs and a brief chat with the audience, but even so, she was in extremely high spirits. Probably because as a performer, no matter how lowly, she¡¯s entitled to go backstage and mingle with the other acts. Really, Aki takes everything so seriously. I can see him now. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s my vassal, so I have to make sure I meet all her needs...¡±


    I frowned, and Ichika shrank back a bit, even though I wasn¡¯t so much annoyed with her right now as Aki. Putting in all that effort for Suzu. I should be pleased about it, and I suppose I am, but it¡¯d be nice if he stops showering affection on every pretty girl that crosses his path. No, I don¡¯t even know what I mean anymore. So frustrating...


    I suppose love is rather confusing, princess. I found that I do not understand it myself. Perhaps that is why the Buddha passed on by? But in this case, it is rather simple. You are jealous of Suzu.


    Jealous? Me? Of Suzu? No way. I don¡¯t want to parade myself in front of an audience and be on television...


    You are being deliberately obtuse, are you not? You are jealous that he is spending time making others happy, when you wish him to look at you more. How sweet, how... unexpected. Since you became a woman in truth, you have changed...


    I felt myself flushing, and hated myself for it. No, I¡¯m the cool, composed, apathetic yet always beautiful Shirohime. I¡¯m totally not always thinking about when our skins touched, and we kissed, and when we had sex, and how happy I was, and... shit, shit, shit... I cursed in my mind, realising it was true. I loved Aki, and what he meant to me, friendship, acceptance, happiness... but worse, I was jealous. I never thought it¡¯d happen to me, Tan. I always laughed at those girls whose minds turned to mush when they fell in love. But now... I want to be in the UK with him. Shit, it¡¯s so frustrating...


    Tan¡¯s laugh in my mind was all the answer she gave. Ichika continued to agonise, and luckily it was Aimi who came to my rescue, bringing us over some drinks, which I took gratefully, taking a big gulp of the brightly coloured cocktail. As the sweet taste and plentiful alcohol warmed me, I rejoiced that I could now do what other people took for granted, without collapsing and putting myself at risk.


    ¡°Konoe-san, I think what Shiro is trying to say, clumsily as always...¡± Aimi smiled at me wickedly. ¡°...is that I think Shaeula¡¯s already told you this. Dwelling on it just makes everyone unhappy. You don¡¯t get to decide what friendship is. You like Shaeula, don¡¯t you?¡± She got to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°I do. Of course I do.¡± Ichika said, a touch teary-eyed. ¡°She was the only one that was able to help me. And she¡¯s always so friendly and cheerful...¡±


    ¡°If you like her, and she likes you, you¡¯re friends. It¡¯s that simple.¡± Aimi said. ¡°I get that you feel unworthy, but all Shaeula needs from you is you to be there, to have fun. After all, she¡¯s got a busy, complicated life, right?¡± Aimi winked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Eri said. She had offered to stay behind with Daiyu back at the Shrine, but there was no way I was leaving the two of them all alone while we went out and had fun. No, it was my responsibility to wheel her around, and it felt good, for once being someone that took care of someone else, rather than the one everyone had to look after. ¡°Shaeula¡¯s always busy now. I suppose being in charge of something as important as the Spring of Clear Reflections takes a lot of time. I miss having her around, but it can¡¯t be helped. She says things will settle down soon anyway, the reconstruction is going well.¡± She looked at Ichika then. ¡°So you think you are a bad friend? Please grow up, Ichika-san. When I first met Shaeula, despite her doing everything she could to smooth my path with Akio, I was simply horrible to her.¡± Eri looked down with her onyx eyes, her one good fist clenching. ¡°I still feel awful about that, but what matters is, Shaeula forgave me and wants to be friends. No, not wants to be. We are friends. Like Aiko, she¡¯s my best friend now.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m not your best friend then? I¡¯m hurt, Eri.¡± I said, and she shot me an annoyed gaze, which was kind of cute. I see why childhood friends are so popular in manga. Eri¡¯s definitely amusing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you well enough yet, Shiro. But I do see you as a friend... or maybe a no-good older sister?¡±


    Aimi laughed at that, and even Ichika smiled a little. ¡°No good? I¡¯m perfect. I¡¯m Shirohime, the white princess, and your caretaker!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s talk like that which is what makes you no good.¡± Eri frowned. ¡°But Ichika-san, the point still stands. If you feel guilty, do what I did. Just try harder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that simple.¡± Aimi agreed. ¡°But for now, enjoy the party. We have to cheer a lot of the girls here up.¡± Aimi giggled. ¡°The poor unfortunates who were left behind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find that funny, Aimi...¡± I growled, teasing, and there was laughter.


    ¡°Oh man, Akio-kun has some real balls, leaving Shiro behind.¡± Yasu said from where he was sitting, having a drink with a rather unusual guest. ¡°I hear he ditched your sister too, Hiroto-kun.¡±


    At the informal address, the well-dressed man of around my age held in a wince, before nodding, drinking his beer slowly. ¡°Yes, Hinata didn¡¯t get to go. Well, she¡¯s spending her time with Mayumi-sama tonight, so that¡¯ll keep her mind off it.¡±


    ¡°The path of a harem king is hard.¡± Shugo said piously. ¡°If it¡¯s just three or four, it¡¯s manageable, but Akio-kun is juggling a lot of balls. We even have the newbie.¡± He looked at Kana, who was talking to Daiyu cheerfully, Daiyu struggling to make sense of her Japanese. Though she does learn quickly. The benefit of the massively improved learning capabilities and memories from stats I guess. It¡¯s already like she¡¯s been learning for months, she can manage the basics.


    ¡°Well, we are here to have fun, not talk about Aki constantly.¡± I said, as we were here to enjoy ourselves, take a break from work, and take our mind off him, since he was with the other three. ¡°But Kana... she was always going to get Aki in the end, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°It was starting to get annoying seeing Akio treat her so badly. He wasn¡¯t even really aware he was doing it. And I admit...¡± she spoke to Ichika again, who was listening with a dark expression. See, she really does think of Shaeula as a friend, she¡¯s angry for her that Akio is, as she sees it, cheating on her a lot. People are so damn complicated, right Tan?


    A snort was the only answer I received in my mind, as Eri continued on. ¡°I really hated Kana when we first met, and I think the feeling was mutual.¡±


    ¡°It sure was.¡± Kana said cheerfully. ¡°Luckily, we¡¯re both able to see past our initial impressions, right?¡± Her face was red, and not just from the drink. The atmosphere of this very adult party was pleasing her, as well as the fact that this time, unlike our last event, which had been ruined by the events at Kyoto, here she wasn¡¯t pleading for Aki¡¯s attention, she was one of those who Aki had chosen. No wonder she¡¯s happy... no, less thinking about Aki tonight, more fun!


    ¡°Yes. It turns out we have a lot in common. So... if even Shaeula, Kana and I can all get along, become friends, despite our horrible first meetings and disputes, then a girl like you should have no problems with being Shaeula¡¯s friend. Or even ours. A friend of Shaeula¡¯s is our friend too.¡± Eri said reasonably.


    ¡°Well said.¡± I downed my cocktail, and soon had another in my hand. Hinata sure is handy when it comes to organising these things. Even though she¡¯s not coming, she did it for us. She¡¯s a real cutie, even if it stinks of crime a bit when Aki gets his claws into her and Daiyu. Oh well, it¡¯s borderline, but safe, as they¡¯d say in baseball... ¡°So, enough gloom. You¡¯re ruining the mood.¡±


    ¡°White, do give her some space. I actually rather respect someone who agonises over what friendship is.¡± Arisu said in her usual frosty voice, as if she was angry. Though that¡¯s just her normal tone nowadays. However... Just as Aki had pulled some strings for Suzu, he had people looking into Arisu¡¯s scandal and her ex-fiance?, as well as the directors, producers and actresses who besmirched her. Already some interesting material had been unearthed, and with the promise of more to come, Arisu might just be able to clear her name and ruin those who destroyed her life after all.


    Arisu stood and walked towards Ichika, who couldn¡¯t help but flinch away, and we smiled at that. Arisu was definitely intimidating, especially in the deep black funeral-style gown she wore tonight. ¡°You turned to her in desperation, and Shaeula repaid your trust with more than you could have hoped. Therefore you feel guilty that you have exploited her, that you are of no value to her. Well... loyalty is the only true value. Would you betray her, sell her out as you were tricked by your so-called friends?¡±


    ¡°No, never!¡± Ichika¡¯s face radiated resolve, her eyes hard.


    ¡°Well then. Already that is without price. I had a lot of friends, supposedly. And even those that did not turn on me shunned me after the accusations were made. Would that I had one that stuck by me, even a bare acquaintance, I would have felt less alone. So... enough of this nonsense. When Shaeula returns from her labours, wherever they might be, you will make the first move and ask her out for drinks, shopping, a meal... whatever you wish. But just do it. She will be overjoyed, and you will see you have value.¡±


    ¡°I... all right.¡± Ichika nodded, overawed by her poise.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s settled, yet again, that reminds me.¡± I said. ¡°Before she left, Shaeula says the mansion that she and Aki burned down in the Fae lands is fully repaired. She wants us all to vacation there for a few days, since we should all be able to handle the higher ether density of the lower Astral now.¡±


    Ichika looked confused at that, she knew a little about what we were doing, but only the barest, meagre amount. She hasn¡¯t even had Chirurgery, but I know Shaeula wants to bring her in...


    ¡°Cool, can we come?¡± Yasu said drunkenly, and Hiroto shook his head.


    ¡°I think she means the girls. Really, you¡¯re in the same position as I am. Basic Chirurgery without Lovers¡¯ Link won¡¯t get you very far. It¡¯s good, don¡¯t get me wrong, but it¡¯s not enough. Well, I¡¯m not jealous of my sister. So long as she¡¯s happy...¡±


    As everyone crowded around those of us with the photos, there were a number of expressions of shock, of varying types.


    ¡°I see. Something must have happened.¡± Hiroto said, understanding Japanese noble customs best. ¡°But to have Natsumi-san involved as well as that maid... I have to say, they all look stunning though. I wonder what Hinata will look like all dressed up on her debut.¡±


    ¡°We have our siscon quota filled with Aki, so don¡¯t you start.¡± I chided him.


    ¡°Those dresses are gorgeous.¡± Ichika said dreamily. ¡°Especially the one on Hyacinth. It suits her so beautifully. But it hurts to see. Poor Shaeula...¡±


    ¡°Shaeula would love to see it.¡± Eri disagreed. ¡°If you are going to be true friends with her, accept the way she is. I had to. No, Shaeula will be plotting to get the rest of us into similar dresses. And yeah, seeing Hyacinth in something other than slutty maid cosplay really is fresh. She should wear real clothes more often. She¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    I burst out laughing. ¡°Slutty maid cosplay. You have a way with words that¡¯s quite cruel even when you don¡¯t mean it, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s cold.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°Hyacinth¡¯s whole existence is being a maid, and looking sexy for Akio. Don¡¯t destroy her reason for being.¡± She could barely keep a straight face at her grandiose defence, breaking into laughter as well.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t we missing the point?¡± Aimi said, frowning. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll grant they are all stunning, but... that¡¯s ... the Queen of England, Princess Eleanor and Prince Henry, right? Why are they taking selfies with untouchable royalty?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shugo agreed. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he flying out for business?¡±


    ¡°His business was with Princess Eleanor. Though, speaking of business, he has been updating us, he made an awful lot of money and some shares in a famous UK company, so we¡¯ll be living in luxury for a while longer.¡± I giggled. Five million pounds, I nearly choked when I looked up the exchange rate. That was just a bit under a billion yen. To think I used to mock I wouldn¡¯t date anyone who wasn¡¯t a billionaire, and he makes that cash in a day...


    ¡°Yeah, but... that¡¯s the Queen, man!¡± Yasu said, flabbergasted.


    ¡°Still think he¡¯s after Hisano-chan?¡± Kana teased him. ¡°When he¡¯s mixing with Princesses and rich girls constantly? If he is, you should cheer her on, she¡¯d be set for life.¡±


    ¡°Kana-chan, please stop.¡± Hina said politely. ¡°Yasu-san¡¯s spirit is escaping his body, you¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    ¡°My bad!¡± She apologised cutely, and I realised anew why Aki liked her. Yeah, she¡¯s... well, a lot like his sister in her attitude, and she has the same frank, flirty personality as Aimi. Although Aimi is more subdued now she has a boyfriend. Makes sense I suppose.


    ¡°If you consider that Akio-san is acquainted with Princess Mikasa of the Imperial Family, as well as all the daughters of the Three Great Houses, which now includes Hinata... I can hardly believe it...¡± Hiroto said, his expression wry. ¡°... then this shouldn¡¯t be that much of a shock. It¡¯ll be the talk of Hanafubuki on Monday. Hinata can have some reflected glory, at least.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget Shaeula is a Princess as well.¡± I pointed out, mostly to remind Ichika. ¡°We¡¯re not prejudiced here, the Fae royalty counts just as much as Earthly ones to us!¡±


    ¡°I... wow.¡± Ichika was lost for words at it all.


    ¡°Look, so Aki wants to show off.¡± I pursed my lips, ignoring Tan¡¯s laughter in my head. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m not so vain I can¡¯t admit the other girls are beautiful. Like you said, Eri, Hyacinth is stunning. Though the effect will be ruined when she opens her mouth.¡±


    ¡°That makes me wonder...¡± Suzu giggled. ¡°Imagine an idol group full of Princesses? Nobody has done that before...¡±


    ¡°Then you would not be able to take part, would you, Suzanne-san?¡± Arisu shot her down, exasperated, and she giggled in reply.


    ¡°True, but maybe I could be their manager? Hey, that¡¯s not a bad idea. I can be a producer as well! Japan¡¯s best idol and Japan¡¯s best producer! I¡¯m fired up now!¡±


    I exchanged a glance with the rather shocked Ichika, and I shrugged. ¡°Life might be crazy, but it¡¯s never dull, is it? After all, I hear the first times you met Aki and Shaeula were rather dramatic. If that¡¯s not the world telling you that you were meant to meet and be their friend, I don¡¯t know what to tell you, girl.¡±


    Ichika blinked at me, again looking down at the phone held in Eri¡¯s hand as she typed a message back. ¡°I know that. I¡¯m not superstitious, but it definitely felt like fate...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe it¡¯s all so you can meet me!¡± Yasu said drunkenly, and as Ichika flinched, I glared at him, while Aimi pulled on his ear, making him squeal. A small smile overcame Ichika¡¯s worried expression, and our eyes met. No, I¡¯m certain it¡¯s got nothing to do with Yasu, even destiny can¡¯t be that messed up...


    ¡°Look at it this way.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Aki¡¯s got connections. Maybe one day you could even meet the Princess yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll happen.¡± Eri said, exasperated. ¡°He¡¯s already picked up you and Shaeula. It¡¯s all inevitable, at this point I¡¯ve given up hoping for anything different.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Eri.¡± I laughed, hugging her when she couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°After all, we have the advantage. Childhood friend and University friend! We¡¯re the dream combination!¡±


    ¡°Childhood friends are the clear winner.¡± Eri said after I released her. ¡°I¡¯m not upset. Really. It¡¯s just... irritating.¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s very pretty.¡± Hina said, looking at Kana¡¯s phone. ¡°Tall and with a good figure.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect, that¡¯s Western girls, right? Not that I lose in that regard.¡± I crossed my arms under my chest, before giving Yasu a glare as he couldn¡¯t help but check me out.


    ¡°We should put that aside.¡± Arisu said at last, drawing our attention. ¡°After all, you gathered us here for some fun, White. I cannot say I find it overly interesting looking at his conquests.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you don¡¯t.¡± I snorted, amused. ¡°Well, she¡¯s right. Aki is having fun meeting Royalty, and flirting around with Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth, so we have to make our own entertainment! More booze!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Eri said. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a drinker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take some more!¡± Kana giggled. ¡°I always wanted to feel like a sophisticated adult.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but be careful.¡± I said, smiling slyly. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be busy tomorrow, if Hinata has her way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Kana groaned. ¡°Well, my stats should keep me out of trouble...¡±


    As everyone celebrated I looked down at my phone one last time. Sure, you look like you¡¯re having fun, Aki. But I know it¡¯s serious business. Princess of Humans, huh? And she¡¯s in great danger. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll let that slide. I just hope this Princess isn¡¯t an idiot and gives you less trouble than I did...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-One

    Three Hundred And Seventy-One


    We quickly reached the dais. A number of the Beefeaters stationed there looked at Princess Eleanor curiously, and from my experience I could tell that several of them were Chosen like us. There aren¡¯t many Beefeaters, so I expect that they are just Chosen dressed as them. It¡¯s not a bad plan to have extra hidden protection.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking these guests to see grandmother.¡± Eleanor said, her tone still a touch bitter, though she was making an effort to present a cordial outlook.


    ¡°Yeah, my grandmother will want to have a talk with them.¡± Prince Henry agreed, holding the hand of Melissa, who was still looking at me as though I was something filthy, giving the girls looks of sympathy. Behind us, we had drawn a lot of attention from the gathered Chosen and political figures, though honestly, I expected that was mostly due to the girls, as I had to admit they looked outstanding in the beautiful white gowns.


    ¡°They can come forward.¡± The Queen said regally from the dais, and I could see she was observing us, her eyes still bright with curiosity, despite her advanced age. As we stepped onto the dais there was a buzz of conversation from the guests, and as I widened my vision with aether, I could see Mary Stuart eyeing us coldly. Yes, she doesn¡¯t seem to like us much, does she?


    Eleanor pulled the curtain behind us, obscuring us from the public view. ¡°Grandmother...¡± she said when that was done. ¡°I... we have some guests from Japan.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± The Queen said, adopting the royal ¡®we¡¯ as she was now talking to us officially. ¡°We and Shige are old acquaintances. His granddaughters have certainly grown up wonderfully. So, dear Eleanor, we are waiting for introductions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± She said. ¡°This is Akio Moonstone Oshiro. He¡¯s... well, supposedly he¡¯s the lead Gods¡¯ Chosen in Japan, if he can be believed.¡± Her tone was even, but I could hear the doubt. ¡°These here...¡± she paused, shaking her head. ¡°... are his fiance?es, Motoko Tsumura, Natsumi Hori... and... well, I believe she goes by just Hyacinth.¡±


    ¡°Why, aren¡¯t you all adorable? We are most impressed.¡± The Queen said, looking like the kindly grandmother she was. ¡°We know your grandfather well, Motoko.¡± The Queen continued. ¡°Since the aftermath of the war, Japan and Great Britain have laid aside their differences and worked together. We hope it will long continue.¡±


    As Motoko bowed politely, the Queen continued. ¡°We did believe it was just your engagement debut today though. To think we would have these others on display as well...¡±


    ¡°I am honoured to meet you.¡± Natsumi also bowed.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you very polite? We expect no less from the well-raised daughters of nobility though. As for you...¡± she looked at Hyacinth, whose face was an expressionless mask. ¡°We think you are not human. Are you a Japanese spirit, what we believe you would call a Yokai?¡±


    ¡°Nooo.¡± Hyacinth shook her head. ¡°I am a Fae. I am.¡± She insisted. ¡°I serve Akio and all the mistresses. And I am mooost angry at the disrespect they have been shooown.¡± Her violet-eyed glare took in Princess Eleanor and Melissa.


    ¡°I say, steady on. No need for that.¡± Prince Henry said, shielding his girlfriend from her gaze. ¡°She¡¯s just worried for you all.¡±


    ¡°We do not need your worry.¡± Motoko declared proudly, and then her expression softened a little. ¡°Again, I do thank you for your concern, but we could not be happier. Despite how it started, we chose this, and I am no child. I know my own mind and wishes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Your brother should agree...¡± she looked at Prince Henry and smiled. ¡°When you take up arms, you become a warrior, right? So at least give us the dignity of accepting that choice.¡±


    Henry looked a little defeated, but he agreed weakly.


    ¡°We see. Perhaps there have been failures of diplomacy?¡± the Queen said softly, and I couldn¡¯t hold back a laugh.


    ¡°I should say so.¡± I managed. ¡°We came here, not only as Japanese envoys, but as Chosen with information that directly concerns the safety of Princess Eleanor and your whole country, only to be met with scorn.¡± Really, I don¡¯t like confrontation when it doesn¡¯t benefit either side, but... just as when I made the resolve to not let Hinata be looked down on by nobility, I¡¯ll be damned if I let Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth be mocked and ridiculed. Besides, while taking some insults in stride makes it look like I don¡¯t even consider their opinions meaningful enough to upset me, which can be considered a power play, conversely too much leniency makes me look weak. And here... I¡¯m in a position of strength.


    ¡°Yes, we have not heard all the details, but Shige was insistent that we hear you out. He places a great deal of trust in you, Akio. We may call you that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, your Majesty. In fact, I¡¯m actually half-British myself, on my mother¡¯s side, and I was born here. I lived here until I was a young boy, so I have great respect for the Crown. That¡¯s what makes it all the sadder when the Princess here tried to upset Motoko on her engagement debut. So I felt I had to make a statement.¡±


    ¡°We see. Well, we were rather curious about your new laws.¡± The Queen nodded sagely, thinking, and I could see that she hadn¡¯t lost any of her wisdom with age as her mind worked quickly. ¡°Some of those we would do well to imitate, though the press here is far more... inquisitive, we might say... than those of Japan. So we fear it is impossible for now. A few, however...¡± she looked at the girls, a slight smile on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not right, grandmother.¡± The Princess declared stubbornly, unwilling to let it go. ¡°They¡¯re so young and impressionable. As for the bigamy...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Melissa agreed. ¡°Back in the USA, he¡¯d be locked up!¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, we think perhaps the Americans should be wary of casting their first stones.¡± The Queen snorted. ¡°We are not sure what Henry told you, my dear... too much, if we were a betting woman.¡± She snorted, and the Prince looked suitably chagrined, face flushed. ¡°...but our good American allies have been illegally abducting our citizens and putting them through cruel acts that are much more inhumane than can be countenanced.¡± She looked at me then. ¡°Shige said they tried to take you, and failed. Hence the reason why we were able to uncover their schemes. We are grateful, and proud that someone born on these shores is so resolute.¡± She praised me, and it felt good. This is the Queen of Great Britain! She¡¯s one of the most famous people in the world...


    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± I let out a surge of wind element. Eleanor panicked, reaching for a weapon that wasn¡¯t at her side, but the Queen merely looked on, curious. As the Princess saw nothing dangerous happening, she paused, glaring at me, her sapphire eyes hard.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Akio merely sealed ooour noise with wind element.¡± Hyacinth snorted. ¡°If yooou panic at every little thing, I dooo not see why we need yooou. Mistress Shaeula and mistress Shirooo are true Princesses. Not like this ooone.¡± Her tone was withering, and Eleanor flinched, her face as red as Henry¡¯s now, but with anger, not embarrassment.


    ¡°Hyacinth, even though we have been treated with great disrespect, we should not return unkindness with unkindness. That is not our way.¡± Motoko said, and Hyacinth apologised, calming down. ¡°I am sorry. But Hyacinth lives for Akio after he gave her a name and saved her from a cruel fate. To see him insulted, to see us insulted, it is more than she can bear. Please do understand.¡±


    ¡°I should have asked first.¡± I apologised. ¡°But precautions are important. It was a simple elemental working, nothing you should be surprised by, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I understand those.¡± She said softly, calming down. ¡°Raidre and his selkie use water element.¡±


    ¡°Good. Well, now we can¡¯t be overheard... yes, your Majesty, the Americans did try and take me. I¡¯d been careless and indiscreet. I was fortunate that the mercenaries they hired to help them had principles, or it could have been much worse.¡± I explained the details of the attack on the Shrine.


    ¡°We find that most impressive.¡± The Queen said in the end. Melissa looked stunned by the revelations, and though she wanted to say that her fellow countrymen wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, in the end she shut her mouth, troubled.


    ¡°No wonder the Japanese have secured concessions from America recently.¡± The Queen chortled, pleased by the story. ¡°We did consider why you were receiving boons beyond what was customary. But we are off the topic we were on. Granddaughter, we should not force others to conform to our ways. There are many countries that practice multiple marriage before these events. Including America. Yes, it is illegal, but some religious sects do still permit it, and as long as they keep out of trouble, the State does not interfere. There are more than fifty countries worldwide that legally allow such marriages. We do not like to interfere with such matters. We are not Gods, nor tyrants.¡±


    ¡°But, it¡¯s demeaning to women!¡± Melissa insisted, only for Henry to surprise me by speaking up.


    ¡°We settled this earlier, didn¡¯t we, Mel, Ellie?¡± he said. ¡°America¡¯s one of the strictest countries worldwide on the subject, but here and in Japan, it¡¯s perfectly legal, and marriages with a six or seven year age gap or with brides of their ages happen every day, and they¡¯re no more likely to be abusive or end in divorce than any other marriage, right? Besides...¡± he looked at the girls with respect. ¡°They¡¯re right. We let people choose to fight and die and worse, kill on the battlefields younger than them. They themselves chose that path. Credit them with some free will. You¡¯re always saying that girls are not dolls, Mel, but have free will and are every bit as intelligent and driven as men. So let them decide for themselves. They¡¯re not fools. Just because some girls are exploited...¡± he paused, and realised what he was saying.


    The Queen looked downcast for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Well, we know, not everyone is as wise as they should be. But...¡± she addressed the three girls. ¡°... you do all seem very ambitious and motivated.¡±


    ¡°We have to fight for our dreams.¡± Motoko acknowledged, perfectly at ease in this august company. ¡°As we have said, Princess Eleanor, you must be a kind person, to worry about us so. Natsumi and I, we are grateful¡± Natsumi nodded as well. ¡°However, were you to visit Japan as an envoy, we would never show you such disrespect as we have suffered. An insult to Akio is not just spitting in our faces, but also Japan as a whole.¡±


    Before anyone could respond, she continued, speaking for my women. ¡°As agreed, we will take your phone number, and should we ever feel we are misled and ill-treated, we will surely reach out to you. I will even pass it to the others. But... such a time will never come.¡± She avowed firmly.


    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Melissa pressed. ¡°From what I can tell, you are sheltered and lack experience. The sort of girl whose family would arrange a marriage for her due to politics isn¡¯t going to be able to see through the lies of a cunning older man.¡±


    ¡°That might be true.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°We are raised specifically to be caged birds, beautiful, compliant and loyal. But Natsumi and I were never good at that.¡± She smiled. ¡°We wanted to carry our swords, our spears and our bows, and live our best lives. Now we can. As for being fooled...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°Even if you ignore the fact that Akio is very easy to read, well, no, it¡¯s totally impossible.¡±¡¯


    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Melissa pressed, and Natsumi looked at me for confirmation. We had the wind barrier up, so I nodded.


    ¡°False friends doesn¡¯t have to be literal. I mean, there¡¯s some dangerous people here at this gala, right? That Cardinal woman, for one.¡±


    ¡°Mary Stuart.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°Yes, I admit you might be right about that, but we don¡¯t trust her, and grandmother is having her watched. But even though she is part of a minor Catholic denomination, we still can¡¯t afford to offend her if all she does is make veiled complaints. She and her allies have also contributed a lot, as I¡¯ve already said.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. But... look, the Diviner¡¯s prophecies and visions guided Japan even before all this happened. I¡¯d ask that you don¡¯t dismiss this. Ideally, I¡¯d like permission to set up another Faerie Ring Gate so I could move between Japan and London.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Eleanor said, frowning. ¡°Having foreign Gods¡¯ Chosen with access to our Avalon sounds too much of a risk. I¡¯m grateful you came here to pass on a message to me, but forgive me if we haven¡¯t established a relationship where we can trust each other yet.¡±


    I guess she still isn¡¯t fond of me. Well, we have only just met and got off on the wrong foot a bit... ¡°I understand it¡¯s a big ask, diplomatically speaking. But I want you to take our concerns seriously.¡±


    ¡°Ellie, nobody wants to think a friend or comrade could turn traitor. Especially not in the military, which you are effectively in. But it does happen. Rarely, but that just makes it hurt all the more. After all, would we ever have expected America to betray us the way they did? I¡¯ve fought alongside their troops in Afghanistan, and it hurts to think some of the guys I fought with could have been involved in stealing our citizens...¡± Prince Henry said thoughtfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we still have no guarantee we can trust him and his word, do we?¡±


    ¡°I think we shooould go, Akio. I hate this woooman. She is a fool. We will manage without her somehow. Hyacinth thinks there are still five ooother Princesses. Maybe ooone of the other mistresses can replace her as Princess ooof Humans?¡± The anger Hyacinth was radiating was palpable, and once more I had to calm her down, Natsumi and Motoko helping. Yeah, I don¡¯t think we can just sub her out for another person. Through... even if Princess Eleanor does die, we won¡¯t give up trying to fight until the bitter end.


    ¡°Really? I think the fact I¡¯m not asking for anything in return should be a good indicator.¡± I was annoyed myself, but arguing would only hurt any future cooperation. ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is, make some preparations, be more wary. If you have some contingencies, the chance of surviving any betrayal will be much higher.¡± I sighed. ¡°And if you do want help, there¡¯s support we can provide. Even if you¡¯re unwilling to allow us to set up a Ring Gate, which I can understand, Raidre is a Fae, right? From the Seelie Court?¡±


    ¡°We find it most exciting that some of the Fae have returned. They too in a way are our citizens.¡± The Queen said softly.


    ¡°Well, Raidre is somewhat estranged from the Court.¡± Eleanor admitted. ¡°He does get news from there at times, though.¡±


    ¡°In that case, maybe we could arrange for reinforcements from the Seelie Court? Shaeula¡¯s stretched thin, keeping the Spring of Clear Reflections, my Territory and now Kyoto guarded, but every little helps, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about betrayal, and you want me to guard my Territory and my person with unknown Fae, with hidden motives?¡± she sniffed, and I realised I wasn¡¯t going to win this one. If all this is because I turned up with Motoko, that¡¯s a stupid thing to get herself killed over.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I said, exerting my Majesty and Charm to maximum once again. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, so be it. At least be alert though. You can do that, right? And to prove my good intentions...¡± I looked at the Queen. ¡°You¡¯ll be meeting this Christina Bakker woman later?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this evening as the gala begins to wind down. America needs to answer for its sins, but we have little hope, considering their envoy.¡± Her smile was wry.


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. But in a weird way, sending one of the people responsible could be a sign of sincerity. Maybe?¡± I wasn¡¯t even convinced myself so I didn¡¯t sound confident. ¡°The thing is, if Fujiwara-san and I could sit in on your negotiations, it should give you the edge. After all...¡± I said modestly. ¡°...since I managed to escape being targeted by their snatch squads, I have the high ground when it comes to their guilt.¡±


    ¡°We see that. What do you think, Henry, Eleanor?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been allies with Japan for a long time. Besides, Katsuro-san has always been straight with me.¡± He smiled at Motoko, who nodded, pleased that her grandfather was being praised by foreign royalty. ¡°I don¡¯t think it can hurt. Besides, I¡¯m worried about Ellie. She can be too stubborn for her own good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m against it.¡± Princess Eleanor said. ¡°This is a matter for Britain to resolve. But...¡± she considered it, putting aside her annoyance, which made me respect her at least a little. ¡°I suppose we are trying to firm up our alliances. And I have perhaps not been as diplomatic as I should have been, as a Princess and a Gods¡¯ Chosen. I still think that your Diviner¡¯s visions are wrong though. But... just maybe there are those that would do me ill.¡±


    ¡°Henry would be devastated if you were to get hurt.¡± Melissa said to her, and she nodded.


    ¡°Grandmother, I will bow to your judgement.¡± Eleanor said, and the matter was settled.


    ¡°Excellent. We approve.¡± The Queen smiled at me. ¡°Once more we apologise for Eleanor¡¯s lack of manners. As an envoy from Japan, the rudeness was quite inexcusable. But we trust that as a Gods¡¯ Chosen who carries much weight on your shoulders, you can understand that she is rather stressed and ill-tempered. Really, she used to be such a soft-spoken, shy little thing. We miss that, sometimes...¡±


    ¡°Grandmother!¡± The Princess gasped, face flaring red, even down her neck.


    ¡°She¡¯s right Ellie. You¡¯re like a veteran soldier now.¡± Henry joined in, and there was laughter. When that was done, the Queen asked us what we were going to do for now.


    ¡°Mingle, make connections, I guess.¡± I said, looking at the girls. ¡°Might as well make their debuts go with a bang.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Eleanor, go with them.¡± The Queen ordered. ¡°At least for a while. We would show there is no discord between us. As for the news you brought... the troubling prophecy... well, we would hear more about it later at length. After all, we have our own wisdom passed down over the centuries, and that has proved sadly true... we discount nothing anymore.¡±


    With that I dismissed my wind barrier, and the curtain was pulled back. That drew curious gazes, and as the guests watched us, we descended the steps, Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth in my arms again, looking regal and composed. Beside me, Princess Eleanor snorted sourly.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think anyone could betray me. You¡¯ve met David and the others. You think they¡¯re the sort to repay loyalty with treachery?¡±


    No, not really. But then who knows what darkness lies within people¡¯s hearts, or what methods could be used to turn someone? If those I love were held hostage, for example... I just don¡¯t know. ¡°I hope your faith isn¡¯t misplaced, I really do...¡±


    It was then that Mary Stuart appeared once more, her green eyes intense. ¡°Princess, I see you have been in counsel with this foreigner. Be careful, listening to those who serve false Gods puts your soul in grave peril.¡±


    ¡°As always I appreciate your concern. But I can¡¯t give up the power of the Green Knight, even for your aid. I have a duty to protect Britain and all its people. Surely God would praise that, I think.¡± She replied, a conversation she must have had a number of times, so exasperated she looked.


    ¡°You are a kind girl, Princess.¡± Mary Stuart said, surprising me, as she did indeed look impressed. ¡°Saving others is a worthy goal, and one we share. But the means... the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, is it not? And time is running out...¡± Mary gazed at me, her emerald eyes serious, before looking back at Eleanor. ¡°... you have what does not belong to you, and it must be returned. Before all the grace is used.¡± She shuddered, eyes moist. ¡°If you see reason, please contact Maxwell Power immediately. Before it is too late. God will forgive a sinner, but a wilful one who sins despite knowing they do wrong... even if God forgives, I fear I cannot, Princess. But I do dearly hope we can be friends. After all, was not the prodigal son welcomed back, even after wasting all the wealth and grace of his father? We would welcome you with open arms, Princess. But... wealth and grace we can ill afford to waste, for unlike the father, we have no fattened calf to kill, no fine robes to share.¡± Her gaze was glittering with emotions I couldn¡¯t decipher, a mixture of anger, sadness and piety. ¡°The world stands on the brink of Hell, and we squabble. Uniting together under the banner of the Lord is the only way we will join the Ninth Heaven and be saved. Your family has taken what it should not have, but... ignorance is not a sin. Only remaining ignorant when the hand of enlightenment is offered is worthy of damnation.¡± She offered a hand. ¡°I too was impious, I did not believe. Now I know. Princess, take my hand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eleanor said. ¡°But I cannot. Not over this.¡± Shaking her head, she sighed wearily. ¡°Anything but that and we can be friends, allies. After all, we are all on the same side.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but a foolish ally can often be more treacherous than a heretic enemy.¡± She was rubbing an ornate golden knotwork ring on her finger, and for a moment I was tempted to use my Eye to take a look, feeling a prickle of Foresight telling me it was dangerous. But I was dissuaded as Hyacinth squeezed my arm tightly. As Mary Stuart walked away again, I looked at the Princess, who seemed troubled.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± She bit her lip, stressed. ¡°But it¡¯s nothing unusual. She¡¯s eager for me to accept her aid, but the price she wants, I can¡¯t pay.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me for speaking out of turn, I get the feeling she¡¯s bad news.¡±


    ¡°It takes little wisdom to see that.¡± Motoko said, and Princess Eleanor laughed bitterly.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I think she genuinely means well. The good works the Silver Hands Foundation has done, their support has pushed us forwards. It¡¯s nothing she hasn¡¯t said before. Just words. I think that¡¯s just how she talks, all religious metaphors. It¡¯s not like she can attack me. The whole country would rally against her.¡± She sighed, shaking off her gloom. ¡°I¡¯ll ask that you put it all out of your mind.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I can do that.¡± I replied. ¡°But never underestimate what people can do. Just look at America or China.¡± I warned. ¡°You might not be convinced, but trust me, I am. The Diviner wanted you to survive. So at least take some precautions. And be careful who you tell. Ideally, just those of us there should know what we talked about.¡±


    Eleanor thought for a minute, before nodding once. ¡°I can at least do that. Though it does make me feel bad, being distrusting...¡±


    ¡°Better distrustful and wrong, than trusting and dead.¡± Motoko said, and Eleanor laughed weakly.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose that¡¯s true...¡± she said softly, and for a moment she looked small and weak, and so very alone...

 Side One Hundred And Thirty-Eight – Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor

    Side One Hundred And Thirty-Eight ¨C Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    After parting from that man, Eleanor continued to do her own duty, making sure to greet and talk to the other Chosen who supported Britain, as well as supporters from the political and business world who were making great contributions to their progress. Fortunately, Mary Stuart had left after talking to a few other people, though she spotted Max Power talking to Mary-Jane, Aditi and Sarah about something. I don¡¯t see David, perhaps he¡¯s left? He must be embarrassed about getting beaten...


    That had surprised Eleanor. David was rather rude and arrogant, but his skills were true. Wielding his mace and the blessing of Caturix, David could stand against the hordes of terrible creatures that thronged the London of Avalon, and in terms of the number of enemies killed, David was head and shoulders above everyone else. Of course, without Mary-Jane, David would have been killed three or four times over before now.


    As she watched the other Gods¡¯ Chosen, a small thorn of doubt started creeping into her heart. Looking around, for a moment it was almost as though she could see the faces of those around her twisting into blank masks with vicious, mocking grins. Her vision went dark for a moment, but blinking rapidly the illusion vanished. I¡¯m... just tired and stressed. It¡¯s been a trying day. As people talked to her cheerfully, she swapped tales of their successes and failures, but couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how far their loyalty went. No, even if they did betray me... poisoned daggers, my death? I can¡¯t believe anyone would do that, stoop so low.


    Looking around, she spotted Akio, talking to the Prime Minister and a few other people. She couldn¡¯t see the girls with him, and a few minutes later she spotted Raidre, who was still looking pale and depressed. On seeing him she scurried over. ¡°Raidre, have you seen the girls that were accompanying Akio?¡±


    He nodded, letting out a long sigh, his handsome features twisted. ¡°Yes, I have.¡± He said. ¡°They left along with most of his delegation, accompanied by that damnable, uncanny maid.¡±


    Yes, there¡¯s something off about her. She scares me a little. ¡°Is she so frightening? In a battle, surely you could handle her? I¡¯ve seen your skills when you become a seal, you are powerful indeed.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I would not wish to wager my life on it. She looks fragile, but I can feel power radiating from her. Perhaps in pure might I would be her match, but she strikes me as having a darker strength hidden within.¡± His intuition seemed to be telling him so, and despite their relatively short acquaintance, Raidre had been a good ally for her, and she trusted him. Now I am distrusting everyone. This feels awful. It is his fault. Most annoying...


    ¡°So, do you feel that they misled us as to their providence?¡± she queried, and Raidre denied that.


    ¡°No, by the salt and the smoke, I think they speak true. Too much of what they speak of matches what I had heard, and I have spent this afternoon in deeper thought than the depths of the Thames. I do now hear mention that there was some trouble with that weasel princess and her maids, betrayal or some such, and that she has a new, terrifying maid who is neither of the Fae nor the Unseelie. What chance there is another such as her about?¡±


    ¡°In that case, do you think we can trust them?¡± she asked, and he looked at her curiously.


    ¡°What is this, Princess? You trust easily enough normally. Surely you are not still sore over his women?¡±


    ¡°No, as grandmother says, I have to let that go.¡± Well, perhaps I am still a little agitated, I admit. But I can¡¯t dwell on it. They genuinely believe in what they are doing, and I have offered my aid, I need to let this be the end of it, difficult though that is. ¡°But even so, with the Americans and their crimes...¡± her gaze strayed to the scientist Christina Bakker, who was quite tipsy from all the alcohol around, her face flushed as she talked loudly and obnoxiously to her towering guard. ¡°... it¡¯s hard for me to trust someone bearing such a message.¡±


    ¡°What message?¡± Raidre asked, puzzled, and Eleanor was about to open her mouth, when she suddenly paused. Perhaps... taking precautions is wise.


    ¡°Oh, just something hard to hear. It didn¡¯t help me trust him, nor has the company he keeps. But... grandmother was impressed, and to be honest, he does have a way about him.¡± Sometimes it is like it is hard to look away, and his words sink into my ears, and rattle around my brain, harder to ignore. Perhaps it simply annoys me fiercely that he makes some sense. ¡°And he is right. He has asked for little in return for his counsel.¡±


    ¡°If he is consort to that little weasel, then he would be a good ally for stormy seas and foggy nights.¡± Raidre mused. ¡°Her father is Prince Shaetanao, one of the surviving Seelie Princes. His influence was waning, but he is on the ascendant now, thanks to his daughter reclaiming the Spring.¡±


    ¡°I see. And just what is the Spring?¡± Eleanor asked, curious.


    ¡°A sacred site of water, long lost to the Seelie Court. It was honestly said to be irrecoverable. You would have a better chance of surviving being lost at sea in the midst of the fiercest storm, than surviving more than a moment without dying from the foul corruption of the Unseelie.¡±


    ¡°So, they must be powerful then?¡± Eleanor asked, and Raidre nodded.


    ¡°It seems so. Though considering the rumours of the weasel princess being a worthless, arrogant brat, I doubt it was her strength that won the day.¡±


    ¡°So if not her, then Akio?¡± He did beat David. What do I know about him? He¡¯s able to outfight David, and has a similar skill. In addition, he is supposedly a healer, and somehow has allowed ordinary girls to enter Avalon. Reckless and foolhardy! I should give him a piece of my mind! In addition, he has the ability to share thoughts and emotions with those he loves, and use wind element quite proficiently. Yes, it is easier to use elements here than external abilities granted to Gods¡¯ Chosen, but the speed, precision and duration... he has some skill.


    ¡°He feels like a Noble Fae. No, like royalty.¡± Raidre snorted. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel his League?¡±


    ¡°League?¡± Eleanor asked, puzzled by the term.


    ¡°The strength of his existence.¡± The Fae snorted bitterly. ¡°He¡¯s keeping it hidden so as to not draw attention, but in moments where he is angry or distracted it leaks out. Now League isn¡¯t the same as strength, some of those with strong, deep existences are nothing special in terms of might, but ordinarily League can grow as one strengthens themselves. Yours is starting to gradually increase, Princess.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying he¡¯s developed himself that much?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. He¡¯s got the charm of a Fae too. Best you not be ensnared by him too.¡±


    ¡°That will never happen.¡± Eleanor said flatly. ¡°I think I¡¯m too old for his tastes.¡±


    ¡°So cold you are, Princess.¡± Raidre snorted. ¡°But we were talking about his strength. I dare say I am not his match, even were I to berserk in my seal form.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, thank you for your candour. That helps me put some pieces of the puzzle together.¡± He¡¯s strong then. If Raidre isn¡¯t his match, I¡¯d have no hope of besting him in a battle. I doubt he could defeat me in the armour of the Green Knight, with my regeneration, but I would surely not be able to strike him down myself... so he likely has little to gain by lying.


    ¡°Damn him, now he has me second-guessing everything.¡± She swore.


    ¡°Princess?¡± Raidre said, concerned, and she flushed, waving her hand to dismiss her outburst.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m merely trying to chart the best course. The presence of that woman...¡± she looked at Christina Bakker. ¡°... and the usual veiled threats from our ever-annoying Mary Stuart are playing on my mind. Speaking of...¡± It would soon be time to confront their American guest.


    ¡°I see. Well, try not to let it rile you up. On stormy seas, the first to die are those who lose their heads.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind, Raidre. Thank you for your perspective.¡± When Max Power leaves the others alone, I¡¯ll seek them out. I could use some calming conversation...


    ********


    ¡°Well, are we ready?¡± The Prime Minister asked. Eleanor was in a rather stately conference room within the Palace, sitting beside her grandmother, who was now wearing regal robes and a small diadem, looking every inch the monarch. Gerard Hunter, the Foreign Secretary was there as well, and they had two aides sitting in as well. Though of course Akio is here too. She looked over, seeing him sitting with Shige Fujiwara, representing Japan and their support.


    I am lucky I had time to talk to Aditi and the others, to calm down. It had been harmless enough gossip, though Sarah had greatly enjoyed recounting the way that David had lost, and apparently it was an astonishing eight rounds to one. The speed and fighting skills Akio had displayed gave credence to Raidre¡¯s earlier theories that it was he who had likely recaptured the Spring for this weasel princess. She found her gaze going to him, and he looked over, grinning, making her look away, face red with annoyance. Damn it. Now he thinks I am paying him attention, which I most certainly am not!


    Taking a deep breath she calmed herself. This is no time to be distracted. I am the face of Britain, the Green Knight, chosen by the Green Man. I never asked for this, but over the months I have stained my hands with the blood of the foul creatures that haunt our Avalon, suffered many wounds and setbacks... I will not back down now, let America get away with mistreating and stealing our good citizens! ¡°Prime Minister, if you would.¡± She said calmly, and the blonde man grinned cheerfully, ignoring the atmosphere so thick it could be cut with a knife. One of the aides opened the door, and Christina strolled in, trailed by her guard, Titan.


    ¡°Well, do excuse me...¡± she said, pulling out a chair, slightly unsteady still. ¡°... I probably shouldn¡¯t have had that last glass of wine. But it was so good. I¡¯m normally too busy for leisure, but this time...well, it¡¯s all work, right?¡± She grinned, her lab coat and dress combination wildly out of place. Titan stood beside her, glowering at everyone, though his expression faltered a little as he saw Akio. Christina spotted him too, and waved cheerfully. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this a surprise? I was supposed to be heading to Japan at some point, but it¡¯s certainly more practical to do both meetings at once. Don¡¯t suppose you can speak for Japan?¡±


    ¡°He can speak for the Chosen. I speak for Japan politically.¡± Shige Fujiwara said coldly, and Christina laughed.


    ¡°Oh, so scary. I normally leave dealing with angry old men to Adam. Speaking of...¡± She reached into her lab coat and Eleanor tensed, only to relax as she brought out a fancy-looking tablet. She tapped in a passcode and set it up. ¡°It¡¯ll take a little while to connect, so why don¡¯t we have a little talk? I¡¯m curious.¡± Her smile was somehow perverted, and it made Eleanor feel uncomfortable.


    ¡°About what?¡± The Prime Minister said. ¡°I think you¡¯re forgetting why you are here, Miss Bakker.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. Christina, or even Chris will do. I sometimes answer to ¡®hey, crazy bitch¡¯ or ¡®you idiot¡¯ but names are so much nicer.¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m here as I¡¯m an important enough member of Project Star Mirror to show we are taking this seriously, but I¡¯m also expendable enough to be bad as a hostage.¡± She grinned. ¡°Though if you try, Titan will have something to say about that. Though two versus one... how¡¯d you feel, big guy?¡±


    ¡°Not that confident miss.¡± He said, and Christina smiled broadly.


    ¡°There you have it, he¡¯ll... wait, not confident?¡± she looked at him blankly.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and...¡± he looked at Akio doubtfully. ¡°You be holding out on me, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, keeping low-key is something I¡¯ve learned to do.¡± Akio admitted. ¡°But Miss Bakker...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, I said it¡¯s too stuffy.¡± She complained.


    ¡°Fine. Christina. Even if Titan was able to defeat us, do you think that would matter? The Palace is crawling with Chosen.¡±


    ¡°True. Well, I guess he¡¯s here more to keep an eye on me than anything else. I do tend to get wrapped up in my work. Speaking of... word¡¯s going around that you¡¯re not a Physical type leaning into strength. You have me regretting that Adam¡¯s goons blew it. You¡¯d have been a fascinating subject. Those that are tough and those that can heal are the best.¡±


    Eleanor shivered at that. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what I¡¯d go through under their care, once they realised what my gift was. I¡¯m even more angry now. Glancing at her grandmother she could see the quiet rage in her eyes, masked by her professional demeanour.


    ¡°If you want to experiment so badly, do it on yourself.¡± Akio snapped.


    ¡°I said I would if I could, I¡¯d give anything to be able to, but I wasn¡¯t lucky.¡± She retorted, and then the tablet connected. ¡°Oh, Adam¡¯s here. Hey boss, you good?¡±


    The powerfully built man with sandy hair and hazel eyes let out a long sigh. ¡°Christina, you¡¯ve learned nothing from this I see. If I didn¡¯t send you away for a while, Christopher would have had you disappear permanently.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Chris is such a shallow thinker. I didn¡¯t do anything bad to his son and daughter. I was just giving them some advice...¡±


    ¡°Enough. I apologise.¡± He said, his voice strong and commanding respect. ¡°I see we have some unexpected guests.¡± He addressed the Japanese delegation. ¡°You... either Shige Fujiwara or Kira Ichijou, I presume.¡±


    ¡°The first.¡± Shige declared coldly.


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s an honour to address such an august light of one of our staunchest allies.¡± He said without a trace of shame. ¡°And then... Akio Moonstone Oshiro. I wish we could have met under... better... circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I think what you would consider better I¡¯d have to give a hard pass.¡± Akio snorted, and Eleanor inwardly cheered him. ¡°I¡¯m not averse to some experimentation, knowledge is power, after all. But I wouldn¡¯t ask anyone to do what I wouldn¡¯t do to myself.¡±


    ¡°Lucky!¡± Christina said enviously, but everyone ignored her.


    ¡°Yes, rumours have reached us about miraculous healings coming from Japan. Even though you¡¯ve changed a lot of your mobile infrastructure so we can¡¯t use phone intercepts so easily, and changed up your encryptions on the internet, we still have ears everywhere. After all, aren¡¯t most of the spy satellites in orbit ours? Well, and the Chinese. Really, should you be wasting time with recriminations, considering what¡¯s going on there? Well, I expect you don¡¯t know what we do.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we know more than you think.¡± Akio shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m taking up too much of your time. I¡¯m here simply to lend support to the British contingent here. So, time to start your apologies.¡±


    He¡¯s almost likeable right now. Seeing him shut down the American behind the suffering of our citizens pleases me.


    ¡°Apologies? On what grounds?¡± Adam frowned. ¡°You are rather biased, Akio. Likewise you, Princess Eleanor. Those of you who carry this dangerous gift are hardly objective. Don¡¯t misunderstand us. We bear no malice for you, you had no choice in the matter. But the dangers you present are too grave to be left to chance.¡±


    Eleanor was flabbergasted by his arrogance. ¡°Is this America¡¯s stance?¡± she demanded, and Adam scoffed.


    ¡°America¡¯s stance? Right now we barely have a stance on anything. Unless you like inflammatory rhetoric. We have plenty of that. I¡¯ll be glad when it¡¯s election time. No, we have no stance, only the truth. You... Gods¡¯ Chosen... such an aggrandising name. I¡¯m hardly religious, but that¡¯s blasphemy, no? Well, you Chosen are akin to volatile nuclear weapons, ready to go off at a moment¡¯s notice. Obviously no right-thinking nation can allow that to persist.¡±


    ¡°If I may.¡± Mr Hunter spoke up. ¡°That may mean you can arrest your own citizens, but foreign nationals such as the British and Japanese you kidnapped would be outside your jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Just as terrorists were during the War on Terror? Strange... I have the files here.¡± He smiled, but there was no humour in it, and Christina giggled at his intensity. ¡°Yes, extraordinary rendition. Our British friends in MI5 and MI6 had no issue helping us under the aegis of the greater good, and preventing terrorist attacks. And what could these terrorists do? Blow up a bus? Shoot up a school? What could you do, Akio? We hardly have a good grasp on your abilities, but considering you took down a squad of our most elite deep cover agents, and several rather famous mercenaries we privately contracted for the capture, if you wanted, couldn¡¯t you do far worse?¡±


    Eleanor looked at Akio then, searching his face as his expression changed. Those words seem to have struck a chord with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯ve seen what a Chosen can do with their gift, in Kyoto.¡± He said coldly.


    ¡°Yes, a thousand dead. One person, killing a third as many who died during the nine-eleven attacks. It could have been more, no? But I understand that the attackers were fortunately killed.¡± The Director retorted, his expression on the screen knowing.


    ¡°True. But that argument is specious.¡± The Prime Minister jumped in. ¡°We can¡¯t simply arrest people for what they might do, simply for existing. As you said, they had no choice.¡±


    ¡°Mr White.¡± The Queen spoke, surprising Eleanor, who watched her with rapt fascination. ¡°We find it hard to believe that the Americans, with all your resources, even if the administration is paralysed currently, is not aware that the Gods¡¯ Chosen did not arise by mere chance. If we do nothing, the world will be overtaken by chaos and will surely fall, America as well.¡±


    ¡°So some of them say.¡± Adam said. ¡°I can¡¯t rule it out, of course. We lack sufficient data. But can you offer incontrovertible proof that we need them? Even if we set aside the dangers of their powers, which are beyond imagination... imagine it. Economic devastation, political upheaval, death and destruction on a global scale. Imagine someone who could duplicate currency or turn base materials into precious metals. Someone who can effortlessly control minds. A bioterrorist that can make plagues. Humanity would be set back decades, that¡¯s if we even survive.¡±


    I don¡¯t know... can we be that strong? Eleanor could certainly prove a troublesome opponent with her incredible healing, and she could even regrow lost limbs given time, but against the might of a nation¡¯s military she would be helpless. David and the others as well. But the accusation seemed to resonate with Akio, who looked a touch stricken, and she once more had to wonder how strong he was.


    ¡°We also have creatures from myth able to walk among us. The day could well dawn when humanity is no longer dominant. Can we allow that? These powers don¡¯t belong to those of you who wield them. They come from the immaterial. Many of them call it the Astral, or the Boundary, but I prefer... the Warp.¡± He was talking passionately now, quite unlike anything they had expected. Eleanor had thought there would be excuses, offers of compensation, not this... sheer self-assurance that his actions were correct.


    ¡°It¡¯s an invasion by proxy, you¡¯re all trojan horses. Your power will open the door to those who gave it to you, and they will burst free, like vengeful daemons. But...¡± his gaze was impassive. ¡°... as you say, your Majesty, we can hardly discount the need. Though all our testing has shown that with enough firepower even these Chosen fall easily enough. I believe in science, and the military. If any otherworldly foe invades, the US army will still triumph. But I make the hard, bloody choices that others are too afraid to do. Just like Britain did when it aided us with our renditions in the War on Terror. These Chosen can¡¯t be left to run free. Power has to be directed, and even if they are the gateway to a new threat, if we manage it properly, if we leash these dangers, bind them, we can prevent the worst.¡±


    ¡°You want me to spy? They may call me a crazy, mad scientist bitch, but believe it or not, I am a patriot.¡± She said, a little offended.


    ¡°I fail to see the problem. Didn¡¯t we all agree nothing happened after this deal is done? We get our people back, and while I am sure we are going to be very angry about how they were treated by you and yours, they¡¯re alive. And I think I can help them.¡± He turned and addressed the Queen and Prime Minister. ¡°I have a vassal who has mental healing abilities. It really helped some of the victims of the first Kyoto incident.¡±


    First Kyoto incident? Oh yes, the terrorist death cult, but Henry says that was just a front and likely the Chinese as well, probing. A number of young people died...


    ¡°I would be happy to take charge of the British returnees until they are in a stable condition, as a token of friendship?¡±


    ¡°We can talk about that.¡± The Queen agreed. ¡°We do not care for the idea of letting our citizens languish away from home for any longer than we must, but if they can be helped, we are not too proud to ask for support.¡±


    ¡°So...?¡± Christina asked, and Akio shook his head.


    ¡°Sorry, got off topic there. As I said, once the deal is done, we have no further conflicts, right? We can¡¯t afford them. China is dangerously gathering Chosen and turning them to state tools, and I doubt their ambitions will stop at Japan.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± She admitted. ¡°But even so, you are asking me to spy, basically...¡±


    ¡°For your allies. And if you thought that it was justifiable doing extraordinary rendition on your allies, then this should be no different. Besides...¡± he leaned in close, his voice a sultry whisper, and she flushed, her chest heaving. ¡°... this is what you dreamed of. You can run experiments that were forever beyond your reach.¡±


    She gulped, throat working, and her face was red. ¡°I do want to probe the mysteries of what they call the Astral. All the mysteries...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a miraculous place.¡± He continued, and Eleanor found herself reddening too. Is this how he seduced those young girls? How... how indecent!


    ¡°What sort of information... I can¡¯t jeopardise our National Security...¡±


    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t. Nor would I ask you to. But you are lead researcher on Project Star Mirror, didn¡¯t you say? Knowledge is power. Perhaps I can even share a little, if you please me...¡±


    ¡°All... all right.¡± She nodded, like a mouse before a snake. ¡°Just... just a little. Adam¡¯s no fool though, he¡¯ll know something is up.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but what will he do? Because you¡¯ll have a pipeline to me, which he¡¯ll want to exploit, if he¡¯s as ruthless as he seems.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Her eyes glittered eagerly, only to dim as Akio struck the back of her neck gently, before she slumped unconscious in his arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to see what I¡¯m doing here. And now... it¡¯s time for our own agreements.¡± Akio put Christina flat on her back on a desk, pulling the hem of her dress down as it rode up. ¡°Fujiwara-san, if you would.¡±


    ¡°We wish to be closer allies. China and other powers threaten everyone equally, as we have seen. Firstly, a non-aggression and mutual defence pact, that allows Chosen to be deployed to aid against invading enemy Chosen. As Kyoto showed, Chosen are required to combat Chosen, and both our countries have a modest population in comparison to China.¡± He then asked for closer ties in terms of espionage, the military, economy and more.


    ¡°That is not something we can agree on easily.¡± Mr Hunter said. ¡°Information sharing and economic cooperation, fine, and we do want that free trade deal. But we¡¯ll have to put it before Parliament, which is difficult as we can¡¯t discuss our real intentions as the public is in the dark...¡±


    As they hashed out cooperation Akio had done something to the sleeping woman. Eleanor could feel the prickle of aether, and she stirred, moaning painfully. A few minutes later he sighed. ¡°All done. I¡¯ve just drilled a basic seven chakra network though. No way I¡¯m generous enough to go any further. It should prove to that Director that power can be learned if one has the will and the knowledge. Now when she wakes up we just have to mislead her about how this was achieved. And I suppose warn her about the dangers of the Boundary. It wouldn¡¯t do to have her kill herself doing something stupid before she ever gets back to America.¡±


    ¡°Learned?¡± The Queen asked. ¡°We do not quite understand.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. I believe the visions the Diviner had.¡± He said earnestly. ¡°And I don¡¯t want your granddaughter here to die. I have to admit, I find the way she¡¯s been dismissive of the way we live our lives has hurt. But I¡¯m not self-centred enough not to understand people have different views. Even now she thought I was some sort of predator, going to extort our diplomatic guest for sex here in front of you all. Damn, it really wounds my pride.¡± He smiled sadly, and Eleanor felt rather bad. But... well, Christina misunderstood as well, it isn¡¯t just my fault!


    ¡°You must forgive my granddaughter. We are sorry, but she is rather sheltered. Unlike Richard and Henry, she has mostly kept out of the spotlight. Being a female Royal is hard and thankless work, though we do not wish you to feel we are complaining. There are privileges too.¡±


    ¡°I can speak for myself, grandmother.¡± Fine. ¡°I get that you¡¯re not a bad person. Motoko and Natsumi, they do adore you, and you them. I¡¯m not blind to that. And you helped us get concessions from the USA, which you didn¡¯t have to. But... you must see how it looks from the outside. It won¡¯t be just me who doesn¡¯t care for your private life!¡± Eleanor was shaking, her vision going dim for a moment as her brain worked. ¡°Look, it was horrible. Uncle was caught up in that scandal, and everyone was saying terrible things about our whole family. It¡¯s not fair. I... do you think I don¡¯t read the tabloids?¡±


    ¡°The situation here is quite different. All parties involved are in love, and have the blessing of their families. In fact, you could say it is a very Royal arrangement.¡± Shige said, his expression kind, which just made Eleanor feel worse, bile rising in her stomach.


    ¡°Yes, in my head I can see that. But... it doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Akio said. ¡°I know. Trust me. Nobody has agonised over this more than me. But that¡¯s why we all honestly share our worries, talk and support each other. We chose this path, and as long as we are happy, I don¡¯t care what others think even if I¡¯d like you to understand and be supportive more than anyone, Princess.¡±


    Huh? ¡°Me? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯ll be working together for a long time. You might not believe the Diviner¡¯s words, but I do. So we have to have a good working relationship. Better yet, a friendly one. To that end... Fujiwara-san, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Kira and Itsuki will have no excuses now.¡± He said, and Eleanor looked puzzled.


    ¡°Yeah. Well, Tsumura-san managed fine didn¡¯t he? I won¡¯t say there¡¯s no risk for older people, but with Ether Healing having Ranked up, I¡¯m confident even if the shock gives you a heart attack or stroke I can fix it.¡±


    Eleanor was confused by the terms used, but she gathered it was something to do with Avalon. Aether flared and she could feel ripples in the traces of ether around her, before Fujiwara-san groaned, turning deathly white. For a number of minutes they all watched in silence, unsure of what was going on.


    ¡°Yeah, it hurts. I think the older you are the more it does.¡± Akio sympathised with the twitching elderly man. ¡°But you¡¯ll feel better soon.¡± Eleanor noticed Akio¡¯s eye was glowing a shimmering amber. ¡°And... done.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°That was... an experience I do not... care to repeat. And now I itch abominably, like insects in my skin.¡± Shige Fujiwara wheezed. ¡°But I confess, many of the constant aches and pains I have lived with for many years have now been replaced by new ones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I gave you the full tune-up. Miyu was worried about you, you know. She doesn¡¯t want you to die. I think with the fixes I¡¯ve done to clogged veins, arteries, your worn-down joints and your weakening kidneys, plus the stat boost overall, you¡¯ll be around a few more years yet.¡±


    ¡°How... comforting.¡± He said, stretching gingerly, amazed at the freedom of movement as he rolled his arms. ¡°I suppose this was inevitable. Japan cannot face uncertainly caused by one of us dying in these troubled times. So, how much should I compensate you?¡±


    ¡°For Miyu¡¯s beloved grandfather, you get the family discount. Free of course. Besides...¡± Akio glanced over slyly at Eleanor and the rest of the British delegation. ¡°... it¡¯s advertising.¡±


    ¡°Just what did you do?¡± Eleanor asked. ¡°That was some sort of ability. Just what God do you serve?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t serve any. I¡¯m grateful to Tyr and Tsukuyomi, I guess?¡± he said, and Eleanor was shocked. Two? Is that why he has such abilities? Is that even possible? Tyr is a Norse god of battle, I remember it from my classics study at University. That might explain his strength, but...


    ¡°Look.¡± He continued. ¡°Just like I did with Christina...¡± he nudged the sleeping woman, who muttered something incomprehensible, drooled and rolled over on the desk. ¡°... I performed Chirurgery. It opens up the ability to access the Boundary, what you¡¯ve been calling Avalon, I believe. In addition, it pulls in aether, making one stronger, faster, smarter... it¡¯s nothing compared to a Chosen like us, Princess, but it makes a big difference to an ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°So that was what you meant when you talked to Mr White regarding what he wished for. We are impressed.¡± The Queen said, shrewdly.


    ¡°Yes, though what Fujiwara-san got was the premium course, Christina here got the economy model. It¡¯ll be enough to prove my point and satisfy the agreement, but I¡¯m not foolish enough to give an untrustworthy mad scientist and a potentially hostile government too much of a gift. Speaking of gifts... your Majesty, I believe you should receive this too. Bear in mind, only two people in the world that we know of can do this, me and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections.¡±


    That¡¯s the Fae that Raidre mentioned, the arrogant weasel. If she has skills like that, she can¡¯t be simple...


    ¡°I see. And what do you want from us for this boon? These old bones do creak and ache when we wake up in the morning. Any relief from that would be welcome.¡± She smiled shrewdly.


    ¡°Firstly, as a sign of friendship. Japan has a lot to offer as an ally. I hope you¡¯ll look kindly on the agreements our Government seeks. Secondly, and more importantly... I¡¯m trying to win your granddaughter¡¯s goodwill.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She looked at Eleanor, who looked down, embarrassed. I have been causing trouble. Well, it¡¯s not like Henry hasn¡¯t had his fair share of diplomatic faux pas. Besides, I¡¯m the youngest, I¡¯m allowed to be childish. She knew it was an unworthy thought, and she let out a soft giggle, embarrassed.


    ¡°Grandmother. If it is safe, I would love to see you healthy again.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is a hundred percent safe, but with my skills I¡¯d say you¡¯d have to be incredibly unlucky for something to go wrong.¡± Akio assured her.


    ¡°I see. Well young man.¡± The Queens lips quirked into a smile. ¡°This is the furthest anyone has gone to impress my dear granddaughter. Perhaps you are taken with her beauty?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a pretty one for sure.¡± Akio said dryly as Eleanor blushed scarlet. ¡°But my interests are more pragmatic, I assure you. So, are we good to go?¡±


    ¡°Very well. But first, we have a little request...¡±


    ********


    ¡°You were not lying to this old woman, Shige. We found it rather agonising indeed.¡± The Queen declared. ¡°And the itching is indeed damnably infernal. This goes in time, you say?¡± she asked Akio, who nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, your Astral body will flush the debris and the itching will fade in a few days. So, any problems? I have to say, your heart wasn¡¯t in a good state, some of those valves were paper-thin and it was beating irregularly. That was a heart attack waiting to happen.¡±


    ¡°We know. We could feel it. It is why we were worried for Eleanor. She does dote on me so. Well, we suppose we are the same way. So thank you. We can watch over... no. I can watch over my granddaughter a little longer thanks to you, Akio.¡± She reached out a hand, and he took it.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to help, your Majesty. And your other request, I can accommodate it well enough.¡±


    ¡°You are a young man who is eager to please. I suspect your fiance?es like that about you.¡± She said, bantering, and Eleanor was stuck by how he had won her over. Grandmother was that unwell? She never said anything, But does this mean...?


    ¡°I expect the Queen will live a number more years now.¡± Shige said, understanding her thoughts. ¡°After all, Itsuki was in terrible shape, and after his healing he is the picture of health. And he has not even had Chirurgery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± She sighed as the Queen and Akio bantered.


    ¡°He is not the scoundrel you think he is. He is a man with appetites and lusts like any other, but he has a good heart. My granddaughter adores him. Fortunately not in that way, or else I would be his grandfather-in-law as well.¡± He sighed, and Eleanor looked surprised.


    ¡°Would you allow it?¡±


    ¡°Politically, there is no gain in it, from the standpoint of the nobility. Akio is already tied to Fujiwara house, Takatsukasa house and Ichijou house. But... there is no safer place to be in Japan than as one within his arms. And they all chose it themselves. In fact, my granddaughter says there were only a small number he sought himself, the others pursued him, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan among them. So you do him a disservice.¡±


    ¡°I see. Maybe I was too judgemental. But...¡±


    ¡°I see you are a fairytale Princess indeed.¡± He laughed, with good humour. ¡°Dreaming of a Prince all to yourself. Well, I suspect most women want the same. But others would rather share than miss out on their Prince, and who among us has the right to throw mud on their choices?¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Eleanor puffed out her cheeks, feeling so terribly exhausted. ¡°I¡¯ve been unkind. I¡¯ll apologise, like David did. Genuinely.¡±


    ¡°That would be for the best, after all...¡± he smiled, as Akio was finishing up giving Mr Hunter his instructions.


    ¡°When I¡¯m gone, wake up Christina and give her the information. Make sure she understands that she shouldn¡¯t enter the Boundary alone the first time, or she¡¯ll die. The US has Chosen in project Star Mirror, I¡¯m sure, so until she finds her bearings she has to enter with them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Titan must be getting restless, so we should hurry.¡± Mr Hunter agreed.


    ¡°Well, if he barges in, I¡¯ll just throw him out again.¡± Akio laughed, confident. ¡°So, Princess, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then. I¡¯ll put you through your paces, and we¡¯ll prepare, just in case.¡±


    That attitude annoys me. They are all my friends, they won¡¯t betray me. But... Sighing, Eleanor nodded. ¡°I understand. Better safe than sorry. But I can¡¯t see why you are waiting until tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°Because Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth are all a bit upset after the day we¡¯ve had. I want to spend the evening with them, have a nice meal, see some London sights, and after that...¡± his happy smirk annoyed her. ¡°... well, did you see how stunning they all looked in those dresses? There¡¯s no way I can resist.¡±


    Eleanor snorted, a mixture of amusement, annoyance and awe at his sheer nerve making her blush. ¡°Fine, I get it. I lose. I was wrong. I admit it. There. Happy now? You¡¯re still a pervert, but not... not in a way to be condemned. I¡¯ll still never like it though, I assure you! But I¡¯ll not look down on your ways.¡±


    ¡°Quite the condescending apology.¡± Akio¡¯s smirk broadened. ¡°But I know genuine when I hear it, and I know the girls would rather have an apology filled with scorn that you mean, than a polite one just for form¡¯s sake. So, until tomorrow. Prime Minister, Mr Hunter. I hope you can get your MPs on board with our formal alliance. Time is ticking. Your Majesty, Princess, it¡¯s been fun. The selfie was great.¡±


    ¡°Just get out!¡± Eleanor snapped, embarrassed. ¡°And if that photograph makes the tabloids, I¡¯ll curse you!¡±


    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s just for my family.¡± He promised cheerfully, before looking at the sleeping Christina once more. ¡°Well, the die is cast. We won¡¯t lose much even if she doesn¡¯t follow through, but be sure to tell her the lie that she needs yearly maintenance from me or else problems will crop up. Tell her that issue can be removed though, if she shows willing.¡±


    ¡°So cunning. Lying to... no, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°She¡¯s a dangerous woman.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you as well?¡± he laughed as he left, escorting Shige Fujiwara. And to that, Eleanor had nothing to say. Me, dangerous? Compared to you... well, enough moping. Now my Sunday is filled, I just want to go home and relax...

 Extra Three – Tsumura Motoko, Hori Natsumi and Hyacinth – R18/Contains Sex

    Extra Three ¨C Tsumura Motoko, Hori Natsumi and Hyacinth ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°So, it¡¯s been quite the day, hasn¡¯t it?¡± I said as we looked out of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the Aqua Shard restaurant, thirty floors up. The view of London was stunning, the dark night lit up by lights of white, yellow and orange, unlike the neon shades of home.


    ¡°It certainly was.¡± Motoko agreed, handling her silverware elegantly as she cut into her meal with a knife and fork. ¡°I cannot say I enjoyed all of it, but... it had some pleasing moments, I admit.¡± Her slight smile and faint blush was very cute.


    ¡°It sure did.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°The Princess was rude, but you put her in her place, Akio. And Motoko looked wonderful in her dress. Both dresses.¡± She took a sip of her wine, sighing happily. ¡°And I never thought I¡¯d get to debut too, least of all get a picture with Royalty. Mother and father were ecstatic when they saw the picture.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I always felt a bit sorry for you, Natsumi, having to miss out. Well now there¡¯s no hiding it. We¡¯ve done nothing illegal or to be ashamed of anyway, by the new Japanese law, it¡¯s all above board. I must say that Hyacinth was a surprise though...¡± I looked at her, sitting at the table with us. She was a little discomforted, not enjoying being treated as an equal to Motoko and Natsumi, but she was making a genuine effort, which I appreciated, and the way she looked so shy, unlike her normal boisterousness, was rather cute. And the dress...


    ¡°I dooo not suit such finery.¡± Hyacinth protested. ¡°But since you wished it, Akio, Hyacinth was happy tooo wear it. Did it please yooou?¡±


    ¡°It definitely did. The white gown with the purple highlights... it¡¯s like it was simply made for you. But don¡¯t just take my word for it. People were looking as we walked, weren¡¯t they?¡± Before our meal, we had taken the opportunity to see some of the nearby sights of London. We walked the banks of the Thames, watching the yachts of the rich and the wealthy pass by, we took a ride on the London Eye, Hyacinth particularly enjoying that, and we even stopped into a traditional British pub for a pint. Well, the girls had juice. The one common theme throughout all our sightseeing was that we were attracting a lot of attention. Well, they are all stunning, and wearing dresses not usually seen on a casual stroll.


    ¡°Some people thought we were shooting a film.¡± Natsumi said happily. ¡°People were taking pictures too. Are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°A little. But it¡¯d be a crime keeping the sight of you in those dresses to myself. Those who got pictures should consider themselves very fortunate. But what¡¯s under those dresses is all mine.¡± I winked, and she blushed happily.


    ¡°That is quite true. These dresses are a little revealing, but not vulgar.¡± Motoko observed. ¡°I would not be ashamed to wear such in a social gathering, so why would I fear being photographed? My only complaint is it was a little hard to keep the hems clean.¡± She had walked elegantly, keeping the hem of her dress up from the ground during our travels.


    ¡°Yes, well...¡± I eyed them in their white wedding-style dresses. ¡°You certainly looked perfect doing it, you three. But I think that the dresses might get dirty after all...¡± my grin was lewd, and the three girls blushed and looked away, but made no protest, their hands speeding up as they ate their meals, perhaps eager to get back to our hotel, back at the Strand...


    ********


    As we entered our suite, I tossed Motoko to the huge bed, followed by Natsumi and Hyacinth. As they bounced there, giggling, dresses becoming disarrayed, I quickly shed my restrictive suit jacket. That¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m still not used to such formal outfits. On seeing that, Motoko asked if they should remove their dresses.


    ¡°No, Akio likes stripping us himself.¡± Natsumi observed correctly, while Hyacinth merely giggled. She was very stressed by the events and disrespect we had suffered in the Palace, so the sightseeing was partially to soothe her.


    ¡°In that case, we should strip Akio. Besides removing a husband¡¯s clothes is the duty of every good Japanese wife.¡± Motoko said, eyes sparkling at performing such a play, her wifely ambitions stirred up by her engagement debut.


    ¡°That sounds fun to me. Do you mind?¡± Natsumi asked, and obviously I didn¡¯t, so I sat on the edge of the bed. I could feel the hot breath of Motoko on my neck as her delicate hands began unbuttoning my shirt, one by one. Natsumi kissed my ear softly, then started untying my bowtie, caressing my neck. Hyacinth, unwilling to be left out, rolled off the bed and knelt before me, working at my belt.


    ¡°This is fun.¡± Natsumi exclaimed, and Motoko nodded.


    ¡°Fun we can do whenever we want, although we will have to share with the others. But right now... Akio is ours.¡± Natsumi took off my watch, laying it aside carefully, while Motoko began stroking my bare chest, my shirt now completely open. As my trousers slid off, I felt a wet sensation, Hyacinth kissing my dick through my underwear, with a sloppy smile on her face. Natsumi, seeing I was open, took my lips, and my tongue swirled with hers. As we parted, Motoko was next. Wet, slurping sounds could be heard as we kissed deeply, and also from below, as Hyacinth had my pants down and was taking my cock in her mouth, violet eyes shining, her tongue licking along my shaft, her hands toying with my balls.


    ¡°Trust Hyacinth to be so forceful...¡± Motoko said, face red and enchanted, as she pulled free, saliva linking our lips for a moment, glimmering in the tasteful light of our room. Natsumi was back then for a second kiss, and as Hyacinth sped up her movements, my cock sliding deep down her throat, I felt my passion rising. Motoko and Natsumi both kissed me then, our three tongues tangling together, and Hyacinth clamped down, her tongue completely ensnaring my glans, and with three beauties working me together, I could hold it no longer.


    ¡°Cumming....¡± I gasped, as I discharged my warm, white sperm into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged out, eyes widening, and Hyacinth swallowed happily, just as I swallowed the saliva that Motoko and Natsumi were pouring into my mouth via deep kisses. Hyacinth finally released my cock as the warm, unceasing flow finally diminished, but even as Hyacinth devoured my semen, some spilled free, marking the collar of the gown she wore. Yeah, should have expected that.


    ¡°That dress was borrowed from Eleanor¡¯s mother. I hope this doesn¡¯t count as treason.¡± I joked.


    ¡°We can have it cleaned. Besides...¡± Motoko knew noble matters better than I did, even if this was British custom, rather than Japanese. ¡°... once lent, they do not expect it returned. No noblewoman would wear it again after it being on someone else. But calling it a loan is less pressure than calling it a gift.¡± Beside her Natsumi nodded, confirming that.


    ¡°I see. So, what should we do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to...¡± Natsumi suddenly squirted, her panties soaked, her skirt too. I slowed down my fingers a little, smearing the sticky, sour-smelling liquid over her pussy and asshole, her silk panties sodden, and she continued to fellate me while moving her breasts like marshmallows. It didn¡¯t take much longer for my breathing to speed up, and my dick to tremble.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, let it out. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Natsumi said wickedly, speeding up.


    ¡°All right, I will...¡± I gasped, and clenched my ass, triggering an eruption. A fountain of sticky cum sprayed down her cheeks and chin, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips as more fountained across her bare breasts, soaking down onto the cloth below. A final surge scattered across her belly, and the dress was soaked, turning see-through.


    ¡°That was a lot for your third go.¡± She grinned. ¡°Well, I hope you have some left for...¡± She suddenly yelped as I flipped her over, pulling up her skirt, and sliding her panties down, revealing her bare ass and pussy, soaked in her fluids.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give Motoko her share. But after that titjob, I simply have to make you feel as good as I did.¡± I grinned, sliding into her warm hole. She gasped, and I grabbed her sodden breasts from behind, even as she turned to kiss me. I began to pound her hard, varying the angle and speed so as to strike different areas inside her, and as she gasped with pleasure, her kisses became fiercer. I tightened my grip on her breasts, flesh spilling out between my fingers, my thumbs rubbing her nipples, and she started to shudder.


    Pulling my lips from hers I licked her ear as she did to me earlier, making her blush, and I whispered. ¡°Together. I¡¯ll fill you up. Today we announced to the world you¡¯re mine. Nothing can change that now.¡±


    My words were enough, and with that she came hard, my dick gouging out her most sensitive areas. Tears were in her eyes and I licked them off, a different sort of salty taste to my own which I shared with Hyacinth. I couldn¡¯t resist her embarrassed yet delighted expression as she spasmed, so I too released, my dick hot and throbbing from my fourth ejaculation.


    ¡°I¡¯m filling up.¡± She gasped when she could speak again, her words quiet but heartfelt. ¡°I¡¯m yours, inside and out.¡± Her hand was on her belly, though the cloth of her dress was between them. As I slipped free, cum soaked through her panties and dripped down, and with a smile I pulled up the skirt and wiped my dick off, feeling an immoral thrill. Yes, sometimes clothed is as good as naked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to wash this dress.¡± Natsumi managed. ¡°Maybe I could frame it like this, have it in my room?¡±


    Motoko smiled gently at her lewdness, but Hyacinth shook her head, sweaty hair swaying. ¡°Nooo, we must wash them. Akio wants to see us in them again, sooo that is no good.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°If you want to keep a trophy, well, how about those spare uniforms you were planning? If we got one for everyone, that might be nice too...¡±


    ¡°It would help us bond. Though I suspect Shiro would be rather embarrassed, being older.¡± Motoko¡¯s smile was now benevolent as she watched Hyacinth and Natsumi as they lay there in post-orgasmic bliss, but her legs were twitching below her dress, as were her lips, and I knew she was aroused by the scent of sweat, love juices and semen, as well as the state of her best friend and Hyacinth. Yes, seeing them lying there, it does look like I¡¯ve rather taken advantage of them. That¡¯s lewd in itself...


    ¡°So, seeing Hyacinth and Natsumi so enthusiastic... I find myself at a loss, but...¡± Motoko stood, eyes spinning with lust and arousal. ¡°If the game is clothing...¡± her dress was sleeveless, but she grabbed my dick with a delicate hand and inserted it into the armpit of her dress. Her hand stroked me gently, tenderly, her fingers searching out where I would feel the most pleasure, and soon I was hard again, my dick throbbing, as she looked at me with her brilliant brown eyes. ¡°I never dreamed my debut would be with Natsumi. Thank you. And thank you too Hyacinth. I want you in my life as well.¡±


    With that she squeezed, and I didn¡¯t hold back, squirting out another tide of cum, grateful that my stats made this possible. Otherwise I¡¯d be running on empty and probably having a heart attack from the strain by now. As my ejaculation continued, a stain was spreading, starting from her neckline, moving down her chest, and finally to her belly.


    ¡°That feels curious. Warm and sticky. But... somehow comforting.¡± She grinned, releasing me and licking my cum from her fingers delicately, which immediately aroused me, my dick standing tall again. ¡°Oh my, are you that eager to claim me?¡± She kissed me, tongue licking at mine passionately, but without the fervour of Natsumi¡¯s earlier kisses, as if she was enjoying a leisurely delicacy. When we parted, her eyes were as moist as her lips, and she pulled up her skirt, sliding aside her pretty white panties, revealing her twitching pussy. Pushing her slit against my engorged glans, she winced a little, still tight despite the times we had fucked already, and as she opened up her body slid down, dress bunched up against my legs. She let her neckline glide down, revealing one breast, the one that was still clean, inviting me to toy with it, which I did, my tongue and teeth worrying her nipple gently, my hand squeezing her, as my free hand slid to her taut ass, fingers sliding inside, the feel of soft skin and cloth contrasting.


    ¡°Mother, father, grandfather. Motoko is a shameless daughter, so engrossed in a man before marriage. But... I know you will be the one I will marry and spend the rest of my life with.¡± She kissed me again, her eyes earnest. ¡°After all, we debuted in front of the Queen of Great Britain, and the photographs will always live as proof. So I will not hesitate. Whenever I wish to be loved... I will do this.¡± She began to move up and down, facing me cowgirl style, gently to start and then picking up the pace, twisting her body to reach the places within her that felt good. ¡°I think I will want this forever.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Natsumi reached out and took one of her hands, while Hyacinth scrambled over and grabbed her other, also helping stabilise her as she started rocking up and down ever more fiercely. My finger moved down, gently massaging her clitoris, and as she started to redden, sweat springing from her like water, she grinned. ¡°Natsumi, every day I am surprised anew that I like Akio more and more. Do you feel the same?¡±


    ¡°I could hardly not, Motoko.¡± She grinned, gesturing to her soaked chest with her free hand. ¡°I¡¯m no loose woman. I¡¯d only do this for the man I¡¯m meant to be with.¡±


    ¡°I see, yes.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°There, yes, ah, just there. It feels strange, sinful, but wonderful too...¡± Her rocking intensified, as did the ferocity of her kisses.


    ¡°I think yooou should do what you want. I had many looong dark years, decades, looonger, where I could only do as I was made tooo do. But...¡± as Natsumi reached out her free hand and stroked Hyacinth¡¯s hair reassuringly, Hyacinth smiled. ¡°... now I dooo what I want, and nobody will tell me, or yooou, otherwise. Not even a stupid Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ahn, uh...¡± Motoko was panting, her pistoning joined by mine as I started swinging my waist, helping her rise towards ecstasy. ¡°I agree. She was... a little, uh, disappointing. Ahn, well, we were too, once, Natsumi. So we ahn, ahn oh... it¡¯s coming...¡± she sped up even further, our bodies slapping together with wet sounds, her nectar splashing onto her bunched skirt. ¡°... should forgive her, ahn, nooooooooo....¡± Motoko felt my hot semen pouring into her as I came. She bit down on my tongue hard enough that I was glad for my stats, as she writhed, her own pleasure coming forth as she continued to ride me, even as I filled her. She rocked forwards, her weight settling onto me, and as my cum splashed free of her pussy, accompanied by the gush of her own juices, she looked at me with her reddened face and happy smile. ¡°... my dress is as soiled as any. In fact, poor Hyacinth is the cleanest. What do you say...¡± her smile was angelic and wicked at the same time. ¡°This time, we can do it the Fae way as well!¡±


    ¡°That is a good idea!¡± Hyacinth approved, reaching in and scooping out some cum and nectar from the join between Motoko and I, making her shiver, before Hyacinth rubbed it on her dress. ¡°Hyacinth wants to be dooone from behind this time. Like Shiro!¡±


    All I could do was laugh. Are they trying to kill me? Even with my stats my heart was beating fast, and my dick was rather sore. Well, I guess I¡¯ll be dying happy tonight...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Two

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Two


    After a very pleasant night with Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth, in which we had toured some sights of London and taken in the beautiful skyline, the colours different to those we usually saw in Tokyo, more white and orange, rather than the neon tones of home, we woke up early, had breakfast with the rest of our party, and after leaving Major Sasaki in charge of their defence, we headed to the address Princess Eleanor had provided us, a small yet expensive apartment in Chelsea, a few miles from the Tower of London, past Buckingham Palace.


    ¡°You think this is the place?¡± Natsumi asked, uncertain. All around this street in Chelsea there were many huge mansions, this place was rather quaint in comparison, though obviously no home here could ever be thought of as cheap. Likely the five million I¡¯ll be getting from Mr Staveley wouldn¡¯t go very far here...


    ¡°It¡¯s the right address.¡± I confirmed. Today Natsumi and Motoko were wearing their training hakama in blue and white, while Hyacinth was back in her modest maid attire. We were attracting a few looks from passers-by while we stood on the doorstep, so I shrugged and rang the doorbell. Moments later the door opened, to reveal a grinning Prince Henry.


    ¡°Come on in, don¡¯t stand on ceremony. Ellie is inside.¡±


    As we entered, taking off our shoes, looking for slippers, Henry shrugged. ¡°Uh, you can leave your outdoor shoes on in here. It¡¯s all wooden flooring, and the cleaner will tidy up any mess.¡± A little uncomfortable, we heeded his words, and he looked the girls up and down. ¡°Not in your dresses today? A bit of a shame.¡±


    ¡°If Miss Melissa hears you talking like that you¡¯ll get in trouble.¡± I said slyly. ¡°Oh, and congratulations. Getting engaged is a big deal.¡± Beside me, Motoko and Natsumi nodded.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess you¡¯d know, right?¡± He smiled jovially. ¡°And yes, Mel would probably tear my ear off until I apologised. Those are Japanese martial arts outfits, right?¡± he asked, and Motoko answered that they were. We then entered the sitting room, where Princess Eleanor was waiting, seated elegantly on a plain sofa, sipping at a cup of tea.


    ¡°So, you made it. And you brought them?¡± she eyed the girls curiously.


    ¡°Yes, I thought it might be educational.¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, take a seat and have some tea. We need to discuss what we hope to achieve first.¡± Eleanor said, and we needed no further invitation. Hyacinth was still rather unfriendly with her, her gaze cold, but Eleanor paid it little mind.


    ¡°Firstly, you asked if I could perform Chirurgery on Prince Henry. I certainly can, but I admit to being concerned. An ordinary person, even with Chirurgery, isn¡¯t going to be a huge help in the Boundary.¡± I warned. ¡°The last thing I want is for your brother to get injured or worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. Well, I¡¯ve left the Forces, but once a soldier, always a soldier.¡± Henry said. ¡°You have no idea how much I regretted that Ellie was chosen, not me. Richard too, but he¡¯s the heir after dad, so he can¡¯t take this risk. Speaking of dad, you should go see him soon, Ellie.¡± He said seriously. ¡°You¡¯re about so little since all this happened.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ellie in company.¡± She flushed, as she actually served us tea herself. ¡°Must you be so embarrassing, Henry?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a brother¡¯s job to embarrass his sister, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Henry winked at me, and I found myself smiling.


    ¡°Absolutely, my sister says she¡¯s embarrassed by me all the time.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the most important job a brother has?¡± Henry asked, looking me in the eyes.


    ¡°Protecting her.¡± I admitted, and he nodded, well satisfied.


    ¡°Absolutely. So, I need this. I won¡¯t overestimate myself. I¡¯m still fairly fit, I keep in trim, and I know how to handle myself in unarmed combat. I don¡¯t claim I¡¯ll be able to match Ellie...¡± he ignored her request to change the way he addressed her. ¡°... but I want to at least see the world she sees.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have any guns or other weapons there, those that you¡¯ve relied on before.¡± I warned.


    ¡°True. But I doubt I¡¯ll be as useless as you think, Akio.¡± He looked at his sister, who shrugged.


    ¡°I think Henry is right, maybe. But it¡¯s not something I can talk about, as it involves... matters of the Crown.¡± She looked a bit uncomfortable, but I didn¡¯t want to pry. Not yet, anyway we still haven¡¯t established trust.


    ¡°If it¡¯s something you can¡¯t talk about, I understand. I have those matters as well. But what I can talk about is... the danger I believe you face, Princess. But we might as well do that inside the Boundary. That way I can put you through your paces.¡±


    ¡°This house is on the border of the Avalon I control.¡± Eleanor said. ¡°Not too far from Aditi¡¯s. I can¡¯t allow you to see the centre of my domain, I have to keep it secure, and only allow those who serve me within it.¡±


    ¡°Cautious.¡± I said, nodding. ¡°I understand that, losing your Anchor would be a disaster. I had hoped you¡¯d trust me a bit more, but well, we have all day to work on that.¡± I said cheerfully. ¡°So, we are on the border, huh? I¡¯m curious as to what dwells in London.¡± As we chatted a little, I finished my tea, and put Henry through Chirurgery, loading him up with aether.


    ¡°That was a rather unpleasant experience. To think Grandmother endured it. Well, she always was a tough old boot.¡± He said, when he had recovered.


    ¡°Henry!¡± Eleanor said, scandalised, and he laughed.


    ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just say it, not in front of guests!¡± she persisted.


    ¡°Guests? I would say they are a little more than guests. So... what¡¯s the play?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth will watch over us as we enter. I don¡¯t like leaving our Material bodies unguarded. That reminds me, what do you do, Eleanor?¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to like the question, but after a moment she answered it. ¡°Within the Tower of London I have a room.¡±


    ¡°I see. And it¡¯s locked, and you have protection, and nobody else has access to it?¡± I pressed, and she frowned.


    ¡°It does have bolts, though I haven¡¯t been using them. My team also uses the Tower as their base, as their Avalons all surround it, so there is easy access.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± That¡¯s concerning. But one thing at a time. ¡°Hyacinth, you know what to do. Any danger, eliminate it.¡± I ordered her, and she smiled brilliantly.


    ¡°Have nooo fear, Akio. I shall choooke and strangle and poison and break anyooone who threatens you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s one scary maid.¡± Henry said. ¡°If the maids at the Palace were like that, I¡¯d have got up to a lot less mischief when I was younger. You too, most likely Ellie.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Enough chatter. How are we dong this?¡± Eleanor asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if we are all together so that Hyacinth can watch us all. You dive in first, then Motoko and Natsumi can follow. I¡¯ll coach Prince Henry quickly, and then we¡¯ll join you.¡±


    ¡°Henry, watch him. Don¡¯t let him do anything strange while I¡¯m asleep.¡± She said, her blue eyes wary, before moments later she was asleep in her chair.


    ¡°We shall go ahead. If there is trouble we will flee immediately.¡± Motoko promised, and Natsumi echoed her.


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯ll find trouble inside a Territory, but safety first!¡± As those two also left their Material bodies, their breathing becoming slow and ponderous, Henry turned to me, a serious expression on his face.


    ¡°You looked unhappy there when she said she doesn¡¯t have guards.¡± Henry said, picking up on my concerns. ¡°Level with me. You¡¯re worried, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Very. Though guards wouldn¡¯t actually make me feel any better right now. I don¡¯t know if they could be trusted themselves.¡± I considered that. ¡°I know I can trust Hyacinth...¡± she giggled at that happily. ¡°... and it would take an ambush that takes her out instantly to win, and I doubt many would be able to do that. So we can enter safely today. As for the future...¡±


    ¡°Well, Ellie may be stubborn and not the brightest...¡± he laughed shamefacedly. ¡°Us Windsors aren¡¯t very academic, you know. Our dear old grandmother has all the brains in the family. But she¡¯s not a fool. She¡¯ll come around. So...¡± he rubbed his hands together eagerly. ¡°Now I¡¯m finally able to see just what Ellie does, rather than hearing lies from her, and stories from her friends designed not to worry us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hard trying not to worry the people who care about you, when what we do is so dangerous.¡± I said ruefully. ¡°So, anyway, concentrate on the flow of aether around your lower body, it should feel...¡± As I explained, Henry nodded, and after ten minutes he was gone. Moments later I followed him, running through my head just what I would explain to the Princess....


    ********


    Entering the Boundary I was inside a small building. Stepping outside the first thing I noticed was the sky. It had been several days since I had entered the Boundary, and in that time the silver skies had dimmed, the usual dark aurorae increasing in intensity. There was a tang in the air, ether weighing on me, and though I had no idea of the ether density of London and Princess Eleanor¡¯s Territory, comparing it to Tokyo it was a little higher than before I had left. Perhaps the calm is ending, and we¡¯ll soon be back to what the Boundary was before? If so, then that¡¯ll speed up the infrastructure builds in Haru-san¡¯s and my Territories.


    Spoiler


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    I was still in my new impressive black armour, a mixture of a long trenchcoat and brigandine-style armour, in a stealthy and luxurious black, though flashes of white could be seen underneath when the lining was visible. I also had Storming Moonlight and my spear with me. I look like a typical Shonen protagonist. I have to admit, long coats look cool though. Maybe I¡¯m still a child at heart? Imagining what my sister would say about that, I noticed the others. Henry was looking about, open-mouthed at the empty streets, while Eleanor was wearing a set of medieval armour in enamelled emerald green, with bronze trims around the pauldrons, chest, greaves and gauntlets. A sword was belted at her waist, and the hilt was well worn with use.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    Motoko and Natsumi spotted me as well, and Natsumi waved cheerfully. ¡°Akio, you¡¯re here. What took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just thought I¡¯d let Prince Henry get here first.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Henry. You¡¯re trying to help Ellie, so there¡¯s no need for me putting on airs. So...¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°... this is the world Ellie sees? It¡¯s rather empty.¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you have any Barracks set up?¡± Natsumi asked. ¡°Akio¡¯s Territory is full of weaselkin and other Fae.¡±


    ¡°No, though down by the Thames, Raidre¡¯s selkies have their home, on Bermondsey Isle.¡± Eleanor turned to look towards the east, where the Palace was visible, an even greater spectacle than in the Material, larger and with golden spires and towers topped with gleaming ruby and sapphire tiles. Beyond that a massive black tower jutted up into the sky, soaring higher than even the Shard and similar skyscrapers in the Material. As I watched, a number of huge black ravens were circling, hundreds of them. Is that... adherence? My Eye shone for a brief moment, and I could see a strange flow of it, being drawn towards the Tower from all directions, and being pulled downwards, as though the Tower was some sort of lightning rod. Letting the amber glow fade, I pondered that briefly. There must be more adherence I can¡¯t see, since I can only observe the lowest grades of it. Well, it likely has to do with some of the secrets Eleanor doesn¡¯t want to tell me. I¡¯ll need to build trust if I want knowledge.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± was all I said, and Eleanor nodded, her brown hair here bunched up into a ponytail, tied by a brilliant crimson ribbon.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have many forces at my command, we only learned how to call upon them recently. But Sarah and Mary-Jane, Donovan and Sir Arthur, they are building up a decent number. So we don¡¯t need to spend every minute here defending what is ours.¡± Her voice was melancholy, and Henry reached out to pat her shoulder reassuringly.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made you work hard, Ellie. Sorry I couldn¡¯t do anything to ease your burden.¡±


    For a moment she brooded, before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault. At first I railed against the unfairness of it all, wished that the cup would pass from my lips, but then I realised I couldn¡¯t stand aside knowing someone else would have to fight and suffer for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit religious there, Ellie.¡± Henry said, and she sighed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hardly devout, but like dad and grandmother, I am a Christian. Not that I attend mass nearly as much as I should. You don¡¯t either.¡± She said critically, and Henry shrugged silently, leaving her to continue. ¡°It¡¯s ironic. Mary Stuart harps at me constantly over faith, but it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t believe. It¡¯s so... frustratingly stupid.¡±


    As Motoko and Natsumi looked on sympathetically, I smiled, a gentle quirk of my lips. ¡°Just do what you can, and if there¡¯s any God that blames you for that, we don¡¯t need them. As for Territory defence, yeah it¡¯s a pain. I nearly lost mine a number of times. Upgrading is the worst, everything shuts down. I won¡¯t make the mistake of leaving things unguarded again.¡±Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I am glad someone gets it!¡± Eleanor said happily, her change of expression mercurial and surprising me a bit. ¡°That¡¯s why the others arrayed their banners around the Tower, so that I wouldn¡¯t be so vulnerable again. But now their Avalons are out of position and not providing full value.¡± She sighed. ¡°We gained safety but sacrificed ability to expand.¡±


    ¡°Arraying banners huh? That¡¯s a cute expression.¡± I smiled, and she looked down, slightly pink. ¡°I get it though. In the end I had to move my Anchor, or banner, you might say. It¡¯s much more secure now, but I have a lot of support from the Fae. Shaeula¡¯s brother and sister won¡¯t let anything bad happen to it in my absence, or she¡¯d deliver the ultimate blow and say she hates them. They are both major siscons.¡±


    ¡°And it does indeed take one to know one.¡± Motoko teased me.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I admit it, I dote on Aiko a bit too much, but I¡¯m too old to change now. I guess Henry gets it?¡±


    ¡°I certainly do. If any bastard ever hurts my sister or betrays her, I¡¯ll kill them. So be warned.¡± He said, and I shrugged.


    ¡°No idea why you are warning me. I¡¯m here to prevent that.¡± I promised. ¡°Well, Princess...¡±


    ¡°Call me Eleanor.¡± She sighed. ¡°If my brother is being so informal, who am I to demand consideration? Besides, I feel uncomfortable being too well regarded.¡± She looked at me then, seeing my armour and weapons. ¡°You are... well prepared, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Always.¡± I promised. ¡°These are items forged by a Dvergr smith back at my Territory. I¡¯ve still no idea why certain equipment follows one around, as Motoko and Natsumi are here empty-handed.¡± I looked at them, wearing hakama like back in the Material. ¡°Well, you do normally borrow some equipment from the Armoury or what¡¯s lying around the Territory, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would dearly love to bring Gurenyari, Hebihikoukiba and Utsuroihebi to battle here.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°That would be wonderful. Wielding the Tsumura family weapons in battle, what they were truly made for.¡± Their smiles just imagining it were beautifully pure, and Eleanor was moved.


    ¡°I see. You spoke the truth, I see. You are warriors, despite your youth. I am truly sorry for before. I treated you like idiots. Can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I accept, as I did before.¡± Motoko said, her brown eyes earnest. ¡°The words of those who do not understand us and our love are as dust on the wind. I used to care so much about being seen as the perfect noble daughter, not disgracing Tsumura house. Yet I was prepared to abandon that if I could just keep my weapons, our arts. And Natsumi by my side.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same, Motoko. I forgive you too, Princess. Even if I put you out of my mind when we returned home last night. That was a good night. Seeing London from the top of the Shard, then back to the Savoy for...¡± Natsumi blushed. ¡°... what you probably don¡¯t like, Princess. But then, those that haven¡¯t been in love won¡¯t understand.¡±


    As Eleanor and I stood there gaping at the backhanded way they accepted her latest apology, Henry broke out laughing. ¡°Oh my, Ellie! Those girls are ruthless. I felt the burn just from standing near you. Girls, please. My sister is genuinely sorry. She was wrong. She can be a bit stuck-up, you know.¡± He confided, and Eleanor glared at him, but he continued. ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t be shy. Give them your blessing, put an end to this.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Eleanor was red-faced and exasperated, but even so, she actually bowed in a passable imitation of a Japanese apology. ¡°... am glad for you. That you managed to stay together and keep your dreams alive. I suppose that is worth more than my misgivings.¡± She then let out a frustrated scream. ¡°Enough of this. I hate this! I feel a fool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Eleanor, let¡¯s forget the past. What matters is the future. We don¡¯t hold grudges, considering we¡¯ve forgiven worse. At least you didn¡¯t try to kill me, like Shaeula.¡± I smirked. ¡°As for you two...¡± I considered carefully what to say, as just as Eleanor had secrets, so did we. ¡°... if we can get the Laverna working, then it should be possible for you to have the weapons. Until then, you are some of the next names on the list for Bjarki to make weapons and armour for.¡±


    ¡°Bjarki?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Our Dvergr. He¡¯s a genius, as you¡¯ll see when I swing this sword.¡± I tapped the hilt meaningfully.


    ¡°I can hardly wait.¡± Natsumi laughed, and then I tossed her my spear, which she caught elegantly, and Henry marvelled over her speed.


    ¡°For an ordinary person, you move fast. Can I reach that level?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you give your heart to Akio, and I do not believe either Melissa Masters or any of Akio¡¯s fiance?es will approve of that. But with training you can improve.¡± Motoko said dryly.


    ¡°Yes, no thanks. I don¡¯t swing that way, dad would have a heart attack, and grandmother... well, you know what, I doubt she¡¯d care all that much. But no thanks.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you, Henry. Anyway, Natsumi, Motoko, you can take it in turns using the spear. I doubt we¡¯ll be doing anything too taxing. Not with Henry here. So, Eleanor...¡± I looked her up and down, admiring the armour she wore, though she reddened, crossing her arms under her chest, perhaps thinking I was ogling her. ¡°That¡¯s quite the suit of armour. Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... my legacy.¡± She said carefully. ¡°I am the Green Knight, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I¡¯m surer than ever that the visions are accurate. Well, time to talk about that when we start bonding over a bit of clearing out some of London. ¡°Do you mind if I take a look?¡± I asked, and she sighed.


    ¡°I think you looked enough. I could see you ogling me.¡± She said harshly, and I grinned.


    ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t. That armour looks really high-quality. So if you don¡¯t mind...¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She said, perhaps not understanding what I meant, but my Eye blazed amber, illuminating the silent streets.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Henry asked, and Motoko answered him as I was engrossed in the description of her armour.


    ¡°Looks like at some point you picked up a dangerous affliction. Here.¡±


    Bullaun Dark Waters ¨C Cursed water collected from a Bullaun, a stone said to be able to grant great weal or greater woe. This water is infused with a dire curse that brings ill-fortune, luck will flee from the bearer, while mischance will be invited in. As a cursed water of notable malevolence, it will not be expelled, unless by blessed water from a Bullaun of the same or greater providence.


    ¡°A Bullaun? What¡¯s that?¡± Henry asked, and none of us knew, only what I had said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it is. The question is how, who and why.¡± I said, pondering.


    ¡°Do you think it might have been some creatures like these?¡± Henry looked at the slowly dissolving Barghest. ¡°Monsters like that I could easily see using curses. I still can¡¯t believe it¡¯s this bad, Ellie. I thought your tales were exaggerations.¡±


    ¡°You see why you can¡¯t be much use, sorry to say?¡± I said to Henry. ¡°The Barghest would kill you instantly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, but...¡± he trailed off, looking at Eleanor, who sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting splashed by water in my battles, but to be honest, I¡¯m not always clearheaded. I... panic rather a lot.¡± She admitted.


    ¡°It might be a good thing if it was a denizen of the Boundary.¡± I said, drawing their attention. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t, there¡¯s only one conclusion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not one of my friends.¡± Eleanor shook her head. ¡°I know that¡¯s what you are aiming at. I know their Gods¡¯ Chosen abilities. None of them have this water.¡±


    ¡°That proves little, I fear, Princess.¡± Motoko said. ¡°Turning your face away from the truth is folly, and it will throw dirt on Akio¡¯s efforts here. It seems to me that description says the water was gathered, not created.¡±


    ¡°But if it was so easy to find treasures such as that....¡± Eleanor¡¯s face twisted, and she fell silent. ¡°... assuming I was fed this cursed water, it could have been anyone. That¡¯s assuming you are even telling me the truth right now.¡±


    ¡°And what reason do I have to lie?¡± I said sadly. ¡°I¡¯m actually pleased you are being more cautious Eleanor, but I have to admit it¡¯s rather annoying. Well, we have no way of finding out who gave it to you, be it an enemy here or back in the Material. But we have to get rid of it...¡±


    ¡°You have Bullaun water?¡± she said, suspicions rising. ¡°Isn¡¯t that awfully convenient?¡±


    ¡°I think he has water better than that. I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± Natsumi smiled cheerfully, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, my water comes from the Spring of Clear Reflections, a sacred site of the Fae. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s up to the task. But it might be a little uncomfortable. It does tend to purge bodily impurities, so... you¡¯ll likely need a bath or two later.¡± Sorry Daiyu, I¡¯m going to have to use up the drops I¡¯ve gathered. But I know you¡¯d understand. Well, it deals with curses well enough, so...


    I channelled water element, orange flickering with pale indigo energies surging and as water gushed into her, Eleanor shuddered. More blood scattered, this blood streaked with black and blue within the silver, and she let out a hoarse gasp. ¡°This feels... strange. Inside, I¡¯m... burning?¡±


    My Eye continued observing, the darkness fighting her, only to be exuded as a foul mist which was swallowed by my orange tides. It took a solid thirty minutes of effort, the work requiring great concentration, but finally it was done, the last of the curse being expelled, along with other black droplets of impurity, which smoked and vanished into the air. ¡°Got it. Spirit Water really is excellent against curses.¡± I said, satisfied. ¡°So, how do you feel, Eleanor?¡±


    She looked at me, a bit puzzled, before sighing. ¡°Not a lot different, but... my head does feel a little clearer, my body a bit lighter. I¡¯d feel better if I didn¡¯t still have a giant hole in my body.¡± She laughed, and it did sound brighter, not with the brittle edge her other humour held.


    ¡°You do sound more like yourself, Ellie. Richard and I thought it was just the pressure you were under, and having seen the battles here, I was certain that was true, but now...¡± he looked at me, eyes searching mine. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Akio. Was it really a curse?¡±


    ¡°Unless it can fool my Eye, which I doubt.¡± I nodded. ¡°What benefit do I get by lying?¡± I lifted Storming Moonlight. ¡°If I wanted you two dead, I could do it easily. Eleanor, your regeneration is powerful, but if I cut you into a few hundred pieces and bathe you in that...¡± I pointed to my Foehn still blazing away merrily as a backdrop to this grim conversation. ¡°... I¡¯m confident you¡¯d die.¡±


    ¡°How ghastly. Is that a threat?¡± Eleanor said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I worked Ether Healing, and she looked surprised as her body began to regenerate at a visible rate, her Favour interacting with my aether, the effect cumulative. ¡°If I haven¡¯t shown my goodwill by now, I don¡¯t know what else I can do, and if you don¡¯t believe me, maybe Hyacinth is right, and you¡¯re a lost cause.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s offensive!¡± Eleanor said. ¡°I¡¯m just doing what you wanted, being paranoid. Because if it was someone I know, what could they be after? It has to be...¡± she trailed off, troubled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t speak of it. Only Grandmother and I know of it. But perhaps if someone else knows... it would be worth killing for...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Tower, right?¡± I said, and Eleanor gaped at me. ¡°Sorry, I said I do have an excellent Eye.¡± I tapped it, even as her last wounds healed. ¡°I can see the adherence being drawn in from all around, and if I can see it, there must be more I can¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°Adherence?¡± she asked, and I sighed.


    ¡°You want me to explain when you won¡¯t tell me anything?¡±


    ¡°I would, if it was my secret to tell. But it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s Britain¡¯s.¡± Eleanor insisted steadfastly. ¡°But...¡± she looked at Henry. ¡°What do you think? Can I really trust him? I found him rather frustrating and unpleasant at first sight, but... well, he seems not so bad now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it starts, Motoko.¡± Natsumi chuckled. ¡°Do you think Eri is right?¡±


    ¡°It is far too early to say. Though I find it hard to believe Akio does not make an impression on her.¡±


    Ignoring their comments, I told her a little about adherence. ¡°Adherence, I guess you could call it a sort of fervent belief, or prayer. And it can be used as a power source if properly understood. And the Tower is pulling it in from all around London. I find that interesting.¡± I looked at Eleanor, who shifted in uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t bully Ellie. She said she can¡¯t talk about it.¡± Henry said. ¡°I¡¯m grateful, and I¡¯ll do anything in my power to help you, but if Ellie and grandmother say it¡¯s a secret that can¡¯t be shared, then it can¡¯t be, so please respect their feelings.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I accepted it in the end. ¡°But in exchange, I want one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eleanor asked, a little wary. I¡¯m a little hurt she still thinks I¡¯m a lustful beast, but at least she¡¯s interacting with me without any problems. Small victories I guess.


    ¡°Take my warnings seriously. You are in danger. Hmm, you need a trump card. Your Divine Favour is nature element, so water and earth. Strengthening one of those...¡± I looked at her, and she flushed, looking away. ¡°... is there anywhere where the water energy is strong in your Territory?¡± Water¡¯s probably best, it has stronger healing properties...


    ¡°Yes, by the Thames, not too far from Bermondsey Isle.¡± She said, relieved at my question. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Before I go, I want you to be a bit stronger. And while we train... I have some things to tell you.¡± I said solemnly, and after looking into my eyes, ascertaining my sincerity, despite faintly pink cheeks, she nodded.


    ¡°Very well. I would be a fool not to get stronger. You have left quite an impression on me with your strength. On David as well it seems.¡±


    ¡°Eri¡¯s right it seems...¡± Natsumi whispered, and I shook my head. I don¡¯t think so, though if it¡¯s what it takes to get her to listen to me, then it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing. Before we headed out, my gaze strayed to the object lying next to the still-burning flames. Yes, I think I¡¯ll take that...


    ********


    ¡°London doesn¡¯t look like what I imagined.¡± I said, as Eleanor sat down by the bank of the Thames, which seemed far wider and more turbulent than it was in reality. Vivid orange water element was pouring from it, forming a hazy veil, which was perfect for our needs. ¡°It¡¯s full of magnificent structures and large buildings.¡±


    ¡°South of the river it¡¯s different.¡± Eleanor admitted, silvery sweat dripping down her face as she tried to pull in the energy as I instructed. Her sacral chakra was taking damage, her body bleeding, as we were rushing it far faster than was safe, but with her incredible healing powers, it was a brute-force attempt we could risk. ¡°To the south the buildings are smaller, three or four stories high at most, and the roads are simply narrow, twisting alleyways. We got ambushed there a number of times, David, Sir Arthur, Donovan, Sarah and I having to fight our way out protecting Aditi and Mary-Jane. It¡¯s a labyrinth down there...¡±


    ¡°I see. That sounds a bit more like the outskirts of Tokyo where my Territory is centred, though thanks to Shirohebizumi shrine we have some nice open spaces.¡±


    Henry was watching on, listening, while Motoko and Natsumi were also training. Water fed wind, so it was a similar process to me learning fire after mastering wind, just in reverse. I had asked them if they wanted to wait for Spirit Water, but they said they would leave that for Daiyu, and would get in some practice while they could, not expecting much success. Yeah, Motoko and Natsumi never miss out on training opportunities, Well, a second element would be another boost for them...


    ¡°So, you wanted to tell me more about these visions?¡± Eleanor said, sweating blood, her face twisted into an expression of pain. ¡°Damn, you are putting your fiance?es through this? You¡¯re cruel, Akio.¡±


    ¡°They are taking it slow. I don¡¯t have time for that with you. You fought like someone who didn¡¯t care about her own injuries, so suck it up. If you can master water, your regeneration should grow stronger, and...¡± I demonstrated a few water element attacks, such as droplet bullets and water cutters. ¡°... an attack nobody expects will get you out of danger once.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Ellie.¡± Henry said. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t in danger, like he says, having a hidden weapon is an excellent plan. I always used to carry a small hidden pistol and combat knife. You never know.¡±


    ¡°The water element here is strong. You know, I could have a word with Primal Forest and get a Ring Gate so we can move between our Territories. Sure, he didn¡¯t charge me last time, so I owe him a damn favour, and he¡¯ll probably screw me if I ask for another, but... well, I¡¯ll write off the cost for peace of mind.¡± I said earnestly, only for Eleanor to dismiss me with a pained smile.


    ¡°As I have refused several times already, I must say you are persistent. Ladies don¡¯t like pushy men.¡± She winced as a knife of pain sparked through her as the water element slipped again. I advised her of where the flow was deviating, and with an effort she managed to redirect it. ¡°I cannot allow access to my Territory, nor the Tower of London, as you have surmised. Not for an outsider. I... may have to consider restricting it further.¡± She looked sour at that, but I was a little elated. She¡¯s learning.


    ¡°You make it damn hard to protect you, Eleanor. But at least you are starting to think about what I¡¯ve told you seriously. That¡¯s why I¡¯m pushing you to master water element even if it wrecks your body. I feel bad, but between your Favour and my Ether Healing, we can put you back together.¡±


    ¡°How kind of you.¡± She sighed. ¡°But you and Henry are right. A hidden weapon would be helpful, and you correctly pointed out my forte is not in attacking. Besides...¡± she looked at Motoko and Natsumi, who were in the lotus position, having copied that from Daiyu, drawing in water element and trying to prevent it fuelling the wind element at their hearts. ¡°... I would feel rather pathetic being less dedicated than two girls I slandered as too young and nai?ve to know their own minds.¡±


    Motoko, her eyes shut, merely smiled at that, while Natsumi let out a brief giggle. Shaking her head, Eleanor continued, her tone wry. ¡°So, anyway, continue. The details of these visions are fascinating, even if I don¡¯t believe that they could ever work. It¡¯s like Nostradamus and all these foolish prophets, we just shape the facts to fit afterwards. But there is one thing I don¡¯t get. How can you claim that Mary Stuart is the Gods¡¯ Chosen of this One True Throne? I mean, it¡¯s obvious she is a woman of deep faith, so it¡¯s expected, but...¡±


    ¡°Well, the keyword is Ninth Heaven.¡± I said. ¡°If they use that, they are with the One True Throne.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know this?¡± she pressed, and I smiled broadly.


    ¡°A Goddess told me.¡±


    For a moment there was silence, then Eleanor burst out laughing. ¡°Oh really? Now I find that unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯s true.¡± I promised. ¡°Perhaps one day you¡¯ll meet her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± she said, blinking.


    ¡°Deadly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ... well, does it matter, I suppose? A Goddess. Is she pretty?¡± Eleanor asked whimsically.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not seen her real form, but from the stories I researched, she should be.¡± I said. ¡°But enough talk about that. So, the last vision was of a woman in green and bronze kneeling... while a figure in white calls on something horrible, while those masked figures watch on. It ties in with the other prophecies, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I¡¯ve not said this one was mine, no need to complicate matters.


    ¡°How oddly specific. Your Diviner was quite the fortune teller.¡± She snorted. ¡°Well, if it is Mary Stuart who is going to betray me, it¡¯s hardly a betrayal. She rarely goes a week without calling on me to give up the power of the Green Man, and to...¡± she trailed off suddenly, and shrewdly, I interjected.


    ¡°She said you were taking grace that didn¡¯t belong to you. And that it was being used up. Know anything about that? If I was a betting man, I¡¯d say the Tower of London is key.¡±


    She froze up, before laughing nervously. ¡°Trying to pry out the secrets of a lady is beneath you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing it because I¡¯m worried.¡± I shrugged that off. ¡°Look, face facts. There¡¯s a good chance I¡¯m right, and if I¡¯m wrong, you¡¯ve lost nothing. Taking precautions is only wise.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Ellie. Those Silver Hands guys with Maxwell Power... they¡¯re tight with Mary Stuart, right? And they¡¯ve been giving a lot of money to your team and the others.¡± Henry said, thinking.


    ¡°Yes, but they wouldn¡¯t betray me for money. Grandmother and the Prime Minister makes sure everyone is compensated more than fairly.¡± Eleanor protested. ¡°We¡¯ve fought side by side many times. I trust them all!¡±


    ¡°So stubborn. Ellie, please. I¡¯m asking you, just be careful.¡± Henry persisted.


    ¡°I accepted your apology, as did Natsumi.¡± Motoko said suddenly, opening her eyes, looking at Eleanor with an earnest brown gaze. ¡°So do me this one courtesy in return. Take Akio¡¯s warnings seriously. Trust your friends, that is noble. But trust us too. We have invested much into your safety, much that we did not have to give. All Akio is asking is that you prepare for the worst. If Great Britain rests on you, you cannot let misplaced loyalty and stubborn pride cause your failure. If you have something you must protect no matter what, then protect it no matter your personal feelings.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if you could accept Akio¡¯s Ring Gate. It saved a lot of lives in Kyoto.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°But...¡± seeing Eleanor look away, biting her lip, she sighed. ¡°... I guess that¡¯s a step too far. Well, Kyoto was still part of Japan, I guess. This is a foreign country, even if we are allies.¡±


    ¡°Do what it takes to stay alive. Your brother here, your other brother, your parents, your grandmother the Queen, the citizens of this country...¡± Motoko lectured her. ¡°... think of the sorrow, the grief if they find you dead. You owe it to them to do everything you can to survive, even if it hurts, your conscience burns.¡± Her tone brooked no dismissal. ¡°Natsumi and I, we will do so. We will not be the damsels who remain in need of saving. We do not have a Divine Favour, we were not chosen, but we will do anything to increase our strengths just a little more, just a tiny drop... so that we never live in regret, or worse, die and leave our regrets to those that survive us.¡±


    Motoko. Natsumi. You¡¯ve definitely grown stronger, your hearts if nothing else.


    ¡°They¡¯re right, Ellie.¡± Henry said, nodding. ¡°Nothing will be worse than in your last moments, as your life flashes before your eyes, than thinking if only I¡¯d listened, done that...¡± he paused. ¡°There¡¯s an old army joke, when a soldier gets to heaven, Saint Peter guarding the pearly gates, asks him what his last thought was, and the guy says I wish I¡¯d cut the bloody blue wire!¡± He paused. ¡°This is your blue wire moment, Ellie. I¡¯ll do what I can, of course, but it¡¯s down to you.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I know when I¡¯m beaten, Henry, girls.¡± She took a long breath. ¡°I gave my word to grandmother, and to the Kings and Queens of Great Britain, no, to those that even came before, before there even was a Britain, an England. I have to protect it. So I¡¯m limited in what I can do. But... I¡¯ll be careful. Alert. Ready for anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± I said, pleased. ¡°You really are hard work. But then, Shaeula and Shiro were too. Must be a Princess thing. Man, Yukiko-san is such a pleasure, she¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°Eri won¡¯t like hearing that, but she won¡¯t be surprised...¡± Natsumi laughed, and Motoko nodded.


    Give me a break, it¡¯s not like that. Yukiko-san is like Haru-san, a coworker who I can relax with. ¡°So, if we have time for chatter, we have time to step up the training...¡± We don¡¯t have much time. I can¡¯t set up a Ring Gate without her permission. It might be possible to find a suitable site elsewhere in London, but it¡¯s not a guarantee and I¡¯ll lose her trust. Damn, best I can do is make sure she believes Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions, and has her trump card...


    ********


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I clapped, as the misshapen, cat-like creature that seemed like a cross between a feline and a slug turned into a scattering of ether. ¡°I think you¡¯ve got it.¡± The ground was riddled with what looked like bullet-holes, where a rain of destructive water droplets had pierced through.


    ¡°Water bullets are decent, and you¡¯ve mastered a wall of water for emergency defence. Having nature element as your base is a big help.¡±


    ¡°Not bad sis, not bad at all!¡± Henry clapped.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose it wasn¡¯t.¡± Eleanor said proudly, her green armour shimmering with light from the skies above. ¡°Though the training was hell.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but you won¡¯t ever regret having more power. Ideally you¡¯d next try and obtain earth element, but the second is way harder than the first, even with your likely affinity. Although, you could always brute force it with your regeneration again.¡± I said, and she shuddered.


    ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll take it nice and gently, like Motoko and Natsumi. So... I guess this is goodbye then.¡± She said, a trace regretfully, her attitude having changed a bit as we fought together. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, I apologise once more. I was selfish, forcing my opinions on you.¡±


    ¡°It was from a place of care. So we understand.¡± Motoko said with noble poise. ¡°But please do apologise to Hyacinth as well. She was greatly offended.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should. But she¡¯s scary. Raidre is right on that!¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s actually extremely adorable and kind. Mostly.¡± Natsumi defended her. ¡°But when you¡¯ve suffered like she has, when people finally care for you, show you kindness, of course you¡¯ll defend them to the death, Princess.¡±


    I clasped hands with Henry. ¡°Thanks Akio. For grandmother, for me, and mostly for Ellie. I hope I can understand her a bit better now, even if it¡¯s only a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t push your luck. Or she¡¯ll be weeping at your funeral. And don¡¯t let her backslide. The cursed water, the Diviner¡¯s Prophecies. Mary Stuart. The Silver Hands. I¡¯m uneasy, and I don¡¯t need Foresight for that.¡± Though it¡¯s still prickling vaguely. I think we have some of the pieces, if not all of them.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll teach her the ways of the army.¡± Henry promised. ¡°Plan, prepare, proceed. And I¡¯ll speak to grandmother about increasing our surveillance on potential problems. I know she¡¯s had background checks done on everyone who works with Ellie, but... maybe another one can¡¯t hurt?¡±


    As we prepared to return to the Material and the waiting Hyacinth, I nodded. Plan, yes. Prepare, well, I¡¯d have done a lot more but Eleanor won¡¯t let me. I¡¯ve done all I can. So now we have to see how this proceeds. All we can do now... is pray...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Three

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Three


    After we returned to the Material, Eleanor awoke, and actually apologised to Hyacinth for doubting her and the insinuation that I was taking advantage of the girls. Hyacinth was rather surprised at this, but on seeing that Eleanor was sincere, Hyacinth¡¯s opinion of her improved a little, though she was still fairly hostile, telling Eleanor that she should be more understanding. To my surprise Eleanor accepted that criticism without complaint, though she still insisted that if ever I proved unworthy, the girls could contact her and she would do her all to help. Hyacinth pouted at that, but had to accept that she was at least standing by her principles.


    Henry and Eleanor saw us off, and we returned to our hotel, where we had a nice dinner with Fujiwara-san, his granddaughters and Major Sasaki, before we had another night of fun in our room. Passing the night together, I managed to grab several hours of sleep, and within my dreams I could see the moon reflected in a lake of fire, just as I had witnessed in the Boundary earlier. The fires were trying to consume something both wondrous and baleful, a being both beautiful and hideous, while behind me stood a black tower, looming overhead like a massive tree, and roots were reaching in all directions, shimmering with adherence, funnelling energy to... something. I had awoken before the vision concluded, but it was enough for me to make some guesses about what it meant. It was surely the same being that Eleanor was kneeling before, if she is indeed the knight of green and copper, which she must be...


    ¡°I have to confess, I will miss the United Kingdom.¡± Motoko said, as our limousine was taking us the short journey towards London City Airport, and Fujiwara-san¡¯s private jet that would be flying us back to Tokyo. ¡°After all, this weekend, you were ours and ours alone.¡± she said affectionately, having become much closer to me, after the debut and also a number of bouts of lovemaking in both the Fae and mortal ways, often both together. I seriously thought they¡¯d drain me dry like Succubae, some nights. Well, if I told Yasu-san that, he¡¯d try and murder me for being ungrateful, so I¡¯ll take it to my grave. Besides, I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like it...


    ¡°I feel the same way!¡± Natsumi said, sinking into my embrace, her eyes bright and sparkling. ¡°Sometimes I feel we aren¡¯t as fortunate as girls like Eri and Shaeula, we only get to gaze on you from afar.¡±


    ¡°Well, Eri had it hard when she didn¡¯t live with me.¡± I said. ¡°Shaeula definitely gets a lot of my time, but recently the Spring has kept her busy... I feel bad though. If I had my way I¡¯d spend as much time with each of you as possible, but we have a lot going on.¡± I paused, thinking. ¡°But if it ever gets to the point where you¡¯re lonely, you can come find me, Natsumi. You too, Motoko. Unless it¡¯s something dangerous I¡¯m doing, I can always make time for you both.¡±


    Behind me Hyacinth nodded. She was less concerned with such things, being a Fae who had lived countless years, and she was happy to dwell in the background, as long as she had my affection once in a while. Though I do want to show her more love as well. She looked amazing in that white dress...


    ¡°We appreciate that. But we want you to be able to take us to dangerous places too. Like you do with Shaeula, Hyacinth or Shiro.¡± Motoko said solemnly, her brown eyes resolute. ¡°As I said to the Princess, I am no shrinking damsel, distressed and fearful. We will be women who can stand proudly by your side, even when the fires of war blaze.¡± She let out a brief sigh. ¡°We both understand that will not be easy, and if we are to be hurt it will only dismay you, but we will continue honing ourselves until we can stand by your side without worrying you. So, we ask your continued aid with our training.¡±


    ¡°I ask it as well.¡± Natsumi echoed. ¡°In fact, when we return to Tokyo, Motoko and I are going to get those weapons you promised Master Bjarki was making for us and battle fiercely, gaining many levels.¡± She giggled. ¡°After all, we have many more to gain now, don¡¯t we? At this rate, we might catch up Eri while she¡¯s unable to enjoy your love.¡±


    ¡°It is a grand thing, to be able to tell father and grandfather that I am training hard, while making love.¡± Motoko said such a lewd thing with a perfectly composed face, which made me feel a little embarrassed. It was certainly true that their Lovers¡¯ Link had increased though.


    ¡°Levels are good, in fact, levels are vital, but keeping your skills up is as important, if not more so.¡± I warned. ¡°So, have you decided on water element next? I¡¯d also advise light element. It doesn¡¯t clash with the four base elements, and we have an ample supply being ferried in from Haru-san¡¯s Territory. The twins and Haru-san can link with you to share our experiences as well. I¡¯m confident that you could master the process in a few days. And as you saw, light is a very effective attacking element when used with our scientific knowledge. A bit of study on lasers goes a long way.¡±


    ¡°We shall take your advice to heart. Hinata should learn as well. I feel guilty leaving her behind.¡± Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Yes, you need to make her yours, or she¡¯ll start to think you don¡¯t love her.¡± Natsumi pressed, and I bit down on a sigh. True. But... first...


    ¡°Thinking abooout Princess Eleanor?¡± Hyacinth said. ¡°That woooman, she frustrates me, but you have won her respect, Akio. If you had nooot, Hyacinth would have surely questioned her sanity.¡± She giggled, and we all exchanged looks as Hyacinth was calling someone mad. ¡°Looove listens to no slander. That is the Fae way.¡± She laughed then, elated. ¡°But mistress Eri will be happy that yooou did not bring her back with you. She thought it likely.¡±


    Me and the Princess? I can¡¯t see it. She¡¯s the lead Chosen of Britain, and well, she didn¡¯t think that highly of me. Plus she has a normal sense of values. Well, that¡¯s not the issue. ¡°Eri can rest assured, that¡¯s not going to happen. Though we do have work to do. It would be so much simpler if we could have set up a Ring Gate. But there¡¯s limits to what we can do. We¡¯ll keep working on her via diplomatic channels. Maybe if we persuade the Queen...¡± as we talked, we reached the airport, the limousines around us pulling up, disgorging Fujiwara-san and the others...


    ********


    ¡°So, did you have fun, Miyu, Honoka-san?¡±


    Miyu nodded. The jet was flying over the ocean below, the view obscured by clouds, and as she looked back towards me from her seat by the window, she smiled. ¡°Yes, it was certainly more exciting than I had expected. Though to think you could rile up Princess Eleanor so thoroughly... it reminds me of when you and Hinata-san came and crushed my insolence and foolishness, Akio-san. In the end, seeing the perspective of other Chosen was valuable to me. I have it easy, despite all my wretched self-pity. At least all I need do is dance.¡± Her lips quirked into an elegant smile.


    ¡°Were you really so base?¡± Honoka-san asked curiously, while Koga-san behind her scowled. Really, I would have hoped the trip would have helped Michiru-san and her sister to get along better, but I suppose these things take time. ¡°I find that hard to believe. You have always been so quiet and refined, Miyu-sama!¡±


    ¡°I have told you, as cousins we don¡¯t need such formality between us. As for my quiet and refinement, it was all rooted in timidity.¡± She changed her style of speaking to a less formal one, more like Hinata or Mayumi-san, choosing her words less carefully. ¡°So I understand the Princess. She is rather like me.¡±


    ¡°Surely the weight on her must be far greater than on us.¡± Motoko said, listening. She and Natsumi were spending a little time with Motoko¡¯s family, and once on the flight, I had performed Chirurgery on both Hikari-san and Minoru-san, since there was no reason not to. Natsumi¡¯s family, Hinata¡¯s... there¡¯s a lot to do. Then there¡¯s my grandparents... They had promised to visit Japan soon, before Christmas, in fact, so I would let mother be the one to break the news of what was really going on to them. Perhaps I should have told them the full truth, but when I do, there¡¯s no going back for them. It¡¯s not something I can decide alone.


    ¡°Us daughters of nobility are seldom seen by the common people of Japan, existing in internet rumours of Hanafubuki Private Academy, and in the whispered tales of big business and politics. Whereas Princess Eleanor, despite her lack of public appearances, unlike her brothers, still is firmly in the public eye, and the British press is notoriously vitriolic and mocking.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Honoka-san said, understanding. ¡°And when she has this responsibility as well, it is no wonder she is struggling. Sometimes I find it hard. I am the youngest of the daughters of the Three Great Houses at Hanafubuki, I often feel I am unable to compete with you or Mayumi-sama.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Koga-san declared loudly, only for Michiru-san to tell her to be silent, and as the two squared up to each other, I reached out, grabbing them both.


    ¡°Enough. Not now. Can¡¯t the two of you just get along? I understand that Honoka-san and Miyu are the two heirs to Fujiwara house so there¡¯s rivalry, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be friends as well as family.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, master, I shall relent and let worthless Kozue off!¡± Michiru-san said, her apology being another insult, and as Koga-san steamed, it was up to Honoka-san to chastise her, which she did.


    ¡°Kozue, please stop this! I love my cousin, and with grandfather now healthy and strong, the struggles for succession can be put aside for now. And I am no fool. Miyu-san has an advantage I lack. She is a Chosen.¡±


    ¡°That is not necessarily a boon.¡± Fujiwara-san said, speaking up, having watched us talk for a while, a glass of brandy in his hand. ¡°After all, you¡¯ll be working her hard, won¡¯t you Akio-san? I wonder, will she ever have time for marriage, much less for the time and effort ruling an enterprise with such scale as Fujiwara House entails?¡± At the talk of marriage both Miyu and Michiru-san stiffened, but everyone pretended not to notice.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to Miyu. But as I said when I made her my vassal, her value is too great to be tossed away in some political union, even for Fujiwara House. And whether that¡¯s true or not, my vassals are my responsibility, and I¡¯ll protect them and their dreams.¡± Hell, even Kikuchi Shuta is my responsibility. Well, his daughter is improving her skills and gets on well with Hisano-san, so things are under control there. It¡¯s just a shame his Territory is in a fairly useless spot, but perhaps I can use it to protect some buildings later down the line... asking him to move it wasn¡¯t an option, as he would never leave Hisuikomushi shrine, and there was no mileage in upsetting the Jade Beetle kami.


    ¡°Besides...¡± I finished, lightening the mood with a smile. ¡°I want to keep Miyu¡¯s Dances all to myself. They truly are miraculous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s talk like that which makes Eri worry.¡± Natsumi laughed, as Miyu reddened a little. ¡°Surely you¡¯re doing it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s what I genuinely think. Miyu¡¯s Dance is going to save us weeks, months, years of time progressing. I¡¯d rather have allies with skills like Miyu, Shiro or Yasaka-san than combat powerhouses. After all, Shaeula, Grulgor and I can do the fighting.¡±


    ¡°Us too, in time!¡± Motoko declared, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, though you have to get at least to where Eri was in Kyoto before I¡¯ll consider you battle-ready. Even that¡¯s a bit on the weak side, considering what happened there...¡±


    ¡°We understand. But with Tsumura Arts as our foundation, we will not fail to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°So see, Honoka.¡± Fujiwara-san said, lecturing her. ¡°While nothing is impossible, it is likely that you will be the one inheriting. Or your husband, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°I will do as you say, of course, grandfather. But in that case, what will happen to Miyu-san?¡±


    ¡°That depends on her. She will receive assets of course. But perhaps as a Chosen under the guidance of Akio-san, she will reach far greater fortunes than even Fujiwara House enjoys?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right, Shige-sama.¡± Tsumura-san said, joining the conversation. ¡°The more we see of this new paradigm, the more I¡¯m sure that the old ways won¡¯t hold. Our decision to accept some change was the right one.¡± He smiled. ¡°Well, at least my Motoko has an eye for men.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather...¡± Motoko blushed scarlet as laughter filled the aircraft.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true?¡± he pressed.


    ¡°Yes, but it is still embarrassing to have it said so boldly by you.¡±


    ¡°Considering what I¡¯m sure you got up to in that suite every night, I¡¯d say it is too late for blushing, granddaughter.¡± He retorted kindly. ¡°Well, as customs go, there are good reasons to keep the daughters of nobility from men, and from learning about and enjoying premarital sex. But in your case they hardly apply. The marriage is certain, and the engagement debut went off without a... well, not without a hitch, but well enough from our perspective. So, what did you think of the Princess you needed to meet?¡±


    ¡°A pain the ass, to be honest.¡± I snorted. ¡°We hardly hit it off. But in the end we managed to reach a bit of an understanding regarding our positions. The problem is that she¡¯s protecting some secret so deep that she and the Queen won¡¯t let me take any of our best precautions yet. So no Ring Gate for instant travel in the Boundary. But we did get through to her, so I hope she¡¯ll be more careful in future, and we taught her a trump card for emergencies. Now... it¡¯s time for Yasaka-san to show the fruits of his grinding.¡±


    ¡°Kyoto was certainly made easier by that transportation.¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°From a military standpoint, delays would have cost us a number of irreplaceable soldiers, more Chosen and perhaps many thousands more civilians. All we can do is have the fastest jet on standby, fully fuelled.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see it done.¡± Fujiwara-san said. ¡°In terms of our business, we concluded a number of agreements with the United Kingdom, though some require ratification by their Parliament and House of Lords. Your presence did good work, Akio-san, it showed we have strength backing us up. The handling of the matter with the Americans is in our favour too, though I do not put much trust in this Christina Bakker woman.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. But I know mad scientists...¡± I grinned, thinking of Ixitt, and how he had sided with me even before he was offered as part of Shaeraggo¡¯s Price, due to the techniques Shaeula and I were displaying. ¡°... give them a taste and they crave for more. Plus I fed her the lie about needing maintenance. I expect Director White will try and exploit her rather than dispose of her or something, and try and get information out of us in exchange. But unless they can unearth someone like me, Yasaka-san or Tsukiko-san, then yes, we have the information edge. Of course, I¡¯m hardly nai?ve enough to think that other countries don¡¯t have similar powers to us, but we know what we have.¡±


    ¡°True, and knowledge is a weapon.¡± Tsumura-san agreed. ¡°One we have to exploit before others do. You made a number of personal connections yourself, no?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, and I see that money is already in my account. Though getting double-taxed is a bit annoying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll receive accommodations for your sacrifice...¡± Tsumura-san laughed, and I had to shrug. Well, I¡¯ll still have a good chunk left, as well as the shares. I could sell them, but Hinata would probably like to manage them...


    ¡°So, what else is on your agenda?¡± Tsumura-san continued. ¡°Motoko and Natsumi will need to return to school, though they should be prepared for an interesting reception after those photographs...¡±


    As the two girls grinned nervously, I counted off my goals on my fingers. ¡°Well, firstly I have to check in on Eri, Shiro and the others. Then I¡¯ll need to check everything is going well in Haru-san¡¯s Territory. Getting information from Yasaka-san comes next. After all that... well, depending on what we learn, I think honing my skills is important. I¡¯ve been putting off my combat skills for too long, and I had a bit of a rude awakening.¡± David was right. I¡¯m relying too much on the solid basics. That makes me predictable...


    ¡°We would be more than happy to instruct you in Tsumura Arts!¡± Motoko said eagerly, and I smiled.


    ¡°Sure, though I¡¯ll also want to seek guidance from Ulfuric as well, I think...¡± As we chatted and planned, the jet getting ever closer to Japan, my mind went back to Princess Eleanor. I hope you listen to me. If you die... not only will your family grieve, but you might plunge the world into disaster...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± I said, stifling a yawn. With the time difference, I didn¡¯t make it back until very early Tuesday morning, Tokyo time, and after saying farewell to Motoko, Natsumi, Miyu and all the others, Hyacinth and I had returned to Shirohebizumi. The only person awake was Shiro, which wasn¡¯t surprising, as she often stayed up late to play games or read manga, and her sleep patterns were irregular, a relic of when she used to collapse at seemingly random times and remained unconscious for hours.


    ¡°Welcome home.¡± Shiro said, as we entered the living area. She was reading, a single lamp shedding a dim light, but with her stats that was more than enough. She was wearing pyjama shorts, showing off her toned legs, and a white t-shirt.


    ¡°I think yooou were waiting like that tooo seduce Akio when he returned, mistress Shiro!¡± Hyacinth said, and Shiro laughed.


    ¡°You think? You¡¯re such a cynical maid, aren¡¯t you? So what if I was? You¡¯ve had your fun all weekend, I bet.¡± At that Hyacinth flushed, and Shiro declared triumphantly that she knew it. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve been buffing and buffing and buffing some damn more all weekend. I¡¯m owed some rewards!¡± she pouted.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you worked hard.¡± I said, going over and stroking her hair, giving her a kiss, which she eagerly reciprocated. When that was done I asked her about her weekend, other than work.


    ¡°It was fine. I took everyone out for drinks, other than Shaeula and Hinata, who were busy. All the old gang was there, Suzu and Arisu too. Get this, Yasu...¡± as she regaled me with talk of the party, a noise distracted us, and the door opened, Eri wheeling herself in, in her own pyjamas.


    ¡°Welcome back Akio, Hyacinth.¡± Eri said, stifling a yawn. ¡°Shiro, you should have woke me up when they got back.¡±


    ¡°No need, it seems your Aki-sensing radar is on full blast as always.¡± Shiro snickered nastily. ¡°Eri missed you a lot, but don¡¯t worry, I kept her company. When I wasn¡¯t doling out buffs like candy anyway...¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I suppose you didn¡¯t miss him at all, Shiro?¡± Eri said archly, eyebrow raised, and Shiro shrugged.


    I paused, remembering the Kiss of a Dryad I had received from Asha after her rescue. I had been a bit nervous at the time, but since then Asha hadn¡¯t made any moves on me or even seemed to express much interest, so I assumed it was merely gratitude, and a reward to strengthen me. Or did I delude myself into that, as wishful thinking?


    ¡°Asha...¡± I said carefully. ¡°Is what Hyacinth said true?¡±


    She nodded, her expression warm. ¡°Of course. I hope you did not think I was inconstant, dear Akio, the sort of woman who would kiss merely anyone?¡± I looked a bit ashamed, and she snorted at that, tossing her head, irritated.


    ¡°You saved my Tree, me. You were rich in earth element, and had the scent of a Noble Fae about you. How could I not have found my heart captured then? I did not wish to be like my sisters, dying a needless, cruel death, without ever having sown seeds, sprouted fruit, and nurtured new daughters. Does... does this dismay you?¡±


    ¡°Dismay? I¡¯m flattered, but... well, I have a lot of women already, and ... no, it¡¯s too late, isn¡¯t it?¡± I shook my head, pouring more of my wood element out. ¡°I said I¡¯d never look away again from the truth, run from people¡¯s feelings. If you can only share one Kiss, and I¡¯ve taken it...¡±


    ¡°Yes, give it up.¡± Hyacinth advised. ¡°Mistress Shaeula knooows too. It is no burden, Primal Forest and the ooother plantkin will respect you more, if yooou have won the heart of a Daughter of Orion.


    ¡°I see. Another one.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°I suppose for once Akio isn¡¯t at fault though. Not if it¡¯s already done.¡±


    ¡°Hinata already noooticed. This is all within expectations.¡± Hyacinth promised.


    ¡°I see. She and I are going to have words, she needs to tell me these things.¡± Eri warned.


    ¡°Maybe she thought you knew? To be honest, as I said earlier, she always seemed so happy to see him, so I sort of assumed she was into him.¡± Shiro confessed, annoying Eri more.


    ¡°I see. Well, an amnesty. Anyone want to confess anything else?¡± she growled, and Hyacinth laughed, amused, while Shiro assured them there wasn¡¯t anyone else.


    ¡°Asha, is that what you want?¡± I asked her, and she nodded.


    ¡°It is you, or my Tree will stay without offspring until I eventually pass, becoming one with the Tree. But I was loathe to say so. I do not believe in pressuring you. I selfishly gave you my Kiss, even if I was overflowing with heartfelt gratitude that budded quickly into love for my saviour. If you have no need for me, then simply give me your energies when you can, and...¡±


    I stopped her words with a hug, feeling her warmth. ¡°I don¡¯t really know you that well. So, Asha, if you want to be my girlfriend, we¡¯ll have to fix that. As for children though... that seems a bit sudden. We have time to get to know each other, right? Though I guess it¡¯s more for my sake. You seem to have made up your mind, no?¡±


    Shiro was calling me the enemy of all Yasu¡¯s, while Eri leaked out a long sigh. As I looked into Asha¡¯s yellow eyes which were filled with diamondlike tears, she smiled. ¡°I must have survived for a reason. I tell myself that often. Why else would I have devoured my sisters in my madness, simply to stay alive? If I did not have a future to live for, I would break.¡± The Tree suddenly rattled, as though a breeze was blowing through it, and a blizzard of leaves fell, like confetti, and Shiro, Hyacinth and Eri looked up in awe.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Pretty...¡± Eri gasped, ears twitching.


    ¡°It is pretty.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Asha, let¡¯s take things slowly, okay? But... if I like you, I¡¯ll not turn you away.¡± That would be too cruel. Well, she¡¯s certainly beautiful, I can¡¯t argue with that.


    ¡°I see.¡± Asha turned to the girls. ¡°I am most grateful to everyone for the kindness I have been shown. But I am not versed in human customs or courtships. But seeing that Hyacinth and princess Shaeula have found happiness with him, I hope the wall between Fae and mortal is not insurmountable. But I would ask you all to guide me.¡±


    ¡°Wall? There¡¯s no girl our Aki won¡¯t ensnare, it seems.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Well, I¡¯m hardly an expert myself, but we know what Aki likes, right Eri? Oh come on, don¡¯t pout, even you agreed this one isn¡¯t on Aki. Would you rather Asha was dead or forever alone?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Eri puffed out her cheeks. ¡°And thinking about it... I can¡¯t believe I did miss Asha. I was too fixated on when Akio would finally take Kana, and these other Princesses. I won¡¯t make that mistake again!¡± she looked at Asha and held out a hand, which Asha gingerly took.


    ¡°I am Eri, first wife. We have a set of rules to follow. If you can¡¯t do that, we¡¯ll chase you out, even if we have to make Akio hate us. The one thing I won¡¯t accept is all the happiness we¡¯ve built up crumbling because of some bitch.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I am eager to be guided!¡± Asha said earnestly. ¡°And you need not fear me. I would be happy with some stolen moments, some peaceful times. I am not greedy...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief, but no. If you win Akio¡¯s heart, he¡¯ll want to make sure you are treated fairly, so...¡±


    Watching the two of them talk earnestly, I felt a strange feeling in my heart. Eri, when did you get so big-hearted?


    ¡°Smiling, Aki?¡± Shiro said, and I nodded. ¡°I understand it.¡± She continued. ¡°Eri portrays a cold front, but she¡¯s actually rather soft on those who suffer. And like Hyacinth and me, Asha has had a cruel life. There¡¯s no way Eri can spit on that. Though please...¡± Shiro rolled her eyes. ¡°... learn not to get kissed by random women. Your mother may want a Rugby team of wives, so you say, but we¡¯d like to keep it to the minimum we can get away with.¡±


    Hyacinth laughed at that, and I nodded. ¡°Well, at least Princess Eleanor is off the table. Speaking of...¡± I looked at Eri and Asha again, before nodding to myself. ¡°We can leave these two to it. We¡¯ll take the Ring Gate to Kyoto and check Haru-san¡¯s Territory and call over Yasaka-san.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Azuki to go back and make the call. She can even use a mobile phone now. Zashiki-Warashi sure are something...¡± Shiro laughed, before pausing. ¡°Wait a minute, didn¡¯t you save Azuki too? Shit. No, there¡¯s no way you can make that work, she¡¯s a damn doll.¡± Shaking her head, Shiro headed off, leaving me alone with Hyacinth and a very wry expression on my face...


    ********


    After checking the very satisfactory progress of Kyoto, admiring the fleets of mobile Silos, as well as the large thickets of Artificial Ether Spires, we waited for Yasaka-san. When he arrived in a hurry, he eyed me sourly.


    ¡°Oshiro-san, let me guess, you have a ton of painful questions to ask me, and I¡¯ll be laid up for the next few days in agony?¡±


    Shiro snorted at that. ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Aki. But I sympathise. Aki has me handing out buffs until I¡¯m so drained I feel like I could sleep for a week. And speaking of such... time to buff your Book of Providence...¡± Aether surged from Shiro into Yasaka-san as she gave both the general and specific blessings.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve been keeping up with your training it should get easier.¡± I promised. ¡°But this is a severe situation, so I¡¯m going to have to use you harshly, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°All right. Fine then. Ask away.¡±


    ¡°Right then. I¡¯ll start small.¡± I remembered the rules of Book of Providence. Questions touching on predicting the future were hellishly difficult, but not impossible depending on the event. Also we had to understand what we were asking, and if there was a large difference in strength, or I guess adherence, maybe... between Yasaka-san and the thing we were trying to know, it wouldn¡¯t work and he would suffer greatly from the backlash.


    Better work my way up to the bigger questions, but hopefully we can unravel the dangers to Eleanor. ¡°Who fed Eleanor the Bullaun water?¡± I asked, and as the answer came back after Yasaka-san repeated my question, it was a rather unhelpful ¡°She drank it herself.¡±


    ¡°Obviously. Let me rephrase that. Who put it in her drink then?¡±


    The answer came back with the name Lorraine MacGregor, which didn¡¯t seem to be anyone I had heard the Princess mention. Asking further, we established she had been employed as a servant for the Royal family for a number of years. Something doesn¡¯t add up. Further questioning revealed she had been blackmailed by someone into giving the Princess the tainted drink. Further questioning narrowed it down to one man. Maxwell Power, of course. The Bullaun water has been gathered by him, and on further questioning, it turned out he was a Chosen, with a gift of charming and deception, likely how he fooled everyone into not noticing his abilities.


    ¡°That one hurt.¡± Yasaka-san declared, blood vessels in his eyes and nose bursting, one eye red with blood.


    ¡°That means he¡¯s likely quite strong.¡± I mused.


    ¡°Charm, huh? That¡¯s the absolute worst.¡± Shiro said. ¡°How can you know if your thoughts and decisions are your own? I should be all right, As Tan wouldn¡¯t lose in a battle of charm to anyone but the Buddha, right?¡± The only answer to that was an affirmative grunt.


    ¡°All right, check that I, Motoko and the others haven¡¯t been affected by him, he was at the gala.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that hurts...¡± Yasaka-san was flagging fast, but fortunately none of our Japanese delegation had been affected. I gave him Ether Healing and topped up his aether with Chirurgery, prolonging his use.


    ¡°Are there any more bearers of Divine Favours in his organisation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is one more. With the Divine Favour of Nuada Airgetla?m. I feel if I try to press deeper, I¡¯ll just suffer though.¡± he said, although he managed to divine the name of the bearer, Michael Silversmith.


    ¡°Right, which of Princess Eleanor¡¯s team are working with the Silver Hands Foundation?¡± The names came back with all of them, which couldn¡¯t be right. I then realised the question was too ambiguous. We tried to narrow it down to which wanted to do the Princess ill, or which were affected by Max and his charm. None apparently wished her harm, but there was the presence of charm on all of them, including Eleanor herself. Fortunately the Queen and the Prime Minister weren''t affected yet. More Ether Healing followed, and we asked about Mary Stuart. Asking about her plans for Eleanor nearly knocked out Yasaka-san, he coughed blood and went deathly pale, but after an hour of rest, he had recovered enough to try again. I guess all that training is paying off.


    More questions, and we discovered that Mary Stuart was the only bearer of a Divine Favour from her organisation in London, though she did have a group of forty followers with her, a number of which from something called the Choir, and the rest were Judges of Revelation and their squires. Ominous names indeed. The Silver Hands Foundation apparently had several hundred staff too.


    ¡°I think we have enough intelligence for the British to move on them. Though any Chosen that¡¯s been in contact with Maxwell Power shouldn¡¯t be trusted.¡± I observed, looking at the exhausted Yasaka-san.


    ¡°Are we done?¡± he asked, pale, and I shook my head.


    ¡°One last question. This one might be a bad one, so I apologise in advance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wonderful.¡± He sighed, preparing himself. ¡°Very well, ask away.¡±


    ¡°Just what is under the Tower of London that is draining all that adherence?¡± I asked, and as he repeated the question, he collapsed, convulsing.


    ¡°Shit Aki, that was cold.¡± Shiro said reprovingly as I quickly Healed him. When his eyes fluttered open, he was barely able to speak, and I realised we had asked all we could. Patting him on the back for a job well done, I sent him back to rest, my fears confirmed.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I needed to know if at all possible. Whatever¡¯s there is the root cause of all this, I¡¯m sure. I have no doubt like Tan says, that Mary Stuart wants Divine Favours, but the way she was talking, it¡¯s what is under the Tower she really wants. And whatever that may be is so important to the UK that Eleanor rebuffed almost all my help over it, despite starting to believe me. It would be of benefit to us if we knew. But from the adherence it was pulling in it was highly unlikely Yasaka-san would be able to answer that. He needs to level up some more.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I see that, but it was still a dick move, Aki! Are you in a bad mood over Asha, and taking it out on someone else? Low, really low!¡± she joked, and Hyacinth laughed too, having watched in silence. Her violet eyes gleamed, as she considered what we had learned.


    ¡°Foolish Princess, spurning yooour help. No Ring Gate, nooo chance for aid. I believe she will regret it sooorely.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± I agreed, as we returned to the Material. ¡°But we still have a chance...¡±


    ********


    On returning to the Material, the first thing I did was text the Princess all of the details. I did say I didn¡¯t expect her to believe me right away, but verifying the existence of Lorraine MacGregor and Michael Silversmith would show I wasn¡¯t just making up intelligence. I had also gained the number of the Prime Minister, so I figured getting him to pass the information into the Queen and hopefully swing into action before it was too late, was the best move we could make for now.


    As I did that, Kana swung by, her expression bright, in her school uniform, ready to head out. ¡°Hi Akio, glad you made it back all right. I don¡¯t have long, I¡¯ll be late for school, but... it¡¯s good to see you.¡± She lightly kissed my lips, demurely. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, but I wasn¡¯t lonely as Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth were there.¡± I joked, and she pouted cutely.


    ¡°Meanie! Talking about other girls and how happy you were with them will make me jealous. Or maybe you want that, so I¡¯ll be nicer to you? Well, I want you to tell me all about it when I get home from school. And if you¡¯re lucky, I might even see if I have a dress in my room that will please you, like those three.¡± She winked, before leaving with a wave. As I watched her go, I saw my phone blink, and it was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Damn, that was quick.


    ¡°Message received loud and clear. Will tell her Maj. about this immediately. Will dispatch soldiers rather than Gods¡¯ Chosen when given the say so. Got to fact check though, or her Maj. will have my guts for garters.¡± I read. True, I wouldn¡¯t act on such a dubious tip-off without doing due diligence, even from a reasonably well trusted source.


    Pondering that, I waited for a response from the Princess, and when I didn¡¯t get one, I called over the grumbling Azuki and gave her my phone, asking her to come find me in the Boundary as soon as any more messages came through. With that I headed back, as Shaeula should be returning from the Spring any time now...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Four *Contains Status – Akio, Shiro, Hyacinth, Grulgor*

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Four *Contains Status ¨C Akio, Shiro, Hyacinth, Grulgor*


    While I waited for Shaeula to return, I decided it was a good time to take stock of my abilities, in preparation for honing my close combat skills. I went through some stretches, before practicing with my sword and spear, as well as with the various styles of unarmed combat I had studied online, though other than a few moves, most of my strikes just relied on pure speed and accuracy, which was fine against ordinary opponents, but against skilled combatants like Ulfuric or David, it wasn¡¯t enough. Soon, silvery sweat was dripping from me, evaporating to the darkening skies above.


    Yes, the ether density is rising again, just like in London. Looks like we are definitely leaving the calm... As I thought that I heard some applause, and looked over to see Shiro, Eri and Asha watching me.


    ¡°Not bad Aki. You¡¯ve got some moves. Tan is impressed too.¡± Shiro said, only for her eyes to glimmer red.


    ¡°Do not get conceited, man. I merely advised the princess that your strengths would put you on par with an Einherjar of the World Tree.¡± She snorted. ¡°Though that is hardly cause for conceit. Many Einherjar are recruited from the countless worlds and formed into armies. I believe the closest comparison could be that Einherjar would be the Special Forces, ones plucked out for special attention and training. But unlike this world, there are many heights above.¡±


    ¡°I see. But you¡¯re saying I¡¯m at the foot of the mountain? So all I have to do is keep climbing and I¡¯ll reach the top?¡± It was gratifying to hear praise from Tan, a being so far above us in understanding and power. It proved that my path was right.


    ¡°If it was that simple, there would be no end to the powerful. No, each step is a chasm that yawns wider than the step before, with more dangers, and more who fall. But I concede, you have surpassed my expectations.¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Therefore, do not fall into the chasms of arrogance and haste now. Compared to those that tower above, such as the Valkyrie, all but the captains and lords of the Einherjar would be as troubling as those goblins you dismissed as no danger at all.¡±


    ¡°I have a question. You¡¯re not from the World Tree, Tan, so why are you not explaining in terms of your own pantheon?¡± Eri asked shrewdly, and she laughed.


    ¡°Why would I share information about my own? Far better to use some others as a comparison, and it seemed apt, considering.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± I shrugged. ¡°So, how strong would I have to be to reach the level of a Valkyrie?¡±


    ¡°The mountain towers higher than you could imagine, far taller than your Fuji. But if you show the will to improve as you have and avoid foolishness and misfortune, it is not impossible.¡±


    ¡°Even now, you are strengthening yourself.¡± Asha said, surprising me. ¡°Your wood element has grown, though it is still weak.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll put more effort into that.¡± I promised. ¡°Oh, that reminds me, where¡¯s Daiyu?¡± It wasn¡¯t as though I¡¯d been in Material Tokyo much since my return, but I hadn¡¯t seen her yet.


    ¡°Studying Japanese. She was a bit discomforted on our night out, having to be translated for, or only understanding easy sentences. So she¡¯s determined to fully master Japanese by Christmas. I¡¯m sure she can. She¡¯s motivated, a quick learner, and has the stats.¡± Shiro said, Tan having returned to her rest.


    ¡°That makes sense. She¡¯s in a foreign land, so not being able to understand others must be unbearable.¡± I agreed. ¡°Remind me later to spend some time with her.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Well, Aki, what do we do now? I can tell you¡¯re worried about Eleanor, maybe you should have kidnapped her and brought her back to Japan.¡± She joked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯d lead to the complete breakdown in relations between us and the UK. She¡¯d fight me constantly too. This situation is different to Tsukiko-san. In the end, Tsukiko-san wanted our help, and had nothing to lose by it. Therefore we could work with her, but even then, she still wouldn¡¯t leave Kyoto, would she? Eleanor is even more stubborn. She says she has to protect something, and whatever it is, it¡¯s under the Tower. If only we knew what that was it¡¯d give us some leverage. But she values defending that above her own life. Nothing I can do would persuade her to run away, and it¡¯s not like I can stay and guard her twenty-four seven is it? If I did, all my work here would go to waste.¡±


    ¡°But Tsukiko-san¡¯s visions say she¡¯s needed, or the world could be doomed.¡± Eri pointed out, and I shrugged.


    ¡°True, but then Tsukiko-san was also going to be devoured and her spirit destroyed by the golden-eyed toad, and we stopped that. The future isn¡¯t absolute, not definite, no matter what Tsukiko-san believed.¡± I was sure of it. Indeed, right now I was just getting a vague prickling burr of Foresight, signalling a vague, nebulous threat. It¡¯s not reliable. Yes, I have to act on it, I¡¯ve learned from my mistakes on taking it lightly, but even then, I can¡¯t be ruled by it. ¡°If the end of the world is coming, then we just have to grow strong enough to defeat any threat, even if Eleanor doesn¡¯t survive. But...¡± my expression was resolute. ¡°... obviously I¡¯ll do all I can to protect her, but I can¡¯t destroy who she is just to do that. Which makes this tougher than Tsukiko-san, alas. But then, there are still two Princesses out there who could be dying even now. I can only do what I can do.¡±


    ¡°No, what we can do.¡± Eri said boldly, tail lashing.


    ¡°Yeah, what she said, Aki.¡± Shiro agreed.


    ¡°I am pleased that the one I Kissed is so bold and resolute.¡± Asha smiled benevolently. ¡°You saved me from my fate, I believe you can save this woman too.¡±


    ¡°What she said, yet again, Aki.¡± Shiro snorted, amused. ¡°The downside is, we girls are simple creatures, right Eri? Save us from our despair and show us a bright future, and it moves our hearts.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already accepted it.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°But... what can we do from here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but for now we need to wait for Eleanor or the Prime Minister to get back to us. Before that...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, training. Well, for me that¡¯s just more damn buffing, though I can feel my insight into Anesidora¡¯s blessings growing. Maybe we should share our stats?¡±


    I nodded. That¡¯s a good idea. ¡°Yes, I wanted to take stock of our progress. Though Eri...¡± I looked at her, and she rolled her dark eyes at me, ears twitching.


    ¡°I know. I have no progress. Damn Kijo bitches.¡± She spat. ¡°But I¡¯m getting there. My goal is Christmas, just like Daiyu. If we both succeed, then you can spend Christmas Eve with the two of us!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair, Eri!¡± Shiro protested, to which Asha laughed softly, a knowing expression on her face. It¡¯s good to lighten the mood. Since we spoke to Yasaka-san, confirmed some conspiracy around Eleanor, it¡¯s been a bit dark.


    ¡°All right, all right. Me first.¡± I snorted.


    On reading out my stats, Shiro was frowning. ¡°Shit Aki, every time you make me so jealous. Considering all you started with was an appraisal cheat, you make the rest of us look bad.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula isn¡¯t much weaker than me.¡± I pointed out, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe so, but she¡¯s a Fae. Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, having you strong is good for us, right Eri, Asha?¡± she winked at the girls. ¡°There¡¯s always a lot of shade under a big tree.¡±


    ¡°I very much like that thought.¡± Asha said, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that despite being so strong Akio would be nothing special in the upper Astral.¡± Eri said, and Tan spoke up again, Shiro¡¯s eyes red.


    ¡°You misunderstand. In a world of billions like your Earth, likely only a few million or so might be chosen for the Einherjar. The average citizen will have skills with aether and combat strength, perhaps along the lines of you, Eri. In worlds with powerful Territories of the Sixth and higher, ether is plentiful, and there are no shortage of beings with powers such as I. But true strength is always rare. You would not rank as a Captain of the Einherjar, surely not, but you are far from the weakest that would be chosen. Even so, do not let arrogance blind you.¡± She warned. ¡°There are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers everywhere in the higher Astral, and entire armies of Einherjar and citizen warriors perish against... matters I cannot speak of, and even those with wings can be struck from the skies and perish.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thanks Tan, that was helpful.¡±


    ¡°I merely clarified for that girl.¡± Tan said, and I thought she sounded a little bashful. ¡°You may be looking up at the mountain, the summit hidden by clouds above, piercing through the heavens and even out into what you could call space, but you have climbed the foothills.¡± With that she was gone, leaving a grinning Shiro.


    ¡°Tan sure isn¡¯t honest, is she? I¡¯d say she¡¯s rocking the tsundere for sure. Well, what do you think, Aki? Can you get even stronger?¡±


    ¡°Always. I can get more levels, Rank up my Territory, find a combat style and raise my elements...¡± seeing Asha¡¯s sparkling eyes, I laughed. ¡°Especially wood, earth and water I guess. Shaeula and I also need to exchange wood and lightning elements. So the path to power never stops.¡± There¡¯s also Tyr¡¯s Divine Favour. If I could unlock that power... ¡°I sympathise with Daiyu. The urge to continue growing stronger and perfecting oneself is deep.¡±


    ¡°In that case, might as well see how I¡¯ve improved.¡± Shiro said. ¡°No laughing you two. I know I can¡¯t compete with Aki¡¯s growth. Yet. I¡¯m a Chosen now, a true one, so there¡¯s a chance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was always more into battle harems where the girls were badass alongside the guys.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d feel less worried all the time too.¡±


    ¡°Aww, poor baby Aki.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Well, come on, we¡¯re waiting.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± My Eye flared amber, and letters scrolled across my vision. Faint flickers of red were in Shiro¡¯s eyes and hair, Tan probably not enjoying my peeking, but she would have to ignore it.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve really worked hard.¡± I praised Shiro, and she puffed out her ample chest, looking happy, her face red.


    ¡°Of course I did! Not only did Tan get me that Divine Favour, I¡¯ve been grinding when I could, and I¡¯m constantly using my new skills, it only makes sense that my Blessings and related skills were going to see improvements as I learned what they did and how they are doing it. Guess I left you in the dust, Eri.¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°You¡¯d better get yourself healthy soon if you want to compete!¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡± I praised her. ¡°Right, time to head back. Let¡¯s see what happened.¡±


    A few minutes later I was looking at a text on my phone, puzzled.


    ¡°Can confirm Lorraine MacGregor. Ex-Palace maid, taken into custody, confessed. Michael Silversmith also found. Has been dead since early August. Very confused. Still, enough evidence to move on Silver Hands Foundation and Maxwell Power. Plan to watch Mary Stuart for now.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± I thought back to the question we asked Yasaka-san, and there didn¡¯t seem to be a mistake. ¡°Wait, Max Power has deception abilities? Can that be...¡± I turned to Shaeula then. ¡°I feel a bastard after putting him through the wringer, but call up someone in Kyoto and get Yasaka-san back to the Boundary and start Healing him.¡± I told Shaeula. ¡°I¡¯ll join you as soon as I make a call...¡±


    As Shaeula rushed back to her own room, ready to implement my plans, I hastily dialled the Prime Minister of Britain, who fortunately picked up. ¡°I got your message.¡± I got straight to it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°A good question. Firstly, how did you get the information on Lorraine MacGregor, she had quit her job before you ever came to Britain?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°I would say that¡¯s a secret, but the situation could be critical.¡± I sighed. ¡°I have a way to gather information, it¡¯s a bit like the Diviner¡¯s visions. I had thought it was entirely reliable, but if Michael Silversmith is already dead, it seems I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is a dangerous secret to keep.¡± The Prime Minister declared. ¡°Intelligence agencies around the world would kill for it, and powerful people would wish it to disappear. I¡¯m not overly comfortable with it myself, young chap.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I¡¯m telling you this because the situation is dire. So, Lorraine MacGregor...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get to the point. We took Mrs MacGregor into custody, and she quickly broke down and confessed. It turned out her husband had significant, insurmountable gambling debts, so when she was approached by Maxwell Power, offering to clear them, she gave in. But he told her it wasn¡¯t poison, but a strong aphrodisiac, as apparently Max wanted to seduce the Princess. Dirty bastard. Though it seems that¡¯s not his goal.¡±


    ¡°She agreed to that? It seems odd for a woman to let another woman suffer that fate.¡± I mused. ¡°Charm, maybe? Does it seem like mind control, did she know what she was doing?¡± Is it like the Befuddling Winds, or more subtle?


    ¡°It¡¯s all a load of crap, Aki.¡± Shiro said, listening. ¡°This isn¡¯t some Chinese tale, if a woman ends up drinking an aphrodisiac that strong, she¡¯s not just going to open her legs. I mean, she could always go get herself off in the bathroom.¡± She was a bit crude, but I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t make much sense, but... we brought in other workers from the Palace that knew her well, as well as her husband and her sister. That¡¯s why it took us a while to respond.¡± The Prime Minister continued. ¡°As far as they say, and also from our initial psychiatric evaluations, she¡¯s perfectly lucid, and there are no issues with her mind, memory or judgement, it¡¯s just that she found Max very persuasive.¡±


    ¡°I see. Charm. Not mind control. That would be the best case. Though it¡¯s far too early to tell if that¡¯s what he can do.¡± If it¡¯s merely he¡¯s extremely persuasive that¡¯s still a danger, but less so than being able to order people to do things they otherwise wouldn¡¯t, like Kiku¡¯s Nails or the Befuddling Winds.


    ¡°As for Michael Silversmith... if he¡¯s dead, did he ever have a Divine Favour, or is it some sort of red herring? Hmm, just what do you know about the Silver Hands Foundation?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot. Though the Palace did due diligence before allowing him to attend their events for the Princess. It¡¯s a rather new organisation, a combination of several older charitable foundations. Maxwell Power is from an old, wealthy family and there is nothing suspicious about wishing to mix with Royalty and the political elite, even if it comes at great expense. Money can¡¯t buy prestige.¡±


    ¡°When did the name change?¡± I asked, and the Prime Minister immediately understood.


    ¡°Let me bring up the details...¡± he shouted something at a Ministerial Secretary, and moments later he answered me. ¡°Three days after the date of the death of Michael Silversmith. Wait, Nuada Airgetla?m. Nuada of the Silver Hand. You don¡¯t mean...?¡±


    ¡°I do. I think Max Power has been doing more than we expected.¡± I don¡¯t want to talk about Conqueror and how it works. But I think that Max Power took his Favour and killed him. Then he set up a Foundation using the name. But why?


    Azuki came rushing in as we talked, saying that Shaeula was in Kyoto with Yasaka-san. ¡°I have to try and gather some more information. Don¡¯t leave Princess Eleanor alone with any of her companions, she also hasn¡¯t answered my texts.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that. The Queen and Prince Henry are with her, and we have enough troops stationed there that even a God¡¯s Chosen should be vulnerable. As for her teammates we are taking them in for a psychiatric evaluation and questioning. We¡¯ll get to the bottom of this, have no fear.¡± He masked his doubt with joviality.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be back soon...¡± I hung up and rushed back to the Boundary, racing through the Ring Gate, and meeting a very weary Yasaka-san and Shaeula. On seeing me, he groaned.


    ¡°Are you trying to kill me off?¡± he said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Sorry, after this you really will deserve a long break.¡± Not that you¡¯ll get it though, I¡¯m going to take charge of your levelling and Ranking up your skills personally. ¡°These should hopefully be easier questions.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He managed weakly. I aided Shaeula in healing him, and I refilled his aether, as Shaeula wouldn¡¯t do that for another man. ¡°So, I want to ask... did Max Power kill Michael Silversmith?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± came back the reply, confusing me.


    ¡°Okay, let me try again. Who killed Michael Silversmith in August?¡±


    ¡°Damn, that hurts my brain...¡± silvery blood spilled from one nostril as he winced. ¡°Max Power did. Wait, that doesn¡¯t tally with before...¡±


    ¡°Is Max Power alive?¡± I said, having a sudden flash of inspiration.


    ¡°No. Yes. Ugh...¡± he coughed blood, as Shaeula repaired the damage, having to resort to Chirurgery as well as Ether Healing, due to the damage to his network.


    ¡°So, let me put it together. Max Power both did and didn¡¯t kill Michael Silversmith, and he¡¯s both alive and dead...¡± This is all very confusing. Mary Stuart is the threat to Princess Eleanor, that¡¯s what Tsukiko-san said, and my visions from Tsukuyomi agree. But all signs now are pointing towards Maxwell Power. I know they are pretty close, but... ¡°I¡¯ve got it. What was Maxwell Power called before he killed Maxwell Power.¡±


    Yasaka-san looked puzzled at the question, but he asked it, and his eyes widened as he got a response, though at the cost of great pain. ¡°The book has come up with gibberish. But it¡¯s definitely not Maxwell Power. The letters aren¡¯t in Japanese either.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s English, maybe, but English doesn¡¯t use accents. French possibly? Or... do any British languages use them? I remember mom saying Welsh and Gaelic does. Last question, then you can rest.¡± I promised, and he groaned.


    ¡°Please, make this the last. It makes me wish I had a power like Saionji-sama¡¯s, so that you can¡¯t abuse me so.¡±


    ¡°Right. Where are the remains of the Maxwell Power killed by the newer Maxwell Power.¡±


    ¡°They are buried in...¡± he said in surprise as he read out the details.


    ¡°Fantastic. You can rest. I mean it now. But try and recover as quickly as you can.¡±


    As we returned to the Material, Shaeula spoke to me, eyes curious. ¡°Just what-what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think we can¡¯t trust anything we learned from Yasaka-san we can¡¯t verify with evidence. Charm... does he even have charm? Or is he just shockingly persuasive? Deception though... that I can see. It seems able to fool Yasaka-san¡¯s Book of Providence. Can it even fool Tsukuyomi¡¯s visions? Shit.¡± My Foresight was still giving me gentle, uneasy prickles of general danger, which was useless. ¡°The Princess is safe for now, and they are keeping an eye on Mary Stuart and her allies. The other Chosen are being taken into custody... it should be fine. But I¡¯m still uneasy.¡±


    Pulling out my phone, I dialled up the Prime Minister one more time. ¡°I have information. I think that Maxwell Power isn¡¯t the Maxwell Power from before. I think the original is buried here...¡±


    The Prime Minister listened in stony silence, before letting out a long sigh. ¡°I see. So, was Maxwell Power another Gods¡¯ Chosen, or... just a man with background to be exploited? But I¡¯ve seen old photographs. They look nearly exactly the same.¡±


    Nearly? I seized on that. ¡°What do you mean, nearly?¡±


    ¡°Just as I said. It¡¯s definitely him, there¡¯s no question, but Max looks a lot better nowadays, perhaps because he¡¯s a Gods¡¯ Chosen. You all have radiant skin and are the very pictures of health. My wife is jealous of your perfect bodies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Shiro said, looking up from her own phone. ¡°Yes, we do tend to be in better condition, but... I¡¯ve been looking up Nuada Airgetla?m and he lost the kingship because he lost an arm, and all Kings had to have a perfect body.¡±


    Coincidence, or... ¡°Gather all the pictures you can of the original Maxwell Power and the new one. And see if the body is Maxwell¡¯s. can you do DNA testing or something similar?¡±


    ¡°It might take a day or two to find a suitable family member...¡± he began, but I shook my head.


    ¡°No, get it done faster. Also, check if any of the Gods¡¯ Chosen with Eleanor have any relation to either Michael Silversmith or Maxwell Power.¡±


    ¡°And what are you going to do?¡± he asked me, and I frowned.


    ¡°What I have to. Shit, this is a mess.¡± With that I hung up, and Shaeula and Shiro looked at me, troubled.


    ¡°What¡¯s the play?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°Oh, here¡¯s the info on Nuada.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check that on route. I¡¯m going to call Fujiwara-san...¡± Deception. Charm. Stealing identities... this goes beyond issues of being able to trust what we can learn. So to counter that, we have to rely only on ourselves, and our own abilities... ¡°Fujiwara-san, this is an emergency. Can you make some arrangements for me...¡± The timing of this is awful, but... I couldn¡¯t trust anything now, nothing except that I didn¡¯t want Eleanor to die, visions and prophecies be damned...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Five

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Five


    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it. Yes, I know it¡¯s a pain, us only having just got back, but the situation has become... complicated.¡± As I finished up explaining to Fujiwara-san just what I needed from him, I turned to Shiro, who had been ringing Haru-san and explaining to her that she was in charge of my Territory and hers for the duration of this emergency. She gave me the thumbs-up, showing that Haru-san could handle it, which was a weight off my shoulders.


    ¡°I do think we shall need-need further support.¡± Shaeula said. ¡°Brother Shaeraggo is still at quite-quite the loose end, so we shall rope him in. He will not-not refuse me, not when he is so eagerly trying to master another element, as is sister-in-law Selensha. With aid-aid from Kana and the twins, they may succeed, as Grulgor has. Anna can continue to guard the Spring, though my concerns there are fading, as the Fae Stone Wards are mostly-mostly complete, and the Spring is crawling with Way-Wardens and the many-many plantkin of Primal Forest.¡±


    Speaking of Primal Forest... ¡°We need to speak to him as well. While matters here are being prepared. First, we need to establish who is heading out. Shiro, I¡¯ll need you for your buffs.¡± I tapped my Eye. ¡°Worst case, we might need to buff it again.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eri said softly. ¡°Last time you weren¡¯t able to control it and were unconscious for a while.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a last resort, but it¡¯s a tool we might need in our box. Although, my Eye isn¡¯t infallible.¡± There was always the danger any information it presented could be wrong. ¡°Shiro isn¡¯t a liability in combat since she has Tan, so...¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not, Aki!¡± Shiro pumped her fists, hyped up. ¡°Besides, I was a bit sad I missed out on your last trip.¡± She smirked. ¡°But... what are we going to do? It¡¯s not like we can stay in the United Kingdom long-term, for all the reasons you mentioned before. Nor can you kidnap the Princess like those Americans tried with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a mess. Really, it¡¯s the worst sort of battle for us. In Kyoto, even on the defensive, it was a straight fight of power versus power. I¡¯m confident in that, everyone works really hard to grow stronger. We even have Tan¡¯s seal of approval.¡± I smiled at that. ¡°But here, while we might know the enemy, everything is obscured by fog. Max Power. Mary Stuart. The Favour of Nuada Airgetla?m.¡±


    Shaeula smiled. ¡°One-one of the oldest Kings of the Tuatha De? Dannan. Long before I, or even-even my father, were born. It is said that we are some of the descendants of the Tuatha De?. The Fae are pulled from many-many lines, all mingled together. We have Dvergr such-such as Bjarki, from the cold lands across the far-far northern seas, those descended from Fomorians, such-such as Duke Formor, though many-many of those joined the Unseelie, as well as countless others descended from Kings, spirits and other-other mystical creatures.¡±


    ¡°That always makes me wonder. If the Gods are real, but they have thousands or more worlds to look after, how are they in our myths?¡± I scratched my head, thinking, and it was Tan that answered lazily, taking over Shiro for a moment.


    ¡°Perhaps in some cases, when this world was young, more malleable, some Divine beings may have come themselves, aiming to claim the world. But such jewels are seldom uncontested.¡± She snorted. ¡°Perhaps Nuada, of the Endless Knot, did in fact bestride these lands millennia ago, and you are descended from his power. More likely, myths and doings from other, more primal worlds that make up the foundation, the Anchor of the Endless Knot, have mixed in with the understanding of this world. I myself am Divine, though a small being compared to my father, it pains me to admit, and to those above, I, without even a Territory of the Sixth to my name, am but a small ant. Yet even on this world there are tales of when the Buddha walked on by. It is rather vexing.¡± She curled Shiro¡¯s lips unpleasantly, her ruby eyes glowering. ¡°Most likely the being you know as Nuada, if he is indeed your ancestor, would be one of the many proxies of the Endless Knot. Creating life, seeding worlds, gathering aether, adherence and...¡± her lips shut, as she paused. ¡°... suffice it to say, many worlds and many myths blend together. There is truth at the core, but what is true matters less than what is believed.¡±


    Tan really likes explaining, despite saying she¡¯s not allowed to. Really, she¡¯s more of an Exposition-san than Ortlinde was, though if I tried to tell her that she¡¯d probably try and set me on fire... ¡°Thanks Tan. So, Endless Knot? Is that the pantheon Nuada would be in? Do you know every pantheon?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know the major pantheons. The Six Paths have fought against all of them, and had alliances with many, over the endless seas of time in the upper Astral.¡± She seemed proud of that, and for a moment I wondered what her crimson eyes had seen over the countless eons of time, and whether we too would walk that path, where our lives were measured in millennia, not years. ¡°There are smaller ones that lurk in the furthest corners, hiding, biding their time, and ones that have fallen from grace. I do not claim to know every single one... but all those who have joined the war with the...¡± she winced. ¡°No. that I truly cannot speak of. But is this digression necessary? Should you not be making haste?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Eri said. ¡°Do you have time for this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Eri, obviously you can¡¯t come. Will you be all right on your own?¡±


    She sighed, before nodding. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll just prevail on Kana, she can look after me. She should consider it trying to get in my good graces.¡± She paused, thinking for a moment. ¡°Akio, what are you going to do? Really?¡±


    As I typed out a text to Kana, explaining her duties in our absence, I explained the plan. When I was done, Eri nodded as best she could. ¡°I see. That¡¯s very much like you, Akio. But do you think she¡¯ll thank you for it? I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± I said with a bitter smile. ¡°Nobody said saving the world was easy, or everyone would praise us for it.¡±


    Moments later my phone rang, and it was Kana. Surprised, I picked up. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t what¡¯s up me!¡± Kana said, a bit irritated. ¡°I told my teacher that it was a family emergency. What do you mean you¡¯re going back to the UK? And taking the others? You¡¯ve only just got back, and I was looking forward to spending some time with you this evening...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I apologised. ¡°But when I¡¯ve resolved this mess and everything¡¯s settled, things should calm down for a while, and I¡¯ll make it up to you. So just think about what you want, all right?¡±


    There was a along silence, before she spoke. ¡°You¡¯d better, all right? I¡¯m not trying to be one of those annoying, clingy girlfriends, but... I do miss you. And I want to go out to cafes, arcades, go shopping for clothes, do fun couple things. But I guess this is important. All right, I¡¯ll look after Eri-chan, it¡¯ll give us time to get to know each other better. Will you be gone long?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the rub. We can¡¯t afford to put our own lives on hold, even for this. So I¡¯m hoping my new plan will either put an end to matters quickly, or if not, at least put us in a Kyoto-style position, where we can respond if required from Tokyo.¡±


    ¡°I see, well, I¡¯ll take care of the training school and Eri-chan, so you do what you need to do. I won¡¯t tell you to bring me back a souvenir, just bring everyone home safely. All right?¡±


    Smiling at Kana¡¯s kindness, I agreed. Once we were done with that, I made a few more phone calls. ¡°I wish we could take Yasaka-san, but even with all our healing, there¡¯s a limit to the backlash we can put him though. The last thing we want to do is damage our best source of information in general, we¡¯ll have to rely on what we can see for ourselves. So, the team should be me, Shiro, Shaeula, Hyacinth, and Grulgor. All of us can handle ourselves, and access both the Boundary and the Material. But in addition to that, I think we will bring a special guest.¡± I smiled, having had an idea. I wish I could upgrade my Thrones further, but at two and a half million ether baseline, and three times that for the rush-build, they¡¯ll have to wait.


    ¡°In that case, we need-need to return to the Boundary.¡± Shaeula advised, and I nodded.


    ¡°Shiro, Eri, keep making the arrangements please. And ask Haru-san...¡± once my instructions were given, we dived into the Boundary, and soon found ourselves in a meeting with Shaeula¡¯s brother and sister, Ulfuric, Moira and the plantkin Ala, who had come from her work at the Spring. On our side we had me, Shaeula, Hyacinth and also Asha, who was smiling gently, looking contented and unconcerned. I¡¯m glad someone is...


    ¡°So, we need-need your aid again.¡± Shaeula said, after a brief explanation.


    ¡°Little sister, I do have my own-own matters to attend to.¡± Shaeraggo said, exasperated.


    ¡°Are they as important as this-this?¡± Shaeula snorted in response, before lowering her voice, her tone grateful. ¡°I am thankful you have been aiding Akio and me-me, brother. It is enough to wipe away the vile-vile taste of your behaviour at our reunion.¡± She held that over his head and he shuffled nervously. ¡°As for you, Anna, I could not-not be more pleased at your aid. You are a fine older sister.¡± At that Shaeranna preened happily, her green eyes sparkling. ¡°The time is nearly here when oversight of the Spring will be less-less important, as the defences are finally secure. As for Akio¡¯s Territory, when we complete the next stage of our expansion, again, the need-need to protect it will diminish. So, please, just for now, your aid is vital.¡± She looked at them earnestly. ¡°Besides, I do not-not expect your aid for free. Even between friends and kin, there should-should be reciprocation. Brother, you and Selensha should surely master an element soon-soon. I have instructed Kana and the twins to aid you, and if Grulgor can manage, you surely-surely can.¡±


    ¡°Have no fear, Ula, I will set aside, surely drop everything I am tasked with, to leap to your aid!¡± Shaeranna declared boldly.


    ¡°Good.¡± I said, but Shaeraggo looked a little hesitant, before speaking.


    ¡°Sister, have you told him of our father¡¯s request?¡± he said, and I looked at Shaeula, who shrugged apologetically.


    ¡°Now is not-not the time for it. Akio has much on his mind with this dire-dire situation. But...¡± she turned to me, her expression complicated, a mixture of worry and anticipation. ¡°We can put it off no-no longer. My father, Prince Shaetanao of the Beastkin, wishes to meet-meet my consort, and the one who reclaimed the Spring with me.¡± She paused. ¡°He is more hot-tempered than Shaeraggo, and more-more doting than Anna. The cold political insight of my eldest brother too, and the strength-strength of Shaetourach. Father embodies them all. It wounded his heart to find-find himself manoeuvred into having to abandon me, and now-now I have returned, he has become rather... irritating? Is that the word? Yes-yes, perhaps. But he loves me dearly, and I appreciate him as my father, and want him to like-like you, Akio. So when this is all done...¡±


    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll meet him.¡± I promised.


    ¡°This is hardly relevant, you are in great haste, no?¡± Moira said, pursing her lips like an overworked secretary. ¡°From a defensive standpoint you are correct, the Spring of Clear Reflections is almost entirely reintegrated back into the Seelie Court now. It is a foolish risk to slacken that defence now. The same for here. I have seen and approved of the plans. Now, with the Rhyming Trees so strengthened...¡±


    As we talked and planned, several hours passing by, my phone rang, and I was disappointed to see it wasn¡¯t Eleanor, but the British Prime Minister. On answering and giving our greetings, he got straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve hit some problems. We arrested the Silver Hands Foundation members and have been observing the followers of Mary Stuart, but...¡± he sounded embarrassed. ¡°All of the so-called Choir and Judges, they seem to be ordinary believers, who had agreed to be decoys to distract us. Mary Stuart herself has vanished, and the soldiers watching her have been hospitalised. They should pull through, but without the aid of Healing, they won¡¯t fight again.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Troubling. But there¡¯s only one place they can be headed.¡± I said, and the Prime Minister agreed.


    ¡°Yes, so we suspect. There¡¯s a great deal we don¡¯t understand about the other world the Queen calls Avalon, and you the Boundary. She might have retreated to her own lands there, not that we have found where she calls home, despite our efforts. Or...¡±


    ¡°More likely she¡¯s after the Tower of London.¡± I mused. ¡°It all comes back to that. Eleanor isn¡¯t the prize, but she¡¯ll be a collateral benefit.¡± If they have to break her Territory to seize the Tower, who would pass up the chance to destroy her Anchor and rip free her Divine Favour? But Mary Stuart doing that doesn¡¯t fit Tsukuyomi¡¯s visions, well, not all of them. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be confronting Eleanor, but... not alone, and unless... huh. No way. I had a very bad feeling all of a sudden. ¡°Can you check one thing for me?¡± I asked, and the Prime Minister paused when he had heard what I had said.


    ¡°We have the information on file, from a census report. It stands to reason some of them would be, as one in twelve are, in England...¡± he said, troubled. ¡°I¡¯ll text you the findings.¡±


    ¡°So, what of Maxwell Power?¡± I asked, and he sighed.


    ¡°That is the second blunder. We lost him too. This time... there were deaths. We sent a team of SAS operatives to retrieve him, the operation should have been flawless, but... the bodycam footage was grim. Most of it was corrupted, but you can see...¡±


    My phone beeped, indicating a video message. Opening it up I could see a grainy image of gunfire being blocked by a shining hand of silver, before that hand was thrust towards the person filming, and blood fogged the lens, but sounds of gunfire, explosions and violence could still be heard, until everything went still, and a large shadow, bigger than human, seemed to pass by, large foot casually stomping on something with the sound of breaking bones.


    ¡°A silver hand. That was Michael Silversmith¡¯s Favour, right?¡± I said.


    ¡°DNA testing on the body should be back in a few hours. But dental records from the recovered body of Maxwell Power, which was at the location you said, match up. The time of death is around the same date in August as Michael Silversmith¡¯s, though it¡¯s hard to be certain due to the actions of insects and weathering...¡±


    ¡°So, the thing masquerading as Maxwell Power, be it a person or something else, has also gone missing. Considering he¡¯s involved in poisoning the Princess to ruin her luck and invite misfortune, either she¡¯s the goal, or something only she has access to is. In either case, there¡¯s only one place he could be going...¡±


    ¡°Shit, this is going to be a four-way clusterfuck.¡± Shiro muttered, and Shaeula snorted her agreement.


    ¡°So, if I was to put in an official request for your help, would you come to Britain¡¯s aid?¡± The Prime Minister asked. ¡°I thank you for the intelligence, but if we can¡¯t rely on our own Gods¡¯ Chosen we will struggle to protect Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Send a request to our Prime Minister, one leader to another, and we¡¯ll look on it favourably, but obviously I can¡¯t act without proper regard to the situation.¡± I lied, as we were already on route. ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Diet and the nobility will look at it quickly.¡±


    ¡°All right. I appreciate it, and so will her Majesty, I¡¯m sure. This has been quite the trying time, I never expected when I took office this is the crisis I¡¯d have to deal with...¡± I let him blow off some more steam, before hanging up.


    ¡°Look at Aki, our little liar.¡± Shiro laughed, before the look on my face stopped her. ¡°I get it, you¡¯re worried. But the Princess is in her castle, well, the Palace, right?¡± she continued. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be safe there? Even if Maxwell Power was able to take out a group of elite soldiers, the number of them in the Palace should be overwhelming...¡±


    ¡°Even so, I¡¯m worried. If I wanted to draw her out, it¡¯s easy enough. Just hit her Territory, alerting her to danger. She¡¯d have to go herself, or risk losing all she¡¯s built. Even if she doesn¡¯t know about Conqueror and what will happen if another Chosen destroys her Anchor, she can¡¯t afford to lose the area around the Tower, not if she won¡¯t even let us help her. And if they send the other Chosen of Britain, who we don¡¯t know are trustworthy...¡±


    My phone beeped again, and all the names of the primary, second, third, fourth and fifth teams of Great Britain were sent to me, with census data. I thought so. Now, it doesn¡¯t mean that they are traitors, just because of this, but it means Eleanor needs to be extremely cautious. Two in the main team, all but one in the second, and... I sent my concerns to Eleanor, and now, all we could do was wait...


    ********


    ¡°Finally!¡± I said with a sigh of relief, as my phone rang, and it was actually Princess Eleanor, at least according to the caller identification. Picking up, I greeted her, only to get a rather exasperated, argumentative lecture straight away. ¡°Just what do you mean, accusing them of being in league with Mary Stuart? I told you, I trust them! Just because of their faith, you suspect the worst? I¡¯m not impressed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you to be extra cautious. Mary Stuart and all her followers have disappeared, leaving behind decoys to fool surveillance. People without ulterior motives don¡¯t need to prepare such elaborate schemes.¡± I warned. ¡°As for Max Power, or whoever is pretending to be him... he has proved he¡¯s a threat. And all of your teammates have been working with his Foundation in some form or other.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s all been charitable work and support for the cause.¡± Eleanor protested. ¡°There¡¯s been nothing sinister or selfish.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but what better way to hide ill-intentions than by masking it with aid and good deeds?¡± I pointed out. ¡°What we know is that whoever is masquerading as Max Power is at least a murderer, poisoned you, and has now managed to kill a team sent to bring him in. And what could he be after? I can only think of two things. You... or the Tower of London.¡±


    There was silence, before she answered me. ¡°But I have to trust my allies. I can¡¯t defend London alone, let alone Britain. You tell me, could you do everything alone?¡±


    Beside me, Hyacinth¡¯s expression was becoming murderous. Shaeula tried to calm her down as I continued trying to advise the Princess. ¡°I understand that. I¡¯m only asking you to wait for now, your Prime Minister is putting in a request for mutual aid with Japan. When Maxwell Power is captured, and we can sort out whether Mary Stuart is a threat, or just someone who speaks unpleasant words, then the danger goes down, and we can find out for certain. Eleanor, you have to believe that Max Power knows about the Tower. Mary Stuart certainly does, right? And I know you know of a reason why she would desire it strongly enough to get rid of you if you stand in her way.¡±


    ¡°But can I trust you, Akio?¡± she asked me piercingly, and at that Hyacinth could take it no longer, snatching the phone.


    ¡°You wooorthless trash! Akio is doooing everything he can to safeguard you, and you disrespect him sooo? Hyacinth is going to pull out your tongue and strangle yooou until you...¡± she squawked as Shaeula restrained her, and I retrieved my phone.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I apologised.


    ¡°No, I see she is as feisty as ever.¡± Eleanor said softly. ¡°You have to admit though, you have been good to me, with no reason for it I can see. So surely your words about Max Power can be returned to you? You could quite easily be fooling me.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that?¡± I asked, as Hyacinth raged behind me.


    ¡°Honestly, no. But then you do say I¡¯m too naive and trusting, right? But I do believe in those I¡¯ve fought beside these last months. So far, none of the psychological tests have indicated any brainwashing. You¡¯re right though. The Tower...¡± I imagined she was making a very troubled face right now. ¡°...no matter what, I can¡¯t lose it. Even if I have to sacrifice for it. But... tell Hyacinth that I have listened to you. I promise to be as careful as I can be, but I don¡¯t want to be the sort of woman who doesn¡¯t trust her friends.¡±


    ¡°I do have a reason to help you.¡± I admitted. ¡°Perhaps when we next meet we can talk about it. For now... just stay cautious. Do everything you can that your conscience will let you.¡±


    ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry, I have taken your warnings to heart. There¡¯s a lot of precautions I can take without showing them I doubt their intentions. Now, I have to go. I¡¯m safe here in the Palace, the best of the British Army is here to protect grandmother and me. I¡¯ll... bear your warnings in mind. And...¡± she lowered her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll thank you for teaching me that trump card. Nobody but my brother knows about it, not even grandmother. So... I¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    As she hung up I shook my head. ¡°I hope so, Princess. But for now...¡± Turning to the others, I spoke. ¡°We don¡¯t have too long until we land. Then we head for the coast and cross to the south of England. From there it¡¯s a short jaunt to London. Rather than looking for a needle in a haystack, we at least have a good idea of the goals of our opponents...¡± the meaningless, uneasy blaring of my Foresight was in the background of my mind as I looked out of the window, the vista of France spreading out below us. Mary Stuart, the being masquerading as Maxwell Power, Eleanor¡¯s companions... are they working together, or do they all have competing goals? Who can be trusted? Damn, it¡¯s far easier when the enemy is clear, like the invaders of Kyoto...


    Turning to help Shaeula calm down the red-faced and angry Hyacinth, it took until we landed to soothe her rage, and after passing through passport control, all of us on diplomatic passports, including Chen Na, we were picked up by a driver that Fujiwara-san¡¯s contact had arranged...

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Six / Side One Hundred And Forty-One -The Queen of the United Kingdom

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Six / Side One Hundred And Forty-One -The Queen of the United Kingdom


    Sitting outside a cafe?, a little to the north of where Hyacinth and I had been while in the Territory of Princess Eleanor, I was sipping a coffee, trying not to pay attention to the stares of passers-by. Well, we are quite the eye-catching group. Even making an effort to blend in, with hats, sunglasses and other accessories, we attracted notice, considering we had a hulking, muscled man like Grulgor, as well as some incredibly beautiful women with us.


    ¡°So, here we are, Aki.¡± Shiro was saying, a smile on her face, her dark eyes hidden behind a big pair of sunglasses. They didn¡¯t really suit her, but then again, Shiro looked good in anything. ¡°What¡¯s the play?¡±


    ¡°A good question.¡± I mused. ¡°Well, for once, hopefully we are being proactive, rather than reactive. If we had a Ring Gate, that might make our choice easy, but we don¡¯t, and even if we did, if something happens here in the Material, we¡¯d be screwed. But yes, proactive.¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Indeed, we can not-not wait for matters to slowly come to a head.¡± Shaeula, who was wearing a wide-brimmed hat to shade her doll-like features, as well as a more Western-style dress than her usual yukata, pointed out. Her small hands were clutching a coffee as well. ¡°We have many-many demands on our time, and while I do appreciate your efforts to save troubled females...¡± her lips twitched into a smile. ¡°... we can not-not travel halfway around the world and put all our own plans on hold, just-just for her. If she was not-not one of these Princesses Tsukiko spoke of, at least.¡±


    ¡°I dooo not like her.¡± Hyacinth, in the modest maid outfit, muttered. She was wearing a coat over the top, and sunglasses, so she looked simply like a pretty young woman with care taken to dye her hair in vivid, colourful streaks. Even so, passers-by shivered unconsciously from the aura she was giving out, as she was in a foul mood. ¡°If she was tooo die, it would serve her right for spitting ooon what Akio has given her.¡±


    ¡°No, she listened, at least a little.¡± I shook my head, exasperated. ¡°I think in a way it¡¯s praiseworthy to always believe in your friends. A little stupid, considering, but worthy of praise. After all, I believe in you all, right?¡±


    Shaeula, Shiro and Hyacinth perked up at that. Even Grulgor stood taller, muscles bulging under his suit. The only one who seemed out of place was Chen Na, who wasn¡¯t in disguise, as there was no need. Fortunately, as Haru-san¡¯s Chosen Hero, she could now understand Japanese, but I spoke to her in Mandarin when I could, as it seemed to ease her anxiety. Though considering her crimes, that¡¯s probably unneeded courtesy. No, there¡¯s no point holding it against her during this mission...


    ¡°Of course you do, Aki.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Though if you think about it, Shaeula, Grulgor, Hyacinth, Chen Na, me... we¡¯ve all been enemies at some point, right? Though I¡¯d argue it was Tan, not me, who attacked you. I¡¯m the only one who would rather have died than hurt you.¡± She boasted, and Shaeula sniffed.


    ¡°Do not-not be foolish. After all, you accepted Tan, thus responsibility lies with you. You are not-not any better than us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad everyone is so relaxed we can banter.¡± I said, drawing their attention back to me. ¡°But seriously, we need to resolve matters quickly. Ideally, taking Max Power and Mary Stuart into custody would be a good start, Shaeula, you can use your befuddling winds, buffed by Shiro, to easily make them spit out the truth.¡±


    ¡°Grulgor thinks it will be difficult to find them. Surely it will not be so easy.¡± the troll interjected, showing off his higher intelligence. Shaeula snickered at Grulgor contributing to the conversation, but his point was good.


    ¡°Yes, Yasaka-san might be able to give us some clues when he recovers, but from the way Max Power, or whoever replaced him, seemed to give us misleading nonsense when the Book of Providence was asked, I¡¯m not convinced. No... I have another plan. We touched on it briefly on the flight over, right?¡±


    ¡°Force their hands.¡± Shiro said, nodding. ¡°If we start causing a situation where they believe that their plan to get to Eleanor is in danger, they¡¯ll be forced to act, and since nobody knows we are here or what we can do...¡± she clapped her hands together loudly. ¡°... the trap is sprung.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. ¡°But we have to decide on just how to pull that off. A lot will depend on what Hyacinth can do.¡± At my words, she stood straighter, face hidden behind her sunglasses radiating pride.


    ¡°I can dooo it! Although, they will nooot live without a suitable source of nourishment.¡± She warned, and I nodded.


    ¡°Hopefully what I retrieved before we left should cover that. If it works, a lot of our problems will disappear.¡± As we were talking the sound of sirens could be heard, and several ambulances raced past. Since that was a daily occurrence in a large city we paid it no mind and continued planning.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if Max Power really has exerted some sort of mind control on everyone. So we want to avoid killing where possible.¡± I looked at Chen Na. ¡°Your skills will be invaluable. You¡¯ve learned to do what the Judge of Death was doing with your powers, right?¡±


    She nodded weakly. ¡°I can trap people in barrier bubbles. Though as he found out, it isn¡¯t impossible to escape...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be...¡± I said, more ambulances screaming down the road past us, sirens blaring, followed by a military truck. Around us, people were looking at their phones, and panicked murmurs were spreading, so I motioned for everyone to be silent.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°... have you heard? The Tower of London was attacked by terrorists...¡± one man was saying to his wife.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s not a joke. The BBC is showing footage from outside the Palace as well. Don¡¯t look, it¡¯s horrible. To think a grandchild of the Queen could be so horribly maimed...¡±


    ¡°Aki, you don¡¯t think...?¡± Shiro began, fumbling for her own phone. More ambulances, police cars, fire engines and military transports were roaring towards central London, and overhead helicopters were flying. No way. How can we be too late? This time we planned ahead!


    ¡°... scenes live from Buckingham Palace.¡± A female reporter from the BBC was saying. ¡°... before he could be put into the helicopter and airlifted, Prince Henry¡¯s mutilated body was seen as a gust of wind blew the blanket that was covering him away. Some... no, all viewers will find the following footage distressing.¡±


    Prince Henry? Hurt in the Palace? He must have been in the Boundary. I warned him about that, and Eleanor knows the risks, so... Footage came up on the screen, and it was of two paramedics rapidly carrying a wrapped body, only for the wind to blow, and as they stumbled, the blanket revealed a pale, horribly burned prince Henry, one arm missing at the shoulder.


    ¡°Damn, he looks worse than I did.¡± Shiro said softly, and she took off her sunglasses, meeting my eyes. ¡°Tan thinks those burns are tainted with adherence, just like mine were.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I stood up. ¡°Looks like the situation has turned for the worse.¡± Behind us, the TV in the cafe? was now on, displaying the scene at the Tower. It was cordoned off, surrounded by ambulances, police, and a number of soldiers. Though the press couldn¡¯t get close to the Tower grounds, it was still possible to see the dead bodies being carried out. This makes Kyoto look easy to cover up. It¡¯s not like they can say the Prince got attacked by terrorists inside the palace, and if he¡¯s healed, who would believe it done by science? ¡°... let¡¯s go.¡± I urged them to follow me. ¡°Looks like as always we¡¯re a step behind, but this time, at least it¡¯s only a single step, and we¡¯re on the scene as shit is going down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a real shame.¡± Shiro commiserated me. ¡°Our plan to catch the mice with a threatening cat and some tasty cheese was pretty good. You¡¯re becoming quite the planner, Aki.¡± Before I could retort, I caught sight of a man talking to the police and soldiers on the screen. He was young, and I had caught a glimpse of him at Princess Eleanor¡¯s gala. He¡¯s one of her party, right? Donovan, I believe? He exchanged some words with the defensive cordon, and I was obviously unable to hear them, as the camera crew were interested in other matters, and then he was past, running towards the Tower.


    ¡°We should move. Our plans may have changed, but what we must do has not-not.¡± Shaeula affirmed.


    ¡°Right. The question is, just what¡¯s going on in the Material? We should send...¡± my words were interrupted by the news anchor on the TV, who looked shocked, before saying in a grave voice. ¡°We bring you breaking news, the Queen and Prime Minister are holding a joint press conference regarding the matter of the Tower of London and the fate of Prince Henry.¡± Phones around us started beeping, and all of the British were getting alerts delivered to their phones with a link. ¡°It seems that the prototype Emergency Alert system is being used, every citizen who can watch should.¡±


    The second anchor spoke. ¡°This is unprecedented. I think history is being made today, a grim one to match the eleventh of September, or the seven-seven attacks. No, even then, the Queen never...¡±


    ¡°I have to stop you there. The broadcast is going live in five. Four. Three. Two. One.¡± Phones lit up around us, and every TV screen was displaying a haggard-looking Queen, her expression completely at odds with the sly cheerfulness of when last I had seen her. Beside her, his bluster gone, stood the blonde Prime Minister, looking grave and solemn, and on the other side, a man I didn¡¯t recognise, in full military uniform. Subtitles then came up, referring to him as General Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, and highest military officer in Britain.


    How surprising. ¡°Did he say why? And... how did they get in without your knowledge?¡±


    ¡°He says it was a private matter, and apologises for the stealthy entry. Considering the circumstances, we can hardly complain at the insult when we are seeking aid.¡±


    ¡°There are only two possibilities.¡± The Queen said, her expression pensive. ¡°Either they are behind this outrage at the Tower, which seems unlikely, as we think it is rather strange they then would have admitted anything, and it does not fit their efforts to warn us of this disaster and prepare us, or...¡± hope surged inside her. ¡°... they are here because they were waiting for this to happen, and are ready to aid us!¡±


    ¡°I think so. If we could use them even to get some clarity on the situation, we could use the military to put down the traitors, we have most of their sleeping bodies, though not all...¡± The Prime Minister said.


    ¡°We dare hope for more. Ask for aid, beg for it. We will pay any price to save Eleanor and what the Tower protects, and to preserve as many loyal Gods¡¯ Chosen as we can. We will even allow those who aid us the chance to see if any of the treasures we have hoarded from all over these isles are compatible with them.¡±


    ¡°What if they want something else?¡± he asked quickly, seeing as the General was finishing and it would soon be his time to speak.


    ¡°Then we will grant it, so long as those three things are not compromised. Go, speak quickly.¡± As the Prime Minister grabbed his phone, stepping aside, the Queen adopted a stony, regal poise, though behind that perfect mask, her thoughts were racing...


    ********


    All around us there was uproar, people looking at their phones or televisions in disbelief. Arguments were breaking out, and people were spilling out of shops and homes into the street. While the General was talking, detailing a little about Gods¡¯ Chosen, footage was also playing of Eleanor, vaulting a wall and running at a speed that would shatter all world records in sport, as well as other, older images of her regenerating injuries during testing at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    ¡°So, looks like the cat¡¯s out of the bag, not trapping the mice.¡± Shiro snickered, though I could see worry in her eyes. ¡°The situation must be bad if this is the result. It¡¯s going to cause havoc all over the world, especially back in Japan, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that Kyoto won¡¯t be seen for what it was now. The public were angry, now they¡¯ll likely be aggrieved we lied to them.¡± I said, concerned. But that¡¯s for later. ¡°The situation is shit, so we need to respond. We¡¯ll find a place to enter the Boundary, and then we¡¯ll head for the Tower there. But...¡± I remembered that Donovan was in the Material. ¡°... we need someone to head to the Tower here. Just in case. We need information, and he¡¯s a prime source.¡±


    ¡°I shall go.¡± Shaeula said, nodding. ¡°I am more-more than capable of defending myself, and my winds will make all tell me what we wish-wish to know. I can then-then relay information to whoever is watching your bodies, before joining you.¡±


    ¡°That seems a good plan.¡± I agreed. With Shaeula handling it I¡¯m not concerned, she isn¡¯t that much weaker than I am, I doubt any Chosen here is her match. Though there are other concerns, like the police and military cordon... As we headed through the rapidly-filling streets, my phone rang, and I could see it was Abe-san, Japan¡¯s Prime Minister. Picking up, he launched into his words without a pause for greetings or indeed a breath.


    ¡°Akio-san, there¡¯s no time. We¡¯ve been contacted by Britain¡¯s Government, asking for aid. Politically, it¡¯s perfect, though they already owe us for this.¡± His words tumbled out. ¡°Despite the late hour, all the news stations in Japan are being bombarded with calls, as is every police station, the Government... I was dragged out of bed as soon as this happened. Well, it was too much to hope that our news stations wouldn¡¯t immediately run with such an unprecedented live broadcast from abroad. People are flocking out into the streets, and the demonstrations are likely to flare up about Kyoto, a hundred times hotter than before.¡±


    ¡°I expected that.¡± I broke in. ¡°Get to the point. We¡¯re about to try and sort this mess out now. What do they want and what are they offering?¡±


    ¡°They want Eleanor¡¯s safety and the Tower of London to remain in her hands. And if possible, to save the lives of as many loyal Chosen as possible.¡±


    ¡°Loyal? That implies some are disloyal.¡± I said, and he laughed bitterly.


    ¡°Apparently they can¡¯t say for certain, but some of them attacked their guards and fled, while the rest have entered the Boundary without permission. They were administering psychological tests and interviews to try and establish if your concerns were valid...¡±


    ¡°How about there?¡± Shiro tugged my sleeve, pointing to a small business hotel. I nodded, and we headed in, Shiro quickly securing us a room.


    ¡°At least they were taking me somewhat seriously, but you can¡¯t stop Chosen like that, not when they can enter the Boundary. Sure, you have their Material bodies, but damaging them or killing them might turn out to be a mistake, if they were innocent after all, and responding to a crisis. Then no British Chosen would ever trust their Government again when that got out. Shit.¡± I swore wholeheartedly. At least we can react quickly. That¡¯s enough to be grateful for.


    ¡°In exchange...¡± Abe-san continued. ¡°They have access to some ancient relics, supposedly, and any of you who aid them will be allowed to see if you are compatible with any of them. Then, there¡¯s a lot of benefits we get as a country...¡±


    ¡°Try and hold out for not just us here, but a few more of us, like the girls, my sister, Ixitt, Haru-san... I don¡¯t want to be seen as heartless, but if they¡¯d have listened to us, this mess wouldn¡¯t be as bad as it seems to be. So we are owed compensation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and the Queen would ask for Henry to be healed, if you can.¡± He finished.


    ¡°Yes, afterwards. It might take a few weeks, if it¡¯s adherence burns, but I should be able to manage.¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, there¡¯s no sleep for me tonight.¡± Abe-san said. I could hear several female voices calling out in the background, a touch grumpy. ¡°My wife and daughter are both going to give me hell. I¡¯ll be on the phone with the British again now. if I get any information I¡¯ll call.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably be out of touch, but sure.¡± I said. ¡°So, do we know anything?¡± I asked. Shiro and Hyacinth had already jumped on the bed, Shiro calling on aether as she gave us all the blessings of Anesidora, while Shaeula¡¯s eyes were gleaming, her small fists clenched.


    ¡°They believe Max Power attacked the tower and killed the disguised guards there. Though they can¡¯t be certain, the recordings are distorted. And they¡¯ve lost track of Mary Stuart and her followers. Other than that, no.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to the task of trying to put out fires in Japan then. Good luck.¡± I said, before hanging up. ¡°All right, Shaeula, go. Grulgor...¡± I grinned, giving them my instructions, as he waited behind. He laughed happily, and then I turned to Chen Na. ¡°Come on, get going. You¡¯ll be earning your keep today...¡±


    With nervous, resigned eyes she lay down beside Hyacinth, and moments later her body was an empty shell. With that I climbed in next to Shiro, after giving Grulgor my phone.


    ¡°Grul knows what to do.¡± He grumbled. ¡°When the princess gets back, Grulgor will join you. After making sure all is well.¡± Shaeula had leapt out of the room, and I could feel the tang of her befuddling winds in the air.


    Great. In that case... time to clean up this mess. And with that, I too entered the Boundary, just outside the area of Territory Eleanor had claimed...

 Act One Finale – Part 1 – The Chaos Begins

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 1 ¨C The Chaos Begins


    Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    On leaving the small hotel room, Shaeula spotted a passing maid. Though those clothes are not cute at all. Hyacinth would be most disappointed. She let out a gentle snort of amusement, having learned enough about the mortal world in these last few months to understand that maids such as Hyacinth were relics of the wealthy, or novelties such as in maid cafes in Japan. Raising one hand, she let the befuddling winds flow, and the woman stopped, eyes glazing over a little. ¡°Give-give me the key to your supply cupboard.¡± Shaeula demanded. ¡°Then cordon it off. You are not-not to use it until tomorrow.¡±


    The woman fumbled out her key slowly, nodding, and Shaeula watched her go for a moment, before opening the door to the room and tossing the key to Grulgor. ¡°I shall be off. I will contact you with information when I have it, and then you can-can relay it to Akio and the others. Move them to the new location. It will be uncomfortable, but I fear-fear...¡±


    ¡°Grulgor gets it, do not worry, little princess.¡± He said, lifting Shiro and Hyacinth gently over his shoulders. ¡°Nobody knows we are here, but Grul thinks extra caution is wise.¡± He carried the girls out into the corridor, and placed their sleeping bodies inside the cupboard, using spare bedding from the storeroom to make them comfortable. Heading back for Akio and the Chinese girl, Chen Na, he winked.


    ¡°Yes, well, I am quite-quite sure that Duke Formor would be as shocked as I am about your growth. To think-think you would consider matters other than battle. Well, I shall be going. Time-time is precious.¡± Grulgor is right. For now he can guard them, but perhaps later his strength will be needed. Therefore, take precautions. They are needless, but it is still a good habit. Scurrying through the halls, she grinned at the thought of a team of enemies breaking into the hotel, only to find their room empty. There is no issue. No, what is a problem is... her eyes shone amber as she eyed the Tower of London, a little over three miles distant. Pulling the white sunhat down over her face, her grin was wicked. ¡°It seems that the truth is out-out.¡± She could see the streets thronged with panicking people, watching overhead as helicopters flew towards the Tower and the Palace, all discussing the Queen¡¯s conference with a mixture of excitement, trepidation, panic and dread. ¡°So it seems...¡± I have no reason to hold back any longer...


    Her legs flexing, she ran, moving at a speed an order of magnitude faster than the best marathon runner had ever achieved. Her speed was equivalent to a sportscar, and as she raced towards the Tower, her surroundings a blur, her hat held on with one hand, her dress flapping in the breeze her movement created, she could see people exclaiming in panic, leaping out of her way, filming her with their phones and taking pictures.


    Silly mortals. I have great control, I will not strike you. All her physical stats were closing in on a thousand, and she laughed to think of how feeble she truly was when Akio first battled her, weak, weighed down by the many kin her Kin Restoration was shouldering. But not now... Under a minute had passed and she was closing in on the Tower. I am just here to gather information, but if it comes to battle... I will not lose. She clenched her fist, slowing down to a halt in front of the police and military cordon of the Tower, smirking at the shocked faces of BBC journalists and also some reporters from international news sites who had gathered amusing her. They were professionals though, and even with jaws agape and eyes starting, they had her on camera, spreading her image to the world. I shall have to boast to Eri on my return. I believe this will cause Akio some trouble, but now is a good time to make ourselves known. That way, this Queen of the United Kingdom will be unable to renege on her promises of reward...


    ¡°Halt! You can not pass, this area is a crime scene!¡± the lead soldier commanded, and Shaeula found dozens of guns pointed at her, which she dismissed with a wry snort. With my stats and League now, they will merely hurt a little. Although... her keen eyes detected some danger as they shone powerfully, drawing gasps from everyone around. Several snipers. A direct hit from these would be problematic, though I have dealt with such before. And also... Her grin was pleased. So that is what she is doing. Most clever. Great minds think alike. Though Hyacinth would no doubt disagree, loathing the woman. Though if she showed Akio proper respect, Hyacinth would soon come around...


    As her thoughts raced, thinking through the situation in an instant, her Mystic Eyes could see her target, the aether he was giving off surprisingly impressive, and a little familiar. This one is not useless, though of course Akio stands superior. The soldiers shouted out more commands, raising their weapons, and she sighed. ¡°Do not-not point your weapons at me, foolish male. I am in quite-quite the hurry. I am aid that your Queen has requested, to deal with this situation. Stand-stand aside.¡±


    ¡°Nobody enters the Tower except authorised personnel!¡± the man barked, and Shaeula shrugged, her mood souring. I am in a great hurry. I wish to inform Grulgor of the situation with haste, so that I may re-join the others.


    ¡°You would bar-bar my way? Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie, Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections?¡± Winds gusted, the air shimmering green as though the aurora borealis had descended to earth. The press were filming and commentating in a number of languages, some she did not understand herself. Though one comment did annoy her a little.


    ¡°That speech impediment, how cute...¡±


    What are they talking about? Such nonsense. Her fists clenched, and she was contemplating using the befuddling winds to enter, when a man in uniform ran out of one of the parked vehicles, and handed the leader a note. On reading it, his expression changed.


    ¡°Miss Dannan, your name is on the list we have just received. By all means, enter.¡± He stepped aside and the guns were lowered, so Shaeula strolled past imperiously, her gaze fixed on the figure in the Tower.


    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m from the BBC!¡± One brave woman ran over to her. ¡°You are obviously at the centre of today¡¯s shocking, unprecedented events. Can we have an interview?¡±


    Shaeula turned, and even with her face hidden by the deep brim of her hat, her charm took the reporter¡¯s breath away.


    Shaking her head, hair like shining gold drawing attention, she denied her. ¡°I am clearly far-far too busy. But I think you will find, after today you will be seeing much-much more of us.¡± With that she spun on her heels and passed the barricades, entering the grounds of the Tower, immediately feeling the noticeably higher ether density. Behind her, the reporters and vast crowd of the public that had gathered could only watch as the army formed up again, blocking their access. It is time to find out just what is going on. I do not know this Eleanor, only that Hyacinth does not have fondness for her. But betrayal... that I can not stand. Her thoughts drifted back to Risha and her other traitorous maids. No, betrayers will be justly punished...


    ********


    Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Eleanor shouted in frustration, only to curse herself as a fool for making noise and drawing attention to herself. While she ran like a coward, David, Sir Arthur and Raidre were fighting for their lives, and Aditi might have already joined Mary-Jane in suffering whatever grave injury or perhaps even death that had led to her ejection from Avalon. In my heart, I know that retreat was the right choice. I have to protect the Tower, no matter what. But... the sting of betrayal, which should have paralysed her, still burned, but because in her heart of hearts she had accepted the possibility after the warnings Akio had given, she was able to force herself to move.


    Sarah... you seem to believe in what you¡¯re doing. You¡¯ve broken poor David¡¯s heart though, I think... After crossing the Thames near Bermondsey isle, passing by long enough to shout to the remaining selkie there to evacuate, she had reached the south shore and entered the maze-like alleyways and overhangs of this part of her Avalon. Trying to evade pursuit, buying time for a way to turn things around, she scurried like a mouse being pursued by a cat through a labyrinth. Donovan though... She shuddered at the madness in his eyes. Just how could he change so? Or did we simply not notice, his growing confidence masking other, more sinister changes?


    Bolts of energy flashed, hammering into the rippling barrier around her Avalon. The light was fading, and she could feel the defences faltering. ¡°I never thought I would have to defend from threats within.¡± She muttered, disconsolate. She had allowed all of her allies free access, and they to her, the Territories of Aditi, Sir Arthur, Sarah, David and Donovan forming a star-shaped ring around her initial, fumbling Avalon, offering unparalleled safety. Just like the six of us. Sarah and I took the brunt of the attacks, while David, Sir Arthur and Aditi defeated the foes, and Mary-Jane patched us up, and occasionally offered support or a few attacks. ¡°That¡¯s all shattered now, just like...¡± With the sound of breaking glass, the barrier collapsed, and now bolts of energy from the numerous defences Sarah had been erecting, an excessive number, really, were heading her way, exploding in the streets around her. David had mentioned it in passing, but...


    In addition to that, the hosts of creatures that Sarah and Donovan controlled, a recent addition to their defences, were pouring out towards the river. Her eyesight was good, so from a vantage point on top of a small building, she saw the creatures attempt to swim, many swept away by the sluggish waters. White-clad followers of Mary soon took charge though, and structures nearby were demolished, crude rafts being constructed. Does that mean Sir Arthur and the others are already...?


    Jumping down, she refused to consider that they were dead. For now she needed to think, consider her options. Not that thinking was ever the strong suit of our family. Henry, you idiot. Don¡¯t go dying on me now... her only solace was that if he lived, grandmother would spare no expense in hiring the best healers for him, and one name came to mind. But getting Henry healed wouldn¡¯t help her now.


    She could hear the sounds of pursuit and explosions, her lead eroding as she had to constantly change directions and ambush her pursuers. Most of the enemies were soulless copies of foes they had slain, fishmen, goblins and hounds, but there were some with intelligence mixed in that she did not recognise, figures clad in white armour and red surcoats or tabards, moving unnaturally. Mary must have supplied them...


    Eleanor knew she was trapped, but had to fight back. As a group of dull-witted goblins passed one intersection, she leapt out of the shadows, sword cleaving the head from one, before she kicked out, shattering the ribs of a second. Rusty knives were swung at her, but they struck sparks off her armour, and her blade flashed, carving down her assailants, turning them to a little ether to absorb, giving her a tiny burst of energy. Too slow. Akio was right, I lack offensive power... even as she finished them, a dozen hounds rushed at her, their eyes dead.


    I¡¯ll not fall here! Mary won¡¯t get what she wants! I¡¯ll not be the one to fail when for fifteen hundred years and more we¡¯ve guarded this secret! Bone crunched under her fist as she slammed into the head of one hound, her knee killing a second. Her sword flashed, hewing them apart, and ignoring the scraping of fangs and claws on metal, she struck, punched, kicked and slashed until the hounds were dead, only taking a dozen seconds. Still too slow... David, Raidre or Donovan would have dispatched a group of sluggish, soulless copies like that in a second. I¡¯m losing time...


    Thinking of Donovan, she remembered the good times, his shy smile, the glances he stole at her when he thought she wasn¡¯t looking. At first he had been terrified of battle, like her, or so she had thought, but his skills with a spear were surprising, and when he managed to master the power of his relic, wreathing it in lightning to both damage and subdue, he was a terror. His confidence had grown, meeting important people... and their daughters... her thoughts raced bitterly. Two of the white figures had cornered her, and she engaged them, their blows powerful, and as she struck back, they used shields to block her blows, sword ringing from metal. Her greater strength staggered them, but they righted themselves with strange, jerky movements, swinging their own swords.


    Should I use the water element? It might have enough power to defeat them? She considered it briefly, but decided against it quickly, as that was her secret trump card. Letting out a cry, she rammed into one of the warriors, knocking it off balance. A sword slammed into her armour, but she barely felt it, and as she rose to her feet, she could see a white helm had come loose, revealing a skeletal skull underneath, teeth clicking, eye sockets gleaming with eerily flickering light. Disgusting... her fists slammed it again and again, until the skull was pulverised and her fists were striking the ground, bruising her flesh, though such small wounds healed almost instantaneously. She felt a pain in her back, a number of strands of hair cut free from her ponytail as the second foe had stabbed her, but she rose to her feet, eyes cold, and her sword danced, shattering her opponent. Bones and armour hit the ground, and for a moment she was elated, until a volley of energy blasts from Sarah¡¯s Avalon streaked over, exploding all around her, one striking her leg. She groaned, shrugging it off, and several more rained down, forcing her deeper into the tenement maze.


    Donovan¡¯s love life was the butt of David¡¯s jokes, but I think he was just jealous. Compared to Akio, he¡¯s just a little puppy. Or is he...? She was finding it hard to keep focused, running into yet another group of soulless assailants, blade hewing them down until there were none remaining, heedless of the blows she was suffering in return. Now that I think about it, at least Akio is taking responsibility, even going so far as to pressure the Japanese Government. Whereas Donovan changed girls like changing a pair of shoes... Her hands were sweaty in her gauntlets, her breath coming fast. Another pair of skeletons attacked, and this time she could barely remember how she defeated them, only leaving behind their disintegrating bodies.


    ¡°How could he change like that?¡± Her words were drowned out by a series of explosions, more blasts flying in, though luckily these hit the dwellings further away from her. ¡°Charm, or...?¡± As another group of skeletons rounded the corner, their fleshless bones hidden behind thick armour and cloth, she found she was smiling. Well, I fear he is in for a surprise...


    ********


    Going from a girlish nobody that got almost no attention from women, to the hero that was destined to save the world, slay the dragons and demons, and rescue all the Princesses and beautiful women in distress was his destiny. It all made so much sense. Those other women, Nicola, Marie, Suzanne, Sonia, they were all nice girls, girls he couldn¡¯t have dreamed of attracting when he was just quiet, shy, girlish Donovan Patterson. But as Donovan, companion to the Princess, greatest spear-wielder in Britain, no, the world, it was amazing how quickly they would try and get close to him, flatter him.


    Max was right. Those type of girls are fine for some fun, but as partners for the hero of the world, they are utterly lacking. Maybe I¡¯ll show them mercy and when I¡¯m King, I¡¯ll let them be my maids, and play with them a bit when I¡¯m bored. Not that I¡¯ll have time to be bored... Hopping up to the area that wasn¡¯t open to the public, he entered a code on the keypad there, activating the metal doors, which slid aside. On entering, he walked over to Eleanor¡¯s room. The door was shut, and with a grin of anticipation, he grasped the handle.


    Huh, locked? That¡¯s unusual. The handle wouldn¡¯t turn. That was a little annoying, but hardly a problem, as Donovan wrenched the handle to one side, snapping it, and the door opened. Donovan waited, anticipation building, for the moment when he would see the sleeping Princess and awaken her with a kiss. I suppose she won¡¯t wake up, not until Mary Stuart gets what she wants. Her... I need her, but she¡¯s not fit to stand beside the hero. The way Mary looked at him, as if he was filthy, it reminded him of being ignored, of lacking value, of looking down when anyone glared at him. She was definitely beautiful, but unlike Nicola and the others, he felt no desire for her. No, she¡¯s just like everyone else. Judging, whispering. But she¡¯s wrong! Max was right though, sometimes we have to deal with devils for the greater good. But we have to remember to put down the devils when their usefulness has passed.


    The moment was upon him, and the door creaked open, revealing a small room with a comfortable bed, a small TV, and a mini-fridge stocked with drinks and snacks. But the bed... empty?


    Donovan stared at it for a moment, confused. The Princess always comes here to enter. She¡¯s said many times she¡¯s weaker if she doesn¡¯t... no, wait... He quickly looked in the other rooms, growing more and more annoyed as he did so. ¡°She can¡¯t have stayed in the Palace? It¡¯s possible...¡± he hammered his fist into the wall, feeling a sting. ¡°If so...¡± she would be beyond my reach, at least for now. No, no need to panic. I¡¯ve helped Mary and Sarah stage their betrayal. That surprised me... Sarah didn¡¯t seem the sort. Though her teasing was annoying. I may have betrayed Eleanor, my Eleanor, but when all this is done, she¡¯ll only have me to turn to, the shining hero who can save Britain from the wicked hands of Mary Stuart and her ilk...


    Lost in his fantasy, he heard footsteps from below, and immediately perked up. Eleanor? Is it? No, she should be in the Boundary still. Unless Mary Stuart has failed somehow. If so... He grinned, his expression hidden behind his long bangs. ¡°Eleanor, you came. Give me a moment to explain, I did it all for your sake, you might not believe me, but...¡± he paused, again confused, as the woman that stepped through the door wasn¡¯t Eleanor, or anyone he had ever seen before. The woman was short and petite, wearing a long, pure white, summer dress and a matching hat. Taking the hat from her head, he paused, awestruck.


    She¡¯s beautiful. Perfect, doll-like features, amber eyes that seemed to be glowing like golden suns. Her lips were set in an impish smile, but Donovan, who would normally have shied away from such mocking expressions, found it suited her perfectly.


    ¡°Who.. who are you?¡± he asked. She¡¯s perfect. I want her for my harem. She can stand beside Eleanor, if her personality is good.


    ¡°Me?¡± The woman tilted her head, long amber hair swaying. ¡°I believe it is good-good manners to introduce oneself first, before asking such of others, is it not-not?¡±


    Good-good? Not-not? So adorable. ¡°My apologies.¡± He put on his most winning smile. ¡°I am Donovan Patterson, personal bodyguard of the Princess, and greatest warrior in Britain.¡± There was no harm in exaggerating, and if anything, he was playing it down. Future husband of the Princess, and King of Britain. Hero of the world. ¡°Now may I please have your name, beautiful maiden? What brings you here?¡± If she got into the Tower she can¡¯t be ordinary. Is she with Mary Stuart, or one of Britain¡¯s Gods¡¯ Chosen I¡¯ve not met? Though surely I¡¯d have heard of her...


    ¡°Me? I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie.¡± She said, her voice melodic, and one word caught his attention. Princess? Excellent, she has suitable pedigree as well as beauty. Wait, Seelie? It was a day of surprises, and this was just one more.


    ¡°Are you a Fae, then? Do you know Raidre, the selkie of Bermondsey isle?¡± If so, has she come for me? No, I¡¯ve never seen her anywhere before, and why would she be here?


    ¡°A selkie? Annoying skin-shifters. No, I do not-not know him. Now, a question for a question? Why-why would you be here, so-called bodyguard of this Princess, while she seemingly fights for her life-life? A poor bodyguard indeed.¡±


    It¡¯s none of your business! But... you¡¯re elegant, so I¡¯ll answer. ¡°I was checking to make sure her body was safe. I¡¯ll... be heading back shortly. If you are a Fae, you must be working for a Gods¡¯ Chosen, right? He must be very lucky.¡± I¡¯ll take you from him, have no fear. Only a King should have a Princess beside him.


    Her eyes shone brilliantly, and she murmured a few words. ¡°I see. Not-not charm, unless it is of great subtlety.¡± She sighed. ¡°So, what-what did you do all for her sake, Donovan?¡±


    Hearing her say his name pleased him, but the words, which he had uttered earlier, made him pause. He smiled, covering up his annoyance.


    ¡°Oh, a simple misunderstanding. Now, if you¡¯ll...¡± He reached out and grabbed her arm, only to find his hand radiating pain, a shimmering green wind of needles surrounding her bare flesh where he tried to hold her.


    ¡°I do not-not like to be touched, not-not by your hands.¡± She sniffed coldly. ¡°Treating a female so casually, I feel rather-rather sorry for this Princess, if you are her guard.¡±


    Donovan twitched. You have a sharp tongue. I¡¯m starting to reconsider your place by my side. No, I can retrain her, I¡¯m sure. A hero needs Princesses... ¡°My apologies.¡± He let go and brushed back his hair, giving her his most winning, charming smile. As he did so, a surge of green energy, like a million sparkling jade fireflies, filled the room, and he felt his mind fog a little.


    ¡°So, tell me true. Did-did you betray the Princess, and why?¡±


    Her words echoed in his ears, and he smiled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a betrayal, not really. Eleanor, she should be mine. I¡¯m the greatest hero, the true one. Max says so. Even Mary Stuart acknowledges me, and needed me to pull off her plans. Don¡¯t look at me like that, my precious. I¡¯ll take care of you. I love Eleanor, but a great hero can love many women!¡±


    ¡°True. I do most-most certainly agree.¡± Shaeula nodded, and Donovan felt a surge of giddy excitement, which was soon dashed by her next words, stoking his anger. ¡°But you are not-not any kind of hero. No female could ever love-love a male who betrays her and what she holds dear. Besides... I already have-have my hero, and he is not-not you.¡± She stepped back, and Donovan growled.


    ¡°Wait, did you bewitch me? I never meant to speak.¡± Shaking it off, circulating all the power inside, as Max had taught him, Donovan pulled out an old, rusted spear. Shaeula¡¯s eyes went wide as she looked at it, and Donovan chuckled. ¡°Really, I should give up on you. But instead, just like Eleanor, I¡¯ll have to help you to make the right choice and be my obedient, loving wife. If I¡¯m saving the world, that¡¯s the least I deserve, right?¡±


    ¡°So Tsukiko was right.¡± Shaeula said, uttering an unfamiliar name to him. ¡°Well then, if you think you can-can, by all means try. But this Mary Stuart you speak of, I know little of religion, but Akio has mentioned her...¡± I¡¯ve heard that name. A foreign visitor who met my princess, right? I hate him already. ¡°... I hardly think she would approve of your actions, no-no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong...¡± Slowly, carefully. I don¡¯t want to ruin her beauty, else she¡¯s not fit to be one of my Queens. Max had also shown him how to awaken the spear here in the Material, and as his aether flowed into it, faint sparks of purple, green and yellow began to form on the rusted tip of the spear. ¡°... King Solomon had a thousand wives and concubines. Why should I, the hero, be any different?¡±


    ¡°A thousand? I see-see. Well, Akio will have his work cut out for him then, if he is to better that-that.¡± She snorted, and as she laughed in amusement, Donovan struck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention other men in front of me. I hate the way Eleanor is always laughing with David, or talks with Arthur. She should only be looking at me!¡± The spear slammed into her unprotected body, lightning discharging violently. It¡¯s not as strong here, and I haven¡¯t penetrated her body like I did with David, but I think even Raidre would be stunned by this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Donovan said, as he confirmed the lightning had run through her body. ¡°You¡¯re brave to bear the pain. I¡¯m only doing it because I need to. Just like with Eleanor. Sarah is the same! We don¡¯t enjoy betrayal, but we are right! We have to do this!¡± He justified himself, and reached out a hand to grasp her shoulder.


    ¡°I think not-not.¡± Shaeula said, and suddenly the lightning around her intensified, and Donovan staggered backwards, shocked as her hair was swaying, rising up, lightning more intense than he had conjured shimmering in the air around them, the scent of ozone cloying. ¡°I told you, did I not-not, I only allow those I love to touch me. You, I do not-not like. And this lightning is pathetic.¡± There was a whining like a chainsaw and Donavan screamed, dropping the spear, along with his arm. Shaeula bent down and picked up his spear, his sacred relic. The pain was unbearable, the blood frightening him, but seeing someone else touch what was one of the proofs of his heroism somehow hurt worse.


    ¡°Hmm, I see...¡± she flourished it, eyes shining brilliantly. ¡°Not-not terrible. But lightning...¡± Another whining sound and flash of jade, and his other arm came free. Then the spear crackled, and lightning struck his stumps, scorching the wounds shut. He screamed and howled, smoke rising.


    ¡°You... you bitch, what did you do to me?¡± Donovan ranted, vision going black.


    ¡°I would have thought it quite-quite obvious.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°But you worry about losing some arms? Shameful. Can you not-not regrow them? Well...¡± He hit the ground as his legs flew off, and lightning and fire once more seared the stumps, followed by a cool, squirming feeling. ¡°A little healing, I would not-not have you die. I suppose there is a slim chance that you are not-not at fault, but are a puppet. Consider this suffering a lesson. Do not-not seek to take females from others. Now... your resistance to my winds must surely be weaker now. So, time-time to talk...¡±


    As Donovan writhed on the ground, limbless and helpless, he found words spilling from his mouth in a rapid stream. A few minutes later, when he was done, he heard a few beeps, and then Shaeula spoke again. ¡°Grulgor, yes, I have the information. You should go-go aid Akio, the situation seems grave-grave. I will be there shortly. I will go and join the sleeping Princess. It seems she is rather-rather smarter than this fool.¡±


    As he felt himself being dragged along by some sort of force, he lamented bitterly. No, I¡¯m the hero, the King to surpass Solomon, the saviour! Why else did I get this power, if not to be the protagonist? Max... Max, you promised me. You proooooomised meeeeeeeeeee!

 Act One Finale – Part 2 – Labyrinth Of The Heart

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 2 ¨C Labyrinth Of The Heart


    Hot, heaving breaths were coming from Eleanor now as she staggered down another alleyway, leaving the disintegrating corpses of more of the white-clad skeletons behind. She pulled in what ether she could to restore herself, but even with her strength that was a number of times even the strongest ordinary person, Eleanor had limits, and they were rapidly approaching, worn down by worry, stress and betrayal.


    Bursts of light flashed, and more bolts of energy from Sarah¡¯s and Donavan¡¯s Avalons peppered the dark tenement labyrinth she was moving through. Up ahead several buildings disappeared in the blasts, debris pinging off her armour and stinging the exposed skin of her face. Even as the bolts fell, single-minded, soulless but ruthless creatures poured out, individually no threat, but seemingly designed to wear down her strength.


    ¡°Piss off!¡± Eleanor swore, her good manners being eroded down to nothing, just like her willpower. A goblin charged and her blade tore it in half. Hounds tried to flank her, pulling her down, but teeth grated off her armour, and her foot caved in the skull of one, before her sword cleaved flesh and bone, nearly cutting a second in half. The silence... it¡¯s bad... A weary, depressed thought flickered into her mind, as she hacked down another goblin, punching yet another savagely. Cut. Slash. Hack. Punch. Kick. Headbutt. Strike. Chop. Break. Near-mindlessly she powered her way through the wave of enemies, staggering down another intersection, the houses hanging claustrophobically overhead, forming a sort of tunnel that only let a little of the dark unlight overhead through casting long, ever-shifting shadows. It¡¯s like Theseus and the Minotaur... she managed a bitter chuckle, remembering her classics classes from a few years past. Only I¡¯m being hunted by...


    Two more armoured skeletons appeared, and Eleanor shook her head, sword raised. It¡¯s obvious, if they wanted to overwhelm me, they could. But no, drip, drip, drip... just wearing me down. I¡¯m not going to just lie down and die though... With a roar that surprised her, she forced her weary body and faltering mind to high focus and leapt forwards. The first skeleton raised its shield, and her stroke staggered it. The second skeleton tried to cut her with its own sword, but she rolled aside, separating head from shoulders with a savage, wild cut. As that one fell she leapt on the other, battering it with sword, fist and even her own head, heedless of the way blood sprayed from her torn flesh, only for the wounds to close.


    ¡°Just go away!¡± she yelled, and as the skeleton collapsed, she stabbed it until it disintegrated, sucking in the little ether it gave. I can¡¯t keep doing this. This isn¡¯t a solution... The lingering curse from the words Mary Stuart spoke were still heavy on her, preventing her escape. David, Sir Arthur, Raidre... does that silence mean you¡¯re dead? No, that can¡¯t be...


    Staggering on, another volley of bolts arched in from the distance, and one landed near her, blowing apart walls and the ground, pelting her with more shrapnel. One fragment pierced through a joint in her armour, seizing up her knee, and tears flowed. Looking at the jagged spar of stone, already silver and crimson with blood, she bit her lip, holding in the urge to shout, scream and sob. I don¡¯t want this. I never wanted this! But I promised to carry it, for Britain, for grandmother, for the people who fought beside me. I don¡¯t want... She reached down, gripping the stone, and pulled, wincing as it tore free. For a moment her leg almost buckled, before a faint shimmer of orange light formed around the wound, pushing out the red and silver blood. ...everything to have been for nothing, a lie.


    Sarah and Donovan had betrayed them. It hurt, it hurt her worse than the slowly vanishing pain in her knee. Bending it, she realised her knee was useable, so she limped off through the maze again, gathering pace as her leg rapidly healed. Even if I¡¯m betrayed, not everyone did. The others stayed and fought to the end.


    The end was a poor choice of words. She remembered the look of horror on Mary-Jane¡¯s face, the pain, as she vanished. No, she¡¯s still alive. She has to be. She had little time to think, as another pair of skeletons seemed surprised to see her as she turned a corner. One fell, her blade crushing in the chestplate, tearing the red surcoat. One down. Her blade slashed, clanging off the sword her opponent held, but Eleanor was prepared. I guess those lessons in fencing and bladework paid off... One arm was severed, and the skeleton lost its grip on the sword, only to fall, hewed down like a falling tree.


    At least my mind feels clear. Is it because the worst has happened, or because... Eleanor didn¡¯t want to think about the poison. But she had come to accept it was likely true. Max doesn¡¯t seem to gain anything though, unless he did it for somebody else, perhaps? Mary Stuart. It all comes down to what lies beneath the Tower. That¡¯s why...


    More battles followed, more mindless fighting, running and dodging rains of destructive blasts through the maze. Her body was screaming at her, telling her she had been fighting for hours, but Eleanor had been through enough battle to know that likely less than ten minutes had passed. It¡¯s why I¡¯m so exhausted. I¡¯ve condensed hours of fierce battles into an endless swarm of them, grinding me down...


    As she turned down the brick-lined alleyway, light was ahead of her, and she emerged into a small clearing, an old well in one corner, several more alleyways radiating off in all directions. And standing by the well, leaning on the old brick frame, was a familiar face. This is new. Although... Taking a deep breath, she addressed the man. ¡°Samuel, what are you doing here?¡± she said slowly, taking the opportunity to catch her breath, allowing her body to recover.


    ¡°Me?¡± He raised an eyebrow in what Samuel Davies, the leader of Britain¡¯s second team, probably thought was an expression of amusement, but to Eleanor now, it just looked irritated and condescending. ¡°What else would I be doing here but coming to rescue you, Princess?¡±


    She detected a hint of some feeling in the way he said Princess, but she set that aside. ¡°I see. So how did you get in here...? No, that¡¯s a strange question, the barrier has fallen. I meant, how did you find me?¡± Stepping closer slowly, she looked at him carefully.ple. I followed the explosions.¡± He was still smiling, and Eleanor thought there was something a little off about his lack of urgency, considering the situation. ¡°Others are looking too. There must be something wrong if you are still here in Avalon. Come with me and I¡¯ll take you to safety and the rest of my team.¡± He stretched out a hand, and Eleanor took it, clasping it in her gauntlet-clad fist.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He said then, and Eleanor felt an impact in her back, heavy and hot, before going cold, and she felt her muscles go numb and start to tighten up. She managed to turn her head, only to see he had stabbed her with the item he had taken from the Tower as a reward for his service, a wavy-bladed flamberge-style dagger. ¡°Nai?ve and trusting to the end, Princess.¡±


    Now she could clearly hear the contempt in his voice, and she moved her numb mouth. ¡°Why, Samuel? Haven¡¯t we been... good to ... you?¡± For a moment her vision blurred, and she laughed, as his face was a blank mask, a sneering mouth all her numb eyes could see. Just like his warnings. That insufferable man will be delighted he was right, I have no doubt.


    ¡°Good to us? Well, you would think that, pampered little princess, never done a day¡¯s real work in your life up until now. And even that¡¯s pathetic.¡± He sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a republican. So you give us these treasures...¡± he twisted the dagger and Eleanor managed a hoarse gasp, blood trickling, faint wisps of silver and orange rising from the wounds. ¡°... and you pay us with money your family robs from the pockets of the public. Then you get to feel like you are helping us. When really, without us, the people of Britain, you¡¯re nothing but a parasite.¡± He pushed, and she landed heavily on her back, driving the dagger deeper. She blinked up at him, and managed to speak a little more.


    ¡°It¡¯s not... that at all. I have... to protect... the Tower.¡± She managed.


    ¡°Oh yes the Tower. All this...¡± he gestured around them. ¡°This is the best you managed? Compared to what Mary Stuart has done, all your efforts are crap. Worthless. Childish. Just like you and your family. Richard the idiot, Henry the playboy, and you the pampered, sheltered princess. You can¡¯t protect Britain and the people, all you want to do is remain on top, keep your privileges!¡±


    That¡¯s not... true. What do you know? Even her thoughts were starting to become sluggish, but the way Samuel was accusing her was frustrating. ¡°I... bleed and hurt for... the cause.¡± She managed, picking up on the point that he said compared to all Mary Stuart had done... ¡°I fight... until... my body breaks. It¡¯s frightening... but...¡±


    As her words became quieter, he leaned in, and she couldn¡¯t help but look at him with frightened eyes, only for him to turn and spit with disgust. ¡°I¡¯m not going to molest you, Princess. I¡¯m not a monster. No, I¡¯m doing this for the right reasons. Your ways have failed, just as your family has failed and is outdated. Mary Stuart¡¯s hallowed ground stretches out far more powerfully, and even those not Gods¡¯ Chosen can contribute. Your family rule us like Gods, but at least Mary serves a true God. I¡¯ve seen it, the Angel.¡± He shuddered then, a look of strange ecstasy on his face. ¡°No, even though I think you¡¯re a parasite and your whole damn family is worthless, I don¡¯t wish you any harm. I¡¯m not the brat, Donovan. He¡¯ll get his comeuppance though.¡± he lifted Eleanor up with ease, his strength more than up to the task. ¡°No, you, Princess, all you need to do is open the way and allow someone who can save Britain to do it.¡±


    No. her sapphire glare was defiant, and Samuel tutted. ¡°You are annoyingly stubborn. Too stupid to know when to give up, I guess. Look.¡± He said calmly, and she hated his smugness. ¡°In the end Mary Stuart will get what she wants. That¡¯s inevitable. You want to protect Britain, live up to what you think a Princess is? Then let her. If you are willing, you can even join us. I admit, it would be a waste otherwise. If you don¡¯t... you really will die, you know? Then only the Queen will have the right of access. Do you think that an old woman, broken with grief, can resist Mary¡¯s urgings and...¡±


    So that¡¯s it. The plan. Hardly righteous, is it? As Samuel slowly carried her towards the nearest passageway, her mind went back a few days, to her training with them.


    ¡°The thing about water element is, it plays to your strengths. Earth element would work too, but...¡± Akio was saying, as Eleanor was lying down beside the Thames, the orange mist of water elemental energy rising, her whole body burning. ¡°...water element is surprisingly complicated to use effectively.¡±


    ¡°You really like the sound of your own voice.¡± Eleanor had said, and he had laughed, her brother Henry too. Who had not laughed was the maid, Hyacinth, she had glared at her with absolute loathing, only for the two young girls to calm her down. One of them, with a calm, disciplined air despite her tender age, had looked at Eleanor, smiling softly.


    ¡°He does, but he also wants to help. This is powerful knowledge, which he is sharing for your own good. So do try and pay attention. It might save your life, or save the life of a friend. Do not spurn this gift, only to regret it later.¡±


    She had nodded in response to that, feeling a little ashamed at her pettiness. ¡°I apologise. You are right of course. It¡¯s just...¡± her words had failed her, and her brother had only laughed harder.


    ¡°Come on Ellie, grandmother would be outraged if we repaid kindness with ingratitude. One thing she¡¯s always been very strict on is having good manners.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± She had agreed. ¡°So, I can use water to hasten my healing. And also to attack.¡±


    He had nodded, and demonstrated a number of attacks, from water bullets to fine beams that cut like chainsaws. ¡°Unfortunately your water will lack the strength of mine, since you don¡¯t have Spirit Water, but if you apply what humans have learned about physics over the years... well, water can surprise you. The most important thing to remember is that once it¡¯s revealed that you can do this, your advantage drops a lot. Water won¡¯t match fire or wind for offensive power.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve said that.¡± Eleanor rolled her eyes, not sure why Akio got under her skin so much. Addressing the three girls, she smiled to take the sting from her words. ¡°I really don¡¯t know why the three of you are so keen on him, but I suppose he is the winner.¡± She had concentrated, and orange energy surged around her...


    ¡°... not just Britain. The Church of True Revelation has been planning for centuries, more than a millennia in fact.¡± Samuel was saying as he carried her. Do all men love the sound of their own voice, or is it they like talking in front of women? No matter, I suppose... a nearly imperceptible orange mist was rising from her body, and she gathered it into one place in front of her. She had already formed a cloud of water around the dagger in her body, keeping it isolated from her, preventing further paralysing venom from entering her wound.


    ¡°A girl has to have some secrets.¡± Eleanor said, bending down to retrieve her arm.


    ¡°I agree, but...¡± she blurred, her speed incredible for a moment. ¡°... you¡¯re too stupid!¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Eleanor watched as the blade aimed at her other arm, and carved it off in a single hit, armour shattering. ¡°So that maid told me, many times. You¡¯d like her.¡± Blood surged, and Eleanor grinned despite the horrific pain, the last of her water element shimmering, and she glowed orange like the setting sun, stunning Kathy for a moment. ¡°... but even an idiot can learn, if the instructor is patient. And unlike my brothers, I actually passed my Biology GCSE.¡± The spilled blood had turned into a series of water-element blades, slamming into the already serious wound Kathy had suffered from the axe. The water blades expanded, wrenching open the wound, damaging her internal organs, and she widened her eyes, looking down incredulously, before collapsing to the floor, coughing out a massive burst of blood. Then she vanished, fleeing Avalon.


    ¡°Run all you like.¡± Eleanor said, her face pale, as she bent down and seized her first severed arm in broken teeth, holding it against the stump. The flesh melted together, the experience rather agonising, and as the armour joined up too, she swung her arm, sighing. ¡°But unless I fall here, the truth will come out.¡± Picking up her other arm she reattached it, letting out another, far more bitter sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I¡¯m out of water element, it would make the healing less painful. Oh well, idiots don¡¯t feel the pain as keenly, as grandmother might say. And I was definitely a fool. But I did listen. And I never trusted that you were here to help me, Kathy.¡± Looking back at the distant Tower, she made up her mind.


    There¡¯s no point in running anymore. All I¡¯ve achieved is killing two traitors, but even that has only served to weaken Britain. No. Either Mary falls or I do. I am the Green Knight. With her mind made up she headed north, cutting down skeletons that got in her way, dodging the incoming blasts of light. In one hand she held her sword, the other, Alistair¡¯s axe. She was weary, mentally and physically exhausted, but somehow felt stronger than ever. Is this what it¡¯s like to finally decide on a path, even knowing death is likely at the end of it?


    Emerging from the dark labyrinth of streets and houses, she reached the sparkling banks of the Thames. Taking a deep breath, she started stirring her sacral chakra as she slowly swam across the Thames of her Avalon, replenishing as much of her trump card as she could. Emerging, the water ran off her in silver streaks, and she strode forwards, towards the Tower, glad to see that David, Sir Arthur and Raidre were all still alive.


    ¡°Why did you come back?¡± Sir Arthur said from his position on the ground, when he saw her, his expression desolate. ¡°You could have escaped, and then this plan will fail!¡±


    ¡°No it wouldn¡¯t.¡± Eleanor shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not just Sarah and Donovan. There are traitors everywhere. Besides...¡± she glared at Mary Stuart. ¡°... I heard. Your next plan is to force the Queen here to unlock the Tower when I¡¯m dead. I would have said it was impossible, but...¡± she looked at the Choir and the Judges. ¡°... I¡¯d say not.¡± There¡¯s the Japanese too... Eleanor turned and spat, her spittle still silver and red from her injuries. ¡°Well, in that case... I choose to fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± David moaned, pinned down and broken. ¡°If we¡¯re going to lose, might as well lose cracking some heads. Can you do it, girl?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. But then Samuel and Alistair didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be the ones to die, did they?¡± Eleanor smiled sadly.


    ¡°Oh, how marvellous.¡± Mary clapped her hands. ¡°Inspiring. Well, I do hope you didn¡¯t suffer any... indignities... Princess.¡±


    ¡°No, just a hit to my pride.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Did you know Alistair harboured such vileness within him?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can spot a sinner from a mile away.¡± Mary said proudly. ¡°I¡¯ll use them if I must, but won¡¯t shed a tear when Judgement comes for them. Poor Samuel though. He was a good man. Wanted to overturn the social order, give the wealth of the rich to the poor. I approve. Well, may his soul find peace in the Ninth Heaven.¡± She clasped her hands solemnly. ¡°So, to business. This should have demonstrated adequately you have no chance at all. You should have realised that if I wished you dead, it could have happened any time. The martyred dead could have been dispatched in force, rather in pairs simply to keep you wandering in despair. I had hoped it would take rather less than forty days and forty nights for you to see the futility of your struggle.¡± Mary smiled, a mixture of solemnity and mad joy. ¡°Even now, you can take me to the false Grail, and all this can be swept away. Wake up soon enough and perhaps your chastity can be saved.¡±


    ¡°Fucking bitch! Give me a minute and I¡¯ll punch your teeth out!¡± David roared, but she ignored him. Eleanor took a deep breath, then casually raised two fingers to her, in the classic British sign of causing offence.


    ¡°Sorry, but I didn¡¯t come this far to break now. I can¡¯t let down Britain, Grandmother, Henry, Aditi, Mary-Jane, David, Sir Arthur, Raidre and the selkie, those Chosen who aren¡¯t in your pockets.¡± I thought it odd the way Samuel was talking about Callie. I guess those who wouldn¡¯t take part in this coup were side-lined, I hope they are still all alive. ¡°And I won¡¯t have them laugh at me!¡± she finished strongly. I was warned, I chose to shut my eyes like a fool. But fortunately... doubt crept in. So I took precautions. ¡°Sorry to disappoint Donovan, but I¡¯m not where he thinks I am. And when I¡¯m done here with you Mary, Sarah, I¡¯ll go back and castrate the shit.¡±


    David snorted at that, and oddly enough, so did Sarah, who couldn¡¯t help but cackle.


    ¡°Aye, the brat deserves that and more, ye¡¯ll nay find me disagreeing. So, still in the Palace then? Without the Tower, I thought ye were weaker? Ye¡¯ll never beat us like that, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°Who says the Tower isn¡¯t with me? Sarah, I thought we were friends. I¡¯m hurt, I¡¯m reeling. But... whether I believed him or not, his words stuck with me, so I haven¡¯t broken. Now... Mary Stuart, in the name of God, you can go to Hell! The Tower is Britain¡¯s, and shall remain so as long as I draw breath!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She grinned. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that delightful. I respect a woman of character. It¡¯ll be a shame to kill you, so we¡¯ll try it this way.¡± She gestured, and a number of Judges headed towards Sir Arthur, heavy executioner axes in their hands. ¡°You are prepared to be a martyr, but are you prepared to see your companions die in front of you?¡±


    Eleanor froze, and so did Sarah. ¡°Mary, we were going to spare them...¡± she began, only for Mary to sigh.


    ¡°Of course we were. I hate needless killing, but if I must bloody my hands to serve the Lord, I will. I thought you understood that?¡±


    ¡°I do, but...¡± Sarah¡¯s hand was clutching her rosary tight, beads cracking.


    ¡°Well then... we have no... huh?¡± There was a sudden explosion, and Sarah stumbled.


    ¡°The barrier of my hallowed ground. It¡¯s gone, ye ken? So fast, I barely had time tae notice the first attacks.¡±


    ¡°I see. I had thought all the loose ends were tied up. Well, the martyred dead can take care of it. As for us...¡± her gaze fell on Eleanor again. ¡°What¡¯s it to be, Princess? In the end, you¡¯ll either take me or the Queen will. The difference is purely in how many you¡¯ll sacrifice alongside yourself...¡±


    Eleanor looked at the calm face of Sir Arthur, and the wickedly sharp axes, before making a decision. ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Now there¡¯s no need to be hasty.¡± An unfamiliar voice said, and Eleanor turned, nearly dropping her axe in shock as she saw a familiar face beside a stunningly beautiful Asian woman, the Fae maid Hyacinth scowling at her balefully. On seeing that, she laughed. Why is it that right now I find that so very relieving?


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the Princess of Humans, huh? When Shaeula gets here we can have a Princess party. It¡¯ll be fun.¡± The beautiful silver-haired girl said. ¡°Oh, guess this is a bit too dangerous for me. Tan, you¡¯re up.¡± As her eyes changed to a brilliant, deep crimson and her hair reddened, bursting into flames, she said some last words. ¡°Oh, Aki will be here in a second. He¡¯s just dealing with those Defensive Emplacements and Spawning Spires. They were annoying him. But since they¡¯re only Rank 2 crap, he¡¯ll only be a second or two.¡± In the distance a roaring column of yellow flame exploded, and Sarah flinched again, blue eyes wide.


    Aki? Akio? But how...? Then again, who cares how? Clutching her sword, Eleanor bowed politely to her new allies. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been introduced. Oh, I know you Hyacinth. And... it¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    At that the maid snorted. ¡°I did nooot want to save you, but Akio wished for it, sooo... here I am.¡± Behind them a flood of white-armoured martyrs flooded in, nearly a hundred strong.


    ¡°Introductions can wait.¡± The woman with red hair now said, her tone and voice completely different. ¡°First we have this dog of the Ninth Heavens to deal with. And it will not be trivial.¡±


    At that Eleanor could only laugh. No. No it won¡¯t be... But her heart was racing, breath coming fast, and for the first time since she saw Henry grievously injured, she thought that here might be a morsel of hope...

 Act One Finale – Part 3 – Send Me An Angel

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 3 ¨C Send Me An Angel


    Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    The moment Tan spoke, the Chinese girl, Chen Na, acted. She had remained slightly behind Shiro and Hyacinth, letting them draw the attention of the enemies, and as Tan¡¯s arrogant words made the green-eyed and blonde-haired woman, who was surely Mary Stuart, from Akio¡¯s description, twist her face into an expression of disgust, Chen Na unleashed her power.


    Sudden bubbles of force swallowed up the three hostages, shimmering, near-transparent fields surrounding them. The axes wielded by the Judges bounced back, staggering them, and Eleanor blinked in surprise. Bubbles also enclosed Mary Stuart herself and the red-headed woman standing with her.


    Drawing their attention was a good move, Tan! Now we don¡¯t need to worry about the hostages being exploited. Though with Mary Stuart trapped, this should be over...


    Do not be so sure, princess. The followers of the Ninth Heaven have many abilities fuelled by powerful adherence. I anticipate her escape... Even as Tan¡¯s thoughts reached her, Shiro heard a painful, esoteric word, that made her spirit shiver and head burn with phantom pain.


    [Open!]


    At that word, a collection of strange, inhuman syllables, the bubbles of energy containing Mary and the other woman turned fully transparent, and the two of them stepped out, Mary Stuart looking particularly offended. She wiped away a trickle of blood from her mouth, and glared at Tan furiously. ¡°Vile demon, your kind should not be here! The True Revelation says we should be protected from your ilk until the shallow eddies around this world calm and shatter!¡±


    ¡°Demon? I am rather offended.¡± Tan shot back coolly. ¡°Demons are grotesque things, whereas I am flawless, pure.¡± She tossed her head, red hair trailing out behind her like a fiery tail. ¡°No, I am no demon, though my father was often called one. Now...¡± Tan¡¯s gaze flickered to Princess Eleanor. ¡°I have come to aid you, at the behest of him.¡± She waved one arm backwards, to where the pillar of yellow flames had died down, but was still burning, acrid smoke rising. ¡°So you may lay down your burdens. We have protected your allies.¡±


    Eleanor¡¯s face tightened, and she clutched her sword tightly, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your aid. I didn¡¯t expect it. I thought... I would have to die here.¡± she admitted. ¡°Though I would make sure to take you with me, Mary Stuart!¡± Her voice was cold, calm. ¡°Now that you are here, I will fight with you! The Tower has to be protected at all costs!¡±


    Tan turned her attention to the Tower, and the storms of adherence and ether it was pulling in. Shiro was more sensitive to such when Tan was possessing her, the Divine resonating with it, and it was quite beautiful, like a maelstrom of barely-visible diamonds. ¡°Yes, I can see why. It is a treasure, or rather, two treasures overlapping. You have managed it improperly. How disappointing.¡± Tan breathed out.


    What do you mean?


    ¡°No wonder this Territory is pitiful.¡± Tan snorted, and Eleanor looked ashamed. ¡°The treasure here draws in adherence, but also ether. Most of your gains would be drawn away from you. Power without control is nothing but a curse. Disappointing.¡±


    Eleanor flinched, but Mary Stuart glowered, her annoyance plain. ¡°Wretched creatures...¡± she looked at Hyacinth, realising she also wasn¡¯t human, and technically Chen Na was not either, since she was reborn by the Throne. ¡°... mocking the stolen power of the Lord. They say that despite evil speaking with a forked tongue, sometimes the Devil tells truths though. Yes, it is a travesty, the waste of power. It must be taken back into our hands. Now... [Kneel and Prostrate!]¡±


    Shiro felt a painful tugging on her spirit, but her body did not bend, as Tan stood strong, sneering, her ruby eyes and hair blazing with flames. Hyacinth fell to her knees, but her defiant expression as she kept her body upright was quite magnificent. Chen Na hit the ground, kneeling with her forehead pushed down, but Tan and Shiro paid her little mind. Since she can¡¯t hold Mary Stuart, she¡¯s only an auxiliary...


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Eleanor cried. ¡°Those strange words are powerful!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tan said, stepping forwards slowly. ¡°They contain great adherence. Always the way of the Ninth Heaven, so wasteful. But then, they have the reserves.¡±


    ¡°You resisted the Words of the Metatron?¡± Mary said, stunned. ¡°You truly should not be here! You have to fall! You are too dangerous to be allowed to live! Attack!¡± she ordered, and her forces raced out, the Choir starting to sing, the Judges forming up for an assault, and the white-clad warriors charging.


    Tan, don¡¯t kill them if you can help it. They aren¡¯t monsters...


    I will do what I must, princess. But take heart, I am not so cruel as to kill needlessly. Although... She gestured with one hand, and a flaming humanoid six metres tall appeared, and it breathed out, flames dancing like dragon¡¯s breath. The red-haired woman, her expression pale, stepped into the blast, shield raised.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± Eleanor cried, and one of the protected hostages, a battered and bloody man, also called out, calling her a damn fool. The expected end was not met though, as a shimmering shield blocked the flames, and though she was pushed back, her face and hair a little scorched, she was unharmed.


    ¡°Shit, ye be a real handful, ye ken?¡± The woman, Sarah snorted, her arms trembling, only for energy to fill her as the Choir directed the surrounding ether and adherence with their droning songs. Hey, this is a bit like Tillyae and her musicians, right? So, a group of bards for buffing. I bet they can debuff too...


    Shiro found herself proved right as baleful energy started gathering rapidly in the air above them, and Eleanor cried out another warning. The fire giant Tan had summoned was barraged with halos of light, shrinking by a full metre as fire scattered, the rings forming bindings holding it trapped. The white knights were charging, and as Shiro panicked, Hyacinth moved, her violet eyes shining with rage. Her legs trembled, buckling under the pressure of the words Mary had spoken, only for blood to spray from her mouth as she bit down hard. Slowly she rose to her feet, and stood, Mary¡¯s eyes going wide in shock.


    ¡°Hyacinth will never kneel again. I am a slave nooo more. This pain... is nooothing to me now.¡± Her cold gaze saw the oncoming soldiers, and nature energy surged around her, a thick, dark tide of jumbled orange and red energies, becoming brown like the bark of an ancient tree.


    ¡°This... this is madness, that strength...¡± Raidre managed, still impaled on spears inside the protective cage of energy. ¡°... I knew she was dangerous, but...¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth, calm down!¡± Shiro took over and spoke for a second, but Hyacinth merely shook her head.


    ¡°I am calm. I am very, very angry thooough. Ooonly the foulest would force others to kneel, to be slaves. Hyacinth prooomised herself that she wooould shatter them all, for Akio, and make a wooorld where everyone can be happy. There is nooo room for these in such a wooorld.¡± Raising her hand a tide of spores billowed outwards, drowning the oncoming white-armoured warriors.


    ¡°Such strong power.¡± Mary said. ¡°But it is useless. The martyred dead are simply that. Already dead. Your natural curse will have no... effect...¡± she tilted her head, puzzled as Hyacinth grinned.


    ¡°Bone is food just as much as flesh, and spirit, that can die toooooo!¡± The warriors stumbled to a halt, and as they started shuddering and twisting, contorting into shapes no living creature could, armoured helms and plates fell away, only to reveal gleaming white bone becoming dark and mottled with fungus, fine threads at first, before mushrooms, toadstools and more sprouted, eating into the bone, reducing them to powder, the entire host disintegrating, ether scattering, of which a large portion was swept up in the maelstrom around the Tower and taken inside. Is that...


    Yes. What lies beneath is powerful and yet greedy. Well, no matter. What does matter is...


    Eleanor watched on open-mouthed as the entire army of skeletons collapsed to powder, all that remained a field of massive fungi amidst the scattered armour, like an eerie, Faerie graveyard. ¡°That¡¯s... impossible!¡± she gasped.


    ¡°Yes, it is, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mary agreed, suddenly solemn. ¡°How... frustrating. The martyred dead are not infinite. So wasteful.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Everyone, kill her first, an abomination such as she cannot be allowed to live!¡±


    As Hyacinth glared at her confidently, her eyes showing no fear, the Judges all paused, and the song of the Choir was suddenly off-key, the effects broken, as a massive pressure pressed down on everyone, the effects of a great League, though Shiro merely felt it as a soothing, reassuring balm, Hyacinth too. He¡¯s here. About time. How long does it take to destroy a few crappy towers?


    ¡°You... I should have expected this seeing her.¡± Mary Stuart said, looking at Aki as he strode forwards, his trenchcoat armour that almost seemed to suck in the light flapping as he moved, long sword in hand.


    ¡°Yes. Me.¡± Aki agreed calmly. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, turns out there was a second Territory with a lot of Buildings that were causing trouble, so I nipped over to wreck them. I left the Anchors in place though, it¡¯s not for me to judge British traitors. Oh...¡± he smiled, looking at David trapped in the bubble in bad shape. ¡°How¡¯ve you been, David? Looks like this battle didn¡¯t go your way?¡±


    ¡°No shit.¡± David laughed, his voice cracking. ¡°I thought I was fucked for sure. Was going to go out like a mother-fucking boss though, cracking heads to the end.¡±


    ¡°Ach, David, ye damn fool...¡± Sarah said bitterly, her expression grave, even as she looked at Mary who was frozen, her fingers tracing the golden ring on her fingers idly. In fact, the sudden pressure had frozen everyone, and even now, the fire giant was struggling free of the failing bindings of the Choir.


    ¡°So, yeah, you¡¯re late!¡± David spat, and Aki laughed, a sound that Shiro really liked to hear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not accepting that this time. In fact, we¡¯re early. I thought we would have had time to prepare and then this erupts when we get here. But...¡± he looked at Eleanor, who was standing there, red-faced and uncomfortable. ¡°Princess, it¡¯s good to see you are still okay. Though there was one of your companions we saw heading for the Tower, which was a bit puzzling.¡±


    ¡°Donovan, that treacherous piece of shit.¡± David growled, his wounds worsening as he clenched his fists. ¡°He sold us out just to get the Princess. That mother fucker. Don¡¯t just stand here, go back there and protect her, break the fucking neck of that rat!¡±


    Pushed back, Eleanor spun, and her sword plunged into the throat of her attacker, the axe missing her, burying the blade deep in the ground. As her first attacker fell, she put aside the fact she had killed another person, focusing on what mattered. A mace crashed into her side, denting her armour and breaking ribs, but she was used to pain. Retrieving Samuel¡¯s dagger she stabbed it deep into the eye of her opponent, and the third who attacked with a sword longer and heavier than her own she allowed to strike her, the blade cutting deep into her shoulder. Got you. Her head slammed into the opponents¡¯ nose, again and again, until she felt only soft wreckage when she impacted him. Pulling free, more were rushing at her, and her arm and ribs were still broken, even her great gifts of healing far from inexhaustible, her recovery rate dropping, perhaps hampered by the curse from earlier as well.


    I still have to fight... Clutching her sword in her good hand, she looked on as more and more of the Judges raced at her, blood and silver mist rising from their bodies. Some were falling, cut down by blasts of emerald air and citrine fire, but more were there to replace them. I can do this. I can. I didn¡¯t survive this far to fail now...


    ¡°Dooo not make that face.¡± Hyacinth, the Fae maid said, stepping up beside her. ¡°These fools are already dead. Have nooo pity for those who would throw away their lives fooor such a cause.¡± She raised her hand, and spores spread over the battlefield like a cloud, targeting them. Immediately they fell, fungus spreading on their arms and legs. A few erupted completely, dying and forming new growth, but most simply fell, immobile and raging, though more died from struggling in vain, ruining their own corrupted bodies.


    ¡°You... you are a monster!¡± Eleanor said reflexively, before shutting her mouth, cursing herself for her rudeness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was uncalled for.¡± She apologised, but Hyacinth merely tossed her head.


    ¡°I am nooot a monster, I am whatever I wish to be. Akiooo said that, and Hyacinth believes him. Pooower is not evil, power is power. Evil is what ooone does with power. This is merely mercy. Hyacinth has nooo wish to make them suffer. But death for a cause is fooolly. Only death for those you looove is worthy, and even then, Hyacinth hates it. What use is a deed that hurts thooose you love?¡±


    What use a deed that hurts those you love? Eleanor echoed Hyacinth¡¯s words in her thoughts. Henry you meant well, but you failed. Melissa, grandmother, brother Richard, mother and father, me... trying to help is fine, but... don¡¯t leave us with regrets. She nodded. ¡°I understand, if I am to sacrifice myself here, even for victory, I hurt those I leave behind. And... I make all your efforts futile.¡± She smiled for the first time at the strange Fae maid.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hyacinth nodded. ¡°Dooo not do that.¡± Her pout was surprisingly cute. ¡°Nooow, we go to help them!¡±


    As Eleanor turned her gaze back to the furious battle between the Angel and Tan, as well as Grulgor against Sarah, while Akio and Shaeula confronted Mary Stuart, she saw she wasn¡¯t the only one affected by Hyacinth¡¯s words. Sarah was frowning, looking at her and David, her expression anguished, even as she wielded her defensive might, far in excess of any strength Eleanor had ever seen from her.


    ¡°Sometimes, we have tae make choices we nay want tae.¡± Sarah shook her head, staggering as the great metal mace slammed her barrier once more, causing her to wince. ¡°Even now, it¡¯s nae too late tae stop this, Eleanor. The Angel is nae easy tae defeat, I promise ye that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pathetic.¡± David snorted, shaking his head. ¡°Trying to justify betrayal. And holding to false hope. You think the Angel will win?¡± He flinched as light from the multiple eyes cascaded everywhere, and then looked angry at himself for panicking as it bounced off the barrier bubble he was in, though it couldn¡¯t take much more, as it cracked audibly.


    Eleanor sighed. It¡¯s terrible, I feel my knees quivering just looking at it. But they... they are terrible too. Just what have all of us been playing at here? It¡¯s like children pretending to be adults... and then the real adults come and kick down our toy houses and trample on our pride...


    ********


    ¡°Too slow.¡± Mary laughed, as my bullets of water and flame were drawn to Sarah, or annihilated by beams of golden light. Beside me, Shaeula clicked her tongue, growing frustrated.


    ¡°Grulgor, can you not-not handle one female?¡± she scowled, and he laughed heartily in response.


    ¡°Grul can and Grulgor will. But she is strong. This is fun, what Grulgor wanted. Strong opponents, fierce battles. New strength.¡± His mace was bent, the metal twisted and buckling, unable to take the repeated furious impacts.


    ¡°It is simply a matter of adherence.¡± Tan said, a great flaming wheel serving as a shield blocking the claws and light rays from the angel, the other wheel twisted and malformed into a sort of fiery chainsaw-type sword. When one fire elemental fell, another giant roared into existence, and Tan was bombarding the angel with her own violet-gold flames, which was making the creature flinch. One reptilian eye popped with a sizzle, and Tan grinned, and I could feel her strength increase a little. ¡°It is like a fountain. While the adherence flows their strengths can be enhanced many times over. Of course, as with all things, there is a commensurate price to pay.¡±


    ¡°You will not be here to see the bill come due.¡± Mary proclaimed, looking at us with a wicked gleam in her emerald eyes. "[And He Placed A Flaming Sword That Flashed Back And Forth To Guard The Way]¡± At her words, invisible furrows were carved in the ground, heading towards Shaeula and I. We leapt aside as the ground exploded, flames roaring, golden to match the Angelic fires. I countered with blasts of light energy, focussed into a laser, but somehow Mary suffered only a few superficial cuts.


    ¡°To injure a woman¡¯s skin. You Asians really are barbarians. Has your mother never taught you to treat women gently? I believe you said she was British? She should have.¡± Mary chided me pretentiously.


    ¡°In battle, there isn¡¯t male or female, only victory or defeat.¡± I said, and Shaeula laughed, her own bursts of light element flashing out, forcing Mary to chant more words to defend herself, her already pale skin rapidly whitening, her lips spotted with dark blood. Several bolts were drawn away, bouncing off the shield Sarah was holding, one even piercing a smoking hole in Grulgor¡¯s shoulder, which oozed clear water before healing up. As his reproachful gaze, Shaeula grinned apologetically.


    ¡°I apologise. Her ability is most-most annoying. Now...¡± she turned back to me, pulling out her pinwheels. ¡°... I am pleased you realise this. Though I should not-not have worried. You have slain females that deserved it, just-just as males. But this one...¡± Her gaze glittered as she sent her pinwheels arcing towards Mary Stuart, yet somehow, despite her stats seemingly being lower than Shaeula¡¯s, and far lower than mine, she was able to dodge the wires. Even when Shaeula activated the hidden trick, more thin blades sweeping out, Mary got away with only a few superficial wounds, though her robe was torn, bells scattering.


    ¡°Trying to disrobe a woman of the cloth in front of a man.¡± She said primly, holding the severed fabric together, heedless of the blood on her hands. ¡°How shameless. You make a good couple. I was lucky I suffered no great harm, but then, the Lord protects me.¡±


    ¡°We do make a good couple.¡± I agreed. ¡°But do you really think your luck will hold?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guarantee it. The loss of so many believers, so much adherence, I dare say that the Revelation-Cardinal will scold me, but as long as I reclaim the false Grail, these losses are nothing. [For We Wrestle Not Against Flesh And Blood, But Against Principalities, Against Powers, Against The Rulers Of Darkness In This World, Against Spiritual Wickedness In High Places] ... agh. I envy Konstantin for having no tongue, it feels as if it is burning. Ahh, Metatron...¡± she said, ecstatic and delirious.


    A vast surge of adherence poured from her, my Eye not strong enough to see it all, and the Angel went berserk. A halo of light formed above it, and suddenly Tan was being forced back, her shield of flames shattering, arm broken. I held in a cry, as Tan stabbed out with her flaming sword, and one wing was torn free as the jagged blade cleaved deeply, her Flames of Thirst and Famine consuming it, making the creature scream, the sound like knives. Light flared, heading in random directions, one bolt heading for Hyacinth, but she was suddenly in a shield bubble, which shattered under the blow, throwing Hyacinth clear.


    Hyacinth! For a moment I panicked, only to sigh in relief as she staggered to her feet, smoke rising from her armour, merely a little dazed.


    ¡°Grulgor has had... enough!¡± he roared, casting aside his mace. Reaching out with one hand he punched it into the ground, and the earth shattered, stone rising to coat him in massive rocky armour, but he was not done. His other hand stretched out, and water from the Thames gushed up, forming a whirling vortex as it rushed to him. Absorbing it all into his body he grew to a towering height some eight metres tall, looking down on Sarah like she was an ant.


    ¡°Little girl was fun, but Grul has to end this.¡± With one stony foot he stamped down, and her shield cracked, the backlash tearing her skin. He stomped again, and again, faster and faster, and I was amazed at the way she was holding up, even if my Eye could see thick adherence shrouding her. I had no time to watch though, as I launched Foehn at the enraged Principality, supporting Tan. I know she wanted to take it alone, but we need to end this. It gushed over one arm and a leg, spreading like wildfire. Tan grinned, forcing her broken arm to heal, and conjured another wheel, slamming it down on the head of the Principality, even as the other arm reached for her and was consumed in the Flames of Thirst and Famine, even adherence burning away.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Shaeula laughed, lightning storming around her, forming a number of glowing balls, shimmering with flame and wind energies. ¡°The shield girl is busy now. Block this-this!¡±


    As Grulgor stomped down again Sarah¡¯s shield completely collapsed, and David and Eleanor cried out as she was about to be crushed to death. She looked up at the colossal descending foot, rosary in hand, her blue eyes sorrowful, only for the foot to turn into a mass of shimmering water. The impact was still mighty, forcing her breath from her lungs, but instead of turning into a messy paste of red and white, she was left bedraggled and stunned in a large, water-filled crater, Grulgor returning to his normal size, grinning in satisfaction, while Eleanor was sighing in relief, David shutting his eyes, to hide his complicated emotions.


    ¡°Ball Lightning Storm!¡± Shaeula intoned, followed by more words as wind energy surged. ¡°Emerald Wind Prison: Second Form!¡±


    The shining balls of energy were unleashed, soaring towards Mary Stuart. Once they were close enough, crackling arcs of lightning flaring in all directions, she encased her and the balls in a whirling mass of vibrating winds, forming an imprisoning sphere around her. ¡°Let us see if you can be so-so cocky now.¡± she sniffed, satisfied, as the wind energy began to give off the strong scent of ozone.


    At that, the burning Angel grew more frantic, and was now trying to regenerate itself, new flesh bubbling out of the severed stump of its wing. Hyacinth raced in, vines rippling out to hold it, though light blasts quickly severed them. Grulgor attacked from behind, mace crashing into it, bouncing off, while even Eleanor approached resolutely, but I waved her away. ¡°Get the injured clear. I don¡¯t like this...¡± I shouted. ¡°Chen Na, drop the bubbles, then get ready!¡±


    The woman nodded, and moments later the shields fell. Eleanor ran to David, helping him up, before moving towards Sir Arthur. ¡°Hyacinth, help her!¡± I said, and she retreated, a thorny shield of her vines barely enough to block a burst of light from the eye, ashes and sparks falling everywhere.


    ¡°Damn, this thing is an annoying bastard!¡± I said, frustrated, as even being burned by Foehn and Tan¡¯s flames, it was still going. Tan slammed it with the flaming wheel again, and this time it separated out into a collar of chains, holding the Angel fixed in place by burning anchors. Now¡¯s the moment...


    ¡°Prominence Dawn!¡± I declared, the shining orb forming, ringed by a dark aura, feeding my Foehn into it. Moments later it exploded, bathing the Angel in the ever-burning radiance, all its eyes exploding into flames, body smouldering. Even then, it reached at me, somehow breaking the chains that bound it, one leg ripped free, golden and silver blood filled with adherence scattering. My blade met the outstretched claws, and I poured aether in, triggering the lightning element within, deflecting the strike. Lightning poured in from the side, Shaeula staggering it further, boiling into the burning wounds, entering inside the Angel.


    ¡°Pale shadow. If you wish to defeat me, set foot on this world in person!¡± Tan laughed, a tidal wave of flame slamming into the blinded Principality, which shuddered and shattered, a great rush of ether and adherence flowing out, though Tan¡¯s flame devoured a great deal of it, her hair growing longer, and flames flickering brighter.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from one hundred and twenty-seven to one hundred and twenty-eight. Your...


    Only the one, huh? Well, Tan got most of the good eating. I was able to absorb a respectable amount of adherence, replenishing my flagging supplies, which was useful, as due to carrying Laverna¡¯s Favour, mine was constantly ticking down. I glanced over to see Eleanor and the others looking back at us from the safety of the Tower entrance, her supporting David, Hyacinth carrying Raidre and Sir Arthur over her shoulders like they were bloody sacks of potatoes. I turned once more, to see that the wall of wind was crumbling, the air shimmering with electric sparks...

 Act One Finale – Part 4 – Send me a (better) Angel

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 4 ¨C Send me a (better) Angel


    As the smoke cleared, Shaeula¡¯s wind prison collapsing with one final breath of actinic ozone, sparks of lightning earthing, I had a bad feeling. A silhouette could be seen in the dissipating jade energies, and it was soon to be revealed as Mary Stuart, her face contorted into a gleeful expression, her laughter sounding out across the Boundary.


    Her once-fine vestments were rags, the skin underneath criss-crossed with cuts and vivid burns, only a few bells still tinkling softly, attached to shredded cloth. Her face was a mess of blood, her emerald green eyes clearly visible beneath the crimson and silver, and her hair was now a dishevelled mess. Even so, her mirth continued, as she stroked her hand idly.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you flee?¡± I asked, trying to interrupt her, genuinely curious. Since she was able to survive Shaeula¡¯s attacks mostly unharmed, she could have fled back to the Material. Beside me Tan, Shaeula and Grulgor were tense, eyeing her warily, waiting for the order to attack, but I raised a hand to forestall them, curious. ¡°We couldn¡¯t stop you getting away.¡±


    The question seemed to amuse her, as her smile broadened. Choking down laughter, she wiped away blood from her face idly, looking unconcerned. Which concerns me. Sarah is down, we¡¯ve defeated her troops, other than the few still trapped in the shield bubbles, and the Angel was destroyed. ¡°Flee? Me? Such an insult.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I am here to do the work of the Lord, bring the light of the Ninth Heaven to the heathens and sinners infesting this world. I can never abandon my work halfway done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I expect that you¡¯re worried that you¡¯ll be taken into custody after this.¡± I said, and she sneered, her amusement increasing.


    ¡°Are you insane? I think you must be, to think secular laws apply to us.¡± She turned to look at Eleanor, who reflexively flinched away, before looking angry at herself, steeling herself to meet Mary¡¯s gaze as calmly as she could. ¡°We are the True Revelation, and our reach is long indeed. No, the only punishment we can receive is from the Lord and his Angels.¡±


    ¡°Your Angel is destroyed.¡± I pointed out, and Shaeula snorted with laughter at that.


    ¡°Yes, you blasphemers destroyed the Principality, though don¡¯t be arrogant. The true might of an Angel is immeasurable, even its visage would shatter you.¡± Mary said, turning calm, the eerie and swift changes in her mood unnerving me. ¡°Princess, I offer you one final chance. Before I could allow your ignorance as something unfortunate yet forgivable, but... many believers have been martyred, and those of the martyred dead have found their final rest, may they find their way to the Ninth Heaven under the light of the Lord. Now I can no longer show mercy. Either surrender and relinquish the false Grail, or I will be forced to send you to your eternal rest and force the Queen to concede in your place. Surely you would wish to spare an old woman that fate?¡±


    ¡°Is she insane?¡± Shaeula asked, tilting her head, puzzled. ¡°She has been soundly defeated, and yet-yet she stands so arrogant, making demands. I can only conclude she is not-not sane.¡±


    ¡°Silence, inhuman wretch.¡± Mary snapped, eyes suddenly frosty. ¡°I will not be called insane by a creature who is not even human, devoid of the grace of God. As for being defeated... I am fortunate indeed. All your blows have done little to me, for I am protected by the fortune of the Lord!¡± Suddenly a great rush of adherence and ether surged from her, and I immediately called for everyone to stop her. Why doesn¡¯t she know when to give up?


    Vivid fire leapt from the hands of Tan, the heat scorching, while Shaeula launched lightning at Mary. Grulgor raised his hands and the ground exploded, great stakes of rock spearing towards her arms and legs, aiming to cripple her, while I hurled a combination of elements at her.


    ¡°The servants of the Lord have naught to fear from you who would hinder the path to the Ninth Heaven.¡± She laughed as the elements barraged her. ¡°Above us there is Power! Descend, oh ruler of the authority of Kings and Queens, those who hold down Evil!¡± Her voice rose to a shrill cry at the end, and the air shivered, adherence casting aside our attacks. ¡°Behold the Power of the Lord!¡±


    ¡°No, this should not be!¡± Tan shouted, showing panic for the first time. ¡°A Power is an Angel higher in the hierarchy of the Throne than a Principality. Even a shadow of it should not be possible, unless...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed for a demon.¡± Mary said, the blinding golden light of radiance spreading over the battlefield, the fallen Sarah staring up at the sight dumbly, eyes watering with tears. ¡°In fact, this was surely meant to be, my good fortune striking again. The fallen will be pleased to have given their lives for removing a creature such as you from the world. Under the agreements, you should [not be here.]¡± Towards the end, her words changed, becoming painful to hear, a buzzing undertone matching them.


    Shit. The League she¡¯s giving off is on a par with mine now... maybe a bit higher. The light peaked, and in it I could see a shadow with my Eye. Not good! I moved, Storming Moonlight rising to meet the thrust aimed at Tan. The impact was heavy, and I nearly dropped my blade, as vivid sparks of lightning and golden light scattered.


    [You are fast. Curious.] Mary buzzed, and I glanced down to see that my blade was trembling against her left arm, which had transformed into a strange blade of red crystal, the edge keen and shimmering with violet and golden lights. Tan cursed her, throwing her Flames of Thirst and Famine, but blood-red wings enfolded Mary, scattering the fires harmlessly. Grulgor took that opportunity to strike, punching her powerfully, but her wings absorbed it, and she opened her right one, batting him aside like a child. He hit the ground heavily, rising, grinning at the thought of battle, slab-like teeth grinding.


    ¡°What... is that?¡± Sarah managed from where she lay prone, her skin blistering and burning in the light shed from Mary. ¡°An Angel? But it looks...¡±


    I understand. I wasn¡¯t sure how, but Mary had transformed, and her eyes had vanished, no, not vanished, merely become a pure milky white, now blending in with the dreadfully pale skin of her face, which resembled blank paper. Her mouth was a bloody gash, leaking red liquid constantly, and her torn robes also oozed, as if bleeding, forming a red pool underneath her. Hammered into her skull was a crown of blade-like swords, to match her left arm, and the red wings enfolding her were covered in reptilian eyes like the Principality, as well as screaming mouths with dangling tongues.


    [The works of God are often unpleasant to mortal eyes and ears. To understand is folly. But evil never rests, never sleeps. Not all of the Ninth Heaven is beautiful, but all is purposeful. Now, Heaven¡¯s Tears!] Her words spiked into painful static, and suddenly the sky above her burst into bright aurorae, but these were fuelled by adherence, not aether. Droplets of water formed, becoming frozen, quickly accumulating mass, and a volley of them fell down towards us, as well as towards Chen Na, Hyacinth, Eleanor and the others, even towards Sarah, who looked up dully.


    ¡°Foehn!¡± I cried, flames blazing, and as I fed it into Prominence Dawn once more, my light overpowered hers for a second. Mary shrieked in pain, flames flickering over her wings and exposed face, but for some reason they didn¡¯t sprout into the usual blaze. The frozen meteorites did burn though, flaring away into mere melting fragments, that Hyacinth was able to protect the others from, her vines forming a canopy overhead.


    ¡°To take an Angel into yourself, even a mere shadow...¡± Tan lamented, thrusting her sword of flames forwards, only to have it knocked aside. Mary yelled some words, the mouths in her wings repeating them, and the beams of light from the eyes similar to the Principality surged out, converging into a shining lance. Tan blinked, unable to react in time, and was thrown back, pierced through the upper body.


    ¡°Tan! Shiro!¡± I cried, Shaeula echoing me as she prepared her own attack, a massive sphere of wind into which she was forcing flames, while her pinwheels were charging up with lightning.


    ¡°I am ... not well.¡± Tan admitted. ¡°But it is not a fatal strike, even if the adherence within this is rather poisonous to me.¡± She wrenched the spear free, burning her palms on the brilliant shaft, and the gaping wound smoked and smouldered. ¡°It is fortunate you now know how to purify such wounds, no?¡± Tan sneered, before addressing Mary. ¡°This will destroy you. Your network, your spirit, even with the grace of the Ninth Heavens, it will not survive this.¡±


    [Wrong, wrong, wrong!] her response was gleeful. The fiery ball Shaeula was conjuring slammed down on her, exploding, and as the nova drove us back, I saw Eleanor dragging away Sarah by her hair, her own armour heating up from the blast. [Yes, holding Power is foolish, but God... he does not play dice. Such an unpleasant saying, so blasphemous. No, God does play dice, and by his will, he always rolls what he wishes to. All good fortune comes from the Lord! Now, Earth Break!] At her final words the ground exploded in front of her. Grulgor was sent flying, torn into multiple pieces, but his body liquefied, running together and reforming, stone growing out of the water like salt crystals. The injured Tan blocked the attack with her fiery wheel, though the effort sprayed fresh ichor from her wounded chest. With a sigh she placed a hand over the hole, letting her own flames cauterise it, letting out a sharp hiss of pain.


    Shaeula was quicker, her pinwheels wrapping around Mary, and as the wires struck sparks from her skin, whining, lightning coursing into her with seemingly no effect, Shaeula used footholds of wind to leave the ground, dodging the fury of the attack. I forced Might of the Furious Earth to buff my Fortitude and pushed Body Enhancement to my limit, powering through, focusing wind and flame energy into Storming Moonlight. Blood sprayed as I cleaved into one of her red wings, blinding an eye, but several mouths lashed out with drooling tongues, and though I managed to struggle free, the effort drained me. Shit, she¡¯s strong. I worry...


    The sky was starting to crackle with crazed silver lightnings, much like Kyoto. Even as I spread my vision I was attacking, water element beams striking Mary, though her bladed arm scattered the blasts harmlessly, parrying rapidly as though she was some sort of swordswoman.


    ¡°Die!¡± Hyacinth roared, and a fog of spores billowed over Mary. She laughed, breathing them in, and for a moment I thought it was over, only for the light around her suddenly intensifying. [Purify Evil! Dominate Disease!] Her echoed words burned the spores to dust, and then she pointed with her human hand, a beam of light racing towards Hyacinth. Eleanor stepped in front to block it, and light scattered around her, burning dozens of fist-sized holes into the ground and also the wall of the Tower.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll not back down. This is... my Tower, my country.... My allies!¡± Eleanor said, the cawing of hundreds of ravens echoing, the sky above the tower darkening. Her body was riddled with holes, yet eventually the blast dissipated, and she fell, smiling. ¡°That... hurt. I don¡¯t think I can do... any... more.¡±


    ¡°Princess!¡± David bent down to look at her, concerned, despite the fact he shouldn¡¯t be moving with his own grave injuries, but she waved her good arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live. Well, as long as they can defeat her. Don¡¯t you think... we did a bad job?¡± she laughed bitterly. ¡°Why can¡¯t we all just help each other? We¡¯re all human, right? No, not even that...¡± she looked at Raidre and Hyacinth, who had a very complicated expression on her face as she looked at the woman who had stepped in to protect her. ¡°...we are all capable of kindness, loyalty, honour. More than some humans.¡± She coughed, her scorched lungs slowly repairing themselves.


    ¡°Is that a dig at me?¡± Sarah managed, groaning as she tried to sit up, her body still battered from Grulgor¡¯s relentless assault and burned from the incandescent light from Mary. As these conversations were happening, Grulgor, Tan, Shaeula and I were throwing everything at Mary, but she was shrugging off almost all the hits as though they were nothing, and her own counterattacks were piling up injuries on us.


    The Ring of Fortune, forged from ????????, gold from ??????? and the refined and processed Adherence of great luck, grants the bearer astonishing good Fortune so long as their belief in such fortune never wavers. The protection of Fortune and the ??????????? shields the wearer from great harm, magnifying existing Fortune dramatically.


    So powerful. Even now, my Eye wasn¡¯t strong enough to understand just how the Ring existed, but the gold itself seemed to be impregnated with an adherence that I could see a measure of, as well as energy similar to that which was present amongst the Linked Seraphim, and was now circulating in great tides to the parts of Mary that were functionally an Angel.


    ¡°Akio, what-what do we do?¡± Shaeula said, landing beside me, blood splattered all over her white dress, one leg dragging. Grulgor was fighting bravely, but as water and stone scattered, he was torn in half again, and light flashed, the eyes in her wings blasting him away, where he lay smouldering, not dead, but out of fighting strength for a moment. ¡°She is annoyingly tenacious, I do not-not think we are making much progress.¡±


    [Of course you will fail. Against the Power of the Lord, all is hopeless. You should have repented before this hour, and never denied God, or the Ninth Heaven. Before The Cock Crows Three Times...] She began another incantation, the mouths on her wings howling. She was now entirely crimson, soaked in her own blood, yet somehow the adherence radiating into her wasn¡¯t damaging her, though sheer, impossible luck, seemingly.


    ¡°It must annoy you...¡± I said, taking a deep breath, preparing myself. That feeling of an approaching moment where acting would bring great dividends was whispering to me, the faint jade breaths of Shaeula¡¯s fortunate winds, strengthened by the adherence-laden attack consumed by her Foehn, was telling me that we had one chance. ¡°... spending all this adherence. It can¡¯t be cheap, supporting such an Angel. It¡¯s even damaging the world around us.¡±


    [You are quite right. It galls me, bitterly. But you have all proved greatly troublesome. Spending power now to destroy such great obstacles will only benefit us in the dangerous future.] As I expected, her arrogance made her stop her words to talk down to us haughtily, so sure she was of her eventual victory. [And when we reclaim the false Grail, the adherence we will recover will dwarf my trials here. Now, Before The Cock Crows Three Times, Thou Shalt Deny The Lord. And Denial Of The Lord Is Extinction!]


    The light around her intensified, and Tan raised her flames to their maximum. ¡°This is exceeding what I can handle, without forcing the princess to bear more of me than her body can take.¡±


    ¡°Do it, Tan!¡± Shiro suddenly took over. ¡°Better just me getting hurt than everyone else!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Chen Na, put everything you have into blocking this...¡± I shouted, and the woman nodded timidly. ¡°In the moment of greatest despair, we will overcome your belief!¡± I shouted, and Mary shook her head.


    [Useless. Futile. Hopeless. Righteousness and Fortune are on my side...] The light intensified. [I know you think me cruel, that I take pleasure in this. I do not. I offered many chances to cease denying God. But I have been spurned, and now the result is that you will burn under the light of the Power. But I shall raise a grave for you all, and not forget you. Even now, if you repent, your soul will seek the light of the Ninth Heaven, not damnation!]


    ¡°Sorry, but if you think your light can defeat me, you¡¯re wrong.¡± I glanced at Shaeula, and her eyes widened as I quickly whispered something. Nodding, she drew out all her winds, pouring them into me.


    [Farewell. Know that the others will join you soon! The Light Of Judgement!] The light surged forwards, a beam so vivid it made the breath of the wyrm I fought back in the early days look like a child spitting. Immediately Chen Na called up her strongest barrier with what strength she had left. It held for several seconds, buying me a little time, spinning up Prominence Dusk, a dark, black hole forming, surrounded by a ring of shimmering light. In addition my other Split Thoughts were drawing energy from the Lantern I had taken back from Ixitt before heading here, adding trickles of spatial energy to my crown chakra. The feeling was painful, the energy threatening to break loose and cause havoc within me, but I was restraining it, fortunately.


    The barrier shattered, exploding inwards, and I saw a faint flicker of energy behind it, another barrier. That held for perhaps half a second, scattering light like destructive sparkles. Then Tan roared, her flames, enhanced by the three Favours she had taken from Kyoto, swallowed like a giant fanged mouth, consuming the light. Tan then slumped down, hair fading to silver, eyes turning black, leaving a wounded Shiro behind, gasping. ¡°Shit, we¡¯re done. Guess we can¡¯t handle her cheats...¡±


    True, it¡¯s like she can use Linked Seraphim to never run dry. Although, the adherence shouldn¡¯t be infinite... ¡°Grulgor is not done!¡± he roared, the ground rising into multiple walls of earth, which were melted through in moments as the light ripped apart the remnants of Tan¡¯s flames, turning them to magma. Shaeula tried to block the blasts with her pinwheels and her own walls of earth and water, but they too crumbled quickly, flashing to burning rock and steam. Hyacinth raised great towering walls of vines, only to see them quickly reduced to ashes. Moments later Eleanor, despite her horrible wounds having barely started healing, was rushing towards the blast to block it.


    ¡°I think not-not.¡± Shaeula leapt, knocking her down to the ground, and the blast passed over her head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Eleanor protested. ¡°I could help...¡±


    ¡°No-no. We appreciate bravery, but that is simply foolishness. Akio has not fought so hard to see you die-die now. None-none of us have.¡±


    Her words were swallowed up, as the beam struck me. No, not me. The dark star of Prominence Dusk greedily consumed the energy, the black void growing, the halo forming a brilliant ring of light. Like an Angel¡¯s...


    The force pushed me back, everything happening in a mere instant, the strength of the attack more than Prominence Dusk could bear, ordinarily. But not... if I¡¯m lucky enough, and strong enough... The attempts to halt the attack had sapped it of around a third of its strength, and now Prominence Dusk was confronting it. Even so, it was barely enough. Suddenly, the beam was besieged by a storm of dark shapes plunging into the blast from above, black feathers scattering, as a flock of giant ravens threw their bodies into the path of destruction, each only a cup of water on a raging fire, but after ten, twenty, a hundred cups...


    Your Skill, Prominence Twilight, has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. More elemental energy and elementally-flavoured Adherence can be absorbed by both Dusk and Dawn, and just as each carries a trace of the other, Dusk and Dawn two sides of the same coin, so can Prominence Dawn and Prominence Dusk carry each other, though the potency is significantly supressed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my only hungry skill!¡± The last of my Foehn was fed into Prominence Dawn, and the two merged, the darkness of Dusk suddenly becoming black flames, sucking in the light. I was taking damage, scattered motes of the light burning through me, and I felt that if this attack had struck anyone else they would have been annihilated. As the light faded, my skin charred, my body full of bleeding holes, deep enough to reveal bone and my insides, the pain was rather spectacular. A bemused looking Mary Stuart, though it was a little hard to tell, as her face was a blank mask apart from her bloody mouth, leaving me to judge via her body language, spat a curse.


    [You survived that? You truly are a powerful...] she paused, as I vanished. Now is the moment. The fortunate winds burst, and at that moment I activated the true Void Motion with the little spatial element I had gathered, moving myself and the Prominence Dusk perfectly, just as Mary raised her hand in annoyance at her failures. I reappeared instantly beside her, sword in hand, my other hand holding the black ball of flames, surrounded by a blazing white aura. That detonated spectacularly, the incredibly powerful light element created by Mary¡¯s Angelic adherence mixed with the darkness element and the bestowed property of Foehn instantly bursting into a lightless sphere, space around us seeming to contort and twist. I screamed in pain, it now truly unbearable, but I had not expected to make this move without some sacrifice.


    [You... what... have... you...] Mary said, her arm ripped free, as mine was also torn from my shoulder, our flesh and bone crushed together and incinerated by the sudden incredible force as Prominence Dusk imploded. I was close enough to her face to feel her breath, so I could see her pale, white eyes widening in confused shock, seeing her face twitch in a momentary crisis of confidence. Then her wing was torn off and shredded too, adherence scattering, no, being drawn into the shrinking vortex, though I managed to pull in some of it to feed myself. Seeing a glimmering mote of gold within the fading light-devouring sphere, I let loose with my aether, draining myself to the dregs, activating False Void Motion, and the Ring materialised in my palm, shining softly, having somehow survived the Prominence Dusk unscathed, which now vanished with a final detonation, throwing both of us aside.


    I landed, rolling over and over, only to be caught by Shaeula, who had managed to get behind me. As she held me in her arms, looking at my stump with a tender expression, I could see Mary, her body starting to break down, no longer able to support the Power she was manifesting. Her eyes had gone a dull, lifeless grey, and as the other wing turned to red dust and drifted away on the wind, so did her bladed arm, leaving her armless. ¡°Why?¡± her voice rasped, back to normal, though her throat was filled with blood, choking her. Tears trickled down her blind eyes, and she struggled to move, flopping around like a beached fish. ¡°How could this happen? I only wanted... to serve the Lord, bring the faithful to an eternity of safety... for my grandmother, and for the Lord...¡±


    As I struggled to my feet, Shaeula supporting me, I went to address her, only to see someone else reach her first, a flash of red hair in my vision. It was Sarah, who despite her burned and battered body, had managed to cross the distance to her, kneeling beside her. ¡°I¡¯d hold ye by the hand, but... seems like ye nae have one anymore.¡± Sarah said softly, also in tears. ¡°It¡¯s over. Ye lost. We lost.¡±


    ¡°In the end... I felt your power. Did you...¡± Mary asked solemnly, after coughing the last of the blood out of her throat.


    ¡°Aye, sorry. I guess betrayal is kind of habit forming, ye ken.¡± David snorted behind her at Sarah¡¯s self-deprecating, bitter words. ¡°But in the end... this was nae right, was it?¡±


    Eleanor joined them, as did I, Shaeula helping me over. As Eleanor looked at my missing arm, horrified, I shrugged, trying not to show the utter agony I was feeling right now. Ether Healing was working to close my worst wounds, but it would take time for even the pain to stop.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I am the Chosen of Tyr after all, and giving an arm to win is pretty much part of the deal.¡±


    Shiro snorted at that, being familiar with the myth, as she was picked up by a regenerating Grulgor and brought over, her body limp, the great spear wound in her body still angry and burned. ¡°Sure Aki, talk like a big shot, like you don¡¯t care. But... it¡¯s over now, right? We won? Princess saved, time for the celebration. Ouch... shit. Feels like I¡¯ve been stabbed... oh wait, I was...¡±


    ¡°I shall-shall attend to you momentarily.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°And as for Akio¡¯s arm. I shall be sure-sure to tell Aiko of this, and I am sure she will have much to say on-on the matter.¡±


    Hyacinth and Chen Na brought over Sir Arthur and Raidre, who was looking at Shaeula with a mixture of horror and fascination. As we were now all gathered together, I nodded, looking down at the silent, listening Mary. ¡°Yes. For now... it¡¯s over.¡±

 Act One Finale – Part 5 – The Tower

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 5 ¨C The Tower


    As the last adherence within Mary dissipated, I felt my strength grow again, amber letters flaring.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from one hundred and twenty-eight to one hundred and thirty. Your...


    In addition to that, Foehn had Ranked up during the battle, which was unsurprising, considering it had been integrated with both Dawn and Dusk, and devoured such an adherence-rich light element.


    Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 6 to Rank 7, having devoured light blessed by powerful adherence. Your flames can burn adherence that does not exceed your strength, and Foehn can be integrated with complimentary elements more easily, further increasing destructive force and hunger. Class: [Imperious] Type: [Principle]


    It''s jumped two steps in the Type category, I guess that makes sense, considering the description... Fighting back my utter exhaustion and the agonising pain of the stump of my missing arm, ignoring the knowing look Shiro was giving me, I tossed the golden ring to Shaeula. ¡°Here.¡±


    She caught it gracefully, eyeing it, her glowing orbs barely able to scratch the surface of the powers it held, but knowing that it was strong. Her expression changed. ¡°Are you sure? Would this not-not be better in your hands?¡±


    Now that my hand was free, I ruffled her hair, smiling softly. ¡°No, I think you should have it. It¡¯s a ring that brings good fortune and magnifies what Fortune you have, so long as you believe in your own luck with unshakable strength.¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula slid the ring onto her finger next to her engagement ring. ¡°In that case, I shall surely-surely suit it. After all, there are none-none who believe in their Fortune more than I.¡± Her smile was suddenly impish, and relieved me after the tense situation we had just endured. ¡°I do dare say Eri will be most-most jealous that you are giving me rings again.¡±


    I had no answer to that, and Shiro agreed. ¡°Yes, I confess to being a little envious myself. That ring looks like awesome loot if ever I¡¯ve seen any... yeah, Tan thinks so too. She says the adherence within it is powerful and aspected to powerful Laws. It¡¯d be on a par with any of the top treasures found on Earth, and would even be worth a second look up above.¡±


    Sarah, who was kneeling by the silently weeping, broken body of Mary, looked up, her blue eyes hard. ¡°That nae belongs tae ye. Stealing from a woman of faith is beneath ye.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. Haven¡¯t you heard of spoils of war? Mary was going to steal my life, and worse, the lives of my friends and those I love. Your friends too, right?¡± I narrowed my eyes, and Sarah had no answer, lowering her head, only for David to whack her on the back hard.


    ¡°I always knew you were an idiot, redhead. It¡¯s no different to putting your Championship Belt on the line. That bitch...¡± he looked down at the fallen Cardinal, who now looked so very small, her intimidating, mad air completely gone. ¡°... she¡¯s clearly crazy, but she put everything on the line for this. But when the fight is over, the Belt changes hands. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± He looked at me and nodded. ¡°I definitely feel better about my loss to you now. No shame in going down to the best of the best. It just motivates me to get better. This fucking shit isn¡¯t happening again.¡±


    Looking around, Eleanor agreed. A handful of the Choir had survived, the barrier bubbles of Chen Na protecting them to the end, though some had been unfortunate, the barriers collapsing in the chaos of Mary¡¯s relentless, divine attacks. Likewise, the Judges, even the ones Hyacinth had subdued, had succumbed to the strain on their bodies and collateral damage from the battle, leaving me feeling rather bitter. What a damn waste.


    ¡°Yes. We have to... start again.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°Our Avalon is broken, so much was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nae a big thing. What we were doing was crap anyway, ye ken?¡± Sarah snorted. ¡°We nae had the knowledge, and even then...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Sarah.¡± Eleanor narrowed her eyes at her. ¡°You destroyed Aditi¡¯s and Mary-Jane¡¯s banners. Now they¡¯ll have to start from scratch...¡± the sudden silence from Sarah was uncomfortable, and Eleanor paused. ¡°...they can start again?¡± More awkward, bitter silence followed.


    I decided to speak up. ¡°You destroyed their Territory Anchors?¡± I asked Sarah, and she nodded. I shook my head, feeling gloomy. ¡°I¡¯ve tested this before, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that their Divine Favours will be usurped, but...¡± seeing the way Sarah was looking at us, I feared the worst.


    ¡°Aye, I did take them.¡± She admitted. ¡°They will nae fight again, or...¡±


    ¡°Sarah, you stupid bitch...¡± David growled, and Sir Arthur raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°We need to find out all the facts, before we can decide how best to proceed.¡± He said calmly, despite his numerous injuries, as now that Eleanor was safe, he could turn his focus to solving the rest of this mess. ¡°Miss Sarah, just what did you do?¡±


    ¡°When you destroy an Anchor...¡± I got some blank looks so quickly explained my terminology, before continuing. ¡°...so, if you are stronger, you¡¯ll rip free the Favour of the victim. I¡¯ve done some testing, and it can be put back in. Sarah, are you still...?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nae that simple, ye ken?¡± She looked down at Mary, who was mumbling softly to herself, whisper quiet, that ¡°she had let her grandmother down, the Revelation-Cardinal down, all the faithful down, and God down... ¡° and her own eyes were shedding tears to match Mary¡¯s. ¡°When I did agree tae Mary¡¯s proposal...¡± her burned hand was clutching her rosary still, and must have been extremely painful. ¡°... I was granted a new power, the power of God.¡±


    My Eye flared, and I quickly saw what she meant.


    Linked Principality: Class [Powerful] Type [Law] ...


    ¡°I see. You have a second Favour replacing your crown chakra too. So, what happened to the Favours you stole? Did you break them down?¡±


    ¡°Aye, when I felt them come tae me, they shattered, and I got stronger, I could feel the blessing Mary gave me, the grace of God, growing. It still was nae enough though.¡± She looked at the mostly recovered Grulgor bitterly. ¡°The big guy there kicked the shit out of me, nae question.¡± Grulgor laughed at that.


    ¡°So what does that mean? Are... are Mary-Jane and Aditi all right?¡± Eleanor asked, and Shaeula put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.


    ¡°There may-may be some hope. But until we return, do not-not allow your fears to rule you. If we can aid them, we shall, is that not-not correct, Akio?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It is possible to survive the favour being forcibly removed.¡± The tests I had done on Kondou Kazuo proved that, though it also showed that there was a good chance that a coma and death might follow too. ¡°When we get back, Shaeula and I will see what we can do.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve helped us out a lot. More than we can repay.¡± Eleanor muttered, and Hyacinth stepped up.


    ¡°Yes, remember that. Akio, the mistresses... all are kind peooople. It is wrong to scooorn us because you do not understand us. But... yooou are quite stupid, so I forgive you. Stupid can be fixed, we can all learn tooo be better.¡±


    Grulgor laughed even harder, knowing that was true. Eleanor looked a little surprised that Hyacinth would say such a thing to her, but she tugged off one of her broken gauntlets and reached out a hand. She looked down, blinked, realised her hand was covered in blood and filth from the battle, and went to withdraw it, but Hyacinth simply snatched it in her own and shook it gently. ¡°Nooow, what to dooo?¡± Hyacinth spoke for all of us.


    ¡°Sarah... Mary Stuart, all of you who did this...¡± Eleanor looked at the last few members of the Choir, who were nursing their own wounds, kneeling down beside the stricken Mary and wailing and weeping. ¡°... there must be a reckoning. But...¡± she looked confused, forlorn. ¡°Just how do we weigh these crimes? Can we?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡± I scratched my head with my remaining hand, a bit embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we worked out the answers to that. Take Chen Na, over there...¡±


    ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t...¡± she muttered, looking down.


    ¡°... she was part of the group that invaded Kyoto. Yes, they had reasons, but it was still an act of aggression against us, and a lot of ordinary people died. Chen Na here died too.¡± I sighed. ¡°Does her death and rebirth mean she¡¯s no longer the same person? Or do her crimes remain? Worse, another woman called Nie Ling, she was being threatened with oblivion if she didn¡¯t help the attack, but her actions were what led directly to nearly a thousand dead. We still haven¡¯t decided what is just.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eleanor said, conflicted. ¡°Perhaps matters are more complicated than I thought. Grandmother and the Prime Minister... I should leave it to them. And only do what I can do.¡± She nodded, gathering all her willpower.


    ¡°A good idea. Nobody can do everything themselves, nor should they have to.¡± I turned to Shaeula, Eye glittering. ¡°Looks like it wasn¡¯t just me who got stronger. Your Foehn upgraded too.¡± It had jumped to Rank 7 as well, two whole Ranks, and had also leapt from a Rule to a Principle.


    Foehn, Wind Eating Breath Rank 7 ¨C After consuming many winds, including those created from divine adherence, the Wind-Eating Breath can now also consume certain flavours of adherence, as well as the wind nature of composite elements, if the level of the element does not overpower the Winds. This energy can be transferred to other wind and suitable adherence-based abilities with greater strengthening effect. Class: [Imperious] Type: [Principle]


    ¡°You know, we really gained a lot on that Las Vegas trip. Money, levels, a second element. But Foehn might have been the luckiest find of all.¡± I mused, and Shaeula laughed, flourishing her new golden ring.


    ¡°Indeed. Finding such a twinned element that we could both master was a rare-rare feat indeed. But then, I am beloved of Fortune, am I not-not?¡± She grinned. ¡°After all, did I not-not find you?¡± She leant up and kissed my cheek, leading to Hyacinth and Shiro getting jealous, so I ended up kissing all three of them, while Eleanor looked on, a touch sourly.


    ¡°More, I see. Well, far be it from me to question your love life. I can¡¯t say I approve, but you don¡¯t care what I think, do you?¡±


    ¡°Nooo, definitely not.¡± Hyacinth agreed, face a little flushed after our kisses. ¡°All that matters is that we are happy. Life withooout joy is nooo life at all, so take it where you can find it.¡±


    ¡°Take it where you can find it. I see.¡± Eleanor nodded. ¡°Aditi. Mary-Jane. Henry, my brother... I hope you can all still survive and prosper. And take more joy.¡± She looked down at Sarah and the broken Mary. ¡°As for the two of you...¡±


    ¡°I lost. I¡¯m done. I nae wanted to hurt ye, Eleanor, I genuinely believed this path is for the best. I still do, ye ken?¡± She let out a long sigh. The spikes that had pierced Mary¡¯s head were gone now, also turned to red sand, and her hair was falling out in dead clumps, revealing her maimed skull. ¡°Mary did too. I¡¯m nae sure if she thought this would happen, but... she was nae afraid tae follow the paths of the martyrs before her. She may seem hot and cold, but she was dedicated tae God, and saving the Earth and all of us who dwell here. I¡¯ll go quietly, but... I ask that ye all listen to the words of the Book of True Revelation. We all need tae pull together, put aside our differences. Sacrifice for the cause.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Shiro, no, Tan said, her hair and eyes burning red hot again. ¡°The One True Throne does not pull together, they rule, as a Throne implies. I make no criticism of this. Power is all, the power to defend, to subjugate. I myself made a play for such power, and was defeated. Though perhaps the chance will still fall to me in the end.¡± She looked at me, eyes blazing thirstily. ¡°If not... then I will at least have made a connection, an ally.¡±


    Tan was next to speak. ¡°Indeed, great curse and destruction fills the remnants of the adherence unleashed here. It is greatly powerful, so do not touch it carelessly.¡± She was frowning, so that made me wary.


    ¡°Do we think it was Max Power?¡± I asked, and then realised there was no way of knowing. ¡°I suppose it could have been. Or something else.¡± I looked at Eleanor, who was frowning at the circle of destroyed treasures. ¡°Do you know if anything is missing?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ve not catalogued all the treasures held here. Not yet. I¡¯ve had more important things to do, and it¡¯s not like we can let just anyone down here. Besides...¡± she pointed to the burned circle. ¡°Who knows how much was destroyed here? But... this wasn¡¯t here last time I was down here. So it must have been Max. I think... he may have taken some things.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if we don¡¯t know, we don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head. ¡°So, what¡¯s next? Don¡¯t you have to check the false Grail, as Mary Stuart called it? It¡¯s there, right?¡± I pointed as my Eye gleamed. It seemed there was no way out of the under-basement where the treasures were kept, but my Eye could see where the adherence and ether were being drawn, and it was forming a hidden space, a dungeon, just like Shaeula¡¯s old Territory, or where my Anchor used to be in my old apartment block, just on a far grander scale.


    Eleanor flinched. ¡°Yes. The secret beneath the Tower lies there. There should be no way Max Power, or anyone but me, should be able to enter, but... I still need to check. You will all have to wait out here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I shook my head. ¡°If Max is in there, and he has some sort of powerful destructive curse adherence, there¡¯s no way you can win alone. You¡¯re as exhausted as I am, maybe more. We go together.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± she shouted. ¡°Have you any idea how hard I¡¯ve struggled to protect the secret here? It¡¯s why I was prepared to die, why Aditi, Mary-Jane... Raidre¡¯s kin... the others... why we all suffered!¡± She then froze as Shaeula placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked, to see Shaeula looking at her with a comforting smile.


    ¡°Indeed, you have struggled. So do not-not be foolish now. I too have things to protect. As does Akio. Can you do it alone? If not-not, then seek aid. We did not-not achieve all we have by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I said earlier I¡¯d tell you how you could rebuild.¡± Shiro said, her smile teasing. ¡°This is how. If you trust Aki, show all your cards, Aki will trust you. And he¡¯s terrible at letting girls in need go without aid. Besides... us Princesses should stick together.¡±


    ¡°Are you a Princess? I know Japan has an Imperial Family. But I have never met Princess Mikasa, she keeps to herself.¡± Eleanor queried, and Shiro laughed.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not Yukiko. Aki¡¯s pretty tight with her though. She¡¯s just like us. We¡¯ll be working with her a lot too in the future. Me... I¡¯m the Princess of Hungry Ghosts. Lame title, but then...¡±


    ¡°I greatly despise my own-own title. Princess of Beasts indeed.¡± Shaeula scowled. ¡°Yukiko being the Princess of Heaven is far-far more noble-sounding. Well, I could not-not be the Princess of Humans you are, Eleanor.¡± Shaeula¡¯s scowl vanished, replaced by a wry grin. ¡°You have very little-little choice I am afraid. This is your destiny. Now, listen to Shiro.¡±


    ¡°First up... if we really wanted to break in, we could. And that goes without messing with you or your grandmother. Tan says that the adherence present here that is keyed to the Royal family and their chosen heir is powerful, but given time we could break it. Nothing is indestructible. Shit, it¡¯d be a real pain though.¡±


    On hearing Shiro¡¯s words, Eleanor looked tense, but she continued, not letting the jumpy Princess reply. ¡°Don¡¯t look so scared. You think Aki, who put his life on the line for you and your friends, would take what isn¡¯t his? No, I¡¯m just making it clear. You can¡¯t protect the Tower forever. As more powerhouses appear, the defences here will get ever more useless. It¡¯s power creep, you know? Your only way is to bulk up your Territory, get it strong enough. But right now, you have a field of wreckage and few allies. So... you borrow help.¡±


    ¡°Akio has aided Haru in fortifying Kyoto, it shall soon-soon be safe from all but the most-most robust and furious onslaught.¡± Shaeula pointed out. ¡°With our expertise, you can make improvements. Now, show some-some manners. We have come-come a long way. My curiosity will not-not be sated unless I see what has prompted such a war with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± I said sincerely. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel you can trust us now, I think we are going to struggle to work together in the future. I get that you have a responsibility, but can you really do it alone? What would have happened had we not come to your aid? Don¡¯t get me wrong, I really respect how hard you fought, you did a good job from a bad situation, but does telling yourself I tried my best soothe the suffering of losing?¡±


    Eleanor squeezed shut her eyes, thinking. The silence dragged on, before she nodded. She reached up, untying her bound hair, letting it flow over her armour like a cloak. Looking at me with her serious blue eyes, she spoke. ¡°Promise me. If you tell me that you will not attempt to usurp the secret within, then I shall believe you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t take what isn¡¯t mine. And don¡¯t look at the ring...¡± I smirked. ¡°... as we said earlier, spoils of war. We didn¡¯t fight you, we were on the same side.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. I am beaten. I hope...¡± she squeezed shut her eyes for a moment, before continuing. ¡°... that grandmother can understand. I herefore grant permission for these to enter, by my status as the chosen Heir of the Crown.¡± With her words, the adherence in the room shuddered, and with my Eye I could see strands of it detaching, touching Shaeula, Shiro and I, sinking into our bodies. This feels strange. It isn¡¯t harmful, is it?


    I used my Eye to observe the process, and since Tan wasn¡¯t reacting, I watched as the adherence spread through our Astral bodies, concentrating around the crown chakras. It was then that the entrance became visible to us, Shiro gasping in surprise.


    ¡°You see it? Another space beneath.¡± Eleanor said softly, reverently. ¡°Come.¡± With that she led us into the opening, taking us down another set of steps, the space around us thick with incredibly powerful adherence and ether. The atmosphere was almost sacred, not in a religious sense, but in a way that made the place feel holy, not for a God, but simply because of what was there.


    ¡°Tan says if this adherence and ether was to be released all at once, the Boundary would crack.¡± Shiro whispered. ¡°What¡¯s been accumulated here is damn impressive.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± I agreed. Reaching the bottom, we reached a massive, circular room. It was strange, as the architecture was two very jumbled, contrasting styles, one made from large stone slabs, sparkles of crystal embedded in the stone, while large trees were growing, despite the hidden location, draped in mistletoe and other vines. Mixed in with this was more traditionally Christian architecture, vaulted ceilings with religious paintings (although many of these seemed rather... out of place, and somewhat more mythological), stained glass windows, though some windows displayed antlered men and women, as well as old, armoured men, rather than saints, and fluted pillars of pure white marble.


    ¡°What a bizarre mess. It¡¯s like two conflicting things together.¡± Shiro observed, and I couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I agreed, my Eye spying the object in the centre of the room. It was hard to look at, the radiance of the surrounding adherence and ether blinding.


    ¡°This... this is what we must protect. The Cauldron of Life.¡± Eleanor declared. ¡°Without it, our isle will wither, bereft of good fortune and the blessings of nature.¡± She looked at us, as if half-expecting us to try and seize it. On seeing what my Eye reported, I could at least understand why.


    The Cauldron of ???????? Grail ???????? ¨C Item Class: [Mythic] Item Type [Law]


    The Cauldron ?????? generates immense adherence of ??????? drawing in powerful adherence of faith, storing and converting it to adherence of ??????? and ???????? also absorbs nearby ether, creating powerful nature element. This nature element blesses the surrounding lands, supported by the adherence of ??????? faith and promotes good climate, growth of plants, trees and flowers, insects and animals, and ????????. The energy that should have run dry over the long years is replenished by ????????? drawn from worship of ????????? Grail. ?????????? ?????????? ??????????.


    Damn, even without the question marks, that description is a mess. It¡¯s almost as if two items are rammed together. The False Grail, huh? However... I asked Tan a question. ¡°Just how can such a powerful item still exist?¡± Seeing through the light, I observed the form of the cauldron. It was made from black iron and gold, chased with pearls and rubies. Though again, it seemed like an odd jumble, not harmonious at all.


    ¡°This world is still rich with belief.¡± Tan observed. ¡°Adherence is a great power, one that is difficult to exhaust. It seems to me that a great deal of adherence has been caught by this Cauldron. It has continued to fill, preventing it from running dry and shattering. Most interesting. It is a great power of life and nature, of growth and rebirth.¡±


    Shaeula agreed. ¡°Yes, I feel-feel a power not dissimilar to the great Rhyming Trees at the heart of the Seelie Court.¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°I studied classical literature, with a focus on British myths. Well...¡± she laughed, a little embarrassed. ¡°...it¡¯s not a serious course, hardly useful for future employment, but then, it¡¯s not as though I was expected to get a job.¡±


    ¡°You have one now.¡± I pointed out, and she snorted.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t mock.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what Mary Stuart said. The Holy Grail was just a story, a myth. My classics Professor said that the tale was based on the Cauldrons of old British and Irish myths. And Mary mentioned the Fisher King. And that we were stealing what belonged to God. I think...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I mused. ¡°You¡¯re saying that enough people believe in the Holy Grail, and it¡¯s all got tangled up with this Cauldron, which is left over from the time fifteen hundred years ago.¡± It¡¯s really quite fascinating. But I just don¡¯t get how it all fits together. There¡¯s likely more to it, but I think we have the general idea.


    ¡°Adherence is often drawn to suitable concepts.¡± Tan explained. ¡°Even my understanding of it is incomplete. But the adherence being drawn here is strong. There can be no question of that.¡±


    ¡°You see why I have to defend it?¡± Eleanor said, tense.


    ¡°I do.¡± I agreed. ¡°Well, we¡¯re done here. No sign of Max Power, so we should head back.¡± As I turned and started ascending the stairs, Shiro and Shaeula following me, Eleanor stood there frozen for a moment, before hurrying after us. Seeing the look on her face, I asked her what was up.


    ¡°I just thought...¡± she trailed off, unwilling to speak.


    ¡°That Aki would go mad for the power?¡± Shiro teased her. ¡°Damn girl, you really are hard work. But I suppose being a little paranoid when you¡¯re dealing with something so important isn¡¯t totally stupid.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take it from you.¡± I promised. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Eleanor asked warily.


    ¡°I had an idea. One that could benefit both of us. But I¡¯ll need to talk to the Queen first, I imagine.¡± Power of growth, strong nature energy...


    ¡°Cease your worries about such-such trivial matters.¡± Shaeula interjected, as we emerged out of the dungeon. ¡°Is there not-not more important things you need from us?¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Yes, Henry, Aditi, Mary-Jane... I would be most grateful if you could do what you can for them. Britain will be grateful too.¡±


    ¡°Not letting him have time to fix his own arm first then?¡± Shiro teased, and Eleanor flushed. There was some laughter, and as we emerged from the Tower, my thoughts turned to what was next. The world will have changed. I thought Kyoto was bad, but now... there¡¯s no covering things up anymore...

 Act One Finale – Part 6a – Aftermath

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 6a ¨C Aftermath


    Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    Opening her eyes, letting out a groan as her stiff, battered body protested, Eleanor saw from the cramped confines of the space she was occupying that there was someone else there with her, a petite woman with amber-blonde hair, who was stretching her arms and yawning, blinking her striking amber eyes.


    ¡°I see-see you are awake, Eleanor.¡± The woman, the Fae known as Shaeula, said calmly, despite everything that had happened in the last few hours. ¡°This was quite-quite the clever hiding spot. If you simply must enter the Boundary from the Tower-Tower and its surrounds, then a mobile vehicle, this ambulance, is quite clever. It is secured as well.¡± She thumped the locked door with her small hands, and a few sparks of lightning scattered. Shaeula paused, looking down, before pursing her lips, annoyed.


    What is it? Is there a problem? Before Eleanor could speak, Shaeula bent down and looked at the hem of her white summer dress, which was now stained with blood. ¡°Most-most annoying. I did rather like this dress, Akio thought it was cute-cute on me. This blood will leave an ugly stain.¡±


    A brief chuckle escaped Eleanor¡¯s lips, surprising her, after the traumatic battles and the betrayals. The chuckle swelled, and soon she was laughing loudly, tears of relief, sorrow and more streaming down her face. Shaeula merely watched her calmly, letting her cry it all out. When Eleanor finally recovered, hiccupping a little, wiping at her sodden cheeks and nose, she managed a smile. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly cute, Miss Shaeula. Nothing like Raidre.¡±


    ¡°Enough of the miss. I am simply Shaeula. I have quite-quite enough trouble with Japanese honorifics.¡± She snorted. ¡°As for Raidre, the skin-shifters are notoriously bad-bad tempered. Well, I shall surely have to have words with him, as a representative of the Seelie Court. But for now-now...¡± she pouted. ¡°... appearing in public so dishevelled is not-not pleasing for me.¡± She paused, looking at Eleanor. Her gaze is embarrassing. She¡¯s looking at me so carefully.


    ¡°I see, you are a female too-too, I expect you know this pain as well. I have ruined rather too many clothes that I liked-liked or were gifts. We females have it hard, do we not-not?¡±


    Eleanor realised she too was filthy, her body covered in dried blood, her healing wounds still leaking. It¡¯s a crazy thing to worry about. Is this the difference in experience between us? ¡°I¡¯m just glad to come back alive. Alive...¡± Her face fell. Henry. Aditi. Mary-Jane.


    ¡°Worry not-not.¡± Shaeula said sympathetically. ¡°Akio will be heading to them now. He has made a great-great sacrifice, not-not rushing to heal Shiro¡¯s wound immediately, but he knows that there are likely those in greater need. Of course...¡± she smirked. ¡°... Shiro will no-no doubt extract some apology from him later, but he does-does so love spoiling us, so all is well.¡±


    ¡°You really love him, don¡¯t you?¡± Eleanor said, feeling her earlier behaviour was again rather rude towards them all. I can¡¯t help it. There¡¯s just something about him that makes me angry...


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shaeula nodded. ¡°It was surely my destiny to meet-meet him. We started as enemies, but-but he spared me. Then, over time, I grew to love-love him. But...¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°Hyacinth has told me of your great-great disapproval. I can not-not understand it. He had a childhood friend, Eri. She was simply quite-quite hopeless without him. I did not-not wish to push her aside, nor could I have, for Akio was a male who did not-not feel he was worthy of loving. His feelings of love are oft rooted in protection. No, Eri needed him, and he-he Eri. So, should I have let my own love-love wither, or ruthlessly crushed Eri¡¯s dreams? Is it not-not more joyous to share? Eri and I are in accord, so none outside have the right-right to criticise us.¡±


    ¡°That... makes sense, I guess.¡± Eleanor managed. ¡°But... there are others, right?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, calling on water energy to clean the blood off her dress, merely hissing with annoyance when all it did was smear the stain out, turning it light pink. ¡°Yes, others. A male-male of Akio¡¯s calibre will need many loves over a long-long eternity of existence. And new loves means new-new sisters for us all. Managing it gives Akio many-many headaches, but all of us have agreed and we strive to manage matters.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eleanor threw up her hands. ¡°I promise not to mention it again. Besides...¡± she lowered her voice, embarrassed. ¡°I am really not ungrateful. I¡¯ll see you get the rewards grandmother promised and more, you saved my life, and the Tower. Oh...¡± she paused. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you did it all for the rewards, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Shaeula noticed that there was a golden ring on her finger, the one she had taken from Mary Stuart, now here as well. ¡°But not-not taking what is offered is simply foolish, and an insult. Would you not-not feel better about offering a reward, feeling less pathetic?¡±


    ¡°Pathetic is harsh.¡± Eleanor smiled ruefully. ¡°But yes, it does make me feel like I¡¯ve paid some debt to you all.¡± she sighed. ¡°What do we do now? My Avalon is ruined, and the team is broken.¡± Her mood turned sour. Shaeula moved over and patted her shoulder reassuringly.


    ¡°You get up, and continue.¡± Shaeula told her. ¡°As long as you live-live, you can fight. Besides, I believe Akio has some ideas. Do not-not worry, we will not-not leave you unsupported. Us Princesses are natural allies.¡±


    ¡°That does make me feel pathetic.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°But I can¡¯t let my pride get in the way of my responsibilities. I owe it... to the fallen.¡±


    ¡°Good sentiments.¡± Shaeula patted her shoulder again, before pushing open the doors and stepping out into the pandemonium, Eleanor following. Soldiers immediately came over, seeing the blood on their clothes, asking if they were all right, and as Eleanor told them she was, the world exploded into chaos.


    A wave of noise from the crowds penned outside the tower erupted. As Eleanor heard her name and ¡®Princess¡¯ called a number of times, she turned, blinking in surprise as flashes of cameras nearly blinded her, and the shouts from the immense crowd behind the row of reporters and news crews, both domestic and international, was deafening.


    ¡°It¡¯s chaos in the streets.¡± One of the soldiers said from next to them. ¡°The crowd here at the Tower has already reached a quarter of a million, and it¡¯s still growing. There¡¯s been civil unrest as well, some rioting and looting, saying it¡¯s the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°Fools.¡± Shaeula snorted. ¡°If they panic at such a small matter, I do not-not hold out much hope when a situation such as Kyoto strikes.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± A reporter desperately tried to get past the security cordon, and Eleanor tensed, only to surprise her by ignoring her, speaking instead to Shaeula. ¡°Do you have anything to do with the man brought out in a dreadful state earlier? Our sources tell us he was Donovan Patterson, and..¡±


    Donovan? She did say she had dealt with him.


    ¡°Indeed I did.¡± Shaeula nodded regally. ¡°He is a traitor and a vile-vile pervert, so I showed him no-no mercy. Now, step aside. We have to go.¡±


    ¡°Princess Eleanor, your brother Henry, do you know what happened to him? His injuries seemed grave, do you think he¡¯ll survive?¡±


    ¡°My brother...¡± she raised her voice, trying to appear as dignified as Shaeula. ¡°...he was injured in the course of Royal duties. I can¡¯t say more yet. But... he¡¯ll survive. I know it.¡±


    ¡°That is the spirit.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Now, how-how do we leave here? I do not-not wish to force my way through such a mob.¡± She looked at the crowd, frowning.


    ¡°There¡¯s a private subway connection to the Palace under the Tower. We can use that...¡± Eleanor said, leading the Fae away behind her. The reporters and the crowd grew more frantic, but the police and the army tried to calm them down. There¡¯s no keeping this secret now. I suppose that might be a relief...


    ¡°I see. I do very much-much enjoy such means of conveyance. The Tokyo subway is rather fun....¡± As Shaeula chattered happily, as though she was on holiday, instead of having fought a terrible battle mere moments before, Eleanor found herself smiling wryly. I hope one day I can be so resolute. No, I don¡¯t hope. I will be. Because I have to be...


    ********


    ¡°Is everybody up?¡± I asked. We were in a storage cupboard, and beside me Shiro stretched, groaning in pain as her movements tugged on the savage wound in her chest. Even lessened by the transfer to the Material body, she was almost entirely pierced through. I reached out a hand, no, my only hand now, to soothe her wounds, but she shook her head, face pale. Shit, I feel really bad for the cleaners, there¡¯s blood and flesh all over the place. Hmm, I have an idea... Perhaps it was the fierce ache in my stump that was fogging my brain, but I didn¡¯t want to leave such remains behind.


    ¡°Leave if for now, Aki. It hurts less than the damn scars did, I promise. Besides...¡± her dark eyes were earnest. ¡°You need all your aether for some others right now, right?¡±


    Yes, though I still hate to see Shiro in pain... as I looked sorrowful, she laughed, hissing a little. ¡°Shit, Aki, don¡¯t look at me like that. You can just pamper me later. I mean, shit, this is my first trip abroad. There¡¯s lots I¡¯d love to do. We won¡¯t be going back to Japan right away, will we?¡±


    Hyacinth, Grulgor and Chen Na were up as well, watching us talk, and I nodded. ¡°No, we¡¯ll have to mop things up here. Besides...¡± I grinned, trying not to think about the potentially dead companions of Eleanor. ¡°... I think I might have found the magic ticket we need to solve all our current problems.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shiro asked, as we tidied ourselves up. Luckily we had a change of clothes, so Grulgor and I stepped out while the others changed quickly, then did so ourselves. While the girls were changing, I called the Prime Minister of Britain, and he told me the address of the hospital that Henry was in, as well as the fallen Chosen, including several others who had been injured in clashes with other Chosen, or had been suppressed in other ways. King Edward the VII Hospital, Marylebone. Got it. A police escort was being sent to clear our path there, and I spent a brief minute discussing the condition of the victims, which was not good, most of them only being kept alive by life support. Before we left, I had Hyacinth use her spores, which covered the blood and scattered flesh and bone, eating it to a fine dust. At least we won¡¯t horrify the cleaner now, I¡¯ll drop some cash on the way out for the inconvenience we¡¯ve caused..


    ¡°Yes.¡± I explained to them all as we quickly jumped in a police van after that, and were driven through London with sirens blaring. ¡°Of course, we still have some obstacles to overcome. Hyacinth, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±


    She nodded, happy to be relied on, but worried, as what I wanted her to do was very difficult. ¡°I shall dooo my best. If I fail now, then I will try again, and again. I can learn, and I will nooot give up until I succeed!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I ruffled her hair with my one arm, and she made happy noises. Grulgor was laughing, all his wounds already closed, an enviable ability. Chen Na was fine too, having avoided the worst of the conflict. Hyacinth is a little hurt, but nothing major. Guess it¡¯s just Shiro and I who took a kicking. Well, we won, so... ¡°If I had a second arm I¡¯d hold you too, Shiro, but...¡± I waved my stump, wincing.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± She sighed. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take to fix?¡±


    ¡°Regrowing it isn¡¯t that hard, but the wound left behind is all messed up with adherence. It¡¯s that which burns, otherwise with my stats I doubt I¡¯d feel the pain much.¡± I said, thinking. ¡°A day or two. But I have other priorities.¡±


    ¡°Fine, well, I¡¯m sure Hyacinth and I can help you take of care of your needs, bathing and clothing you.¡± Her smirk was amused, but Hyacinth nodded her head happily at the joke, very keen to perform maid duties once again.


    ¡°Fine. Tonight then.¡± I promised, and we continued to relax ourselves, putting the battle behind us, until we arrived at the hospital, which had swarms of press outside, as well as a crowd of around ten thousand people, all crying out for the Prince. I guess Henry is pretty popular. Good to know...


    As the police escort created a channel we could pass though, various reporters were filming us and trying to ask questions, but we had no time to stop. Hurrying in, we soon reached a well-guarded hospital room. Once inside, we were greeted by Eleanor and Shaeula, who had beaten us here, looking down at the horrific body of Prince Henry. Eleanor was white-faced and trembling, tears in her blue eyes, and as she turned to look at me, the expression of sudden hope was painful.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± was all I said, and I asked Shaeula what the situation was.


    ¡°It is quite-quite grave. The burns are full of the same taint as the Tower.¡± She observed, and with my Eye, which could now observe adherence more clearly and distinguish some flavours, I nodded. Yeah, it¡¯s the same as that burned circle in the Tower treasure room. Much weaker, but...


    Scanning his burned body, his flesh horribly damaged, though not so much by flame, more like what I had seen in documentaries about Hiroshima and Nagasaki back in my school days, I realised there was only a very small amount of adherence he had been exposed to, but even that had ravaged his flesh and caused damage to his Astral body. Clicking my tongue, I turned to Shaeula. ¡°Can you top me up a bit? If I can get the adherence out, then he should be stable and we can leave his full healing for later.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I shall observe you. I fear I have not-not had much time to practice recently.¡± As she placed her hand on my back, pouring in aether, I began work, a delicate mix of Ether Healing and Chirurgery. As I started, the machines monitoring his vitals blared, heart rate spiking and falling. Eleanor looked at me in panic, as did the watching physicians, but I assured her it would be fine.


    Damn, this is hard to handle... the adherence hadn¡¯t just damaged and polluted his physical body, leading to the radiation-style burns and lesions, but had started to corrode the Eight Moons Chakra Network and Astral body. I used Chirurgery to isolate it, repairing the damage, while Ether Healing repaired damaged flesh and blood vessels. As a few drops of the adherence were extracted, I felt my Foehn trembling, eager. I let a trickle, all I had recovered, free, and as Foehn ignited, the yellow flame turned a brilliant crimson red, before winking out of existence.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Eleanor panicked, and I calmed her down, explaining.


    ¡°I¡¯m just burning off the poison. It¡¯s terrible stuff. Luckily it seems your brother only got caught by a tiny amount, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡± I continued to pull out what adherence I could find, feeding it to Foehn. After around twenty minutes, I went to wipe my brow, only to do it with my stump. Hyacinth scurried over and mopped my sweat, looking pleased, and I laughed, a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°This is hard going, but I¡¯ve done enough for now. There should be other patients that need us too.¡± I had stabilised Henry, removing the dangerous adherence in areas around his head and heart, as well as shoring up the burns and damaged network, so for now I felt it was fine.


    ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± Eleanor said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Besides, you have your friends and allies waiting, right?¡± At my words, she swallowed, giving Henry one last anxious look, before nodding resolutely. In the next room, a middle-aged woman and an Indian girl were lying in bed, hooked up to ventilators, heart monitors, drips and more. My Eye flared, and I could see they were both in bad shape, their Favours torn out, only fragments left. Just like with Kondou Kazuo. Worse, their networks are collapsing.


    ¡°Mary-Jane. Aditi...¡± Eleanor muttered forlornly, clenching her fist. ¡°Sarah, how could you do this? We were friends... even if what we were doing was wrong, useless, like you said... this is far worse, far crueller. I don¡¯t think I can forgive you...¡± Tears formed anew, and she wept. It was Hyacinth who took her hand then, mirroring when they had shaken earlier. Eleanor looked at her though watery eyes, and Hyacinth smiled.


    ¡°Dooo not forgive if you wish, you do not need to. I shall never fooorgive those of Pandemonium that hurt me, thooose that shut me in the box either. But ... if you dooo wish to, that is fine too. After all, Akio fooorgave mistress Shaeula, mistress Shiro, me... dooo as your heart dictates, but know... while they live, there is still hoopoe.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Nobody can tell you how to feel. I hate betrayal, but... I never knew the people involved, so I don¡¯t feel the pain you do. But what I do know is... Shaeula, can you help me out with the Chirurgery? They¡¯re girls, so you don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    ¡°I am not-not so shallow that I would let a male die simply for my own preferences.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°Alas, I was not-not skilled enough to work on Eleanor¡¯s brother. It pains me to admit, but you have surpassed my skills-skills with Chirurgery. But I will not-not be behind for long.¡± She boasted. ¡°Eleanor, you are fighting a great-great battle. There will be losses. I weep when my kin fall. Raidre knows that pain all-all too well now. But... choose your friends more wisely. A noble death is one thing, to be stabbed in the back by those who you trusted, well-well, I am no stranger to that...¡±


    With those sobering words, we began to work. Shoring up their Astral bodies, it was not entirely dissimilar to creating a new Eight Moons Chakra Network. There were whole areas of their Astral bodies torn out, the surrounding areas destroyed by the shock. It was easier to cut new channels and repair damaged chakras, and while I was at it, I created the paths to the lunar chakra, as was Shaeula on her own patient. ¡°There¡¯s still some fragments of the Favour left.¡± I mused, and Shaeula nodded, her own eyes seeing the same. ¡°Maybe we can integrate them with the closest chakra, where the Favour probably sat?¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But without knowing what form they took, it will likely not-not bear fruit...¡±


    ¡°I know, but...¡± I wondered if we could use the remnant fragments and energy to at least enhance the performance of the relevant chakras, even if only a little.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula said again, scratching her head cutely. ¡°Yes, it may be possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s enough of that.¡± Akio cut off the merriment, and the Queen smiled, enjoying a little peace in her heart, seeing her granddaughter safe, and hearing Henry could be saved. However... as Head of State, there is still much for me to do.


    ¡°So, just what do you propose, assuming Japan consents?¡± the Queen asked, and Akio fixed her with his serious grey eyes.


    ¡°Simple. An extension of what I¡¯ve already done in Kyoto. We¡¯ve proved we are good allies to have, and...¡± As he explained, the Queen looked at Eleanor, who shrugged. I see. Does it go against our sworn duty of all these years, or... is it the best way to continue such duty? In the end... it is not for me to decide. Eleanor, my dear granddaughter, whatever you choose, I will give you my blessing. After knowing you were almost killed, I can do nothing else...


    *********


    The next day was frightfully hectic, I had done further Chirurgery and Healing on Henry with my aether having been topped up overnight, and more sparks of that foul adherence had been consumed by my Foehn. Compared to what else had happened though, that was nothing. My phone hasn¡¯t stopped ringing all damn day...


    There were numerous calls from Japan. Fortunately Shiro and Shaeula had notified Eri and the others of our victory and status, but even so, I still received a number of calls and messages. The worst though... I sighed, remembering.


    ¡°Oh, hey bro. Took you long enough to pick up. I¡¯ve called like three times. Wow, you¡¯re not avoiding me now that you¡¯re a big shot celebrity are you? Nice TV appearance, bro. Shaeula looked awesome too. You¡¯re both all over the news. But...¡± she had trailed off dangerously, and I held in a wince. ¡°... there¡¯s something missing, isn¡¯t there? Go on bro, tell me, where the hell did your arm go? Mom nearly had a fit, and it triggered auntie Mori¡¯s trauma with that time with Eri. So, anything to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. But it was unavoidable. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t...¡± I had begun, only for her voice to be colder than I¡¯d ever heard it before.


    ¡°Sorry? Unavoidable? You don¡¯t sound very sincere to me, bro. Wow. Just wow. Wow. I remember when I burned my hand, how mad you got. It¡¯s not like I lost my whole damn arm! Shit...¡± her cold voice cracked, and I felt awful, as she started to cry. ¡°... come on bro, that¡¯s your arm! In my head, I know you¡¯ll do something cool like grow a new one or something, but how do you think that makes me feel, us feel?¡± She blew her nose nosily while I just listened. ¡°... and the first we knew of it was seeing you on some news footage from the UK. It was a shock! Bro, take care of yourself. Please. Just like you worry about us, we worry about you! If you were to die...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± I assured her. ¡°I promise you that. I won¡¯t die. I¡¯m sorry. I really am. I only thought about how to win, not the consequences and how that would make you and others feel. I¡¯m a jerk. Sorry.¡± I apologised again, heartfelt and sincere.


    ¡°It was to save a girl, right?¡± Aiko asked when she had calmed down.


    ¡°I guess. Though sadly my opponent was a woman too. But there really was no other way but to fight. In the end, we won, and all of us will come home safely. I¡¯ll have my arm back by then, but there¡¯s someone that needs healing more first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s that Prince, right? That was on the news too. Bigshots were really talking you up, Japan too. There was footage of you, Motoko, Natsumi and Hyacinth at a party. Those dresses were amazing. I¡¯m not big on dresses myself, but... I want to go to a party like that and look cute!¡±


    Relieved that the subject had changed, I had laughed. ¡°Sure, when you graduate, we¡¯ll go on a trip, meet some people. It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise, bro. Oh, by the way... the secret is out about you now, you know, so you can guess what happened in Nishimorioka. School is mad. It¡¯s impossible to hide the truth. Some people were saying you were a bit of a dick using superpowers to bully that loser Kenji-kun, but the girls sided with you. Besides, I know it was worth it. My bro in shining armour. Rika-chan and Yae-chan are loving the spotlight too, and the attention from all the guys. Does it make you jealous, bro? Yae-chan told me to ask...¡± As she continued to explain that it was impossible to keep their powers under wraps, I had relaxed, relieved she was no longer crying about my injuries. In the end, I had warned her to be careful, and made sure that some of the Black Wolf Company were stationed nearby in secret, for added security.


    ¡°... guess you¡¯ll be bringing Eri¡¯s grandparents some good luck at last. They may be annoying gossips, and I¡¯m not overkeen on them, but they are Eri¡¯s family so...¡± Aiko continued, and I agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be talking to mom¡¯s parents again too.¡± I promised. ¡°There¡¯s no point keeping the truth from them now.¡±


    ¡°Great. So, anyway, Japan is really chaotic. The whole mess with Kyoto is on fire again, and the trouble before that with little Keomi-chan and the other girls. There¡¯s been some violence too. Not in Nishimorioka, and if there was, I¡¯d give them a taste of the golden sister army, but... shit, I hate it when people badmouth you, bro. Though Shaeula and the other girls are getting a ton of coverage on the internet... don¡¯t get jealous bro! It¡¯s just words!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can shrug them off. But if they go too far, maybe I¡¯ll have a word with Yasaka-san.¡± Maybe it was foolish, and surely impossible to police the world¡¯s internet, but if someone was really disgusting about the girls, I could use Yasaka-san to find out who, and a warning call or letter should shut them up...


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my bro! Totally possessive! You¡¯ve changed. Well, we all have, but you most of all. Do you ever wish that you¡¯d stayed in Nishimorioka, just married Eri, lived a normal life?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have been a bad life. I¡¯d have kept an eye on you too, sis. But... no. I think about the lives Shaeula, Shiro, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth, Daiyu and Asha would have had without me, and... I could never let that happen.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a name I didn¡¯t expect there, and one missing. Asha huh? That¡¯s the tree girl. She¡¯s certainly hot enough. So... she in?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in. As for Kana...¡± I laughed. ¡°She¡¯s the one that could have made it on her own and still been happy. Really, I don¡¯t get why she¡¯s into me, but she is, and when it comes down to it, I just feel really good around her. She has a way of making me feel special. Not that the others don¡¯t, but... it¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    ¡°For a guy maybe. As a girl I think it¡¯s simple. She¡¯s a clever girl. Self-obsessed and sure of her own worth, and when a girl like that picks a boy, she gives it her all. And she¡¯s very good at understanding how boys think and what they want. So her flirting is targeted to perfectly stimulate you. She¡¯s a dangerous girl. Rika-chan and Yae-chan are the same, but alas for Yae-chan, she¡¯s here and you¡¯re in Tokyo, so she can¡¯t wear you down. Anyway... bro, you better damn well get that arm back before I see you, or I swear I¡¯m going to never forgive you!¡±


    Back on that subject, we had gone in circles a bit more, until I had promised to train my sis personally next time as compensation, and then we had hung up.


    ¡°Yes, my sister sure is something.¡± I said to myself. I was alone in the Palace, everyone else out doing various things. I yawned, knowing I would need to do another round of healing on Henry soon. The TV was on, news from around the world all focusing on the events in London, though Japan was mentioned often, and it was embarrassing to see mention of me, though the Japanese government and the Three Great Houses were using their own media companies and influence to suppress certain details and paint us in a better light. As I was idly toying with my recharging phone, the battery worn down by the endless barrage of calls, something on the TV caught my attention.


    ¡°... we go live now to Vatican City, where His Holiness, Pope Francisco is to speak on the recent upheavals that have shocked the world. As a Catholic myself, I am eagerly awaiting guidance, and I am sure that the one point two billion other Catholics worldwide are the same, as well as other Christians, and even the other Abrahamic faiths.¡±


    The TV showed the Pope in his papal robes, a white cassock, looking old and frail, but his eyes still burned with warmth and dignity. Several ranking Cardinals were beside him, and as he looked out over a sea of the faithful, he spoke, his voice melodious and calm, full of conviction. It was in Italian, since Pope Francisco apparently spoke a number of languages, but the news station was translating.


    ¡°I speak to you all today, all you citizens of the world, not just those who believe in God, but all peoples, of all countries, races and religions.¡± He paused dramatically, allowing the attention of the world to focus on him. ¡°From the first days of recorded history, man has sought succour from the Gods, proof that there is something more to life, that our existence has meaning. Natural phenomenon, things we feared and did not understand, the lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes, eclipses. Things that terrified the superstitious. Religion brought comfort, as it should, for God loves us all very much.¡± He paused again, smiling. ¡°Since I am speaking to all faiths, all peoples, let me say that I have no wish to deny your faith. I put my faith in the Lord and his only Son and the Holy Spirit, but as long as you live a good, charitable life, kind to others, loving thy neighbours as thyself, I am sure that God will look favourably on you. But since I am the Pope, I should speak of our God. And I believe God is love, after all, did he not send his only son as a sacrifice for us, to free us from original sin? And I find that precious.¡±


    ¡°... the Pope seems impassioned today.¡± the reporter was saying. ¡°After the events in London, the worldwide hysteria and panic, a soothing voice is welcome.¡±


    ¡°But faith...¡± Pope Francisco continued. ¡°Faith is precious too. Those who believe are saved, and will live eternally under the aegis of God in Heaven. But the modern world is the enemy of faith. After all, we know why lightning happens, why the earth quakes, or that an eclipse is not a portent of doom. God seems so very far away, irrelevant. I blame nobody for finding their faith waning, the importance of Mass shrinking. The modern world is so very busy, after all. Even I have a computer, and a schedule, at my age.¡± The crowd below Vatican City laughed at his joke. ¡°But the truth is before us. God exists. And he loves us very much. He has called us to stand together, to believe, and to help each other!¡± His words resonated, stirring the crowd.


    ¡°People study the bible, and point out the inaccuracies, the impossibilities. No, not the virgin birth, or the pillar of salt, or the Angel of Death. Those we believe, those happened. But... scholars have worked out that the Earth would be only six thousand years old, were the words entirely accurate, or many other inconsistences. I tell you, that does not invalidate the whole! The bible is a collection of important stories, many true, some allegorical, others the best explanation we can grasp, foolish, blind creatures that we are, thrown out from Eden.¡±


    That makes sense. Just like Shaeula exists, and gods like Tsukuyomi do, I have no doubt a great deal of the bible is accurate. After all, I¡¯ve seen an Angel, and Tan has talked of the Ninth Heaven. I continued to listen to the words of the Pope, fascinated.


    ¡°One story that contains truth but is not the whole truth is the Book of Revelation. The End Times are here. perhaps there will be no Antichrist, no Horsemen, but the world is in danger. And God has not stood idly by. Some few of us have been blessed, Chosen. Now, I understand that is a fearful thing. Those who have not received such a blessing might feel betrayed, or afraid of those who have. Those who have been so blessed may be crushed under their burden, feel they are unsuitable. But know this! There is a purpose, a grand plan! God will not abandon us! We will fight to save ourselves and our loved ones, always remembering that God loves us!¡±


    The crowd cheered, and even the reporter was misty-eyed, nodding.


    ¡°Now, the Book of Revelation... the bible was selected from many chronicles, and not all could be included. There are some missing gospels, certainly. The Vatican holds a few.¡± He smiled. ¡°The works of a certain famous author mentioned a few. He is not correct, though I enjoyed his works, but then, I am an old man, I like to read, not use these new-fangled games the young like.¡± He made a joke, holding everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I have a serious point, don¡¯t glare at me like that so.¡± He joked with his Cardinals. ¡°There is a different version of the Book of Revelation.¡±


    Mary Stuart followed that, Sarah talked about it.


    ¡°They call it the True Revelations, and while I dare say it is like all in the bible, incomplete, a tale we can understand, it is more applicable to our current situation. Unfortunately... this has led to a most tragic situation.¡± He sighed, looking benevolent yet terribly sad. ¡°In London, a Cardinal of the Church of True Revelations, an old Catholic offshoot, that the Vatican recognises as an official, if small, branch of faith, acted upon her beliefs. She...¡± he paused, a small smile on his face. ¡°Yes, she, a female Cardinal. See, the faith is not so old-fashioned, is it? No, I fear this is no laughing matter. Mary Stuart, a Cardinal of this Church, was one chosen by God to protect us from the end, to unite the faithful and usher the Earth to the Ninth Heaven, the garden of Eden where we will be safe from all evil.¡±


    Yeah, now those are nice words, but Tan says even the Ninth Heaven, mighty though it is, is in great danger, though she will never say why or from what.


    ¡°Unfortunately, her ways were not kind. We apologise deeply and humbly to our fellow humans, our fellow Christians, in Great Britain. Her actions were unforgivable, and she nearly claimed the life of Princess Eleanor. Many did die, including staunch believers. A great, wasteful shame.¡± He bowed. ¡°I apologise on their behalf, and I pray that the Lord forgives them. But I ask that despite her foolish actions, her belief is respected. She acted through faith, misguided and misplaced though it was. And we need to act. No, not to fight one another, to rob and kill, but to gather together and shield one another...¡±


    As his speech continued, I listened, impressed. It¡¯s a good speech, and the idea of coming together is the best thing we can do. But... In the end, the Pope prayed for Mary Stuart and the fallen members of her group, as well as the victims they caused. He urged everyone to work together, but he also acknowledged that the Church of True Revelations were acting under belief in God and for reasons they believed were just, to protect the faithful from the apocalypse which was now nearly upon us. I¡¯m not sure the Queen will accept that. But... he did urge them to cease their advances towards London and the Crown... He finished by imploring the world not to panic, saying that there was still time, and that faith could be a shield, now more than ever.


    Flicking off the TV, I saw that my phone was recharged. Switching it on, I saw I had a number of new voicemail messages. With a sigh I was about to listen to them when my phone rang, surprising me. Fumbling the phone with my one hand, I noticed the caller. Buck Kelly, huh? That¡¯s a surprise...


    ¡°Hello.¡± I greeted him, and his jovial, larger-than-life tones were heard in reply.


    ¡°As I live and breathe, it¡¯s been a while.¡± He boomed. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day when I saw you on TV, you and the girlie. She cut a mighty cute figure, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t disagree. So what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t a man call an old acquaintance, no, an old friend when he sees a man making the news? Uh... quick question, your arm...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, there¡¯s no problem. So, yes, I agree I¡¯ve been in the news. What about it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, no need to be so cold.¡± He didn¡¯t let it offend him. ¡°I knew there was something special about you back then, you and your little girlfriends. There was a fluff piece on a new Japanese law on CNN not so long ago, about Japan following the Mormons in recognising multiple marriages. Oh boy, did the news anchors and guests not like that. And I wondered...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I am marrying Eri and Shaeula. If you¡¯ve seen the pictures from the Royal gala, those girls too. Why, want an invite to the wedding?¡± I laughed, and he responded quickly.


    ¡°Damn right I do! Nobody knows how to plan a shindig like old Buck Kelly! It¡¯s the Irish in me, I reckon. Now, fun as it is to catch up, I do have some business. Hell, the world might be ending sometime soon, but until then, every good American has to have as much fun as possible. Even in Hell, I dare say we¡¯ll be looking for booze and a singsong or two, maybe some baseball, and I bet you Japanese are no different.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. In fact, we need to keep things as normal as possible. The last thing we want is worldwide panic. Life goes on.¡±


    ¡°That it does, well said. Life goes on indeed. If only the protesters were as level-headed as you! Stupid bastards. So, on to my point. I hear you¡¯ve been doing quite well for yourself. Ms Connors... oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, she¡¯d never break confidentiality, she¡¯s a stand-up, trustworthy gal, but she was saying you¡¯ve been busy in business circles. So I was wondering, how about we pull a play together?¡±


    Buck is in nightclubs and pubs, not really my scene, but... ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was thinking of branching out abroad, times like these, they¡¯re not for the faint of heart. Already, the DOW and the NASDAQ are dropping hard. The Dollar¡¯s holding up, and so is the Yen, but the world economy is shaking. Times like these, plenty of bargains and opportunities are to be had.¡±


    Hmm, that gives me an idea. Shaeula might be interested... considering some of the projects Shaeula was running, a little expertise might go a long way. ¡°All right, you have my interest. But I have a lot on my plate right now, so...¡±


    ¡°No kidding. You¡¯re the talk of the world, saving Princesses and fighting off wicked women. Though information on you and the girlies is locked tight, Japan is clamping down hard, and even in the US, seems there¡¯s some pressure to keep your matters secret.¡± I guess that¡¯s from Adam White, he won¡¯t want to leak too much in case it sheds light on all the shit the US was doing.


    ¡°Of course me, I happened to see the live broadcast of Miss Shaeula, and I recognised her immediately. That figure and hair is unmistakable. You would bar-bar my way? Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, princess of the Seelie, Duchess of the Spring of Clear Reflections?¡± he mimicked. ¡°Damn man, she¡¯s still got that cute speech impediment. You¡¯re a lucky dog. I¡¯m not kidding, I want a wedding invite! I knew you two were my lucky charms when we first met, I¡¯m ahead of the game as I already know you!¡±


    ¡°Fine. So, what do you plan to do?¡± I asked, setting that aside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be flying over to Japan in a couple of weeks. Can we meet up?¡±


    I agreed, and after exchanging a few details, talk turned to Las Vegas. ¡°So, say, what ever happened with Aliyah, the big girl? She sure did hate you, man! A wise man never pokes at a woman, or she¡¯ll bite back.¡±


    ¡°Turns out our paths crossed again.¡± I admitted. ¡°Now she works for me. Still has a vile tongue and sharp temper though.¡±


    ¡°You really are brave! That¡¯s one woman I wouldn¡¯t mess with. So, anyway...¡± I spent a pleasant time talking with Buck, before he finally hung up. The moment he did so, my phone was ringing again, and I didn¡¯t even have time to check my messages...

 Act One Finale – Part 6b – Aftermath

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 6b ¨C Aftermath


    David Reckless


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a sight for sore fucking eyes.¡± David spat, looking at Sarah as she lay down on the small bed in her cell, wearing loose tracksuit pants and a plain sleeveless t-shirt, with no belts or strings for her to make into a weapon. It¡¯s a damn joke though, if the redhead wanted out, none of the guards here could stop her. She had a number of burns and deep gouges on her body still that must have been excruciatingly painful, but they were slowly healing. Sarah always did heal the fastest of us all, perhaps as she¡¯s so defensively focussed...


    Sarah turned listlessly, even her flaming red hair seeming to have lost some of its lustre. ¡°Ach, David, it¡¯s ye. Come tae gloat, have ye? Well, save your breath, I¡¯m nae in the mood for it.¡±


    ¡°Gloat?¡± David snorted sourly, further annoyed by her attitude. ¡°Are you a fucking idiot? Scratch, that, I already know you are, stupid redhead. What the fuck do we have to gloat about? You and that bitch Mary have ruined everything.¡± He paused. ¡°It¡¯s god-damn lucky the schoolteacher and the little pet of our Princess pulled through, or I¡¯d reach in there and snap your neck here and now.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s blue eyes flickered a little at that. ¡°Aditi and Mary-Jane lived? That¡¯s a great relief tae me.¡±


    ¡°No thanks to you! They would have died without help. Even so, I doubt they¡¯ll fight again. You stole away their hopes, and for what? This?¡± He gestured to the small cell, feeling aggrieved, furious.


    ¡°Aye, ye don¡¯t have to make me feel bad, David. Ye think I¡¯m nae regretting everything? But first, who¡¯s your friend? I nae thought ye would need security tae deal with little old me. He¡¯s a big one.¡±


    David turned to the hulking, muscular human form of Grulgor, his bald head and pinstripe suit making him look like a gangster. ¡°It¡¯s the troll who kicked the shit out of you, Sarah. Grulgor. He¡¯s a good one. We¡¯ve been sparring, trying to get me back into fighting trim. He can hold his drink, too.¡±


    Grulgor laughed at that. ¡°Grulgor says you are not so bad yourself. Your strength is rather puny, but Grul says your battle sense is excellent. As for booze, you should come visit our Territory. Grulgor says we have much excellent alcohol there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right I will. Looks like we¡¯ll be working together anyway.¡± David said, before turning back to Sarah. ¡°I don¡¯t need a bodyguard for you, Sarah. You¡¯re done. Shield broken, a spent force. Such a fucking waste!¡±


    Sarah laughed bitterly. ¡°Ye think I nae ken that? I always felt ye were a bit dim, David. It¡¯s fine though. Girls like the dumb ones. So... how¡¯s the Princess? She¡¯s nae visited. I thought she might have...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s busy. With the god-damn mess everything is left in, and the public acting up, you think she¡¯s got time to visit a traitor like you? Be thankful even I bothered to come see you. What were you thinking? That little fuckbag Donovan, he was going to... shit, I can¡¯t even say the words. You know what he wanted to do to her, and you let it happen. No, helped him along! If our little Fae girl hadn¡¯t chopped him up I¡¯d be fucking castrating the piece of shit myself. She¡¯s quite the little firecracker.¡±


    ¡°So, into her now David? Ye always did have a wandering eye.¡± She snorted, and Grulgor laughed mockingly. No kidding. I¡¯m not into having my arms and legs bisected.


    ¡°Give me a break. I¡¯m David Reckless. Sure, I¡¯ve suffered a few defeats, but I¡¯m a King waiting to reclaim his Crown. The mountain may be high, but I¡¯ve seen those at the top now, and I¡¯ll reach them. As for the little girl, I¡¯m not into snatching other men¡¯s women. I can get my own.¡± His eyes betrayed a touch of melancholy.


    ¡°Aye, I bet ye can.¡± Sarah seemed to agree, her blue eyes sad. ¡°So, Donovan. I swear, I knew he was obsessed with Eleanor, but I nae thought he would ever go so far as tae try and ... shit. Nae, I can make nae excuses.¡± She leaned back on her bed. ¡°So, Donovan, how is he?¡±


    ¡°Better than he¡¯d be if I had my way.¡± David sneered. ¡°That Shaeula girl sliced him up into a meatball. All he does is curse and scream. I was worried the little coward would take the easy way out and bite his tongue, but he doesn¡¯t even have the balls to kill himself. I guess at least that bitch Mary Stuart had the guts to fight to the end, even if she was insane.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s expression faltered. ¡°Now, Mary was doing the Lord¡¯s work. It¡¯s nae right tae judge her.¡± Her burned hand clenched, but she didn¡¯t have a rosary, that had been confiscated of course.


    ¡°It¡¯s nae right...¡± David mimicked sarcastically, as he looked through the bars at her. ¡°Give it a rest, redhead. Even your own Pope said that her actions were wrong. A bit mealy-mouthed and two-faced, if you ask me, as he did say she acted out of faith. Does that matter? Dead is still dead, crimes are still fucking crimes. And what the hell do you, Donovan and Mary Stuart have to show for all this?¡±


    ¡°Grulgor thinks power rules. You lost, so the victor decides who was right.¡± The troll grunted, and David shot him an exasperated glare.


    ¡°Come on man, not helpful. You¡¯re not wrong, but it¡¯s not helpful. Look...¡± he turned back to Sarah. ¡°We¡¯re screwed now without outside aid. Two dead, two crippled, nearly a dozen who turned rogue, though the ones who got cold feet, maybe we can use them again. It¡¯s not like we grow on trees, redhead. Avalon is ruined, and even Raidre¡¯s people lost a lot. If you wanted to protect the Tower, you did a shitty fucking job.¡±


    ¡°Aye. The results speak for themselves, I ken.¡± She snorted sadly. ¡°So, is this a last visit, David? What¡¯s going tae happen tae me?¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯d like to happen.¡± David clenched his fist, emotions a storm within him. ¡°Schoolteacher and our Asian Princess-lover both made it, but you had no way of knowing that, so I¡¯ll say it. You murdered two of our friends, were going to murder me and the old geezer, and the Princess would either have died or been fucked up by that rotten little meatball. Then you¡¯d have stolen Britain¡¯s hope, and maybe even ended up torturing the damn Queen to get what you wanted? What do you think all that means?¡±


    ¡°Aye, I get it.¡± She sighed softly. ¡°In the end, I was too late, ye ken? But I did regret it. I used my last strength tae try and stop Mary from killing ye all.¡± Her eyes were full of self-loathing. ¡°But aye, too little too late. I¡¯d already gone past what can be forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Grulgor says he understands.¡± The troll spoke. ¡°Grul tried to kill the princess a number of times. But Grulgor was defeated and swore Oaths. The princess did not trust Grul for a long time. Now she does. But Grul... he worked hard. Others... others were killed, and rightly so. Mercy is only for the unassailably strong.¡±


    ¡°Aye. God forgives, but there¡¯s nae way ye will, David. Nor Eleanor.¡± Sarah sighed. ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not decided. We¡¯ve planned a reorganisation of the teams, but thanks to you fuckups and traitors we¡¯re now blatantly short-handed. Now we know more about Japan, and their Kyoto disaster, depriving us of time and strength is the same as telling the public to die if shit happens. I don¡¯t think your God is going to be very happy at that.¡± He declared, and she squeezed shut her eyes and fist.


    ¡°Aye, I would nae think so. If... if it¡¯s nae too much trouble, when ye see Eleanor, tell her... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way. Tell her your fucking self if you ever get the chance. But words don¡¯t wash away blood and hatred. You sold her out, in the worst way possible, all for this utter stupidity. If you¡¯d succeeded, I could at least say you were a cunning snake, but you damn well failed, so all you are is a fucking treacherous loser. But... I wanted you to know that the other two will live.¡± He turned to Grulgor. ¡°Come on, big guy. Another nine rounds, like your boss. Octagon rules.¡±


    ¡°Grulgor will not go easy on you. Otherwise you will not get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. You¡¯ll be eating those words soon enough.¡± As they turned to go, he looked back at Sarah one final time, and her lips were forming silent words, most of which he couldn¡¯t make out. Though the final ones he could. Sorry isn¡¯t going to cut it. And why thank me? Sarah, you redheaded fucking moron... in the end, all that¡¯s left for you is regret. As they turned away, leaving the cell behind, David let out the bitter sigh he had been holding. I don¡¯t know what your final fate will be, but I expect it¡¯s not going to be kind, as it shouldn¡¯t be... nothing is worse than betrayal...


    ********


    Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°He¡¯s looking better.¡± The silver-haired girl, Shiro, said as the two of them looked down at the sleeping body of Henry. The horrible seared flesh on his face had recovered, and though he was still missing an arm and a leg, and apparently his body under the hospital gown he wore was still horribly burned, he was at least breathing unaided now, if still in a coma.


    ¡°Yeah, Aki knows his stuff. I went through it myself. Well, it was just an arm in my case, I still had both of my gorgeous long legs.¡± Shiro grinned, and Eleanor couldn¡¯t help but giggle, despite the sad situation.


    ¡°That sounds like hubris, but I suppose I can concede.¡± Eleanor looked at Shiro, who was a work of art, her beauty impossibly symmetrical and intimidating.


    ¡°Checking me out, huh? Sorry Princess, I don¡¯t swing that way. Besides, I¡¯m already engaged.¡± she flourished her strange silver ring. ¡°Aki owes a lot of us new rings, that all have to be legendary loot. Poor bastard.¡±


    Fortunately her personality takes a lot of the intimidation out of her appearance. She¡¯s very... frank, and almost childish in her attitudes. It makes me wonder what sort of life she has lived. ¡°I am an ordinary girl.¡± Eleanor denied her. ¡°I have no interest in women, I assure you. One day, I¡¯ll marry, and...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. Lighten up.¡± Shiro smirked, and Eleanor reddened. ¡°Look...¡± Shiro continued. ¡°... I was horribly burned too, my arm and eye were destroyed, and my body was a wreck. Hurt like hell, let me tell you. But Aki made a deal with the Night Parade... uh, that¡¯s like the Japanese Fae, I guess? Maybe? I¡¯d have to ask Shaeula for all the details. Anyway, where was I? Ah, yeah... Aki got the most powerful healer they had to come and help him, but in the end, his skills ended up on a level with her, or maybe even a bit better, with humans, anyway?¡±


    Eleanor nodded, listening carefully. ¡°So what I¡¯m trying to say...¡± Shiro finished. ¡°...is that Aki will get your brother back on his feet. He¡¯d probably do it even if you didn¡¯t ask. He¡¯s a total siscon, so when he sees an elder brother who got hurt for his younger sister¡¯s sake, it really gives him the feels.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eleanor imagined that, a bit hard to reconcile the ruthless warrior who had blown off his own arm to take down Mary Stuart, with someone who was so doting towards a younger sibling. But then, I remember when he brought his three fiance?es in all dressed in fabulous gowns to the gala, making a statement. He can be bold, yet kind, it seems...


    ¡°Yeah, so don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s in hand. Instead, worry about what you¡¯re going to do about Aki¡¯s offer. He¡¯s out there with Shaeula and Hyacinth now, seeing if the first stage will work. Tan seemed impressed and thought it was feasible, so we¡¯ll see.¡± Shiro pressed, and as she looked at her brother, she frowned.


    Grandmother has left it to me to decide. I think this whole disaster has scared her. But for me...


    ¡°No need to overthink it.¡± Shiro shrugged. She looks good even doing that. I thought Asians were supposed to have smaller chests? Eleanor couldn¡¯t help but look down. I think she might be slightly bigger than me. No, why does that even matter?


    ¡°Comparing? I wouldn¡¯t worry, chest size isn¡¯t everything. Aki loves me, and he also loves Shaeula, who has small ones. I get this a lot. No point comparing yourself to me. I was born wrong.¡± She grinned. ¡°Though there¡¯s one woman who can compare though.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Someone as unfair as you?¡± Eleanor couldn¡¯t help but be curious.


    ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t help the way I was born. It wasn¡¯t all fun, in fact, it was almost no fun, until Tan and Aki.¡± Shiro pouted. ¡°But yes. Tsukiko. Oh, you¡¯d probably know her as the Diviner. She¡¯s as beautiful as me, born wrong as well, though for some reason she didn¡¯t have the terrible weakness I did. Rather unfair. But her life was harder in other ways.¡±


    ¡°The Diviner? Didn¡¯t she die in Kyoto?¡± Eleanor asked, curious as to why Shiro kept referring to her almost as if she was still alive.


    ¡°Yeah, dead. It hit Aki hard. After all...¡± her obsidian gaze narrowed. ¡°...he fortified Kyoto to protect her, tried everything, and it still wasn¡¯t quite enough. But in the end, Aki¡¯s lucky. He¡¯s got a trick. Let¡¯s just say, you met Chen Na, even being dead isn¡¯t necessarily the end. Haru could attest to that.¡±


    Yes, they did say Chen Na died and she was given a body somehow. As she pondered, Shiro pressed on. ¡°Aki wants to do the same in London. Sure, what he¡¯s asking for might seem a lot, but trust me, he¡¯s got a lot of experience and backing. Trust him, and he¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    ¡°I know. He saved my life, is saving Henry and has awoken Mary-Jane and Aditi. If he asked me to die to pay for that, I could. But what he asks isn¡¯t mine to give, only to guard...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no way Aki would ask you to die, don¡¯t be so dramatic. He did all this to stop you dying. I get that once betrayed, you fear betrayal everywhere, but Aki doesn¡¯t have a treacherous bone in his body... ugh, unless you count falling for other girls, I guess. But even that... you know, before he started going out with Eri, he was a ball of steel, never leaking his feelings. He even denied them for me! And being honest, Eri, total yandere that she is...¡±


    ¡°Yandere?¡± Eleanor queried the unfamiliar word.


    ¡°A woman who has an obsessive love, so much so you fear she might pull a knife on people over it.¡±


    ¡°I see. A bunny-boiler then?¡± Eleanor said, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°Is that some British term? I don¡¯t get it. But yeah, Eri¡¯s objectively gorgeous. Pretty glamorous for her age too. And she¡¯s been madly in love with Aki for years and years. But instead he ran away. So when he finally succumbed, and then Shaeula wormed her way in too... he broke, I think. Now the steel ball melted, and he¡¯s an ocean of acceptance. It¡¯s annoying in some ways, but... well, without that, I¡¯d have missed my chance. So yeah, Aki won¡¯t turn on you. If you¡¯re worried, well, there¡¯s a simple solution...¡±


    Eleanor looked away from her smile, uncomfortable. She¡¯s right. Even now, I¡¯m not able to trust. But... I have to decide soon. Can I rebuild alone? Should I, even if I can?


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to visit your friends. That should cheer you up!¡± Shiro said, and as they entered the next room, Eleanor felt her heart fill with happiness.


    ¡°Miss Eleanor. Thank you for visiting.¡± Mary-Jane said, her face still pale, but she was sitting up in bed, looking otherwise well.


    ¡°Oh, Eleanor, I am so relieved to see you unhurt. The doctor said all was well, but I did worry!¡± Her Indian-accented British made her sound chirpy yet calming. ¡°And who is the lady beside you? I do not think we have had the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Shiro.¡± she said, smiling politely. ¡°A friend of Eleanor¡¯s, I guess? We can say that, right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the benefactors who came to our aid and rescued us.¡± Eleanor explained. ¡°She¡¯s with the man who saved your lives.¡±


    ¡°I prefer friends.¡± Shiro smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s not untrue. You pair were very lucky, though not everything worked out.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Mary-Jane answered sadly. ¡°I have tried to call upon my magic, but I can¡¯t. I feel a lot weaker too.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid I as well have failed, Eleanor.¡± Aditi sighed. ¡°I fear we will no longer be of use to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Eleanor embraced Aditi, before doing the same with Mary-Jane, eyes damp. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you lived. You did your duty, you were my friends, I couldn¡¯t ask for more. Don¡¯t worry about anything else, Britain and the Royal family will always look after you.¡±


    As they wept and hugged, Shiro cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry to break into this touching reunion, but useless isn¡¯t exactly true.¡±


    At her words, they looked at her, so she elaborated. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you¡¯re both significantly weaker, and you¡¯ll struggle to grow. But struggle doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t. Aki fixed up your chakra network when he saved you, and even gave you the Fae one. I won¡¯t go into details, as it¡¯s complicated, and I¡¯d be asking Tan for most of the details, but basically, it makes you stronger. And not all of the strength you gained was taken away when your Favours were. A portion of it was left behind and integrated, and your body retained a lot of strength from the ether you¡¯d been absorbing over time.¡±


    ¡°You still have your weapons, too.¡± Eleanor nodded, understanding.


    ¡°So yeah. Your days of fighting on the frontline might have ended for now, but you can still be useful. A properly run Territory needs more than just warriors. Besides, you can learn other techniques, just like Aki taught your Princess, here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Water element. It saved my life. More than once.¡± Her face fell. ¡°Mary-Jane, Aditi... I had to kill Alistair and Samuel. They were trying to sell me to Mary Stuart, sell us all... I still feel...¡±


    ¡°Hush, Miss Eleanor.¡± Mary-Jane said, smiling benevolently. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault. You did what you had to do. I know that doesn¡¯t solve the pain or the guilt, but... I get to go home to my husband and children, in part thanks to you. So... thank you!¡±


    As Eleanor sobbed out her grief, she caught the sound of Shiro talking to Aditi. ¡°That woman sure does sound like a schoolteacher or something.¡±


    ¡°That is because she was. Or is.¡± Aditi said, her voice kind, as she watched the two hug again. ¡°Mary-Jane and Sir Arthur were like parents to us on the battlefield. Is he well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aki patched him up. Good as new. Pissed off with the traitors and threatening to spike their heads on the Tower Bridge, like the olden days, or so he says, but... yeah, fine. So, you seem a level-headed girl...¡±


    ¡°I thank you for the compliment, I did not catch your name, I apologise.¡±


    ¡°I never said it. I¡¯m Shiro. Anyway... there are ways to level up that don¡¯t rely on what you¡¯ve lost. Some... yeah, too problematic, for various reasons, but I know of others, and Aki probably knows more too. Then there¡¯s always the chance of getting a replacement Favour, if you are really determined to get back into the fight...¡±


    That can happen? I suppose it must, since Sarah stole their status as Gods¡¯ Chosen. That puts some of the questions and suggestions Akio has been making into perspective. I see... Donovan, Sarah, Kathy, the others...


    ¡°So assuming our alliance gets solidified, I¡¯m sure Aki will be happy to impart knowledge. The thing he¡¯s probably best at is helping other get stronger. Even if it falls through, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll at least give you enough to get back on your feet.¡±


    ¡°That would be most generous of him. I must meet and thank this gentleman for all his work, and saving my life.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± Eleanor said suddenly, as Mary-Jane offered her a handkerchief for her runny nose and watery eyes. ¡°You¡¯re rather cute, Aditi. He might set his predatory gaze on you. Shiro here is already one of his fiance?es. One of.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I remember seeing him now.¡± Aditi nodded sagely. ¡°At that gala, with those three girls. They were very beautiful, and the dresses were most lovely.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that matters. We didn¡¯t even enter legally ourselves this time. We can fly you out easily enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a lot to take in.¡± Jack said, shaking his head. ¡°The two of you aren¡¯t human, and you¡¯re possessed by a God? That¡¯s blasphemous. But then, I¡¯m not one of these who can¡¯t be openminded. The Pope himself said so, and while I¡¯m a good Church of England man, I agree. Faith is a private thing.¡±


    ¡°I do appreciate that.¡± Shiro¡¯s hair burst into flames, her eyes turning a brilliant red, as if to prove a point. ¡°If only all of the followers of the One True Throne were as reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Pinch me, I¡¯m dreaming!¡± Jack said to Evelyn, who dropped her cup and saucer, which Shaeula and I caught with wind element, grabbing them and lifting them to the table without spilling a drop.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m having the same dream!¡± she said, blue eyes so wide they were bulging.


    ¡°This is no dream. I simply tired of this tedious mess. I am already plagued by endless flirting.¡± Tan sounded a little peevish, and I apologised.


    ¡°Sorry, but could you calm down?¡± I asked, and with a grunt, Tan relinquished her hold.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Shiro said, back in charge. ¡°She¡¯s right though. This is the quickest way. Now, you want to do Chirurgery on them, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It hurts a lot, I won¡¯t lie, but you¡¯ll feel twenty years younger, healthier and full of energy. More importantly, you¡¯ll be safer. Nobody will expect pensioners to have the strength of young adults in their prime or more.¡±


    ¡°Evelyn, do please lie down-down.¡± Shaeula said, patting the sofa. ¡°Akio, I shall handle my new grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Got you. Well, Jack, looks like you¡¯re in my hands.¡± I grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll be as gentle as I can.¡±


    At my smile he crossed himself, but nodded. It was a few moments later that harsh grunts and sobbing could be heard, filling the room for several minutes. When we were done, Jack and Evelyn took it in turns showering, washing off the sweat from their exhausted bodies. While they did that, we started packing for them.


    ¡°This album is great!¡± Shiro laughed, having found the same one that my grandparents had shown the girls last time. ¡°So many embarrassing pictures of you.¡±


    ¡°Laugh it up. I¡¯ll find your album one day.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± She said soberly, and I cursed myself for being insensitive. Seeing that, Shiro managed a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t look like that, Aki. What I love about you is you treat me like me, not fragile glass Shiro, who might break at a touch. I was thinking I do need some closure with my parents. I¡¯m sure they have photos of young me somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are none-none of us.¡± Shaeula said, stuffing clothes into a case. Hyacinth nodded, as she did a final clean, so the place would be left sparkling. As Evelyn and Jack came back, freshly dressed, they looked around, surprised.


    ¡°You work fast. Definitely wife material.¡± Jack said, and Shiro flushed.


    ¡°The Yamato Nadeshiko is an archetype for a reason! I¡¯m the epitome of a graceful Japanese beauty!¡± she boasted unconvincingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just numbers. We can all work fast.¡± I clarified. ¡°Although Hyacinth has genuine skills. She is the greatest maid in the world though.¡±


    She puffed out her chest at that, and Jack asked us where we were staying.


    ¡°Uh, the Palace.¡±


    ¡°Which Palace?¡± Jack asked, and I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Is there more than one? Oh, I guess there is. Buckingham Palace. You know, with the Queen? Makes sense, as we can¡¯t go out in public without a disguise right now, and we¡¯re still in negotiations.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, Buckingham Palace. Right. That sounds...¡± Jack froze, going pale, and Evelyn would have dropped something again, if she was carrying it.


    ¡°Why so shocked. Am I not-not a princess myself? These are the circles we move in now-now. Akio, I have called, and apparently the helicopter can land-land on the green outside. It should be here shortly.¡±


    ¡°Helicopter?¡± Jack said, and as we gathered their heavy bags, packed with all their clothes, necessities and sentimental objects, I smiled.


    ¡°Of course. Every minute of our time is precious, we can¡¯t waste it on travelling too slowly.¡± The sound of rotors could be heard outside, and now, our disguises off, as we ushered my grandparents to the helicopter, I could see the neighbour¡¯s curtain twitching, so I waved at them cheerily. Hyacinth, Shiro and Shaeula followed suit, and I saw our watcher tumble backwards, shocked and stunned. Yes, that was fun. I have to say, Jack and Evelyn took things rather well. Not that they couldn¡¯t, what with the press running the story non-stop, and Tan¡¯s appearance... While it was helpful in these circumstances, and was allowing us to advance a lot of plans, there were downsides too, to the truth being out, which I expected we would find quite quickly, and the effects would be long-lasting...


    *********


    Princess Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor


    ¡°So, these are your grandparents? We are most delighted to make their acquaintance.¡± Eleanor¡¯s grandmother said, not putting on airs, addressing them warmly. The two elderly people were frozen, seemingly unable to believe they were in the Palace, meeting the Queen.


    ¡°Yes. But go easy on them, they¡¯re not used to this yet.¡± Akio said, and Eleanor shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°And you are? In just a few short months?¡±


    As Eleanor said that, she felt a bit sorry, as his grandparents suddenly looked terrified. It was then Hyacinth scowled at her, her violet eyes hard. I don¡¯t know why I let my mouth run away with me with him. I have to stop it... ¡°I apologise. I must still be feeling stressed from recent events.¡±


    ¡°We can see why.¡± The Queen said gently. ¡°We have discovered Mary Stuart¡¯s Avalon... no, Territory, as you call it. The name lacks grandeur, we think, but it is serviceable.¡± The Queen smiled, gesturing to the drinks on the table. Shaeula and Shiro were already helping themselves, and Eleanor found it endearing, if a little rude.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Her grandmother continued. ¡°We have had many calls with our counterparts in Japan, the Prime Minister does nothing but complain he is snowed under, and even though he received his welcome trade deal that will get the tabloids off his back for a while, Japan has managed to bloody our nose on many favourable deals. Really, Akio, you have made quite the profit from us.¡± Her smile showed she meant no offense, the charming, forthright grandmother she knew and loved. Hearing that Henry should be ready to start the regrowth of his limbs tomorrow has lifted her spirits. The doctors will be able to bring him out of the coma then.


    ¡°Akio is the face-face of Japan.¡± Shaeula said proudly, puffing out her meagre chest. ¡°It is only natural for him to prioritise his homeland, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± The Queen conceded. ¡°But we are greatly pleased to know that Akio is indeed also a British citizen, one of our subjects.¡± Her smile turned impish, making her look younger, eyes twinkling. ¡°In fact, in discussions with the Prime Minister and my dear granddaughter here, as well as my son, we believe it is more than appropriate to confer upon him a Knighthood. After all, he has taken up his sword for the realm and my dear granddaughter.¡±


    I did agree. It¡¯s only fair. Besides... Eleanor held in a smile as his face froze, enjoying his discomfort. It shouldn¡¯t always be me on the back foot. And I do think if anyone deserves to be a Knight... it¡¯s you.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain British citizens are the only ones that can be knighted. I suppose you mean an honorary one, but... well, the Japanese system isn¡¯t quite the same, but I¡¯ll be marrying into Takatsukasa house, so it could cause problems.¡±


    ¡°No, we mean what we said, a Knighthood.¡± The Queen chuckled, swirling her brandy and taking a sip happily. ¡°Yes, you may not be a citizen, you renounced your nationality when you moved to Japan, as did your mother. But that is a Japanese conceit. We allow dual nationality. And now, so do you. We read your laws with great interest. Some, Eleanor has had to explain to us, and even she does not understand the purpose of all of them.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother...¡± Eleanor hissed, embarrassed. I hate showing off my lack of knowledge. It isn¡¯t my fault. Shiro told me he has a... yes, a knowledge cheat! Of course he knows more!


    ¡°Of course we had to check the character of the man who wishes to ally with our precious granddaughter. As grandparents, you agree, right?¡±


    As Akio¡¯s grandparents were addressed, the man, Jack nodded. ¡°That makes sense. As a father, when my daughter met her future husband, of course I checked to see if he was suitable for my little girl.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she means like that. She¡¯s not talking marriage, dear.¡± Evelyn, his wife said, wide-eyed. ¡°Our Akio is a fine young man. Just look at these girls, the others who visited recently too. They like him, so he must be kind to them.¡±


    ¡°He sure is.¡± Shiro laughed, enjoying watching me squirm.


    ¡°Look, that¡¯s beside the point...¡± Akio began, but Eleanor knew he was cornered, and was relishing it. Some payback at last...


    ¡°No, we think it is not. Holders of these special passports can hold dual nationality. And to take advantage of the polygamy laws, one must currently be a special passport holder. Ergo, you can be British. Well, we overstate it. Can be is wrong. The Foreign Secretary has already overseen the documents.¡± Grandmother gestured, and a servant brought over a new passport. Akio took it, sweating.


    ¡°Is that even legal, without my permission?¡±


    ¡°Oh, do not be so timid.¡± The Queen laughed. ¡°We cleared this with your Prime Minister, and I spoke to Shige myself, since he seems to be acting as your sponsor in the Japanese nobility. Yes, accepting foreign honours may cause trouble, especially with the populace up in arms about Kyoto. Anti-Chinese sentiment is rife there, as much as some pushback against the Church is here. A sad thing. We do not hold the good people of the Catholic Church, nor their worshippers responsible for the crimes of Mary Stuart. Though should this Church of New Revelations persist, then we shall take steps.¡±


    Grandmother is kind. I know that. Me... I would find it hard to trust them again. What... what do we do? Akio is still holding back information. I understand why, but it frustrates me.


    ¡°Yes, I think the benefits are outweighed by the risks. I¡¯m flattered though.¡± Akio demurred, only for her grandmother to lean forwards, eyeing him like a hawk.


    ¡°Oh, really? But we were so sure that your dear sister would be simply delighted, were her big brother to receive the recognition he so richly deserves. She would be a guest of honour at the New Year Honours ceremony, along with all your dear fiance?es. Picture the scene, the eyes of the world on you, her eyes sparkling as she watches her dear brother honoured by us ourselves. Then we would be more than happy to give her the Royal treatment. We are sure our dear Eleanor would love to meet her too.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I really would.¡± Eleanor snickered, enjoying the look of shock and defeat on his face. She was right, this will work! ¡°As a sister who has suffered with foolish brothers, I expect we would have much in common.¡± She crossed her arms and gave Akio a smug look.


    ¡°All right, which of you suggested this?¡± Akio eyed his women, and both Shaeula and Shiro laughed happily.


    ¡°Give it up, Aki. To be honest, I think it¡¯d be incredible to be married to an actual Knight.¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°Indeed. I do believe it is less-less than you deserve.¡± Shaeula agreed proudly. ¡°Though you shall be a Prince of the Seelie, it does not-not hurt to add to your stature.¡±


    ¡°Well said. As for you, Shaeula my dear, we will proceed as agreed. You hold these special passports and are a citizen of Japan, but we know that is a fiction. A clever one, but a fiction nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°What does she mean?¡± Akio asked, puzzled, and Shaeula snickered.


    ¡°While you and Hyacinth were working on the Ring Gates again-again, I was in discussion with the Queen, trying to secure her cooperation for your plan.¡± Shaeula stared at Eleanor then, her face stern, and Eleanor looked down.


    I know. In the end... I¡¯m going to crack. What choice do I have? Grandmother has left it up to me, and... I am not ungrateful, I am not. But... to ask this... if I was to surrender, I need to make sure that I can never be betrayed, that Britain benefits. ¡°You ask a lot. But this is one small way to repay us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady of the Garter.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Though it shall cause much-much consternation in the Seelie Court... I believe ties between mortals and Fae should be increased. And I wish to bring honour to my husband, is that so-so wrong?¡±


    ¡°We have some consternation, as to whether she would be a Stranger Lady, being royalty not of our isle. But then, the Seelie Court is descended from many Fae lineages of this isle. We find it most perplexing. But we have time to think. Such an award would not be made until the New Year.¡± She fixed Akio with her gaze, while Hyacinth was comforting his shell-shocked grandparents.


    ¡°Akio. We may seem selfish. We are. We have to think of the good of this isle. We have to protect the Tower, though we have had to pass this duty down to Eleanor. We still grieve over that, and what that has cost her. Her innocence, certainly.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Eleanor flushed red, scandalised. ¡°Don¡¯t phrase it like that! I¡¯m still a.. ugh, no, no, no!¡± Eleanor suddenly turned away, burying her face in a cushion, throwing a tantrum like a child, barely catching her grandmother¡¯s next words.


    ¡°We know you are holding knowledge we need. The girls here, they hint at it, trying to make us bite. And bite we shall. We would bind you to us, just as you are to Japan. After all, your mother, she would not wish her homeland to fall in the fires of calamity, would she? Would your sister not like to discover the other half of her heritage? Consider this a token. We can offer more. Though the Prime Minister complains we have already been bled dry.¡± She coughed, and Eleanor slowly lowered the cushion, her face now just pink, her breathing back under control. I don¡¯t want to think of or imply such things with him here... how mortifying! Grandmother has a wicked sense of humour, but I wish she wouldn¡¯t tease me...


    ¡°Mary Stuart is in our custody. It is quite the miracle she is not dead, they tell us, but she clings on tenaciously, though her mind seems afflicted. We found her Territory, Canterbury Cathedral. It makes some sense. Though it is now a Church of England Cathedral, it was originally a Catholic one, and the oldest remaining in Britain. We are not sure how to proceed though, nor with the Territories of those who betrayed us.¡±


    Eleanor sighed, looking at Akio pensively. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. Leaving Sarah, Donovan...¡± she shuddered, remembering. I only looked through the window of his cell, and he was strapped to the bed, ranting and raving. He looked like a different person. Shaeula was cruel, but then... he wanted to... no, he got what he deserved. Whether Max Power instigated him, like Shaeula says, that¡¯s irrelevant. It¡¯s not like he was mind controlled, at least Akio doesn¡¯t seem to think so. So persuaded or not, it was his own choices... ¡°... the others, it¡¯s a risk. A big one. But... if we destroy their Anchors, as you call our banners, what then? We¡¯ve lost so many, if we censure all the traitors, Britain¡¯s power will plummet. We can¡¯t do this alone.¡±


    ¡°I believe you can tell them more-more.¡± Shaeula observed. ¡°That was the conclusion reached, was it not-not?¡±


    Akio nodded. ¡°This information is priceless and secret. It¡¯s not something easily disclosed.¡±


    ¡°We will take whatever we can, for the good of Britain, even if we are unfair. But... granddaughter...¡± she eyed Eleanor. ¡°... do you think we should meet his price?¡±


    Shaeula spoke first. ¡°Eleanor, we have talked, have we not-not? I have been open with you. You have recourse, power, though you know it not-not. All you have to do is reach out and accept our hands.¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give him what he wants. But... Akio...¡± Eleanor fixed him with a stern, unyielding blue-eyed glare. ¡°If you prove unworthy of our trust, if you betray Britain, if you do not do as promised you will regret it. I¡¯ll not try and defeat you, as if I could...¡± she laughed mockingly, knowing it was futile to consider it. That battle I saw... currently, I can play no part in those sorts of conflicts. Gathering her will, she continued. ¡°... no, should you betray me. I will simply kill myself there and then.¡±


    Her grandmother gasped, as did Akio¡¯s grandparents, stunned. Shaeula laughed, while Shiro nodded, saying ¡°That makes sense. Aki¡¯s big weak spot there...¡±


    ¡°Yooou think your death is wooorthy of causing him sorrow?¡± Hyacinth said coldly, and Eleanor stood, pushing out her chest with pride.


    ¡°Actually, Hyacinth, I do. I used to think I was a good judge of character. It turns out I am rather dim. But I can judge this, and others have confirmed my guess. Akio, you put everything into saving me, risking yourself and those under your care for me. I hardly think you did it because you like me. We had never even met.¡± Somehow that¡¯s frustrating. It makes me feel unimportant. ¡°But this Diviner of yours saw something in me, something perhaps you need. So I will deny you that. But more importantly... when you see me dead, my throat opened by my own hand, my eyes accusing you, I don¡¯t think you would be able to sleep again.¡± Her lips curved into a satisfied smile. ¡°You are too soft-hearted. So bear this in mind. My life is in your hands. I cannot survive another betrayal. I will not.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to betray you anyway. I don¡¯t need threatening.¡± Eleanor¡¯s eyes gleamed as Akio looked rather insulted. ¡°But no, don¡¯t kill yourself, Eleanor. It¡¯s those who are left behind that would suffer. And whether I need you or not... I¡¯m going to work you hard. So, our mutual defence pact, Territory upgrade pact and emergency issue pact are all sealed?¡± He held out his hand, and Eleanor looked to her grandmother.


    ¡°In the end, we are not able to fight. You are the heir to the Tower and what lies beneath.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eleanor grasped his hand, and smiled. ¡°I look forward to working with you. Learning from you too. Though I fear at first we might need some charity. We bled... and lost.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll tell you a bit about how to reformat your Territory, though if all goes well, that might not be an issue. It depends on whether we can finish the Ring Gate and get it working...¡±


    ¡°Nooot a problem. Hyacinth is confident it will wooork!¡± she shouted happily.


    ¡°In that case... let¡¯s talk about Divine Favours and what I think you should do.¡± Akio said, before he looked at his women, his expression sardonic. ¡°But first... I want to know just who told Eleanor to threaten me like that? Own up and the punishment will be lighter...¡±


    At that, Shiro and Shaeula grumbled, and Eleanor couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing, a great weight off her shoulders, now that she had made the monumental decision to accept his terms. I don¡¯t actually think he will betray me. But... if he does, I¡¯ll live in his nightmares forever, and never let him sleep peacefully again. I swear it...

 Act One Finale – Part 6c – Aftermath – End of Arc 8, End of Act 1

    Act One Finale ¨C Part 6c ¨C Aftermath ¨C End of Arc 8, End of Act 1


    ¡°My ass still hurts.¡± Shiro protested, rubbing at her bottom, as Eleanor opened the way into the basement of the Tower, in Material London. ¡°How about you, Shaeula?¡±


    She laughed, touching her own rear with a smile. ¡°There is some-some discomfort, but as a punishment, it falls rather-rather short, no? I know you enjoyed it as well, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But Aki went hard on us. Brute.¡± She snorted, but with the twinkle in her eye I knew she was happy.


    ¡°Enough. You¡¯re embarrassing Eleanor.¡± I chided, and as we entered the room of treasures, she shook her head.


    ¡°Oh, by all means, talk about whatever kinky sex orgies you get up to at night. I can see the tabloid headlines now, Knight of the Realm and Lady of the Garter in steamy sex party, chandeliers shattered from all the swinging.¡± She snorted, dryly amused. ¡°The press would have a field day.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t accepted yet. There¡¯s still a lot to consider.¡± I denied her, and she shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a done deal. By then, the initial shock of the public should have worn off and the civil unrest stabilised. It might distract the masses.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Hey, so, is that what you¡¯re into?¡± Shiro asked her slyly. ¡°You imagining swinging on these chandeliers yourself?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Eleanor gasped, red-faced, even her ears and neck pink. ¡°I most certainly am not. I am a very elegant lady. I don¡¯t dream of such things!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Shiro teased. ¡°Anyway, this is cool, seeing it from this side. But whoa, the floor!¡± She pointed, and we could see the damage from the mysterious destructive adherence had spread to the Material as well, and broken, melted items were everywhere.


    Eleanor clicked her tongue. ¡°Who knows what priceless artefacts Max destroyed. My brother... he will be waking up tonight, right?¡± she said, and I nodded. At that, she exhaled in relief, clenching her fists. ¡°Excellent. I have arranged outfits for you all, to attend his recovery gala. A lot of press will be there, so you have to look dignified and beautiful. It will show the world Britain isn¡¯t down and out, and that we stand with Japan and you stand with us. But more importantly...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can ask if he knows what Max stole.¡± I said.


    ¡°Exactly. But first...¡± she gestured to the treasures.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit excited.¡± Shiro said to Shaeula, who nodded her agreement. ¡°Shit, this is like shopping for legendary gear in an MMO auction house.¡±


    ¡°I should warn you again, there is no guarantee an item will match you. You can¡¯t just take one and have it work. There needs to be a connection.¡± Eleanor warned. ¡°Also...¡± she addressed me, her face in a frown. ¡°I know grandmother agreed your sister, your fiance?es and key allies could also try, but don¡¯t cheat us. We need these for Britain too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be moderate.¡± I laughed. Chen Na cowered a bit at that, and we had agonised over whether it was wise to let her have an item from here. In the end, since she was restricted as Haru-san¡¯s Chosen Hero, and she had risked her new life as we tasked her to, it was decided to give her the chance. It might make the difference between life and death for Haru-san...


    ¡°Very well. Move around and try and feel an item calling to you. You¡¯ll know, just as I did with my armour. Then when you go to Avalon, you¡¯ll find the true form with you, and should understand it.¡±


    ¡°I see. All right. Let¡¯s take a look.¡± Letting my mind drift I wandered past the patch of the burned area, and soon I was staring at a pair of worn brown leather boots. Boots, huh? That was surprising, as I had expected a weapon or armour, but then, Bjarki had put heart and soul into forging Storming Moonlight and the Twilight Brigandine, so casting them aside seemed a pretty shitty thing to do. I could feel the boots wanted to come with me, so taking off my (rather expensive) shoes, which I then tucked under my arm, I slipped on the boots, and felt a rush of connection. My Eye flared, and I could see their name and their abilities.


    Seven-league Boots of Godwin the Watcher ¨C Item Class [Noble] Item Type [Rule]


    These boots are forged from leather from sacred cows of the Gwartheg y Llyn. These boots are comfortable and will fit any foot, and will carry the bearer many steps in a single bound. They carry a geas in the leather, that in exchange for the crime of slaying one of the cows to make the boots, the bearer must always strive to alert others of an invasion. In service of this, seven leagues may be taken in one step. Should the geas be broken, the boots will squeeze the feet of the breaker of oaths until bone and flesh are naught but mush.


    Ouch, That¡¯s quite the curse. It didn¡¯t matter though. I thought that the boots did suit me. I feared Japan being invaded again, and I hated being too late to help. There¡¯s probably spatial element involved too. I wonder...


    ¡°Grulgor is happy!¡± He laughed. He was clutching a stone in his hand. I was confused, but looking at it, it made sense, the unremarkable pebble the size of a baseball actually had such a fearsome name.


    Tathlum - Item Class [Imperious] Item Type [Rule]


    This simple sling-stone of basalt has been imbued with great hatred for Fomorians, Trolls, Giants and other large folk of evil. It will seldom miss its target, and is bound by geas to return to the wielder when the target dies. A giantkin wielding Tathlum must be strong of spirit, lest Tathlum turn on the wielder. Any who spares an evil giant will invoke Tathlum¡¯s wrath.


    ¡°I see. Well, you do like throwing things.¡± I agreed, though I was a little worried about him carrying such a troll-hating weapon.


    ¡°Me next.¡± Shiro said excitedly, wearing a rather ragged faded cloth of gold around her shoulders. ¡°I can see it in my mind, it¡¯ll be pretty on me when it¡¯s restored.¡± She grinned. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    Mantle of Tegau Gold-Breast - Item Class [Imperious] Item Type [Artifice]


    This cloth-of-gold mantle is woven from fine cloth and golden threads, and will protect a faithful woman from harm, increasing her good Fortune, and any man who seeks to touch her without consent will be cursed to ill-luck and repelled. The geas bound in the cloth is one of faithfulness, should the wearer break their vows of troth to her chosen husband, then the good Fortune will be inverted, and the mantle will shrink and refuse to be removed, forever revealing her shame.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re actually surprisingly sweet.¡± I said, laughingly hugging her. As she blushed and squirmed, Tan spoke up lazily.


    ¡°Her head is rotten, full of pink poison. If I had known that the princess was this foolish, I would have given her the Favour and simply returned home.¡±


    ¡°Now I know you don¡¯t mean that, Tan!¡± Shiro laughed, and they bantered for a bit, before she turned to me, eyes earnest. ¡°I think it stems from my past. I was always beautiful, yet so frail. I had a few close calls, let me tell you. Of course, you know I was still white as snow before we... well, pledged our troth, I guess.¡± She grinned. ¡°I have no fear of the mantle ever shrinking on me. Now, Hyacinth is looking desperate for your attention, like some sort of overeager puppy, so I¡¯ll let you go. For now.¡± She grinned. ¡°I still owe you payback for last night.¡± She winked.


    ¡°Akio, looooook what I have!¡± she grinned, holding a large, rusted and battered cookpot or cauldron. It looked dreadful, but she was ecstatic.


    Cauldron Of Dundrennan Abbey - Item Class [Noble] Item Type [Rule]


    A foolish wizard imprisoned a Fae within this black-iron pot and buried it in a dungeon, believing it was responsible for a great plague. The Fae, poisoned by the iron, died, and in death its curse became geas, and the cauldron did indeed become a carrier of plague, spreading it virulently. The plague still lives within the pot, as does a fell nature energy. The bearer will be likewise afflicted with any plague they spread, making this a treacherous item.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s dangerous, but... so very you.¡± Since she was as eager as Shiro to be praised I did so. ¡°I just hope that you can adapt to plagues. Not all of them will be caused by spores. Well, we can always test it carefully.¡±


    Eleanor peered at the pot, surprised. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Other than the troll, none of you have weapons. Is that fine?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, we make our own, or get professional help. In fact, your sword isn¡¯t anything special, is it? Maybe we can get you a new one. Any preferences?¡±


    ¡°I would feel bad, my sword has been with me a long time, but... one like yours, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Dream ooon!¡± Hyacinth scoffed. ¡°Such is mooore than you deserve. For now. Prooove a loyal ally, and Hyacinth will put in a good word fooor you!¡±


    ¡°That seems awfully disingenuous considering you are clutching a gift I gave you.¡±


    ¡°Nooo, we won this saving yooour worthless life!¡± Hyacinth shot back, and as they argued, more out of habit than any genuine ill-feeling now, I thought, I felt a powerful adherence, turning to see Shaeula holding a sword. She seemed puzzled, as she didn¡¯t use swords, though she had enjoyed using the Dagger of Light, which Daiyu was now holding, along with the elemental bells.


    ¡°Akio, this called to me-me.¡± Shaeula said, and I analysed it, before gasping in shock, the light of my Eye brightening.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com


    Mortal Fragarach - Item Class [Imperious] Item Type [Principle]


    A degraded copy of the sword of Nuada Airgetla?m, gifted to a mortal king so that he may rule justly and defeat all enemies. This sword carries the wind, and neither the bearer nor anyone the blade points at can speak falsehoods, lest the wind punish them and snatch their voices. The blade draws the wind to cut effortlessly, and only if wielded by a descendant of the Tuatha De? Dannan it can show true might, commanding the winds.


    Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°... but in this realm, monsters who threaten us all lurk, and many dangers. Eleanor is a hero. But there are those who wanted to bring down my sister, Britain¡¯s hero. Right or wrong, Ellie is my sister...¡± the Prince spoke informally now. ¡°... and I¡¯ll never forgive those who try and harm her, especially when she is doing all she can to protect Britain, and all of you! A thousand dead in Kyoto. I hear it could have been more. They protest in the streets, and I get why they are angry, but without those like Ellie protecting these shadows, the death toll would have been far higher.¡±


    Everyone in the room was held in rapt fascination. ¡°Ellie can speak for herself, and she will, but... we also have to introduce some others. Allies who came from Japan to aid us in our darkest hour.¡±


    I guess that¡¯s our cue. With that, I opened the door and strode out, holding Shaeula¡¯s and Shiro¡¯s hands, Hyacinth holding onto the back of my jacket, Grulgor flanking us. As all eyes were on us, I smiled as confidently as I could. Of course I have confidence. This is why we have our new Ministry, and laid the groundwork early. Besides, it¡¯s not like anyone here can harm us. If they try, I¡¯ll crush them. No, now¡¯s the time to get what benefits we can.


    ¡°Hey man. Thanks again. For me, and for Ellie.¡± Henry clasped my hand after I had seated the girls, and after that, Richard took my hand as well, before finally, Eleanor curtsied to me.


    ¡°I will thank you as well. You know for what. Don¡¯t let it go you your head though.¡± She warned, and Henry laughed.


    ¡°I think Ellie is that tsundere thing you have over in Japan, right? I¡¯ve been looking up your culture these last few days. It¡¯s quite curious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just grateful she¡¯s stopped glaring daggers at me.¡± I replied, before taking my seat, and it was Eleanor¡¯s time to speak.


    ¡°We gain nothing from lying to the world. The Pope himself has corroborated the crimes of Mary Stuart. She attempted to kill me and others, for selfish gain. And she has suffered for it. Others died. This is no game, nothing fun. Worldwide, this is happening. Fortunately, some brave friends from Japan who believe in justice came to my aid, and the worst was avoided. I can¡¯t thank them enough.¡± She seemed a bit hesitant, not as used to public scrutiny as her brothers, but in the end, she was a Princess, so her natural charm and upbringing carried her through. ¡°If I died, my biggest regret would be failing all of you. Perhaps Mary Stuart had good intentions. The Pope believes so. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all forgive me if I don¡¯t think kindly of the woman who had no qualms having me tortured and killed for her goals.¡± She shuddered.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m from BBC News. Apologies for the interruption...¡± one female reporter said, eyes curious. ¡°... that¡¯s quite the accusation. All we know is that there are over fifty dead during this incident. Did... did you murder them, Princess...¡± she suddenly shuddered, as I allowed my League to surge. It wasn¡¯t enough to cause any physical effect, but the pressure was notable, and she stumbled, blood draining from her face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this one.¡± I said to Eleanor, who looked at me gratefully. She¡¯s still suffering from having to kill several of her erstwhile companions. ¡°I understand the importance of a free press, and we don¡¯t intend to lie. But basic respect is important. Eleanor was nearly killed unjustly, her brother likewise. Using heated language like murder isn¡¯t justified, and you¡¯ll forgive me if I step up to protect her honour.¡±


    The reporter ground her teeth together, resisting my Charm and Majesty as well as she could. In the end, she spoke to me. ¡°You, we don¡¯t have many details on you. The small girl next to you should be Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, many people heard her declaration at the Tower of London.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest in pride, grinning regally.


    ¡°As for you, we know you were involved from the information we have gathered and the Palace has released, but as to what extent...¡± the woman continued.


    I looked at Eleanor who nodded. All right. Time to take charge. ¡°In that case, for avoidance of doubt, yes, I¡¯m, in British name order, Akio Oshiro Moonstone. These here are my companions, who came to aid Eleanor against the unfair and murderous intentions of Mary Stuart. I¡¯m not interested in arguing who was right or wrong. But when you are attacked by deadly force, you get to defend yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°Proportionally.¡± The reporter began. ¡°You can¡¯t kill needlessly...¡± The pressure increased, and she trembled, blushing, and I knew I had gone too far as those nearby shifted away from her a little, wrinkling their noses.


    ¡°Yes. In Japan we¡¯ve been grappling with these issues. Current law isn¡¯t equipped to address these matters, and we hardly have a grasp on the situation ourselves. For avoidance of doubt, this isn¡¯t some big conspiracy. These matters have only been going on for a few months. The secrecy has been for the public benefit, to avoid panic. You can see the problems, right?¡±


    There were a wave of nods and murmurs of agreement. Unrest around the world was growing, and for various reasons, some as simple as anti-religious or anti-foreigner sentiment, others jealousy or fear of the new paradigm, and lastly groups that simply wanted to cause trouble and enjoy the chaos. There¡¯s likely also Chosen who are pursuing their own selfish ends like Kondo Kazuo in the mix. At least they can be exposed and dealt with now.


    ¡°The Japanese laws... we did an article on them.¡± The reporter from the Daily Sun said. ¡°Most of them were strange, but some... the Polygamy law for one, exceeded expectations.¡± He looked at us. ¡°Care to comment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and again, for avoidance of doubt...¡± I looked at the girls, who all nodded. Even Eleanor did, confirming that she accepted us, however much her conscience and sense of morals protested. I guess fighting life or death battles together will do that... ¡°...I hold a special passport, and am thus legally allowed to practice multiple marriage. It¡¯s nothing too strange. There are a number of countries worldwide where that¡¯s legal. These three here are a few of my fiance?es.¡±


    There was some surprise at that, and the reporter pressed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s immoral and disgusting?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± I cocked my head, and Shaeula laughed nastily, while Hyacinth looked murderous, Shiro restraining her with a gentle hand on her leg. ¡°Everyone agrees, and we all work at the relationships. I guess it won¡¯t be smooth sailing, but we¡¯ll make it work and be happy. Morality is dependant on where you stand. Otherwise Mary Stuart wouldn¡¯t have been able to rationalise her deeds. If we are happy and aren¡¯t hurting others, I suggest you leave us alone. Besides, you¡¯re missing the point. It¡¯s the other laws you should be concerned with.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Britain will be closely observing the Japanese laws and implementing variations. They may not be exactly the same, but the principle responsibilities of Gods¡¯ Chosen, and the rights the State will give them are likely to be in line with our ally, for convenience, if nothing else.¡± Eleanor agreed.


    That sent a buzz around the Palace. ¡°Hi, international news, CNN.¡± Another reporter said. ¡°Does that mean that you approve of Polygamy as well? A quote for our American viewers! That goes for you too, Miss Masters.¡± He addressed the Princess and Henry¡¯s fiance?e.


    ¡°I hate that question.¡± Eleanor said, her face expressionless. ¡°I find it hard to accept personally. But... I have spoken to many of these women, and they are capable of deciding their own life. I don¡¯t have the right to meddle. However...¡± she looked at me, blue eyes shining. ¡°... if he ever mistreats them, he will answer to me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Although to be completely honest, there¡¯s not much I could do to inconvenience him, I know that now.¡±


    Melissa was less complimentary. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t approve. To me it seems like a man exploiting...¡±


    ¡°Nooo. You are a fool.¡± Hyacinths shook of Shiro, her eyes narrowing dangerously. ¡°Nooot even worth disciplining. Unless you have been unhappy like me, suffering endlessly, yooou will not truly understand what a blessing some happiness can be. Hyacinth thinks she is sick and tired ooof this. Always having to bite my tooongue...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to take crap over my lifestyle choices. I¡¯m a grown woman, I can date who I damn well want, and marry him too. If you think I¡¯m some nai?ve blushing idiot, I can teach you a lesson...¡± There were gasps as her hair suddenly flared into flame, eyes crimson. ¡°...our lives, our business. If it was still illegal, then fine. But in Japan, it isn¡¯t, so you have no right to impose your beliefs on us. Anyone who does, we¡¯ll cut off, right Aki?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. If you can¡¯t deal with us fairly, then we won¡¯t be dealing with you. And that will be a great loss. Oh, quit panicking. She¡¯s not going to burn you alive. So long as you stop annoying her.¡± I said, joking, which failed to lighten the mood. ¡°This is all a distraction from the important matters at hand.¡± I raised my arm, and conjured a ball of water, which I then turned into a water beam, slicing a table in half effortlessly. ¡°Not that you needed more proof, but... once Pandora¡¯s... or should I say Anesidora¡¯s Box...¡± Shiro grinned at that, her bad mood fading. ¡°... is opened, we don¡¯t want to shut hope back inside, do we? There¡¯s no going back, and if we try... well, there are many dangers coming. If we want to navigate those... then we need to work together. Hence Japan and the United Kingdom are hoping to take the first steps towards that and formalise an alliance.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eleanor held out a hand, and we shook, in front of the cameras of the world. Four months ago, would I have ever dreamed of this day? ¡°I promise not to complain about your womanising ways any further. Just... treat them well. Though knowing some of them, I suspect if you don¡¯t, they¡¯ll murder you in your sleep.¡± Her smile was gently mocking, and I whispered back.


    ¡°No kidding. But... without them, I¡¯d never have made it so far. If I was fighting purely for myself, I¡¯d have stopped at just being rich and lazy. But... now I have to protect the world, as they live in it. You do too.¡±


    Eleanor looked away, letting go of my hand, face red. ¡°There¡¯s no need to try and charm me. I should think you are busy enough already.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. But I mean you are an ally now. So lean on us if you need to, and one day we¡¯ll ask you to return the favour.¡±


    ¡°I will...¡± Eleanor said, happy. ¡°For those lives I¡¯ve taken, and for those lives I have to protect. I¡¯ll grow stronger. So, when can I expect my new sword?¡± She smiled slyly.


    I merely grinned back, before addressing the crowd. ¡°This is only a formal announcement. The Government will be releasing, both British and Japanese, a number of briefs, detailing the changes. But for now we¡¯ll take a few questions, if they aren¡¯t offensive.¡±


    ¡°Fox News, USA.¡± Another reporter said. ¡°We¡¯ve long said that the Government was covering up aliens and secret experiments into psychic and magical powers. But we were decried as lunatics and conspiracy theorists. What do you say to the fact we were right, and that the Governments and Big Business of the world have conspired to cover things up?¡±


    ¡°That question¡¯s skirting the line. Aliens... no idea about that. There are other types of being that dwell in the other world, from myth and legend, but I don¡¯t think you meant those.¡± I snorted sourly. ¡°As for the research, maybe, but these abilities came from outside the world, not from within. The coverups... again, there were reasons, and each Government was doing their own thing. I can¡¯t speak for the US...¡± I bet Adam White will be sweating when he sees this. But I¡¯m not going to reveal anything, there¡¯s no benefit in it...


    ¡°Spiritual beings? Like angels, fairies, demons?¡± The reporter pressed, and Shaeula stood. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the so-called princess of the Seelie.¡± He said, eyes bright. ¡°You gave quite the performance at the...¡± He was suddenly panicking, lifted off his feet by a tide of green air, looking down, hardly able to comprehend what was happening, then back at Shaeula, who was grinning, her expression baleful.


    ¡°Performance? I simply had not-not the time to be stymied. Just as I do not-not wish to hear such insults now. I am a Fae, as is Hyacinth here. We are beings of spirit, but we have just-just as much right to life and love as any of you. The world has changed. Akio says it, Eleanor says it. I say it. You can either adapt-adapt, or you can simply fade away. The choice is yours, each-each and every one of you.¡± Her words were being broadcast around the globe, and it was a moment that I knew would go down in history.


    Where were you when the atomic bomb dropped? Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated? Where were you during the moon landings? Where were you during the nine eleven attacks? Where were you... when Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan declared that the old world was over, and the new one was here?


    As the eyes of the world watched Shaeula, as she spoke passionately about the return of the old ways, I looked at Hyacinth, Shiro and Eleanor. All of them nodded, realising just as I did, this was the start of everything. We¡¯ll lose some freedoms, being out in the open, but conversely, with no need to hide we gain a lot of potential strength. Yes, we have to find ways to protect our families and friends, but... all right. Full speed ahead... looking up at the spirit lights circling me, Tsukiko-san¡¯s and Ginneka¡¯s both greedily drinking in my aether, slowly getting bigger and brighter, I clenched my fist. Eleanor, Shaeula, Shiro, Yukiko-san, two nameless Princesses I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t let you die, and I won¡¯t let the Earth fail either...


    Perhaps it was why I had been Chosen by Tyr, but I was prepared to do whatever it took to win and protect those I cared about. No, not just protect, but make sure they lived lives of happiness and joy. I see why Tyr was prepared to give up his arm. What price an arm for those you love? I looked down at my own healed limb and grinned. Not that I intend to pay those prices. Consider it a loan...


    ¡°... so reject your fears, and you shall-shall surely stand behind us, and see the new world, where possibilities are endless. Embrace your fears, and that only ushers in sorry-sorry defeat, and destruction. But I shall never-never do that. Nor shall those who stand with me.¡± She took my hand, and I nodded to everyone. ¡°Do not-not be as Mary Stuart, selfish and consumed by hatred. No, be-be like Akio, a protector, and full-full of love!¡±


    I flushed at that, embarrassed. Damn, Shaeula, way to put me on the spot.


    As everyone snickered behind me, even Melissa looking a little amused, Shaeula finished. ¡°Even if you are fearful, even if you know-know doubt. Even if you can not-not make up your mind. Do not-not be hasty. Give us a little time-time to allay your fears. And we shall. And then the opportunities before us all-all will be yours to grasp!¡±


    Behind us, Hyacinth was clapping, Shiro joined in, followed by Henry, Katherine, Richard... Eleanor looked at me before clapping too, so I joined in and soon applause filled the hall, the blinking of camera flashes and the red lights of filming a sea ahead of us. If everything up to now was the prologue... here, our battle begins. For the Earth and those who live there, not just us humans, but Fae, Yokai and more. And not just for the Earth, but for what lies above. To become an Astral Emperor... and beyond...

 Dramatis Personae, Image Gallery, Request Thread and Inter-act Announcements *not a chapter* *WIP*

    Dramatis Personae, Image Gallery, Request Thread and Inter-act Announcements *not a chapter* *WIP*


    Progress Report: -


    eread Currently at Chapter Thirty-Nine - Update 6: Act 3 now complete! Onto chapter 63. A long way to go but we''re getting there *wink*. Next week''s 3 Interludes planned.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com


    Ilya renamed to Irena *grin*


    I''m not updating this post yet here on the Hub, as it''s easier to copy it all over from RR when it''s done, but if you want to check progress you can at


    Dramatis Personae/Character List


    Spoiler


    Currently empty as not started lol


    [collapse]


    The character list, I intend to have first appearance, first named appearance, image if I can, speech quirks/naming conventions, and notable gained abilities and equipment. There should also be birthday for main characters and those where their birthdays might matter (Girls and family mostly). This isn''t going to start filling up until further into the reread


    Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]


    It seems a good time for a Q+A. Not saying I will/can answer every question, but feel free to ask away!


    Requests for Interludes: - Now, I''m not going to leave you all high and dry this month, i''ll be doing a few short interludes each week. They won''t progress from where we finish, obviously, but will basically be reactions to the changing world, and Shaeula''s speech/Akio''s appearance. So, I have a few in mind, but I will be taking requests, so as long as it won''t break anything/seems fun, so feel free to fire away.


    Editing/Slight terminology Changes/Character sheet refresh


    As I''ll be doing the reread (I really need to to refresh my memory lol) I''ll also be gathering any remaining errors i can spot and fixing then. I''ll also change a few minor names etc. (finally Ilya will get a female name lol), it should all be minor but I''ll list it here. The character sheets will be adjusted slightly, and I''ll also add changes from the prior sheet to them all, and that will continue through into Act 2, so might help people remember.


    Updating the .epubs and writing the new degenerate edition chapters


    At the end there''ll be three versions of the .epub, the RR version, uncensored SH version, and the Degenerate edition, which should have six extra lewd chapters and some extra lewd artwork. I still have to write three of these chapters as I go along heh.


    Other ideas/suggestions


    Anything else you think I could do/improve during this period, feel free to suggest. Some people have suggested a discord, not sure if we have the demand for that, what do people think? Anything else? Not saying i''ll do every suggestion, but i''ll consider them lol.

 Interlude One – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Interlude One ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°Ai, dear, have you done all your homework? It¡¯s no good letting things slip now.¡± Mom said, and I rolled over on the sofa, waving calmly. Over on the other chair, auntie Mori chuckled, though there was a trace of sadness in her smile. Still thinking about Eri, I guess. She¡¯s still not better, but from what she says, she¡¯s slowly feeling a little stronger. I don¡¯t think Eri would lie to me...


    ¡°It¡¯s done, I know. Wow, give me some credit. I¡¯m not going to blow my chance of getting into uni.¡± I had done all of my homework a few hours ago, and it was easy enough nowadays. English was never any issue, and now mathematics was similarly trivial. Even my weaker subjects had been fixed by my better memory and faster brain. I was no long dumb Aiko, but a genius like Eri! Yeah, I can hear my bro and Eri both saying I wasn¡¯t that stupid, but compared to them it sometimes felt like it...


    ¡°I wish my little Eri was so motivated.¡± Auntie Mori said quietly. ¡°I¡¯d love to see her go to university as well. She¡¯s always had the brains for it. But she¡¯s on a different path.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter, no, our daughter...¡± Mom grinned. She was in total high spirits all the time recently, especially when Shaeula sent her pictures or texts. That girl was a total photo-fiend, you¡¯d never guess she wasn¡¯t even human. Hinata-chan is good at sending messages too. And Kana-chan has ramped up recently. I guess they know my bro is soft on mom. Buttering her up is a smart move. ¡°... wanted to be a wife, not a worker. As long as she¡¯s following her dream, it¡¯s all good!¡±


    ¡°Besides...¡± I interrupted my mom, surprising her. ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t rule her out yet, you know? Everyone¡¯s trying to improve themselves to help out big bro, so Eri might find something else she wants to do, when she¡¯s back on her feet.¡± Tasteless pun there, but Eri isn¡¯t letting it get her down. Sure, she has her moments of depression, but being with Akio, and the other girls looking after her, she¡¯s fine...


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Auntie said, and we fell silent for a moment, before dad called us from the other room, where he and uncle were watching television. We might as well move to a bigger house and all move in together. Uncle and auntie practically live here now. And it¡¯s not like we have money worries, bro is filthy rich...


    ¡°Everyone, come quickly!¡± he said urgently, and we all exchanged puzzled glances. I hopped off the sofa and followed them in, only to see uncle and dad watching the TV, wide-eyed, dad with a serious expression in his grey eyes.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that...?¡± I was startled. ¡°That¡¯s the Queen of the United Kingdom, right?¡± I know my bro was there a few days ago. Meeting more Princesses. Wonder if he wooed her? That¡¯d be neat, having her as a sister-in-law. Well, Eri might not think so...


    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency broadcast.¡± Dad said. ¡°This will lead to trouble.¡± He said meaningfully, looking at me.


    Oh. I see. Wow, yeah... no kidding. The news reporters were looking grave and confused, but they were doing their best to offer their translations and commentary on the Queen¡¯s words, not that I needed them.


    ¡°If we do nothing, that which protects Britain will be lost, and our granddaughter and those who fight for our cause will perish, leaving us alone and unprotected in the new world. We cannot allow this. So we implore you all...¡± she was saying, and I blinked, stunned, as the truth my bro and the others were trying to hide was spilled out so easily, to the world.


    ¡°Wow. Wowowowowowowowow! Shit!¡± I declared, and for once dad didn¡¯t scold me for unladylike vulgarity.


    ¡°There you have it!¡± the anchor, an older man, was saying. ¡°This was broadcast in the United Kingdom mere minutes ago. We will be replaying it on the hour, every hour until we have more news. Prince Henry has been mauled, and...¡±


    As they spoke, dad seemed concerned. ¡°This will lead to further digging on Kyoto. Both incidents. The truth will not be buried. As somebody there and involved, what will you do, Aiko?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s easy. Whatever bro and the others want. When I accepted the Favour, I accepted that I was going to have to step up. There¡¯s nothing more priceless in the world right now, and bro trusted me with it. How can I let him down?¡±


    ¡°Ai, you¡¯ve grown up!¡± Mom said, hugging me tight, nearly suffocating me in her chest. I tapped on her arm until she let me go. Damn, will I get as big as mom one day? I hope so...


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be clear that we are involved. School knows little Eri was injured in Kyoto. And little Aki was too eye-catching in his previous visits. Even you¡¯ve changed a lot, little Ai.¡± Auntie was saying, and I couldn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If worst comes to worst, well, I¡¯ll pull out the golden sister army to protect us! We can always move to Tokyo if the town turns on us.¡± I said, resolute. We continued to discuss things, watching the news, until several hours later, the hour well past my bedtime, though it wasn¡¯t like I needed more than an hour or two of sleep to fully restore myself now, we saw another shocking sight.


    ¡°Live from London, a woman, impossibly fast, and seemingly of some importance...¡± the news anchor was saying again, and though the face was obscured with a wide-brimmed (and rather cute) hat, with that size and hair it could only be Shaeula. Guess bro is really there again...


    ¡°You would bar-bar my way?¡± Her voice was clear on the footage, and the green glow of wind element unfolded her, hem of her dress fluttering prettily, leaves and debris spun into a vortex around her. She then named herself, and the reporters started talking about her, and her display.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. A lot of people in town will know.¡± Mom said. ¡°Nobody forgets a cutie like Shaeula. So, Aki¡¯s there too, I guess? I thought his trip was over...¡±


    ¡°Where there¡¯s a girl in trouble, bro will be there.¡± I said, and auntie frowned, still not entirely pleased at the way bro was expanding his harem. I couldn¡¯t say I blamed her, I did feel a little bad for Eri, but the girl herself had resigned herself to it, so who were we to complain? ¡°I¡¯m not fully clued-in on everything, but this whole Six Paths Princess thing is a big deal. If Princess Eleanor is in danger, he''ll have to go save her.¡± I can''t wait to see all bro''s girlfriends again. They''re all so beautiful, especially Shiro. Damn, he''s such a lucky dog. All those years of my jokes about him being a loser virgin have built up his karma, I bet!


    Now nobody was telling me to go to bed, we stayed up, watching the footage. My phone rang, and I ignored it, but the instant messenger app on my phone was on fire. Sighing, I looked to see it was messages from girls in the volleyball and Kyu?do? clubs, as well as other friends I had.


    ¡°Yeah, no surprise, those who were asleep or busy have been called by everyone else, and now the whole town is watching and has seen Shaeula.¡± I typed back a message to the groups. Yes, I see that. Yes, obviously it¡¯s Shaeula. No, I¡¯m not going to talk about it right now. Calm down, I¡¯m watching TV just like you all are.


    One girl, Tomoko-chan, from my volleyball team, pointed out that if Shaeula was there, and clearly using magic, my bro must be too. I had no answer to that. Rika-chan and Yae-chan were messaging me too, panicked, so I told them to calm down, that I¡¯d handle everything. At least they are in it together with me, since they had the Chirurgery. Sucks to be them now!


    The reporter had dug up information on Shaeula¡¯s false family registry, seeming surprised she had a Japanese identity. As they speculated, and footage surfaced of Shaeula also leaping a wall twice her height and running faster than a car, talk did indeed turn to Kyoto, and there was also footage of large rallies forming, protesting outside the Diet building in Tokyo. Information on Kyoto was being replayed, and in light of this a lot of discrepancies were being re-examined.


    As the hour grew late, there was more breaking news, that the Princess was safe, and there was footage of her, looking rather battered and bloody, along with Shaeula, her own white dress filthy and soiled. She won¡¯t like that. It¡¯s why I change out of my uniform when I enter the Boundary. At least I¡¯m strong enough to do it safely from my own bed when I want now...


    ¡°It seems the Queen has more to say, and...¡± There was footage of a hospital, where the Prince was being kept alive, and... I froze. No way. That¡¯s my bro. On TV. Being broadcast to the nation. Wait, what the... bro, you total moron! As my bro got out of the police van, reporters captured him perfectly, but not all of him!Alll latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°Wait... Aki... why does he only have one arm?¡± Mom said, blue eyes wide. ¡°I¡¯m... not imagining things?¡±


    ¡°The angle of filming is quite clear.¡± Dad said ominously. ¡°There can be no mistake. My foolish son...¡± He clenched his fists, and I could see he was worried.


    ¡°My boy, maimed. Oh Aki, what did you do? How will you...¡± mom was shaking and began to cry, but that was nothing compared to auntie, who was beginning to tremble fiercely, white as a sheet. She doubled over and heaved, splattering vomit over the floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like little Eri... no, I don¡¯t want to see that again!¡± she said, tears on her face, more vomit trickling from her lips, and I cursed myself for a fool.


    ¡°Dad, uncle. Auntie needs help. She¡¯s traumatised.¡± I said, rapidly putting an arm around her, while looking at mom.


    ¡°That Prince looked really bad.¡± one girl said softly, and another boy piped up.


    ¡°Yes, and your brother, it looked like he¡¯d lost an arm?¡±


    There was more chaos at that, and I nodded. ¡°It seems so. I haven¡¯t spoken to him yet...¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s dead when you do.¡± Rika-chan tried to lighten the mood. ¡°We all know Ai-chan here is a serious brocon. Though... can you blame her? Looks like Akio-kun turned out to be someone special after all. Maybe Ai-chan was just ahead of the curve?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Akio is cool.¡± Yae-chan agreed, and I held in a sigh. You should get over him, girl. Not sure you¡¯d be able to squeeze yourself into the tangled harem he¡¯s cultivating.


    ¡°So, your brother, he¡¯s a hero, Britain was saying, right? Shaeula too.¡± Tomoko-chan giggled. ¡°But...¡± she looked at Rika-chan and Yae-chan. ¡°Looks like two people here got unfair treatment. How come you two got earrings, and then Akio-kun trained you on top of that? That¡¯s so unfair! We¡¯re Aiko-chan¡¯s friends too!¡± There was agreement from all around them.


    ¡°Wow, rude.¡± I said, tired of this. ¡°None of you know my bro, and you think you¡¯re worthy of something so special? Don¡¯t be selfish...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yae-chan smiled. ¡°Besides...¡± she twirled a finger in her bleached blonde hair, cheeks flushed. ¡°I was Akio¡¯s first ever date. I dated a hero!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not one of the women he¡¯s dating now, are you?¡± Tomoko-chan laughed. ¡°Guess you got dumped by said hero!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mean! It¡¯s just... he¡¯s a gentleman, right Ai-chan? He¡¯s... well, I see it now. He doesn¡¯t want those who can¡¯t handle it involved. Even Ri-Ri got hurt, and he lost an arm. From London, from Kyoto... it sounds like this is really dangerous stuff. I feel... less bad about it, now. I¡¯m not as brave as you, Ai-chan. And Ri-Ri has the crazy about her ever since she finally got Akio to date her.¡±


    ¡°It is dangerous.¡± I nodded, everyone hanging on my every word. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m just one that my bro has trained a bit...¡± I looked at the two flashy gals, and they kept their silence. Yeah, they know what they can and can¡¯t say. ¡°So bro trained me and Eri. Eri¡¯s strong now, when she¡¯s back on her feet, if you give her any harassment...¡± I looked at the guys, remembering how many had tried hitting on her in the past, or had said perverted things about her. ¡°... she¡¯ll snap you in half.¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± One of the hentai kings said, waving what he was holding, a manga. Ugh, that¡¯s some sort of lewd shit. What a lame guy. I have to admit though, some of their advice on light element was helpful... so in return... he staggered, as a bolt of light pierced the porn and it flared to ashes. He looked at it, stunned, while around me people laughed and cheered as the ash drifted to the floor like grey snow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring porn to school, and definitely don¡¯t show it to us girls, not if you ever want to be popular!¡± I sighed. ¡°Anyway, you were saying?¡±


    He looked at me, expression tense, face pale, before managing to squeak out his words. ¡°... I was just saying, it¡¯s how it always works. You get some sort of system, but it¡¯s always because something bad is going to happen, like a zombie apocalypse, or a demon invasion.¡± His words spread a ripple of worry through the crowd.


    ¡°Leave it to the Government and the adults. All you have to think about now is studying.¡± One teacher said, and others echoed them.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± I lied. ¡°But my bro, Shaeula, the others, they¡¯re prepared. After all, looks like London was handled, right?¡± I¡¯m still pissed off about your arm, bro...


    ¡°I have a question...¡± one boy asked. He was in the first year, and I didn¡¯t know him. He looked at me shyly, and I waited for him to speak. Is he hitting on me, or...


    ¡°You seem confident that your brother will get his arm back through magic. Can... can he heal illnesses and injuries?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said, remembering his goal to heal Shiro. ¡°My bro¡¯s really good at that.¡± I showed off my hand. ¡°I had a really bad burn here, he fixed it up, good as new.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The boy said, his eyes turning hopeful. ¡°Do you think...? My dad¡¯s really sick. Could you ask him when he¡¯s here next, if he could take a look?¡±


    Ugh, my heart. At the expression on my face, the boy realised he might have been impolite, as he backed off, but instead I nodded. ¡°No promises. My bro¡¯s really busy, but... when he¡¯s here next, I¡¯ll ask.¡±


    On hearing that, several others came forwards too, and apologising in my heart to my bro, I sighed. Well, I guess they aren¡¯t scared of you because they know you, and our family. I wonder how the general public will react... I could see Rika-chan and Yae-chan being mobbed by people asking them about what they¡¯d experienced and how close they really were to my bro, Yae-chan blushing and fidgeting, while Rika-chan was rolling her eyes, exasperated. Before I could say anything else, another girl asked me excitedly what else I could do, and if I could teach her too.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a circus exhibit...¡± I said loudly, resisting the urge to summon the golden sister army and drive everyone off. ¡°...and you can¡¯t afford my training! If you want that, apply to bro¡¯s training school in Tokyo!¡±


    At that a buzz went round, and the second hentai king said something stupid about becoming the true protagonist, overtaking Akio and having his own, better harem. ¡°Dream on, jackass!¡± I laughed derisorily at that. ¡°You think you can outdo my bro, you¡¯d piss your pants the second you ran into a tenth of what he did in Kyoto...¡±


    There was laughter all around, and that led to more questions. My eyes strayed to the adults, who unlike my excited classmates, had grave, worried expressions, which sobered my amusement. Of course, most people our age are used to this from anime, manga, computer games. To us it seems exciting and the sort of thing dreams are made of. But... adults. They understand consequences and outcomes. And that this appearing now can¡¯t be a good thing. Hentai king number one is right... One thing was certain. With great power, came great danger. Every time my bro, Eri, Shaeula, Hyacinth, any of them, go into battle, I worry that this time their luck will run out. No, I have to stay positive. It¡¯s why I took the Favour of Kannon. I want to be there, not merely sitting home, worrying. And seeing bro on the news, my resolve has only grown.


    ¡°Akio-chan, Aiko-chan!¡± one girl from volleyball was saying. ¡°It all makes sense, you¡¯ve been so good at sport recently. Now would be a great time to show off what you really can do!¡± The other girls on the team agreed, as did a lot of the boys on their own team, though they likely had impure motives. With a sigh I conceded, and looking at the peaking excitement, the principal having connected up the big TV in the hall to the news, which was of course still talking about London, Kyoto and oddly enough, some incident in South Korea, I knew that the situation would only get worse, excitement building, not dying down...


    ********


    ¡°Rough day?¡± mom asked. She was still a little shaken, but had recovered most of her strength. Auntie was at the table, sipping on a warm drink quietly, still rattled.


    ¡°It sure was. School was chaos, lessons were cancelled and I ended up having to talk about what I could. I ended up demonstrating volleyball, kyu?do? and athletics. I set a number of world records.¡± I let out a bitter sigh. ¡°Though my bro would demolish all of them easily enough. Then I had to throw fireballs and shoot targets with lasers. Nobody would stop asking about my bro.¡±


    ¡°Us too.¡± She sighed. ¡°Your father and Junpei managed to persuade everyone to leave, but every old acquaintance and most of Nishimorioka were here during the day. Poor Takeyabashi-san at the shrine was harried too, some people know his granddaughter is on an exchange trip to Tokyo, and Aki was involved in that. Things will get worse before they get better. We did get a call from Suzuki-san. The Government is suppressing information as best they can, but Aki¡¯s already been named on British TV so... there¡¯s a limit.¡±


    I paused, worried. ¡°Are we safe? I know bro had trouble with kidnappers before. If they come for us... I can protect us, but I can¡¯t always be here...¡± If anyone does try, I¡¯ll show no mercy! The golden sister army will wade in blood if I have to. Bro trusted me to keep everyone safe!


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Aki¡¯s personal bodyguards here apparently. The Government has sent some soldiers undercover too. It should be all right. But... this is crazy. I never thought my son would meet the Queen, much less save my home country...¡±


    As we talked, I slowly relaxed, the tension of the day fading. Bro, answer your damn phone! I know you¡¯re busy right now, but shit! I want to know everything¡¯s all right! And to have you feel my pain! Her phone was vibrating non-stop, chat groups, emails, text messages, everything being sent in a constant tide. Though I¡¯m sure you have more annoying things to deal with than me... Feeling sympathetic despite myself, I managed a grin. ¡°So, maybe we should go on a vacation? Get away for a while?¡±


    ¡°No way! You¡¯re too close to graduation! No, you...¡± Listening to mom, it¡¯s like things are normal. Let me enjoy this brief moment of peace. Because the minute I open my phone... With a wry smile, I headed to my room, mentally exhausted...

 Interlude Two – The President Of The United States Of America

    Interlude Two ¨C The President Of The United States Of America


    The still vigorous elderly man thumped his hand on the massive oaken desk in the Oval Office, as the images on the TV unfolded in front of him. He immediately regretted it, the solid oak of the Resolute Desk more resilient than his hand, but since there was one of his Presidential aides in the room, he kept his face impassive, despite the urge to wince and cry out.


    ¡°Just what is going on here?¡± he said, fixated on the scenes from Britain playing out in front of him, the Queen and that damn fool of a Prime Minister with their speeches, the footage of Prince Henry, burned and maimed, the shaky, snatched filming of a small girl running faster than one of the President¡¯s own cars. ¡°Is this some sort of prank? Are they joking at the world¡¯s expense?¡±


    The aide bit down on a sigh, shaking his head. ¡°Mr President, that seems unlikely. Would the British trash their international credibility for some cheap humour?¡±


    ¡°No, but this can¡¯t be real, right?¡± The President pressed, running a hand through his dyed, light brown hair. ¡°If it was, why didn¡¯t we know about it? What the hell are the NSA, Military Intelligence, the CIA, the FBI, all those useless penpushers who do nothing but give me problems, doing?¡±


    ¡°Mr President...¡± his aide said, trying to calm him down. ¡°The situation is unfolding rapidly, there are still many unknowns. Nobody could have expected...¡±


    The President thumped his desk again, this time with far less force. ¡°We are the United States of America! We don¡¯t get to say... we never expected this...¡± His tone was sarcastic, annoyed. ¡°Do we want to be the laughingstock of the world, last to know about this? Whatever this even is!¡±


    This isn¡¯t acceptable. I¡¯m the God-damned President, how am I only finding out about this on Television? It¡¯s a conspiracy. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been kept in the dark... ¡°Get me somebody that knows just what the hell is going on. And get me them now!¡± He declared, and his aide nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make some calls. Calm down, Mr President. You aren¡¯t as young as you used to be.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap.¡± He snorted, aggrieved. ¡°I¡¯m still young and virile as I ever was. No, more so! You just ask my wife! There¡¯s nothing wrong with my brains or ticker, not like that old duffer they are propping up against me. Can you imagine it? He¡¯s probably having a heart attack at these...¡± he paused, his blue eyes narrowing. No, there¡¯s no way he knows about this when I don¡¯t! But I will get to the bottom of this! ¡°... just get out! I want details on what we know and why I wasn¡¯t told about any of this, and I want them yesterday!¡±


    As his aide left, his interested turned back to the TV, and he was finally able to massage his aching hand. There¡¯s going to be a bruise here. ¡°So, other powers, huh? I¡¯m not sure that plays in our favour. Right now, America has the biggest stick, as it should be. Of course...¡± He watched the replay of the fast-running girl. ¡°A machine gun or two, and her speed would be useless. No, no magic will stand up to the good, old-fashioned American Military Complex. But...¡± he saw himself in the mirror and grinned. ¡°I wonder just what magic can do? Eternal youth sure would be nice. Or even just another hundred years...¡± Lost in his vain thoughts, he fantasised about what it would be like to have magical powers, until the door opened, and a familiar face was there, followed by one he didn¡¯t recognise.


    ¡°Mr President.¡± The lead man said with respect. ¡°You¡¯ve called us about current matters, I expect?¡±


    ¡°Damn right I have.¡± The President shot back. ¡°Christopher, you can¡¯t tell me we didn¡¯t know about all this?¡± He pointed at the TV accusingly. There was new footage, of the Princess of Britain and the amber-haired girl, emerging bloody and battered, only to enter the Tower of London, and scenes of strange people, one a man with a missing arm, entering the hospital where the Prince was said to be lying comatose and dying. ¡°Is this happening here on our soil, too?¡±


    ¡°Mr President.¡± Christopher, the head of the FBI said softly in answer, the powerful-looking man perfectly suited to being the lead for one of America¡¯s most important organisations. ¡°I can confirm that these matters have only come to a head recently, and we have been trying to form a complete picture before...¡±


    ¡°Form a complete picture? Looks like you¡¯ve been sleeping on the job, Director.¡± The President scoffed. ¡°When you say a few months just what do you mean? I met the Queen in June, and I knew nothing. Was she laughing at me behind my back, thinking I was ignorant? Me, the President of the United States?¡± There¡¯s no way that could be the case. That would be a shame on this great nation, and on me. Though I have been thwarted at every turn by the House, and even my own Party...


    ¡°Let me handle this, Chris.¡± A man the President didn¡¯t know said. On seeing his confused look, the man nodded politely. With his brownish-blonde hair and sharp suit, he looked very at home in the Oval Office, radiating confidence. ¡°I¡¯m Adam White, Director of the Paranormal Branch of the NSA.¡±


    ¡°Paranormal branch?¡± The President asked. ¡°Since when did we have one of those?¡±


    ¡°We have had one on-and-off for a number of years. Project Stargate. You must have seen the papers on that.¡± Christopher said, and the president nodded.


    ¡°Of course I have, I¡¯m not an idiot. But that was all bunk, a waste of money and time. There are no such things as paranormal powers... or I would have said that was the case. The TV tells me differently.¡± The President leaned forwards, hoping the Office and the majesty it held was rubbing off on him, cowing his visitors.


    ¡°Let me field this one, Chris.¡± Director White said again, and the President racked his brain to see if he remembered appointing the man. I think I remember some paperwork when I was clearing out some of the useless dead wood. I can¡¯t believe America is so rotten, they are all corrupt timeservers, no drive, no business sense. I¡¯ll make America stronger, better, greater, but I need the marsh to stop holding me back, sucking me down. I have to drain it...


    ¡°Supernatural powers have always existed.¡± Director White said, shocking the President, whose mouth fell open, before he realised he was gaping, and adopted a more dignified expression.


    ¡°Is that a fact?¡± he said, eyeing them both. ¡°Then how come nobody knows?¡±


    ¡°Damn right I do.¡± The President agreed. I¡¯ll not forget this. If I don¡¯t get the respect I deserve, I¡¯ll replace you all with people who will give it. ¡°Hmm... we¡¯ve always had good relations with Britain and since the War, with Japan too. If these people are so knowledgeable, why don¡¯t we invite them to the USA? After all, we can surely offer them better conditions than Japan or Britain can. Money talks, and if they are patriots, well, we can offer a little help to our allies. Business, everything in life comes down to doing good business. Besides, I like the Japanese. They enjoy good golf and better whiskey. Men after my own heart.¡±


    Director White looked down, and Christopher seemed depressed. What¡¯s going on? Before the President could speak, Director White sighed. ¡°We have... already tried to invite them to America. It went rather... poorly. In fact, we¡¯ve already been rendering aid to Japan as a result of this. A few billion here, military concessions there. Nothing too major, the black ops slush-funds cover it. But... making a further move will only cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°We should leave well enough alone.¡± Christopher agreed.


    I¡¯m getting a headache. What aren¡¯t they telling me? This disrespect is terrible. ¡°Why would an invite cause us to have to pander to a foreign Government?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s too late to keep things hidden.¡± Christopher said, and Director White agreed.


    ¡°Mr President. We acted for your benefit, for the benefit of America, and humanity. My conscience is clear. But...¡± he pulled out a laptop. ¡°... this changes everything. Now the silence is broken, it will unravel. Our detractors will try and accuse us. Fortunately... we have negotiated with the Japanese and British, and our slate is clean with them. In fact... we managed to get a little benefit.¡±


    As the laptop was switched on, revealing a series of files grandly called the Vermillion List, the President listened to the explanation, his jaw dropping. This... how is this even possible. But... On hearing the mess his Agencies had made of things, the President knew one thing. I¡¯m going to have to take charge, no question about that. These fools can¡¯t be trusted to do anything right. Only I can make sure America can be strong, unassailable on the world stage, the leader of the entire world, again...


    ¡°So, let me get this straight? We¡¯ve been kidnapping citizens of other countries, even our allies, and running experiments on them, as well as our own undesirables?¡± the President asked after Director White was done. ¡°A bold move, Adam.¡± He whistled. ¡°But you got caught! That puts us in the shit! You¡¯ve even agreed to send them back. This isn¡¯t a few Afghans in Guantanamo, or imprisoning some Mexicans who cross the border illegally! These were our allies. Our influence is going to take a hit. Thanks to your incompetence! We even lost deep-cover agents. Some of those cells have been undercover for decades!¡±


    ¡°Yes. But it was impossible to expect that Akio Moonstone Oshiro was so skilled. The Japanese we have are rather broken. I admit that. But that does us a service. They can hardly talk about what they don¡¯t wish to remember. And there¡¯s more to this. It seems that ordinary people can have a fraction of this power.¡±


    He pulled up another profile. ¡°Christina Bakker. Double Black. She¡¯s no threat and not a priority. But...¡±


    The President read the file, seeing the photograph of the very pretty but dishevelled woman, holding up her fingers in a pose of victory, dirty white lab coat over denim jeans and a t-shirt. ¡°She works for your department, Adam?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s our best researcher. We sent her to do our diplomacy, despite her being a total loose cannon. If she offended anyone and they took issue with it and injured her or worse, well... we have other researchers, and we could have used that as leverage to demand the matter be classed as a breach on both sides. Turns out she¡¯s luckier than I thought. She persuaded Akio to enhance her somehow.¡± He pointed to the next set of files, test scores before and after. ¡°Fortunately, we have her results from the yearly physical in the NSA. Look how much she¡¯s exceeded them. It¡¯s a gain of around five to ten percent across the board, in fact, considering her physical abilities, by means such as bleep test, weights and more, she¡¯s up nearly thirty percent there. But that¡¯s not all... she can now enter the other world.¡±


    ¡°Other world?¡± The President was confused again, but after the explanation he was floored. Before he could speak, Adam continued.


    ¡°She¡¯s not bad looking, and the Japanese law changes seem suspiciously timed to me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this Akio is a lusty man. Perhaps she slept with him in exchange. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her, she¡¯s the sort that would sacrifice anything for her research, and doesn¡¯t seem to value herself.¡±


    ¡°Who cares who or how!¡± The President dismissed that as irrelevant, though he had to admit that the scientist was certainly to his taste. That rack, those long legs... damn, why do none of my secretaries look like that? ¡°What else can be done? I¡¯ve heard rumours in the business circles...¡± he saw the two men frown, and dismissed them. I know the President is supposed to stay out of their private interests when in Office, but I¡¯m a born businessman, it¡¯s only natural I keep my ears to the ground for opportunities. After I win my next term, I can¡¯t run a third time... ¡°... about miraculous healing. That was said to be Japanese too, right? That mining mogul¡¯s daughter suddenly recovered from cancer, my wife attended the celebratory party, it was a huge thing in Africa. And now you say this Akio is going to the hospital where Prince Henry is? That¡¯s not a coincidence.¡± No, I can smell the connection. Unlike my rival, I¡¯m not losing my marbles, my cognition is as sharp as ever. But... I wonder what it¡¯d be like to get the boosts that scientist enjoyed. Being so much healthier, surely that would add years to one¡¯s life?


    ¡°I agree.¡± Adam said. ¡°More importantly, though we are struggling to use a lot of our data intercepts and taps, we still have a few people who support us in Japan. We have narrowed it down. And if he is able to consistently strengthen others, well, you can see the advantages will only spike over time.¡±


    ¡°I see it better than you. A whole new parallel world. Endless opportunities. Remember the space race? Well, that was for something useless like the moon. But... if this world can be seen and touched... we have to act fast, or the Chinese, the Indians, Russia, British, Japanese... no, America must claim it first! Do we have any of our own like him?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but we do have the identity of every American who has carelessly talked about it on their mobile phones, the internet or even in some cases in range of our listening stations.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good work.¡± Yes, he¡¯s blundered, but maybe he¡¯s not so useless after all. ¡°Before we return those Japanese citizens...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an agreement we¡¯ve made. If we go back on that, our standing with Japan and Britain will sink to nothing!¡± Christopher argued.


    I know that, I¡¯m the President! ¡°Of course. We will return them as promised. But... invite Akio Moonstone Oshiro to America. I¡¯d like to meet him myself and apologise. Informally of course, you know how it is, we can¡¯t lose face or admit to this, but... a gesture of goodwill...¡± And perhaps I can succeed where these idiots have failed. And more importantly... he glanced at the screen again. I¡¯m the President of the USA, and the greatest businessman alive. If anyone gets the benefits of this, it should be me...

 Interlude Three – Izumi Kana

    Interlude Three ¨C Izumi Kana


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push me, Kana-san. The Wheelchair has a decent battery, and I¡¯ve got used to it now.¡± Eri-chan was saying, but Kana paid it little mind. I might not have spent long with Eri-chan, but I¡¯ve worked her out. She¡¯s secretly pleased, I know.


    ¡°I know I don¡¯t have to, but I want to. Haven¡¯t we grown closer over the weekend?¡± Kana asked, and it was amusing seeing Eri-chan¡¯s eyes narrowing, lips pursing as she was unable to deny it.


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Eri-chan said, a little defeated. ¡°So, why are we out here? Shouldn¡¯t we be back at the training school?¡± She changed the subject, and Kana held in a smirk, knowing it would just annoy Eri-chan. So transparent. I can see why Akio likes her though. She¡¯s very amusing.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll only be away for an hour or two. Everyone knows what they¡¯re doing.¡± Kana said cheekily. ¡°And before you say something like ¡®but Akio left you in charge¡¯, I know. But he also asked me to look after you, Eri-chan, and I think that¡¯s more important, right? You are important to him, after all.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eri-chan agreed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve looked out for me. But what about your friends? They could have come too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my friend as well, Eri-chan.¡± Kana said as she pushed the wheelchair into the cafe?. It was no burden, even without relying on the motors, as her strength was more than up to the task nowadays. ¡°And after what we saw yesterday... well, everyone has their own issues, right?¡± As they took their seats, a waitress coming over, Kana continued. ¡°Mio-chan and Asami-chan have been having difficult conversations with their parents. And school was a nightmare. Sure, not a lot of girls have met Akio and Shaeula, but enough have that rumours spread around the school in an instant. Being popular is hard...¡± Kana finished wryly.


    ¡°What can I get you both?¡± the waitress asked, giving Eri-chan a sympathetic look. ¡°Are you out with your sister? That¡¯s sweet.¡±Fo?ll0w current novE?ls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)


    Before Eri-chan could speak, Kana nodded. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s my treat today.¡± At Eri-chan¡¯s confusion, Kana laughed. ¡°Well, we¡¯re sisters-in-law, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Eri-chan had no response to that, and the waitress chuckled. ¡°Hey, you make a pretty family. So, what¡¯ll you be having?¡±


    ¡°The best thing is the seasonal jumbo parfait. So we¡¯ll have two of those. All the side treats and toppings too. And for drinks... the mixed fruit juices please.¡±


    ¡°Good choice. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself.¡± The waitress agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with those.¡± She bustled off, and Kana smiled softly.


    ¡°This brings back memories. I came to this cafe? all the time with Mio-chan and Asami-chan, though I¡¯d only have a small parfait.¡±


    ¡°Watching your figure?¡± Eri-chan said, and Kana shook her head with a dry giggle.


    ¡°No, my wallet. Despite owning so much land, my family was poor as dirt. I always used to hate that.¡±


    ¡°Mine too. Akio¡¯s as well.¡± Eri-chan admitted. Soon drinks and two massive glasses full of ice cream, fruit and treats were placed on the table, and the waitress told them to enjoy it. ¡°Not any more though.¡± Eri-chan stretched out her working arm, and carefully took a bite, her face lighting up. Yes, you¡¯re not very expressive, Eri-chan, but sometimes you do look like an ordinary girl. Cute.


    Even so, Kana¡¯s heart ached a bit seeing Eri-chan still so immobile. ¡°Is... is there much progress? Sorry I¡¯ve not asked much.¡±


    Eri-chan blinked at the sudden subject change, going from their poverty to this. ¡°A little.¡± She paused, eyeing Kana. ¡°Don¡¯t look like that, Kana-san. It makes me feel bad. It is getting better. I can feel my chakra network settling down a little. And Shaeula said I might even be stronger when all this is fixed. It¡¯s definitely strengthening my concentration.¡±


    ¡°Looking on the bright side huh? Yeah, this is as good as ever...¡± Kana said, taking a bite. ¡°You know, the first time I saw Akio and Shaeula, I took them to this cafe?. Shaeula told him to treat me, so I asked for this. Two thousand yen. I thought I¡¯d hit the jackpot. How shallow I was. I never thought we¡¯d end up like this. I thought he was a pervert, with such a young girl.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula¡¯s older than both of us put together. A lot older.¡± Eri-chan snorted. ¡°Besides... we are both younger than Akio. And he¡¯s certainly perverted enough in bed.¡± Eri-chan blushed, and Kana felt her own face getting hot. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not interested. But I¡¯m taking it slow. Dates first, some kissing, then... in time...


    ¡°I hear you are quite the animal yourself.¡± Kana retorted, and Eri-chan sighed.


    ¡°I bet Shaeula has been talking. I¡¯ll be sure to complain when she returns. When she returns.¡±


    ¡°Actually it was Hyacinth.¡± Kana snickered, enjoying Eri-chan¡¯s reaction. ¡°They will come back safely. It was quite a shock though. Seeing them on TV like that.¡± As Kana sipped her drink, she looked at Eri-chan reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ve spoken to them, right? They¡¯re all right.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eri-chan shot back, bristling, which Kana found rather cute again. ¡°You were more worried than me when you saw Akio without his arm. I¡¯ve seen how good a healer he is. He fixed Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but her arm still existed, even if it was like grilled meat.¡± Kana swallowed, thinking about the scars the poor woman had endured. ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°Ether Healing can do it. And if not, Shiro¡¯s buffs on top, there¡¯s no problem. I don¡¯t like seeing him get hurt. Of course I don¡¯t. But Akio was always willing to get hurt if it meant helping those in need. Now at least he can fix his own hurts.¡±


    ¡°Helping girls in need.¡± Kana raised an eyebrow, amused.


    ¡°Not so! He¡¯ll be healing the Prince!¡± Eri-chan shot back, and for a while they bantered, giggling. I am relieved though. The battles in London are over, and the Princess is saved. So that¡¯s four, right? Shaeula, Shiro, Princess Eleanor, and Princess Mikasa. I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯ll have to share with a pair of actual Princesses. No, Shaeula¡¯s one too. So that¡¯s three.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking something stupid now, right?¡± Eri-chan observed, and Kana¡¯s giggles intensified.


    ¡°Nope. You just wish it¡¯s stupid, but I¡¯m a streetwise, popular girl, unlike you, Eri-chan. I know how these things go. After all, haven¡¯t we both been snared in Akio¡¯s web of lust?¡± As Eri-chan opened her mouth, Kana pressed on. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me it won¡¯t happen. A Princess, all hope lost, saved by a dashing hero, at the cost of his arm, no matter how temporarily. A beloved dying older brother, saved from death. The country saved too, perhaps. If her heart doesn¡¯t crack from that she¡¯s not a woman. It helps Akio is handsome and nice.¡±


    Eri-chan grunted in answer to that, so Kana continued. ¡°So that makes three of these so-called Six Paths Princesses. What happens three times will happen a fourth, you know? Princess Mikasa seemed to get on pretty well with him in Kyoto, right? Doesn¡¯t he call her Yukiko-san?¡±


    Eri-chan sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, Kana-san. Shaeula has said the same. She knows the taste of destiny. Worse... there¡¯s two we just don¡¯t know. What if they¡¯re bad people, or they want to push us out?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let that happen. If she¡¯s a bad girl, well, us older sisters will fix her. You¡¯re first wife, right? Put her in her place.¡± At Eri-chan¡¯s worried look, Kana smiled reassuringly. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll help you. The others too. Hyacinth won¡¯t put up with any disrespect, I¡¯m sure. But on that subject... Eri-chan, you¡¯re still very formal with me. Can¡¯t you be a bit less distant?¡±


    Eri-chan sighed. ¡°I¡¯m... not good with people. Especially outgoing people like you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Aiko-chan is bright and friendly. Just say what you mean. You didn¡¯t like me, so now it¡¯s awkward.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Eri-chan sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m used to Aiko, we¡¯ve been together forever. But I¡¯m not like her.¡±


    ¡°I disagree.¡± Kana idly spooned in more of her delicious parfait. I think one of the reasons Akio left Eri-chan in my care was to talk about this. She¡¯s distant with Hinata-chan as well. She gets on a bit better with the more reserved Motoko-chan, and by extension Natsumi-chan, but... ¡°You¡¯ve changed. I can see it. Your spikiness is more instinctive than genuine. And you looked out for Hyacinth when she first joined us. You couldn¡¯t have done that before, from what you¡¯ve said, right?¡±


    ¡°True. Buy Hyacinth... Shiro, Daiyu... they¡¯ve all had it so hard. I don¡¯t have the heart to resent them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap.¡± Kana swore. ¡°You think you don¡¯t care about others, than you¡¯re a bad person, but you even tried to give me my chance when my pride was getting in the way, despite the fact you hated me. I haven¡¯t forgotten that. Love changes a person, I think.¡± Kana smiled. ¡°I certainly changed. Before, I would have found this such a hassle, though I¡¯d have done it to appear the perfect, kind, attractive girl. Now... I enjoy spending time with you, Eri-chan. No, Eri.¡± It¡¯s time. We¡¯re going to be together for a long, long time. Might as well bring down the walls one by one. Akio wants this too. ¡°No honorifics. We¡¯re sisters. We¡¯ll fight for each other, right? So why keep distance?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I have a boyfriend, so we¡¯re not interested.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can do better. We¡¯re top students at...¡± he began, but Kana shot him down.


    ¡°Look, we just want to finish our drinks in peace. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of other girls for you to hit on.¡±


    ¡°We only go for the best, darling. And you two sisters are the cutest around here.¡± The first guy said.


    ¡°Maybe so, but we¡¯re taken. And you are ruining our sisterly bonding time.¡± Kana complained.


    ¡°Oh, so sweet. I like you more now. Well, how about some karaoke, our treat? Your sister could use a break, I bet. Being disabled is tough.¡±


    ¡°No, I just want you to leave.¡± Eri said coldly, glaring.


    ¡°Man, she¡¯s hot when she stares like that.¡± the man laughed, his tone grating on Kana. When did I realise most men are idiots? No, to be fair, most people are idiots. Don¡¯t they know what¡¯s been going on in the world? Is hitting on schoolgirls the most important thing in their minds at the moment?


    ¡°Waitress, could you seat these gentlemen at another table please?¡± Kana raised her voice, and the waitress came over. Unfortunately these men were some of the most pushy she had encountered, and instead they started badgering the waitress to join them, since that would make three men and three women.


    ¡°Look. I¡¯m done being polite.¡± Kana made up her mind. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re leaving. And since we didn¡¯t get to eat in peace, we might not be back.¡± She said meaningfully, and the waitress flapped her hands futility and apologetically. Kana was then grabbed by the arm, and couldn¡¯t believe it, looking down and seeing the third man holding her.


    ¡°Let go.¡± She growled coldly.


    ¡°You sure about that? Haven¡¯t you seen the news?¡± The man grinned. ¡°I just so happen to be one of the mysterious magic-users the world is talking about. These two are my apprentices. So... don¡¯t you want to experience true magic? Let¡¯s go to karaoke, you and your sister. And we¡¯ll show you just how magical the adult world can be. I could take you both under my wing. Who knows, if you play your cards right, I might be persuaded to help your poor sister...¡±


    The table collapsed, Eri¡¯s temper now having reached past the point where she was idly breaking cutlery. Glass and wood shattered, and everyone looked surprised.


    They¡¯re quick. Haru-san was worried about this. Sadly us Japanese are a rather superstitious people, sometimes we can even be called gullible. Magical vase scams are still popular. Sure, not all of it is superstition as we have the kami and the yokai, but... scammers and fraudsters will start claiming all sorts of outlandish things.


    ¡°See? I did that because you insulted me.¡± The man recovered quickly, lying boldly. ¡°But I understand.¡± He grinned in a manner he likely thought was reassuring. ¡°Girls as pretty as you sisters, you have to be careful no... bad men... get hold of you. Luckily, I can teach you magic to protect yourself. Don¡¯t worry, the process is almost painless!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± One of the other men said. ¡°The boss will walk you through it. It only hurts the first time.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I¡¯m young, not an idiot. You think I don¡¯t get the innuendo? This is why I never ended up dating until now. They think they¡¯re so clever, sophisticated, but all they do is look down on us girls as fools. Akio never did that. He always explained earnestly, and while he¡¯s overprotective, he lets us make our own decisions. Her gaze strayed to Eri, who nodded. Eri can attest to that. He is always there to clean up our mistakes as well.


    ¡°I have one question.¡± Kana said, and the men smiled, and the look in their eyes annoyed her.


    ¡°I see. Smart girl. I don¡¯t offer this chance to just anyone. But now a fellow practitioner has exposed his hand, it¡¯s time for us to step out of the shadows at last and train the worthy! I¡¯m tight with the hero of Britain, you know. And I can introduce you to the girl in white. Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡±


    Eri burst out laughing in derision, but the three took that as happy laughter.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I would dearly love to meet the hero of Britain and that girl.¡± Kana agreed, Eri¡¯s laughter making her go red. ¡°I have one small question first though.¡±


    ¡°Fire away...¡± the man¡¯s hand left her arm and crept towards somewhere it shouldn¡¯t. No way. The man suddenly grunted in pain as Kana snatched his hand, bending the thumb back hard enough for it to nearly break. As he turned white with pain and squealed, Kana smiled balefully.


    ¡°... what would an idiot like you know about magic? But if you¡¯re unlucky, maybe you¡¯ll stumble into someone who knows more than you?¡± She increased the pressure, and as the man squealed, the other two made to move, only to both cry out. Eri had struck them with thrown debris, her good arm more than capable of throwing them fast enough to escape notice and cause nasty bruising.


    ¡°Hey, let... let me go! Oww, oww that fucking hurts, bitch!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it does. Now get lost!¡± Kana twisted and there was a crunching noise as the thumb broke. With a howl the man fled, and the other two followed, crying out as Eri threw more debris like a shotgun. As they fled, the waitress and the table of schoolgirls looked on dumbly.


    ¡°Uh, what happened?¡± the shocked waitress asked.


    ¡°Just a couple of idiot scammers.¡± Kana shrugged. ¡°Oh, I do martial arts, so that was nothing special. Hmm, sorry about the table. I¡¯m not sure what happened here. Let me cover it...¡± Kana pulled out some money but the waitress shook her head.


    ¡°No, it was an accident. Maybe the table was already damaged. And... sorry.¡± She bowed apologetically. ¡°I should have sent them away, but they were a bit intimidating.¡±


    ¡°Do better next time.¡± Eri said, and the waitress nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a replacement for your drinks. On the house.¡± She shuffled off, and the table of schoolgirls came over, giggling.


    ¡°That was cool!¡± one said. ¡°You bent his hand back until it went boom!¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared?¡± another asked, and Eri snorted.


    ¡°What would she have to be scared of? Those trash are nothing. Just human-shaped cockroaches.¡±


    ¡°Eri, I¡¯ve told you to be nicer.¡± Kana chided. ¡°Although... I don¡¯t disagree.¡±


    ¡°That uniform, you¡¯re from that school, right?¡±


    Kana nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I know your school uniform as well.¡± As they started chatting, Kana warned them to beware scammers, while Eri nodded along occasionally. I admit it was satisfying breaking his thumb. Thinking he can touch me as he pleases... he¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t break more. Eri sure would have...


    As she reddened thinking about who she wanted to touch her, the girls from the nearby school squealed happily, and talk turned to boys. Seated at a new table, Kana and Eri were surrounded by girls. Glancing at her phone, she held in a sigh. I suppose the others can manage without me for a bit longer. But... firing off a text to Haru-san, who would pull CCTV from the cafe? using Ministry powers, Kana knew that there would be more and more people claiming such fraudulent abilities. Although if they did have a Divine Favour things could have got messy. Though... There were the pictures on her phone with Akio and Shaeula. If the idiots still wanted to trouble them after that, then there was no helping them...


    As the conversation continued, about magic, London, Kyoto and more, Kana exchanged a glance with Eri. It¡¯s all different now. My class has been spreading that those of us at my shrine are involved. Sooner or later it¡¯ll reach other schools as well, through girls who are friends or relatives... Soon there would be nowhere to hide, and Kana, Eri and the others would have to face the public, where pests and frauds like those guys would be the least of their worries...

 Interlude Four – Irena Alexandrovna Kuznetsova

    Interlude Four ¨C Irena Alexandrovna Kuznetsova


    ¡°... can see, there is no way that the human body can sustain such forces. The maximum pressure should be around six thousand pounds of force, and that is for a robust adult male. A small woman like we see here should be less.¡±


    The other man nodded. ¡°Yes, and this scene is not edited in any way, it was broadcast live and from multiple different angles and sources. We have analysed the footage, and her running speed is more than eight times the sprint world record. Her bones would simply shatter under that force.¡±


    ¡°Before that, there¡¯s a number of bigger issues, isn¡¯t there?¡± The first man was saying, bringing up a series of charts and graphs. ¡°The muscles themselves cannot sustain such forces, and the tendons... in fact, it is theoretically posited than forty miles per hour is the maximum speed any human could achieve.¡±


    ¡°Not all science is right, it seems.¡± The second host let out a dry laugh. ¡°Here, we have calculated an initial sprint here of over one hundred and seventy miles per hour, with acceleration matching the President¡¯s own limousine, no, exceeding it. I think those textbooks have to go in the trash.¡±


    ¡°Is it really right to condemn them though, as this is clearly supernatural? Why, the President himself, in his address to the Federal Assembly, has admitted such, and called for all patriotic Russians to come forward and pledge their powers to the State, for the good of all Russia.¡±


    ¡°We are surely privileged to live in exciting times!¡± the man laughed. ¡°Though the scientists will be weeping and tossing aside their libraries...¡±


    Irena shook her head, irritated, a pout on her pale face. ¡°Pizdets.¡± She spat a curse. ¡°Any scientist who tosses aside their work because of this is a fool, a failure.¡± No, how is it possible not to be fascinated with such? After all, that girl, she is no bigger than I am... Looking down at her frail frame, she shook her head, white hair swaying in her pair of pigtails, while her pink eyes narrowed, watery and sore already from the strain of watching too much television.


    ¡°Oh, Irena, dear. I¡¯ve told you, a pretty devushka like you should mind her language. Girls who swear aren¡¯t popular with the boys.¡±


    ¡°Babulya, I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m never going to be popular.¡± Irena sniffed. ¡°As for my language, who is here to listen but us?¡± she told the kind old lady who was her maid, her servant, sometimes assistant, and surrogate parent while her mama and papa were away, which was almost always.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. If you get into bad habits now, you¡¯ll never break them.¡± The older woman said. ¡°Here.¡± she handed Irena a mug, and she took them in her quivering hands, enjoying the fragrant smell. ¡°Warm milk and cinnamon, just the way you like it, my dear.¡±


    Taking a sip, the sharp edge in Irena¡¯s gaze softened, and she looked like her age for a moment. Putting the cup down, she sighed. ¡°So, I get that papa and mama are busier than ever, but I wanted to talk to them...¡± Her happy face turned into a sullen pout.


    ¡°It is the news, dear. Irena, just as you are a genius, your parents are important, clever people too. Why, the President himself has called for them, and others like them.¡± Irena¡¯s eyes strayed to the TV, which was broadcasting more footage. As her look, the woman sighed. ¡°Look, dear, you have to be a big girl now. Your parents are going to be very busy from now on. You will be as well! After all...¡± she brought out some sweets on a silver tray, and despite herself Irena reached out for some. ¡°... you are the little genius of Russia! There¡¯s a whole new world for you to explore now, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    She¡¯s right, but it is a little frustrating. Turning away from the TV and the commentary, which was basic and lacked nuance, she sighed. ¡°Yes, rejecting progress because it is unscientific is foolish.¡± Her pale skin flushed, and she remembered the conversation she had with the nameless comrade of hers only a few hours before, where she had done exactly the same and had been put in her place shamefully.


    ¡°You knew about this. When you said I was missing a spark...¡± Irena had typed out in English, the common language for scientists to communicate in worldwide. She spoke it fluently, of course, as well as several other languages. I have never seen the face or heard the voice of this collaborator. Nor has he... well, I assume it is a man through his style of language... seen mine. I am not permitted to reveal myself, I am too precious to the motherland. Besides... nothing good can come of it. She remembered the attempts to capture her or worse, the smoke, the scent of blood. Just thinking about it made her tremble and her eyes tear up, but it wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such.


    ¡°...did you mean magic? That is not science.¡± She typed accusingly, her small fingers dancing on her keyboard. There was a delay and for a moment Irena thought she would not be getting any response, only for the reply to surprise her, and for a moment she had stared at the blinking letters on the screen, rereading them, which was not like her at all.


    ¡°Just what do you think science is? Is it not the application of understanding and knowledge to achieve the desired result? If so, then how is magic... such an undignified term, which trivialises the study... any different? Cause begets effect. The blending of science and the aetheric arts, as well as even adherence, is the true essence of science, which we call mortal engineering.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± The older woman disagreed. ¡°Even if that was the case, you¡¯d turn your attention so something else, my dear. Just like your parents have...¡± she paused, her face changing, and Irena seized on that.


    ¡°Do you know what mama and papa have been doing?¡± she asked, not forgetting to finish her cookie. ¡°Is it related to this?¡± She gestured to the Television, which was now showing a tall Russian man, dressed in military uniform, somehow freezing a large barrel of water, making the metal shatter and explode.


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t say, you inquisitive little thing.¡± She demurred, waving her hands, but as Irena peered at her with her moist pink eyes, she gave in. ¡°Fine, I should not be doing this, so do pretend you don¡¯t know.¡± She looked towards the sturdy metal door that isolated her laboratory and living space from the wider laboratories. ¡°Your parents are important people. Of course they have been chosen to investigate this new phenomenon. Now, don¡¯t look at me like that...¡± she reached out and poked Irena¡¯s cheek gently.


    ¡°Stop that, Babulya!¡± she waved her hands, only to have the old woman chuckle.


    ¡°... even if you pout and look at me with your pretty face, I can¡¯t tell you any more. You think I move in those circles? I am just your caretaker, dear.¡±


    ¡°Anything you can tell me would help.¡± Irena insisted, unblinking.


    ¡°Oh, naughty girl¡± she ruffled Irena¡¯s hair gently, again causing her to pout and protest. ¡°All I know is, there are a number of new studies here at Fyodor Technical Institute. The security has been stepped up to levels even more frightening that is ordinary. Why...¡± she gestured to her security pass that hung on her chest wryly. ¡°... just getting in here takes twenty minutes longer than usual.¡± She smiled. ¡°I have to hurry my morning shower.¡±


    ¡°It is related to these new powers, these aetheric arts?¡± Irena said shrewdly.


    ¡°Aetheric arts? I haven¡¯t heard the term. Is that something you coined, clever girl?¡±


    As Irena shook her head, her Babulya continued, chattering away brightly. ¡°Yes, more brilliant minds and loyal Russians are gathering here, working together. To think, we are at the heart of it. So, your parents are busy, don¡¯t blame them for not taking more time to see you. Matters will settle down again, ride slower, get further, my dear. Matters have been hastened...¡± she scowled at the television. ¡°The good thing is, nobody will trouble you now, my devushka. If anyone tries to abduct you again, they will not even set foot on the grounds of the Institute!¡±


    ¡°I think my value might be dropping.¡± Irena said sadly. ¡°How does that even work?¡± The man on screen was freezing more barrels, and through he was starting to sweat, his face pale, he looked proud, as the commentators were saying this was the start of a new era of Russian dominance, with powerful and brave Russian citizens the match for any in the world. ¡°Those barrels contain roughly a hundred litres of water. Assume the air temperature is around five degrees, and the water temperature has evened out for simplicity...¡± She rapidly did the maths, her mind working. ¡°That would be around two point one million Joules, plus a further thirty-three point three million Joules to crystalise the ice, all delivered so rapidly. If we call it thirty-five million for simplicity, thirty-five Megajoules...¡± She shook her head, astounded. ¡°That is impossible. It¡¯s like producing the energy of a litre of gasoline from nowhere, and he has done it numerous times. The human body doesn¡¯t output such energy. No... I am letting what I believe to be true conflict with the reality in front of me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re not useless, my dear, no. Don¡¯t even joke about such things!¡± the woman said, and Irena waved her worries away.


    ¡°I know. I was just feeling sorry for myself. I have seen the running girl. This is in a way less surprising. But...¡± she ran some hasty calculations. ¡°Regrowing an arm for the Prince would require significantly more energy than freezing some water. Creating matter from nowhere would require apocalyptic amounts of energy due to E=MC2. No, it would have to accelerate biological processes to make any sort of sense, but even then, the energy demand would be staggering.¡±


    ¡°It would be more valuable too.¡± The old woman smiled. ¡°Though making the cookies you like out of thin air would be better, no?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me, I¡¯m thinking!¡± Irena flushed, her pale skin glowing red hot. ¡°Some of the issues I have been encountering...¡± The processors used to create the brains and nervous systems for my Artificial Intelligence run extremely hot, limiting the size and layouts possible... imagine if I could cool them so efficiently. Why, we could easily achieve a three-fold increase in effect, no, four-fold...


    Taking a sip of her now cold milk, she grimaced, only for a gentle hand to take it away and replace it with a warm one. Taking a sip, her lips curved into a smile. ¡°... if we assume the energy can be made electrical, rather than whatever thermal version was affecting the ice, then we could get further efficiency gains. It still might not be enough, as it lacks the spark, as he said, but I am a scientist. I plan, I test, I cry when it fails, I go and redraw my designs. I test...¡± her eyes narrowed, and she started designing something new. ¡°There are a lot of assumptions here, matters I do not understand. But even taking the numbers as a baseline, assuming that the man freezing the water is no lie...¡± as she hummed to herself she didn¡¯t notice the blanket draped around her shoulders, or her Babulya looking on fondly...


    ¡°Yes, if I had access to more information... I should have authority to see the full library of the Institute...¡± her hands typing rapidly, more screens came up, and she frowned, as she hit a password-protected security firewall. Surprised, she gnawed on her lip, taking another sip of warm milk. ¡°I am not included in the access?¡± She stamped her foot in annoyance. ¡°I could crack the security easily enough. My AI is more than up to that. But...¡± Mama and papa are involved. If I ask them... surely they won¡¯t deny me, not after I see them so rarely...

 Interlude Five – Media Circus

    Interlude Five ¨C Media Circus


    ¡°Welcome to Panorama. Tonight... the shocking story gripping the nation.¡± The female presenter said to her male colleague, who was looking suitably grave. ¡°The rise of the supernatural, the overturning of science!¡±


    ¡°Call it magic if you want, or the supernatural.¡± Prince Henry was saying, footage of the previous day¡¯s press conference displayed again. As he continued to talk. The voiceover began.


    ¡°Chaos in London. Deaths at the Tower, the Prince maimed and then miraculously recovered. The Princess battling for her life. And all of this hidden from the Public! Who should be held accountable?¡±


    More footage, of the bloodied Princess Eleanor, as well as the young woman who identified herself as Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, and not human, but a Fae, when they emerged from their ambulance bloody and battered. It showed the maimed Prince Henry, and bodies being loaded into ambulances.


    As the backdrop continued, it turned to the Japanese man, explaining about the existence of Faeries and other spiritual beings. As the video faded out, the female presenter looked at the camera, her expression solemn. ¡°What does all this mean, just what has been covered up? It is more than simply the actions of some of the richest and most powerful people in the world, though they have no doubt profited at the expense of the ordinary common people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our expert investigators have unearthed scandal and self-interest at the heart of this. It¡¯s no wonder people are taking to the streets, concerned for their futures.¡± The male reporter agreed. The screens went blank for a moment, and a blacked-out silhouette with their voice altered by the crew spoke.


    ¡°Yes, I was recruited by the British Government and Royal Family themselves.¡± The man, for the shadow had a male aspect, was saying. ¡°I was sworn to secrecy, having to sign a number of strict waivers, and am bound by the Official Secrets Act.¡±


    ¡°In that case, should you be talking to us?¡± the male presenter asked, and the shadowed figure sighed.


    ¡°No, even with my identity hidden, there aren¡¯t many of us, especially not now. But I¡¯ve already decided to leave the country and start again elsewhere. My conscience was hurting, now I want to expose everything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean especially not now?¡± The female presenter seized on that. ¡°Is it in relation to the apology from his Holiness, the Pope, in regard to the actions of Mary Stuart? Our investigators have managed to gain access to some footage from the hospital she is kept in. Some viewers will find this footage disturbing.¡±


    The screen cut to a hideously wounded woman, with missing limbs and a bald, scarred skull, wounds still weeping, her expression mad, though her body was still, the soft beeps of machines and ventilators all that could be heard. As the footage cut, the silhouette spoke.


    ¡°Yes. That woman was the loser in a war. A war that Prince Henry and Princess Eleanor took part in, against their fellow humans, hidden from the public. I too was part of this. Though...¡± the man paused, emotion still present in his voice even with the distortion masking it. ¡°... I stayed aside during the recent treachery.¡±


    ¡°Can you please explain? All we, the public know, is that there is a second, overlapping world that only those of you that the Government is calling Gods¡¯ Chosen can access, and that you have incredible, almost miraculous powers, as displayed by the girl Shaeula with her incredible speed and more.¡±


    ¡°I was brought on, like everyone else, to support the Princess in conquering this other world. There are... reasons to do so. I¡¯m not going to say what they were doing, we were doing is wrong. When I was first granted these powers...¡± the man paused, thinking of what to say. ¡°... nobody is saying it, other than the Pope. The end of the world is coming, and we are feeble attempts to prevent it.¡±


    ¡°The end of the world? Just what do you mean?¡± the male presenter asked, leaning forwards in his chair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The man admitted. ¡°When I received my powers from the being that called himself a messenger of Taranis, I was told that I would have to fight to secure a land free from danger, and ...¡± he trailed off, embarrassed. ¡°... to rule the world, to protect it. In exchange, I would have power beyond my wildest dreams.¡±


    ¡°Protect it from what?¡± the female presenter pressed, and the silhouette spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I have all the details. But from what I understand, and from what I¡¯ve pieced together talking to others like me... there are many other worlds out there, stronger than ours. Eventually, we¡¯ll have to be prepared to stand up for ourselves.¡± He paused, before continuing thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m no expert, but... we¡¯re British. When we reached new lands, we hardly came in peace, did we? America, Australia, India... the list goes on.¡±


    ¡°And the Prime Minister and the Queen knew about this?¡± she pressed further, and the man laughed bitterly.


    ¡°How could they not? Princess Eleanor is like me. No, she¡¯s stronger than I am, there¡¯s little question, having all the resources of the elite first team behind her. Not that it did her much good.¡± He snorted sourly. ¡°Two of the first team turned traitor, and two will never fight again, I hear.¡±


    ¡°All this talk of fighting. Setting aside the issue of the danger to the Earth, that we¡¯ll come back to... play the footage again...¡±


    This time it was Shaeula, declaring ¡°I am a Fae, as is Hyacinth here. We are beings of spirit, but we have just-just as much right to life and love as any of you.¡± As the footage ended, the female reporter asked a hard-hitting question.


    ¡°So, in this other world, are there many beings such as these? You said you were fighting a war, killing out there. Do you mean monsters, or intelligent, sapient creatures such as these girls?¡± Her tone was accusatory and triumphant, and the male presenter was smiling, waiting for the expected response.


    ¡°There are a lot of monsters there. Spiders the size of horses, giant worm-monsters, more.¡± The silhouette shuddered. ¡°You¡¯d have no pity for them, I¡¯m sure. But... yes, there are those like the two there. A lot of them are warlike and hateful, such as the goblins wearing the stupid coloured hats. But... they can talk, and think, and reason. When I said a war, I meant it.¡±


    ¡°There you have it. Our very own Prince and Princess, not only fighting and killing other people, but also waging potential genocide on other intelligent races. This is surely in violation of a number of international treaties and agreements.¡± The female reporter said with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± The hidden Chosen said softly. ¡°I understand it might seem that way, but... until you see them yourselves... well, you¡¯d best pray you never do. But I¡¯ve had enough of being a lapdog of the Crown. They¡¯ve screwed everything up. They¡¯re not like the Japanese who seem to have a handle on things...¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, the Japanese.¡± The male reporter said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to get any detailed information on the Japanese participants of the press conference, but we have managed to get information from social media and some other sources. The man, Akio Moonstone Oshiro, supposedly has a connection to the Japanese political and business circles. The woman, Himeko Shiratori, is a student of Information Technology, Programming and Graphical Arts...¡±


    ¡°I... wouldn¡¯t go digging too deep.¡± The Silhouette advised. ¡°One thing I do know is that nothing good will come of it. Whatever we think, it¡¯s true without their help, this mess could have been a lot worse. The Prince and Princess would be dead. I¡¯m cutting and running.¡± His voice, even with the speech modulation, sounded scared.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all seen the analysis of the girl, Shaeula, and her impossible speeds. Is that something you can¡¯t do?¡± the male reporter asked. After a moment, a reply came.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying I couldn¡¯t.¡± he said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s much more difficult to use our abilities in what I¡¯ll call the real world, though they¡¯re both real, so it¡¯s not a good description. Our world, maybe? You don¡¯t have to worry about suddenly being blown up by fireballs or whatever. But physical strength and abilities that affect one¡¯s own bodies, they carry over the most. So... yeah, I could do it.¡± He muttered unconvincingly.


    ¡°This is the rub. Superhumans on our streets. This isn¡¯t a comic book. The implications are chilling.¡± The female reporter said, seemingly gleeful. ¡°Anybody could be holding powers undreamed of. How can anyone feel safe? Who knows what they can do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we dropped the ball.¡± Their guest said. ¡°If you look at the Japanese, they were already preparing, and over the last few days they¡¯ve been pushing through more laws legislating potential criminal uses of our abilities, and have even started training a special police force.¡±


    ¡°Just what can police do against someone that can run faster than a Ferrari?¡± the male reporter questioned. ¡°I¡¯m sure even just running into someone at that speed would be fatal. If they threw a punch, I don¡¯t think even a heavyweight boxer would get out unharmed.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a safe job, but we¡¯re hardly invincible.¡± The obscured man said. ¡°Perhaps a pistol might not bring down a Gods¡¯ Chosen, especially not a defensively gifted one, but heavier weapons still will. Other equipment could solve problems, like special nets, maybe. And if others like us are able to advise on the best methods... yes, I think it could be enough of a deterrence. Besides... we aren¡¯t common. And getting less so all the time.¡± He sighed. ¡°But if what the messenger of Taranis and the others like him spoke was the truth, we can¡¯t just do nothing. If you dispose of us all or lock us in prison... if an army of beings like that Fae girl appear... what would you do? Yes, our military technology and power is superior, but... is it superior enough?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the question. Why is the public being kept in the dark? The rich and the established elite are getting all the benefits, such as healing from disease and harm, while the poor and common people miss out. Is that fair? We live in a democracy!¡± the male presenter complained. ¡°What else don¡¯t we know? That¡¯s the question we are trying to shed light on tonight.¡±


    ¡°We admit there is a lot of guesswork involved, but... our dedicated investigators have unearthed a lot of information. War is not confined to this other world, as Kyoto shows. And yet, if the Prince and Princess were not involved, when would we have been told?¡± his fellow presenter added. ¡°So, take a look at this report, which contains information you might find distressing...¡±


    The scene dimmed, revealing the interior of a rather shabby house. There was a woman and a young child sitting there, mosaics over their faces, and a voiceover said that their voices would be disguised for their safety as well.


    ¡°It all started in July...¡± the woman said, her voice distorted. ¡°My boyfriend... well, he was out of work for a while, and money was tight. But... we were happy enough. But all of a sudden he started to change. He was more concerned with money, and he was out a lot. Sometimes he¡¯d come back injured. I worried that he was getting involved in something illegal, but when I talked to him about it, he always denied it.¡± She continued to explain that she then thought he was having an affair, but he again denied it. After that, he started to change even more, and became violent.


    ¡°He¡¯d hit me, frustrated. Just a casual slap here and there, but it felt like I was being struck by a boxer. I had two teeth knocked out, and I had to say I¡¯d fallen down the stairs. I know the nurse didn¡¯t believe me though.¡± She said mournfully. ¡°His mood got worse and worse, and I was convinced he was dealing drugs or in a gang, and the stress was getting to him. I saw him in the shower once, and his back was covered with deep knife wounds, by the looks of it. When I saw that, he hit me again, shouting I shouldn¡¯t be spying on him.¡± Even through the voice distortion her bitter emotions were clear. ¡°Strangely though, a few days later, the wounds, which looked so serious, were starting to heal a lot. The situation was horrible, but...¡± she swallowed. ¡°... I then found a holdall of money. Our child had found it under the stairs and was playing with it. There must have been well over a million Pounds in it. I thought it was counterfeit, but I took one note to the bank just to make sure and... it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I asked him when he came back about the money and... he went mad. He said he needed that to establish his home base, and that even now he was lucky, and had the power of a God, he was still looked down on, helpless, because he was poor. So this money was his due, the world and the rich owed him. He then...¡± she shuddered. ¡°He was berserk. I suffered a broken arm, multiple fractured ribs... but he looked at our child, angry that the money was found, and... I called the police, desperately. I didn¡¯t want to. We were happy before. But he¡¯d changed. Gone mad... I then passed out...¡±


    ¡°What happened next defied belief...¡± the voiceover sounded, and some grainy footage from a neighbour¡¯s doorbell camera was played. It showed the police turning up, but with them was an unmarked black van which parked up along the street, and several people, clearly military, got out carrying long, wrapped bundles. They moved off-camera, and the police knocked down the door with a battering ram, only for one to be sent flying. Then there were some flashes of light, and liquid could be seen scattering. A man dragged himself out, his face twisted, and several more police were beaten down, before blood erupted from his chest, as though he was shot by something high calibre. He fell, even then not dead, before more gunshots, and he was still. After that, the two men returned on-camera, one holding a sniper rifle over one shoulder, while the other was carrying a body-bag. As the man was being taken away, the injured police and the woman and child were being ferried to an ambulance, and the footage ended.


    ¡°My boyfriend... by the time I was out of hospital, the house had been cleaned up, but... I found a few strange holes that had been filled in, the walls and floor had been replastered and re-laid. Our neighbours had changed as well, suddenly moving away... I knew then he was gone. Then I read in the paper that a number of ATM¡¯s nearby had been raided, their contents stolen... it all made sense.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling us your harrowing story. Your bravery is appreciated.¡± The female presenter said, before addressing the camera. ¡°She has been resettled to another town, ostensibly to prevent her violent ex-partner from contacting her, but as you can see, he is surely dead, and the cover-up goes deep, even to relocating nosy neighbours. This act is clearly illegal under British law. Yes, he was attacking policemen, but the soldiers, for that must be what they were, were present even as the initial response arrived, and armed with military-grade equipment, clearly expecting to use lethal force.¡±


    ¡°When we asked the Government for a response, we did not receive one. But they failed in checking for such a camera, and due to that mistake we were able to obtain this footage. Our guest, do you have anything to say about this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to watch. But... it¡¯s not the only Gods¡¯ Chosen who has been dealt with.¡± He admitted, to gasps that seemed rather manufactured from the reporters.


    ¡°Do you admit to being involved?¡± the female one pressed him.


    ¡°Not personally, but I know those who were. It¡¯s happened a number of times. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I think that the Government has mishandled things, but... as we¡¯ve discussed, ordinary police have little ability to handle Gods¡¯ Chosen, and those that would use their powers to enrich themselves at the expense of others... they can¡¯t exactly go to an ordinary prison, can they?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean they deserve death!¡± the male presenter disagreed, and the silhouette nodded.


    ¡°I know. I have a lot of issues with the way that we have been handling things. It¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving. But I can¡¯t lie and say that rogue Gods¡¯ Chosen aren¡¯t a danger to the public. If you look at the damage mass-shootings in America cause, I can only say I¡¯d be able to do worse, even without a gun. With speed and strength, in a crowd an awful lot of people could be killed, like stamping on ants...¡±


    ¡°There you have it. These hidden timebombs, kept from the public... we still don¡¯t know how many there are, or whether there will be more. Your friend, neighbour, co-worker, it could be anyone. And not everyone will be a good person. Imagine a drug lord, a murderer, a terrorist with strength, skill and unknown abilities...¡± the presenters continued to talk, outlining the dangers, until their closing arguments.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s clear the Government has a lot to answer for, and we should be following the lead of other countries in implementing registers, restrictions and more. The other world, and any impending disasters should be made public, and...¡± the woman finished. ¡°...the Gods¡¯ Chosen should disclose precisely what they are doing in that other world, and be accountable to both the laws of the land and the public for any crimes and unjust actions they may have perpetrated!¡±


    1377@ So, is that criminal dead, @1375? It sure seemed that way in the footage, right? We¡¯re not America, we don¡¯t have the death penalty! That¡¯s got to be a crime!


    1378 @ ''E''s passed on! This criminal is no more! He has ceased to be! ''E''s expired and gone to meet ''is maker! ''E''s a stiff! Bereft of life, ''e rests in peace! If the snipers hadn''t bundled him into a body bag e''d be pushing up the daisies! ''Is metabolic processes are now ''istory! ''E''s off ¡®is legs! ''E''s kicked the


    bucket, ''e''s shuffled off ''is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin'' choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX-PERSON! In conclusion, you¡¯ve seen him be shot repeatedly by high calibre rounds @1377, of course he¡¯s damn well dead!


    1379 @ lol at @1378


    1380 @ Well, thumbs up for the Python reference @1378, but... it¡¯s a bit tasteless. We watched someone get killed. Even if he was a wife-beating scumbag, we shouldn¡¯t joke about it.


    Comment deleted by moderation.


    1382 @ Yeah, glad that comment got deleted. There¡¯s gallows humour, and then there¡¯s just being a troll. What a prick. Goes to show though, there¡¯s not too much to be scared of, right? No matter even if they¡¯re as fast as the ¡®you would bar my way¡¯ babe, they aren¡¯t faster than speeding bullets. And even if they were, let¡¯s see them dodge a cruise missile or a MOAB.


    1383 @ youwouldbarmywaymeme.gif youwouldbarmywaymeme.gif youwouldbarmywaymeme.gif


    1384 @ Why is nobody talking about that other non-human girl? The one with the punk hair? She had mean eyes but she was just my type!


    1385 @ well, @1384, she didn¡¯t stand out as much as the others, right? I¡¯ll admit she¡¯s pretty though. Those eyes. A really rare colour, right?


    1386 @ I¡¯m really hoping there¡¯s a Gods¡¯ Chosen that knows Voodoo, get the doll spiking that Akio guy! There¡¯s those of us that are single, and he¡¯s hoarding the wealth!


    1387 @CutiePie19 I think he¡¯s hot. I like to think I¡¯m pretty cute, maybe I¡¯ll join his harem!


    1388 @ Pics then, @CutiePie19, preferably nudes! I¡¯ll check to see if you¡¯re up to standard!


    1389 @KingOfOlympus @CutiePie19, forget about the Japanese loser, come to Zeus and ride the thundercock!


    Comment deleted by moderation.


    1391 @ Glad they banned that liar. If he¡¯s a Gods¡¯ Chosen, whichever God chose him should self-delete in shame. But his second comment was way too far. You okay @CutiePie19? By the way, I know they say that every girl on the net is GIRL, but seriously... if you are even half as cute as any of the women at the press conference, you don¡¯t have to sell yourself short like that, you could find a decent guy easy...


    1392 @ Hey, I¡¯m gay, and I¡¯d totally let that Akio guy love me hard. Those muscles...


    1393 @ Sure, @1392, you do you. It¡¯s the twenty-first century. But I think that those girls with him would beat you up if you made a pass at him.


    1394 @CutiePie19 aww, that¡¯s sweet, @1391. Yeah, I¡¯m cute. Everyone at Uni says so.


    1395 @ChaosEngine Damn it, flirt elsewhere, this isn¡¯t the place for it. Seriously, is everyone here an idiot? Yes, the girls are pretty. Yes, harems are awesome, if you¡¯re a moron. I¡¯d rather have one beautiful girl than a load. His life will be hell...


    1396 @ This guy gets it. He¡¯s not a loser like most of the other commentators, he¡¯s obviously actually dated a real girl, not a 2D one. So @ChaosEngine, what DOES matter?


    1397 @ChaosEngine Setting aside all the troubles, the bad stuff like Mary Stuart, and that criminal who got gunned down Panorama showed, the fact is... magic, dumbasses. We had pretty girls here on Earth, long before now, even if most of you losers only saw them on TV or in your dreams. But now... there¡¯s going to be a lot of nervous scientists, and a lot of businessmen who are sweating. Electricity, silicon chips, hell, even going back to the steam engine. Each one changed everything. We¡¯re witnessing the birth of a new era. Move over internet, a new world-shaking invention is in town.


    1398 @ I¡¯m still more interested in the cute girls!


    1399 @ @ChaosEngine, yeah, but it¡¯s not like we can learn, is it? The golden tickets have been handed out by Willy Wonka already, and we fell short. From everything we know, there aren¡¯t many Gods¡¯ Chosen at all.


    1400 @ChaosEngine Think about it. @1366 is right. The Prince... he¡¯s the key. It seems that it can be taught. Even if not, well, do you know how to build a computer from scratch? And for all you tech-heads, I mean making the chips, not just fitting them all together. no? But we can all still use them, right? Welcome to the new world...


    1401 @ Who cares about that? I only care about having my way barred!


    Comment deleted by moderation.


    Comment deleted by moderation.


    1404 @AsianTiger Yeah, is everyone else seeing the trouble ahead though? There¡¯s already been days of protest marches in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other major cities. It¡¯s happening abroad too. And... well, I¡¯m Chinese. Hey, I was born here, so don¡¯t give me shit, okay? But... I hear from home that it¡¯s getting seriously scary out there.


    1405 @ Sounds grim, @AsianTiger. Got any more details? Is it to do with Japan?


    1406 @AsianTiger It¡¯s hard to get information out right now. Even our relatives don¡¯t want to say much, but they have their own branch of the CCP set up managing all this. And... if Gods¡¯ Chosen are related to population, well, China has that covered, right?


    1407 @ Chinese girls are hot. Japanese girls too. I want to visit...


    1408 @ Hey, @AsianTiger, @ChaosEngine, what do you think will happen? I¡¯m getting a bit scared. It all sounds fun and exciting, but...


    1409 @ChaosEngine @1408 It¡¯s obvious. A power struggle. And each of these Gods¡¯ Chosen is something to be fought over. I don¡¯t know whether the world is in danger like they said on Panorama, or the Pope said, but I do know this. Humanity has to pull together, or else we might lose our spot as a dominant species. But when have we ever managed that? Even now, we can¡¯t... just look at Panorama. I get why the Government wanted to keep things secret as long as possible...


    1410 @ Himeko-chan, I love you! Ditch him and marry me!


    1411 @ I shall bar-bar your way!


    1412 @ One thing I know is... remind me not to expect intelligent conversation from YouTube comments... though Panorama seemed little better. I think I¡¯ll stick to what was said at this press conference. I believe in the Queen, she¡¯s never steered us wrong so far!


    1413 @ Damn right, @1412, Rule Brittania! And hail to Japan, I guess, if we¡¯re allies in all this. Those people protesting in the streets are all a bunch of left-wing nutjobs anyway. The Gods¡¯ Chosen are a fact, what do they expect, that the Prime Minister and Queen can tell the Gods to piss off, we don¡¯t want any, thank you very much?


    1414 @ In the end, we need to wait for more information. Now Anesidora¡¯s Box... damn, I can¡¯t help but keep rewatching, she¡¯s so fucking hot... is open, we¡¯ll find out more in due time.


    1415 @ I¡¯d love to get in Himeko¡¯s Box...


    1416 @ skirting the line there, @1415. The Mods are roaming these comments. I mean, everyone would, but you can¡¯t just say it...


    1417 @ In the end, we should listen to Shaeula, right? She said give them time, and that we¡¯d all have opportunities? At the end of the day, what¡¯s changed? If you didn¡¯t have money before, then flying on private jets, owning mansions and having massive superyachts was nothing but a magical dream. Now if you don¡¯t have magic you might miss out, but... at least maybe some of us peasants have a shot, right?


    1418 @ That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll listen to Shaeula, @1417. Cuteness is justice, no question. Besides, you¡¯re right. A few guys got shot by the Government. Wasn¡¯t that guy shot on the subway by the cops a few years back? It¡¯s harsh, but... bad stuff happens.


    1419 @ChaosEngine That¡¯s right. Get excited by dreams of a Harem you¡¯ll never have if you want, just keep your minds working. Don¡¯t listen to the media unconditionally. The world has changed. Sit tight, stay calm and prepare. Make sure you have survival supplies in your homes, and it might be a good idea to get in shape.


    1420 @ lol, @ChaosEngine. Good advice. But most of us here are lazy bastards. Getting in some canned food and batteries is one thing, but getting fit... dream on.


    1421 @ Well, we¡¯d better all strap in. A bumpy ride is coming. But shit, if I was one of the looters right now, I¡¯d worry. In fact, it¡¯s just got a whole lot risker being a criminal. Imagine trying to mug someone and they turned out to be a Gods¡¯ Chosen. Lol... I want footage of that...


    1422 @ Does this mean that we¡¯ll be living amongst fairies and other magical creatures? Shit, imagine going to school with cute Faeries, or working a job with orcs...


    1423 @ Monster girl ass, I want monster girl ass! Those Fae look too human!


    1424 @ I¡¯m a Veteran of the British Army. Those of you badmouthing Prince Henry and Princess Eleanor better hope I never find out who you are. This is a war, and the Princess and these others are soldiers. They fight so you lazy, women-obsessed idiots don¡¯t have to. Until you¡¯ve had to fight for your life, take a life for your country and to save a comrade, you can talk shit. But those of us who know... we know...


    1425 @ Scary, @1424. Just ignore the barking dogs though. Those who get it, get it...


    1426 @ So, in the end, these comments can be summed up with five parts ¡®wow cute girl harem¡¯ to one part ¡®maybe useful speculation¡¯ and three parts ¡®foul shit¡¯. So glad I wasted my time on this crap. Not...


    1427 @ ...

 Interlude Six – Families

    Interlude Six ¨C Families


    Sana grimaced as her stepsister let out a happy cry watching the television. Ugh, I really can¡¯t stand her. Though it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t totes get her excitement. It¡¯s amazing, am I right?


    The TV was displaying the press conference again. It was big news, not just because of the strange, impossible thing it represented, which was incredible enough, battles, magic, and supernatural beings, but because Japanese people were involved. Her grimace turned into a smile, putting aside her annoying bitch of a stepsister for a moment. I can hardly believe it. I knew there was a lot of strange stuff going down at dad¡¯s new workplace, but it¡¯s even bigger than I thought. It¡¯s like, crazy, right?


    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome!¡± she squawked, and her voice set Sana¡¯s teeth on edge. Sure, her bitch of a stepsister wasn¡¯t ugly, but she wasn¡¯t half as pretty as she thought she was, just an ordinary highschooler, a year older than Sana. Even so, she was treated way better by her own mom, which made Sana unhappy. She¡¯s only doing it to impress her boyfriend. I mean, how lame is that?


    Despite her distaste for speaking to her stepsister, Sana had to speak up, feeling almost compelled, a good feeling. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s totes hot. No question.¡±


    Her stepsister, Ikeda-san, turned to took at Sana, and her face crumpled up into the usual annoyingly superior, smug expression that Sana utterly loathed. ¡°There¡¯s no point in you getting all excited, Sana-chan. Looking like that, he wouldn¡¯t be interested in you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Sana-chan, Ikeda-san.¡± Sana snapped back, frustrated as usual. ¡°We¡¯re not close.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Her mom called from where she was busy in the kitchen. ¡°She¡¯s your sister, Sana dear. I¡¯ve told you to get along. Call her Aya-chan.¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯d totes rather drink bleach.¡± Sana crossed her arms under her chest, frowning. Mom, I¡¯m your daughter not her... why are you always taking her side? I hate this. Maybe... maybe I should move in with dad after all. He¡¯s going to be moving soon, right? To that fancy new building... and the Shrine has everything... saunas, swimming pool, more...


    ¡°Sana!¡± her mother hissed, coming into the room, angry. ¡°I didn¡¯t raise you to be such a bad child! It¡¯s all your father¡¯s fault. He never had any ambition and was always too soft on you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, mother.¡± The bitch said, smiling maliciously at Sana. ¡°Sana-chan is just going through a phase. Though she has been staying out late a lot more recently. It¡¯s probably... no, I don¡¯t want to say it.¡± Her smile was now a wide smirk, as she toyed idly with her dark brown hair, in a way she thought was cute. I¡¯ve seen real cute, and ya don¡¯t cut it, haughty cow.


    ¡°Why not say it?¡± Sana glared back. ¡°Ya think I¡¯m scared of you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are made-up like a slut, and dressed like that, I bet you¡¯re doing compensated dating.¡± Ikeda-san continued, and Sana felt anger boiling up inside her as she continued. ¡°Why else would you dress like a gyaru tramp? It doesn¡¯t make you any cuter, Sana-chan. And you do seem to have a lot of unexplained money. What else could it be?¡±


    ¡°No, Sana wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Her mother said, and for a brief moment Sana thought she was siding with her for a change, until her next words dashed those faint hopes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, would you? Doing that would ruin your life forever. Though you have been staying out late, saying you¡¯ve been with your father. I do think you should get rid of that makeup and fake tan, Sana. It... doesn¡¯t look good. I feel ashamed to see you next to the studious Aya-chan. Why can¡¯t you be a good, proper girl like her? I know it, it¡¯s your father¡¯s fault. You take after him. I wish you¡¯d be more like your new father and Aya-chan.¡±


    Seeing red, Sana resisted the urge to scream and hit out. Her eyes strayed to the TV, where her dad¡¯s boss was showing off. Oddly, that calmed her down, well, not so much him, but the girls with him. Taking a deep breath, ignoring the gleam in Ikeda-san¡¯s eyes, as she was expecting Sana to lose her temper and thus be in the wrong, Sana managed a smile of her own, though it was rather brittle. Not this time, high and mighty bitch. You think you¡¯re so special, but I know special. You¡¯re totes not it.


    ¡°Mom, ya¡¯d take her side over me? I¡¯m your daughter, that¡¯s lame and so unfair.¡± she said calmly.


    ¡°Well, Aya-chan is my daughter too, and your sister. I don¡¯t want to be disappointed in you all the time but it¡¯s hard. But you didn¡¯t answer my question. Just what have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my sister!¡± she snapped back reflexively. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already told ya, I¡¯ve been spending time with dad and at his workplace.¡± Sana said, tossing her head, offended.


    ¡°Oh really? I bet he¡¯s just covering for you.¡± Ikeda-san scoffed. ¡°After all, you¡¯ve always said he was a loser without ambition, not like my dad. Why would you want to hang around his loser workplace? Ugh, why are we even talking about this?¡± she turned back to the TV. ¡°Those girls are gorgeous. I wish I was like them.¡± She turned back to Sana. ¡°None of them are dressed up like a tramp, Sana-chan, why don¡¯t you learn from them? Maybe you can reach my level if you try. Well, for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Dad was a loser.¡± Sana admitted. ¡°I was embarrassed by him, ashamed of him. But he¡¯s totes trying to act his age and get a real job.¡± She defended him, enjoying her superiority. It was then she shuddered, remembering. That rich girl Hinata-chan was scary, and I¡¯ve not said a word since, don¡¯t want to get me or dad in trouble. I¡¯ve kept the secrets, but now there¡¯s no point. Her smile grew superior, and she revelled in the way her calm demeanour was annoying her bitch of a stepsister. You think it¡¯s just those girls on TV? You¡¯re out of the loop. You don¡¯t know anything. ¡°In fact, he¡¯s working for someone very important.¡±


    ¡°Your father doesn¡¯t have that level of drive or luck.¡± Her mom denied. ¡°He¡¯ll never be successful. It would take real magic to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Sana knew she¡¯d won. Damn, this is going to be satisfying. ¡°Well, Aya-chan...¡± she said, nearly choking on that manner of address, trying not to see her mom¡¯s annoying, delighted smile at that. ¡°... so, you like those girls then? They are totes cute, ya feel me? I¡¯d like to get some fashion tips from them. Maybe I will go for a new look.¡±


    Taking the bait, the bitch sneered again. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t give you the time of day, Sana-chan. People like that, important, beautiful people, they don¡¯t hang around with the likes of you. But me... one day I¡¯ll be somebody! I¡¯ve got ambition, more ambition than seedy dates and selling my body in dirty Tokyo bars.¡±


    I¡¯m trying to be good here, but she makes it damn hard to ignore her slanders. And mom¡¯s just letting her talk shit about me again. Yeah, I¡¯m totes moving in with dad when the move happens. Even if he was still a lame loser and an embarrassment, at least he cares about me. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t sell myself, Aya-chan. But if I was, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d make more than ya would. Guys like girls who aren¡¯t stuck-up bitches, ya get it? I doubt they¡¯d even pay a single coin for you.¡± As her mom shouted at her to apologise, and the bitch turned bright red with anger, Sana continued. ¡°Who cares about that though? Ya think you have what it takes to be like those girls? Don¡¯t make me laugh. Ya ain¡¯t nice enough, that¡¯s for sure. Those girls are totes kind and don¡¯t look down on others.¡±


    ¡°How the hell would you know?¡± her stepsister snarled, angry at being called out. It¡¯s called a taste of your own medicine, bitch. ¡°You think you¡¯re so popular and know it all, don¡¯t you? Well, like father, like daughter. You¡¯ll be lucky to work in a dead-end job when you¡¯re not young and interesting to dirty old perverts.¡±


    This is when you step in, mom. This is the worst row we¡¯ve ever had. No? Well, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn ya... be happy with her as your daughter and him as your husband. I¡¯m done... Since her mom only stood in silence, unwilling to criticise the bitch even after all her insults, Sana decided.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll work with dad. I¡¯m not smart, but it¡¯s getting in on the ground floor.¡± She smirked. ¡°The TV sure is interesting. What do you think they do, actually?¡±


    Thrown off by her calm change of subject, the bitch flapped her lips like a fish, and Sana held in a grin at how stupid she looked. Her mom, happy that the fight had momentarily stopped, spoke up. ¡°Sana, from what they say, it¡¯s all fighting and saving the world, like they saved Prince Henry and Princess Eleanor, right? As a Japanese person, it makes me proud to see our own doing well.¡±


    Maybe you should show me the same respect, mom? Dad too... ugh, no, it¡¯s hard to blame her for splitting up with him, but people change. Dad for the better, mom way totes for the worse. ¡°No way, most of it¡¯s business, ya know. There¡¯s a lot more to it. Ya got to have a lot of staff handling the research. Crazy stuff, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t...¡± she wanted to say it couldn¡¯t happen, but she was unable to lie. Japan was largely safe, serious crimes rare, but young girls were attacked by perverts. It wasn¡¯t unknown.


    ¡°Marika has also made connections. Look.¡± The TV was showing Oshiro-san and Dannan-san, two that Junko had met and had persuaded her to relinquish her little Marika. Now they were famous, celebrities, and apparently the heroes of Britain. ¡°The world will continue to change. What was once hidden is now freely discussed. For fifteen hundred years and more the shrines and temples of Japan guarded these secrets. Now we reap our just reward.¡± He smiled at her look of disbelief.


    ¡°I did it for faith of course. But I believe good work should be rewarded. Fortunately, so does Oshiro-san. He grieved for the fallen, but he saved a number of them. You were there, you know this. And Marika... you said her future would be dim indeed, if she continued to inherit Chairoakitara shrine. Now, being the head of such a shrine will be a noble, prestigious thing. There are many thousands of shrines in Japan, but the number of those that remain true is but a fraction of that, and it has shrunk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Marika to be involved in dangerous things.¡± Junko repeated.


    ¡°Dangerous things come unbidden. Would you rather she faces these alone, or...¡± he pointed to the TV. ¡°... have her under the care of the heroes of Britain? They know how to fight and to win, and how to make others stronger. More to the point, they have compassion for others.¡± He pointed out, and Junko had to admit that was true. Even in Kyoto, she had seen Oshiro-san was devastated by the losses yet in the end he didn¡¯t give up and let it break him.


    Before she could answer, her oldest daughter came out, hurrying over. ¡°Mother, that¡¯s Oshiro-san, right, right?¡± she said excitedly. ¡°I know his sister, he used to live here in town!¡±


    I know he did. Looking at her wide-eyed daughter, she sighed softly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. His sister and her friends visit the shrine a lot.¡±


    ¡°Marika-chan is with him in Tokyo, right? I wanted to go to school in the big city...¡± she puffed out her cheeks in a pout, and Junko snatched her up in a hug, making her giggle.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let all my daughters go, can I? I¡¯d be lonely. Besides, I never wanted Marika to go... she¡¯s too young.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± her middle daughter asked, eyes still glued to the TV, sighing in wonder. It¡¯s the young who don¡¯t realise what this means. The chaos, the danger, the end of all we know. They didn¡¯t see the protests or the escalating riots, the dangers of criminals misusing such mystical powers. Wars. All they see is the excitement, like one of their storybooks or cartoons.


    ¡°She gets to play around with heroes!¡± her daughter continued, giggling. ¡°I wonder, do you think Marika-chan might be on TV too? I wish I was... then everyone at school would be so jealous.¡±


    ¡°Hey, when Oshiro-chan comes to the shrine next, we should go speak to her. Her brother is special, she is too, right?¡± her oldest asked, and the middle sister nodded enthusiastically, still gripped by the footage, which was now Dannan-san running faster than a car, leaping tall walls.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! We can ask her how Marika-chan is doing, and... maybe she can show us some more magic? Seeing her burn up that desk was crazy. But that¡¯s nothing compared to her brother.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you getting involved.¡± Junko protested. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game. People... people have died.¡±


    ¡°Marika-chan¡¯s fine though, right? She texts and calls a lot, and even writes letters. Who even writes nowadays?¡± her middle daughter laughed.


    ¡°Yes, but she could have been killed, if she put a foot wrong.¡± Junko refused to back down.


    ¡°But she wasn¡¯t, was she, daughter-in-law?¡± her father-in-law said. ¡°Accidents can happen. Even crossing the road is dangerous. I don¡¯t expect to make a point that the dangers are the same, but... Junko, it¡¯s time you took an interest in the shrine. If you read the records, the old wisdom... even if you don¡¯t approve of Marika¡¯s choice, you can understand it. As for the others...¡± he smiled at his other two granddaughters. ¡°Would you like me to speak to Oshiro-san for you? She might be able to teach you a little. Though she does not come to the shrine so much anymore. I believe her strength is now beyond that.¡±


    ¡°You would? Awesome!¡± her middle daughter clapped happily, while the oldest nodded, brown eyes sparkling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± Junko began, before trailing off. Father-in-law is right. It pains me to admit it, but burying my head in the sand won¡¯t make it go away. We¡¯re lucky there¡¯s been no trouble here in Nishimorioka, probably because the town is close-knit and the Oshiro¡¯s are well known here. ¡°... no. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± At that her daughters were surprised, her middle daughter even looking away from the TV for a moment. Meeting their eyes, she spoke, deadly serious. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, or a fun story. You aren¡¯t going to be playing around, wielding magic like Oshiro-san. No. This is just ... I want my daughters to be safe. And... I honestly don¡¯t know how now.¡± Memories of the horrors of Kyoto came flooding back, the wailing relatives of the dead sons and daughters of the shrine. If that was my Marika lying there, cold and bloody... I¡¯d have tried to kill him. Whether his fault or not... he took her away. Yes, father-in-law is right. Marika has advantages, much as I hate to admit it. As a genuine shrine maiden, now with gifts, her future is secure. She can go far. But... the danger matches the gain. Perhaps exceeds it...


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯ll be fine. We won¡¯t do anything dangerous.¡± Her eldest said, and father-in-law spoke.


    ¡°I insist you learn about Chairoakitara shrine.¡± He said firmly. ¡°I know you found it boring and foolish before, but...what if you could meet our kami? Marika could, when she returns. And she has met other kami, in the flesh. Besides...¡± he grinned. ¡°Aren¡¯t hakama cute?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah.¡± Her middle daughter said, pouting. ¡°But all the dancing and the ceremonies are boring... wait, are they?¡± she realised it, and Junko held in a sigh. ¡°No, I bet the old ceremonies have something to do with the magic, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind putting in a word with Oshiro-san, and helping you learn the ceremonies. But you two have to promise me that you¡¯ll treat them with respect, and give it your all, as Marika would. That¡¯s why she was chosen to travel to Tokyo. She believed and was rewarded.¡±


    ¡°We promise.¡± They chorused, and began to watch the TV again, chattering about Oshiro-san and their own prospects, what they¡¯d like to be able to do in the future.


    ¡°See, Junko?¡± father-in-law said, a warm smile on his face. ¡°I expect that true shrines around Japan will be bombarded with applicants. Shrine maidens are no longer a part-time job to earn a few coins of pocket money. A genuine shrine maiden can command actual power and respect. Not so bad now, our dusty old shrine, is it?¡± and as he laughed, Junko had no answer, which annoyed her.


    ¡°I guess not. But... I wish Marika could come home.¡±


    ¡°She will return during the holidays.¡± He comforted her. ¡°And I dare say you will be shocked by how much she has changed, even from Kyoto. They grow up so fast at that age, and a strong-willed, hard-working girl like Marika will give her all. Be proud of her. Worry for her yes, but trust in him.¡± He pointed at the TV. ¡°After all, he saved the Princess, did he not? He would do the same for Marika, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d better. Because if Marika gets hurt, I swear I¡¯ll never forgive him. I don¡¯t know what I could do in revenge, but I¡¯d find a way...¡± Marika. I still don¡¯t know what possessed me to let you go. I know you¡¯re happy now, but even so... you¡¯re so young. Be well, be safe, and... come home soon. I miss you. Watching the news, which had pushed out almost all other events worldwide, commentary, documentaries, reports and more on an endless loop, she finally released her long sigh. In the end, it¡¯s too late for any protests now. If I took Marika back, and the worst did happen here in Nishimorioka... ugh, what¡¯s the right choice? I just don¡¯t know...

 Interlude Seven – The Waiting Dead

    Interlude Seven ¨C The Waiting Dead


    So boring, nya. I suppose I should be grateful. In the near-silent stillness of the tangled web of spiritual links that made up the Kin Bonding and Restoration skill, the formless spirit that was the slowly rebuilding Ginneka cast out her web of perception. For a while the knotted strands of spiritual energy had shuddered, the trembling affecting the other spirits that were within it, though to a lesser degree.


    Such a battle. Scary, nya. My brother and I were such a fool, to think we could defeat the daughter of that haughty bitch Urakaze. No, the so-called foolish princess was not the fool, we were. It was difficult to perceive anything, since she was a rebuilding spirit, only her core trapped within the skill, a miracle that should not have been possible, but for her ability as the thieving cat. Having momentarily been a possessor of the skill, no half the skill, for it was a skill perfectly distributed across separate beings, when she was slain... Thinking about that still makes me shudder, or it would if I still had a body, nya. Death was grim, I didn¡¯t much care for it... as the skill returned whence it came, her thievery undone, she came along with it, and her brother too.


    The skill was truly worth the theft. Such powerful abilities were sometimes created when bloodlines mixed, differing talents combining in unusual ways. But alas, they had reached too far, and this was the end result. But not the end. Though she still held a little grudge towards the man that had constantly mocked her, knowing when she was drifting into consciousness, listening, that sentiment had faded somewhat over time. At least he knows how to honour his debts, nya. He is rather handsome, perhaps when I finally return, we can have some fun before... a sudden feeing of malice overwhelmed the bond, and her spirit shuddered, quite the interesting feeling. Sorry, but it¡¯s a compliment, nya? Besides, I¡¯ve been watching. You yourself, you seem to take pride in his appeal, no?


    Now that her spiritual presence was being constantly nourished by an ever-growing flow of aether, her moments where she could partially perceive the outside, or her fellow recuperating spirits, had increased in number and duration. Now she could clearly feel the other holder of the bonds, the Kamaitachi princess, for now she resembled one in truth, and she was displeased.


    I had best mind my manners, nya. I don¡¯t want to be killed again the moment I wake up. Any thoughts she had of revenge were long gone from her, as she had felt their strength grow to levels incomparable to when she and her brother had battled them and that insane maid. In fact, watching the battle against the Kijo Matriarch and her forces, Ginneka had felt sick with fright. It was a damn massacre. I¡¯m never going against them, nya. I made a wise decision to help the wanderer. Back then she had only a few moments of clarity, as she and her brother were being starved of aether, unable to recover much, if any, strength.


    Once the dying human had found her way to her by chance, and she had given her a portion of herself, which had almost destroyed her last flickering flames of existence, her dim candle almost extinguished, she found that she had gambled wisely. After that, the flow of aether to me has increased constantly, and I find myself growing stronger rapidly. Soon... soon I can return nya. My brother, he is receiving little, but when I return, I can grovel before them, nya. I can kiss the Kamaitachi¡¯s feet if I must, or offer my body to him, nya... if she had a body she would be licking her lips, forgetting in her impulsiveness her previous apology, and anger surged through the Bonds again, leading to more mental grovelling until the storm passed. Even that was a delight though, as her thoughts were consistently clear enough to consider such matters.


    Sorry, sorry nya! I¡¯m a thieving cat, it¡¯s in my nature to wish to take what others covet. Alas, I¡¯m far too weak to cross you now, nya. In the Hyakki Yagyo?, Shaeula was now her superior, her Number incomparably higher to Ginneka¡¯s erstwhile Ninety, which she shared with Kinneka. I do worry though, nya. Don¡¯t do dangerous things, if you die, or he dies, you both die, and me with you too, nya! Her as well!Fo?ll0w current novE?ls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)


    There was another guest dwelling here now, a human woman. She too was drinking in great quantities of aether, though her development was far slower than Ginneka¡¯s. While she did have a spiritual body, which was slowly being regrown around her core spirit, she was not a being of spirit, like Fae or Yokai, so the burden was far higher. Even so, she would return, barring mischance and the deaths of those that held them trapped within their Bonds. It sure is a strange feeling, having to root for my slayers, nya. Not an unpleasant one though. Submitting to the strong is natural for Yokai, and seeing that arrogant Kitsune humbled and killed was mighty satisfying, nya.


    So many terrible foes, though. That horrible toad, that madwoman channelling a being she could not hope to control. Madness, nya. Against either of those, all brother and I could hope to do would be to flee. But... she had another sense, since part of her had been gifted to the girl, which had saved her life, and led to her bring forgiven, and gaining hope of rebirth. Occasionally their minds touched fleetingly as well and Ginneka could sense what she saw and heard, feel what she felt. The longing from the girl to be able to fight by their sides, face the same terrible foes they fought, was something Ginneka found hard to understand, but due to the connection, the mingling of skill and spirit, it was seeping into her too, and she had boiled with anger as the battle with the so-called Angel had raged on, surprising herself. Not good, nya. Being too bold and curious... well, it did indeed kill this cat. And my brother too.


    As Shaeula¡¯s anger turned away from her, Ginneka relaxed. At that moment, her fellow waiting spirit gained consciousness. It would not last long, but the worst thing about being trapped here, waiting, was the solitude. There had been others, Fae creatures, weaselkin, but their spirits were feeble in comparison to Ginneka¡¯s, or this woman, so they had sucked greedily on the aether and been returned to life, their stays brief, unable to assuage loneliness. But this woman... Even though she is human, she is closer to us, nya. And so very alone, cursed by solitude. Whereas at least I have always had Kinneka, nya.


    ¡°Are you awake, nya?¡± It wasn¡¯t really words exchanged, there were no sounds, merely a sort of spiritual resonance. As she spoke, her self-image solidified, to a bound girl, naked but for some silver fur covering her private areas, tail swinging behind her, ears twitching. Her blue eyes pierced the gloom, though calling it gloom was inaccurate, as this was a place of no light whatsoever, and suddenly her fellow spirit was visible.


    Nya, pretty. She licked her lips, admiring the beauty of the woman before her. She was tall, with a slender figure but was voluptuous, with a shroud of night-black hair dropping to the floor, her red eyes seeming to glow like stars in the pitch darkness. She was bound in the strands of bonds, each shining silver with aether, and it looked rather... erotic.


    ¡°It is you.¡± The mental voice of the woman was weak, but calm and accepting. ¡°How... how long have I been sleeping this time?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not too long, nya. It is very hard for me to judge the time here, but as I am closer to finally being free of this place, I can feel more and more of what they do. Ten days perhaps, nya?¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°I see.¡± The woman nodded solemnly. ¡°They survived then. And changed the Princess of Humans¡¯ fate, it seems.¡± A small smile quirked on her largely expressionless face, and Ginneka purred happily.


    ¡°Yes, we survived. I did worry perhaps they would die, and we with them.¡±


    ¡°We are already dead.¡± The woman said softly, and Ginneka shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sourpuss, a killjoy, nya. Death doesn¡¯t have to be the end. Though it does take a miracle to prevent it. I so wanted this skill...¡± she sighed softly. ¡°In the end, I even gave away my own. Perhaps I can reclaim it from the other girl, but... nya, not likely.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is making it a part of herself.¡± The woman looked up, and suddenly there was something in the darkness, a light overhead reminiscent of the moon. Her blue eyes widening, the cat looked up, grinning.


    ¡°Nya, this is new. Is this your doing?¡± At least it isn¡¯t so boring, nya. It breaks the monotony for a while...


    ¡°No.¡± the woman shook her head, dark tresses swaying. ¡°I have already passed on the Favour of Tsukuyomi. This is perhaps merely a kindness, since we lie deep within Akio, my heir. See...¡± the silver disk showed shadowy images, hard to discern unless one knew what they were looking at, but Ginneka had been watching, so she saw the shadows as the human Princess that was the heart of the recent battle.


    ¡°Nya, no, you¡¯re the foolish one. Your life up to now... though calling it life when we are dead is funny.¡± She sighed, and at a glare from those red eyes opposite her she continued. ¡°Your life has led you to this place. A place of second chances. I will take my second chance, nya. Let it not be said this cat can¡¯t learn. My name might be synonymous with stupid, but I most certainly am not, nya! As for you...¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I thought strength, the right thing, was to honour duty, even at the cost of self-sacrifice. But his words, they echo within me... Sacrifices not only hurt those that make them, but those who love those that make them. I... I thought I was destined to vanish, fade away as if I had never been. To find that fate destroyed... it is a frightening thing.¡±


    ¡°The unknown is always frightening, nya. But in the unknown lies the most fun.¡±


    ¡°I see. I... I cannot give up the mission Tsukuyomi gave me. Even without his Favour, I am still me, still the Diviner. But I am also Matsumuro Tsukiko. A woman. Who has kissed a man.¡± At her cute glare, Ginneka doubled over, laughing.


    ¡°What a thing to get hung up on, nya. Foolish. But, you¡¯ve decided, right?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± She agreed. ¡°I will, as the Diviner, strive to aid Akio, Yukiko and the other Princesses, to save this world. But as Tsukiko, I will also seek my own happiness. I believe... the two can coexist. I¡¯ve seen it.¡± Her face went red. ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, nya! It makes me itch down below, but...¡± she shuddered as the sense of threat came back. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t like me, Kamaitachi. I¡¯ll tow the line, nya. I¡¯m not ungrateful...¡±


    The woman, Tsukiko raised an eyebrow, also feeling some of what Ginneka felt. ¡°Strange. When I...¡± she struggled to speak, but in the end managed it. ¡°... when I think such thoughts, merely in passing, you understand, I do not sense such rejection.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Ginneka laughed. ¡°But enough of that. I have no wish to anger her more. So, you have your path. I have mine. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to earn their trust to restore my brother, the idiot, nya. But there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. Can you help me?¡±


    Tsukiko cocked her head, giving her assent. ¡°When I can touch their thoughts, they think a lot about how things have changed now, that the world will never be the same again, nya. Why? All I can see they did was defeat a powerful enemy and save a woman, nya.¡±


    Tsukiko laughed. ¡°A very... spiritual... perspective. After all, you know nothing of the world other than what you have felt through them. Proof... proof that spiritual beings exist and can walk among us, that abilities which transcend our understanding of the world are possible. No, such chaos as this will bring will change everything.¡± She paused then. ¡°I was wrong again.¡±


    ¡°How so, nya?¡±


    ¡°I had pieced together a rough time of the actions against the Princess of Humans. I had thought it would occur around Christmas. It seems that things changed. Everything changed. I am adrift in a sea of uncertainty. What was Definite, what was Destined... perhaps it might be averted yet.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing, nya? It means that you can win.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does. But it also means I have to work harder to be useful.¡± She looked at the moon, red eyes squinting, and for a moment the shadows shifted, revealing a thin, bedraggled figure, cloaked in matted hair, eyes burning with a ruddy light, fleeing on bloody feet, bare back covered in deep cuts, weeping blood.


    ¡°You see that, nya?¡± Ginneka asked, puzzled, and Tsukiko nodded.


    ¡°I do. It seems that all is not taken from me. I have seen her before, though never so clearly. The Princess of Demons. It seems soon she will be gravely endangered. Yet...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust her, nya. While she seems sad, there¡¯s also a deep darkness in her, nya. She¡¯s like me, I think. Not like you.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Well, is a Demon human? I am not one to make that judgement. But for now...¡± she was starting to fade away, her energy spent. ¡°... do... watch for... me. I am so very... tired. I will... sleep... until.... I.. see you... again.¡±


    With that Ginneka was once more alone, the sleeping spirit lights of her brother and Tsukiko, and the sensations she could feel from Akio, Shaeula and the girl she had gifted part of herself to, all she was left with for company in the darkness. ¡°I see. It would not be so bad to meet again, free from here, nya. But I did enjoy the conversation. The world has changed, nya? The world is always changing. The only constant is, everything ends, nya. But sometimes, and end means a new beginning. Like ours. Perhaps it will be fun to see, nya.¡±


    It won¡¯t be too much longer. I wonder... the mortal world... will I get to see it? I shouldn¡¯t be greedy, I need to persuade them to bring back my brother, nya. But... with her position lost as Ninetieth of the Hyakki Yagyo? Ginneka was at a loose end, rather free. ... Tsukiko is not the only one who will have to find a new path. Though the difference between us is... I know how to have fun, nya!

 Interlude Eight – Prime Minister Abe Riku

    Interlude Eight ¨C Prime Minister Abe Riku


    Abe Riku, the Prime Minister of Japan, clutched at his nose, a faint pain in his eyes barely suppressed by the painkillers he had taken. Not that it¡¯s that unusual, every day has been a series of headaches recently. I suppose I should be grateful a lot of the problems are the good kind, if there can be such a thing...


    Seated in the conference room were four very important figures. Fujiwara-san, Ichijou-san and Takatsukasa-san were all there, the heads of the Three Great Noble Houses. In addition, Takakura-san was here was well, in his dark red suit that seemed to be his trademark. We are only missing the Imperial Family. But then, Princess Mikasa is too busy to attend...


    ¡°So, our all-conquering heroes return tomorrow. They should be in the air now, right?¡± Riku snorted, remembering what his daughter had called them. Like most people, his daughter and wife were glued to the coverage of the events in Britain and the aftermath, even now, getting on for two weeks later.


    ¡°Yes, and we should prepare to welcome them back with the respect and honour they deserve. Even if they might not thank us for it.¡± Fujiwara-san said softly. ¡°Public opinion is... mixed. Though we are fortunate that most of the ire of the public is focussed on China. There are other problematic movements mixed in, but... we can deal with those in due time. A display of patriotism can only help us.¡± Fujiwara-san was looking remarkably bright and healthy, even his skin less wrinkled, and his hair had regained some lustre.


    ¡°Yes, we have a diversity of religions here in Japan, but less than two percent are Christian. Thus the religious unrest that is troubling Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa is largely passing us by. There have been some accidents, but we can manage them.¡± Takakura-san, the religious liaison said with a smile, which then faded. ¡°Though not all is rosy, I admit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if we had religious chaos mixed in as well. I don¡¯t envy the British. Not that it will stop us gouging them for our aid, of course.¡± Riku declared. ¡°By the way, you are looking great.¡± he said to Fujiwara-san, following his earlier thoughts, and he was surprised as the normally implacable man looked a little embarrassed.


    ¡°In the end, I was rather forced to get Chirurgery. We had good reasons for refusing, but...¡± he eyed his fellow nobles. ¡°... I think those reasons are no longer valid. In fact, I find myself able to get far more done, and hopefully I will be able to live to see the end of this crisis, and know Japan and the nobility can survive onwards into the uncertain future. You should all suffer the pain too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all very well, but Akio-kun isn¡¯t as generous as he once was.¡± Ichijou-san pointed out. ¡°Although...¡± he grinned happily then. ¡°... we can always make a trade.¡±


    Takatsukasa-san frowned. He had been healed by Oshiro-san, so was aware of both the power and the pain of it. ¡°Giving further concessions seems wasteful. He has already taken so much. Too much.¡±


    I think he¡¯s still sore about what has happened to Takatsukasa house. Well, more fool him. If he can¡¯t see the benefits... Before Riku could speak, Ichijou-san surprised him by speaking up jovially, clapping Takatsukasa-san on the shoulder, despite his bitter look. ¡°Come on, Itsuki. It¡¯s been weeks, you should get over it. It¡¯s not like your blood isn¡¯t inheriting. Hinata-chan is your granddaughter too, just from your daughter not your son. Besides...¡± his smile was wicked. ¡°... there is always the option Hinata-chan mooted. Sakura-chan is always available...¡±


    As Takatsukasa-san¡¯s frown deepened, Ichijou-san continued. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. Akio-kun deeply treasures family and those he likes. So long as you show Hinata-chan fairness and treat her as family, he¡¯ll look after you and Takatsukasa house, and their children will be heirs with your blood flowing in their veins. Me, I¡¯m just fortunate that my Mayumi is such good friends with Hinata-chan. We¡¯re tied together in business too, so... it all works out.¡± He was smug, but Fujiwara-san interrupted.


    ¡°So long as they survive.¡± His words were crisp and cold. ¡°First Kyoto, then London. These battles are fearsomely dangerous. One misstep and death claims them, and we lose some of our most potent defenders. We can hardly be complacent. I worry.¡±


    ¡°I bet you do.¡± Ichijou-san said sympathetically. ¡°After all, your Miyu-chan is one of the Chosen. How is she doing now? Mayumi says she¡¯s blossoming with confidence. Before, Mayumi felt that Miyu-chan was by no means her equal, but it seems her thoughts have changed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miyu has indeed grown more confident. Facing such dangers, even if Oshiro-san strives to minimise them, will toughen up anyone. Miyu is no different. Fortunately, her role is a defensive one, I am told.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t know enough about just what goes on in this Boundary.¡± Takakura-san pointed out. ¡°Though I gather intelligence from those of the faith.¡±


    ¡°Hinata-chan tells my Mayumi about it too. While she¡¯s visited the Boundary and seen this Territory, obviously she was not exposed to any danger.¡± Ichijou-san agreed. ¡°From what Hinata-chan said about Miyu-chan though, her ability is priceless for building a strong Territory. I wonder if it might be better to be stronger in battle, like Akio-kun, however?¡±


    Takatsukasa-san was silent, other than his connection with Hinata-san, his granddaughter, Riku knew he had the least influence on these matters. It must be hard, having the legacy and the status, yet being unable to arrest the slide to irrelevance. If he was wiser, he would rejoice that his granddaughter is on the up, and can rebuild their family. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert at all, but from the information that the Military have gathered on Chosen, as well as Tsumura-san from his daughter, it¡¯s not an either or choice, is it? They can grow stronger. Which is both an opportunity, and a danger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, through training strength can be gained, but I am not sure if training can ever exceed the gifts the kami provide.¡± Takakura-san mused. ¡°I hope to find the answers though. Well, my granddaughters will be taking part in more of this training.¡±


    ¡°If they were to attack any Chosen, the attackers would come off worse.¡± Riku said, but he did understand the dangers. ¡°In addition, we have to decide what to do with our Chinese prisoners. We¡¯ve put it on hold, as they¡¯ve all been cooperative and sat in prison quietly, but... we have to make the decision soon.¡±


    ¡°The problem is, they¡¯re fools. Short-sighted fools.¡± Ichijou-san sighed. ¡°Much as we wish this never happened...¡± he looked at Takatsukasa-san then, who glanced away, a touch ashamed. ¡°... it did. And even if by some miracle all the world did decide to supress the Chosen, who then would stop what comes next? Spiritual beings like Shaeula exist, there¡¯s no ignoring that. And I don¡¯t much fancy trying to survive an apocalypse without those meant to stop it.¡±


    ¡°We have already started preparations on that front.¡± Riku said. ¡°Stockpiling preserved food, clean water, medical supplies, fuel and more.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. The nobility will assist.¡± Ichijou-san agreed. ¡°I suggest we keep major warehouses underground, in the areas Akio-kun and the others control.¡± He looked at Fujiwara-san then with a grin. ¡°Your Miyu-chan gives you an advantage there. She can protect your estate. In fact, she can protect the estates of a number of the nobility, no?¡± he paused, thinking. ¡°Besides, if disaster strikes, Akio-kun and the others would rush to her aid, which is your aid.¡±


    ¡°We are getting off the subject.¡± Fujiwara-san demurred. ¡°I do agree our stockpiles should be located in protected areas. There is a clear link between Territory and safety, though the particulars remain unclear. And with plans to use these earth element wielders to secure and stabilise underground facilities, we can rest assured of maximum safety. But back to the subject at hand. What do we want? Obviously, we desire peace and security.¡± He echoed Riku¡¯s words. ¡°Those of us who lived through the period after the Second World War know the sorrows and the losses of times of turmoil. We can protect little in such terrible times.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not just that though. Faith, art, culture, what makes Japan a unique nation.¡± Ichijou-san agreed. ¡°That means preserving people. Artisans, musicians, artists, craftspeople, more. Nothing further can be lost. Land can be retaken, but certain buildings and locations are priceless parts of our history and heritage. Those must be defended.¡± He paused, smiling at Fujiwara-san. ¡°My Mayumi is no dancer, but your daughters, and also Sakura-san, they perform, do they not? At least that can be preserved.¡±


    ¡°Oshiro-san does find Miyu¡¯s dancing appealing. Despite being young, he does have some appreciation of culture, although... he has more modern sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t all the young nowadays?¡± Riku sighed. ¡°My daughter certainly does. I¡¯m not sure where she got her foul mouth from, but it¡¯s extremely unladylike. I wish she was more graceful like your granddaughters. But no, Japan is not just the old, but the new too. Some aspects might be problematic, but the best of it needs protecting as well.¡±


    ¡°We gather more Chosen, through the Ministry, and clamp down on crimes and troublemakers.¡± Ichijou-san announced. ¡°Suzuki Haru-chan and the others we have gathered have been doing good work, along with the Military Chosen. But we focus most of our efforts into supporting the strongest. And right now, that¡¯s Akio-kun. He has warned us he can¡¯t guarantee he is or will remain the most powerful, but from events in London, he suits our needs.¡±


    ¡°Besides, better the devil we know and can trust.¡± Riku said again. ¡°Even if you find another candidate to support, your granddaughters are already linked with him, and untangling that would be difficult.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even dare to try and take Hinata-chan from him.¡± Ichijou-san scoffed. ¡°I like living too much. I may be old, but I¡¯m still enjoying life. Besides, I want to see my Mayumi marry, and my great-grandchildren. Though finding a man to put up with her selfishness, of a status she won¡¯t look down on...¡±


    ¡°That is why you need the Chirurgery.¡± Fujiwara-san emphasised. ¡°We must live to see the end of this crisis, and Japan¡¯s legacy passed on.¡±


    ¡°I have a suggestion.¡± Takakura-san said, drawing all eyes. ¡°This charity concert, to raise funds for the victims of Kyoto. Why not... expand it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how so?¡± Riku asked, interested.


    ¡°Involve the faith, since the public doesn¡¯t understand what is involved. And also Oshiro-san and his group, since they are the news in the public eye. We show the public that we are not afraid of scrutiny, though obviously we are not publicising the abilities and purpose of those Chosen by the Gods. We also win over the young. As the Prime Minister pointed out...¡± he nodded at Riku, acknowledging his truths. ¡°... preserving the new Japan as well as the old is vital, and that means appealing to the culture of the youth. Idols, games, these comics. All are tools we need to use. As for the older generation, what matters is security, stability, tradition. Both camps can be served. After all, new jobs will be created in preparing and reacting to the changing world.¡±


    ¡°A good idea.¡± Riku approved. ¡°I trust you can handle the preparations?¡±


    Takakura-san agreed. ¡°I have connections, though I will also require Ministry support.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that is settled, what else do we need to discuss?¡± Riku said, and as the meeting turned to other matters, he held in a sigh. Things are only going to get more difficult from here. Yes, we hold the advantage we are more organised and are starting preparations early, but... just how does one prepare for the potential end of the world?

 Arc 9 – Seeking Growth – Chapter Three Hundred And Seventy Seven

    Arc 9 ¨C Seeking Growth ¨C Chapter Three Hundred And Seventy Seven


    ¡°So, this is farewell then.¡± Princess Eleanor said, a tired smile on her face. She was wearing a turtleneck jumper in green, and a pair of blue jeans, looking very casual with her brown hair pulled in a ponytail over one shoulder. She held out a hand to me, and I took it, giving it a shake.


    ¡°For now, yes.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though if all goes well, we¡¯ll see each other soon.¡±


    Eleanor looked over my shoulder, to where Hyacinth was standing, wearing her modest maid uniform, more comfortable in that than the ordinary clothing she had been wearing during our stay in Britain. ¡°It depends on her, right? I hope you can succeed, Hyacinth.¡±


    Hyacinth met her gaze, violet eyes to blue. ¡°You dooo not need to tell me that. I will succeed for Akio¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°I see. You still haven¡¯t forgiven me for my rudeness yet, have you?¡± Eleanor smiled, a touch of melancholy in her eyes.


    ¡°That is not true. Yooou were a fool, but now you knooow better. I simply will dooo what I must for him. Hooope is not a concern, I will make it happen!¡±


    Before Eleanor could answer, a harsh voice spoke up. ¡°There¡¯s no point arguing with her, Princess. She¡¯s clearly crazy. If I was being charitable I¡¯d say crazy for him, but crazy nonetheless.¡± David laughed then. ¡°You better do it quick, maid girl. I can¡¯t wait for my rematch with your guy here. This time I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°No way, Aki will pulverise you. I have to admire your guts though.¡± Shiro mocked him, though there was no malice intended. She took my left arm, pressing it to her chest. ¡°The other two didn¡¯t come then?¡± Shiro changed the subject, looking around.


    ¡°No.¡± the old man, Sir Arthur, spoke up. ¡°Mrs Mary-Jane and Miss Aditi are still in recovery. I have to thank you all though.¡± he bowed, his every movement refined. ¡°At least with your help, they will live, and they have hope of some recovery, even if not to the heights of their power before this tragedy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. They fought to the end for you. I hate seeing loyalty unrewarded. And speaking of such...¡± I paused, unsure of precisely how to say it, before deciding just to go for it. ¡°... what¡¯s going to happen to them in the end? You know you can¡¯t leave things as they are. It¡¯s too risky, for a number of reasons. Besides, there are advantages to a tough approach...¡± I trailed off uncomfortably, as I was talking about her erstwhile friends and colleagues.


    Eleanor nodded, while David looked down, his expression unreadable. ¡°Damn stupid redhead...¡± he muttered. ¡°This wasn¡¯t the way it was supposed to end.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eleanor clapped David on the shoulder, her own feelings complicated. ¡°It isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t understand your concerns. In addition... we do owe you a great reward. Though I think... I am giving you rather too much. More than I should. I just hope that those of Royal blood before me can forgive me.¡±


    It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m asking you to give us the Grail. Although I do understand your duty... Keeping silent was the best course of action, so I waited for her to finish. While I did so, Chen Na was rapidly boarding our private jet that had flown over from Japan several days go, not wanting to listen to a situation that paralleled her own. ¡°I am a woman of my word. Not just as a Princess, but...¡± she said resolutely after the pause. ¡°... as a woman. I thank you again. All of you. You especially.¡± She nodded to the grinning Shaeula.


    ¡°Think nothing of it. I do greatly despise those who would-would attack an unwilling female. Males should triumph over females with their own strengths and charms like Akio does, not-not rely on cowardly tricks.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. I have to admit that I respect your guy, since he¡¯s managed to tame you.¡± David teased her, grinning at the cold look her amber eyes gave him. ¡°Pass on my regards to the martial arts girls, and tell them I hope to see them soon, especially my fan. Must make you burn with jealousy to know she¡¯s into me, right?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± I scoffed, giving David a fist bump as a farewell, before shaking hands with Sir Arthur. ¡°Into you? In your dreams. Natsumi is my precious fiance?e, and if you try and mess with her, I¡¯ll paint your Octagon with your blood.¡± My smile robbed the words of their sting.


    ¡°Damn man, I was only messing with you. David Reckless isn¡¯t a woman stealer. Seriously though, it¡¯s not often you see such delicate girls into martial arts, so of course I¡¯m eager to see how far they can go.¡± He turned to Hyacinth then. ¡°So, I¡¯ll not wish you luck, you said it yourself, crazy maid, you¡¯ll get it done for him, the lucky bastard.¡± He nodded at me. ¡°But make it soon. I¡¯m itching to reach a new level of strength. I may no longer be the King of the Octagon, but hell, maybe one day we¡¯ll be doing Gods¡¯ Chosen combat sports. And by then, I want to be King again.¡±


    ¡°David...¡± Eleanor warned him, but he waved her off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve gone nine rounds with him in the ring, and I¡¯ve watched him beat down that bitch Mary Stuart. I know his character. He¡¯s a man who wants to be stronger himself.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s only going to get worse before it gets better. But... we have a path forward, if everything works out.¡± I answered him honestly.


    ¡°I tooold you, my name is Hyacinth.¡± she pouted, and David laughed.


    ¡°Maybe so, but you are pretty crazy, right? I know it when I see it.¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I hardly ever get the urge to strangle sooomeone to death nowadays. Though my fingers are itching a little nooow...¡± she pouted, hands twitching, only making David laugh harder.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a bit crazy.¡± He said. ¡°Better crazy and honourable, than a traitor.¡± He was melancholic again all of a sudden, and I felt a bit sorry for him. ¡°But I do want to see this Territory you¡¯re so proud of, and help the Princess get back on her feet. That stupid bitch, telling us everything we¡¯ve done was worthless, wasted effort... shit.¡±


    ¡°Do calm yourself, David.¡± Eleanor said, clapping his shoulder again, and I smiled, thinking it was a little like disciplining an unruly dog. ¡°Hyacinth, I have every faith in you. And I confess, it would be reassuring to have our lands linked. Before, it would have been impossible, but if not for your aid... I am bad at trusting people.¡± She confessed. ¡°I¡¯m not as smart as grandmother. I guess I take after Henry and Richard after all.¡± she snorted in self-deprecation. ¡±Henry is sorry he can¡¯t be here to see you off, but we have a lot of matters to attend to as a family, I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±


    I do. The situation in Britain is far more intense than in Japan. There¡¯ve been some awful riots, even the Pope¡¯s message of peace hasn¡¯t exactly calmed things down. ¡°I get it, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just glad he made a full recovery.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s even more energetic than normal. He is driving poor Melissa mad. I...¡± Eleanor flushed. ¡°I apologise for her. She feels rather strongly on some issues.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, didn¡¯t you as well, Princess?¡± David said unhelpfully, smirking, and she pouted, embarrassed.


    ¡°I did. And I apologised!¡± She said, shaking her head. ¡°I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s exactly normal, but...¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re all happy. Every one of us. So it¡¯s nobody¡¯s damn business but ours.¡± Shiro said. Shaeula had joined her on my other side, clutching my other arm, her smile knowing.


    ¡°True. Though if she should ever bully or mistreat you, I extend the same offer as I did to the other girls.¡± Eleanor held her pride together. ¡°Call me, and I will help you in whatever way I can.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re consistent.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Seriously, if I ever do hurt them, I¡¯ll be more than happy for you to punish me. As for Melissa... I hope she comes around some day. But if not... we¡¯ll still be happy, in our own way.¡±


    ¡°Noble sentiments.¡± Sir Arthur agreed. ¡°We should wrap this up, Princess. Our guests have a long flight ahead of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suppose they do.¡± She nodded. ¡°So, we will see you soon. And at the New Year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not decided yet.¡± I demurred, but she pressed onwards.


    ¡°Daiyu. That¡¯s the Chinese girl, right?¡± Jack mused. We had of course talked about my other girls during our stay in Britain, to prevent any more shocks. ¡°She¡¯s lost her family and her home, so if you are going to take responsibility for her, you need to be reliable!¡±


    ¡°You sound like father.¡± I snorted, to which Jack shook his head. I continued. ¡°I know that. Daiyu is a little complicated, but for some reason she genuinely seems to like me, and it¡¯s hard to knock her enthusiasm for Cultivation. If we could be sure Dual Cultivation was safe I¡¯d give it a try. But... well, it all comes down to what we plan next.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there is the issue of Asha, is there not-not?¡± Shaeula was also red, supressing her Ether Healing to allow a happy state of drunkenness. Grulgor had drank several bottles and was listening patiently, and even Chen Na was looking more relaxed, though she was still apart from us, due to her status as a criminal, and effectively Haru-san¡¯s slave.


    Asha. Yeah, it¡¯s a bit of a thorny issue. But it was already settled by my past actions, now all that remains is to accept it. ¡°I realise now it was too late when I saved her and she kissed me. And honestly, there¡¯s nothing to dislike about Asha. She¡¯s very pretty, and has a motherly sort of charm, despite not looking more than my age.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the chest.¡± Shiro laughed, looking at Shaeula with a triumphant grin. ¡°Us busty girls have a mother or big sister vibe. Aki digs that.¡±


    ¡°I shall have you know-know that Akio is very fond of petite girls as well.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°Does he not-not look kindly on me, and ravish me at every opportunity?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that, granddaughter-in-law.¡± Jack said, embarrassed, and Shaeula snorted.


    ¡°It is quite-quite natural to assume that a male and a female in love will make love. Pay it no-no mind. Besides me, there is Daiyu. Hinata is perhaps a middle ground between factions?¡±


    Yeah, there¡¯s the Hinata issue as well. If I carry out my plans and she¡¯s the only one left out it won¡¯t be fair. I can see we need a family meeting. As the girls bickered, Hyacinth joining in, asserting that I enjoyed girls with her figure as well, I gathered my thoughts. ¡°Assuming Hyacinth gets the Ring Gate linked properly, so we can move between Tokyo, Kyoto, London and the Spring of Clear Reflections at will, we can give the plan a go.¡±


    ¡°I can dooo it. If I fail, then I will try again. I shall nooot sleep until I succeed!¡± Hyacinth protested.


    ¡°That would just make Aki worry.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°But I get it. You want to be helpful, and it¡¯s a big deal if this works.¡± Her hair suddenly took on a red tinge, her eyes likewise, as Tan, who had been resting for a while, spoke with her voice.


    ¡°I believe it can work. That Cauldron, the False Grail, as the fool from the Ninth Heaven called it, contains an astounding adherence of growth and natural abundance. It is a treasure that would not be out of place in a higher Territory, it would be one I would be happy to possess. Obviously my father has better treasures, but in a world like this, beggars cannot be choosers, unless they wish to starve.¡±


    ¡°That reassures me.¡± I had gone over the plan with Tan, since she had knowledge we didn¡¯t, and since we had all seen the Cauldron ourselves, she felt she could speak of it. I¡¯d also sent a few questions to Yasaka-san regarding it, in confidence of course, and vague enough that he wouldn¡¯t be prying into Eleanor¡¯s secrets. Lastly, I had consulted Shaeula, Hyacinth and even Raidre about Dryads. It was pretty funny just how scared and respectful Raidre is towards Shaeula and Hyacinth now. I guess their strength is not to be laughed at.


    ¡°If it works like you think, then the sky is the limit. Nobody would be able to have a Territory like ours then.¡± Shiro exclaimed. ¡°In that case though, where should I put my new one? Kana has the same issue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be somewhere to maximise Ether Spire advantages, since mine won¡¯t be able to take it all.¡± I said, and she nodded, agreeing. ¡°The issue again is Asha though. I want to be fair to her. I can¡¯t ask her to do this, and take on this role, not when she likes me, if I don¡¯t reciprocate. And like I said, I like her just fine. But I¡¯ve barely spent much time with her, I certainly don¡¯t love her.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth thinks yooou think too much, Akio.¡± She chided me, though I could see it pained her to do so. ¡°You already prooomised to accept her. You will not break your wooord, we all know that. If you spend time with her, yooou will fall for her. Everyone else has accepted it toooooo.¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth is of course correct.¡± Shaeula agreed, her smile wicked. ¡°You saved her and thus you are-are responsible for her forever. Daiyu told you similar, did she not-not? Her land has some interesting sayings. If she did not-not wish for you, then that would be another matter. But she has fallen for you, and you need-need her. I see no issue. Besides... she is a Dryad. She would not-not take up much of your time. Even Eri would not-not see her pine away alone.¡±


    ¡°I know all that. But if I do fall for her, I¡¯d want to treat her like everyone else. I¡¯m not going to visit her Tree occasionally, spend a little time with her and ditch her.¡±


    ¡°Our grandson is very fair.¡± Evelyn approved happily, while Jack had a diplomatic expression. ¡°Once I accepted that you had multiple girlfriends, it doesn¡¯t seem strange anymore. I wonder how many great-grandchildren we can see before we die?¡±


    ¡°You sound like mom. She¡¯s dreaming of a Rugby team of wives, so god knows how many grandkids she wants. Maybe a whole league?¡± I said dryly. ¡°As for death... you¡¯re both still young. And with Chirurgery, healthy too. So stick around a while yet.¡± As the girls agreed with those sentiments, I put aside my misgivings with a sigh. ¡°I suppose thinking of Asha is both premature and also too late. The Ring Gate first.¡±


    ¡°So that aside, lay out the plan. You¡¯ve been working on it for the last few days, right?¡± Shiro pressed, extremely enthusiastic. She does love games, and that¡¯s translated over to being a Chosen well enough. She adores growing her numbers. Who am I kidding? Obviously I do too, as does anyone who can actually see them. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if just quantifying gains is enough to push people onwards, without even the other advantages it offers.


    ¡°We won against Mary Stuart and the toad bastard in Kyoto, but both were too close to the wire for my taste. It¡¯s not over. Mary¡¯s organisation seems large and threatening, and the toad will be back. So we need to strengthen ourselves. It¡¯s time to grind. But not so much for levels. Though of course we¡¯ll still be getting what levels we can.¡±


    ¡°Skills then?¡± Shiro questioned, and I agreed.


    ¡°Definitely. We know how to get more elemental skills, and I also want to improve our combat skills too. I need a style, I¡¯ve put it off too long. I¡¯m thinking of combining Tsumura-style arts with Daiyu¡¯s Cultivation martial arts, and whatever Ulfuric can add to that. Maybe we¡¯ll even get some help from David. After all, he worked out my moves easily enough, even when my speed was outclassing him.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Shiro agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all though. Classes.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Gaining and raising them not only has League benefits, which is only going to be more important as we fight powerful opponents, but there are plenty of stat bonuses and other useful gains. Kami-Blessed and Fae-Bonded, we can do that for everyone, I think. I¡¯ve put off raising it for too long. I also want to experiment. I have a few ideas of other classes that might be possible.¡±


    ¡°I am not-not sure that Kami-Blessed is possible for us.¡± Shaeula sighed, nodding to Hyacinth. ¡°Fae-Bonded is certainly not-not.¡±


    ¡°True, but you have your own classes, and I¡¯ve been watching them level for a while now. I think I¡¯ve grasped the basics. It¡¯s time for a training arc.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Grulgor is excited. Since he mastered water element, Grul has been far stronger. It was a good fight.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s another benefit to the classes. There¡¯s the chance of gaining abilities. I pulled Might of the Furious Earth from Grulgor, and Kin Bonding from you, Shaeula. It¡¯s a long shot, but if the girls are using me as their anchor for the Fae-Bonded class, they might get lucky. Even if they don¡¯t, the League, Charm, Fortune and Majesty are well worth having.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I definitely want to be more charming.¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°Not sure the world could handle a hotter Shirohime though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve called yourself that.¡± I snorted, amused. ¡°Well, we still have a long flight ahead of us, so we might as well brainstorm some further ideas.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Shiro approved. ¡°But first, more booze! We need to let loose! It¡¯s like the last day of a holiday. Come to think of it, it was my first trip abroad. I can¡¯t say it was all that relaxing, but it wasn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should make the most-most of this. Jack, Evelyn, do not-not fear to drink more. Akio or I can cure any hangover, it is quite-quite trivial. Join us!¡±


    As my grandparents were unable to refuse her hospitality, I let out a long breath of relief. The agreements have been made, and everything is in hand. My Eye shone a little, as I watched the spirit lights circling me, two of them rapidly pulling in my plentiful aether, more flooding over from Shaeula. But there¡¯s still more to do. And new dangers could appear from anywhere. Clenching my fist, I resolved that next time we wouldn¡¯t be relying on any luck, merely overwhelming power...

 Chapter Three Hundred And Seventy-Eight

    Chapter Three Hundred And Seventy-Eight


    ¡°Welcome home Akio, everyone.¡± Eri smiled at us as we entered our home at the shrine. The hour was late, but it seemed that she had waited up for us.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to have you all back safely. I was worried.¡± Kana agreed. She was with Eri, holding the handles of her wheelchair, though there was no real need for that as Eri could move herself just fine using the motor.


    ¡°Yes, I am... relieved? Yes, relieved to see you safe.¡± Daiyu said in passable Japanese. ¡°The fight... it was... difficult? Dangerous!¡±


    The last occupant of our home was a surprise, considering the hour, but with a wry smile, Haru-san greeted us too. ¡°Welcome home.¡± She echoed Eri. ¡°Not that I had any doubts you¡¯d succeed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡± I said with a laugh. Grulgor had already headed to his own residence at the training school, and Chen Na was being flown back to Kyoto, so it was just me, Shiro, Hyacinth and Shaeula now. ¡°I missed you all.¡±


    ¡°What, me too?¡± Haru-san said, surprised, and I nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing sinister. We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we, Haru-san?¡±


    There was a long pause before she nodded. ¡°I suppose so. Yes, I guess we are.¡± She seemed a little surprised at that, perhaps thinking her status as my Chosen Hero made her more of a co-worker or servant, but I certainly considered her a friend, we¡¯d been through a lot together.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done flirting with Haru-chan...¡± Kana grinned, a touch sourly, I thought. ¡°... then why not come in and sit down. Are you hungry? I¡¯m not exactly a great cook, but I can throw something together.¡±


    ¡°That would be most-most pleasing.¡± Shaeula grinned, slurring her words a little, as she had emptied a number of bottles of potent booze during the flight. ¡°I could certainly eat and drink some more-more.¡± She wobbled a little as she walked, her suppressed Ether Healing allowing her to get drunk, though any ordinary person without her stats having drank so much would certainly be unconscious from alcohol poisoning right now.


    ¡°I will help yooou!¡± Hyacinth began, but Kana shook her head.


    ¡°Not today. You¡¯ve just got back, saviours of Britain...¡± her lips quirked, amused, as she said the title that the British tabloid press was giving us. ¡°... so let us pamper you. Besides, I have to show off my charm points as a girlfriend. Cooking a meal for a boyfriend is textbook. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not terribly confident it¡¯ll taste great though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± I managed, while Shaeula carried the conversation forwards, showing off the gleaming golden ring on her finger. On seeing that, Eri¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a new engagement ring, is it?¡± she asked, and Shaeula held her words teasingly for a second, before finally shaking her head.


    ¡°No, it is not-not. Though it is a gift Akio won for me, certainly. It is spoils of war-war. A powerful ring that blesses one with great Fortune. I have this too...¡± She flourished the old sword she had taken from the Tower, the Material version of Mortal Fragarach. We had the physical forms refurbished a little, though there were limits to what we could do, as we had no wish to damage their spiritual properties, but with just that, Shiro¡¯s mantle, my boots and Shaeula¡¯s sword had been made presentable. Hyacinth¡¯s cauldron too, though it still looks ominous. It¡¯s a good job we flew a private plane, getting a sword through customs might have been a challenge...


    As Shaeula talked at length about her sword, Shiro rolled her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just sit down. It was fun going on a trip with everyone, but now I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m a fragile girl, right Aki? If it was me from before, I¡¯d have dropped dead.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the new, improved Shiro is made of sterner stuff.¡± I laughed as we all sat in the living room, except for Kana, who was preparing a simple meal. She pulled over a crate of beer and dropped it beside Shaeula, who took several cans, opening them for us.


    ¡°You can¡¯t improve perfection.¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°Anyway, I can see jealousy in your eyes, Eri, Daiyu. No need to worry though, Aki here made a deal that every woman he likes can get a treasure. Oh, you too Haru.¡± Before Haru-san could react to that, Shiro pulled out her own cloth-of-gold treasure, grinning. ¡°I got the jackpot though. Shaeula might be happy with her sword, but I got the treasure that shows I¡¯m a faithful woman to Aki. Too bad, Eri.¡±


    Eri¡¯s dark eyes flashed, but she didn¡¯t rise to the bait. ¡°I¡¯m glad for you, Shiro. But I don¡¯t need that to prove anything. Akio knows I would rather die than betray him.¡±


    ¡°Uh, the atmosphere here is a bit heavy, I feel out of place, I should just disappear into the air, like a ghost.¡± Haru-san said, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. The treasures are great, but not the most important point. So, while they bicker, how¡¯s the Territory construction going?¡±


    Haru-san glanced at Shiro, before producing a report, which I scanned. ¡°I see. The time flow is back to the usual variance of between two and three times what it is here on the Material again. The calm is over. But without Shiro¡¯s buffs we still end up pulling in less than with them, even with the time dilation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, so we are a little behind schedule.¡± Haru-san admitted, but I waved that apology away, knowing it couldn¡¯t be helped, as saving Eleanor was more important than a little lost time.


    ¡°Yes, the Rhyming Tree and Shiro combination is obscene. The bright side is, now the calm has passed, it¡¯ll only make us much more ether than before.¡± And of the plan works as I think it does... ¡°So, you¡¯ve managed to upgrade three more Ether Spires to Rank 3, I suppose even without buffs, our combined Territory still generates a decent amount.¡± When the Spires in Haru-san¡¯s Territory were all Rank 3, it would be time for the horrific cost of upgrading all my Ether Spires to Rank 4, with a total cost of each one when rush-built of a bit under two million ether. One point eight seven five million, if one wanted to be exact. Our only blessing is, thanks to the calm ending, we can do it at a feasible speed.


    There was also a report on my build queues. It was something I could check myself easily enough, but Haru-san was as efficient as ever, her previous skills as a Ministerial Secretary only further strengthened by her stats. Apparently, Miyu had been training her dancing as well, which had a positive effect on the Buildings being upgraded as always.


    Now we had the Ether Density Anchor Spire Rank 2 at just under sixty-one days


    Ether Spire Anchor Spire Rank 2 at the same.


    Ether Spire Rank 4 at one hundred and seventy days.


    While the Treasury Rank 3 was now nearly complete at just under three days to go.


    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s... relaxing, having a normal relationship.¡± I admitted. ¡°Fortunately, your situation isn¡¯t as difficult as Hinata¡¯s. You don¡¯t have the level cap to worry about. But we¡¯ll work something out. Just because we know that the Fae-Bonded class can be gained through lovemaking, doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t other ways. Initially, I got mine from Shaeula, and we definitely weren¡¯t lovers then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed not-not.¡± Shaeula snickered. ¡°You had just-just attempted to kill me, as I had you. I merely surrendered because I was a shameless coward, my boasts of facing death rather than-than dishonour mere empty trifles. Of course, I would not-not have it any other way. My choice was the root of so much joy, even if built on shameful foundations.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t I get that class? It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t been making love, is it?¡± Shiro said, completely unbothered by the admission.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I have my ideas though. That¡¯s another good avenue to test. I suspect it¡¯s because you don¡¯t have as deep a connection to the Fae as the others, as your chakra network is different. It might also be because you lack elements, though that¡¯s a bit more of a long shot. It¡¯s not like Eri, Motoko and Natsumi were wielding many themselves. Lastly, it might have to do with Tan. I am definitely hoping there are non-sexual ways to grant the class though, either through me or Shaeula, as I want Aiko to have it as well, and you too, Haru-san.¡±


    ¡°Kami-Blessed sounds easier though...¡± Kana changed the subject, having said her piece earlier. ¡°We can do a tour of the Boundary Tokyo and Kyoto, asking the kami to bless us all. I doubt anything in Tokyo can threaten us now, and Kyoto is mostly under your control now, right Haru-chan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have it in hand.¡± She agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯d have to find the root kami for each person though. It either has to be their home shrine, or one relating to the core of their being, right? So for Motoko and Natsumi, some sort of martial shrine or temple?¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°You just leave that to me.¡± Kana grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll get my dad and grandfather to put in some work. The list of true shrines can be sorted through. There might be some travel involved, but for growing stronger, we can do it.¡±


    ¡°Get Karen-chan and the others to help. As for elemental abilities and mutated elements... the spirit water has to go to Daiyu.¡± I said warmly. ¡°Shaeula and I will convert all our water element the Territory has accumulated to it, and if Daiyu can master the Spiritually Pure Physique, we can then think about gifting others with the remainder.¡±


    ¡°I am most grateful.¡± Daiyu said, still close to me. ¡°As for... other matters. We could... Cultivate together?¡± she said shyly, and I nodded, feeling my own face flush a little.


    ¡°I want to make sure it won¡¯t have any side effects on either your growth or mine, but... yes, I am curious to see just what strength it can bring us. It¡¯s not something we can share with others though.¡±


    Daiyu shook her head. ¡°Those who wish to follow the teachings of the Incorruptible Jade, I would be happy to teach.¡± She looked at everyone seriously, while I translated. ¡°At least you all know your own Dao Companion already.¡± Her smile was surprising, like a blooming orchid, and Shiro laughed that she was surprisingly girly, despite her stoic exterior.


    ¡°All right. Lastly... and I apologise in advance...¡± I looked at everyone. ¡°Ether Healing. It¡¯s going to be brutal, but I want everyone to have it at least to Rank 6. It offers too much safety to not have it. And at that point, even without some sort of mystic vision, everyone can function as a decent combat medic. Those who do have such eyes...¡± I looked at Kana, who gave me another victory sign. ¡°... Chirurgery as well.¡±


    ¡°Aiko-chan will be jealous.¡± Kana smirked. ¡°I would like some help on how to train my vision though. Some personal tutoring perhaps?¡± she pushed her arms close together, emphasising her chest in the t-shirt she was wearing, fluttering her eyelashes at me, flirting. Shaeula snorted, saying she would teach her, to which Eri approved, and Kana pouted, though we all knew it was just banter.


    ¡°Obviously I¡¯ll go over everything in detail in the evening, when everyone is here, but that¡¯s the basics. As for the Territory...¡± I explained about the potential of what I had planned, though I kept a lot of details secret, so as not to betray my word to Eleanor and the Queen. When I was done, there was silence. Haru-san was the first to speak.


    ¡°That... it will work?¡± she asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s not guaranteed, but I believe it¡¯s got a good chance of working, assuming everyone does their part.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Haru-san rapidly calculated. ¡°I see. It¡¯s possible. Very possible.¡±


    ¡°Finally, there¡¯s a few matters to take care of here in the Material world. I still need to find a holder for Laverna¡¯s Divine Favour, we have to decide on Nie Ling¡¯s fate, and then...¡± I looked at Shiro, an impish smile on my face. ¡°it¡¯s time to pay my debt to Arisu-san. I have an idea on that as well.¡±


    Shiro grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy, but... it¡¯s not too crazy, is it? You don¡¯t want to make her angry.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I was merely thinking about the upcoming charity event. Besides, Japan needs something new to take everyone¡¯s minds off the shocking events since Kyoto. I want her help with spatial element as well. I think I¡¯ve got a shot of learning it. I¡¯ll need to gather all my vassals anyway, so that means Suzu-san and Bunta-san, right? Kikuchi Shuta-san too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s getting Ixitt¡¯s business off the ground as well.¡± Haru-san said, noticing I had left her name and Miyu¡¯s off my list of vassals. That¡¯s because I think you both are something more than just a vassal, you¡¯re both true allies. Besides, you¡¯ll be gathered anyway. ¡°That would fulfil our commitments to Ichijou house, as well as start bringing in more wealth. Your secretary Karen-san has drawn up a list of targets for purchase that would benefit you, but your funds, while ample, are hardly enough to be snapping up large chunks of the Tokyo outskirts, even with Ministry assistance in some cases.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so we have a lot to do, so now¡¯s the time.¡± I finished off our discussion, downing the rest of my beer, before taking another bite of the snacks Kana had made. ¡°You know, this isn¡¯t as bad as you made it out to be, Kana.¡±


    She blinked, a mixture of annoyance and happiness on her face. ¡°Thanks Akio, I appreciate it. But you could have done the manly thing and lied, telling me it was delicious.¡±


    ¡°Is it too late for that?¡± I joked, and after some laughter, I stretched, stifling a yawn. I¡¯m not really tired, it¡¯s more just mental fatigue accumulated over the last few weeks. ¡°All right then, I¡¯m headed to the Boundary to speak to Asha and the others. Hyacinth, are you ready?¡±


    As she nodded, Shaeula chimed in that she wished to make sure her sister had not caused any trouble in her absence, while Shiro sighed that she would start buffing the Trees again now she was back, as well as the many others who were likely eagerly waiting her return.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m a little tired.¡± Eri said, and Kana agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, I have school in a few hours, I¡¯d like to get a little sleep. Eri¡¯s almost done with her work online though. She¡¯ll have graduated by Christmas if all goes well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Keep rested and fresh, and this evening... we¡¯ll start putting all our plans in motion!¡±

 Three Hundred And Seventy-Nine

    Three Hundred And Seventy-Nine


    ¡°If¡¯n it nae be ye pair.¡± Bjarki sniffed, eyes widening happily as Shiro and I approached his workplace. His eyes lingered greedily on Shiro, who sighed, already preparing to cast Anesidora¡¯s blessings, before Bjarki suddenly paused, eyes going over the Twilight Brigandine we were wearing. They had largely repaired themselves, regenerating, but all the damage couldn¡¯t be fixed, which his expert eyes picked out immediately. As his face paled behind his impressive beard, I had to bite down on a laugh.


    ¡°Storming Moonlight. It¡¯n be fine, aye?¡± he said desperately, and I unsheathed it, revealing it was undamaged, which made the dwarf sigh in relief. ¡°By Ivaldi¡¯s bristling beard, I did fear t¡¯worst.¡± He mopped sweat from his brow. I suppose I have trashed most of his crafts in battle, so it¡¯s only natural he¡¯s worried. But not this time!


    Feeling a little proud of myself, I let him fuss over the blade, tapping it gently with a small hammer and eyeing it with a magnifying lens. As he let out another big sigh of relief, I praised it. ¡°The sword definitely performed brilliantly, you¡¯ve outdone yourself. It¡¯s just the armour that took a beating, but it did the job as well.¡±


    ¡°If¡¯n ye leave it with me, I can do some repairs.¡± He said, and Shiro snorted.


    ¡°You really need to get some assistants for that. Well, here are your buffs.¡± I watched as aether flooded from Shiro, enveloping Bjarki and refreshing the blessings. I cast a glance over Shiro as she was doing it, marvelling at the golden mantle that was draped over her shoulders. Seeing me looking, Shiro winked.


    ¡°I know, it suits me, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Everything looks good on you.¡± I admitted, and it was true, as Shiro was tall for a Japanese girl, with a model¡¯s figure, and an ample chest.


    ¡°I wondered what all the commotion was.¡± I heard laughter, and Ixitt appeared, trailed by several of his fellow Mortal Engineers. ¡°I should have known it was just you flirting with one of your wives again. I am glad to see you have returned. There is much to do.¡± Ixitt¡¯s eyes were excited as he observed the cloth-of-gold mantle, and the leather boots I wore, which were polished to a tan sheen, and looked a good match for my armour in terms of style. ¡°I am eager to research these treasures and see how they compare to the others we are holding.¡±


    Shiro grasped at her mantle defensively, unwilling to part with it, and I laughed. ¡°You can study my boots if you want. Just don¡¯t harass the girls, okay?¡±


    ¡°As if I would.¡± Ixitt denied that. Shiro called on her energy and buffed him too, and Ixitt barked a laugh. ¡°I have missed this. Of course, working without these blessings has advantages as well, for I can remember the feeling, the proficiency, and it aids me in understanding the difference. But for now, I need all the skill I can muster.¡± He was looking at the Lantern strapped to my belt, swaying gently.


    ¡°Yes, you can have it back for study in a while. First, we have to try and set up a Ring Gate, and I need it for that.¡±


    ¡°I see. It proved useful then?¡± Ixitt asked, fascinated, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, though whether we can successfully link the Ring Gates is the issue. Hyacinth is confident, but the concepts are complex.¡±


    ¡°I fear Primal Forest will be discomforted if this works. After all, the plantkin make a large sum with their monopoly on the Gates.¡± Ixitt continued. ¡°Of course, he would find it difficult to do much more than complain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be sticking the things up everywhere.¡± Shiro said, having finished her blessings. ¡°It¡¯s not affecting the Fae Realms, linking places here in the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed. ¡°But vested interests are a powerful thing. Just like in the Material, where we have to deal with nobility, big business, politicians and so on, in the Seelie Court it¡¯s beings like Primal Forest, and their ideological groups. Shaeula¡¯s been doing good work with them, bringing them into the redevelopment of the Spring, so they should have already grown used to sharing benefits. If Hyacinth can make this work, we can liaise with them to share the profits, and earn favours from the rest of the Seelie Court.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, Aki, being all big business. I¡¯d hardly have believed this even a few months ago.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to be a lady of leisure in both realms.¡± She stroked her mantle, amused.


    ¡°It may not be that simple, but... those problems are not for me to worry about.¡± Ixitt smiled. ¡°I have other concerns.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a lot on your plate right now.¡± I apologised, but Shiro merely snorted, amused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for him, Aki. He loves it, I know. It¡¯s just like me and my game. Sure, I moaned about the work involved, but it was a passion project. You know... when all this is over...¡± she looked at me, and I smiled, glad to see the old Shiro shining through now and again.


    ¡°I get it. When Earth and everyone we care about is safe, we¡¯ll have time to live our lives, doing fun things. But your game might seem a bit unexciting, after we¡¯ve lived it for real...¡±


    ¡°Rude much? My game will be awesome. But we¡¯re getting off the subject...¡± she said, and I nodded.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°She is not wrong.¡± Ixitt agreed. ¡°I am rather saddened that I have had little time for my more exciting projects, but others are progressing well.¡± He led me around the workshop to the Materia Tree, which was looking larger and more vibrant, though it was still at Rank 1. It must be close to reaching Rank 2 though, judging by the growth. Fruits were growing on the branches, looking like small round gemstones, and underneath were shed branches, leaves and other parts of silver, gold and crystal, of which several ratkin were gathering them up.


    Past the Materia Tree, was the outdoor testing facility, and several new Artificial Buildings were completed. One was an Artificial Defensive Emplacement, and as I watched, a weaselkin Mortal Engineer was having it fire at some test targets, a small burst of aether hammering out, while another took notes.


    ¡°It is far from impressive.¡± Ixitt admitted, watching. ¡°Unless it can be improved it would be useless in any large-scale conflict, the power and firing rate is inferior. It might perhaps be of use as a support for your students though, when they go levelling. As an added layer of security.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m not going to send anyone levelling unless they have appropriate oversight. I¡¯m not Yamato-san, sending untrained allies to their deaths.¡± I paused, banishing that unwelcome memory. ¡°So, what else do you have?¡±


    ¡°An Artificial Armoury.¡± He smiled. ¡°As of now, it can only provide the bare minimum of supplies, but with better optimisation and Etherites...¡± he grinned, lashing his tail excitedly. ¡°In fact, now that we have working models of the various firearms and other toys, I would implore you to place expanding the number and Rank of your Armouries as a priority. In fact, while the Armoury only serves to produce weapons and armour, as the name suggests, I have a team of researchers working on changing that, or at least understanding it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I was surprised, but on hearing his words I realised the immense potential.


    I¡¯m defeated, as I knew I would be. It¡¯s why I gave in before. I guess being away from everyone for nearly two weeks weakened my resolve. But seeing them all, hearing their honest words, it has all come back to me... no, they¡¯re mine, and I¡¯m theirs. Oak from acorns... my feelings may not be an Oak for them, but they aren¡¯t little acorns, that¡¯s for sure... ¡°Fine. Daiyu, I¡¯ve already planned to learn Cultivation with you. But first, you need the Spiritually Pure Physique. Once I¡¯m done here, I¡¯ll start converting Spirit Water. As for you, Asha...¡± I nodded. ¡°... I do need you.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me...¡± Shiro grinned, her energies surging, aether pouring into Asha and her Tree. ¡°Best get that ether flowing again. Aki¡¯s got expensive plans...¡±


    ¡°I definitely do.¡± I agreed with a sigh. ¡°So... Asha. Your Tree is the lynchpin of our Territory. With Shiro¡¯s buffs it produces the vast majority of our Ether.¡± For a moment I felt jealous of the Seelie Court, which apparently had several bigger Rhyming Trees, and numerous smaller ones. Though I guess their expenditures are massively greater than ours, and it must take a vast sum of ether to move the Court when it travels.


    ¡°I am proud I can be of help to you, that my Tree means something.¡± Asha said happily. ¡°One day, I hope to see the mortal world as well.¡±


    ¡°You will.¡± I promised. ¡°it¡¯s... not full of nature, I¡¯ll admit. Mankind is pretty ruthless. But I plan to make a world that combines both nature and the best of science, one where humans and spiritual beings can all find happiness. To do that though...¡± Mortal Engineering, Science, authority... everything is necessary. A huge sum of money and significant political support too...


    ¡°You need my aid. I understand.¡± Asha said, happy. ¡°I offer it freely. And I will shoulder the risks.¡± I opened my mouth again, but with her free hand she pushed a finger to my lips. ¡°Hush now. I know you have no wish for me to die. No more than us remaining behind wished for you to face such battles. But just like defeating the dread Duke Myrcolaxriath, I understand why you need to take such risks. So, tell me what you need. We can then help each other to mitigate them. You would do that for me, right?¡± she looked at the other girls.


    ¡°Of course. We have to help each other.¡± Shiro promised. Daiyu nodded, and Hyacinth chimed in that she would ¡°never let a mistress dooown.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sure even Eri would do everything to help you, and she doesn¡¯t like it the most when Aki gets another girl. She¡¯s kind to those who have had it hard or are in need.¡± Shiro continued. ¡°So, my buffs will be at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Because we¡¯ll need them.¡± I said, finally outlining my plan to Asha. ¡°I want to grow your Tree. If we can make it break through to Rank 6, and then Shiro can buff it to a more effective Rank 7, our Ether generation would be getting on for a million an astral day, all told. With that, we should be able to reach a Rank 4 Territory and all the supporting buildings in just a few months. We can then upgrade Kyoto and London to Rank 4 as well, then once that¡¯s done, we can push infrastructure builds, and start the slow preparation for Rank 5...¡±


    ¡°London too?¡± Shiro asked archly. ¡°That seems to be going a bit far for Eleanor, doesn¡¯t it? Have you fallen for her after all? I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy to win her over, she¡¯s staunchly anti-harem.¡± Shiro sniggered, amused.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I plan to fully refurbish her Territory like mine and Haru-san¡¯s.¡± Miyu¡¯s as well. And whatever Territory Kana and Shiro lay down. I¡¯ll think about Suzu-san¡¯s and Bunta-san¡¯s as well. Kikuchi Shuta-san¡¯s too, though it¡¯s in a bad spot, so... ¡°I¡¯d just feel better if they were secure, and we will owe them. After all, to make this work, we need access to their Cauldron...¡±


    ¡°Growing the Tree?¡± Asha asked. ¡°Cauldron?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t say much as it¡¯s a secret I promised I¡¯d keep, but... there¡¯s a source of incredible Nature-aspected adherence that Britain has kept all these years. From studying it, I think it can be used to strengthen and grow your Tree. Especially since your skills are geared towards promoting such health and growth. With Shiro buffing that skill, and the power of the Cauldron...¡± I paused. ¡°My only concern is, I¡¯m not sure how safe that would be for you. I worry...¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, my health and the health of my Tree are deeply interlinked.¡± Asha admitted. ¡°I do not fear this. No more than I feared when you said I should change and grow, as princess Shaeula has. For I believe all this was fated.¡± Her smile was brilliant. ¡°I would need to see this power first, to see if it is compatible. Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Assuming Hyacinth can make the Ring Gate work.¡± I agreed. ¡°There¡¯s no other way to access the Cauldron and bring the power back here without it...¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth can dooo it!¡± she declared boldly. ¡°Though I will need the spatial energies soon.¡± She looked at Asha, her expression turning sly. ¡°I think yooou can demand Akio takes care of you, mistress Asha, and show you sooome affection. He did for me, when I helped his defeat the foooul Myconids.¡±


    Asha hesitated. ¡°I do not wish to take advantage of the fact he requires my aid...¡±


    ¡°No, you take advantage girl, you definitely do.¡± Shiro laughed, and Daiyu nodded, following along as best she could. ¡°Look, I agree with Eri. We have to have rules. Otherwise, it¡¯s impossible for so many of us to love the same guy. I don¡¯t blame Eleanor, it¡¯s crazy, it defies common sense. But then, none of us are that common, are we? Eri¡¯s the most normal one out of all of us, so she struggles the most... so, no putting each other down, or doing anything that would make Aki sad. But each of us believes we¡¯re number one in his heart, right?¡± she paused, looking at Daiyu and Hyacinth. ¡°Or if you don¡¯t, you want to be. Women are proud. We don¡¯t want to be second best. So if you¡¯ve got an opportunity to show your value, I say go for it and flaunt it, make Aki fall for you hard if you can. I still won¡¯t lose. After all, my buffs are a key part of the plan too. Hyacinth can get her credit for the Ring Gate as well...¡±


    Daiyu seemed a little out of sorts, before Shiro shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. You know, I¡¯m starting to read your feelings. You¡¯re not very expressive, but when you¡¯re unhappy, your facial expressions change a little.¡±


    Daiyu turned faintly pink, but nodded. ¡°I feel a little distressed, contributing little to this effort. I do not like feeling so helpless.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. My whole life I¡¯ve been pretty useless, just a burden. It must be hard for you, going from a talented prodigy to just one of many in a foreign land. But you¡¯re missing the point. This project you can¡¯t help in, maybe. But who other than you can teach Aki Cultivation? Teach all of us, really? Our own strength is as important as Territorial strength. So pull yourself together, girl.¡±


    As I started pouring aether into the mindless Will-o¡¯-the-wisp, deep violet sparkles of energy flying free, I kept the husk alive, healing the damage the excessive aether was causing. ¡°That¡¯s right. We talked about this earlier. Your Cultivation is vital too. But for you to be at your best...¡± I split off some of my thoughts, and started drawing in the accumulated water element from the Elemental Silos, trying to change it to Spirit Water. This is good practice training my skills and control... ¡°... like you said, your Foundation has to be solid. And if you¡¯re going to be our teacher, we want you at your best.¡±


    Daiyu nodded, and nobody missed the fleeting look of pleasure on her face at my words. ¡°Well then, we have a lot to do, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°If I could ask one thing before I undertake this duty... no, not a duty, for it is for you, for us. And which Dryad could refuse to strengthen her Tree?¡± Her brilliant yellow eyes gleamed, as she looked at me earnestly, a trace of hesitation on her refined features.


    ¡°Go on.¡± I said, and after a moment she spoke.


    ¡°I would join with you, body and spirit. That way, at least should the worst happen, I will have experienced love.¡±


    Shiro snickered at that, obviously expecting it. I did too, and I nodded. ¡°I said I¡¯d accept you, and you said you accepted me. It¡¯s not a problem. But...¡± my expression turned serious. ¡°... the worst won¡¯t happen. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± I promised. Of course, all this depends on whether Hyacinth can link up the Ring Gates...


    ¡°I think our serious private talk is over, right?¡± I said, taking a sip of the mead, and a bite of the fruit, the combination of tart and sweet magnificent. ¡°In that case, Ixitt, Moira, Shaeula and anyone else important should be summoned, and we¡¯ll go through the next steps of our plan...¡±

 Three Hundred And Eighty

    Three Hundred And Eighty


    Gathered at the centre of our Territory, in a rather impressive conference-style hall that the kobolds and dwarves had built to specifications provided by Ixitt, as he had seen such things being used in the Material world, I cast my eyes over the crowd. Quite a few are here today. I guess we have been away for a few weeks, by their timeframes...


    At my side was Ixitt, who was toying with the Lantern, trying to work out an automated way to extract Spatial element from it with the maximum effort and minimum risk of damage to it, his lenses down over his eyes whirring and clicking, while numerous intricate tools and piles of metal ingots were scattered on his table. Asha was also here, holding one of my sleeves a bit gingerly. Her slightly green-tinged skin was now a healthy pink, but her smile, despite being shy and embarrassed, was radiant. Glancing to my other side, where Shiro and Shaeula were sitting, Shaeula proudly polishing her Mortal Fragarach, obviously having learned from Ulfuric or a similar warrior, I received a wry, half-mocking smile back from Shiro, who was looking at Asha sticking close to me.


    ¡°No getting out of it now, Aki.¡± She mouthed, and I nodded.


    Speaking of Ulfuric, he had returned, along with a number of familiar faces. Shaeula¡¯s brother and sister were here, as well as Selensha, whose aura under my eye was a mass of both orange and jade energies. So, she succeeded then. Impressive. The three elves, the cheerful Soliteare and Bellaera, and the taciturn and solemn Moira, were also in place, alongside several Way-Wardens I didn¡¯t recognise, and strangely enough, Talaisha, the Way-Warden friend of Shaeranna, and the daughter of her enemy, Duke Vulpatrius.


    We¡¯re quite crowded here today. That¡¯s good. I have one final meeting this evening, and then we can finally get down to implementing what we agree... ¡°Hyacinth and Daiyu are both working.¡± I told Shaeula, who had wondered where they were. ¡°Hyacinth has almost grown the Ring Gate, but as we expected, making the two Gates link to each other across half the world is proving a far greater challenge. As for Daiyu...¡± I quietly explained that I had turned our supply of water element into High Spirit Water. I had removed the moonlight aspect, to make it simpler for Daiyu to understand and process. Making it High Spirit Water did reduce the amount I could create significantly, but the few drops I did make were concentrated and powerful, and Daiyu treated them as precious treasures, taking them within her and meditating on the effect she felt in her body with a solemn yet excited expression on her taciturn face.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula said, nodding. ¡°I would most-most like Daiyu to master the Spiritually Pure Physique, so you can-can learn her techniques. I am rather curious myself as to how they work. Are you not-not as well, Shiro?¡±


    ¡°Sure I am. Cultivation has always been a fascinating fantasy. Of course I want to try it for real. Tan knows a bit about it too, but she¡¯s not saying anything useful.¡± Shiro pouted, before her face turned expressionless. ¡°But now isn¡¯t the time. We have company.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Later.¡± Shaeula promised, before nodding to me, winking one amber eye slyly. Taking that as my cue, looking at the other various delegates, such as the kobold High Foreman and other representatives of the races our Territory now held, I cleared my throat, then began to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see everyone, and it¡¯s good to be back. We were away too long.¡± I apologised. ¡°I thank everyone who helped protect the Spring and here in our absence, especially those of you who didn¡¯t have to.¡± I nodded at Shaeula¡¯s siblings. Shaeraggo merely snorted sourly, while Shaeranna waved off my praise, showing the difference in their characters. It was Talaisha who spoke up first though, her fiery red fur matching her temperament.


    ¡°Think nothing of it. There would be no way we can let the Unseelie reclaim the Spring, after it was finally liberated. Any of us Way-Wardens would rather perish than allow our enemies to triumph.¡± Nods went around at her bold words, and Shaeranna looked particularly starstruck, eyes sparkling.


    Following on from her words, Moira was next to speak, laying out a map of the Spring on the central table. ¡°As you can see...¡± she said primly, her voice calm and measured, quite unlike the animated tone of Talaisha. ¡°... the Fae Stone Wards have finally been established fully around the Spring, and the Warning Bells have been linked to the main defences. This has strengthened the barrier around the Spring and will prevent most hostile action. Of course...¡± she pursed her lips, frowning. ¡°That does not mean others cannot enter. The Wild Hunt have been unusually active of late. There have been raids at the borders of the Court. So, we must retain vigilance.¡± Her hard gaze strayed to Ixitt and his efforts with the Lantern. Seeing that, he responded.


    ¡°I understand. The Lanterns and their captive Spatial element do seem the primary candidate for how they can avoid the barriers.¡± Ixitt agreed. ¡°My research into it does continue. However...¡± he paused, grinning. ¡°... right now we have a more pressing need for the Lantern. Once we have succeeded in our aims, I shall return my attention to the matter of how the Wild Hunt accesses our lands with seeming impunity.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the Wards...¡± Shaeula interjected. ¡°I do-do believe it is time to begin erecting Fae Stones here, is it not-not? We had agreed on this as part of the reward for our aid, no?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Father has agreed, and the other support him.¡± Shaeraggo said. ¡°There is no-no need to be irritated sister, we have talked about this. We even have workers from Duke Formor...¡± his face twisted sourly, sharp fangs clashing, at that thought. ¡°... assisting us with the transportation. The work shall proceed rapidly, we-we promise.¡±


    As Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly, I raised something I had been thinking about, which was going to become relevant shortly. ¡°While we are talking about the Territory barrier, I believe we are likely to have an expansion very soon, dramatically increasing the scale. Won¡¯t that undo all the work we¡¯ve planned?¡±


    Ulfuric paused, thinking, before looking at us with his powerful eyes. Even though he¡¯s often at the Spring, and now occasionally goes back to handle matters for Shaeula¡¯s father again, now that matters with Shaeula¡¯s safety are settled, he is still heavily involved in our planning and has a good grasp of the situation in terms of both military resources and other assets. No wonder he¡¯s surprised... our original plan was a Material year if everything went well, and even that surprised the Fae... we¡¯d budgeted for around two hundred and forty million ether to carry out the infrastructure build and upgrade, but if we can grow Asha¡¯s Tree safety and Shiro¡¯s buffs continue to work...


    ¡°Sooner than planned?¡± Ulfuric rumbled, and I exchanged a look with Asha, who nodded.


    ¡°Significantly so, if all goes according to what we expect.¡± I affirmed. ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason Ixitt is busy. I don¡¯t want to talk about the details unless we can be certain it¡¯s happening, but assuming it is... just what should we do about the Territory?¡±


    ¡°I have taken a census, crude though it is.¡± Moira interjected. ¡°When dealing with the ephemeral Fae, keeping track is often merely a matter of ... approximation.¡± She sniffed. ¡°More so under the circumstances we labour under. We have Fae, many of which are from rather poorly regarded lines. Then there are the Yokai.¡± She looked at Shaeula, who shrugged. ¡°Some have arrived and are staying here. Whether they will remain, that is not for me to say...¡± her tone was blunt. ¡°Not only does the Territory have a rather porous border, but we are linked to the Fae Realms of the Seelie Court, as well as a place of Yokai, this Kyoto. There are a number of mortal visitors constantly as well. Now you wish to go further, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Rapid movement and response are worth the inconvenience.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Battles are won and lost by having the advantage of speed and resources.¡± Many of the assembled Fae voiced their agreement, so I continued. ¡°We also need the population. They weren¡¯t being utilised properly. Here they have work, good living conditions and safety, as well as the potential to progress. If they want to get involved in new industries or fields, I¡¯ll welcome them. Population is power.¡± I said piously.


    ¡°You stole that quote.¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°it¡¯s true though. In games or the real world, you don¡¯t get anything done without suitable people to do it. A kingdom without subjects is pretty crappy.¡±


    ¡°I understand that.¡± Moira sighed, pinching her nose. ¡°I am hardly such a fool. It is why the Seelie Court has been declining after centuries of skirmishes and pointless wars. My point is... where are they all coming from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand? Word¡¯s been getting around, right? We¡¯ve been welcoming.¡± I said, and Moira looked at me as if I was a fool, before signing, realising she hadn¡¯t explained clearly.


    ¡°Yes, it is not the numbers that concern me, but... there are those that do not appear on the manifests. We have been registering immigrants. It would be folly not to, the Unseelie and Wild Hunt are likely to try and stir up trouble, you have clashed with both, to their detriment. But we find groups that seem to have appeared as if out of thin air. Now, this again is not impossible...¡±


    ¡°I remember Shaeula telling me lesser fae can be born spontaneously, not from any parents.¡± I said, and Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°It was hard, I have even more respect for Princess Estalian and the other ancient Fae who managed to transcend their limits. I would have struggled without the advice and experience of those who came before me, such as you, sister-in-law. I admit, working with mortals was unusual too, but it made matters clearer.¡± She praised Shaeula, which made her as well as her siblings happy.


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll be needing your experience too, now that you¡¯ve achieved success. But also, I was hoping you could spare some time, and also any other wielders of water element you know of who might be persuaded to help us with something.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would be happy to help.¡± Selensha said instantly.


    ¡°Great. In that case, we need to gather as much water element as possible. Our current generation is too slow.¡±


    ¡°For Daiyu, right?¡± Shiro asked, and Shaeula thought back to some of our earliest training, before clapping her hands, understanding.


    ¡°I see-see. We will be gathering as much water element we can, taking it from sister-in-law and the others, then converting it to Spirit Water and passing it all-all to Daiyu, correct? It is not-not too dissimilar to when we and the sole surviving Kamaitachi of the time passed wind element between us to train.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯d say learning Spatial element for myself, and Daiyu¡¯s Foundation, are my two major goals of this training.¡± I then looked at Ulfuric. ¡°My third is... I finally need to grasp a style. You were right, those who have learned to fight and are skilled do have the advantage over me, since all I do are the basics, albeit confidently.¡± I looked at Shaeula then. ¡°Shaeula will need to learn as well. Her pinwheels are still going to be a major part of her offensive capabilities, but now she has a sword worth using, it¡¯d be folly not to at least drill her to my standards.¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s face cramped a little, perhaps remembering the rough training she had witnessed her sister going through when she was young, before her exile and subsequent return to the Court. Or maybe she¡¯s remembering all the beatings I¡¯ve taken... ¡°I suppose... yes, I should learn. Indeed, do please take good-good care of me, master Ulfuric.¡± She said at last, her worry overshadowed by her desire to learn. Proud of her, I ruffled her hair gently, bringing a noise of annoyed disapproval from her brother, which we both ignored.


    ¡°It would be my honour to teach you further.¡± Ulfuric said to me, his voice booming, as he loomed over me. ¡°Your sword is a work of art from master Bjarki, you should know how to do it justice. But... do you have any insight into your proposed style? I could teach you mine, but a style is extremely individual, what works for one may not be a perfect fit for another.¡± He paused, thinking how to explain it. ¡°No learning is ever in vain. Even were my own techniques not a good fit for you, you would likely be more skilled than now, more unpredictable, more powerful. But then your future road would be difficult, as layering new learning on top of old can cause bad habits to become ingrained, and styles may clash.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like Daiyu and her Cultivation.¡± I said, agreeing. ¡°I certainly want to try and build my own style, but like Daiyu, I want to do it right. I¡¯m also curious as to whether the Tsumura Arts can be included.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing that just to make Motoko and Natsumi happy, right?¡± Shiro laughed, and I denied it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll confess, I¡¯m certainly pleased I¡¯ll have a chance to study it with them. But I¡¯m also curious. Just like kyu?do?, Tsumura Arts show up as a skill to my Eye.¡± I tapped below it gently, emphasising my point. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t get my own style out of it, I think it¡¯s just like Ulfuric said. No learning is ever in vain. Not everyone is going to have the time or the strength to learn their own style, I¡¯d like to form a systemic one suitable for the trainees and even the military to use.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they just be using guns?¡± Shiro asked, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m also not going backwards, rejecting progress. That¡¯s a bad idea, right Ixitt?¡±


    He laughed at that gleefully. ¡°Why yes, of course. Our firearms we are creating here outclass bows greatly in ease of use. But...¡± he looked at the scowling Shaeraggo. ¡°There are arts that can be performed with bows that we cannot replicate. The right tool, in the right place.¡±


    ¡°Unarmed Combat is the foundation, be it bows, spears, swords, guns or more.¡± I pointed out. ¡°And ideally, we need to incorporate not just physical skills, but aether, elements and more. I want everything to be a part of the greater whole, a synergy.¡±


    ¡°I see. Master one weapon, know all weapons.¡± Shiro said, somewhat misquoting the famous Chinese line. ¡°You¡¯re certainly ambitious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that everyone has to be a master, but we should have baseline training, like the Army.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Be flexible, not rigid. I first thought that styles would be more rigid and limiting than just knowing the basics. After all...¡± I grinned self-deprecatingly, remembering what David had told me. ¡°... making the best choice with the basics should always be the right choice, or so I thought.¡±


    ¡°Combat is not decided on skills alone.¡± Ulfuric shook his head, shaggy black and white mane rustling as he rubbed a gauntleted hand on his chin. ¡°Though skill is essential. But if you act by rote, always taking the sure route to victory, those with talent and skill will pre-empt you. No, a style turns the foundation into a myriad of options, and can even surpass what would be seen as perfection to the ordinary warrior.¡±


    ¡°So yes. We need to focus on that too.¡± I concluded, appreciating his explanation, which was pretty much as I understood it. ¡°Honestly though, most of the training will be focussed on the members of the training school. The expanded school, I should say. But...¡± I looked at Selensha again. ¡°... of course, those of the Fae, and even Yokai such as the Kamaitachi, should be encouraged to grow stronger. After all, we have a long road ahead of us all.¡±


    ¡°So, what precisely are you requiring of us?¡± Moira asked, cutting through our talk, and as I explained the deployment of personnel and resources, with everyone chipping in their suggestions, I looked over at Asha, who was still beside me. She smiled back, and I squeezed her hand, feeling the faint tremors of her body. I get it. She¡¯s nervous. It¡¯s understandable. It hasn¡¯t been long since her time in the corrupted Spring, and I¡¯m asking her to do something unprecedented. But together...


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. Really.¡± I said, despite my own slight misgivings. ¡°After all, with all of us together, what is there to fear?¡±


    Asha looked over the bustle of all the Fae gathered here, and managed a nod, her yellow eyes earnest. ¡°I know. This place, This Territory. It is my home. And I too wish for it to prosper...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Shiro agreed, before stifling a yawn. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to get some rest until later, Aki. What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Ixitt and I will be helping Hyacinth try and link the Ring Gate, while Shaeula gathers as much water element as we can. Then this evening, we¡¯ll bring in the trainees and hopefully Arisu-san and the others, and get everything humming. Then... it depends how quickly we can make the Ring Gate work...¡±

 Three Hundred And Eighty-One

    Three Hundred And Eighty-One


    After the meeting with the Fae, I had to return to the Material several times to deal with a few matters. Shaeula stayed behind to help Daiyu accumulate more High Spirit Water, and Shiro was giving out her buffs like sweets. Jack and Evelyn had been spending the day enjoying Tokyo before they would be flying out to Nishimorioka tomorrow, and they had also been introduced properly to Eri, which had been amusing. I can¡¯t believe just how much mom was talking about Eri to them. Apparently she has been for years. Eri was so embarrassed when she heard that.


    I had been too. My mom and auntie Mori had always joked about us ending up together, but perhaps they weren¡¯t jokes, after all, and they had really expected it. And in the end, they were right, though nobody ever expected things to be like this. Eri had finished up her remote work and would join me back in the Boundary later when Kana got back from school, while Jack and Evelyn were accompanied out by Karen-chan and several members of the Black Wolf Company for security, letting them enjoy Tokyo while they were here. it¡¯s a bit of a break for Karen-chan too, she¡¯s had it tough while I was away.


    With that done, I was now back in the Boundary, the rest of the Black Wolf Company gathered. As usual, Aliyah was taking the lead, addressing me sourly, though by now I was used to her bluster, knowing that was just her way, and that she didn¡¯t really mean her insults so much as they were reflexive. ¡°So, boss.¡± she said dryly, arms crossed under her massive chest. Like the others, she was now wearing matching black armour, similar to the Twilight Brigandine, but of lower standard, more mass-produced. ¡°You really made a scene in Britain, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That he did.¡± Shiro laughed from beside me, a touch of exhaustion on her face from her labours, though she still looked proud. ¡°Aki came, he saw, he conquered.¡±


    ¡°Conquered what?¡± Aliyah scowled. ¡°Better not be any more women. Besides, from the spectacle of you on TV, looks like you were doing some conquering yourself.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°But we certainly achieved what we set out to do. There¡¯s no hiding it now. Not that you can hide the light of this princess, I was always going to shine!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly gorgeous, but shit, your attitude stinks.¡± Aliyah complained. ¡°You know, you two are made for each other.¡± She looked at us sourly, and Shiro burst out laughing, pleased.


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly right. Aki and me, it was meant to be.¡± She agreed. ¡°So, enough about our escapades, fill us in. We¡¯ve heard good things, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Kana told me you¡¯ve been mastering earth element well, and have even started organising into teams to prepare for training others. I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    ¡°It somehow sets my teeth on edge getting praise from you.¡± Aliyah sighed, but at a look from her brother, she nodded, her hair beads jingling softly. ¡°Yeah, a number of us have mastered it. Of course we have.¡± She let out a surge of red energy, and the ground below her spat out a number of bullet-like projectiles. ¡°We¡¯re the best. Professionals. Some might say the army is better trained than us mercs... sorry, I forget, we¡¯re... uh, what the hell are we now Trey?¡±


    The big man shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯re still a PMC. Just... we¡¯re never allowed to break contract now, right?¡± he looked at me, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Maybe in the future, when you¡¯ve paid your debts and things have changed, but you know too much right now and have benefitted from our expertise, when really, you should be still under arrest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it? Man, this situation is all kinds of strange, but...¡± his own ruby energies surged, and a spire of rock formed, which he tore from the ground, the edge gleaming sharp, like knapped flint. ¡°... can¡¯t argue with results, can we? Though sis and I aren¡¯t the best...¡± he admitted. As he said those words, the eyes of the company turned to stare at Luciana, who was standing a little shyly to attention, her somewhat diminutive status belying her fighting skills.


    ¡°Well, it is... I just feel la tierra, the ground, the soil.¡± She said softly. ¡°It speaks to me. I hear the sussuros, whispers of the stone. It is quite... enjoyable.¡± Her smile was pretty, and I noticed a number of the men in the company eyeing her. Supressing my own smile, knowing she was the sort of girl who would be very popular in such a male-dominated field, I asked her to demonstrate, my Eye shining.


    ¡°Come, la tierra!¡± she called, and the red glow surrounded her, as well as the silvery glow of aether. She was using both together, and the soil beneath her feet melted like wax, flowing up over her body, forming a sort of armour. It solidified, but retained a strange sort of elasticity, almost as if it was still molten. Like tar, maybe? I was certainly impressed though, such a working required real skill in visualisation and elemental manipulation. Aether manipulation as well, if she¡¯s using it to make up for her shortfall in other areas...


    ¡°So, I¡¯m curious...¡± Shiro said, nodding. ¡°Is that purely defensive or...¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show the princess here...¡± Aliyah snorted, teasing Shiro. ¡°... what you can do, Luciana? Show them that the Black Wolf still has fangs and claws, even in this new bullshit world.¡±


    ¡°Si, I will do it.¡± She nodded, before leaping off the ground far higher than she should have been able to manage. My Eye caught that the muddy armour was pushing on the ground, boosting her force. As she leapt the stone around her arm elongated, forming a blade, the edge not merely flint-like, but glittering darkly like obsidian, balefully sharp. Her other hand pointed, and chunks of the armour formed small bullets, which she discharged at the rate of a machine pistol. She then landed, and her armour rippled, dispersing the impact, allowing her to roll into another combat pose. She tossed her stone knife, and more formed, leaving her dual wielding in traditional combat stance.


    ¡°I see.¡± I clapped my hands, my Eye having followed her movements. ¡°Yeah, that is impressive. Though you shouldn¡¯t get cocky, it¡¯s much more draining to use such abilities on the Material.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± Luciana nodded, and her armour dispersed, hardening and flaking off her like mud, leaving her brushing dust off her combat uniform. ¡°In training, I can not manage the armour. But un poco, a little...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still more than capable of using a knife.¡± Aliyah grinned. ¡°Our cat here has her claws.¡±


    ¡°I confess, I have received great help from las gemelas, the two girls.¡± Luciana told us. ¡°And el phantasma. To think I would be working with a ghost.¡± She crossed herself. ¡°But they make it so clear, so easy to understand. Only a fool would fail to learn, no?¡±


    At that some of the mercenaries shifted restlessly, and Aliyah grinned. ¡°You heard her, you maggots! Those of you who can¡¯t even manage what some damn schoolgirls can had better pull your heads out of your fucking asses and get it done, or Trey and I will drum you out for being useless wastes of oxygen.¡±


    ¡°Yes boss!¡± the men shouted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. Louder!¡± Aliyah shouted back.


    ¡°We said yes boss, sorry boss!¡± they chorused.


    ¡°My sis might be a bit foul-mouthed, but she¡¯s right.¡± Trey said, addressing the troops. ¡°We have to uphold the Black Wolf. You don¡¯t want the soldiers to show us up, do you?¡± As they replied in the negative, Aliyah shook her head again.


    ¡°The world¡¯s mad. Shit, we¡¯ve tested it, and Luciana¡¯s armour can block stabs, bullets and more. Maybe she can¡¯t use it properly outside of this madhouse...¡± she looked around us. ¡°... but that¡¯s just for now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as the Boundary gradually dissipates, ether density will rise, and there¡¯ll be less resistance...¡± I agreed.


    ¡°When that happens, those who can¡¯t do this will just be like kids playing at soldiers. Sure, it won¡¯t be stopping RPG¡¯s or other heavy weapons, but it¡¯s not like urban warfare can just become a shitshow of collateral damage. The battlefield may still be dominated by firepower, but urban warfare, suppression operations, security... assassination... all of it is going to be ruled by people like our little Luciana here.¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°Although against monsters like you pair, or your little blonde tyrant, she still has about as much chance of success as a fucking ice cube does of putting out a bonfire.¡±


    ¡°A monster? Me? Rude.¡± Shiro pouted. ¡°I¡¯m a gorgeous princess, not a monster.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± Aliyah chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t take it so personally.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting off-topic.¡± I said, changing the subject a little. ¡°So Kana was telling me you¡¯ve been helping out with the training of the newcomers. I appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a clever one.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°Pretty too. Wasted on you.¡± She snorted, showing her irritation. ¡°Even without this Chirurgery, we¡¯ve still been running through the exercises and a few other bits for orientation. Give them a head start. Though some of those brats are lucky I didn¡¯t knock them on their asses. Pretentious shits.¡± As Aliyah grumbled about some of the new trainees, Shiro and I exchanged amused glances. Yeah, I expect that noble sons and daughters would find our brash American friends a bit of a culture shock, especially with such weird training on top...


    ********


    ¡°Akio, I¡¯ve missed you!¡± Hinata ran into my embrace, so I lifted her up and spun her around, smiling at her impish expression. Motoko and Natsumi followed behind her, also smiling, but showing more noble poise.


    ¡°Hinata, you should be less shameful. You¡¯re a Takatsukasa now. Unmarried girls don¡¯t do that, even with their fiance?.¡± A stern voice said, and I saw that the three of them hadn¡¯t come alone. Mayumi-san was there, as well as Miyu-san, and surprisingly enough the speaker, Sakura-san, who was lecturing Hinata even as she was in my arms. There¡¯s the bodyguards too of course, though they are wisely pretending they don¡¯t see or hear anything. Even Kazumi-san is doing that, though she¡¯s looking at me wryly.


    ¡°Oh, do you think so?¡± Hinata retorted. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, don¡¯t you want to hug Akio? It¡¯s been nearly two weeks for you as well. Though I¡¯m still jealous that you had such an amazing trip with him. Even you, Miyu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pull me into this, please.¡± Miyu sighed, but she turned to Sakura-san. ¡°Please excuse Hinata¡¯s excitement. She has missed him, and only wishes to show her affection. It is only us here, surely you can forgive her?¡±


    As I put down Hinata, Motoko approached me, and she held out her arms too. I gave her a hug, and then Natsumi was there, equally as eager. After hugging her, I turned to Sakura-san and apologised. ¡°Sorry about that. But like Miyu said, can¡¯t you let it slide? I¡¯m happy to see everyone myself.¡±


    ¡°I would hope so. You¡¯ve been busy playing with foreign Princesses and dignitaries.¡± Hinata took my arm, ignoring the teasing laughter from Shiro, who enjoyed the feeling of superiority. ¡°And I have missed out on... other things too.¡± Motoko blushed, looking down, while Natsumi placed a hand over her mouth, giggling.


    ¡°That¡¯s Aki¡¯s fault, no question. Though I get it. You do reek of crime, Hinata.¡± Shiro pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair. I got engaged to Akio before you did, and it¡¯s been approved by my parents and also by Fujiwara-sama, Kira-sama and grandfather Itsuki.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call grandfather so casually.¡± Sakura-san complained, only for Mayumi-san to step in.


    ¡°This is all very well, but we have more important things to do today.¡± she said gently, nodding at me reassuringly, which surprised me a little. ¡°Sakura-san, I know it¡¯s hard for you the way things have changed, but you need to adapt. Besides... you don¡¯t really hate Hinata as much as you pretend.¡±


    ¡°Come on Aki, this isn¡¯t the time for flirting. Sure, she¡¯s attractive, but enough is enough. Eri will murder you in your sleep!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not flirting! You know I take friendship seriously. Just like I¡¯m doing for Arisu-san, or I would for Hayato-san or any of the gang.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know. Shit Aki, I¡¯m not so shallow.¡± She puffed out her cheeks cutely, annoyed. ¡°Just trying to lighten the mood.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mayumi-san looked at Hinata, who shrugged. ¡°I appreciate that, Akio-kun. You may not be born noble, but you are certainly gentlemanly at times. I might take you up on that. Though for now, all I want is our factory to start working!¡±


    ¡°So, you see where I¡¯m going with this?¡± I said, looking at Sakura-san. ¡°You¡¯re Hinata¡¯s relative. Therefore I want you to be happy too, and for you and Hinata to be friends. For Hinata¡¯s sake, obviously. She can¡¯t be truly happy unless you reconcile. And for your sake too. So... how can I make that happen?¡±


    ¡°Akio...¡± Hinata murmured, touched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± Sakura-san said, defensive. ¡°Just like my grandfather, father and mother, and my little brother, I¡¯ve accepted Hinata as my sister. After all, that is the way of nobility. Adoption happens and is respected. My thoughts on the matter are irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°Accepting is one thing, but you said you¡¯d not hold back. Your thoughts are relevant.¡± I pressed. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she shot back. ¡°All I know is I don¡¯t want this! It isn¡¯t fair! I hate that I feel so inferior to everyone!¡± her red eyes were now brimming with tears. ¡°I was respected, yes, the girls at Hanafubuki showed me deference, but I know I was always being compared to Mayumi-sama, to Miyu-sama. Even to you, Hinata! Takatsukasa house is empty, only our history remaining! You don¡¯t understand what that¡¯s like, Hinata!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± she agreed. ¡°But you don¡¯t understand me either. I couldn¡¯t even be compared. I was beaten before I started. You don¡¯t expect me to feel sorry for you who had everything I wanted, do you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Sakura-san was heating up. ¡°But you think I have it easy? Everything you do reflects on me, on Takatsukasa house! Like it or not, we are still family!¡± she was shouting now.


    ¡°Yes, I feel a bit bad.¡± Hinata said, a touch chastened by her harsh words and obvious distress. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious to me...¡± I broke in, my tone low and soothing. ¡°... that the past was painful. But that doesn¡¯t matter. The past is the past. Hinata, you want to be true family with Sakura-san, right?¡±


    ¡°I do. Especially if I was in the wrong. If Motoko says so, I believe her.¡±


    ¡°I do not say you were wrong. But you were perhaps not best placed to understand Sakura-sama¡¯s burdens.¡± Motoko said sadly.


    ¡°Sakura. You have no need to use such an honorific with me.¡± Sakura-san said, surprising us. ¡°You will be married to him soon. He¡¯ll be Takatsukasa heir through Hinata.¡± She looked at me, her expression unreadable. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I say, that¡¯s decided. As proved by the way Hinata took charge of the new nobles who will be joining us here.¡±


    ¡°Sakura...¡± Hinata began, but I cut her off.


    ¡°Hinata, Sakura-san, you¡¯re both too stubborn. Look. Things are changing. Isn¡¯t that right, Miyu?¡±


    My vassal nodded. ¡°Yes, I never could have expected things to turn out this way. I, a granddaughter of Fujiwara house, subordinate to a man, a common man at that. Common.¡± She laughed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing common about him, is there? I wouldn¡¯t wish to change things. Not anymore.¡± She looked at me. ¡°Things will change. Both here in Japan and abroad. And... we have to change with it. As we have been.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I approved. ¡°This is when we decide the new form that Japan will take. Everything will change. From the top to the bottom of society, we¡¯ll rewrite everything for the new world. So, Sakura-san... Hinata. It¡¯s your chance. What do you want your new relationship to be? And if it has to be defined by the nobility, then... what do you want nobility to be?¡±


    ¡°Sakura-san loves traditional Japanese dance as well. She attends the same classes as I do.¡± Miyu spoke up. ¡°It is why she¡¯s here today. She¡¯s been helping me as I Dance for the Returning Dawn.¡± Miyu said, a slight smile on her face, and I was struck by how she¡¯d changed. When I first met her, the weight of her burden was crushing her, and she would even have chosen death rather than fight. Now...


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I asked, and Mayumi-san agreed.


    ¡°Yes, Miyu-san, Honoka-san and Sakura-san are all rather elegant. It¡¯s not for me, I prefer business and trading stocks. Hinata too, right?¡±


    Hinata agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not the graceful sort. But I have always appreciated traditional culture.¡± She smiled at Natsumi. ¡°Your family makes the most beautiful furisode and yukata. And seeing Miyu dance is always soothing to the soul. Sakura... that¡¯s nobility. What Fujiwara-sama and Kira-sama and grandfather want to preserve. Money or power. It doesn¡¯t take an old, noble family to have those. But we can¡¯t buy what is beautiful. I see it now. And sadly, Takatsukasa house has lost most of that.¡±


    ¡°I know. But...¡± Sakura-san replied. ¡°... I was born to that house. I can¡¯t let it end in my generation. Our ancestors... it would bring them to shame.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t end though.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°We won¡¯t let it, will we, Akio?¡±


    ¡°No. Sakura-san, I might not understand the pressure you feel, but I know this. You¡¯re my family. Just like your brother wants to be a hero, I¡¯ll help you achieve your dream too. All you need to do is tell us what that is. Hinata will help too.¡±


    ¡°As will I.¡± Motoko promised.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m in. Though...¡± she released my arm she¡¯d been holding and clipped my head with her hand, though it was more a comedic blow than one with any strength. ¡°... I¡¯m pretty sure I told you to stop flirting with other girls, Aki.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not flirting.¡± I said for the second time today. ¡°I know you know that!¡±


    ¡°Just having some fun. To be honest, I¡¯m a bit nervous about what Arisu is going to say... be a man, Aki, let me work off some stress!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be willing. After all, it¡¯ll be her revenge at last.¡± I said, before turning back to Sakura-san. ¡°So, we¡¯ve taken quite some time here. Should we go? I¡¯d be interested to see you dancing with Miyu.¡±


    ¡°I... I¡¯m jealous of Hinata.¡± She said suddenly, surprising everyone.


    ¡°Jealous? Of me? Why?¡± Hinata spluttered, shocked.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re free. No matter how people looked down on you, or how I rebuked you, you never changed. You never had to carry the weight of Takatsukasa house! The weight isn¡¯t an easy thing!¡±


    ¡°I see. Isn¡¯t that something.¡± Hinata laughed, bitterness in her voice. ¡°I wanted what you had, and you wanted what I had. But I did change. Inside, I was getting hurt more and more. Until a chance fell in my lap...¡± She smiled at me. ¡°...and I took it. So, Sakura... it¡¯s your chance now. Akio doesn¡¯t lie. He sees you as family. You are because you¡¯re mine. So... just as he spoils his sister, he¡¯ll help you if you ask him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want.¡± She admitted. ¡°All I know is I hate the way things are now. It eats me up inside. I feel lost.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like what you need is purpose.¡± Motoko said. ¡°Just as Natsumi and I have our weapons and our husband, you need something to strive towards, to cherish.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Find a dream, Sakura.¡± Hinata said, shaking her head. ¡°Just like Minoru-kun has. He¡¯ll be happier learning how to use these new abilities than shouldering Takatsukasa house. Leave that to me. I won¡¯t... we won¡¯t let it down.¡±


    ¡°A dream. I...¡± she trailed off, still unsure. I decided to draw the conversation to a close, clapping my hands.


    She¡¯s been honest. She¡¯s spat out the true upset she has for Hinata in her heart. It¡¯s all a mixture of jealousy, misunderstandings and the weight of this system of nobility. Minor things, really, but the heart is complicated. Minor things often hurt the most. After all, didn¡¯t I estrange myself from Eri and my sis for similar stupid reasons? That¡¯s why I can¡¯t let it go. ¡°How about this? We¡¯re about to move into the next stage of development here. Motoko, Natsumi, it¡¯s time to see just how far we can push Tsumura Arts.¡± As they smiled in happiness, I continued. ¡°Not just that... Classes, elements, skills... we have new trainees, new opportunities. Sakura-san, we started with nothing here, now we are shaping Japan, no, the world. Whereas you, you¡¯ve got a lot on your side. So... take your time, and when you know, reach for it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. If I wasn¡¯t thoughtful.¡± Hinata said finally. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t easy for me either.¡±


    ¡°Enough already.¡± Mayumi-san said, exasperated. ¡°This is so foolish. You are just repeating my mistakes, Sakura-san, Hinata. I was wrong, I repented when it was made clear to me.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯m having fun, supporting Ichijou house. You just need to find your fun, supporting Takatsukasa house. If it means that much to you, there are solutions.¡±


    ¡°There are.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about them. And even if you wanted to start over, we¡¯d help you. That was originally our plan, build an Oshiro house. But for now...¡± seeing I was impatient, Hinata smirked. ¡°... I¡¯m curious. About a lot of things. And I want to be stronger.¡± She winked at me. ¡°Besides, Motoko and Natsumi have told me a lot of interesting stories...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t want to be late meeting Arisu-san.¡± I agreed. If anyone can help us link the Ring Gates, Arisu-san can. After all, she¡¯s got her Room... and after that... It was time for training to start in earnest, and not just for me, but for everyone...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Two

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Two


    The atmosphere had turned a little heavy after our talk, but Hinata, determined to make the best of things, was still clinging to my arm, chattering away happily about everything that had happened while I was away in London. Soon, we reached the site of the new Ring Gate, where Miyu and Sakura-san were to dance, and everyone fell into silence at the sight in front of us. Uh, Okay...


    ¡°Useless. Why will yooou not work?¡± Hyacinth was fuming, her hair twisting and writhing like vines. The tall ring of red and orange mushrooms beside her, the tips glistening with faint purple spots, were shimmering with ruby energies from the geysers on the hill, but that was all, there was no transportation happening. As Hyacinth stamped her foot, the ground rippled, spiky fungal growths tearing free, rapidly growing, and dying before our eyes.


    As Sakura-san and Mayumi-san flinched back, their bodyguards taking a defensive position in front of them, I laughed nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Hyacinth, she¡¯s just... passionate about her work?¡± I said, trying to excuse her. ¡°She certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°I believe the pressure of this role is driving her beyond her tolerance. It is a task of the greatest importance, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Miyu said, smiling a little, again impressing me with how much she had strengthened her will over the last month or so. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to let you down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have her on my side than not.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Hey Hyacinth, calm down!¡± she called. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, we¡¯re here!¡±


    Hyacinth cocked her head, turning, and on seeing us she stopped her furious capering, her silver-violet eyes glowing. Smoothing her maid-style Brigandine, she coughed, her face twisting into a smile. ¡°Sooorry you had to see that, mistress Natsumi. And the other mistresses and Akiooo too. It is simply sooo frustrating. It makes me angry! Stupid mushrooooooms should do as I bid them! Akio needs the Gate to open!¡±


    ¡°I want the Gate open too.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°Visiting London would be exciting. But you shouldn¡¯t be too angry. Haste makes waste. Besides... you¡¯re scaring them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± Mayumi-san said imperiously, though the faint red in her face belied that. ¡°I was just surprised is all. That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it Sakura-san?¡±


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Miyu took Sakura-san¡¯s hand before she could answer, and they headed for a flat space that had been cleared, the ground now layered with polished boards. ¡°You¡¯ll feel better when you dance. Besides, hasn¡¯t our teacher praised your progress recently?¡±


    I see. The transformation of the Territory is really progressing, isn¡¯t it? It wasn¡¯t just the stage for dancing, but proper training grounds for the troops as well as a duelling arena had been constructed. Of course, most projects were on hold as the cafe? on Asha¡¯s Tree was being deconstructed, in preparation for later, numerous ratkin, weaselkin and kobolds, as well as goblins and others taking down the wooden structures. Speaking of Asha, I saw her watching Hyacinth, and seeing us she came over, smiling at us.


    ¡°Akio, you have returned. Will you be wishing for refreshments?¡±


    ¡°That would be great. Can you get the girls something to settle their mood a little? So... Hyacinth is struggling?¡±


    Asha brought out a series of cups and filled them with fragrant juices. As the girls took them with pleasure, I waited for her answer. Asha and Hyacinth exchanged looks, Hyacinth looking a little downcast, before Asha shrugged. ¡°I do not feel it is fair to blame Hyacinth. I am a Dryad, I understand the growth of nature. Though...¡± she leaned in to confess, her breath hot on my cheek. ¡°... I am not fond of fungi and mushrooms.¡± She shuddered cutely, and I instinctively stroked her hair reassuringly. Her yellow eyes narrowed in pleasure, and beside me Shiro snorted.


    ¡°Smooth play there, Asha.¡± For a moment her eyes flared red, and Tan yawned.


    ¡°I see. Yes, I understand the problem. Spatial element is far from my specialty, I am of the thirsty flames, but you do not reach my level of power without some understanding of the higher elements.¡±Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°So, care to share a solution?¡± I asked, and Tan shook Shiro¡¯s head, fiery hair cascading.


    ¡°I can not. However, I do believe that with the tools at your disposal you can fix it yourselves. I merely wished to savour the taste of this drink. I will be resting now. I have nearly finished integrating the Favour I took from that fool Daizen. I must continue.¡±


    As Shiro¡¯s eyes and hair returned to normal, Mayumi-san snorted. ¡°I still can¡¯t get used to that. Goddesses and Yokai, Faeries and kami. It¡¯s exciting though.¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Tan¡¯s not terribly helpful though, is she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I mused. ¡°I think she gave us a hint. Tools at our disposal. Speaking of... where¡¯s Ixitt with the Lantern?¡± I asked Hyacinth, and she pouted.


    ¡°He is making sooomething he says will help. He also returned to the Material toooooo ask a question of someone he thinks might knooow an answer.¡± She looked at the Ring Gate. ¡°I dooo not know why it will not work. They are all the same mushrooms, it doooes not make sense to me.¡±


    Asking someone huh? I wonder who... ¡°All right. Tools at our disposal?¡± I frowned, thinking. ¡°The Ring Gate is number one priority. I¡¯ll help you out. Maybe I can even improve my understanding of spatial element as well. I¡¯d love to master Void Motion. Shiro, pick up Arisu-san and bring her over. I need to talk to her about her future anyway.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Aki!¡± Shiro saluted. ¡°I want to catch up with her anyway. What else?¡±


    ¡°Haru-san and the twins too. We¡¯re going in hard on this.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Motoko asked, and I grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re the next priority. I¡¯m learning Tsumura Arts. Motoko, Natsumi, get Ulfuric and some other suitable training partners ready. When I¡¯m done here, I¡¯ll be over for some sparring.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly wait.¡± Motoko smiled enchantingly. ¡°To think that our husband is eager to learn from us, carry our Arts. It¡¯s like a dream, isn¡¯t it Natsumi?¡±


    ¡°It is. We won¡¯t let you down! Tsumura Arts will be more than enough to put David-san in his place again.¡± She smiled. ¡°After all, I¡¯d not like you to think I support him over you.¡± She giggled cheekily.


    ¡°And what do I do?¡± Hinata asked eagerly.


    ¡°Well, if Miyu and Sakura-san are dancing to improve the Territory, then you and Mayumi-san... business, obviously. The next priority is the pilgrimage.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the goal to get us blessings from all the shrines and temples?¡± Hinata said, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes. We need to tour both Tokyo and Kyoto. If that¡¯s not enough, we¡¯ll expand it outwards to the rest of Japan. In fact, we¡¯ll probably do that eventually, but for now it¡¯s the class levels we want. You two, work with Kana and the shrine maidens and priests to work out our route. Identify any shrines that might be a good match as either a local shrine for any of us, or a suitable shrine that can act as a trigger. For example, Daikokuten or Ebisu being the gods of commerce would probably work for you and Mayumi-san.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Mayumi-san asked, surprised. ¡°You would put effort into my growth?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we just had this conversation? This applies to you too, Sakura-san. We¡¯re all in it together. Besides, only with strength can we choose our own path, our own goals. Besides, once we have it set up, the pilgrimage trail, as it were, anybody we need to strengthen in the future can follow it. Work with Shirohebi, and why not call over Prince Sho?toku from Kyoto?¡±


    ¡°So, we need to plan the route?¡± Hinata asked, and I agreed.


    No, bad Tan! You know you can¡¯t eat Aki! Just make yourself useful!


    What I want does not mean I shall do it, little princess. You cannot deny the power would serve us well. With it, I would certainly be able to claim this world...


    Oh, shut it. We¡¯ve been over this. You¡¯ll still profit, and...


    As Tan and Shiro argued, their thoughts echoing into me, I was surprised to see one of Tan¡¯s crimson orbs close slowly before opening, a small smile on her face. Seriously, did she just wink at me? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. It was incredible, the difference it made, having a being of such power as Tan in the link. My gaze lingered on Haru-san, and I could see her own Resilience and Determination was rising, and her Telepathy and Mind-Sharing Light had both Ranked up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring in the others... ugh, you¡¯re working me to the bone here. Wait, do I have bones?¡± Haru-san snorted, silver sweat springing from her brow and dripping to the ground. ¡°Girls, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can endure.¡± ¡°We know it is important, so do not mind us.¡±


    Fascinating. Such a method is wonderful. Seeing the world through your Eye... for a scientist, a mortal engineer, such is a dream. I want one!


    Nooo, that Eye belongs to Akio! He wooould not look good with only ooone eye!


    Enough idle chatter. This is rather off-putting, sharing my mind with others. After all, our private thoughts should be our own.


    Ixitt, Hyacinth and Arisu-san all contributed their thoughts. Asha too, though hers was more silent amusement. Now that we were all linked together, all the extraneous data that would otherwise drive me into unconsciousness being funnelled to Tan, who was more than capable of holding such knowledge, all that was left was a narrow focus, my Eye sharper than ever.


    Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, can you share what my Eye sees with everyone else?


    Of course Akio-sama. Yes Akio-sama, we can do it. The twins¡¯ thoughts overlapped within me, their habit of speaking for each other magnified in their thoughts. I felt gasps of surprise within me as I looked at the Lantern and the Klein Bottle it was now trapped in.


    That is quite fascinating. Yes, I see the similarities... May I? Arisu-san took the Lantern. Yes, this does feel odd. Compared to my Room... another slash opened in space, violet energies flowing free.


    Yes, I see it. My thoughts asked Arisu-san if she could show me more of how she manipulated the spatial element to create her Room and manipulate the interior.


    Aki, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s wise. Arisu¡¯s room...


    Do you think I would hurt him, White? I am wounded. Arisu-san¡¯s smile was surprisingly amused as she looked at Tan, who shrugged. After he presented you to the world as his woman, doing so now is rather too late. As long as he does not betray your trust and keeps you happy, White, we shall have no issue. Besides... her eyes were distant, as she was processing my sight that the twins and Haru-san was relaying to her, overlapping with her own. I do find this fascinating.


    She stepped through the slash, and as we all followed, my gaze took in the two dimensional plane that was the opening. Wait, is that...? Physics wasn¡¯t my best subject by any means, I had been into Computer Science, but like most guys into anime and technology, I had a basic understanding of the concepts.


    That¡¯s your Divine Favour, isn¡¯t it? My thoughts echoed to Arisu-san, who nodded.


    Yes, my gift moulds this space. Beyond it... I could never see, before, but now... she rubbed at her right eye unconsciously.


    It¡¯s very pretty. Like an ocean. Haru-san spoke for us all. It should have made no sense being able to peer through a two dimensional shape into a third dimension beyond, but just like the Klein Bottle, it worked. Beyond the entrance to the Room was another space, overlapping our world but not visible ordinarily. It was ... impossible to describe with words. The closest I could come was that it was without light, yet not dark. Occasionally, a small bright flare of vivid purple energy would form, before scattering to sparks and vanishing, illuminating the space briefly.


    If the ocean is full of fireflies... Shiro¡¯s thoughts echoed. It makes me mad I missed out on your work trip to Roman-no Mori Kyowakokuin Chiba that Yasu was bragging about.


    Well, you aren¡¯t a graduate yet. When you get a job, then you can go to celebrations after a job well done.


    I have a job. I¡¯m your Shirohime. But... that, it¡¯s the Boundary of the Boundary, right? Tan let it slip... Shiro shared with us. I was surprised that Tan had allowed any information free, but at my gaze, she merely shrugged.


    ¡°The Boundary of the Boundary...¡± Using my words felt strange and loud, but I rolled them around my tongue, helping me think. ¡°I see. Actually, no, I don¡¯t really see, but...¡± Arisu-san, can you try expanding your Room?


    Very well. At my thought she did so, and as the Room grew spatial element gushed from Arisu, but also some of the short-lived sparks from outside were pulled in, growing the space.


    That gives me an idea... Arisu-san, can you manipulate the entrance as well? I gave her an idea of what I wanted, the twins and Haru-san passing the thoughts to her. She considered it in silence, before nodding regally.


    I understand what you want. With the sight I am borrowing... yes, I believe I can do it. Though for safety¡¯s sake, we should be outside while I test this. I would so hate for you to suffer any injury. White would never let me hear the end of it.


    Was that a joke, Arisu? Shiro was shocked. Arisu¡¯s room shrank as we all exited it, and the entrance shuddered.


    A joke? Do you think I am so humourless, White? We formed a ring around the Lantern, examining the twisted space from multiple directions, the twins and Haru-san labouring to array the images over one another.


    Without the spatial element to work with, I never could have constructed the Klein Bottle. Originally I was working on a different device to amplify the flow, but after getting some advice, I ended up with this. And now... wonderful... Ixitt was looking on in wonder as Arisu was creating a room where the entrance itself was effectively a Klein Bottle, an object that only had one surface yet was entirely enclosed, yet had neither an inside nor an outside.


    This is... immensely challenging. However... Arisu-san was smiling, despite the sweat soaking her, the dress clinging to her skin, her aether and spatial element diminishing. ... it works.


    The small room within, able to hold a couple of people, if they were in close proximity, huddled together, was starting to fill with faint spatial element, as the entrance was now technically the Room itself. My Eye examined it, and I realised we had achieved something special.


    Paradoxical Doorway ¨C an entrance that is itself simultaneously a fragment of separated space, dominated by another, and a door between two points, without touching those points. The gap between spaces is folded in on itself, forming a four-dimensional space from a two-dimensional one, and spatial element naturally accumulates within.


    I called up a blast of wind, and it struck the Doorway, only to be routed around the outside, before flying back towards me. I warded it away with a casual backhand, before trying again with various other elements. Oddly enough, the only element that could pass inside was darkness element, which reminded me again just how poorly I understood that particular one. Darkness really does make no sense as an element, but... does spatial element make sense either?


    So, what next? Arisu-san¡¯s thoughts came across to me, tinged with curiosity. I looked over at Hyacinth, and as she met my gaze, she nodded.


    I am prepared. If I need to knooow more, I shall learn. I am frustrated that the mushrooms will nooot do what they are supposed to!


    All right then. Though I¡¯m not stupid enough to put Hyacinth at risk. Time to get some test subjects. When I suggested that to Hyacinth, she giggled happily, remembering the tests we ran on the degraded kobolds. Watching the slowly accumulating spatial energy inside the Paradoxical Doorway, I glanced at the Lantern again. Spatial element... if we can learn to generate it, we won¡¯t need to rely on the Lantern any more...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Three

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Three


    This is rather taxing. I hope it is worth it. Arisu-san mopped her brow which was sodden with steaming silver sweat, her long hair sticking to her forehead. I glanced away from the slowly folding space of her Room, the degraded kobolds within standing motionless, only to look away again, as Arisu-san was in a rather dishevelled state, her dress clinging to her, highlighting all her curves.


    Keep my mind clear, I¡¯m not thinking anything. I definitely don¡¯t want her to kill me. As I looked aside, I saw Tan watching me, a smirk on Shiro¡¯s features, so I covered my thoughts with a cough. It will definitely be worth it. Your help won¡¯t be forgotten, and if this helps Hyacinth work out how to link the Ring Gates, that will earn us many opportunities, and I¡¯ll be sure to reward you.


    Arisu-san looked at me, before raising a single eyebrow, half-hidden behind her sodden bangs. I shall hold you to that. You know what I hate more than anything, no?


    Yes, liars and betrayers. Don¡¯t worry, Shiro can tell you, I look after my own.


    So, I am yours, am I? Even the sound of her thoughts was harsh. A little arrogant, especially with White here in front of you.


    You know I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Don¡¯t bully me. I chuckled as we exchanged our thoughts. It was proving a bit of a strain for the twins, especially, to keep all the links going, but I was constantly funnelling them aether though Chirurgery, and it was surely increasing the strength of their telepathy as they grew more practised. But I am the head of this alliance, so you¡¯re someone I have to look out for. And reward when you do good work.


    Aki¡¯s always like that, Arisu. But try and resist him! It¡¯d be way too weird if you fell for Aki too! Besides, you¡¯d end up murdering some of the other girls, I just know it!


    At Shiro¡¯s amused yet alarmed thoughts, Arisu-san actually stumbled for a minute, eyes widening, before she sneered. Surely you jest, White. You know my thoughts on such matters. Now stop bothering me, this is difficult, intricate work.


    She does not jest, not entirely. Our princess is rather worried. Tan¡¯s amusement was plain as she shared her thoughts. I suppose it is the pink sickness in her head, she fears that every woman will find him irresistible.


    Yes. She has changed. You both have. I do not remember you taking time to talk about such trivial matters before. You were colder, hungrier. Arisu-san thought, while wrapping up her work, a surge of purple and violet sparks scattering. So, it is done. The third test, commence. She slumped to the ground, onto a chair of vines that Hyacinth had whipped up for her. Asha passed her a goblet of honey mead, which Arisu-san took gratefully, wetting her parched throat, as she wiped her soaked forehead and dabbed at her face and throat delicately.


    Oh, I am still thirsty, never forget that. Tan licked Shiro¡¯s lips seductively, ruby eyes flashing. But since I am trapped here for now, I may as well enjoy myself. And I have an agreement... she looked at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°All right.¡± Since I spoke out loud it drew more attention. ¡°Enough banter at my expense. Now we need to continue the testing.¡± My Eye flared, increasing the connection I felt with something high above, and the sudden influx of information made my head spin, only for the twins and Haru-san to redirect it into Tan with practised ease. Yeah, they are definitely getting better at this. Sure, doing it this way almost certainly lessens the effect of my Eye, but it¡¯s still more potent than without buffs.


    The concentration is increasing, the more pronounced the distortion of space, the greater the rate of formation and concentration of the spatial element. Arisu-san observed clinically, still tidying her appearance, the energy required to maintain the distorted, closed Room far less than the great efforts required to create the warped geometries.


    This reminds me ooof that time... Hyacinth was looking at the kobolds within, which again puzzled me as to how the light was getting in or out. Ooonce again, Hyacinth will master it, I promise.


    ¡°I know you will.¡± I spoke, stroking her hair. Haru-san let out a dry chuckle at that, and Asha smiled warmly. ¡°But for now...¡± Can you see it? The build-up.


    Yes, it is faster than before. Is it because the space is even more contorted? Ixitt thought, curious, and Arisu-san seemed to agree.


    I believe so. From what I understand, elemental energies are found in places of significance, and also stress. Is that not correct, Red?


    Such information is hardly a secret. It can be places such as this... Her crimson gaze took in the geysers of ruby elemental energies that were leaking from the hillside, and her thoughts echoed to us. ...where a conflux of energies gathers. The seas or fierce rivers spawn water element, barren lands with great winds or high places might form geysers of air element, volcanoes and fumaroles can be rich in fire, and sacred hills and mountains such as this may give birth to earth, or more can be found deep below the ground. This however is not the only way...


    I remember the Foehn that Shaeula and I had found, and shared an image, and Tan agreed. Yes, a great earthquake, tearing the ground, may spawn lasting earth element, or an eruption of a volcano, or as in this case, a falling star, may give rise to flame that burns long. The Astral is a fickle world, more mutable than the Material below, so changes can persist for great stretches of time, and then vanish just as swiftly...


    I get it. The desert in Las Vegas was a barren, windswept place, and the falling Foehn burned with fire, so when it struck, the two were combined. Formed through stress. Just like...


    Of course. Stressing the space around us causes it to fracture, releasing spatial energies. Truly remarkable. Arisu-san smiled, for once a genuine one, and it made me think she must have been stunning, back in her acting days. Maybe I¡¯ll watch a few of her films...


    So, it¡¯s a bit like a black hole then? What was it... uh, gravitational waves? Ripples in space-time? I considered it, and Arisu-san nodded cheerfully.Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    I believe so. A massive object distorts space, and eventually with enough mass in a small enough area, space becomes so distorted it collapses into an event horizon, through which nothing should be able to escape. Though here, we can still see... she shook her head. It does not matter. Have you heard of Hawking radiation?


    Ixitt was listening to our thoughts eagerly, as Arisu-san and I conversed. Just the name. I thought back.


    I have not studied it in detail myself. Though I did have a long time to read, during my ... hiatus. Her sneering tone as she thought about that was unpleasant, and I could feel the complicated storm of emotions within her. Resentment, anger, thirst for vengeance, pride. But now there¡¯s also a little hope, excitement and wonder. I knew it, she¡¯s eager to act again. It isn¡¯t just about revenge.


    Even a black hole is not indestructible, inescapable. Space... is not empty. She continued to share her thoughts, and several of us thought back to the strange void we could see with my Eye within the entrance to her Room. So within it, matter is constantly created and destroyed, always in balance. Yet distorting space with such force, it can disrupt the balance, allowing some matter to exist without destruction, though the mass comes from somewhere else, the black hole. Of course, this is all theoretical. I find my understanding of the science behind it far clearer nowadays. Perhaps I might become a scientist after all.


    No kidding. Having big stat boosts works wonders for everything, Arisu! Shiro¡¯s thoughts were happy. Tan had fallen silent, but I could feel her approval.


    It¡¯s dangerous to assume that the Boundary works the same as the Material, however... as we watched the density of spatial element exponentially increase within the warped space, the kobolds within starting to break apart, slowly disintegrating, my Eye was giving me detailed information about that Paradoxical Doorway. Spatial element is being generated, and it¡¯s forming at a measurably faster rate than before. The kobolds are degrading faster too, but if you plot the rate of damage to the spatial density, then it¡¯s linear. I wonder... could we not make a permanent warped space, to generate spatial element indefinitely?


    We¡¯re fine., for now. It¡¯s just... ugh, you can¡¯t really describe what it¡¯s like in here. See for yourselves. I let the images Hyacinth and I were seeing leak out, and everyone outside trembled, going pale, clutching at their heads.


    That was mean, Akio-kun. Think of poor Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan before you do that! Haru-san was angry, and after I apologised, Ixitt, Arisu-san and I had a thought-conversation about the images. In the end, that was just a distraction while the spatial element was building up, and now it was starting to become uncomfortable. Hyacinth¡¯s skin was starting to flake, and silver and red blood was leaking from her ears, nose and mouth, and black and silver tears were streaming down her pale cheeks.


    Are you all right? That looks painful. I wasn¡¯t immune myself, but my higher level of Ether Healing was easily handling the damage I was taking from the surrounding pressure. This is like an extra-shitty Gravity Machine from Dragon Ball Z. There¡¯s no actual force acting on us, but the damage is piling up nonetheless.


    Dragooon Ball?


    Never mind, it¡¯s probably not something to care about. No, instead... I took a deep breath, despite not needing to breathe. My throat hurt, the softer inner tissues suffering more damage than my outer body. We should begin. Are you ready?


    Always, Akio. But I am nooot sure how to proceed.


    I¡¯ll start. Arisu-san, Ixitt, if you have any insights, feel free to share. You too Tan. Not that I expect you to help with this...


    At their affirmative thoughts, and cheery support from Shiro, Haru-san and the twins, I focussed on my chakra network, which was running at a higher Rank than was normal, Shiro¡¯s buffs pushing me past my limits. With my Eye I could perceive and pick out the highest purity of spatial element, so now all that was required was to draw it in, then feed it through my body to the crown chakra. Easier said than done, though.


    Each element had its own flavour, and opposition. Fire opposed water, and fed on wind, in turn being fed on by earth, which opposed wind, and was preyed on by water. A cycle of opposition and alignment, like a wheel. Light and darkness opposed each other but had no ordinary interaction with the other four elements. Yet they can form compositions. Just as wood or nature is the earth and water, and lightning is fire and wind, light and flame give rise to radiance, and darkness and earth dust. Keeping elements in balance and harmony within the body grows ever more challenging. How will spatial compare?


    The violet motes, similar in shade to Hyacinth¡¯s eyes as she watched me, her face close to mine, were drawn into my body through the silver cord and into the root chakra. Immediately I noticed the lack of opposition, it passed through the tangle of earth and wood element accumulating there effortlessly. As it passed, I felt my network suffer damage, but Ether Healing rapidly repaired the tears.


    It moved upwards, showing no reaction to water, flame or wind, leaving a trail of damage within me. I coughed blood, only for Hyacinth to reach up and wipe away a smear from my mouth, her eyes solemn. Doooes it hurt? Hyacinth hurts tooo, but I will watch and learn. Fooor us, it is worth it. Sooo the others can have a more peaceful time of it, nooo? I do not accept pain because of the past, but because ooof the future.


    That¡¯s right. We¡¯re blazing a trail, and that always comes with dangers. But we¡¯re the right ones to risk it, aren¡¯t we? At my thoughts, Hyacinth¡¯s smile was beautiful. Most of my Split Thoughts were focussed on guiding the ever-increasing flow of spatial element within me and repairing the accumulating damage that the automatic part of Ether Healing couldn¡¯t manage, but I spared a thread for Hyacinth. Hyacinth, can you feel it?


    I can. I knooow what you know, feel what yooou feel. It is a gift beyond what a brownie should enjoooy. After all, I knooow you care for me. I can feel it, I do not have to wooonder. And... I looove you. Not as a servant, though it is a joooy to serve, it completes me. But as Hyacinth. She kissed me, her tongue aggressively entering my mouth, and I responded, the closeness of our bodies only heating us up.


    I do not need to be subjected to this. Focus! Arisu-san¡¯s thoughts were angry, while Shiro¡¯s were amused, and Haru-san and the twins were embarrassed.


    Don¡¯t forget, I am here too. It is not all girls, like usual. Ixitt¡¯s thoughts were slightly mocking. I admit, this is fascinating though. Spatial element, it neither opposes or feeds on or feeds darkness. But there is an effect...


    It was true. The motes of spatial element passed through the darkness, yet as it did so, the amount diminished. Concentrating, my Eye flaring, I tried to observe the process, only to fail. It wasn¡¯t the darkness or the spatial element growing stronger or changing, they simply... vanished.


    Perhaps if I compare it to light element? As I thought that, I could feel Ixitt¡¯s eagerness to share what I felt and saw. The growing flow of spatial element reached the third eye, where indigo light blazed, and this time the opposite happened. Again, there was no strengthening or opposition, but where the light and spatial elements met, there was a strange, inexplicable increase.


    I see. Darkness and light in opposition. Yin and Yang as Daiyu would likely say. So where is spatial element in that? If light is additive, darkness subtractive, then...


    As I thought that, Ixitt added his own thoughts. Is that not somewhat similar to your Twilight Prominence? Light adds your own strengths, while Darkness takes those of others? There are differences, but...


    Yes, that makes sense. But... my thoughts were swept away as the flow of spatial element finally reached the crown chakra and reacted violently. My body convulsed, a storm of cascading energy rippling through my body, hard to contain. Damn, this is hellish... Fire, wind, earth, water. They were all easy to understand and grasp, after all, they were everyday things. Light was simple too. Darkness had proved a hard path to master, but...


    Aki, calm down. You¡¯ve got this!


    We believe in you Akio-sama. Akio-sama you can do it!


    All processes can be understood, and thus mastered. This is no different.


    Spatial element... when I use my Room, it is hard to describe. I visualise it as a bubble filled with malleable foam, that I can feely shape and manipulate, yet which will disintegrate if separated from its membrane...


    I don¡¯t really understand it, but you need to do this, right? So do it. Just like you did the impossible and let me meet my daddy... err, father again.


    Akio. I am here. I am hooolding you tight. Show me the way! I will master this and make thooose mushrooms obey me! But to dooo that, you must lead! Hyacinth can not do it alooone!


    Shiro, the twins, Arisu-san, Haru-san and Hyacinth, they all poured their thoughts into me, and I momentarily stabilised, fixed on that to calm the ranging sea of forces eroding me. That¡¯s right. I can do this. This isn¡¯t the first element I¡¯ve dealt with, and it¡¯s not even being opposed. No... Thanks everyone. But don¡¯t worry. I can tame that raging sea. It¡¯s simply power, right?


    Understanding it. Spatial element. Just what is it? I understand what space is, but the element itself, is it actually space, or something that mediates space? My Split Thoughts surged, running through all my knowledge of physics. As I did so, a warmth began to build up, radiating outwards, and as I looked within myself, I let out a surprised gasp. Wait, isn¡¯t that...?

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Four

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Four


    Wait, isn¡¯t that...? My thoughts were turned inwards, to where the Divine Favour of Laverna, anchored to me by my modest stocks of adherence, was pulsing like a flame, resonating with the Grasping Hand Of Heaven. My Eye blazed, and looking at the Favour, I could see that it was also spatially aspected.


    I have no idea why you are so surprised. Space is certainly a conceptual matter, but it is also unquestionably something real. Can something exist without somewhere for it to exist in? This Boundary clearly exists. Arisu lectured me, though I could sense her curiosity. You saw the gap within my Room, the dimensions that lie within other dimensions, perhaps. It makes me wonder. Is String Theory actually correct? Are dimensions so tiny as to be almost unnoticeable hidden within the larger dimensions?


    That hurts my head. I¡¯ll stick to three dimensions, thank you. Haru-san cracked a joke, trying to lighten the mood. The twins echoed her, and surprisingly, Arisu-san directed kind thoughts at them.


    You are both still young. There is time for learning later. Find something you enjoy, and it is fun. Do not end up lacking learning, such as Oshiro-san here.


    That hurts my feelings! I just haven¡¯t specialised in this field. I defended myself as a distraction from the boiling pain throughout my body, the pressure of the spatial element that was slowly dismantling me from both within and without. Arisu-san isn¡¯t wrong though, girls. You should take advantage of your enhanced stats to learn all you can. So... huh, it¡¯s not just the Favour...


    I was distracted by the pain, so hadn¡¯t noticed that a certain amount of the spatial energy was disappearing, when it reached the Foehn that was nestled in my lunar chakra. The flames were greedily consuming some, which was slightly lessening the pressure. That makes me wonder...


    Focusing on Foehn, I let it blaze, spreading through my body as if it was a part of me. Spatial element burned away, reducing the tide that was flowing into me, lessening the pressure. All right, I¡¯ve bought myself some time. Hyacinth, are you all right?


    I will be fine. I am nooot drawing in the nasty element, unlike you, Akio. My body is crumbling, but with yooour Healing, I can endure. Her smile was bright, though her eyes were pained.


    No, that¡¯s no good, give me a second... Foehn blazed, and I had to handle it very carefully, so as not to consume Hyacinth, but it formed a sort of thinly transparent citrine dome, reducing the density of spatial element around her too. She shuddered in relief, and I let out a relieved sigh. That buys us more time. We could always retreat and try again later, but... we haven¡¯t achieved anything concrete yet...


    I can open the Room at any time. There is no need for haste. White is worried for you. Arisu-san¡¯s thoughts came to me, mirroring my own.


    Don¡¯t listen to her Aki, I have every faith in you! Although Arisu is right! We¡¯re not in any rush, we can take it slow. There¡¯s no need for you and Hyacinth to risk yourselves. Shiro denied her words, but her actual thoughts were similar.


    True. Though I get the feeling haste is important. Not Foresight. I reassured everyone. Just... we have a lot of big threats to face. Time is precious. Besides, we¡¯re nowhere near our limits, are we Hyacinth?


    Nooo. Compared to the struggles learning to use the spooores, this is nooothing! She squeezed me tightly, the veil of thin yellow flames around her shimmering violet as it consumed the sparkling motes of spatial element created by the contorted, twisted space.


    You know, it¡¯s eerily beautiful. Looking at the rippling flames, I was momentarily entranced. It¡¯s a shame that we can¡¯t record this for the others...


    I can share it with them later. But is now the time for idle thoughts? If you make a mistake, you¡¯ll regret it. You don¡¯t want to end up like me... Haru-san¡¯s thoughts filled me. There might not even be a spirit left of you to make a ghost if you get burned by those flames. I remember them... she shuddered, and for a moment her control slipped, and I saw an image of the burning Kiku, who I had long put out of my head.


    You are right. Sorry. When this is done, we¡¯ll take a day off, go out for some relaxation. A company excursion maybe? Now... the flow was diminished, and my Ether Healing could easily handle the damage. Now all that remained was forcing my crown chakra to absorb and start replicating the energy. Though that is far easier said than done.


    Your methods of empowerment are quite novel. Rather than relying on strengthening your gift, the power you were bestowed, you have expanded to gaining these elements and skills. The first rule of science is that something has to be measurable to be considered proven. We had no way of measuring such, so did not believe such existed, is that not right, White? Arisu-san advised.


    Tan had an idea, but she was more focussed just on finding suitable people to eat. Damn, now I say that, we sound truly evil. Well, it¡¯s not like they weren¡¯t bad people. Except... uh... now I feel sorry for Daizen... Shiro was apologetic.


    He would have betrayed us in the end. I know his sort. Arisu-san had no sympathy, as cold as usual. But you are missing the point. I am praising the research I have seen here. After all, I see nowhere else that ordinary people can learn abilities that could potentially rival our gifted ones in the end.


    That¡¯s not true, unfortunately. There are Cultivators, such as Daiyu, and who knows just what Mary Stuart¡¯s group was doing, but they had plenty of ordinary people in the Boundary. Or is calling them ordinary right? Never mind... my point is, it isn¡¯t just us. I think humanity as a whole is going to grow and advance. Sure, we have the advantage of a head start and a little extra gift or two, but...


    Perhaps. But my point is... you have already succeeded. Not just you, but these others. I... intend to strengthen myself as well, in due time. Now, take what you have already learned. Go through from first principles. Repetition is the second principle of science. It must be measurable, then repeatable. And then third... it must be predictable.


    I see. I get it. Thanks Arisu-san, you¡¯re right. I got thrown off by how much more damaging spatial element is compared to the others. Only my first time with wind, when I had no idea what I was doing, and my network was shit, even compares... with that said, I had a path to follow. You know, you really are something. A famous actress, and a brainy science girl. Did you ever talk about that before? I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be very popular with a certain subset of guys...


    There was a shocked stillness to her thoughts, before amusement from Shiro came though. All right, enough of that. Aki, you¡¯ve embarrassed her, she¡¯s actually surprised! But... I don¡¯t think the guys you are talking about are the sort Arisu is interested in. Who the hell wants to be stalked by a host of Yasu¡¯s? Wait, are you hinting that smart girls are your thing? That makes sense, after all, you love me and I¡¯m a whiz with computers and programming, but...


    Enough, White. Stop your idiot ramblings. Be more composed, like Red. Arisu-san cut though Shiro¡¯s babbling. Now... I shall lecture you. So pay attention. Suzuki Haru and the twins here have shared their own experiences in learning additional elements. So has Ixitt. I believe I understand how it all works. Firstly, what is space?


    There¡¯s a lot of different definitions. We can probably scrap the computing one, even if it¡¯s the one I¡¯m most familiar with. Mathematically, it¡¯s a bound where the contents can be arrayed, following a set of principles. Again, not terribly useful, but... In terms of spatial element, we¡¯re clearly talking about real, discrete space, no?


    That is correct. I would say space is a three-dimensional continuum containing all material objects and energies, and in which everything that exists occurs. I am not convinced on this definition any longer, having seen the Klein Bottle and the dimensions within. But it will do as a starting point.


    That I understood, and it was how I comprehended it, from my lessons at school. After all, space wasn¡¯t so much a thing, as a place where everything existed and happened. But then if that was true... That doesn¡¯t fit spatial element though. It¡¯s more what is manipulated by the element, allowing distortion of dimensions, movement that is not contiguous, and more...


    My Split Thoughts were continuing to try and tame the rampaging violet energies while shielding Hyacinth, while the rest of my mind was racing. But then... huh. Looking at Foehn and its actions, I considered flame as an element. But then, fire isn¡¯t a thing either, it¡¯s a process. Though the process is usually created by matter, elemental flame burns without fuel...


    Drawing in the spatial element, I let darkness and light energy glow from my lower chakras and lunar chakra, almost herding the element, pruning it where it was causing damage, expanding it where it was being slowly absorbed into my crown chakra. As it pulsed threads were leaking back down towards the lunar chakra, and my Eye shone as I guided the flows.


    Wind was ever-changing, hard to grasp. ethereal. Fire was damaging and destructive. Earth, deep, cold and unyielding. Water was mercurial yet predictable. Combining multiple elements unbalances the others, yet they are in fact designed to work in harmony. Four elements. Two. Then one at the top. Putting aside the composites... there must be underlying principles...


    Fascinating. This was not a waste after all. I do so abhor explaining to people who do not understand. Despite her hard words, I felt a little affection from Arisu-san¡¯s thoughts. I think you are correct. After all, my Room is indeed made up of the three aspects, the most important of which is Connection. It is how I created the token which allows me to hear the ripples of space and come to the bearer. However... I believe this would be more effective...


    If I may... maybe more like this? Ixitt interjected, and he and Arisu-san entered into a heated exchange of images. Haru-san groaned, trying to ferry them all over with perfect clarity, and the twins were starting to flag. I¡¯ll definitely take them out for a treat after this...


    My Spatial Perception skill chimed in, and I made a few small adjustments. The density of spatial element within the Room was diminishing, I was drinking it in deeply, relieving the pressure on Hyacinth. No, it wasn¡¯t just me. Hyacinth had squeezed shut her eyes, and was replicating my techniques. She also had access to darkness and light elements, and was better with darkness than I was. With Haru-san allowing her to see what I could see within me with my Eye, she was replicating it, a touch hesitantly, but her crown was swirling with shining purple stars as well, bending into a series of Mo?bius strips that were twisted in on each other, like connected infinity symbols.


    Those symbols are just like us, our bonds tied together, unbreakable. Which is why we need the strength to keep it that way... like a brilliant flare of a violet supernova, my crown chakra kindled, as did the lunar chakra, now shining with seven brilliant energies, all of which formed a balanced array, like a miniature solar system...


    You have gained a skill, Crown Chakra Of Space Rank 3. Your Crown Chakra will generate spatial energy and your ability to absorb and utilise it has increased.


    You have gained a skill, Space Manipulation Rank 3. Your ability to...


    Your Skill, Lunar Chakra Of Four Elements, Light And Darkness Rank 3 has become Lunar Chakra Of Seven Primal Elements Rank 4. It now generates significant additional elemental energy, and... [Class: Imperious] [Type: Artifice]


    Your Skill, False Void Motion Rank 1 has become Void Motion Rank 2. You can now utilise spatial element to relocate yourself within the surrounding area, only being blocked by other spatial distortions and wards.


    As the messages scrolled through my vision, I felt a surge of hot power within me. My silver cord was burning, my chakra network also blazing. I¡¯m feeling so much stronger...


    Your Skill, Eight Moons Chakra Network has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first bottleneck. Your generation and ability to use aether and adherence has significantly increased, and your spirit is able to exert greater force. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Rule]


    Your Skill, Silver Cord has advanced from Rank 5 to... to... %^%$* *^%% my vision was filled with gibberish nonsense as pain spiked through me. I looked down, only to gasp in horror as my silver cord seemed to disintegrate, turning into motes of sparkling energy in a prismatic rainbow of colours, before being drawn into me. Wait, I¡¯m not dead? For a horrifying moment I wondered if the fact that I could supposedly survive without a Material body was responsible, only to feel a surge of strength flow into me, and the letters rearrange themselves, burning orange, yet now with a slight tinge of rainbow colours flickering at the edges.


    Your Skill, Silver Cord Rank 5 has become Silver Connection Rank 5. You no longer have a distinction between physical and spiritual, your body is both and neither, you exist singularly, and can freely enter the Material and Astral worlds. You can create a purely Material or Astral body, connecting it to your main form with a Silver Cord, and if such is destroyed it will injure your true form, though the effect is muted. All abilities involving connections you possess are strengthened. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Rule]


    Your form possesses both inherent spiritual and physical properties. You have advanced to a new species, High Human. Since you are possessed of a lunar chakra of sufficient strength and strong Fae attributes, your species, High Human, has become Noble Faeduine, and your ability to manipulate aether and elemental energies has increased.


    Your Skill, Body Enhancement has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. You can further...


    Your Skill, Split Thoughts has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your Split Thoughts work faster, and you are more capable of abstract thought and visualisation. You can run an additional instance of Split Thoughts without taxing yourself.


    Your Skill, Spiritually Pure Physique has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. Your resistance to curses, misfortune, poisons and impurities increases significantly. You are also able to resist the slight weakness to cold iron you have inherited due to your greater Fae nature, as combined with your human ancestry you are less afflicted by this. Your ability to generate Spirit Water has strengthened.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and thirty-four. Your...


    Your Material statistics have all significantly increased. Your Charm, Majesty, Fortune have increased by four. Your League has increased by three. Foresight and Fate have increased by two.


    You have gained a class, Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven.


    You have gained a class, True Faeduine.


    As the cascade of messages died down, I gasped in shock. I had never gained such a tremendous amount of power in one go. I shut out the surprised, clamouring thoughts of the others, only looking at Hyacinth, who despite being covered in blood, her face a mess, was smiling brightly, her eyes rippling with violet energies.


    I see it! Her thoughts echoed loudly, and I realised I could feel her far more deeply, the bonds connecting us crisp and clear. Not just her too. Eri, Shaeula, Shiro... all the others... and not just them. The sleeping Tsukiko-san, and Ginneka and even the barely formed Kinneka, they were a weighty presence at the back of my mind.


    That is why it did nooot work. Foolish mushrooms! Akio, we must goo back. I have work to do. She kissed me then, tongue savagely working mine, and even as the others complained in their thoughts, the Room collapsing, spilling us out into the Boundary once more, we didn¡¯t stop, the passions of our efforts running through our minds. Leave it to Hyacinth, she will make all yooour desires come true! She paused for a moment then. Akio, you seem so much more alluring than befooore. Hyacinth does want to fix the mushrooms, but I wooonder, we have time for looove, right?


    Before I could answer Shiro hauled her off me, muscles straining, and I let out a dry laugh, relieved and embarrassed. Looking up at Arisu-san, I thanked her. ¡°Without your Room and all your guidance, I¡¯d never have managed that. I owe you. Just ask me if you ever need anything.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Arisu-san said, a little troubled. ¡°But before that... what happened? You look... a little different...¡±


    With a surge of aether I imagined a mirror, and it sparked into existence. It was wasteful, and would vanish when I stopped concentrating, but... Oh, she¡¯s right. Wow...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Five

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Five


    ¡°Damn, Aki, you¡¯ve grown.¡± Shiro remarked, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s cool, I always wanted a taller boyfriend, I¡¯m not a short girl.¡± Her smile was wicked.


    You¡¯re right. I was easily two inches taller, now just a little under six feet tall. That wasn¡¯t the only change either. While the high stats had fixed imperfections such as skin blemishes and moles before this, now my face and body had undergone slight changes. It wouldn¡¯t be noticeable unless you knew me well, but my facial features and muscle structures had shifted a little, becoming more symmetrical and regular. And my hair... my black hair was now filled with subtle violet highlights. They weren¡¯t vivid, but they still stood out, and Hyacinth was capering, pleased, despite her injuries, still squirming in Shiro¡¯s grip, saying that we now matched.


    I let the mirror disappear, just as a number of people came running, Shaeula at the head of the group, pulling Eri along, my childhood friend stumbling as she was dragged, her black tail swishing. Oh, Shaeranna and Shaeraggo are with her too...


    ¡°I felt something happen, so I rushed-rushed over here, and...¡± Shaeula trailed off, looking up at me a little further than was normal for her. Her amber eyes widened, and she licked her lips seductively. ¡°Akio, what-what has happened? You... you do not-not seem mortal?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taller. Is that just here?¡± Eri asked, equally stunned. Behind her, Motoko and Natsumi were admiring me, while Daiyu, Kana and Hinata were closing in.


    ¡°Akiooo has become Fae.¡± Hyacinth giggled. ¡°No, like Hyacinth, he is neither ooone thing nooor the other. Fae, Human, mooore. I want to hooold him!¡±


    ¡°Down girl! I get it, he¡¯s hot. But your reaction seems excessive....¡± Shiro protested. Her eyes were flickering with ruby light, as she was forced to let Tan incarnate a little to hold the stronger girl.


    ¡°Excessive?¡± Shaeula grinned brightly. ¡°I do not-not think so.¡± She purred, leading Eri towards me. ¡°No, my lunar chakra hums when I see-see you.¡± She said to me, her face red, breath coming fast. She turned to Eri and grinned triumphantly. ¡°See? Akio has shed-shed his mortal frame. Now he is both Fae and something more-more than mortal, much as I am both Fae and Yokai. I told you, did I not-not, that day? We will have a long-long life together, so sparing some time for each other is trivial.¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°I remember, but that¡¯s all very well for you and Hyacinth, but most of us are still only human.¡±


    Hmm... a thought echoed through my mind, clearer than normal. Usually, I could only sense strong emotions from the spirit lights, such as amusement, annoyance or anger, but now I could almost pick out strongly-voiced thoughts, at least from Ginneka, who was closest to being reborn. I see. Thanks, I guess.


    ¡°Eri, I think I understand just what¡¯s wrong with your body.¡± I said, and her onyx eyes widened, a trace of hope on her face.


    ¡°Can you fix it?¡± she asked, and I wavered, before shaking my head a little.


    ¡°Sorry, not completely. But I think I can certainly make improvements and shorten your rehabilitation time.¡± I promised. Shaeula pushed Eri forwards, and below me a chair of vines and a small bed were created, Asha smiling at me thoughtfully. I put Eri on the bed and asked for some privacy. Asha then conjured a vine curtain. Seeing the look of hope on Eri¡¯s face, I steeled myself to do my best, Eye glowing, seeing her squirming tangle of a Chakra network clearly.


    ¡°If I may, I would like to observe.¡± Daiyu said from outside the curtain, and I looked at Eri, who gave a slight shrug.


    ¡°All right.¡± I said, and she entered, bowing to Eri in Cultivator fashion.


    ¡°I am most grateful for your consideration. I think it would be educational for me. Besides, I am most curious...¡± she looked me up and down, surprised. ¡°I am not certain, for such Cultivators are long lost to us, but your new form seems rather similar to reaching the Saint Realm, so the records our Sect had recounted. Though they were described as mightier than you.¡± Her smile was wry. ¡°Perhaps that was all exaggeration...¡±


    ¡°Or maybe Akio hasn¡¯t shown everything he can do yet!¡± Eri defended me stoutly, and I stroked her hair and flickering cat ears warmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Daiyu isn¡¯t criticising me. She¡¯s just curious. I¡¯m interested too...¡±


    Outside I could hear the others talking, asking Hyacinth, Haru-san and Arisu-san what had happened. Ixitt was exclaiming loudly his excitement over seeing the moment a human became a spiritual being, something that had only happened a scant few times in the history of the Seelie. Easily able to parse that and my actions here with Split Thoughts, I nodded, the thoughts transmitted to me correct. ¡°The ability you received that was torn from Ginneka isn¡¯t one a mortal is suited to wield. It involves too much change to both the spiritual and physical bodies. That¡¯s why you¡¯re wrecked.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Eri said. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Can you allow me to sense this?¡± Daiyu asked, extending her Qi, and Eri nodded once more. She shivered as the intrusive energy entered her, and Daiyu nodded. ¡°Yes, your structure is indeed in flux. The Qi within you... or aether, as you call it, is rampant and shifts constantly. The body can not keep up. I am amazed you are still alive and whole.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if all the hard work Eri had put in before saved her. Now, this might ache a bit...¡± I warned Eri, before continuing. ¡°She¡¯d levelled up as much as she could, despite having no Favour, and that boosted her stats. Really, everything about the mess Yamato-san caused was on the edge. Not everyone made it, but...¡± I looked at Eri tenderly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you did. If you died, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do...¡±


    ¡°Oh Akio...¡± Eri breathed, despite the discomfort, touched. ¡°I feel the same way. So try not to do dangerous things as much as you can, all right?¡±


    ¡°I am feeling rather left out.¡± Daiyu said sadly. ¡°I would that you would look at me like that, my fated Dao Companion.¡±


    ¡°He will. Akio is very simple. Sometimes it¡¯s a pain, but... Shaeula was right.¡± Eri reassured her. ¡°Ouch, be gentler with me!¡± She winced as my Chirurgery started poking at her body.


    ¡°I am still fascinated by your ability to mould the body and spirit.¡± Daiyu released her Qi, my body was effortlessly repelling it, but I forcibly lowered my guard, allowing her probing in. ¡°Yes, very Saint-like, I would imagine. A target to aim at.¡± She smiled. ¡°I do wonder if my Foundation techniques will be of any use to you now, but...¡±


    ¡°We can adapt them if we have to.¡± I said as I concentrated, no longer trying to cut out or stabilise the chakra network of Eri, merely combining it where possible. ¡°I think a systematic set of techniques is a wonderful thing. Speaking of...¡± I used a bit of aether to expand my vision, peering into her as well. ¡°.. how is it going with Spiritually Pure Physique?¡±


    Her expressionless face brightened a little, and she became animated, waving one hand excitedly. Which I have to admit is pretty damn cute. ¡°It is quite the challenge, but I can feel my comprehension growing. I would expect no less from a fabled treasure such as Spirit Water. No, your Spirit Water seems more potent than I had been led to believe.¡± She paused, thinking for a moment. While I continued to work on Eri, who was watching with a smile, while outside the makeshift operating theatre there was still the excitement and bustle of the group discussing my changes, Daiyu considered her words thoughtfully.


    ¡°My previous Foundation technique, the Invincible Jade Yang Foundation, is being washed away, the earth element absorbed into the water. Though the Yang energy I am still preserving. It was difficult for me to acquire it, not being a male. It would be a lot easier to raise it with Dual Cultivation, or so the jade tags recording the Techniques say.¡± Her face was slightly red. ¡°I wonder what the Patriarch, my father would have said, could he see me now, soliciting a man...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure... ouch, damn that hurts... he would be happy for you. That you¡¯re safe, and carrying on his legacy. I know my parents were happy for me when I finally found love. They are even still happy for me now, though... ugh, I told you to be gentle... I am not living the life I thought I would be. As long as I¡¯m happy, my parents can accept it. Your father would be the same, I¡¯m sure.¡± She smiled, despite her pain. ¡°As for Dual Cultivation, I don¡¯t get it, but I did some searches online. You know, I really don¡¯t approve of lovemaking for gain. I feel bad I called Shaeula a whore back in Las Vegas, I know she¡¯s forgiven me, but I can¡¯t quite forgive myself, but I still firmly believe that we shouldn¡¯t put gain before love. But... I also looked up Dao Companions. You do like him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do. It was clearly the will of the Heavens, our meeting was preordained, I am certain of it. And I am not one to fight fate. No, one must not try and fight the river, but guide the flows. My thoughts have changed. I crave power, yes, knowledge also. But... such things alone are ultimately empty. What is an eternity in solitude, no companionship, no love?¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± I approved, finishing my work on Eri, who shuddered, her flesh rippling, which she described as a wildly uncomfortable sensation, like a whole-body sneeze. As she flexed her body, expression pleased, I addressed Daiyu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I may have had my little wobble, old habits die hard, after all. But I guess I agree... it does seem meant to be. And everyone else approves of you, so... soon. I promise. When you master your Spiritually Pure Physique. Let that motivate you!¡±


    ¡°Immortal? Hardly. Largely unageing, I suppose, but not even Fae live eternally, right?¡± I asked, and Shaeranna agreed.


    ¡°No, the spirit fades in time, nothing is eternal, there is no everlasting in this world. Though death through war or mischance is more likely.¡±


    ¡°I get that. Even so... how long are we talking? Centuries? Millenia?¡± Mayumi-san pressed. ¡°It¡¯s already impressive enough, your Chirurgery, but this...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be easily replicated. However...¡± I looked at Daiyu, Kana, Motoko, Natsumi, Eri and Hinata. ¡°... it¡¯s simply not fair that Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha will outlive you all, so I plan to do something about that, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Aki, forgetting someone, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s Shirohime, standing right here!¡± Shiro pouted, jumping up and down, which definitely drew my eyes. Bouncy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget you, Shiro. How could I? How could anyone? I just think Tan will do something about it, even if I don¡¯t. She had promised before, right?¡±


    ¡°True. You win this time, Aki!¡± Shiro conceded, while Mayumi-san was looking at us, her eyes spinning, muttering to herself that the one thing the rich couldn¡¯t buy was longer life. Hinata moved to console her, while I had a sudden idea, one that might solve some of the problems I had been wrestling with.


    The class says I share all the strengths of a spiritual being, a Fae. So...


    ¡°Hey, Shiro. We¡¯re engaged, right?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Sure we are. I remember I was going to shoot you down, but I didn¡¯t have the heart to crush your dreams... so what¡¯s this about?¡± she asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Just go with it. Shiro, I swear Three Oaths, to love you forever, to protect you to the best of my abilities, and to make your dreams come true. Can you return Three Boons to me?¡± Shaeula¡¯s amber eyes went wide, while Shaeranna, Shaeraggo, Selensha and Ulfuric all reacted, stunned.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t see why not? You¡¯ll have the boon of my wonderful company forever, you¡¯ll have my faithful love, and you¡¯ll have my support. Is that... huh?¡± She tilted her head, dark eyes going wide, as she felt something strange. My Eye blazed, and I nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°It worked! You have the Fae-Bonded class now. It makes sense. Great, now I don¡¯t have to worry about Kana, Hinata and Daiyu.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m ready any time.¡± Hinata blushed, but she met my eyes without shame.


    ¡°As am I. We discussed this earlier.¡± Daiyu agreed. Only Kana held her silence, smiling a touch awkwardly. Yeah, she wants to take it slow, a normal sort of relationship. I don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s fun, but I¡¯d hate her to be the only one missing out. Luckily now she doesn¡¯t have to...


    ¡°All right then. Time to get swearing. It doesn¡¯t even have to be a romantic thing, so Haru-san, don¡¯t be shy...¡±


    As the girls who were missing the class crowded around me eagerly, I ran a hand through my hair, marvelling at the softer, silky feel of it. This way I can buff up my sister too. Uh, I wonder what she¡¯ll say when she sees I¡¯ve grown taller?


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯m not entirely sure why.¡± I said, after sharing a great deal of Oaths. The girls were very happy, laughing and giggling, and already the Charm from the class was noticeable to my eyes, making them even more alluring.


    ¡°You should not be so terribly reckless, hugely unwise.¡± Shaeranna shook her head when I was done. ¡°Such a pact is a tie, a bond. It does not come for free. Eventually you will not be able to bear the weight, the strain of them all.¡±


    ¡°My sister is right.¡± Shaeraggo agreed. ¡°You should keep it to your wives, do not-not be careless.¡±


    ¡°Too late.¡± I had already allowed Haru-san to benefit, and since Mayumi-san was there, we swore Oaths on our business dealings.


    ¡°It is not-not a worry.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest, grasping my hand. ¡°Just as Akio can hold the weight, so too-too can I. Hyacinth as well, and perhaps even Asha in due time. Oaths with Akio are surely Oaths bound-bound to us too. So have no fear! Boons Akio must pay are Boons we shall-shall shoulder.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair. As she giggled, I looked at the group. ¡°Well, for now Hyacinth is working on the Ring Gate. I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll take, but... while we wait, it¡¯s time to learn Tsumura Arts.¡±


    ¡°We have been waiting eagerly for this.¡± Motoko declared, while Natsumi made a cute fist-bump gesture.


    ¡°Very well. I too shall accompany you.¡± Shaeula said, and as I looked at her, surprised, she grinned, flourishing the Mortal Fragarach. ¡°I need to learn too, do I not-not? And if so, I would learn from Master Ulfuric, as well as the arts so-so precious to Natsumi and Motoko.¡±


    As the two girls looked at us with eyes shimmering with happy tears, I nodded. ¡°All right. Kana, how¡¯s the pilgrimage plan coming along?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming. My father is going back and forth, and we¡¯ve been talking to Prince Sho?toku. We can make it happen, leave it to me.¡± She preened.


    ¡°Great. Keep me informed. But for now...¡± surrounded by the girls, I shrugged. ¡°... it¡¯s time to train some more. Oh, Daiyu...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°As I recover elemental energy, I¡¯ll keep producing more High Spirit Water for you. So do your best.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She agreed happily. ¡°And you will not forget your promise, right? Nor the Oaths and Boons we have just sworn?¡±


    Of course not, how could I? As I shook my head, receiving a slight, sweet grin in return, I turned my attention to Motoko and Natsumi. It was fun spending time with them in London. They are definitely the most modest and quiet of the girls, seldom asserting themselves. That¡¯s why... I want to learn from them. A family that fights together, stays together... Thinking such amusing thoughts, we stepped onto the prepared arena, my whole body brimming with new strength. All right then. Ulfuric, David, you say I have no style? Well, I¡¯ll make one. One that¡¯ll impress both of you...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Six

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Six


    ¡°So, we should begin.¡± Ulfuric rumbled, and beside me, Motoko and Natsumi were radiating excitement.


    ¡°I have been waiting for this. We have not been idle during your absence, have we Natsumi?¡± Motoko said fondly, clutching the replica of her precious heirloom spear, Gurenyari, that our craftsmen had whipped up for her.


    ¡°No we haven¡¯t.¡± Natsumi agreed with a bright smile. She had a crafted copy of the Tsumura Arts katana, Utsuroihebi, as well as a version of the bow Hebihikoukiba over her shoulders. ¡°We have missed you, but we didn¡¯t want to remain idle. So we¡¯ve been putting in the effort.¡±


    ¡°Tsumura Arts, you told us they were designed for modern, ether-starved battlefields. Though modern is clearly a relative term.¡± Motoko¡¯s smile matched Natsumi¡¯s. ¡°Sword, bow and spear are clearly unsuited for modern warfare. Or at least they were. Perhaps a sword will never match a gun, but we still have no wish to let our Arts fade into obscurity.¡±


    ¡°The bow will never be entirely obsolete, no-no.¡± Shaeraggo said then perhaps reassuring them. ¡°These guns that Ixitt is creating, they are effective yes, though they lack-lack romance.¡± His expression twisted into a sneer, fangs showing. ¡°They will work wonders against trash, but they lack League.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I concur. However, they are a greatly valuable tool in our arsenal. I would rather like to equip the Way-Wardens with such, but that is a matter I cannot meddle in.¡± Ulfuric agreed. ¡°It is not merely strength and toughness that decides one¡¯s survival, but the League of one¡¯s being.¡± He lectured us seriously. Shaeula, who obviously knew some of this, was merely nodding beside us, carrying a hastily crafted training sword similar in style to her Mortal Fragarach.


    ¡°A feeble goblin of the Wild Hunt may be a threat to the average Fae, but against those with firm Leagues, even were they armed with such firearms they would fail to be a challenge. The purest form of League is expressed with one¡¯s body and aether, producing maximum effect. Then, wielding weapons that are an extension of one¡¯s body still produce a great effect. Swords, axes, spears, maces... they transmit most of one¡¯s League.¡±


    ¡°Bows are a little less efficient.¡± Shaeraggo admitted. ¡°But as a weapon largely using one¡¯s own-own strength and grace, they are still imbued with one¡¯s might, and are the most suitable weapon for hunters and crafty warriors. Your sister knows this, no?¡±


    Aiko, huh? I nodded. ¡°She does like your bow. She brags about it a lot.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is an excellent weapon.¡± He agreed. ¡°Now, I have heard of your human crossbows. These strip away the largest need for one¡¯s own strengths. The league they transmit is poor-poor. But these guns, they take away almost all of this. Merely aim and pull a trigger. So the League they communicate is paltry.¡±


    ¡°However, they make up for that by being terribly strong, do they not-not, my brother?¡± Shaeula interjected, and he sighed.


    ¡°Yes, that is true. These bullets are far-far more damaging than an average arrow. So you see, they most definitely have their uses.¡± Shaeraggo continued. ¡°Against the average opponent, these guns are peerless, much-much as I hate to concede. They require far less training than to master the bow, and will outrange and outpace all but the most skilled archers. Even against decently powerful foes, weight of firepower will accumulate damage and bring them down. But against foes such as our father, or the fell Fomorians, the League will be too low, they will be quite-quite useless.¡±


    ¡°I am not-not certain that is true, brother.¡± Shaeula turned to us. ¡°League is important, most definitely. But power also matters. Stronger weapons such as missiles and bombs, huge-huge, powerful explosives, and more... yes, League would mitigate these effects strongly, as they would carry almost no-no League within them, but their sheer power would still make them a threat. There will be a place for them in the battlefield. But not-not just them...¡± she looked at the girls and her siblings happily. ¡°... no-no, combining the mortal ways with the ways of us Fae will yield the best results. So we train.¡± As she finished she let out a squeal as Shaeranna swept her into a crushing hug, her face melting with happy emotions.


    ¡°Oh, my Ula, you have grown so much, a great deal!¡± As she squeezed, Shaeula started tapping her arms frantically. ¡°I am so happy to see it, greatly overjoyed. Yes, it pleases me you have finally shown an interest in such matters. Together we can train under master Ulfuric, just as a child of our father should!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but let her go now, I think you¡¯re smothering her.¡± I laughed, and as Shaeranna sheepishly released Shaeula, we burst into laughter at the red-faced expression she bore.


    ¡°Do not-not treat me like a child, Anna. Not-not in front of Akio and the others.¡± Shaeula pouted, before brushing her armoured Brigandine down. ¡°Now, my point is, just-just as I also have my pinwheels, you two should master other weapons as well.¡± She addressed Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°It will not-not hurt for you to learn guns as well.¡±


    ¡°I agree. And it isn¡¯t even as though such weapons aren¡¯t classic in Japan. The Shogunate used them in wars.¡±


    At my words the two exchanged glances, and they nodded. They then revealed they each had a pair of weapons, a long, sleek rifle and a smaller pistol.


    ¡°Ixitt made these for us. They are the new prototypes, much closer in function to modern weapons, though they are designed to utilise elemental energies like the previous ones.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi added her own comments.


    ¡°Yes, we love Tsumura Arts, but we also want to be useful. If we have to add to the Arts, they are still the Arts passed down to Motoko and then on to me. We won¡¯t let pride make us liabilities. We know what you fought in Kyoto, in London.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± I approved, giving them both a brief hug. After that contact, when we separated, Ulfuric cleared his throat.


    ¡°Very well. We shall finish the lecture now. Tsumura Arts are clearly a systematic style honed over many long years, but a skilled warrior can see the flaws. They are not unlike the combat arts of the Seelie, yet they have been rearranged multiple times over passing of time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, once it was pointed out to us, we could clearly see it. After all, they are to fit a lack of aether, are they not?¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°So those who took up their weapons would be physically weaker, slower and unable to manifest elements and abilities. Therefore pure physical conditioning and repetitive training would be needed to cover for such deficiencies. But it would also not be necessary to fight against such abilities too, so certain branches of skill would atrophy, unneeded and untrained.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. Well done.¡± Ulfuric praised her. ¡°But what was redone and lost can be repaired and relearned. The Tsumura Style has issues when used with your current abilities. It is too changed, and therefore cannot take advantage of your greater options.¡± Ulfuric looked at me then, before smiling, which was a fairly terrifying sight. Damn, Ulfuric is still intimidating. I can feel I probably out-match him in stats by a decent margin, but I¡¯m not confident I¡¯d beat him in a battle. Skill is a big gap to bridge. ¡°Shaeranna, if you would spar with Akio here? I want you to demonstrate the flaws in being too adapted to a situation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, master Ulfuric!¡± Shaeranna grabbed her spear, taking up a stance. She then grinned wolfishly at me. ¡°There is nothing personal, it is not my pleasure. This is simply a demonstration. And a way to make you more suitable for my Ula. She needs a strong man, powerful husband.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, I get it.¡± I said dryly, remembering the drubbing she had dished out to me before. I retrieved a training spear, took a few test swings to ascertain the balance, and then took a stance. Immediately Shaeranna thrust towards me, and I realised I could now confidently match her speed, even without Body Enhancement. Her spear moved rapidly, despite her feet remaining perfectly positioned and stationary, giving her a firm base for a strike, and I reacted by instinct, the training Ulfuric had beaten into me by repetition coming to my mind. From the speed of that and the angle, the best option would be to strike down to the left, as it¡¯s the fastest counter I can do and minimises risk... Even as I moved my feet, spear darting out, Shaeranna¡¯s triumphant grin and Ulfuric¡¯s wry expression warned me I was making a mistake. Yes, being too predictable is a definite weakness...


    Shaeranna¡¯s feet shifted, and her spear picked up speed. I dodged, redirecting my own strike, and the spear shafts shuddered as they made contact. Shaeranna flinched, the shock numbing her hands, and I relied on pure speed to dodge her thrust. Two best options from here. I could stab her leg, it looks vulnerable, or go for a thrust to the throat and finish it...


    Shaeranna suddenly moved in a completely unexpected way, making a move that a spear-wielder of such skill should never have made. She released her spear and twisted aside, my thrust missing her leg, though I pulled it back so it was aimed at her stomach, a swift move I could make with minimum effort. As I struck, her hand caught the shaft of my spear, and her muscles locked. I decided the best thing to do was to break her balance, and my leg swung out, only to be met by a punch from her free hand. She let out a yelp of pain, but then her head swung at me. I dipped my own head so her blow struck bone, and she cried out, but even with that I was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Ulfuric ordered, and with that we both pulled back. Shaeranna was rubbing at her head, tears in her eyes, and so I reached out, offering her Ether Healing. She paused for a second, before letting me heal her pain.


    ¡°So, what did we learn?¡± Ulfuric asked Motoko, Natsumi and Shaeula.


    ¡°I see the similarities between some of those stances and Tsumura Arts.¡± Motoko said first. ¡°It makes sense, as there are only a finite amount of moves available before they are simply variations.¡±


    ¡°Akio is certainly making the most efficient moves, just like he did in the fight against David Reckless.¡± Natsumi mused. ¡°But there¡¯s more to combat than being efficient and direct. The basics are important, but...¡±


    ¡°Akio, he is leveraging his great-great strength and speed.¡± Shaeula finished. ¡°It makes up for his deficiencies. He does not-not lack skill, if anything it is quite the opposite, but...¡±


    ¡°Arashisaisentan!¡± Natsumi declared, her practise sword swinging at me. It was a move that I would have made, again, an extremely efficient one, striking from the shortest distance at the most vital point, but that meant I could predict it. However... There was a brief surge of emerald winds, and the blade twisted, moving away from the expected target area, making movements that would be impossible just from her muscles and reflexes, in the stance she was currently in.


    ¡°Nice try.¡± I deflected the strike, though it did require far higher reaction speed and agility than Natsumi was able to display. Seeing that, I grinned. I think I can improve on that. ¡°My turn! Arashisaisentan triple!¡± My own practise sword swung out, but in addition to moving the blade with wind to suddenly attack an exposed area, two more rippling blades of wind mirroring the initial strike appeared. Obviously I made sure the winds were blunted, not using vibration, but Natsumi¡¯s eyes widened. She managed to parry the first blade by using her own wind to turn her sword, but the actual practise sword and the second wind blade struck her gently.


    ¡°I lose.¡± Natsumi declared, rubbing at the slight bruises she had suffered, lowering her sword. ¡°It was good, but wouldn¡¯t it be easier just to bombard me with wind if you are using the element that way?¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula said, realising what I was doing. ¡°Perhaps, yes, but it does remind me of some of our earlier battles, does it not-not?¡± Shaeula was practising with her own replica sword, sparring with several Kamaitachi, their jade sickle-blades used as their weapons. ¡°It certainly is easier to strike with blades of wind...¡± she demonstrated, a volley soaring out, ripping furrows in the floor of the training grounds. ¡°... but a competent foe-foe would deflect them. Whereas as a feint...¡± this time she unleashed her blades, but more gashes ripped through the floor, far away from the verdant energies.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They are a feint, setting up for a fatal strike.¡± I agreed. As Motoko watched, Natsumi took up her sword, and I slowly performed the move, limiting my speed. Natsumi parried all three strikes, only to stumble as her legs were struck by an attack she couldn¡¯t see. As she fell to her knees I helped her up, using Ether Healing on her fresh bruises.


    ¡°It looked to me like you were struck by an invisible impact.¡± Motoko observed. ¡°Can I face one?¡± she asked, hefting her spear. With a nod, I created a similar attack, five visible blades of green moving slowly, and several with the glow suppressed. Motoko fought off what she could see, and then her eyes widened. She ducked, but was still struck on one shoulder and her thigh. As she rubbed at her own new bruises I healed her too.


    ¡°I felt it, the air moving. But by then it was too late to dodge.¡± Motoko observed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It takes a lot of practise and more elemental energy to suppress the natural glow, but it¡¯s possible.¡± I explained. ¡°Wind element definitely has a lot of applications with Tsumura style combat. With both spear and sword you favour fast, unpredictable attacks.¡±


    ¡°The downside is, we lack power.¡± Motoko admitted. ¡°Breaking strong defences such as heavy armour, we rely on shifting attacks to strike at joints and other weak points.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because the need for our skills changed over the years and our culture. Japanese armour differs from the heavier Western armour, with more gaps within the plates, relying on their manoeuvrability rather than durability.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°The fundamentals never change, but with the lack of aether and elements, as well as cultural shifts and different opponents, Tsumura Arts have shifted.¡± She looked at Natsumi, who nodded. ¡°But what has shifted can be shifted back. Even if it is not what it was before, it will still be Tsumura Arts, our Tsumura Arts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Even though we don¡¯t know everything, and so much has been lost, we have many experts here. We can build something special, together.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Ulfuric agreed. ¡°Knowing what you are deficient in and being willing and able to change it is important. Tsumura Arts are indeed reliant on speed and precision, as well as feints. That is the way of wind element. But the foundation is sure.¡± Now it was Ulfuric¡¯s turn to demonstrate some forms, drawing on the ruby light of earth element to increase the weight and cutting power of his swings. Motoko and Natsumi watched greedily, as did I.


    ¡°Let me try that. Arashisaisentan triple crush!¡± I ignored the snigger from Shaeula, knowing I wasn¡¯t great at naming moves. This time I used both earth element to add significant weight to the swing momentarily, as well as the blades of wind. Once the debris had settled, I nodded.


    ¡°So yeah, I think there might well be other elements better for strengthening a swing, but earth would be a good one to add to your repertoire. Though learning it will be a pain, as it¡¯ll clash with the wind you already know.¡± I pointed out. ¡°For now though, we¡¯ll work on using wind properly.¡±


    ¡°Do not forget archery.¡± Shaeraggo said. ¡°I would not-not like you to neglect it.¡±


    Motoko laughed. ¡°Very well, Natsumi, continue with the sword. I shall use the bow for now. Adding wind to our shots... I think I see how it works. Just like Arashisaisentan, divert and strike a vulnerable spot.¡±


    ¡°Akio, please continue to spar with me!¡± Natsumi declared. ¡°You¡¯ve given me some ideas. I hope you¡¯ve gained some too.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± I said, raising my practice sword. ¡°Combining the sword with martial arts...¡± I nodded to her, and Natsumi bowed gracefully. We exchanged a storm of blows, Natsumi alternating strikes at my vitals with clever feints, often using wind. She was running dry, the effort exhausting her, but I found it educational. I see it. Just like programming, there¡¯s multiple ways to get the desired result. What is the best way can be improved upon by further enhancements, and changes in the order of things... just like an If-Then type of loop. Paying attention to my footwork, I used my elbow to block Natsumi¡¯s arm, a move that was not exactly optimal, but doing so was something she didn¡¯t expect, and it opened up the opportunity for a number of potential finishing blows. I then chose to strike multiple blows at once with sword and wind blades, and Natsumi was defeated.


    ¡°That was clever.¡± She approved, dusting herself off again as I offered her my hand. I pulled her up once more, and she started replicating my attacks. ¡°I see. You stopped my movements, leaving me open. It is a little similar to some skills I¡¯ve learned, but...¡± she looked at Ulfuric, who nodded.


    ¡°Yes, that is the style of combat I favour. While I am the master of every weapon that the Fae uses, I am like most badgerkin. We like to tear our foes apart with our own hands.¡± He flexed his massive, burly fingers. ¡°Wrestling and brawling is something I excel in. But to use it properly, against an opponent with a weapon... it is a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s only so much you can do against an opponent with greater reach.¡± I agreed. ¡°But that¡¯s not to say you can¡¯t use your body to an advantage.¡±


    ¡°Like this.¡± Natsumi swung her sword at me suddenly, and as I went to block it her leg snaked out, trying to trap me. I saw it coming though, and my own leg hooked hers, pulling her over. She fell into my embrace, dropping her sword, giggling happily. ¡°Oh no, you defeated me.¡± She said, and Motoko, who was imbuing her launched arrows with wind element to both increase their speed, and also allow her to give them non-linear trajectories, looked back with an exasperated expression.


    ¡°Do try to focus, Natsumi. This time is precious.¡±


    ¡°I know it is. That¡¯s why I¡¯m making the most of it.¡± She giggled, hugging me for a little while longer, before retrieving the fallen sword. ¡°Well, shall we continue?¡±


    ********


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Ulfuric said, as Motoko grounded her spear, leaning on it, exhausted. ¡°We should take a rest. Your stamina is far from limitless, and trying to learn too much at once is counterproductive.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, your stats are decent, but there is a limit.¡± I agreed. We had been sparring and learning from Ulfuric for many hours. Even with the flow of time as it was here again, Motoko and Natsumi would be going to school tomorrow with little rest. We had attracted quite the audience, and since it was the first time we had all been together in the Boundary for a while, I let it slide. I suppose one late night won¡¯t hurt. Everyone has at least some stat boosts after all...


    ¡°You have sharpened your combat senses noticeably.¡± Ulfuric praised me, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a slow process, you¡¯re right, my talent for martial arts isn¡¯t that high. But at least I learnt a little from watching videos on the internet before I started training with you, so I¡¯m not a complete novice. I definitely understand what you and David were trying to tell me now. And...¡± I looked at Motoko and Natsumi, grinning triumphantly. ¡°... I got Tsumura Arts at Rank one.¡±


    At that, their eyes went wide. ¡°Congratulations.¡± Shaeula said to them. ¡°You can rest-rest easy, knowing your chosen male truly embraces all you love.¡±


    Motoko nodded, her eyes misting up, while Natsumi quivered a little. I opened my mouth to say something soothing, when I turned, something flying at me at high speed. I turned and caught the projectile, which in fact was a rushing Hyacinth, in my arms. I opened my mouth, only for my words to fail me, as she looked at me triumphantly, her eyes shimmering violet, a broad smile on her face.


    ¡°I have dooone it! The mushrooms, they are now one. They are nooot pairs as I thought, but... connection is the key! Hyacinth found that they are all ooone mushroom, despite being in many booodies!¡± she barely paused for breath. ¡°The Ring Gate, it will nooow open! Hyacinth, she has done well, nooo?¡± As she nuzzled me, equal parts exhausted and ecstatic, I nodded dumbly. That was fast. I expected it to take at least a few days. But now... If that Gate could open, then we could return to London, and put the next part of our plan into operation, potentially the most critical one, if it worked as expected...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Seven

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Seven


    With Hyacinth still babbling in my arms, I looked around at the group training. ¡°I think Ulfuric was right, this is a good time for a break. We¡¯ve done well today, it¡¯s been educational. Now it¡¯s time to take a look at the Ring Gate.¡± Hoisting up Hyacinth and carrying her, I led us back towards the rich veins of earth element, where now three rings of giant mushrooms stood. My Eye shone a deep amber, and after examining them I noticed a small change.


    Faerie Ring Gate Hub Rank 5 Special- Special Rank facilities cannot be levelled up by ether, they level as their requirements are met. Faerie Ring Gates draw upon abundant natural elemental water or earth to create a mystical gateway that connects two points of the lower Astral, allowing transportation between. They can also generate internal spatial energy by the connection between themselves. Due to the spreading of fungal spores, and the abnormal nature energy used to create one of the Gates, the mushrooms making up the three Ring Gates have all begun to consolidate, becoming one, forming a Hub, increasing their efficiency at converting elemental energies.


    ¡°I see. I did wonder how they worked, considering they use water or earth element, not spatial element. The Mushrooms must have their own Chakra network, and generate spatial in whatever the equivalent of their crown chakra is, but they need water or earth element to survive...¡± I mused.


    ¡°These Ring Gates are the preserve of the treekin.¡± Shaeraggo warned. ¡°I do not know if Primal Forest will be best-best pleased.¡±


    Hyacinth rolled her eyes, still enjoying me carrying her, and Shaeula also snorted dryly. ¡°Brother, do not-not worry about Primal Forest. Akio has already considered this. We do not-not intend to encroach upon his preserve, this was merely a mortal-to-mortal Gate, was it not-not? The Seelie Court is unaffected. Besides...¡±


    ¡°We can always offer favours.¡± Hinata said, thinking. ¡°If their own supply of these Mushrooms is limited, to prevent conflict, Hyacinth here can always grow a few Gates for them, so long as they acknowledge our right to make our own. We can probably secure closer ties too...¡± Hinata and the others had arrived at the Gate, and we had quite a crowd now, everyone eager to see.


    ¡°That¡¯s shrewd business sense.¡± Mayumi-san agreed, excited, her eyes looking at the Ring Gate with interest. ¡°They already have a monopoly, so you aren¡¯t losing anything other than a little time and effort conceding, but if you get their agreement...¡± she trailed off. ¡°So, this really takes you to London in the blink of an eye?¡±


    ¡°It does. And this one to Kyoto...¡± I pointed. ¡°... but compared to the last one...¡±


    ¡°This is my-my gift.¡± Shaeraggo said proudly. ¡°It goes to the borders of the Seelie Court, to my dear little sister¡¯s mansion.¡±


    ¡°And from there-there to my domain, the Spring of Clear Reflections.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I believe in time, when your training progresses enough...¡± she looked out over the trainees, mercenaries and noble guests. ¡°...Akio intends to move-move the training to the area around the mansion, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It has a lot of benefits. Firstly, the time dilation is greater, so we can spend longer training without compromising your sleep like tonight.¡± I said, and I got some wry looks from the noble girls at that, Hinata giggling softly. ¡°Secondly, the Ether density is a lot higher, even more so than Kyoto, so that helps with the exercises. But the benefits come with downsides. Unless you strengthen your Silver Cords and Chakra networks, it¡¯s not safe. Therefore train hard, and you¡¯ll get to see something amazing.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly wait.¡± Hinata agreed, and beside her, Kana nodded.


    ¡°But we¡¯re going to see something amazing right now, right Akio?¡± she said, smiling sweetly. ¡°After all, there¡¯s no way you are going to go to London without us, are you?¡± she looked at Eri, Hinata, Daiyu and Asha. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones who haven¡¯t been with him, it¡¯s not fair. We demand equal treatment, right?¡±


    ¡°I do want to go.¡± Eri agreed, her tail waving, ears twitching. ¡°I¡¯m not healthy, I know, but I¡¯m a lot better after your help, Akio. Besides, I am doing my schoolwork remotely. Unlike Kana-san here, I don¡¯t have to be up early.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mean, Eri-chan.¡± Kana laughed. ¡°I can always skip school. It¡¯s Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan who can¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°For this I can!¡± Hinata disagreed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more important to Takatsukasa and Fukumoto houses as me getting along with Akio.¡± Sakura-san looked sour at that, but she said nothing.


    All right. I suppose... I did some calculations. ¡°It¡¯s only a guess but based on the average sort of time dilation here in the Boundary, I¡¯d say it¡¯s between one and two in the morning outside. Normally you should all be home by midnight, but... I get that today was special.¡± At their nods and smiles of agreement, saying that it was good to have us back, I continued. ¡°Britain is nine hours behind us, so it¡¯s early afternoon there... fine. Eleanor owes us some treasures anyway. And something more.¡± I¡¯ll not want to overwhelm her though, so I¡¯ll just take the girls for now, Haru-san and my other vassals can come next time...


    ¡°Does that mean we can come?¡± Kana said excitedly, and I nodded. Kana let out a squeal and darted in, kissing me on the cheek, before realising she had done it in public and blushing. Yeah, Kana really is the most normal of all the girls...


    ¡°I¡¯ve introduced most of you to the Princess anyway, so might as well do the rest and pick up our rewards.¡± I conceded. I put Hyacinth down, and she grumbled a little, but quickly took her place behind me. ¡°All right. Asha, you¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. I have made my feelings and resolve plain.¡± The Dryad nodded, looking at her Tree fondly. ¡°Even were we to fail, at least I had a lovely dream before the end of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Aki has got this.¡± Shiro promised. ¡°One thing I know is, he won¡¯t risk you recklessly. He¡¯s a predictable guy.¡±


    ¡°No, there is risk. Manageable, I hope, but...¡± I must have looked guilty, as Shaeula and Eri grabbed my free hands, squeezing them. It was Daiyu who spoke up then, surprising everyone.


    ¡°No power is gained without risking everything. But the greatest risk of all is to do nothing, knowing that danger looms. There are crouching tigers and hidden dragons everywhere, waiting to prey on the weak. Akio would be a fool to toss aside a means of strengthening us all just because it is challenging, but also a fool not to treat any method of gaining strength with respect and caution. And nothing I have seen has led me to believe he is a fool. Else many of us would not be here, would we?¡±


    At her translated words, murmurs of agreement went around the girls. Shaeula¡¯s and Shiro¡¯s words were particularly embarrassing to hear, but I set those aside. ¡°All right then. Everyone else knows what they are doing, right?¡±


    ¡°I would dearly like to come, but...¡± Mayumi-san said, and Hinata shook her head.


    ¡°A daughter of Ichijou house has to be at school every day, fresh, alert and perfect. Miyu can¡¯t come either. Not today, anyway. But you¡¯ll have other opportunities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m hoping this will create a new closeness between our countries. So there¡¯ll be all sorts of meetings and agreements. No doubt your grandfathers will be involved...¡± As we finalised our intentions, the excitement was palpable, but all I was feeling was a huge amount of stress. My eyes met Asha¡¯s, who smiled back calmly. Yes, Daiyu is right. We have to chance this. There¡¯s too much at stake not to. ¡°All right then. Girls, you¡¯re coming with me. Those of you who¡¯ve not used the Gates before, it¡¯s over in a flash, there¡¯s just a bit of discomfort.¡± And with that, I led them into the Ring Gate, a spray of violet energies scattering.


    As I emerged through the other side onto a small island surrounded by water, veils of orange energy rising, I recognised it as Bermondsey Isle. Several Selkie were blinking in surprise as I emerged, followed by a crowd of girls. Seeing their confusion, I addressed them. ¡°Good afternoon. We¡¯ve met before. Can you get Raidre here, I need him to bring Princess Eleanor for a meeting as soon as possible?¡±


    As they milled around in confusion, Shaeula, who had also emerged, spoke regally. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. Heed-heed the words of my consort, and hurry. We do not-not have time to idle here.¡±


    ¡°She sure is something. It¡¯s at times like this I remember she¡¯s a real, actual princess, not just a girl who¡¯s into all sorts of otaku stuff.¡± Kana whispered theatrically to Eri.


    ¡°How rude. I enjoy many-many mortal pursuits...¡± Shaeula said, pretending to be offended, and the mood lightened. Thanks, Kana. I guess you picked up that I¡¯m stressed. Oh well, I¡¯ll be put out of my misery soon, either way...


    ********


    ¡°Back so soon, I see.¡± Raidre declared, in his human form, his handsome expression pensive. ¡°And your presence, so different. By the salt and tides, you¡¯re no mortal brat, were you fooling us all this time?¡± He examined me, sensing my changes.


    ¡°Watch your tongue.¡± Shaeula warned him, and Raidre flinched.


    ¡°Fine. I am still grateful for your aid before, even if you tricked us.¡± He conceded.


    ¡°No trickery. I¡¯ve simply evolved.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m both a human and a Fae now.¡± Well, something more than human, but does that matter?


    ¡°This is all very well, but yooou should show us some hooospitality, Selkie.¡± Hyacinth broke in, her own gaze cold.


    ¡°I apologise.¡± Raidre accepted her rebuke, and ordered some of his surviving Selkie to bring us to the feasting hall on the Isle. As we followed, he noticed Asha, and frowned.


    ¡°A daughter of Orion, as well? You have quite the entourage.¡±


    ¡°I do. These are... my wives-to-be, I guess?¡± I said, and Raidre snorted.


    ¡°The Princess will not approve. But to receive the favour of a Dryad... have you Kissed?¡± he asked, and Asha¡¯s slightly green-tinged skin turned rather pink. She nodded, her yellow eyes solemn.


    ¡°I see. Then there is nothing more for me to say. By the moon that pulls the tides, it has been a time of great trials.¡± He looked mournfully at the flowers floating in the waters of the Thames, white and gold blossoms bobbing on the rippling tides. At that, Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha¡¯s mood softened, becoming more melancholic.


    ¡°They fought well, to the end. It is always hard to lose-lose kin.¡± Shaeula said, consoling him. As we entered the hall, food and drink was brought to us. Kana and Eri were taking sips of the fishy stew, seeming to like the taste, while Daiyu observed the foaming tankards with interest.


    ¡°Tooo die with honour is better than living in shame and cruelty.¡± Hyacinth also said. ¡°They fooought so others could live. Hyacinth respects that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And seeing humans and Fae fighting together, like we do... it fills me with hope.¡± I said, raising my own tankard. ¡°A toast. To the fallen!¡±


    The girls, the surrounding Selkie, and even Raidre, raised their mugs and echoed me.


    ¡°To the fallen.¡± Raidre said again after we all drank. ¡°May their spirits be reborn amidst smoke and salt, looking up at the moon.¡± With that done, he sighed heavily. ¡°Your return is timely. The Princess, she struggles with the gravity of what she must do. Those traitors... no, I will let her speak. Remain here, and I shall fetch her. I know where she will be. Keep them fed and watered.¡± He ordered his kin, before stomping out of the hall.


    ¡°I do not-not care for Ravens.¡± Shaeula shuddered. ¡°I find them ill-omened.¡±


    As everyone gathered up, Eleanor gestured to the Tower. ¡°Welcome to the Tower of London. I give you all permission to enter.¡± She said formally, and she pushed open the doors. Soon we had made our way down to the basement where all the treasures were kept, and here in the Boundary it was quite the different sight, full of glittering relics and bright weapons. Hinata couldn¡¯t contain her excitement, and scurried over to the nearest pile, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°Careful.¡± I warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt picking up something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much!¡± Hinata declared happily. ¡°How can I not be excited? All these treasures...¡±


    ¡°All Britain¡¯s treasures.¡± I replied. ¡°So be grateful you get to choose one, if you can.¡±


    ¡°I think we earned it.¡± she shot back, looking at Eleanor who was forced to nod. ¡°But I¡¯ll behave. Motoko, Natsumi, come take a look! There¡¯s all sorts of weapons here...¡±


    Daiyu was also looking around, shocked by the volume of treasures. Kana turned to me, hesitating. ¡°Are you really sure I can have one? I mean, I¡¯m not much of a fighter, am I?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but you¡¯re my girlfriend. What bastard of a boyfriend would get other girls a gift and not his girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a flaw in that argument, but whatever. I do like receiving presents. I still wear that hairpin you got me, don¡¯t I?¡± she smiled, before heading off.


    ¡°We have ours, so what should we do?¡± Shiro asked Shaeula and Hyacinth.


    ¡°You can come with us, below. Eleanor...¡± I said, turning away from the girls searching through the treasures, seeking anything they might have a connection with. ¡°... can you give Asha permission to go below? To the Cauldron, the Grail.¡± I lowered my voice to a barest whisper for secrecy.


    Taking a deep breath, Eleanor nodded. ¡°It is too late to back out now. I grant you passage to where the Cauldron awaits.¡±


    Following the Princess, we descended the winding stairs, Asha¡¯s steps growing ever slower and more leaden, as if each movement was difficult. Shaeula and Hyacinth reassured her, while Shiro was looking around with a ruby-eyed gaze, Tan obviously awake to further observe such a powerful artefact. Reaching the bottom, the strangely pagan chapel was revealed, and the mistletoe and vines that draped the marble walls and vaulting stirred, as if eager to see Asha, whose face was pained.


    ¡°Such... such power of growth, of fertility.¡± She whispered. ¡°It is beautiful, but so very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It is the legacy we protect, that which keeps Britain a green and pleasant land.¡± Eleanor admitted. ¡°Our greatest treasure. To allow you to take from it...¡± she bit her lip. ¡°...it would have been lost without your aid. So perhaps this is a just decision.¡±


    ¡°We only need a little.¡± I said, my Eye blazing. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could contain much of it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Be strong, Asha.¡± Shaeula patted her back. ¡°As you have so righty declared, you did not-not survive until this point to be beaten, did you? Besides...¡± her grin turned wicked. ¡°... this is your great-great chance to prove to Akio you are a female that stands equal with any of us, worthy of being by his side, his lover, for all-all eternity. You do not-not even have to fear him dying of his old age, like the Fae and mortal romances of the olden tales, no?¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth can help yooou.¡± She grinned. ¡°I know this energy, though...¡± her expression shifted. ¡°I am better at decay, rather than grooowth.¡± Her words were a little sad, but on seeing our sympathetic looks, she shrugged. ¡°I dooo not mind. So long as I am useful, I feel happy, fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°I can give you buffs.¡± Shiro supported her too. ¡°Aki¡¯s being harsh, making you do this. You¡¯ll definitely have to screw a date or two out of him.¡± She winked at me, and I was once more struck by how kind all the girls were, supporting each other, when in reality they should have been bitter rivals. The world really has changed. But all I need to do is make sure they never regret it. I can do that...


    ¡°Asha, it¡¯ll be all right. We¡¯re all here with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought this before...¡± Eleanor said, interrupting our pep-talk. ¡°You certainly are all very harmonious. I¡¯m a little jealous. I have a good relationship with Aditi and Mary-Jane, and I thought I had one with Sarah, but... it¡¯s awkward now.¡±


    ¡°Sarah... I can¡¯t do anything about that.¡± I said. ¡°But the other two, there are ways. They might be suitable for another Favour, maybe. But for now...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. Forgive me. She needs to focus.¡± Eleanor looked at Asha with a smile. ¡°You know, my blessing came from the Green Man. A duality of life, death and rebirth, the bringer of Spring. I regrow...¡± she said, a touch of melancholy in her eyes. ¡°... it can be quite painful. But I am grateful, for it gives me the chance to protect what I must. At first, I hated that this burden came to me. But seeing those who can¡¯t be trusted with these gifts... I know now it had to be me. What I¡¯m trying to say is... I¡¯m not terribly eloquent, I¡¯m sorry... but... you are rather like me, Asha. You are a creature of life, or growth. So take what I offer, and use it for something good, something that matters. There¡¯s meaning in that.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± I approved, and Eleanor looked at me, a slightly smug smile quivering on her lips.


    ¡°Of course. I am the Gods¡¯ Chosen who represents Britain. I will not be outdone by you.¡±


    ¡°I am... ready.¡± Asha took a deep breath, drinking in all the reassurances and kind words. Her trembling lessened, though her eyes were still too bright, a little feverish, and her skin was dripping sweat, the ground around her steaming. As she moved towards the blinding glow of adherence and powerful nature energy, she reached down, driving her hand into the ground, her fingers digging into the soil in-between the paving stones that covered some of the ground. I saw earth energy swirling red, and she formed a small cup of mud. More ruby energy flowed, and it solidified into stone, the brown of the soil becoming a mixture of rippled white and brown swirls, looking a little like wood.


    ¡°I... am... ready.¡± She breathed, gasping with each word. Before she could advance, Hyacinth put her hand over Asha¡¯s.


    ¡°Here. You are nooot alone.¡± She declared, and her own energies surged, nature element, a rich brown streaked with red and orange, sinking into the chalice. The stone shifted, the patterns changing, and after a moment Hyacinth sank to her knees, panting.


    ¡°I did nooot have much strength left, but... take what I have, and use it well.¡± Her smile was bright, even as she trembled herself. Asha nodded, touched, before looking back at us, then at me.


    ¡°I... am going... now. When I return... I ask...¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡± I said, giving her a final, gentle hug. She smelt of sweat and soil and fragrant wood. The moment I released her, she swung forwards, her lips meeting mine, a repeat of her kiss from long ago. As she pulled free, she nodded.


    ¡°I will... hold you... to... that.¡± She turned, and took several rapid steps forwards, vanishing into the light.


    ¡°That power is intense.¡± Tan said suddenly. ¡°To contain it is as trying to contain a lake within a small vessel. If she merely takes a bucket from such a lake, she may be able to restrain it, but too much...¡±


    ¡°I trust her. Like she says, she¡¯s survived worse. All we can do is believe in her.¡± I said firmly, and Tan shut Shiro¡¯s eyes lazily.


    ¡°Belief. How apt. The belief here is rich. I have no wish to see the outcome. However it falls.¡± With that she was gone again, and Shiro apologised.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I waved that aside. ¡°Tan was actually being considerate, in her own way. I like to think she doesn¡¯t need to see, because she knows Asha can do it.¡± I tried to pierce the light with my Eye, and I could see the shadow of Asha, closing in on the mishappen vessel within the storm of energies.


    One step. A second. A third. Asha approached it, and bent down slowly, the chalice of stone she had crafted in her hands. With a shaky motion she scooped it into the glowing liquid light that had accumulated within, and all of a sudden the light surged, adherence twisting and bucking like it was alive.


    Asha! I forced power into my Eye, stepping forwards, only for Eleanor to grab one arm, Shaeula the other.


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t. The power is dangerous if misused. Like the Green Man, growth and death are a cycle. If you don¡¯t have the aptitude, it could easily corrode you.¡±


    ¡°That is quite-quite right. She is a Daughter of Orion. Even though she commands Earth, not-not Wood, she is still a creature of the nature element to her very being. If she can not-not, then none of us can...¡±


    All we could do was wait, and so wait we did, our breaths hurried, nervous, until I heard it. A gentle footstep. One, then another. My heart leapt, and I could see the others equally as hopeful. My Eye could see the shadow of Asha, and step by torturous step she moved closer towards us, finally emerging from the light of the cauldron.


    ¡°Asha...¡± I called out, and she smiled at me, despite the shimmering tears of energy running down her cheeks, her body wreathed in light, it even shining through her skin, illuminating her.


    ¡°Akio. I... have it.¡± She cradled the chalice to her ample chest, nature energy rising from it in a thick mist. ¡°The power... it is inside me, a part of me. But oh, how it burns. I am perhaps not strong enough to bear this. So we... must hurry. My Tree...¡±


    She stopped her words as I threw my arms around her, heedless of the sizzle of the energies. I can endure them too. I¡¯m strong, and I do have the wood element, even if it¡¯s my weakest, along with darkness. My Eye glowing, I inspected her chakra network, only to be surprised. It looks familiar... like that time with Eri...


    ¡°Asha, you¡¯ve brought out the power. Well done.¡± I tightened my hug, feeling both her warmth and the heat of such concentrated, pure adherence. ¡°So, as promised. You had a request. What... what do you want?¡±


    Her eyes widened, but at seeing my sincerity, she smiled, her tears of shimmering energy increasing. ¡°I want...¡±

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Eight – R18/Contains Sex

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Eight ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°I want...¡± she said tremulously, smiling between the tears of shining energy that was spilling out of her, the energy she had taken from the Cauldron even now surging within her. ¡°...these blissful days... to continue, for as long... as... no, longer... than the dark times.¡± Each word was wrung from her, an effort, but her eyes never left mine. ¡°... I want my... Tree to flourish, the other... Trees to know the joy... of symbiosis... for your Territory, no... all the land... to be beautiful and full of nature. I want... to be... with the one... who saved my life, my very... existence... forever.¡± After her long string of words, she blinked at me, her expression shy. ¡°That is... too greedy, right?¡±


    I shook my head, feeling my own eyes starting to burn. ¡°No, no it isn¡¯t. everyone deserves happiness, especially those who¡¯ve struggled through the mud and slime for it. And definitely those who are risking themselves to do something important...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep a girl waiting, Aki.¡± Shiro said, exasperated. ¡°That¡¯s such a Yasu move.¡± Her eyes were red too, but not in her usual way. It wasn¡¯t Tan this time, but her deep emotions causing her to tear up. ¡°I don¡¯t know everything that happened to her, but I know... it¡¯s hard thinking you have no future, wishing for what you can never have... and when you get it, it feels like everything before it was just a bad dream, and the future shines.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Gooo, Akio! To the Tree! Hyacinth shall fooollow!¡± Her own smile was gentle, and I realised if anyone could understand Asha, it was Hyacinth, who had suffered a similarly cruel fate, trapped in the box all those long years, to cap off a long age of cruel treatment and denial of her very self.


    Hoisting up Asha into my arms in a princess-carry, ignoring the burning of the adherence that was not for people to wield, I nodded, turning to Shaeula and Eleanor.


    ¡°I shall remain here, have no-no fear.¡± Shaeula said tenderly. ¡°Take Asha and go. Soothe away her pain, as the male I have-have chosen should surely be able to do. I will bring-bring the others back safety when they have chosen their treasures.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor, when everyone is done here, feel free to come visit my Territory. I¡¯d like you to see what it should look like. We¡¯ll work on fixing yours then.¡± I said, making ready to go, Hyacinth and Shiro behind me.


    ¡°So arrogant.¡± Eleanor laughed, before her expression softened, seeming almost fond. ¡°But I admit to being curious to see if your arrogance is well founded. So far it has been, as frustrated as that makes me sometimes.¡± She looked at the suffering Asha then, the stone goblet in her hand blazing with vivid verdant energies. ¡°... and if you use that piece of Britain¡¯s legacy wisely. Is it...¡± she paused, before saying what was on her mind. ¡°...always so intense for you? They seem like heavy women. Maybe I should have some sympathy for you after all.¡± Her smile was gently mocking.


    ¡°No, Asha is as light as a feather to me. As is what she carries.¡± I said, hefting her up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it alone. I¡¯m only one man, but together... we can find the shape of our own happiness. Now... I¡¯m off!¡± Asha was trembling more intensely in my grasp, so I decided to hurry, sprinting out of the distorted chapel and up the winding stairs, Asha¡¯s breath coming fast, spraying hot brown mist. Behind me came Hyacinth and Shiro, though they quickly fell behind. Emerging into the treasury, where Eri was swinging a large axe in satisfaction, I looked at David and Raidre, who were supervising them.


    ¡°I¡¯m off. David, keep an eye on the girls, all right?¡± I shouted as I raced past. He looked at me in surprise, seeing Asha in my arms, before giving me a sneering smile.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do that. But you owe me a rematch, punk!¡±


    ¡°Any time...¡± I laughed, flying up the next set of stairs. Raidre was looking on, open-mouthed, at the sheer energy radiating from Asha, while I heard cries of encouragement from the other girls, even a quiet one from Eri. Yeah, Eri is kindest to the girls who are hurting the most...


    Once outside the Tower, I picked up the pace, making sure not to jostle Asha, who was curled up in my arms. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    She shuddered but managed a weak nod. ¡°I feel so... scorching and... freezing. But... I will endure.¡±


    ¡°Yes, just hold on. We knew this would be tough, but together we can do it.¡±


    ¡°Together. Such... a wonderful... sentiment.¡± She squeezed shut her yellow eyes, but I could still see glowing light through her eyelids, the intensity increasing. We reached the bank of the Thames by Bermondsey Isle, and I didn¡¯t even stop to use their makeshift pontoon bridge that linked the two, but leapt, Body Enhancement empowering my muscles to ludicrous heights, a little wind energy keeping me airborne. I landed, cushioning the shock so that Asha wouldn¡¯t feel any impact, and raced towards the Ring Gate, vanishing through it in a spray of violet sparks.


    Emerging on the other side, I raced towards Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree. The cafe? terrace had been dismantled and most of the stairs had been pulled down, but there were a few Fae working on it still. On seeing me hurrying with the brilliantly shining Asha in my arms, they gaped in shock, only to scurry away as I shouted that the area needed to be vacated, and nobody but my fiance?es were allowed nearby until further notice. I quickly poured my plentiful earth energy, even stronger since my recent power-ups, into creating a privacy wall around the base of the Rhyming Tree, then laid Asha down on the grass and flowers below, the ruby energies from the hillside bathing her gently.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I said, and she smiled weakly, still clutching the glowing goblet.


    ¡°Yes, my Tree, my... other self.¡± She gasped, thin rivulets of smoking energy leaking from her mouth. ¡°Do you find... it... strange?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s no stranger than Shaeula being a weaselkin, or a Kamaitachi, really. Besides, it¡¯s a part of you.¡± I reached out and touched the healed bark of the Tree, remembering the sorry state it was in when we brought it here, riddled with fungus.


    ¡°You saved... her. Me. I do... not even know... the distinction... anymore.¡± Asha smiled. ¡°Even when you ... took me... out of the hell... I thought... we were... too far gone. Which is why...¡± even with her eye shut I could feel the intensity of her gaze. ¡°... I believe... even now... in the future.¡±


    ¡°Good sentiments. We have a long way to go. You, me, Shaeula, the others...¡± I promised, my Eye glowing to match the radiance she was exuding. Around her, the flowering grasses were growing wildly, and other patches were withering just as swiftly, the energy she contained, the adherence, too strong, too uncontrolled. I extended my aether, trying to use Chirurgery and Ether Healing to aid her, but all I could do was soothe her pain a little, as there was actually nothing wrong with her, just cascading energies that were hard to bear.


    It''s like the first time with Eri in Las Vegas. I know Shaeula has been joking about the sure-fire method to fix Chakra network issues, but fortunately it¡¯s never been needed. Now...


    ¡°Take me... closer.¡± Asha said, and I lifted her up once more, taking her to the base of her Tree. She reached out, placing a trembling hand against the trunk and a faint trickle of the energy started to flow from her to the Tree. ¡°This... is... difficult. The energy, it... wants... to do... as it... pleases. It is not... ours.¡±


    It pained me to see her suffering, but her expression was resolute, and despite her pain she was calm, so I merely reached down and grasped her other hand. ¡°No, it¡¯s a mixture of adherence, a complicated jumble. Even ordinary adherence is hard to use, but...¡± I bit my lip, thinking. ¡°... Asha, there is a way.¡±


    ¡°I... do not... want pity.¡± Her smile was slight. ¡°I... made my choice. I chose... you, back ... then. Should you... not... choose me, then, it was... not meant... to be.¡± The energy was slowly seeping into the Tree, but at the rate she was emptying it, her body could suffer significant damage. ¡°I hope... it is... however. But if... you do not... desire me... then...¡±


    I shook my head, angry with myself. I¡¯d been giving her mixed signals, despite my resolution to change. I have been better, more decisive, but... I¡¯m still me at my core. ¡°Look. We¡¯ll set aside my promises. That¡¯s not what you want to hear. I apologise. You and Daiyu, I¡¯ve not been good to you both. One minute I was showing affection, the next minute I was equivocating, hesitating. I have tried to change, and I think I¡¯ve demonstrated I have the resolve...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. I certainly... like the... fire... in your eyes and heart... now, more than... ever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still impossible not to feel a bit guilty that I get all the benefits, that I have all you wonderful women in my life. But I know doing that is disrespectful and is the thief of joy. Even Eleanor, who hates this sort of unfaithfulness, she understands that. All that matters is our feelings. And Asha... no man could hate you. You¡¯re beautiful, and have that aura of calm that makes you seem like a comforting older sister. To know that you like me, it makes me happy. I¡¯m not going to be my old self, denying the reasons you like me. I¡¯m not such a fool. I saved your life, I know.¡±


    ¡°So... arrogant.¡± Her lips twitched into a pained grin. ¡°But... so true. I have cause... as good... as any. Those who are powerful, just... and kind... will attract the love... of many. But I... want you not because... you promised. But because... you want me. I have... my pride... even now.¡±


    I do want Asha. Perhaps I¡¯m an idiot that can¡¯t leave sad girls alone, or perhaps I¡¯m a hopeless lecher. Probably both. But... ¡°You want forever, right? I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t promise that.¡± I said sadly. ¡°Not to you, or to anyone. After all, even the stars will burn out eventually, and black holes will radiate away, leaving only emptiness behind. But until then... that...¡± I bent down and kissed her lips, feeling their softness, and the burning heat of her adherence-laced breath. ¡°... I can promise. Asha, these happy days will continue, and that will be in a large part thanks to you and your Tree. And your efforts here. It¡¯s not pity. You¡¯ve proved as capable and important as any.¡±


    Her eyes snapped open, and as her lips loosened, I pushed in my tongue, kissing her deeply. She was scalding hot and shaking, but she seemed to calm as our tongues twisted, my saliva pouring into her mouth. She swallowed, gulping, and I pulled away, leaving her making a little noise of disappointment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I whispered. ¡°Your Tree will grow proud and strong. The others too. And we will bring more beauty and nature here, and to Japan as well. Yes, we need to rely on technology and the standard of living we had before, no, improve it. But we can do that without raping the planet, despoiling nature. Humanity and nature in balance. A lot of Ixitt¡¯s technology is for that purpose.¡± I kissed her again, and feeling bolder, I reached out a hand, grabbing her chest, gently but insistently. She gasped as my hand sunk into her hot flesh, her legs twitched, snaking around mine, not letting me go.


    ¡°And... you¡¯ll be with me. I¡¯m not letting you go.¡± I grasped her hand with my free one, our fingers entwining, and, and we kissed again, my other hand gently pulling down the green gown she wore, her nipple standing hard and proud, my thumb kneading it gently, wringing a wet gasp from her.


    ¡°No man has... ever touched... my flesh. As is... our way. Only those we Kiss... as we... live with... one Tree, we only offer... our fruit and seeds... to one... man.¡± Her words were whispered, but I had heard her say similar before.


    ¡°I accept them. I¡¯ll cause you to sprout.¡± I said, before wondering what nonsense I was speaking in the heat of the moment, only to hear laughter and clapping behind me. I turned my head, to see a grinning Hyacinth and an amused Shiro looking at me sardonically.


    ¡°You¡¯ll make her sprout, huh, Aki? Shit, I wish I had my phone here to record this, I¡¯d be able to play it over and over to Hayato and the gang, Eri, everyone.¡± She snickered. ¡°You¡¯re going to germinate her, huh? Bold move, Aki. Bold indeed. But your proposal lines suck as much as ever. Definitely a running joke with you...¡±


    Hyacinth shook her head, but it was Asha who answered. ¡°No, to... a Dryad... to me... they were words I longed... to hear. Now... I must... endure... until that joyous day... comes.¡± The flow of adherence into the Tree picked up a little, and the bark seemed a little shinier, the leaves on the lowest branches slightly glossier. But it¡¯s still too slow. I¡¯m not sure how long Asha can hold on. I¡¯m confident we can purge the adherence if we need to, so she¡¯ll live, but if we waste it, Eleanor won¡¯t give us any more. It¡¯s not entirely hers to give, she feels bad enough about this already.


    ¡°Why wait? Toooday is your day, nooo?¡± Hyacinth said, shaking her head, coming over. ¡°Hyacinth did nooot wait, and I am happy. Let us help you, mistress Asha. My new sister.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Shiro stopped her teasing, her expression set. ¡°Eri, Kana, they told me to tell you to do your best. And if the normal, ordinary girls can accept it, everyone else can. Nobody wants Asha to suffer. What¡¯s the difference between nine, ten, eleven or twelve? Not much, not much at all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no twelve!¡± I protested, but Asha¡¯s hand touching the Tree darted out, pulling me against her. This time her tongue sought mine greedily. ¡°Give me strength...¡± she gasped, her hot, damp lips forming the words. ¡°... and I can... do... anything. I am... as strong... and as constant... as the great Tree I am. Give me... love... and... I will make it... bear fruit!¡± Her voice strengthened, and her yellow eyes were determined, even as her chest was heaving, her bare breast drawing my eyes.


    ¡°Go for it, Aki. Don¡¯t worry, I promise not to watch.¡± Shiro said, grinning. ¡°Damn, never thought this beautiful Shirohime, the pure, undyed white princess, would end up encouraging her fiance? to bang another woman. I¡¯m not Shaeula, I don¡¯t have an NTR fetish...¡±


    ¡°Yooou will watch, Hyacinth knows.¡± The maid giggled. ¡°I will watch too. It is ooour right. And mistress Shaeula doooes not have a fetish....¡±


    ¡°I know. Can¡¯t blame a girl for trying to lighten the mood, can you?¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the buffs flowing. You tell me what you need. What will you do, Hyacinth?¡±


    ¡°Help.¡± She answered succinctly. Her own nature energy was channelled into the ground, and a number of small mushrooms sprouted, gathering up the energy exuding from Asha as her body struggled to contain such a power. ¡°Waste not, want nooot, no?¡±


    ¡°All right then. What do you want buffed?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Asha¡¯s Chakra network for now. It should lesson her discomfort.¡± I said, and as energy flowed from her into Asha, whose expression relaxed a little, I asked the Dryad below me the important question.


    ¡°Asha. Do you want to... become one?¡±


    She nodded slightly, her sweat-soaked auburn hair glowing with rivulets of light. ¡°It is all I have wanted. Perhaps this is not... the most romantic of places... but...¡± her words were less strained, the buffs already having an effect. ¡°... for me, the first time should be... with my Tree, with all... of me.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is it called when one nails a tree?¡± Shiro asked Hyacinth, making sure I could hear. ¡°Aki¡¯s got fetishes for days, never mind Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then... Asha.¡± I kissed her again, and slowly started caressing her, starting from her hair, softly stroking it, then tenderly touching her cheeks, her lips, her shoulders, her throat. As my fingers traced down her neck, slowly tracing her soft cleavage, she shivered, and I could feel her trying to push her own mixture of elements and aether through into my lunar chakra. With a smile, I started reciprocating with my own cascade of mixed energies, and she gasped, not from the adherence she was containing, but from me, as our senses jumbled, lunar chakras pulsing. There¡¯s something different though...


    It wasn¡¯t just the raging torrent of adherence, which even now was passing into me, circulating via my lunar chakra. Fortunately, I had some skill at manipulating it, so I was able to circulate it through me harmlessly, and relieve more of the pressure on Asha. No, it was the feeling of connection, which was somehow spilt. As her green gown was pulled down, her second breast springing free, I started fondling them, my mouth greedily latching onto her nipple, biting playfully and licking it. It is as if I can feel the Tree as well. It is slow, ponderous, yet alive, and also a part of Asha. It¡¯s a bit like my Split Thoughts, maybe?


    ¡°Focus... on me.¡± Asha gasped happily, flushed from shame and arousal. ¡°I am... yours and you... are mine!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re right. Whatever is happening, right now, you¡¯re in my arms, and I should only be looking at you, feeling you.¡±


    ¡°Asha, this is how... humans do it.¡± I said, as I rubbed on her silky insides. ¡°Do you feel it?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It is as if a hot shaft is burning me, but it is... a warm, gentle flame... that makes me shiver. Oh there, just there...¡± saliva ran from her slack mouth down her chin. ¡°The more you... rub me, the more I...¡± her back arched, and I took the chance to grab her breasts, toying with their meaty weight. I sild one hand down to her bottom, groping it, enjoying the soft firmness, like a ripe peach. She smells like fruit...


    ¡°Your touch... it thrills me. My sisters said... that the one they Kissed, could never be... replaced... ahn, ugh... now I know why.¡± Her arms were around me, her nails digging into my skin, though they did no injury. I continued to drive into her body, sliding my dick around, finding new places to rub, but as I did so, I realised that I was about to burst, the soft brushing of many strands and her sucking walls wrapping me.


    ¡°Here it comes, again...¡± I said, and my face must have been amusing, as she laughed, free of the pain she was feeling.


    ¡°Give me your white seeds. I wish to germinate... a treasure... for us to love!¡± At her arousing words, I burst, and she reached down with one arm, touching her belly. ¡°So... warm. Like a gentle... flame.¡±


    I continued to push, emptying myself out, and I could feel the strands within soaking up my semen, her body shuddering, gulping greedily. As I pulled out, a puddle of her sour nectars and my own liquid trickling free, I looked at her sweaty face affectionately, touching her cheek gently, running a hand over her lips. ¡°Sorry, you didn¡¯t cum.¡±


    ¡°You mean what happened before?¡± she asked, and I nodded. She tutted, shaking her head weakly.


    ¡°That does not... matter to me. It was enjoyable, but... you are my chosen one. And we became one. That is more than... enough.¡±


    ¡°No, I think...¡± I stroked my dick, relying on my stats to get it hard again. ¡°I want to cum together. If you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Do we... have time? The Tree...¡± The grail beside us was blazing, and the Tree was starting to show changes, the leaves glittering gold and brown, the bark splitting to reveal fresh, unmarred bark within, gleaming and shiny.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to love you like the others, as you deserve... then yes, we¡¯ll make time.¡± I said, stopping her words with a kiss. I lifted her up, so she was sitting, and sank my dick into her pussy once again, spreading her open. She groaned in surprise, and more cloudy liquid scattered.


    ¡°So deep, as if a thick branch is piercing me...¡± she cried, squirming.


    ¡°Yes, this is the cowgirl position.¡± I said. ¡°You can move yourself, to find where pleases you. I¡¯ll thrust too, of course.¡± As if to prove my words, I moved my hips, and she squealed, her mouth going slack. ¡°Do you like it there?¡±


    ¡°I do, my body quakes!¡± she cried, and as she shifted, my cock scraped along her insides, and she moaned. ¡°There. There.¡± She shifted her body, moving despite herself, and I couldn¡¯t hide my smile. Yes, seeing such a comforting sort of girl acting lewd is hot. I helped her out, moving my hips, jabbing at the spots she found she liked, and as she started wriggling her hips more and more, her soaked hair whipping my body, I made a game of it, bringing her peak closer, before forcing her to continue seeking the pleasure. My own dick was pulsing, eager to blow again, her insides tickling me, as if to wring every last drop of my seeds from me, and I groped her all over, her breasts, ass, legs, arms, face, hair... all the while, our spirits were as one, our aether and elements swirling in each other¡¯s lunar chakras.


    ¡°I... this... uh!¡± Words failed her, but she started moving faster than ever, driving my dick into her deepest parts. Each time my cock made contact with the back of her pussy, I trembled, and I clenched my ass, trying to hold in my next eruption.


    ¡°Please, become one... with me!¡± she managed to assemble a sentence, and as she slid up and down my dick, her ass slapping against my thighs, she let out a piercing squeal, her body convulsing. Now¡¯s the moment! I began to piston, prolonging her orgasm, scraping at her tender insides, and moments later I gushed out, filling her up, as she continued to sway up and down.


    ¡°We... I... such happiness!¡± she giggled, half-conscious, before collapsing on top of me, my spent dick popping out, followed by a flow of cum. She nuzzled into me, panting and drooling, curling up like a small animal, her ample breasts pushing against me, our bare legs tangled together.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m happy now.¡± I stroked her head, before kissing her forehead softly. ¡°Sorry for making it difficult for you. I¡¯m insensitive. But now... you never have to worry again.¡±


    ¡°You certainly are.¡± Shiro said then. ¡°But enough about that. Uh, don¡¯t you have something more important to do, Aki, Asha?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I glanced at the glowing jar and field of mushrooms, before kissing Asha once more. ¡°Sorry to interrupt your post-lovemaking bliss...¡± I said, which got a chuckle from Shiro. ¡°... but we have a Tree to grow.¡±


    Asha let out a long sigh, her eyes coming back into focus. With an earnest gaze, she nodded. ¡°Yes. I was so elated I ... forgot, for a moment.¡± She looked a touch ashamed, which was cute, so I stroked her body, and she gasped at my touch, before slapping my hands away. ¡°Enough. Later. I would... again... later.¡± Her face was boiling, her upper body flushed red. ¡°For now... together. All of us.¡± She bowed to Shiro, before gathering up her dropped dress and pulling it on, covering her body. It was stained by grass, sweat and other fluids, but it made her look even more alluring, with her damp hair sticking to her, and her face flushed with post-coital bliss. ¡°I thank you for your aid and advice.¡± Her tone was even, and the shimmering energies leaking from her body had dimmed dramatically, as I was shouldering a good portion, cycling it through us both as we bonded.


    ¡°And of course you, Hyacinth.¡± She said, thanking her. ¡°Because of your mushrooms, I have had time to grow accustomed to it, and we have wasted little power.¡± As Hyacinth murmured her thanks, giggling, Asha looked back at me, her yellow eyes warm and fond. ¡°And of course you. My destined one. Now I feel I can do... anything!¡±


    Turning away, she picked up the wooden grail. She flinched as the burning adherence renewed the assault on her, but after a moment she grimaced, tossing her head arrogantly. ¡°Power of life, of growth. You are angry, impure. But... I know what life is now, what growth is.¡± She touched her belly with her free hand reverently. ¡°The seeds have kindled and fruit will be borne, I know it. I am Asha, and... I command you, serve your purpose. Grow!¡±


    The energy surged, fighting her, but Asha held her ground. Our eyes met again, and I pulled more of the overspill into me, holding it within. At my aid, she nodded happily, before once more turning her attention to the grail she had made. Brilliant light poured from it, and the hillside shuddered, rock shattering as her Tree began to expand. A few wooden steps that hadn¡¯t been removed yet came tumbling down, which I hastily deflected with some wind.


    Isn¡¯t this quite the sight? Energy surged, the mushrooms Hyacinth were cultivating hastily turning to glowing ash and being absorbed. We heard cries and shouts from outside, so Shiro shrugged and said she¡¯d keep everyone away. My Eye flared, and as I peered at Asha and her Tree, I had several surprises. Firstly, I can see the status of the Rhyming Tree now? It¡¯s just like the others, Bonded Kin. And Asha... She was growing stronger at an appreciable pace, some of the remnant energy being absorbed into her. But there was something missing. That¡¯s it... water.


    I called upon what water element I had reaccumulated, before emptying out what the Elemental Silos contained. Allowing it to break from the merging of our lunar chakras and instead head to her sacral one, Asha¡¯s smile was warm, sure. ¡°I thank you. Seeds need both worthy soil and satiating water to sprout healthily. And blessed energy, would they wish to grow strong and nobly.¡± Her words were now confident, the rampaging, dangerous energy no longer harming her, as her body shimmered with red, orange and brown light, as did her Tree. The whole hillside was rocking, and while I had been through a few earthquakes in Japan, they had never been this intense.


    ¡°Grow. Do what you were meant for. Bring fertility and glorious nature to this land...¡± Around us, the orchard and even the Ring Gate mushrooms were growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, as was the second Earth Rhyming Tree, but compared to the changes in Asha¡¯s Tree, that was nothing. It grew like the beanstalk in the old British fairy tale my mom told Aiko, Eri and I as children, widening out to twice the already impressive width, and the height soared past a hundred and fifty metres, then two hundred, then two hundred and fifty, as we hopped backwards, away from the expanding trunk, mud and rocks deflected by my wind barriers.


    ¡°Hyacinth has never seen such a thing...¡± she said, looking up dumbly as a glittering rain of fragmented bark fell down all around us, the Tree shedding, the remaining scars and lingering pockets of damage left over from the Myconids and their spores finally purged. ¡°...there is nooot ever a dull day here with you, Akio. I am sooo very glad it was you who found me when I was freed from the booox.¡±


    ¡°I am glad too.¡± Asha said, looking at Hyacinth warmly, even as the Tree topped out at a little over three hundred metres, the branches spreading out far and wide, their leaves shimmering with not just red energies, but orange and brown ones too. ¡°Perhaps it is his fate, to save those of us who suffer? If so, it is a worthy one. And one you share, for you helped me too, Hyacinth.¡± She suddenly released the wooden cup, which shattered, stumbling, and I caught her, the last dregs of the energy I had held for her breaking apart. At least I got some adherence out of it. It¡¯ll keep me topped up to manage Laverna¡¯s Divine favour for a while longer...


    ¡°Did I do well?¡± she asked, despite her sweaty face and soiled dress, looking truly beautiful. ¡°Did I meet your expectations?¡±


    My only answer was a kiss, and we entangled each other happily. When we parted, she wiped away the remains of my spit, before she glanced at the watching Hyacinth and opened her arms. Needing no further invitation she rushed at us, and I kissed Hyacinth passionately too, only to be interrupted by a cough.


    ¡°Just poor Shirohime who gets left out, is it? A sad, pathetic white princess?¡± She put on a look of mock-sadness, and Asha shook her head.


    ¡°Of course not. Dear Shiro, you too have aided me. So receive your share.¡±


    ¡°This girl needs no further invitation. I¡¯m not too proud!¡± She said, and soon I was kissing her as well. When we were done, I looked up at the towering tree. My Eye flashed, and I nodded, well satisfied. ¡°Rank six. We did it.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s only Rank six? But it¡¯s more than three times bigger. It¡¯s as tall as the damn Tokyo Tower!¡± she paused, having a sudden thought. ¡°Shit, there¡¯s no wind here, so the view from up there... it¡¯ll be amazing!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I could not go further. But such accelerated growth could be harmful. But...¡± Asha stroked the trunk tenderly, the smooth, gleaming bark rather pretty. ¡°... I do not think we shall have to spend too many years waiting before my Tree grows anew.¡±


    I nodded. Yeah, it may be a Rank 6, but it¡¯s most of the way to Rank 7, I¡¯d guess. That means... All eyes fell on Shiro, who groaned. ¡°All right, I get it, I do.¡± She looked around at the shattered hillside. ¡°While I¡¯m psyching myself up, you might want to get some landscapers in here...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Asha, do you want to go change and freshen up?¡± I pulled on my own clothes after cleaning myself with the tiny amount of water element I had managed to regenerate after gifting Asha with my last drops. I still feel grotty, but it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m a guy...


    Asha surprised me by shaking her head. ¡°No, I am perfectly content for now. I wish to savour the closeness, the feeling of your sweat, tears, saliva and... other things, upon me. I am as a flower, pollinated. I find the sensation pleasing. After all, I am a Dryad, and I and my Tree must grow.¡± She said, echoing her earlier words.


    ¡°I get it, but you look a bit... stimulating. And you reek of sex, girl.¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°I am not shamed by that. I am proud, content.¡± Asha grabbed my arm, and I realised that I had perhaps created a monster. Now she was finally mine in truth, and I hers, she was very clingy and ecstatic. What happened to only needing a little of my attention now and again? Not that I wanted to go that route anyway...


    ¡°I guess every girl who falls for you is a bit of a wild one, Aki.¡± Shiro conceded, defeated. ¡°Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. Now...¡± she grinned a touch sourly. ¡°Time for poor me to be worked to the bone by brutal slavedriver Aki. Can I put myself down for tomorrow¡¯s pampering?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I laughed. ¡°Hyacinth too, since she helped out. It¡¯s only fair.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that. Though I think Motoko and Natsumi are eager, since they haven¡¯t seen you much in several weeks, and Shaeula¡¯s always ready to jump you, the little pervert.¡±


    ¡°I guess I have it tough then. Or so I¡¯d like to say, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Yasu¡¯s of the world would hunt you down and kill you, no matter the cost.¡± Shiro sniggered. Aether was flowing from her in a great tide, and after a while she mopped her brow. ¡°All right, that¡¯s the general blessing. Now for the big one...¡± she groaned. The light of aether blazed brilliantly, and Shiro trembled, the Tree engulfed in light, Asha also groaning, though seductively.


    ¡°You cut that out...¡± the sweaty, shaking Shiro said, annoyed. ¡°Damn, this is hard. Even your Eye didn¡¯t take so much out of me. But I won¡¯t be beaten, not me!¡± With one final surge, she slumped to the ground, spent, and the Tree was now giving off a thick fog of multi-coloured energy. I helped Shiro up, letting her lean her tired head on me, and she yawned.


    ¡°I can do it, but I¡¯ll be bottomed out on aether most of the time. You want this done, and I won¡¯t be showering blessings on you or anyone else at the same time.¡± She warned, snuggling into my embrace. As my Eye took in the blessed Tree, I drew in a hasty breath. It worked. Better than I thought... ¡°It¡¯s actually working at Rank eight!¡± I said, shocked. ¡°I had only hoped for Rank seven and a third, like before, but...¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Asha¡¯s smile was radiant. ¡°My beautiful Tree, my other me... it is magnificent. When it shines like this, there are few Rhyming Trees in the Seelie Court that can match it, and perhaps only two that exceed it. It gives me hope that one day my Tree will eclipse all others.¡±


    ¡°One day.¡± I promised. ¡°But it¡¯s not a competition, all Trees should be healthy and grow, right?¡±


    She nodded happily. ¡°Yes, all must bear fruit.¡± She rubbed at her belly gently, with a soft expression on her face. I turned towards Shiro, who peered at me from my shoulder, dark eyes solemn. I patted her head, and she grinned as I told her she had done a good job.


    ¡°Of course I have. I¡¯m me, do you expect anything less?¡± she said proudly, and I kissed her forehead softly, mirroring what I had done for Asha earlier.


    ¡°No, of course not, my beautiful white princess.¡± I teased her. ¡°But you did get one thing wrong.¡± I said, and she looked at me, puzzled.


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Aki?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t manage to keep giving out buffs, then the solution is simple. Grinding. More levels, more skill Ranks, more aether.¡± As she howled in mock-outrage I laughed, and my gaze once more went to the colossal Tree, almost impossible to comprehend as it soared into the heavens. It went even better than planned. With this... next time that golden-eyed bastard or any invading foreign enemies try and invade, they¡¯ll find Japan a very different proposition...

 Three Hundred And Eighty-Nine *contains status – Asha 1, Rhyming Tree 1*

    Three Hundred And Eighty-Nine *contains status ¨C Asha 1, Rhyming Tree 1*


    After calming down Shiro¡¯s mock-outrage, I turned my attention to the hillside. It was a bit of a wreck, with the Rhyming Tree having expanded and grown massively. Fortunately, the hillside itself had also spread somewhat, a feat that would surely be impossible in the Material, so the Ring Gate that was close to the Tree, while now right next to the Tree, had largely escaped damage. It was a similar story for the various Spires and the White Snake Earth Altar. I never thought the growth would be so... destructive. Even so, losing the Ether Spires and Altar temporarily while we rebuilt them would still be totally worth it.


    I joined Hyacinth and Asha, whose dress was still rumpled and stained, her body still smelling faintly of our passion. They were looking up that the towering Tree, Asha softly running her hands over the now smooth and lustrous bark. ¡°It¡¯s certainly impressive.¡± I said, an understatement. ¡°Even the tallest ever Material tree was a little under half this height, and was never so massive.¡± Some tree in Australia, I think? I remember seeing a documentary on it when I was a kid. Of course, that¡¯s not the most important point...


    ¡°I can hardly believe it.¡± Hyacinth giggled happily. ¡°Such a huge Tree. Hyacinth thinks it is impressive. Are yooou happy, Asha?¡±


    Asha nodded, her face flushed, her yellow eyes tender. All around the Tree, ether was shimmering into existence, being drawn from the Boundary around us, and likely even from the lower Astral that was congruent with it, both above us and not, beautiful rainbow sparks like multicoloured fireflies forming a great aurora, many times more intense than anything we had managed before. Just watching it accumulate ether at a visible rate, I held my breath. ¡°Are you happy?¡± Asha asked me, seeing my expression. ¡°Have I done well?¡±


    I pulled her into a hug once more, no more hesitation in our closeness. Just... Daiyu and Hinata to worry about now. As for Kana, we can take that in our own time, just like she and I want. But... ¡°It¡¯s not about doing well or not, is it? I don¡¯t like you because you can do things for me. However... yes, you have done well. Look around us.¡± I glanced at Shiro then, as the face she was making was just begging for more praise. ¡°Shiro too. Together you¡¯ve created this miracle.¡± Even just looking at the Silos, more than a thousand ether a minute was accumulating. With this, we can advance our plans significantly, and even get some luxuries in without slowing our pace...


    My Eye glowed amber, and I inspected the Rhyming Tree, feeling a deep connection to it and Asha, a rather unique feeling. The Tree has Lovers¡¯ Link... how does that even make sense? And there¡¯s a lot of gaps and nonsense information my Eye presents. Oh well...


    Asha''s Great Rhyming Tree Of Wood, Water And EarthNoble Fae PlantEarth, Water And Wood Aspect[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might Fortune Fortitude2308Majesty Intellect Charm Resilience League18Alacrity Determination28Precision Foresight Aether11087Fate10[Material Skills]RankClassType[Aetheric Skills] Drawing Wood Chakra NetworkRank 6Imperious (6)Rule (5)Roots Drinking Earth, Water and Wood, Branches Drinking and Growing The MoonRank 6Imperious (6)Artifice (6)[Elemental Skills] Trunk And Roots Chakra Of WoodRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Trunk Chakra Of WaterRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Roots Chakra Of EarthRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Lunar Chakra Of Wood, Water And EarthRank 4Noble (5)Rule (5)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Lovers'' LinkRank 4Noble (5)Artifice (6)Branches That Spread Nature Under The MoonRank 1Noble (5)Artifice (6)Dryad BoundRank 6Noble (5)Principle (7)[Level] 0/56[Class]


    Great Rhyming Tree Of Wood, Water and Earth 14/20


    [Mastered Classes]Rhyming Tree Of Earth 10/10


    ¡°I see. I can¡¯t determine the Might, Intellect or much else of the Tree, if it even has them.¡± I said, and the girls looked at me curiously, especially Asha, who was hearing about her other half. ¡°The Tree is massively durable though, and has a huge amount of Aether circulating within, even without Shiro¡¯s buffs. It¡¯s got a powerful League too.¡± I wonder if the high Determination comes from Asha¡¯s will to survive at any cost, it¡¯s clearly abnormally high...


    ¡°My Tree... it no longer merely radiates and thrives on the rich element of earth.¡± Asha said tenderly. ¡°Much as I, it has changed. Such should be impossible, but...¡±


    ¡°Nooot impossible.¡± Hyacinth disagreed, before her expression turned to one of pain. I pulled her into the hug too, and her contorted expression relaxed, and she continued. ¡°Sooo much is not as it was. Hyacinth remembers before. Not well, it all seems like a bad dream nooowdays.¡± She sniffed, her eyes damp. ¡°Besides, I dooo not care to remember. The past is dead, Hyacinth is here nooow. Not who I used to be. But before... before the foolish, sad little daughter of the King and Queen threw her tantrum and broooke the Seelie, all had the potential to grooow. Many more transcended their elements, even such as yooou, Asha. The Great Dryads. Though nooow...¡±


    Asha blinked, shocked to hear Hyacinth speak that way about the Dark Queen of the Unseelie, and so familiarly about the oldest of days. ¡°Just... Hyacinth, who are you?¡± she managed, almost afraid of the answer.


    ¡°Me?¡± Hyacinth cocked her head. ¡°I am Hyacinth. That is all I knooow. Before... I dooo not remember, nor do I wish too, nooot anymore. Is this not a happier place to dwell, a life tooo live? Are you nooot happy here, Asha?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°How could I not be. So, a Great Dryad. Yes... our essences are not merely our own, but shared with our Tree, so the change is many times more difficult. But...¡±


    ¡°But the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I don¡¯t know who says it, it¡¯s a stupid saying I picked up from you, Aki. But from where Tan and I stand, you¡¯ve definitely changed.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Hyacinth, I agree. If the past is worthless, toss it in the trash. You¡¯re here and now.¡±


    She nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes. Thooough one day... the Dark Maidens... Akio prooomised Hyacinth she will have her justice. Until then... I made a box in my head, I think, and I dooo not have the key. All Hyacinth knows is... I must try harder. I dooo not want to be left behind!¡±


    ¡°Little chance of that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You helped too, Hyacinth. This was our great work. Even those that aren¡¯t here did their part. We all pulled together, and now it¡¯s time to truly stake our claim as a prospective Astral Emperor.¡± I looked at Shiro. ¡°Sorry Tan, looks like I have a head start. But I¡¯m not heartless. Your Territory, I¡¯ll obviously protect it.¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eyes flashed red, her hair bursting into flame, her beautiful face twisting into a slightly bitter frown. ¡°Do not grow arrogant. I would hate you to drag the princess into your troubles. And troubles will come. The Tree alone is powerful and belongs in a Territory of the lower Astral. When stoked to heights like this...¡± she shrugged. ¡°... it will shine like a beacon. It might draw trouble you are not prepared for, so do not grow careless and neglect your defences.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. We¡¯ve already made that mistake.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tan nodded, her ruby flames fading. ¡°As for my assistance, I will expect payment. In due course...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s such a tsundere.¡± Shiro sniggered. ¡°You know, she can feel everything I do and hear my thoughts. I can¡¯t do the same to her, she¡¯s far stronger than I am, but I do understand more of how she feels each day. Maybe things here on Earth didn¡¯t go the way she thought, but she¡¯s still opti...¡±


    Her words were cut off by Tan. ¡°Silence. Do not speak of matters they have no need to know.¡±


    There was laughter, and I shook my head. ¡°All right. The warning was received though. But before that...¡± my gaze turned to Asha. ¡°I might as well fill you in on your changes, your rewards.¡±Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    AshaNoble FaeGreat DryadEarth, Water And Wood Aspect[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might106Fortune2Fortitude145Majesty14Intellect103Charm10Resilience299League18Alacrity101Determination28Precision103Foresight2Aether3032Fate10[Material Skills]RankClassType[Aetheric Skills] Eight Moons Chakra NetworkRank 6Imperious (6)Rule (5)Aether ManipulationRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Adherence ManipulationRank 3Noble (5)Law (8)[Elemental Skills] Wood ManipulationRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Root And Sacral Chakras Of WoodRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Water ManipulationRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Sacral Chakra Of WaterRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Earth ManipulationRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Root Chakra Of EarthRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Lunar Chakra Of Wood, Water And EarthRank 4Noble (5)Rule (5)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Lovers'' LinkRank 4Noble (5)Artifice (6)Inspire GrowthRank 6Noble (5)Rule (5)Mistress Of FertilityRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)The Given Kiss Of A DryadRank 4Powerful (4)Rule (5)Tree BoundRank 6Noble (5)Principle (7)[Level] 0/56[Class]


    True Earth, Water and Wood Fae 2/30 Nature¡¯s Chosen 3/20 Maiden Of Prayer 1/10


    [Mastered Classes]


    Earth Fae 10/10 Great Earth Fae 20/20 Purified One 10/10


    ¡°I see. Yes, you¡¯re unquestionably a Great Dryad.¡± I said, and Asha shed more tears.


    ¡°So many Dryads have died. We cannot leave our Trees, so when lands fall, or wars occur...¡± her voice was soft. ¡°... we are often the first to perish. There is no other way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s then. It¡¯s sad, certainly, and I grieve for your losses, your fallen older sisters. But that won¡¯t happen again. Tan was right. While it¡¯s likely impossible to not be attacked again, we still have to deal with that toad bastard at the least, we¡¯ll make it so that our Territory is able to stand tall and proud, just like your Tree, which is sheltering us all with its mighty branches. You and your Tree won¡¯t be left alone to suffer again.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right. If this is an RTS, then we¡¯ve just hacked in a resource cheat. Time to spend it all!¡± Shiro said, excited despite the exhausting efforts she¡¯d be having to perform in the future.


    ¡°Arr Tee Ess?¡± Asha asked, and Hyacinth answered proudly.


    ¡°Yooou were the same, no?¡±


    ¡°I knew I was gorgeous beforehand.¡± Shiro disagreed, before sighing. ¡°But yeah, I¡¯ve changed. It¡¯s not a bad thing though. So, all that¡¯s left are the classes, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Fae classes and the Tree classes are nothing new. Hyacinth and Shaeula have the same classes, just with different elements. They offer nice boosts to Aether and elemental generation, League and so on. But the other couple...


    Purified One ¨C This class is given to a being corrupted by curse, plague or other outside influence, and forced to perform acts both degrading to the spirit and against the will of the being so corrupted. Such a being only faces doom, devoured by the corruption, ending their life in an attempt to atone or a tide of guilt, or becoming a monster that revels in evil. Few ever return from such a state, but those that do are often blessed with a Resilience few others possess, and great Determination. This class increases those statistics, and also increases resistance against further corruptive influences.


    Nature¡¯s Chosen ¨C This class is gained by those who are involved in great feats of growth and restoration, returning life to dead areas, and cultivating the natural environment, as well as possessing Earth, Water and Nature elements. This class strengthens those elements, increasing generation and boosting the effect of these elements when used to protect and enhance nature and life. Plants, animals and spiritual beings with an aspect of Nature will respect, and if hostile, fear the possessor of this class.


    Maiden of Prayer ¨C After wielding a jumbled Adherence made of conflicting yet complimentary powers and achieving a great feat, the flavour of that Adherence has been poured into her very spirit. The maiden of the Grail, the mourning women at the foot of the Cross, the Fae who dance around the Cauldron, the Blood within, all of these threads of Adherence will be tangled, granting her a tiny fragment of power. The ability to utilise Adherence increases, and League increases.


    ¡°That class... Maiden of Prayer, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± I said, frowning. Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s also misleading, she¡¯s no maiden, not anymore. We were there, right Hyacinth?¡±


    As Asha blushed and Hyacinth chuckled, I sighed. ¡°Yeah, very funny. Seriously though, Mary Stuart was angry that Britain was keeping their false Grail, as she called it, and the adherence she felt belonged to them. If her Church ever finds out that Asha is taking some of it now, even if only a tiny fragment... it¡¯ll be trouble.¡±


    ¡°I am not afraid. I am grateful to have any chance at further power. Being weak only led me to suffering and despair. Being strong allows me to walk beside you all.¡± Asha said stoutly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to face them anyway. I doubt you can reason with fanatics.¡± Shiro protested. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like they¡¯ll find out any time soon, right? Won¡¯t they assume it¡¯s just all going to the false Grail?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But you¡¯re right, I guess.¡± I admitted. ¡°I just worry. Well, we¡¯ll take precautions.¡± Putting that aside, I considered the implications. I doubt she¡¯ll accumulate as much as she took before any time soon, but even a little might be helpful.


    ¡°You should be able to pick up Nature¡¯s Chosen if you get earth and water element, Hyacinth.¡± Shiro pointed out while I was thinking, and I agreed, setting aside my doubts for now.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve done a lot of good work bringing nature to my Territory.¡± I agreed. ¡°The class is a bit plain, but anything that boosts elemental abilities is high priority, especially if it boosts your nature element, which is your best weapon.¡± I said.


    ¡°I will try.¡± She promised, nodding. ¡°I was goooing to, I wanted to learn to be more helpful. But nooow Hyacinth is more motivated!¡± Her laugh was happy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are.¡± Someone said, and we turned, to see Eri, an ornate axe leaning over one shoulder, looking at us, her tail lashing and her cat-ears twitching. She looked at the surrounding hillside and up at the massive Tree. ¡°That sure is something. It¡¯s like looking up at a skyscraper.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡± I smiled, observing Eri, and the axe. On seeing that, she looked down, flushing adorably, a touch of shame in her face.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t given up your axe.¡± She said earnestly. ¡°It was a present from you, so I¡¯ll always cherish it. But this one... it called to me, I wanted it. No, needed it.¡± She paused. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now. I came to see if it was safe to let others in. Princess Eleanor and the others are here, but the weaselkin have been keeping them away from the Tree.¡± She looked at Asha, still in my arms, and her expression changed. ¡°I see. So, how was it?¡±


    ¡°All that I dreamed of. I am now complete.¡± Asha crowed.


    ¡°Lucky you. But I get it. Akio doesn¡¯t have an exhibitionist streak, so no way he¡¯d want an audience for that. But... you might want to clean up.¡± Eri wrinkled her nose.


    ¡°There is no need. I am not ashamed.¡± Asha shook her head. ¡°It is the fruit of our love.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not going to argue.¡± Eri reddened, perhaps remembering some of the embarrassing times we had endured, like when her darkness element drove her wild. ¡°But... no. It¡¯s fine.¡± She turned, and as I looked at her axe, the amber letters lighting up my vision, she called out. ¡°it¡¯s all right. It¡¯s safe to come in, Akio¡¯s given permission.¡±


    The Beheading Axe Of Trials - Item Class [Imperious] Item Type [Artifice]


    This crescent moon axe, the blade enamelled in emerald, the shaft carved with elegant holly engravings, was once wielded by the Green Knight, and the edge is brutally keen, and can cut through armour and bone with equal ease. The bearer of this axe will be strengthened, their blows mighty, but any challenge or wager offered by the wielder must be honoured, lest the axe turn on the faithless bearer.


    So it¡¯s much better than the axe I made her, no question, but it has a downside. She¡¯ll have to be careful. Like most people, I knew some of the stories of Arthurian myth, but other than the little I¡¯d heard about the Green Knight from Eleanor, I didn¡¯t know the details. Something else I need to research. It seems that no matter how much I gain, I always end up having less time to spare...


    ¡°So, you were here.¡± Eleanor said, coming in, followed by David and Raidre. Raidre had shrunk in on himself, casting sideways glances at Ulfuric, who was also accompanying them. ¡°I have to admit, even from the brief look around, your Territory is very impressive.¡± She looked up at the colossal Tree, before glancing over at Asha. ¡°You¡¯re fine, I hope? I had worried that the force of what lies beneath the Tower would harm you. It is very potent and unruly.¡±


    ¡°Fine?¡± David snorted. ¡°She¡¯s better than fine. Take a good look at her. She¡¯s been having a whale of a time while you worried, Princess.¡±


    Eleanor paused, looking at Asha, whose dress was stained with grass and other fluids, her dishevelled hair and changed attitude, and she blushed, going red even to the tips of her ears. ¡°How rude.¡± She exclaimed, shocked. ¡°And to think we were worried. I¡¯m almost offended!¡±


    As Eleanor writhed in embarrassment, while David egged her on mockingly, I scratched at my head, confused. I suppose this is better than worrying about potential trouble I can do nothing about. As the rest of the girls returned, all carrying new treasures happily, I glanced up at the massive Tree. Oh well, we¡¯ll clear this mess up. And I suppose I do owe Eleanor. I can spare her a downpayment on getting her Territory back on track, delaying my plans half a day or so won¡¯t be a big deal...

 Three Hundred And Ninety *Contains status – Akio ?*

    Three Hundred And Ninety *Contains status ¨C Akio ?*


    ¡°I have to say, that¡¯s one massive tree.¡± David looked up, whistling. ¡°So, is this what you wanted? Judging by Raidre, it¡¯s a big deal.¡± The building glow of prismatic ether shimmering around the Tree and the surrounding area was drawing their attention.


    ¡°This... do the treekin know about this?¡± Raidre said, frowning. ¡°This Tree... the strength of it matches the great Trees that Primal Forest has in his diminished groves.¡±


    ¡°Not in truth.¡± Asha said wryly, addressing the Selkie. ¡°Though my precious Tree has grown indeed. It will one day soon match them, I believe it.¡± She smiled at me now, the faith in her yellow eyes unshakable. ¡°Instead...¡± she continued. ¡°... this is the act of working together, of combining strengths, under Akio¡¯s leadership. As for your question...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Primal Forest is quite-quite aware.¡± Shaeula answered for her, arriving with the other girls, their treasures selected. ¡°Perhaps he does not-not care for such Trees being under the dominion of others, but he respects that Asha, the Dryad of the Tree, has chosen so...¡±


    ¡°Great Dryad, I wooould say.¡± Hyacinth giggled, interrupting, and Shaeula¡¯s eyes glowed amber as she looked at Asha, before nodding, a pleased smile on her face.


    ¡°I see-see. Yes, congratulations Asha. You now have the power to stand beside us. And more-more. Are you happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course. My decision was made when you saved me, all of you. I am merely living such a choice I made already.¡±


    David looked at Eleanor and Raidre, Eleanor looking a bit puzzled by the conversation. ¡°I can¡¯t say I get all this shit, but when it comes down to it, they¡¯re making us look like losers, right? Raidre, explain it better, you¡¯re like them, right?¡±


    Raidre looked sour, but did so. ¡°The Rhyming Trees are precious Fae plants, not merely simple trees. They bring prosperity to the Seelie Court, strengthening the elements and filling the twilight with light. Over the long years, their numbers have declined, lost to war, mischance and other sorrows. Those that remain, the treekin and plantkin led by Primal Forest, one of the lords of the Seelie, they see as theirs, their nature making them perfectly suited to be their custodians. Though against the word of a Dryad...¡± he trailed off, rather shocked at the great number of powerful Fae here.


    ¡°He would have little recourse.¡± Ulfuric rumbled. ¡°Besides, Primal Forest is a slow, but a deep thinker. He is no fool. None of the Princes or Princesses are. To contest the liberators of the Spring of Clear Reflections is foolish, especially when our princess here...¡± he nodded at Shaeula, as she was continuing to congratulate Asha. ¡°... has made it her dream to restore nature around the Spring, and not just there, but in the Mortal world as well.¡±


    Raidre nodded, unwilling to argue with Ulfuric, and that irritated David. ¡°You¡¯re a big bastard. I can tell you¡¯re skilled too. Your movements, the way you¡¯re constantly alert... you¡¯re a fighter.¡±


    ¡°Show some respect.¡± Raidre hissed, surprising him, as he seldom spoke well of other Fae. ¡°That is Ulfuric, one of the last badgerkin of Salamandrastrae, and a mighty warrior, leader of Prince Shaetanao¡¯s armies. To see him here, working for a mortal...¡±


    ¡°I work for the princess and her consort.¡± Ulfuric corrected. ¡°The Prince wishes his precious daughter to be able to spread her wings and continue her journey. You merely know the rumours, not the truth of things.¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡± Raidre admitted. ¡°Nothing surprises me now. Ring Gates, Rhyming Trees, famous Fae...¡±


    ¡°So I was right. We do look like losers.¡± David snorted.


    ¡°David. Be polite!¡± Eleanor said, embarrassed, but he merely shrugged, chuckling nastily.


    ¡°Why? I know you¡¯re annoyed as well. Our guy here, he and his girls are plundering you dry. Sure, it was a deal, but you can¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not unhappy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you should be.¡± Eri said, her dark eyes hard, ears twitching. ¡°Aren¡¯t your lives more important? Akio, Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth... Grulgor too...¡± she didn¡¯t mention Chen Na, not knowing or caring about her. ¡°... they put their own on the line. Good deeds should be rewarded. Besides, I know Akio plans to defend you in the future and help you become less vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be more convincing not coming from a catgirl.¡± David snorted, and as Eri¡¯s dark eyes glimmered, Eleanor stepped in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind David. Despite his rough speech, he¡¯s not a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Eri sad, glancing at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°They¡¯ve mentioned him. He¡¯s not too smart though, if he thinks he can fight Akio and win.¡±


    ¡°Not too smart does describe him.¡± Eleanor agreed. ¡°When he sees a strong opponent he gets excited. Men can be little boys. My brother Henry is the same...¡±


    ¡°Hey now.¡± David protested, but Eleanor ignored him.


    ¡°Your axe... I was surprised I had no affinity for it, considering I wear the armour of the Green Knight, but the treasures of the Tower choose who they will. Perhaps we are similar then?¡± she said. ¡°And there must be a tale behind your appearance, surely. You¡¯re human.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. And not one for now.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°What matters is what we were talking about, right Akio?¡±Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om


    I agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. I think give-and-take is a solid basis for a relationship, an alliance. We¡¯ve fought together against a dangerous opponent and came through it, so that makes us friends, right? And now we can work together, making us all stronger. You¡¯ve seen the Ring Gate, we can now come and go between our Territories easily enough...¡±


    ¡°So long as they aren¡¯t sabotaged.¡± David pointed out, looking around. ¡°Your big tree too. I don¡¯t want to put a dampener on your enthusiasm, but nice as your set-up is, there¡¯s a ton of security flaws anyone can see after just a quick look. And we know the dangers of that.¡± He looked sad for a moment, perhaps thinking of someone.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re not wrong. Obviously, some things are fixed, like we have to have the Ring Gates where the earth element is. But we¡¯re definitely intending to rework what we can. On your end you need to fortify the Ring Gate too. Fortunately Raidre and his Selkie live there, which is one line of defence, but it¡¯s not enough. With the Gates, we can dispatch forces to aid each other within minutes. I can also pull from Kyoto as well, if necessary.¡±


    ¡°That would be reassuring.¡± Eleanor agreed. ¡°Your Territory is bustling with citizens and active. Not like ours.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s busier during the day. It¡¯s late night here in Japan right now.¡± Hinata said. In her arms she was carrying a rather ornate pot, crafted from a reddish clay, and inlaid with what looked like emeralds around the rim. ¡°We have all sorts of people here during the day, other trainees, soldiers, Akio¡¯s private mercenary company... it gets quite busy.¡± Her face was clearly expressing her wish for me to tell her the details of what she was carrying, so I let my Eye shine.


    Pot Of Faerie Gold ¨C Item Class [Noble] Item Type [Rule]


    This pot contains the treasures lost by slain Fae, killed by mortals in a dispute long forgotten. Golden and silver coins can be retrieved from the pot, as well as bright gemstones and Etherites. Faerie treasures are fickle and illusory though, and if the bearer allows their greed to overcome them or is lacking willpower, all that will be produced is fool¡¯s gold, worthless pyrite, cheap glass baubles, and valueless junk that will fade away with the light of dawn.


    ¡°That¡¯s so very you.¡± I laughed. ¡°But... it doesn¡¯t strike me as much use. I mean, the Etherites it contains are always in demand, but we have gold and other metals from our mines...¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± Hinata said, agreeing. ¡°But it called to me, so I took it. Besides...¡± she looked at me, her smile her usual impish, sly one. ¡°... who is to say I can¡¯t make it work in the Material world? It isn¡¯t like we need money, my family is rich enough, but doesn¡¯t it thrill you, a pot of mysterious treasures? And who knows... maybe it even contains some that should be given back. That¡¯d win Shaeula some more respect, right?¡±


    Seeing her thinking of others, I stroked her hair gently, before whispering something in her ears, so softly only she could hear. Her eyes widened, and she flushed, her face flaming, before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not one to shy away from what I want. But for now... let me talk to our guests, there¡¯s someone else who is desperate to seek your approval.¡± She inclined her head, and I could see Daiyu waiting patiently, also carrying an ornate jar, although...


    Sacred Water Blessed By The Lady Of The Lake ¨C Item Class [Noble] Item Type [Law]


    Sacred Water blessed by ?????, the Lady of the Lake, one of the most powerful of all the Fae, she who holds court over her sacred lake. This Water is a blend of ancient water from the Spring Of Clear Reflections, long before its loss, and the lake which she still guards and dwells in. Consuming the Water of this vessel will increase the affinity and understanding of the element of Water, and will allow a state of enlightenment to be achieved for a short time, allowing rapid strengthening of Water element and related abilities.


    That... it¡¯s a one-use item. And it doesn¡¯t say who the Lady of the Lake is, huh? As I thought that, Daiyu nodded, seemingly guessing my thoughts. ¡°Yes, while Cultivators often use talismans, weapons and treasures to fight with and protect ourselves, we would cast aside even the most powerful to find something that can increase our Cultivation, for in the end, one¡¯s own power and Dao is all we can truly rely on. A dragon¡¯s scales, a phoenix¡¯s flames, a tiger¡¯s claws... all are worthwhile, but compared to solidifying my Foundation, all are simply distractions.¡±


    David cocked his head, not understanding her Mandarin, but Shiro translated, and David nodded, smiling. ¡°Your girls, they have good heads on their shoulders. Another fighter, huh? Tell her this.¡± He said, serious. ¡°You¡¯re right. Honing your body and your skills will never betray you. Keep that attitude, and you¡¯ll grow up to be a great warrior. Queen of the Octagon.¡± He laughed.


    As Daiyu nodded, not knowing what an octagon had to do with anything, I snorted, amused. ¡°Daiyu is already a warrior. She¡¯s been training longer than any of us, living a life of aesthetic rigour and occult practises we can only imagine. Now then...¡±


    I looked at the patiently waiting Motoko and Natsumi. Both were wearing their new treasures, since they had selected pieces of armour. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go first, Motoko.¡± Natsumi said, but she shook her head.


    ¡°No, you should not always defer to me, Natsumi. We are equals here. Besides, I am curious about your treasure as well.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡± Natsumi bounced over, nodding at David. ¡°Here.¡± she stuck her arm out, a leather bracer covering the wrist of one arm, a stylised eagle stitched on it in golden and red thread, some faint stains that might have been ancient, dried up blood remaining on the leather.


    Bedwyr¡¯s Protective Bracer ¨C Item Class [Powerful] Item Type [Artifice]


    This bracer was used to protect the spear arm of a great one-handed warrior. Those wielding the spear will inherit a portion of his knowledge of the weapon, a residue of his thoughts and will during battles. While wielding a spear, the wearer will find their Fortitude and Alacrity increased. However, if the spear is used for evil, this bracer will offer no protection, and will tighten, constricting blood flow to the arm, leaving the bearer weakened and eventually the arm will atrophy.


    Ouch, that¡¯s a nasty penalty. Not that I ever expect Natsumi to be doing evil, but still... I explained, a little worried about the residue knowledge, but she surprised me. ¡°I understand your concerns, and I¡¯m happy you worry about me, but Motoko and I are resolved. When we were helping you train, we too were resolved to change and improve the Tsumura Arts, right Motoko?¡±


    I didn¡¯t ooze anywhere near as much impurity here in the Boundary... is it something to be worried about? I reached out to offer Ether Healing, but her onyx eyes snapped open, and she shook her head slightly, mouthing that she was fine and could bear it.


    ¡°I believe she shall-shall be fine.¡± Shaeula reassured me, also watching, and having had the same experience. ¡°The water she drank was powerful indeed. This is a trial she must-must overcome. If she can not-not break through, even with such aid...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll do it.¡± I said, no trace of doubt left within me. At my words a smile crossed Daiyu¡¯s face, and she focussed her will, drawing on the ether around us and aether within her. Is that Qi? It¡¯s definitely mostly aether... I had noticed there was a significant portion of wastage before when I observed her, her body not converting all the aether into the alternate form, but as I watched that percentage was dropping significantly, her body, now awash with brilliant orange elemental power, rapidly adapting as it repelled impurities. Soon her effective rate of conversion was around ninety-nine percent, only a small amount still circulating as aether.


    ¡°I... my Foundation...¡± The earth energies she had gathered had condensed to a hard ruby ball around her chakra network, it no longer circulating, and likewise, the faint wisps of light element, that she called Yang energy, had also solidified, looking almost crystalline. With those obstructions gone, the power of the water energy increased, now fully pure, and soon her Astral body settled down, and Daiyu shuddered, tears at the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°It is stable.¡± She said at last, her expression radiant, before she wrinkled her nose, realising her body and clothes, as well as the ground around her, were soaked with foul impurities, and that she was splattered with dark vomit. Flushing a little, she looked as us all watching with warm expressions on our faces.


    ¡°Congratulations, Daiyu.¡± I said, and the others echoed me.


    She managed a nod, before drawing on her Qi, which was then dyed with the shimmering orange elemental energies of the High Spirit Water. Yeah, there¡¯s no moonlight in it. But it¡¯s still powerful... I was curious at the very different way she was manipulating the water element, but as a tide of water poured down over her, she rubbed the filth from her body and hair, her clothes sticking to her body. Seeing me looking, Shiro elbowed me.


    ¡°I¡¯m just checking out her techniques.¡± I protested. And Shiro rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Sure you are, Aki, her techniques, not her assets.¡± Shaeula, Hyacinth and Eri all laughed at that. Realising she was in an embarrassing state again, Daiyu frowned, but I took pity on her, drying her off with a little flame and wind energy, creating a warming breeze.


    ¡°You have my thanks.¡± She said. ¡°Even with the sacred treasure which would have cost more than my own self in Kunlun, it was a great trial. But the path to the Heavens is seldom smooth. I had to make a sacrifice...¡±


    ¡°You mean locking your earth and light energies?¡± I asked, puzzled. ¡°How did you do that? It¡¯s like they have stopped. Also, your way of using the water element is strange.¡±


    Daiyu tried to explain. ¡°I create the water Qi and manipulate it. Speaking of Qi...¡± she was excited now. ¡°I feel my Qi Refining has improved dramatically. The Qi I command is now nearly pure Earthly Qi.¡±


    ¡°That I do understand. Before, you were converting aether, but not all of it. Now it¡¯s nearly a hundred percent efficient. In fact...¡± my Eye could see flavours of aether, at least the lowest classes, and the previously red Qi, with occasional orange flickers, was now almost entirely orange, with only faint hints of red, and some I couldn¡¯t determine, which I guessed might be yellow, maybe? ¡°...the shade of it has changed too.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. Your Eye truly is a great tool. And now...¡± she let out a sigh, relief writ large on her features. ¡°... with my Qi Refining and Foundation improved beyond my wildest dreams, even if I had to largely seal my work on my previous Foundation, I can finally progress to the Accumulation Realm.¡±


    ¡°What about your frozen chakras and their elements, the leftovers from your discarded technique?¡± I asked. ¡°Wont it cause problems later?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Shortcuts to power often have great consequences. But... I do not intend to abandon them forever. After all, the Invincible Jade Yang technique is treasured knowledge of my Sect. I will see the heights of Kunlun and beyond.¡± She assured me, confidently. ¡°However, the Accumulation Techniques... finding one suitable for me is not something I would do recklessly. Accumulating water Qi would now be trivial, but... I am greedy. I wish to reclaim earth and yang Qi, as well as perhaps...¡± she smiled at us then. ¡°I am jealous, you find it so easy to obtain further elemental Qi...¡±


    ¡°Easy, she says?¡± Kana snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. We have to struggle for every single success.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but mastering the elemental Qi required for Foundation Techniques is a harrowing trial. Whereas many of you know multiple elements.¡± Daiyu demurred, Shiro and I translating the more difficult words. ¡°And I can no longer settle for merely what my Sect considered a success. Not now. Now when my Foundation and Qi Refining are as solid as any from ancient, departed Kunlun.¡± She said, determined. ¡°My Accumulation must be greater than any I had dreamed of. To that end...¡± she bowed to me. ¡°I will be in your care. One way to Accumulate is certainly through Dual Cultivation, especially for the yang element I so desperately need to make a breakthrough to a potential double Foundation.¡±


    ¡°This again?¡± Eri rolled her eyes, tail lashing, but Hinata took her hand, blushing.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Eri. It¡¯s time for this. After all, Asha has joined you all, and I...¡± she looked at me, remembering my earlier words. ¡°... soon.¡± She said, face scarlet, which was so cute Eri sighed, shook her head and squeezed her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad, not really.¡± Eri said. ¡°Everyone here is fine. Even you, Kana-san. I¡¯ve accepted it.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks, Eri-chan. That¡¯s big of you...¡± Kana laughed.


    ¡°I still have strong feelings about profiting from sex, but I accept that Daiyu would be doing it anyway, so... I suppose it doesn¡¯t make a difference. But Akio wanted to be sure it didn¡¯t cause problems with your Cultivation, right?¡±


    Daiyu agreed. ¡°Yes, he is kind like that. But...¡± she looked at me, her dark eyes intense. ¡°... you are my goal. I want strength like yours. And your mastery of the elements... I would feel shamed unless I could be comparable to you all. Merely water, I cannot accept it, no matter how potent a water it is. So, Akio, enlighten me. How high is Mount Tai I see before me? I would know before I start climbing it. Though the height will only thrill me.¡± She flushed, and Shiro laughed uproariously.


    ¡°Shit, she can¡¯t wait to start climbing you, Aki. And that was totally a reference to your...¡± at Eri¡¯s stern look she chuckled, whistling innocently.


    ¡°Indeed, can you blame-blame her for looking at Akio with yearning?¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I do not-not. But I too am curious. It has been a while since you shared your full-full strength with us. And you have made many gains.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± I agreed. Yes, it¡¯ll be good to take stock, as while I will be continuing my training, especially with trying for a combat style, the next step is to build my Territory...


    [Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might1580 1762Fortune33 38Fortitude1571 1752Majesty25 29Intellect1640 1820Charm39 44Resilience1831 2051League22 26Alacrity1660 1839Determination22 25Precision1651 1833Foresight30 32Aether5857 6463Fate19 21[Material Skills]RankClassType[Aetheric Skills] Silver Cord Silver ConnectionRank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Imperious (6)


    Foundation (4)


    Rule (5)


    Eight Moons Chakra NetworkRank 5 Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)Aether ManipulationRank 7Noble (5)Foundation (4)Aether Combat TechniqueRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Body EnhancementRank 4 Rank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Ether HealingRank 9Imperious (6)Artifice (6)Aetheric ChirurgeonRank 9Imperious (6)Principle (7)Spiritually Pure PhysiqueRank 1 Rank 2Noble (5)Principle (7)Adherence ManipulationRank 3Noble (5)Law (8)Split ThoughtsRank 4 Rank 5Noble (5)Foundation (4)[Elemental Skills] Crown Chakra Of SpaceRank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Space ManipulationRank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Third Eye Chakra Of Full Moon Light - MangetsuRank 4Noble (5)Foundation (4)Light ManipulationRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Throat Chakra Of New Moon Darkness - ShingetsuRank 3Noble (5)Foundation (4)Darkness ManipulationRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Heart Chakra Of WindRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Wind ManipulationRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Solar Plexus Chakra Of FlameRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Flame ManipulationRank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Root And Sacral Chakra Of WoodRank 2 Rank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Wood ManipulationRank 2 Rank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit WaterRank 4Noble (5)Foundation (4)Water ManipulationRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Root Chakra Of EarthRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Earth ManipulationRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)


    Lunar Chakra Of Four Elements, Light And Darkness


    Lunar Chakra Of Seven Primal Elements And Wood


    Rank 3 Rank 4Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Physical Combat Skills] Spatial PerceptionRank 2Powerful (4)Rule (5)Spear TechniqueRank 5Cantrip (1)Simple (1)Sword TechniqueRank 5Cantrip (1)Simple (1)Combat TechniqueRank 5Cantrip (1)Simple (1)Elemental Weapon TechniqueRank 3Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)False Void Motion Void MotionRank 1 Rank 2Noble (5)Principle (7)Tsumura ArtsRank 1Powerful (4)Foundation (4)[Practical Skills] Ether CraftingRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Dvergr TechniquesRank 1Noble (5)Rule (5)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of KnowledgeRank 3 Rank 4Legendary (7)Law (8)Kin Bonding And RestorationRank 5 Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Legendary (7)


    Principle (7)Foehn, Inextinguishable BlazeRank 6 Rank 7Imperious (6)Rule (5) Principle (7)Might Of The Furious EarthRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)The Future Reflected By The MoonRank 3Legendary (7)Fate (9)Prominence TwilightRank 1 Rank 2Imperious (6)Principle (7)[Level] 127 134[Class]


    Kami-Blessed 10/20


    Conqueror 17/50


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 6/10 7/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 6/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven 2/20


    True Faeduine 3/30


    [Mastered Classes]


    Fae-Souled 30/30


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 10/10


    Territory Rank3

 Three Hundred And Ninety-One

    Three Hundred And Ninety-One


    ¡°I say this every time, but whoa, way to make us all look bad, Aki!¡± Shiro said, though there was touch of pride on her face, as if my achievements were hers. Which I can allow. I¡¯ve only come so far thanks to everyone working together, and the next stage of strength relies heavily on her efforts...


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, I find it hard to visualise.¡± Kana said, idly stroking the torc around her neck, thinking. ¡°I know I feel a lot stronger, faster and smarter with just my own gains from the Divine Favour, but I don¡¯t know my numbers to compare.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Kana-san...¡± Eri explained her own numbers, from the last time I told her, before the disaster in Kyoto, and Shaeula then jumped in, grinning.


    ¡°It seems I am the closest to Akio in terms-terms of strength. Though...¡± she looked at Hyacinth, who was constantly improving. ¡°I should not-not rest on my laurels.¡±


    ¡°Strength is important.¡± Daiyu added, understanding most of our conversation, and having the rest translated. It makes sense, but she has been focusing her learning on concepts related to the Boundary, Cultivation and more, though that has apparently confused her language teacher a lot. Oh well, the pay is good... ¡°But without talent, these skills as you call them, you are but a paper tiger, all sound and fury, no true strength. It is these which I am interested in. Especially this Silver Connection.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that one seems exceptionally valuable.¡± Motoko agreed. Looking at the Ring Gates, she realised the most important fact. ¡°It means that you can effectively move between Tokyo, Kyoto and even London at will, and if Hyacinth can create more...¡±


    ¡°I can dooo it. I have understood just what to do. If Akiooo needs mooore, I will make it so!¡± she said, her silver-violet eyes now shining with a vivid purple sheen, sparks of the same colour dancing in her hair.


    ¡°...think of it. A hub, connecting every important country in the world. You would be able to respond to any incident within mere minutes.¡± Motoko finished, awed by the prospect.


    ¡°Poor Akio, he¡¯ll be stretched thin, won¡¯t he?¡± Natsumi laughed. ¡°It¡¯s amazing though. I think... if Fujiwara-sama hadn¡¯t acted, then the nobility would be left behind, and would find their glory fading.¡±


    ¡°Thank me for that!¡± Hinata said happily, before glancing at me. ¡°Though I suppose I should thank the fact that Akio, Shaeula and Eri aren¡¯t good at keeping secrets. But you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll be working with more and more Chosen, right? Those from the JSDF aren¡¯t bad, and from what I know, Saionji-san from the faith is powerful. But compared to Akio...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I doubt any could have saved me and my Tree, much less achieved this. But no other will enter my eyes now.¡± Asha vowed, her skin tinged a faint red.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not simply a matter of strength. It¡¯s utility that counts.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°Imagine if that could be combined with the Divine Favour of Laverna? Moving items the same way would have endless possibilities.¡± I could almost see her eyes lighting up as she thought about it.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± Natsumi pointed out. ¡°What does it mean that you can create a body?¡±


    ¡°I wondered that too.¡± Kana admitted.


    ¡°I love you, but I don¡¯t want copies of you running around.¡± Eri said, shaking her head. ¡°I never did like the idea of shadow clones.¡±


    I was a little surprised at Eri remembering that skill from the old anime with the highly visible ninjas, but she had watched it together with Aiko when we were younger. I found I agreed though. Before I could say so, Daiyu spoke up, intrigued.


    ¡°Such cloning Techniques are written of in the scrolls and tags my Sect held.¡± She looked momentarily downcast, before her dark eyes firmed with resolve, her damp hair and clothes perhaps reminding her she had achieved a Foundation beyond her wildest expectations. ¡°There are those said to be independent beings, while others are merely split bodies, that are controlled by the Cultivator. As Techniques go, they are said to be amongst the most esoteric and arduous to master safely. I wonder if even any from Kunlun, the Saints of old, were able to create them?¡±


    ¡°I have concerns.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°How would I know which is my true husband?¡± She also looked troubled, and the other girls agreed.


    Yeah, it does sound like some ero doujin scenario. But it¡¯s too potentially advantageous an ability not to at least try out. From the way it sounds, we¡¯re connected, so I think it¡¯s like Split Thoughts...


    ¡°While Eleanor, David and Raidre are getting the tour and it¡¯s just us, I might as well test it out. I need a volunteer to go back to the Material.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Kana raised her hand.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eri asked her, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°I am. Even if it¡¯s a copy of Akio, he¡¯ll still be Akio, so he won¡¯t suddenly attack me, since we have an easy-going, slow relationship. It¡¯ll be fine, Eri-chan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident it¡¯s not an issue.¡± I reassured her. With that, everyone watched curiously as Kana disappeared, and I concentrated, and a shining silver cord rippled into existence, connecting me with the Material. This is a strange feeling. It is like Split Thoughts, just so much more... My eyes shot open, and a wave of brutal vertigo assaulted me, my mind trembling. As I paled, I heard the girls asking if I was all right, some of them taking my arms to steady me. Simultaneously, I also could see the Material, a newly formed body appearing. Oh damn, what about my old one? I¡¯ve not left a corpse, have I?


    ¡°Akio, are you all right?¡± Eri was asking me, the words running at a faster speed than the movement in the Material. Separating the two was proving difficult, so I allocated more and more of my Split Thoughts to processing the faster flow of time, and the pain and dizziness diminished, even as sweat was dripping from me. Both of me. It¡¯s not a clone, I¡¯m actively in both places. The doubled vision, hearing, smells... that¡¯s not something easy to manage...


    Your Resilience has increased by 2.


    Your Resilience has increased by 1.


    Your Resilience...


    A slow steady drip of messages was burning in my Eye, each point minor, compared to my overall Resilience, but every gain was welcome. Yeah, even looking at the damn Klein bottle wasn¡¯t this harrowing. But...


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I declared, at the same time I entered my bedroom in the Material. Fortunately there was the empty body of Shaeula, but mine had vanished, gone as it if it never existed. Matter can¡¯t be created or destroyed, huh? Not true it seems. Although... Mortal Engineering did largely follow scientific laws, but mixed with spiritual ones, so perhaps taking into account the Astral as well, the missing mass or energy still existed, merely transformed. ¡°This is a strange feeling. Definitely.¡± I said, as the door to my room opened again, and Kana stepped in. She looked at my Material form warily for a brief moment, before asking the important question.


    ¡°Akio? Is it you? No, I¡¯m so stupid. I mean... are you a separate you?¡±


    I shook my head in denial, while answering questions from the girls around me in the Boundary too. ¡°No, I¡¯m in both places at once. It¡¯s disconcerting. Worse, time flows at a different rate, so it¡¯s giving me a headache like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m relieved.¡± She leant in and kissed me on the cheek, smiling. ¡°The only you we care about is you. Even someone identical wouldn¡¯t do.¡±


    Hearing the same said by some of the other girls, I smiled back. ¡°They are saying the same thing. Damn, this will take some getting used to. It¡¯s way more intense than Split Thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back then.¡± She smiled. ¡°Can I use one of the other rooms?¡± At my nod, Kana turned to leave, before turning back, her smile wicked. ¡°Oh, and no peeking on me when I¡¯m sleeping, all right?¡±


    I let out a chuckle as she left, opening up my laptop and switching it on, all the while having a conversation in the Boundary.


    ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, can we spar?¡± I asked them, and they readily agreed. Soon I was clashing practise spears with them both, but my movements were slower and less coordinated, the simultaneous overlay of both realms throwing me off. Motoko even landed a hit on me, which just inspired Natsumi to try harder. Meanwhile I was scrolling through some Wikipedia articles I had been meaning to look at for a while, memorising the knowledge. Yes, in theory I can double my productivity, but...


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are fascinating, but I¡¯d rather talk business.¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°Besides, when it comes to conquering, look around. There¡¯s a Faerie Princess, a legendary Dryad, a powerful maid, then there¡¯s a woman possessed by a Goddess, girls from the nobility, another Chosen a mysterious foreign Cultivator... and a catgirl.¡± She smiled slyly at Eri, who made an indelicate noise but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°And that¡¯s just his fiance?es. There are famous crafters, other Fae royalty and heroes, we have a trade agreement with the famous Night Parade of a Hundred Demons... our foundation is rock solid, so long as Akio holds firm.¡±


    ¡°I know this. I find it hard to forget when you all came to my aid.¡± Eleanor conceded. ¡°At the moment of despair, hope blossomed. But what is your point?¡±


    I know that smile. Hinata¡¯s about to try and gouge Eleanor for everything she can.


    ¡°My point is, what¡¯s your overall goal, Eleanor? I can call you that, right?¡± Hinata said, and under her cute smile, Eleanor agreed.


    ¡°I suppose so. Here I¡¯m not so much the Princess as just another Gods¡¯ Chosen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So, a question. Just what are you trying to achieve? Is it just protecting Britain, keeping it safe from danger? Or do you have ambitions to rule?¡±


    ¡°Rule?¡± Eleanor shook her head. ¡°I may be a royal, but I was never comfortable in the limelight like Richard and Henry. I attended a few social events, it was unavoidable, but I mostly kept to myself. No, I have no aspirations to rule. Even in leading, I¡¯ve been rather a failure, haven¡¯t I?¡± her expression was rueful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Princess.¡± David sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t see the betrayal coming. I did have my eye on that bitch Mary Stuart, and I never trusted that fucker Max, but to think the ungrateful...¡± he ground his teeth, eyes flashing with deep anger and regret.


    ¡°Yes, but I was warned.¡± She looked at me, shaking her head. ¡°I did take some precautions, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I¡¯m not cut out to be a leader.¡±


    ¡°We all fail. I did the same. I lost people too.¡± I told her about not taking my Foresight seriously, and how the yakuza attack could have ended tragically for Kana and her family.


    ¡°Yeah, that was seriously scary.¡± Kana shuddered at the memory. ¡°But it was when I realised I wasn¡¯t a coward, I wasn¡¯t as selfish as I thought. It was when I made my resolve you owed me, and you¡¯d be mine.¡± She met my gaze resolutely, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Sorry it took so long for me to stop being unfair.¡± I then continued, explaining about Yamato, and also the death of Tsukiko-san during the second Kyoto incident. Eleanor, Raidre and David listened in silence, before Eleanor apologised to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have expected you would have had your own suffering as well. Once more I was being nai?ve, lost in self-pity.¡±


    ¡°That Yamato prick, what an idiot. Though compared to our womanising little traitor, he was just a greedy fool, not a scumbag. But...¡± he looked at me, his face set firmly. ¡°...everyone makes mistakes. As long as you own them, I think that¡¯s fine. Shit, not even I win every fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi laughed. ¡°Akio beat you eight to one, if I recall?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He admitted. ¡°But he still owes me one, no two more rounds.¡±


    ¡°Such a power. Kin Restoration...¡± Raidre said, shocked. ¡°I had heard rumours that you were born with a great power, princess, but that you were spoilt, arrogant and too weak to use it properly.¡±


    ¡°All true.¡± Shaeula admitted, despite Shaeranna and the battered and subdued Shaeraggo denying it. ¡°But now-now I can use it flawlessly, as can Akio. Tsukiko will return. There is no-no doubt of that.¡±


    ¡°So, we got a little off track.¡± Hinata chimed in, her sly smile charming. ¡°What I can see is, you care for your home country, as you should. Akio, he was born there, and his mother is British. I think you can count him as one of your own.¡±


    ¡°I do see him as British. I am not so foolish as to discount your love for Japan, your homeland for many years, but I hope you have a fond place for Britain in your heart.¡± Eleanor said to me.


    ¡°Of course. My mom, my grandparents Jack and Evelyn... they wouldn¡¯t want Britain to be destroyed. Nor would I.¡± I confirmed, and Hinata continued triumphantly.


    ¡°You see? If all you want is to protect Britain and have it prosper, then look around.¡± She spread her arms happily. ¡°Akio has built this all from nothing. He¡¯s going to help you rebuild too, and form a mutual defence agreement. But is that actually enough?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eleanor asked, and Hinata waved her hands, illustrating her point.


    ¡°Why not go further? Instead of mutual defence, why not have a full alliance? If you want to rule, to be the Astral Emperor, you¡¯re going to have to beat Akio and those like him. Do you think you can? But if all you want is to safeguard your Country, why not get in early and become an important ally to someone who can rule? Do you want to be under the rule of those like this Mary Stuart, or benefit from someone fair like Akio?¡± she paused to let that sink in, before pressing on. ¡°He even offered to give you extra ether, completely unasked, just because thanks to his, Hyacinth and Asha¡¯s efforts, things went better than he hoped. I think that says more than my words can. He¡¯d never mistreat those who depend on him. And you can depend on him. Let Akio take the lead, and take some of the burden off your shoulders. He can handle it.¡±


    Shaeranna was watching silently, her green eyes shimmering with emotion. Shaeula laughed, joining Hinata in her praise. ¡°Indeed. Eleanor, you know-know what it is to be one of our friends. Akio now is even-even stronger. In fact...¡± her grin was teasing. ¡°... he can now move freely between the Material and the Boundary. So should danger befall you even in the mortal world, he could-could be at your side through the Ring Gate in but a mere moment. He can also be in two places at once-once.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s bullshit. How do you get such a broken ability? I thought my Battle Hymn was good, but you have something just like it...¡± David was jealous, though looking at the giggling Natsumi, who he¡¯d taken a liking to, he shrugged. ¡°Laugh all you want, but I¡¯ll hone my skills until I¡¯m the King again.¡± He sighed, before his grin turned wicked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust any sort of clone. Coming home to find him in bed with my girlfriend would be my worst nightmare. He might even try to replace me.¡±


    ¡°David!¡± Eleanor was scandalised again, but I shook my head.


    ¡°David¡¯s right. I¡¯d hate that too. But it¡¯s not a clone, just...¡± I explained, and they nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Truly incredible. You have reached heights I never dreamed of. No longer human, but a spiritual being like Raidre, who can freely move between the worlds. I can¡¯t compete, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t need to.¡± Hinata continued, honeyed words dripping from her lips. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be reassuring to entrust all the hard work, the hard decisions, to someone who won¡¯t betray you like the others did. You know he¡¯s not that sort of person. His actions prove it. Deeds, not words.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think I can. I have responsibilities...¡± Eleanor said softly, and Hinata laughed.


    ¡°Yes, and you can fulfil them by supporting Akio. You don¡¯t want to take over the world, but others will. So pick a side. Just think about it. For now...¡± she yawned theatrically. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, we should be getting back, it¡¯s really late. As for you...¡± she looked at me. ¡°... you did want to test your new ability to see if you can manifest in London. Why not show it to the Princess? You can make a start on your generous, unasked for gift as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m off too.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°Eri-chan, you should come too. I know Akio has improved your condition, but we don¡¯t know how much it¡¯s changed back in the Material.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with the Tree.¡± Shiro said, looking at Asha. ¡°I want to get a feel for buffing it, since I get that I¡¯m going to be doing it a lot from now on...¡±


    As we organised who was coming, I looked at Eleanor, who let out a small sigh. ¡°I need to speak to my grandmother. I... I certainly will not turn down your assistance. Our Avalon, our Territories, they are certainly a mess. Your advice would be welcome, and appreciated. And we can talk more about your ambitions...¡±


    Hinata gave me a stealthy thumbs-up, and I shook my head, smiling. More than an alliance, huh? She¡¯s not wrong, despite having the Tower, I¡¯m not confident that Eleanor and her group has the strength to dominate, nor the inclination. She strikes me as a woman doing her duty despite hating it. Being under someone else¡¯s direction could relieve a lot of her burden, and I certainly wouldn¡¯t hate having more Chosen on my side, as well as an allied country, especially when we still have to face the Red Dragon of the East, that which lurks within China, and the potentially massive host of their own Chosen and Cultivators...


    With those thoughts in mind, I passed through the Ring Gate, accompanied by Shaeula and Hyacinth, back to London...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Two – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Two ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± I called, as I walked through the door after another day at school. I had spent an hour practising kyu?do? with the few members of our school club, but it was frustrating in a lot of ways. Firstly, the focus of it had changed. I still loved archery, perhaps more than ever, but it was no longer in terms of competition. At least not against other athletes. I¡¯d like to challenge Shaeula¡¯s brother again. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d win, but I wouldn¡¯t get so badly beaten, no way!


    No, now my focus was on honing both my combat skills with the bow, as well as the spiritual side to kyu?do?, which would hopefully improve my strength in terms of spiritual aspects. Remembering seeing my bro, Shaeula and the others on TV, being praised as the saviours of Britain, I clenched my fist, vowing to myself I¡¯d get strong enough to help my bro, help them all too.


    Taking off my outdoor shoes and pulling on a pair of slippers I noticed a lot of unfamiliar shoes in the rack by the door. Guests, huh? Putting that aside, the other reason it was so irritating was the fact that now the school¡¯s small kyu?do? dojo was thronged with gawkers and curious students from all grades, and I was starting to feel a bit like a spectacle. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not nice to get attention, and wow, Rika-chan and Yae-chan are loving their popularity, though Yae-chan... wow, no point worrying over it, I don¡¯t think much of her chances, but... compared to the sort of people my bro is meeting, Princesses, Queens, Politicians, rich businessmen... getting popular with the juniors at school seems kind of lame...


    As I was thinking about my Territory, or lack of one, and how I wished I could do more to help my bro, Eri, Shaeula and the others, I opened the door to the living room, and I was greeted cheerfully by my mom. ¡°Welcome back, Ai dear.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t the only one though. I was greeted in English by two people I don¡¯t think I had ever seen in person before, but I had seen pictures and talked a little using the phone. I can¡¯t believe we were so poor that we didn¡¯t even really make many foreign calls due to the cost. How things have changed. Way to go bro... My thoughts were scattered as I met my grandparents in person for the first time.


    ¡°Good evening, Aiko. You¡¯re an awfully pretty girl. Just like your mother.¡± Grandfather said, and grandmother giggled, despite her age, reminding me of mom a bit.


    ¡°Oh you can¡¯t say something like that Jack, even if it¡¯s true. Look, you¡¯ve embarrassed her. Aiko dear, it¡¯s wonderful to finally meet you, our granddaughter.¡± Grandmother was smiling fondly, and I felt faint tears stirring in my eyes.


    ¡°Hi. It¡¯s good to meet you at last. Big bro told me all about you.¡± I managed, before Grandmother Evelyn enfolded me in a warm hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re a big girl.¡± She said warmly.


    ¡°Not as big as mom.¡± I protested, before my face reddened, embarrassed. I shouldn¡¯t be making jokes about my boobs, not during such a happy occasion. Wow, I¡¯m all over the place... as we hugged, I heard a loud, fake cough, and turned to see auntie Hana and uncle Junpei were here too, looking amused, and beside them were two people I didn¡¯t see that often, auntie¡¯s parents.


    ¡°Welcome back little Ai. You remember my parents, right?¡± she said in Japanese.


    ¡°Of course. Eri and I, we¡¯re like sisters, no we are sisters. So you¡¯re my grandparents too, Haruyo-san, Wataru-san.¡± I greeted them. ¡°You¡¯re... looking well?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why I phrased it as a question, but Haruyo-san shook her head, a touch unhappily, I thought.


    ¡°We are getting by, Aiko-chan.¡± She said. ¡°Though Wataru and I are feeling rather left out. To think, we had to find out about our grandson-in-law and all of this through the television, rather than from our family.¡± The frail-looking woman in her mid-sixties was still rather good-looking, but I knew she and Wataru-san both weren¡¯t well at all. Though it¡¯s nothing terminal. Now that they know...


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wataru-san agreed. He was a few years older than Haruyo-san and had a nasty cough that was always worse in the winter, and usually left him bedridden and feverish for most of the season. ¡°When we heard our granddaughter was finally engaged, we wanted to celebrate, but then Akio-kun was gone, then our Eri-chan moved to Tokyo after getting injured...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Auntie said. ¡°I did want to tell you. I don¡¯t like keeping secrets from you all, but...¡±


    As they spoke in rapid Japanese, my British grandparents were looking confused, trying to parse it with their limited English skills, so I decided to do them a favour and translate. As grandmother Evelyn released me, I shook hands with grandfather Jack, which I found a little funny, his solemnity out of place in this reunion.


    ¡°That¡¯s the grandfather of Eri, my big bro¡¯s first fiance?e. Wow, first. Even after several months, saying it like that makes me feel guilty.¡± It is all for the best though. There are so many happy girls around my bro now, all pulling together. But it needs Eri to recover to be perfect. And also... can¡¯t bro find her a Divine Favour? It would really boost her confidence... ¡°He¡¯s complaining that we never told them about my bro and everything that¡¯s been going on. I get it. I hated being left out myself.¡± Remembering it just made me mad, though I also remembered pulling a ton of pranks on my bro, pointing out all the inconsistencies and obvious failures to hide what was going on, getting him worked up, and then pretending it didn¡¯t matter, leaving him flummoxed. I was a bit of a bitch, really. But my bro... he left us. I should be allowed that much payback! At least things are different now, and Eri and me, we can stand at his side, not behind him!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother, father.¡± Auntie was saying, flustered. ¡°But it was a closely guarded secret. And you know how you both like to gossip!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Uncle said. ¡°Besides, we only found out ourselves around Eri¡¯s birthday. So it¡¯s only been a short time...¡±


    ¡°Akio didn¡¯t tell us on his first visit either.¡± Grandfather Jack said to me, after I explained what everyone was arguing about. ¡°I understand why. Knowing can be dangerous. He just wanted to keep us safe. But...¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s all out in the open now. My Aki, he¡¯s a worldwide phenomenon, a hero! And didn¡¯t the girls look so gorgeous in their dresses? It¡¯s just a shame Eri wasn¡¯t able to be on TV!¡± mom piped up, trying to distract them from their argument, which judging by the frustrated expression on dad and uncle¡¯s faces, was one they¡¯d had already.


    ¡°Yes, that would be wonderful. My shy little Eri, out in front of the world...¡± Auntie Hana said, shaking her head.


    ¡°It¡¯ll definitely happen.¡± I grinned, picturing it. ¡°Eri¡¯s not nearly as shy as she was. It¡¯s done her good, mixing with other girls. Besides, don¡¯t you want to see me out there too, mom?¡± I asked, and she looked at me in surprise.


    ¡°No, Ai! You¡¯re a hundred percent blood related to Aki, you can¡¯t be his bride!¡± she protested, and I wasn¡¯t entirely sure she was joking. The comment had put a stop to the argument at least. Mission accomplished, I guess? Just a shame I had to be embarrassed to stop it.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t mean that, mom. So embarrassing!¡± I pouted. ¡°If you start teasing me over that as well, I¡¯ll get mad. I get enough of it at school. Being serious now, after all, I¡¯m...¡± The room was small and cramped, our house pretty tiny, though being out in the boonies it was still larger than you¡¯d find in the city. But there was enough room for what I wanted. With a wicked smile, I raised one arm, and suddenly a golden version of Eri appeared in the vacant space. My parents had seen the Golden Sister Army before, of course, uncle and auntie too, but the others froze, open-mouthed, the argument driven from their minds by the sudden shock. I took a pose, hands on my hips in a way I had practised in front of the mirror until I had it looking cool enough, and grinned.


    ¡°See mom? I¡¯m just like big bro now, and you know it. I¡¯m part of his alliance, just like Haru-chan, Miyu-chan and the others.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the fact he told me that he had a couple of men as his vassals too, I¡¯d start thinking bro was using that as an excuse to start grooming some more fiance?e candidates. He¡¯s not that sly though, and Eri would take an axe to him...


    ¡°That¡¯s... I¡¯ve seen some things, but it still amazes me.¡± Grandfather Jack said, reaching out gingerly, before touching the golden statue, seeming almost surprised it was real. ¡°You too, Aiko? From what I understand those Chosen by the Gods are very rare indeed. Looks like our blood is strong.¡± He crossed himself. ¡°Forgive me God for the blasphemy.¡±


    ¡°Let our boy spend, dear. He hates that we scrimped and saved for him and Ai all these years and he wants to give back. I think it¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, it does rather hurt my pride as his father. But I accept it. No, the decision we have to make is... should we all move to Tokyo, where we can be properly protected? Now, I know it is a big decision. We grew up here, Junpei, Hana. Our memories, our friends, they are all here. But...¡±


    ¡°... Aki and Eri are in Tokyo.¡± Mom finished. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be leaving forever, is it? Perhaps when Ai gets as strong as Aki, we won¡¯t need to worry?¡± she winked, and I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°Sure, I was the sporty one in the family, but keeping up with bro? Dream on. He¡¯s the hero of Britain. Shaeula messaged me to say he¡¯s likely going to be knighted! Can you believe it? She also said we¡¯d be invited to the ceremony, so we had to visit Tokyo to go shopping for dresses and accessories anyway mom...¡± I wasn¡¯t even sure of what I was saying, but the thought of being in Buckingham Palace, seeing my bro, Shaeula and the others being rewarded in front of the world was enough to give me goosebumps. ¡°... no, that¡¯s not important now. Seriously, my bro, he¡¯s on another level. But... if I was in Tokyo, I could train with him, help him... uh, wait, what about school? And my exams?¡±


    ¡°Studying is important.¡± Dad admitted. ¡°Your teachers tell me you have knuckled down and your grades have shot up. I am confident you can pass the exam for any university of your choice now.¡±


    Wow, praise from dad. I know how bro feels now. Dad¡¯s soft on me sure, but he still doesn¡¯t praise me often. ¡°Yeah, though it¡¯s not like it¡¯s all my own efforts dad. Skills and Classes are great, they aren¡¯t just for battle. But... I¡¯ll be honest. I miss Eri a lot. Rika-chan and Yae-chan, the girls on the volleyball team, my juniors in kyu?do?, they¡¯re all great and my friends, but they don¡¯t replace Eri. We¡¯re sisters, even before she went and won over my bro. As for my bro... yeah, I miss him too, all right? I¡¯ve become greedy, ever since he came back to Nishimorioka. Our relationship is even better than before. We¡¯re finally honest. I miss Shaeula too, and I¡¯ll be surrounded by my bro¡¯s girls, so... I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m trying to say...¡± I finished lamely, flushing.


    ¡°I do.¡± Mom said fondly. ¡°You want to move, right? The school will allow remote working, just like for Eri. And you can always commute any days you feel like going in. Fukumoto-san can arrange a helicopter to take you there and back. How decadent.¡± Mom giggled again, flushed, and I realised she¡¯d sneaked a few swigs of the whiskey. Wow, a shame bro and Shaeula aren¡¯t here. My Ether Healing isn¡¯t anywhere near good enough to work on others yet...


    ¡°Fukumoto-san?¡± grandpa asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s Fukumoto Kenji-san, the owner of Nichibotsu Technology, and also grandfather of Hinata-san, who is one of my son¡¯s many fiance?es.¡± Dad said, a touch exasperated. ¡°He has also proposed this as our new home...¡± he brought out his phone and opened an email. I caught a glimpse of it, and my eyes went wide.


    Wow, really? My own phone out, I quickly ran my own searches, jaw dropping. ¡°We can afford that?¡±


    ¡°Not us, even with the money my son has given us. We would not even be close.¡± Dad exchanged a guilty glance with uncle, but I was too excited to care. ¡°Our son can, though, and apparently the rich and powerful are falling over themselves to invest in him now he is famous, not even asking for anything in return, although if my son is enough of an idiot to believe that, then I will have to smack some sense into him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll break your hand, Taichi.¡± Uncle snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t we already know that? Even if he was such a fool, with shrewd, successful businessmen as his allies, no, his family... ugh, I can¡¯t believe how I¡¯ve accepted that too... all his bases will be covered.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that house, or should we call it a mansion?¡± mom giggled. ¡°There¡¯s another, larger mansion across the hillside, as well as several smaller houses. The plan is to buy them all up and convert it into a massive, fortified estate in central Tokyo, only a few kilometres from Shibuya and the heart of Tokyo. There¡¯ll be room for a helipad, garages...¡± mom was looking dreamily at the picture. ¡°... it¡¯s not too far to the shrine as well, so Aki can do his work. Apparently nobody has broached it with him, but do you think he won¡¯t want to move to be with his family? His mansion will be big enough for all his fiance?es as well.¡±


    ¡°It would be a safe, secure place to live. As for the shame of living off our children¡¯s efforts, perhaps we can work for him? Who better to trust than family.¡± Dad said, but I was barely listening, marvelling over the pictures. The surrounding area is pretty and full of homes for the wealthy... wait, we have views out over Tokyo bay? I couldn¡¯t help but be excited.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve lost Ai.¡± Mom said, as I scrolled through more images of the proposed house, with a basement swimming pool, a games room, balconies and more.


    ¡°I understand that you might not wish to live in Japan forever, father-in-law, mother-in-law.¡± Dad was saying. ¡°But for now, it has been too long, catch up with your daughter and your grandchildren. Take some weight off my son¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°You too, mother, father.¡± Auntie was saying. ¡°Move to Tokyo with us, little Aki will work his magic on your health, and you can enjoy your twilight years in comfort, watching your great-grandchildren grow up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hardly so old, Hana.¡± Her father said, sniffing. ¡°If you are moving away, we would surely have to go too. Haruyo would never manage on her own.¡±


    ¡°All that remains is persuading our son.¡± Dad said, and that snapped me out of my gleeful thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s invested a lot into Shirohebizumi shrine. His place there is quite nice, honestly, and the training school is plush. Even living there would be fine for us, you know?¡±


    ¡°Apparently it is a poor position to defend if the worst should happen. While extensive work could make it secure, apparently it is far better, and far more becoming for someone of Akio¡¯s status...¡± no wonder dad said that with such a tone, it was still hard to believe my otaku, hopeless bro was a man the world was watching, talking to and bossing around important people as though they were nothing special. ¡°... to live where the rich and powerful do.¡±


    ¡°So, sold, Ai dear?¡± mom asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, like I said, I miss Eri, bro and the others. But it¡¯ll be sad to leave, even if it¡¯s only a few months earlier than I planned.¡± I¡¯ll have to do something about Yae-chan and Rika-chan. If they try and train alone, they¡¯ll get greedy and screw up. If they get hurt, bro wouldn¡¯t like it... ¡°... and more importantly, it means I can actually help him out! I¡¯ll persuade him, don¡¯t worry. You think he can say no to me?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve got him under the thumb as always, Ai.¡± Mom said drunkenly, before hiccupping. Dad looked at her, exasperated, before shaking his head.


    ¡°I suppose this does call for a celebration. So, is everyone in agreement?¡±


    As everyone nodded, I caught a glimpse of more details on my dad¡¯s phone, about extensive building work digging out most of the hill under the houses. Wow, looks difficult and expensive. I wonder what it¡¯s for? Well, who cares? Now, how will I convince my bro?


    ¡°Hello, Fukumoto-san? Yes, sorry to bother you, but we have reached our decision. We would like you to proceed. I see. Yes. That is no problem. Pass on my thanks to your granddaughter as well, for looking after my unworthy son. Yes. I see...¡±


    While dad wasn¡¯t looking, I poured myself a glass of booze, taking a swig. Yeah, that hits the spot. Goodbye Nishimorioka, hello Tokyo! I¡¯m going to be a city girl, just like everyone here dreams of. They¡¯ll all be so jealous, especially Yae-chan... sadly, against her opponents, she comes up rather lacking... though, never say never, right? I laughed and took another swig. In that case, I might as well think about what I need to sort out before leaving, and how to break the news to my friends here... poor Nishimorioka, losing Eri first, then me, the average quality of the girls in town has taken a nosedive...

 Side One Hundred And Forty Three – Revelation-Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice

    Side One Hundred And Forty Three ¨C Revelation-Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice


    Lorenzo held in a bitter sigh as he glanced around the room. Numerous faithful followers of the Church of True Revelations were moving about, carrying heavy boxes, machinery and other items. A number of cables were trailing over the polished stone floor of the catacombs, and computers and other devices were set up in one corner, bring monitored by a number of the younger faithful, barely children to his old eyes.


    I am too old for these new ways. Most of us are, alas. But il volere de Dio, the time has come now, and those of us who are here must be the ones to face it, for the glory of the Ninth Heaven. Beside him, someone coughed, and he turned, to see the reassuring white-haired and bearded figure of Maximillian Meyer, the Inquisition-Cardinal.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point dwelling on regrets.¡± He said brusquely yet with kindness, his voice feeling a touch of melancholy. ¡°With age comes wisdom, and we need that more than ever. As well as strength.¡± His hand curled on the grip of the Crucis Purgationis, as if he wished to draw it. ¡°Our enemies are legion, and our allies sadly few. And the young... they are often reckless.¡±


    ¡°Mary Stuart.¡± Lorenzo let out another sigh. He remembered his mother, many long years ago, saying that sighing was happiness escaping from the body, and it was true. There is little happiness to be found right now. But duty comes before joy. No, the joy is in the duty. ¡°She was too arrogant, too confident, too young, and she allowed herself to be defeated. Worse, the False Grail remains in the hands of the Royal Family of Britain, rather than allowing the faith which rightly belongs to us to return.¡±


    ¡°The woman is a failure. I knew she did not have true faith, like her departed grandmother. Magdalena Stuart would never have known defeat this way, allowing precious members of the Choir and Judges to die on foreign soil, and worse... allowing the Annulus Fortunae to be lost!¡± The harsh words from Luca Aloisio, the Judgement-Cardinal, boomed as large as his impressive size. ¡°Such a fool, the Earth is not strong enough to support calling on the higher Angels, and her body is far too frail to sustain such things. Foolishness.¡± He spat.


    ¡°She yet lives, our faithful say.¡± Maximillian pointed out mildly. ¡°And she failed, but she journeyed in faith, no? The Lord will welcome her to the Ninth Heaven in time, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Faith must be matched by results.¡± Luca scoffed, leaning on his great breaking wheel, the working faithful making sure to give him a wide berth as they set up equipment. ¡°And her results speak for themselves. She still lives, I hear, though broken and useless. Her Hallowed Ground remains, those of her allies too. Should we use them as a stage to launch another assault? I hear that Avignon has been secured, the Palais des Papes and the faith it holds secured. Ortiz and that old hag Konstantina would never fail, not until their old bones turn to dust.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the recapture of the false Papal seat and the faith it hoards is all according to plan. But we must be prudente, cautious. I suspect the Hallowed Ground remaining is a trap to see if we will be foolish enough to take the bait. I fear the chalice will be avvelenato, a poisoned one. His Holiness, God protect his gentle, faithful soul, has spoken, and his words of conciliation have spread, making matters... difficult. We cannot afford more discord with Britain yet, not until we have dealt with other matters.¡±


    At that Maximillian looked embarrassed, stroking his beard ruefully. ¡°I have no defence. Reclaiming Golgotha, Bethlehem, the other sites... it will likely prove difficult. I was unwilling to spend more Judges, what with the losses we are taking in Central and Eastern Europe. Do we have any more insight on that?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Lorenzo said. ¡°Speculation, nothing more. Perhaps some of the sleeping darkness has awoken due to our efforts, or perhaps the times. Il Armageddo, the End Times, they are stirring, and if we do not gather the faithful, the Ninth Heaven will recede from us.¡± They all crossed themselves at that, looking resolute. ¡°Like the Inquisition of old, we must not eschew any methods, even burning our souls, plunging them into hellfire, if it gets us what we need. One of our most promising Judges, Sir Ardelean, is investigating, and if it is a creature of darkness, or even those who hold grudges against us, or others blessed by false, impious beings that dare to call themselves a God in mockery of the Throne, then he will deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Maximillian approved. ¡°I remember Alexandru Ardelean. A good, loyal man, and strong. Perhaps he can succeed me, when my time, my end comes.¡± He laughed self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°We cannot lose you yet, Maximillian. Not after Mary has fallen.¡± Lorenzo sighed. ¡°So, what is the situation in the Holy Land?¡±


    ¡°The true practitioners of the Kabbalah have crawled out of their hiding holes.¡± Maximillian admitted, and Luca scowled, angered by those words.


    ¡°Those golem-creating sinners. I had thought the true Kabbalah was long destroyed, all that was left a mere hollow shell to ensnare the gullible.¡± He ground his teeth, and the breaking wheel creaked, long wooden stakes growing from the material threateningly.


    ¡°Peace, my old friend.¡± Maximillian held up a hand. ¡°It seems our ancestors were not as thorough as they could have been. No, Kabbalists are cunning indeed, it is likely they simply went underground. Now, with their false chosen too, we simply do not have the forces to take action yet. With Avignon under our control though...¡± he pondered. ¡°The influence of our faith in the East was never enough, so the roots of Cultivation and worship of these heathen kami still endure, but here in the West, most troubles have been stamped out, barring a few hidden cults such as the Faerie-worshipping Merched y Llyn, Dames du Lac, and others.¡±


    ¡°At least that fool Mary was ruthless in purging those.¡± Luca snorted darkly. ¡°But da Dio, did you see that press conference?¡± he spat, staining the polished floor, and Lorenzo frowned himself, displeased at the impropriety. Though expecting politeness from our fiery Judgement-Cardinal is expecting the sun to rise in the West...Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°I saw it, the same as you did. That Faerie, walking and speaking in front of the world, and the Queen and Princess of Britain accusing us. I have great sorrow that it played out this way, but to reach the Ninth Heaven, il Diavolo will throw many trials in our paths. But...¡±


    ¡°It should not be so soon. We have few eyes in the East, but China and their blasphemous Cultivators, who would usurp even God¡¯s power to fuel their crusade for strength and eternity, they are being moved by something darker, so our analysists say. Japan is already starting to unify, and India, Indonesia, other countries with large populations and entrenched faiths, false though they are, are starting to tremble, like a pot left on the stove too long to bubble and overspill chaotically. There is a great deal of infighting, but they have the numbers and the potential...¡± Maximillian declared. ¡°Of those I hate the so-called Cultivators more than anything. But they are not the greatest threat.¡±


    ¡°It is time for all to come together, all those of faith in the only true God, the Throne at the heart of the only Ninth Heaven.¡± Lorenzo said, and they clasped hands piously, those scurrying around them also praying. One person came forwards though, a diffident young man in a white robe. He was hesitant, but swallowing nervously, he steeled himself to speak.


    ¡°Peace. What is it, my child?¡± Lorenzo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m... from the investigation department.¡± The man said. Ah, one of the Commandment-Cardinal¡¯s men then. ¡°Is now a good time?¡±


    ¡°You speak what we are all thinking.¡± Luca approved. ¡°We cannot fail, not with the weight of four and half billion on our shoulders.¡±


    ¡°If only we were not so old and weary.¡± Maximillian laughed, the conversation coming full circle. ¡°I hate those foreign Cultivators, but I certainly see the appeal of a longer, healthy life. Fortunately the power of the Ninth Heaven courses through us, and will sustain us as long as we need endure. Why, I feel twenty, no, forty years younger.¡±


    ¡°That will still leave you too old for battle.¡± Luca shrugged, though his bleak, angry mood had improved. Looking at the array of equipment around the room, he sighed. ¡°One thing that useless granddaughter of Magdalena would have been good for is this. We are too old, too gruff.¡±


    Surprised, Lorenzo raise an eyebrow. ¡°Was that a joke, Luca, my friend? You are young enough compared to Maximillian here.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± He conceded. ¡°Though the situation is without humour. I am much more suited to the battlefield. Soon I will head out and help the twins with their problems. Or reinforce young Alexandru. This task is not for me.¡± He gestured at the array of cameras.


    ¡°No, as Revelation-Cardinal, the task is mine. The cup has come to my lips, and now I must drink from it.¡± Lorenzo looked at the waiting members of the True Revelation, several young girls who were carrying small cases, filled with cosmetics and other items. ¡°It seems even as old as I am, there are still new trials to overcome...¡±


    ********


    ¡°How does it feel?¡± Maximillian laughed from behind the array of cameras. At his amusement, Lorenzo merely shook his head, careful to avoid ruining the makeup that had been so carefully applied to his aging face, making him presentable for the cameras.


    ¡°Rather strange and a little unpleasant. I am no woman, to require such vanity. But the eyes of the world, the faithful will be watching, so we must all do our part.¡± No matter the indignity.


    ¡°Indeed we must. And now the True Revelation must spread white wings and soar, holy like the Angels, bringing salvation to those who believe, and furious like the dragon, whose breath brings ruin to the unworthy, the unbelievers.¡±


    ¡°Yes. His Holiness may preach acceptance and peace, but the world is not so kind. If he saves sinners that way, it is to his great credit, and I love the man, for his pure, devout heart. But he is not the man for now. We are.¡± Yes, I feel guilt, openly contradicting the words of the Pontiff, but I hardly do it lightly. In nome de Dio, I will speak the words that must be spoken. I will not deny the Lord God, the Ninth Heaven, no matter how many times the cockerel may crow.


    ¡°Revelation-Cardinal, are you ready?¡± One man asked, while others adjusted the cameras, the blinking of their red lights annoying. ¡°We have received word that the broadcast will be shown across all of Europe. We had to call in some favours, and some might even lose their employment over it, but...¡±


    ¡°We all must sacrifice for the truth.¡± Lorenzo said piously. ¡°Those who suffer will be rewarded. What of America, the East, elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°American coverage should be decent.¡± The man said, looking at his notes on a clipboard. ¡°China is a no-go. We¡¯ve lost people, they¡¯ve vanished without a trace.¡± He paused mournfully, before continuing. ¡°South America is largely covered, as is a few countries in the African subcontinent. We will not reach everyone, but enough. Word will spread.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lorenzo crossed himself. ¡°Word of the Lord always spreads. Very well. How long?¡±


    ¡°Two minutes.¡± The answer came back, and he squeezed shut his eyes, gathering his thoughts, feeling the weight of pressure. The setbacks we have suffered, while painful and tragic, are but the slings and arrows of fate. The losses cannot stop us, and we will triumph in the end. But every soul saved now, is another who can see the Ninth Heaven, and contribute to la gloria di Dio, the Lord¡¯s glory. Those who follow the false path, I pray you forgive them, for they know not what they do, nor what their folly will cost us all. Though those who struck down Mary Stuart, and stole what belongs to the Lord... Lorenzo realised he was frowning, before smoothing out his angry expression. No, it would not do to look furious now. But as for those who raised their hands to the Revelation, the Princess of Britain, the Fae creature, that Japanese man... they will not be forgiven. After all, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life.


    ¡°Live in ten. Nine. Eight...¡± As the countdown sounded, Lorenzo opened his eyes, his gaze powerful and steely. As the countdown reached zero, he addressed the faithful, no, the very world with all the conviction he possessed.


    ¡°Good evening to all who believe in the Lord, and those who do not, but are good people awaiting salvation. I am Lorenzo Giudice, the Revelation-Cardinal of the Church. I speak to you now of the changing world, the threat of the Apocalypse, worse than anything you have read in your Bibles. For this is true Revelation. But first, I must apologise to you, your Holiness. Your kind words, your hope for reconciliation, they touched my heart, as I am sure they touched the heart of all God-fearing men and women. But the world is not kind. Only God and the Ninth Heaven is kind.¡± He paused for breath, allowing that to sink in.


    ¡°Love thy neighbour. Good words to live by, as said by the Christ himself. And just as his Holiness does, I love the devout, the pure of heart, the faithful. But for those who would accept these false powers, serve demons and false idols who disguise themselves as the divine, who would hasten the ruin of the world and plunge us all into damnation, I say no, I shall not turn the other cheek!¡± he roared suddenly, voice full of fervour and conviction, drawing all eyes to him, Maximillian and Luca nodding reverently.


    I see. This is why it must be me. I am the one who caries Revelation in me, with me... his hand touched his own sacred relic, the book at his side. As words continued to spill from him, calling on all of Christianity, and the other branches of Abrahamic faith to unite and throw off their dependence on evil, he smiled angelically, seeming to glow as the energy of faith shone around him. There will be losses and sacrifices to come, but we have not prepared painstakingly for so long, suffered so much, kept the faith alive through war, famine, plague, schisms and even the advent of science and the diminishment of mystery, only for us to fail now and let the world taste Hell. All will be as our ancestors, our predecessors, God and his Angels themselves, have planned it...


    ¡°So, stand firm, gather together, keep your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbours on the right path. Root out those who follow impiety, and those who would refuse the Divine Revelation...¡±

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Two

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Two


    Happy with how things were going, I tested out my ability to move between the Boundary and the Material, and it worked as I expected, I quickly found myself in a dark alleyway in south London. Moments later I was gone again, leaving behind only a spray of prismatic energy which rapidly faded away. I did learn it was costly in terms of aether, so wasn¡¯t something I could do trivially over and over again, but as my generation had increased significantly recently, a few times wasn¡¯t too much of a burden.


    After that I spent some time helping Eleanor, David and Raidre push out further into London, expanding the Territory away from the Tower and its constant absorption of ether and adherence. We were joined by Sir Arthur, and Aditi and Mary-Jane. The pair were still hesitant, worried at their lack of strength after their Favours were torn from them, but I spent a little time coaching them, further explaining what training was on offer in my Territory.


    ¡°You should take him up on his offer.¡± Eleanor had said, surprising me a little. ¡°I would feel better if they retired, since they fought honourably...¡± she confided in me, and I realised that despite our differences, our shared battles against Mary Stuart had bridged the gap between us, and we were certainly close enough to be comrades now. ¡°...but since they seem to be determined, please look after them, and at least give them the strength to defend themselves. That coupled with their treasures from the Tower should be enough. I hope so anyway.¡±


    She had been troubled, so I resolved to do my best, and since the training school was easily reached through the Ring Gate on Bermondsey Isle, taking them under my wing would be easy enough. As we continued to push outwards, expanding the Territory, the first mobile Silos began to arrive, dumping ether into Eleanor¡¯s Territory, surprising her. I chuckled remembering the way her eyes had gone wide, shocked at the bounty she was receiving. I did think Eleanor¡¯s Territory, and by extension, David¡¯s and the others, were all awful. It seems a combination of unlucky factors was holding them back, but now... there¡¯s nothing to stop them flourishing. Apart from... I had glanced in the direction of the Territories still owned by the two traitors, nestled too close to the heart of Eleanor¡¯s. That¡¯s something they¡¯ll have to deal with sooner or later. Before it causes another problem...


    New Barracks and Spawning Spires, as well as Defensive Emplacements, had popped up all over Eleanor¡¯s lands. Just Rank 2 for now, but later she would improve them. The wasteful spending of rush-building had left her pale, it was something they had never really considered or understood before, nor been able to afford it if they could, but I had merely laughed, telling a humorous tale of my own early struggles, Sir Arthur congratulating me for my drive to push past it, and David sarcastically cursing me out for the unfairness of Asha¡¯s Tree. Of course it¡¯s unfair, but it¡¯s also a series of coincidences, such as Asha managing to survive despite her suffering, us saving her, Shiro managing to gain a Favour from a Chinese invader with the help of Tan, for the buffs which did indeed work, and lastly, saving Eleanor and gaining access to the adherence of the Tower. If it wasn¡¯t overpowered after all that, life just isn¡¯t fair!


    With my experiments done, I had returned to the Material, and now I was running an Astral body in the Boundary as well, which was causing me a lot of discomfort, but using all my Split Thoughts I could hedge it. I¡¯m still not at the level of using it for anything more than gentle training or information gathering yet, but it¡¯s certainly good practise for Split Thoughts, and the sooner I get used to this and the differing time flows, the better. I never know when I¡¯ll really need it...


    Shaeula had decided to sleep for a few hours, so in the autumnal dawn of the morning I got up, the confusion of hopping between time-zones a little disorientating. It¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to get used to though. I do wonder about breaking the laws of physics, travelling faster than light between locations, but there¡¯s a definite moment of dislocation, journeying through the Ring Gates, so I don¡¯t think it applies, at least over these distances of merely a few thousand miles...


    ¡°Right. So today I want to start formulating the Pilgrimage route. I¡¯ll need to swing by the Ministry and consult with Saionji-san.¡± I said quietly to myself as I quickly washed up and changed. ¡°After that, it¡¯s time to start the next stage of the Territory build.¡± The Tree had been accumulating great tides of ether, and Haru-san¡¯s Ether Spires would all be Rank 3 shortly. The next stage was to get all of mine to Rank 4, as well as Haru-san¡¯s, since the Spires would pay for themselves and their ludicrous rush-build costs over time, so the quicker they were in, the quicker we¡¯d be in profit.


    Haru-san¡¯s also been saving up for that second Throne. She wants to get it quickly to Rank 2 so she can accommodate all three of the surviving ghost victims of Kiku and Kondou Kazuo. I feel bad I¡¯m taking eighty percent of her wealth, but then, I¡¯m paying for everything, and she doesn¡¯t mind. But for my conscience, I¡¯ll not say anything about her using a Throne on them. Hopefully it¡¯ll help ease some more of her lingering traumas.


    Fourteen Ether Spires each was twenty-eight, though one of mine was already partially completed. Half the cost of it is already consumed, give or take, so call it twenty-seven and a half. The rush-build total for the whole lot was a touch over fifty-one and a half million ether. At that point though, the additional ether, while not an exact science, was likely to be around one hundred thousand extra ether per astral day, closer to a one hundred and twenty thousand, perhaps more, when the Ether Spire-enhancing Anchor Spire was taken into account. So five hundred and ten astral days, it seems a lot, but it¡¯s only a bit longer than I¡¯ve been fighting for so far, and then we¡¯re in pure profit. Plus there¡¯s the opportunity cost we save not tying up queues, and the extra stockpiling of elemental energies and adherence...


    Some rough calculations based on a Rank 8 Tree showed that assuming we were in reasonably average depths of the etheric tide, averaging two and a half astral days per day here on the Material, then we were pulling in somewhat in the region of four million ether in total. It¡¯s embarrassing just how little all our other Spires and Trees pull in compared to Asha¡¯s, though considering such a Tree would be the peak of a Rank 4 Territory in its buffed state, that makes sense. I should feel proud that even without it, I doubt Haru-san¡¯s and my Territory is inferior to many, if any here on Earth right now. One thing I¡¯m confident of is my Ether generation!


    ¡°So, around thirteen days to upgrade all the Spires, if nothing goes wrong.¡± I mused, pleased. We should have some spare change too, and even giving another pile to Eleanor, we¡¯d be fine. Next I had planned to expand the Silos to start storing ether for the push to Territory Rank 4, but that was with an expected Tree of Rank 7 and a buff, rather than functioning as a full Rank 8. I now had twice as much ether to play with as planned, so even keeping to the same schedule which was already ludicrously aggressive with the scale of the ether involved, I had leeway to spend on other things.Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°I¡¯ve a pressing need for a Throne at Rank three.¡± I said as I started cooking breakfast, knowing that the early risers of the house would be up soon. It was a mixture of classic Japanese dishes, such as miso soup, rice balls and tofu, as well as a more Western style, such as fried bacon and bread. I¡¯m actually getting quite good now. Me, a househusband. I smiled, amused. I pictured Asha, here as well, and the ten million for a Throne rush-build seemed money well spent. In just over a fortnight, she¡¯ll be able to take her first steps into the Material world. I wonder what she¡¯ll think...


    I also wanted some luxuries, such as the Armoury to Rank 4, and at least one Barracks likewise, to see if we could get leader-class troops generated such as Kamaitachi. More importantly though, I needed to buff the Elemental Silos, and then when we had enough earth element, push the White Snake Earth Altar to Rank 3. It¡¯s too useful not to. We have to leverage what unique benefits we can.


    After that, pushing the Silos and gathering ether ready to keep the period of dormancy for the Territory as short as possible would proceed. It might also be worth pushing the three Anchor Spires to Rank 3 as well beforehand, as I¡¯m not sure whether the cost of doing it would go up when the Anchor itself reaches Rank 4. It isn¡¯t clear from the description, and I¡¯d hate to waste an extra twenty-one million ether for the three of them...


    As I pondered that, the delicious smell of the food wafting through the house, my phone rang. I picked it up, surprised to see it was my father calling. He doesn¡¯t usually call, it¡¯s mostly my sis. ¡°Hello, good morning.¡± I greeted him cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s rare to get a call from you.¡±


    There was a momentary pause, before he chuckled dryly, surprising me. ¡°Yes, it is. You and Aiko take after your mother, both being a pair who talk incessantly. Perhaps that is for the best though. It seems you have a great deal of talking to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, endlessly. Even later today I have meetings about a Pilgrimage route. See, I was legitimately doing business with the shrines and temples, I wasn¡¯t lying to you.¡± I joked, remembering our earlier clashes, before I told my parents and the Mori¡¯s everything.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Father agreed, still jovial. ¡°But can a father not call his son who lives away from home? I hardly only speak to you when I want something.¡±


    ¡°I see. Sorry.¡± I said, and my father actually laughed, not a mere snort of chuckle, but genuine mirth.


    ¡°As it happens, Akio, I did have something to talk about. But soon it might not be such an effort to speak to you.¡±


    I cocked my head while listening, waiting, and he continued. ¡°Son, the family with be moving to Tokyo. Junpei, Hana and her parents too. Please look after us.¡±


    So that¡¯s it. That makes sense, I did worry, which is why I brought Jack and Evelyn back for now. But father didn¡¯t want to move before... ¡°I see. What about Aiko and her schooling? And her friends back in Nishimorioka?¡±


    ¡°Aiko is a little sad to leave, but excited to see you, Eri-san and her other friends she has made again. As for school, she can do remote work just like Eri-san has been doing. And if she wants to return, Fukumoto-san has promised to make arrangements.¡± He paused, before saying meaningfully that I was quite the influential, rich man nowadays.


    ¡°I see. So where will you be living?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s still a little room at the shrine here to put something together, and the training school has rooms in the meantime, but...¡±


    ¡°We have a place in mind already. As do you.¡± Father said, surprising me. ¡°Are you unaware?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± I said. ¡°Wait, you said Fukumoto-san, you mean Hinata¡¯s grandfather?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. Here.¡± A moment later my phone beeped, and I had mail. It was a series of documents on a substantial estate, made up of one huge mansion, a smaller one and several other homes, in central Tokyo. Sure, they look magnificent, but...


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I haven¡¯t considered moving at some point, but...¡± I began, only for father to interrupt me.


    ¡°If you are concerned about leaving the shrine and what you have built, I do not believe you have to worry. Us old men are hardly fools, Fukumoto-san has considered it. You can be there rapidly. After all, the site comes with a helipad, and you have a number of capable pilots, do you not? There are also... other measures.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I¡¯ve been thinking about that.¡± My sis admitted, stumped. ¡°I¡¯ll certainly take ideas. But it was going to happen sooner or later. I can¡¯t stay tied down in Nishimorioka forever. Unless you¡¯re trying to keep me out of your way so you can enjoy your lovey-dovey harem life in peace?¡± she said snidely, though I knew she was joking.


    ¡°You know we want you here.¡± I said, and Eri nodded. ¡°But ... hmm, I can¡¯t really justify setting up a Ring Gate there, but... huh.¡± Arisu-san might be the answer. Ugh, I have a meeting about the fundraising concert coming up too soon. So busy. My thoughts turned to my other half, busy practising the Tsumura Arts moves in the Boundary, working out which elements synergised with which forms, and adding in my own flavour. Damn, I need like six more of me, but one is bad enough for my brain...


    ¡°I might have some ideas. I guess we can discuss it. Perhaps in person.¡± I said, and my sis bounced up and down on the screen.


    ¡°Oh come on bro, don¡¯t crush your adorable, cute little sister¡¯s dreams of living like royalty in Tokyo! I thought you¡¯d moved past your big bro moonstone phase!¡±


    With that quip I hadn¡¯t heard for a while, we all laughed, and after a little more discussion, it was time for me to leave. As I stood up to go, Eri waved at me. ¡°I want to keep talking to Aiko and my parents some more. Father-in-law and mother-in-law too.¡± She said before my mom could joke she wasn¡¯t wanted. ¡°So I hope everything goes well, and when you come back, I hope you have good news.¡±


    At the weight of their expectant gazes, all I could do was nod. If I look at it as a small series of issues, they can probably all be resolved...


    ********


    ¡°So what brings you here, Kudou-san?¡± I asked the old man, who was perched on a chair, sipping tea cheerfully.


    ¡°Oh, do call me Yasuhide, Akio-kun. I¡¯m no longer the head of Tsukuyomi faction, but merely an old man of faith who wishes to see how everything plays out.¡± He paused for a moment, his eyes looking into the space above me. ¡°How is Tsukiko-chan? Does she rest well?¡±


    I hope so. She deserves a break from her labours, before she can choose her own life. ¡°I think she does. One day soon you¡¯ll see her again.¡±


    ¡°And so will you.¡± He grinned at me, before turning to the other old man in the room. ¡°Oh, my pardons, Fukumoto-san. I am merely here waiting for Gin-kun...¡± the way he had addressed his old rival of faith had changed. ¡°... to get here. A Pilgrimage route. A fascinating idea. I¡¯d like to add my old wisdom to it. It will be just like ancient days gone by.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem.¡± Fukumoto Kenji-san said, also enjoying the rather nice tea served at the temporary Ministry building. ¡°After all, I have other business here as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re referring to the ladies and gentlemen in the other room?¡± Yasuhide-san asked, and he nodded affirmation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a mixture of wealthy, influential businessmen and lesser nobility amongst the Three Hundred. Some have illnesses they would like you to heal. Nothing as serious as the others.¡± He reassured me, before continuing. ¡°Even so, there are a lot of people who would like your healing. Why suffer bad hips, old niggling injuries or weak internal organs when mere money can fix them? As for the others... well, there¡¯s the thing. A lot of them want to donate to curry favour. Free money is always welcome, but the strings attached can be ties that bind, or worse, strangle.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I have faith that any attempt would be futile, but even so, I don¡¯t like borrowing trouble. So... consider it an insurance payment, promising future healing, at a suitable price of course, should they have the need. That way, they make a tie, but can¡¯t demand.¡±


    I see where Hinata gets her business sense from. She sure takes after her grandfather. ¡°Fine. I have enough aether, I¡¯d say.¡± Even with half of it being used up in the Boundary right now... ¡°So, about the new mansion...¡±


    ¡°That, huh? I expected you to call me, since I spoke to your family. I don¡¯t see the problem though. Nishimorioka shrine is decent, you¡¯ve done good work, and from what Hinata tells me, it can¡¯t be relinquished, but you need to constantly push onwards. Consider this both a prototype of what we can do to prepare for the dangers you and the other Chosen say is coming, and a reward for your actions so far. Someone as famous and powerful as you has to be seen to show it. Modesty is praised here in Japan, but the people still expect the powerful to look and act like it. And the Hero of Britain is someone the people are proud of. Even more so now talk of your actions at Kyoto are being carefully edited and disseminated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t get that.¡± I said. ¡°Although some of the plans are rather... ambitious. Underground bunkers and supply caches, deep tunnels for transport, including access to Tokyo bay and an underwater dock for hidden warships. The same with helicopters. The cost of that, Japan¡¯s budget couldn¡¯t even begin to cover it without the population voting out the current government in anger...¡±


    ¡°True, but can we afford to do nothing?¡± Fukumoto-san said, smiling. ¡°And Hinata had some interesting ideas. Yes, it¡¯s not viable for the scale of the building works we need, but your troll...¡± he pulled a face, perhaps amused, a serious businessman having to discuss mythical creatures. ¡°... Hinata says he has a wonderous ability. He can assimilate and shape stone and earth, no? Coupled with your already admirable plans for your factory project with Ichijou Mayumi-san, and... well, certainly the hill under your estate, and the estate of many other important people, could be established with less effort and cost than one would expect. But even so... yes, it isn¡¯t cheap. The mansions and land alone will run you several billion yen. But then... why else do we have the wealthy here? I know you can pay for it, as could I, but our assets should be better used elsewhere. No point turning down free money.¡± His grin was wicked.


    ¡°I quite agree.¡± Yasuhide-san said happily, enjoying the show, kicking his legs, relaxed and entertained. ¡°That¡¯s politics, get others to foot the bill. Besides, a shrine Pilgrimage route is hardly going to be cheap. A lot of older shrines have fallen into disrepair or could use substantial offerings...¡±


    ¡°To quote my good grandfather-in-law here...¡± Fukumoto-san looked pleased at that. ¡°...why suffer from lack of power when money can fix it? Spending to get the favour of the kami and their adherents, as well as improving and gaining classes for those who need them is no problem to me.¡±


    ¡°Well said. So, I trust I have your consent? After all, my Hinata, she dearly wishes she could live with you too.¡± He sprung that on me, surprising me.


    ¡°Oh, she came back scandalously late last night. Fortunately you are her fiance?, and also only a few know about it.¡± He said, his grin back. ¡°And what she told me... you¡¯re ready to take your relationship to the conclusion, right? Like with the Tsumura and Hori girls?¡±


    I did say that, yes. What with Daiyu pressing for Dual Cultivation, I feel that Hinata being the only one left out is cruel, so long as she¡¯s ready. It makes me feel somewhat guilty, but such is the price I pay. ¡°Yes, but isn¡¯t she splitting her time between your home and the Takatsukasa house?¡±


    ¡°And she still will. Hinata¡¯s yet young. She needs her family, and we would miss her. But half the time she would spend in your home. I dare say the others too. The mansion is very nice.¡± He said dryly, and Yasuhide-san snorted, enjoying my discomfort.


    ¡°Fine, you win.¡± I conceded. ¡°Though I have a number of issues to work out first.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I do so adore winning. And Hinata will be overjoyed. She is also very precious of your public opinion. I¡¯ll go ahead and finalise the purchases.¡±


    As we continued to hash out the details, the door burst open with a crash, hitting the wall. A third interruption in one day? It was a harried-looking Saionji-san, followed by Akai. On seeing us, he spoke hurriedly. ¡°Akio-san, have you seen the news? There¡¯s been a worldwide broadcast, and...¡±


    Suddenly Akai, who was peering at me nervously, cocked her head in confusion. ¡°Wait, who are you? You look like him, the scary one, but you smell different. But you have so many elements, Deep space too, like a dark hole...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still me. I¡¯m just closer to what you are now, Akai.¡± I said, trying to soothe her. Before anyone else could speak, she looked me up and down again, face going pale.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t eat me, Akai doesn¡¯t taste good!¡± and with that she promptly fainted, hitting the floor, while we all looked on in stunned silence.


    Oh great, so what now? There was something about a broadcast? I guess Saionji-san can tell me about it while I wake the little phoenix up...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Three

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Three


    As Akai collapsed, I could feel a sense of amusement from one of the spirit-lights floating around me. When I concentrated on it, I could pick up some of Ginneka¡¯s feelings, that of a cat stalking her prey. I guess Yo?kai cats and Yo?kai birds are still animals at heart, maybe? Expressing my disapproval that she¡¯d bully an idiot like Akai, I left the cat to her amusement. She must be getting close to gathering enough aether to be reborn. I¡¯ve been pumping it in, and Shaeula¡¯s been contributing too. Yes, the flow has slowed now I¡¯ve started separating my body and half of my supply is going to that, but... even as I thought that Ginneka¡¯s amusement deepened, and I got the feeling she was trying to convey to me that a lot of it was my fault too.


    As Saionji-san was trying to wake Akai up, her body still and unresponsive, just like Shaeula¡¯s would be when she wasn¡¯t occupying it, Yasuhide-san was chuckling to himself, as though none of this had anything to do with him, and Fukumoto-san asked me if I had to deal with things like this all the time.


    ¡°I do. There¡¯s never a dull moment.¡± I agreed. ¡°This is just some harmless entertainment. But more importantly...¡± My phone was pinging messages non-stop. ¡°... what was that about a press conference?¡± I asked, and Saionji-san gave up trying to wake Akai, his expression grave. Turning to one corner of the meeting room, where there was a TV on the wall, he quickly found the remote.


    ¡°It¡¯s quicker if you can see for yourself, Akio-san. It¡¯s trouble, that¡¯s for certain.¡±


    As the screen opened to a news report from NHK, I could see a man, old but still regal, dressed in the same sort of white robes as Mary Stuart wore, though instead of pretty tinkling bells of crystal, these robes were austere, almost militant, like something a warrior-monk might wear. At his side was belted a great book, and even without my Eye, I could tell it was something special.


    ¡°It seems like attempts were made to upload the footage to broadcast stations worldwide.¡± The news anchor was saying. ¡°Here in Japan, only FBS in Fukuoka broadcasted the event. The executive who illegally uploaded the stream, disrupting scheduled programming and costing advertisers millions of yen in lost revenue, as well as spreading panic, with the events of Kyoto and London fresh in everyone¡¯s minds, was quickly apprehended, where he confessed to tampering with the broadcasts. The executive has been arrested, and...¡±


    ¡°I see. What about the internet?¡± I asked and pulled out my phone. There were messages to call the Prime Minister, Fujiwara-san and Ichijou-san, and even Eleanor. Shouldn¡¯t she be in bed? It must be getting on for midnight over there...


    ¡°It¡¯s all over the web, of course.¡± Saionji-san said. ¡°It was streamed extensively, and now the video is being uploaded and disseminated, translated into a multitude of languages. This has been prepared in advance.¡±


    Looking at my phone, I saw a message from Tsumura-san too. The military had pinpointed the source of the signal to Italy, rather, somewhere around the Vatican, and the original broadcast went out around two in the morning local time. That¡¯s a bit under an hour ago, right?


    ¡°It seems a strange time to broadcast, won¡¯t most people be asleep?¡± I mused. ¡°Hardly an effective use of their time.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but this was a worldwide broadcast. South America, the United States... numerous stations all across the Americas were delivering this message during peak hours.¡± Fukumoto-san realised. ¡°I was never a particularly gifted student, but isn¡¯t the majority of both North and South America of the Christian persuasion? And they have a large population...¡±


    ¡°Africa too. The majority are of the faiths he spoke of.¡± Saionji-san confirmed. ¡°Timewise, their efforts don¡¯t match the European time zones, but then that¡¯s where their reach is greatest, isn¡¯t it? Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter when the initial message was delivered, it¡¯s out there, and there¡¯s no taking it back.¡±


    Yasuhide-san was watching the subtitles on another re-run of the speech, nodding to himself and grinning while drinking his tea. When I asked him what was so funny, he stroked his long white beard happily. ¡°I was just thinking I¡¯m so very glad you are in charge now, Akio-kun, and I no longer have to deal with this. No, this old man is happy to sit on the side-lines and cheer for you!¡±


    Saionji-san growled at that, clenching his fists. ¡°No way, old man! You don¡¯t get to sit this one out! Make yourself useful and do something.¡± Annoyed, Saionji-san turned to me, before I could speak. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say. Yasaka-san will be ready. Poor bastard, he was enjoying getting some rest while you were tied up sorting out that mess in London.¡±


    ¡°... root out impropriety?¡± the news anchors were discussing the inflammatory speech given by the colleague of Mary Stuart. ¡°That sounds rather like a call for violence, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Here in Japan, we have held a long tradition of religious tolerance...¡± the other reporter said.


    ¡°Not so.¡± Yasuhide-san disagreed mildly, amused. ¡°You should remember from your history lessons at school the banning of Christianity in sixteen-fourteen, and the execution of missionaries and priests. Of course, modern Japan is a society that is largely secular. We have more shrines and temples than many other countries, and religious ceremonies and festivals are still important, but if you ask whether many actually believe... well, there¡¯s the question. We celebrate Christmas, no?¡±


    ¡°The past doesn¡¯t matter, old man.¡± Saionji-san complained. ¡°As one of the pivotal figures of the faith, you should be taking this seriously!¡±


    ¡°Oh I am.¡± He assured us. ¡°But again, I am merely here to advise. I¡¯ll leave the hard decisions to you youngsters. Akio-kun...¡± he turned to me, as I was listening to further discussion on the Television of the calls to unite and also to turn away from the Divine Favours offered, to cling to their faith and their God. ¡°... our whole purpose, be it me, Bankei, Gin-kun or even poor foolish Uchida Ren-kun, was to make sure that the faith endured and prospered. We may have differed in what we considered prospering...¡± Saionji-san snorted at that bitterly. ¡°... but we all want the legacy to continue. And now we have even more reason to wish for that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the kami, the Gods are real. Not just ours, but many, it seems.¡± Saionji-san said. ¡°It seems that our Japanese kami alone cannot be raised above the others, but to allow them to be cast down... that we can¡¯t abide!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I owe a debt of gratitude to Tyr, I admit.¡± I said carefully. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that¡¯ll get me to join his camp, but I will repay the favour. Likewise, those who have other Divine Favours, we¡¯ll need to make sure their patrons aren¡¯t forgotten. But we can¡¯t allow those who believe their way is the only way to triumph.¡± I remembered Mary Stuart. She had such power, yet she wasted it trying to bully and control Eleanor and Britain, and in doing so lost everything, and other Chosen were drawn in and wasted, their potential and lives squandered foolishly.


    ¡°The situation here is not as grave. It¡¯s slow, but just like after Kyoto, worldwide, mobs are starting to form.¡± Yasuhide-san pointed to the TV again, which was showing pictures in Brazil, Chile, the USA, and more. Crowds were gathering, and in some countries, it had already turned violent, with looting and skirmishes with the police and military. ¡°We¡¯ve already had our inciting incident, Kyoto, and while it might stir the protesters to mobilise again, I doubt we¡¯ll see any full-scale religious infighting...¡±


    Fukumoto-san, who had been silent during the religious discussion, spoke up. ¡°I think the important issue is to not mistake our goals. What is it that we need?¡± As he spoke, my phone started to ring, and it was the Prime Minister again. I can hardly believe that when a crisis happens the Prime Minister is dialling me. Perhaps that¡¯s the most shocking thing of all...


    ¡°I guess I should take this. Don¡¯t worry, I can listen as well.¡± I said. ¡°Good morning, Prime Minister. I can guess why you¡¯ve called.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Abe-san sighed, exasperated, and I could hear the weariness in his voice. ¡°What a thing to face first thing in the morning! This cult, or religious order, or whatever it is, it¡¯s the same ones that you and Princess Eleanor of Britain fought, right?¡±


    ¡°The goal here is to keep Japan in a state of calm, protect the religious figures and sites of Japan from persecution, and prepare Japan for what is coming, while keeping control of the other Chosen who might have other, conflicting goals, right?¡± Fukumoto-san was saying. On hearing voices, Abe-san asked me if there were others there. When I explained who, he asked to switch it to a conference call, and after a bit of fiddling with a laptop we were online.


    ¡°Fukumoto-san, your presence is a surprise.¡± The Prime Minister said. ¡°It might be useful to have a perspective from an international businessman though. Do you see this affecting international trade and relations?¡± he got straight to the point.


    ¡°Any unrest can. We¡¯ve already noticed a drop in rare earth metal imports and a spike in prices. China especially has been throttling us. Not that such is unusual.¡± He laughed. ¡°Supplies of oil might be an issue if there are religious schisms in the OPEC countries. And I am hardly a religious scholar, but the majority, if not all OPEC nations are of the Abrahamic persuasion.¡±


    ¡°Not that such is the only problem.¡± The Prime Minister said. ¡°Japan has been used to a peacetime economy for a long time. With the situation in China and now this... Japan is dependant on imports for too many key sectors, as you no doubt lament, Fukumoto-san.¡±


    ¡°Of course. As an island nation, our natural resources are rather limited. Perhaps there¡¯s mineral wealth in the mountains and hills, but to extract them...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the future anyone wishes to see.¡± Saionji-san shook his head, looking down at the still unconscious Akai. ¡°Many mountains are home to small shrines, or are said to be the abode of Yo?kai. To plunder them for resources would destroy much of what we wish to protect.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s selfish, but we have to look out for ourselves. And our allies, of course.¡± The Prime Minister regarded me. ¡°Our ties with Britain are only likely to grow stronger, but they have a remarkably similar position to us, being an island nation reliant on imports. We can help each other a little, but if the world switches to a war-time economy, or unrest hits exporting nations, reducing supplies, we will both be in the same boat. And sinking. The population is already on edge due to Kyoto and the shocking news of you Chosen, a drop in living standards would only stoke the flames higher.¡±


    Japan imports almost all its oil and gas, as well as coal and other petroleum products. We do have some manufacturing of computer chips, such as with our very own Nichibotsu, but a majority is also imported, along with metals. Food-wise, at least we can manage...


    ¡°It¡¯s not all doom and gloom.¡± Fukumoto-san said, looking at me. ¡°Hinata has been telling me about your plans, both with the Ichijou girl, and also your own factories. I don¡¯t claim to understand, perhaps because Hinata doesn¡¯t herself, but isn¡¯t it to do with high-capacity batteries, power generation and efficient recycling?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°The prototypes work, so Ixitt says, but manufacturing them here on the Material is a challenge, as we simply don¡¯t have access to Etherites and some of the materials. Of course, that¡¯s not to say we can¡¯t find substitutes. Or find another way to resolve the issue.¡±


    ¡°Can the Government invest in this?¡± the Prime Minister said suddenly. ¡°Energy and resource security is vital. I have a bad feeling that we¡¯ve seen the sparks falling, and the world is a powder keg waiting to explode. As long as we have food, energy and basic resources, we can weather the storm.¡±Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Fukumoto-san¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°This is a business completely bankrolled and supported by my Grandson-in-law and his allies. Grabbing a piece of the pie at this stage seems a little greedy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hardly looking to boost public finances to ensure my re-election.¡± He said, frowning. ¡°Though I admit, it would be nice to lower taxes. Anything to placate and distract the populace right now. This will reignite the voices calling for proactive action, even war. We are being threatened, we should act first they¡¯ll say. No, it¡¯s my responsibility to make sure the country thrives, especially in troubling times. I¡¯m not asking to take control.¡± He looked at me earnestly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to. You think I¡¯m stupid enough to try and force your hand? Even if leading lights such as Fukumoto-san, Fujiwara-san and Ichijou-san weren¡¯t in your corner, your popularity with the public is spiking.¡±


    ¡°Though not with everyone.¡± Yasuhide said, amused. ¡°There are those who call you a monster, or a warmonger, or a devil.¡± He snorted, drinking his tea. ¡°I suspect that when they see someone like you truly abusing their power, they¡¯ll see what a devil really is.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to prevent that. That¡¯s what the Ministry is for, at least in part. Though you¡¯re right, we almost certainly won¡¯t be able to prevent every incident, and definitely not worldwide.¡± I agreed, before addressing the Prime Minister. ¡°I think we could accept some investment, but I don¡¯t really want to give out shares in the business.¡±


    ¡°I see. So... Hinata?¡± Kenji-san mopped at his sweaty brow. He blinked, as if starting into the sun, before continuing. ¡°What about children? How does it work? And can... will she be able to do the same? She would be devastated to grow old while you... endure.¡± he shook his head, awed. ¡°If you could bottle and sell that, you¡¯d be able to rule the world.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯d cause more problems than it solved.¡± I disagreed. ¡°But... children should be fine. Shaeula says spiritual beings can breed just fine, and I still have a physical form too. As for whether Hinata will be left behind? I have no intentions of that. It might be a hard path for her, finding a way to break her limits, but we¡¯ll be there to help her along it. Anyone I¡¯ve accepted... I¡¯ll never forsake.¡± I promised.


    ¡°It does an old man good to hear that.¡± He answered. My point made, I restricted by aura once more, and everyone sighed in relief. ¡°This last few months have been one shock after another, each bigger than the last. To think I¡¯m speaking to somebody more than human.¡±


    ¡°You already have. Even Akai here is. Though I wouldn¡¯t say more than, just different.¡± I amended. ¡°So, the Pilgrimage...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should get back on track.¡± Saionji-san turned off the television, the last thing I saw the face of a man with absolute conviction, zeal shining in his eyes, looking out at me...


    ********


    Once we had established the preliminary plan for the Pilgrimage, which had now turned into a grand, nationwide event, at least here on the Material, to raise morale and instil trust in our native Gods and kami, I left Saionji-san and Yasuhide-san to plan a route and the offerings, procession and other pageantry. The public participating is a must, apparently.


    Kenji-san had invited me to lunch, to talk about business and also Hinata, I suspected, but I declined, as I needed to speak to Arisu-san. However, when I called, there was no answer, so I left her a message and spent a pleasant couple of hours with my grandfather-in-law. He was a shrewd mind when it came to manufacturing, and some of his ideas were worth implementing. I did feel a little reluctant to use up so much time when I was so busy, but with my Astral body working away again, it didn¡¯t seem too bad. All-in-all, it was a good time to unwind. Except for the talk of Hinata moving in with me. I know enough about noble customs to know that is not the done thing, but that everyone in the nobility will view it as we are having a proper, full relationship, even if it¡¯s only for half the week...


    That done, I returned to Shirohebizumi shrine. I was browsing my phone, seeing the reaction to the declaration of intent from Mary Stuart¡¯s Church online. Most people in Japan considered it someone else¡¯s problem, but abroad, the gatherings had quickly become protests, marches and in some cases rioting. There had apparently even been deaths in Argentina when a riot turned bloody. Rumours were that a Chosen was involved, egging them on, but that wasn¡¯t verified. It¡¯s been less than a day, and some countries like Britain are only just waking up to the news...


    I had briefly spoken with Eleanor and agreed to talk further in person later. It¡¯s convenient we can use the Ring Gates so easily... Back at the shrine, I entered my office. Karen-chan was at her desk, so I went over and greeted her. In addition, I could see Hayato-san and some of the rest of the gang in one corner, sitting at a desk discussing something.


    On seeing me, Karen-chan smiled in greeting. ¡°Akio-kun, you¡¯re back. About the news...¡± her expression turned troubled, but I shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. That¡¯s for the Prime Minister, the nobility and the Ministry to do something about. It doesn¡¯t change anything. We were already enemies ever since London. Though I hope we can reach an accord. Wasting our resources and lives fighting each other is futile.¡± I looked at her for a moment, before grinning. Seeing that, Karen-chan asked me what I wanted.


    ¡°I have a job for you.¡± On hearing that she tensed, but I shook my head, smiling warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. This should be a nice easy job. Turns out I¡¯m moving home soon.¡± I emailed her the information, and she checked her laptop, face pale.


    ¡°This... that must cost... no, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡± Taking a deep breath, she asked me what she needed to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. The rooms will need redecorating and furnishing. I need you to check with the girls what they would like, and order any necessary furniture, electronics, anything they need.¡±


    ¡°That should be easy enough.¡± As she spoke I could see Hayato-san had stopped his conversation, and Hina-chan, Aimi-chan and Shugo-san were also watching. No Yasu-san today I see. He might be in the clean room, maybe? ¡°I will get right on that. Uh, which girls?¡±


    ¡°All of them. Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi as well. Make a room for Kana too, even if we¡¯re just at the dating stage.¡±


    ¡°All right. Anything else?¡± she took notes, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a second house there. My family and Eri¡¯s too will be coming to live with us there. Do the same, make sure they have everything they need. I want their move to be as pain-free as possible.,¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I suppose you would want to make your sister as comfortable as you can, Akio-kun.¡± she said slyly, and Aimi-chan burst out laughing at that. Holding the shreds of my dignity, I nodded.


    ¡°Of course. But not just her. Now hop to it, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes boss!¡± she saluted me sarcastically, before heading off to the main house, where Eri and the others likely were. Since I know they aren¡¯t in the Boundary right now...


    With that done, I went to see my friends. ¡°What¡¯s up? Having a planning session?¡± I asked, and Aimi-chan spoke for the group.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Akio-kun. Just trying to earn an honest wage.¡± She pointed to the small prototype device on the table. ¡°Oh, and Yasu-kun isn¡¯t skiving, though I can imagine why you would think so, it being Yasu-kun.¡± She dissed him casually, which made us all grin, it was just like old times. Shiro may be missing, but she¡¯s not far away, not any longer.


    ¡°He¡¯s out scouring the back-alleys of Akihabara for some useful parts. We¡¯re shipping in what we can get, and Hinata-chan has promised to get her grandfather¡¯s company to manufacture anything we need and can¡¯t do ourselves...¡± Aimi-chan continued, having taken a liking to the younger girl during my absence while I was in London. ¡°... but it¡¯s still hard going.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shugo-san said, tapping the cube-shaped device. ¡°It¡¯s apparent we need to use true randomness, so we have to rely on external factors. The decay of a relatively harmless radioactive element can account for part of it, but then you need to make that into a number. Worse, we don¡¯t want the number, but some method of mapping the numbers to answer a series of complicated questions that can¡¯t easily be expressed in mathematical, numeric terms.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°This one¡¯s a real conundrum.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you set us quite the hard task.¡± Hina-chan said, pushing her glasses up her nose, like she sometimes did when concentrating hard on a problem. ¡°Fortunately we¡¯ve been talking to someone who has a very fresh take on the subject.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow, interested.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayato-san said. ¡°That colleague of yours, Ixitt, he gave us a contact who is very knowledgeable. I don¡¯t know who they are, but some of their answers are inspiring. Running a smoothing algorithm makes the output more random, rather than a bell curve over time, but that¡¯s not what we want. No, instead she suggested...¡±


    I spent several hours having a fascinating talk with them. Yasu-san came back, with a bag full of miscellaneous parts, and I helped them put a few together. The most curious thing they had learned was a system for turning something such as a map into a set of numeric datapoints that could be selected at random. In addition to the software solution and coding, if it was paired by a reprogrammable hardware device, similar to old-style punch carding in a way, but significantly more high-tech, taking advantage of modern technology down to the nanometre scale, then data could be manipulated and changed, and further, additional layers of randomness could be applied, hopefully sifting out any biases. I can¡¯t believe I actually miss this line of work. At the time it just paid the bills, but now... I spent a while longer talking and working, all the time wondering just who it was Ixitt had found that knew such a great deal about so many odd subjects...


    ********


    Entering my home, appreciating the short commute from the office, only a few dozen metres, I grinned ruefully. The commute will be longer from our new mansion, but it¡¯s still nothing too onerous. If I complained, Karen-chan and the others would be angry...


    Looking around, I couldn¡¯t see anyone, which was a bit odd, since I was still also in the Boundary, training with some of the mercenaries including Aliyah and Trey, fighting a series of mock-battles with them while training their skills with earth element and aether. If they aren¡¯t there, did they go out? It¡¯s not like them not to text me though. As I entered the living room, the door to my bedroom opened, and out came Eri, still on her crutches. She was followed by a grinning Shaeula, which was giving me a bad feeling.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back, you took a while!¡± Eri complained. ¡°To think you kept her waiting. Oh well... now¡¯s a good time. Hyacinth...¡±


    With that, the door opened again, and Hyacinth came out, chortling happily, followed by... is that Daiyu? She was dressed in white silk, which set off her black eyes and hair beautifully. Speaking of her hair, it was bound up into a bundle, pinned by jade and glass pins, leaving her neck and shoulders bare. Her robe looked a bit like a traditional qipao, a Chinese, tight-fitting dress, only it had sleeves, long, diaphanous and largely see-through. Likewise, the skirt part was also separated into these transparent strips, the lines of her legs clearly visible. The white dress clung to her, and as I watched her skin reddened under my gaze, but she did not falter.


    ¡°Gooo on. Now is the time. You said yourself you are now clean and pure, did yooou not?¡± Hyacinth urged her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting here in agony all day for Akio to return.¡± Shaeula merely watched, that grin on her face reminiscent of when she played pranks on people.


    As I watched on, knowing where this was going, Daiyu took a deep breath, before bowing, Cultivator fashion. ¡°Akio, my Dao Companion, the one who is for me, and I for you... together, I would twist and knot our fates, our Dao, so that we may never be separated, not even in death. I...¡± her smile was shy yet beautiful, her grace and elegance radiating from her every move and gesture. ¡°...I have lost so much, yet the Heavens are fair. To lose is to gain, and I have gained a second chance, and you.¡± She swallowed, her pink throat working, and I could tell she was nervous, yet she pushed ahead, regardless.


    ¡°I washed. I washed and scrubbed and purged.¡± Her usually taciturn face twitched into an embarrassed smile. ¡°I had thought myself rather free of impurities, being the Ever-Beautiful Black Jade, but it seems I was wrong. I thought the fifth would never come off.¡± She switched to Japanese then and thanked Hyacinth and Shaeula, who waved it off. ¡°But now I am pure, spiritually and physically. And... as a woman I always have been.¡± She said, her blush deepening. ¡°So now...¡± she came to me, taking my hand. ¡°I ask you... join with me. As two fates in one, forever entangled.¡±


    As I felt the warmth of her hand, I could see Eri¡¯s gaze urging me onwards. Not that I need such. I had decided, and despite my wobbles, my decision hasn¡¯t changed. But it is nice to get her support, even if I feel the sting in my heart. No, no time to dwell on that, now... in this moment, all that mattered was the girl in front of me, the brave Cultivator who had lost everything, her Sect, her family, even her country, yet still continued to seek out her own destiny. But I have to make one thing clear, before anything else...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Four – R18/Contains Sex

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Four ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    ¡°Daiyu...¡± I said softly, and she looked at me, still clutching my hand. ¡°I know how much Cultivation means to you. But the first time... that shouldn¡¯t be for it. Our relationship isn¡¯t going to be one of profit and loss, is it? After all, I don¡¯t really understand the Dao like you do, but that¡¯s not the sort of companionship I want. Or want for you.¡± I winked at Eri, who nodded.


    Spoiler


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    ¡°That¡¯s right Daiyu. If it¡¯s not founded on affection, I¡¯ll chase you out. I¡¯m not letting our relationships be transactional. I may...¡± she nodded to Shaeula, who was still grinning happily. ¡°... have mellowed a little, or become more accepting, but I¡¯ll not budge on that. About some things I know I¡¯m right!¡±


    Her skin flushed, Daiyu nodded once the difficult parts were translated. ¡°I understand. I... perhaps I see matters too in terms of black and white. But... you know that is not all I want. I truly believe this was meant to be. No, that makes it sound like I am merely being washed by the tide. No, I truly believe I am happy this choice was presented to me. But I still chose. That was meant to be. I am happy I have a chance to feel this way again. That I am not alone, that I have purpose.¡± Her smile was heartbreakingly pure, her onyx eyes glittering. ¡°More... I feel my chest throb, and not in the way that I feel when I am Cultivating.¡±


    ¡°I believe you are a female before you are-are a Cultivator.¡± Shaeula said, nodding firmly. ¡°It is only natural for such feelings.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see this now.¡± she agreed. ¡°But that hardly matters. I have arrived at this place, washed on the tides under the moon, and now this is my place.¡±


    ¡°Under the moon-moon. I do like that. It does make me wonder, does it not-not you, Akio? Tsukuyomi. The Fae. Then this Chang¡¯e of yours.¡± She smiled. ¡°Even your name can mean bright hero of the moon, no? I am not-not Tsukiko, but I find it hard not-not to believe this was all fated.¡±


    ¡°I think it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Eri disagreed. ¡°Perhaps we are just looking for meaning in what¡¯s already happened. It is strange though. But just like Akio, I don¡¯t believe in destiny or fate. If we don¡¯t like the way things are, we¡¯ll change them.¡±


    ¡°Well said. But this... there is no-no need to change it, is there?¡± Shaeula chuckled, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°No. There is no need at all. So... I am prepared.¡± She said, her flushed face and fast breathing rather erotic, in contrast to her usual stoic demeanour.


    ¡°Relax.¡± Eri patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not something you need to be prepared for. Just... have fun?¡± she smiled.


    ¡°Yes, you must-must enjoy yourself.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°So for now... we shall leave you to it. Come, Eri, Hyacinth. There will be time-time for us later.¡± She pushed my back, and I led Daiyu towards the bedroom. Once inside I closed the door. She looked at me, a little tense, but I merely smiled reassuringly and patted the bed, and we sat down together.


    ¡°I¡¯m not forcing this, you know. It¡¯s not as though you need to commit, to be with me. Just like Kana wants to take it slow...¡± as I said that, her expression changed, and I tilted my head, puzzled.


    ¡°I believe that Kana is having fun, yes. But mostly... I believe she is a shrewd girl, who well understands the male mind. Unlike me.¡± She admitted. ¡°It is you who needs to take matters slowly with someone, have fun and relax. You are under great stress, having to carry all our fates. We are, as Eri would say heavy women, no?¡± she giggled a little.


    I see. She¡¯s right. Not that I mind. I¡¯d be a fool to complain when you look at them all. Carrying a bit of weight isn¡¯t a burden, it¡¯s a privilege. But then, that doesn¡¯t change it can sometimes be stressful...


    ¡°Remind me to be nicer to Kana.¡± I said, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°Now you are being nice enough to her. I believe she is finally well satisfied.¡±


    At her words, I looked at Daiyu, closely, trying to understand what about her piqued my curiosity. That¡¯s it. I get it. ¡°You know, you seem very mature, Daiyu. Sometimes you seem a lot older than you are. You¡¯re easy to talk to.¡±


    ¡°I believe it is rude to call a girl old.¡± She sniffed, though I could tell she wasn¡¯t angry. Seeing her in her silky, diaphanous Chinese-style robe, sitting beside me, the subtle smell of her perspiration and some fragrant perfume in my nostrils, I found her very desirable, her looks similar to a Japanese person, yet with a slightly exotic cast. ¡°But I confess, I was never much of a child. Not as the heir to the Incorruptible Jade.¡± She leant her head on my shoulder, her bound-up hair tickling me. ¡°From a young age, when it was seen I had talent... I never had time, not the inclination for play, or making friends. The strong are often the lonely.¡±


    ¡°I disagree.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m strong, right? And I¡¯m less lonely than ever!¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± She agreed, a slight smile curving her lips. ¡°But you are deeply unusual. Were you a Cultivator, you would be jealously hoarding power, not sharing it with me, like the Spirit Water.¡± She paused, her dark eyes dreamy. ¡°I still can hardly believe it. A Foundation that only the greatest Sects in Kunlun could dream of, it has come to me.¡± She then softly kissed my cheek, a merest brush of her lips. ¡°Though it was quite frightful. The mess was disgusting. I think... your true greatness is you do not fear to share. It is not praiseworthy, from a Cultivation perspective. But as your Dao Companion, I will toughen you up... and let you soften me. I think the middle ground shall suit us just fine.¡±CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m


    ¡°Yes, Hinata says I need to be firmer. I am trying. But I don¡¯t want to lose kindness. After all, If I¡¯m going to rule a vast Territory, stand beside Shaeula in the Seelie Court, enter into politics... I don¡¯t want to be a dictator, someone who only considers his own needs.¡±


    ¡°I understand. And I will aid you.¡± She promised. ¡°For you have helped reignite my pride in my Cultivation, that nearly died with my Sect, my family. No, you shall be my Sect and my family now. All of you. I find it... reassuring, not to be alone in the world. Were it just I, I would spend my life attempting to slay the traitors who betrayed us. Instead... I will allow my vengeance to simmer. In time I will strike, but my Dao... I do not know it yet, but it will not be as an avenger. The price is too high.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s wise.¡± I squeezed her hand, and touched her bare shoulder. Her skin shivered at my gentle caress, but her eyes were calm and composed. ¡°I¡¯d hate to see you throw away your life, Daiyu. And I wouldn¡¯t be the only one.¡±


    ¡°I know. I shall instead triumph over my enemies by reaching my most perfect self, and look down on them from on high. Perhaps then I shall stomp them like bugs...¡± she smiled wickedly. ¡°... but for now... I rejoice in my rekindled love of my past. I believe Kana is the same.¡±


    ¡°Kana? She never really cared for her powers or the shrine.¡± I said, and Daiyu shook her head.


    ¡°Yes, I gather that. But now she is finally able to take pride in what she has that others do not, to respect herself. In that way, we are similar. Both inheritors of a storied legacy.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me. Just what is Cultivation? Qi... it¡¯s basically created from aether, and it functions largely the same. I don¡¯t entirely get the purpose?¡±


    For a moment, Daiyu froze, before she smiled ruefully. ¡°We are talking about this now? I understand you wish me to be calm, but...¡± she shifted, and her chest was pressing against my arm, the thin cloth doing little to hide her softness. ¡°...I could be rather hurt, that you are not eager.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. But I am curious. But I suppose...¡±


    ¡°... there is time for you to learn, when we entertain each other with Dual Cultivation. You will need a grounding then.¡± she said, nodding. ¡°... but before that... you wanted us to join our bodies simply because we wished to, no? My hand... it has stopped shaking, has it not? I am calm and ready.¡±


    Yes, she was clearly a bit nervous. Not that I blame her. ¡°I¡¯m nervous too.¡± I said, and she looked at me in surprise.


    ¡°Why? You are a man of some experience, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯s all come recently. Besides, that was with others. Not with you.¡± I told her, bringing another smile and blush to her face. ¡°The first time is always special. And I want it to be good for you.¡±


    ¡°I am not a fool. I am no sheltered orchid, unaware of how a man and a woman interact. I have read the Dual Cultivation Techniques, and other scriptures.¡± She seemed a little offended, so I stroked her head until she calmed down. ¡°I am aware the first time can be painful, but I am a Cultivator, I fear no pain, and the elixir of Chang¡¯e will heal any injuries I suffer. You may indulge with me as you please... uh?¡± She was surprised as I pushed my lips against hers. For a moment she didn¡¯t know what to do before responding, her tongue twisting with mine wetly, as I lasted her lips, her saliva. When we separated, she touched her damp lips, a little stunned, and I kissed her forehead.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a fetish for hurting women. And yeah, it stings a little, but it soon becomes pleasure. If you aren¡¯t enjoying it, I won¡¯t. To be honest, I¡¯m a little troubled. You and Hinata... you are both right on the border of what¡¯s acceptable, you know! I¡¯m practically a lolicon here. Though...with you your maturity shines through. I guess you¡¯ve lived a disciplined life.¡±


    ¡°I have. Which is why a little pleasure will not ruin my resolve.¡± She sighed loudly. ¡°As for Hinata, she knows her own mind, you have the approval of her parents... enough with your delaying. But...¡± she kissed me this time, angry and passionate, and as we separated, a thin bridge of saliva between us, she growled. ¡°... enough of other girls. I am here now, and you are supposed to be showing me the pleasures of being a woman.¡±


    So fierce. She¡¯s certainly unique. With a fond expression on my face, I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry. I¡¯m still me, I get overwhelmed in the moment. But... I¡¯m also the me that has made my resolve. So... Daiyu. I like you. I want to marry you. Your bravery, resolve, dedication... it¡¯s all so very blinding. To that end... I want to make love to you.¡±


    ¡°I see. I wish to marry you too, as my Dao Companion, through storm and calm, through fire and frost, against the tiger and the dragon, together we shall wrest all the power and secrets from the Universe itself. But first... show me what love is.¡±


    I gently laid her down, and for a minute we just stared at each other, our breaths hot on each other¡¯s skin. Daiyu was first to speak. ¡°Do I not need to touch and suck your manhood?¡±


    ¡°Maybe later.¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s a more advanced technique.¡±


    She giggled then. ¡°You make it sound like Cultivation. So if that would be Foundation, what would the Qi Refining of sex be?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple.¡± I reached out, caressing her bare cheeks, neck, shoulders and arms, before one hand settled on her still-clothed breasts, and the other stroked her back through the thin cloth. ¡°We have to get used to the touch of our skin, used to being naked, as we were born. Then...¡±


    ¡°I know what comes after.¡± She giggled softly, a barest whisper of her voice. She reached out and touched me, slipping her hand inside my shirt. ¡°Your skin is like velvet, and your muscles are steel. No, harder, stronger.¡± She looked at me then, eyes bright. ¡°I am pleased. I would hate my Dao Companion, my man... to be a weakling. It helps you are to my taste, too... uh, your hands...¡± She shivered as my own hand was inside her dress now, touching bare, hot flesh, the hard nub of her nipple being massaged by my palm. I slid my other hand up under her flowing skirt, and I realised she was bare underneath as my hand glided over her bare thighs and felt a brush of hair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I won¡¯t do anything you don¡¯t like.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯m just...¡±


    ¡°Touching my skin, yes.¡± Daiyu panted, flushed and embarrassed, an unusual look for her. ¡°I shall not lose!¡± she promised, and her hands too slid downwards. She flinched a little as her hands circled my manhood, seeming fascinated as it grew in her grip.


    ¡°Gently...¡± I said, and her touch changed. I pulled her dress down, exposing her chest, and buried my face in it, licking away, my tongue rasping on her bare flesh. She gasped, her hands speeding up, and she moaned.


    ¡°I want to kiss again. It feels more... intimate.¡± She said, and I licked all the way up her body, around her neck and we finally tanged tongues again. My cock had popped free, hard and slightly damp, and I tugged, her white dress around her thighs, the knife-like slit of her pussy hidden under a small thicket of dark hair. As she moaned, my hands stroked and groped her skin everywhere, and she was now exuding a sticky, sweet scent, her sweat fragrant.


    ¡°That... I think I like this.¡± Daiyu gasped. ¡°My mind goes blank, and there is no worry, stress, fear...¡±


    I see. Despite the fact she¡¯s strong, I can¡¯t forget that she¡¯s still lost everything she¡¯s ever known. I need... no, I can¡¯t do it alone. Shaeula, Eri, Shiro... everyone¡¯s helping her settle in, find her place. I kissed her again, and whispered into her ear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll never leave you behind. I promise.¡±


    She blinked, before giving me a warm smile. ¡°I know. I can feel your intentions. I am not a child to be easily tricked. You are all earnest, and have always treated me well. Ahn... what are you doing?¡± she muttered, shuddering, and I kissed her again, my tongue sending saliva into her mouth, while her throat gulped.


    ¡°Just loosening you up a bit. I want your first time to be something worth remembering. Our first time.¡± I had exposed her clit, and was rubbing it tenderly and expertly, my experience with the other girls making me deft. My other fingers were rubbing her pussy, and warm, sour liquid was starting to spill out from her, her body twitching.


    ¡°I see. It feels... strange. Not unpleasant, but... no, I will not.. be... ahn, uh... distracted. Should I touch you?¡± her hand snaked around my dick, tugging at it oddly and clumsily. ¡°I know your feelings are true. I... uh, ahh... can sense it with my Qi. It is sensitive to malice, deceit.... Oh, by the Heavens, I feel strange...¡± Her panting moans were becoming more frequent, and my fingers were sinking into her pussy a little, soaked with her fluids. Though I¡¯m careful not to go deep... ¡°I feel it... with my skin... as well. Your touch is kind... but lewd. So very lewd. This is, ugh... no, ahn, ahn... more embarrassing... than I imagined!¡±


    Seeing a stoic beauty melting under my ministrations excited me. I filed away the note about Qi being able to sense emotions for later, and licked her breasts, her belly, her thighs, enjoying the sour taste of her sweat and nectar as it dribbled down the inside of her legs. She¡¯s easy to get wet. That¡¯s good... ¡°Yes, it¡¯s supposed to be embarrassing.¡± I whispered to her, as she tightened around my gently probing fingers. ¡°Because it¡¯s sharing something of yourself few others ever get to see...¡±


    ¡°Surely... just you?¡± she gasped, and I didn¡¯t elaborate. I know they are outside, watching and listening. I don¡¯t need my keen senses for that. Oh well, Daiyu will get used to it soon enough. Her hand was speeding up on my dick, and she marvelled at the warm, pulsing sensation and damp stickiness on her fingers. Curious, even as her body shivered from my touch, she sped up her fingers, whether it was natural talent, or her Qi sensing, rapidly adjusting and perfecting her stroking, her delicate fingers rubbing at my glans as she stroked and squeezed.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re a natural...¡± I gasped, as I felt a hot weight rising up inside me. My own fingers sped up too, and as the damp squelching noises intensified, Daiyu stared into my eyes coquettishly, further stoking my lust.


    ¡°I am... ahn... a prodigy. I can of course... ugh... master this. Besides... it feels... like a game. My Qi feels your pleasure, and how... ugh, ahn... can I increase... it?¡±


    ¡°But you should take it... easy or...¡± I said, but it was too late. Her hands sped up, her rubbing fingers finding all my pleasure points, and I cried out in happiness as I ejaculated. My fingers squeezed, and the ruby bead of Daiyu¡¯s trembled, before her own back arched, love nectar drenching her thighs and the dress around her legs. As she looked up, eyes wide, my semen splattered her breasts first, then her neck, before it showered down on her flushed face, staining cheeks, nose and lips.


    ¡°Is this...?¡± she lapped out with her tongue like a cat, making a face at the strong flavour. ¡°it is bitter.¡±


    I scooped out her own juices, licking my fingers. ¡°And yours is sour. But it¡¯s your taste, so I¡¯ll like it.¡± I promised. Lying down beside her, my dick brushing against her leg, leaving a slimy trail on her pale skin, I bent in for a kiss.


    ¡°I am dirty...¡± she said, embarrassed, but I wanted her tongue, and she stuck it out, and our tastes mingled. When I pulled away, merely stroking her hair and back, my hand cheekily kneading her ass a little, keeping her fire of arousal lit, I shook my head.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing dirty about you. So... how was it? Your first orgasm?¡±


    ¡°It was... intense.¡± She admitted. ¡°Like a white wave surging through me. But you looked in pleasure as well, Akio.¡± She said. ¡°Your face. I could not help but find it cute. Though I was surprised to be so showered...¡± She wiped some of my cum off her cheeks, inspecting it, before gently sucking it off her fingers. ¡°I see. Yes, your taste. I understand. When I think like that, it no longer seems so bitter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the beginning. Next...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She interrupted me, my still-hard dick now in her hands. She raised one eyebrow, before bending down, her warm mouth suddenly enveloping the head. I felt her tongue, and she slurped, before withdrawing, a thin line of cum on her lips. ¡°All clean. Now next... you will enter me, right? Make me a woman? Your woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I said. Her clean-up was clumsy but earnest, and so cute... ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    ¡°I am Black Jade the Ever Beautiful.¡± She said her hated nickname proudly. ¡°Of course I am not scared. I will not be Ever Pure soon though. No, my purity is gone. You have toyed with me, and I have tasted your seed. I am only sorry my father and mother did not live long enough to see their daughter become an adult, and master Foundation Realm. But no matter...¡± she snuggled against me. ¡°... if the Heavens are kind, perhaps they still know, if the spirit lives on after death.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± I promised, remembering Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°In that case...¡± her breathing had calmed down and her flushed skin was now pale again. ¡°... I would dedicate my purity to you. No, from what I have heard, it is my heart you crave. Perhaps you were afraid of loss as a child? I must speak to Eri and your sister regarding this. Your sister... I hope she will accept me.¡±


    ¡°She will.¡± I promised. ¡°Aiko loves cute girls, and she sympathises with those who have it hard. But for now, that doesn¡¯t matter. Think of just us.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± She licked at more of the cum on her face. ¡°So, this will pour inside me. We will make a child...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not yet. The timing isn¡¯t good for you, is it? There¡¯s medication...¡±


    ¡°Even us Cultivators have that.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°I merely wished to say it. I do wish a child. To pass on my name to the future. But... not now. Yes. So...¡± she spread her legs, arms outstretched too, inviting me, and she looked very lewd, lying on the bed, wet and still spotted with my sperm, her soiled dress around her legs. ¡°Show me it is worth the wait.¡±


    With one last kiss I opened up her pussy, the insides a beautiful salmon pink and twitching, drooling fluid. Her hymen was there, and it looked like a pearly white film. ¡°It¡¯s a little thick. There might be some pain in the breaking of it...¡± I said, working out the best angle. I¡¯ve done this a few times now. I want her to suffer as little as possible.


    ¡°I am jade, such will not be cracked by a little pain.¡± She boasted, her eyes on my dick as I pushed it towards her entrance. She took a deep breath, and held out a hand. I took it, entwining our fingers, while my other hand guided my dick in. As it slowly slid inside her, pushing her wide, I reached the obstruction of her hymen.


    ¡°Become as one with me. Our Dao will entwine, as will our bodies and our souls. Our fates and destines as well!¡± Daiyu said, and I needed no further invitation.


    ¡°Daiyu... I...¡± As I tore through her maidenhead, her face twisted in a momentary expression of pain. A faint trickle of red ran down her legs, staining the dress, but I felt her body heal. The obstruction remained gone, but her tender flesh was restored near-instantly.


    ¡°Wrong. Tan has already given us all the hints we need. Now... we have to prepare.¡± Thanks Tan. I still have some grudges against how you¡¯ve used Shiro, but since then you¡¯ve helped us a lot. If your Six Paths ever needs repayment, I¡¯ll give it...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that most of them don¡¯t have images.¡± Natsumi said. She and Motoko were probably the most excited of us, not including Daiyu, of course, as while Cultivation wasn¡¯t entirely a martial field, anything that was disciplined and involved strengthening the body piqued their interest. ¡°But this one does...¡± she looked at Daiyu¡¯s book of notes.


    ¡°The point of the Qi Refining and Foundation Techniques is that the image should not be needed. The Technique should be repeatable and naturally mould the body correctly.¡± Daiyu pouted, still naked. As I ran my Split Thoughts (I had temporarily withdrawn my other body) to simulate the outcomes of following the listed techniques, I shivered as Shiro touched my body in various places, her long fingers ticklish.


    ¡°Stop that.¡± Eri chided her, but Shiro merely shrugged, laughing.


    ¡°No way. I¡¯ve already been helpful. I get to have some fun teasing Aki in exchange.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been helpful?¡± Eri said sourly, taking a drink from Hyacinth, who had whipped up supplies for us, since this had dragged on longer than anticipated. Kana and Hinata were managing the training school and Territory, while we worked. ¡°I think Tan was the one who helped.¡±


    ¡°Rude. Tan¡¯s help is my help. I think you¡¯ve got cheeky since you started being able to walk again.¡± Shiro said, her smile showing she was joking.


    ¡°I just want Daiyu fixed.¡± Eri said, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°I appreciate your kind support.¡± she said, and Eri raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You can appreciate it by teaching me! You want disciples, right? And anyone can Cultivate to be strong? You don¡¯t need a Divine favour?¡±


    ¡°There is the issue of talent, but...¡± Daiyu said doubtfully, before nodding. ¡°I will do my best!¡±


    ¡°So lukewarm!¡± Shiro sniggered, earning another glare from Eri. Meanwhile, I had finished my sketches, and was comparing them with Shaeula, Daiyu leaning over eagerly, her bare shoulder brushing against mine. I then groaned as Shiro¡¯s hands started getting very playful. I¡¯m trying to concentrate here! No, compared to running two bodies, I can ignore this. I am tranquil and at peace. I¡¯m totally not being stroked off by Shiro while I¡¯m sitting here...


    ¡°I believe that it should not-not be affecting your root chakra. That-that is a problem.¡± Shaeula rubbed at her chin, eyes gleaming amber while she thought. ¡°The sacral chakra too... see here? The lunar chakra does not-not affect the heart or the others around it. I did-did wonder why some of your chakra network seems disconnected... but what-what would these fools from Kunlun gain?¡±


    ¡°I know what they would gain. The powerful Five Great Sects of Kunlun, they were used to being at the top, unquestioned. Even now it is... was... the same. Our new Five Great Sects hoard our knowledge. The path of Cultivation is also a greedy one. Power for ourselves and those we trust is good, power for others... that is a disappointment. No doubt the techniques they allowed to spread were flawed deliberately, to prevent others from challenging their authority.¡±


    ¡°How petty.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°But did you not-not secure some knowledge they did not-not wish to share?¡±


    Batting away Shiro¡¯s hands, I suddenly began to sketch some more. We had theorised some examples, and added to Daiyu¡¯s, what Tan had shared in a brief flash with Shiro, and the drawings we did have, plus a comparison to my network, and also the way that Daiyu¡¯s Dantian had changed significantly after gaining the Spiritually Pure Techniques, coupled with our insights into Chirurgery, and we had a solid idea of what it should be like.


    Daiyu looked at my sketches, and I met her gaze. ¡°Daiyu, are you sure about this? I¡¯m confident, but... this is Cultivation. I¡¯m not dealing with something I understand.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter?¡± Daiyu shook her head. Her hand grabbed my dick, taking over from Shiro, and replicated her technique, her face flushed. ¡°If I cannot reach the peak this way, because my path has been cut off before I started, what does it matter if I fall to ruin now?¡± She bent down, and her tongue licked at my dick, using what she was shown earlier. Motoko and Natsumi were looking on shyly, perhaps remembering their own times. In-between her sucking, she continued. ¡°I would rather take a chance. And if I should fail, you will not cast me aside, will you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I stroked her head, and that encouraged her to go further, her face twitching as she swallowed my member, gagging as it hit the back of her throat, but she continued to lick and suck at it, her eyes showing her trust. Right, we have to make this work... But even if we make a screw-up, we can maybe fix it later... no, no mistakes. This is a bit like programming. I¡¯ve never wrote this particular code before, but we have some examples, and I know the language, the compiler and the hardware... it might not be the way the designer envisaged, but of the outcome is the same...


    ¡°Here we go... uh, no, actually I¡¯d better... oh, uh, sorry, I¡¯m about to...¡±


    ¡°Let it out...¡± she muttered around my shaft, and I didn¡¯t have much choice, as her lewd tongue, her desperation, was transmitted to me. I spurted, and she widened her eyes in surprise as my sticky cum sprayed into her mouth and down her throat. Gagging, she desperately swallowed, and when my dick was pulled out, she coughed white fluid into her hands.


    ¡°Still bitter...¡± she managed, and I ruffled her hair gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. I get that you¡¯re uneasy... but I¡¯ve got this.¡± I promised.


    ¡°You just did not-not want Daiyu to bite in surprise.¡± Shaeula said, lightening the mood, before taking Daiyu¡¯s hand and wiping her lips. ¡°But yes, Akio is quite-quite correct. There is no-no need for concern. Besides, you have the blessing of Chang¡¯e, no? With that, you will never-never be weak. Now, are you ready?¡±


    Daiyu nodded, her eyes shining with resolution. ¡°I am Zhao Daiyu. I survived treachery and the deep ocean, I let the tide wash me hither and yon, but I decide to swim. Do it. Should I break, I was simply not Incorruptible Jade, merely a shiny black pebble. But I do not think that is my fate...¡±


    ¡°All right then. This... is likely going to hurt...¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You said that begore....¡± She touched her still-damp crotch. ¡°... but I barely felt a twinge. Of pain.¡± And with that endearing set of words, I began to carve into her lower body with blades of aether...


    ********


    ¡°Tan isn¡¯t saying anything, but I¡¯m getting satisfaction, and I doubt it¡¯s because she¡¯s enjoying the food. Nice though it is of course, Hyacinth.¡± Shiro said, and Hyacinth giggled, curtsying. Daiyu was lying beside me, still naked, and I was stroking her bare back as she buried her face in the pillow, her ears and neck red.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be embarrassed.¡± Eri soothed her. ¡°I made a spectacle of myself the first time.¡±


    ¡°I am Zhao Daiyu! I do not cry out!¡± she said, her pout hidden. ¡°Nor do I wish to be seen shedding such vile muck! But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. But honestly, I¡¯m confident! It really wasn¡¯t as bad as I imagined. Thankfully.¡± The Chirurgery was surprisingly easy, as ironically the Spiritually Pure Techniques she had inherited seemed to know how her chakras should have been, so it was more a case of me supplying the blades, and them guiding the cutting. Is it because of the affinity for Qi? It¡¯s hard to say... The downside of that was that it was incredibly painful, as the Spirit Water didn¡¯t care for subtlety or kindness, only ejecting impurities and fixing damage. There was more hidden inside the chakras. Cutting that out was harrowing. But...


    ¡°It looks like your root and sacral chakras are functioning better than ever. Normally in fact.¡± I observed. ¡°And your Dantian is unharmed. It¡¯s shifted a bit, and there¡¯s a few more roots and branches going to and from it, but... I think we¡¯re good?¡±


    At my words, Daiyu finally sat up. She called upon the Water Darts again, as well as used Qi sensing, and a few other Qi techniques. When she was done, she nodded. ¡°Yes, I feel... it feels easier, certainly. The Qi is more responsive, and I feel ... rejuvenated.¡± She flexed. ¡°I... I thank you.¡± She bowed to Shiro. ¡°If I had not known, I could have found out too late...¡±


    ¡°No way. Just helping a fellow babe of Aki¡¯s out. Us haremettes have to stick together.¡± Shiro was embarrassed by the thanks. ¡°Besides, by the time you discovered you were screwed, Aki¡¯s skills would be better anyway. He¡¯d still come through. Speaking of coming through...¡± she smiled a cheeky, lewd grin. ¡°... are you going to take a break tonight, or...?¡±


    Daiyu and I exchanged glances. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve had fun.¡±


    ¡°I bet you have...¡± Eri snorted. Daiyu thought for a moment, before shaking her head.


    ¡°No, I am a little concerned. My Dual Cultivation Technique could be flawed so...¡± she looked at Shiro, eyes damp. ¡°Can you observe? I would appreciate guidance.¡±


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Shiro giggled after a moment. ¡°That really threw Tan for a loop. She so does not want to watch you two going at it. But...¡± she winked. ¡°...keep it quick and clean. Just to check it¡¯s legit. She says you can go at it like animals when she¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Fine. The rest of you...?¡±


    ¡°Staying, of course.¡± Eri commented. ¡°This might be something we learn to do. So...¡±


    ¡°I do not mind. They have all supported me. Now...¡± Daiyu got on her back, opening her legs, and I was embarrassed as some of my semen spilled out of her pussy. ¡°We shall join, my Yin to your Yang. But it is not merely that simple...¡± She grabbed my hands, and I could feel her Qi entering me. ¡°... left hand to my heart.¡± She placed my hand on her modest breast, which was still sticky. ¡°Forehead to forehead.¡± She pressed her head against mine. The position was good, so we kissed. Her hand was on my heart too, and with every beat, I could feel her Qi.


    ¡°You know...¡± I began, but Shaeula beat me to it.


    ¡°Yes, it is not-not dissimilar to sharing our lunar chakra, it seems. I do-do wonder more strongly if Cultivation was created in jealousy at spiritual beings? You mortals are quite-quite clever at adaptation and taking ideas from others.¡±


    ¡°In the end, we would even take from the Heavens.¡± Daiyu said, and I began to return aether to her, rich with elemental essence. She shuddered, feeling it surge through her, and she used her free hand to grab my traitorous dick, which was hard again. Damn, how many times have I cum now? If I didn¡¯t have my stats, this harem would kill me. I guess I¡¯d die happy though...


    ¡°...and root to root.¡± Daiyu declared, as my dick buried itself in her pussy to the root. I could feel her heart beating, her walls twitching.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just sex?¡± Eri asked, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°To an extent, yes. But...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we connecting all three points where one of the Dantians should be? A coincidence?¡± I asked, though I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°You know the answer to that. Now... we must focus. Ordinarily, you would be calling on your Qi, and using it to filter out your essence, what makes you male. Your Yang Qi. The jumble you are giving me now, it is rather off-putting...¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, like how you froze your light and earth elements so you could... let me try it...¡± I had a lot of light element, a mutated one, but that wasn¡¯t Yang, was it? But conversely... It¡¯s still a variation on light. So... also... I know Daiyu needed earth element, so I made sure to filter out everything but earth and light, circulating them. Meanwhile, Daiyu was gathering her own darkness, her Qi changing. As she gathered it, her eyes darkened, and a faint blue mist was rising, and her look was lustful.


    ¡°I am feeling rather sad right now.¡± Eri muttered, remembering. ¡°Akio, I think...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer as Daiyu was kissing me deeply and frantically, her body starting to slide, my cock pushing in and out of her. No, I¡¯m not ready yet. I held firm, and she looked at me, eyes watering, before clearing her head with great effort.


    ¡°I apologise.¡± She gasped. ¡°My Yin is hard to control. Yet control it I must, merely giving in to base urges achieves nothing.¡± She paused. ¡°The mess has ceased. Now it is... wait, earth as well?¡±


    ¡°You did want to raise the Invincible Jade Yang technique, didn¡¯t you? It may be flawed, but we can correct it. Maybe it¡¯ll even be correct, now that your chakras aren¡¯t malformed anymore. And if not... your chakra network should be able to hold earth element at your root.¡±


    ¡°So, do you get it?¡± Shiro asked, and everyone shook their heads, except for Hyacinth.


    ¡°Yes, I dooo.¡± She nodded. ¡°Darkness and Light. Elements ooof emotion, of being. When are twooo hearts most closely as ooone? During sex, making looove. Lovers¡¯ Link could be considered this tooo, no? But mistress Daiyu knooows a lot.¡± She giggled cheerfully. ¡°Merely fucking...¡± Hyacinth looked wicked at that moment, licking her lips. ¡°... I looove it. To warm Akio¡¯s bed... but the power, it is nooot used properly. Merely a bright flame and whoooooosh, all gone, heating the air around. But Hyacinth thinks, if the fire is cooontained, the warmth is useful, can dooo work.¡±


    ¡°A good metaphor. All things contain Qi, but Qi is only pure when first created. It is then coloured by the body. Mine. Female. Yours. Male.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ve considered this before. How aether can become elemental energy, and the opposite is true, even if there are losses both ways. So...¡± my Eye glowed, and I began to match Daiyu¡¯s flow. Doing so, I managed to start changing the earth and light elements, making them more suitable for Daiyu¡¯s body.


    You have gained a skill, Moonlight Jade Qi Refining Rank 1.


    Your Skill, Light Manipulation has increased from Rank 5 to Rank 6 and broken the first bottleneck. You can...


    I see it. Yes, Qi. The elements I had refined into Qi were harder to control, resisting me, but they wanted to be used, in specific ways at least. Daiyu felt the overspill resonate with her, before her eyes opened wide. ¡°Yes. That is it! You have copied me, yet reversed it. Yang to my Yin! How talented you are. Perhaps I am not the prodigy here...¡±


    ¡°No. You guided me. I merely watched and listened. Hyacinth gave me a hint too. Now... how to make it flow to you? It won¡¯t obey me...¡±


    ¡°Easy. Dual Cultivation is so-called, as two must join. But also... the joining of body and heart. So... sex.¡± Daiyu began to move, and every time our bodies connected, I could feel what was male, the light, filled with brilliant earth energy, flood into Daiyu, while I received darkness, the female. Doing to heightened my emotions, and my lust rose. I could barely hear the voices of everyone else around us, as I was engrossed in Daiyu. No, I was one with Daiyu. I could feel Lovers¡¯ Link, too, pulsing as well, and Daiyu giggled, even as she gasped in erotic delight, her body slapping against mine, cum, a little blood and her juices foaming at the join between my dick and her slit.


    ¡°You were meant for this...¡± Daiyu giggled. ¡°Eri was complaining all your gains in strength come from being lewd. I did not believe it, but...¡± Her eyes were moist and she kissed me, her hand tight on my chest, even as mine was kneading her breast, energy flowing between our hearts and our foreheads. My Eye could see a branching of shining energies from these points.


    ¡°... your skill, it is improving the connection. Dual Cultivation is notoriously inefficient. In Kunlun, practitioners were seen as weak, unsuited to true Techniques. Though feeling how I do...¡± her whole body was flushed and trembling, and she was orgasming lightly with every thrust. My dick was on fire, precum shooting out as well, the sensation strange. ¡°... I suspect that many practised it as well as their ordinary Techniques. And that it was made to be inefficient, so that there is an excuse...¡± her look was so cute I sucked on her tongue fiercely, speeding up. ¡°... to do it more!¡±


    ¡°I... could get... ahn, uh... addicted to this.¡± Daiyu whispered, a barest breath so the others wouldn¡¯t hear, and I replied in kind, even as our bodies circulated the energy. Feeling deep emotion, yearning, wishing for security, desire for hope, I gave her what she needed to hear.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll accompany you as often as you wish me to...¡± Hearing those words, she couldn¡¯t help herself, and her movements sped up, her hips gyrating. Unable to resist, I began to speed up, varying between deep and shallow thrusts, her body gushing love juices enough to soak the bed, all the while, we were careful to keep our points of connection. This does rather limit the sex we can have doing this. But... what if we have other ways to connect? Like... with a grin, I imagined what would happen if Daiyu had a lunar chakra and we linked those during Dual Cultivation.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± she declared, her free hand pulling down my face. Her tongue met mine, and she cried out. ¡°Look at me as I become one with you!¡±


    ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll match your rhythm.¡± I could feel her body as if it was my own, and she mine, and therefore I knew her pleasure, that a great tidal wave of joy was coming to wash her away, and as she writhed, her lustful expression and heady emotions quite unlike her usual self, I thrust one final time, knocking on the entrance to her womb. The sudden compression sent her overheated body into ecstasy, and she clamped down on me as if crushing me in a vice, her walls sucking, screaming in loud abandon, and as she did so I exploded, my orgasm coming, the flow seeming to never end, and as it did so, out gushed light too, brilliant azure and gold and red and green and black... wait, why so many colours? Was my last coherent thought, before I fell down on top of the gasping and drooling Daiyu, my heart racing as if the old, unfit me had run a marathon, my Chakra network burning...


    ********


    ¡°Better?¡± Hyacinth asked kindly, as I gulped at the glass of water. Beside me, Daiyu, her face red, wrapped in a sheet now, was likewise taking little sips, looking like a timid squirrel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, little Daiyu. I was veeeeeeeeery impressed when you screamed like that.¡± Shiro teased her. ¡°Tan was amazed too. She says, and I quote ¡°You have quite the aptitude for perverted arts, woman.¡± So keep it up!¡± Giving her a thumbs up finished off Daiyu, who hid under the blankets. Unfortunately, that put her head near my lower body, and she quickly darted out, red as a lobster. She was so cute I pulled her close, and held her until she calmed down.


    ¡°More to the point... your body. It has changed a little-little.¡± Shaeula observed, her eyes glowing. ¡°You have kindled earth element.¡± She said, and Daiyu looked surprised.


    ¡°So soon? I did not feel I absorbed enough for that...¡±


    ¡°Yes. You did not-not. But something else has happened. Your earth element... I believe it is mutated. In fact... is it even earth at all? Perhaps Mangetsu...¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Most-most fascinating, and it surely requires further study. Akio, Daiyu, we need further data. Time to go again!¡±


    I remember this from Lovers¡¯ Link. Shaeula tried to get Eri and I to keep having sex... As I turned my gaze on the flustered, mortified yet not refusing Daiyu, who was trembling, but looking at me resolutely, my Eye flared. Shaeula¡¯s right. It¡¯s around her third eye chakra too. Could it be... wait, I have an idea. Maybe Prominence Dawn...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Five *contains status – Daiyu 1*

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Five *contains status ¨C Daiyu 1*


    Looking at Daiyu lying exhausted on the bed beside me, a slight smile on her weary face, I realised this was what it was like to be a lab rat. Though I doubt lab rats get such a pleasurable experiment... Hours had passed, and we had achieved levels of lovemaking that would clearly have been impossible without superhuman statistics. Chang¡¯e¡¯s blessing also helps Daiyu recover quickly, sure enough...


    ¡°You know...¡± Shiro was saying to Eri, a wry expression on her beautiful face. ¡°...I know it¡¯s not a competition, but as a woman, it feels pretty complicated knowing that the girl that¡¯s had the most sex with Aki here has got to be Daiyu... I feel like I¡¯ve lost, you know?¡±


    Eri rolled her eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I know Shaeula is always jumping Akio whenever she gets the chance. She might still be number one. But it¡¯s not all about quantity. It¡¯s about the feelings involved.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Daiyu sure looked to me like she was getting into it at the end there.¡± Her dark eyes looked at Daiyu beside me, who glanced down, shy. Shiro isn¡¯t wrong though. Daiyu¡¯s a quick study, and surprisingly passionate, though whether that¡¯s down to the effects of Dual Cultivation as well...


    ¡°That is not-not what matters now.¡± Shaeula tried to change the subject, looking a little guilty. ¡°Are you ready to...¡±


    ¡°No, I think that¡¯s enough. I know Daiyu can recover rapidly, but that¡¯s from the physical exhaustion. The Qi deprivation can¡¯t easily be dealt with.¡± I was able to pour aether into her, which she then Refined, but that didn¡¯t seem to affect her Yin Qi, which was coming from some other source. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not making love for gain, I don¡¯t want this to be work...¡±


    At my words, Daiyu rolled over, leaning on my bare, sweaty chest again. As the long night progressed, Daiyu had become more and more enthusiastic, and now she could satisfy me with her hands, mouth and more expertly. ¡°I did not mind. If this is work, then it is a work I eagerly anticipate...¡±


    ¡°Mistress Daiyu is right. Warming the bed is nooot merely work, it is a privilege.¡± Hyacinth brought over a bowl of water and a clean towel, not for the first time, and stated wiping down Daiyu¡¯s sticky body. ¡°Hyacinth is jealous, but knooows her time will come again soon.¡±


    ¡°You are still my senior disciple in this.¡± Daiyu promised. ¡°Next time, you can show me your skills.¡±


    As Hyacinth chuckled at Daiyu¡¯s polite words and invitation, I nodded. ¡°Actually, I do recommend it. And no, not because I¡¯m a pervert, Shiro, so don¡¯t even say it.¡± She shut her mouth, grinning. ¡°No, it¡¯s... well, it deepens the relationships between you all right? I think we all need to get along as best we can. I¡¯m not nai?ve enough to think that you girls don¡¯t get jealous or have problems with each other, but...¡±


    ¡°But we have a long-long time to spend with each other.¡± Shaeula finished. ¡°Just as you consider yourself selfish, gathering us all, we are most-most selfish as well. Else it would just-just be Eri here with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to manage our relationships.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°Shaeula may have been joking, but I take the role as first wife seriously!¡± Now that she could move, albeit with difficultly, she stomped over to the bed, leaning on her crutches, looking at me earnestly. ¡°Just... do your part, and we¡¯ll do ours. If you treat us all fairly... we won¡¯t cause you problems. Anyone that does...¡±


    ¡°We get it, Eri! So fierce!¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°What she means is don¡¯t play favourites. Although, like us all, she would think it¡¯s fine if you play favourites with her!¡± She stuck out her tongue, amused by Eri¡¯s annoyed growl.


    ¡°This is all fascinating, but I am more-more curious about the results of our studies here.¡± Shaeula said, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I feel the energies within me. It should most definitely not be so rapid, nor so profound.¡± Daiyu insisted, though her expression was pleased. She snuggled closer, dark eyes glimmering with emotion. ¡°I can hardly complain at this, can I?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I laughed, feeling warm inside. As usual, any lingering doubts I had about Daiyu¡¯s situation had melted away as we became intimate, proving that my core as a pushover hadn¡¯t changed entirely. ¡°But we have learned a lot. We¡¯ll have to fill the others in tomorrow. No, I guess it¡¯s tonight now.¡± The hour was late, so the noble girls had gone home, and Kana had managed the training school, as well as a visit from Eleanor and her defeated teammates. We¡¯ve also upgraded two Ether Spires to Rank 4... it seemed so easy, but the sums involved were crazy. Speaking of, it¡¯ll soon be time for Shiro to go back and buff the Tree again...


    ¡°To delve into the mysteries of Dual Cultivation, the Dantians and more... I am shocked. Were you born in Kunlun, you would be a mighty figure in one of the Great Sects. Should they not have crushed you first as a danger to their monopoly on profound knowledge.¡± Daiyu said sourly, still not having forgiven those ancient Sects for the flawed knowledge they passed down deliberately, if Tan was to be believed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t take Aki¡¯s skills as normal.¡± Shiro reiterated. ¡°Tan thinks that Eye of his is a miracle. Even someone such as her would be delighted to have such a rare skill.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I get that.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway, Daiyu, I think we need to go over our findings. Firstly... Dual Cultivation. The purpose of it seems multi-layered.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°The scrolls and tags that contained our knowledge merely stated how it worked, and that it would enable easy acquisition and transfer of Yin and Yang Qi, as well as slowly strengthening the Cultivation of the participants. I know that to be true, but...¡±


    ¡°I think the easiest way is to go over your status.¡± I said, before my Eye flared amber. ¡°I¡¯ve already learned a lot, and more from watching your changes as we made love...¡± Of course, my own changes shed some light on this too, although there¡¯s at least one thing that I can¡¯t work out how the hell it happened...


    Zhao DaiyuBonded KinChosen Of Chang''e, Immortal Goddess Of The Moon[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might244Fortune9Fortitude256Majesty3Intellect305Charm5Resilience499League6Alacrity303Determination9Precision267Foresight3Aether1570Fate3[Material Skills]RankClassType[Qi Skills] Silver CordRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Cultivator Chakra NetworkRank 3Powerful (4)Rule (5)Lower Dantian Of High Spirit Water, Yang Moonlight And JadeRank 2Noble (5)Artifice (6)Qi Manipulation Of Water, Yin, Yang, Earth And JadeRank 6Noble (5)Artifice (6)Qi PerceptionRank 5Powerful (4)Artifice (6)Third Eye And Root Chakra Of JadeRank 1Noble (5)Foundation (4)Third Eye Chakra Of Yang MoonlightRank 1Noble (5)Foundation (4)Sacral Chakra Of High Spirit WaterRank 3Noble (5)Foundation (4)Root Chakra Of EarthRank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)[Cultivation Skills] Spiritually Pure Qi RefiningRank 9Noble (5)Artifice (6)Spiritually Pure Foundation TechniqueRank 7Noble (5)Artifice (6)Spiritually Pure Dual CultivationRank 2Noble (5)Artifice (6)Spiritually Pure PhysiqueRank 2Noble (5)Principle (7)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Lovers'' LinkRank 5Noble (5)Artifice (6)Chang''e''s Moon Elixir Of ImmortalityRank 3Imperious (6)Principle (7)[Level] 37[Class]


    Dual Cultivator 2/10 Accumulator 0/10 Wielder Of A Mutated Element 5/10


    Karmically Pure 1/20 Fae-Bonded 6/20


    [Mastered Class]Qi Refiner 10/10 Foundationist 10/10Territory RankNone


    There were so many differences between Daiyu¡¯s status and everyone else¡¯s, although there were some points of similarity, such as her Silver Cord. The big shock was the large number of classes she had.


    Qi Refiner, Foundationist and Accumulator were all classes awarded to someone training in that Realm. Daiyu was surprised she had reached Accumulation, despite not having started the process, but perhaps that¡¯s why the class is still at level zero? The classes themselves give benefits geared to what you¡¯d expect. Qi Refiner boosts Aether, I¡¯m a little surprised my Eye still sees her stat as Aether not Qi, but then, Qi is refined from Aether, so it does make some sense. And Foundationist increases Aether, as well as Might, Fortitude and Precision....


    ¡°Your strength is good. How were you even beaten by your enemies?¡± Eri asked, a touch jealous. ¡°Your stats are all better than mine, despite me being higher level!¡±


    ¡°I was not so strong then.¡± Daiyu admitted. ¡°I am not able to discern raw numbers as Akio does, but with my Qi I can sense my own and others¡¯ strengths to a degree. Even then, that treacherous bitch Sun Lisha...¡± as she spoke the name, her usual stoic expression returned, dark eyes gleaming with malice, quite unlike the more animated, charming expression she had been wearing a moment before. ¡°... made sure that her troops were armed with powerful weapons. I am no expert in guns, such tools are a crutch, but I suspect the bullets were special, heavier, stronger. She wished us all to die. And would have succeeded...¡±


    ¡°... but she didn¡¯t, and you¡¯re here now.¡± I hugged her until she calmed down. ¡°Speaking of...¡±


    Qi Perception ¨C This skill allows one to spread their Qi internally and externally, detecting that which others might not. All living beings contain aether and minute traces of Qi, so they can easily be found unless they mask themselves. By further refining Qi perception, even the relative strengths and positions of Qi, as well as elemental flavours, can be detected, and judgements made on the strength and ability of such Qi. With greater skill, even ??????? can be identified and located, and ?????? can be found.


    After I explained that, Shiro nodded. ¡°It¡¯s basically a bargain basement appraisal. No outside assists like yours, Aki, but with her experience and talent she can make educated guesses.¡±


    Ignoring the rather insulting way she phrased that, I nodded. ¡°So, you weren¡¯t as strong?¡± I asked Daiyu, snapping her out of her reverie.


    ¡°Indeed. I was more focussed on increasing my Cultivation, rather than fighting and defeating the creatures that roam the Heavenly Realm, no, the Boundary. There is nothing Heavenly about it.¡± She complained. ¡°Therefore my level was lacking, compared to those of you who fought constantly. It increased some when I joined your camp, and further in Kyoto... but I shall not underestimate the improvement that it brings. I can feel a rise in my Qi with each level, I am sensitive enough for that now... that being said...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the strangest thing of all. When we started Dual Cultivation, you were only level thirty-six!¡± I pointed out the most shocking matter.


    ¡°Aki¡¯s done it now.¡± Shiro whispered theatrically to Eri. ¡°Now Aki¡¯s gone beyond Lovers¡¯ Link, and fucking him gives levels! We¡¯re in trouble, Eri, Shaeula! Now not only will every girl in the world want to jump his bones, but even desperate guys might be presenting their assholes, begging him to ram them!¡±


    Shaeula merely laughed nastily at that, while Eri shook her head. ¡°No way, I¡¯ll never let Akio go down that dark path! No more rivals!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your concern?¡± Shiro raised an eyebrow, amused. As I translated for Daiyu, she burst out laughing, surprising us. When she finished, wiping tears from her eyes, she sighed.


    ¡°I like this. The camaraderie, the closeness. I need it, I think. Even isolated as I was, as the prodigy, the genius Black Jade, daughter of the Sect Patriarch, I still felt part of the Incorruptible Jade, and that gave me comfort. The loss... I have been feeling it keenly. But... my heart is now at peace.¡± She looked at Eri and Shiro, before speaking surprising words. ¡°I agree. I have no wish to see our husband indulging recklessly. Cultivators are often lusty, and homosexuality is far from unknown, or even a concern, but... he has no need of such things. We will satisfy him. And not merely for Dual Cultivation.¡± She looked at me then, her expression surprisingly alluring, a mix of shyness, shame and lust, her features dyed pink. ¡°...no, it was like water on my parched heart, filling me up. I still feel full.¡± She touched her belly, and looked down between her legs, her blush intensifying.


    ¡°Mistress Daiyu is lewd, but Hyacinth doooes not hate that.¡± She giggled. ¡°But if we can get strooonger by warming the bed, that is a good thing, nooo?¡±


    ¡°Trust Hyacinth to be keen.¡± I laughed. ¡°No, there¡¯s more to it. I think it¡¯s actually part of the Dual Cultivation. One aspect, anyway. You were watching, right Shaeula?¡±


    ¡°My Mystic Eyes are not-not as potent as yours, Akio.¡± Shaeula admitted, a touch envious. ¡°Despite coming partly from me. How-how unfair. But I suppose my husband-to-be should be mighty, I accept no-no less. I did indeed intuit some matters though. But first, a question, one that has-has been bothering me for some time.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it.¡± Eri said. ¡°Just what is levelling up, and why?¡±


    All eyes went to Shiro, and she snorted. ¡°Tan isn¡¯t dropping any hints, although... I think she feels she doesn¡¯t need to, that we can figure it out. I think the why is probably most of the answer. What do you think, Aki?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been pondering. No, there¡¯s a huge amount I¡¯ve been thinking about. Skills, classes... it¡¯s not like there¡¯s some mysterious system out there, handing them out like a game. Most people don¡¯t even really know about them. It¡¯s like what Miyu said, when I explained to her. Isn¡¯t it foolish to think of Piano Playing Rank two as something that exists?¡±


    ¡°But they clearly do exist.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°You just read out the benefits of some of Daiyu¡¯s skills and classes and I know I have them too!¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Eye, it merely uses existing knowledge to make a comparison, does it not-not?¡± Shaeula said. ¡°I do not-not understand how it works, but...¡±


    ¡°Tan does. And that she doesn¡¯t mind sharing.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Though every time she talks about it, I get a bit worried. She really wants that skill, Aki. But don¡¯t worry!¡± she puffed out her large chest, striking it with a fist. ¡°I¡¯ll not let her eat you. Or drink you, I guess I should say. Damn, that sounds lewd. I bet she would, for that skill, but it¡¯d just be my body anyway, so... not worth it, I do that anyway!¡± she winked.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Eri complained, exasperated. ¡°This is a serious topic!¡±


    ¡°I know, calm down Eri, your yandere is showing.¡± Shiro rolled her eyes. ¡°But considering Aki and Daiyu are lying there naked and covered in... look, I¡¯m just lightening the mood. Aki...¡± she said, now serious. ¡°The Eye merely compares what it sees against a store of knowledge. There are many systems of knowledge that Tan knows. Trees of Knowledge are one of the most common. So you could have a Piano Playing skill, it¡¯s not hard. If someone who can¡¯t play at all is Rank zero, a beginner Rank one, all the way up to a genius like Mozart at Rank whatever the hell it wants to be... then it can be classified. It¡¯s not hard to think that swordsmanship, or even fancy skills like Ether Healing are the same, right? It¡¯s just scoring a test against the correct answers, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I understand it, and Ortlinde explained it to me, back at the beginning.¡± I agreed. ¡°And it makes sense. But for one small detail...¡±


    ¡°The measurement itself confers benefits.¡± Daiyu pointed out what we were all thinking. ¡°Therefore it is no mere simple measurement. Being called a Cultivator should not make you stronger as a Cultivator, no more than being Ranked as a pianist should make your skills with the instrument improve.¡±


    ¡°I think the answers are all tied together. There are definitely underlying principles, and if we can grasp them, we can use them to predict the best ways to make acquisitions of skills and classes and grow stronger. Back to levels... first, I want to look at one of your skills, Daiyu. As it¡¯s tied in.¡± As she nodded, I read out what my Eye could see, spelled out in fiery amber letters.


    Qi Manipulation Of Water, Yin, Yang, Earth And Jade ¨C Qi Manipulation is the art of controlling Qi and using it to perform Techniques and Arts, activate Formations and more. Qi is refined from Aether, Elemental essences, Adherence and ????????, and higher ability with Qi Refining, as well as higher Qi Manipulation, greatly increases the efficiency and strength of Techniques one can use. Qi also strengthens the body to a greater extent than raw Aether, and also ??????????? ?????????? ??????????.


    Current Learned Techniques: Jade Yang Stance: Crushing Palms. Jade Yang Stance: Gem Wall. Jade Yang Stance...


    ¡°There are a lot of differences, but...¡± Shiro mused, catching on. ¡°... at its heart, it¡¯s the same. I see your point. You get it too, right?¡± she said to Eri, who was frowning, her expression one of deep concentration.


    ¡°I do, I think.¡± She muttered at last. ¡°What Akio is trying to say is that ether, aether, adherence... all these are connected. Qi is just a way of utilising them, but because it¡¯s a well-prepared, well-used way...¡± she struggled to articulate her point. ¡°... if we assume that these foundational building blocks give rise to everything...¡±


    ¡°Then the reason for levelling up, skills and their Ranks, classes, Cultivation... everything makes sense.¡± I said triumphantly. ¡°My stat gains on each level-up have largely been dependant on how well my body could utilise aether. I think that just as aether comes from ether and Qi from aether and so on, aether is just a form of ether that is easy for the body to use. Each refinement makes things more specialised and powerful, but less flexible. After all, we can¡¯t use aether to develop our Territory, can we?¡±


    Daiyu didn¡¯t rise to her provocations, but Eri exclaimed tiredly that ¡°You have Tan inside you, right? Wasn¡¯t the plan for her to help you live for centuries? You¡¯re not on my side!¡±


    As the two argued, though I thought it was a sign of their closeness, as Eri tended to think little of and ignore those she didn¡¯t care about, Shaeula was starting to put together what I meant about Daiyu¡¯s mutated element. ¡°So, you believe that-that a combination of the Divine Favour, which focuses on durability and permanence, combined with your potent light element, which shares many-many properties with the Yang Daiyu was seeking, perhaps with the Yang itself, from this Dual-Dual Cultivation, has somehow crystalised, perhaps with the moonlight resonance as well?¡±


    I nodded, and Shaeula gnawed on one fingernail irritably, a sour expression on her face.


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± Daiyu asked, puzzled, and Shaeula sighed.


    ¡°I am most-most pleased for you, Daiyu. You are my sister now, especially...¡± she patted the bed, heedless of getting the residue on her hand. ¡°... after this. But I can not-not help but have a twinge of envy. Securing our High Moonlight Spirit Water was a great-great challenge, and now you have gained this Jade with such a pleasurable effort. You have two.¡±


    ¡°Three, I think.¡± I said apologetically. ¡°Yang Moonlight is a double-mutated element.¡±


    Shaeula barked a laugh. ¡°That does sound like something I should-should be wielding. After all, as a princess of the Fae, I am of the moon. Though... it seems you are too, Daiyu.¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°So Chang¡¯e believes. As for my fortune...¡± she looked at me then, face slightly red. ¡°...I will not downplay my hard work. No Cultivator worth the title would. But I do thank you. You supported me, did not abandon me when I sought comfort, and have accepted me.¡± She touched her bare chest, by the heart. ¡°It is comforting, this Lovers¡¯ Link. I can feel your care. For someone lost like me, there is no greater happiness.¡±


    ¡°All right, enough of the emotional crap.¡± Shiro said. ¡°I get it Shaeula, I do. I¡¯m jealous too. I know Eri is as well. Compared to you though, we¡¯re weak little chicks, so we find it hard to sympathise. Besides... if I know Aki, and I damn well do, better than anyone here except maybe Eri...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no maybe. Only Aiko comes close, and she will never know the sides of Akio I do...¡± Eri muttered, but she was nodding, agreeing.


    ¡°... then Aki is definitely thinking up ways to make sure we all get access to as many top-tier elements as we can. Just like with classes. Speaking of classes... doesn¡¯t her Fae-Bonded class seem way too high? Level six?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, but my only guess is maybe the blessed water from that sacred lake she took from the Tower did it?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Speaking of water, all your Cultivation skills are Spiritually Pure now.¡± Eri observed. ¡°And you have a class, Karmically Pure.¡±


    Karmically Pure ¨C This class is gained by a Cultivator who has washed away their impurities and is now a blank slate, ready to find their Dao. While the bearer of this class avoids evil deeds and accumulates the favour of ???????, their Fate and Foresight will increase, and beneficial effects will last longer and be more potent. The handling and affinity for Yang Qi is improved, and elements and materials that can raise Cultivation have an increased effect, with less chance of Cultivation Deviation or Backlash, and intuition regarding the path of Cultivation will be greatly heightened.


    ¡°Spirit Water is precious. Such is only found in sacred places, small springs that run dry quickly, and have been dead for many centuries, or in the other world, that we call the Astral now.¡± Daiyu said. ¡°Most treasures are like that. Sacred Ginseng, Spirit Grasses, rare elemental resources...¡±


    ¡°So, you being able to create it, and not just Spirit Water, but High Spirit Water...¡± Shiro looked at me, and Daiyu¡¯s gaze followed, her smile bright. Her hand sought mine, and I gave her a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°That is correct, Shiro.¡± Daiyu agreed with her sentiments. ¡°I owe more than I can ever repay. But to think of repayment... it is wrong. I know this, after Dual Cultivating. We only need to think of each other, of happiness. Our joys shall be our repayments.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget us now.¡± Shiro faked a pout, and there was laughter.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve gone over pretty much all of Daiyu¡¯s stats in detail. Just the last few bits and pieces...¡±


    Third Eye Chakra Of Yang Moonlight ¨C The Third Eye Chakra generates the mutated Qi Yang Moonlight, a potent Yang Energy that has also been infused by Moonlight. This is beneficial to both the Yang, as the full moon shines bright in the night sky, and Yin when the energies balance, as the dark of the new moon hides many undercurrents and mysteries.


    Lower Dantian Of High Spirit Water, Yang Moonlight And Jade ¨C The Lower Dantian, the Golden Stove, is a furnace that creates great strength for the body, converting Qi into Elixir, gradually fortifying all aspects of the physical form. This Dantian combines multiple mutated elements, greatly increasing the effectiveness of this improvement, and the Elixir has been subsumed by the High Spirit Water, greatly rooting out impurities, while Jade will strengthen the physical body further, and the Moonlight will empower the spirit.


    ¡°Damn, girl. Sounds like you¡¯re going to be strong as hell if you keep Cultivating. But then, that¡¯s the point, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shiro scratched her cheek, thinking.


    ¡°Yes, my Foundation is solid. Perhaps more solid than any since Kunlun.¡± Daiyu agreed.


    ¡±Speaking of Foundations...¡± Eri said. ¡°... didn¡¯t you have another? The Invincible Jade Yang Technique? That¡¯s so... well-named.¡± Eri could barely hold in her laughter. ¡°Aiko would say that you¡¯re very chunni, Daiyu. But wasn¡¯t that why you wanted light and earth elements? So where¡¯s that in your skill list?¡±


    Daiyu sighed. ¡°Yes, I believe I could complete the Foundation now, as I wished to before. But... whether it is my heightened intuition, I can not help but feel it would be a mistake for now. I believe that the reason Dual Foundations are not attempted is not merely due to the difficulty. Something is still missing.¡±


    ¡°This Dantian...¡± Shaeula and Hyacinth had talked about it while the rest of us were discussing the Foundation. ¡°It is not quite as the lunar chakra. The lunar chakra increases the aether and the elements we possess, but does not otherwise strengthen the physical form.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the middle Dantian refines spirit and Qi, right? So that would be closer...¡±


    As we continued to discuss that, Hyacinth spoke up. ¡°So, Akio. Did yooou make any gains from this? I am pleased for mistress Daiyu, but I wooould be sad if you did not grow stronger!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s strong enough... is what my jealousy says, but yeah, Aki being stronger is a win for all of us. So, confess? Get any sexy skills and classes? Rank three super stud. No, it¡¯d be Rank six, right, considering you repeatedly broke Daiyu¡¯s bottleneck.¡± She snickered nastily, enjoying the dirty joke, and Daiyu¡¯s shy expression.


    ¡°Shiro...¡± Eri warned, but Shiro raised an eyebrow at her, her grin even wider.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard all about you and your sexy shenanigans. So don¡¯t complain.¡± As they began to argue good-naturedly again, I raised a hand, halting all the discussions.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late... or early, I suppose. We might as well wrap this up. So yes, I did make some gains.¡± I explained that Light Manipulation broke the Rank 6 bottleneck, and that I had gained several skills and classes as well.


    ¡°I got the Dual Cultivator Class and Qi Refiner. Both level one. That¡¯s interesting but not the most interesting thing.¡± I had everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I got a couple of very interesting skills.¡±


    Moonlight Jade Qi Refining [Class: Powerful] [Type: Artifice] ¨C You can refine Aether, combined with Light and Earth elements, into a potent Qi which contains the properties of Jade and Moonlight, balancing both physical and spiritual strength. This is a masculine, Yang-type Qi. At your current Rank, you have an extremely poor efficiency in the conversion.


    ¡°Masculine Qi, huh? Makes sense. You¡¯ve got surprisingly manly over these last few weeks.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Daiyu, wasn¡¯t yours a balanced type, leaning masculine too?¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°The Techniques and Arts I have studied since I was a child have all been biased towards male Cultivators. Balance is good, but...¡± she smiled. ¡°... if I am to master the path of Dual Cultivation, I need more Yin-side Qi. Darkness, Water, Air...¡±


    ¡°I thought Dual Cultivation was looked down on? I bet you did too...¡± Shiro teased, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°I did of course. I only wanted to follow the more traditional paths. But I was eager to learn, so I studied the Techniques, as I studied everything. Now I know I was a fool.¡± She admitted. ¡°Any path is worth following, in the right company.¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s shockingly cute now. I think it¡¯s the gap between her usual stoicism, and her softer, embarrassed side. But... ¡°I¡¯m not done.¡± I said, smiling, ¡°There was one more odd skill. Oh, and Spiritually Pure Dual Cultivation, but that¡¯s just a repeat of Daiyu¡¯s so is boring.¡± I joked. ¡°No, the skill I got was ... well, saying I got it would be incorrect. One skill evolved.¡±


    Might Of Indestructible Jade [Type: Noble] [Class: Artifice]


    This ability allows one to strengthen the physical body so long as it contains Crystal element. Crystal Qi can be consumed to purify the physical body, strengthening bone, muscle, skin and more.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually made me weaker...¡± I laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t have Crystal element, and my Qi is non-existent, But the potential...¡±


    ¡°It is surely an omen from the heavens.¡± Daiyu looked supremely happy. ¡°After all, you already possess Black Jade do you not?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s getting bolder!¡± Shiri guffawed happily. ¡°But yeah, it was earth element before, right? Which you have a ton of. So you lose out on some Might and Fortitude, right? Fortunately you already have crazy-high stats so it shouldn¡¯t be a disaster. Though... you are a level one Qi Refiner, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, as bottom-tier as it gets.¡± I said, and Shiro looked at Daiyu once more.


    ¡°I doubt I¡¯m wrong, but that doesn¡¯t strike me as a Qi refiner-class technique. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is an enviable one. I am not sure how a Technique such as this could appear from nowhere. It is similar to Spiritually Pure Physique, but... there are treasures to strengthen the body, of course.¡± Daiyu admitted. ¡°But since the days of Kunlun they have dwindled, irreplaceable. When I was younger, my father gave me a tincture of some of our last remaining medicinal herbs. Now anything that was left will be destroyed as our Sect burned, or in the hands of our enemies...¡± she clenched her fists. ¡°...But that does not matter. The Spirit Water I received could buy and sell me, never mind what our Sect had remaining,¡±


    ¡°So, we don¡¯t know?¡± Shiro said, and everybody exchanged puzzled looks. ¡°All right then.¡± She finished. ¡°I guess that¡¯s not a bad thing. It¡¯d be boring if we knew everything. Tan likely knows but isn¡¯t telling. So, how about... a wager?¡± she grinned.


    ¡°A wager?¡± Daiyu asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we all bet on the reason we think Aki¡¯s skill changed and now seems to be a hybrid between what we are used to and Cultivation. For the record, my gut tells me it¡¯s got something to do with Lovers¡¯ Link and Dual Cultivation.¡±


    A bet, huh? Normally that¡¯s a bad idea... I eyed the grinning Shaeula. ... but even with her Fortune, this isn¡¯t random, so it shouldn¡¯t make it unfair. As for me, what do I think? ¡°All right then, so what does the winner get?¡±


    ¡°A date with Aki, just me!¡± Shiro said, and Eri snorted at her pride.


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say you¡¯ll win? And what do I get if I¡¯m right? And why would I have to pay the winner anyway?¡± I interjected.


    ¡°Shut it! If you win, you can take any of us losers out on a solo date, and the rest of us won¡¯t complain. Fair?¡±


    Everyone nodded. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s all just a bit of fun. And I admit, I¡¯m curious myself...


    Once the answers were in, Daiyu¡¯s leaning towards some Cultivation terminology, while Shaeula focused more on possible elemental reasons, I looked at the clock. Damn we¡¯ve been talking for hours. Not just talking either. It¡¯s time to get ready for a new day... ¡°It sure would be nice to be able to use the skill properly... permanent buffs are better than temporary power...¡±

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Six

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Six


    As we finished up, ready for a new (and busy) day, I noticed that Daiyu¡¯s stats were creeping up, slowly but noticeably. That seemed to support my hypothesis that the biggest cause of stat gains from integrating aether was when the Silver Cord and Chakra network improved, as now her malformed root and sacral chakras were restored, her Chakra network was superior to before, much like the Eight Moons Chakra network. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on it, but everything checks out.


    I took a quick shower, not having time for a bath, and as I stepped out, Shiro said goodbye, as she was heading back to the Boundary to buff the Tree, and then she was going to grab some sleep. Stifling a yawn, she complained that I¡¯d kept her up all night, in her usual teasing manner.


    ¡°Sure I did. You didn¡¯t have to stay and watch.¡± I said dryly.


    ¡°I did. We all did, Aki.¡± Shiro disagreed. She turned to Eri. ¡°What are you doing today? More schoolwork?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m up to date on everything. It¡¯s not too long until the winter break, and then all I¡¯ll have to worry about are my final exams. I think I¡¯ll take one for a top University.¡±


    That surprised us. ¡°Are you actually thinking of going to University then?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°If you were, I thought you¡¯d go to the same one as Aki¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not planning on going. But I do want to challenge myself, and being able to pass a top exam will be useful, if I ever need to market myself. I can¡¯t just stay in Akio¡¯s shadow forever. Otherwise I¡¯ll look pitiful compared to some of his other wives.¡±


    ¡°You know, you can go if you want...¡± I began, but Eri merely laughed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m happy enough here and now. I¡¯d rather do more hands-on learning, really. I was thinking of asking Haru-san if she could put in a good word so I could do an internship at the Ministry. Sometimes I feel a bit left out when everyone is discussing such important matters.¡±


    I see. It¡¯s good that Eri¡¯s got more goals than just living with me. I think that¡¯s healthier. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her too. So, you never did say what you¡¯re doing today?¡±


    Hyacinth then came bustling over, pushing Eri¡¯s wheelchair. Seeing my puzzled look, Eri sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to overstress myself. I wouldn¡¯t want to set back my recovery. Hyacinth has kindly offered to accompany me out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dooo not worry, I will look after mistress Eri! Anyooone who tries to cause trouble Hyacinth will reduce tooo dust and rot!¡± she puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you don¡¯t turn Tokyo into a wasteland.¡± I laughed nervously. ¡°No, I¡¯m sure you know restraint. So, where are the two of you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually meeting Hinata¡¯s grandfather.¡± Eri said, surprising me. ¡°He¡¯s invited us to look around the new house we¡¯ll be living in. Everyone else is busy though.¡±


    I see. That shouldn¡¯t be dangerous, especially with Hyacinth as a guard. ¡°I¡¯ve already tasked Karen-chan with ordering what we need. Maybe you should take her too?¡±


    As we discussed that, Shiro left for the Boundary. Shaeula was already gone, matters of the Court to deal with, including arranging the long-awaited meeting between me and her father, Prince Shaetanao. That makes me nervous. Daiyu was exploring her new gains and was trying to strengthen her Qi Perception by feeling the differences in her strength as her stats caught up with her new network. And as for Grulgor, Ixitt and the rest, they all have their tasks...


    ¡°Me, I¡¯ve got a stressful day. I¡¯m due to meet Motoko¡¯s grandfather to discuss some military matters, and then...¡± I looked down at my phone. When I checked it, I had a message from Arisu-san, finally returning my call, so I had arranged to meet her at the temporary Ministry building to go over the proposals. I¡¯m not sure which is scarier, talking to Arisu-san about this, or meeting Prince Shaetanao. Sadly, I have to do both anyway...


    Putting it off would do no good, so after some final farewells, I was off, a driver from Fujiwara Security Services waiting to take me into Tokyo proper...


    ********


    ¡°So, what brings you here, Suzu-san?¡± I asked the blonde, foreign girl who was one of my Vassals, as she sipped at the mug of hot tea in front of her. As usual, she¡¯s dressed goth-loli. It does really suit her, but...


    ¡°Oh, I thought I¡¯d come and give Arisu-chan here my support!¡± Suzu-san said, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s a super heart-warming story, a poor woman betrayed, then finally getting to take revenge, crush her enemies and destroy their lives!¡± she giggled softly. And there¡¯s that but... she¡¯s definitely rather... wild. That theory that all of us Chosen have... eccentric... personalities seems to be gathering evidence too.


    ¡°Suzanne-san...¡± Arisu-san said coldly, eyeing her companion. ¡°... enough. I do not find the subject amusing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Suzu-san said, though she seemed to be letting Arisu-san¡¯s anger wash over her. ¡°You know I¡¯m on your side, right? The boss too. Speaking of, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Busy.¡± I laughed. ¡°Shiro is levelling up as much as she can and training her skills. She¡¯s got new competition too, so she¡¯s putting in the effort. You know, Shiro hates to lose, she can be quite stubborn.¡± She never would have gone to Uni despite her failing health, abandoning her family, otherwise.


    ¡°I see.¡± Arisu-san said. Today she was in a white dress, an unusual colour for her, but with her long dark hair, harsh features and black eyes that seemed to suck in the light, she resembled some sort of Fae, or perhaps an enchantress from old myths. ¡°I am still surprised she works so hard for you. That girl is inherently selfish. But fair.¡± She eyed me over the mug of tea she was elegantly sipping from, her poise what one would expect from a famous actress. ¡°I trust you know that if you betray her expectations, I will not remain silent?¡±


    Beside me, Haru-san shivered a little. She was here with all the relevant documentation and evidence but was finding Arisu-san¡¯s intensity a bit hard to bear. It¡¯ll be fine when we get going though. I gently touched her hand, and she looked at me in surprise. I gave her a reassuring smile, before turning back to my guest.


    ¡°Arisu-san, as a good friend of Shiro¡¯s I¡¯m grateful to you, and if I ever do betray her, then certainly feel free to take retribution, as I¡¯ll deserve it. But I love Shiro, and she loves me. We may not have a conventional love story, but then, we¡¯re not conventional people, are we? Even if we never gained these powers, Shiro wouldn¡¯t have been able to have a normal relationship. To be honest, I think you should understand if anyone could, Arisu-san. Doing what society expects of us, towing the line... is that happiness? Or is it just a way to let society cheat you, betray you, hurt you? So long as Shiro¡¯s smiling, laughing, having fun... living... then I don¡¯t give a damn whether what we do is the done or accepted thing. Besides, it¡¯s all above-board and legal anyway.¡±


    Haru-san and Suzu-san both were stunned by my strong words, Suzu-san blinking her sapphire-blue eyes at me in surprise. For a moment Arisu-san was silent, before she inclined her own head in acknowledgement, regal as any princess.


    ¡°Yes, you make a point I have considered before.¡± She agreed, and Suzu-san chuckled nervously, giving me a thumbs-up and a whispered ¡°You¡¯re a brave one, boss man!¡± while Haru-san drank her own tea as if she wished she was elsewhere.


    ¡°I know. But... like I said, I¡¯m really happy you care for Shiro so much. She really looks up to you, you know? If I am going down the wrong path, you¡¯re always free to stop me. But for now, Shiro¡¯s enjoying life, and you are more than welcome to visit any time. We¡¯ll also be doing a lot more joint working, I think.¡± I looked at the documentation. ¡°So, what are your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this!¡± Suzu-san clapped her hands together, smiling at me beautifully, and for a moment I was taken aback by her cuteness, before I shook my head, remembering that this was Suzu-san, and no matter how pretty she was, she was a strange girl. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I¡¯ll finally be making my true debut! Tamami-chan from Red and White will be there too, and there¡¯s the famous Akiba group...¡± As she waxed lyrical about the idol groups and bands at the event, I looked at Arisu-san, who gave me a slight smile, her elegant hand reaching out and touching the documentation.


    ¡°The evidence that your contacts have gathered is irrefutable. How they obtained some of it, I have no idea...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t ask. I can¡¯t imagine it was legal though. But Fujiwara and Ichijou houses both have a lot of banks and financial institutions under their umbrellas, and several of Japan¡¯s major accountancy firms are part of the Three Hundred.¡± That¡¯s why I¡¯m happy my money is clean and above board. I have to arrange a meeting with my account manager from Midas Gold soon too... damn, I may be running my second body again, but it doesn¡¯t exactly give me more hours in the day. Right now it was simple training to handle the time dilation and difficulty processing two separate sets of sensory inputs.


    ¡°It is not just financial data either. Candid shots of my treacherous little kouhai having affairs, my ex-fiance? involved with unscrupulous businessmen... it is all too perfect.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it¡¯s been manufactured, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re implying.¡± I said, reassuring her. ¡°I think all it comes down to is, he was a bastard. Otherwise why would he have screwed you over like that? If someone did that to Aiko or any of my friends... I¡¯d want to punish them.¡±


    ¡°Punishment. Justice.¡± she nodded. ¡°I have lived for the day of vindication. Nothing tastes sweeter.¡± She admitted, and I changed my evaluation of her appearance. Not an enchantress, but a cruel witch. I find it hard to blame her though...


    Ignoring Suzu-san, who was still giggling about the booked attendees for the charity concert, Haru-san spoke up, gathering her courage. ¡°Arisugawa-san, this is an opportunity for you. Not just for revenge...¡± her expression hardened. ¡°...I understand revenge. I¡¯m not sure if my revenge on the man who... who abused and killed me...¡± she whispered, and Suzu-san twitched, halting her ramblings, before plastering a smile back on her face and continuing, though I did notice a gleam of sympathy in her eyes. ¡°...has truly brought me peace, or closure. But... the nightmares, they aren¡¯t as bad as they were. When I see him in my dreams, I also see his end, and I can turn away.¡±


    ¡°My suffering was not so cruel as yours.¡± Arisu-san snorted. ¡°At least my haughty pride prevented me from suffering more losses, though it blinded me to treachery. I considered myself rather clever. I enjoy science, the arts, reading... but instead, I was a fool to trust unwisely. Revenge... is something natural, I think. But as to the rest...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity.¡± I clarified. ¡°Your comeback announcement, not only rising again like a phoenix as your enemies burn around you, but also unveiling yourself as one of the Chosen, to be the face of the Japanese contingent, alongside me. Then everyone who has ever cast doubt on you, mocked you... well, you¡¯ll have the satisfaction of knowing that everything they took from you, you¡¯ve retaken and more, and that they know it too. I think you deserve that, Arisu-san.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence as she looked at me, her expression inscrutable. Then she let out a bitter laugh. ¡°Do you believe what you are saying, or are these the sort of honeyed words you used to ensnare White and the others?¡±


    ¡°Ordinarily, perhaps not. But you hardly need the physical conditioning and training to hone your body, do you? Some training with firearms, martial arts, improvised munitions and more might still be of use, but no, it is to train your mind, your perception and your battlefield instincts.¡± Tsumura-san insisted. ¡°From what we have been told, you have entered a phase of your progress which will keep you busy for quite some time. Why not utilise this opportunity?¡±


    It''s true we are in a Territory build phase which is going to last into early next year at the quickest. But... ¡°I don¡¯t really want to be separated from Motoko and the others.¡± I said, and he laughed.


    ¡°My Motoko will be delighted to hear it. You misunderstand. These courses will be accelerated, and other than certain training events, where your survival skills and ingenuity will be tested, you can still return home most days. Trust me, this is an opportunity you will not wish to miss.¡±


    ¡°And the old man here...¡± Nakano-san said irreverently. ¡°... well, he wins too. Trying to come up with a curriculum for the SOG that meshes in their enhanced abilities is proving a problem. If they put you through your paces, then...¡±


    ¡°That will be quite enough, Lieutenant.¡± Tsumura-san said mildly, but with a firm undertone, and Nakano-san saluted.


    ¡°Sorry sir, my big mouth always gets me into trouble.¡±


    I see. What to do? I definitely feel I¡¯m lacking in managing the bigger picture. In Kyoto, both times, and in London, if I had better understanding of tactical and strategic objectives, I might have done better, suffered less setbacks and losses. But... ¡°I¡¯d need to consult with a lot of people. My fiance?es, my own army commanders and more...¡±


    ¡°That is fine. While there is a certain urgency, we have leeway still. Though... there was something else.¡± He said, his expression turning grave.


    As we fell into silence, only the sound of Haru-san¡¯s pen and fingers on her tablet audible, I waited, until Tsumura-san finally let out a bitter sigh. ¡°As you are aware, China continues to act threateningly, restricting exports and moving their military in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. In addition, while we have weathered the storm from London and this group of religious fanatics largely without much incident, due to the nature of our population, and the enmity we already have for the Chinese attack on Kyoto, our relations with our allies in the West, namely the USA, is strained.¡± He smiled then, nodding at me. ¡°At least thanks to your efforts, our relationship with Britain is firm. But... we need more allies, especially in the region. Talks are progressing well with India, Indonesia, Australia... countries who are concerned with what China could do. However...¡±


    ¡°Not everyone thinks us Japanese are such great people.¡± The Lieutenant snorted. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier, so it¡¯s not up to me to talk about right and wrong, or what we did in the past, but a lot of countries around here hate us, not just the Chinese. But we need everyone to put together a united front.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure where this is going? ¡°Of course. Even from Tsukiko-san¡¯s prophecies, and my knowledge of the Golden-Eyed Devourer, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ve seen the last of them.¡± Yukiko-san is destined to face it, I believe. Speaking of her, I really need to arrange a meeting between her and Eleanor. Having the Chosen Princesses of both countries working together will allow us a lot of leeway...


    ¡°South Korea.¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°There have been rumours of trouble there, and it¡¯s true. Now, our relations with South Korea can hardly be called cordial, but we aren¡¯t enemies. No, we have too much history between us for much warmth. But as a key player in the Pacific region, and an ally of the USA, we need them in our corner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± I said.


    ¡°Good. The trouble... it seems minor at first, but then with you Chosen, nothing is. There is a certain Private Boarding School deep in the rural countryside of South Korea. It has quite the reputation for excellence. Now, schooling and scholarly achievements in South Korea are even more fiercely coveted than here in Japan. So many intelligent, and often wealthy children attend the school, including the children of a number of large chaebol.¡±


    ¡°You mean the massive conglomerates run by powerful families?¡± Haru-san said, and Tsumura-san agreed.


    ¡°I do, yes. Some would consider them the equivalent of the nobility of Japan, yet they do not work together, or have a sense of community as we do. But they still wield huge influence, with their substantial wealth. The largest are not inferior to higher nobility in terms of power and reach, even if they lack international prestige and connections.¡±


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± I asked, and Tsumura-san continued.


    ¡°At first, it was simply considered some sort of small discrepancy. The school is isolated, with few links to the outside, lacking phone service and only being supplied by a delivery company, except during the holidays. When there was no contact for a while, it was dismissed. Until the delivery drivers vanished. Police were sent to investigate, and they too disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Chosen are involved, you said?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, and we already know nothing is predictable when that happens. The military dispatched a small force to secure the school. Gently, very gently, as influential people were making a fuss. Well, it was their precious children and grandchildren after all. Nobody wants them injured or worse. But...¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I asked, not expecting to like where this was going.


    ¡°The soldiers didn¡¯t just fail, many of them turned traitor, and others went mad, fighting each other until their bodies broke apart. Quite horrific. Since then, the South Korean government has tried to keep the situation under wraps, but a number of chaebols tried to reclaim their own children by using mercenaries, even other Chosen they found and paid off. To little avail. Even some Chosen supposedly died or are now holed up in the school themselves, resisting.¡±


    ¡°The army went in again several more times. Same result.¡± The lieutenant said, shaking his head. ¡°They aren¡¯t fools. They tried gassing the school, not lethal stuff, but tear gas, and then knockout gas, but it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°I bet a decently strong Chosen has the stats to shrug it off.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°No kidding. And the soldiers they sent in ended up going mad or turning coat. There¡¯s a veritable little army in there now.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute.¡± Haru-san said, before looking down as everyone turned to her. ¡°Uh... I am sorry for speaking out of turn, but this school is isolated, right? Can¡¯t they just cut the power lines, water and food? Starve them out? Even if they don¡¯t, supplies will run out soon enough.¡±


    ¡°True, but apparently there is enough emergency food to last a while, and some of the deserting soldiers sneaked out and hijacked lorries filled with food and other supplies before the area was properly locked down. It¡¯s a siege. And worse, a siege with a great number of children, many of whom have powerful families.¡± Tsumura-san said. ¡°If they die from starvation then the Government and the Army will face the wrath of those important, powerful and rich families.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you want me to do? Are we to go over and resolve it?¡± I asked, considering.


    ¡°No. If it was to be any attempt, it would just be you. We cannot risk your comrades falling victim to such brainwashing or going berserk. You are all too strong, it would intensify the situation. I have to ask, do you think you would fall under whatever influence these Chosen wield?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say for certain, but I have very strong mental defences.¡± Spiritually Pure Physique, high Resilience and Determination, and some other ways to resist debuffs and curses. I¡¯d say it would take a very powerful Chosen to do it, but there¡¯s no guarantee that there isn¡¯t one... ¡°I¡¯d say I should be good, but there¡¯s no certainties.¡±


    ¡°Just as we thought. And to be frank, losing you to secure the safety of foreign citizens is not something I wish for, neither as head of the Armed Forces, nor as a grandfather to Motoko. For now, the South Koreans aren¡¯t offering enough benefits. But as the situation worsens... already a number of powerful families have approached us, offering huge rewards if we can save their children. Your fame after London is certainly spreading.¡±


    ¡°Are they even still all alive? That seems doubtful.¡± I said, and at the look on their faces, I knew I was right.


    ¡°Satellite surveillance has seen a number of graves in the grounds, and spotters have seen some terrible things. It seems there are two camps in opposition holding the school, though neither seem inclined to surrender. It is a bitter mess. And those caught in the middle have suffered. I only hope nothing liker that ever happens at Hanafubuki.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t. Miyu is there, and while she¡¯s not a fighter, she¡¯s had some training. And we¡¯d rush to her aid in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring. Anyway, for now, all I ask is you think of how you might resolve this situation. Lieutenant, give him the files.¡±


    Nakano-san handed over a pile of documents. ¡°Sucks to be the hero, man. There¡¯s no rest for them.¡±


    As I flicked through, student rosters, staff lists, details on the possible Chosen and miliary who have been usurped, site maps and more, Tsumura-san grinned. ¡°If you were SOG trained, you might have an easier time of it, formulating a strategy. We¡¯ve included their ideas as well.¡±


    ¡°Trying to entice me to agree, I see.¡± I winced at the footage of the mounds of earth in the school grounds, thinking of the school-age people I knew, like my sister, ending up in such a state. ¡°They think sixty percent have already died? But this school was a boarding school of some size... that¡¯s tragic.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed. But losing you would be an even bigger tragedy. But if the rewards are great enough to justify the risk...¡±


    I nodded. As I continued to scan over the files, which also included offers of reward from the aforementioned chaebols, I grimaced. Shit, this is what happens when Chosen abuse their powers. Seems like even some kids the age of my sis and Eri can hold off a damn army...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Four – Mori Eri

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Four ¨C Mori Eri


    ¡°Are you comfortable enough?¡± Fukumoto Kenji-san, Hinata¡¯s grandfather, asked me, a look of concern on his face. I¡¯m not an invalid! I suppose it¡¯s unfair to complain about him being kind though.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± I said, still a little stiff with him, as I barely knew him, but he was Hinata¡¯s grandfather, so he was almost a relative to me. And isn¡¯t that a strange thing to think. But what¡¯s stranger is I¡¯m almost used to it by now. I suppose it¡¯s because my days are so full there¡¯s no time to concern myself with such things... ¡°See? I can walk a bit now, but Hyacinth worries.¡± I flexed my legs a little. It annoyed me how stiff and unresponsive they still were, but it was a huge improvement, being able to walk with crutches, and my bad arm was able to grip the crutch and move me just fine. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to do any delicate work with that hand, as it still felt like I had sausage fingers, but just being able to grip and move it was such a huge relief.


    ¡°Ooof course I am worried. Akio worries toooooo!¡± Hyacinth said, sitting beside me. ¡°But I knooow you are strong. Every day you get better, right?¡±


    ¡°You two have a good relationship.¡± Fukumoto-san said jovially. ¡°I think that¡¯s a necessity. But... I¡¯m glad you are recovering, Mori-san. By the way, that¡¯s a lovely dress. Designer, right?¡± he said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, Hinata gave it to me. She¡¯s been getting a lot of clothes recently.¡± I don¡¯t normally wear such expensive, fancy dresses, in fact, other than my school uniform I prefer jeans. I¡¯m not comfortable having people stare at me. Aiko is the same. But then I do want to look pretty for... Shaking my head I changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s Hyacinth who won¡¯t change out of that maid outfit. I don¡¯t know why. Shaeula loves dressing up. Sure, most of her clothes are fancy yukata or western-style summer dresses, but on occasion she¡¯ll wear other things.¡±


    ¡°This is my proooper dress.¡± Hyacinth insisted, looking down at her maid outfit, which was rather flashy but I admitted was cute. ¡°Besides, this was what Akio wished fooor.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I should have words with him.¡± I tossed my head, but I wasn¡¯t really annoyed. As the expensive foreign car was driven out into Tokyo, Fukumoto-san seemed amused by our argument.


    ¡°Yes, you definitely get along. As for the dress, enjoy it. After all, Hinata may have made the deal, but it¡¯s Akio-kun who did the healing. A marvellous thing that. I can still hardly believe how healthy and young I feel.¡± He grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not just clothes too. Makeup, perfumes, champagne... LVMH provides everything. Though I suspect they might get more than they bargained for.¡±


    ¡°LVMH?¡± Hyacinth asked, and Fukumoto-san happily explained, while I only half-listened. Some big French company. It¡¯s not important. It is a nice dress though. Black and white...


    ¡°The makeup isn¡¯t all that necessary. You all have such lovely skin. A perk of Chirurgery, right?¡± he grinned, his explanation done, Hyacinth only grasping that some important people were in debt to Akio, which pleased her. ¡°Though it¡¯s all very expensive stuff. Even with your youthful charms, now and then a bit of makeup can do wonders. I¡¯m sure Akio-kun would be surprised.¡±


    ¡°Right now there¡¯s no point.¡± I said, and then immediately regretted being so short with him. Mellowing my tone, I managed a nod. ¡°Thanks for the advice though. But until I¡¯m completely better, I¡¯m more concerned with my recovery. I know Akio, that¡¯ll make him happier than anything else.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. He¡¯s certainly a man who cherishes those he loves.¡± He agreed, and as Hyacinth nodded, I cast my gaze out of the window, watching the streets of outer Tokyo passing by. I don¡¯t dislike him, he¡¯s rather like a friendly uncle, but... it¡¯s awkward.


    ¡°Can I speak freely?¡± I asked, and Fukumoto-san chuckled.


    ¡°It seems to me you always do, Mori-chan.¡± He said rather informally. ¡°But this old man isn¡¯t so thin-skinned as to be offended, so go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I never used to. I always used to hide behind Akio and Aiko. But I can¡¯t anymore.¡± If I do, then what am I here for? I¡¯m already falling behind, but no more. I made up my mind... ¡°So, don¡¯t you hate us, Fukumoto-san? Your granddaughter, her situation...¡± I trailed off, unsure of how to explain it, but the sentiments were obvious, so Fukumoto-san merely smiled wryly.


    ¡°I can see why you¡¯d think that. But I¡¯m an old man who grew up in a different era. I¡¯m not one of those nobles, who treat their daughters like prized horses, just for breeding and forming connections.¡± He paused, perhaps remembering that his daughter-in-law was one such. ¡°Now don¡¯t get me wrong, when I was a boy, arranged marriages were commonplace. Even now, it¡¯s around five percent, so most people know someone who had their marriage settled by their parents. But that¡¯s not what you mean, is it?¡±


    ¡°Sooo foolish.¡± Hyacinth snorted softly. ¡°Mistress Hinata loooves Akio, and she likes all ooof us. Why worry? Compared toooooo our past sorrows, Hyacinth thinks everyone is far happier now. If there are tears ooor sadness, Akio will wipe them away, and if he alooone is not capable, then all ooof us together will work hard. Hyacinth... I love being here. I looove everyone, who smiles at me and what I dooo!¡±


    I found myself with damp eyes, feeling hot. I sympathised with the girls that had suffered, so Shaeula, Hyacinth, Asha and Daiyu, I found it impossible to be too resentful of them. Especially Hyacinth and Asha, who had been hurt in ways I could never comprehend. And I hope I never have to. Hinata and the others were different, but I was getting used to them and our live together. There are hassles, but... Hinata reminds me of Aiko. They are both very forward, energetic and also kind. ¡°I know, Hyacinth.¡± I reached out and took her hand. ¡°But from the outside it looks strange.¡± I turned to Fukumoto-san, sitting opposite us. ¡°The Fae all think in different ways to us. They don¡¯t care about the things we do.¡±


    ¡°My son married a noble daughter. He hated the way that despite me building up Nichibotsu from nothing.¡± Fukumoto-san said mildly. ¡°As for me... the arrogance of the nobility sure is annoying, but they have a long history and a great deal of financial power. Even so, in terms of technology, Nichibotsu is the equal of any. But my son couldn¡¯t face being looked down on by them. When you¡¯re an old man like me...¡± he said conspiratorially. ¡°... the words of others doesn¡¯t matter. As long as we were profitable, putting money in our pockets, I could live with the scorn. But my son, well, he was young. I doubt you enjoy being spoken badly of, Mori-chan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t much care. Let people say what they want.¡± I said, surprising him.


    ¡°I see.¡± He let out a dry chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re quite unusual for a young girl then, Mori-chan. Hinata is very sensitive to the opinions of others. It¡¯s why she struggles with her place as a half-hearted noble daughter. Or at least she did. Things have certainly changed.¡±


    ¡°All she needs to worry about is what we think of her.¡± I repeated. ¡°I can¡¯t say I like that Ichijou girl very much. She¡¯s not achieved anything herself, only borrowed her parents authority.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Fukumoto-san slapped his thigh, amused. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem with nobility. But there are some who understand. Fujiwara-san does. He knows that merely protecting what they have won¡¯t work in the modern world. Especially now. As for achieving... isn¡¯t that what Akio-kun is doing now, with the help of everyone?¡±


    You mean... ¡°Building from scratch? It¡¯s not exactly the same, after all, he¡¯s got the support of you, and those nobles, and even the government...¡±


    ¡°You think I built Nichibotsu without support? Nothing is ever achieved in a vacuum, Mori-chan. Even I had friends in power, even if they weren¡¯t the nobility, who smoothed my path, and several other businesses aided me. But that doesn¡¯t make the achievement any less.¡± He lectured me, which I would have ordinarily found annoying, but since he wasn¡¯t looking down on me, but earnestly explaining, I listened. I do want to learn how to be more helpful. I should listen to those who have succeeded in life. Hyacinth was listening too, though I did wonder just how much she was taking in, judging by her slightly vacant smile.


    ¡°If you want the purest definition, I¡¯d have had to do everything myself. That¡¯s simply impossible. No. I provided the vision, the know-how, the drive... it¡¯s no different to Akio-kun, right? He¡¯s building a new system that integrates these new powers into Japan, no, not just Japan. The whole world. That Press Conference in London sure was shocking.¡± He looked at Hyacinth, who was there. ¡°I especially enjoyed the way Akio-kun and Shaeula took charge.¡±


    ¡°Hinata too. For some of the week.¡± Fukumoto-san said. ¡°I still find it hard to believe, that we humans aren¡¯t alone on this Earth. But then, I¡¯ve seen too much to deny it. So, what does this blessing do?¡±


    ¡°Ward ooof sickness, misfortune and sadness. The dwellers will be fecund and fertile, and the garden will bloooooom!¡±


    ¡°And that works? No, forgive me my rudeness.¡± He apologised to Hyacinth. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised by anything. Fecund and fertile, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Worried about Hinata?¡± I said, unable to hide my grin. ¡°It¡¯s a bit late if you are letting her live here for part of the week.¡±


    ¡°Worried? Not exactly. I¡¯m a good judge of character, that¡¯s one thing I pride myself on, I would never have built Nichibotsu from nothing otherwise, and Akio-kun isn¡¯t the sort to mistreat a woman. Besides, when I was young, girls got married at that age all the time, and babies followed quickly. I¡¯m not nobility, even if I¡¯m definitely nobility adjacent. I¡¯ve never liked the greenhouse-styled way they raise their daughters. But I let my son and his wife decide, it¡¯s their business.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t have concerns then?¡± Eri pressed, and he laughed.


    ¡°Concerns? Of course I do. Hinata¡¯s pushing herself, what with trying to manage her takeover of Takatsukasa house, the business with Mayumi-chan, her training and more. I worry she might have taken on too much... but then, building something from nothing is hardly easy or free of risks.¡±


    I understand. It¡¯s one reason why I¡¯m going to try and learn lots of things, so I can help Akio and the others. As I nodded my head, I pointed this out. ¡°That¡¯s right. And if your business failed, it wouldn¡¯t be your death, right? Whereas when Akio fails, he could die. Hyacinth and Shaeula too. Perhaps even Japan might fall.¡± I can¡¯t see any of the others being able to defeat that terrible slimy toad they¡¯ve talked about...


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Mori-chan.¡± He disagreed. ¡°A failing business could have meant poverty and death back after the War. It was a grim time. Japan has it better nowadays. But...¡± his expression was worried yet kind. ¡°... it seems that war could be coming back to us. In war, nobody is safe. Just look at the bombing of Tokyo, or the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Women, Children, Elderly, the innocent and the guilty alike, all died just the same.¡±


    I opened my mouth to say something, but Hyacinth beat me to it. Shaking her head as if to clear something unpleasant from her mind, she spoke. ¡°Hyacinth... remembers a little. War is a terrible, terrible thing. Sooo many screams and cries, the hiding, the shaking. Wet face, boooth salt and metal.¡± As she trembled, I got to my feet. Without my crutches walking was hard, but Fukumoto-san put a hand on my shoulder to steady me, and I drew on all my stats to keep my balance. Staggering to Hyacinth I put my arms around her.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. You don¡¯t have to remember it. It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hyacinth agreed, eyes moist. ¡°The hiding, the tears. All over. But war... Hyacinth has been ooon both sides. The prey and the predatooor. I hate it. I like this.¡± She gestured to the house around us. ¡°Seeing happy smiling faces, Akio and the mistresses living together in joooy.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± I told her, and she nodded.


    ¡°Ooof course. Hyacinth too. At first it was hard.¡± she said to us, her expression wry. ¡°I wanted tooo go back to being a Brownie, to tend hearth and hooome, but... sooo many years of hatred and suffering, sooo much pain. It changes you.¡±


    I had heard Hyacinth say a little about her past, but she always claimed she remembered little, and nobody wanted to push her on it, least of all Akio or me. Even so, it was equal parts fascinating and terrible, hearing her tale, seeing the pain in her eyes. Beside me, Fukumoto-san was also at a loss.


    ¡°I gooot so angry, felt so much darkness.¡± She conceded. ¡°But if ooone is cared for, one can gradually come to looove themselves again. But I can never gooo back to who I was before. Even if I dooo not remember most of the time in the hands of the Dark Maidens or in the booox, I remember too much. Thus I know...¡± her expression was serious. ¡°... I will nooot allow those I serve, those I looove, to go down the wrong path again, ooor get hurt and suffer. Never. No.¡± she clenched her fists. ¡°This home and all whooo dwell in it, including you, mistress Eri, mistress Hinata all the others... your family whooo will live in the other house...¡±


    ¡°Our family.¡± I said to her, and she nodded happily, before continuing.


    ¡°... they shall all be blessed. I will make it sooo. Before I was strong in hatred, but weak in spirit, not nooow... now I am strong in purpose, and strong in belief.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rather amazing...¡± Fukumoto-san said to us. ¡°...to hear stories from someone of so long ago, who lived so long ago. You can feel the weight of years, of history. Of the mistakes made. I guess you aren¡¯t any wiser than us humans, always doomed to repeat the same mistakes.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk about a woman¡¯s age. Not even a Fae.¡± I chided him, and he laughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. My apologies, Hyacinth. And my thanks. I¡¯m glad you are looking after Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Ooof course.¡± She said, nodding. She then realised my legs were trembling wildly and scooped me up in her arms, carrying me back to my chair effortlessly, great strength in her slender arms. As I flushed in embarrassment, I changed the subject.


    ¡°Hinata isn¡¯t the only one who wants to build. I do too. I thought about doing some internship or other at the Ministry. I figured I could work under Haru-san.¡± I said. ¡°If Akio puts in a good word he could make it happen. I can¡¯t just be a housewife, no matter how sweet that might be. I¡¯d feel ashamed seeing Shaeula, Hinata, Shiro all working hard.¡± Damn, even Kana-san has become a different person, putting her all into the training school. I knew I had to be wary of her, but... at least as she is now she¡¯s good enough for Akio... and far less annoying for me.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Fukumoto-san agreed. ¡°But let me give you another option. Why not spend some time learning business too? I can find you a role at Nichibotsu. Nothing important...¡± he said dryly. ¡°... but somewhere you can learn.¡±


    Business, huh? That¡¯s Hinata¡¯s province, but it would be good to know more... ¡°You know, that¡¯s an interesting idea. I¡¯d like to learn a lot of things, to work out what I¡¯d like to do and what I can do...¡± Shiro and Asha have their roles. Shaeula goes without saying. Hinata and Kana-san. The others too... but I need to find my reason for being by Akio¡¯s side. In the past I¡¯d have been arrogant enough to say my reason was because I loved Akio, and was his childhood friend, but having seen Daiyu so happy, and so useful, I wasn¡¯t nai?ve enough for that now. No, those aren¡¯t reasons, those are just simple facts of life... Looking at Hyacinth, I decided if I was going to change myself, she was too. ¡°You know, Hyacinth, I want you to do something for me...¡±


    As she agreed instantly, as I knew she would, I smiled. Akio has it hard, he¡¯s got a lot of tiring meetings today, so... at least he should have a nice surprise when he gets home...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Seven

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Seven


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my brother.¡± The man in front of me said, his face set in a frown. ¡°I think father will certainly speak to him, so I hope you haven¡¯t taken any unnecessary offense.¡±


    Beside me, Miyu, still in her school uniform, and Michiru-san, also dressed in the elegant Hanafubuki clothing, albeit with a long red scarf covering the lower half of her face, both pulled strange, unpleasant expressions. Seeing that, the man in front of me, Miyu¡¯s father Fujiwara Kazuhito looked at his daughter quietly. ¡°Miyu, I understand you don¡¯t care for me, but in front of Oshiro-san...¡±


    Miyu tossed her head, her expression one I hadn¡¯t seen since the first time I had met her, when she was desperate, angry and bitter, wishing that Ame-no-Uzume had passed her by. ¡°My relationship with Akio is between us, and is none of your business, father!¡± Her tone was cold, and he winced.


    ¡°Akio? Relationship?¡± His gaze flickered to Michiru-san, something none of us missed, and Miyu¡¯s expression somehow became sterner. ¡°You seem very intimate. Considering your tastes...¡± he trailed off, before continuing. ¡°I admit, when father explained that you were one of the Chosen, I could hardly believe it. You¡¯ve changed.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps you simply never knew me.¡± Miyu shot back. Michiru-san looked like she wanted to comfort her, but in front of Fujiwara-san, she held back. ¡°This is the longest conversation we have had in years. Of course I would change.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never respected me as a father, have you...?¡± he began, and she snorted, an inelegant noise quite unlike her.


    ¡°I respect grandfather deeply, as head of Fujiwara house. But when it comes to raising sons... I suppose I should be grateful I am not Honoka. If she was here she would be mortified...¡±


    I cast my mind back a few minutes, to when I had been performing Chirurgery on a number of high-ranking nobility, as well as the next ten to join the training school. Mostly sons this time. Though there were those two sisters who seemed almost pathetically grateful, the older one shedding tears, and I don¡¯t think they were from the pain of Chirurgery. Admittedly, they were both gorgeous... That aside, Honoka-san¡¯s father, Fujiwara Hidemasa, a man who gave off a rather oily feeling, with his dyed hair and expensive suit that somehow made him appear older than his mid-fifties age would suggest, had been extremely condescending, and talked down to me as if I was a servant. He hadn¡¯t even noticed Fujiwara Shige-san looking at him coldly. I was tempted to refuse him, I¡¯m done taking disrespect, but...


    I also remembered Hinata¡¯s teachings. Always collect what we¡¯re owed... Instead, I would extract some more concessions to cover my magnanimity. And Miyu¡¯s father, he works for...


    As I pondered that, I was putting a lot of my attention back on my second self, which was back in the Boundary again, training. The Tsumura Arts were deep and complex, even as a martial art without any added powers, and the more I practised them, the more I grew to enjoy it. I can certainly see why Motoko and Natsumi wished to preserve them... Unfortunately, the situation at this meeting was getting rather tense.


    ¡°Miyu, I understand. I didn¡¯t want to be tied down by Fujiwara house either, so I blazed my own path...¡± he began, but Miyu snorted again.


    ¡°Blazed your own path? Father, you are an unpleasant man, but I never thought you a fool. You think your position and success in MEXT is down to your talents? How many times have people listened to you, or let your ideas pass, simply because you are grandfather¡¯s son?¡± Her scorn was withering, and I was surprised. I do remember she told me she hadn¡¯t spoken to her father in years. I never knew it was this bad. I mean, my relationship with my own father was complicated, but I knew he cared, even if he was bad at showing softer emotions...


    ¡°Really, grandfather spoiled you both.¡± Miyu continued. ¡°But even Hidemasa-sama has a better grasp of his position than you!¡±


    Miyu¡¯s father froze, surprised, before his face paled with anger. ¡°Daughter, you go too far! I understand you loathe me, though I have done nothing to earn your ire. You think you are any better? All you have is due to your lineage! Without our wealth and prestige, you would just be an ordinary girl, the sort of mediocre one that can be found anywhere, a commoner.¡±


    I find that a little offensive. There¡¯s nothing wrong with ordinary girls. My sis, Eri... Kana, even other girls like Hisano-san, Yae, Rika-san...


    Miyu looked at me then, and her cheeks were slightly flushed, before she confronted her father once more. ¡°You think I am not aware of this? I have had my tantrum, father. Though I have to shoulder a weight that you never had to bear. My life has been hard, but everyone has their hardships, and be it a common girl, a bodyguard like Michiru, or a girl living in both worlds like Hinata, there are always worries, hardships, trials. I had this pointed out to me, and it was a painful lesson. But I feel much happier for it.¡± She looked at me again. ¡°But now, I do bear a burden that you cannot understand. Fortunately I was able to say the magic words, so now I do not have to carry it alone.¡±


    ¡°Magic words? What stupidity is this? I understand that you are a Chosen, and it can be frightening, but you...¡±


    ¡°You understand nothing, father. Not your own role, nor mine.¡±


    ¡°Your role? You would say that to me? You made no effort to do what a noble daughter should. I understand your... proclivities...¡± he looked at Michiru-san, shaking his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t uncommon, finding someone to comfort you, cling to... I admit being a noble daughter is hard. But you were supposed to be obedient, marry for the good of Fujiwara house and bear heirs. And now...¡±


    ¡°Noble? You claim you have given up the Fujiwara name, and succeed on your own merits, yet you demand your daughter acts as a noble, and sell her the same way? Pathetic.¡± Miyu said scornfully. As she did so, Michiru-san met my eyes pleadingly, and I nodded.


    ¡°All right.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Miyu, I get that you have grievances, but... this isn¡¯t helping. As for you, Kazuhito-san... I can call you that, right? Since you are the father of my precious Vassal...¡±


    He grunted an affirmative, looking sour at being interrupted by me, and I did understand a little of where Miyu was coming from. For someone that claims he¡¯s free of the nobility, he certainly has the arrogance of someone who expects to be obeyed, which far outweighs his position as a high-level bureaucrat in MEXT. ¡°Good.¡± I said mildly. I see why Fujiwara-san is skipping over his sons and having Honoka-san or her prospective future husband inherit. Though if the Chirurgery he¡¯s now had helps him live longer he might not have to hurry so... ¡°Miyu can¡¯t escape her birth. Nobody can. A child born to a poor family has to struggle against their poverty, while someone born sickly and frail has their options limited. And someone born to wealth and privilege has to play their part. But that¡¯s not to say Miyu hasn¡¯t her own value.¡±


    With my Majesty captivating him, Kazuhito-san was unable to look away, listening to my words. ¡°Miyu¡¯s love of Japanese dance, her piano... her grades at school, the fact that the other girls at Hanafubuki respect her as a good senpai and a polite kouhai. Those are all her own achievements. And more than that... she may have been terrified, may have wished none of this came to her, but she does her duty. She stands in the Boundary and she Dances for the Dawn, giving strength to her allies, and when the time comes...¡± I looked at Miyu fondly. ¡°... I know she¡¯ll Dance for the Dusk too, if it¡¯s to protect others, and the promises she¡¯s made.¡±


    As Miyu looked down, embarrassed, I continued. ¡°... so I think you should respect your daughter¡¯s choices. Just like you chose to follow your own path, so has she. Well, her choices might have been limited thanks to being Chosen, but then, doesn¡¯t everyone in life have their choice restricted by circumstance?¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± Miyu said, her dark eyes hard. ¡°...it is too late to take an interest in my life now.¡±


    ¡°Miyu, I have always tried to do my duty as a father. But...¡± he tried to apologise, but she shook her head.


    ¡°Even grandfather arranged my fiance?, you had no say. If you wanted to be ordinary, you should have completely abandoned the Fujiwara name, taken me away, and lived a normal life. That way perhaps we could have been a family in truth, rather than just in name...¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that...¡± he said, and she smiled sadly.


    ¡°I know that. Fortunately now... there will be no marriage for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was called off. It is good fortune the fiance? for you and Honoka-sama wasn¡¯t announced publicly, so there is no shame, although, for you to be the Vassal of this man... what will you do? The higher nobility of the Fifty-Seven...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was a rather pathetic man myself in the past, running away from what I found hard to deal with, rather than confronting my issues. But like you, I changed when I got this power. So we¡¯re quite well suited to be allies after all.¡± I promised her, and her gloom lifted, and she gave me a pretty smile, a relieved Michiru-san nodding to me approvingly.


    ¡°It seems so. But... I feel that with your Tree, my abilities are far less useful than before.¡± she admitted. ¡°Perhaps you do not need my dancing...¡±


    ¡°Is that wishful thinking?¡± I grinned, amused. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ve done great work with Asha¡¯s Tree and Shiro¡¯s buffs and will continue to do so... but think of it like this. We¡¯re spending a bit under two million ether rush building each Ether Spire to Rank four. We can do that, expensive though it is, and in a reasonable timescale it¡¯ll be a profit for us. But what about a Rank five? Even the base cost is three and three quarter million ether. To rush build it is twenty-two and a half million. Sure, that¡¯s in reach of what the Tree can provide, but... what about Rank six? Over a hundred and thirty million ether for the rush build? Sure, you could say that we can still do it... but it quickly reaches the point where it¡¯s more effective to load four queues with them, and let them tick down over time, using the remaining queue to do other quick builds. And at that point, your dances can significantly shorten their build times, if we upgrade in localised clumps. So...¡± my grin broadened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my Vassal, you won¡¯t be out of work any time soon!¡± No, just like these gacha games, we have to spend more and more for each upgrade, and it''s not like we can just slack off, else we¡¯ll fall behind, or when we finally encounter other worlds and other threats we¡¯ll be easy prey...


    ¡°I am not sure whether I feel reassured or just weary.¡± Miyu said, the stress of the evening getting to her a little. ¡°But suffice it to say, I will continue my dancing so long as you require it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s late.¡± I checked my watch. ¡°That ran long. Dealing with you nobles always does.¡± I smiled to rob that of the sting. ¡°And I wish that was the end of my meetings, but I still have to check the details of the Pilgrimage route Yasuhide-san and Saionji-san are finalising, have a meeting with my account manager at Midas Gold, gather some information on the group Mary Stuart belonged to as well as possibly the situation in South Korea with Yasaka-san, and...¡± The worst task of all, one I¡¯ve been putting off...


    My face must have shown my regrets, as Miyu smiled gently. ¡°There is no need to strain yourself. You are doing your best, and many people support you. I can go to grandfather if I need to...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. But thanks.¡± I said, a bit touched by the younger girl¡¯s kindness. ¡°No, I was just thinking we have to come to a decision on Nie Ling soon. Though it¡¯s not just us...¡± Eleanor¡¯s situation is worse. She has traitors as well as a legitimate enemy... or is it? At least her situation is more clear-cut. Nie Ling may have done terrible things, but she was coerced, threatened, enslaved... ugh... I honestly don¡¯t think there is a solution that is fair and offers justice to all. In the end, it might come down to the least bad decision...


    ¡°I think you should consider it tomorrow. You may be strong, but you are not used to the many burdens of leadership.¡± Miyu advised. ¡°And while I have not seen it, I have heard of your new ability to split your body from Motoko-san and Hinata. Surely that means you are just working twice as hard?¡±


    I winced. Guilty as charged. Even now I was going up against a score of the Black Wolf Company with training weapons, continuing to try and refine my Tsumura Arts into something usable.


    ¡°... bastard, I¡¯ll get you next time...¡± Aliyah was panting, lying on her back, her large chest heaving as silvery steam rose from her dark, coffee-coloured skin, some blood on her face where my practice sword had nicked her. All around us lay defeated mercenaries, while Trey was launching an attack from my blind spot, while Travis and Luciana were distracting me. Luciana is a fiend with that knife, she¡¯s got a lot of natural talent...


    As Trey was sent flying, since I had no blind spots when I used aether to expand my vision, I continued talking to Miyu. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. Ideally, having two bodies should have halved my workload, but instead now I can just be more efficient at getting things done. There really aren¡¯t enough hours in the day for me right now...¡±


    ¡°Michiru, seize him!¡± Miyu ordered, surprising me, and the ninja agreed, leaping forwards and grabbing my arm, as I was unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°I have captured him!¡± she said, suddenly winding her scarf around my wrists, binding me. It was futile, as I could easily have escaped, in fact anyone could have broken the scarf, though an ordinary person might have been surprised by Michiru-san¡¯s many hidden weapons.


    ¡°Good. Akio, you should go home and rest.¡± Miyu advised me. ¡°Part of being a leader is always taking care of your health and mental state. Grandfather knows this well. Father and uncle... please do not take them as a representative of powerful people. But if you break, it will cause trouble for those that rely on you, which in this case is the whole of Japan, no, not just Japan, but Britain too, no?¡± she lectured me.


    ¡°Fine. I admit all these meetings stress me out more than even fighting does, hard as that is to believe.¡± There¡¯s just so much to plan. Sure, I¡¯m delegating a lot to Haru-san and others, but... ¡°I¡¯ll take it easy for the rest of the evening, I promise!¡±


    ¡°In that case, Michiru, we shall lead him back to his home, otherwise he might slip away again, and find some other task to strain himself with.¡±


    ¡°A Koga ninja never lets slip her prisoner!¡± Michiru-san said happily. ¡°You know, Miyu-sama, father has often shown me the reverse of this scenario. If I was to be captured and tied up, then...¡± As she began to describe what was essentially just porn with a shitty plot, I once more thought that the day I met her idiot father, I would give him a good punch in the mouth...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± I said wearily, Michiru having untied her scarf finally once we reached the training school, where she and Miyu went to their room to enter and practice. Since I was still in the Boundary as well, I knew that Eri and Hyacinth weren¡¯t back yet, and I hadn¡¯t seen Daiyu for a while either. I know Daiyu¡¯s been practising her new Foundation, she might have returned for a break...


    ¡°Welcome home, Akio.¡± Eri called in from the other room. As I opened the door, I paused, greeted by a shocking sight.


    ¡°Does it looooook strange on me?¡± Hyacinth said, blushing furiously, and as my eyes took her in, her usual maid attire absent, instead her excellent figure wrapped in a combination of green and purple jeans and woolly jumper, I shook my head dumbly.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°No, not at all. You look great. It matches your hair, right?¡±


    ¡°See, I told you he¡¯d like it.¡± Eri said smugly. Beside her, Daiyu was sitting, and she was wearing casual clothes as well. ¡°So, the new house... it¡¯s incredible.¡± Eri smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for Aiko to move in.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t she be staying with our parents in the other house?¡± I asked, and Eri laughed.


    ¡°Maybe. But they¡¯re all on the same land so does it matter? But that aside... you look tired.¡± She said, looking at me, concerned.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± I yawned, running a hand through my hair. ¡°Mostly mentally exhausted really, getting physically fatigued would take some doing now.¡±


    ¡°Even if you can split your body and consciousness safely, stress accumulates.¡± Daiyu agreed, following along with the Japanese as best she could. ¡°So Eri suggested...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. I was going to wait until I was fully better...¡± she smiled, lifting both hands, albeit one dragging a little. ¡°...but after watching Daiyu...¡± her onyx eyes were earnest. ¡°... I think I want to push myself. Besides... you still owe me that trip away together, right?¡±


    I did agree that, but right now... ¡°Don¡¯t look so guilty.¡± Eri smiled. ¡°I know now isn¡¯t a good time. But... I¡¯m tired of waiting.¡± And as she smiled, I felt the amusement of Ginneka in the bonds I was holding, and also... is that Tsukiko-san? It¡¯s faint, but... I can feel her stirring...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Eight – R18/Contains S*x *Contains Status – Eri ?*

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Eight ¨C R18/Contains S*x *Contains Status ¨C Eri ?*


    ¡°Hyacinth, can you help me take this dress off?¡± Eri said, a touch embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t want Akio to see me struggling like some idiot.¡± She looked at me then, her face red. ¡°This dress is really expensive apparently, so I don¡¯t want to get it dirty. Besides, it was a present from Hinata. And you, I suppose...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice dress. I thought that this morning.¡± I admired her as Hyacinth cheerfully helped her undress, Eri¡¯s pale skin and white underwear coming into view. ¡°It¡¯s not something you normally wear, it¡¯s fresh on you. The same goes for you, Hyacinth, Daiyu.¡±


    As Hyacinth giggled and Daiyu¡¯s expressionless face changed a little, I continued. ¡°Besides, Eri, I¡¯d never look down on you for your struggles. After all...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s as much my fault as yours. We¡¯ve been through this.¡± Eri said, as Hyacinth pulled the dress free, before carefully hanging it up. ¡°I was overconfident, and I paid a much smaller price than I should have.¡±


    The swirling spirit light of Ginneka agreed with her, her amusement plain. Setting that and my lingering guilt aside, I nodded. ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t dwell on the past, other than to learn from our mistakes. We need to focus on the now, and in this moment...¡±


    ¡°Now I want to make love to you.¡± Eri finished for me, hobbling to her bed and lying down, arms out invitingly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if it¡¯s not going to be exciting, I¡¯m not feeling very energetic, but...¡± I moved to the bed rapidly, stopping her mouth with my own. Her eyes widened in surprise, before she responded passionately, her tongue darting into my mouth and tangling with mine, the taste of her saliva on my lips. I entwined my fingers with hers, holding hands, and for a long minute all I could hear was her breath and the quiet giggles of Hyacinth, before we parted.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll ever be a time where it isn¡¯t exciting with you, Eri. Just think of how many men in Japan dream of a relationship with their cute childhood friend. I¡¯m living that dream.¡±


    ¡°Not just that. Who else has their own personal maid?¡± Eri smiled, looking at Hyacinth, fresh in her jeans and fluffy jumper which highlighted her slender figure and large chest beautifully. ¡°And an exotic foreign beauty.¡± Daiyu shrugged at that.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the sort of Riajuu that Yasu-san, Shugo-san and I used to curse frequently, but I¡¯m not sorry.¡± I kissed Eri again. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about it. Whatever we do will feel good, and I do feel sad I¡¯ve not been able to hold you recently.¡± In my arms, Eri¡¯s skin was warm, and I grinned, my hand slipping behind her to unfasten her bra. Her breasts popped free, her nipples already hard, and I used my free hand to fondle them, gently at first, but rougher when Eri¡¯s eyes were pleading for it. As she shivered and writhed under my touch, Daiyu addressed Hyacinth.


    ¡°It is quite different watching others. Was it like this with me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, I dooo love seeing the mistresses be happy. It reminds me ooof other times.¡±


    ¡°I believe others would say the same about you, Hyacinth.¡± Daiyu continued. ¡°You have to be happy yourself, do you not?¡±


    Well said. Daiyu¡¯s fit right in with everyone. She¡¯s still a bit self-conscious about her lacking Japanese, but she¡¯s putting in a hard effort to learn, and a lot of us can speak Chinese, through various means. I buried my head in Eri¡¯s breasts, my tongue sliding over slightly sweaty flesh, licking all around until I finished with her nipples, and Eri moaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sensitive there. More than usual. It¡¯s been too long...¡±


    My free hand traced her belly, before gently caressing her body over her white panties, my finger vibrating gently. ¡°It has...¡± I muttered, still licking her nipples, sucking and biting them, a fun game, finding ways to make Eri moan in pleasure. ¡°...but compared to how long we¡¯ll have in the future, it¡¯s just a blink of an eye.¡±


    My hand now slid into her panties, touching her skin directly, gently toying with her pussy and the ruby bean of her clitoris. Her breathing sped up, her skin sweaty and her eyes moist, and for a moment I was concerned that the strain might be too much on her recovering body, but she urged me to go on, her neck tilting up so she could bite my ear playfully.


    ¡°You know, it feels a little strange...¡± Eri gasped, her body starting to tremble as my ministrations aroused her. ¡°... here you are with me, but you¡¯re also... ahn... in the Boundary too, right?¡±


    I agreed, pulling her panties down, the fabric transparent and heavy with her leaking love nectars, and I began to slurp at her trembling pussy, tasting the sour tang. My tongue slid inside and she groaned. I gently placed my lips around her clit and sucked it, and she let out a damp squeal.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently there as well. I¡¯m talking with Shaeula and her brother right now, as well as Shiro.¡± Feeling a bit mean, I used my tongue, polishing the ruby bean of her clit, and teased her. ¡°They don¡¯t know I¡¯m making love to you even as we talk...¡± My fingers were in her pussy and she tightened up, her shivers becoming more intense.


    ¡°Hyacinth thinks this is called Exhibitionism, nooo?¡± she laughed. ¡°Mistress Shirooo mentioned it. I wooould love to be used to satisfy your lusts Akio, whenever and wherever! Talking tooo important people, your family, even in ooone of those trains...¡± she giggled madly, Eri looking at her exasperated, Daiyu fortunately not able to understand most of it.


    ¡°Shiro learned too many bad things hanging out with us guys all these years.¡± I complained. ¡°And there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let your lewd self be seen by a load of random people, Hyacinth. You are mine!¡± I then pulled away from Eri¡¯s dripping pussy, tugging at my trousers, my dick popping free. Eri eyed it damply, her lips open, tongue lolling, and I kissed her. ¡°That goes for you too, Eri. And you, Daiyu. I¡¯m a selfish, sinful man, but one thing I will never compromise on is that you¡¯re all mine!¡±


    As if to prove my point, I pushed my cock to Eri¡¯s pussy. It slid in, slowly opening her up, her juices easily lubricating us. Once it was all in, Eri reached down with her good arm, touching her belly happily. ¡°I feel so... cherished. So safe.¡± She muttered. ¡°So aroused. I guess girls can be perverts too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s perverted.¡± I kissed her, giving her body time to settle while keeping the fires of her lust high. ¡°We¡¯re just meant to be.¡±


    ¡°We are. And I¡¯m happy. You¡¯re finally honest to yourself!¡± She turned to the other girls, and since it was a bit complicated, I translated for Daiyu, even as Eri¡¯s body clamped around my dick. ¡°At first, he was saying stupid stuff like I wouldn¡¯t blame you if you cheated on me or it¡¯s not fair only I get to have multiple partners. So very, very annoying.¡± She complained. ¡°I get it. I learned most of my behaviours from Akio, and I¡¯m not confident. Even Aiko, despite her looks and her sporting talents, she felt inferior to others. But there¡¯s a limit to how pathetic one can be.¡± Her irritated expression turned gentle, and she touched where we were connected, her fingers a whisper on our skin. ¡°Now though... he¡¯s finally declaring he¡¯ll never let us go.¡±


    ¡°Akio. No, master.¡± Hyacinth said solemnly, her eyes intense. ¡°The moooment you gave me a name, washed away the old me that I had wished tooo forget, I was yours. I ooonly want you and the other mistresses. Nothing and nooobody else.¡± She paused, and for a second looked rather regal, glaring down at me as I lay entangled with Eri. ¡°Be proooud, Akio. After all, you have captured many hearts, and any whooo wish to leave are nooot worth your tears. You chose us, but we... we alsooo chose you!¡±


    ¡°She is right. I did not see my Dao Companion as someone to share, but I was aware of your many others. I did not go in blind. I am no child. Not by any definition. To resent it now is simple foolishness.¡±


    ¡°See? Everyone else thinks the same. Even me.¡± Eri gasped. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who could make that argument, as I was first. But I wanted you to accept Shaeula, and I¡¯ve not opposed your other choices so... ugh, ahn...¡±


    They¡¯re all such kind, good girls. But they¡¯re right. I¡¯ve changed. I may still feel bad on occasion, but I¡¯m no longer wracked with guilt and self-loathing over it. Why would I be? It may be arrogant, but I know I can make them happier than anyone else, protect them, nurture them. As I began to thrust, gouging out Eri¡¯s sucking insides, Eri¡¯s arms clumsily snaked around me. I could feel the difference in grip strength and stability between her good and bad arm, and it pained my heart, but I was just happy enough she had some control. Her lips sought mine, and I constantly shifted my thrusts, alternating between deep and shallow, some thrusts playing around her entrance, others slamming into her deepest parts as our bodies slapped wetly together. Soon she was flushed a bright red, and her moans were erotic and passionate.


    ¡°I... Akio, it¡¯s been so long. Give it me inside.¡± Eri whispered, and my body felt as if hot lava was building within. ¡°Make me remember what it is to be your first love!¡±


    ¡°Together then. But...¡±


    ¡°Nooo problem. I shall help!¡± Hyacinth said, and her hand grabbed my balls, fondling and rubbing, even licking and kissing them, her hair tickling my thighs and Eri¡¯s belly. That stimulated my desires, and I had to admire her skill, as even as I drove my dick repeatedly into Eri, rubbing her pussy walls, bringing her ever closer to her orgasm, Hyacinth¡¯s mouth and hands kept pace elegantly, yet the lascivious look on her face was a sexy juxtaposition.


    ¡°I... Akio, I¡¯m going to fly! Up to heaven, knowing I¡¯m yours! That we¡¯ll always be together!¡±


    ¡°Master, gooo now!¡± Hyacinth¡¯s hands tightened, and she sucked on my balls fiercely, triggering the hot magma of my ejaculation. Eri shuddered and cried out, shedding tears of joy, and as I ground my dick into her deepest parts, knocking on the entrance to her womb, waves of pleasure flooded us both. Hyacinth rolled back, her hair and cheeks splattered by Eri¡¯s love nectar and my cum, but she merely wiped it off and started licking her fingers seductively.


    Just to be safe... My Eye flashed amber, and I watched as aether poured into Eri too, swirling around her tangled, messy and imperfect Chakra network. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been afraid of... Lovers¡¯ Link and Kin Bonding were invaluable skills, but they did put a strain on ordinary and damaged bodies. As Eri sank down onto the bed, her expression blissful yet somehow lustful, I pulled free, rapidly working Chirurgery and Ether Healing to prevent damage.


    Seeing that, Daiyu expressed a wish she could see what I was doing, as it might have bearing on her own Dual Cultivation, and more importantly, she thought she might be able to offer me some advice, so I considered it. I think... maybe if I do this? My Light Manipulation has increased recently, so... It was hard going in the Material, even with the slightly high ether density here, but light was one thing that the Material world had everywhere, so there was less resistance to working it. Like a hologram, I began to map out Eri¡¯s malformed and patched network, appearing as a collection of glowing golden and silver rivers, stars and constellations, a rainbow flow travelling through her body.


    ¡°Pretty.¡± Eri managed, exhausted from her orgasm. Ordinarily she¡¯d be eager to go again, but...


    ¡°Yes, this is most enlightening. I wonder, next time you should do this with us.¡± Daiyu said. ¡°Here...¡± she pointed out a few places that she recognised. ¡°The energy, the Qi, it should be diverted...¡±


    Something else was illuminated by my light element, the soul light of Ginneka glowing visible to the naked eye. It was now rather large and burning vividly, and as it bobbed closer to Eri, it dipped, floating near the heart chakra, making a strange motion. Wait, you want me to adjust it here? But how?


    The flame bobbed again, moving in a strange, sinuous pattern. I frowned, and it repeated it, faster, with more urgency. Doing it again, I directed my thoughts towards her. Do you mean you want me to create a pathway that way? I didn¡¯t receive a solid answer, Ginneka¡¯s emotions, while sometimes clear, didn¡¯t contain concrete thoughts, but I imagined a happy, affirmative nya sound. Fine then. Daiyu does agree we need to divert the flow.


    I was confident Eri¡¯s body was healed enough to withstand sex without taking much damage now, but I didn¡¯t want to set back her burgeoning recovery. Aether flashed, and Eri groaned as I made a new pathway, following the bobbing light, cutting a snake-like trail around her heart, lunar, throat, third eye and crown chakras. The aether I had poured in followed, and since I was significantly stronger since the last time Eri and I had made love, it was quite the dazzling flow. At that thought I couldn¡¯t help but look down at Eri, where sticky white cum was dripping from her pussy in a steady stream to the bed below. I¡¯m glad we took off that dress. I guess I pump it out in both senses.


    ¡°Akiooo is grinning creepily...¡± Hyacinth giggled, still licking on her fingers erotically. I made the final incision into Eri¡¯s Astral subtle body, and suddenly all the errant flow dispersed, heading towards her eight chakras, and also...


    Did you expect this? I questioned the spirit light, which bobbed happily, and this time I was certain I could hear it purr in satisfaction, as somehow energy was flowing back into me, and up into her spirit light, which became brighter and denser.


    ¡°I feel better.¡± Eri said, wiping at her sweat, before smiling sweetly at me. ¡°It¡¯s true. Girls need to feel well loved. I have to say, I¡¯ve been a bit jealous.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. I have come in and taken up much of his time...¡± Daiyu apologised, but Eri shook her head wearily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to make you apologise. When I¡¯m better, I¡¯ll make up for lost time. But... I¡¯m a girl who wants to do everything she can for her lover. After all, Akio¡¯s already done everything for me.¡±


    ¡°Speaking ooof...¡± Hyacinth said, unbuttoning her jeans, revealing a set of rich purple panties, cut quite lewdly too. On seeing my gaze she grinned, her cheeks red. ¡°Eri tooooook Hyacinth shopping. She said it wooould please you. Doooes it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a fresh look for you. But you were saying?¡±


    She slid down her panties, exposing her already damp slit, which was completely the wrong order to undress, but as she was doing her own thing and it was still damn hot I let it slide. ¡°Mistress Eri was thinking. Recently...¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth, it¡¯s all right...¡± Eri began, but as Hyacinth pulled off her woolly jumper to reveal a matching purple bra wrapping her ample mounds, she shook her head.


    ¡°It is nooothing to worry about. I just thought we should ask Akiooo¡¯s opinion.¡± She said, and continued. ¡°Eri, she is trying tooo find her role. You knooow she wants to work at the Ministry, do you not?¡±


    I nodded, my eyes transfixed as Hyacinth unclasped her bra, and her breasts popped into view. Yeah, thinking about it, she¡¯s a good couple of cup-sizes larger here on the Material. She¡¯s hardly small in the Boundary, but even so, the variation is interesting... ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware.¡± I said, stroking Eri¡¯s hair, keeping my Eye on her as the remaining aether ran out of her. ¡°I think it¡¯s good she¡¯s considering what she wants to do with her future.¡±


    ¡°I know. But Eri... she must not try toooooo hard.¡± Hyacinth said, gently kneeling down beside me and taking my cock in her hands, licking the mixture of cum and Eri¡¯s juices off it, polishing it with her tongue lasciviously but carefully, not missing a spot. Her mouth full with my dick, she continued speaking. ¡°Eri will also wooork for mistress Hinata¡¯s company, it seems. She wants to be a help, but...¡± her violet eyes met Eri¡¯s onyx ones, while Daiyu watched on, listening as best she could. ¡°... does mistress Eri not already have a precious role?¡±


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s Eri¡¯s, and Shaeula¡¯s...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yes, nya. You can¡¯t just put her back to the way she was before. It won¡¯t work, nya. By the way, thanks for listening to me and making that branch in her body. We are linked by my gift of shapeshifting, so I could collect much purer aether than I could from your ability. It pushed me over the top, nya. No, she will need to have this...¡± she changed form into a mirror of Shaeula, merely with silver hair and blue eyes. Shaeula growled, irritated, but as her own eyes glowed, she paused, thoughtfully.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Yes, I see. Your Chakra network is a hybrid between Fae and Yo?kai, Shaeula. Eri¡¯s is a mess, but there¡¯s elements of both...¡± I mused.


    ¡°If she was an ordinary mortal, nya, she never would have been able to receive my gift.¡± Ginneka pursed her lips, amusing using Shaeula¡¯s face. ¡°This thieving cat has had so much stolen. Much of my shapeshifting, my Void Motion...¡± she looked at me, raising an eyebrow. ¡°My life and my brother. My Number in the Parade. But in exchange, I want that lovely thing you hold!¡± she purred, moving to hug me again, but the other girl dragged her away, ignoring her cries.


    ¡°Help me fix Eri first, and we can talk about it.¡± I said, back in a single body, as I would need all my concentration for this, and mistakes would not be tolerated.


    ********


    ¡°Careful, nya!¡± Ginneka said, her eyes glowing amber. Shaeula was sitting there, scowling brutally, her own amber eyes dull and dark.


    ¡°If I do not-not have my Mystic Eyes returned unscathed, I shall send you straight to your grave, cat, and there shall be no-no second chances!¡± she warned, and Ginneka laughed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so foolish, nya. Without Void Motion, there is no way I can escape. I am trying to earn forgiveness here, so be quiet, this is hard, you understand, nya?¡±


    ¡°I could have done this.¡± Shaeula pouted, but I shook my head and ruffled her hair soothingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s wisest to leave it to the expert. She knows her own body, and by extension Eri¡¯s now, best.¡±


    Eri, Shaeula, Ginneka and I had moved to one of the apartment buildings in the Territory for some privacy. Shiro and the other girls were outside, along with a veritable army of weaselkin and ratkin armed with a number of nasty weapons designed by the Mortal Engineers. We¡¯re taking no chances.


    ¡°I suppose that is true. I can not-not be selfish and risk your safety, Eri.¡± Shaeula conceded. ¡°But my liking for you is non-existent, cat. Be warned.¡±


    ¡°Harsh, nya! Make the correction here. Just as mine is.¡± Ginneka told me, and as I did some very invasive Chirurgery, even more complicated than creating a perfected Eight Moons Chakra network in a person, I had a realisation.


    ¡°So, Ginneka, you were saying that you could sometimes sense what we were doing. Does that... apply to all the spirit lights?¡± I winced, imagining the worst. Ginneka left me hanging for a moment, teasingly, before pointing out another spot to dig into and allaying my fears.


    ¡°Hardly, nya. One would have to be powerful and have great perception to do more than feel some murky emotions, nya. I have keen senses, for me it was not so hard. The only other, perhaps...¡± she grinned, fangs showing. ¡°... that poor dead girl. You disturbed her sleep several times with your mating. Nya, I miss the pounding, the heat, sweat and...¡± As she launched into a lament about missing sex, I offered my silent thoughts of apology to Tsukiko-san, sorry for showing such a pure woman lewd things. Though I¡¯m ultimately grateful we weren¡¯t showing off to the Kamaitachi and weaselkin. Nor her brother, as I¡¯ve starved him of aether, only recently allowing him a trickle. Wait...


    ¡°That¡¯s going to make it very hard to bring your brother back. I¡¯ll not have him watching my girls. I¡¯m not into exhibitionism, they¡¯re mine!¡± I said, and Eri laughed, remembering the discussion before all this.


    ¡°You could always abstain, nya... or perhaps not...¡± she shuddered under the glares of Shaeula and Eri. ¡°... I shall think of something, nya. Now, the hard part begins. I am in awe of your skills, nya. No wonder my brother and I were defeated. I¡¯m not sorry to see that insufferable fox boy and the old hag Kijo die. When you think about it, nya, we come off with the most credit. We were only Ninetieth, of course we¡¯d lose!¡±


    ¡°Enough, just guide us! Eri is waiting patiently, but I am not-not patient myself, cat!¡± Shaeula said, and Ginneka sighed, her tail and ears drooping.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so cold, nya. I get it. I¡¯m a bad kitten, I tried to steal what was yours and kill you. But that was business... and a bit of pleasure, nya. Didn¡¯t you try to kill your man, when you first met?¡±


    She must have picked up those thoughts at some point, I see. Not willing to interfere, I began at Eri¡¯s root chakra, and it required all my Spilt Thoughts working in parallel. Yeah, no way I could do this while running both bodies at once. Training, more training. That¡¯s what I need... Before I could create the strange orbiting sub-chakra, I needed to understand it, so I released a stream of aether into Ginneka, feeling out the way she was set up, as well as into Shaeula, to see the comparison with her network which was closer to Eri¡¯s.


    As Ginneka shivered and twitched from the feeling, Shaeula glowered at her, but ultimately said nothing, merely taking Eri¡¯s hand to reassure her. Moments later Eri cried out in great pain, as my Chirurgery started the delicate, three-dimensional process of carving her body a new sub-chakra and the orbiting, complex path it needed, while injecting enough energy to make it kindle...


    ********


    ¡°This is the last one, hang in there!¡± I told Eri, clutching her hand. Other girls had come and gone, offering her reassurance when they heard her anguished cries, but they had all decided to leave her to us, since she looked so pained that they thought it would be a mercy to let her recover first.


    ¡°The lunar chakra is the most-most complicated, I can feel it.¡± Shaeula said, as my probing aether surrounded her, making her shiver. ¡°It is quite-quite erotic, as well.¡±


    ¡°Lucky, nya.¡± Ginneka sighed, finally free of my aether, as she had no lunar chakra to inspect. ¡°Now, this is the most delicate work. If the girl did not have the strange spiritual body that is hardly human, she never would have been able to receive my gift, but in exchange, it is much harder to make functional, nya!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ... all right!¡± Eri groaned, all her strength spent fighting pain she claimed was nearly as bad as being dismembered by the Kijo in the first place. I tenderly mopped her sweating brow and gave her a gentle kiss. When we parted, she grinned weakly, trying to cheer us up.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a well-deserved punishment.¡± Eri whispered. ¡°I was a fool and got myself killed, or I should have died, but for this miracle. So this pain, I¡¯ll always remember it, and never be so foolish again. Otherwise...¡± she grinned weakly. ¡°... if this somehow makes me stronger, I¡¯ll forget, grow complacent and just get into trouble again. And miracles don¡¯t happen twice, otherwise they aren¡¯t miracles.¡± Saying all that exhausted her, and she squeezed shut her eyes, prepared for the final Chirurgery.


    ¡°Miracles, huh?¡± Ginneka said, eyeing me, her eyes no longer glowing amber, having returned them to Shaeula now that I was preparing for the final work. ¡°This is nothing but miracles, nya. You shouldn¡¯t be able to just make Bakaneko, even with half of my power absorbed into her. Your ability is too unfair as well, nya.¡± She glared at Shaeula accusingly. ¡°I am the thieving cat. If I am not taking things, I am not fulfilling my role, being who I am! Blame yourself for being so damn delectable, nya!¡± she eyed me again. ¡°But that... that is even better!¡± She licked her lips and looked as if she wanted to jump on me again, but with a glance at the suffering Eri, she held herself back.


    ¡°Quiet please, I¡¯m concentrating.¡± All of my Split Thoughts were active, directing multiple cutting streams of aether. The pathways were so complicated around the lunar chakra, that to match Shaeula¡¯s would require precision that would strain me to the utmost limit. Fortunately, Shiro had squeezed out enough aether to buff me, giving me the edge. But the longer this drags on, the more Eri suffers, and the more likely I am to screw up the delicate work. Best to get it over with quickly...


    Eri¡¯s screams were heartrending, and I wanted to shut my ears, but these screams were also my penance. I was to blame as much as Eri. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to refuse her, and I made mistakes. People died. Eri should have been among them. Miracles don¡¯t happen twice, she¡¯s right. So... I glanced at Ginneka. I don¡¯t hate her as much as Shaeula does. The maids who died were those who betrayed her. But I also can¡¯t forgive her fully either. Not so easily. But... the world is a cruel place. The golden-eyed devourer is a threat that both the Hyakki Yagyo? and Japan as a whole must face, so...


    ¡°One last push...¡± I grunted, and Eri, who was unable to even scream now, her face pale, eyes wide, silver sweat rising, blood tricking from her bitten lips, merely blinked at me. With a final surge of aether, exhausting even my impressive reserves, I kindled the final orbiting sub-chakra, and withdrew my scalpels of aether as they faded, spent.


    ¡°It is done.¡± Shaeula said, her eyes observing the Chirurgery. ¡°Eri...¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute. I have...¡± she croaked. ¡°... to look presentable. After all, I¡¯m the first wife. If I¡¯m not always composed, how can... I do my... role?¡±


    Shaeula looked at her fondly, conjuring some water and wiping her down, before rearranging her clothes and combing her hair. ¡°There. You are most-most pretty again, Eri. Now, one last matter...¡± She placed a hand on her belly and allowed her own aether to flood Eri, washing out the piles of debris my Chirurgery had generated, as well as recharging her spent reserves.


    ¡°The true test is now, nya.¡± Ginneka said. ¡°Girl, can you stand?¡±


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t girl, it¡¯s Eri.¡± She insisted, getting up on shaking legs. Her cat ears and tail had disappeared during the reconstruction, and she looked her old self again. ¡°And again, thank you for saving me.¡± Taking a deep breath, she banished the last remnants of pain she was feeling, before moving, her arms, legs, neck, fingers, toes and more all responding to her normally, as she got more and more excited.


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early for celebrations...¡± I warned, and she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back. Akio, come with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send my other body.¡± I said wearily. ¡°The hard work is hopefully done now, and everyone will want to know the good news as soon as possible.¡± As Eri disappeared, my consciousness separated for a moment, resolving into two connected versions of myself, both of which were me at the same time. One of me was leaving the room, talking to the waiting well-wishers, followed by Ginneka and Shaeula, while the other...


    ¡°I can walk...¡± Eri was tearing up. ¡°No crutches. And...¡± she moved her hands, fingers responding to her commands. ¡°Akio, I think... I think I¡¯m finally better!¡± Sobbing she threw herself into my arms, still naked after our lovemaking earlier, tears soaking my neck and shoulder where she was crying. My other self was delivering the good news, and Hyacinth and Asha were preparing honey mead and Faerie wine for the celebration, Ginneka eyeing the treats eagerly, only to be rapped on the head by an annoyed Shaeula.


    As Eri cried herself out, she looked me in the eyes. ¡°Should we tell our family?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯d... actually like to keep it a secret.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, and she answered that since they would be moving to Tokyo any day now, she¡¯d like to greet them as herself, showing that we had kept our promise to them.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want. My sis is going to be really mad though...¡± I said, and Eri giggled, wiping the last of her tears away.


    ¡°I know, and we¡¯ll take the scolding. And be happy about it.¡± She kissed me, and for a moment we enjoyed this happiness, before Eri smiled at me, elated.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s been a while. I wonder how I¡¯ve changed. Can you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now that you¡¯re back to full health, I¡¯m afraid your relaxation is over. You¡¯ll have to train as hard as everyone else!¡± I joked, my Eye flaring amber, my dregs of aether just enough to run it. Let¡¯s see...


    Mori EriHalf-BakanekoBonded Kin[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might235 345Fortune4 10Fortitude237 357Majesty4Intellect271 381Charm11 15Resilience244 384League3 7Alacrity274 396Determination4 8Precision263 387Foresight Aether734 1059Fate1 4[Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills]RankClassTypeSilver CordRank 2 Rank 3Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)


    Eight Night Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 2 Rank 3Noble (5)Rule (5)Aether ManipulationRank 2 Rank 3Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)Third Eye Chakra Of LightRank 1 Rank 2Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Light ManipulationRank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Throat Chakra Of DarknessRank 4 Rank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Darkness ManipulationRank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Solar Plexus Chakra Of FlameRank 3 Rank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Flame ManipulationRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Ether HealingRank 1 Rank 3Powerful (4)Foundation (4)[Physical Combat Skills] Axe TechniqueRank 3Cantrip (1)Simple (1)Combat TechniqueRank 1 Rank 2Cantrip (1)Simple (1)Elemental Axe TechniqueRank 1Sufficient (3)Foundation (3)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Lovers'' LinkRank 7 Rank 8Noble (5) imperious (6)Artifice (6)Shifting CatRank 1Noble (5)Artifice (6)[Level] 47/64 50/107[Class]


    Dark Temptress 5/10 8/10 Fae-Bonded 3/20 5/20


    Spirit Pledged 5/10 7/10 Kami-Blessed 2/20


    Shapeshifter 1/10 Maneki-Neko 1/20


    On seeing her new status, I was lost for words. Half-Bakaneko, Shapeshifter, Maneki-Neko? There¡¯s way too much to retort on here...

 Three Hundred And Ninety-Nine

    Three Hundred And Ninety-Nine


    Shifting Cat ¨C The ability of a Bakaneko to transform their appearance and form to other shapes. The subtle bodies become mutable and the majority of spiritual functions are contained in the primary Night Orb within the Crown Chakra. This area cannot be greatly transformed, and if it is destroyed the Bakaneko will die, but other injuries are simple to replace. Since the bearer of this skill is but a partial Bakaneko, the ability to shift is restricted in scale, and it takes significantly more aether. The limits of the Material form are that the brain cannot be greatly transformed, and if damaged the Bakaneko will die, due to transmission to the Crown Chakra. [Class: Noble] [Type: Artifice]


    That¡¯s what I noticed about Ginneka when we fought. She could shift and change shape and size, regrow lost limbs instantly... but the head was always present and didn¡¯t change much...


    Shapeshifter is a class given to those who have mastered the ability to change the self at will. It increases all Material Statistics slightly, and strengthens League as control over body and spirit increases. Charm also significantly increases as the self is optimised, imperfections lost during shapeshifting.


    I did notice that Eri looks a little different. Really, it¡¯s barely noticeable, I thought her adorable enough already, and due to her stats and Ether Healing, her skin was already radiant, but... Looking at her closely, the subtle imperfections that every human was born with seemed to have been smoothed out, her features regular and symmetrical. I doubt anyone but me would notice though.


    As I studied her a long moment, Eri frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡±ViiSiit  for latest novels


    ¡°No, no problems.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Only good things.¡± I then went through and explained what I had seen.


    ¡°Half-Bakaneko?¡± That was what she was interested in. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m no longer human, like you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe?¡± I shrugged, checking the description as my Eye glowed.


    A Half-Bakaneko is a hybrid between a Human and a Yo?kai. Such a creature is vanishingly rare in the modern world, but can exist freely in either the Material or the Astral, as their Material and Astral bodies are closely integrated. Damage taken by the Silver Cord is less damaging to the subtle bodies, and the efficiency of absorbing Ether and converting it to Aether is increased slightly. As a hybrid Bakaneko, some abilities and classes that only apply to Cat Yo?kai are available.


    ¡°What do you think? I¡¯d say you¡¯re still mostly human, but it¡¯s no bad thing. So... I¡¯m curious. Don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t too?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°I am. Let me concentrate...¡± She squeezed shut her eyes, and for a few minutes nothing happened, before with a scattering of aether and a popping noise Eri was sporting cute black cat ears and a similarly dark black tail, which waved behind her. A real life catgirl. Eri could make a fortune in certain cafe?s in Akihabara, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll share! Setting aside those stupid thoughts, I grasped the most important features of her transformation, as Eri wobbled and sat down on the bed again.


    ¡°It worked. It¡¯s strange. In the Boundary I don¡¯t even think about moving them, they just do what I want. But here...¡± she squinted her eyes as she concentrated, her tail waving as she commanded it. ¡°...I suppose I have to thank my experience of learning to walk and use my arm again. I¡¯m so exhausted...¡±


    ¡°I think the issue is...¡± I began, and Eri winced, her cat ears dropping.


    ¡°That¡¯s really odd. I can hear from the cat ears too. It¡¯s a bit... ugh.¡± she concentrated again, and the ears vanished with another puff of aether, though her tail remained.


    I asked if she was all right, and she nodded. ¡°I think so. Just... it¡¯s a lot to take in. I¡¯m happy though. It feels so good to be back to myself.¡±


    ¡°More than yourself.¡± I snorted. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying before your cat ear catastrophe...¡± Eri giggled at that, and the sight warmed me. ¡°... from what I can tell, changing your form takes a ton of aether, but now that it¡¯s there, the tail seems plugged into your chakra network and bodily functions, so it just works like any other body part. Perhaps it¡¯s your low Rank, or because you¡¯re only a Half-Bakaneko, but it¡¯ll take a toll on you. I doubt you¡¯ll be doing a Ginneka and shifting between forms in battle. But...¡± I paused, actually not wanting to say what was on my mind, and Eri, despite her weariness, sat up and took my hand.


    ¡°I know. You worry if I can simply replace injuries by shifting my shape, I¡¯ll do something reckless again. But I won¡¯t. No, that¡¯s not right. I won¡¯t unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡± She promised. ¡°I have learned my lesson. I want to be with you, support you. But I can¡¯t let that push me into a position where I¡¯m a liability. Hyacinth was saying the same, I think. I wanted to be helpful, find something else that I could do for you, but I wanted to do it simply to find something, not because I wanted to do it. Now... she¡¯s right.¡± Eri¡¯s tail lashed, and I listened reassuringly, nodding along to her words. ¡°What I wanted, what I always wanted, was to be your wife. And a part of your life. So how can I combine what I want with what you need? I think Shaeula knows my heart, which is mostly why she gave me this role. Well, the other part is probably because she didn¡¯t want the hassle, and as a bribe. But Hyacinth knows too. I wonder... do you think she served someone important before? I think... under the giggles and the perverted behaviour, she¡¯s actually wiser than any of us?¡±


    ¡°I know she¡¯s old...¡± I began, and Eri shook her head, putting a finger to my lips.


    ¡°Just some advice, Akio. Don¡¯t mention a woman¡¯s age. I don¡¯t think that they¡¯re Fae before they are women, so they should be the same as us humans in that regard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡± I sighed. ¡°But... I do wonder. Wood element is rare in the Fae. Even a Dryad like Asha didn¡¯t have it originally. Yet Hyacinth did. It makes me wonder... but yes, her advice comes from the heart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your wife, and I¡¯ll cling to you. I wouldn¡¯t be me if I didn¡¯t. But I¡¯ll also spread my wings. I¡¯ll learn enough about all you do, all the other girls do, and I¡¯ll be the one they come to with problems. It might even be fun, learning a lot of new things. And in emergencies, maybe I won¡¯t be as good as the others at their specialities, but I¡¯ll always be better than nothing!¡± she smiled brilliantly, dark eyes gleaming with emotion. ¡°That way I¡¯ll always be able to be with you. Even in battle. But not...¡± she said before I could speak. ¡°... before I¡¯ve become strong enough to stand by your side honestly. I¡¯ve fallen behind since Kyoto. I have to step up my game. Safely of course.¡±


    ¡°I see. They sound like laudable goals.¡± I approved. ¡°If you need any support, just ask. Now, there¡¯s one last thing...¡±


    ¡°Maneki-Neko, right? I¡¯m a little offended, I¡¯m not a fat cat.¡± Eri pouted, and I imagined several of the lucky charms. Usually the cats were fairly chubby.


    ¡°No way. You¡¯re adorable Eri.¡± I smiled, amused by the image of a fat Eri sitting there, a hand in the air, inviting. ¡°So, let¡¯s see just what the beckoning cat does...¡±


    Maneki-Neko is a class given to Cats who have survived death by unlikely circumstances. It is said that Cats have nine lives, but they die just the same as everyone else. However, Cats are also creatures long associated with Fortune, so when a cat escapes death, such Fortune can be activated, allowing them to avoid further danger, giving rise to the myth of the Cat with many lives. This class increases Fortune significantly, as well as offering additional Determination. In addition, Fortune can be invited in, and any Fortune-enhancing abilities affecting the Maneki-Neko and their allies will be strengthened. Such a Cat will also gain increased Fate, as so long as there is a whisper of a chance to escape a terrible danger, Fortune will point the way.


    ¡°I see. It was a miracle I survived.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°So, I am a beckoning cat. But...¡± she frowned, thinking, and I was amused by the way her tail twitched as she did so. ¡°Strengthening abilities? Doesn¡¯t that mean that I can enhance the effects of Shaeula¡¯s fortunate winds?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± I nodded. ¡°Luck is on our side, it seems.¡±


    ¡°You were lucky from the day you met me.¡± Eri said, unusually cheeky for her, but considering her emotions were running high after recovering, I understood it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have the best childhood friend in the world!¡± I said, gathering her into a hug, pretending not to see her sudden tears, as she looked as if she wanted to appear strong right now. Meanwhile, in the Boundary I advised everyone that it would be fine to come see Eri in a short while. We¡¯ll give her a few minutes to calm down. And also... I¡¯ll need to keep an eye on Ginneka too. Looking at the cat, who was yammering loudly, trying to appeal to us, I slightly regretted the fact that I had rush built a third Ether Spire to Rank 4 just a little while before all this...


    ********


    ¡°This is a happy-happy day!¡± Shaeula crowed, hugging Eri, who had dried her tears and was now smiling radiantly. She then grinned cheekily, reaching down, and Eri yelped as her tail was grabbed by Shaeula¡¯s small hands. ¡°And now you are even having this here. You will need to be careful, no? Otherwise if you wear a skirt, you will-will flash everyone your panties.¡±


    Eri pouted, and despite her exhaustion, the tail vanished. ¡°It was just easier to practise with the ears and tail, since I was used to them!¡± Eri insisted, and Shaeula merely laughed, still hugging her.


    ¡°Do not-not be so annoyed, Eri. I am merely very happy for you! As are we all! This calls-calls for fine alcohol! Akio, break open a bottle of whiskey!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡± Shiro agreed, looking on warmly. ¡°You know, Eri, I¡¯m almost going to miss having to wheel you around and help you change.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°I know it was a nuisance. But... thank you. I did appreciate it.¡±


    Shiro flushed, looking away, scratching her cheek. It was adorable how embarrassed she was, but I held in my laugh, knowing she could be prickly and prideful, like the princess she claimed she was. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what it¡¯s like to be frail and unable to move by myself. But...¡± she said, her tone more cheerful. ¡°That¡¯s over now. for both of us. I¡¯m healthy again, and so are you. I don¡¯t have the ability to grow cat ears and a tail though.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s who I know best, who I¡¯ve seen nearly every day for more than a dozen years. It just seemed natural.¡± Eri said. Her height and figure was still her own, her hair too, so it was far from perfect, but with her blue eyes and distinctive, ever-so-slightly western features, it was my sister¡¯s face looking back at me.


    ¡°Putting aside the many implications of just what your ability can do, that¡¯s probably more shocking than calling up balls of fire or wind.¡± Hinata giggled.


    ¡°For a certified S-Rank siscon like Aki, I think such a dangerous skill should be sealed.¡± Shiro chuckled. ¡°Just think, he could legally indulge all his degenerate...¡± she snickered as I sealed her mouth with a hand.


    ¡°Come on now, that¡¯s going a bit too far Shiro. You know I don¡¯t see Aiko that way...¡± I said, and it was Hinata who took up the conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about her pretending to be any of us. That¡¯d be really embarrassing.¡± Her cheeks were red.


    ¡°So this is why you want to know more about us? Planning to steal our identities?¡± Kana teased, and as I released the still laughing Shiro, Eri, her face still matching Aiko¡¯s in many respects, blushed.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± At that moment she lost control of her skill and cat ears and tail appeared once more, burning most of her aether.


    ¡°Damn that¡¯s adorable...¡± Shiro could barely breathe she was laughing so hard, and she wasn¡¯t alone in that... I like this mood. It¡¯s hopeful. And I need this, as tomorrow I¡¯m going to visit the prison where Nie Ling and the captured Cultivators are being held...


    While the others were teasing Eri, talking about how mortifying it would be to walk in on themselves acting lewdly with me, or how Eri could totally embarrass them in any number of ways by taking their form, I continued my more important discussion with Ginneka.


    ¡°Nya, cats are free spirits, we don¡¯t do well under the hand of others.¡± She sighed. ¡°Following orders got us killed last time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you claimed that was down to you wanting to steal Shaeula¡¯s skills for your own ends, right? I hardly think you can blame your task for that.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Nya, that¡¯s fair.¡± She looked abashed, ears drooping. ¡°But I died for that, so let it go, nya.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be labouring under a misapprehension.¡± Asha said, her calm and mature attitude at odds to the cheerful bantering and teasing the other girls were doing in the Material. ¡°What Akio is offering is not simply slavery or bondage. No more than I am a slave because my Tree and I are under his aegis. Nor would Suzuki Haru or Ixitt here claim to be so.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Ixitt smiled, his fangs showing. ¡°In fact, as servitudes go, it is a wonderful bondage. I can experiment to my heart¡¯s content, make breakthrough after breakthrough. Yes, sometimes I have tasks to fulfil, but life is not so easy as to give you everything you want for free.¡±


    ¡°And you are starting from a negative, I fear.¡± Asha advised her. ¡°Yes, you earned much credit with Akio for saving the life of Eri. Had you not done that, I fear his heart would have been shattered. Now, we would have spent our lives helping put the shards back together again...¡± she smiled at me warmly, and I was reminded of a caring big sister or motherly figure. She¡¯s become calm now she¡¯s settled here in our Territory, and since we... became lovers, I guess? ¡°... but fortunately you averted that. Even so, all that gets you is the chance to stand here. If you want forgiveness, less still a reward...¡± Asha continued. ¡°... then you must offer contrition, make amends. And nothing is forever. We Fae live long, you also, I believe. Much can change in time.¡±


    ¡°You were Ninetieth in the Parade, right? That means you were being pushed around by the Numbers above you, and challenged by those below, right? Shaeula is Seventy-First, you sensed that, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean your chance of getting your place back exists, maybe even a higher Number?¡±


    ¡°Nya, it would be good to beat down those who have no doubt revelled in the deaths of my brother and me.¡± She admitted. ¡°And if I think of it as obeying a higher Number, biding my time... but, it does not come easy to us, nya.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but think of the positives. You would earn our forgiveness. I would work to bring your brother back, as soon as I can think of a way where we don¡¯t have a peeping voyeur on our hands.¡± That was very important. I got the appeal of exhibitionism, seeing a cute girl showing off got guys going, but it was very different and totally unacceptable when it was one¡¯s own girlfriend. I¡¯ll leave that for the doujins, thank you. ¡°You get the power of a Divine Favour, which otherwise you¡¯d never be able to dream of, and would be able to grow stronger, and perhaps re-join the Parade, more powerful and respected than ever before.¡±


    ¡°Nya, true...¡± Ginneka looked torn, her revulsion at being controlled warring with lust, greed and the need for praise. She is definitely a cat. Cats are selfish, arrogant and true to themselves, but they like to be fussed over, right? ¡°In addition, you¡¯ll be able to walk the mortal world, see many wonderful things, eat and drink delightful delicacies, have entertainment you never dreamed of in your days in the Night Parade...¡± I could see she was starting to crack, just by watching her ears and tail that were standing up straight. One more push...


    Turning to Asha, I smiled warmly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right, you being missing from the celebrations. Your fruit wines and honey meads are great, but you should be toasting Eri¡¯s recovery with expensive whiskey together with the others. Hinata is bright red, I¡¯ll have to give her Ether Healing before she goes home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am disappointed to be absent, but I am there through you, no?¡± Asha said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but fortunately... assuming Ginneka here makes a wise choice, we¡¯ll push the Throne upgrade forwards. The timing is great, Eri says our new home is magnificent, and you can have your own room, furnish it as you wish. The hillside is wide for a central Tokyo site, with trees, flowers and open spaces...¡±


    ¡°Mortal greenery. I look forward to seeing it.¡± Asha said, and I turned to Ginneka again.


    ¡°In exchange, you¡¯ll work off your debt to us by using the Favour to help Ixitt with his experiments. It won¡¯t be constant, I¡¯m no slavedriver...¡±


    ¡°Bjarki might disagree.¡± Ixitt sniggered, but I ignored him.


    ¡°A decade, a century... what¡¯s that but a short period to a Yo?kai?¡± I pressed. ¡°And while I¡¯ll have to restrict your actions with the Throne somewhat, insurance, you understand, you¡¯ll have a decent amount of freedom...¡±


    ¡°While you are aiding my research, I shall be sure to show you many exciting places and things.¡± Ixitt promised. ¡°It is the only logical choice. Once your debt is paid off, then you can accumulate rewards.¡±


    Ginneka licked her licks reflexively. ¡°I like rewards, nya. And that smell...¡± her blue eyes were fixed on me, peering to where I was holding Laverna¡¯s favour. ¡°A century, that¡¯s not so long, nya, I suppose.¡±


    She¡¯s cracking... ¡°For now, I need you to help Ixitt and possibly undertake a few other tasks. In exchange, I¡¯ll help Shaeula come to terms with you. Eri¡¯s not got any hatred towards you, in fact she feels gratitude, so between us...¡±


    ¡°This opportunity is a miracle you will not be offered again. I myself was like you, I was dead, or as close to it as to make no difference.¡± Asha pressed. ¡°But now here I stand. What choice do you have? Will you duel princess Shaeula for your freedom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, nya. I¡¯m not!¡± she glowered at me, as I must have been smiling. ¡°Fine. I know when I am beaten. I¡¯ll take your offer, nya. But I get to keep the favour, as you call it, when I¡¯m done! Such a thief¡¯s treasure belongs best with a thieving cat!¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± I held out my hand, holding in my smirk. A hundred years? If we¡¯re still at the point that we need Laverna¡¯s Favour then, I¡¯ll be delighted, because it means we¡¯ll have avoided the worst of the upcoming apocalypse. Besides... in a hundred years everything could change. Just think how much has changed in less than half a year...


    Ginneka grasped my hand, and I shook it. Eri, who was red-faced from everyone¡¯s teasing, saw me smiling, and asked what was up.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just happy to be part of this joyous occasion.¡± I replied. ¡°... and a problem that has been halting our development is about to be removed. It¡¯s a temporary solution, but...¡± With a solution in place, our chances of coming up with a more permanent one are massively improved...


    ¡°Never mind that-that...¡± Shaeula said drunkenly, her face flushed. She thrust a half-filled bottle into my hand. ¡°Drink, this is a celebration!¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡± I laughed, gulping directly from the bottle, feeling the fiery sting in my throat. ¡°Yes, it most certainly is...¡±

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Five – Watanabe Karen

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Five ¨C Watanabe Karen


    ¡°You know, I used to hate these drinking parties, Noboru-san.¡± I told my neighbour as I took a draught of the rather nice beer from the glass mug I was holding. Wiping the foam from my mouth, I looked around at the lively atmosphere, with my new co-workers and some younger guests. ¡°My old boss was a filthy pig. He¡¯s in prison now though. Serves the bastard right.¡± I downed the rest of my mug with satisfaction before slamming it down, immediately regretting it, as this wasn¡¯t some cheap izakaya we were drinking at, but a nice private room in a hotel in Ginza. Thankfully the table isn¡¯t scratched...


    ¡°Sound like you had it hard.¡± A young man, the same age as Akio, I thought, said. He was a handsome blonde, and was cheerful and a good leader, from what I had gathered working with him recently. ¡°I heard that Akio-kun had a lot to do with his downfall?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be asking about that.¡± The young woman beside him said. She was pretty in a shy sort of way, and the two of them were engaged. Lucky. Seems like it¡¯s just old women like me who missed out. ¡°Sorry.¡± She continued. ¡°Hayato isn¡¯t normally so insensitive. If you don¡¯t want to talk about it...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I said to the perceptive woman, Hina-chan. Another of Akio¡¯s old University friends. I¡¯m amazed that they all gave up their careers to come work for him... ¡°It never got too far. I¡¯m not some sort of idiot who gives in. You surrender, and you¡¯re a slave forever.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Noburu-san handed me another beer. I took a contemplative sip.


    ¡°Thanks. Anyway, when Akio-kun gave me a job, he already saved my life.¡± I laughed bitterly. ¡°I was in my lowest ebb, not sure how I was going to live. The fact that he ended up crushing that bastard incidentally was just a bonus.¡±


    ¡°And then you reached out to me.¡± Tanaka Taku-san said. Now his own money worries were over he looked like a man ten years younger than his age. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you thought of us.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°When I¡¯m looking for guys who will be pathetically grateful and keep Akio-kun¡¯s secrets, of course I¡¯d think of you pair.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s embarrassed.¡± Hina-chan said, a small smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s the same for us, isn¡¯t it, Aimi-chan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, yeah it is.¡± The short, busty girl said. Another of Akio-kun¡¯s friends. I bet she got a lot of attention with that chest... ¡°We couldn¡¯t leave Shiro and Akio-kun to do this alone. We promised each other we were friends forever!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to say, but not so easy to put your futures on the line for it, though.¡± I said. ¡°For us it was an easy choice.¡±


    Noboru-san nodded, looking at his daughter, Sana-chan. She was there with two other girls her age, chatting away as young girls do, though Sana-chan was clearly the most outgoing. ¡°That¡¯s right. It was a small risk for me, but the rewards... it¡¯s not even the money. It¡¯s pride in myself, and having my daughter talk to me again.¡±


    ¡°Akio-san is a soft touch.¡± Haru-chan said. She was here with us, ostensibly as security, as now that the world knew about Akio-kun, a situation I still found equal parts baffling at times, there was a danger we might be targeted, small though it was. Though I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just here because Akio-kun thinks she needs to unwind. He told me she had been working too hard recently. Well, isn¡¯t that his fault anyway? ¡°He likes to meddle and help people. He had no cause to help me, but he did.¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun¡¯s always been like that.¡± Another one of his friends, Shugo-san, came over, holding his own beer. ¡°Don¡¯t you think, Hayato-kun?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s easy-going and never much asserted himself, but he was always there to smooth things over with a quip or making himself the butt of a joke. He always used to be very considerate of Shiro too. And I don¡¯t think it was because she¡¯s a beauty.¡±


    ¡°To think that Akio-kun and Shiro ended up hooking up.¡± Aimi-chan giggled. ¡°She always used to put you all down and say she¡¯d only marry a billionaire.¡±


    ¡°Akio-san is a billionaire.¡± Haru-chan said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason she¡¯s with him...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Hayato-kun agreed. ¡°Shiro needs someone that understands her, and is willing to pamper her. She¡¯s always been a painfully fragile girl. Handle her wrong and she¡¯ll shatter.¡±


    ¡°She did make a deal with a being from another world that would have left her as the empress.¡± Haru-chan pointed out. ¡°I haven¡¯t had many dealings with Tan?ha?, but she¡¯s frightening.¡± She shuddered. ¡°But she can¡¯t do anything dangerous, she doesn¡¯t want to go against Akio-san.¡±


    ¡°To think that our humble little Akio-kun managed to tame her. And the others too... that¡¯s the strangest thing of all.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Me neither, man!¡± Shugo-san said, nodding. ¡°All those nights in Akihabara talking shit about harems and isekai, and now we¡¯re living in a harem fantasy. And Akio-kun¡¯s the protag, lucky bastard.¡±


    ¡°Should you really be saying that, Shugo-kun?¡± Aimi-chan said in a singsong voice, teasing him. ¡°You have your hot teacher girlfriend now, shouldn¡¯t you be thankful? She could have come tonight, Akio-kun isn¡¯t stingy with the company expenses!¡±


    ¡°She has to work tomorrow. Besides, it¡¯s not like your boyfriend is here, is he Aimi-chan?¡± he said defensively.


    ¡°Look, Akio-kun and Shiro have a lot of secrets.¡± She explained. ¡°You think I want to bring him in? I¡¯m not stupid.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s serious, maybe you should.¡± Hina-chan said, and I decided to intervene.


    ¡°I think we never know just how life will go. Hasn¡¯t this proved it?¡± I took another swig of my beer. ¡°I¡¯d say this event would probably have been fine, but...¡±


    ¡°Looking at me?¡± Haru-chan said. ¡°I can keep a secret. Don¡¯t they say dead men tell no tales? I¡¯m not a man though...¡± She cracked a smile, and it pained me to see the bitter feelings behind it.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Haru-chan. Youn don¡¯t have to worry about being hurt again. Akio-kun has your back, right?¡± I said, and Noburu-san spoke up.


    ¡°Seems like you believe in him more than anyone else, Karen-san.¡±


    ¡°Me? I suppose so. And not just him. Shaeula too. I think if there¡¯s any misery in their path, they¡¯ll bulldoze it out of the way. Just look at the whole situation we were talking about, with the toad of my ex-boss. He was collateral damage in helping out her friend Ichika-chan, and she was up against some yakuza-sponsored ring of fraudsters. I think we¡¯re lucky to be their friends. I think if there¡¯s ever any problems we have, all we have to do is ask...¡±


    ¡°Konoe-chan, I remember her. Yasu-kun thought she was cute.¡± Aimi-chan rolled her eyes, seeming happy to change the subject. ¡°I doubt he has a chance with her. If anyone knows any girls with low standards, let me know and I¡¯ll try and arrange a date for him. It¡¯s pitiful that he¡¯s the only one of us who doesn¡¯t have a partner.¡±


    As we laughed, Hina-chan looked over to where Yasu-san was talking to his cousin Hisano-chan and the other girls. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so mean, Aimi-chan. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s comparing himself to Akio-san and Hayato. It¡¯s a bad match-up.¡±


    ¡°Nice humblebrag about your fiance? there!¡± Aimi-chan shot back, and there was more laughter. Meanwhile, Yasu-san was arguing with his cousin, waving his glass of beer frantically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to face your parents, Hisano-chan!¡± he was saying loudly, face red from booze. ¡°They don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on! It¡¯s dangerous, you know!¡± I could almost hear the exclamation marks at the end of each sentence he was saying. ¡°You¡¯re still in school, you¡¯re too young to be getting involved in adult matters!¡±


    ¡°Adult matters? Like... a job, right? I totes don¡¯t think you are suggesting that Hisano-chan here is doing adult stuff, right?¡± Sana-chan said, sticking up for the girl she had just met. ¡°That¡¯s so lame, man.¡±


    ¡°No, I... not shy little Hisano-chan. But...¡± his eyes narrowed. ¡°You go to an all-girls school, right Hisano-chan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a shrine school, not that I understood what that meant. Now I do though.¡± She looked at the other girl she was with, Maiko-chan, the daughter of Hisuikomushi shrine. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything, Yasu-kun?¡± she said back, defensive.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any resistance to guys! You¡¯re too young to be thinking about playing around!¡± he insisted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t watch this.¡± Shugo-san said, sighing. Walking over he put his hand on Yasu-san¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey man, chill out. This is supposed to be a relaxing night out, a reward for our hard work. Don¡¯t ruin it.¡±


    Yasu-san jumped, before looking down, guiltily. ¡°I just worry, you know? It¡¯s not like you have a relative to worry about, is it?¡±


    ¡°We never knew you had one either. Everyone knows about Akio-kun¡¯s sister and childhood friend, but you kept your cousin quiet. Despite ragging on Akio-kun for his enviable fortune.¡± He persisted. ¡°Look, Yasu-kun, be honest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous, damn it.¡± Yasu-san said, chugging his beer. ¡°I thought Akio-kun and you were like me, Shugo-kun! I mean, Hayato-kun, he was always going to be popular with the ladies...¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Hayato-san said mildly, and his fiance?e laughed, gigging.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Even Shiro said you would be passable if you were rich, right?¡±


    ¡°She said similar about Akio-kun too, if I remember.¡± He demurred, as the argument continued. I suppose it¡¯s entertaining in a way, but if it gets too much... I glanced at Haru-chan, who clearly was still nervous around men. I think Akio-kun is trying to acclimatise her to them again slowly. It¡¯s sweet that he¡¯s thinking of her, but... it¡¯s not easy to get over such terrible things. I can hardly even imagine it, and I was almost...


    ¡°Me?¡± Shugo-san snorted. ¡°Speak for yourself, man. But Akio-kun was pretty well put together back then. Shy and easy-going, sure, but he¡¯s got that Western height and cast, and those eyes. Plenty of girls thought he was okay, right Aimi-chan, Hina-chan?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me involved in this! Hina-chan neither!¡± Aimi-chan sniffed, before going over to the girls. ¡°But yeah, Hayato-kun and Akio-kun were the lookers of the group. But being honest, for a bunch of geeks, we had a lot of handsome people. Even you¡¯re all right, Yasu-kun. Maybe we didn¡¯t think about it because when next to Shiro, we all looked plain. So anyway... Hisano-chan... we don¡¯t really do much in the other world, the Boundary. Too busy, and our job is to do other things. So Yasu-kun worries...¡±


    ¡°Hey, dad, you go in there, right? I¡¯m curious.¡± Sana-chan piped up. ¡°Tell us about it!¡±


    Noboru-san looked a little abashed, before admitting that he didn¡¯t have much experience of it. I don¡¯t either, although Akio-kun says we should all learn an element at least...


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Shugo-san agreed. ¡°Also, I honestly don¡¯t think you look thirty.¡± He said to me, and I laughed it off.


    ¡°You have a girlfriend, right? Should you be flirting with me?¡±


    ¡°Just saying what I see. Maybe it¡¯s the effects of the Chirurgery? Who knows. In any case, if you¡¯re on the market, I bet you¡¯ll have some takers. Unless you are holding out for Akio-kun like little Hisano-chan?¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone keep talking like it¡¯s a done deal?¡± Yasu-san howled. ¡°Over my dead body!¡±


    Ignoring him, I answered Shugo-san. ¡°Me? Akio-kun? I deeply respect him, I¡¯d almost worship him, considering how he reached out to me when I was at rock bottom, but I don¡¯t love him that way. I don¡¯t have the confidence for that. I get where Hisano-chan is coming from. But... I think of him as a younger brother, you know? Cheeky, causing trouble, needing advice... it¡¯s a comfortable role.¡±


    ¡°A dangerous one too.¡± Shugo-san laughed. ¡°He¡¯s a certified siscon, so you might just end up in his sights... but I get it. He definitely needs advice, or he¡¯s going to get stabbed...¡±


    ¡°We were talking about Hisano-chan...¡± Yasu-san said sullenly.


    ¡°Nope, you were.¡± Shugo-san disagreed. Everyone was mingling, Haru-san talking to the men, trying to get familiar with them, while the girls were clustered around Hisano-chan and Maiko-chan, asking more details about what Akio-kun and the others did in the Boundary. ¡°We¡¯re bored of that topic. It¡¯s a done deal.¡± He winked at me. ¡°So, since you¡¯re so gloomy, despite all the booze being on Akio-kun, let¡¯s talk a topic close to your heart. Harems...¡± Shugo-san winked at me and I bit down on a laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡± Yasu-san complained.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m curious.¡± Shugo-san admitted. ¡°Setting aside your cousin, who do you think Akio-kun will get his claws in next? We aren¡¯t foolish enough to think he¡¯s reached maximum harem size, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s honestly not trying to collect girls. He¡¯s just... to be honest, I see how he ended up with each one.¡± I defended him, as a good older sister should. He¡¯s so going to get stabbed though. ¡°But if you had to ask me... do you want the cheat answer or the speculation?¡±


    ¡°Cheat answer?¡± Yasu-san was interested despite himself. ¡°You have inside info?¡±


    ¡°Let big sis fill you in. You know there was this woman who died?¡± At work I got to talk to the various girls who were always around, such as Shiro, Shaeula, Eri-chan, Hinata-chan or Kana-chan, and I had heard about Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°Yeah, Shiro said she was there, and Akio-kun was totally devastated.¡± Shugo-san said. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Apparently she¡¯s only mostly dead.¡± I didn¡¯t understand it myself, and I was old enough and wise enough to know when not to ask, but as I glanced at Haru-san, I imagined it was the same sort of thing. ¡°Shaeula and Shiro both told me she¡¯d be coming back one day. And that as she died, she kissed Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Done deal then. Next you¡¯ll be telling me she has some tragic backstory, like Shiro and her ill-health.¡± Shugo-san snorted.


    ¡°Exactly right. Apparently she¡¯s very famous in shrine circles as a holy woman. But she never was able to live her own life, or find love.¡±


    ¡°I bet she¡¯s got to be gorgeous too...¡± Yasu-san slammed his glass down, aggravated. ¡°Damn you Akio-kun, leave some for meeeeeeeee!¡±


    ¡°From what I hear, she¡¯s as pretty as Shiro. I find it hard to believe, but supposedly that¡¯s true.¡± I heard a banging sound, only to see Yasu-san limp on the table.


    ¡°That sounds like a winner. I salute you!¡± Shugo-san gestured to me. As he did so, Haru-san, tired of interacting with men all alone, sat down beside me.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± she tilted her head.


    ¡°He¡¯s just heard about this woman Tsukiko-san.¡± Shugo-san said. ¡°Now he¡¯s depressed.¡±


    ¡°Kyoto was terrible. But she¡¯s sleeping peacefully. One day...¡± Haru-san¡¯s eyes looked sad. ¡°... she will smile again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know.¡± I agreed. ¡°But, her aside... who do you think Akio-kun will take for his own next?¡±


    ¡°Princess Eleanor, perhaps? Akio-kun thinks she doesn¡¯t like him much, but...¡± she began, and even Shugo-san looked surprised.


    ¡°Really? That British Princess? Don¡¯t they have to marry Dukes and Earls?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so old-fashioned. Britain has a monarchy, but it¡¯s not like your novels.¡± Aimi-chan had joined us now as well, crossing her arms under her ample chest. ¡°There was definitely a tension between them on the TV.¡±


    ¡°From what I hear, they really got off on the wrong foot, but Akio-kun and the others saved her life and Britain, right? They said so at the Press Cofernce. Hard for a woman to ignore that. And if she feels guilty because she was harsh with him...¡±


    ¡°Can we drop this? I¡¯m just depressed now...¡± Yasu-san groaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s just speculation.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Come on, cheer up! Let¡¯s talk about something else. How¡¯s your work going? Some sort of supercomputer, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He managed. ¡°It¡¯s actually a lot of fun. Getting to mess around with high-end gear and make something amazing...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for fun. It¡¯s so Akio-kun can use his good luck...¡± Aimi-chan said firmly, and as they argued, I smiled to myself. This is fun. Yes, not like the old work parties at all...


    ********


    ¡°So yeah, I¡¯m a new me!¡± Yasu-san was saying. ¡°By Christmas Eve, I¡¯ll have a woman to spend it with!¡±


    ¡°That deadline¡¯s a bit tight, man.¡± Shugo-san teased him. ¡°Going to have to step up your game.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be the only one alone at Christmas.¡± He looked around until he spotted me, brightening up. ¡°How about you, Karen-chan? You should do it too, get a great boyfriend and show all these so-called friends who is boss!¡±


    ¡°Leave me out of it.¡± I snorted, amused. ¡°I¡¯m focussing on my career for now. But... good luck, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I will! Hisano-chaaaaaan!¡± he scurried off, bothering his cousin. ¡°Are there any single girls at the training school who would be interested in me...?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said we were too young for dating?¡± she shot him down, before relenting. ¡°But there are a few older girls there. I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d be interested in you though!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s totes a brutal putdown, Hisano-chan! You go girl!¡± Sana-chan giggled. As I watched that, I turned back to Haru-san, who had received a message on her phone.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Trouble?¡± I asked, only for Haru-san to smile happily.


    ¡°No, it looks like something has happened, because Eri-san is completely healed!¡±


    ¡°Eri-chan? That¡¯s great news. You hear that, everyone! Eri-chan is cured. This calls for another round!¡±


    As everyone cheered, Hina-chan spoke for us all. ¡°Just like with Shiro. I guess we¡¯re living in exciting times. It¡¯s scary, but...¡±


    ¡°You got it girl!¡± Aimi-chan agreed, hugging her. ¡°It¡¯s everything we dreamed of, but that¡¯s worrying in itself, because powers like Akio-kun and Shiro got aren¡¯t given out for no reason. But why worry?


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°For now, all we can do is celebrate. And have faith. And look out for one another. Because we¡¯re all co-workers. Even you, Sana-chan!¡±


    ¡°Me? Well... yeah. Yeah! Screw my bitch of a stepsister, and whatevs mom says. I can totes get a job, ya feel me! I¡¯ll speak to that cutie Shaeula tomorrow!¡± As Hisano-chan and Maiko-chan gave her advice, I looked at Noboru-san.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone will look after her. And she¡¯s right. If you think of it as a job, then it¡¯s an enviable one. We know that too, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He laughed nervously. Holding his glass he clinked it against mine. ¡°And tomorrow sounds like it¡¯s going to be a busy day.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it always?¡± I took a swig of whiskey. Yes, it always is. But there¡¯s also always something unexpected and wonderful happening. If I could go back to the world I knew before... I¡¯d refuse. This is the world I... she looked around at everyone here, making merry. ... no, we... belong in. The world we¡¯re forging ourselves, Akio-kun and the others leading us onwards...

 Four Hundred

    Four Hundred


    The rest of the night passed in a flurry of activity. The upgrade to the Throne would cost two and a half million ether, which we didn¡¯t have, as I¡¯d done the third Rank 4 Ether Spire earlier, but thanks to Asha¡¯s Tree and Shiro, we were rapidly climbing towards having enough. Of course, then at two and a half thousand astral days to complete, rush building was the only viable option. It¡¯ll take a couple of days in the Material, but I¡¯m sure we can keep Ginneka under control until then...


    If I was being honest, other than being irritating, Ginneka wasn¡¯t causing any trouble, and my ill-feelings towards her were likely mostly related to how she and her brother had almost killed Shaeula and me. That was warring against my gratitude for her saving Eri¡¯s life from our own blunders, so overall my feelings towards her were mostly mild annoyance and exhaustion. It¡¯s hardly the first time an erstwhile enemy has become an ally...


    ¡°She¡¯s certainly something, isn¡¯t she Aki?¡± Shiro observed. ¡°Absolutely no sense of shame or modesty as all. She¡¯s all yes, I know I tried to kill you all, but that was like, ages ago nya...¡± Shiro mimicked her cutely. ¡°And she¡¯s as horny as a teenage boy. Come to think of it, were you ever a horny kid, Aki?¡±


    ¡°No, he never showed any overt interest in girls.¡± Eri said, her cat ears flickering cutely. She had worked out having two sets of ears was a painful assault on her brain and managed to master shifting them. I had stopped her though, and even encouraged her to practise having more ears and eyes, even if only in private, as she had raged that there was no way she was going to let anyone else, specially not me, see her in such a hideous state. But if she can master the jumbled storm of input that tries to shut down her brain, I think it quite likely she can learn Split Thoughts. I¡¯d imagine that she¡¯d have great compatibility with Body Enhancement as well, and possibly some sort of body modifications too, like a super soldier project, or the Space Marines from that wargame mom used to mention...


    ¡°It was quite frustrating.¡± Eri puffed out her cheeks, and gestured casually, annoyed, but on seeing her normal, ordinary gestures and reactions, I felt a heat inside. It¡¯s so good seeing Eri healed... ¡°It took me a long time to realise what I felt for Akio was love, but by the time I did realise, he¡¯d mastered the art of ignoring girls¡¯ feelings!¡±


    ¡°Guess he was relying on porn mags and the internet then.¡± Shiro said, her mocking grin at odds with her beautiful features. ¡°You needed to be more charming, Eri!¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself!¡± she frowned, crossing her arms under her chest. ¡°I was plenty charming. Besides, I didn¡¯t see him making a move on you either until recently. As for magazines and stuff... no way. The Oshiro¡¯s had an old computer, but since they were poor, the whole family had to share it. And Aiko and me were always in his room, messing around. She¡¯d have dug out a porn mag in a second and teased him about it forever.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shiro grinned at me. ¡°It¡¯s always fun to learn more about Aki¡¯s past. But now...¡± she looked at Eri, her smile teasing. ¡°... I¡¯m more interested in the possibilities. Our slutty cat over there showed you the way Eri, if you can change into other girls appearance-wise, then he¡¯ll be desperate to bed you. Imagine it, having your way with any celebrity you like. Hell, you could make a killing on fake porn videos.¡±


    ¡°No way. Even if it doesn¡¯t look like Eri, it¡¯s still her, I¡¯m not interested in showing off what¡¯s mine.¡± I insisted. Eri blushed and hugged me, revelling in the feeling of her arms being able to grip me tightly again, and her tail coiled around one of my legs. ¡°Besides...¡± I shuddered then, thoughts of one celebrity, and what she¡¯d do to me if she found out, crossing my mind.


    ¡°Whoa, quite the reaction there, Aki!¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Guilty conscience? Let me guess, you were thinking of Arisu. Am I right?¡±


    Sometimes it amazes me how the girls all seem able to read my mind. ¡°Sorry, it was an instinctive reaction. But if she found out about such plays...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, squashed like a frog under a tyre.¡± Shiro mimicked a pancake with her hands, while Eri giggled. ¡°I have to admit, she¡¯s certainly gorgeous, but you know, I don¡¯t think even replicating the appearance would give you the proper experience. She¡¯s a force of nature, all personality. Now, for a play that would be hot... how about a double Shiro orgy, or a twin Shaeula? The possibilities are endless, my lewd little Eri.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lewd... I just... is it so wrong to enjoy sex with the man I love?¡± she protested.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Shiro looked out over the catgirl who was arguing with Shaeula, the pair of them like ice and fire. ¡°I can see why Shaeula doesn¡¯t gel with Ginneka. Shaeula¡¯s like you Eri, a lustful girl, but she only directs it to Aki and those Aki loves. Whereas our silver cat here, she¡¯s just in heat. There¡¯s no way Shaeula would let such a girl have any time with Aki. After all, the harem king doesn¡¯t let his girls sleep around, right?¡±Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com


    ¡°True, I¡¯d hate that.¡± I agreed. ¡°But saying it that way makes me sound such a hypocrite and a selfish bastard.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are...¡± Eri agreed. ¡°But who cares? We don¡¯t. Own it, and we still love you anyway!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s childhood friend power right there.¡± Shiro chuckled. ¡°So, no triple Shiro orgies for you. There¡¯s no guy alive, not even you, who could handle three of me in bed anyway...¡±


    As we laughed about that, Shaeula came stomping over, looking back at Ginneka as she was being herded by Asha. ¡°That damn-damn cat. So very annoying. But have no fear. Asha and Hyacinth will watch her so she causes no-no trouble.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she will?¡± I asked, and Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°No, honestly I do not-not believe so. She is a nuisance, but like most Yo?kai, especially cats it seems, when she is defeated, she rolls-rolls over in submission. That does not-not mean we should relax our caution though.¡±


    ¡°I agree. No point taking chances, so for a couple of days until we can get the Throne upgraded, she¡¯ll need to be looked after.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, and we will-will need to prepare a welcome for Asha. And...¡± Shaeula¡¯s eyes shone orange for a moment, her expression slightly troubled, before she smoothed it out. ¡°... your family, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Eri checked out the new estate. It was nice, you said?¡±


    ¡°Nice isn¡¯t the word for it. The training school building is awesome, but... this is like being a noble, like Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi!¡± As she explained more about the house and its furnishings, Shaeula listened intently, offering suggestions and promising to speak to Karen-chan regarding them. When Eri was done, she turned to me. ¡°On a less happy note...¡± she said, a little unsure. ¡°... I hear that you are going to see that Chinese woman in prison this afternoon?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°First, I have a meeting with my account manager and also Haru-san¡¯s father, as well as someone from Britain. After that... yes, we can¡¯t put it off any longer. Especially now.¡± I tried to lighten the mood. ¡°I really need someone to manage my schedule! Karen-chan and Haru-san are doing the best they can. At least the meetings are starting to wind down.¡±


    ¡°For now. There¡¯ll always be more...¡± Shiro teased.


    ¡°No kidding. At least I can still train and do work in the Boundary while I¡¯m wasting hours of my life in meetings now.¡± I joked.


    ¡°In that case...¡± Eri said, her expression firm. ¡°... I¡¯m coming to. I spoke to her before, and I want to see just what decision she¡¯s reached.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were quite harsh, Eri. But maybe that was what she needed...¡± Shiro added.


    As they discussed her, I felt a little sick, as I found it far easier to face an enemy such as the golden-eyed devourer, or even Mary Stuart, enemies that threatened those I had chosen to protect, than those like Nie Ling, who had some extenuating circumstances but had still contributed to terrible, terrible things... Yes, it might help to have Eri there, for moral support if naught else...


    ********


    ¡°... client has already been working with Chase Midas Gold long before the Japanese government and other banks became involved.¡± Takahashi James-san, my account manager here in Japan was saying. His looks were largely Japanese, like mine, but his face had some subtle Western features, so it was likely he was also a half. ¡°I think that as the first financial institution to recognise Oshiro-sama as an up-and-coming person of merit, we are perfectly placed to handle his financial needs, especially in these troubled times.¡±


    ¡°We would certainly rather keep his assets within Japan wherever possible.¡± Haru-san¡¯s father was saying, having taken time out of his busy role as Minister of Finance to address this. Beside me, Haru-san was giving me a sympathetic look.


    Did you enjoy the party? I thought at her, and she nodded, mouthing back that she did have fun, even if she still found it rather difficult being around men, but that her job involved it, so she would have to get used to it.


    Yeah. I know it¡¯s small consolation, but there¡¯s nothing to fear from your father, and the other two guys, they¡¯re not Chosen, so you could defeat them before they could blink. My thoughts were reassuring. I¡¯m here too.


    ¡°True. There was one American Chosen, but he¡¯s vanished. And we do know of others.¡± James-san agreed. ¡°In fact, healing abilities are certainly the most sought-after. But the interesting thing is... you¡¯re not a healer, are you Oshiro-sama?¡±


    ¡°That issue touches on the privacy of our citizens, and national security...¡± Suzuki-san began, but I nodded, silencing him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like revealing too much of my strength, but no, I¡¯m certainly not primarily a healer. I can do a lot of things.¡±


    You certainly can. But the thing I find the strangest is, those around you can as well. Look at me...


    With a gentle thought of praise towards Haru-san, I continued. ¡°Now the world is talking about the Chosen after Kyoto and London, it¡¯s only natural for rumours to spread. But any contract would have to be vetted by Hinata, her grandfather and likely the government here as well.¡±


    ¡°Most certainly. We won¡¯t be prepared to have Oshiro-san sneakily taken by the backdoor.¡± Suzuki-san agreed. ¡°Though...¡± he looked at his daughter. ¡°Sadly, you are correct. Implementing all the reforms, the payments for Territorial protection, and more... the bills are endless. It¡¯s almost enough to make me wish I had an easy job, like something in MEXT.¡±


    ¡°I hardly think MEXT is easy.¡± Haru-san chided her father, looking very professional. ¡°Considering that managing the unrest of the population requires significant media and cultural efforts, that Ministry is almost as busy as yours. It¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t involved either...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of culture...¡± James-san said suddenly, a look of interest on his face. ¡°Did you see the news this morning? It was running in a headline slot, and it¡¯s all over the papers and the internet.¡±


    Is that... I hadn¡¯t the time to watch TV, after the hectic events of last night, but I had an idea. My thoughts were confirmed as he continued. ¡°Arisugawa Arisu-san... I remember that old scandal. I was gutted over the whole mess.¡± He let out a quiet chuckle. ¡°I admit to her being my dream woman. It¡¯s that cold beauty... to think she was involved in embezzlement, bullying, cheating... but apparently it was all a setup. It all seems too perfect though...¡±


    ¡°I assure you that it¡¯s all true.¡± I interjected. Before I could elaborate, our British guest looked puzzled.


    ¡°Who is this woman? Some sort of celebrity?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you poor fool, not knowing Arisugawa Arisu-san. She was the hottest young actress in Japan, there was even talk she could break into Hollywood. She was gorgeous...¡± he pulled up a picture on his phone.


    She still is. In a cool way...


    If she could hear you think that, wouldn¡¯t she be angry?


    Hey, it¡¯s simply an objective truth. I¡¯d never dare to hit on her. Besides, I promised her I¡¯d make Shiro happy.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s certainly something.¡± The man agreed. ¡°A scandal, you say?¡±


    ¡°The full works. The only thing she wasn¡¯t accused of was taking drugs, though there were rumours. But it seems to all be a lie.¡± He looked at me, and I elaborated to defend her honour.


    ¡°Yes, it was. Having her name cleared is justice at last.¡±


    ¡°It seems you know more people than I expected. Rumours are she¡¯ll be heading the MEXT-sponsored Charity Gala for the victims of Kyoto.¡± James-san asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As for how I know her... that¡¯s not really important. Just... if you believed the initial scandal, then you should believe the truth that¡¯s coming out now. And she¡¯s a surprisingly interesting woman. Frighteningly smart...¡±


    As we talked about that for a while, my other body, back in the Territory, had just accumulated enough ether to start the upgrade process for a Throne of Heroes to Rank 3. Now it would just take a couple of days of Material time to have enough to finish it off.


    ¡°All right then, that was a fun distraction. But back to business...¡± James-san said, his expression changing. ¡°I understand that you have concerns about funds and assets being frozen, but I assure you, the Japanese arm of Chase Midas Gold is fully compliant with Japanese laws and policies. There¡¯s no way for us to simply walk off with it. What would be the benefit, anyway? Making Oshiro-sama an enemy benefits nobody. But when it comes to leveraging assets into increased wealth...¡±


    ¡°Barclays can do it as well. And we are better placed in the British market, and the Princess herself has publicly expressed sentiments that she seeks closer ties with Japan, and yourself especially, Oshiro-sama. It was in the Daily Sun!¡±


    ¡°That rag... you British and your tabloid press...¡± James-san sniffed, and as the argument continued, I exchanged a look with Haru-san. I get that a solid financial base is important, but this is quite the nuisance...


    ********


    ¡°How much?¡± Shiro nearly choked as I told them about the meeting earlier in the day.


    ¡°In the end, we decided on a credit line of around twenty billion yen, split between Barclays and Chase Midas Gold. Of course, there¡¯s no fees for simply having the credit line.¡± I made sure of that, knowing Hinata would not be happy if I threw away money for no reason. ¡°In terms of interest, it¡¯s low, but Hinata and her grandfather will have to vet the documentation. In terms of collateral, it¡¯s loose too. They seemed sure that Japan would step in if I defaulted, seeing as I¡¯m an important public figure now. Or if not, then I¡¯d be beholden to them for a number of favours.¡±


    ¡°But what will you do with that sort-sort of wealth?¡± Shaeula asked. Along with Shiro and Eri, who had met Nie Ling in prison before, Shaeula had tagged along, perhaps weary of dealing with Ginneka. ¡°Controlling more of our Territory here in the Material makes sense, but even that amount of wealth will not-not go so far. Even on the outskirts of Tokyo, land is most-most expensive, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although that kind of money would go a long way. But... instead, we need to make ourselves indispensable to Japan and ideally the world at large, so that any country or Chosen than tries to oppose us will find themselves ostracised in turn. Deterrence is key.¡±


    ¡°And the money will help with that?¡± Eri asked, as we headed towards the cell where Nie Ling was still being held. A number of soldiers, including one of the JSDF Chosen, was with us, since Nie Ling couldn¡¯t be left to normal guards.


    ¡°It should. If Ginneka...¡± Shaeula scowled as I mentioned her name. ¡°... continues to play nice, and I¡¯ve no reason to think she won¡¯t, what with her brother still dead, I think we can move matters along and even scale up our plans. Though I¡¯m going to be busy too. I¡¯m glad I can split myself in two...¡± I laughed, a touch bitterly. Sure, I¡¯m continuing to train Tsumura Arts while I¡¯m here now, but I will also need to take up my crafting skills again. They¡¯ve been lagging as I¡¯ve not had time, and Ixitt and Bjarki make better gear than I do...


    ¡°... but really, there¡¯s one more ingredient for perfection. But yes, I don¡¯t enjoy draining Fukumoto-san¡¯s coffers. Hopefully we can leverage the money into a rapid expansion of our Material powerbase. Anyway, we¡¯re here.¡± I took a deep breath at the plain, high security door of the cell. Nie Ling... I¡¯d rather face an enemy than her. But...


    The cell door buzzed, electromagnetic locks disengaging. The physical locks were then opened, and the door swung open. The cell itself was hardly reminiscent of the sort of prisons one saw in fiction, it was quite roomy, and had a large window, though the glass was the toughest military-grade material, and it was secured by a number of sturdy metal bars. A bed was in one corner, as well as a small desk, and there was a bookshelf that contained some Chinese literature, as well as a large TV fixed securely to the wall. There¡¯s even some potted plants and her own dedicated bathroom...


    On seeing us, Nie Ling managed a weary smile, before speaking to me in Mandarin. ¡°I see. I had worried I had been forgotten. It has been a long time. So, have you come to decide my fate?¡±


    As I entered the cell, Shaeula, Eri and Shiro behind me, along with the Chosen soldier, the door was shut, the clicking of the various locks echoing loudly in the sudden silence. All right then. My hardest challenge yet... making something worthwhile out of this terrible, shitty mess...

 Four Hundred And One

    Four Hundred And One


    On seeing Eri entering the room behind me, Nie Ling paused for a second, before her eyes widened a little in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re out of your wheelchair?¡± she asked, and Eri cocked her head, not understanding, until Shiro translated for her.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Eri replied. ¡°Yes, I got better.¡± Her expression hardened. ¡°I think that doesn¡¯t matter though. What does is... have you thought about the answer to what I asked you last time?¡±


    Once her words were understood, Nie Ling let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°Does that question even have an answer?¡± she looked at us nervously, before her gaze fell on me. ¡°I have had a lot of time to think though. I do admit this prison is a lot nicer than the ones in China. Nobody has mistreated me, I¡¯ve not been humiliated or disgraced, nor tortured.¡± She looked at the JSDF Chosen, who was looking at her with a dark expression. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not fool enough to think you all don¡¯t despise me. The looks on their faces make it plain enough. But it¡¯s been... comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You are a prisoner brought here by Akio. He would not-not countenance cruelty to females of such a nature.¡± Shaeula said, indignant. ¡°I am by no-no means trying to say this country is perfect, for I dare say it is not-not, but... they would not-not risk Akio¡¯s ire by mistreating his prisoners.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m grateful then.¡± Nie Ling managed a slight smile. She then turned back to Eri. ¡°I can answer one question though. I don¡¯t want to die. I want to live. My despair was speaking for me, my hopelessness. But... if I don¡¯t want to live, what was it all for?¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re not hopeless after all.¡± Eri said, satisfied. ¡°After what you did, merely giving up... it¡¯s a selfish, wasteful choice.¡±


    ¡°What would you know of it? I¡¯m still only a humble clerk... no, I was.¡± She said softly. ¡°But you, you¡¯re still a child. You shouldn¡¯t criticise your elders, knowing nothing of what you speak!¡± Nie Ling was angry, but contrary to what I expected, Eri merely smiled.


    ¡°I would rather see you angry than wallowing in unearned self-pity.¡± she said, Shiro translating with a wince. ¡°The ones that should be pitied are the ones you led to their deaths. And before you say again that I know nothing... I know what it is to fear dying. And before you tell me you faced worse... dead is dead.¡±


    Not really. The flickering spirit flame of Tsukiko-san circling me disproves that. But in general, in all but one-in-a-million longshots, Eri isn¡¯t wrong. ¡°The golden-eyed devourer was indeed a frightening foe. We defeated it, no, a mere part of it, and that pushed us to the very limits. We hurt it, I think, bought us some time... but it¡¯s in China, like some hidden cancer, recovering.¡± From the standpoint of Japan in the short term, if it is feasting on Cultivators, spiritual beings and Chinese Chosen, that¡¯s a good thing. Reducing the power of our enemies is a win. But from the perspective of wider humanity, and Japan in the longer term, it¡¯s a disaster. Every Divine Favour lost is a blow we might not recover from. If Anesidora¡¯s gift was lost, for example, then we¡¯d not have the buffs on Asha¡¯s Tree, and we¡¯d be far behind in terms of Territory development...


    Nie Ling listened to me in silence as I continued. ¡°You wanted to live, but the weight of your guilt is heavy. That speaks well of your character. If you felt no guilt, no shame, over nearly a thousand deaths of innocent men, women and children, then there¡¯d be no saving you. But... did you honestly believe you could trust that creature? It would have devoured you the moment your usefulness expired, just like it did with many others.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know that.¡± She said, visibly frustrated. ¡°But what was I to do? I was scared, I listened to the others, older, wiser than me. I was a clerk, I processed pointless, boring paperwork, the most trouble I ever had to deal with was making sure that the numbers tallied, and old man Bao wasn¡¯t dipping his hands into the petty cash again!¡± Her voice rose to a shrill whine. ¡°I¡¯m not capable of trying to change the world, to fight! Even my power that the Duke of Dreams passed on to me isn¡¯t for battle! It¡¯s unfair, cruel, to expect this from me! And then the Department took charge of me, there were the purges... and then that monster... one thing after another, first snakes, then tigers, then dragons, an escalation of my torments!¡±


    ¡°It still was able to kill all those people.¡± Eri said softly.


    ¡°Again, you know nothing!¡± she cried. ¡°Just because he...¡± she pointed at me accusingly. ¡°... was strong-willed and gifted with an ability to fight, you think we can all...¡± she paused as Shiro and Shaeula burst out laughing, while Eri had a triumphant look.


    ¡°Aki, strong-willed? He¡¯s a pushover, which is why you¡¯re still alive.¡± Shiro pointed out, her eyes gleaming crimson, Tan curious about what we were discussing. ¡°I¡¯m no expert on legal matters, but I know enough.¡± She glanced at the JSDF Chosen, before lapsing back into Japanese. ¡°Soldier boy...¡± at that, the man grinned, though his face was red, perhaps taken with Shiro¡¯s beauty. Too bad though, it¡¯s all mine. ¡°... putting aside criminal law... the law of war, if we assume that she was legally invading from China, then Aki had the right to kill her like he did the others, as she¡¯d be an active combatant, right? Worse, if matters were as the Chinese have said, and they were acting entirely as terrorists, on behalf of that vile toad, then she has an obligation to face justice under international law. Either way she¡¯s screwed, right?¡±


    As the soldier agreed, Shiro turned back to Nie Ling. ¡°Got a counterargument?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she admitted. ¡°But what would you have done if you were me? Just died, faced oblivion?¡± Nie Ling countered, and Shiro flushed and whistled, embarrassed.


    ¡°You have me there. I made a similar choice, which could easily have led to a worse result, but Aki steered me onto the right path. Just like he saved your life.¡± I thought I heard a snort from Shiro then, but it was likely Tan, I imagined. ¡°You gave a promise in exchange, right? Your Divine Favour. If you don¡¯t want it, let someone else carry the burden.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have rather died than do what you did.¡± I said, resolute. ¡°With great power, we have great responsibilities. And just to clear up your misconception, I didn¡¯t get granted some powerful combat abilities. I earned them, working my way up from scratch, with help from others.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest at that proudly. ¡°I was an ordinary freelancer, doing odd jobs in IT. At first, I nearly quit a number of times, when I got hurt, nearly died. But I realised if I did... then who would stop those like you who misused your powers, or like the bastard toad who coerced you? If Eri, Shiro, Shaeula or any of those who aren¡¯t here were to be hurt because I tossed aside my chance to protect them... that¡¯s worse than death.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Maybe so. I don¡¯t have that conviction.¡± she admitted. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not brave and strong. But don¡¯t lie to me. If one of them...¡± she nodded at the girls. ¡°... were held under the threat of oblivion, would you let them perish, or commit evil deeds to save them?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d never...¡± Eri began, but Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°A cunning question, Nie Ling.¡± Shaeula said, her expression cold. ¡°And an unfair one. Akio would indeed sacrifice all for us, his morals, his justice, his heart... but he is not-not so nai?ve and foolish as you. He would never trust such a creature as that toad to keep its promises. No, give in once and only slavery and worse awaits. He would surely seek another, wiser path to save us, or if not-not, to avenge us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die than put Akio through that.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°But it does make me happy to know what he¡¯d do for us...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re definitely still yandere to the max.¡± Shiro scoffed at her. ¡°But again, I¡¯m already a hypocrite, as I was saved before I screwed up too badly. Shit, let me turn it around on you.¡± She addressed Nie Ling once again. ¡°Since you are trying to deflect, you know what you did is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am prepared for punishment, I am. But... I honestly don¡¯t know what else I could have done. It isn¡¯t fair...¡±


    ¡°Nor was it fair to kill a thousand to save one life.¡± I said emphatically. ¡°But you did it, even if not by your own hands. So the question is... what now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching.¡± She pointed at the TV. ¡°I saw your actions in Britain. It¡¯s easy for you. Your deeds saved lives. But even so, you killed, didn¡¯t you? Is there a difference?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There was a clear difference.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Aki killed warriors to save others. You killed civilians to save yourself.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been through the laws. I¡¯m sure you are sick of it.¡± I said to the contemplative Nie Ling. ¡°Legally there were few precedents in civilian law, but the government could apply the law against acts of foreign military aggression, which does carry the death penalty at maximum severity. But there are extenuating circumstances. I¡¯m not going to say your own life isn¡¯t worth anything. That¡¯s what makes this all such a damn mess.¡± I sighed. ¡°Look, London... those I fought, those who died... they were acting for their own selfish interests. They may have a worthy goal, to protect Earth against threats like the toad... but they went about it wrong. I was protecting others. You were protecting yourself, and worse... helping strengthen a monster who would ruin the world, kill untold numbers.¡±


    She had no answer to that, biting her lip and looking down. ¡°So, is... death the only way for me? It¡¯s just not right. If you are forced to confront someone stripped of free will, used like a puppet, would you kill them, without remorse, knowing their guilt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly the same. You still had a choice. It was a shitty choice, but you chose.¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°You can still give up your Favour, girl.¡± Tan said, eyeing her curiously. ¡°This one here is surprisingly skilled in the field of subtle bodies and Chirurgery. There will be pain, yes, but you are unlikely to die, or suffer injuries that cannot be healed. But to do so... it is a good deed, yes, but will it bring you peace?¡±


    ¡°I told you, don¡¯t make that cowardly, weak choice. Even if you are a weak coward, hold fast to what strength you do have.¡± Eri managed to tear her gaze away from me, face flushed. ¡°I don¡¯t care about justice either. I don¡¯t want Akio to do evil, but if it prevented him suffering... besides, this isn¡¯t about good or evil. I pity you, Nie Ling. I do. I¡¯m not selfless, I told you that before. So I do understand. But... everything has a price. This way... you can make amends. The dead won¡¯t ever come back, but the broken hearts of the living can heal. If their deaths had meaning, if they weren¡¯t just the acts of a coward, doing the bidding of a monster.¡±


    Tan translated, before Shaeula laughed. ¡°If their deaths had meaning. If your life-life has meaning.¡± she said to the prisoner. ¡°It is a simple, yet hard choice. You chose your life, and now you know-know you wish to live. But the pain, the guilt... it has not-not gone. It is merely buried inside. Make amends for that, else you will live burdened by grief. For you are not-not strong. Yet you have the potential to make others strong.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do any of this. I promise...¡± she whispered sadly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t driven my revenge or hatred. Just fear...¡±


    ¡°Then the choice is obvious.¡± I said, and she nodded.


    ¡°But... how can I even balance the scales? Whether I was wrong or not... my hands are still covered in blood.¡± She whimpered, looking down at them.


    ¡°You do the best you can.¡± I told her. ¡°Just as I have to take responsibility for what I¡¯ve done. Shiro too. And what we¡¯ll do in the future, down here in the mud and the shit. As long as we do as much good as we can, and minimise the evil, it¡¯ll have to do. We may have been given power by the gods, but we aren¡¯t gods ourselves...¡±


    Tan smiled at that but said nothing. We waited for Nie Ling to speak. Eventually she did so, eyes red with tears both shed and unshed. ¡°It¡¯s selfish, but I don¡¯t want to feel the guilt anymore. But... death, it¡¯s frightening. It was easy to lash out, blame others, say I¡¯d accept punishment. But I don¡¯t want that. I... if I could make amends, then... please, please tell me how!¡± she urged me, and I felt a trace of guilt about how our words had cornered her.


    It''s one of these small evils. I have to make sure that I don¡¯t become accustomed to manipulating people, just to suit myself. But in this case... it¡¯s necessary. ¡°Use your ability for saving others. Save many more than you led to their deaths, and those who remain behind can at least have that closure.¡±


    ¡°But can I? I¡¯m a prisoner...¡± she said, and the soldier accompanying us shrugged.


    ¡°If you know your history, after the War, many Japanese scientists were offered political asylum in America. This is no different. Considering some of my comrades, good soldiers all, died in your invasion, I can¡¯t say I like it...¡±


    As Tan translated, Nie Ling grew pale at his anger, but his final words relieved her.


    ¡°... but I am a soldier. We sometimes have to choose between the lesser of two evils as well, and a lesser evil is still evil. But I¡¯ll take an evil that could prevent further death and dying.¡±


    ¡°A political parole.¡± I said solemnly. ¡°But obviously conditional on a number of issues.¡± I had consulted with Motoko¡¯s grandfather, the Prime Minister, the head of the Ministry and more, a number of times. This is the best solution, but she has to show genuine remorse. Otherwise we¡¯d be best taking her Favour and allowing the law to run its course. Perhaps that would lead to a sympathetic jury siding with her and freedom, or perhaps not. ¡°You¡¯ll work under us, using your powers. In exchange, you¡¯ll have limited freedom.¡±


    ¡°I see. I...¡± she blinked, scrubbing away her tears. ¡°... I want to live at least until the monster that tormented me gets its just desserts. Only then can I ever apologise to those I¡¯ve hurt, killed...¡± she paused. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the Department for Managing of Divine Mysteries burn, and all those who oppressed me pay too...¡±


    ¡°You are quite-quite the vengeful female. But I understand.¡± Shaeula declared. ¡°Akio will be assuming responsibility for you. Any further problems you cause will be his-his to bear. So...¡±


    ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t cause trouble. I¡¯ll be as compliant as the mouse under the tiger¡¯s paw.¡± She promised. ¡°But... how will I live? I don¡¯t even speak Japanese. I¡¯m just a clerk who was cursed by the gods...¡±


    ¡°Obviously we¡¯ll cover your living expenses. They won¡¯t be luxurious. After all, this is penance, right? But we won¡¯t be cruel either. You can live comfortably.¡± I promised. ¡°But the Prime Minister requires some surety.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± She had turned meek now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°Compared to those of your allies who died or worse, you¡¯re getting off lightly. Because, contrary to what you think, we do sympathise with your tragic circumstances. So put your all into making amends, and when you have, then your life is your own again. That¡¯s your punishment, and also your redemption. You were unlucky, but all over the world, people suffer misfortune and have to deal with the unfairness of it regardless.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. So, what must I do?¡± she asked us, and I explained that first I would need her to agree to be my Vassal, and then Shaeula would use her befuddling winds, merely to ensure she did not flee, or use her abilities to harm others except in self-defence.


    ¡°.. and then I¡¯ll put you to work. Making the world a better place.¡± I promised her. Her power synergised incredibly well with Laverna¡¯s, during the invasion. Now it looks like Ginneka will finally take this adherence-sapping burden from me, having Nie Ling working together with her offers many opportunities. And ... I would never have made the decision to kill so many other innocent people to save myself, but she was right. To save those I loved... I pray I never end up where Nie Ling has. So, even though I can¡¯t condone her actions, I do have some forgiveness for her...


    The notification of having a new Vassal flared amber in my eye. There was no announcement of a Vassal Territory, because she currently didn¡¯t have one, but that was fine. For now I want to hold off on placing more Territories until both Tokyo and Kyoto are Rank 4. That won¡¯t be too long, thanks to the Tree. Then we can quickly set down a number of Territories where we need them and push them to Rank 3 with relative ease...


    As Shaeula worked her befuddling winds, Nie Ling pledging not to flee or harm others except in certain circumstances, the jade glow flickering behind me, I was asked by Shiro, now back in control, whether I was happy with this, Eri eagerly awaiting my answer.


    ¡°Happy? There¡¯s nothing to be happy about. If someone with the Divine Favour of Omoikane, kami of wisdom, is out there, I wish they¡¯d share some of that wisdom with me, so I can make the best choice. But all I can do is make the best choice for now. I think this balances punishment, mercy, restitution and also gives her a chance to address her own pain and guilt. It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s what we can do right now. The government is continuing to financially support those affected, and she can earn the money to repay that. And save other lives. She¡¯ll always have to live with her choice, but...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too soft-hearted, Aki.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Like I said, I made the same choice. I just never reached the point where I took innocent lives.¡±


    ¡°What about the other prisoners?¡± the JSDF Chosen asked.


    ¡°The Cultivators? They were the ones who didn¡¯t bloody their own hands and surrendered, in the main. They are still culpable, but probably less so than Nie Ling. Daiyu is busy right now, but she¡¯ll come and assess them, and any who are suitable, they can get the same deal.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not justice, but it¡¯s for the best. The needs of the many, the world, outweigh what she did. Though the families of the victims likely won¡¯t agree. But the true culprit is the golden-eyed devourer, she was right about that. And I¡¯ll see that the dead get that justice.¡± There were the few surviving Renyu as well, serving their penance on the shores of my Territory, constantly watched. Their families held hostage are likely already gone, they probably were before the Renyu ever reached Japan... ¡°No, there¡¯s no outcome here that isn¡¯t going to leave a foul taste in my mouth. But like I said earlier, when the situation is shit what can we do but get filthy?¡±


    ¡°Such a delightful metaphor.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°On form as always, Aki. So, what next?¡±


    ¡°Motoko¡¯s grandfather will sort out her parole details and the rest of her matters, seeing as she¡¯s a military prisoner. As for us...¡± I paused, before smiling broadly. ¡°... since the pieces are falling into place, it¡¯s time to put our newfound wealth and connections to good use...¡±

 Four Hundred And Two

    Four Hundred And Two


    ¡°Like this then?¡± My practice sword flashed, in a literal sense, as the metal glowed, light reflecting and amplified into a blinding flare of brilliance. Natsumi, who was facing off against me, watched by Motoko, Ulfuric and a number of others, narrowed her eyes, but in that brief moment of vulnerability, my mind churned, picking out moves. It¡¯s certainly more relaxing than dealing with Nie Ling. Sadly, I¡¯m doing both things at once, so... not overly helpful to my mental state!


    The optimal moves from the basics Ulfuric had hammered into me at great length instinctively presented themselves, but Natsumi was already preparing for such an attack, shielding the vulnerable areas I would be targeting. Tsumura Arts did favour smooth, swift attacks to vitals, but it was also far more crafty and cunning than basic martial arts, having a little in common with softer Chinese and west Asian styles. I doubt that is a coincidence. There was traffic between our countries for many centuries, it¡¯s only natural there¡¯d be some influence...


    ¡°You can do it, Natsumi!¡± Motoko called, encouraging her, as the world seemed to move in slow motion. My lips curled into a smile, and I wreathed my foot in a little wind energy. It was blunt, harmless, but it if was an actual fight... One of the Tsumura Arts unarmed combat moves, to unbalance an opponent, making them miss their parry... Natsumi let out a yelp as the wind discharged, my gentle kick throwing her way off balance, her desperate, half-blind parry going wide, and my blade touched her neck gently.


    ¡°I win.¡± I said, and as Natsumi blinked away her tears, she nodded, bowing to me, martial arts fashion, her smile broad and cheerful.


    ¡°Yes, you did, Akio. But I learned a lot.¡± Natsumi said, wiping her blinking, watery eyes, pupils expanding and contracting from the aftermath of the blinding glow. ¡°To think that you can use light element that way to blind me... but then, it is taught that we can use the reflection of the sun on bare metal as a mirror, creating a momentary opportunity...¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are stories in the family history of warriors winning duels in such a manner.¡± Motoko agreed, handing Natsumi a towel, helping her mop her silvery sweat. ¡°But having seen your moves, Akio...¡± she smiled happily. ¡°... I suspect it is merely an imitation of what you just did, a replacement, situational at best, for the lack of aether and elemental energies in the modern world.¡±


    ¡°It was a dirty trick.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°But a bit wasteful as well. It¡¯d certainly be easier to just blast me with a laser, right? I¡¯d be dead then...¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but... you¡¯re forgetting, we have modern knowledge.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Light is a very poor element for offensive actions, ordinarily, but everyone in the modern world knows what a laser is and how it functions, so we can actually turn light into one of the better options for attack. I doubt those living thousand or more years ago could visualise that.¡±


    ¡°It is efficient too.¡± Ulfuric rumbled. ¡°Strength is not infinite. This is a one-on-one duel, training, but what is the first rule of battle, as I have taught you?¡±


    ¡°In war, preserve resources, because opponents are many!¡± we all chorused.


    ¡°That is correct.¡± He approved. ¡°So do tell me, Natsumi. Did he not still defeat you with his attack, nearly as swiftly as if he used a powerful light element strike?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± She looked down at my foot, grinning. ¡°I won¡¯t even comment on that...¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s another reason too.¡± I said, while the negotiations with Nie Ling came to an end. The best outcome I could hope for. It would have left a vile taste in my mouth had she been put to death, even considering what she did, and from a pragmatic standpoint, we could definitely use her. But first... Yasaka-san, get ready, it¡¯s question time...


    ¡°Did something good happen?¡± Natsumi observed me keenly, as she was still close to me after our sparring. Her brown eyes peered into mine. ¡°You¡¯ve seemed tense, distracted.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve been distracted, I¡¯m in two places at once.¡± I joked. ¡°Seriously though, a thorny problem has been resolved. Not perfectly, if there is such a thing, but adequately.¡± I paused, before continuing my prior thought. ¡°Light is one of the elements easier to use on the Material, like water and wind, but even so, bigger effects require greater amounts of energy. But amplifying what is already there, giving it a little push... Tsumura Arts are all about warfare, and I think they subscribed to Ulfuric¡¯s rules.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is why I feel confident in training you all.¡± He agreed. ¡°There are areas I can see require refinement, but so long as you permit, we can make it whole again, and a worthy combat style.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Tsumura Arts are still my family arts, so long as we keep their purpose and core in our mind and hearts. I would be honoured for you to continue teaching us.¡± She bowed in the same way Natsumi did earlier.


    ¡°Sadly, that¡¯s all for today. All the sparring at least.¡± I cricked my neck, working out the kinks, as keeping my speed down to Natsumi¡¯s level, especially while having to manage the conversation in the Material with its very different flow of time, was exhausting, but excellent training in itself. ¡°Today¡¯s the day we head to Kyoto and get some levelling in. Besides, I want a source of fire element under our control.¡±


    ¡°Nya, not bad, not bad!¡± Ginneka ran out, followed by Hyacinth, who looked in a foul mood, exasperated, and Asha, who was smiling gently. ¡°I have brought you all some drinks, nya!¡± She offered us a jug of Asha¡¯s fruity wine, and I gratefully took a swig, before offering it to Natsumi. She gulped from the same receptacle without shame, and seeing my gaze, grinned.


    ¡°A bit late to worry about indirect kissing now, Akio. We¡¯ve done a whole lot of real kissing, and more besides.¡±


    ¡°Nya, so envious! It¡¯s been too long since I had a strong, virile man to...¡± she cried out as Hyacinth clapped her on the head.


    ¡°Enooough, annoying cat! Stop bothering Akio!¡± She turned to me apologetically. ¡°Sooorry, I will watch her more carefully. You dooo what you need to do.¡± She seized Ginneka by the tail and hauled the scowling cat off. Ginneka vanished her tail, only to yelp as her ear was then grabbed and twisted, Hyacinth outmatching her in terms of stats significantly since their last encounter.


    ¡°She¡¯s certainly... special.¡± Natsumi observed.


    ¡°Yes, and ordinarily I¡¯d just wave her on her way, her debt paid off enough by saving Eri, but now we need her.¡± And if my suspicions are correct about what we can do with a combination of Laverna¡¯s and the Duke of Dreams¡¯ Favours, then...


    ¡°I think you don¡¯t want to see her left out.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pragmatic. Honestly.¡± I assured her. ¡°Anyway, to change the subject, are you two ready? This should be a relatively safe way for the two of you to top up your levels, since the coast has been relatively calm recently, and you both have a lot of room in your level caps.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to putting what we have learned into practice.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°And... since we have learned wind element, flame should be next, since the synergy is excellent.¡±


    ¡°Already thinking of your next powerup, I see. First we need to pick up Haru-san, Daiyu and Kana, since they are accompanying us.¡± As we tidied ourselves up after sparring and finished the drink Ginneka had brought us, we headed back to the Earth Altar, where Kana, Hinata and the trainees were gathered, learning as usual. The new group of nobility was here as well, groups of soldiers too, being coached by members of the Black Wolf Company. On seeing us, Hinata rushed over.


    ¡°Akio, Motoko, Natsumi, how was it?¡± she asked, and I answered for us.


    ¡°Productive.¡± I explained a little about what we had done. ¡°Oh, and by the way, I¡¯m just about to meet with a number of contractors and architects. They didn¡¯t particularly enjoy being roused so late after office hours, but with the money we are going to be spending...¡± I began, and Hinata¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I have to be there for that. I can¡¯t believe you left me out!¡± she pouted fiercely.


    ¡°Master of Kyoto, greetings. I, humble Prince Sho?toku, do offer you my deepest respect.¡± His gaze strayed above me. ¡°I trust that honourable Tsukiko-sama sleeps well in your care. I hope she is finally having pleasant dreams, free from the travails of Tsukuyomi¡¯s work?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, she sleeps well. Though I have it on good authority she wakes sometimes, at least a little. One day soon... she¡¯ll be able to see you and her shrine again.¡± And I¡¯ll have a spot on the upgraded Throne saved for her, so even the Material will be hers once more.


    ¡°I see. I pray humbly to the gods for such a day to come quickly.¡± He bowed once more. ¡°Now, to the task at hand. I believe you plan a pilgrimage to Mount Atago, to bring it under your allegiance?¡± he addressed Haru-san and me, and we both agreed. ¡°I see.¡± He continued. ¡°Such is not easy, Mount Atago burns with sacred flames, and the dwellers there have no love for the kami of Kyoto, nor the Night Parade that stalks the night.¡±


    ¡°Even so, the Tengu that are said to dwell there, they won¡¯t be so bold as to attack us out of hand, with you leading us?¡± I asked, and the Prince looked a little wary.


    ¡°They should not. Taro?bo?, he still dwells there to this day, and his Tengu practise the arts of Onmyo?ji, fuelled by long history and the flames of the mountain. They are hardly likely to welcome your intervention though, less still your rulership. And they are not all that dwell there.¡± Prince Sho?toku warned. ¡°The surrounding hills and mountains are home to many creatures who are hostile to all others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why everyone is here.¡± I grinned. Daiyu was looking eager to get started on testing her newfound strength, while Kana met my eyes, a little nervous, but her smile was warm. ¡°You¡¯ll look after me, right Akio?¡± she said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Of course. But Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Favour should have decent application in battle. And getting a few levels might help you strengthen your Eyes of the Shrine Maiden enough to make them useful for the dream you want to pursue. But before we go...¡± I looked at Yasaka-san, smiling, and he groaned.


    ¡°Fine. Fine. I get it. Ask away...¡±


    Don¡¯t mind if I do...


    ********


    ¡°So yes, the butterfly dream is an accurate summation.¡± Yasaka-san read from the book that had materialised in his hands. ¡°A dream is real, but what is a dream? Are those that Zho?u Go?ng ushers into a blissful dream dreaming of a butterfly, or are they merely butterflies, dreaming they are themselves? All are dreams that the Duke of Dreams can grant.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. Otherwise the ability seems unbalanced, compared to the similar one that Laverna granted.¡± I said, satisfied. ¡°Dreaming of butterflies is good luck, right?¡±


    ¡°Success, transformation, new beginnings and hope...¡± Yasaka-san read out, and I snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Sorry, that question was rhetorical. Anyway, next question, is it safe for spiritual beings to be forced to dream of the Material world by such a Favour, and how long could they remain, and can it be lengthened...¡±


    It¡¯s surreal, right now I¡¯m also with Hinata, talking shop with some burly, rough-hewn men, as well as some lean, wiry accountants. Odd how they all seem to look like their professions would have you believe. Must be a coincidence...


    I asked a number of further questions, gaining valuable insights in what Nie Ling would be able to achieve, and I used that to steer the conversation I was having in the Material, which was a feat, considering it was running a number of times slower. When Yasaka-san answered my last question, he mopped his brow, and slumped down, exhausted.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. Those questions actually weren¡¯t that bad.¡± He said, amazed. ¡°Now if only the upcoming battles will be as easy...¡± he looked at me, a small smile on his face. ¡°Saionji-sama talks of you often, you know. He¡¯s a little sore that Suzuki-san here has control of the majority of Kyoto, other than the areas taken by the Chosen of the faith...¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± I said, and Yasaka-san nodded.


    ¡°He knows that. And it isn¡¯t all bad. Since he has the political influence he wanted, and you are helping elevate the importance of Japan¡¯s kami, he¡¯s rather happy with his situation. It would be difficult for him to be away from his Territory, working in Tokyo, without Suzuki-san¡¯s Territory offering protection. Besides, he and the others, they may not be able to expand freely, but they are able to focus on their economy.¡±


    I see. Just like Shuta Kikuchi-san. He¡¯s boxed in by me, but that means he has no worries about invasion or hostile actions...


    ¡°Once Haru-san¡¯s Territory expands still further at Rank four, I expect there¡¯ll be a number of areas we won¡¯t be able to exploit ourselves. There¡¯s still room for other allied Chosen to take such places and build up there, for a modest tithe.¡± I promised. ¡°But for now...¡±


    ¡°Twelve kilometres from the Anchor.¡± Haru-san confirmed. ¡°Mount Atago falls just within that range.¡±


    ¡°In that case, are we all ready?¡± I asked, and as everyone nodded, Motoko and Natsumi with weapons in hand, Daiyu eager, Haru-san giving her orders to Chen Na, Prince Sho?toku gathering all his regal majesty, and Yasaka-san with a face filled with nervousness, I signalled the start of our operation. As I did so, Kana spoke to Yasaka-san, her tone wheedling. Now there¡¯s a voice I haven¡¯t heard in a while. It reminds me of when we first met her. Although at least she¡¯s not doing those flirty gestures or showing off her body...


    As if reading my thoughts, Kana winked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that now, I have a boyfriend. You¡¯d hate it if I started getting all close with older men while you watched, right?¡± she giggled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that old men should always do favours for cute younger girls, even if they won¡¯t get anything out of it, right Yasaka-san?¡± she turned her smile on him and he sighed.


    ¡°Out with it, what do you want?¡± he asked, and Kana thanked him.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a good guy, I¡¯ll be sure to tell Akio how helpful you¡¯ve been!¡± she said, and he sighed again, louder than before.


    ¡°He¡¯s right there. Come on, I¡¯m not interested in young girls, and besides, your boyfriend would leave me for dead in the mountains if I... oh, just forget it.¡± he said at last, not used to the teasing.


    ¡°I just have a few questions, since you helped out Akio, I thought you could give me some insight as well. So, I can liquefy the ground, you see, but I was thinking, is it possible to make it...?¡±


    As Kana asked a number of questions, Yasaka-san answering them as best as his ability would allow, I held in a smile.


    ¡°We are all eager to grow stronger, in our own ways.¡± Daiyu said in her crude Japanese, and Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Indeed we are. But more than that, is this not the sort of date every warrior dreams of, Natsumi?¡±


    ¡°It sure is, Motoko, it sure is.¡± She giggled, and I rolled my eyes, but was rather amused myself. There really are a number of girls who would be thrilled at this sort of time spent together. Are we all just strange, or... shaking my head, deciding I would definitely take the girls out on a normal city date, karaoke, a nice meal, an aquarium or something similar, I looked up at the distant mountain, and my vision sharpened as I drew in aether, seeing a faint, yellowish haze burning on top of the tall peak. Mount Atago... best we secure it, before someone else does...

 Four Hundred And Three

    Four Hundred And Three


    ¡°So, just why are you here?¡± I said to our recent visitor, who had hurried over to Kyoto, meeting us just before we set off through the bamboo forests and foothills towards mount Atago.


    ¡°Things are quiet at the Spring now.¡± Bellaera, the blue-haired and long-legged elf smiled at me. ¡°And I heard you were going out on an expedition. I am still a Way-Warden, and my specialties lean into this sort of thing.¡± She laughed prettily, one hand held over her mouth in a flirty manner. ¡°Besides, great-grandfather is curious as to how our progress is going. Elves like to take our time, time is what we have in abundance, but mortals burn so brightly, move so quickly. Although...¡± she giggled again. ¡°... you are hardly mortal now. Many tales of union between the Fae and mortals exist, and most end in sadness, as unless you are one like the Scotsman, gifted long life, like an ephemeral butterfly the mortal withers and dies, while the Fae remains young and beautiful.¡± She sighed. ¡°Many come seeking the Fae for the secrets to a greater lifespan. But it is not ours to give without care. Not ours...¡± she frowned momentarily, before shaking her head, her beautiful face cracking a sly smile. ¡°Enough of such sad tales. I am simply here to spend some time with you, Akio. What harm is there in it? I am here to help you, and if I appeal to you as well at the same time, all the better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in arranged marriages anymore, Bell.¡± I reminded her. ¡°I¡¯ve already had my quota of three.¡±


    Natsumi giggled at that, Motoko smiling gently.


    ¡°That is fine.¡± She stretched, showing off her graceful body and long limbs, her leather and cloth armour not hiding her bodyline. ¡°Nobody is forcing you. We would hardly dare.¡± She winked. ¡°But... it would be nice if you were to appreciate me more. Tear is sad she was unable to come but...¡± she smiled again cheerfully. ¡°... she lost our game of rock-paper-scissors. Quite an interesting mortal way of settling disputes. And Moira was not interested, of course. She is such a stoic. She will never find happiness that way...¡±


    ¡°I see. Prince Aethelathrion doesn¡¯t have to worry. He doesn¡¯t need marital ties to me to have me support the Fae¡¯s interests.¡± I sighed. ¡°But you can come. It¡¯s a simple trek to mount Atago. If we¡¯re attacked on route while claiming Territory, then we¡¯ll fight back for the experience, but hopefully we can annex the mountain peacefully.¡± My thoughts went back to Nie Ling. Right now, I was with Hinata, discussing our plans for the factory and also the construction under our new home, which I still hadn¡¯t seen. Nie Ling could well be instrumental in making it go smoothly. I still feel guilty at pushing her towards the resolution I wanted, but... I¡¯m not heartless. Setting aside justice and what was right and what was wrong, this way I can make sure that the victims get what solace they can, while Nie Ling can one day feel she¡¯s lived worthy of the sacrifices she forced others to make for her. If I can¡¯t find a perfect solution, then I just have to do the best I can, while also looking towards the future. Fucking toad bastard, I¡¯ll drag you out of hiding and end you, I swear it...


    ¡°I do not think you understand.¡± Motoko pointed out. ¡°As nobility, we realise the merits of political marriages. Yes, it is often to tie allies together, bring families into the same orbit. After all, blood ties are the strongest bond. But it is also a matter of respect, as offering marriage between families is the greatest indication that both sides see each other as worthy allies and people on the same level.¡±


    ¡°That is absolutely right.¡± Bell agreed. ¡°Great-grandfather wants to be closer to the once-mortal who inspired the selfish weasel princess to become a shining moon of the Seelie Court, brought Duke Formor into the Royalist fold, and more. Besides, unlike Moira...¡± her smile was wicked, looking strange on her perfect features. ¡°... I am hardly opposed to finding a partner to share my life with. Tear and I, we are bored, and still young for elves. Yes, we have suitors, and some of them, I have considered, but that is hardly exciting. No, the world of the Fae is as unchanging as our moon, except for times of desperate, brutal struggle such as when the Unseelie start another war. But in the last few moons, so much has been different. And as a Way-Warden, seeing our enemies fall...¡± she giggled cheerfully, her smile still teasing. ¡°...it has captured my heart!¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    I see. So she¡¯s interested in me, not just because the Prince asked her to be? There was still a part of me who found that hard to believe, a little voice of my past insecurities that said there was no way a gorgeous girl could be looking at me that way, but now it was mostly buried by experience, and the new confidence my exploits had brought me. ¡°I see. There¡¯s no reason for you not to come along. I guess I¡¯ll give you the chance to impress me.¡±


    ¡°That is great.¡± she said happily. ¡°I will show you that Bellaera is not just a beautiful, eligible, perfect elf!¡±


    ¡°Modest too...¡± Yasaka-san said, letting out a very pointed and audible sigh. ¡°Look, can we stop the romantic comedy and get on with this? I¡¯m not looking forward to this at all...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Haru-san agreed. ¡°Mount Atago... it could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°The Tengu are fierce.¡± Prince Sho?toku agreed. ¡°But Taro?bo?, while belligerent, is not unreasonable. Though winning him over would likely require significant force, or other dominant means.¡±


    ¡°The important matter is to secure access to the flame element.¡± Motoko pointed out. ¡°I am eager for battle, I admit, but part of Tsumura Arts is acting with honour, not using strength against the undeserving. I hope we find worthy opponents to fight, but so long as we achieve our goals...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed, and Motoko smiled at my praise. ¡°It¡¯s like the Night Parade. If we have to fight we will, and we¡¯ll win, but a relationship of mutual benefit brings in more of what we need.¡± Besides, the whole mess with Nie Ling makes me think about my own actions... my only solace is that it isn¡¯t just me who has to deal with such painful, murky decisions. Poor Eleanor... ¡°But it won¡¯t be as bad as you imagine, Yasaka-san. We¡¯re acting under the greatest safety margin we can. We¡¯ll be expanding Haru-san¡¯s Territory as we go, and have Chen Na¡¯s defensive barriers.


    Chen Na nodded. ¡°I will do my best, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± he said, and Kana chimed in.


    ¡°Can we go? Maybe it¡¯s a little amusing seeing you get hit on, Akio, knowing how much it¡¯ll irritate Eri...¡± her smile made it clear she was joking, the relationship between the two girls was definitely improving recently. ¡°... but we¡¯re all impatient. And seeing how you fight up close is going to make our hearts race, right?¡± she smiled at Natsumi, Motoko and Daiyu.


    ¡°My Dao Companion must be strong.¡± Daiyu agreed, Chen Na translating the difficult words for her. ¡°Not that I have any doubts. I have fought beside him before. But now... I am not such a hindrance as I was then.¡± She had her bells with her, but she was planning on relying on her own power, seeing what she could do with her better Qi Refining and Foundation.


    ¡°Right. We should make a move.¡± I agreed. I looked over my party, before glancing back at the distant mountain, the path to it blocked by nearly two kilometres of dense forest and small foothills. ¡°It¡¯s certainly more impressive here than the Material.¡± I observed. Mount Atago was towering twice as high, and the bamboo thickets had been replaced by a tangled thorny jungle, while the low hills were now quite tall, some small peaks in their own right. ¡°But it¡¯s not anything we can¡¯t handle. So... let¡¯s go...¡±


    ********


    ¡°More birds are coming from the south!¡± Haru-san warned us. The great black birds with their vibrating feathers and wind elemental attacks were fiercely territorial, and still launched attacks on Haru-san¡¯s Territory in Kyoto from time to time, even if the barrier was more than enough to force them to flee in defeat. A brilliant bolt of light flared from her, the beam of indigo energy striking the lead bird in the head, sending it tumbling into the thorny trees below, shattering branches and trunks into sharp splinters.


    ¡°This is quite fun. Do you do this all the time?¡± Bell asked. She was using a longbow, looking very elvish, at least more like what one would expect an elf to be from the stories. One arrow took a bird in the wing joint, and it too tumbled, impaled on shattered trunks, blood and ether scattering.


    ¡°Fun, huh?¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s more necessary than fun. Although...¡± the main resistance we had encountered so far was a seemingly endless swarm of insects, being controlled by a mob of small, goblin-like Yo?kai, only their skins were bright blue. We were being subjected to a constant barrage of arrows from them, the heads smeared with shit and other foul fluids, including from above, where they were riding giant versions of Japanese wasps, while others with long spears were mounted on horse-sized spiders and even larger centipedes in virulent blue, pink and orange shades, like some psychedelic nightmare.


    This really isn¡¯t a treat for the girls. Hell, it isn¡¯t for me, I¡¯m no fan of insects... ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better to fight enemies you can loathe, rather than sympathise with...¡± Prince Sho?toku had of course tried to mediate our passage, but apparently these vile little goblinoids were foreign spiritual beings, not true Yo?kai, and were extremely belligerent and cruel, often hunting and killing any other beings for sport.


    ¡°I hate this, hate this, hate this!¡± Kana was chanting to herself, her expression one of disgust and fear, a perfectly normal reaction for a girl her age, I thought. That wasn¡¯t stopping her fighting though, and a ruby light surged around her, the ground churning like liquid. A dozen spiders and centipedes began to sink, thrashing and howling, but then Kana raised her hand, and the mud exploded outwards, ropey strands like tentacles whipping out and snaring them, pulling them into the mud, where the earth solidified, ether showering out like a geyser.


    ¡°You may hate it, but you are performing well.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi agreed. They were both using bows, as that was part of the Tsumura Arts, and were being rather competitive with Bell, who while she wasn¡¯t an archer in the class of Shaeraggo, was still well beyond ordinary human skill.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m jealous.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°You must be growing stronger a lot. We can only...¡± she used a little of her fairly meagre wind energy to accelerate the arrow she had just launched, watching it punch into the head of a hornet, the rider tumbling off it to land broken at her feet. ¡°... do a little. That one is for you, Yasaka-san.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so thankful.¡± He complained, but stepped forward, surrounded by a shimmering bubble of force from Chen Na. It flickered for a moment, and the heavy cudgel he carried smashed the head of the creature. ¡°This is slow going...¡±


    ¡°How can you be so cold to me?¡± Bell giggled, twining her blue locks around her fingers, trying to look hurt, but her smile destroyed the image. ¡°After all, we are promised to each other, and out on a delightful forest date, just like elves enjoy.¡± She looked around at the carnage, bare churned earth, felled trees and shattered rocks strewn all around us.


    ¡°Oh yes. Delightful.¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°And the natives are so welcoming. Besides, I don¡¯t remember any promise.¡±


    ¡°You can hardly blame me for trying.¡± Bell chuckled, and she was quite easy to be around, I admitted to myself. ¡°Oh well...¡± she turned to Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°You two pay attention to me at least. Next, we¡¯ll move to the spear. I¡¯m not bad with that either.¡± She puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°We eagerly await your instruction!¡± they chorused, bowing, and as Bell finished her wine, she grinned.


    ¡°All right then. You know, if you were Fae, you would both have a bright future as Way-Wardens...¡±


    As they talked, I turned to Daiyu, who was thinking, replaying her battles in her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt...¡± I began, and she turned to me, a slight smile on her face, which for her was the same as a happy grin.


    ¡°You are never an interruption.¡± She promised me. ¡°Please go on.¡±


    ¡°I was just impressed by your use of water element. It isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve thought of. All my elemental attacks are disposable. Teach me how it works?¡±


    Her eyes widened a little, and her cheeks went faintly pink. ¡°Of course, I should be more than happy to. After all, Dao Companions should learn together, just as they... do other things together.¡± Her blush deepened.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± I smiled at her embarrassment. ¡°In that case...¡± I lifted up her shirt a little and placed my hand on her belly. ¡°... I should be able to give you some of my water element, since I generate a lot more, to keep you topped up...¡±


    As I flirted with Daiyu, I heard Haru-san and Prince Sho?toku talking. ¡°He¡¯s always like this.¡± Haru-san was saying. ¡°I... I don¡¯t mind it. I need to get used to normal human interactions again, between men and women. But it¡¯s hard sometimes...¡±


    ¡°You have suffered greatly, I hear.¡± The Prince said courteously. ¡°I can see you are an Onryo, yet your lack of grudge and hatred is most exemplary. I believe you could pass on, if you wish to. Though now is perhaps not the right time...¡±


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± she shook her head. ¡°I have my life to live that the vile man stole from me. Well, not live...¡± she snorted. ¡°Ghosts aren¡¯t alive. But... enjoy, certainly. That way I know I won in the end. If there is an afterlife other than this, I hope that bastard can look up from whatever Hell he is rotting in and see me content...¡±


    ¡°I too wish it so.¡± He said piously. ¡°But such grim topics aside... everyone seems quite relaxed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because Akio-san is here. He¡¯s right, our margin of safety is very secure.¡± Haru-san said. ¡°Already this place is under my control. We have Na-san for her barriers, and Akio-san can easily cover us for a retreat and heal us if the worst happens. No, we are already halfway to the base of mount Atago. I don¡¯t anticipate any problems until we reach it... other than his painful flirting. Matsumuro-san is going to have to get used to it too...¡±


    ¡°I pray Tsukiko-sama can gather what scraps of mortal happiness she can. But even though she has passed on her burden, Tsukuyomi still watches over her, even in her deathly sleep, I am sure. Her destiny has not ended, it seems.¡±


    Hearing that, I nodded. Yes, she was the Diviner long before she received Tsukuyomi¡¯s Divine Favour. And she¡¯ll be the Diviner still after losing it. But so long as she also has time to be just Tsukiko-san, that¡¯s fine too...


    ********


    ¡°Brace!¡± Bell cried, and Natsumi and Motoko used wind element to hold themselves in position, their spears thrust up, the heads also wrapped in green energy. The giant snake, easily as long as a train, and actually as wide, hissed as its own bodyweight drove the spears in deeply, green scales scattering.


    I¡¯ll collect those, might be useful... using a little aether I grabbed the fallen scales, as Motoko and Natsumi darted backwards, drawing swords.


    ¡°Nice work.¡± An arrow from Bell pierced one massive eye and the snake reared up, screaming shrilly. Daiyu darted in from the flank, her water claws cutting through scale and flesh with equal ease. Once a bloody gap was open, ruby and silver liquid scattering, she switched back to her old technique, and with her palms, injected a surge of Qi to inflict damage within, only now she could marshal a number of times more energy, with greater purity. Blood exploded out of the wound, the snake shuddering, and Haru-san took out the other eye.


    ¡°How vexing.¡± Daiyu said, covered in blood. She created a little ordinary water and washed off the worst, while Kana began to churn the ground, the blinded snake sinking in, thrashing in vain. As it became stuck, Motoko and Natsumi, their wind energy topped up by my reserves, raced in again, and though their strength was not sufficient to pierce scales unaided, with the chainsaw-like winds wreathing the swords they had soon cut deep, brutal gouges into the snake, and as its struggles started to fade, I mercy-killed it with a bolt to the brain, and it burst into a rainbow of aether, leaving a number more scales behind.


    ¡°Good job everyone. The extra levels are really starting to make a difference.¡± I praised. ¡°And to you too, Bell. You have a way with teaching. I can see their improvement.¡±


    Motoko and Natsumi looked happy, and so did Bell, who smiled. ¡°Of course. I am a skilled Way-Warden, who has both received and given much advice. I am happy for your praise. My coming along was not an inconvenience then?¡±


    She certainly knows what to say. When she looks at me like that, there¡¯s no way I can say she was. Though being fair to her, she¡¯s been a help... ¡°No, I¡¯ve been glad to have you.¡± I gathered the remaining scales, as extra crafting materials never hurt. ¡°So, Haru-san. All good?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, we have clear control to the grove at the foot of the mountain. It hasn¡¯t been too bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but the difficulty starts now. I don¡¯t want a war with the Tengu, so we should proceed carefully. We don¡¯t attack first, so Chen Na, be ready to use barriers. Once we are protected we can easily talk.¡±


    The woman nodded, and we set off, covering the last few hundred metres of forest, this more primeval and thicker than the thorny bamboo we had passed through to get here. The forest was silent, even for the Boundary. Too silent. The yellow blaze of mount Atago overhead was lighting up the forest, flickering fitfully... No, that¡¯s not right... ¡°Chen Na, barriers on everyone but me!¡± I called, and as she responded, my Eye flared, seeing the flickering lights not as reflections of the mountain above, but as...


    Tormented Ever-Burning Spirits Of The Cursed [Elemental Spirit]


    My Eye could clearly see them now, rising out of the ground, the foliage around them bursting into yellow and red flames. There were dozens, no hundreds of them, a mix of human, Yo?kai, goblinoid and stranger creatures, animals too, all pale figures made from mist and blazing flames, their eyes dark red and black pits of rage and sorrow. ¡°Nothing is ever easy!¡± I cursed, water bullets forming around me and firing off like a great cannonade...

 Four Hundred And Four

    Four Hundred And Four


    The volley of water droplets tore into the packed ranks of the fiery spirits. Steam hissed, acrid and toxic, before the powerful Spirit Water counteracted the taint and the struck creatures melted, flames dimming and the ethereal bodies within boiling away. As they did so, for a moment the fragmented wisps of ether formed a faint silhouette of the beings within the flames, and from the more humanoid ones I got a fleeting sense of gratitude, some faint fragmented thoughts. I see. I remember Shaeula running into some enemies like these when she was in Kyoto, and it was from them she found out about mount Atago and the flame element there in the first place...


    Even as I was considering this I attacked without pause, the barrage of water bullets a staccato burst like a number of machine guns, tearing through the ranks. I was not alone, Haru¡¯s bolts of light also striking home, though the effect wasn¡¯t as she hoped. This is where my sis would be handy with her sunlight element, or even Ren-san...


    ¡°Stay calm, during battle, a cool head and precise thinking is required.¡± Bell was saying to Motoko and Natsumi. As the ground around the burning wraiths blackened and shrivelled, she nocked an arrow. ¡°At a distance, we have the advantage. A true warrior, a Way-Warden, leverages every gain they can get. After all, if we fall, then the Seelie Court is in danger.¡± Her arrow flew out, but the large bear-like flame she struck merely shrugged it off. Motoko and Natsumi followed suit, but as their wind arrows made contact, it only scattered droplets of burning yellow and sooty red, before the pierced foes increased in size.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use air! It feeds flame.¡± I said urgently. ¡°They aren¡¯t corporeal, so they are a pain to fight. Luckily, Spirit Water is effective...¡±


    On hearing that, Daiyu gave me a slight smile. ¡°I see. Then I shall be the vanguard. I need to show my improvement, to the master of all.¡± She leapt forwards, her dark hair streaming behind her, and her water claws sliced apart a wolf-flame, before cutting down several small child-like creatures.


    ¡°You heard that, huh? Now I feel a bit embarrassed.¡± Setting that aside, I took stock of the situation, never letting up on my barrage of water bullets. Though my supply is hardly inexhaustible. Fortunately each only needs the barest trickle of Spirit Water to be effective... With most of my Split Thoughts concentrated here in the Boundary, since my negotiations in the Material didn¡¯t require extra processing power, I was able to maintain my effectiveness. ¡°If these were more of those blue-skinned little shits this would be easy. Then, spirits have always given us trouble...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s prejudice.¡± Haru-san said, sniffing, and I turned my head, surprised, only to see a small smile bloom on her face after a moment. Realising she was teasing me, I sighed, and she laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, Akio-san. As a ghost, I¡¯m allowed to be mean to other ghosts, but you can¡¯t. Dead woman privilege!¡± she unleashed more light beams, her focus narrowing, and this time the struck creature of flame disintegrated. ¡°I thought so.¡± She muttered. ¡°Light is dangerous to those like me. It just needs the proper adjustments...¡± her face screwed up momentarily, her expression grim. ¡°They sure are noisy though. A constant babble of thoughts and emotions. Most of them hateful and vile. But... we should lay them to rest. It would be simple mercy.¡±


    ¡°I thought the bugs were bad... I hate this more!¡± Kana cried, but she was still thinking of how to act, despite her face being deathly pale. ¡°My vision... they burn with a rainbow of abnormality, but the colours are all dark and tainted, like they are covered in muck. It¡¯s nauseating. Stay away!¡± The ground began to draw in the spirits, liquefied earth and rock sucking them down. Unfortunately it was a stopgap at best, as they began to ignite the flowing mud, and foul steam was rising.


    ¡°Many thanks to you.¡± Daiyu called, taking advantage of the brief moment where the spirits were helpless. Her clothing was starting to smoke and burn, her skin likewise blackening before healing instantly, dead flakes peeing off to reveal pink skin underneath, before that too started to burn. She winced, her eyes narrowing, before the water-element claws disintegrated, forming up again into a long, thin blade. With her extra reach she slashed apart numerous foes, scattering them into ether.


    ¡°She¡¯s certainly a natural genius.¡± I muttered, continuing to barrage our enemies. Turning to Motoko, Natsumi and Bell, I had an idea. ¡°Give me your arrows.¡±


    Wordlessly, they handed over their quivers, and I conjured water element, dousing the arrowheads in the purifying liquid. ¡°This should make you effective. I¡¯d do your swords too, but getting close to them isn¡¯t something I¡¯d recommend...¡±


    Motoko nodded at that, seeing the constant trickle of damage Daiyu was taking from proximity alone. ¡°Yes, we should choose the most appropriate actions, as Bellaera has indicated.¡± She paused for a moment, before chiding me gently, something she rarely did. ¡°And you should not merely label Daiyu a genius. That dismisses the hard work she has put in her whole life, since she was a child. I respect her deeply as a senior in the combat arts.¡±


    As Kana burst out laughing, her disgust momentarily forgotten, I shrugged. ¡°You certainly told me there. I get it. She¡¯s definitely a hard worker. But... hard workers can be geniuses too. She¡¯s the best of both worlds. Now...¡± I turned to Kana. ¡°... your turn.¡± I created a large ball of water with one hand while my other continued to fire into the crowd of blazing spirits. ¡°I¡¯ll infuse this into your mud...¡±


    ¡°I get it...¡± Kana said, while behind us, Bell and the two girls were lining up their next arrows.


    ¡°Remember, the arrowhead is wet and has extra weight, so that needs to be taken into account...¡± Bell¡¯s arrow leapt free, and this time the perfectly placed shot to the head of a blazing beast felled it, the Spirit Water burning like purifying acid. Natsumi pumped her fist as her own arrow took down a blazing wolf, while Motoko smiled elegantly, reaching for another soaked arrow as her own shaft stuck deep.


    ¡°Here we go then...¡± Kana said, the now sodden mud turning into a sea of sharp spikes, rushing into the mob, breaking them apart.


    ¡°I¡¯m not cut out for this...¡± Yasaka-san said, addressing Prince Sho?toku, who was watching the raging battle calmly. The numbers of our enemy were significant, and more were coming out of the trees and down from mount Atago, but overall we were making steady inroads. ¡°... though it is a bit shameful letting a bunch of young girls fight for me.¡±


    ¡°Women are just as capable as men.¡± The Prince replied. ¡°Tsukiko-sama is proof of that. And many kami and powerful Yo?kai are female.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep our male dignity intact.¡± I laughed. Haru-san shook her head at that, more light pouring down, like a luminous rain, destroying a swathe of the attacking creatures.


    ¡°The only problem is, I¡¯m burning water element keeping everyone else fighting...¡± I continued. I could probably unleash one huge attack and clear the area, but that would give the majority of the gains to me. While the danger is manageable it¡¯s better to let everyone else shine... Drawing Storming Moonlight, I drenched the blade, but that didn¡¯t seem to be enough. I have an idea... using aether I chilled the metal, until the Spirit Water froze, forming a layer of ice, shimmering white, blue, pink and orange on the metal. ¡°Daiyu, I¡¯m coming to support you!¡± I called to her, and she gestured with her free hand, not looking away from her blazing opponent, steps graceful as she darted in, dispatching it with a slash of her slowly evaporating water blade.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I declared, my opponent some sort of blazing mountain lion, which leapt at me, eyes burning black pits of anguish and hatred. ¡°Go to your rest!¡± My steps were the footwork of Tsumura Arts, and keeping my balance perfect, while my body was in a position to effortlessly shift in any direction, I pivoted, the icy sword pierced the head of the lion, and it fell in two halves, the ice disintegrating it. For a moment the black flames in the eyes died down, and I thought I could see gratitude, before it was gone, ether scattering.


    More flaming humanoids rushed at me, and I quickly began to hack them down, my speed a number of times greater than my opponents. The enemy ranks were thinning more and more under mine and Daiyu¡¯s attacks, while arrows from the girls were taking out a number more. Kana was using her soaked mud to prowl the perimeter, sucking in groups of incoming enemies and rendering them helpless as they melted away, and Haru-san, perhaps sympathising with the tormented spirts, was putting out great efforts, surrounded by a shimmering halo of indigo and gold, looking almost as if she was Kannon herself, brilliant rains of light falling over the area, purging the flaming enemies.


    ¡°At least it¡¯s good to have no moral dilemmas here.¡± I said, losing myself in the flow of battle. A burning wolf leapt at me, but I spun effortlessly, blade arching down, hacking it apart. I then charged, and three humanoid flame-beasts perished, steam rising, and while I wasn¡¯t Haru-san and didn¡¯t have her gifts I was sure that I could feel their joy at being released. ¡°This battle is definitely a just one. We put them to rest and gain some experience and ether for doing so.¡± If only everything was so clear-cut...


    As the fighting continued, we quickly gained the upper hand. I extended my senses with aether, the strain harder to due the two sensory streams running in different temporal channels, and noticed that the creatures were still congregating to attack us, coming out of cracks in the mountain, albeit at a far slower rate that previously.


    ¡°Keep going. We¡¯ve got this!¡± I promised, and as we continued to cut down the burning, cursed spirits, Daiyu turned to me, eyes wide, shouting for us to retreat. At the same moment I noticed what she had, and called out urgently ¡°Chen Na, barriers around us all. Now!¡±


    As the woman, who had been stood waiting dully while we fought, urgently called on her barriers, a dome springing up, covering us all, trapping a few fiery spirits inside with us, which we quickly moved to dispatch, the skies above, their usual silvery un-light overshadowed by the burning of the flames on mount Atago, were blotted out, and a hissing sound filled the air. The barrier trembled, dull impacts bouncing off as arrows made from some black stone, perhaps obsidian, scattered against it, trails of orange energies like miniature comets left behind, only to fade. Other arrows fell into the remaining damned spirits outside the energy shield, which started to break apart, performing much as our Spirit Water and light attacks had done.


    ¡°You see them?¡± Daiyu said as she dispatched the last of the burning creatures. ¡°My Qi sensing picked them up. From above.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, as everyone crowded around us, looking nervous. ¡°I don¡¯t normally extend my vision upwards, but since we are by a mountain I did so. Guess that¡¯s an oversight I¡¯ll have to put right in future.¡± I turned to Prince Sho?toku. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they are the Tengu of mount Atago then?¡±


    That thought taking a mere moment, I gathered Foehn, the blazing energy shimmering around me. ¡°I¡¯ve already seen that one...¡± I shouted, and Foehn roared, flame meeting water and ice, exploding into a massive cloud of steam, shockwave driving me a few steps backwards. There was a squawk of pain, and several Tengu tumbled from the sky, stunned.


    Nope, not happening... I channelled earth element, mimicking Kana¡¯s earlier efforts, and gloopy mud exploded upwards, arresting their falls. They still landed rather painfully, but they would live, though their armour and feathers were choked in sticky mud as they thrashed about, enraged.


    ¡°You dare?¡± the white-winged Tengu cried. ¡°This is our land! We know of Kyoto, and the mortals who have come plaguing it. That is none of our concern, but...¡± the long nose pointed to Chen Na¡¯s barrier. ¡°Are they in there? I can smell humans...¡±


    I don¡¯t count anymore, huh? I¡¯m kind of hurt... ¡°We¡¯re hardly plaguing it... damn it, at least stop trying to turn me into a pincushion while we¡¯re talking.¡± I cursed, dodging a rain of arrows, wind element knocking them aside. ¡°I haven¡¯t used this one in a while, but...¡± for a brief moment I thought of Shaeula as I channelled a great gale of wind energy above me. ¡°Jupiter Descending!¡±


    The Tengu were pushed out of their formation and were struggling to use their bows in the gale, and a half dozen were thrown off balance, crashing towards the ground. ¡°This is a casualty-free zone.¡± I stamped my foot, and the ground turned to a sea of liquid mud, ruby energies draining from me. Their landings were painful and inelegant, dirt splashing everywhere, but they would survive.


    ¡°Such troubles. I must not falter here!¡± the Tengu pulled out a different talisman, this one with characters in crimson ink. ¡°Suzaku, Lord of Summer, Master of Flame, He Who Brings Forth Summer...¡± the remaining Tengu tried to position themselves into another formation, a different one, and I could see they were holding gemstones, rocks, bells, cups and more. Huh, is that some sort of weird Feng Shui?


    ¡°... I call on the bright flame of the summer sun, incinerate these unworthy invades, and return peace to this sacred mountain, where your flame burns eternally. Endless Fire Festival! Hi-matsuri!¡±


    At that moment, the yellow eyes behind the mask narrowed, and a ring of deep darkness appeared behind me, ringed with a penumbra of brilliant, purple-golden light. ¡°Prominence Dusk!¡±


    The flames that poured down from the disintegrating talisman bathed me, but were drawn into the rotating ring at my back. Inky flames sprang up, and I grinned. ¡°I like festivals. How about you invite me to one rather than attacking!¡±


    ¡°Is that a halo? Are you a kami of the Six Paths....¡± The Tengu said, stunned, as a large portion of the flames were returned towards it, the dark, flickering fires menacing. ¡°... Taro?bo?, I fear I have failed, the invaders will...¡± its words trailed off as the fire shot past, a series of perfectly placed blasts missing it and all the other Tengu, a feat that was clearly intended. It blinked in surprise, only to be struck from behind by my renewed Jupiter Descending. It was clever to use flame to counter my wind, but... I win.


    The Tengu flailed, feathers scattering like a white blizzard. Others dived towards it, hands outstretched, only to falter as I wove beams of light into their paths. Jumping, I grabbed the white-winged Tengu by the throat and slammed it to the ground, as it let out a shrill cry. My foot was on the back of its neck, and I pointed down Storming Moonlight, the edge keen and touching the flesh of the Tengu below me, robe parting and flesh below leaking a little bead of blood. As the Tengu froze, I shook my head. ¡°All right. I think it¡¯s time we all calmed down and lowered our weapons, don¡¯t you? This conflict doesn¡¯t benefit anyone.¡±


    Below my boot, the Tengu quivered, more blood beading on its flesh. ¡°Very well. We can... we can converse!¡± The Tengu agreed. ¡°Let there be no more violence! It will only draw the damned...¡±


    ¡°I think matters are resolved. Come and help tend to the wounded.¡± I said to the group sheltering under the barrier, and as the remaining Tengu flapped down to help their mired comrades, the barrier dropped. Prince Sho?toku strolled over, looking at the pitiful Tengu under my boot, and sighed.


    ¡°Akio-sama, please do let this pitiful one up. It is a great disgrace for a Tengu to be grounded so, since they are rulers of the skies and the high mountaintops. I understand your anger, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± I said, surprising everyone. ¡°We did come uninvited. Yes, if they were coming knocking on my Territory door, I wouldn¡¯t go out all guns blazing, I¡¯d ask questions first, discern their intentions... but I¡¯d certainly be cautious.¡±


    The white-winged Tengu seemed surprised. ¡°Yes, that is only reasonable! The world is more dangerous than ever! There was some great event in Kyoto recently, the Boundary has been damaged greatly. This angered great Taro?bo? and might perhaps be why...¡± it trailed off meaningfully.


    Oho, is that it? ¡°The damned you said? A growing rift, pollution of the flame...¡± I repeated its words from earlier.


    ¡°You have annoyingly good ears...¡± it muttered, but as I removed my foot and sword, it got to its feet, brushing itself down. Mud was staining the black robe, and the wings were in a bit of a sorry state, missing feathers and caked in dirt, and the nose on the mask was bent, but other than that, it was unharmed. Looking around us at the churned and destroyed battlefield, little tongues of Foehn still burning fitfully, it sighed. ¡°But you are not wrong. Such a shock must be the reason we are facing calamity, and that is why you kami, the Hyakki Yagyo? and these new humans who have taken power that does not belong to them are to blame!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong!¡± Haru-san said, as she emerged from safety. The Tengu scowled at her, eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What would an evil spirit such as you know, Onryo?¡±


    Haru-san flinched. ¡°Why is everyone being prejudiced against me today?¡± she said after a moment, trying to shrug off the insult, and I growled menacingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience, Tengu. Haru-san has been through a lot, so don¡¯t mock or dismiss her. Besides, she was there. When a monster of incredible hunger and evil attacked. We beat if off, hurt it... but the damage to the Boundary is what you can see. And it¡¯ll be back. That¡¯s one thing we wanted to discuss with Taro?bo?.¡±


    ¡°It indeed is a fearful being.¡± Prince Sho?toku agreed. ¡°Not of this world, yet somehow it has found its way here. Were it not for the actions of many, Kyoto would have been destroyed. Mount Atago would not have remained safe were the rest of us to fall.¡±


    ¡°I see. I would like to believe you, but...¡± the Tengu let out a muffled sigh, the others around us, their faces hidden behind hoods and helms, still radiating visible unease with their body language.


    ¡°Look, nobody died, and those flaming creatures were defeated.¡± I said reasonably. ¡°We came here to negotiate with the Tengu of the mountain, and here you are. We might not have had a great first contact, but it¡¯s true that we didn¡¯t come here to fight.¡± Not the Tengu, at least. ¡°So, cut the insults, and let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    The Tengu paused for a moment, yellow eyes staring into mine, before nodding, a comical look with the bent-nosed and muddy mask. ¡°Very well. This is a decision I cannot make myself. Great Taro?bo? will likely be angry with me, but... I shall have to bear his fury without complaint.¡±


    Great, seems like we are getting somewhere at last. Even so, there¡¯s potential danger... seeing my meaningful glance at the girls, the Tengu shrugged, threadbare wings bouncing.


    ¡°Do not be insulting. If I give permission for you to enter the sacred mountain Atago, then so long as you do no harm, no harm shall befall you. Our hospitality shall be bountiful, the sake shall flow. And your timing is auspicious. We are to hold a great festival, in the hopes of purifying the flame once more... that is why we were hunting these doomed, cursed spirits, when we came upon you right on our borders.¡±


    ¡°I see. A festival, huh?¡± Guess my earlier joke was right on the mark. As the girls expressed their desire to accompany me, I weighed it up. Prince Sho?toku nodded, so I decided to take him at his word. I don¡¯t want to deny them the opportunity to see something wonderful and exotic, but... I¡¯ll have to be sure I can keep them safe from danger... ¡°All right then. Lead on.¡± My gaze drifted up the massive mountain, to the burning glow at the summit. A sacred flame of the spirits, huh? It does make me wonder...Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

 Four Hundred And Five

    Four Hundred And Five


    Stepping foot on the base of mount Atago, I immediately felt the pressure of a Territory barrier. It pushed back for a moment, holding me in place, but as the masked Tengu inclined its head the force vanished, and I stepped onto the land within. Hmm... feels a bit stronger than mine, roughly on a par with Haru-san¡¯s, so Rank 3 in a high ether density area?


    That concerned me. Fighting in a hostile Rank 3 Territory would put an additional burden on me, but I believed I could manage. As for some of the others, though... my gaze lingered on Motoko, Natsumi, Kana and Yasaka-san. On seeing my troubled look, the masked Tengu turned to me, wings drooping in what I could only describe as an affronted manner.


    ¡°There is no need to feel threatened. The Great Taro?bo? is a being of honour. Since you have caused no harm and I have invited you in, your safe passage is guaranteed, unless you commit a grave affront.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the worrying bit.¡± I said mildly. ¡°An affront? That¡¯s awfully loose.¡±


    The Tengu shook its head, gesturing in annoyance. ¡°I have said, do no harm. Were you to be rude guests, then you would simply be ejected. I find your distrust upsetting and insulting.¡± The muffled voice did sound upset.


    ¡°If it was just me, I wouldn¡¯t mind. But I¡¯ve already had a bad experience with someone I care about in Kyoto nearly dying due to me being persuaded to take them into danger they weren¡¯t ready for. I¡¯m not the sort of fool who makes the same mistake repeatedly.¡± I¡¯d like to say twice, but I have made some mistakes a few times. I¡¯m definitely learning though... ¡°While we have no intention of causing harm, and are here to discuss cooperation, I know beings of great power are often temperamental. Nurarihyon certainly was...¡±


    ¡°You have met the First of the Hundred Demons?¡± the Tengu seemed interested, tilting its broken-nosed head questioningly. ¡°I expect you must be a powerful being indeed to have escaped such unscathed.¡±


    ¡°There was no getting out of that unless he let me.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But my point is, being inside a hostile Territory is dangerous.¡± I do have a trump card that can ensure their safety, but I still don¡¯t like taking risks...


    ¡°I believe all will be well.¡± Prince Sho?toku spoke up, thumping the butt of his gem-topped staff on the dark rock of the mountain, the sound echoing. ¡°We must accord respect to those who protect these lands, even if we do not see eye to eye.¡±


    ¡°Sho?toku...¡± the Tengu said, surprised. ¡°You kami, Great Taro?bo? has little love for you, especially after the events that may well have...¡± it trailed off. ¡°Enough of this. It will be fine I am certain. Come, come.¡± Most of the other Tengu had flown up the mountain, but we were faced with a set of dark, winding steps, carved out of the mountain itself, black rock flickering with light as shards of mica and other reflective minerals were flecked within the stone. Great weathered torii were every few dozen paces, and Kana looked up at the distant summit with envy.


    ¡°This is way more impressive than Shirohebizumi. I¡¯m losing confidence, it seems every shrine and temple we visit is better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so downcast. The shrine on mount Atago is no longer considered a true one.¡± Yasaka-san said. The Tengu looked at him sharply, eyes hard behind the mask, but said nothing. ¡°During the Meiji Restoration, when many shrines and temples were lost, the shrine was deconstructed and moved. Considering that Taro?bo? was said to have a... difficult... relationship to the kami of Kyoto, and the family that had managed the shrine for fifteen hundred years was down to just a single, sickly daughter, it was abandoned. Your shrine, which has remained an unbroken link of faith, is worthy of praise.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t get anything for flattering me.¡± Kana said, smiling. ¡°Thanks for the kind words though. I¡¯ll tell Akio you were nice to me!¡±


    ¡°Again, he¡¯s right there!¡± the older man rolled his eyes. ¡°Enough talk.¡± He looked up at the seemingly endless steps, grimacing. ¡°These old bones aren¡¯t going to enjoy the climb, even now...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not that old.¡± I grinned. ¡°All right. I trust you, Tengu. But if you prove false...¡±


    ¡°There is no need for threats.¡± The Tengu gave a muffled sigh, shaking its moulted and mud-stained wings angrily. ¡°And this waiting is disrespectful. Others have gone to inform Great Taro?bo? of your arrival. If you back out now it would be seen as insult. The sake of welcome will already be poured. We follow the sacred rules of hospitality, just as any others do.¡± It then whispered words I barely heard. ¡°... and tell him of my failure too.¡±


    ¡°All right. In that case...¡± I took a few more steps, and the others followed me, grimacing a bit at the weight of the Territory that was not our own. The remaining Tengu were soaring ahead of us, hot updrafts carrying them to the skies above, where they vanished from sight. Only the white-winged one remained with us. Seeing my look, it bobbed its head.


    ¡°It has been long since I have been forced to walk these thousands of steps to the sacred summit, where the flame burns.¡±


    ¡°Thousands... just great.¡± Yasaka-san groaned.


    ¡°You know, this is the perfect time for some training.¡± Bell said cheerfully. ¡°Us elves are light-footed, so... try and catch me. It will build your speed and stamina.¡± With that the blue-haired elf darted up the stairs, proving her words were no lie. Motoko and Natsumi exchanged glances, before darting after her, in an impromptu game of tag. Daiyu considered it for a moment, before going back to her contemplation of the flame high above us.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sit that one out thanks.¡± Kana said, and Haru-san and Chen Na nodded. I then realised Haru-san was floating a little off the ground, her legs looking vague and misty. Seeing my look, she laughed.


    ¡°I might as well take advantage of my ghostly nature. I think I¡¯ll float up!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll give me a piggyback if I get tired, right?¡± Kana winked at me, and I had to laugh at that.


    ¡°Sure. But everyone here is a Chosen or has had Chirurgery... or is a kami, I guess.¡± I looked at Prince Sho?toku, who was ascending, his staff tapping the ground regularly. ¡°So nobody should struggle. We might as well enjoy the scenery. It¡¯s a sight few humans have ever seen.¡±


    ¡°That is true. I am still unsure as to your relationship with these humans...¡± the Tengu addressed me. ¡°... are you one who serves them? But you seem to be the leader. Even Sho?toku defers to you.¡±


    ¡°Relationship? You make it sound like I¡¯m not human. Oh, I guess I¡¯m not, not anymore. But I certainly was, and still see myself that way. I¡¯m one of those the gods chose.¡± As we ascended, we talked, as well as looked around at the sights of mount Atago. Waves of heat radiated from cracks in the rocks, and pools of gloopy mud and venting fumaroles filled the air with shining yellow and green energies, dancing prettily on the breeze. Oh, there¡¯s wind here. That¡¯s unusual for the Boundary...


    ¡°One of the troubles that plague us. I see.¡± The Tengu sighed, resigned. ¡°But there is only so long we can stand aside, separate from all others. Great Taro?bo? should hear your tidings of what truly happened at Kyoto, and this otherworldly fiend you speak of.¡± Seeing me notice the wind, the Tengu barked a muffled laugh. ¡°The hot flames of Atago create many wonderful updrafts. Nothing is more pleasurable than riding the thermals, spiralling high into the skies, seeing for many, many miles. At least... that was the case.¡±


    I waited for the Tengu to say more, but it remained silent. As we continued to ascend, the view was starting to become spectacular, I admitted, the panorama of Kyoto, the many wonderous shrines and fountains of elemental energies a sight that I could never have dreamed of, a few scant months ago...


    ********


    ¡°Looks like we are nearly there.¡± I said to Kana over my shoulder, who gave me a bright smile in return.


    ¡°It seems so. This was quite the climb. Not that I¡¯d know.¡± She stuck out her tongue at me playfully and shifted her weight on my back. I had ended up piggybacking her after all, and it was quite the challenge, as not only was her chest pressing against my back, (though I couldn¡¯t feel much through my Brigandine), but my hands were on her thighs and buttocks. Think clean thoughts. Now is not the time for this, and we¡¯re still at the dating stage...


    ¡°That looks a great deal of fun.¡± Natsumi grinned, fanning herself, her face slicked with sweat. ¡°We should do that sometime.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the lord of the Tengu of mount Atago said, illuminated by the blazing glow of the yellow flame in the temple behind him. ¡°Fascinating.¡± He reined in his magnificent presence, and Kana, Motoko and Natsumi gave out sighs of relief, while several others in the party also looked less strained. ¡°So, speak. What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°We came to seek an alliance, and access to the flame of mount Atago.¡± I said, not hiding our intent. ¡°We have those who seek to understand the flame, and we believe studying it would bring them great dividends.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence, before Taro?bo? rumbled his answer. ¡°And do you think that such a proposal is likely to please me?¡± He turned his head towards the Prince behind me, and I could see the jewel in his staff glowing, almost seeming to draw something out of the great Tengu. I resisted the urge to unleash my Eye and take a look, as the negotiations had only just begun and I was unwilling to provoke him. No committing grave affronts this time. I cut it close enough with Nurarihyon.


    ¡°So, Sho?toku, what drags you out of your little shrine? And with this one, a once-mortal, no less, and a vengeful ghost... no, two of the dead.¡± He looked around further. ¡°An odd spiritual being not of this land, some unusually talented mortals, those who still hold true to faith perhaps, and... some of these fools who took the power of the kami. You think I cannot see Kyoto from here, Sho?toku? I have little liking for what I have seen.¡±


    ¡°There has been little good, I admit. But these tidings concern you too.¡± The Prince inclined his head, acknowledging his criticism. ¡°As for why I leave my shrine, I am following the one who keeps safe the spirit of the blessed Tsukiko-sama, and has given us hope, no matter how faint, of defeating the foul invader from far beyond the shores of the Boundary that surrounds us.¡±


    ¡°Invader? I must know more of this.¡± He said, and the jewel glowed brighter as he peered at me. ¡°Two souls. One... I see. Her. An unusual gift indeed, to trap a spirit before it can depart for shores unknown...¡± I could sense his scowl under the mask. ¡°I have still heard little of why we should listen to your greedy demand.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a demand.¡± I assured him. ¡°An alliance could bring you many benefits. We are stronger together, and with our Territory around Kyoto now bordering mount Atago, a mutual defensive pact is profitable for us both. You could have access to the light element of Kyoto, or even others in my distant Territory. A fair trade for all.¡±


    ¡°And why should we need such? Mount Atago is guarded by the Tengu and always will be. No army can break our defences, and the Four Directions stand strong and proud...¡± he paused as Fungbo? whispered into his ears, and it was so soft that even my hearing couldn¡¯t catch most of it.


    ¡°... only brought them.... Lost miserably, trampled... sunk in the mud, a shame of the...¡±


    The jewel intensified in brightness as the angry set of Taro?bo?¡¯s wings and shoulders indicated his fury. Moments later, he beckoned the white-winged Tengu, who gingerly stepped forwards, dragging its feet, until it was in front of the throne, looking up. ¡°Great Taro?bo?, I must apologise. I was shamefully defeated after initiating the battle myself. Despite holding the skies, I was not able to defeat them, and was cast down to the ground...¡±


    ¡°.. and trampled, no less.¡± He rumbled, aggrieved. ¡°You are North, of Winter, and yet... disappointing.¡±


    ¡°They were stronger than I, I have no excuses. I have failed you. As North, one of your great Onmyo?ji, and also as your...¡±


    Her words were cut off as the jewel in his staff flared brilliantly, and Taro?bo? reached down, seizing her bent-nosed crimson mask, wrenching it free. ¡°Filthy.¡± He intoned, as the Tengu let out a surprisingly girlish scream, violet hair tumbling free as it covered its face with both hands, shielding it from view. ¡°For one of my... no, we have no time to lament your failures. Cover your shameful face, and you will have to attend the festival and subsequent purge maskless. Now go, clean the filth from your flesh and feathers... and do not show me your face again until you have claimed a victory.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± the Tengu whispered, before rushing off past us. That was hard to watch. I feel sorry for it. All it did was lose a battle, nobody died or was seriously injured, just a few Tengu got muddy...


    Kana thought the same, as she whispered to me that Taro?bo? was a bit of an ass. Holding in my smile, I nodded, before deciding to press my one advantage. ¡°It is not merely mutual defence, though as one who bested the Tengu you just sent scurrying away...¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a little disappointment in my tone. ¡°...I am quite the capable man. And I have many talents. For example...¡± I gestured to the golden-yellow flame behind me, able to see threads of black and red and other colours that did not belong there. ¡°I know of the troubles your flame is having. It¡¯s a flame of Naraka, corrupting it, right?¡±


    Gasps went up from the Tengu around us, and Taro?bo? leaned forwards, golden eyes starting into mine, the glow of the gem on his staff fading. ¡°Who told you this? Was it the shameful mouth in the pathetic face of Haano?bo?, who you defeated?¡±


    Haano?bo? huh? ¡°I merely heard from her words about such worries as she was attacking the damned, blazing spirits that flocked to the base of the mountain in their hundreds.¡± I assured him. ¡°No, I have a good Eye.¡± I tapped it meaningfully. ¡°I saw some Lost Flame of Naraka seeping out of a warded fissure in the mountainside. And I wager, if you would let me look closely at your flame...¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± he said, and I held in my smile.


    ¡°Then I could discern just what the dark, writhing flames within it are. I¡¯d wager a cask of the Fae wine you just drank that it¡¯s more of the same though.¡± And to prove a point I let my Eye blaze amber, not forgetting to grab a cheeky look at his staff, which was making me curious.


    Staff Of Muted Desires [Item Class: Noble] [Item Type: Artifice]


    This staff is an ancient one and uses a mixture of Flame and Light Element to draw out and supress the negative desires and emotions of the bearer or those it targets. Such energy can then be converted into Darkness Element and used to fuel powerful attacks that affect the mind and spirit, though those who lack negative desires and evil Karma will be unharmed by such.


    Wow. So if he was calm when he ripped the mask from Haano?bo?, I¡¯d hate to see what he is like when he¡¯s angry...reflexively mimicking my sister In my thoughts, I made sure to turn my gaze quickly to the flame, the brilliant light hurting my eyes.


    Sacred Flame Of Mount Atago


    This flame burns brilliantly, freeing ghosts and other tormented spirits of their impurities, negative Karma and griefs. Ghosts, wraiths and other spiritual beings who are not warped and twisted by evil will be strengthened and purified, their natures enhanced. Unfortunately, though mischance, ill-fortune or ??????, the flame has become unstable, and accumulated debris from purification has attracted ???????, a cursed, dark fire of Naraka, and is gradually being encroached, drawing in and corrupting the fragments of spirit in an ever-increasing area, and ???????????? ???????????.


    More question marks, but I was right, as expected. It wasn¡¯t hard to put together. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid your ghost purifying flame here has begun to be encroached by Naraka¡¯s dark fires. It¡¯s drawing in bad things. Those fiery, damned spirits are the work of your fire now, I¡¯d wager.¡± As I said that, the Tengu around us began talking all at once, raising quite a fuss.


    ¡°Ghost purifying flame?¡± Haru-san said softly behind me, and I shook my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re going nowhere near that right now. In fact, I¡¯m worried. You and Chen Na, maybe you shouldn¡¯t stay here, in case...¡±


    Haru-san shook her head. ¡°No, I can feel something from the fire, two somethings in fact. One is warm and comforting, the other... no. You need me here, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°All right, but don¡¯t put yourself at risk. The first sign of a problem, and you¡¯re heading back to Kyoto.¡± I told her, and she smiled at me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯ve already died once, I don¡¯t want to make it a habit.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Taro?bo? spoke then. ¡°Maybe Haano?bo? is not such a foolish disappointment after all. Though punishment, once given for good reason, shall not be rescinded.¡± He declared. ¡°Perhaps this arrival is the sort of fate your God speaks of, Sho?toku.¡±


    As the Prince inclined his head in acknowledgement of that, the great Tengu continued. ¡°The festival is coming, where we will feast, make merry and pray. Then... the challenges. I am in little mood to talk of alliances... but we have shared sake and pork, and some of this... Fae wine you speak of. You have defeated the North of Winter, so if you have the courage... then face the challenges, and should you win renown, we will speak again. But first...¡± Taro?bo? gestured, and suddenly the great booming of drums could be heard, and I turned to see a number of Tengu starting to parade, beating huge Taiko drums, and bonfires burst into life all across the square, and the skies were suddenly filled with exploding fireworks, in brilliant red, gold, blue, green, purple and shades that fireworks on Earth couldn¡¯t have. As everyone looked up in wonder, I met Taro?bo?¡¯s eyes, and nodded.


    There¡¯s more to this than I know. Is this my Fortune at work, or do I just love to stumble into trouble? It doesn¡¯t look like something I have to deal with, but... I glanced at Haru-san, who was staring up, the fireworks reflected in her dark eyes. I don¡¯t like it when it says ever-increasing area... even if the encroachment is slow, judging by the size of the golden flame to the dark parts, one day... No, Haru-san¡¯s suffered enough. And besides... it seems to me there¡¯s a chance to win that alliance we wanted. A win-win situation for sure...

 Four Hundred And Six

    Four Hundred And Six


    ¡°Have you been to many festivals?¡± I asked Daiyu, who merely shook her head.


    ¡°No, I had little time for such things, nor were there such in the halls of the Incorruptible Jade...¡± she paused, considering. ¡°No, perhaps there was.¡± As she looked around at the bustling festivities, a long-nosed Tengu mask replica on one side of her head, she considered it. ¡°The Sect halls had those who could not Cultivate, servants, family members who had no talents, farmers and craftsmen and their families. I have come to realise, one cannot survive purely though pursuing the peak of Cultivation. Experiencing life strengthens one¡¯s will.¡± Her small hand was clutched in mine. ¡°No, they likely did hold such events, seeking joy in the lonely mountains of Shaanxi. Such word never reached my ears, or those of us who held ourselves proud and aloof in the halls of our Sect.¡±


    At seeing the faintly melancholic look on her face, I pulled her close. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I assured her. ¡°That just means you have more to experience now.¡± I promised her. ¡°Look around. Did you imagine you¡¯d be at a Tengu festival?¡±


    ¡°It is more unbelievable that I would be here with my Dao Companion.¡± Her expression changed to a small smile. ¡°I thank you for your efforts to console me. We should enjoy ourselves. After all, I do not have long before I must hand you over to the next girl.¡± Her smile widened at my slight discomfort.


    Yeah, it was Haru-san¡¯s idea. And not a bad one... Since there was nothing we could do until the festival was over, and I was here with four of my women, Haru-san suggested I spend some time with each of them. At the sharp gleams in their eyes at that, I realised refusing would be a foolish choice, so after a heated game of rock-paper-scissors, the order was decided, and Daiyu was first. I was still a little wary of the whole situation, but with Prince Sho?toku assuring me that Taro?bo? and his Tengu wouldn¡¯t be so base as to profane their ceremonies with treachery, I relented and decided to enjoy myself, though I did warn the others to stay together and keep alert.


    ¡°In that case, is there anything you¡¯d like to see? You might as well take advantage of this to experience what festivals are like, because back on the Material, you¡¯ll be going to them with me for many years to come.¡± I said gallantly, and her face reddened slightly, and her hand in mine tightened its grip.


    ¡°I am happy just seeing new things. I was too closed away, in my own world. Now, I have already achieved more than I ever believed possible.¡± She said. ¡°So tell me, is this what those you have been to are like?¡±


    Looking around at the streets of mount Atago, I frowned. Is it? There are definitely similarities... The paper lantern glowing in a multitude of clouds overhanging the streets, the stalls, the revellers wearing masks... though the Tengu masks here are worn over the face, not at the side of their heads, and they seem to wear them all the time... ¡°Sure, there¡¯s a lot that is the same.¡± I admitted. ¡°Which is strange. Or is it? I suppose our traditions had to come from somewhere. But the stalls aren¡¯t the same.¡± Here there were no festival staples like teriyaki, noodles or takoyaki, the food was all variations on roast pork, with a variety of styles and sauces, and the drinks were all sake, though some sweet low-alcohol amazake was also sold.


    ¡°Hungry?¡± I asked, and Daiyu nodded, so I went to a stall selling skewers. The Tengu behind it was wearing a yukata, modified so the wings could fit out the back. ¡°Uh... what money do you take?¡± I asked, and the Tengu shrugged.


    ¡°We have no use for such trivial things. Tonight we celebrate the divine flame and call upon fortune before our champions are chosen. Eat, be merry, visitors.¡± He pressed the fragrant skewers, still piping hot into my free hand, and I grinned as I passed one to Daiyu. Champions, huh?


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your gracious hospitality. When our alliance is concluded and you can visit my Territory, you simply must check out the cafe? on top of our great Tree. You can sample our delicacies. Mmm, this is quite good.¡± I said, taking a bite. Beside me, Daiyu was eating quietly and daintily, through from the set of her face I could tell she was enjoying it. Up above fireworks were exploding constantly, though the noise of them was much reduced compared to the Material, and the blooms of light in numerous brilliant colours far brighter.


    ¡°Normally the fireworks are at the end.¡± I said to Daiyu, remembering when Eri had confessed to me. ¡°It¡¯s the climax, and seen as rather romantic. Ask Eri if you want to know more about that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I shall do that.¡± Daiyu licked her fingers, before flushing a little, embarrassed. ¡°I could use something to drink, the meat was rich indeed.¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    With wooden mugs in hand after visiting another stall, I pointed out the other difference. ¡°A lot of the Tengu seem to be carrying torches, and there are open bonfires burning everywhere. We wouldn¡¯t do that back in Japan, it¡¯s a fire risk. Since they are venerating their flame though, I guess I can see why they would...¡± I caught sight of the red-robed figure of Summer moving through the crowd, and decided to follow him. Though of course, we can¡¯t forget to have fun... Squeezing Daiyu¡¯s hand I grinned. Now this I didn¡¯t see happening this morning...


    ********


    ¡°A fire-leaping challenge, huh?¡± Natsumi said, nodding. As second place, she was now my date, and I was telling her about Daiyu¡¯s exploits. ¡°It seems rather unfair, as Tengu can fly.¡±


    ¡°True, but it¡¯s a great shame to rely on anything other than the strength of their legs, apparently. Though their wings can be used to catch the updraft, not that there would be much from the bonfires.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Natsumi nodded, she too wearing a Tengu mask, rakishly pushed to one side of her head. On seeing my look, she giggled. ¡°I would never get to be so carefree at a festival in Tokyo. As a daughter of nobility, even as one of the Three-Hundred, I must never let myself be seen having immodest fun. But here...¡±


    ¡°Here nobody but us can see. But screw it, if you want to have fun in Tokyo, do so. I don¡¯t think it makes you any less elegant and quite frankly, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m happier when you are enjoying yourself.¡± I said, and her grip on my hand tightened.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com fortunate. That you understand me so well.¡± She smiled. ¡°I always wanted to go to a festival with Motoko. Now... I¡¯m just sorry the others can¡¯t be here too. Anyway, tell me more...¡± she said, and I continued the story, pointing over towards a large series of fires, around which dozens of raucous Tengu were gathered, wings flapping and arms gesticulating wildly. Even as we watched, a Tengu jumped the flams, landing awkwardly, crying out as his wings started to smoulder. A watching Tengu dumped a pail of water over him, dousing the embers, and the crowd hooted, cheered and stamped their feet.


    ¡°On seeing the Tengu, obviously Daiyu wanted to try. She¡¯s surprisingly competitive. But first, the red-robed Tengu, I still don¡¯t have his name, I¡¯ll just call him Summer, decided to leap. He was impressive, I¡¯ll give him that. Unlike a lot of the others, who got a little burned like the one we just saw, he was over in one great bound.¡±


    ¡°He is one of their leaders, you¡¯d expect that.¡± Natsumi said, captivated by the tale. ¡°So Daiyu...?¡±


    ¡°The surrounding Tengu were raucous.¡± I grabbed another mug of sake from a passing Tengu, and was going to get a second for Natsumi, but with a pretty smile and blushing face she stopped me, so we shared the mug, taking turns sipping from it. ¡°Some of them mocked her for being small and wingless, and said she would never make the jump. Others worried she would burn her pretty face.¡±


    ¡°That fired her up more, I imagine?¡± Natsumi said, and as I went to sip, she did too, and our foreheads bumped together gently, and as we looked at each other, she started giggling uncontrollably. As I pulled back she leaned in and kissed me, the taste of sake on our lips and tongue.


    ¡°This is fun.¡± Natsumi breathed, licking her lips when we were done. ¡°So, she made the jump, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. This is Daiyu we are talking about.¡± I said proudly. ¡°She leapt right up into the sky. For a moment it looked as if she would crash down into the flames, but she spun in the air and cleared it elegantly, landing like a professional gymnast. The Tengu went wild, hooting and cheering, and even Summer had to applaud. We stayed and watched a few others make the jump, enjoying the spectacle...¡±


    ¡°Did you kiss?¡± Natsumi asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°It seemed a good moment.¡± I looked up at the fiery flowers blooming up above. ¡°Fireworks set the mood. But... having them continuous does make them a bit less special.¡±


    ¡°Each one is a prayer to the flame.¡± I turned to see the massive Tengu Arangbo? behind us. I frowned, not liking the way he was dismissive of Haano?bo? before, but quickly smoothed my expression. ¡°The flame of mount Atago was entrusted to Great Taro?bo? by the kami, long ago. And we have protected it from all. It is the source of prosperity for us, as well as our sacred charge.¡± His head tilted upwards, light from the fireworks reflecting off his crimson mask. ¡°But now... troubles, one after another.¡± He looked at us, and the set of his wings was angry. ¡°First, the Gods, the greatest kami, they have started touching the world again, no matter how weakly...¡± he glared at the distant Prince Sho?toku, who was enjoying some sake with Yasaka-san. ¡°... then the flame...¡± he turned to the great golden blaze at the centre of the temple. ¡°... and the poor, damned spirits. Now visitors, and the disgrace of Winter. To think I call that useless failure kin.¡±


    ¡°If the kami gave you the task of protecting the flame, why do you dislike the kami of Kyoto so?¡± Natsumi asked what I had been thinking.


    ¡°It is our charge, and we do it faithfully. But in the end, they see the flame and mount Atago as theirs. We, and Great Taro?bo?, are merely caretakers. Such arrogance. What have they done for us? Their meddling now will bring ruin to us all. This creature you spoke of, it is likely here because of the hubris of the eight million, and the great gods. No, the flame is ours. We will safeguard it, even from the kami themselves!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I said non-commitally. No wonder they were affronted when I wanted to share their flame. But I still want access to flame element, and this one seems potent... ¡°So, prayers, huh? Is the flame leaping the same?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Arangbo? agreed. ¡°I saw that girl leap the flames without fear. I was impressed. But you did not try yourself.¡± He observed.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tell of challenges from Taro?bo?.¡± I smiled. ¡°That interests me. So I¡¯d rather not show my hand too early.¡±


    Arangbo? paused, before letting out a hearty laugh. ¡°You? Do not be so arrogant, just because you defeated Haano?bo?. These trials, challenges, are prayers to the flame, and will weed out the unworthy. Only the most powerful of Tengu will be chosen. You visitors from below the mountain have no chance of triumph over us. We Directions are sure to be the victors.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°So Haano?bo? was the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings, and a disgrace.¡±


    Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°I get it.¡± I stroked her hair as I tucked the heavy bundle of cloth under one arm. ¡°I struggled at first too. Arranged marriage isn¡¯t ever something I thought would be a part of my life.¡±


    ¡°But you do not regret it?¡± Motoko said, staring up at the fireworks. Some Tengu were flying between the blasts, dodging the explosions of brilliant light to the whooping cheers and applause of the drunken and rowdy masked Tengu below.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t. However it started, it¡¯s how it finishes that counts, and to be honest, if I saw another man making a pass at you, Natsumi or Hinata now, I¡¯d probably murder him. I¡¯m selfish, but... I guess I have to be. People rely on me. Hell, the world relies on me. Sure, I dare say that some other Chosen are worthy and making an effort to prepare us for the dangers that are coming, but...¡±


    ¡°... but relying on others is foolish, when you can use your own strength to protect what you cherish.¡± Motoko agreed with me. ¡°Which is why Natsumi and I are training every day. We cherish our Arts, but... we also cherish you, and the others. Never forget that.¡± She touched my cheek gently, tilting my head, lips pursed, and I kissed her. Our tongues entwined, and when we were done, our lips connected by a momentary bridge of hot saliva, she was breathing heavily. ¡°... I am just happy what I want to do and need to do are now the same. So, if you are ever dissatisfied with me, do tell me, and I will do my best to...¡±


    I silenced her with another kiss. She¡¯s still insecure. I get it. She¡¯s so elegant on the outside, being raised a daughter of Tsumura house, but unlike Hinata or Natsumi, she doesn¡¯t have confidence with men, or in herself. ¡°You don¡¯t need to change for me. Just be your best self, and I¡¯ll love that.¡± I promised. ¡°So, what would you like to do?¡±


    ¡°There.¡± She pointed at a group of Tengu firing arrows at a boar-shaped target. One strange thing was that the arrows were doused in boiling oil first, so that it was like a volley of fiery meteorites streaking through the brilliantly lit night. ¡°I would try my skill against these Tengu.¡±


    ¡°Festivals should have games.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though it¡¯s usually goldfish scooping, or cutting shapes out of sugared candy. Excuse me...¡± I said, and after some discussion with the Tengu, Motoko had borrowed a bow, holding the flaming arrow gingerly.


    ¡°Just as Bellaera said, everything affects the shot...¡± Motoko muttered. ¡°But a flame acts as a living thing, constantly shifting. The change in heat, weight, all must be balanced...¡± she squinted, pulling back the heavy string of the bow. It was bulkier than the Tsumura-style bows she normally used, and some of the Tengu had concerns if a fairly frail-looking girl could draw it, but I had no doubts.


    ¡°And... there.¡± She loosed the arrow, and it streaked through the night, joining other arrows, striking the target, though Motoko clicked her tongue, irritated.


    ¡°You hit.¡± I said, and she shrugged.


    ¡°I did. But not well. The flame moving changed the trajectory unpredictably, and I was unable to counter it. Again.¡± She took another arrow, and for a while I was engrossed in watching her shoot. By the fifth arrow she was striking the target well, and her smile was radiant. Handing back the bow to a Tengu, she bowed politely, before turning back to me. Seeing her sweaty brow, I mopped it, and she leaned her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°I understand now. It is as Natsumi and I realised earlier. Archery is more than the bow, the arrow and the warrior. Archery is the whole world and everything in it.¡±


    ¡°My sister would agree with you. She loves the bow.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your sister is easy to get along with. Natsumi and I are well pleased. Hinata too.¡± I raised an eyebrow at that, and she continued. ¡°We of the nobility know that siblings of our husbands can often be spiteful and unwelcoming. It is a constant worry to us. one of many, that fortunately we no longer have to face.¡± She said, relieved. ¡°I genuinely like your sister. Shared passions hardly hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if she was here, she¡¯d be using her own flaming bow, making a scene.¡± I agreed. ¡°Hang on a minute...¡± something caught my eye. ¡°Is that Haano?bo??¡± From a distance I could see a figure in black robes, white wings still in a sorry state. Long violet hair was trailing down behind it, and the head was ducked low, arms in front of the face.


    ¡°I think so. I can tell by the way it moves.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°It seems it is heading for the temple.¡±


    ¡°Other Tengu are as well.¡± I noted, catching sight of Arangbo? heading that way, flying through the sky. ¡°The fireworks seem to be diminishing in number.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then it seems our date is coming to an end.¡± Motoko inferred. ¡°A shame. Now Bellaera will not get her turn.¡±


    Bellaera? ¡°She wasn¡¯t getting a turn.¡± I insisted, and Motoko smiled warmly.


    ¡°I am sure she will be devastated. As we were training, trying to catch her as she effortlessly evaded our clumsy attempts, she talked rather fondly of you.¡±


    ¡°Why? We¡¯ve barely spent any time together outside of some meetings and a little bit of time I spent training with the Way-Wardens.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate your own appeal, to a warrior. And Bellaera is not one to seek a weak man. She is of nobility too, of a Fae kind, so has no resistance to arranged unions. But alas, you said your days of arranged marriages are over. So...¡±


    ¡°So...?¡± I asked as I took her hand, and we followed the crowd towards the temple square, under the glow and heat of the brilliantly blazing yet tainted flame.


    ¡°So it is up to her to make her charms known in an ordinary manner.¡± Motoko¡¯s smile deepened, her dark brown eyes knowing, before her expression changed to a teasing one seldom seen on her face. ¡°I am afraid Natsumi and I have been telling her your preferences. Do not blame us if she is more charming than you remember.¡±


    You girls... Shaking my head I squeezed her hand, and put that aside for the moment, spying Taro?bo?, now standing at the head of the temple, staff in hand...


    ********


    ¡°It seems I missed my chance.¡± Bell giggled as Motoko and I approached, hand in hand. Everyone else was already here, and I shrugged as she said just what Motoko had. Is this because she¡¯s talked to my girls?


    ¡°Sorry, but four dates in one festival are more than enough.¡± I brushed her off. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re not my girlfriend, Bell.¡±


    ¡°I could be.¡± She winked. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that you actually have a thing for elves. I¡¯m an elf. It¡¯s a good match!¡±


    Huh? I looked around, and Natsumi smiled guiltily. ¡°Shiro said you liked elves, and especially elves in...¡±


    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Curse you Shiro! A man¡¯s taste in ero-doujin is sacred! Besides, to be honest, that was more Yasu-san¡¯s thing. I do admit, elven women in anime were always gorgeous though... and their haughty pride breaking, accepting they like someone they used to see as inferior... well, I don¡¯t get that vibe from Bell or Soliteare at all. They¡¯re too... normal, I guess?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand, but Eri told me not to look into it. But Bellaera was happy to know that you do like elves so she has a chance...¡±


    ¡°Changing the subject...¡± I coughed. ¡°... looks like matters are at a head. And it was Haano?bo?, I see.¡± The Four Directions were now beside Taro?bo?, and it was covering its face still with its hands and long hair.


    ¡°You have it hard.¡± Haru-san said, patting me on the shoulder, which was unusual for her. ¡°I had more fun watching you than the festival itself. I knew my idea was a good one.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Yasaka-san complained. ¡°I didn¡¯t have fun. Now, looks like the chief Tengu is about to speak.¡± Indeed, as we chatted, the majority of the Tengu had filled the square, and Taro?bo? slammed down his staff, and beside him, Arangbo? yelled out for silence. Once the crowd quietened, the last explosions of fireworks overhead dying down, Taro?bo? spoke.


    ¡°Tengu of mount Atago, guardians of the sacred flame...¡± his eyes fell on us, and I could only imagine what expression he was making behind his mask. ¡°... and our uninvited guests. The time has come. We have sent our prayers, our devotion to the flame, hoping it might quell the spreading abyss. But alas, such hope is foolish. Prayers are best answered by ourselves! We were given the task of guarding the mountain, the flame. But we do it not because this is our task, but because it is ours! We will not let the flame perish, nor abandon our mountain home! No, we will destroy the abyss and its rifts, purge the poor, damned spirits, and restore the sacred flame to its brilliant, untainted glory!¡±


    As the Tengu around us cheered and waved their wings and flaming torches frantically, Taro?bo? shouted his next words. ¡°If we must pray, best let our very actions be prayers! So I call on the brave, the strong, the lucky, the proud, those willing to risk all for our home and our duty that we do now through desire, ordered by none and serving none.¡± He was looking at Prince Sho?toku then. ¡°Prove your desire, your fortune, your skill, strength and determination. Challenge yourself and all others, and take your place in defeating that which threatens all we hold dear!¡±


    The crowd again erupted into frenzied cheers, and the flame in the temple behind us wavered, almost as if it heard and understood... Challenge myself and others huh? Do I want to give it a try? I met Taro?bo?¡¯s golden eyes, and he inclined his head, as if daring me to step forward. I guess it depends on just what the challenges are...

 Four Hundred And Seven

    Four Hundred And Seven


    As the cheers continued, the jewel on Taro?bo?¡¯s staff glowed brilliantly, the light intensifying as it seemed to draw aether out of the cheering crowd. As the fervour boiled to a peak, Taro?bo? slammed the butt of his staff down again, the noise shockingly loud, and the Tengu quietened momentarily.


    ¡°All is a prayer to the flame.¡± He intoned. ¡°The first trial, to weed out the unworthy, to send our prayers to flame and ascend them to the divine world above, is a simple one. Flame is life, and life is flame. Only by food may one be sated, may the flames of body and spirit burn. The sacred boars...¡± he proclaimed, to a murmured buzz from the rapt audience. ¡°... those who wish to prove themselves must descend to the hunting ground of the boars and claim a life, returning the boar to us so we may feast! But just one!¡± he roared. ¡°We are not as the kami, greedy and careless with the lives of those beneath them. All have merit under the flames! Make haste, bring back a single boar, and the greatest, the mightiest, shall have the right to brave battle and seek to close the spreading rifts!¡±


    As the crowd cheered, several Tengu already losing control and flying off, I considered it. A hunting challenge, huh? Should be easy enough I¡¯d say... but the main point is...


    Before I could speak, Haano?bo? dashed off, the remaining three Directions looking its way scornfully. Near us, a Tengu shook its head.


    ¡°Poor disgraced North. Normally such a menial task would be ill-befitting a Direction, their challenges will come... but now, bare-faced and defeated, honour must be reclaimed...¡±


    Way to make me feel kind of guilty. That confirms there are a number more challenges to come, testing other things. Bedside me, Motoko and Natsumi were looking at me with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°A hunting trial. Most excellent!¡± Motoko clutched her bow. ¡°Akio, can we partake? I am confident of hunting down a boar of significant size.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°The ones on display being roasted were massive, but if we use our archery, we can bring them down.¡±


    I¡¯m sure you can, but you are missing the main point here... Before I could voice my thoughts, Bell spoke up. ¡°I have confidence in your skills. I too could effortlessly fell a boar with a well-placed shaft. No matter how brave the beast, an arrow through the eye, piercing the brain, or in the throat, bleeding it out... but tell me, how will you carry back your prey?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Motoko said, moth flapping open, quite unlike her usual poise. She glanced over at the carcasses still turning on spits over firepits behind us, weighing them up. ¡°I am stronger now, yes, far superior to the fragile girl I was before, but...¡±


    ¡°We have limits. Carrying such a boar up a mountain, over rocks and bad terrain... we would be restricted in what we can catch.¡± Natsumi finished.


    ¡°You do get it. Otherwise I would put my skills to the test. But you¡¯ll be going, right Akio?¡± Bell asked confidently. As we discussed it more Tengu were taking flight, soaring down the mountainside, and Taro?bo? was declaring that a mere hour would be dedicated to this task. Not much time to cross to the other side of the mountain, descend, find and catch a boar and return...


    ¡°Of course. I have a point to prove. And if we are going to forge an alliance, we have to show we are worth it. Motoko, Natsumi...¡± I stroked their heads as they looked disappointed. ¡°...I get you want to prove yourselves too. But this isn¡¯t well-suited to your strengths. You heard Taro?bo?, there are other challenges to come. Those three...¡± I nodded at the remaining Directions. ¡°... are sitting this one out. So bide your time. You¡¯ll have the chance to show your mettle. So... smile for me, okay? And cheer for me when I bring back the damn king of boars!¡±


    Their smiles were beautiful as they nodded. ¡°I understand. I shall cheer louder than anyone!¡± Motoko said.


    ¡°No, I shall, I won¡¯t lose!¡± Natsumi giggled, and then Kana broke in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me! I¡¯m here too, and I can cheer louder than anyone! I¡¯ve had to cheer for our athletics team at school in meets.¡± She looked at me, grinning impishly. ¡°Time¡¯s ticking, Akio. You have less than an hour now, and the Tengu might get the best boars. They can fly too...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not how fast you start, but how great you finish.¡± I changed up the quote I had used earlier.


    ¡°I am temped by this trial, you know.¡± Kana said. ¡°I think I¡¯d have a way to get the boar back, but... it¡¯s no sure thing, and I don¡¯t want to go alone. So...¡± she looked at Daiyu, who also demurred.


    ¡°I too shall wait. I am strong, but with my small frame it would be difficult.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± Yasaka-san laughed. ¡°When they come up with a quiz, I¡¯ll win.¡± The Prince also bowed out, saying it wasn¡¯t appropriate for an emissary to compete, and Haru-san merely laughed, not proud of her physical might.


    ¡°All right then. Next challenge.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯ll watch and cheer when your time comes, so for now...¡±


    ¡°Good luck!¡± they echoed, and with that I leapt, the ground cracking underneath me as I cycled Body Enhancement to the maximum. Shooting forwards, I used wind element to further increase my speed and reduce friction and drag, clearing hundreds of metres in a single bound, almost like flying. Not that I can really fly, it¡¯s more like crude gliding... I did have other ways of moving quickly, but there was no need. As the Tengu flew down past me, some late stragglers starting to compete, my keen vision picked out the front-runners. I don¡¯t see Haano?bo? though...


    Sprinting at absurd speeds, leaping over obstacles, I quickly reached the northern slopes and began to descend. Already I could see a number of boars, some the size of large horses. No way, too ordinary. I¡¯ll leave those to the Tengu... Extending my vision I chuckled, contrasting what I was doing now to the rather mundane events in the Material. No, that¡¯s hardly fair. Important matters are going down there too...


    ¡°You have some wisdom, it seems. Yes, fire consumes, but if left unchecked, all that remains is ashes and nothing. We do not pray for destruction, but for rebirth, growth from controlled ruin. That is the way of the sacred flame. And it must be again. We have a champion of this trial.¡± He intoned. The stone on his staff was glowing, absorbing more of the frenzied emotions of the surrounding Tengu. ¡°But Haano?bo?, you have also proved yourself...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Its voice was high and quiet. ¡°...I have done nothing but prove I am inferior yet again. I will challenge further trials.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Taro?bo? sighed. ¡°But I perceive some truth in your earlier words.¡± He addressed me. ¡°I see no shame in losing to this. Perhaps... I have been too harsh. But the flame burns hot within me, my temper...¡±


    ¡°Great Taro?bo?, do not humble yourself!¡± Fungbo? declared. ¡°He may have defeated North again, but... if he has the courage, let him challenge more trials. I will put him in his place! This is a matter for the Tengu of mount Atago, we need no help from outsiders!¡±


    ¡°I see. But first...¡± Taro?bo? gestured, and the Tengu were carrying off the boars, several dozen teaming up to move my prey. ¡°Prepare for the third trial.¡± Third? What about the second?


    As Taro?bo? turned away, everyone came rushing over. I felt the hot gaze of Fungbo? and the one known as Summer on my back, but I ignored them, holding wide my arms, as all the girls, even the shyer Daiyu, leapt into my embrace.


    ¡°That was most impressive, but...¡± Daiyu narrowed her eyes. ¡°I sensed Qi within the boar, did you...?¡±


    ¡°I did. I¡¯m nowhere near as skilled as you, but I thought I¡¯d give it a try.¡± I smiled at her fondly. ¡°It¡¯s a hunting competition, so I wanted to damage the meat as little as possible.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, you are not skilled.¡± she sniffed, before her lips quirked in a shy smile. ¡°But you will learn. I shall teach you.¡±


    ¡°I see you had the same idea as me.¡± Kana said, eyeing the mud, and my filthy legs. ¡°It¡¯s not elegant, but... damn, that boar was the size of an elephant. I could hardly believe it. But...¡± she looked around at the gawking Tengu. ¡°I always wanted a boyfriend that would make those around me stop and stare in awe.¡± She giggled.


    ¡°I only hope we can show our mettle soon.¡± Motoko said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m envious.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°But also proud. This is our husband, Motoko! A great warrior and hunter!¡±


    ¡°That is right. Our husband. Of whom we are very proud.¡± She agreed.


    ¡°Nice going.¡± Yasaka-san said grumpily. ¡°Are you not joining the huddle?¡± he addressed Bell.


    ¡°I would, but I¡¯m trying to appeal, not push myself between him and the others. I must say, that was some excellent hunting. I am very much of the opinion of my pupils here...¡± she smiled at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°My husband should be strong and skilled. But again, congratulations on your victory.¡±


    ¡°The congratulations are all very well.¡± Yasaka-san continued. ¡°But are you sure you should be goading them so? Some of the glares from the robed Tengu were vicious.¡±


    ¡°It would be insulting not to give it my all.¡± I insisted, and Haru-san laughed, though I could see Chen Na looking nervous too.


    ¡°This is just what Akio-san does. Always bigger than we imagine, or could anticipate. I¡¯ve been listening. Most of the Tengu are impressed. I think Akio-san¡¯s triumph makes them like us more. Or scares them into pretending.¡± Haru-san giggled, hand over her mouth.


    Before I could answer that, Taro?bo? once more called for quiet.


    ¡°Those who understand the hunt, what must be taken to feed the belly and spirit of those that depend on them, yet also have the strength to feed the multitudes, are worthy to take on the task at hand. Haano?bo? and ... Akio.¡± He said my name and I nodded. ¡°They are worthy, and we hope their prayer flames will light the way to victory. But... those that feed the flames are not alone. There must also be those that... create flame!¡±


    With his words, Summer tilted its head at me, eyes glaring, as if to say it wouldn¡¯t lose. ¡°A flame can flicker, waver, be extinguished. Sometimes it must be...reignited.¡± Taro?bo? said solemnly, as a hush descended over the packed throng. ¡°Let those who believe they can ignite our flame anew, cleaning impurity, step forward and challenge victory!¡±


    Seriously? That¡¯s the second challenge? It¡¯s almost as if they just want me to show them up. Although... Summer looked awfully confident. Red robes, Summer?


    As if hearing my thoughts, Daiyu, still in my arms with the other girls, spoke. ¡°If that Tengu is in red, of the Summer South, and of the Vermillion Bird, then by the five elements, it will specialise in fire. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much. But...¡± I said confidently. ¡°My fire burns brightly too. And it¡¯s always hungry...¡±Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

 Four Hundred And Eight

    Four Hundred And Eight


    The Tengu were gathering lumber from the forests on the northern slopes of the mountain, piling them into firepits dug into the stone. There was no shortage of fallen trees wrecked in the battles the Tengu had trying to hunt boars, but the forest was already regrowing slowly but visibly. The Boundary sure is a strange place, especially in areas of higher ether density like Kyoto... my Eye could pick up some of the ether being absorbed into the land, helping the trees regrow and the scars on the mountain gradually heal.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t take part in this one either.¡± Natsumi said. ¡°We learned wind, didn¡¯t we Motoko?¡±


    Motoko nodded. As the girls talked, Bell ruled herself out as well. Daiyu was also lacking in fire element. Soon it was just Haru-san remaining, and she looked at the piles of lumber, pensive. After a while she turned to me. ¡°Akio-san... do you want me to win one of these challenges? Will it help you?¡±


    ¡°Win?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You think you can beat me?¡± I joked.


    Haru-san pouted, brown eyes wry. ¡°I¡¯d say you won¡¯t be popular if you tease women like that, Akio-san, but I¡¯d be a liar, it seems. You know what I mean, just as you and Haano?bo? both won the first challenge, I believe that I can reach whatever level Taro?bo? declares as a pass. Likely him too...¡± she nodded at Summer, whose body language was eager, wings flapping, we didn¡¯t even need to see his face to know.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, running through my head the ways that Haru-san might be able to summon fire. Is that it? She¡¯s a smart woman, she¡¯s probably figured it out... ¡°If you can make a good showing, I think it would be quite the helpful move. Besides...¡± I frowned. ¡°...it seems that you need to impress Taro?bo? enough to be eligible to take part in cleansing the corrupted flame, and I want you for that more than anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather bold of you.¡± Kana smirked. ¡°You have four girlfriends here, and yet you¡¯re clearly flirting with Haru-chan!¡±


    ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡± I protested. ¡°I¡¯m just... oh, you¡¯re teasing me, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose a man with so many girlfriends had to get it eventually.¡± Kana smiled triumphantly. ¡°So, why Haru-chan? Not that I mind, but...¡±


    I briefly explained about the ability of the flame in more detail, and Haru-san frowned. ¡°But the corruption worries you, right? That¡¯s why you wanted Na-san and me to leave. But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I picked up on her point. ¡°Just leaving it so near Kyoto isn¡¯t an option. It¡¯s about more than just securing flame element now. Though I really want it, it would increase our options. So... you¡¯re confident?¡±


    ¡°Quietly so. I do practise now and again. It¡¯s not like I need to sleep. Which is strange, as they say death is the longest sleep, don¡¯t they?¡± her lips quirked into a smile. ¡°Besides, there seemed to be no criticism of the losers of the boar hunt. It¡¯s a no-lose situation, and you like those, right Akio-san?¡±


    ¡°I do. Oh well... guess it¡¯s up to us two this time.¡±


    As we were debating, so too were the Four Directions. Arangbo? shrugged his massive shoulders, wings flapping, as he bowed out. ¡°I can use the Southern Formation as well as any, but I¡¯ll not show myself up against you, Shungbo?.¡± He addressed the red-robed Tengu, who nodded, long-nosed mask bobbing.


    ¡°This is why I am the favoured of the Four Directions.¡± Shungbo?, which must have been Summer¡¯s actual name, said softly. That comment made Haano?bo? look away, and Fungbo? snorted loudly.


    ¡°Keep telling yourself that, brother. We may worship the flames, but no direction is more sacred than any other. Great Taro?bo? is the Centre, above all. You almost make me want to test your mettle, but...¡± he too paused. ¡°... this is your chance to shine as brightly as our sacred flame. However...¡± the red-masked Tengu turned towards us, and I could feel their eyes on me. ¡°... don¡¯t underestimate him like North did.¡±


    I see. I¡¯m getting regarded as a rival, am I? Considering how they insulted Haano?bo? for its defeat, it would look bad if they lost to me as well. Stepping forwards, Haru-san following, we approached the small group taking part in this trial, a few Tengu proficient with flame element waiting, and Shungbo? of the South joined us.


    ¡°You as well?¡± he said, looking at Haru-san. ¡°I sense no flame from you. Perhaps you enjoy humiliation, or are simply bored?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll make you eat those words.¡± I promised, as the words of support from our companions echoed in our ears. ¡°But we are all working towards the same goals, right? Cleansing the flame?¡±


    Shungbo? snorted. ¡°We need no help from outsiders. If I had been the one to come upon you intruding on the shores of our mountain, by the Vermillion Bird, Suzaku, naught would be left of you but ashes. I shall never taste the dirt, I shall soar on high forever more.¡± With that he turned away.


    ¡°Oh really...¡± I muttered. ¡°Is that so?¡± These Tengu certainly are belligerent, but... I looked over to Taro?bo?, who was holding his staff, the jewel within emitting an intensifying glow. He seems a little more reasonable...


    ¡°Those who can kindle flame, I pray you can rekindle the purity of our sacred charge.¡± Taro?bo? declared, now that the firepits were done. ¡°Step forward, the first of those who claims to know the secrets of the flames.¡±


    One Tengu swaggered over proudly, and raising a hand a surge of yellow elemental energies scattered. Flame kindled, and with a roar it hurled the flames into one of the pits, wood catching, and soon a great bonfire was burning.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± another Tengu muttered, and the scenario was repeated a half-dozen times by other Tengu, with one being clearly superior, his flames hotter and brighter, the wood being consumed in moments, the flames dimming and then fading away. Then it was the turn of Shungbo?, and he strode forwards to cheers and even a few stray fireworks exploded overhead, as though he was a wrestler entering the ring. There was none of that for Haano?bo?. I feel guilty again, though I really shouldn¡¯t...


    ¡°Shungbo?, of the Summer South...¡± Taro?bo? looked down, his ornate mask hiding his expression, but his words were approving. ¡°I have no doubts you are worthy to undertake the trial, but prove it here and now, show our superiority, those of us who have laboured at our task for millennia. Show these outsiders the might of the Tengu of mount Atago!¡±


    ¡°An expected answer.¡± She laughed a little. ¡°So...¡± she addressed Taro?bo?. ¡°... let me show you a little human wisdom. I¡¯m sure a human ghost still counts as human.¡± With that she raised her hand, and a brilliant aura of indigo streaked with gold radiated around it. Looking at the most distant pits at the edge of the arena that had escaped the destruction of Foehn and Hi-matsuri, she pointed, and fine, focused beams of light sprang out, striking the pits one by one. The intense heat of the narrow rays of light ignited wood, and soon the remaining pits were blazing away, sparks and smoke filling the air, drifting on the unusual breeze. The wood was consumed slowly as the fire spread, but Haru-san nodded, well-satisfied. ¡°I thank you for your patience.¡± She said, like the professional bureaucrat she was.


    As the surrounding Tengu burst into a buzz of conversation over her feats, Shungbo? snorted. ¡°Weak. My flames would devour that feeble light in an instant.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, how would yours fare against that?¡± Haru-san smiled as she pointed to the Foehn, which was still burning away nearly unchanged. ¡°If it¡¯s all about might, Akio-san has you beat, I¡¯d say.¡±


    Shungbo? paused, unable to come up with a counter, before Taro?bo?¡¯s staff once more slammed the ground. ¡°An impressive feat, your name was Haru, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Suzuki Haru. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have any business cards to hand out.¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m a Vassal of Akio-san here.¡±


    ¡°I see. Your demonstration was interesting.¡± He looked at his Tengu, especially Shungbo?. ¡°Her flame was weak, non-existent even, yet it kindled a number of blazes. Yes, I cannot declare it the winner, I fear that honour...¡± Shungbo? tensed, as Taro?bo? swung to me. ¡°... goes to these great destructive flames which burn unquenched even now.¡±


    Shungbo? seemed to collapse in on himself, wings and posture drooping, head bowed, but his eyes were still hot and angry. Arangbo? and Fungbo? were torn between outrage at his defeat and amusement that he too had lost to me, while our party rushed up to congratulate us.


    ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± Motoko declared proudly, before turning to Haru-san. ¡°You were most admirable as well. Our control of wind is nowhere near as precise as your light.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll come in time.¡± she promised, before Taro?bo?¡¯s staff thumped down again.


    ¡°Akio, you have already earned your place against the threat to the flame. Now none can gainsay you. Shungbo? of the Summer South, Haru. You shall join him and Haano?bo? of the Winter North.¡±


    He¡¯s giving Haano?bo? a title again. I suppose this proves I¡¯m no pushover, so its defeat isn¡¯t entirely on it. The watching Tengu, face still hidden by hands and hair did seem to be standing up straighter. As the Tengu around us celebrated, I noticed that the boar I had killed, as well as a number of others, had been cooked and were now being brought back, carried by many Tengu, some pierced by spits, but the largest, those killed by me and Haano?bo?, were butchered expertly and the meat laid on platters, the great heads centrepieces to the display.


    ¡°Yet do not fret, those who have not yet offered their prayers of challenge!¡± Taro?bo? boomed. ¡°Food is the fuel of the body. Eat and eat until your flames can burn no more. Those whose prayers are the greatest will have the right to join the victors!¡±


    Haru-san and I exchanged puzzled glances. An eating contest? Really?


    *********


    ¡°It is hardly the press of battle, or a challenge of skill, but I shall take part.¡± Motoko said. ¡°I have always had a healthy appetite compared to other daughters of nobility who seldom move their bodies. You are the same, are you not, Natsumi?¡±


    ¡°I certainly do enjoy food. But I¡¯m careful not to put on weight that might hamper my training.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kana said mournfully. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get fat. Besides, we¡¯ve already eaten a ton at the festival. It¡¯s not stopping the Tengu though...¡± Nearly every Tengu present was partaking in this challenge, an atmosphere of festivity and joy spreading. As it did so the jewel on Taro?bo?¡¯s staff was growing ever more brilliant, and I was beginning to have my suspicions that was the point.


    ¡°Can you even get fat, eating food when you are in a spiritual body? Besides, men like women with a bit of meat on their bones.¡± Yasaka-san said, sighing.


    ¡°Oh really.¡± Kana said dangerously. ¡°Maybe you ought to consult that book of yours about how to talk to girls. Nobody likes to take chances with their weight. Especially considering...¡± she shot me a sideways glance.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re perfect just the way you are.¡± I grinned. ¡°But... he has a point. It seems a shame not to give it a try. Worst case is we can do some exercise back in the Material. Working up a sweat together sounds nice, no?¡±


    ¡°Not until we¡¯ve had a few more dates!¡± Kana insisted, but her temper improved. ¡°I know what kind of sweating you mean, you can¡¯t trick me!¡± We all took places around the colossal boar I had hunted. All around us the atmosphere was festive once more, and several Tengu were talking to Prince Sho?toku, more friendly than previously. At that moment, Taro?bo? gave another speech.


    ¡°These boars were hunted by those brave enough to step forward and try to defend our flame, our way of life!¡± he shouted. ¡°Would that I could send you all into the deepening rifts, for you are warriors all! But battle there is not like battle in the skies and on the mountaintop. We Tengu are not creatures of earth and stone...¡± Haano?bo? flinched at those words, and it was seated not too far from us, at its own butchered boar, plate loaded with meat. I was handed a heaped plate by Motoko, who was humming to herself, happy to be serving me in the way a wife of nobility would, and the fragrance was intoxicating. I looked around for a drink, and pitchers were set up. I poured myself a wooden mug, only to find the contents were water. Interesting. Is it because alcohol would interfere with the eating, or... no, I know how this goes. So that¡¯s next, huh? I¡¯ve a good feeling about that one then, this... not so much.


    ¡°No, down there in the darkness, where only flame can light the way, only the bravest, the greatest of us, those with their prayers heard by the sacred flame...¡± he gestured to it, and my Eye shone once more, picking out the dark flickers of the flame that was said to be from Naraka worming their way within. ¡°... will be able to exert their will. No, I cannot send you all to your deaths, lest you return as the damned and cursed, to take lives you once protected. But I hear your wills, and am proud!¡± he shouted, his staff shining, and as the crowd cheered anew he absorbed more power. ¡°So, eat and eat, take into yourself the life taken so that champions may be chosen, let that life fuel your own flames. Those who burn brightest will have the chance to set foot in the abyss beneath us, along with the champions whose prayers our flame has already heard!¡± Eyes were on us, and I smiled regally.


    ¡°This is not my challenge.¡± Arangbo? boomed, laughing. ¡°But none shall defeat me.¡± He glared at me then. ¡°Least of all you. You are small and look as if you could barely eat a mouthful.¡±


    Really? This is what he wants to beat me on? I doubted it had much chance, but since I had won two challenges, I could afford to be magnanimous, yet the big Tengu aggravated me. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right, I¡¯ve never been a big eater, but I¡¯ve found my appetite is way up nowadays. So...¡± as Taro?bo? declared the battle of eating open, I reached for my plate, but was surprised to see that Motoko was already ferrying food to her mouth with both dainty grace and speed, chewing steadily. Well there¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day...

 Four Hundred And Nine

    Four Hundred And Nine


    As Motoko continued to eat daintily and at pace, her eyes narrowed with pleasure, I looked at Natsumi, who was also starting to eat happily. She giggled, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m a healthy eater too, but I can¡¯t match Motoko. We rarely get the chance to indulge though. Of course, protein from meat and fish is essential for building stronger muscles, so our diets have always been heavier than is traditionally proper for daughters of nobility.¡± She lectured me between bites of her boar meat, wiping her lips elegantly with a cloth as the greasy fats clung to her mouth.


    ¡°That is correct. A healthy, strong body is the foundation of everything. Other families said there was no use to our skills in the modern world, not for the wives and mothers we were raised to be...¡± Motoko said, her expression downcast, before, just after she finished another slab of boar, her smile changed, lighting up her face. ¡°It seems that our noble fathers and brothers hardly know everything though. I believe having stamina and flexibility on the bed is much to your taste, no?¡± She was pink with embarrassment under the glowing light of the great flame behind us, and Kana laughed, surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s not something I suspected you to be thinking, Motoko-cha... err, Motoko.¡± Kana kept up her new resolution of being closer to the girls she struggled with. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s true that repressed girls are the wildest.¡± She paused. ¡°Is... was Akio here really satisfied?¡±


    Motoko¡¯s blush deepened, but even so, her hands were still ferrying food to her mouth. All around us the majority of the Tengu were indulging as well, though I did notice a few were abstaining, only eating a little. Ready for what comes next, I¡¯d imagine?


    ¡°I cannot speak for him, but he seemed rather pleased.¡± She confided. ¡°As for me, Natsumi and I discussed it. It was ... heart-warming? Fun? No, words simply do not do it justice. My mother long said I should not learn any bedroom skills, for it would be best if I acclimatised to my husband¡¯s taste, served at his pleasure. She never said that we would find it a pleasure too.¡±


    ¡°It was a bit scary at first. We are always taught by our families and our teachers that it is our duty to serve our husband, and that any indulgence outside of that is sinful, wrong and would shame our ancestors, parents, house...¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Serving... it isn¡¯t that.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Motoko agreed, elegantly gesturing with her fork, which she handled as deftly as she would chopsticks. ¡°It is not that we serve Akio, it is that we serve each other. He seeks our bodies and heart, and we seek his. Mutual joy. And very pleasurable too. My heart races, and not from exertion...¡±


    ¡°Damn, do we have to talk about this where I can hear?¡± Yasaka-san grimaced. I turned to look at Haru-san, worried such talk might be bringing back bad memories of her traumatic torture and death, but she merely shrugged, a slight smile on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Akio-san. I... I won¡¯t say I never remember it, or certain things don¡¯t make me uncomfortable...¡± she looked up, thinking. ¡°...but I¡¯m stronger now. Mentally too. Besides...¡± she pointed at the happy Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°...your relations are nothing like his. They¡¯re smiling. I¡¯d be more worried if they ended up as traditional noble brides. It sounds... very lonely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°It would be lonely. Giving up Tsumura Arts, never being allowed to train again... having to give up my friendship with Motoko. I¡¯m sure that whatever husband I had wouldn¡¯t mistreat me. Hori house isn¡¯t important, but we are still of the Three-Hundred. But... the life of the nobility is too restrained.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we must fit the mould, and everything outside the mould must be sacrificed. Now, there is good within the nobility. I can still see it; I am not so selfish as to ignore that.¡± Motoko chewed and swallowed, and I wondered where she put it all. As if to answer that, she let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°This meat is good, but a little heavy. I shall have to exercise after we finish. Besides, that will allow the maximum benefit to my muscles and bones. Although, I cannot be certain that holds true here in the Boundary... but, back to loneliness...¡± she looked at Kana, her brown eyes solemn. ¡°...I much prefer a world for the nobility where those of us who follow different paths can have those accommodated. And where we can love freely. I still laugh at myself. I thought I was so bold, so courageous, and when I visited Nishimorioka, I was determined Akio was the way towards a brighter future for me. I did not worry about loneliness then...¡±


    ¡°I thought so too. Motoko was so brave, so shining. But... back then all I was to her was a bodyguard, I thought. It was that trip, Hinata, Eri, Aiko and the others, they helped me become more than just that, realise how I really felt, the rules that bound me in place stripped away, they helped me become Motoko¡¯s true friend as well.¡±


    ¡°Sisters, I believe Shaeula calls it.¡± Haru-san interjected. ¡°I think she¡¯s a little mistaken, sisters don¡¯t share their men usually, but I know what she means. It¡¯s a family, who won¡¯t betray you. Though I still see some interesting personality clashes between you all...¡± she laughed softly. ¡°No, there¡¯ll be friction, troubles and tears, but... the more I watch from the outside, the more I know it¡¯s all rather sweet. I¡¯m dead, so why do I have to care for convention? There are many people who would snatch happiness from others, trample on dignity and love for their own amusement, so anyone or anything that increases the happiness of others must surely be a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hinata. At the time, I thought myself bolder than her. She seemed disinclined to cast her lot in with Akio. I was wrong of course, even then, she liked him. Love at first sight, she boasts. Whereas we just looked for our own gain. Oh, my throat is dry...¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Daiyu handed her a pitcher of mater, and Motoko gulped from it gratefully. Daiyu had only eaten a little, and was listening to the conversation, grasping much of it with her modest Japanese, though some nuance was lost, but Haru-san was translating when she wasn¡¯t speaking.


    ¡°My thanks. You...¡± Motoko said to Daiyu. ¡°... are quite the interesting girl. You are what Natsumi and I could have been, were we free from the mould of the nobility. Training rigorously, reaching the peak of the Tsumura Arts...¡±


    ¡°I would never deny the hard work I have put in. I have always sought peaks above peaks, and what lies beyond even that.¡± Daiyu replied. ¡°I am proud, and I love Cultivation, just as you love your Arts. If you were Cultivators, I dare say you would follow the Dao of swords, or perhaps spears or bows... but it is not all there is. Yes, a lonely life...¡± she agreed. ¡°...I did not realise I even was lonely. Aloof, proud, isolated, arrogant, like a black lotus standing all alone... No, I now understand why Sects exist. For while the strong are often the lonely, the strongest have something beyond themselves to fight for.¡±


    Daiyu made herself understood, me filling in the more complicated words she hadn¡¯t learned yet, and Motoko nodded. Around us many Tengu had stopped their feasting, though Motoko was still going, as was Arangbo?, who had devoured vastly more meat than anyone else, his eyes on me mocking. Oh come on, I¡¯ve not a bottomless appetite...


    ¡°Yes, it was vanity, us wishing to merely protect the Tsumura Arts and pass them on. Vanity without purpose. But now...¡± she paused. ¡°When we returned to Hanafubuki, away from Akio, our resolve wavered. It was easy to get swept up in the moment, to pledge ourselves to a man we barely knew for our futures, but... what did we know of men, of serving, of love, only what we were told, which made such a thing seem frightening, a harsh duty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Motoko.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°When it came time to tell my parents... I got scared. So we hesitated and delayed...¡±


    ¡°And then Hinata beat us to you.¡± Motoko said. ¡°And she, instead of mocking our timidity, understood us, tried to help us come to our own realisation of what we wanted, what we needed. And we realised how wretched we were. Only thinking of ourselves. A one-sided relationship is worthless. Much as our resolve and our will was. Now we are different.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Now we know why we want to preserve our Arts. It¡¯s to teach to Akio, to any other girl who wants to learn, and to teach our children with Akio, and their children too.¡±


    ¡°To perfect the Arts, not keeping them stale. We will take instruction from master Ulfuric, from Shaeula¡¯s brothers and sisters, from Akio...¡± she looked at Daiyu then. ¡°...also from you.¡± She held out a hand gracefully, while her other hand moved the loaded fork, though her rapid eating was slowing down. ¡°I think you are like us, and I feel close to you because of that. We can hardly know of your grief, losing your family, home and more... but here you can forge a new one. After all...¡± she smiled once she had taken another delicate bite which somehow devoured a fair chunk of meat. ¡°... you are definitely of the warrior faction. Just like his sister, Aiko. We should help and support each other.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate that.¡± Daiyu took her hand after an embarrassed pause. ¡°I am no master of weapons, my Dao will likely follow a different way, but I shall be happy to share what I have learned. I too want disciples and wish to teach my children... our children.¡± She corrected. ¡°I respect dedication to an ideal, and honing the body will never betray you.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Bell, who had been listening, spoke up. ¡°The training for Way-Wardens is hard, but worthwhile. I must say...¡± she looked at me with a smile, and I was again struck with just how beautiful elves were, just like in the stories. ¡°... hearing about what such a life is like has me curious to experience it myself. But that is for another time. When I have increased my favourability points with you.¡± She winked at me. She must have heard that saying from Shaeula or Shiro... why do they all learn the wrong things?


    ¡°So...¡± Motoko let fall her fork, patting her belly. ¡°We got a little off what we were talking about. I apologise, Kana, but it is all relevant.¡± She rubbed her stomach. ¡°I am rather full. I simply must exercise...¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Arangbo? boomed suddenly, looking over at us. ¡°Are you done? You...¡± he glowered at me. ¡°... barely even tried.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alcohol next, right?¡± I said, and he looked surprised. ¡°I have to leave room for that.¡± I grinned. ¡°Besides, honestly, I don¡¯t think I could have beaten you...¡± I have an idea that might have worked with Body Enhancement, but there¡¯s no real need. ¡°... and even if I could, what¡¯s the benefit? These challenges are to help select for an important task. I need to allow others their shot, right?¡±


    Meanwhile, as I said that, Motoko was addressing Kana once more. ¡°...we rambled, but what matters is that it was pleasurable, and satisfying. Fortunately, our parents allowed us to proceed before our marriage, something unthinkable, but then, our marriage is certain, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Most definitely. I¡¯m never letting any of you go now. That counts for you too, Kana, Daiyu.¡± I said, ignoring Arangbo?, which caused him to growl, annoyed.


    Kana sighed. ¡°Seriously, you could have cut down on my pointless suffering by saying something sweet like that weeks ago, rather than forcing us to drag it out of you. But... I¡¯m happy. I can hardly believe it myself. The famous Izumi Kana, who has rejected more boys and men than anyone else for miles around, has been conquered. And I find I don¡¯t mind at all. And I admit, I¡¯m curious. I know more about what happens on the bed between men and women than these two ever did...¡±


    Motoko flushed and Natsumi giggled at that, and Kana continued. ¡°...but that¡¯s all theoretical. Everyone seems to enjoy it a lot, nobody hates it...¡±


    Daiyu was blushing now as well, perhaps remembering our first time, which went beyond the normal.


    ¡°... so I dare say I¡¯ll like it too. But...¡± Kana waved her finger at me. ¡°... I¡¯m greedy. I want to savour all the stages of a relationship. Besides...¡± she grinned then, her expression terribly cute and impish. ¡°...It¡¯s just me and Hinata left now. At least for now, until the Diviner Matsumuro-san returns. I want to build your anticipation, until you can¡¯t bear to wait to get under my clothes.¡± She puffed out her decent chest and crossed her legs, drawing my eyes to her.


    ¡°Can we please stop?¡± Yasaka-san complained. ¡°Besides, it looks like we¡¯re getting unwelcome attention. The eating is done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is done.¡± Taro?bo? agreed, banging down his staff. The raucous, festive atmosphere had charged the jewel on his staff, which was now shining nearly as brightly as the great flame in the temple. ¡°But sharing food with joy is important. As to eat is to take the life of a boar, to eat in gloom and sombre silence offers no praise for the life the food lived. But just as meat is food for the body, alcohol is food for the spirit.¡± Tengu were bringing out colossal stone and wood gourds of sake.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t take my booze, Akio-kun! I¡¯m a working adult, alcohol is one of the things that makes work bearable!¡±


    As we joked and bantered, suddenly a colossal mug was thumped down on the table beside us, and we turned to see Arangbo? there, his long-nosed mask pointed down at us. Yeah, he sure is a big bastard.


    ¡°You may not have much appetite for meat, but your other appetites seem fine.¡± He nodded at my half-full mug and the girls.


    ¡°Yeah, if there was a challenge round for how many women he has, Akio will be number one.¡± Kana paused, face red. ¡°There isn¡¯t, is there?¡±


    ¡°The flame of lust is a powerful one, but we Tengu are private creatures. Not like the denizens of the Hyakki Yagyo?.¡± Arangbo? chuckled loudly. ¡°Such a contest would be a troublesome one. Besides, our women are as hot-tempered as the flame. They would not take kindly to being used as pawns in games of seduction.¡±


    ¡°No way we would either.¡± Kana insisted. ¡°So, what is next?¡±


    ¡°Wait and see.¡± Arangbo? said. He then glanced at me. ¡°Faltering already? If you cannot drink so little without being drunk, you have no hope of defeating me, even with my belly full of meat.¡± I could tell he was grinning behind his mask.


    Little? I¡¯ve drunk enough to give an ordinary person alcohol poisoning on the Material. But thanks for the advice... I was suppressing Ether Healing so I could enjoy myself, but with a sigh I allowed my learned immunity to alcohol to kick in and sobered up, quaffing another mouthful. At least the flavour is fantastic. But without the buzz of getting drunk, drinking does lose a great deal of appeal.


    Seeing me suddenly return to sobriety, Arangbo? laughed, emptying his mug, snatching another from a passing Tengu. There were already many lying sprawled on the ground, wings fluttering weakly, defeated. ¡°So, you are displaying some of the fight you showed Haano?bo? and Shungbo? I see. But I am not as easily bested as they!¡± he quaffed a significant amount of booze, a feat in his mask. When he was done he belched loudly, before speaking again.


    ¡°You wondered what the rifts are?¡± he said, and I was suddenly alert. Daiyu and the others were listening too, even prince Sho?toku, who had contented himself to eating and drinking a moderate amount, as if to cause no offense.


    ¡°They are cursed pits.¡± He said, shaking his head. ¡°Dark, full of flames as impure as our sacred flame is pure. And the endless tide of the burning damned. There have been many times we have faced such before in the past, the mountain is a sacred site, and power accumulates, dense ether. Such have always been effortlessly destroyed by the mighty Tengu.¡± He beat his chest happily. ¡°Yet these... these are different. Deeper, darker, deadlier. The first Tengu to enter, they did not come back. Then we sent stronger warriors, but only a few returned, telling tales of burning spirits of our dead kin, animals, monsters, more... and now they spill out freely, numbers increasing each time.¡±


    ¡°So that is why you are holding these challenges?¡± Daiyu asked, listening, and he nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, little one. You are small. You should not compete, this task is too deadly for a tiny creature such as you.¡± Arangbo? answered. I could recognise the slight changes in Daiyu¡¯s expression that indicated she was extremely offended, so I reached out and gripped her hand, giving it a squeeze.


    ¡°Daiyu¡¯s actually surprisingly strong. Never judge by appearances, otherwise you might get caught out.¡± I warned him. ¡°So, how does eating and drinking weed out the strong? The other challenges, I get.¡±


    ¡°They are tradition. If a warrior fears the battle ahead, they can simply bow out. Besides...¡± he turned, looking at the lord of the Tengu of the mountain. ¡°Our Great Taro?bo? is gathering power. Emotion is prayer, and prayer is strength, fuel for the flames of victory. We can afford to lose no more.¡± His gaze was piercing. ¡°Fungbo? and Shungbo? may wish you away from this place, but... for victory, you have earned your place.¡±


    I could see that a massive pit, similar to the firepits from before had been dug as we emptied mug after mug of strong sake. ¡°I see. That¡¯s a sensible opinion.¡±


    ¡°Do not mistake me. Should Great Taro?bo? decide you should be removed, I will throw you all out myself.¡± He warned. ¡°But I am a great warrior, Arangbo? of the Spring East, and I will not shame myself or Great Taro?bo? by tasting defeat...¡± he raised his mug to me. ¡°So drink, let the flames of your spirit be nourished...¡±


    All right then, don¡¯t mind if I do. Raising my own mug, I took a big swig. Yes, it¡¯s pleasant, but lacks impact...


    ********


    ¡°You fought well, but I am simply too mighty.¡± Arangbo? burped, and beside me Kana fanned her face, complaining quietly about the smell. Empty mugs were scattered all around us, Yasaka-san looking cheery as he sat in a blissful haze of drunkenness. The rest of my group hadn¡¯t indulged too heavily, other than Haru-san, and she was still just tipsy.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much point in drinking just for the sake of it.¡± I said mildly. ¡°But you Tengu certainly like booze. Just like the Night Parade.¡±


    ¡°We have no wish to be compared to those scoundrels.¡± Arangbo? snorted sourly. ¡°But it is true. Fuel for the spirit.¡± He finished off the dregs in his mug noisily.


    ¡°In that case, we are already trading alcohol with the Parade, a lot of interesting and exotic kinds. I am sure we could come to some arrangement too. I bet if you Tengu could walk the mortal world again you¡¯d love all the bars in Shinjuku. As much exotic booze as you could wish for...¡±


    ¡°And we have a champion.¡± Taro?bo?¡¯s staff banged down. All around us were scattered fallen, drunk Tengu. ¡°Arangbo?, once more you show your fiery appetites.¡±


    ¡°A man should be sizeable in both muscle and hungers.¡± He boasted, before clapping me on the shoulder. ¡°But when one shares sake with another, they become closer. Beware though, the next trial is a terrible one.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your performance was also satisfactory. But...¡± Taro?bo? waved his staff. ¡°I gained little joy from you. A shame. Your words are true. Drinking for rote triumph is worthless. So...¡± several more Tengu were given the right to battle the rifts. ¡°Now, I must ask our visitor a favour.¡± He looked at me, his eyes full of energy, shining like rainbows from the aether he held. ¡°Shungbo?, Akio... fill this pit with lingering flame. For the next challenge is... only those who can pass through the flames and be fit to fight are worthy.¡±


    I see. Quite a nasty challenge. ¡°I shall do this.¡± Daiyu said, surprising me, her black eyes gleaming as she looked at Arangbo?, who had insulted her. As he chuckled, her gaze only hardened.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, weighing up her abilities. ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for you...¡±


    ¡°Trust me. I have a way. I am no fool, to try and tame a tiger without the proper bait and tools.¡± She said, and I nodded. Daiyu¡¯s strong and brave, and she has no illusions of her own strengths, she can view herself objectively. If she says she can do it, I¡¯ll support her.


    ¡°I see. This is my time to shine as well!¡± Kana piped up, and I looked at her, puzzled.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I can do it? I saw the look in your eyes when Daiyu volunteered. It was all I can totally trust her! But you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    As Bell giggled, enjoying the spectacle, Haru-san made Chen Na step forwards as well. Three volunteers from our group... ¡°No, of course I trust you. I know you wouldn¡¯t do anything to make me worry, right?¡±


    ¡°No, you can totally worry a bit.¡± Kana winked. ¡°I¡¯m your girlfriend, if you don¡¯t worry, I¡¯d feel you didn¡¯t care enough. But... Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Favour... I think I can make this work. No, like Daiyu, I know I can.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± I patted her head, Daiyu¡¯s too. ¡°Just... be careful, all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen how deadly your Foehn is. Daiyu has too, right? But it¡¯s your fire. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be hurt by that, don¡¯t you think?¡± As Daiyu agreed with Kana, I frowned.


    ¡°I wish that was the case. Don¡¯t take it lightly, or else you¡¯ll get burned.¡± Stepping forward, joining the arrogant, red-robed Shungbo? by the large pit which was some fifty metres across, dwarfing the previous firepits, I held in a worried sigh, not wishing to belittle the girls or damage their confidence. If only Foehn was so accommodating. Oh well, worst case, I have Ether Healing...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Six – Zhao Daiyu / Izumi Kana

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Six ¨C Zhao Daiyu / Izumi Kana


    Daiyu watched intently as the strange Tengu, Shungbo?, the one in red representing Summer and the South, gestured to his fellow Tengu, the ones that were still sober at least. Perhaps I am too young or sheltered to understand the appeal of drunkenness. No, more likely it is my training regimen and sense of asceticism. Cultivation requires a clear mind and a strong, healthy body. Drinking toxins for pleasure seems a little odd to me, unless it has some medicinal benefit, such as certain rare herbs. Though the honoured Patriarch, my father, he did indulge in moderation... perhaps a little is not so bad. Akio looked as if he was having fun, and Daiyu wanted to be a part of that. She had drunk a little, and had to admit it tasted pleasant, though she did not feel particularly strange. Perhaps it is my newfound stronger constitution, or the blessing of Chang¡¯e.


    The Tengu gathered around Shungbo? were in very specific positions, holding clearly selected objects, and Daiyu¡¯s onyx eyes narrowed as she observed them. As the Tengu began his chant again, fire element surging around him in shimmering waves of yellow, Daiyu¡¯s mind was working. Yes, I thought so. This is very reminiscent of Cultivation Formations. Though they use no jade plates or talismans, the positioning follows very similar principles, and if a plate was inscribed...


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Kana said beside her, and Daiyu twitched, her concentration broken. On seeing that, Kana misunderstood. ¡°Me too. Everyone¡¯s watching, and the fires...¡± Kana¡¯s eyes reflected the brilliant blaze that was filling the pit. It was incomparable to before, the strength of the Tengu around added to Shungbo?¡¯s own. Just like Formations. Yes, it is indeed remarkable, how the strengths of others, properly placed, can make a greater whole. Just like us...Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com scared of getting burned, but worse...¡± Kana let out a nervous giggle. ¡°...what if my clothes burn off? I¡¯d be exposed in front of everyone, I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    Such a strange worry. Although... Daiyu took pride in her appearance, even if she found the praise exasperating in the past, almost a subtle form of mockery, as for a Cultivator, power was above all. Now though, she found herself wanting to be beautiful for her Dao Companion, and to not lose to the others. How we all change. Before, I would have paraded naked through the halls of my Sect were it a guarantee of more strength, womanly pride and shame be damned. Now though... the thought of such upset her, so she did understand Kana more than she expected. With a faint smile, she tapped the armour under her dress.


    ¡°You have this Brigandine too, no?¡± The blacksmith Bjarki had constantly been creating more with Hyacinth¡¯s aid, and was increasing in proficiency, able to create a set swiftly with the proper materials. ¡°I doubt this will be destroyed by the fires of this Tengu, although...¡± Now Akio had stepped up, and the hungry blaze of Foehn was pouring from his hands, joining the flames. ¡°...Akio¡¯s fire burns hungrier. But should the worst happen... he is a jealous man. I suspect any who behold your naked body would find his wrath falling upon them like the breath of a dragon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kana said after a moment. ¡°He really didn¡¯t seem the sort when I first met him, but... yes, I think it¡¯s cute. He¡¯s very possessive. All right then...¡± Kana slapped her cheeks, grinning. ¡°I¡¯d best not get burned then, else I¡¯ll be responsible for the great massacre of mount Atago, when Akio kills or blinds everyone who saw me naked. So... you have a plan?¡±


    Daiyu looked around at their fellow competitors. Chen Na was waiting silently, uncomfortable, but Daiyu knew how she would act. The others...


    ¡°You have no need to compete, Haano?bo? of the Winter North.¡± Taro?bo? was saying to the violet-haired Tengu, her white wings flapping. I am not sure how Akio has not noticed yet. From the body structure, the posture of movement, the gestures... that Tengu is clearly female. Or perhaps he has noticed and it does not matter to him. If so, that is good. An enemy is an enemy, whether a man or a woman, and an ally likewise an ally regardless. What matters is, if she is facing this challenge, then my idea should be plausible...


    ¡°No, I shall redeem myself. I wish to challenge his fires again.¡± She was looking directly at Akio, despite her face being hidden. ¡°This time I will win.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Fungbo? said, his white robes dyed yellow and red by the flames. ¡°No, I shall be the one to triumph. The Autumn West shall not falter, unlike you.¡±


    As the two squabbled, Daiyu observed the couple of other nervous-looking Tengu who stepped up. It seems this challenge is not popular, no wonder. Compared to the others, it was extremely dangerous. As Taro?bo? asked who would go first, Daiyu stepped forwards. There is advantage to going later, seeing how the other competitors fare. But there is honour and glory in succeeding before any others, and as a Cultivator, while I am following in the footsteps of my ancestors, I always strive to break new ground, besides... seeing her Dao Companion smiling at her, a mixture of pride and worry on his easy-to-read features, she felt warm inside. I was lost, abandoned and broken, but now I am whole again. No, more than whole. Power surges through me, my Foundation solid as the roots of Mount Tai.


    ¡°A word of advice.¡± Akio said warmly as she stepped forwards, the heat of the massive firepit hot on her skin. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my Foehn. If you treat it like ordinary fire, you¡¯ll get burned to the bone and worse. I¡¯d rather not have your beautiful face or body wounded.¡±


    Daiyu felt her face heat, and not from the flames. With a nod, she declared that she understood, and of course had a plan. ¡°Leave it to me. I shall not let you face this rift without me.¡±


    ¡°Then let our first challenger of the flame face the wrath of the furious side of fire. For fire gives warmth, offers sustenance, but it also rages, consumes.¡± Taro?bo? banged down his staff once more. ¡°Have you the strength, young one?¡±


    ¡°First small, now young. Both may be true, but I am no weak child. I am Zhao Daiyu, Matriarch of the renewed Incorruptible Jade Sect, and Dao Companion to Oshiro Moonstone Akio! I shall not falter, this flame is but one more foe I shall trample on my way to the pinnacle!¡± she declared proudly. Remembering the talk she had with Shaeula and Hinata recently, she smiled. Their idea, it is... ambitious. I do wonder what Akio will think of it. But... I believe I shall lend them my aid after all. The idea appeals, I confess...


    ¡°Then show us your devotion to the flame!¡± Taro?bo? declared.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Kana said to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching, so... I know what I¡¯m going to do, but I¡¯ll take any hints!¡±


    ¡°Burn it into your eyes.¡± Daiyu smiled slightly, before drawing upon her Qi. The trick to this is simple in theory, but to do in practice requires incredible senses. Fortunately, my Qi Perception has strengthened massively, as has all of me... spreading Qi externally, she felt the heat of the flames flare through her senses, uncomfortable. Blotting out the phantom pain, she narrowed her focus. There. Qi Perception was for detecting others, their Qi visible to other Qi, but was that all? Qi is aether, refined and made fitting for Cultivation. So Qi can sense aether, and the flames...


    As she stood motionless, the annoying Fungbo? scoffed that she had lost her nerve, but Akio supported her, telling him that would never happen. The warmth now moving from her face to her heart, Daiyu strengthened her concentration, scattering more Qi, until... There. I have it. Akio, I understand. You have done your best to aid us. There were three competing fires. Natural, ordinary fire, from the fuel in the pit, which was fading and contained no Qi, so was largely invisible to her senses. Perhaps if I was using flame Qi to sense... the other two were the fires of Shungbo?, and Foehn. Able to tell them apart, she saw that Akio had carefully poured the Foehn into the pit, forming a corridor where the Foehn was lightly concentrated. Perhaps he meant to leave a clear pathway, but like all flames, Foehn does as it wills. Even so...


    Stepping forwards, her senses now perceiving the position and type of flames, Daiyu performed her next feat. This is not true Cultivation, but... power is power. I disdained the Divine Favour of Chang¡¯e until it saved my life when I drifted in the ocean close to death. I seldom make the same foolish error twice. And I have been observing... while her Dantian naturally helped process aether and elemental energies into Qi, she had been studying, listening and learning. If I pull water element from my ... sacral chakra, he called it. We Cultivators understand the Chakra network, meridians and acupoints, but we focus more on the Dantian... an orange glow formed, brilliant and deep, and her body was suddenly soaked, her dark hair clinging to her face and back. The heat from the fires diminished, insulated, and she focused her strength in her legs, marvelling at how much stronger she was now.


    If I was like this before, that bitch Sun Lisha and her Party dogs could never have defeated me, not even with their guns. Qi can stop steel once more. Akio has proved it. I can prove it. Simply leaping the fifty-metre pit would be possible, but ignored the trial, which was to brave the flames. ¡°Sear this into your eyes. I am Incorruptible!¡± Daiyu shouted, before plunging into Shungbo?¡¯s flames. Immediately her water element surged, water boiling around her instantly. It wasn¡¯t Spirit Water, she could create only a fine trickle of that, but her water element was still magnificent, containing the strength of the treasure she had taken from London, as well as all the Spirit Water Akio and Shaeula had bequeathed her.


    ¡°Hot...¡± she said, before regretting it as while her shroud of water element she was projecting prevented the flame from entering her, heat still seared her throat, though her blessing quickly regenerated scorched tissue. It is hard to think... The blazing hell around her was boiling off her water element as fast as she could supply it, and her skin was starting to burn, though it was healing, leaving her hot and itchy.


    I have to go. It was impossible to move at her full speed, the path through the Foehn narrow and hard to notice unless one expected it to be there, and the Foehn itself was writhing as if alive, constantly spreading. Each step took but a moment, pushing through the blaze, her vision dyed red and yellow. Once she reached halfway, she realised why so few Tengu had stepped forwards. In the other challenges, defeat meant little more than scorn. Although the hunting trial perhaps could have led to injury or death... Her thoughts were distracted, and she realised the incredible heat was affecting her judgement. Intensifying her water element, she pressed onwards, following the narrow winding path, only to stop in panic as the Foehn shuddered, spraying a blaze in front of her.


    That was close. Leaping over it, she pressed onwards, and soon there was but ten metres to go, a distance she could clear with one leap, except... There¡¯s no clear way out. No, caution is better... her water element was running out, but she had enough. Twisting her body she crept forwards. Ten metres. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six... Suddenly the Foehn roared up, consuming some of the other flames around it, and a scattered explosion of droplets showered her. Immediately her water element started to fail, and with desperation she disregarded caution. There is no choice but to break through and risk the consequences!


    Her legs flexed, and she shot through the burning hell, striking the Foehn wall as she passed, one arm wreathed in flames. She landed on the other side in an undignified heap, her hair and back shimmering with Foehn, one arm wrapped in the hungry flames. For a moment she rolled around, trying to quench the flame before she snapped back to her senses, realising such wouldn¡¯t work. Seeing Akio wishing to come towards her, but being stopped by the raised staff of Taro?bo?, she revelled at the panic and care in his eyes. As it should be. But I am not weak. Not anymore. I have planned for the worst...


    The water element she was wrapped in burst, cascading the Foehn away, leaving it burning around her like a hundred small fires. Her hair was still smouldering, and she quickly cut her locks, black strands falling to the ground like burning embers. There were traces still burning her arm, and she washed them away, heedless of the scorched flesh, cloth and armour both burned away, though the Brigandine was already starting to repair itself slowly, just as her hair was regrowing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Wincing, as her damp burns closed up, she bowed to Taro?bo?.


    ¡°Kana, you¡¯re right. But... a stronger fire will still beat weaker stone.¡± Akio warned her. ¡°And I don¡¯t like to boast but...¡± That¡¯s totally a lie. Yes, for a guy Akio¡¯s actually not too much of a braggart, but when it comes to boasting about us, or his abilities he¡¯s worked hard for, he loves to show off... it¡¯s kind of cute. ¡°... my Foehn is one of the most dangerous fires there is.¡±


    ¡°I know. Shirohebi told me you nearly burned our shrine down with it once. And I¡¯ve seen it in action. But...¡± she pumped her fist. ¡°...it¡¯s not just me and my dad, struggling alone with pathetic talents anymore. No, it¡¯s everyone together. And we make each other stronger. So I won¡¯t be the one to lose, letting the side down. If you want to cleanse the flame, to help Haru-chan, I¡¯m going to be there!¡±


    At that Haru-chan smiled, and tears glimmered in her eyes. She¡¯s really sweet. When I remember what nearly happened to me at the shrine, with those yakuza... to know what she¡¯s suffered... I just hope she can be happy. But she¡¯s got Akio in her corner, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have a bright future ahead of her. So, for Akio, Haru-chan and my fellow idiots in love with Akio... ¡°Let¡¯s do this. This favour is perfect for me. Shirohebizumi is a fertility shrine, and the earth... the earth is a womb, just as Ks?itigarbha says.¡± The ground under her rippled, stone and earth melting like wax. ¡°It¡¯d be easy if I just went under the flames, but I know that¡¯s not the point. Otherwise, you could all flap your wings and go over the top, right?¡± she said to Fungbo? who was standing near her. He merely glared silently at her, eyes hard behind his long-nosed red mask.


    ¡°All right, I get you don¡¯t like us. But your Great Taro?bo? lets us take part, and since these rituals are sacred, you have to abide by them, right? I get it, I¡¯m a shrine maiden to the kami you dislike so much.¡± Kana taunted. ¡°Just watch me triumph too, so you can¡¯t complain about me being here!¡± she turned to Akio. ¡°One thing I¡¯ve learned from you, from Shaeula, Hyacinth, Haru-chan, Shiro... from everyone... is that power is just that. Power.¡± I may not be the best at school, but I¡¯m not stupid. I can learn. ¡°Recently I¡¯ve been practising constantly. I had time while you were in England.¡± She giggled. ¡°I was lonely. Those of us left behind all were. So this trip, we have to make the most of it. If I can¡¯t hide in the womb of earth, then... I bring the womb to me! It¡¯s all just earth element, right?¡±


    The ground flowed like wax, and Kana was swallowed by it. The fierce heat was cut off, and she grinned, knowing no-one could see her. No, Akio can, if he uses his Eye. So... ¡°You just wait. When the time is right, I¡¯ll...¡± she touched her own belly, where her womb would be, face scarlet. So embarrassing!


    ¡°All right then... here we go. It won¡¯t be this simple, I know that.¡± The ball of mud, earth and stone that contained Kana moved forwards, and she felt her stomach lurch as it fell into the burning pit. Immediately she started to sweat, the inside heating up. ¡°I just have to keep flowing more earth in. Foehn may be greedy, but I only need to manage for a few moments...¡±


    The stone shell rolled forwards, and Kana struggled to judge the distance. It was getting hotter and hotter, and he eyes widened as the stone started to crack, and she let out a bitter laugh. ¡°Damn, Akio. Give a girl a break! I¡¯m trying my best here.¡± As she could see bright flame starting to drip through, she concentrated, earth element flowing from her as she pointed to the cracking dome and walls of her protective bubble. ¡°The Gods are just like the kami. Gods are kami, just not necessarily ours. They give power that they understand. But what we choose to do with it... depends on us!¡± Underneath her feet, more mud and stones were pouring in, forming long spikes which pierced the gaps, melting into a gloopy sealing substance. The ordinary heat of Shungbo?¡¯s flames were blocked out safely, but Foehn was not so easily halted.


    ¡°Damn it, Akio! I know you¡¯re greedy for me, but this goes a bit far!¡± Knowing he was likely watching her, she joked. ¡°But I¡¯m not beaten!¡± The earthen womb picked up speed, and she slammed into an obstacle, losing her balance. She squealed in panic as Foehn droplets narrowly missed her as she stumbled, but quickly regained her concentration. Ever since that time the yakuza attacked, I¡¯ve been more clear-headed in times of trouble. Taro?bo? is right. Sometimes you need to get burned to grow...


    The ground exploded, and she was propelled upwards, coming crashing down as her protective shell shattered. All around her there was burning mud and rocks, and she hurriedly staggered to her feet, panicked, as a puddle of Foehn was burning next to her. Seeing Akio, she leapt up and into his arms, finally feeling safe, relief coursing through her.


    ¡°Good job. You were very brave.¡± Akio said, and she sagged against him, feeling it was all worth it. It was then Akio leaned in close, his breath tickling her ears, and whispered ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long, all right?¡±


    Akio, you...! Flushing as red as a tomato, Kana let out a relieved giggle. ¡°Not as soon as you¡¯d like, but sooner than you think.¡± She promised, before looking at Daiyu, managing a victorious smile. ¡°Looks like I was the one to get out unscathed after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your clothes remain unburned.¡± Daiyu flourished her ragged sleeve. ¡°That was quite clever, if somewhat similar to our attempts.¡±


    Kana stuck out her tongue playfully as she glanced back, seeing the rest of her party clapping and cheering for her. ¡°How else would you do it? I doubt extinguishing the flames by collapsing the walls of the pit would be in the spirit of the challenge, and it might not stop Foehn anyway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Taro?bo? declared, waving his staff. ¡°If it was merely a challenge to douse the flames, such measures would suffice. But no, we seek not to douse, but to purify. And all these challenges, they purify the spirit.¡±


    Akio and Daiyu looked shocked at that, glancing at each other, before Daiyu gave him a sweet smile. Feeling left out, Kana spoke up a bit huffily. ¡°What is it? You look like you¡¯ve understood something.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Akio said, his expression wry. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll be gaining something, Daiyu and me at the least, even if our alliance here doesn¡¯t pan out. It¡¯s a shame Shaeula isn¡¯t here...¡±


    ¡°I see. I don¡¯t get it, but I¡¯m pleased you¡¯re happy.¡± Kana said. ¡°Just Chen Na then.¡± Kana was a bit wary of that woman, as she was an unknown, and was their enemy until Haru-chan had bound her, but since Akio wanted her on this mission to give an extra layer of safety for them, Kana had some good feelings towards her, as her presence was proof of Akio¡¯s care.


    ¡°It should be easier for her. Her power is specialised for this.¡± Akio pointed out, but before Chen Na could go, Fungbo? stepped up. Kana looked away as he glared at her, his eyes narrow behind his mask.


    ¡°You may have succeeded in passing through the flames, but you were inelegant, unsightly.¡±


    ¡°I thought you cut a beautiful sight, as always.¡± Akio said, and Kana held in a giggle. Look, he¡¯s trying to be all serious. It¡¯s mean not letting him...


    Fungbo? was thrown off by that, before visibly gathering himself. ¡°Laugh, outsiders, when you see the might of the Autumn West!¡± Kana noticed the aura around him brighten in her vision, as he began his chant. ¡°Byakko, Lord of Autumn, Master of Metal, He Who Oversees Autumn... I call upon the impenetrable sheen of iron. Render me impervious to the flames, aid me in proving I am worthy to stand as your champion!¡±


    Kana looked impressed as a silver sheet of metal covered the Tengu, who sneered. ¡°Metal does not fear the flames, for it is both of flame, and of the earth that devours flames!¡± With that he plunged into the pit, and mere seconds later he was out, the metal red-hot, Foehn clinging to it, but as he discharged it, he was left standing proud and arrogant.


    ¡°That is truly how one braves the flame.¡± He laughed loudly.


    ¡°True. Your performance is most impressive. But we have one left, Fungbo? of the Autumn West.¡± Taro?bo? said mildly, and as everyone watched, Chen Na swallowed, eyes darting around before she was covered in a shimmering bubble of force. She too leapt into the flames, before emerging out of the other side seconds later, her barrier a ball of flames. It blew apart, Akio calling up a barrier of earth to deflect the scattered Foehn from us, and Chen Na was left gasping and panting on her hands and knees, blinking weakly.


    ¡°Nice work.¡± Akio said, and Kana agreed. With that, it just means that Natsumi and the elf haven¡¯t won the right to participate, since Prince Sho?toku and Yasaka-san aren¡¯t interested... She locked eyes with Natsumi, who shrugged. I hope the next trial suits her. Being left out hurts, I know...


    ¡°So, we have those who have braved the flames, some in struggle and strife...¡± Taro?bo? looked at Kana, Daiyu and Haano?bo?. ¡°...and others with much ease.¡± His look took in Fungbo? and Chen Na. ¡°As for who triumphed... Fungbo?, you did well.¡± As the Tengu puffed himself up, Taro?bo?¡¯s words were stern. ¡°...but your victory should not lead to arrogance. It was close between you...¡± he nodded at Chen Na. ¡°...and the denizens of the foul rift are dangerous indeed. All will need to work together.¡± He raised his staff, which was blazing with energy, and Kana could see rainbow ribbons of power being drawn from the cheering crowds. ¡°Now let the final two trials commence. As swift as fire, let arrows pierce the hearts of our enemies, and let those whose inner fire can illuminate the cramped, dark realm do battle to show they have the might to face those that would defile the flames!¡±


    Archery huh? Couldn¡¯t be more perfect I suppose... Kana thought as she saw the elf Bellaera-san and Natsumi both leap up, excited. Turning to Akio, who looked equally pleased, she managed a smile. But I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll leave those sorts of challenges to the battle fanatics... Still, Kana couldn¡¯t help but smile, knowing Natsumi, Motoko and probably Akio too would get their chance to show off...

 Four Hundred And Ten

    Four Hundred And Ten


    ¡°Seven arrows, seven strikes. Seven of the corrupted sent back to their rest, their tortured flames purified.¡± Taro?bo? proclaimed, waving his brilliantly glowing staff. ¡°Down in the dark, one must not miss, and be swift. Only those with such talents are fit to risk themselves, use what precious strength we can muster. We should suffer no more despoiled dead.¡± With those words the Tengu, even those still drunk from the previous challenges, managed respectful bows. A number of the Tengu were fetching small shield-shaped targets, while others were reaching for their bows, excited, wings flapping happily, raucous chatter and boasting, fuelled by alcohol, intensifying.


    ¡°I have a question.¡± I asked suddenly, and all eyes were on me, Fungbo? and Shungbo? seeming angry, Arangbo? merely watching.


    ¡°Speak then, you who will brave the darkness.¡± Taro?bo? said mildly. ¡°But be swift, for the challenges must soon conclude.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± I agreed. ¡°So far it¡¯s been a fascinating cultural exchange.¡± I¡¯ve had dealings with the Night Parade, the Seelie, and now these Tengu of mount Atago. While they all have similarities, such as they are all extremely emotional, acting far in excess of what most humans would, there are also differences. If I treat all spiritual beings as similar, I could trip myself up... ¡°We¡¯ve fought a number of the damned spirits...¡± at those words Haano?bo? looked down, hair swaying. ¡°... and ordinary weapons and even a lot of elemental attacks don¡¯t do much to them. I doubt arrows will be effective.¡±


    ¡°You are quite right.¡± Taro?bo? agreed. ¡°Yet... I have my ways. A blessing on all those who brave the darkness and their weapons shall drive out the corrupted and cleanse the sacred flame of mount Atago once more. However, such is not infinite...¡± I saw his head shift a little, eyes going to the gem on his staff, so I understood. As I expected. ¡°... so the arrow should be swift and sure, and might should be plentiful.¡±


    I nodded then, and he continued. ¡°So, those who would seek to strike down the corrupted, step forward, and earn your place with the other champions! For the flame!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll watch me, won¡¯t you Akio?¡± Bell said, quite flirty, her smile bright. ¡°And not just me...¡± I could see Motoko and Natsumi unlimbering their own bows as well.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I grinned. ¡°After what you all talked about during the eating contest, how could I not?¡± I reached out, stroking Natsumi and Motoko¡¯s heads, and they leaned into me for a moment, enjoying the closeness, before their eyes shone with professionalism and the will to fight, and they parted from me. ¡°Do your best, and I¡¯ll watch.¡± I turned back to Bell. ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Bell nodded. Her own bow was somewhere between a cavalry-bow and a longbow, and the shining blue string piqued my interest. On seeing that, she explained. ¡°The bowstring is actually from my hair.¡± She grinned, tossing her head, her blue locks dancing. ¡°It¡¯s quite usual for elves, or female archers in general. Hair is strong, and our bows are crafted just for us, and enchantments take better on our own materials.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I was curious, as I had dabbled in crafting myself, up until Bjarki and Ixitt took over, and I was planning to get back into it when I had a chance. ¡°So how does that work?¡±Findd new stories at novelhall.com


    As Bell happily continued talking, I could hear Motoko and Natsumi chatting to each other.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose this time, Motoko. I¡¯ve been practising, and I think I reached enlightenment.¡± Natsumi said proudly, bringing a smile from her friend.


    ¡°I understand. I too...¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°We must thank master Bellaera for that.¡±


    Bell nodded. ¡°Do not worry about it. I always enjoy teaching the eager and talented, and I have more reasons to train the two of you. Now, enough talk. I think it is time.¡±


    I turned to see that dozens of Tengu had lined up with their own bows. Archery seemed to be a skill most Tengu knew, which made sense seeing as they could fly. The Four Directions were sitting this one out, but Arangbo? snorted loudly, booming a laugh. ¡°Not taking part? Are you not skilled?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not my sister. She has the archery talent in my family. I daresay I could do all right...¡± With my stats alone and basic knowledge, I¡¯d certainly be more than competent, but I have no need. Besides, I¡¯m more interested in the ¡®doing battle¡¯ Taro?bo? mentioned. ¡°...but why rob these eager Tengu of their chance to shine? I want to watch Motoko and Natsumi anyway, I¡¯m always impressed by their dedication, and they look quite beautiful when they practice Tsumura Arts.¡± I can appreciate them more now I know a little myself...


    As the two girls smiled happily, Bell giggling ruefully that I didn¡¯t mention her, Arangbo? laughed anew. ¡°I see. How magnanimous. I too am not much of an archer, though my bow...¡± he gestured, and I saw he had propped up something huge, that looked more like a weapon you¡¯d see mounted on a ballista. ¡°...can pierce stone and steel. No, I await the final challenge, a battle between two warriors. Do you have the stomach for it? You had little for meat and sake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my stomach is strong enough.¡± I promised. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what form the battle will take, but if I could be matched against you, I¡¯d have no complaints.¡±


    ¡°I daresay Great Taro?bo? will make it so. Such a clash will excite the others, raise morale before the battle, seeing me trample you into the mud as you trampled poor hapless Haano?bo?, our little sister.¡±


    So she was their sister. And Taro?bo?¡¯s daughter it seems too. That just makes me angry. I had thought there was a good chance she was a girl, considering the feel of her when I first battled her, as well as the voice, movements and gestures. My keen senses picked up on these things, but being as she was a Tengu, it was impossible to be certain. I would never hold back on an opponent just because she was a girl, Kiku and many of the invaders of Kyoto proved that women were no more virtuous than men, and enemies had to be beaten, but as a brother too...


    ¡°As I said, getting defeated by me is nothing to cry over. It¡¯s something you¡¯ll know soon...¡± I was unable to keep the growl out of my voice. As the girls joined the Tengu, I continued, addressing Taro?bo? and all the Four Directions. ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m unimpressed. My sister is precious to me, as yours should be. If she was beaten after trying her best...¡± Haano?bo? twitched at that, wings drooping. ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t criticise her, belittle her. I¡¯d be happy she came back unharmed, and console her, like a god big brother should. I¡¯ve already dealt with one foolish brother who doesn¡¯t respect his sister enough. Though not alone...¡± I turned to Haano?bo?. ¡°Shaeula proved to her older brother she had grown. I can see you took part in these challenges to do the same thing.¡± Before she could continue, I finished my complaints. ¡°If my sister was defeated after trying her best...¡± I repeated for emphasis. ¡°Then I¡¯d praise her, and help her train so that next time she wouldn¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that. I could not stop you setting foot on our sacred mountain. You were right...¡± she said softly, her voice full of thick emotion. ¡°...we struck first, from ambush, while you were embroiled in destroying the very foes you now all partake in hard trials to face. I am indeed a disgrace to the Winter North, to Genbu, and my father. But...¡± she said, her white wings lifting up. She strode over to me, and her brothers seemed surprised. She stopped, mere inches away from me, and suddenly lifted her head, long violet hair parting, and I could see her hidden face. Huh, I thought Tengu were...


    Yellow-gold eyes gleamed in a surprisingly human face. Perhaps her nose was a little large and curved, but it was still within the bounds of a girl¡¯s appearance, and her skin was pale and free from blemishes, her lips small and glistening, her eyes big. She¡¯s actually pretty... Gasps came from the Tengu around us.


    ¡°Haano?bo?, to show your maskless face... have you no shame?¡± Fungbo? called, outraged.


    ¡°Only to he who trampled me.¡± Haano?bo? shook him off, waving a hand. ¡°Besides, you called me a failure and a disgrace, brother. What is one more disgrace to the already soiled and dirty?¡± she smiled at me then, hands steepled together, her face displaying her nerves. ¡°Your sister is fortunate. Sometimes I too wish for tender care, but alas, like a frozen winter, the green shoots of such wither and die without growth. But... your words, they make my defeats burn less in my heart. So... I bid you triumph over my brothers. But more than that...¡± she bowed to me. ¡°...I implore you, aid Great Taro?bo? and cleanse the flame. Our millennia of work cannot fail because we were too weak!¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    At seeing her honest expression, I paused. This can work for me. I need an alliance, and she¡¯s an important Tengu. With her support...


    ¡°You see that Daiyu?¡± Kana whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t see her face, her wings are in the way, but if she¡¯s cute, Akio is going to grab her, I know it. Eri¡¯s going to be pissed off again.¡±


    ¡°She is talented. Her use of water element intrigues me.¡± Daiyu admitted.


    Ugh, how little faith does Kana have in me? I have my hands full with everyone right now... although she¡¯s not entirely wrong. Ignoring the comments, I turned to Fungbo?. ¡°I don¡¯t understand your culture, and I would never belittle other beliefs and traditions, but if her face is so taboo, why tear off her mask? Great Taro?bo?, I don¡¯t know what this battle challenge is, but I would like to face Fungbo? first before Arangbo?, and Shungbo? too, if he isn¡¯t prepared to be a decent brother.¡± I grinned. ¡°And if I win, then Haano?bo?...¡± Everyone on the mountain froze, all eyes on me, waiting for what I was going to say next. ¡°... I¡¯ll take her as my sister.¡±


    There was stunned silence. Kana was the first to break it, giggling. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that. I was sure he was going to say take her as my bride!¡±


    ¡°To Akio, a sister is just as precious. He does dote on Aiko so.¡± Motoko agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In fact, our relationship with Akio is quite sisterly.¡± Natsumi grinned wickedly. ¡°You do dote on us, protect us, try and lead us... though it is hardly all so platonic.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. My mistake.¡± Kana giggled. ¡°There¡¯s not much difference, is there? It¡¯s a bold move.¡±


    ¡°This... is unwise.¡± Prince Sho?toku spoke up for the first time in a while as the Tengu were frozen like statues, including Haano?bo?, who was gaping at me open-mouthed. ¡°The Tengu of mount Atago are fiercely loyal to each other and isolationist, and...¡± he stopped as Taro?bo? banged down his staff, laughing bitterly.


    ¡°You believe you have the strength to defeat all three of the Directions in battle, one after another? Arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Not arrogance. Confidence. And I can show you the difference...¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡± the fiery Shungbo? snarled, while Fungbo? was hurling invective at me. Arangbo? merely laughed uproariously at my declaration, while Haano?bo? was frozen.


    ¡°I do dare. Here... none of you except Taro?bo? are my match, I promise you.¡± League didn¡¯t always correspond with fighting prowess, but it was an indicator, and while Arangbo? was certainly on a par with Shaeraggo, the other two were weaker. Only Taro?bo? had a League roughly matching mine. ¡°But who cares about that? As a brother, the one thing I hate, and absolutely will not tolerate is an older brother hurting their sister for no reason. It goes against everything I believe in!¡±


    ¡°And what will you do if you win? Take Haano?bo? away? Her home is here, her place is here.¡± Taro?bo? proclaimed, long-nosed mask dipping.


    ¡°There is no need to anger Great Taro?bo? over me...¡± Haano?bo? said urgently, but she flinched as Kana took her hand.


    ¡°Hey, you are pretty. Though you look a bit bird-like with that nose.¡± Kana grinned. On further gasps of horror, Kana waved her free hand dismissively. ¡°Oh shut up. If Akio is going to be her brother, however the hell that works, I¡¯m her sister. Don¡¯t tell me you siblings haven¡¯t even seen each other¡¯s faces?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll surpass you, I almost never win. But I can¡¯t stay in your shadow forever, now we are equals.¡± Natsumi boasted happily. ¡°So, my kiss? I don¡¯t need luck, but I want that!¡±


    Grinning, we locked lips and hands, and as she stepped away, a spring in her step, she selected her first shaft. The Tengu began to charge, and she loosed it, followed by a second, and a third... three quick successful hits in succession.


    ¡°I have this.¡± The Tengu began to change directions, just as they did for Motoko, so Natsumi paused her shots for a moment. Then arrow after arrow hit, each biting deep. Even so, she was still left with one shaft as the last Tengu approached.


    ¡°The pause helped her hit, but even momentary delays in battle can be fatal...¡± Bell said. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I too am a warrior of Tsumura Arts...¡± the Tengu watched as Natsumi thrust her arrow, stabbing the shield-shaped target. ¡°... and I¡¯m no less vain than Motoko. Wasn¡¯t I cool, Akio?¡± she said, grinning brightly.


    ¡°You sure were.¡± I pulled her into a hug and kissed her again. When we were done, she turned to Motoko.


    ¡°I finally beat you. But I know we both have a long way to go...¡± as Taro?bo? praised her, Bell stepped up. ¡°... until we can match our teacher.¡±


    ¡°If you grow, I do too.¡± She said proudly, before looking at me cheekily. ¡°Kiss for luck?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry.¡± I clapped her on the back. ¡°Best I can do I¡¯m afraid. But I do wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so shy. But I know your weakness.¡± She winked at me. ¡°All I have to do is find a brother to bully me, and you¡¯ll take care of me, right?¡±


    I paused, open-mouthed in surprise at her cheekiness. She then giggled, tossing her head, brushing her blue hair away from her face. ¡°How about this.¡± She said confidently. ¡°When I nail all nine arrows, you owe me a small favour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen for that one before...¡± I warned, and she laughed.


    ¡°I hardly think taking me as a lover is a fair favour, do not worry. But... you like to gamble, I am told?¡±


    ¡°True. All right then. As long as it isn¡¯t something I can¡¯t do, you¡¯re on. Can you do it?¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Can I?¡± she snorted. ¡°I am an elf, I was born to wield the bow. And not just any elf, I am a proud Way-Captain. If I miss these, how can I shoot down the dreadfully fast and elusive Unseelie, or those dogs of the Wild Hunt? Watch me and see.¡±


    The next nine Tengu had gathered, and as they began their charge, the first arrow left her bow, the string shimmering blue and green. Wait, not one arrow...


    ¡°She shot two at once! With just the faintest breath of wind element...¡± Motoko gasped.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating, surely...¡± Natsumi pouted, only to suddenly shake her head. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. We were nai?ve, Motoko! This isn¡¯t just a test, it¡¯s a sorting ritual for a genuine, dangerous battlefield! We should have used wind too!¡±


    ¡°That is right. you were sloppy!¡± Two more arrows left her bow at once, followed by two more. Six clean hits before the Tengu had reached halfway. One had even split a target clean in half. ¡°But I am a good teacher, so consider this a free lesson. Always give your best.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi sighed. ¡°I beat you, but that¡¯s just once. You¡¯re still in the lead, Motoko.¡± Two more clean hits, and the last arrow was in Bell¡¯s hands, and wreathed in wind. With a casual gesture she loosed it, and the shield exploded.


    ¡°The past does not matter. We are only as good as our next contest.¡± Motoko said, before bowing deeply to Bell. ¡°A great demonstration. You truly are skilled.¡±


    ¡°Yes I am. But I am not the best. Shaeraggo is a better archer than I am, though his is the way of the hunter, not the battlefield. There are several other Way-Captains who can best me too. So do not let yourself be discouraged. There are always better people. Even if you overtake me, which will be no easy feat, your next challenger will be harder still...¡±


    ¡°But that is what gives training, struggle, hardship meaning.¡± Motoko smiled. ¡°The lesson is well received though. So...¡± she turned to Natsumi, a faint smile on her face. ¡°... do not grow conceited. I shall defeat you next time!¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡± Natsumi giggled, and I felt warm watching them. She then turned to me and winked. ¡°Oh, and Aiko will be in Tokyo soon, we can train with your sister as well. Oh, I should say which sister now, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡± I said, resigned to a lot of teasing and mockery over the next few days and weeks, even if it was indirectly helping us with mount Atago. Looking around, the last few Tengu yet to go were looking resigned, and soon they were loosing arrows in frustration, unable to compete...


    ********


    ¡°Bellaera, you from a distant land, and you mortals, Motoko, and Natsumi...¡± Taro?bo? declared. ¡°You have the right to challenge the corruption. May your arrows strike true. Know, however, that in the darkness below, facing these tormented, burning spirits, it will not be as easy. When death stares you in the face, can you keep your composure, and use precious blessed weapons well?¡±


    ¡°You forget, we were fighting these damned spirits before.¡± Motoko assured him regally, adopting the poise of her noble upbringing. ¡°As for blessed weapons... Akio, Haru-san, Daiyu... they all have their ways, and they can share.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°We can keep our composure, because we aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    ¡°Each foe we will slay is one less to kill your Tengu.¡± Bell said, having been declared the victor, and she looked at me knowingly. Guess she won that favour. ¡°But since we shall be allies soon, maybe I should say our Tengu?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry.¡± Motoko continued. ¡°Akio treats spiritual beings and Yo?kai just as he would his human allies. All are precious to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s got three Fae wives already.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°And soon to be a Yo?kai sister...¡± Haano?bo? shrunk at that.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Taro?bo? declared, slashing his staff, leaving trails of light as an afterimage. ¡°Time drags on. We must conclude the final challenge.¡±


    ¡°This one, I wish to take part in.¡± Daiyu said. ¡°I may have already obtained the qualifications, but to test myself... that I desire.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I have faith you¡¯ll do well.¡± I said, before glaring at Haano?bo?¡¯s brothers. While the archery had been going on, the Tengu had erected a strange arena. It was a small circle, with little room to dodge, and it was shrouded in darkness, only a few flickering braziers giving an odd, weak, irregular light to the interior. To simulate this rift, the dungeon, I guess? ¡°So, which of you is first?¡±


    ¡°I am of flame... I leave crude bashing and clashing of arms to others.¡± Shungbo? scoffed.


    ¡°I too.¡± Fungbo? echoed, only for Arangbo? to laugh.


    ¡°Byakko would weep, Fungbo?. You are of metal, the best suited of us all to fight. Besides...¡± he looked at Haano?bo?. ¡°I am not such a fool as you are, brother. I was enraged and disgusted by our sister¡¯s defeat. But... look around you. Our guests have won many challenges. Defeat is the enemy, but truth matters too.¡± Haano?bo?¡¯s wings quaked at that. ¡°So do not shame the Four Directions. At least she fought.¡±


    ¡°If you claim it isn¡¯t your forte... both at once.¡± I said, sneering. ¡°If you won¡¯t even do that, then step aside and admit I¡¯m a better brother than you, and support our alliance with mount Atago.¡±


    ¡°Great Taro?bo?!¡± Shungbo? declared, incensed. ¡°Will you let this outsider mock us? I daresay you should cast them out, they insult and profane our sacred...¡± he paused dully as Taro?bo? gestured, and two sets of manacles made from blackened iron were thrown down.


    ¡°The one mocking us is you, my children. We fear not the kami of Kyoto, nor these defiled spirits that threaten our home. But you fear this outsider?¡± Great surges of energy were drawn from Shungbo? and Fungbo?. As they fell silent he turned to me. ¡°Confidence, arrogance or dangerous recklessness? If it is the latter, despite your skills, I wish no part of you in this most vital of battles ahead. I cannot risk my mountain, the flame, my Tengu, my children... on the whims of such a one. Both at once. Prove your words, for deeds matter.¡±


    I grabbed the manacles, which were around three metres in length, and would keep us close in the cramped arena, I nodded. Clasping them on me, one to each wrist, I started swinging them mockingly. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s see if you can laugh at your sister after I beat some manners into you. I only wish Shaeraggo was here, you¡¯d at least have someone to sympathise with you...¡±

 Four Hundred And Eleven

    Four Hundred And Eleven


    ¡°I feel there has been some sort of mistake...¡± Haano?bo? said as I spun the manacles threateningly. ¡°I did not ask you to do this. I was not looking for pity...¡±


    ¡°I know just how you feel.¡± Haru-san commiserated. ¡°I was lost and broken, and Akio-kun reached out a hand to me. At first, I felt like smacking it aside. I have... trust issues... I suppose I would say, especially with men.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable, Haru-chan.¡± Kana said, still holding one of Haano?bo?¡¯s hands, while Daiyu gripped the other. ¡°It can be scary to ask for help. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t usually wait for you to ask.¡± Her smile was kind.


    ¡°It¡¯s simply that I realised, what is the point of having the power to do what I want, and not use it? Sure, there has to be checks and balances, otherwise I¡¯ll turn into a tyrant, which is bad, but... using that power to help someone within my sight isn¡¯t wrong, is it? Besides...¡±


    ¡°He feels guilty for putting you in this situation in the first place.¡± Kana finished for me. ¡°It¡¯s a bit stupid, as you were the one who attacked us, but... he doesn¡¯t like bullies, right?¡±


    True. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no need for it. Even if we were enemies set to invade mount Atago, you fought your hardest. If the merit of an action is only measured by whether you win or lose, then almost nothing anyone ever does is worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°Fool.¡± Fungbo? snorted, clamping the manacle to his wrist, looking down at it, irritated. ¡°These is no merit in defeat. As protectors of mount Atago, the Tengu and the sacred flame, defeat is the death of all we are sworn to guard, and a disgrace to Great Taro?bo?.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do not carry the weight we do.¡± Shungbo? agreed, also affixing the manacle, the set of his wings showing his distaste. ¡°Do not speak of matters you fail to understand. Besides...¡± His head tilted, and even though we were similar heights, the set of his crimson, long-nosed mask was such he seemed to be looking down on me. ¡°This is a matter for Tengu, for the Four Directions, of... family.¡± His tone was disgusted. ¡°You spoke of your sister, would you welcome others meddling in your affairs?¡±


    ¡°If I was being a total prick, then damn right I¡¯d want someone to step in and tell me to stop. But...¡± I glanced over at Haano?bo?, her face hidden, and shrugged, chains clinking. ¡°... perhaps it¡¯s those cultural differences again. Personally, I see nothing wrong with her face, she was cute enough. But I know the Fae do worry about half-breeds and things like that so it¡¯s not a stretch for Yo?kai to have their own issues... if victory and defeat matter so much, well, you¡¯d better beat me then.¡± My grin was vicious.


    As I heard Kana cheerily telling Haano?bo? and Daiyu that I was surprisingly aggressive when it came to certain matters, Taro?bo? slammed down his staff, and suddenly the arena darkened, my vision obscured, only brief flashes visible where the flickering braziers cast their dim, ominous glows.


    ¡°The rift is dark and cramped, quite unlike the skies around mount Atago, where our Tengu can battle with impunity... or so I would have said.¡± Taro?bo? declared, and I couldn¡¯t see outside the small arena, but I imagined Haano?bo? was flinching again, as the words seemed to jab at her. Though the tone has improved. Taro?bo? seems less angry at her for her defeat now. And after these two...


    ¡°While we can see within, the darkness oppresses. Our opponents are not simply the poor corrupted dead, the fragments of spirits drawn in and tortured with these flames, but... darkness, fear, paranoia. So those who have the strength to face their fears, and the belief to defend mount Atago and our brethren, test yourselves in this arena. But first... we will see if words are truth, or if confidence is in fact recklessness. Shungbo? of the Summer South, Fungbo? of the Autumn West, you will brave the darkness, as the Four Directions, proud inheritors of my will. But first... you must face your own fears, against this outsider who defeated Haano?bo? of the Winter North, and now takes up her cause.¡±


    I¡¯m not exactly doing that, but I¡¯ll keep that to myself. Getting Mount Atago onside offers a load of opportunities. Perhaps we could even recruit Tengu from the Barracks then. Having flying troops would be a huge tactical advantage, especially coupled with some of the fruits of Mortal Engineering...


    ¡°Great Taro?bo?, I will not lose.¡± Fungbo? said, having resolved himself. ¡°By Byakko, my metal will crush him and his insolent words under my feet and trample him to the ground. Not that a flightless being who crawls on the earth will know what shame that is that he inflicted upon our sister. If you are concerned for her, you should have died obediently under her water, or else retreated, leaving mount Atago to us, as it has been for millennia!¡±


    ¡°I too will do you proud, Great Taro?bo?.¡± Shungbo? promised. ¡°My fires will burn him to ashes, Suzaku will witness my flames triumphing this time.¡± He paused. ¡°I will not trample you, for you have proved your own flames have merit. But your arrogance must be punished, as must be the insults to us. We need no aid from outsiders, and I will show Great Taro?bo? this!¡±


    ¡°I see. Good luck with that.¡± My Eye glowed, and I could pierce the gloom. Originally, I thought it was darkness element creating the arena, but I was wrong. I suppose it makes sense. Light and darkness are fairly interchangeable. ¡°For me... I was always ordinary, but ever since the early days when I was starting with nothing but a few appraisal skills and a bit of advice and guidance, I realised that I couldn¡¯t do everything alone, and having allies and friends is better than going solo. But I¡¯m getting more selective about just who I¡¯m friends with. I hope after this we can resolve all these issues and work together. So, shall we start?¡± I gestured with my hands, beckoning the two Tengu towards me.


    Flames were burning over the head of Shungbo?, piercing the darkness. ¡°The time for talk has passed! Summer Blaze, Suzaku¡¯s breath!¡± Since the chains limited our movement range to just three metres, and I was wrapped by both arms, making it harder for me to evade, simulating the conditions that must have been inside the dungeon. Flames blazed from his mouth under the mask, a yellow and red tide. Fungbo? squawked, also in the blast radius, and the sheen of metal covered his body, flames scattering.


    I countered with wind element, the olivine glow making Shungbo? snort derisorily. ¡°Your wind will merely fuel my flames!¡± he scoffed, only to twitch in surprise as the majority of his flames winked out, as they fell into the vacuum I created. Some flames still passed through, scorching me, but it was merely a few superficial burns.


    ¡°What? How?¡± he protested, and I didn¡¯t feel the need to answer. I was suddenly assailed by dozens of spear-like metal blasts from my flank, but my expanded vision saw them coming. I tried to bat them aside with my free hand, only for Fungbo? to pull on his chain. The momentary pause allowed several to strike me, before my strength overpowered his and I struck the others away. I don¡¯t feel like explaining how vacuums work. It¡¯s been a while since I used this trick. Prominence Dusk would have been easier but...


    ¡°Wretched wingless fool...¡± Fungbo? growled, as I yanked him off balance, his next volley of metal blades missing me. The few that had hit drew blood, but that was all, some cuts and bruising that Ether Healing would rapidly fix. ¡°... and watch your flames, Summer South, I was almost burned!¡±


    ¡°I have no time for caution!¡± he cried back, as I moved towards him. He tried to back up, flames bombarding the area, wings flapping, but then the chain binding us went taut, and he found himself flying back towards me, eyes wide behind his mask. Flames cascaded all around me, and I sheathed myself in earth element this time, deflecting the worst of it.


    ¡°This... you...¡± Jerked off-balance too, flames scattered from Fungbo?¡¯s metal skin. ¡°Useless! It is up to me. Great Taro?bo?, I will not lose!¡± A surge of golden energies streaked with red and yellow flashed, and suddenly I grimaced, hurt for the first time. Shit, that... isn¡¯t good... metal element shone on the shackles around my wrists, the metal contorting, digging into my flesh, spiked blades growing out of the inside of the cuffs, piercing even my defences, flesh tearing, blood scattering, bone grating.


    ¡°Fungbo?, this is not fair.¡± Shungbo? said, shocked, and his movements slowed. I¡¯m already taking you down, sorry... Earth element surged, forging a club from the ground, and I swung it. Shungbo? may have been caught off-balance by his inability to fly, but he was still no fool, and my club was melted by a blazing wave of heat. A shame my fists are good enough. One punch slammed into his face, cracking his mask, and with a squawk, he stumbled back, unused to melee combat. I tugged on his chain, trying to ignore the agony of having my wrists crushed and nearly severed, and as he flew down at me I switched to a Tsumura Arts stance, and my next blow drove him head-first into the ground, feathers scattering, and my foot slammed down on his back.


    ¡°One down. Now you...¡± I growled. Foehn formed a thin line, and the shackle binding me to the defeated Shungbo? was sliced off, falling free. That didn¡¯t stop the metal element and the digging thorns of blackened iron that were still causing me damage, but it offered me more freedom.


    ¡°Fungbo?, the shackles are not weapons...¡± Taro?bo? said, and Fungbo? snarled, annoyed, even forgetting he was talking to his father, as he saw his brother shaking his head, trying to clear his daze, still under my boot. My rather nice boots that were a treasure from London, in fact. At least he¡¯s being trampled in style...


    ¡°They are! Victory is everything! I will not let us be laughed at, mocked and insulted! Not by outsiders!¡±


    In the flickering darkness, Fungbo? elongated the chain, stretching it to a greater distance, while the one I had cut free whipped at me, growing cruel barbs. I leapt, calling on earth missiles to counter his metal, though metal won out. The injuries the impacts inflicted were nothing compared to what was happening in my wrists, so I activated Body Enhancement, and Spirit Water surged inside me, trying to force out the foreign contamination, golden, red and yellow energies sizzling free from my flesh.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just a contest between us, is it?¡± He dodged my blow by snapping the chain, flapping up, reaching a height of some thirty metres, leaving the prepared arena entirely. As I looked up, my words taunting, he sneered.


    ¡°No, it is not. We must cleanse the flame. But we do not need you for that!¡± The fallen chains snaked out towards me, and I called on Foehn as they struck at me. Metal burned, white and red droplets scattering, burning my skin. Metal chunks and spikes, greater in scale than before, rained down on me, and he crowed triumphantly. ¡°Your flames are strong, stronger than Summer South...¡± Shungbo? groaned at that, as he picked himself up off the ground, his mask cracked and flaking off.


    ¡°...but I will not grub on the ground like a worm! Here in the skies, what can you do? I am untouchable!¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± I smashed away the projectiles, some burning to molten slag, others cut apart by blades of wind. ¡°Seems to me you can¡¯t fly inside the dungeon, that¡¯s the point of this...¡± I winced as even the molten metal was coming under his control now, though it was clumsy and slow, tentacles of liquid mental whipping at me, which I dodged, slicing them apart with fine threads of wind.


    ¡°My metal is invincible! Arangbo? was right, Byakko would weep to see how arrogant you are. There is nothing to be...¡± he paused, suddenly confused as I vanished in a spray of deep indigo energies. ¡°... frightened...¡± I appeared above him, Void Motion taking me out of the blazing arena. ¡°...of.¡± His final word was punctuated by the impact of all the strength I could muster, focusing light element into a single explosive burst of energy. Metal shattered, and blood bloomed, followed by the sound of scorching flesh, the stench joining that of burned metal and earth.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. With Chen Na here for protection, if you are determined to go, I can allow it. But if the dangers grow too great, only those of us who have the best chances will continue. I cherish you both too much to risk you carelessly.¡± As they blushed, touched by my concern, I addressed the rest of my companions. ¡°That goes for you all. But this alliance is important, so we need to do our best.¡±


    Bell agreed, saying that a warrior needed to judge her limits, and yet push them where she could, and that a leader had to know when to risk others and when not to. I agree. It¡¯d be easy to wrap them in cotton wool, keep them out of danger, but then they won¡¯t grow. But then, recklessness is bad too, as Kyoto proved... it¡¯s a hard line to walk, which is why Chen Na and Yasaka-san can play their part in gathering knowledge and protection in emergencies.


    As the winner was declared, and it was time for Daiyu to step up, she addressed Motoko and Natsumi in her slightly halting Japanese. ¡°The ability to perceive dangers and opponents is... fundamental... yes, fundamental. When you learn the basics of Qi Refining, using Qi to sense those around you will be the first thing I teach you.¡±


    As Motoko and Natsumi thanked her, Haru-san turned to me. ¡°So, Akio-kun. Are we precious to you too?¡± Her smile was teasing, and it seemed that one of the barriers between us had finally broken. That¡¯s good. If she can grow more comfortable around men, she can finally regain what she lost, her normal life.


    ¡°Of course. I cherish my friends and allies.¡±


    ¡°And your new sister.¡± Kana teased, before addressing the Tengu beside her. ¡°Just Arangbo? to go, and I can¡¯t see him beating Akio. How does it feel, to be won in a duel?¡±


    ¡°Please, stop.¡± Haano?bo? dipped her white wings. ¡°I fear there has been a dreadful misunderstanding somewhere. Still...¡± she touched her mask tenderly. ¡°I do thank you for redeeming my honour. You had little cause to.¡±


    ¡°Nope, as a huge siscon, I¡¯d say he had cause enough. Now, let¡¯s watch Daiyu do her thing.¡± Kana said, and we all watched as she was shackled to her opponent, a powerful-looking Tengu only a bit smaller than Arangbo?, who dwarfed her. ¡°He¡¯s a big one. I¡¯d worry for Daiyu, she¡¯s a dainty girl, but I¡¯ve seen her in action, so...¡±


    ¡°Indeed. She will strike first and fast.¡± Motoko predicted.


    ¡°Using her speed and skills to defeat her larger opponent quickly before greater stamina tells?¡± Natsumi said, and Motoko agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it is what I would do. But...¡± Motoko glanced at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°That only holds true if we discount the Divine Favour and Daiyu¡¯s gains. I doubt she¡¯s going to be bullied in there.¡± As if to prove my words true, Daiyu clashed with her opponent, moving quickly just as Motoko predicted, but her strength was pushing the Tengu back. The manacle was hampering her usual stance, but her free palm was constantly darting out, and the Tengu was desperately fending her off, each blow making his eyes narrow in pain even as he parried as best he could.


    ¡°That¡¯s the advantage we have.¡± Kana said, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± She looked at Motoko and Natsumi, momentarily forgetting they didn¡¯t have Divine Favours. ¡°Even without one, you can grow thanks to Lovers¡¯ Link, and if you ask me, I¡¯m sure Akio has plans to find you suitable Favours.¡±


    ¡°It would certainly be preferable than giving one to Ginneka, but... compatibility is key.¡± I sighed. ¡°I doubt you are suitable for the favour Nie Ling holds either.¡±


    ¡°Just what do you speak of?¡± Haano?bo? asked, and was we talked the Tengu fighting Daiyu had lost his patience and yanked on the chain, using his size and strength to hopefully throw her off-balance and drag her into his grasp. Good luck with that, I doubt it¡¯ll work out how you wish...


    I was proved right as Daiyu held the chain taut while the Tengu strained, then used his own momentum to leap forwards, and her fist shattered his defences, knocking him out in a single blow. She landed beside him, dusting off her clothes daintily, before unchaining herself and bowing to Taro?bo?, walking out of the ring.


    ¡°The power of the kami, the Gods.¡± Kana smiled. ¡°Akio possesses it, as does Daiyu and me. Those too.¡± Haru-san inclined her head, while Chen Na remained silent and Yasaka-san grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s rare, but even without it, you¡¯ve seen how skilled Motoko and Natsumi are.¡±


    ¡°That is thanks to Akio.¡± Motoko declared. ¡°Kana is correct, he can share his power with those he chooses.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s also down to your hard work and dedication. I love seeing people try their best. It¡¯s sexy.¡± I smiled, and Motoko flushed, Natsumi taking up the conversation.


    ¡°It is attractive, seeing us in sweaty hakama, the cloth faintly transparent and sticking to our skin, our bodies flushed...¡± she teased, Haano?bo? rather confused. Bell chimed in that she could be sexy too, loosening a few laces on her shirt as she practised the bow, and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Now I know you¡¯ve all been talking to Shaeula or Shiro to joke like that. You¡¯re not wrong though...¡± I said, changing the subject. ¡°Daiyu, good match. Not that we ever doubted you.¡±


    Daiyu nodded elegantly. ¡°Yes, a better, fairer challenge would be you...¡± she looked at Haano?bo?. ¡°Or one of your brothers, but...¡± As more Tengu entered the arena, Arangbo? came sauntering over, as arrogant as ever.


    ¡°Good fight.¡± He boomed at Daiyu, who inclined her head again at the compliment. ¡°I am confident that we can succeed in defeating our enemies. But first...¡± he addressed me. ¡°... our challenge awaits. But...¡± he flexed his massive biceps, wings spreading, blocking the light. ¡°...we know what we face in the rifts, and our courage is not so weak as to be affected by a little darkness or lack of room to swing a weapon.¡±


    I nodded at that. ¡°That¡¯s true. So what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Since my precious sister is on the line...¡± Haano?bo? jolted at his amused teasing. ¡°... we should fight at our best. No weakling can tame one of the Four Directions.¡±


    ¡°Again, I feel I have been greatly misunderstood...¡± she protested, but her brother ignored her.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy enough with that.¡± I said, flexing my healed wrists. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to work the kinks out.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Then we shall do battle once the final challenge has concluded.¡± He turned to his sister. ¡°Will you wish me good fortune, Haano?bo? of the Winter North?¡±


    She paused, before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Your disdain hurt me, Arangbo? of the Spring East. I felt my heart would break. But...¡± she turned her masked face towards the flame at the centre of the mountain temple. ¡°...were it Shungbo?, Fungbo? or even you that was defeated, I perhaps would have been unkind as well. So... I forgive you. As for good fortune...¡± she looked at us both, golden-yellow eyes moving between us. ¡°... I wish you luck in battle, brother. And you, who defended my pride. I wish you good fortune as well. May Genbu smile on the winner, and the loser be treated with dignity.¡±


    Arangbo? laughed at that, clapping me on the back solidly. ¡°It seems Haano?bo? has chosen not to decide. How very... winter-like. She is as cold as the northern snows. If a miracle happens and you beat me, you will have your hands full with her. But win or lose, I shall not end up in such a sorry state as Fungbo?, will I?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, he had it coming. If you act honourably, I¡¯ll offer you the same courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Then...¡± He sat down with our group, watching as two more Tengu joined in battle, chains rattling as they jockeyed for position. ¡°... we may as well enjoy the brief moment of calm, before you face my spring storms...¡±

 Four Hundred And Twelve

    Four Hundred And Twelve


    Arangbo? reached out, grasping a massive, thick wooden staff, both ends tipped with blackened metal that was covered in small bumps. It resembled a giant version of Fungbo?¡¯s staff, except there were no rings attached. This one looked crude and brutal, a pure weapon, rather than elegant. On seeing my gaze, Arangbo? laughed.


    ¡°This staff of mine has crushed many skulls over the long years, many enemies of mount Atago and Great Taro?bo?. Fear not, I have no intention of killing you. But as the Spring East, he who carries the will of Seiryu?, I can hardly let you triumph without a fight. Besides...¡± I could tell he was grinning beneath his mask, his eyes narrowed with amusement as he looked at Haano?bo?, who was covering herself with her hair, even now there was no need. ¡°... as a brother, how can I let you steal away my sister without seeing what kind of man you truly are?¡±


    ¡°Okay, that line was kind of cool.¡± Kana giggled. ¡°The worst thing is, I can see you saying exactly the same to whoever asks out Aiko-chan. You¡¯d like to crush his skull too, I bet! Maybe the two of you are more alike than you thought?¡±


    ¡°Any husband for Aiko must be a warrior.¡± Motoko said stoutly. ¡°She is like us, she loves her bow. Her Kyu?do? is quite beautiful. To waste that on a man who has no skills, no bravery... even if Akio allowed it, I surely would not! I am her family too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bold...¡± Kana giggled, and as Natsumi joined in, I frowned. I met Haru-san¡¯s eyes, and she merely smiled, shrugging, as if to say it couldn¡¯t be helped. True. I suppose I should be thankful that everybody is getting along, and my sis having more close friends and sisters is a good thing. She¡¯ll be in Tokyo soon with the rest of my family... that¡¯ll be interesting, if a bit nerve-wracking...


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on taking her away. I can see that the situation was unusual...¡± I began, and Haano?bo? squawked out a few annoyed words.


    ¡°I keep telling everyone, a mistake is being made here...¡±


    Arangbo? ignored his sister, booming a laugh, swinging his staff. ¡°Yes, your intervention has been unexpected. But I feel the prickling of Fate at work. The flame must not fall, we have guarded mount Atago too long to let it be corrupted. So we shall accept your aid. That comes above our pride. Pride is for the strong.¡± He looked at his brothers, a mocking sneer in is voice. ¡°Not for those who have drowned in the mud.¡±


    Fungbo? growled at that, but said nothing, merely staring at me hatefully. He¡¯ll get over it. If he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m more than happy to beat the anger out of him again...


    ¡°Like I said before, me winning doesn¡¯t mean they are weak. I¡¯m simply strong. As you¡¯ll find out.¡± I took a Tsumura Arts stance, my centre of balance sturdy yet flexible. We weren¡¯t using the prepared arena, since this was a battle to showcase all of Arangbo?¡¯s strength. Seeing me readying myself, he chortled happily.


    ¡°Yes, you are. But defeat is still defeat. Let your tears over your opponent being stronger bring back the dead lost to weakness. Can they? Excuses never wash out blood.¡±


    At his harsh words, I glanced at the spirit-light of Tsukiko-san. It was getting brighter hour by hour, since it no longer had to share the flow with Ginneka. The dull light of Kinneka was also orbiting me, but it was only receiving a trickle until I had bound Ginneka with my Throne to be safe. And work out how to block any voyeurism. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I apologise.¡± I nodded to him, surprising the massive Tengu. ¡°I¡¯ve lost those I should have been strong enough to protect. But... even so, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that there is always a new limit, a sky beyond the sky, as Daiyu might day.¡± She nodded at that, and I continued. ¡°Even in defeat, I believe that the hard work that went into trying to avert it matters. And I hope...¡± I remembered Mine-san, the dead trainees, those killed in Kyoto when Nie Ling pulled them into the Boundary and more... ¡°...that the dead find peace knowing we did our best.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Arangbo? rumbled. ¡°That is your philosophy, is it? Well then...¡± he swung his huge staff effortlessly, whistling through the air menacingly. ¡°... we shall see whether my strength can overcome yours. Are you not drawing your sword?¡± he asked me, eyeing it on my back, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I hope not to need it. It¡¯s a tool for killing, and this isn¡¯t a battle, but a duel.¡±


    ¡°I see. Bold words. But I agree. I shall only break a few bones.¡± Arangbo? said happily. He turned to his father. ¡°Great Taro?bo?, I, the Spring East of your Four Directions, and oldest surviving child... I will prove that I am worthy to lead!¡±


    Taro?bo? looked at him, his yellow robes covered in ruby letters and sigils a match to the crimson mask he wore that was chased with gold. The jewel shining in the Staff of Muted Desires flickered a little, giving off rays of brilliant light, illuminating him, and all eyes were on him. ¡°Very well, my son...¡± he said solemnly. ¡°Clash your wills and strengths, prove whose ideals burn the brightest. Begin!¡±


    Even as the word left the Tengu¡¯s mouth, Arangbo? was rushing at me, wings propelling him forwards. He was fast, but not possessing my more balanced attributes, so I could easily react. I dodged the sweep of his staff, which blasted a crater in the ground, showering the onlookers with dirt and debris. He grunted, whipping his staff around surprisingly gracefully, and I blocked the blow, arms crossed, wanting to test his strength. The impact jolted my body, and my bones creaked, but I held my ground, surprising him. Not bad. A bit weaker than Grulgor, on a par strength-wise with Ulfuric. But... he doesn¡¯t have Ulfuric¡¯s impeccable skills...


    Seeing my grin, Arangbo? let out a laugh. ¡°Not bad. But I am just getting started!¡± A flurry of blows from his staff came at me from all angles, and even though I was several times faster than him, it was impossible to dodge them all. My hands, remembering the earlier training I had done in martial arts from YouTube videos, coupled with Tsumura Arts, formed open palms, deflecting most of the thrusts and swings. Those that I couldn¡¯t deflect I took on areas of my body that were the least vital, and Ether Healing quickly took care of those modest injuries.


    ¡°You are strong... but strength alone won¡¯t do.¡± I caught his staff, impact stinging my palms, and he grunted, trying to pull it free. I let Body Enhancement surge, and suddenly he was unable to keep his grip on the staff, despite his strength. As I tore it free, he leapt backwards, wings spreading, and he let out a cry.


    ¡°Seiryu?, Lord Of Spring, Master Of Wood...¡± he cut his chant short as I hurled the staff at him like a javelin. He caught it, though he was unable to arrest the momentum and one of the metal ends slammed into his shoulder, numbing his wing, and he dropped to earth. ¡°Saikou Aokigahara!¡±


    Greatest sea of trees, huh? The ground around us burst into life, great bark-covered vines ripping free in their dozens, converging on me in a scattering of brown energies. My thoughts were running fast, and I felt a little dizzy, as in the moment I was also just leaving a late-night meeting with Hinata, and the dichotomy in places and temporal flows was jarring.


    ¡°I am not the most skilled with the use of the elements.¡± Arangbo? admitted, as the vines surged towards me like a tidal wave of wood and greenery. ¡°But when it comes to sheer power...¡±


    ¡°Power is good...¡± I agreed, my own surge of Wood element responding. Vines sprouted, grabbing and snaring some of the incoming tentacles, slowing them, but it was insufficient to halt the attack.


    ¡°You have it too? Interesting. Fire, wind, earth, now this... but you are too weak!¡± Arangbo? crowed.


    ¡°True.¡± He looked surprised as all of the vines around me fell, sliced apart, and Storming Moonlight was gleaming in my hands, wind and lightning wreathing the blade. ¡°I need to practise it more. But if Hyacinth was here, she¡¯d show you what Wood element can really do...¡±


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Bell muttered, as the girls were cheering me on happily. ¡°Your movements are certainly fast, no doubt about that.¡±


    ¡°So, you drew your sword...¡± Arangbo? flourished his staff. More vines rolled down towards me, blotting out the skies and the crowds, only for them to fall apart, a cage of wind threads around me cutting through them like a buzzsaw.


    ¡°Yes, though I have other ways to cut. But I¡¯m trying to practice. Round two then?¡± I cracked my neck, acting cool because I was trying to show the Tengu I was worth an alliance. And I suppose I do want to show off in front of the girls...


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arangbo? laughed, and his staff met my sword, the impact making him take a step back. Flustered, not used to being outmatched in terms of muscle, he swung again. I see. I parried, and swept my blade down. Blood bloomed, and his right arm was suddenly useless.


    ¡°A Tsumura Arts counter... did you see that Motoko?¡± Natsumi giggled happily, and Motoko nodded, also excited.


    ¡°Yes, and so beautifully done too!¡± she praised. Daiyu, also watching, added her own insights.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Daiyu asked, a bit puzzled by the situation.


    ¡°At least Akio can split himself in two. That means even adding another few, we¡¯ll still be able to spend as much time with him as before, maybe even a bit more.¡± she giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not telling Eri though, someone else can do that...¡±


    I listened to the girls talk nonsense, holding in a sigh. ¡°Look, Haano?bo?, you don¡¯t want it, I wasn¡¯t looking for it. I understand. I came in, humiliated you...¡±


    ¡°I hardly hate you.¡± she said. ¡°You are a strong warrior, and you humbled my brothers when they looked down on me. And if you aid Great Taro?bo? in cleansing the flame, our charge... I would be grateful. But everyone misunderstands us... this is not a story of great love from nothing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? It sounds pretty romantic to me.¡± Haru-san said, surprising me. She¡¯s the last person I¡¯d expect to think about the romance of a situation. ¡°It was a very fateful first meeting, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I confess that is true.¡± Haano?bo? nodded.


    ¡°But life isn¡¯t a romantic comedy, even if your life seems like it sometimes, Akio-kun.¡± she giggled. ¡°Haano?bo?, I understand. But... you don¡¯t hate him, it sounds like, or hold a grudge.


    The Tengu shook her head, violet hair floating. ¡°No. Another intruder who I failed to defeat could easily have killed me, slain many Tengu, despoiled the mountain... instead you offer aid...¡± she paused. ¡°Even if you do have your own motives. I have no hatred towards you.¡±


    ¡°Then the answer is simple. Just do what Akio originally planned. Be his adopted sister. He¡¯s a siscon through and through, so he¡¯d always be good to you. And he¡¯s right. You can stay on the mountain. Sometimes we might request your assistance, but... family help each other, right?¡± she looked at me and winked slyly, and I suddenly heard her thoughts.


    It¡¯s cute seeing you flustered. But really, the Tengu are right. Who would go to all this effort to gain a sister? It¡¯s natural they think you had other motives. I would have thought so too, if I didn¡¯t know better. But leave it to me, I know you want this alliance so we can access the flame element, I¡¯ll steer things the right way.


    ¡°If both Haano?bo? and Akio-kun say so, we should at least pretend to believe them.¡± Haru-san said professionally. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make a difference, does it? Besides, we have a more pressing matter.¡± She looked meaningfully at the flame burning in the temple, and Taro?bo? slammed down his staff.


    ¡°It seems so. I have no great understanding of what customs you outsiders have, but I believe you said you do not denigrate our customs, so we should respect yours. Haano?bo?...¡± at her name being called, she twitched her wings.


    ¡°Yes, Great Taro?bo??¡±


    ¡°You shall be the liaison for our... guests. See to your brother...¡± Arangbo? laughed at that, while Fungbo? looked murderous, and Shungbo? merely seemed resigned, by the set of his wings. ¡°... and his needs. Serve him well. Yet never forget your honour as the Winter North.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡± she bowed low, before turning to me. ¡°Brother...¡± the word crept from her lips, with a little resignation. ¡°... we should rest. Your strength must have been depleted by your battles. I would not have you perish inside the rifts due to exhaustion.¡±


    ¡°See that? He smiled when she said brother!¡± Kana laughed. ¡°Aiko-chan is going to be mad too!¡±


    Ignoring her, I turned to Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll be missing some school. Is that fine?¡± I asked, and they said that their parents and the Three Grandfathers had said they could prioritise our tasks. I see. Hopefully we can wrap it up before too much time passes on the Material, but... judging by the attitudes of the Tengu, this was no simple little dungeon...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous, you know.¡± Hinata was saying, snuggled into my embrace in the back of the car. ¡°Motoko and Natsumi are venturing into such an exciting place with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a date. It¡¯ll be dangerous.¡± I chided, and she merely grinned, her usual teasing smile.


    ¡°You¡¯ll protect them, I know that. But... I have my own role.,¡± she grinned at the documents and her laptop. ¡°We can get started as soon as the paperwork is filed for Nie Ling to be released into your custody, and that cat is able to enter our world. The Ministry is slowly conducting tests on ether depletion and exposure, but ideally if you can squeeze in some upgrades to the Connection buildings sooner than later... we can¡¯t be having our workers fall ill...¡± as she brainstormed, I grinned, ruffling her hair, and I kissed her forehead softly. She blushed, brown eyes moist.


    ¡°Are Motoko and Natsumi showing you affection? They are quite shy.¡± She said, and I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She nodded. ¡°Us noble daughters are bad at that, and the more noble, the worse we are. I think that¡¯s the sweetest change of all. We can love, just as our brothers do. Though Hiroto loves too easily.¡± She snorted. ¡°I hear he¡¯s had another fling at University. It¡¯s only natural, he¡¯s had the Chirurgery, and he¡¯s rich. And like me, he has a good appearance.¡±


    ¡°A great appearance, if it¡¯s like yours.¡± I teased, enjoying her shy yet excited reaction.


    ¡°Oh you. Anyway...¡± her smile turned mischievous. ¡°If Motoko and Natsumi aren¡¯t going home tonight, then neither am I. It¡¯s a good time to get some things done.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I mean, you¡¯re younger...¡± I began, but she cut me off.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m old enough, and your fiance?e. Besides, I¡¯ll be spending half the week living with you as soon as the last details of the new estate are finished. What will one night matter? I¡¯ll contact father and grandfather. I want to talk to some of the girls.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure. I guess I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She giggled. ¡°I¡¯d hate to think you didn¡¯t want to spend time with me. Although...¡± she narrowed her eyes. ¡°You should spend the night with Eri. She¡¯s been through a lot. And I need to go to the Boundary, and you¡¯re already there.¡±


    The Boundary, huh? ¡°So what are you planning?¡± I asked, curious, and her smile in return was cute and sly.


    ¡°Something important. Don¡¯t worry, as always I¡¯m looking after your interests, just like I always do. But... it¡¯s exciting. I can hardly wait...¡± As she giggled to herself, I shook my head. Spending some time with Eri isn¡¯t a bad thing, I¡¯m delighted she¡¯s healed, but... it does make me wonder why Hinata said that... At the same time, I was laughing and joking with my party on mount Atago, Haano?bo? silently pouring me a cup of sake. Oh well, I trust Hinata. She¡¯ll tell me when I need to know...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Seven – Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata *Revised version

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Seven ¨C Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata *Revised version


    Hinata held in a smile as she looked around the meeting hall in the Boundary. She still found everything very surprising, even after several months. Though these last few months have seemed to stretch into years, so many things have happened. Fun things, amazing things. And there¡¯s still more to come... Her face flushed as she considered the further path she had to take, but as she was chairing this special meeting, for which many members had been brought back after they had left for the evening, she forced herself to stillness. As a businesswoman and Akio¡¯s wife, I can¡¯t show weakness. And as my mother says, as a woman, I have to remain strong. I have a lot of rivals. Friendly rivals, sisters... but even so, I¡¯m like all the others. I want to be number one!


    The room was packed with faces both familiar and not. There were shrine maidens, such as the twins, the granddaughters of Chiyo-san and more, the rather cute but idiotic Keomi-chan sitting with the taciturn and withdrawn Hotene-san. She had recovered from her physical wounds, but the mental ones were still a burden on her. Though being with the ever-bright Keomi-chan was helping her, and Haru-san used her Mind Healing Light when she was free.


    From the nobility, the selection was lacking. Miyu and her bodyguard was there of course, but it was too soon for Hinata¡¯s plans to bear fruit yet. Slow and steady wins the race. Taking Takatsukasa house gave me legitimacy, but if I step too fast or too greedily Fujiwara-sama and Kira-sama will slap me down. As for grandfather Itsuki, he can¡¯t stop me anymore... There were two faces here that were new though, one of them wasn¡¯t invited but had come anyway. The newcomers. The heirs to Tengokusentou, the most prestigious and luxurious traditional hotel and hot springs among the nobility. Every major milestone, births, deaths, marriages... for the last several hundred years, the nobility has seen them all there... In fact, Akio¡¯s marriage ceremony here on Earth will almost certainly have to be carried out there... or it would have...


    The family, the Shiraishi house, were a family under the auspices of Fujiwara-sama, and were true nobility, even if they were low amongst the Fifty-Seven. Fifty-Eight, now. No, it¡¯ll be Fifty-Seven again soon, the idiots... At school, the two of them were popular, the oldest, Shiraishi Nozomi, always being friendly and cheerful. She¡¯s tall and has a great figure too. But now... She had been crying again, and her younger sister, a junior that even Hinata herself had looked on with fondness, being as she was cute and full of energy, always fun to talk to, was trying to comfort her, despite being a number of years younger than her big sister. Shiraishi Arisa. But it¡¯s too late for tears, and merely soothing them away achieves nothing. I don¡¯t think they understood why they were the noble daughters chosen by Fujiwara-sama for Chirurgery, when this batch was mostly sons and brothers...


    In addition to that, there was one of the Black Wolf Company there. It was a difficult choice, Hinata definitely approved of Akio putting them to use, and with Shaeula¡¯s winds, the risk of betrayal, while not non-existent, was slight. But this one was talented, and Hinata had made sure to scout her. She was South American, pretty, and had taken to wielding elements faster than almost anyone else. The strange girl Suzu-san was here too, though again, like Miyu, she already was a Vassal, so wasn¡¯t a part of this, but as she watched the proceedings curiously, shading herself with her black parasol, sucking on a lollipop, twirling her immaculately styled hair, Hinata sighed. She¡¯s trouble. But as a Vassal she can be kept in line. Besides, she idolises Shiro...


    Lastly there were the non-humans. Shaeula¡¯s maids were here, as well as a number of other weaselkin, and a female Kamaitachi, who was one of the four granted to Shaeula by her mother. There were ratkin, goblins, and the elf Soliteare, as well as the three female Way-Wardens who hung around with her often. There were even a small number of stranger Fae, including some rather small sprites that were flying about, curious. She turned, and met Shaeula¡¯s gaze, who merely smiled back brightly. How does that even work? No matter, if Shaeula¡¯s invited them, they¡¯re what we need...


    Taking a deep breath, Hinata felt the weight of pressure on her, only to find Kazumi¡¯s hand in hers. Turning, Kazumi smiled at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± she said warmly. ¡°You¡¯ve come so far. And your journey is just beginning. At first I was wary of him, of your choices, but...¡± she shook her head. ¡°...now I want to see just how far you can go.¡±


    ¡°We can go.¡± Hinata corrected, but the words steadied her trembling, and she took one final breath, before looking out over the fellow brides-to-be of Akio who were present. No Hyacinth, though she gives this venture her wholehearted blessing. She¡¯s still keeping an eye on Ginneka. The cat... ugh, I¡¯m torn. She¡¯s important, but I don¡¯t want her in this. Fortunately she¡¯ll be under a Throne so we can get around it that way...


    Shaeula, who had interrupted her business at the Spring, gave a brisk nod. Shiro was here too, and had offered a lot of input, most of which was surprisingly insightful. She was the one who... no, no getting distracted. ¡°So, I¡¯ve gathered you all here today, because it¡¯s time. Time to start advancing our plans, our cause. The world is changing. And we have to seize the opportunities that change brings.¡± Her tension relaxed, as she was in her element, this was simply a business transaction, a mutual win-win, profit for all, though the scale was far beyond her imagination of only a few months ago. This is the first step. When the foundation is solid, then we expand, and...


    ¡°The world is in danger. Kyoto proved it, London proved it. Some would say the Spring of Clear Reflections proved it too, not that I¡¯d know.¡± Shaeula inclined her head in agreement at that, and her maids looked down, expressions bitter. ¡°The world has to belong to someone. And I say it needs to be ours. Only one can lead, one can be an Astral Emperor...¡± she noticed Shiro¡¯s eyes turning red at that, her hair darkening. Sorry Tan?ha?, but it¡¯s not going to be you. And I think you know it. But there¡¯ll be benefits for you nonetheless. ¡°...and that will be Akio. Already he¡¯s wrought triumphs in this world and our own, and there is more to come. But he can¡¯t do it alone. I don¡¯t want him to do it alone. So... you¡¯ve all been gathered. We¡¯ve...¡±


    ¡°By we she means us. Hyacinth too of course, and Motoko and Natsumi.¡± Shiro broke in. ¡°We¡¯re always watching. We have to, we don¡¯t want any of those who break trust around us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°One thing we value above-above all is the keeping of given word, and faithful service. So be proud. You have-have been chosen to be a part of this. There are many who would wish-wish it, yet you were called.¡±


    ¡°A part of what, if I may ask?¡± the South American, Luciana, said carefully, after hearing the translation being provided for her. ¡°I am preocupada, rather concerned. I seem to be the only one of the Black Wolf Company invited. Moreover, I see only women, I believe? Though it is sometimes complicado to tell, no?¡± she eyed some of the Fae.


    ¡°For this, most are useless.¡± Shaeula said pointedly. ¡°But have no-no fear. Are we not-not friends? Our first meeting was rather entertaining, and despite our differences, you agreed to serve us.¡±


    Luciana shook her head. ¡°Yes, and I understand after this Chirurgery, this training, I can go back never, nunca. But I have fears...¡±


    ¡°And we will allay them.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°Everyone here has a choice. Those who do not agree, well, Shaeula will bind you to secrecy...¡± she nodded, so Hinata continued. ¡°...but that is all. You can continue with your lives, working under Akio in whatever capacity you already do if you so choose. We will understand, though perhaps you may regret your choice in time. Those who do agree... there is a price, of course. But in exchange, your dreams will come true, and you will help Akio make his dreams come true, seize this world, no, not just this one, but perhaps more... your family, friends, loved ones will thank you for your choice, your bravery. It¡¯ll be hard, some of us might pay an ultimate price, but against what we face... Shiro, if you would?¡±


    The older woman, who Hinata still couldn¡¯t believe was real, her beauty so stunning as to be almost artificial, nodded. Her eyes blazed crimson, and her hair burned red, flames scattering. Some who saw it for the first time were surprised, but a lot of people here had seen such. The annoying thing is that set the older Shiraishi off crying again. For a noble she is failing. For a girl... I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand.


    ¡°I am Tan?ha?, the Thirsty.¡± she said imperiously, pride radiating from her with an intensity hot enough to burn. She licked Shiro¡¯s lips, which were suddenly dry and cracked, before addressing the gathered crowd. ¡°And I should not be here. I am an aberration, a chance event. One of many this world faces.¡± At that a buzz went around the room. Tan?ha? silenced them with an imperious toss of her head, flaming hair dancing. ¡°How it happened is of no relevance. Suffice to say, I saw a chance, an unusual one, and strove to put myself at an advantage. But the wheel of Sam?sa?ra is not one even the Gods can predict, my father neither. In the end I ended up here, as one of you. But heed my words... this world is unusual indeed, and in such differences lie both gruesome danger and shining opportunity.¡±


    Everyone listened carefully as she continued. ¡°An ordinary world, the Boundary will gradually crumble, over a period of years, decades. Within a century, the world will be fully exposed, and usually then outside forces intervene and take it for themselves, or destroy it. Few indeed are worlds that succeed in finding their own ruler, Astral Emperor, who can protect and nurture it. And those that do pay a heavy price. For even as the Boundary is cracking, invaders come, disasters strike. The dead outnumber the living, countries burn, species perish...¡±


    Many of the listeners had some understanding of it, but some of the younger guests such as the twins looked rather frightened, pale-skinned and breathing fast. The sounds of sobbing could be heard, and Hinata clenched her fist, her own heart aching. It¡¯s scary yes. I want to live a good, happy life. But fortunately we have hope... but first, the despair...


    ¡°Matters here are far from that kind.¡± Tan?ha? said, eliciting more gasps. ¡°The creature that was behind the Kyoto battles was likewise an outsider. A dreadful one. If I was to use my full strength, I am confident I might win, but to do so would be to blow away the fragile Boundary surrounding this planet. Because the Boundary... is already fraying, mere months in. Too many meddling hands... the Ninth Heaven, me, this vile creature...¡±


    ¡°If I may ask, how will we survive then?¡± Soliteare got to the point, her eyes narrowed. ¡°We are hardly united. Though efforts are being made to unite the Seelie Court, and even forge ties with the Night Parade...¡± the Kamaitachi nodded at that.


    ¡°Fortunately, another meddler bestowed a gift upon this one¡¯s man, this Akio.¡± She gestured to Shiro, the owner of their shared body here. ¡°He is still weak, pathetically so compared to what is coming, but his growth has been... swift.¡± She allowed.


    ¡°Damn right he has been.¡± Shiro suddenly said, speaking over Tan?ha?, her expression changing, and that elicited some relieved laughter from the watching group. ¡°This is Aki we¡¯re talking about. Combine his need to save damsels in distress with some pro-gamer grinding and he gets results. That¡¯s not all though, is it?¡± She looked at Shaeula, who took over. Yes, Shaeula¡¯s the one who demonstrates it best, the point we are making, what we want...


    ¡°Those here of the Fae know this. I was rather-rather pathetic as a child. Now, I do not-not claim it was all entirely my fault.¡± Her maids looked ashamed at that. ¡°But it was sadly true. Now, ever since my fateful meeting with Akio, where we have striven to fight together and grow-grow together, now my strength has blossomed!¡± She radiated power, her League, as Akio and she called it, hitting everyone like a wave. Hinata staggered a little, held in place by Kazumi, and she shot her a grateful smile. I¡¯m so jealous. I¡¯m... I¡¯m the weakest out of everyone. I know my role isn¡¯t to fight, I do business, look after Akio¡¯s interests, but... I need strength too. And I¡¯ll get it...


    ¡°We understand, princess! Calm down, not everyone can take it.¡± Soliteare warned, and Shaeula frowned, and the sense of oppression dissipated.


    ¡°I think I have proved-proved my point.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°We triumphed in Kyoto, though there were sad-sad losses, and it was far-far from easy. London too, we defeated a powerful foe. The ruler of this world, the Astral Emperor...¡± her lips curled, and Hinata knew Shaeula wasn¡¯t keen on the term. ¡°...must be the strongest, yes. For without an absolute power to face other powers, we will be swept-swept aside like insects, stomped on by the strong as-as they will it. However...¡± her piercing amber eyes seemed to glow as she looked at them all. ¡°... even one strong leader alone is not-not enough. No, he must have adherents, a legion of them, as strong-strong as they can be. For one-one alone can not-not be everywhere, save everyone, But a legion, a force...¡± her smile was brilliant. ¡°...they can stand together, and do what Akio can not-not. And in exchange, for we are making an agreement here... the rewards will be-be remarkable.¡±


    ¡°Is this why we have been called here?¡± Miyu asked, and Shaeula nodded.


    ¡°There is no-no need for your participation, Miyu. You are already in a privileged position, as Akio¡¯s Vassal. To go further requires further-further sacrifice and restrictions. Though some might-might say the rewards are sweet indeed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take over again.¡± Hinata said, excitement building. Here it comes. The time is now. Will some accept and join us, or will we be left looking like idiots as everyone backs out? ¡°Yes, you all work with Akio in some capacity, or...¡± she looked at the Shiraishi¡¯s, barely able to hold in an expression of displeasure. ¡°...have been given his largesse. Some of you did it for your own reasons, others at the behest of others. I blame nobody for that. We all have our reasons. Mine were selfish at first. But...¡± she had a stack of papers beside her, and there were mirrors of them in the Material too, waiting for signatures for those that were present in that world too. ¡°...this offer gives you a chance. To be truly a part of something special, that matters. An organisation...¡± she gestured, and Tan?ha? stepped up, flipping over a prepared whiteboard. It¡¯s amazing what Ixitt can create at short notice. I can hardly wait until we start the factory in the Material...


    ¡°Adamant!¡± Hinata declared boldly, tapping the header on the board, below which were some charts, diagrams and more. ¡°Adamant.¡± She repeated happily. ¡°An indestructible mineral, and a mythical one too. I am told it does exist, not that we have any yet. But the name has other meanings too. Akio is half-British, so a word in English seemed appropriate. But it also means determined and unbreakable. Which is what we will need to be, if we wish to save the world, and stand at Akio¡¯s side forever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my name we chose.¡± Shiro was back in control of her body, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°You wanted Akatsuki, right Hinata? It¡¯s cool, but generally a villain name. Besides, Aki has more in common with the moon than the sun.¡± she looked at Shaeula, who nodded. ¡°I had expected Shaeula to go with something moon related, but instead... Faerie Garden? Shit, Aki¡¯s not delusional, and you watch too much anime. I never thought I¡¯d say that to someone else...¡±


    Hyacinth¡¯s suggestion was too descriptive, it would have been off-putting. Motoko and Natsumi had no interest in naming it, and Daiyu felt she was too new to contribute. Asha¡¯s idea wasn¡¯t bad, Tree of Wisdom kind of works, but... Kana and Eri weren¡¯t consulted. Hinata felt a little bad about that, but she knew Kana wouldn¡¯t mind. Eri... she¡¯ll be mad at first, she¡¯s quite an angry girl, but when she calms down, she¡¯ll throw her support behind it, she can¡¯t help herself if it¡¯s for Akio...


    ¡°So, is this some kind of secret organisation?¡± Keomi-chan said, eyes bright. ¡°Awesome, but... aren¡¯t we already doing that? I¡¯m confused...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take much to confuse you, does it?¡± one of the granddaughters of Chiyo-san said, amused, as they had spent a decent amount of time training together. ¡°If I had to guess, this seems a separate group, with the goal of being under Akio¡¯s command, achieving his aims? Aside from the politics of the shrines and Japan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Adamant is the secret wing we shall cultivate, an organisation dedicated to one thing only. Making sure Akio is the Astral Emperor for Earth, and that we save Earth and those we care about. The requirements are strict, so I understand if some of you can¡¯t agree.¡± She tapped her stack of contracts. ¡°... but in return, those of you who do sign will be part of something greater, heroes all. But unlike heroes, we don¡¯t expect you to work for free, even though the cause is just!¡± No matter how noble a person, self-interest is important. Akio understands that. He makes sure to look after his employees, friends and family, paying them well, making life comfortable and as fun as it can be. That¡¯ll be important, because when dark times like Kyoto hit, that¡¯ll stop people breaking... protecting the good times, hope for even better times... that¡¯s the strongest motivator of all. And I will take his example to heart!


    ¡°Akio and we are of one mind. We want to protect all we can!¡± Hinata declared boldly. ¡°But Kyoto and London showed it¡¯s not possible to protect all things equally. It will only get worse, won¡¯t it?¡± she looked at Tan?ha?, who agreed.


    ¡°Yes, when the Boundary cracks enough for greater threats to come through, what you have endured will seem as a mere breeze compared to the typhoon of destruction. Ordinarily, this world would be doomed to ruin, but in the abnormal situations and tribulations, there are also positive steps for hope.¡± She turned, her ruby eyes narrowing, looking towards the direction of the great Rhyming Tree, though it wasn¡¯t visible inside. ¡°A Territory of the fourth Rank is barely enough to defend against some threats. A fifth Rank one is safer... I would have believed it impossible to bring a Territory to the fourth Rank so swiftly, but this world is far from ordinary, and I do admit he is able to put his skills and the skills of others to some surprising uses I would not have entirely considered.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Aki!¡± Shiro spoke over her again. ¡°Though I do have to thank you, Tan. You gave him some hints, and it realty helped.¡±


    ¡°I merely did what I could, since leaving empty-handed puts all my efforts to waste.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, going all tsundere on me. Want to join Adamant, Tan?¡±


    ¡°With those conditions? You think me foolish, princess? Though it would be you that pays the price of that...¡±


    They went back and forth, bickering, eyes flashing from red to black and back again, amusing the onlookers. Hinata clapped her hands after a while and Shiro apologised, before Hinata thanked Tan?ha?. ¡°Your information is helpful. But...¡± she then addressed everyone. ¡°You see the problem? If we do things the normal way, let everyone compete for the position, then we¡¯ll all perish, or if we don¡¯t, only a handful will be left on a devastated world. I don¡¯t know about you, but I refuse to live that way!¡± Hinata said proudly. ¡°Be you Japanese, foreign, or even a Fae or a Yo?kai, we all live in this world, we all want a good life, for our friends and family to be safe. For that... we need to rally behind someone. And that someone is Akio. To that end, we¡¯ve planned it out. Japan first, Akio needs to rule it. But to do so, it requires several things. First, the nobility needs to fall in line...¡± she looked at the two sisters of Shiraishi house. ¡°...so you have an opportunity. One few others have. We don¡¯t simply want to take from you, in exchange we will always support you and your happiness.¡±


    There was the rustling of paper as people checked. ¡°I see.¡± Luciana said at last. She then looked at Kazumi, her brown eyes smiling. ¡°I do not know Akio as well as you seem to, chica. But I also do not believe he will be preying on us. Even though he does so like the pretty girls, yes.¡±


    ¡°If he does though...¡± Shaeula warned, and Luciana laughed.


    ¡°Si?, yes, I understand.¡± Luciana said after her giggles stopped. ¡°The predator here is you, not him. Poor Aliyah is right to consider you dangerous. I... I admit to desiring great power. Like most of the Black Wolf, my life, it has not been a bed of rosas, and I never wish to be helpless again. I have no fiance? to forsake, my knife is my husband. So... I shall sign it.¡± With that decided, she was the first to put pen to paper, and Shaeula¡¯s winds blew jade as she impressed upon Luciana the rules she had to obey. Several others joined her in signing, and were likewise bound. Though I can hear Suzu-san saying as an idol she could never sign such a contract, as she has to remain pure for everyone, and can¡¯t risk following the orders of a man, as he¡¯ll inevitably fall for her charms and order her to do this and that. Why is she even here? I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter, she¡¯s Akio¡¯s Vassal so already in hand, but she sure does have a very high opinion of her charms...


    ¡°Kazumi... you...¡± Hinata breathed, as her pen finished up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t always rely on Akio¡¯s charity. I¡¯ve been training here, receiving his blessings. But if I want to keep walking beside you, Hinata, like Natsumi-san does for Motoko-san, then... I have to go further. Besides...¡± she smiled knowingly. ¡°...I¡¯m making my judgement on what I¡¯ve seen and experienced. If I¡¯m wrong, so be it, I¡¯ll bear the consequences. But he wouldn¡¯t do anything that upsets you now, would he, Hinata?¡±


    Kazumi... Hinata felt a wave of warmth in her heart, that her friend would go so far for her. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ll regret it. We even have a uniform!¡± she grinned. ¡°Maybe I should show it off. Can you two handle things for a minute?¡± she looked questioningly at Shiro and Shaeula.


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ve got this in hand.¡± Shiro approved, and Hinata ducked out. She quickly changed into the prototype design, which had no combat capabilities, but had the appearance. Admiring herself in the mirror, looking at the stylish military-style officer¡¯s uniform in black and silver, with a deep black cloak slung over her shoulders, and the silver insignia in the shape of diamonds, she grinned. It¡¯ll be better when we can make the outfits out of the required materials, but that¡¯s a way off yet. But we have to plan ahead. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy to set in motion.


    Striding back in she received some odd looks, though Keomi-chan giggled that it looked very cool. She was pleased to see that more people had signed the contract, including a number of Fae, which was interesting. But what caught her eye was that Miyu and her bodyguard Michiru were waiting for her, a bit uncomfortable, Shiro and Shaeula looking on knowingly.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Miyu?¡± Hinata asked, sweeping back her cloak regally. The cap is a bit of a pain with my current hairstyle, but that won¡¯t be a problem in the future... ¡°You don¡¯t have to join Adamant, you¡¯re already a Vassal, which is a privileged position.¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± she said, a touch troubled. ¡°But Michiru...¡± Her bodyguard was eyeing the uniform with sparkling eyes, and Hinata sighed. Oh yes, she¡¯s fascinated with dressing up as a ninja. I guess this isn¡¯t too much different.


    ¡°I have a question.¡± Michiru said suddenly. ¡°The rules of Adamant state that we shall take no lover, no fiance?, no husband... but...¡± her voice was getting smaller and smaller. ¡°... what about... a female partner?¡±


    Oh, I see. As Shiro burst out laughing, Hinata spoke gently to her. ¡°I think if it¡¯s within Adamant, or... with another loyal servant of Akio...¡± she looked at Miyu then, amused as she looked away, face red. ¡°... then it should be fine. Adamant shall be your sisters, friends... I suppose a lover isn¡¯t out of the question. Besides, Akio is cheering the two of you on. He¡¯s not opposed to your love.¡±


    ¡°Love? I would not be so bold...¡± Michiru was bright pink, though her darting gaze at Miyu belied her words.


    ¡°You still have to abide by the other clauses though.¡± Hinata warned. ¡°No exceptions, not for anyone.¡±


    ¡°That is no concern, I have intent to seek out a child in the future...¡± Michiru declared, before Shaeula spoke up.


    ¡°A worthy goal, but perhaps one you are not-not qualified for?¡± she snorted. ¡°But if you seek a child with Miyu here, perhaps such is not impossible.¡± At their stunned gazes, she grinned. ¡°Akio has proven that a lunar chakra makes one enough like-like a Fae to do many things. Eri and the others likewise. Birth as the more powerful Fae do it knows no gender. However...¡± she looked at Miyu, eyes glowing. ¡°... you do not-not have a lunar chakra, and I do not-not feel confident experimenting with your Chakra network, as it is entwinned with your Divine Favour. But in the future...¡±


    ¡°A child with Miyu-sama? I could not... could I?¡± Michiru overheated. After a while she croaked out a few more words. ¡°...even so, bearing the child of a strong man is the dream of all Koga ninja... except my sister. But then Kozue hardly counts, she is quite the annoying, petty and insolent fool!¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s change the subject! If you think you¡¯re so desirable that Aki is going to use the clauses to extort you into an affair, I admire your confidence. Can you compete with us?¡± Shiro laughed, showing off her proud figure, sparing the embarrassed blushes of Michiru, though she signed the contract nonetheless. Then Hinata looked shocked as Miyu had found a contract from somewhere and had signed as well. On seeing Hinata¡¯s surprise, Miyu merely gave a mysterious smile.


    ¡°If you wish to bring the majority of Hanafubuki under Adamant, my enrolment will aid you.¡± She turned to address the Shiraishi sisters. ¡°I know I have changed. I have been forced to. Unlike you, my worries are of life and death. Yes, your family will fall without aid, and grandfather and Ichijou-sama will ruthlessly make an example out of you all. The worst thing to do, especially now, is to show Japan is vulnerable to foreign powers, and the nobility are a shield for Japan. Your father¡¯s foolish actions, being taken in by Takehisa-san, have damaged us all. Now Akio must clean up your mess. But... this way lies hope.¡±


    ¡°Even you can not-not be excused from the rules, Miyu.¡± Shaeula warned, her emerald winds blowing.


    ¡°I know. I am prepared. But...¡± Miyu¡¯s smile was a rare one, full of sly humour, quite unlike her usual modesty. ¡°... your bodyguard speaks true. I know him too. Remember when we first met, I thought he would demand my body as a price for helping me. He did not, and I greatly offended him. He has many beautiful girls around him, he has no need of me. I believe I shall be safe. And if not...¡± she nodded to Michiru. ¡°...our punishment for your disrespect at first meeting can finally be repaid. But I believe such worries are groundless. Besides, my marriage is to be decided by Akio anyway, such was the agreement with grandfather, as I recall Akio said as a Vassal, I am too precious to waste on a worthless man.¡±


    Well remembered. ¡°Yes, I think he did say something like that, and it¡¯s true. Oh well, welcome to Adamant. You¡¯ll have a Numbered role.¡± Hinata explained. ¡°We¡¯ll work it a little like the Hyakki Yagyo?...¡± the Kamaitachi, who had also joined, nodded at that, pleased. ¡°The Numbers will command squads, and be in charge. As for recruitment...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been vetting you all. Although we have a couple who slipped in.¡± Shiro looked at the Shiraishi sisters, who were hugging each other, overtaken by the pace of events. ¡°But from what Hinata and Miyu say, we can use you, so I guess it¡¯s fine. Any newcomers have to pass Shaeula¡¯s winds, and don¡¯t worry about the Chirurgery, Shaeula will handle it in her free time.¡±


    ¡°Another burden on-on my shoulders. But I shall not-not be discouraged.¡± Shaeula said, pumping her small fist. ¡°It is impossible for Akio not-not to have an organisation behind him, and I shall get use out of you all as well-well. As for training...¡±


    ¡°Sorry twins, but you are going to be worked hard. But that means you¡¯ll end up being promoted quickly.¡± Shiro nodded at the two girls, who were amongst the most vital pieces Hinata wanted to acquire. With their abilities, we can train Adamant to greater heights. But sadly they¡¯ll still have to help out with the standard trainees... a lot of our abilities are bottlenecked, such as gear too... we can¡¯t ask the dwarves or Ixitt to prioritise us over Akio¡¯s projects, even if this organisation is for him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot we want to do, which is all to help Aki. Like learn how to level up without needing certain Favours or Aki¡¯s skills. After all...¡± Shiro grinned, tapping her sizeable chest. ¡°Tan must know a way, maybe a lot of ways, but she¡¯s not telling.¡±


    ¡°There are certain things I cannot say, even to you, princess. All I can say is in higher realms, such limits do not necessarily apply. There are always restrictions, based on fortune, talent and circumstance, but...¡± Tan?ha? trailed off, Shiro¡¯s eyes darkening again.


    ¡°You heard her. It can be done.¡± Shiro said happily. ¡°And Aki¡¯s so busy all the time, we can help him out by this. And make Adamant even stronger. Though Aki¡¯s probably getting busy another way right now. I suppose it keeps Eri happy, which is a good thing. Then there¡¯s equipment...¡±


    Hinata nodded at that. ¡°This is just the design. Stylish and militarily focused. But we have plans to make it more than that. But we lack materials. Hyacinth is doing her best to grow the remains of that Unseelie Duke as a base material, but the need already exceeds her free energy and time. Besides, we need other materials.¡± At that, Shiro and Shaeula exchanged amused glances. Hinata remembered when they had shown her the clips of some anime, not seeing the relevance, but now she understood. Once more Tan?ha? spoke up.


    ¡°I have never heard of such an idea. This world is indeed interesting. The creatures you seek exist in many worlds, I do expect some can be found here, though to process such would test the skills of any smith. Do you mean to have him do it?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Shiro disagreed with Tan?ha?. ¡°It defeats the point if we make more work for Aki. No, we¡¯re going to be his strength. Hence...¡± she looked at some of the ratkin and weaselkin, some of the rare few female Mortal Engineers. ¡°Our ambitious little friends here are prepared to sign up to Adamant in exchange for greater opportunities to experiment and shine. For those of you who are not human, priority goes to you when we find more means to allow you to access the Material. Whereas for us humans the reverse is true. Hopefully about now Aki is securing some fire element, Arisu can make spatial, we have light from Haru... so we have all seven. I doubt anywhere on Earth there¡¯ll be such a good place to learn. And the cutie twins here can speed things up a lot...¡±


    As Hinata, Shiro and Shaeula continued to lay out the ambitious plans, the tearful, fragile Nozomi-san finally grasped her pen, trembling hands dragging it across the page. Seeing that, Arisa-san exclaimed out loud. ¡°Nozomi, if you do that...¡±


    ¡°I have already been betrayed. Fujiwara-sama wishes our family punished. I saw the proof of Takehisa-sama¡¯s duplicity, and now wonder if he ever even loved me at all. Rather than face ruin, humiliation...¡± she looked at Hinata then. ¡°... If I do this, my engagement will be broken...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll break anyway. As soon as that creep realises you haven¡¯t got anything left to steal, he¡¯ll flee.¡± Shiro said quietly. ¡°Not all men are trash, there¡¯s some good ones out there, like Aki, but... if he didn¡¯t plan to screw you this way, he¡¯s a genius at cruel incompetence. Don¡¯t look away. Face your fears. It¡¯s what I did. Shaeula did. We all did.¡±


    ¡°...even if it¡¯s a lie, I¡¯ll make sure your reputation is protected.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°I need you back to the old, kind, smiling Nozomi-san that the juniors look up to.¡± She then turned to the younger sister. ¡°And you, Arisa-san, you have guts, and the seniors think you¡¯re a cute junior. Your aid is needed too.¡± The scratching of the pen on paper happened then, as Nozomi-san finished signing her name, and Shaeula¡¯s winds blew, causing her to shiver. Suddenly it enveloped Arisa-san too, as she had picked up a fallen contract and signed her own name. Her sister¡¯s eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Arisa-san was faster.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you do this alone. I¡¯ve had to watch you cry for weeks now, Nozomi. I hate it!¡± she turned her in tense gaze on Hinata. ¡°If you betray us, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll do nothing. Hinata could break you like a twig, and she¡¯s the weakest of us.¡± Shiro laughed, and Hinata pouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s rude! But sadly true...¡± she sighed, before brightening up. ¡°But soon, that¡¯ll change!¡±


    ¡°Aki¡¯s going to get really busy.¡± Shiro teased, and Hinata blushed.


    ¡°Enough of that! Arisa-san, you¡¯ve signed now and Shaeula¡¯s winds have bound you. You might regret it...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Not if Nozomi can stop crying, and we can save the Tengokusentou. You were right. Father was a fool. Even if we lose the newer hotels, we can¡¯t give that up, it¡¯s the foundation of Shiraishi house!¡± Her words were firm, her brown eyes glaring. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not stupid, I rank in the top three in my grade! I heard you all talking. You all have faith he won¡¯t abuse the ability to order us around in the contract. It sounds like he won¡¯t even know about it!¡±


    ¡°True. I do wish he would be bolder, more... aggressive.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°But also, we promised Eri we would not-not force more females upon him. But the rules stand for a reason. If you catch his eye and he desires you... perhaps some of you are hoping for such...¡± she smiled at the elves, who were indeed there as part of a political marriage play. ¡°... but Adamant is more than just this-this.¡±


    Hinata clapped her hands. ¡°Enough of that.¡± She cast her eyes over the last few who hadn¡¯t signed. ¡°We have called you all here to be something greater. Think very carefully about what you¡¯ll be giving up if you pass up this choice. I don¡¯t want any of you to regret it. The name of Adamant will soon be synonymous with power, authority and victory, and you shall all be as close as sisters, fighting for the same cause, for Adamant, for Akio and the world in which those you love dwell!¡± As more of the remaining guests put pen to paper, Shaeula¡¯s winds flaring a verdant green, Hinata shifted the cap on her head, freeing her dark hair. Meeting Shiro¡¯s eyes, she grinned. Adamant. With such an organisation working behind Akio, with members of the faith, nobility, world of politics, business, spiritual beings and more... let¡¯s see anyone try and stop him from being best placed to claim rulership of Japan, then eventually the world! Brain whirling with ideas, Hinata covered her mouth to hide her predatory smile. Soon Ixitt will begin his factory, with help from Nie Ling and Ginneka, and the battery and power generation tech will spread through Japan and the wider world... we¡¯ll have a monopoly, and as the OPEC countries have shown, they who control power, control the world... and we... They would control power of all kinds...

 Four Hundred And Thirteen

    Four Hundred And Thirteen


    ¡°Should we really be sitting here doing nothing?¡± Kana asked, as the feasting and revelry continued. ¡°The waiting is starting to get to me...¡±


    Smiling, I reached out and patted her on the head. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Worried about missing school?¡±


    She snorted at that, her tension lifting a little. ¡°Hardly. Though Mio-chan and Asami-chan might worry about me. Or think I¡¯ve just played truant to go on a date with you.¡±


    ¡°It is rather like a group date.¡± Haru-san said wickedly. ¡°Though of course, I¡¯ll leave the fun to you and your girlfriends, Akio-kun. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not here to spoil your fun.¡±


    ¡°Is it me, or have you lightened up a bit, Haru-chan?¡± Kana asked, face red with embarrassment. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s a good thing, knowing what... happened... and all...¡± her voice trailed off, getting smaller as she continued, the subject hard for her to touch.


    ¡°It just hit me, watching this mess...¡± She looked at Haano?bo?, who was sat next to me, her boisterous brother Arangbo? seated opposite her, as all of the champions to face the rift were on one large table in the shadows of the temple and the sacred flame. ¡°That most of my fears are groundless. And that the path I¡¯m following now is right.¡± She clenched her fists by instinct, before forcing her hands open, picking up a mug and taking a sip of sake. ¡°...I died, but the fear didn¡¯t die with me. It grew inside. Fear is like a great dark tree, spreading branches, making us cower underneath it. I did my best, and I was happy, but I always felt frightened, not being alone in my own head, remembering...¡± everyone was listening to her now, even Haano?bo?, who knew nothing of Haru-san¡¯s past struggles. ¡°... but seeing how far we¡¯ve come, and the stupid, amusing farce of Akio-kun claiming a new sister, it all seemed to melt away. It¡¯s strange...¡±


    Just what do you really want to do, Akio-kun? Her voice sounded in my head suddenly, showing the greater control she had over her gifts. The Tengu are very confused. Although at least one seems to be having a good time. She inclined her head at Arangbo?, who despite supposedly resting, gathering his strength, was laughing raucously, another massive mug of sake being poured down his throat, quite the feat considering the long-nosed crimson mask he wore. Poor Haano?bo? doesn¡¯t know where to look or what to do.


    I know. If I¡¯d have just challenged her brothers and beat them into the ground anyway without the wager, this would have all resolved itself. But I got rather pissed off. I guess Resilience wasn¡¯t doing its job properly. Really, there¡¯s no harm in it though is there? We are all going to be allies after this...


    Tell that to your actual sister. As for allies... don¡¯t you still have to fight Taro?bo? when all this is done?


    Yes, possibly. I cast my gaze over to the powerful Tengu, whose strength was certainly on a par with mine, by the feel of his League. But first we have to deal with the dungeon... Our mental conversation concluded, taking a mere fraction of a second, Haru-san continued speaking to Kana.


    ¡°... the death of fear is humour. That and strength. I¡¯m strong now... and so is Akio-kun. And he¡¯ll protect us... so...¡± she took a deep breath, despite being an Onryo and in the Boundary, where such things were merely a matter of reflex. ¡°...I decided to be braver. I can¡¯t stay afraid forever.¡±


    ¡°And to answer your question from before, Kana...¡± I changed the subject, as even despite Haru-san¡¯s brave words I could see some darkness hidden in her eyes still. Yeah, I¡¯m glad she¡¯s taken a step forwards, but despite what she says, letting go of such a traumatic fate as she endured will take many such steps... ¡°We used a lot of effort during the trials, so we¡¯re recharging. No point taking risks. And speaking of risks...¡± I turned to look at Yasaka-san, who sighed.


    ¡°Time for another question then? I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± He complained, and that drew the attention of the Four Directions too. Seeing everyone watching, he groaned, only to be reassured by Prince Sho?toku, who was also staying behind. With some kind words, Yasaka-san waited for the question.


    ¡°We¡¯ve established that the Lost Flame Of Naraka is something else that has leaked through the cracks in the Boundary, drawn to a similar fire already inside. And that it functions close to a Spawning Spire, in a way...¡±


    ¡°The questions to get that far hurt my head.¡± Yasaka-san complained, though this time there was no blood or damage to his Chakra network, merely exhaustion, the levelling and training he was doing obviously paying off. ¡°So, just ask it.¡±


    ¡°...how can we destroy the dungeon below the sacred flame, and if we do, will it have a negative impact on the flame and mount Atago?¡± That was important, I had no wish to destroy the very flame we were here to save.


    ¡°That one.... ugh, my head.¡± Yasaka[-san¡¯s face twisted into a pained expression, and this time there was some blood, a trickle leaking from one nostril. The book appeared, only visible to Yasaka-san and those of us with special eyes, and he read the words. ¡°The source of the flame... it¡¯s eaten into the space within the mountain, causing the dungeon to spread and intensify the creation of the damned spirits of fire...¡± he read. ¡°And as the Lost Flame spreads, causing further expansion, it¡¯s leaking into the flame already here, corrupting it. To banish it, we need to remove every scrap of the Lost Flame, and if it is removed safely from the sacred flame, it should do it no harm, even strengthen it, perhaps...¡± The book closed and vanished in a cascade of aether, and he slumped down. ¡°Is that it? Any more questions?¡±


    I looked around, my expression questioning, and nobody had anything to add, as we had gathered enough information, until Arangbo? spoke up. ¡°I have a question, knowledgeable one.¡±


    ¡°Oh really. What a lucky break for me...¡± Yasaka-san groused.


    ¡°Yes, will my dear sister Haano?bo? find happiness in the future with her new family?¡± he guffawed loudly, clearly either drunk or in good spirits. As Haano?bo?¡¯s wings dipped, her screech of annoyance ringing out, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Fungbo? was glaring at me, eyes filled with bitter feelings. Grow up, you lost, live with it. Your other brothers have... even the arrogant Shungbo? seemed to have put aside his anger and was gathering his strength for the mission ahead.


    ¡°Hah, not even Minerva can answer that one. And I¡¯m not stupid enough to ask. Touching on the future hurts.¡± Yasaka-san laughed, tearing into a chunk of boar meat still on the bone. ¡°Ask Akio-san that, not Minerva.¡±


    ¡°I think we hardly need the power of the Gods for that.¡± Motoko said happily. She and Natsumi had used little of their strength, so were eager to get started, and had been checking over their weapons again and again, making sure they were in perfect condition. ¡°Akio does not abandon those he chooses to protect, and like us, she too can find comfort in being cherished and defended.¡±


    ¡°That is quite enough.¡± Haano?bo? said bitterly. ¡°I am grateful my pride and honour is restored, but this talk of being a sister... it is a mistake, a misunderstanding...¡±


    ¡°I see. Aiming for more? Get to the back of the line.¡± Bell laughed. She was examining her arrows, and also the several quivers full of shafts the Tengu had brought, trimming the fletching and feathers to her taste.


    ¡°No, this is all a mistake!¡± Haano?bo?¡¯s wings shook as she protested yet again, and laughter filled the air. I closed my eyes for a moment, checking my elemental resources. I recovered many of them quite quickly, due to having a lunar chakra, several classes relating to the elements and other benefits, but I was still far from my peak. It should be enough though. We don¡¯t have to rush, slow and steady wins the race...


    ¡°Silence, Haano?bo? of the Winter North.¡± Taro?bo? boomed out, and his staff slammed down. She immediately clamped shut her mouth, and I opened my eyes to see him looking out over our table. ¡°It is time. The hour grows late, and the corruption spreads.¡± Several Tengu had returned, injured, and brought word that more of the burning spirits had been spilling out of the cracks in the mountain. Haru-san closed her eyes, and then spoke.


    ¡°Yes, some have reached the border of my Territory. The barrier keeps them out, and the forces within can handle them, but if it keeps escalating...¡±


    ¡°Eventually all defences fail. The growth of these poor tormented fragments of spirit, wrapped in a sad, lost flame, is ever-increasing. A million fire ants can bring down a bear, can they not?¡±


    ¡°I know you are. But if you ever do need it, isn¡¯t it a good thing to have it?¡± I said gently, and she nodded, pouting a little.


    ¡°You could be right.¡± Her brown eyes were solemn. ¡°But the best thing is the strengthening. And I can also change the light to darkness element through my Ghost of Light class, can¡¯t I? I wonder if I can strengthen my throat chakra and learn darkness element that way?¡±


    ¡°It must be worth a shot...¡± Now that I had stopped expelling impurities, the energy that was slowly beginning to fade from the gem in Taro?bo? hands filled me up, and my elemental energies surged, chakras raging. I may not be fully topped up, but I¡¯m certainly full enough to feel comfortable...


    The light finally diminished entirely, and Taro?bo? slid the gem back into his staff, the jewel now clear and sparkling like a diamond, almost entirely devoid of the brilliant glow. He looked at us all with satisfaction. ¡°The gathered power refreshes, strengthens. The tormented, cursed spirits that plague us cannot be destroyed by mere force of arms, only by purifying them can they be released. Take the weapons blessed, and make every arrow count, every blade strike true.¡±


    As the Tengu cheered, those of us at the head table looked at each other, resolute. Prince Sho?toku stood, saying a few words. ¡°Taro?bo?, lord of mount Atago, from the kami of Kyoto, who bear you no ill-will, despite your long estrangement, I offer prayers for your success, and for the flame to burn eternally. As neighbours, we should aid each other, and come to a fruitful alliance in times of trouble. I wish you to remember that.¡±


    Taro?bo? nodded. ¡°Sho?toku, it was likely Fate that brought about our meeting. Should these outsiders who have braved our challenges fairly help cleanse the flame, then I shall look favourably upon them. After all...¡± his gaze turned to me, and I wagered he was smiling behind his mask. ¡°....Did not he fight for the sake of the Winter North?¡± As Haano?bo? ducked her head, embarrassed, the Tengu continued. ¡°... but alliance is only sealed by deeds, and we Tengu have little love for outsiders, nor their interference. Your words have been proven so far, however... should... no, when this accursed lost fire is banished, for we cannot fail, I shall raise my staff against your sword. If you think me easy to defeat, you are a fool. I am not my errant children. Should you seek access to our mountain, you must prove you have the strength to force us to yield, which even the kami can not!¡±


    ¡°No, I imagine it¡¯ll be a fierce battle. One for filling up that staff of yours again, no doubt.¡± I grinned. ¡°Prince Sho?toku, Yasaka-san, we¡¯re off. If there¡¯s any problems...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on your progress and any danger with the Book of Providence. Kyoto is just down the mountain...¡±


    ¡°You would allow us to bring further aid if required, noble Taro?bo??¡± the Prince asked, and Fungbo? spoke up again.


    ¡°More outsiders? You think we, the proud and mighty Four Directions, cannot handle...¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Taro?bo? boomed, his staff slamming down.


    ¡°But, Great Taro?bo?, they insult us...¡±


    ¡°I said ENOUGH!¡± Taro?bo? roared, his League surging. His son bowed down, wings drooping. Taro?bo? then addressed the Prince. ¡°If the situation becomes so dire, it means that the Four Directions, and he who bested them, are all defeated, or beaten back. If so...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I chimed in. ¡°If that happens, you wonder what difference a few extra people can make. All I can say is, listen to Yasaka-san. He can hopefully identify whether some aid will be useful or more is only a lost cause. But...¡± I said proudly, not showing any weakness. ¡°... I¡¯m confident we can handle it. So...¡± I looked at my party. ¡°You all ready?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡± Daiyu was first to declare, though the effect was somewhat spoiled by the remains of the expelled impurities across her face and clothes. With a smile I conjured a little water, washing the worst away, and she flushed a little under my touch.


    ¡°I too am ready. Finally, a true battle at your side.¡± Motoko declared. Beside her, Natsumi was grinning too, clearly excited.


    ¡°Me too. And I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°I understand your excitement.¡± Bell said, lightly slapping the backs of their heads, calming them down. ¡°But this is a serious life-or-death battle. A moment of carelessness or inaction...¡±


    As Motoko and Natsumi bowed, apologising to her and to me, Bell smiled. ¡°That said, I remember my first battle as a Way-Warden, so I do sympathise. As for me... I am also prepared. These poor tormented spirits are pitiable, so let us put them to rest. It will make a change from those bastards from the Wild Hunt...¡± her laugh was wicked, and I found myself smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite scared.¡± Kana admitted, taking my hand. ¡°But I knew this was coming when I took the Divine Favour.¡± She took a deep breath and then put her other arm around me, giving me a hug, her chest pressing against mine, her hair tickling me. ¡°And you¡¯ll be with me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯ll be with us all.¡± Haru-san added. ¡°I can sympathise, I¡¯m an Onryo myself. But that won¡¯t stop me from putting them to rest.¡± She promised, before turning to Chen Na. ¡°And with Na-san here, we have our defence covered. We won¡¯t make the mistake of splitting the party, will we?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I know time is of the essence, but safety first. We¡¯ll advance at a measured pace, all together.¡±


    ¡°And which group will Haano?bo? be joining?¡± Kana said suddenly, and the Tengu in question seemed a bit confused, before her brother Arangbo? spoke, laughing heartily.


    ¡°I hate to separate you two, but as the Four Directions, our strength is magnified when we fight together. So alas, Haano?bo? must come with us, as Winter North.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. We Tengu fight best together. But...¡± she dipped her head politely. ¡°I wish you safety and good hunting. Despite our ill-fated first meeting... you have been generous to me. I will not forget it, even if your deliberate misunderstandings irk me greatly.¡± She seemed unable to resist a final complaint.


    ¡°If you say that, you spit on the word of Great Taro?bo?...¡± Arangbo? continued, clearly enjoying her discomfort, as the group of them headed for one of the dark rifts seemingly carved out of the mountainside. Shungbo? turned back to look at me, before sighing and setting his sights on the hole in the mountain, a number of flames suddenly blazing around him to light the way, while Fungbo? merely growled a bitter curse, the set of his shoulders angry. As they led the other chosen Tengu into the darkness, I watched, concerned.


    ¡°You worry for them? You may have defeated them, but my children, they are not weak.¡± Taro?bo? said calmly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just strong.¡± I replied. ¡°But even when it comes to me, there are stronger foes out there.¡± The golden-eyed devourer, Tan ... and more. ¡°And... I have a sudden bad feeling.¡± The prickles of Foresight where starting up again, and I knew better than to ignore it, not this time. ¡°Before we enter, Yasaka-san, a quick question or two, if you would...¡±

 Four Hundred And Fourteen

    Four Hundred And Fourteen


    ¡°So, a rusty, pitted knife, thrust into a living flame, which swells, expands and explodes. Damn, that¡¯s cryptic.¡± I managed, after we had gained what little information we could. The Book of Providence found it hard to answer questions about the future, which made sense. It could glean some knowledge, certainly, about more major events. The spirit light of Tsukiko-san in orbit around me flickered, and for a moment I thought I could hear her thoughts. Definite. Already Exists.


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s an external threat... oh the kami damn it all, I feel wretched.¡± Yasaka-san coughed, and there was a little blood in it. Seeing that, I slapped his back gently, allowing a little Ether Healing in.


    ¡°At least the damage is still a lot less than previously.¡± I commiserated him. I don¡¯t know if you can hear my thoughts back, Tsukiko-san, but didn¡¯t we already crush your definite fate? Maybe not perfectly, but it wasn¡¯t bad for my first try. Any future we don¡¯t accept, we¡¯ll change. But... I remembered her talk on the differing weight of events, and it made sense to me, not that I was qualified to question how the abilities of a Goddess such as Minerva worked. But predicting something that is definitely happening has to be easier than something that might...


    ¡°Such a consolation.¡± He flapped his hand weakly at us, looking every bit his age. ¡°Now you¡¯d better go, the Tengu are starting to get restless. I¡¯ll just lie here and drink. It makes us old men feel better.¡±


    ¡°I shall accompany him. Have no fear and go with peace of mind.¡± The Prince declared, and for a moment I believed he was looking at Tsukiko-san¡¯s spirit light. With that he turned away, and I addressed Taro?bo?, as indeed, the Tengu were starting to grow agitated, seeing as their own champions had entered one of the cracks in the mountain, and we had delayed our incursion.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going then. Rest assured, we will succeed.¡± I promised, determined. With one last look at the blazing flame within the temple, I turned to those accompanying me. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± I asked for the final time, and as they all agreed, Haru-san conjuring a number of glowing balls of light that hovered around us like will-o¡¯-the-wisps, we approached the rift we were entering, spatial element leaking out slowly from it, the indigo mixed with other colours, shimmering like oil on water.Findd new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll lead, Daiyu is behind me. Bell, you take up the rear, Motoko, Natsumi, you support her. Haru-san, you, Kana and Chen Na take the middle.¡± As everyone agreed and got into formation, Bell nodded approvingly.


    ¡°The front and back are the most dangerous positions, while the centre can have a great influence on the battle from relative safety. I think those are good choices.¡± She turned to Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°Bows at the ready. For now...¡± She pulled out her short sword that was belted at her waist. ¡°Until we know what we are facing, let your senior handle this, all right?¡±


    As we entered, the feeling of space opening up was felt, only to close back in on us. The outside world could be seen, and a few quick tests showed we could freely pass back out onto the mountain, so my fears were allayed to an extent. Worst case, if I have to go on alone, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do. But ideally we should all grow stronger if we can...


    ¡°The Qi here is abnormal.¡± Daiyu muttered, looking around. The blessing from Taro?bo? seemed to have improved their vision temporarily as well, an indigo gleam in their eyes, and coupled with the glowing light orbs we could see our surroundings. We were in a fairly narrow cave-like passageway, the walls black rock, with jutting obsidian spikes, that were as sharp as razors, further adding to the cramped, claustrophobic atmosphere. And the danger. The ceiling was low, just above my head, and the air was filled with an irregular hot wind, stinking of sulphur, rot and something else I couldn¡¯t quite place, coming and going as if breathing.


    ¡°Such a lovely place for a group date...¡± Kana muttered. ¡°Not the stuff of dreams... oh, sorry Daiyu, you were saying?¡± Kana apologised for her interruption.


    ¡°The Qi is distorted, wrong.¡± She said, elaborating. ¡°It is a strange jumble, like a knotted rope heaped upon itself.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s spatial element, flame, darkness, a trace of wind... and it¡¯s all mixed together.¡± I let my Eye glow and started drawing in the surrounding elements. ¡°I can separate them out and absorb them, since I have access to them all, but it¡¯s not exactly efficient...¡±


    ¡°Any strength you can replenish is wise.¡± Bell nodded. ¡°A good warrior always rests when they can, eats when they can, and sleeps when they are able.¡± As the other girls nodded at the lesson, we started the slow, cautious trudge into the dungeon.


    ¡°So, about Yasaka-san¡¯s words...¡± Haru-san said, her brown eyes constantly roving around, looking for danger, her hands ready to unleash light element.


    ¡°I have my suspicions, speculations. But that¡¯s all it is. Speculation.¡±


    ¡°I do too.¡± she said. ¡°We should share our thoughts. It might help to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°All right then. It could be that there¡¯s something else in here than just the Lost Flame, but... an external threat... living flame...¡±


    ¡°Shungbo?, right?¡± Kana proved she was paying attention. ¡°That arrogant one in red. But I don¡¯t see it. What would he have to gain?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but... maybe it isn¡¯t him. The knife...¡± Natsumi said, thinking, always alert, scanning behind us cautiously. Her bow and an arrow was in hand, but the string was not drawn, as keeping a bowstring taut used a lot of strength and could damage the weapon over time, and she was too experienced for such a mistake.


    ¡°Yeah. Something from outside... or... no, there¡¯s no way to know. But when we run into the Tengu again, we should be cautious.¡± I frowned, and Haru-san poked me in the back with one finger.


    ¡°Worried about your new sister?¡± she said with a smile, and I sighed, troubled.


    ¡°About them all. They aren¡¯t our enemies, despite our hostile start. They are simply proud and isolationist, defending their Territory. We need stronger allies, just imagine how much easier it¡¯ll be to defend Kyoto with access to mount Atago on our doorstep. And the flame element will push ahead a lot of Ixitt¡¯s plans too...¡±


    ¡°Look, he¡¯s not admitting it. He¡¯s being cute.¡± Haru-san giggled to the girls, and as she did so I raised a hand.


    ¡°Enough joking around. They¡¯re coming.¡± My Eye could see further than the others, despite the darkness, distorted space and churning mess of ether and elements. Perhaps a score of flaming creatures were coming, red, yellow and indigo mixed together, forming human-like and animal shapes. As they came into the view of everyone else, tension was rising, but I reassured them with a few words.


    ¡°Same strategy as always.¡± I began, only for the smaller balls of flame to rush at us at a rapid speed, catching us a little off guard. Raising my hand, water bullets flashed, and despite the small, fast-moving targets, most of my bullets landed. This would be easier with more Split Thoughts, but I don¡¯t have that luxury. Although in an emergency...


    Back in the Material, Eri and I were having dessert, watching the Tokyo skyline, and the hotel actually wasn¡¯t too far from our planned new home. She had been rather caught off guard by the disaster in bed, my body reacting powerfully to the upgrade of Spiritually Pure Physique, but now her mood had improved. When I told her that I might need to revoke my Material body, she sighed, resigned, but agreed there was no point putting myself or the others in danger over her night out. Finishing her parfait hurriedly, she reached out and took my arm, inviting me to finish what we had started earlier...


    Beams of light from Haru-san mowed down the last of the rushing orbs, and as the remnants scattered a little ether, arrows were falling into the middle of the charging spirits, Motoko, Natsumi and Bell all accurately striking them down. Kana was torn between helping or not, when she suddenly frowned. ¡°The ground, it seems... everyone, get back!¡±


    I turned, grabbing Daiyu who was at the front with me, the rest scattering, my Eye showing me the ground acting strangely. Suddenly the dungeon shook, fragments of jagged black stone falling, and the floor split as if an earthquake was striking, cracks spreading, fire element gushing out, this one indeed carrying the Lost Flame.


    ¡°Careful...¡± Kana said. ¡°It¡¯s not over...¡± Even as she said that, strange, shapeless hands came crawling out of the bottomless splits in the stone, followed by large, lumpy heads, without features except for two eyes burning yellow and black. That was followed by massive arms, ending in hands that were like massive maces, spiked and bulky.


    ¡°Elementals, huh?¡± I recognised them, though they looked quite different to the ones Shaeula and I encountered in Las Vegas. My Eye saw that they were Black Stone And Flame Elemental [Corrupted Elemental], and their strength exceeded that of the damned spirits we had been fighting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the Tengu mentioning these...¡± Haru-san said, dodging a blow from the first of the creatures, which was filling the entire narrow passageway, head scraping the ceiling, snapping off the sharp blades of glassy stone, which were falling like a rain of sharp daggers.


    ¡°They have a body though...¡± Kana said. ¡°So they should be easier to break!¡± With a gesture, the cracks in the ground started to shut, stone rippling like mud, effort, sweat and ruby elemental energies wrung from her. The cracks snapped closed with a loud roar, and stone shattered, ether rushing into Kana¡¯s body, replenishing her a little. One brutal elemental toppled, leg as thick as a tree trunk shattering, and Daiyu unleashed her Crushing Palms. The impact cracked the beast, one arm falling free at the shoulder, but as it broke, needles of stone tipped with sizzling, impure flame element scattered. Fortunately, I was prepared, and wind element gusted, blowing it away from Daiyu and Kana.


    ¡°Chen Na, barrier up.¡± I said, and she cut off the passageway with a shimmering bubble of force, leaving me and Daiyu outside. Seeing that, Daiyu¡¯s usually taciturn expression softened, as she realised I trusted her to handle herself. She¡¯s got the strongest recovery of anyone barring me, thanks to her Divine Favour, and she¡¯s got skills. She can handle herself...


    ¡°Behind us!¡± Kana cried, and more stony elementals were being born. Another barrier cut them off, and Bell took charge. ¡°Can you lower the barrier allowing only a part of the creature in?¡± she asked, and Chen Na managed a nod.


    ¡°I can, though it will weaken the bubble, and drain me faster.¡± she said after a moment.


    ¡°That should be fine. We will not take long.¡± Bell promised, and as the barrier behind me dropped a little, the arm, head and torse of one elemental reached through. Motoko and Natsumi, drawing their swords, leapt forwards, and the first blows rang off the stone, numbing their arms.


    ¡°We can adapt.¡± Motoko murmured, and wind element sheathed her blade, similar to some new Tsumura-style moves we had practised. Natsumi was only a moment behind her, and now, blades whirring with wind like a chainsaw, their swords cut deep, rock scattering, as the arm was sliced free. Flame scattered from the open wounds, but Kana was waiting, and she captured it with stone, smothering it. She then had an idea, her eyes lighting up.


    ¡°This thing is made of rock, right? So...¡± She gestured, and ruby energy flowed from her. The elemental shuddered, and then exploded, chunks of rock piercing through the golem-like elementals behind it as well, leaving them full of ragged holes like a honeycomb, several collapsing entirely.


    Daiyu and I could spare little attention for that, our own battle fierce. I was providing cover for her, and as she attacked, her small stature giving her the advantage as the hulking elementals were restricted by their size, her small fists pounded them to pieces, showing her strength. When one cracked and flame gushed out, she used water element to douse it, and I noticed that each strike released Qi into the stone, weakening it, so every further blow did more damage.


    ¡°Let me try...¡± I said, engaging one of the last of our surprise attackers. Behind them were the flaming spirits, their bodies starting to morph and shift, flowing through the gaps in the barricade of elementals, so I quickly released a flashing burst of light element after shouting for everyone to close their eyes. Like a flashbang, a brilliant glow filled the hallway, and the flaming spirits melted away, purified. The elemental merely steamed a little, rock shimmering, but my next blow, light, but containing earth element, staggered it. The second created a magnifying effect, and the third shattered it, despite a surprising lack of force.


    ¡°I see.¡± Daiyu¡¯s small smile grew. She was a quick study and could sense the elemental energy with her Qi Perception. Taking her cue from me, she slightly modified her own approach, and soon the last of the elementals fell apart, and we were left amidst rubble, ether and some burning flames.


    ¡°Careful.¡± I warned, looking at the tiny tongues of flame burning on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s Lost Flame.¡± My Eye flared, and I analysis it in more detail.


    Lost Flame Of Naraka ¨C This Unique Flame Element is a purifying Flame, burning away negative Karma, curses and impurity. However, it seems to have undergone some change, corrupted by a mixture of Spatial Element and lingering ???????? too powerful for it to purify, which has led to it becoming a Flame that attracts strands of both spiritual energy, emotions and Elements, burning them in a manner that fills, rather than empties.


    ¡°I see. That explains the damned spirits.¡± In fact, with my heightened senses I could feel a minute pull even from these small fires. ¡°But I have a way to deal with this. Foehn!¡± A trickle of my own hungry fires engulfed the thin flames, and soon only Foehn was left. I felt a small measure of feedback, Foehn within me trembling, but soon that was gone, my Spiritually Pure Physique easily handling any leftover curses or grudges. Behind us, the battle had finished, and I went and devoured the remaining Lost Flame, including the ones captured in earth by Kana.


    ¡°A good fight.¡± Motoko said cheerfully. ¡°Tsumura Arts truly is meant to be used with elemental energies. It explains the strange angle of the fourth slashing strike in the standard stances. I did wonder why the angle seemed wrong, but when one assumes it will be used to slice through heavy armour without using the edge of the blade...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°And the footwork takes into account the possibility of debris being thrown off by the churning winds, leading to easy avoidance, while keeping poised to move as needed. Your ancestors truly were visionaries!¡±


    I let them gush for a bit, before gathering everyone up. I took in the little ether left behind, before offering Motoko and Natsumi a recharge. Seeing Kana look envious, I stifled a laugh. ¡°When you run low, you¡¯ll get yours too.¡± I promised. ¡°For now...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the flame.¡± Haru-san agreed. We continued downwards towards the steadily increasing glow, attacked by dozens, then scores of damned spirits. Motoko and Natsumi levelled up, and though their stock of blessed arrows were running low, I could always use Spirit Water to approximate more for them. Though that does make me worry for the Tengu...


    As we reached the bottom, the narrow, dark pathways opened up, and Kana let out a low whistle. I get it. Yeah, that¡¯s quite the sight. Flame element was gushing upwards from a massive crack in the ground, and my eye identified it as the Sacred Flame Of Mount Atago, yet it was heavily mixed with Lost Flame. It was surrounded by many hundreds of damned spirits, some shapeless behemoths multiple metres tall, and a number of the black stone elementals. As I watched closely, my Eye caught something moving deep within the crack, though even my Eye couldn¡¯t break through the blinding glare of the torrent of spiritual flame. As the fire shuddered, sparks scattering, landing and forming more flaming creatures, the surrounding ether being drawn in, I frowned. Just what is that?

 Four Hundred And Fifteen

    Four Hundred And Fifteen


    As Bell and the girls prepared our battle lines, the open cavern giving us more options due to the extra space, I noticed that Haru-san was looking paler than usual, and her expression was dark. Not only that, but the spirit lights of Tsukiko-san and Kinneka were bobbing around restlessly as well, moving erratically. Is it the flame here?


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked Haru-san, and for a moment she looked at me, brown eyes unfocused, before she shook her head, breaking free of her momentary fugue. She immediately cast her new Light Of Muted Emotions, and her eyes became clear again.


    ¡°I think so. Being so close to it... I felt a little niggle when I was on mount Atago, but... it¡¯s worse here. But not unbearable, don¡¯t worry.¡± She paused, before making a slightly bitter joke. ¡°You take me to all the nicest places, Akio-kun.¡± She chuckled grimily. ¡°The concentration of Dark Flame must be higher here. Do you think...¡±


    ¡°Can we talk about this later?¡± Bell advised. She had organised the girls into combat groups, a mixture of ranged support and a blocking combatant, and the enemies had noticed us, a flood of the faster dammed spirits surging towards us, followed by the stone elementals and then the hulking behemoths, slow-moving, amorphous masses of fire and rock, the ground shaking under their steps. ¡°For now, I need you to thin out the pack, Akio, Haru.¡±


    ¡°Right. Yeah, I¡¯ll run support, prevent us being overwhelmed.¡± I agreed, still keen on having everyone level up and practice as much as was safely possible. ¡°Before that though... Haru-san, can you see the spirit lights?¡±


    Haru-san concentrated. She didn¡¯t have special eyes, but being an Onryo, she was far more sensitive to the presence of other spirits, and so was able to pick up on them more often, even when it wasn¡¯t the rare occasions they were visible to all. ¡°Yes, I see. It makes sense they would be more affected.... Poor Matsumuro-san...¡± Haru-san cast her Light over them, and the spirit lights calmed, their erratic and almost deranged motions ceasing, returning to the hovering orbits they usually had around me.


    ¡°Right. That flame...¡± The towering column of the sacred flame, tainted by the Lost Flame, was soaring towards the distant roof of the cavern but never reached it, instead vanishing into a crack in space, purple spatial element scattering weakly. ¡°...I think it¡¯s the root of the flame of mount Atago, or one of them at least... I don¡¯t see the Tengu, so... I guess it¡¯s up to us. Watch out though.¡± The flame occasionally flickered and bobbed, scattering smaller tongues of Lost Flame as if expelling poison.


    ¡°Here they come. Thin their numbers!¡± Bell ordered, and Motoko and Natsumi started loosing the remaining blessed arrows they had, while Haru-san, after gathering herself, began to pierce them with bolts of light, sometimes multiple enemies slain in one burst, ether scattering. A rock elemental charged forwards, reminding me of a sort of hulking bear, and Daiyu moved forwards on graceful feet, her Crushing Palms rapidly destroying it, scattering black rock and flame everywhere. She wheeled, water forming and then projected as a spray of bullets, and a number of damned spirits fell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me!¡± Kana declared, the ground, which near us was the same black, smooth rock studded with jagged outcrops as the narrow passageways we had ventured through, shifting and swirling, the flaming spirits able to cross them, but the elementals and several of the larger behemoths sinking down, getting stuck. ¡°Ksitigarbha¡¯s Favour is perfect for this.¡± She clenched her fist in satisfaction, and the trapped victims exploded as the earth closed in on them with a thunderous boom.


    That¡¯s a bit odd... As I surveyed the battle, my bullets of Spirit Water and beams of light intervening where necessary, though the girls were acquitting themselves well, Chen Na barely having to call on her barriers, I noticed that closer to the flame the rock changed, going from smooth and glassy to rough and dirty. Maybe the heat melts it? The flame burped, and Lost Flame scattered, and some of the ether that neither we or the Territory had absorbed was drawn in, along with the fading debris of the slain spirits, and more were birthed, resembling Tengu and animals, wolves and bears most prevalent.


    ¡°It seems that this will not be so easy.¡± Motoko observed, though her expression was excited. ¡°Though with everyone here we have naught to fear.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed happily. ¡°More practice, more experience, it¡¯s perfect. But I¡¯m out of arrows.¡± She looked at me eagerly, and I grinned.


    ¡°Fine. Give me your spears and swords.¡± Motoko and Natsumi handed them over, and I was surprised to see Bell there with her sword too. I called on Spirit Water, bathing them in the blessed element, and with that the three of them joined Daiyu in battle with the renewed horde, while Kana and Daiyu focused on taking out the stronger elementals. Looking at Chen Na, who was watching nervously, wringing her hands, I shrugged.


    ¡°Calm down. This is well within our capabilities.¡± I had a difficult time being nice to her, seeing as she reminded me of Nie Ling¡¯s situation, but the woman in front of me was far more involved in committing atrocities, far less... innocent, for want of a better word, as I didn¡¯t feel that Nie Ling was innocent, even if she wasn¡¯t entirely guilty either. Of course, with her having died and being reborn, without the benefit of Haru-san¡¯s Throne, I wasn¡¯t sure whether she would just remain as a spiritual being on the Astral, or simply vanish entirely. And it¡¯s not something I¡¯m eager to test, even on someone like her. If it was Kondou Kazuo, maybe...


    Seeing one of the behemoths looming, I blasted it down with a beam of light that seared through it. It wasn¡¯t as effective as it was on the damned spirits, as when the shroud of formless mist around it boiled off, what lay beneath was stone similar to the elementals. Focusing my energies, I managed to shear through, and it shattered, falling apart. As it fell with a loud impact, ground quivering, Chen Na spoke.


    ¡°I... the things you all do seem surprising to me. Back in China, when we were under the Department for Managing Divine Mysteries, before we rebelled... it was similar. But every day we heard tell of someone dying, killed in battle. We feared it, yet... you all seek it out so happily.¡±


    I opened my mouth to deny that, but Daiyu, having crushed another pair of elementals, their numbers diminishing, beat me to it. ¡°Happily? Opportunities are always to be taken.¡± Her dark eyes narrowed as she surveyed the others battling their opponents bravely. She cast out a few more water bullets, her performance a touch clumsy, as it wasn¡¯t optimised for Qi unlike her Cultivation techniques, and as a group of damned spirits disintegrated, lessening the pressure on her comrades, she continued. ¡°Taking hold of one¡¯s own fate is the choice of all rational people. Otherwise you are a slave to the whims of the strong. We choose...¡± she looked at me, perhaps remembering her Sect and how we met and what came after. ¡°...to grasp our own fate, and fight those we do not desire to the last breath. And for that we need to risk ourselves, push our limits. Cultivate our strengths. We will not be the pawns of others. Otherwise we will end up where you did.¡±


    Chen Na looked chagrined at that, her expression downcast. ¡°I see. Was it my own lack of will...¡±


    ¡°It all comes down to the strength of one¡¯s drive.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°You let yourself drift on the tides, moved by others. We... we strive to be in control of the waves.¡±


    The fighting was coming to an end, the great column of flame scattering a small number more smaller creatures of fire. Motoko, Natsumi and Bell handled them with some support from Haru-san, and when we were done, I surveyed the battlefield, gathering the remaining ether and topping up those who needed it with Chirurgery. As Natsumi was thanking me, her face red from my touch, Haru-san called to us, as she had drifted over closer to the flame, occasionally using her Light on herself.


    ¡°Akio-kun, take a look at this.¡± She said, a little light element leaping from her hands and striking the black, lumpy floor, which suddenly steamed, a layer of dirt or perhaps ingrained ash flaking away, revealing a rusty red and white ground underneath.


    That¡¯s odd. I thought it¡¯d be volcanic stone like everything else here. We went over, careful to avoid the scattered tongues of Lost Flame which were burning around us, to which my Foehn greedily devoured. I bent down, and used my own light to clear a patch of ground, coughing a little at the scent of ash and burning.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bone?¡± Natsumi said, tapping the white parts of the floor. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s been carved too.¡±


    ¡°And this should be brick of some sort...¡± Kana added, kneeling down, a little irritated when ash got on her clothes and the Brigandine beneath. ¡°It¡¯s got some pattern on it too. It looks a bit Japanese, but... not quite?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m also doing research on my phone and sending a few emails and messages. No rest for the wicked, so my mom would say.¡±


    ¡°And you are most certainly wicked.¡± Haru-san said, amused. ¡°But Kana-chan, it¡¯s only been hours, I assure you. Though it is hard to keep track of the time in here. So cramped and dingy... and we have to be careful every step we take.¡±


    ¡°It seems you can be more relaxed.¡± Motoko pointed out correctly as Haru-san walked through an outcropping of jagged, obsidian blades jutting from one wall, passing through them harmlessly.


    ¡°Oops, you caught me.¡± She said cheerfully, though I could tell being closer to the source of the Lost Flame was troubling her, as she was using her light more and more, and was having to use it on the spirit lights too. Fortunately it doesn¡¯t seem to take much of her strength, and the blessing from Taro?bo? has compensated for a lot of the drain...


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I know it¡¯s hard, but you¡¯ve all done well, Motoko, Natsumi, Kana. And you¡¯ve all gained a number of levels.¡±


    ¡°Why are you not praising us?¡± Bell said, looking at Daiyu with a smile. ¡°We will feel left out.¡±


    ¡°It is because he knows we have fought many hard battles before. It is a mark of respect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°Motoko and I did do some fighting in London, but it was a training exercise, there was no real danger, not like now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It feels pretty safe here.¡± Kana disagreed. ¡°When Akio has to, he can show off.¡±


    ¡°Like in the second chamber. I see.¡± Natsumi agreed. She turned to me, eyes sparkling. ¡°That was impressive. Hundreds of spirits gone in an instant.¡±


    ¡°I felt a bit bad robbing you all of the experience, but the chamber was crawling with them. We needed to break in.¡± I said, remembering. After a number of false starts, reaching dead ends or twisting crossroads, we had reached the second source of the Sacred Flame, another pillar of yellow fire soaring from and into twisted space. The chamber was thronged with damned spirits, and more were being created even as we watched, and they were shuffling towards the many exits of the cavern. Since the numbers were so overwhelming, I unleashed a great beam of light element, blasting an opening, purifying many, and after that the battle had been fierce, though manageable.


    ¡°Their numbers are certainly increasing, and since they are troublesome to deal with, I can see why the Tengu struggle. Individually I would say a goblin is more dangerous than the half-formed ones, though the ones that resemble people or Tengu are more of a threat. But a goblin that cannot be harmed by mundane weapons and abilities... that can bring down an unprepared warrior. Ten such, a hundred such, a thousand such... it would be a massacre if they stormed the Tengu village atop the mountain, and a problem if they enter your Territory, Haru.¡± Bell pointed out with her own experiences of battles and skirmishes.


    ¡°Yes, the barrier should keep them out, and I could always set up Hands Of Forgiveness on the border, but I¡¯d rather stop them at the source.¡± She said, distracted, twitching a little.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked her, and she grimaced.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little uncomfortable. I think we are getting close to the next source of the flame. And this one seems more contaminated. It¡¯s... it¡¯s nothing.¡± She promised. ¡°I just... it brings out the worst in me. But...¡± She forced a smile, bathing herself and the spirit lights in more soothing elemental energy. ¡°... it was good timing to get this ability. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d have been all right with just a quick jaunt down here, but Taro?bo? certainly was helpful...¡±


    ¡°In that case, we should carry on. We¡¯ve finished up here.¡± Around us the remaining fragments of ether were absorbed, and we pushed on. It was a few minutes later that Bell called out, her keen eyes spotting something.


    ¡°Wait. There!¡± she pointed, and following her finger, I could see several arrows on the ground, their fletching scorched, the light on their arrowheads having faded, now just cold metal and stone.


    ¡°Not ours.¡± Motoko said, picking it up and inspecting it. ¡°Though...¡± she pulled one of the shafts she had been given by the Tengu. ¡°It is a match. And...¡± she touched the burned feathers. ¡°Still warm. I doubt it has been lying here long...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more. Blood, and some feathers.¡± Natsumi spotted them. Dabbing a finger in gingerly to the red liquid, a silver mist rising, she frowned. ¡°Also still warm. I¡¯d say we are no more than ten minutes behind them.¡±


    ¡°I see. Hopefully that means that they¡¯ve successfully cleansed a lot of the Lost Flame and are heading for the sources like we are. We¡¯ll join up with them, and then hopefully...¡±


    ¡°What lies beneath.¡± Daiyu said, her tone ominous, and I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What lies beneath, and possibly the source of the Lost Flame...¡± As we picked up the pace, still keeping cautious, as there were many dangers, I shattered the blades of obsidian on the walls and ceilings with wind and earth element as I took the lead, Chen Na expending a little energy to prevent the shrapnel from injuring anyone. Soon we could see the passageway ahead opening up, and could hear the sounds of fighting. A faint, icy mist was creeping around our feet, and the temperature that was climbing a little had dropped.


    ¡°Haano?bo?...¡± I remarked, seeing the residual water element. Then we heard a great, angry bellow, and we all glanced at each other. ¡°And Arangbo?, it seems. We¡¯ve found them. Come, on, let¡¯s go...¡± We moved as quickly as we dared, and soon we were looking into a cavern much like the others, a great flame burning at the centre, though this one had collapsed much of the ground around it, white bone and reddish brick visible amidst the darkness of the pit it had caused. The ground was wet and frozen, a dozen Tengu battling valiantly against damned spirits and earth elementals. A giant one was lying broken, Arangbo? on top of it shouting a roar of victory, while even as we watched the red-robed Shungbo? unleashed a surge of fiery energy, and several more of the obsidian monsters melted, the fragments of Lost Flame they exuded likewise boiling away, the power of Taro?bo?¡¯s blessing purifying them.


    And there¡¯s Haano?bo? and Fungbo?... Seeing that all the Four Directions were safe, I breathed a sigh of relief. Several of the Tengu at the rear spotted us, calling out, and as Shungbo? turned to us, flames still streaming from his hands and wings, I nodded at him politely. Yasaka-san¡¯s warnings from the Book... we¡¯ll need to keep our guard up. But first... The dark pit was suddenly filled with a number of huge elementals, black jagged stone paws slamming into the ground, huge, faceless heads looking animalistic and feral peering over the lip of the crater. ...I think we need to send those back to their rest...

 Four Hundred And Sixteen

    Four Hundred And Sixteen


    On seeing us, Haano?bo? turned and exclaimed ¡°You have made it here...¡± Not too far from her, Fungbo? let out a bitter growl, but otherwise kept his silence, and some of his feathers detached from his wings which were still somewhat ragged after the earlier beating I had dished out to him, and soon they were wreathed in shining metal, before flying around like blades, slashing the numberless hordes of damned spirits, which started to disintegrate. Oh? I see...


    I noticed with my keen insight that the metallic feathers were shining with a remnant glow of Taro?bo?¡¯s blessing, which likely was the reason that the feathers were actually able to defeat them. They struck the glassy rock elementals with a clang, and several stony limbs were sheared off, a number shattering, scattering tiny flames everywhere. Shungbo? concentrated, eyes narrowing behind his long-nosed mask, and his own fires scorched the bare ground, just as I had done with my Foehn.


    ¡°Should we intervene? The numbers are endless.¡± Motoko asked, and I nodded. As soon as I did so, Bell spoke up.


    ¡°We should not rush in hastily. We have our rhythm and know each other¡¯s styles and preferred moves. But nothing is more dangerous than two separate forces attempting to unify mid engagement. Akio, as our leader, you should establish a joint plan.¡± She paused, smiling. ¡°Swiftly, though. The numbers and might of our enemies are both significant.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Leave it to me.¡± I promised. It was true that one thing I lacked was leadership experience. In combat, I¡¯d been through a number of life and death battles since this all began, but in terms of commanding, I still lacked the pedigree of Ulfuric or a Way-Captain like Bell or Soliteare.


    ¡°It is something you will learn in time. None, even prodigies, are born understanding what it is to lead.¡± Daiyu said, divining my thoughts. ¡°But lead you must. And in the face of these Tengu...¡±


    I nodded, not saying what we all understood. I can¡¯t show any weakness or indecision. A successful mission here and settling matters with Taro?bo?, and we¡¯ll have secured our alliance, perhaps to an even better result than we had first hoped. Striding forwards, leaving the rest of my group to handle supporting the ordinary Tengu on the edges of the battle, those with little power from Taro?bo?¡¯s blessings left, I swept purifying light and bullets of Spirit Water through the ranks of damned spirits. Still no level-up. A shame, but I must be getting close... It was now taking great hosts of lesser enemies to gain me one level, only defeating extremely powerful foes such as the clone of the toad or the pseudo-angel Mary Stuart had summoned giving me levels at any pace. I suppose it makes sense, as I grow stronger, it takes more to push me further...


    ¡°By Seiryu? and his azure breath that sprouts new life, as spring heralds rebirth and renewal... go back to your rest and await reincarnation, should you be so fortunate!¡± Arangbo? boomed, and a surge of brown energies streaked with hints of blue leapt from his body. The ground cracked, revealing white bone beneath, vines sprouting and crashing through the mob of elementals and spirits, and though the flames of the dammed scorched the vines, flowers sprung to life, the greenery recovering, and the spirits disintegrated. One of the colossal monsters rising from the flame pit was snared, and though the vines couldn¡¯t break the stony body, they held it in place, Arangbo? swinging his heavy staff eagerly, ready to strike. On seeing me charging towards him, he nodded, long nose dipping.


    ¡°Joining the fun?¡± he snorted, staff crashing down. Chips of dark stone scattered, the blow doing little damage, but then the vines started creeping into the slight cracks, widening them even as the beast struggled. A second swung for him, but a tide of water and ice from Haano?bo? blocked the blow, through she grunted at the effort. On seeing that, I supported her, Foehn flying from my hands and striking it in the formless, vaguely animalistic head. It hissed, a sound that set my teeth on edge, and slipped, falling back down into the depths, a faint yellow star soon lost in the darkness. With that done, I drew Storming Moonlight and slashed out, blade wreathed in wind and lightning, and the slowly spreading damage to one arm was magnified, my blade cutting deep. Seeing that, Arangbo? gestured, and his vines dug down, worming their way into the black stone, and the arm exploded, torn free.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation? We don¡¯t want to intrude and get in the way of your plans.¡± I said, joining Arangbo? to attack the great torso of his opponent, and I idly wondered if this is what the Fae felt, fighting the giants of the Unseelie, feeling so small and fragile. But I guess I¡¯m not so fragile, am I? Body Enhancement pushed to its limits, I felt my mind clear a little. Even without my Split Thoughts, I can make matters easier by buffing my mental stats and how fast my brain works... With my widened vision, I could see we were thinning out the tide of the damned from the edges, and the Tengu fell back, relieved, many of them bearing wounds. Though the numbers tally, I don¡¯t think any have died yet, thankfully...


    ¡°It is as you can see.¡± He rumbled, staff crashing into stone, sweeping aside more elementals, before facing off against another colossus of dark, volcanic stone, this one radiating far more Lost Flame, the shoulders and head burning like a torch. ¡°We are hard pressed, but the Tengu of mount Atago will never stop until we have cleansed our sacred flame. I am impressed...¡± he grunted, staff striking stone, numbing his hands. I wrapped the limbs of the monster in fine threads of wind, careful to stay away from the flames, and began to saw through, powder and small stone fragments scattering. Another roar, and the vines Arangbo? had called barraged the giant, taking advantage, and cracks spread throughout it, and my wires of vibrating air sped up, a dull whine to match the loud roar of the faceless, burning giant filling the air.


    ¡°... you made it to one of the sources of the flame, the three fountains.¡± He grunted with effort, and finally the behemoth in front of us broke apart, our combined efforts destroying it. Chunks fell around us, a single arm with almost paw-like hands splintering as it stuck the ground beside me, with more falling back into the dark pit, within which I could see significant spatial element. Which I¡¯m going to draw in as much of as I can, of course.


    ¡°So there¡¯s only three? Great.¡± As he tilted his head, puzzled, I quickly explained. ¡°We¡¯ve been past the other two, but it seemed to me that the Lost Flame was contaminating them from even further down...¡±


    ¡°I see. Let us finish this mess and we shall ... discuss our cooperation.¡± Arangbo? said, before turning to his siblings. ¡°As the Directions, we shall take the cardinal points. Brave Tengu, honoured visitors... fill the gaps, cover all blind spots.¡±


    The Three Directions started shifting position at his words, though Shungbo? moved hesitantly, and Fungbo? looked as if he wished to protest. Only Haano?bo? moved with any alacrity, though the expression in her yellow eyes was complex. On seeing that, our group, plus the Tengu we had relieved, began to split up into two. Daiyu was the lead on one group, Haru-san of the other, and they began to dispatch the damned spirits one after another, and the horde was starting to thin...


    ¡°Competent.¡± He boomed. ¡°And you do have your own methods...¡± he mused, as light from Haru-san burst, purifying a mob of the damned all at once, while Daiyu¡¯s Spirit Water bullets were able to take down a number of fiery enemies, her martial arts enough to handle the more tangible elementals.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t fall behind.¡± I said, looking down at the pit, hundreds more twinkling stars appearing, which quickly resolved themselves into a mixture of sparks of Lost Flame, and slowly forming damned spirits. ¡°Let there be light!¡± I gestured casually, and a bloom of brilliance to match Haru-san¡¯s flared, and many of the lights in the pit were extinguished. The sparks I wrapped in Foehn, and soon we had the remaining enemies surrounded, no more pouring from the pit, our arrival having turned the tides of battle.


    ¡°It seems the situation is stable.¡± Bell said, as she led the rest of the girls to me, the last few spirits and elementals being dealt with by the Four Directions.


    ¡°Yes, it seems so.¡± Arangbo? agreed, leaning on his massive staff, the vines around him withering and dying, first turning brown and gnarled, before decaying further and turning to ashes. ¡°You say you have seen the other two fountains?¡± At his words, the other Directions were listening eagerly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The situation there wasn¡¯t as bad as here though. We dealt with the spirits and elementals without too much difficultly, and cleaned up what Lost Flame we could, but...¡± I looked at the flame, my Eye shining. ¡°Yeah, the contamination is still increasing. So if it isn¡¯t any of the fountains...¡± I looked at the inky darkness where the floor had collapsed, white and red rock and bone visible in the tear.


    ¡°You cannot mean to tell them!¡± Fungbo? shouted, furious. ¡°Even we have never seen the true source of the sacred flame! Only Great Taro?bo? has ever visited the chamber!¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Arangbo? growled, frustrated. ¡°If we had to cleanse all three fountain chambers ourselves, how do you think we would fare?¡± He slammed his mighty fist on his chest, emphasising his point. ¡°Shungbo?¡¯s flames can deal with these miserable spirits, as can my wood...¡± At my curious look, he shrugged, wings flapping proudly.


    ¡°Water runs through my element, and water purifies. Our dear sister Haano?bo?...¡± he seemed unable to resist teasing her. ¡°... her water has proved strong against the spirits as well. But without the blessing of great Taro?bo?, my wood and Haano?bo?¡¯s water is far inferior to Shungbo?¡¯s flames granted by Suzaku. And your metal is only of use breaking these rocks, Fungbo?.¡± He said contemptuously, nudging a hunk of broken obsidian-like remains. ¡°We anticipated many enemies, due to the ever escalating attacks on our mountain home, but this is beyond our comprehension. If we are forced to retreat, it will take time for our noble father to raise more energy for his blessings, and in that time, the numbers might have grown further still. No, we cleanse the flames now or we might not have another chance. Can you do it alone, my brother?¡±


    Fungbo? opened his mouth for another angry protest, but after a moment his wings and head drooped, and as though the words were torn from him, he managed his assent, his tone bitter. ¡°Very well. I see the wisdom in your words, no matter how pathetic they sound.¡±


    ¡°Great Taro?bo? must have understood this, or he would never have allowed them to challenge, much less enter here. Our secrets... is it the presence of Prince Sho?toku that gives him confidence? I know Great Taro?bo? has no love for the kami of Kyoto, but...¡± Haano?bo? said, thinking.


    Motoko shook her head. ¡°If I may interrupt rudely...¡±


    ¡°What is it, hearty eater?¡± Arangbo? said, and Motoko flushed a little, embarrassed.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Daiyu pointed out what I had seen, her Qi Perception noticing the strange corpse. ¡°It is dead, but the Qi remains strong and vibrant. Most puzzling.¡±


    ¡°Deal with the crowd first, and then we shall have time for curiosity later. Priorities!¡± Bell reminded us, and I agreed, charging forwards, Arangbo? and Fungbo? behind me, Fungbo? already clad in shining metal, the fading light of the blessing his father had given him still remaining. Light flashed, water bullets scattered, and arrows soaked in Spirit Water began to strike, and the sea of damned spirits parted as a channel was cut through them, clearly revealing more details about the cavern. The floor below was more carved bone and red bricks, though ash was tracked over it now, obscuring most of the details. In front of us was a huge skeleton, a few tufts of hair sprouting from shreds of desiccated skin still clinging to the bones. It¡¯s... a bear? A bloody big bear too. It must be... what, seven or eight stories tall? As big as a block of flats...


    The bear was lying down, arms outstretched, as if guarding what lay behind it. It was a pit, from which the Sacred Flame radiated, pouring into the roof of the cavern, where space ruptured, and three separate streams flowed out, vanishing, likely becoming the fountains we had discovered earlier. The Lost Flame was burning there too, casting shadows of the skeletal bear over the cavern, and the space around it was distorted, spatial element carrying the Lost Flame into the Sacred Flame, polluting it, and the corruption was carried upwards. Carvings, huh? The Sacred Flame was coming out of a great circular depression, looking a bit like a well, the walls made of orange brick, inlaid with delicate bone carvings, the reliefs dyed with ink made from crushed obsidian or some other dark volcanic rock. Those carvings... I know I¡¯ve seen them somewhere before, I think...


    My memory was excellent, and I found it easy enough to recall things dimly remembered from my past nowadays, but this must have been an insignificant, barely remembered event. Even as I strained all my mental stats, I continued to fight, light and water elements surging around me, rather pretty rainbows forming as the light beams passed through the spray from my water bullets.


    ¡°This has been very satisfying, hasn¡¯t it Motoko?¡± Natsumi giggled, as the last of her arrows struck home, disintegrating a damned spirit. She pulled out her sword, and started searching for lone spirits that she could engage safely. Motoko had hefted her spear, the head glittering with droplets of Spirit Water, and she agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it has validated all of our desires. Our Arts are useful, they serve a purpose. And our husband.¡± She flushed, spear sliding into the chest of a bear-shaped flame spirit, steam sizzling.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit embarrassed just listening to this...¡± Kana muttered, and Haru-san shot her an amused look, even as she cast brilliant light across the enemies with one hand, and her soothing light over herself with the other.


    ¡°It¡¯s always like this. And don¡¯t tell me you won¡¯t be the same soon enough, Kana-chan!¡±


    ¡°I probably will!¡± Kana admitted cheekily. ¡°But pointing it out is rude, Haru-chan!¡±


    ¡°This is a battle, a fight to the death...¡± Haano?bo? said, exhausted, her water and ice exploding, dousing a swathe of the spirits. ¡°... can you at least try to treat it seriously?¡± From her tone, I imagine her puffing out her cheeks in exasperation now.


    ¡°Oh we are.¡± I said, as the overwhelming numbers of our foes quickly diminished under our wide area attacks. ¡°But this isn¡¯t just a battle to us... huh? So that¡¯s it!¡± I clenched my fist, my mind, accelerated under the effect of my Body Enhancement, finally dredging out the single memory of where I had seen the carvings on the well before. ¡°It¡¯s not a well, but a hearth. Hearths. Flames... it makes sense now.¡±


    ¡°What does?¡± Kana asked, not having much to do in this battle other than trap a few stragglers in the ground for Motoko and Natsumi to dispatch.


    ¡°Those are Ainu carvings. I saw a picture once, back when I was at school. We only ever had one lesson on them, the native Japanese were a... delicate... issue, and some parents complained. But my mom then told me a bit about them.¡±


    ¡°I have not heard of them. Have you, Natsumi?¡± Motoko asked, and she shook her head, equally unsure, so I expanded on my thoughts.


    ¡°It makes sense. They were native people, indigenous to Hokkaido and the north of Japan. And we... well, we weren¡¯t kind to them. But... I never knew they were living this far south. It isn¡¯t in the few articles I¡¯ve read about them.¡±


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± Kana shrugged. ¡°Did you read any articles about the shrines and our powers? History is written the way it is for a reason, Akio. Lots is hidden from view. Or maybe the historians didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Look at you, being wise.¡± I joked, and she pouted playfully.


    ¡°Teasing me again, huh? Oh well...¡± she dragged another batch of spirits into an earthen quagmire, and Daiyu, Motoko and Natsumi finished them off. The battle was coming to a close, the Tengu fiercely defeating the swarms of damned spirits, as if they were settling a bitter grudge. I guess that¡¯s not too far from the truth...


    ********


    The battle had come to an end, our alliance victorious. Every few seconds another couple of damned spirits were being birthed, or an elemental would rise, ripping free of the walls, but we were quite capable of dispatching them. Spawn camping... these creatures don¡¯t give much experience, but every little helps the girls.


    My Eye glowed, and I looked at the corpse of the bear, Daiyu also watching it cautiously.


    Atago-un-kamuy ¨C The corpse of a bear kamuy serving Kim-un-kamuy, Great Bear That Watches Over Mountains. Even in death, the vitality remains, tempered by a sacred hearth of Apemerukoyan-mat Unamerukoyan-mat, the Woman of Rising Fire Sparks, Of Soaring Cinder Sparks.


    ¡°That... is not a kami.¡± Shungbo? said slowly, his voice troubled.


    ¡°No, it is not.¡± Arangbo? agreed. ¡°Though it is similar, just as we are similar to other Tengu, though Great Taro?bo? asks us to hide our shame with masks. Do you think... no, we should not second-guess our noble father. We should do what we came here for.¡± His eyes narrowed as he saw the Lost Flame burning amidst the ribcage of the bear, streaming into the Sacred Flame. ¡°Here is the source. If we destroy it, perhaps the Sacred Flame can cleanse itself, and if not, we can hunt down the remaining corruption...¡±


    ¡°Who shall do it? My water and ice is likely not strong enough.¡± Haano?bo? admitted. ¡°Will you do it, Summer South? Your flames burn as hot as Suzaku himself. Or...¡± she turned to me. ¡°... your flames are hungry, I have seen it.¡±


    ¡°I will try. Your aid was appreciated, but this matter should be left to the Tengu.¡± As Fungbo? snorted angrily, he continued. ¡°But if I should fail, you must finish it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that easy.¡± I said, my Foresight¡¯s dull prickles intensifying. A rusty knife, piercing flame... what does it mean? Is it the flames here, Shungbo?, me, or... At the moment Shungbo? stepped forwards, I saw Daiyu¡¯s expression change, to one of alarm, eyes going wide. As I followed her gaze, I saw that the bony claw of the giant bear twitched, opening and closing, and it shuddered, as though taking a breath, dust and ash falling from the old, bleached bones. As the spirit lights around me surged into movement, and Haru-san gasped in discomfort, I cried out. ¡°Careful Shungbo?! I think the bear is about to come back to life!¡±

 Four Hundred And Seventeen

    Four Hundred And Seventeen


    An oppressive League radiated out from the bear, and Motoko, Natsumi and even Kana and Daiyu were pale, faces twisted unpleasantly. It wasn¡¯t quite as high as mine, so I was able to weather it easily enough, but the Tengu who weren¡¯t part of the Four Directions were likewise suppressed, and they staggered backwards. If it has this League even dead, then when it was alive... That thought in mind, I watched, alert, as the skeletal bear rose, bones clicking, faint threads of aether functioning as muscles and tendons, allowing it to move, the Lost Flame spreading over it, clinging to the bones of the ribcage and jaw, burning in the empty, staring eye sockets balefully.


    ¡°Great Taro?bo? surely never expected this...¡± Shungbo? said, voice cracking with fear. ¡°The power of it...¡±


    ¡°No need for cowardice now, Summer South.¡± Arangbo? boomed reassuringly. ¡°It may be powerful, but we are the defenders of mount Atago. Great Taro?bo? is no fool, he surely believes we have the strength to overcome all!¡±


    While the Directions readied themselves, I dropped back. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi, I don¡¯t think you can do much here. Chen Na, look after them.¡± I looked at Kana. ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°No, I... I can help¡± Kana said bravely, though her pale face and trembling lips betrayed her unease and fear. ¡°It¡¯s what I came for.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your first battle.¡± I said the words quickly, as the bear was starting to gather itself, ready to attack, and we couldn¡¯t leave the Tengu to fight alone. ¡°You can help most by keeping everyone safe. If you see a chance to attack at range you can take it, but only when we¡¯ve established its safe. I¡¯m confident we can win.¡± With that I turned away, as the bear roared, and a surge of Lost Flame, like a yellow, red and black blizzard gushed out, filling the cavern. Chen Na reacted without my words, throwing up a bubble of energy around us, and the fire was halted, but even though it was blocked, the spirit lights around me, as well as Haru-san, all suffered greatly.


    ¡°Haru-chan, are you all right?¡± Kana said, horrified as she fell to her knees, clutching her head, shrieking, while the glowing spirit lights continued to obscure my vision, dancing around me frantically. I was torn between going to Haru-san¡¯s aid or the Directions, as they were beginning to engage the great bear, Haano?bo? calling up a wave of water and ice that blocked one boulder-sized paw as it swung down at them.


    ¡°Shit.¡± I cursed, annoyed that at the end of the dungeon there was a boss. Worse, one that seems able to leverage the effects of the Lost Flame, otherwise this would have been no problem, the girls could have waited outside while the rest of us finished it off... My thoughts churned rapidly, and I considered dismissing my Material body, but the strength of the skeletal bear, while powerful, wasn¡¯t in the realm I thought I couldn¡¯t handle, even if with some difficultly. And the Four Directions are here too... Resolving to recall my other body and start up the Split Thoughts if necessary, it was then that Haru-san let out another great cry, this one pained and defiant, yet also proud.


    ¡°I... am... not... weak and afraid!¡± she cried, light element shimmering around her like a halo, the indigo shimmering to blue and back again as it was converted between darkness and light and back to darkness again. ¡°I¡¯ve been through the worst... that can... happen.¡± She ground her teeth, furious. ¡°I died. I was abused, tortured and died. It was horrible...¡± As Motoko and Natsumi went to comfort her, she waved them aside, eyes locked on me. No, not me... on the spirit light of Tsukiko-san. ¡°...It was terrible. But I am not the only one who suffers. You died too, and...¡± She raised her hand, and I could see that she was pulling in fragments of the Lost Flame from the air, the sparks passing through Chen Na¡¯s barrier now. ¡°...so many others have suffered. This Flame... it is of evil, yet not evil itself. Such a sad flame...¡± She was burning, her intangible form smoking and smouldering, yet she paid it no heed. ¡°...it lives to consume the evil of others, and leave them purified and ashes. In doing so, it becomes steeped in that corruption...¡± She raised her hand, and the Light Of Muted Emotions spread out, though it didn¡¯t enfold her, just the spirit lights around me, who calmed once more.


    Behind me, the Four Directions were engaging, and I could see Haano?bo? looking back, wondering what was taking me so long. Vines whipped out and battered the bear, but bony claws wreathed in flame sliced them, and then fire struck it as Shungbo? completed his chant, and for a moment the bear staggered, Lost Fire dimming, before Shungbo?¡¯s flames were scattered by its mighty roar, the cavern shaking, the girls clutching their ears, expressions pained.


    ¡°I... I understand. I too am what is left after sorrow is created. My spirit, my existence, just a ghostly flame, an Onryo. But... those of us Lost can sometimes be found, recover things that make the sadness fade. Slowly, it may take a lifetime.¡± She paused, a faint smile on her lips. ¡°... or a deathtime. But time is what we have.¡± She looked at me then, her will shining in her brown eyes. ¡°Go, Akio-kun. I will protect the spirit light of she you tried to save, no, you did save. For who knows better than me that this death is no worse than life. If I can do everything I could before, see my daddy, meet my friends again, laugh, cry and live... then it¡¯s the same, it is living. Just be careful. Their spirits are unformed, weak. If it gets too burned, it won¡¯t be good.¡±


    I see. ¡°Haru-san, you¡¯ve become strong.¡± I nodded turning to the battle, reassured.


    ¡°Call me Haru. I don¡¯t need the -san. After all, other than daddy, aren¡¯t you the person I owe the most to in this world? Don¡¯t get the wrong idea though.¡± she warned teasingly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± As I made to go, Daiyu stood beside me, and I looked at her, searching her eyes, and her resolve convinced me.


    ¡°I can fight. The pressure of the bear is strong, but I too have a strong will. I will not be deterred. Besides, I do heal fast, I am like the fenghuang, that you call a phoenix. After all, I too have been through the shadows of death, adrift in the endless ocean, betrayed and broken, yet I have come out the other side reborn.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said quickly. ¡°I have no doubt of your abilities. But fast healing isn¡¯t always a good thing. I don¡¯t want to see you hurt, Daiyu.¡±


    At my words Kana laughed, her fear momentarily forgotten. Bell had joined us, unlimbering her bow, and she whispered to me that I should say nice things to her too, even as she loosed an arrow, striking the bear, though causing little more than a sting to it. Daiyu flushed, her face pink, before she nodded slowly.


    ¡°I have no wish to cause you pain, nor to suffer it. But we are Dao Companions. We walk the same road, suffer the same hurts, and advance to the heights together.¡±


    ¡°In that case... I have nothing more to say!¡± As Bell unleashed more arrows, pouring in her aether to empower them, we charged, and as the bear swept aside more of Arangbo?¡¯s vines, before deflecting a surge of iron spikes from Fungbo?, Haano?bo? spoke to us, exasperated.


    ¡°You are quite tardy! This is no festival, for you to make merry and try and flirt with others.¡±


    ¡°Jealous much?¡± Bell laughed, and Haano?bo? gave her a flat look.


    ¡°Do not be such a fool. Why would I have jealousy? No, I simply seek to win, to achieve what my father asked of me. You wish it too, no?¡± she said to me, and I agreed.


    ¡°Of course. I gave my word I¡¯d cleanse the flame, and I intend to. Now...¡± I looked up at the towering, blazing skeletal bear, and my Eye shone. I didn¡¯t receive much more information, but I was searching it to see if I could find any weaknesses. As I did so, I drew on earth element, the red bricks of the floor shattering, and the bear stumbled, footing shaken.


    ¡°Press the advantage!¡± Arangbo? boomed, his staff growing, the wood expanding, and one blow hammered into the bear¡¯s knee joint, shattering it, though aether and the Lost Flame surged, reaching out like tendrils to pull it back together. That¡¯s it... The Lost Flame on the bear¡¯s head and shoulders resisted Shungbo?¡¯s flaming barrages, only dimming a little, but it gave me an idea.


    ¡°Try and focus on one area and break it!¡± I shouted, Body Enhancement thrumming, my mind working. Time seemed to slow a little as I processed it, and though I wasn¡¯t splitting my thoughts, what I was thinking became clearer, and I realised Split Thoughts, while useful in many circumstances, was also a bit of a crutch, limiting the growth of my mind in other ways. It¡¯s not bad to try other forms of training sometimes...


    The ground exploded, and spikes of rock slammed into the bear¡¯s other knee, and bone shuddered, before the socket popped out. It roared, both paws slashing down, and Arangbo? blocked one, his staff shuddering, only for vines to erupt, binding the arm. The other, I caught, muscles straining. It was like trying to catch a speeding truck, and the impact pushed me back, the difference in strength not insurmountable, but the sheer mass of it overcoming inertia. I ground my teeth, muscles clenching, and Foehn roared into life in my hands. Damn, that¡¯s hot... Foehn is even hungry for me. Luckily, I know how to insulate it...


    The bear roared, kicking out with one leg, but Daiyu slid underneath the blow. ¡°First Strike. Single Palm!¡± she called, one blow landing, before moving smoothly into her next stance. ¡°Second Strike. Twin Palms!¡± Two blows now, striking the same spot, injecting Qi, though she was now using earth element Qi with one hand, and water element with the other, the resonance causing further damage internally to the bone. ¡°Third Strike. Four Tiger Claws!¡± Her hands blurred, doubling the hits. ¡°Fourth Strike. Eight Turtle Blows!¡± Her muscles were screaming as the punches doubled again, and bone was starting to crack. ¡°Fifth... Strike...¡± she grated, her expression pained, yet her eyes were elated. ¡°Sixteen Phoenix Talons!¡± Her own bones and muscles cracked and tore, and blood scattered, yet her blessing healed her as the strikes rained down, and the leg-bone split, and unable to support the weight, the bear lurched downwards.


    ¡°I¡¯ll launch my attack shortly. Buy me some time, and try and cut the channel beforehand so I don¡¯t damage the Sacred Flame as much.¡± I turned to Daiyu. ¡°Go with Haano?bo? and Shungbo?. Show them where the flame is being drained from.¡± As she nodded, I turned to Bell. ¡°You¡¯re with me. Arangbo?, Fungbo?, you two stall it while I prepare Prominence Dawn.¡± I then paused. ¡°Nobody get in line with me and the bear, stay out of the direct path. This radiance burns.¡±


    Haano?bo? opened her mouth to ask what I meant, only for her eyes to go wide behind her mask, a shining ring of brilliant light forming behind my back mirrored by her golden orbs, and a dark penumbra was around it. I felt Foehn rising within me, eager. You¡¯ll get to feast soon enough, don¡¯t worry. Compared to that toad clone, this should be fine, but...


    ¡°There is no time for admiration. We must make haste!¡± Daiyu dragged her away, and Fungbo? followed.


    ¡°I am over here!¡± Bell darted away, firing an arrow, distracting the bear, which turned angrily, swatting towards her with its remaining paw, flames scattering. As she dodged, blue hair streaming out behind her, Bell laughed. ¡°It is like fighting Fomorans. They are big and surprisingly fast, but our smaller size can be used against them.¡±


    ¡°Annoying woman...¡± Fungbo? hissed. Covered in metal, flames sparkling around him, he created a massive metal blade and swung, staggering the bear. He struck down again, metal fragmenting, sending shards over a wide area, causing everyone to duck, and he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Fragile, brother.¡± Arangbo? laughed. ¡°Is that how low the Autumn West has fallen?¡± He created a tide of vines, wrapping the bear and squeezing, though as it was wreathed in flames, the vines quickly began to blacken and char, some snapping and turning to dust and dirt.


    ¡°The Spring East seems no better.¡± Fungbo? scoffed bitterly.


    ¡°The vein is here!¡± Daiyu pointed. ¡°But reaching it to sever it is difficult. It is several metres below the surface, and the ground is solid.¡± That close to the flame, her sweat was smoking, a silver mist rising from her.


    ¡°Perhaps...¡± Haano?bo? frowned. ¡°Oh Genbu, Lord Of Winter, Master...¡± she began her chant, and understanding, Shungbo? began his to Suzaku. Elemental energies were swirling, but I had no time to cheer them on, as I was kneading Foehn into the shining halo of Prominence Dawn. Metal shards were falling around me, bouncing off my skin, leaving faint cuts which healed instantly, while the ground churned and boiled. Kana was doing her best to snare the bear, while Haru was sniping it accurately, shattering a bone with every focussed blast of shimmering energy. Even Motoko and Natsumi were helping, their arrows joining Bell¡¯s, mere pinpricks, but enough to enrage the mindless, dead bear.


    ¡°Stay down!¡± As one bony foot sank into the quagmire Kana had caused, Arangbo? used his own vines to throw himself forwards, and his staff shattered from the impact, as did the leg of the bear. It roared, belching flames over him, though he managed to shield himself with a wall of vines, long enough for Kana to pull him underground.


    ¡°Kana, it is your time to show what you are worth!¡± Daiyu called suddenly. ¡°We can perhaps pierce the surface, but with your ability, this battle can surely be resolved to our advantage.¡±


    Understanding, Kana shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t. it¡¯s too far. I¡¯m already at my limit!¡±


    ¡°Limits can be surpassed. If you wish it. Now I could give you all the encouragement I can...¡± the burning Haru said warmly. ¡°... but I suspect someone else can motivate you better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I called out. ¡°You¡¯re Izumi Kana, aren¡¯t you? You said it yourself, selfish, shallow and always cute. But that¡¯s not all.¡± The maelstrom of battle was whirling, and I jumped away from gouts of the Lost Flame, protecting the spirit lights from being contaminated. Metal was pouring down, the ground now a carpet of sharp, broken splinters, and Fungbo? was driving the bear back. Arangbo? roared like a bull and charged, his bare fists crunching brittle bone, before the bear kicked him away, the impact making him growl with pain, clutching his chest.


    ¡°No...¡± I finished, as I had nearly filled the Prominence Dawn. ¡°...you¡¯re also the shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi, holder of the Divine Favour of Ks?itigarbha, and while all that is awesome, what matters most is, you¡¯re my girlfriend, and I want to see you do something damn cool! Win my heart more, make me fall deeper!¡±


    Kana blushed, frozen, before nodding. ¡°You are beating me at my own game. Such a tease. But... I really can¡¯t reach, so...¡± she seized Chen Na by the arm. ¡°...take me closer!¡±


    As Kana was wrapped in a bubble, her footsteps crunching on metal, bone and stone underfoot, she gestured, and the ground churned. It was then that the two chants finished, and suddenly a pair of pillars, water and fire, wound together, just as I had done earlier.


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Kana was straining, as the flaming, parasitical bond of the Lost Flame reached the surface. Water and flame struck it, boiling into a massive steam explosion, the superheated mist buffeting us all, shutting off our vision. Kana squealed, forgetting for a moment she was in a barrier, before looking down, embarrassed.


    In the world of hot white moisture, my Eye was able to see clearly. The combined attack had cut the flow of Spirit Fire, a tail of Lost Flame twitching restlessly, like a snake without a head. The bear had staggered, thrown aside, and I leapt, moving to a safe position. ¡°Everyone stand still, I¡¯m going to strike!¡± I roared, and Prominence Dawn flashed, a beam of light hurtling forward, radiance bearing the power of Foehn bathing the enraged bear. For a moment it held the light back, flames starting to flicker and die, roaring and pushing forwards, steps shaking the ground, but then it stumbled, fire holding it together winking out of existence. Bone began to blacken and char, disintegrating, and soon it exploded, a surge of ether filling me, more than I would have expected, the oppression of the Territory around us collapsing. Further ether was drawn upwards, likely to Taro?bo?¡¯s Territory, but the amount I pulled in was welcome, and I immediately started cycling it to aether.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from...


    Your Skill, Foehn, Inexhaustible Blaze, has...


    As expected, it took a big one to get me some levels... As I relaxed, my Eye dimming, exhaustion hitting me, I heard a clang and a scream, a horrible cry of pain, and I felt my Foehn strike something else. As the steam died out, I could see Shungbo?, or rather what was left of him, as half of his body was gone, Foehn having burned him away. He blinked, unable to speak, throat scorched, and he raised one trembling hand, pointing accusatorily... He wasn¡¯t there! He was over by Haano?bo?, well outside the line of fire...


    His hand pointed to where Haano?bo?, Daiyu and Fungbo? were standing, his finger trembling, before his arm dropped, limp.


    ¡°It was Haano?bo?, I saw her! She attacked her own brother and threw him into the path of that attack. She must have coordinated with that outsider to kill us all! I was nearly done in as well, but I leapt over here in time. But not in time to save Shungbo?!¡± As Fungbo? wailed, Haano?bo? standing there motionless, Daiyu adopting a defensive stance, I frowned. The rusted knife plunges into the flames... rusted... I looked down, seeing the carpet of broken metal on the floor around us, already starting to pit and corrode, and everything was clear to me. Of course. You absolute piece of shit...


    ¡°Oh really? Considering we¡¯ve been apart this whole time, and only met each other again now, how could we plan anything? I think you¡¯re full of shit. Fungbo?, it was you!¡± my words echoed, and it was his turn to freeze. What? You think I¡¯m just going to think Haano?bo? got pissed off with all your bullying and tried to kill you off? I know I didn¡¯t conspire with her. After all, I only taught Shaeraggo a lesson, and he did worse than you to his sister.


    As the injured Arangbo? looked between us both, horrified, blood soaking his chest and wings, Haru called out, her tone urgent. ¡°Akio, everyone, there¡¯s no time! It¡¯s not over!¡± The headless snake of Lost Flame squirmed, darting forwards, and it plunged into the corpse of Shungbo?, bursting into brilliant flame, a second half of fire mirroring the half of flesh. As the corpse rose, my Eye blazed, and I could see that Shungbo?¡¯s dissipating spirit was mostly Lost Flame now, swelling and growing a wing of flame behind it that reached out a dozen metres behind it.


    And I thought we¡¯d won... my eyes met Daiyu¡¯s, who nodded. Yes, all we can do is defeat Shungbo? and secure that kin slayer Fungbo?. Then it¡¯ll be up to Taro?bo? to sort his damn kids out... although... I looked at Haano?bo?, who was still frozen, eyes wide in horror at the state of her fallen brother. Damnit, I made this my business by meddling. I have to see it through, no matter what!

 Four Hundred And Eighteen

    Four Hundred And Eighteen


    ¡°Nonsense! Your lies are a pathetic excuse to divide us, murderer!¡± Fungbo? sneered, before turning to his brother, urgency in his eyes. ¡°Arangbo?, do not be fooled! Our errant sister has plotted this with the outsider. Perhaps her defeat to him was a more farce, a play all along. We need to quickly defeat them, so we can lay poor Shungbo?, the Summer South, to rest and cleanse the flame. Great Taro?bo? only has us now!¡±


    Fortunately, the burning corpse of Shungbo? was not moving to attack us yet, the body shaking and shuddering, as though Shungbo? was still fighting for control, but it was only a matter of time before the stalemate collapsed. Seeing the situation, Kana and Chen Na were edging backwards slowly, while Daiyu was padding towards my side stealthily. ¡°Your lies won¡¯t work here.¡± I said coldly, and Fungbo? frowned, his body wreathed in metal, faint tongues of flame flickering on the surface, giving him a ghoulish look.


    ¡°Lies? The only lies were yours, claiming you were here to help! You plan to usurp mount Atago, I know!¡± his words were venomous. ¡°Planning to dispose of us, so only Haano?bo? is left, you can take her, and usurp our father! He is too strong for you, so you will force him to lower his guard in grief, and the two of you will slay him!¡±


    ¡°Take me? Are you insane, brother? I had never met him until today...¡± Haano?bo? finally awakened from her shocked stupor. ¡°You were the one who...¡±


    ¡°You showed him your face, your shame, sister!¡± Fungbo? spat. ¡°You cannot fool me!¡±


    ¡°I said you are all misunderstanding that. Arangbo?, Spring East, you must know that it was Fungbo?, not...¡±


    ¡°Do not believe their lies brother! Our only chance is to work together!¡± Fungbo? urged, and the wounded Arangbo? frowned, looking between us. I glanced at Daiyu, and I understood her thoughts from just that.


    ¡°I assure you, Arangbo?, I did nothing except defeat the bear. I urged everyone to stay clear, and I don¡¯t believe it was Haano?bo? who betrayed us. That is beside the point...¡± I turned to Fungbo?, my expression cold. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I hate more than those who betray their family, friends and loves. So I¡¯ll make you pay. But... more to the point...¡± I laughed derisively, mocking him. ¡°Just how do you think you can defeat us all? You can¡¯t even beat me, so your plan makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Listen to him threaten me, brother!¡± Fungbo? urged. ¡°You simply must aid me, else I will be slain, like poor, betrayed Shungbo?!¡± He glanced at the struggling, flaming Tengu, and I didn¡¯t fail to spot the icy contempt in his gaze. ¡°Then you will be next, I know it.¡± His expression turned sly, whole demeanour shifting, and I realised there was something wrong with him. ¡°As for your strength, I admit it, outsider. You are strong, stronger than me. But I am not a fool. You expended much of your might destroying the skeletal bear. I doubt very much you have much flame left or can use those shining rings. Your strength is at its lowest. Me, however...¡± he gloated. ¡°I have prepared, hoarding my power, making the battlefield my own!¡±


    ¡°You hear that?¡± I said to Arangbo?. ¡°Are those calculating words the talk of someone innocent? While we were going all out, he was biding his time, preparing treachery...¡±


    ¡°Not treachery, but a contingency!¡± Fungbo? laughed, and Haru spoke.


    ¡°I think it is the flames. They have warped him. Perhaps the ugliness in his heart attracted them, but... he is far gone.¡±


    ¡°Your words are meaningless. Now, see the price for intruding on our affairs, you pestilent outsider!¡± Fungbo? roared, metal energies surging, gold, red and yellow combining, though flecks of the Lost Flame were mixed in. ¡°I have seen it, you may be strong, I admit it, but them...¡± he glanced over at Motoko, Natsumi and the others at the back of the cave. ¡°They are no match for my strength! Watch in bitter regret as they perish! Byakko¡¯s Million Claws!¡± His strength surged, and the shards of metal lying over the floor, which originally appeared carelessly scattered, but now seemed purposeful, took flight, a blizzard of sharp dagger-like fragments whizzing towards the girls.


    ¡°Fungbo?, no!¡± Arangbo? roared, eyes narrowing, having spotted liquid metal dripping from the tortured body of Shungbo?, confirming his suspicions. His vines broke the ground, but they were too late, projectiles raining down. But I¡¯m calm. Foresight and Yasaka-san told me that something was going to happen here, and even if it wasn¡¯t, I¡¯ve learned from Kyoto. Always be prepared, protect those who aren¡¯t as strong as me, grow them until like Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth, they can stand on their own...


    The blizzard struck something with a series of loud thumps, metal ringing, and soon the shards were raining down once again, spent. ¡°Grieve as your women are slaughtered, just as Shungbo? fell...¡± he crowed, only to stop as they were unharmed, Chen Na¡¯s barrier easily holding them off. Kana even cheekily stuck her tongue out at him, though her face was pale and slicked with sweat, her eyes betraying her tension.


    ¡°Not very observant, are you? We¡¯ve been using the barriers all fight. Though you were too busy plotting.¡± I called to the others. ¡°Arangbo?, Haano?bo?, put aside your grief and capture him. Your father will want to pass judgement, I¡¯m sure. As for me... no, us.¡± Bell and Daiyu nodded beside me. ¡°We¡¯ll stop Shungbo?. He¡¯s still one of the Four Directions, he¡¯s fighting, even now he¡¯s dead.¡± As the body shuddered, flaming wing sweeping backwards, flames striking the walls of the cavern, I sighed, bitter at how this had turned out. ¡°As for my strength, Fungbo? is right, I used a lot, to make sure we won, but... I still have more in the tank. I always do.¡±


    ¡°Come quietly, brother. I have no wish to hurt you, even now...¡± Haano?bo? muttered, white wings drooping sadly.


    ¡°Hurt me? You little wretch, you who brought this outsider to us, you dare?¡± he roared, eyes glittering with madness. ¡°You can die too, along with he who has seen your face!¡± A massive metal blade appeared in his hand, and though most of the Lost Flame had infiltrated Shungbo?, much of the remainder leapt, wreathing his sword with fire.


    ¡°I think not.¡± Despite his injuries, Arangbo? moved, blocking the swing, blade biting into the splintered wood of his hastily repaired staff. With a grunt, Arangbo?¡¯s greater strength told, and Fungbo? was flung backwards. ¡°Haano?bo?, aid me! We must subdue this fool. Why... why Shungbo?? Your hatred is for Haano?bo?.¡± He asked, mournfully, and Haano?bo? shifted uneasily. I had no time to join in, as Shungbo? let out a hoarse, load scream, before flame energy surged around him like a vortex, and he started to move.


    ¡°All right, we¡¯re up.¡± I said to my companions, and even as I spoke light flashed and a beam from Haru threw the flaming Tengu backwards, though the damage was slight. As the blazing Shungbo? sped forwards, faster than before, I called on earth element, and the ground erupted, spikes piercing him, trying to hold him in place.


    ¡°Why? You muscle-brained fool.¡± Fungbo? cried, incensed. ¡°I wanted to kill her, yes. Only then would my shame be assuaged. She brought this all on with her failures! But if I slew her, you would never believe that he was responsible.¡± He nodded at me, long-nosed mask dipping. ¡°For some reason the outsider seems taken with our sister. Disgraceful. But if it was Shungbo?, who was the coldest towards her, and is the most arrogant among us...¡±


    ¡°But I was not fooled. Perhaps for a moment...¡± Arangbo? conceded, staff swinging, vines forming a protective dome around him as swarms of metal fragments flew in like knives. ¡°...but your plan was bound to fail...¡±


    ¡°All it means is that you have to die too, my brother. When I am the last Direction, father will have to look to me as his favourite! Then we can find three new Tengu to take up your positions, and they will treat me with the respect I deserve!¡±


    ¡°You have gone truly insane, brother...¡± Haano?bo? said sadly, her tide of water and ice slamming into him, pushing him away, dimming the flames.


    ¡°Yes, he has.¡± Haru left the barrier, light beams striking Shungbo?, the flaming beast rearing back, struggling on the spikes I had pierced him with, even as Daiyu and I barraged him with bullets of Spirit Water, while Bell did what she could with her arrows. Seeing them having no effect, she turned her attention to Fungbo?, only for the few other Tengu here to cry out. They had been paralysed, confused by the discord of their leaders, but now a storm of metal was raining down over the whole area, and many of them fell, wounded gravely. Chen Na¡¯s barrier flickered, protecting them, and Bell ran, offering parting words that she¡¯d be better off trying to protect them.


    ¡°The flame, it is one that no longer empties, but fills. It has become the opposite of what it once was.¡± She said mournfully, still burning with the fires herself, though it seemed to cause her little pain. Even as she closed in, the spirit lights around me started acting erratically, and her light then soothed them. ¡°Perhaps he was full already, and like a cup that too much is poured into, his malice and envy and other darkness has overspilled, making this mess?¡±


    ¡°Silence, you burned abomination! If the flame is corrupt, then so are you! The dead should not trouble the living! Ugh...¡± he staggered, simultaneously stuck by a bolt of light from Haru, his armour starting to melt around the shoulder, and a volley of wind blades from me, metal powder and fragments scattering as his metal shattered, blood blooming from torn flesh beneath.


    ¡°That¡¯s prejudice...¡± Haru said at the same time I threw out my own anger.Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only


    ¡°What do you know, moron? Haru¡¯s far more noble than you, you killed your own brother, and worse, planned to kill your sister too. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters, even if it kills them!¡±


    ¡°Can he not be saved?¡± Arangbo? asked. I glanced at his injuries, wondering if he needed healing, but he waved me off. ¡°Such wounds are nothing, compared to this...¡± he pointed to the flaming head sticking out of the stone. A heat haze was radiating, and it was possible he would be able to break free in time.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Haru shook her head sadly. ¡°The flame is merely prolonging the remnants of his spirit, filling the gaps with accumulated rage and pain. But it also burns away what little was left of him. No, all that is left is resentment and regret. Best to let it pass on. Trust me, I know. Even a Throne... it would not be Shungbo? anymore, even if we had one to spare.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then... I shall end his pain.¡± Arangbo? said solemnly, clenching one fist, only for Haru to gently reach out and grab his wrist, a great act of bravery for her, shown by her trembling fingers.


    ¡°No, allow me. My light, the light I inherited from his father, it will send him on.¡± She gathered her energy, and allowed it to surge, the light pouring from her, and Shungbo? screeched, head thrashing and wailing, though it soon quietened, eyes going glassy and dull, flames dimming, until it simply vanished, a faint ash swept up in the rising heat. Arangbo? groaned, pained, while Haano?bo? covered her masked face. Haru slumped, and I caught her, before regretting it, but she merely smiled weakly.


    ¡°Thank you, Akio-kun. I am... rather weak now. That used almost all my remaining light energy. But I have kept just a little...¡± she looked at Fungbo?, whose eyes were filled with hatred, mouth opening soundlessly in the ice binding him, his skin taking on a blue-tinged, frostbitten pallor.


    ¡°When we let him out, he¡¯ll likely rampage. We could subdue him, but...¡± I looked at Chen Na. ¡°...can you bubble him, trapping him inside? We can then transport him safely enough.¡±


    ¡°Since I have no more need for barriers, I think I can.¡± She agreed. ¡°I have a little strength left.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I said, noticing that Daiyu was looking down at some odd, burned fragments that had seemingly been expelled from the ground when Kana had used her Favour. What is that?


    ¡°It seems to be some sort of rope. Though it is massive and largely burned away.¡± Daiyu mused, holding the blackened tufts.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shimenawa rope.¡± Kana said, immediately recognising it. ¡°You¡¯ve all seen them before at shrines, mine included. But what is it doing here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but... there¡¯s more to the story than we know. But for now... that¡¯s not our priority. Haru...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. One last effort and I can finally rest. Or perhaps...¡± she freed herself from my grip. ¡°Fungbo?, you foolish, selfish man... I hope you still have room in your heart for regret...¡± Her light flashed a final time, and the tongues of flame still flickering under the ice, as well as those scattered around the charred ground, all vanished, melted like fog.


    With a grunt, Arangbo? kicked out, none too gently, and Fungbo?¡¯s head rocked back, ice shattering. Blood trickled from his mouth as his mask cracked, and he glared at his brother, before his gaze softened. ¡°Brother, please! I am sorry, I did not mean to... it was the flame, yes, the flame! I cannot be blamed! We all know the corruption it brings...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Arangbo? growled, and the trapped Tengu flinched, realising he was in a dangerous situation. ¡°You killed the Summer South, our brother, shattered the Four Directions, and for what? Some petty jealousy? A dim-witted ambition? And you say I am foolish. We lost. And without their aid, while we may likely have defeated that creature...¡± He glanced at the pile of mostly dispersed ashes that was the corpse of Atago-un-kamuy. ¡°...I can hardly claim we would have done it without casualties. But with aid, we were victorious, and you threw that away. And I have not forgotten, you wished to kill me too...¡± he rumbled dangerously, and as shards of the broken Tengu mask fell away, revealing pale human-like features Fungbo? was too terrified to try and hide, not that he could, bound in ice as he was, he tried to make excuses.


    ¡°No, it was the flames, not me, I was misled, bewitched! Even then, I strove to have you on my side, I...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Haano?bo? sighed, the set of her wings and shoulders expressing her disgust. ¡°There is no point wasting your time talking to him. We have only two choices, take him back to Great Taro?bo?, our father, for just judgement, or kill him here...¡±


    ¡°Haano?bo?, you bitch...¡± he cursed, before he remembered himself. ¡°I apologise, you just caught me off-guard. You would not kill me, would you sister? We have had our differences, but...¡±


    I shook my head as they argued. He¡¯s pathetic. Trying to weasel his way out, despite his deeds. The girls thought the same, looking at him if he was lower than a cockroach, and Haano?bo? wasn¡¯t fooled.


    ¡°Differences? You wished me dead and was prepared to kill our own brother to achieve that. The flame may have corrupted you...¡± Hearing her words, Fungbo? clung to hope, before she crushed it, ruthlessly. ¡°... but only because your heart was already dark. None of us succumbed, not even her, who is a spirit and far more vulnerable, even though she burns with it.¡± She nodded at Haru respectfully, dipping her wings. ¡°You disappoint me. I only have one brother now.¡±


    ¡°Two...¡± Arangbo? laughed, and she shot him an annoyed glare.


    ¡°Enough. My heart aches, this day has been too much. Father should deal with you, as both your father, and Great Taro?bo?, ruler of us Tengu and mount Atago.¡± She asked Chen Na for her aid, and as her ice exploded, freeing the shivering, wounded Tengu within, Chen Na used her remaining strength to trap him in a force bubble. I know how hard that is to escape from. I doubt Fungbo? has any clever scheme...


    Ignoring his cries, Haano?bo? turned to me, clearly hurting from this bitter experience. ¡°The flame. We have not cleansed it. Not entirely. Even now the damned spirts are starting to reform.¡± She pointed to the hearth where the flame burned, seeing sparks forming in the air.


    ¡°A good point. If we retreat, we might not have to face the bear again, but...¡± I stopped as Haru grabbed my shoulder. I raised an eyebrow, and she smiled, though her presence was upsetting the spirit lights.


    ¡°I shall go. Into the Flame itself.¡± She declared, and I froze, shocked for a moment, only for her to laugh, amused.


    ¡°Why fear? Didn¡¯t you say that this flame will purify and enhance me? The Lost Flame then?¡± she shook her head, dismissing it. ¡°Such I can bear. But within the fires, perhaps I can cut off the root. Most of it is gone, destroyed in our battles, but it will grow again. Fire spreads, after all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kana asked, worried. ¡°I¡¯d hate for anything bad... uh, more bad to happen to you, Haru-chan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Her eyes betrayed no fear. ¡°Besides, we came here to grow stronger. I have, certainly, but... I can¡¯t pass up this chance.¡±


    Fungbo? was raging at the blasphemy, and Haano?bo? looked troubled, but Arangbo? surprised us by giving his blessing. ¡°We have come this far, if you believe you can cleanse the sacred flame, do so. I will take responsibility. That shame can hardly weigh with the loss of our brother, slain by another brother.¡±


    ¡°If you have decided, I won¡¯t stop you. But I¡¯ll be right here, and if it looks bad, I¡¯ll jump in and pull you out, all right?¡± I said, and she giggled.


    ¡°You worry as always, Akio-kun. But you shouldn¡¯t.¡± She eyed the spirit lights meaningfully. ¡°Not until it is clean.¡± With that she strode forwards, and I purged the forming damned spirits with light as Haru needed her last strength. She paused in front of the roaring fire, looking down at the deep hearth pensively, before her legs faded to mist, and she floated out into the blaze, her figure only vaguely visible, flames roaring higher suddenly, giving off a powerful radiance...

 Four Hundred And Nineteen *Contains Status – Haru 2*

    Four Hundred And Nineteen *Contains Status ¨C Haru 2*


    As Haru stepped into the flames, Kana was looking rather worried beside me. My Eye couldn¡¯t see too much due to the glare, though the amber letters scrolling across my vision matched the physical phenomena I was seeing, the source of the flame bobbing uneasily, while the dark flecks of Lost Flame were moving towards the shadow of Haru I could just make out within.


    ¡°Will Haru-chan be all right?¡± Kana asked.


    ¡°I hope so. But we just have to trust her. Haru is a smart woman, unlike me, she had a proper job before all this started.¡± I said self-deprecatingly, trying to lighten the tense mood. ¡°She was a career woman, and people like Haru don¡¯t risk everything on a gamble they aren¡¯t sure of. Especially not after...¡± I trailed off, glancing at Motoko and Natsumi. I know they know Haru was murdered, but not all the gruesome details, unlike Hinata, who is more worldly-wise, and also could have been a potential victim, if circumstances were different. And I don¡¯t want to pollute their ears with tales of such inhuman cruelty. Let them enjoy their innocence as long as they can.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Kana said softly. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Haru-chan¡¯s got it in hand, I¡¯m sure.¡± she said, more to convince herself of it than believing it.


    ¡°The battle seems to be over then.¡± Motoko said, and Arangbo? snorted, his voice still coloured by pain and anger.


    ¡°You wish to fight more, hearty eater?¡±


    Motoko realised her attitude was a little inappropriate, and she bowed politely in apology. ¡°I have been thoughtless. When there have been deaths, the battlefield is a solemn place, and I forgot that.¡±


    On seeing her downcast look, Arangbo? shrugged. ¡°Forgive me, my mood is grim. After a victory, there should be joy. No, we will raise sake and meat for our fallen brother.¡± He glared at the imprisoned Fungbo?, who was beating on the inside of the barrier bubble uselessly. ¡°And Great Taro?bo? will pass judgement.¡± He then turned back to Motoko. ¡°Do not seek the battlefield. Peace is more rewarding than war. But keep your weapons sharp, for when war comes, peace can be lost forever if you are weak and unprepared.¡±


    Motoko nodded, her brown eyes showing her understanding. ¡°I thank you for the lesson. I shall take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°She is a polite one.¡± Arangbo? said to me. ¡°Though spirited. I fear my dear sister will have a difficult time ahead.¡±


    ¡°I am sure I do not know what you mean.¡± Haano?bo? pouted. ¡°We should be focusing on what matters, cleansing the flame. We have come too far and lost too much to fail now.¡± She eyed the roaring pillar of fire Haru had entered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed, relaxing, the after-battle banter lowering my tension. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave the job half-done. But Haru¡¯s confident she can handle this, so we should believe in her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lines like that which get you into trouble, Akio.¡± Kana giggled, her own worry fading a little. ¡°Is it me, or does it seem like there¡¯s fewer dark spots in the fire?¡±


    I looked closely, and it did seem the flame was brighter, if a little smaller. While I was watching the flame, Natsumi and Daiyu were searching around the cavern, and had found a number more fragments of burned shimenawa rope, enough to identify that the original rope would have been huge, easily as thick as a metre across or more.


    ¡°I think it was here...¡± Bell pointed out, her elvish eyes keen. ¡°The ground has been ruined by our battles, but... these indentations do not seem natural.¡±


    The Tengu didn¡¯t seem to be interested, but there were a number of things I had experienced since arriving at mount Atago that didn¡¯t quite add up, or if it did, it painted an unusual picture. The Sacred Flame. The kami giving mount Atago into the care of Taro?bo?, and his distaste and isolation from Kyoto. The Staff Of Muted Desires, the Ainu architecture, the shimenawa rope burned away... Atago-un-kamuy. There¡¯s definitely a secret here. Perhaps Prince Sho?toku knows. And if not... looks like Yasaka-san is having another workout... There were some long indentations in the ground, holes deep enough to fit a sword, and the bottom of these round holes were full of puddles of melted metal. They were spaced regularly as far as we could tell, though some holes had certainly been destroyed by the conflict here.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ring around the hearth. With some sort of pins, I¡¯d guess. You certainly do pay attention.¡± I praised Bell, who straightened, preening.


    ¡°To be a Way-Warden, you need observation and hunting skills. The Unseelie are more of a direct threat, but those wily and treacherous Wild Hunt bastards are tricky. If you do not pay attention to the details and have keen eyes and ears, you might find their jaws at your throat, or worse, see one of your comrades die.¡±


    After a little more talking, the changes in the flame were becoming more pronounced. It was smaller, brighter and the number of spots of Lost Flame had diminished significantly. The shadow of Haru within the flames still looked intact, and my Foresight wasn¡¯t giving off any particular warnings, the needles of discomfort having died down after Fungbo? was defeated, but that didn¡¯t mean there wouldn¡¯t be a problem or Haru would be safe. I¡¯ve never going to rely on Foresight. It¡¯s another tool in the box, and when it triggers we have to pay attention and take precautions, but it¡¯s the very definition of unreliable.


    My Eye glowed, and as the last fragments of Lost Flame vanished, seemingly drawn into Haru, the flame shuddered once more, and the three columns of fire that soared into the spatial rifts above were clean and shining a brilliant golden yellow.


    Sacred Flame Of Mount Atago ¨C The source of the flame which burns brilliantly, freeing ghosts and other tormented spirits of their impurities, negative Karma and griefs. Ghosts, wraiths and other spiritual beings who are not warped and twisted by evil will be strengthened and purified, their natures enhanced, tempered, and by absorbing the now pristine flame, their existence will be distilled and reforged, and damage to the spirit can be repaired, lost energy replenished. This flame contains a powerful, ancient Adherence, though it has been shackled by another Adherence, bound to burn here eternally while the Adherence remains.


    I see. More information this time. Adherence shackled by another. Isn¡¯t this rather similar to the Tower of London, just on a far smaller scale? It¡¯s too soon to be certain, but I think I¡¯m starting to put these puzzle pieces together... Moments later, Haru floated out of the flames, and she looked a little different, her hair and eyes now tinged with a faint golden glow, like her brown hair had pretty blonde highlights. On seeing she was safe, everyone called out in relief, and she smiled, the flames that were clinging to her gone.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Were you worried? How sweet.¡± She smiled warmly, her misty, formless lower body transforming into legs again as she stepped out of the hearth and onto the shattered ground. Seeing Kana was greatly relieved, her smile intensified. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, I¡¯m perfectly fine. In fact, I feel better than ever. It¡¯s almost like I¡¯m filled with life. Which is odd, considering.¡± She winked. ¡°Akio-kun, I know you are just dying to take a look at how I¡¯ve grown stronger, so feel free. But be careful how you¡¯re peeking. A lady always has some secrets, and I¡¯d hate to have to tell your lovely girlfriends here you were being a pervert.¡±


    ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± I said softly. ¡°Not to you, Haru.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve done it to others. Oh yes... Matsumuro-san.¡± She eyed the spirit light, which now the Lost Flame was all gone, was back to bobbing around me in a gentle orbit, though it was larger and more luminous than previously. ¡°Best be careful, Haano?bo?.¡± Haru joked. ¡°He has a roving eye. I would say you should be safe, as he took you for a sister, but then with Akio-kun, you just never know...¡±


    Haano?bo? snorted sourly, ignoring her to inspect the flame, along with Arangbo?, seeming relieved it was pure once more.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve taken out everything within the flames I can reach.¡± Haru reassured them. ¡°There are probably some dregs remaining in the flame above, and scattered about the dungeon, but without the source of Lost Flame, they should wither up and die soon enough.¡± She paused, glimmering eyes going distant for a moment. ¡°The Lost Flame was dangerous, definitely. But there was a sadness within it. It existed to purify, to take in hatred, suffering, wrath... but just like paper is stained by the ink that writes on it, so too this flame changed. How it got here... I couldn¡¯t tell. But it¡¯s not from this world, or at least it didn¡¯t originate here. I think... like draws like, the two flames are similar.¡±


    Daiyu nodded at that when I translated the harder expressions. ¡°Like draws like. Yes, that is a principle of Cultivation. It does not seem so far-fetched. Not with all we have seen these last weeks.¡±


    Suzuki HaruChosen Of She Who Shows Compassion And Mercy, KannonOnryo[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might69 449+15Fortune2 +0Fortitude59 439 +15Majesty1 +0Intellect120 511 +15Charm3 7 +0Resilience19 424 +15League10 +0Alacrity180 563 +15Determination10 +0Precision120 401 +15Foresight1 +0Aether603 2003 +15Fate7 +0[Material Skills]RankClassType[Aetheric Skills] Silver CordRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Chakra NetworkRank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Aether ManipulationRank 1 Rank 3Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)Light ManipulationRank 5 Rank 7Noble (5)Foundation (4)Third Eye Chakra Of LightRank 5 Rank 6Noble (5)Foundation (4)Darkness ManipulationRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Flame ManipulationRank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Solar Plexus Chakra Of Purifying Spirit FlameRank 3Noble (5)Foundation (4)TelepathyRank 2 Rank 6Noble (5)Rule (5)Split ThoughtsRank 2Noble (5)Foundation (4)Enhanced Spiritual FormRank 1Noble (5)Principle (7)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Blessing Of Sharing LightRank 5 Rank 6Noble (5)Rule (5)Mind Healing Light Light Of Muted EmotionsRank 3 Rank 6Imperious (6)Principle (7)[Level] 0 38[Class][Mastered Class]Empath 10/10Territory Rank3 - Vassal Territory To Oshiro Moonstone Akio Rank 3


    ¡°Yeah, we get it.¡± I smiled soothingly at her joke. ¡°Moving on, we have...¡±


    Spirit Guider is a class that allows a spiritual being to guide and succour other such beings. Spirit and mind-affecting abilities are strengthened when applied to spiritual beings, with the effect especially pronounced when using blessings, cleansing and other beneficial powers. Charm increases and Majesty increase slightly, and the affects of Charm and Majesty on spiritual beings and their ilk is magnified.


    ¡°I did wonder why you seemed a little prettier, Haru.¡± Bell laughed. ¡°I think cleansing the Flame like you did has had an effect.¡±


    ¡°Yes, looks like Haru-chan got all the rewards this time. Don¡¯t feel bad though Akio, I¡¯m sure you can make do with the alliance.¡± Kana teased me, and I smiled wryly.


    ¡°Yeah, Haru was the MVP here, no question. But I wouldn¡¯t say I gained nothing. My level increased to one hundred and thirty-seven. And my Foehn, while it didn¡¯t rank up, now apparently after feasting on the Lost Flame, it¡¯s better able to affect intangible and incorporeal targets, and it should be easier to break the wall to Rank nine in the future.¡± Yeah, it was hardly a great change in my combat abilities, but levels are always good, especially since my gain lately has slowed, and breaking the bottlenecks to Rank six and nine is always an effort, so anything that helps my main abilities like Foehn do that is well worth it. Though as it isn¡¯t even at Rank 8 yet that might be premature...


    ¡°I suddenly feel less special.¡± Haru sighed, though I could tell she was teasing me. ¡°Nearly a hundred levels ahead of me. And I¡¯ve been working so hard too. It¡¯s just you work me to the bone day and night, never getting any rest...¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something my sister would say to deliberately rile me up.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Which sister? Haano?bo??¡± Haru continued in good humour, and I shook my head.


    ¡°All right, enough teasing. The rest of you, at least you all gained a few levels. And nobody died or was injured, except for Shungbo?. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive of me.¡± I apologised to the Tengu, but Arangbo? shook his head.


    ¡°The losses were not caused by our enemies. I can hardly fault you for celebrating a safe return from battle, even if not all of the Directions will return together.¡± He hammered his fist on the bubble holding Fungbo?, his eyes blazing. ¡°Great Taro?bo? will deal with his foolish son. Foolish sons and daughter. For we allowed this to happen by our carelessness. We should return and put this ordeal behind us. My hand craves a gourd of sweet sake and some fatty, juicy boar, the meat crisp and tender, brown and fragrant...¡±


    ¡°Not so fast.¡± Haru said, surprising us once again.


    ¡°Is there a problem, Haru-chan?¡± Kana asked, and Haru denied it.


    ¡°A problem? No. But an opportunity, yes.¡± She looked at me, then up at the spirit lights. ¡°See how they grow? The Sacred Flame can fuel a spirit, if properly applied. And I believe I can do it. Now the contamination of the sad Lost Flame is burning away, there should be little danger. Don¡¯t you want to hasten the return of Matsumuro-san, even see her again? Just... take the advice of a woman your own age, Akio-kun. When you do, don¡¯t apologise. That¡¯ll only hurt her. Trust me, I know.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll... try.¡± I said lamely, and she sighed.


    ¡°Yes, it does go against your nature not to. I¡¯ve given my advice, it¡¯s up to you whether you take it. But...¡± she glanced at the Spirit Flame roaring in the hearth. ¡°I think it¡¯s worth a try. With my Spirit Guider, I can reduce the risk significantly.¡± She looked at the two Tengu. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t refuse us this little boon, would you? The flame will grow again in time, taking a little now won¡¯t hurt it over the long term.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, brother? You are the Spring East, and the strongest of us...¡± Haano?bo? said. ¡°...as for me, I can turn a blind eye to it.¡±


    ¡°Seiryu? knows gratitude and replays evil to evil, and aid for aid.¡± He rumbled. ¡°But do not be greedy. We fought here too, and this is our home, our flame.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration. It¡¯s only one... no, two I guess.¡± She amended, and that troubled me.


    ¡°The Sacred Flame won¡¯t work on the evil. Kinneka... he wasn¡¯t exactly friendly.¡± I said, and she nodded.


    ¡°Like that silver cat who poor Hyacinth is taking charge of. But Bakaneko don¡¯t seem to be evil, just selfish, cruel and whimsical. Hardly good or nice, but... evil is something worse. But if the flames burn his evil deeds and cause him agony, then doesn¡¯t he deserve it? Rebirth always comes with pain. I know.¡± She whispered, and Kana-chan took her hand reassuringly, getting a wan smile in return.


    I have to admit I don¡¯t want his spirit light bobbing around there now it¡¯s grown stronger. If I find out he¡¯s peeking at the girls, I¡¯ll put out his damn eyes and he can be a mie no mienai neko instead. With that tasteless pun in mind, I stepped closer to the hearth, the flames giving off tremendous heat. Mind made up, I swallowed, nervous. Tsukiko-san, if it hastens your return, or better yet... ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Just let me guide them. You shouldn¡¯t have to do anything...¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°... I think? I¡¯m hardly an expert, despite apparently being a ghost whisperer.¡± She laughed a touch nervously. ¡°But the spirit lights drew in the flame before, so I¡¯m certain it will nourish and repair them. Here we go...¡± A golden-yellow flame blazed around her, forming a conduit between Haru, the Sacred Flame and the two lights. As the burning tendrils closed in, the lights darted closer, and the flame began to flow, the radiance growing them, the brightness, size and density of the spirit lights increasing at an accelerating rate. I watched, my Eye shining amber, marvelling at the spectacle, only to hiss in pain as searing fire cascaded down through Kin Bonding, disarraying the elements in my body.


    ¡°Damn it, that hurts...¡± An involuntary cry escaped my lips, and at that Haru, her expression intense as she concentrated, fire flowing through her and out into the spirit lights, spared me a withering glance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Akio-kun. I¡¯m sure it hurts the cat there more...¡± Indeed, Tsukiko-san¡¯s light was steady, which made sense as she had dedicated her life to others and had barely indulged in any of the joys that life had to offer, while Kinneka was a selfish, hedonistic and cruel Yo?kai. His spirit light was dancing madly, throwing off a number of blue and black sparks which flared into yellow ashes before dissipating, and I imagined I could hear mental yelping. No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s actually an illusion...


    ¡°Careful, it seems that I¡¯m losing more of the Scared Flame than I should. Tighten up, Akio-kun!¡± she cried, and I used Aether Manipulation to try and clamp the Kin Bonding conduits, not allowing the flame to flow. It wasn¡¯t enough, as it spilled through, and I could feel Shaeula crying out as well, surprised. Not enough. I have a little spare, not much, but... I added Adherence to the mix, encircling the flame, almost like it was a shimenawa rope in my mental image, and soon the flow settled, pooling back into the spirit lights, which were massive and full, and growing with each moment, as the Sacred Flame dimmed a little. A second wave of pain struck me, the residue of the Sacred Flame within me, and it then scattered, greedily soaking into the bonds between me and the others, and my Eye pulsed in time with it, amber letters flashing.


    Your Skill, Kin Bonding And Restoration, has absorbed the essence of a spiritual flame dealing with strengthening, purification and rebirth. Curses, poisons, misfortune and other negative influences slowing the return of Bonded Kin you have taken as spirit lights will be gradually burned away, and the nourishment of said spirit lights will be increased, allowing a faster rebirth, and the chance of a spirit light being too damaged to take into Kin Bonding by such attacks will also be reduced, as the flame now absorbed and propagating within will repair the spirit over time. Your resistance to all such effects also increases.


    With that the pains stabilised, the Bonds settling, and with a backlash of energy from me, the spirit lights swelled, bursting into a brilliant glow, and they separated from me, drifting overhead, before descending in a bright flash of light, resolving under the amazed eyes of everyone, especially the Tengu, who knew nothing of Kin Restoration, into a pair of stunned figures, one a naked male cat with golden fur covering his dangerous areas, and the other...


    An inhumanly beautiful woman, her long dark hair wrapped around her like a veil, her ruby red eyes blinking softly, looked around with shocked surprise. ¡°Where... where am I?¡± She caught sight of me, her eyes widening, as she recognised me, and her lips parted again to speak...

 Four Hundred And Twenty

    Four Hundred And Twenty


    ¡°Where... am I?¡± she said slowly. As she shifted her hair parted, revealing she was wearing simple, plain and unadorned shrine maiden hakama, the red and white contrasting with the black of her hair, and matching her red eyes and pale white skin. That¡¯s lucky. It wasn¡¯t just our Neko who was going to get blinded if she was naked too... ¡°I remember... dying. My duty done, and... sleeping, dreamlessly in a dark, warm place. No, not dreamlessly...¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    It seemed that being reborn was a shocking process, as both Kinneka and Tsukiko-san seemed stunned and lethargic, but as her eyes regained their focus and her voice its strength, she continued. ¡°...I do remember some dreams. Seeing what I think you saw. And a Yo?kai, a cat...¡± she glanced at the still frozen Kinneka, his tail lashing instinctively, his eyes still spinning. ¡°She spoke to me, I think. It is all so hard to remember, fragments that fade as the dawn sun breaks. But...¡± her pale skin reddened. ¡°...I do remember enough.¡±


    The downside of Kin Restoration in full force. I¡¯m sorry Tsukiko-san, I didn¡¯t know! Apologising in my mind, I glossed over that. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. What does is, welcome back Tsukiko-san.¡± I said warmly, and for a moment she again looked puzzled, before she smiled, like a flower in bloom, an expression that looked at odds with her usually serious, taciturn face.


    ¡°So, the Definite can be halted. I see I was right to hope, but wrong to accept it. But...¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°Where are we? I see Tengu. This must be the spiritual realm of the kami.¡±


    The Tengu were equally as stunned, seeing two beings effectively being born from me in a surge of aether and the Sacred Flame, and as they flapped their wings, expressing shock, I spoke gently and calmly, not wanting to unduly stress Tsukiko-san after her rebirth.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually not far from home. This is mount Atago.¡±


    ¡°Atago? I see, the sacred mountain on the borders of Kyoto. Then I wonder...¡± her words were cut off by Kinneka finally regaining his senses, and he surged into a combat stance, claws out, tail waving rapidly, hissing, his golden mane bristling.


    ¡°You bastards, I¡¯ll never forgive you for killing my sister, and... me?¡± His thoughts and memories started to catch up with his current situation. Even so, he moved on instinct, leaping to attack the closest person to him, which happened to be Natsumi. She tensed, grabbing for her sword, but before there was any trouble, I was there, seizing him by the scruff of the neck and slamming him down into the shattered ground. He yelped, shifting his form to try and escape my grasp, shrinking in an instant, but my arm shot out, grabbing his head in a vice-like grip, fingers squirming into his skull, applying pressure, and he yowled in pain.


    ¡°I know your tricks, you can¡¯t shrink your head away, or change it too much. So calm down, I¡¯d hate you to die again so soon after your practically miraculous rebirth.¡± I said, a touch maliciously. I don¡¯t have any good feelings towards these two cats at all. But Ginneka has a vital use, so if we can leash her, I¡¯ll let her make it up to us through service... ¡°I¡¯m not the man I was when we fought before. You¡¯re not my match. Even Nurarihyon acknowledges me. I remember you were going to throw my skull at his feet.¡±


    ¡°I... remember?¡± he shuddered, looking rather small and helpless, being the size of a young boy as he tried to escape my painful control. ¡°Then that bitch... no, that hurts, stop squeezing...¡± he cried, and Kana laughed meanly at the comical sight.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t call Shaeula a bitch. I won¡¯t stand for it.¡± I warned. ¡°Besides...¡± My grin was triumphant, as I explained his current situation. ¡°... since she¡¯s a Number of the Hyakki Yagyo?, you should show her more respect.¡±


    That surprised him. For a moment he froze, before realising he could tell he was no longer Ninetieth. ¡°So, her Kamaitachi blood tells. Ninetieth. Her mother must be so proud... ouch, stop it!¡± the cat cried, as I shook him savagely.


    ¡°I warned you. Be nice. And not Ninetieth. Seventy-First.¡±


    At that the Bakeneko gaped, stunned. On seeing that, I did feel a slight tinge of sympathy for him, but it was quickly swallowed by memories of him tearing apart the weaselkin maid for sport. She was a traitor and an enemy, but that didn¡¯t make their cruelty and attempts to hurt Shaeula any more acceptable.


    ¡°Things have changed. So I¡¯m going to let you down now, but if you make any suspicious moves...¡± I raised my hand, a last flicker of Foehn, my stock nearly exhausted, glimmering above my palm. ¡°...it could be the shortest-lived resurrection ever.¡±


    I released the cat, and he resumed his full size. It was then his green eyes opened wide. ¡°My sister, Ginneka... you killed her. But... I¡¯m here. Is she...¡±


    At least he does worry for his sister. I suppose he¡¯s not irredeemable, or the Sacred Flame would have left nothing after burning away the bad, just ashes of the spirit. ¡°She¡¯s back too. And we¡¯ve come to an arrangement. As compensation for her crimes, she¡¯ll be serving us for a while.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± His tail drooped, ears flat against his skull. ¡°I... this is very strange. A fierce battle, my sister dying, then I was slain, by the weaklings it should have been easy to deal with. Then I knew nothing, until I burned with agony, my mind feeling as if it would explode. And then... here I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, here you are.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now I promised your sister I would bring you back as part of the deal, but I never said I wouldn¡¯t kill you again afterwards if you cause trouble. So sit down, be quiet, and you¡¯ll naturally learn something.¡± I flared my League and Majesty, and he leapt down, tail erect, feeling the distance between our powers now. ¡°And will you please put on some clothes? There are ladies present.¡±


    As the Bakeneko was suddenly wrapped in an ordinary robe, I turned back to Tsukiko-san. ¡°Sorry about the interruption. Shall we continue?¡±Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only


    She still seemed a little overwhelmed by her sudden revival, but managed a polite nod. ¡°Yes. I think I have grasped the main point. I remember when you asked me to marry you...¡± At that Kana rolled her eyes. ¡°...it was so that your ability could save me in the worst scenario. Instead I...¡± she flushed, perhaps remembering, touching her lips with her graceful fingers.


    ¡°Yes, receiving your Divine Favour, and understanding your intentions, they were enough for me to see you as Kin in my heart.¡± I said calmly. ¡°So I was able to protect your spirit. In the end, even as you were dying, you came back to reassure me, to give me a hint on how to defeat the vile toad. Do you remember?¡±


    Her flush deepened, fingers on her lips. ¡°Yes, it is coming back to me. I was so... flippant. Quite unlike me. Perhaps laying down the burden I had carried all those years, being untethered to a body of flesh, affected me, made me giddy. And I...¡± She was now scarlet, and she looked down, a little ashamed.


    ¡°So, setting that aside, what do you think of the one with light and dark in his hands, twilight on his back? Still looking for him?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, because you are what we have, and that will have to do.¡± Her words came from the heart, and she gave me a slight, shy smile. ¡°Even if he exists, he was not there to save the Hungry Ghost, nor the Princess of Humans. You were. And... my life as well.¡±


    We were all silent at that, her words impactful, and it was Haru who broke the silence, giving me a sly wink. ¡°Not exactly, you¡¯re still dead, Matsumuro-san... that¡¯s a mouthful, we¡¯re both ghosts, can I call you Tsukiko?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it does not matter anymore who calls me by my name. The prophecy regarding my name and face is fulfilled, the Diviner is dead and I am Tsukiko now.¡± she agreed, and I had to correct her.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re still the Diviner, as well as Tsukiko-san. You don¡¯t have to throw everything away. You still have a great love for your role, for Tsukuyomi, I can tell. If you want to continue, by all means do so. But you can¡¯t just throw yourself away for it, surpass your wants and desires. That sacrifice isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Is he always so terribly pushy?¡± she asked, and Natsumi giggled softly.


    ¡°He is, he really is! He hates sacrifices, he thinks everyone should be able to do what makes them happy, especially sad, lonely girls. And you were very lonely, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°There were some joys. My friendship with Yasuhide, for one. And Yukiko... is she well?¡± she asked, hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes, and she¡¯ll be eager to see you again.¡± I promised. ¡°So, there¡¯s no rush, but if you decide to take up a Throne, there¡¯s a need to worry about your future. The role at the Ministry is still open, and...¡± as I talked earnestly, trying to give her hope for a brighter future, I found myself looking at her carefully. There was a lot that reminded me of Shiro, and not just her similarly beautiful appearance. No, it was the fragility. While Shiro¡¯s was more helplessness at her weak body and lost family, Tsukiko-san¡¯s was loneliness, yearning. But both came from the same place. And can be cured the same way, if she¡¯s willing. With good times and happiness. The world may be heading towards disaster, but while on the way, we have to have hope...


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why there are so many powerful warriors here...¡± Kinneka was saying, keeping a low profile. His green eyes surveyed everyone, wary. ¡°And my head hurts. I feel... strange. Not like me at all.¡±


    ¡°The flames take away, and also give.¡± Haru explained. The Tengu were listening closely, trying to glean as much information as they could from our casual conversations, perhaps to present to Taro?bo?. ¡°You had many dark deeds staining your spirit. You are cruel, wanton and spiteful, yet that is your nature. It is a part of who you are, not a conscious choice. If you had been a truly evil being, the flames would have purified you to nothing.¡± She raised one eyebrow. ¡°As it is, you have been left rather empty. But your nature is your nature. If you do not take another path, your instincts will take over and you will perpetrate the same deeds anew. Just like a cat, you enjoy the hunt and tormenting prey.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recommend it.¡± I said coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve paid my debt to your sister, so if you go down the wrong path again... I¡¯ll have to put you down, and don¡¯t expect another miracle with Kin Bonding.¡±


    As my League and Majesty oppressed him, Kinneka resisted the urge to prostrate himself on the floor, sweating. ¡°I get it, I do! I¡¯ll... I want to see Ginneka. And... her, the Princess. Seventy-First. It doesn¡¯t seem possible.¡±


    ¡°It would have been higher, but they didn¡¯t count it when I killed the Kijo Matriarch, they said it wasn¡¯t Shaeula¡¯s deeds and... what?¡± The cat had frozen, green eyes staring at me unblinkingly.


    ¡°You killed... the Matriarch? That hoary old bitch?¡± he stammered, stunned. ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°No, not impossible, you¡¯re just behind the times.¡± I laughed. ¡°We met Urakaze, Shaeula¡¯s mother, and she was accepted by the Parade, and as I said, I met Nurarihyon and his wife, Bintara, the fortune-telling Kudan and more, and we came to an alliance. We¡¯re even trading booze with the Oni, Red and Blue are insatiable.¡±


    With every word, Kinneka was visibly distressed, before he managed to let out a growl and complain that the giant should have paid him more. Smiling, I continued to overawe him. It might help keep his sister in line if he¡¯s docile. ¡°Funny you should say that, but Duke Formor is now firmly behind Shaeula¡¯s quest to defeat the Unseelie. So I doubt you¡¯d have much joy asking for a pay rise...¡±


    ¡°It seems they live an interesting life, Haano?bo?.¡± Arangbo? declared, watching his trapped brother like a raptor watching prey. ¡°Perhaps we have been isolated on our mountain for too long, and the world has begun to pass us by. Though that may change...¡±


    ¡°Surely you do not believe he can defeat our father?¡± Haano?bo? said, surprised, and he shrugged, wings lifting.


    ¡°Whether he can or not, I feel it matters little. Our father is pragmatic. We care naught for outsiders, but the world is changing. And I believe they are good allies to have. Alone... the times will pass us by, and we may eventually find ourselves alone and surrounded by enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a situation we of the Seelie are all too familiar with. We lost and lost and lost some more, but finally we have had a reversal, brought about by princess Shaeula and this man here.¡± Bell agreed, as we finally reached the exit to the warped space. ¡°It is not the time to stand on foolish pride.¡±


    ¡°It seems not.¡± Arangbo? agreed, with one last look at his brother, who started pleading earnestly.


    ¡°Please, Arangbo?! I was wrong, I know it! Let me out, I shall go far away, never bother anyone again! Just... I do not wish to face father, to disappoint him...¡±


    ¡°You should have thought of that before killing your brother and plotting to kill your other siblings.¡± I said coldly. ¡°Actions have consequences. Now... it¡¯s time.¡± Eyeing the exit back to mount Atago, I shared a glance with everyone, including Tsukiko-san, who smiled back at me warmly, the expression suiting her beauty well. Deliver back the traitor, conclude my business with Taro?bo?, and hopefully find out about the true nature of the Sacred Flame. It¡¯s been a long day, but... it''s almost over.

 Four Hundred And Twenty-One

    Four Hundred And Twenty-One


    ¡°We¡¯re out at last.¡± I said as we left the dungeon of the Sacred Flame, emerging back into the Boundary proper atop mount Atago. Immediately we were greeted by a host of Tengu, many hundreds of them, all watching and waiting with anticipation. I was first out, followed by Arangbo?, and on seeing the huge Tengu the cheers were raucous and celebratory. As the rest of our group filtered out, the celebrations continued, until Chen Na came, dragging out the bubble shield containing the cowering Fungbo?. It was then that Taro?bo? strode forwards, the jewel of his staff starting to glimmer with energy once more.


    ¡°I see some new faces. How... puzzling.¡± He declared sternly. At his words, the Tengu parted, and Prince Sho?toku came running, followed by a surly and quite drunk Yasaka-san. On seeing Tsukiko-san, his eyes went wide, and he bowed, his smile broad and relieved.


    ¡°Tsukiko-sama, welcome back. It has been desolate with your absence, Tsukuyomi-jinja has felt so empty, like a spring without blossoms.¡±


    I was a little surprised at his poetic turn of phrase, but Tsukiko-san handled it smoothly. With her bare, uncovered face making her a little self-conscious, so many people looking at her without her veil that served as both shackle and armour to her own self, she let her hair fall across her face, making her more comfortable, before she spoke, her tone gentle.


    ¡°Yes, I have missed my home, good Prince. A home I never thought I would see again. But Destiny I thought inviolate, yet hoped was in fact malleable, proved to follow my wishes, not merely my fears.¡± She paused, and realised the situation was about to change. ¡°Yet now is not the time for our happy reunion. For we have weightier matters to resolve before this day is done.¡± She glanced at me, her ruby eyes still visible. ¡°The atmosphere is tense.¡±


    She¡¯s right. The Tengu were celebrating to start with, but as the last of us left the rift, with Fungbo? imprisoned and Shungbo? missing, they¡¯ve realised something is very wrong... They had fallen silent, waiting and watching, the stillness and their red, long-nosed masks giving the array of Tengu an almost funereal air. Only one spoke, and that was Taro?bo?, his mighty voice breaking the tense atmosphere.


    ¡°Yet the count is short. Where is our Summer South, where is Shungbo??¡± he asked, and at that moment Fungbo? cried out.


    ¡°Father, save me! I did nothing wrong! I was mistaken, the dark flame caught me unawares...¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you cowardly betrayer.¡± Arangbo? thumped the shield, the force bubble rippling. ¡°You have no right to petition Great Taro?bo?...¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± he howled. Metal began to form on his skin, and he attacked the force bubble, though it held off the attacks, merely shimmering with a rainbow of aether as it shuddered. The watching Tengu began to talk amongst themselves, looking on with some puzzlement, some loudly proclaiming something must have gone awry.


    ¡°You cannot hold me, I am one of the Four Directions, the Autumn West! Byakko, by Byakko I am...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Taro?bo? boomed, slamming down the butt of his staff, and a surge of crimson energies cascaded from him, the very mountain underfoot trembling. ¡°I ask again, where is Shungbo?? Where is my son?¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak, but Haano?bo? beat me to it. ¡°Dead, father. Dead.¡± Her faltering words grew harsher as she continued. ¡°But not through battle. The fight was hard, but we all acquitted ourselves with the honour and might of those of mount Atago. Even our guests fought their hardest and...¡±


    ¡°Shut up you worthless fool!¡± Fungbo? began ranting again. ¡°If anyone is to blame, you are, for you...¡±


    ¡°I will not warn you again.¡± Taro?bo? waved his staff, and this time it was targeted at Fungbo?, a ripple of aether passing through Chen Na¡¯s barriers, and suddenly Fungbo? fell silent, his eyes glazing over, and a great surge of aether was drawn from him, sucked into the jewel on the long wooden staff Taro?bo? wielded.


    I see. The barriers aren¡¯t flawless. I already know one weakness from Kyoto, and now another... As I thought that, Taro?bo? nodded to Haano?bo? to continue. ¡°... did you know, Great Taro?bo?? Father? About the great dead bear that guards the source of the Flame? It... it was a dreadful foe. Alone, we would have triumphed, but...¡±


    ¡°I knew. Though I do not speak of it easily.¡± Taro?bo? looked at the Prince, whose joy from the return of Tsukiko-san was momentarily suppressed, a guilty look crossing his face. ¡°Mount Atago holds many dark secrets. Hence why the mountain was given into my care, our care. A guilty conscience is a terrible burden. But the bear is dead. What... no, this is irrelevant. Shungbo?.¡±


    ¡°The bear may have been dead, but it burned with the corrupted flame, that which he called Lost, giving it a semblance of life.¡± She nodded at me, continuing.


    ¡°That is right. It was a big, powerful monstrosity.¡± Arangbo? agreed. ¡°I myself was wounded, though I would have crushed it given enough time, I am certain. But when our guest here...¡± he also nodded towards me. ¡°... was unleashing a final flame to finish it off, fire defeating corrupted fire, after making sure we were all safe...¡± he turned, glaring at the still dazed Fungbo?. ¡°... the result was the death of Shungbo?, at the hands of our brother. He had held back his strength while we battled with our lives on the line, sowing traps, ready to seize advantage, and this was the fruition of his treacherous plans.¡± He said venomously, his anger rising again. ¡°Worse, he tried to trick me into blaming Haano?bo? and our visitors, urging me to help him kill them. When that failed...¡±


    As Haano?bo? and Arangbo? took it in turns to describe the duplicity of their brother, the Tengu around us grew restless, while Taro?bo? stood immobile, listening carefully, not missing a word. When the two were finished, I spoke.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it, I should have. But Shungbo? resisted even in death, the Lost Flame having taken over his ruined body. I think you can be proud of how he faced his end. As for judgement...¡± I paused. ¡°While he tried to kill me and mine, as well as Haano?bo?...¡±


    ¡°No mention of me? I am hurt...¡± Arangbo? snorted, humour a briefly soothing balm for the pain and bitterness he felt.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Arangbo? too, of course.¡± I amended, finding that after our initial poor reception, I had found the huge Tengu easy to talk to. ¡°... what I¡¯m saying is, while Fungbo? tried to hurt and kill those I care about, and I find it very hard to forgive him for that... it¡¯s not my friends and family he betrayed and killed. I leave the judging to you.¡±


    ¡°No, Autumn West would never...¡± one Tengu began, and others echoed him. As the chaos spread, Taro?bo? once more brought order, the jewel glowing, soothing the restless, angry crowd, muting their emotions and drawing in aether.


    ¡°The proof is here before us. Shungbo? is not here.¡± His eyes were blazing with fury as he surveyed us. Kana hid behind me, unnerved, and I raised my hand.


    ¡°Calm yourself, Taro?bo?. I understand your anger, but you are upsetting some of us. Reign in your League, and we can resolve this.¡±


    For a moment he glared at me, before, he inclined his head. The pressure dropped, and Kana peeked around me, relieved, while Motoko and Natsumi let out long sighs, clenched fists relaxing.


    ¡°Your words hold wisdom. Now...¡± he gestured with his staff, and the light came back into Fungbo?¡¯s eyes. ¡°Autumn West, my son. Speak.¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± he said urgently. ¡°I was... was...¡± his mouth worked, trying to force out words, and he looked horrified as he couldn¡¯t. ¡°Yes, I forced Shungbo? into the path of... uh...¡± He bit down, silver and red blood trickling down his chin and dripping from below his shattered mask. ¡°... I should have struck at that useless Haano?bo?... no, I... it was not my... I wished they would all die! I am the only one you need, father!¡± At the words that spilled from his lips, an expression of horror could be seen on the half of his human-like face that was visible, the usual shame of having a bare face forgotten.


    ¡°I see. Your words of truth, stripped of your prison of emotions... they speak for you.¡± Taro?bo? intoned, bowing in grief.


    ¡°Father, why am I...?¡± he began, only for me to cut him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, you damn snake...¡± Kana looked at me reproachfully at that, and I laughed. ¡°Can¡¯t call someone a weasel as an insult, and it seems not a snake either now. Well, you damn coward...¡± I amended. ¡°...it seems that Taro?bo? is bringing out your true feelings, removing the shield of lies you are brandishing. So you might as well tell the truth. We all saw you, and what you did.¡±


    For a moment there was silence, before Fungbo? started to laugh. It quickly escalated, until he was roaring bitterly, tears joining the blood on his face. ¡°I was influenced by the flame. It is no lie. The voice in my head, the one I had been hearing for a long time... I should be the one you praise, father!¡± Words spilled from him in an endless torrent, petty grievances, envy and hatred. He railed against his brothers and Haano?bo?, calling her weak, and even cast ire against Taro?bo?. ¡°... we are proud, strong! I have always believed in you, Great Taro?bo?, but... we should never have allowed this! The Sacred Flame is our charge, our responsibility! Now we seem feeble, pathetic, relying on outsiders. An alliance? I spit on that!¡± And spit he did, phlegm sizzling on the barrier.


    ¡°I see. Are you quite done?¡± Taro?bo? asked, his voice colder than winter. Fungbo? shuddered, realising he had gone too far.


    ¡°Father, I am sorry. I...¡± he hung his head, unable to speak.


    ¡°Release the barrier.¡± Taro?bo? said to me, and after a moment of hesitation, I nodded at Chen Na. Even if he tries anything, with us all here he¡¯s got no change. Although to be safe... All the girls moved away from him, followed by the confused Kinneka, who had little idea of what was going on. The bubble dissolved into a spray of aether, and he fell to the ground, prostrating himself.


    ¡°Great Taro?bo?, have mercy. I was weak, I admit it, I fell to the temptation of the flame, but... I am your son!¡±


    ¡°As was Shungbo?...¡± he said, his voice devoid of emotion. Raising his staff high, he slammed it down. ¡°... you fool, my errant son. Do you think I made the decision lightly? When Sho?toku came with them, I was predisposed to despise them...¡± the Prince shuddered at the contempt. ¡°... yet one by one, you all failed against him.¡± He looked at me meaningfully, before looking back at the surviving Directions. ¡°Even the others all proved as worthy as any Tengu, and the Flame...¡± he gestured to the temple, where the flame burned, cleansed, though it had lost a little volume. ¡°... it burns clean again. Besides, I was most wroth with you, Haano?bo? of the Winter North.¡±


    She dipped her wings and head in apology. ¡°I have no excuses. I was defeated, despite striking first in ambush, and in battle since I was found wanting.¡±


    ¡°No. Your opponent was simply too much for you.¡± Taro?bo? consoled her. ¡°I should not have given into anger and taken your mask. Now, you have shown your bare face to another, and he has won you through force of battle.¡± Before the usual protests occurred, he continued. ¡°I too felt the pull of the cursed flames. So I have some little sympathy. You call us weak, yet you have proved weakest of us all. And you slew your own brother, shattered the Directions.¡±


    ¡°I... I am sorry. I will repent...¡± he said. ¡°Please father. Arangbo?, Haano?bo?...¡± he stretched out a hand from his prone position. Arangbo? stood there coldly, and Haano?bo? stepped backwards, disgusted. ¡°... forgive me! I will make amends!¡±


    ¡°Will that bring back the dead?¡± I sighed, tired of his whining. What¡¯s worse is, this self-pity must be genuine, under the light of Taro?bo?¡¯s staff. ¡°There¡¯s nothing worse than hurting one¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Taro?bo? agreed. ¡°And mount Atago, it is a family. You hate the idea of an alliance with outsiders, my son. As do I. Yet your actions have forced my hand. For the Directions are shattered, our defences much weakened. Now, I pronounce judgement.¡±


    ¡°Judgement? Father, I beg of you, have mercy...¡± Fungbo? crawled in the dirt towards his father.


    ¡°Mercy? I am merciful. But...¡± He flicked his staff, and Fungbo?¡¯s shattered mask fell free, revealing his bare face, eyes bloodshot, face wet with snot, sweat, blood and tears. ¡°... I am stone, as unyielding as the mountain that is our home. For there is the fifth Direction. The Centre.¡±


    Raising his staff, further ruby earth element spilled free, shaking the mountain once more. The ground surged, and Fungbo? found himself pinned by hands of stone rising from the ground. They prevented his escaping, as Taro?bo? began to chant in a low, rumbling voice.


    ¡°Great Yellow Dragon, He whose spines are Mountains, one such being Atago, peak of our home, ancient, eternal, I call upon your mighty breath. Stasis, unchanging, immutable, let he who has betrayed the Mountain you bequeathed to us remain sorrowful until he has regretted and atoned his folly and false pride. Petrifying Breath, Sekkai-ka kokyu?!¡±


    ¡°No, Great... father, please!¡± A shimmering yellow and red mist poured out over Fungbo?, his hand outstretched piteously, and stone began to sprout over his whole body, until he was nothing more than a statue blending into the mountain. Most of my group watched on impassively, although Kana seemed to take it a bit hard, averting her eyes. Yeah, she¡¯s definitely the most ordinary of us all, and has seen the least cruelty... I took her hand, and she smiled at me a little shakily, as Taro?bo? slammed down his staff, breaking the shocked silence.


    ¡°I see, but...¡± Kana was still shaken, and Motoko took her hand.


    ¡°It will be all right. All we need to do is believe in Akio. Just like always. He does not look afraid, does he?¡±


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t...¡± Kana agreed, and Natsumi also reassured her.


    ¡°Akio might be tired, but he recovers fast. And this isn¡¯t life or death. Defeat will set back our plans, but when lives aren¡¯t on the line, we might as well cheer him on and enjoy the show.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what is going on...¡± Kinneka, who had been indulging himself in meat and booze, grimaced, fangs showing. ¡°...but that Tengu, he is stronger than the ones in the Parade I know. Perhaps only that black-hearted Emperor can exceed him.¡±


    ¡°Bah, Sutoku is merely a bitter, defeated pretender.¡± Taro?bo? snorted. ¡°O?takemaru would be enraged to be compared to such. If you had met the Oni called the greatest mountain peak, you would be naught but a smear on his fists. Now... if you wish to make me submit, prove your strength!¡± He raised his voice, calling to the watching Tengu. ¡°I, Taro?bo?, he who accepted the charge from the kami to guard this stolen mountain, one that they were too guilty to touch, will fight. This charge I will not lay down easily.¡± He fixed me with a stormy glare. ¡°So far your words have indeed proven confidence rather than arrogance. But I am old and powerful...¡± His League surged, and I felt a weight of oppression, before my own roared within me, filling me with might. The Tengu withdrew, Daiyu and Bell helping the other girls back, and a circle of open space formed around us. ¡°... so come! The world is changed, the Gods are meddling once more, and mortals walk the sacred lands. I accept change must come, but... it will not come without my resistance, all my strength roaring!¡± His wings flapped as he turned a mocking hand towards me. ¡°Come, fight!¡±


    You don¡¯t need to tell me twice! I was tired, and my reserves of many elements were critically low after the sequence of battles and trials, but I had recovered somewhat during the brief feast, and I always had other trump cards to play. Rushing forwards, I poured my strength into Body Enhancement, and moved rapidly, muscles straining. My fist swung out at Taro?bo?, who merely snorted, insulted. Crimson energy shimmered, and the ground around me twisted into a series of jagged stalagmites, tips shining like rubies, forming a pair of great jaws, or some sort of wicked bear trap.


    ¡°Yellow Dragon, of the Centre, bite down!¡± Taro?bo? crowed.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I vanished in a shower of violet energies, aether sizzling in the air around us. The jaws clamped shut, but I was gone, appearing behind Taro?bo?, Void Motion taking me into his blind spot. He turned rapidly, his stats on a par with mine, and his staff blocked my kick, though his hand trembled.


    ¡°You are a tricky one.¡± Taro?bo? sneered. ¡°But you are too hot-headed. I will drink your desires...¡± The staff shone, the light trying to siphon off my aether, but I simply pressed my attack, punches and kicks raining down, and Taro?bo? was forced to use his wings, clad in summoned stone, to ward them off. I felt pain in my knuckles as I continually struck stone, but eventually the defences shattered and he leapt backwards.


    Got you! Wind threads I had wove tore into his flesh, blood spilling and feathers scattered into the air. Taro?bo? roared, pained, before he swept his staff and aetheric light blasted aside my threads. Panting, he glowered at me. ¡°I do not understand. The jewel should drain your anger, your...¡±


    ¡°Anger?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°There¡¯s no anger left. If anything, I feel sorry for you, having lost a son... two sons.¡± I corrected. ¡°You apologised to Haano?bo?, and her place is secure again. You¡¯ve offered hospitality, despite hating outsiders, and have kept your word. There¡¯s no anger or rage in this fight.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Taro?bo? paused, laughing loudly. ¡°I have misjudged you again, it seems. Most amusing, most amusing indeed! You truly seek an alliance, how unexpected. Yet what has come before...¡± I allowed him to ponder, despite it being the perfect time to attack. This isn¡¯t about winning, it¡¯s about convincing... anyway, there¡¯s another reason the jewel isn¡¯t affecting me. My Spiritually Pure Physique seemed to be making a difference as well.


    Ignoring the cheers and cries of the Tengu around us, Taro?bo? mused for a few moments more, before shaking his head. ¡°I thank you for letting an old Tengu think.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Realisations in battle are often valuable.¡± I allowed.


    ¡°Yes, they can be. You seem young, but you have likely endured much, to be such a philosopher.¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m hardly philosophical. Just learning from experience. So, shall we start a proper duel?¡±


    Taro?bo? laughed at that. ¡°Yes, to do less would be insulting. If you would give me a moment.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest.¡± I stepped back as he called upon the Yellow Dragon once more.


    ¡°...as the flame burns within your rocky spine, so too shall I blaze. Spirit of the mountain descend, Yama-Ikari!¡±


    The Sacred Flame shuddered, and droplets of it were absorbed by the crimson earth element surging from Taro?bo?. It was drawn into him, and his League surged, climbing steadily. Flames wreathed his body, and the ground around him melted, becoming a liquid stone that cascaded over his exposed body. Steam rose from his wounds as the hot stone cauterised them, and he was soon covered in a layer of stone that glowed yellow and red. Holding his staff, he nodded at me, his ornate mask hiding his expression. ¡°We are the mountain, and the mountain is us. If you wish to take our mountain, you must defeat us both!¡±


    ¡°Fine by me!¡± I agreed. Pulling Storming Moonlight, lightning crackled across the blade. ¡°I¡¯ll get serious too. Otherwise it¡¯d be disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Mountain Wrath!¡± Taro?bo? boomed, and the ground exploded, a geyser of rocks flying towards me, all blazing with flame. Ashes rained down from the sky, forming a cloud that obscured vision, but my Eye saw through it easily. I should be able to manage one more Prominence Twilight, if I push myself...


    My blade sliced through a large blazing meteorite, the halves passing by me. Wind element surged, knocking others off course, and the ground shuddered with heavy impacts. Light element flashed, and lasers chased Taro?bo?, who moved with grace, flying through the air. The indigo beams struck him, and his armour shattered, only for it to regenerate, the molten stone flickering with flame quickly repairing itself. On seeing that I switched strategies, closing in with Void Motion, and my sword struck his stony wing. Lightning flashed, and Taro?bo? lost height, his wing numbed.


    ¡°Petrifying Breath, Sekkai-ka kokyu?!¡± he called out, and breathed a fog of earth elemental energies towards me as I plummeted. I used wind to disperse it, then I unleashed light and wind together, a brilliant explosion of light and pressure forcing those below us to look away.


    ¡°Flashbang!¡± I called, bolts of light chasing the falling Taro?bo?. His armour held, but he was pierced through several times, blood scattering. Arangbo? called out in shock as it looked like Taro?bo? was going to strike the ground, but at the last minute his wings opened and he flew, gliding over the debris-strewn mountain, soaring up overhead again. Flame and stone bullets rained down on me, and I took several impacts, but with wind and my own earth element shielding me, they were only minor.


    ¡°A nice attempt, but you can hardly breach my defences. I am as unyielding as mount Atago, and as driven as the Sacred Flame!¡± he called down to me. ¡°Besides, I can fly. You move well, but those who crawl on the ground can...¡± He dodged as I used Void Motion, my spatial element depleting fast. This time though he was expecting it and wasn¡¯t caught unawares. ¡°...never reach the skie...¡± His words were cut off as Storming Moonlight appeared in a spray of violet energies, piercing his back, lightning shocking him, burning him internally, smoke rising. His wings spasmed and he fell again, and I had one more Void Motion in me, so I appeared above him, wind surging in a whirling typhoon.


    ¡°Jupiter Descending!¡± I cried, my fist slamming into the hilt of the sword, driving it deeper, Taro?bo? coughing blood. ¡°Callisto falls!¡± It would work better if I had ice element, but... naming things is hard... I let my remaining Spirit Water flow down the blade, and that magnified the intensity of the lightning, allowing the conduction to face less resistance. As more acrid smoke rose from his wounds and he coughed further blood down his chin, I seized a wing, and wrapped it in cutting strands of wind, the stone armour fighting it even as feathers were sliced apart and fresh blood bloomed.


    ¡°Impressive...¡± Taro?bo? managed, gasping. ¡°I have a fresh understanding of how my Directions were outmatched. But I...¡± he drew in a breath. ¡°... am not so nai?ve!¡± He spun, throwing me off, and before we hit the ground he swivelled, rising again. ¡°Kami Sekkai-ka kokyu?¡± The pockmarked mountain erupted, geysers of petrifying gas soaring towards me, and even with my swift evasion and jade aura of wind, my legs were caught in the blast, and I felt a tingling pain as the elements tried to invade my body. I landed heavily, rolling to my feet, Taro?bo? overhead again, looking down on me, though his badly scored wing made staying aloft a great effort.


    ¡°Akio, are you...¡± Kana began, but I waved her to silence, not even glancing back.


    ¡°Yeah, this is good, but...¡± My Spiritually Pure Physique and Ether Healing were fighting the petrification, allowing me to move. ¡°It¡¯ll take more than a little to....¡± Flaming rocks fell, and I swatted them aside, wincing as the impacts raised heavy bruises on my arms. ¡°... how about letting me finish what I was saying?¡± I unleashed darkness element, more as a distraction, as I still hadn¡¯t worked out how to use it to great effect in battle. Taro?bo?¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he waved his staff, and the element was drawn in, the glow of the jewel at the tip intensifying.


    Took the bait, huh? Light flashed, and he dodged, only to be struck by a number of brilliant beams coming from behind, as they reflected off a smooth mirror-like sheen of wind I had conjured with aether and wind element. His wounded wing gave out, and he hit the ground heavily. My sword was still impaling him, and he wrenched it out, blood gushing, before fiery stone sealed the wound again. As he cast it aside, he shook his head. ¡°Your efforts and tricks are admirable. But my Mountain Armour Of The Spirit is unyielding, and cannot be broken. If damaged, it simply melts and reforms, and it protects not just my body but my spirit. The perfect defence.¡±


    ¡°No defence is perfect. Even Chen Na¡¯s barriers have their flaws.¡± I disagreed. ¡°I¡¯d wager I can break it, but we already have what matters on the line, so...¡±


    ¡°Yes. We do.¡± He agreed. ¡°Now, how long can you stave off my Mountain Breath Of Petrification? Longer than poor, foolish Autumn West, alas.¡± He spared a glance for his fossilised son. ¡°Yet... no, I shall end it cleanly.¡± Taro?bo? moved, racing towards me, the ground fountaining up, more gas surging, and I dodged, only for him to use the debris as a diversion, much as I had.


    ¡°Sekkai-ka kokyu?!¡± he cried out again, belching more petrifying fog, and this time I was ready. A deep halo of darkness, surrounded by radiant light, was at my back, and the earth element, heavy with flame, was drawn into the vortex.


    ¡°I too want this to end quickly. Prominence Dusk!¡± I cried, and the earth element was corroded by darkness, turning to dust, and the flames changed from yellow to a dark, inky bruised shade of purple and black. It flew back at Taro?bo?, who turned to dodge, only for his foot to sink into the mountain, rock turning into thick mud. ¡°I¡¯m good at earth element too. Bottomless Swamp!¡±


    As Taro?bo? stumbled, one good wing flapping frantically, he was bathed in the tide of dust and black flames. The mountain shook as there was a great explosion, and all I could hear were the shocked words of Kinneka as a reflection on how it looked to those watching.


    ¡°We must have been insane. My sis and me, we¡¯ve poked the wrong tiger... such a high-level battle, it¡¯s like watching those two musclebound idiots Red and Blue argue over a barrel of sake...¡±


    As the detonation cleared, Taro?bo? was still standing, though his armour of rock and flame had disintegrated, the corrosive effect of dust element effortlessly eating through it, the spiritual properties burned in the dreadful black flame. Taro?bo? was injured badly, bone showing through at his shoulder and ribs, his yellow robe little more than rags. On seeing me still holding off the petrification, he laughed bitterly.


    ¡°Quite the impressive counter. I should have expected such. But... this old Tengu is far from done.¡± The energy from his staff surged, and it flowed towards him, only for him to drop the staff as I desperately pulled the dregs of my spatial element, charging it with aether, and released water bullets, moving them through space. The accuracy suffered, but enough pierced his hands and caught the staff to send it tumbling from his grip in a spray of blood, silver mist rising.


    ¡°Yeah, you Yo?kai have a lot of tricks. But so do I.¡± Pushing my body to the limits, I was on him, grabbing his arm, and my fist struck his mask, shattering it. Underneath was an inhuman face, red-skinned and with a long, avian beak in place of a nose, though his eyes were still human-like and expressive. He made no effort to hide his face, instead belching out more petrifying smoke, though without his chants the volume and potency was comparatively feeble. Holding my breath through instinct I slammed my foot down on his leg still mired in the swamp, breaking it, and he stumbled, right into a counter that I had picked up from Tsumura Arts, and he flipped, landing on his back in the quagmire, being drawn down. A little aether was channelled, and soon I was holding Storming Twilight and the Staff Of Muted Desires, my foot pressed down on Taro?bo?, our earth energies clashing, the swamp I had conjured bubbling and boiling, stirred by the aftermath of the clashing forces.


    ¡°I think I win.¡± I said, fragments of stone flaking from my legs, the petrification defeated. For a moment Taro?bo? merely blinked at me, before he barked a harsh laugh.


    ¡°Such arrogance. You are nearly as exhausted as I. Yet...¡± He looked at the staff I was holding. It was a strange feeling, energy coursing through me, as the discharge he had called for was now entering my body, rather than his as he intended. ¡°...somewhat less beaten, it seems. I am disarmed, and my greatest weapon is in your hands. Perhaps my Directions are not so dissimilar to me after all. Very well. I concede your triumph outsider. No, Akio.¡±


    I moved my leg, reaching down to help him out of the sucking swamp, only to nearly topple in myself as a vast surge of aether flooded me, reminiscent of when we slew Duke Myrcolaxriath. Desperately I began to funnel it back to my Territory, while amber letters poured across my vision, momentarily disorientating me.


    You have gained control of this Territory as the master of the Anchor has conceded it to you. Your class, Conqueror, has increased from level 17 to level 19. You have gained control of the Sacred Flame Of Mount Atago. As your Territory Anchor is too far from here to integrate this Territory with your own, you are unable to integrate this Anchor. You can return it, destroy the Anchor or since you have a Vassal Territory that is able to integrate the Anchor, you can cede it to your Vassal, Suzuki Haru.


    You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from One Hundred and Thirty-Seven to One Hundred And Thirty-Eight. Your Material...


    Wait, why has he conceded it to me? This was about an alliance... I briefly considered returning it, but quickly decided to pass it over to Haru. I felt us connect for a moment, and her surprise, before the weight left me, though I was still funnelling ether back, the great reserves kept deep within the mountain these long centuries now mine. On seeing my strange expression, Taro?bo? barked a laugh.


    ¡°An alliance... I am too proud. This mountain would weep were I not to risk all in battle. Yet know, even though I concede this defeat, we will hold the mountain, and never return it to the kami, for reasons you will no doubt soon know, no matter your wishes. Now, my son...¡± he said, shocking me. ¡°...help me up. I am in ailing health, and my heart is heavy with grief. This has been a day of surprises, both for good and for ill.¡±


    My son? What the hell? As I helped him up, shocked, the booming laughter of Arangbo? echoed over the mountain, and as I glanced at the petrified form of Fungbo?, I was sure I could see horror in his lifeless, stony eyes...

 Four Hundred And Twenty Two

    Four Hundred And Twenty Two


    ¡°I¡¯m still very confused.¡± I said to Taro?bo?, who was in a wretched state, having taken a beating from my attacks. Seeing that, I placed my hands on his shoulder and ribs, allowing aether to flow, calling on Ether Healing. For a moment, the old Tengu instinctively resisted, fighting against my invasive energies, before he relaxed, and the soothing energy began to slowly heal his torn flesh. ¡°You fought so hard for this mountain over all these centuries, then I come along and you just hand it over?¡±


    ¡°Hand it over?¡± Taro?bo? grimaced, his beak twitching. ¡°You are sorely mistaken. I am still the master of mount Atago, as I will be so long as the Flame endures. Yet... the power of the Tengu has waned. We had suffered losses before, and we were never numerous. Each Tengu fallen is a tragedy. Yet the loss of two of the Directions, my sons... that weighs heavy on me. I am no fool. I can see the shifting tides. The kami of Kyoto were ravaged by invaders, were they not? Should they have turned our way...¡± his eyes seemed to be gazing off into the distance. ¡°...I am under no illusions we would have triumphed bloodlessly. Even those scoundrels from the Night Parade...¡± Kinneka flinched at that, before growling to himself, annoyed at his newfound timidity. ¡°...are flapping their wings in a panic, worried for the future. Haano?bo?, my foolish daughter, she was correct, it seems. The time for us to remain isolated has passed. Especially now.¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± I was bone-weary after constant challenges and battles, my reserves of most elements non-existent, my aether low. I still didn¡¯t stop healing Taro?bo? though, as a mark of respect, and to further our cooperative relationship. ¡°But an alliance was what I asked for. Dominance over mount Atago... don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s massively helpful, and you won¡¯t regret it, Haru can make a lot of improvements now we¡¯ve consolidated, and...¡± I can see she¡¯s inherited plenty more Buildings in addition to the Sacred Flame, though I suspect a number more broke down to ether as her Territory was maxed out on them... ¡°...it¡¯s certainly easier to form a consolidated defence, but...¡±


    ¡°I will not regret it.¡± Taro?bo? parroted my words back to me. ¡°If I will not regret, what do my reasons matter? Suffice to say I have them. It may seem hasty...¡±


    ¡°It is quite simple.¡± Arangbo? strode over, clapping me on the back once more. Damn, he seems over-fond of that. And he never holds back his strength. ¡°It is the same reason I call you brother. Your words and your actions align. And not just yours. We Tengu see much from up on high. Mount Atago looks down on Kyoto, we know you strive to defend what is under your dominion, much as we do. But there is another matter.¡± He slapped me heartily again. ¡°You said to judge if your words are confidence or arrogance. It was arrogant indeed to try and claim Haano?bo?, only daughter of Great Taro?bo?. Ordinarily such a request should have been treated with contempt. None of the Tengu of the mountain had the courage to approach my sister, she of the Winter North. Yet you dared lay claim to her, in front of us all, prepared to back your words with might. Power is all.¡± Arangbo? continued.


    ¡°I think he doesn¡¯t get what you mean.¡± Kana said slowly. ¡°I know. Trust me. He¡¯s very frustrating at times. Someone who has like ten or so girlfriends shouldn¡¯t be so dense.¡± She looked at Tsukiko-san, who was watching on, slightly amused by the unusual situation, where she could be a bystander, instead of the focus. ¡°If you¡¯re going to go for it, Tsukiko-san, you¡¯ve got to expect a number of annoyances. He made me miserable for weeks, flirting with me and getting my hopes up, only to dash them again and again.¡± She pouted, and I was once more struck with how relaxing it was to be with Kana, a girl who knew her own mind, and could make a man feel extremely pleasant, with her practised, almost calculating mannerisms. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s too late for that advice though.¡±


    Tsukiko-san nodded, idly touching her lip. ¡°I do wish to experience what I denied myself in the name of Tsukuyomi. But I have only now returned, I am unsure of just what you mean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Kana continued. ¡°Akio is a massive siscon, he really loves Aiko-chan. It¡¯d be a little weird, except Aiko-chan is the same way, it¡¯s almost funny to watch sometimes. Besides, Aiko-chan is a fun girl, it¡¯ll always be entertaining when we all move in together, and having more fun, beautiful girls around is always better. After all, I¡¯m just as cute too.¡± She boasted, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°But my point is... if you look at Akio¡¯s thought processes, it all seemed very logical. He¡¯s soft on girls, especially those that remind him of his sister. It¡¯s why he¡¯s so nice to Eri, she¡¯s effectively a sister as well, they grew up so close. So seeing Haano?bo? bullied by her own brothers and father, he thinks of Akio-chan, Eri...¡±


    ¡°It was the same for us.¡± Natsumi chimed in, agreeing. ¡°He was going to turn us down, and I wouldn¡¯t have blamed him for that, we were selfish and only thinking of ourselves. But... when he saw that he could help us, fill the hole in our hearts, he did so. Akio doesn¡¯t like seeing others suffer, especially girls who tug on his heartstrings.¡±


    ¡°And my dear sister...¡± Arangbo? continued. ¡°... we were disrespectful. I... will apologise to her properly once more. But you, a newcomer, the one who defeated her and caused her such shame, you fought for her, asking to take her from us, take her as your own.¡±


    ¡°As a sister.¡± I corrected, realising how foolish I sounded. ¡°Anyway, I think that should be enough, the worst of your injuries are healed.¡± I said to Taro?bo?, who flexed his wings, pleased both were working again.


    ¡°An excellent level of skill. It would have taken me some time to heal my own injuries. Yes, you staked your claim to Haano?bo?. I allowed it, were you able to prove your worth. And you did so. You defeated the Directions one by one, displayed your might. Then you cleansed the Sacred Flame, as promised. Yes, we suffered grievously, but... that was not through your deeds. No, you prevented further losses. And then you challenged me bravely, despite me giving you little time to rest.¡±


    ¡°That was a test.¡± Daiyu realised. ¡°As we expected. Cultivators also train so that we can fight with all our might at our worst, for battle seldom comes when we are prepared, at our best. The spider does not catch flies that are alert.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a test, and you offered no complaints, and then bested me.¡± The old Tengo grimaced, a comical expression on his face which was a mixture of avian and human. ¡°None of my other children have the might to defeat me. Not even Arangbo?.¡±


    ¡°One day.¡± He rumbled. ¡°But your grasp of earth element far outstrips mine of wood, father. It is a bad combination for me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I am too old, too weary. But my surviving children will have to take up more of the duties, since we are short two Directions. Therefore, when an outsider, fresh blood, comes in, proves their worth, and lays claim to my daughter... it is only natural to lean on him.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t... look, I just wanted her to be treated fairly.¡± I protested, and Arangbo? laughed at me like I was an idiot. That hurts my feelings a little. I do get it. I let my anger get away with me, despite my Resilience. But they know what I meant, they shouldn¡¯t twist my words.


    ¡°Yes. Even if we take your words as you intended, then you are her brother now. Therefore you must be my son.¡± Taro?bo? agreed. ¡°Haano?bo? is grateful to you. And if you meant for more... as her father, I would not stand opposed.¡± He cast his gaze over the girls. ¡°A powerful man is popular and can provide for many women.¡±


    ¡°My sister, she is quite the beauty to you humans, is she not?¡± Arangbo? said slyly. ¡°You saw her face. For a Tengu, we are a disgrace, the other Tengu families would mock us, so we always hide our shameful features, but... perhaps that is more to your taste?¡±


    She was pretty, I¡¯ll admit. But I barely know her. ¡°Yes, but that doesn¡¯t matter. That wasn¡¯t my intent.¡±


    ¡°Even if it was not, you must still follow through on your words, brother.¡± Arangbo? chuckled. ¡°We are merely saying what relationship you choose to exercise with my dear little sister is between the two of you, but you are bound together now, as are we all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious...¡± Natsumi said again. As everyone looked at her, she blushed a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this question is rude or oversteps our bounds, if so, feel free to dismiss it. But... why are the Tengu here less avian? You yourself look much like the Tengu I¡¯ve seen pictured in storybooks and textbooks.¡±


    ¡°A sad story.¡± Taro?bo? sighed. He was holding his staff again, the energy flowing out of it, bathing both him and me in the rainbow glow, restoring our depleted strength. ¡°We guard the Sacred Flame, yet the Flame... I believe the purifying aura of the Flame has an effect, leaving those without adequate strength who bask in its radiance closer to its ideal. I doubt it was merely guilt that led to the kami entrusting the mountain to us. The Sacred Flame is powerful, yet also inimical to beings of spirit. It reshapes and heals, purifies and strengthens. But not at one¡¯s own will.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s a bit like radiation then, just...¡± thinking of Haru and her changes, as well as the restoration of Kinneka and Tsukiko-san, I looked at the pair of them closely. Tsukiko-san¡¯s red eyes did seem to be slightly golden, and her midnight-black hair did seem to shimmer a little when the light from the flames struck it. Kinneka¡¯s fur was already golden, but it did seem to be richer, purer somehow.


    ¡°Thanks for answering my question.¡± Natsumi nodded, as if a puzzle that had been bothering her was answered. ¡°So it¡¯s like that, Motoko.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Motoko nodded. ¡°I am beginning to see a picture emerge. I suspect whoever comes from Kyoto will bring clarity, and we will be able to see what lies hidden.¡±


    ¡°It might be hard for those who venerate the Gods to hear.¡± Taro?bo? said, looking at Tsukiko-san with a little sympathy, but she merely shrugged.


    ¡°My faith is hard to shake. After all...¡± She looked at me, again a gentle smile crossed her features, unusual yet delightful. ¡°...I accepted the sacrifice of my own life, even my very spirit, for the greater good the Gods wished for. That the price was cheated does not invalidate I was prepared to pay it, even as I wished it was not so.¡±


    Kana took her arm, hugging it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. That was then. Now you¡¯re one of us, and Akio won¡¯t let you die again.¡±


    ¡°We have strayed from the topic at hand. There are two vacant positions within the Directions. I would offer you the position of Summer South.¡± Taro?bo? said to me, stunning me. On seeing my look of surprise, he chuckled, his beak clacking. ¡°Why are you so shocked? As a brother to Haano?bo?, or her lover, either would quality you as my son. And your talent with Flame is great.¡±


    ¡°You land on your feet wherever you go, don¡¯t you?¡± Yasaka-san grumbled, still drinking.


    ¡°And what would this entail?¡± Daiyu asked, curious. ¡°Is it purely... ceremonial...? Yes, ceremonial.¡± She stumbled over the harder word. ¡°Or does it offer tangible benefits?¡±


    ¡°Benefits other than getting close to my sister?¡± Arangbo? laughed. ¡°Obviously, it does confer strength, though one needs to have talent. The Pilgrimage, then, Great Taro?bo??¡± he asked, and the Tengu nodded, slamming down the butt of his staff.


    ¡°Yes. To the relic of Suzaku, Lord of Summer.¡± He agreed. On seeing my quizzical expression, he laughed, his tone bitter. ¡°I do understand the irony. Suzaku, Byakko, Seiryu?, Genbu, the Yellow Dragon... all would be considered among the Gods we disdain, those not of this world. But they are different. As you will see. You would not refuse the request of your new-found father, would you?¡±


    There is. Tan for one. And who is to say she¡¯s the only one. I nodded. ¡°But with beings such as you around, and I also met an avatar of Tsumatsu-Hime here in Kyoto, surely we can fend off these threats?¡±


    ¡°Would that we could.¡± Hachiman smiled, and he moved his hands, and the dove took flight, soaring out towards the grasping darkness before the illusion faded and it was gone. ¡°Like Tsumatsu-Hime, I am merely a shell, a way to contain enough of my consciousness and power to present myself without damaging the fragile Boundary further. I could have and would have acted were the situation to become dire enough, yet to do so... it is merely exchanging one disaster for a potential greater one. Ordinarily I dwell in the deepest eddies of the Astral surrounding this world, yet I do keep watch on here and other places, though I mostly leave it to my proxies, such as he in the Palace.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was not sure whether it would be you or him that came, O?jin.¡± Taro?bo? said, as everyone watched the discussion keenly, unwilling to miss a moment. ¡°I suspected you would stir yourself for this. And I am old, and weary. I understand more than these new-borns. Even my own children know little. But the kami... you yearn for the return of your Gods, do you not? Because then you can be taken away from here, to higher, better places.¡±


    ¡°It is only natural to revere the Gods of Japan. After all, I am Japanese.¡± Hachiman said. ¡°Even in death, I carried on my work, and eventually was venerated enough to become a true kami and gain great power. But even I am helpless against the true Gods, or many dangerous threats that dwell in the wider Astral. Yes, we wish for their return, but...¡±


    ¡°... but you are not the only ones who dream of the return of their Gods.¡± Taro?bo? banged down his staff. ¡°... and Japanese. Yes, you are. But there were other mortals and spiritual beings that dwelt in this land, long ago, alongside us.¡±


    Of course. The Ainu and the kamuy. I wasn¡¯t aware they were ever so far south, but I do know that what we get taught is highly... sanitised. One thing we Japanese are good at is avoiding responsibility for our historical sins. Mom always made sure to let us know no nation was perfect, and that every country hides many skeletons in the closets and bodies under the floorboards. Hell, she used to say the same about Britain, Empire and slavery, among other matters.


    ¡°Yes, the other native peoples, their own Gods. But there is only so much to go around.¡± Taro?bo? snorted. ¡°So much ether, so much adherence, so many precious hallowed sites such as mount Atago. So... war.¡±


    ¡°Yes, war.¡± Hachiman agreed. ¡°It started with skirmishes, driving them off, killing the men and older women, and...¡± he looked around, seeing many young women, and changed what he was about to say. ¡°...taking captive the young. The kamuy clashed with the earliest kami, and both sides suffered losses. But we... we were in the ascendant, and eventually we drove those people north, to their limited sanctuaries. Sacred sites such as this mountain, we took, made our own, and it is one reason that Kyoto is built here. It has been a long fifteen hundred years since, and... now such rivalry may begin again. The kamuy were winnowed down to merely a handful, yet should their true Gods return, as ours will...¡±


    ¡°Then your deeds will be seen for what they were.¡± Taro?bo? said with satisfaction. ¡°This is all wishful thinking, of course. Far more likely we will all perish, than the Gods of Japan reach out and take control of this world. Yet... the seeds sown by many will bear fruit. Whether that fruit is poisoned... we shall see.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen hundred years...¡± Kana said, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s about the same timescale as the true shrines go back to.¡±


    ¡°And the war between the humans and the Fae, which drove us off the Material.¡± Bell echoed.


    ¡°And the retreat of those cowards from Kunlun. I do not think this could be coincidence.¡± Daiyu agreed.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, it seems that everything started happening at once, or at least over a rather short period of a few years. It answers my question. If the Ainu were pushed back then, like everything else involved with that time, there¡¯s a veil of secrecy agreed by all involved. No, perhaps agree is the wrong word, everyone seems to have accepted that the knowledge should be hidden. So it¡¯s no wonder our history books teach us about their more limited reach.¡±


    ¡°We still know little of these Ainu.¡± Motoko said, her expression troubled. ¡°You said we do not treat them kindly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s... a way of putting it.¡± I sighed. ¡°We settled their lands, stripped them of rights and tried to ban their native religious practises and culture, encouraging intermarriage until they were the same as us. I expect there are probably darker events that took place as well, though I don¡¯t think those are well documented. Even today, those of Ainu descent face discrimination and hardships that us ordinary Japanese don¡¯t know, not that there¡¯s many of those left. My mom... she has always said that the Japanese are very protective and kind to their own, but they don¡¯t care for outsiders. She had it hard for a while when she first moved here. Luckily we had friends who looked out for her. So eventually she was accepted. Now, she¡¯s faced nothing like they have, but... she still sympathises.¡±


    ¡°I see. This is not taught at Hanafubuki.¡± Motoko said, troubled. ¡°I wonder... have the nobility been involved in such?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly. Though from what I gather, at least some steps have been made to rectify many of the worst decisions, such as denying them their culture, as of recently. Sadly it¡¯s too little, too late for many. Most of the Ainu have likely already intermarried into Japanese families over the centuries. There¡¯s only a few tens of thousands left, my mom said.¡±


    ¡°I see. I shall speak to grandfather and father and find out more about this.¡± Motoko said, her face set. ¡°We are trying to build a better world, such injustices have no place in it. Besides...¡± her face fell. ¡°... the bear, that kamuy. It was achingly sad. You will help me, Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will. Though I doubt my parents know much about it.¡± She promised. Seeing that, Taro?bo? burst out laughing, beak clacking behind his mask.


    ¡°See that, O?jin? The young are often full of spirit. But nothing ever changes. The mortals ape you kami and persecute the others who share their lands, even to this day. Hence why you gave the Flame into our care. It is hard to claim to be righteous when you are constantly seeing the rewards of your misdeeds.¡±


    ¡°Your words wound me, as they did then, Taro?bo?.¡± Hachiman sighed. ¡°But there is some truth to them. But we are hardly alone in defending our own, no matter how savagely. The world back then was harsh, many strong powers clashing. And it will happen again.¡±


    ¡°But if we have kami such as noble Hachiman, of the Eight Banners, we can weather the storm!¡± Kana said, her expression complex. I see the talk of persecution upsets her, but she also has respect for the kami. It¡¯s a difficult path to tread. ¡°You can help us against that damn toad when it returns!¡± she turned to Tsukiko-san. ¡°We won¡¯t let it come back for you, if it does, Akio and the others will kill it again. I¡¯ll help too.¡± She promised, and Tsukiko smiled gently at her, thanking her softly.


    Hachiman remained silent, and Taro?bo? guffawed loudly. ¡°Put not your trust in the kami, I told you. Yes, they may act, but only in their own interests, or for those they cherish. O?jin here may be strong, but he will not risk his own life. If he thinks he can win, he will, otherwise...¡± he snorted, angry. ¡°... the Yo?kai, kamuy, foreign enemies... the kami have faced them all many times, but unless they have the upper hand, such as against the kamuy, it always ends in a stalemate.¡±


    ¡°It is not that we are unwilling, but unable. Your anger blinds you, Taro?bo?.¡± Hachiman said, his voice hard and cold. ¡°Against an intruder from without, I may be able to act, though the cure might be worse than the disease. There is little point killing one cockroach that has entered the storehouse, only for the door to be left open for hundreds to swarm in and devour the rice. And some cockroaches are truly monstrous.¡±


    ¡°See? Weasel words...¡± he grimaced, and I chuckled, remembering my earlier complains I wasn¡¯t allowed to use that turn of phrase anymore. ¡°So, has O?jin satisfied your curiosity? There are many such sites, though not all have been protected as has mount Atago, and they have fallen to ruin. We take our task seriously, not for the kami, but for us, as the mountain is ours! As Summer South, you now have a duty to protect this place. And your family...¡± he turned to Haano?bo?, who let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Taking a mortal... no, not mortal...¡± Hachiman corrected. ¡°...a once-mortal as one of your Directions? A strange choice.¡± He then saw the way Haano?bo? was acting, shy and bothered. ¡°Oh, I see. A happy event then. I give you my blessings.¡± He reached out his hand, and amber letters flared across my vision.


    Your class, Kami-Blessed has increased from level 10 to level 12. Charm has increased by 1. Majesty has increased by 1. Aether has increased by 44.


    I could surmise that Kana had also levelled her Kami-Blessed class too, from the way the light of aether and adherence wrapped around her. Excellent, a boon, at least. ¡°I thank you for your blessing. But...¡± I said, unwilling to let such an advantage leave. ¡°...I have others who deserve the blessing of the kami. After all, we dealt with the invasion of Kyoto, preventing the need for you to act. So, if I bring some people on a pilgrimage to the Imperial Palace, can you bestow your favour on them too?¡±


    Hachiman paused, thinking, before he agreed. ¡°I can. But I am weary. Even as an Avatar, it is most difficult for me to remain in these shallow eddies. As gratitude for your service, and as an apology for past actions...¡± he looked at Taro?bo?, who turned his head aside, unwilling to accept. ¡°...I will leave a fragment of my Avatar behind. When you journey to the Palace, my seneschal will receive you, and he will summon me. But I shall do it only once, for even appearing thus is troubling, and may attract attention we do not care for.¡± With that, he transformed into a giant dove, before taking flight and vanishing, a few gleaming feathers falling down, before they vanished, and it was as if he was never there.


    ¡°That was... certainly in the top ten strangest moments of my life.¡± Haru observed. ¡°Meeting the kami Hachiman. Strange how all the top ten moments of my life have happened after I¡¯ve died though.¡±


    ¡°Pathetic. The kami truly are disingenuous. Oh, do not glower at me so, girl.¡± He looked at Kana searchingly. ¡°There are the good and the bad, just like with Yo?kai, and mortals too. I am sure your kami is a worthy one. The weaker, less famous ones usually are. But when he says he would have dealt with the invader. Perhaps. But only when there was no other choice, and his own interests were on the verge of ruin. And he is not wrong. There are always others watching. The world has found an uneasy balance, one that the Gods from high above have upset. Selfish creatures.¡± He spat. ¡°Now, enough of the gloom. You now know the reason we Tengu guard, and now you guard mount Atago. Let not the sacrifices and the cruelty be for nothing.¡±


    I nodded, taking a mug of sake and taking a deep swig, trying to wash away the foul taste in my mouth. That¡¯s right. Earth is full of strong beings. Nurarihyon, the Queen of the Seelie, Hachiman and other kami, and likely any number more. Yet it seems to fall to us Chosen to defend the Earth and help it break through to the upper Astral, if I believe Ortlinde, and I have no reason not to trust her yet. So there has to be reasons that the powerful either don¡¯t act, can¡¯t act, or are too weak to make the difference. There are always others watching, huh? Thinking on Hachiman¡¯s earlier words, another phrase sprang to mind. Nothing ever changes. The mortals ape the kami. Everything that happens once happens again. War, the cycle of hatred and greed, scrambling for resources. It¡¯s like Kodoku. But can we break the cycle without putting ourselves and the world in jeopardy?


    Seeing my heavy expression, Motoko took one of my hands, and Natsumi the other. Kana¡¯s face twitched, an expression of regret at being too slow crossing her features, and as I opened my mouth to console her, Prince Sho?toku spoke up. ¡°Do you feel disgust? Again, the wars had ended when I passed, and found myself as a kami of Tsukuyomi-jinja. Yet back then, I would have participated without a second thought. The ancient world was cruel. But I implore you to judge us on the times.¡±


    ¡°I do. The modern world isn¡¯t free of the same shit.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now, that was rather depressing, but I¡¯d rather know more about the world, even if it¡¯s unpleasant. So, now that we¡¯re all here together, and we¡¯ve concluded our alliance, it¡¯s time to plan what we are going to do from here. Besides...¡± I squeezed Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s hands. ¡°Some of you really need to go home, before your parents get worried.¡±


    Looking at the new buildings Haru commanded, as well as the vast reserves of ether we had pulled from this ancient Territory, I started running some numbers. First, the Throne, and then... Rank four. I have a bad feeling things could get dangerous, so I¡¯ll take worse infrastructure for now, to bolster our defences and reach...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Eight – An Ordinary Day Two (Territory Edition)

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Eight ¨C An Ordinary Day Two (Territory Edition)


    ¡°The earth element has to soak into the packed earth, turning it into a rock as hard as jade, no, harder, unbreakable.¡± The strange rat-person in front of the mercenary said, pointing to the flipchart. ¡°I believe that your concrete is of roughly the same level of strength, more so when strengthened by the additions of steel, but we need it stronger, faster, better.¡± He bared his teeth in a smile.


    Damn, this is surreal. Here we are getting lectured on how to use magical bloody powers by some talking rat, in strange company indeed... The mercenary, who had prided himself on being one of the first to join the Black Wolf, back in the early days when it was just Trey, Aliyah and a few others, had never considered leaving, not even for a minute, despite their change in fortunes and country of affiliation. Bastards, I won¡¯t forgive those who ditched us. They missed out though... the money¡¯s good, and the work is... a bit boring, but we won¡¯t be building walls and caves forever...


    In addition to a number of his colleagues, there were stranger beings around them. More of the rats, as well as weasels and other animal people, little green men, goblins, if you could believe it, and here and there were dotted some that looked almost entirely human, except for longer ears and inhuman beauty, the men all handsome and lithe, the women gorgeous and with brightly coloured hair. Bloody elves. I suppose the job does have its perks. Though Aliyah has been in a foul mood recently. Not that we haven¡¯t seen that before...


    ¡°Here are the plans on the Material. Firstly, for the factory and underground warehouses. Taking advantage of mortal machinery, we have begun excavations, but on this scale...¡± As the lecturing rat continued, the mercenary marvelled at the fact he was presenting wearing what looked like a lab coat, and that he was using diagrams, graphs and blueprints out of a damn business pitch. When did fantasy get so... so ordinary?


    ¡°Do not forget, that resistance to elements and aether in the mortal Material world is significantly stronger, or so I have heard. By the moon, I am so jealous of those who get to walk the mortal world.¡± The rat went off on a tangent, waxing lyrical about all the magical, wonderful things in the Material, and the mercenary looked over at one of his colleagues, who rolled his eyes. I sure wish I lived in such a place, where even the most mundane things like cars and mobile phones are special. He looked around once more, and in the background the towering tree, shining with a rainbow of ether, attracted his eyes. Yeah, I guess the grass is always greener, this seems plenty magical to me...


    ¡°You ever think we¡¯d end up in an engineering core?¡± his colleague whispered, and several other of the Black Wolf laughed. They were usually split into groups, some on bodyguarding duty, others training, and a further group learning practical skills.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all construction techniques, is it? Just like demolitions, this stuff kills in the right hands.¡± another said, and the mercenary had to agree.


    ¡°Yeah, we can make the ground explode, or fire bullets of sharp stone like a damn anti-tank round. And that¡¯s just us. When you see the real pros in action...¡± He remembered seeing armour comprised entirely of stone, strong enough to stop bullets, and entire rains of deadly jagged rock projectiles, more than enough to down most of a squad. ¡°Then there¡¯s the other elements. A flash of green, and then your head comes off, or you get burnt alive, or worse...¡±


    ¡°Guns are still useful though.¡± one said, and the mercenary laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, though not in every situation. Of course, when you add on such power to bullets, sure, there¡¯ll always be a place for powerful weapons. But these powers make us a weapon.¡±


    ¡°We always have been.¡± another snorted, amused. ¡°Especially the bosses. And also Luciana. Damn, she¡¯s a fine-looking woman. And so polite. It makes me wonder how she ended up at a PMC.¡±


    ¡°On the surface man, on the surface!¡± another shook his head. The group was attracting looks from the strange Fae-folk around them, but fortunately their instructor was too busy explaining his project to pay attention. ¡°She¡¯s the sort you think is all polite, but she¡¯s a deft hand with a knife and other forms of close combat, and she¡¯s got a wicked temper when pissed off. You want to have a go at her, be prepared to lose a hand, or at least a finger or two. Especially now. Our big badger general...¡± The man shook his head, amused at the words coming out of his mouth and how unrealistic they seemed. ¡°...says she¡¯s a natural with wind, and with it her knives can cut through body armour easily enough. I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    So have I. ¡°Hey, you saw her this morning? She¡¯s in a strange mood. And when we got back here, she was wearing a new uniform I hadn¡¯t seen before. It was kind of hot though.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask her about it?¡± another asked, but before he could answer, the ratkin spoke up, clapping his hands.


    ¡°All right, pay attention. I know I can talk too much, but this is important. If the factory suffers setbacks, we are in trouble, to say nothing of the house that the princess and her consort will be living in.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± the mercenary apologised loudly. I¡¯d best pay attention, or Aliyah will take her bad mood out on us. If word gets back that we¡¯ve been slacking off...


    ¡°All right then. So, we have an expert here to demonstrate. It is a minor God of this land, a kami, so be respectful!¡±


    As the strange white snake slithered up, wearing a three-corner hat and robes, it hissed out a greeting, and was soon demonstrating the best way to push earth element into soil and stone, transforming it, as well as strengthening metal. After a brief orientation it was time for the students to try. The mercenary frowned at the block of loose earth in front of him, remembering his training. ¡°So, I have to feel the energy here...¡± he touched his lower body. ¡°...and then draw it out. Damn, this new age shit isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    The training was hard, but then it must have been harder on those young girls. Looked barely out of pigtails and short skirts. But then Asians do tend to look younger to us Westerners. They can¡¯t have been that old though. It¡¯s a heavy burden, being forced to work so young, but then the bosses started in their mid-teens, so they often tell us when drunk. But damn, if young kids can master this stuff then there¡¯s no way big, rough men like us can¡¯t...


    ¡°Not too bad. Thisss isss the hardessst part of the tasssk.¡± The snake hissed as he brought out the glowing red energy. ¡°And asss your proficiency increasssesss, you will find you can do much you could not do before.¡±


    ¡°Practice makes perfect, huh?¡± he grunted, pushing the earth element into the loose soil. It soaked in., and with the proper mental image, eventually the dirt and clay changed, solidifying, shimmering like a brownish-red gemstone. Breathing heavily, the man mopped at his brow. Reaching out, he rapped one fist against the now solid block, feeling a hard impact. ¡°Damn, I think I did it. But if it¡¯s this hard... how the hell are we going to fortify an entire underground cavern?¡±


    ¡°It isss quite the undertaking, I agree.¡± The snake said sibilantly. ¡°But we have achieved much that wasss consssidered impossssssible. Ssstrength of numbersss is a powerful thing. I have ssseen it.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I always like being on the side that outnumbers, not the one outnumbered, although damn, that almost never happens. Putting that aside, he took a deep breath, concentrating on the greatly diminished feeling of warmth in his lower body. The root chakra, right? To think such new age shit would be important in my life...


    ********


    ¡°Excuse me, you seem lost.¡± Aditi turned, clutching her bow to her chest. She was confronted with three very large men, all six feet tall, one dark-skinned, the other two white. For a moment, Aditi felt unnerved, before she realised that nothing bad would happen to her here. Oh no, I am afraid my courage has been quite shattered, since... since the betrayal. The little Indian woman held in a sigh. I have been given a second chance, to help the Princess. And I still carry the bow... Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only


    She smiled, though it still appeared a little forced. ¡°I am sorry gentlemen, I am merely taking a break. The view from up here is rather marvellous. It rivals the Tower of London, so it does.¡±


    ¡°English huh?¡± the lead man said. ¡°It¡¯s good that here there¡¯s a lot of people that speak it, back in Japan most of them speak moon runes.¡±


    Aditi¡¯s smile became more genuine. ¡°I think that is a little rude. Though I do understand English speakers tend to look down on other languages.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more that we¡¯re too lazy to learn. But we have to. Japanese classes are a pain, though we are persevering.¡±


    ¡°Aliyah would beat us up if we don¡¯t.¡± another of the men laughed. ¡°Aliyah has it easy, she¡¯s good with languages, Trey, not so much...¡±


    As the banter continued, Aditi finally relaxed, her smile now more genuine. ¡°I see. Yes, as a child I learned a number of languages, English among them. It can be difficult.¡± She looked out over the Territory, watching the inhabitants below. ¡°I like this place. It is so bustling, compared to London. Though that is starting to change...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seems like our big boss is in tight with your Princess, girl.¡± The man smiled broadly. ¡°I saw the news. Quite a press conference. So, are you like him and her, one of the Chosen, as they call them?¡±


    Aditi¡¯s smile froze, and she felt sick. On seeing that, the man scratched his cheek, embarrassed. ¡°Did I say the wrong thing?¡±


    Aditi squeezed shut her eyes, clutching her bow tightly. After a moment she opened them again, looking out over the magnificent view, the strange dark auroras overhead casting long, rippling shadows. ¡°No, you are not at fault, sir.¡±


    ¡°Sir, she calls you? Damn, that¡¯s one for the history books.¡± As they laughed, Aditi wondered if they would understand. Mary-Jane did, she knew, but... The Princess and Mr Reckless, they are kind, they sympathise, but they cannot know, what it was to have a gift taken away. Even if I never asked for it, it was a part of me.


    ¡°I... I was. But unfortunately, the power of Arjuna is no longer with me. I should have died.¡± she confessed. ¡°Those I trusted, they betrayed me, and left me for dead. Fortunately, the young gentleman from Japan, Mr Oshiro, he was able to save us. And... I do not wish for the Princess to fight alone, or have to carry the grief of our losses and failures. I would hate that.¡±


    ¡°I think nooot...¡± Hyacinth clouted her again, and Aditi laughed at the performance.


    ¡°Mr Goblin, do you not want to build a home for yourself, a better place? It is what the Princess wants. It is a lofty dream, but one I wanted to support...¡±


    ¡°And you still can, nooo?¡± Hyacinth said, her expression now kind. ¡°Akio will spare no effort aiding you. And strength is nooot measured simply by the favour you possess. Mistress Eri proves that. And...¡± she looked at Luciana, seeing the uniform, her eyes sparkling. ¡°Those who wear the coat of Adamant are nooot weak either.¡±


    Adamant? Setting that aside, Aditi addressed the goblin again. ¡°If you are concerned... maybe you could sit in on one of those border checks? Or am I overstepping my bounds as a guest to suggest such?¡±


    Hyacinth shrugged. ¡°It doooes not matter. It is only questions. We do nothing bad ooor cruel. As for your bounds, we listen to all. And Akio would definitely nooot wish to disparage an ally of Princess Eleanor.¡± She paused, grinning broadly. ¡°Akio does have a way with Princesses. I wonder... when will be the day I call her mistress?¡±


    As Hyacinth snickered, going off into her own world, Aditi was quite touched. ¡°We are endlessly grateful, especially Mary-Jane and I. Now, I wish to work hard. Perhaps I too one day could be considered an elite such as you?¡±


    At that, Luciana suddenly looked strained, and Aditi cocked her head, taking another sip of the dwindling wine. Now, to training. I am an archer, though my skills have worsened substantially. So... perhaps wind element? That was recommended to me...


    ********


    ¡°If you have anything to ask, you can.¡± The weaselkin said to the goblin, who had taken the advice of the people he had met to sit in on the identity and border check, as they were calling it. ¡°We are-are interested in the method of entry. It would not do to have infiltrators from the Wild Hunt or Unseelie slip in to do mischief, although...¡± the weaselkin looked uncomfortable for a moment.


    Although? The goblin was still wary around those Fae races from the seven surviving branches, being as like the giants and the trolls, goblins were seen as traitorous and treacherous, Unseelie sympathisers at best. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± the goblin asked, curious.


    ¡°Not-not exactly. It is simply that the princess says that were the intruders actually Unseelie or other foes here not to do harm, but to claim asylum, we would consider them. Many enemies have become friends. Though such would need to wait for further, more exacting questioning. The-the suspicious ones are detained, with all-all comfort and respect, until the princess or another with the skills to determine truth from falsehoods is free.¡± The weaselkin looked aggrieved at that. ¡°The princess has many-many demands on her time. All should be grateful that she spends her precious efforts on such visitors.¡± The weaselkin realised he had misspoke and moderated his tone. ¡°Though of course, those who come will no-no malice are welcomed.¡±


    I see. Old contempt lingers, though I should be grateful they are making an effort, I suppose. Us, the kobolds, other races of ill-repute, their feelings for us will not change swiftly. Remembering the precious cargo they had secreted in this Territory, in his very home, it did make him feel nervous. This is the final hope of the goblins. We chose this place as the rumours made it out to be a safe haven, and so far it has been, but the heightened tension regarding immigrants, money... it is of some concern.


    Once inside the small building that served as an interrogation chamber, which was not as bleak and bare as the goblin expected, the weaselkin he was with took a seat, pulling a chair for the goblin as well. Once seated, the door opened and several goblins came in, poorly dressed in rags and looking haggard and downtrodden. They looked scared when they saw the weaselkin warrior who was well-armed and equipped, before calming down when they saw the goblin, eyes going wide. Fortunately they kept their mouths shut. Yes, say nothing. I am just an ordinary wanderer, who has ended up here, searching for a place to belong. Nothing more.


    ¡°You three...¡± the weaselkin said. ¡°...there is no-no need for concern. This is merely a routine identity check...¡± the weaselkin spoke the words as if learned by rote. ¡°If you came here seeking a place to live, there will be no problems. But your entry was irregular.¡±


    Of course. There are many of us who smuggle in others. We are long used to doing such in the lands of the Seelie. Wait... I see. Since lesser, downtrodden races often managed to pass by the security measures of the Court, it made sense they assumed that the Wild Hunt might use similar methods. I cannot see how those hate-filled monsters could use the same methods as we do, but...


    ¡°We... we were scared. Rumour is that all are welcome here, and that shelter and plenty is available for all.¡± one goblin ventured nervously. ¡°But... we are used to persecution and contempt. We did not wish to travel to the Spring and come that way, so...¡±


    ¡°The reasons are not-not so important.¡± The weaselkin sighed. ¡°What matters is how. The Territory barrier seems rather porous, this bodes ill for security.¡± His eyes were hard. ¡°Please disclose your methods, for if they are not closed off, if our enemies use them... well, you would not wish for your-your home, families and friends to be caught up in destruction, like so many lives in the Seelie Court?¡±


    The goblins looked extremely troubled, glancing at the goblin who had come to witness the interrogation, their eyes pleading. I can see I shall have to intervene. It is a leap of trust, but...hard times come for us all, but who we face them with... the human woman speaks truly. ¡°I believe there is no need for this. I understand the method.¡± he said, and the goblins across from him seemed surprised he would speak.


    ¡°Oh, interesting. And how...¡± the weaselkin asked, curious. ¡°... do you know-know that?¡±


    ¡°I am a goblin.¡± He said proudly. ¡°Of course I am aware. It is rather simple, and no threat, I assure you. We are simply too small, too insignificant to attract notice, and with the lack of malice in our hearts...¡± As he explained the three goblins cautiously added their own agreement, filling in a few small points, such as that they were automatically welcomed in any place that contained Seelie goblins, as all goblins would strive to invite and protect other goblins, and soon the interrogation was over, the goblins released. Once outside, the newcomers were shocked.


    ¡°To have you come collect us personally...¡± one said, and another chimed in that he was terrified of the weaselkin. As they walked through the bustling streets of the Territory, they shot wary glances at the Fae and mortals who were coming and going.


    ¡°I am no one special. I simply provide shelter to those who carried the treasure. By the first goblin, they are arrogant and annoying. At least most of them work now and have escaped the interrogation you endured. But we cannot draw too much attention.¡± They passed a testing site, where numerous ratkin and weaselkin as well as humans and other stranger races were testing some new-fangled devices, the smell of elemental energies heavy in the air, as loud roars sounded, some strange projectiles flying faster than arrows and destroying targets. Something about the sight, the sound and the smells made his heart ache, eager. ¡°Do not mind it. Just be glad you are here. Now... you will have to find a role. I will not tolerate any more freeloaders like the chieftain. And whatever your clan, do not be like him. We are all goblins, even if the lineage to the first goblin is thin or broken for many. There is enough hatred without us adding to it ourselves.¡±


    Soon they were at his humble, yet comfortable house. It was mercifully emptier. Most of the goblins had found their own homes, and now it was just the chieftain and his sons that remained, bothering him.


    ¡°I have returned.¡± The goblin called, and the chieftain greeted him, eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Newcomers?¡± he asked, and the goblin nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Do not cause any trouble. We are all goblins, under the first goblin.¡± He said, keeping calm. ¡°It is known.¡±


    ¡°It is known.¡± The other goblins said piously. One then ventured a diffident question. ¡°Is... is it here?¡±


    The chieftain nodded proudly. ¡°Yes, we have carried the treasure to safety, our truest link to the first goblin, the hope of our revival.¡±


    ¡°Can... can we see it?¡± another asked reverently.


    ¡°Which clan are you?¡± the chieftain asked, suspicious, and the goblin whose house it was roared angrily.


    ¡°I told you, cease your foolishness. There are too few of us left, compared to the corrupt and the traitors, those of the Unseelie, Wild Hunt and the cannibal tribes of the outer lands. All goblins are one goblin, part of the first goblin. You know that!¡±


    ¡°It is known.¡± The goblins echoed, and even the chieftain followed it with a grudging agreement.


    ¡°If the Seelie take it from us... I am just doing my duty, as the last chieftain who carries the blood of the first goblin.¡± He said, placating. ¡°I... most of my kin have started working, blending in, as you wished. I have given you ample respect!¡±


    ¡°And I am grateful.¡± The chieftain is such a pain. But he is right. He is the latest to carry the treasure. For that he deserves some respect, if little else. ¡°I share your concerns, events recently have changed, but... I have asked and investigated, and it does not seem like a return of the old intolerance. I was shown freely what the Fae do here, and why they do it. I cannot say I entirely understand, but... I still have hope. We need hope. So give these newcomers a little.¡±


    The chieftain grumbled, but finally agreed. Reverently, the hidden cavity the goblins had created in the floor was unsealed, and the treasure within was lifted out carefully, a block of dull crystal wrapped in a faded, threadbare cloak. Placing it down, the cloak was removed, revealing a shadow within, and everyone bowed their heads, the goblin whose home it was being no exception.


    ¡°Blood of the first.¡± The chieftain called, as did the other goblins, tears in the eyes of the newcomer. ¡°Blood of the first, last of the first. The first and the last is a cycle. What falls can rise again. It is known.¡±


    ¡°What falls can rise again. It is known.¡± They echoed, and the goblin nodded, looking down at the shadow in the crystal. What falls can rise again. The goblins have fallen far. Less than one for every hundred remains alive and uncorrupted. The lineage of the first goblin nearly vanished. Yet... his gaze went back to the window, through which he could see the great Rhyming Tree in the distance, casting radiance and verdant energies over the land. Perhaps in this place, we can take root and prosper, what has fallen rising again. And if it does... then we need to break the cycle, for what rises again must not fall, not this time. And for that... Not realising that the shimmer of the crystal was mostly tears in his eyes, the goblin vowed to himself he would never let that happen. We have cowered and hidden too much and for too long. The dangerous maid said it true. All who wish for a world have a duty to preserve that world. So how can we do it? His fingers twitched, and he remembered the roar of the strange weapons, and his heart was uplifted. This money. If we have that, it shows we have contributed, and will be valued... I believe it is time for me to stop doing odd jobs and manual labour. If I am to change the lot of our kind, I must be bolder, more... experimental...

 Side One Hundred And Forty-Nine – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Forty-Nine ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°...I know you¡¯re all starting to get restless, since winter break is coming up, your last winter break.¡± the teacher said, her smile kind. ¡°I¡¯m not old enough to have forgotten that feeling, you know.¡± Slight laughter echoed in the classroom at that. ¡°But don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s still your final exams coming up after the break, so you need to study, all right? Once those are out of the way, then you can relax and enjoy the final days of your school life.¡±


    One student, one of the least memorable girls in class, put her hand up after shooting me a glance. ¡°But teacher, it doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? It¡¯s not like most of us are going to be leaving Nishimorioka anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bad attitude, Omoi-san.¡± The teacher smiled nostalgically. ¡°After all, it¡¯s not like nobody leaves our town, is it?¡± She glanced at the empty seat, and my eyes followed hers. It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll see you again soon, Eri. I can¡¯t wait. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there for you during your rehabilitation, me and my bro will make sure you recover and are happy. The others too... ¡°I know Mori-san is missed, but I see her for some of her remote lessons. And her fiance? is taking good care of her. Now he¡¯s probably Nishimorioka¡¯s most famous citizen, and he left too.¡±


    I saw everyone turn to me, and I could feel my face heating up. Raising one hand I waved off the praise, though it felt good everyone was finally looking up to my bro. ¡°We¡¯re not talking about him right now. Besides... I¡¯m studying.¡± In fact, I¡¯m already sure I¡¯ll pass the entrance exam, after all, not even counting my English and my skill that helps with maths, my memory and learning speed are off the charts now.


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± the teacher said, and I was embarrassed by her fond and amused expression. ¡°I can¡¯t say you¡¯ve ever been a top student, Oshiro-san, but you¡¯ve never given me any real trouble.¡± Her expression changed to one of pride. ¡°And now you¡¯re moving to Tokyo too. Don¡¯t forget about us here in our small town when you make it big.¡±


    I waved that off as well. ¡°How could I? Nishimorioka¡¯s our home. But home is also where my family is, where bro and Eri, Shaeula and the others are.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I¡¯ll miss everyone, but I¡¯m excited for my new life. Besides...¡± I grinned. ¡°My new home is going to be amazing. It looks out over the bay... maybe I¡¯ll ask bro to get me a yacht.¡± I bragged.


    ¡°That sounds lovely. I¡¯m so jealous.¡± our teacher said good-naturedly. ¡°Maybe I should see if your brother likes older women.¡±


    There was more laughter, and Rika-chan quipped that she should be careful of making jokes, as my bro was indiscriminate. I puffed out my cheeks at that, annoyed. ¡°He¡¯s not indiscriminate! Everyone¡¯s got their own charms.¡±


    ¡°We know you¡¯ll always defend your brother, Oshiro-san.¡± our teacher said. ¡°Families should look after each other. That¡¯s the Nishimorioka way. Don¡¯t forget it or us.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I won¡¯t!¡± I promised again. ¡°Hinata-chan says I can come back any time I want, and I don¡¯t even have to take the train. Besides...¡± There was one issue that was concerning me, and my bro was worried too. I¡¯ll have to sort it out before I go, and we might need to come back a few times... ¡°No, never mind. Just that I¡¯m only going to Tokyo. It may seem far away, but the world¡¯s actually pretty small, you know.¡±


    ¡°Maybe for you.¡± one boy said wistfully. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Our teacher clapped her hands. ¡°We might as well finish up, I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s eager to go home. Just remember, you never know where life will take you. Before all this, could we ever have imagined that the world would end up like this, with magic and mayhem? But...¡± she smiled then, and I thought our teacher was a good one, always kind to us. ¡°...hard work will never betray you. Whether you are going to University or not, knowledge will always help you, and you never know whether good exam scores will open a door that remains closed for you otherwise. Do you think Oshiro-san¡¯s brother regrets his efforts? I don¡¯t think so.¡±Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com


    Me neither. One thing bro told me was that any experience, learning or talent might be the key to victory, or learning a new, overpowered skill. Besides, if I¡¯m going to live with my bro, fight beside him and the others, I can¡¯t let them down... I was lost in thought until our teacher left, and Yae-chan disturbed me.


    ¡°So, Ai-chan...¡± Yae-chan said, twirling a few strands of her bleached blonde hair idly with her fingers, the sparkling of the earrings my bro had bought her drawing my attention. ¡°...I¡¯m a little mad, you know.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I raised an eyebrow, surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t recall doing anything to annoy the pair of you.¡±


    Rika-chan raised her hands, her own earrings sparkling. I guess they are nice earrings. No harm in wearing them. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was upset, Ai-chan. I¡¯m a bit jealous, but why wouldn¡¯t I be? I¡¯ve seen the pictures of your new home. Although...¡± she smiled slyly. ¡°That¡¯s the one for your family and Ri-Ri¡¯s, right? You can¡¯t tell me that you won¡¯t worm your way into Akio-kun¡¯s house, right?¡±


    You might be right, it¡¯d be fun to live with Eri and the other girls, but the way you say it pisses me off a little! But it doesn¡¯t really matter, Hinata-chan says it¡¯s all on the same estate, so this house or that house, who cares? I smiled proudly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a really great house.¡± She boasted again. ¡°So, Yae-chan, what have I done to annoy you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, Aiko-chan.¡± Tomoko-chan sniggered, joining in. Almost nobody had left the classroom, despite the school day having finished, and while I was planning to go to the Kyu?do? range for some practice before the Boundary later, nobody was leaving for their club activities either. As everyone watched, she elaborated. ¡°She¡¯s all bitter than you get to go live with your bro. Yae-chan¡¯s totally still got a thing for him too. Can¡¯t say I blame her.¡± She paused at my searching look, the dumb yet cheerful volleyball girl flushing. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Aiko-chan. I¡¯m not after you brother. I wouldn¡¯t dare. But... you have to face facts, girl. It¡¯s not just you and Mori-san who dote on him now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall being doting...¡± I objected, face red.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If anything, it was always Oshiro-san who was devoted to her and Mori-san.¡± another classmate agreed, which just made my face hotter. It¡¯s true, but it doesn¡¯t make it any less embarrassing to hear. Wow, no, what little sister shouldn¡¯t be the apple of her bro¡¯s eye? That¡¯s just the way of the world, nothing to be ashamed of.


    ¡°Look, your brother is the hottest celebrity going right now.¡± Tomoko-chan said, and her expression was wicked and smug, not really suiting her innocent face, if you asked me. ¡°I have something you might not have seen...¡± she said, reaching for her kitbag. She pulled out her jersey, which puzzled everyone. I heard snickering, and realising that her spare underwear for after practise was in full view, she flushed and pushed it back in, before zipping her bag again. ¡°...everyone, forget that. Such plain underwear... no, never mind that. Aiko-chan, you speak English, so you can read this. I had to order it specially. The postage was a little brutal. I don¡¯t get much allowance.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense.¡± someone urged, and Tomoko-chan milked the moment, before finally unwrapping the jersey, and my eyes went wide. No way, why didn¡¯t I know about this? Oh yeah, I don¡¯t actually have time to spend time trawling the internet, I¡¯m too busy actually helping bro out... It was a magazine, British Vogue, and the front cover...


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s him. And the Princess of Britain, right?¡± One girl said, and I nodded, complicated feelings inside me.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my bro.¡± I admitted, his grey eyes staring at us flintily from the cover, while the Princess was wearing a blue gown. ¡°What the hell is he doing on a magazine cover? Rumours about the heroes of Britain? Ugh...¡± I rubbed at my temples, as Tomoko-chan opened it up as though it was a precious treasure, flipping pages, until we reached the articles on my bro. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s photos of Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan, Hyacinth, Shiro, Shaeula... let me see.¡± I snatched the magazine, too fast for Tomoko-chan to react. ¡°Inside scoop on the heroes of Britain, a true Japanese battle harem? Wow, that headline reeks of crap.¡± I swore, cringing. I mean, it¡¯s true, but it totally belittles Japanese culture! Though Shaeula would laugh, for sure...


    I continued to read it. It was a sensationalist piece, mostly rumour, but it did have some very nice photographs, probably taken at the ball my bro and the girls went to before, as well as the press conference. There were a few other Chosen in the articles too, but my bro and the Princess occupied centre stage. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Oh come on. This is nonsense, although... was it, really? I mean, my bro was pretty friendly with our Imperial Princess, and he had saved Princess Eleanor¡¯s life, I knew that, the Queen and British Prime Minister even said so... ¡°Secret romance. Princess Eleanor falls for foreign knight in shining armour...¡± I read the headline. Skimming the rest, I snorted. ¡°Thought so, there¡¯s nothing to it. Though... quick question.¡± I said, curious. ¡°If you were in the position of this Princess, how would you feel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tough one.¡± Rika-chan said, giggling. ¡°No need to ask Yae-chan. She¡¯s still carrying a torch for your brother, even though she¡¯s got no chance.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s rude Rika!¡± she protested, before Rika-chan spoke over her.


    ¡°Me, I admit, first time he came to Nishimorioka and showed off, I thought he was cool. But I¡¯m not a fool. I know I¡¯m decently cute, and I think I¡¯m a good catch, but I¡¯ll find someone more on my level. Aiming too high only hurts.¡± Her expression was solemn. ¡°But... if he saved my life, and the lives of those I cared about... it¡¯d have to make an impact.¡±


    ¡°It... when Aki pulverised Masaki-kun and Kenji-kun at the baseball, he was awesome.¡± Yae-chan admitted, looking wistful, hands toying with her earrings. ¡°Then we had the date he won, and it was... it was special, you know? It felt so adult. Like I was a princess.¡± She sighed. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to tell me I need to give up. I think that a lot, but then...¡± she looked at me, and her eyes were earnest, and her expression pained. ¡°...you took us to meet him, and we gained these powers. And it was like the embers that had died down flared up again, you know? He gave me such a precious gift, something money can¡¯t buy, and ...¡± she looked so down that I felt awful. ¡°... I couldn¡¯t help but hope there was a chance. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t even care I¡¯m not the only one. I¡¯m so stupid. Before, if a boy cheated on me, I¡¯d be angry and dump him, but...¡±


    ¡°Oh. Shit.¡± I swore again, from the heart. Yeah. I do feel bad now. I made a horrible mistake there. But... I still don¡¯t regret it. There¡¯s nothing more precious in this world than power. I saw that ever since Eri was torn apart in front of my eyes. A little pain now, for such a reward... yet... I pulled the surprised Yae-chan into a hug, not caring everyone was watching. Pushing her face into my chest, I stroked her head, like my bro used to do for me, and I tried to ignore the dampness I could feel spreading on my shirt as she sniffled. Sure hope that¡¯s tears and not snot. ¡°You know, it¡¯s just a crush. There¡¯s plenty of good guys out there, Yae-chan, there must be. But... it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get it. I think you¡¯d get on well with Kana-chan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her.¡± Rika-chan remembered her from their brief visit to Tokyo. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say so. Look, Yae.¡± She said to her depressed friend. ¡°It¡¯s up to you how you feel. But... don¡¯t be doing this now. We look awful when our makeup runs, and... Ai-chan wants happy memories before she leaves town. Besides...¡± she flexed her arm. ¡°One thing is true. Akio-kun liked us enough to help us, or at least he did it for Ai-chan. Either way... I¡¯m not staying here forever either. I¡¯m following to Tokyo.¡± She winked at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be just anybody, I want to be a somebody. And the best way to do that is to work for your brother, right Ai-chan? He wouldn¡¯t turn us down. So... Yae. Honestly I think you¡¯ll get over it. You don¡¯t even know him that well, really. But if you honestly don¡¯t or can¡¯t...¡± she looked at me and I nodded.


    ¡°Look, my bro¡¯s an idiot when it comes to women. He¡¯s not dense like he used to be... no, most of that was probably deliberate. But... the easy way into his heart is gone. Bad luck for you.¡± I joked to soften the blow. ¡°But if you genuinely can¡¯t give up, I¡¯ll speak to him. I¡¯m not saying he¡¯ll date you or anything like that, but...¡± I shrugged. ¡°Come over in the spring when school¡¯s finished, and I¡¯ll make sure he gives you a job. Then it¡¯s up to your own charms.¡± I mean, Yae-chan is pretty, though I don¡¯t think bro is overly keen on gal fashion, he likes his girls natural like Eri. But... he does bear some responsibility. If he wasn¡¯t such a bully during the baseball, then following Shaeula¡¯s orders to honour the wager... wait, it¡¯s kind of all our faults. Damn... a guilty conscience is a terrible thing. I patted her head gently. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re a catch, so if you give up on my bro, you¡¯d have a boyfriend in no time. It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t had a number in the past...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound loose.¡± She snorted, her voice trying to sound brave. ¡°All I did was kiss and show off a little.¡± She shook free from my grasp, fixing her hair and rubbing at her smeared eyes and cheeks. ¡°Ugh, so embarrassing. I¡¯m a grown woman, I shouldn¡¯t be crying. But...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I get it. So, it¡¯s up to you. But before any of that...¡± I handed the magazine back to Tomoko-chan. ¡°... interesting read. All a load of rubbish, but... yeah, bro¡¯s sure popular nowadays.¡±


    ¡°He is.¡± One of the two pervert kings spoke up. He quivered a little under my sudden gaze, but he remembered that he had talked to me a decent amount these last few weeks. Only so I could learn more tips and tricks on how to use my abilities creatively. The fact I deign to acknowledge their perverted existence should be reward enough. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t know, Aiko-chan...¡± my lips quirked into a brief scowl at his over-familiarity but I let it slide, since I was leaving town shortly.


    ¡°Know what?¡± I asked, and he brought out his phone. No way I¡¯m touching that screen. I know what he watches on it...


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s going to be a special programme at the weekend. It looks like your brother is going to be on it, as well as that actress, Arisugawa Arisu-chan. She is so hot. It¡¯s that cold glare...¡± he smiled, and I resisted the urge to hit him. Yeah, she is beautiful, but I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s a scary one. But she¡¯s in bro¡¯s camp, so... guess I¡¯ll get to know her.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about? Bro¡¯s been out of touch for a few days, some big stuff going down.¡± I said, curious, and the boy grinned, and I resisted the urge to throw a fireball at him and set his greasy smile alight.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Q and A session about Chosen and also about the upcoming charity concert. Apparently there¡¯ll be some idols on the show as well. Get this, Kanzaki-chan from AKB48 says her ideal boyfriend would be your brother.¡± he said, and I skimmed the article, shaking my head.


    ¡°Yeah, everyone knows idols can¡¯t have a boyfriend, or you otaku go nuts and hate them.¡± I said scornfully. ¡°I think that¡¯s just a safe answer. It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll ever have the chance with my bro. Although...¡± I still have Tamami-chan¡¯s phone number. Awesome, she lives not too far from our new home, right? Wonder if we can meet up...


    ¡°It¡¯s a nationwide broadcast. That¡¯s lucky...¡± Tomoko-chan giggled. ¡°We should all get together and watch it. It won¡¯t be half as fun without Aiko-chan to tease, but...¡± As they talked and joked, I looked at Yae-chan, biting my lip. Seriously girl, there¡¯s no point making yourself miserable, but then... I know the pain of wanting something I can¡¯t have, and then the joy of getting it. I slapped the two girls lightly on the shoulder, surprising them, my mind made up.


    ¡°So when I¡¯m gone... I¡¯m a bit worried.¡± I said, and the great brown dog looked at me, his face unconcerned. Though it¡¯s a bit odd how I can tell what a dog¡¯s feelings are. I have to say, after visiting the shrine nearly every night, I¡¯m not so scared of dogs anymore at least. ¡°I know my bro values the shrine a lot. And we don¡¯t want poor Marika-chan to be sad either. So you have to stay safe. I¡¯d have set up a Territory here, but... I was always going to follow my bro one day.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Brocon queen Ai-chan would never do anything else.¡± Yae-chan teased me, looking more cheerful now that her course was set. She¡¯s got time to prepare, so... good luck, I guess? But... it¡¯s still fifty-fifty how it¡¯ll all work out. Her tone became darker. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can help much though. To think Aki gave us this power, he favoured us, whatever the reason, and we¡¯re useless.¡±


    Wow, okay, so her joy quickly faded. Damn, girls are complicated. I almost feel sympathy for my bro having to deal with us all... I was going to speak reassuringly, but luckily, after giving me a meaningful look, Rika-chan did it for me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Yae. The thing that everyone likes most about us gals is that we are flashy, fun and cheerful. If you¡¯re a moping, gloomy girl, then nobody is going to be interested in you, except maybe the two perverts in our class.¡±


    Yae-chan looked sick at that. ¡°Yuck, no way. I¡¯d rather date you or Ai-chan! You¡¯re right.¡± she sighed. ¡°But then...¡± she pointed at me triumphantly. ¡°Weren¡¯t you moaning and sighing over being left behind by Eri for weeks before this? You don¡¯t get to criticise.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Wow, you got me there.¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different though, I¡¯m his precious sister and her best friend. You two... I wouldn¡¯t say you are hangers-on, but... no, I guess getting yourselves involved shows you¡¯re smart. But everyone starts out this way. It¡¯s frustrating, but we have to do the basics.¡±


    ¡°Aether Manipulation, and strengthening our Silver Cords and Chakra networks, right?¡± Yae-san nodded. ¡°They are the basis of everything, you¡¯ve told us often enough that I hear it in my sleep.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Bro and Shaeula both say that stat gains are mostly dictated by the level of those, and since you don¡¯t have any elements... uh, don¡¯t worry about that. You¡¯ll pick up one or two when you go to Tokyo for longer than a weekend. Don¡¯t even think of trying for the fire element on your own.¡± I warned. ¡°Sure, if you got burned we could fly you out for healing, but the Boundary isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°You have done well, grr, clearing out most of the dangerous natives.¡± Chairo declared, and several of his adherents barked their agreement. ¡°Our shrine should be safe, barring great mischance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But... oh, I can¡¯t do anything about it anyway. What I will ask is that you keep Rika-chan and Yae-chan safe while I¡¯m gone.¡± I told them again only to use the shrine for their trips since I wasn¡¯t there to protect them, and they laughed and told me I was like a nagging uncle, telling them repeatedly.


    ¡°All right then. We should go. One last sweep of the area.¡± The statues that looked like Eri and the others, just much larger and in shimmering gold, appeared, holding their weapons.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯d be cool to have one of me...¡± Yae-chan began, before flushing, embarrassed. ¡°Not because of that! I mean, come on, even Ri-Ri looks awesome here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll choose to believe you.¡± I quipped. ¡°Come on. You pair can¡¯t level up, but I can still, not that the pickings are rich here. But you can practise as we go.¡± We proceeded to head around the mountains. Most of the creatures here were large insects, nothing too dangerous, and I found another of the shiny coloured crystals bro called Etherites. Just a red one, but now I have four. I¡¯ll give them to him as a gift...


    We ended up close to the area where the natural flame element was, and seeing the pleading gaze Yae-chan was giving me, I sighed, and we went over. ¡°All right. You can give it a try this once. I doubt it¡¯ll amount to much, but... consider it a favour from me.¡±


    ¡°So generous.¡± Rika-chan sniffed. She wasn¡¯t as eager as Yae-chan, but she too wanted to be special, and knew that maybe more than academics, having abilities and skills was the ticket to a prosperous future. Though their grades have gone from below average to pretty decent.


    As they practised drawing in the fire element, I once more wished I had bro¡¯s Eye, or Shaeula¡¯s. My plans have changed a little as I took this Divine Favour, so I can take a combat role too, but I still want my day job to be a Chirurgeon and Ether Healer, an instructor and trainer. I think it¡¯d be very satisfying, helping everyone around me grow stronger...


    Keeping a couple of the golden sisters around me, I sent the others out hunting. I had cleared nests of giant ants from here a number of times, and they kept coming back. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but it was all experience points. For a while I enjoyed the leisurely time, looking up at the aurora streaked sky or occasionally offering my two frustrated friends advice, when suddenly one of my golden sisters collapsed, destroyed. Wow, what? I immediately became alert. I couldn¡¯t send them too far from me, otherwise they would only defend themselves, but even so, the destruction was too sudden. It came from that direction... pulling the remaining sisters back, I hurried over to the fashionable duo. ¡°Enough training. There¡¯s trouble...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Yae-chan said, eyes wide. ¡°So what do we do?¡± As my sisters crested the hill, returning to me, the rearmost one was attacked. It countered, swinging a heavy sword, but it was soon defeated. No way, a second? But I felt it hit something...


    ¡°I suggest we head back towards the shrine. With the steps it¡¯s easier to defend...¡± I began only for a boulder to fly out and strike one of my golden statues, sending it staggering. Rika-chan let out a cry, and I felt panic rise. ¡°Come on, go, go!¡± I urged. One statue, the Eri lookalike, was sent to guard them, while I readied flame and sunlight. Another rock was thrown, the size of a television, and I unleashed the flame, trying to block it, yet all that did was scatter sparks. The boulder was struck by my other two warriors, and as it was knocked aside, I heard a loud, rumbling laugh.


    ¡°Gwa har ha. Not bad, not bad.¡± the rough voice said, and I saw that a massive, nearly three metre tall figure was coming, dragging along a huge club that was effectively a small sapling, leaving a furrow in the ground. With gleaming purple eyes and long horns curving from a surprisingly attractive face, in a feral, angry sort of way, it, no she glowered at me, and for a moment my breath was taken away. Wow, so huge... uh, not that it¡¯s the time for that...


    ¡°These little tin humans take a few strikes of my club...¡± she slammed it down, and I realised her crude leather clothes had been cut, and on her cleavage there was an open wound, dark blood dripping, silver mist rising. ¡°... not bad. One even cut me... but scars are a sign of a good fight.¡± The woman gnashed her tusk-like teeth, laughing again.


    ¡°Oni...¡± I breathed, worried, as this was clearly the strongest foe I had ever encountered.


    ¡°Yes, I am a wandering Oni, forced from my home, mwah gu ha!¡± the odd laughter set my teeth on edge. ¡°Now I am hungry, and I can¡¯t eat metal.¡± She swung her club, the whistling sound it made as it lashed through the air making me feel sick. ¡°But what do I find here but three tender girls...¡± As Yae-chan and Rika-chan hugged each other, afraid, I yelled at them to run, and the golden sister dropped its axe and grabbed them both, before taking off at a run.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± the Oni laughed again. ¡°I don¡¯t think so...¡± As it moved, I unleashed the sisters, as well as beams of sunlight. The Oni dodged, and as its club battered against one of my warriors, the tree exploded, the shards igniting. The Oni looked down, puzzled, before tossing it aside, and punching, the sister¡¯s head turned at a ninety degree angle.


    Damn, I wish bro was here, he¡¯d take down the big bitch. Shaeula or Hyacinth would be nice too... I ordered the sisters to attack, to buy more time for Rika-chan and Yae-chan to escape, and the Oni roared with laughter. I unleashed fire and light, and soon more blood was blooming. A sword struck the Oni, piercing her leather and tough skin, but she then ripped the arm clean off, and as the blade burst into aether, she headbutted the sister, knocking it over. Blood was on her forehead, and she laughed happily, batting aside another beam of light, even as it burned a hole in her palm. ¡°You¡¯re good, girl. Eating strong and young warriors is always a joy!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but nobody is eating me!¡± I said, sweating, as my mind raced. I might get lucky. I¡¯m hurting her, so a lucky hit would do it, but... she¡¯s too fast. I reached for my bow, pulling an arrow, and I loosed it, bursting it into flame, dazzling the Oni. I used that opportunity to scuttle backwards, supporting my remaining defender, only for the Oni to grab it and use it as a shield, before breaking it. An arrow caught the Oni in the shoulder, and she hissed, pulling it free, skin burned, before snapping the shaft casually.


    ¡°A good arrow. But I am not so easily brought down, nya gwa ha!¡± she said, chuckling. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to it. Those other rabbits are escaping.¡± As the Oni surged towards me I reached for another arrow, only to fumble it. Sweating, I bent down swiftly, grabbing for it, only for the Oni to stop, puzzled and wary. I looked up, surprised and relieved, my legs trembling, and a suspicion that if this was the Material I¡¯d have damp underwear, only to look down again, to see the black stone pendant my bro gave me dangling free from the front of my jerkin.


    ¡°You... what connection do you have to those bastards?¡± she said, suddenly wary. ¡°You¡¯re no yo?kai, girl. I may be big, but my brains are as big as my tits, mwa ya ha!¡±


    Is this the time for jokes? Shakily pushing myself upright, I groaned, the weight of her League a nuisance. ¡°I have lots of connections, I¡¯m an important girl.¡± I insisted. ¡°My bro¡¯s woman, she¡¯s one of the Night Parade, you know. Hyakki Yagyo?, heard of them?¡±


    ¡°Your brother? Is he a yo?kai?¡± the Oni seemed puzzled.


    Okay, we have dialogue. That¡¯s better than me getting battered by those fists. And it buys time at least... Ignoring the silvery sweat that drenched my back, I shrugged. ¡°No, my bro¡¯s... uh, sort of half-human, half-Fae? I think. It¡¯s complicated. But he¡¯s in huge with the Seelie Court, heard of them? And his girlfriend is a Kamaitachi, and her mother is apparently one of the Parade big shots. Uh... Urakaze? Yeah, that was it.¡±


    The Oni was more puzzled. ¡°That seems... strange. And those on the sacred mountain?¡±


    Sacred mountain? No idea, but... bluffing seems a good plan. ¡°Like I said, my bro is in tight with everyone. You¡¯ve heard of alliance by marriage, right? He¡¯s got girls from all the major factions, so messing with him is messing with all of them. And I¡¯m his beloved sister of course, so that¡¯d be even worse.¡±


    The Oni glowered at her, thinking about it. ¡°Maybe nobody would know, if I ate you here, huh hah har.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. The two who fled will be reporting back even now.¡± I threatened, and the Oni sighed, sitting down, and I sagged, relieved at the change in her mood, as her aura of belligerence dissipated. Thanks bro. I know you told me this could ward off misfortune, and you were right!


    ¡°A shame. It¡¯s been a while since I have seen mortals in this land. Times have changed. So...¡± she stretched, and I had to agree her tits were ginormous. Even for her giant size, they are like something out of anime. The bad sort that bro won¡¯t admit to having on his hard drive... ¡°What are you going to do? I broke your little toys.¡±


    Smiling, I poured out my energy, and two of them returned, standing beside me. ¡°No bother.¡± I bluffed. ¡°It¡¯s a bit annoying, but I can see this is all a misunderstanding. So, uh... what brings you to Nishimorioka? There¡¯s nothing out here of any note...¡±


    ¡°A few innocent disputes. Gwa har ha.¡± The Oni laughed, then sighed, a great cavernous belch of wind I could smell, my nose itching. ¡°Most Oni are weak nowadays. Not like the true legends, such as the Red and Blue, or O?takemaru.¡± She paused. ¡°Hey, if your brother has a wife from the Hyakki Yagyo?, he must know those Oni, right?¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°I have always admired the great Red. Maybe...¡±


    Oh man, this is classic... I¡¯m always getting involved in love troubles due to bro, but this is definitely a first... The Oni was blushing like a schoolgirl having her first crush. ¡°...do you think I can get an introduction? I have been training for centuries to be good enough to join the Parade...¡±


    ¡°Uh, in theory that¡¯s totally doable...¡± I said, clutching the pendant tightly. ¡°...but even if our little misunderstanding here is set aside... I can¡¯t just do it for free. I don¡¯t know you and I don¡¯t want to cause my bro any embarrassment.¡±


    ¡°A good sister, I see.¡± The Oni nodded. ¡°I... perhaps I can do you a favour? Maybe you have enemies who need crushing? I am always looking for a good fight.¡±


    A favour, huh? I don¡¯t know, but... ¡°Okay then, how about this? I¡¯m actually planning on meeting my bro shortly. It might take a while before he can come see you personally, but in the meantime...¡± Is this what it feels like to be my bro, turning disaster into opportunity, Fortune scoring a lucky hit? If so... though I was outwardly smiling, I shuddered, my whole body drenched with perspiration. ...I can¡¯t call him weak-willed anymore. This sort of thing is scary as hell...

 Side One Hundred And Fifty – Arisugawa Arisu

    Side One Hundred And Fifty ¨C Arisugawa Arisu


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Arisu snorted at the words of the middle-aged man in front of her. He was hiding his slightly balding head with a director-style cap, and he was running to fat a little. Even so, his voice was as bold and forward as ever. Resisting the urge to curl her lip into a sneer, she continued to listen, her dark eyes fixed on him giving off an ominous presence, which the man seemed to feel, as he paused for a moment, smile slipping, before he plastered it back on, and spoke again.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask if you were keeping well, Arisu-chan, but... you must be very happy right now. Vindication is the sweetest thing, right?¡±


    Vindication? You think that is all I desire? Fool man. You haven¡¯t changed much inside, even if you are getting old now. ¡°Get to the point, Miyauchi-san. I am a very busy woman, though you might not think so.¡±


    ¡°So cold.¡± The man laughed. ¡°You should call me Masaki like you used to, Arisu-chan. After all, didn¡¯t FujiTV stand alone in supporting you when the scandal hit?¡±


    A muscle twitched in her cheek, the only sign that Arisu was in an extremely bad mood, her practised and once-legendary acting ability keeping her expression composed. Resisting the urge to strangle the man in front of her, or to open her Room and slice him in half, she instead contented herself by reaching out and grabbing the hot coffee in front of her, taking a sip. He does remember how I like it, even after several years. Much as I despise the man, Miyauchi is no fool. Yet I can not allow this to pass unquestioned. I am done appeasing fools. ¡°Supporting me?¡± she tilted her head, placing one hand on her cheek, elegant fingers spread out, her nails, varnished in black, neatly trimmed, giving her a melancholy, grim look. Just like one of my past roles... ¡°I think we must remember things differently, Miyauchi-san.¡± Emphasising his name in such a way showed her displeasure and the distance between them now. ¡°Yes, I will concede that your coverage at FujiTV stopped short of calling me guilty, like all the other channels, but you hardly called me innocent either. The tone of your coverage was rather... salacious.¡±


    He waved one hand desperately, and sweat was running down his brow from under his cap as he quivered under her gaze, somehow feeling it was more intense and dangerous than even her acting roles as a villainess in a live-action adaptation of a famous book. ¡°You were a rising star, the rising star, Arisu-chan. You were even set to break into Hollywood, with your stunning cold looks, excellent intelligence and flawless English it was just a matter of time. Whole generations of men, young and old alike, had you as their dream woman...¡±


    ¡°I am not here to rehash the past. I know all this. Enough old Directors managed to entice others for favours to get a role or some support, but I will never sell myself, nor compromise on my ideals. I am a woman who keeps her word, who believes... believed...¡± she corrected, even her flawless acting not able to keep a trace of bitterness and malice out of her tone. ¡°...in loyalty.¡± That is one reason White and Red appealed to me. They knew distrust, and prepared ways to enforce honesty and loyalty. The contracts. It is the reason I joined up with Red. Only to discover White lurking there as well, someone who shared the same distrust and bitterness as I did. Though she was betrayed by the world itself, her weak body, not by others... except for her parents. No, we are indeed very much alike. Or we were...


    ¡°Look, the facts were damning. As damning as those hitting Ryusei-kun right now. Oh, and also Mei-chan.¡± He narrowed his eyes searchingly as Arisu took another sip of her coffee. ¡°We also reported on their scandal fairly. We don¡¯t play favourites here at FujiTV.¡± He said piously. ¡°But... once more the others are like wolves around bleeding, desperate prey. You were a star, Arisu-chan, and the brighter you shine, the more people love it when you fall. In the case of Ryusei-kun, it¡¯s even more pleasing to the average person.¡± He snorted, taking a sip of his own coffee, and Arisu could smell the alcohol in it with her keen senses. ¡°Now you can star in the other thing that the desperate, average masses want to give their lives some meaning. They love a bright star going dark, but a dark star bursting into flame, brighter than ever, a story of triumph over impossible odds... the first, the fall, satisfies the dark urges within people, the second, a rebirth, that gives the people hope, an escape from the bleakness of their daily drudgery.¡± he finished, satisfied.


    ¡°So, it is all the fault of the people, not those who control the narrative?¡± Arisu said, and her tone, though mild, sent chills through Miyauchi.


    ¡°No, not at all. All I¡¯m saying is, we at FujiTV are more reasonable, we didn¡¯t condemn you, Arisu-chan. We presented the facts fairly, just as we have with those who wronged you. Though...¡± he lowered his tone conspiratorially. ¡°...it seems rather fishy, how perfectly everything lined up. There are some, not me, of course, who are claiming it is all a set-up. After all, your return now...¡± he smiled meaningfully.


    ¡°I assure you, their deeds are accurately reported.¡± Arisu said, her tone icy, and her urge to smite the fool rising.


    ¡°Yes, well...¡± he shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of calling you a liar, Arisu-chan, and of course I¡¯ve had some of my best reporters investigating... it¡¯s true, their sins are as you said, but... the timing, the effort required to gather the evidence, it¡¯s shocking. You¡¯d need collusion with banks, the government, Internet and Phone companies, even foreign ones that ignore all Japanese requests as a matter of course. Who has the power for that? Even the vaunted Japanese nobility...¡± he sneered, not liking them. ¡°...that most of the population thinks are merely wealthy businessmen from a bygone era, for them all to move together...¡±


    How irritating. I only accepted this invitation because I was told I would have something to gain. ¡°Just what are you getting at, old man?¡±


    ¡°Old? You wound me Arisu-chan. I¡¯m just saying... it¡¯s because you are one of the Chosen, as they call them, right? Even with that, there must be more though. There may not be a lot of Chosen, but keeping hidden isn¡¯t as easy as people think.¡± He tapped his nose knowingly. ¡°So, either you are unreasonably powerful...¡± his eyes narrowed as he made his points. ¡°... have a vitally important ability, are well-connected...¡± he paused, enjoying the moment of dramatic tension. ¡°...or all three.¡±


    ¡°So what if I am?¡± she replied, calm on the surface, but boiling with annoyance within. ¡°That does not make my innocence any less true, nor those who betrayed me any less guilty. If you are looking for a story, I am no longer an actress, I have no need to concern myself with doing publicity.¡±


    ¡°You know that the charity concert you are hosting as your comeback, a major event for the victims of Kyoto, as well as the Diet¡¯s plan to publicise the Chosen and calm civil unrest and disobedience, is being shown live on TBS. They won the bid. It¡¯s being held at the Tokyo Dome and should be amazing. Everyone will be watching, and they have even agreed deals with a number of foreign broadcasters.¡±


    Where are you going with this, Miyauchi? I may be the host, which is an important role, but the planning is mostly done by the higher-ups and Oshiro-san. There is no way I can influence which station receives the prize. ¡°Yes, that is quite true. A number of vastly successful acts will be performing, and there is even the potential of some foreign groups.¡±


    ¡°I am still surprised.¡± He said meaningfully. ¡°You¡¯ve kept a very low profile recently, Arisu-chan. To come back now... I wonder...¡± he paused, finishing his coffee. Arisu¡¯s was growing cold in her hands, half-drunk and forgotten. ¡°...have you found someone new?¡±


    What? Her eyes narrowed, angry. ¡°Me? You would ask me that? After I was betrayed so cruelly by the man I thought I was going to spend my life with? You dare...¡± Aether and spatial element rose around her, the feeling strange to Miyauchi, but one he instinctively recognised as threatening, his body telling him danger was approaching. Quickly he brought out a manilla envelope and tossed it onto the desk, and as the end wasn¡¯t sealed, the contents spilled out.


    ¡°These are...¡± Arisu froze, her dark eyes hard.


    ¡°People think what they do is secret. Poor Ryusei-kun, Mei-chan and the others are finding that out. No matter how well you cover your tracks, in this modern world, everyone is merely a misstep away from discovery.¡± Miyauchi leaned back in his chair, relieved that the killing intent that his body was picking up unconsciously disappeared. ¡°I think we should have another coffee and discuss this. Perhaps a Mont Blanc too? I remember you enjoyed them back in the day, there was an article that said it was your favourite dessert?¡±


    ¡°It was. It is.¡± Arisu grated, staring at the photographs that were face up on the table. How did he get these? No, that hardly matters. What does is... ¡°What is your point, Miyauchi?¡±


    ¡°Again, can¡¯t we be less formal, more friendly?¡± he chuckled, but said no more until the waiter brought over more coffee and a large glass dish filled with Mont Blanc, which was set in front of Arisu, paired with a silver fork. ¡°Like I said, everyone has a camera on their phone, and everything is online. Nothing is secret anymore. I¡¯m surprised it took four months for word to get out about you Chosen around the world. I¡¯d have said four days would be more likely, but it seems there¡¯s been a great effort to cover things up.¡± He tutted. ¡°As a director of FujiTV, and head of the news division now, there¡¯s no way I can approve of that, Arisu-chan. I would have thought you hated secrecy, after... well, Ryusei-kun.¡±


    Yes, she is quite the idiot. But being an idiot does not mean she is entirely foolish. In battle she has great skills, when she can be persuaded to use them... ¡°No, I understand. The idol industry is... somewhat adjacent... to acting. If you were to be such a fool as to fall for any casting couch scams, why, I would have to cut you off, Suzanne-san.¡±


    She shuddered theatrically, her blonde drill-tails bouncing with her. She stroked her neck nervously. ¡°When you say that, Arisu-chan, it doesn¡¯t sound like a joke, I imagine guillotines. But yes, I am a pure idol, no affairs with the producer for better gigs or shady deals will I undertake!¡± she said proudly. ¡°I am going to be number one! So, I hear you went to see an old acquaintance in the TV business. Is it about the concert? Am I being moved up the billing?¡±


    She is rather talkative, but half of what she says is nonsense. I almost prefer Bunta-san, his nervousness keeps him silent at least. ¡°Move you up? You have, what... three songs?¡±


    ¡°Up to five now!¡± she said proudly. ¡°And I have to sell myself... uh, poor choice of words. You know what I mean!¡± she continued. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too greedy, but... how about dancing a song with Red and White? Tamami-chan and I message a bit since we met in Kyoto, but whenever I ask about that I never get a response...¡±


    Because she does not want to hurt your feelings with a no, girl. If you were truly Japanese you would learn never to ask questions that can only lead to flat refusal. Especially in this industry. It simply is not done. ¡°I am not the one to ask. Oshiro-san is the one who has the most sway.¡± She evaded.


    ¡°Oh yeah, makes sense!¡± She finished her lollipop, unwrapped another and sucked on it cheerfully. ¡°Anyway, subject change. Bunta-kun seems to be doing all right for himself. I hear he went out and busted a Chosen who was plotting to attack a school. I hear he¡¯s getting a commendation and a pay rise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is far happier under the protection of the strong. Unlike Daizen, who wished to be strong himself and take revenge.¡± That is why we appreciated Daizen, but I was also wary of him. I knew just how deep his hatred and desire for retribution was, and so when he felt betrayed by us, I knew he could not be left to escape. Foolish man. Arisu¡¯s lips curved into an angry smile, and Suzanne-san shuddered again. He expanded small slights and misfortunes into huge amounts of hatred. He would have done the same to us. So I have no regrets. Besides... the plan has changed, but White is stronger, and a single Oshiro-san is worth ten Daizen¡¯s, and he does not come alone... ¡°Do you have anything to report to me?¡±


    As Arisu-san took off her long, expensive coat, revealing the burgundy gown she wore underneath, Suzanne-san laughed. ¡°Oh yeah, it¡¯s all happening back at Akio-kun¡¯s place. The boss, Hinata-chan and Shaeula-chan are getting up to some really fun stuff. It¡¯s not for me, I have to remain unblemished, but...¡± she giggled happily. ¡°I must say I want one of the outfits... in fact...¡± she seemed inspired, reaching for a pad beside her, grabbing a pen, still sucking on her lollipop, blue eyes a little distant. ¡°Song number six is just below the surface. I can make it in time... but the costume... I know, I¡¯ll ask Natsumi-chan, her family owns a clothing store, right?¡±


    Arisu felt a headache coming on. The oblivious girl... ¡°Hori-san is from a prestigious family that has dealt in traditional, high-end Japanese clothing for hundreds of years.¡± I have several kimono from them myself, I was surprised Oshiro-san was engaged to the daughter of their family. ¡°... I doubt they have any interest in idol costumes.¡±


    ¡°No way, that just makes them crave a challenge, I bet. Let me fire off a text to Natsumi-chan, she won¡¯t let me down, I know!¡±


    Pinching her forehead, Arisu sighed. I suspect she will at least try, considering that she wishes to support Oshiro-san, and Suzanne-san is a powerful asset for him. I hope her demands are not too onerous. ¡°So tell me, just what was White doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, get this!¡± Suzanne-san said, still scrawling words, a mixture of English and Japanese, on the page, along with musical notes and dance choreography. ¡°The boss is putting together a secret army for Akio-kun. It¡¯s all girls though, and its obvious they are thinking it¡¯s going to be his in more ways than one.¡± She giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t look like that, Arisu-chan, it¡¯ll be awesome. The uniform was sweet too...¡±


    ¡°I simply do not understand her intentions, and that puzzles and worries me.¡± When I first discovered that under the robes was a hurt, vulnerable woman, I was surprised, but found myself drawn to her. We became... friends. Yes, friends. And I have so few now. We mostly talked of generalities, but on the few occasions she mentioned her only friends other than me, from her university, she became animated, bright, almost cheerful for a while. And two names she spoke of more than any others were Oshiro-san, and the other, the leader of their group, Hayato-san. I think she had feelings for them, perhaps she did not know it herself, but in the end she chose Oshiro-san. A wise choice, for only he could handle her and her great burden. But... I cannot fathom why she would encourage this. When she said so, she received such a look from Suzanne-san that she had never seen before, one of a mixture of pity and annoyance. I do not care for it.


    ¡°For a smart woman, Arisu-chan, you can be kind of dumb sometimes. Uh...¡± Suzanne-san went pale, realising who she was speaking to. ¡°But I love you all the same, you¡¯re good to me, let me stay here sometimes... but... you don¡¯t get the boss, for all your abilities to read people. She¡¯s just... too broken.¡±


    Arisu raised an eyebrow, sitting down, and allowed Suzanne-san to continue. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s cool about the Boss. I realised it when she showed she was just a young woman under her robes. Not just anyone can make a deal with a devil knowing what it will cost herself and others. But the boss doesn¡¯t care. She has nothing to lose over the years, nor anything to gain, so when she was offered a choice, she took what she wanted and didn¡¯t care about consequences. After all, nobody cared about her.¡± Suzanne-san looked sad at that, and Arisu knew she too had a story, otherwise why would she have run away from America to come to Japan?


    ¡°It¡¯s the same now. She loves Akio-kun, which is totally sweet. They make a great couple.¡± Suzanne-san grinned. ¡°But when she discovered her real feelings, it was too late, you know?¡± she continued, Arisu listening intently. ¡°Akio-kun¡¯s a devil of a different sort, you know?¡± Suzanne-san giggled. ¡°He¡¯d already sunk his claws into other girls, so Shiro either had to give up, or live with it. And she¡¯s given up giving up. Now she grabs what she wants and damns the consequences. More... she goes further. It¡¯s awesome. Since Akio-kun has a harem, she doesn¡¯t fight it, she told herself she¡¯ll delight in it, and so she does. It helps there¡¯s girls like Shaeula-chan around with a similar mindset. So... other than a few she¡¯s genuinely scared of, like you, Arisu-chan...¡±


    Me? Why would she be scared of me?


    ¡°...she feels pride when her man shows he¡¯s the best there is, the one every woman wants. Every girl added is another that the boss feels good about. She doesn¡¯t do half measures, not anymore, not after only being able to do quarter measures, no, hundredths, her entire life. But... not you.¡± She repeated. ¡°Because the boss is worried that if you started falling for Akio-kun, you¡¯d be too large in his heart. The other girls, she believes she can beat, that Akio-kun likes her most.¡±


    ¡°Me? Why?¡± Her puzzlement was genuine. ¡°I have not the deep bond they share, nor...¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... oh, never mind. Guess you don¡¯t get it. Maybe you¡¯ll understand in time.¡± Suzanne-san said, patronisingly. ¡°But it¡¯s none of my business anyway. What matters is, it¡¯s a good plan. A loyal army, no, a cult... and it¡¯s not like anyone is being forced into things. But peer pressure is a terrible curse, you know...¡± She looked sad, her blue eyes showing her pain. ¡°...people in groups go with the flow. So in time, nobody will see any problem with being Akio-kun¡¯s, in either mind or body. Though he might not even notice or do anything about it. He¡¯s got his hands full as it is.¡± She finished her explanation with an amused giggle.


    ¡°I see.¡± Arisu said, pondering it. It is no different to the contract chains before. I approve of ties of unbreakable loyalty. I will of course not be partaking though. Where I sit now is comfortable and benefits us all.


    ¡°Oh yeah, and the rat, that Ixitt-kun, he wanted you to visit at some point.¡± Suzanne-san remembered. ¡°About the ... uh, Klein bottle?¡±


    Oh yes. That. He believes it is the secret to both my power growing, and also several problems he is facing. I suppose I can make time. After all... remembering the promises she had extracted from Miyauchi, she frowned. I have to speak to Oshiro-san. If he does not agree, it matters little. But there may be some benefits if he does...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Three

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Three


    ¡°I never thought we would be walking through Kyoto so casually.¡± Arangbo? remarked. ¡°Did you, Haano?bo??¡±


    The white-winged Tengu shook her masked face in response. ¡°No, it was not something I ever saw myself doing.¡± She agreed, casting a glance around. Beside her, Haru spoke up proudly.


    ¡°This is my Territory. And mount Atago is part of this now. So it¡¯s ours. How can I lord it over Akio-kun¡¯s precious sister?¡±


    Haano?bo? sighed, not dignifying that joke with an answer, but her yellow-gold eyes were sparkling as she surveyed the area, and the vast swarm of Fae that were coming and going, moving artificial Buildings here and there. That reminds me, we picked up a few Etherites. The mountain had surprisingly few as most of the ether was absorbed by the Territory rather than building up, but a few isn¡¯t none, and any will help Ixitt out. Speaking of Ixitt... I couldn¡¯t help but be excited. The long-delayed plans were about to hit full force.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all the surprises.¡± I pointed to the Ring Gate that was shimmering with energy. ¡°This Territory also links to mine and also the realms of the Fae, so you can come and go as you want. Though it¡¯d be great if now we have an alliance you can help me out in future expansions.¡±


    ¡°I will consider it.¡± Haano?bo? crossed her arms under her chest, head tilted. Her brother laughed, clapping me on the back yet again.


    ¡°We have to defend the mountain and the Sacred Flame, but... that responsibility is shared now.¡± He boomed. ¡°So long as our charge remains protected, the Spring East fears no battle. I enjoy working up an appetite, and fighting is thirsty work, is it not, hearty eater?¡±


    Motoko nodded, but flushed. ¡°I have a name. I am more than just my appetite.¡±


    As we approached the Ring Gate to the sound of laughter, their eyes alight with curiosity, Haano?bo? finally said what was on her mind, her tone pensive. ¡°Brother... why did Great Taro?bo?, our father, concede like that? It was not the agreement...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s pride.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Taro?bo? has a great deal of it. When he was defeated, he wanted to maintain his dignity. The rest was as he stated, I imagine. I know that family, kin, is important to me, and I believe it¡¯s important to him too. So even though I¡¯m not human... he felt he could trust me, as I showed respect for you. And I think...¡±


    ¡°The corruption of the flame and the loss of our brothers weighs heavy.¡± Arangbo? shook his head. ¡°Times are changing. Battles, chaos... it is no longer safe to stand alone. Better we choose than have it chosen for us.¡±


    ¡°Better we choose...¡± The words seemed to resonate with Haano?bo?, who nodded. ¡°I see, brother. That makes sense. And father chose.¡±


    ¡°As did we all.¡± Arangbo? agreed. ¡°Now, let us proceed. I wish to satisfy my curiosity...¡±


    As we stepped through the Ring Gate, I could see Kinneka dragging his feet, tail drooping, before I was swallowed up by the light, and emerged on the other side. Haano?bo? was looking up at the massive spectacle of Asha¡¯s Tree, and as her eyes went wide, Arangbo? chuckled.


    ¡°That certainly is quite the sight.¡± He said. ¡°It would be good to perch on the heights.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a cafe? up there.¡± Motoko said happily. At the unfamiliar word, the Tengu seemed confused, so she explained further. ¡°It is a place where food and drink are served, and one can enjoy the views out over the Boundary here. When we are finished training, we quite enjoy it, do we not, Natsumi?¡±


    As she joined in, praising it, we were greeted by a large gathering of those in my Territory. The first thing I noticed is a number of them were wearing a strange, military-style outfit, in black and silver. I have to admit though, I like it. It¡¯s cute. On seeing the group, Kinneka let out a yelp, and he was suddenly leapt on by the silver blur that was Ginneka, her tail lashing restlessly.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s you, nya! I thought I could feel you. Though...¡± she paused, ears flat against her skull, taking a few cautious sniffs. ¡°...you seem different, nya?¡±


    Before that conversation could go any further, Hyacinth appeared, and vines grabbed her by the legs and tail, hauling her off with a squeal. ¡°Bad kitty, running oooff. I did nooot give you permission for that.¡± She then turned her radiant smile on me. ¡°Welcome back, Akio. Mistresses.¡± She then greeted the others, before eyeing the Tengu, looking amused. ¡°Whooo is this, Akio? A new mistress?¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± Haano?bo? declared, irked. Kana then laughed, adding her own teasing to the mix.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s something even more precious. She¡¯s Akio¡¯s new sister!¡±Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    There was surprise at that, and everyone looked shocked, so I waved my hand. ¡°All right. It¡¯s been a long day. The girls are tired, so those of us who want to talk about it can do so up on the terrace, and we¡¯ll explain everything...¡±


    ********


    ¡°So that¡¯s it.¡± Eri sighed, her cat ears twitching. Kinneka had been eyeing her strangely this entire time, and she was starting to get tired of it, her black tail lashing constantly. ¡°When you were gone when I woke up this morning, I knew something was up. I wasn¡¯t worried though...¡± she promised. ¡°...you said it might happen. I was just a little sad to wake up without you.¡± She looked at Haano?bo?, a little exasperated. ¡°Do forgive him, he¡¯s genuinely upset when girls are bullied. But if he has called you his sister, that makes you mine too.¡± She paused, her smile suddenly amused. ¡°Even if nobody else would, I¡¯d welcome you to give Aiko a taste of her own medicine. I think collecting sisters would teach her just how I¡¯ve felt all this time.¡±


    As some of the others, particularly Shiro and Shaeula, laughed at that, Kinneka finally spoke up. ¡°So why have we returned? We didn¡¯t end...¡± He refused to say die. ¡°...on good terms. And how?¡±


    ¡°I am not as big a fool as you, nya.¡± Ginneka said proudly, puffing out her chest, her tail twitching, as did her fluffy ears. ¡°I admit it was good fortune, that we got snared within the skill I stole, nya, but...¡± She looked at Eri, a slight smile on her face. ¡°When this little girl ended up in trouble, I extended a helping hand, nya. And now she will call me sister.¡± She purred happily, only for Eri to roll her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful, and I keep my promises. But as big sisters go, you are a disappointing one.¡± She turned to Kinneka. ¡°She did help me out of a grave situation, so Akio naturally repaid her, and she asked for your return. A sister helping her brother... it¡¯s something of course Akio will respect. But...¡±


    ¡°It does not-not wash away your sins. I still rather-rather despise you.¡± Shaeula grimaced. ¡°Though if you work hard, that can change. I am magnanimous, and I have made accord with far-far worse.¡±


    Seeing her grin, Eri shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Asha. She¡¯ll just lead you astray. I¡¯ll be sure to show you around. But anyway, what does this all mean? Other than you¡¯ve grown stronger.¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Asha admitted. ¡°I have never heard of a Tree that straddles the Boundary and the mortal world. Perhaps father would know, or...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something that¡¯s been bugging me.¡± Shiro said suddenly. ¡°You say Orion is the father of all Dryads, right?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°Yes, we are his daughters.¡±


    ¡°Then when you have kids with Aki, will they be his, or Orion¡¯s?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t considered it. Wait, kids? It¡¯s too soon for that... I did wait for the answer though, and after a while, Asha shrugged. ¡°They will still be daughters of Orion, yet... they will be your daughters too, Akio. For unlike many Dryads, they would be birthed by the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s going to be awkward. That¡¯s not how it works with us.¡± Shiro laughed, and Shaeula frowned.


    ¡°I understand, as Orion is precious to the Treekin and Plantkin. Even that old-old miser Primal Forest has respect for him. But... being a daughter of Orion is not-not so literal. Many are indeed born from the lands of the Fae, no-no father or mother, and thus are so claimed, but there are those born between two Fae, such-such as those the Dryads have kissed. All are of Orion, yet... there is quite-quite a difference.¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°Fear not, my beloved. I shall never allow our daughters to revere Orion more than they will you, their true father.¡± She touched her belly tenderly, and for a moment I had a troubling premonition, before shaking it off. That¡¯s for the future, for now...


    ¡°What matters is that you can cross between worlds now, just like the others, Asha. And with the Throne bonuses, you¡¯re stronger. Next is...¡± I could see Ixitt practically salivating out of the corner of my eye, and a number of other Mortal Engineers were acting the same way, so I couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. Turning to Ginneka, who was with her brother, I watched as she stood to attention, tail and ears erect, and her blue eyes were shining.


    ¡°I get to have the wonderful ability, nya? I want it, it smells so good!¡± she purred happily, and Kinneka was looking at her as if he didn¡¯t know her. Seeing that, she scowled, whipping him with her tail. ¡°None of that, Kinneka! You¡¯ve changed too, I can smell it, taste it, nya. You¡¯ve lost your edge, though you¡¯ve gained something else, nya! As for me... most of my abilities are gone.¡± She looked downcast, and I felt a brief twinge of sympathy, before I crushed it ruthlessly. ¡°Void Motion, I liked that one, nya.¡± She looked at me accusingly, before sighing. ¡°My abilities to shapeshift are tangled with Eri there, and while I can still steal, nya...¡±


    ¡°It is your own-own fault.¡± Shaeula laughed meanly, and Ginneka hissed, her fur standing on end, only to calm down as the ground under her started sprouting vines, and she quickly apologised, not wishing Hyacinth to bully her.


    ¡°Yes, I know, nya. I was bad, I see that now. In the Hyakki Yagyo?, might makes right. And we weren¡¯t mighty, nya. But... I want it. It resonates with me! I deserve it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about deserve...¡± Eri said with a sigh. ¡°...but I¡¯m still grateful. A life for a life is fair, but if you want more...¡± Her dark eyes were hard. ¡°Then you know what you have to pay.¡±


    ¡°Nya, I know. It feels bad, a proud Bakeneko serving under someone, but... at least he¡¯s hot, nya.¡± She said coquettishly, twisting her body, looking very much like a cat at this moment. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want a tumble, handsome? I¡¯m rich with experience, nya...¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need the town bus.¡± Shiro said, a touch spitefully. ¡°Why would he, when he can ride high-end sportscars like us.¡±


    ¡°Nya, so rude. What does it matter? It is all pleasure.¡± She scoffed, insulted, before she was finally serious. ¡°No, I understand. We could return to the Parade as losers, face scorn, nya. Humiliation. Or I could find a place. Better a rich servant than a beggar master, nya.¡± Her mind made up, she lashed her tail, irritated. ¡°Besides, it smells so sweet, nya. I must have it. And when I do... brother and I, we will be forgiven?¡±


    ¡°We shall see.¡± Shaeula said, her tone cold. ¡°I hold great-great anger towards you, but... serve Akio well, and I shall find it in my heart to be merciful, I do-do promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Nya, so hard to win over.¡± She fluttered her eyelashes at me. ¡°Is that the sort of woman you like? You¡¯re missing out, nya... no, no, stop...¡± she cried as vines wrapped around her legs, squeezing painfully. ¡°I¡¯ll be serious, nya.¡± She stopped her playful, catlike banter. ¡°I am ready. I accept.... Nya?¡± She felt the sudden sense of connection as my Throne linked to her, and she didn¡¯t fight it, embracing it, and soon it was done. Though unlike the others, I¡¯m going to tweak her permissions a lot. I never thought to do it with Grulgor, that was an oversight, but we had the Oaths then at least. Here... I¡¯m not going to make a mistake.


    ¡°Sister... are you well?¡± Kinneka asked, and she shuddered, before nodding.


    ¡°Nya, no issues. Though it feels strange, as though I am compelled to do certain things, or not do them.¡± She looked at me then, licking her lips. ¡°So, master...¡± she called me, teasing. ¡°...I want it inside me. Give it to me, nya, shove it in, make me gasp and pant and... Argh, stop, stop!¡± she cried as Hyacinth began to twist her. ¡°Can¡¯t I have some fun, I¡¯m one of your own now, nya!¡±


    Ignoring the fracas, I let my Eye shine, the Divine Favour of Laverna, which had been draining my adherence like a parasite for so long, quivering eagerly. I see. Now she has a Material form as well, it¡¯ll be easier to make the Favour fit. These little pieces of Adherence and something else that I couldn¡¯t yet comprehend seemed tailored for humans, or at least Material creatures, which perhaps was why we hadn¡¯t seen any spiritual beings with them yet. If Nurarihyon had one, for example, it might make him strong enough to fight the golden-eyed toad, maybe... I gestured to Shiro and she came over, smiling happily.


    ¡°Aki, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Buffs please. The general one, and on my Chirurgery.¡±


    ¡°Always a buff-bot. Way to make a girl feel special, Aki.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But it¡¯s not so bad. I need to show off my good points when I get the opportunity. Being number one is hard, but it¡¯s a cross your perfect Shirohime will bear for you.¡± Energy flowed into me, and with the sensation of reaching the third pinnacle, Rank 10, temporarily, I began to work on Ginneka. She immediately started flailing, crying out, yowling louder than when Hyacinth was tormenting her, and I motioned for her to be quiet. This isn¡¯t as easy as it was for Kana or my sis. So please, don¡¯t break my concentration... I dismissed my Material body once more, leaving Kana and her parents excitedly observing Asha¡¯s new Tree there, and delved deeply, exploring the mysteries of Ginneka¡¯s body, Split Thoughts burning, Body Enhancement sharpening my mind as well.


    The normal points of attachment are mostly there, but some of the branches and minor chakras are out of alignment. The Favour... I let it enter Ginneka, and it coalesced into a shimmering hand-like shape, occupying Ginneka¡¯s left hand, but sending tendrils to her crown, heart and root chakras. The problem is... Ginneka¡¯s still a bit of a mess. Her ability that Eri had inherited, Shifting Cat, was within Ginneka too, but it was damaged, aether leaking from it irregularly in pulses, like a punctured, beating heart. I quickly patched it up, and Ginneka shivered, shrinking until she was the size of a child, her fur standing up on end. She let out an erotic moan, before looking alarmed at Hyacinth, but even our angry maid was not going to mess with her when I was doing such delicate work.


    ¡°That feels better, nya. Like an old scar has stopped itching.¡± She said, blinking at me. ¡°Though you are treating me roughly. I don¡¯t mind on the bed, nya, but...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for jokes...¡± I grimaced, as I made further adjustments, noticing that the Divine Favour was changing a little, almost as if merging with her subtle bodies, the Favour beginning to melt away. Huh... wait, could... that be the reason that they are giving the Favours to humans? Really? If so... as my Eye shone and I continued to work on her Astral and Material bodies, I shook my head. Gods... are so damn selfish...

 Four Hundred And Twenty Four *Contains Status – Ginneka 1*

    Four Hundred And Twenty Four *Contains Status ¨C Ginneka 1*


    As the Favour was completely absorbed within Ginneka, who was writhing and making lascivious noises, drawing a lot of ire from the girls around her, she fortunately seemed to be fine, and I could see both with my Eye and her status through the Throne that she had retained the Divine Favour, despite it seemingly losing its original shape. I thought so. Even though she has a Material form through the Throne, just like Shaeula, her true body is Astral. The Throne is powerful yes, and works, but it¡¯s ultimately just a shortcut, a cheat...


    Having a lot to think about, I finished my adjustments, and with that done, Ginneka slumped to the ground on her knees, panting heavily, blue eyes moist. Looking up at me, she smiled reproachfully. ¡°For someone who claims he¡¯s uninterested, you sure did mess me up, nya.¡± She clutched herself, her face pink. ¡°It was magnificent though, nya. I¡¯ll let you take resp...¡± Before she could finish her stupid joke, Hyacinth hauled her up with the vines, none too gently at that, and Ginneka squealed.


    ¡°She¡¯s amusing, but she never learns, does she?¡± Shiro pointed out to Shaeula, who scoffed.


    ¡°If we did not-not need her, I would be quite-quite happy to throw her out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harsh, but I get it. I don¡¯t like the way she tried to kill you and Akio.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°And she is rather annoying, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to hate someone that saved your life. Don¡¯t we all know it?¡± Shiro rolled her eyes, as Ginneka shifted, slipping free of the vines, before resuming her ordinary form. ¡°Enough of this comedy routine. The main thing is... what¡¯s the situation, Aki? Are we good to go?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I believe so. Ginneka...¡±


    ¡°Yes, nya?¡± she miaowed, suddenly alert.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to explain your statistics now. And then... it¡¯s time to put you to work. Although...¡± I looked warmly at Asha. ¡°I think we have a bit of time to show off the Material first.¡± Taking a deep breath, my Eye glowing, I checked out the final results of Enthroning Ginneka and her absorption of the Divine Favour.


    GinnekaBakenekoChosen Of Laverna, Underworld Queen Of Thieves[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might196 +30Fortune3 +1Fortitude120 +30Majesty +1Intellect75 +30Charm14 +1Resilience221 +30League11 +1Alacrity380 +30Determination2 +1Precision336 +30Foresight +1Aether1813 +30Fate +1[Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills]RankClassTypeSilver CordRank 3Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)Seven Nights Chakra NetworkRank 5Noble (5)Rule (5)Seven Night OrbsRank 1Noble (5)Rule (5)Adherence ManipulationRank 1Noble (5)Law (8)Aether ManipulationRank 2Sufficient (3)Foundation (4)[Physical Combat Skills] Combat TechniqueRank 3Cantrip (1)Simple (1)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Shifting CatRank 4Noble (5)Artifice (6)Thieving CatRank 5Imperious (6)Principle (7)Laverna¡¯s Grasping Hand Of Heaven, Earth And The Underworld Rank 3Legendary (7)Law (8)[Level]0/30[Class]


    Maneki-Neko 1/20 Divine Cat 1/20


    [Mastered Class]Shapeshifter 10/10


    ¡°So, that¡¯s me, nya?¡± Ginneka seemed interested. ¡°I seem powerful!¡±Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, don¡¯t get conceited, kitty.¡± Shiro said, remembering her own stats. ¡°There are some interesting things to note though.¡± Being a keen gamer like me, she immediately spotted the key points. ¡°So, now there¡¯s a bonus to the intangible stats as well from the Throne?¡±


    I nodded, checking Shaeula and Hyacinth, and they also had the bonuses. ¡°It¡¯s a small boost, but especially when it¡¯s doubled in our Territory, defensive battles will be easier.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, numbers don¡¯t lie.¡± she agreed. ¡°And it seems that she has the Divine Favour successfully. Looks like it¡¯s all coming together, Aki.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I pulled up the information for the Favour, though it was the same as when I had taken it. It¡¯s a relief, I used a great deal of my adherence to implant it, but now the drain of carrying it has stopped, hopefully I can rebuild for the future, for next time... I wasn¡¯t enough of a fool to think no more Favours would fall into my hands, not with the way the world was right now.


    Laverna¡¯s Grasping Hand Of Heaven, Earth And The Underworld gives the wielder the ability to transfer an item between the Material and Astral realms, and it will endure so long as Aether remains, working as it would in the realm it came from. More complicated and larger items require more Aether to make functional, so they will endure for significantly less time. Laverna takes as she pleases, and what is stolen from Earth shall be treasured in Heaven, and what is taken from Heaven shall be lauded in the Underworld. What is pilfered from the Underworld shall surely find value in Earth.


    Ixitt, on hearing the description, capered with joy, clapping his hands together, and the Mortal Engineers were cheering. ¡°It seems my time is now!¡± he crowed. ¡°So much testing to do. The scientific method, rigorous trials...¡± He turned to some of the engineers, his urgency palpable. ¡°Fetch some of the batteries, and the Alchemical recycling device. We should run tests immediately!¡±


    As they scurried off to do his bidding, I asked Tan a question. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, the dwellers in the Boundary and lower Astral such as Yo?kai and Fae are a lot stronger than us humans. Of course...¡± I looked at Ixitt, who winked, still extremely excited. ¡°...strength isn¡¯t determined by who has the strongest muscles, or the fastest speed. Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be humans that rule the world, but bears, wolves and big cats. I think willingness to learn and adapt, creating tools to do what we can¡¯t and enhance what we can, is a big factor as well.¡±


    ¡°I agree wholeheartedly.¡± Ixitt clapped. ¡°Which is why Mortal Engineering is a discipline. The Fae do learn and grow, there is no doubt about it, but the willingness to accept change, to search for difficult solutions, even if it seems counterintuitive... that we most certainly lack. Perhaps it is because we live long, while mortals flare brightly and then fade away, as sparks from the flame. Though with the proper push...¡± He looked at Shaeula, who shrugged, yet her face was tinged with pink, pleased at his implied praise.


    ¡°You have something to say, no?¡± Moira said, pursing her lips. She had been teased a little by Bell and Soliteare, but had largely ignored them, focussed on the results of our expedition, which was the bounty of ether, and the upgrade to the Throne. ¡°I believe you are wondering why the Gods, as you call them, do not bless powerful beings such as Prince Shaetanao, for example?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I agreed. ¡°It would certainly improve their chances, but... I expect there¡¯s a lot of reasons we don¡¯t know, but one... the Favour, it isn¡¯t retrievable, not easily, anyway.¡± I do wonder what would happen if Ginneka lost her Anchor to a Conqueror now. Wait, can she even drop an Anchor? ¡°Ginneka, I want you to do me a favour.¡± I explained what I wanted, and I sent her off through the Ring Gate. She dragged her brother along with her, and I allowed it, thinking they could use a little time to catch up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be long, but... if my speculation is correct, it¡¯d be interesting. For now...¡± I turned to the waiting Tsukiko-san. ¡°There¡¯s a slot in the new Throne waiting for you. But I won¡¯t pressure you, it¡¯s a big decision. And I¡¯d feel bad if Yukiko-san isn¡¯t involved, though don¡¯t think I¡¯m unwilling. If you want it, it¡¯s yours, no question.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your concern.¡± Tsukiko-san answered, still savouring her drink. ¡°For now I am content to simply watch the one I chose to believe in work. It is surprisingly fascinating. Compared to how others are facing the oncoming catastrophe, your methods seem rather... different. Should we be so relaxed?¡±


    Kinneka sighed, looking away, and I scanned the details.


    Thieving Cat allows one to use their Aether to usurp the skills of another, taking it for their own. There is a limit to the number of abilities that can be stolen at one time, and skills that are too powerful or require certain prerequisites to function cannot be stolen without said prerequisites being taken first. A skill cannot be stolen from someone significantly more powerful than the wielder of the skill, and powerful League will render such a skill useless as well. Once taken, skills will not be returned, unless the thief so wishes, or the thief is slain, then the skills will return as long as the original owner is close enough. Stealing skills can cause significant damage to the Chakra network and subtle bodies of the victim, though this can be ameliorated by the return of the stolen skills.


    Shaeula had a sour expression, and I remembered why. ¡°Yeah, facing that was a pain. Though if you tried it now, I think you¡¯d find you wouldn¡¯t be able to rob from us.¡± I told Ginneka, who shrugged, apologising a touch insincerely.


    ¡°Nya, your skills were just so temping, little weasel. His too. You can¡¯t blame a cat for trying to catch good prey.¡±


    ¡°I can and I do, even-even now.¡± Shaeula complained, and as they bickered, I considered the possibilities. Though it wasn¡¯t all bad, I remember that I got some skills Ranking up after they returned. I wonder... it might be worth some experimentation. The damage to the Chakra network sounds nasty and only to be expected, but with Ether Healing and Chirurgery... I had several ideas for experiments, and shared a few.


    Everyone started discussing the possibilities, only interrupted by the return of Ixitt¡¯s Mortal Engineers, carrying boxes of items they wished to send to the Material. On seeing that, I tasked Ginneka to use her new Divine Favour, and I turned back to Tsukiko-san.


    ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯ll have to stay here. Kin Restoration can only create a spiritual body, your living body is already gone.¡± Damn, that hurts to say. I saw the cremation at her funeral, after all... ¡°It¡¯s not ideal, I know...¡±


    She shook her head, long black locks dancing, a small, shy yet teasing smile on her beautiful face. ¡°It is enough of a miracle that it would be an affront to Fate to complain. Besides, it is rather relaxing here.¡± She looked out over the view, her half empty glass in hand. ¡°I will take the time to think things over. Including what I need to say to Yukiko. I fear I worried and hurt her with my failures. Besides, Prince Sho?toku and my beloved shrine are but a short walk away, a miracle in itself.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t fail.¡± I insisted. ¡°Kyoto was saved. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but we¡¯re not Gods. Just the tools they wield. But unlike tools, we have free will. You do too.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I know. It is a... liberating, yet frightening experience. I still wish to be of service to Tsukuyomi, and even without the Favour, I am still the Diviner, I expect I will still dream of the moon reflected in the waters. But now I have those who can finally share my burden, understand me...¡±


    ¡°Yes, a problem shared is a problem halved. Auntie Emily loves that saying.¡± Eri stood, coming over and sitting beside her. ¡°And one thing Akio is good at is helping carry the problems we have. And not just him... we all understand. Me, perhaps most of all.¡± She sighed, cat ears twitching, irritated. Seeing me looking, she frowned and they vanished after a moment of concentration. ¡°Stop that.¡± She chided me. ¡°This is a serious conversation, not time for you to ogle me.¡± Turning back to Tsukiko-san, she put on her most serious expression, onyx eyes intense. ¡°I nearly perished, I was a whisker away from death, so I think I get it. This was my second chance. I¡¯ve changed. I¡¯m not so reckless anymore. I know what it costs to be foolish, too bold. How you¡¯ll change... I don¡¯t know, and nor do you, yet. But one thing is certain. You will change. And we¡¯ll all make sure it¡¯s for the better. You¡¯re no longer alone. We¡¯re your friends, companions...¡± she paused. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to press you on this, you haven¡¯t even decided, but... perhaps you¡¯ll be more than a friend.¡±


    Tsukiko-san looked at me, fingers touching her lips. ¡°I remember... I am an old-fashioned woman, I suppose. It does weigh on me, but not unpleasantly. Yet I still struggle...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡± Eri looked at me, nodding to herself. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried. Go on ahead, I¡¯ll stay with Tsukiko-san while you do what you need to. And get those two home...¡± She nodded at the barely awake Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°Their parents won¡¯t be impressed.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said to Eri, touched that she would make an effort for others. ¡°I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no owing between lovers, between husbands and wives.¡± She smiled triumphantly. ¡°Although... you did promise a holiday, just the two of us, remember?¡±


    ¡°I did. I¡¯ll be a bit too busy getting some things set up, but... I haven¡¯t forgotten. Soon, I promise.¡±


    After a few more words of planning, we were ready for our return, Bell cheekily saying that if Tsukiko-san didn¡¯t want the Throne slot, she¡¯d have it, and pledge herself to me in her entirety, and I waved that off, having a better opinion of her, and greater understanding of her jovial nature, after our shared trials on mount Atago. Arangbo? and Haano?bo? would remain as well, rather curious about my Territory, so Eri agreed to give them the tour. The rest of us returned to the Material, and I found myself next to Asha, who was looking around in wonder, running her hands over the computer, TV and more in my bedroom, only having heard others talk about such things, and also Ginneka, who was still looking like a Bakeneko, wearing low-rise shorts and a halter-neck black t-shirt, showing her cleavage. On seeing me looking, she stretched, showing off her bellybutton and long legs happily. She then pouted as I looked away, not because I wasn¡¯t interested, but because of what was at her feet... I¡¯m actually not interested in her as a woman, but I¡¯m a guy, of course I¡¯ll look at girls dressed so sexily. But forget that... this is...


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Lose the ears and tail, it¡¯s not suitable for Earth yet.¡± I said, reaching down to check the boxes. Inside were a number of the special batteries, a large Alchemical device, and several small silver spires that reminded me of the artificial Ether Spires, just on a far more modest scale. There were also... Etherites huh? Here in the Material...


    As some of the others joined us, Shaeula and Hyacinth first to awaken, Shaeula happily turning on the TV, surprising Asha with some anime, Ginneka dismissed her catlike appearance with a sad purr. It was then the door was flung open, and Ixitt crashed through in his human form, followed by a flustered Kana.


    ¡°I did try to stop the madman, but...¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°I cannot be stopped! The moment I have been waiting for...¡± He saw me holding the items Ginneka had brought to the Material with Laverna¡¯s Favour and flushed, eyes so bright if it was an anime I¡¯d have expected to see heart shapes in them. ¡°...it has come!¡± He literally jumped for joy, leaping over and grabbing a handful of batteries, as well as several Etherites. ¡°Oh, the experiments I need to perform, the theories I need to verify... quickly now...¡± He wrenched open the back of one of the many mobile phones hanging from his lab coat, ripping out the existing battery. Moments later he was wiring in one of the brought items, and for a moment the device actually switched on, before it died in a shower of electrical sparks, exposed innards smoking. ¡°...we have power... though of course, the capacity and throughout is too high... converters, of course, of course...¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay.¡± I said, understanding his joy, but still a bit put off by it. ¡°Anyway, great job, Ginneka. Keep up the good work and you¡¯ll not find us lacking gratitude.¡±


    Shaeula was asking Asha if she was feeling healthy, and after a glance at me, she nodded, her yellow eyes and red hair giving her a striking appearance, the greenish tinge to her skin a very faint hue in her Material form, almost unnoticeable unless one was looking for it. With a smile I extended a hand to her, and as she took it, I squeezed it gently. ¡°Asha, welcome to the mortal world. I hope you find it to your liking.¡± With a smile as her answer, we headed for the outside world, ready to show her all the sights she had never seen before...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Five

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Five


    ¡°I am unsure of what to make of this...¡± Asha said, having left our home at the Shrine. She was now looking to the north, towards the distant skyline of central Tokyo, marvelling at the seemingly endless tall buildings, and the Tokyo Tower and Skytree, which even exceeded her Tree in height. ¡°The air...¡± she took a breath, her calm face wrinkling a little with some discomfort. ¡°...the smells are strange. Almost like burning wood, yet not...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s car exhausts.¡± I said, pointing down the hill to the busy roads thronged with vehicles. ¡°The air isn¡¯t the cleanest, but...¡± I shot a sidelong glance at Ixitt. ¡°I think that might be about to change.¡±


    Ixitt was the happiest of us all, even outshining Asha and Ginneka, who was also looking around with some surprise, blue eyes wide, purring in a mixture of awe and confusion. On hearing my words, he followed my gaze, seeing the cars. ¡°Of course, of course. With the weight of an electric car battery being anything from a bit under five hundred kilograms to a number of times that... and with eighty million cars in Japan, give or take a million here and there...¡±


    He quickly started tapping away on one of his tablet computers, calculating. ¡°With ten times the battery capacity at minimum... assume we can reduce the weight by a factor of five, while giving twice the range...¡± After a while he grinned, his calculations pleasing him. ¡°The scale of conversion to clean electric vehicles would be a massive undertaking, but who would want the battery technology of the current paradigm, assuming we can make ours work for a reasonable price?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the first step is to convert the coal and gas-hungry power grid to clean generation, and then vehicles, homes...¡± I looked at Asha warmly. ¡°Of course, the second stage is greenery. We can increase the density of quality housing, while making more space for parks, forests, gardens and more...¡±


    ¡°All the while making a great deal of money.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°I said I wanted a billionaire for a husband, but maybe you¡¯ll be a trillionaire, hell, even a quadrillionaire seems possible... we¡¯ll be women of leisure.¡± she said to Shaeula, Motoko and Natsumi. Seeing how tired the latter two were, I kissed them tenderly, praising them for their contributions during the mount Atago trials, then sent them off with a Black Wolf Company driver to take them home.


    ¡°Nya, I am so jealous... it¡¯s been so long since I had a man...¡± Ginneka complained, but I chose to ignore her. It¡¯s not been that long, and she was dead for most of the time...


    ¡°I think getting past a trillionaire would be hard.¡± I said, thinking. ¡°After all, when the Boundary breaks, everyone will have more to worry about than money. Of course, everything depends on whether we can make the technology work here.¡± I said, and Ixitt gave me a thumbs-up.


    ¡°I have much to do. Spectroscopy and other detailed analysis of Etherites and other materials this delightful cat has brought here for us...¡±


    ¡°Delightful, nya?¡± Ginneka was pleased. She looked at Ixitt for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°Nya, you¡¯re not my type though. A pity.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who helps his research is awesome to him. I know the sort.¡± Shiro said, and I rubbed her head until she got irritated and swatted my hand away.


    ¡°Yeah, those who helped you with your game were your heroes.¡± I laughed. Seeing Asha¡¯s wistful look I stroked her head as well, feeling her soft and silky hair. ¡°But seriously, we¡¯re almost ready to begin. Once the money starts rolling in, we can expand operations, buy up as much relevant land as possible, and also start caching supplies. Food and water, tools, weapons... we¡¯re taking no chances.¡± One thing I¡¯ve noticed in a certain sort of apocalypse story, that of those who get a second chance, they always stock up in advance. We¡¯d be foolish not to do the same.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Ixitt agreed. ¡°Having seen the plans for your new estate, the hill underneath, it will be transformed into bunker, access hub and storage facility. It is quite impressive. And now...¡± He looked at me, his expectations high. ¡°When might we be receiving the aid of this Nie Ling? If I can bring further Mortal Engineers here, and those with elemental talents, we can rapidly proceed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she can send from the Boundary to here. We need to test it. But... the paperwork should have been done by now. Let me check my phone...¡± I probably should have done this earlier, but I was busy... There were indeed messages saying that she had been cleared to be taken into my custody, and a number of other texts and emails from various people. Arisu-san, huh? That¡¯s unusual. There were several missed calls, and a rather brusque message saying she needed to speak to me about something important. Shiro glanced over my shoulder, and on seeing it, shrugged.


    ¡°Oh yeah, she did mention she had something to talk to you about. It slipped my mind as I was busy with something else.¡± She exchanged a look with Shaeula, who grinned. I see. Well, if it¡¯s important, they¡¯ll tell me, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll make a quick couple of calls. While I¡¯m doing that...¡±


    ¡°Might as well watch the experiments.¡± Shiro said, somewhat interested. Kana had come over, along with her father, and Ixitt sent her running to fetch some items, as he began to set up his Alchemical device in the waning afternoon sunlight. Dialling Arisu-san, I waited as it rang several times, before she answered, her voice as cool as ever.


    ¡°You finally returned my messages.¡± she said without even a greeting. ¡°I believe you can be in two places at once now, no? Surely that means you should be able to answer your phone.¡± At her criticism, I felt compelled to justify myself.


    ¡°Sorry, last night my phone was off, and then I had to withdraw my Material body, as the situation grew more complicated.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± she said after a moment. ¡°White did say you were out on a date and then vanished.¡± Her sigh was audible over quite some distance, and Shiro was smirking at me, amused at my discomfort. ¡°But you should not let your... busy... schedule distract you from important matters. You are a leader, so set a good example.¡±


    Damn, she could be a schoolteacher, not an actress, with scolding like that. She¡¯s right though... ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have had my phone off, but it was a happy occasion, so...¡±


    She sighed again. ¡°It does not matter. What is done is done. I may not be your Vassal, unlike Suzanne-san, but I still have to follow your lead. So do not disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry again.¡± I continued to apologise, before changing the subject. ¡°So, what did you need?¡±


    She paused, hesitant, and that surprised me. She¡¯s normally so composed. After a while there was another long sigh, this one of resignation. ¡°I am in a little bit of a bind. I need a favour from you.¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡± I said, remembering her aid on several occasions. ¡°Just ask and I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, Aki is living dangerously...¡± Shiro was saying to the others. Ignoring them, I continued.


    ¡°I owe you a favour, and even if I didn¡¯t, you¡¯ve looked after Shiro, so we¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°No, you changed through your own efforts.¡± I disagreed, and she laughed, kissing me again.


    ¡°Perhaps, but without you to motivate me, I would not-not have striven for change. We should say we both contributed, no-no?¡±


    ¡°All right, enough of that.¡± Shiro cut in-between us. ¡°Asha, at times like this we need to be assertive, or we¡¯ll miss out. Damn, Aki sure is cold, ignoring beauties like us...¡±


    ¡°If I may...¡± Ixitt interrupted the banter. ¡°...I am eager to begin, and as my patron, and the ones that made this possible, you should witness it.¡±


    He¡¯s right. Getting down to business, we all gathered around Ixitt and his machine. ¡°So, this is the recycling device, right? The one that will turn waste into treasures?¡± I turned my attention to Asha. ¡°I have to admit, humanity is wasteful and untidy. We generate huge amounts of rubbish, and ordinarily we burn it or bury a great deal of it, polluting the air, ground and water. There¡¯s just so many people and we all want to live as best we can, and recycling is hard, so only a fraction gets reused.¡±


    Asha nodded, casting her eyes towards her Tree, the sapling now growing here. Fortunately it didn¡¯t sprout inside our house but on the hillside. We need to fence it off and look after it... Kana and I had given it a once-over already, so it wasn¡¯t a priority for now. ¡°I see. Yes, we Fae have always lived with nature and the elements, but mortals are different... yet you still create wonders.¡± She gestured to the cars, the tall buildings that defied her imagination, and more. ¡°Even the terrace on my Tree... at first I was affronted, unsure... but now I see the beauty of harmony, of mortal and Fae ideals co-existing. So...¡± she looked at Ixitt. ¡°...this is the true height of those ideals?¡±


    ¡°As expected of a venerable daughter of Orion. You are wise...¡± Ixitt said happily.


    ¡°I am not venerable...¡± Asha pouted, and I was struck by the fact not even Fae women liked to talk about their age. ¡°...I am in the blooming of my youth. The time before this was but a bad dream, it is not me, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I spoke rashly.¡± Ixitt apologised smoothly. ¡°My wives say I sometimes can be too blunt when I am researching. But it was intended as praise. You are correct. Trash to treasure, that is the aim.¡± I imagined if he was back in his normal form his tail would be lashing eagerly. ¡°I do approve. Mortal Science exists to push boundaries, to bring advancements that make life easier, happier, safer or more enjoyable. Yet there are always consequences. There is never something for free. So...¡± he looked at me and I finished for him.


    ¡°Our priority has to be to weather the storm, to save Earth, both the Material and the Astral, from destruction, invasion or any other threats. But... I also want to make the world a better place.¡± I looked at everyone fondly, even Ixitt and Ginneka. ¡°I was running away, living alone, going through the motions, too afraid to care about people, as I didn¡¯t believe I could protect them or make them happy alone...¡±


    ¡°Oh Aki, you damn idiot. I guess I¡¯m one too though. If we were both braver, smarter, more honest, we could have been dating long before this...¡± Shiro muttered, and I favoured her with a broad grin.


    ¡°That aside... thanks to Shaeula and Eri healing my heart, showing me I could protect others, I¡¯ve realised I want the world those I love live in to be beautiful, the best it can be. So... we can do things nobody else has ever dreamed of.¡± My smile turned shrewd, and I imagined Hinata would be blushing if she could see it. ¡°However, I¡¯m also practical. We can¡¯t thrive on good intentions. So... while we make our world shine brightly, we might as well make a truckload of money. I have a lot of girlfriends and a big extended family, all with expensive tastes, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not a cheap girl, not at all.¡± Kana smiled, touching her hairclip. ¡°But more than that... Haru-chan, Miyu-chan, the others, even the Tengu who have joined us... you have to look after everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what it means to be an Astral Emperor, I think. If I¡¯m going to rule, I¡¯m going to do it the right way. So... I need those trillions. But I¡¯m not going to get it by pillaging the Earth, because why would I damage what¡¯s ours?¡± Whether I end up as the Astral Emperor of Earth is still far from decided, but... I have to step up. I can¡¯t assume someone else will do it, or if they do, they¡¯ll be benevolent. I have responsibilities, and they grow every day. Tsukiko-san, mount Atago, Ginneka, Nie Ling... I¡¯m responsible for all of them, in different ways. So... ¡°Recycling and waste disposal are massive industries. I did some research, and last year the market value of it was more than a trillion yen. And that¡¯s a market I want to be earning from.¡±


    ¡°We can do it better. After all... why destroy, when we can... transform!¡± Ixitt said eagerly. He had set up his device, and now poured a heap of trash into the cube. ¡°This is but a small-scale test, fortunately the ether density here is high for the Material, so it is a worthy spot for the first experiment... I fear I am going to need you to spend some ether.¡± He said apologetically, and I waved it away. We have it, so that¡¯s fine...


    ¡°As you know...¡± He started to lecture us proudly, and Kana stifled a theatrical yawn. Ignoring her, he continued. ¡°Alchemy can be used to break down substances. Now... in the Seelie Court it is used to great effect in preparing ingredients for potions and poultices, separating out valuable minerals from crude ores, and other similar tasks. But we are only limited by our knowledge.¡± He started to call on his aether. ¡°I have grown so much stronger, and I will not stop gaining strength. Knowledge is a form of strength. I have spent a great deal...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes you have.¡± I interjected, and he grinned shamefacedly.


    ¡°You have to spend to earn a bigger return.¡± He chortled. ¡°I invested in many books, much equipment, and I have studied Chemistry, Biology, Physics and more besides. I have just scratched the surface. There is almost too much for one being to learn... but while I live I shall continue to absorb knowledge, and craft wonders. But... Alchemy is limited by knowledge. Extracting metal from an ore is wonderful, but what is left over is useless. But is it? Everything has value. So...¡± A rainbow of ether surged, and he grimaced at the far greater difficulty of working the device here. ¡°...why not be paid to take this waste, and then get paid again, likely far more, for the treasure it actually is!¡±


    He squinted, and the bluesteel wires shone, forming a series of patterns. Looks like other metals are inlaid on it too. It¡¯s a bit like a magic circle, I suppose... We made noises of approval, and as the light died down, inside the cube was a wonderous scene. It was filled with smaller crystal cubes, each holding a different material. Some were seemingly empty, others contained powders, liquids or small ingots, and with my Eye I could see them all.


    Oxygen. Hydrogen. Carbon. Iron. Lead. Tin. Silicon. Even tiny traces of gold and silver.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s ... isn¡¯t that silicon?¡± Shiro said, surprised, looking at a pile of dark-grey granules. ¡°I guessed you¡¯d get some out when you started recycling those glass jars and bottles, but... damn, how pure is that stuff?¡± She had her phone out, only to see it could go for a decent amount. ¡°It¡¯s way more valuable than the glass it¡¯s made from. Semiconductors and other things use a ton of the pure stuff worldwide... uh...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡± I grinned. ¡°Turning glass into recycled glass is good for the planet, I suppose, but turning it into silicon and other metals is better. Though...¡± I pointed to one small cube, containing sodium, and another containing calcium. ¡°...storage is a pain.¡±


    ¡°Trash to treasure. A ton of average waste costs fifty thousand yen to landfill. That¡¯s hardly the sort of money we are looking for. But higher value wastes... we get the money, and if we can get a large enough factory set up, we can turn that into a ton of assorted materials, many of which will be worth their weight in gold. Or even be gold.¡± Ixitt grinned. ¡°Better, we can use many of the materials in our other projects, reducing our costs substantially, and sell the rest. A ton of waste could be transformed into many millions of yen, potentially.¡±


    ¡°There was forty-one million tons of waste disposed of in Japan last year alone. Think of it...¡± I grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of it, I am.¡± Shiro was tapping on her phone. ¡°Uh... even if we only took ten percent of that... damn.¡±


    ¡°So...¡± I turned back to Asha. ¡°The waste, the unsightly messes, we¡¯ll clean them all up. And instead of endless landfills and furnaces we¡¯ll have forests, gardens and glades. The air will become clean as pollution decreases, and while the Seelie Court learns mortal ways...¡± Shaeula nodded at that. ¡°We¡¯ll learn Fae ways too, respect nature.¡±


    ¡°And our experiments will have the budget they need, no, deserve.¡± Ixitt grinned, setting up his next devices. ¡°Now... it is simply infeasible for us to run a huge array of these devices ourselves, the ether cost would be staggering and it would take us away from our important tasks. But...¡± he grinned. ¡°Power generation... that is definitely a mortal speciality...¡±


    Yeah, Hinata and Mayumi-san are going to be very excited when they see this... very excited indeed. As my Eye shone, I looked at some of the pure elements, and ideas were whirling through my brain. I then felt a chill, as I wondered just what sort of dreadful weapon Alchemy could be in the wrong hands... Damn, disassembling someone into their components would be instantly fatal. Though it obviously can¡¯t be easy, or Mortal Engineers would be the deadliest warriors in the lands of the Fae...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Six

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Six


    ¡°Now, I may be a beautiful genius...¡± Shiro said, looking at the box of crystal cubes. ¡°...but science isn¡¯t my specialty. I know a bit, but... what¡¯ll happen when the aether runs out and the Alchemy device returns to the Boundary? Aren¡¯t a lot of pure elements a little explosive, poisonous or worse?¡±


    ¡°Of course. That is why we have started small-scale.¡± Ixitt pointed out. ¡°I do admit a fascination for the principles of explosions and chemical reactions. I fear those of us of a more spiritual leaning are often more interested in the end results, not the process. Aether is powerful, a mediator of laws and principles, but that which is not truly understood will never reach the heights of true power.¡±


    A mediator of laws and principles? An interesting phrase... At Ixitt¡¯s words, I thought of my own experiences. It seemed to be largely true, and the same definitely applied to elements as well, otherwise Shaeula wouldn¡¯t have grown stronger when she started to understand the actual composition and effects of the air, and the movements of it. Aether costs are lessened and it¡¯s far easier to do something we understand is possible. It can still achieve potentially impossible feats, like creating matter out of seemingly nothing, but then, is that actually truly impossible?


    I wasn¡¯t Arisu-san, with her keen interest in physics, and as Ixitt went on to explain that this was just a testing device, and the actual planned factory would funnel the separated solids, liquids and gases into a number of specially prepared holding tanks, I found myself thinking about her. A talk show, huh? I¡¯ve been on TV before, there was the reporter in Kyoto that interviewed me, and the press conference in London, but... oh well, I¡¯m honestly not sure whether I¡¯ll be the star of the show or not. Arisu-san certainly has that ice-cold charisma, and quite the backstory of tragedy, betrayal and revenge. But in our experiments with her Room, I had realised that what seemed impossible likely wasn¡¯t. Matter can be created from nothing, right? Else how did our universe start? I think Quantum Mechanics allows all sorts of weirdness, like you can pass through solid objects, the chance is just so small that you¡¯d need to try for many times the age of the universe for the necessary states to align...


    With those thoughts in mind, I saw Ixitt produce a small device made of silver and crystal, in which was placed a blue Etherite, which surprised me. ¡°I thought you were saving the blue ones for artificial Ether Spires?¡± My Eye flared, showing me the description.


    Artificial Boundary To Material Connection ¨C This genius work of Mortal Engineering allows a small area of your Territory that you have full ownership of in the Material that is connected to a Boundary area that you also control to be supplied with energy, pulling Ether and Aether from the Astral and dispersing it over the surrounding small area.


    I see. That¡¯s certainly useful if it stacks, and it seems like it does... The Device shone, a rainbow glow glittering across the metal and blue Etherite. Ixitt looked to have inserted some sort of fuel, a powder of red and orange, and soon my Eye could notice the difference in density. It¡¯s not a huge gain, but on top of what we already have...


    ¡°Fortunately, now we have trade with the Night Parade, our supply of higher-end Etherites has increased. And the artificial Ether Spires are condensing a number of red and orange ones.¡± He rubbed his hands in glee. ¡°This device was the hardest to manufacture, I am afraid green Etherites are unable to take the strain. If only there was a way to get our hands on the precious indigo or violet ones...¡± His expression was greedy, wistful.


    ¡°Speaking of the Hyakki Yagyo?...¡± Shaeula said, smiling wickedly at Ginneka. ¡°...we can now-now fulfil our promise. You will be working hard, cat.¡± As Ginneka made a mewling noise of surprise, Shaeula looked at Asha and Shiro. ¡°I would test-test the ability of this thieving cat to bring alcohol to the Boundary. Not-not only for trade, but for my grand-grand opening of the Spring. I wish to impress, and also extract as much-much wealth from the powerful of the Court as I can.¡± Her smile was now positively wicked. ¡°This all depends on the cat though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be helpful, right?¡± I said, and Ginneka hurried to agree. I turned to Kana¡¯s father. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can do me a favour and go shopping for booze? Get a mixture of beers, wines, spirits and some high-end stuff too. You can keep a few bottles for you and your family as well. Karen-chan will sort you out with the money.¡±


    With that agreed, the girls agreed to return to the Boundary and sample the drinks extensively, making the excuse they had to thoroughly test the effects and potency of the transfer. Leaving them to it, I continued talking with Ixitt, admiring the device.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s fuelled by Etherite powder?¡± I asked, and he shook his head.


    ¡°Not exactly. The power comes from the ambient ether, the powder is an accelerant, a catalyst, much as the blue Etherite is. The materials are spectacular, quite unlike anything from the Seelie Court. Study of it and the Materia Tree is advancing Mortal Engineering by leaps and bounds. There are still some areas they are insufficient though.¡± He launched into a grand speech about the types of materials needed. The silver metal was adequate for most purposes, and the crystals and Etherites worked for other things, but apparently wires to transmit aether were missing, as bluesteel could be spun to transmit elements, but had very poor efficiency with aether.


    ¡°For now I am spinning the silver metal into strands, but it is a labour and aether-intensive process. Wires and threads are crucial, so a workaround would be a great breakthrough.¡± He finished. ¡°I had considered one possibility...¡± He looked at the girls, who shivered.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad feeling all of a sudden...¡± Shiro said, and Ixitt waved one hand.


    ¡°It is nothing to be concerned about. I have seen old records of silk from ancient spiders being used to inlay certain magical circles and runes. Apparently the silk takes on the properties of the spider itself. So I thought that hair from those with great power would work similarly...¡± As he spoke, all of the girls covered their heads protectively.


    ¡°No way! A girl¡¯s hair is her life. If you think you¡¯re having mine, you¡¯re mad!¡± Shiro denied him. Shaeula followed up with a similarly angry refusal.


    ¡°You would not-not wish to see my beautiful amber locks shorn away, would you?¡± she asked me, and I sighed. I¡¯m not fussy, but I do love long hair on girls. But...


    ¡°Yes, none of you would be right with short hair, but Ixitt does raise one interesting point. But we won¡¯t be experimenting on any of you.¡± I promised. ¡°We¡¯ve all been strengthened, but I wonder, does it apply to hair as well? Ordinary hair has tensile strength comparable to steel, so...¡± I pulled a few strands free from my own head. ¡°I¡¯m curious. Run some tests.¡± I handed the strands to Ixitt.


    ¡°Of course. Load bearing, aether throughput... but your hair is too short to be much use...¡± Ixitt wheedled.Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only


    ¡°If the results are good, I¡¯ll experiment with regrowing hair with Ether Healing. If, and only if that works, we¡¯ll ask for suitable volunteers to donate.¡± The girls looked extremely put off, but Ginneka was the one shivering now, seeing me looking. A shapeshifter can definitely replace shorn hair...


    ¡°I think we should change the subject, Aki.¡± Shiro told me. ¡°Now I could really use those drinks. You come too, Aki. No point being able to be in two places at once if you can¡¯t make use of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I can better understand Ginneka¡¯s grasp on the Divine Favour.¡± I agreed. ¡°But before that...¡± Ixitt was setting up a number of small silver spires. ¡°...what are we testing?¡±


    ¡°There is so much, I can hardly wait to start.¡± Ixitt chortled. ¡°But the key element is... sustainability. Much as I would like, we cannot have Ginneka constantly returning key equipment to the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°I should think not, nya. I agreed to help, but I am a woman of leisure, nya. I deserve fair treatment!¡±


    Ignoring that interjection, he continued. ¡°You have considered the same issue. Now...¡± he brought up a design schematic on one of his tablets. ¡°...the weight of accumulated trash per cubic metre varies by type, from around eight thousand kilograms for steel and other metal waste, to less than two hundred and fifty kilograms for general household wastes. A cubic metre seems the ideal volume for the alchemical devices to work with. Yes, for some wastes, such as old fridges, cars, heavy machinery... a cutting process would be required. After all, damage to the waste is irrelevant.¡±


    His schematics showed the underground factory split into several parts. A huge storage facility, where waste would be sorted into rough types. Fortunately, unlike traditional recycling there was no real problem if other types crept in, so that was one time and labour-intensive overhead saved. There would then be transport belts that would move the waste to the cubes, heavier, more cumbersome items such as household appliances and cars routed through an automated cutting area first, where robotic arms would slice up large objects into manageable chunks.


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s a production line, and again, unlike manufacturing, the robotics on the line can be relatively cheap and crude, as we don¡¯t need precision.¡± I mused. ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot of power to run though...¡±


    ¡°So why do the resources from the Tree last longer than even bricks or iron bars?¡± I mused.


    ¡°I believe it might be their special nature.¡± Ixitt was overjoyed at the results. ¡°They are extremely sensitive to ether, elemental energies and perhaps more...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, adherence at the least.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°It seems that the efficiency of imbued aether is high, and perhaps...¡± He moved several more outside the area of the artificial Connection. ¡°...it absorbs some of the ambient ether. If so, the difference in density should show a time variance in their existence here.¡±


    ¡°If it follows some sort of linear rule, that would confirm it.¡± I suggested, and Ixitt agreed.


    ¡°In addition, destroying the object seems to hasten the departure.¡± Ixitt concluded, looking at a number of destroyed objects. ¡°But changing it in certain ways...¡± He looked at the pool of molten iron I had created by melting a block of metal. ¡°...has seemingly no effect on the time it remains. Now, I wonder... what about alloying?¡±


    As we discussed this, I was also observing the alcohol. Drinking it didn¡¯t make it disappear, as it wasn¡¯t destroyed, at least not immediately, but I was still half-expecting it to vanish eventually. Would that remove the effect, as if it was never drunk in the first place? If so, that has both plusses and minuses... I have to say, testing the booze with the girls is more enjoyable though, especially... I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I watched the girls ply Tsukiko-san with alcohol. It was then my attention was back on the Material though, as a military motorcade pulled up at the base of the shrine, and out got several soldiers, including one of the military Chosen I didn¡¯t know that well, escorting a downcast and submissive woman.


    Once they arrived at the Shrine where Ixitt was setting up a portable forge, ready to begin mixing together various substances, the solider saluted me. ¡°Oshiro-san, we have brought the prisoner to be handed over into your custody. If you could sign this...¡± He pushed some documents my way on a clipboard, and after scanning them to make sure nothing was untoward, I signed them.


    ¡°In that case, I will be going.¡± He said, but not before shooting a sharp look at Nie Ling, who shrunk under the anger. As they left, I pushed down my complex feelings about her and offered my hand.


    ¡°How does it feel to be outside?¡± I asked, and after a moment she shook my hand lightly and I could feel her trembling, her eyes watery.


    ¡°It is... not unpleasant.¡± She said in Chinese. ¡°But... I don¡¯t know what my future holds, or what the right decision was.¡±


    ¡°Who ever does? It¡¯s lovely when the easy thing is the right thing, but quite often we have to choose between a number of wrong things. For tonight you¡¯ll have to stay here at the training school. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a number of spare rooms available still.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I understand. I... suppose that is all I can hope for. I can¡¯t return to China, not now.¡±


    ¡°No, even if we¡¯d let you go, which isn¡¯t really an option, you wouldn¡¯t have a good time there.¡± I agreed. Considering the damage the invasion caused to already fragile Japan-China relations, and also the fact she betrayed their so-called Department for Managing Divine Mysteries, she¡¯d be whisked off for interrogation, and likely liquidation. She knows too much.


    ¡°I never asked for this...¡± she said again, and I sighed.


    ¡°I know. But then a lot happens in life we didn¡¯t want, we just have to make the best of it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to torture you. But you will work hard.¡± I promised sternly. She flinched, but nodded after a moment, acknowledging her position.


    As I glanced over at the busy Ixitt, I outlined her first task. ¡°Now, if you could send a few people into their dreams, bringing them here... that would be a good start.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± She seemed incredulous. ¡°This is reality, not a dream.¡±


    ¡°Hey, to them, we are but a dream. Just like the butterfly dreaming it was a person. It¡¯s all about perspective.¡± I said softly, and I was thinking that her whole situation was a matter of perspective, different from wherever she was standing. Yes, it¡¯s easy to decide from one viewpoint, but... that¡¯s not how life works...


    ********


    ¡°We meet again.¡± Eri said coolly, and Nie Ling looked down, chastened. Eri let out a bored, irritated sigh at that. ¡°Oh, do grow up. I get you like feeling sorry for yourself, but... one of the victims of your invasion is here. She died and nearly had her spirit eaten.¡±


    At that, Nie Ling seemed surprised, and the elegant Tsukiko-san nodded regally, though her faintly red cheeks and slight sway betrayed that she was rather drunk. I glanced over at the others, and Shaeula shrugged, her smile cheeky.


    ¡°Yes, I am Matsumuro Tsukiko, the Diviner. I was killed by that which threatened you. If it was not for these who risked their all to save me...¡± She looked at me, Shaeula, Shiro and others gratefully. ¡°...I would not exist. As it is, I am here in spirit, unable to return to the life I lived. And many would envy me. But for the Definite being overthrown by those who do not know how to give up...¡± Her smile was genuine and heartfelt, and somehow alluring. ¡°... not just those that died as a direct result of your actions would lament. No, how many thousands, tens of thousands would be devoured? The great golden-eyed fiend is rapacious, ravenous. It would eat and eat until nothing remains.¡±


    ¡°I know that...¡± she whispered. ¡°But I surely have the right to look out for myself?¡±


    ¡°If yooou do...¡± Hyacinth growled, having been quiet up until now. ¡°...then yooou can not complain when we use yooou for our own ends. Hyacinth... I have dooone bad things, I know it, though I dooo not remember.¡± She looked away, her silver-violet eyes full of deep emotions. ¡°...so I make amends. If nooot to the victims of my actions, then tooo those who wish to stop future sadness. The world is cruel. I dooo sympathise. For Akio and the mistresses I wooould do terrible things, worse than to the Myconids.¡± She shuddered. ¡°But sympathy will nooot stop me using you. Now, dry your tears, woman. Self-pity is ooonly a temporary comfort to yourself, it will never heal yooou. Only doing for ooothers will save your heart. Trust me, Hyacinth knooows well.¡±


    ¡°She is right.¡± Shaeula agreed, going over to give Hyacinth a hug. ¡°We did not-not show the Myconids mercy, for they deserved none. We have killed, and perhaps we could have handled matters in other ways. But there is no-no turning back the past. Only the future. You made your choice. It might have been between a bad-bad and a worse, but you still chose. Now prove yourself worth the sacrifices you forced on others. If so, I will say-say your choice was right. If not-not...¡± she didn¡¯t finish, but the withering contempt in her amber eyes was plain.


    ¡°I... all right. I know.¡± Nie Ling pouted. She looked to Daiyu for sympathy, but she had none to give, being on the other side of the battle, despite their circumstances and flight from China being similar. Seeing that, Nie Ling sighed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for my survival.¡±


    ¡°Good. And if you do, one day... no, let¡¯s not talk about the future. But the now. So...¡± I pointed to a number of Mortal Engineers waiting eagerly, as well as the leader of the weaselkin musicians, Tillyae. Shaeula had long wanted to bring mortal music to the Boundary and lower Astral, but a Throne slot for Tillyae seemed wasteful. But if she can be sent to the Material for a few hours here and there, she can learn our songs and teach them to her musicians. I wonder if they would actually give benefits like their own songs do?


    As she set to work, struggling at the concept of sending them the other way, I asked Shiro to buff her. She rolled her eyes at me, but she did it, and soon the first couple of weaselkin vanished, and over in the Material my other body watched in surprise as they appeared, blinking and confused for a moment, the shimmer of aether around them visible even to the naked eye.


    ¡°At last... helpers!¡± Ixitt crowed triumphantly, and as several more appeared, including Tillyae, I grimaced. Wow, unlike all those who had a Throne, these ones are here in their ordinary appearance... just wow. Echoing my sister, I pinched my nose, feeling a headache coming on. So it works, but this complicates things a bit...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Seven

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Seven


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve really been missing out. I¡¯m so jealous.¡± Hinata said, pouting prettily, though her face was red with excitement, her brown eyes sparkling as she looked around, still in the elegant and old-fashioned sailor uniform of Hanafubuki. She clasped her hands together, rubbing them eagerly as she continued. ¡°It¡¯s just like being over there...¡±


    ¡°Hinata, you¡¯ve been well, I trust?¡± I said, greeting her happily as she ran into my arms. I gave her a hug, and her eyes were damp and her breath was coming fast, before I let her go when I heard someone coughing politely. Hinata backed away, a trace regretful, but she straightened her uniform and adopted a graceful mien. I turned to the amused Mayumi-san, who greeted me as well, her own curiosity soaring.


    ¡°Akio-kun...¡± she addressed me rather informally. ¡°...is this... it must be, I can¡¯t think of any other explanation...¡± Behind her was Miyu, as well as all their bodyguards, and a number of the new nobility, sons and daughters alike, who Shaeula and I had performed Chirurgery on, though there were a few female faces I didn¡¯t recognise, so letting my Eye shine a little, I established they had received Chirurgery, and recently as well, as their networks were still flushing debris slowly. If it¡¯s something Shaeula has done, I can trust her. Besides, getting further nobles in our debt is no bad thing.


    ¡°... it¡¯s time then?¡± Mayumi-san finished.


    ¡°Not quite.¡± I amended. ¡°But it¡¯s a huge step closer.¡± Looking around, over the last two hours, Nie Ling and Ginneka had been worked to the bone, Shaeula and I constantly topping them up while Shiro kept them buffed. We had now brought over dozens of Fae from our Territory, as well as large amounts of equipment and samples to test. Conversely, on the mortal side we had gathered a number of the Black Wolf Company, and they were helping out in the experiments.


    ¡°Fucking hell, manual labour... if my hands get all calloused, I¡¯ll lose the pleasure of touching the soft skin of a woman.¡± Aliyah was grumbling, as she hefted a heavy metal girder on her shoulders. Behind her, one of the men of the Company quipped that she never got her hands on any cute girls anyway, and he had to duck as she swung the heavy metal burden at him aggressively. The man rolled away, laughing, knowing she wouldn¡¯t actually kill him with it, and as she grumbled, she set the heavy weight down on a roped-off area of ground with a great sigh. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I signed up for... but I guess it beats getting shot.¡± She grimaced, before a faint surge of ruby energy was unleashed from her, and the ground liquefied, the metal girder sinking down until it vanished. ¡°Get the GPR over here.¡± she called, and another mercenary rushed over, carrying a small device.


    ¡°GPR?¡± Mayumi-san asked, and I explained we were testing rapid and enhanced construction techniques, and the ground-penetrating radar was used to check the results.


    ¡°I can do it with my Eye...¡± I finished. ¡°...but I have more important things to look at, so use technology for what it¡¯s best at...¡±


    ¡°...and Mortal Engineering for what it is not.¡± Ixitt declared, hopping over, still as ecstatic as someone who had discovered they had won first prize on a lottery. ¡°Greetings to you, Hinata, Mayumi.¡± As always, Ixitt didn¡¯t bother with niceties or social norms. Shaeula is the same. The Fae have their own customs and polite manners of speech, but the two of them seldom bother, and not for the same reasons. ¡°I expect you are eager to get started on the factory, but we have some issues to work out. But... now we can make progress many orders of magnitude faster.¡± He smiled, eyes eager as he looked out over where Mortal Engineers were fussing over devices and samples excitedly, making notes, many marvelling over the laptops and tablet computers Ixitt had provided. With my money, of course. Mad science doesn¡¯t come cheap...


    Behind them, a number of ratkin and weaselkin were firing off assault rifles and pistols, others making notes. The equipment was from the Black Wolf, and was only allowed via special dispensation as part of the Ministry laws. Fortunately other more eye-catching laws took all the media attention. Also here was the dwarf Bjarki, who was looking towards the impressive structures of Tokyo proper in the distance, muttering to himself about such great feats of construction.


    ¡°Issues?¡± Mayumi-san asked, and Ixitt explained.


    ¡°Yes. Over the last few hours we have run many tests, confirming some results I have obtained before.¡± He shook his head mournfully. ¡°I have so much to study, to learn, and so little time. But now we have the personnel available...¡± He paused meaningfully, and the nervous Nie Ling, who was sitting down, exhausted, sipping on a drink, shuddered. Seeing that, I sighed.


    ¡°Look, Nie Ling...¡±


    ¡°Call me Ling. When you say my full name, it sounds like you are angry with me.¡± she said softly, and I held in another sigh.


    ¡°Fine, Ling.¡± I persisted. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re working hard, but compared to what you were doing before, is this really a hardship? You don¡¯t have to fight, or cause deaths, and you can make the world a slightly better place with your aid. I think you shouldn¡¯t forget the situation that lead you to here, or forget to be grateful for another chance.¡±


    Hinata agreed. ¡°Yes, even if you just think about how many of your comrades in invasion died, I¡¯d think you¡¯d be a little grateful all you have to do is work.¡± She looked at me then, pouting once more. ¡°I¡¯m a little jealous of Motoko and Natsumi, you know. They¡¯re at home, resting. I think they are more mentally exhausted than physically tired, but... it sounds like it was a lot of fun from what I hear!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to fight then, Hinata?¡± Mayumi-san was surprised. Behind her, Miyu smiled softly, remembering her own rough start in the Boundary, and the efforts I had made to break her of her terror of battle. ¡°I thought you were more like me, interested in the practical side.¡±


    ¡°Fighting? That doesn¡¯t interest me.¡± She confirmed. ¡°But the challenges sounded a lot of fun, apart from the end... sorry Akio.¡± She apologised, seeing my expression, and I pulled her close for another hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Fungbo?, I don¡¯t care about that bastard, but even though Shungbo? was a bit of a prick, he didn¡¯t deserve that end.¡± No, it was a grizzly end, but perhaps some good has come from it... It wasn¡¯t quite there yet, but I could feel the faint stirrings of Kin Bonding linking me to Haano?bo?, and also Arangbo? and Taro?bo?. I guess my words, the stupid bet... us fighting together... it all does mean something within me. I guess a part of me does see her, and by extension her brother and father, as family after all... ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time, though. Yes, some of the trials were fun. When we were in London, Motoko was a far daintier eater. I never knew she had such an appetite. And that¡¯s the joy in my life now.¡± I tightened my hug, rubbing Hinata¡¯s hair, and while Ixitt snickered and Miyu looked on warmly, Mayumi-san looked down, her face slightly pink. ¡°Finding out more about you all excites me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Miyu said calmly. ¡°In London, were you not usually with my grandfather or other dignitaries? Motoko-san is far too well-bred to shame herself. But... with you she can show her true self. We all can.¡± She looked at Michiru-san beside her, her expression happy.


    ¡°One thing about fighting is it brings in the wealth.¡± Hinata said to her friend, snuggling into my grip. ¡°We have mount Atago now as well, right? Fire element?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should start filling Elemental Silos from the tithed energy soon. That gives us more options.¡±


    ¡°So see?¡± Hinata said brightly to Mayumi-san. ¡°Fighting isn¡¯t my dream, but seeing what Akio sees, and generating new wealth and opportunities... even if I leave that to others, I need to be strong enough to protect myself. I won¡¯t be a weakness for others to exploit.¡± she promised.


    ¡°All wise sentiments.¡± Ixitt agreed. ¡°But back on the subject of progress...¡± He pointed out where the testing was going on. Bullets were being fired, and they discharged with bursts of jade wind, ruby earth, and other colourful elements. Other Mortal Engineers were measuring damage to set-up blocks of concrete, steel plates and more. ¡°...the ammunition works as planned here. I think it will satisfy your aims, Mayumi.¡±


    She watched for a while, before conceding that. ¡°Yes, father and grandfather want military technology, and I agree there¡¯s money to be made. But I want a product that we can sell everywhere, that everybody will want. And while military equipment may be that, we can¡¯t sell those worldwide. I¡¯m not a fool.¡±


    Haano?bo? glanced at me, yellow-gold eyes hard, and she probably wanted to say something like why did you answer me but wisely kept her silence. Ixitt nodded, agreeing with me.


    ¡°Yes, and that is what we seek here. Everything has a reason. Even aether follows rules. And here it is much easier to tease them out. There surely is a reason certain alloys of the material from the Materia Tree and mundane metals remain, and others do not. We can convert aether to lightning element, and lightning to your electricity, but the reverse is yet elusive. And knowing there are principles behind it, we can solve these issues.¡± He continued to explain, and when he got into the relationship between ether density and longevity of items and brings brought to the Material, displaying some graphs, the girls tuned out.


    ¡°I understand knowing is important.¡± Mayumi-san said. ¡°But can we turn it into profit?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ixitt laughed. He pointed to where several Mortal Engineers were carrying a solid-looking glass box, the seals reinforced with metal. Within it was a lump of some organic matter, and seeing the colour and texture I realised it was a chunk of Duke Myrcolaxriath. Seeing my concerned gaze, Ixitt reassured me.


    ¡°Have no fear, we are taking proper precautions with the remains of the Duke.¡± he promised. ¡°But this proves my point. Demand for poor Hyacinth to culture more of the fungal growth outstrips the time she can spend on it. She has many other matters to attend to, including you.¡± His smile was wry and a little amused. ¡°But the material is too precious not to use. Even equipping everyone with the new Brigandine armour is an exhausting task. Now...¡± he addressed Hinata and Mayumi-san seriously. ¡°We certainly wish to make wonderful, custom equipment and items for those of us who require them. We need the best. But the Territory, and to a far greater extent, the Seelie Court, Japan... there is no way we can meet such demand. No, the aim is to mass produce. But it is not possible. No matter how strong Hyacinth is it would take her many decades to produce enough of the fallen Duke to equip your armies with uniforms. Even making them would take master Bjarki many long years. No, that will not do, their time is better spent elsewhere, after setting the initial production in motion.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Opportunity cost and economies of scale. I know business.¡± Mayumi-san said proudly. ¡°Bespoke items have their place, as the daughter of Ichijou house I can¡¯t be seen wearing something others can. But... making a dozen yen from ten thousand is more than ten thousand from one person.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We will of course have the best of both worlds. But... research is expensive.¡± Ixitt chortled. ¡°As for mass production, we need to be sure we have understood the underlying mechanisms, the point where we can create adequate stocks. Hence why I need to send our alloys to the laboratory for further investigation. It may well lead to further avenues we can explore with the help of Yasaka.¡±


    As Ixitt continued to explain about the breakthroughs he was seeking, I couldn¡¯t help but think about it. He¡¯s right. There are definitely underlying rules. And if we master them, it changes everything. The items we had retrieved from the Tower of London, as well as items I had made myself, back in the early stages of my journey, they were different, but had some common features. As I considered it, I could hear the noise of a helicopter in the distance, getting closer. Surely that¡¯ll be her... Security around Shirohebizumi shrine was tight, and nothing was allowed in the airspace near it other than authorised flights. As the helicopter came into view, clearly heading for us and the landing site we had on the hill, Mayumi-san asked who was coming.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be Yukiko-san.¡± I said. At that Mayumi-san looked puzzled, before Hinata grinned.


    ¡°Get used to it, he means Princess Mikasa, the Priestess of Ise.¡± Hinata clarified. ¡°It¡¯s not like he isn¡¯t informal with you either, Mayumi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I¡¯ll let it slide, considering he¡¯s your fiance?, Hinata.¡± she said grandly. ¡°And times are changing. He is qualified to call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°Is this the same Mayumi who was always harping on about her precious noble bloodline, the pride and weight of Ichijou house?¡± Hinata rolled her eyes. As the two of them argued jovially, the helicopter landed, and as the ramp came down, Yukiko-san stepped out, her expression eager. She saw me, opened her mouth to speak, only to freeze, eyes wide. Oh yes. It¡¯s quite the sight here, isn¡¯t it?


    As if to prove my point, Yukiko-san pulled off her glasses, which my keen eyes noticed no longer had lenses with any degree of correction, merely simple glass for cosmetic purposes, and was rubbing her eyes. After blinking a few times, she came over, shocked. ¡°Akio-san, what¡¯s going on? Has the Boundary swallowed up Tokyo?¡±


    Ignoring Ixitt¡¯s laughter, I shook my head. ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m just putting some assets to use.¡± Following my gaze, her own eyes glinted sternly as she saw Ling.


    ¡°I see. If today wasn¡¯t what it was I¡¯d...¡± she shook her head, cutting off her angry thoughts. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter, not today. So... where¡¯s Tsukiko? Is she here?¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s decided to wait until she saw you.¡± I said. I had offered her the chance to see if Ling could have brought her to the Material, and there was no reason to think it wouldn¡¯t work, but she said she was in no hurry, and she was enjoying herself currently in the Boundary with my other body and Shaeula, Shiro and some of the others. As I told her Yukiko-san had arrived, she nodded happily.


    Back on the Material, I offered Yukiko-san a room in the training school, which she accepted. Mayumi-san looked a little surprised at that. ¡°You haven¡¯t brought a bodyguard, Princess Mikasa. Aren¡¯t you concerned...¡±


    ¡°What reason do I have to be worried?¡± she said. ¡°I trust Akio-san, and he wouldn¡¯t jeopardise everything he¡¯s built to take advantage of me.¡±


    Mayumi-san looked at me, before glancing at Hinata, a slight smile on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seems that a tie to the Imperial Family would certainly round out his connections...¡±


    Hinata scoffed. ¡°If Akio wants to win over the Imperial Princess, he would do so. And he has no need to resort to foul methods to win her. Do you even know what you are implying? You probably still think babies are made by holding hands...¡± she teased her friend mercilessly.


    ¡°Nonsense! I am fully conversant with biology!¡± she shot back, and as they bickered back and forth again, I had to agree with Mayumi-san. Though not about me attacking the Princess, obviously.


    ¡°Mayumi-san raises a good point. The logistics of entering the Boundary safely away from home is a constant challenge. Fortunately it¡¯s not something I¡¯m concerned with anymore. So I¡¯ll stand guard, nothing will happen to Yukiko-san, as she well knows. Nobody here would be so foolish.¡±


    ¡°Even so...¡± Mayumi-san looked at her bodyguard and Kazumi-san. ¡°...I am surprised that you go about unaccompanied.¡±


    At that Yukiko-san shrugged. ¡°I like to keep a low profile. As Princesses go, I¡¯m fairly disappointing, I admit. But...¡± her brief gloom dissipated. ¡°... that doesn¡¯t matter. What does is... Tsukiko.¡±


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll show you to your room and stand guard outside.¡± I promised. Yes, Tsukiko-san. It¡¯s time to fulfil my promise...

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-One – Yukiko, Princess Mikasa

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-One ¨C Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    Feelings of excitement, longing and loss running through her, Yukiko quickly entered the small but neat room in the building Akio-san called his training school. Several people gave her curious looks as she had leapt up the stairs, but she had ignored them, only focussed on one thing, feelings of anticipation, joy and fear of betrayed hopes and expectations a hot and heavy ball in her lower body. Tsukiko... you¡¯re back. It doesn¡¯t feel real. It shouldn¡¯t be real...


    No sooner had she thrown herself on the bed inside, not caring if her clothes crumpled or if anyone was watching, her eyes slid shut, and she felt the familiar sense of separation, of shifting consciousness that accompanied her descent, or perhaps ascent, to the mysterious mirror world called the Boundary. No, someone will be watching. Akio-san, he promised. It felt a little strange. Yukiko kept herself out of the public eye as much as was possible for an Imperial Princess. It would have been impossible before the War, when her family was said to be divine, descended from Amaterasu itself. Now, we are just figureheads, although...


    The scenery of the Boundary resolved in front of her, and she was surprised to see Akio-san in front of her. Weren¡¯t you watching me back in the... oh, you did say... Seeming to guess her thoughts, Akio-san smiled, though there was no mockery in it, merely a gentle teasing. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t have to worry about my transitions between the Boundary and the Material now. I can do both at once if I wish. Now...¡± He offered an arm, showing the etiquette of the nobility, and for a moment Yukiko was surprised, though she quickly dismissed that feeling. There¡¯s no need to be shocked. He has several noble fiance?es. Several... That was still strange to her, and she wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. Of course, with her family history she was somewhat accepting of it. Great-grandfather had concubines, and even grandfather had some in secret, I know... it isn¡¯t fair for me to judge. Though it¡¯s always harder when it¡¯s someone you know.


    She took his arm. ¡°I¡¯m quite capable of going unescorted. After all, I am a Chosen of Amaterasu.¡± she reminded him, hoping she wasn¡¯t blushing. I¡¯m still not used to intimate contact with others. As Priestess of Ise and an Imperial daughter, I¡¯m kept sheltered, like a greenhouse flower, an ornament, just as our family has become. Although... It seemed quite a coincidence for her to be Chosen by Amaterasu, and once her father had revealed the secrets the Imperial Court still held, the Onmyo?ji and the Imperial Regalia, she realised perhaps there was more truth to the myth than the Americans had wanted to believe, back when they forced her grandfather to recant their divinity, leaving him old, careworn and defeated. That reminds me... father and grandfather both denied my request, but... for the future of Japan...


    ¡°Yes, I know. Your flames are quite impressive.¡± He praised her, and she found herself smiling. It¡¯s nice to be appreciated for what I can do, rather than who I am. Although compared to him, or even some of those around him... she pictured the small, cute and mighty Shaeula, and felt a surge of inferiority in her heart, before pushing it down. No, not today. Today... it¡¯s Tsukiko¡¯s day. I pray so, anyway...


    ¡°As are yours.¡± she retorted. ¡°Foehn, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A gift from America.¡± He grinned. ¡°Now, are you ready?¡± he asked as they left the building, looking up at the towering Tree, which was now covered in many blossoms of pink and white, giving off a fragrant, soothing scent. That¡¯s new...


    There seemed to be more activity than usual, and Yukiko wondered if it was related to the events in the Material. Akio-san confirmed it with a casual nod. ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone¡¯s eager to visit the Material and help out. Though it seems Ling struggles to send from the Boundary to the Material, the other way isn¡¯t much of a problem. But she can do enough for now.¡±


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re always making progress. I¡¯m jealous.¡± she said, and found she actually meant it, which surprised her. It seemed to surprise Akio-san a little too, though he quickly smiled in that slightly charming, teasing manner she had noticed so often on the occasions they had met.


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ve got over your unwillingness to fight?¡± he asked shrewdly, and she bit her lip, a little irritated.


    ¡°A gentleman wouldn¡¯t bring up the embarrassing past of a lady.¡± Yukiko retorted, but he only smiled more.


    ¡°I¡¯m not much of a gentleman, as you can see by my number of girlfriends. When we fought on the outskirts of Kyoto that time, I was impressed. But...¡± he trailed off meaningfully, and Yukiko knew it was a strategy to get her to fill in the blanks. Fine, I¡¯m not the most sociable of people, but I do have some skills, you know!


    ¡°At first, I wanted none of it. If I wanted the limelight, I could have it, after all, despite my plain appearance, I¡¯m still Princess Mikasa.¡± she said, and before Akio-san could speak, she pushed at her glasses, peering over them sternly. It¡¯s odd that they follow me here, and I don¡¯t really need them anymore, since my eyesight has fixed itself, but I feel naked without them on my face. I think it¡¯s probably related to self-image, which is why we don¡¯t appear here naked... ¡°Before you say something trite like I¡¯m actually pretty, save it for your girlfriends. I¡¯m aware I¡¯m not actually that bad. But I¡¯m a member of the Imperial Family, and a Princess. There are certain expectations. And I¡¯m on the plainer side...¡±


    Akio-san changed what he was about to say, and as they ascended the stairs, her feet were dragging, despite her eagerness to see Tsukiko again. Am I worried? I shouldn¡¯t be, it¡¯s not like Akio-san would lie to me. But... what if my hopes are dashed, if she¡¯s not herself? I can¡¯t help feeling a little dread...


    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ve met a few Princesses now. But honestly, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being the girl-next-door type, that¡¯s cute in itself. And as the Chosen of Amaterasu, you blaze like the sun, so why worry about meeting such expectations?¡±


    ¡°Flatterer.¡± She pouted, as he had side-stepped her warning. Letting out a sigh, she admired the blossoms all around her, breathing in the scent. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m not so down on myself as I used to be. And I have to thank you and Tsukiko for that, I suppose. Yes, I never wanted to fight, to accept this, but... I now know I¡¯m not alone. And it gets less frightening the more I do it. I think we can get used to anything, no matter how absurd, if we do it enough. And have those who recognise us.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, experience and understanding does lessen fear. But it¡¯s more than that. We defeat enemies, claim Territories and grow, and it doesn¡¯t just make us stronger, but it improves our mentalities too. Resilience.¡± He looked sad, and Yukiko tugged at their bound arms a little, showing she was there. On seeing her making an effort, he laughed a little, embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. It just all fits into my fears about how this all plays out. How this is a contest to refine us all down to either one or a small handful of powerful beings. But...¡± He forced himself to cheer up, his grey eyes kind, and Yukiko could see the tiny flecks of amber in one eye, like a million tiny stars. Fascinating... oh, no, I shouldn¡¯t stare so. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed, as he finished his thoughts.


    ¡°...that¡¯s why I want to work together, lift everyone up. Sure, maybe, no... almost certainly someone will have to lead, will have to be an Astral Emperor, but I want to do it by growing together. I don¡¯t want to be a pawn. If I¡¯m a chess piece... I¡¯d like to be a queen at least.¡±


    At that image, a laugh burst from Yukiko, and she found some of her tension draining. ¡°No, don¡¯t be a queen, Akio-san... I¡¯d hate to have to call you Akio-chan, and the others would be devastated. Besides, we¡¯re Japanese, wouldn¡¯t the kakugyo, the bishop from shogi, make more sense?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m better at chess. Mom taught me, Aiko and Eri as kids. She¡¯s not terrible at it, but she¡¯s not great either. Neither am I. Although... I bet that¡¯s the sort of thing stats would benefit, calculating future board states...¡±


    ¡°I think we are straying from the main point.¡± Yukiko said, as they approached the terrace cafe? where she could hear laughter, including some voices she recognised. Shaeula, I think. ¡°I was saying, I¡¯ve accepted my role, and after Kyoto and London, I know what¡¯s at stake. But I can only do it because we are all working together.¡±


    Akio-san agreed. ¡°Exactly. And we¡¯ll continue to do so. When my Territory is upgraded, I¡¯ll be working on Haru¡¯s next. And it should be able to cover Ise and the surroundings. It might cramp your room for expansion a bit, but we can work something out, and I¡¯d rather Ise was properly defended.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s premature to worry about allocating Territory before it¡¯s even claimed.¡± Yukiko said softly. ¡°I trust we can work something out.¡± There was no answer, as she stepped onto the Terrace, seeing the group of women gathered at the best table in the centre, laughing and smiling. Her eyes went wide, and one face, a bare, revealed face, seared into her eyes, robbing her of thought. Akio-san was left behind, looking on fondly, as Yukiko raced across the terrace, before she swept the woman into her arms, cheeks wet with tears as her twisted knot of emotions frayed, bursting free. It¡¯s her! Tsukiko! Alive again!


    ¡°Yukiko, you are crushing me...¡± a soft voice said, and after a moment she released her grip, only to see the face of Tsukiko looking at her, the ruby eyes kind, the cheeks also red, along with her flushed forehead and neck, silvery sweat dripping. For a moment Yukiko was confused, before seeing the slightly lopsided smile and the glass in her hand, full of fragrant liquid. For a moment she was shocked, before she blurted out ¡°Tsukiko, are you... are you drunk?¡±


    Her friend, Tsukiko, the noble, always refined and poised Lady Diviner, nodded, her expression sloppy. ¡°I believe so. I am trying new things. It does not seem so bad.¡±


    That¡¯s... unexpected. But... it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s great.¡± Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she hugged her lost friend again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You should do what you want. So long as you¡¯re alive. That¡¯s all I care about.¡±


    ¡°Alive? Not exactly.¡± Suzuki-san said, having stayed behind to look after Tsukiko. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s dead, but then... being dead doesn¡¯t necessarily mean life doesn¡¯t keep going on.¡± Her own smile was wry, as she floated over and patted Yukiko gently on the back. ¡°As her senior in being dead and coming back, I¡¯m happy to answer any questions for you. Since you¡¯re an important friend of Akio-kun¡¯s.¡±


    Yukiko blinked. ¡°I¡¯m an important friend?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Akio-san said, a bit embarrassed. ¡°Comrades in the same boat to friends, it¡¯s not so far-fetched, is it? Now, let poor Tsukiko-san free, grab yourself a drink, and we might as well start discussing matters. But first... we have another guest coming.¡±


    Yukiko looked puzzled. ¡°Who?¡±


    The woman Shiro, who intimidated with her perfect beauty, able to match the bare face and figure of Tsukiko that was no longer shrouded in voluminous robes, making Yukiko envious and uncomfortable in equal measure, snorted. ¡°Who else? But another Princess, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve asked Eleanor to come. I think that since Tsukiko-san is here, it would do us all good to get together. After all, the four of you have your destiny entwined, and Tsukiko-san too, as the Diviner.¡± Akio-san said, and Yukiko nodded. Yes, the prophecies from Tsukuyomi. As she felt a sudden chill, remembering the menacing crimson dragon and beast with a golden eye her friend had described, Yukiko found herself casting a glance at Akio-san as he took a glass from Shaeula, sitting down in the circle of pretty girls seemingly without a care. But Definite isn¡¯t actually definite. He proved that. Otherwise Tsukiko wouldn¡¯t be here now... With that thought in mind, she took the offered glass and took a sip, waiting for the new arrivals...


    ********


    ¡°We had to drop everything to come up here, so it best be important.¡± An angry-looking man with spiky-brown hair was saying in English. My English is passable, I can largely understand... beside him was a figure she recognised, Eleanor Elizabeth Diana Windsor. On seeing her, the Princess of Britain smiled, reaching out a hand, before pausing. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, how rude of me. I forgot for a moment you Japanese don¡¯t much like physical contact, and I¡¯m also wearing a gauntlet. It¡¯s been a long time, Mikasa-sama. Are you well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± As Princess Eleanor, who she had met several times at state functions, both of them liking to keep low-key, so they often found themselves frequenting the same isolated corners of such events, removed her gauntlet, Yukiko took her hand and told her that honorifics were unnecessary, but couldn¡¯t help admiring her green and bronze plate armour, which looked ancient and powerful. Not like mine. She looked down, seeing the black armour made from feathers she wore, a gift from Akio-san. Now it had suffered many scuffs and tears and was looking rather tatty in comparison.


    Seeing that, Akio-san coughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yukiko-san, you¡¯ll be getting a new Brigandine armour at some point, it¡¯s just demand is outstripping supply at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re giving your own Princess some toys, rather than ripping off ours.¡± The spiky-haired man said to Akio-san, rolling his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s favouritism in action.¡±


    ¡°David!¡± Eleanor said, scandalised, and one of the others with her, an older man with white hair and beard, yet still muscular, stepped forward and bowed politely.


    ¡°You must forgive his tone, Princess Mikasa. The boy has no manners, though he has improved somewhat due to recent events.¡± As the man, David, sniffed, insulted, the old man continued. ¡°I am Sir Arthur Dumbarton, one of Princess Eleanor¡¯s guards. This here is David Reckless, the same, and... Raidre, Selkie of Bermondsey Isle.¡± The last wasn¡¯t human, but like many of the others in Akio-san¡¯s Territory. The Selkie was nervous, glancing at Shaeula, who was grinning back, amused.


    ¡°I have nothing to forgive.¡± Yukiko-san accepted his words gracefully. ¡°If Akio-san, one of my countrymen, has been less than gracious, I apologise on his behalf.¡±


    Eleanor smiled wryly. ¡°How could I say that? He saved my life, my brother, those here... a few gifts are nothing in comparison. He even helped us with this ether, to rebuild our ruined Avalon. No, Territory, I suppose.¡± She corrected. ¡°Now, shall we not stand on ceremony?¡± Those who couldn¡¯t understand the English well were being translated for, so when everyone was seated, Akio-san coughed, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    Yukiko was seated next to the drunk Tsukiko, who was watching everyone keenly, her ruby eyes sharp despite the alcohol, and seeing that reassured her. She¡¯s still Tsukiko, the Diviner. She¡¯s still herself. I want her to be free of her burden, but not to lay it down entirely. Because that would hurt her in the end. I... no, we... we will help her this time. She¡¯s no longer alone. None of us are. I see. That¡¯s Akio-san¡¯s vision for our victory. I must say I prefer it to a few standing alone.


    ¡°Let me begin by welcoming our guests. Of course, you¡¯re free to drop by any time.¡± Akio-san said easily to the Princess and her entourage.


    ¡°Unlike you...¡± the Princess pursed her lips, looking at Akio-san¡¯s fiance?es and girlfriends, though there was a twinkle in her blue eyes. ¡°...I don¡¯t have much time for leisure and playing around. I do thank you for taking care of Aditi and Mary-Jane though. They feel better having something to do, to... distract them from their sorrows.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯m happy to help them get back on their feet.¡± Akio-san promised. ¡°But... I¡¯ve called you here, Eleanor, for an important reason. I present to you...¡± he smiled, gesturing grandly at Tsukiko. ¡°Our noble Lady Diviner, Matsumuro Tsukiko. The one who gave me warning about the dangers you would face.¡± His expression was kind yet grim. ¡°Without her foresight, I never would have travelled to Britain, and... I think the ending might have been different.¡±


    David clenched his fist at that, growling to himself, and Eleanor nodded. ¡°Yes, I fear it might have been. In that case... allow me to thank you.¡± She offered her hand to Tsukiko, who hesitated, human contact being forbidden to her before.


    ¡°She¡¯s thanking you. It¡¯s all right. You¡¯re the Diviner, but you¡¯re also Tsukiko.¡± Akio-san urged. ¡°You can accept the ordinary, while keeping the extraordinary.¡±


    Having made up her mind at his urgings, Tsukiko took her hand. ¡°No thanks are necessary. I simply did what was right, as Tsukuyomi bade me. It is what I have always done.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Up until her death...¡± Akio-san said so casually. ¡°...she never had a name, showed her face, had any sort of fun. I hate that. But I respect her incredible dedication to others. But there¡¯s nothing holy about sacrifice. Do good, but don¡¯t lose your own happiness.¡±


    ¡°She died, huh? You say that so damn casually.¡± David complained. ¡°I think I recall you mentioning it before, though, that she would come back. You¡¯re truly disgusting, you know. Just how many things can one person do?¡± The envy in his tone was palpable, and Yukiko found her chest heating up, a feeling of pride surging. Even I have my Imperial pride. To hear one of our subjects being praised by such a foreign dignitary, it makes me feel happy.


    As Princess Eleanor and Sir Arthur both sharply rebuked him, Akio-san laughed. ¡°A lot, but not everything. But it can be learned. After all, Eleanor can use water element now, and your own training must be progressing, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. So...¡± David leered at Tsukiko, only to rear back in surprise as Akio flicked a tiny water bullet into his head. He cursed, only for Akio-san to chastise him.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening? Tsukiko-san isn¡¯t used to human contact. So don¡¯t pressure her. She can take all the time she needs to get used to people. I know she¡¯s gorgeous, but please tone it down.¡±


    ¡°I have no choice but to concede.¡± She admitted gracefully, though she wobbled a bit, her face flushing, as she realised she was still drunk. Standing, she strode over to Akio and took his arm, looking into his grey eyes with her ruby ones, nearly close enough to kiss. ¡°More importantly... I want to believe. Because if I do not, the one who was able to save us is rather useless, for he was not there.¡± She reached up, hesitantly at first, before her fingers quivered, touching Akio-san¡¯s cheeks, as soft as a breath at first, before her confidence grew. ¡°And I found your willingness to see the real me, beyond what I could do for you, and what you would give for me... it touched my heart. My cold, silent, stoic heart. It began to beat again.¡±


    Yukiko watched on, clutching the front of her dress in her fist, breath coming fast. I... she¡¯s doing it!


    ¡°I am reborn.¡± Tsukiko looked at Suzuki-san, who nodded, reassuring her. ¡°I gave my all, my very life for what I believed in. I still believe in it. But now I believe in more. So... you asked me to marry you, foolish man.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s red eyes were bright. ¡°You should be more careful, even to save a life, such a commitment should not be offered.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Akio-san breathed, unable to move, so close she was to him. ¡°At the time I was desp...¡± Her hand came and sealed his mouth, cutting off his excuses.


    ¡°I know.¡± She repeated. ¡°But even a woman such as I, who has lived without emotions, as a machine, knows where the line is. You have let many women and girls alike beguile you, and you should stop. If you genuinely desire someone, that is healthy. After all, the Gods themselves make many children, have many lovers. Izanagi and his sister Izanami gave birth to children, one of which was Tsukuyomi, who I still revere. But simply pity, or to avoid hurt feelings... that is not a good enough reason.¡±


    Yukiko could see the traces of guilt in Akio-san¡¯s eyes, but they quickly vanished, and his face was resolute, his jaw clenched. ¡°I know. Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, they were all because I didn¡¯t want to hurt them. Honestly... Eri too. It all started because I was a weak idiot. But since then, I¡¯ve learned. I have. And though I may have chosen for stupid reasons, I love them all dearly now, and I¡¯ll never give them up. But I can¡¯t keep choosing just for those reasons. So... you know, the moon is beautiful tonight, isn¡¯t it?¡± Akio-san said, and Tsukiko smile widened, waiting. ¡°But not as beautiful as you. I like your appearance, you¡¯re right in my strike zone.¡± Akio-san said boldly. ¡°But most of all, I like the purity of your heart, and how you strive to protect others. And I can¡¯t help but think I want to make it mine, and make you smile from the heart, or gasp in wonder at some new experience.¡±


    ¡°How-how bold. It seems after Asha and Kana, Akio has-has finally learned how to be a proper male.¡± Shaeula praised, while Shiro whistled lewdly, chortling like a dirty old man.


    ¡°I see. I confess to having a certain level of trepidation.¡± Tsukiko breathed. ¡°My heart is racing. Perhaps it is the strong alcohol? No, I suspect not.¡± She flushed nearly as red as her eyes. ¡°I am still nai?ve, and I feel I might cause you may difficulties...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worth the price.¡± Akio-san promised. ¡°It seems pretty shady of me saying this when the time we¡¯ve spent together is so limited, but... when I think of you smiling, enjoying life along with everyone else, I feel so warm inside. It¡¯s not pity though, I promise.¡± He insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve learned girls don¡¯t want affection out of pity. No, it¡¯s because I see your unyielding spirit, and I think I¡¯d really enjoy showing you all the good things you¡¯ve missed out on. Although...¡± he grinned, a mock-stern expression crossing his features. ¡°...it won¡¯t all be easy. You wanted to protect Yukiko-san, your friend, and the other Princesses. Well, you still can and will, but now it¡¯ll be more hands on, so you¡¯ll have to train and grow stronger, just like everyone else. There are no passengers in this battle harem!¡± He threw in a joke at the end to lighten the tension.


    ¡°Aki¡¯s big on tough love too. It¡¯s sweet, like drowning in honey, but sometimes drowning isn¡¯t as fun as it sounds.¡± Shiro joked.


    ¡°Drowning doesn¡¯t sound like fun at all...¡± David quipped dryly after the translation. ¡°Man, I thought we were here for serious business?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡± Akio-kun said sternly. ¡°But to me... Tsukiko has always been serious business.¡±


    ¡°I... that does sound wonderful. I feel sweetness on my tongue and in my heart. The honey is enveloping me.¡± Tsukiko smiled. ¡°But I am not as indomitable as you think. I prayed for salvation, for mercy, even though I thought it would never come. I still hoped, and...¡±


    ¡°... that¡¯s what it is to be human. That¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. I think despite all the powers we have gained, the responsibility we shoulder... we need to stay human, stay caring. So... you¡¯re happy with me? It¡¯s a lifelong commitment you know.¡±


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t.¡± David disagreed. ¡°Couples break up all the time, man.¡±


    ¡°Oh it is.¡± Shaeula shook her head. ¡°I do-do believe Eri would not take kindly to someone abandoning Akio. She is rather complicated. I do love-love her dearly, but for one who wished desperately to have Akio all to herself, she is a female who will not-not tolerate any slights to Akio, and if he loves them, they can not-not reject him.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all crazy, Princess. See, no need to worry. They should get together to prevent the crazy spreading. Best keep it all in one place, we don¡¯t want an infectious outbreak of idiocy.¡± David complained, and Princess Eleanor giggled politely.


    ¡°Yes, so it seems. But for a man with such an inconstant nature, it was rather endearing and heartfelt. Watching it, and having heard what the poor woman endured for the good of many, including myself... I found myself hoping he would accept her. Melissa would be disappointed in me. It seems you are right after all, David.¡±


    ¡°Always am.¡± he boasted. Yukiko was barely listening though, as Tsukiko turned to her.


    ¡°Yukiko, without you and Yasuhide, I would not have survived as long as I did. Now... I will go on ahead. Hopefully you too one day will find what you seek. Until that day... I... no, we...¡± Her smile was brilliant, almost blinding. ¡°...will protect you, by your side. I would have been happy under your care, but... it seems more appropriate to tie myself more securely to the future I chose. Not one I ever foresaw, not one Tsukuyomi showed me, but one that shattered my bonds, and gave me hope that the future would be bright, despite so much terror and darkness to come.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Akio-san asked one last time, and Tsukiko leaned forwards just a fraction, and their lips touched for a second time. This time, there was no disintegration, Tsukiko fading away, but a brilliant glow of aether, a rainbow surrounding them. Isn¡¯t this moment dragging out a bit too much? Suddenly wet sounds were heard, and Yukiko covered her eyes with her hands, while Princess Eleanor looked away, keeping her dignity. The damp, slurping noises were continuing, until they parted with a sigh.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to seal it with a kiss you know.¡± Akio-san said, and as Yukiko peeked through her fingers in relief, she was amused to see him red-faced and embarrassed, despite all his experience.


    ¡°I know. But I wished my first was better. Besides... this one I could enjoy, I could savour. I finally feel my age. A woman.¡±


    ¡°If you think that makes you a woman, you¡¯re as nai?ve as the little noble girls.¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°Good job though. You got Aki all hot and bothered. Guess all the booze lowered your inhibitions.¡±


    ¡°Being killed puts things into perspective.¡± Tsukiko said, and Suzuki-san nodded agreement. ¡°There seems little point being caught up on things. Death can come at any time, so make the most of every moment. As I intend to do from now on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m not getting any sleep!¡± Akio-san said, to relieved laughter all around. ¡°Which is what started this...¡±


    With that he grabbed Tsukiko and pulled her close, kissing her again, as if to prove to her that he genuinely wanted her, and as the girls looked at each other, Yukiko couldn¡¯t look away, her heart racing. He kept his promise to me. Tsukiko can go home, I can see her whenever I want. And she can be happy, loved... I¡¯m jealous, but... it¡¯s a good feeling. Now I have to firm my resolve. I am the Princess of Heaven, Priestess of Ise, Princess Mikasa. Japan and those within it are mine to defend. But not alone, no, not alone...


    ********


    Tsukiko was sitting snuggled against Akio, with the small Chinese girl, Daiyu, occupying his other side. After some more drinks and discussion, talk had turned back to more serious topics.


    ¡°So, the Red Dragon is China, and the toad bastard that killed you is pulling some of the strings?¡± David asked. ¡°In that case, the White Dragon, isn¡¯t it likely a country too? America maybe? The yanks have been doing some damn stupid shit.¡±


    ¡°I think that it¡¯s not so much China as what China is hiding.¡± Akio-san said. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a threat to the very world, yet China¡¯s part of the world.¡±


    ¡°So, level with me.¡± David leaned forward eagerly. ¡°How strong was this golden frog compared to that bitch Mary and her angels?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Bear in mind, this was just a clone, but I¡¯d say very comparable. So the real thing is going to be horrific.¡± Akio-san said, shaking his head. ¡°As for the Church of True Revelations, if they have a lot of people as strong as Mary who can also call angels, I can see us having trouble.¡±


    ¡°Shit. It never ends.¡± David shrugged. ¡°So, at least we have thrashed out a plan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Akio-san agreed. ¡°Thanks to our recent gains in mount Atago, I¡¯m hopeful we can push my Territory to Rank four in months. Then we¡¯ll do Haru¡¯s in Kyoto, which will protect Ise and Yukiko-san. We can then ferry ether to London, and you¡¯ll be next, Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°I still feel rather shameful, taking such bounty. But...¡± Yukiko was surprised to see the smile on her face, rather teasing. ¡°...since you took from me without any sense of shame, I¡¯ll do the same and just say thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hah, well... there¡¯s still a few more who need to rummage around the Tower. Like Tsukiko here.¡± He had dropped the honourific as she had asked him, and she flushed, though her eyes were sparkling joyously. She¡¯s like a different person. No, perhaps this is who she would have been if she grew up normally, without such burdens. ¡°After that...¡± he continued. ¡°...getting all our Vassals and allies to at least Rank three, then making a start on heavy infrastructure builds... if we can copy China and work together, we won¡¯t fall behind.¡±


    ¡°I have a concern.¡± Daiyu suddenly said, and all eyes turned to her. She then explained that she was worried that Kunlun would return, and they might be the Red Dragon.


    ¡°Kunlun?¡± Sir Arthur asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a mountain range?¡±


    Daiyu shook her head after Akio-san translated.


    ¡°Kunlun refers to the sacred land of the Cultivators. It was sealed fifteen hundred years ago, to keep what spiritual energy, what aether they could. If it has not collapsed, there could be many powerful Cultivators there. And what the powerful seek is more power, no matter who they have to trample to get it.¡±


    ¡°That is a concern.¡± Yukiko agreed. ¡°But we have other worries, all we can do is grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Shaeula approved, a sudden grin on her face. ¡°And to that-that end we need more allies.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if we make suitable friends who are Chosen that occupy places we need to protect, we can consider helping them with aether too. Although I have a few allies who have Anchors yet to deploy.¡± Akio-san mused.


    ¡°I did not-not mean that, although that is a good thought.¡± Shaeula said. Her gaze fell on Yukiko and Princess Eleanor, her expression calculating. ¡°Tomorrow a great-great event in the Seelie Court is upon us, where Akio and I are the guests of honour. Perhaps you have-have heard whispers on the salt, Raidre?¡±


    The Seelie shook his head. ¡°I do not hear much from the Court, not these days.¡±


    ¡°Poor you. Perhaps you should take it as time-time to return. You can be invited as well.¡± She smiled wickedly. ¡°It is our triumphant unveiling of my Duchy, the Spring of Clear Reflections. Barring the Queen, all Seelie of note should-should be there. We will ensnare them with our new ideas and gain further support. Perhaps...¡± her smile grew. ¡°...having Princesses of two very important, powerful mortal countries in attendance would make-make the right impression?¡±


    At that, Yukiko found herself smiling too. I¡¯ve heard talk of the land of the fairies. Yet I never thought I would actually see it. I can make time, certainly... Princess Eleanor seemed to accept that as well, and Akio-kun offered some final words on the matter.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone else you need to invite too, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, biting at her lips, a touch nervous. ¡°Yes, I dearly hope-hope it works out, but...¡±


    ¡°It will be fine.¡± Tsukiko said warmly from beside Akio. ¡°I do not need a vision from Tsukuyomi to see that. If you have problems, lean on Akio. I would be more than willing to aid you as well.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are a quick-quick study, Tsukiko. A worthy female indeed. Beauty and intelligence.¡± Shaeula set aside her unease. ¡°Yes, even if it does not-not go as planned, just like my courtship with Akio, so long as the end result satisfies, such trials in the path are merely tales to tell later over fine booze.¡± She raised her glass, gulping down the liquid. ¡°So, tonight we celebrate. For tomorrow there is much-much to do!¡±


    As everyone cheered, Yukiko met Tsukiko¡¯s gaze, and she nodded. I see. This is what you wanted, so... I¡¯ll always support you. For a moment, her eyes looked at the heavens above, the dark aurorae shimmering. Amaterasu, I cursed you for choosing me, but... without the changing world, could Tsukiko have ever been happy? Perhaps I¡¯ll forgive you, just this once... Though as she watched the glow overhead, it almost felt as though something dangerous was looking down on her, and she shivered involuntarily. No, we shouldn¡¯t be complacent. Tsukiko lives again, and Princess Eleanor and Shiro survived, but... there¡¯s still so many threats out there... with that thought in mind, she downed her own drink, coughing nosily as it went down the wrong way, and as Shiro slapped her back, her unease diminished, though a last niggling bit remained, as if a thorn, pricking at her heart...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Eight

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Eight


    ¡°Feeling strange?¡± Shiro asked Tsukiko, who was sitting elegantly in seiza in our living room, sipping some tea. Shiro on the other hand was on a chair, legs lazily crossed, and when she saw me looking at her slim legs clad in her customary white jeans, she grinned, before lazily uncrossing and recrossing her legs. ¡°Bet you wish I was wearing a skirt now Aki. But anyway...¡± She turned her attention back to Tsukiko. ¡°It must be difficult for you.¡±


    Tsukiko nodded slowly, her expression rather complicated, a mixture of joy and trepidation. ¡°Yes, I was pleased to be able to talk to Yasuhide on the telephone, but I did not expect that he would start to weep.¡± Her face was tinged slightly red at the memory. ¡°I have always seen him as a parental figure, so...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the parents, huh? I get that.¡± Shiro let out a bitter sigh. ¡°I have to do something about mine as well. Having shitty parents is hard. But even crappy parents are still parents.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad as that.¡± I interjected. ¡°Tsukiko¡¯s parents didn¡¯t treat her like yours did, Shiro. In fact... from the funeral I could tell they loved you, Tsukiko, but they never knew how to deal with you. Being so religious and having a daughter that was effectively the Oracle of the Gods... there was no way they could have a normal relationship with you. But that¡¯s over with. If you want it, you can have it. You¡¯re Tsukiko now, not just the Diviner.¡± I reiterated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded politely. ¡°Yasuhide is going to contact them. That will be a difficult conversation, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°I would think so.¡± I felt a bit bad for him, but the old man was always amusing himself at our expense, so it served him right. He¡¯s the best person to do it anyway. He knows them, and can explain it in religious terms, at least to gain their acceptance. We¡¯ll have to change the way they think of Tsukiko though... ¡°If you need help or support, let me know. After all, your parents are my parents now too.¡±


    Tsukiko ducked her head, neck now crimson. Shiro snickered nastily, joking that I had more parents than an average small town, and I waved off her joke. Tsukiko, when she had recovered from her embarrassment, a feeling she wasn¡¯t used to, raised another issue, one that was playing on her mind. ¡°I have a retainer, Etsuko. She has been serving and taking care of me ever since I was a child. My passing must have brought her great grief. She has no family of her own, so...¡±


    ¡°I understand. You want her to know you¡¯re alive, and see if she still wants to look after you, right?¡± At her nod, I continued. ¡°That¡¯s no problem. So long as she¡¯s happy to show the same consideration to Shiro and the others. We need to recruit some loyal staff for the estate anyway. The timing is good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s moving day.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Eri¡¯s totally losing her mind over it. She¡¯s ready to prank your sister and her parents with her recovery. As for me...¡± Shiro was a little pale, and she turned to Tsukiko for support. ¡°...you¡¯re in the same boat, girl. Meeting the parents is a big deal!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I met some of his family briefly in Kyoto, such as his sister.¡± Tsukiko said, and Shiro sighed.


    ¡°Damn, did you leave a good impression? Our boy here is a total siscon, so if Aiko likes you, you¡¯ve got a head start.¡±


    ¡°We had little time together, merely a meeting in passing, but I believe I did not perform unfavourably.¡± Tsukiko said, but her white knuckles as she held her mug of tea gave away her nerves. That¡¯s sweet. A normal worry, that anyone could have, not about matters beyond mortal understanding.


    ¡°So Eri¡¯s getting ready.¡± I mused. ¡°Kana, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi will be at school for the morning. You two are here...¡±


    ¡°Daiyu¡¯s tagging along with Hyacinth, Asha and Shaeula sorting out the events at the Spring this evening. She wanted to take a look at it before the place was crowded, she thinks studying it will help her techniques.¡± Shiro continued. ¡°So everything¡¯s pretty much in hand. All the stuff we wanted to furnish our rooms has been delivered, although...¡± she looked at Tsukiko. ¡°...you¡¯ll be wanting to have your stuff brought over, right? Anything you don¡¯t have, Aki will pay for. You are staying with us, right?¡±


    There was a momentary embarrassed pause, before she agreed. ¡°Yes, where else would I go? After all, if I am to discover the joys of being ordinary, of love, I must be with the one I want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Damn, all I can think of is how pissed off and jealous certain other people will be. I think my brain is broken.¡± At that moment, Tan, who had been silent for a while, briefly agreed, her eyes flaring red for a moment. As Shiro chided her for being rude, I looked at Tsukiko warmly.


    ¡°Ordinary happiness, maybe. But none of us are ordinary. That just means we need to grasp extraordinary happiness.¡± I remembered the feel of her lips and tongue, and her voluptuous body. No, that¡¯s for later. Today there¡¯s just too much going on. Even now, my Astral body was attending to the many matters that required my input. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Yasuhide and get him to send over your things. He should have kept them safe because I promised you¡¯d return. As for anything else... well, the estate is right in the heart of Tokyo, so shopping should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°Great. We can hit Akiba too.¡± She grinned at Tsukiko. ¡°If you¡¯re going to get used to being out in public, you might as well give the poor otaku there some beauties to gawk at. Don¡¯t get jealous, Aki!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever¡± I ignored her usual teasing. ¡°I¡¯m confident enough you¡¯ll never leave me.¡± I winked, and Shiro nearly fell off her chair as she laughed, shouting that this side of me was one that she didn¡¯t see often enough. Setting that aside, I took a look at my phone. There was a message from father, saying they had started their journey. It won¡¯t be long now. The whole family, together again. Once more I looked at Shiro and Tsukiko, pondering their circumstances. Their families too... what do we do about them?


    ********


    ¡°You nervous?¡± I said to Eri, who, quite unusually for her, was wearing a dress, with short sleeves and a rather high hemline, the skirt only draping down to her thighs. ¡°And aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    Eri shook her head. ¡°Not really. Aren¡¯t you the same? With high stats we don¡¯t really suffer from the temperature.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll save a fortune on heating bills this winter.¡±


    ¡°You have the money. Don¡¯t be stingy. Otherwise Hinata will freeze.¡± She smiled, and turned her attention to Tsukiko and Shiro, who were waiting with us. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. I expected this, ever since Akio was crushed by the guilt of failing to save your life. I only get angry over things that can be changed. Otherwise I¡¯d just be miserable and frustrated.¡±


    ¡°That is a... mature... attitude.¡± Tsukiko said, a little surprised. ¡°I know it cannot be easy, a newcomer such as myself intruding in your lives, but...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Eri cut her off. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s inevitable. There¡¯s four more I¡¯m certain of too, I¡¯m not an idiot. These other Princesses.¡± Eri sniffed. ¡°What happens twice will happen again and again. But hopefully after that we can stop expanding. I don¡¯t want to have to compete for scraps of your affection, Akio.¡±


    I took her hand, ignoring her insinuation about Eleanor and Yukiko-san. It¡¯s not like that. Though... I had to admit, since I had saved Eleanor in London, her attitude towards me had thawed significantly, but there was no way she¡¯d ever consider polygamy, she was staunchly against it. Although... she did accept Tsukiko. No, that doesn¡¯t matter right now... ¡°I know I¡¯m terrible, I never thought I was so greedy. But I want to make Tsukiko smile, and...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You are greedy.¡± Eri sighed, squeezing my hand back. ¡°And so am I. That just means you¡¯ll have to make it up to me. You still owe me that trip, just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Eri¡¯s in charge, supposedly.¡± Shiro advised Tsukiko, as with my keen eyes I could see a helicopter coming towards us, and soon it was audible as well. ¡°You need to get her approval before you¡¯re in. Luckily, she¡¯s extremely dishonest, so...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude!¡± Eri pouted, insulted, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°Sorry, I meant tsundere. I¡¯m just teasing you Eri, we¡¯ve grown pretty close, haven¡¯t we? We¡¯ve got a lot in common after all. Both Aki¡¯s premiere friends, and we also had to look out for each other when we were injured. And now we¡¯re both back to maximum hotness! But you have to admit, you growl and bark like an angry dog, but when it comes down to it, you¡¯re quite the pushover.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± She denied it, but her onyx eyes were wavering.


    ¡°Sure, if it makes you feel better. But...¡± she continued advising Tsukiko. ¡°...Eri here is a sucker for girls with a sad past. I blame Aki, he¡¯s obviously been influencing her in all the wrong ways.¡± She rolled her eyes, teasing us. ¡°So she gets on well with me, Hyacinth, Daiyu, Asha and Shaeula, and can even show sympathy with the noble girls. Her and Kana are like oil and water, but... they¡¯ve settled into a truce.¡±


    ¡°Kana... she isn¡¯t as bad as I thought. And it¡¯s mostly your fault anyway.¡± Eri actually punched me gently in the side, surprising me. ¡°You were always toying with her heart, so you had to take responsibility! So stop doing that. I just hope the two Princesses we haven¡¯t seen aren¡¯t bitches. It hurts my stomach just thinking about it...¡±


    ¡°All right, I get it. But Tsukiko was special...¡± The girl in question reddened at my words, and I was happy to see her freely expressing her emotions. It¡¯s actually very cute. Though I shouldn¡¯t forget she¡¯s actually quite a bit older than me, even if she¡¯d pass for the same age easily enough. As Tsukiko¡¯s eyes sharpened, I was once again shocked by women¡¯s intuition, and hurriedly changed the subject. ¡°...and now we can safely say there¡¯s no more girls I¡¯m interested in. Now, let¡¯s greet our family, right Eri? You sure you want to tease them?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°I do. It¡¯s their fault for not believing in you! Besides...¡± she grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen Aiko in a while, and she¡¯s the one with a Divine Favour, so she deserves a bit of punishment.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Shiro laughed, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Of course I am. Though I¡¯ll work hard. I¡¯m not going to be a liability again.¡± She looked at Tsukiko then, her expression completely serious. ¡°I know you understand. You carried the same burden as we did, no, maybe even more. I don¡¯t want to know the future. I think that¡¯s a curse. But... power is what matters. If you were strong enough, you wouldn¡¯t have died. If we were stronger, then we could have prevented it. So... no more tears. No, that¡¯s not practical. We¡¯re going to suffer defeats and setbacks. I¡¯m not a child, I know that. But we need to make sure what we lose isn¡¯t those we can¡¯t live without!¡±


    ¡°Those are wise words.¡± Tsukiko agreed, as the helicopter landed outside. ¡°And now we know that with enough resolve, we can change any future we do not desire.¡± She paused, looking embarrassed. ¡°I admit, I am desiring to not be here right now, or at least have my veil. This is a feeling I never thought I would experience.¡±


    Shiro slapped her on the back gently. ¡°I¡¯m feeling it too, don¡¯t worry. Meeting the parents, it¡¯s a big step in any relationship...¡±


    As they consoled each other, trying to keep calm I stepped out into the pale morning sunlight, greeting the visitors who had left the helicopter. The first was my sister, who had raced over to me like an eager puppy. She then paused as she was about to go in for a hug, blinking as she saw Shiro and Tsukiko following me out.


    ********


    I was now in another room, just with my father, uncle Junpei, and Jack. It was just us men, but Wataru-san was missing, as the Chirurgery was hard on him and his wife as I expected. There were a lot of areas of weakness and wear and tear that needed regenerating, and their lungs were especially weak. Fixing that was extremely painful for them. The two of them were lying down recovering, while the girls were all chatting.


    Cracking open the seal on a fine bottle of whiskey, I poured out some glasses of the amber liquid. ¡°It¡¯s a bit early in the day for booze, but I guess we¡¯re celebrating. To the family, and to Eri¡¯s recovery. I¡¯d like to celebrate Tsukiko too.¡± I¡¯m not going to explain that she was dead, but if I explain she was like Eri, in a bad way, they¡¯ll understand.


    ¡°She seems a good woman.¡± Jack said. We were all speaking English, so there were no problems with understanding. ¡°But how many is that now, my boy? Ten?¡±


    ¡°Eleven...¡± I admitted, and uncle flexed his fists.


    ¡°I really get an urge to punch you now, Aki. But that wouldn¡¯t do any good. And it¡¯d just hurt my fists. I have to face facts. You kept your promise. Eri is healthy again. Seeing Hana fuss over her until she was red in the face, demanding she stop... I felt relief at last.¡±


    ¡°As did I. Letting Eri suffer such injuries was a grave mistake, son.¡± My father said, and I nodded.


    ¡°I know. But we learn from them. In the future, it might happen again to some of us, what we are going to face will be terrible, but... it won¡¯t be for such a foolish, valueless reason, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about this, not at all, but...¡± uncle sighed, and Jack took over.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen London on the news, I¡¯m sure. Somebody has to step up. And I think you¡¯d rather want your daughter to be strong.¡± He reached down and held the crucifix he had around his neck. ¡°By God, I worry about the world. But... I¡¯m happy to know my grandson is doing his best to protect it and the people who live here.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°If we do nothing, then we can¡¯t respond if we get caught up in something like Kyoto. That¡¯s why we train and fight, so we aren¡¯t just at the mercy of events, but can choose our own path.¡±


    ¡°A man should be bold, yet always think of caution.¡± My father said. ¡°I used to think you were too timid, son. It seems I was wrong.¡± At the distant, reminiscing look in his eyes, we let him gather his thoughts. As he took a swig of the whiskey, rolling it around his tongue, he reached a conclusion. ¡°Son, Akio. I have always felt it is the role of a man to provide for his family. Junpei too.¡± At his nod, my father continued. ¡°Now, such views are likely seen as old-fashioned, especially in the West.¡± Jack agreed with that.


    ¡°Our families have always been poor, but we¡¯ve raised three good children between us.¡± Father continued, and Junpei sighed.


    ¡°I would have said so, but Eri has learned some bad habits. Worrying us like that just to make a scene...¡±


    ¡°She depends on you too much, Akio.¡± Father continued. ¡°That is a heavy burden.¡±


    ¡°I know. And one I wasn¡¯t prepared for. I was damn immature, I admit it. But I can¡¯t afford to be any longer. As for providing for my family, I know. I can¡¯t just rely on Hinata¡¯s money, I have to earn to make us all happy and prosperous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just financial, the man, the head of the household, he has to provide emotionally. And that¡¯s going to be hard for you now.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Aki.¡± Junpei agreed. ¡°Even keeping Hana happy is a full-time job, and you have eleven. If you don¡¯t give everyone proper care and attention... your life and theirs will be miserable.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more nuanced than simple numbers.¡± I objected. ¡°Though I do understand and worry about it a lot. It¡¯s like when you had us, father, you and mom had to split your love between each other, Aiko and me. Love¡¯s not finite, though time is. All I can say is, I¡¯m going to do my best, and I¡¯m lucky...¡± I grinned at uncle. ¡°...Eri¡¯s a good girl, they all are. She¡¯s come a long way, from her tantrums with Shaeula, to being a girl who extends a hand to the others who have had a tough, sad time. I¡¯m not alone. I have to be the anchor, just as it¡¯s the centre of a Territory, but an anchor can¡¯t protect a Territory alone. Besides...¡± my smile turned wry. ¡°...I have a big family now to lean on.¡± Hell, with Shaeula¡¯s family alone it already gets complicated...


    ¡°I see. In that case, all I can do is hope you hold to your resolve, and do not backslide.¡± Father said, raising his glass. ¡°A toast them. To family.¡±


    ¡°To family!¡± we echoed, and I took a swig of the rich whiskey, feeling a warm glow that wasn¡¯t entirely the alcohol...


    ********


    ¡°...so bro, I know you¡¯re worried about Nishimorioka and Chairoakitara shrine, but... I kind of solved the problem, I think?¡± She tilted her head cutely, and I sighed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sound sure?¡± Beside me, Shaeula was laughing, while my mother was talking to Daiyu, Hyacinth translating for her, Asha listening silently. We were in the back of one of several limousines Hinata had sent for us, and we were being transported to the Jonan hills, to formally move to our new homes, although I would be commuting back to Shirohebizumi shrine most days and staying there sometimes. Although my Astral body is in the Boundary there at the moment, which gives us greater security.


    ¡°No, I have.¡± She corrected. ¡°I was taking Rika-chan and Yae-chan for a last tour, when I ran into an Oni. She was tough as hell, bro, she was wrecking my golden sister army like they were toy soldiers. I was a bit scared, to be honest...¡± She shuddered theatrically, before continuing. ¡°Anyway, luckily that pendant you gave me seemed to do the trick, bro, and she stopped fighting. Turns out she¡¯s impressed by you, and she wants to meet you. She hopes you can introduce her to some Oni called Red, from the Night Parade? I think she¡¯s got a crush on him...¡±


    On that big guy? Great... I wonder what Blue would do about that. I¡¯m not sure if they are brother and sister, or lovers, but the way Blue spoke about Red¡¯s brother we killed, it didn¡¯t seem like he was her brother too... As if agreeing with me, Shaeula chortled happily. ¡°A fortuitous meeting indeed-indeed. That I would dearly like to see. We shall have to arrange it. Far be it for us to miss-miss such an entertaining spectacle.¡± She then peered at Aiko, serious. ¡°Do you think this Oni is trustworthy? I would not-not have Chairoakitara destroyed, nor have Rika and Yae harmed.¡±


    ¡°I think so. Until she gets bored, anyway. She doesn¡¯t strike me as the patient type. So best make the trip over in good time, bro.¡± my sis warned. ¡°As for her, all she needs to do is keep the area around the shrine free of troubles, and I did say to Rika-chan and Yae-chan they could see if she¡¯ll escort them to the source of fire element to train. I warned them not to go alone.¡± She paused, before smiling slyly. ¡°Yae-chan¡¯s still pining for you bro, you sinful man. Why not snatch her up?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Yae¡¯s a nice enough girl, but I barely know her.¡± Sure, I barely know Tsukiko too, but the situation is different. We¡¯ve been through life and death together, carry the same burdens. Yae is an ordinary girl. ¡°She¡¯d be better off with any number of other guys.¡±


    ¡°Wow, poor Yae crashing and burning. Oh well, if she gets up her courage to ask you out properly, don¡¯t be a loser big bro moonstone and fob her off to spare here feelings. Give it to her straight, either way. It¡¯s better to know and not have false hope, although of course, it¡¯s even better to be accepted. Wow, been a while since I was able to call you a moonstone.¡±


    ¡°Well, my little sis sapphire...¡± I shot back. ¡°Your brother, believe it or not, is quite good at handling girls now...¡± I ignored Shaeula¡¯s noise of disbelief beside me. ¡°I¡¯ve sorted the Kana and Asha situations, and I didn¡¯t have any problems with Tsukiko. Your brother can learn, you know.¡± I said dryly. ¡°Anyway, good job, but she sounds a bit volatile, so we¡¯ll take a trip out there and sort the mess as soon as we can. As for you now...¡± I ruffled my sister¡¯s hair, and she pouted, though she made no move to escape. ¡°...you have to finish your schooling and do your exams, but other than that, you can help us in the Boundary, and we¡¯ll look for the perfect spot for your Territory.¡±


    ¡°Great bro! You¡¯re the best!¡± she flung her arms around me, and I had to listen to more laughter from my mom and Shaeula, as the limousine pulled ever closer to our destination...


    ********


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s better than the photos! It¡¯s like some super-secret fortress!¡± My sis exclaimed, looking out of the window as the convoy of limousines pulled up into the estate. We first passed through a very secure gate, the massive composite structure, looking like black metal yet made from the most advanced impact and cutting resistant materials, was set into an impressive wall, which was scattered with cameras, infra-red sensors and more.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Ai!¡± Mom was also glued to the window, blue eyes wide. ¡°You mom is finally going to live a life of luxury! Surrounded by an entire football team of daughters-in-law!¡± Azuki, who was held in her lap, mom having taken a liking to the doll, rolled her red eyes at her enthusiasm.


    ¡°Yeah, but doesn¡¯t a team have substitutes?¡± My sis said unhelpfully. ¡°You¡¯re allowed five, right? Bro had better try harder!¡±


    Once past the gate, we were greeted by a number of beautiful gardens, full of trees and bushes. Due to the season, they were a little threadbare, but Asha seemed interested, her yellow eyes taking them in. It was hard for a Dryad to be too far from her Tree for long, though the stronger the Tree and the Dryad, the further and longer they could be separated, so Asha would be returning to Shirohebizumi frequently, but she had no wish to be apart from me all the time.


    Past the gardens were a number of smaller houses, though to call them small was doing them a disservice, as they could quite easily hold an average family in some luxury, and they were larger than our home in Nishimorioka. Finally, the limousine pulled to a stop, and I could see that father and the others had got out of their own vehicles and were taking in the view of a multi-story mansion of great elegance, with an even larger footprint than the training school, which for central Tokyo was obscenely large. No, this whole estate must be worth many billions of yen. I think we need to get Ixitt¡¯s factory rolling, or I need to heal some more wealthy businessmen...


    Further down the hill, I could see a smaller, two-story mansion, which was where our families were going to live, just a few hundred metres away. Seeing my gaze, Aiko shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry bro, your darling sister will be just a mere moment away. I¡¯ll come over to play often!¡±


    As Shaeula cackled that she was sure Aiko would, our door was opened by some of the Fujiwara Security personnel that were present. Waiting for us was Hinata, there with her grandfather, Motoko and Natsumi behind them, wearing training hakama in blue and white, as well as Kana, who was looking around in a daze.


    ¡°Well then.¡± Hinata bounded over to us. ¡°Mother-in-law, welcome to your new home. I hope you can look kindly on me, as I am eager to be a daughter you can be proud of.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so well-mannered Hinata-chan. You two as well. Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan, don¡¯t be shy.¡± Mom opened her arms, offering a hug, being rather more tactile than the Japanese. Hinata, currying favour, cheekily reciprocated, and seeing that, even the more reserved martial arts duo joined in. My mom was glowing with happiness, and my sis and I exchanged embarrassed looks, before bursting out laughing. Damn, mom can be such a free spirit at the most inappropriate times. What made me laugh harder was Azuki, who managed to slip away, falling to the ground, after nearly being smothered by the hug. But still, everyone being together at last, that¡¯s surely something to celebrate...

 Four Hundred And Twenty-Nine

    Four Hundred And Twenty-Nine


    ¡°So here we have an artificial hot springs.¡± Hinata said happily. Beside the main mansion was a small grove of cypress and cherry trees, which naturally drew Asha¡¯s attention. Passing through the thicket revealed a number of pools giving off warm steam and a relaxing scent of minerals, surrounded by hinoki-wood platforms and seats. A large glass dome covered the springs, offering a view of the sky above, though the surrounding lights of Tokyo would likely mute the effect somewhat. ¡°The machinery underground is quite complex, and expensive to run, but it¡¯s a work of art, really.¡±


    Shiro glanced up at the glass roof. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t argue having a hot spring all to ourselves would be awesome, but I¡¯d be a bit worried about peeping. A helicopter flying overhead could look down into the hot springs, and I don¡¯t want Aki to get sent to prison for blasting them out of the air.¡±


    Hinata giggled at that. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be so shy, Shiro. But I understand.¡± Hinata flushed, remembering the past. ¡°I bathed with Akio once. It was embarrassing, but... now I understand more, I¡¯d like to do it again, and not just with him. All of us together, laughing and playing...¡±


    ¡°And drinking fine-fine alcohol!¡± Shaeula interjected. ¡°I believe traditionally in your lands, that is a must-must.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that too.¡± Hinata agreed happily. ¡°So don¡¯t worry, Shiro. I too have my womanly pride. And no daughter of nobility should ever let a man who is not her husband see her naked body. Besides, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t want to make Akio jealous, or upset him.¡± She snuggled against my arm cheerfully, enjoying giving us the tour. ¡°So don¡¯t worry, the glass is special, from above it¡¯s entirely opaque. Nobody can see in.¡±


    ¡°This makes me wonder...¡± Kana said, and Eri nodded. The two exchanged glances, and then both sighed, completely in sync. Yeah, the two of them are surprisingly alike. ¡°It¡¯s obvious this estate was the home of someone very important, just how did you persuade them to sell?¡±


    ¡°By paying way over the odds. But more importantly, the rich can rebuild elsewhere, but a favour from Akio is priceless.¡± Hinata pointed out. ¡°For us, it¡¯s a matter of security. Your shrine, Kana-chan, it¡¯s going to be gradually transformed into a fortress as well, but the position isn¡¯t entirely favourable. Here... no, that¡¯s for later.¡± She rubbed her hands together in glee, casting one more glance at the hot springs. ¡°Tonight we will have to try it out.¡±


    Kana flushed red, but said nothing, and Hinata led us back towards the mansion. Once inside the spacious foyer, she pointed out that a number of maids and other staff would be needed, and ideally they should be recruited from loyal candidates and trained up so as not to be a liability. Shiro and Shaeula exchanged glances, before Shiro shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got some ideas in mind. It¡¯s just like the Imperial Court, no men allowed in the Emperor¡¯s harem, right Aki?¡± she winked playfully.


    ¡°I think Yukiko-san might get offended if you call me an Emperor.¡± I pointed out, only for Tsukiko, who had been rather quiet, to surprise me.


    ¡°Yukiko is less concerned with her lineage than you imagine. It was a constant burden to her, for she never felt she was the image of an Imperial Princess. Besides, I think she is happy enough to have someone that understands the weight she bears as her friend. After all...¡± her ruby eyes glimmered with emotion. ¡°...those of such lineage are often sought out by others for selfish, predatory reasons. Yukiko was always worried that people were only kind to her or showed interest because she was of the Imperial Family. But you... you value her for her talents. And you have similar burdens. I daresay you can offer each other much solace.¡±


    I remembered the time we had drank together in Kyoto after the funeral, and nodded. Yeah, that was bittersweet fun. But... the times were full of sorrow. Now... ¡°Yes, we should go drinking again. But you¡¯ll have to come too, Tsukiko. It¡¯ll be something you¡¯ll enjoy experiencing, I promise.¡±


    ¡°A flower on each arm, huh. Aki¡¯s being a winner in life again.¡± Shiro pointed out. Hinata led us all into the basement, where a large swimming pool and gym, not unlike the training school, if smaller in scale, was found. There was also an underground garage, though it was currently empty.


    Daiyu looked approvingly at the equipment, as physical conditioning was important to her, Motoko and Natsumi also investigating them, though at the light weight of the machinery, Daiyu then frowned, a touch displeased.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll need more custom weights.¡± I agreed. ¡°But ordinary gear is useful still for some of us.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Eri asked, pointing to one wall of the garage, where some strange symbols had been marked.


    ¡°A great question.¡± Hinata approved. ¡°That is where the tunnel to Tokyo bay will be dug. Here.¡± she produced a set of blueprints she was keeping in her bag. Spreading them out, she cheerfully explained. ¡°The hillside here was chosen as the location for our home for a number of reasons. Firstly, there¡¯s no way you can live anywhere less than a mansion, Akio. You have to keep up appearances. Besides...¡± she winked at Motoko. ¡°...as a proud daughter of Tsumura house, and me of Takatsukasa house, it would hurt our image if we weren¡¯t living in luxury. But the second reason is the location. Centrally located, though with a tunnel it should still be possible to reach Shirohebizumi shrine in mere minutes. But more importantly... the hills themselves... while this basement was the most that could be done before, the structural integrity of the subsurface and underlying rock not suitable for deeper delving, with some research by Ixitt...¡±


    She continued to explain, extremely excited and animated as she discussed the future plans. ¡°...we can actually dig far deeper, and set up multiple sub-basement areas. The first will be a bunker-style safehouse, stocked with supplies and able to withstand even nuclear blasts. Then there will be the escape tunnel you¡¯ve seen, which will link to an underground submarine dock on the Bay. Of course, we¡¯ll also have a more standard mooring above. I think it would be nice to take a vacation on a yacht.¡± She said dreamily, and Eri and Kana exchanged glances, Kana visibly excited at the prospect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandfather is looking into customising a suitable mega-yacht for us. And a private plane too. Both will be very useful.¡± Hinata promised.


    ¡°Really?¡± Eri asked, still unable to believe it, and it was Motoko who spoke, her tone a little wary.


    ¡°I do envisage so. We will be travelling internationally a lot more soon. London was just the first step. Now that everyone knows about Akio and the rest of us, and what we can do...¡± she paused. ¡°Akio, I was going to tell you, but grandfather, Fujiwara-sama and the others are receiving many overtures from foreign countries and requests for aid. It would be helpful to have secure transportation, which can also double as a fortress if required.¡±


    That does make sense, but... Shiro agreed with me, as she was dubious. ¡°Yeah, I get why we wouldn¡¯t want to fly on a normal plane, but... it¡¯s not like a boat or a private jet can¡¯t be shot down by missiles or something.¡±


    ¡°Leave that to Ixitt.¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°Obviously we will have to make do for now, but he¡¯s got a lot of ideas to make them into mobile fortresses.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting goosebumps. Eri, pinch me!¡± Kana was babbling, only to cry out as she actually did. Rubbing her arm, she pouted at the slyly smiling girl. ¡°Oh come on, you know that was a figure of speech.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. But I get it. It was only three months ago I flew for the first time in my life. Now we¡¯re talking about having our own plane.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°I need to work harder, or I¡¯ll just feel so shameless.¡±


    ¡°Good that you recognise it.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°But then, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get it. I¡¯ve always been poor as dirt too. But at least I¡¯m earning my keep...¡± her face fell a little. ¡°I just wish it was as more than a damn buff-bot for your Tree, Asha!¡±


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough of that.¡± I headed off this unproductive line of thought, rubbing both Eri¡¯s and Shiro¡¯s heads gently. ¡°Eri, you¡¯re right. You do need to work harder, but not because I¡¯m not satisfied. Just... we don¡¯t want to repeat the past. As for you Shiro... I know you¡¯re messing with me, but you¡¯re more to me than just your buffs, but to be honest, you and Asha are playing the most vital role right now, so there¡¯s no need for sorrow.¡± What we need most urgently is ether, endless amounts of it, so we can Rank up Territories then develop infrastructure. And now we have that covered. At least in the Rank four realms... ugh, I don¡¯t even want to think about Rank five yet...


    ¡°Akio is cooorrect.¡± Hyacinth, who had been absorbing everything quietly, looking delighted by the new home, grinned, eyes sparkling. ¡°Hyacinth thinks that every mistress is important, nobooody is useless. Akio needs you all. But I want tooo be better, dooo more. and if you need help, I will give it!¡±


    ¡°You have come a long-long way.¡± Shaeula said happily. ¡°I remember when we received you in that box, I did-did think you were a threat.¡± She sighed. ¡°It seems I must learn to overcome my own-own prejudices. Especially now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Hyacinth.¡± Eri said, her expression solemn. ¡°No, I get it. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always like this.¡± Aiko said suddenly. She had tagged along with us, despite our families being shown their own home by Fukumoto Kenji-san. Fortunately, for once she had read the mood and was letting all the girls get excited and talk amongst themselves. ¡°Eri doesn¡¯t have much self-esteem, even now. She¡¯s getting better, but...¡± as Eri pouted, my sis continued, her smile sly. ¡°...when she was ahead of me, I was the one who felt bad. Now that I¡¯ve got a Divine Favour, Eri feels she¡¯s fallen behind again. How the roles have reversed.¡±


    ¡°Aiko!¡± Eri protested, embarrassed, and there was laughter.


    ¡°All right. Enough moping. Hyacinth is right. You¡¯re all mine and I¡¯m yours, and we¡¯ll help each other to achieve our potential and see our dreams come true. There¡¯s no time for anxiety or feeling depressed. This is a happy day. After all...¡± I grinned. ¡°...while the home I have at Shirohebizumi is great, doesn¡¯t this one feel like the sort of home newlyweds move into?¡± At that, there were suddenly eleven blushing faces, and my sis, laughing uproariously, tears streaming down her cheeks at their embarrassment. Still, she gave me a thumbs-up, and seeing how the atmosphere had changed for the better, I turned back to the blueprints, exploring the plans for the remaining underside of the hill...


    ********


    ¡°Yeah, thought so. Another custom bed. This one¡¯s even bigger.¡± Shiro pointed out, as we checked out my room, the largest in the house. The bed indeed was massive, easily able to hold a half-dozen people comfortably, and more if we all snuggled together. There was a large walk-in wardrobe too, full of my suits and other clothing, as well as an en-suite bathroom. A desk was set up with my computer, and there was a huge, top-end TV on the wall. Probably to keep Shaeula entertained while I work. I have to say, it puts Shirohebizumi to shame, and I thought that was luxurious. It¡¯s like a five-star hotel...


    ¡°It does-does make sense.¡± Shaeula said, admiring it. This was on the third floor, and there had been some competition between the girls on who would get the other five rooms on the top floor. I don¡¯t see why it matters, other than this master bedroom, they are all comparable. Women¡¯s minds are a complicated thing. I suppose it has a slightly nicer view, but the rooms on the second floor all have balconies too... ¡°After all, Akio has to share-share his love widely.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me.¡± Shiro persisted. ¡°You¡¯d better confess, or else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so scary!¡± She shuddered theatrically, before steepling her hands under her chin, gazing at us with watery blue eyes. ¡°But you¡¯re right, shrewd as ever boss, you know me so well. So... uh, things have been a little rough for me recently, and I¡¯ve got my mind on the big performance. This is going to be my breakthrough, so I can¡¯t screw it up. But... money¡¯s tight, you know, and it¡¯s ... never mind.¡± She didn¡¯t want to talk about her circumstances much it seemed, though Shiro seemed to know something, by the knowing look in her dark eyes. ¡°Then Arisu-chan said about your new home, and I looked it up, and I thought...¡±


    ¡°I can see where this is going...¡± Eri complained, only for Suzu to deny it.


    ¡°No way! I wouldn¡¯t make a move on her man, besides, Akio-kun¡¯s my boss too.¡± She crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m an idol. And I don¡¯t do shady business. I¡¯m as pure as the winter snow. But...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡± Shiro said, her curiosity getting the better of her. ¡°You don¡¯t trust easily, do you Suzu? Arisu is the only one you really turn to when you need help. I don¡¯t know where you¡¯ve been staying, but... a young girl alone in a foreign country, it¡¯s a bit risky, even as a Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not a foreign country! I¡¯m Japanese!¡± she insisted, drawing bemused looks from my father and uncle Junpei. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of cheap places to sleep. Manga cafe?s are nice, and you can stay there all night. Internet cafe?s too. And I¡¯m not so weak and foolish to get caught out. Idols have to be smart and tough!¡± She boasted. ¡°But... I¡¯ll be honest. It¡¯s starting to get me down a bit. And I have too much to do in the future. I need somewhere I can settle down, so I can practice. And here isn¡¯t so far from my Territory, is it?¡± She swallowed, before putting on her most winning smile. ¡°So, boss, Akio-kun, I was thinking, maybe I could have a room in one of the other houses around here? I won¡¯t be any trouble, and then I¡¯d be about when you needed me, so long as I wasn¡¯t practising, which I admit I need to do a lot, I¡¯ve got to perfect the choreography for my new songs for the concert, and...¡± As she spat out a rapid stream of words, I held up a hand to stop her, and Shiro questioned her again.


    ¡°That seems a bit of a departure for you, Suzu. You¡¯ve always kept your independence. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ve usually been satisfied with your performance in the Boundary, but... you don¡¯t trust easily.¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. The world is full of wolves, betrayers.¡± She sniffed. ¡°But I trust you, boss. I was wary of the other side of you, but I¡¯m a good judge of character, you know? I can see she¡¯s under control as well. And I get how you think. I know I understand you better than Arisu-chan does. She¡¯s really confused by your changes. I¡¯m not though.¡± She let out another little giggle. ¡°And from watching how you trust Akio-kun, and by how he hasn¡¯t abused me or Bunta-kun, as well...¡± she looked around at the girls, winking. ¡°...as seeing how you all trust him, I thought I¡¯d reach out. To be honest, life is hard. I know being the world¡¯s top idol was never going to be easy, it¡¯s the path of the warrior, but... I¡¯m envious. I want a place I can practice in peace.¡± She looked at me earnestly. ¡°It¡¯s not a loss for you either, Akio-kun. I¡¯m your Vassal, so you want me on hand, right?¡±


    ¡°I do not know quite what is going on...¡± my father said, after listening to the conversation. ¡°But...¡± He looked at Suzu, a little sympathy in his eyes. ¡°A young girl should not be sleeping in such places. If the worst happens... are you a runaway?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± She protested. ¡°I¡¯m here to make my debut as an idol. And I know it¡¯s not ideal, but we all have to sacrifice for our dreams, right? But... the bosses won¡¯t abandon me.¡±


    ¡°Akio, you are a man, so take responsibility...¡± As uncle snorted, he amended his words. ¡°Not in that manner, you have done quite enough of that, but... she said she was your Vassal, so that means you have a duty to her, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I admitted. ¡°I always planned to look out for you and my other vassals, Suzu. Bunta-san is happy enough now working for the Ministry, and I¡¯ve no worries about Haru, Miyu or Shuta-san.¡± I turned to the others. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it matters if she bunks down in one of the smaller houses, does it? After all, they¡¯re for guests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d feel better about it, really.¡± Shiro said, and after nobody raised any objections, Suzu clapped her hands, delighted.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Finally I can settle down.¡± she said, relieved. Hinata asked her grandfather to make the arrangements to bring her stuff over, and Suzu bustled out after him, after promising to bring enough cake for all. Kana, Eri and Shaeula, who were all eating it without a care, were smiling, Kana saying that it was indeed rather good.


    ¡°With that interruption out of the way...¡± I said wryly. ¡°Father, uncle, how¡¯s the new home?¡±


    ¡°It is rather too good for us.¡± father said, with a rare display of self-mockery. ¡°It does feel distinctly uncomfortable, having our children provide for us...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been suffering that for months.¡± My sis laughed. ¡°So how was my room?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d have come with us rather than trailing after your brother like you always do, you¡¯d have seen it.¡± uncle Junpei chided her, and she looked surprised.


    ¡°Wow, rude! I¡¯m so hurt. Eri, your dad is bullying me!¡±


    As Eri chuckled, still eating cake, father continued. ¡°Really, it is perfect. With our parents-in-law with us as well, we no longer have any worries. Although...¡± Junpei and father exchanged looks. ¡°We decided we would not be a burden, a drain. We do have some pride. Emily and Hana will help around the house, while we... put us to work, son.¡±


    ¡°I think what dad and uncle are trying to say is, they¡¯re proud of you and want to help.¡± Aiko said helpfully, and father scolded her, though he clearly didn¡¯t mean it. As the banter continued, uncle was explaining to Eri about the home they would be living in, expressing curiosity about this one in turn, and I listened to the conversation with a satisfied smile on my face...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the Ring Gate.¡± I said, waving goodbye to Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha, as well as my clearly thrilled sister, who hadn¡¯t calmed down once ever since she arrived in Tokyo earlier today.


    ¡°I know. Wow, I can¡¯t wait. Seeing Shaeula¡¯s homeland is going to be wild. Don¡¯t be jealous Eri, your turn will come!¡±


    As Shaeula snickered, Eri sighed. ¡°Sure, you just have fun, Aiko. I¡¯m content to relax here. Though I¡¯ll have to spend some time with my parents since I¡¯ve been away from home.¡±


    ¡°Do not-not worry. We shall see you soon.¡± Shaeula promised, pulling my sister into the limousine and shutting the door, cutting off her excitement. As the car pulled away, I was left with the others and we returned to the living area.


    ¡°It still feels weird, you being able to be in two places at once.¡± Kana said. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve seen it. I wonder what it¡¯s like?¡±


    ¡°Headache inducing.¡± I said honestly. ¡°The doubled sensory input is bearable, I¡¯ve been expanding my vision using aether for quite a while, and Split Thoughts were able to help with that. It¡¯s the time dilation that does it...with one set moving slower, but... it¡¯s not slower, as I¡¯m still experiencing it at the normal speed. Damn, it¡¯s paradoxical and impossible. Unless you experience it, you won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it sounds useful, but I still don¡¯t want to do it.¡± Kana said, finishing the last of her cake.


    ¡°It¡¯s vital. After all, if Akio couldn¡¯t do it, we¡¯d be left lonely and alone in our new home.¡± Hinata winked. ¡°Since it¡¯s our first night... mother and father are letting me stay over.¡± Her face was red. ¡°Akio can¡¯t miss out on the Spring, but this way we are alone with him too, just like the others.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a scandalous thing, even when engaged.¡± Natsumi laughed, teasing Hinata. ¡°Her reputation would be totally ruined if you ever left her after this, Akio. Are you prepared, Hinata?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no danger of that.¡± I promised, while Hinata nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. I¡¯ve been ready for this as soon as I proposed. Besides, you don¡¯t get to lecture me, you and Motoko have already gone on ahead of me!¡± As they bickered gently, enjoying the closeness, I turned to the others.


    ¡°So, what do you want to do? At some point we¡¯ll have to clear the Boundary here, even if we can¡¯t Anchor it... oh, no, we could.¡± There¡¯s options. We could extend an allied Territory, or Shiro or my sis could drop their Territory... ¡°But as I¡¯m already in the Boundary, I wouldn¡¯t be able to accompany you.¡± I had just brought the last of the guests I had fetched back to the Ring Gate. This is going to be politically earth-shaking, I think... man, I¡¯m deep in the politics of spiritual beings, who would have thought it?


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t do.¡± Hinata shook her head. ¡°If you¡¯re not able to take part, that defeats the point. I have a suggestion.¡± As she spoke, her face was as red as a tomato. ¡°How about... we break in the hot springs?¡±


    To that there was a mixture of bold agreement, shy acquiescence and some silent embarrassment. Looking around at the girls, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Looks like I¡¯ll be seeing two differing types of spring at once...

 Four Hundred And Thirty

    Four Hundred And Thirty


    The large wagons of booze and other mortal delicacies were being ferried through the Ring Gate to the lands of the Fae, being escorted by weaselkin clad in armour festooned with ribbons and streamers and polished to a brilliant sheen, their fur well-groomed and shiny. On seeing my expression, Shaeula grinned, a touch ashamed.


    ¡°I do not-not care to remember when we first met, when I was grubbing around like an animal in the pitiful Territory I called home, our equipment tattered, our bodies and fur matted with filth.¡± She actually shuddered at the memory, so I patted her head reassuringly, and was rewarded by a brilliant smile.


    ¡°You had it hard. Sent away due to the manoeuvrings of your father¡¯s enemies, denied help by those of your mother...¡± At that, the cloak-clad figure near us jolted, and I grinned, knowing that Urakaze was hidden under the robe, our surprise guest for the festivities to come. ¡°...but that¡¯s done.¡± I finished loudly. The Kamaitachi who were Shaeula¡¯s entourage were lined up proudly, all eight of them, even if the newer, stronger four had some friction and rivalry with the original ones, seeing then as weaker and unfit to guard their princess. ¡°No, now we face the future together, and ... I like it more. They look very fetching. As do you!¡±


    Shaeula was in her Kamaitachi form, as it seemed more appropriate for this meeting, and seeing her in a rich yukata-style robe in amber and green was rather fascinating. At my praise she grinned, showing sharp teeth. It was then our other guest from the Hyakki Yagyo? spoke, after blowing a cloud of sickly-sweet smoke from the long, inlaid pipe she was smoking. She too was in a yukata, though hers was open down to the navel, her ample assets only barely covered with cloth, the deep valley there visible.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rather amusing, seeing you youngsters run about, trying to impress.¡± The four-tailed foxwoman declared. ¡°But then, there are plenty of old monsters in the Seelie Court as you call it. I know. I daresay I shall see a few familiar faces.¡± She took another hit of her pipe, smoke leaking from her mouth, four golden tails lashing behind her. ¡°I wonder if they will remember me? I like to think I am fairly... unforgettable.¡± She snorted, clearly amused.


    ¡°I wish we did not-not have to bring you, fox. I have not forgotten your actions during our battle with the Parade.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°Bintara would have served our needs far-far more. Or mother alone would have sufficed.¡±


    ¡°You think you can just call upon those who dwell within the dark ocean Nurarihyon commands?¡± The kitsune matriarch chuckled insolently. ¡°No, our great lord would not lower himself to send representation himself. After all, your King and Queen will not attend, no? So to show too much good faith would be a sign of weakness. The Parade abhors such. Be thankful. Imagine if those muscle-headed idiots Red and Blue were here. If it didn¡¯t break out into a brawl, I would be most surprised.¡± She looked at me then, and a red tongue licked at her equally red lips, her expression seductive. ¡°No, you should be most appreciative that a wise Yo?kai such as myself is prepared to come and advocate on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shaeula pushed the foxwoman away, and as she did so, my sis burst out laughing. When she finally calmed down, she eyed us all happily.


    ¡°Wow, bro, you get to do fun stuff like this all the time? And now I can finally be a part of it.¡± She clenched her fists, pumping herself up as she would have during volleyball or Kyu?do?. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to see where you used to live, Shaeula!¡±


    ¡°I did not-not live here...¡± Shaeula pointed out, while Asha looked on warmly.


    ¡°So you are his sister...¡± the foxwoman moved, grabbing my sis by her chin and tilting her head up, bringing a started wow from her. ¡°Yes, you¡¯d have certainly appealed to the poor little kitsune, he would have wished to make you his. Are you interested in romance, little one?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t touch me!¡± My sis slapped away her hand, causing the foxwoman to titter, amused. ¡°Romance huh? Was this guy hot?¡±


    ¡°That fox is the one who drove us into a corner.¡± I said coldly, eyeing the teasing fox without any warmth. ¡°He wanted to take Eri away from us, against her will. He¡¯s dead now. Just as anyone who seeks to take advantage of my sister will be.¡±


    ¡°Yuck, no way then.¡± my sis spat, annoyed. ¡°Keep your hands and your stupid lame perverts to yourself. Good job bro, death to all perverts and lechers! Uh, except yourself, I guess?¡±


    As Hyacinth, who was helping mediate the flow of traffic through the Ring Gate, giggled, another of our guests spoke up, the burly Tengu Arangbo? addressing Haano?bo? beside him.


    ¡°You see? He very much does dote on his sisters. Aren¡¯t you so lucky, dear Haano?bo??¡±


    ¡°Oh be quiet, you big fool.¡± She replied, irritated and embarrassed, from the set of her wings. ¡°That was all because he objected to the way you and the others were treating me. As anyone should have. It was not my fault I was defeated, even noble Taro?bo? could not win...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was wondering... I thought that you were with the Night Parade, being Tengu, but it doesn¡¯t seem so?¡± my sis said, forgetting about the teasing from the foxwoman.


    ¡°That is correct, dear stepsister.¡± Arangbo? laughed, ignoring the dangerous glint in my eyes as I willed him to shut up. ¡°We are the envoys from mount Atago, though treating us so distantly would be strange, considering.¡±


    ¡°Stepsister? Considering?¡± My sis narrowed her blue eyes, eyeing Haano?bo? for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Oh I get it. It all makes sense. Another one, huh bro? And didn¡¯t you just say you were done collecting wives?¡±


    ¡°Wives?¡± Haano?bo? let out a dull sound, and I fought the urge to rub my temples. No, you don¡¯t understand, sis. Not at all. But there¡¯s no getting away from the fact this mess is all my fault. Wait, is it even a mess? Shungbo?¡¯s death and Fungbo?¡¯s fate were cruel, but I did the best I could to steer everyone to a good end...


    ¡°There¡¯s been a bit of a misunderstanding. I don¡¯t have that sort of relationship with Haano?bo?.¡± I promised, only for Arangbo? to stir the pot.


    ¡°Oh, dear sister, your new brother is denying you, after he so bravely declared to us and our father he would fight us for your sake, to take you for his own dear family.¡±


    Now I know you¡¯re doing this on purpose. Before I could speak though, Shaeula¡¯s face twisted to a curious expression, strangely adorable on her weasel-like features. ¡°Oho, I must hear more of this. I have not-not heard tell of all that transpired on mount Atago yet, though I know the aim was achieved.¡±


    Wait, you already know about this, you were there when I explained. That¡¯s not actually a lie, but the way you phrased it is hugely misleading! ¡°Don¡¯t we need to get going?¡± I tried to change the subject, but Shaeula waved a hand, giving me a look, and I knew she was pranking me, mischievous as ever. Oh well, I suppose I had to mention this to my sis sooner or later.


    ¡°Nonsense, we have plenty-plenty of time. We are setting off early enough, and the Spring is nearby. Besides, we are waiting for Eleanor and Yukiko. So speak, there is no-no need to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I would not refuse the star of the show today.¡± Arangbo? said insincerely, bowing. ¡°It was like this. My dear sister Haano?bo? was defeated and trampled to the ground by him, and we were somewhat cruel, for we of mount Atago are prideful. So he boldly declared...¡± As he explained, Shaeula seemed greatly amused, yet the look on the face of my sister was... interesting. First curiosity, then sympathy, then stunned puzzlement, and now she was pouting, an expression I had never quite seen on her face before, not her usual angry sulking when she was discontent, but one that was mixed with unease.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good at all, bro!¡± she crossed her arms, practically bouncing with annoyance. ¡°No, wow, no, no, no definitely not! You already have a sister, you don¡¯t need another!¡±


    Asha nodded slowly. She had been in a strange mood as she traversed the lands she had once called home. We had stopped briefly at the grove where her sisters and their Trees had perished, and now there was an elegant, white-paved area, with a single tree planted in the centre, and grave markers surrounding it. ¡°It is... good to see life return. The rotten, fetid hell of before should never be seen again. And... it is not our way, but I think my sisters would be happy, could they see the monument erected for them.¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°We are of the moon, and in death we leave little behind. But the mortal way of grieving is one I find beautiful. Now they shall have graves, and though their spirits do not-not linger, those of us who remember then, such as you... there is a place to hold them with us forever.¡±


    At her poetic words, my sis rubbed at her eyes, and Haano?bo? rested a hand on her shoulder, which caused my sis to look at her gratefully. Pulling herself together, she nodded. ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. It¡¯s too sad to forget our family. And since they were your sisters, Asha, they¡¯re ours too. So... when we¡¯re done, want to go light some incense and say a few prayers? Maybe there¡¯s another afterlife somewhere... I hope so. If so, they¡¯ll know someone remembers them and misses them.¡±


    ¡°I would like that, very much.¡± Asha nodded, eyes gazing into the memories of her past. ¡°Sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh damn, I shivered then.¡± My sis did indeed quiver, her face pink. ¡°Hearing you call me that in such a tender voice... damn, now I wish I had a blood-related sister too. Do you think it¡¯s too late for mom? Maybe with some Chirurgery...¡±


    ¡°Do calm down-down, Aiko. This is a place of dignity.¡± Shaeula laughed, and she flushed. That lightened the suddenly tense atmosphere, and as we all took our places, the soldiers lining up along the banks of the Spring, staff we had recruited manning the stalls and bars, Tillyae and her musicians occupying a stage Shaeula had commissioned for live events, we waited. Seeing Shaeula¡¯s shoulders tremble as we sat at the spot of honour, I whispered to her.


    ¡°Nervous?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How could I not-not be?¡± she answered. ¡°Not-not for my ambitions, our ambitions, because what we strive for is just, but...¡± She looked to where her mother was sitting, shrouded in her voluminous cloak.


    ¡°I get it. You want your mother and father to reconcile. I¡¯m not sure what caused their separation, but... it¡¯s not your fault, is it? That I¡¯m sure of. Even if you were a reason, it¡¯s still not your fault. So... even if things are rocky, it¡¯s not over. After all, spiritual beings live long. We¡¯ll have time for a second try, a third... until everything works out.¡±


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Shaeula said, amber eyes shimmering with emotion and unshed tears. ¡°You always know just-just what to say. That day I met you, all my past sorrows were as dust compared to that-that. I praise myself for asking for mercy, despite my bold-bold words of fighting to the death. Death is not-not better than survival. Now...¡±


    ¡°Yes, now.¡± I agreed. ¡°Look your most regal, and know that I¡¯m just as nervous as you, maybe more so. After all... meeting your father is going to be tense, if he¡¯s anything like your siblings.¡±


    ¡°Do-do your best, I will be cheering for you!¡± she said insincerely, and we talked to each other, calming our nerves, my gaze flickering over the seats where our guests would be sitting. Asha and Hyacinth were behind us, Hyacinth standing like the maid she wished to be, Asha seated on a lesser but still impressive chair, and the Tengu, Yo?kai, kami and mortal visitors were also occupying a portion of the platform. Time passed, until the guards at the entrance to the cavern within the Spring parted with practiced bows, and a large group entered, several faces I recognised. All right then, here we go. Swallowing, I exchanged a look with Shaeula, before we both stood, greeting the first arrivals to the Spring, who we had told an earlier time, precisely to get our business out of the way first.


    I could see Shaeraggo, accompanied by Selensha, and a smaller brown-furred weaselkin. Anna was there too, still carrying her spear, despite the occasion. There was also another large weaselkin, powerfully muscled and with reddish-brown fur and matching red eyes, but what drew my eye was a powerful presence, the League, even being held down, was terrible, matching that of Bintara or the other powerful Yo?kai of Nurarihyon¡¯s inner circle. He was tall, with silver fur streaked with black, a great mane of bushy fur around his neck. As he surveyed the sitting dignitaries we had invited, his azure eyes narrowed, and a black-furred weaselkin woman behind him whispered something, and he relaxed, the pressure diminishing, which left some of our weaker guests mopping their brows in relief.


    He then turned, his face breaking into a smile as he saw Shaeula sitting there, before his eyes fell on me, and suddenly it was as though I was in a whirlwind of pressure, the force of his League focussed entirely on me. Ugh, I have more sympathy for those who get crushed by my League when I¡¯m making a point... Bearing the force of will, I held myself firm, maintaining my smile, until the great weaselkin in front of me let out a long breath, and the pressure on me diminished. Seeing that, Shaeula let out her own nervous breath, before standing to greet her family.


    ¡°Father, mother Annae. Brother Shaeraggo, sister Anna, Selensha... brother Shaetourach, Phaelae...?¡± She seemed a little unsure of the identity of one, but guessed it seeing where she was standing, and Shaeraggo nodded gratefully. ¡°I bid you all welcome to my Spring. Is it not-not quite marvellous? But... before that.¡± She looked at me, love and trust in her eyes, which was plain for her family to see. Shaeraggo looked a bit sour but resigned, while the big weaselkin who must have been Shaetourach looked rather interested, Anna seemed pleased to see us, though her hands twitched on the shaft of her spear, and Shaetanao... He looks... too composed. It makes me nervous.


    ¡°This is my chosen husband, the one who I am entwined with, body-body and spirit. This is Oshiro Moonstone Akio, though you may-may call him Akio.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet those I haven¡¯t already.¡± I said, bowing. ¡°I¡¯m Akio, and I have the honour of being the consort of your noble princess of the weaselkin.¡±


    ¡°I find it rather odd, somewhat strange, hearing you talk so politely.¡± Anna was the first to break the silence, eyeing me curiously. ¡°You have grown yet stronger, more powerful. And you come with... interesting company.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she saw the four-tailed fox lazily watching.


    ¡°Yes, I am here as an emissary from the Hyakki Yagyo?, that which Parades through the long Nights.¡± she drawled. ¡°I see some familiar faces.¡± At that, I was surprised to see Shaetourach look a bit ashamed. Shaeula noticed too, and she looked at her brother, wide-eyed.


    ¡°It is not what you think-think at all.¡± he said hastily. ¡°I merely travelled far in my youth, just as brother Shaerixx does. In fact, we did try-try to find him, but as usual he is journeying beyond our borders. When he finally does-does return, he will be shocked to see you all grown up, sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, I am so hurt...¡± the fox laughed, leaning over in her chair, her chest nearly bouncing free. ¡°After what we shared, during those long nights....¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Shaetanao boomed, though his words were rather hurried as well, as though he wished to be off the subject. ¡°It has indeed been long, twilight fox. And our two camps have been separated by too much-much sadness. But...¡± he looked at Shaeula, her beautiful jade scythes at wrist and ankle shimmering under the light of the Spring. ¡°...though we have much-much that separates us, we are not necessarily enemies.¡±


    ¡°Well spoken as ever.¡± The four-tailed fox laughed. ¡°No, while many of the Parade are of a... darker... inclination... that does not mean we can¡¯t have commerce and alliance between us. After all, this is such a happy family reunion.¡± She gave a languid laugh.


    ¡°Yes, I am seeing my daughter again.¡± He replied, missing her veiled amusement. ¡°And... her husband.¡± His gaze fixed on me, and my own Eye flared in response to the gleaming blue glow in his eyes. ¡°I have heard much-much about you, from my daughters and son, as well as Ulfuric...¡± the badgerkin nodded, affirming that. ¡°So, we finally-finally meet, and... we have much to discuss!¡±


    As his lips curled into a toothy smile, I found myself nodding, unwilling to back down. As the woman behind him, who was likely his wife Annae, by Shaeula¡¯s words, backed off, Shaeula¡¯s father strode forwards, until he was right before me, and I realised he was quite the imposing figure.


    ¡°Yes, I think we do. But...¡± Holding my ground, unwilling to disgrace myself in front of Shaeula¡¯s father, I turned to Hyacinth. ¡°...get some drinks for Shaeula¡¯s honoured family. Before the others arrive... we should toast... to families reunited, future alliances, and... getting my father-in-law¡¯s blessing.¡±


    As his eyes went wide, I realised my boldness had been the right choice. With a booming laugh, Shaetanao slammed one paw down on my shoulder, and even with my great strength I felt the pressure, the platform underneath us flexing, wood creaking. As he gripped me, my muscles aching, Shaeula opened her mouth to berate her father, but with my eyes I willed her to be quiet. Meeting his gaze calmly, I pushed my Body Enhancement to the maximum, and as my sister and the other guests were talking quietly amongst themselves, each displaying a different emotion at this family drama, I merely smiled calmly, waiting for his response, seemingly unbothered by his vice-like grip.


    ¡°I see. My blessing, is it? My daughter somehow convinced those-those two, a feat I thought impossible, especially for little-little Anna...¡± Shaeula¡¯s sister looked away at that comment. ¡°...but as for me... yes, let us converse, dear son-in-law...¡± His grip tightened again, before he released me. Shaeula was calling for a chair to be pulled up, and as several maids rushed one over, Shaetanao sitting down in it as though it was his own throne room, I took a deep breath. Here goes then. This has been a long time coming...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-One

    Four Hundred And Thirty-One


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rather a lot about you.¡± I said as the weaselkin party took their seats. They had a prime position since they were one of the lords of the seven surviving major branches of the Fae, and it was closest to the seats of our allies, considering that they were also family. ¡°It¡¯s good to finally meet.¡±


    ¡°Is it now-now?¡± Shaetanao said, his tone questioning.


    ¡°Father, do not-not be rude!¡± Shaeula declared, her lip curling, showing off her teeth. ¡°It is too late for regrets, and you should have none anyway.¡± She breathed out, calming herself. ¡°Take-take a look around. At the Spring we recaptured, and then rebuilt. Your daughter, your pitiful, foolish, arrogant and weak-weak daughter has achieved all this. But not-not alone. Never alone.¡±


    ¡°Father, we have been through this, discussed it.¡± Anna offered, a touch warily. ¡°Little Ula has matured, she is no longer the little one, small girl she was before. I am rather saddened at this, Ula was cuter before, adorable then, but ... I am also proud. We are the weaselkin, greatest of the Beastkin Fae, and little Ula now shines as bright as any of us.¡±


    I smiled at Anna, who nodded back. She had certainly given me a beating to test my mettle, back then, but she genuinely adored her sister, and unlike Shaeraggo, had been almost reasonable, once I had demonstrated my affection for Shaeula and my strength. As if noticing my thoughts, Shaeraggo looked down, guilty, and Selensha patted him on the back, while his other wife, Phaelae, watched on, her expression complicated as she looked at Shaeula. It doesn¡¯t seem she is over-fond of her...


    ¡°I am aware of this.¡± Shaetanao said, and his words sank into me like a heavy weight, almost forcing me to listen. Yeah, his Majesty is solid, as you¡¯d expect from a Prince, I guess? ¡°I have not sought you out-out, despite my... reservations.¡± His blue eyes were radiating his League, again oppressing me, but the difference between us, while it was something I could feel, and would doubtless weaken my strength against him if it came to battle, it wasn¡¯t so overwhelming as to be hopeless, like I felt against Nurarihyon.


    ¡°You would not-not find it comfortable in the Boundary, father.¡± Shaeula pointed out what I was thinking, rather uncharitably, but I did feel a warm glow that she would take my side. ¡°You would not-not be able to use your true strength without great repercussions.¡±


    ¡°I do not need my true might to crush a bug flying around you, my Shaeula...¡± he frowned. ¡°...though you endure my presence well.¡± He then withdrew his League once more, it settling down into a feeling that displayed his power without being aggressive. ¡°I... can not prevent your relationship. I have no wish for my precious Shaeula to hate me more than she already doubtless does-does.¡±


    Shaeula seemed surprised at that. ¡°I do not-not hate you father. I hate none of my family. I am disappointed, rather often in fact-fact... but family are special.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± my sis piped up. Seeing all the weaselkin looking at her, she frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m Aiko, my bro¡¯s sister... uh...¡± she flushed, realising how stupid that sounded. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m Akio¡¯s sister. I haven¡¯t known Shaeula for long, but I love her like she¡¯s my own sister, and I know my bro does too. What more do you need, huh? Love conquers all.¡±


    ¡°Love... conquers all? Nai?ve.¡± Shaetanao said softly, his words carrying great weight. His blue eyes met my sister¡¯s equally sapphire orbs, and for a moment I felt sorry for him, as he clearly had a great weight on his heart. ¡°If only life was so-so simple. Love is a luxury, and sometimes a poison.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± My sis swore. ¡°I get that love can drive people to do crazy things, I¡¯ve studied some of the stories in history class. But a luxury? If that¡¯s what you think, I feel sorry for Shaeula.¡±


    As the conversation heated up, Eleanor turned to Yukiko-san, who was sitting near to her. ¡°Does this always happen? Airing dirty laundry in public, I mean? Have they forgotten we¡¯re here?¡±


    As the four-tailed fox laughed uproariously, Yukiko-san sighed. ¡°Oh yes, this is rather standard for them. I remember Conclave, where they rehashed their pasts in front of hundreds of priests and shrine maidens. I didn¡¯t know where to look. We Japanese are rather reserved and don¡¯t like making our personal matters public, so... I wonder, is it his British side that makes him such a good sharer?¡±


    Eleanor shook her head. ¡°The British are reserved as well. Stiff upper lip and all that. At least we were, times are changing. But... I certainly wouldn¡¯t be comfortable doing the same.¡±


    ¡°I suppose at least he¡¯s learning.¡± Yukiko-san said. ¡°Since he invited Shaeula¡¯s family before the others, this could be considered private I suppose. Poor Tsukiko. She¡¯ll have it rough...¡± Even as she criticised me, Yukiko-san was smiling gently, but I was more focussed on the conversation between my sis and Shaetanao.


    ¡°You believe I wanted to put my precious daughter at risk? You think any-any of us wanted this?¡± He flared his League, and my sister went pale, blood draining from her face, body trembling. Seeing the situation starting to deteriorate Anna and Shaeula were calling for their father to stop, and I leapt to my feet, using Void Motion to suddenly grasp Shaetanao by the wrist as he raised a hand, pointing angrily. My sis staggered to her feet as well, refusing to be cowed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you wanted, jackass! Wow, you so do not get it. All I¡¯m saying is...¡± She bit her lip, a thin trickle of red leaking down her pale skin. ¡°...you¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Calm yourself.¡± I ordered. His League was hitting me as well, and he tried to shake free of my grip, but with Body Enhancement running I clung on. I stared into his eyes coldly, and after a moment he smothered his anger, forcing it down, and the League diminished once more. My sis slumped back into her chair, and Shaeula ran over to her.


    ¡°Aiko, are you well-well?¡± As she nodded weakly, Shaeula turned on her father, her anger making sparks of lightning crackle on her fur.


    On seeing that, Shaetourach was wide-eyed. ¡°So it is true-true then. Lightning.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°Father, you disappoint me.¡± Shaeula sighed. ¡°It is as Aiko says, we cherish each-each other as sisters. For you to bully her so, it is quite-quite intolerable.¡±Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com fine...¡± my sis said bravely, and Shaeula turned to her, amber eyes glowing.


    ¡°Yes, there is no-no injury.¡±


    ¡°Unhand me, before I lose-lose my patience...¡± Shaetanao shook his wrist again. His wife was looking particularly uneasy, and I couldn¡¯t help but glance towards the hooded figure of Urakaze, who was biding her time.


    ¡°Lose your patience? With what?¡± I said, tightening my grip. I¡¯m slightly stronger physically it seems, especially with Body Enhancement running, but with his League weakening me and strengthening him, he can break free if he puts in some effort. Fortunately he doesn¡¯t seem to have lost his reason... ¡°We¡¯re meeting for the first time, father-in-law, and this isn¡¯t a case of us needing your approval. But just because we don¡¯t need it doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t want it.¡± I let go before he could shake me off, so I could maintain the illusion of control. ¡°Now we should all calm down and talk this out. After all, we need a united front if we are to seize this upcoming pivotal moment in the history of the Seelie Court.¡±


    ¡°Father, do not be angry, calm your fury! I understand, my precious Ula came back changed, and he is the reason, the cause. But it is not a... bad thing, wrong matter.¡± Anna looked at us, shaking her head. ¡°While my Ula is perhaps less cute, the way a small faun, helpless chick, would be, she now is adorable in other ways, different manners.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is quite-quite right.¡± Shaeraggo agreed. He rose, asking my sis if she was fine, and a little surprised, she nodded. On seeing that, Shaeraggo nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Father, this mortal was brave enough to challenge me with the bow. She lost, of course-course...¡± he said proudly, and I snorted, amused that Shaeraggo never seemed to change. My sis simply shook her head, keeping silent. ¡°...but she did not shy away from my advice, or claim her defeat was due to ill-chance.¡± He paused. ¡°It has been a while, girl-girl. I am eager to see how your skills have improved.¡±


    Behind him, Phaelae looked worried, eyeing my sis warily, but Selensha whispered to her that Shaeraggo had no interest in her, and even if he did, it would never happen, as I¡¯d prevent it. That stings a little. Sure, Shaeraggo isn¡¯t exactly the ideal man I want for Aiko, but if she genuinely fell for him... I mean, I¡¯m marrying a number of Fae, and aren¡¯t monogamous, so to criticise... My sis looked at me and winked, making a gagging noise, and that momentary worry vanished.


    ¡°You would speak for them?¡± Shaetanao asked his children.


    ¡°Yes, I would, I do.¡± Anna said stoutly. ¡°Please, father. We are here to listen.¡±


    ¡°Very well-well.¡± He declared, sitting down once more. Hmm, that... there was something off about his body language, something that didn¡¯t quite make sense. No, is it... a sneaking suspicion in my mind, I decided to follow up on what my sis said that sparked the outburst.


    ¡°Good. Now we can discuss this rationally.¡± I also sat down, as did Shaeula. After a deep breath, I spoke, my words from the heart. ¡°Love is a luxury? Like my sis, I disagree. I guess we are definitely family, we think alike.¡±


    ¡°Only because you raised her so-so.¡± Shaeula snickered. ¡°She and Eri think much-much as you do. But I do not-not think that is a bad thing.¡±


    I waved that aside. ¡°Look, you¡¯re a Prince of the Seelie Court, one of the most powerful of all Fae, right?¡±


    Shaetanao nodded, puffing his chest proudly, reminiscent of how Shaeula usually did it, and I had to hold in a laugh at that. ¡°I am indeed Shaetanao Gar Shae Dannan, Prince of the Beastkin, mighty warrior, great hunter, scourge of the Unseelie. You would do-do well to remember this and offer me due respect.¡±


    ¡°And respect you I do. But to me... the fact that you¡¯re a Seelie Prince means less to me than that you¡¯re Shaeula¡¯s father.¡± I said boldly. ¡°Look, why do you fight?¡±


    ¡°To protect the Seelie.¡± He declared without hesitation. ¡°For the King, may his injury heal-heal soon, and the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, fighting for your homeland, your people, it¡¯s a worthy goal. But... as for me...¡± I looked at Shaeula, Hyacinth, Asha, Aiko and then the others. ¡°...I put my first priority on family. After all, what use is the world, if it isn¡¯t something we can share with those we love?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the eyes.¡± I tapped my own. ¡°You were too calculating. Besides...¡± I turned to Shaeula, who nodded. ¡°I know you love your daughter, and honestly, who else but me could handle her? Because I think girls are like precious gemstones. They need polishing to shine, and they¡¯re not as fragile as mere glass.¡±


    ¡°She was.¡± He said mournfully. ¡°A flawed glass bauble, pretty but-but ultimately useless.¡±


    ¡°That wounds me, father!¡± Shaeula protested, while my sis laughed at her pouting weasel-face. ¡°Though the truth is often-often painful. I had few gifts. My Eyes were my own, and I found the Fortunate Winds by chance, which is only-only proper, seeing as how that wind blows. But other than that, I was naught but a brat. I changed, thanks to Akio, Aiko, Eri, everyone here. I realised what-what was important.¡±


    ¡°And what is important to you, my daughter?¡± Shaetanao pressed, and all eyes were on us now, waiting to see how this would end.


    ¡°I want it all, father. I want love-love, I want power, I want our enemies to be vanquished. I want my family to support me, I wish for us all-all to live with Akio until the moon-moon itself is dust.¡± She smiled at Asha and Hyacinth warmly. ¡°I am still quite-quite spoiled, father, and selfish. But... I am greedy for our happiness, not-not merely my own.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He paused, thinking, before his lips curled into a smile. ¡°I must-must surely admit, seeing Duke Formor come crawling before us, eager to praise you who he once disdained was sweet-sweet honey, as was telling that sly fox Vulpatrius to go drown himself in the lake, that he could never-never have my daughter.¡±


    ¡°That fucking firefox, I would have cut his throat, slashed his neck as he slept!¡± Anna cursed.


    ¡°Yes, that decision disappointed me even more-more than my own exile, for Anna did nothing to warrant her sacrifices. At least-least for me, you had some meagre excuses, father.¡± Shaeula sniffed, and he did look ashamed.


    ¡°I was not in my right-right mind. Grief over you was weakening my will. But... no more.¡± He declared, before looking me in the eyes, and I could see his true self, proud, angry and full of self-loathing. ¡°A mortal, dallying with my daughter, that has many-many pitfalls. But... could any be worse than that treacherous fox Vulpatrius? Though he would not have mistreated Shaeranna, I still-still feel the shame...¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Are you prepared to put your very spirit to the test, swearing Oaths that cannot be broken, proving your resolve, the depths of your feelings?¡±


    ¡°Say-say it how it is, father. It is love.¡± Shaeula said, and he grimaced, before changing his words.


    ¡°Very well then. Prove your love. Swear to me, and I to you. The Oaths of a Prince of the Seelie, of a being of my might-might and power, such will bind you to the very core.¡±


    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve sworn Oaths. But... ¡°What do you demand?¡± I asked, and he quickly explained.


    ¡°It is quite-quite simple. There are three pitfalls. First, you must live as long as my daughter does. I would not-not have her lament, as I do, for lost-lost love.¡±


    ¡°Mother is not-not dead, father, do not-not be so melodramatic. As for this Oath, I too will swear, father. For this one is as good as done.¡± She met my eyes, and I remembered her class Pledged One. When one perishes, so shall the other.


    ¡°Then put your very spirit, your existence into it.¡± Shaetanao said, League stabbing out like a needle. My Eye flared, and I felt I could almost see it, though it was intangible. Matching mine to his, Shaeula doing likewise, our Leagues clashed, and around us everyone shuddered.


    ¡°I give you my Oath, I will live as long as I am able, even one moment more, if possible, to live with Shaeula and all the others I care for. Until my last breath I will never give up.¡±


    ¡°I speak my Oath, I shall remain by Akio¡¯s side, loving and-and loved, protecting those who will journey with us, and I too shall never-never surrender, never yield, for I have yielded the one-one and only time I ever shall.¡± She smiled at me, and even in her weasel-form it was pure and brilliant.


    ¡°Then I will offer the Boon of my blessing, so long as you do not ever mistreat my daughter precious memento of loves lost, and stay by her side, I will answer your call, should you be beset by foes you can not-not defeat.¡± Shaetanao pledged, and I could feel the aether within my body stirring, the adherence as well. It¡¯s been a while since I pledged Three Oaths and Boons, now my skills are a lot higher and my perception far more sensitive I can feel what¡¯s happening... ¡°Second, I need-need your word that you will not betray the Seelie Court, for I hardened my heart and sacrificed my daughters for that cause. I would not have your actions put that to naught.¡±


    ¡°It already is for naught, father.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°It would-would have achieved nothing. Placating greedy scum like that firefox is surely-surely doomed to failure. Besides, he hates the Unseelie more than we do, you were a fool-fool to buy momentarily false loyalty with our happiness.¡± She looked at me then, a smile on her face. ¡°Ah, this takes me back-back, to when we swore to each other. This too is trivial.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± I agreed. ¡°I have already given my Oath to help Shaeula climb to the top of the Seelie Court, and just as we have reclaimed the Spring of Clear Reflections, we will not rest until Salamandrastrae and all the lost lands are reclaimed.¡±


    ¡±Just as I have claimed my due as the Duchess of this-this Spring, I shall free the other stolen lands, unjustly taken, and should the Unseelie, Wild Hunt or any-any other enemies threaten them, we shall show them no-no mercy.¡±


    ¡°Salamandrastrae...¡± Shaetanao said, glancing at Ulfuric, the light in his blue eyes gentler. ¡°You are both bold-bold, but if so... as Prince of the Seelie, all-all support I can provide to aid you will be provided, so long as it serves the Seelie, and protects the lands of the Fae.¡±


    Once more the aether and adherence within us tightened, and perhaps because I was a Faeduine now, my spiritual being closely related to the Fae, I could feel the weight, the imperative to keep these given Oaths.


    ¡°Finally then...¡± he turned to Shaeula, and actually bowed his head. ¡°I have tried-tried to justify my actions, but I have never truly apologised. Shaeula, I am sorry. I was too weak, too consumed by duty, to protect you. But now...¡± he looked at us. ¡°It seems you have grown up, no-no longer the child I remember.¡± He admired her Kamaitachi form. ¡°You resemble your mother, fair-fair Urakaze. Her fur was like ours, though the shade was slightly different, and her sickles were beautiful. Her eyes, they did-did mesmerise me, deep crimson in the amber, like brilliant flames. Her figure was lithe-lithe and graceful, her pride haughty yet deserved, her...¡±


    Damn, this got uncomfortable all of a sudden. How did swearing oaths to earn his acceptance turn into this? Shaeula shifted, equally embarrassed, and Anna was scowling, making retching noises. At least it¡¯s not just me who finds this excruciating...


    ¡°...winds pure and sharp, as biting and bitter as winter, her scent that of foreign lands, smoke and incense, her...¡± he continued, only for a loud voice to cry out.


    ¡°Please, spare us from this embarrassment-shame!¡± Urakaze cried out, hurling away her hooded cloak, unleashing her League and presence she had kept hidden. Her fur seemed redder than I remembered, and for a moment I wondered if Kamaitachi could blush. ¡°Enough, you old fool-idiot Shaetanao!¡±


    As he saw her, his words halted, and he let out an incredulous voice. ¡°Urakaze?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is I-me, who else?¡± she snorted. ¡°Considering this old fox is here-there, you should have expected me too, here in the moment of our daughter¡¯s triumph-glory, no?¡± she frowned, not liking the hostility she was receiving from Anna and Annae. ¡°I did rather like-enjoy your oaths. I always found that a quaint custom, but... you did destroy the moment.¡± She turned to Shaeula. ¡°Daughter, those were rather like marriage vows-bindings no?¡±


    Shaeula grinned. ¡°Yes, they were indeed, performed before-before my father. So let us finish, for I wish Akio and I to be joined with your blessings. And then-then...¡± she grinned savagely. ¡°Perhaps another lost-lost love can be rekindled, and your hearts healed, father, mother?¡±


    Seeing the looks from those around us, I resisted the urge to shake my head. Somehow, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that easy, but... ¡°I think the final Oath is simple. Shaetanao, I promise to make your daughter happy, to wash away any remaining sorrows she feels from her past treatment. I can¡¯t promise her my love alone, there¡¯s too many others I treasure, but I will spare no effort so that she can smile, have fun, reach her dreams and be her best self.¡±


    ¡°I like it. I too...¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°Akio, I will-will always do my best to make you happy, for you are my other half, the full moon to my new. No, not-not just you. Aiko too, Hyacinth, Asha, Eri, Shiro, Hinata... all the others now, and those who shall come in future. For to accept your love is to love all.¡± She turned to her father. ¡°I thank you for raising me thus far. I was a poor-poor daughter, though I have done my best to change. This is not-not goodbye, merely a change in our relationship. For now it is for Akio to shelter me, protect me. But a father is always a father, just as...¡± she looked at Urakaze. ¡°... you shall always be my-my mother. So be happy for us, support us... and together the past is dead, and a brilliant future is all-all that awaits us!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have a bit of a strained relationship with my own father.¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s much better now, but even so, I still find it hard to be open with him sometimes. But... give your blessing, and all mistakes can be forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Yes... yes.¡± He seemed thrown off by Urakaze, but then he puffed himself up, League surging, tangling with ours. I get it, he doesn¡¯t want to seem pathetic in front of one of his lovers. ¡°Happiness... I see. So, live long, fight for what is ours, and know joy. Yes, such Oaths are simple and fitting, and indeed... are much-much like a vow of binding. But that will not suffice.¡±


    Shaeula opened her mouth to protest, only for Shaetanao to surprise her. ¡°No, a grand-grand ceremony should be held. If you are to marry, my Shaeula, then you must-must simply be regal and majestic, admired by all. I cannot say I care-care for you sharing...¡±


    You hypocrite! From what I hear, you¡¯ve got as many partners as I do! I kept that in my heart, as he continued.


    ¡°...but you are right. I allowed that wretched firefox to beguile me into nearly losing both my daughters to pointless cruel fates. I can hardly complain. So I offer my final Boon. For life, support, for honour, power, and for love... my blessing.¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± Shaeula was crying, and her family was looking on wryly. The fox was chuckling, poking fun at Urakaze, while Eleanor and Yukiko-san were joking that this was yet another private matter shared too widely with an unrelated audience. My sis was tearing up too, though her smile was radiant, and Asha and Hyacinth were hugging, happy to have gained acceptance from Shaetanao for being with me as well as Shaeula. As our Leagues diminished, the needles quieting, my aether and adherence surged, and my Eye flared brilliantly, my whole body shuddering, a painful discomfort searing deeply within me.


    Your Class, True Faeduine, has increased from level...


    What¡¯s going on? As my Eye blazed, Shaeula too started to shiver, as though she was feeling a similar sensation, and even Shaetanao staggered momentarily. As I blinked, amber letters filling my vision, I saw Urakaze leap forwards, concern in her eyes, and despite the pain, I smiled. Maybe there¡¯s a little more hope for Shaeula¡¯s wish to come true than I thought...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Two

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Two


    Your Class, True Faeduine, has increased from level 3 to level 5. Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm, Foresight and Fate have increased by one. You have sworn Oaths and Boons with a Fae of the highest standing, and your spirit has internalised these Oaths. Your Spiritually Pure Physique has resonated with these Oaths, and those who have sworn Oaths with you as a Noble Faeduine will find their Fae-Bonded Class strengthened.


    Your Skill, Kin Bonding and Restoration, has become more intimately entwined with your being, enabling the spirit-lights of beings of greater League to be sheltered, and the aether drain of such spirit-lights to be reduced and optimised. Oaths sworn to Kin are strengthened, and the consequences of breaking them more severe.


    Your Determination has increased by two. Your Resilience has increased by forty-four.


    I see. So Fae aren¡¯t just disinclined to break given word, but it¡¯s actually another aspect of themselves. No wonder Shaeula and Grulgor were so careful in what they swore. It¡¯s very much the old trope of the monkey¡¯s paw and the wishes being literal, not what was intended... It also made sense why Shaeraggo abided by the results of the Trial of Three, despite clearly not wanting to at the time. Although I like to think now we have sorted out our differences. This was the first time I had really considered the changes to my body since I had transcended my mortality. Although saying it that way makes it sound cooler than it is. The spiritual body was certainly more malleable than the Material, and while working out and getting proper nutrition, the condition of the Material, physical body could be improved, the spiritual seemed more affected by the amount and quality of aether it drew on. No, not just aether...


    ¡°That felt rather-rather deep.¡± Shaeula managed to smile. ¡°I thank you, mother, but I am-am perfectly well.¡± Her gaze turned to me. ¡°Such a set of Oaths. Father, it is too-too late to back down now, no cunning wordplay will allow you to sidestep this.¡±


    Shaetanao shook his head. He too was seeming a little weighed down by the bargain we had struck, but being of a higher League, he had recovered more quickly. ¡°You wrong-wrong me my Shaeula. Though I fear I have given you good reason to doubt me. I say it now and I say it in words that can not be misconstrued. If this Akio is the one you have chosen, then I shall-shall support you, so long as he does not betray your expectations.¡±


    ¡°Then we have no reason for fear, for Akio will never-never betray me, nor I him.¡± She relished her mother¡¯s care for a moment more before disentangling herself. ¡°That is a great-great weight off my mind. Now only brother Shaerixx remains.¡±


    ¡°He has not been seen-seen in years. No doubt out exploring the far reaches beyond the lands of the Fae. He always was an adventurous one. Even I rarely see him.¡± Shaetourach said of their elusive older brother. ¡°I doubt he will stand-stand in your way.¡±


    ¡°This is all well and good, and I¡¯m happy for you bro, Shaeula...¡± my sis said. ¡°...but what¡¯s going on? The three of you looked pretty unwell and pained for a moment.¡±


    Yes, it wasn¡¯t comfortable. No wonder... it seemed that in a sense, the Oaths functioned almost as a type of adherence. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same, but it shared a lot of the characteristics. Perhaps it¡¯s fair to say that while the effects are slightly different, the cause itself is a type of adherence? And why did it resonate...? Does that mean that karma, an extremely nebulous concept, is governed by an overarching adherence as well? If so... that would be a massive power. Considering how many people believe in the concept so fervently...


    The Astral body was greatly mutable and driven by thoughts. Perhaps that was why Divine Favours were only usable by certain people. And why they can be made to perform far beyond their limits by those with talent such as Arisu-san. But Tsukuyomi¡¯s Favour... it had changed, the aether, adherence and something else I could feel but not understand having become a part of me. I wonder, is it Heavenly Qi, or is that just a different way of referring to the most powerful aether?


    What hadn¡¯t changed were the shining beads around my wrist, the seeds of the fruit of the World Tree that Ortlinde had bestowed upon me. Within them now, I could sense a powerful adherence, likely the Divine Favour of Tyr, and since these seeds had been prepared in an unusual way, they had remained unchanged, even for now. No, not unchanged. Not entirely...


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I reassured my sister. ¡°Now I really understand just what Shaeula means when she says we have to keep our given word. For Fae, it¡¯s more than just cultural, it seems, but an imperative. And now I¡¯m partially Fae myself, it hit me.¡± Though since I¡¯m mitigating the weaknesses of being a Fae due to my Faeduine nature, I think it¡¯s not so bad.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± My sis said, a smile on her face. ¡°Guess you have to follow through now bro. No more being wishy-washy like you were with Kana-chan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it works like that...¡± I protested, only for the shrill, angry voice of Anna to break through our reverie.


    ¡°What the fucking hell is that evil bitch, fucking whore doing here?¡± Anna ranted, pointing angrily at Urakaze.


    ¡°Do not-not speak about my mother like that, Shaeranna.¡± Shaeula said, her tone frosty. ¡°Even from you, I will not-not stand idle!¡±


    ¡°I see you are as unwelcoming-hateful as ever.¡± Urakaze sniffed. ¡°Though I do not know which caused me more anguish-pain, your malice, or Shaetanao¡¯s lavish-excessive praise.¡±


    ¡°I think I liked the gushing family bonding more than family feuding.¡± My sis remarked loudly, and while Eleanor looked a little scandalised, Yukiko-san was shaking her head, smiling wryly, muttering that she had seen it all before. The four-tailed fox seemed to have the same opinion, as she guffawed heartily, laughing so much her ample chest threatened to bounce free of her overstressed kimono.


    ¡°Our dear Urakaze is indeed known for being abrasive, just as her winds are sharp, so is her temper. It hardly surprises me that she is not widely loved. Such a shame.¡± She chewed on the stem of her pipe, an expression of mock concentration on her face. ¡°But to be so reviled. I feel sorry for you...¡±


    ¡°You can be silent, shut your mouth too, fox.¡± Anna snapped. ¡°Shaking your tails for any man who caught your eye, tickled your fancy. All you Yo?kai are the same.¡± She paused. ¡°Not you, my darling Ula, you are the only good thing ever to come from, be born from that wretched place!¡±


    Shaetanao looked like he was going to intervene, when his wife Annae, the mother of Anna and Shaeraggo, shot him a venomous look, and he shut his mouth. Is it me, or is she suddenly looking powerful, rather than an ordinary weak weaselkin? My stomach is starting to hurt, I wonder if being so henpecked is in my future? The more women, the more problems, certainly...


    ¡°You tell Ula, Raggy.¡± Anna pressed. ¡°Tell her she needs to side with us! Her bitch mother abandoned her, threw her aside...¡±


    ¡°I am staying well-well out of this.¡± Shaeraggo said fervently. ¡°Shaeula is now old-old and wise enough to make her own decisions.¡±


    ¡°Wow, some wisdom from you there.¡± My sis applauded. ¡°I¡¯d expect no less from my rival in archery! You¡¯ve changed from the stories I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Even an idiot can learn-learn...¡± he muttered. ¡°And I am not so foolish as that...¡±


    ¡°Anna...¡± I interrupted. ¡°Just how did I meet Shaeula?¡±


    That halted her rage, though she still glared at Urakaze angrily. ¡°It is quite different, not the same. But... you make a good point, and you have the right to say it, speak of it.¡± She took a deep, bitter breath, almost a growl. ¡°I hate you, bitch. Your existence nearly led to the ruin of our family, destruction of the weaselkin. Worse, you failed little Ula, our precious treasure!¡±


    ¡°I... must shoulder my share of blame. But Urakaze was simply so-so enchanting. When I saw her, I knew I had to have her.¡± Shaetanao let out a shamed chuckle, for a moment looking nothing like the powerful Prince with a titanic League, but an old man caught cheating. Seeing me looking, he let out another laugh. ¡°Learn from my mistakes and be careful of your relationships.¡± He looked at Asha and Hyacinth, eyes narrowing. ¡°I see no issue with a daughter of Orion, it is unusual, but quite-quite an honour to be one so chosen by them, but your maid...¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth is not merely a maid. That¡¯s just her hobby.¡± I shot down that line of thought. ¡°And she¡¯s non-negotiable. She¡¯s more than proved her worth. Besides...¡±


    Shaeula took up the mantle. ¡°Shaeranna, you know Akio has many-many lovers. My father likewise. Just because you-you have never felt love, you do not-not understand... why is it you can accept the others, but not my mother?¡±


    ¡°Call me Anna, please my Ula...¡± she said, and Shaeula shook her head.


    ¡°I will, when you start acting like Anna again. My kind sister who loves me would not-not be so vile.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± she managed, and fell silent, biting at her lips until blood matted her fur.


    Everyone suddenly turned as there was a loud clapping sound, and we were surprised to see it was Eleanor. She had stood and slammed her hands together, gauntlets ringing. ¡°I have had quite enough of this. I sympathise, I do. Multiple relationships just seems wrong to me, though I am trying to be tolerant. But for the love of God, we are here to celebrate a triumph and make alliances. Not... not whatever this disaster is.¡± She turned an accusing glare on me, and I shrugged, for once mostly innocent.


    ¡°I think this mortal Princess speaks true.¡± The four-tailed fox pointed out. ¡°Urakaze here isn¡¯t merely here for a touching, tender reunion that I am sure Red and Blue will delight in hearing about.¡± Urakaze glared at her, but she didn¡¯t stop. ¡°No, we are here as envoys of the Hyakki Yagyo?, the dreaded and fabled Night Parade. Our words are Nurarihyon¡¯s words, and to insult us, it to defame the Parade.¡± She had changed from the flirty, languid and tricksy fox into one that radiated cold power and wisdom, and I once more wondered just how old she was.


    ¡°Yes. Although...¡± Eleanor seemed a little down, and on seeing me looking, she raised one eyebrow. ¡°I am not at liberty to criticise. Grandmother said I was devastatingly incompetent when I was so rude to you, and when even my brother Henry is saying I was wrong... I accept it. Please... can we get down to business? If the other royals arrive, won¡¯t we all be shamed, and it¡¯ll harm our cause?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Besides, the most important part of this pre-meeting is done. So, father-in-law...¡± I said to Shaetanao, who with one last look at Urakaze, sat down.


    ¡°Shaeranna, Annae, for now, hold-hold your disquiet. There will be ample time for recrimination and reunion later. I would not ruin Shaeula¡¯s moment of triumph, nor risk the Court by offending the Night Parade.¡± He conceded.


    With everyone calmed down, and taking their seats again, I spoke. ¡°All right then. In fact... ideally, afterwards will be the perfect time for this. To celebrate your acceptance, and thus the Court¡¯s acceptance of our upcoming marriage...¡± I looked at Shaeula, who nodded, a brilliant, yet predatory smile on her face. ¡°...we intend to offer a selection of mortal delicacies and treats, available only here at the Spring. What better way to hash out your worry than over some mortal alcohol, and indulging in some mortal pursuits?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering why you have been so cold to my lovely Moira here, as well as Bellaera and Soliteare. They are all wonderful beauties, and very fond of you.¡±


    Behind him, Moira was signalling with her eyes that she wasn¡¯t, and I held in a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I do think they¡¯re beautiful, and Bell was a great help to me recently. But I¡¯m not interested in increasing my women.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡± My sis mouthed at me.


    ¡°I see. Yet I do hear that you have just accepted someone called the Diviner?¡± he raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.


    ¡°That was... pre-planned.¡± I said, uncomfortable. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve done arranged marriages, for political gain. Sure, it turns out they worked out, and I¡¯m happy, but I¡¯m not in the mood for more. Unless I want them and they me, for genuine reasons... it¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it seems they still have a chance. Especially Bell. Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Always so hasty. You should be more composed, act your age. Har. Har. Har.¡± The slow, ponderous words of the massive Treekin that clambered onto the platform, the weight making it shake alarmingly, were amused. His form was reminiscent of the Treants from that very famous British story, the Lord of the Rings. Mom gave me a copy when I was a young boy...


    ¡°Noble Primal Forest, it is good to see you. And you-you too, Ala.¡± Shaeula declared, and I did indeed recognise the Plantkin behind him as the one that had helped us with our Ring Gate to Kyoto.


    ¡°I would not miss this. The great joy of nature returning to dead lands...¡± he paused, his mouth, a split in the bark of his body, curving into a mocking grin. ¡°I see you, Dryad. You must be pleased, to see life sprout anew, death, decay giving way to rebirth and growth. Especially since this blighted land...¡±


    ¡°I am. My heart sings.¡± Asha admitted. ¡°Akio and Shaeula have considered all my sorrows. I would ask you to visit the site of the deaths of my sisters and their precious Trees, noble Primal Forest. Perhaps some of your grace will help their spirits rest peacefully.¡±


    ¡°I see. I shall.¡± He rumbled in his glacial way, his words ponderous. ¡°Now, elf, do not be full of sorrow that none of yours have attracted him. A daughter of Orion, of the Trees, is tie enough. Content yourself with that.¡± His smile seemed smug. As Prince Aethelathrion was about to retort, a tiny figure glowing with the light of multiple elements flew down from the branches that crowned Primal Forest, almost like hair, and a cute yet bossy voice rang out.


    ¡°Oh will you two please hurry it up? There¡¯s no need for such petty bickering!¡±


    ¡°Wow, now this is what you think of when you think of Faeries, right, right?¡± my sis gushed to Yukiko-san and Eleanor. Eleanor nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it does bring to mind images of Fairies.¡± She agreed, her pronunciation a little different.


    ¡°I see.¡± The cute, green-haired little Fae, with gossamer butterfly-style wings, flitted down onto the armrest of a chair set up for her, shifting to make herself more comfortable, a glow of jade shimmering, cushioning her with wind. ¡°I suppose I should be flattered. So, I finally meet your rumoured chosen husband. He has many elements indeed.¡± Her eyes glittered with multi-coloured light. ¡°You have hardly been idle either. Lightning.¡± Her grin was somehow both cute and hungry. ¡°I would be fascinated to hear that tale.¡±


    ¡°When you get her started on elements and mysticism, you¡¯ll never get her to shut up.¡± Our next visitor was someone who looked like a woman in her late teens, though rather short and lithe. Her long red hair hung down to her waist, and it was braided with what looked like golden coins. She was wearing a green dress, belted at the waist, with some sort of black tights underneath, and she was followed by what looked like leprechauns and there were also several women dressed in old-fashioned maid attire, likely brownies such as Hyacinth was before. ¡°Though I have to admit, I do like what you¡¯ve done with the place.¡± As she turned her head to look at the surrounding stalls and bars, the coins jingled softly.


    ¡°Ffionnan, you old miser.¡± Estalian, for the little Fae was surely her, Shaeula having spoken of her previously, sniffed, crossing her arms defensively. ¡°It¡¯s more productive to learn how to strengthen ourselves, transcend our limits, than seek to hoard old gold, jewels and treasures that do nothing but gather dust.¡±


    ¡°You think so, Estalian? I beg to differ, and it looks like the little weasel here agrees with me.¡± She greeted Shaeula with a nod. ¡°We meet again, I¡¯ve brought my pot of gold, like you suggested.¡± She gestured to one of the Brownies, who was lugging a clay jar as big as she was, the lid having slipped off a little, revealing gold coins, gems and even some glittering Etherites.


    ¡°Excellent. I know you covet wealth and dislike letting any coin slip through your fingers, but-but I think you shall find this enlightening. Harden your heart-heart, contribute, and you will find yourself as a dragon, on a hoard of gold.¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly, enjoying being the centre of attention. ¡°Though... power is also vital. I do not-not disagree. Princess Estalian, perhaps you should discuss with Akio after this-this, when we have time for socialising. You might yet-yet be able to master a fourth element.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not.¡± Another voice, this one sounding neither young nor old, male nor female. Up onto the platform stepped our newest arrival, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Raidre trying to sink into his chair and avoid notice. The Fae who was ascending the platform alone was strange, looking vaguely humanoid, skin pale white, but not a healthy shade, one of bleached paper. It was seemingly male, yet with a featureless face shrouded with white hair nearly the same tone as the skin, so it was hard to be certain. Long limbs ending in three slender fingers were waving, and overall, the figure was eerie and otherworldly, much more than any of the other Fae.


    ¡°Oh, my apologies. I should know better than to interrupt...¡± the strange voice said mournfully. The figure then paused, having spotted Raidre. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Raidre? If I remember, you gave Oath not to set foot in the Seelie Court until the corruption and politics had run their course? Or perhaps my memory fades, in my old age?¡± Even as we watched on, the pale figure transformed, until it was a handsome Selkie not dissimilar to Raidre in appearance, though the skin was still shockingly pale, and offset by ink-black eyes and hair.


    ¡°Prince Morioth...¡± Raidre breathed. He glanced at Eleanor, before bowing, though there wasn¡¯t much respect in it. ¡°You remember rightly.¡± He ground his teeth together, holding in his anger. ¡°But I have also given Oath to accompany my Princess where she wills, and I was invited by another.¡± He nodded at Shaeula.


    ¡°Ah yes, the little weaselkin. How fascinating. It seems you are as changeable as me.¡± His form shifted, and now he was a black-furred weaselkin with shocking white eyes. ¡°I have given my agreement for your ownership of the Spring, but as for more...¡±


    ¡°The politicking Raidre hates is not-not my preference either.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°I too welcome you, Prince Morioth. And Raidre comes to see the end of the dissention, the fragmented factions. So do not-not judge him harshly. Besides...¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°We have other guests still to come. Quite-quite unexpected ones.¡±


    ¡°Am I not welcome here? How disappointing.¡± A droning, spectral voice said, and it was echoed by dozens of other voices, all crying out ¡°How disappointing, not welcome, surprising.¡± My sis stood up in shock at the sight, as what could only be described as a ghost, a transparent woman wearing veils which while see-through, somehow still blocked the view of her face, leaving it in shadow. She was wearing a black mourning dress, the train of ghostly black rags drifting behind her, where a dozen young girls, who looked perhaps only six or seven years old, though age could be deceptive for the Fae, were holding it as if it was the train of a wedding dress.


    ¡°Of course you are welcome, Princess Moraine.¡± Shaeula said quickly. ¡°I was merely-merely surprised that you attended. The spectralkin have been refusing all our overtures.¡±


    My sis, on calming down, sat down, blushing scarlet, muttering to herself that if Haru-chan found out, she wouldn¡¯t be able to face her, and that she wasn¡¯t prejudiced against ghosts. The Princess ignored her, drifting to a vacant seat. ¡°Such is the way of things. We have little left but grief. But I thought perhaps...¡± her voice was a mourning whisper, her attendants repeating part of her words over and over in a dark echo. ¡°... a change of scenery would be a brief diversion. Especially considering who else is coming...¡± She waved one black-clad arm, and our gazes followed, to where two more people were waiting. One was a woman, wearing beautiful white robes and a matching white veil, her metallic-blue hair appearing almost silver, sweeping down to the floor, rippling like water in a river. Even just standing quietly, observing the water of the Spring, she had a League not inferior to the Princes and Princesses around us. She was wearing a garland and bracelets of small blue and white flowers, and I could feel the Spirit Water in my body reacting. Shaeula and Princess Estalian must have felt the same, as they too were twitching, a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°I be sorry good Queen Ariel be unable tae attend, but... I be here tae escort lady Nimue?.¡± The second figure was rather overshadowed by the powerful figure beside him, who seemed to be the mythical Lady of the Lake. On hearing the name, Eleanor went pale, hand over her mouth, and that drew the attention of the blue-haired woman. In a melodious voice, sounding as sweet as fresh spring water, she spoke.


    ¡°Oh, one bearing the lineage of Kings. No blood remains from his day, but Oaths are thicker than blood, and those sworn and upheld still remain on you. You have my blessings, good child of Kings.¡± With that, aether and water element surged. Sir Arthur looked panicked for a moment, but Raidre grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Great Nimue? would never harm her. But offend her and you will be sorry. She is as revered as the lords of the Seelie, perhaps more so, as much as any barring the King and Queen.¡±


    ¡°He be right, the salt-smelling Selkie there.¡± The man boomed, his thick Scottish accent hard to decipher, making even Bjarki sound eloquent. He was huge, maybe six and a half feet tall, with bulging muscles and a flaming red beard and mane of crimson hair. ¡°T¡¯lady of tae Lake merely wishes tae lend a smidgen of aid tae one who has kept t¡¯faith, all these years. Not even t¡¯Fae can be trusted for that, I cannae deny it.¡± He then looked at me, and his blue eyes were deep and powerful. ¡°So, it be a long barren spell o¡¯years since I saw another human come tae t¡¯Court. Nay, a number of ye.¡± He nodded to my sister. ¡°And she be t¡¯more human of the pair of ye. Ye be kin, siblings, I wager, by t¡¯stink o¡¯ye? Whereas they be not?¡± he nodded at Eleanor, Yukiko-san and Sir Arthur.


    ¡°Wow, rude, I don¡¯t smell! Beautiful girls never do!¡± My sister protested, and the man, the Scotsman, surely, who Shaeula had sometimes spoken of, grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s nae that stink, pretty one. Though exotic be ye looks, ye nae be from the blessed isles, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°No, though my mom is.¡± My sis said, getting his meaning.


    ¡°I see. Well, then I greet t¡¯pair of ye as distant kin, while two of ye be from these isles, I ken. Would that I could hoist a horn o¡¯mead and toast to a fateful meeting, but... nae such fortune. Although...¡± his eyes took in the barrels around us. Shaetanao coughed loudly, interrupting the talk.


    ¡°It is an honour to see you here, Lady Nimue?, Scotsman. The Queen...?¡± he asked, and the Scotsman shrugged.


    ¡°She cannae leave his side, ye understand, nay? But... she hears the whispers on t¡¯wind, and nae plot nae design escapes her notice. I was feelin¡¯ a wee bit cooped up, and fancied tae taste the air and see t¡¯moon for a wee while, so I offered tae escort t¡¯Lady here, as befits her own regal origins, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Who are we to question the Queen-Queen?¡± Shaetanao spoke for everyone. ¡°Take a seat wherever you wish. We are just waiting for Duke Formor now, and...¡±


    ¡°I am here.¡± The giant boomed from the passageway. Soon he emerged, followed by a smaller giant carrying a long staff. And he was accompanied by someone else, a creature of red fur and beady, crimson eyes, peering around the Spring as if surprised, lips curled into a toothy scowl. On seeing Shaeula his eyes narrowed, and his grin grew more vicious. It was then Shaeula leapt to her feet, her League unleashed, anger boiling within her, and she let out a bitter, rage-filled shout. ¡°Duke-Duke Vulpatrius, you scum! You dare show yourself before me-me?¡±


    Shit. Not good... I reached out a hand to console her, but she didn¡¯t even see it. Around us the looks on the faces of the Fae nobility were mixtures of curiosity, detachment and amusement. It was then I met the eyes of the Scotsman, and I could see the question in it. So, you want to see how we deal with this, do you? Is it a test from the Queen, or... simple spite from the Duke? Either way, I had a feeling that wasn¡¯t Foresight that we would soon find out...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Three

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Three


    At Shaeula¡¯s howl of rage, Duke Vulpatrius curled his lips into a sly, affronted smile. ¡°Is that any way to greet someone coming to your grand unveiling?¡± He turned to Prince Shaetanao, eyes glittering with barely concealed malice. ¡°It seems you do not know how to discipline your unruly half-breed of a child. I had hoped the talk of her maturing thanks to my efforts were true, but it seems that as always, rumour is simply that.¡±


    ¡°Duke...¡± the colossal giant Duke Formor rumbled disapprovingly, while I grabbed hold of Shaeula¡¯s arm tightly. She turned, seeming to come to her senses a little, flashing me a grateful smile, before she glanced back and unleashed her fury once more.


    ¡°Thanks to your-your efforts? I hardly think attempting to have me murdered after engineering my fall and exile is aid, you wretched fox scum!¡± Her words came out laced with venom. ¡°Where is Risha? That-that traitor who corrupted my maids and betrayed poor-poor Klena! I want her returned, now!¡±


    Yeah, this is not good, the dignitaries of the Court are watching, and Shaeula¡¯s losing respect moment to moment. Squeezing her wrist reassuringly, I decided to step in. Before I could though, the fox got in another provocation.


    ¡°Who? I am quite sure I do not know who you mean, little girl.¡± He sniffed, before turning his attention to Anna, who was glowering at him murderously. ¡°Risha? Risha. No, the name does not spark any recollections within me. Who does... Shaeranna, you are looking rather lovely as ever. For a weaselkin you are a fine warrior. Such a shame that your fool of a father put a stop to our union. Breaking an Oath, how base, how... beneath a Prince. It is hardly too late though, simply say the word and I shall be more than happy to show you my love. I do adore a warrior!¡±


    What a jackass. I see what Anna means now, it¡¯s hard to believe a level-headed and polite fox like Talaisha is descended from such a bastard. ¡°I think that¡¯s quite enough.¡± I declared. ¡°You obviously enjoy riling Shaeula and her family, but it reflects poorly on you as well. As for Risha, we¡¯ll set that aside. For now.¡± I turned to the seething Shaeula. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for this. Besides, letting him spoil the moment of your triumph means he wins.¡± I whispered to her, my voice barely audible. ¡°Why not crush him in another way, one he can¡¯t refute?¡±


    With an expression of pain on her face, she forced a nod. ¡°Yes, later. As for my father¡¯s broken Oaths... they were not-not broken, merely superseded.¡± She said, every word a struggle to remain calm. Turning her attention to Duke Formor, she managed an approximation of a welcoming smile. ¡°Duke Formor, I bid-bid you welcome. The forces you have sent to Grulgor for training have been most-most useful in keeping the peace. And as one-one of the staunchest members of the Aggressor faction, you should-should be here to see the declaration of our final victory over the Myconids, the Spring restored!¡± She then took a deep breath. ¡°Duke Vulpatrius. Take-take a seat.¡± Her brevity and lack of warmth was an insult in itself, but one less overt.


    ¡°Yes, there is no time for the usual Beastkin infighting.¡± Primal Forest rumbled as the giant and foxkin ascended to the platform on the lake, the wooden pontoon swaying under the giant¡¯s heavy tread. ¡°At least not now. We have many guests...¡±


    The foxkin Duke looked around curiously, though his expression twisted to an angry one when he saw Urakaze, whose amber and red eyes were eyeing him as though she wished she could dissect him. Duke Formor was searching for someone else, and when he couldn¡¯t see him, he asked a question. ¡°Where is Grulgor? I would have thought he would be here, since this was his triumph too?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s not a slight against him.¡± I promised. ¡°It¡¯s just that Grulgor is busy. His ability to merge with and manipulate stone, as well as water now... oh yes... even Grulgor is able to master new elements.¡± I boasted on his behalf. ¡°He¡¯s even more of a powerhouse now, and eager to smash some Unseelie, but timing is everything. For now he¡¯s helping out with some crucial construction work.¡± Now that we can use Ling to bring people and spiritual beings in both directions, our plans have gained a boost. And with Grulgor assimilating into the dig site, our cavern and tunnel construction is going an order of magnitude better. He¡¯s not cut out for labouring, but when we explained it was training to strengthen his elements as well, he was all for it...


    ¡°Grulgor did?¡± The smaller, well-spoken giant that was accompanying the Duke said, amused. ¡°I had thought his brain was naught but solid stone, it seems I was mistaken. I owe him an apology.¡± He caught sight of Hyacinth, who was glowering at him, and nodded shamelessly. ¡°I see you as well, dear gift. In fact, I think a huge amount of the credit for your victory should go to us.¡±


    ¡°How shameless.¡± Shaeula managed, having calmed down a little, my touch reassuring her. ¡°But I am not-not one to lie. Unlike some.¡± She sneered at Duke Vulpatrius. ¡°Yes, Grulgor and dear-dear Hyacinth were instrumental in the battle, and Hyacinth in the restoration afterwards. Though your intent was not-not to help but to harm, I have put aside my anger. This...¡± she took a deep breath as she met my eyes, before looking at her family, Asha and Hyacinth. ¡°...is a celebration. The first-first of its kind.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s everyone, right?¡± I asked. Several other Dukes, Earls and other ranks of Seelie Nobility had arrived behind the two Dukes, waiting awkwardly, and after they were seated, it seemed that was the case. Looking out over the sea of Fae nobles, many different types represented, I wished that Hinata and the others could see this sight, but... It¡¯s not like they aren¡¯t having fun in their own way, which Shaeula probably wishes she was a part of. Hoping I wasn¡¯t blushing, as my overlapping senses were presiding over a scene also entailing water, I shook my head. ¡°In that case, welcome, honoured nobility of the Fae, and the esteemed Scotsman, who I¡¯ve heard tell of a number of times.¡±


    At that the burly redhead nodded. My gaze was drawn to the Lady of the Lake beside him, and though she was veiled like Tsukiko used to be, I could tell she was enchanting underneath. Eleanor was captivated too, meeting such a being from the myths of her homeland. ¡°We also have guests from the mortal world, Princesses of great noble lines.¡± I introduced Eleanor and Yukiko-san. ¡°As well as envoys from the Hyakki Yagyo?, the famed Night Parade.¡±


    ¡°Charmed, I am sure.¡± The four-tails said languidly. ¡°Both Urakaze and I are quite familiar with the Fae lands, as some of you are no doubt aware.¡± She blew some smoke from her pipe lazily. ¡°Many of the Fae have traffic with us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shaeula complained. ¡°A certain fox did hire them to assassinate me, I have not-not forgotten.¡± She couldn¡¯t resist one last jab at her hated enemy.


    ¡°Such slander. I hardly deny I have dealings with the Parade. But that is hardly a crime, or having such envoys here would make us all complicit.¡± Duke Vulpatrius smirked. ¡°Besides, you yourself are a Yo?kai now, are you not, little weasel, and your mother most certainly is.¡± He was enjoying her discomfort, and my opinion of him, already rock-bottom, was dropping further. ¡°But dealings is all I have. I certainly never instigated such a cruel request. If I am guilty of anything, it is simply making closer ties, just as your father did. More successfully perhaps, but then, Shaetanao is hardly fit to rule.¡±


    ¡°You fucking shit-eating furbag...¡± Anna growled, only for Shaetanao to silence her with a glare from his menacing blue eyes.


    ¡°Shut-shut up. We will discuss politics later. First... daughter, son-in-law, do not let your annoyance at this pestilent thorn in my paw distract you. There is time-time for that later.¡±


    ¡°Son-in-law?¡± the Scotsman asked. ¡°Is t¡¯little one here eloping? Then this be a happier event than we expected, noble lady Nimue?, aye?¡±


    ¡°Yes, uh... well, we¡¯ll talk about that later too.¡± I said, embarrassed by the attention. Though ever since I accepted Shaeula as well as Eri, I knew marriage was on the cards. She¡¯s a princess, after all. We can hardly live in sin forever, as my mom would say. ¡°After all, just like Oaths, happy events are better in threes.¡± I quipped, and some of the Fae did seem amused at that. ¡°For now...¡± I turned to Shaeula, who puffed out her chest, looking around with pride.


    ¡°It is a great-great shame noble Queen Ariel and King Orion are not-not here to see this.¡± She began to speak, and I admired how far she had come, from the bratty tsundere weakling, to a powerful, confident and proud princess and Duchess. Though she still has a sharp temper, that hasn¡¯t changed at all. ¡°The Spring was taken from us so long-long ago. I am told it was very beautiful.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡± Primal Forest rumbled. ¡°Many trees towered tall. Rhyming Trees, tended to by the daughters of Orion...¡± he nodded slowly at Asha, who was listening, the hint of tears in her yellow eyes. ¡°...flowers, dancing with Sylphs, Pixies, Sprites and more, forming sweet glades. All gone, all reduced to rot and dirt. No, not all gone.¡± He amended, his words crawling. ¡°One yet remains. A miracle.¡±


    ¡°Not a miracle.¡± Asha said, wiping at her eyes, looking at us fondly. ¡°Destiny. I was saved by princess Shaeula, Akio and the others, and my Tree and another yet lives on. Healthier than ever. But I will never forget my fallen sisters, nor what I had to do to survive. I do not wish to dwell on tragedy though. For like new shoots breaking through the soil, sparking new life, a new beginning, we are here to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°The Spring too. This once-sacred site, waters as precious as even-even your lake, Lady Nimue?...¡± Shaeula pronounced, and the Lady nodded behind her veils, agreeing. ¡°...befouled and choked with toxic-toxic fungus, the walls and menhirs above us crusted so thick they were black-black, the sacred moonlight and Spirit Water ruined, plundered by evil.¡± She looked up at the shining moonlight reflected from the crystalline walls, bathing us in a beautiful silver and purple glow. ¡°But no-no more. We triumphed, and evil was vanquished. But-but...¡± she smiled, though it faltered a bit when she saw Duke Vulpatrius watching. ¡°...defeating evil is sometimes just-just the easy part. Restoring, no... improving... what came before, what was-was lost, that takes more effort.¡± She gestured, and suddenly Tillyae started conducting, her musicians joining in, and the sounds of mortal music, uniquely Japanese, sounded throughout the hall. As that song played, the lanterns on the stalls were joined by a profusion of others, lit up like stars, and the staff Shaeula had recruited hurried to their positions. Great barrels of wine, whiskey and more, pallets of beer and cider, racks of bottles of sake and spirits, all were rolled to the edges.


    ¡°The tune¡¯s a little off. Not that anyone would notice.¡± My sis remarked to Yukiko-san, who shrugged, her face red.Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°There be nae way we can allow that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°T¡¯King has the finest healers already. Why, the stoatkin over there, Selensha...¡± he nodded at the white furred Fae who was accompanying Shaeula¡¯s brothers, enjoying the images displayed on the big screen. ¡°...she be one of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Selensha is very good.¡± I agreed. ¡°But with Shaeula and me, as well as Bintara... she¡¯s one of the Night Parade and a master healer... I¡¯m certain we could make a difference.¡±


    ¡°You would allow outsiders to tend to our noble King?¡± A harsh voice set my teeth on edge, and I saw it was Duke Vulpatrius. He had been watching and listening to the show, a pensive expression on his face, but he had availed himself of the booze and food Shaeula had laid on, without caring that it made him look a hypocrite. Now he had wandered over, and his expression was mocking. ¡°Such disrespect.¡±


    ¡°Outsiders?¡± Shaeula sneered. ¡°Are you a blind-blind fool, fox? I have not-not met a fox yet who is not a troublemaker.¡±


    ¡°How rude.¡± The four-tailed fox sighed nearby after hearing it with her keen ears, swigging from a bottle of sake idly, but we ignored her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an outsider.¡± I insisted. ¡°I¡¯m going to be married to a Duchess of the Seelie Court.¡±


    ¡°What about this Bintara?¡± Duke Vulpatrius scoffed. ¡°You would let her near the vulnerable King? Surely the risk cannot be countenanced.¡±


    ¡°Fine, it was just a suggestion, but if the King was to be healed...¡± I began, only for Lady Nimue? to cut us off.


    ¡°I fear that would be most unwise. Though I understand your consideration is genuine.¡± Her tone was melodic. ¡°Dear Ariel...she waits and waits for the moon to rise again. But the time is not now.¡± She looked at me and my Eye flared instinctively, peering through her veil, but unlike with the Diviner, I didn¡¯t get a clear look at her face, what was below was shrouded, as if by fog. Though I could see a smile beneath. ¡°You are like me, you see the future reflected in the moon, though I sense a foreign power. You are...¡± She raised one hand, wearing a white glove, and gently touched my cheek. Shaeula looked surprised, eyes wide, while Hyacinth, who had been very much enjoying serving the distinguished guests of the Seelie Court, though she had to pretend not to see the expressions of some of them, let out a wicked giggle. Somehow I don¡¯t think she¡¯s coming onto me...


    ¡°...not using your gift well. Not at all.¡± she scolded me, and Eleanor chuckled.


    ¡°I think this was worth coming for.¡± she told Sir Arthur. ¡°Seeing a figure from our myths chastise him makes me feel rather happy. ¡°


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be petty, Princess.¡± He said mildly. ¡°It does not become you. Your grandmother would be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not so sure of that. Grandmother liked him, I admit it, but she does enjoy a little humour at the expense of the pompous.¡±


    Pompous? Me? Surprised, I replied to the Lady of the Lake a little abruptly. ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I know I have to sleep to use it, but I¡¯ve been so busy recently, sleep¡¯s been the first thing to be sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should have spent less time with your women?¡± Eleanor continued to jest, and Shaeula puffed her cheeks in annoyance.


    ¡°Such is not-not a sacrifice we are willing to make!¡±


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± Duke Vulpatrius snorted mockingly, and I resisted the urge to hit him. Duelling him here would be a political disaster, he¡¯s likely egging us on to cause trouble, hoping we take the bait. And annoyingly, he¡¯s strong... He was Taro?bo? class, at least. Speaking of... Haano?bo? was fascinated by the music, face close to the speakers despite the loud noise, as if eager to find out how it was done. My sis was with her too, perhaps trying to find out more about her new rival. Typical Aiko. At least it¡¯s amusing Eri as I tell her about it. Her brother, of course, was simply indulging, and he was especially keen on whiskey, rum, vodka and the like.


    ¡°I see. But the foretelling of the future is the most difficult of all challenges. Far easier to crush an army, or shatter a mountain, or rule a country...¡± she glanced at Eleanor then. ¡°...than to sift the threads of what might be, what will be, what must not be. The moon often shows what will be. And it came to you for a reason. Perhaps...¡± she shrugged, her silken gown rustling. ¡°...I should guide you, fellow seer of the moon.¡±


    ¡°Actually...¡± I said, having a sudden flash of inspiration. ¡°I received this from another, a true Diviner, you would say. If you were to share advice with anyone, I¡¯d like it to be her.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s happy to be alive again, but she¡¯s still a bit lost, finding it hard to adapt. Maybe this could help...


    ¡°Three seers, three fates, three moons, three treasures.¡± Lady Nimue? said, suddenly animated. ¡°It is just as I said, is it not, Scotsman?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± The burly man laughed. ¡°Ye win, Lady. Nae that I ever doubted ye. If ye ken there be two others who can see truth in t¡¯moon, and a Princess who be shouldering t¡¯fate of these blessed isles, who be I tae tell ye otherwise?¡±


    ¡°I seldom leave the Lake. I have too much to guard. But... the time is now. That which is, I can see. But that which must not be, and that which might be... Three trials, three treasures. A Quest...¡±


    At the word Quest, I could see her appraising Eleanor. She reached out, and with a surge of deep violet, she pulled a wrapped bundle of cloth from seemingly empty space, and unwrapped it. What was within was a rusted tip of some strange metal, broken off a larger whole, a few inches long. My Eye flared, and it revealed it as Shattered Fragment Of Avalon.


    No way, is that a sheath? Avalon? Lady Nimue?... On seeing my surprise, she nodded, before passing the shard to Eleanor, who took it, curious. On doing so, she nearly dropped it, as a surge of aether and powerful water element boiled forth from it, though it quickly faded. ¡°Is this...?¡± she began, only for the Lady to agree.


    ¡°Yes, it surely is. A fragment of Avalon, the sheath of immortality. To recover this took fifteen hundred years. Alas, the rest is gone. Yet...¡± she looked up at the moon. ¡°Without such, the cursed Eye that was taken from your care will burn brighter than the moon, and destruction will shine over the lands of the Fae. A Quest calls... a Quest calls.¡±


    A stolen eye? Burning? The prophecy from Tsukiko... As Eleanor looked on in a mixture of shock and awe, I glanced at Shaeula, who had a troubled expression on her own face. Yes, this was unexpected, and just as we were about to swing our preparation to the next phase...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Four

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Four


    ¡°Is that...¡± Sir Arthur asked, awed, and Eleanor nodded.


    ¡°Yes, a shard of the sheath that held Excalibur. I thought it lost. No, before recently, I thought it simply a story...¡± her tone was reverent. My Eye shone as I tried to examine it, but it came up as mostly question marks, perhaps because it was broken. There is one glaring discrepancy though. I¡¯d have expected... I glanced at Shaeula, and then at Eleanor. It needs more research...


    ¡°It was, and it is, and yet it must not be.¡± Lady Nimue? said cryptically. ¡°Such a treasure, even if broken down by age and loss, must not be left to drift through the rivers of time.¡±


    ¡°So, a Quest...¡± I pronounced the capital letter, as the Lady was saying it in such a manner. ¡°What do we need to do?¡±


    ¡°Hold your peace, ye cannae nae rush these things.¡± The Scotsman said. ¡°Just as t¡¯moon waxes and wanes, and fruit is nae eaten before it be ripe, the time for valour and hope will come, ye ken.¡±


    The Lady nodded elegantly. ¡°Indeed. The time is not now. The mists have not parted yet...¡± She looked up at the moonlight shining down from above. ¡°The first full moon of the year. Come, bring this other seer of the moon, and the mists shall part. Three Trials, three Quests, all shall be revealed.¡±


    So, a side quest, huh? I looked at Eleanor, who was biting her lip. ¡°Will there be danger?¡±


    ¡°When be there not, aye?¡± the Scotsman chuckled darkly. ¡°This realm, it be not what ye ken, dark things dwell under t¡¯surface.¡±


    ¡°Please be silent. You are not being helpful.¡± lady Nimue? said, before speaking more sympathetically. ¡°As one who cares for what lies beneath the Tower... yes, I know of the Tower.¡± she said as Eleanor looked surprised. ¡°After all, I see much reflected in my lake.¡± She turned to the screen which was now displaying footage of a sold-out idol concert. ¡°...it is remarkable how humankind has progressed. Their technology apes mysticism, and oft even exceeds it. No matter...¡± She shook her head, dismissing such idle thoughts. ¡°...if you know of what lies below, then you know the truth of things. The Quest for the Grail was not as told by later sages and scholars, or embellished by bawdy playwrights or sodden authors seeking to make some coin. Yet there was a Quest. Alas, it was not successful, and many brave Fae, mortals and even those rare spirits who were born of both vanished from these lands.¡±


    ¡°And that is what you want us to take up?¡± Eleanor looked down at the shard in her hands. She then looked over at me. ¡°I can¡¯t ask him to risk everything for us...¡±


    ¡°Why nooot?¡± Hyacinth said, coming over, looking at the shard of Avalon with curious eyes. ¡°I dooo not care for you much, woman, but yooou have made an effort, such as it is.¡±


    Eleanor frowned at her backhanded, almost insulting compliment, but let her speak.


    ¡°Yooou can ask, it is up to Akio whether he feels it is sooomething he would risk. It can hardly be mooore trouble than you have already caused him with your stubbornness, nooo?¡± She arched one eyebrow sarcastically. ¡°Besides, Akio sees you as ooone to protect.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Eleanor asked, before nodding to herself. ¡°Of course. I am one of these Princesses your Diviner spoke of, and I¡¯m needed to protect Shaeula...¡± Her words were interrupted by Hyacinth hissing at her angrily.


    ¡°Nooo, stupid, idiot, fooooool!¡± she cursed. ¡°I take it back, you are still annoooying and anger me! Do you honestly think that if Akio had nooo need of you, he would leave you to your fate?¡±


    Eleanor looked at me for a moment, before looking down, ashamed. ¡°No, I suppose not. I have issues with some of your actions, but... I can accept that you act for the good of those around you when you can. But... this seems selfish. After all, it sounds like Avalon would go to me, were we to recover it.¡±


    ¡°So? Isn¡¯t it a weight off my mind if you¡¯re indestructible?¡± I grinned. ¡°Besides, Quests sound like they come with opportunities, as well as dangers. Besides, I¡¯m hardly so weak as to be afraid of a little danger.¡± I promised, only for Duke Vulpatrius to snort sarcastically.


    ¡°You think you are strong, little... whatever you are.¡± He mocked me. ¡°If the Lady of the Lake calls it a dangerous Quest, then you would do well to tremble under your bed and stay well clear. Besides...¡± he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Fae treasures should remain with or return to the Fae. We have lost far too much already. And that was merely loaned to the King of you humans.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you still here?¡± I replied coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t recall us discussing this with you. As for my strength, you¡¯d do well to be careful. How strong we are today isn¡¯t us tomorrow. You could ask Grulgor, if he was here.¡± I turned back to Lady Nimue?. ¡°The first full moon of the new year, huh? I¡¯ll be here, and I expect Tsukiko will agree as well. Though if you could then instruct her in her gifts, I¡¯d appreciate it. So...¡± I said to Eleanor. ¡°...don¡¯t worry about it. I did say you could rely on us, if you let us take some of what your Tower guarded.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that was in exchange for your aid in saving my life and that of my brother... now I feel awfully ungrateful.¡± Eleanor sighed, before she shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not one for making the same mistake over and over again.¡± Ignoring Hyacinth¡¯s disbelieving snort, she continued. ¡°I¡¯ll accept your aid in the spirit it was offered. Though don¡¯t think I¡¯m as easy to win over as the others, I have no interest in you that way, I¡¯m not prepared to share.¡±


    ¡°Sure, it never crossed my mind.¡± I promised, while Hyacinth continued to snigger. Turning to Duke Vulpatrius, who was grinding his teeth, openly antagonistic, I shrugged. ¡°As for Fae treasures, I¡¯m no expert on the myths, and I don¡¯t even know if they are accurate anyway, but wasn¡¯t it the Lady here who owned the sheath in the first place?¡±


    ¡°That is hardly the point...¡± the fox snapped, only to be surprised by the giant form of Duke Formor, who loomed over us.


    ¡°Be tranquil, Duke.¡± The giant rumbled. ¡°This is a day of celebration. Set aside your anger.¡±


    ¡°That comes from you?¡± Vulpatrius snarled. ¡°Your fury and rage surpasses all others, and you lecture me?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He laughed, like stones grinding together. ¡°For defeating the Unseelie traitors, the Wild Hunt, all our enemies we pour out our blood, our spirits, our lives. We know hatred, rage, a yearning for vengeance. If we must sacrifice to destroy our enemies, Duke, we would give it freely. So sacrificing my fury... that I can do.¡±


    As Duke Vulpatrius looked stunned, Shaeula spoke up. She had been holding her peace at the provocations for a while, but had finally had enough. ¡°Will you be-be silent?¡± she said to her father¡¯s hated rival, before addressing Duke Formor. ¡°We have had our disagreements, to put it rather-rather mildly.¡± She sniffed, somewhat amused yet still rather bitter. ¡°But I do not-not wish to bring strife to the Seelie Court, not-not now. And you have done as pledged, and seem eager for battle.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He chortled loudly. ¡°I await the day the traitorous giants who hold Salamandrastrae pay in blood.¡± His eye burned red for a moment, before his accompanying giant urged him to calm himself, which he did with great effort, the glow fading. ¡°I hate the weak, for the weak cost us much. But you are hardly weak. You say even Grulgor has grown stronger?¡±


    ¡°I will speak of that shortly. It is nearly-nearly time.¡± She looked around, seeing everyone broken into small groups, enjoying delicacies, booze or the entertainment. ¡°As for you, fox... I want Risha to face justice. Your lies will not-not serve you. And you will fall into line. If not-not...¡± she looked at me and I nodded. ¡°Akio will be more than happy to face you. A fox-skin blanket to warm my legs when I sit on my throne would be rather-rather nice.¡±


    ¡°Why, you little...¡± he snarled, before the presence of Shaetanao, Urakaze and Anna halted him.


    ¡°You Fae are amusing.¡± The four-tailed fox chuckled. ¡°None of us of the Hyakki Yagyo? would ever care about that. Why, our coffers are running quite bare. I expect Red and Blue are already out rampaging, looking for more treasures to pawn for booze. Pleasure is all.¡±


    ¡°Treasure is my pleasure.¡± Princess Ffionnan retorted. It was then I spoke up.


    ¡°I get that. But nothing is more wasteful than dead money. Not that I ever had much money up until recently, so I feel a bit of a fraud saying it. But using money, or in your case treasures, to make more... There¡¯s such a thing we humans call investing...¡± I took a deep breath, and accompanied by Moira¡¯s presentation, I delivered my pitch...


    ********


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s crafty. It seems we Fae are not the only ones who pretend things are treasures.¡± The intrigued Ffionnan said. ¡°Yet you say my wealth will increase if I invest in these shares?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Basically, what matters right now is we have many ideas and plans, but not enough resources. So now is the ideal time to make an investment, you give us support and Etherites and other materials we need, and when our profits start rolling in, you get a share based on your investment, what you¡¯ve contributed. You can also loan us more and we¡¯ll pay interest, so you make a profit.¡±


    ¡°I do so hate parting with wealth, but...¡± she looked hesitant, yet greedy for more.


    ¡°I can hardly believe I¡¯m sitting here watching you give investment advice to spiritual beings.¡± Yukiko-san said. ¡°But from what I¡¯ve seen, this isn¡¯t the strangest thing even today...¡± She shook her head, before offering her support. ¡°It¡¯s standard practice for humans to raise money in that way. There¡¯s obviously risk... he left that out...¡± she smiled at me slyly. ¡°...though in this case, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a problem. Maybe I should invest myself. I know Ichijou house has. I don¡¯t have much money, but...¡±


    ¡°...what about us, Princess?¡± Sir Arthur stroked his beard pensively. ¡°Closer ties might be desirable, especially since...¡± He looked down at the fragment of the Avalon she was still holding tightly.


    ¡°Aye, things have changed a great deal, ye ken.¡± The Scotsman grinned. ¡°Though moneylenders still be around, it seems. They be snakes and nae trustworthy, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m somewhat offended. I¡¯ve actually crushed some illegal loan sharks... sorry, moneylenders before.¡± I wonder how Ichika-san is doing? No, that¡¯s for another time. Now... what we need is more Etherites to make more devices and scale up production, as well as Rhyming Trees. Now that¡¯s a brutally unfavourable ask, Primal Forest is sitting there in silence ever since we presented that part... but...


    ¡°How sad for us. You simply sell, yet to these Fae you offer a partnership?¡± the four-tailed fox said languidly. ¡°I feel so discriminated against, so unloved.¡± She turned to Urakaze. ¡°It seems your dear daughter favours her father¡¯s side of the family over us.¡± She blew smoke from her pipe, chewing the shaft once again.


    ¡°Oh, you wish to invest?¡± Shaeula said, surprised. ¡°I do not-not care where the necessary funds come from, so long as all-all parties abide by the agreements. With the Fae, we can-can trust our Oaths, but Yo?kai have no-no such certainties...¡±


    ¡°Yes, such bitter disregard. I feel so heartbroken.¡± Her four tails were wagging in response. ¡°I hardly think we have done anything to earn your distrust. Oh, well, perhaps there was the issue with the kitsune and the Kijo Matriarch... but then, I think my fellow fox...¡± she grinned at Duke Vulpatrius. ¡°...would be just as eager to see you dead, and for less reason.¡±


    ¡°Shut your yap, abomination. You are no true fox.¡± He grated in return, and she merely blew more smoke, pleased her taunting had an effect.


    ¡°Am I not? My lineage is purer than yours, I have no doubt.¡± She turned to us then. ¡°I have spent a little on alcohol, I confess it, but... I am a wise fox, one of the oldest Yo?kai in the Parade, below Lord Nurarihyon and his inner circle, perhaps. I have secreted many treasures. The world is changing.¡± She laughed. ¡°So, how about this?¡± She looked straight into my eyes. ¡°If I am an investor in your enterprises, I am your ally in truth, no?¡± She turned to Princess Ffionnan, her expression sly. ¡°That is the true profit to be had here. For they would slay anyone who harms their own. Or to reclaim what they hold dear. After all, where are these Myconids now?¡± she shrugged, and mine weren¡¯t the only eyes dragged to her overflowing chest. Annae is hauling on Shaetanao¡¯s ear rather painfully, and I think Shaeula¡¯s noticed by her expression.


    ¡°Of course, I do believe you will indeed see the promised wealth. And you even gain a new element for free, shrewd woman that you are.¡± The fox praised her, leaving Ffionnan looking a little perplexed. ¡°But I myself... I am the last of the great kitsune of old. Perhaps some of my sisters and cousins yet lurk in the corners of Japan, but if so, they are well-hidden. Now even a second tail is a rarity. How far we have fallen. But time has not been kind to us, spiritual power wanes. Yet now... it returns. And I know where I would stand. After all... you did indeed make a bargain with Lord Nurarihyon. That shows a certain... character.¡±


    ¡°I do not-not like your flirting, fox.¡± Shaeula warned, and the foxwoman ignored her, turning to Lady Nimue? this time. ¡°You seek aid to recover this relic, no? Well, I have a relic too.¡± She grinned, removing an item from the chest of her kimono. Where was she hiding that? ¡°You like quests, and seek power? I quite agree. Now more than ever, power is needed. Prophecy is a strange thing.¡±


    ¡°It is. But you do not seem to possess the gift.¡± Lady Nimue? said, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Although...¡± she looked at the lake beneath us, and her eyes shone with reflected moonlight. ¡°I see... not clearly, but there is a fog... no, not a fog, a poisonous, reeking gas.... That blocks my view.¡±


    ¡°You know of Uranai, no?¡± she asked, and I nodded, remembering the human-faced calf that prophesised for Nurarihyon. ¡°One day, to assuage my curiosity, I asked her about a certain matter. And she gave me three riddles. The first...¡± She tossed the object at me, and I caught it, my Eye shining. A black stone... no not just a stone...


    Bezoar Of A Great Basilisk - Item Class: [Imperious] Item Type: [Rule]


    This Bezoar stone was carved out of the stomach of a great serpentine Basilisk, and contains the essence of both poison and petrification. It draws in toxins, especially airborne poisons, and neutralises them, growing stronger and more solid the more that is purified. The stone also strengthens the Earth Element of the bearer in proportion to the poison cleansed.


    This is a treasure of immense value... My inner earth element was reacting, my root chakra churning, even as I held it. Surprised, I looked up at the four-tailed fox, who was smiling in satisfaction. ¡°...was that I needed to venture abroad, and find a serpent to kill. It was quite the battle.¡± She puffed out smoke, lost in fond memories. ¡°My clothing was turned to stone, and my poor fur fell out, my skin turning black. I was so ugly... but in the end I won, and the creature was slain. I dug that from the corpse.¡± She winked at Shaeula. ¡°Let that be a lesson to you. Win beautifully, or win grotesquely, it¡¯s all the same. You won. The human girl, Eri, she knows. For her body was maimed, yet in the end she stood while her enemy died.¡±


    ¡°But why? What¡¯s this for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°At this moment, an investment. I want a share!¡± she declared. ¡°But for the future... two more riddles I received. Even with the stone, it would require someone with great strength in both earth and wind, two opposing elements...¡±


    ¡°To do what?¡± I asked again, though I had a vague idea.


    ¡°Why, I would have thought the answer was obvious. Or it would be, were I to tell you what I asked Uranai that day. I asked, how can the decline of the kitsune be halted, and how can I gain my fifth tail after all these years?¡±


    ¡°And this stone was an answer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°An answer. This Bezoar, the one with both great earth and wind attributes, and lastly...¡± her eyes glittered as she spoke, and it wasn¡¯t just me that cried out in surprise, Urakaze and Yukiko-san did as well. I was right... I should have known. Clenching the Bezoar in my hand, I felt my skin crack, despite its durability. Can I turn this down? But can I afford it either? It¡¯s hard to decide...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Five

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Five


    ¡°And lastly...¡± the four-tailed fox said, her smile gentle. ¡°...A heart of deep compassion, one who will free Tamamo-No-Mae, my dear grandmother, I believe, from her endless suffering.¡±


    I paused, stunned. Tamamo-no-Mae, the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox herself, one of the most famous and powerful Yo?kai of all history? Can I do that? Should I do that? The question was whirring through my mind. It was hard to turn down, if such a powerful Yo?kai would be an ally, but...


    Shaeula spoke for me, crossing her arms and glaring at the foxwoman, even as I squeezed the Bezoar stone she had obtained from far distant lands. I suppose there¡¯s no reason why spiritual beings can¡¯t travel, seas are still seas, even if likely more dangerous...


    ¡°I do distinctly recall you saying you did not-not know where this fox dwelt. Are you a liar? Do you expect us to trust-trust the words of an untrustworthy fox such as you?¡±


    ¡°Your daughter is being so frightfully cold to me, Urakaze.¡± The fox laughed. ¡°I have no idea why, I believe I have been quite gracious so far.¡± She waved her four tails behind her for emphasis. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re wrong, dear Shaeula, Seventy-First of the Parade. And while I am quite a free spirit, and seldom hung up on the petty matters of etiquette...¡± Suddenly her League flared, and the harmless image she was cultivating shattered in an instant. ¡°... I am still the lower Number, so show me some of the respect I am due.¡±


    Damn, her League is definitely higher than Taro?bo?. She doesn¡¯t quite match up to Prince Shaetanao, but even so, if I was to fight her it¡¯d be touch and go... Around us the weaker Fae were struggling, before she reined in her presence, a smile on her face, the momentary terror of her presence forgotten. With a smile, she crossed her legs, leaning backwards, her kimono straining. ¡°If you recall, I said wherever she now dwells. Surely as one of the Fae, you are used to weasel words.¡± She laughed at her pun, though the weaselkin didn¡¯t find it amusing, and neither did Urakaze, who was glaring at her. ¡°I can hardly be certain of her location, but considering the need for that Stone...¡± she looked at the Bezoar in my hand. ¡°...I have a very good idea. Either she is slain, or imprisoned, as the greatest of foxes would leave tales and chaos in her wake wherever she goes. Since she is not, then...¡± she shrugged, again drawing all eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Tamamo-no-Mae, she¡¯s like... super evil, right?¡± My sis said, fascinated and confused by the whole situation, but her blue eyes were sparkling. I guess she¡¯s delighted to finally be a part of these events, not stuck in Nishimorioka. I do have reservations, but my sis is safer stronger, and being involved offers more opportunities to get that strength... ¡°One of the Three Great Evil Yo?kai? Besides, in every anime she¡¯s bad news.¡±


    ¡°Three? Old O?takemaru would crack your skull for a goblet and drink wine out of it, girl. He hates that the old Tengu has taken the position he considers rightfully his.¡± The fox giggled. ¡°But you are quite correct. Grandmother has done many things you humans would consider awful. But hardly through malice. We are merely... different.¡± She smiled. ¡°Grandmother was simply a free spirit, doing as she pleases with men and women both, bearing many children and amusing herself as she willed. Not every kitsune carries her blood, but I would wager the majority do to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Oh great, that¡¯s all we need, another slut. And one that preys on girls too. I¡¯m cute, I¡¯ll be in danger bro, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea!¡± my sis protested. ¡°Besides, in anime she¡¯s usually not nice!¡±


    ¡°I think that what she is in anime doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If the myths are correct though, I think it¡¯s wrong to say that what she did wasn¡¯t out of malice. She¡¯s killed a lot of people by manipulating others to their ruin.¡±


    ¡°How cold you are.¡± The four-tailed fox sighed theatrically. ¡°Were you not mere hours ago bragging about your slaughter of these poor Myconids? Has my grandmother killed fewer than you? Or do these Myconids not count, as they are not your race? How... uncharitable.¡±


    ¡°The Myconids are quite-quite different.¡± Shaeula insisted, though I could see Duke Vulpatrius sneering behind her. ¡°They exist to spread death-death and destruction. They also stole our lands, and...¡±


    The fox cut her off. ¡°Perhaps that is simply their way? I believe you Fae are hardly free of malice.¡± She looked at Prince Morioth, who was a black-and-white facsimile of a weaselkin at the moment. ¡°Changelings, replacing stolen mortal children like a... what was it, ah yes, a cuckoo.¡± She grinned in satisfaction. ¡°What happened to them, I do wonder? And that is hardly all. But setting aside that, you have killed enough of my kind, do you see yourself as free of responsibility?¡± She persisted, questioning me.


    ¡°That was to save Eri and the poor trainees!¡± my sis protested loudly, and the fox shrugged, blowing smoke.


    ¡°Reasons. Besides, all you have is myth and history. Who knows how grandmother truly was?¡± she sighed. ¡°Even so... does your heart not ache for her, punished for so long? Is there no room for forgiveness?¡±


    ¡°I... I understand.¡± Eleanor said bitterly. ¡°You should too, Akio. It¡¯s hard to forgive Donovan, considering...¡± she shuddered at the memory. ¡°But Sarah...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just as culpable. She didn¡¯t stop Donovan, and she would have let Mary kill you...¡± I warned. ¡°But... Ling. She too has done terrible things, perhaps for understandable, maybe even somewhat justifiable reasons, yet even so...¡± I¡¯m using her for my own ends, despite everything. Is that justice? Probably not. It¡¯s necessity...


    ¡°I am aware Japan has the death penalty still.¡± Eleanor said softly. ¡°But in Britain, even someone who commits many murders may one day find freedom after their sentence is served. Is it justice? I don¡¯t know. And is it fair, when someone can live thousands of years, to measure the punishment for lives taken in mere decades?¡± She smiled at me then. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what your Ministry is set up to decide?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the answers.¡± Yukiko-san said, having been listening. ¡°These Fae, are they exactly like the stories told of them?¡± she asked me, and I snorted out a laugh, glancing at Shaeula, who looked proud.


    ¡°No way, there are similarities, definitely, but the reality is far different. I get what you¡¯re saying.¡± I scratched my cheek, thinking. ¡°That Tamamo-no-Mae might be different too. Although with the kitsune I¡¯ve met, I expect there to be quite a lot of malice involved.¡±


    ¡°How rude, you wound my very heart.¡± She clutched at her overflowing breasts in mock-pain.


    ¡°I¡¯ve agreed a deal with Nurarihyon, and I¡¯ve brought Ginneka into the fold. Yeah, I get it. But...¡± The vision I had, one of the few, was of a volcanic stone, in a hellish land of reeking, poisonous fumes, surrounded by a sacred rope. There were some fragmentary words too, yet even with my potent memory they escape me right now. That does remind me of the... ¡°Sessho?-seki, the stone said to be the corpse or prison of Tamamo-no-Mae... surrounded by poisonous gas and a barren landscape, as if her evil is seeping out.¡± I clenched the Bezoar. ¡°I can see the use of this, but... even if I do release her, there¡¯s no guarantee she won¡¯t become our enemy. And if she is in the same class as Nurarihyon...¡±


    The four-tailed fox let out a long hiss, foul-smelling herbal smoke streaming from her mouth. ¡°I would have thought a man such as yourself would understand women and their gratitude by now.¡± There were a few laughs around me at that, my sis included. ¡°I believe anyone would be grateful to be liberated after so long trapped and lonely, especially such a lusty and vivacious fox as the great Tamamo-no-Mae herself. At the least, I believe she would not repay gratitude with hatred. We may not believe in Boons...¡± she glanced around at the Fae. ¡°But we are creatures of emotion, and we feel deeply. I wish you would feel compassion for her pitiful plight.¡±


    ¡°I do, to an extent...¡± I admitted. ¡°So, how does this benefit you?¡±


    ¡°Apart from relieving the guilt of knowing poor grandmother suffers?¡± she grinned. ¡°There have been other kitsune who have been stronger than I, yet if they still live they are well-hidden, and take no interest in the world. Yet none other than grandmother have reached the pinnacle, have nine tails. If anyone can aid me to finally bring forth my fifth tail, then it would be she. Sadly, merely living a century is not enough to grant us a new tail. Such is fortunate though, as it means none can guess our age.¡± she joked. Seeing me waver, she pressed her advantage.


    ¡°You can keep the Bezoar, it is a great treasure, is it not? I¡¯ve no need for it, but even so, it has great value. And I will invest in your schemes, and help you wring more treasures from the fools who lack the wisdom to plan for tomorrow when they can drink and make merry today. I will aid you in times of trouble, and... should you wish it...¡± She then stopped, as a bullet of air caught her off-guard, snapping her head back. She glared at Shaeula, who lowered her hand.


    ¡°He does not-not need you, fox.¡± She said coldly. Fortunately the bullet had merely been a light warning, so it caused no injury but a little redness on her pale skin.


    ¡°How upsetting. I hardly see why, am I not beautiful? You press for many lovers, I know. Yet why not me? I may be fickle, but a truly strong man could bind me down and make me his...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it!¡± My sis joined Shaeula. ¡°All the girls right now are the sort I can bring home to meet mom and dad! You... you¡¯d just upset them!¡±


    ¡°A fresh-faced, eager virgin is nice.¡± The fox agreed, licking her lips, coiling her tongue around the stem of her pipe. ¡°But there is much to be said for experience...¡±


    ¡°All right, enough of that. I¡¯m not in the market for any more wives right now. And even if I was...¡± I glanced at Prince Aethelathrion, who nodded, understanding. ¡°I can think of others who I¡¯d like to get to know better first. However, other than that, you make a tempting offer...¡±


    ¡°Then let me apologise. For I told one... no, not a lie, but an omission.¡± The fox grinned, and from the look in her eyes I knew what she would say next was going to make up my mind, one way or the other. ¡°I added the part about a compassionate heart, for it is true. Forgiveness is hard. But I trust you are pragmatic enough to make compromises to save those you protect. You have already, merely having me here. No, Uranai said the third riddle. Only someone who can be in two places at once can break the prison, the curse. It seemed impossible, and truly befits a prison able to hold grandmother. Yet...¡± she looked into my eyes, and her furry fox-ears twitched. ¡°I have very keen ears. I have heard you mention what is going on with the others, as if you can be there and here at the same moment.¡± She puffed out her chest triumphantly, and I realised she was doing it to entice on purpose. Knowing I knew, she merely stood taller, the cloth just barely covering her nipples. ¡°It therefore must be you.¡± she finished, her tone triumphant.


    ¡°Prophecy is not certainty. This Uranai you speak of...¡± Lady Nimue? said into the silence around us, as everyone, myself included, pondered her words. ¡°...her words carry the weight of such, though. Do you not agree?¡±


    I had to nod. Yeah, it could be something the four-tailed fox made up, but when you¡¯ve heard prophecies, even dreamed them yourself, you get to feel the flow. It definitely strikes me as genuine. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. But...¡±


    ¡°What more can I offer you?¡± the fox asked. ¡°I have offered everything. Everything!¡±


    I glanced at Shaeula, who shrugged, waving her hands up and down. Not sure, huh? I was grateful that Shaeula understood me without words a lot of the time. In that case... ¡°Let us finish up here, and I¡¯ll give you my decision later, when I¡¯ve sorted through everything in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Thinking such is folly.¡± Duke Formor grated. ¡°The Wild Hunt are wily, dishonest and without honour.¡± He clenched his massive fists. ¡°I too have heard of these weaknesses. It came as quite the shock to me.¡±


    ¡°To us all.¡± The mournful voice of Princess Moraine drifted to us, echoed by her ghostly handmaidens. She hasn¡¯t really done much but listen until now. But then, everyone was surprised she even came, apparently she sits out almost all matters of the Court. ¡°If what has been surmised is accurate, I expect bitter tidings in our future. For how would we ever stop their intrusions? The Wild Hunt...¡± she wailed, her voice a dirge, her handmaidens waving her spectral train of black cloth for emphasis, repeating parts of her words. ¡°...they are too skilled at their craft to let these setbacks dismay them...¡±


    ¡°I also agree.¡± Duke Vulpatrius threw in his support. ¡°You would have to be either empty-headed, without wit, or a coward who does not have the stomach for battle...¡± he glared at us. ¡°...to suspect that they are held back by the discoveries that can be brought by such as you.¡± His eyes were cold, and I resisted the urge to ask him to settle it with our fists. I¡¯m not normally violent, but this fox is trying my patience severely. My sis felt the same, as she was glaring at him, and I didn¡¯t even need to expand my vision to see Shaeula was acting the same way. No, if I get too irritated, it¡¯ll only bother the girls. Right now we¡¯re having a lot of fun, they¡¯re happy, so... Allowing my divided attention to focus more on that, soothing my rage, I merely smiled, which annoyed the fox Duke.


    ¡°It does not matter what the reason is...¡± Primal Forest spoke, he too had been silent ever since we had raised the possibility of further Trees and also getting more areas connected with Ring Gates. ¡°We have learned not to be hasty, to never trust the Hunt acting in ways we anticipate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡± Estalian said. She¡¯d had a small nap and was now feeling better. ¡°They could be trying to lower our guard or searching for something. There are endless possibilities, but we should always assume the worst.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Shaetanao joined in. ¡°If we assume their ability to intrude remains undiminished and are wrong-wrong, we suffer no losses. The reverse however, and...¡± He drew a finger across his neck, the meaning clear.


    As the talk dragged on, everyone sharing their views, I continued to comfort Hyacinth while relaxing myself with what was going on back in the Material. Shaeula looked at me quizzically, and I resolved to make it up to her, Asha and the trembling maid in my arms later...


    ********


    ¡°I shall settle some affairs and then journey to your lands forthwith.¡± Princess Ffionnan declared. ¡°I expect to be treated to the finest of delicacies, as such a serious investor!¡± She said the unfamiliar word with gravitas, having taken a great liking to it.


    ¡°Of course-course.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Asha¡¯s Treetop cafe? is simply outstanding. But before that, we must-must introduce you to the twins...¡±


    ¡°Noble Primal Forest, I hope you are not offended.¡± Asha was saying to the colossal Treekin. ¡°I understand that you care deeply for the Rhyming Trees, and the Ring Gates have long been under your purview... but look around. We care as well. You know I could never give my Kiss to one, my heart and spirit, to someone who would misuse nature. Besides...¡± she covered her mouth and said something I couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Estalian giggled, as she was still perched in Primal Forest. ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± She looked at me, a playful expression on her tiny face. ¡°That¡¯s not usual, is it? Well, you old fossil...¡± she slapped Primal Forest with one small hand. ¡°Stop sulking. Isn¡¯t it something to celebrate? As part of an alliance we all agreed, you can contribute. You always complained how hard it is to grow those mushrooms, so... why whine now? It isn¡¯t that you are a miser like young Ffionnan is it?¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡± the aforementioned princess shot back. ¡°If I was a miser, then I would never have become an investor!¡± She looked proud once more. ¡°Besides, we all know Primal Forest is greedy, he thinks every Tree and plant and blade of grass should be under the care of the Treekin.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± He rumbled, closing his eyes. He pondered for an uncomfortably long time, where I said my farewells to Prince Morioth, who had secured a promise from Raidre to at least consider a return to Court, as well as the sombre Princess Moraine, who left me with words of warning, that the closer one came to succeeding, the more likely one was to fail. Words as gloomy as her countenance...


    ¡°Ala, go with them. See for yourself if they can be trusted.¡± Primal Forest said at last, and the Plantkin comprised of vines nodded, agreeing. ¡°For now...¡± he continued ponderously. ¡°...I will allow the formation of further Ring Gates without becoming angry. But be cautious. Such a Gate is a blade with no hilt. Used unwisely it is as dangerous to the possessor as the enemy.¡±


    With those last words, he departed, Princess Estalian going too. I waved off the Prince of the Elves, not before he fervently extoled the virtues of Moira, Bell, Solitaire and the others one more time. Duke Formor had left, Duke Vulpatrius going with him, unwilling to stay and exchange pleasantries with us, and soon out of the Fae nobility, only Shaetanao remained.


    ¡°So, my Shaeula, son-in-law...¡±


    ¡°Yes, father?¡± she replied.


    ¡°The gloomy spectral wench is not wrong-wrong. You have shown your power, swept-swept aside doubts, but now you are exposed. It is no longer possible to appear weak to fool your enemies. Be wary. As for you...¡± he turned to me. ¡°If my daughter suffers, I shall-shall...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve no need to worry. Man, I get this a lot.¡± I had to laugh at another lecture. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a cross I have to bear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, David would be delighted to hear it.¡± Eleanor sighed, exasperated. ¡°Arthur and I must return to England, we have much to do. Raidre too, for now. But do take care of Aditi and Mary-Jane. Training in your Territory is giving them hope, taking their minds off their sorrows.¡± She then looked at Yukiko-san. ¡°We must keep in touch. I expect we will have many worries only we... and perhaps Shaeula... can understand.¡±


    ¡°I agree. My phone number is...¡± As the two women exchanged details, I turned to Urakaze, who was looking at Annae and Anna with a bitter expression on her face. Suddenly she spoke. ¡°I will remain-stay here for now. There is much to discuss-consider.¡±


    ¡°You damn bitch... uh...¡± Anna paused, Shaeula giving her a knowing smirk. ¡°... I did not mean that, think it. I just...¡±


    ¡°Do not expect too much, Shaetanao.¡± she said to the suddenly bright Prince. ¡°I merely wish to discuss our daughter. There have been those who wish to harm-hurt her, even see her killed-dead. Perhaps if we put our knowledge together, we can determine-divine the culprits that yet remain hidden?¡±


    His eyes hardened at that, and he nodded. ¡°Yes. Annae, Shaeranna, put-put aside your anger. Shaeula comes first...¡±


    ¡°Damn, every day a wonder with you now bro. To think I was a part of this. Hey, wow, do you think this will go in the history books one day, bro? I mean, it was a meeting of some very important people.¡± My sis was curious, and I shrugged.


    ¡°It could, it definitely could. But who¡¯d believe it for now?¡±


    It was then that Haano?bo? tugged diffidently on my sleeve, her masked face pointing downwards. I glanced at Arangbo?, who had done little but drink throughout the event, who shrugged, wings bobbing.


    ¡°We... we did not invest, or pledge support. It feels wrong...¡± she said slowly, and I laughed, patting her head reflexively, before freezing, realising what I had done. My sis puffed out her cheeks, irritated, while after a moment the Tengu smacked my hand aside. ¡°I am not a child. I am older than you, likely by... no, that is not the point.¡± She stopped herself from revealing her age at the last moment. ¡°I am no child, nor... nor one of your women!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. You just seemed down so I acted on instinct. Look, you already have contributed. Mount Atago is under my protection, so we¡¯re already a team. That¡¯s why your brother was so carefree.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason? Okay.¡± my sis said, unconvinced, while Arangbo? boomed a loud laugh. It was then that the last of the guests came to say goodbye to me.


    ¡°I will see you on the first full moon of the year ahead of us. Along with your seer.¡± Lady Nimue? promised. ¡°For now... do not be hasty. For before the full moon rises, there is the darkness.¡±


    ¡°What she be tryin¡¯ tae say is, best be watching out.¡± The Scotsman slapped my shoulder, and he had quite the firm blow, though it paled before such as Grulgor or even David. ¡°It was good tae get out, the Palace is nae always a happy place.¡± He frowned, as if he had said too much, scratching his bushy red beard. ¡°It seems that t¡¯world has moved on. Moving paintings, music from strange boxes... looks like the Fae nae have the dominion of magic nae more. Until we meet again, which may be sooner than ye be thinkin¡¯, I ken.¡± With that they too left, and I pondered the implications of his words.


    ¡°All right then. I am eager to get going.¡± A voice said, and I turned to see the four-tailed fox, her tails wagging.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, and she smirked at me, arms under her chest pushing out her assets dangerously.


    ¡°What else would I mean? We still have to discuss the details of my own investments, and your rescue of my poor misfortunate grandmother. After all, Urakaze is attending to her own matters, and I have no pressing need to return to the Parade.¡± She smiled seductively, and for a moment I had a bad feeling, before finding refuge in the happiness I was sharing with the girls back at our new home on the Material. At least that¡¯s not causing me any headaches, although... is that actually true? Things have become rather... heated...

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Six *R18 – Contains Sex*

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Six *R18 ¨C Contains Sex*


    The steam rising from the artificial hot springs drifted up towards the glass dome overhead, through which we could see the night sky, though due to the lights from central Tokyo, which unlike at Shirohebizumi, we were now actually within, only a few stars and the moon was visible. ¡°I wonder, why doesn¡¯t the glass fog up?¡± I said, mostly to myself, but it was answered by Hinata, her tone surprisingly shy.


    ¡°It¡¯s special glass. It already is only transparent from this side, but I believe it has tiny channels that guide the steam out and also temperature regulation... to be honest, I didn¡¯t understand it.¡± I turned, to see she was flushed a healthy pink, her hands clutching the very short hem of the bathing robe she was wearing, the white, silken cloth clinging to her body tightly.


    ¡°All we need to know is that rich people will spend a fortune on the little things.¡± Shiro said, also wearing the tiny white robe, though on her it looked lewd, her ample chest and long legs protruding, while Hinata made it look cute. Though again, Hinata¡¯s chest is surprisingly big for her age...


    On seeing my gaze, Hinata¡¯s bare skin flushed a deeper red. She took a deep breath, before smiling at me brightly, though the cute flush in her cheeks gave away her tension. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve bathed together before, haven¡¯t we, Akio? And we were wearing less than this.¡±


    Oh yeah, when I first gained Spiritually Pure Physique, and my body simply gushed out impurities. ¡°True. Although I get why you¡¯d be shy.¡± As she saw where I was looking, Shiro laughed, crossing her arms under her own chest.


    ¡°I¡¯d say you have a bright future ahead of you, Hinata. You¡¯re not small for your age at all.¡± She leered like a dirty old man, an expression of hers I was used to seeing, when we were talking about eroge games or doujins.


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m big, then you should see a girl we have at Hanafubuki. One of the sisters Takakura house sent over to educate us. She¡¯s still in middle school but she¡¯s bigger than you, Shiro!¡± She turned to me, and the distraction from her scantily clad state of dress meant that she was no longer so self-conscious, and her legs stretching from the tiny hem of her robe drew my eye next. ¡°You remember her, right Akio?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you mean Mizuki-san? I have to admit, she¡¯s eye-catching.¡± She certainly stands out in a crowd.


    ¡°Best drop that line of thought, Aki.¡± Shiro warned with a wry smile. ¡°Hinata here is skirting close to the edge, but if you go after middle schoolers, it¡¯s a crime. There¡¯s no way even you can get the law changed on that one!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to!¡± I protested, knowing Shiro was teasing me at my expense. ¡°I¡¯m not a pervert...¡±


    ¡°Right, sure you aren¡¯t Aki.¡± Shiro shared a smile with Hinata, winking. ¡°Says the man bathing with his barely legal fiance?e, and his older, hotter fiance?e both at the same time, while some others...¡± She cast her eyes over to where Kana and Tsukiko were standing nervously, Kana red as a tomato, tugging at the insufficient hem of her robe, while also trying to keep the top part from opening and revealing her breasts, an effort which was ultimately futile, as the silken robes were so short only one area could be protected at once. ¡°...are waiting in the wings.¡± Tsukiko didn¡¯t look nervous, only confused, though she was wearing the robe boldly, her long legs and ample chest visible. From what she said, she had her own hot springs at Tsukuyomi-jinja, so she¡¯s used to it, though she only had her old female servant with her...


    On seeing me looking, Kana shivered. ¡°I knew it, this is too soon. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to...¡± she said, her voice shrinking, and seeing the usually flirty Kana so flustered was fresh, and sparked my desire to tease her, so I let my gaze roam up and down her body. Yeah, Kana¡¯s confidence in her looks is certainly well warranted. She¡¯s a very pretty girl... ¡°No, that¡¯s it... I¡¯m going to change!¡± She hurried off, though the bottom of her bathing robe rode up, giving me a view of something she would ordinarily have kept hidden.


    ¡°The boldest girls on the surface are always the most cowardly.¡± Shiro observed dryly. ¡°I was the same. Now, this Mizuki girl...¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. The three Takakura sisters are very pretty, each in their own way, but while I¡¯ve done Chirurgery on them, we don¡¯t have many dealings, although they¡¯ll be coming to the training school more often. Besides...¡± I gestured to Tsukiko, who having made up her mind came over to join us, as we watched the steaming pools of hot water, the steam giving off the scent of minerals. Whoever owned this estate before really spared no expense, the water is even impregnated with the same elements as a natural volcanic spring. ¡°...I¡¯m more than happy with who¡¯s in my life now.¡±


    Tsukiko sat down elegantly, her legs sinking into the water. ¡°This reminds me of my shrine, my home. No, is this my home now?¡± she mused.


    ¡°You can have more than one.¡± I said, smiling fondly at her. Our relationship isn¡¯t deep, but... I decided I wanted to make up for her struggles and sacrifices, so we can develop it from here, just like I have with Hinata, and...


    Motoko and Natsumi were next to arrive, both also wearing the skimpy robes. Sitting down on the cypress-wood decking, resting their backs against decorative boulders, the edges smoothed and polished to be comfortable even on delicate skin, they seemed relaxed, which provoked Hinata a little.


    ¡°You seem so calm and collected. My heart is racing so much I think I might explode.¡± She admitted to her fellow daughters of nobility. She then looked at me, her smile impish. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad feeling though, I think.¡±


    ¡°The reason¡¯s simple.¡± Natsumi said, stretching, smiling a little as my eyes followed her movements, the collar of her robe opening. ¡°Motoko and I, we¡¯ve already given everything a woman can. There¡¯s no longer any reason to hesitate. Although...¡± her smile was now a little shy. ¡°...you never actually stop being nervous, it¡¯s just a different sort of tension.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if the thrill goes, then the fun goes.¡± Shiro said proudly, and I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°What? Aki, I¡¯m a woman of experience now!¡± Shiro boasted. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly capable of offering advice to my juniors.¡± She looked at Hinata fondly. ¡°So, how¡¯s it feel to be staying over in your fiance?¡¯s home? Like a little chick just ready to be devoured by big bad wolf Aki?¡±


    Hinata exchanged a look with Motoko, who nodded reassuringly. Hinata then looked at me, a beautiful smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s simply not done, in the world of nobility, is it? We¡¯re supposed to remain chaste until our marriage. Even those who have arranged marriages don¡¯t really spend any time with their fiance?s until the wedding. Fortunately... we don¡¯t have to play by their rules anymore.¡±


    ¡°No. Natsumi and I were more than happy to offer our chastity to Akio. Because we have faith that it will not bring us shame, only happiness. It was indeed a happy time.¡± Motoko flushed, remembering. ¡°While there was a little pain, that is the proof we dedicated ourselves to Akio, and he accepted us. And it soon became pleasure. Not just of the body, but of the heart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a sweet feeling, being loved.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we could have ever experienced this within the narrow confines of the nobility, but... that¡¯s not true, is it?¡± she realised, and Hinata giggled wickedly.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Because we still are the nobility, but Akio is so important we¡¯ve been able to change what it means to be a noble daughter.¡± She leaned back, looking up at the night sky through the glass. ¡°I know I¡¯m loveable, and any man would be an idiot to betray me. Besides, Akio...¡± she looked into my eyes, her brown eyes intense. ¡°...you love me, I know that. So I have nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± I promised, feeling warm inside. ¡°Though not just you of course, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°I know. I wouldn¡¯t be so greedy.¡± She giggled. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re daughters of the nobility.¡± Motoko and Natsumi nodded their agreement. ¡°It¡¯s not unusual for a man to have concubines. At least we get a proper wedding, all of us together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what you think about it, Tsukiko...¡± Shiro said, her silver locks cascading as she shook her head. ¡°...but I was quite pissed off when Aki had the nerve to propose to me, despite being engaged to Eri. At the time, he won me over by... well, by being Aki, you get it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe I do.¡± Motoko inclined her head gracefully. We were siting on the edge of the hot springs, and the steam was causing their robes to become more and more transparent.


    ¡°I do not understand myself, perhaps I am too sheltered, nai?ve.¡± Tsukiko said. ¡°However, I can feel your care. It surprises me, but I am prepared to experience that which I denied myself in service of Tsukuyomi.¡± She touched her lips, remembering. ¡°I have no complaints. I feel I would rather seek someone who understands me and the weight I carry. I never had friends, for I never had a true self. Other than Yukiko, and even her, there was a distance between us, though I have hope I can bridge that now. So...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, hearing that makes me feel guilty, don¡¯t you agree, Daiyu-chan?¡± Kana said, having returned, followed by the quiet Daiyu. On seeing us looking, Kana flushed, embarrassed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it bad manners to wear something other than a bathing robe in a hot spring?¡± Hinata asked slyly, and Kana sighed, before twirling around, now less concerned with the revealing nature of her robe, the black bikini underneath making her look quite striking.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so, but we¡¯re here by ourselves, it¡¯s ours, right? So it doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, I admit, despite everything, I¡¯m a bit embarrassed.¡± Kana shrugged. Beside her, Daiyu was unconcerned, her robe already see-through, as she had washed herself thoroughly before donning it. I think she¡¯s concerned about all the impurities she¡¯s exuding. As she practises her new Foundation technique, she does ooze a bit. It doesn¡¯t put me off though, it¡¯s proof of her hard work. ¡°I¡¯m not at the stage I should be naked with you, Akio. We still haven¡¯t been on many dates. I¡¯m the one that can give you an ordinary romance! None of the others can, they are either nobles who live in a different world, or... special.¡± She grinned at Shiro, her expression mocking and triumphant. Kana sat down beside me, while Daiyu lounged on another of the nearby decorative boulders.


    ¡°Yes, I am special, though I can¡¯t help but hear the insult in that.¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°But what about Eri?¡±


    ¡°Now come on, Eri¡¯s no good for normal romance either. Sure, she¡¯s as ordinary as they come, but...¡± Kana grinned at me. ¡°She¡¯s so clingy and a bit of a stalker, so... it¡¯s up to me. She¡¯s actually improved though. If it was before, there¡¯s no way she could have spent time with her family settling them in their new home, knowing we were here with you.¡±


    ¡°True, and we can¡¯t expect the Fae girls to understand.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡±Speaking of, how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, Shaetanao was more reasonable than I expected.¡± I replied, sharing what my other self was experiencing. ¡°But really, is that what you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°No, tonight, you¡¯re all ours, Aki.¡± Shiro insisted. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve definitely changed too. Come on, we¡¯re all here now, so we might as well take a dip.¡± Shiro stood proudly, challenging Kana with her gaze, before slipping the robe from her beautiful figure, standing there naked before me. Enjoying the way I looked at her, Shiro slid into the water, letting out a relaxed sigh. ¡°Yeah, this is the life of luxury I always deserved. I mean, as trophy wives go, I think I¡¯m the best you can get!¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Should you be boasting about that?¡± Hinata said, amused. Natsumi, following Shiro¡¯s lead, also shrugged off her robe, sinking into the warm water, while Motoko kept hers on, though it covered little, turning transparent as soon as she was soaked in the water. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t get it. That¡¯s the only fate I could have hoped for, before this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit sad, Hinata-chan.¡± Kana said, more relaxed now she was in a swimsuit, though Daiyu also had no care for my eyes on her, as she too was naked in the water. Beside us, Tsukiko slid in, her robe soaking up water, revealing the flushed pink of her skin, though she was listening intently, trying to make sense of her own feelings through the experiences of the others. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I was much better. My way of thinking was pretty shallow...¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not so bad.¡± Shiro protested. ¡°I mean, it wasn¡¯t like I was healthy enough to really be in a relationship. Looks were all I had going for me. Well, that and my winning personality.¡±


    ¡°Modesty too.¡± I muttered, and Shiro splashed water at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Aki. Why should we be modest, any of us?¡± She looked around, dark eyes solemn. ¡°Like I said before, I was a bit pissed off. I didn¡¯t exactly feel thrilled about sharing, even if I knew I had to, if I wanted Aki. But now...¡± She grinned wickedly, and Hinata was smiling as well, a grin that seemed to indicate some sort of shared secret between them. Curious. But whatever it is, I¡¯m happy they are getting closer. I want everyone to get along. Right now I¡¯m lucky, they bicker sometimes and some girls find it hard to relate to some of their fellows, but... in general it¡¯s largely harmonious. That was another reason I wasn¡¯t keen on recklessly increasing my harem, even if I knew there was no way that I¡¯d get through the long centuries of life I¡¯d live without falling for others. Even so, I don¡¯t want to choose just for the sake of it. It¡¯s not fair to them, the girls, or even myself...


    ¡°...it¡¯s a funny thing. Perhaps Shaeula rubbed off on me, the little witch is quite a schemer, but it¡¯s a bit thrilling, you know? To think that I¡¯m with the most desirable, important guy in Japan. No, not just Japan. Shit, the whole world knows your name now.¡± She grinned. ¡°Imagine it, Aki leading us all through the heart of a big city, everyone watching in awe, taking notice... damn, I¡¯m shallow, but... it¡¯s so satisfying!¡±


    Hinata seemed to have made up her mind. She took a deep breath and with a slight trembling of her fingers, she pulled open the collar of her bathing robe, sliding it down, until she was naked before me. She winked, her embarrassment somehow amusing herself, and she jumped down into the water with a splash, making sure I got a good look at her.


    ¡°Careful Akio, you¡¯ll be arrested...¡± Kana smirked.


    ¡°If that is the case, then he cannot look at you either, Kana-san?¡± Motoko pointed out, and Kana sighed. ¡°Besides, Hinata is his fiance?e. There is nothing wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, just lightening the mood. Now, Akio, aren¡¯t you joining us?¡± Kana said, and I slid into the water as well, feeling a pleasant warmth on my skin.


    ¡°Yeah, I do feel a twinge of guilt. Though the pair of you are nearly the same age, you look more mature, Kana, so it doesn¡¯t sting my conscience quite as much...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lose out.¡± Hinata said, and suddenly I felt her warmth against my back, her decent chest for her age pressing against me, heating me up. ¡°Besides... this isn¡¯t the first time. Though then I wasn¡¯t really able to understand the implications. I liked to think I was so much wiser than the other daughters of nobility... but really, I was just as sheltered. Sorry Motoko, Natsumi. I looked down on you a bit in my heart...¡±


    As they waved that off, forgiving her, I leaned back into Hinata, looking at the others happily. Even while this was going on, I was with Asha, Hyacinth and Shaeula in the Fae realms, so Eri was the only one that was missing. I¡¯ll make it up to her. I did promise her that trip, just the two of us...


    ********


    ¡°So we¡¯re all agreed then?¡± Hinata asked, and everyone nodded. ¡°Then we will no longer use honorifics for each other. I know the way we address each other has been a bit inconsistent, and it can be hard to change our habits, but... we¡¯re not merely ordinary friends.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems strange, especially after all this naked socialising. Be more like me, treat everyone the same.¡± Shiro patted her chest, enjoying the way she made me look at her.


    ¡°You always address everyone freely.¡± Motoko observed. ¡°I find it refreshing. But I have noticed one thing.¡± As Shiro made a noise to signal her interest, Motoko continued. ¡°You call everyone by name, but you only ever give one person a nickname. And that is Akio. You were doing it before he proposed to you, were you not?¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Shiro made an embarrassed noise, looking away for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re a sharp one, Motoko. Must be your martial arts training. Yeah, you¡¯re right. Even Hayato, I never had a nickname for him. Only Aki. Guess I had deeper feelings for him than I thought. Such wasted time. I¡¯ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again, if I realised and moved first, I could have had him all to myself.¡±


    ¡°I thought you liked us all?¡± Hinata pointed out, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°I do, and that¡¯s no lie. But a girl can dream, right? But this is nice enough for my life.¡± She floated in the spring, her hair a silver mat behind her. ¡°I really must ask Aimi and Hina if they want to try this out. No guys though, can¡¯t have any of us walking in naked while they¡¯re there. Aki¡¯d kill them for sure. He may not look it, but he¡¯s a jealous man!¡±


    ¡°I know he is.¡± Hinata agreed, snuggling up to my arm, having grown accustomed to the embarrassment of bathing naked with me. ¡°Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have been able to persuade him to marry me. The thought of seeing another man taking me... it upsets you, right?¡± she giggled, and I nodded. It¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t want to break her heart, sure, but half of it was certainly greed...


    ¡°But what about if Akio walks in on your friends?¡± Natsumi asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just as bad?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, good point. Hina¡¯s too shy for that. Aimi would probably blush but pretend nothing had happened and walk out. It¡¯s worse because I know Aki used to have a crush on her. She¡¯s actually got your sort of build, Hinata. Short but with a big chest. No, luckily Aki isn¡¯t into stealing women from other people. But yeah, I shudder to think what would happen if I invited Arisu and he walked in... yeah, no thanks. I don¡¯t want the hot spring ruined with blood.¡± She paused. ¡°So, subject change. Tsukiko, how are you finding this?¡±


    Tsukiko frowned, a little unsure, before smiling, a trace of confusion on her face. ¡°It is not unpleasant. Just listening to you all chatter about little without a care, watching you all smile, it makes me feel more connected, more real. For too long I have drifted ephemerally through life, tied down only by the portents of disaster. But now...¡±


    ¡°But what about Akio?¡± Kana asked, grinning. ¡°Do you feel anything being so close to him how you are now?¡± she fidgeted, her legs rubbing together nervously. ¡°I¡¯m wearing a swimsuit, and even I feel all hot and bothered. So for you...¡±


    ¡°I may have lived a solitary life, but I understand the principles of how men and women procreate. While Tsukuyomi is not strictly a fertility God, the moon has been the symbol of such in many cultures.¡±


    ¡°I still think that¡¯s missing the point.¡± Kana pressed. ¡°I¡¯m asking how you feel, not what you know.¡±


    ¡°I feel strange.¡± She admitted. ¡°My eyes are drawn to him constantly, and my heart is racing in my chest. I feel hot, hotter than would be usual for a soak of this length. It is far from unpleasant, and my lips... my lips burn.¡± She touched them tenderly again.


    ¡°Yeah, makes sense. She¡¯s got it bad.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Aki and his saving of damsels in distress is getting out of hand. Oh well, we¡¯d each be idiots to complain, since he extended his hands to all of us as well. But...¡± she grinned wickedly. ¡°...it isn¡¯t often we get time with Aki away from Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth, is it? Since we have a novice here...¡± she looked at Hinata then too. ¡°... no, two novices...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not experienced...¡± Kana protested, but Shiro rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Maybe not, but you¡¯re a streetwise young girl, you know how it works. These two are pure and unsullied. So I think we should show them a few things that can be done with lips...¡± Her smile was lascivious now, and she licked her own lips. ¡°You might want to step out, Kana, considering you were too shy to get in without a swimsuit.¡±


    Spoiler[collapse]


    As I spasmed, sperm flooded her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and she reached out a hand towards Shiro, who took it. I grasped her other one, and the three of us, the two similar women, born so beautiful yet so fragile, one of body, the other of emotion, were connected to me, and we understood each other. Tears welled up in Tsukiko¡¯s eyes, just as my cum filled her mouth. As I pulled free, she sighed, a trace regretful, before swallowing, only a few trickles escaping. Impressive, even after three ejaculations, I still pour it out thanks to my stats, though it does diminish somewhat...


    ¡°It is indeed bitter.¡± She said, wiping away the traces of my orgasm, her expression wry. Licking her finger clean, she smiled at me then, her eyes shining with tears. ¡°But not as bitter as a life without a true self. Perhaps... is this me?¡± She looked down at her dishevelled reflection in the waters, seeing a lewd, red face staring back. ¡°Is this truly Tsukiko? Reflected in the water, just as the moon is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no question.¡± Shiro stroked her hair soothingly. ¡°Who else would it be? So, now you¡¯ve tasted Aki, your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°It... was not unpleasant. Uncomfortable maybe, but I felt itchy and hot inside.¡± She reached down, rubbing at her crotch, before offering a finger to me. Shiro whistled, amused. Flushed, I took her finger in my mouth, and licked it. I can¡¯t taste much, she was leaking underwater, after all, but... there¡¯s a slight tang...


    "We¡¯ve tasted each other now.¡± I said softly. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t regret it, then...¡± She used the finger I lad licked to silence me, pressing it to my lips.


    ¡°It is insulting to keep asking me. I am a grown woman. If I did not wish for this, I would have refused. You offered me a choice, I could have been under Suzuki Haru, or Yukiko. I chose you. So no more worries. If I do not care for something or am unwilling, I will say so.¡± Her smile then was pure yet somehow cheeky. ¡°I am Tsukiko to you, a woman who has a self, desires, wants, likes and dislikes. I can speak my mind!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, women change when they get a man. I did, we all did. Men change too, right Aki?¡± Shiro said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, so, are we done?¡± I said, feeling hollowed out after all the blowjobs I¡¯d had.


    ¡°Unless Kana wishes to have her turn?¡± Hinata said cheekily.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I think? I... yeah, not tonight.¡± she said, barely coherent, her eyes spinning from the spectacle.


    ¡°In that case...¡± Hinata snuggled close to me. ¡°...why don¡¯t we wash off our sweat and... other liquids...¡± a flush lit her cheeks. ¡°...and let Akio recharge. Because then... I¡¯m staying over tonight, aren¡¯t I?¡± she whispered to me, and on seeing the mixture of shyness and anticipation in her eyes I kissed her, our tongues overlapping, and I knew just what she meant. Screw it, it¡¯s fine. I love Hinata, and I¡¯m going to marry her, and her family obviously consent, so...


    ********


    ¡°So, now it¡¯s come down to it, I¡¯m a little nervous.¡± Hinata said, shivering a little. We were sitting on the bed of the room allocated to her, and I was holding her hand. All we were wearing were a pair of dressing downs, covering more than the thin robes at the hot springs, but Hinata¡¯s was belted loosely, gaping open, revealing a smooth expanse of her belly, and her slit, which was leaking sour liquid. Seeing me looking, she crossed her legs. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed too. But... I do want this. I¡¯ve longed for it, more and more. It¡¯s exciting, everything¡¯s exciting. Ever since the first time I saw you, after that dreadful party, which had ruined my mood, I haven¡¯t ever cooled down. When I¡¯m at school, when I¡¯m planning our businesses, when I¡¯m with the others...¡± she flushed. ¡°Especially when I¡¯m with the others. Today was very arousing. Poor Kana, I think she really wanted to join in, but she¡¯s already declared how her relationship with you will go, so she doesn¡¯t want to look like she can¡¯t stick to her word. Maybe you should just attack her, she wouldn¡¯t resist, she¡¯d secretly be pleased.¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°No way. I know she wouldn¡¯t, if I pressed her, she¡¯d happily give in, but she¡¯s right. I do find her teasing fresh and charming. Besides, I have a lot of others who want my attention.¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Hinata giggled. She leaned against me, and took my hand, sliding it into the gap in her robe. Her skin was warm and damp, and as I pinched her nipple softly, she let out a gasp. ¡°I feel just a little guilty, but other than Tsukiko and Kana, everyone else has already given themselves to you. So I wanted to as well. I never thought such a refined and noble person like Tsukiko could be so... sexy, is that the word?¡±


    ¡°It most certainly is. I guess since she¡¯s been so repressed...¡± I continued to play with Hinata¡¯s breasts, sliding my hand down to her belly, then lower. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve just noticed, have you shaved?¡± I asked, feeling smooth skin.


    ¡°I did.¡± She flushed. ¡°I asked Kazumi, and she said that while the Japanese favour the natural look, it would be fresh if I was a little different.¡± She looked worried. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    I kissed her for an answer, allowing my hand to trace her bare slit gently, teasingly, making her shiver. As we pulled apart, tasting each other¡¯s saliva, I smiled. ¡°I like you. I really do. You¡¯re cheeky, but always driven, kind-hearted but bossy, beautiful as a flower, smart as a fox... no, not a fox...¡± I corrected. ¡°Right now I hate foxes! Don¡¯t ask...¡± I saw the curiosity in her face. ¡°What I mean to say is, never think I don¡¯t adore you, Hinata. No matter how our relationship began, I can¡¯t see life without you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± she said happily. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m trying to be serious...¡± She waved a hand as my fingers sped up, making her moan again. ¡°I think I¡¯m very lovable, and I¡¯m what you need. Besides, I¡¯m beautiful, just like everyone else. I don¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you spoke to Kazumi about it...¡± I mourned. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll be able to look her in the face in future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hinata laughed, her voice a little damp as I played with her gently. ¡°She knows just what you¡¯re like. Besides, she¡¯s my bodyguard, she¡¯s good at keeping secrets, and more importantly, she¡¯s my friend. Again that¡¯s thanks to you. We¡¯ve all changed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have. And we¡¯ll continue to change as time goes on. So... I guess since you¡¯re here, your parents approve?¡± I asked, wanting to be sure. Hinata, sensing my worry, merely smiled.


    ¡°Of course they do. Grandfather told me I needed to tie you down, since I can¡¯t do better. Even mother surprised me by being supportive. I suppose she¡¯s just remembering her own experiences. Father... well, he didn¡¯t try to stop us.¡±


    ¡®¡¯Yeah, I expect it¡¯s difficult for a father to see his little girl grow up, find a man.¡± I kissed her lips, stopping my hands, and for a moment Hinata looked downcast, before I kissed her again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not done with the fun.¡± I promised. ¡°But for your first time I want to be gentle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m not very experienced. Though I¡¯m more than I was...¡± she giggled cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯ll brag to Mayumi about this, and she¡¯ll be jealous, though she¡¯ll claim she isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡± I begged, and Hinata merely hugged me, rubbing her cheek against mine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯ll want to shout it from the rooftops, but... I know I have to watch my reputation, even now. But it¡¯s like our wedding night.¡± She plucked at the dressing gown she wore. ¡°This is like my wedding dress. So...¡±


    She stuck out her arms, and I gently removed it, laying her bare. Pushing her gently down to the bed, I kissed her again, roaming my hands over her soft skin, cupping her breasts, ass, back, thighs and more. My tongue slid down, kissing her chin, her neck, her breasts, belly and thighs. Hinata trembled, anticipating more, and I finally moved my mouth to her pussy, kissing it softly.


    ¡°So you can do it too?¡± she asked, and as I tickled her clit, the bean starting to tremble, Hinata shivering too, I spoke, my tongue starting to gently inch inside her pussy.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s an act of love, whether for me or for you girls. There¡¯s lots of fun ways to have sex.¡± I lapped at her, tongue and fingers working together, and she started to exude sour nectar. Tasting it, I breathed out, my breath making her quiver.


    ¡°I¡¯m... so embarrassed. I¡¯m leaking...¡± she moaned, but I didn¡¯t stop my ministrations.


    ¡°Were you embarrassed when you were licking my dick?¡± I asked, and she laughed.


    ¡°I was, a little, But it made me happy. So... I guess it¡¯s like with Kazumi, right?¡±


    I nodded, licking up over her freshly shaved privates. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not embarrassing so long as we love each other. Instead, it¡¯s fun to share.¡± I sped up, my tongue sucking on her clit while my fingers slid along her pussy, making obscene squelching sounds. Nectar was staining the sheets, and as Hinata started breathing more heavily, her eyes moist, flesh hot and pink, I curled my tongue around, fingers vibrating, and Hinata gave a loud yelp, water splashing my face, soaking the bed below. As her arched back collapsed back to the bed, she let out a soft moan, barely able to speak. ¡°Was that... did I...?¡± she managed, and I rolled beside her, giving her a warm hug.


    ¡°You did, that was the pleasure a woman has when she orgasms. Did you like it?¡±


    ¡°I did... but only because it was with you. So... what now?¡± she asked, eyes moist with anticipation.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s next. Unless you don¡¯t want...¡± She cut off my words with an aggressive kiss, teeth savaging my lips, though she couldn¡¯t break the skin. After a frenzied twisting of our tongues, she parted.


    ¡°Does that answer your question? I want nothing more right now. Not even the launch of our businesses. That can come tomorrow.¡± She giggled wickedly. ¡°Do you want me to lick your dick again? I don¡¯t mind. Although...¡± her eyes strayed towards the walk-in wardrobe of the room. ¡°...maybe you¡¯d better save some strength?¡±


    What¡¯s that? No, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°All right then. Hinata...¡± I gazed at her seriously, our faces almost close enough to touch. ¡°I love you. And while there¡¯s something to be said for waiting until the wedding night for sex...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to wait. Besides, you¡¯ll have a lot of conjugal visits that night.¡± She grinned happily, planting a cute kiss on my lips. ¡°So, how do we do it?¡±


    ¡°Bear with me.¡± I slid down, staring at Hinata¡¯s slit. Reaching out, I gently spread it open, and she shivered as the air touched her damp insides.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, curious.


    ¡°Checking the state of your pussy, so that I hopefully don¡¯t hurt you more than necessary. Besides... you¡¯re a curious girl.¡± I looked, seeing Hinata¡¯s phone on a side table. With a surge of wind, I drew it to me, pointing it at her exposed pussy.


    ¡°What are you doing? We can¡¯t take photographs... no, we can, if it¡¯s just for us, but...¡± she worried, as I snapped a shot. Grinning, I released her pussy and snuggled next to her again, showing her the image.


    ¡°I¡¯ll delete it in a second. Filming you isn¡¯t a fetish of mine. I agree, I¡¯d be worried about them getting leaked, then I¡¯d have to hunt down anyone who saw it. Yasaka-san might go mad from asking the Book for names and addresses though...¡± I made a joke, tenderly rubbing her head with my free hand. ¡°I just thought you¡¯d want to see your hymen. It¡¯s that pinkish-white film there. That¡¯s your proof, not that I care or...¡±


    ¡°Of course you care.¡± She said triumphantly, looking at the photo curiously, as I expected she would. ¡°You¡¯d hate the thought of me being with anyone else before we met. Obviously I never would have been. I was destined to meet you. We all were. Motoko and Natsumi think the same, and we thank the Gods every day. I know Eri does, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Shiro... Daiyu, Asha, Kana and now Tsukiko. We all know our lives are better with you in it.¡± She smiled wickedly. ¡°Aiko-chan too. She¡¯d be useless without her big brother to look out for her. Besides... I want to dedicate it to you. Nobody else can ever see it. Just us. and then... it¡¯ll be gone, right... ah, yes, that feels good...¡±


    I started fingering her gently again, just the outside and the inner folds, as well as her engorged clit, as I didn¡¯t want to damage her hymen. My other hand caressed her lips gently, before I started rubbing her nipples, kissing them one after another. As her liquids flowed, I scooped some up, smearing the pulsing head of my cock, and seeing that, Hinata flushed, her sweat smelling sweet yet sour, the scent of a woman, not a girl. ¡°Good.¡± I whispered sweetly. ¡±I¡¯m happy when you¡¯re happy, and... when I¡¯m holding you. You¡¯re cute, Hinata. You¡¯ve got a great body.¡±


    I squeezed her tight in a hug, before rising over her, my glans pushing against her pussy. ¡°Hinata, hand.¡± I reached out, and she clasped it, fingers entwining together. Then our lips locked, and I pushed in, my dick sliding deeper, until it reached the obstruction within. Hinata teared up, but her fingers and tongue told me to keep going, so, I pushed, and there was a groan wrung from her lips and a trickle of blood.


    ¡°Is it done?¡± she asked, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, now you really are a woman, my woman.¡± I promised. ¡°Want me to use Ether Healing?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Tightening her grip on my hand, she denied that. ¡°I want to do it the way Motoko and Natsumi did. Besides...¡± she paused, sticking out her tongue, and I understood, kissing her deeply. As she sighed in happiness, she laughed, a little shrilly from the discomfort. ¡°They said it starts to feel good soon enough.¡±


    ¡°It should.¡± I agreed, gently sliding backwards. As she winced, I moved forwards, and after repeating that a few times, Hinata seemed more relaxed.


    ¡°Okay, okay, this is fine. It¡¯s not too bad. You can do it properly.¡± Her smile was sicked. ¡°Treat me like you treated Tsukiko¡¯s mouth. That¡¯s the proper way, right?¡±


    ¡°Cheeky!¡± I flicked her forehead gently with my free hand, before we kissed once more. I slid my hands over her body, touching her wherever I pleased, groping her slender thighs, squeezing her ample mounds, rubbing her tight bottom, stroking her delicate back. Each thrust wrung a grunt from me and a gasp from her, my precum mixing with her virgin blood and nectars, foaming out and scattering on the damp bed.


    ¡°You can... go... ahn, um... more... I want more! It¡¯s already feeling good!¡± she gasped, and as her hand squeezed mine, I could feel her tightening up. ¡°I think... ahn, ahn... I¡¯m going to soar... again.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll try and keep up then.¡± I grinned, adjusting the pace of my strokes, speeding up, getting rubbed by her fleshy walls as she sucked on my dick with her body, and my own climax was nearing.


    ¡°I... please, kiss me!¡± she said, gasping, and I plunged my mouth onto hers. My free hand started rubbing her clit, and as she gasped and moaned, biting me in her pleasure, I continued to pound her, wet slaps sounding where our bodies met.


    ¡°I... I... I...¡± Hinata couldn¡¯t even speak coherently as her body spasmed, and with one final thrust I too succumbed, spraying my cum into her womb, which twitched, eagerly accepting it. Oops, forgot to ask about birth control. No, I¡¯m sure her parents have it in hand... That thought was driven from my head as I thrust again and again, the sensitive Hinata going through several more small orgasms until she was lying there slack and drooling, while my cascade of sperm seemed endless. When I was finally spent I pulled free, feeling an exhaustion that my stats shouldn¡¯t have allowed. Collapsing down beside Hinata, we faced each other again, and her brown eyes were earnest as she looked at me, a hand on her belly. I looked down to see cum trickling from her pussy, staining her thighs, slightly pink from her virgin blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s so warm inside.¡± She said softly. ¡°So that was sex. There¡¯s no going back now. No, no going back.¡± Her words were cheerful. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mother will be sure to get me some medication when I tell her we made love. They don¡¯t teach about contraceptives at Hanafubuki, they don¡¯t want the girls getting ideas, but... it¡¯s too soon for children yet. Not until we rule the world!¡± She was still clutching my hand, and she brought it to her chest. ¡°Can you feel my heart racing?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Mine too.¡±


    ¡°So I was worth it?¡± she asked, and for a moment there was genuine fragility and worry under the happiness, so I silenced her with another long kiss. As we parted, a bridge of saliva momentarily between us, I nodded.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t, Hinata, who is? But I get it. You saw a lot of fun in the hot springs, even took part in some... it¡¯s natural to worry. But you said it yourself, I¡¯m greedy, and I see you as mine, and me as yours. And that won¡¯t ever change.¡± For a while we lay there, making small talk, Hinata idly poking at my muscles and even my dick, which mercifully was quiet for now. There was a knock on the door, and Hinata bade them enter. Shiro then poked her head through.


    ¡°Hinata, Aki, how was it? Ugh, yeah, you ruined another set of sheets, bet it was good. Shit, how many virgins is that you¡¯ve despoiled Aki? And some of the fanciest in the country too. Hey, maybe if you do Yukiko too, you can have the clean sweep. Nobles, Princesses, the works!¡±


    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha.¡± I faked a monotone laugh, imitating Primal Forest. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to, it¡¯s just the girls I like happen to be that way. Though...¡± The flirting of the four-tails is getting annoying. She¡¯s gorgeous, but... I¡¯m not good with that sort of woman... I¡¯m still a bit of a shy guy at heart despite everything...


    ¡°So, how about you, Hinata? Good for round two?¡± Shiro asked, smirking, and I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Wait a minute, just how many times do you think I¡¯ve cum today? Do you think I¡¯m a machine?¡± I protested.


    Hinata ignored me though, and grinned back, equally sly. ¡°Akio did most of the work. I just lay here and let him devour me. So give me a few more minutes and I can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no good.¡± Shiro shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll get boring that way, Hinata. Let big sis Shiro show you a few tricks to get his motor running. Besides... Ginneka sent them over. So... might as well see if Aki¡¯s uniform fetish is alive and well. I know all his secrets.¡± she said proudly, standing tall. In her hands was a bundle of cloth, in black and silver, and seeing me looking, she unfurled it. Wait, is that a military uniform? It looks a lot like the ones I''ve seen a few girls wearing in the Boundary...


    ¡°All right then, the others are all changed, so it¡¯s just us two. Aki, shut your eyes a minute, Hinata and I are going to put these on. We wouldn¡¯t want you to ruin the surprise by peeking. Concentrate on what¡¯s going on with Shaeula and the others for a minute, okay?¡±


    I did so, shutting my eyes, and I could hear the rustling of cloth and giggling and whispering. Uniforms, huh? Shiro knows me well. Shugo-san and I were big into military uniforms on girls back in the day. Yasu-san was more sexy nurses, while Hayato claimed he didn¡¯t have such fetishes, but none of us believed him, not even Hina-chan. Oh well... Listening to the girls chatter, I decided to rest while I could, for I had a feeling I¡¯d be breaking my own record for sex shortly...

 Four Hundred And Thirty Seven *R18 – Contains Sex*

    Four Hundred And Thirty Seven *R18 ¨C Contains Sex*


    ¡°All right, you can open your eyes now, Aki.¡± Shiro said, her tone amused. As I did so, I saw that Hinata and Shiro had been joined in the room by Motoko, Natsumi, Daiyu, and... ¡°So, you all have uniforms, huh? Is this a new fashion or some sort of roleplay?¡±


    ¡°Would it please you if it was?¡± Motoko asked, curious. The other girls were wearing the black and silver uniforms with skirts, of varying lengths, but Motoko was in sharply pressed black trousers with silver trim, showing off her graceful legs. Oh wait, Daiyu is in trousers too. That¡¯s a surprise. Seeing me looking, Motoko smiled. ¡°It is not too dissimilar to our hakama, is it Natsumi?¡±


    The girl she addressed smiled, her curly hair looking particularly cute under the black military cap she wore, with a strange badge on it. Is that a diamond? ¡°Maybe so, but the hakama is looser. And I¡¯m wearing a skirt.¡± She plucked at the edges of the tight black skirt which was down to just above her knees. ¡°But you do look good. I think you would have even more fans at Hanafubuki if you showed up like that, Motoko.¡±


    ¡°You look great as well, Natsumi, no need to be shy.¡± Hinata chimed in. Her face was still flushed and dotted with beads of sweat after our lovemaking, but now she was dressed in black and silver, a shorter skirt than Natsumi¡¯s showing off her legs, the peaked cap set at a jaunty angle, she was the image of an elegant girl once again.


    ¡°So how was your deflowering?¡± Motoko said, her brown eyes curious. ¡°For us daughters of nobility, it is a meaningful thing...¡±


    ¡°Hey, for every girl.¡± Shiro protested. ¡°The first time is something a girl remembers forever.¡± Shiro was showing off her long legs under the shortest of skirts, one so short I doubted she¡¯d be able to wear it outside with any degree of safety. Seeing my gaze, she sighed. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking Aki, but I¡¯m not an exhibitionist. When I need it for... uh, matters, I¡¯ll be wearing trousers like Motoko or Daiyu, or a much longer skirt, but... to be honest, I¡¯m feeing horny after watching you in the hot springs, and listening to Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Were you watching?¡± Hinata blushed, and Daiyu was the one to speak.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She glanced at the corner of the room, where a little camera was located. For a moment I frowned, concerned, before Shiro laughed again.


    ¡°Man, you are starting to get possessive, Aki. I can¡¯t say I hate it though. Yes, there¡¯s a security room, but the only ones that have access to it is you... and right now, I have the key as well. It¡¯s only accessible from your bedroom anyway. In fact...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should move to your room.¡± Daiyu agreed, her expressionless face showing a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks, black eyes eager. ¡°The bed here is too small.¡±


    Yes, I was right. Looks like I¡¯m definitely getting wrung dry tonight. It was a welcome distraction from the arguments with that annoying Duke Vulpatrius though, who was niggling at everything we did, barking like an angry dog, not a fox. The bright side is that negotiations with the Seelie Princes and Princesses are going all right. Princess Ffionnan seems to have taken the bait, and she¡¯s the one that Shaeula said we needed to get, as other than the King and Queen, she¡¯s the wealthiest of the Seelie. Though calling it wealth is strange, as it¡¯s not exactly money...


    ¡°So not that they aren¡¯t cute, but why the uniforms?¡± I frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few girls wearing similar in the Territory, though the badges aren¡¯t as ornate and they lack a lot of the silver detailing.¡±


    Shiro and Hinata exchanged a look. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, we thought we¡¯d just start putting together some methods to help everyone bond, make the disparate groups more a unit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°We have daughters of nobility, shrine maidens, ordinary commoners, mercenaries, Fae and more... a shared sense of identity is needed.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I trust you girls. I know you¡¯d tell me if you were doing anything that would cause me problems.¡± I said, and Shiro smiled broadly.


    ¡°Damn right, we¡¯re all on Team Aki, you know? So you can trust us. But for tonight, the uniforms are just for fetish purposes. Personally...¡± Shiro stretched her legs out, drawing my eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to see the appeal, looking at everyone else. Damn, Aimi would look smoking hot in one of these. Oh well... guess you¡¯ll just have to make do with us, Aki.¡±


    There¡¯s more to it than that, considering the look they shared, but I meant it when I believed in them, and Hinata is too shrewd to let Shiro get carried away. It¡¯ll be fine. Motoko and Natsumi are level-headed too, they¡¯d put a stop to anything problematic... ¡°So no Kana or Tsukiko?¡± I asked, and Shiro shook her head, silver hair moving under her black cap.


    ¡°No, our little Kana has gone to her room in a sulk. I think if you watched her though the cameras you might see some sights. As for Tsukiko...¡± she frowned, looking embarrassed. ¡°Sorry Aki, I kind of got carried away...¡± No kidding, I was just thinking if anyone would get swept up in the moment it would be Shiro. ¡°...now, don¡¯t get it wrong, Aki.¡± She warned me. ¡°Tsukiko wasn¡¯t forced or anything, she did it willingly, and I think she¡¯s even happy about it, feeling freer, more like her own self that must have been buried deep for years, decades. But even so... man, you went really hard on a woman who has barely had her first kiss. It was hot as hell, but...¡±


    ¡°I was wondering, Shiro.¡± Motoko said, curious. ¡°Are you interested in other girls? It is not uncommon in Hanafubuki, so...¡±


    Shiro looked at her, wide-eyed. ¡°Where the hell did that come from? I¡¯m not bi, I¡¯ve only got eyes for Aki!¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be defensive.¡± Motoko persisted. ¡°I was just curious, since you seem very interested in Tsukiko and watching Hinata.¡±


    ¡°No, no way. I¡¯m... ugh.¡± Shiro clutched her head, flushing. ¡°I appreciate hot girls as much as anyone, doesn¡¯t mean I want to sleep with them. But seeing them with Aki hits different, it makes me want to see him messing them up, making them fall. I think hanging around with Shaeula has rotted my brains. But truly, I¡¯ve only eyes for Aki. Though how would you feel about it? I mean, I thought you and Natsumi were definitely scissoring away in private, all hot and heavy, until I got to know you.¡±


    ¡°Scissoring?¡± Natsumi tilted her head, puzzled.


    ¡°Uh... it¡¯s a lesbian thing. Seriously, the two of you just scream lovers to me. But I guess not.¡±


    ¡°No, though I believe Akio thought the same once. It is most embarrassing.¡± Motoko indeed did flush, increasing her cuteness significantly. ¡°Would you have minded?¡± she asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°If I did, I wouldn¡¯t have told you to kiss, to see if that excited you.¡± I pointed out, and Natsumi giggled, also embarrassed.


    ¡°Yes, it didn¡¯t feel like it does with you, Akio. I love Motoko very dearly, but it isn¡¯t the same as I feel for you. I am starting to love everyone else as well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I feel the same way.¡± Motoko agreed, looking at everyone warmly. ¡°Before, I only had Natsumi in my heart. Now my world has expanded. So... if for example Miyu-san expressed an interest in being your woman, you would allow her to have love for her bodyguard as well?¡±


    ¡°Miyu huh? No way, she¡¯s not bisexual, I don¡¯t think, but a genuine lesbian. No, maybe not even that. She doesn¡¯t seem to notice other girls, just Michiru-san.¡± I mused.


    ¡°I think she likes you more than you think.¡± Hinata pointed out. ¡°When we meet at school she often talks about you. Though a lot of it is complaining about how you make her dance until she is exhausted, then dance some more.¡± Hinata¡¯s grin was wicked. ¡°But yes, I don¡¯t believe she loves you or anything like that yet. So don¡¯t worry. This is just for our curiosity.¡±


    ¡°In that case... uh, it¡¯d be hard, I admit.¡± I shrugged, seriously considering it, as an abstract. ¡°If it was you and Natsumi, Motoko, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind, as you both love me too. But say I was married to Motoko, and you had no interest in me, Natsumi, and you wanted to carry on a relationship... ugh, it¡¯s selfish of me, considering I¡¯d promised to do anything to make Motoko happy, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like it.¡±


    ¡°I see. So Aki does have limits. I¡¯m kind of pleased. I don¡¯t want Aki to be too forgiving. So we have the standard.¡± Shiro winked. ¡°And here¡¯s me thinking Aki had Netorare in his future, seems like he¡¯s too possessive for that after all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got off the topic of Tsukiko. She¡¯s simply thinking, in her room. Besides...¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°If she followed us, she would end up making love and being deflowered, as I was. And that is too soon. Let her work it out.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s a lewd woman, she¡¯s been so repressed her whole life. Now she¡¯s died and come back, she has nothing to hold her back. She wants to be the Diviner still, but also Tsukiko. So she¡¯s letting out all her emotions to you, the only one who defeated what she calls the Definite for her. It¡¯s damn hot. Oh well...¡± She looked at everyone else. ¡°Shall we go? I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m really horny right now!¡±


    As everyone nodded, even Hinata, who I had just had sex with, I wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh or cry. Laugh, I guess. No matter how tired I am, I¡¯d never complain about holding these girls. Never...


    ********


    ¡°So who¡¯s first?¡± Shiro said, grinning. We had gone back to my room, with the impressive bed, and Shiro had pointed out the door to the security room, which was at the back of my walk-in wardrobe. The previous owner must have been paranoid as well as more than willing to spend money on his hobbies... After that we were all enjoying some cold drinks from the fridge when Natsumi spoke up.


    ¡°You said you were in need, didn¡¯t you?¡± Natsumi said. ¡°Why not go first?¡±


    ¡°No, actually...¡± Shiro narrowed her eyes. ¡°You and Motoko always go together, right? Why not change it up a bit? The two of you flip a coin, and the winner gets to learn from me. Loser goes first.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°That sounds fun.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°If you are happy with that, Natsumi?¡±


    After she agreed, the other girls cheered them on, and after the coin fell, Motoko had won. ¡°It seems I shall be with Shiro today. Natsumi, you will comfort our husband first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± she agreed, turning to me. ¡°Please excuse me...¡± She reached out to the fasteners of her military jacket, and soon it was unbuttoned, revealing her breasts clad in a white silk bra with pretty lace embroidery.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it off, that defeats the point of uniform play.¡± Shiro warned.


    ¡°But won¡¯t it get dirty?¡± Natsumi asked, flushing, probably remembering our messy sex in London.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll clean them.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re watching. Wow us with your skills, Natsumi!¡± Beside her, Motoko was watching eagerly as we clambered onto the bed.


    ¡°Should I start with sucking?¡± Natsumi asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°I mean, you can if you want, but we did that in the hot springs earlier. Although...¡± I pushed her down, straddling her, my hands reaching behind her, unclasping her bra. As her perky breasts popped free I fondled them, bending down to suck her nipples, while my other hand turned up her skirt, revealing matching white panties. My finger started tracing her slit, softly at first, but with increasing fervour, and Natsumi begged for a kiss. I obliged, gently at first, pulling away, teasing, while she gasped and pleaded for my tongue, my finger making squelching sounds as her panties were heavy and transparent with her nectar. She stuck out her tongue, waving it, and I finally moved in, sucking on it gently at first, before going deeper, locking our lips, our tongues wrestling.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot yeah, but she¡¯s not exactly showing off her skills. Aki¡¯s just teasing her.¡± Shiro said, her own face flushed.


    ¡°No, that is a skill is it not?¡± Motoko said, looking at us with a gentle, approving expression. ¡°Natsumi has him seeking her eagerly.¡±


    She¡¯s right. As I separated our lips, she moaned a trace regretfully, before giggling softly. ¡°You¡¯ve found me out. Of course you know, Motoko. You know me better than anyone else. Although Akio knows a side of me nobody else can.¡± She sighed, as my hands caressed her stiff, budding nipples. I then sucked on them greedily, leaving them damp with my spit, as she continued to explain, in-between moans and gasps as my finger brought her closer to orgasm. ¡°If I act shy... he comes seeking me. Compared to the sons of the nobility, I much prefer... his honesty!¡± She shuddered, squeezing shut her eyes, sticking out her tongue for me to greedily savage with my own as she came.


    ¡°I try to always be open with you girls.¡± I admitted. Natsumi was coming down from her climax, skin flushed and sweaty, so with a smile I started licking her sweat off, from her lips, her cheeks, her neck, all the way down to her pussy. I sucked on the damp cloth of her panties, making her twitch, and she hugged my head, the arms of her silver and black coat warm.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. We are honest too. So let me say it again.¡± I couldn¡¯t see Natsumi¡¯s face as she was hugging my head, but her voice was gentle. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like arranged marriages. You somehow feel that means we don¡¯t love you. That¡¯s not true. I love you. You¡¯re the one that reached out to Motoko when she was lost, and didn¡¯t abandon me either.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi...¡± Motoko breathed, but Shiro silenced her, while Daiyu and Hinata watched on warmly.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d let me stay as her bodyguard, in defiance of all traditions. More... when I was selfish, and pushed you... you still opened your arms to me. How could I not love you? But I do feel guilty.¡±


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°Despite your failures, I¡¯m a generous General! I¡¯ll leave your virginity! So I¡¯ll content myself with this!¡± I pulled down her panties as she shivered at my touch, the fabric heavy, love nectar already having dripped to her thighs. Grabbing her ass with both hands I squeezed her, hard enough to make her gasp, leaving red fingerprints, before smacking her buttocks gently. She moaned, love nectar scattering, and the look she gave me was anything but reluctant. Yeah, Shiro¡¯s not an actor. Maybe Arisu-san can give her lessons? Oops, no, dangerous to think about her now...


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Hinata said, curious, looking at us as we played. ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°With this!¡± I stuck a finger into Shiro¡¯s ass, loosening it up a little. As Shiro bit down on a gasp, her hands were stroking my dick, her roleplay collapsing. She begged for a kiss, tongue out, and I reciprocated, enjoying the moment, tasting her saliva as we wrestled our tongues frantically.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not a hole for sex, it¡¯s for excretion...¡± Hinata was puzzled.


    ¡°Well, how do you think two guys get it on?¡± Shiro managed, gasping, as we parted, My finger was stirring her ass, and since we had learned from her previous bouts of anal, and Shiro had asked Aimi-chan about it apparently, we knew lubrication was required to make it more pleasurable, so I was trickling out water element, making her hole slippery and inviting.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a strange sensation.¡± Shiro admitted, legs rubbing together as I fingered her ass, my other hand now slapping her buttocks at random, sliding my fingers up and down her soaked pussy in between the gentle but arousing strikes. ¡°Not for everyone, that¡¯s for sure. But... I was the first. I have something I can say me and Aki did for the first time together, so... I¡¯m happy, and it makes me remember.¡± Her smile was damp but bright.


    ¡°I see. But... there¡¯s not much left, is there?¡± Hinata said sadly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Natsumi said. She was still watching from the bed, though her breathing had calmed down now. ¡°You were the first to have sex in this house Akio will live in from now on, right? Every time he¡¯s here, he¡¯ll think of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata said, cheering up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no end to the firsts.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Sure, the easy ones, kiss, virginity, blowjob, anal... they¡¯re all gone, but sex is deep. So long as both parties are happy...¡± she moaned as I slid a second finger in, and now she was feeling it deep in her ass and pussy too, as I started fondling her engorged clit. ¡°Just don¡¯t go for the first to break Aki¡¯s heart by cheating on him!¡± she joked.


    ¡°I would never!¡± Hinata said, affronted.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± Shiro laughed, as I threw her down on the bed, face down. ¡°Oh General, please be gentle, and thank you for sparing my virginity!¡± she giggled, trying to reestablish the roleplay, a futile effort. ¡°Nobody wants to lose the happiness we¡¯ve built up. Now... Aki, give them a good show? Shit, it turns me on, such well-bred girls watching. Oh, and you, Daiyu.¡± She said, not wanting to leave her out.


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°I understand. Now... feel free to show off.¡±


    ¡°You heard our little Chinese beauty. Go for... ahn... oh. Yeah, it¡¯s easier when wet...¡± she groaned, as my dick slid into her asshole, the pulsing sensation and firmness completely different from a pussy.


    Hinata came closer, watching, eyes wide. Seeing her looking, Shiro grinned. ¡°Touch it. You¡¯ll see it¡¯s all in.¡± she said, and Hinata reached out a delicate hand, touching Shiro¡¯s bottom and my dick.


    ¡°It is, that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Now, you might want to step back.¡± Shiro advised. ¡±Aki¡¯s a beast when he... ah, yeah, like that!¡± At her words I began to thrust, loosening her ass with each stroke. Grabbing her breasts with one hand I turned her head with my other, forcing a kiss on her, to which she responded eagerly. Yeah, Shiro¡¯s oddly submissive when it comes to this...


    ¡°Shiro... Private... I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve decided to please me!¡± Each thrust brought Shiro to higher and higher pleasure, her breasts hot in my hand, her nipples little hard bullets.


    ¡°Sorry Aki, General... I¡¯ve been a bad girl, you need to punish it out... of... me... oh, like that, right there! I¡¯m going to fly!¡± I found the spot Shiro was most sensitive in her ass and attacked it relentlessly, and Shiro gaped weakly, her tongue out, so I sucked on it, and let my saliva flow into her mouth, which she gulped down, throat working.


    ¡°Yes, fly. I¡¯ll fly with you!¡± I promised, and she reached out, taking my hand. With my other I continued to grope her, and as Shiro let out a cry, convulsing, her pussy leaking as she came from her ass, I orgasmed myself, and Shiro felt my warm cum pouring into her, in contrast to the cooler water I had used to lubricate her before.


    ¡°Shit, every time... I feel so happy.¡± Shiro muttered tiredly, as she lay face down on my bed. I pulled out, semen splattering her ass, and after stroking her hair for a minute as she came down from her orgasm, I leaned in, whispering in her ear, while my other hand was on her pussy, fingers sliding into her damp honeypot, caressing her sensitive, hot insides. ¡°The General isn¡¯t satisfied. You were great...¡± I smacked her ass gently. ¡°...but you¡¯re too good to let some other man take your virginity!¡± I felt her pussy clamp my fingers, as her black eyes looked at me, moist and eager.


    ¡°Oh no, General, you promised to leave me pure.... Don¡¯t... no!¡±


    ¡°Her acting is pretty terrible.¡± Hinata giggled, and Motoko, who had been watching silently, nodded.


    ¡°It has been instructional though. I will do better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters, so long as we have fun.¡± I smiled at the serious Motoko, before turning back to Shiro. ¡°Too bad, this General says you are too cute to let some other guy have you! I¡¯m taking it, and I¡¯ll make you mine forever!¡±


    ¡°Is that really what you think, Aki?¡± Shiro said, her tone revealing a little vulnerability.


    ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t I fight Tan for you?¡± I said, my cock hard again, my stats doing their work well, pushing against her drooling entrance. ¡°Never mind Tan, I¡¯d even fight the whole Pantheon for you. I promised, didn¡¯t I? So... I get that you¡¯ve never had anyone who protected you, your parents were shit. But I¡¯m not them.¡±


    A tear squeezed from Shiro, running down her cheek, and I licked it off. She squeezed shut her damp eyes, and whispered ¡°Thanks, Aki.¡± Before switching back to the roleplay. ¡°You¡¯re going to rape me, take away my purity, make it so I can¡¯t look at anyone but you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Be mine, useless but cute Private!¡± I slid inside, cock piercing her pussy, and Shiro shuddered.


    ¡°I¡¯m the General¡¯s! I¡¯m Aki¡¯s!¡± Her words were cut off by another kiss. Yeah, it¡¯s wrong to expect everyone¡¯s insecurities to vanish just because we¡¯re together. It¡¯ll take time to heal everyone, but time is what we have.


    As I pounded Shiro doggy-style, she rose from the bed, letting me grab her breasts and stroke her face, leaning in for kiss after kiss. The uniform play was forgotten, both of us eager simply to make love, and I penetrated her again and again, her pussy sucking down on me, walls twitching. As we fucked passionately, Daiyu spoke.


    ¡°I do wonder, just what does Tan?ha? make of this?¡± She tilted her head, the fact that unlike the others she didn¡¯t wear the uniform cap, but her usual lotus-flower hair ornament making her look fresh. ¡°Would she not be discomforted or angry, having to share your body?¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh...¡± Shiro gathered her thoughts, moaning, as I continued to thrust inside her while she worked her own body, forcing her ass back against me, allowing my cock to drive deeply into her, stimulating her most sensitive insides. ¡°No, Tan goes to sleep when... we¡¯re getting intimate. She says she can¡¯t feel anything. It helps her digest the last of the Favours she¡¯s taken, Daizen¡¯s is particularly... ah, on Gods, why does this feel so good? Daizen¡¯s is difficult...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Daiyu said, her eyes betraying her doubt. ¡°Let us pray she does not wake up during the act, for a provoked dragon has fury without care for reason.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... fine...¡± Shiro promised. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t... I could never... uh, set aside intimacy with Aki. I waited too... long for love. Tan will just have to sleep...¡± I kissed her again, before sucking on her nipples. ¡°Ah, Aki¡¯s such a baby. But... I don¡¯t hate it!¡±


    ¡°I wonder...¡± Hinata said, thinking. ¡°You¡¯ve not told me, but I¡¯ve talked to the other girls. I¡¯m guessing my Lovers¡¯ Link has gone up since I¡¯ve given you my chastity?¡±


    I nodded, even as I continued to work Shiro¡¯s insides, changing the angle, my engorged glans twitching as the folds of Shiro¡¯s pussy wrapped me. I could feel another ejaculation rising within me, and a faint weakness was felt along with it. Makes sense. All this cum has to be created, it doesn¡¯t just appear from thin air. I must be draining my body of nutrition, even if aether must be supplementing it. A midnight snack, no, a feast... might be a good idea... Shiro bit down on my tongue, eyes flashing, urging me to think only of her right now, and her own body was flushed and trembling, her asshole twitching, so I slid several fingers in, scraping gently at the sensitive flesh within, making her moan and gasp harder.


    ¡°So then, what would happen if you had sex while Tan was conscious? Would she get Lovers¡¯ Link? Would you get any strength from it?¡± Hinata asked, and for a moment Shiro and I froze, our eyes meeting. That¡¯s a hugely dangerous line of thought.


    Shiro must have thought the same, as she shook her head, urging us to continue. It didn¡¯t take long before Shiro was ready to climax, and I felt it too, like hot lead. ¡°Together then.¡± Shiro declared, and we went for the final sprint. Shiro begged to see my face clearly, so I pulled out for a moment, scattering her fluids everywhere, before she turned, facing me, and I slid my cock back in again, her warmth enveloping me.


    ¡°If you cum inside me, this humble Private, I¡¯ll have no choice but to be your woman forever, General!¡± she remembered the setting, and my answer was a gentle kiss on her lips, and a sudden hard thrust, piercing her deeply. She cried out, arms encircling me, and with just a couple of further thrusts, my dick striking the entrance to her womb, she came, her insides desperately seeking the thick white liquid, which after another thrust started pouring in, filling her up, womb wriggling and gulping.


    ¡°Yeah, forget about Tan, I¡¯m the one here.¡± Shiro said, as we collapsed down together, white cum leaking out of her pussy. I stroked her long silver hair and face gently, occasionally pecking at her cheek and lips with my own lips, while she lay in the afterglow of her second orgasm in quick succession. ¡°Though... if I¡¯d have killed you, I wouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯d have left everything to Tan, I know it. I¡¯d never have survived the guilt of betraying one of my few friends. Tsukiko was right. I could have been the Hungry Ghost. Now... I¡¯m just hungry for love.¡± It was then her stomach gurgled, and she flushed, embarrassed.


    ¡°Hungry for food too, it seems.¡± I grinned, ruffling her hair. ¡°Me too. My body¡¯s aching, I¡¯ve been putting out non-stop.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a real man, don¡¯t complain, or the ghosts of a million Yasu¡¯s will haunt you forever.¡± Shiro joked.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want that. And I¡¯m not complaining. After this, we should have a midnight feast. I wonder if Eri is still up or with our family?¡±


    ¡°That is a good idea, General.¡± Motoko said suddenly, standing to attention, looking very natural at it. I guess she does come from a military family. Her cap was on impeccably straight, and her modest chest was accentuated by her straight back and posture. ¡°I see you have punished this lowly Private...¡±


    Shiro snorted at that, amused, and Motoko continued. ¡°But General, if you had desires, I, your loyal Staff Sergeant, would meet your needs. Any needs.¡± Her gaze was smouldering, and she too was into the roleplay. She looked at Natsumi, who giggled approvingly, before Shiro rolled aside, joining Natsumi on the other half of the massive bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious to see just how you¡¯ll do, Motoko.¡± Hinata said eagerly. ¡°You¡¯re a role model for the daughters at Hanafubuki, and for me.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Motoko shook her head, careful not to disarray her cap. ¡°You are my role model, Hinata. When Natsumi and I were wavering, you pressed forwards, and did not forsake us, but offered a hand and showed us a way to be happy. Besides, us seniors have changed our opinion of you. You now shine with the pride of Takatsukasa house.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hinata said, touched, face red. ¡°I wanted to hear that. I¡¯ve tried so hard...¡±


    ¡°And you have further to go. We all do.¡± Motoko said, finally removing her cap elegantly, shaking her long hair free, the hime-cut straight along her brow making her look elegant and refined, though her pink cheeks and lewd eyes were a delightful contrast. ¡°We learn from each other, and polish ourselves. Shaeula is quite correct. With so many friendly rivals, we strive not to lose, to be the one Akio loves the most, therefore we shine, and together can overcome any obstacles.¡± She looked at Shiro then. ¡°I thank you for the instruction in the ways of sex. I had never considered such. But...¡± she smiled, and it was incredibly sexy. ¡°General, I too am pure, but will offer you everything. But not as punishment, unlike this lowly, insolent Private...¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Hey, rude!¡± Shiro giggled, enjoying the roleplay from another perspective.


    ¡°No, not as a punishment, but... as a reward for my hard work!¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I said. ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°But I am your Staff Seargent. I will not remove my uniform, for it is my pride. Instead... watch me a moment, gather your strength, then ravish me, harder than you have this Private who went before me!¡±

 Four Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    Four Hundred And Thirty-Nine


    I found myself smiling at the organised chaos of the morning. Despite our midnight feast, which had been a rather amusing affair, Eri having still been up and also having been rather jealous of being missed out of the fun, only Shiro and Hinata managing to console her by pointing out we would have ample time for as much fun as she wanted now she was healed, breakfast was being prepared, and my mom and sis were here, fussing over everyone.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come, mom. We have our own house now.¡± My sis said, helping with breakfast, which was unusual for her.


    ¡°Oh really, Ai dear? Couldn¡¯t the same be said about you?¡± My mom said gently with a smile. Breakfast was a combination of Japanese and Western, and smelt good. Shiro was sitting there eagerly, wearing her usual white jeans and t-shirt, legs crossed, and as mom put bowls of rice, miso soup, toast and bacon in front of her, she smiled cheerfully.


    ¡°Thanks mother. I appreciate it.¡±


    My mother actually squealed in delight at that. Wow, I thought that was something that never happened in reality. My sis must have thought the same thing, as she rolled her eyes, embarrassed. ¡°Seriously, mom...¡± she began, but mom wasn¡¯t listening, of course. Yeah, Aiko is definitely mom¡¯s daughter, no question...


    ¡°It sounds so good, a beauty such as you calling me mother. I like you!¡± Mom said cheerfully, before frowning. ¡°So... your own parents?¡± she said, surprisingly perceptive as usual.


    Shiro shrugged, reaching for her chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯d rather have you. And not just because you¡¯re Aki¡¯s mother. Mine are... well, put it this way. You¡¯ve seen me on TV, right?¡±


    My mom nodded. ¡°Oh yes, seeing you with Hyacinth, Shaeula and Aki on TV was something special. I just knew you were one of Aki¡¯s girls then. Such a beauty, I¡¯ve never seen someone so gorgeous. When I met you here for the first time I was stunned.¡±


    ¡°Hurting my feelings here, mom...¡± my sis pouted, while Shaeula, who had also come down, having returned from the Springs, our business safely concluded, let out an amused chuckle, winking at me and patting her chest. Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re beautiful too, Shaeula.


    ¡°My parents haven¡¯t been in touch since. Not that I expected them to. They¡¯ve pretty much washed their hands of me.¡± Shiro said, a touch gloomy, before she shrugged again. ¡°Not that it matters. I have Aki now, so screw them.¡± Her smile then turned more genuine. ¡°As for beauties, I¡¯m hardly alone in that, am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, Tsukiko-chan, wasn¡¯t it? Wait, that doesn¡¯t matter. I mean, it does...¡± my mom said, a bit flustered. ¡°...but why would your parents ignore you? I mean, you¡¯re famous, even if there aren¡¯t many details about you out there. You¡¯re one of the heroes of Britain!¡±


    ¡°Calm down mom.¡± I said. ¡°Shiro... the situation is complicated.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Aki. But it¡¯s not complicated at all. It¡¯s simple. My parents are just selfish and shit. I was born with a very weak body.¡± She touched her silver hair. ¡°Apparently I was a throwback to when powers like Aki and others have now existed, so without the ether density required to sustain me, I was painfully fragile. It¡¯s a miracle I lived long enough to see this day. The amount of money it was costing for my useless treatments and tests... my parents resented that. In the end they let me go off to University, one last experience before I died and they were finally rid of me.¡± Seeing the pitying look on my mom¡¯s face, she smiled, and this time it was genuine. ¡°But relax, mother. Thanks to Aki and someone else, I¡¯m healthy again, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me dying off before the wedding. Now all I worry about is that my parents come looking for me for money. Selfish. So yes... I¡¯m happy enough to have Aki¡¯s parents as my own.¡±


    Mom looked at her, eyes shining with faint tears, before she nodded, giving her an extra serving of bacon. ¡°I see. If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to ask your mom, all right?¡±


    Yeah, mom¡¯s a sucker for sad stories and cute girls. Shiro was always going to hit it off with her, despite being worried. I then rolled my eyes as mom¡¯s thoughts caught up with her. ¡°That reminds me, just where is Tsukiko-chan? Isn¡¯t she awake yet? You didn¡¯t do anything to upset her, did you?¡± She pelted me with rapid-fire questions, worried.


    ¡°If I know my bro, he probably perved on her.¡± My sis said dryly. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯d have minded though.¡±


    Hyacinth was also cooking, and soon the table was set for the large number of girls we had in the house, as well as my mom and sister. It was then that Hinata sauntered in, freshly dressed in casual clothes, which wasn¡¯t a usual sight for me. Meeting my eyes, she smiled beautifully, before strolling over to the table.


    ¡°Good morning Aiko-chan, mother-in-law. Motoko, Natsumi, Daiyu and Tsukiko are in the dojo, they¡¯ll be here soon. Can you hold off on their food for a few minutes?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can, Hinata-chan.¡± My mom said, before narrowing her eyes. ¡°You seem awfully different this morning, dear. More... mature. Did Aki...?¡±


    Hinata nodded proudly. ¡°He did, we did. A number of times.¡± She giggled. ¡°I¡¯m now the same as everyone else. Oh, except for Kana I guess.¡± She winked at Kana as she sat in one corner, a troubled expression on her face as she picked at her breakfast.


    ¡°Tsukiko didn¡¯t...¡± Kana protested, before flushing, realising that wasn¡¯t the point. ¡°Oh whatever, I¡¯m taking it slow, someone has to!¡± She looked at me, her expression softening. ¡°I¡¯m heading back to the shrine later to pick up Asha, she stayed to be with her Tree. I¡¯ll bring her back for the watch party, as well as a few others. It¡¯s your big day after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have invited Ichika as well-well, it has been too long. Karen too.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°There may also be a special guest or two-two, but we shall see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Hayato and the gang will be coming. And...¡± Shiro turned to the interloper in the room, who was stuffing her face.


    ¡°Idol activities use a lot of energy. I¡¯m not one of those who starve themselves, boss!¡± the blonde foreigner Suzu-san smiled as she ate, missing the point. ¡°I¡¯ll more than work the calories off and keep my perfectly trim figure!¡±


    I suppose she¡¯s living in one of the spare houses now, but that doesn¡¯t explain...


    ¡°That¡¯s not my question. Why are you here Suzu?¡± Shiro was thinking the same thing as me.


    ¡°Yeah, upsetting Arisu is low on the list of things I¡¯d advise anyone does.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°So best hurry off. At least the studio isn¡¯t far, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, grandfather has a car ready.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°For us... there¡¯s things to do before Akio¡¯s on TV, right?¡±


    As I was leaving, Kana and Eri came over, Eri reminding me that now things were calming down I owed her that holiday, and Kana demanded a date, after the events of last night.


    ¡°Sure thing, I haven¡¯t forgotten Eri. As for you, Kana... yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll think of something. In fact...¡± I leaned in and suggested a plan, and her smile was bright, banishing the gloom she had been feeling.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great. That would be perfect in fact. So good luck out there, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do fine. It¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve been on TV.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°True, and this should be easy in comparison. Arisu-san has everything in hand...¡± With that I said my farewells to everyone, having to kiss a lot of girls, even Kana now kissing me deeply on the lips, unwilling to be the only one having a chaste kiss. As my mother watched, bright-eyed, and my sis snickered, enjoying the embarrassment I felt at my family observing our intimacy, I considered the meeting with Arisu-san. Yeah, if I show her up she¡¯ll be angry, and I owe her too much to upset her anyway. So... I pumped my fist. Let¡¯s go out there and rock this...


    *********


    After reaching the TV station, I was greeted by several obsequious staffers, who quickly rushed me into a dressing room for preparation. They approved of my suit, and one made mention of my nice watch, but the cufflinks, shirt and tie were all swapped out. They styled my hair and applied light makeup, saying that under the camera lights it was necessary or I¡¯d look pale. When I met their approval I looked in the mirror, and I did look better. Snapping a selfie I sent it to the girls and my sis, and mom too, despite my better judgement, and soon I was in a plush waiting room, where I met Arisu-san. Wow. That sure is something. I channelled my sister in my thoughts as I saw Arisu-san, dressed and made up impeccably.


    ¡°Hey, you can tell you¡¯re a movie star, you look perfect!¡± I approved, giving her a thumbs up. Indeed, she was standing tall with impeccable posture, unwilling to sit yet as it might crease her dress, which was a deep wine-red, bordering on purple, with a low-cut front, showing off her bodyline. She wore matching heels, making her already decent height for a woman more striking, and pretty gold and ruby jewellery sparked on her fingers and around her throat, and she wore a red and white flower ornament in her long dark hair.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    Arisu-san frowned. ¡°There is no need to flatter me. I am a professional, or I was. I of course know how to look good. That is fundamental. Besides...¡± she pursed her lips which were painted a vivid dark red, also shading to plum. ¡°...you get no benefit for flattering me. Save it for White and the others who would welcome it.¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°I hope Suzanne-san is not causing problems?¡±


    ¡°Other than dropping in for breakfast unannounced? No, she¡¯s fine.¡± I promised. ¡°As for flattery, you should know by now I¡¯m an honest man. Besides, I don¡¯t need anything from you, just expressing my admiration.¡±


    She gave me a flat look, but decided to change the subject. ¡°I have had messages of support from White, Suzanne-san and even Bunta-san. But what matters is always how we perform.¡± Her expression softened a little, though it was still stoic. ¡°I understand you agreed to this as a favour from me, but it should benefit you as well, so long as we handle it properly.¡± Her dark eyes were intense as she explained. ¡°You¡¯ve read the question list I sent you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve thought about my answers too.¡± I promised. ¡°Though obviously I agree we have to coordinate on what to say.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± she conceded. I went to sit down, but she tutted at me, so I remained standing. ¡°The questions that will benefit us are on the upcoming charity concert, Britain, and perhaps the law changes. Unfortunately despite my best efforts, it was inevitable some questions would have to be asked. Such as our relationship. We need to answer that carefully.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s such a big deal. We¡¯re friends, right?¡± I said, and she seemed momentarily surprised I would say it so casually. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t we?¡± I arched one eyebrow questioningly. ¡°We¡¯ve helped each other a lot, I mean, you aided me in Kyoto and have looked after Shiro¡¯s... well, Tan¡¯s Territory all this time. I put people who could help clear your name in touch with you, and you supported me a great deal with my spatial experiments. We¡¯ve fought together, so we¡¯re at least comrades, but I prefer friends. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    After a moment she let out a long sigh. ¡°White is a strange woman, falling for one such as you. Stop looking at me with such disappointed eyes. Yes, we are friends. I am not an ungrateful woman, I have a great hatred for such. But my point is that we met through White. Though there has been some media speculation on her, your other friends in nobility and politics have prevented too much intrusive digging. From her medical records it would be easy to trace her, and her family...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Shiro¡¯s worried they¡¯ll try and get back in her life now. But if they just want money, selling a story would be an easy way... I think maybe the nobility have pressured them to keep silent. I¡¯ll move up dealing with them. Shiro wants closure too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Arisu-san¡¯s stern countenance softened. ¡°Good. White has suffered a great deal. I sympathise with having family and friends who are worthless.¡±


    ¡°You never talk about your family...¡± I mentioned, and she sighed.


    ¡°That is a story for another time. Though they are not as pathetic as White¡¯s.¡± she said, and I was actually gratified she hadn¡¯t denied my inquiry. ¡°So, back to the questions. There are obviously the usual softball ones, though questions on our love-lives...¡± she sniffed. ¡°I will shut mine down, but you can wax lyrical about your many conquests. It is not like you have kept it silent. Besides, romance and dating scandals are sickeningly popular, as I well know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d be insensitive to ask you. I¡¯ll take over for that one.¡± I promised. ¡°What else do we need to watch for?¡±


    ¡°I have guarantees that the more difficult topics will be avoided, and there supposedly is another guest, an idol. Her band will be appearing at your concert. So there might be some questions about the music we enjoy as well. In any case, try and avoid anything problematic...¡± she rolled her eyes. ¡°White has awful taste, so I assume you do too.¡±


    That hurts a little, but our hobbies are a bit esoteric, to say the least. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be careful. So...¡± We continued to strategize until a rather attractive female staffer came in to turn on the TV in the corner for us, which showed us a view of the studio, where a male and female host were sitting, while a young woman dressed in sparkly idol clothes, short lacy skirt covered in ribbons, sleeveless shirt and pretty waistcoat was sitting, waiting.


    ¡°She¡¯s from AKB48.¡± The staff member said. ¡°She¡¯ll be interviewed first for twenty minutes, then you two come in.¡±


    Arisu-san nodded to her. ¡°Very well. We shall be ready. You may leave us and return when it is time.¡± Her voice was cold and imperious, and the woman scurried off, face pale. Turning to me, Arisu-san advised me to watch closely, as it would give me an idea of the way the interview would flow. All right. Sure, I¡¯ve been interviewed by a news reporter in Kyoto, and I¡¯ve appeared in front of the world at the press conference in London, but... this is very different. Fortunately I¡¯m with a pro, so as long as I don¡¯t screw up too bad, I should be fine. Grateful that Arisu-san was here, ignoring the fact I was only here because she had asked me, I watched at the interviews started with a bright greeting to the audience, and their first guest, Kanzaki-chan...

 Four Hundred And Forty

    Four Hundred And Forty


    ¡°I¡¯m your host for this exciting live talk show, Endou.¡± The man said, and then the woman spoke up.


    ¡°And I¡¯m the prettier co-host, Ogawa-chan!¡± The woman said in a sing-song voice, despite likely being in her late thirties. ¡°And since our first guest of the afternoon needs an introduction, I¡¯ll do it. Welcome to Kanzaki-chan, one of the popular members of the famous idol group AKB48!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s good to be here!¡± Kanzaki-chan waved at the cameras, smiling professionally. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m popular... oh no, I can¡¯t do that to my fans! Everyone who voted me for centre... wait and see the poll results soon! We can have high hopes I¡¯ll be taking the lead on our new single!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your new single...¡± Endou-san said, steering the question, as if planned in advance. ¡°...That¡¯s one of the things we¡¯ve asked you on to talk about tonight, Kanzaki-chan. The release has actually been delayed, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was a tough decision... but it¡¯s for the fans, no, the whole country!¡± Kanzaki-chan cheerfully explained. ¡°As you know, there¡¯s a huge event coming up, a charity concert and fundraiser for the poor victims of the tragedy of Kyoto.¡± She put on a sad expression, and the two anchors looked solemn. ¡°AKB48 are one of the acts taking part, but we wanted to do our part, so the first time anyone will hear the single, and see our new centre, is at that event.¡±


    ¡°And can we assume that you doing interviews is a hint?¡± Ogawa-san pressed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t break my silence.¡± Kanzaki-chan smiled winsomely, making heart shapes with her hands. ¡°So you¡¯ll just have to wait and see. It¡¯s a huge event though, with some newcomers, big names in both the idol, j-pop and wider music industries, and I¡¯ve even heard...¡± she lowered her voice theatrically, and while I watched the screen in our waiting room, Arisu-san snorted sourly.


    ¡°She is very good at playing the cute girl. Idols need to be able to. Which is why Suzanne-san is a failure. She has the looks and the drive, but... her personality is too eccentric to ever make it big.¡± Arisu-san¡¯s words were damning, but her expression as she mentioned Suzu-san was exasperated yet kind.


    ¡°...there¡¯ll be some foreign idols and groups too. I can¡¯t name names or management would be sure to punish me...¡± Kanzaki-chan giggled lightly. ¡°...but it¡¯s a big scoop!¡±


    ¡°And you heard it here first!¡± Endou-san said happily. ¡°Here on FujiTV¡¯s flagship Sunday talk show...¡±


    The questions turned to such banal topics as how Kanzaki-chan¡¯s idol outfit was cute, and AKB48¡¯s was the prototype for many newcomers in the industry, as well as other matters that were rather light-hearted. That continued for ten more minutes, until they asked a question that made my eyes widen.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve stated in a prior interview that your ideal man is Oshiro Akio, the hero of Britain. Won¡¯t your fans be heartbroken to hear that, Kanzaki-chan?¡±


    As the idol blushed prettily, she turned to the cameras, her ease before them well-practised. ¡°I know, I¡¯m a bad girl. But please still vote for me! I love all my fans, but then, who¡¯s to say Akio-kun isn¡¯t a fan of mine? Besides, I don¡¯t have any time for romance, since I¡¯m too busy shooting my fans through the heart!¡± She made cute finger-gun gestures at the cameras.


    ¡°So, what was it about then?¡± the female co-host pressed. ¡°What do you mean by ideal man?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool, isn¡¯t it? A knight in shining armour, defending a Princess. As an idol, the industry isn¡¯t all nice. After all... there are those fans who aren¡¯t true, that let their obsessions get the best of them...¡± For a moment her real feelings came through, before she realised she¡¯d said too much and brightened up, winking at the camera. ¡°Being obsessed with us is fine, we get it, but don¡¯t go moving on to stalking and harassment, okay? We idols are for every fan. So yeah, if you want to be my ideal man, then you have to be able to protect me, all right?¡±


    ¡°So, not his looks then?¡± the co-host asked, and Kanzaki-san shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, no, his looks are great. He¡¯s tall and looks slightly exotic, while still being a classical Japanese hunk, so...¡± As she talked I felt embarrassment burning within me, and Arisu-san¡¯s lips curved into a smile.


    ¡°How does it feel to be a hunk?¡± Her words were a little unkind, but actually that pleased me, as it showed that Arisu-san was becoming comfortable enough around me for banter, even if it was characteristically harsh. ¡°You know, I suppose she is attractive, in a very artificial sort of way. Most idols are. Maybe if you ask her, she would agree to join your growing collection. Poor White, whatever does she see in you?¡±


    ¡°Harsh.¡± I snorted. ¡°No, she¡¯s cute enough yes, but that¡¯s not all I look for in a woman. I like a little substance too. I am flattered though, even if she¡¯s likely exaggerating.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Arisu-san arched one eyebrow. ¡°Perhaps you are not so foolish after all. Though...¡±


    ¡°Three minutes!¡± the staffer in our room said, and Arisu-san nodded.


    ¡°We are ready.¡± She turned to me, handing me a bottle of water from the table beside her. ¡°Take some now, or you will wish you had later.¡± She was then taking her own advice, gulping down some elegantly, so I uncapped the bottle and took a few swigs, soothing my throat. Kanzaki-chan was talking about me still, but then Endou-san grinned.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re in luck, Kanzaki-chan, for our next two guests are rather special.¡± With that we were ushered down a corridor, and soon the door was opened in front of us, revealing the studio. The only open chair was a two-seater sofa, and Arisu-san glared at Endou-san, who saw us and flinched for a moment, before his professionalism restored itself.


    ¡°They need no introduction, but we¡¯ll give it anyway, in case you¡¯ve been living in a cave these past few months or been on a long-haul fishing ship.¡± He waved his arm grandly as we strode in, though Arisu-san hissed at me to walk slowly and gracefully, so I followed her regal example, watching as her red dress wreathed her elegant body as she took every step with measured dignity.


    ¡°The hero of Britain, the man who shook the world, Oshiro Akio-kun, and the star of the past, whose rise and fall and rise again is the talk of the showbusiness world, Arisugawa Arisu-chan!¡±


    Guided by Arisu-san¡¯s careful movements I sat down beside her, the side of the seat closest to Kanzaki-chan, who did for a moment seem genuinely starstruck, her face pink, before she shook herself, remembering she was live on air.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to be here on FujiTV once more.¡± Arisu-san said, and I followed suit.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to be here.¡± I said calmly, my Resilience kicking in. It¡¯s not like this is as troubling as battle or dealing with politics. Though when I think all my friends and family are watching, it¡¯s still tense.


    ¡°How does it feel to meet your ideal man in the flesh, Kanzaki-chan? A real surprise, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a really big one.¡± She smiled. ¡°Though it¡¯s very embarrassing. I hope you haven¡¯t been listening backstage?¡± She totally knew I was going to be a guest too. It¡¯s obvious. ¡°I have to say... you¡¯re even better looking in person.¡± She suddenly flushed, and that looked genuine, as her eyes flickered before she coughed. ¡°Sorry, unprofessional of me there.¡±


    Endou-san covered for her and turned to us eagerly. ¡°The question that everyone wants to ask is surely, Arisu-chan, Akio-kun... I can call you that, right?¡± As I nodded, he continued. ¡°Just what is your relationship? The whole of Japan wants to know.¡±


    ¡°I certainly do!¡± Kanzaki-chan agreed with a smile.


    This one was one we definitely rehearsed. ¡°We¡¯re good friends.¡± I said calmly. ¡°Arisu-san and I are simply that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is no relationship, I am afraid. We have a mutual friend who is already engaged to Akio-san...¡± Hearing her call me so informally was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. Yeah, got to present our best image for the cameras. ¡°... so tales of romance will have to remain that. Simply tales. I would appreciate putting an end to them now. My past with... rumours... has not been so pleasant.¡±


    At her words, the co-host took over. ¡°Kanzaki-chan, that¡¯s a good point. Akio-kun here was seen in London with a number of beauties, and we have received information from numerous sources that he is not limited to them alone.¡± Sources, huh?


    ¡°Yes, you might be a hero, but you shouldn¡¯t be unfaithful.¡± Kanzaki-chan smiled at me, making more finger-guns with her hands. ¡°What of the feelings of the poor girls?¡±


    That question, huh? Again, one we rehearsed. ¡°I would certainly agree with you.¡± Arisu-san said, inclining her head. ¡°But as our mutual friend seems to be very happy, as well as the others I have met... there is no accounting for people¡¯s tastes, I suppose. It would not be for me. But then, I would rather an unrepentant, kind-hearted promiscuous man who genuinely looks after his women, defends them, than a snake who betrays women yet appears a perfect gentleman on the surface. One is a fool but an earnest one, the other...¡±


    That was a way harsher answer than we rehearsed! But I guess if she believes that then I guess I¡¯m happy. Endou-san winced at her venom. ¡°Oh yes... uh... Ryusei-kun...¡± he managed, before I spoke.


    ¡°I suppose I do deserve criticism. But that won¡¯t change anything. I indeed do have many girls I love, and it might be selfish of me, but I¡¯ve resolved to make them all happy. It might be immoral, maybe, but it¡¯s certainly not illegal. In fact...¡± I laughed. ¡°Anyone who wants to can get married to multiple partners now, though let me give you a word of advice, more partners means a lot more problems, so maybe stick to one, trust me.¡±


    Using levity to deflect, I made sure to smile in an abashed manner. Kanzaki-chan narrowed her eyes for a moment, before asking a question. ¡°Akio-kun, just how many? I¡¯m curious, and I¡¯m sure the audience is too.¡±


    ¡°Uh, eleven.¡± I confessed.


    ¡°Wow, just thirty-seven more and you could form your own rival to AKB48!¡± she giggled, a pout on her face, before she smoothed it off.


    ¡°I confess, that would be a sight to see.¡± Arisu-san cut in. ¡°They are all certainly beautiful in their own ways. But being an idol is hard, is it not?¡± Arisu-san adlibbed a diversion. For a moment Endou-san looked set to interrupt, but Kanzaki-chan started talking rapidly, agreeing.


    ¡°Oh, you would know, right Arisu-chan? Being a top actress is hard work too. You can sing, right? I remember hearing you did so in an early role.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, that musical. Yes, I am classically trained as a singer, and I can play the piano and the violin to a high grade. I can dance too, of course, but compared to the rigour of idol work, I would struggle to keep up. The repetition and drills to master each of your songs are incredibly demanding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but we do it because we love our fans! You love the fans too, right Arisu-chan? Do you miss acting? You must do, right?¡± Kanzaki-chan persisted. For a moment Arisu-san shut her dark eyes, thinking, before she let out a cold sigh.


    Ogawa-san cut her off. ¡°A question for you, Akio-kun. Would you like to see Arisu-san act again? In fact, have you seen any of her films?¡±


    ¡°As it happens, I hadn¡¯t up until recently, but now I¡¯ve seen a few on DVD. And Arisu-san hasn¡¯t changed. Just so long as she continues to help me out and support me, I¡¯d love to see her act again. If only for her own peace of mind, and to show those who betrayed her they never beat her.¡± Arisu-san blinked at me, and she had a reaction for the second time in quick succession. Seeing that, Ogawa-san pressed me further.


    ¡°You said you were just friends earlier, but are you sure? You sound awfully close.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are close friends. That¡¯s natural.¡± I agreed, brushing her insinuations off. ¡°Arisu-san may be a beautiful woman, but she¡¯s been hurt before. I¡¯m cheering her on to find happiness however she can, our mutual friend is too. And if I can do anything to help her, I will, no question asked.¡±


    ¡°I see. Looks like you might have some more competition, Kanzaki-chan.¡± Ogawa-chan giggled. ¡°Oh, there was one thing...¡±


    Arisu-san frowned, and I also sensed something was wrong. ¡°There are those die-hard fans of Ryusei-kun, Mei-chan and the others who say all of the evidence against them is simply lies, fabricated by the government because you are a priceless Chosen? Not that we at FujiTV believe such, we don¡¯t do that, just as we didn¡¯t before, Arisu-chan. But... with Akio-kun¡¯s words, it does sound a little more persuasive... uh...¡± Ogawa-san, Endou-san and even Kanzaki-chan were going pale as Arisu-san¡¯s fury rose, triggering her League. It was nothing to me, but to these ordinary people it was like being crushed. I used more wind to distract her, but it didn¡¯t work. My thoughts raced, and I realised I needed to act before her temper caused a scene on live TV. I quickly grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly, and she looked down, her oppressive League scattering.


    ¡°What was... oh my god, camera, camera!¡± The crew were zooming in on our hands, but I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± I mouthed, wind preventing it from being heard, and she used her previous technique to transmit more words to me.


    ¡°I apologise. After expecting you to be the one to make such a mistake, I let my anger get the best of me. I... have grown rather prickly over the years. Now... best release my hand. I am fine, I assure you. This will fuel scandal. Not that it will hurt you, seeing as you confessed to eleven girlfriends already. Poor White...¡±


    Nodding, I let go, before I used my Majesty and Charm. Kanzaki-san let out a small whimper, her face red, licking her lips as she looked at me, while even Ogawa-san started looking at me dreamily. Not that I need that, thank you! Endou-san and the camera crew were all focused on me, so I used the distraction. ¡°I appreciate the work the free press does. I think the truth is important. And you know the truth here.¡± They were nodding along to my words, though the fast breathing of Kanzaki-chan was a little off-putting. ¡°None of the evidence is lies. You aren¡¯t entirely incorrect though. I did pull in a few favours with some connected people to dig it up. But it was unearthed, not fabricated, and anyone that says otherwise... well, you make an enemy of Arisu-san, and you also make an enemy of me. Ryusei...¡± He didn¡¯t deserve an honorific. ¡°... reaps what he sows. Worse, he missed out. What kind of idiot would ever betray Arisu-san?¡±


    ¡°I think you have gone too far...¡± Arisu-san whispered, but I shook my head.


    ¡°No, I disagree. Obviously the evidence presented to the media is just enough to prove their guilt, the majority will be saved for the courts. Arisu-san¡¯s status as a Chosen should have nothing to do with it. Justice is for all, isn¡¯t it? For rich or poor, for Chosen or not. I was able to do something about it, so I did. If you disapprove, does that mean you prefer an innocent woman to be stained with false accusations, her career she loved destroyed? All because you¡¯re a fan of some trash? If so, please come see me and tell me that to my face. I¡¯ll be happy to discuss it.¡± I lowered my Charm and Majesty once more, releasing the rapt attention of the anchors and Kanzaki-chan, the latter of which was staring at me with brilliant pink cheeks. With a smile, she clapped her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s so touching! Idols know the pain of scandal too. If only someone would be so bold as to destroy all the lies told about us!¡±


    Feeling a little regretful she was caught up in my Charm offensive, I winked. ¡°Sure, how about this? If you or any of your fellow members get into trouble, I¡¯ll see what I can do. But I won¡¯t cover up genuine misdeeds, all right?¡±


    Kanzaki-chan leaned back in her chair, pointing her finger-pistols are her own chest. ¡°Bang bang! I¡¯m shot through the heart! But I¡¯ll hold you to that, all right?¡±


    ¡°He may be an idiot, and a womaniser, who I am watching at work right now it seems...¡± Arisu-san broke in. ¡°But a liar he is most certainly not. More promises made. You never learn.¡± She rolled her eyes at me. ¡°I was predisposed to despise you from what I heard of you from White, but I surprise myself that I tolerate you so.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no mystery.¡± Kanzaki-chan giggled, her flush not diminishing. ¡°You¡¯re great friends. I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Great? You exaggerate. But I admit, he is considerate in his own clumsy way. Now...¡± she turned her cold gaze back on the two anchors. ¡°How about some proper questions, else we shall take our leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should have taken your feelings into account more, Arisu-chan, do forgive me.¡± Endou-san apologised, mopping sweat from his brow. He shot me a nervous look, before continuing. ¡°But it is what people are saying, like it or not. Just as you value the truth, so do we here at FujiTV. But maybe if they had to say it to your face, Akio-kun, they¡¯d keep it to themselves.¡± He laughed nervously. ¡°You are a very protective man it seems. Now... how about a change of pace? Audience questions?¡±


    Arisu-san had mentioned this before we started. The questions wouldn¡¯t really be from the audience, but it made the viewers feel more included, so it was a trick often used by talk shows.


    ¡°Fine. I hope it¡¯s a fun one.¡± I smiled to show I had no hard feelings, although I was still rather annoyed.


    ¡°Fun you say? Okay, on a protecting theme, with fun... here¡¯s one. This is from...¡± he read out a name and a location. ¡°... my question is... what¡¯s Princess Eleanor like? And have you ever met our own Imperial Princess? How do they compare?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious too!¡± Kanzaki-chan leaned in, smiling. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the saviour of Britain, even the Queen said so. That¡¯s so awesome.¡±


    ¡°A safe question. I suppose.¡± Arisu-san sighed. ¡°I shall sit this one out. Feel free to try and answer without causing diplomatic incidents.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Eleanor, huh? Yeah, she¡¯s a woman who takes her responsibilities seriously. She¡¯s very dedicated to Britain and the lives and protection of her citizens. I first met her...¡± I went on to detail our first meeting in a way that made her look less irritable. ¡°...so yeah, she¡¯s very against polygamy, but the girls talked her around. Getting a picture with some of my girlfriends with the Queen was a highlight of my trip. As for afterwards, the defence of London... yeah, she didn¡¯t take a backwards step, protecting her friends and allies even at the cost of her own life. Fortunately we were there to stop that cost from needing to be paid. Afterwards... we made common cause, and diplomatically, Britain and Japan are closer than ever. I like her, she¡¯s a good girl.¡±


    Arisu-san groaned quietly at my flippant answer, but I thought it was fine. ¡°As for Princess Mikasa, yeah, I¡¯ve met her. I¡¯ve met a lot of important people recently. She¡¯s a kind girl, but a lonely one. It¡¯s hard being a Princess, I think. Fortunately she has a very good friend who cares for her a lot. And she¡¯s a hard worker too. In fact, she and Eleanor are a lot alike. So we should be proud we have a Princess who cares about her country and its citizens too. As for comparisons, I wouldn¡¯t dream of it. They both have their quirks. But I¡¯d say as Princesses go, they both get my seal of approval!¡±


    ¡°And I am very sure they¡¯d be gratified to hear that, from the hero of Britain himself.¡± Endou-san said. ¡°You¡¯re half-British yourself, aren¡¯t you Akio-kun? Doesn¡¯t that lead to any issues? Perhaps you feel more strongly drawn to Britain than Japan?¡±


    This, huh? My mom and father had raised me fairly, not to be prejudiced to other nations and cultures, and while it came harder for my father, he has travelled abroad for work, unlike a lot of Japanese. But even when I was young there were a few problems at school, and mom had it hard too. If it wasn¡¯t for uncle and auntie helping us integrate... ¡°That¡¯s a foolish question. I do what I can. Britain needed help, so we gave it. When Japan does, I of course step up. Otherwise the Diet wouldn¡¯t put so much trust in us. My race doesn¡¯t matter. But I do see myself as Japanese, I¡¯ve lived here since before I started elementary school. My sister was born here. But I also have a British heritage too, and more importantly... I¡¯m a citizen of this world. We all are. And those of us who were Chosen know what that means, whether we like it or not. Can we have a better question please?¡± I tried and likely failed to keep the irritation out of my voice this time. Sorry Arisu-san.


    There was a faint, mosquito-buzz of a noise I could hear, and on concentrating, it was coming from the ear of Endou-san. Using aether I amplified my hearing, while Arisu-san answered a question from Kanzaki-chan on whether she¡¯d ever met any Princesses.


    ¡°... ratings domestically are breaking all records, international markets are paying vast sums for delayed live feeds. But we need to up the ante. Ask some more hard-hitting questions. Yes, I promised Arisu-chan, but she¡¯ll understand. It¡¯s all publicity, everything is down to ratings, just like the film industry...¡±


    All right, that sounds annoying. ¡°So, a new question from our viewers.¡± Endou-san said, and I braced myself. ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like to see what all the fuss is about. Please both demonstrate your abilities. Despite what the government says, I think it¡¯s all talk, smoke and mirrors.¡± Endou-san read it out triumphantly.


    Arisu-san immediately declined. ¡°I shall pass. I am not so... high-profile as Akio-san here. And he has some tricks that are easy on the eye.¡±


    Despite the hosts trying to cajole her, she steadfastly refused. In the end even Kanzaki-chan was uncomfortable. ¡°Please, it¡¯s rude to bully a lady. Let her retain her aura of mystery. That¡¯s part of her charm.¡± She winked at me then and mouthed that she¡¯d return the favour.


    ¡°Yes, I tell you what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll show you two things to compensate.¡± I promised, and was glad that I had recovered some light element. Raising a hand, I created a rather convincing duplicate of Kanzaki-chan, though I was having to run Body Enhancement to do so. With my Split Thoughts suppressed to keep my dual bodies running everything is so much more difficult. But it¡¯s all good training. Maybe I¡¯ll Rank up soon...


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s me!¡± Kanzaki-san grinned. She reached out and her hands went through it, the light rippling before reforming. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s like I¡¯m a Vocaloid. Just... in three dimensions, with no screen?¡±


    Time for wind element. ¡°Here¡¯s the second trick.¡± I let the jade light flash around us, and suddenly the illusion spoke back. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s like I¡¯m the real Kanzaki-chan?¡± The image moved, pointing finger-pistols at her cutely.


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t quite get the voice right. Too many complicated vibrations.¡± I laughed, making the illusion dance and call out words. After a while I let it dissipate, but in a spectacular fashion, making a loud thunderclap with wind and a flash of brilliant golden light. ¡°So how was that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried. Maybe you could replace me... hey...¡± She flushed suddenly, looking down shyly. ¡°You don¡¯t do anything... weird... with abilities like that, right?¡±


    ¡°He has eleven lovers. You think he has time for such plays? Besides, unless he has seen you in a state of undress, it would merely be guesswork. And you can hardly touch it, can you?¡± Arisu-san sniffed.


    ¡°That was amazing. But... we want to see something that shows us you¡¯re the hero of Britain, not these... admittedly impressive party tri... ahh...¡± He staggered and fell backwards as I swept a beam of light across the floor in front of him, smoke rising as a furrow was cut in the tiles. The beam continued until it struck an unused camera rig, slicing through metal and plastic, scattering hot sparks as it collapsed.


    ¡°Be careful what you ask for.¡± I sighed, dismissing the light.


    ¡°Yes, I feel that for entertainment, the first trick was far more suitable.¡± Arisu-san said, but her gaze was hard and her tone a warning. ¡°Now, perhaps we should move on? Or would you like Akio-san to demonstrate some combat? Though it would be against you, Endou-san, Akio-san does not care for bullying girls.¡±


    As Ogawa-san sighed in relief, Endou-san continued to wipe his sweaty brow. ¡°No, no. That was perfect.¡± His earpiece was urging him to continue, and after a minute, he narrowed his eyes, though he did glance at the destroyed rig and gouged floor. I could almost see him thinking that since it was live I couldn¡¯t hurt him. True, but I can certainly strike back in other ways after this...


    ¡°Fine then. One more audience question. And this one is from anonymous. They chose to withhold their identity. Because what they have to say is very interesting.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How so?¡± Arisu-san asked. ¡°For someone who works for FujiTV, you seem to disregard the rules of basic courtesy for your guests. Perhaps we shall decline to answer and cut this short. I believe the viewing public would see your repeated rudeness as reason enough.¡±


    ¡°Rude? No, we at FujiTV simply pride ourselves on impartiality without fear or favour, even for you, Arisu-chan! So... the question is I work for a company where our CEO has been ill for a long time, with a number of untreatable conditions. I then discovered that Oshiro Akio healed him, receiving a significant sum of money in the process. I did some digging, and it seems this has been happening over and over again, rich businessmen and politicians receiving favourable help for money. But when I looked into it deeper, not a single poor person had ever been healed. I think Oshiro-san is no hero, but simply out for himself and what he can get!¡± Endou-san was trembling a little, but he looked at us triumphantly. ¡°So, that¡¯s our question. Just like with our lovely Arisu-chan here, and her insistence that proof will tell, we have some, of course, provided by our inquisitive anonymous viewer. And I repeat your past words to you, Akio-kun. You do what you can. Help is needed, so you gave it. So then, where is all the help for the poor dying children, cancer patients, elderly poor who are suffering, the weak and downtrodden? Your answer please? And yes, you can leave, but that¡¯s an answer in itself that our viewers might find telling...¡±


    Arisu-san and I met each other¡¯s gaze, and she nodded, though her fists were clenching hard enough for her red-painted nails to dig into her flesh, and her lip was now plum with her blood where she had bit down, furious and ashamed. Yes, you asked me to come, but this isn¡¯t your fault. No... fortunately... I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while, and I did already make preparations, even if I¡¯ve not enacted them yet. So, a battle... Yes, it was a battle now, even if it was with words, ideas and persuasion, rather than swords, elements and aether...

 Four Hundred And Forty-One

    Four Hundred And Forty-One


    ¡°You are playing a very dangerous game.¡± Arisu-san was the first to break the stunned silence. The sheer frostiness of her tone made Kanzaki-chan flinch, looking down pale-faced.


    ¡°Is that a threat, Arisu-chan?¡± Endou-san said, holding his ground. ¡°Your army of fans would be so disappointed to see you acting this way. You were always so elegant and composed back then.¡±


    ¡°A threat? Please.¡± She scoffed in response. ¡°Why would I threaten you? Besides, it is hardly me you need to be wary of upsetting.¡± She cast her glance towards the sliced and still smouldering camera rig. ¡°As for my fans...¡± she continued, displeased. ¡°I dare say there are those who believed in me all this time, and to you...¡± she turned to the camera and managed a cold yet beautiful smile. ¡°I thank you. It means a great deal to me, to have those who believe in me. Those who believed the lies or turned on me, however... betrayers and snakes are never forgiven. I no longer need you. I will rebuild my life without you.¡±


    ¡°So brave...¡± Kanzaki-chan managed quietly.


    ¡°...Surely you need to be more wary of slandering the hero of Britain, who by your own admission is rather close to both Princess Eleanor of Britain, our own Imperial Princess, and has placed a great number of the rich and powerful in his debt. And who can cut metal and plastic with mere light as he wills it. No... Miyauchi is playing a dangerous game.¡± Any respect in her tone was now gone, along with honorifics for whoever that was.


    ¡°Miyauchi-san has nothing to do with this...¡± Endou-san said, losing control of the interview a little, and Arisu-san gave him a withering glance full of contempt. ¡°Of course not. Forgive me if this does not make good television, but I did wonder why this was live, but I thought Miyauchi would keep his word to me. Perhaps I was not clear enough.¡± She looked at me then, and I nodded, saying she could continue. ¡°I know what he will be saying right now, that I should understand, that this is simply the way of show business and the media, especially talk shows dealing with celebrities. The pair of you are quite popular presenters, no?¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Ogawa-san managed weakly.


    ¡°It is plain to me that you have been investigating Akio-san before this programme was even conceived. I have to admit being impressed by your thoroughness. Ratings for this live broadcast must surely be awe inspiring.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should be proud you are the star of one of, if not the highest grossing talk show in history. Perhaps even the most watched show in history!¡± Endou-san boasted, though his eyes betrayed he was aware that Arisu-san was still coldly furious.


    ¡°Oh, I am. So let me show my gratitude. You asked about Akio-san¡¯s healings. Akio-san, would you be prepared to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mind. I am excellent at healing, I can fix a lot of illnesses and injuries that medicines can¡¯t. But it¡¯s not trivial.¡±


    ¡°So you can fight, create illusions, heal... is there anything you can¡¯t do, Akio-kun?¡± Ogawa-san took the opportunity to press me. I heard the whine of the earpiece in Endou-san¡¯s ear, and with a tiny flick of wind I cracked it, causing it to fizz sparks as it died, Endou-san giving a startled yelp.


    ¡°The are some buzzing mosquitos about. Did one bite you?¡± Arisu-san remarked as Endou-san groped at his tender ear. ¡°A shame.¡±


    ¡°Let me answer your question. There¡¯s lots I can¡¯t do, of course. But even more I can.¡± I declared. ¡°I would like to make a phone call. Do we have a fax number here at the studio?¡±


    I looked at Ogawa-san, flaring my Charm and Majesty again, and she nodded, a little dazed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s....¡± she gave it to me without complaining.


    Grabbing my phone, I started dialling a number. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Hinata answered on the other end. ¡°Those jerks.¡± Hinata raged. ¡°Grandfather will be complaining to the station, I¡¯ll get grandfather Itsuki to as well! The sheer nerve of them!¡± I could hear several people around Hinata telling her to calm down.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not exactly thrilled myself, but dealing with public opinion was something we were always going to have to work on. Do you have the draft documents for the charitable plan we discussed? If so, please fax them to...¡± I rattled off the number I was given.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°And quickly too, I don¡¯t want to miss anything. Arisugawa-san is rather fiery. I almost feel sorry for those fools. Not that it¡¯ll stop me destroying them. Oh... by the way, Kana says she¡¯s embarrassed at you calling out to her on live TV, but she definitely wants that date.¡± I heard Kana protest, and Hinata finished with ¡°Love you! Goodbye!¡± and hung up.


    As I spoke, Arisu-san was finally answering the leading, almost accusatory question that Endou-san had delivered. ¡°Perhaps it is not for me to answer, but I feel a certain guilt, as I asked Akio-san to be here, and he does not deserve such callous disregard for his efforts. So, we talked about the equitable distribution of wealth, did we not?¡±


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Kanzaki-chan whispered to me as all attention was on Arisu-san.


    ¡°One of eleven.¡± I laughed. ¡°And someone that FujiTV probably doesn¡¯t want to make an enemy of. Knowing her, she¡¯ll probably end up buying the station just so she can fire everyone. But...¡±


    ¡°So, if the median salary is four and a half million yen, what does a top surgeon earn? Nothing, I would expect you will tell me, considering your disgust at Akio-san earning a fair price for his efforts.¡± Arisu-san continued.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Kanzaki-chan insisted. ¡°We work hard as idols, and maybe some would do it for free out of love, but those sorts never last... we have to make a living, right.¡±


    True. I can¡¯t say I haven¡¯t felt bad about it, hence why we whipped up the plans Hinata is sending over now. But I can¡¯t just do charity exclusively. ¡°Thanks. I mean, I need the money, I have big family to support.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Kanzaki-chan giggled quietly. ¡°Being a good provider isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Now imagine my shock when I find that doctors, surgeons and the like get paid, and paid well.¡± Arisu-san continued her rebuttal. ¡°I imagine the average is around twenty million yen a year, and for those with truly exceptional skills... I would think they get paid as much as they wish. Is that so wrong? Besides, are you working for free, Endou-san, Ogawa-san? I expect not, though I believe you are hardly providing value for money right now.¡± Arisu-san was still on the offensive. ¡°And I am sure you make a great deal of charitable donations, volunteer and do many other good works, no? In fact, let us compare.¡± She turned to me with a smile. ¡°Akio-san, how many lives have you saved these past months?¡±


    ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t say. Many thousands at least, perhaps tens of thousands. Though I couldn¡¯t save everyone.¡± I admitted, remembering the dead. Even so, hearing it spelled out, I do feel a bit proud. I¡¯ve accepted what I can and can¡¯t do. And now Tsukiko is back, all I have to do is grow stronger and I can prevent as many future tragedies as I can. But still not all of them. Because no one can do that. All we can do is the best we can. ¡°I¡¯ve also helped shape policies that will save more. So... I think I can be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°And you, Endou-san?¡± Arisu-san pressed.


    ¡°I... it¡¯s hardly fair to compare!¡± he protested, his sweat-soaked brow dripping. ¡°The sums involved...¡±


    ¡°Are quite justified. Were you or your wife... oh, are you married Endou-san? If so, I expect she will not be watching proudly right now.¡± Arisu-san got another savage dig in, but delivered in such an elegant manner that it seemed almost cool, not cruel. ¡°...were either of you, or perhaps your children, dying or disabled, would you not pay for any miracle? In fact, Akio-san has been rather modest in his demands. Expensive yes, but what price is good health?¡±


    ¡°As I said to Kanzaki-chan here, I have a big family. And other reasons for making money too. I don¡¯t feel ashamed to say I want my family and those I love to have a good standard of living. And if I can earn money, while also helping people, I¡¯m happy to do so.¡± It was then that a staffer rushed in, holding a faxed document, and handed it to Ogawa-san, who looked at it, scanning it. Her eyes narrowed, and then she swallowed.


    ¡°Is this genuine?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I would say so. It¡¯s signed by the current Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.¡± I replied, sure of my victory over this question. ¡°Kanzaki-san...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked, pleased to be back on show, as this programme was also for her to boost her image.


    ¡°Imagine you could heal many diseases and illnesses, perhaps even regrow lost limbs or organs. But each takes time and effort, and you¡¯re very limited in how much you can spare. After all, you have your own life, your own demands, and if you spent all your time healing, perhaps it might lead to worse tragedies.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯d feel bad. I¡¯d want to help, but... I wouldn¡¯t know who to. As an idol I¡¯d of course say my fans!¡± she managed to get that in. ¡°But as a person... it would be horrible. There¡¯s so many in need. Oh wait, I get it!¡± She bounced on her chair, smiling. ¡°If I think about it, you¡¯re not any different to anyone else. Even here in Japan, there are the homeless and downtrodden. But even those who can afford to be charitable have to be selective, as their money will run out otherwise. I mean, isn¡¯t that why we¡¯re doing the charity concert, where AKB48 will be debuting our new single!¡± she reminded the audience again. ¡°The difference is you¡¯re not all talk, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Indeed he is not.¡± Arisu-san agreed. ¡°Now Ogawa-san, read.¡± Her tone was menacing, and the woman blanched, but she did as ordered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget actors and idols too.¡± I said, drawing a giggle from Kanzaki-chan. ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s a great question.¡± And a variant on one we rehearsed. Which helps. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of who asked it.¡± As Arisu-san raised an eyebrow at my flattery, I pretended to think. ¡°It feels... a bit unreal, to be honest. Now, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s other Chosen watching, and they¡¯ll understand. This all came from nowhere. One day I was working on a number of side projects, and...¡± I went on to describe my old job, before touching a little on the shock of meeting nobles, politicians and Princesses. ¡°So during the battle for London, I was torn. It¡¯s one thing fighting monsters...¡± I confessed. ¡°But when it comes down to battling other Chosen who are intent on doing evil, or criminals... it¡¯s hard. I agonised over it. But like I said earlier, Eleanor is brave, and didn¡¯t hesitate to put her own life on the line for Britain. I wish every Chosen was as principled as her.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Kanzaki-chan looked down, her expression doubtful. ¡°Monsters? There are really monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are.¡± I shrugged. ¡°How are you with spiders, cockroaches and centipedes?¡± I asked, and she shuddered.


    ¡°Disgusting. I hate those!¡±


    ¡°I am not overfond of them myself, but the consolation is disposing of them hardly feels like anything but a chore.¡± Arisu-san remarked. I bet she¡¯s the sort of woman who takes a slipper to any pests she sees in her house without so much as batting an eye. Very little phases her.


    ¡°Cockroaches the size of big dogs, centipedes as long as buses... yeah, I¡¯ve fought them all. Evil mushrooms that spread death, even a wannabe dragon...¡± As I launched into some safely edited tales, Kanzaki-chan listened, equal parts repulsed and fascinated. I¡¯m not going to mention sapient enemies. That¡¯s a step too far...


    ********


    ¡°...so the laws actually make a lot of sense.¡± I pointed out, the rather dry talk of how the new Ministry was going to shape national policy concluding. Arisu-san was an excellent host, her questions insightful, and she made sure to bring Kanzaki-chan into it as well. ¡°I know I said earlier that the Gods told us that great danger is coming. And I have no doubt that¡¯s true, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re working on things right now. There¡¯s no need to panic, I can assure you. I¡¯m sure we have time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there? I¡¯m a bit nervous, I¡¯ll be honest. I don¡¯t want to die before I¡¯m finally the centre, so not before the... oops, nearly gave away something I shouldn¡¯t!¡± Kanzaki-chan winked.


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry, when the time comes, whatever happens, those of us who were Chosen will step up. So you can rely on us.¡± I promised.


    ¡°You heard him. The hero of Britain is confident that he can protect us. I too give you my pledge, as Arisugawa Arisu, that I too will do what I can. And we are not alone. Chosen may be one in a hundred thousand, but there are many worldwide who are prepared to do what must be done. Not all...¡± she sniffed. ¡°...there are those that put selfish interests first, but since when has that not been the case? But if you are still worried, if you fear for the future, do not panic, do not despair. There are ways you can help as well. The most important thing you can do is to remain calm. Life goes on. Even in wartime we need stability. Without workers producing food, goods and more, doctors and nurses, delivery drivers, power and telecoms workers... then everything collapses. So do your part, and we promise you, we will do ours, right, oh great hero of Britain, face of the Chosen in Japan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can trust us.¡± I promised.


    ¡°So then, do you feel reassured, Kanzaki-san?¡± Arisu-san asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ve had a lot of fun, and it¡¯s been educational. I was a bit surprised by all the chaos, but it¡¯s been a great experience. And I got to meet my ideal man.¡± She laughed prettily. ¡°Now don¡¯t be jealous my wonderful fans, if you want to be my ideal man too, try harder!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I apologise for the chaos, but do not worry, I daresay there will be changes at FujiTV soon.¡± Arisu-san said. The assistant producer, who hadn¡¯t been kicked out when Arisu-san took over, signalled it was time to close up, so Arisu-san went into her closing speech.


    ¡°So, one last comments from everyone. Akio-san, Kanzaki-san, what question did you wish you could have asked or answered, but we did not have time? For me, I am disappointed I never got to speak about the charity concert more. A... friend of mine is appearing. I would ask that you, the viewers, look forward to it, but be gentle. She believes herself a shining star of the idol world, but reality is often cruel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now I¡¯m curious. I¡¯ve seen the billing, so... who could it be? If she¡¯s your friend, I¡¯d like to meet her!¡± Kanzaki-chan gushed. ¡°As for me...¡± she grinned, blushing. ¡°I wanted to ask Akio-kun here which of his girlfriends are prettiest, and whether they were as pretty as me, but I figured he wouldn¡¯t say.¡±


    Arisu-san and I both froze at that. She recovered first, shaking her head. ¡°Yes, Akio-san may be rather dense at times, but not even he would be so foolish as to touch that one. Besides, such would spark a riot amongst them, and while some of them are rather more ordinary than others... no, perhaps the disaster the Gods spoke of would be his harem rioting in response to that question. It would certainly be destructive enough to qualify.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that was a funny joke, Arisu-chan! You aren¡¯t as strict as you seem. I¡¯m delighted I got to see more of the real you.¡± Kanzaki-chan said, and I had to laugh. Yeah, there¡¯s flashes of humanity buried deep in her cold exterior.


    ¡°A joke was it? Hmm...¡± Arisu-san said, and I took over.


    ¡°Yeah, to me they¡¯re all beautiful. So I would never pick. As for you... yeah, you¡¯re cute Kanzaki-chan, no question. I can see why you have a lot of fans. But for me, there¡¯s not anyone cuter or more beautiful than my girls.¡±


    ¡°Not even Arisu-chan?¡± she said slyly, and I glanced at my aloof friend.


    ¡°I think anyone with eyes can see her beauty, but a girlfriend is always special, right? Now, my question... I guess I¡¯d have liked to ask if you¡¯ve got enough pull to get my sis and her friends backstage at any of your concerts? Like I said earlier, she¡¯s a big idol fangirl.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. For you...¡± she made her finger-pistols again, miming shooting me and blowing smoke. ¡°...I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    ¡°Good. So, this is Arisugawa Arisu, your interim host, signing off. Thank you for watching.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Kanzaki-chan, AKB48¡¯s shining star, saying farewell. If you¡¯re an international viewer who doesn¡¯t know our stuff, you could do worse than check out Akio-kun¡¯s recommendations from earlier! Don¡¯t be strangers!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio.¡± At that Kanzaki-chan looked surprised, giggling, as she hadn¡¯t heard my middle name before. ¡°All I can say is, the world may be changing, but if we work together, we¡¯ll get by, just like always. No, better than always!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a wrap. Good job...¡± the assistant producer said, face pale. ¡°... so, uh...¡±


    ¡°I suggest you make yourself scarce. Miyauchi will be coming to explain himself, and it had best be convincing...¡± Arisu-san¡¯s frosty temperament was back on full display.


    ¡°So, do you have plans for later?¡± Kanzaki-chan asked. ¡°Oh, and can we exchange numbers? We¡¯ll need to so I can cash in that favour you promised if I¡¯m ever in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± I held out my phone and moments later our contact details were exchanged. ¡°As for plans, I do, but...¡±


    ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t the three of us go out and celebrate? We¡¯ve broken all ratings records, right? We might even make that famous book of records!¡±


    I glanced at Arisu-san, who shrugged, leaving it to me. Looking at the bright-eyed and keen Kanzaki-chan, I didn¡¯t have the heart to turn her down. Fortunately with Arisu-san there we won¡¯t have to worry about scandals... ¡°Fine, but only for a little while. After all, I¡¯ve got to get back to my eleven rioting girlfriends, who have probably been riled up by your question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bad.¡± She laughed, covering her mouth with one hand cutely. ¡°How about to make it up to you I get you some signed merchandise for your sister? What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°I see she has already figured you out.¡± Arisu-san sighed. ¡°Come, before we go, I have to deal with our last lingering issue.¡± The door opened, revealing a very scared older man, slightly chubby and with thinning hair.


    ¡°Arisu-chan, I can explain...¡± he began, and she snorted, crossing her arms, glaring at him.


    ¡°I am sure you can. So... you had best begin. I am lacking patience, for some reason.¡±


    Yeah, Arisu-san, I¡¯m sure glad I never had to face her as an enemy. Screw the Raven Knight for nearly forcing us into that conflict. Oh well... as we listened to his profuse apologies, Arisu-san verbally destroying him, Kanzaki-san and I exchanged glances, before we both started laughing. Sure, the interview went off the rails, but thanks to Arisu-san, I think everything went all right...

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Two – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Two ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    I watched the large room, on a par with the size of our whole house back in Nishimorioka, as it started to seem small, so crowded with people it was. Bro¡¯s house sure is something. But then, ours is hardly modest. Wow, to think this day would come. I mean, I had thought bro was rich after Las Vegas, but... to reach this level. As his beloved little sister, I was feeling a twinge of pride in my chest, and my eyes felt hot. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m finally a part of everything. Taking part in important events, together with everyone...


    ¡°You can sit with us, Tsukiko-chan. Unless you want to sit with some of Aki¡¯s other girls?¡± mom was saying to the beautiful, slightly otherworldly woman who bro had somehow brought back from the dead. I¡¯m so happy though. Bro may never let go of the guilt of those who died in the first battle of Kyoto, but now that Eri¡¯s healed and Tsukiko-chan is back, at least his worst sorrows are over with.


    ¡°I do not mind sitting with you.¡± she said softly, and my mom squealed in delight.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s so adorable. Hana, this is a battlefield, our battlefield! You too, Nagi... oh, is that a bit forward of me? Maybe I should call you Nagi-san...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. After all...¡± The woman who looked like a pretty older version of Kana-chan said with a charming little laugh. ¡°...our children will be getting married. There¡¯s no need for excessive formalities.¡± She looked over fondly at where Kana-chan was, along with Marika-chan, Keomi-chan, two sisters I didn¡¯t recognise, as well as one girl who looked a little out of place. Sana-chan, right?


    ¡°Yes, we, the mother-in-law group, have a role to fulfil!¡± mom said enthusiastically. ¡°The alcohol is out, ready to drink, and we have juice and tea for the younger party. Food is almost ready, and snacks are on hand. Our fight is to make sure this party, to celebrate Aki¡¯s talk show, goes well!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a mother-in-law, Emi...¡± auntie sighed. ¡°Unless you are letting little Ai marry her brother. Then you might know how I feel.¡±


    Wow! My face flared red at her tired, exasperated comeback to mom. No, no way! Me and bro totally aren¡¯t like that! Mom laughed too. ¡°Now come on, Hana, don¡¯t be like that. Though...¡± she turned to look at me, and I shook my head, mortified. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no way. Aki and Ai are totally normal. Just... very close. Now, setting that aside...¡± she turned back to Tsukiko-chan. ¡°Your parents, we¡¯ll have to get to know them too. How do you think they will react?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to predict. Our relationship was not one of parents and child, I am afraid. They treated me more as an object of worship, so...¡±


    Turning away from that sad conversation, trusting that my bro could sort everything out if given enough time, I looked over at Shiro, who was with her friends. That odd American girl who kept claiming she was Japanese, Suzu-chan, was there, a lollipop in her mouth as always. That hair though. It¡¯s so classic it hurts. It must take her hours and a lot of hairspray and styling wax to get it so perfect...


    ¡°Man, Aki has all the luck. The girl to guy ratio is awfully high here.¡± My bro¡¯s friend Yasu-san was saying, looking around.


    ¡°Sure, but they are either on the young side, or already taken. So just suck it up.¡± Another man, Shugo-san, slapped him on the shoulder reassuringly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hear that from someone dating a hot teacher!¡± Yasu-san howled, before turning to an older woman who was sitting with their group, dressed in a rather smart blouse and business-like skirt. ¡°Console me, Karen-chan! You know the pain of being single, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful, Yasu-san.¡± Karen-chan said, and I screamed internally. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re single! You can¡¯t say that to an older woman. Though she looks great for her age. Wait, are you flirting with her? If so, you need to work on your game, my bro¡¯s way smoother than... damn, when did calling my bro a virgin loser turn into my being proud of his charm?


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Aimi-chan, the short woman with the large chest giggled. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m pretty certain you could get a guy easy enough. A good-looking woman like you, stable job, good wages...¡±


    ¡°Yes, though the promise of no overtime except in exceptional circumstances was a lie.¡± Karen-chan sighed. ¡°The difference is, yes, my bank balance is healthy at least.¡±


    ¡°Please stop embarrassing me, Yasu-kun.¡± Hisano-chan, his cute younger cousin said with a sigh. Today she was in a pastel blue dress with a long skirt, her hair done tidily in braids. She looks cute in glasses. Glasses do suit a certain sort of girl. Oh no, I sound like a dirty old man. Bro must be rubbing off on me...


    Dad and uncle were hanging around the booze with Kana-chan¡¯s father and the handsome one of my bro¡¯s friends, Hayato-kun. They were talking boring business, so I decided to give them a wide berth. Besides, if I sit with dad, no booze for me!


    No, the most interesting group was as always, the group of my bro¡¯s girlfriends. Especially today, as in addition to Shaeula¡¯s friend Ichika-chan, who seemed to be an ordinary, if rather cute, university student, and seemed a bit ill at ease, we had another couple of guests. It¡¯s stuff like this I was missing out on being stuck in Nishimorioka. Don¡¯t worry Yae-chan, Rika-chan, in a few months you too can follow your dreams!


    ¡°It¡¯s my day off. I wanted to spend it sleeping.¡± Another pretty young woman yawned. ¡°The Detective is always making me work long hours. I¡¯m sick of it. Maybe there¡¯s some job opportunities working for Oshiro-san?¡± Apparently she was a policewoman. But even she was eclipsed by the other guest, who I had met just yesterday. She tilted her head curiously, the golden coins in her hair jingling and chiming, as she asked a curious question.


    ¡°So you are a defender of the peace? A Way-Warden, then? A noble calling.¡±


    ¡°A what now?¡± the policewoman, Usui-chan, said, confused. ¡°Oh, I get it, she¡¯s one of you, right?¡± She rolled her eyes at Shaeula, who snorted some laughter.


    ¡°Indeed-indeed. You are quite correct. This is Princess Ffionnan of the Seelie Court, and most-most noble visitor. Do please excuse her curiosity and lack-lack of knowledge. She is not-not as versed in the ways of the mortal world as I!¡± Shaeula stuck out her modest chest as she boasted, only for Eri to puncture her pomposity.


    ¡°You¡¯re hardly an expert, Shaeula. You¡¯ve just been here a bit longer is all. Your knowledge is a bit biased towards Akio¡¯s tastes and what you¡¯ve done together.¡±


    As the other girls laughed, Hinata-chan finding that especially amusing, her bodyguard, the quiet Kazumi-chan covering her own smile with a hand, Shaeula started to protest. Strolling over, I sat down, as there was a good view of the large projector screen that had been set up so that we could all watch my bro.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re always saying something odd, Shaeula.¡± I teased. ¡°But you¡¯re still adorable.¡± I turned to Usui-chan. ¡°So yeah, this one¡¯s having her first trip to the Material today. Apparently it was just her as it put that Chinese girl to near-exhaustion moving her over. That slutty fox wanted to come too, but fortunately she missed out. I think she¡¯s still bothering Shaeula¡¯s parents, right?¡± And my bro¡¯s Astral body is still there, too. At the nod from her, I continued. ¡°So, how was it, Princess? Suitably impressed? Ready to scale up that investment?¡±


    ¡°I have seen many interesting things.¡± Ffionnan grinned, eyes bright. ¡°Through I still am not quite sure what you mean by watching your brother. He is not here. Some sort of magic mirror? The magic carriage that brought us here was very luxurious, I would like one for my own. And this mansion is rather humble, but it seems high quality...¡± as she continued talking, I frowned. Humble? Guess she is a Princess after all then, to me this place is a palace! I remembered what Shaeula said, that I would have to help her if Ffionnan caused any trouble, though if it came to that all we had to do was protect everyone, as she would wear out the power that had sent her here quickly if she exerted herself. No, not letting that happen. If my bro comes home to a trashed house and injured friends and girlfriends he¡¯d be devastated...


    ¡°All right then.¡± Dad spoke loudly, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I believe it is due to start, so if we could all be paying attention?¡±


    The projector was turned on, and suddenly the screen lit up. Ffionnan clapped her hands in amusement, watching keenly, and I settled down to watch too, eager to see just what my bro would say, and how he¡¯d look, in front of the world...


    ********


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve stated in a prior interview that your ideal man is Oshiro Akio, the hero of Britain. Won¡¯t your fans be heartbroken to hear that, Kanzaki-chan?¡± one of the presenters asked, and I rolled my eyes. I knew it was going to be this, when I read that magazine article back in Nishimorioka.


    ¡°Oh no, my boy Aki is so sinful, charming idols now!¡± mom gushed, embarrassing me, and auntie too. ¡°Ai, do you think Aki will scoop her up as well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous thing to say...¡± Suzu-chan said suddenly, her blue eyes hard. ¡°Even a hint of a relationship is taboo to idols. That¡¯s why I¡¯m always pure and without any scandals!¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s why you¡¯re squatting in Aki¡¯s spare house.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°But whatever, that¡¯s good. I don¡¯t want you bothering Aki.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now I¡¯m pissed off.¡± Yasu-san complained. ¡°You know how I love the forty-eight! We¡¯ve seen them in Akiba a number of times, right? You get it, right Shugo-kun?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rope me into it.¡± He protested.


    As the idol, who was pretty, if not my favourite from that particular group continued calling my bro a classic Japanese hunk, which even made me blush, I looked to see Eri grinding her teeth. If she was in her cute cat form, she¡¯d be lashing her tail, ears flat against her skull...


    ¡°I prefer Red and White.¡± Kana-chan said sourly, and Hisano-chan agreed.


    ¡°Yasu-kun, please stop being embarrassing. I don¡¯t think that an idol is anything special, compared to the girls here already. Besides, it¡¯s just all talk. Suzu-san here...¡± she frowned, not being overly comfortable at calling a girl she didn¡¯t know by her first name, though the blonde girl wouldn¡¯t give any family name so we had no choice. ¡°...is right. It¡¯s just a talking point. No, it might be true, but if she did start dating anyone, never mind someone as suddenly high profile as Akio-san, it¡¯d be the end of her career. Male idol fans are ruthless.¡± She shuddered.


    ¡°Maybe so...¡± Hayato-san said, thinking. ¡°We¡¯re...¡± he looked at the other adults in the room and changed his phrasing. ¡°...people with slightly more niche hobbies than others, so we know how trashy the most rabid otaku can be, but do you think Akio-kun would stand for that now? I think he¡¯d hit back. But...¡±


    As they discussed the idol, she continued to talk up my bro, before the moment we had all been waiting for arrived, as my bro and the woman who was Shiro¡¯s friend, Arisu-san, came out. I wasn¡¯t the only one surprised.


    ¡°Simply gorgeous. That red dress...¡± dad said, drawing a funny look from mother, forcing him to reply defensively. ¡°It is true. She carriers herself with excellent poise and grace and is unmistakably beautiful. You agree, Junpei, Izumi-san?¡± The two men were smart enough to feign disinterest, and I held in a giggle at seeing a slightly different side of dad.


    ¡°Yeah, Arisu is insanely beautiful. Not as good as me...¡± Shiro grinned, stretching, her slim yet buxom body in her tight t-shirt making me think my bro was a lucky dog. ¡°But then, aside from Tsukiko, who is? She doesn¡¯t lose to anyone else, and being honest, her attitude makes her ten times hotter. Nobody does ice queen like she does.¡±


    ¡°Should you be talking about her like that, boss?¡± Suzu-chan laughed. ¡°If she hears you she¡¯ll get mad. Besides shouldn¡¯t you have eyes for someone else?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Shiro agreed, but it was the young-looking Keomi-chan who spoke first. She was accompanied as always by the silent Hotene-san, the two of them having become closer since their near-death experiences in Kyoto.


    ¡°Big brother Akio-kun looks handsome, right Kana-chan?¡± she gushed cheerfully. ¡°I bet you noticed, you¡¯re always looking at him. How far have you gone, have you kissed?¡±


    I¡¯m glad she¡¯s largely recovered. I hear Haru-chan helped with her light. She¡¯s not here today, apparently she had work. A shame, I like her a lot... Kana-chan obviously felt the same for her cousin, as despite her annoyed expression, I could see happiness in her brown eyes. ¡°Of course I¡¯ve kissed...¡± she looked at her parents, face a little red. ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl. Next you¡¯ll be asking me if I¡¯ve held hands...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous, Kan-Kan.¡± One of the sisters with her said, using a cutesy nickname, and one that I was going to love teasing her with later, and judging by the expression on Eri¡¯s face, she had the same idea.


    ¡°Yes, me too.¡± The other sister agreed. They looked like high schoolers as well, my age maybe, or a year younger perhaps. Not bad looks either, and very similar, if not twins, then certainly they could pass for them. ¡°We missed out on all the fun at the start, since you picked Keomi-chan. But now we get to take part. Us Shirohebizumi shrine maidens have to stick together!¡±


    ¡°You only did it as a part time job...¡± Kana complained. ¡°Besides, it wasn¡¯t all fun and games.¡± As the introductions on the TV were continuing, Kana sighed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be honest, he looks really good dressed up like that. I always said I would have a rich, hot older guy to take care of me. I got all that, Izumi Kana keeps her word.¡±


    ¡°Shame about the other girls, eh Kan-Kan? But what can you do?¡± the first sister giggled again, before she was shushed, as the next question was asked of my bro and Arisu-san.


    ¡°Their relationship, huh?¡± I said, into a sudden silence. There was a tension in the air, especially from Shiro, who was watching intently.


    ¡°We¡¯re good friends. Arisu-san and I are simply that.¡± My bro said, and as Arisu-san agreed, though making it sound colder than it was, Shiro relaxed.


    ¡°Damn, worried for a moment there. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if Aki decided to say he liked her then.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Eri said acerbically. ¡°I thought you were on my side at first, not wanting to share, but now you go along with all of Shaeula¡¯s schemes.¡± At those words Hinata-chan snorted a laugh, and Eri looked at her until the younger girl looked away, flushed. ¡°That¡¯s suspicious too.¡± Eri continued. ¡°So, I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d have been pushing for her. I have to admit she¡¯s beautiful, and very talented too, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d think.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I love sharing, but... I have no choice, do I? He¡¯d never get rid of you for me, would he Eri? Let alone the others. So if I have to share, I¡¯m going to take pride in sharing the best there is. But Arisu... uh, I¡¯m confident I can hold my own against anyone, but if Aki was interested in her... she¡¯d have him eating out of her hands in no time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cute side of you we don¡¯t often see.¡± The quiet girl wearing glasses, Hina-chan said, amused.


    ¡°Yeah, I know it doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± Shiro pouted. ¡°But... oh well, I think we¡¯re safe!¡±


    The adults were drinking, and when dad wasn¡¯t looking I snagged a beer. Mom and auntie saw and merely smiled at me, urging me to be sensible, and I cracked the ring pull, taking a swig. Bitter. But not totally unpleasant. Besides... other than final exams, I¡¯m a free Tokyo adult now! I deserve a beer.


    There were the usual safe questions about Akio¡¯s girls next, and he freely admitted to eleven. That made my dad sour, and he wasn¡¯t the only one, uncle and auntie looking a touch aggrieved, but they were resigned to it now, at least, and despite their grumbles, so long as Eri was happy, we all knew they¡¯d support us.


    ¡°I see everyone is accounted for. No surprises then?¡± dad asked, having been through it just as we had.


    ¡°Not for now, we had a talk with Akio last night.¡± Motoko-chan said. She was sitting very properly in seiza, as was Natsumi-chan beside her, though Hinata-chan was much more relaxed, legs lounging out much like how I was sitting. ¡°He will properly consider his own feelings, the feelings of others, and our feelings, without letting his misconceptions about things like arrangements and political gain sway him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he should pick from the heart.¡± Natsumi-chan agreed, though her face was red.


    ¡°Last night, huh?¡± I said, looking at Hinata-chan. ¡°While I was out at an important event, you were... you did, right?¡±


    Hinata-chan nodded, giggling. ¡°Yes, I am the same as the others now. Except for poor Kana and Tsukiko. Though Akio will open his arms at any time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great failure as a bodyguard.¡± Kazumi-chan spoke up ruefully. ¡°I should have died rather than allow Hinata to be deflowered before her marriage, but...¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop being so dramatic. That only applies when I don¡¯t have parental consent. Even the Three Grandfathers wouldn¡¯t criticise me. Besides, you know I¡¯m going to marry Akio. From now on, you¡¯ll stay by my side as always. Though you might need to look away a few times.¡± She flushed a rosy pink with a radiant smile.


    I rolled my eyes. Yeah, Hinata-chan is totally cute, funny and rich. No wonder my bro wanted to do her. But... it makes me feel a bit awkward, since she¡¯s younger than me. Oh, come to think of it, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan are too. They don¡¯t feel it though, unlike Hinata-chan...


    I was then snapped out of my thoughts by an incredibly rude question from the male host, accusing my bro of twisting the laws to favour himself. I wasn¡¯t the only one who was angry.


    ¡°That¡¯s rubbish.¡± Karen-chan said. ¡°And I would know. The amount of work I¡¯ve put in even though I¡¯m not a part of the Ministry... sure, some of the terms are favourable, but not just to Akio-kun, but for all the Chosen. There¡¯s only one thing he did through true self-interest...¡± she looked over at the girls.


    ¡°Yes, even the agreement to protect listed Territories does not-not benefit Akio, in fact it is quite-quite the hindrance.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°With our strength and numbers we could easily defeat most-most Territories we come across. As for what you mean, Karen... that is not-not self-interest, but merely Akio trying to please us.¡±


    ¡°And you think that¡¯s not self-interest?¡± Karen-chan exclaimed, and I agreed with her. Yeah, you¡¯ll never convince any of them, Karen-chan. Best let it go.


    ¡°I believe that learning martial arts would be advisable.¡± Motoko-chan agreed. ¡°I would be more than happy to teach everyone Tsumura...¡± Her eyes narrowed suddenly, the words the presenter on screen was speaking cutting her off. What the hell? You can¡¯t say that to my bro? You bastard!


    ¡°Such shocking insolence.¡± Ffionnan observed. ¡°Should you be allowing a commoner to slander your chosen consort that way?¡±


    Shaeula shook her head, amber eyes narrowed coldly. ¡°No, we should not-not. Hinata...¡±


    ¡°I know. That worthless fool. I will crush him and FujiTV too to make a point. I don¡¯t care how much it costs, nobody gets away with talking about Akio like that!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down.¡± mom said. ¡°I hate seeing my Aki being accused like that. It¡¯s not a fair question, but... honestly, do you think that the public won¡¯t think the same thing? People are shallow. That said, I do approve of teaching that jerk a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Way to lose my respect there mom.¡± I sniggered. ¡°But yeah, what¡¯s so wrong with getting paid for helping people? The rich always get more, that¡¯s just the way of the world.¡±


    ¡°Arisu-chan is very angry.¡± Suzu-chan giggled, watching, her blue eyes guileless and entertained. ¡°He¡¯s poked the hornet¡¯s nest, right boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the fact that they are live on TV is probably the reason she¡¯s not crushed him to a bloody mess. No, that¡¯s not fair.¡± Shiro amended. ¡°Arisu has calmed down a little lately, now her situation has improved. But not enough to get me to risk angering her.¡±


    ¡°I have to take this call.¡± Hinata-chan said, her phone ringing. My bro had said he was calling someone, and it seemed like it was Hinata-chan. ¡°Those jerks.¡± Hinata cried after picking up. ¡°Grandfather will be complaining to the station, I¡¯ll get grandfather Itsuki to as well! The sheer nerve of them!¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Natsumi-chan said, as did her silent bodyguard Kazumi-chan. That was echoed by mom and Karen-chan, as well as Usui-san, who was merely enjoying some good alcohol, watching us silently, letting her hair down after a hard day at work. ¡°There¡¯s no point getting angry. They can hear us...¡± Natsumi-chan pointed at the TV, and Hinata-chan blushed. Damn she¡¯s cute. Even cuter today. My bro may be snatching young girls, but at least he¡¯s got good taste...


    ¡°We¡¯re viewers too, we can write in and complain, right?¡± Yasu-san was saying, annoyed. ¡°Shugo-kun, Hayato-kun, you¡¯re with me, right? Aimi-chan, Hina-chan... we¡¯ll write a complaint letter so furious the heavens will tremble!¡±


    As Hisano-chan tried to calm him down, I smiled. They are friends after all. I¡¯m glad to know even my bro managed to make good ones when he left home. My bro was speaking on TV, and Hinata was listening intently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± Hinata-chan promised. ¡°And quickly too, I don¡¯t want to miss anything. Arisugawa-san is rather fiery. I almost feel sorry for those fools. Not that it¡¯ll stop me destroying them. Oh... by the way, Kana says she¡¯s embarrassed at you calling out to her on live TV, but she definitely wants that date.¡±


    ¡°I do, but... please, everyone can hear! I¡¯m dying! How will I manage at school tomorrow?¡± Kana-chan cried out.


    ¡°Love you! Goodbye!¡± Hinata-chan said cheerily, before turning to her bodyguard. ¡°Kazumi, you know where those documents are? I moved copies of everything useful to the mansion in advance. I guess I¡¯m far-sighted.¡± she boasted proudly.


    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ll get them.¡± As Kazumi-chan raced off, Hinata-chan was bombarded by curious gazes. Meanwhile, Arisu-san was crushing the presenter to a bloody mess, verbally, at least.


    ¡°I would have warned him...¡± Suzu-chan giggled. ¡°She¡¯s really angry.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you talking about?¡± Eri asked, curious. ¡°What documents does Akio want?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Hinata-chan shrugged. ¡°Akio¡¯s a soft-hearted man. I don¡¯t hate it, I do sometimes wish he¡¯d be a little more selfish though. Why do you think he¡¯s making money? The first reason is obvious.¡± Hinata looked at me, and then at Eri and our families. ¡°He wants you to have a good life, comfortable, able to do whatever you want. He¡¯s achieved that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel ashamed taking support from my son, but... Akio was right. It does not matter who achieves the goal, so long as the family is protected.¡± Dad praised my bro again. Maybe you should say it to his face more? Wow, no, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m guessing he can say it because bro isn¡¯t here. Men.


    ¡°So then, what¡¯s the second reason? It¡¯s simple.¡± Hinata-chan asked.


    ¡°Territory, of course.¡± Shiro muttered. ¡°It¡¯s like your shrine, right Kana?¡±


    Kana-chan nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s become a lot easier to train there ever since we signed it over to Akio. So... he wants to consolidate as much of the land under his Territory as possible.¡±


    ¡°Because as the Territory improves, it becomes ever more integrated with what we see as reality.¡± Shiro pointed out, and I was once more impressed by her knowledge. Tan¡¯s knowledge, I guess. Really, I don¡¯t get how that works, sharing a body... especially since Shiro seems a bit like Eri and Shaeula, eager to jump my bro at every opportunity...


    ¡°So yes, he needs the money, but it¡¯s hardly greed.¡± Hinata-chan said as Kazumi-chan returned, having faxed over the documents. ¡°So of course, being kind-hearted, yet also not an idiot, who knows there¡¯s a limit, he planned to offer healing to those in need, every time he did it for gain. To soothe his conscience. Of course, this was planned back when everything was still secret, but now it¡¯s out in public...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, shit. It¡¯s why I can¡¯t stay mad at Akio-kun, despite the fact he¡¯s rubbing my face in his conquests.¡± Yasu-san sighed. On TV, Arisu-san was ruthlessly crushing the anchors, while Kanzaki-chan, the famous idol, was clapping and smiling. Ugh, I thought she was putting on an act before, but I¡¯m seriously worried she might be won over by my bro now. Wait, why am I worried? I¡¯m the only one who gets to enjoy this! There¡¯s one more thing though...


    ¡°Cheer up.¡± Karen-chan said. ¡°Comparing yourself to Akio-kun is like poor workers like me comparing myself to Hinata-chan here. That way lies disappointment, as I said earlier, it¡¯s just the thief of joy. Although...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think you get paid pretty decently, Karen-chan.¡± Sana-chan laughed. ¡°Even my deadbeat dad has totes changed. He thinks he can move to a new place soon, one that doesn¡¯t totes stink of sad and lonely.¡±


    ¡°Company housing.¡± Hinata-chan laughed. ¡°Factory first, then securing the Shrine and this estate. After that, the next construction problem is knocking down the old buildings on the land my grandfather bought and building clean, modern housing complexes. So yes, no sad and lonely, only nice, clean and environmentally pleasant. After all, we can¡¯t be upsetting our Dryad, or other Fae visitors, can we?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it. Akio promised he would make the world bloom, both worlds.¡± Asha touched her belly, and mom¡¯s eyes sharpened. Uh...


    ¡°Oho, I smell a profit.¡± Ffionnan rubbed her hands together gleefully, golden hair beads and ornaments clinking.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a wise woman, Karen-chan.¡± Yasu-san said. ¡°So... uh, you like... well...¡±


    ¡°Spit it out.¡± Shugo-san laughed.


    ¡°So, you fancy a drink after this? My treat.¡± Yasu-san said, and Karen-chan looked him up and down.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m a Christmas cake, right? Past my best.¡± she said, a touch of irritation in her tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Yasu-san shook his head. ¡°I think you¡¯re a bit down on yourself too, Karen-chan. Look in the mirror. You¡¯re still damn hot. Your rack is something special... uh...¡±


    ¡°Trust Yasu-kun to blow it at the end there.¡± Aimi-chan laughed, and Hina-chan pushed her glasses up, frowning.


    ¡°Yes, though somehow that¡¯s reassuring. Besides...¡± she narrowed her eyes, as Karen-chan was silent, before her frown turned into a smile.


    ¡°You know, you are Akio-kun¡¯s friend. When I used to stand outside my flat after work, his eyes would always stray to my chest, and I¡¯d catch him blushing as he saw my bra through it. It was kind of cute. Now... well, who can compete with what he already has?¡± she laughed. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m grateful to Akio-kun. He saved me in the worst times of my life. Guess I¡¯m a damsel in distress too. But I¡¯m also a realist.¡± She chugged her beer. ¡°I¡¯m happy on the side-lines. I want to see how this all ends, but unlike you younger girls, I¡¯ve not got the confidence to step in so deeply. So I¡¯ll get my enjoyment from supporting you all. I like my new job, no matter how I grumble, and... it¡¯s not about the money. I get it. Why Arisu-san is ripping that guy to shreds... uh, whoa, that guy¡¯s a moron. Trying to blame them for stirring up religious tension after London is just so shitty... anyway, where was I? Yeah... I think Akio-kun¡¯s happiest now he¡¯s finally his true self. Like you said, he¡¯s had a need to be a hero since he¡¯s young. Even his name, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got excellent taste! Akio, bright hero.¡± Mom said, giggling. ¡°Mothers always know best!¡±


    ¡°Now he gets to fulfil that dream. It¡¯s no wonder girls fall for him, Yasu-kun.¡± She changed her manner of address for the man. ¡°But not everyone he saves will feel the need to cling to him. And not every girl needs a saviour. I¡¯m past thirty now, but... honestly, when I look in the mirror, I¡¯d believe I was in my early twenties. Chirurgery really is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you have to look good to start with.¡± Yasu-san said, and unlike normal, he wasn¡¯t being crude. ¡°Sorry about the comment, but... you have a rocking body, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh god, you were just doing so well...¡± Aimi-chan covered her face in despair.


    ¡°I¡¯m more than just that, I hope.¡± Karen-chan laughed, seeming not to care. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to be appreciated. I¡¯ve had bad luck with men. So yeah, I could use a drink after this. I¡¯ll let you take me out, Yasu-kun. But bear in mind, I¡¯m not an easy woman. Whether I¡¯m interested in Akio-kun or not, he¡¯s the man who sets the standard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Jealousy¡¯s an ugly thing. But my heart and soul screams out at the unfairness of monopoly. Maybe I¡¯ll start my own harem...¡± he looked at me then, and winked.


    ¡°Eww, no. Dream on.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Just for that, I¡¯m going to tell my bro Hisano-chan¡¯s a good catch and he should snap her up.¡± As that girl blushed at my joke, though my keen eyes picked up that her expression was complicated, I turned to Karen-chan. ¡°Sure you should be going on a date with this loser?¡±


    ¡°A date? It¡¯s just two working adults in the same company hitting a bar or two, it happens all the time as adults.¡± Karen-chan said. ¡°But then, how else do people get to know each other better?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I was about to say more when our attention was back on the TV. ¡°Damn, Arisu-san¡¯s taking over?¡±


    ¡°As well she might. They are finished!¡± Hinata-chan laughed. ¡°Grandfather texted me. Fujiwara-sama and Kira-sama want to tighten our grip on the media anyway. How do we fancy a TV station of our own? Anyone want to be on TV?¡±


    ¡°Oh, me, me!¡± Suzu-chan laughed, hand raised.


    ¡°Seriously though, while we would have to keep some key programming, making it the official channel of Japanese Chosen-related news, propaganda and so forth might just work... so we¡¯ll have more job openings and room for promotion. Maybe you should go for a presenter role, Karen-chan?¡± Hinata teased. ¡°Though Akio would hate to lose your secretarial skills.¡±


    ¡°No way, I saw her first!¡± Yasu-san howled. ¡°If she¡¯s on TV, other guys will hit on her!¡±


    As everyone laughed at Yasu-san¡¯s desperation, Shaeula pressed Ichika-san. ¡°You worried about money, and about how-how you could be a friend without giving back. Well, here-here is a chance, no? Your study, it is not-not entirely divorced from such, no?¡± As Shaeula tried to persuade the reluctant girl, Shiro suddenly looked sick.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, concerned, and Shiro pointed at the screen. ¡°Arisu... she... no, there¡¯s no way. No, Shaeula, this is an emergency! Arisu could make a good Fae... she absolutely hates lies. It is what she didn¡¯t say that worries me...¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, she did not-not reject Akio. Why would she? There is no-no...¡± Shaeula began, but Shiro cut her off.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re totally missing the point here!¡± Shiro panicked. Eri was grinning broadly, greatly enjoying it, probably relishing Shiro feeling how she felt often, but Shaeula didn¡¯t seem to get it. ¡°Arisu... if she seriously falls for Aki, we¡¯re in trouble! She¡¯s the one woman we shouldn¡¯t be confident about facing! She¡¯s got it all. Looks, charm, intelligence, a great talent... she¡¯s famous... oh damn, I feel sick...¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not like you can say anything for certain.¡± mom said comfortingly, though I did catch the sparkle in her eyes. ¡°She just said she was friends with Aki, didn¡¯t she? And you said she doesn¡¯t lie, so she has no interest right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but hasty decisions! That means she¡¯s at least thinking about it!¡± Shiro shouted, and I thought that if my bro could see her flushed, teary-eyed face right now he¡¯d probably whisk her off to bed straight away. Wow, she¡¯s got a completely different expression to normal. It¡¯s the gap. The gap makes it cute.


    ¡°Bad luck, boss. I¡¯ll have to cheer for you both!¡± Suzu-chan laughed unhelpfully, sucking on another lollipop, enjoying the chaos. On TV they had moved into talking about some basic Chosen stuff, like types of monsters, which would have riveted me before, but now I had experienced it myself I wasn¡¯t that interested.


    ¡°Do you think this is the right format for this?¡± Hinata-chan asked, and Tsukiko-chan answered.


    ¡°The time for secrecy is passed. Now it is all about managing it. Is that not why you are considering taking this TV station for your own?¡±


    ¡°That and to crush those idiots that slandered Akio.¡± Hinata admitted. Behind us the arguments between Eri, Shaeula and Shiro was intensifying, while Yasu-san was cosying up to Karen-chan, flattering her outrageously. Most of the others were enjoying the chaos, while others were watching the TV. I glanced over at it, the talk show winding down. For us, it¡¯s just been a fun TV show, seeing my bro and Arisu-san... but I wonder how the public will take it? I hate seeing people talk shit about my bro, but I¡¯m not enough of an idiot to believe that there won¡¯t be haters and trolls.


    ¡°For me, I am disappointed I never got to speak about the charity concert more. A... friend of mine is appearing. I would ask that you, the viewers, look forward to it, but be gentle. She believes herself a shining star of the idol world, but reality is often cruel.¡± Arisu-san said, and Suzu-chan opened her mouth in surprise.


    ¡°Boss, boss, stop fighting! Arisu-chan¡¯s telling everyone I¡¯m a shining star! And to watch me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think... that¡¯s not quite right.¡± Shiro said quietly. ¡°But now I¡¯m even more worried. Arisu would never have said that before. Ugh, my head hurts...¡±


    It was then Kanzaki-chan dropped a bombshell that froze everyone. ¡°Oh my, now I¡¯m curious!¡± mom said, and I shook my head. Yeah, way to be unhelpful mom. That¡¯s one question that should never be asked...


    My bro¡¯s girls froze. Sure, Tsukiko-chan didn¡¯t seem too concerned, nor did Asha, who was touching her belly again. The others, however... yeah, I can see sparks flying. Eri¡¯s particularly competitive about this, Kana-chan too...


    Fortunately, it was Arisu-san who came to the rescue again. Her quip about the destructive power of my bro¡¯s girls if they all got pissed off was too close to home, and Shaeula was first to laugh, and soon the tension died down as we all giggled happily.


    ¡°Close call there.¡± Hayato-san said. ¡°See, Yasu-kun, harems are more trouble than they¡¯re worth. Best stick to one good woman. That should be enough for you.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± He muttered. ¡°I¡¯d stay out of it if I was you, Hisano-chan.¡± he said to his younger cousin, who snorted, amused and slightly peevish.


    ¡°It¡¯d be fine. I¡¯d know I wasn¡¯t the prettiest, I¡¯m not a fool. But don¡¯t worry, I was only teasing you because you were being annoying. I¡¯m indebted to Akio-san for giving me confidence, that¡¯s all...¡±


    As everyone talked, my bro asked Kanzaki-chan if she could get me backstage at an AKB48 concert, and my eyes lit up. I knew it bro, you¡¯re the best!


    As the credits rolled, I looked around the room, at everyone who had been brought together by my bro. There were our families, bro¡¯s harem, his friends, those he¡¯d helped... Yeah, this was fun. And I get it. This is what bro wants to protect, what motivates everything he does. And me... I want to protect it too. And now I can. I¡¯m here, standing beside him at last.

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Three – Talk of the Talk Show

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Three ¨C Talk of the Talk Show


    ¡°It¡¯s all hard to believe.¡± The man said, looking at the TV in the small izakaya-style bar on the streets of Shinjuku. Shovelling some bar snacks into his mouth, he frowned. ¡°Hey, barkeep, turn it up, I can¡¯t hear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you not to call me barkeep, I have a name.¡± the older man said wryly, turning up the volume so that it was louder than the surrounding bustle of the busy area full of bars and small eateries. ¡°I know what you mean though.¡± He too was looking at the TV. Ordinarily on a Sunday, one of the few days the overworked salarymen of Japan had to unwind, in preparation for another overworked and underpaid week, the bar would be packed, but now only a few regulars were there. ¡°Everyone¡¯s staying home to watch. It¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± The man agreed. ¡°But it¡¯s no lie. Unless you think all the politicians and bigshots around the world are in on it? Besides...¡± The illusion of the idol girl seemed totally real. ¡°...what would be the point?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But yeah...¡± His eyes were drawn to the woman who was also being interviewed, the stunning yet cold-looking Arisugawa Arisu-san. ¡°I remember her, you know? My younger brother was a huge fan, silly bastard. I told him to get out and find a woman he could actually meet, but he was never the sharpest kid. He was heartbroken when she got engaged, and even more when the scandals hit.¡± He scratched his chin, feeling a little guilty. ¡°I remember rubbing his face in it, man, my brother could be annoying. I feel a bit sorry now, maybe I should have believed in her innocence... holy shit!¡± On the screen a dazzling light flashed, burning the ground and slicing through metal like butter.


    Around him the other few patrons were watching in rapt attention, and one spoke up. ¡°No way that¡¯s fake. Damn... I work in precision engineering. It¡¯s a skilled job but I¡¯m still paid shit... I use a laser cutting lathe, and I¡¯m used to seeing the effects. That¡¯s not fake. In fact, it¡¯s higher strength than the machine I use. You can tell, look at the cut edges and the difference between plastic, aluminium and steel...¡± the man droned on, but nobody stopped him.


    ¡°Real or not, it won¡¯t change our lives.¡± The first man said, downing his beer. ¡°Damn, hospital bills are so expensive...¡± He then froze, as the famous presenter Endou-san read out a viewer¡¯s question. Open-mouthed, he blinked at the screen. ¡°Healing? Really?¡±


    For a moment his thoughts went blank, only an image of his young daughter, lying in her hospital bed, giving him a quiet yet pained smile, trying to show everything was all right, still remaining. Then reality reasserted itself. The barkeep shook his head, listening. ¡°Yeah, of course healing would be for the rich. What isn¡¯t? Can we blame him though? Everybody here is trying to earn a living. I¡¯d sell my talents to the wealthy to get ahead if I could... oh, sorry man.¡± Everyone was looking at him sympathetically, remembering his daughter, who he had told most of the regulars about when drunk. ¡°How... how is she?¡±


    ¡°Same as always.¡± He swallowed, eyes welling up hot and damp. ¡°She smiles like a little angel, even though she¡¯s hurting. But getting a transplant is hard and expensive, and even then, her condition would wear out the organs in a decade or so... but even a decade of normal life...¡± he hid his face, bitter.


    ¡°Arisugawa-san is really letting him have it...¡± one patron said, trying to change the gloomy subject, and the barkeep agreed, watching amused as the cold-eyed yet beautiful former actress eviscerated Endou-san with her logic.


    ¡°True. Life isn¡¯t fair. Otherwise his little daughter would be healthy.¡± barkeep said, wiping down the bar with a cloth, eyes on the screen. ¡°Why should this be any different? But... hope¡¯s a dangerous thing. Seems like that young idol girl¡¯s not an idiot though. I hear showbusiness is hard, she must have seen some things in her time.¡±


    It was then that Endou-san was forced to read out some documents, outlining a charitable plan, and the first man, his thoughts on his daughter, bolted upright. ¡°This... this is my chance. If my daughter could be one of those...¡± Bolting from his chair, his mind went to just how he could contact Oshiro-san.


    ¡°Just wait a minute...¡± barkeep shouted. ¡°You still haven¡¯t paid, and how will you even get...¡±


    Not listening, the man considered writing a letter, or trying to find his phone number somehow. Fists clenching so hard his nails drew blood, the fleeting surge of hope that rose within him refused to be extinguished, and he would nurture it, no matter if he had to cry, beg, plead or even die...


    ********


    ¡°So which Princess do you think is better?¡± The young boy, perhaps in his early teens, asked his slightly older sister.


    ¡°Obviously Princess Eleanor of course, our Princess!¡± his sister insisted stoutly, her freckled face smiling as she toyed with her brown braids idly, eyes glued to the TV. ¡°She¡¯s so elegant, everything I want to be.¡± She paused, graciously allowing that she was sure the Japanese Princess was probably fine too.


    ¡°Okay sis, whatever you say.¡± The boy laughed. ¡°So does that mean you want to fight too?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She said stoutly. ¡°I¡¯m tired of it only being boys who are taught to be strong. That¡¯s why the Princess is my role model. Those other girls at the press conference back then too. We can be beautiful, cute and strong. Even this Arisu woman is beautiful, and she¡¯s a Gods¡¯ Chosen too. I want to be like them.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t sis. You heard her. One in a hundred thousand. Even if there¡¯s another chance, it¡¯ll never be you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, maybe. But you¡¯re so short sighted, little brother.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I have to do all the thinking. There¡¯s magic right? Magic. That means anything is possible. I could have my chance another way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think magic is as easy as you think. This isn¡¯t Harry Potter. There¡¯s no magic schools.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong as usual, little brother. Once more your sister has to be the brains.¡± She flourished her phone. ¡°Translation apps are great. Now there are rumours there is a school in Japan. And our Princess is allied with Japan. So... maybe they¡¯ll open one here?¡±


    ¡°If they do, you won¡¯t get to go. Though... I wish I could. That laser was wicked cool.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was. Wicked cool indeed.¡± His sister nodded cheerfully. ¡°And that illusion too, I want to do things like that. All my friends are talking about it too. Looks like nearly everyone in Britain is watching.¡± The TV was showing the broadcast from Japan with a slight delay, a famous British newsreader reading the translations.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s cool.¡± The boy said, looking at Akio with bright eyes. ¡°When I grow up I want to be like him... ouch, sis, why did you hit me?¡± he pouted, clutching at his ear where she slapped him lightly.


    ¡°No brother of mine is going to be a cheater.¡± She insisted. ¡°He¡¯s quite handsome though, I guess. So you¡¯ll lose out that way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re anywhere near as cute as that singer girl, or as beautiful as Arisu... ouch!¡± he clutched at his other ear, tearing up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit a boy sis, we¡¯re not allowed to hit back.¡±


    ¡°Who says? I hate that. Did our Princess stand there and take it? Be a man. Though if you do try and hit me, I¡¯ll beat you up!¡± she warned. ¡°You see, I¡¯m not a fool. Boys are stronger than girls in general. This isn¡¯t a comic book. But...¡± she pointed at the screen, where footage of the laser beam was replayed again. ¡°...when you can do that, does it matter who you are, or how strong you are? Anyone can be a hero.¡±


    ¡°A hero huh?¡± the boy said. ¡°That sounds awesome. Maybe when I grow up I can be the guard of the Princess...¡±


    ¡°Dream on. But I¡¯ll let you be mine...¡± his sister snorted, before they fell into playful fighting, and the boy cried out as his arm was twisted behind his back...


    ********


    Around the table in the dimly-lit basement, the scent of tobacco and cheap alcohol in the air, a group of men were sitting around a TV, watching the broadcast.


    ¡°Such healing. That¡¯s incredible, if it¡¯s true.¡± one man said, his lean, muscular body heavily scarred and tattooed, one finger missing from the hand that was holding his glass of cheap, strong liquor. ¡°Mihal can¡¯t do anything like that. There¡¯s money in it. A lot of money.¡±


    Another lean man was snorting a line of white powder off the table. Shuddering, he wiped at his nose, eyes unfocussed for a moment, before sighing. ¡°No need to be greedy. With Mihal¡¯s help we¡¯ve driven out the Armenians and the Italians. We have a monopoly over the whole region. Times are good.¡± He gestured to the scantily clad girls sleeping in the corner. ¡°Profits are up, and our rivals have either fled or been disposed of. Should we risk it reaching for more?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no way.¡± Another man said, grimacing. One of his eyes was milky white, cut through by a savage scar. ¡°Much as I¡¯d love my eye to work again, you saw the energy blast. Even Mihal would struggle. He¡¯s all muscle. Though what one can do...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the only gang that has one of the new Djajve, devils. If they were common, we wouldn¡¯t be kings of this region.¡± Another of the gang offered his thoughts. ¡°Even the police and local politicians are running scared of us. Just a few bribes and we have free reign. It would be nice to have that healing in our grasp, the ability would give us further leverage on the crooked leaders. With violence and reward, stick and carrot, we would be unshakable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s no chance. Even if we could go to Japan and find him, if Mihal dies... guns don¡¯t work so well on Mihal, he¡¯s surely the same...¡± the last man there said, thinking with some difficulty, his words slurred.


    The first man spoke up again, rubbing the stump of his missing finger, a habit of his. ¡°Yes, forget about it. It¡¯s too dangerous. I know when to back down.¡±


    ¡°What if we went after his friends, his family?¡± the one-eyed man asked. ¡°We¡¯ve done that before. He seems a man who treasures them. It must be easier, considering how many there is. He can¡¯t keep them all hidden away.¡±


    ¡°Risky. Too risky.¡± The first man sighed. ¡°It seems he isn¡¯t the only one. Remember that day that shook the world? The little orange-haired girl isn¡¯t even a human, supposedly, and that tall white-haired beauty, she¡¯s also like Mihal. Likely the cold-eyed one too. It¡¯s impossible all are, but we don¡¯t want a war. No, best lay that aside. Keep searching for more like Mihal and bring them on board, be it via money, drugs, women, violence, blackmail or threats. Only then can we be secure...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Japan is a bridge too far for us. But... I still think he is a fool, shouting out his weaknesses.¡± The one-eyed man said, taking out a deck of cards. ¡°A quick game?¡±


    As the men laughed and agreed, the first man spoke once more. ¡°Weaknesses? Maybe. But he also showed off some great deterrents. Perhaps some gangs... Yakuza, I believe they were over there, yes... or the Chinese Triads might make a move, but unless they have their own Djajve, they¡¯ll be doomed to failure. We¡¯re not dealing with a weak politician, or even a tough gang member.¡± As the cards were dealt out, the man looked at his hand, supressing a smile at the pair of aces. ¡°No, I don¡¯t like to gamble with my life. Nobody who has climbed to the head of such a gang would. The honey may be sweet, but it¡¯s poisoned. So... I raise.¡± He tossed some crumpled notes into the centre. ¡°But then, not everyone is sane, and the desperate... they often do stupid things.¡±


    With one last glance at the TV, the man shook his head. ¡°No, someone that can heal is the worst person to provoke. Imagine...¡± he laughed darkly. ¡°We often torture our enemies by slicing off fingers, toes or even their cocks. The pain breaks people, but eventually they reach the point where they don¡¯t want to live anymore. But if you can regrow the missing parts... that hope is more agonising than the pain, and it prevents them from losing the will to carry on...¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s brutal. That¡¯s why you¡¯re the boss.¡± one man laughed crudely. ¡°You¡¯re more suitable to be a devil than Mihal!¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Yes, if I had such gifts, I would be the emperor of all I could see. Healing for charity, to soothe a conscience. I am not such a fool. Though... perhaps such a good image hides darker secrets. A man so lusty for women must surely have other lusts too...¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is as wicked as you! But you suck at cards. I call your raise!¡± another man chuckled, tossing in his money, and the first man smiled.


    ¡°Nobody is a saint. Those that claim to be, I trust less than those who are open and honest in their evil. Now... deal the next cards...¡±


    ********


    FujiTV interview with Hero of Britain Livestream ¨C International Thread


    431 @ That idol is a real cutie. Japanese girls are so small and pretty.


    432 @ Whoa, @431, looks like we have a pervert here. Besides, that woman Arisu is far hotter. The way she has those cold eyes. Step on me, go on, do it!


    433 @ People are missing the point so much. It¡¯s a rare opportunity to learn more about what¡¯s really going on. Don¡¯t you remember that worldwide broadcast from those Church nutters? The Apocalypse is coming. Hot women won¡¯t matter then...


    434 @ No way, @433, hot women always matter. But you¡¯re right about the opportunity... wait, what... eleven? Fuck it, I¡¯m with you @433!


    ...


    ...


    671 @ Yeah, the law changes were wild. I remember reading in the Daily Sun about them. Polygamy. Guess a guy with eleven girlfriends really needs that. There was a lot of other stuff too...


    672 @ I¡¯m curious about that too. A lot of it doesn¡¯t make any sense. Jurisdiction over resources such as Etherites, ether, elemental sources.... Sounds very game-like. It¡¯s all available publicly, and lots of websites have translated the Japanese legislation into a number of languages.


    673 @ Are there any other Chosen here? I¡¯d be curious to get their viewpoints...


    674 @KingOfOlympus You called? I hear your voice, and I appear, like divine lightning! You want my opinion...


    675 @ Oh shit, it¡¯s this nutter again. I was sure he was banned.


    1189 @ I guess he thinks he¡¯s safe if it¡¯s a live broadcast. Seriously though, what¡¯s wrong with making a buck or two? I know I would...


    1190 @ I can¡¯t say who I work for, just that it¡¯s a major bank, and I¡¯m pretty high up. Our Chairman was having a rough time recently. His wife was seriously ill. All of a sudden she recovered, and it was recent. Very recent. Around the time that Akio came to Britain in fact. Connect the dots...


    1191 @ Careful @1190, don¡¯t want you to get the boot. But it does sound one hell of a coincidence. But I mean, doctors get paid, right? So why not magic doctors?


    1192 @ Lol, that¡¯s the argument Arisu is making. She¡¯s wrecking him by spitting facts like fire. Damn, she seems to have taken it personally. Are we sure she¡¯s not one of eleven?


    1193 @ I don¡¯t think so, @1192, but there¡¯s definitely more to it than a mutual friend. You think that Himeko girl, the silver-haired babe is the one?


    1194 @ Anesidora¡¯s Box? I want Himeko to open up her box!


    1195 @CutiePie19 Oh no, @1194, that joke looks familiar. Don¡¯t be so crude. Cuties like us won¡¯t like you if you¡¯re a pervert


    1196 @ I want pics @CutiePie19 or you¡¯re a GIRL, not a girl...


    1197 @ Speaking of girls, I wonder if he¡¯s on the phone to one now? Maybe the one he called out for a date?


    1198 @CutiePie19 No pics I¡¯m afraid, not this time. I wish someone would ask me out like that though. Oh, none of you are good enough. Everyone at Uni likes me. Now if Akio asked...


    1199 @ Fucking normies, the rich get richer. In both women and money it seems. Why wasn¡¯t I chosen? One in a hundred thousand, shit... come on second wave! I don¡¯t care which God!


    1200 @ There¡¯s only one God, blasphemer. All the others are false idols and devils...


    1201 @ And we¡¯ve spotted a True Revelation spy. Fuck off back to reading your dumb book and lay off our Princess, whackjob!


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    1205 @ I wonder what he¡¯s having faxed over...


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    ...


    ...


    1454 @ Yeah that seems the fairest way to do it. Help the rich, then balance it by helping a number who cant pay.


    1455 @GamzeeMakara FuCkInG MiRaClEs MaN. HeAlINg FoR AlL sOuNdS fRiEnDlY. MaKeS mY BrAiN-pAn ItCh.


    1456 @ Lol @GamzeeMakara guess we have a higher class of troll here. But seriously, it is miraculous. Healing as an ability is great. I¡¯d want that if I had a choice.


    1457 @ It¡¯s always the rich who think taking it all for themselves and then giving a few scraps back is a good deed.


    1458 @ Well, to quote Arisu, @1457 I am sure you make a great deal of charitable donations, volunteer and do many other good works, no? No, thought not. Post receipts, else I¡¯d rather listen to the troll above.


    1459 @Niko.Truthseekers.com A mystery solved. I¡¯d been hearing about the healing, but... shit I have to go. My sister, such a... never mind that. Anyway, keep your eyes on South Korea. The next big wave is coming, trust me...


    1460 @GamzeeMakara QuItE tHe OdD fElLoW. He ShOuLd ReLaX mOrE aNd HaVe A fAygO oR tEn.


    1461 @ Look who¡¯s talking about odd, @GamzeeMakara. I googled it and you¡¯re aping some troll from a webcomic... this is serious stuff, why mess around?


    1462 @ Nah, he¡¯s harmless compared to some of the weirdos in the chat. At least he¡¯s not screaming about that idol Kanzaki unlike the one psycho earlier...


    1463 @ See ya Niko. Your website is pretty cool. And you were right about some stuff!


    1464 @ChaosEngine Yes. Most conspiracies are clearly bull. Anything that requires the powerful to cover something up perfectly is clearly a lie. But there were truths here he unearthed. So, Tyr, huh. Norse. Odd choice for a Japanese person. Anyway, he¡¯ll be sorry he missed out on more information...


    1465 @ I don¡¯t get it. Isn¡¯t anyone else scared? I¡¯ve been unable to leave the house since the events in London.


    1466 @ Yeah, I¡¯m a bit frightened too, but... it¡¯s not like we know do we? If it was say... NASA spotted an asteroid heading our way and we knew it was going to hit in a year... or war was declared and the bombs were going to drop, we¡¯d be able to really feel the fear. But... all we know is what they say. Are they even right? Sure, we¡¯ve got proof of magic now, and creatures that aren¡¯t human. But... life goes on. I think @ChaosEngine is right. Carry on, but prepare for the worst. I mean, if disaster is ten years away, anything could have happened by then.


    1467 @ Yeah but... @1506 it¡¯s not that easy. Anyone could be able to use magic, and a lot seem to be crazy. Those Church guys, our friend the thundercock, if he is one, the ones who betrayed Princess Eleanor...


    1468 @DreamingQueen Isn¡¯t that why they are on this programme? To dispel some myths. The unknown is scary. I get that @1505. I worry too. But the chance of dying from general anaesthetic in a routine operation is one in a hundred thousand. Your chance of meeting one of these people is the same as that. And not everyone¡¯s going to be bad.


    1469 @ Hey, Arisu¡¯s taking control of the show. That¡¯s hilarious. Think that Endou guy and the Ogawa woman will be okay? Anyway, fun though that is, anyone spot the key word. Territory. It was in the documents our conspiracy theorist linked earlier too. I took a look. Seems like money is for that.


    1470 @ Damn, if fantasy and magic needs money to function, then even dreams are rather boring.


    ...


    ...


    1872 @ So, Japan¡¯s already got a police force set up involving Gods¡¯ Chosen. Why aren¡¯t we doing anything in Britain? We¡¯ve already suffered!


    1873 @ Chill out @1872. With the Princess as our representative this will be in hand. It¡¯s not something you can do overnight. Especially with the problems we have with traitors!


    1874 @CutiePie19 I think it was funny the way that Akio had to compare Princess Eleanor and Japan¡¯s own Princess earlier. Do you think there¡¯ll be a fairy-tale romance?


    1875 @GamzeeMakara I dOn¡¯T sEe It LiTtlE cUtiE. ElEvEn Is TeN ToO mAnY. UnLeSs YoU wAnT oTheR QuAdRaNtS.


    1876 @CutiePie19 Okay I¡¯m ignoring that. I don¡¯t even understand it. I¡¯m serious though.


    1877 @ He admitted himself that Princess Eleanor was against it, @CutiePie19. I don¡¯t blame her... eleven, come on!


    1878 @ I¡¯m more interested in the talk of monsters. Bugs are scary, but... where are they? Is it like dungeons? Has anyone seen one?


    1879 @ Of course not. We could ask @KingOfOlympus though he¡¯s shut up for a while. Did the mods kick him?


    1880 @KingOfOlympus No moderators can block the voice of the King! @1878, @1879 dungeons? Hah, pitiful fools. Let me drop some wisdom from up on high. You think you can just see strange creatures lurking around? If it was like that, the world would have known it long ago...


    1881 @ That makes sense. But who cares. The idol has been saying what we are all thinking. Akio and Arisu. It even sounds a good pair. AkIsu or AriIo?


    1882 @KingOfOlympus She seems a fine woman. Perhaps I shall travel to Japan and make her mine!


    1883 @ Don¡¯t you ever shut up? If he is a Gods¡¯ Chosen, seems like they all have women on the brain...


    ...


    ...


    2134 @ So we can rely on them to protect Japan, huh? Do you think that Britain will be safe?


    2135 @ I think so, @2134, at the press conference the Princess and Akio announced we were allied. Sucks to be other countries though.


    2336 @CutiePie19 So who¡¯s the mutual friend who¡¯ll be performing at this concert. It¡¯s not Himeko is it? I can¡¯t see it...


    2337 @DreamingQueen Akio cares about his sister. That¡¯s really sweet... I have a better opinion of him now...


    2338 @KingOfOlympus A sister, I see. Perhaps I shall turn into a swan and fly over and visit...


    2339 @ Man, @KingOfOlympus, do you ever shut up?


    2340 @ That was interesting. We saw lasers and holograms, and a show going completely off the rails. Maybe we should push for the Princess to do one...


    2341 @ Dream on, @2340. No way that¡¯ll ever happen...

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Four – Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Four ¨C Adam White, Director of the NSA, Paranormal Branch


    ¡°That¡¯s a gloomy face, Director. Are things not proceeding well?¡± Adam¡¯s smartly dressed secretary Viola said as she brought in a new bundle of classified documents, expertly scanning them and uploading them to the secure internal mainframe that had no links to outside networks to prevent hackers or foreign governments from snooping. It¡¯s a damn good thing not every country has the good sense to be as secure as we are. Sadly, they are learning though... Japan and Britain had both made it next to impossible to access their phone networks and computer systems by making changes to the security protocols and key hardware. Not impossible, but if we were to be caught out again... no, I¡¯m afraid we have to accept we¡¯ve lost this round.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say that. But matters are spiralling rapidly. You saw the programme with our cat Akio earlier, right? That revealed another, Arisu Arisugawa. Her status on the Vermillion List is unclear, but judging by the respect Akio was showing her, and her confidence, we can hardly expect her to be weak. Besides...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have the figures you requested. Fewer people watched the Super Bowl this year, and this was hardly prime time viewing. Preliminary sentiment tracked from the internet and from phone tracing is overwhelmingly positive towards him.¡±


    ¡°Americans love an all-action hero, after all.¡± Adam said sourly. ¡°Especially when it comes to saving a girl. Especially if she¡¯s a Princess. It¡¯s a cultural anomaly, considering we¡¯re a republic.¡± He glanced over at the display case holding his precious painted models. ¡°No, messing with him any further is just not wise.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Viola pursed her lips, as she pulled out her secure tablet computer, pulling up a file. ¡°...isn¡¯t it time to fulfil our part of the bargain we made and return the British and Japanese citizens we repatriated? Their condition isn¡¯t going to get any better.¡±


    ¡°True. We did manage to find a cat who could manipulate memories...¡± Viola shuddered at his words, as well she might. It¡¯s just one more reason that this new paradigm needs to be controlled. Mind control, memory manipulation, illusions... how can one ever be sure they aren¡¯t under control, that we¡¯re still ourselves? It¡¯s insidious, pernicious. If one is trapped in a matrix and escapes, how can one be sure that reality as experienced isn¡¯t just another, cleverer matrix? ¡°...and while there were some unfortunate complications with the experiments, we kept those for return separate. They are in the best state they can be, and the worst of their treatment has been expunged. Britain and Japan¡¯s reactions to it is out of our hands.¡±


    ¡°I envy them.¡± Viola said, sighing. ¡°Japan and Britain seem to be the most stable countries right now. Aside from China, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Adam disagreed. ¡°It only seems that way because of Akio and Princess Eleanor, figureheads to rally around. Under the surface...¡± he smiled, but there was little humour in it. ¡°...even though our best avenues of information gathering are cut off, we still aren¡¯t helpless. And we know what happened prior to the events in London. Japan is a tense undercurrent of vested interests, conflicting views and resentments. All it will take is a spark to explode. And the Chinese captives from Kyoto...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean...?¡± Viola asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°All it would take is spinning it out the right way, and the brief riots and protests would be reignited, dwarfing past civil unrest. Britain is in a worse position. Much of Western and Central Europe is boiling. This so-called Church of True Revelation is behind the disappearance of more cats than we are, and even more are joining them. The Pope is calling for calm and conciliation, but not everyone is listening. Britain¡¯s attitude towards the Church is soured by their attempted assassination of their beloved Princess Eleanor, but if they got a foothold, the balance could collapse spectacularly. No, it¡¯s us old powers that are struggling in the new era. We have to watch out. India, East and South Asia, South America... China. These are the places of greatest concern. Just look at the new Vermillion List.¡± We should be thankful we at least have the codenames of some, but our actions are becoming more restricted. Our success rate at rendition or neutralisation has been steadily dropping. It¡¯s still not low enough to be a grave concern, but our agent losses are becoming unacceptable and unsustainable, even over the short term.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Viola agreed. ¡°That pair from Mexico could be a problem. We lost good men. Too many. It¡¯s a repeat of Brazil.¡±


    ¡°Son of the Sun, codename Hui?tzilo?po?chtli. And Daughter of the Moon, codename Me?tztli. Both double Vermillion. It was almost as if they saw us coming, and the brilliant flames... it was like being hit by a napalm bomb. Not a good way to die. We were fortunate to get any footage at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious about the South Korean situation. They¡¯ve begged and pleaded with us to intervene by sending troops again and again.¡± Viola pointed out. ¡°If we did so, we¡¯d secure a staunch ally in the region. What with the Chinese situation and strained relations with Japan that strikes me as a smart move.¡±


    ¡°Congress is opposed as is the President. And for once I agree with them.¡± Those damn Korean fools have made a huge mess of things. Untangling it would cost more lives than the rewards are worth. ¡°The school may be full of the children of wealthy and influential South Koreans, as well as several international students drawn there by talk of academic excellence and character-building ascetism...¡± Adam snorted, darkly amused. ¡°...but by now the majority are dead or worse anyway. Sending in soldiers first, then their own cats, only to have them taken away... it¡¯s just feeding a fire with fuel again and again. No, when you are messing with mind control or similar powers, the only solution is absolute firepower from a safe distance. A few Hyunmoo-2B¡¯s with proper warheads can solve the problem from hundreds of kilometres away.¡± They may be strong, but we know nobody can survive high-explosive warheads.


    ¡°But then all of the hostages will die. That includes children of a number of very wealthy people and politicians. Imagine if we had to bomb a school attended by the children of the biggest firms on the DOW and NASDAQ, as well as Senators and Representatives. It wouldn¡¯t pass. Could you do it?¡± Viola asked, troubled.


    ¡°Could I?¡± His gaze went to the cabinet again. Hard choices. Nobody wants that on their conscience, but the alternative is worse. ¡°You know I could and would. Think of it this way.¡± He lectured his under-secretary, for he was grooming her to take over, when he inevitably was scapegoated for all the deeds he was doing on behalf of America, no, the world. Nobody understands sacrifice. But I do. ¡°Look at the state South Korea is in.¡±


    ¡°You mean this Hunters initiative?¡± she replied, troubled. ¡°It seems rather risky, allowing their Enhanced individuals to organise that way, and even dictate terms to the government.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the leaders of Korea have backed themselves into a corner with their prior stupidity. That Choe Museon Academy is a death-trap, and they¡¯ve wasted a lot of lives. But even so, to allow this as both a test of and an announcement of a private Guild system for such dangerous individuals, where they can take on work for profit... as an American I should applaud the capitalistic nature of their ambitions, but letting these groups work autonomously when they have such abilities that defy common sense and are inherently dangerous and unpredictable... sheer madness. At least Akio and Princess Eleanor are tethered by their governments and existing vested interests. These Hunter Guilds will quickly either become uncontrollable or fall into infighting and spread chaos.¡±


    ¡°But they might succeed. Rumours are nearly twenty individuals have agreed to participate. For a country with a population of around fifty million, that¡¯s a huge percentage of their likely assets.¡±


    ¡°Especially considering the casualties already. But even if they succeed that¡¯s a poisoned chalice. Think about it, Viola.¡± Sometimes it seems like I¡¯m the only one who sees the real threat. ¡°Assuming that they don¡¯t just fuel the fire by pouring more gasoline on it, and actually succeed in rescuing the survivors... these same survivors have been under the influence of mind control for a third of a year. Can they ever be trusted again? Are they even the same people they were? No, best to harden their hearts and remove the issue once and for all.¡±


    Viola was troubled by his words, but she did make an effort to understand, which made her a cut above the average person Adam had to deal with. And why she¡¯ll have to take over from me when the time comes. ¡°If it was an ordinary school... that choice would probably already have been made.¡± she admitted, facing reality. ¡°But it¡¯s not. The rich and powerful didn¡¯t accumulate their power and wealth to have to make sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why there needs to be those like us, Viola, so that America doesn¡¯t fall into the same trap. I think there are some cats who are simply too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Any that can alter the mind fall squarely into that category.¡± The one we unearthed that alters memories... for now we need him, but later...


    ¡°But what about what Ms Bakker says? About the dangers coming. Speaking of her, you have a meeting scheduled with her shortly. Ever since she returned from Britain, she¡¯s been acting strange. I... don¡¯t think you can trust her.¡±


    ¡°Trust her?¡± Adam snorted. Trust is a luxury the powerful cannot afford. ¡°Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. I don¡¯t trust or hope she won¡¯t betray us. She¡¯s only loyal to her own research. Though she does have some weak patriotism, that¡¯s only because we allowed her curiosity free reign. But now she¡¯s tasted what others can give her. Fortunately, she knows that I know. And that I won¡¯t hesitate to have her killed if necessary. She knows far too much.¡±


    ¡°Even with that, she¡¯s unpredictable. Reckless too.¡± Viola pouted, her immaculate clothing and exquisite, business-like makeup at odds with the wild, unkempt appearance of their scientist. They are like oil and water. But a machine usually needs both to run smoothly...


    ¡°Yes. But she does produce results.¡± He shut his secured laptop with an audible thump. ¡°And we need those right now. We have ever more of these cats coming out of the woodwork now the world leaders have given up trying to patch the broken dam of secrecy. We in America, while not as bad as Europe, also have issues with the Church of True Revelation, as well as growing civil unrest... and our new rival, China, is consolidating their new assets with an iron grip. So until she is foolish enough to cross that line...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to how you defeated them. You¡¯re not a fighter.¡± Adam mused, and she laughed.


    ¡°It was hardly easy. Under my clothes my body is a wreck. That¡¯s another reason why you should let me accompany the returning assets. I¡¯m not too bothered myself, but my performance is adversely affected by the scars, and the accumulation affects the purity of my results. I could use being healed. I am sure I can pay.¡± She giggled again. ¡°Besides... there¡¯s something definitely wrong. I am not as strong as I should be, compared to your data on the girls and boys from that training school of his in Japan you secured by covert means. If I take our Effect-Type with the Eyes, I can see the difference.¡±


    ¡°You just want to leak secrets.¡± Viola accused. ¡°Don¡¯t think we are unaware of your motives, Akio Oshiro wouldn¡¯t give you this boon for free.¡±


    ¡°Leak? What could I leak? They know more than us.¡± Christina smirked, annoying Viola. ¡°I do feel gratitude. Hence why I spent more effort than it was worth finding someone who could at least soothe the worst damage to our test subjects. I hope he¡¯s thankful.¡±


    Yes, she¡¯s a brilliant mind, but has no understanding of the subtleties of human emotion. Everything¡¯s one plus one is two. No shades of grey. But everything in this world is murky. There is no pure white. ¡°Somehow I doubt that.¡± Adam managed dryly. ¡°But you are aware that secrets about the cats aren¡¯t all you hold. Desertion will not be tolerated.¡±


    ¡°How about personnel exchange?¡± she tilted her head, her burns looking ghastly at that angle. ¡°Really, if you sell it right, we can gain a lot. My research will be hastened, and the Japanese and British will look favourably towards us. It¡¯s a win-win. I know not to talk about your branch of the NSA or any boring political matters. To be honest, I barely pay attention as it is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Adam conceded. ¡°Even so...¡± Last time she was dispatched as a sacrificial pawn. Just in case. There was an inherent risk of her being tortured, or scanned by some cat with mind-reading powers, I deemed it worth the risk then, so...


    ¡°Can you make others like you?¡± I asked, and she shook her head in denial.


    ¡°No, though I know it can be done. Not just that. One of the assets guarding me...¡± she frowned. ¡°He wasn¡¯t much use in London. He told me he was the strongest. Such a joke. Anyway, he goes by Titan, a codename that seems appropriate. He¡¯s a Physical type. During his stint as my escort in the Astral, he managed to accumulate a significant amount of aether within himself, and also another type of energy. It seems to be aether, at least at a basic level. But this red energy was absorbed by him. It made him rather unwell, but eventually he pulled through, and now he also has the ability to control the earth and stone around him to a limited degree. But that¡¯s not the curious part.¡± Christina grinned triumphantly. ¡°Now, this...¡± she tapped the lowest swirling chakra on her diagram. ¡°...became activated on Titan. And when we checked the few others who had abilities that affected earth and stone, there was a high degree of correlation.¡±


    ¡°So you think that Akio has also grasped this somehow?¡± Adam pressed, interested.


    ¡°I abhor using folklore, myth and pseudoscience as sources...¡± Christina confided, changing the subject. Adam and Viola were confused by this, but she ignored their strained expressions. ¡°Chakras... when I did research on Eastern traditions, I found that while it wasn¡¯t identical, there were clear similarities. And looking at those with abilities to wield flame or control the wind... yes, the relevant chakras...¡± she tapped the board several times. ¡°...had higher energy and activation.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Adam was convinced. The implications... only a mad scientist like Christina Bakker would be able to puzzle this out by putting her own feeble body on the line... she may be cold and unethical, but she treats herself as badly as her pitiful test subjects...


    ¡°So in conclusion... we are making progress.¡± She clasped her hands behind her back as she addressed them, her expression bright despite the scar. ¡°But if I was able to learn even just a little more, observing Akio and those around him, I would surely unlock more of the puzzle.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Adam repeated non-commitally. As Christina opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying no. You¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. But... there are considerations.¡± Your trustworthiness amongst them, for one.


    ¡°All right.¡± She said, and Adam was surprised she sounded so calm, expecting more wheedling and pleading. He was then further shocked as she offered another proposal. ¡°How about we make him an offer then? American citizenship for him, his lovers and their families. The conservative voting population might not like his ways, but if we say he got married before they left Japan under their laws, so it¡¯s still legal...¡±


    ¡°An interesting suggestion.¡± Adam had thought of such before but hadn¡¯t held out much hope. ¡°But he¡¯s got a lot of backing and wealth there in Japan. I doubt he¡¯d be willing...¡±


    ¡°Sure he might be rich, but there¡¯s rich and there¡¯s rich. So what if he has a few tens of millions of dollars, pull out some black ops budget and throw a billion at him. Nobody can resist that.¡± She grinned. ¡°Besides, if he¡¯s interested in growing stronger, as I suspect, then America surely holds more opportunities than small, cramped Japan. Make him an offer. Give him whatever he asks for, just get him over here.¡±


    ¡°You make a good point. But... do you think he¡¯s worth a billion dollars? You could get a lot of military hardware for that price.¡± he countered, curious as to her response.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could. But if we can unlock the secrets to how these new abilities work and create them at will... what price can we put on that?¡±


    After that they finished discussing the remaining matters, and as Christina left, eager to return to the Astral, as she called it, door shutting behind her, Viola finally spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re not considering it, are you?¡±


    ¡°The Pope, Britain, Japan, a number of our own cats...¡± Adam mused. ¡°They all say danger is coming, terrible, outside danger. It varies depending on who you interrogate, but all say the same. However... even with that, I can¡¯t overlook the true threat. Future strife is not more important than safeguarding the now, or we have no future to protect. Some abilities have to go. Mind control for one. But others...¡± his eyes were distant. It¡¯s just like The Grey Knights. He thought about the beautifully painted squads in his cabinet. Proper harnessing of the safest of a cursed power can be a force for good. But knowing what is proper and how to harness it safely is a risk... ¡°...a predictable, purely combat-focused set of abilities, perhaps healing as well, and some others... that is something to be interested in. Super-soldiers. Able to move faster and think smarter, great resilience and even the ability to call up fire, earth and wind. Perhaps even lasers like we saw on the broadcast earlier...¡±


    ¡°I thought you were worried about such powers being used for causing chaos, targeting politicians and so on?¡± Viola asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Oh, I am. Which is why if we could make our own, then we can get rid of all the other uncertain elements, and create a loyal force, just like the US Military. Trained, indoctrinated and ready to fight and die against whatever threats are coming. We have the funds and the manpower. Now all we need is the knowledge...¡±


    This cat who was called by Anahita, I remember her in the Vermillion list. Rather low-rated. I will have to bump her power level a colour or two. But... it¡¯s not enough. Christina is right. If only we hadn¡¯t screwed up trying to capture Akio Oshiro. But we did... so... how do we win him over, or get enough information to improve our own project, pushing Project Star Mirror to the heights of success we need? Christina Bakker and the returning citizens are the key... Adam still couldn¡¯t quite figure out why Akio had given Christina such an ability, it only had downsides, but there must have been a reason. Figuring that out was key to unwrapping how he thought, and if that was known then... Everyone has their price. Everyone. All we need to do is find it and hope we can meet it...


    As Viola nodded slowly, Adam bit down on a laugh. ¡°There¡¯s no point worrying about it. I have a busy schedule. And I have to brief our great and glorious President in a few hours.¡± His tone was dry and sarcastic. ¡°Perhaps he might have an opinion, considering he¡¯ll definitely have watched the broadcast from Japan...¡±

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Five -Irena Alexandrovna Kuznetsova

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Five -Irena Alexandrovna Kuznetsova


    ¡°No, it simply lacks the spark.¡± Irena sighed, the output from her new prototype of an artificial brain completely failing sixteen of the seventeen tests she had put it through. And likely the one success was only a fluke. How ... frustrating.


    ¡°Gavno. I¡¯m so angry!¡± she swore, running a hand through her white, slightly brittle hair. ¡°Why does nothing work out for me? Biyat''!¡±


    ¡°None of that, little princess.¡± Her Babulya suddenly slapped her gently on the ear, a fleeting, almost soft strike, but even so Irena teared up, her hand going to it, pouting, her pink, moist eyes looking at the older woman accusingly.


    ¡°That hurt. Don¡¯t hit my head, what happens if you injure my brain?¡± she said childishly, her mood erratic due to yet another failed experiment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it when you stop using such bad language. Heaven knows where you learned such.¡± The old woman gazed at the screen in front of Irena. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not learning bad manners from those you talk to online. If so...¡±


    Irena clutched her keyboard to her chest defensively. ¡°No, I need to communicate. How else will I share ideas and make breakthroughs?¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Her Babulya sighed, a slight smile on her careworn features. She reached out a hand and Irena flinched again, expecting more punishment, only for her head to be rubbed gently, making her flush in happiness as she looked down, her body language rather like a cat. ¡°But please, mind your language, devushka. Pretty girls should be elegant and soft-spoken. Like your mother.¡±


    ¡°Mama? I¡¯ve heard her swear before.¡± Irena snorted, earning another look of disapproval, though the soft rubbing of her head didn¡¯t stop. With a sigh she placed down her keyboard. ¡°Mama and papa, I know they are working with these new people...¡±


    ¡°Have you been prying where you shouldn¡¯t? That won¡¯t do, not at all.¡± Her Babulya sighed. ¡°Now, I shouldn¡¯t be rewarding you for bad behaviour, but... if you promise to mind your tongue and be a good girl, I¡¯ll make you some warm milk and cinnamon, just the way you like it.¡±


    ¡°Some cookies too?¡± she said hopefully, before her flush deepened. That is not the way a great scientist acts. I need to be more dignified. I¡¯m sure I am looked down on because I am young and a girl.


    ¡°Of course. Freshly baked.¡± The woman promised, smiling fondly. ¡°But do stop prying. I know you are Russia¡¯s little genius, but if you peek into where your eyes don¡¯t belong, then the trouble won¡¯t stop at just you, dear.¡±


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t. I could have!¡± she puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°But I am not a fool. It¡¯s obvious that if I don¡¯t have access to the data, then it involves something very secretive. And that must mean these new people with aetheric abilities.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a clever one?¡± her caretaker praised her. ¡°Yes, your parents are great scientists. But what do you mean by aetheric abilities?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Irena sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m frustrated.¡± She took a sip of her warm milk, smiling in pleasure, but even that was a frustrated expression. ¡°I¡¯ve put in requests for finding one who can do what I want, and I never get an answer. It¡¯s easier to receive more funding, and we all know that is like trying to get blood out of a rock.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Her Babulya looked concerned, bringing over a plate of fresh cookies, the smell enticing. Irena wiped surreptitiously at the drool that was building up and pretended she hadn¡¯t done such a thing, even as she eyed the plate happily. ¡°So, are things not going well, my little devushka? The first pancake... or should I say cookie...¡± her smile was kind. ¡°...is always lumpy. There¡¯s no bad without the good. Your struggles now, surely they will lead to a better tomorrow. I know...¡± she ruffled Irena¡¯s hair playfully again. ¡°...nobody works harder than you, Russia¡¯s little genius. After all, at your age you have already mastered many sciences.¡±


    ¡°It is still not enough.¡± Irena sighed. ¡°I am missing something, even with the hints. The human brain processes data at a rate that is not fully understood yet, but compared to even the most powerful supercomputer, the energy usage is far more efficient, for far greater performance. I admit, in areas such as calculations and data crunching, a simple calculator wins... but what use is that?¡± Irena sighed. ¡°I had made a breakthrough, and have increased the processing density of my prototype twofold, but it still cannot match the brain of even a mouse, let alone true intelligence as I am seeking...¡±


    ¡°Now, there¡¯s no need to be discouraged, little Irena.¡± The older woman said gently. ¡°You know you have been making progress, so don¡¯t be too hasty. Many a fool rushes in, and the wise man watches first.¡± She frowned. ¡°How about just this time I¡¯ll look away, and you can watch some television? I do not approve of such vulgar things, but... you are young yet. And it will do you no good to work all day. Take a break.¡±


    Crunching on a cookie, Irena nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do that. You are quite right. Problems always have solutions. I simply need to find them...¡±


    ********


    ¡°That laser... the power needed to cut stone and what looks to be aluminium...¡± Irena mused, shocked. She had idly scrolled through the limited channels she had available, but just like before, almost every station was broadcasting an international programme. With one of the same participants, no less...


    Doing some rough calculations, she worked out that if the energy was sustainable, it would be more than enough to power her prototype. The heat dispersion would be an issue though. Always an issue. Though if I think of it like a living creature... Irena had been working on various systems, such as robotic hands, motion stabilisers and more, but again, the power draw and heat build-up was always the problem. I¡¯ve made progress, but...


    The illusion was shocking enough, and she had no way of even calculating how much energy it required to exist. ¡°No, even thinking of it in those terms is wrong. Aether is power, but... it¡¯s not thermal or electric...¡± She bit her lip, thinking, tapping on her keyboard one-handed, the other using her touchscreen to sketch out more designs. As she did so, she noticed one of those she enjoyed talking to online had appeared. ScienceRat. A curious screenname. I wonder what the story behind it is. The way he speaks is strange, almost as if... her eyes narrowed, and she typed out a message.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Good afternoon. I¡¯ve not seen you in a while. Have you been busy?¡± She waited for the answer to her polite enquiry, unaware she was holding her breath. For a long moment that made her heart pound there was no response, before words appeared on her screen.


    ¡°Oh my yes, it is frantic around here. But to be busy is a delight, especially when a solution to a problem blocking my path has been found. A temporary one, certainly, but even temporary breakthroughs are the joy of Mortal Engineering and your Sciences.¡±


    A breakthrough? ¡°Lucky.¡± She typed back, envy gnawing at her as she snapped another cookie off in her mouth, biting it savagely, taking her frustrations out on it, though the sweet taste pleased her. ¡°I am still floundering, unable to progress much at all.¡±


    ¡°I see. Lacking that spark we talked about? Yes, it is a troubling problem, but one that fascinates and intrigues me. Your work on it will surely make you a legend among Scientists when it succeeds.¡±


    That made Irena puff out her chest with pride. He said when, not if. It feels good to have the confidence of such a clever man. Or... is it a man? It was now her cheeks she was puffing out, in an uncertain pout. Do I ask the question that has been on my mind? She glanced at her TV, where the man, who was also the Hero of Britain, was no longer using any fantastic abilities, so she lost interest in that. Deciding to work her way up to it, she ventured a different question. ¡°I do hope so. My frustration at the moment is great. I have asked for the aid of someone with suitable abilities, but... no, so, what problem have you solved? Perhaps hearing about yours will spark my own instincts. That pun was intended.¡± She tapped the keys with a slight smile, enjoying conversing with someone on her level, or at least capable of understanding.


    ¡°Very witty. You remind me of the princess.¡± He mentioned her before. I am so very curious, but... knowledge comes first. ¡°We are currently establishing a factory as long planned. Now we have access to... exotic materials...¡± she could almost hear the amusement in that phrasing, despite it just being words on a screen. ¡°...at least on a temporary basis, as well as strong helpers... oh, perhaps I am boring you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Her fingers danced on the keyboard, her cooling milk forgotten. ¡°By exotic materials and strong helpers... I had wondered, your odd English phrasing... you are not human, are you?¡±


    ¡°Well done. You are sensitive to nuance and have good attention to detail. Invaluable traits.¡± She was praised, again making her happy. ¡°Yes, I am indeed not mortal, though I have walked the world for quite some time now, thanks to my benefactor. Are you watching the television right now?¡±


    ¡°I was, the illusion and laser were sights to behold... wait, you mean?¡± she typed, shocked, though the pieces did fit. ¡°Are you one of this Akio Oshiro¡¯s men? Then the princess must be...¡± She thought back to the press conference in Britain and the revelations which had overturned her view about science and what it meant. Though it has not shaken my belief. Even aetheric abilities have underlying, knowable rules and principles, just as this man... no, this rat, I suppose... has assured me.


    ¡°Of course, princess Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, noble daughter of Shaetanao, and one of the innumerable brides of Akio Moonstone Oshiro.¡± The words came back, and Irena nodded, confirming her guesses.


    ¡°I see. Then should you be talking to me? I am a Russian, not Japanese. If you aid my work...¡±


    ¡°We are not so narrow-minded.¡± Her correspondent rebuked her gently. ¡°I merely offer advice from a seeker of true knowledge and the principles behind everything, and in turn sometimes I receive some wonderful insights that only a talented mortal could know.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Irena¡¯s heart was racing now. She had asked and begged and pleaded for some of these strange new people to be sent to her to aid in her research, but silence was her only answer. Now she knew she had access to a source of that knowledge, no matter how far away or fleeting... Is the knowledge credible? What if he misinforms me to throw me off the path... no, it was helpful before... she felt a little bad for doubting a fellow scientific genius, but considering her situation here, a little paranoia was perhaps warranted. I am young, but I am not unaware of the dark side of the world. ¡°...Can you answer my curiosity? I indeed can¡¯t find a way to simulate the spark you speak of. During testing the performance of my Artificial Intelligence outstrips any on the market publicly, especially after my latest tweaks, but it fails all metrics of genuine sapience. There is nothing new, merely very proficient rehashing of the inputted data sets. Now that alone has many applications, but...¡±


    ¡°But you want more?¡± the rat replied. ¡°Of course you do. We strive for the heights. I have already far surpassed my limits, but beyond each limit, a taller, bolder limit lurks anew. Would that Akio could observe you with his Eye, we would no doubt see many interesting things.¡±


    An Eye? Observe me? I am curious, but no, now isn¡¯t the time... ¡°When you speak of exotic materials, do you mean... those with properties not found here? No, I¡¯ll be clear. Do you mean from the place you come from?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, you are correct, as expected.¡± The reply was quick and without any evasion. ¡°I believe you were worried about power draw and heat dispersion. Let me offer a potential solution...¡± A series of figures came scrolling across her screen, and in her shock she was heedless of half a cookie falling from her mouth, dirtying her t-shirt with crumbs.


    Her face fell for a moment, though she quickly smoothed her expression, normally thoughts of helping the motherland filled her with happiness, but the words she had read earlier kept replaying in her head. No, I¡¯m not a slave! I¡¯m Irena, I¡¯m me! ¡°it¡¯s hard. I think there¡¯s a limit. But...¡± her eyes brightened. ¡°I wanted to ask. Papa, you and mama are working with the new people who can control aether, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    They stiffened for a moment, before mama laughed. ¡°Our dear daughter is so sharp.¡± She leant down, meeting her eyes. ¡°Yes, we are. It¡¯s a great honour. We¡¯ve even met the President himself several times. But our work should be secret. Have you been snooping where you shouldn¡¯t again?¡±


    Irena shook her head, offended. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t! I¡¯m a good girl. But it¡¯s obvious. What else would you be doing I¡¯m not allowed to see. Here at the Fyodor Institute, I get what I need. Except that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pout, Irena.¡± Papa said sternly. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple. Though your request has found its way to us. We¡¯re not the head of the programme, but we do have significant say. So of course we¡¯re looking. But... it¡¯s hard to find someone suitable. Perhaps if you explained what you want...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will, I will!¡± Irena declared, excited. ¡°What I need is someone who can...¡± Mama, papa, I¡¯ve missed you! I¡¯ve not been lonely, I promise, but... sometimes I wish it was safe to go outside, see different scenery...


    ********


    ¡°Unfortunately there¡¯s no-one that can do anything like that.¡± Mama shrugged apologetically, and Irena wondered if she would grow up to be as beautiful as her. Probably not, compared to mama I¡¯m a frail matchstick, unbalanced and not cute at all. They were all drinking tea, since mama and papa wouldn¡¯t drink alcohol when working, though Irena found it funny that papa was making a distasteful expression.


    ¡°Even in Russia, we struggle. The President has offered a great bounty and high position to anyone that comes forward to serve the motherland, which has attracted many, but many is only in comparison to before.¡± Papa said, taking another small sip of tea. ¡°This cookie is good.¡± He crunched one noisily between his teeth, enjoying Irena¡¯s reaction as she complained that was hers. ¡°While the motherland is large, our population is modest. And §Þ§Ñ§Ô§Ú, mages, those who control the aether, are not common.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, Irena. How do you know the term? Have you been watching Television?¡± Mama glanced at the screen which was switched off.


    ¡°Yes, I saw the talk show earlier. Before that the press conference in Britain...¡± This could be my chance to ask.


    Mama and papa exchanged rueful glances, before mama smiled softly. ¡°It really has been too long. Weeks since we have seen you, darling girl. But you are so mature. Normally at your age we wouldn¡¯t dream of leaving you alone, but you are smarter than most adults, and we are very proud of you. All Russia is. You¡¯re the hope of the nation.¡±


    ¡°Am I? Maybe before, but now... what these mages can do surely outstrips us all.¡± Irena didn¡¯t believe that, but she wanted to gauge their reaction.


    ¡°They can perform miracles, yes. It shocked us at first.¡± Papa agreed. ¡°But our will is not so easy to shake. There must be underlying principles. So no, I don¡¯t think we are in conflict, Irena.¡±


    I see. ¡°Yes, I think the same way! Which is why I believe I can use their help to finally accomplish my dream and bring honour to our family and Russia!¡± she said proudly. ¡°But I¡¯m curious...¡±


    ¡°You always were, my little angel.¡± Mama said. ¡°So why stop now?¡±


    Irena giggled, though her tension was high. ¡°I wonder, what do you think of this Akio from Japan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, has he caught the fancy of my daughter?¡± papa joked. ¡°I¡¯ll not let him have you! You¡¯re to marry a strong Russian man, give birth to many babies, all little geniuses like you!¡±


    ¡°Be serious, papa!¡± she chided, embarrassed. ¡°I am a scientist, I don¡¯t believe in silly things like crushes or love at first sight. Besides, we all know with my frail body, giving birth is out of the question.¡± Wait, that gives me an idea. I¡¯m so smart! ¡°Unless I was healed of course. Perhaps we could pay for Akio to come here and take a look at me? Or I could visit Japan...¡± she said hopefully, only to see her parents exchange a long, gloomy look.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not possible, Irena.¡± Papa said at last. ¡°You remember the attack? It is hardly the only one. Your scientific breakthroughs have made Russia strong. Cryptography, Artificial Intelligence, sorting Algorithms... each one is precious. And other countries covet those. And they would kill you if they can¡¯t have you.¡± he warned, and her stomach fell.


    ¡°I know. I remember.¡± And she did, all too vividly. I still sometimes have nightmares about that day. I hide under the bed, crying, but this time... there are footsteps, a shadow, and I am dragged out screaming by my hair... fortunately I always wake up then, and Babulya is there to soothe me... ¡°But if you wish for me to do things normal adults do, such as find a man... I hardly can in here, papa, mama.¡±


    ¡°Our Russian mages are few in number, but all are strong and brave.¡± Papa insisted. ¡°One with healing abilities will be found soon, I know it. You have no need to go abroad.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°What is this really about?¡±


    ¡°So, father, mother...¡± she changed her usual endearing and instinctive manner of address, and they both tensed. ¡°...I am making progress, but I believe unless I have a change of scenery, I¡¯ll stagnate.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Irena?¡± papa asked. ¡°We can arrange something. We just need to clear it with the Institute and arrange a suitable escort. Perhaps Saint Petersburg. Do you remember visiting there before you enrolled here? I do.¡±


    Mama agreed. ¡°Yes, I agree. We¡¯ve kept you cooped up too long. We¡¯ll... see what we can arrange.¡±


    See? I¡¯m not in a cage. You were wrong... she felt relieved, until mama continued. ¡°But can you bear with us a while, my dear daughter? Right now the situation is tense. We don¡¯t want to see you hurt.¡±


    Irena¡¯s face fell, and her stomach ached anew. ¡°I see. How... how long until I can leave?¡±


    Her parents looked genuinely crestfallen, and Irena felt her heart soften towards them, even if she still felt dreadful. I know, they are not at fault. I have had the best treatment, and brave Russians have died protecting me. But... a cage to keep out bad people keeps me locked in too.


    ¡°We¡¯ll speak to the Director of the Institute and the head of your bodyguards.¡± Mama promised. ¡°Your father can even talk to our great President next time he sees him. He¡¯s very proud of you and calls you a true Russian treasure.¡± Mama continued. ¡°And we¡¯ll try hard to find someone who can help your research. Just... it¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Irena asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard not to be overshadowed by the mages. But... I have faith in you.¡±


    ¡°As do I.¡± papa agreed. ¡°The world is changing, but one thing remains the same. You¡¯ll always shine, our Irena. I just hope you can continue to live in peace. Just like how we named you.¡±


    ¡°Peace, huh?¡± Irena mused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Science drives the world forwards, makes life better for everyone. Why can¡¯t we all get along, push forward together? Surely that¡¯s all that matters?¡± Her thoughts turned back to the typed conversation of earlier, and her kindred spirit, separated by a great distance and even by species, but sharing the same drive for progress.


    ¡°And yet science also leads to great despair. The Nuclear Bomb, bioweapons, environmental destruction...¡± her papa sighed. ¡°You¡¯re too pure, Irena. Too focused. If everyone was like you, the world would be a happier place. Which is why we never want to see you hurt. Here... you¡¯re safe. If we were to lose you, our only child...¡±


    Mama and papa are prisoners too. Of fear, not of these barred walls. ¡°I understand. But... sooner or later I will have to take a chance. I love my research, but... I am beginning to think I need a change, even if only for a while. Just as Newton discovered gravity by dreaming under an apple tree, I too would see the outside world and allow nature to advise me.¡±


    ¡°You speak so boldly to your parents.¡± Papa ruffled her hair gently. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best for you. So you do your best in the meantime, as you always do.¡±


    Irena nodded. If I say I want to visit Japan, there¡¯s no telling what will happen. I hinted at it with good cause, and mama and papa immediately said no. But... no, I can still peer though the bars, talk to those with the same dreams as me. Not realising that now she was starting to think of the Institute as a cage, she smiled, though there was sadness in it, as her parents noticed. ¡°I do wonder though. If I was born healthy, would I have chosen a different path? Would it have been satisfying, seeing the sun rise and fall on a different world?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. We would give anything to have you healthy, my dear.¡± Mama said. ¡°But if you weren¡¯t so curious, so smart, so eager... you wouldn¡¯t be you.¡± She hugged Irena tight, and Irena enjoyed the warmth of seeing her parents for the first time in weeks, before she realised one thing. I love you mama, but you¡¯re lying. You turned down my request to be healthy again... Perhaps it was selfish, perhaps it wasn¡¯t possible. After all, her condition was hardly an injury or an illness. It likely was never meant to be. But... I would like to try. But now isn¡¯t the time...Irena squeezed shut her pale pink eyes, losing herself in the moment, but her brain worked frantically, turning her towering, abnormal intellect to a new problem. The goal is to have more freedom, without endangering myself or putting mama and papa in a tough position. Now I know the goal... all I have to do is think of the shortest, safest path to make that happen...

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Six – Princess Adoria Vi Tra Palludia – ??? – End Of Arc 9

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Six ¨C Princess Adoria Vi Tra Palludia ¨C ??? ¨C End Of Arc 9


    ¡°Is sister back yet? Either sister?¡± Adoria asked hopefully, twisting a finger in her long pink hair, a nervous habit she had picked up over the recent months, ever since her father hadn¡¯t returned from his last mission. Her maid, on seeing that, had a look of compassion on her face.


    ¡°Princess Claira has not returned, she is once more at the front lines.¡± She paused, unsure of how to proceed, but eventually chose to praise Adoria¡¯s sister. ¡°Without Princess Claira and her tireless efforts, holding the remaining fortresses would be impossible. When the injured return, they sing her praises, her form in battle shines, blue, pink and white ice driving back the endless hordes of demons, leaving them slain in their thousands.¡±


    Sister Claira has never recovered from the shock of father being dead. I know mother lied to try and spare us, but sister took it very hard. Ever since then she has barely returned, and only to recover from her injuries. Poor sister. She was so beautiful... no, she still is. Just... her injuries and scars are accumulating. ¡°Sister Claira is a hero, nobody knows that better than me.¡± Adoria said stoutly. ¡°But even with Princess Demera able to fight and support her again, they can¡¯t be everywhere at once...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fret. The situation hasn¡¯t reached the worst yet.¡± Her maid reassured her, handing her a goblet of sparkling, fruity juice. Adoria took it, the sweet flavour not able to lift her spirits as usual. ¡°The demons are concentrating their attacks on other countries, I¡¯ve heard from those who have returned. That gives us time to replenish our forces.¡±


    Adoria shook her head. ¡°How fast can we replenish? The re-risen make up an ever-increasing proportion of our forces, I¡¯ve heard people whisper. And...¡± I won¡¯t say it. If it¡¯s true and we are forced to fall back on creating the soulless, despite mother¡¯s hatred of her cousin and her ways...


    Troubled, her words failed her, and her maid spoke again. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and talk with Lady Kiela? She¡¯s here again. The company might do you some good, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, you might be right.¡± Adoria sighed, her own worries submerged in worry for her sisters and their troubles. Mother too. She¡¯s barely sleeping at all. What with the untimely and unexpected death of the Chancellor recently, she¡¯s been forced to shoulder too much alone...


    Entering the Palace, she moved to the guest room, where Kiela was sitting in a chair, listening intently to someone else, and Adoria felt a surge of joy. ¡°Sister Elenya, you¡¯ve come back!¡± she said, surprised, rushing forwards and giving her green-haired sibling a hug. Her green eyes lost their usual coldness and sparkled with warmth for a moment as she stroked the pink hair of Adoria, not avoiding the contact as she usually might. It shows how troubled I am, that I forgot sister Elenya doesn¡¯t show much physical affection. But she did. She knows I must need it. As usual, eldest sister is very considerate.


    ¡°Yes, I returned just an hour ago.¡± she said softly. ¡°I was coming to see you, but I heard that little Kiela was here and wanted to give her something.¡± She glanced down at Kiela. She was wearing her usual black, lacy dress, covered in frills and ribbons, which matched her beautiful raven-black hair and stoic, almost emotionless demeanour.


    ¡°Is that... a book?¡± Adoria asked, looking at the worn, ragged collection of papers open in Kiela¡¯s lap. Narrowing her eyes, she attempted to read the words, but the ink was very faded, and the language... ¡°How old is that? I can barely understand it. ¡°...decision was made to stop the...¡± she muttered, trying to make sense of it all.


    ¡°Ancient.¡± Her oldest sister said, and there was something strange in her tone. Adoria looked at her face instinctively, and in her deep green eyes Adoria though she could see a shadow, something heavy, lurking there, but then she blinked and Elenya looked the same as always, a gentle smile on her beautiful face. Wait, did I imagine it? No, sister is under a lot of stress. After all, her wedding date is set... That brought back memories of her own proposed unions, which she ruthlessly pushed down to the back of her mind. There¡¯s no point worrying about it now. Not when sister Eleyna and sister Claira, and even mother, are hurting far worse than I am.


    ¡°You are a kind girl.¡± Elenya said, hugging her more tightly. ¡°I hate that your destiny is to fight, just like Claira is. If I was stronger, but my Wind... it is not a force on the battlefield. Perhaps I simply lack talent.¡± Her self-deprecating words hurt Adoria, who opened her mouth to protest, but her sister spoke first.


    ¡°I know you worry. But... I am prepared. After all, we have to pass on the Elements, our rare Bloodlines. Is that not what we have been taught?¡±


    Adoria nodded. Yes, only the Bloodlines of the Elemental Princesses, strengthened enough over the years, can hope to hold back the terrible demons. Sister Claira and Princess Demera are proving that. ¡°You¡¯re right sister, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should be so upset. Not everyone is fit for battle. My Light is weak too. I can¡¯t freeze armies like our sister does, or stand firm and unbreakable like Princess Demera. Kiela here... you struggle as well, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Kiela tiled her head, puzzled. ¡°You think so? I see.¡± She then went back to scanning the book quietly, blue eyes sparkling.


    ¡°That aside, I brought the book because I felt that Kiela would enjoy it. And understand the true meaning. You know Kiela likes to read, yes?¡± Elenya said, and Adoria nodded, still being held in a tight hug. Embarrassed, she squirmed a bit, and she was released. As the two of them sat down beside Kiela, Adoria looked at the book once more.


    ¡°Yes, Kiela¡¯s quiet. Too quiet sometimes.¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°But books... finding a new one is rare. Nobody has time to write anymore. Kiela must be pleased. Wherever did you find it? I thought you were...¡±


    ¡°Consider it a present for my wedding.¡± Her sister changed the subject. ¡°But having read it, it was very interesting indeed. I just knew Kiela would adore it. It¡¯s a history book.¡±


    ¡°History?¡± Adoria cocked her head. ¡°You mean like of the Palludia kingdom? That must be an old book then. Who has time to write nowadays? I¡¯ve read all the books we keep in the palace, Kiela too.¡± Almost everything is invested in the war, and so much is lost, mother says. Even the Noble Elves now, they are beset, I hear...


    ¡°When I said it was ancient, I meant it, sister.¡± Elenya said softly. ¡°No, this is from long ago, before the Palludia kingdom was born out of chaos and war.¡±


    ¡°Before? You mean...¡± Adoria was surprised, and Elenya looked animated for a moment, her eyes intense.


    ¡°Yes, from before the demons came. The time of the heights of empire. All a lie of course.¡± Elenya dropped a bombshell, and Adoria¡¯s orange eyes went wide.


    ¡°Sister, you can¡¯t say that! What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It is quite simple. The two thousand years of the Elemental Princesses is nothing but a lie. No, in fact, our history goes back a mere eight hundred years. A mere...¡± she snorted, an unusual display of crudeness.


    ¡°Are you sure? The tutors here and the books say otherwise. This one could be wrong. I... I don¡¯t want you getting into trouble. Mother would hate to hear you talking like that.¡± Adoria warned, and Elenya looked pleased.


    ¡°You are a good girl, Adoria. You and Claira are my treasures. Damn this cruel, unending war. If there was some way I could save you both, end the war...¡± she shook her head. ¡°You too of course, Kiela.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be a tragedy. Claira is a true beauty.¡± Barbro slipped, forgetting to call her by her title, yet both sisters ignored it, eager to see him gone. After more pointless flattery, he finally left, and Elenya relaxed.


    ¡°How can you bear him? He¡¯s awful. You know the rumours.¡± Adoria said mournfully.


    ¡°Faithfulness is a luxury. That course was set eight hundred years ago. Our gifts are strong, but... they must be further nurtured. He may be inconstant, but he does have talent. And our choices grow ever more limited. Your turn is coming too. Claira as well, though Claira is more use on the battlefield right now. But... what is the alternative?¡±


    Adoria thought about that, chewing on her lip, depressed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe mother...¡±


    ¡°The Queen has her own fears. And the loss of your father has wounded her deeply. Lying to Claira and you, giving you both false hope... it was a mistake, but I sympathise. She has tried hard, but...¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Adoria asked.


    ¡°Results are all that matter now. I do not wish to see Claira hurt any more, or you to suffer. Neither does the Queen, but she will do what she must, even if it breaks her. Hence the soulless. Though she condemned them, and tolerated the re-risen, with the demon¡¯s attacks becoming ever-more relentless, her stance has softened. It is far easier to create an army of the soulless, and replace them. As long as we have competent commanders, such as the Metalguard, directing them, they do a decent enough job holding the tide back. Would you rather have another wound on our distraught, mourning sister, or compromise on principles?¡± Her green eyes bored into Adoria¡¯s orange ones.


    Sister, so serious. But... I know what you mean. ¡°I don¡¯t want Claira to suffer. She¡¯s already given so much, and all she has to look forward to is an unhappy marriage, like you sister.¡± Me as well.


    ¡°I do not know about that. Just because we have no choice, does not mean that we will find no joy in it. Remember this, please, dear sister. Just because something is forced on us, does not mean it is necessarily bad. And there may be good reasons, even if it brings sorrow.¡± The way she was speaking was strange, and Adoria listened to her sister¡¯s impassioned words, trying to divine the meaning behind them.


    ¡°Just like the soulless. We must make sacrifices. The Queen hates to admit it though. But... if the only way to triumph was to be like her cousin, breaking one of us to create an army... could she pay that price?¡±


    Adoria shuddered. She had only heard rumours, whispered and hushed, but it seemed that the cruel waste of her daughters had stalled the demons, her army having victories that matched what sister Claira and Princess Demera could muster. But at what cost...


    ¡°No, never. Mother loves us. You too, despite your worries, sister.¡± Adoria denied her. ¡°She hates it so much. She would never countenance it.¡±


    ¡°Just like she never countenanced the soulless?¡± Elenya smiled sadly. ¡°You are an adorably innocent child, but in the face of annihilation, all sacrifices are acceptable.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. The soulless might be terrible, but they aren¡¯t alive like we are...¡±


    ¡°And when they fail to stem the tide, what then? If it comes to Claira falling on the battlefield, or.... being of more use to raise a batch of powerful warriors, even at the cost of her sanity and joy...¡± Elenya pressed. ¡°To be Queen is to be ruthless. Yes, she has to preserve our Bloodlines, but without a country or the people... what use are we?¡±


    ¡°No, mother... she wouldn¡¯t...¡± Adoria insisted, yet a treacherous voice inside her head was whispering to her. But mother is making Elenya marry Barbro. Perhaps Claira or I could be happy with whoever we end up marrying. Sister Elenya is right, it might not be so bad, if not what we would have chosen. But Elenya will absolutely not be happy! Barbro is a snake, a toad! His father dying... no, surely it wasn¡¯t him? Wind shouldn¡¯t be able to do that... should it? So if it was a choice between the fall of our country, and one of us...


    ¡°I can see you have worked it out. The sacrifice of the few for the many... a ruler must do it. But then, if one is not enough to sacrifice, what about two? Or three. Perhaps young Kiela too.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Adoria denied that. ¡°If the Elements are lost, then even saving the country will be meaningless. Why... why did it come to this? Mother has all that power and authority, but there¡¯s so much she can¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Then read the book.¡± Elenya said sadly. ¡°The choices of those who claim to represent the Elements led to this day. We Princesses are the strongest, but even with all our power, we are fated to have few choices. Power is not enough alone.¡±


    ¡°Then what can we do?¡± The great door to the throne room in front of them was beginning to creak open, and a herald was ready to announce their entrance, to visit their mother, the beleaguered Queen. ¡°I hate seeing you so sad, sister. I... my Light is not as strong as sister¡¯s mighty Ice, but I could...¡±


    Elenya¡¯s smile now was genuine, and she reached out, rubbing Adoria¡¯s head gently. ¡°It is enough that you are thinking of me, even though I am only your half-sister.¡± Elenya whispered. ¡°Put aside thoughts of striking out against Barbro. Even if you succeeded, it would only delay the inevitable. We may be individually gifted, but there are many others with remnants of the gifts who command Elements too. We have privilege, but in exchange we give up freedom. No, I am happy. It makes me think my choice was not wrong.¡±


    ¡°What choice?¡± Adoria asked, curious and worried, though enjoying the rare physical contact. Sister is being unusually animated today, and she seldom comforts me. Do I look so pitiful I need it, despite her own sorrows?


    ¡°On what to accept and what to give up. Just as the Queen does, I too am of an Elemental Bloodline, no matter how it came about, it does not change what our destiny is.¡± The doors were open now, so they had but a few moments before entering, and Adoria could see her mother on the throne, her usual cold beauty diminished, dark bags under her eyes barely hidden by makeup, her face gaunt, having lost some volume as though the weight of responsibility was slowly yet inevitably shrinking her.


    ¡°One question, sister.¡± Elenya said, as they started to move slowly and elegantly, all eyes on them. ¡°How do you think we can survive the demons, when we lose at every turn?¡±


    If I knew that I¡¯d have told mother, so my sisters and I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer! Even so, she considered the question seriously, since Eleyna seemed so different today. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Get help from elsewhere? But there¡¯s no other countries not involved. Or we could run away, maybe? But mother would never allow that, and where would we go? Or... get stronger, strong enough to destroy the demons? But even sister Claira, who is hailed as the most powerful Element in recent memory, she isn¡¯t enough... I just don¡¯t know.¡± She shook her head, troubled.


    ¡°Not bad. I considered those too.¡± Elenya agreed, as they approached the throne, and her voice fell. ¡°Of course, other options as well. But in the end... there are no prefect solutions. It all comes down to what price is one prepared to pay, and what one has to accept, in order to protect what absolutely cannot be left unprotected.¡± Before Adoria could reply, they had reached the foot of the throne, where her mother awaited them.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we have come as requested.¡± Elenya bowed deeply, and Adoria hurriedly did the same, as it was an official audience, to raise the morale of the people. What has to be sacrificed, and what has to be protected? I... don¡¯t want my sisters or cousin Kiela to suffer. Nor mother, who has tried so hard. Why can¡¯t it be those who are bad people who pay? Why does it always have to be us? I don¡¯t care whether that book was true or not, but by the Elements Above... please, help my sisters, I don¡¯t want this sorrow anymore. Though even as she prayed, she knew it was futile, else the demons would never have been able to ravage their world for so long, shattering so many dreams, ending so many lives. And mother, I pray you never have to make the sort of choices Elenya worries over. Believe in us. We may be weak, unlike Claira, but... we won¡¯t let her fight alone. We¡¯ll do something, I swear it!

 Arc 10- Troubles At Home And Abroad – Four Hundred And Forty-Two *Contains status – Akio ?*

    Arc 10- Troubles At Home And Abroad ¨C Four Hundred And Forty-Two *Contains status ¨C Akio ?*


    ¡°So, are you absolutely sure that there¡¯s nothing going on between the two of you?¡± Kanzaki-chan said slyly, as she drank from her glass of wine. It turns out she is old enough to drink after all, though I¡¯m not foolish enough to ask her age. ¡°From where I sit, the two of you seem perfect together. You¡¯re even both Chosen, right?¡±


    Arisu-san sighed, and I didn¡¯t blame her, as it wasn¡¯t the first time we¡¯d had to deal with that today. She was wearing a long coat over her elegant crimson dress, as was Kanzaki-chan, hiding her idol outfit, since we didn¡¯t have much time to change due to the mess the talk show had devolved into. ¡°As I have made plain, we are simply colleagues, and friends, since Akio-san here says so, and I have no issue with that. Which surprises me.¡± she admitted, elegantly raising her silver fork for emphasis. ¡°Besides, I am sure I told you that a close friend of mine is dating him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Kanzaki-chan agreed. Raising one eyebrow in an expression of disbelief, she looked around the private room in the restaurant atop a luxury hotel in Ginza. ¡°Having everyone clear out so there wouldn¡¯t be a scandal. I¡®m both impressed and saddened¡± She smiled cheekily, perhaps loosened up by the wine.


    ¡°It would do you no good to get in a scandal with this one.¡± Arisu-san sighed. ¡°I would imagine it would do your career no favours.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry.¡± Kanzaki-chan apologised. ¡°I forgot you had your fair share of lies told about you. My mistake.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it. The truth is out there, and my revenge will soon be complete. As for being impressed, I do concede that one of his little fiance?es has quite the influence and wealth. A simple phone call, and this hotel was falling over themselves to reserve an entire section for us so we can dine in comfort and secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious.¡± Kanzaki-chan pressed. ¡°is that one of the ones that have been pictured in the media?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s Hinata.¡± I brought up a picture on my phone. ¡°She¡¯s the granddaughter of Nichibotsu Technology.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s cute. Young but cute.¡± Kanzaki-chan repeated, before reaching out a finger and swiping my phone, giggling as it displayed an image of two more girls, my sis and Eri. ¡°Who¡¯re they? More girlfriends? Hey, that one looks like you...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my sister.¡± I insisted. ¡°Though the other girl is my childhood friend and fiance?e.¡±


    ¡°Childhood friends? That¡¯s kind of sweet, that even an important guy like you sticks by your childhood sweetheart.¡± Kanzaki-chan giggled. ¡°Might as well show me the rest, I¡¯m really curious.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I laughed, glad I didn¡¯t keep any lewd photos on my phone. After a time of me showing photographs and talking about the good points of each girl, Kanzaki-chan leaned back in her chair, shaking her head.


    ¡°I think I asked a rude question earlier on the talk show. They¡¯re all pretty or beautiful. So... which one¡¯s your mutual friend.¡±


    ¡°Shiro, the silver haired one.¡± I said, and Kanzaki-chan smirked at us, teasing.


    ¡°I see. Yes, she¡¯s absolutely stunning. And a Chosen too, right? I remember from the press conference in Britain. You¡¯d be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn¡¯t seen that, or at least the highlights. But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re too far behind, Arisu-chan!¡± she was more familiar with the older woman now.


    There¡¯s something weird... ¡°Hey...¡± I said, and my tone was serious, so Kanzaki-chan looked at me, her expression neutral. ¡°...don¡¯t you feel bad about it, about me? I mean, having all these girlfriends. As a girl yourself...¡±


    Kanzaki-chan¡¯s placid face twitched, before she looked at Arisu-san, who was rolling her dark eyes at me. Then the mask slipped, and Kanzaki-chan burst out laughing, meeting Arisu-san¡¯s irritated gaze. ¡°He might be someone who can hold the powerful of the world to account, but he¡¯s surprisingly slow on the uptake, isn¡¯t he? It¡¯s kind of cute though, Arisu-chan.¡±


    ¡°Cute? Your taste is rather strange. I find it frustrating. But then White is often saying that he is a slow learner, though she finds it amusing and frustrating in equal measure.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here.¡± I protested, and Kanzaki-chan picked up her wine again, laughing.


    ¡°I do think you¡¯re a bit of a bad guy. I mean, sure, it¡¯s not normal. But then, hearing you talk so lovingly about them all, and the fact you even went to far as to pressure the government to change the law... I¡¯d be a pretty terrible person to fault you for that. I might not be the right person to ask, considering I¡¯m an idol... I¡¯m not even allowed to date or the fans go crazy. But I¡¯d rather have an honest, loving scoundrel than just any other cheater. Besides... are they happy?¡±


    ¡°I think so. And I¡¯ll do everything I can to make them love life.¡± I promised, and she took a sip of wine before flourishing the dwindling glass triumphantly.


    ¡°There¡¯s my point. So if you are happy and they¡¯re happy, why worry what anyone else thinks?¡± she giggled.


    ¡°It is guilt of course. Though he tries not to let it bother him, it still does. But White says he is significantly better than he used to be. Some of his earlier conquests tell tales of his self-pitying whining, enough to turn my stomach. I agree. I prefer an honest and unrepentant man. I abhor liars. Although I despise cheaters and the unfaithful too.¡± She looked at me, her dark eyes showing me a warning. ¡°So keep your word, and cherish them. For if you make White unhappy...¡±


    ¡°I know, I get it. But you¡¯d have to join the queue. I¡¯d be first to punish myself.¡± I promised. The conversation was then interrupted by my phone ringing, and on seeing the caller ID I was a little surprised. Buck Kelly, huh?


    ¡°Hello there.¡± I said in English, and my surprise must have been evident.


    ¡°Why the shock, Akio my friend? Weren¡¯t you expecting a call from old Buck?¡± his tone was jovial. ¡°I saw your performance on TV. It¡¯s a big hit here in the States. I got to brag to my wife that I knew you as well, my lucky charm. That woman you were with, she¡¯s another beauty. Another fly in your web, huh?¡±


    I exchanged an apologetic look with Arisu-san, who was listening, as my phone¡¯s volume was set to loud. An oversight.


    ¡°If you saw you should know.¡± I chided him, and his loud laugh came back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shy! I haven¡¯t forgotten the two beauties you had with you when we met, Miss Shaeula and Miss Eri. But I should get to the point, time is money, after all. I¡¯ll be flying to Japan shortly, just like we discussed a while back. You¡¯ll show me around, right? We have a lot to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you wanted to set up a bar or two here.¡± I remembered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what help I¡¯ll be...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. Though of course I¡¯d be delighted to have your help, Akio my good friend! I hear Japan is notoriously hard for foreigners to break into the market. So an inside man would help, though obviously Ms Connors has connections. But... I have a few other propositions that might be beneficial to you...¡±


    Really? ¡°Well I can certainly meet up and hear you out, but I¡¯m not sure what you have planned...¡±


    ¡°You should look forward to it!¡± Buck promised grandly, and after some more small talk, he hung up. After that I finished an enjoyable meal with Arisu-san and Kanzaki-chan, talking about unimportant things, and it was interesting to hear more of Arisu-san¡¯s thoughts. She definitely seems a little less standoffish now.


    ¡°So, about your friend who is taking part in the charity concert...¡± Kanzaki-chan asked as we were enjoying dessert. ¡°...what¡¯s she like?¡±


    ¡°Her idol name is Suzumebachi.¡± I laughed, remembering my shock when she¡¯d told me.


    ¡°What? A giant hornet?¡± Kanzaki-chan blinked, and Arisu-san took over.


    ¡°Yes, Suzanne-san has very questionable understanding of Japanese culture. However, her desires are pure and earnest.¡± She looked at me then. ¡°Suzanne-san was worried that her backup dancers, as she calls them, would be unable to aid her. Fortunately now...¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Ling, or maybe Ginneka... one of them will be able to help.¡± I replied, and Kanzaki-chan looked confused.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Oh, it is Chosen-related matters.¡± Arisu-san said. ¡°But it would be good if you could perhaps impart some wisdom to Suzanne-san. I do despair at her lack of understanding.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± Kanzaki-chan promised. ¡°Since we¡¯re all friends now. Speaking of which...¡± she looked at me searchingly. ¡°I know I asked before, but... why did you say you¡¯d help me out if I was in trouble?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it if it¡¯s to cover up some genuine wrongdoing.¡± I reiterated. ¡°But...¡± I scratched my chin, embarrassed. ¡°Even if it was for the camera, I was happy when you said I was your ideal guy. I mean, I¡¯m not hitting on you, I promise! You¡¯ve seen I have plenty of girlfriends...¡± I explained hastily. ¡°...even so, I never thought someone famous would ever say that about me.¡±


    ¡°Famous, huh? Yes, AKB48 is big, but Arisu-chan here is probably more famous than any of us.¡± Kanzaki-chan said. ¡°Besides... it wasn¡¯t exactly all for the cameras. But never mind that... I¡¯ll... bear it in mind.¡± Her smile was radiant. Then she frowned. ¡°Hey, since you got Suzumebachi... ugh, that name... on the bill, and Arisu-chan here is the presenter for the event... couldn¡¯t you get your sister backstage using that?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not the same as one of your own shows. But... if you could be nice to her when she¡¯s there, maybe introduce her to the rest of the members... I¡¯d be grateful.¡±


    ¡°How can I deny you when you ask so earnestly?¡± she agreed, and with that we slipped back into harmless, cheery talk, before it was time to go.


    After seeing Arisu-san and Kanzaki-chan to their taxis, I returned home to my new house. I considered staying awake and trying to get some work done, but as I was already working in the Boundary, Princess Ffionnan having returned there after her trip to the Material, still extremely enthusiastic about our prospects, and the four-tailed fox was still hanging around too, I decided to at least rest my Material body. Half of me will get some rest. Who knows, maybe Tsukuyomi will send me a dream...


    ********


    Smiling at the flushed Daiyu who was lying next to me, her breathing still ragged from our Dual Cultivating, I kissed her softly on the forehead, intensifying her blush.


    ¡°No Rank ups that time.¡± I said, and she looked at me with a surprisingly pouty expression.


    ¡°Is that all that matters?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± This time my kiss was on the lips. ¡°I should be asking you that. Did you like it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She agreed, snuggling closer, and I once more realised even the girls that seemed taciturn and less expressive were more affectionate in the bed. ¡°While I am eager to increase my Cultivation, I find the warmth reassuring. To have someone else to rely on, who looks deep into me as I look into him... even if it was not for any value, I would still seek this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s adorable. But true for me as well. Perhaps this was always meant to be.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though the price was far too high...¡± She hushed me with a fierce kiss, her tongue entwining with mine. As we parted, saliva linking us momentarily, she looked at me, black eyes earnest.


    ¡°I have no wish to talk about sadder times. I look only to the future.¡± She glanced at the door, and Eri took that moment to enter, carrying a clean towel and a tray of tea. Her expression was placid as she looked at us, though I could tell she was jealous as she was manifesting a black tail which was lashing fitfully, looking rather comical sticking out from her jeans, pushing them down so they sat wrong. Seeing us looking she sighed and the tail disappeared, and she pulled them up, covering the panties on view.


    ¡°Here. You¡¯ve a busy day ahead.¡± Eri handed me and then Daiyu a towel, setting the tea down. ¡°You know, I think I want to learn Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I think it is indeed time to learn the basics.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°They say a dragon has to start as a snake before it ascends. We will drill in the fundamentals.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll have time this evening.¡± Eri said flatly. ¡°After all, you¡¯re going out with Kana, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, I promised. And I want to as well.¡± I said, and Eri finally smiled.


    ¡°At least you¡¯re learning. Making it sound like you are only doing it because you promised is a bad habit. Besides... at least we won¡¯t be deprived of you completely. Maybe I¡¯ll go hang out in the Boundary. I need to make up for lost time. Aiko is desperate too...¡±


    ¡°What about schoolwork?¡± I asked, and Eri shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m effectively done, barring exams, and Aiko can skip a day or two of remote assignments.¡±


    This could be a problem. I was planning on using some of the free time I¡¯ve got now we¡¯ve captured Mount Atago on making items, which is fine, but then... there¡¯s some experiments I want to run, and I don¡¯t want anyone else to take part... Holding in a sigh my Eye shone for a second, as I reconfirmed my stats, skills and classes...


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    1762 1805


    Fortune


    38 40


    Fortitude


    1752 1794


    Majesty


    29 31


    Intellect


    1820 1860


    Charm


    44 47


    Resilience


    2051 2137


    League


    26


    Alacrity


    1839 1882


    Determination


    25 27


    Precision


    1833 1874


    Foresight


    32 34


    Aether


    6463 6659


    Fate


    21 23


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Connection


    Rank 5


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Combat Technique


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Body Enhancement


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Tsumura Arts


    Rank 1


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Practical Skills]


    Ether Crafting


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Dvergr Techniques


    Rank 1


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge


    Rank 4


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Kin Bonding And Restoration


    Rank 6


    Legendary (7)


    Principle (7)


    Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Might Of The Furious Earth Might Of Indestructible Jade


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Artifice (6)


    The Future Reflected By The Moon


    Rank 3


    Legendary (7)


    Fate (9)


    Prominence Twilight


    Rank 2


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    [Level]


    134 138


    [Class]


    Kami-Blessed 10/20 12/20


    Conqueror 17/50 19/50


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 7/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven 2/20


    True Faeduine 3/30 5/30


    Qi Refiner 2/10


    Dual Cultivator 2/10


    [Mastered Class]


    Fae-Souled 30/30


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 10/10


    Territory Rank


    3


    My level had stagnated a bit, which made sense, as I had to fight ever-increasing amounts of lesser foes, literally armies worth, or singular powerful opponents, to grow. That or take over other Territories... No, focussing on skills and classes was the surest way to growth now. Obviously, as one started to reach the level of powerful beings such as the Princes and Princesses of the Seelie Court, never mind mightier beings such as Nurarihyon, and supposedly the King and Queen of the Seelie, it wouldn¡¯t be a simple matter of just out-levelling them. But we still have the advantages. The Pilgrimage is planned to level up everyone¡¯s Kami-Blessed class, mine included, and I can give Fae-Bonded to the non-Fae girls... Cultivation too...


    Daiyu smiled slightly, flushing under my intense gaze. ¡°What is on your mind?¡± she asked, and I answered with another playful kiss, beckoning Eri over so she sat on the bed and let me kiss her too.


    ¡°I agree, it¡¯s time to Cultivate. And not just for us. For all the girls. I want to push Chirurgery to its limits as well. We have your Dantians and additional meridians and minor chakras as a base, as well as the Night Orbs Shaeula¡¯s network has. Experimentation is the key.¡± I then winced, as I realised I had said something I shouldn¡¯t. Eri and Daiyu mercifully ignored that slip-up though. Yeah, I don¡¯t want people to see the early stages of that experimentation. Especially not for what I have planned...


    ¡°Yes, we should all get stronger. And... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair that Daiyu can share herself with you in a way we can¡¯t.¡± Eri declared.


    ¡°I cannot do this Fae method.¡± Daiyu protested, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not fair to you either. While I agree we are all different people and have diverse talents... ever since Akio returned to Nishimorioka I¡¯ve learned one thing above anything else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what is that?¡± Daiyu asked, interested, and I was too.


    ¡°That path Akio follows. And I believe it¡¯s the right one. I hate to admit it, I do, but...¡± Eri¡¯s black eyes were warm, though her smile was a little bitter. ¡°...there¡¯s strength in all of us acting together, being together. I only reached this level because of Shaeula¡¯s influence on him. And when you combine the talents of everyone together, we can go further. Everything matters, whether it¡¯s the combat skills and money of the noble girls, your Cultivation, the abilities of the Fae girls...¡±


    ¡°Do not forget yourself.¡± Daiyu said. ¡°Without you...¡±


    ¡°Without me? Sometimes I don¡¯t know what I contribute. Even Kana has her gifts and now a Divine Favour...¡± Eri said. ¡°Not that it matters. I know I love Akio more than anyone, I always have...¡±


    ¡°Love cannot be measured. But I accept you love him deeply, and... it is thanks to you that Akio can even love at all, no? I have heard from Shaeula and have been observing him. You were the first to break the shell around his heart, and also paved the way for us, by accepting Shaeula. So do not despair. Besides...¡± Daiyu¡¯s smile was warm, and Eri looked down, grateful and slightly ashamed of her petulance, so I stroked her head, suddenly feeling amused as black cat-ears sprang into existence, making Eri twitch as I toyed with them.


    ¡°...you are hardly weak. Perhaps you lag behind some of us, but you are correct. I will enjoy teaching you. Perhaps we shall start today.¡±


    Eri was grateful but nervous. ¡°I know you are focussed on your own practise, so I can wait...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Akio has his own tasks, so we can at least begin with the basics. There are no shortcuts, I cannot teach you through Dual Cultivation, that must be Akio, but...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Eri grinned, red-faced from pleasure now as my stroking continued, as I let the two girls bond with each other through shared understanding. It¡¯s good. Eri, Asha and Daiyu are the quietest of the girls, so having them open up to each other is good... ¡°There is a shortcut. I have a class... Spirit Pledged, Akio called it. It means that skills Akio has I can learn easier than otherwise, and the same applies to my skills. So since Akio has... oh.¡± Eri paused, realising the problem.


    ¡°Yes, Akio¡¯s Qi Refining is likely not something you can replicate. But... the class intrigues me. Why do I not have it? I have pledged my life and Dao to you.¡± Daiyu was pouting a little.


    ¡°Who knows? It may well come in time.¡± I said reassuringly. ¡°Spirit Pledged has fewer side effects than the Fae version at least... but I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± Nearly made another mistake there. Eri¡¯s eyes narrowed, but she let it pass. ¡°Anyway...¡±


    Making conversation, Daiyu and I headed for the bath to cleanse our sweaty and dirty bodies. Meanwhile, in the Boundary I was having another conversation, while checking the status of our ether supplies and Territory queues.


    ¡°The bustle here is so very entertaining.¡± Princess Ffionnan was saying. She had been ferried back to Shirohebizumi shrine in style after the watch party, before the ability of Ling had exhausted itself, but she had not returned to the Seelie Court, instead observing the breadth of our work. ¡°The Seelie Court outstrips this small land, of course, but... the Court has existed for many tens of thousands of moons. This place is what... a few dozen moons old?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t calculated the exact flow of time here, but yeah, a dozen plus a handful more.¡± I was agreeing. The Queues were not particularly important anymore, now that we had decided the priority was pushing the Territory to Rank 4, quickly followed by Haru¡¯s and then Eleanor¡¯s. I do have to clear the Queues before we upgrade, and I have put one more expensive building in there. Once we are at Rank 4... extrapolating, and it¡¯s only a guess, as the Rank 4 jump exceeded all my expectations, we are looking at a minimum of a hundred million, and two point five billion for the rush build. Even Asha¡¯s Tree coupled with Shiro¡¯s buffs won¡¯t keep up with that easily. It could even be more...


    At that point the delayed infrastructure would be more sensible. Though I had made some progress, as we now had all the Ether Spires in my Territory at a minimum of Rank 3, while three of them were Rank 4 and one was in the Queue ticking down. But then my Barracks and other standard Buildings, as well as specialist ones such as the White Snake Earth Altar, are lagging, hurting our potential...


    The Queues were all diminishing. The Anchor Spire Queue and first Queue held the Ether Density and Ether Spire Anchor Spires to Rank 2, each with thirty-five Astral days remaining. It was a little lower than expected, which showed that Miyu had been performing her dances well. When I do expand to Rank 4 as a Territory, that will bring Miyu¡¯s, Tan¡¯s, Suzu-san¡¯s, Arisu-san¡¯s and more allied Territories under my protection, so we can work on Ranking them up and buffing their infrastructure too.


    We then had the Rank 4 Ether Spire that we¡¯d been letting tick down seemingly forever at a hundred and forty-four days remaining. The last Queue was the one we were using for rush building before, but what I had done now was fill it, with a Boundary to Material Connection to Rank 4, over at the site of Ixitt¡¯s factory. The jump from Rank 2 to Rank 4 was facilitated by rush building the Rank 3 one, at a cost of nearly one point three million ether, and then the same again to add the Rank 4 to the Queue. It seemed a lot, but as we were generating over four million ether per Material day currently, it was one infrastructure build I was prepared to prioritise, as it would help Ixitt¡¯s factory and the construction there immensely. Sure, we¡¯re looking at roughly another five million ether to finish it off when we need to empty our Queues for the Territory upgrade, but at that point the radius it covers will extend from the current two hundred and fifty metres to a full kilometre, and the efficacy will grow.


    Our current ether stocks were roughly ten million, after the bounty from mount Atago and the general production of Asha¡¯s Tree and our Territories as a whole. Most of it was stored currently in Haru¡¯s Silos she inherited from mount Atago, but in theory, if nothing went wrong, we could have accumulated the one hundred and sixty-five million more ether we needed in around a month and a half. Perhaps a bit sooner, when taking into account ether gained from battles and the growth of Vassal Territories in the meantime, but we also have other expenditures...


    With three Rank 6 Silos under Haru¡¯s control, as well as more Rank 5 and Rank 4 Silos, I addition to the Silos in my own Territory, we could manage more than half of the needed storage, in fact, we were pushing a hundred million ether we could store and protect. That fell short, but there was a workaround, which was to apply Annexes to boost the capacity. That would take some ether, but it was taken into account, and with Rank 6 Silos, even a cheap Rank 1 or 2 Expanding Silo would offer millions of extra ether storage. Haru also needs her second Throne of Heroes to Rank 2 to fulfil her wish of giving the three other survivors of Kondou Kazuo and Kiku another chance...


    ¡°So, what wonders will I see today?¡± Ffionnan enquired. ¡°Perhaps more of the machine that can fly? I would like one!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you had a ride in a helicopter then. Hinata must have spared no expense.¡± I laughed, as I sorted through the materials I had asked to be gathered. With multiple kobold and dwarven mines running in the Territory, and an ever-increasing number of interested miners, as well as trade with the Seelie Court and Night Parade, we had accumulated large amounts of various metals, ores, gems, Etherites and monster parts. The most valuable were stored in the Treasury and Warehouse, but the rest was just heaped in ordinary facilities that had been built. That¡¯s another bit of infrastructure we need, but there¡¯s little time...


    ¡°Yes, she did-did indeed, I hear.¡± Shaeula said, grinning, as she arrived. She was finally free of escorting her family, and had returned, Asha and Hyacinth with her. ¡°There is no shame in being impressed, I did-did rather enjoy it when I rode one myself. And we know-know they can be brought here.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, Kyoto.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though we¡¯ve seen the limitations of Laverna¡¯s abilities, haven¡¯t we?¡± I turned to Ginneka, who had been sitting there quietly, though her ears and tail were flickering restlessly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, nya! I¡¯m doing my best!¡± she protested, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, though we know that hard work can strengthen the Favours, so I¡¯ll expect you to improve over time.¡±


    ¡°Nya, you¡¯re such a bully. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind it in the sheets...¡± She tried to entice me in her usual manner, but I just ignored her, while Shaeula gave her a flat look, which eventually oppressed her, ears lying flat against her skull.


    ¡°Anyway, to answer your question, Princess...¡± I returned my attention to Ffionnan, our guest, who had contributed a number of ores and treasures to the pile as her first payment in getting a share of our enterprise. Explaining that to Mayumi-san will be interesting. Though it came from the portion she¡¯s not involved with. Even though that¡¯s the case, as a partner too they should have the opportunity to interact. ¡°...for one I have a bit of spare time, with nothing major planned. So I am going to catch up on my training, I¡¯ve fallen behind in some areas. I want to increase my crafting skills, as well as make better gear for everyone. We can¡¯t rely just on levelling forever.¡± As Ffionnan tilted her head, the coins in her hair jingling as she was puzzled by the term, I continued. ¡°Mount Atago taught me lessons too. Death can come suddenly, so we need to be as prepared as we can.¡± The Brigandine was hard to improve, but with other equipment and items It was possible to make us safer. I glanced down at the Seven League Boots that was my reward from the Tower of London. ¡°And ideally... we need equipment that has a presence in both the Boundary and the Material. We know it¡¯s possible, and Ixitt and his fellow Mortal Engineers are already experimenting... so I want to as well.¡± Dvergr Technique is especially important, as it has a side benefit of empowering any items I use with each Rank...


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Ffionnan was surprised. ¡°I would have expected the consort of the little princess here to be above manual labour.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not above anything that makes us stronger and can protect those I care about.¡± I smiled. ¡°So it¡¯s time to get to work...¡±


    ********


    ¡°I think that was worthwhile.¡± I wiped silvery sweat from my brow. I hadn¡¯t made anything of note, but I had grasped some of the principles Ixitt was calling his Law of Materialisation. When combined in certain ways, what was Astral could be made to exist on the Material, and the opposite was true. That didn¡¯t create items that existed in both worlds at once, which was the ultimate goal, being able to be used wherever they were needed, but my insights were improving. ¡°Time to take a break.¡± And move onto something else. ¡°You¡¯ve been helpful, Ginneka.¡±


    As the Bakeneko preened, enjoying the compliment, I cast my gaze over to where some music was playing, a CD player that Shaeula had bade her fetch linked up to some of Ixitt¡¯s batteries. There was even a TV, and while it couldn¡¯t receive any signal here, with a DVD player attached it could work just fine.


    Several ratkin cleared up my work, ferrying the remaining materials back to storage. Ffionnan had left after a while, growing disinterested, Shaeula accompanying her, but Hyacinth had waited, seemingly incapable of feeling bored while she was serving me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go work on some other skills.¡± I told her. ¡°If you have anything to do, you can go do it.¡±


    Hyacinth raised one eyebrow at me, her silver-violet eyes seeming to see through me, before she nodded slowly. ¡°I dooo have someone to speak to. But Akio...¡± she paused, uncomfortable for a second, before shaking her head. ¡°Never mind. I shall see yooou later.¡±


    It¡¯s for the best. I don¡¯t want people to see this. I found a secluded spot and began. At first it seemed similar to Ether Healing training, as I made a number of cuts and wounds in my body. The pain was annoying but bearable, and I gave a rusty chuckle at how far I¡¯d come, considering how scared of pain and injury I was to start with. Of course, Ether Healing wouldn¡¯t improve with such light work, not at the Rank I had it at. This was merely a prelude.


    I¡¯ve experience from healing Eri and Shiro. I know it can be done, but I still need to push it further. With a grimace, I pushed my little finger against Storming Moonlight, and the sharp blade, after a moment of resistance, sliced off the digit. Shit, that hurts. Ether Healing surged, and the finger regrew. I then sliced it off again, and replaced it with the first severed finger, reattaching it. As I wiggled it, it worked fine.


    ¡°Okay, as expected. Now for the test of time. I need to leave it an...¡±


    ¡°Shit bro.¡± my sis cursed, and I looked over to see she was watching me with concern and annoyance shining in her sapphire eyes. Shaeula was there too, as well as Hyacinth, who I would have expected to look apologetic, but now she just looked angry. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Hyacinth here said you looked rather shifty. Here¡¯s me thinking...¡± she strode over, looking at the severed little finger I held. ¡°...you were maybe meeting one of the elf girls for a little affair, but no...¡±


    ¡°Aiko, what are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be doing your remote schooling?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you Aiko me, Akio!¡± she scoffed back, clearly pissed off. ¡°Considering how mad you were when I burned my hand, and I understand why, to see you doing this... Shaeula, Hyacinth, talk to the idiot for me. If I do it, I¡¯ll be too angry...¡±


    ¡°I am not-not annoyed.¡± Shaeula said, surprising me, and Hyacinth nodded. ¡°I remember well the pain we suffered because of the Myconid Spores, and it was quite-quite necessary. If you believe such is necessary again, I will not-not deny you...¡±


    ¡°Nooor will I.¡± Hyacinth affirmed, surprising my sis, who looked at them accusingly. ¡°But what is unfooorgivable is that yooou do it alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth is correct. I have Ether Healing too, and keen eyes. I can-can assist you. Now, what is the purpose of this? Tell us.¡±


    ¡°Keen eyes.¡± I said bitterly. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± I looked at my sister warmly, and she stiffened up. ¡°I know your goal, sis. You want to be a true Chirurgeon and Ether Healer. But without a special sight, that¡¯s going to be really difficult. So... I wanted to give you that.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t?¡± she bit her lip, suddenly tearful. ¡°You stupid idiot, bro! I was joking about the ninjas! I don¡¯t want you to go blind for me! If you ruin your good looks, all the girls will be devastated!¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± I flared flame, and the finger I held burned away to ashes. ¡°And even if I wanted to, I can¡¯t let you have my Eye of the Tree of Knowledge. But... if it could be duplicated and transplanted... wouldn¡¯t your dream be in reach?¡±


    Shaeula started laughing, while Hyacinth sighed. Looking at me tearfully, Aiko shuddered, talking a long breath, before scrubbing her tears away. ¡°Man, you are such a fool, bro. There¡¯s a thing as going too far for me. You should save that for your lovers, for Eri. But... I guess you are Nishimorioka¡¯s, no, Japan¡¯s greatest siscon, so I have to accept you¡¯re simply crazy.¡±


    ¡°I believe you are just-just as much a brocon as Akio is.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°I can hear your heart racing.¡±


    ¡°No you can¡¯t! Shut up!¡± my sis protested, and as the bitter mood shattered, I touched my Eye gently. Even Yasaka-san¡¯s Book couldn¡¯t answer me fully, and the reply I got back from texting him was rather amazed, but... If I could do it... Whether the power was actually in my Eye or a part of me was something we had to determine, and it had to be done safely. Pain doesn¡¯t matter. So long as we get benefits pain is temporary. Although...


    ¡°Since we have Hyacinth here, as well-well as us, perhaps it is indeed a good time to push our limits.¡± Shaeula grinned, and my sis went pale, before glancing at my hand and nodding.


    ¡°Bring it on! I¡¯m not afraid, I¡¯ll endure anything to be stronger. After all...¡± her smile was radiant. ¡°Now I¡¯m finally standing on the same stage as you, bro. And I¡¯m an athlete. I always give it my best in training and competition!¡±


    With that proud declaration, I could only smile wryly, defeated. ¡°All right then, you asked for it. But I wanted to keep this secret in case it didn¡¯t work. I didn¡¯t want to get your hopes up, it¡¯s a really long shot. But while we are here...¡± I eyed Shaeula, the glow of brilliant amber shining forth. ¡°...there¡¯s some other things we can try too...¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t know when the next crisis will happen, we have to make the most of this downtime to do our best...

 Four Hundred And Forty-Three

    Four Hundred And Forty-Three


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I expect to be able to transfer abilities...¡± I said as I peered deep into Shaeula¡¯s Chakra network, the night moon chakras circling around her ordinary ones, the one orbiting her lunar chakra seeming subtly different, forcing me to pour aether into my Eye to sharpen the image. Even with the significant processing power of my brain nowadays it was a challenge to comprehend it. ¡°...if it was that easy, then why would the Pantheons need us? But... certain things must be possible, right? Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be able to implant Divine Favours in us, and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to remove them with Chirurgery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have my powers if you couldn¡¯t. So what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°My point, dear sister...¡± I adopted a teasing tone, knowing she was trying to hide her eagerness. ¡°...is that unlike other abilities, eye powers seem to be concentrated in the eyes themselves. It¡¯s very much like that anime with the ninjas we watched as a kid. There¡¯s likely more to it, but... I think it¡¯s an avenue for experimentation. After all, I know I can regenerate an eye, as I did it for Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Shiro...¡± Shaeula mused, preening proudly as I looked at her intently. ¡°I believe we should-should call her here. If we are going to do delicate, potentially dangerous work, then her buffs to Chirurgery would be most-most necessary.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I conceded. ¡°Though I did want to keep other people¡¯s involvement to the minimum while experimenting, it makes sense. Perhaps Tan might be able to offer some advice. She was delivering a Favour to Shiro, so she must have some knowledge.¡±


    ¡°But will she tell us?¡± Shaeula shrugged. ¡°I do not-not think she will disclose too much, although...¡± she tilted her head, smiling. ¡°...she has been rather casual in some of the things she has said recently, so perhaps I will-will be pleasantly surprised.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to call Eri over too?¡± my sis asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, right now she¡¯s sitting through a lecture from Daiyu on the very basics of Qi Refining. It¡¯s interesting, I¡¯m learning a lot myself.¡±


    As soon as I had agreed to summon Shiro, Hyacinth had disappeared, likely to fetch her, though I probably could have done it with my Material body. My sis laughed, imagining what was going on. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t quite get over the fact you can be in two places at once, bro. I like it though, it means you can spend more time with us! So, is it a lewd lecture?¡±


    ¡°Nope, we aren¡¯t discussing Dual Cultivation at all. Daiyu says I¡¯m in no way qualified to teach anyone, she takes Cultivation very seriously. It¡¯s cute.¡±


    ¡°I know she is. She looks like a doll. Then so does Shaeula. But you¡¯re more a Western doll.¡± My sis grinned at her. ¡°That¡¯s cool then. If it¡¯s safe, I want to learn as well.¡±


    ¡°Everyone will. Daiyu misses the concept of a Sect too. So our participation will be a comfort to her.¡± I agreed. ¡°For a genius though, she¡¯s actually very good at explaining it, and I can use my Eye to further see what¡¯s going on, breaking it down into understandable stages. Though using my Eye in both realms at once really is too much for me.¡± Fortunately I can follow the lecture without it, since it¡¯s just theory at the moment.


    ¡°Information Cheats really are the best.¡± Shiro agreed, appearing with Hyacinth in tow. I was surprised at how she arrived so quickly, and on seeing that, Shiro sighed theatrically. ¡°I was here to buff Asha¡¯s Tree anyway, so it isn¡¯t like Hyacinth had to come and fetch me from our new home. She¡¯s filled me in briefly. Shit, you¡¯re crazy as ever, Aki! I never thought you¡¯d end up going so far. But... it¡¯s not wrong.¡± She tapped her eye, smiling. ¡°It works perfectly, so worst case, nobody is going blind, unlike said ninjas.¡±


    ¡°You heard all that, huh?¡± my sis said, embarrassed.


    ¡°Hyacinth mentioned it.¡± Shiro chuckled. ¡°For a sporty girl, Aiko, you have some otaku interests. I guess that¡¯s inevitable with Aki here looking after you in your formative years. But I think we¡¯re lucky. Who else would think about doing this? The noble girls are at school, Daiyu and Eri are training, so that leaves Asha and Tsukiko.¡± Shiro finished. ¡°Are we bringing them in? They both came with me to Shirohebizumi this morning.¡±


    ¡°I am already here.¡± Tsukiko slipped out of the shadows. ¡°I saw myself reflected in the waters. I was in great pain, but everyone was gathered around me, cheering me on, supporting me, and my tears were happy ones as they fell into the rippling lake below. It was a vision that should have been frightening, but it was comforting, having my face, myself, bare to the world, feeling the warmth of others.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s somehow both sad and uplifting.¡± my sis sniffled, touched. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything, Tsukiko-chan!¡± she paused, suddenly uncomfortable. ¡°...is what I¡¯d like to say. You shouldn¡¯t worry... but yeah, I remember my own training in Ether Healing. It was agonising, and...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°Rank six is doable. We¡¯ve already got experience in pushing through the first bottleneck. But it¡¯s probably the worst pain I¡¯ve ever felt, for hours and hours, even days...¡±


    ¡°It will nooot be so bad.¡± Hyacinth promised, surprising us all. ¡°I have been practising by myself. I knooow eventually you wish for all to be able to share this strength sooo...¡± she giggled, her expression gentle. ¡°I have listened and studied. The mortal wooorld holds many secrets.¡± She reached out, and with a smile I extended my hand, knowing what she would do wouldn¡¯t harm me. A surge of spores billowed, covering my arm, and I felt a strange, numb sensation spreading. My body tried to resist it but I concentrated, preventing my body from acclimatising to it, and soon the whole area felt cool and tingly.


    ¡°Dooo forgive me.¡± Hyacinth said apologetically, before her nature energy surged and a razor-sharp vine grew from the ground, piercing into the area covered in the fungal growths. For a moment my body resisted, before the blade dug deep, and blood scattered, silver and red.


    ¡°Yeah, it still hurts...¡± I said, a slight smile on my face. ¡°But it¡¯s definitely less than it should do. Does the fungus secrete anaesthetics, or act on the pain receptors?¡±


    ¡°I dooo not know. But it works...¡± she seemed surprised as I pulled her into a hug. My body quickly healed the bleeding cut and absorbed the fungus, while I stroked her head gently.


    ¡°Good job. You¡¯re always thinking of us. In fact...¡± I looked around happily. ¡°That goes for everyone. It¡¯s the little things like this, the small thoughts of ways to help us grow stronger, that have got us to where we are today.¡±


    It was then that Shiro¡¯s hair turned a brilliant red, flames flickering, and her suddenly ruby eyes glimmered with strange emotion. ¡°Yes, it has been fascinating, watching for such a short time and seeing what has been achieved.¡± Tan said. ¡°Your goals are laudable, though you surely cannot believe you are the only ones to think of such methods?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I finished praising Hyacinth, releasing her, ignoring the sloppy grin on her face. ¡°In fact, it¡¯d make no sense to assume that beings such as you and the endless number of people that dwell in your Pantheon wouldn¡¯t have come up with such training methods. In fact, I was hoping to get some advice, if it didn¡¯t overstep what you can say...¡±


    ¡°Advice?¡± Tan snorted sourly. ¡°You are correct, many paths to power are pursued amongst the myriad worlds of the many Pantheons. Cultivation is one such path to power, one well-honed and optimised over many long millennia. Martial training, crafting, pursuing the secrets of Laws... growing stronger by constant battle. All of these and more are noble pursuits. But do you think all strive for this? The worlds of the Pantheons are innumerable, and on many worlds the ordinary exist, not too dissimilar to this planet you call Earth. Yes, there are those you would call Chirurgeons, who can repair damage to the spirit, the immaterial, much as you do. But few would risk such practises. But then... Eyes to see with are hardly commonplace. While those of a certain level of power would have no need of them, having other senses... the powerful are often the jealous, hardly eager to share the secrets of their strength.¡±


    ¡°What she¡¯s trying to say, Aki...¡± Shiro took over, one eye darkening. ¡°...is that she doesn¡¯t exactly know if it¡¯ll work. It¡¯s not impossible, but rather... impulsive.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°You should not measure yourself as a standard. While we are sent here to give gifts so that some can grow to be useful, strong enough to control a world, your rate of growth is rather unprecedented. It would normally be the work of a decade or two to claim a Territory of the fourth Rank, yet your pace towards it shocks me. And you are not alone. There will be others too. This world has many surprises.¡± She looked at Shaeula and Hyacinth. ¡°The strength of the dwellers amongst the lower reaches of the Astral here also impresses.¡±


    As Hyacinth giggled, Shaeula nodded regally. ¡°Yes, I am pleased that you do-do recognise this, Tan. There surely seem to be anomalies. Yourself included, no-no?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though I am far from the only one.¡± She looked at Tsukiko, frowning using Shiro¡¯s face. ¡°Your gift from Tsukuyomi seems to predate the agreement by some years. And there are other complications.¡± She paused then, shaking her head, flaming hair swaying. ¡°But enough of that. You wish my thoughts on whether you could transplant an Eye? Perhaps. But whether your Eye would return to its state when regenerated is the question. It all depends on what drives it. For now, I would suggest great caution. If it was so easy, would not the armies of the Pantheons be full of such?¡±


    ¡°True. I¡¯d never forgive myself until you were perfect again. But more than that, your family would kill me.¡± I recalled my promise to Shaetanao. ¡°Hurting you wouldn¡¯t be easy for me, I gave Oaths.¡±


    As we discussed the meaning of that, my sis finally let out a cry of triumph. Her flow had split perfectly, and using my Eye I could see her Material body as a hazy shadow, and it too was healing nicely. ¡°Good job sis, Rank four at last!¡±


    ¡°The best thing is the pain has dropped. Still hurts like hell though!¡± she complained. ¡°But... knowing that when this is done, I¡¯ll have the reward of a permanent powerup... no way I¡¯ll give up.¡± Her fists clenched, all her muscles and tendons screaming from the pain. ¡°Rank six for the win, no surrender until that bottleneck breaks!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± I encouraged her, before turning my attention to the others. I watched for a number more hours, offering my aether to replenish their stores as they weakened, until Azuki, the little Zashiki-Warashi, appeared with a sulky expression on her face.


    ¡°There you are.¡± She said, before seeing the watching Hyacinth and smoothing out her tone. More politely she bowed to me. ¡°I was looking for you but were not to be found. You have had a phone call, one of some urgency. So I was tasked to find you.¡±


    ¡°Who called?¡± I asked, and apparently it was Hinata¡¯s grandfather. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll make a Material body again and give him a call...¡±


    As a body formed for me, I hurriedly returned to the office at Shirohebizumi shrine and borrowed a phone off Karen-chan. Dialling up Fukumoto Kenji, he answered quickly.


    ¡°Ah, Akio-kun, so glad you got back to me. I am sorry to disturb you, I know you¡¯re very busy. But I¡¯ve had contact from someone seeking to meet you, and I think it would be to everyone¡¯s advantage if you did. Apparently they watched the broadcast too, which finally persuaded them you were a person they needed to talk to.¡±


    ¡°I see. And just who might that person be?¡± I asked. Meanwhile, Shiro and my sis were being extremely competitive with each other, while Tsukiko and Hyacinth quietly continued their efforts.


    ¡°The chairman of the famous corporation of the Doosan group... no, I suppose they call them Chaebols in Korea... Park Do-yun. They specialise in heavy equipment manufacturing, as well as some side businesses. They are a rival to Ichijou house, and not on that much smaller a scale, despite South Korea being a small country.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I mused. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ve heard about our industrial plans, unless they are very skilled at industrial espionage. So just what do they want?¡±


    ¡°Since Park Do-yun called me himself, I of course asked. From what I gathered, it¡¯s related to your abilities as a Chosen. He wouldn¡¯t say more, though when pressed, he did concede that he hoped you would accept his unreasonable but heartfelt request, as he put it. It sounds rather problematic, but in such situations lie opportunity.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll hear him out anyway, that doesn¡¯t cost me anything.¡±


    ¡°Just as I expect from Hinata¡¯s husband. Bold.¡± His tone changed and was sly. ¡°So, how was she? To your satisfaction?¡± I flushed at his indecent question.


    ¡°A gentleman never tells.¡± I demurred. ¡°But I loved her before, and I certainly don¡¯t love her any less now.¡±


    ¡°I am sure she¡¯ll be delighted to hear that. Now, when can I pencil in a meeting?¡±


    ¡°Not tonight, I¡¯ve already made promises with Kana. Tomorrow should be fine. Oh... wait, I¡¯ll probably be meeting another businessman tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I see. Curious.¡± Kenji-san pushed for more details, and after a while he agreed it might be interesting to have them both present, using them to impress each other. Though Buck is a businessman of a far smaller scale, he still owns one of the biggest chains of Irish bars and pubs in America, which is no small company.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you make the arrangements.¡± I said, and with that done, I checked the time. We¡¯ve been at it longer than I thought. They¡¯ve been brave. My Material body headed back towards my new home, to prepare for a date with Kana, while the rest of my overstretched attention was on the training.


    ¡°What did-did they want?¡± Shaeula asked, and as I explained, Shiro looked troubled.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be something annoying, I can just tell, Aki.¡± She warned me.


    ¡°Yes, it probably is.¡± I conceded. ¡°But there¡¯s no harm in hearing them out. Now, enough of that.¡± My Eye was glowing as I continued to observe everyone. ¡°Keep pushing, those Rank ups will come!¡±


    ¡°Slavedriver!¡± Shiro laughed, and my sis let out a rallying cry, hyping herself up through the pain that was making her nauseous. I have to step up my game as well. But... I don¡¯t really want them to see what I¡¯m going to do next...


    ¡°Just do it, bro.¡± My sis said, reading my expression. ¡°It¡¯s going to be something crazy and reckless, just like we¡¯re doing now, so... oh shit!¡± She let out a shocked gasp as I exploded my eyeball. It wasn¡¯t the one that held the Mystic Eye, but there was still a spike of pain. Moments later though, my eye regenerated in a surge of aether.


    ¡°That¡¯s Rank nine for you. I barely need to do anything.¡± I laughed to distract myself from the shock. ¡°it¡¯s not even the pain, it¡¯s the psychological impact. Oh well...¡± I blinked, quickly establishing everything was working properly. ¡°Now for the truly fun part...¡± Aether surged, and with incredibly delicate motions, Shaeula frowning and offering me advice, I managed to remove my eyeball wholesale, holding it in my hand. Yeah, this is truly unpleasant. But... releasing my hold on Ether Healing, I allowed it to recreate my eyeball, and just like I had ended up with an extra little finger spare, now I had an eyeball sitting on my palm.


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula laughed. ¡°Oh, that is quite the amusing thing for me to say. Now...¡± Suddenly she reached up and with a flash of wind, blood scattered, and soon my sis was vomiting nosily, a silver mess scattering onto the ground, as Shaeula flourished her own amber eyeball at me. ¡°...I understand your aims, but surely it makes more-more sense for us to do it this way. And if I remove it myself, you have not-not hurt me, so my father and siblings can not-not complain!¡±


    Yeah, this is why I wanted to do this quietly alone, but... she¡¯s right in a way. It would be easier. As she used water element to wipe the red and silver gore from her face, her eye started to regenerate in its socket, a fairly ghastly sight. ¡°All right. If you¡¯re sure... then let¡¯s do this. At least...¡± I managed a smile for my sis, Shiro, Hyacinth and Tsukiko. ¡°...we¡¯re all suffering together now!¡± Even if it doesn¡¯t work as I hope, the experience should allow us a better understanding of our bodies and the interaction with Chakra networks. Any knowledge is valuable, and maybe I can even push Chirurgery to Rank ten. I wasn¡¯t sure if Rank ten was the end of it, I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t as I had previously been alerted by my Eye that Lovers¡¯ Link could go higher than ten. It also seemed strange for someone to have the maximum possible level of proficiency, there were always greater heights to scale.


    ¡°How about a wager?¡± Shaeula laughed, and I remembered the last wager and what it cost me. In the end, everyone is happier for it, but...


    ¡°All right. You¡¯re on!¡± my sis jumped on the suggestion, and soon Shaeula was outlining her terms. Okay, the challenge seems equal on both sides, but the prize for the winners, the losers granting one wish... nope, I¡¯m going to have to win this one! Though it seems everyone feels the same way... Everyone¡¯s motivation was spiking, and the looks in their eyes were no longer ones of pain, but of anticipation and resolution. Peering at the eyeball in my palm once more, I held in a sigh.


    ¡°Right then. You asked for it. I won¡¯t lose this time!¡± I promised. ¡°Shaeula, can I take a look at that eyeball?¡±

 Four Hundred And Forty-Four

    Four Hundred And Forty-Four


    ¡°That¡¯s so gruesome bro.¡± my sis said, gagging, momentarily distracted from her pain. I had destroyed my regenerated eyeball, and was now gingerly trying to insert Shaeula¡¯s amber eye into the empty socket. It was difficult, as the eye was more delicate, and despite her form resembling a human one, she wasn¡¯t built in the exact same way.


    ¡°Yes, but weren¡¯t you the one always joking about stealing eyes, Aiko?¡± Shiro teased her.


    ¡°Yeah but... in my case, I¡¯d expect to at least be knocked out by anaesthetic or something!¡± she cried out, shocked.


    Even despite the ghastly spectacle, nobody was looking away. My great Precision allowed me to move my fingers dexterously, and soon the eye slid in, bringing a few stabs of pain as it caught my severed nerves. It was then my Ether Healing surged, and as expected, it was not easy. Shaeula¡¯s eyeball was foreign to me, and my body wanted to reject it, replacing it with my own regenerated eye.


    ¡°The sensation here is hard to describe...¡± I muttered. Azuki the doll had stayed to watch us in morbid fascination, but this was beyond her tolerance, and she rushed away, little legs thrashing, her face pale as the porcelain of her doll form in the Material, before hiding in the corner, only looking over occasionally. It¡¯s like trying to push jelly through a wall... Taking control of Ether Healing, I precisely destroyed the fresh growth, allowing me to start flowing aether into Shaeula¡¯s eye she had plucked out for me.


    ¡°This is quite-quite interesting.¡± Shaeula was observing me keenly, with both eyes shining, as the removed orb had regenerated, seemingly without causing any damage to her Mystic Eyes of Perception. ¡°It is not-not as easy as I would have imagined.¡±


    ¡°I know a fair bit about transplants.¡± Shiro said suddenly. ¡°I never had to have one, my specialists decided I¡¯d never survive surgery and it wouldn¡¯t work anyway, as they didn¡¯t know why my body and all my organs were so fragile, but obviously I read about it. You can¡¯t just move around body parts, they are treated as foreign invaders. That¡¯s why you have to take a lot of drugs to suppress them, with nasty side effects, which would have killed me even if by some miracle I did survive surgery. But...¡± she stretched confidently, ignoring the mess that was her ravaged arm. ¡°...that¡¯s just applying science, right? Don¡¯t we have ways to go beyond that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we do.¡± I agreed. Aether surged, and Ether Healing protested, but I also started using Chirurgery, making the nerves connect, the severed smaller capillaries and pathways realigned. The work was incredibly delicate, and not something I would have been able to manage without high Precision, Alacrity and Intellect. ¡°With enough aether we can achieve many things. But it takes more than just that.¡±


    Knowledge was important too. Fortunately I had done a little research, so I was aware of the general structure of an eye as well as how the nerves connected. Ether Healing was forced into action, and soon the eye was integrated into my body, and after a moment of wrenching dislocation where my vision blurred alarmingly, I blinked, able to see through both eyes again.


    ¡°Way to sport chunni eyes.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Amber and grey, quite a combo.¡±


    ¡°I think what matters more is does the eye function properly?¡± Tsukiko asked, though she did seem fascinated by my new mismatched colouration.


    ¡°I can see fine, but...¡± Checking my skills there was no gain, and I couldn¡¯t seem to activate the eye. ¡°...as expected, it doesn¡¯t work. But we¡¯re not done yet.¡± I paused, looking around meaningfully. ¡°...I understand this is fascinating, but there¡¯s no point slacking in your own efforts.¡± My grin was sly. ¡°So while I start trying to replicate the network around Shaeula¡¯s eyes, we¡¯ll be upping the intensity of your training...¡± Ignoring their groans and protests, Hyacinth unleashed more spores, and the training continued...


    ********


    ¡°You have quite the talent for this.¡± Daiyu was saying happily to Eri, who was sitting in a lotus position, trying to look composed, though she too was soaked with sweat. Not silver sweat though, this being the Material. It¡¯s amusing that despite being apart, everyone is training hard...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Eri replied, though from the slightly proud smile on her flushed face, she was happy at the compliment. ¡°I¡¯m probably starting from a better position than you did?¡±


    Daiyu nodded, glancing at me, before answering. ¡°Yes, I believe that is true, to an extent. You are already proficient at handling the ether and aether that we convert into Qi. Rather than having to build up your senses and accumulation over time, you can move onto Qi Refining itself. But talent cannot be hidden, much as jewels shine even if covered in muck.¡±


    ¡°That metaphor is kind of hurtful.¡± Eri said, making a joke, and once more I was warmed by seeing Eri getting along with others, coming out of her shell. But then, Eri and Daiyu are a little similar in some ways. So it makes sense.


    ¡°In addition, your body is uniquely malleable.¡± Daiyu pointed out. ¡°It can adapt and control itself well.¡±


    I decided to use my Eye to observe, which was a trial, as I was already using it in the Boundary, trying to perform some very delicate Chirurgery on myself. Ignoring the phenomenal pain in my head, I peered into Eri¡¯s body, and could indeed see that her Astral body had changed a little, a crude but unmistakable proto-Dantian having formed. Eri didn¡¯t seem to have any Qi Refining skills yet, but there were tiny, almost unnoticeable traces of Qi within her body. ¡°Yeah. Give me a second...¡± I reached out, placing a hand on Eri¡¯s lower body. She flushed but didn¡¯t flinch from my touch, instead looking at me, her black eyes trusting.


    Flowing in my own aether, I started guiding her body. Rather than forcibly making changes as I would normally, I allowed the unique characteristics of Eri¡¯s shapeshifting body she inherited from Ginneka to do the hard work. Time passed, and then we were done. Daiyu seemed surprised, as the efficiency rate of Eri converting aether to Qi had gone up by several orders of magnitude, though it was still a paltry couple of percent.


    ¡°Amazing. You have achieved in mere hours what would take a Sect disciple several years of dedicated work, if not more. This goes beyond mere experience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Akio. And to you.¡± Eri praised Daiyu in return. ¡°After all, learning from a master is always going to help a student, right?¡±


    ¡°I can hardly call myself a master. Not yet.¡± Daiyu flushed slightly, her eyes narrowing in pleasure. ¡°It is true though that my own talents have bloomed ever since I washed up on these shores. I think...¡± Daiyu said, suddenly serious. ¡°...that your greatest talent is not your strength, but your speed of growth and the ability to inspire such growth in others, taking the talents of the many and making them the talents of all. Can even a dragon survive when faced with an army of snakes that have dragon breath, tiger fangs, phoenix flames and turtle shells?¡±


    ¡°That metaphor was even stranger. But I do understand it.¡± Eri chuckled. ¡°Can I tell you a story, Daiyu?¡±


    ¡°We have time.¡± Daiyu nodded, while I thought about Daiyu¡¯s words. The girls in the Boundary were struggling, the deadly spores inflicting great pain upon their bodies, yet they bore the pain willingly, laughing and joking even through the tears, seeking greater power, trusting in me when I said it was needed. Here, Daiyu and Eri were striving too, and even the girls not present were working hard in their own ways. I can do no less... My Eye peered at the string of silvery beads around my wrist, the seeds of the fruit of the World Tree. Ten shining silver beads, which glowed in an incandescent myriad of colours. There were twelve before, right? But two... one dissolved inside me, and the other entered my Eye...


    Eri was telling Daiyu about the early days, when I foolishly tried to keep my abilities secret from Eri and my sis, and how Eri was so weak and feeble her first trip into the Boundary in Las Vegas, but after her hard work and the support of us all she started to grow. Daiyu nodded firmly, hard work something she definitely approved of. That made me think too. The direction of my strength. Daiyu is right. While one overwhelming power can defeat innumerable foes, a single power can¡¯t protect. Power is better on offense, whereas numbers for defence. And I want to protect, not to conquer...


    I was on the verge of realising something, when my phone rang. Distracted, I pulled it out of my pocket and saw it was Hinata calling. It¡¯s getting so late? Damn, I have been engrossed in things. With Eri and Daiyu talking in the background here, and my efforts to perform Chirurgery on Shaeula¡¯s implanted eye in the Boundary, all my attention had been laser focused on that, any spare thoughts going towards the idea slowly forming in my head. Where did the time go? ¡°Hi Hinata, what¡¯s up?¡± I said, answering the phone, and her cheerful, excited voice came back.


    ¡°Akio, good afternoon. I hear grandfather has already spoken to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, about the visitor from South Korea, right? The timing seems a bit coincidental, so..¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hinata agreed brightly. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s anything else other than the situation in South Korea. Grandfather has done some digging, but hasn¡¯t been able to find a conclusive link. But... it¡¯s a chance. Although...¡± her tone was serious now. ¡°If it¡¯s anything dangerous, then don¡¯t risk yourself. An opportunity isn¡¯t worth risking your life for.¡±


    ¡°I thought the government was talking to South Korea¡¯s.¡± I mused. Daiyu and Eri were watching, curious, and I waved a hand, promising to fill them in later.


    ¡°Yes. So whatever he¡¯s coming for, we need to make sure that Japan gets its due too, so that we can get our share of the rewards.¡± Hinata declared. ¡°But if we can get some extra benefits... Akio, can I come to the meeting? I need to bring two people too.¡±


    ¡°Two? Is one Mayumi-san?¡± I asked, and Hinata¡¯s denial surprised me.


    ¡°No, not her. They seem unrelated people at first glance, but... trust me, it¡¯ll be worth our while. But again, if the situation is too dangerous, we can miss the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°All right. I do feel sympathy for others, especially if they are involved with Chosen-related problems, but you¡¯re right. I have to prioritise us first. But hearing him out makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m not too worried anyway.¡± Hinata giggled on the other end of the call. ¡°I know you¡¯re strong, and cool too.¡± As I smiled at her compliment, she continued. ¡°But if it¡¯s a problem so severe that South Korea is searching for foreign help, especially from Japan... All of us from Hanafubuki have been trying to get a wider view of the world since meeting you, and we now know that Japan is hardly universally loved worldwide. Our past had some mistakes.¡± She gathered her thoughts, and it reminded me of the recent battle against the Kamuy. ¡°But... that¡¯s the past. We¡¯ll learn from it. So yes, if they want our help it has to be a big deal. It might be as dangerous as London. So... caution, all right?¡±


    I agreed, chatting some more about less serious things after agreeing that Hinata and her two guests could attend the meeting. It should be lively with her and Buck together. I wonder what he¡¯ll think of her. After a while I hung up, realising it would soon be time for my date with Kana, considering school was finished.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll be late if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± Eri said, shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± She looked at Daiyu, and for a moment there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes. ¡°I think we need to help him get ready. While his dress sense has definitely improved since the other girls take an interest in making sure he is ready for important occasions, for a date with a girl like Kana... he¡¯ll have no idea.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Daiyu smiled slightly. ¡°I had never thought I would be involved in such matters. Cultivators tend to dress in robes for all occasions. But I confess... my tastes have changed. So I shall be happy to help!¡±


    Seeing the look in their eyes, my smile turned wry. Looks like I¡¯m going to be their dress-up doll for a while. I suppose they do deserve a break, they¡¯ve been working hard. But then, so have I...


    ********


    ¡°Yes, nothing.¡± I declared, a bit frustrated. ¡°I¡¯ve replicated all the structure I can see, but the eye doesn¡¯t have any skill.¡±


    She spun, the long hem of her red skirt fluttering. Her arms were bare too, despite the autumnal chill, as being a Chosen with decent stats, she didn¡¯t much feel the cold anymore either. ¡°Of course, this is a date after all. And you do like girly girls, right?¡±


    ¡°I like you.¡± I said, making her blush, and she punched my arm gently, so as not to hurt her own fist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± she pouted. ¡°No, wait, do it more! But... if you¡¯d have been that honest earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have suffered so!¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m a jerk at times.¡± I said, and as we entered the back seat of the car, the tinted privacy screen making us feel alone as the car cruised into central Tokyo, we talked happily.


    ¡°I feel a little bad skipping out on the training school...¡± Kana was saying, leaning her shoulder against mine, though she was careful not to mess up her hair, which had been braided delicately. ¡°But I¡¯ll be doing it a lot from now on. I¡¯m doing construction work in the evenings.¡± She let out a little giggle. ¡°Me, the laziest girl around. Fortunately it doesn¡¯t take any physical labour. I want to stay girly and cute.¡± She flexed her soft arm. ¡°No, Ks?itigarbha¡¯s blessing is really compatible with Grulgor¡¯s skills and those who have mastered earth element. I¡¯ve seen Ixitt¡¯s plans. It¡¯s crazy, but... more than fifty kilometres of tunnels, numerous underground spaces... all done before Christmas. It¡¯s insane. Hinata-chan told me that it can take between three months and a year to drill a kilometre, depending on the circumstances, and we¡¯ll be doing that in a day! It seems impossible, even with our talents, but...¡± She pressed her chest against my arm, and was amused as I flushed. ¡°...honestly, I think we can. Maybe not to start with, but as we get more practise and grow our skills and coordination.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ll do your best.¡± I praised her, and she was the one flushing now.


    ¡°Hearing that, I have to, right?¡± she giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let you down. Nor waste the effort Ixitt and Hinata-chan have done in planning everything. Besides...¡± her expression was sly now. ¡°...Ren-kun is finally in charge, like he always wanted to be. He¡¯s changed. He¡¯s not a little brat anymore. Don¡¯t worry, I left Asami-chan as his deputy. She¡¯s been working on him for a while now. She really likes him. And I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to resist a girl like her for long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s matured. Adversity can make a person or break them. I know that well.¡± I agreed, proud of him.


    ¡°Me too. I was such a selfish bitch. I mean, I¡¯m still selfish...¡± Kana admitted. ¡°I think I deserve a good life, but now not just because I¡¯m beautiful. But because I¡¯m going to be worthy of it. Asami-chan always felt like I did too. Mio-chan too.¡±


    ¡°So does Mio-san have her eyes on anyone?¡± I asked idly, and Kana gave me a look.


    ¡°Want me to ask her if she wans to join your harem?¡± she teased, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Nope, I have quite enough for now, thanks. Besides, she¡¯s still very ordinary. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good fit for her. She might want to look at some of the noble sons...¡±


    ¡°No way. Those stuck-up pricks. Some of the girls are a bit like that too, but Hinata-chan and the others quickly educate them...¡± We continued talking during the journey, and as we arrived in Harajuku, a fashionable area popular with girls and couples dating, Kana kissed my cheek gently. ¡°All right, enough talking about work. We¡¯re on a date now, so couple talk only. Besides, you¡¯re busy with the others now, right? It¡¯s a touch annoying, knowing I don¡¯t have you all to myself, but this is still fine. But you¡¯re going to have it hard when things settle down.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± I asked, and she nodded her head. We left the car, and the atmosphere around was busy and festive, and there were lots of fashionably dressed girls about, and a number of couples. I felt some eyes on us, as did Kana, as she stood straighter, proud.


    ¡°No way. After the talk show, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you get wrapped up in more trouble.¡± she advised me. ¡°But for now, you might as well relax. And enjoy it. Because I¡¯ll be honest, even Eri, she¡¯s not exactly up on what a date should be. But I know.¡± She boasted. ¡°So you should be happy and go with the flow.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I laughed, pulling her close, enjoying the envious eyes on us. ¡°And when we¡¯ve done your date plan, we¡¯ll do mine. I may not be that experienced, but I¡¯m a working adult so I know a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I always knew I was going to end up dating an older guy.¡± Kana steered me towards a famous clothing store. ¡°Most of the men my age are so shallow and pathetic. It¡¯s not their fault. They haven¡¯t had the adversity we needed.¡± She giggled as I looked around. ¡°Now, it¡¯s shopping time. Even if we don¡¯t buy anything, you want to see me put on a fashion show, right?¡± she paused, enjoying the moment. ¡°But if you want to see me model some underwear, you¡¯d best buy it, for a private show at home!¡±


    ********


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to buy all that.¡± Kana said, though her eyes were sparkling. ¡°That¡¯s not normal for a date. You might buy me one item, but...¡± She touched her hair, where the hairclip I brought her back from Las Vegas was shining elegantly. ¡°...it was nice, seeing the other girls looking jealous. Worse, I think a lot recognised you. If you were alone, you¡¯d have been mobbed.¡± She snuggled close. ¡°Fortunately I¡¯m a girl who knows how to look jealous. They have to be at least as pretty as me to approach you.¡±


    ¡°I do love that confidence.¡± I laughed, carrying several stuffed bags with my free arm. ¡°But it¡¯s your fault. You looked so good in everything.¡± I didn¡¯t have the items delivered to our home, since that would have defeated the point, being as it was a date activity.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯ll even look good in that underwear. It¡¯s cute. Sexy too. Ordinarily that¡¯d be too soon, but it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t already seen me in underwear, so I¡¯ll make an exception on just this issue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honoured.¡± I laughed, and Kana pinched my cheek, knowing I was remembering that.


    ¡°So, next we¡¯ll go to the arcade. It¡¯s a little high school romance, but some of the girls at school love showing off the pictures they¡¯ve taken with their boyfriends. Though usually the boyfriends look bored...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be.¡± I said, and Kana rolled her eyes, amused.


    ¡°Of course not. Firstly, you¡¯re with me, and I¡¯m fun. I know we talked about serious things like work earlier, but really, I¡¯m not that heavy a girl. Secondly, unlike most of their boyfriends, you¡¯re mature. I mean yeah, a number were students at Tokyo universities, but they were still just overgrown boys from what I hear. Whereas you¡¯ve experienced things they can only dream of. Lastly, it¡¯s not like you have time to be bored, considering you¡¯re also doing other things at the same time. But I want to make sure your focus is on me, so I¡¯ll be entertaining and pleasant company!¡±


    I leaned over, and we kissed gently. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re getting just as much of my attention.¡±


    The arcade was busy, and I spotted a crane game. ¡°Want a prize?¡± I said, and Kana chuckled.


    ¡°Normally that¡¯s a waste of money. But why not?¡± She took a breath, before putting on a seductive voice. ¡°Akio, I really like that plushie. Can you get it for me? If so I¡¯ll reward you!¡± she spoke loudly enough to attract attention, relishing it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± I promised. I could hear the whispers of the watching people, mentioning my name. It was a bit uncomfortable, but going over to the machine I tossed a coin in. Using all my senses, I quickly grasped the motion of the arm and the weakness of the claw. Yeah, it¡¯s designed to drop the prize, but... Soon I had carefully hooked the desired plush toy, and with a delicate motion I flipped it into the prize slot. Pulling it out I presented it to Kana, who grinned.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡®ll treasure it!¡± she declared, showing off for the crowd. Taking my arm she led me to the photo booth, where we spent some time playing with the photographs, striking silly poses and generally having fun...


    ********


    ¡°Yeah, adult sophistication is the best.¡± Kana¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°I mean, I even have a job now...¡± She grinned, clinking her glass against mine. She was drinking a sparkling fruit juice rather than the wine I was, though the staff here would have turned a blind eye, considering our status.


    ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯ll make sure you actually get paid for the construction.¡± I promised, and Kana gave me a flat look.


    ¡°Why? I¡¯m your girlfriend, but we both know that¡¯s just for now, and when we¡¯ve had our fun we¡¯ll take it to the next level. So what¡¯s yours is mine anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but work should be rewarded.¡± I pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of principle. So just accept it. Use it to treat your friends and family, since you¡¯re right, if you need anything, I¡¯ll see you get it.¡±


    ¡°So sweet. Really, you¡¯re a pushover, Akio.¡± Kana giggled. ¡°But it does make me feel special. It shouldn¡¯t work, considering the others. But the time we¡¯ve spent together, while it isn¡¯t long, it¡¯s been deep.¡± She looked out of the window over Tokyo. ¡°Life can surprise you, right?¡±


    ¡°True. You were so sure you wanted a guy to only look at you, to treasure you alone. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I know. Because right now you¡¯re not just here with me. But even with that, I¡¯ve still had a fantastic time, my heart¡¯s been racing for hours.¡± Kana continued to stare at the skyline. ¡°I realised that the nonsense you talked abut being ten times the man anyone else was so that everyone¡¯s share was better than anyone else was true. And it¡¯s only going to become truer.¡± Kana sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried. Things don¡¯t seem so bad now, even the battle at mount Atago was manageable. But when danger breaks out everywhere... it¡¯ll be nice to have a boyfriend who¡¯ll protect me.¡± She turned back to me then, brown eyes sparkling. ¡°And I¡¯ll do my part protecting you, our family, and everyone else. Because... you trusted me enough to see that I was more than just a spoiled idiot with some worthless old talents. And I love that.¡±


    ¡°In fact, your eyes are important. I need to study them too.¡± I said, as the contrast with Shaeula¡¯s eyes might prove valuable. ¡°But they¡¯re also pretty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely getting better at compliments.¡± Kana laughed. ¡°I may still sound a selfish girl, talking about your value. But I have value too, right? So it¡¯s only fair I match with someone worthy.¡± She paused, taking another sip of her drink. ¡°I did enjoy the usual movie date, that was textbook. But a fancy meal in a nice restaurant has merits as well. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± I agreed, admiring Kana¡¯s profile once more. ¡°I¡¯ve had the promised fun. So, do you want dessert?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m watching my weight, but really, that doesn¡¯t matter so much now, since I¡¯m working so hard.¡± She chuckled, picking up the menu, before giving me an extremely cute look over the top of it. ¡°So yes, I¡¯ll have dessert. But you won¡¯t be. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°You tease!¡± As Kana didn¡¯t deny it, I felt warm inside. She¡¯s right. I do need a more normal relationship. Yes, I want to take it to the next level, to have Kana stand equal to everyone else, but for now... having a normal date, talking about ordinary things... it¡¯s certainly a welcome balm to soothe some of the stress I¡¯m under...

 Four Hundred And Forty-Five

    Four Hundred And Forty-Five


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this simply a luxurious greeting, Akio my good friend!¡± Buck greeted me cheerfully, his brash American temperament on full display as he met me outside my house, the driver Hinata¡¯s grandfather had arranged for them depositing them outside our mansion. Them. Other visitors too, I see. Behind Buck were two women, one unfamiliar to me, a fairly glamourous blonde woman, middle-aged but still looking bright, wearing a long coat, perhaps feeling the chill in the air. On seeing my gaze, Buck introduced her. ¡°This is my good wife, my better half, Mary. She keeps me on the straight and narrow, even if she can¡¯t stop me drinking and gambling. Must be the Irish in me.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Mary said politely in English, her accent quite strong for an American. ¡°Though I never thought the lucky man and woman Buck met in Las Vegas would go on to be so... renowned.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a way of putting it, baby doll.¡± Buck laughed again. ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t speak any Japanese, so...¡± he looked apologetic, but I merely shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re pretty much all fluent English speakers here. And good morning to you too, Ms Connors.¡± I greeted the third member of the party, her usual stern look, paired with her prissy glasses, in evidence as usual. She wore a tight turtleneck jumper and long trousers that covered all her skin, and her hair was pulled back into a bun. ¡°This is a surprise.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Jennifer. Since you are a very important client of Midas Gold, I can do you that honour.¡± She said, before turning to Buck. ¡°The doorstep is no place for conversation. Though I feel rude intruding in your home, Oshiro-san...¡± she managed the Japanese honorifics flawlessly. ¡°...it was not entirely our choice. I was content to get a hotel, but it seems matters have progressed in a different direction.¡±


    ¡°Yes, matters do seem to have become more complicated.¡± I apologised. ¡°By all means, come in.¡± I gestured to the doorway, and soon everyone was seated inside, my mother preparing tea and snacks and chatting away happily. Once we were all settled, it was time to get down to business.


    ¡°So, Buck, you wanted my support in breaking into the Japanese market, right? I¡¯m not exactly sure what help I can be, but I am well-connected.¡±


    As Mrs Kelly started to lose interest, my mom took over. ¡°Should we leave the boring talk to the men? You¡¯ve come all this way to Japan, let me show you some hospitality. Besides, I¡¯m used to Japan despite being a foreigner, so I can show you the sights without any troubles!¡± She was excited to be useful, but I warned her to take some security just in case when she went. Of course, mom was in no hurry, so for now she just took Mrs Kelly to the corner of the room, chatting happily in English.


    ¡°Oh, I heard Aliyah was working for you now. Miss Luciana too?¡± Buck remembered, and I nodded.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yeah, security has to be tight around my family. The last thing I want is them to be kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°My Aki worries too much.¡± Mom confided in Mrs Kelly. ¡°Of course, he¡¯s a good boy, and I suppose he¡¯s right. That¡¯s why mom wants to be strong too! Ai, Shaeula and the others haven¡¯t come back, and even Eri¡¯s working hard with Daiyu-chan. We can¡¯t be left behind!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I thought I didn¡¯t see Shaeula, my other lucky charm, anywhere?¡± Buck said, looking around. ¡°A shame, because I wanted her input too.¡±


    Training was still ongoing and getting ever more brutal. Honestly, I was getting a little unhappy over the intense way everyone was pushing themselves. Time in the Boundary flowed faster, so naturally they had been abusing their bodies and aether for far too long. Though every time I complain, they rightly point out my hypocrisy, as I did the same thing a number of times in the past, and I¡¯m even training right now. I blinked, the slight headache of my overlaid senses pulsing. In the Boundary I was disassembling and reassembling a number of crafts created by the Mortal Engineers, as well as brewing potions, melting and creating alloys, and many more tasks all at once, trying to learn new crafting skills and classes, and strengthening Ether Crafting and Dvergr Techniques. ¡°Oh? Shaeula certainly likes to drink, but she¡¯s hardly an expert on business, although...¡± My smirk must have been noticeable, as Buck wondered what was up.


    ¡°...Shaeula¡¯s actually opened a number of bars and cafe?s herself. In the Fae lands.¡± I had to laugh, and then I stopped as Buck rubbed his hands together with glee. Jennifer pursed her lips at his exuberance, but said nothing, merely producing some documentation.


    ¡°I just knew the pair of you were my lucky charms! The world¡¯s gone damn crazy, but it looks like old Buck still has his part to play.¡± On seeing my confused look, he laughed, pointing to the documents Jennifer had provided. ¡°Princess of the Fae, she called herself, right? The Irish, they believed in the Fae, the Fair Folk, right? So... what better patron for a bar where we drink the drinks of the old country? I can see it now, bars all around the world, her cute image encouraging people to drink...¡±


    ¡°Her appearance is a bit of a problem, since she looks rather underage in most countries.¡± Jennifer pointed out, but Buck shrugged.


    ¡°She claimed to be past twenty-one, right? Besides, while I¡¯m a gentleman that would never talk about a woman¡¯s age, for all women are teenagers in their heart...¡± he chuckled as Jennifer continued to sigh. ¡°...even if human laws applied to the fair folk, she¡¯s older than we think, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though you¡¯re right. She¡¯s happy with her age on her passport. So that¡¯ll do for me.¡± I clarified. The documents were interesting, certainly. ¡°Most of this seems similar to Kelly¡¯s Rest, but... what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Irish bars do attract a certain sort of clientele. Tourists from the Anglosphere usually, though we Irish are popular the world over and famed for generosity and charm, so plenty of foreigners enjoy coming through our doors, to get a taste of Ireland. But that¡¯s not enough, not now.¡± Buck grinned, and his excitement was infectious, so I found myself smiling too. I saw mom and Mrs Kelly talking in the corner, watching us warmly. ¡°Bars and pubs are a place of socialisation, of dreams and adventure. So...¡±


    It was then my phone beeped. Hinata had messaged me to say she¡¯d arrived, and soon she, still in her school uniform, was rushing in cheerfully, followed by her grandfather, Motoko¡¯s grandfather, and two girls from Hinata¡¯s school, girls I recognised from the new batch of trainees. But there¡¯s a problem.


    ¡°Cute!¡± my mom giggled, eyeing them with a predatory glint in her eye, and I bit down on a sigh. Damn, mom¡¯s hammered already it seems. Every time she sees a cute girl she wants me to snatch them up. Auntie Hana¡¯s pulling her hair out over it every day, though to be honest, I think it¡¯s more out of habit than any real objection now. It¡¯s hard to hate my girls, they¡¯re all great in their own ways.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but... why the uniforms?¡± Buck asked, seeing the two, one girl tall and well-proportioned, the other younger and cute, wearing matching black and silver military outfits, long coats, trousers and even a peaked military-style cap, though on them it looked like cosplay. It¡¯s not though. It¡¯s less flashy, but it¡¯s the same as the girls were wearing during our uniform play. It¡¯s genuine craft from the Boundary. I didn¡¯t need my Eye to see it was something Ginneka must have sent over.


    ¡°Simple. It¡¯s a sign of resolve, of acceptance.¡± Hinata said brightly, and the two girls wavered for a moment, before nodding slowly, eyes on me with feelings I couldn¡¯t quite decipher. ¡°Anyway, nice to meet you.¡± she said in English. ¡°I¡¯m Hinata Takatsukasa, formerly Hinata Fukumoto. I¡¯m Akio¡¯s dear fiance?e. Here is my grandfather...¡± she went on to introduce the others, finishing with ¡°...and these two charming girls are Nozomi and Arisa Shiraishi. Daughters of the famous Shiraishi family.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jennifer narrowed her eyes. ¡°So, we have a political powerhouse, the Minister for Defence no less, as well as the chairman of a company even Chase Bank respects. Shiraishi, Shiraishi...¡± she pondered. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that name mentioned recently in business circles. Ah...¡± she looked satisfied as she remembered. ¡°The Tengokusentou.¡± She stumbled over the foreign pronunciation. ¡°It¡¯s talk around the business world. A Japanese treasure snatched up by foreign wealth funds. That rarely happens.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Motoko¡¯s grandfather agreed. ¡°It is greatly disappointing. The Shiraishi family has owned and ran the Tengokusentou for years, it is their very identity, and it is inextricably linked to the customs and ceremonies of some of Japan¡¯s most influential families.¡± At that the older girl started to tremble, her younger sister trying to comfort her, but at the hard look in Hinata¡¯s eyes they both froze, though the elder was gnawing her lip in a very undignified display of worry, quite unlike the usual poise of noble daughters. ¡°No matter what we offer, or what proxies we use, no sum of money, even a great, even absurd profit, will persuade this fund and their shadowy foreign owners to relinquish it. It seemingly is no longer about money.¡±


    Jennifer narrowed her eyes at the pressure from Katsuro-san. ¡°Yes, rest assured Chase has no investment in that fund. If we did, we would certainly have swallowed the large profit and sold it. It does seem perplexing.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like spite to me. Even good businessmen aren¡¯t immune to it.¡± Buck said, also thinking. ¡°Either that or this hotel is in the way of something. That seems unlikely, right? It¡¯s just a hotel, no matter how fancy.¡±


    As the two girls flushed red, wanting to argue back but not daring to, Hinata agreed. ¡°You¡¯re right. It seems to me it¡¯s either jealousy or malice. And I don¡¯t like that. I¡¯m determined to get it back. It¡¯s not a matter of how. Though if they make enemies of us, whoever is backing this wealth fund will regret it!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a fierce little one. A bit young though.¡± Buck observed. ¡°But who am I to judge? In some cultures, you can¡¯t even have a glass of beer.¡± He confided grandiosely, and Hinata smiled at him.


    ¡°You must be Buck Kelly. A friend of my Akio is a friend of mine. Yes, you¡¯re right. Getting engaged at my age is perfectly legal, both here and in mother-in-law Emily¡¯s country. So we won¡¯t listen to any objections or complaints. Not that a friend of Akio¡¯s would ever be so crass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, definitely a firecracker. Hey, I¡¯m all for more love in the world.¡± Buck laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll be a terror on the booze when you¡¯re older.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll show you later, when we celebrate a great victory.¡± Hinata looked at me then. ¡°So, this is interesting. This woman... she¡¯s from Chase Bank?¡±


    ¡°Jennifer Connors.¡± She handed over her business card in a very Japanese fashion. Hinata actually returned one of her own, which surprised me. Seeing that, she handed me one, and it was tastefully done with delicate golden ink. Uh... it¡¯s certainly something, that¡¯s for sure.


    ¡°You¡¯ve put your role as my wife in charge of finances, business acquisition and money management?¡± I said, raising an eyebrow, and to laughter all around she blushed.


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s what I do best. I¡¯ve made cards for the others as well, but I¡¯m the one who moves in these circles, so...¡±


    Her grandfather coughed, and she stopped, flushing a deeper, more embarrassed red. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not important. What is important is opportunity. So, Ms Connors, Mr Kelly, how would you like to win a little favour with not just Akio, but the powers that hold Japan in their hands? Who also owe Akio, so it¡¯s a compound effect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening, doll.¡± Buck said, curious, and Jennifer paused for a moment, before her curiosity got the better of her and she nodded.


    ¡°Great. Doll, huh? I don¡¯t hate that. You Americans sure are enthusiastic and forward.¡± Hinata smiled. ¡°But that might be what we need. So, here¡¯s the thing...¡± As she began to talk, Buck and Jennifer were greatly surprised. As am I. That¡¯s a bold scheme, a bold scheme indeed...


    Meeting Kenji-san¡¯s eyes, Hinata¡¯s grandfather mouthed a few words at me, and I nodded, agreeing. Yes, Hinata¡¯s greedy, but she¡¯s greedy to help me and the others. These girls too it seems. On hearing that they would be ruined because of the actions of their foolish parents, my sympathies spiked, and I resolved to give it my best shot...

 Four Hundred And Forty-Six

    Four Hundred And Forty-Six


    ¡°Are you sure we should be listening to this?¡± Buck blinked, hand idly touching the crucifix he wore under his shirt. ¡°By God, this is a mess.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree.¡± Jennifer blinked behind her glasses, as we sat around a table in the hotel we were meeting our foreign guest at. ¡°While I am proud that Akio-san...¡± I had asked Jennifer to address me more informally, but unlike when we first met in Las Vegas, she was now adopting Japanese mannerisms, perhaps out of politeness and respect for my expanded status. At least I¡¯ve got her to call me by my first name. Older women being so formal makes me itchy. ¡°...is a client of Midas Gold, one I myself signed up, and of course the services of Midas Gold go beyond mere banking and finance, this... this is geopolitics and worse. I fail to see what I can offer.¡±


    The two Shiraishi girls also seemed out of place, the older one trembling, and the younger one looking about with sharp eyes, at least trying to make sense of everything. Seeing that, Hinata smiled in self-satisfaction. ¡°Everyone here has a purpose. We could do it without you, Mr Kelly, Ms Connors...¡± Hinata¡¯s manners were flawless, when it came to business her usual cheekiness was suppressed. ¡°...but it¡¯s actually an opportunity. And I do so hate wasting opportunities. Besides...¡± Her brown eyes narrowed. ¡°...there¡¯s no benefit and many demerits to betraying Akio¡¯s trust. Your institution has advanced a significant loan facility to us, and the returns should be more than worth your time and the risk. And for Mr Kelly here...¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Buck, Mr Kelly was my old father.¡± he said, and Hinata shrugged.


    ¡°Fine, in deference to your friendship with Akio I can be informal. There¡¯s no reason to lose Akio¡¯s respect by being a fool. To say nothing of the potential tie-ins with us that Akio mooted. No, that¡¯s not true, there¡¯s one reason.¡± She glanced at his clutching hand. ¡°You¡¯re of Irish descent, right? Religious?¡±


    Buck frowned, but clearly understood her question. ¡°Yes, like most of those of Irish descent, I¡¯m Catholic. Not a good one, I drink and I gamble way too much, I got a taste of sin early and it took root. But... there¡¯s no need to worry, doll. The Pope himself called for reconciliation and calm. I¡¯m a live and let live sort of guy, as my dear Mary will tell you.¡± He looked at me then. ¡°Must be hard, having to fight and worse. But... defending a lady is never wrong. Princess Eleanor¡¯s quite the looker in a cold sort of way. Thinking of wooing her? Wouldn¡¯t that be a wedding?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s off-topic, but...¡± I tried to change the subject, imagining Eleanor¡¯s scowl at that suggestion. ¡°...I hadn¡¯t quite considered the religious aspect. It might be uncomfortable, but my grandparents from Britain and my mom are all Christians. Church of England, but it¡¯s largely the same, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be saying that in Ireland, my man.¡± Buck snorted, amused and vaguely horrified by my suggestion. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it was, but tensions still simmer. But...¡± he patted his crucifix. ¡°...it¡¯s the same God, I¡¯ll give you that. Same Heaven and Hell too.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I know enough to know what Mary Stuart and her Church is doing is wrong. I¡¯d much rather listen to the Pope. So we will likely be enemies at some point. But for now...¡± I began.


    ¡°...we¡¯ll consider good deeds.¡± Fukumoto Kenji grinned, looking younger than ever. Chirurgery and healing really seems to agree with him. Or perhaps it¡¯s seeing his granddaughter having so much fun? ¡°Consider.¡± He reiterated. ¡°While there were no guarantees Park Do-yun was one of those involved in the Korean incident, the Doosan group being heavily involved in fields similar to Ichijou house there was a chance it was merely business related...¡± he grinned at Katsuro Tsumura, amused. ¡°...seems like sometimes it takes business knowhow, rather than political power to find out the truth. Park Do-yun has never had a son, he has a university-age daughter, and she was never sent to one of the Private Academies for the wealthy and gifted that the Koreans love. So naturally our diplomats and intelligence operatives couldn¡¯t find any connection, unlike those of the wealthy and powerful class who approached our government, begging for help.¡± He seemed proud that his grandson-in-law was so sought after, and he looked at Hinata fondly as she puffed out her chest, similarly delighted.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it, man of the hour.¡± Buck muttered, though his curiosity was captured, despite his misgivings.


    ¡°Fortunately, us old men of the world have other means to connect. It took a while to find out the truth, but I spoke to a long-time friend and rival of Park-ssi...¡± he showed his worldly ways by using a Korean honorific. ¡°...who I have worked with in the past. It turns out there¡¯s an old, shameful story. Back when Park-ssi¡¯s father was in charge of the Doosan group, he had two children, a son, and a younger daughter. Park-ssi doted on her, not unlike a certain man I know.¡± He grinned at me, Hinata having no doubt enjoyed telling him how close I was to my own sister. Not that Hinata minds, she likes my sis, as well she might, they¡¯re both insanely cheerful girls of action, even if their fields differ. ¡°Unfortunately, the sister fell in love with a man the family deemed unworthy and fell pregnant after a brief liaison. A great shame.¡±


    ¡°Yes, while Korea does not have a legacy of the nobility as we do here in Japan, the cultural norms are similar. It would be the same were a daughter of the Fifty-Eight to do such a thing.¡± The Shiraishi girls shivered at Katsuro-san¡¯s words, only for Hinata to mutter soothingly to the uniform-clad sisters, calming their nerves.


    ¡°It is little wonder we could not find the connection. All of those who came seeking our aid before were those who had children trapped at Choe-Museon Academy. It is a prestigious school, but unlike Hanafubuki, it was possible to secure lists of students there, even some photographs. But Park Do-yun had a single daughter who was too old and never attended, according to those.¡± Motoko¡¯s grandfather continued. ¡°It was a puzzle, though our suspicions were that it was still related.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was forced to abandon the family name. She then had a son, but sadly despite Park-ssi looking out for her, she passed away soon after, never forgiven by her father. But after that, he took care of her son secretly, and enrolled him in the prestigious Academy.¡± Kenji-san finished.


    ¡°So the mystery is solved.¡± I mused. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the dangers. Mind control, right? That¡¯s something I¡¯m extremely wary of dealing with. I¡¯m not putting my allies at risk. Perhaps there¡¯s one or two who might be resistant, I doubt Tan would be susceptible, but... the situation is troubling.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hence why we have been stalling on accepting the offers of the South Korean government and the desperate wealthy families.¡± Katsuro-san pointed out. ¡°We have talked about this. Losing you is unacceptable from Japan¡¯s viewpoint. Even more so from mine. Motoko would be devastated.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But...¡± I had to admit to myself that my sympathies were stirred by the story I had heard. ¡°...we have some reason to intervene too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The profits are huge, especially with us needing allies against China.¡± Kenji-san agreed. ¡°But no profits can compensate for the loss of the man our granddaughters have chosen, right Katsuro-kun?¡±


    As Motoko¡¯s grandfather agreed, I looked to Hinata, who clearly had some ideas, judging by the Shiraishi sisters being here. We talked about their family being in trouble because they lost their hotel... and how it was likely motivated by spite... ¡°Hinata, do you think that we can use Park Do-yun to get back the... Tengokusentou, was it?¡±


    At my words the girls jolted in surprise, and Hinata smiled, pleased. ¡°Shrewd as ever, Akio. That¡¯s just one reason I love you.¡± Buck, who was listening closely, guffawed at her admission of affection. ¡°Even those acting on spite and malice wish for profit, if it doesn¡¯t hurt their revenge. Our relationship with South Korea isn¡¯t good, so if offered a deal by some Korean businessmen, they might accept. There¡¯s also Buck here.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± he said, surprised.


    ¡°Yes, and Ms Connors.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°Akio also has connections in Britain. If we approach it from a number of angles, we can likely find out who is behind it. If they are prepared to sell to someone other than the Japanese, all the better. If not... well, we can leverage other things than money.¡±


    ¡°Since Chase is not involved in the sale, so long as it isn¡¯t secret dealings by one of our clients, there would be no conflict of business ethics.¡± Jennifer said slowly. ¡°And it would earn us favour from Japan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do... but...¡± Buck frowned, thinking. ¡°I do know a person or two on the Poker circuit. I can put out the feelers...¡±


    ¡°Then it all depends on you, Akio.¡± Hinata looked into my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not something we can force. I know just how dangerous these things can be. I remember poor Eri, after she returned from Kyoto.¡±


    It was then the elder Shiraishi, Nozomi-san, stopped trembling, looking at me with eyes holding a mixture of confusion and wariness. ¡°Why? Why would you help me, help us? Because Fujiwara-sama or the other Grandfathers wish it?¡±


    ¡°You put on the uniform and came here.¡± Hinata said, shaking her head. ¡°We told you, didn¡¯t we? You¡¯re Akio¡¯s now, and he¡¯ll never abandon those under his care. Strive to serve him well and enjoy the rewards.¡±


    I knew there was a reason I¡¯ve seen the uniforms around. Again, I trust Hinata and the others. If they aren¡¯t giving me the full picture, there¡¯s a reason for it. It¡¯s not like I tell the girls every risk I take either, but... ¡°it¡¯s not about serving me. It¡¯s about working together. You know that Hinata.¡± I chided her gently, and she flushed, though her eyes looked happy. Turning to the Shiraishi sisters, I spoke reassuringly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can help with your family problems. The situation is dangerous. But if it¡¯s something I can do with a reasonable chance of success, I will. After all, you¡¯re school friends with Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Miyu and the others, right?¡±


    Nozomi-san exchanged a look with Hinata, who seemed amused. After a moment, Nozomi-san turned to me and bowed deeply, which looked a bit comical in her uniform. ¡°I see. It¡¯s clear to me now.¡± As her sister murmured her name in surprise, Nozomi-san continued. ¡°It¡¯s just like at Hanafubuki. We daughters were always so conscious of the status of each other, be it daughter of a great house of the Fifty-Seven, one of the Three-Hundred, or even just a bodyguard. But that¡¯s changing. Your bodyguard, she sits with you freely, and talks to Fujiwara-sama and even Ichijou-sama without care. Just like...¡± she touched the cap on her head, before making up her mind. ¡°I see your intentions now, Hinata-sama. I am sorry for doubting you. You wish to show we are all equal. And that your fiance? truly cares for all.¡± She bowed to me again. ¡°I, Shiraishi Nozomi, am a member of Adamant. And like the name, I will... not be broken. You too, Arisa.¡±


    The younger sister seemed less convinced, but she too bowed. ¡°Like Nozomi, I¡¯ll do my part. If... if you could reclaim the Tengokusentou...¡± She was stopped by her sister, nearly jumping in surprise as she grabbed her hand. Apologetically, Nozomi bowed to me again.


    ¡°Please forgive Arisa, she¡¯s still young. We would not dare make demands of you. Merely we hope for your grace. We would... would be proud to serve.¡±


    ¡°Now you get it.¡± Hinata¡¯s smile was teasing. ¡°There¡¯s hope for you yet, Nozomi-san. I told you, it¡¯s an honour to be chosen. Because it means you have value. And if you don¡¯t see it, then we¡¯ll teach you.¡± She turned to me then. ¡°Sorry Akio. Adamant is a group we¡¯ve been forming. All for you.¡±


    ¡°I know. You¡¯re always thinking of me. All of you. Just... don¡¯t overdo it, all right?¡± I warned, and she giggled happily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we know how to choose the right people, and we¡¯d rather die than cause you problems!¡± she declared proudly. ¡°We¡¯re just growing your support base.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all very interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Buck said to Jennifer, who pursed her lips.


    ¡°Yes, though again I can¡¯t help but think we are learning secrets we should otherwise not. It seems we now have no choice but to go along with them now.¡±


    As everyone talked, I thought on the information I knew about the Korean situation. It¡¯s going to be messy. If it was just a case of powerful opponents, I¡¯d be confident, but... there¡¯s something missing. If they¡¯ve deployed their own Chosen before, then... No, it was premature to decide. Information was what was needed, and I hoped that whatever offer Park Do-yun brought to the table, it was supported with the knowledge we needed...


    ¡°We¡¯ve got this. It¡¯s obvious what to do from here. For now, why don¡¯t you go have this little chat?¡± she said, and with that I got up, the taciturn young woman following me. In the next room, I offered her a seat, before sitting down myself. For a moment I frowned, before she spoke, still toying with her hair.


    ¡°I guess at least you¡¯re handsome. I saw you on TV.¡± she said with a sigh.


    Yeah, just as I thought. ¡°Miss Yu-mi...¡± I said, still speaking English. ¡°Let me be honest. Do you even want to marry me?¡±


    She looked up at me then, a smile on her face. I had to admit she was fairly pretty, the sort of girl I¡¯d definitely have looked twice at in the past. Although now I¡¯m surrounded by gorgeous girls I think I have some immunity. ¡°Honestly? Obviously I don¡¯t.¡± She didn¡¯t hide her feelings. ¡°I get that you¡¯re an important person, and like I said, your looks are a bonus, but I don¡¯t know you. You¡¯re not even Korean. No, that¡¯s rude of me... sorry.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be like dad. He dislikes the Japanese a lot. So you should feel proud he turned to you in his hour of need, and would even accept you as his son-in-law. Me, I¡¯m his daughter, but... he never sent me to Choe-Museon. I¡¯m grateful, I¡¯d have hated it.¡± Once she started, words poured out of her. ¡°I¡¯m just enjoying life, you know? I¡¯ve dated a few guys, nothing serious.¡± She blinked, realising what she said. ¡°I¡¯m still a virgin, don¡¯t worry about that. If you marry me, I¡¯d come to the bridal bed pure. I know my own value. But... I don¡¯t want to marry someone with eleven other women. Sorry. But I don¡¯t have a choice, I guess. I have to make the best of it, and you seem nicer than I thought you¡¯d be. So, I promise I¡¯ll do my best to be unobtrusive, give you kids, whatever. I just hope I can continue living my life happily like I am now, as much as possible, though of course I¡¯ll cater to your tastes.¡±


    Finally, a normal reaction! ¡°What do you mean you have to?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Your father doesn¡¯t speak for you. I have a sister, you know.¡± She looked at me as if she didn¡¯t know what the relevance was. ¡°If she was being forced into a marriage against her will, you¡¯d better believe I¡¯d put a stop to it, no matter the cost.¡± At my words, she understood. ¡°But don¡¯t get the wrong impression. Hinata, the girl in there, she was an arranged marriage for me. I¡¯ve had another couple too, and I¡¯ve grown to love them all deeply. So it¡¯s not something that¡¯s wrong. But both sides have to agree, have to gain, have to... well, get to like each other, I guess?¡± Bell and Soliteare, it reminds me of them, this conversation. I guess I should definitely be nicer to them.


    ¡°But dad cares so much for my cousin. I¡¯ve barely even spent any time with Yu-jun. But dad really loved his sister, my aunt. Just as you love your sister.¡± She sighed. ¡°I remember her, poor woman. I was small when she went away, and I didn¡¯t understand. But dad... he mourns. I... I don¡¯t mind making a sacrifice to make dad happy again. I owe him a lot. I¡¯m not a spoilt rich kid. I know without dad¡¯s money, I couldn¡¯t live like I do. So this would just be compensation. I can¡¯t say I was thrilled, I shed some tears, but... I¡¯m a filial daughter in the end.¡±


    ¡°I mind.¡± I proclaimed, and her brown eyes widened at the vehemence in my tone. ¡°I hate sacrifices, so I¡¯ll not force one on you, Miss Yu-mi. I¡¯m not a hero, not really. I just wipe away the sadness I see, rather than going looking for it. I¡¯m a realist. I could spend my whole life righting wrongs the world over, but that would be a sin in itself, as to do it I¡¯d have to sacrifice the happiness of my friends and family, my lovers, stealing time from them we should be spending happily together. However...¡±


    ¡°However?¡± Yu-mi looked at me, her eyes moist.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at ignoring people who love their family. Now, I¡¯m not promising I¡¯ll be able to help. I need to talk it over with everyone, weigh up whether the risks match what we stand to gain. But I will weigh up the happiness and safety of your cousin in the gain category. So don¡¯t worry. Even without your hand in marriage, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find some other way for your father to pay us back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She said after a while. ¡°That¡¯s... rather decent of you. Not what I¡¯d expect from a man with so many lovers. I¡¯m a bit surprised. But... are you sure you can turn me down? I don¡¯t wish for this, but... I wouldn¡¯t make you hate me. I¡¯m a pragmatic girl, so long as you didn¡¯t mistreat me I¡¯d be fun company. Besides, I¡¯m as cute as the girls out there.¡±


    Not quite. But I admit you¡¯re pretty. Smart too. ¡°As her fiance?, I believe Hinata is one of the eleven most beautiful girls in the world. Uh... honestly, this might sound weird, but make that twelve. I can¡¯t lie and say my sis isn¡¯t beautiful either.¡±


    Yu-mi let out a relieved giggle. ¡°You¡¯re strange. I¡¯m actually really confused right now. I gathered all my courage, accepted it in my heart, and now you are telling me I¡¯m not as cute as your sister? Is this how you attracted your women? I have to admit... I¡¯m starting to get curious about you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong with that. I have plenty of female friends I¡¯m not in love with.¡± I assured her. ¡°So if you wanted to be friends, that¡¯s fine, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± I reached out a hand, and she shook it, a faint blush on her cheeks and neck. Her hand is warm.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s going to be upset.¡± she said, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You made it clear you are more than prepared to do what he thought you needed to. If he takes it out on you, it won¡¯t exactly help his case. I¡¯ll talk to him honestly.¡± I assured her.


    ¡°Fine then. But... now I¡¯m starting to feel hurt, it¡¯s strange.¡± She pouted, her eyes now showing a mixture of relief and amusement. ¡°I must be crazy. Now it stings you turned me down. You know... I¡¯m between boyfriends right now. So I¡¯m free for a date after you finish your business in Korea. I can show you a good time in Gangnam. If you¡¯ve never been, it¡¯s fun!¡±


    Damn, who understands women? She told me plain she didn¡¯t want to marry me, now she¡¯s asking me on a date? I was sure I was keeping my Charm controlled... I did it by habit now, although perhaps my will slipped as I was using most of my concentration in the Boundary, performing a mixture of crafting and aether replenishment on the girls.


    ¡°Uh, we¡¯ll put that thought on hold.¡± I promised awkwardly, before we talked a little bit more about each other, just some harmless facts and tales, giving Kenji-san, Katsuro-san and Hinata time to negotiate for me. Leaving the room, I met Hinata¡¯s eyes and she gave me a thumbs up.


    ¡°It seems settled then.¡± I said and Do-yun nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I will be the spearhead in reclaiming the Tengokusentou. I believe it can be done. After all, my dislike of Japan is known. If I work hard, I can find out who is behind the group that exploited the Shiraishi family. Especially with such helpers.¡± He looked at Jennifer and Buck. ¡°Now, Yu-mi, is everything all right?¡± He seemed nervous, as if worried she had offended me, and he seemed relieved when his daughter smiled brightly, only for his face to fall at her words.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on hold.¡±


    ¡°What? On hold?¡± he said, and Yu-mi repeated herself.


    ¡°Are you going deaf, dad? It¡¯s on hold. I said I didn¡¯t want to marry him, and he accepted that, no problem. But...¡± she twirled her hair with her perfectly manicured nails. ¡°...it¡¯s not like he¡¯s not interesting. And I was a bit moved by his words to me. So... it¡¯s not like it¡¯s off. You wouldn¡¯t want me to be seen as easy, right dad?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Akio.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°Can¡¯t even turn a girl down without winning her over. Eri¡¯s going to be angry again.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like you should worry. We¡¯re not getting married, we sort of turned each other down. Damn, he¡¯s right, you are super cute.¡± Yu-mi laughed, looking at Hinata properly for the first time. ¡°I think I¡¯d fit right in though. But... honestly, you¡¯re lucky. I thought anyone who had so many women would be a playboy, a selfish jerk. But... okay, sure. He¡¯s selfish, but it¡¯s coming out a place of love for you all.¡±


    ¡°You have good senses. Hmm.¡± Hinata mused. ¡°All right. Fortunately, we don¡¯t need you or your dowry, but...¡± Hinata held out a hand. ¡°Want to be friends? If you are interested in Akio and his life, I can show you the ropes? Not just anyone can be one of his women, it takes the right sort, strong, smart and driven.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m definitely interested now.¡± Yu-mi winked, her bored, detached expression from before having vanished. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s no good after all, and I¡¯m just being fooled by his honeyed words, but... I came here expecting to stay. Maybe even be pushed down and have to give up a free sample of my body this very day, you know? It¡¯s not like I could say no.¡±


    ¡°Akio would never do that. He¡¯s lusty...¡± Hinata flushed, remembering her first time, her smile radiant. ¡°...but only because it¡¯s cherishing those he loves. Now... let¡¯s set this aside for later. Any objections, Park-ssi?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± he shook his head, confused by the rejection of his daughter and her dowry. ¡°If I have offended, I apologise...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not offended. You¡¯re not the first, and you won¡¯t be the last. I¡¯ve even got an elven Prince trying to foist granddaughters on me through a similar arrangement. But I don¡¯t accept those anymore. However, I also don¡¯t close my mind to the girls presented that way.¡± Not anymore. I¡¯m now secure in myself and my own feelings. I know the path to happiness, for me, and for those that love me. It¡¯s to be true to myself, and true to the feelings of those who like me. Fairly and without worrying about how others see it. Though sometimes it still surprises me, how accepting people can be.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. If... if you can save little Yu-jun, I¡¯ll take you out and hit the clubs to celebrate. I don¡¯t usually loosen up when drunk, but... who knows, it¡¯ll be a happy occasion.¡± She winked at me, before addressing her father, serious. ¡°Honestly, dad... we¡¯re asking far too much. I know you love Yu-jun but Akio-oppa has people he loves too. So... he needs to be sure everyone agrees. If he says no, you have to accept it.¡± Oppa, huh? That¡¯s an endearment for an older guy, right? It doesn¡¯t actually have to mean a real brother. Being addressed so made me feel itchy, but it wasn¡¯t unpleasant.


    ¡°Yu-mi... I¡¯m surprised. I felt so bitter I was bartering your future, but I was so proud you¡¯d offer your happiness for your cousin. Yet now looking at you...¡± Do-yun was looking at his daughter with an expression of pride mixed with self-loathing. ¡°...you seem so mature, so composed.¡±


    ¡°I am a grown woman, dad.¡± She pouted. ¡°And so I¡¯ll make my choice, as will he. But...¡± she looked at Hinata then. ¡°...if everyone is as good as you, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll choose to let him go, trusting in him, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re of course right.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°So, Akio, what¡¯s your call?¡±


    ¡°My gut is to go for it. I¡¯m worried, especially because the enemy uses mind-affecting powers. I know how scary those can be, Shaeula has proved it, and hers aren¡¯t that strong. But I want everyone to talk it out. We¡¯ll have to be quick, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so difficult.¡± Hinata agreed, getting out her phone. ¡°You can tell the ones in the Boundary. It¡¯s time for our own mini-Conclave. I¡¯m still upset the nobility missed out on that so I couldn¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Park-ssi, you have work to do yourself.¡± Kenji-san said, and as he bowed, relieved, pulling out his own mobile to make a call, I met his eyes, and now I could see approval.


    ¡°I am starting to think perhaps I did my daughter wrong, and not in the way I had imagined, but by not giving her a chance to impress you on her own merits.¡± He sighed. ¡°I am a terrible father. But I want to be a good uncle. So I implore you... please, help me.¡±


    I hope I can. But first... we need to make sure that the South Korean government and the other families who asked for aid pay their dues. Hinata won¡¯t extort too much from grieving families, she knows it¡¯ll just upset me, but she will get a fair price for the risk I¡¯ll be taking. Meeting Yu-mi¡¯s eyes, as she watched quietly, she smiled, nodding at me reassuringly, and once more I found myself amazed at the way my life was going, these past few months. Nothing ever goes quite as I expect it. But then, fortunately I¡¯m not alone. Though for this mission... there¡¯s not many I can take with me, is there?

 Four Hundred And Forty-Seven

    Four Hundred And Forty-Seven


    ¡°So, what¡¯s all this about?¡± my sis said, as she had inveigled herself into the meeting I was having with my girls atop Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree. ¡°it¡¯s not like you to look so serious, bro.¡±


    Hinata let out a little laugh at that, and started to explain. I interjected where necessary, and soon we had covered everything. Eri was the first to speak, her hand tightly clenched around the goblet of brilliantly scarlet fruit juice she was drinking. ¡°That¡¯s... a lot to take in. So, this Yu-mi girl... you properly turned her down, right? It doesn¡¯t sound like it.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± I promised her. ¡°Though I have to say, she¡¯s not a bad girl, I can tell. I think she¡¯d make a decent friend for you all.¡±


    Eri rolled her eyes, looking at Hinata. ¡°So, I¡¯m curious. Why do you think she changed her tune so quickly? I know Akio is very charming, and the fact he isn¡¯t always aware of it makes him shine brighter, but... it still seems a strange thing, her not rejecting it outright.¡±


    ¡°Is it so strange?¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°I think it¡¯s just human psychology.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Sorry Eri, but it¡¯s actually rather normal. She grudgingly agreed to something she really didn¡¯t want to do, for her family. She likely agonised over it, felt dreadful. But then she was told she didn¡¯t have to do it after all. The relief must have been intense. But people are complicated. Shit, we know it, right? Else we wouldn¡¯t all be here with Aki.¡± Her laugh was slightly bitter, but her smile showed she had no regrets. ¡°What I think is when she talked to Aki, she realised what sort of a person he was, and the doubts started creeping in. I was prepared, and now I don¡¯t have to, but maybe it¡¯d be better if I actually did, would I be missing out? Fortunately it¡¯ll probably fade in time. If it doesn¡¯t... well, that¡¯s up to Aki, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I think there are more pressing matters to worry about.¡± Daiyu said, changing the subject. Her Japanese was getting more fluent by the day, as even a couple of hours of tutoring with her memory and stats were enough to fill in the few gaps she had. Now we barely have to translate any words at all for her. ¡°This battle seems rather dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... I¡¯m not sure how it is different to before.¡± My sis chimed in, only for Tsukiko to answer for me.


    ¡°His bravery in saving the Princess of Humans, Eleanor... that was motivated by my foreknowledge. I do feel a certain amount of regret.¡± she confessed. ¡°My words have led to great danger. But it was resolved without disaster, fortunately. However, this situation in South Korea, while undoubtedly a sad tragedy... it does not imperil us or the world. Therefore he queries if the risk is one he should bear, not wishing to burden us with worry.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Every risk I¡¯ve taken has had good reason behind it. Fighting for Tsukiko and Yukiko-san in Kyoto, for Eleanor in Britain, the need for securing fire element that led us to mount Atago... but this... yes, my heart aches for the dead and worse, but it¡¯s not a situation that demands my action. The South Korean government can resolve it through deadly force if they are pushed to it, though they don¡¯t want to for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It would be like sacrificing Hanafubuki and the students within.¡± Motoko mused. ¡°Those in power could do it, but the repercussions would be terrible. The nobility would never forgive those who destroyed their bloodlines.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Kana sighed. ¡°It¡¯s so very you, Akio. You want to do it, but you think it¡¯s dangerous, and you worry about what will happen if you fail. But will you? Aren¡¯t you strong?¡±


    I took a deep breath, considering. ¡°To be honest, I think I¡¯ll win. I¡¯m confident that there¡¯s very few Chosen who¡¯ve pushed themselves as much as I have to grow stronger, and while I started far behind everyone else, that was actually a strength, I think. Ortlinde did say taking the easy way would limit growth in the end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this Ortlinde.¡± Eri said to Shiro, who snorted a laugh. ¡°I can¡¯t help but worry...¡±


    It was Tan who responded for her. ¡°You think very highly of him, that a Valkyrie, one of the warriors one step below the Divinities of that Pantheon, who dwell far from here and have endured endless centuries of time, would be interested in him as a man.¡± Tan paused. ¡°If he becomes an Astral Emperor and guides this world out into the higher Astral, then perhaps you would have cause to fear, yet...¡± she smiled, the expression not Shiro¡¯s usual one, looking strange on her face. ¡°...you foolishly made that wager, so it is not to be. Do not regret it.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. We believe in Aki.¡± Shiro took over. ¡°Come on now, Eri. This is serious.¡±


    ¡°So are my worries.¡± Eri admitted. Her black tail was lashing fitfully. ¡°But Akio is right.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve seen it in action, haven¡¯t we Motoko, Kana-san? So there¡¯s more to your worries, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the mind control. Now I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t be affected, but look at it this way. If I am... it¡¯ll be an utter disaster. The risks might be small but the consequences are huge. It¡¯s like a nuclear meltdown. The chances of it happening are tiny, but if it does then the death toll and fallout would be catastrophic. And for the rest of you...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does look like we can¡¯t come with you.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°But do you even need us? If you can handle it yourself, then do it.¡±


    ¡°Let us look-look at what we know.¡± Shaeula pointed out, gratefully taking another glass of wine from Hyacinth. ¡°There are two opposing Chosen, each with their own-own flavour of cursed power, both affecting the mind. They have been fighting since the start, and have claimed many-many slaves by the foolish actions of this Korean government. That is it succinctly, is it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So looking at it... they¡¯ll have gained a certain measure of strength fighting each other, but their opportunities should have been limited, especially in terms of Territorial growth. I¡¯m not too interested in taking them out, I want to rescue the hostages. Though obviously stopping them at source is best.¡± I continued, putting my thoughts into words. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the quality of the Korean Chosen, these Hunters. If they were the sort from the manhwa¡¯s that obviously inspired them, well, then I¡¯d be reassured.¡± I smiled ruefully. ¡°So it¡¯s best not to expect much and be pleasantly surprised.¡±


    ¡°Worse, you have to consider they could end up as a liability.¡± Motoko frowned. ¡°Grandfather says there is nothing worse in battle than uncertain allies. Even a competent enemy is better.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so I¡¯ll need to act alone, or with very limited support.¡± I agreed. ¡°Fortunately I have one big advantage. I¡¯m using it now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can be in two places at once.¡± My sis laughed. She was right, as I was currently here in the Boundary discussing matters with my girls, while I was also meeting with the Prime Minister alongside Motoko¡¯s grandfather, Fujiwara-san and Ichijou-san, and several other politicians, as we had a direct video link to the Blue House in Korea, negotiating our terms. Meanwhile, Hinata¡¯s grandfather and several other of my allies were cutting deals with the South Koreans who had been desperate to hire me separately. ¡°Damn, I wish I could do that, it¡¯d be super handy. I can train and have fun at the same time!¡± she finished, her tone jealous.


    ¡°It¡¯s likely not impossible. Though it¡¯s not as fun as you think. I¡¯ve had more terrible headaches since I became a Faeduine than I¡¯ve ever had squinting at screens and working for hours on end. But... what I can do, we can replicate, even if it¡¯s tough.¡± I looked at Shiro then. ¡°I imagine it¡¯s not uncommon in the upper Astral, right Tan?¡±


    ¡°Not uncommon? It is not so commonplace as you surmise, but yes, Omnipresence is a trait of the Divine, to an extent, and there are creatures that can split their bodies, clone themselves or perform other such feats. But we are straying far from the subject.¡± she warned me, not interested in idle chatter.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Oh well, work hard sis, and who knows what you¡¯ll achieve. So, where was I?¡± I continued. ¡°Oh yes, the situation. They won¡¯t be able to protect both their Territory and the Material at the same time, whereas I can strike at both. If they only have Rank two¡¯s as I surmise, I can smash their barriers and find their Anchors very quickly, likely before they can respond. That should take them out, if they aren¡¯t protecting them. If they are... well, at that point I can start saving the victims in the Material and bring them out. Once they¡¯re all out of hostages, the situation changes in our favour.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you have it in hand then, Aki. So why the hesitation?¡± Shiro pressed, and I answered honestly.


    ¡°Because unlike Tsukiko, who I genuinely wanted to save, I don¡¯t know any of these people, so putting them ahead of our happiness and potentially risking myself... it feels wrong. I worry that if I screw up, it¡¯ll be all of you who will grieve.¡±


    Eri and my sis exchanged long looks, before my sis snickered nastily. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but big bro moonstone is back.¡±


    ¡°I like that. I never did mock Aki over his middle name enough.¡± Shiro laughed, and Eri took over.


    ¡°Look, an Akio who isn¡¯t willing to step up and save people isn¡¯t Akio. I¡¯m proud of you, and...¡± she looked around, her black eyes hard. ¡°...there isn¡¯t anyone here who would criticise him, is there?¡±


    ¡°Nooot Hyacinth. He had no reason to save me, but he did. And nooow I am happy at long last. But...¡± she warned me. ¡°...just as I serve yooou, and care for you, and mistress Tsukiko wishes to be with yooou... those you save will need to repay you. Nooot that they have to serve as I dooo... but you cannot give of yourself to all, yooou are right to prioritise those that looove you!¡±


    ¡°Damn, this is so annoying!¡± I could hear my sis shouting even from the foot of the Rhyming Tree. We had sent everyone else away during the training, as it wasn¡¯t just Talismans I was learning. Shaeula and Shiro had decided to test my mind, and Shiro didn¡¯t want anyone watching. We had given my sis a spyglass, and she was seeing if she could give effective orders to her troops even at a distance, because if not, she was just a liability.


    ¡°Eyes on me. Do not-not look away.¡± Shaeula grinned with great amusement, jade winds swirling around her. ¡°Now, by the winds, I command you, remove your clothes!¡±


    ¡°Trust her to give a perverted order.¡± Shiro snorted, as I was bathed in the shining winds. I felt a sudden urge to remove my clothing, even as I was listening to Daiyu, who was instructing me with a quiet, confident voice as I held a calligraphy-style brush in my hand. Who knew Alchemy would be useful so quickly? It¡¯s logical in a way. Just as Qi is derived from aether, at least Earthly Qi, skills would be fairly standard across disciplines, otherwise there¡¯d simply be too many variations. But... I can take a break. I¡¯m tired, and the way Shaeula¡¯s looking at me, she¡¯s eager for lovemaking. I am too. So I¡¯d best...


    As my hands unfastened my brigandine, I heard Shaeula snickering, before Motoko, rather apologetically, slammed her practice sword down on my head. The impact, which caused no damage of course, but shocked me for a second, made me clear my mind. Looking down at my bare torso, I flushed, ashamed. ¡°Damn, you got me again, Shaeula. It all seemed so utterly natural as well. I saw you looking adorable and was overcome with lust, so naturally I felt like getting naked and having a tumble with you.¡± I shivered. ¡°It¡¯s scary how naturally I thought that. Mind control really is awful.¡±


    ¡°Her winds are both uniquely weak and rather pernicious.¡± Tan declared. ¡°It is not dissimilar to my Alluring The Buddha, in that it functions not as direct control, but on the thoughts and desires of the target. You seek to rationalise the choices through your own actions. It would not be able to make you do anything you would abhor, though... people are malleable.¡± She snorted sourly. ¡°Acts that one would never countenance can be justified under threat of harm or for gain. Yes, it seems weak, but is actually more fearful than it appears.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I struck you.¡± Motoko apologised, before smiling faintly. ¡°But a warrior¡¯s discipline is important. You must not be swayed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you like it!¡± Shiro laughed, nodding at Shaeula, and soon Motoko was breathing heavily, face flushed, as she was stripping off her hakama and trying to seduce me. As Natsumi tried to calm her down, I went back to attempting to infuse Qi into the ink I had crafted so painstakingly. It was hard work, as my Qi Refining was too high spec, oddly enough, and my base skills in it were low as an additional issue. So I only have tiny amounts, especially compared to Daiyu.


    ¡°Talismans are one of the Six Noble Pursuits. You have seen them in action in Kyoto.¡± Daiyu reminded me. ¡°While we do not have the precise ingredients for the recipe I know, fortunately Asha is able to create very similar plants.¡± She nodded respectfully at the Dryad, who smiled proudly. She had caused blossoming flowers to grow, and under Daiyu¡¯s instructions, I had ground them down along with silver and several minerals from the mines, and once the mixture was properly thickened to a suitable consistency, I was then to infuse it with Qi. Which is the hard part.


    ¡°Can just anyone use them?¡± Natsumi asked, curious. ¡°If so, it could help those of us who lack strength to fight.¡±


    ¡°It depends on the talisman.¡± Daiyu said, enjoying the attention and being able to share her knowledge. ¡°They can be keyed to the specific Qi of the creator, or to any triggering Qi. Perhaps even those without Qi could use them, but if so, the Art was not passed down from Kunlun to us. They kept much from us.¡± she said bitterly. ¡°So, you would need to learn how to Cultivate, to refine Qi, before you can cover your weaknesses, Natsumi.¡±


    Now that Motoko had shaken off Shaeula¡¯s winds and was dressing herself with a face red from embarrassment, not lust, Natsumi was expressing interest. ¡°I look forward to it. Qi strengthens the body, right? And it is not entirely removed from Tsumura Arts. Both require disciple and dedication. And a skilled teacher.¡± She smiled at Motoko then.


    ¡°Talismans enhance the strength of a Cultivator, allowing one to effectively stockpile Qi, though those talismans are inflexible, at least at the levels I know from the archives of the Incorruptible Jade. Conversely, it can cover weaknesses, like here. Qi requires both a pure, trained body, and a strong, impervious mind. It is the mind we wish to strengthen. For emergencies.¡±


    ¡°You mean like when Aki starts stripping?¡± Shiro chuckled. ¡°Speaking of, it¡¯s my turn next. Damn, this is embarrassing. I can see why you never used it on Daizen or Bunta, or that damn Raven, Tan.¡± Shiro had changed clothes, and was wearing a dress, rather diaphanous and slightly see-through, covered in ribbons. ¡°Shit, you¡¯d better be grateful I¡¯d embarrass myself for you, Aki!¡±


    ¡°Embarrass?¡± Tan took over, speaking lazily, one eye red. ¡°Your heart races, but only because you are thrilled he is sneaking looks at your body. Now let out your Allure, prove your worth!¡±


    ¡°I get it. Damn.¡± Shiro flushed adorably. ¡°Fine. Aki... here goes!¡± She started to move, shockingly graceful, her long legs and shapely thighs visible through the slits on the dress Hyacinth had quickly prepared for us. Moving closer, my Eye flared and I could see aether rising from her like a heat haze. As she swayed, she started tugging at the ribbons, her dress shifting,, exposing tantalising glimpses of flesh. My lips felt hot and my skin was dripping silvery sweat, but Daiyu was telling me to concentrate. Tearing my eyes away, I continued pouring all my aether in to Qi production, Shaeula using Chirurgery to top me up with hers.


    ¡°No fair, Aki.¡± Shiro whispered, her breath hot in my ear, her breasts, barely hidden by thin cloth, pushed against me. With a playful grin she licked my cheek, and I turned to her, seeing her dress loose, and my mind started to waver. ¡°Melt into me.¡± Shiro said breathily, her fingers tracing my face, and it was becoming very hard to concentrate on Daiyu¡¯s instructions. A brief flash of orange flared in my vision, announcing an increase in Resilience and Determination, and that was enough for me to flare my League, pushing Shiro¡¯s allure out of my mind for a moment.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± Shiro seemed offended, twisting around me like a snake, but it was still a dance, and her black eyes started to suck me in again, my hand on the calligraphy brush loosening. As she grinned in triumph, she leaned in for a kiss, and I offered my tongue... only for Shiro to be pulled away by Shaeula, and Motoko to bang me on the head again. Daiyu grabbed my hand and pinched, the slight pain distracting me.


    ¡°I knew I could get you!¡± Shiro laughed as she struggled with Shaeula. ¡°But... damn, isn¡¯t this concerning? Aki isn¡¯t easy to bewitch, but it can be done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you are forgetting one thing.¡± Daiyu explained patiently, having listened to and understood Shaeula and Tan¡¯s explanations. ¡°Both of your abilities are similar, in that they work on inflaming desires already there. And Akio clearly desires you both. Us too.¡± she said, unwilling to be left out. ¡°Which is why I am not trying to create a talisman to strengthen willpower, but to suppress desire.¡±


    ¡°She is correct.¡± Tan allowed. ¡°Your Allure is weaker than mine, but he would find me less irresistible. It is rather offensive. Only the Buddha, and him, ever walked on by...¡± she paused. ¡°Not that I use my Allure on other men. However... I know that few would be able to resist me, so long as they were not such as the misfortunate Raven, whose sole desire was so all-consuming as to make my inflaming passion useless. When it comes to strength of mind...¡±


    Shaeula surprised me with an ambush with her winds, ordering me to kiss Shiro, however I was able to hold myself back. I did want to do it, but my League was brilliant within me, and I was trying to learn from the previous attempts. It was a struggle, Shiro¡¯s lips seemed so tempting, the way she licked them with her tongue when she was thinking, like plump, juicy... Damn, yeah, I¡¯m resisting, but Shaeula¡¯s winds are insidious as hell. I definitely feel befuddled!


    ¡°Shit, I wonder what would happen if I danced and you used your winds at the shame time, Shaeula?¡± Shiro asked, feeling competitive, but I was pleased with the gain of another few points of Resilience. I think we¡¯ll add this to everyone¡¯s mandatory training. When I expressed that thought, Shaeula and the others agreed, but Shiro chimed in, suggesting several interesting training methods. The King¡¯s Game huh? Compelled by Shaeula¡¯s winds? Sounds... risky, but potentially fun.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Daiyu complained. Up overhead I could hear my sis shouting loudly in triumph, and casting my gaze out over Shirohebizumi I could see her golden warriors moving in formation, making odd, almost idol-like poses.


    ¡°Now, concentrate. You have enough Qi for one talisman. Do not waste it. The strokes must be perfect, and the ink infused with your Qi.¡± Daiyu showed off one she had made earlier. ¡°I have learned from Kyoto as well. I should be prepared. Before, all my efforts and Qi were focussed on my Foundation, but now... I have reached the peak, and have no wish to break through to Accumulation until I have perfected the Invincible Jade Yang Technique as well. So my resources can be devoted to preparation for future battles. Finding the minerals and plants for the ink was a considerable expense at our Sect, but now such matters are trivial.¡± She quickly, with artful brush strokes I couldn¡¯t help but admire, crafted a talisman of the sort that I was working on, with the Chinise characters for ¡®perfect self, strong spirit¡¯ on them.


    ¡°Try to affect me with your winds.¡± Daiyu asked Shaeula, and as she was bathed in the green glow, the order Shaeula having given rather shocking, Daiyu channelled a trickle of Qi, and the talisman burned, Qi flowing backwards, scattering the winds that were trying to enter her. Even with that, Daiyu struggled to resist the order, but in the end she managed, dripping with sweat.


    ¡°You are quite-quite tenacious.¡± Shaeula approved.


    ¡°Your skills are great. I did greatly desire to carry out your order, and achieve a successor with Akio.¡± She glanced at me, face flushed. ¡°But now is not the time, no matter how sweet the wish sounded. The talisman is hardly a panacea, it cannot make the weak-willed strong enough to resist a powerful will, but it can give a moment of clarity. For Akio, such should be enough. Since I doubt the methods employed by his enemies will be as insidious, nor will he wish to fulfil their desires, unlike with us.¡±


    Daiyu went back to making talismans, of a similar sort, yet these had an additional character, which looked similar to the Chinese for ¡®oneself¡¯ and ¡®companion¡¯ mixed together. I set aside my curiosity, and traced the final characters on my own talisman, and as I watched with my Eye, once the final stroke was done, the Qi, which should only circulate within a subtle body, was suddenly alive within the paper, moving in a very specific way. It¡¯s almost like a tiny artificial Chakra network. The paper... that was treated specially beforehand too. I see, it¡¯s surprisingly deep, just like Ether Crafting... A success, it seems.


    ¡°Your talisman seems different.¡± Motoko observed keenly, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°It is simpler to make one using one¡¯s own Qi, especially when one is fortifying mind, body or spirit. But I am confident in my skills, even if I have only dabbled before, due to the need to preserve my Qi and the cost and rarity of materials. Father was more of a talisman master than I.¡± she sighed, bowing her head in memory and perhaps in prayer. ¡°But I believed I could make a talisman that another could use. Not anyone... that would be beyond my nascent skills, but my Dao Companion... one I have shared my Qi with, and he with me...¡± She flushed, eyeing me softly. ¡°That I can do. So I will make as many as I can to ensure your safety!¡± She was embarrassed, but I pulled her into a hug, even as I read the messages that burned in my vision.


    You have gained a Skill, Third Noble Pursuit: Talisman Crafting Rank 1. You have created an elementary Talisman, using Qi which is a form of Aether both purer and less malleable than from which it is born, yet it exhibits great efficiency for that which it is suited. Your ability to refine Aether to Qi slightly improves, and your understanding of Cultivation Techniques will rise very slightly. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]


    I see. Daiyu had also gained the skill, but at Rank 2, so her efforts had borne fruit as well. Hugging her tighter, I grinned. ¡°Thanks for thinking of me. I¡¯ll use them well, I promise. And if you need resources to learn the other Noble Pursuits, just ask. We¡¯ll find ways to get them.¡±


    As I enjoyed a brief moment of success, we were separated by Shiro and Shaeula, who were grinning with mock-maliciousness. ¡°All right, we get it. Daiyu is the hero of the moment. But...¡± Shiro began. ¡°...we¡¯re not done yet. We¡¯ll keep bewitching you until the very moment you go, Aki, to squeeze out every drop...¡± She licked her lips, and for a moment I wondered if she was using her Allure, as I felt a sudden urge to push her down, despite everyone watching. ¡°... of Resilience out of you. What, did you think I was talking about something else?¡± She laughed, and soon we all were.


    ¡°All right then. Yeah, I¡¯m confident with all our preparations there¡¯s no way they can defeat me. So it¡¯s time to do something good, and reap the rewards as well.¡± Though their Divine Favours... if they are too wicked, I won¡¯t be searching for a new host. I know that power has no sin, just how it is used, but... in some cases, that might not be true. However... Eri, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi... if only I could find a suitable Favour for one of them. Even Asha, Hyacinth and Shaeula could potentially benefit, now we had the example of Ginneka to show us the way. And thinking of Ginneka... she¡¯s useless for the actual raid on the school, but for preparing trump cards... No, we had learned from Kyoto. I wouldn¡¯t walk unprepared into a situation and lose people close to me ever again. So I would keep a few aces on hand, just in case of an emergency I couldn¡¯t predict...

 Four Hundred And Forty-Eight

    Four Hundred And Forty-Eight


    ¡°The flight time isn¡¯t long, just two hours, but when we land we have a ride out into the mountains in the middle of nowhere, so we can continue our planning then. Not that there¡¯s much more we can do.¡± I mused, a touch annoyed. Asking Yasaka-san to use his Book didn¡¯t bring up useful information at all. At first, I thought we were asking the wrong questions, but even simple, easily answered ones that touched upon the school and its inhabitants came out as garbled garbage. But the Book isn¡¯t broken, when I asked it whether our final safety net would work, it answered clearly, so...


    ¡°I get it, you want us to be cautious, but everything will work out, right Haru-chan?¡± My sis addressed the woman sitting beside her, who nodded.


    ¡°I hope so. Don¡¯t worry Akio-kun, I¡¯ll make sure to keep your sister safe. There won¡¯t be a repeat of Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°We have these, right?¡± My sis was holding a small token in her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t try and be a hero, if things turn dangerous I¡¯ll use it right away.¡±


    ¡°Please do, but it shouldn¡¯t come to that.¡± I certainly hoped so, as the Book stated that using this method would have damaging consequences for the integrity of the Boundary. Perhaps not major, but any damage would accumulate and potentially hasten its collapse. ¡°Our safety is a top priority, so we¡¯ve prepared as best we can. I have the talismans, and we also have...¡± I looked at the numerous large cases we had with us in our private jet, a woman appearing to be Karen-chan sitting with them, Shiro alongside her. ¡°...additional trump cards.¡± I finished.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have taken care of everything, nya.¡± Karen-chan said, revealing her to be Ginneka in disguise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you to cut out the miaowing. You¡¯re not Ginneka right now, but a humble secretary.¡± I warned, and she sighed in protest.


    ¡°All right, nya... no problem.¡± She managed a catlike stutter. Beside her Shiro laughed.


    ¡°Damn, if Eri can do that too, change into other people, she¡¯ll have a real advantage in the bedroom. Anyway...¡± She stared out of the window, looking at the clouds below. ¡°...we need to get this wrapped up quickly, If I¡¯m away too long, the buffs will wear off the Tree...¡± She paused, eyes suddenly wide. ¡°Shit, now even I¡¯m talking like I¡¯m a buffbot! You¡¯ve ruined me Aki, you have to make it up to me!¡±


    ¡°This is awesome.¡± my sis declared, pumping herself up. ¡°Not that bedroom talk, I don¡¯t need to hear about that, I¡¯ve seen far more than any sister should, my poor eyes and ears... but... is this what it feels like to truly be a part of bro¡¯s world?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just like your brother.¡± Haru said, a warm smile on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t have any siblings, but... I would have liked one. Daddy would have been less lonely.¡± Her expression changed to one of resolve. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep her and everyone else safe and I¡¯ll do the best I can for the wounded minds of the victims here. Nobody will harm us. And with you taking the lead... I have hope we can save some. You just have to resolve yourself to not everyone making it from that school.¡± I know that. There¡¯ll undoubtedly be victims during the school siege, but... I have to accept saving who I can is good enough. The main thing is to deal with the mind controllers, then we can hopefully free their victims, those that have survived. And Park Yu-jun should be among them...


    ¡°I¡¯m here too, nyaooo.¡± She failed to hold in her verbal tic again, but Ginneka was trying to appeal to me. ¡°I¡¯ll rob anyone who tries to harm us, nyooo problem!¡±


    ¡°It really should be a quick in-and-out strike.¡± I mused. ¡°it¡¯s being overcomplicated by the Korean Chosen being involved, but we can take it as advantageous to certain extents. We can see them in action, get a better idea how we measure up. Also...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the answers you got from that guy.¡± Shiro pointed out, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. I mean, nothing¡¯s infallible. Even my Eye was fooled by Ginneka and Kinneka the first time we met.¡± Ginneka puffed out her chest at that praise, looking strange wearing Karen-chan¡¯s figure. ¡°And the thing masquerading as Max Power seemed to throw it off a bit. So one of the Chosen in there could well have an ability to prevent information gathering. Hey sis...¡± I said suddenly. ¡°...you remember that old roleplaying game mom gave us, Dungeons and Dragons?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure do. We used to have fun with that, us and Eri. Though we grew out of it... or got lazier and just started watching anime and reading manga.¡± She answered. ¡°Oh, I get it. Scry and Die, right?¡±


    ¡°Scry and Die?¡± Haru titled her head, puzzled.


    ¡°Basically, wizards were by far the most overpowered class. That game had no balance, but then that was half the fun.¡± I shrugged, remembering. ¡°There was a spell called teleport, which could take you anywhere you wanted. So coupled with a low-level spell called scry, which could use a mirror or a pool to see anything you wanted, any big bad villain who didn¡¯t prevent information gathering... well, you scry him, you teleport there, and you drop your hardest hitting spells on him. And he¡¯s dead. Boom. Hence scry and die.¡±


    ¡°Now my bro¡¯s the bugged and overpowered wizard.¡± My sis chuckled. ¡°But I get it. That Book is even more busted than scry. Huh. Okay... that means we¡¯ll need some sort of protection too. If others know our every move, then... this could be a trap.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, but you¡¯re right. Currently, with Shaeula¡¯s and my Eyes, Yasaka-san¡¯s book, Tsukiko¡¯s visions and the knowledge from the Fae and Yo?kai we seem to be ahead on the information-gathering game. But there¡¯s a lot of Chosen out there still, even if the numbers must be shrinking daily.¡± Eventually the weak and the unlucky will be shaken out, and the numbers will stabilise. But I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that¡¯s well under half, maybe even a quarter, of the initial Chosen. ¡°Others will inevitably be similarly gifted, and while we may have escaped their notice, I¡¯ve become a bit more visible recently...¡±


    ¡°I think Tsukiko is the one to deal with this.¡± Shiro said, a soft gleam in her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s used to seeing knowledge others don¡¯t have, maybe she can find a way to shield us from it. And... she¡¯s a little lost. Happy, I think, to have a second chance, but... change is scary. Don¡¯t I know it?¡±


    ¡°When we return, we¡¯ll add it to the huge list of projects we have.¡± I laughed. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m fabulously wealthy, I have every guy¡¯s dream of a harem of gorgeous women, and yet there¡¯s not enough time to sit back and enjoy it. What a pain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my heart bleeds for you bro!¡± my sis snorted. ¡°But yeah, I get it. ¡°But yeah, I get it. I''m having a rare trip abroad, and I¡¯m excited, but... it¡¯s for work. That¡¯s a bit lame.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take time for leisure too. Before too long we¡¯ll be flying to Britain again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, looks like you¡¯re going to become Sir Aki.¡± Shiro snorted, only for me to tease her back.


    ¡°Yeah, well, Dame Shiro, you helped save Eleanor too, so you¡¯ll be right there on stage with us...¡± As we bickered happily, the pilot announced we were beginning our descent. All right then. Soon we¡¯ll see just what is going on here. I just feel it¡¯s more complicated than it should be. I looked at Shiro, Ginneka, Haru and my sis once more. Shiro can take care of herself... no, that¡¯s not exactly true, but Tan can definitely take care of any situation barring that bastard toad popping up out of nowhere. As for the others... they won¡¯t be involved in the actual fighting, so there¡¯s little that can go wrong...


    ********


    ¡°Yeah, this school really is in the middle of nowhere.¡± My sis yawned, getting out of the rugged army vehicle, a K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, according to the driver, who spoke adequate English. The drive had been a bit long, but we had passed the time going over our roles one final time, and distributing some of the equipment, my sis now carrying a large case, which wasn¡¯t out of a lack of chivalry on my part. Besides, with her stats, the case weighs next to nothing...


    ¡°Then there¡¯s Hee-Young...¡± An elegant, middle-aged woman who still retained her beauty, and had a very ample chest, bowed. She was wearing a white hanbok, and had a matronly aura to her. ¡°...and lastly, Eunbi.¡± The final girl, who was carrying a bow, attracted my sister¡¯s attention. She was extraordinarily pale-skinned and fragile, her arms looking shockingly slender, and her figure was thin too, yet she had long, dark hair that cascaded to her waist, and she was probably older than she looked, judging by her eyes. Maybe my age? Hard to tell, could be the same age as my sis, maybe.


    ¡°All right. Thanks.¡± I took note of the names. ¡°I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio. You might know me as the hero of Britain. My skills are great physical strength, speed and self-healing, so I¡¯m confident I can be of use.¡± I paused for a moment. Obviously I¡¯m going to keep most of my abilities hidden. Because... ¡°This here¡¯s my sister, Oshiro Sapphire Aiko. She¡¯s a summoner, but a good shot with a bow too. But she will just be using her summons for this.¡± I looked at Bora, or Violet, as she preferred. ¡°It¡¯s not just your parents with a weird taste in names, Violet-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Just call me unni. I¡¯m not one to stand on ceremony.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Anyway, are you sure you should be telling us your powers?¡±


    ¡°Fine, Violet-unni.¡± As I used the Korean honourific for a younger sister, my own sis puffed out her cheeks, and it was Ginneka¡¯s turn to calm her down, which she did by stamping on her foot. My sis held in a yelp and glared at her, while Haru and Shiro covered their mouths to hide smiles. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool, I¡¯ve kept some details back. But we need a general idea of what we can all do, otherwise how can we plan together?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to plan? We have overwhelming force.¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°But sure, I¡¯m curious. Keep going, by all means!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I agreed. Presenting the information in a careful manner will head off trouble, and might even lead to unexpected gains. ¡°Shiro here is skilled with fire, of various sorts. She¡¯s also got a trump card, so no messing with her.¡±


    ¡°Fire, huh?¡± Violet-unni said. ¡°That¡¯s like Hee-Young, right? Uh...¡± she paused. ¡°Glad she doesn¡¯t speak English or I¡¯d be in trouble. She doesn¡¯t use fire, but it¡¯s similar. But she probably won¡¯t make A Rank with that. Maybe not even B...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Shiro said, puzzled.


    ¡°Everybody knows. Physical strength, regeneration, or sadly mind control...things that work internally retain most of their strength here in the real world. Things like throwing fireballs, it¡¯s great in the spirit world, I¡¯m not knocking you, girl. But here you just lose so much strength...¡±


    ¡°I see. While that¡¯s largely true, don¡¯t count me out. I¡¯m not like you.¡± Shiro insisted. ¡°I can bring the flame when it matters! I¡¯ll show you I can be an S Rank too. But in that case, you need a SSS Rank for Aki!¡±


    Violet-unni burst out laughing, a rich, almost gleeful guffaw that was very unladylike. ¡°Sure, sure. You¡¯re as fiery as your powers it seems. By all means, try and impress me. If you can, I¡¯ll offer you a spot in Violet Scorpions. I could use another girl to talk to.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m with Aki.¡± She cuddled my arm, annoying Cho Ji-ho, but Lee Jong-su nodded approvingly after seeing that, though his eyes did take in every detail of the girls, which irritated me a little. Stop looking at my sis like that.


    ¡°If Aki had a Guild, it¡¯d be way better anyway. And full of girls.¡± Shiro continued. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why Guilds? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to be able to grow large, like in a manhwa.¡±


    ¡°You think so? I disagree.¡± Cho Ji-ho said politely, unwilling to give a bad impression of himself to Shiro, I wagered. Well, she and Tsukiko are the most beautiful women I¡¯ve ever seen. Although... My memories were hardly clear, it was like a faded dream, but I had vague feelings of being awestruck by Ortlinde. Just wish I could remember it...


    ¡°Oh, interesting.¡± Unless they started recruiting from some sort of training school like we had, the numbers would be finite, and barely enough to fill a handful of Guilds. They could go international with recruitment, I guess. In fact, I daresay some Japanese Chosen, if they can get over their distaste of the Koreans and vice versa, might be swayed by a less restrictive system and the chance to earn money effectively as mercenaries...


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s the spirit world.¡± he continued, surprising me. ¡°And you must know that eventually the two worlds will be as one. The Collapse is coming. Just like Rampage and Subtle, and the numbers of the Violet Scorpions... and even your little Fae princess who isn¡¯t here today, right?¡± he sniffed, a little affronted I hadn¡¯t brought what he believed to be my best. ¡°Not every Hunter has to be a human. And who¡¯s to say that people can¡¯t learn? I hear rumours...¡±


    ¡°A fair point. But I¡¯m surprised the Government allows you to mobilise privately.¡± I replied, impressed at their foresight in accepting natives of the Boundary and presumably lower Astral as allies. Not everybody can do that, a lot of people would hold prejudice.


    ¡°What choice to they have, Akio-oppa?¡± Violet-unni was quite informal, making my sister pout again. ¡°Fortunately I was able to say no, but a number of us were told to be patriotic and serve Korea, going into this damn school. And they either died or ended up trapped there. This isn¡¯t compulsory military service. Though there¡¯s no way they can force my brother into that now either. If they want our help, they have to pay us. In exchange, we¡¯ll support Korea, and promise not to defect to other countries. I mean, Japan wouldn¡¯t be so bad, right? Or America.¡±


    ¡°Wars were fought with soldiers.¡± Cho Ji-ho sighed. ¡±I¡¯ve done my twenty-one months. I never want to do it again. But Hunters now get an exemption. Too late for me, but then... we have threats to face. North of the border. China. Our government has seen what happens when beings like us are militarised. Kyoto, right?¡±


    I nodded, and he continued. ¡°There¡¯s too few of us, and they squandered us. Compared to numberless China... we¡¯d be wiped out. So the only way to prevent that is to let us group up, free from interference, and grow stronger. And money, women...¡± he looked at Lee Jong-su and his harem, sighing. ¡°...power, respect. Those are great motivators. So being a prestigious Guild Leader, famous and adored... well, tarnishing our reputation and throwing all that away would be hard. Human nature, right? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re that much different. You acted in Britain.¡±


    ¡°It does make sense. And you¡¯re right. I do know of the Collapse. Interesting name for it, but it fits. Yeah, when spiritual beings can come and go freely, then the world will need us to be strong.¡± I then finished my introductions, that fact on my mind. If so, it¡¯s ever-more imperative we cover Japan, Britain, and the rest of the world in Territories. Rank 3 just won¡¯t cut it, they¡¯re just too weak and small. Rank 4¡¯s everywhere, and ideally Rank 5¡¯s... ¡°This is Suzuki Haru. She¡¯s not going to fight, but she has great skills in healing fragile minds. So we might be able to help some of those trapped Chosen, if we can get them out here without them or us getting killed.¡±


    ¡°And her?¡± Violet-unni said, pointing at Ginneka in her Karen-chan disguise. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look strong at all, but I know looks can be deceptive with our sort.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a Chosen. She¡¯s my secretary, and she¡¯s managing our gear.¡± I slapped one of the cases, opening it up, to reveal a suit of Brigandine that had been thrown together so I could be protected in both realms at once.


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s neat.¡± Violet-unni said, distracted from inspecting Ginneka as I intended. ¡°We have body armour too, military issue, but that doesn¡¯t feel normal.¡±


    ¡°Good eye. But anyway, introductions are done, so...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Colonel Song said. ¡°We have to go over the information before the Operation and assign roles. You were right, Kang-nim. We were unprepared and lost precious Korean lives. As a Military man, that is unacceptable to me. So there must be no mistakes again. I wish everyone to return safely, mission accomplished.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, now I can¡¯t complain about you going over stuff we¡¯ve already talked about.¡± Violet-unni laughed. ¡°Yeah, best catch our newbies up to speed.¡±


    ¡°Before that though...¡± I beckoned the Colonel over, and whispered some words in his ear, using a brief flicker of wind to render the others unable to hear. ¡°We need to root out the infiltrators. I¡¯m not sure how they got in, but there¡¯s some dark aether clinging to a few soldiers.¡± As his eyes widened in shock and disbelief, I outlined my plan...

 Four Hundred And Forty-Nine

    Four Hundred And Forty-Nine


    On hearing my words, Colonel Song narrowed his eyes. He then looked around, concerned, but he realised that my quiet words were echoing oddly, so he dared to speak, and my wind element muffled his sound by creating a small layer of vacuum to mute the vibrations. ¡°What do you mean? Dark aether?¡±


    ¡°Dark is just my interpretation. The aether itself is just aether, but...¡± I realised I was being pedantic and that the Colonel wasn¡¯t well-versed in the terminology us Chosen used. ¡°...basically, there¡¯s a magical influence on some ordinary soldiers. So logically it must be traces from the school, right?¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± he said, troubled. ¡°If our plans have leaked...¡±


    ¡°Assume they have.¡± I warned. ¡°Look, staying in that school is a dead end. Sure, there¡¯s one reason it¡¯s probably important...¡± Their Territories. But the military can eventually win when they throw caution and public opinion away, which becomes ever more likely as the number of surviving students drops. So protecting the Territory won¡¯t be worth dying for. Best to deconstruct the Anchor and start again elsewhere. They¡¯ll still have a number of benefits they¡¯ve accrued. ¡°...but that¡¯s just speculation. But it could actually be a good thing. If we learn more about how their powers work we can be more assured of victory. So... send two of them off on errands, and we¡¯ll take control of the third here.¡±


    He nodded, and after telling the two soldiers showing strange aether clinging to their bodies, he called over the third, a young nervous sowi, equivalent to a second lieutenant. He was my age, which made it a bit odd me calling him young, but his youthful face and diffident demeanour definitely made him seem younger than he was. ¡°First Lieutenant, I need someone to accompany us and handle a little job. You¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes sir!¡± he saluted, and soon we were all ushered into a more private side room in the base. It was cramped, especially with all of the Chosen inside as well, who followed, a little puzzled, and as the door shut, I asked my sis to restrain him.


    ¡°Sure thing, bro.¡± she said, and there were some gasps as a golden version of Eri appeared, grabbing the soldier. As the pale-faced man looked startled, the Korean Chosen seemed surprised, except for Violet-noona, who narrowed her eyes. ¡°Hey, not bad. Summoning type, huh? It looks strong. Though out here it can¡¯t show its true strength, I¡¯d say?¡± Her fingers idly stroked her scorpion sleeve tattoo as she spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, it kicks more ass in the Boundary.¡± My sis declared proudly. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s going on, bro? Why are we grabbing this guy?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s under some sort of mind control, I¡¯d imagine.¡± I said, and Choi Ji-ho frowned.


    ¡°How would you know? And the military aren¡¯t idiots. Anyone who made it back from previous failures has been quarantined, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± The Colonel agreed. ¡°I was going to speak of this next, but we know the transmission method of one of the dangerous abilities. It seems that the berserk rage that turns people into mindless killing machines is spread by a fluid, seemingly blood. But the other method remains unknown.¡±


    ¡°I see. And how have you recovered your intelligence? Not all from UAV¡¯s?¡± I asked, and the man nodded.


    ¡°Small-scale drones armed with various cameras. Sometimes IR is helpful, and we¡¯ve even used penetrating radar to identify hotspots.¡± He paused. ¡°The First Lieutenant here is part of the drone control corps. You think...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It might not be blood, but there was something on the drones, and it looks like it¡¯s spread to our boy here.¡± As the soldier tried to protest, my sis had her Golden Sister tighten its grip, and he grimaced in pain, silenced. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it can do, but if I had to guess...¡±


    ¡°Heads-up of when to cut and run?¡± Violet-noona predicted. ¡°Makes sense. I mean, sure, if the place is being run by kids, can¡¯t expect perfect strategy, but the little brats that go here are smart kids at least. And it doesn¡¯t take a genius to work out there¡¯s a limit to how long this shithole in the middle of nowhere can endure, especially with supplies having been cut for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Bora-noona, please speak more gently.¡± Her younger brother warned, and she snorted, unimpressed.


    ¡°The issue here is that if the mind control can spread remotely, it increases the danger.¡± Shiro pointed out. ¡°So what¡¯s the play, Aki?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just ignore me!¡± Choi Ji-ho complained. ¡°I want to know how you know this. It¡¯s a bit suspicious.¡±


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t.¡± I sighed, letting my Eye shine freely now, the amber glow illuminating me. ¡°I said I was strong and fast. I can also strengthen my eye and see things others can¡¯t.¡± I gave a reasonable explanation, while omitting just what I could do. ¡°And while it would be expected to see aether in such quantities within you all, being as you¡¯re supposedly powerful Chosen, in an ordinary soldier? Very suspicious.¡± I used his own words to make my point.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not... I don¡¯t know what you mean! Please release me!¡± The soldier managed, and my sis had the statue she controlled cover his mouth now.


    Then Lee Jong-su spoke, and Choi Ji-ho translated it to English, a touch bitterly. ¡°He wants to know just what you plan to do about this? How can we turn it to our benefit?¡±


    I nodded to the man approvingly. ¡°Simple. We can analyse it and hopefully work out a way to counter it. In addition...¡± I looked at Haru. ¡°I don¡¯t want to put a burden on you, so if this is out of line, just tell me to piss off, all right?¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you are going to ask, Akio-kun.¡± Haru looked at me with her earnest brown eyes. ¡°And I can do it. Letting the memories flow through, without touching my mind... my skills have improved a lot. They had to, to keep up.¡± She looked at my sis, smiling warmly. ¡°Otherwise even the newcomers will overtake me. But...¡± she said seriously, looking at the Korean Chosen. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for women. It¡¯s a bit... intense.¡± She bit her lip, and I knew that Haru wasn¡¯t as composed as she appeared. Which makes sense. Haru has tried to hard to be strong, and I¡¯m very proud of her, but it¡¯s not something you can get over easily.


    ¡°What?¡± Violet-noona scoffed. ¡°You think because we¡¯re women, we¡¯re weak? Maybe before, guys had the advantage. But when it comes to Hunters, we girls can kick as much ass or more than the guys.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? Most of my team are girls, and most of them have defeated men just fine. But this... look, Haru can heal the mind, but she who can heal, can also harm. You¡¯re all taking mind control far too lightly, so while I investigate the traces of power on our soldier here, I thought it¡¯d be good to let you experience a mental attack. But... for a girl, it¡¯s traumatic. The worst thing a girl can endure.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She shut her mouth, before apologising. ¡°Sorry. I thought you were looking down on me. I guess... if you¡¯re anything like our playboy Lee Jong-su, you care about girls. I get it. But...¡± As my words were translated, the aforementioned Guild Leader was talking to his three girls, and after a brief and heated discussion, the girls decided to sit it out, as did Suk-ja, the youngest from the Inevitable Victory Guild. But Violet-noona was undeterred. ¡°If it¡¯s just the mental image of it, I can take it. I¡¯m no shrinking Violet!¡± She made a cheeky pun. ¡°Not like I¡¯m actually getting fucked, is it?¡±


    ¡°Bora-noona, you¡¯ll never find a man with that attitude!¡± her brother said, scandalised. ¡°Sorry.¡± He apologised to Haru and the other girls with me. ¡°She¡¯s a good person, just... she¡¯s not very comfortable adhering to propriety. She¡¯s always been a rebel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll not apologise for being me!¡± she warned. ¡°So... how bad was it?¡± she asked sympathetically, and Haru shuddered, despite herself.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. Now, gather together so my light can touch you.¡±


    Shiro, my sis and Ginneka stepped back behind me, and Choi Ji-ho noticed. ¡°Hey, what gives? Your girls so tough they don¡¯t need to endure? Not practising what you preach?¡±


    While he¡¯s right it¡¯s a bit hypocritical... ¡°For Shiro, a hundred percent, yes. She¡¯s in no danger of being affected by anyone else¡¯s mind powers. For my sister and Karen-chan...¡± I gave the name for Ginneka matching her current appearance. ¡°...they¡¯ll be waiting here at camp, so shouldn¡¯t come into contact with any issues. Besides, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting my precious sister endure such a filthy ordeal. We¡¯ll train in other ways.¡±


    ¡°Aww, bro...¡± she blushed happily.


    ¡°If any of you aren¡¯t going in but are remaining at the base, then step out. But if you believe you can easily win this fight, then prove it and handle this.¡± As the other girls of the Guilds gathered behind us, I turned my attention to our captive. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Colonel Song looked at me with sharp eyes. ¡°He¡¯s still a soldier of the Republic of Korea Army. I hope you¡¯ll bear that in mind and treat him with... respect?¡± He trailed off as the Korean Chosen were bathed in Haru¡¯s Mind Sharing Light, several of them starting to scream and convulse, though I noticed that Violet-noona merely squeezed shut her eyes, sweat springing from her brow as she trembled, skin pale.


    Yes, that it is. Now I have Spirit Water in addition to the talismans, as well as my battle gear... ¡°So, how are we splitting our forces?¡± I asked. ¡°Who¡¯s hitting the Boundary and who is storming the Academy here?¡± I¡¯ll have my sis use the less-travelled way that our informants discovered to send her Golden Warriors... while everyone else is a distraction she can start bringing people out. It doesn¡¯t matter if the warriors get destroyed, she can resummon them later... I used a burst of wind to hide a message to my sister, so nobody else could hear. She looked surprised, and then summoned three more Golden Sisters, which surprised everyone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just prepping up.¡± Sis threw open one of our cases, to reveal wireless cameras and a high-powered laptop. ¡°I could use some people to help me with this though... I¡¯ll go ask.¡± With that she left, and I knew she¡¯d be back with Constantine and his sister in a while.


    ¡°The Boundary? You mean the spirit world?¡± Choi Ji-ho asked, and I nodded. ¡°The hostages aren¡¯t there. We¡¯ll settle things here. It¡¯s not like they can hide in it. We¡¯ll find their sleeping bodies no matter where they lurk here.¡± He pointed out in response, a little irritated.


    ¡°True, I suppose. Though it might be easier handling the perpetrators by taking down their Territory. It¡¯ll wound them, if not outright defeat them. But...¡± I mused.


    ¡°Ideally we would take them alive.¡± The Colonel said. ¡°Even if they are dangerous. Though if it comes down to your life over theirs, you have permission for lethal force.¡±


    ¡°No way we wouldn¡¯t. We¡¯re Hunters, not martyrs. But killing kids doesn¡¯t sit right with me. So we¡¯ll do our best, right little bro.¡± Violet-noona grabbed her brother, ruffling his hair, which pissed him off. ¡°But the kid might be a big-shot¡¯s pride and joy. No need to incite future trouble.¡±


    ¡°In fact... we know the identity of one, right?¡± I shared the footage I had been given on my phone.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± the Colonel asked, perturbed.


    ¡°From my client. He wanted me to be prepared as possible. And yes, I know what you¡¯re going to ask, and don¡¯t worry about it. His other agents will be gone after today, as we finish it here and now. Otherwise the situation will be untenable.¡± It¡¯s understandable they are concerned about leaks. But the Nikolaou twins aren¡¯t the problem here, it¡¯s... ¡°So, what of the Chosen that were lost before?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s three we know survived.¡± The Colonel sighed. ¡°We have one who can control the wind, another who can strike with great accuracy at a distance with some sort of near invisible projectiles, and lastly, one with the ability to make all those around him weak and apathetic, losing the will to fight.¡±


    ¡°Great, more mental powers. Hmm, with those... well, the sniper would be useless in close confines like a school building, though on the approach...¡±


    ¡°Exactly. There are also an unknown number of police and soldiers left, though their ammunition must be running low.¡± He continued, and my sis then re-entered, followed by Constantine and his sister.


    ¡°Hey, I found some people to operate the cameras while I concentrate on doing my part.¡± Sis declared cheerfully. On seeing all the Chosen up close, Constantine brightened, though his sister, Sophia, looked grim. The Colonel glowered at them, clearly having worked out who was the agent placed in his camp.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Like you said, Colonel, there are a lot of influential parents looking out for their children. Consider my help an apology.¡± I smoothed things over. ¡°So... I guess nobody fancies the Boundary?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the other world that lies alongside ours?¡± Constantine said happily.


    ¡°Yes but there¡¯s no time for chat. You want your scoop, right? Well, share what you know with everyone, and help my sister set up the cameras on her army.¡± Though I¡¯ve told them to keep their discovered entrance a secret.


    Pooling information, we had a slightly better understanding of the situation. There were two groups, one led by the student Jun-Seo, but there was one glaring discrepancy, and I wasn¡¯t the only one to notice. ¡°So, Aki, you saw it too, right?¡± Shiro pointed out. ¡°This guy gets his blood on you, and you go berserk, fighting until your body breaks down and you die, and sometimes even the blood of the victim can spread it, from what we¡¯ve learned, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so that begs the question, how the hell does he have any forces left at all? There¡¯s a piece we¡¯re missing. Besides, the zombie-like mind control seems more potent an ability, but it isn¡¯t simple either. The soldiers here seem to have come into contact with it at range, and act perfectly normally apart from that. We have to be very careful. But I think the Boundary might give us some insight. I¡¯ll check it out...¡±


    ¡°Skipping the main battle, huh? I¡¯m surprised.¡± Violet-noona said, and I merely laughed.


    ¡°Nope, let¡¯s just say I can do both.¡± I pulled on my brigandine over my clothes. Shiro was doing likewise, and also retrieving a number of weapons, including strange guns which piqued the Colonel¡¯s interest, being a military man. At his questioning expression, Shiro grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fine product that Aki¡¯s Mortal Engineers put together.¡± She hefted the grenade-launcher lookalike, and put a bag of ammunition over one shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s mostly harmless. Just consider it a backup plan.¡±


    Constantine was muttering about a new scoop, but I was more interested in everyone else¡¯s reactions. After a few moments thought, Violet-noona sighed. ¡°Three, four, five... you go with Akio-oppa. Maybe a swift victory would be in all our interests. Little bro, you too...¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± he complained. ¡°But someone needs to look after you!¡± he complained. ¡°Otherwise you¡¯ll just rampage again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. In an emergency...¡± she grinned cheekily, flourishing her tattooed arm. ¡°In an emergency I can call them back. It¡¯s a bit like his little sis here and her cute golden toys. Hey, keep an eye on my bro, all right? A sister worries, you get it? Besides, he¡¯s not entirely useless. He can show his powers best in the spirit world anyway. My little bro...¡± she ruffled his hair again. ¡°...is a glass cannon. But cannon is the best way of putting it.¡±


    ¡°Direct damage, huh? All right. I¡¯ll look after him.¡± He can take down the barrier of the Territories, hopefully, so I can do my thing. As for the non-humans, I¡¯ll have to see how they stack up against my Fae...


    ¡°In that case, how about we stick together?¡± Violet-noona said to Shiro. ¡°I want to see if your boasts are true.¡±


    ¡°Sure. But we have one kid we have to save. We gave our word. So bear that in mind.¡± We pointed him out to everyone on the student roster the military had.


    ¡°I¡¯ll run support.¡± My sis declared, sticking to our plan. ¡°If you need help, call and I¡¯ll send my Golden Sisters your way.¡±


    It was decided. The frontal assault would be done by the Inevitable Victory, supported by Lee Jong-su and his harem, though I had grave misgivings about that, worrying they might not be up to the task of assaulting the main school buildings. Then through the side entrance, where supplies were usually delivered, Shiro would join Violet-noona and those of her group that weren¡¯t accompanying me and her brother to the Boundary. They would search the boys¡¯ dormitory. I was then going to engage the girls¡¯ dormitories alone, breaking off from the main group when they headed towards the school. Well, not exactly alone. Thanks to the hidden path discovered by Constantine and Sophia, my sis will be able to get her Golden Sister Army through the back way, a surprise attack with no risk to us.


    ¡°So, the plan is set. The army will be standing by in case of disaster.¡± The Colonel said, looking at the arrows we had drawn on the map along one wall. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to feed this disaster anymore. As for the hostages...¡±


    ¡°Getting them out is going to be tough. But Haru here will help calm and treat those we rescue. I think knocking them out and securing them is the best plan. We can call for extraction from the soldiers here, right Colonel? Though under no circumstances should the army do anything but go in and grab them, and quickly withdraw. Although...¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s still the risk of contamination. But we can provide some support. Since they likely know we are coming, we can bombard the area with teargas and smoke bombs. That will force their hand. It won¡¯t stop them for long, but...¡±


    As we continued to thrash out the final details, everyone equipping armour, communicators and more, Choi Ji-ho frowned. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you can attack the spirit world while accompanying us. If you are just boasting...¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be found out rather quickly, won¡¯t I?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Look, just concentrate on your own role, Hunter. And I¡¯ll do mine. This isn¡¯t my first time, you know.¡± In principle, the battles should be far easier than taking on Mary Stuart. But there are the hostages, as well as... Exchanging glances with Ginneka, she nodded, purring to herself. If anyone tries to take advantage of the chaos to make a move on the Chosen here... let¡¯s just say Ginneka, my sis and Haru aren¡¯t easy prey. Not at all...

 Four Hundred And Fifty

    Four Hundred And Fifty


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the Boundary then.¡± I said to Kang Da and the three non-humans, oddly named Three, Four and Five. It¡¯s a bit dehumanising, but then, they aren¡¯t humans. They probably don¡¯t mind, and Violet-noona seems the straightforward type. I¡¯d better make an effort to keep them alive. Hmm...


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold him back, little brother.¡± Violet-noona warned him, embarrassing him, and at that sight, my sis looked at me, amused. Seeing that, Violet-noona flushed a little. ¡°What? It¡¯s a prerogative for a big sister to look after her dumb but cute little bro, right?¡±


    ¡°I agree, though in reverse.¡± I quipped, ignoring Shiro as she joked to my sis that I was calling her cute. It¡¯s not like she isn¡¯t, anyone with eyes can see that. Besides, it¡¯s good to lift the tension a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep any eye on them. In theory it should be the easier battle, though if we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll come to the Boundary to defend their Territory, which will lessen the pressure on us here.¡±


    Lee Jong-su was hugging the three women, which was an amusing sight, considering the ages varied wildly, with the older Hee-Young seeming just as into him as the two younger girls. Shaking my head, I realised age was no bar to romance. Of course, Hyacinth shows that. And Asha must be rather old too, not that Fae see it the same way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± Choi Ji-ho pointed out, as he and his allies were also ready. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy. But we¡¯re Hunters. And this is the chance to prove our initiative is the only way forward for Korea, no, the world. This isn¡¯t the military, we can¡¯t be conscripted, we are free people!¡±


    ¡°To an extent I agree.¡± Haru said, nodding. ¡°But supporting the government is the duty of all good citizens. Though if they make a mistake, by all means correct it.¡± she conceded.


    ¡°You sound like a bureaucrat...¡± he replied sourly, and she nodded.


    ¡°I am, actually.¡± I was impressed that Haru was having no difficulty talking to such an aggressive man, though the tips of her fingers still trembled a little. ¡°I¡¯ve worked for the Ministry of Finance before I joined the new Ministry for Spiritual Matters. My... father...¡± I was amused by the pause as she wasn¡¯t willing to address her father in such a cute manner as usual in front of strangers. ¡°...is Minister of Finance. But that¡¯s irrelevant. I¡¯ve seen Akio-kun and his allies work with us, rather than for himself, and get results.¡±


    ¡°Sure, that might work for you, but...¡± Choi Ji-ho looked at me then. ¡°If you ever get tired of being a government dog and want to work for yourself, come see me. If you perform. Now, we have to go. Time is ticking.¡± He turned away, and his Guild followed him out.


    ¡°If you perform, huh Aki?¡± Shiro sneered at the departing man. ¡°I look forward to you blowing his mind. Shit, I¡¯m getting second-hand embarrassment at how wrong he¡¯s being. Oh well, come on then Violet, I¡¯ll show you just what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Your taste in women is interesting.¡± Violet-noona laughed, making sure her body-armour and equipment was in order. Outside, the military were preparing an artillery bombardment of smoke grenades, while their unmanned aerial vehicles would drop cannisters of teargas into key areas. ¡°I thought you Japanese liked them meek and cute?¡±


    ¡°Even those of us who seem meek aren¡¯t. Look at Eri, everyone thought she was a nice, quiet girl other than us, bro. But she¡¯s got the heart of a yandere.¡± My sis declared with a smirk, as Constantine and Sophia finished setting up the cameras on the Golden Sisters, Constantine looking positively giddy as he touched them, filming video.


    ¡°Hey, no releasing anything until I¡¯ve cleared it.¡± I warned. ¡°I¡¯m public domain now so it¡¯s a bit different, but my sister isn¡¯t, and I don¡¯t want her facing any trouble. Besides...¡± I exchanged a look with her, and she nodded. I don¡¯t want this leaking, as if Uchida-san hears, it¡¯s going to lead to very awkward questions about Yamato-san...


    ¡°He won¡¯t. I promise.¡± Sophia said in her shaky English, perhaps recognising how serious I was. ¡°But Constantine, he... he is a man driven. He needs something to be right about.¡±


    ¡°If he does as he¡¯s told, then I¡¯ll certainly be happy to answer his questions and even show off a bit. Perhaps even Shiro too.¡± She nodded, and I continued. ¡°But my sis and Haru are off-limits for now, all right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know how to keep a secret.¡± He muttered, his sister looking at him in disbelief. ¡°God¡¯s black breath, sister! You know it¡¯s true. I¡¯ve kept the ghost of Berlin to just a few details, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    That piqued my interest, but that was for after. ¡°All right then. We know the plan. Crossing to the Academy campus might be difficult with the sniper, but I guess they¡¯ll want to allow us entry, if they are confident of their powers. Expect traps and ambushes everywhere, since it seems we have overwhelming force on our side. This might be their last chance to replenish their forces before making a break for it, so they¡¯ll go hard.¡±


    Colonel Song agreed. ¡°The surrounding terrain is unfavourable for escape, but we have stationed troops where we can. With orders to shoot on sight if necessary.¡± He looked serene, but his eyes were troubled. ¡°We cannot let such dangerous ability users run unchecked. This is their last chance for salvation. And if we fail... they die, many or all of you will die, and the Republic of Korea will shake to its very foundations.¡±


    ¡°So, we don¡¯t fail.¡± I promised, and my Astral body sprang into existence, Storming Moonlight in my hand. I quickly reached the room where Kang Da was transferring himself, and on seeing me, his eyes widened.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve ditched my sister to come here, she¡¯ll be really mad.¡± He said, noticing where I was looking. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind them. They¡¯re... decent enough people.¡±


    Three, Four and Five had resumed their original appearances, of strange hybrids of man and scorpion, large red and purple claws replacing one of each of their hands, while great tails taller than they were, tipped with a spear-like stinger, waved behind them. I simply shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m well used to strange beings, don¡¯t worry. Now, we should get going, as...¡±


    Simultaneously, the military started their bombardment, clouds of smoke billowing around the Academy as the small artillery pieces discharged their ammunition. We were all handed goggles which would pierce through most of the visual interference, but I waved mine aside, knowing I could rely on my Eye. ¡°Isn¡¯t there likely some of those they recovered?¡± I asked, and the Colonel nodded.


    ¡°Yes, so don¡¯t expect the smoke to be more than a distraction. Ideally, it¡¯s to exhaust their user of wind.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded. ¡°All right then, let¡¯s go.¡± We split into three teams, though we were mostly travelling together as we charged out of the army encampment down the valley towards the Academy. This really is built in an isolated place. It could function as a fortress... Behind us, my sis was controlling her Golden Sisters, and they were starting to fall behind, so that she could take the other route as planned. Several large UAV¡¯s roared overhead, and they launched cannisters downwards, bursting above the school, the teargas, denser than air, falling over the campus like a white waterfall. ¡°It seems a bit cruel, gassing the hostages. They¡¯re weak and malnourished, this is going to hit them hard...¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped...¡± Choi Ji-ho said coldly. ¡°Unless you have a better way?¡±


    One of the UAV¡¯s exploded in mid-air, debris raining down, swallowed by the white sea, which then began to part, being sucked up into a ball, the density of gas diminishing. Not bad. Using such a strong wind here in the Material is something only Shaeula or I could do... The sound of gunfire started echoing up the valley at us, though it was sporadic and none of us were hit.


    ¡°Ready to split? We¡¯re nearly at the gates.¡± Choi Ji-ho said, then repeated it in Korean. I was about to agree, when I suddenly yelled out for everyone to be careful over our connected wireless network, as we had been equipped with an earpiece and mic as well as the goggles by the army. Something¡¯s definitely wrong here. I knew it. ¡°Careful, I think this might be more of a trap than we believed!¡±


    In the Boundary, we were staring at the School, which was surrounded by a shimmering defensive barrier. No, make that two barriers. The Territories were small, but the strength of the defences, as tested by a burst of sharp, rocky projectiles I hurled at them, was clearly not Rank 2.


    Your Skill, Spatial Perception, has increased from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your ability to understand, perceive and calculate positions and trajectories in space has expanded significantly, and you have a slightly easier time calculating trajectories and positions in multiple discreet spaces at once. Your overall calculation abilities have significantly improved, and this has slightly honed your combat abilities due to finer control over your own motions and that of any weapons you wield.


    Damn, that¡¯s helpful... The pain in my head diminished a little, and my thoughts that were slightly sluggish became clearer. I could hear multiple people talking over the earpiece at once, and picked out Shiro¡¯s voice.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, Aki. Tan says there¡¯s a very ominous presence here, she can almost feel the Divine Favour. We need to finish this as quickly as we can.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Should we change the plan and group together?¡± I asked, but Violet-noona denied me.


    ¡°No, we stick to the plan. So what, I¡¯m not scared of anything. If we all group up and we get mind controlled, we¡¯re done anyway. Just keep doing your job and watch my little brother, Akio-oppa! We¡¯re not weak, we can handle this!¡±


    Shit. She¡¯s not wrong though. It¡¯s why I wanted my sis and the others out of the barracks. Damn... no, we¡¯ve prepared for worst case scenarios. We didn¡¯t go in blind, not this time. ¡°Alright. We press on. I¡¯m going to go hard now. Shiro, be prepared to let Tan tag in, no need to be a hero.¡±


    My Eye pierced the tides of smoke and gas, shooting down more blasts of light. It was then I noticed that blades of wind were being mixed into the fog, coming from a different source. Cursing, I used my own wind to offset them, jade energies clashing. Searching about, I spotted our sniper behind an open window on the top floor of one of the main campus buildings. My Eye peered at him, only to be shocked at the mess he was in. I¡¯m amazed he¡¯s still alive... The hand he was using to snipe us was charred bone held together by a few tattered rags of flesh, and his body was nearly devoid of blood, pale as a ghost. His Divine Favour was flickering, a series of shining strings running from his third eye chakra, trailing past his eyes and then down that arm, as though it could barely keep up with how it was being used. His spiritual body was running amok, a boiling, sinister aether and adherence coursing through him, forcibly enhancing him, in a dark mirror to Anesidora¡¯s Blessings, but that wasn¡¯t what worried me... It¡¯s the same as back at the barracks...


    Behind me in the Boundary, the barrier collapsed as a great dark blast from Kang Da was finally charged, slamming into it with a thunderous booming roar. As the barrier failed, dozens, no, hundreds of Dokkaebi were pouring out of the strangely distorted school in front of us, wings flapping, talking to each other rapidly with sibilant whispers and gleeful chittering. Behind me, Kang Da and the scorpions caught up with me, Kang Da pale and drained, struggling against the Territory, so I gave him a slight top-up of aether. He looked surprised but grateful, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Good job I had Shiro maximise my buffs on my Chakra Network. It gives me a huge amount more to work with...


    ¡°You know, I never heard of Dokkaebi with wings...¡± he said dryly, making the best of a bad situation. ¡°So, can you slice all these ones up?¡± Bolts of aether were still incoming, now joined by arrows, thrown rocks and spears, but aping Shaeula I created a swirling wind wall, the emerald gusts protecting us for now.


    ¡°Probably, though that¡¯s inefficient. They¡¯re too spread out.¡± I mused. ¡°Hey, do you know what they are saying?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard. It sounds Korean, but I only seem to be able to grasp a few sentences. Give me a minute.¡±


    ¡°All right. In that case...¡± I cast my eyes back on the pool of Foehn that was eating into the ground now that the barrier it was chewing on had broken. With Bezoar in mind, I let my earth energy surge, and the ground beneath it exploded, launching a myriad of blazing rocks into the sky. A flash of wind element, like a jade aurora, and suddenly these were soaring downwards towards the massing Dokkaebi, like a meteor shower.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Kang Da¡¯s mouth was open. ¡°Just how many tricks can you pull?¡±


    ¡°As many as I need.¡± I watched the bombardment fall, rocks smashing wings, flesh and bone, Foehn scattering, quicky igniting multiple enemies, their screams somehow sounding like crazed laughter. ¡°But I hope I don¡¯t need too many more...¡±


    In contrast to the fiery rain in the Boundary, in the Material I had just one target. The broken soldier, out of his mind and being controlled, was beyond help for now. I wasn¡¯t even sure that my Ether Healing could save him, considering the wretched broken state of both his Material and Astral bodies, but I didn¡¯t want to kill him if I could help it, but he was too dangerous to let run free. Drawing my focus away from the Dokkaebi for a moment I calculated, and a number of finger-thick beams of light pierced the air, and the man fell without a sound, bony hand falling free, severed at the wrist, his other arm and both legs rendered useless as I burned a hole in his other wrist and both ankles, the stone of the wall he was sheltering behind no bar to such a powerful laser-like beam.


    With that done, all we had to worry about were the blades of wind and we could reach the safety of the school. The others seemed to realise that too, as they picked up the pace. I cast my gaze out towards the target I was aiming for, the girls¡¯ dormitory, which oddly enough was where a good number of both boys and girls were holed up. Explosions suddenly rang out, and I heard a cry.


    Jin-Ae, the halberd-girl, had been sent flying, the ground exploding underneath her, numerous shells and a collection of cleaning products wired together into a makeshift bomb. But the cruellest part was it was filled with ball-bearings, broken glass, springs and metal wire, which had caused far more damage. She staggered for a moment, hair burning, face scorched, breathing mask destroyed, before looking down to see one of her arms a mess, her body riddled with holes, blood seeping through her torn school uniform, which was visible under her wrecked body armour. She fell to her knees, vomit spraying from her bloodied lips, as her Guild stopped their advance, rushing to her side.


    I get it, you want to save her, but damn idiots! My Eye shone, and things I would have picked out easily, such as similar traps, were a real struggle to spot due to whatever was messing with information gathering. I used a surge of earth energy, the ground around me for several hundred metres glowing red, my stock, even boosted by the Bezoar, greatly diminishing, and several more traps cooked off harmlessly. Racing forwards, I used wind to deflect gunfire, hurling balls of flame at the windows above, driving back the shooters. I leapt down beside the collapsed girl, pushing past the sobbing Yunbi and the shellshocked Hee-Young and Lee Jong-su. ¡°Calm down, get back on defence! We¡¯re sitting ducks out here. I can help her!¡± I went to take a look, reaching out to touch her, only to feel a brief glimmer of pain as Lee Jong-su had drawn his sword and cut at me, just enough for a warning. Clicking my tongue, I realised they didn¡¯t speak my language, but this was still so very foolish.


    ¡°Somebody translate for me. Before I punch out Lee Jong-su and send him back to base.¡± I growled.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Violet-noona said, breathless, as her party, supported by Shiro, had also come under fire. ¡°I heard screams. Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°No. Jin-Ae is down bad, and if I don¡¯t give her Healing soon she¡¯ll die, I think. But her guy and her sisters...¡± I used the same terminology that Shaeula did for a harem. ¡°...don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    ¡°All right, gotcha.¡± she said, and rapid Korean started. Lee Jong-su looked stubborn, shaking his head, but at the weakening cries of the desperate and bleeding Jin-Ae, the matronly older woman Hee-Young managed some broken English. ¡°You... help? Me... I... protect!¡± The temperature around us lowered, and ice started to form.


    ¡°Yes, I help.¡± I said, aether surging from me. I couldn¡¯t understand her words, but as the pain diminished, Jin-Ae¡¯s eyes cleared a little and she realised I was trying to help, not that her sobbing and agonised wails were easing, and her breathing was awful, as if her lung was punctured badly. ¡°Shit, yeah, her lung is a mess, and I think she¡¯s had several arteries and veins cut by the debris. This is delicate work at the best of times...¡± And now was not the best of times, as I was using my Split Thoughts to keep up in the Boundary.


    Lee Jong-su finally came around as he saw Jin-Ae¡¯s flesh twitch, gruesome, distorted pieces of metallic debris popping out of her torn tissue as my aether extracted them. He said a word which was probably an apology, before with a rage-filled gaze he drew his sword and slashed, one wall ahead of us collapsing, a haggard solider behind it holding a rifle suddenly split in two. I swallowed my protestations that we were supposed to be saving the hostages and mind-controlled victims where possible, remembering my reactions in Kyoto. Damn, this is giving me flashbacks. I hate this. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to get her back to fighting fitness, so... glancing at Hee-Young, who had created a thin but durable wall of ice in front of us, she seemed to understand my intentions. We¡¯ll be two Chosen down on the operation, but better than the alternative... As more wicked shrapnel popped free, I had to work to staunch the bleeding, fixing her up enough so that she could survive to receive medical attention from the base, then I could get back to my mission.


    ¡°... bro, bro, something¡¯s happening!¡± my sis cried suddenly over the remote connection. ¡°There are alarms going off all over the base. We¡¯re outside, like you wanted, but...¡±


    ¡°...set off the sprinklers. Where¡¯s the fire?¡± The Colonel was saying. ¡°Protect the equipment, if it gets drenched it¡¯ll short out and we¡¯ll lose operational command...¡±


    Listening to my sister, the chatter from the base and also the Hunters, as well as working Healing here and dealing with the Dokkaebi in the Boundary, my head was a mess, but as my Foresight continued to ebb and flow, as if unsure of itself, one thing leapt out at me. The sprinklers? Oh... shit.


    Urgently I spoke to my sis and the others. ¡°Get ready. Summon the other Golden Warriors and hold out as best you can. Trust nobody but me and Shiro. I think... this was all one big mantrap, weeks, no, months in the making.¡± And whoever comes out of this trap alive will be stronger than ever, but those who don¡¯t... Blood on my hands, the sobbing Jin-Ae beneath me, it was all too clear. This was a game of life and death. Damnit, I should definitely have charged more for my services... I thought bitterly. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ve almost got you...¡± More explosions were heard, static spiking through my ears, and I tore the earpiece free as all it did now was squeal useless noise...

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Two / Side One Hundred And Fifty-Eight – Aiko / Shiro

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Two / Side One Hundred And Fifty-Eight ¨C Aiko / Shiro


    ¡°You two... uh, three, get back. We¡¯ll handle this!¡± Aiko corrected herself, not taking her eyes off the man that had attacked them suddenly, the weapon she had been given in her hand. It¡¯s not a bow, but I¡¯m still able to use it. As she gave the order, Constantine and Sophia hurried backwards, while Ginneka was slinking away, pretending to be afraid. ¡°Haru-chan, you good?¡±


    ¡°I can do this.¡± She promised, and Aiko was struck with admiration for the woman. If I¡¯d have been through what she has, I¡¯d only be terrified right now. Well, I am a little scared, if I¡¯m being honest, just like I was against the Oni, but then... I¡¯m not a close-quarters brawler like my bro, so... The Shiro Golden Sister moved to protect the two bystanders, while the Hyacinth one advanced towards their attacker.


    ¡°Besides...¡± Haru-chan continued. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be afraid of mere physical attacks. And it might be helpful to...¡± Light flashed, and the assailant jumped backwards, moving at phenomenal speed. ¡°...gather some information.¡±


    Behind them, the other Golden Sisters were engaging the army. Unfortunately they had switched to a rather passive automatic mode, as Aiko couldn¡¯t spare them any of her attention to look at the laptop where the images from their cameras were displayed, so it was only a matter of time before they were defeated. The sound of an explosion could be heard, and despite her better judgement, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing one sister blown clean in half, a close-range hit from a rocket-propelled grenade more than enough. In the Boundary it might have survived that. Ugh...


    Leaping to the side without looking, her instincts kicking in, she avoided a thrown projectile, which had been ruthlessly accelerated. It exploded, but instead of a grenade, it seemed to be a glass bottle, full of clear liquid. As droplets scattered, Aiko leapt away, getting a bad feeling. When the sprinklers went off the army went crazy, right?


    The man let out a scream of frustration, but that was soon superseded by pain, as Haru-chan burned him with a beam of light. His movements were agile and fast, so he twisted his leg, avoiding taking a hit to the knee, but his thigh was still winged, cloth burning away, flesh searing, and he stumbled. Letting out an impassioned series of bitter words, Aiko and Haru-chan exchanged a complicated glance.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t understand. Japanese? Or English? You. Speak. English?¡± Aiko tried, annunciating clearly. The only response in return was rapid-fire Korean, accompanied by wild gestures with his hands. He¡¯s favouring the injured leg but doesn¡¯t seem to be paying it much mind. Chosen are all pretty tough.


    ¡°I know why bro says we should learn more languages now. I got into the habit of thinking everyone speaks English, so I could always use that when Japanese doesn¡¯t work.¡± She said bitterly. ¡°All right then, here we go!¡± Light glimmered, and Aiko unleashed her own lance of light energy, though hers was shimmering with a golden yellow like the sun. The man staggered, speed unable to outpace the beam, and Haru-chan¡¯s crossfire struck him too, fully disabling one leg. The smell of burnt flesh was brutal, so much more vivid than the slightly muted smells of the Boundary, and Aiko gagged. No, can¡¯t look weak here, not when I was going to stand together with everyone now.


    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Aiko was surprised when Constantine ran up. He was pale and sweating, but his eyes were sparkling at the high-speed battle, beams of brilliant light element streaking everywhere. ¡°Do you have a spare earpiece?¡± he asked, and Aiko nodded, tossing one over.


    ¡°Of course we do. We¡¯re prepared for anything... catch... oh wait...¡±


    Another series of glass projectiles were being thrown, and even though the attacker was crippled, it seemed he could still speed them up by moving his arm at blinding speeds, though the effort seemed to be paining him, judging by the horrible tearing and snapping sounds his bones and joints were giving off. It¡¯s just like target practice, only this time our arrows are light. Glass shattered and liquid boiled, only for a rain of droplets to fall down towards Aiko. Whoops. Although...


    ¡°Can anyone translate this?¡± Constantine was asking, holding the earpiece up, as the man ranted in Korean. Behind them, the Golden Sisters that were still standing had been taken down by fire from the tanks and other heavy weapons, but some Hunters had joined the fray, a shimmering wall of ice being called into existence to shield them, sparkling under the pale light of the autumn sun.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting busy over here...¡± came back the voice of the woman who liked to call herself Violet. ¡°I¡¯m on your network now. Nice gear. Uh... I think he¡¯s shouting that it¡¯s an honour to serve the Queen, and that now she¡¯ll serve too. She? Who¡¯s she? Hey, watch out Two, you¡¯ll get... ugh...¡± There was a surge of static as a loud noise sounded.


    ¡°I think she means Aiko-chan.¡± Haru-chan said urgently. ¡°He¡¯s been throwing projectiles made from old bottles and jars, filled with liquid. It¡¯s got to be a waterborne ability.¡± Haru-chan¡¯s head turned towards Aiko, even as she raised one hand to incapacitate their assailant further. ¡°Aiko-chan, how... how are you feeling?¡±


    ********


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Violet cursed in a very unladylike fashion, which even impressed Shiro, who had a bit of a dirty mouth herself. One of her allies was down, a gaunt, near-starved young boy appearing from beneath a pile of scattered debris, opening fire with an Army issue K2 assault rifle. Fortunately, it seemed to have little ammunition left, but Two still went down, several bullets piercing his body, though the worst of the injuries were mitigated by the water droplets around him, bullets thrown off course, veering off target as they impacted the droplets of water floating in the air. Even as he fell, coughing dark blood, he gestured, and a cloud of gas left his mouth, creeping towards the boy.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Shiro reacted faster, flames roaring, consuming the gas. As the skeletal boy dropped his now useless gun and pulled out a knife, his arms trembling under the small weight of the blade, Shiro shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s one of the hostages. And he¡¯s in such bad condition he won¡¯t survive whatever the hell that was!¡±


    ¡°He surprised me...¡± the badly wounded man said, clicking his tongue strangely. ¡°Who would have thought someone could hide in such...¡± he coughed, dark blood spilling down his mouth. ¡°...a small space?¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Shiro pulled out her own solution, a small pistol, and fired it. The boy looked surprised for a moment, before slumping down, and two more of the scorpions caught him, their looks questioning. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him. That¡¯s a dart gun. With a fast-acting tranquiliser made from plants Asha cooked up and a bit of alchemy. Way less harmful than chloroform or knocking him out.¡±


    With the wind user, wide-scale use of such is impossible. But... I can perceive him. Nearby. An Ambush. Tan¡¯s warning sounded in Shiro¡¯s mind.


    ¡°This all seems so very haphazard.¡± Shiro replied, drawing an odd look from Violet. ¡°I don¡¯t get the point of playing wargames here.¡± Looking at the fallen Two, Shiro sighed. ¡°We need someone to escort him out and take care of this hostage. We don¡¯t have the manpower for this.¡± It¡¯s not time to call on... no, not yet.


    ¡°Two will be fine.¡± Violet said proudly, flourishing her tattooed arm. ¡°He¡¯s my power you know, and I¡¯m pretty proud of him. Plus my little brother and I have worked together to make them better.¡± With that Two disappeared, and a few moments later he reappeared, now unharmed. ¡°Cool, no? As long as they aren¡¯t killed outright...¡± She looked at the two who had come back injured from Aki¡¯s foray to the Boundary. ¡°...fine, you pair as well.¡± They also vanished, and on their return their injuries were healed. ¡°It¡¯s tiring though, so please stop getting hurt, all right?¡±


    Shiro admitted to being mildly impressed, and curious as to how she did it, since the non-humans with Violet were acting similarly to Aiko¡¯s statues, but considering their disappointing performance, that interest quickly faded. Besides, there¡¯s something else on my mind, Tan. ¡°So, one of your guys can take him out then come back. I¡¯m sure Aiko and the others will solve their issues soon and secure the base camp, and then Haru can do her thing. It¡¯s actually better without the army bothering us...¡± As Shiro spoke, she was communicating inside her mind.


    ¡°I guess he wants to stay outside the Territory and its suppression effect as well.¡± I muttered, Eye shining. Information was still coming through heavily garbled, my vision filled with an amber jumble of letters, symbols and odd scribbles, but I was still able to recognise the Territory Anchor, not too far from here, surrounded by a number of buildings, pulling ether from both above and below. Material To Boundary Connections, huh? Greedy. We still haven¡¯t fully investigated the effects of long-term exposure to aether depletion in ordinary people, but experiments are ongoing thanks to the Ministry¡¯s efforts. But here, in a school of so many weakened kids... reckless. I gestured back to Kang Da, advising him I was pressing deeper, aiming to finish the first half of the battle once and for all. Take the Anchor and I disable one of the two opponents. I¡¯m not sure which. And time is of the essence, because...


    The Material was devolving into a mess. My sister¡¯s group was engaging, as well as Shiro¡¯s group. I was confident with all our preparations, we¡¯d covered all the bases, but that still left communication disrupted with the Inevitable Victory Guild, and the Korean army was closing in fast, the members of Unsheathed Blade, including the wounded Jin-Ae, rushing to meet them. Light flashed as Lee Jong-su drew his sword, space distorting a little, dark purple seen from a brief moment, shading to black, before one of the oncoming trucks lost all its wheels on one side, flipping over and crashing to the stony ground with the screech of metal and the cries of those within.


    ¡°Shit.¡± I cursed out loud. ¡°The soldiers can¡¯t be killed, we¡¯re doing a rescue operation!¡±


    It seemed that Lee Jong-su and his harem were suited to direct battles, other than Hee-Young, which wasn¡¯t what we needed here to subdue the soldiers without causing them fatalities. If we rough them up that¡¯s fine, I can heal them before heading back to Japan. But they aren¡¯t my Kin, there¡¯s no bringing back the dead...


    A wall of ice had formed in front of Eunbi and Jin-Ae, and it was repelling the fire from the heavy machine guns on the three tanks, bullets pockmarking the ice with craters, the mystical frozen water harder than steel. But as the main cannons boomed the ice cracked, and the shockwave from the impact wasn¡¯t stopped. Eunbi merely frowned, dodging aside as though she could see it coming, bow raised, but Jin-Ae, who was barely healed, staggered, blood trickling from her mouth, staining her pale face.


    On seeing me watching, she managed a smile, before raising her halberd in trembling hands. She was saying something in Korean, but as she hoisted her halberd high, lightning flashed and wind energy boiled, a localised storm only covering a few dozen metres around her surging forwards, heavy, driving rain blinding the oncoming soldiers, several of their grenades going wide, while others exploded against the icy wall. One rocket-propelled one pierced through, and would have struck Hee-Young, only for Eunbi to be there, pushing her aside, before loosing her bow, another invisible arrow striking one of the tanks, blasting the machine gun to scrap metal, denting the armour. Lee Jong-su seemed torn, blade in hand, as to whether to rush the soldiers, or to stay and help, as Jin-Ae collapsed to the ground, the storm dying out, even as several more bolts of lightning fell between the clashing forces, blowing small craters in the ground.


    I get it, having your comrades, your lovers, fight on the battlefield is worrying, but at some point you have to trust them... ¡°Shit. There¡¯s no time, but...¡± I pulled the heavy grenade launcher-type weapon off my shoulder, and decided it was my moment to act. With a trickle of flame element, I triggered the explosive powders Ixitt¡¯s Mortal Engineers had blended, and in a puff of acrid smoke, a large shell the size of a small can was launched in a high arc. I shouted over to Hee-Young, who at least spoke some tiny amount of broken English. ¡°Cover your ears and eyes!¡± I yelled, miming the actions. Her eyes widened, but Eunbi was already moving, shielding her own and Jin-Ae¡¯s. Moments later there was a soundless explosion and a brilliant flash of light, the bluesteel powder within releasing all the stored wind and light elemental energies, creating a powerful stunning effect.


    ¡°Neutralisation is the aim of the game.¡± I muttered, popping off several more canisters. The soldiers who were exposed in the open quickly collapsed one after another, but the tanks and several trucks were still oncoming, and the turrets were swivelling to aim at me now, seeming to move in slow motion as I concentrated.


    ¡°Nope. Sorry, but...¡± I fired five more of the stun grenades, and Lee Jong-su was shouting something at me I didn¡¯t understand, waving at the tanks, even as bullets fell around us. Several struck me, and I winced at the pain, though such weapons did little more than bruise me nowadays. If it¡¯s not a direct sniper rifle hit somewhere vulnerable, there¡¯s no need to worry... and speaking of no need to worry...


    Waving my hand, I called upon Void Motion, and in a shower of violet particles, the grenades vanished. Huh, it reminds me of Lee Jong-su¡¯s attack. Must be a spatial one, that¡¯s how he cuts things... Light flared from the windscreens of the two trucks, which careered wildly, drivers knocked out, but at least they didn¡¯t overturn, though one did smash into Hee-Young¡¯s icy barrier, shattering it but coming to an abrupt stop. The thick armour of the tanks hid the shockwave, but inside it must have been brutally intense, the effect amplified by the enclosed, cramped environment, and the soldiers were likely injured, perhaps deafened or blinded permanently. But that¡¯s better than dying. We can fix it.


    Narrowing my Eye I could see faint traces of ether leaking out of seemingly nowhere where I had shifted the grenades, as well as along the axis Lee Jing-su had cut earlier. It¡¯s like I feared. Spatial element isn¡¯t good for the integrity of the Material and the Boundary. But since it¡¯s local, the damage is much less than Saionji-san¡¯s Divine Favour. Well, it¡¯s going to get worse, before it gets better...


    In the Boundary, I had approached the Anchor, stopping to destroy some Ether Spires and the Connections, Storming Moonlight effortlessly reducing them to wreckage as I attacked. The pressure of the Territory was increasing as I approached the centre, and up ahead the Anchor towered some ten or so metres into the air, a pillar that was made of stone and crystal as red as blood. Right, one blow to finish it and... Even as I moved to attack it, my Eye flared with pain, momentarily blinding me, and I felt an onslaught of something dark trying to enter my mind, shatter my will.


    Fuck... ugh... shit... I vomited silver and red, my armour stained, dropping to one knee, using my sword to prop me up. On the Material, I staggered, but the insulation from the effect left me still mostly clear-headed, and I switched my Split Thoughts to the Material body. As a consequence my ability to fight dropped somewhat in the Boundary, but it kept the punishing waves of distorted information that was hammering my mind there compartmentalised as best I could, allowing me to function.


    ¡°Ujh utdt icv msuii jp tqpi ncjrnlpcknnxte qthc.¡± ¡°Tjh utat icv luuii jn tqpi mcjrnlpcknnxtt qthy.¡±


    ¡°Tje ttat ics lurii jn tqpe majrilpcknnxtt qtey.¡± ¡°Tje trat ias lurid jn sqpe magrilpckncett ptey.¡±


    ¡°Tje trat ias lurid jn sqme magrifickncent ptey.¡±


    A series of sibilant whispers, scratching at my mind like knives, could be heard. It was repeating nonsense, a jumble that made no sense, though as it was repeated, unearthly sounds that couldn¡¯t easily be spoken by mortal throats started resolving into words that could be comprehended at the edges of consciousness, becoming clearer, until finally...


    ¡°The trap has lured in some magnificent prey.¡± The words were spoken by the being who had risen from the ground in front of me. It was a massive hand, separated from some greater whole, perhaps three metres from wrist to fingertips, and the flesh was a pure white, an unnatural tone. The stump was raw, black bone visible within, and instead of blood a shadowy mist was drizzling from the gaping wound. The palm faced me, and a great eye opened, skin splitting in a jagged gash, revealing the orb within, which shone blue in a manner that was strangely soothing, almost hypnotic...


    No, I¡¯ve been through this! I could feel my Resilience and Determination fighting a sudden lethargy, as the hand moved towards me surprisingly swiftly, the fingers opening and closing, ivory nails like great sabres curved like elephant tusks. I leapt backwards, holding up Storming Moonlight in arms that trembled, making me smile bitterly as I remembered Jin-Ae, who even now was being carried by Hee-Young on her back, as they waited for my orders on how to deal with the neutralised soldiers.


    I think I¡¯ll get some stats from this at least... As my Eye flared amber, to check and also examine my opponent, I was suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness, the words I usually would have seen endlessly repeating screeds of nonsense, many of the characters in foreign scripts or even numbers and symbols that made no sense. The pain nearly shattered me, only the fact I had a Material body as well, and the multiple Split Thoughts, keeping me from collapsing. Shutting off my Eye, I flared my League as high as I could, and my thoughts stabilised, even as the hand swatted down, trying to grab me. I evaded, and tusk-like talons raked the ground, slicing it as easy as it was paper.


    Words were said, repeating a number of times and eventually resolving into sneering mockery. ¡°Your knowledge, it is not your own. Give it to me! I shall make better use of it than you ever could!¡±


    My knowledge? I touched my Eye reflexively, and the blue eye blinked, a lid of bloody flesh closing over it for a moment. On seeing my gesture, the mental voice came again from the hand, and I sorted through the static to find meaning, my nose trickling blood, silver and ruby smears on my cheek, chin and neck. ¡°I was merely sifting these beings here, to find a worthy one. And I did. The Great Lord Of Chaos will be delighted to have her, and I shall be reunited with myself once again. Whole and perfect, as only those who embrace the truth of Chaos can be. But you... you are an unexpected harvest. An unexpected harvest indeed. Your knowledge is false, it shall not serve you. All that is true is false, and the false true. Your thoughts are false. Why did you come here? To protect, or to take? To save, no, to kill! To see, yet you are blind...¡±


    As the onslaught of words continued, I tried to let it wash over me, as the hand was speaking nonsense, but back in the Material, the situation was heating up too. My gaze took in the Anchor behind the hand, and I swallowed, tasting blood. Shit. There¡¯s always something unexpected. Though... we did plan for what would happen if we ran into any powerful being such as Nurarihyon or the like here, as unexpected as that was, so... Squeezing shut my eyes, I gathered my wits. ¡°Oh shut up. I know why I came here. I don¡¯t need you to tell me. As for knowledge... it may come from elsewhere, but when someone knows something, that means it¡¯s their knowledge now, right? It¡¯s not some unique thing that only belongs to the finder, like a work of art...¡±


    At my harsh words the hand paused, blinking lazily, and as the fingertips trembled, I smiled savagely, knowing I had irritated it. ¡°Fine then. It seems that you are at fault for some of this, whoever you are, so... it¡¯s time for a reckoning!¡±

 Side One Hundred And Fifty-Nine – The Minions Of Choe-Museon Academy

    Side One Hundred And Fifty-Nine ¨C The Minions Of Choe-Museon Academy


    That one¡¯s still dangerous. My chain spear should have broken her legs, but she seems unhurt. The Chosen who specialised in incredible speed felt the agonising pain in his own leg as he dragged it behind him, the flesh burned and melted by the beams of light the women were firing at him. That wasn¡¯t the only thing that ached, his whole body was pushing against his limits, as he moved his arms with short bursts of rapid movement, to accelerate his thrown bombs to the speed of bullets. With only one leg I can¡¯t diffuse the backlash. It¡¯s excruciating.


    The people in front of him were yammering something in what sounded like English, not that he spoke much more than a few sentences he remembered from school. Narrowing his eyes, mouth twisted into a pained scowl, he glanced once more at the young woman who he had hit with his glass shell, even if doing so had led to his injuries. One of the strange golden statues shaped like a beautiful young woman raced at him, broken scythe swinging, and the view reminded him of who he served now.


    I remember the time the Army came to my door. I¡¯d been careless, bragging about my newfound abilities online. People thought I was a liar, but the government must have had an inkling about what was really going on. They then roped me into this mission, threatening conscription if I didn¡¯t comply. At least they offered me some compensation, meagre as it was, for my efforts... Remembering the anger, shame and humiliation he had felt that day, he pulled out a number of thin, tungsten rods, sharpened to wicked points, and with his muscles and tendons screaming, he tossed them, his arm moving in a rapid blur, a small shockwave blasting through the air as his arm breached the sound barrier. The spikes pierced the golden woman in front of him, penetrating deeply, and one arm shattered and fell away, sparking into the pretty lights he needed to sustain himself, before the whole thing collapsed, broken to fading golden rubble.


    ¡°Pretty. Just like my Queen...¡± he muttered, the appearance of the statue reminding him of her. It was her who taught me I was misusing my abilities too, wasting them like a fool. I didn¡¯t care that one day the world would be destroyed, Korea would fall. Why should I? It¡¯d happen after my death, most likely, and even if not... I just wanted to live a good, easy life, money, women, luxuries... until I met her. And now these foreign interlopers are standing in her way. Unacceptable!


    Light flashed, and he moved, the beam missing his shoulder by a scant distance, his clothing smouldering at the intense heat. They were clearly trying to disable him, rather than kill him, and he curled his lip at their arrogance, before casting a glance back at the woman he had struck earlier. She may have covered her mouth with a mask, but it¡¯s useless. When the blessed, holy water gets on her skin it¡¯s already too late. She¡¯s clearly fighting it, but just like those other fools who didn¡¯t accept her baptism willingly, in the end she¡¯ll obey the Queen. They all do. But me, I¡¯m different, superior!


    ¡°Can you stop him? If he throws those spikes at us we¡¯ll die for sure!¡± The foreign man was saying something, clearly panicked, and by the way he was looking at the remains of the golden woman, bent and deformed spikes embedded in the ground, he had an idea of what worried him.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best. But it¡¯s hard to disable him without killing him. And if I use my Mind Sharing Light, you¡¯ll get caught in it, and more to the point, Aiko-chan will, and Akio-kun will never forgive me for that...¡± the woman he had struck earlier with his chains to no avail was replying.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared, idiot brother! Gamo?to, your stupidity and need to be right is going to get me killed!¡± the foreign woman who looked like the man shouted, frantic.


    I¡¯m not one of the zombies, whose minds break when they try too hard to fight her baptism, no, not I. Making up his mind to deal with those less useful people first, while feeling a twinge of guilt that he couldn¡¯t share the baptismal water with them, as his Queen no doubt wished, he contented himself with knowing that he had secured one like himself, and would get the other who was annoying him with deadly beams of light soon enough. It¡¯s just a shame they¡¯ll be mere toys. Though if she finds them favourable, she can spend some effort to bring them back to some semblance of sanity... like him. Oh, my Queen... he licked his cracked lips, face slightly burned from several near misses of light. I investigated the other world at the behest of the Army. What choice did I have? But it was nothing special. I was going to destroy it, until I met her. My Queen, so beautiful...


    A volley of needles surged, and the last golden woman darted forwards to block them, also collapsing. Reaching down, he grabbed some of his last projectiles, shattering a glass bottle over the sharpened tips of the metal rods, on the slim chance that they survived the strike. She was a young girl, just heading into adulthood, with brilliant, piercing eyes that could see through everything, and a sly smile that captivated his heart. For a moment he had wondered what she was doing there, before the obvious realisation that she was like him, another person with magical powers, dawned on him. He immediately put up his guard, ready to strike her with his fist at a speed that would reduce her to paste, but his hands trembled, unwilling to break such splendid beauty. The words she spoke then were seared into his heart, and changed his life...


    ¡°I see. You are worthy to stand beside me. One of those chosen to inherit the Earth, and worlds beyond.¡±


    She had paused then, her dark brown eyes seeming to see right through him, with wisdom beyond her years, the clash between youth and maturity exciting him.


    ¡°Hmm. Judging by your movements approaching this place, you are blessed with the power of great speed. It is a worthy gift.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useful, yes, but when I strike someone, I take injury too...¡± he had replied, a little irritated, but at the look in her eyes that had soon vanished, replaced by a mixture of lust and veneration.


    ¡°Of course. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Or so we were taught. Our existence perhaps disproves many of the laws I have studied in this place.¡± Her beautiful eyes had narrowed. ¡°But for now...¡± She tossed him a pebble, which he had caught, surprised. ¡°Use your legs and your body to mitigate the force, and simply cast the stone forwards. Then you should not take any injuries, but be stronger than any soldier, those ants that have come crawling over my domain.¡±


    With that he had done as she said, and the stone had penetrated the ground deeply, and he saw new possibilities.


    It was destiny. Just as this all is. But the game is coming to an end, and I, her loyal knight, will gift her new subjects... Making ready to throw, he was suddenly caught by a savage, wrenching pain inside, stumbling, eyes watering and head spinning. Through the curtain of tears he saw a strange sight, the woman he had thought was some sort of secretary or teacher seeming to have changed completely, sporting cat ears and a lashing tail, brilliant blue eyes peering into him.


    ¡°Nya, I can¡¯t steal it.¡± she said, the words nonsense to him. ¡°It¡¯s too deeply entwined with him, and it burns, but... nya, I bet it hurts, having me pull on it!¡±


    ¡°Stop that!¡± he roared, spittle flying from his charred lips, mixing with salty tears that stung his hot flesh. ¡°I¡¯ll... kill you!¡± The needles in his hand were ready for dispatch, when a heavy impact struck his abdomen, and he was suddenly crashing to the ground, writhing in pain, as the projectile that struck him unfurled into numerous small yet strong cables, wrapping around him like dozens of whips, in cruel parody of his chains from earlier. As he fell to the ground, his one leg unable to support him any longer, beams of light flared, and his wrists were pierced, the wounds instantly cauterised. As he screamed, he realised the woman he had subdued earlier was standing above him, finger pointed at him, faint sparks of golden and indigo light fading, her other hand removing her mask, revealing a beautiful face within, one which reminded him of his Queen, though the expression was dissimilar, hers aloof and keenly intelligent, this one... she was looking at him with amusement and mockery in her sapphire eyes, and he struggled against his bonds, flesh tearing as the wires tightened. Bitch! Nobody gets to look at me with such eyes! Nobody but her!


    ¡°Impossible? That¡¯s a bold claim for someone who hasn¡¯t seen any of the world.¡± Shiro snorted, gently stroking the golden cloth. ¡°This mantle is proof that no man but mine can touch or command me. So of course you failed. It¡¯s why I¡¯m here... but...¡± Her face twisted into an expression of disgust, one eye flared a brilliant red, captivating him. ¡°...you splashed your filthy liquids on me. Shit, so gross.¡± Flame flared yellow and crimson, precisely consuming the blood and water, leaving no trace. ¡°I¡¯ll need Aki to give me a good bath after this. Although...¡± she giggled charmingly, a shocking sight considering the small battle raging in the corridor. ¡°... if he¡¯s jealous, that¡¯s great. He can mess me up with some liquids more fun than blood.¡±


    Open-mouthed, Jun-Seo let out an annoyed stream of curses and complaints. ¡°Fuck. Shit. Nothing is going right! If I was in charge, not my whore sister, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. Wind, Wind you dumbass, forget trying to control her or those men. Go for the other two!¡±


    As wind gusted again, the barrier of raindrops constricted, forming a tight barrier around the tattooed woman and old man, but Jun-Seo knew that would be useless against the power arrayed against them. Wind was burning his strength recklessly under Berserker Blood, but also restrained by the watery curse, so he was able to perform significantly above the strength the half-dead corpse should be able to. A fine mist would soon envelop them, and then... When the woman that controls those four who keep vanishing and coming back is in hand, then we can overwhelm Shiro... I¡¯ll teach her to mock me before she loses all her self-awareness. Hey, maybe I¡¯ll show that off to the guy she was talking about, assuming he¡¯s one of the other invaders. My bitch sister can let me have that at least... His thoughts scattered as she was now looking at him with mismatched red and black eyes, and her smile was so... predatory... it was almost as if she was a different person.


    ¡°Interesting. This Favour... it is one that ruins a person, making them self-destruct, but... amidst that it does have a strengthening aspect. Though it is hopelessly polluted with further tangles of Adherence. A shame. I could devour it, but it would gain me little. If it could be stripped to a base form... no, such is beyond me, and likely beyond most beings. In any case, we should finish this.¡±


    The woman, Shiro... No, is it Shiro, she has entirely different tone, word choices and mannerisms... raised one hand, and Jun-Seo backpedalled desperately, wary of her next move, only to realise she wasn¡¯t aiming for him. The woman¡¯s silver hair turned crimson, and flames were flickering ominously amidst her long locks. ¡°I can feel the spatial distortion from here. It is time to secure the prize for our efforts, although...¡± Her ruby eyes glittered coldly as she surveyed Wind. ¡°...I doubt even your man can help this ruined fool survive, princess.¡±


    Princess? And who is she talking to?


    A sudden ball of flame roared into existence, filling the corridor. Water flared into steam, which might otherwise have caused him to celebrate, but he had seen that it had little effect on her previously, so expecting it to work now was a fool¡¯s hope. The flame suddenly shrank, forming a humanoid figure of flame, a burning elemental, which reached out, arms extending. Wind hurled blades of air, but all it did was fuel the creature, which suddenly thrust, five flaming talons piercing legs and arms, rendering Wind useless. As the broken puppet collapsed, not even letting out a cry as his limbs were scorched and ruined, Jun-Seo wished he could retreat, but every time he considered it, all he could think of was his cursed bitch of a sister, her eyes condescending, ordering him to stand his ground.


    ¡°Sorry kid.¡± The voice changed again, back to the first style, as Shiro eyed him coldly. ¡°You may have had some successes playing your little game, but now it¡¯s the big league, the adults have arrived.¡± She suddenly paused, clicking her tongue. ¡°Shit, that¡¯s a little unfair. Kids can be smart too, I guess it has nothing to do with age. Hinata¡¯s a smart cookie able to go toe-to-toe with adults when it comes to business dealings. But then, despite her age, it¡¯s not fair to call her a kid. She¡¯d never be this much of an idiot, staying to fight a losing battle. No...¡± she amended. ¡°...you¡¯ve obviously bested plenty of adults, even the Korean Army. But... our experience is just too different. While you were playing wargames here, we were facing life-and-death battles over and over again.¡±


    As if to prove her words, another voice could be heard coming over the earpiece in the tattooed woman¡¯s hands. ¡°Hey, the situation here is under control, we¡¯ve taken out the attacker, and proved the barrier cream and masks work. Arisu-chan... uh, Arisu-san sorry...¡± she corrected hurriedly. ¡°...has arrived, and she¡¯s brought the clean-up crew. Flag the location of any hostages or prisoners, and we¡¯ll take them to her Room for processing!¡± she paused. ¡°Uh, sorry bro, you¡¯ll have to go it alone, my Golden Sisters all got totalled I¡¯m afraid. But hey, that¡¯s no bother for you, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I had to do some clean-up here too. The Unsheathed Blade will be returning to base shortly, so when Jin-Ae is safe, let the others do what they want. Now... I¡¯m kind of busy... can¡¯t spare too much attention, there¡¯s something nasty in the Boundary, probably what Tan mentioned. But... I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡± A man¡¯s voice echoed over the earpiece.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Things here are winding down too, we¡¯ve captured the wind user, and blood boy won¡¯t be hard to secure. Good luck Aki!¡± she glanced at the group accompanying her. ¡°And just for the record, Violet and the gang weren¡¯t as useless as I expected.¡±


    As the line went dead, Shiro snorted. ¡°Yeah, with Arisu as a backup, I was assured we¡¯d be fine. And that¡¯s hardly all our preparations. So, you ready, kid?¡±


    Before Jun-Seo could reply, his face pale with anger and blood loss, he noticed that the tattooed woman, Violet, was looking down, face flushed. ¡°Uh, you seemed kind of different then... very cool.¡± she whispered, and Shiro snorted again.


    ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t swing that way!¡± she insisted, and Violet blushed a deep crimson almost matching her namesake.


    ¡°Me neither! I like guys, I swear! Just... can I call you unni? Please?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this lily-like development?¡± Shiro scratched her head. ¡°Sure, whatever you want. But... don¡¯t make me take back my evaluation of you. We still have to snatch up this punk here. It¡¯s fine, I can handle it, no man can compel me other than Aki.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± So it¡¯s come to this. Ever since I lost to my damn sister... it¡¯s not fair, it¡¯s not fair. Not fair, not fair, NOT FAIR! Cho-Hee always gets everything I want. Sure, Berserker Blood was powerful, but... my pawns got used up, while hers kept increasing. Nobody could have won in my position, it¡¯s like playing chess with only half the pieces against an opponent with a full board! And now I¡¯m being treated like I don¡¯t matter by another bitch who has it easy with awesome abilities she never had to earn, that the world gave her because she¡¯s beautiful... and I can¡¯t even flee, because of my sister and her cursed water. Fuck her, fuck her, fuck you too, fuck everyone! Well, if I am going to fail, then I¡¯ll be sure to fuck up everyone with me, and ruin everyone¡¯s plans! Suddenly grinning, he ignored the fire elemental closing in on him, and thrust his knife upwards. Shiro tensed, but he wasn¡¯t aiming for her. Blood gouted, streaming from his slashed throat, soaking his tattered uniform.


    ¡°No man can compel you, huh? My sister isn¡¯t a man, so we¡¯ll see how she does. Fuck, if she was just my brother, we could have competed on... level... ground.¡± His voice was trailing off. The flame elemental darted for him, but he backhanded it, heedless of his burning flesh, and the elemental shivered, before disintegrating, the flames starting to circle him in multiple concentric rings. ¡°Too much to hope... that... you two kill each other ... like... the last ... poisonous insects... in this... pot...¡± His eyes were starting to turn as red as Shiro¡¯s had been before, only instead of bright flame, they resembled dark blood. ¡°...but... sister... too strong... enslave you. Hope... she... has you... toyed with... by every guy... in Korea... before... the... end. Berserker Blood!¡±


    With that his body expanded, muscles growing grotesquely, aether levels surging, flame clinging to him like a shroud, the smell of cooked meat sickening. With the last fragments of rational thought in his mind, kept there by the curse of his sister, he managed a bloody smile. I¡¯m strong, I know it. The whore must have limits, so... when I kill the bitches and bastards here I can... break free, and... be the last... man... standing...

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Three / Side One Hundred And Sixty – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Three / Side One Hundred And Sixty ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    It was a relief to hear that everything had worked out. I had been confident that similar preparations to when we fought the Myconids would suffice, though thinking back on it, considering the immense risks involved, we had been rather foolhardy then. Of course, we had made improvements since, no longer having to go things alone, but with a while bunch of Mortal Engineers and even Japanese scientific advisors to draw expertise from. Plus of course, we¡¯re stronger now. A lot stronger.


    Arisu-san too, she was one of our major trump cards. Being able to bring her Room to the Material now offered a number of opportunities, even if the range was limited, but that could be solved with Shiro¡¯s buffs, and what better place to secure potentially dangerous and brainwashed hostages and opponents than a separate, inescapable space that Shiro said even I would be helpless against Arisu-san in. The damage to the integrity of the Boundary isn¡¯t too bad either, since again it¡¯s not interfering with the higher Astral, unlike Saionji-san¡¯s Gaze of Avalokiteshvara.


    My sister apologised for losing her statues, but that was nothing. It was what they were there for, replaceable meat shields to keep her and everyone else safe. ¡°I can handle the girl¡¯s dormitory myself.¡± I muttered, and Lee Jong-su gave me a quizzical look. Barking a tired laugh, I massaged my Eye, wishing it would work properly so I could easily find the rest of the hostages within the massive Academy campus. No such luck. Though likely when I take down that bastard hand...


    ¡°Take back Jin-Ae. You have to look after your own.¡± I said, and though he didn¡¯t understand he got the gist as he heard her name.


    ¡°Yes, we go. Safe. Then come help?¡± Hee-Young tilted her head, still supporting the wounded girl on her back. Waving them off, I raced towards the female dormitories, trying to establish connection with Choi Ji-ho and his Guild, but the line of communication was still down. It¡¯s a good job we brought our own gear on a different frequency, it seems. The weakening Chosen, and the one who uses what seems to be mind control water is still at large though. Hopefully they are in the dorms, not the Academy buildings. I¡¯d feel better about facing them myself...


    While racing towards the dorms in the Material, in the Boundary I was in quite the different situation. The severed hand surged towards me, using the thumb as a sort of leg, and four fingers clawed at me, as if I was fighting four separate swordsmen. Storming Twilight met several of the yellowing, ivory talons, lightning crackling, and I wreathed it in wind energy, forming a savage, vibrating chainsaw of clashing air around the blade. I dodged the third strike, while the fourth came at me from a blind angle, but my footwork, beaten into me by Ulfuric, and honed by further training in Tsumura Arts, allowed me to sway out of the way. With my free hand I lashed out with beams of light, which made the hand flinch, burned spots appearing on the pale skin.


    ¡°Worthless, hopeless, useless. You would dare to oppose me? Your end shall be an object lesson to all on this blighted world! Unless you cease resistance and submit, in which case you shall be spared, and know bliss!¡± The blue eye was staring at me, giving me a vile headache, my Eye blurry with tears even when not in use, but as the talons swept in on me I once more repelled them, this time the grinding edge of my wind-imbued weapon, slightly strengthened by the extra Rank of Dvergr Techniques I had gained recently, striking sparks and leaving slight grazes on the diamond-hard nails.


    Hmm, it¡¯s as I suspected. This thing is strong. However... ¡°Submit? To someone spreading chaos like you? Never!¡± I declared boldly, and it seemed to infuriate it, the eye blinking, black, oily tears seeping from it, forming a rising mist around me. Ignoring that, I thrust, while simultaneously summoning jagged spears of rock from the ground, using the strength the Bezoar gave me. The hand rose into the air, jabbed by the rocks, only to sweep through them, cutting them apart. As it fell I took my chance though, and a cage of vibrating wind threads imprisoned it, and the skin split slightly, flesh tearing, revealing obsidian-black bone beneath, more dark, smoky blood gushing. Light shone, and only a rapid closing of its eyelid prevented the blue, staring eye from being pierced. Even so it bellowed, the sound making my nose, ears and even eyes bleed.


    ¡°To injure me, one who is the truth none wish to see... your arrogance and stupidity appal me. I can see I have been far too lenient, used to the worthless fools who have come here previously...¡± The hand accelerated, moving like a spider, trying to seize me, only for a black sphere to strike one finger, momentarily diverting it, though it caused no damage. Taking the opportunity, I channelled aether and spatial element, and soon Storming Twilight, magnified to many dozens of times its weight, appeared, spearing the hand, blood scattering.


    Damn, the distortion of information around the creature makes calculating the trajectories and coordinates for Void Motion near impossible to do accurately... My sword, which had meant to pierce the staring eye, instead tore through one finger, embedded in bone. The hand squealed, screaming in what sounded like dozens of languages at once, some of them barely understandable, others sounding unlike any logically constructed form of communication. I felt momentary dizziness, but fortunately with my separate Material body, I was able to weather it, though I slowed for a moment, and now I wasn¡¯t carrying my sword, the remaining three fingers darted forwards.


    ¡°Too bad.¡± The cage of vibrating wind threads that had been harassing the hand tightened, forming a net, snaring the stabbing fingers. ¡°I¡¯m hardly helpless without my sword.¡± Tsumura Arts uses many weapons and the body, and Ulfuric is a master of all weapons...


    Slamming a kick reinforced by Body Enhancement into one finger, I felt pain in my foot, but the hand also cried out, as I had wrapped my foot in wind as well, and inky blood scattered, evaporating into mist. Another black cannonball of energy came soaring, this one much weaker, and one finger slashed it in half, detonating it in a spray of aether.


    ¡°Insolent wretch! The one who dares to injure me before my triumphant return to my greater whole I can tolerate, but such a weakling as you... die!¡± The hand was incensed by taking attacks from Kang Da, who was sniping from outside the Territory, having finished off the last few Defensive Emplacements within range of our battle. The eyelid opened wide, and I took that opportunity to attack it, Foehn, whipped up by my wind element into a savage frenzy, pouring into the eye, even as a brilliant blue beam, shimmering with darkness element, surged outwards. The beam pierced the cascade of Foehn, though it lost a significant amount of power, just enough for Kang Da to dodge as it ripped a giant furrow in the ground , melting all of the Boundary in its path, but the shockwave from the explosion was enough to send him flying, blood scattering. I breathed a sigh of relief when he started crawling away after landing heavily, clearly still alive, if battered and bruised by the aftermath of the blast.


    ¡°Should have saved that for me.¡± I ignored the baleful screams of the hand as the eye burned, cooking like an over-fried egg, the smell, even muted by the Boundary, utterly revolting. Fingers flailed at me, catching fire too, and I dodged the falling droplets and sparks, grabbing Storming Twilight and wrenching it free in a welter of dark gore. Suddenly, despite the squeals and roars of pain, a second voice, a laughing one, could be heard, even as I severed the half-cut finger that I had wounded earlier, the severed digit landing in Foehn and twisting and writhing like a dying snake.


    ¡°You think very highly of yourself, foolish one. The truth you imagine in your mind is merely a falsehood, an illusion.¡± The nails slashed at me, but concentrating the wind and using my sword I severed a second, and could easily fight off the remaining two with my greater speed. Even as I duelled the creature though, the Foehn consuming it, the skin was cracking and splitting, strange, translucent slime seeping out along with the dark mist. My instincts prickled at me, and I jumped back cautiously, even as it oozed out, forming a rough blob larger than the hand was originally, which then split down the middle, revealing a massive blue pupil bigger than me.


    ¡°The moment you battled me within my range, it was already over for you. The Curse of Disobedience and Thinking is already within you. You have been breathing the mist of Chaos, of falsehood, and are now merely...¡±


    ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± My blade stabbed deep, lightning flashing, and that vile cooked smell rose again, as the new voice screamed, overlapping with the old. ¡°But I¡¯m not one to let my guard down. No boss monster has only one phase nowadays...¡±


    ********


    ¡°Out of the way!¡± Shiro cried as the horribly grotesque meat-and-blood version of the boy before them attacked. The scorpion-people commanded by Violet were trying to the get subdued hostages clear, but with a sudden movement, the speed nearly a match for Aki, one fist slammed down, and the head of one exploded, the suddenly headless corpse also beginning to swell and distort, though then Violet dismissed it, the corpse flaring to aether. Flames gushed out, and one of the fallen hostages was consumed, burning to ash.


    ¡°Fuck, number Three... ugh, now I¡¯ll have to get a new Three. That makes me sad...¡± Violet cursed, raising her tattooed hand and making a whipping gesture, vaguely reminiscent of a stinging tail. A vivid surge of aether flashed into existence, and the burning, grotesque opponent was smothered with an acrid, poisonous fog. ¡°...but nobody survives the sting of a Violet Scorpion!¡±


    It is useless... Tan thought, just as Shiro was thinking the same. An arm came out of the fog, and Violet only barely avoided it. Blood splattered, and the water barrier conjured by the old man corroded with a series of popping sounds, and several droplets fell on his face. The old man roared, eyes widening, mouth gaping in a drooling snarl, eyes turning crimson as the blood vessels within burst. This is the power created by burning his own life, affected by his own misused Favour. It will burn brightly, but fade swiftly, no matter his intentions.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Shiro unleashed her flames, trying to overpower the fire around what was Jun-Seo, as well as the sudden tide of water droplets that were surging around them all. One scorpion-man fell, leg pierced by multiple sharp droplets, only for him too to start raging, as the water was all tainted with blood, which was scattering everywhere. Shivering, Shiro pulled at her golden mantle, the feeling reassuring, even as she grabbed Violet and dragged her back out of the melee, even as another of the hostages was stomped to a bloody paste.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°This cannot be... such a Radiance should only come from... the followers of...¡± The slimy eye was dissolving, shrinking rapidly under the blaze, and in the distance a number of Buildings shattered, the Territory around me collapsing, before the light slammed into another Territory barrier beyond it, eating through it in numerous places, before it regenerated itself, the shimmering aether-light faded and tenuous.


    ¡°...is that the Boundary here¡¯s in pretty good shape.¡± I snorted, turning away, feeling a great weight settle upon me, a Favour torn from someone, the Territory owner. It was a frightful mess of a one, powerful, yet somehow deformed and blended with another, but as I scanned the information I leapt to the side, as a small beam of blue light passed by where my head was. Turning, I channelled my Spirit Water, wrapping what remained, a small blue sphere with a pair of long tusks, the size of a basketball, in a bubble of it, which burned it like acid.


    ¡°This... is a lie. I cannot fall, be defeated by a mortal, before I... become whole once more. My disguise, my lying death... it was perfect. How... how did you... see through me?¡±


    The words were fainter towards the end, and I didn¡¯t bother to answer it, only clenching my fist, compressing the Spirit Water, until the creature burst with a final weak whimper. More letters flared across my vision, and this time they were clearly comprehendible. ¡°I¡¯m not enough of a fool to tell the enemy what mistakes they are making. But... when my Mystic Eye wasn¡¯t displaying anything intelligible, I knew. Besides, you¡¯d already shed your form once. But... the lie was that you were a threat along the lines of Nurarihyon, or even Shaeula¡¯s father or the other Seelie Lords. Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be playing games here, gathering adherence. You certainly portray a terrible foe well, but in the end, all you were was a parasite, a leftover.¡±


    The rush of power with its death had restored a lot of my fading strength, and I was now able to balance my Split Thoughts better. Back in the Material, I called out to Shiro, to check that she was all right, while I looked at my spoils.


    Your Class, Conqueror has increased from Level 19 to Level 21. You have destroyed the Anchor of a hostile Territory. Your class, Conqueror is sufficient to claim and extract the Divine Favour within this Territory and its owner. Your Adherence is sufficient to utilise Jarovid¡¯s Blood That Brings Forth Might In Fury, but you are incompatible with this Divine Favour. This Divine Favour has suffered degradation and encroachment. You may consume it but this will entail some risk of harm, or find a suitable vessel, but in the current state, this Favour is likely to cause harm to any who possess it. Your Eight Moons Chakra Network and Silver Connection has strengthened significantly. Your League has increased by 2. All other Statistics have increased.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Thirty-Nine to One Hundred And Forty. Your...


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Forty to One Hundred And Forty-Three. Your...


    Several key skills felt on the verge of Ranking up too, and as Prominence Dawn collapsed behind me, I was inundated with a tide of adherence, though perhaps a third of it was pulled away from me, dragged towards the other Territory, and presumably the Chosen who ruled it. The adherence felt dark, cruel, but power itself had no sin, only how it was used. Turning my attention to Kang Da, I resolved to give him some healing, my aether reserves spiralling up as my subtle body and Chakras were strengthened. And then... we finish this.


    ********


    ¡°This would be trivial were I just to incinerate the fool, but...¡± Tan struck out again, severing the fleshy arm for the seventh time in under a minute. New, lumpy flesh began to form, vile, tainted blood streaming down to the already sodden ground, and Shiro felt a moment of annoyance. My armour is ruined. I don¡¯t think I want to wear it ever again. But yeah, I don¡¯t want you to eat that. The thought of it is disgusting.


    ¡°A shame. It truly, truly is.¡± Tan sighed, moving like a dancer, keeping the maddened death-throes of the monster away from the fallen Ji-woo and Violet. The wheel of fire had faded, and unfortunately it seemed like none of the summons of Violet had survived, nor had the wind elemental user, his fragile body expiring. There were still signs of movement in a couple of the other victims though, and Shiro wanted to save them, if only to keep Aki from feeling bad. ¡°This world continues to surprise me. To think such as the being behind this twisted game remained here. It would have been sorely weakened by the long deprivation of aether and adherence, but...¡± Tan¡¯s leg swung up, kicking the creature that had been Jun-Seo under the chin, shattering the neck, but the only result was to get blood all over her, and the ribcage burst open, ropey intestines surging out, grasping Tan tightly.


    ¡°I think not.¡± Tan sneered. ¡°This is currently my body, and you shall not touch it. Though my true magnificence would leave you begging for me. But... this time I would walk on by. I am Tan?ha? the Thirsty, only someone more splendid than the Buddha will I accept now.¡±


    Hey, it¡¯s still my body so be careful! I don¡¯t want to star in the sort of creepy doujin Yasu likes!


    ¡°There is little cause for worry. For I have now digested the Favour of the one called Daizen. It took some time, but it has been... worthwhile. I deny your power over me!¡± At her words, the tentacles slid off her, the creature pausing in surprise, and Tan ducked low, slicing off the legs of the berserk, mindless living corpse. The ropey intestines surged down, grabbing the legs and the regrown arms formed into a quadruped shape, a dragon-like head forming, splintered and deformed bones forced into crude fangs, and Shiro was glad she wasn¡¯t in control of her body, as the sights and smells were sickening.


    ¡°As it grows closer to death, the adherence sustains it, but also warps it. This was a battle for beasts, for one to rise above all, and so... huh.¡±


    Wait, why did you stop moving, Tan? I know you are strong, but... Shiro¡¯s thoughts trailed off as a satisfied smile spread across Tan¡¯s face, and the creature roared, contorting and twisting, before breaking apart, disintegrating into aether and vanishing, leaving behind only a puddle of dark blood.


    ¡°It seems that a minute was not needed.¡± Tan laughed melodiously. Flames surged, and the ground around them and the walls burned, the remains of the struggle cleansed. A gentle lick of flame, and Shiro¡¯s armour was pristine again, as if the horrible close-quarters battle was but a bad memory. As Tan withdrew her Divine Possession, Shiro groaned, her body screaming in protest, her aether near-depleted, her muscles and bones aching. Ether Healing was working with what aether she had left, and Shiro was glad once more she had pushed to Rank it up. ¡°The presence of the powerful foe has vanished, as if it was a lie. Perhaps it was. Though danger is not measured in mere strength. It was a troubling foe, I have no doubt. But we have our victor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, when Aki gets serious, he can bring the pain.¡± Shiro nodded, turning to Violet, who somehow had remained conscious, despite her body trying to destroy itself in efforts to attack, despite her burned muscles and tendons inhibiting movement.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Is... is it over? It can¡¯t be. I¡¯m still... I have the urge to fight, to serve...¡± She bit her own tongue, the bite savage, pain clearing her head for a moment. ¡°My poor... guys. Lucky one of them wasn¡¯t here... huh. I have to start... again.¡± As tears trailed down her bloody face, Shiro softly reached down and wiped her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s probably the sister of our giant meatball left. The true ruler of this Academy. But... Aki will handle it. As for me... damn, I think I¡¯m done. But I can still help save who can be saved.¡± Bending down, she hefted Violet onto her back. The woman groaned, trying to attack her, but her arms were unable to produce any power.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aki will fix that right up. Scars and all.¡± Shiro felt a bit guilty at the horrible burns that had crippled and disfigured Violet. Turning to the other Hunter, who was in an even worse state, she sighed. ¡°Ladies first, just take a break and we¡¯ll be right back...¡±

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Four

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Four


    With the fragment of a powerful being defeated, the pain of the bloody wounds his beams of darkness had gouged in me surged, the adrenaline and focus of battle fading. Faint, acrid steam was rising from the two holes pierced in me, and the mist around me was also dispersing. Nasty bastard. In terms of raw combat power, he was a bit weaker than Taro?bo?, maybe, but he was both a perfect counter to half of my abilities, and yet ironically fatally weak to another set of skills I had.


    Casting my gaze at the remaining Territory, the barrier damaged, I took a deep, reflexive breath, before turning away. Only fools rush in. Preparation has been key so far. And it¡¯s prevented the worst outcomes. Heading back towards the injured Kang Da, who had crawled away, one leg broken and twisted, numerous other injuries all over his body, I directed my Spirit Water to cleanse the last of the mist.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t you look a fright?¡± I said to Kang Da, who looked relieved, despite his handsome face being covered in painful bruises and cuts.


    ¡°I know. That thing was a better sniper than me.¡± He managed a dry smile, before spluttering, his throat not working properly. ¡°But I¡¯m alive. If you give me a while... I¡¯ll support you as you attack the next place. It...¡± he paused to cough violently again. ¡°...it shouldn¡¯t be so hard. That damn hand was surely the mastermind, right?¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°To an extent, certainly. But... only fools rush in.¡± I piously repeated my earlier thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re hurt too.¡± He noticed the two weeping holes in my body. As I trickled aether into him, healing the worst of his wounds, he batted my hand away weakly. ¡°Worry about yourself. I¡¯ve seen enough to know you¡¯re a cut above me and Bora-noona.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her I said so though, she has... a bad... temper. She¡¯ll never find a decent man, only delinquents like her rough nature and... body art... so carrying on our family legacy falls to me. If I¡¯d have died here...¡± he managed a pain-filled chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. These will heal. It¡¯s pretty much a speciality of mine.¡± I continued to soothe the worst of his pain. ¡°And you should have fled back to the Material when you got hit. What did you think you were going to do?¡± I chided him.


    ¡°I thought you were in trouble. So...¡± he looked embarrassed. ¡°I was gathering all my strength for one last attack. Even a distraction might have given you a chance. Sorry. It was arrogant of me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But your heart was in the right place.¡± I muttered, taking a liking to the straight-laced young man. Even though he¡¯s being dragged around and dominated by his older sister, he cares for her a lot. I respect that. ¡°Besides, your skill has some potential. You just aren¡¯t suited to solo battles. Now, cheer up.¡± I pulled him to his feet, having finished the quick healing to stabilise him. ¡°After all, you wouldn¡¯t want to worry Violet-noona, since she¡¯s injured too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± his eyebrows shot up in panic. ¡°My idiot, invincible sister? Is... is she all right? Will she die?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, calm down!¡± I said, shocked at his sudden turn. ¡°Yeah, she got hurt and can¡¯t continue the fight, but I¡¯m in contact with Shiro who¡¯s withdrawing her. And she¡¯s not in danger of dying, so after all this is done I¡¯ll fix her up as good as new. As I said earlier, healing is a speciality of mine. So head back, and rest up. We¡¯ve done half of this battle, but while things seem to be going our way, for the most part... complacency leads to mistakes.¡± We¡¯ve not been able to save everyone. And at least one Favour has been lost to us, according to Shiro. But... at least we¡¯ve completed the task we were hired for by Park-ssi.


    Kang Da let out a long sigh, before acknowledging my words, and he vanished, no doubt waking up surprised at his body having been moved from the barracks. It¡¯s just as well my sis and the others did, else he¡¯d have been mind-controlled too, I think. Which is why I can¡¯t be complacent. There¡¯s still danger here...


    Back in the Material, I saw Shiro coming, hauling the limp Violet-noona on her back. She was alone, and on seeing her, I rushed over, still carrying my three burdens. ¡°Shiro, Violet-noona... looks like you¡¯ve had it hard.¡±


    ¡°Damn right we have, Aki.¡± Shiro rolled her eyes, and her tone was exhausted. ¡°That bastard was a real pain, little prick. The old man isn¡¯t in good shape, and most of the hostages died, but... one down, I guess. And it looks like you bagged our main target.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though he¡¯s also in a bad way.¡± I could see weaselkin wearing hazard suits starting to move the fallen soldiers back towards our new outdoor camp, while my sis, Ginneka, who was now back in her normal form, Haru and Arisu-san were coming towards us. Moments later, a limping, bruised Kang Da came running too, ignoring his injuries, overtaking my sis and the others. Coming to an unsteady halt, his wounds obviously still paining him, he looked at his sister, aghast.


    ¡°Bora-noona, what happened? Why... so many injuries. And where are the others? Your scorpions? Ji-woo-ssi?¡± His rapid-fire questions made Violet-noona laugh bitterly, just a faint whisper of sound.


    ¡°Perhaps a lucky one. For us, anyway.¡± Haru disagreed. ¡°Since he won, the benefits must be plentiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right bro. We¡¯re on a budget for time, but spill quickly!¡± My sis said eagerly.


    ¡°That can wait.¡± I said, conscious of the hostages and wounded still within the Academy buildings. ¡°But yeah, the League was strong, but it didn¡¯t oppress me like Nurarihyon, or even Shaeula¡¯s father. I was a match for it. And the surrounding Boundary wasn¡¯t suffering from its presence. There were some other tells as well, but I surmised that I had a chance, at the least,. And backing out wasn¡¯t an option, what with how desperate a situation you were in, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Tan could have handled it, but yeah, it wasn¡¯t good.¡± She admitted. ¡°So, all told, you did good. Tan¡¯s impressed. And you seem to have a lot of adherence now.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, though like the Favour, it¡¯s damn messy. I¡¯ll unpick it all later. For now...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve a perpetrator to defeat and victims to save.¡± Jin-Ae was resting, as was Hee-Young, her strength spent by conjuring too much ice, but Eunbi and Lee Jong-su were still eager to fight, and I needed all the hands I could get. Though not for fighting this enemy...


    I asked Kang Da to translate, and he did so. The two of them looked a bit put out at my request, but then they looked at the entrance to Arisu-san¡¯s room, perhaps remembering the state Violet-noona was in, and they acquiesced. My Eye was fully functional again, so I could perceive far more information, and while there was still some distortion, perhaps due to the adherence that someone else had absorbed, I was fairly certain that the mastermind behind this mess lay in the main Campus buildings. Not the dorms. So... ¡°I¡¯m worried about the members of Inevitable Victory. I don¡¯t have confidence in them managing to deal with the final opponent. Worst case, they¡¯ll end up turned against us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°It seems like that would be something that¡¯d happen. But it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t taken precautions, right?¡±


    ¡°It seems your Spirit Water, potent as it is, has less effect on the blood than the water.¡± Arisu-san said, having watched some of the attempts to deal with the prisoners inside her room now that they were settled. ¡°It weakens the effects somewhat, but cannot break the hold.¡±


    ¡°I think I know why. At least Tan hinted about it.¡± Shiro spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll be brief, you need to go, Aki, but... the blood is actually a buffing effect, in a way. Takes one to know one.¡± She sighed self-deprecatingly. ¡°So the Spirit Water maybe doesn¡¯t recognise it as fully a curse?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, most likely. But at least the other one we can deal with. Perhaps. Against the Chosen herself, the effect of her control is likely to be stronger than water used at a distance.¡± Which is why we need to preserve it. Those secured in Arisu-san¡¯s care are safe and can be treated at our leisure after all this. ¡°So, I¡¯ll be off. Don¡¯t let down your guard, though. There might be further tricks in store.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, bro. I¡¯m going to duck into the Boundary and try and raise as much aether as possible so I can call on more Golden Sisters. Some of the cameras broke, but even a couple might help, right?¡±


    Eunbi and Lee Jong-su were already heading towards the dorms where Si-woo and several others hopefully still survived. A number of weaselkin were going with them for hostage transportation, and it was cold, but in the worst case if they fell, Shaeula¡¯s Kin Restoration could likely help. Though it¡¯s been made clear to them there¡¯s the risk of it failing, depending on just how the water that controls minds works. But hopefully, they won¡¯t run into any danger they can¡¯t handle, considering...


    My final words said, I raced down towards the main Academy buildings, covering the distance in a handful of seconds, while in the Boundary I began to assault the weakened barrier. It cracked, unable to withstand my impacts, but I was trying to preserve as much strength as possible. My stock of Foehn was greatly diminished, and even with the Bezoar, I had used a great deal of earth element. Water element and Spirit Water was being saved for obvious reasons, so that left wind and light, which I had used quite a bit of as well, but still had plenty in the tank, or wood and darkness. Mind made up, I began to strike the barrier with a swirling gale of jade winds, which I was well-practiced with, and the weakened barrier began to erode under the rapid onslaught. Sporadic fire came back from Defensive Emplacements, which I dodged, and as the barrier began to weaken further, again a mob of the winged Dokkaebi gathered, though fewer in number than the hordes I put down before. Good. If I can draw in any opponents to the Boundary to protect the Territory it¡¯ll reduce pressure in the Material. But then, if not, the Anchor can be found and destroyed and I¡¯ll win that way...


    The Academy building, built in an old-fashioned and austere style, loomed ahead of me in the Material, and my Eye shone, seeking out those with high levels of aether within. There was still some interference, but not enough to stop me, and I spotted several traces deeper within the main building. Taking a deep breath, I passed though the already broken down door, likely the work of Choi Ji-ho and his forces.


    All right then. Time to see whether I¡¯ll meet up with the girl behind all this first, or her Territory is destroyed by me. Either way, we¡¯ll end this mess!

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Five

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Five


    Stepping inside the main Academy building, I was struck by just how dilapidated and gloomy it was. I know it¡¯s been three or four months, and there¡¯s been some battles here, but still... what a mess. It was in even worse shape than the dorms appeared in. The floor was strewn with debris, broken furniture heaped up in makeshift barricades that had now crumbled, and the windows were so encrusted with dirt as to have the only visible light faint streams, barely illuminating the dim interior, though with my keen sight I could easily navigate my way through the dark corridors.


    There were brackish stains soaked into the floor, walls and sometimes even the windows, splashes, sprays and in some cases even handprints, faded remains of what was obviously blood, a grim illustration of the chaos that had erupted here. I spotted some spent bullet casings and ragged clothing, as well as what looked like puddles of water, sitting in hollows where the floor had been dented in. From above, some faint droplets were leaking down, making steady plinking noises as they hit the floor, and it combined to form an illusion I was in some sort of deserted, ancient cave.


    ¡°Water, huh?¡± I said out loud, careful to avoid stepping in the puddles, and dodging the droplets falling like slow rain. My Eye flared, and while there was still an element of distortion, the amber letters blurring, the images I saw unclear, now that the severed hand was defeated, it was usable, and I could make out that the water was indeed what I suspected. ¡°Damn, just where did she get all of this?¡±


    Morana¡¯s Water Of Self-Sacrifice ¨C This water, bodily fluids wrung from the bearer of Morana¡¯s Divine Favour, can awaken the latent urge to sacrifice themselves for another within those absorbing the liquid. The stronger, purer the source of water the stronger the urge becomes, eager to obey the will of the bearer of Morana¡¯s water, and the stronger contact with the liquid, the same applies, ingestion being more potent than mere skin contact.


    ¡°Can you repeat that?¡± Shiro asked, now being in charge of communication while my sis tried to re-establish her golden golems. ¡°Are you being attacked?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry, just talking to myself.¡± I apologised. ¡°And thinking something very foolish. I¡¯m sure she can expand her fluids by using water element. I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t really use all her fluids, saved up over months. That would just be stupid.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, when you say fluids...¡± Shiro gagged, making retching sounds over the communicator.


    ¡°Not those.¡± I insisted defensively, calling a trickle of flame to sterilise the light switch I was about to touch, as a faint sheen of liquid was barely visible on it, as well as nearby door handles and other places one would touch carelessly. She¡¯s a planner, this one. The worst type. ¡°Spit, tears... maybe even urine. I mean, that¡¯s the best way to get a lot of liquid, right?¡±


    ¡°Damn, now I feel quite unpleasant.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°If you let another woman lead you astray with that sort of fetish I¡¯ll be kind of pissed off.¡± She warned me, half joking. ¡°So, any danger yet?¡±


    I shook my head, before realising she couldn¡¯t see, as we were communicating over the wireless network. ¡°No, just water traps everywhere. I¡¯m being careful, but...¡± As I turned on the switch, the lights flickered for a brief moment, many bulbs already having burned out, a couple blinking fitfully like dying stars, before darkness returned. ¡°...there¡¯s something in the air. Despite there being no power...¡±


    ¡°The military did say that they shut off the power and the water ages ago.¡± Shiro pointed out. ¡°But the school does have a small backup generator, from the plans. It wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near enough to run the whole school, especially not without fuel, not for this length of time, but...¡±


    ¡°Perfect for running some traps.¡± I agreed. Opening the door, I saw a tangle of cables, almost invisible under the thick layer of dust and scattered debris set up artfully to hide it, and following where they led, I found a small, electric humidifier, faintly whirring away, giving out a near unnoticeable mist of water, which any passers-by would breathe in. Really, these sorts of cunning tricks could be learned by Hyacinth. But for someone the same age as my sis, or even younger, to be this cunning... this school really is for the elite... I also noticed some footprints in the dust, quite a lot of them, which looked recent. Choi Ji-ho and his forces, most likely. Though if they¡¯ve been past here...


    ¡°I¡¯m not too concerned about myself, but it does make me worry for Lee Jong-su and Eunbi. Though we¡¯ve outfitted them with some of our spare respirators, right?¡±


    As Shiro assured me it was in hand, I continued. My Eye could see a number of presences deeper in the building, but pinning down their exact locations wasn¡¯t possible, perhaps due to the fuzziness of the information. Curious, I took a closer look at the water, and I noticed that there seemed to be another component to it, though it resisted my analysis fiercely.


    Ako^%$¡¯s Evi% W*$do^ - ?????????


    No, I don¡¯t think so. Pouring aether into my Eye, and even a little trickle of adherence, which responded to my desires, and seemed a little akin to what I was looking at, I managed to intensify my focus, my Chakra network, still freshly strengthened by Conqueror Ranking up, as well as Shiro¡¯s buff, managing to keep up with the increased aether demand. The blurred, distorted letters resolved, and I finally received a description of the other foreign element within the water.


    ¡°Yeah, this is beyond even my skills.¡± I said sadly, shaking my head. ¡°Pretty much your entire body, both bodies, are already destroyed. Taking away the only thing that sustained you...¡±


    The man shut his eyes, and a faint laugh leaked from his lips. ¡°At least... bastard dead, right? Kill... kill her... too. Monster... too... cruel.¡± He forced out the words, and I leant closer, his mouth against my ear, and he whispered a final few words about her, along with his wish for his suffering to end.


    ¡°All right.¡± I nodded. ¡°Sorry. But honestly, even without the damage I did to you, you¡¯d not have survived the withdrawal of Jarovid¡¯s blood. But... I¡¯ll let you go in peace.¡± Now I¡¯m determined not to pass on Jarovid¡¯s Favour, even without the corruption, it¡¯s too dangerous. But speaking of Favours... I used aether to numb the senses of the dying, no, the already dead man, who was existing based on the fading remnants of the curses that bound him, and he slid shut his eyes gratefully, breath slowing. I wove aether into a scalpel, and cut free his Divine Favour, my adherence supporting it, though now I held two, the drain was somewhat faster than my natural regeneration of adherence. This isn¡¯t a long-term solution. Don¡¯t worry, you may have died, but your mission will be a success. Some people have been saved. And I¡¯ll get you your revenge. I promise. Favour extracted, he breathed his last, and I made a mental note to retrieve his remains so his family, if he had one, could have some closure. Examining the Favour, I was pleasantly surprised.


    Jumong¡¯s Fly Slaying Light Arrow: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????. The wielder can call upon arrows of potent light, near invisible and as swift as an eagle, yet precise enough to strike even a fly in flight. Just as Jumong struck down many prey animals with his precise accuracy, so too shall your foes be pierced with arrows as swift as light. Class [Imperious]. Type [Principle]


    Saying a brief, generic prayer over the dead man, not knowing what religion he was or being particularly religious myself, I felt a sense of excitement warring with my grief. This Favour was definitely something my sister would be compatible with, I was certain. I know you can have two, I¡¯ve got two, and it would strengthen her a lot. But then... Was it better to see if someone else could use it, and have an extra Chosen? Resolving to put that decision off for after the battle, but not for too long, due to the adherence drain, I headed back the way I had come, and stepped out into the dingy, dark bridge between buildings, heading for the next building...


    In the Boundary, the attacks from the Dokkaebi and the few Emplacements were continuing to fall, but I paid them no mind. With a cracking sound the barrier shuddered, and the light was now so dim as to be barely visible. With one final surge of wind element, I detonated my whirling tornado, and the shockwave collapsed the barrier, which fitfully tried to reform one more time, only for my physical strength to prove overpowering, Storming Moonlight raining a rapid flurry of powerful blows, and the barrier shattered like fragile glass. Stepping inside, the oppression against me started again, and I judged it to be somewhat more powerful than the previous Territory, going by the drain on my aether and adherence. But bearable. Not that I intend to take long to wrap this up. I can¡¯t afford to spare the adherence, for one thing...


    Now that the Dokkaebi couldn¡¯t hide behind the barrier, they flocked at me like a pack of angry crows, but I was in no mood for their games. My blade flashed, lightning and wind surging, and a dozen were cut apart, the same number again burned fatally by the forking bolts of vivid electricity. As I sucked in what ether I could to keep myself topped up, I pushed onwards, only to notice something strange. No sign of the Anchor. So it¡¯s probably in its own space, just like mine was. Likely inside the Boundary Academy building. That saved me against Kondou Kazuo, but now it¡¯s making it difficult here. Oh well, the Territory is small, if I search everywhere... I let loose a bolt of light, destroying a nearby Defensive Emplacement, even as more Dokkaebi swept down, carrying long spears and wicked-looking axes. Rushing to meet them, I swept my sword through them, while my punch shattered a grinning, purple-skinned face, and a kick snapped the neck of another madly grimacing Korean goblin. ¡°Looks like I have to take care of things first...¡±


    Back on the Material, leaving the tunnel, I came across more bloodstains. This building was slightly powered still, and the flickering of the dying lights gave everything an extremely gloomy air. There was less dust around, as if the building had seen more recent use, and it didn¡¯t take me long to find more footprints, though these seemed to have come from another entrance, and headed downwards. Peeking through one of the half-ajar doors, I could see that inside was a lot of benches and cupboards, as well as an anatomical model of a human, which was stained with what sadly looked like rather real dried blood. Entering, I quickly realised it was a science lab, and the cupboard at the back, which had once been securely locked, was now open, a number of broken bottles lying around, while a great number were missing. ¡°Thinking about it, there¡¯s a lot of things that can be repurposed into weapons in a school. Even without Chosen stirring the pot, in a sealed, isolated environment like this, with no internet or phone reception... yeah, all it takes is someone to act on a grudge, or get a bad idea in their head, and before you know it, everyone¡¯s acting out of spite, despair, fear or lust.¡±


    Leaving the science room, I passed by art rooms, a sewing room, kitchen-style rooms, and even a room that was full of cages and aquariums, now sadly empty of their charges, and I had a sinking suspicion that the rabbits, fish and mice within all became dinner. If the main building was where the classrooms were for ordinary lessons, this must have been the practical building, So the third building over the other side is likely focussed on sport. There¡¯s likely the main gymnasium too. Holing up there always happens in manga and anime, but really it¡¯d be too large and vulnerable. Besides, there¡¯s plenty of supplies here, easy to turn into weapons...


    I was starting to lose interest, having found nothing for a while, just footprints and occasional puddles of water, as well as more humidifiers. It was then I realised I could hear some faint sounds from downstairs. ¡°Wait...¡± I said, yawning, my voice shockingly loud, irritating me. ¡°...is that a piano?¡± I recognised the tune, it was one everyone had heard, though the name escaped me, and trying to think of it seemed a waste of time. I suppose I should investigate, it¡¯s likely another survivor, but why would they be playing the piano, signalling where they were? Sure, most people who have survived until now are barely clinging to life, but...


    It seemed pointless to go charging down there, and I shook my head, even that an effort, only to narrow my eyes, realising something was wrong. Of course. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d think such things willingly. Not when I have to finish this. Fortunately my Resilience and Determination have been well-honed by our preparation. Damn, it¡¯s like mind-control central in here. My body was screaming at me to just sit down, relax and rest, my efforts having exhausted me, and to be honest, I was tired. Even in the Boundary, where I was finishing off the last of the Dokkaebi, even with my high stats, the constant battles and annoyance of invading hostile territories were taking a toll. But as the enemies were defeated, I knew I had to do this, and I could rest later, and get pampered by Shiro. Though she¡¯s exhausted too. I guess in the end, I¡¯ll end up spoiling her!


    ¡°So, the last Chosen. The one who makes everyone weak and listless. That¡¯s definitely how I feel when I let my guard down.¡± I muttered. ¡°And I¡¯m not stupid enough to think the music I¡¯m hearing is anything but a trap. But I have to spring it anyway. I should have heard some commotion with Choi Ji-ho and his forces by now, but instead, nothing...¡± There was only one logical conclusion to draw. We should have insisted on doing this alone, but I don¡¯t blame the government for wanting the reassurance of numbers, especially their own citizens. And it¡¯s not like they haven¡¯t been any help, it¡¯s just... a really bad matchup.


    Dropping down the stairs, I reached a large set of double doors. They were special, soundproof ones, though a lot of the sound-dampening material had been stripped away around the edges, leading to the sound leaking out. The marks on the floor showed that the door had been opened recently, and as I pulled it open, the weight significant, enough that an ordinary kid might struggle, I was greeted by a wide auditorium, seats ringing it. There were musical instruments scattered around, many broken, but at the centre was an impressive piano, and playing it was a young-looking girl I recognised. Suk-ja. Of course. It was too much to hope otherwise... I leapt to the side immediately, and Choi Ji-ho landed where I was standing, the ground collapsing under his feet, forming a crater. He glared at me, and as he did so, I felt my own body slow, feeling heavy, a physical weakness, not the mental one I was subjected to before.


    ¡°Amitabha, many apologies, but this good monk must stall you. But do not resist.¡± Dong, the monk of Choi Ji-ho¡¯s team, with his lean, modest look in his burnt umber robes, said in Chinese. ¡°Serving the Goddess will bring you more joy than even the Buddha!¡± He raised one hand and then his other, clapping them together as he bowed like one of the golden statues that adorned some temples in Kyoto, and I felt a massive downwards pressure, as if I weighed multiple times my own weight. Watching me struggle, Choi Ji-ho threw a punch at me, but I swayed aside, barely dodging.


    They exchanged hurried words in Korean, and Suk-ja stopped playing, straightened her clothes as she stood, and walked over to one wall, where there was a glass panel. With a smile, she made to slam a fist into it, activating the fire alarms...


    Meanwhile, in the Boundary a surge of ruby earth element filled my vision as a wall of rock and mud surged towards me, and behind it, the towering, imposing form of Rampage, now some five metres high and covered in stony armour, resembling a larger Grulgor, came rushing across the Territory, while from one of the windows of the Boundary version of the Academy Buildings, which had the appearance of an impressive palace of black stone and rose-pink quartz, a volley of poisonous spines caught me in a crossfire, trapped between the onrushing rock walls and the bombarding projectiles. Wind flashed, and the venomous needles were scattered, and I readied myself for battle, hand raised in the Material, ready to act. This is shitty, but not entirely unexpected. At least now everyone is accounted for so once I take care of this, it¡¯s just the hiding Chosen who tried to put me to sleep, and then the mastermind behind all this...

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Six

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Six


    Simultaneously, I acted in both worlds, brain screaming at managing the time distortion, even with Split Thoughts and Body Enhancement running. Light element was absorbed internally, making my brain and nervous system fire at its absolute limit, far exceeding human reaction times, and amber letters flared on my Eye again, one of the skills on the cusp of Ranking up pushed over the edge by extreme stress and optimisation.


    Your Skill, Split Thoughts has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, and has crossed the first bottleneck. Differences in perceived time and space between layers of Split Thoughts is mitigated, and your mental Statistics improve commensurately, and skills which involve calculations and perception are strengthened and are easier to Rank up. You can run several additional...


    Blinking away the rest of the description, as now was not the time to dwell on it, the sudden relief was palpable, as I directed the additional instances of Split Thoughts to managing the actions of both my bodies, and it was impossible to adequately explain to someone who wasn¡¯t experiencing it, but it was like the time flows became more in sync, somehow seeming to be far closer to each other in terms of the passage of time, even though nothing had changed at all. I suppose maybe it¡¯s like how the brain tunes out the blind spot in our vision, so we don¡¯t notice?


    Reacting immediately, a halo formed behind me in the Boundary, a dark ring that seemed to draw in the light around it, yet was fringed with a brilliant glow. The wave of earth, mud and rocks surging towards me were drawn towards Prominence Dusk, leaving Rampage stumbling, his bright blue eyes wide in surprise as his attack and effectively his shield was drawn away, leaving him exposed. The dark, corrosive energy boiled behind me, earth element converted to dust, my own darkness element flooding and imbuing it, and with a cry I unleashed it, though not at the charging Rampage, as I didn¡¯t want to kill an ally, even if they were being controlled.


    My fist slammed into Rampage¡¯s huge torso, his stony armour shattering, and he staggered backwards, nearly falling. ¡°You¡¯re weaker than Grulgor. Size isn¡¯t everything, I guess.¡± I muttered, as a beam of shimmering dust element raced out into the beautiful and artistic Boundary version of the Academy buildings, piercing deep, destroying walls and Buildings hidden deep within alike. I had aimed towards the largest concentration of Buildings I could see with my Eye, hoping to get lucky and hit the Anchor, finishing things, but of course it wasn¡¯t that easy, though the damage my attack had caused would certainly be painful for the girl who owned the Territory, and would be blaring warnings at her spirit.


    In the Material, a beam of light surged, and Suk-ja squealed, ray of light slicing through her closed fist moments before she could trigger the alarm, or, more likely, the sprinklers above. It felt bad, wounding a girl, and an ally at that, but dealing with the situation took priority, and I had a lot of Healing to do after all this was done, so as long as she didn¡¯t die, it wasn¡¯t a problem to add some more to that list. The clean-up is going to be brutal, I expect we¡¯ll be stuck in Korea for a few days...


    ¡°Such a brute, wounding a young girl.¡± Dong said disapprovingly in Chinese, clicking his tongue. ¡°By the Buddha, you should be condemned! Be crushed!¡± The weight I was feeling intensified, as if a giant palm was holding me down, but I pushed back with all my enhanced strength, the difference in our League mitigating the effect somewhat. Choi Ji-ho was screaming at me in Korean, trying to grapple and punch me, but I kicked out, slamming my foot into his knee, though I was surprised that instead of his leg breaking under the blow, he was merely thrown backwards, landing heavily, before scrambling to his feet, eyes bloodshot. As I watched, my eyelids felt heavier than my body, and a voice inside was whispering to me that it was easier to just surrender, go to sleep, and when I woke up, everything would be over, and I¡¯d be happier for it...


    Damn, I hate mind affecting abilities. I¡¯m glad Shaeula didn¡¯t gain her befuddling winds until Las Vegas, or I¡¯d have had no chance against her... and this one¡¯s so insidious, as it¡¯s merely amplifying my weariness, so it¡¯s not something my Spirit Water sees as a curse...


    More focused light flashed, punching through the seating arrayed around the music hall with the hissing of burning wood and the smell of burnt fabric. There was a gentle thud, as the Chosen I had pierced through in multiple places sagged down, unable to fight anymore. Though it¡¯s a miracle they can, anyway, being so mistreated and used up. This Chosen was a young man, perhaps university age, but with pale, straw-like white hair and body so thin the bones were visible, it was a shock he was still alive. No, just like the other one, again he¡¯s dying, without the strengthening effect of the berserk blood, and nothing my skills can do would be able to save him... ¡°Not that I have the leisure to even try.¡± I said bitterly, turning my attention to the members of Inevitable Victory. Suk-ja was surrounded by six spinning blades, seemingly forged from glittering crystal, which piqued my curiosity, but as they spun at me, flying out like bullets, my interest was now more academic.


    ¡°Try what?¡± Choi Ji-ho asked, charging me like an enraged bull. ¡°Those beams won¡¯t hurt me like you maimed little Suk-ja!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but what about this?¡± The dwindling dregs of my earth element surged into the ground, collapsing it into a pit. He staggered, but leapt it easily, as I moved at barely half my enhanced speed due to the drag of Dong¡¯s ability, which was intensifying as he kept his hands pressed together, sweat beading on his bald head. That was enough though, as I brought up my stun-grenade launcher, which was almost empty after dealing with the maddened army, but I still had a couple left. Both detonated as they slammed into Choi Ji-ho, and he was momentarily halted, though sadly it seemed his defence had protected him from the sound blast, but judging by the way his pupils were contracting and expanding crazily, the light had blinded him just fine. Ugh, just getting caught in the backlash from it was painful enough. Poor bastard. Oh well, he¡¯ll thank me after this is all over.


    ¡°Bastard!¡± he cursed, groping blindly, only to squeal in surprise as I darted forwards, grabbing him. I spun him around, and Suk-ja, still clutching her destroyed hand, let out a cry of anguish as her spinning blades of diamond slammed into Choi Ji-ho. Two shattered, and a third splintered, a crazy spiderweb of cracks running through the blade. Two others did no actual damage, repelled by Choi Ji-ho¡¯s so-called impenetrable defence, but that was proved a lie, as the sixth breached it, shearing deep into his shoulder like a drill before Suk-ja called the blades back, the gem now crimson, blood spilling from Choi Ji-ho to the floor below.


    Suk-ja screamed with frustration and anger, calling out Korean words repeatedly I didn¡¯t understand. What I did was that I had found the weaknesses of Choi Ji-ho¡¯s invincible shield, as he called it. At least I think so...


    ¡°She called you a coward and a snake.¡± Dong said unhelpfully. ¡°Your actions are indeed without honour.¡±


    ¡°Honour? What honour is here? Your minds have been clouded, and I¡¯m trying to bring you back to your senses!¡± I shot back, readying my next move, as Choi Ji-ho struggled to his feet, eyes narrowed and barely able to see, one hand staunching the blood from his wound...


    In the Boundary again, the reverse was happening. Rampage was on his knees, another hammer blow from me sending him flying, using the blunt edge of Storming Moonlight, else I would have cut him in half. Lightning flashed, stunning him with the crackling of actinic sparks, making Rampage bellow in pain as the forked bolts passed through him, although the lightning was dimming out, the amount stored within my blade having diminished, and it would need several days to recharge. It was then that a number of barbs extended from beneath me, stabbing into my Brigandine armour, droplets of acidic venom sizzling, beginning to melt it, though the armour was regenerating, slowing the corrosion.


    In addition to Subtle¡¯s sneak attacks, as when I hurled a bolt of flame down at him, he had vanished once more, bombarding me from several dozen metres away with more needle-like quills, another group of Dokkaebi were forming up, surprising me, as I had thought the last of them were dead. There were only a dozen of them, but they were dancing, chanting and whooping madly, and as they did so I noticed they were beside what looked like a small pond. The air around us began to chill, a cold fog drifting around my ankles, and the water began to form a series of jagged spears of ice. With mocking laughter they started to launch them at me in a constant bombardment, keeping me on the defensive.


    ¡°I¡¯ll crush you!¡± Rampage grunted, barely able to move, but he could still use a little earth element, and walls rose around me, preventing my movement, leaving me vulnerable to the icy barrage and Subtle¡¯s constant sniping, or so he thought. Spatial element surged, and I was glad that I had retained it for emergencies, as I appeared beside the group of Dokkaebi shamans, and Storming Moonlight wove a figure of eight as several were decapitated, others sliced in half. The remaining ones made the water explode, heedless of one being shredded apart by the blast, and the remaining couple of survivors cawed in triumph, perhaps having expected me to be pierced by the frozen water and fall prey to the mind control, but their laughs were cut off as they flashed into ether, my blade hewing them apart.


    ¡°There¡¯s still some information distortion. It¡¯s subtle, but... if I move towards where it¡¯s the strongest, I¡¯ll likely find what I want.¡± Taking another few minutes to recharge, while on the Material I stripped down a number of broken musical instruments for their wires, I then took a deep breath, before heading back in, and entered the Academy. Inside, lights were burning, flickering blue and orange like will-o¡¯the-wisps. I had a feeling someone was watching me, so on high alert, I headed deeper in, sword in hand.


    Meanwhile, I was tying the wrists and ankles of the Inevitable Victory with wires from the broken stringed instruments, and as I bound Suk-ja I shook my head at her maimed hand, using a little aether to stop the slow trickle of blood. Once they were secured, my Eye scanning them to see the effects of the Spirit Water clashing with the other water within, I trickled a little more into their mouths, watching it push harder, fighting against the water it saw as a curse.


    After a minute, I turned away, heading for the fallen Chosen. He was fading fast, far beyond my talents to save, so again, all I could do was have his remains taken back to his family, and make sure his death wasn¡¯t in vain. To that end, I performed Chirurgery, rapidly removing the Favour from his body.


    Aergia¡¯s Indolent And Restful Embrace: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????. The wielder can lull those around into a state of sleepy laziness, where the only thoughts will be to rest and be idle. If the affected person is attacked the effect will be weakened, though those with weak minds or already exhausted will often be unable to shake off the effect regardless. Just as Aergia dreams of a world of relaxing, effortless bliss, so too will your life be made easier, as your foes fall under the spell of slothful idleness. Class [Imperious]. Type [Principle]


    The Favour had absolutely no compatibility with me, not that such was unexpected. I was as lazy as anyone my age in my spare time, enjoying reading manga, watching anime, playing games or getting drunk, but I also worked hard to make a living, and since that day Ortlinde appeared, I had barely a moment where I wasn¡¯t working, training or planning. I mean, shit, I¡¯m even in two places at once nowadays, doubling my workload!


    ¡°Shiro, can you hear me?¡± I reported in.


    ¡°Yeah, got you loud and clear. What¡¯s the situation, Aki?¡± her voice came back, without worry, as if she expected me to be all right. ¡°There was a lot of shouting and noise, but we couldn¡¯t hear properly over the wireless communicator. There was one bang that nearly blew my damn ears out!¡± she complained, making me smile.


    ¡°Yeah sorry about that, had to deploy a flashbang, an Ixitt special.¡± I apologised, tapping the earpiece, impressed it was still functional after the battle. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve neutralised the Inevitable Victory, here and in the Boundary. No sign of the Anchor, but the Chosen that makes people fall asleep and weakens them... he didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    There was a pause, and Shiro spoke softly, her tone melancholy. ¡°Got it, Aki. I see. A shame. So, it was as you feared, right?¡±


    I explained the situation and what had happened, only to hear Kang Da over the earpiece. ¡°I see. If they are alive, like Bora-noona, it¡¯s all we can hope for. We¡¯ve been pathetic. Really. So much for the Hunters of Korea.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so down on yourself. Like you said, we¡¯re all alive.¡± I left the auditorium, the drain on my adherence now accelerating due to the third Favour I was carrying, though I could certainly break Aergia¡¯s down safely if required. ¡°And they had some pretty neat skills. Like I said before this, it¡¯s the difference in experience.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we haven¡¯t fought plenty in that other world.¡± Kang Da complained, only to yelp, as if struck, and Shiro was once more on the wireless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his self-pity.¡± she sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the difference in experience, as we¡¯ve said before. Our preparations were far more thorough. And comparing yourself to Aki is stupid anyway. He¡¯s the best. But if you don¡¯t like it, learn from this. Anyone can get to where Aki is. Hell, if you saw Eri, Motoko and Natsumi, who don¡¯t even have the Favours we have, your jaw would drop at what people can achieve if they have the guts and the drive.¡± Lecture given, she continued, as proud as if their achievements were hers. ¡°Aiko is in the Boundary, so I¡¯ll pop in and get her to send over any Golden Warriors she¡¯s managed to resummon. With Ginneka here we can get the spare cameras and laptop there so she can remote them.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± I agreed. ¡°The Boundary is a bit of a maze, and it¡¯s trapped too.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Seems like the weaselkin have run into a few out here as well, but with the last of the problems we know about dealt with, other than the girl who controls the water, they should be able to sweep everywhere else for survivors. So... where do you think she could be?¡±


    Covering my mouth with one hand, resisting the urge to glance up, I muttered my answer. ¡°Judging by the floor plans, there¡¯s a number of choices, but if I had to pick one... the broadcasting room.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, makes sense. That or the principal¡¯s office would be my guess, and they are in the same block. So, Aki, you¡¯ve got this, right?¡±


    Looking back at the now-closed door to the music auditorium, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, as long as nothing else truly unexpected happens, my trump cards should be more than enough. So...¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°it¡¯s time to bring this warped, nightmarish game to an end.¡±

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Seven

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Seven


    I was soon joined by two of the golden golems my sis sent over. I still found it both awkward and somehow amusing that they seemed to resemble my girlfriends, which did make me wonder about my sister¡¯s sanity sometimes. I guess she has always liked poking fun at me, and she laments that the old jokes don¡¯t work anymore. Maybe this is just some new sibling teasing? Oh well, it is performance that matters. These two were Shaeula, though on a larger scale of course, being some six feet tall, and she was carrying a heavy golden staff, while the other was Asha, wielding a wicked double-headed axe, in extremely bad taste, considering she was a Dryad whose other half was a tree.


    ¡°Oh hey bro!¡± My sis spoke out over the equipment on the Shaeula golem, a wireless speaker under the camera around her chest. ¡°This is pretty crazy, how does technology like this even work here?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew.¡± I laughed, still having never resolved why I often felt breathless here, despite not needing to breathe, and not even being truly sure if there was even air in the Boundary. No, there¡¯s an analogue, as some of my previous attacks have shown. ¡°But that aside...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± My sis replied, now all serious. ¡°It¡¯s the crunch time now. We can¡¯t let her get away, right? She¡¯s too dangerous. And also, cornered rats bite, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I agreed. ¡°That¡¯s my concern. She just can¡¯t ignore my incursion. Although the question is, just how much does she know? She¡¯s been stuck playing a warped version of the greater struggle Earth is facing here, so she might not fully be aware of how Conqueror works. But I have to assume she does. If so... she can¡¯t just slip away like you fear, or else the loss of her Anchor will ruin her when I destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s too easy. Nothing goes that way for you, does it bro?¡± my sis said over the wireless. We were moving deeper into the shadowy building and could hear the occasional scuttling of creatures down the distant, twisting corridors which seemed to be longer and turn in directions that shouldn¡¯t have been possible, often descending. Worse, the walls were damp, and the floor was slippery, covered in a thin sheet of ice that shimmered under the dark lights of the torches and lanterns spluttering around us. The footing is terrible, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not the point. The ice is probably laced with her water too.


    ¡°No, though if I say I¡¯ve been unlucky, I¡¯ll probably get divine retribution. I¡¯ve had my struggles, but in adversity we¡¯ve always found opportunity. And this is no different.¡± I took a moment to speak to my sis seriously. ¡°I picked up a Favour from one of the dead. It¡¯s an archery one, and it also involves sunlight. I¡¯m almost certain it¡¯d be a good fit for you.¡±


    The golden statues stopped and there was silence, before Aiko let out a long humming sound. ¡°Wow, cheers bro. You¡¯re always thinking of me. You truly are the king of brocons, but I don¡¯t hate it. You know...¡± I imagined she was biting her lips as she watched the cameras and listened to me. ¡°...before, I¡¯d have ripped your hand off for it, bro. But now... is it fair, taking it? What about those who need one and don¡¯t have one? Besides... I competed against Shaeula¡¯s brother, and I intend to do so again. With my own talents, not those cribbed from some God. Get me?¡±


    I did. Yeah, that¡¯s just like you sis, confident in your sporting, and now I guess in your combat talents. And you¡¯re kind too. ¡°Don¡¯t regret it then, okay? But if I can¡¯t find anyone for it soon, then it¡¯d be a waste me breaking it down, you¡¯ll get it then.¡±


    ¡°Wow, sure. Makes sense. Waste not, want not. But... no, I doubt it¡¯s suitable for Eri, she¡¯s not the brightest of girls, more like the moon than the sun. Motoko and Natsumi, maybe. Though they lack sunlight, but... if I work Ren-kun hard and help out myself, we can make it work, maybe? Or then there¡¯s Bell-chan and Teare-chan.¡± Teare-chan? That¡¯s a new one...


    We rounded the corner of one corridor that sloped sharply downwards into the bowels of the earth, and we discovered that instead of the building we were in before, it opened into a large cavern, stalactites and stalagmites forming toothy jaws in all directions, the obsidian ground slick with water and ice, droplets falling from above. As I carefully explored the underground area, feeling the abnormally high ether density, the golden golems followed me, my sis still talking. ¡°Hinata-chan¡¯s no good, she¡¯s got no combat sense at all, poor girl. Hey, even Ren-kun could probably take it if I beat some archery into him, but... you¡¯d rather give it to someone close to you, right?¡± she said shrewdly, and I couldn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but I want every one of you to have a Favour eventually. If I manage to get hold of enough, then even mom, father, uncle and auntie, the families of the girls... but such is clearly impossible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seems a long shot.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°But as you no doubt learnt from me...¡± I could hear the smile in her voice, despite her obvious exhaustion. ¡°...training and practice never betray you. Whether they get Favours or not, everyone¡¯s growing in their own way. And we¡¯ll continue to do so. So... uh, we got off-topic a bit. If she doesn¡¯t run, then she¡¯ll have to defend the Territory, right? In which case you¡¯ll grab her in the Material. I¡¯d say she¡¯s screwed either way.¡±


    ¡°Oops, there goes more equipment. Don¡¯t bill me, bro, it¡¯s a business expense, right?¡± she joked through the wireless speak on the Asha, though her tone was awestruck. ¡°So... that¡¯s a dragon, right?¡±


    ¡°No, not a dragon. A Wyrm. Kind of like a wyvern, I guess, just more Eastern?¡± It was bigger than the one Shaeula, Grulgor and I had fought back at the start of our acquaintance, and the white scales were tinted blue. Opening a mouth easily big enough to swallow even a troll whole, it fixed an angry gaze on me, as if seeing me as a threat.


    ¡°Okay, so who would put their Anchor in the lair of a Wyrm?¡± my sis asked, only to regret it as her voice drew attention. The Wyrm took a deep breath, water element swirling in like an orange maelstrom, fortifying the shining aetheric energy it was gathering.


    ¡°Over here, jackass!¡± I called, focussing light down to as fine a beam as I could, almost invisible as the indigo shaded to violet, then invisible ultra-violet. The Wyrm screamed, one eyeball bursting, hot liquid sizzling, and its breath went wide, blasting a great groove in the cavern, an eruption of hot steam rising, bathing me and the Golden Sister in a searing embrace. Ouch, warm!


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. The camera was waterproof, but not... not dragon-proof!¡± my sis complained. ¡°You still fine bro, you must be, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just leave it to me. Huh...¡± My Eye detected the answer to her earlier question, and it was one that I expected. As the Wyrm whipped one massive foot at me, talons like broadswords sweeping towards me, I ducked under them, and using the Wyrm¡¯s blind spot, I thrust, blade piercing deep. I wrenched the blade free, and Foehn flared as I poured what I had left into the bleeding wound, the hungry fires eagerly soaking inside and spreading over the scales, blazing merrily, making the wyrm scream, hurting my ears a little.


    ¡°By the sound... here maybe?¡± my sis had her Asha swinging the axe, and landed several blows, striking faint gashes in the scales, before it batted the statue into the lake, where it sank without trace. The momentary distraction allowed me to fire rocky projectiles at the Wyrm, striking the blinded eye, squeezing out more blood and pus, making it bellow in enraged fury.


    ¡°So, she adulterated the water, huh? And therefore you¡¯re her little pet and Anchor guard? Pretty impressive. So, come on then!¡± I waved my sword, its one good eye narrowing balefully as it behld me, the pest that had wounded it twice. ¡°Compared to that piece of ... well, Akoman, I guess, from what my Eye said... earlier, you¡¯re nothing but an overgrown snake!¡±


    The Wyrm was powerful, yes, but the sort of power one could find in the lower Astral aplenty. There was no reason for me to fear him, as long as I kept my calm. As it drew in water element for another breath attack, the Water of Morana also being drawn in, I realised the actual genius of this scheme, as my Spirt Water was surging within me, constantly expelling dark mist. Citrine flame flickered, burning away the mist around me in a brilliant circle, and then my remaining darkness element surged, squeezing myself dry to form another Prominence Dusk, the vivid ring of darkness surrounded by a second halo of light illuminating the cave filled with fog and steam. ¡°Although if it wasn¡¯t me, I don¡¯t see how anyone would get to the Anchor without being controlled by Morana¡¯s Water. You¡¯re sucking it in every time to go for a breath, and swimming in that...¡± I nodded at the great lake. ¡°...strikes me as an awful plan.¡±


    As the Wyrm roared angrily in reply, blind eye weeping and Foehn burning in the gash I had cut in him, I waited for my opportunity to strike back, while in the Material, I had reached my destination, the long hallway where the broadcasting room, principal¡¯s office and several other key facilities lurked. Those traps continued to be annoying, but they were no match for me. I had avoided them all, especially when a certain other condition was present, and now I stepped forwards to the heavy, soundproof door and twisted the handle. Obviously it was locked, but as I rattled it, I knew the one inside would be listening. True to form, moments later the wall-mounted speaker above the door crackled with static, before a frantic voice came from it.


    ¡°Stay back! I... I won¡¯t go quietly! I have a knife!¡± the voice of a young girl, melodious and cute, though the words were tremulous, laced with fear, and in English. ¡°I¡¯ll stab you to death! Or if that won¡¯t work, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll kill myself! I won¡¯t go into the hands of those blood-crazed monsters, and I won¡¯t be one of her slaves! I¡¯d rather die!¡± she declared weakly.


    Turning my attention to the speaker, I pointed, and a green light changed to red, and a second light lit green, so I addressed it. ¡°I see. Then you¡¯re in luck, as I¡¯m not with them. I¡¯ve been sent to secure all the survivors and take them to safety. Though I¡¯m the only one left.¡± I put on an aggrieved face. ¡°There are traps everywhere, explosives and all sorts of nasty water traps. I would have said those were just pranks before this, but...¡± my expression changed to one of sadness. ¡°...I saw what happened to those who got touched by water or blood. I¡¯m fortunate I take my appearance and cleanliness seriously and have been avoiding getting wet before that.¡±


    There was a long silence, before the lights blinked again. ¡°Yes, that... that is fortunate.¡± She agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it all myself, lived through it. It was terrible, terrible! So... you¡¯ll really save me? Take me away from here? Are you strong then? Some of the others who came to save us claimed to be, but the two siblings, they... they killed some and the others became slaves. Those of us who hid, we were like trapped animals.¡± Her tone was impassioned now, full of anger. ¡°The stronger turned on the weaker, and we were just food, or an outlet for sorrow and anger. I... barely managed to escape to here, where I¡¯ve been holed up for a while. So... do you promise? Do you promise to save me?¡±


    I waited for the lights to change, before nodding slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out of here, I promise.¡± I declared, and with that, the locked door made a clicking noise, and I slowly pulled the handle, the heavy door sliding open with a dull groan, scraping along the floor...

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Eight / Side One Hundred And Sixty-One – A Survivor?

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Eight / Side One Hundred And Sixty-One ¨C A Survivor?


    The door opened to reveal a dimly lit room, with banks of monitors above a set of consoles along the back wall. One was flickering, displaying the image from the camera outside, and several others were dimly glowing a dark grey. The rest of the room was cluttered with old furniture, some clothes, what looked like makeshift weapons, and other detritus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± The girl hissed, and I could hear her clearly now the door was open. ¡°There might be others lurking about. And don¡¯t forget, I have a knife!¡± she reminded me, and with a slight smile, I nodded again, pulling shut the door behind me, which slid shut with an audible thump, and I blinked my eyes a few times, as if to get used to the limited light. For the first time I saw the speaking girl, and had to admit to myself I was impressed. I¡¯ve long been used to knowing pretty girls. Eri, my sis. Shiro, Aimi-chan and Hina-chan... to say nothing of my life now. Bur she¡¯s still a match for many, even now...


    The girl hiding, a knife clutched in her trembling hand, was a bit younger than my sis, maybe, and her hair was long, black with dark brown highlights, down below her shoulders, though it was a little dirty and greasy, as if not properly washed with shampoo in a while. Her face was youthful, dark brown eyes crackling with emotion, and she was easily as pretty as Eri. She was wearing a blazer and trousers-style of school uniform, though the blazer and shirt beneath were missing several buttons and were somewhat stained with dirt, but overall she had a beautiful yet slightly boyish look. On seeing me watching, she looked down, before pointing the knife at me warily. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there looking!¡± she continued in English. ¡°It¡¯s not safe to mess around. Besides... you promised you wouldn¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can take you away from here.¡± I repeated. ¡°But do you really think that knife would do anything to me?¡±


    She laughed bitterly, before putting it down beside her, though I noticed she kept it within reach. ¡°I suppose not. Not if you are anything like the two tyrants.¡± She sighed, seemingly exhausted.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com


    ¡°Besides, as far as I know, most of the Chosen here and those slaves are dealt with.¡± I pointed out, and she looked at me, a little surprised.


    ¡°Really? Then... then I can get out of here?¡± She paused, looking down again, biting her lip. ¡°That¡¯s great, but... where are my manners? I¡¯m sorry, being a good girl isn¡¯t a priority in the Academy... just surviving and retaining any human decency is miracle enough.¡± She shuddered theatrically. ¡°I should offer you a drink, you look tired.¡± She rummaged around in the trash next to her, her back to me, and I glanced at her long legs as she produced a pair of plastic cups and a half-full bottle of water. She poured out two cups, looking a little regretful. ¡°I don¡¯t have much, but...¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I said dryly. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡± she said, before nodding. ¡°Oh. Yes. You probably don¡¯t trust me. I understand. The water, of course. I¡¯ve been down here too long, I¡¯ve forgotten how to deal with a normal person, one who isn¡¯t crazy.¡± She paused. ¡°You are a good person, nameless oppa, right?¡± she asked.


    Sitting down on a pipe-chair something was on my mind now, and I didn¡¯t want to rush matters, though obviously time was of the essence when it came to survivors. ¡°I¡¯ve made my fair share of tough decisions, but I always try to be as good a person as the times allow me.¡± I said honestly. ¡°So, first up, who are you, and what happened here in this Academy?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± the girl said, surprised. She picked up one cup, but before it reached her mouth she frowned, setting it down. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense...¡±


    ¡°Oh I know plenty, like what the military told me.¡± I replied. ¡°But that¡¯s no substitute for knowledge on the ground. I want to be sure I don¡¯t overlook anything. After all, there¡¯s still someone at large, right?¡±


    The girl nodded. ¡°Oh yes, I see now. Let... let me be of help to you! I¡¯m so grateful you came to rescue us from this living hell!¡± she declared fervently. ¡°My name is Kim Eui, but you should simply call me Eui, since you¡¯ve come all this way. I¡¯m a second year at the Highschool here at Choe-Museon. As to what happened...¡± She looked upwards, thinking. ¡°All hell broke loose one day. The Chae siblings suddenly took over the school, and nobody knew what to do. Jun-Seo-oppa was not exactly well liked, compared to his sister, but Cho-Hee-unni was very popular. She was almost as pretty as me...¡± the girl laughed, a touch nervously, toying with her hair with one hand, crossing her slender legs as she sat. ¡°...anyway, we didn¡¯t understand it, but that didn¡¯t stop it. Choe-Museon has always been an institution that prided itself on discipline, rigour and solitude. There¡¯s no internet signals, civilisation is many miles away through dangerous mountains, and supplies are only delivered every few weeks by a specialised firm. Sure, there was one emergency line to the outside, but that must have been destroyed, as the adults failed. Useless.¡± Her gaze hardened.


    ¡°I see, but it must have been hard to survive.¡± I prompted, and she looked at me gratefully.


    ¡°It was, it most definitely was, oppa!¡± she agreed. ¡°Choe-Museon is special. The warehouses and kitchens had plenty of food and supplies stored, and since it¡¯s a boarding school, everyone had smuggled sweets and other treats into their dorms, and each side, both the girls¡¯ and the boys¡¯ dorms, had their own kitchen and dining hall, though food was brought in from the warehouses so they weren¡¯t well stocked. But... without people to manage it... waste and spoilage set in. The strong hoarded, and when they realised they could get away with that...¡±


    ¡°...they realised they could get away with doing other things too, taking whatever else they wanted, settling old scores, or simply lost hope, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You understand humans all too well, oppa.¡± She agreed. ¡°While the Chae twins were fighting their little proxy war, groups hiding in their dorms or in various parts of the Academy were relatively safe, but then other groups started... rampaging.¡± Tears formed, glimmering in the corner of her dark brown eyes. ¡°Me... I... I saw terrible things. I saw the boys dragging off girls they liked, even ones they didn¡¯t, and doing terrible things. Some girls preyed on the foolish boys, luring them in and then selling them out... people did anything to survive. Hey, you speak English right, oppa?¡±


    I nodded, and she explained. ¡°I saw you in some of the cameras. Most of them don¡¯t work anymore, the power went down when the government finally acted, though it just made things worse. But this is one of the primary rooms that takes energy from the backup generator, though even that¡¯s almost done.¡± She looked sad. ¡°The cameras aren¡¯t great. But I read your lips a bit, and I saw some English words. Our Academy has a lot of influence from the great Boarding Schools of Europe, including Britain. In fact, everyone here learns English to fluent level, and we do several books in literature class.¡± I wondered why she was telling me this, but I wanted to be sure of something, so I continued to listen. ¡°Shakespeare, of course, the Bronte sisters, some American turn of the twentieth century classics. And... a book called Lord of the Flies. Do you know it, oppa?¡±


    As it happened, I did. I¡¯d read it back in the day, apparently it was one of grandfather Jack¡¯s books mom took with her to Japan. ¡°Yes, where kids trapped alone devolve into tribal, insane behaviour without any rules but what they make up.¡±


    ¡°Imagine how much worse it would have been were it a mixed school.¡± She shuddered. ¡°Oppa... wait, I still don¡¯t know your name.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Akio...¡± I said, and she nodded.


    ¡°Akio-oppa. Japanese? No matter, you¡¯re a hero if you came to save us. Even if it¡¯s too late for most.¡± She titled her head, letting out a sob. She stood, tottering towards me. ¡°There were so many boys, like animals. The screams, the cries...¡± She reached out for me, and seeing me hesitating, scrubbed at her tears. ¡°Please, I need human contact. I¡¯ve been lonely and scared for so long, but it ends today. You¡¯ll take me away from here.¡± As I still looked disinclined to let her touch me, she paused again, her expression so heartbreakingly downcast even I was moved for a moment. Seeing Eri or my sis like that would be dreadful, but...


    ¡°I see. You think I¡¯m dirty. That I¡¯m defiled.¡± She shrank back, and punched over the glasses from earlier, water scattering over the makeshift table. ¡°I get it, I do.¡± She let out a heartrending wail, tugging at her hair, seemingly mad. ¡°I saw terrible things, but... I kept my purity, I swear it. And I made them pay!¡± She grinned lopsidedly through her tears. ¡°They had rounded us all up in a room, but... I had been to the Chemistry lab. I was a member of the Chemistry club.¡± She confided. ¡°So I poisoned them all. And then I rigged some traps to catch those that would come back to their favourite lair. Let the pigs die!¡± she snarled, before looking at me, eyes lowered. ¡°Wait, sorry, Akio-oppa. Don¡¯t hate me, don¡¯t leave me! If you were in my position...¡±


    ¡°If I saw boys attacking girls, I¡¯d have been less merciful.¡± I assured her. ¡°Nothing disgusts me more. I have a sister, a lover.¡± Well, lovers, but that would spoil the mood. Ugh, even with my Split Thoughts, battling the Wyrm while working a complicated task with light element is challenging. ¡°So if I was in that position, I¡¯d have acted.¡± I paused. ¡°Even if a girl was forced against her will, so what? I¡¯m not a girl, so I could never understand the pain, but I know from my perspective I could still cherish them.¡± Haru is not dirty, no matter what she thinks. And I¡¯ll be supporting her until the day she finally fully reclaims what happiness was taken from her.


    ¡°I see.¡± She looked at me for a long moment. ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Akio-oppa. And strong too, yes? You made it here, and you said that everyone else is defeated, barring the last?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chae Cho-Hee, as you called her. Didn¡¯t you see some of the battles over the cameras?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°A little, but many are broken and the power is almost gone. So I can¡¯t waste it, but I heard some explosions, and I wondered...¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Akio asked, and she opened her mouth to answer, before narrowing her eyes, noticing he was wearing an earpiece.


    ¡°Is that on?¡± she asked, and he took it out, shaking his head. She took it from him and dropped it in a ball of water shining with orange sparks, before feeling paranoid and soaking him with a further bottle of liquid. It¡¯d be a shame if he breaks down, but... I didn¡¯t get this far without being careful.


    ¡°Never mind that. I think it¡¯s time. We should be going. But first, go and stop that attack on my Territory, so that I can withdraw gracefully. Then take me out of here as a victim of this mess. Then we can go and start again elsewhere. I¡¯ve done all I can here now.¡± I can hardly wait to get out of this dingy hell. I won¡¯t miss anyone here, they all served their purposes. I¡¯ll be pitied as a victim, and I can turn the wealthy into my puppets, and use them to find others like us to exploit. Grow strong, and save myself, live like the Queen I am. ¡°While you solve my problems, let the Daeva know we are leaving. No, I suppose I¡¯ll see it when I remove any traces of myself here. It¡¯s probably having fun toying with the invaders since it knows losing much of this Territory of mine won¡¯t be critical.¡±


    There was a long pause, and Cho-Hee narrowed her eyes. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my Queen, but it¡¯s impossible.¡± Akio said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out of here, but... I¡¯ve already slain that piece of detritus that you call a Daeva.¡±


    She paused, mouth hanging open. ¡°What did you say? Impossible... but if you are that strong...¡± her mind whirled. This changes things. If the world is doomed and I don¡¯t have it to take me away... no, I won¡¯t be beaten. She chewed on her thumb, thinking. Worst case, I can live any life I choose, ruling over handsome men, every material desire fulfilled, until then, or maybe even grow to challenge the Gods who mocked us all... ¡°In that case, stop the attacks, you said you could, right? If you slew it, it should be easy for you...¡±


    ¡°I certainly could, but... it¡¯s also too late. Because...¡±


    At that moment Cho-Hee screamed, a horrible tearing pain within her, and for a moment she nearly blacked out, losing consciousness, until a surge of dark warmth spread from her, the well of her power fighting back. ¡°You... you...¡± she managed, enraged and confused, only for Akio to shake his head.


    ¡°...sorry, but I also just destroyed your Anchor. But it¡¯s as I suspected...¡±


    ********


    ¡°...but it¡¯s as I suspected...¡± I said sadly. I immediately knew it was her, while I had used light element to mask the glow from my Eye, I easily observed her, and could see Morana¡¯s Divine Favour shining brightly within her. As well as something very interesting that I wanted to analyse. ¡°...you don¡¯t have just one Favour, but two. And the second is abnormal.¡±


    Amber letters burned in my vision, as in the Boundary the disintegrating blood and flesh of the Wyrm drifted down in the dark waters beside me, and below me, at the base of the lake, the Anchor shattered, my attacks overcoming it rapidly.


    Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from Level 21 to Level 22. You have destroyed the Anchor of a hostile Territory. Your class, Conqueror is sufficient to claim and extract the Divine Favour within this Territory and its owner. Your Adherence is sufficient to utilise Morana¡¯s Drowning Lake Of Self-Sacrifice, and you have enough compatibility to possess this Divine Favour and make it your own. This Divine Favour has suffered degradation and encroachment. You may possess or consume it but this will entail some risk of harm, and in its current state the Favour is imperfect.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased...


    As I surged up out of the lake in the Boundary, the battle over, my body was steaming with black mist, Spirit Water counteracting the tainted lake. Likewise in the Material I was similarly exuding expelled curses, though weaving enough light to mask it in the dimly-lit room was a hassle. Worth it though.


    The girl Cho-Hee coughed up dark blood, and her eyes were murderous. ¡°How... how did you resist me? And why? My cunning is perfect, and it assured me none could easily find out about my abilities or what I did here. This was the sealed bottle where I would grow my power until it was... time to... leave.¡± She was radiating hatred, and she reached for her knife again. Ordinarily I would have thought she was done now, but the second Favour, the one that was swirling with the remaining adherence I had lost after my earlier victories, was still fortifying her. And it¡¯s missing something. I can see the areas in other Favours where the mysterious ??????? that my Eye can¡¯t identify should be, but now I have a number of them to compare, I can see it¡¯s almost entirely absent from this knockoff.


    ¡°Sadly, my Eye is actually an eye to see through things, and it pegged you straight away. But even without it, you have tells. You look too clean, and far too well-fed. And come on, trying to make me drink, when you knew I knew the water was tainted? You also swallowed my lie about the nature of the trap. It existed, but not like I told you. It was flammable cooking oils, likely scavenged from a kitchen. And I know you¡¯ve been watching on more cameras than just this one by the broadcasting room, since you read my lips speaking English. So a lot doesn¡¯t add up. If you were this Kim Eui, you¡¯d never have such a prime hiding spot in this school without being hunted down.¡±


    ¡°So... all lies, huh?¡± she laughed. ¡°I was actually in drama club, as well as arts and crafts, and the athletics team. I was the... model pupil. You lied, even to the point of letting me take an eye...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just have regrown it.¡± I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re right, we can grow stronger, smarter. And you¡¯re pretty much a genius, Cho-Hee. You worked out mastering an element by yourself, and your Territory was very cleverly set up. I might learn from that. But... you¡¯re right. You were dealing with people who didn¡¯t know their own strengths, and trapped them all one by one. Even your brother. Don¡¯t you regret his loss?¡± She¡¯s got a lot of power rising, adherence twisted into her Favour. But I want to see how it works a few moments more.


    ¡°Regret him? I only started looking down on him when he grew lazy and arrogant. When we were young, I liked him just fine. But in the end he was a berserk brute. Seeing him cry, wail and beg, then when he realised I¡¯d enslave him anyway, switch to rage and hatred, spitting bile at me... it was so very satisfying. Just as...¡± she suddenly roared. ¡°...it¡¯ll be when I kill you! I¡¯m not done yet!¡±


    She raced forwards, and her body was wreathed in the same sort of dark aether and adherence as the hand had, and her bodily strength was magnified many times over. Her knife flew at me, but I was still faster, especially since her Chakra network was damaged severely by the forceful Conquering of her Favour. Closing in, she looked at me with malicious eyes, then spat her final weapon, a mouthful of dark, oily blood.


    ¡°Too bad.¡± Spirit Water met it, and they detonated, droplets falling like acid, hissing. ¡°I¡¯ve got a very high tolerance to curses.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, fuck you!¡± she cried. ¡°You¡¯re just like all the rest, just like me! You¡¯ve fought, killed, oppressed, taken...¡± She wasn¡¯t giving up, dark finger-like tentacles shifting from behind her, five of them, reminiscent of the Daeva, Akoman. ¡°...I¡¯m not going to be taken from! I saw enough those first few days, and from the stories I heard!¡±


    The fingers closed in on me, but I merely shook my head, recklessly blasting them with Spirit Water bullets, and as they disintegrated away to dust and mist, she gaped, stunned, before gritting her teeth and attempting to stab my throat. Sorry but your knife before only cut me because I let you. ¡°Maybe so. But... I keep my promises. I¡¯ll take you out of here.¡± I said, ground erupting to grab at her legs. As she was held in place, I seized her arms, wrestling the knife free, and aether surged, forming a number of delicate shimmering blades that she couldn¡¯t perceive. ¡°But not carrying any of this inside you. You proved unworthy of it.¡±


    She screamed, convulsing again, as I slashed through the makeshift Favour, having bought enough time to study it while I pretended to be her self-sacrificing servant. As it popped free, my Eye identified it as Akoman¡¯s Well Of Blood, Water And Despair, though the description was a mess. I can handle it later. For now... I¡¯m exhausted. The girl fell limp in my arms, and I had to stabilise her Chakra network, despite my exhaustion, with Chirurgery and Ether Healing, else she would have died from the terrible shock of losing not one, but two Favours in rapid succession. With it came a decent amount of muddy adherence, that which she had absorbed before, and that was welcome, as I was beyond exhausted, and now had numerous Favours greedily sucking me dry. I¡¯ll look at them all and make some decisions later. But for now...


    My work done, I hoisted the girl up on my shoulder, retrieved my shed armour, and let out a weary sigh. Whether she wakes up or not, when she does... she¡¯ll be an ordinary girl again, though maybe able to use a little water element, perhaps. No guarantees. In any case, she¡¯ll have to face justice, but it¡¯s not for me to punish her for her crimes. Unlike Nie Ling, though... I don¡¯t feel any sympathy at all. Maybe it was as cruel here as she said, and she saw terrible things, like Lord of the Flies, this Kodoku in miniature wicked and full of pain, but... she added to it, dragged in others and stirred the pot, and all for her own power...


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± I said, with feeling, leaving behind the broadcast room, burdens in hand, without a backwards glance...

 Four Hundred And Fifty-Nine

    Four Hundred And Fifty-Nine


    ¡°Collecting more girls, I see.¡± Arisu-san said a touch acerbically, as I finally returned to our base camp. Glancing back at the girl slung over my shoulders, I snorted bitterly, before passing her to a nearby weaselkin.


    ¡°Hardly. She¡¯s the mastermind behind this mess, and quite the dangerous one. Come on, I know you were listening through the wireless connection, at least for a while.¡± I rolled my eyes at her sharp teasing. ¡°I¡¯ve stabilised her, so please put her in one of the containment cells. She will likely need more Chirurgery and Healing if she is going to pull through, but I don¡¯t think we should let her die yet, there¡¯s more to decide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we heard it all.¡± Shiro agreed, coming forward, shooting a strange look at Arisu-san, one that I couldn¡¯t quite determine the reason for. ¡°Good job Aki, looks like everything¡¯s been resolved. Tan says that you¡¯re seriously overloaded right now though. She has a few suggestions, of course.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I laughed, watching as Chae Cho-Hee was taken into Arisu-san¡¯s Room. While it seemed a little callous to be laughing having seen what I had seen and learned what I had learned about the Academy and the terrible things that occurred there, the main thing was that everyone who mattered to me was safe, and we had accomplished our mission. The cleanup is going to be truly hell though. ¡°The Favours of the siblings, and the girl had a strange, abnormal second Favour too, and I¡¯ve also got a couple from the virtually dead Chosen they controlled before.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got Mr Super Speed locked up.¡± Shiro grinned coldly. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s been controlled by her.¡± She nodded back at Arisu-san¡¯s Room, the vivid slash in space starting to waver a little, as Arisu-san exhausted herself. ¡°Tan didn¡¯t seem to think so, but your Eye should give us the final details. If not...¡±


    ¡°Again, that¡¯s not entirely up to us. But what we have, we have.¡± I pointed out, and the eager reporter and man on the inside Constantine hurried over eagerly, trailed by his worried sister, and I realised we had been speaking in English out of habit, since it was what we had been using to communicate with, so our Korean allies could understand.


    ¡°Wait, my English is still rusty, but... you were talking about collecting powers, right? What do you do with them? Can anyone? Are you aware of the implications?¡± With each question he uttered, his sister Sophia blanched further, her face ashen. As she tried to wave him to silence, hissing at him in rapid-fire Greek, Shiro was first to speak, and her eyes gleamed crimson, showing Tan was watching carefully.


    ¡°And just what does any of that have to do with you? The implications? Shit, I get it, but do you get the implications of what you¡¯re asking?¡±


    Constantine froze for a moment, his wishes to know warring with his sense of self-preservation, and much to the chagrin of his sister, his curiosity won. ¡°I know you won¡¯t do anything to me, you¡¯re the heroes of Britain!¡± he said, though he sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as well. ¡°Besides, thanks to our information, you avoided some pitfalls. And the world needs to know the truth of things!¡±


    ¡°I see. Perhaps you are right.¡± Arisu-san said to him, her English precise and cold. ¡°But you are also a fool. There are many scary girls and women who flock to this man, and they would be more than happy to disappear you, and make sure his reputation remained unblemished.


    ¡°Maria, Mother of God, this is why I told you to be quiet and give this up.¡± Sophia was praying to herself, but Constantine continued to ignore her.


    ¡°I see. But... honestly, I¡¯m not your enemy! I¡¯m a huge fan!¡± he cried out. ¡°The things I¡¯ve seen... they were frightening and I thought I was dead a number of times...¡±


    ¡°Now you realise it...¡± Sophia muttered, unheard.


    ¡°...but no reporter has seen such, not even those in Britain during the London incident! And I have footage!¡± he grinned, only for Arisu-san to frown icily. Realising his mistake, he moderated his enthusiasm. ¡°I get it. You have your privacy, and there are other considerations. But... I can be sure to put across your viewpoints! Yet it¡¯s been my dream to reveal the truth hidden behind the conspiracies, and...¡±


    Shiro sighed. ¡°Much as I¡¯d have no problem turning him into charcoal and calling it a day, it¡¯d sit badly doing the same to his sister, and you¡¯re too soft-hearted to do it anyway, Aki. However...¡± her eyes narrowed as she delivered her verdict. ¡°...toss it in Hinata¡¯s lap. She¡¯s concerned with your public image, and while those old noblemen have the Japanese media in their grip, the internet is a wild west. Getting out ahead and controlling the narrative could work. Assuming that our man here plays ball.¡±


    ¡°I will, as long as I don¡¯t publish lies, and tell the truth the public needs to know!¡± he agreed, and Sophia sighed in relief, eager for the conversation to be over.


    ¡°All right. Then I¡¯m going to retrieve the poor Inevitable Victory who I took down before. There¡¯s a definite difference between those who were fully controlled by the water, than those who had exposure at a distance.¡± Yes, Cho-Hee¡¯s like Arisu-san, she was able to make her Favour perform in excess of what was intended. Now, can I salvage it, and do I want another? It¡¯s hard to turn down, but then...


    Morana¡¯s Drowning Lake Of Self-Sacrifice - This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????, though it is currently impure and somewhat degraded, and is not functioning properly.


    Using strong Water element, recovery can be hastened for those who drink deep of the waters of the wielder, and abilities can be strengthened, and negative effects of using such abilities mitigated, though using it for selfish ends can cause backlash. ??????? ??????? ??????? can be forced upon others, for self-sacrifice can be unwilling. Those who are bathed in the waters become unable to prevent their sacrifice for the wielder of the Water, and ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????. The Water, if separated long from the Lake within the bearer of Morana¡¯s Favour, loses the ability to command faultless, self-sacrificing devotion, but either a single order can be willed, that the one so afflicted will be forced to carry out, or a general sense of devotion and willingness to sacrifice for the bearer will be imparted. Water accepted willingly will offer harmony, but unwilling consumption can ???????? ???????? ???????? and the sacrifice of that which makes a person themselves is often the price. ???????? ??????????.


    Just as Morana offers herself to the waters to herald a renewal, a strengthening, and those that take up the water find strength in similar sacrifice, so too will you hold the power of recovery and command, though the price must be paid. Class [Legendary]. Type [Principle]


    It¡¯s a strong Favour, but.... It¡¯s messed up. From what I could gather, it was almost designed to be used in a pair with Jarovid¡¯s Blood That Brings Forth Might In Fury.


    Jarovid¡¯s Blood That Brings Forth Might In Fury - This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????, though it is currently impure and significantly degraded, and is not functioning properly, and contains a lingering will, though it bends to you who holds a powerful, pure Water.


    The Favour strengthens blood and will. The bearer can increase their own Might and Fortitude dramatically, as well as an overall increase in performance and strengthening of certain other abilities, though without great Determination and Resilience, and single-minded purpose, victory will be achieved at the cost of great harm to oneself. If bestowed on others, the blood can form a Covenant that likewise strengthens and empowers, yet the price in ruin is hard to bear. ??????? ??????? ??????? can be forced upon others, for victory can be wrung from the unwilling. Those who are bathed in the Blood will find their strengths used for triumph until there is naught remaining but the memory of their berserk sacrifice, and ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????. The Blood retains the power to compel and enrage, as well as strengthen, even if removed from the bearer of this Favour, but the deleterious effects on the mind and will of those afflicted will increase, and the beneficial increases in abilities and skills will likewise decline. Blood accepted willingly will offer the strength to pursue victory, but unwilling exposure can ???????? ???????? ???????? and the destruction of that which makes a person themselves is often the price. ???????? ??????????.


    Just as Jarovid offers his Blood and might to herald a strengthening and victory, and those that take up his Blood shall have the great strength needed to bring forth victory, even should the last drop of blood be shed, in similar sacrifice, so too will you hold the Blood that unleashes might, though such strength comes with single-minded fury, and victory is never without cost. Class [Legendary]. Type [Principle]


    Yeah, the brother had talent too, I suppose. Since instead of strengthening himself and a number of willing allies, he found a way to just exploit others, using them up. I guess the two of them were similar after all. But then, brothers and sisters often are, just look at me and Aiko. Speaking of my sis, she had just returned from the temporary military encampment, checking to see if all the sprinklers had been fully discharged by using the one Golden Warrior she had the strength to summon. Seeing my look, she shrugged. ¡°What, everything¡¯s fine, bro. I destroyed the water tanks, but they were drained anyway. It¡¯s not like my Sister here...¡± she slapped the shoulder of the golden Natsumi ¡°...can get controlled anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I was just thinking about siblings.¡± I waved off her concern, and Shiro shrugged, giving me a warm yet pitying look.


    ¡°Thinking stupid things isn¡¯t unusual for you, Aki. Well anyway, everything¡¯s good now. We lost communication with you when she destroyed your wireless earpiece.¡± Shiro said. ¡°Not that I was worried, I knew there was no way you could be controlled by her.¡± She sniffed mockingly. ¡°You¡¯ve got me, and I suppose the others. There¡¯s no way a girl like her could turn your head.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, nya?¡± Ginneka said, stretching lazily, more relaxed now that the worst of the situation seemed to be over. She was casually showing her cat ears and tail, and Constantine looked enraptured, though I suspected it was more for seeing additional proof of what he was searching for in front of him, rather than out of any sort of lust. ¡°You seemed a little frightened to meeeouch!¡± Her words were cut off as Shiro grabbed her by the ear tightly and tugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite clearly mistaken. I, Shirohime, am always as cold and composed as my name. Now come on, cat. I¡¯m still in charge of this site, and we have to start contacting the outside world. I¡¯d get Haru to do it, but she¡¯s busy trying to soothe the minds of the victims and free them from the control. Aiko, keep watch here and coordinate the weaselkin with Arisu as they bring back survivors.¡±


    ¡°Right. Take Kang Da with you. He can do any necessary translating, and having him watch over his sister like that makes me feel all embarrassed for him...¡± My sis said, a little harshly. ¡°Besides, with my bro here and Haru-chan, she¡¯ll recover just fine.¡±


    With everything agreed, I headed back towards the building that housed the music auditorium. In the Boundary I was collecting the very battered and beaten Rampage and Subtle, while here I would have to carry Choi Ji-ho and his companions, so I decided to take a number of weaselkin with me. But I¡¯m actually looking forward to it. Ot at least to retrieving them. Suk-ja is very interesting, her abilities have piqued my interest. Even now, the slight amount of Crystal element I had absorbed from her destroyed Winged Diamond was interacting very oddly with my skills, though the amount was far too small for any meaningful experiments...


    ********


    ¡°So, is it all over?¡± Choi Ji-ho asked, his expression rather bitter, as I re-entered the auditorium, still accompanied by several weaselkin, though a number more had carried back a handful of fortunate, emaciated survivors, a mixture of soldiers, police, students, one lucky teacher, and a couple of other adults. Still so few, but even this many is something to celebrate.


    ¡°That bitch, that monster! Is... she can¡¯t be safe! Don¡¯t fall for her tricks, mister! Or have you already...¡±


    ¡°No In fact, her brother is dead, and she¡¯s in a coma. It¡¯s over.¡± I promised, and she slumped against the weaselkin who had rescued her.


    ¡°Over? I¡¯m glad. But... but it truly was hell. I don¡¯t believe in magic, but...¡± Scrubbing at tears that wouldn¡¯t stop, she spat out angry words. ¡°Everyone was out for themselves, and since we thought we would die, people did whatever they wanted. I... so many of my classmates were killed, or took their own lives, after... after... me too, I...¡± she paused, still glaring at those around her. ¡°I kept myself safe, as best I could. I prevented the worst, but... those animals, my friends, they... well, fuck them!¡± She grinned then, showing bared teeth, a trace of madness in her eyes. ¡°I killed some of them myself, rapist scum. It won¡¯t bring back the dead, or heal my friends...¡± She looked at the two rescued girls, who were being taken to the Room for medical attention. ¡°...at least they know those that hurt them will never breathe again. I¡¯m smart. Making traps to kill idiots and baiting it with myself... shit. How... how can I go home? How will I live, having seen what I¡¯ve seen, done what I¡¯ve done?¡± As she came close to breaking down, I realised that some of the traps had seemed different to the water and blood traps, and this girl was likely responsible.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°I see.¡± Minister Kang said gravely. ¡°Even as a minor, such acts likely go beyond the statutes of self-defence, but...¡±


    ¡°You might want to be silent now, Minister. Don¡¯t talk about matters that don¡¯t concern you.¡± The pressure of League washed over us. To me and Shiro it was nothing, but Minister Kang shut her mouth, as Haru swept in, dropping a blanket over the ragged uniform and thin, bony shoulders of Kim Eui. Her brown eyes compassionate and brimming with sorrow, she introduced herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m Suzuki Haru. I¡¯m the daughter of Japan¡¯s Minister of Finance, but you don¡¯t care about that. What matters is... I¡¯m a Chosen, and also... I¡¯m already dead.¡± At her words, Kim Eui seemed shocked, and opened her mouth to speak, but with a gentle smile, Haru shushed her.


    ¡°I was weak, and stupid. I didn¡¯t understand what happened, when I got powers like the two who turned your School into hell. I believed I was mad, hid from it... and fell into the hands of one just as cruel as those here. Only... I wasn¡¯t a fighter, not like you. I died, like others did before me, after being... treated like the girls you saw. There¡¯s...¡± her face twitched, and she was breathing fast, but her eyes were resolute. ¡°...healing, in time, and with those who care for you. I still hurt, I still lament and regret, but... Akio-kun saved me, gave me a second chance, revenged me, helped me get closure myself, and prevented more like me. So... don¡¯t hate yourself. Whether you suffered like I did, or just witnessed others suffer... nobody here will judge you. If they do, I shall be rather angry. And if I¡¯m angry...¡± she met my eyes and I nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m angry too.¡± I promised. ¡°Against Chosen, an ordinary person who managed to fight back, that¡¯s worth respect. And I don¡¯t believe that scum who would abuse women, even if they thought the end was nigh, deserve any sympathy.¡± I looked at the Minister coldly, to emphasise the point.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your parents will be relieved you lived.¡± Haru said, and I hid a smile, knowing how much she missed her daddy when she was trapped in the Boundary without a body yet.


    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know.¡± Kim Eui shook her head wearily. ¡°Dad has his company reputation to uphold, and mom cares more about appearances than anyone. If it gets out I¡¯ve been trapped here, whether I got sullied or not, whether I dirtied my hands... they¡¯ll see me as done. They won¡¯t be cruel to me, dad and mom aren¡¯t brutes, but... I¡¯ll be kept out of sight for the rest of my life. Maybe that¡¯s for the best...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Haru looked at me we exchanged some silent thoughts over her Telepathy. I gave my agreement, and she smiled brightly. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be surprised. Grieving parents, finding their daughter alive... they¡¯ll be overjoyed. But I understand you and your worries, your pain. So... you can come to us, to me. And I¡¯ll train you, until you can live with what you did, and find purpose. It¡¯s a once in a lifetime offer. Japan¡¯s not so bad, despite what the Korean media says.¡± She managed a joke, and I was once more impressed with Haru¡¯s progress.


    ¡°I... can I think about it?¡± Kim Eui said, and Haru nodded gently.


    ¡°Of course you can. And don¡¯t worry. Now I¡¯ve made this offer, there¡¯s no way your decision can be gainsaid. Akio-kun won¡¯t let that happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve given our word. But for now... you need a checkup, and then a hot meal and a good rest.¡± I promised, and Haru led her to the Room, as the last few survivors were brought in by the weaselkin and Lee Jong-su¡¯s group. So, seems like that¡¯s everyone. One more pass with search-and-rescue radar and then we¡¯re done. My Eye couldn¡¯t see anyone else, but the distance was far, and I couldn¡¯t spare much energy right now, so checking manually was necessary. It¡¯s finally over.


    ¡°So, uh... it¡¯s over, huh?¡± My sis asked, echoing me, and I nodded. At that she asked me a question, as she looked at Kim Eui with sympathy. ¡°So, bro... if I was in her situation...¡±


    ¡°Then do what you have to do. I won¡¯t shed tears for those that hurt others for their own pleasure. And even those controlled... you¡¯ve no obligation to die for others. Shit... that¡¯s probably why Ling¡¯s situation is such a conundrum. Though there¡¯s still a world of difference in defending yourself with lethal force and actively seeking out and killing others to save yourself. But... whatever you do, your big bro will help you bear it.¡±


    ¡°Same for us?¡± Shiro said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Same for you, and all the others. So you don¡¯t have to bear it alone. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°You are.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°So... I can see excitement in your eyes. You¡¯ve got plans, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Now this situation is done, we need Hinata¡¯s and the advice of the nobility and Japanese government before we can progress here. But some things won¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Trouble?¡± My sis asked, and I reassured her.


    ¡°No, not really. Favours.¡± I chose my words carefully as we weren¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Yes, Tan has some things to tell you regarding them.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°But not here. You must be running on empty too. It¡¯s been some tough battles.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m exhausted. But also excited. So I¡¯m going to dismiss myself and you can meet me in the Boundary. Sis, you handle things here, Ginneka, Haru and Arisu-san can support you.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, bro!¡± My sis saluted heroically. ¡°¡±I¡¯ll let Hinata-chan hear the news, that we fulfilled our mission and then some. I¡¯ll also let Eri and the others know we¡¯re all safe. And...¡± she looked at the bemused, silent Foreign Minister Kang. ¡°...as for that Favour... don¡¯t screw up bro. I¡¯ll take it if there¡¯s no other decent choice, but... I don¡¯t want Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan or anyone we like to be helpless, bro. Not like the kids were here.¡±


    ¡°Kids, huh? Aren¡¯t they not much younger than you, Aiko?¡± Shiro teased, and she shrugged.


    ¡°You think? I¡¯d say I have enough experience to... ugh, okay, bad phrasing. Not that sort of experience. But what with Eri in Kyoto, and the battles I¡¯ve seen... I know my stuff. So yeah. I¡¯ll keep getting stronger, however I can, but not at the expense of the others. After all...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I could never have grown stronger without everyone. Shaeula taught me how to set up a Chakra Network and it turned out abnormally good, Tan¡¯s provided knowledge, Motoko and Natsumi taught me to fight, alongside Ulfuric...¡±


    ¡°Hinata-chan told you how to shut your mouth and not be an idiot.¡± My sis laughed, and I conceded the point.


    ¡°Daiyu as well, with Cultivation. Asha with her Tree, Hyacinth allowing us to reclaim the Spring, Kana and Eri taught me things too, mostly about myself, you too, Shiro, and Tsukiko showed me destiny is what we make of it... everyone¡¯s done their part. And thanks to that I¡¯ve helped everyone grow stronger too in turn. We¡¯re far, far greater than the sum of our parts, and now...¡±


    ¡°...and now, you¡¯re about to create some new parts?¡± Shiro winked. ¡°Right Aki?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. If I can. It might not be possible, it probably isn¡¯t, but if we can¡¯t do it with working together, then it wasn¡¯t meant to be. And we¡¯ll still make a profit regardless. Oh, that reminds me, pass on a message to Daiyu for me...¡± As I rattled off the words quickly, I was eager to get started. We¡¯ve never had such opportunities before, and I certainly can¡¯t keep this all together for long, so... we have to seize this chance, and truly push ourselves to the next level...

 Four Hundred And Sixty

    Four Hundred And Sixty


    Stifling a yawn, I greeted Shiro as she appeared in the Boundary. There was no need to be concerned about the protection of her Material body, with Haru, Ginneka and my sis there, but she must have been thinking along similar lines, as she stretched lazily, arms above her head, and grinned. ¡°You know, I¡¯m damn envious of you Aki. Being able to be in two places at once is pretty awesome. If I could do that too, we could go on two dates at once.¡±


    Laughing, I disagreed. ¡°Maybe physically, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯re clones. If I was cloning myself I¡¯d never trust them. It¡¯s just perceiving two things at once. So it¡¯d still be one date, just in two places at once and much more stressful on the mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think any of us would like clones either.¡± Shiro smirked, sitting down and crossing her legs. ¡°There¡¯s only one Aki, thank all the Gods. But it¡¯s kind of cute how predictable you are. Wouldn¡¯t want to let another version of yourself get close to us. But I think it would still definitely have its perks, being in two places at once. Oh well... time to get down to business.¡± Her black eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict? We can speak freely here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So it¡¯s like this...¡± I explained about the Favours I had obtained, and Shiro nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, setting aside that last one, Tan has something to say regarding Jarovid¡¯s Blood. I¡¯ll let her take the stage.¡± Her eyes and hair burned red, tongues of flame licking at her long locks. ¡°Yes. I do indeed have a matter to discuss. However...¡± Tan hesitated, which was unlike her.


    ¡°Is it something you can¡¯t say? I don¡¯t want to get you into any trouble, though of course we are endlessly grateful for your help up to now.¡± I flattered her, but it was the truth. Sometimes what Tan didn¡¯t say and how she refused to say it allowed us to get information she claimed she wasn¡¯t prepared to provide.


    ¡°It is... complicated.¡± She said at last. ¡°I find myself in quite a quandary. I did not expect things to fall into line this way. I believed I could seize this world with the strange Fate I encountered here in the princess. I do not believe I was wrong. Now it surprises me that my surest path to victory here seems to be triumphing in a simple wager.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a win or lose thing.¡± I said, though I admitted to being rather troubled about the agreement, even if I understood it. Tan¡¯s an ally, and one I trust, especially with Shiro¡¯s safety. But we have some conflicting goals, so turning her into a true comrade, one following our lead, would offer reassurance. And if we lose... she will do her best for us, and even if it ties us into following the lead of Tan and her Pantheon, at least we¡¯ll still have a good chance of helping Earth survive. Even so... ¡°The winner won¡¯t forsake the loser, right? We can¡¯t, can we?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tan said, after a long pause, and seeing her melancholic expression on Shiro¡¯s face was odd, yet somehow fresh. I had seen a gloomy Shiro many times, but seeing Tan¡¯s take on the emotion was a rather intriguing experience. ¡°However, while this certainly does touch on a matter I cannot speak of nor explain properly, both because I am forbidden by our compacts and also you would not be able to comprehend it anyway, I am more conflicted because it has some influence on your side of this wager.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± Shiro suddenly spoke, aping my sister. They¡¯re already starting to copy each other¡¯s quirks a little. That gives me a headache. ¡°...Tan, you¡¯re so confident you are going to win, but... you do think highly of Aki, I see. You worry giving him some ideas might help him succeed, even though what Aki wants to do is if not impossible, the province of a very few skilled individuals, in your mind. Damn, that¡¯s almost cute.¡±


    Tan actually flushed, dyeing Shiro¡¯s face a faint red, before curling her lips into a wicked smile. ¡°You think you can tease me, mock me, princess? Then know, if I am to offer my aid, I will need to descend once more.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit. Damn, hoist by my own petard there, I see.¡± Shiro rattled off a British idiom, and I wondered where she got it from. Mom maybe? She really likes Shiro, and no wonder... ¡°I¡¯m already so damn tired and aching after before, and I know you want me to hand out buffs like candy, and now a second Divine Possession too? Damn, you pair are ruthless. Hmm, I need compensation! Eri¡¯s getting her holiday, right? I¡¯m not so greedy, but at least a date night like Kana got seems fair.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I conceded happily. ¡°But it might have to wait a while, as we¡¯re going to be busy. Anyway, Tan, if you think you¡¯re disadvantaging yourself, we can amend the terms of the wager...¡±


    ¡°You think I... Tan?ha? the Thirst, daughter of great Mara, a Divine being from far above, should be intimidated by you?¡± She sounded offended, and I could almost hear Shiro commiserating me. ¡°You think very highly of yourself, I see. Though I do concede you have several unexpected advantages, and have unprecedented growth. So I shall not be careless. But do not insult me. I am not one of these Fae, unable to break given word and tell lies... nor you.¡± She noticed shrewdly. Of course, I avoided lying to Chae Cho-Hee as much as possible, especially when it came to promises. As a Faeduine it doesn¡¯t sit well with me, and leaves me physically uncomfortable. ¡°But to do so would be to admit I am beneath you. And you may have impressed me a number of times, again this day, but I am not ready to concede unless I must. My sisters would mock me endlessly, just as they did when the Buddha walked on by. So if you wish to pity me, first subdue me, Akio.¡±


    Akio, huh? Tan rarely used anyone¡¯s actual name, so that surprised me a little, but I guessed it was a declaration, of sorts. Nodding to show I understood her intent, I apologised. ¡°Sorry, yeah, if I¡¯m going to beat you I can¡¯t be stupid enough to refuse charity. So, what did you want to discuss about Jarovid¡¯s Blood? It¡¯s kind of broken at the moment...¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I felt the corruption when we confronted the feeble brat who was misusing it.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°But more to the point, the underlying gift... it is perfect for you, yet also not. But also perfect for the princess here, and also not.¡±


    ¡°I see. You mean... we have no compatibility, but we would be able to use the power effectively? I get it. I use a lot of Body Enhancement, and Shiro is basically a buffer...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m badass DPS too when Tan takes over.¡± She interjected, only for Tan to silence her.


    ¡°This is not the time for jokes, princess. This is a time for... ambition.¡± Tan was deadly serious. ¡°Your perception is keen, and your Eye, that sweet, delectable Eye, it shows you much. I still can hardly believe the foolish Valkyrie who brought down such a thing. If the leaders of the World Tree discover that, I expect her to be soundly punished. Yet perhaps she was right to risk a treasure upon a bold strategy, much as I did. Perhaps we are kindred spirits, and would have much to talk about over food and drink.¡±


    That would be quite the restaurant bill, I¡¯m sure. Occasionally, Tan would take over Shiro and gorge herself, and she could eat as much as twenty or thirty people, easily. Though Shiro didn¡¯t like me to be around when that happened, feeling embarrassed. ¡°What you¡¯re saying is, if we can repair it, either Shiro or I could use it? But then...¡± With all my Split Thoughts, including my newly acquired threads, now concentrated here in one body, I rapidly churned my brain, sorting possibilities. With my high Intellect, I was able to simulate things well, and while it didn¡¯t help with emotional intelligence much, being as I was still the same me I had always been, much to my embarrassment at times, when it came to computer-like calculation, modelling and so forth, I was a supercomputer. Hell, I¡¯m even running multi-threaded right now.


    Realisation dawned on me, and I said to Tan what my conclusion was, sparked by her words from before. If it can help me with my wish to replicate my Eye for my sis... and honestly, when it works once, Shiro, Tan, the others... ¡°You mean to split the Favour apart? Each of us taking the part that we are suited for? Is that... even possible? Wait...¡± I ran more simulations, and realised I perhaps had one of the keys to unlock this massively difficult problem.


    ¡°Possible?¡± Tan snorted. ¡°Of course it is possible. The Favours are created, are they not? It is hardly a stretch to assume they can be changed, manipulated. For you? I am almost certain not. Even I cannot create a Divine Favour of my own, I brought the Favour of my father with me. It requires a great deal of talent and skill, honed over long years and centuries. You have but what... months? No, just as to be Divine requires a suitable League, and to be called a true God would also require great control of and focus of an adherence that was suitable... you cannot make a Favour with just that, though without ether and adherence you can craft nothing, of course.¡±


    ¡°The missing element.¡± I surmised, getting a hint from her words, and also the mess of a Favour that was Akoman¡¯s Well Of Blood, Water And Despair. Even holding it was causing me a lot of discomfort, and made my Eye labour to perform properly. The description itself was fragmentary and garbled, question marks, strange symbols, letters in various Earthly and likely unearthly alphabets all in a tangle. All I can really decipher is ... Increases strength of the bearer by... erodes the mind of those afflicted by the Blood and Water... gathers the Adherence of Chaos and converts it to... plus the odd word here and there. Not nearly enough to make guesses based on my Eye alone. But...


    ¡°This is as much as her body can bear. Even if the princess could hold more of my Thirst, this fragile Boundary would suffer. So... explain. What am I to do?¡±


    I used my slowly recovering light element to shape some images, and explained. Tan nodded, beautiful ruby eyes distant, as she pondered. Finally she bowed her head a final time, having understood. ¡°I see. I force my adherence and the surrounding ether into these packages, that which you call quanta. Like light. I believed light was simply light, not... these waves and particles, yet both and neither at the same time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s even more confusing when you discover light element can act the way we thought light used to, before all that. After all, I¡¯m creating stationary images, which should be impossible with a fixed speed of light, without constantly refreshing it and having the light scatter.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Again, knowledge helps shape power. So that¡¯s why I think we have a shot here. Because we have ways of gaining knowledge others may lack.¡± Though of course, the Pantheons can draw on multitudes of worlds and their knowledge, as well as beings who have lived for hundreds, thousands or hell, maybe even millions of years. Just because what I do here is unprecedented for Earth, that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t happen elsewhere. After all, the Favours were made by others to start with. But that means if we want to protect Earth, we have to go beyond the rules of this game, the Kodoku ritual they¡¯ve set up for us.


    ¡°I shall begin. Watch carefully, for I cannot abide wastage of my precious strength.¡± Tan warned, and a shimmering, near-invisible cloud of adherence like a hungry flame formed, before splitting into a thousand small particles, then ten thousand. The manipulation she was displaying was far beyond my skills, and as ether around us responded too, forming similar numbers of tiny probing particles, I watched on in eager awe. No matter how good my skills, I¡¯m still no match for Tan. Nor would I expect to be, honestly. But when you see a higher peak, as Daiyu would say, then you know you can climb it if you only have the will and put in the effort. She¡¯s the highest peak I¡¯ve seen, so it¡¯s only natural to want to look down on her in triumph from on high.


    ¡°This is... intensely challenging.¡± Tan managed. ¡°Such fine control would be unnecessary in battle, but perhaps for tasks I am unsuited for, such as creating a Favour... it is, perhaps, excellent training as you might say. I have been corrupted, but whatever happens, at least I wish to return to my father stronger, so he will not scold me.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I managed. Most of my Split Thoughts were running calculations, while my Eye observed what I could. One was directing my remaining elements to etch a perfect copy of what I was seeing in the solid rock of the ground, preserving it for later. I¡¯ll get Ginneka to move it to the Material once we¡¯re done... It was fascinating, and the Favours I was holding, while not being tangible, existed attached to me, drawing on my adherence to sustain them, and therefore I could present them for Tan.


    There¡¯s three distinct patterns. Morana¡¯s and Jarovik¡¯s Favours are showing a response in places similar to Akoman¡¯s, which is completely abnormal compared to Aergia¡¯s Favour and Jumong¡¯s. As I suspected, just as ether gathered into a condensed form, as evidenced in the times my Silos had overflowed, leaving great clouds of silver and prismatic material behind, adherence had form too, it was so thick as to be visible under the Tower of London. And while that didn¡¯t mean it would react with things, just as Neutrinos could pass through a planet without stopping, there were the rare instances where contact would still happen. And it seemed that ether and adherence were not as ghostly as Neutrinos, more like cosmic rays, energetic and active.


    ¡°I feel great chagrin that I am learning much from this.¡± Tan declared, though her tone was weary, and silver sweat beaded her beautiful, chocolate-skinned face. ¡°How disappointed you must be in us.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. It¡¯s the Elf dilemma, sometimes called the Immortal¡¯s Paradox.¡± I shook my head, concentrating still, absorbing every detail of the pattern, feeling the differences, and more importantly, the areas where ether and adherence reacted with something I couldn¡¯t perceive or conceptualise. ¡°Any long-lived species should be impossibly wise and knowledgeable, but there¡¯s reasons they aren¡¯t. Lack of urgency, for one...¡±


    ¡°The princess thinks the same.¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Elf dilemma. I see. How very... apt. Yes, I have lived far in excess of your years, and I have learned much and grown strong, but... compared to the endless hurry you are all in, your progress... I have lazed around in my own bitterness, and pursued my own enjoyments. Though now we have some troubles to motivate us all. Perhaps that will change.¡± She continued to deftly manipulate the energies around us. ¡°Yes, with endless eternity, motivation is hard to grasp, for what can be done today can also be done in one of the innumerable tomorrows. That makes me curious.¡± Her eyes met mine. ¡°You are not mortal now, your lifespan is indeterminate, but will be perhaps in the thousands of years, even without further growth. Will you too lose your drive? Your passion?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure what the future holds. But no, I don¡¯t think so. Not for now, anyway. For as long as everyone I care about has a finite, short human life, I want to grasp every moment. So I still have goals that I need to achieve. And sure, today I¡¯d rather be on a date with Shiro rather than having to see this horrible school and push her through this Divine Possession, but... I¡¯ll do today what we must, so that we can enjoy those leisurely tomorrows.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tan snorted. ¡°I am indeed a fool.¡± She refused to elaborate at my questions, and her adherence surged, magnified, and more of it was striking the Favours.


    ¡°I see. So, disregarding the centre, Tan, your adherence is thirst and flame, right?¡±


    She agreed, and I asked my next question. She looked at me in shock, before her eyes narrowed. ¡°Yes, I can indeed taste the difference. I am quite the gourmet. As you well know.¡± She licked her lips, which were now cracked and dry. ¡°But to think that could be a method of discrimination. Very well.¡±


    The frequency of her adherence changed, and we were now probing something slightly different. The images I was carving changed, and soon, we had the answers I sought.


    ¡°Akoman¡¯s Favour is a jumble, but it has pieces of the adherence from the other two Favours within, and they too have his dirty crap mixed in. Though I don¡¯t think that Akoman¡¯s Well can be considered an actual Favour. Not without the missing piece. All it is seems to be a linked receptacle, passing crap both ways. Then it accumulates adherence, of a flavour of chaos, I guess... and sure, this Academy was the epitome of chaos. And then it uses that to strengthen Cho-Hee, but in exchange, erodes her sanity. Hmm...¡± I frowned, and Tan pinched me sharply, the pain making me look up, shocked.


    ¡°Do not think what you are thinking. The princess advised me you would be musing on pointless foolery. That girl was committing atrocities before she was ever tainted, such is clear. And a fake, fragmentary piece of garbage like the Akoman here would not be able to achieve much without her enthusiastic agreement. So feel no sorrow for her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard, but you¡¯re right. In the end, what matters is her victims. Shit, those two working together could have been a real force for good in Korea, for the world. So... we have to make their failure matter, and the sacrifices of the dead and traumatised worth it.¡± It was arrogant of me to say such, but to be Astral Emperor was to carry that weight, and the more I saw, the more I was sure I could only trust myself to take that role. Although... Tan is not nearly as bad an option as I first feared, I think. But I won¡¯t lose.


    My perception was sharpening. I could now see shades of green and blue on the ether, and even some flashes of darker indigo and violet. Ether was not created equal, I already knew that, but just like Etherites, there were flavours, and while ether was ether, I tried drawing in the scattered purple motes that didn¡¯t meet resistance as Tan probed, and attempted to feel the differences. Yes, like that. Unlike Etherites, which contained a greater density of ether as the colour shaded towards blue, the darker ethers seemed simply more reactive, eager to break into aether that would obey my will. Fascinating. It¡¯s so much easier to tell when you have red and indigo to compare... so logically, adherence...


    Tan tilted her head, seeing I wasn¡¯t examining the Favours as closely. ¡°I am not willing to waste my efforts. Please concentrate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am.¡± I agreed. ¡°But... adherence has flavour too, though unlike the more regimented colour type of ether and Etherites, it¡¯s...¡± Contrasting the adherences I had collected, looking at Tan¡¯s in comparison, I started feeling the difference. Pouring only the finest of ether to my Eye, I tried to extract the maximum possible information on each flavour. No... actually I¡¯m wrong. Adherence has an underlying colour too, I think. Does it depend on the flavour, or the purity, or the strength? I can¡¯t quite grasp it...


    Your skill, Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge, has increased from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your Eye sees deeper into the fundamental forces that govern the Material and Astral Worlds. You can perceive all flavours of Ether, and control it and the Aether created from it with greater ease and dexterity. You have the ability to perceive the underlying principles behind Adherence. Due to the temporary strengthening of Anesidora¡¯s Blessing From The Box, your Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge has reached Rank 6, and the first bottleneck has temporarily been breached. The weight of the Tree of Knowledge is...


    Suddenly I could see so much more clearly, and the adherence and aether was revealed to me, and I could even see a shadowy something within the voids of the favours. Yet at the same time I was connected to such an overwhelming weight of knowledge, I could feel my consciousness crumbling, and my perception being pulled upwards. Desperately delaying with my Split Thoughts, each one lasting merely moments before shattering, I unleashed my elements, searing my thoughts and insights into the ground as quickly as I could, before only a single thought was left...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-One / Side One Hundred And Sixty-Two, Ortlinde, Valkyrie of Tyr

    Four Hundred And Sixty-One / Side One Hundred And Sixty-Two, Ortlinde, Valkyrie of Tyr


    ¡°Ortlinde, little sister, sister!¡± A cheerful voice interrupted Ortlinde from her reverie. Instinctively, she ran a hand through her long, flaming red hair, before looking at the speaker, Siegrune, whose eyes were sparkling with impish mischief.


    ¡°Sister, you looked lost in thought. But don¡¯t worry, times might be hard, but there¡¯s always still alcohol and good food. If the tables run dry in the Halls of Valhalla, then we truly have reached the end.¡± With her orange eyes and brilliant aqua hair, Siegrune was as energetic as she looked. No, that does not matter now. Not at all.


    Spoiler


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    ¡°If Brunnhilde or Gerhilde were here, they would chastise you for your attitude.¡± Ortlinde managed, only for Siegrune to look at her with a trace of pity.


    ¡°Of course they would, but if we can¡¯t joke about in times like these, when can we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Another voice agreed, and she turned to see Rossweisse, her petite frame yet ample chest balanced with her light pink hair and white eyes making her seem almost childlike, yet, with book in hand, she was studying strategy, more diligent than any of the other sisters, even if she was less serious than Brunnhilde. ¡°It¡¯s not all bad. Things are always darkest before the dawn, and we won again, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Ortlinde always found it hard to put her feelings into words. After all, the nine of them were the youngest of the Valkyries, and so felt they had a lot to prove, especially now, since times were changing so much. Change is a frightening thing, even for us youngest. We know little that is different, but seeing the sorrow on the faces of the elders, sensing their uncertainty that they try to keep hidden from us... ¡°...it isn¡¯t that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know what it is, Rose.¡± Siegrune used a familiar nickname for the other Valkyrie. ¡°She¡¯s worried about the new delivery. I mean...¡±


    ¡°No, it is not that I worry...¡± Ortlinde interjected. ¡°It is just... we should be able to do more. Merely delivering a chance of salvation sits poorly with me.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I get you.¡± Siegrune nodded. ¡°But what can we do? The Allfather and our parents have their reasons. Besides, if we do more, then it¡¯ll just lead to the other Pantheons going all out as well, right Rose?¡±


    The petite Valkyrie agreed. ¡°Yes, while I agree it is unfairly stacked against us, in favour of the Ninth Heaven, at least this way we aren¡¯t spending our strength fighting each other when we have a common problem.¡± Closing her book, she steepled her fingers under her chin and observed Ortlinde, which made her want to look away, but she met her sister¡¯s gaze defiantly. ¡°Perhaps you regret persuading us to take the Fruit of the World Tree, rather than handing it over to the Allfather? If so, you persuaded me, and I still agree with your impassioned pleas and worthy logic, so set that regret aside. The Fruit would have been useful to the Allfather, but it would be a known quantity. I agreed there was a need for boldness, if we were to prove ourselves of use to our older sisters and our parents. Even eldest Gerhilde and wisest, most straightlaced Brunnhilde were persuaded. The fact that it may not bear fruit...¡± she coughed, flushing a little, embarrassed by her inadvertent pun. ¡°...does not invalidate the merits of the gamble. For you are surely right, sister. If things continue as they are, matters will surely continue to decline. Repeating the same acts again and again, expecting better results, is simply abrogation of logic.¡±


    ¡°I do not see why we have to quarrel, when worlds fall. Surely, with a common enemy...¡± Ortlinde tried to protest, only for Siegrune to slap her shoulder sympathetically.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°Come on, we may be young, but we¡¯ve been around a long time, littlest sister. Arguments are always settled by power. It¡¯s always been that way, before we were even born, and always will be, when we are long gone. Nobody wants to compromise if they don¡¯t have to. You¡¯re too soft-hearted. It¡¯s why we agreed with you, in part. Who doesn¡¯t want their youngest sister to be happy?¡±


    Ortlinde sighed, but wasn¡¯t entirely miserable. ¡°I know. I know. But it seems so ... backwards. Perhaps the Allfather, our parents, they see things we do not, I would hardly dare to assume I see as far as the giants who have nurtured the World Tree for a near eternity. But...¡±


    ¡°It sounds to me like you do assume, Ortlinde.¡± Rossweisse covered her gentle smile with one hand, as prim as ever. ¡°But then, I understand. I like to study strategy as well, to improve myself. But alas, with the One True Throne uncooperative, and many Pantheons even now refusing to come together, all we can do is what we do. And... at least you know yours still live, no? From the Seeds?¡± Rossweisse puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°Mine too. And only Schwertliete and Helmwige can claim a survivor. Six from eighteen, but it is fitting two are yours.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but... those twelve were killed by us.¡± Ortlinde said, only for Rossweisse to disagree.


    ¡°No, those were killed by mischance. Just as we gave the Divine Favours to a fresh world recently, and many, if not all will perish. At least for the survivors, we know. But...¡± she exchanged a glance with the teasing Siegrune, who finished for her.


    ¡°...even if they all die, it was meant to be. We gave them a chance. Seeds grow best in virgin soil, and most plants wither and die due to poor weather, lack of sun, pests or vandalism. Not every sapling can become a World Tree. That¡¯s why many seeds are sown. Do not weep for the seeds that perish, sister, but rejoice at the bravery of those that took a chance without taking the easy way... huh?¡±


    ¡°She has stopped listening.¡± Rossweisse said, halting Siegrune¡¯s flow. ¡°That isn¡¯t like our serious, diligent youngest sister, but... see? Her eye is glowing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think it¡¯s her second one, having reached a level to unlock some of the power that lies within the Seeds? If so, she¡¯s fortunate indeed. Only her first and one of yours has...¡±


    Ortlinde could hear their voices, but they faded away and she found her consciousness being drawn along the threads that connected her to the bearer of the Seeds she had persuaded her sisters to withhold. It was destiny one of the rare Fruits of the great Tree fell into our hands. I knew then I had to take a chance, but...


    Her eyes went wide with surprise. ¡°You? Again? No... not quite. You come to me strangely.¡± She looked at the man in front of her, who seemed surprised and highly pressured by something, his eyes unfocussed. But on hearing her words, he snapped back to focus, though the effort beaded sweat on his brow.


    ¡°Exposition-san? No... Ortlinde. Sorry. The name has stuck with me.¡± The man said, though he sounded a little unsure, and she had a realisation. ¡°Of course. You would remember little, separating your spiritual body is a strain enough for a weak mortal. The Silver Cord would be stressed severely, which is why...¡± Her golden eyes went wide as she looked at where the Cord would be, and she felt a surge of despair.


    ¡°It broke? No, it was always a risk, which is why the Favours we passed to you were tied up in the Seeds, but... you reached me before, and...¡± Her heart cracked, and her worries that her sisters had identified within her surged anew, making her regret her choices. You were a brave one. Starting from nothing, you gained a measure of strength. But strength alone is not enough, you need Fortune and Fate on your side as well...


    ¡°Hey, calm down.¡± The man, Akio, said, seeing her distressed expression and the direction of her gaze, though he closed his legs coyly. ¡°If you¡¯re worried I can¡¯t survive up here, then...¡± he stifled a groan. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s rough, but not due to that. Right now I don¡¯t have a Cord, as I¡¯m purely using a spiritual body. But I¡¯m not dead. Far from it.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± Ortlinde¡¯s spiritual body wasn¡¯t truly descending, nor was his ascending, but merely using the connection that acted on higher principles Ortlinde wasn¡¯t truly qualified to understand. Nor do we fully understand the Favours we pass on, so perhaps what we did was imperfect, though between the nine of us, and what we asked... I believe we did acceptably well. Even so, they had theorised that it would put great pressure on the Silver Cord of those they chose, so there were risks, as she had just expressed.


    Eyeing Akio closely, she was surprised to see he was indeed different. ¡°Wait, yes, you seem more than mortal now. No, that is hardly important.¡± She glanced at the golden thread connecting their wrists. ¡°I see. I should congratulate you. But you seem to be suffering. Reaching for power beyond your means is...¡± she was about to say reckless, reminding him of his original caution, which she found a little comical, but not unwise, only for him to surprise her.


    ¡°...necessary. I can¡¯t protect anything without power.¡± He grinned, and while it was reminiscent of some of the smiles she remembered during her brief moments with him, it was more confident, and deeply knowing. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t remember this again. I forgot you before, sorry. Only recalling scattered fragments. Oh God, that damn Tree...¡±


    ¡°I see. You are resonating with the Seeds. As I had believed you would.¡± Ortlinde felt satisfaction, her heart feeling lighter, as at least one of her two charges was doing well. And the other yet lives, so there is hope. ¡°Though I feel I must apologise. To reach this place you must have discovered it. That I held you back. Though not without good reason, bitter though it might be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The slower, better way. I get it though.¡± Akio laughed, though his face was pained. ¡°It¡¯s like Cultivation, in a way. You build the most strength by starting from the foundation, and shortcuts always cost you in the end.¡±


    ¡°But even so, to face those who had full access to their Favour... I did not tell you everything. Yes, I hoped that you would rise to the challenge, that your caution would not hold you back too much, so that one with power already would hew you down as a mere sapling, but... I still feel I did you wrong.¡±


    ¡°Even though it wasn¡¯t. Sure, I could have used more knowledge, but... telling me I¡¯d face bastards like Kondou Kazuo before I had power on par with his might have broken me. And compared to other Chosen I¡¯ve talked to, you were positively eager to share and prepare me. So don¡¯t feel bad. No...¡± he amended with a wry smile. ¡°Still feel bad a bit. So answer me a question.¡±


    ¡°I am still limited in what I can say, else I would have said more. Surely you understand?¡± she shot back.


    ¡°I get that, but the chances of me remembering anything anyway are slim. And I doubt anyone would know. We¡¯re connected, right? And I have been told and even seen that higher beings have ways of finding out secrets, but would they think of this?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the question.¡± Ortlinde said hesitantly, wishing to make some amends, and soothe her guilt, as the Candidates her sisters selected died one by one, and on the new world, the chances of their choices were minimal. I don¡¯t do it to be cruel. By the Allfather, by Tyr, I do it to strengthen us all, to stand against evil and chaos. To show there is another way. To save those who could be our allies.


    She nodded Shiro¡¯s head. ¡°I can. Do you not need it?¡±


    ¡°Not this. The other parts... maybe. But I¡¯ll be needing that third Possession at the end. Sorry Shiro, but I can¡¯t do this alone, and only have one shot. I need you to change my buffs a number of times too as I prepare.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be strong enough... I¡¯m at my limit, Aki.¡± She said apologetically, but I stroked her hair reassuringly.


    ¡°For this adherence, I¡¯m sure Tan can support you.¡± I bargained, and Tan laughed.


    ¡°Now you are simply taking advantage of me. But... my curiosity is rather piqued. Very well. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°First, my Eye again. And I know that I¡¯m not able to control the mystery third element of a Favour, or do much with it, but I also know that I don¡¯t need to do much. Not for this.¡± I¡¯m not trying to recreate a Favour. I¡¯m trying to take what it does, and integrate it with me and Shiro, replicating what it does, but fuelling it from our own aether, adherence and strength. Essentially, isn¡¯t that just what something like Foehn is? A flame that had its own adherence, even if I never really noticed it until now.


    ¡°You better not let me down, Aki.¡± she warned, groaning as Tan flooded her Chakra network with aether. My Eye broke the bottleneck again, and at my gesture, Shiro switched the buff to Adherence Manipulation. I put the things I had seen into a Split Thought, probed with Chirurgery, and Shiro switched the buff once more, giving me further insight. This continued for what seemed an eternity, but was probably only ten changes. Even so, Shiro was dripping with sweat, and so was I, and even with Tan¡¯s reserves fuelling her, Shiro was white as her name.


    ¡°This is... hell. You bastard, Aki. One date isn¡¯t enough!¡± she cried out, wrung dry. ¡°At least tell me it¡¯s working.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so...¡±


    Your Skill, Adherence Manipulation has increased from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your ability to separate mixed Adherence has significantly increased, and your overall efficiency with untangling and purifying Adherence has grown substantially. Adherence which aligns with you will be affected more strongly, depending on your League.


    With that second Rank up in such a short time, the brutal crash course in manipulating the adherence within the Favour just enough to find out what I wanted to know without damaging Jarovid¡¯s Favour further driving my skills to the maximum, I needed one additional push. ¡°Shiro, Adherence Manipulation again. Then it should just be Chirurgery, and we¡¯re good for the try!¡±


    ¡°I hate you right now.¡± she groaned, but I felt her affection as she blessed me, and as the bottleneck was breached, using the mental map I had constructed with my Eye and the earlier probing, I now had enough insight to determine more about the adherence itself. I have so many examples. There¡¯s the Favour I hold, Tsukuyomi¡¯s, Shiro holds Anesidora¡¯s, I¡¯m carrying several in a loose state, and the way they need adherence to keep existent without being embedded in a host is telling, and vital. It gives me a clue to what the third mystery element deals with, if nothing else. Lastly, when Tan uses Divine Possession, the last piece...


    ¡°The adherence here... it¡¯s the strengthening aspect physically. Whereas there¡¯s a second thread that seems the same, but isn¡¯t. The Favour¡¯s been broken, already pulled at by Akoman, so...¡± The images I had scorched into the ground as I fainted before showed the difference, and it was a weakness I could exploit. Not to fix, but to break. Yet not to allow it to scatter, only giving me raw power. I want what it has...


    I made my preparations, and Tan descended a final time. She could barely project a fraction of her strength into the weakened and tormented Shiro, but I didn¡¯t need her for that, other than providing her unique adherence to smooth my path. Miracle stacked on miracle, huh? What else would you call Shiro, Tan and even Ortlinde, all giving me the hints I need? Our connections, our bonds, they help us. Tan was surrounded by an incandescent nimbus of flames, and with the bottleneck breached, I could clearly feel not just the surface-level interpretation, of fire, thirst, hunger and conquest, but also of integration, of absorption.


    ¡°The way you devour Favours with your Flames Of Thirst And Famine... it¡¯s not dissimilar to what I want here. So... your adherence, combined with my Chirurgery...¡± I was burned by Tan¡¯s flames, for the adherence was not meant for me, but her will supported me, and it guided me, relieving a great deal of the burden. ¡°...it can do this. Release Shiro, Tan, final buff, do or die time!¡±


    The flames around Tan died down, Shiro¡¯s hair flashing to silver, and as she stumbled to her knees, she poured out her last strength. My Chirurgery returned to Rank 10, the strongest skill I possessed. ¡°Here we go! Break apart, but with the knife, not the hammer!¡± All my Split Thoughts, all my focus, all my drive, was frozen in one moment. Ether shattered, breaking by my rough handling, but ether I could supplement. Then adherence split, some lost, my skills still far too crude for handling the work of a God, though a stray thought crossed my mind. Even if a God made this, that doesn¡¯t mean someone like me can¡¯t touch it. A master Katana-smith might create a true work of art, but an average craftsman can disassemble it. It¡¯s always easier to break than to build. But even the parts have some use, even if the whole is imperfect, losing the godliness...


    ¡°Is... Tan, is it working?¡± Shiro was asking, but I paid her no mind, nor the doubtful reply from Tan. I could feel it slipping, and so I threw in the fragments of Jarovid¡¯s Favour to try and stabilise it, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ve largely split the adherence and purified it as much as I can, but... without the core, it was just adherence, which would give me some experience, and perhaps Rank up a skill or two, but that wasn¡¯t what I wanted. If that was enough, why go to all this effort? But I have one last trump card.


    I had also understood Morana¡¯s adherence, and I had the separated remnants which Akoman had taken. It was a stabilising factor, so perhaps if I blended it in, just a little...


    Your skill, Aetheric Chirurgeon has increased from Rank 10 to Rank 11 and has shattered the fourth horizon, reaching the fifth vista beyond that of ordinary comprehension. Your understanding of Ether, Adherence and ???????? has significantly increased, and you can integrate these more easily into Material and Spiritual bodies, and slightly mitigate issues of compatibility, though this should be used with caution. [Class: Legendary] [Type: Law]


    Wait, it can do that? I¡¯m not really Rank ten, it¡¯s Shiro¡¯s buffs, but... Suddenly the task which was near impossible was merely fiendishly difficult, but the first half was possible. I had to ignore amber letters as they flared, for I needed every drop of concentration I could spare...


    You have gained a Skill, Adherence Crafting...


    You have gained a Skill, Crude ???????? Crafting...


    You have gained a Skill, Crude ???????? Manipulation...


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Master Of Many Crafts.


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit.


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds.


    Shit... so many. Yes, that¡¯s frigging awesome, but get out of my head! Sweat was pouring from me as I trembled. Things being easier merely meant within the realm of the possible, and as I pulled apart the mysterious third substance I could barely perceive now as an indeterminate shadow, the adherence of Jarovid I wanted, stabilised by Morana¡¯s adherence, poured into me. It was running rampant, but for some reason, I had an instinctive, if faint idea of where I needed it to go. Performing Chirurgery on myself was agonising and my blood boiled, spurting from me in a crimson and silver tide, before bubbling through the pores of my skin. Shiro was crying out, but I had no time for the pain to bother me.


    The other half is escaping. Sorry Shiro, but...


    Your skill, Body Enhancement Rank 5 has evolved to Boiling Blood Rank 1...


    ¡°This is going to hurt like hell. And it might not even work...¡± I rasped, as the adherence fully anchored within me.


    You have gained a skill, Boiling Blood Resonance Link Rank 1...


    ¡°I see.¡± Shiro was frightened by my hideous appearance, and she swallowed, but her eyes were trusting. ¡°Just do what needs doing.¡± She gritted her teeth, and one eye flared red.


    ¡°You are... quite the madman. I see now why I was beaten by you, but that was simply because I was not serious. Now I am. Deadly serious. But... a helping hand. I may not have your talents, which make me wonder if you have instead been blessed by Bhais?ajyaguru, not Tyr.¡± She smirked, twisting Shiro¡¯s scared face into a smile. ¡°He may not have been the Buddha that scorned me, but I would certainly enjoy seeing you take his arrogance down a notch or ten.¡±


    Tan¡¯s adherence surged around us both, a hot, feverish wave, yet it was somehow comforting. The escaping adherence and mysterious substance was drawn towards Tan, yet she did not consume it, instead allowing me to guide it into Shiro¡¯s body. Even so, her screams were weighing on my conscience, but her hand grasped mine, squeezing, and her dark eye was still looking steadfastly into mine, willing me to continue, laughing scornfully against the pain, her suffering a mark of pride.


    As I worked, my Eye could see that Shiro had developed a new skill, her own blood seething, and it drew adherence from Anesidora¡¯s blessing, as well as Tan¡¯s own adherence, becoming something new and oddly powerful. But before I could check any of the details, the blood dripping from my Eye was becoming overwhelmingly painful, so bitterly exhausted, I collapsed, Shiro beside me. As my consciousness sunk into darkness, I felt arms tight around me, and heard some quiet words, and a soft ruffling of my hair.


    ¡°Idiot. When you said... that hurt... you were lying. That was beyond mere pain. But... it hurt you worse than me, I know. So rest now, Shiro is here. You did good, Aki. A lot of good things here. So for now... just sleep, and let the world take care of itself for a while...¡±


    That sounds great. It¡¯s been... a tough day. But... a good one in a lot of ways. A good... one...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Three – Izumi Kana

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Three ¨C Izumi Kana


    I still can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m a construction worker now. Kana let out a tired sigh, as she was underground, not too distant from Shirohebizumi shrine. The cavern was hot and noisy, a large number of bodies and some heavy machinery that rattled and rumbled incessantly all packed together in a raucous mass, and sweat was trickling down her neck and back under the unfashionable overalls she wore. My underwear is damp. Ugh, I wish I was taking a sauna at the shrine, or taking a dip in Akio¡¯s hot springs... no, there¡¯s always later.


    ¡°Are you well, ssshrine maiden?¡± one of the white snakes that followed her kami, which were somehow here in the Material, thanks to the Chinese woman, asked her, concerned, and Kana managed a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just... it¡¯s terribly unpleasant down here. Hot, sweaty and noisy. A beautiful girl like me should be above ground.¡± Despite her words, Kana didn¡¯t entirely mean that. Her baggy overalls were in white and red, somewhat resembling her shrine maiden hakama, a nice touch that Hinata-chan had provided. And as one of the most central figures to this scheme, Kana did feel a measure of pride, and a sense of accomplishment. Although I feel more accomplished taking a bath afterwards...


    Not far from her, a big, black-skinned man with bulging muscles laughed crudely, the large drill he carried effortlessly falling silent. He said a few words to Kana, but it was in English, and Kana barely understood much of it. It was then that the ratkin Ixitt, currently in his human form, said something back, and the man laughed, his companion, a tall, Caucasian man with dirty brown hair, slapping him on the shoulder affectionately, and after some more rapid-fire English, which made Kana regret she hadn¡¯t put more effort into learning the language, Ixitt addressed her. Everyone seems to speak it but me. Really, I wanted a lazy life of being pampered... but that¡¯s no longer possible. I can¡¯t be the only one to sit back and do nothing. Even Eri will laugh at me...


    ¡°He meant no offense.¡± he said cheerfully. Ixitt was in his element, watching a combination of his techniques and human ingenuity. Kana sometimes found him puzzling, but she appreciated that without his expertise and that of his fellows, Akio would have had a far harder time implementing a lot of his plans.


    ¡°He was just saying ¡®at least there are some girls to look at down here¡¯. Then his friend reminded him you were ¡®the woman of the boss¡¯ and not to get cocky.¡± He snickered his usual odd laugh.


    ¡°The conversation seemed a little long for that.¡± Kana pointed out, and Ixitt shrugged.


    ¡°Yes, they mentioned the woman Luciana, who is wearing the new uniform.¡± Ixitt nodded over at the far end of the room, where the pretty olive-skinned woman with hair a different brown to Asians was indeed wearing a silver and black military-style uniform. A glow of both red and green shone around her, and Kana was impressed.


    ¡°Those uniforms, huh? Yeah, I see more of them around, but only on women. I¡¯m not an idiot, there¡¯s something going on. It has Shaeula¡¯s sticky fingers all over it.¡± She paused, before shaking her head. ¡°Not that it¡¯s got anything to do with me, I¡¯m sure. Though I certainly hope they didn¡¯t step on Eri¡¯s toes. But if it¡¯s some sort of honour, I get it. She¡¯s something of a genius, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a hidden gem, it seems.¡± Ixitt snickered. All around him, his fellow ratkin and weaselkin were fussing over a number of small silver spires studded by beautiful crystals and shining Etherites, and it felt very comfortable here. ¡°She is the only one to master two elements so quickly, and more impressively, opposing elements of wind and earth. It makes sense that the princess wishes to get hold of her.¡± Seeing Kana watching his artificial Buildings, he nodded, proudly. ¡°I see you admiring my Boundary to Material Connections, yes? They are rather complex and fiddly to make, and are great devourers of Etherites, but with the products of the Materia Tree, it is doable. Though I do worry, if the strange Yo?kai from this land, Ginneka, does not return soon, we will be set behind schedule as our devices are returned to the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... what Akio is doing is far more important than a day or two here, right?¡± Kana interjected, slightly offended, and Ixitt snorted a strange laugh again.


    ¡°Yes, you are quite correct. I must say, I find it rather heartwarming that you do take his side so.¡±


    Kana¡¯s face felt hot, and she knew she was blushing. Still, drawing on her dignity, and the charm that had made her incredibly popular with boys her age and older university-age men alike, she smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m no fickle woman. I support my boyfriend, you know!¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, you are here, are you not?¡± Ixitt agreed. ¡°And this may not seem a glamourous task, but it is a vital one. And it will be important for your Shrine too. And speaking of...¡±


    ¡°My turn again, huh?¡± Kana sighed, before pumping a fist, trying to hype herself up. ¡°Yeah, okay. Is Grulgor ready? Now there¡¯s a sight I doubt anyone ever thought they¡¯d see.¡± She giggled a little, remembering the sight of the burly, bald man in work overalls like her, eagerly working like a miner.


    ¡°Yes, wonders never cease. And better still, he has cowed the giants and trolls Duke Formor sent to us...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to ignore the giants.¡± Kana couldn¡¯t help but glance over, where huge, crude-looking humanoids varying between three metres in height up to nearly ten metres, were working impossibly huge pickaxes, shovels, mallets and more, rock shattering and earth ferried away. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s the cubed mass law, right? Height increases linearly, but mass expands exponentially. How do they even stand?¡±


    ¡°Giants are strong.¡± was Ixitt¡¯s only answer. ¡°Yes, I know of the law of which you speak. I had never considered it before coming to the Material. We Fae are mutable, and adopt many forms the Material would otherwise reject. And it is true that they burn through aether quickly. Fortunately Nie Ling is here to return them to us when they disappear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but last time, that worker got injured by a falling hammer when one just up and vanished.¡± Kana pointed out.


    ¡°True. Though he was sent for healing, the princess was gracious enough to work a little of it, so there was no lasting harm. We now have taken precautions. Nothing of this magnitude of innovation comes easily, or risk free. Have no fear, you will be free from harm. I would not have Akio wroth with me. I would likely not survive it.¡± Ixitt grinned, showing his teeth, and Kana had to laugh, a nervous giggle.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t kill you for an accident. But it does feel good to know I¡¯m one of those he¡¯ll get angry for.¡± I worked hard for it, when I was always the one who wanted to be pursued. But... I have no regrets. Well, maybe just one... Kana felt her face heat as she remembered the first night at their new home, when she had fled the hot springs. Even now, it wasn¡¯t truly regret, but there was a certain feeling of what might have been that still lingered. No, I can have that any time I want. I¡¯m going to enjoy things in order! I¡¯m not a child who can¡¯t take her time!


    ¡°Of course. Grulgor is hardly interested in construction. But he wishes to grow stronger, and so this doubles as training, even if it is somewhat less efficient. He is improving his mastery over earth and water by shaping it with great effort. He has become much better. And much stronger.¡±


    ¡°Grulgor knows... throwing big boulders is often less useful than a simple dagger. Strength is power, but finesse is might too!¡± he grunted. ¡°Grulgor mocked Ulfuric, thinking the badger did not rely on his strength, but tricks with weapons. Grul was a fool. Strength is found everywhere!¡±


    ¡°How the princess laughs when she remembers all the insults she heaped upon your intelligence.¡± Ixitt snickered. Grulgor tactfully ignored that, which to Kana¡¯s mind was showing he wasn¡¯t an idiot, and now orange sparkles surged, and water began to drain through the rock, absorbed into Grulgor, his own flesh starting to liquefy. Ugh, it¡¯s creepy as hell, but it¡¯s certainly impressive!


    Kana wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so. ¡°This is incredible. I had assumed that with the water table around here that the surveys and ground penetrating radar picked up, work would be delayed while it was drained and the resulting voids and unstable faultlines stabilised, but...¡± the architect enthused.


    ¡°Indeed. Grulgor can draw it out, and then...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up.¡± Kana stepped forward, careful to avoid the mixture of water, and watery Grulgor at the rockface. ¡°Ksitigarbha, do your thing!¡± She didn¡¯t need to say anything to use her ability, but somehow it just felt right to at least thank the Goddess whose power she had inherited. Using the Earthen Womb, the rock liquefied, and as trolls passed through the metal bars, made from an alloy of steel and some strange metal from the Boundary, which remained stable and in the Material after experimentation, Kana sent them through the liquid mud, positioning them as planned.


    ¡°Grulgor is right...¡± Kana complained, wiping away sweat that was stinging her eyes. ¡°...precision like this is hard...¡±


    The gathered Fae who used water and earth element, as well as the mercenaries who had trained in earth, grouped up and started unleashing their elements, helping Grulgor drain away the water while the rock Kana was manipulating was stabilised and hardened. Pockets of mud and empty voids left by the drained liquid, as well as cracks and fissures weakening the overall structure, were filled in by iron-hard stone, once the GPR and other devices the Mortal Engineers held were checked by Ixitt and Kikutake-san, making sure the metal reinforcements were properly positioned. After around fifteen minutes, they were done, and Kana sat down on an offered chair, taking a break.


    ¡°Here.¡± She took a hot tea, surprised it was the architect who proffered it to her. Seeing her reaction, he took a sip of his own tea, as he watched the final finishing touches being applied, the walls being smoothly tiled at an alarmingly fast rate by application of various techniques. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it. Weeks of work, often filled with problems, especially with subsurface water in rock types like the survey showed here, done in under an hour. It shakes my confidence, but...¡± he smiled, and looked a little like a child then. ¡°...it¡¯s also sparking my creativity! With materials of far greater tensile and compressive strength, yet density comparable to aluminium, as well as stronger wires and the ability to transform and reinforce mud and stone without wholesale replacement and anchoring... the heights of buildings will surely exceed our wildest dreams! A strong, stable foundation, even in earthquake-prone Japan...¡±


    Kana smiled as he rattled on, drinking her tea, exhaustion weighing heavy on her. There was no way that she could keep up such a pace, ordinarily, but... Ixitt thought of everything. Oh well... honestly, work is hard, but it doesn¡¯t feel bad. So long as I get plenty of holidays and fun times, being a working woman isn¡¯t so bad. And it makes my dad happy. These last few months, I¡¯ve finally started feeling dad and grandfather are proud of me...


    ¡°...so yes, I¡¯m delighted. That even when magic sweeps the world, architects and craftsmen will still be needed.¡± He finished, as Kana eyed the large drum-like barrel which contained a significant amount of bluesteel, charged with earth element.


    ¡°Of course it will.¡± She replied, finishing her tea, taking a towel from one of the mercenaries, wiping herself down. ¡°Magic... uh, I suppose if you want to be correct, you should call it elemental and aetheric abilities, I hear architects value terminology...¡±


    ¡°I stand corrected, thank you, Izumi-sama.¡± he said graciously, and Kana flushed, embarrassed she had lectured a much older, professional man, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°Uh... yeah. So... it¡¯s not like you can just do anything. There are rules that apply there, just like here. Sure, it can do stuff science can¡¯t, at least not yet, but working with science gets the best results.¡± That¡¯s what Akio says, and he¡¯d know. After all, he built up everything from nothing. And honestly, I¡¯m a big part of that, introducing him to the shrines and temples. I¡¯m pretty proud of that. It may not have seemed much, but I¡¯m a part of his story. And his girlfriend. She reminded herself again, before going to a barrel and starting to drain it of earth element. Though this doesn¡¯t get rid of the fatigue. Maybe Ginneka won¡¯t come back and all this will return to the Boundary, then I can get a break. No... the quicker I¡¯m done, the quicker I don¡¯t have to do this again. Anything after this will be a luxury, not a necessity.


    ¡°That is rather reassuring.¡± Kikutake-san agreed. ¡°I would hate all I¡¯ve worked for all my life to be obsolete. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± he asked her then, and she let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m exhausted, but... I¡¯m not fighting for my life, unlike at mount Atago, so this is nothing.¡± Freshly charged, she pumped her fist. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡±


    The architect consulted the plan. ¡°Now the foundation and framework is in place, it seems the southern loading dock, and five hundred metres of tunnel. A big job.¡± he conceded, eyes curious. ¡°How long do you see it taking?¡±


    ¡°We will not know until we try...¡± Ixitt considered it. ¡°...but from the previous data, I estimate we can certainly finish that today, and perhaps the final strengthening of the first underground area. Then we can use any remaining time to get ahead of the dirt and stone removal for the next expansion.¡±


    ¡°I see. Being ahead of schedule is a luxury. Even we must face some unexpected delays...¡± As the two of them talked, Kana merely shook her head, chuckling a little. Looks like I won¡¯t be getting that early night after all. But then, that just means Akio will pamper me more when he sees how hard I¡¯ve worked. Akio... I know you¡¯ll be all right, but... keep Haru-chan and Aiko-chan safe, okay? I know they can probably handle themselves, like Shiro, but, even so... I¡¯m happy with my life right now, I don¡¯t want the relationships I¡¯ve made to change!


    ¡°Might as well make the best of it. Hinata-chan is probably too busy to spend any time with me, preparing things for Akio right now, but Eri should be about, I think she was visiting the shrine today since Asha comes often.¡± Listening to the instructions of the architect, Kana put her hands on the wall and invoked the Earthen Womb again, Grulgor also supporting her, becoming a mass of rock beside her, towering as tall as one of the giants. As the rock rippled like wet mud and formed into a great, open archway nearly thirty metres tall and wide, she found herself smiling. Considering we were like oil and water when we first met, Eri¡¯s actually rather fun to hang around with. And Mio-chan and Asami-chan should be at the training school. Serious little Marika-chan and poor Hotene-san, Keomi-chan and others too. I wonder if Asami-chan has won Ren-kun over fully yet? Surely it¡¯s just a matter of time, she¡¯s like me, a girl who knows how to get what she wants...


    Yes, there were definitely things to look forward to. As the great doorway solidified, she stepped aside, watching many giants and trolls lifting huge doors into position, like ants carrying heavy loads. Oh... I¡¯ll have to move the securing bolts like I did the reinforcing metal bars earlier, right? If I consider I must surely be strengthening my skills too, I¡¯ll get through this... With that final thought, Kana had no other leisure for idle distractions, and she threw herself into the task, eager to get done...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Four – Emily Jade Oshiro

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Four ¨C Emily Jade Oshiro


    Sitting out in the cool evening air, Emily took a sip of the tea she was holding, looking out over the shrine grounds at Shirohebizumi, and more importantly, the small yet elegantly beautiful tree that had sprung up here instantly recently. It gives me a strange feeling looking at it, like everything around is more comfortable, and it feels a bit... no, I can¡¯t put it into words. More to the point, she was also looking at the woman standing by it, stroking the bark lovingly, her bright auburn hair nearly down to the floor waving in the slight autumnal breeze. Asha. Such a beautiful woman, going out with my little Aki, I can still hardly believe it.


    She wasn¡¯t the only one as well. Around the little table, Emily was accompanied by another woman, one who looked barely in her twenties, but was supposedly significantly older, not that Emily understood it clearly. There was a lot of sadness in Tsukiko-chan¡¯s past, it seemed, but seeing the coldly beautiful, almost divinely inspired woman with her black hair long enough to match Asha¡¯s, as well as eyes as brilliant as rubies, Emily felt as if she was in a fantasy. I can¡¯t believe this either. I¡¯m so happy if I¡¯m dreaming I never want to wake up. She¡¯s so pretty. Shiro too. No, every girl Aki has now is a true beauty, even dear little Eri. She glanced over to the girl in question, who was also quietly sipping her tea. She¡¯s changed too. She seems more... confident, I suppose. I rejoice to see it. I¡¯ve always seen Eri as my daughter, our families might as well be one anyway. And now they will be. But I am surprised she seems too calm about everything. Little Eri is surprisingly possessive... but then, she¡¯s grown up. A lot of things have happened, both good and bad.


    The third person sitting around the table was Izumi Nagi-san, the mother of Kana-chan. It made sense, as it was their shrine, and unlike the men, who were constantly organising matters of faith, Kana-chan¡¯s father even often in the Boundary now, unwilling to be left behind in his training by the younger generation, Nagi-san was freer, and had offered them hospitality. ¡°You know, I was a little worried, when Akio-kun moved from here.¡± Nagi-san said, perhaps thinking similar things to Emily, glancing over at the training school, which was well lit with exterior lanterns. Inside were numerous shrine maidens, apprentice priests and even some snooty nobles, all training busily, but not Kana-chan, another of Aki¡¯s girlfriends. Not tonight, anyway. Although, not all the nobles are so bad...


    She looked at Hinata-chan, the young firecracker who she had met first when she visited Nishimorioka, along with Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan. At the time, Emily knew nothing about Aki or what was going on, but... no, that¡¯s not quite true. Aki changed so much, got more confident and started taking care of himself, he had money, strange things were happening. A mother always knows when something¡¯s off. But even my suspicions were so far off the mark... The girls had been candid that they were potentially looking for political marriage, though Hinata-chan was more tsundere about it, which Emily had found endlessly cute. Just like her. She¡¯s small and lively, and loves Aki a lot. Hinata-chan was talking on her phone, the boyishly dressed but pretty bodyguard that often accompanied her standing silently behind her, though she had at least loosened up to take a mug of tea too.


    ¡°...yes, there¡¯s certainly going to be issues. We need to get on top of everything first. Maximise gains, minimise losses.¡± Hinata-chan was saying cheerfully, and Emily never got tired of watching her. Nor any of them. She glanced back at Asha for a moment, before listening to Hinata-chan some more. ¡°...certainly an Order. Possibly National Security Merit, that might work. First-class of course, anything less and Japan should cut all relations!¡± she was saying passionately. Someone must have spoken on the other side of the phone, as she listened, nodding. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t do it straight away, otherwise the Tengokusentou recovery plan might be jeopardised, but...¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad having your son here, Emily-san.¡± Nagi-san continued. ¡°At first I couldn¡¯t believe it when Kana effectively brought a man home. She¡¯s always been popular, she takes after me.¡± Nagi-san smiled cheerfully, showing pride in her appearance. ¡°Your daughter must be the same, Emily-chan.¡±


    ¡°Aiko? She¡¯s always been popular, yes.¡± It was Eri that answered. ¡°But she¡¯s so single-minded and doesn¡¯t have an interest back in others. It¡¯s getting even worse. Now all she wants to do is grow stronger. Not that I don¡¯t understand.¡± Eri sighed now. ¡°I wish I could be in Korea, but I¡¯ve learned my lessons. I may be more like Akio and Aiko than I want to admit, at least Shaeula thinks so, but... we do learn, even if we have to be burned first.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me of the time Ai burned her hand. Stupid girl...¡± Emily sighed, remembering how furious Taichi had been. ¡°...oh sorry, we are interrupting you, Nagi-san...¡± she apologised.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is fun in itself.¡± Nagi-san replied. ¡°But yes, when Akio-kun started being a bigger deal than we imagined, I was shocked, but everyone was excited. It wasn¡¯t all good... the yakuza broke in and were going to do horrible things to my daughter...¡± her lips trembled, but her eyes were bright. ¡°...then Akio-kun surged in and saved the day. It was very heroic.¡±


    Emily listened to tales of her son she didn¡¯t know, and Eri shook her head. ¡°Akio blames himself for that. He wasn¡¯t careful, he didn¡¯t think that evil people would use the Material to wage a Boundary war. So you don¡¯t need to be impressed. That¡¯s why we¡¯re moving, not just to have a beautiful home.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... Akio-kun has given my daughter so much, made her shine. I worry she¡¯ll be left behind.¡±


    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t... hate... Kana, not at all. But she¡¯s hard for me to get on with. Everyone says we¡¯re too alike.¡± Eri puffed out her cheeks sourly, expressing herself in a way Emily had seldom seen, which made her smile. ¡°...but I do know she genuinely likes Akio, so... too late for me to complain. Akio needs her, too. She¡¯s... too ordinary. That should have been my role but... I accept I¡¯m not balanced enough. As well, with me, Akio remembers the way he used to be, so I can¡¯t give him that carefree, ordinary charm. But even if that wasn¡¯t the case...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Akio¡¯s Territory covers this place, and the Anchor is here.¡± Tsukiko-chan spoke up. She was a quiet woman, Emily noted, but she listened carefully and spoke insightfully. ¡°While the plan is to move the Anchor once the fourth Rank has been achieved, the Tree and the Ring Gates cannot be uprooted, so the shrine here will always be protected. Besides, Akio has suitable respect for the Kami. He made promises, he will hold to them.¡±


    ¡°You certainly do seem to trust Akio-kun, for a woman that has spent so little time with him.¡± Nagi-san pointed out, and she nodded gracefully.


    ¡°Of course. I am a woman who has faith, who placed all my trust in Tsukuyomi, my God. And Tsukuyomi said I was to be extinguished, face oblivion. I despaired, I wished to fight it, but was unable to disbelieve, my efforts hamstrung. But Akio told me to struggle until the end, and promised he would turn aside the Definite, my Fate. And now here I stand. So now I know only one Definite. That my life lies with him, and with you all.¡±


    Emily couldn¡¯t help but let out a delighted squeal at that. Too cute! She acts the age she looks there! That faint blush, so adorable. Oh, how beautiful my grandchildren are going to be. I can hardly wait... She glanced away again, before Eri spoke up once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s Akio. It¡¯s a constant pain, not knowing how many hearts he¡¯ll win, but... Tsukiko, you were truly in need so I can¡¯t complain. After all, Akio and Aiko have kept me from breaking my whole life. I know what it is to need someone. Kana... Kana is different, but it¡¯s too late. After all, she took his Favour. There¡¯s no going back. Even so...¡± Eri looked at Hinata-chan, and her expression was dark and troubled. ¡°...just because I accept Kana, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a pushover. As someone needs to understand. Shaeula...¡± Eri grumbled. ¡°She¡¯s always sharp, being away with Hyacinth right now, back in the Fae lands. They must think I¡¯m an idiot not to notice...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Emily asked, seeing Eri more like her old self, yet with much darker undertones, and she thought she could almost see some faint blue sparks rising. Rubbing at her eyes, Emily changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s strange. I can almost feel Aki sometimes, you know. And now I¡¯m starting to get stronger, Taichi too. It¡¯s no fun though, fighting battles, even if everyone makes it so easy for us!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was only a matter of time for you to get Lovers¡¯ Link.¡± Eri allowed the change in subject. ¡°When I first got it, in Las Vegas, it was fairly weak. I could only gain three levels, as I remember. Now it¡¯s ten times that. But strength is a good thing. We were saying that earlier.¡±


    ¡°Lovers¡¯ Link. The name is terrible. I¡¯m his mother!¡± Emily puffed out her cheeks again, not aware that Eri was comparing her to Aiko in her mind. ¡°And Taichi is his father! We¡¯re not lovers!¡±


    ¡°The name of the thing does not necessarily describe the thing in its entirety.¡± Tsukiko-chan interjected. ¡°Just as I did not need a lake or the moon to see the possible futures. Perhaps it might best be called loving link instead. For I do feel great love from the connection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Aiko received it, and she¡¯s not his lover.¡± Eri agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Nagi-san giggled suggestively. ¡°They do seem very close.¡±


    ¡°No, no way!¡± Emily crossed her arms in the negative. ¡°Aki and Ai are just siblings who look out for each other! There¡¯s nothing going on! Taichi would kill him...¡±


    ¡°It seems a little unfair to me that Akio would shoulder all the blame...¡± Eri sighed. ¡°...but yes, Aiko¡¯s not mature enough for romance. I daresay one day she¡¯ll find someone she likes enough... but it¡¯ll be tough. She does compare all the other boys to Akio, which has become a bit of an impossible ask, right now.¡±


    Torn by a mixture of worry, indignation and pride at how Aki had grown, Emily struggled to reply, and once more it was Tsukiko who spoke, cutting through the tense atmosphere, her beautiful face looking surprisingly vulnerable. ¡°If we speak of family... Yasuhide has arranged for me to meet my own parents. I admit... to a great deal of trepidation. We were never close, I was always an object of veneration before a daughter, and worse... I died. They grieved. Now I have come back. I hardly know what to say or do.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Emily set aside her own trivial worries. ¡°That¡¯s no problem. You¡¯re Tsukiko-chan, right? Then just be her. If they grieved, then they¡¯ll rejoice ten times as much, no matter how impossible your return is. It¡¯s just like when we heard that Aki and the others safely survived their struggle in South Korea, right? Not that I had any worries.¡±


    ¡°None?¡± Nagi-san smiled. ¡°I find that hard to believe. Even now I worry for Kana, and she¡¯s working in safety, not too far from here. There¡¯s a lot we don¡¯t understand, which is why I envy you, Emily-san. You have the potential to gain enough strength to at least watch over them from closer than I can.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Akio¡¯s kind-hearted, and finds it easy to love, now he truly believes he has the power to protect those he cherishes.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°You¡¯re Kana¡¯s precious family, I¡¯m sure Lovers¡¯ Link will find you sooner or later. And as for you, Tsukiko-san...¡± Eri addressed the older woman. ¡°...I¡¯m sure Akio will accompany you to meet your parents, if you want that.¡±


    ¡°I do dearly wish it.¡± Tsukiko-chan agreed. ¡°After all, it would be reassuring, and... it does not feel right, starting my life anew, without making compromise with the old., As he said, I am still the Diviner, but not just the Diviner. After all, I am a woman too, though I denied it for more years than I wish to count. What woman does not dream of introducing her man to her parents? Especially one she can be proud of.¡±


    So adorable! So passionate! Emily struggled to resist the urge to pull Tsukiko-chan into a hug, and as she was wavering, Hinata-chan sat down beside her with a weary sigh, her bodyguard standing behind her. ¡°Yes, I get that. Though I cheated and used meeting the parents to bully Akio. I still have regret over that. But... it was all for the best, so why worry?¡± she shrugged. ¡°Anyway, sorry to keep you, but I¡¯m putting matters in place. I¡¯ll be off to South Korea as soon as who I need are gathered.¡± She looked at Nagi-san. ¡°Thanks again, Izumi-san, for now the shrine grounds here are far more convenient as a staging ground, so we¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wouldn¡¯t dream of not helping.¡± Nagi-san seemed embarrassed by the younger girl¡¯s genuine praise. ¡°Use us as you need.¡±


    ¡°I will. Thanks.¡± Hinata-chan said without any sense of shame, which Emily also found very cute. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting more information, Akio¡¯s up now. It was rough apparently.¡± Her smile was teasing. ¡°Not the battle, Akio had that well in hand, but the aftermath. Seems there¡¯s quite a profit to be distributed. But that¡¯s just in terms of Favours and so forth. In terms of what we can get here, and also minimising problems, I¡¯m not going to let anything slip. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure Akio gets everything he deserves.¡±


    There¡¯s suddenly a dangerous feeling in the air. Emily looked around, perhaps her female intuition warning her, and she saw that Eri¡¯s expression had changed to one of blank-eyed anger, her face pale. ¡°That¡¯s right. You do like to meddle and get your own way, Hinata-san.¡± Her words were cold, and the bodyguard, Kazumi-chan, narrowed her eyes and was going to speak, before she realised who she was addressing and halted, troubled. Hinata-chan merely laughed.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a greedy girl. You are as well, though I admit to you being generous in your own way too, Eri.¡± She said. ¡°So, just what has upset you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make me say it, Hinata-san?¡± Eri narrowed her eyes dangerously. Emily felt the tension rising, and exchanged looks with Nagi-san and Tsukiko-chan, but Tsukiko-chan merely shook her head.


    ¡°Best let this be talked out.¡± she said wisely. ¡°I have some understanding of this issue. But leaving it to fester is foolish. I have made similar mistakes believing in what I believed, rather than what is.¡±


    ¡°Tsukiko-san is correct, as usual.¡± Hinata-chan agreed. ¡°So, it¡¯s about Adamant, right Eri?¡±


    ¡°Is that what it¡¯s called? I noticed the uniforms, it¡¯s impossible not to. And also a pattern. No men, and only a certain type of woman, be they human, Fae or even Yo?kai. I¡¯m not blind, Hinata-san.¡±


    ¡°No, you aren¡¯t.¡± Hinata-chan agreed. Oh Aki, your girls are fighting! This isn¡¯t good... but then, with so many, it¡¯s inevitable, I suppose. But why is it when you aren¡¯t here... no, that¡¯s why it¡¯s happening. They want to sort it out before you return, so as not to trouble you. They¡¯re still both such adorably good girls. ¡°Akio needs a trusted organisation. The well-trained, the well-connected, and most importantly, the most loyal. You get that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m hardly a fool, Hinata-san. But didn¡¯t you want my input?¡± Eri asked pointedly. ¡°Or am I not worthy of that.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that, Hinata values you greatly...¡± Kazumi-chan began, but Hinata waved her to silence.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kazumi. She¡¯s right to be annoyed. We... look, Eri.¡± Hinata seemed earnest, as she explained. ¡°We know you¡¯d do anything to help Akio, after all, you allowed us our share. I like you a lot, Eri. But things move fast, and... we didn¡¯t want to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to me to decide whether I¡¯m troubled or not, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eri retorted reasonably. ¡°And isn¡¯t it down to all of us, especially me as the first wife candidate, to manage the women around him? You wouldn¡¯t have forgotten that, would you Hinata-san? Shaeula I get, as she can¡¯t help herself, it¡¯s a prank to her, at least in part, but you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like Akio is planning on taking them as concubines, is it?¡± Hinata shrugged. ¡°We will be having male-denominated organisations as well and...¡± Hinata jumped as the table rattled. Eri had slammed her hand down, spilling several of the mugs, and her annoyance was plain, her cat ears springing into existence, a black tail pushing out from her jeans, waving angrily. So cute, makes me want to touch them! No, this isn¡¯t good!


    The argument was getting intense, but Hinata-chan wasn¡¯t backing down. ¡°The rules of Adamant were established to grow loyalty. It¡¯s like an army, or a cult, if you want to be uncharitable. But unlike cults we aren¡¯t exploiting them unfairly or tricking them. Power, wealth, security... Adamant members will have it all, and we¡¯ll always remember and look after those who leave if they were faithful. But we are hurting so badly for personnel. We can¡¯t do everything ourselves, and as our areas of activity expand, like Britain, South Korea, Worldwide... then we have to have more at our core. Or maybe I should say the outer core? If we are like the earth¡¯s inner core, then Adamant will be more numerous and form the outer core, then the rest of our allies and forces will be the mantle, and the crust will be those who support us but aren¡¯t officially in our camp.¡±


    Finishing her speech, Hinata-chan looked proud, and to Emily her ideas made sense. Eri seemed to disagree though, as she was clapping in a slow, sarcastic manner. ¡°Yes, I know you want to build up Akio. I do too. But you wouldn¡¯t lie to me, would you Hinata-san? If so, you know I won¡¯t forgive you. You know if I had refused it, Akio would never have accepted you. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to lord it over you, that was my decision after all, because I too wanted to help Akio, and knew he needed connections I, a simple, sheltered town girl couldn¡¯t give him... but we agreed, didn¡¯t we? The rules. We build ourselves up, not take each other down. And you excluded me... and you¡¯re telling me very pretty tales here, but I¡¯m not stupid, Hinata-san.¡± Her voice rose. ¡°So, truth. You want to use Adamant to increase Akio¡¯s wives, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous? I don¡¯t think my Kana cares much about children, but...¡± Nagi-san asked her, and Eri replied, but before that, she had the grace to congratulate Asha.


    ¡°I see. Considering your suffering, Asha, I¡¯m happy for you. Oh, well, I¡¯m not going to lie and say I didn¡¯t want to be first. I¡¯m jealous. Of course I am. But...¡± she let Nagi-san console her. ¡°...I¡¯ll have my children one day. For now I have too much to do.¡±


    ¡°Very mature.¡± Hinata-chan laughed, but Emily wasn¡¯t listening anymore. Leaping up she seized Asha in a careful hug, which the bemused Dryad allowed, her expression tender.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be a grandmother! Aki¡¯s having a kid! I worried I would never see this day!¡± Tears were streaming from her blue eyes, and her heart was full. ¡°Oh Gods, Ai is going to be an auntie! I wonder how she¡¯ll cope!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, though she¡¯ll complain she¡¯s not old enough.¡± Eri snickered. Setting down Asha at last, Emily was breathing heavily.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve known a while, right?¡± Emily pressed. ¡°But I have questions. It¡¯ll be a girl, won¡¯t it? Uh... human, or a Dryad? Both? How does pregnancy for you work? Will it take nine months? Will you...¡± Her rapid-fire questions were interrupted as Tsukiko-chan grasped her hand warmly.


    ¡°You are getting rather worked up, Emily-san. Please let Asha breathe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Oh my, I¡¯m ashamed. But it¡¯s just such a monumental event. My Aki, a father. And I know... he¡¯ll be a great one. But now... he really can¡¯t die, else he¡¯ll be leaving behind his children. ¡°But it¡¯s a happy event!¡±


    ¡°It is. For me, who was doomed to die in futility after doing so much cruelty to cling to life, to be able to spread the seeds of life...¡± Asha¡¯s yellow eyes were full of poignant emotion. ¡°...it gives the sacrifices meaning. My sisters, perhaps wherever their spirits now dwell, they can be at peace, knowing life goes on.¡± She stroked her belly again. ¡°I was concerned though. While the Fae in the distant past have had congress with mortals, and half-Fae were born, I... am unique right now, as is Akio. I am a Fae, yet I have a mortal body as well, whereas Akio has two forms, and is neither Fae nor mortal. Our daughters... I had to be sure the seeds would not wither, that I could safely cross between the mortal and Fae lands and they would endure, unharmed. Fortunately, it seems that they are hardy, and my soil fertile.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Emily sighed in relief. ¡°And it makes a lot of sense, we would grieve if you miscarried, so waiting to be sure...¡± Wait, hang on a minute. Daughters? ¡°You said they? Are you... is there more than one?¡±


    Asha nodded tenderly. ¡°I know it to be so. After all, there are two Trees that have no other self. And they wish to be complete.¡±


    ¡°Twins, huh?¡± Emily was ecstatic. ¡°But... does that mean you won¡¯t be able to have more children without more trees? It¡¯s all very complicated.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Asha shook her head gently, auburn locks drifting in the light evening breeze. Behind everyone on the hill several transport helicopters of a military style were landing, and a number of trucks and vehicles had pulled up at the bottom of the hill. Emily wasn¡¯t paying much attention, but seeing several figures in beds being wheeled out, accompanied by what looked like nurses and medical machinery, did catch her interest, but it was quickly washed away by Asha¡¯s talk. Granddaughters. Amazing! I can hardly wait to fawn over them and spoil them. Taichi will be the same, I just know it! And with mom and dad here too in Japan... could things be more perfect? Oh... yes, they always could be... she started giggling, and Eri looked at her strangely, before talking to Asha.


    ¡°Not exactly, huh? Does that mean that just like Trees don¡¯t necessarily have a Dryad, then Dryads don¡¯t always have a Tree?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though such is quite uncommon. After all, the Rhyming Trees of the Court are more numerous than us rare daughters of Orion, even with the many that have been lost over the years to war and mischance. But a Dryad without a Tree is a sad thing. They would always feel incomplete, a yearning, and never show true power. Until they find the Tree that is their other half.¡±


    ¡°Did you know our shrine is a fertility shrine?¡± Nagi-san said thoughtfully. ¡°So, despite feeling a little bad for my Kana, I¡¯m happy for your joy. May Shirohebi bless your womb... uh... you do have a womb, right?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡± Asha laughed, and Emily couldn¡¯t resist, asking if she could touch Asha¡¯s belly. After her nod, she did so, marvelling at the thought Aki¡¯s children were being born within. And they aren¡¯t human, at least not fully. It¡¯s like a story from my childhood. But they¡¯ll be beautiful and strong, and something that we have to defend...


    As Emily was lost in her thoughts, Eri was teasing Hinata-chan. ¡°This should be a big deal to you, Hinata-san. Aren¡¯t heirs a huge thing in the nobility?¡± Her smile was wickedly mocking, but not cruel.


    ¡°Oh, please stop bullying me, Eri. I get it. I was arrogant. In my victory I have become that which I used to hate. And please... stop being so formal with me. I get that you¡¯re more comfortable with others, but... we all agreed, those of us there...¡± her face went crimson as she remembered. ¡°...to not use honorifics or things that keep us at a distance. We should have included you in that too.¡± She turned to Nagi-san then. ¡°And that goes for Kana as well. While she didn¡¯t stay for the ... fun... she¡¯s our sister too. Maybe this is a wakeup call. But...¡± Hinata-chan was deadly serious now. ¡°...I may have gone about things wrong, but I¡¯ll repeat that Adamant is needed. Now more so than ever. After all, we have it all mapped out, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Nagi-san asked, and Hinata-chan puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Of course. Shaeula is going to bring both the Seelie Court and the Hyakki Yagyo? under Akio¡¯s control. When Akio wins his agreement with Tan, we¡¯ll also pull a genuine Goddess into our corner where she can¡¯t ever escape. Japan will surrender to Akio, as we¡¯re working to tie the nobility to him, as well as political, financial and other major figures. So sorry... I can¡¯t promise that some girls won¡¯t be necessary, Eri. But your earlier point was true. If it isn¡¯t absolutely necessary then we won¡¯t force it. Though if Akio wants someone, then that¡¯s another matter altogether. But when Akio has Japan... then you were right again. Britain next. And with his actions in South Korea, so long as we can manage the fallout, which is why...¡± she gestured to the helicopters and people being transported to them. ¡°...we¡¯ll make gains there. In the end... Akio will be the Astral Emperor, ruling both the Material Earth and those powerful Territories that border it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... ambitious.¡± Emily said, amazed, but also thrilled. Every mother believes her children are the best in the world. I extended that to Eri was well, since she¡¯s like my own daughter, but now I have Hinata-chan, Asha, Kana-chan and so many others. As she removed her hand from Asha¡¯s belly, Eri actually touched it too after a smile from Asha, again looking a mix of envious and happy. ¡°So then, the Princesses...¡±


    ¡°Sorry Tsukiko.¡± Hinata-chan grinned. ¡°I know that Princess Mikasa is your dear friend, but if she¡¯s so important to the world, she needs to be in Akio¡¯s hands. And what better legitimacy for Akio to rule over Japan? With the Imperial Family, Nobility and the shrines and temples all in his hands, political support across both the incumbent and opposition parties... Japan is ours. My child will inherit Takatsukasa house, Asha¡¯s daughters will fill the Trees all across the Astral... Kana¡¯s and yours, Eri, they¡¯ll have the best start in life, able to live any dream they want... so long as we win, of course.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yukiko is a dear friend. Up until now, perhaps she and Yasuhide were my only friends. But... it is her decision. She is lonely, much as I was, but if she seeks another path, you cannot stop her.¡± Tsukiko-chan warned, showing her maturity, and Hinata-chan nodded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Uh...¡± She looked at Eri. ¡°Maybe I would have, and I would have let Shaeula talk me into manipulating her before, to get what we wanted. I mean, she¡¯d be happy with Akio, just like all of us, so it¡¯d seem like a small sacrifice for the greater good, just like Adamant, but I realise now...¡± she bowed to Eri again. ¡°...I forgot what was most important. Akio hates sacrifices. So Adamant will not be a burden, but a joy, as well as a power Akio and the world needs. Thanks for opening my eyes, Eri. I¡®d hate to go too far and have Akio despise me. I would rather die.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too much of an idiot for that. Oh, thanks Asha.¡± Eri said, before returning to Hinata-chan. ¡°He¡¯d be saddened, but once you are in his heart, he won¡¯t abandon you. But just remember this talk, I know you¡¯ll backslide, it¡¯s part of your nature, to be cocky and pushy. But I¡¯m always watching. After all, the role came to me. As a joke, a bribe or simply because Shaeula¡¯s surprisingly lazy when it¡¯s not about her own interests... but I took it and I own it.¡±


    ¡°How touching. You really have grown up, Eri!¡± Emily hugged her dear daughter-in-law, laughing as she squirmed, red-faced and embarrassed. ¡°But if Hana could see this...¡±


    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t feel as displeased as she seems.¡± Eri shook her head and her tail lashed rhythmically. ¡°But she feels the pressure, that she has to defend my position. She doesn¡¯t understand that I know my place in Akio¡¯s heart. I¡¯m his precious childhood friend, his first kiss, his first... well, you know. Besides, nearly dying does put things into perspective. As does...¡± she looked at the calm, serene Asha once again. ¡°...this. One day it¡¯ll be me, carrying a child. Kana too, you as well, Hinata.¡± She omitted the honorific, taking Hinata-chan¡¯s words to heart. ¡°But the world is in huge danger. Kyoto, South Korea, London. It¡¯s only the start. I want my child to grow up happy and loved, not in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, living in fear. And I want ... uh... that¡¯s a good point.¡± She titled her head, ears flat against her skull. ¡°If we call ourselves sisters, which sort of works, does that mean that Asha¡¯s daughters will be our daughters, or our nieces?¡±


    ¡°Us Dryads, we are all the daughters of Orion, despite few actually being his true descendants. I have no objection to them being your daughters too.¡± Asha said warmly. ¡°Though... I wish my daughters to be known first and foremost as Akio¡¯s daughters, not Orion¡¯s. If the King objects he can stir himself from his slumber. He has slept too long. Though Akio will surely put him in his place.¡± Asha said confidently, making everyone gasp.


    ¡°Such a declaration of war!¡± Emily giggled until tears were flowing down her cheeks. ¡°This is the power of a mother!¡± She exchanged a knowing look with Nagi-san, before looking at Hinata-chan, Eri and Tsukiko-chan. ¡°The three of you will have to step up your game. When Aki¡¯s a father, he¡¯ll change. But for the better, I know. Taichi and I did. Saving the world is a worthy goal, but...Eri¡¯s right. Saving it for the next generation, for your own flesh and blood, leaving the world a better place than you found it... that¡¯s a goal that can push you past your limits, make you achieve the impossible.¡±


    At that moment a man ran up to Hinata-chan, saying it was time. With a smile, Hinata-chan bowed. ¡°Sorry, Kazumi and I have to go. I won¡¯t say anything to Akio about you, Asha. When he comes back he might be a little depressed. While he saved more than anyone else could, he couldn¡¯t save everyone. So some happy news will focus his mind. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Say hi to Kana for me when she finishes work!¡± With that, the two girls hurried off boarding a helicopter, which took off in formation, accompanied by several others.


    ¡°She¡¯s a girl too clever for her own good, and she loves Akio a lot, because she¡¯s finally found what she wants in life.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°But because she¡¯s smart, and is surrounded by people who aren¡¯t normal she¡¯s mistaken her own perception for what¡¯s ordinary and acceptable. So she needs someone to correct her occasionally. It can¡¯t be Shaeula, Hyacinth, Shiro, Daiyu... all of them are more abnormal than her, in their own ways.¡±


    ¡°You have not included me.¡± Asha noted, amused. ¡°I am not mortal...¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a mother now, or will be.¡± Emily giggled. ¡°Besides, you are very... calm, with an approachable air about you. I don¡¯t see you causing many problems.¡±


    ¡°Eri spoke the truth.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°Death looming does change a being. I was hollowed out, emptied of all but despair and suffering. When Akio stormed to my impossible rescue, all that despair and suffering was gone, leaving me to be filled by peace, joy, happiness.¡± I see. Aki¡¯s the one who paved the path for them all, but... they all want to walk along with him. I¡¯m so proud of him, of them.


    Tearing up, Emily nodded brightly. ¡°Those are wonderful sentiments. Nagi-san, you, me, Hana... even Tsukiko-chan¡¯s parents, who I am sure will be overjoyed to have you back, be able to start over with you...¡± Tsukiko-chan nodded gently at her words, and Emily continued. ¡°...Shaeula¡¯s parents... I can hardly wait to get to know them, beings out of fairy tales... Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan¡¯s parents too... we all have to come together. Our children have a hard path, but... at least we¡¯ll be there to support them all. After all... they¡¯re all good kids. Even those that are older than us.¡± I know Asha is very old, but asking a woman¡¯s age is a no-no! From what I¡¯ve heard Aki say, Hyacinth is probably the oldest, not that you¡¯d know it...


    ¡°I agree.¡± Nagi-san said with a slight smile. ¡°Though I also agree with Hana-san that you¡¯d know how we felt if it was your daughter involved in a harem and not your son. Oh well... one day you¡¯ll understand. But... it was strange to me when I married into the Izumi family, and I discovered there was actually magic. Rather a let-down, a little flame here and there that a lighter could surpass was anticlimactic... but now...¡±


    ¡°But now?¡± Emily pressed.


    ¡°In a world where we are sitting here having tea with a Dryad, and a woman who has been brought back to life by the power of love...¡± Nagi-san giggled teasingly at those words, and Emily found it adorable the way that Tsukiko-chan went pink and looked down, embarrassed, just like a girl of the age she looked. ¡°...I don¡¯t think anything is too strange to consider. So long as you all make sure my Kana is happy, you have my support. And to be honest...¡± she looked a little sorry. ¡°...ever since Shirohebi, the white snake Kami was revealed to us, Daichi and my father-in-law have felt Kana should have been Akio-kun¡¯s wife, since we were the shrine that first brought him into connection with the Kami, and... since Akio-kun is his master, we would have had the bloodline of the master of our Kami in Kana¡¯s children. Men.¡± She snorted, both amused and exasperated.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to not think about such things, when Asha is pregnant. And she won¡¯t be the last.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°It seems everyone wants a piece of Akio. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand it, he¡¯s the greatest!¡± Eri insisted stoutly. ¡°But it makes it hard... to stand out. To not be left behind.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But...¡± Tsukiko-chan looked up at the moon overhead, hanging large in the sky. ¡°...I need no gift of foresight from Tsukuyomi to tell you that Akio will never leave any of us behind. So... take heart. Tonight you stood up for him and for yourself, and Hinata, she respected you for it, and understood her mistakes. I am inexperienced, so... when I err, please do support me to right my wrongs.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have much to teach you.¡± Eri said, flustered, and Emily giggled at the lighter mood after some heavy conversations. Yes, Aki is the best. Tsukiko-chan is too precious to die, she¡¯s simply adorable, a perfect combination of innocence, naivety and wisdom. To see her blushing, thinking of Aki... oh, how can any boy resist? My Aki is the best, but he¡¯s the best at being sinful too!


    ¡°You would be surprised. Are you not his first and thus most experienced?¡± Tsukiko-chan pressed politely, and Eri blushed red as a tomato, bringing laughter from around the table. As the girls continued to drink tea and chat, talk turned to the children once more.


    ¡°So... we need two names, right?¡± Emily pointed out. ¡°Asha... huh, there¡¯s the ash tree, right? And Dryads have Trees...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are quite correct. There is no particular law, but it is customary to have a name referencing a tree.¡± Asha agreed.


    ¡°Well, Aki is Japanese, so maybe some Japanese words for trees? But then, he¡¯s also half a Brit, and Fae are from the British isles, technically, so...¡± Lost in cheerful discussion, Emily met the eyes of Nagi-san, who smiled ruefully. Don¡¯t worry, Nagi-san. My Aki might have been a fool who left behind Eri and hurt her before, running from himself and her, but now... he¡¯s stopped running, and instead shelters, saves and loves. Eri¡¯s heart was mended, and now she was actively taking an interest in the lives of her fellow sisters, as they called each other, a huge change. Asha had been saved and now was pregnant, which would hopefully pry out the remaining thorns in her heart. Tsukiko-chan had the second chance to finally know her parents properly, and live a life of joy and friendship. Kana-chan had shed her selfish attitude and was striving hard for her own dreams and those of Aki¡¯s, while Hinata-chan was living her best life, like a fireball streaking across the skies, bringing warmth to all, but had also been told to keep her fires under control, lest she burn those around her, and the others...


    Everyone¡¯s moving forwards together. And not just those. There¡¯s Aki¡¯s friends from university, the trainees at the school, the Fae, Princess Mikasa, Princess Eleanor, Karen-san, Haru-chan and that strange catgirl who is with him now, even the poor, conflicted Chinese girl, who did such terrible things, but for a reason I can¡¯t hate her for... Looking at Asha once more, gaze dropping to her belly for a moment, Emily made up her own mind. One thing is for sure. I have to live a long life, to see my endless legion of grandchildren born, to see my army of daughters-in-law. To be there for Aki, because despite everything, he¡¯s my son and I want to support him. And he has a lot of weight on his shoulders. Hinata-chan¡¯s plans... no, all of their plans, to push Aki to the top... it¡¯s not going to be easy for any of them. Mind made up, she was determined to throw herself into the training in the Boundary, no matter how scary and unpleasant it was, and get strong enough so that not only was she not a burden, but she was able to support them all in her own way. Taichi too. And Hana and Junpei. And soon the others too... we¡¯ll be the example that Aki, Asha and eventually the others can follow, of parents who love their kids and support their dreams...

 Chapter Four Hundred And Sixty-Two *Contains Status – Shiro 3* + Announcement/Help Request

    Chapter Four Hundred And Sixty-Two *Contains Status ¨C Shiro 3* + Announcement/Help Request


    I opened my eyes to see I was still on Shiro¡¯s lap. Her hand moved back from my head, as if she was doing something, and she flushed a little, but managed a smile. ¡°Finally up, Aki? Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only been a few hours in the Material. Your sister and Haru both popped in to check you were all right and apparently matters are well in hand.¡±


    A few hours, huh? So I¡¯ve been asleep for about eight hours here? I did feel much more refreshed, the natural aether regeneration of my body matched with the decent amount my Territory was funnelling me, even at this distance. ¡°I see. That¡¯s good, I guess. And you¡¯ve been watching me all this time? Sorry about that.¡± I noticed Shiro was still sitting a little gingerly, her body clearly still aching, but she chose to misinterpret my comment.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a bit girly, not something I ever thought I¡¯d say, but honestly, it was kind of adorable watching you sleep, Aki. Besides, I wasn¡¯t bored, I have Tan to talk to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± I agreed, taking stock. ¡°So, my adherence isn¡¯t as low as I thought, but I still have to do something about these Favours. Huh...¡± As I noticed, Shiro snickered, clearly amused, and one eye flared red, Tan explaining herself.


    ¡°Yes, I have supplemented you with my own. It is not a renewable resource, easily obtained, as I am trapped down here, far from my Pantheon and those who venerate me. But this opportunity is too precious to waste. I am not averse to making an investment of time, effort or adherence, even as I did with the princess here.¡± She paused for a moment, a long silence that stretched out uncomfortably, before she continued. ¡°Do not think your progress will allow you to succeed in your aims.¡± Her tone was cold, but I could tell she was actually trying to offer some advice. ¡°Yes, your skills have exceeded what I believed possible in this world for many years yet, but in the numberless worlds within the Pantheons, or the scattered worlds of the Reaches, skills with Chirurgery such as yours, while not common, no, they are hardly unknown. And what you seek is not trivial, and for good reason.¡±


    ¡°Tan¡¯s totally throwing out the tsun right now.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°She was the one who suggested making sure you have a decent amount of adherence. I think she¡¯s got...¡±


    ¡°... a plan.¡± Tan cut Shiro off, both eyes now red, hair crimson, though since she was not using Divine Possession, Shiro was still able to quirk her lips into a smirk knowingly. ¡°I am Tan?ha?, the Thirst! I do not take half-measures, no more than I did when the Buddha walked on by! If I am to fail, I will fall after giving it my all. My great father demands no less of me! I am not my sisters, hence why I was trusted to deliver the Favour!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining.¡± I assured her. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the help. You don¡¯t have to go this far...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a complicated girl.¡± Shiro seized back control of her voice as one eye darkened. ¡°I think those that live lives longer than us have a very different outlook on things. Too long, or too short...¡± she frowned, perhaps remembering her inevitable death at an early age, which now fortunately had been banished by Tan¡¯s intervention. ¡°...and it changes us.¡±


    ¡°You exaggerate, princess. If we fail here, and your world is doomed, I will have wasted a little time, a few blinks of an eye, that is all. But success, that proves irresistible.¡± Tan shot back, and Shiro snickered, amused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know Aki is irresistible. At least you realised it faster than I did, Tan. But then, I was too self-centred and self-absorbed to consider others, too full of self-pity.¡± Her repetitive words were self-deprecating too. ¡°We talked while you were resting, Aki. Tan was most...¡± Flames scattered as Tan tried to stop Shiro speaking, but she was unable to halt the words that tumbled from her lips. ¡°...impressed by your handing of the Favour.¡± She finished, and Tan gave up trying to control her.


    ¡°What did you think I would say, Tan? I¡¯m not a bitch. Seriously though, Aki. Tan thinks you have top-tier potential. She really wants to bring you back along with me to her Pantheon. How about it? You¡¯re actually strong enough to survive the trip, she says.¡± She teased me, enjoyment plain on her face. ¡°You, me and Tan, blazing a trail, together. I bet you¡¯re curious about Tan¡¯s real body too. She¡¯s surely a beauty.¡±


    Of course she is. Sure, she¡¯s parroting off Shiro¡¯s own gorgeous looks when she uses Divine Possession, but it¡¯s somehow... more. It¡¯s definitely alluring, the Buddha was a damn fool to walk on by. I guess I¡¯ll never make a Buddha myself. But... ¡°You know I can¡¯t. Hell, if you¡¯d have given me that offer before all this started, Shiro... well, I would have thought you were joking, but a life with you in a strange new world... it would have been a dream. But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Shit, I was mostly joking, Aki. I know you can¡¯t be only for me. You have a lot of girls you love, family and friends. Damn... even I¡¯m unwilling to see Hina, Aimi, Hayato and the gang suffer, and I¡¯ve made a lot of new friends since you made me yours. But honestly... you¡¯ve reached a value that interests Tan enough for her to make the offer.¡±


    ¡°Like that fragment of Akoman, wanting to take Chae Cho-Hee away?¡± I mused. ¡°Honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem real. I¡¯m not even the strongest being on Earth, so out in the higher Astral, against Gods and Mythical creatures, and mortals with greater strength and knowledge...¡± Even Ortlinde said I was only good enough for the Einherjar, in the memory I saved. Though that¡¯s not a trivial feat, I believe.


    ¡°You are not a fool. I respect that.¡± Tan spoke through Shiro. ¡°Yes, the peaks are high, higher than you could ever believe. But you have talent, determination, and fortune. If we can claim this world you call Earth, then that would be for the best, but... you are too much of a prospect to waste. While I believe we can triumph, I have been wrong before. I thought the Buddha would look at me. I am comely, and charming, and though my father wished to tempt the Buddha, shatter his inner Dao, I am no fickle woman, I would have stayed by his side in the end, for my pride demands no less. You have a unique gift, one perfectly suited for you. And... I wish to see how far it goes. So I am prepared to sacrifice to see it, just as I was when my father called on me, to tempt the Buddha.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s such a tsundere.¡± Shiro laughed again. ¡°But she¡¯s honest with it. Tan may be rather amoral, compared to us humans, but she doesn¡¯t lie often. She hasn¡¯t to you, has she Aki?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying...¡± I began, and Tan cut me off.


    ¡°I am saying that I would not stunt your potential, even if it puts me at a small disadvantage in our wager, Akio. I am Tan?ha?, I do not fear failure, I merely fear missing an opportunity that seems destined for me. Besides...¡± she smiled now, a rather alluring one. ¡°...I have observed you for some time now and read many memories of the princess. You always repay favour twofold. My loss of adherence is unfortunate, but I trust you will find a method to replenish me.¡± She licked Shiro¡¯s cracked lips, and I found myself nodding as Shiro fully reasserted herself.


    ¡°So there you have it.¡± Shiro grinned, ruffling my hair, as I was still lying on her armoured thighs. ¡°We agreed. It¡¯s a shame to miss this chance. Favours aren¡¯t common, you know. Even in the higher Astral, they aren¡¯t handed out like sweets, you know. We definitely can¡¯t waste the ones we have. We might not be able to get so many at once again.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thanks, Tan.¡± At my words, Shiro started laughing, and as I sat up, I stretched, yawning, feeling better, if still drained. ¡°In that case... time to take stock.¡± The first thing I wanted to do was check the details of the skills I had obtained by breaking apart and sharing Jarovid¡¯s Favour.


    Boiling Blood Rank 1 is a Skill that allows the body, mind and spirit to be strengthened by the application of Aether and various Elemental energies, amongst them, Flame, Wind, Water, Earth, Light and more. This strengthening can be pushed further via Adherence, blood and Aether boiling with power. This will damage Material and Astral bodies with increasing severity, and the effects of healing and regeneration will be decreased commensurately, but the increase in Statistics is likewise similarly explosive. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    Boiling Blood Resonance Link Rank 1 is a skill that allows connection with others who are increasing their abilities and attributes via destructive Aether, Elemental energies and Adherence. Your Boiling Blood will be strengthened, as will that of the being you resonate with, and you can absorb and mitigate the backlash from the resonating being, reducing the damage they take significantly, while increasing the damage you take in return. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    That¡¯s quite the boost in Class and Type for what was Body Enhancement. Although... As my Eye shone, Shiro was watching closely, as I cycled up Boiling Blood. It was a natural feeling, and it was Body Enhancement at the core, so it dodn¡¯t take me long to master it, finding it perhaps ten percent more effective, even now at Rank 1, as opposed to the Rank 5 Body Enhancement was at prior to the change. It wasn¡¯t anywhere near as powerful a jump as passing the first bottleneck would have been, but this was before the true power was released. Might as well try it out a little...


    A surge of strength passed through me, though even with my newfound tolerance for pain, the sensation of the blood inside me raging, bubbling as if water boiled on a stove, was distinctly uncomfortable, and silver and red blood leaked from my skin. Shiro looked a touch alarmed, but I waved a hand, reassuring her I was fine. Testing my movements, I noticed a significant degree of greater agility and strength, and despite the nagging pain, my thoughts were clearer, faster. Ether Healing was working to repair me, but it was definitely performing more sluggishly than usual, and required a greater intake of aether. Pushing it a little further, I grimaced, gaining a further boost, but then decided to halt my testing for now, as I had too much to do and no time to leave myself incapacitated. Besides, my sis will be worried if I don¡¯t return soon...


    ¡°That looks painful.¡± Shiro observed, as I used a little water element to wash off the blood from my skin, and cleaned my armour as best I could.


    ¡°It is. But it can be used just like a better Body Enhancement, so it¡¯s all good, and another trump card for emergencies. The other skill though...¡± At first glance it seemed useless, without someone to resonate with, but as my Eye glowed, observing Shiro, Tan staying silent this time, long having stopped being concerned at my peeping at Shiro, I was sure there were some uses. ¡°...I think it¡¯s more of a pair. Shiro... can you feel this?¡± I let the Boiling Blood run again, making a failure of my efforts to clean myself, but as the resonance began I could feel a little tingle, and Shiro opened her lips, letting out a little gasp.


    Shiratori HimekoBonded KinDivine Medium: Tan?ha?, the ThirstyChosen Of Anesidora, Bringer Of Gifts[Material Statistics] [Intangible Statistics] Might253 725Fortune2 5Fortitude251 730Majesty1 3Intellect480 961Charm15 21Resilience510 980League7 11Alacrity487 964Determination6 12Precision464 940Foresight2Aether1840 3367Fate31 35[Material Skills] [Aetheric Skills]RankClassTypeSilver CordRank 5 Rank 6Sufficient (3) Noble (5)Foundation (4)Divine False Moon And Star Chakra NetworkRank 3 Rank 5Powerful (4) Noble (5)Principle (7)Divine SparkRank 2 Rank 3Noble (5)Law (8)Adherence ManipulationRank 2 Rank 3Noble (5)Law (8)Aether ManipulationRank 5 Rank 6Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Solar Plexus Chakra Of FlameRank 3 Rank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Flame ManipulationRank 4 Rank 5Powerful (4)Foundation (4)Ether HealingRank 3 Rank 4Powerful (4)Foundation (4)[Intangible Skills] [Unique Skills] Lovers'' LinkRank 5 Rank 7Noble (5)Artifice (6)Divine Possession: Tan?ha?Rank 2 Rank 4Legendary (7)Law (8)Flames Of Thirst And FamineRank 3Imperious (6)Artifice (6)Alluring The BuddhaRank 1 Rank 2Noble (5)Artifice (6)Blessing Of Many GiftsRank 3 Rank 5Law (8)Blessings From The BoxRank 3 Rank 5Legendary (7)Law (8)Berserk Blessing Of BloodRank 1Imperious (6)Principle (7)[Level]40 61[Class]


    ¡°You¡¯d have a hard time persuading all your political friends into getting you off a charge of murder, after extreme torture. I know, Aki. You¡¯re a siscon through and through. But I like Aiko too. We all do. So yeah, peace of mind is good. Besides, it¡¯s helpful in battle too. So, when I felt that hot sensation earlier, the link...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you are right as usual, Shiro.¡± As she laughed in agreement, saying that she was always right, I continued. ¡°My first gain was a self-buffing skill, replacing my Body Enhancement. It¡¯s just all-around superior, and I can push myself harder for the same sort of damage as your Berserk Blessing inflicts. But the second skill seemed useless... but as you said, there¡¯s no useless skill, only a skill we haven¡¯t found the right use for yet. So, I have Boiling Blood Resonance Link, and the ability strengthens the effects of my self-buff... as well as yours, it seems. Both good and bad. But that¡¯s not important...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going, but...¡± Shiro sighed, her black eyes blinking in annoyance. ¡°...but you¡¯ll do anything if it means we don¡¯t have to suffer, and... I don¡¯t think I want you to change, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got it. It allows me to take a good chunk of the damage your Berserk Blessing causes onto myself through the Resonance Link. That might make it viable, especially if we can Rank it up.¡± I replied, and Shiro sighed.


    ¡°Yes, this princess was right as always. But we don¡¯t have time to test it right now, and if we do, you¡¯ll just worry your sister and the others. But it¡¯s definitely something we have to tread carefully on. The potential of reduced ability to heal concerns me.¡±


    ¡°Worst case, my second body should survive unscathed. But yeah, safety first!¡± I promised. ¡°Anyway, as for the rest of your gains...¡± Shiro, like all the human girls, had received the Fae-Bonded class. Now I was a Noble Faeduine, it was as if I had an intimate understanding of the weight of such a bond, and so I was able to grant it rather easily through our existing bond of Lovers¡¯ Link. Even my sis, thank all the Gods. If she was the only one left out who knows what crazy scheme she¡¯d cook up... Shiro was still struggling for Kami-Blessed, as she already had a Divine connection, but the planned pilgrimage might well prove enough to deal with that.


    ¡°Other than those details, you just have good growth across the board. Maybe it¡¯s your new Class pushing you forwards as well?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But I have worked hard too. Praise me Aki, praise me!¡± she laughed, so I did grandiosely for a few minutes, before we both shook our heads, amused. ¡°So then...¡±


    ¡°Onto you. But... Tan wants to speak to you first.¡±


    ¡°I see. Feel free.¡± I replied, and Shiro¡¯s hair and eyes burned red, fires flickering, showing Tan was serious.


    ¡°Akio, have you ever wondered why such Divine Favours are not given out in great numbers in the Pantheons, if they can be spared in their thousands, tens of thousands, for each world?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, yes. I have had a few thoughts. I think it¡¯s a combination of things, isn¡¯t it? Firstly, most of them are reusable, right? Other than ones broken down after being Conquered, usually on death they go back up, right?¡± I glanced up to the skies filled with dark aurorae above.


    ¡°That is correct. Your means of extraction is unusual. Crude still, but effective. Though the ability to steal favours, consume them... such also exist. But yes, the majority will not be lost.¡± She praised my answer.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the sheer value of a world. It¡¯s more than just Territory, right? Otherwise a being such as you, Tan, would be an Astral Emperor, and wouldn¡¯t have an interest in Earth.¡±


    ¡°Yes, once more you have intuited the answer.¡± She agreed again, lecturing me, and now she reminded me a little of Ortlinde, who I had at least a little memory of now. Seeing my smile, Tan ordered me to be serious, and to take her words into my heart. ¡°Territory is strength, but that step to Astral Emperor, to the sixth Rank, it is not merely a matter of ether, of adherence... no, it is something more. I cannot speak of it, but you asked before why there could not be more than one on a world. This is why. While there could be a sharing of Territory, this cannot be shared...¡±


    ¡°And it has something to do with a high League, hence the Kodoku they¡¯ve made Earth into, and Conqueror.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yes. I cannot say more, but it seems you will arrive at the answer yourself. Any other reason?¡± she pressed.


    Is this relevant right now? I¡¯m happy to get conformation of some things, but... oh. I see. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly certain, but your words are hinting at it. There¡¯s got to be a limit to what a person can hold, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Tan isn¡¯t taking every Favour she can!¡± Shiro said suddenly, and Tan coughed, a little embarrassed, knowing I didn¡¯t approve of some of her more greedy, amoral actions. But as long as she only preys on irredeemable trash, who am I to judge? My hands aren¡¯t clean.


    ¡°The limit is that of the body and spirit, of course. Just as a vessel can only hold so much liquid, can a body only hold so much granted power. Though a vessel can grow, enlarging what it can hold, and power can be made into the vessel itself, freeing up room for more liquid inside.¡± Her analogy was clean, and I quickly understood it.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it took you so long to handle Daizen¡¯s Favour then, Tan?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a good fit for your vessel, so you had to change it until it was part of you?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. I can easily fill my body and spirit with powers related to flame and hunger, but an ill-suited power fills more. I am very skilled at burning down the power to a form suitable for me, and I am indeed Tan?ha?, a Goddess, so my vessel can hold a great deal indeed...¡±


    ¡°But Aki has to choose.¡± Shiro finished, echoing my thoughts. It¡¯s as I thought. If I wanted the Favour from Tyr to start with, Ortlinde would have had to improve my vessel, my Astral body, so I¡¯d have ended up with Skills and Statistics along the lines of those Chosen I¡¯ve encountered since. But as Ortlinde said to me, my vessel could hold it now, yet... just as my vessel is growing, so too is the Favour growing. That was Ortlinde¡¯s gift to me, the Seeds that spark growth. She was right. My future potential would have been stunted significantly by taking the easy way. I could still get stronger, anyone can, seeing other Chosen proves it, but... have any grown as fast as me? Maybe so, but I have to be near the top, I find it hard to believe otherwise.


    ¡°Yes. Though your vessel is rather special.¡± Tan licked Shiro¡¯s lips, eyeing me hungrily. ¡°It grows at a splendid rate. Your greatest strength is not your fighting ability, but your rate of progress. For now, you have reached a level not so impressive in the Pantheons, but not weak either, but this was achieved here in this annoyingly abnormal world, far from the resources and opportunities of the higher Astral. I am curious to see just how far you can go, and you drag those alongside you upwards with you. That little Valkyrie who gave you those precious seeds has proved perhaps wiser than ever she imagined. With your Eye, and your drive, and some rather alarming good Fortune...¡± she paused. ¡°... suffice it to say, you have more flexibility, despite already having a dormant favour and one gifted to you, to accept more. But that will not be without limit, so...¡±


    ¡°You want me to think carefully about Morana¡¯s Divine Favour. Honestly, it¡¯s not exactly my type, but...¡± I took a deep breath, mind made up. ¡°I want it. No, I need it.¡± Shiro seemed surprised, so I elaborated. ¡°It¡¯s mainly down to you. Your Berserk Blessing could be another multiplicative factor in our progression. And Morana¡¯s favour was basically a pair with Jarovid¡¯s. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was a way to mitigate the downsides. Though I do wonder...¡±


    ¡°Wonder what?¡± Shiro asked, proud that I wanted a Favour to effectively form a pair with her.


    ¡°Just like Jarovid¡¯s Favour, there¡¯s some damage to it, and there¡¯s a piece that¡¯s probably more suitable for someone else. So I was wondering whether to risk it, trying to break it apart again...¡± There¡¯s a chance of losing out on a powerful tool, but it would keep my vessel emptier, as I guess Tan would put it, and it would be a chance to empower someone else. I don¡¯t know. Looking at Shiro, who merely shrugged, saying it was up to me, I decided it was time to return to the Material, and finish up our business in Korea. I could go over my own numerous gains in more detail there, and also consult with everyone about what I should do...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Three

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Three


    Creating a Material body again, while dismissing my exhausted Astral one, since I needed all my wits about me, I was greeted by a somewhat tense scene. Foreign Minister Kang was confronting Arisu-san and Haru, her expression rather frosty, as she stood outside the strange spatial tear that was the entrance to Arisu-san¡¯s room. Behind her were a number of soldiers from the South Korean army, armed of course, though they were making no threatening moves. Which makes sense. Arisu-san may have calmed a little since she was vindicated of her supposed crimes, but she¡¯s still got a fiery temper. I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to provoke her, she¡¯s got the ice queen vibe, certainly.


    ¡°Yes, I appreciate you wish the victims and perpetrators alike moved to the destination.¡± Arisu-san was saying reasonably in English, though there was a definite chilly edge to her voice. ¡°And I am hardly trying to obstruct that. But the simple matter is, your government requested the aid of Akio-san, and through him my aid, as well as others. We have significantly more experience and have already resolved the main issue. We have no intention of letting matters deteriorate now.¡±


    She¡¯s addressing me a little more familiarly after we went on that talk show together. It¡¯s still distant, but... hopefully she¡¯s warming up to me. Arisu-san wasn¡¯t just a colleague with great skills and knowledge, but Shiro¡¯s friend, so of course I wanted us to get along well. As I thought that, Haru stepped in as well, smiling professionally.


    ¡°Minister, the powers at play here were extremely insidious. Consider it like an infectious disease, in a way. Arisugawa-san has put everyone in quarantine, and we will facilitate the transfer safely, preventing any outbreak. Oh... here¡¯s Akio-kun now.¡± Haru waved to me cheerfully. Before anyone else could speak, it was my sis who rushed over, she having been rather quiet as the others discussed the political matters.


    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re up!¡± my sis cried, relief on her face. Beside me, Shiro let out a quiet laugh, amused at her excitement. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry me like that, you¡¯ll turn back into a big bro moonstone, which would suck, as you¡¯ve been kind of cool recently.¡±


    Seeing her pouting face I ruffled her hair playfully, and she flushed, embarrassed, but she allowed me to continue for several more seconds until she batted my hand away, conscious of everyone looking at us. ¡°Stop that.¡± She complained, though her tone didn¡¯t sound displeased. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, bro. I fought here, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You did. So yeah, sorry. But Shiro told you everything was fine, right? And you came to see me yourself a few times?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I believed her, but... damn, if it was me, or Eri, or any of the others, you¡¯d still worry, don¡¯t try and act cool and pretend you wouldn¡¯t, bro. Anyway...¡± she lowered her voice. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±


    It was Shiro who answered, giving a thumbs up. ¡°Not bad. We¡¯ll discuss it later. Looks like we have problems here.¡±


    ¡°There are no problems.¡± Minister Kang said hastily. ¡°We merely wish to put a close on this incident, and get the injured medical attention, and isolate the guilty. There is much we don¡¯t know about this tragic situation, and there are many interested and involved parties who are extremely impatient for good news...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of...¡± Haru spoke up professionally. ¡°One such party has been informed of matters here, and will be accompanying Hinata-chan. They are en route as we speak and should be landing here in under thirty minutes. Your timing is good as ever, Akio-kun.¡± She smiled, her expression a mixture of weariness and professional satisfaction. ¡°There are some pressing issues to sort out first, though.¡±


    ¡°This whole site needs quarantining, Choe-Museon Academy locking down.¡± Miss Kang insisted. I looked around and saw that the military had an increasing presence here, surrounding the entrance to the Academy and setting up encampments in the mountains. ¡°There is much to be understood, we need to go through the Academy inch by inch, missing nothing.¡±


    ¡°Which is fine.¡± I pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about the survivors. Though of course, should there be any information about me or my comrades, I trust you¡¯ll handle it sensitively.¡± My tone was a little harsh at the end, and Haru took over.


    ¡°Yes, as the under-secretary to the Minister for Spiritual Matters, as well as one of Akio-kun¡¯s close allies, I must insist you tread very carefully. We risked our very lives to help you resolve this terrible situation, Minister Kang. I trust you and by extension South Korea won¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°For which Japan will be well-compensated. There¡¯s no altruism here...¡± Miss Kang began, only for Haru to glare at her, surprising me.


    ¡°You honestly think that mere compensation is adequate reason to dismiss our efforts? You forget, we aren¡¯t one of your Korean Hunter Guilds. We put our very lives at risk, of course we should be compensated, just as your own citizens were. Besides, we went to great lengths to save who could be saved, and without us, South Korea would have lost many more Chosen. Your power and influence on the world stage would be cut off before it could even sprout. Japan and by extension the Ministry have been very lenient in what it asked for. Take us out of the equation, and what do we have here as a chance of success?¡±


    Miss Kang looked angry for a moment, before smoothing her face professionally. She turned to one of the few Hunters who were still outside of the room, Lee Jong-su, who looked exhausted but content, Eunbi beside him, leaning on her tall bow. They exchanged some rapid words in Korean, Miss Kang inquisitive, Lee Jong-su slow and weary. After a while, Miss Kang nodded. ¡°I see. Guildmaster Lee is effusive in praise for your heroics, and admits without your aid, they would have lost at least one member of their Guild, likely more, and could not guarantee victory here. But... you have seen the abilities and talents of Korea¡¯s premiere Chosen, as you are calling them. Yet you threaten us over our obtaining of your information, when you offered your aid, surely expecting this?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Haru¡¯s smile was scary now, looking rather like the vengeful ghost she supposedly was. ¡°We know there is no way that our performance and abilities can remain unknown to the Korean government. We simply wish to make it clear that information is to be kept secret, and if it leaks carelessly, as it will potentially put the lives of Akio-kun and others in danger, Japan, and by extension Akio-kun and all the other Chosen who back the Ministry, will be hostile to South Korea, and will refuse aid, no matter the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Minister Kang replied at last. ¡°Obviously with diplomatic relations strained, this is an opportunity to repair them, for Korea and Japan to reconcile. We have no wish to cause issues, but you must understand, Choe-Museon is a stain on Korea, and many powerful people are demanding answers and action...¡±


    ¡°Which is why you must let us use our expertise.¡± Haru finished. ¡°We delivered what we promised, but to us, the job isn¡¯t yet done. Firstly, we need to make absolutely sure that the abilities displayed here don¡¯t outlast their wielders and cause further tragedy. Letting that happen after we triumphed would be a bitter failure. Then second, we have to provide aid to the victims. Which is our specialty. Physical wounds, malnutrition, other suffering... that can be addressed, but the spiritual and mental scars run deeper. I know it well.¡± she finished quietly, and the intense honesty convinced Minister Kang.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Very well. I understand. But I insist on involvement, as is my role here!¡±


    ¡°If you cause no trouble.¡± Arisu-san insisted coldly. She turned to me then. ¡°I hope your nap was relaxing. Here it has been an aggravating few hours. My Room is not meant for use here in the Material, I am most tired.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet. Don¡¯t worry, Aki will make it up to you, right?¡± Shiro nudged me, and I nodded. Seeing that, Arisu-san beckoned me to the entrance.


    ¡°We should deal with matters without delay. Your little fiance?e is coming, and putting her at risk is something you have no wish to do, I expect.¡±


    Without a reply, I followed her into the Room, feeling a slight dislocation as I passed the rift, my spatial element resonating. My sis, Shiro and Haru followed us in, accompanied by Minister Kang, who seemed rather awed by the experience. Inside, the area was lit by sterile orbs of while light, looking rather like phosphor lamps, and the number of holding cells had increased. On my entry, I spotted a large stone tablet, and I realised it was the carvings I had done under the influence of my Eye, detailing the inner workings of Favours that I could divine. I felt a presence behind me, leaping towards me, so I turned, only for Ginneka, in her cat form, to push up against me, rubbing up and down, panting, face flushed.


    ¡°Nya, you came back. I did good, didn¡¯t I? I think you should take a tumble with me, work out some stress. It¡¯s been so long, nya, that I... Nyaaaaaa?¡± She squealed as Shiro hauled her off me by the tail, and she screeched unpleasantly as Shiro tossed her aside.


    ¡°Yeah, no. I get that Aki¡¯s hot stuff right now, but you¡¯re just a cat in heat. Go screw someone else.¡± As Ginneka rubbed at her sore bottom, ears flat against her skull, expression bitter, Shiro softened her tone. ¡°Look, we all agreed. Once Aki¡¯s, always Aki¡¯s. There¡¯s no other way it could work. So if you sleep with him, that¡¯s it. No other men for you. And you don¡¯t strike me as the sort that could be faithful.¡±


    ¡°You make too much of things, nya.¡± Ginneka pouted. ¡°It is just pleasure. Why are you mortals always so serious, nya? Fun things are fun, and a battle makes the blood boil, and loins itch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just mortals. Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha all agreed too. Because... that¡¯s just who Aki is, and who we are.¡± Shiro insisted, and behind me, my sister was nodding along in agreement, saying that Ginneka wasn¡¯t sister-in-law material. Our rather inappropriate conversation was interrupted by Violet-noona, who was laughing in her holding cell.


    ¡°You lot never stop making me laugh. Akio-oppa, Shiro-unni, I¡¯m glad you are both safe. Nobody would say where you were, but I believed there was no way you¡¯d screw things up at the end, not when...¡± She nodded to the most isolated cell, where Chae Cho-Hee was resting, shackled and chained by more of the clear, glass-like substance that made up the structures of the Room.


    ¡°Kang Bora-nim...¡± Minister Kang stepped forward respectfully. ¡°And Kang Da-nim...¡± she addressed her brother, who was watching over his sister, something I approved of. ¡°Are you well? I have had reports, but...¡±


    ¡°Well? Fuck, no I¡¯m not.¡± Violet-noona cursed loudly, scratching at her tattooed arm. ¡°I got hit by the blood, nearly lost my damn mind. You don¡¯t get just what was happening here. Luckily... shit, I don¡¯t even want to think what would happen if oppa and unni weren¡¯t here.¡± She spat rudely, and Arisu-san raised her eyebrow coldly at the mess in her Room. Seeing that, Violet-noona flushed and wiped it up with the cloth of her tank top. ¡°I do feel better, thanks to our ghost here...¡± she nodded at Haru, who sighed.


    ¡°We meet again.¡± His daughter, Park Yu-mi said cheerfully. She was wearing lighter makeup than when last we met, and her business suit was cut more modestly, the skirt longer, and she was wearing sensible shoes, making her look a little shorter. ¡°You move fast, it seems. It was only a couple of days ago Dad went down on bended knees to you, and here we are.¡± She looked back out over at Choe-Museon, where the military were completing their blockade, and bomb-disposal squads and other troops with special equipment were gathering. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really glad I never went to that stupid Academy. Though I¡¯d have graduated before this mess, I suppose. Anyway, you¡¯re a man of your word. And I¡¯m a woman of mine. So, my promise to show you around Gangnam and celebrate still holds.¡± She smiled, and it reminded me of Hinata a bit, she had the same sort of good-natured, slightly teasing humour.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll feel in the mood for celebration. Yu-jun isn¡¯t in a good condition. It truly was hell in that Academy.¡±


    ¡°Before you go, I need to fill you in quickly.¡± Hinata said. ¡°We¡¯ll be moving everyone here to a facility set up on the outskirts of Seoul. That will function as a hospital, and also a staging area to gather information and piece together exactly what happened. I¡¯ve had some... visitors... sent there too. Sorry Akio...¡± she smiled at me winningly. ¡°I have to ask you to put in some effort. I¡¯ve got some worries, and I want to get some insurance in place before there¡¯s problems, not after. It¡¯ll help our case.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I agreed. ¡°If you think it¡¯s for the best, you¡¯re likely right. I trust you.¡± I said, ruffling her hair, but instead of her usual happy reaction, she seemed downcast. That¡¯s surprising?


    ¡°You trust me, if I think it¡¯s for the best, it¡¯s right?¡± she muttered, her expression pained. ¡°Akio... in a little while, we need to talk. I... hope you¡¯re not angry, but...¡±


    I pulled her into a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯ve made a mistake, we¡¯ll put it right. You¡¯re mine, and I¡¯m yours. We carry things together, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Yu-mi let out a quiet whistle. ¡°That¡¯s adorable. You really do have a good relationship.¡±


    ¡°With me too.¡± Shiro said, unwilling to be left out. ¡°Hinata, are you talking about...?¡± she trailed off, unwilling to say more.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. We... we were disrespectful. I talked with Eri, and she made me realise that.¡± Hinata said quietly.


    ¡°Shiro...¡± I said, and she turned her head, whistling in an unconvincing display of innocence, in contrast to Yu-mi a moment ago.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°I get it. But it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have our reasons. And it¡¯s not bad, honest. Yasu would be shaking our hands and crying...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Yasu. Thank all the Gods.¡± Though honestly, Yasu is a good guy and a loyal friend. It¡¯s just he seems to be unlucky in romance. Probably comes across as too needy. Hopefully his luck will turn, there¡¯s a lot of great women about. ¡°So yes, we¡¯ll make time to talk. But right now, we¡¯re keeping Park-ssi and Yu-mi waiting.¡± I could see Park Do-yun¡¯s anticipation and nerves on what little of his face was uncovered.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Hinata steeled herself. ¡°Okay, can we send Shiro and Ginneka back to Japan? The Tree needs buffs, and without Ginneka, a lot of the construction work will slow to a crawl.¡±


    ¡°Ginneka is fine.¡± I wanted the horny cat out of the way anyway. ¡°But I need Shiro here for now. I still have matters to... process.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata understood. ¡°How was the harvest?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a ton to establish, but if all goes well, we should easily be able to make up the loss of a few days¡¯ worth of ether from the Tree. And hopefully... no, we¡¯ll talk about it when it¡¯s just us.¡±


    ¡°Secrets always intrigue a woman.¡± Yu-mi said, toying with her hair idly. ¡°But... dad¡¯s about to burst. We should go.¡±


    ¡°Yu-mi, don¡¯t be rude to him!¡± he said firmly, and she shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I only met him briefly, but I know what sort of guy he is. He appreciates honesty. Besides, he turned me down, dad. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re actually getting married. Though I definitely want to be friends, at least.¡± She winked at me, and I had to admit she was certainly the sort of girl who I would have looked twice at back in my younger days. Though I¡¯d have been too intimidated by her self-confidence, most likely.


    ¡°Yes, being friends sounds great.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not enough of a bastard to demand your body and heart to save a family member anyway, no matter how cute or kind you are.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You think I¡¯m cute, huh? You do have good eyes at least.¡± She giggled, before her expression turned serious. ¡°Dad¡¯s at breaking point. Can we see my cousin?¡±


    With that we took them inside Arisu-san¡¯s room. It shocked and awed them, Yu-mi¡¯s mouth dropping open, and then her gaze fell on the cell holding Yu-jun. A moment later her father saw him too, rushing over, nearly crashing into the clear cell wall. Pressed up against it, he could see Yu-jun, emaciated and unconscious on the bed, all skin and bones, a few nasty scars visible on his flesh. ¡°Oh Yu-jun... nephew. Son of my dear, departed sister Soon-Jung. How you have suffered.¡± He was crying, fists against the glass, and I gestured to Haru. A soft light left her, and bathed the crying, grieving uncle, and his sobs quietened, his breathing returning to normal.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Yu-mi asked, shocked. ¡°Everything around you is so strange, otherworldly.¡±


    ¡°Just a calming influence.¡± I assured her. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d hurt your father. Not when we¡¯re allies in the same boat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that hotel. It¡¯s only been like a day, but dad¡¯s already found out some stuff you might like to know. My dad makes quick decisions, and never regrets them. I mean, he offered me didn¡¯t he?¡± She was still toying with her hair artfully as she spoke. ¡°But he won¡¯t be able to perform his best until my cousin recovers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, aftercare for both physical and mental ailments are part of the package.¡± I promised. ¡°But for now, you¡¯ve seen he¡¯s alive.¡± I turned to Arisu-san. ¡°You can seal everyone in the Room and transport it safely, right?¡±


    Arisu-san nodded imperiously. ¡°Yes, I can do so. Though we will have to hope that the facility has adequate capacity to hold the victims, for I will have to close the Room soon.¡± She glanced at our unconscious Chosen, the one who we would have to pass judgement on. He doesn¡¯t even have the mitigation of being controlled. He¡¯s just crazy, or obsessed, or a pervert, or damn well all three of those. While I considered the brief alternate past where I fell for Shaeula or Shiro and aided them unconditionally in things that might perhaps have seemed evil, I shook my head. Yes, I¡¯d have wanted to help them, but... I¡¯d have tried to steer them away from acts of cruelty. In fact, in a way I did just that... ¡°He can stay...¡± she jerked her head at Park Do-yun. ¡°But we should leave.¡±


    As we stepped outside, where Hinata had bundled the hissing Ginneka into a helicopter, as well as my sis, who was heading home, her task over, I also noticed that Constantine and Sophia were getting in. Seeing my look, Hinata hurried over. ¡°We need to make sure we know everything they know, and also impart the consequences of being careless and crossing us.¡± She paused, looking at them thoughtfully. ¡°Aiko-chan says that they know things about other Chosen, and that they seem good enough people. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll show them proper hospitality.¡±


    ¡°In that case we should be going. I want to get home to everyone as soon as I can.¡± I said, eager to see if I could find a host for any of the Favours remaining.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry.¡± Yu-mi smiled, accompanying us to our own transport. ¡°We still have to party like the world is ending the next day. I promised you a celebration, right? And while my cousin Yu-jun doesn¡¯t look so good, he¡¯ll be all right, won¡¯t he?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll sort his physical injuries without any problems, and then we¡¯ll go from there. It might take time, but just like poor Hotene-san and Keomi-chan are recovering...¡± Keomi-chan seems almost her old self, though occasionally there¡¯s still moments when she freezes up... ¡°...Yu-jun will recover too. The worst is over.¡±


    As everyone was in the helicopter now, Arisu-san the last to enter after sealing her Room, the doors shut, and as the helicopter took off, leaving Choe-Museon behind, I let out a sigh. There¡¯s still so much to do before returning home. I have to decide what I¡¯m doing with Morana¡¯s Favour, whether to take it or break it, and also clean up the political mess here. Fortunately... looking at the others in the helicopter, Arisu-san, Haru, Shiro, Hinata, my sigh evaporated, and I felt warm inside. ...I don¡¯t have to do it alone...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Four

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Four


    ¡°We¡¯re finally alone then.¡± Hinata said as the helicopter flew towards its destination.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, dad too...¡± Yu-mi muttered, but I understood what Hinata meant, as Minister Kang was flying in another helicopter, along with the Greek siblings, so other than Park Do-yun and his daughter, it was all my allies, so I was able to relax and let the high tension of the battles fade away finally. Of course, the constant trickling of adherence away from me is a different type of pressure.


    ¡°Yes, though not for long, we¡¯ll be at our destination soon.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work hard then, and I know it¡¯s been tough. Sorry Akio.¡± She apologised, and I waved it off.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m working now to relax later.¡± I joked, and she apologised again.


    ¡°Sorry, Akio.¡± Her brown eyes were moist with tears, and there was a catch in her voice. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, Hinata. There¡¯s no need to be that sad...¡± Shiro sighed, before looking me in the eyes. Her black eyes held a little remorse, but her expression was still calm. ¡°If you¡¯re apologising, I should too. But we all agreed it was for the best, and a nice surprise.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± Hinata repeated, clearly upset. ¡°But I think we were wrong, no, not wrong...¡± She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. ¡°Akio, I told you about Adamant, but...¡± She began to explain, and as she did so I could feel my expression changing. That¡¯s... more than I expected, but I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Not with Hinata, Shiro and Shaeula involved.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hinata finished, apologising for yet another time, bowing her head. ¡°I... only wanted to get you what you deserve, what we need, and to share some happiness with some others who I felt should have it.¡±


    ¡°So let me get this straight.¡± I met her eyes, after looking at Shiro, who shrugged and glanced aside guiltily. ¡°If I was to say to anyone wearing that uniform that I was interested in them... they¡¯d have to... submit?¡± I didn¡¯t want to say the actual words, as I was actually a bit angry. Is that how they see me? I¡¯m hurt...


    ¡°It¡¯s like a sex cult...¡± Yu-mi said, stunned, chewing on the ends of her curled hair in thought.


    ¡°Yes, but... you wouldn¡¯t do that, Akio.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°Like I explained, it¡¯s mostly just to build a sense of unity and loyalty that can¡¯t be broken. And in exchange for their loyalty, we¡¯ll make sure to support them though any disaster that might befall them, and ensure their successful futures. But... there are some I wanted you to consider...¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked, and Hinata clammed up, face flushed.


    ¡°You know...¡± Yu-mi said, after glancing at her father, who looked troubled. ¡°...I think it get it. Not this crazy private army, that¡¯s way outside of anything I could have imagined before today, but... you¡¯re not that kind of guy, are you Akio-nim?¡± she addressed me surprisingly respectfully. On seeing my surprise at that, she continued to twirl her hair. ¡°What? Surprised? Maybe it¡¯s a bit formal for friends, since you said we¡¯d start out as new friends, but... you rescued my cousin, and did more than that too, I¡¯ll wager. I¡¯d feel a bit strange talking to you like I would a guy at university, and you¡¯re not my brother so that¡¯s out. But that doesn¡¯t matter. Miss Hinata...¡± she said, since we were speaking in English, as it was a common language we all understood. ¡°...Akio-nim isn¡¯t the sort of man who would indiscriminately prey on women. It seems a bit laughable to say that when he¡¯s admitted to eleven girlfriends, as brazen as can be, but... if he was, then he would have leapt at the chance to take me as his twelfth, or at least pushed me down and had his way with me if he wasn¡¯t keen on marriage. There¡¯s no chance he wouldn¡¯t be interested in me that way. I¡¯m pretty cute.¡±


    There¡¯s no way I can answer that. But I¡¯m surprised she¡¯s sticking up for me, we¡¯ve barely talked at all. ¡°Look, I understood why you felt we need it, and even that you all wanted to surprise me with this as a present, but... it¡¯s not what I want. I already...¡±


    ¡°You already worry you¡¯re not able to be a proper boyfriend and husband to us.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°I think you worry too much. Right now, everyone¡¯s having fun, growing stronger, working toward their dreams. I mean, at first I was going to turn you down because I felt that I deserved you all to myself, and I had some pride, even me. But...¡± Her smile was warm and amused. ¡°...maybe Shaeula is a bad influence on me, Hinata too, but I started thinking that in a way it was showing our superiority, that all these women wanted you, but that you wanted me.¡±


    Arisu-san, who had been watching silently, a disapproving frown on her face, spoke up then. ¡°She was right then.¡±


    ¡°She?¡± I asked, and Arisu-san shook her head, seemingly frustrated.


    ¡°Young Suzanne-san. She said I did not understand White here, and she was right. Though hearing her in her own words...¡± She shook her head again, troubled. ¡°...I think that path is one you can choose to walk if you wish it. You are an adult, White, and I understand that Akio-san fought tirelessly to win you, even against Red and the contracts of a God. You...¡± she fixed Hinata with a cold glare. ¡°...I am not one who is a stranger to the nobility of Japan, though I have only had fleeting contact, but such concepts as arranged marriage, concubines and a wife living to further the interests of her husband and house are ingrained into you. This is a foolish extension of that.¡±


    Yes, Arisu-san is extremely concerned with faithfulness after she was betrayed by her fiance?, I understand her anger. Though as she continued, I was surprised by how accurately she read our worries, showing her keen intelligence and understanding of others¡¯ emotions, as befitted a top actress. ¡°As for Shaeula, I have no wish to understand her inhuman thought processes. A culture where the bonds of marriage, or their rough equivalent, know no bounds of gender or number, I can hardly criticise her for doing as she is predisposed to do. No, looking at you all, you have made your choices. But there is one who did not, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Shiro began, but Hinata nodded, and it was the source of her upset.


    ¡°Eri. When you accepted Eri, she was the only one, and had no reason to think there would be any others. For all of us, even Kana, who is an ordinary girl like Eri, we understood you were too big to tie down, that your destiny would carry others along with you, but... only Eri was different.¡±


    That¡¯s true, but also not. Eri... Eri¡¯s a kind girl, and she accepted Shaeula, and even Hinata and the others. But... I cant help but worry. After all...


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Eri-chan is as weak as you imagine.¡± Haru said, having also been listening quietly, though she was constantly checking her phone, no doubt receiving important updates. ¡°She admitted that it was her insecurities and jealousy that she wasn¡¯t good enough for you that kept her so jealously possessive. Besides, she was acting out a normal plan for her life. Fall in love, marry, have children, together. And why wouldn¡¯t she? Back then there was none of this.¡± Haru gestured to those of us in the helicopter. ¡°But if you ask her, all she really wants is you. I think it¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s right.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°We said we put Adamant into play without consulting her because we knew she wouldn¡¯t refuse it because it was for you, Akio, and we didn¡¯t want to bother her... but I can¡¯t lie anymore. Shiro, we just didn¡¯t want the hassle, did we? We were disrespectful, and selfish.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, Hinata.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Look, I like Eri. She was kind to me and welcomed me when I first arrived, and we had similar circumstances. But when it comes to you, she¡¯s... well, she can get a bit crazy. And she¡¯s by far the most jealous of us all. Yet despite that, she opened her arms to us. I can¡¯t hate her. But...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I bit my lip. ¡°Hinata, I wanted you to pursue your dreams without having to give anything up. That goes for you too, Shiro. And of course that applies to Eri as well. But... when her dream is incompatible with those of others, when she wants me all to herself, to live an ordinary life... when two dreams clash, there has to be somebody who sacrifices. I wanted that to be me, but...¡± I love Eri, I always have. And maybe I could have ended with just Eri, Shaeula and Shiro... but then, Hyacinth and Tsukiko have suffered a lot too. Daiyu as well, Asha too. No... it would never have worked. I¡¯m too weak. I have all this strength, I can defeat fragments of evil Gods, Conquer Chosen who use divine powers to commit evil, deal with the rich and powerful... but I can¡¯t turn my back on those women who I¡¯ve come to care about when they are hurting. But with each hand I hold out, Eri...


    ¡°Hey, dad, am I an idiot? Are we stupid?¡± Yu-mi said suddenly, surprising me. As he looked at her, puzzled, she sighed. ¡°You know, Akio-nim, has this Eri girl ever told you she¡¯s unhappy, or reproached you?¡±


    ¡°No, but I know she wants more of me, more of me than I can give...¡± I began, as Shiro rolled her eyes beside me. Yu-mi sighed again, frowning.


    ¡°Of course she does. That¡¯s being in love, right? The girls here all want more of you, don¡¯t they? Miss Shiro, Miss Hinata, and Miss Haru, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    At her words, everyone froze. Haru blinked for a moment, before laughing a little nervously. ¡°I fear you¡¯ve made a mistake. I¡¯m not one of Akio-kun¡¯s women, I¡¯m merely his Vassal. I... I¡¯m not something anyone would want to touch.¡±


    I cut her off. I was an idiot when it came to how girls felt, but I learned, if slowly, and had a good memory now. ¡°No. When Shaeula suggested the same, Eri got really pissed off. I think Yu-mi and my sis are right...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know you and Eri best, bro...¡± my sis said proudly, and she offered a hand for Yu-mi to high-five, which she did, a little embarrassed.


    ¡°...yeah, Eri¡¯s proud. She believes I want to spend time with her on her own merits, which of course I do. Damn, maybe I do need to find a way to multiply myself further... ugh, way too difficult. No, I¡¯ll give Yu-mi a chance, she¡¯s right. Maybe an outside perspective...¡±


    ¡°But a friend¡¯s one.¡± Yu-mi corrected. ¡°I¡¯m approaching it that way too. I¡¯m obviously not as smart as I thought I was, but I¡¯m not a total idiot. I too can learn. But... shouldn¡¯t we talk about business now? Though this has been interesting in its own way.¡± She looked at her father. ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re worried about Yu-jun, dad, but they said he¡¯ll recover. Why wouldn¡¯t we believe them? Right now I¡¯ll believe anything, even that we¡¯re sitting here with the future ruler of the world.¡±


    ¡°That... worries me, a little.¡± He said slowly. ¡°I have little love for the Japanese, less so for the nobility. I worry what will happen to Korea if a Japanese person was to gain such almighty power.¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡± I promised. ¡°Just like Japan, or Britain, or anywhere else, there¡¯s a lot worth preserving, culturally. But there are also some things that aren¡¯t desirable. If... when... I settle matters and protect the Earth, I¡¯ll also remember those who aided us and stood with us. Like you two. I think that as I¡¯m a half, I have a different perspective on matters, and... I¡¯ve walked beside beings who aren¡¯t even human, who have their own cultures and characters. Earth is a melting pot, and that¡¯s good. But to remain so, we have to fight. Just like here at Choe-Museon. Does that answer your question, Park-ssi?¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± He nodded, glancing at his daughter, who smiled back. ¡°Please treat Yu-mi well. I will pay what I have promised.¡± Before I could answer that I always treated my friends right, he continued. ¡°I did some digging with the anti-Japanese faction within the Chaebols. I call it a faction, but it¡¯s more a loose group of big businesses who follow the political and cultural zeitgeist. Hating Japan is commonplace, I am afraid. I mean no offense. Sadly I am also technically a part of this. Though when the time comes I will distance myself, of course, I never forget to honour a debt. There¡¯s a lot of positive Chinese sentiment as well, which has spiked up over the last few years, which I admit I found surprising, as I have little love for the Chinese either. Originally, it seemed that the Tengokusentou was bought by an American conglomerate, the Ruby group. It¡¯s mostly into financial services, telecoms and so forth. But there¡¯s more to it...¡± he looked at Hinata then.


    ¡°I ... hesitate to say this.¡± He sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have cause to believe me. But I swear on my daughter that it is true, or at least those I spoke to believe it to be true.¡±


    ¡°For Yu-mi¡¯s sake I will hear you out.¡± Hinata said, eyes narrowing. ¡°It¡¯s betrayal, right?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± he asked, surprised.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. But it isn¡¯t as though Kira-sama and Fujiwara-sama don¡¯t have suspicions. The Shiraishi house were misled, and Shiraishi Nozomi was to be engaged to a very unsuitable match, if you ask me, though she¡¯s a kind girl, so accepted it easily.¡± She paused. ¡°That¡¯s over now. When she accepted a position in Adamant, Fujiwara-sama accepted the cancellation. Apparently Fujiwara-sama already had some issues with him. The man, Mizuhara Minato, was quite angry. Not that I care. He¡¯s from a branch family of a branch family of Mizuhara house, which is one of the Fifty-Eight. No, it¡¯ll be Fifty-Seven again soon then... betrayal, huh. Mizuhara house is long associated with mining and mineral wealth, but while Japan has many rich mountain veins, a lot of them can¡¯t be exploited, due to religious significance, so we import a lot. Especially from China...¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The Ruby group has another name. Ruby Serpent.¡± Park-ssi sighed. ¡°It is an undercover spy group, seemingly. And they report to the Party in China. And supposedly your Mizuhara house has been receiving large imports of rare earth metals, amongst other key minerals, from China at a very favourable price...¡±


    ¡°Bought for mere money. Such fools.¡± Hinata scoffed. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°We may seem the same, since you paid for our services, but we act for nobler causes, and greater goals. Ruby Serpent. An ill-omened name.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can simply get it back. Could the Japanese government seize it... no, there¡¯d be international outcry. Although...¡± That could work...


    ¡°Yes, a multi-pronged approach. Pressure from both sides.¡± Hinata mused. ¡°But we have to dismantle Mizuhara house, to prevent further internal strife. But we can use them...¡± As Hinata started plotting, I checked my watch. We¡¯ve been talking for twenty minutes. There¡¯s still a little time...


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the fun stuff then.¡± Shiro rubbed her hands together. ¡°Aki, you still haven¡¯t checked out all your gains, have you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, not yet. Let me see...¡±


    My Eye blazed amber, and Yu-mi looked on, curious. ¡°Again, should you be showing this... no, you¡¯re right. Dad and me, we¡¯re on your ship now. We¡¯d have to be truly fools to betray you. Besides, I don¡¯t want to.¡± She smiled in a teasing fashion. ¡°I still have to sort out your relationship problems. You can call me noona!¡±


    ¡°If you can... I will!¡± I promised. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy. I do still feel guilt. I know Eri¡¯s told me no end of times feeling guilty only serves my own conscience, and actually hurts her, but... I was getting better, but... ugh, managing my love life is hard. Not that anyone should or would pity me!


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that!¡± she giggled. ¡°So now I¡¯m curious. Dad and I don¡¯t know much, other than a bit about the Korean Hunter Guilds...¡±


    ¡°They were nothing special. Some were useful...¡± Shiro admitted, and I waved her to silence, thinking that was unfair. Besides, one of them has a talent I really need to borrow...


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s not like a game, at least on the surface. Some people can call flames, or summon strange beings, or move very fast, or regenerate from any injury...¡± I began.


    ¡°Or control minds...¡± Park-ssi whispered and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, or that. Nastiest trick of all. But I have a talent to see things as numbers, basically. So while it¡¯s not a game, I can sort of simulate the rules, as it were. Which while it doesn¡¯t offer much practical use in battle, it¡¯s great for optimising.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all, right? You don¡¯t have to tell me too much, I¡¯d be scared, but... you don¡¯t beat mind control like that.¡± Yu-mi said shrewdly.


    ¡°Yes, so anyway...¡± I looked at Shiro and the others. ¡°I finally reached a Skill past Rank ten, and gained a Class. Might as well check it out...¡±


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds is a Class obtained by those who have climbed the fourth horizon and reached a level of proficiency in a Skill that exceeds what is normal, in worlds starved of resources and opportunities, a feat even the Multiverse recognises. Even in the scattered, numberless worlds of the Near and Far Reaches, or the Pantheons, it requires talent and effort to reach such heights, though amongst beings as plentiful as grains of sand, there are always numerous geniuses, many others who have mastered such a climb. The Ranks of Skills will increase more easily, and comprehension of information will increase. It will be easier to pass bottlenecks, breach walls and climb pinnacles, though this again is dependant on effort and talent. Skills that affects learning and knowledge are further easier to increase. Intellect will increase greatly as the Class strengthens.


    Damn, that¡¯s awesome. I could feel my Eye burning brilliantly, and it seemed to strengthen as soon as I understood the Class. Of course, my Eye is a Skill affecting knowledge, it even says so in the name! The feeling of having reached Rank 6 beyond the bottleneck didn¡¯t seem so distant anymore, and I knew it was only a matter of time when I could reach it without Shiro¡¯s buffs. Speaking of buffs... Rubbing my hands together, I looked at Shiro, a small smile on my face.


    ¡°I knew it. You are a little annoyed that Hinata and I upset Eri.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°Oh well, if putting me through the wringer will make you feel better, let it not be said that I, Shirohime, am not a woman who can take it.¡± She smiled then. ¡°Honestly, Aki, don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m joking, all right? But... you want to test out my Berserk Blessing, right? And you think that taking on the pain yourself will assuage your guilt. It won¡¯t... but we need to do it anyway. But before that... there¡¯s more, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It was very profitable.¡± I¡¯m not going to talk about the Favours, even though I trust that Yu-mi and Park-ssi are tied to us now, some things shouldn¡¯t be shared. But Skill and Class data will only make them feel awe, so... ¡°Master of Many Crafts I¡¯ve seen before, after all, Ixitt had that one... but for the others...¡± Might as well take a good look at my status. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve fully analysed it, and a lot has changed since...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Five *Contains Status – Akio ?*

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Five *Contains Status ¨C Akio ?*


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    1805 1903


    Fortune


    40 41


    Fortitude


    1794 1887


    Majesty


    31 32


    Intellect


    1860 2043


    Charm


    47 48


    Resilience


    2137 2234


    League


    26 28


    Alacrity


    1882 1975


    Determination


    27


    Precision


    1874 2055


    Foresight


    34


    Aether


    6659 7363


    Fate


    23 25


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Connection


    Rank 5


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Combat Technique


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Body Enhancement Boiling Blood


    Rank 5 Rank 1


    Powerful (4)


    Imperious (6)


    Foundation (4)


    Principle (7)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 9


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Aetheric Chirurgeon


    Rank 9


    Rank 11


    Imperious (6)


    Legendary (7)


    Principle (7)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Crude ???????? Manipulation


    Rank 1


    Powerful (4)


    Law (8)


    Split Thoughts


    Rank 5


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Imperious (6)


    Foundation (4)


    Rule (5)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Crown Chakra Of Space


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Space Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Full Moon Light - Mangetsu


    Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Throat Chakra Of New Moon Darkness - Shingetsu


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Darkness Manipulation


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart Chakra Of Wind


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Wind Manipulation


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Might Of Indestructible Jade


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    The Future Reflected By The Moon


    Rank 3


    Legendary (7)


    Fate (9)


    Prominence Twilight


    Rank 2


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Boiling Blood Resonance Link


    Rank 1


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    [Level]


    138 145


    [Class]


    Kami-Blessed 12/20 Conqueror 19/50 22/50


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 7/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven 2/20


    True Faeduine 5/30 Qi Refiner 2/10 Dual Cultivator 2/10


    Master Of Many Crafts 1/20


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds 1/10


    Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit 1/20


    [Mastered Class]


    Fae-Souled 30/30


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 10/10


    Territory Rank


    3


    ¡°A lot has changed in a short time.¡± I mused, pleased. While some gains, such as my Talisman Crafting skills and Alchemy had come from prior training, the majority of gains were forged in the crucible of battle, so even without the Favours obtained, it had been well worth it. Although... I never did need the Talismans I made with Daiyu. She¡¯ll be disappointed, but hopefully relieved I never needed the insurance, my will being firm enough. Oh well, they¡¯ll come in handy at some point, it¡¯s not like they have a shelf life...


    As I read out my stats, my sis looked envious, and Shiro shook her head wryly, remembering how boastful she¡¯d been about her own stats. Arisu-san, who had heard some details about my abilities before, was rather taken aback at the broad range of abilities I possessed, only to match Shiro in shaking her head, deciding it hardly mattered, as we were tied together by bonds of alliance, and I knew Arisu-san would never betray us, as she was a friend of Shiro¡¯s, and hated betrayal more than anything. I think she knows I won¡¯t turn on her either.


    One person was different though. Yu-mi was a little confused. ¡°You said it wasn¡¯t a game but you could see things in a game-like manner.¡± She spoke slowly, thinking hard. ¡°But you have stats, levels, skills and classes. That¡¯s exactly like a game...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really like that.¡± I explained again, using the trusted metaphor of a Piano Playing Skill, that Miyu had used to argue against me, what seemed ages ago now but was actually only months. ¡°So it¡¯s a bit like a snake eating its own tail. The Skills are showing I know how to perform the related actions, but also seem to empower me to perform better in the related field. How it works... I have no idea. But even though we can¡¯t see them, everyone has the chance to gain such abilities, if they meet the prerequisites.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yu-mi was a clever women, so she grasped the point. ¡°That¡¯s why you said having a way to see such things was a big advantage. But... and I¡¯m sorry if it¡¯s rude to ask this, but you told us the numbers, and have already said the consequences if we are careless, so... just what do the numbers mean? Fortitude, for example. That¡¯s your toughness, right? But no matter how strong you are, the Republic Of Korea Army could still take you down, couldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± It was Shiro who spoke up, grinning. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. At least, not without some serious collateral damage. Shame we didn¡¯t bring any guns with us, otherwise I¡¯m sure Aki would be up for a demonstration...¡±


    It was then that Park-ssi spoke up. ¡°I... have one.¡± He pulled out a K5 pistol, which was one of the standard-issue firearms from the South Korean military. On seeing that, Yu-mi¡¯s mouth dropped open.


    ¡°Hey dad, why do you have that? Civilians aren¡¯t allowed guns in Korea.¡±


    ¡°I pulled some strings.¡± He admitted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to come to such a dangerous place unarmed, especially not bringing you, Yu-mi. Though it has been many years since I did my stint in the Army, I¡¯m still confident I can hit a target if I have to.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Shiro laughed cheerfully. ¡°Seeing is believing, so they say.¡± She snatched the gun out of his hands, surprising him. ¡°Is this loaded? Uh... I think so. I¡¯m not really interested in guns. So, who wants a go? Hinata? Aiko?¡± she looked at Arisu-san then. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯d like to pop one in our playboy here?¡±


    Arisu-san snorted. ¡°Leave me out of your games, White. Besides, I already understand how this demonstration ends. Furthermore, pressure in an enclosed space such as this will surely only harm them. I would reconsider this foolish idea.¡± Likewise, Haru showed no interest. My sis stuck up her hand, bouncing up and down, and Shiro tossed her the gun.


    ¡°Ever since Las Vegas, I¡¯ve wanted to shoot some more guns.¡± My sis declared, disengaging the safety expertly. ¡°I guess my thing is ranged weapons. As for shooting my bro... there are times he pisses me off, like the conversation we¡¯ve just had here. I mean, we¡¯ve been over this. This isn¡¯t a romantic comedy bro, misunderstandings are annoying. Sure, Hinata-chan and Shiro were bad, keeping things from you, but honestly... they were only thinking of you. So don¡¯t be too harsh on them. Not that you could be. Big bro moonstone is a pushover...¡± She looked at Yu-mi then. ¡°Seriously, if you can help my bro work through his feelings, I¡¯ll be grateful. God knows we¡¯ve all tried, and he¡¯s much better than he was, but... ugh, well, you can see how he is!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I have a good idea.¡± Yu-mi said nervously. ¡°You can leave that to me, but... are... you¡¯re not really going to shoot him, are you?¡±


    ¡°Sure am.¡± My sis laughed at her tremulous question. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you watch the news? Remember my bro lost an arm in London, but don¡¯t you see him with two now?¡± She rapped her knuckles on my armour. ¡°Hey, since you¡¯re in armour it¡¯s not much of a demonstration. So I¡¯m going to have to headshot you, bro! But I think you might have to do some of those tricks you do with wind element. Thinking about it, Arisu-chan is right.¡± She pointed the gun directly at my face while I held in a sigh.


    "Fine. I have a little wind element to spare." A green glow flickered faintly around me as I made to swallow the pressure wave, dispersing it, muting the noise and damage.


    ¡°Wait a minute, this isn¡¯t funny!¡± Yu-mi squealed, suddenly frightened, but her father merely looked on impassively, too old and wise to misinterpret our actions.


    ¡°Bang!¡± With that word my sis fired off a couple of rounds in semi-automatic mode. One struck me in the forehead, the other on my cheek. I felt a brief sting of impact, as the bullets deformed and bounced off. One ricocheted off towards Yu-mi so I snatched it out of the air, shocking her. As she gaped, my sis flourished the gun. ¡°This was kind of fun. Anyone else want a go? No? Oh well...¡± she pressed the gun into Yu-mi¡¯s trembling hand, before pointing it at me. ¡°...see? No problem. Shame we don¡¯t have anything higher calibre, but it¡¯s not like we can use that in a helicopter. I don¡¯t fancy skydiving without a parachute. But it¡¯s a little more convincing if you do it yourself, to see there¡¯s no tricks.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I can¡¯t...¡± she panicked, but I merely smiled, rubbing my forehead. It was certainly a lot quieter when contained by wind element.


    ¡°It takes more than bullets to hurt me now. Maybe a missile. A nuke, certainly. But bullets? My League is probably too high for that.¡±


    ¡°League?¡± Yu-mi asked, swallowing as she held up the gun, the barrel shaking, her aim unsteady.


    ¡°That¡¯s basically the strength of one¡¯s existence. The most important of all the Statistics.¡± Shiro pointed out. ¡°And Aki¡¯s is stupid high, I¡¯m still not sure how. Must be all those Classes, Tan says. Plus he¡¯s been Conquering a fair bit. So don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yu-mi squeezed shut her eyes, but my sis patted her on the shoulder. ¡°No point unless you¡¯re looking. I get it. Violence is frightening. My bro is a bit of a worrier, as you¡¯ve seen. At first he tried to keep everything a secret to protect us... but not knowing doesn¡¯t protect anyone. Just like not asking Eri for her real feelings lets my idiot bro imagine the worst. He was out on a date...¡± she narrated the story of our trip to Inuyama and when I came back injured and they had to pretend they didn¡¯t see. Yeah I¡¯ve no idea how I thought they wouldn¡¯t notice. Yae did as well... ¡°...so yes, violence, fighting... it''s not a good thing. But we saved lives, didn¡¯t we? Including your cousin. Haru-chan¡¯s new friend too.¡± She mentioned the brave yet tormented Kim Eui. ¡°We have it on very good authority that the world is in trouble.¡± She glanced at Shiro, who held Tan within. ¡°This is just one mess out of many. So... at least if you do this, you¡¯ll know that there are those strong enough to protect you and those you care about willing to stand up to those who¡¯ll do evil.¡±


    As my sis squeezed Yu-mi¡¯s hand, keeping the gun pointed at me, Yu-mi opened her eyes. She looked at me, unsure, but as I nodded, she clenched her teeth, and squeezed the trigger. Her aim was lousy, but at this range it was impossible to miss. Again I gathered the bullets that bounced off me, but in a moment it was over, and Yu-mi, panting heavily despite having only pulled a trigger, looked at me, concerned.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, see?¡± I grinned. ¡°So does this explain enough?¡±


    Yu-mi took a deep breath, and handed the empty gun back to her father. ¡°It looks like you wasted your time, dad. Even if you had a gun, if something went wrong we¡¯d be screwed. It¡¯s obvious, otherwise why would the police and the Army have failed to save everyone?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± My sis encouraged her. ¡°I¡¯m not bulletproof, far from it, though yeah, I¡¯m not likely to die from a few shots unless you get me in the eye. Not every Chosen is my bro¡¯s or Shiro¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m no monster like Aki, though I¡¯d say I¡¯m not too worried by a little pistol like that now. It¡¯d still hurt and bruise my skin though, I bet. So no thanks!¡± She crossed her arms in the negative. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ruin my beauty! Besides, Haru has the true immunity.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re getting off the point.¡± I halted that conversation. ¡°Yu-mi, Park-ssi, basically you can assume that over time, while the numbers of Chosen will reduce, their average strengths will rise, and it¡¯ll become increasingly difficult for modern society to supress them. Which is necessary, as when the chaos starts, if we are too weak, then Earth as we know it is probably screwed. But we... we¡¯re ahead of the curve. So we want to make sure what we want to protect is safe. So far, that¡¯s Japan and Britain. But...¡±


    ¡°...but you¡¯re not particularly patriotic, or have hatred towards other countries and races.¡± Yu-mi said, understanding. ¡°It¡¯s just where your friends and family live, and a culture you¡¯ve long grown up in. So...¡± She screwed up her brow, thinking. ¡°The answer is easy. I want to join Adamant. Please.¡± She said to Hinata. ¡°I¡¯m asking you too, Akio.¡± She stopped calling me with awkward honorifics. ¡°Because whatever the reasons they had making it, this is your organisation.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± My sis asked, curious. ¡°You were listening when Hinata-chan said just what Adamant is all about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell what I know to the other members.¡± She assured us. ¡°I won¡¯t spoil your efforts. As for the loyalty and obedience... Akio already turned me down, and if he changed his mind, I¡¯d have to relent anyway. He saved my cousin, and will heal his mental scars too, won¡¯t you?¡± As I nodded, she smiled. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not going to say I love my country deeply, but... I¡¯m Korean, my dad¡¯s Korean, my family and friends are... I like what we have. You¡¯ll see soon.¡± She smiled at me in a style reminiscent of Hinata, rather sly and amused. ¡°So I want you all to like Korea too, despite where you come from. Because I don¡¯t want it to disappear. And what better way than showing my... our value? Dad will definitely succeed in helping you get that hotel back, and he¡¯ll show the others who hate Japan they might need to change their minds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bold move.¡± I said, scratching my chin as I considered it. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re based in Tokyo, you know?¡±


    ¡°I can commute. I don¡¯t need to be there every day, right?¡± she shrugged. ¡°But of course if called, I¡¯ll drop everything. What do you think, Hinata?¡±


    Hinata eyed Yu-mi, before nodding. ¡°I think you¡¯re not as stupid as you thought. Though anyone that turns down Akio has no taste in men.¡± She giggled then. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to make up for my horrible mistakes and fix Akio¡¯s guilt over Eri, I¡¯ll respect you, and give you an officer rank. You can be in charge of our South Korean division, with power over recruitment. In exchange...¡± Hinata looked at me then. ¡°...sorry Akio, your work is never done, but we can¡¯t have a member of Adamant who isn¡¯t able to access the Boundary. Besides, I¡¯m curious about that Class you received. Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit. I imagine it ties in nicely.¡±


    ¡°I would think so.¡± My Eye flared as I checked the details. It wasn¡¯t entirely clear, another Class that had some question marks blocking out useful information, but what was revealed was illuminating.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yu-mi asked, a bit worried, and her father seemed unnerved too.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Haru assured her. ¡°Akio-kun is able to perform a special sort of magical surgery, and it opens up mystical abilities in ordinary people. Not like we have, of course, but certainly special.¡±


    ¡°The downside is, it¡¯s not exactly pleasant.¡± My sis laughed bitterly, remembering. ¡°Though my bro¡¯s probably got better at toning down the pain, and at least you don¡¯t have to strip now...¡±


    Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit is a Class gained when the ability to manipulate, modify and repair both Material and Astral bodies reach a level where one can potentially touch the Higher ????????? ??????? , and it allows one to partially perceive and understand the likely effects of performing Chirurgery or Healing upon Material or Astral bodies, and allows finer control and manipulation of the physical and spiritual constituents of those bodies, as well as ???????? ???????? ????????? ?????????. Precision increases significantly, and as this Class grows, ability to control Ether, Aether, Adherence and ???????? increases, and the ability to integrate these also improves.


    ¡°Strip? My heart isn¡¯t ready...¡± Yu-mi flushed, before she realised she wouldn¡¯t have to and let out a breath. Before she could relax though, Tan took control of Shiro for a moment and spoke scornfully.


    ¡°I would hardly relax, woman. Akio here has a wandering eye, and no clothing can bar his vision. Should he wish to see any woman unclothed, he can do it as he pleases.¡±


    ¡°Tan, you know I only looked at Shiro to try and find a way to Heal her...¡± I protested, but it was Shiro who answered.


    ¡°She¡¯s said her piece, Aki. Don¡¯t mind her, she¡¯s been in a bit of a strange mood recently. Not that I don¡¯t get it. But don¡¯t worry, if Aki turned you down, he¡¯s hardly going to want to sneak a peek, right?¡± She teased Yu-mi.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± she breathed. ¡°But somehow I¡¯m offended. Anyway, I¡¯m ready.¡± Having made up her mind, she managed a smile. ¡°But be gentle.¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone say stuff that can be misunderstood?¡± My sis complained, as we took some jackets for a bed and laid down Yu-mi.


    ¡°Ask yourself that, young Oshiro-san.¡± Arisu-san said, and as the women bantered, and Park-ssi looked on, I tuned them out, concentrating on Yu-mi and her rather ordinary body. I see. That¡¯s interesting. Even the perfectly integrated Eight Moons Chakra Network, which seemed a miracle, wasn¡¯t perfect. It was integrated with the Material body flawlessly, yes, but there was something else present, that I could vaguely see a shadow of, an absence. Just like Yu-mi contained a tiny amount of aether, like all living beings, just a far cry from even the weakest spiritual beings, she also contained this, whatever it was. I don¡¯t know what it is, but I know what I think it is...


    Time seemed to slow down as I used all my Split Thoughts at once to contemplate several matters, and to run a number of simulations. Whether it was the Class was too low-level, or whether the mysterious component was out of scope of what I could understand, I couldn¡¯t work out how to integrate with it, I only knew that it was something that could and likely should be. Checking my mysterious new skills, I understood, at least a little.


    Crude ???????? Manipulation is a Skill to slightly manipulate the energy and ??????? of the ???????? and Higher ???????? ????, unleashing significant power and ?????????. However your control is shockingly rudimentary, and will likely cause significant damage to the ???????? if used carelessly.


    Crude ???????? Crafting is a Skill which allows creation, modification, enhancement and combination of items, abilities and ????????? using the energy of ????????, creating ???????? which have a tangible, living presence in the ????????? ????????? ??????. However, your handling and understanding of ???????? is crude and insufficient, so any created ???????? Crafts will likely not endure, their ???????? scattering to ???????? ???????.


    ¡°All done.¡± I said, the groaning Yu-mi suddenly looking confused. She had cried out a bit, but it hadn¡¯t hurt too much.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice, but it was no worse than a trip to the dentist, just... everywhere.¡± She said stoutly. ¡°I¡¯m all right, dad. But I feel strange. Huh...¡± she blinked. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m full of energy!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Hinata said seriously. ¡°We¡¯ll send you a uniform, so I¡¯ll need your three sizes. Or you call tell Akio if you prefer.¡± She giggled. ¡°But the most important thing is we have to teach you how to enter the Boundary, and you have to swear not to enter by yourself. It¡¯s very dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡± she swallowed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a whole different world, where magical creatures live, intelligent races from myth, and more. Of course there¡¯s danger. But if you are in a friendly Territory it¡¯s fine.¡± Hinata continued, lecturing her. As she listened, I decided to check a few last things, hoping comparison would help.


    Adherence Crafting is a Skill to create, modify, enhance and create items and miraculous trinkets and effects that have a lasting effect on the Material, Astral ??? ???????? ?????, in a similar manner to Ether Crafting, though instead of being fuelled by Ether and Aether, it consumes Adherence. Greater effects can be achieved, though the ??????? of the Adherence involved will have a great influence on the outcome, and improper ??????? of Adherence will cause such Crafts to degrade over time and fail.


    There¡¯s definitely more to it, and I know who will know. ¡°Tan, can you answer me a question?¡± I asked, and as one of Shiro¡¯s eyes turned a brilliant crimson, she spoke lazily.


    ¡°That depends on what it is. I would hardly wish to be too helpful to my rival, despite your earnest pleading.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s about the mysterious third component of Favours. Even now I can slightly manipulate it, I don¡¯t understand or even really see it so well. And when you mentioned it before, I couldn¡¯t quite grasp it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is not something easily understood at all. As I told you before, even I am only tangentially aware of it. My father, he knows more than I, of course, for he can create and transfer Divine Favours. But even he is but scratching the surface.¡± She paused. ¡°Allow me to offer an analogy, fresh from the mind of the princess. You hardly need to know how a computer works to utilise it to do many things. And even should you know how to build a computer, as the princess intimates you do in her thoughts...¡±


    ¡°Of course I can. It was part of my time at university, plus most of us hobbyists could put together a decent PC if given the components, oh...¡± I realised what she was getting at, and Tan spoke triumphantly.


    ¡°...indeed. Even though you can build a computer, can you manufacture the chips, the circuit boards, the fans, the wires, all the parts that make a computer a computer? Perhaps you might be able to fix some broken parts, a bit of solder here, straightening a bent pin there, but even if you understand how such things are made, and can use the parts, you do not create it yourself.¡±


    ¡°I see. So I¡¯m an idiot barely able to switch on a computer, and perhaps see a bootup menu, not knowing what it means but able to hit enter a few times until it boots, but a wrong press here or there could completely brick it. You... know a little more, maybe you can open a word processor, or a spreadsheet, but you still are only using it. Your father...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could say he can toy with a number of programs, and assemble parts in a fashion he understands, to create something usable. But even my noble father has his limits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s face it. Divine Favours sort of act like items, Tan.¡± Shiro talked out loud for our benefit. ¡°But they are definitely different, and have unusual properties. I mean, Aki could whip us up a hundred items and we¡¯d be able to use them all, but Favours are... more integrated, I guess? Deeper?¡±


    ¡°I cannot speak of this further... largely because I confess to my ignorance. There is one thing in common that every being who can pass down Divine Favours has in common. I will not speak of it, but perhaps you can derive it from what you know. But when it comes to expertise...¡± she snorted bitterly. ¡°... go prostrate in front of the Throne, and ask he who calls himself the Only God, the One True God. For I suspect that being is the one who understands what you seek the most, and is closest to unravelling the layers of mystery above us. Though there are others who search, who seek to understand, to cultivate truth. But such a path is a long one, and would require... suffice to say, many will seek knowledge and few will ever grasp it.¡±


    ¡°I see. That was helpful.¡± I thanked Tan, who again said as much with what she glossed over as what she actually said. I think I¡¯m starting to see vague hints, just like I can slightly perceive the subtle hidden element within the Favours. If I experiment... I was now determined to take the risk and try and break apart Morana¡¯s Favour too. Losing it would be a blow, but even in failure, I might learn something, and failure wasn¡¯t guaranteed...


    ¡°Is this the sort of thing Adamant does?¡± Yu-mi asked, and my sis grinned broadly.


    ¡°Training is the most important thing we do!¡± she insisted. ¡°Not fawning on my bro, despite what Shiro, Shaeula and Hinata-chan want. After all, being strong means you can choose your own destiny. Nothing is sadder than being left behind when those you care about are risking their lives. Do your best, so that you don¡¯t look back in regret one day, wishing you had power, Yu-mi.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, dad knows that pain well, right? You couldn¡¯t help auntie, or my cousin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And South Korea has suffered for lack of power. Uh...maybe it is time for me to let that go...¡± Park-ssi said, troubled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to forgive. Japan has done some terrible things in the past. Britain too. But every country, every people, has their own sins.¡± I pointed out. That reminds me... the Kamuy... I wonder what happened to them. Are they all gone, driven out by the Kami? There¡¯s just so much to look into. I do definitely need more trustworthy, loyal hands, Hinata wasn¡¯t wrong... ¡°But... I¡¯ll create a world where the strong shelter the weak, and we solve our issues with fairness. And you¡¯ll help us do that.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°I have no choice. I¡¯ve taken something that can¡¯t be bought, right?¡± Yu-mi agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be landing shortly.¡± The pilot called, and I realised time was passing. Nodding to Yu-mi, I quickly double-checked my final abilities.


    Master Of Many Crafts is a Class gained when one has learned at least five different Crafting Skills, and it increases Precision, Fortune and the success rate of creating items and materials. It also offers slight benefits to manipulating fundamental energies such as Aether, and ???????? ???????? such as Elemental essences when using them to create.


    Alchemy is a Skill specialising in creating potions, powders, chemicals and ointments that have mystical and magical effects. It also dabbles with metallurgy and healing, and the arts of transmuting one material into another. Infusing Aether and Elemental essences into Materials becomes slightly easier.


    ¡°Sadly I never did get a chance to test Boiling Blood Resonance Link properly.¡± I sighed, as the helicopter was coming in to land.


    ¡°You should save your strength.¡± Hinata advised me. ¡°Because you¡¯ve got a lot to do now.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson yet, Hinata?¡± Yu-mi said, feeling a bit like a teasing yet supportive older sister to her for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t just decide things, tell Akio what you want and why.¡±


    ¡°All right. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m getting carried away again. It¡¯s a bad habit of mine. I¡¯m not as headstrong as Mayumi, or as stubborn as Sakura. I¡¯m not!¡± She took a deep breath as the helicopter landed. ¡°Look, just like Park-ssi and his fellows aren¡¯t fans of Japan and the Japanese, a lot of Japanese feel the same towards our neighbouring countries. And we¡¯ve already had issues with the talk show you and Arisugawa-san did, where they attacked you over healing the rich.¡±


    ¡°Such idiocy. They are finished.¡± Arisu-san promised. ¡°They betrayed my trust, so I shall not sit idle.¡±


    ¡°Scary.¡± Hinata shuddered, half amused and half actually intimidated. ¡°Anyway, this operation is a secret, but we know secrets always leak. So if you now help with the rescue and healing of Korean citizens ahead of our own... it won¡¯t look good. So I¡¯ve brought over a number of people, carefully selected, for Healing. That way, even if news gets out, we¡¯ve acted beforehand, so we look more sincere. Besides... I know you like to help people. But you must be tired, so I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You see, this is the sort of surprise I don¡¯t mind.¡± I rubbed her head reassuringly. ¡°Nobody could complain at this, and your logic makes sense. Yeah, I¡¯m still exhausted, and have many demands on my strength, but... I¡¯ll make it work.¡± With those words I stretched, yawning. All right. In theory, the hard part is over. Now it¡¯s the clean-up, and all the politics that comes with it...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Six

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Six


    As we left the helicopter, we saw that several other helicopters had landed, and Minister Kang was already here, along with the Greek siblings, who looked rather nervous. The base was a military-style encampment, although I noticed a number of non-military personnel, perhaps civil servants. We were suddenly stopped by a man speaking basic English, and I realised it was our pilot, by his uniform, and he looked rather pissed off. Understandable, I suppose.


    ¡°Why did you fire a gun inside?¡± he asked, angry. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t suffer harm from the pressure! And bullets bouncing in enclosed spaces can still kill or break vital equipment. If the helicopter was damaged, we would all have died!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t think of all that.¡± My sis apologised. ¡°But... you have to admit it was a very persuasive demonstration!¡±


    As the pilot glared at her, Yu-mi smiled and said something to him in Korean, before agreeing with my sister. ¡°Yes, very. Though it could have waited, but I suppose the added danger made it more immediately memorable.¡±


    ¡°Once the danger of the shockwave was mitigated by Akio-kun¡¯s abilities, I was no longer worried, though I agree it was most foolish.¡± Arisu-san defended us, surprising me. ¡°Akio-san has numerous ways to deal with any problems that occurred, and I was watching. A small projectile such as a bullet, I can deal with. In actuality there was no danger, though such displays of bravado should be avoided in the future.¡±


    ¡°It does serve a purpose.¡± Yu-mi backed us. ¡°I think even dad was impressed, right dad?¡±


    Park-ssi nodded slowly. He had covered himself again with his mask, glasses and hoodie, since we needed his involvement with us to remain under wraps, so that he could aid us with the Tengokusentou problem. ¡°Yes, it is the suspension bridge effect. In a situation of heightened danger, the fear can be misconstrued as positive emotions. You should be wary of that, Yu-mi. Although...¡± he lowered his voice. ¡°...perhaps that might be for the best, considering.¡±


    ¡°Just forget it.¡± The pilot groused, angry. Yu-mi said something else, and the man brightened, before leaving.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promised him a bonus. He¡¯s a soldier, so the money will be useful for him. It might go against protocol, but if he doesn¡¯t tell, we won¡¯t!¡± she smiled cheerfully. ¡°Now...¡± she looked meaningfully at Minister Kang, who was coming over. Yes, back to business mode.


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived. Excellent. Now we wish to extract the prisoners. Though I have been in contact with President Moon and also the Japanese Foreign Minister.¡± She said seriously. ¡°The issue of the Korean citizen who attacked you... it has been decided to fast-track his extradition, as an act of goodwill, you understand. We are counting on your continued cooperation.¡±


    So it¡¯s a bribe. Under international law, we¡¯d have an excellent case for extradition anyway, though it¡¯s a bit shaky as we are on Korean soil, but we are also kind of like diplomats. But it wouldn¡¯t be quick and would likely drag on for weeks or months before a decision. So yes, they are trying to curry our favour. Fortunately President Moon of South Korea seems decisive. And we do want him, for now...


    ¡°We appreciate it, Minister Kang.¡± Haru said professionally. ¡°Working together and expediting matters is for the good of all. I am sure we can begin resolving this mess as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of...¡± Hinata broke in politely. Minister Kang looked at her flatly for a moment, before smiling, her professionalism reasserting herself.


    ¡°Feel free to speak your mind, Miss Takatsukasa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I will. I was hoping that my guests have arrived and all been settled in?¡± Hinata queried, and the woman nodded. ¡°Excellent. In that case, we¡¯ll head there shortly. But first...¡±


    I turned to Arisu-san. ¡°Sorry to ask you for more, but we¡¯ll need you to reopen the Room so we can take out the victims and start their treatment. Although... no, it¡¯s fine.¡± With my Chirurgery and Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll be able to keep the Chosen that attacked us unconscious without causing lasting damage.


    ¡°I will be glad to be rid of them.¡± Arisu-san said coldly. Shiro chuckled at her attitude, and pretended to be scared when Arisu-san gave her a flat look. Tired of that play, she turned back to me.


    ¡°I guess you can remove any remaining mind control?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Yeah. So lead on.¡± I said to Minister Kang, and she escorted us to a hospital-style temporary building. Soldiers were everywhere, all heavily armed, perhaps as a show of force in addition to security, but other than the Greek siblings, who had latched onto us again happily when they saw us, nobody seemed scared. I glanced at Yu-mi, and she smiled, whispering.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to worry. Firstly, they aren¡¯t here for us, and I did just watch you get shot in the head a number of times, I even did it myself.¡±


    ¡°Minister Kang, everything is ready!¡± An officer declared, saluting her. As she nodded, we were shown to a spacious room with dozens of beds set up, with several doctors and a number of nurses waiting for us. Arisu-san looked at them cautiously, before looking at me, and I understood her concerns.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly confident that these medical professionals are ether part of the military or at least highly trusted and able to keep secrets. Am I right, Minister?¡±


    She agreed. ¡°Of course. Korea takes its obligations seriously. They are all tight-lipped and have signed suitable waivers. If they betray that trust, unlimited fines and prison time is a certainty, and you could even argue for extradition to Japan, like the criminal that attacked you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all very well, but in addition to punishing the unwise who break trust, Japan would seek punitive damages against South Korea as well.¡± Haru pointed out. Minister Kang hid her displeasure, but not well enough, as several of us still detected it, but we chose not to make an issue of it, as she agreed, and said such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°Very well then. But rest assured, I am not a forgiving person, and despite being an actor, I cherish my privacy, now more than ever.¡± Arisu-san reopened her room, the slash in space forming, faint violet sparks scattering, and with my Eye I could see her reserves of aether and spatial element dropping precipitously. Yeah, we need to finish up now.


    ¡°First thing I¡¯ll do is deal with the Hunters.¡± I decided. ¡°That should be quick. Then we¡¯ll bring out the victims one by one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a list of the students and staff who were present at Choe-Museon Academy, as well as the soldiers, police and other missing people such as delivery drivers and maintenance staff.¡± Minister Kang produced some paperwork. ¡°While it may not be exacting, few should be missed. The families of the students are awaiting news, be in good or bad, so we should make haste. The President is eager to salvage any good news from the situation he can.¡±


    ¡°Just like our Prime Minister.¡± Haru whispered faintly in my ear. ¡°He¡¯s fortunate you¡¯re a reasonable man, Akio-kun. Though the Ministry is likely to end up overseeing plenty of Chosen as exuberant as the Korean Hunter Guilds, I¡¯m sure. Why did I ever take this job?¡± she complained insincerely, but her brown eyes were sparkling happily, and I was glad she had set aside her earlier bad memories once again, at least for now.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Because you¡¯re ambitious.¡± I laughed, and as she pouted cheerfully, Yu-mi pulled Hinata aside as we were all about to enter Arisu-san¡¯s room. As Hinata looked at her quizzically, Yu-mi asked her for a favour.


    ¡°I need you to make a call for me, Hinata. It¡¯s about what you wanted sorting, so...¡± She had lowered her voice, but I could still hear. ¡°...I don¡¯t know this Eri girl, so it would be better if you made the introductions, trust me, I can take care of the rest!¡±


    I see. Well, I¡¯ll let them try their plan. I will talk to Eri honestly about all this. I mean, we¡¯ve talked before, but sometimes it¡¯s hard to be fully sure we understand each other. If I had Telepathy like Haru... no, that¡¯s probably more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Once inside, I was greeted by Kang Da and Violet-noona, who stopped her conversation and looked at me.


    ¡°Back then? Is everything sorted out there?¡± she asked, and I answered as best I could.


    ¡°The fighting¡¯s certainly over, and we¡¯ve all reached safety, far away from Choe-Museon. But now a different sort of battle is starting.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, politics.¡± Violet-noona looked as if she wanted to spit, but perhaps remembering how annoyed Arisu-san was last time she did, she swallowed, her expression bitter, before she realised something. ¡°At least we¡¯ll get paid. We might not have been much use...¡± she glared at Rampage and Subtle in the clear cells next to her, displeased. ¡°...in fact, you pair got mind-controlled and still managed to get yourself beaten within an inch of your lives without even inconveniencing Akio-oppa... uh...¡± she looked at me again, this time embarrassed, a faint flush on her cheeks. ¡°...not that I wanted them to screw things up for us, but... oh fuck it, I don¡¯t know what I mean!¡±


    As she explained, Hinata nodding along happily, I realised I had picked up a second Hinata. Originally she gave off a much different impression, more of a spoiled but not stupid rich girl, one who just wanted an easy, enjoyable life. But now, having been swept into our world, she was excited by what it portended. No doubt Hinata¡¯s been bending her ear trying to win her over too. We do need to expand worldwide, so...


    ¡°Right, we¡¯ll talk more about this later.¡± Yu-mi said. ¡°It¡¯ll still be a few hours before Miss Eri can get here, even with travelling on a private jet. First...¡± she looked at Hinata, who nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s miracle time, and a good PR campaign. You can use this as leverage too...¡± she explained to Yu-mi. ¡°We used healing to earn money and favours from the wealthy and powerful, so feel free to offer the same, although don¡¯t go overboard, Akio has many demands on his time...¡± Their conversation started up again, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile at their enthusiasm. Entering another room, I saw a number of the Black Wolf Company, including Aliyah and Treyvon, who saluted when they saw me. There were also a dozen people lying in bed, as well as a middle-aged woman who seemed to only have one arm. Huh, have I seen her somewhere before?


    ¡°Bit of a bastard flying all these sick people out to Korea.¡± Aliyah snorted, her usual straightforward, almost rude self. ¡°But we can hardly say no to the little mistress. She¡¯s even taken Luciana away, we barely see her now.¡±


    Hinata giggled. ¡°She¡¯s still a part of the Black Wolf, and when you go on missions, she¡¯ll join you as always. But she¡¯s too talented to waste on mere construction work and bodyguard duty. Anyway, yes, I had to leave some candidates for this in Japan as surviving the flight might prove risky. They will be next. But we needed to get in first, before problems arise...¡±


    ¡°Nothing like an ulterior motive...¡± Aliyah scoffed, but there was a trace of respect in her eyes as her brother shushed her, looking embarrassed. Out of curiosity, I let my Eye glow, and was impressed at their progress, as they both contained a decent amount of earth element. Looks like dedicated, trained professionals do naturally excel. It makes sense, as they already had the drive and talent to succeed.


    ¡°A good deed done impurely is better than doing nothing honestly.¡± The middle-aged woman stood, and as Hinata called her Shinohara-san, I realised I had seen her on the news. She was a self-made woman who had donated a significant portion of her substantial accrued wealth to good causes but had recently been involved in an attempted hostage situation, which had left her losing an arm and barely surviving the surgery. In fact, the culprits were never caught, but it¡¯s suspected that at least one might be a Chosen. Detective Reiji, Officer Usui and Bunta-san are on the case, I think? ¡°I am of course grateful you would offer your impossible assistance, but...¡± She looked over at the beds, filled with mostly younger children, but also a couple of sleeping adults. ¡°... I feel there are those that need help far more that I do. The world is full of suffering and injustice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°But who knows in the future? Besides, just like you have done many good deeds, and my grandfather is full of nothing but praise for you, Shinohara-san, so has Akio, though the world doesn¡¯t know everything he¡¯s achieved. But... one thing he does believe is that good people should be rewarded. I agree. So, to let you continue to do good, Akio extends a hand to you.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± My Eye peered into her, and I could see that in addition to her lost arm, she had suffered damage to her liver and kidneys, and they would likely continue to deteriorate, rapidly shortening her life. There were traces of aether and also what looked somewhat like Hyacinth¡¯s nature element. I¡¯ll memorise them and see if that information can¡¯t help the case... ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s nasty. But...¡± Shinohara-san shuddered, going white, as aether flooded her. Her insides were easy to repair, but even with my new Class it was impossible to make regrowing flesh, bone, nerves and muscle of an entire new limb less than agonising, although I did manage to numb her pain receptors, giving her some relief. Several minutes later, I mopped my brow, and she was flexing her arm, expression stunned. ¡°How... how can this be? And why?¡±


    ¡°It can be because it¡¯s Akio.¡± Shiro said dryly. ¡°You should see the healing he did on me. I looked like I¡¯d been run through an industrial mincer then set on fire. Shit, and it was cursed. So welcome to the regrown arms club. There¡¯s a few members, Aki himself included. We have the best booze too.¡± Shiro joked, lightening the mood. Then a man came running forwards, his sickly, pale daughter trailing after him, getting out of bed, calling for him not to be rude or worry, but I waved a hand, quickly darting to and scooping up the pale young girl, sitting her on my shoulders. Some of the other adults who were sitting with gravely ill loved ones looked on, likely wishing they could speak, and there was hope in their eyes.


    ¡°Takatsukasa-sama, Oshiro-sama...¡± the man bowed, sweating. ¡°Please, please help my little angel!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m fine, I told you. Others need help more.¡± The girl said from my shoulder, her eyes heartbreakingly pure. She looked down at me, a slight smile showing. ¡°You¡¯re like a magic man, mister. Thanks for helping that nice old lady. But you shouldn¡¯t worry about me. Some of these people look very sick!¡±


    ¡°They are.¡± Hinata said softly. ¡°Five cases of terminal cancer, two needing heart transplants including this girl here, one incurable tropical disease, and three victims of violence. The trouble is, there are always more who need help. So I had to choose. But...¡± she smiled at the little girl. ¡°One day there won¡¯t be any sickness, people won¡¯t need to suffer. That day isn¡¯t yet, but we¡¯re working towards it. So...¡± she reached out a hand. ¡°...you can help, by being one of the first to show the world it can be done. Besides... your daddy wrote a very touching letter. Normally it should never have got past my secretary, but it seems luck was on your side.¡±


    ¡°Really? No more hospitals? Where will people go when they get hurt?¡± she asked, curiously, and Hinata looked at me for an answer.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be hospitals, yes, but the doctors will be able to perform magic.¡± I waved my free hand, and light formed an illusion of flowers for a moment, making her reach out, before they faded. ¡°There¡¯s always bad things in the world, but if enough good people fight back, everyone can be happy.¡±


    The girl looked at me for a moment, before nodding. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I don¡¯t want daddy to be sad anymore. He cries a lot, you know? But I¡¯m happy I have a good daddy who loves me. Lots of kids don¡¯t, do they?¡±


    The man blew his nose messily, proclaiming his little girl was sent from heaven, and it was hard to disagree, she was very mature, perhaps because she knew she didn¡¯t have a long life ahead of her, and she was also kind. In that case...


    ¡°Sadly, miracles sometimes hurt, but think of it like the dentist. Nobody likes the dentist, but then toothache is worse, right?¡± I smiled, and aether surged, and the girl cried out. Shiro restrained the man with one hand, as he looked as if he wished to leap at me, but as she reassured her father she was fine, I worked quickly. Actually, this is fascinating. Seeing the difference in structure of everyone¡¯s body... often seeing a defective one is more valuable than a perfect one. But that¡¯s not what matters for now... Fixing the heart and struggling organs was easy, but repairing the genetic fault she had was incredibly fiddly, until I hit on something so simple I hadn¡¯t realised it before. The spiritual also affects the physical, right? Both harm and... healing. Unleashing Chirurgery, I began to make changes, and soon aether was cascading through the girl, regenerating the cells to the new template.


    Your Skill, Ether Healing, has increased from Rank 9 to Rank 10, ascending the third pinnacle and reaching the fourth horizon. You can...


    Perhaps it was my new Class, or my higher skills, but it seemed far easier than it should have, though it was still a great drain on my reserves. As I took the girl down and handed her to her trembling father, the girl looked at me, taking a deep breath. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. Mister, am... am I well again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I ruffled her hair cheerfully, and she squirmed a little, embarrassed. ¡°Yes you are.¡± As the man burst into tears, the others in the room started with loud cries and exhortations, and I turned to them, grinning. ¡°All right. One at a time. I won¡¯t leave until you¡¯re all healthy.¡± Damn, this is going to be hard work, and I¡¯ve barely recovered. Fortunately... I winked at Shiro and she understood, dropping her buffs on me, and my Chakra network started drawing in and processing aether with much greater efficiency. I have those I can lean on. Though... I was tempted to get her Boiling Blood buff too, but there was no need to take a risk, not when I had people to save...


    ********


    ¡°This makes everything worthwhile.¡± Shinohara-san watched the freshly healed people as they were shocked at the state of their bodies, unbelieving. Aliyah was playing with some of the kids cheerfully while her brother watched on, and I realised she had quite the amusing gap in her personality. It¡¯s really very moe?. I remembered how incensed she had been in Kyoto over the deaths of children and young adults, and realised she clearly had a soft spot for them, even if she was brutally harsh and scathing with me.


    ¡°You think?¡± Arisu-san said idly. She had stayed to watch the healing, and I suspected that she also was kinder than she let on. ¡°I would imagine not being nearly killed would be for the best.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shinohara-san agreed. ¡°I was angry, I raged, but I quickly accepted it. When our time is up, it is up. Or so it seemed.¡± She looked at Hinata then. ¡°So, what do I need to pay for this miracle? I had heard the rumours, I travel in circles with big business and the nobility, but...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything. This is charity work.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°In fact, Takatsukasa house will likely be donating to your Foundation. So please continue to do good works and help the poor and pitiable, making Japan a better place.¡±


    ¡°I had heard Takatsukasa house was a bankrupt shell of its former glories...¡± Shinohara-san said warily, and Hinata laughed.


    ¡°It sure was. Grandfather Itsuki wasn¡¯t the safest pair of hands, and my uncle... or father now, I suppose... was even worse. But now I¡¯m shaking things up. And I have a very influential fiance?.¡± She looked at me warmly, taking my arm with hers. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t stay, but it¡¯s time you and Eri sorted this out once and for all. We can¡¯t move forward with what we need to do if you both aren¡¯t composed. I mean, think of poor Bell...¡± she smirked.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying not to.¡± I sighed. ¡°But that aside, I get your point. Yes, I do want to do more charity work. But hopefully when we have our factory project running full swing, we can do a lot of good...¡±


    It was then that Violet-noona burst into the room, shouting loudly down the phone still, in Korean of course. Yu-mi raised one eyebrow, listening, and sudden comprehension seemed to dawn on her face as Violet-noona shouted some last words, before hanging up. Turning to me, she grinned maliciously.


    ¡°Now he was a stupid bastard. It¡¯s their own fault they didn¡¯t write up the laws properly. The law is what it says, not what you want it to mean, right?¡±


    Yu-mi nodded. ¡°Of course, everyone knows that. So, did I hear you right...?¡± She glanced at me, her eyes sparkling.


    ¡°You sure did. Just did the transfer now. As of this moment...¡± she grinned at me. ¡°...I¡¯m going to call you boss. Since you are the new Guildmaster of the Violet Scorpions. No law says a Hunter has to be Korean. Maybe there should be, but... too fucking late now. So, how about a drink to celebrate...¡± she paused, looking around at the celebrating patients, many of whom were still crying. ¡°Uh... what the fuck did I walk into here?¡±


    Yeah, my words exactly. The Violet Scorpions... why the hell would she do that? Looking at her grinning face, I gave up trying to think of the reasons and opened my mouth to ask. Yeah, no point wondering. But... isn¡¯t this going to cause one hell of a diplomatic incident?

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Seven

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Seven


    ¡°So... uh, Violet-noona, just why would you do that?¡± I asked her, and she gave up looking around at the celebrating, crying patients and their families, merely shrugging, deciding the situation didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Why not? Look, I took charge because I can¡¯t trust my little brother, he¡¯s too timid.¡± Kang Da protested beside her, but she paid him no mind. ¡°And what with One through Four...¡± she paused, saddened, perhaps remembering how many of them had perished. ¡°...no, it¡¯s fine. One, Two, Three and Four will live on through their replacements. It¡¯s happened before...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit callous?¡± Hinata asked, frowning, though I could see the calculation in her eyes, as she was clearly weighing up what we could gain from the situation.


    ¡°Yeah, but this isn¡¯t a game, girl.¡± Violet-noona agreed. ¡°My life was on the line, just like theirs was. And while they aren¡¯t the same when they come back, they do retain a few memories. So it¡¯s a bit like a shoddy reincarnation. Shit, when we die, there isn¡¯t any coming back for us, is there?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that.¡± Aliyah spoke up from where she was guarding the patients. Since we were all conversing in English she could easily follow along. Trey looked at her, exasperated, but she ignored him. ¡°There¡¯s that dead girl over there...¡± she nodded towards the main makeshift hospital. ¡°...and another one back in Japan, right?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re getting off the point. Yes, it¡¯s not entirely dissimilar to Shaeula¡¯s Kin Bonding.¡± I calmed the situation. ¡°Though I agree, while all our lives are constantly on the line, any death is a tragedy, and I¡¯m sure you could be a bit kinder. Though...¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°...I think it¡¯s just a coping mechanism. I can see you¡¯re more upset than you seem.¡±


    ¡°This is a first, Bora-noona...¡± Kang Da muttered, surprised. ¡°He¡¯s interpreting your unladylike behaviour very charitably.¡±


    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s a fighter and a leader, just like your big sister!¡± Violet-noona said proudly, which bemused me a little. ¡°Anyway, you asked, but it¡¯s simple. I¡¯ve seen Shiro-unni fight, and you¡¯re even more impressive, aren¡¯t you? Then there¡¯s your sister, and the others... I want to be the best in Korea, for Violet Scorpions to be the strongest. After all...¡± she looked at her brother, snorting dryly. ¡°... as my little bro would tell you, I¡¯m not the ideal Korean girl. I drink too much, I like a fight, I have tattoos... and before now, society looked down on me like I was worthless, an eyesore. Fuck them, who gets to tell me how I get to live, or what¡¯s right? I never hurt anybody, I was just trying to live my best life.¡±


    It was then she was surprised as Aliyah smacked her on the shoulder warmly. ¡°Yeah, no shit. Society don¡¯t give a crap about anyone that¡¯s different. All it does is keep the status quo, keeping the men in power in power to do what the fuck they like. I appreciate a girl who gives them the middle finger.¡±


    Violet-noona looked at her doubtfully. ¡°Men in power? Sure, Korea is a very male-dominated country, but you think women are any better? Most of the spite and shit I get is from other women, bitter and hateful I don¡¯t fit the mould. You a man-hater, into girls or something? Not that I care to judge. Do what makes you happy.¡±


    Treyvon loosed a bitter laugh, before seeming to regret his lack of professionalism, the new role he had more guard duty than being a private military contractor. ¡°She¡¯s got you there, Aliyah. Uh...¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Sorry about her. We... we didn¡¯t have an easy start in life. We¡¯ve seen the dark side, and it changed us. So we got tired of being prey, and took charge of our own destiny. But living down in the pits, down in the mud... it leaves a mark. And Aliyah, she...¡±


    ¡°I can fucking well speak for myself!¡± she snapped. Realising a few of the patients were looking at her with wide, scared eyes, able to speak a little English, she took a deep breath, and apologised in stilted Japanese.


    ¡°Yeah, calm down, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m not angry I... uh...¡± she looked at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind Aliyah. She¡¯s always loud and argumentative, but she¡¯s good at heart, and here to protect you. Besides, she¡¯d never hurt a child.¡±


    Aliyah puzzled through my Japanese, picking out what she could, and she looked down, embarrassed. Violet-noona didn¡¯t understand what I had said, but she had grasped the situation. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± She brushed off Aliyah¡¯s hand, but in a kindly manner. ¡°Yeah, must be rough. Korea has its problems too. But you can¡¯t blame everything on one group, or even if they were from one group, that doesn¡¯t mean everyone is bad, right? Boss Akio-oppa here isn¡¯t a bad man, is he? I mean, look at the relief in everyone here, not that I get what¡¯s going on... healing, I guess, since he helped me and the others?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I know it. But it¡¯s hard hanging around this guy. Unless you¡¯re like Trey.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°He might be the only one that doesn¡¯t care our bastard employer is stealing all the women around him.¡±


    ¡°You do you.¡± Violet-noona shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m not into women, so...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my type. For romance, anyway. You¡¯re just my type of woman to hang with though. We should have a beer after this... or what do you drink in Korea?¡±


    ¡°Whatever I can get my hands on.¡± Violet-noona laughed. ¡°But weren¡¯t we talking about some important shit?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Aliyah agreed, glancing at me, before turning back to Violet-noona. ¡°Just... be careful, all right? before you know it, you might be... nah, I don¡¯t even want to say it.¡±


    ¡°Is it always so interesting here?¡± Yu-mi was asking my sister, who laughed.


    ¡°Pretty much. If we¡¯re not living through a romantic comedy love dodecahedron, it¡¯s shocking battles and scary monsters, though I¡¯ve only just joined in on that, as I didn¡¯t have my Golden Sisters until recently, so...¡± My sis suddenly covered her mouth, making an oops face. Yu-mi didn¡¯t say anything, but I could see she had understood something. Way to go sis. You were the one telling me I¡¯d got better at not disclosing things I shouldn¡¯t... oh well. If she joins Hinata¡¯s organisation, there shouldn¡¯t be too many problems...


    ¡°So yeah, when I gained these abilities, when Serket...¡± Violet-noona pronounced the word strangely. ¡°...I looked it up. She¡¯s an Egyptian Goddess, apparently. Anyway, when she sent her messenger, promising me power to save the world, to change it to my liking... I was thrilled. People would finally look at me like I wasn¡¯t a freak, some idiot woman who didn¡¯t get what it meant to be a good Korean woman. Always look small and pretty, perfect hair, clean skin, modest dress. Show respect to my elders, find a husband, dedicate my life to him, take up nice boring hobbies, pop out some kids... fuck that.¡± She growled. ¡°I wanted a life of excitement, where I could be me, where I could be happy with myself, where people respected me for me, and didn¡¯t try and shove me in the boxes they made.¡±


    ¡°Oh Bora-noona...¡± Kang Da sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a rebel...¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± she continued to ignore him, addressing us. ¡°...Akio-oppa didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by me, by any of us. And he treats everyone with respect, right?¡±


    Shiro nodded. ¡°Sure, be they Fae, Japanese, Chinese... whether they¡¯ve attempted to kill him, or fought against him... Aki¡¯s not phased. It¡¯s one of the things I love about him....¡±


    ¡°So yeah. This taught me a hard lesson.¡± Violet-noona continued. ¡°I may have changed, but I¡¯m still not strong enough to force the world to accept me. And I hate that. But... that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve lost. So now...¡± She looked at me, smiling, and I was struck by her appearance, with her piercings, dyed hair and vivid tattoos, and was reminded of all the prejudice, all the hardships she would face in Japan looking the same way. I mean, I don¡¯t exactly care for tattoos myself, but... mom said in the West they are perfectly common, and usually nobody bats an eye over them, seeing them as personal artistic freedom, But then, the East doesn¡¯t encourage expression, merely conformation. Yeah, not everything here is good...


    ¡°...I don¡¯t have to lead to win, right? I can pass off the duty to someone else. And I chose you. I might be hasty, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just you, Bora-noona.¡± Kang Da sighed. ¡°When you make up your mind, you just do it. Not ladylike at all!¡± He looked at us apologetically. ¡°But my big sister has taken a liking to you all. Please look after her, after us...¡±


    It was then that Minister Kang burst in, having temporarily abandoned her duties with the arriving families of the victims of Choe-Museon Academy. She was brandishing her phone, and on seeing Violet-noona, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Just what is the meaning of this? You can¡¯t do this, Kang-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She crossed her arms under her chest, grinning savagely. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I can...¡±


    ¡°I think that you should take this elsewhere...¡± Shinohara-san said quietly, still flexing her restored arm, barely able to believe it. ¡°This is private business.¡±


    Hinata agreed, eyeing the South Korean Minister with a predatory gleam in her eyes. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re quite right. While it does no harm for those Akio has helped to know he is favoured even by South Korean heroes, it seems matters are turning more... technical.¡± She addressed Minister Kang. ¡°Do calm down, someone in a position of power should remain tranquil. We have a side room we can use.¡± As the relevant parties left, Aliyah murmured some parting words to Violet-noona, and she nodded, laughing. Guess Aliyah has taken a liking to her...


    Once we were all seated in a small side room, Minister Kang took a deep breath, before addressing Violet-noona fiercely. ¡°I have just been informed that you¡¯ve attempted to change leadership of your Hunter Guild to Mr Oshiro...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t attempt, I did.¡± Violet-noona sneered.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t do that! Hunters are a specifically Korean...¡± she began to rebut, before Violet-noona interrupted her.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t actually say that. I checked. Besides, if you don¡¯t like it, I can always emigrate with my little brother. I heard Japan is accepting immigrants with our skills.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°I am more than happy to put in a good word for you, and Haru-chan is the undersecretary to the relevant Ministry. I am sure she can provide the correct paperwork at very short notice. But...¡± she looked at the Minister wryly. ¡°...is this really such a problem? From what I understand, the Hunter initiative is driven by the failures here at Choe-Museon. South Korea is woefully underrepresented in terms of Chosen of significant influence. Can you afford to alienate two more? And the other Guilds here are grateful to us, being too harsh with the Violet Scorpions and curtailing their rights might make the other Guilds consider whether it could happen to them as well. Once trust is lost it¡¯s hard to regain.¡±


    I also received a second amber message of a Vassal Territory, but Conqueror didn¡¯t change. On asking some brief questions as to why, it seemed that while Violet-noona¡¯s Territory was surely at Rank 3, Kang Da¡¯s was at Rank 2. So there should be another Level in it when he reaches Rank three. Excellent.


    ¡°This is weird. I can feel I¡¯m restricted a little. Like... if I wanted to attack you, I don¡¯t think I could without really pushing myself, and then it feels a terrible idea, with consequences.¡± Violet-noona mused.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Vassal rules. I¡¯ll set a low tax rate, I don¡¯t need your ether at the moment.¡± I promised, looking over their Territory with my Eye over our new connection. Impressively, the highlights were the two Rank 2 Throne of Heroes that Violet-noona possessed to aid her Divine Favour, and was the reason that her brother¡¯s Territory was still trash, as most of their effort had focussed on that.


    ¡°So, just what¡¯s your abilities?¡± I asked, working out how they could be used.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got three.¡± Violet-noona said proudly. ¡°I¡¯m very poison resistant, unless I don¡¯t want to be, so booze still works, or I¡¯d be pissed...¡± My sis and I shared a rueful smile at that reaction. ¡°I can also exude venom, through my breath, fingernails or hair... maybe I¡¯ll grow it out.¡± She touched her dyed hair girlishly. ¡°And lastly, I can summon scorpions. They aren¡¯t much use... unless I stick them on these strange things I built. I don¡¯t know how I knew what to do, but it seemed the best idea, and it worked.¡± She sighed. ¡°Going to have to call more... but not today. I¡¯m too exhausted.¡±


    ¡°As for me, you¡¯ve seen what I can do.¡± Kang Da explained. ¡°My explosive orbs are slow to create but deadly. I¡¯m not much use in longer fights, but in quick and dirty conflicts...¡±


    ¡°Great. You¡¯ll both be useful.¡± I agreed. ¡°But... uh, the Guild name...¡±


    ¡°You can change it. Seems odd when I¡¯m not the boss anymore.¡± Violet-noona agreed, a touch regretfully.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll keep a scorpion on the Guild emblem...¡± I promised, feeling a little guilty. ¡°Anyway, Hinata, Yu-mi, do we have a little time? I want to test Shiro¡¯s new buff skill. I think now is a good time for the basics.¡± I looked again at my new Ether Healing notification.


    Your Skill, Ether Healing, has increased from Rank 9 to Rank 10, ascending the third pinnacle and reaching the fourth horizon. You can now sense the presence of ???????? within Material and Spiritual bodies and touch it, though your comprehension of ????????? is insufficient for safe manipulation. Aether and Adherence are both extremely easy to use in repairing injuries to the subtle bodies, and your own subtle bodies regenerate at a rapid pace. Your subtle bodies are more malleable, and parameters such as age and appearance can be manipulated slightly. Natural aging of the Material body is no longer a concern, and the wear and tear the centuries place on your spirit is less damaging and more easily weathered. Your ability to accelerate and augment the healing of damage in others with Aether and Adherence is increased significantly, and your Aether and Adherence can leave a lingering regenerative effect which persists a short while if you so wish.


    As always, crossing some sort of barrier to progress gave rise to the biggest leaps in power. It was also a slightly different description as to when I had reached Rank 10 using Shiro¡¯s buffs, perhaps because I had Ranked up a number of related skills like Aetheric Chirurgeon and Adherence Manipulation, and gained some others.


    ¡°Oh joy.¡± Shiro sighed. ¡°You might as well take a look, Violet. We didn¡¯t get this strong by just relying on what the Gods gave out. No, we train like crazy nearly every day, doing impossibly stupid things if it¡¯ll give us a boost. I think Aki has a fetish for it...¡±


    ¡°No way. My bro was always too lazy to train before, hence why he sucked at sport. But...¡± my sis grinned. ¡°...maybe you¡¯re right, and my dedication has influenced him!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be rude, sis, maybe you should test Shiro¡¯s buff first?¡± I teased, and she went pale.


    ¡°The way you say that sounds pretty damn awful. It is going to be Ether Healing all over again?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Maybe worse. But...¡± I grinned. ¡°Shiro, I know you¡¯re tired still. How many can you throw out?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say.¡± She answered, waving a hand uncertainly. ¡°Two should be easy. Maybe three. Four at the maximum for now?¡±


    ¡°Okay then. Might as well start by giving it to me.¡± I said, unwilling to let anyone else test it first.


    Shiro nodded. ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that. So... it¡¯s a non-targeted one, like Blessing of Many Gifts, so... here we go.¡± She waved her hand, and aether, coloured with some adherence, surged into me. I immediately felt energy bubbling within. It was a pleasant, almost hot feeling, like I had drunk warm amazake on a cold winter day. My Eye glowed, and I could see that indeed, several of my Skills that were close to the limit had Ranked up temporarily, giving me hope it could work. The only problem was the warmth was building, and suddenly my body began to shudder, needles of hot pain replacing the comforting warmth.


    ¡°Yeah, this is not nice. Not at all.¡± I groaned, coughing some crimson blood, which was smoking and bubbling. ¡°Oddly enough though, it hurts a little less than being bathed in Hyacinth¡¯s spores. Though it is increasing!¡± As ten minutes passed, I started to sweat blood from my skin, a fairly horrific sight, after twenty, my eyes were also bleeding. What I had noticed was that around fifteen minutes in, one Skill that hadn¡¯t been elevated ticked over to the next Rank as well.


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough.¡± I said, and I used Chirurgery to clear out the adherence, and the buff died down. Washing myself off with some water element, I considered the brief experiment.


    ¡°That was fairly awful.¡± Yu-mi said quietly to Hinata, who giggled softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not for fun. But amazing things happen when Akio works together with everyone.¡±


    As Violet-noona and Kang Da watched on, unnerved, I turned to my sister apologetically. ¡°Sorry, sis. You¡¯re the best choice for the next test. We¡¯ll have to run proper dedicated experiments when we¡¯re back in Japan, but I want to get a feel for it.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I knew I¡¯d have days like this when I accepted...¡± She glanced at Yu-mi, unwilling to make the same mistake again. ¡°Just do it.¡±


    Shiro nodded, and soon my sis was trembling, even early exposure to the buff painful. It was then I started expanding my Boiling Blood Resonance Link, and suddenly my sis appeared more relaxed, as a significant proportion of the damaging side effects passed through into my body. We kept it up for twenty minutes again, before I cleared the buff from my sis. She hadn¡¯t bled like I did, as I had contained a significant amount of her escalating pain and injury. Offering her some water, she rinsed herself.


    ¡°Yeah, not fun. But we learned some things, right bro?¡± she winked at me.


    ¡°Yeah. My skill does mitigate the damage, and while we¡¯d need to test it for a good twenty-four hours or so, it seems that the longer Shiro¡¯s buff runs, while the injury is worse, the effects are greater.¡±


    ¡°So what does that mean?¡± Violet-noona asked.


    ¡°It means that certain Skills we really want to work at higher Ranks can potentially be buffed. But the downsides need working out. It¡¯s definitely not safe.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn then.¡± Shiro complained. ¡°I can manage one more.¡± With a groan she buffed herself, and unlike Anesidora¡¯s Blessings, it seemed to work on her. I connected the Resonance Link, and after ten minutes it seemed to confirm it worked the same as it did for me and my sis. As a bonus, my Skill also Ranked up, which seemed very quick.


    Your Skill, Boiling Blood Resonance Link has increased from Rank 1 to Rank 2. Your Boiling Blood and that of those you resonate with will be slightly strengthened, and the distance at which a Link can be maintained increases. You can further mitigate the backlash of others who are suffering from the effects of Boiling Blood, and the damage to you will be increased slightly less.


    ¡°So there¡¯s a range limit, is there? Interesting.¡± I hadn¡¯t seen such a limit on Lovers¡¯ Link, so I was curious about the difference. Once Shiro had mopped her brow, I offered her some water as well. ¡°Yeah, we need to run some further experiments, but I¡¯m confident we have something special here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want us to step up?¡± Violet-noona asked. ¡°Rather than your sister and your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of practicality. It¡¯s easier with them for several reasons, even if I¡¯ve no wish to hurt them.¡± I pointed out. I was about to say more when the door opened, revealing Haru. On seeing us all here, she greeted us, then said that Kim Eui¡¯s parents had arrived at the facility, and she wanted us to be there.


    I see. Haru has taken an interest in her, and she¡¯s certainly brave, resourceful and driven, if traumatised by the hell she¡¯s lived through. But none of that matters. I owe Haru, so if she wants my help, she can have it. ¡°We¡¯re about done here anyway with the tests and the discussion, so lead on.¡± I turned to Yu-mi. ¡°You should probably keep a low profile. Otherwise you might expose your father¡¯s position.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll stay behind. Besides, I¡¯m waiting for Miss Eri, aren¡¯t I?¡± she smiled, looking at her rather nice watch. ¡°But I trust you can take care of what needs doing.¡± She looked at Violet-noona and Kang Da. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay and talk a bit? I¡¯m very curious about Hunters... or Chosen, I should say.¡±


    As Violet-noona and Kang Da exchanged looks, agreeing, I gestured to Haru. ¡°Lead the way. I¡¯ll support you and Kim Eui in whatever you decide is best...¡± Beside me, Hinata was smiling as if she was about to enter a battle, and I supposed she was. Now that the families of the victims are coming, she¡¯s going to want to see what she can wring out of their gratitude...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Eight

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Eight


    Leaving the side room where we were performing our experiments, I was a little surprised to discover that the parents and the older patients, including Shinohara-san, were having an impromptu celebration, some Korean beer and local liquor... Soju, I think it¡¯s called, if I remember? ...having turned up. Seeing my expression, Aliyah shrugged.


    ¡°The soldiers shared some with us. Apparently some of them knew the guys you brought in earlier, and since we¡¯re near the big city here, the larder¡¯s well stocked. Besides, both misery and joy love booze as company.¡± She sighed, eyeing it regretfully.


    ¡°We¡¯re on the clock, sis.¡± Trey warned, and she snorted sourly.


    ¡°Shit, I know it. But looks like we¡¯re nearly done. When I get back to Tokyo I¡¯m getting hammered.¡± she replied, before smirking at us. ¡°You were making some interesting moans and groans in there. It scared some of the kids, so be more careful in future, boss.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I apologised. ¡°Testing new abilities can be painful at times. Hopefully it hasn¡¯t spoiled the mood.¡± Haru was eager to head to where the families of the Choe-Museon students were, so I spoke rapidly, only to find a somewhat red-faced and tipsy man stepping in front of me, his expression sombre. Oh, he¡¯s the father of that brave young girl. ¡°Do you need something? I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± I asked, and he paused, looking troubled, glancing back at his daughter, before swallowing and addressing me.


    ¡°I... wanted to say something.¡± He began. ¡°I... when I saw you on TV, I resented you, maybe even hated you.¡± He admitted. ¡°My poor precious angel, and many like her, suffering unfairly, dying... and you could save her, and those like her, but you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair...¡± Hinata began, but I raised a hand to stop her, meeting his eyes. He¡¯s got the right to speak. It¡¯s the true paradox of power. How to use it, and what I should be forced into...


    ¡°It¡¯s not so simple.¡± I said calmly, honestly answering the man. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster, of course I don¡¯t want children to suffer... but then, think of all the starving children of Africa and less fortunate parts of Asia, while we have luxuries, they have nothing.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± The man looked terrible, his face ashen, as he took a swig of soju, grimacing. ¡°I know. Even you can¡¯t solve the suffering of everyone in the world, can you? But when you look around, when you see the happiness here... don¡¯t you want to do more?¡±


    Of course, but... ¡°I¡¯m not a Kami or a God. Even they can¡¯t stop all the suffering in the world.¡± I glanced at Shiro, and I saw her nod. It¡¯s obvious, otherwise the Pantheons wouldn¡¯t be doing any of this... ¡°Even if I dedicated all my time to helping the sick and injured, there would still be more created in Japan every day than I could fix. And if I did that... what of the joy of those I love? Should I, can I ask them to sacrifice their happiness with me? And... it¡¯s selfish, but what of mine? If all I am is a machine to help others, won¡¯t I break down?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rather damn hypocritical to expect salvation just because someone might be able to do it.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°I was sick and going to die young, before all this. I never had much of a life until I met Aki and my friends, and everyone here. Yes, I¡¯d have leapt at the chance for someone to help me, but... I¡¯m not enough of a bitch to expect someone should.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely the point. Just as you could make an argument that we should live on bread and water to help feed the hungry, and you could even go further, and say that if a healthy person can save several lives by dying and donating their organs, shouldn¡¯t they sacrifice and do that...?¡± Hinata pointed out in her rather merchant-like fashion, weighing profit and loss. ¡°...everyone has to value themselves and their own family, friends, loved ones more than others. Else they aren¡¯t a human being, but a fool. However...¡± she smiled impishly at me, before addressing the man seriously. ¡°...that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re heartless. Far from it. Akio is soft-hearted. Didn¡¯t you see the tender care he offered your dear daughter, and how happy he was to see you laughing and crying together?¡± She glanced at the girl who was playing with several other kids. ¡°But life isn''t so simple, unfortunately. We don¡¯t want panic, so our government has kept a lot under wraps, but... danger is coming. And it does no good to use all of Akio¡¯s time helping others, if in a few years that leads to disaster, and the happy times are gone for good. Besides... far better to spend time teaching others to help, so that more can be saved, without great sacrifice of happiness. But rest assured, we¡¯ll be doing more to help the unfortunate, I promise. It¡¯s just we all have limits.¡±


    ¡°I know. And I¡¯m grateful. How could I not be?¡± He looked at his daughter fondly. ¡°Which is why I wanted to apologise. And thank you. I wanted so desperately for my little angel to grow up healthy. And now she can, I want others to know that happiness too.¡±


    ¡°I get you.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°And obviously we¡¯ll save who we can. But if your daughter wants a safe world to grow in, then we have to fight, and to face such dangers time and time again... I couldn¡¯t do it without those around me, supporting me. Just... I¡¯m prepared to take the curses of those I wasn¡¯t able to help, so long as I can protect all within my reach. As I grow stronger, as my allies do, my reach grows, but even in fiction, heroes can¡¯t save everyone.¡±


    The girl suddenly saw her father talking to me and tottered over, still a bit unsteady on her legs as she hadn¡¯t grown used to being healthy again. ¡°Dad, mister, are you all right? Dad¡¯s making a scary face.¡±


    Smiling suddenly, he scooped her up in his arms and spun her, making her giggle. As he patted her on the back, the man turned to me and bowed. ¡°Once more, this is my darling Ami, my angel. Thank you again for saving her, even though you don¡¯t know us. I... just wanted you to know, to understand, that those you don¡¯t or can¡¯t help will resent you, no matter the good you do for others, wishing, believing it should have been them you aided. I was the same. I¡¯d do anything for my angel, right?¡± He hugged the girl, who giggled happily. ¡°Just... remember that I¡¯ll always be grateful, and... I understand. I can¡¯t deny Ami food or luxuries, even if it was to help others, nor could I sacrifice my life and happiness for anyone but her. So I don¡¯t think your choices are wrong. But... people pray to the Gods for miracles, and you¡¯re a living miracle right now. And when the Gods don¡¯t answer, all we can do it cry and wail, but... you¡¯re here. And it¡¯s easy to grow resentful of something we know exists, and we can reach.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hinata smiled, patting the head of the admittedly adorable little girl, who squirmed happily, a bright, innocent smile on her face. ¡°We are definitely aware of that. Any potential dangers are being mitigated. But those who cry the loudest that ¡®someone should do something¡¯ need to take a long, hard look at themselves and what they¡¯ve achieved, compared to the good Akio¡¯s done, and will do in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why I¡¯m sorry.¡± The father of little Ami-chan said softly. ¡°That¡¯s... all I wanted to say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I said, and Hinata agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it was obviously fate or destiny that your daughter was healed. Otherwise the letter wouldn¡¯t have found its way to me. So just be happy.¡± She patted Ami-chan¡¯s head again. ¡°Now you be a good girl, all right?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± She agreed happily. ¡°Goodbye mister, goodbye miss.¡± she said politely, and with that we headed for the exit, only for Shinohara-san to stop us.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re in a hurry, I can tell.¡± she apologised. ¡°But I just wanted to say a few words myself, since the subject is one I¡¯ve thought about a lot. I understand how everyone here was feeling. The majority of people wish no ill on others, and will even help out the unfortunate if it doesn¡¯t inconvenience them... but when we suffer ourselves, we cry out for help, bitter and resentful.¡± She flexed her arm again. ¡°Just... do as your conscience dictates. Nobody should be allowed to do callous harm to others, but conversely, nobody should be forced to sacrifice their own happiness for others. Do good when you can, but above all, be good to yourself.¡± She paused, smiling ruefully. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the words of an old woman, just... remember these happy smiles and tears.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I promised. ¡°And there¡¯ll be plenty more in the future. Just... everyone I love needs to be among them, because to me, the world¡¯s only worth saving because they are in it. Now, you¡¯ll have to excuse us.¡± As she apologised and stepped aside and we ourselves left, heading to the other building, Shiro spoke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s basically the answer to your current problem, Aki. Don¡¯t overthink it, and communicate honestly, and you¡¯ll find the answers. Shit, it¡¯s been really annoying watching you flail about on it. Eri¡¯s no less in love with you than any of us, and she¡¯s prepared to do whatever it takes to hold onto that. Now...¡±


    There were some smartly dressed people waiting outside, faces wearing a mixture of relieved and aghast expressions. I expected they were important Koreans, and Hinata seemed to agree, as she greeted them in English. She nodded to us to go on ahead, and we entered inside. Soon we reached a private room where Kim Eui was sitting on a bed, blanket pulled up around her shoulders, covering her body, and two people who looked like older versions of her, the woman pretty, the man handsome. They were looking sympathetically at her, speaking rapidly in Korean, but as they spoke Kim Eui¡¯s facial expression grew gloomier. She spoke back sharply, and her mother looked sad, while her father clutched his forehead, exasperated. He said something back, and she barked out a short phrase, before seeing us arriving, and lapsing into English.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to dad, I told you! I can¡¯t face people right now, but... I don¡¯t want to just hide away either!¡±


    Her parents seemed a bit puzzled, addressing her, but she ignored their words, until her mother finally switched to passable English too.


    ¡°Eui, my poor girl, why are we suddenly speaking English...¡± She suddenly realised we were here and tugged on her husband¡¯s sleeve. They turned, him frowning at us outsiders being here and listening to their private family business, and Kim Eui spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I want them involved. They... they were the ones who came to save us, who saved me.¡± Her tone was trembling, and Haru smiled, letting a little soothing light leak from her hands, and Kim Eui shuddered, her expression softening.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Eui...¡± Haru addressed her in the familiar way she had asked us to when we first met, perhaps as she saw a lot of herself in the girl. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± She turned to the parents and bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m Suzuki Haru, I work for the Japanese government, in charge of the rescue operation from our end, and I¡¯m also... the mental healer? A sort of psychologist, I suppose.¡± She laughed self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°I see. All this talk of magic and impossible things dismays us.¡± Kim Eui¡¯s father frowned, and his wife nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but unfortunately it seems to be true.¡± He glanced at us, wary. ¡°I thank you for helping save Eui, but this is a Kim family matter. We will find her suitable help for her ailments, so your help is not needed.¡±


    Kim Eui¡¯s mother reached for her soothingly, but Kim Eui batted her away. The mother recoiled, hurt, and spoke again in Korean, getting no response, before, with a resentful look at us, she switched to English again. ¡°It¡¯s all right, my dear Eui, it¡¯s over now. We¡¯ll get you the care you need, and no matter what you¡¯ve done, what¡¯s been done to you, we¡¯ll get through this together.¡±


    Good sentiments. Her parents do care for her. Kim Eui felt the same, even if she was clearly worried what her parents would think of her. She squeezed shut her eyes, only for her mother to continue speaking. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to go to school for a while, and... your reputation would suffer, so it¡¯s best to keep you at home, but... we¡¯re your parents, dear Eui, and we love you. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re stained or dirty, we¡¯ll always be your parents and...¡±


    Kim Eui tensed, as did I. That¡¯s exactly the wrong thing to say, but it¡¯s exactly what Kim Eui feared. I opened my mouth to rebut that, but Haru was faster, her eyes flashing with anger. ¡°Eui isn¡¯t dirty!¡± Haru spat vehemently, though her hands were trembling again. ¡°You¡¯re her parents, you should understand that!¡±


    ¡°But she... she did things, and killed people, she told us.¡± Her father said, confused by Haru¡¯s sudden temper. ¡°Society won¡¯t accept that, accept her...¡±


    ¡°I... I¡¯m glad to be home.¡± she managed, before her reddened eyes erupted in tears, and for a while they held each other, sobbing, finally true emotions on display, not the wary dance of misunderstanding and self-loathing. We should give them a minute...


    ********


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to witness something so undignified.¡± Eui¡¯s father said solemnly after they calmed down.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. If anything, I¡¯m happy that you worked it out. The one thing I can¡¯t stand is those idiots who think that their daughter, sister, lover is ruined, just because of some misfortune or evil.¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll never say such again.¡± He said, and his wife nodded, while Eui looked on, more composed, as if she had made up her mind on something. ¡°But...¡± he continued. ¡°We weren¡¯t lying or mistaken when we said this will cause a massive problem within the upper echelons of Korea. Eui is going to be attacked, hated, and the blame will spread...¡±


    ¡°Let them talk. But I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you, mom, dad.¡± Eui took a deep breath, before looking at Haru and me. ¡°If I was to work for you, you wouldn¡¯t let people talk badly about me, would you?¡±


    ¡°Whether you work for us or not, I¡¯ll be more than happy to tell the truth and praise your survival.¡± I promised, and Haru agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of that, it¡¯s a matter of what¡¯s right. But... it certainly would be easier to brush aside criticism if you were under our protection. And besides, I¡¯m not lying when I say I need help. Akio-kun is a slavedriver!¡± She looked at me sideways, though her smile was amused. ¡°It seems we¡¯ll be setting up a presence in Korea anyway, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯d have to emigrate. It¡¯s a job with great prospects.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Eui agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll damn well do it!¡± At her parents¡¯ shocked looks, she giggled, and looked her age for a moment. ¡°Sorry, my language got filthier as I survived. Swearing and cursing made me feel better briefly. It¡¯s hard to go back to the elegant way I spoke before.¡±


    ¡°So, just what does this entail?¡± her mother asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want my Eui to suffer anymore!¡±


    ¡°Mostly administrative work. You¡¯ll need to learn Japanese, though we do a lot of our communications in English, which you¡¯re rather fluent in, so while you learn we can make it work. In addition... basic training in how to use aether and elements. Magic, basically.¡± Haru said, and Eui looked interested.


    ¡°Wait, it can be learned?¡± her mother asked, and I took over.


    ¡°In theory yes, anyone can learn, though it¡¯s far from easy.¡± If an ordinary person ran through the sort of aether-raising exercises I did at the start, it might work even without the sort of aid Shaeula gave my sis and Eri. Though I suspect it¡¯d take a long time and the resulting Chakra network would be trash. Although as the overall ether density of the Material increases, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it becomes much easier, and the results more impressive. ¡°But then, we¡¯re not an ordinary group. Rest assured, we could make it happen for Eui. I¡¯m not saying she¡¯ll be able to match the Chae twins, or us, but... enhancements to overall strength, speed, intelligence and reaction times, as well as a little something for self-defence... yeah, no problem for us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an opportunity mere money can buy.¡± Shiro joined in. ¡°Aki¡¯s pretty much got a monopoly on it. Only his friends and family and those who work with us have access. It¡¯s a great deal. But in exchange, you¡¯ll have to work hard.¡± She told Eui, who nodded.


    ¡°I always did what I had to do at Choe-Museon. My grades weren¡¯t the top of my class, but I was always near the top. And...¡± she swallowed. ¡°...I¡¯m not the nai?ve and innocent girl I was before all this. I know the dark side of life. I won¡¯t shy away from it.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Haru and I both agreed. ¡°Welcome aboard, Kim Eui!¡±


    As Eui looked down shyly, a small, weak smile on her face, her father looked at me, troubled. ¡°Are you sure? I mean... we¡¯re grateful you are thinking of our daughter.¡± His wife nodded beside him. ¡°But... she¡¯s still just a girl in school...¡±


    ¡°Just like me. Hinata-chan¡¯s even younger.¡± My sis chimed in. ¡°If you¡¯ve got the drive, you¡¯re old enough to seize your own destiny. Besides... anyone who goes through something like Eui-chan...¡± my sis gave her a Japanese honorific. ¡°...isn¡¯t someone ordinary.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll look very good on her resume, having worked with Akio-kun here.¡± Haru persisted with a bright smile. ¡°And I think both of us can help each other... recover.¡±


    Eui nodded slowly. ¡°I... don¡¯t want to bring up your bad memories, but... if I could talk to you about it? And maybe those others you mentioned? Asha and Hyacinth?¡±


    ¡°Just Asha. Hyacinth... she doesn¡¯t want to remember. And I respect that.¡± I insisted, and Eui nodded. Seeing that, her parents exchanged a look, before agreeing.


    ¡°If it¡¯s what you want, Eui... we support you. But we realise our mistake. You nearly died away from home, out of our reach. We don¡¯t want you separated from us again.¡± Her father said, and her mother followed up.


    ¡°Yes, please, stay with us. We promise we¡¯ll try and understand what you went through, and we won¡¯t judge, and we won¡¯t let anyone else, either!¡±


    ¡°Mom, dad!¡± Eui said, touched.


    ¡°Is there... anything we can do to support her?¡± her father asked us. ¡°We¡¯re grateful, for everything. For the life of our precious daughter. But we¡¯d feel so wretched if we can¡¯t be of help to her now...¡±


    ¡°In that case, I suggest speaking to Hinata-chan.¡± Haru explained. ¡°She¡¯ll be extracting as much political gain and support from the families of those we rescued as we can get away with. If you want to make your daughter¡¯s future a brilliant one, I¡¯m sure we can come to some arrangement, but...¡± she looked at me, waiting for me to speak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be sure to look after her, and as Haru says, if you work with us, you¡¯re our precious ally, and we never abandon them or let them come to harm. It¡¯s not just a job, but... a way of life?¡± I said a bit uncertainly, and Shiro laughed loudly.


    ¡°Sure, Aki. He makes it sound so dramatic. But he¡¯s not wrong...¡± she snorted, and as we exchanged laughter talk turned to the specifics...


    ********


    The door opened, and Yu-mi came in, followed by Hinata. Seeing us all talking, the atmosphere far calmer, Hinata spoke. ¡°Everything¡¯s taken care of then?¡±


    ¡°I would speak to you, regarding making provision for our Eui¡¯s living expenses and other matters...¡± Eui¡¯s father said, and Hinata nodded, suddenly all business.


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent. But before that...¡± She gestured, and another girl entered the room. On seeing us, Eri gave a bright smile, the long and heavy-looking wooden box in her arms being carried with the sort of ease her frame shouldn¡¯t have allowed, barring her enhanced abilities. ¡°Delivered as promised.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone isn¡¯t hurt. Not that I doubted our preparations.¡± She addressed my sis then, checking she hadn¡¯t caused any trouble, and as they bickered happily, Yu-mi came over to me, exchanging a nod with Eui politely.


    ¡°So, as promised, we¡¯ve brought over your girlfriend... no, your fiance?e, right?¡± At my nod, she continued. ¡°So, just leave everything to me. I¡¯ve got it all planned out. Besides, I think you could do with having some fun. This couldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t, it most certainly wasn¡¯t. Seeing the remains of young men and women, the age of my sister and the others, having to fight an insane girl... but... I looked over at Eri, whose smile broadened, her black eyes looking into mine, and I nodded. Everyone¡¯s right. I have changed, everyone¡¯s changed. But at my core I still can¡¯t stop worrying about Eri, just like when we were kids. But she¡¯s not a child any longer, and neither am I. It¡¯s time to face reality head on, for good or for ill...

 Four Hundred And Sixty-Nine *Contains Status – Eri ?*

    Four Hundred And Sixty-Nine *Contains Status ¨C Eri ?*


    ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly just the two of us...¡± Eri said, looking at Yu-mi, who shrugged. ¡°But it¡¯s still nice.¡± Eri was controlling her cat ears and tail so they hadn¡¯t materialised, but it was amusing that some of her mannerisms had become more catlike, and I was sure if they were there, they¡¯d have been twitching adorably.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Yu-mi said politely, showing Eri respect. ¡°Consider me merely a chaperone, to make sure you can enjoy Korea to its fullest, as well as to hopefully offer you an outside perspective in solving your issues. Please take it as my assessment for Adamant.¡± She smiled, and at the word Adamant, Eri¡¯s expression was a little sour, but she nodded, understanding.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Yu-mi continued in English. ¡°I don¡¯t speak Japanese, so if you don¡¯t want me to understand when you talk intimately, you can just switch language. I suppose I¡¯m going to have to learn, though...¡± she sighed. ¡°English was hard enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡± Shiro said, coming over to say her farewells. ¡°Besides, Aki¡¯s already given you the tune-up, and that makes it a lot easier to learn. Better memory helps a lot, you should already be noticing some effects.¡± She paused, looking at me with a wry smile. ¡°Anyway, Tan says that you¡¯ve got enough adherence to manage for a while, so as long as you don¡¯t get into trouble you can hold the Favours. We¡¯ll take stock again when you return. Me... I¡¯m back to buffing duty again. Don¡¯t worry though, I won¡¯t use the new trick until we¡¯ve fully tested it.¡± She turned to Eri then. ¡°Sorry, Eri. Guess it must feel a bit like a betrayal, and I feel bad, but... honestly, you understand more than you let on, right?¡±


    Eri nodded stiffly. ¡°It¡¯s not what, it¡¯s how. But...¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°I find it hard to be irritated right now considering I¡¯m about to have a long date with Akio. Just... you owe me, all right?¡±


    Shiro nodded, laughing. Aiko then came up and also said she was leaving. She wished Eri good luck and made a joke about being glad she wouldn¡¯t be watching us this time, which made Yu-mi raise an eyebrow, equally curious and confused.


    ¡°Long story.¡± My sis laughed. ¡°Several long stories. Wow, it wasn¡¯t long ago, but I remember your first time together...¡± Her face was red, and she confided loudly in Yu-mi. ¡°I was in the next room while they were getting it on. I could hear everything. ¡®No, no condoms!¡¯¡± She mimicked, and Yu-mi was the one blushing now, looking at us in a new light.


    ¡°All right, enough of that.¡± I said, as Eri was embarrassed, her ears shading pink. Pulling Eri into a hug, once more eyeing the box she was carrying, I offered to take it, and Eri passed it to me. Yeah, it¡¯s a bit heavier than the one I bought her, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same thing...


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll just convince Park-san here that you¡¯re a brocon, Aiko.¡± Eri said, and Aiko spluttered at that.


    ¡°Brocon? Says the biggest yandere in Tokyo...¡± Aiko shot back cheerfully, and as they bickered, Yu-mi frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a -san. You can use my name, it¡¯s just weird mixing languages like that.¡±


    Eri nodded, and went back to arguing with Aiko, while Haru also briefed me on her plans. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here a day or two as well. I want to make sure I¡¯ve used enough Mind Healing Light on the recovering patients to leave them stable, and the worst cases might need to me go a bit deeper with Telepathy. Hinata-chan will be here too, she¡¯s laying some groundwork for our Korean expansion as well as trying to find out some stuff regarding that fancy hotel the nobility care about. Don¡¯t worry about security though...¡± She smiled at Violet-noona and her brother, who had both been very quiet since new people had started to arrive. ¡°...since we have another couple in our Vassal family to help keep us safe, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Violet-noona looked embarrassed, scratching at her tattooed arm, but she nodded. ¡°Of course. Leave it to us, boss Akio-oppa. No harm will come to anybody here.¡±


    ¡°Great. Yeah, there¡¯s no benefit in the Korean government doing anything so foolish, but we¡¯ve learned to always take precautions.¡± I agreed. After some final discussion, I turned to Eri, who had finished her good-natured bickering with my sis, and extended a hand. As she took it, we both smiled happily. ¡°So, sorry it¡¯s not quite the trip abroad you probably were hoping for, but...¡±


    ¡°But nothing.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°Even with our tagalong...¡± she glanced at Yu-mi. ¡°...it¡¯s time I get to spend with you. Besides, apparently we need to talk. Again.¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Tagalong? I¡¯m hurt.¡± Yu-mi said, though she also was smiling to show she hadn¡¯t taken any offense. ¡°This is an important task for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is.¡± Eri sniffed. ¡°So, shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Go? Where?¡± I asked, usually being the one who planned out these things, and Yu-mi giggled cheerfully.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve found a suitable location, just like you wanted. It¡¯s a little mysterious, but I admit to being curious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Eri said, before switching into Japanese, which made Yu-mi snort, amused. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s the best place for us to talk, and besides...¡± She tapped the box I was now carrying. ¡°I very much enjoy this, especially with you. It holds a lot of wonderful memories.¡±


    I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter where we are, so long as we¡¯re together, does it?


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s scary what we can get used to.¡± Eri said cheerfully, adjusting the rather sizeable telescope in the chill night air. ¡°Even taking the train to Inuyama was a big thing a few months ago, and now I see helicopter rides to where I want to go as normal.¡± Seeing me looking as she adjusted the telescope, she grinned, and once more I was struck by her change in hairstyle, she no longer wore her bangs down over her eyes as if to hide, but now her beautiful features were always on full display. ¡°I did want to bring the telescope you bought me for my birthday, as it was a precious gift, but... mother-in-law Emily said if I didn¡¯t spend some of the money you were giving me it¡¯d make you feel bad, and so...¡± she shrugged. ¡°I bought some other things too.¡±


    Yes, there was a case inside the helicopter. Clothes I¡¯m guessing? ¡°Yeah, money is for spending. Sure, we can¡¯t be reckless, but... if you can¡¯t enjoy life, why are we even bothering?¡±


    The light from the city was a bright bloom in the distance, but up on the mountain it was dark, and the skies above, while a little cloudy, were sprinkled with brilliant stars. Our breaths hissed in the cold, but despite wearing only a thin cardigan over her dress, Eri didn¡¯t seem too bothered. Instead it was Yu-mi who was chilly, wrapped in a big coat. Seeing her I took pity and conjured a warm flame, which hovered in the air, giving off a dim light but a lot of warmth. I don¡¯t want to pollute Eri¡¯s observations with light, after all.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Yu-mi exclaimed in wonder, looking at the dim yellow flame. ¡°Seeing it in front of my eyes like this...¡± She reached out her hands, rubbing warmth back into her fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so special. I can do that too...¡± Eri said in English, before cocking her head. ¡°Though not as well, I have to admit. My grasp on flame element is decent, but I don¡¯t have Akio¡¯s knowledge or reserves.¡±


    ¡°I see. But you¡¯re not... special, like Akio here, are you? I mean... gifted by the Gods?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Eri admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not. It¡¯s a shame, but...¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he help you with that, like he did his sister?¡± Yu-mi asked, and my eyes narrowed. Eri looked surprised, but Yu-mi merely giggled cheekily. ¡°Oh come on. Sure, I may look an airhead, but I¡¯m actually quite smart. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m particularly intellectual, but I¡¯m good with socialising, picking up on cues and the like. And your sister did say she had only gained such an ability recently.¡±


    ¡°Aiko...¡± Eri hissed disapprovingly, and I could only laugh, impressed.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the inference. But I could have trained her like I did Eri...¡± I began, only for Yu-mi to raise an eyebrow, subtly mocking my clumsy lies.


    ¡°Sure, sure. It¡¯s not impossible. But you see, I¡¯m now determined to be a leader in Adamant, so I have to show I¡¯m useful. Since you turned down my marriage proposal.¡± Her smile broadened as Eri choked a bit at that, looking wry. ¡°It isn¡¯t just your sister, though her words were a smoking gun. You all talked about gains from the battles, and then you were testing new abilities, and the strange surgery you did on me with magic... it isn¡¯t hard to put it all together, if you are listening and paying close attention. Besides... you¡¯re just bad at lies and dissembling, Akio. It¡¯s slightly cute, but probably causes you trouble.¡± she intimated correctly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Hinata is constantly having to clean up after our loose lips.¡± I admitted. ¡°Although I¡¯d appreciate it if you kept what you know to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see why. I¡¯m not sure if just anyone can do it... no, that doesn¡¯t seem too likely. Else we¡¯d be doing it here in Korea.¡± Yu-mi intuited. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a trick of yours. Don¡¯t worry, I have no intention of crossing you. After all, you saved my cousin, and my dad¡¯s broken heart. And while you¡¯ve still taken away my inheritance...¡± she laughed at that, a touch pained. ¡°...you didn¡¯t trample on my heart or body, and I¡¯m grateful for that. And I¡¯ve been offered a priceless opportunity, it seems...¡±


    ¡°Of course he wouldn¡¯t. Akio¡¯s kind to girls in trouble, too kind, mostly.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°Besides, he has some trauma with arranged marriages, though he¡¯s telling us he¡¯s over that. But that¡¯s for later.¡± Eri continued to adjust the telescope. ¡°For now, I want to enjoy this.¡± She paused, thinking, before deciding to keep speaking in English, which surprised me a little. I guess she doesn¡¯t mind Yu-mi hearing her thoughts...


    ¡°When we were kids, Akio used to look after me and Aiko all the time. I was shy, cripplingly so... I was scared of others, especially boys, but mostly... I just didn¡¯t care. Perhaps I¡¯m abnormal, but I never really liked other people, or took any interest in them. Not until recently.¡± As she continued, she looked through the eyepiece, almost purring happily. ¡°Such a pretty sight. Anyway... one thing I used to really love was looking at the night sky up in the mountains back home. And no matter how many times Akio got scolded for taking us, he never complained. I really loved it there. A world without people other than Akio and Aiko, the only two people I actually felt affection for. Other than my parents, I suppose. Well, mother-in-law Emily is nice too. Though father-in-law is a bit scary. But...¡± she paused, gesturing to Yu-mi. ¡°Come take a look. I¡¯m peering at Mars right now.¡±


    Yu-mi, who was listening intently, took a look. ¡°Oh, I see it. It¡¯s small though. But definitely red.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are much better nowadays. I can see it so clearly, even with a telescope like this. Not that this is a bad one. It was expensive. But it¡¯s even possible to see the outer planets a little, though they look like tiny smudges. But that¡¯s beside the point... even if I do love the night skies.¡± As I watched Eri open up to Yu-mi I was surprised and proud of her. Eri had gained in confidence ever since that night in Nishimorioka, and had also gained in... kindness, or perhaps warmth? ¡°What does this have to do with anything, you ask? It¡¯s simple. It¡¯s no longer a world with just Akio, Aiko and me in it. And Akio will still do anything to please me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I felt a pang in my heart. I¡¯ve done so much that goes against Eri¡¯s wishes. All for good reasons, and honestly I don¡¯t regret the decisions, but still...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Eri scoffed, before confiding in Yu-mi loudly. ¡°I used to think Akio was perfect. He saved me from a terrifying animal when I was young, he always supported me, was kind to me... I even thought that when he went away it was my fault. And in a way it was. But not just my fault. Shaeula was the first to see that Akio has huge wounds in his heart, just as I did, Aiko did, and Shaeula did herself.¡±


    ¡°Nobody is perfect, though I can see how you thought that way. I mean, you were a young girl.¡± Yu-mi said. ¡°But if you don¡¯t mind me saying... it doesn¡¯t sound healthy. That sort of dependency.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± Eri laughed. ¡°But one thing about me hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Eri moved the telescope, looking at another heavenly body. ¡°I still love Akio more than anything. And that¡¯s as immutable and unchanging as the planets above us. He¡¯s like the sun...¡± Eri looked down at the engagement ring she still wore, before offering the telescope to Yu-mi again. ¡°...this engagement ring he bought me, was because he remembered how much I loved stargazing. He¡¯s so sweet sometimes. Though the proposal itself was horrible.¡± Eri said, remembering, her black eyes distant. ¡°I was so offended that he only offered to get engaged to take responsibility after our first time, and he didn¡¯t even surprise me, he just asked me what ring I¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± Yu-mi laughed nervously, a touch sympathetic. ¡°That¡¯s... a bit too clumsy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very much so. But he made it up to me. He redid it atop a rotating restaurant on the Las Vegas strip. It was very romantic, and I¡¯ll never forget it. But it started his habit of making hilariously bad proposals. Shaeula¡¯s... well that one wasn¡¯t much better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± Yu-mi asked, and it seemed a little orchestrated, but I knew she was trying to help us work through our issues, so I didn¡¯t mind. ¡°How did that make you feel? Akio here and another woman.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I absolutely hated it.¡± Eri admitted. ¡°I¡¯m very jealous. I know it¡¯s a flaw. I¡¯m getting better though.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Yu-mi raised one eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d think it¡¯s only natural to want the person you love to think only of you. Though obviously, it¡¯s not uncommon to like more than one person. Especially for guys. A lot of them do cheat.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... I was utterly vile to Shaeula. I saw her as a threat, saw how much Akio cared for her. They¡¯d been through a lot together, things I could never have dreamed of, life and death struggles. And Akio may act dense, but he¡¯s not as oblivious as he pretends. He knew Shaeula had feelings for him, and his own... but he denied them, all for me. Even so, I blamed Shaeula. I even called her a whore.¡± Eri¡¯s face fell, and I moved to comfort her, but Yu-mi shook her head.


    ¡°You just sit there and listen. You may have heard all this before, but this time... work it out. Properly. Otherwise one day... everything will break. And nobody wants that, least of all me.¡±


    This is hard to listen to. Everyone else... they knew what they were getting and accept it. But Eri... ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed, feeling rather sick.


    ¡°But when Shaeula had to fight her idiot brother¡¯s troops...¡± Eri didn¡¯t have a high opinion of Shaeraggo, it seemed, probably still holding a grudge after their first explosive meeting. ¡°...and she was hurt so badly, so desperately, just to save us, and I realised if I wasn¡¯t so selfish she could have been stronger, not suffered so much. And more, I realised Shaeula genuinely wanted my love to bloom with Akio, and that she saw no issue with loving him too, and she cared for me as well.¡±


    ¡°So you accepted her?¡± Yu-mi pressed, peering through the telescope, admiring the heavens.


    ¡°I did. And even now, I don¡¯t regret it. I¡¯ve come to love Shaeula just like I love Aiko, as one of my dearest friends. It¡¯s impossible to resent her anymore. Even if she still does rather annoying things, despite claiming she would be careful. But then, she never lies, just... she¡¯s fickle, like the Faeries from old stories. You have to be careful to listen to exactly what they say, not what you think they say.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s no problem then?¡± Yu-mi asked, and Eri shrugged.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. There¡¯s a big problem. Despite me saying I could accept Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi...¡± At least Eri had stopped with the honorifics finally. Perhaps that¡¯s a good sign? ¡°...Akio just felt so guilty, it was making me feel bad.¡± She glowered at me, dark eyes expressing her annoyance. ¡°I wanted him to own it, otherwise he just made us all unhappy. Then more came, and yes, it¡¯s started to get out of hand a little, but...¡± she blinked, considering her next words carefully, and I listened intently, keeping the warming flame going, heating the air around us. ¡°...Akio, you didn¡¯t hesitate to bring Tsukiko in. I understand, she¡¯s beautiful, and tragic, and just Akio¡¯s type...¡± Eri said to Yu-mi. ¡°...and worse, she¡¯s sacrificed her whole life for the good of others. I think I¡¯d be angry if Akio didn¡¯t save her from that, but... I¡¯m the only one you worried for, right?¡±


    That¡¯s true. No, I have concerns about giving everyone enough time and love to be happy, but... Eri most of all. ¡°That¡¯s because this isn¡¯t what you dreamed of. When you asked me out finally, that night at the festival in Nishimorioka, I promised myself I¡¯d love you and make you happy. You made it clear that you wanted a relationship that would last forever, just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Of course I did.¡± Eri rolled her eyes. ¡°That was my dream. I¡¯m not strange like the Fae, who don¡¯t have the concept of monogamy, or the noble girls, who are so used to the concept of concubines and arranged marriages they barely bat an eye, and Motoko and Natsumi are delighted at the thought of being married to the same man.¡±


    Yes, it¡¯s just as I thought. Eri¡¯s swallowing down her pain for me. But honestly, there¡¯s no good solution. I can¡¯t toss the others aside...


    ¡°You can read his thoughts very easily, can¡¯t you?¡± Eri said, and Yu-mi nodded, having looked away from the telescope.


    ¡°You can indeed. He looks like a dog caught out having done his business on an expensive rug.¡± Yu-mi chuckled. ¡°If he¡¯s going to be a world leader, a hero, he needs to learn how to control his facial expressions. Now... Eri, I understand. When I was told by my dad I¡¯d be getting an arranged marriage, I wasn¡¯t overjoyed. I was even pretty upset and frightened. But I knew my life wasn¡¯t entirely my own. I grew up wanting for nothing, you know? And dad let me do my own thing so long as I didn¡¯t go crazy, unlike poor Yu-jun, who ended up at that vile school. Like everyone else, I dream of falling in love, raising a family. I mean, I¡¯ve dated here and there. None of them were keepers though and I got bored of them easily. But you... Eri, right or wrong, Akio here is the man of your dreams, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°My only dream. At least, that was the case. Now my world¡¯s expanded. Look, Akio... life isn¡¯t a fairy-tale.¡± She said, exasperated. ¡°And ... no, wait, words alone never work. Not with us.¡± Her eyes had a realisation. ¡°Shiro didn¡¯t exactly want to share, at least until she went crazy.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°I think she decided if she can¡¯t have him all to herself, she¡¯ll make sure that Akio has a harem of all the women in the world that are worthy. I don¡¯t agree with those sentiments, I¡¯d be awfully pleased if we kept it under twenty in the end...¡± she snorted, and Yu-mi chuckled, shocked, covering her mouth with a hand shyly. ¡°...but everyone copes in their own way. Kana... who I honestly don¡¯t hate anymore, and never really did, she just made me feel awful, as a lot of her flaws were my flaws, just in a mirror... she¡¯s oddly enough, the one I feel the rivalry with most keenly. Because she can give Akio what I can¡¯t. Because you still see me as shy, weak Eri, deep down, don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t think I¡¯m strong enough to cope, so you coddle me, worry over me, single me out. And I fucking hate it!¡± she cursed, a rare expression for her. ¡°Words never work, you just hear what you think I¡¯m saying, so...¡± she looked at Yu-mi again. ¡°You¡¯re going to join Adamant, you said?¡±


    Yu-mi nodded. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve come down bad with Stockholm Syndrome, but I was prepared to marry Akio, despite my misgivings. Perhaps I¡¯m just a stupid woman after all. But when he turned me down... I can¡¯t say I want to pursue him, I mean, he¡¯s got you and ten others, and I don¡¯t know him that well, but my interest was piqued, and since then a lot of interesting things have happened one after the other. And seeing such confident, powerful girls and women... I thought I wouldn¡¯t want to miss out again.¡±


    ¡°In that case... Akio will show you a secret.¡± Eri managed a small smile. ¡°Akio, check my status please, and see the proof of how I feel.¡±


    Proof, huh? I mean, I get it, I know you love me, that¡¯s the problem. But... ¡°All right.¡± My Eye shone a vivid orange, brilliant in the dimly lit darkness of the mountaintop, and I looked at how Eri had improved.


    Mori Eri


    Half-Bakeneko


    Bonded Kin


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    345 365


    Fortune


    10 12


    Fortitude


    357 396


    Elemental Axe Technique


    Rank 1


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (3)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 8


    Rank 9


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Shifting Cat


    Rank 1


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    50/107


    52/131


    [Class]


    Dark Temptress 8/10 9/10 Fae-Bonded 5/20


    Spirit Pledged 7/10 9/10 Kami-Blessed 2/20


    Shapeshifter 1/10 2/10 Maneki-Neko 1/20 3/20


    ¡°My stats are pretty pathetic compared to those with Favours, but... for an ordinary girl...¡± Eri laughed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not ordinary, not anymore, and you have to realise that, Akio. I¡¯m not the small, shy girl who used to follow you and Aiko around, or even the girl who fought with Shaeula, jealously trying to keep you all to myself. I¡¯ve shed blood, sweat and tears, faced death and worse, and crawled my way back to being whole again, but not alone. And not just with your help too. I care about all the girls. Even Kana.¡± Eri snorted again, perhaps seeing the irony. ¡°Perhaps I don¡¯t love them all like I love Aiko or Shaeula, but I do respect and like them. Hyacinth, Asha, Tsukiko, Daiyu, Shiro, so many sad, broken girls that make me feel happy they can finally experience love and joy again. Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi... you¡¯ve lit up their lives, allowed them to follow their dreams for the first time. Then there¡¯s Kana, who despite her shortcomings, has stepped up and proved she¡¯s not just a selfish bitch, but genuinely cares.¡±


    ¡°You... have some interesting data.¡± Yu-mi said, not sure of how to take things. ¡°Dark Temptress? Lovers¡¯ Link? They sound...¡± Words failed her, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Dark Temptress does embarrass me. It¡¯s a source of shame. The only man I want to tempt is Akio. But it¡¯s also part of me. My jealousy, my neediness. My darkness element. Apparently I¡¯m rather well-attuned to dark emotions such as lust and jealousy.¡±


    ¡°But is lust so wrong? It¡¯s just physical love, right?¡± Yu-mi asked, and I spoke up idly, having a lot to think about.


    ¡°No. Daiyu is right. Yin and Yang, Darkness and Light. Emotions are neither good nor evil, it¡¯s all how they are expressed, and whether they are excessive.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Anyway... Lovers¡¯ Link... despite it not being an exact measure of how much we love Akio, and he loves us, as we have all spent different times with him, different experiences, it is a small mark of competitive pride between us about whose is higher.¡± Eri grinned then, beautiful under the starlight. ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain I¡¯ve pulled ahead again. It¡¯s embarrassing though. It really should be called Loving Link, since Aiko and our parents have it too. But since it was I who awakened it first, though I don¡¯t think it could have happened without Akio¡¯s ties to Shaeula... it got stuck with that name. Because we are lovers. And will be forever.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I sighed. ¡°I get it. I know you love me. I love you too, I always have, even if I was too scared to admit it to myself. But when I saw you in that yukata at the festival, my heart raced, and you confessed, and I knew I couldn¡¯t let you hurt anymore. But I am hurting you. You¡¯re the only one of us who has to sacrifice what you wanted, and I hate that...¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Eri swore a second time. ¡°He¡¯s not listening to me, Yu-mi. I don¡¯t think he can hear me, because he¡¯s still seeing the me he remembers, not the me I am now.¡±


    ¡°Look, Akio, you¡¯re being dense. And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re faking it this time.¡± Yu-mi crossed her arms, annoyed. ¡°Eri¡¯s brought you out here, talked about her past with you, the other girls, and you still don¡¯t get it? From where I stand, everyone has to sacrifice something, but that¡¯s life. I think everything is like that. Do I go to karaoke, or do I go to a club? If you do one, you sacrifice the chance of something meaningful happening at the other. Life is all about compromise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the sort of sacrifice I hate. Obviously I know life is a series of choices.¡± I shook my head, irritated. ¡°But dreams, that¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t abide people having to give up on, and I¡¯m hurting Eri¡¯s dream.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you weren¡¯t kidding when you said he isn¡¯t perfect.¡± Yu-mi sighed. ¡°Eri, your childhood dream, your dream when you confessed, was for a normal relationship, get married, have kids, live together, right?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Of course. I wanted it more than anything.¡±


    ¡°And then Shaeula and the others took that from you!¡± I insisted, guilt that I had tried to supress gnawing at me.


    ¡°No.¡± Eri shook her head. ¡°Why do you think I brought you up here? Not just because I love stargazing with you. Though I do love it. And you.¡± She repeated. ¡°It¡¯s because I had a dream I had nearly forgotten as a child. I once said I wanted to be an astronomer. Do you remember?¡±


    Oh yeah. ¡°I remember saying it was perfect for you, as it was a job that could be done quietly, without having to deal with people. That was kind of mean of me, now I think back on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though it¡¯s true. Now while I hardly care much about most people, I¡¯ve put others in my sight. You had dreams too, didn¡¯t you? Though haven¡¯t they changed as you¡¯ve changed?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, now... I guess my dream is to be Astral Emperor, and protect everyone I love, and the Earth. Perhaps I can trust Tan to do it now, at first I was wary of her, that she was just using Shiro, but now I know her, she¡¯s always been honest, even if her morality is rather pragmatic, and she¡¯s too proud to lie. But one of us needs to do it... maybe there are some other good, strong Chosen out there, but I can¡¯t entrust the fate of those I cherish to unknown people.¡±


    ¡°A cool dream. One I¡¯d have laughed at a few days ago.¡± Yu-mi agreed. ¡°So, what was your dream before that? Make money, find a girlfriend, the usual stuff?¡±


    I nodded once more, feeling like a broken puppet, but also starting to see just where the two of them were going. Is it really that simple? Have I been letting my own projections of Eri and my own guilt that I thought I¡¯d dug out fester into this mistaken illusion?


    ¡°So, does the fact you have a new dream mean you¡¯ve sacrificed the old?¡± Yu-mi asked, and Eri was next to speak.


    ¡°When I asked you to accept Shaeula, my dream changed. No longer was it just you, me and Aiko, but I wanted Shaeula as part of my life too. And before you say something stupid like aren¡¯t you jealous of Shaeula, it¡¯s not the same... damn right I¡¯m jealous! Just as she is of me! We¡¯re all jealous of each other, and all slightly fearful, because the one thing we fear is you leaving us, being taken away! I don¡¯t care that you sleep with her, because that doesn¡¯t matter. When I accepted Shaeula, I accepted you wouldn¡¯t only be mine. And my dream changed! And it changed again, and again. And it¡¯s not sacrificing what I wanted, it¡¯s evolving it. A sacrifice would be to lose you!¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Akio, I love you. And yes, like everyone, I want you to spend time with me, like today, even if we have a hanger-on here...¡±


    ¡°How rude, I¡¯m helping, promise!¡± Yu-mi giggled, and Eri ignored her, continuing her impassioned speech.


    ¡°...but even if we went back to my first dream, and none of any of this had happened... honestly, I¡¯d have been happy. But I¡¯m not sure you would have been.¡± she admitted, surprising me. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯d have done everything I could have to be the perfect wife, but... what I thought isn¡¯t reality. Just the dreams inside my head of a girl who only saw the you I wanted to see, not the you who really existed. I¡¯d have tended the home, waited for you to return each day. You¡¯d end up working late all the time, trying to make us enough money to live on. You¡¯d be exhausted, and I imagine most of the time you¡¯d go to sleep, leaving me alone. Honestly... you¡¯d probably have been happier with Shiro, though if you ever tell her I said that, I will get angry with you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise!¡± I raised my hands. Shiro, really? Poor, sickly, dying Shiro? But then... Shiro did understand me better than I understood myself, in a way. But... Eri¡¯s been thinking that deeply about things?


    ¡°Dreams are a beautiful thing. I never really had one other than you.¡± Eri continued. ¡°Not like the noble girls. But now I do. And I¡¯ll cling to it with all my might, growing stronger, becoming a woman you can love forever, not pity. I know you hate sacrifices, but we all have to sacrifice. Everybody does. It¡¯s just making sure those sacrifices are meaningful, and that we preserve what we need to be happy. Even you do, with your worry over us. Though nobody should feel sorry for you!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right. Anybody that does is an idiot. Eleven women, all deeply in love with you, for their own reasons.¡± Yu-mi laughed. ¡°You have power, and fame, and money... sure, I¡¯m certain that you get scared, that you worry, that you lose your way, like you have here... but look at her, and listen to her. I¡¯m an impartial observer, and from what I see, Eri¡¯s far from unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Each of us believes you love us the most. I believe it. After all, I¡¯ve been with you since the day I was born, and while we may have been apart, our hearts were always connected. Now we have tangible proof of that. Perhaps that¡¯s why Lovers¡¯ Link was born. Connection.¡± Eri said solemnly. ¡°You know, I think that¡¯s our greatest strength. We are tied to each other, love each other, and grow stronger together. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll win. You or Tan... no, either way, it¡¯ll be both of you together. Tan¡¯s already caught in our web of bonds, like a fly to your spider.¡± Eri rolled her eyes. ¡°See, Yu-mi, you were very fortunate. You can escape if you want, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the fascinating web.¡± Yu-mi said, looking up at the night sky once again. ¡°I hardly know what to make of it all. I should absolutely despise you, Akio, but... everything you do, every person you are close to... it all seems somehow noble.¡±


    ¡°Because it is. Akio might be shameless, and he has a rather wandering eye, which I just know will ensnare the poor Princesses too.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°But Tan would never have consented to a wager, even one she was confident of winning, if she wasn¡¯t prepared to pay the price of losing. And her price was simple.¡± She confided in Yu-mi. ¡°If Akio can¡¯t replicate his Eye, create another miracle, then Akio has to allow her to become Astral Emperor of Earth and support her. Of course, he¡¯ll be her most rewarded follower, and she¡¯ll look after us all as well, but if she loses...¡±


    ¡°I know where this is going. She¡¯ll be the twelfth, right?¡± Yu-mi said, shocked.


    ¡°Yes, a Goddess, a real Goddess, placing her eternal future on a simple wager. And worse... she¡¯s been helping him. She says it¡¯s her pride, but... what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s almost certainly pride. But not in the way she thinks.¡± Yu-mi laughed. ¡°Damn, the Gods are really real. Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I conceded. I had wondered myself, why Tan accepted the wager, and was still answering questions and offering adherence in ways that only pushed me towards my goals. Either it¡¯s truly impossible, as she says, and she¡¯s just being kind, or...


    ¡°So yes, Akio, I¡¯m tired of this. I¡¯m not weak, I¡¯m not suffering. My world has opened and expanded, wider than I ever dreamed possible.¡± She took the telescope, turning it towards the distance. ¡°Before, we could only see out to Saturn with our eyes, and other than the moon, they were faint smudges, barely visible, nearly illusory. With a telescope, we can see further. Now...¡± she grinned. ¡°Akio, we can see things we never could before. Just like I see and experience what I never have. If you offered to go back, just to you and me, I¡¯d refuse. Because I like my life now. And while you regret having to spread yourself so thin, and you should, because you need to make time for us all, that¡¯s your sacrifice, we all regret nothing. Because we each believe we can make you want us, want to be with us. And it¡¯s not just for now, but for near eternity. After all...¡± She smiled brightly then, as though a demon had been exorcized from her. ¡°Yu-mi, Akio has broken the bounds of mortality. And where he leads, we¡¯ll follow. So we don¡¯t just have days, weeks, months, years ahead, but decades, centuries, maybe even millennia. Some small sacrifices now, which barely even count worthy of the name, and our future is golden.¡±


    Eri¡¯s so impassioned. And... she¡¯s right. Tsukiko, I brought her in, knowing everyone would welcome her with open arms, except... I worried for Eri. And in doing that, I made her less, treated her as the child I sometimes still see her as. But... she¡¯s strong, stronger than I ever gave her credit for. Damn, I¡¯m a jerk. ¡°So why are you so aggressive when it comes to other women?¡± I asked, and Yu-mi winced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be annoying, Akio. You know why. I don¡¯t care if we end up with fifteen wives, like mother-in-law Emily jokes about with her Rugby team, or fifty, or even seven hundred wives like King Solomon. Just so long as you love them, and they know how to toe the line. But if I¡¯m not hard on Shaeula and the others, we¡¯ll end up with chaos. I don¡¯t want just anyone, and those girls are indiscriminate! I¡¯m the first, and I¡¯ll manage your womanising. I¡¯ve had your first kiss, your virginity, and more. There¡¯s some firsts I won¡¯t get now, which does make me a little sad, but it can¡¯t be helped, but I¡¯m an indelible part of your life and memories, and you¡¯ll always protect me, help me grow as a person, and make me happy until the stars burn out, and only the black, empty sky above remains, right?¡±


    As I stood there, pondering her words, seeing her earnest expression, I remembered her stats. Of course Lovers¡¯ Link will continue to grow. Because our love grows. Yes, life isn¡¯t perfect. I already accepted that. I don¡¯t want anyone to suffer, to make sacrifices, but... Yu-mi and Eri are right. There are always times it¡¯s necessary. Just as I couldn¡¯t save everyone in Choe-Museon, and had to defeat Chae Cho-Hee. But... the limits to what I can achieve aren¡¯t set in stone. In fact, there¡¯s no limits, only what my determination can bring. And right now... I¡¯m determined.


    I felt an impact on my back, and Yu-mi was slapping me, though she winced as my hand burned in pain. ¡°This is the time to kiss her, idiot!¡± she hissed, and I looked at Eri, standing there like a Goddess herself, and smiled, bowing like a courtier.


    ¡°Eri, my dear first girlfriend, my fiance?e, soon to be my first wife... I do love you. And I never want to leave you. I might make mistakes, might hurt you. I¡¯ll be selfish again, despite my protestations, I¡¯m sure. Not just you, but Shaeula and the others too. I¡¯m not perfect. Really, it¡¯s only because of connections that I made it this far. You¡¯re right. Without Shaeula I¡¯d already be dead, though so would she, most likely. Without Hinata, without Shiro and Tan, without Hyacinth, Asha... even Kana, Motoko and Natsumi have brought knowledge and connections. Daiyu too, and Tsukiko... and without you... I¡¯d never have been able to accept love. I think... if Shaeula had made a move on me, I¡¯d have turned her down.¡±


    ¡°She said that was the case.¡± Eri sighed. ¡°We were all incomplete. But together we¡¯re a constellation, planets and moons orbiting the warmth of your sun. But we¡¯ll make mistakes and hurt you too. Like when I nearly died. But... because we love each other, that¡¯s normal. Otherwise... we¡¯re just fakes. A mere orrery, gears and clockwork, beautiful but something that pales in comparison. Only when we truly open our hearts to each other and fight for the best outcome can we achieve true happiness. Before, my dream was like that orrery, and I would have been happy with it, but when cold gears and brass are replaced with the warmth of the sun and the comfort of the planets, I can never go back. My dream didn¡¯t change, or get ruined, it expanded, grew.¡± She paused, breathless. ¡°Now Yu-mi is right, aren¡¯t you going to...¡± I cut off her words with a passionate kiss, my tongue slurping on hers as my arms pulled her into my embrace.


    As we made wet, gasping noises, feeling each other¡¯s breath and body heat, I sensed Yu-mi looking away, embarrassed. When we finally parted, Eri was flushed and bright-eyed, licking at her lips, giggling. ¡°See? I¡¯m not unhappy. I¡¯m in love. In love with you. I have friends, not just Aiko, and I actually have things I wanted to do. I forgot what it was to have those. As I grew up, I stopped wanting to be an astronomer, and instead just wanted to be a housewife, your wife. But that¡¯s not good for me, or for you. Yes, I¡¯d have been a lousy wife, in some respects. Though I¡¯d still have done my best to make you happy. Because that¡¯s what love is.¡±


    Yu-mi clapped her hands, excited. ¡°That¡¯s... rather amazing. You¡¯ve just explained away his rampant infidelity and made it sound almost cute!¡±


    Eri gave her a flat look. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me out, helped me formulate my thoughts, so don¡¯t ruin it now.¡± She took a deep breath, nestling her head into my chest. ¡°There¡¯s just no way an ordinary, childish yet pretty dream can survive this world. Akio is so big I can¡¯t hold him back. Nobody can. Not even a Goddess.¡± Her smile was wicked. She gazed up at the moon overhead and asked an odd question. ¡°I wonder... what¡¯s the Boundary like on the moon? Do you think we can ever go there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Or if it¡¯s the moon in the Seelie Court or something else. But... maybe you¡¯ll be the first. After all, you do love the night skies. Maybe you can be the first Astral astronomer?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s another good dream. In fact, all our dreams keep increasing, every day.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°But for now, I want to be helpful, not just being a housewife. I¡¯ll study business and what Haru-san and Karen-san do, and decide my own path. Just like the others. But I¡¯ll also do my duty as first wife, and ... you do yours too. The more within your arms, the harder you¡¯ll have to strive to keep us all happy. But you¡¯ll do it, because you¡¯re Akio, my sun, that burned away the darkness shrouding me, that warms the hearts of the others as well. The star I always yearned for, reached out after, missing your warmth. It¡¯s going to be hard, as each of us is a woman that any man would struggle to handle, and you¡¯re collecting us like we really are celestial bodies. Still, I don¡¯t sympathise, because this is the path you and I chose, and Shaeula, and those who came after us.¡±


    ¡°You know... there¡¯s currently two hundred and ninety-three known moons, though maybe we shouldn¡¯t count those around Pluto, so call it two hundred and eighty-eight, plus eight planets... yeah, your solar system of girls could get a lot bigger yet.¡± Yu-mi finished checking her phone, before yawning. ¡°So, we all good now? Have I aced my first trial?¡±


    ¡°I admit you helped. We had a good talk before I arrived and it helped confirm what I wanted to say, what I wanted Akio to finally understand. Some of the other girls had noticed this mess as well, and offered to talk to Akio, but... it¡¯s hard.¡± Eri admitted, still nestled in my embrace. ¡°Because we mean so much to each other, and our lives are entwined, it¡¯s hard to change how we see each other. I had to realise Akio isn¡¯t perfect. I mean, I love everything about you...¡± she told me. ¡°...even your mistakes, but... my childish view of you had to change. And you had to see me as a strong woman. Which is hard, as up until now I¡¯ve only shown you my pathetic, needy, greedy side. Which I still have. But not just that. I¡¯m strong enough to be a woman for you. So now, if we have things we really can¡¯t take, we have to be honest, and we¡¯ll work through it. And the others, they¡¯ll help us. Just as we help them with their sorrows. Connections.¡±


    Yes, Eri¡¯s right. As I looked at her, it was like an overlapping image, her old self, timid, bangs over her eyes, quiet and withdrawn, contrasting and merging with her new, more confident image. Sure, she still had her insecurities, but all of the girls did, and I had my own. Squeezing shut my eyes for a moment, I opened them again, fixing the Eri I saw now, in my arms, in my mind. She¡¯s right. Even to satisfy my own conscience, with the girls I have now, I¡¯m going to have to keep growing in every way to make them all as happy as they deserve to be. But... I think I¡¯m up to the challenge. No, I have to be. There¡¯s no other way. Because just like Eri says her dream didn¡¯t break but grew, mine has grown too. All the way to Astral Emperor and beyond... ¡°So, what are we going to do now?¡± I asked, and Eri smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯re up on this lovely mountain, with a nice telescope, I think it¡¯s obvious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, shouldn¡¯t we go back?¡± Yu-mi asked, and Eri grinned wickedly at her, relief at finally saying what was on her heart, finally having me see her as Mori Eri now, not the Mori Eri I remembered, making her elated.


    ¡°Oh, Akio and I don¡¯t need much sleep, we can pull an all-nighter and still enjoy Seoul tomorrow. As for you... you¡¯ve a long night ahead of you. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to tell Hinata and Shiro that you did well. You¡¯ve had Chirurgery, right? You should be able to manage a little something like staying up until dawn without complaining.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Yu-mi pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed out in Gangnam partying many a night and went to lectures the next day! But if it¡¯s just you two flirting, I¡¯m going to feel pretty sour...¡±


    As Eri laughed at that and left my arms, going back to the telescope and adjusting it, all the while bantering with Yu-mi, a woman she barely knew, I felt warm inside. Yes, Eri¡¯s not lying. She has changed. I don¡¯t think I can easily shed all the guilt of trampling on Eri¡¯s original dream, even though she asked me to and it was for the right reasons, but... if she¡¯s happier now, then I can finally accept I did the right thing, that it wasn¡¯t a mistake. Now all I had to do was take her words to heart, and the words of the others. Everything I do affects everyone. I need to be sure of not only my own heart, but theirs as well... With a smile, I joined the two of them at the telescope, thinking of several ways to make the magnification even greater...

 Four Hundred And Seventy

    Four Hundred And Seventy


    ¡°So the hotel for tonight is booked. I¡¯ve had your luggage transferred there.¡± Yu-mi said, hanging up her call, as we browsed the shops in Apgujeong, the most luxurious area for high-end shopping in Seoul. ¡°We¡¯ve booked a suite, so I can shut myself away while the two of you keep flirting and more.¡± Her smile was cheeky. ¡°It hurts though, I¡¯m so poor, now that dad has given away all my share of the company. However will I manage?¡±


    Eri rolled her eyes and snorted, as she browsed through the expensive perfumes she was looking at. It wasn¡¯t for her, she didn¡¯t often use perfume, and if she did it was only very subtle scents, but she was intending to buy gifts for the other girls, our parents and other friends. She was still wearing her dress and cardigan, looking very cute and fresh, and we were attracting some looks from the other patrons, Eri¡¯s high Charm drawing eyes. But then, Yu-mi is hardly plain either, and me... I was wearing a mask and sunglasses, trying to hide my face as I was famous now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your father won¡¯t leave you with nothing.¡± Eri said, weighing up the choices before her, unsure of which to buy. ¡°Besides, Akio can spend your money better than you could. And since you decided to join their Adamant, much as they can be irritating, I can tell you that Shaeula takes bonds seriously and will never let those supporting her suffer, and Hinata believes in fair rewards for good work. Shiro... she¡¯s a wildcard, but she seems to like you, so you¡¯ll be fine. And Akio...¡± She looked at me, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. If you honestly need something, just let me know and I¡¯ll see you get it. Besides, the Doosan group is in heavy manufacturing, right? It so happens that we are getting involved in that field too. I¡¯m sure there could be opportunities for collaboration, which will make back that twenty percent and more.¡±


    ¡°Is he always like that?¡± Yu-mi asked Eri, a little bemused. ¡°Oh, that one is sexy yet elegant, I quite like it myself, but even I don¡¯t buy it often.¡± She pointed to one of the bottles, and Eri weighed it up, before nodding. ¡°I can see how he ended up with so many women. He always knows just what to say...¡± Yu-mi finished.


    ¡°The worst thing is, he means it.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ve listened to Ixitt and the others talk about their plans, and even now Kana will be working hard to construct the facilities, but from just what I¡¯ve heard, when the factories start operating, it¡¯ll be a business worth tens or even hundreds of billions. And that¡¯s dollars, not yen.¡±Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m not too interested in business myself, dad always was planning to have Yu-jun as heir since men are more accepted in Korea, and he thinks he owes it to dear departed auntie. But I¡¯m the daughter of Doosan, so I¡¯m not a total novice. Do tell...¡± As they talked, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. We had spent the entire night on the mountain, just talking and laughing, gazing up at the stars. Eri and I had never been so relaxed. No longer was she the childhood friend who I needed to protect, but she was an adorable, loving woman in her own right, and as we told the old stories, of the dog, trips to the mountain, stories of school, the baseball games of the past and this most recent one where I showed off my pettiness (and siscon nature, according to Eri), they were now entirely recontextualised, and tales that now made us both laugh, cry and feel happy. Yes, finally I have the proper mindset, and can have a healthy relationship with Eri. Now... now I just have to make sure I can make everyone happy. Eleven women who depended on me, as well as my friends, family, subjects and even Japan as a whole. I had my work cut out for me, but it was as if a weight that I refused to confront had been lifted from my soul, and I was feeling confident I could do it.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m not as tired as I thought I¡¯d be...¡± Yu-mi said after Eri had finished at the counter. Eri winced, hardly able to believe how much she had spent on gifts, but I was happy for her to get used to living a luxurious life. The next port of call was going to be an upmarket luxury shop for women¡¯s clothing, which was always hell for me to go into, being a man, but as a harem bastard, it was something I was gradually getting used to. Harem bastard, huh? Maybe so, but only to outsiders. To the girls I love, I¡¯m going to be the best husband they can imagine. Besides, it¡¯s not only me. Power and wealth attract the opposite sex, be they men or women. Lee Jong-su and his gang are the same.


    "You wouldn¡¯t be.¡± Eri answered her. ¡°Perfect Chirurgery is worth around twenty points in your stats. Well, more in Aether, but you can¡¯t really use that yet. So it¡¯s like going from an ordinary person to an Olympic athlete. It has other benefits too. Smooth, glossy skin, clean, silky hair and...¡± she flushed a little. ¡°...more stamina.¡±


    ¡°Stamina, huh?¡± Yu-mi looked at me, hiding her smile with one hand. ¡°And that¡¯s something you need, I¡¯d imagine. Though I think Akio here needs it most of all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not touching that topic.¡± I laughed. The streets of Seoul were bustling, as one expected from such an important city, and it made me curious. Violet-noona¡¯s Territory was on the outskirts, as before this they lived in similar circumstances to the way I used to. When Hyacinth establishes a Ring Gate, I can move between here, Tokyo and London at will. The potential there is immense.


    ¡°So I¡¯m curious.¡± We had entered the shop, and several very attractive women had approached, leading Eri off, cooing over her beauty, which was more perfect than ever. Eri was always cute enough to be an idol, and as she aged, her beauty went from cute to genuinely pretty, but now it¡¯s a level above that. Perhaps it¡¯s her half-Bakeneko status, she can adjust her parameters to what she considers perfection? Honestly, she¡¯s even starting to remind me of Shiro and Tsukiko.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I replied to Yu-mi, who was sitting beside me, as another stunning shop assistant handed us warm cups of tea in pretty porcelain cups. ¡°And aren¡¯t you buying anything? I don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m in a damn good mood, I can afford a dress or two.¡±


    ¡°No, I have plenty of clothes. In fact, I¡¯d like to change before we hit Gangnam later. I¡¯d look a bit out of place in a business suit.¡± She giggled cheerfully. ¡°Thanks anyway, but it looks like I¡¯m already getting a uniform, no? But... you said you were going to live for thousands of years, right? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if thousands is right. Even the spirit isn¡¯t immortal. But yeah, depending on the species of Fae and the strength of the being, hundreds and thousands of years isn¡¯t impossible. I suspect even the Gods aren¡¯t truly eternal, but if you can live hundreds of thousands of years you might as well be.¡± I replied, and Yu-mi took a sip of her tea, buying her time to think.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard for the others? From what I understand, some of your women are non-humans, so likely have the same lifespan. But Eri and the others...¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a concern.¡± I agreed. ¡°But that¡¯s why we have to work hard, so that nobody is left behind. You know, you¡¯re quite lucky, Yu-mi. You may have lost your inheritance, but you¡¯ve gained other benefits. Even having an Eight Moons Chakra Network will strengthen your Material body, so your body will be more resilient, less likely to suffer disease, and will remain youthful for longer. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯ll live well into your early hundreds, even without further efforts. And the stronger one gets, the more their Aether and Fortitude Statistics grow, the greater the effects. And ...¡± I smiled, remembering my recent gains. ¡°I know the path to stopping aging entirely, at least physically.¡± Lowering my voice I continued. ¡°It¡¯s a hard path, but my girls, they are all driven and willing to do whatever it takes. So with our help, they¡¯ll manage it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yu-mi placed down her cup. ¡°I guess I should thank you then. Considering I turned you down so coldly. Yet you still saved cousin Yu-jun, and played along with my whims. It looks like I really will have to work hard.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did.¡± I laughed. ¡°Marrying a man you didn¡¯t know, for such stupid reasons? No, that¡¯s not fair. They were actually noble reasons, sacrificing your happiness for your poor cousin. So I commend you. It¡¯s not a choice anyone could have made, especially a rich girl such as you, likely used to having things go your way, and... if you¡¯ll excuse the rudeness... being a bit spoiled.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t spoiled...¡± Yu-mi pretended to be offended, but her face was red. ¡°Yes, I do have a good lifestyle, but dad is strict with my allowance. It¡¯ll go down now.¡±


    ¡°Ask him to put it back to what it was. I¡¯m sure Hinata will be in touch with him regarding Korean partnerships. Although that will have to wait until we¡¯ve got back the Tengokusentou. Hinata... our engagement was a political one. Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s too. You haven¡¯t met them?¡±


    Yu-mi shook her head, and I explained they were nobles, Motoko being from a very important lineage. ¡°So I¡¯ve no doubt arranged marriages can work out, I love them all and would never part with them now. But... it¡¯s still a bit uncomfortable for most people. Even now, there are a couple of Elves who are making it plain they want to go ahead with a political marriage, and yeah, I¡¯ve spent some time with Bell recently, and I think she¡¯s pretty great, but...¡±


    ¡°Elves, huh? Dad really picked a strange guy to go to for help. He picked right though.¡± Yu-mi finished her tea, now picking at some delicious sweets that was on a pretty plate beside us. As she pondered, I took a moment to check my phone. I was getting numerous messages, from Hinata, Shaeula, Motoko, Daiyu, even Ixitt and Karen-chan. Firing back replies, I realised Yu-mi was looking at me carefully, her brown eyes searching. ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind me.¡± she shrugged. ¡°I just realised you seem rather busy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everyone¡¯s got things they want me to know, progress to update me on, or need my approval for things. Of course, some are just flirty messages saying they miss me.¡± I smiled to myself, amused. ¡°Taking this time was important though. Eri was the first relationship I entered into, and while it seems an eternity ago, it was actually only around three months. Though when you count my objective time, it¡¯s more than twice that.¡±


    ¡°I was tortured by your flirting, all night.¡± Yu-mi giggled. ¡°But it seemed to me you¡¯ve both made a breakthrough. You seemed so relaxed and natural.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my heart is finally calm. I understand my nature, and the nature of all the girls. There¡¯s likely troubles ahead, but... I know we just have to follow our hearts. Anyway, yes, you can speak.¡± I said to the staff member who was standing patiently, waiting for us to finish.


    ¡°Young master, young mistress...¡± the woman addressed us respectfully. With Yu-mi¡¯s demeanour, and the fact we were in such a top end store, she likely assumed that we were both the kids of a wealthy Chaebol or foreign dignitaries, and the fact this store had staff who all spoke English, and we were communicating in it, only reinforced that impression. ¡°...the lady wishes your opinion on her choices.¡± She lowered her voice, smiling. ¡°...if I may, compliment her liberally. Though I have no doubt you will, she looks amazing.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡± At my words, Yu-mi nodded, though she quickly wolfed down the last of the sweets. Seeing me looking, she smirked.


    ¡°My metabolism should be up to the task now, right?¡± I couldn¡¯t argue with that, so we followed the staff to the changing rooms at the back. The store had a number of different private areas, and Yu-mi whispered to me about several of the other shoppers, saying they were the daughters of rich families. Finally, we reached the destination, but there was no sign of Eri. Shutting the door behind us, the staff member waited eagerly.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s some sort of sex cult. I¡¯m a good judge of character, and if Akio was like that, he¡¯d have taken advantage of me, even if he didn¡¯t want to marry me and take responsibility. I man not be as beautiful as you, Eri...¡± Eri flushed at that compliment. ¡°...but I¡¯m well above average and I take care of myself. And apparently I¡¯ll be even prettier now.¡± she smiled cheerfully. ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about me. My family is rich, I¡¯m fairly smart, I¡¯m pretty, sociable and popular. But I have nothing that stands out. I¡¯ve coasted through life, having fun but never taking anything too seriously. Which is fine. But... do you believe in fate, destiny?¡±


    Eri nodded seriously. ¡°Absolutely I do. Everything fits together too well for me to deny it. Besides, if you listen to Tsukiko, it¡¯s impossible not to believe.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll know how I feel. This strikes me as my one shot to find out what I¡¯m here for. And... honestly, I went from my lowest low, having to marry someone I didn¡¯t even know, to what should have been a high, but it just felt... empty.¡± She took another sip to steady her thoughts. ¡°Forget the money. I know dad will make provision for me. I¡¯ll still be able to live well, but... I¡¯m surprisingly competitive, you know.¡± She giggled, tapping the edge of her glass restlessly, making gentle noises. ¡°And honestly, I¡¯m now determined to be Park Yu-mi, somebody who can stand toe to toe with anyone and feel like I measure up. The world¡¯s changed, right?¡± At our nods, she continued. ¡°Besides, if Akio changes his mind and has his way with me, we¡¯d have to get married. Otherwise he¡¯d be spitting on my dad and his deal. And I don¡¯t think he¡¯d do that.¡± She winked at us.


    ¡°So do you want it now?¡± Eri asked, and I was impressed at her calm tone, though her eyebrow was twitching, belying that not everything about Eri had changed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested in marrying. I¡¯m just saying at least I know a little more about Akio here, it¡¯s not as dreadful a fate as I¡¯d imagined. But after being turned down, and spending time with you, Eri... I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not really curious about him and everyone else. So, when the chance presented itself... I can spare a portion of my life to be loyal and better myself. And who knows what happens in the future? There¡¯s no rush, is there? After all... you¡¯re all going to live a long, long time, right? And maybe those of us in Adamant too?¡±


    ¡°I can see you¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Eri conceded. ¡°That¡¯s... a fair way of thinking. You¡¯re not as troublesome as some I could name. Yes, I want to live forever, and be more useful to Akio. Right now, I¡¯m in an awkward spot, I¡¯m strong, but not strong enough to accompany Akio into danger, and I don¡¯t have other skills. So...¡±


    As she struggled for words, I looked on warmly, taking a sip of my own champagne, trying not to think of the cost per bottle. It was Yu-mi who spoke up next, and I almost spat out a mouthful of champagne.


    ¡°You just need Akio to find you one of these gifts from the Gods, right?¡± she pointed out, and at seeing the panic in our eyes, she winked, pleased at having put one over on us. ¡°Why so surprised? I told you earlier, your sister let spill the secrets, and I¡¯ve been keeping my eyes and ears open, as well as reading through what info my dad gathered, as well as what the Blue House put out about Hunters. I listened to you explain Eri¡¯s skills too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± I began, only for Yu-mi to delight in putting one over on us.


    ¡°I get it. It doesn¡¯t seem like common knowledge, or something just anyone can do. And if I had to guess, there¡¯s a lot of shortcomings, else Eri here would already be blessed, like your sister. I¡¯d imagine there are compatibility issues, at minimum? But then... you must be able to do something about that, within limits? I don¡¯t know if you have to kill those that have them... no, I¡¯d imagine not, you don¡¯t seem that ruthless.¡± As she continued, Eri and I exchanged rueful looks. Yes, Yu-mi does remind me of Hinata. She¡¯s similarly perceptive and a dangerous young woman.


    ¡°You do know leaking any of this is going to go poorly, right?¡± I warned, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I know. But we¡¯re alone here, and I¡¯ve already pledged to your cause. I¡¯m a woman of my word. But I¡¯m right then? From what I can tell, there are very few users of such abilities worldwide, but... that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get any.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love one.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°If I had a Divine Favour, I¡¯d be strong enough to be on the front lines, like Shaeula, Hyacinth, Shiro, Aiko and Daiyu. But yes, it¡¯s not like we can go around hunting other Chosen. Akio won¡¯t spare those who do evil, but... even our enemies, taking it from them, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll find one that suits me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Yu-mi was deep in thought. ¡°So, you can remove it safely, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°No problems now, with my skills. But again, it¡¯s not like I can steal them, even if it doesn¡¯t hurt the recipient. Everyone deserves their own chances.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but... everything is for sale.¡± Yu-mi grinned triumphantly. ¡°Even I was, for the right price. Be it money, power, health... people have things they want.¡±


    No way? Eri and I exchanged shocked glances, her face mirroring my own stunned one. As Yu-mi laughed, she wagged a finger triumphantly. ¡°Never considered it, huh? I¡¯m surprised that none of you thought of it. Sure, it might cost millions of dollars, but... isn¡¯t it worth it to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a blind spot. Even Hinata never thought of that, perhaps because she saw early on just what we could do with them, and how we¡¯d never part with the power.¡± I mused. ¡°But we can¡¯t do that. If we put out a request, it would turn the Chosen of the world into our enemies, and reveal too much of our hand.¡± And lead to questions I don¡¯t want to answer. Such as Yamato-san...


    ¡°True, secrecy is key. But...¡± Yu-mi pondered. ¡°There¡¯s always a way to attract a seller of an exotic product subtly.¡± She giggled, explaining. ¡°There was a fad for exotic pets a few years back. The rich and famous of Korea competed. Some of them were really strange. Crocodiles, peacocks, tigers, all sorts of animals and birds. Sharks and fish too. And a lot were illegal. But with enough money and connections, what¡¯s legal and what¡¯s merely eccentric blur. So... I¡¯m no expert, but maybe you know some?¡±


    I don¡¯t think it would work, but she¡¯s right. Favours are priceless. Would I pay ten million dollars for one, or even more? Yes, without question. But... I fired off a text message, and hoped to get a favourable response.


    ¡°So, did I do good?¡± Yu-mi asked happily, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, even if nothing comes of it, it opens up our ways of thinking. This is the modern world. And there are ways and means of fighting even without violence.¡±


    ¡°In that case... we should celebrate.¡± Yu-mi went for the bell to bring back the server and I hurriedly covered myself. ¡°More champagne, I think! And then back to the hotel. Tonight we party Gangnam style! I¡¯ve heard that Japan has some fancy high-end districts, but there¡¯s nothing quite like Gangnam, I¡¯d wager!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not much on drinking, or dancing. But...¡± Eri looked at me shyly. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fun, being with you. Besides... after tomorrow, I have to start putting in more effort. I admit, I¡¯ve made a bad impression on some of the others. I can¡¯t change overnight, but... at least I can go about repairing that, and finally start performing my duties seriously...¡±


    Pulling Eri into a hug, I messed up her hair as we kissed. Ignoring the server who entered, giving us a wry look, I squeezed her, transmitting my affection to her, and Eri melted into my embrace.


    ¡°I can feel it. Through our Bond. You¡¯re proud of me. I... I haven¡¯t done anything to warrant it yet, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I said, kissing her again before continuing. ¡°Admitting your faults and resolving to do better is enough to make me proud. Just as I¡¯ve had to do. Too many times. And I¡¯ll support you, and honestly, the others will too. If you¡¯re honest with them, and listen earnestly to what they want.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s hard, and I feel ashamed, but I can¡¯t be the one that holds everyone back. Because you¡¯re too important.¡± Her smile turned impish, resembling my sis for a second. ¡°After all, when you defeat Tan, and bring her fully to our side, there won¡¯t be anyone that can stop us, will there?¡±


    I shook my head. There¡¯s plenty of threats still. That damn golden-eyed toad, the Church Of True Revelation, the forces coming together in China, likely others. But worrying about them now only detracts from this happy moment... As Yu-mi teased us, we enjoyed some more close skinship and champagne, while notifications continued to pile up on my phone...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-One *R18 Chapter – Contains Sex*

    Four Hundred And Seventy-One *R18 Chapter ¨C Contains Sex*


    The burly, well-dressed doorman looked at us dubiously, saying something in Korean to Yu-mi, who was now dressed up similar to Eri, only her dress was a classy black with subtle white detailing around the chest and hems, and a tight if somewhat short skirt, and a little more exposure around her cleavage. I heard Yu-mi¡¯s surname mentioned, and her smile broadened. She turned to me, and switched to English. ¡°He¡¯s not too keen on letting us in, he thinks Eri might be underage. Though Korea has a strange way of calculating age. But really, he might just not want to because you¡¯re Japanese. This is the most exclusive nightclub in Gangnam, where a lot of the rich and powerful go. But... I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a problem. Assuming you don¡¯t mind a little attention?¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we can go elsewhere...¡± Eri began, but Yu-mi denied that with a snort of displeasure.


    ¡°No way! We¡¯re partying like we can only do in Gangnam. You have to get used to it, girl. You¡¯re a VIP, aren¡¯t you? Besides, it¡¯s the principle of the thing. And it¡¯s possible we¡¯ll see some people it might be good for you to meet. And...¡± she smiled coquettishly. ¡°While I¡¯m qualified to come here because I¡¯m a member due to my dad, if I introduce you, they¡¯ll treat me like a top-tier member from now on.¡±


    I let out a laugh. ¡°Fine. I can handle any trouble, nobody will bother you two while I¡¯m here.¡± I pulled off my mask and sunglasses, and Yu-mi switched back to Korean. The doorman looked at me, eyes narrowing, and then down at his phone. He said something to Yu-mi as she typed, and she laughed triumphantly, replying. The man brought up a video, glanced at me, glanced down again, and then looked shocked.


    ¡°He¡¯s worked out you¡¯re who I said you were.¡± Yu-mi giggled. She addressed the doorman again, and this time he hurriedly stepped aside. Holding out an arm to Eri, she took it, and I graciously escorted her in. Looking at me expectantly, I raised an eyebrow, and Yu-mi flushed a little, her ears pink. ¡°Look, I want to show off that you¡¯re here with me. I know my place, but can¡¯t a woman be a little boastful? You don¡¯t mind, do you, Eri? Since you¡¯re learning to be tolerant.¡±


    Eri sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I suppose, Tagalong-san. I concede you¡¯ve led us around well today, and I¡¯ve had fun with Akio.¡±


    ¡°So cold. You need to work on being honest.¡± Yu-mi laughed, taking my other arm, and she led us into a beautifully furnished and expansive open space. There was a large dancefloor, sparsely populated with young men and women, dancing slowly. Behind it was a massive DJ booth, and the floor was surrounded by numerous private booths, with handsome waiters and waitresses in smart yet revealing outfits scurrying about, carrying trays of expensive drinks, while there was a large bar down one side of the building, where a number of men were mingling and chatting. As we entered, Eri was looking around, eyes wide. Seeing her reaction, Yu-mi was pleased.


    ¡°You said you were a small town girl, right? You probably haven¡¯t done much clubbing. I know Japan is very strict with their drinking age as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though like you said, with privilege comes rule breaking.¡± I mused. ¡°The nobility drink from a young age at parties and events, it¡¯s kind of accepted. Motoko is quite a strong drinker, surprisingly. Healthy appetite too. As for Eri...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s never really interested me.¡± She seemed a little shy under everyone¡¯s gazes, but after a deep breath, she merely smiled broadly, trying to be a woman to match me. ¡°But then, nothing much did. I was a hopeless girl. I have to say it¡¯s very... different.¡± We spoke quite quietly, despite the loud music playing, yet we could hear each other rather easily, due to our high stats. Yu-mi had to strain a little and speak up, but she was managing.


    ¡°So, want to enjoy ourselves?¡± I grinned, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I think so. Because I¡¯m here with you.¡± As we gazed into each other¡¯s eyes, Yu-mi coughed loudly.


    ¡°Oh come on. Don¡¯t exclude me and drift off into your own worlds. We¡¯re here to drink, dance and party. And...¡± she looked at the other patrons, seeming to recognise a few. ¡°...maybe make a few connections.¡±


    One of the smartly dressed female servers, wearing tight shorts and t-shirt, highlighting her attractive figure, came over and said something in Korean. Yu-mi spoke back, and the server blinked. ¡°English. I can? So, Park-nim, you¡¯ve brought some... interesting guests. There was a message from the doorman... is he...?¡± She looked at me, expectant.


    ¡°Oh how rude of me. Yes, these are indeed the most important guests you¡¯ll see.¡± Her smile was wicked. ¡°This is Oshiro Moonstone Akio, the Hero of Britain, Japan¡¯s finest, and ... no, just watch the news. You¡¯ll see soon.¡± She giggled mischievously. ¡°This beauty here is Mori Eri, one of his precious fiance?es. So... do you have a top luxury booth? We¡¯re on a splurge tonight, to celebrate a... oh...¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°Can I trust you, Ahn?¡± She seemed to know the woman, which made sense, as apparently Gangnam was one of Yu-mi¡¯s favourite places to party.


    ¡°I would never betray your trust, Park-nim!¡± she declared, eyeing me eagerly.


    ¡°In that case... Akio here...¡± she said, showing off her closeness to us. ¡°...just got back from a special mission, and he¡¯ll probably be called the Hero of Korea too soon. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s called to the Blue House to get a commendation. But it¡¯s been a tough time, so we¡¯re here to relax. What do you want to drink, Akio, Eri? I¡¯ll have ... oh, just bring a bottle. The Alize should do it. I¡¯m in the mood to get slaughtered!¡±


    ¡°The Alize. A good choice.¡± Ahn said happily. ¡°Do you want any mixers with that?¡±


    ¡°Eri, you don¡¯t like to drink too much, right? Yes, bring some juice, vodka is hard neat. Oh, and best bring some beers too. A dozen should suffice, in an ice bucket.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Ahn agreed, before pursing her lips. ¡°But be careful, Park-nim. It¡¯s not good to drink too much. Our club does indeed pride itself on the high class of clientele, so even the most... relaxed... guests can be safe, but... I would feel dreadful if you were taken advantage of later.¡±


    She does seem worried. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯s merely about reputational damage. Seems like Yu-mi actually is rather popular. So in theory, she¡¯s definitely a catch for Adamant. With her and Violet-noona, we can certainly start making inroads here...


    ¡°Take advantage of me? When I¡¯m here with the Hero of Britain... who, may I add, is highly likely to be awarded a title from the Queen of Britain too...¡± Yu-mi seemed to be enjoying herself, and she was making sure Ahn¡¯s gaze was drawn to where our arms were connected. ¡°...even if the Devil itself popped out, or an entire jopok...¡± she paused, realising we didn¡¯t understand the Korean word. ¡°...that¡¯s basically a yakuza or mafia group.¡± she explained. ¡°...attacked us, Akio would see them off, and I¡¯d be escorted to our hotel with not a scratch on me, and not on Eri either, of course.¡±


    ¡°Your hotel? Are you... staying together?¡± Ahn asked, wide-eyed.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Yu-mi laughed. ¡°Now, that booth?¡±


    Ahn blinked, before bowing politely. ¡°Sorry, Park-ssi, Oshiro-ssi, Mori-ssi. I forgot myself at being in such important company. The boss will be most disappointed in me. This way...¡±


    We were soon seated in a beautiful glass-fronted booth with luxurious leather sofas in a semi-circle, easily big enough for twenty people. The glass kept the sound muted, the music falling to a background hum, but there was a speaker system that could let it in, as well as a small, intimate dancefloor for the booth residents. Several other such booths were full, and the glass in one was tinted, making the people within mere shadowy shapes. Eri looked down, seeing the controls, surprised, before turning back to Yu-mi. ¡°Are you sure about that? You implied you¡¯re intimate with us, with Akio. Won¡¯t it hurt your reputation?¡±


    ¡°What does it matter? I¡¯m tied to the rules of Adamant, so It¡¯s not like I can date anyway, and I¡¯m between partners.¡± Yu-mi shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell any other members about the purpose of the rules. Besides, even if I seem a bit of a hanger-on, like you keep saying, Eri, or a shameless woman trying to snare him, it¡¯s Akio. Few people will blame me, I¡¯ll probably get more respect.¡±


    Before Eri could answer, Ahn came in expertly carrying a tray, followed by a young guy carrying a bucket of beers filled with ice, a number of bottles of brightly coloured juice, as well as a tray with snacks on. Ahn placed down the bottle of vodka as well as a number of crystal glasses of varying sizes. Eri¡¯s eyes sparkled as she saw the pretty bottle, which was encrusted with a number of sparkling crystals.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Yu-mi said, handing over some money as a tip. ¡°Oh and Eri, you can keep the bottle. Those are Swarovski crystals. It inflates the price of the vodka, for sure... but it¡¯s still good.¡±


    As the male server left, Ahn paused. ¡°Park-ssi, there are already a lot of enquiries from our other guests, asking if they can come visit. Is that fine?¡±


    Yu-mi looked at me questioningly. I glanced at Eri, and she shrugged. ¡°If they aren¡¯t too annoying. This is my time with you!¡±


    Yu-mi snickered. ¡°You heard the lady. No irritating guests. But give us an hour and a half first to have some relaxation time.¡±


    Ahn nodded. ¡°In that case... if I may, the owner would be deeply keen on seeing you all at some point.¡±


    ¡°The owner, huh? A great honour.¡± Yu-mi mused. ¡°That¡¯s fine. But I¡¯m sure he can bring a bottle with him. Not that Akio is hurting for money, but...¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ahn said politely. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of manners. Well, do excuse me. Have an excellent time!¡± With that, we were left alone, and with a smile, Yu-mi removed the top from the bottle, pouring us three generous glasses of the clear liquid. I wasn¡¯t an expert on vodka, more usually drinking beer, whiskey or shochu, but it had a crisp smell.


    ¡°Do you want juice?¡± Yu-mi asked Eri, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it as is to start.¡± Eri said, taking a glass.


    ¡°In that case...¡± I said, smiling broadly. ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡± they echoed, and after clinking our glasses together, we took a swig. Yes, this isn¡¯t bad. Not bad at all...


    ********


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡± Yu-mi giggled, swaying her body, face flushed, as she moved around the small dancefloor. Opposite her, Eri was dancing as well, she was lacking in experience or sense, but her movements were graceful and deft, her great Precision aiding her. A glass of orange juice, mixed with vodka, was in her hand, and as she took a sip, she smiled.


    ¡°Much better. I don¡¯t like the strong taste, but this isn¡¯t so bad...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make a drinker of you yet!¡± Yu-mi laughed. ¡°Though you should be careful, you¡¯ve had a lot...¡± The bottle was empty, and half of a second one was gone too.


    ¡°Ether Healing and my Fortitude means it¡¯s hard to get drunk. I can¡¯t control it properly yet, unlike Akio, so even if I downed the bottle, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d sober up quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just sad, cutie.¡± Yu-mi giggled again. ¡°Guess there are some downsides to power, huh? Oh well, not going to dance with us, Akio? Or are you just watching us?¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± To be honest, I was very much enjoying watching Eri. Her blue dress suited her beautifully, and the silver highlights and embroidery were glittering prettily under the bright lights of the nightclub. Getting up, I took Eri¡¯s hand and started to dance. It wasn¡¯t as if I hadn¡¯t been to clubs in Akihabara, Shinjuku and other hotspots, though I had seldom danced much. But I know what I¡¯m doing...


    ¡°That¡¯s the way!¡± Yu-mi laughed, grabbing our hands and swaying in time to the beats of the music. She stumbled a little, and I caught her. She flushed, laughing heartly, and at Eri¡¯s stern glance, stuck out her tongue. ¡°Have a heart! How many women can say they¡¯ve danced with him? I can dine out on this story for years!¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d have better stories to tell!¡± Eri pressed her body against mine, and I was sure that her chest had grown a little. She kissed my lips gently, and as I continued to dance with them, there was a knock on he door to the booth.


    ¡°I think the guests are here.¡± Yu-mi said, disengaging, and walked over, a little unsteady. Maybe she needs a little Ether Healing...


    ¡°Looks like the fun¡¯s over...¡± Eri sighed, only for me to shake my head.


    ¡°No way. Sure, we can meet a few other patrons, but this is your night, and it¡¯s far from over yet.¡±


    ¡°No, no it isn¡¯t.¡± Eri agreed happily, and as the heat of passion smouldered in her black eyes, I thought that I was going to be in for one hell of a night..


    ¡°Let me introduce you...¡± Yu-mi was saying, bringing over three young men and a woman of similar age, all smartly dressed and wearing expensive watches and jewellery. ¡°This is Oshiro Akio, you must have seen him on TV. And his fiance?e Mori Eri. Anyway, Akio, Eri, this here is Cho Chul, heir to the Meritz Financial Group. They¡¯re a big player in Korea. And this one is...¡± As Yu-mi introduced us all, I put on my best business smile, preparing for a battle of a different sort...


    ********


    ¡°This has been greatly illuminating!¡± Cho Chul said, glancing over at Yu-mi. ¡°I had no idea that you were involved with so many Japanese businesses. It seems we have more in common that I¡¯d have imagined.¡±


    Eri managed to keep her face impassive, but she had certainly drunk a lot, though I was proud that she¡¯d actually been sociable, hiding her irritation as best she could. Several girls were talking to her, one the daughter of a famous Korean actor, the other a daughter of a Chaebol, like Yu-mi. They were asking her a lot about me, as well as praising her beauty. Which is understandable. She looks amazing tonight.


    ¡°We must do this again.¡± one girl was saying. ¡°Partying in Gangnam is simply the thing to do!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been... something new.¡± Eri managed, and Yu-mi, seeing her in distress, slid into the conversation effortlessly, leaving me to Cho Chul, who lowered his voice.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°This is a bit of a change.¡± I laid Eri down on the bed and lay down beside her, looking into her eyes, which she had returned to normal. ¡°Normally you¡¯d be irritated by that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to act like Shiro or Shaeula and push you at her.¡± Eri insisted. I reached out, gently ruffling her cat ears, which were warm and soft, and Eri melted under my touch, arching her back in a catlike manner, her own skirts parting, one slender leg popping free. ¡°But... I¡¯m also not going to get worked up over something as minor as some panty shots or a flash of her bra. Even if you walked in on her naked as she was in the shower... well, I¡¯d feel sorry for her then. As it stands, it¡¯s just an embarrassing funny story for her. But I have to be confident that I¡¯m more alluring than her, and... here you are. I have to be composed. Not easy-going, if I¡¯m easy-going then Shaeula and the others will keep getting into trouble. But I have to be reasonable. Now...¡± she squirmed as I started kissing her neck, and she flushed. ¡°...hang on, I¡¯m being serious.¡±


    ¡°So am I. I¡¯m serious about making love to you.¡± I replied, and Eri¡¯s flush deepened, her skin scarlet.


    ¡°And we will! I¡¯m itching for it too. But... serious talk first. If you made a move on Yu-mi then, I¡¯d have accepted it. I¡¯d say it was too hasty, and I¡¯d be talking to you about that... but I¡¯d talk to her afterwards, make sure she knows how we do things. But I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t. She¡¯s smart enough, and seems nice, but... is that enough? I don¡¯t think so. But we¡¯ll be working with her a long time. If you get to know her better, and you start to like her, I won¡¯t...¡± Her words were cut off, as I kissed her, my tongue forcing her lips open, and as I tangled mine with hers, saliva scattering, she pushed her arms around me, as well as twisting her tail around my thigh.


    As we pulled apart, I licked my lips, tasting her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not thinking about Yu-mi right now. Although...¡±


    ¡°Oh, did her defenceless flash turn you on?¡± Eri smile. ¡°If I¡¯d have known, I¡¯d have done that years ago. I was too shy though. Fortunately, I¡¯ve changed and so have you.¡± She rolled to one side, theatrically moving her tail, and I realised it had been poking out of the slit in her dress, and so was much longer than I had expected. It pulled back upwards, rolling up her skirt, and soon her underwear was visible. It was blue to match the dress, with silver ribbons decorating it, and it was also cut quite daringly, some of the dark fabric fairly transparent.


    ¡°Oh my tail has a will of its own. How shameful!¡± Eri cried, enjoying the roleplay, and I grabbed it, enjoying the furry feel. As I did so, Eri shuddered, and I found that fascinating. Gently stroking it up and down, I rejoiced at the throaty purrs of pleasure Eri was exuding. She stuck out her tongue and so I sucked on it greedily, kissing her tender lips. As I did so, Eri unzipped her dress, so that as she contorted in pleasure, it came undone, and her breasts, clad in a dark blue bra matching her panties, spilled out.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°They were right. I do like the underwear, and seeing it before wouldn¡¯t have been as fun.¡± I praised the shop assistants.


    ¡°So... ah... have you forgotten...¡± she muttered, and I laughed, playfully stroking her cat ears too.


    ¡°Forgotten? Don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± I teased, eyeing Eri. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, have you been changing your height recently?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes. I¡¯ve been experimenting to reach my ideal... ahh... state.¡± Eri¡¯s hands undid my belt, and her eyes were sparkling damply, her arousal unusual, her mannerisms more catlike. ¡°Anyway, mother, auntie Emily, the others... they all say I¡¯m growing more beautiful. I think I am... but you never seem to notice.¡± She puffed out her cheeks adorably, so I sped up my hand on her tail, and her back arched. As it did so, she unfastened her bra somehow without touching it, and her breasts spilled free, nipples already hard. I took my hand off her ears and started kneading her ample breasts, feeling the softness, and one finger started stroking her nipple, and her breathing sped up, her breath hot.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been beautiful. That¡¯s never changed.¡± I said, and Eri shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good! You need to see me, just as I see you, and we see the others! Seeing what we expect to see is where... we... ahn... went... uh... wrong... ahn... before...¡± Her voice grew strained and quieter as her tail and breast were touched tenderly. I then bent down, sucking at her other breast, and I noticed that her panties were starting to grow damp, and the sour smell of her arousal was in the air.


    My Eye picked up a little aether, and my underwear slid down, freeing my cock. Eri eyed it, and her hand grasped it, and she started stroking it, just as I was her tail, matching my motions, which made me shiver. My reason was starting to slip away, my love and lust for Eri spiking, but I listened to what she had said, and really looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Our relationship, our perceptions were frozen. But now we¡¯ve thawed. Yes, you¡¯re stunning. A match for any. And... sexy. Incredibly so!¡± Now I took a deep, good look at her, Eri had changed. She was still herself, just... more.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m ... uh... a Temptress, only for... ahn... you!¡± Eri gasped wetly, her warmth communicated to me through my hand. ¡°Though... ahn uh... maybe I¡¯ll no longer... ahn... be Dark!¡± She suddenly reared up, biting my ear, and then whispered a suggestion which surprised me.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I agreed, and I released her tail. She grinned, asking for a kiss, and after we parted, a bridge of saliva linking us for a moment, I slid down her panties, the fabric heavy with her nectar. I gently started toying with her clit and pussy, my other hand once more touching her breasts and ears alternatively, while her hands were stroking my skin, and her tail... That feels... impossible to describe. It was coiled around my dick, twisting and stroking it, and the sensation was nothing like hand, lips or even a pussy, being warm, furry and somehow muscular.


    ¡°How... is it?¡± Eri managed, her skin flushed. ¡°Nobody else... ahn... can do this yet.¡±


    Yeah, Shaeula¡¯s tail in her weaselkin form is a bit short and not so prehensile... I let that stupid thought wash through me, and concentrated on attacking Eri¡¯s weak spots, now licking the ear I wasn¡¯t fondling. It tasted strange, the fur odd, but as I sucked on it, it seemed to be a very pleasurable thing for Eri, who was panting loudly, sweat oozing from her skin. Her pussy was leaking like a broken faucet, and her clit was growing engorged, a pretty red bean that shivered under my fingers. Mischievously, I slid a few fingers inside her, poking Eri¡¯s sensitive spots, but she pouted, biting down on my shoulder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... want... uh, ahn... your fingers, I want...¡± she began, but as my hand sped up, she quickly cried out, reaching orgasm, spurting a trickle of love nectar. As her body convulsed lightly, she eyed me accusingly, before her smile turned wicked, and the motions of her tail sped up, coiling around my cock like a constricting snake. As I bit down on her ear, she teased me, her fingers stroking my glans, and the sensation of the combined tail and finger assault was indescribable.


    ¡°Eri, I¡¯m...¡± I gasped, and she smirked.


    ¡°Let it out! You did it to me, so turnabout... is fair.¡± Her words were still slow and laboured, but her tail showed no fatigue, and with a cry I came hard, cloudy white liquid shooting over her hands and tail, tangling in the fur. She kept squeezing and squeezing, tail wringing me dry, and soon the sheets and her body was sticky with my cum.


    ¡°How was that?¡± Eri said proudly, reaching down and wiping her belly, before tasting my release, her delicate lips opening, tongue lapping at it, in a very catlike manner. ¡°Bitter. But the flavour is different. I wonder if it¡¯s down to the alcohol?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± I picked up Eri¡¯s tail, making her shiver. ¡°Ugh, your fur is all matted and gross now. They never talk about that when it comes to sex with beast girls.¡±


    ¡°You read that sort of manga, do you?¡± Eri accused me jovially, before concentrating. For a moment her tail vanished, cum falling to the bed, then it reappeared. ¡°Oh well, not an issue I have to worry about. But what worries me...¡± She reached down, spreading her dripping, twitching pussy. ¡°...is how much I want you inside me. It¡¯s been too long. I always knew I wanted you, but I never knew I was such a lewd girl. But...¡± she eyed me, amused. ¡°...I¡¯ve been practising, as I said. Not for this... well, not just for this, I¡¯m trying to grow stronger, I don¡¯t want to be in a position where I hold everyone back again, but as a side benefit...¡± Her hair changed colour, switching between a silver like Shiro¡¯s, amber like Shaeula¡¯s, pink, bright blue, green and more. Her eyes changed as well. ¡°...I can¡¯t do wholesale changes, like becoming someone else, but... you¡¯ll never get bored, right?¡±


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± I kissed her, a leisurely, yet lewd kiss, tongues pecking at each other, while I massaged her breasts and slid a hand to her ass, enjoying the feel of it. ¡°I could never be bored of you. Never!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eri gasped, her kissing becoming more frantic. ¡°But I¡¯m prepared to do anything for you, even change. No, I have to change. Otherwise I¡¯m just a nuisance to you and the others, and I can¡¯t bear that. I¡¯m lucky. No matter what, I have memories with you nobody else except Aiko has...¡± She paused, and a wicked grin spread on her face. ¡°You know, If I can change into anyone, I could be Aiko... haven¡¯t you wondered...?¡± She suddenly burst out laughing at the shocked, scandalised expression on my face.


    ¡°Eri, what the hell? You are the one that always gets angry when Shaeula makes those jokes...¡± I was lost for words, but she merely hugged me, pulling me close.


    ¡°I know. But I think... I¡¯m too serious. I thought I¡¯d try being a girl you don¡¯t have to tiptoe around. I know you don¡¯t see Aiko that way. You may be a pervert, but you¡¯re a good man. I¡¯ve always known that.¡± She patted my head tenderly. ¡°There, there. Good boy! But... sex is fun because it¡¯s intimate, shameful, passionate.¡± We lay in each other¡¯s embrace, kissing and stroking, keeping the fires hot, and my dick was pressing against Eri¡¯s belly, eager to slide lower and enter her.


    ¡°I know, but... this fires me up enough!¡± I insisted, and Eri laughed happily.


    ¡°Me as well. Though honestly, it¡¯s not so bad, sharing with Hyacinth, Shaeula and the others. I feel closer to them when we fuck you together.¡± Eri used the crude word, and that made my dick quiver. ¡°So I have this talent, and I¡¯ll hone it. Mostly for battle, but... if it makes me more appealing, I¡¯ll do it! And if you ever want to screw two Shaeula¡¯s at once, or Yu-mi, or a celebrity like Tamami-chan, or even Aiko... I¡¯ll never judge you. Because for you, I¡¯ll change, and take on any form that pleases you. So release your desires to me!¡±


    ¡°So long as the more that changes, the more...¡± Our tongues entwined, this time with eager desperation , and as we pulled apart, saliva scattering, I gazed into her black orbs, my grey ones serious. ¡°...you stay the same. Don¡¯t ever lose what makes you Eri. Else I¡¯d never be happy.¡±


    ¡°Just knowing you cherish me not just because of our past makes me happy.¡± Eri shed some light tears. ¡°But... I want to play too. So... I can adjust my hair, eye colour, skin tone, and size to some extent. What would you like?¡±


    ¡°Just the hair and eyes is fine. That¡¯ll be fresh enough. Although no, thinking about it...¡± I whispered something to her, and she giggled.


    ¡°So lewd! But yes, I can do that. I wonder... maybe it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Her body shifted, and her hair and eyes turned a brilliant pink, her hair shortening on one side and growing into a ponytail on the other, and her body shrunk a little, her chest diminishing in volume. ¡°I can¡¯t mimic an anime character properly, especially from a show I¡¯ve not watched, but... is this close enough?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yasu-san... no, Yasu-kun...¡± Words and honorifics to keep distance between me and others need to go. I¡¯m not who I used to be. ¡°...would be screaming right now. Honestly, I love Shaeula and her body, but I¡¯ve not got a fetish for this. It¡¯s just... different to you. Might as well make the most of it. Next time...¡±


    ¡°Yes, maybe I¡¯ll get a figure like Aliyah.¡± Eri laughed. ¡°Though she¡¯d try and kill you if she ever heard that.¡± With a grin, Eri, making a facsimile of Benitsubasa, my favourite Sekirei from the show of the same name, spread her legs. ¡°Akio, make love to me! Fill me up and make me yours! I¡¯m on birth control, more¡¯s the pity. There¡¯s no rush now anyway, it seems.¡± As I tilted my head, puzzled at her words, she shrugged, her smaller chest not bouncing as much as usual. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll know soon enough, Anyway, this is my night, my time, so... time to make love!¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    I grasped one of Eri¡¯s hands, and our fingers interlaced. My other hand guided my dick to her entrance, and her pussy slid open. There was a wince from Eri as I forced open her unusually tight hole, and she bit down on her lip, her facial expressions the same, on a different face, which was fascinating. My cock pushed against the obstruction, and she cried out.


    ¡°Take it, ravage me! I give my virginity to you yet again!¡± She cried words that made no logical sense, but I felt a hymen tear, and blood scattered onto the sheets as I forced open her body, which in this form had never known a man. I licked her lips, and her mouth opened, tongue out, which I sucked on until she relaxed, flicking at her nipples, stroking her belly and touching her small, tight ass with my free hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Eri smiled, touching her slender belly. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not quite the same, but now this is the third time you¡¯ve taken my virginity. I¡¯m in the lead!¡±


    I laughed happily, enjoying her relaxed banter. ¡°True. Las Vegas, then the Boundary due to your Astral Body not having been fully deflowered. And now this.¡±


    ¡°And we can do it over and over again. Until you get bored of the novelty.¡± Eri clamped her lower body, pussy squeezing me, the insides different. ¡°It¡¯ll be hard though. You don¡¯t know where my sensitive spots are, so you¡¯ll have to learn again and again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never get bored.¡± I promised. ¡°And learning more about you... even if you change, is something I¡¯m happy I get to do. Because... I see you as you, no matter what you look like, no matter how you change, you¡¯re still Mori Eri. No. Oshiro Eri!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Her pink eyes were serious. ¡°Just as ... despite how you¡¯ve changed, and you worry that you¡¯ve become someone hard, selfish and cold... I know that you are always thinking of me, of us, and will do everything to make us happy. Now... I want you to love me in the truest sense!¡±


    With a smile as my answer, I started moving. It was tough at first, her smaller body being forced open by my cock, and Eri groaned, though her groans soon became moans. I sucked at her breasts, eagerly working the nipples, and my free hand poked and prodded at her ass. Eri yelped as my finger circled her asshole, and she looked at me with curiosity. ¡°I heard you did that with Shiro and Shaeula. Are you... ugh...into that?¡±


    As I continued to slowly piston, her unfamiliar body now responding to her lust, love nectar foaming, the traces of blood also helping to lubricate us, I grinned. Eri¡¯s easy to get wet no matter what form she¡¯s in. Too easy, sometimes. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it. Anything I do with you girls is sexy and fun, but it¡¯s hard work, so... not today. I just want to tease you, see you melt!¡±


    ¡°I am... melting... ahn, I assure... uh... you!¡± Eri gasped as my dick pushed into her. ¡°I¡¯m... smaller, so... you¡¯re going deeper than ever, and ... uh ahn... it feels so different!¡±


    Biting on her nipple, wringing more pleasured groans from her, I tried to shift the angle of thrust, but it was hard as she was so tight, so I swept her up into the sitting position, and as she clung to me, fingers tight in mine, I continued to pound her, sopping slapping of my body against hers mingling with the hot sound of wet kisses and deep gasps. I groped her ass, sliding a finger in just a little, amused at how much she tightened up each time I did so, and as love nectar, precum and traces of blood foamed up and splashed onto the bed, Eri¡¯s body was turning as pink as her new eyes and hair.


    ¡°I can... feel it coming!¡± Eri moaned, and I felt it too, the suction and clamping of her pussy delightful. My hand slid down her ass and to her pussy, polishing the bright bean with love nectar, and she shivered, her ecstasy rising. ¡°I... ahn... ahn.... uh... want it. I want you!¡±


    I want you too. I¡¯m selfish, but... a ruler has to be selfish. I don¡¯t want anyone to have to sacrifice, but even I¡¯m not a God. All I have to do is make sure any sacrifices lead to greater joys, and I win. We win! It seemed I was going to explode, the unfamiliar body of Eri stoking my desires, so I sped up my hand, my mouth roaming over Eri¡¯s body, kissing her forehead, lips, cheeks, neck, breasts, belly and finally her clit, sucking on the engorged bean even as I polished it, and her peak was suddenly in line with my own. Eri was gasping and gaping, looking comical, drool trickling down her chin, so I moved and licked it off, kissing her, delighting in her joy, and as I felt a hot lump rising, my balls aching, eager to release my love into Eri, as I traced my tongue along to her ear, before whispering a few passionate words.


    ¡°I love you Eri. And I¡¯m truly looking at you.¡± As her eyes widened in understanding, I continued. ¡°No matter what, we¡¯ll always be together, because now... we see each other for who we are, not who we remembered each other to be!¡±


    ¡°I... love... you!¡± Eri cried, smaller body convulsing hard, and for the first time in a while, perhaps because she was in a smaller body, she pissed herself from pleasure, liquid soaking the bed beneath us. Poor maids. Oh well, It¡¯s why we pay big money I guess? Maybe Eri had too much to drink?


    ¡°I love you too!¡± was my only answer, as my second orgasm of the night erupted, cum pouring into Eri, seeking to fight against her flow. It was turning into a spectacular mess, but Eri was smiling brilliantly as she orgasmed repeatedly, and as I watched her fondly I remembered her original lewd appearance, one I knew well, and it seemed to overlap with her current one, and as they did so, I somehow came again, flooding Eri. Her womb shuddered, gulping down, and Eri too squealed, shaking from too much pleasure. We tumbled to the bed, me managing a few more thrusts into Eri¡¯s squeezing, shuddering and sensitive body, emptying myself out entirely, and as we lay there, Eri using my larger body as a pillow, the sensation of soaked, messy sheets and clothes unpleasant, we exchanged some slow, gentle kisses.


    ¡°Thanks, Eri. For being here. And for being you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Eri managed after a moment. ¡°I can only be me. I just want to be the best me I can be. And with you... that¡¯s possible. Because I want to be better for you. And not just you. I hate to admit it... but Shaeula was right. I need competition, pushing. Otherwise...¡± Her pink hair was tickling me, as she gazed into my eyes seriously. ¡°I¡¯d have stayed a selfish, needy girl forever. And you¡¯d have either abandoned me or resented me, and...¡± I would utterly hate it if that happened. I could accept you finding someone you liked more, though it would have hurt me. But if I was the cause of driving you away, the cause of your pain...


    What the hell? My eyes widened, and moments later, so did Eri¡¯s, the unfamiliar pink not disguising the personality I was used to seeing.


    ¡°What... was that? I heard...¡± you saying something in my head? Just like Haru-san? And...


    ¡°Yes. I hear you too, and also...¡± Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Eri. I could feel her, a small lake of aether, with faint traces of adherence mixed in. Perplexed, determined to work out what had happened, I unleashed my Eye, and as I did so, Eri shivered, and what I saw surprised me...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Two

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Two


    ¡°Just calm down.¡± I told Eri, and she nodded.


    ¡°I will, I¡¯m calm, I just... it feels so strange.¡± So strange. ¡°Not that I hate it though, not at all.¡± Not at all. Her thoughts were echoing with her words, and while there were four changes to her status sheet, no, more than four, though the boosts to League and her other stats clearly were a side-effect of the other changes, so could be set aside, the cause of the telepathy-like sharing of thoughts was clearly down to one ability.


    ¡°It¡¯s simply that your Lovers¡¯ Link has Ranked up. Twice. I¡¯m not sure how.¡± I said, bemused, and Eri laughed, squinting at me as her form resumed her ordinary appearance, snuggling close to me.


    ¡°I think I know. Sometimes I can feel when our bonds deepen, a fleeting feeling, like pure joy. I think... when I truly accepted myself and all my flaws that wouldn¡¯t make you happy, and resolved to move past them, I felt such a thing, though...¡± She flushed, an unusual expression of shame on her face, and her words halted, though her thoughts couldn¡¯t be stopped. It was hard to tell, as I was having so much pleasure at the time. In your embrace. The embrace I dreamed of as I watched your back all these years. Her flush deepened, and I laughed, pulling her close for a tender kiss. When we were done, I reassured her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Haru struggled to control her Telepathy, but you¡¯ve got more experience in practising your Skills such as Aether Manipulation, and this is the same principle. You¡¯ll be able to handle what you send and receive in no time.¡± I¡¯m not finding it terribly difficult right now, my mental stats are high, and I have Split Thoughts. It might be an issue when I¡¯m in high-stress situations with both bodies, and I don¡¯t have the spare leeway to think about it, though... ¡°Besides, your honest thoughts are nothing to be ashamed about. And what was the second time?¡±


    ¡°When I was prepared to be everything and anything for you.¡± Eri admitted, her now black cat ears flickering. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you are flawless, Akio. I realise that¡¯s as stupid as me simply being the sort of clingy, useless woman who would have driven you away in the end. But what I did realise is...¡± Even your flaws are who you are. You¡¯re too kind, and still a pushover for a pretty face. It makes me jealous, and angry, and furious... but that¡¯s also me. If I deny who I am, then... neither of us is happy.


    I realised Eri was using her thoughts as a way to convey very embarrassing things she would struggle to say to me, and I nodded reassuringly, and the thoughts continued. But I don¡¯t hate your flaws. Or any of you. But I will help you overcome those you wish to. And... there¡¯s no shame in me using what I know to bring you pleasure. Shiro and Shaeula both say sex is fun because it¡¯s seen as something shameful, so if you want to indulge in any fantasy safely, be it a celebrity, or someone you know, or someone with a boyfriend already, like your friend Hina-san, or even Aiko... then I don¡¯t mind taking their form and playing with you. It¡¯ll just be between us, after all... when I thought like this, that I could even change myself impossibly for you, help you change... I felt it again, stronger than ever before. Something changed in me then...


    I was touched by just how far Eri would go for me, and I hugged her tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a pervert... not in that way anyway. I wouldn¡¯t dream of touching even a fake version of my sister. Uh... well, I can see the appeal of celebrities though...¡±


    Eri raised an eyebrow at me archly, as despite my iron control some thoughts must have leaked. ¡°I can take her appearance, but I couldn¡¯t replicate her personality. Besides, you¡¯d die if she found out...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, best stick to your safer earlier suggestions like Tamami-chan...¡± I changed the subject. ¡°Though you¡¯ll need to improve your skills further, as that was a pretty shoddy Benitsubasa.¡± I teased her, and she pouted adorably.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve never seen her, have I? And I only have limited control, I¡¯ve not had this talent for a lifetime like Ginneka. Besides, copying an anime character into real life requires some compromise. But I¡¯ll make time and watch all your favourites. After all...¡± she raised one eyebrow slyly. ¡°I¡¯m the one who loves you most! Doesn¡¯t the skill prove it?¡±


    ¡°I thought you agreed earlier it doesn¡¯t prove anything?¡± I asked, and she giggled, flushing again.


    Sure, but that was when I wasn¡¯t winning. I told you, I¡¯m still me, selfish, jealous Eri. The difference is, I realise that I can still use that productively. To keep your conquests and those you love in line, without making you feel bad about it. And I still... ¡°Need to work with everyone to keep undesirables out. The worst thing that could happen is you fall for someone no good.¡± So far everyone fits in. There¡¯s friction, because we¡¯re human, with our own hopes, dreams, ideas and ambitions. The Adamant plan for one. But... we¡¯re also reasonable, and committed to you and your goals. So... ¡°...just don¡¯t pick up someone who will destroy all we¡¯ve worked for. Relationships are fragile, and... this tangle even more so.¡±


    ¡°I know. I honestly still feel a bit bad about some of my decisions, but... thinking about it, there wasn¡¯t any other way. But I¡¯ll be careful now. I¡¯ll...¡± I¡¯m not going to say I¡¯ll never love anyone but those I have now. I¡¯m not a fool. But at least I can do right by everyone, and work out how I¡¯m going to judge whether I love someone enough to offset the hurt to you all a new partner brings. I let my thoughts reach Eri and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t joking though. We all understand this was meant to be. Princess Eleanor, and Princess Mikasa, plus these two unknown Princesses of the Six Paths... surely even you can see how things will go?¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°It does seem rather predestined when you look at it. But honestly, it wasn¡¯t as far-fetched as it seems to merely be chance. Shiro happening to know me was the one big coincidence. I could have set my Anchor anywhere, so running into Shaeula...¡±


    Sure, sure. I can see you haven¡¯t fully accepted reality yet. Oh well, that¡¯s good too, seeing such a cute side of you is something I enjoy. You¡¯re all mine right now, and forever. Because I¡¯ve marked you, right? We have a bond that can never be broken.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Oh well, let me fill you in.¡± I showed Eri the new description for Lovers¡¯ Link in my mind, and her black eyes almost seemed to glow with happiness. I was delighted too, for a different reason.


    This ability links the subtle bodies and hearts of the Lovers together, allowing them to share in the strength each possesses. If nearby, the possessor and their Loved one can freely share their thoughts and a portion of their strengths with each other, and even when separated by impossible distance or bitter strife, their linked hearts will allow two percent of the stronger Lover¡¯s Statistics to be shared, up to a maximum of the partner¡¯s maximum Statistics, as it Links through the ???????? of the Lovers, which knows no bounds of space or ????????.


    In addition, the Link can freely share Aether, Adherence and ???????? over the Link, though this requires loving consent of both parties. Refined or Aspected variants cannot be freely shared at this Rank. It also strengthens the potential of the pair of Lovers, allowing their maximum Level to increase up to a maximum of the Level of the other. It also allows the Lovers to sense the emotions and feelings towards each other and as it strengthens all effects increase, and the Lovers will find their compatibility in romance strengthened greatly. [Class: Legendary] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°That¡¯s....¡± Words failed Eri, and she had to convey her feelings though our new bond. I... maybe I don¡¯t need a Favour to be useful to you now? Two percent per Rank is double before, right, and eleven Ranks... twenty-two percent of your stats added to my own, with no danger of it suddenly vanishing due to distance... I¡¯m strong, right?


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, for example, Might, yours was around four hundred, and mine is a bit shy of two thousand, so... you¡¯d have an effective Might of eight hundred... damn, that¡¯s nearly doubling your stats. So... yeah, I¡¯m certainly a bit less worried, but...¡± I pursed my lips, remembering Eri when she was cut apart by that damn Kijo, and Eri must have grasped that, as her expression softened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t happen to me again... no, that¡¯s the old Eri.¡± She was serious, and I was struck by just how adorable she was. I¡¯d never have known this if events had taken a different course.


    I can¡¯t promise we¡¯ll all survive, or never be hurt. In fact, I think it¡¯s a certainty we will suffer wounds and misfortune. But we all have each other, and you have us all. If... if any of us do fall, you have to stay strong for the others, okay? It isn¡¯t just me who depends on you. Even Kana, who you would have refused before saying she didn¡¯t need you to be happy, loves you Akio. It¡¯s not for you to judge whether a girl loves you, her feelings are her own. You don¡¯t have to reciprocate, as your feelings are just as precious, but if it¡¯s mutual... there¡¯s no point in holding back. I already have ten sisters, what¡¯s a few more?


    ¡°I¡¯ll try and keep the numbers down. After all, there¡¯s so much I want to do with you, and all the others. Things like this.¡± I said dryly, and gestured to the opulent suite we were in, once more pitying the poor maids who had to clean up after we left. ¡°The club was fun too, wasn¡¯t it?¡± As Eri nodded, I returned to the more serious subject. ¡°As for standing on the front lines... yeah, you definitely have the strength now... but strength alone isn¡¯t enough. I dare say Arisu-san¡¯s stats are on a par with Aiko¡¯s, but she has a Favour that renders strength moot. On the battlefield it¡¯s skill, and by extension Skills which are king. So hold fire for now and keep training, okay? I know you can do it, sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not. I¡¯d rather die than tempt anyone else. I understand Tan, you know. She could have solved a lot of her problems with Allure, but... it¡¯s sickening, the thought of doing that to someone we don¡¯t love or desire. She followed her father¡¯s wishes, but fortunately the Buddha walked on by. You won¡¯t though, will you, Akio?¡±


    No, I guess not. On a logical level, the wager was a calculated gamble. Having Tan fully in our camp, it makes sense, and ... I¡¯d be fully confident of reaching Astral Emperor with her support, even against our many enemies. But... as a woman, Tan¡¯s mysterious, aloof... but she¡¯s been good to Shiro. I definitely don¡¯t hate her... no, that¡¯s tsundere. Of course I like her, now that my initial antipathy towards her treatment of Shiro and those damn Contracts faded. I misjudged her. She¡¯s not evil, just somewhat cold and driven to succeed. And at heart, despite her long life, she¡¯s a lonely woman, still hurt by that Buddha jackass. Though I suppose I should thank him if I ever meet him. Since if he stopped to admire her, Tan might never have come, and she¡¯d be a different person. I¡¯ll then punch him in the face for being a dick!


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Tan would be thrilled to hear that.¡± Eri giggled. ¡°Honestly though... I¡¯m going to work hard. I now have multiple ways to train, and multiple bonuses to make it easier. If I can¡¯t match Shaeula, then I¡¯m not worthy to stand at your side!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. Not everyone needs to be strong to be with me.¡± I said, and Eri giggled softly.


    ¡°I know. But I want to do everything I can. For you... and for me.¡± I never had pride before, only need and greed. But now... I want to love myself like I love you. And I can and will. After all, your Eye says so, and it would know, right? Now... Eri squinted, trying to convey me a complex thought, some images, and I laughed.


    ¡°You want more? You won¡¯t get any Skills out of it, I¡¯m sure.¡± I teased, and she flushed.


    ¡°I know. But... being loved is its own reward...¡± With that I kissed her, and we once more joined in both body and spirit, me not even sparing a thought for the poor maids anymore...


    ********


    There was a knock on the door, and making sure Eri was covered by the thin blanket as she slept peacefully after our passionate lovemaking, I spoke. ¡°Come in.¡±


    It was Yu-mi, looking rather exhausted, who slid the door open. Her nose wrinkled, and she sighed. ¡°It reeks in here. Just how many times did you... uh, never mind, I¡¯m not sure I want to know the answer. Anyway, are you going to be all right without sleep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even Eri doesn¡¯t really need it now, not with effectively more than eight hundred Fortitude. But sleeping is still pleasurable.¡± I need to do it more as well, if only to see if I get any more visions.


    ¡°Seems like you had plenty of pleasure to me. Well, far be it for me to tell you what to do, I¡¯m the girl you turned down, after all.¡± She winked to show she meant no offense. ¡°Anyway, we will be taking a limousine to the airport in a few hours, to be flown back on a private jet. We¡¯ll be in Tokyo soon. But if you clean yourselves up first, we have time for a nice breakfast and a bit more shopping. Besides...¡± she looked at the bed pointedly. ¡°I¡¯d really like to be a long way away from here before the maids see the state of your bed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± I laughed. I stretched, yawning, and Yu-mi flushed, glancing at my toned chest. ¡°Thanks for your help this trip, Eri and I have definitely worked things out.¡±


    ¡°No need. I only helped a little, setting a suitable place for a heart-to-heart and interjecting a little when I thought I had something to say. Hinata-nim...¡± she smiled, addressing her respectfully. ¡°...told me enough about how she thought you and Eri here were thinking, so it was easy for an outsider like me to say things that would make you think. But honestly, you did most of it yourself.¡± She glanced at the sleeping Eri. ¡°I guess she realised she had to change.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I still feel... no, wait.¡± I shook my head, stopping the usual destructive route. ¡°No, I feel proud Eri thinks I¡¯m worth finding a new, larger dream for. It¡¯s not a sacrifice if it¡¯s what she wants. For me to tell her how to feel is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you learning?¡± Yu-mi said softly. ¡°I guess the lessons might just stick after all.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully. But Eri says I can be a bit dense about interpersonal matters. Speaking of...¡± I addressed Yu-mi seriously. ¡°...I feel a bit bad taking your inheritance. I admit I could use the money, and sure, if you partner with us, your company will profit, but...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to say something like you¡¯ll pay my dad back, I¡¯ll be angry.¡± Yu-mi said solemnly, surprising me. ¡°I¡¯m happy to have paid to save Yu-jun. And... I think a sacrifice of such magnitude will make Hinata-nim and the other leaders of Adamant look favourably on me.¡± She sat on a comfortable sofa, looking at me, her brown eyes showing no hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ve always been popular. I am cute, you know! Maybe there are a few in our circle of friends who are prettier, but I¡¯m still top class. My dad¡¯s also not head of the biggest of the Chaebols, but again, we¡¯re decent. So I¡¯ve always been popular, but never the best. And now...¡± she flourished her phone. ¡°I¡¯ve been receiving calls and messages non-stop. Especially from those who weren¡¯t at the club. I¡¯ve never been more popular. And I like it! Besides...¡± She shrugged, and her serious expression turned impish. ¡°This is a new world. I didn¡¯t realise, but... what my dad does doesn¡¯t matter anymore, and clever girls like Hinata-nim have realised. It¡¯s time for the younger generation to step up. And you are all at the heart of things. I¡¯m going to work my way up Adamant until I¡¯m at the top alongside Hinata-nim and the others... And you won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t try and a change your mind.¡± I promised, respecting her drive. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t abuse my authority over you.¡±


    ¡°You say that now...¡± she giggled. ¡°...but who knows, I am pretty and charming.¡± As I opened my mouth to protest, she merely laughed harder, and I realised I was being teased. Yeah, I can be slow, but even I learn. After all, I¡¯m surrounded by women who like to tease me all the time.


    ¡°Honestly though... if I turned down this opportunity, just kept my lifestyle of partying, fun and simple pleasures, I¡¯d regret it, I¡¯m sure. So... I¡¯ll grasp the chance that fate threw my way. And I¡¯m not a girl who does anything by halves, as you saw how we partied!¡±


    With that exclamation, Eri¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She yawned, and looked at me fondly. ¡°Good morning, Akio.¡± She then realised that Yu-mi was here. ¡°And a good morning to you. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to head back to Japan.¡± Yu-mi answered. ¡°But if you freshen up, there¡¯s time for a little shopping first. After all, don¡¯t you want Akio to spoil you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been spoiled plenty.¡± Eri flushed. ¡°But yes, we do need to clean up. Uh... sorry you had to see this.¡±


    As Yu-mi laughed, I found myself laughing too. What a relief. Korea went as well as could be expected, and some other matters that troubled me have been resolved. We have potential new options with Shiro¡¯s new Skill, and I have a number of Favours ready for experimentation and disbursal, as well as some ideas on how to get more and also one other plan... yeah, I can¡¯t complain...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Five – Detective Kato Reiji

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Five ¨C Detective Kato Reiji


    ¡°We have to do something about this. It is not a matter that we can just sit on. While I hardly care about the approval of the sitting party in the Diet, we all agreed stability was needed, now more than ever, and unrest is brewing.¡± Morita Yuna-sama, the head of the Ministry Reiji now worked for was saying urgently to the group of police, investigators and specialists... his lips curled into a slightly bitter smile as he glanced across at a couple of his comrades... was saying. It does hurt my principles a little to work with known criminals, but unfortunately there¡¯s a distinct shortage of upright fellows or Police which are part of this new order.


    Morita-sama was in her early thirties, and had a very neat, tidy and efficient air, her hair in an impeccable bun and black-framed glasses giving her eyes an inquisitive look. She would pass for a teacher or a secretary, except for the fact she was wearing a skirt suit from one of the most expensive tailors in Tokyo, and Reiji wasn¡¯t the sort to miss details like that, even when it didn¡¯t matter. After all, I was the one to crack the case and expose Oshiro-san, although what that nearly cost... He resisted the urge to glance over at his trainee, Officer Usui, who was listening beside him, outwardly appearing attentive, but he knew her well enough to know she was bored. Or is she a trainee anymore? I still have a mentoring role, but she¡¯s officially transferred to this Ministry.


    ¡°The recent spate of attacks on the rich and influential are drawing the eyes of many. Fortunately, or unfortunately, if you hold that view...¡± Morita-sama was no lover of the vested interests that had long held sway in Japan, but she wasn¡¯t a revolutionary or a radical, so she knew they were required for Japan to function. ¡°...none of the major power centres of Japan have been attacked, but wealthy small businessmen and women, as well as philanthropists, altruists and similar high-profile folk, have bene targeted. You all remember the business with Shinohara-san, which was all over the news? She was very popular with the public, her charitable Foundation does many good deeds, and the average man and woman on the street likes to see the wealthy contributing to society.¡±


    ¡°A question, if I may?¡± One of the other Officers recruited by the Ministry, this one from a military background, judging by the fact he nearly saluted as he asked his question, spoke up. ¡°Since these attacks are under our purview, do you suspect a more... mystical... motive?¡±


    ¡°The motive might simply be to make money.¡± Morita-sama clicked her tongue. ¡°But the means and methods... they reek of Chosen matters. So yes, we are best placed to intervene, and even if not...¡± She pushed up the frames of her glasses with one finger, peering down at them all from her podium. ¡°...the Ministry is paid for by hardworking taxpayers and is a bottomless pit of money. So we should deliver commensurate results, ladies and gentlemen. I don¡¯t want excuses, I want the perpetrators caught. Japan is a country of law and peace, and that isn¡¯t going to change, despite everything that¡¯s happening!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a Chosen, then...¡± the Detective glanced at the small, wiry, rodentlike man Bunta-san, who was also a Chosen, and sadly also a criminal. Though his crimes were white-collar, and his thefts were from criminal enterprises. Still, a crime is a crime, and he was also party to the death of Oguro Daizen, though apparently the actual killer was one Shiratori Himeko... no, that¡¯s not strictly true. It was supposedly a Goddess controlling her body. Ugh, there¡¯s simply no precedent for dealing with a lot of these crimes, even now. Too much has been swept under the rug for my peace of mind, but... Looking at Usui, remembering her not even realising she had been shot, a gun pointed at her by a treasonous American spy... I pay my debts. That¡¯s the essence of law enforcement.


    ¡°I know. I can trap them, my powers are more useful here on the Material.¡± he promised. ¡°Though it¡¯s better suited for...¡± He trailed off, and Officer Usui snickered, a habit the Detective was trying to break her of. If she¡¯s going to be a Detective, rise up the ranks, as a woman she¡¯ll need to have presence and dignity. Although... Putting aside the thought of a number of distinctly undignified women of power he had met recently, he agreed with Usui, having seen Bunta-san demonstrate his talents.


    ¡°While we are allowed to use proportionate force in our duties, and yes, against Chosen with lethal skills even fatal force to save the lives of other Officers or civilians is warranted, that should always be the last resort.¡±


    ¡°Are we even sure it¡¯s a Chosen?¡± another Detective asked, a question Reiji was also pondering. ¡°It could easily be some spiritual being, I¡¯d say? At least it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°Is that likely though?¡± Officer Usui spoke up lazily. ¡°From what we know, the vast majority of those are coming from around Shirohebizumi shrine, and I don¡¯t think any of Akio-kun¡¯s lot are going to be robbing and murdering. Although...¡± she cocked her head, thinking. ¡°...since none of the nobility have been targeted, we can¡¯t rule it out just yet.¡±


    At least you¡¯re thinking clearly, but... ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so familiar with Oshiro-san. Conflicts of interest are what led to corruption in the force...¡±


    It was then Morita-sama slapped the podium, the noise echoing, and everyone paused for her to speak, as she pursed her lips, irritated. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are all so eager, but allow me to finish. I¡¯m just as busy as you, likely more so, I assure you. At least you only have to worry about law enforcement.¡± There was a nervous laugh that passed around the room at her quip. ¡°Yes, as far as we are aware...¡± She clicked a button on her podium, and the screen behind her lit up, displaying some charts and infographics. ¡°...when it comes to those with abnormal powers, there are the Chosen at the head, each with one or more dangerous powers that defy belief. Weaker here in the reality we call the Material, thankfully...¡± Her tone was professional, reinforcing her appearance as a strict schoolteacher. ¡°...but from information we have gathered, this is slowly starting to even out. The process might take years or even decades or centuries, we hardly have enough empirical data, but Ministry scientists are confident there¡¯s been a noticeable uptick.¡±


    ¡°Ask the rat. He¡¯d know.¡± Officer Usui murmured, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, as Morita-sama continued.


    ¡°Below the Chosen, there are the mentioned spiritual beings. Their powers and providence vary, but there seem to be two types. Those called Chosen Heroes, or the Enthroned. They can freely come and go, but their numbers seem to be highly limited. We certainly cannot rule them out as a possible culprit. The second type is indeed those we see from Shirohebizumi shrine. Those brought forth by the powers of a Chosen. They cannot maintain their presence long, but can freely come and go for a while. It is quite the chore registering each one, but...¡± She pressed a button, and the display behind her morphed into a database. ¡°...each entrant is logged and given official identification. So it is unlikely one of those are to blame. Besides...¡±


    ¡°The timeline doesn¡¯t match. Incidents which we think fit this pattern were happening before they started appearing.¡± Reiji mused. ¡°However, that misses one important point. What can happen once can happen again. Who is to say some unknown Chosen can¡¯t do what another can.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡± Morita-sama agreed. ¡°Anyway, the final type... is the majority of us here.¡± She said, her tone dry. ¡°Ordinary people who have enhanced abilities. Many of us have received Chirurgery as part of our duties and remuneration, and while I could never claim to be robust, I would have little trouble subduing a strong man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly you women.¡± one of the recruits from the Police complained. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting my turn!¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Shaeula hates touching other men.¡± Usui grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for Akio-kun to be free. He¡¯s a busy man.¡±


    ¡°As are we, but you are correct, Usui-san.¡± Morita-sama nodded. ¡°I am told a day will be made free soon for Chirurgery for those of you who have not received it yet, as well as your family members, as promised. But the point stands. While those who have had Chirurgery have also been registered with the Ministry, we know of other methods, such as...¡± she sneered a little, hardly able to believe what she was talking about. ¡°...Chinese Cultivators, and Western Warrior Priests and Nuns. We are unaware of the specifics, but we can assume they do not fall behind us in capability.¡±


    ¡°So, we can make some assumptions, but not truly know anything.¡± one man said, and Reiji nodded.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so important we start gathering best practices and refining our policing methods. I don¡¯t like it, but it¡¯s inevitable that we have to integrate spiritual techniques into policework.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you achieve results, ladies and gentlemen.¡± Morita-sama reiterated. ¡°But we do need these attacks to stop! Give us a culprit so we can soothe the public. There¡¯s already an undercurrent of unrest, we had the demonstrations and riots after Kyoto, and a resurgence after London. Sadly... we have word there will be another international incident any day now. The last thing we need is further chaos. All right, you¡¯re dismissed!¡±


    With that Morita-sama hurried off, likely to meet with another branch of the already sprawling Ministry. Education maybe... or the Military? Science... Culture... it makes me glad I¡¯m a simple Detective.Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°So, let¡¯s cut to the chase.¡± Usui rubbed her hands, looking at him and Bunta-san, as the three of them made up one team. ¡°We need to get some expert help on this one. What¡¯s the point of connections, if we can¡¯t make use of them? Right, Bunta-kun?¡±


    The rat-like man nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. It seems counterproductive not to take advice from others.¡±


    Reiji held in a sigh. Every day is a learning day. These pair are as stubborn as my daughters. ¡°While I do agree that since Suzuki Haru-sama and the Diviner-sama are high up in the Ministry, and Oshiro-san is an honorary advisor, using their resources is counterproductive in the long term. If we don¡¯t develop the skills we need now, then what do we do in the future, if... such resources are no longer available?¡±


    Officer Usui understood, but Bunta-san merely shrugged. ¡°Those monsters... if something happens to them, we don¡¯t stand a chance. You don¡¯t know Arisugawa-sama or White-sama like I do, and even they defer to... no, maybe they¡¯ll know I¡¯m talking about them.¡± As he clammed up, and Usui started teasing him, Reiji frowned. Even so, today¡¯s friends can be tomorrow¡¯s foes. And even if we had detectives along the lines of the great fictional ones, Sherlock Holmes, Kindaichi Ko?suke, Arse?ne Lupin... they won¡¯t live forever, and can¡¯t be everywhere at once. No, we have to lay the foundation for success. I just hope one day soon they understand the need...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s been a real pain.¡± Officer Usui was sighing as she clutched a mug of warm tea. ¡°Even the most recent crime scene doesn¡¯t tell us a lot. No fingerprints or DNA... but whoever the perp is, either they¡¯ve got lazier, or more careless, or...¡±


    ¡°That sounds rough.¡± Watanabe Karen-san, the secretary of Oshiro-san, was saying. She had struck up a friendship with Usui since we visited Shirohebizumi shrine a significant amount for work purposes. Yes, it is rough. But I¡¯m proud of her. Officer Usui is thinking like a Detective... ¡°Is there anything I can do to help? I¡¯m busy, but...¡±


    ¡°The thought is what counts. And it helps to vent.¡± Officer Usui shook her head. She glanced around, seeing the shrine being exceptionally busy. Bunta-san had noticed too, and was crouched in one corner warily, especially cautious of the little Fae, Shaeula, who despite her small frame was a being of great power. Though personally I am far more wary of her... The beautiful maid behind her, another non-human, despite having striking eyes that shifted from shimmering silver to brilliant violet depending on the light, filled him with unease. I know that look she gives sometimes. Like someone who wants to make others suffer. But...


    Reiji¡¯s gloomy thoughts were interrupted by several people entering the room. One was a young man, who on seeing Watanabe-san brightened, suddenly holding the heavy and very bulky box he was carrying higher, showing off. ¡°Hey, Karen-chan babe, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Work.¡± She snorted, rolling her eyes at his familiar tone, but she didn¡¯t seem too displeased to Reiji¡¯s eyes. ¡°Speaking of, is that...¡±


    ¡°Oh, the poor girl who got into the art scam. Yeah, if I ever get off duty, I¡¯d love to unwind.¡± Usui sighed. ¡°Just us girls, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems so.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But for that, I see we must-must aid your endeavours. Besides...I was most-most offended that my kin and allies would be suspected of murder most foul. In battle, yes. We fight to kill, but we are not-not Unseelie or the Wild Hunt.¡± As Shaeula pouted, Reiji winced. Yes, she was greatly offended. But assuming I can take her at her word, every single being is brought over by the Chinese immigrant, if she can be called that, Nie Ling. And only for certain purposes, such as work and other tasks. So we have alibis for all of them, assuming Shaeula can be trusted, and if she can¡¯t... there¡¯s nothing I can do about any of this. No. That way is a dead end. But...


    ¡°I think we should change the subject.¡± Hayato-san said, steering the topic back to safety. ¡°Okay, I get that you don¡¯t want to leak classified investigative details, but... we need some basic parameters. What area are you looking at? A district of Tokyo? The whole thing? Japan as a whole? The world? Sadly we aren¡¯t just using a map and picking spots, it¡¯s far more complicated than that, so with our current level of processing power, Tokyo is about as much as we can manage.¡±


    ¡°Getting the satellite data from the maps to scale wasn¡¯t trivial.¡± Yasu-san boasted, and his friend, another man, this one more smartly dressed, agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, the re-gridding algorithm was murder, splitting it up into ever-decreasing chunks. But then, Akio-kun¡¯s paying us, and he¡¯s our friend, so we don¡¯t want to let him down. Besides, Shiro will kill us if we waste all his money. But converting the map data to a proprietary format that links with the potential randomness, and allows for other non-map data sets... it¡¯s a real headache.¡±


    At the mention of Shiro, Bunta-san shivered. He was increasingly on edge here, perhaps having people he had no wish to meet again.


    ¡°Bunta-san, Officer, what do you think?¡± Reiji asked.


    ¡°I think...the crimes are scattered all over Tokyo. So we need the wider search area.¡± Bunta-san said, while Usui scratched her chin, thinking.


    ¡°Hey, so... this works by probabilities, just like the dice, right? But... how does your Fortune affect a machine?¡±


    ¡°It still works.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°I do still-still enjoy playing those gambling games.¡±


    ¡°No confessing to criminal activity in front of me.¡± Reiji pinched his nose, annoyed. ¡°However, a little illegal gambling is out of my jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we think it¡¯s because it¡¯s her who wishes the outcomes. We¡¯ve done some experiments with some others with a Fortune stat, and while it¡¯s not as pronounced, the results indicate it needs to be personally related. If the person wants someone else to win in a game of chance they aren¡¯t playing, for example, the effects seem largely reduced, though not statistically non-existent.¡± Hayato-san explained. ¡°So the user of the Oracle Engine needs significant Fortune currently. Akio-kun could do it, but apparently Shaeula¡¯s is even stronger with her ring.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I very rarely lose-lose.¡± Shaeula paused, suddenly pouting. ¡°Though most-most of the online accounts I use have now been suspended. Perhaps being too fortunate is not-not always a good thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± Officer Usui piped up. She had lost interest when they talked about complicated software matters, but back on the subject of chance her interest was piqued. ¡°Does your luck affect each dice individually, or as a whole set? If so, the outcome would be very different?¡±


    That¡¯s a good question, and one a Detective would ask. Reiji nodded, equally curious.


    ¡°It depends. When playing cards, the hand I get dealt is not-not taken as a whole, each individual card is better than one would expect.¡± Shaeula said, and Hori-san let out a pleased giggle.


    ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t want to play games of chance with Shaeula or Akio. Losing is nearly inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Of course, harder feats of Fortune are not-not always in my favour. I would not-not have you expect I can produce results, especially with this machine, but perhaps it will be indicative.¡±


    ¡°Most of the processing power goes towards an AI system.¡± Yasu-san said proudly. ¡°Though honestly, it¡¯s not Artificial Intelligence in the way we talk about normally, it¡¯s all predictive modelling and statistical analysis of established datasets. But... this is the core.¡± He grinned at Watanabe-san, who was looking on fondly. ¡°When we scale up to a supercomputer, it¡¯ll blow everyone¡¯s minds!¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun put a lot of faith in us.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°We asked to help, and help we will. Besides, this is the first of its kind. We couldn¡¯t have done it without the help of Ixitt, though.¡±


    The Fae nodded. ¡°Yes. Well, it does rather align with my own experimental goals. I am still very much a novice at branches of Mortal Engineering such as Computing and AI, but... I have someone I can ask as well. She would be most interested in the outcome of this experiment.¡±


    ¡°All right. Currently, the loaded data sets won¡¯t understand what you want, but Shaeula needs to input it anyway, and we¡¯ll rely on her Fortune.¡± Hayato-san said, and asked what they wanted to know.


    ¡°This is all very irregular. I admit to being curious, but I was simply here to try and eliminate the possibility of spiritual beings from this camp being involved.¡± Reiji frowned. ¡°Besides, it isn¡¯t like we can act on this data. We would never get a warrant for a search or similar. We have no probable cause or need to enter private property. And while the case is murder... a retroactive warrant will be tricky.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Usui asked. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that magic and spiritual power is currently legally enshrined in our laws, thanks to the Ministry. I think we could swing probable cause at least. We might be embarrassed if things go wrong, but...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like relying on such methods. It will degrade our investigative skills, and Shaeula won¡¯t always be around to operate the device.¡±


    ¡°Yes, having things be operated by anyone is the key.¡± Hayato-san agreed. Shaeula was waiting eagerly, ready to type. ¡°Which is why with greater processing power and AI, the level of Fortune required to get tangible results should decrease. More Fortune is always better, but... eventually it will be a device that can be used to produce Oracles by all. Or so we hope. It¡¯s a lot of cash for it to fail.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Reiji conceded defeat. It certainly couldn¡¯t hurt to try. ¡°We are looking for where we can find evidence to the culprits of the recent cases...¡± He gave them the details, and Shaeula typed away, the map displayed on the monitor unchanging.


    ¡°All right then. Shaeula, can you concentrate on wanting to know the answers, then start it?¡± Hina-san said, and Shaeula nodded. Moments later, dots in multiple colours appeared. Six colours.


    ¡°The first randomised figure is how many places to look for. Seems it picked six. Currently the AI can only handle between one and forty. But eventually we are hoping it can run searches into the millions.¡± Hayato-san explained, and as dots appeared rapidly, they were scattered all over Tokyo, but... No, there¡¯s a pattern...


    Six different blobs of colour were slowly forming. Specs of other colours were mixed in, and it was more a diffuse cloud, but in six spots, the density of single colour dots was significantly abnormal. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s Chiyoda ward. That can¡¯t be right...¡± Reiji mused. ¡°Then there¡¯s Minato ward... huh. Isn¡¯t that the area that Shinohara-san lives and was attacked? That¡¯s one hell of a coincidence...¡±


    As Shaeula smirked proudly, her finger on the keyboard of the so-called Oracle Engine, Reiji¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked to see if Bunta-san and Officer Usui had noticed what he had as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s only two places that correspond to the victims, and... they were the pair of attacks that seemed far clumsier and more haphazard.¡± Usui muttered. Bunta-san followed up, agreeing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe in coincidence, but... three of the other spots, including Chiyoda ward all have one thing in common.¡±


    What does he mean? Wait... I see it. It¡¯s obvious now I know what to look for. Is there something to this after all? Fortunately they were in the right place to enquire further about the matter, and Reiji¡¯s intuition was tingling, just as it had when he picked up a minor case involving some thugs harassing a woman. All right then. This may all be mystical nonsense, but with what I¡¯ve seen, and our current lack of leads... might as well at least check it out...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Six – Officer Usui Yoriko

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Six ¨C Officer Usui Yoriko


    ¡°All this overtime should be criminal...¡± Yoriko sighed, yawning. ¡°It¡¯s so early in the morning.¡± Beside her, Bunta-san looked annoyingly fresh and composed. The difference between a true Chosen and those of us who have only had Chirurgery, I suppose.


    ¡°You said you were going out tonight, assuming we finish up. Just look forward to that.¡± Detective Reiji said to her, chewing on some nicotine-replacement gum. ¡°For now, we have a lead...¡± He scratched his head, seeming embarrassed. ¡°...as if we can consider random chance a lead.¡± I¡¯m glad he stopped smoking, it was a disgusting habit. No wonder his wife and daughters were nagging him. I guess a near death experience will make a person reconsider things like that. Yoriko didn¡¯t like thinking about that day, where she was sure he was going to die, and maybe her as well, but she had to admit, that day had changed everything for them. And hey, my pay is higher now too, which is nice.


    ¡°You saw it as well as I did. I don¡¯t know how many chunks Tokyo was split up into... a hundred thousand maybe? But while there ended up dots everywhere, these six spots were way more uniformly coloured.¡±


    ¡°It... doesn¡¯t seem a coincidence.¡± Bunta-san agreed. ¡°Mathematically speaking, the statistical probability of clusters forming is very high, the same way that it only takes twenty-three people in a group before it¡¯s just as likely at least one shares a birthday with another as not.¡± Oh yes, I forgot he used to be an accountant before this. He¡¯s good with numbers. As they both listened, breath misting in the cold autumnal air of Tokyo, Bunta-san continued. ¡°You could certainly argue that clusters will form, it¡¯s inevitable with enough iterations, but... that¡¯s why the different colours were interesting. The clusters formed were all individual colours, only one of each, weren¡¯t they? The chances of that being coincidence... I wouldn¡¯t bet against it.¡±


    ¡°You certainly are more talkative when you are on a subject you understand.¡± Detective Reiji said, and Yoriko couldn¡¯t help but agree. It¡¯s surprising. He¡¯s usually so quiet and nervous, despite having such power. But then, power doesn¡¯t always come to those who are suited for it, I suppose. Otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be needed.


    ¡°I...¡± Bunta-san started to sweat, and Yoriko rolled her eyes. I¡¯d have thought a yakuza accountant, especially one bold enough to steal from them, would be less timid. I guess it takes all sorts. Anyway, he¡¯s technically in the Police now... ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to make a mistake, Detective. Besides, if you consider abilities we possess by common sense, you¡¯ll get in trouble, just like Daizen-san did...¡± His face blanched at that. ¡°Things like luck do exist. I don¡¯t know how luck and fate work, but... I¡¯m not going to question who explained it.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes...¡± Yoriko said meanly, amused at his expected reaction. ¡°Shiro returned yesterday, didn¡¯t she? I¡¯m meeting her for drinks later, assuming we get done here.¡± Yeah, like clockwork. As Bunta-san shuddered, face pale, Yoriko continued. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re so scared of her, she seems perfectly nice to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not her, it¡¯s the red thing inside her.¡± He spat. ¡°You can¡¯t even run from her, she has ways of finding Chosen. But...¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m safe now, not like Daizen-san. I swore my loyalty, and...¡± He narrowed his eyes, looking ever more like a rodent, though his expression was shrewd. ¡°I try and avoid spending any time near her, but... she seems to have taken an interest in the boss.¡±


    ¡°Shiro? Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Yoriko asked, and he shook his head.


    ¡°No, the demon inside her. Compared to how she treated everyone but Arisugawa-sama, she treats my boss very differently. Curiosity maybe, but...¡± he shook his head, changing the subject. ¡°Can we just drop it? We¡¯re here to work!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Detective Reiji agreed. ¡°So, what do we know and what do we expect to find?¡± They looked out over their target, one of the oldest shrine complexes in Tokyo, with a wealth of small buildings, tea houses and flower gardens, though the blooming azaleas were out of season, the bushes looking a little sad. ¡°Officer Usui, if you would?¡±


    Why me? You can ask Bunta-san too. ¡°Nezu shrine. A history going back two thousand years, though many of the buildings added since were from the fifteenth century onwards. Supposedly in what used to be the Susanoo faction of shrines. I don¡¯t entirely understand the shrine politics, seems a lot of nonsense to me, but basically it¡¯s the group that suffered the most, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± The Detective said approvingly, and Yoriko was slightly embarrassed by his expression, which looked as if he was talking to his own daughters. ¡°We know of the first Kyoto incident, though now we have the full picture from Hikawa-san...¡±


    They had interviewed him at Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine, as apparently he was the leading figure in former Susanoo in Tokyo. He had revealed that the deaths of the young people in the first Kyoto incidents had been provoked by the son of the leader of Susanoo, a powerful Chosen, the hope of that faction, who now was comatose and had little chance of recovery. Worse, because of faction politics and Susanoo being the first to support Akio-kun, all of the people who died were heirs to Susanoo shrines.


    ¡°Yeah, though I still don¡¯t see a motive for them to be involved in this case.¡± Yoriko said after thinking about it. ¡°It¡¯s hardly Akio-kun¡¯s fault, is it? Even Hikawa-san admitted that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t see it myself, but... three shrines showed up on the machine. I don¡¯t believe in stuff like this, but then we¡¯re here with a man who can manipulate shadows and make them tangible.¡± Bunta-san nodded at that. ¡°And yesterday we had tea with a Faerie. So... I¡¯m not prepared to ignore this. Two shrines were Susanoo faction, and one was of no faction, not a true shrine, as Hikawa-san put it. If we set aside who is at fault, all we know is that Susanoo faction has largely collapsed, and Oshiro-san, while not responsible, was definitely near the centre of the incident. Humans are seldom rational.¡±


    ¡°But one thing we know is that the strength displayed in the recent attacks isn¡¯t normal. At minimum it would need to be someone who has had Chirurgery.¡± Yoriko disagreed. ¡°Nobody from Nezu shrine is on the list.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± Detective Reiji agreed. ¡°The numbers of the faith which have been given Chirurgery is still reasonably low, due to Oshiro-san often being busy, and Shaeula refusing to perform it on men. But low isn¡¯t none. Some visitors have been squeezed in, based on recommendations from Saionji-san and Kudou-san, and others were predicated on their potential long-term. I don¡¯t quite get it, but apparently some lingering abilities within bloodlines have value if enhanced.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s like Izumi-chan.¡± Yuriko nodded. I can¡¯t say I fully understand, but we¡¯ve talked, and apparently she can see mystical things occasionally, or feel emotions sometimes? Her dad can conjure a small flame too. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that people related to these shrines might have already received Chirurgery?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the numbers are growing over time. It¡¯s far from impossible.¡± The Detective scratched his cheek, thinking. ¡°You know, my daughters are always nagging me, wondering when they can have such abilities. I¡¯m a touch conflicted. They¡¯d have to go on the list, and it¡¯s not like they are going to be involved in any fighting, but...¡±


    ¡°Trouble can always come looking.¡± Bunta-san said darkly. ¡°Just because you¡¯re weak doesn¡¯t mean the strong won¡¯t bully you. I know it well. The yakuza love the weak. And so does...¡± He shut his mouth, troubled.


    ¡°Yes, I know. Honestly though, it¡¯s hard not to worry. My youngest is a huge fan of Shaeula after seeing her on TV, she never used to like traditional clothing, now she¡¯s always pestering me to buy her yukatas. My eldest... she¡¯s... just troubling. Not that they listen to me. I remember Oshiro-san saying he worries for his sister at university. And we¡¯re Police. We know bad things happen to girls all the time.¡± he sighed. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to bite the bullet. Besides, it is part of the renumeration package. And neither of them are interested in sport, where it might be an issue...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess it might be considered cheating.¡± Yoriko agreed. ¡°Just give in. Your daughters won¡¯t respect you if you keep this from them. Besides, honestly, I agree with Akio-kun. Better to be strong than not. As for being on a list, well, it¡¯s no different to a gun-owning register, is it? And it serves a purpose.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For cases like this.¡± He agreed finally. ¡°Well, we might as well go in, no?¡±


    ********


    ¡°That¡¯s very troubling, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t see what I can do to help.¡± The man in front of them was saying, dressed in the grey robes of the shrine priest.


    ¡°It¡¯s simply a routine enquiry, Bando-san.¡± Detective Reiji said professionally. ¡°You needn¡¯t have troubled yourself to get us tea.¡±


    The man, who was in his forties, and rather non-descript, little standing out about him, merely nodded. ¡°Maybe not, but I have a great respect for the rule of law, and seeing three esteemed Officers here, a little hospitality is only natural.¡±


    Yoriko couldn¡¯t help but snigger a little, though at her superior¡¯s hard look she was able to keep it under control, sipping at her tea. Sure, everyone loves it when the Police visit. Even the innocent worry, because nobody has truly done nothing illegal, even if it¡¯s as minor as speeding or littering.


    ¡°I see. If only more citizens were so inclined, we¡¯d have a much easier job.¡± The Detective replied sunnily, though Yoriko knew him well enough to know he was being false. ¡°In any case, you¡¯re no doubt aware of the attack on Shinohara-sama recently? It was all over the news.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a bad business that. Her philanthropic works show the world that the rich are not always bad people. Compared to her, our charity work is hardly impressive.¡± Bando-san agreed. ¡°I hope she can recover, but I hear that her injuries were... severe?¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun¡¯s family is well-protected. Guards with Chirurgery and combat skills, or they¡¯re Chosen themselves. That won¡¯t work. And I don¡¯t think Bando-san has the power or connections. Like he said, though he was pretty bitter about it, Hikawa-san is in Akio-kun¡¯s camp, and so are what was the other two factions. It must piss them off. They supported him first, only to get screwed.¡±


    ¡°Language, officer Usui!¡± the Detective complained and she snorted, sucking coffee through her straw noisily.


    ¡°I¡¯m only speaking the truth. Anyway, they can hardly get revenge directly. But none of the victims have any relation to Akio-kun or anyone else in his group. We¡¯ve checked, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Thoroughly.¡± Detective Reiji agreed. ¡°So there¡¯s no motive for the crime. All we have is a great dislike for him. Which while not exactly fair, is understandable. As close friends with someone whose two daughters were murdered, and Oshiro-san, while not to blame, was certainly the catalyst... it¡¯s only natural to despise him. But taking action...¡±


    ¡°So, now you¡¯re going to tell me that the Oracle Engine just happened to find us the location of two of the victims, and three shrines, the first of which has someone who loathes Akio-kun. My intuition is screaming that there¡¯s some connection.¡±


    ¡°Touche?.¡± The Detective replied dryly, often having dragged her out following his own hunches. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. But I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s no murderer. Nor the attacker who maimed Shinohara-sama.¡±


    ¡°But then, I could have infiltrated...¡± Bunta-san began again, and he was once more denied.


    ¡°Again, if we could take such extra-legal actions, we might as well use Shaeula after all.¡± Detective Reiji sighed. ¡°However... the thing is, ordinary people who try and commit crimes are sloppy. And if he is involved, he¡¯ll try and warn others involved too.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess.¡± Yoriko grinned. ¡°Then he¡¯ll make a call to the other shrines.¡±


    ¡°If they are connected, almost certainly. So, next we¡¯ll see if they aren¡¯t surprised to see us. If so...¡± the Detective began. ¡°...it still doesn¡¯t prove anything in regard to the murders, but... we are also missing several pieces of the puzzle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like what¡¯s the sixth location. It¡¯s in a residential area, so we can hardly check every house, the Gods know that would be too....¡± Yoriko trailed off, looking at the printouts from the Oracle Engine. ¡°Hey, are we stupid?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bunta-san asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no shrine here, nor any victim, but...¡± she pointed to the edge, where a small, unobtrusive building was located. ¡°Our Lady Of The Sea, Saint Maria¡¯s Church. It may not be a shrine, but... it¡¯s a big coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It seems a stretch.¡± The Detective looked at the map again. ¡°But I suppose we can check it out. But first, we need to see if there are any links between that and the shrines.¡± He pulled out his phone and made a call, leaving Bunta-san and Yoriko alone.


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d have let you infiltrate. Assuming you can.¡± Yoriko sighed, watching the Detective as he stood outside, talking quietly.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s foolish not to use everything we can. But... I respect him, I guess.¡±


    That was surprising. Her eyes widening at his response, Bunta-san explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a brave man. And sticking to your principles takes courage. It¡¯s why I ended up working for the yakuza clients. I didn¡¯t have the courage to say no. Then when I saw the ill-gotten money, while I was living a modest life... I didn¡¯t have the strength to resist taking it. Then I couldn¡¯t protect myself, so I fled, and I didn¡¯t have the will to refuse the power I was given. Then White found me...¡± He shuddered, and Yoriko could see he still had genuine terror of her. ¡°...nobody could be brave enough to resist her. Sure, Shiratori-sama....¡± He now knew the name of his erstwhile boss. ¡°...is beautiful, but with that monster inside her... I have no idea how he can bear it. No, I¡¯m getting off the subject. All I¡¯m saying is, you can see how a chain of weakness led me to here. I¡¯m still scared, you know. Being strong just means you draw strength to you. That¡¯s why my power can be used to restrain, to hide and... to assassinate. Though I haven¡¯t!¡± he insisted again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby, I believe you. And it doesn¡¯t matter. Just like Oguro Daizen¡¯s death was deemed an... act of God...¡± Her lips curled into a bitter smile, and Bunta-san couldn¡¯t help but murmur that indeed it was. ¡°...your crimes would be likely extra-legal as they were committed in a time before spiritual matters were considered. Besides, you¡¯ve got someone to stand surety for you. Just like that Chinese woman, Nie Ling.¡±


    ¡°And I¡®m grateful. But my point is... having the ability to hold fast to one¡¯s beliefs is precious. We should respect it. But... there comes a limit. If he wants to protect people, then he has to be prepared to get down in the mud, use everything. I¡¯ve learned that.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I¡¯ve seen it. A group of people willing to go to any lengths for each other, for the good of Japan and the world. At the time all I saw was him killing a man to protect me, to protect the Detective, but now... now I know. ¡°But following up on the Oracle Engine was a big step. And he¡¯s right. If we rely on Shaeula now, and... something happens to her... then we may have solved a crime, but we¡¯d have learnt nothing.¡±


    ¡°Exactly right, Officer Usui.¡± The Detective had returned, and was smiling warmly. ¡°I can see you¡¯ve absorbed a good amount of my teachings. We, as a new branch of the Police, do indeed need to learn new methods of working, of investigation. But methods that rely on fragile, single assets... not that I can ever see Shaeula dying, but who is to say she won¡¯t return to her home, wherever it is, and we certainly can¡¯t ask her help constantly. No, we do this the old-fashioned way, but making use of what other abilities we can muster.¡± At their nods, he continued. ¡°No connection between the shrines and the church were apparent... at first. But...¡± he grinned. ¡°I got a hit on the internet. Apparently a mixture of Japanese, Chinese and Western religious facilities, a group of temples, shrines and churches, were involved in fundraising for disaster relief. There were a lot of floods last year, after all. It was one of the worst years on record...¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. At least one of our shrines, and Saint Maria¡¯s, were both involved?¡± Yoriko said, and the only answer she needed was his knowing smile. ¡°In that case... I don¡¯t see how this can be a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Beware of seeing what you want to see. False positives are everywhere in policework. But... it certainly requires further investigation.¡± He agreed. ¡°Finish up, and we¡¯ll pay our other two shrines a visit.¡±


    Yoriko grabbed her half-drunk iced coffee and swilled it down. Yeah, I¡¯m extremely curious. But I think I already know the answer. They¡¯re involved, but how? That Oracle Device may be a miracle, or is it Shaeula¡¯s luck that just bends reality?


    ********


    ¡°They definitely had been tipped off. They were trying to hide it, but amateurs are worse at covering things up when their minds are on it.¡± Yoriko quoted her training. ¡°So many tells. And my eyes are sharp enough to pick them up easily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the priests of both shrines were nonchalant, and tried to cover up their anger, but prodding them about certain subjects, such as Oshiro-san and what happened in Kyoto, they weren¡¯t able to keep it together.¡± The Detective agreed.


    ¡°It still proves nothing, but not even you are going to tell me that it¡¯s all a coincidence now?¡± She stretched, yawning, glancing at the small church they were in front of, nestled in a residential district of Tokyo.


    ¡°We still have no connection to the attacks. But... there¡¯s something.¡± He agreed. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The door to the church swung open, and the three of them crossed the threshold. I wonder what we¡¯ll discover here...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Seven – David Reckless

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Seven ¨C David Reckless


    The door to the small, local church creaked open, and David couldn¡¯t help but snarl out a warning to his captive. ¡°If you try and make a break for it, I¡¯ll break your damn legs, got it?¡±


    The person he was addressing, his erstwhile friend, colleague and ultimate betrayer, Sarah, snorted bitterly, her blue eyes meeting his stoically. She raised one arm, revealing her thick and heavy chains, which an ordinary person wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear the weight of, as well as the blinking bracelet, which had several red lights flashing steadily. ¡°Where d¡¯ye think I can run, ye damn fool?¡± Her words were heavy with irony and her thick Scottish brogue made her words sound angrier than they were. ¡°I have nae place tae go now, ye ken? It¡¯s over. If ye need a reason tae batter me, if it¡¯d help your mood, then go ahead, ye can be my guest.¡±


    Stupid bitch. Why must you be like this all the time? Before David could voice his concerns, their other companion, the petite and polite Aditi, spoke up softly, her tone mollifying. ¡°Now, now, Mr Reckless. It serves no purpose to be so angry with Miss McLaughlin. After all, we spent a great deal of time together, or so it seems. Actually, it was rather brief...¡± Her gentle tone was now sad, and David snorted angrily.


    ¡°You and the teacher are both too forgiving. Have you forgotten that she tried her best to kill us all, and was going to let that fucking crazy nugget Donovan have his way with the Princess? She betrayed us and everything she promised to protect!¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± Aditi squeezed shut her eyes as the door swung shut behind them, revealing a quiet, empty church, except for a specially vetted priest, who was in the confessional box, waiting for Sarah. ¡°I grieve for that, but fortunately we did not die, even if...¡± Her hand clenched, and David snorted, while Sarah remained silent.


    ¡°You still lost your powers. You can¡¯t tell me it doesn¡¯t hurt you.¡± He retorted, and Aditi nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I miss the power of Arjuna greatly. But... before I had no power, I was a humble girl. Now at least I can regain my strength slowly, and still be of use. I still carry the bow.¡± she said to Sarah, who finally answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s... I know what I did cannae be forgiven. I would nae forgive me, nae way. But can ye believe I be happy for ye, Aditi. That ye lived and still have hope. Although...¡± She spoke as though the words were dragged out of her. ¡°...ye simply be buying time. Without tae support of the Ninth Heaven, we be finished. London, Britain, Europe, tae Earth itself.¡±


    I hate it when you talk like that, stupid redhead! David sawed on the chains, pulling her, and couldn¡¯t resist a bitter dig at her words. ¡°Well we sure are fucked either way then. Considering your vaunted Mary Stuart was tricked by that bastard Max Power, then her and her Angels got her asses handed to her. Even now she¡¯s basically a vegetable, only useful as bait.¡±


    Sarah clasped her hands together in a brief prayer. ¡°I get why ye hate her, David. She... was nae a kind woman, she believed in fire and brimstone for enemies of t¡¯faith. But... she also knew that we have nae chance against what¡¯s out there. Our world be so terribly small, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°Fighting and killing enemies is fine. Humanity has done that since day one.¡± David snarled. ¡°But betrayal of your friends is another thing. And Donovan was going to rape her, you stupid redhaired bitch! The worst thing a woman can have happen. She was your dear friend, and gave you fucking everything!¡±


    ¡°It was a sacrifice, for tae good of all.¡± Sarah said, rehashing a conversation they had repeated a number of times, though in the church, the conversation took up a different air. ¡°Didn¡¯t Abraham listen tae God and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a religious man, but even I know that was just a test.¡± He shot back.


    ¡°Well, the Son of God, did he nae get scourged, stuck with a crown of thorns and nailed tae a cross, all for others? Tae save us from our sins.¡±


    ¡°Maybe? Before I¡¯d have called it credulous religious bullshit, but with all the shit I¡¯ve seen... if Caturix, Arjuna and other Gods exist, then who am I to say what¡¯s real? But you¡¯re missing the point. Two points.¡± His harsh tone made Aditi flinch, but he shot her a glare, needing to get this off his chest again. ¡°Firstly, Jesus went to his end, if not willingly, with knowledge of what he was doing. The Princess, the teacher and little miss Asian here had no choice. Secondly, fuck any God that demands the Princess suffers like that.¡± At his words, Sarah gasped.


    ¡°This be a house of God, ye heathen. Mind your blasphemous tongue!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t listen to the words of traitors who force others to sacrifice. You want to be a martyr yourself and I¡¯d have tried to stop you. But force others to...¡± Words failed him as Sarah frowned, twisting her body, pushing out her chest in her prison clothes.


    ¡°That be it, then? Ye want tae ravage me, David? Make me suffer what t¡¯Princess would have? Honestly, aye, I knew Donovan was going off tae deep end, though I never thought he¡¯d get so bad, ye ken? Even so, I put my friendships, conscience and heart on tae scales, and... the needs of the many outweigh t¡¯needs of the few.¡± David could see she regretted it, but she was also resolute. ¡°I know ye carried a torch for me, David, I nae be blind. Go on, why not indulge? Ye¡¯ll feel better hurting me like the Princess nearly was. I¡¯m a sinner, I deserve punishment, nae?¡±


    You bitch, you... As Aditi looked on, troubled, David took several deep breaths, the red in his face diminishing. Calmed down, he admitted something he hadn¡¯t wanted to, not even to himself. ¡°I like strong women. Women who can stand up for themselves, and have the guts to help others. Yeah, maybe I did think you were pretty great. Guess I¡¯m not as good a judge of character as I am a fighter. Fuck it.¡± He spat, and Aditi bent down, wiping it up.


    ¡°This be a house of God, nae matter how ye might hate the Church now.¡± Sarah frowned. ¡°I nae be afraid. If ye think it just, and nae want tae dirty your own hands, then throw me tae the wolves. I¡¯ll beg and cry and wail, t¡¯be sure, but I¡¯ve already been long prepared tae sacrifice too. Even under the aegis of the Ninth Heaven, many of us, we still be having tae lay our lives on t¡¯line, David.¡±


    As he met her serious gaze, he was the first to look away. Stupid bitch means it. I hate this. Why did things have to change? That fucker Mary Stuart and bastard Max Power... they ruined everything. ¡°Oh you¡¯d love that, wouldn¡¯t you? Suffering would ease your conscience, but there¡¯s no easy way out for you. Besides...¡± he jerked a thumb at Aditi. ¡°She¡¯d never stand for it. Like the Princess, she and the teacher are soft-hearted. Old man Arthur wouldn¡¯t like it either. No, carry your own damn guilt, and know it was all fucking wasted effort. That¡¯s what I hate the most.¡±


    ¡°Not wasted.¡± Sarah disagreed. ¡°Ye may not believe me, but t¡¯Ninth Heaven and God be the only way we can survive. T¡¯other paths are false, and lead tae ruin. The Church of True Revelation, it be planning for these days for fifteen hundred years. The End Times, David, Aditi. The damn End Times. Even now, it be not too late tae join hands with them.¡± It was annoying her tone was so earnest, almost pleading. Fuck, I really, really hate this!


    ¡°Well, they planned fucking badly.¡± He snarled. ¡°All that effort and all it got them was Mary Stuart comatose, a lot of their other idiots dead, and now Britain hates them. Even the Pope denounced them, although...¡± he paused, irritated. ¡°...mealy mouthed shit. I hate the violence, but I understand why they do it... we had enough of that bollocks with the Irish troubles, on both sides, right? Honestly, we need to work together! There¡¯s no point fighting amongst ourselves. If things out there are as damn dangerous as you claim, then we need every advantage!¡±


    ¡°It is true.¡± Aditi agreed solemnly. ¡°We are lacking hands, we lost too many, and those that remain, they are in hiding, or refusing the offers of the Queen and Princess Eleanor. Fortunately we have other allies now, but... my strength is still lacking.¡±


    Sarah had the grace to look guilty. ¡°Aye, allies. But can ye trust them? Without the ties of faith, each looks out for their own, ye ken?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t start being a hypocrite now. Who betrayed us? It wasn¡¯t our allies, but you.¡± He shot back, and Sarah nodded, having no answer. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve crossed fists with the guy, and a man knows another when they fight. Besides... actions speak louder than words.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Aditi said politely, taking the hint to speak. ¡°Miss Mary-Jane and I, we are welcomed warmly, and provided support and knowledge to hone our skills. Perhaps we may never be strong enough to stand beside the Princess again, but... we have use, purpose.¡±


    ¡°The defensive pact is rock solid too. Your so-called Church can¡¯t do shit. If they attack London or Tokyo, we¡¯ll pincer them and fuck them up harder than we fucked Mary Stuart.¡± David said with satisfaction. ¡°Funniest thing is Raidre, for sure. He¡¯s shitting himself every time he sees the little Princess, the Fae. It¡¯s funny to see. Seems like when he left the Court she was a joke, a laughingstock, and so he treated her rudely when we first met, but seems like she¡¯s a big deal now. Not a weakling, for sure. I wish I¡¯d been there to see her bisect that fucking little prick Donovan, the scumbag.¡±


    ¡°Aye. Aye.¡± Sarah sighed. ¡°Perhaps ye be right. But... the Church has more knowledge that we do. Far more. But... as tae what they plan, I cannae be sure. But I did listen tae Mary Stuart often. Ye should have taken my Anchor, Donovan¡¯s too. It be strengthening. Though now I sacrificed my heathen power... ye would gain less. But... the Angels. They be the trump card.¡±


    ¡°A pretty shitty trump card, since the last one got wrecked.¡± David began, only for Aditi to shush him.


    ¡°I will listen, Miss McLaughlin.¡± She insisted, and Sarah sighed.


    ¡°Can¡¯t ye go back tae calling me Sarah? Nae, I guess not. Tae much bad blood tae wash away. But... listen well. Collecting the Favours of t¡¯other false Gods... that be the aim at first. One aim.¡±


    ¡°We have heard theories.¡± Aditi said. ¡°I go to train in Japan, and they mention that Earth is subjected to a terrible game, to winnow us down to one victor, an Astral Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Aye, that be right. One of the Cardinals will take t¡¯role.¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°Then the Earth can join the Ninth Heaven. I nae be lying when I say it be safest. And those who follow the Church will be soldiers, fighting for God and Earth.¡±


    ¡°Again, that¡¯s all very well, but I don¡¯t fight for those who would toss aside friendship and honour. Death is better than being that kind of scum.¡± David asserted.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I be serious here. Ye asked.¡± Sarah pouted. ¡°The followers of the Church of True Revelation are blessed, and we can convert heathen powers into Linked Angels. And anyone be compatible with them, a big difference, ye ken? And t¡¯more Linked Angels, t¡¯stronger they be. Do you ken what this means?¡±


    Shit. Yeah, I do. ¡°No wonder they don¡¯t want to work with others. If one plus one equals two, and two plus two equals four...¡± he said sourly, and Sarah nodded.


    ¡°Aye, one plus one might be three, and two plus two might be six or seven.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how can anyone else compete?¡± he gritted his teeth, troubled. ¡°No, it¡¯s clearly not that simple, otherwise there¡¯s no way that bitch Mary Stuart would have been defeated.¡±


    ¡°Aye. Perhaps one plus one is two and a little bit.¡± She sighed. ¡°Even so, were the followers of the Church able to grow our numbers, then there be nae limits, other than the maximum strength a person can wield. We nae be Angels ourselves, we can nae scale infinitely. But defeating our enemies...¡±


    ¡°This sounds like information you should have shared earlier...¡± David growled, and Sarah shrugged.


    ¡°You said betrayal be unforgivable, David. Now my words, they be a betrayal of my faith. Make up your damn mind.¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant.¡± He complained, but Aditi once more interjected.


    ¡°These Angels... do they grow stronger too?¡±


    ¡°Aye. Mary said that while they could nae bring down a true Angel, not yet, nae until the Boundary that surrounds the Earth is shattered, the mere shadows they summon grow in power and type. And there be many flavours... honestly, it be a miracle Mary was defeated. But while I did never meet t¡¯other Cardinals, Mary, she nae be the strongest in battle...¡±


    ¡°No shit. She was a crazy woman, relying on her Angel. A real warrior would be more terrible. But...¡± he exchanged a long glance with Aditi. ¡°...perhaps we were lucky. So, anything else to get off your chest?¡±


    ¡°Watch where ye be looking, pervert.¡± Sarah chided him, as with his words he involuntarily glanced down at her. ¡°I nae know much, but...¡± She explained that Mary Stuart had talked about the new Crusade they planned, and how winning the public over and turning them against the heathens was their ultimate goal. ¡°...so watch out. They nae care about revenge, but only victory. Ye be thorns in their side, and precious treasures tae exploit.¡±


    ¡°No shit.¡± David frowned. ¡°Sadly, your time is up Back to the cells with you.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Saraj stood, ready to go. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I be sorry. I really am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so you¡¯ve said a number of times, but some things you can¡¯t apologise out of. Next time you demand sacrifices, make it yourself, like the Princess does, or Akio does. But I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get a chance. Though for what it¡¯s worth... I¡¯m glad you came around and tried to make amends, useless as it is.¡±


    Aditi had tears in her eyes as she nodded, and Sarah smiled bitterly. ¡°Wrong again, David. It be a habit of ye to nae be right, aye? Sorry... sorry I was nae a woman ye should have fallen for. It would nae have worked.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself... stupid redhead bitch.¡± He muttered, though his own eyes felt hot, his nose stinging. Stupid, stupid... why the fuck did it have to come to this?


    ¡°Aditi, you and Mary-Jane... I¡¯m glad ye both lived, even if we stole from ye. Live well. David...¡± Her expression was serious. ¡°...go break my Anchor, take the power from me. Ye can nae use it, ye have nae faith, but... use my mistake tae grow stronger. Sir Arthur... he can have Donovan¡¯s, pitiful fool that he be. And the Princess, Eleanor... Mary Stuart may be a devil tae ye, a wicked woman... but she loves the Lord and sincerely wanted tae save those that could be. But faith... if taken tae far, it cannae be disregarded. She nae knows how tae compromise. Let Eleanor put her out of her misery and grow stronger. Ye will nae win, defeat the Church of True Revelation, but... aye, sacrifice should be made by t¡¯ones who propose it. Let it be my last gift to ye, David.¡±


    Pinching his nose, David looked away for a moment. ¡°You think I won¡¯t do it? The Princess wants a trial for you, but... if you willingly offer yourself...¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± David saw her move and reflexively raised his fists, only to be surprised as her lips touched his, only for a moment, before she pulled away eyes resolute. ¡°Something tae remember me by. Now, I am sinless before God, but whether Heaven or Hell awaits, I cannae say. Just... take your time, David, Aditi... nae follow me so soon, ye ken?¡±


    As Aditi wept, despite the betrayal her heart still considering Sarah as someone she cared about, despite her earlier words, David ground his teeth, thoughts racing. Fuck, shit, damn it! I can¡¯t forgive you, I won¡¯t forgive you. Considering what you did, what nearly happened, you deserve to die, but... I don¡¯t want that. Punishment, yes, but... death... Not realising his hands were clenched so tightly his nails had gouged bleeding furrows in his palms, David considered all they had learned. Fucking Church. Come after us again and I¡¯ll knock you on your ass! Buit to do that, we have to be stronger. And resolute. Mind made up, he bid Sarah farewell in his mind, remembering the times they had spent on the battlefield together, his swinging his mace, her wielding her shield stalwartly, while Aditi and her bow, old man Arthur and his sword, Mary-Jane with her staff and strange magics, even that wretch Donovan and his spear, and of course the Princess leading them in gleaming green and copper armour, and he felt a pang of bitter regret. Was it worth it? Throwing it all away for something as stupid as a God? If Caturix told me to betray to save Britain, I¡¯d tell him to fuck off, and I¡¯d say it right to his face if he was here, and I¡¯d take him on, man to man. But...


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t follow where you lead.¡± David promised. ¡°But...¡± She has to make amends. But unless she lives to see that she was truly wrong, there¡¯s no point., Dying only serves to make her feel better, relieve her guilt. Besides... I don¡¯t... want her to die. I¡¯ll do what I need to, but... he glanced at Aditi, who was holding Sarah¡¯s hand, upset. I suppose I can call in a favour. I hate owing people, but as a man, I expect he can understand my feelings...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Eight – Detective Kato Reiji

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Eight ¨C Detective Kato Reiji


    ¡°I thank you for seeing us, Father.¡± Reiji said respectfully to the small, bespectacled priest who ran the church they had visited. The man was Japanese, which was unusual, but not unheard of.


    ¡°Oh, it isn¡¯t a problem.¡± The priest replied. ¡°There¡¯s no Mass today.¡± He paused, looking at his guests. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t serve you some tea? Hospitality is important.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Reiji shook his head. ¡°Hopefully we won¡¯t keep you long, and we¡¯re imposing.¡±


    ¡°I am always happy to help the people that keep us safe and protected.¡± The priest replied. ¡°Unusual though it is to see you visit. Modern Japan is welcoming to different faiths, so we seldom have trouble with graffiti or vandalism, not like in other countries. So I¡¯m rather wondering what I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a trivial matter.¡± Reiji assured him. I¡¯m a little perturbed, it seems that the priest isn¡¯t aware we are coming, unlike the other shrines we visited. Was he not contacted, or is he just a better actor? ¡°You¡¯ve recently been involved in fundraising with some Shinto and Buddhist shrines, I believe?¡±


    At the agreed opening, Officer Usui was next to speak, her tone gentle. It¡¯s less confrontational coming from a young woman such as her. ¡°I¡¯m a little curious. I¡¯m not well versed in Christianity, but don¡¯t you believe there¡¯s only one God, and all others are false? Isn¡¯t it difficult to work with other faiths?¡±


    The priest didn¡¯t seem to take offense, merely answering, his tone gentle. ¡°That¡¯s true, certainly. and honestly, I believe it. Though it is harder nowadays, isn¡¯t it?¡± He laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°All this talk in the media of those blessed by the Gods. But then, what is a God? I studied Theology, Philosophy and Religion before I had my religious awakening and trained to be a priest. As a young man, I wasn¡¯t particularly devout.¡± His eyes were distant as he explained. ¡°It basically comes down to faith. I have faith in God, and I¡¯ll worship him, as my conscience dictates. But... I studied Philosophy as well. There¡¯s an argument often quoted, to disparage Christianity. If an old woman, who has no faith in the Lord, spends her whole life doing good deeds with no ulterior motive, then passes away unbaptised, would she go to Hell, while a sinner who lived selfishly his whole life, but confesses on his death bed and is shriven of his sins, goes to Heaven? Honestly, I don¡¯t believe in Hell...¡± he smiled. ¡°I believe that the Lord has love for all, and that woman would find herself in Paradise, rewarded for her good deeds. It¡¯s not strictly orthodox, but I believe faith is between man and God. Just don¡¯t tell the Archbishop.¡± He winked, and Reiji found himself rather liking the man.


    ¡°I see. So you don¡¯t hold extremist views?¡± Usui clarified, and the priest sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure when religion became extremist, but... I¡¯m don¡¯t know why, but you want to ask if I have sympathy for the views of the Church of True Revelation, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± Officer Usui agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a pressing concern.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me preface my response by answering your previous question. No, I am more than happy to reach out to good people of other faiths, to spread a little joy and charity within the world. Whether I believe in their Gods, the Kami, that doesn¡¯t matter. We should all be more like the old woman, doing good because it is right. As to whether I have sympathy for this group... as a Catholic, I can certainly respect their zeal, but... it does seem to be repeating old mistakes. The Inquisition was the same, prepared to torture and kill for the good of the victims. It¡¯s not for man to make that decision. But for God. So no, I don¡¯t agree with their outlook.¡±


    ¡°Even if they are right, and the world will be destroyed?¡± Officer Usui pressed, and he shrugged.


    ¡°If the end of days are here, and it¡¯s the plan of God, then we should do our best. But I¡¯m not convinced God would want us to persecute those who don¡¯t believe. But I am just a humble priest. My opinion is my own. But his Holiness, the Pontiff himself, did call for calm and cooperation. So I don¡¯t intend to change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Reiji said, nodding. A man of principle. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s lying, my instincts are usually accurate. ¡°Now as to what we are here for, Father...¡± Reiji briefly explained the situation regarding the attacks recently, and the priest nodded.


    ¡°I see. A tip that the attacker of Shinohara-sama was seen here. I said a minute ago that we don¡¯t suffer much discrimination, but that seems rather... maliciously motivated.¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°Our Lady of The Sea church has long been known for good works. We have a small, yet devout faithful. But...¡± he did pause then. ¡°...we are also a popular destination for charity tourism.¡±


    ¡°Charity tourism?¡± Bunta-san asked, and the priest nodded.


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s a modern style of missionary work.¡± He explained cheerfully. ¡°After all, the days of travelling to foreign, backward...¡± He smiled to the rob the words of their sting. ¡°...countries and proselytising the word of the Lord are long gone. But there are still poor, unfortunate lands. Not every country as is rich, prosperous and peaceful as Japan or the Catholic countries of the West. So we do get travellers coming to aid in charity fundraising, or using us as a base to travel to neighbouring countries.¡±


    ¡°I see. And I assume you keep a list of these, Father?¡± Reiji asked.


    ¡°I do, though... I¡¯m not sure in good conscience I can release such information. I don¡¯t want to believe anyone could do such a thing as attack a charitable woman like Shinohara-sama.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s change the subject for now then.¡± Reiji said, meeting Officer Usui¡¯s eye, and she spoke casually.


    ¡°You have a particularly good relationship with Nezu shrine and several others, don¡¯t you? Recently your fundraising efforts have been delivered jointly with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. It fosters a sense of community, which we need now more than ever. It was quite the successful event. We supported the poor and the homeless in Tokyo, helping them regain some dignity, and raised a significant sum to aid our brothers and sisters in flood-hit countries around us.¡± the priest said proudly. ¡°And before you ask, yes, while most of the participants were long-time members of our flock, there were some foreign visitors who helped, but I can¡¯t imagine they would be the sort who would attack Shinohara-sama.¡±Alll latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°Another question then.¡± Usui asked, nodding. ¡°I assume you are aware of Bando-san, the priest of Nezu shrine.¡± At his affirmative noise she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have discussed the first tragedy of Kyoto with him at all, or with other members of the Shinto or Buddhist faiths?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Bando-san. Yes, Nezu shrine was the first to reach out to us when we started our charitable efforts. For that I¡¯m grateful. So, I have no wish to gossip. Is this really relevant, Detective?¡±


    Reiji nodded. ¡°I am afraid it is, Father. How and why... is difficult to explain, but rest assured, we don¡¯t pry out of mere curiosity.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The priest let out a long sigh. ¡°It wasn¡¯t told to me in confidence, not as a Confession, but... I am not a man to share the secrets of others lightly. I don¡¯t see the connection, but... of course we talked about Kyoto. It had a large impact on the faith in Tokyo, after all. The deaths of so many promising young religious people is a tragedy. It¡¯s sorrows like those which is why we need faith, to believe that they live on in a better place. Bando-san was...¡± He explained that Bando-san was acquainted with several shrines who lost people, which was information they had already gathered, and that he was angry and bitter about the whole event. ¡°...it¡¯s understandable. Grief is a terrible thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when we spoke to Bando-san, he seemed rather upset that Oshiro-san wasn¡¯t able to prevent it. I expect you also have mixed feelings regarding Oshiro-san, what with the British incident.¡± Reiji pointed out.


    ¡°Not really.¡± The priest surprised them. ¡°As I said, I do not approve of violence. No more than the Apostles fought, even when they were captured and martyred. But then, I am not such a saint as to say that standing up to fight for the innocents is wrong. Sometimes turning the other cheek is only a sop to one¡¯s conscience. The Church of New Revelation was wrong, and I believe standing up to that was right. Sadly the path of what is right and wrong is a thorny one. Perhaps it could have been resolved peacefully, but... again, let God judge.¡±


    Officer Usui was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s... not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. Every man and woman makes their own decision on what faith is. If the Church of Hew Revelation was here now, I would urge them to give up their crusade of violence. Changing hearts and minds is best done by good works, charity and kindness. Showing others the better way is what the Lord wants, I¡¯m sure. After all...¡± he smiled cheerfully then. ¡°...isn¡¯t that why you are here, to ask about our fundraising efforts?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Bunta-san muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. There¡¯s a difference between what the devil inside Shiratori-sama does and what the boss does. How they get on, I don¡¯t know. They seem like oil and water to me. But... it¡¯s not wrong to fight to protect oneself, or others.¡±


    He¡¯s changed a bit, it seems. Bunta-san has a complicated past, and has been complicit in crimes I find hard to forgive, such as the death of Oguro Daizen, but... he was too much of a coward to commit any truly evil acts. When protected, feeling safe, he is actually a reasonably pleasant person. Not that I¡¯d trust him with my money, he¡¯s greedy too, but with the protection of Oshiro-san, he won¡¯t have financial worries...


    ¡°There¡¯s a line I like. Ichika-chan told me why Akio-kun helped her, back in the day. He said ¡®I have a sister and a childhood friend. If they were in a position of being threatened and abused, I wouldn¡¯t want anyone seeing it to just walk on by, so I surely had to act.¡¯¡±


    The priest momentarily frowned. ¡°Noble sentiments. I wish that the world did not need violence to defend against violence, but it has always been this way, even since the dawn of time. After all, even Paradise was lost to sin, and Cain drew his blade, bringing death to the world for the first time. All manner of sin was released, and since then, we do the best we can. But against sin, we have virtue.¡±


    ¡°Hinata-chan sure is a fiery one.¡± Usui chuckled, snacking on an expensive small cake that was laid out on the table. You have cream at the corner of your mouth, Officer. When will you learn to be dignified? ¡°But I¡¯m sure she has her reasons for everything. Speaking of...¡±


    ¡°You are here about the robbery and attack, yes?¡± Shinohara-sama said seriously. ¡°Honestly I am not sure what more I can tell you. I can¡¯t even be sure whether it was a man or a woman, from the bodyline, as they were wearing an ill-fitting set of clothes with a large, long coat, and their face was obscured by a mask. But judging from their strength and speed, I would have said a man, however now I am far from sure. I have seen too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, when you see the power a little cutie like Shaeula packs, you realise there¡¯s no difference.¡± Usui agreed, listening intently. ¡°But if it was someone like her, you¡¯d be dead, right?¡±


    Shinohara-sama agreed. ¡°Yes, I had no way of fighting back. Their voice was disguised, neither male nor female, sounding almost robotic... perhaps a voice changer?¡±


    ¡°Wind element can do that too.¡± One weaselkin spoke up. ¡°Disguising one¡¯s voice is hardly difficult.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though we still narrowed it down to a human rather than a spiritual being, didn¡¯t we?¡± Officer Usui continued. ¡°And I may be wrong, but I think it seems more likely now, given everything we¡¯ve learned.¡±


    Yes, I don¡¯t disagree. ¡°Shinohara-sama...¡± Reiji began, but after she told him to be less formal, he smiled apologetically. ¡°I understand you told the Police everything that happened, and I¡¯m sorry to rake up bad memories, but... if you can remember anything useful, that would be helpful. especially anything relating to Oshiro-san, or any sort of religious connection.¡±


    Shinohara-sama, no... -san... seemed puzzled for a minute. ¡°Religious connections? Oshiro-san? I¡¯d never met him before yesterday, though I had seen him in the newspapers and on television. You¡¯d have to be living under a rock not to. I don¡¯t see what that has to do with a violent robbery. I may run a foundation, but I am still rather wealthy in my own right.¡± Still, despite her words, she frowned, trying to recall. ¡°I only remember flashes, it was very traumatic. A home invader shouldn¡¯t have been able to gain entry, and it all happened so fast...¡±


    ¡°Anything at all would be helpful.¡± Reiji repeated, and she nodded. After a while, she remembered one odd phrase.


    ¡°They were demanding money, gold, jewellery... I don¡¯t keep much money on the premises, but I was forced to open the safe, which contained a lot of jewellery, some watches and so forth. However... the tone was strange, even with the distortion. It seemed... uninterested, somehow. And they said... what was it, what was it... oh yes... ¡®this will cover the demands of the greedy wretches. They should be happy to serve the cause...¡¯ At the time, I remembered the comment about greed, and well, aren¡¯t all thieves greedy? But... serving the cause...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s as we suspected. Not a simple robbery. The cause...¡± Reiji mused. ¡°All right, let¡¯s take a look around, if that¡¯s all right with you, Shinohara-san?¡±


    ¡°By all means.¡± She was wracking her brain as the Fae started scanning everywhere with their strange devices. ¡°I did find it odd that there were no traces left, and nothing appeared on our CCTV. Obviously the mansion is equipped with it. But it went down during the incident.¡±


    ¡°We checked everything.¡± Bunta-san pointed out. ¡°There wasn¡¯t any tampering as far as we could see, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, perhaps it might be possible with spiritual powers.¡± Reiji mused. ¡°If so... it was clearly planned out well in advance, yet the actual robbery and your injuries wee so clumsy. It doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s to throw us off the scent, that doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense.¡± Officer Usui mused. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if...¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°Hey, a murder of a famous person in a robbery makes headline news and is soon forgotten, but if she¡¯s left with lasting, gruesome injuries, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll get more coverage?¡±


    Before Reiji could answer, the goblin-like Fae came over, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to find traces of aether that shouldn¡¯t be here now, elemental energies neither. It¡¯s been too long, and unlike the Astral, the Material is starved of aether so it quickly disperses.¡±


    ¡°A shame. But we never expected it to be easy. Is there anything else?¡± Reiji replied, then one weaselkin who was using an odd set of goggles to peer around, smiled broadly, letting out a cry.


    ¡°Yes, I think so!¡± he pointed to the floor, which was richly carpeted. ¡°See here...¡± he grinned. ¡°There¡¯s a clear footprint.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything...¡± Reiji looked at it, and the weaselkin handed him the goggles. Suddenly the light was a different colour, a dull reddish-brown, and he could see the contours of the ground. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It uses a little aether to simulate various elements, allowing further insights. The floor under the carpet is wood, which we can probe. See?¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. We never thought to check under the carpet.¡± Reiji replied. ¡°Can we get a photograph?¡± With the weaselkin fiddling with the settings, Reiji wondered just wat other secrets were hidden...


    ********


    ¡°The second crime scene also had the matching boot print. It seems someone doesn¡¯t know their own strength.¡± Reiji laughed, looking at the images. ¡°I think this goes beyond someone with mere Chirurgery. The strength to press a print into wood as one moves... careless. And at odds with our prior theory.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t the Boundary.¡± Bunta-san agreed. ¡°Things don¡¯t just disappear over time.¡±


    ¡°So, now we have to check the previous murders, for the same prints. Want to bet we won¡¯t find any?¡± Usui laughed. ¡°I could use some pocket money, tonight is going to be expensive.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that someone there will pay?¡± Reiji sighed. They certainly are profligate with their money, but then, they were either poor and so now like extravagance, or are too used to being rich and noble to care. Not my problem anyway.


    ¡°You got me there.¡± Usui giggled. ¡°But... we have to check, right?¡±


    ¡°The equipment needs rechanging, but tomorrow we¡¯ll escort them to the previous scenes. Those boots... quite distinctive. The soles are filled with what look like nails...¡±


    ¡°Google seems to say those are hobnailed boots. They are said to be more common in Britain. It all comes back to the foreign visitors to the church, right?¡±


    ¡°Too early to tell.¡± Reiji shook his head. ¡°But we have a lot of little pieces of the puzzle. But for today, we¡¯re done. Go enjoy your get-together. But don¡¯t drink too much, we have an early start tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Shaeula to take care of it before I go. I¡¯m not holding back!¡± Usui declared. ¡°I hear you¡¯re going out as well, Bunta-san?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°The boss has some friends, they asked me. Since they want to know more about Shiratori-sama¡¯s double life. My lips are sealed though...¡±


    ¡°Probably wise.¡± Usui giggled. ¡°So anyway, what will you do tonight, Detective?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to my wife and daughters about finally getting Chirurgery. And... I¡¯ll take them out to dinner as well. Because I think we are going to be doing a lot of overtime soon. I want the culprits caught before they strike again.¡± There¡¯s too many unknowns, but one thing I am certain of is that it wasn¡¯t mere robbery that they were committing. It was a statement, or a plan. There¡¯s something deeper at play... the Kyoto incident. The Church of New Revelations. Chosen. Boots. Greedy people and serving a cause... the cameras not working during the incident. Shinohara-san¡¯s injuries. The distaste for Oshiro-san displayed by the priest of Nezu shrine... so many pieces, but how do they all fit together? I have a bad feeling if we don¡¯t find out soon... something terrible will happen...

 Side One Hundred And Sixty-Nine – Officer Usui Yoriko

    Side One Hundred And Sixty-Nine ¨C Officer Usui Yoriko


    ¡°Cheers!¡± The delighted cries echoed around the restaurant¡¯s private room, as glasses chinked together. Yoriko took a deep gulp from her glass mug of beer, starting to feel relaxed. It¡¯s been one hell of a day. We¡¯ve got some hints to a bigger picture, but no concrete leads, although as the Detective would say, my intuition is telling me something big is up. But putting work aside... Yoriko took another big swig and raised the question she had been wondering.


    ¡°So, who¡¯s the newcomer then?¡± Yoriko looked at the delicate woman with the prominent nose and long, elegantly violet hair. Despite the warmth of the restaurant, she was wearing a long coat, though it bulged at the back a little. My job involves noticing tiny details. Not that it takes much perception to notice something this abnormal.


    Before the woman could answer, Shiro spoke up happily. ¡°That¡¯s Haano?bo?.¡± The name was very old-fashioned. ¡°She¡¯s Aki¡¯s...¡± Shiro gave a long pause, enjoying the moment. ¡°...sister.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yoriko was surprised. ¡°Sister? That can¡¯t be right. I¡¯ve met Akio-kun¡¯s sister, Aiko-chan. And he only has one!¡± I¡¯d believe it if she said this Haano?bo? was his lover, but sister?


    ¡°I do so wish you would not tease me.¡± Haano?bo? declared, eyes downcast, her face slightly flushed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s all true though, you can¡¯t deny it.¡± Shiro laughed meanly. As her friends scolded her, asking her to behave, she waved their chastisement off cheerfully. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, but I know what happened, and it¡¯s a very Aki story!¡± As she explained, Haano?bo? interjecting sullenly at points, everyone listened to the tale. When Shiro finished with a flourish, declaring ¡°So yes, Aki bagged himself a new sister, and the respect of Taro?bo?, ruler of mount Atago...¡± everyone laughed and clapped, and Haano?bo? dipped her head.


    ¡°It is rather frustrating, though I do feel grateful he defended my honour against my brothers. Despite how it turned out.¡± Haano?bo? dipped her head in mourning. ¡°Speaking of such, Great Taro?bo? is waiting for Akio to return, so that the investiture as Summer South can be performed. Though... we still lack an Autumn West.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Motoko and Natsumi did say it was pretty terrible.¡± Shiro felt bad for a moment, it seemed. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad for your traitor brother though, only the one that was betrayed. Though... easier said than done, I admit.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough gloomy talk.¡± Karen-chan said. I¡¯ve got used to calling her Karen-chan, as most people do, and she doesn¡¯t seem to mind. I guess we¡¯re following Akio-kun on that. The older woman had a calm expression on her face, as she addressed Shiro and Haano?bo?. ¡°I do find it funny Akio-kun has to justify himself that way, but...¡±


    Shaeula, the small Fae who had helped with the Oracle Engine, nodded. Unlike the others who had listened intently to Shiro¡¯s funny, likely exaggerated story of mount Atago, she had continued to drink. Beside her was the silent Hyacinth, though unusually she was not standing behind everyone in her knock-off Akiba maid outfit, but was sitting wearing a rather elegant white dress, though her eyes were twitching and her pale skin was clammy with sweat. ¡°He is not-not so honest.¡± Shaeula smiled, licking her lips to extract the last drops of beer, as she reached for a bottle. Hyacinth stretched out a hand to grab it, but at Shaeula¡¯s stern expression she withdrew it, trembling a little. ¡°Hyacinth, I know-know you take pleasure in serving, and I have no-no wish to deny you usually, but you agreed that tonight you would make an effort to be just-just as any of us. That is your duty as a bride of Akio.¡±


    ¡°I knooow.¡± Hyacinth said. ¡°Hyacinth will try, I promised. But it is sooo hard.¡± There was laughter, gentle and kind, and Yoriko shook her head. Such a strange girl. But she sure is exotic, with those eyes and that hair... Unusual hair colours, instead of being something one in a million possessed, such as Shiro, were now cropping up everywhere. Though the Detective did say he loves unique hair and eye colours, not because they make a girl look pretty, but because they are easy ways of catching a culprit. That¡¯s so like him. No wonder his daughters aren¡¯t always impressed with him.


    ¡°Yes, see that you do-do.¡± Shaeula smiled kindly. ¡°We all must-must rise above our natures. The same likely goes for you, Haano?bo?.¡±


    The woman nodded, and Shiro continued. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just us older women today. I don¡¯t like saying adults, as Hinata, Daiyu and the others are shouldering the weight of responsibility of any of us and know their own minds. But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we get it.¡± Shiro affirmed. ¡°Anyway, Hinata¡¯s still dealing with the Korean situation, Aki and Eri are having fun in Korea still, Kana is working hard, poor girl... Daiyu says she is in a delicate stage of her Cultivation, Motoko and Natsumi have some noble function or other... so yeah... that just leaves Asha really. But since she¡¯s pregnant, she¡¯s taking it easy...¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± Aimi-chan, the short friend of Akio-kun¡¯s with a surprisingly large chest, which made Yoriko a little jealous, if she was honest with herself, said. Not that this room is good for anyone who¡¯s insecure. When you look at Shiro, and also Matsumuro-san... she glanced over at the so-called Lady Diviner, who was a picture of stunning Japanese elegance, only her crimson eyes differing from the norm. Meeting her gaze, Matsumuro-san covered her shyness with a sip of her beer, glass hiding her face, and Yoriko had to bite down on a chuckle. From what I¡¯ve heard, she always covered herself with a veil, hiding her appearance from the world. It must be embarrassing and uncomfortable showing herself now.Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Me neither. I never thought Akio-kun would be the first of us to have kids.¡± The pretty yet quiet Hina-chan said softly.


    ¡°Yes, I thought it would be you and Hayato.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t know yet, so that¡¯ll be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Just how long is a Fae pregnancy anyway?¡± Aimi-chan asked, and suddenly all eyes were on Shaeula, who flushed adorably.


    ¡°I do not-not know. I understand that mortals typically take nine months, but we Fae... it depends on a number of factors. Dryads are not weaselkin, nor are they Brownies, so for me to say-say...¡± she shrugged. ¡°The stronger the mother, the quicker, and the stronger the child, the more-more time it takes to incarnate. In some-some cases, it could be years. In others, mere months or days...¡± she paused. ¡°I do wonder what my-my child with Akio will be like.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s cute.¡± Karen-chan laughed. ¡°I remember the first time I met you, Shaeula, I thought Akio-kun had crossed the line and kidnapped a schoolgirl. I was shocked.¡±


    ¡°I... I had a strange first impression too.¡± Ichika-chan spoke up nervously. She was sitting between Yoriko and Shaeula, keeping to those she knew best. ¡°But now... we¡¯re friends...¡± Her voice dropped to a nervous murmur, and Yoriko sympathised. I¡¯ll help her out. Since we¡¯ve got along after the incident with the art scam and loansharking. Clapping her shoulder warmly, Yoriko grinned.


    ¡°Of course you are. You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you? Besides, I don¡¯t think Shaeula is one to let someone slip out of her grasp.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Ichika-chan agreed softly. ¡°She even persuaded me to have Chirurgery, I... I didn¡¯t need it, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Yoriko shook her head. ¡°I was telling the Detective the same thing, when he was hesitating to have his wife and daughters worked on. Better to be strong than not, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± It was Matsumuro-san who spoke up softly. ¡°Better to have strength and not require it, than need it and have none. That way only lies regret.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shiro puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°I¡¯m living proof of that! But that¡¯s over with, Tsuki.¡± She shortened the name adorably, making the only woman who could match Shiro¡¯s beauty blush. Though to be fair, Shaeula and Hyacinth are stunning too, there¡¯s just something... inhumanly perfect about the other two. But then, damn it, I¡¯m cute too! There¡¯s not a plain person in the room! Feeling defeated somehow, she downed her beer, before taking another bottle and tipping it into her glass, foam frothing.


    ¡°Look, can we change the subject? We aren¡¯t here to talk about Akio-kun.¡± Yoriko said loudly. ¡°Otherwise you will all just end up boasting all night. At least let¡¯s have a subject we can all enjoy!¡±


    ¡°Well said...¡± Haano?bo? muttered, only for Shiro to call her out on that, for being an ungrateful sister, which made the woman dip her head, face red and mouth set in a pout.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s fine.¡± Aimi-chan said, giggling. ¡°The boys are having their own party too, and they won¡¯t want to talk about Akio-kun all night either. In fact...¡± she glanced at Shiro slyly. ¡°They¡¯ve invited that guy Bunta-san. They are just desperate to find out about the sides to you we don¡¯t know, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit late.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°But sure, I¡¯ve nothing to hide. Though Bunta had better watch his mouth...¡±


    ¡°If he could hear you say that, he¡¯d be quivering in fear.¡± Yoriko giggled, remembering the way Bunta-san had spoken of her earlier. ¡°He¡¯s really frightened of you, or at least what he calls the ¡®devil inside you¡¯.¡±


    Shiro laughed, only for her eyes to flare red, and her voice and facial expressions to change, looking entirely unlike herself. ¡°How... insolent. I can see my lessons have not stuck. I am no devil, I am a Goddess, far above mere mortals.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actions like that which have him convinced you¡¯re a demon.¡± Yoriko couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It¡¯s crazy seeing it in action though...¡±


    ¡°The Gods are indeed above mortal concerns.¡± Matsumuro-san said happily. No, I think Tsuki-san suits her better. There¡¯s something pure about her, like paper that¡¯s yet to be written on, or a pool of clear, untainted water. ¡°Although, you seem rather wrapped up in the concerns of Akio.¡±


    Shiro, no, the being known as Tan blinked, surprised. ¡°You have grown bold to speak thus to me, priestess of Tsukuyomi. How very... curious.¡±


    ¡°I simply speak the truth. I abhor lies.¡± Shaeula nodded, pleased, at Tsuki-san¡¯s words. ¡°But I apologise, we were changing the subject.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. All roads lead back to Aki right now.¡± Shiro took control back. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯ll be back in the morning, and he¡¯s bringing gifts. So everyone¡¯ll be all fired up tomorrow. So we might as well party like there is no tomorrow, as when the day rolls around, we¡¯ll all be so busy. Ugh...¡± Shiro explained about her new ability. ¡°...so yeah, I¡¯ll be working with Asha to further strengthen her and her Tree. Once we¡¯ve worked out it¡¯s safe, of course. Asha¡¯s not just got to worry about herself now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of work...¡± Hina-chan looked at Yoriko, curious. ¡°How did the predictions of the Oracle Engine go?¡± Ignoring Shaeula¡¯s boasting that since it was using her Fortune, it was likely flawless, Yoriko shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± Karen-chan blushed. ¡°Comparing anyone to you isn¡¯t fair, Tsukiko-san.¡±


    ¡°Life is not fair. But you are certainly not unattractive.¡± Tsuki-san replied.


    ¡°In that case... honestly, Yasu-kun can be an idiot, and a pervert. But he¡¯s always been a good friend to us, and if one of us were in trouble, he¡¯d be there, giving the shirt off his back if necessary. Admittedly, we¡¯d rather turn to Hayato-kun or Akio-kun to get things sorted, but... it¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± Aimi-chan laughed. ¡°I mean, he was desperate to help out Akio-kun when he heard about what was really going on, and not just because he dreams of his own harem.¡±


    Karen-chan shrugged. ¡°If his taste runs to older women, well, It¡¯s not like I¡¯m dating anyone so we¡¯re both free adults. But I don¡¯t take things fast, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be delighted to hear that. No doubt the guys are ribbing him over you.¡± Aimi-chan giggled. ¡°Anyway... yeah, making the Oracle Engine feels like a joy, you know? It pays well, we get to help our friend, and the new friends we¡¯ve made through Akio-kun, and honestly, I think it¡¯ll go down in history. Even Daiyu-chan is interested.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daiyu is more talkative now she¡¯s conversational in Japanese.¡± Hina-chan agreed. ¡°It seems she¡¯s studying the runes and glyphs on some items she and Akio-kun have gathered, as well as combining it with her own knowledge. But it¡¯s slow going. Although...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Karen-chan said, understanding. ¡°With a lot of processing power and the right simulation, which can maybe be achieved with Shaeula¡¯s ludicrous luck, she could test combinations and extrapolate without having to actually do it...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the possibilities for the Engine are limitless. But... it¡¯s tough. Fortunately we have Ixitt and his friends to help too.¡± Hina-chan agreed.


    ¡°I do not understand what anyone is talking about here.¡± Haano?bo? said sullenly, and Yoriko felt the urge to comfort her, but Shaeula was first.


    ¡°I did not-not either, at first. But you will soon adapt, though your sojourns here are brief as of now, only brought here by the woman Ling. There are many-many joys to be found here in the mortal realms, not-not just the alcohol. Though our spiritual homes have many magnificent sights as well, and things to experience. The best of both-both worlds is what we strive for.¡± She turned to Hyacinth then, who was still looking uncomfortable. ¡°Though we must all-all have goals. I am so very-very busy recently, this has been unusual for me. I believed being a princess lent itself to a life-life of leisure, but it seems I was greatly mistaken. Now I am fulfilled every day. Mortal lifespans are short, but full-full of joys and sorrows.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, I...¡± Hyacinth began, but Shaeula patted hr shoulder gently.


    ¡°You have time yet. Do not-not hurry to a decision. We will all support you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together. But you need a hobby or a goal. For me... well, shit. I just wanted to be healthy, now I am. I guess...¡± she went silent, and Yoriko imagined she was communicating with what was inside her.


    ¡°I have a hooobby.¡± Hyacinth said then, surprising us all. ¡°I cook in my cauldrooon.¡±


    ¡°Cooking, huh?¡± Yoriko said, amused. ¡°That¡¯s a very maid-like thing to do... huh, why are your faces so strained?¡±


    Shaeula and Shiro were both looking ashen, and Hyacinth explained further. ¡°My cauldron makes interesting plagues. Ooour enemies will be laid waste, I will permit nooo harm to come to those I serve, those I looove, not again.¡±


    ¡°Uh... have I just heard about a war crime or act of terrorism?¡± Yoriko said slowly.


    ¡°Get used to it.¡± Karen-can laughed. ¡°I hear things I shouldn¡¯t all the time!¡±


    ¡°Like Yasu-kun calling you Karen-chan babe all the time?¡± Aimi-chan giggled, and after more laughter, the subject mercifully moved off the dangerous subject.


    ¡°Anyway... I¡¯m glad Arisu isn¡¯t here now.¡± Shiro said, having finished her internal conversation. ¡°But she was exhausted after Korea. Fortunately our planning and contingencies worked. Anyway... yeah, you¡¯re up next Haano?bo?. Your goal in life?¡±


    ¡°To protect mount Atago.¡± She answered, and Shaeula scoffed.


    ¡°Boring. That is no goal, merely a fact of life. After all, your Territory is ours now-now. Try again...¡±


    As they talked, Yoriko couldn¡¯t help but smile. The alcohol had left her rather tipsy, and her stomach was pleasantly full. Listening to the table of chattering women of all species, she reached for her glass, finding it empty. Looks like I¡¯d best get a top-up...


    ********


    ¡°... starting to complain I never see him. I mean, damn, I¡¯m busy!¡± Aimi-chan was saying, thoroughly drunk.


    ¡°I know, but... you shouldn¡¯t neglect him, Aimi-chan.¡± Hina-chan said gently. ¡°Your life is important too.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± she sighed. ¡°But sometimes, he... oh, never mind. Hey, let¡¯s go shopping on our next day off...¡± She peered at Haano?bo?, grinning lopsidedly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t wear such shapeless coats, you need cute dresses! Oh, and the Elves should come too... in fact...¡±


    As Aimi-chan rambled on drunkenly, Yoriko pushed her chair back, checking her watch. ¡°Is this the time? Whoa, it¡¯s late. And I have to work in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Have no fear, I shall cleanse you of the effects of the alcohol.¡± Shaeula said, reaching out for her, only to stop as her phone rang. ¡°Perhaps it is Akio?¡± she wondered, pulling out her phone. ¡°Though he should still-still be with Eri... I see.¡± Accepting the call, she spoke.


    ¡°Haru, what can we do for... huh. I see. Wait... now?¡±


    Is it trouble? Shaeula exchanged a few words, before hanging up. ¡°This is most-most annoying. I fear our evening must come to a close.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yoriko asked, and Shaeula frowned.


    ¡°It seems that the female Christina Bakker has arrived at Haneda airport, along with a number-number of Japanese and British citizens. Border control is unsure of how-how to handle her, as she has a diplomatic passport, and she is demanding to see Akio immediately.¡±


    ¡°That woooman?¡± Hyacinth grinned maliciously. ¡°I remember her. She was mooost annoying. But...¡±


    Shaeula nodded. ¡°Yes, indeed. Akio does-does wish to help the stolen citizens. In his absence, we should act.¡± She then looked around. ¡°But first, I do-do believe some Healing is in order.¡±


    As Yoriko felt her mind clear under Shaeula¡¯s hands, she yawned. ¡°Want me to come along? It seems it might be a Police matter as well.¡±


    ¡°That would be helpful.¡± Shaeula grinned maliciously. ¡°Hyacinth, Shiro... you shall-shall accompany me. Haru is sending a car.¡±


    Not the way I saw the night ending, still, it¡¯s definitely been fun. We should do this more often...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Three

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Three


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Your accent is a little off, but it¡¯s totally understandable.¡± Yu-mi chortled, reclining back in her seat. ¡°And you are coming along as well, Eri. Is this really the benefits of Chirurgery?¡±


    ¡°One of them, though as we explained, Eri¡¯s worked harder than just that and had more advantages.¡± I said in passable Korean, only a couple of words requiring me to use English, as I hadn¡¯t learned them yet on the flight. ¡°But increased memory and learning speed definitely makes a difference when you push it to the maximum.¡±


    Eri agreed. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and cardigan combo, looking relaxed and satisfied. Yu-mi, in a casual pantsuit, sighed, a touch enviously. ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡± Yu-mi protested. ¡°Considering how much we all struggle to learn English, this seems so unfair.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard for me to learn.¡± Eri pointed out slyly. ¡°After all, I grew up with Akio, and since mother-in-law Emily is British, we naturally learned both languages from an early age. It made classes at school very easy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet.¡± Yu-mi laughed. ¡°I suppose it makes my choice all the more sensible though.¡± She stifled a yawn. ¡°It was fun, wasn¡¯t it? The club? And I guess what came after, though that wasn¡¯t so fun for me... what a mess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe I need to hire my own cleaning crew to go around after me...¡± I managed a slightly off-colour joke that made Eri flush. ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon. So our relaxation is over.¡± I looked down to where my phone was, irritated. First thing in the morning I had received a message from Haru, and then ones from Shiro and Shaeula. Christina Bakker had appeared unexpectedly, demanding to see me, and she had brought the kidnapped citizens with her, apparently. What a mess.


    ¡°At least she¡¯s under the watchful eye of the others.¡± Eri commiserated. ¡°Is she as bad as you¡¯ve said?¡±


    ¡°Probably worse. Imagine Ixitt¡¯s excessive curiosity, with a healthy dose of sociopathy and willingness to do unethical, even deadly research. In addition, she¡¯s got deep connections with the Americans who are dealing with Chosen matters.¡± I could feel a headache coming on. ¡°Such a nuisance. But...¡±


    ¡°At least she¡¯s not a Chosen.¡± Eri finished, and I nodded.


    ¡°No kidding. That would be a nightmare. Though I¡¯d give her fifty-fifty chances of dying or being as strong as me. Great risks and great rewards go hand in hand.¡±


    ¡°The press conference should be starting shortly.¡± Yu-mi said in Korean, and I nodded. Turning to the TV on the private plane we were on, I pressed the power button and changed the channel to KBS. Soon we were watching a live broadcast of the President of Korea, as well as several heads of important Ministries, the South Korean Army and more.


    ¡°It is an unavoidable fact...¡± Subtitles were turned on to translate to English, but we also followed along with our recently learned Korean as best we could. ¡°...that strange powers have awakened in people all over the world.¡± The President was saying, his expression grim. ¡°We have seen the results worldwide, in Japan, Britain, and in other countries as well, stories are starting to surface, many small tragedies. Korea is no exception. There have been... rumours...¡± he continued, his tone stern. ¡°...of troubles affecting a school. Sadly, it was true. These powers come to all, and many are not suited for or responsible enough to wield such dreadful gifts. Is there an answer?¡±


    The leader of the Army spoke next, and I noticed the similarities to the press conference that the Queen of Britain had delivered. Coincidence or not?


    ¡°Some have said these people are an ever-present threat to Korea and our way of life.¡± The speaker, a stern, authoritarian man of middle age, said coldly. ¡°And such fires will only have been fuelled by the actions at the aforementioned Choe-Museon Academy. We have heard voices saying that these people should be quarantined, or worse, wiped out. But matters are hardly so simple.¡±


    ¡°I should say not.¡± Yu-mi smiled bitterly. ¡°Wiping you out, Akio? I don¡¯t see it happening without appalling casualties.¡±


    ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t be possible now, through purely Material means.¡± I shook my head, still watching. ¡°You¡¯d need to take me out in the Boundary as well.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re immortal then?¡± Yu-mi said, surprised, and Eri nodded proudly, though that wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°... even if we could wipe out these people with unnatural powers, should we? We all know the words of the Western world, of Britain, and the Pope of the Catholic Church. And indeed, our own people have said that the world will change, with our consent or without it.¡± The man continued, his words powerful and heavy.


    ¡°No, even if my injuries don¡¯t entirely reflect across my subtle bodies, damage will inevitably build up. Nothing is immortal, not even the Gods, I expect. But hard to kill? I suspect I¡¯d give a cockroach a run for its money.¡±


    As Eri and Yu-mi snickered at that unpleasant image, the President was speaking again. ¡°Perhaps our only defence against the changing world is our own people. There are those countries out there which have long eyed us threateningly, which have embraced or conscripted their own citizens of power. And we have seen what they can do, sadly. Fire can only be fought by fire. The situation at Choe-Museon was resolved. Too late, and with too many losses, but...¡±


    Suddenly the press conference cut away, and I frowned. ¡°That¡¯s footage of Choe-Museon...¡±


    The first images were taken from high above, perhaps a low orbit spy satellite, and showed the mind-controlled Korean military being dealt with. This isn¡¯t going to be good. A voiceover in Korean was saying that even the military were helpless against some Chosen. Worse, the images changed again, to a live feed-style recording of my sis and her Golden Sisters, as well as Haru and Ginneka, against the bastard with super speed who ambushed them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad?¡± Eri said urgently. ¡°Didn¡¯t Aiko¡¯s powers come from...¡± She glanced at Yu-mi worriedly, and the older girl shrugged.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t say, don¡¯t. But I¡¯m in your camp now, Eri. I won¡¯t betray. I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s secret.¡± Eri nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t know the person who used to have the Golden Warriors, but... Akio had no choice, he couldn¡¯t save him, so he took it, and now Aiko can use it to help Akio, help us. But...¡± The scene changed, to show some other footage, of haggard, wounded children and young adults being taken from the school.


    ¡°...but people won¡¯t understand that, right?¡± Yu-mi finished, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Is it going to be a problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that Uchida-san or some of Susanoo won¡¯t see this. So yes, it¡¯s not going to be good.¡± Damn them, this wasn¡¯t part of the agreement. I clenched my fist, pissed off, and Eri grabbed my other arm to try and console me. It was going to come out sooner or later, Aiko¡¯s becoming more important on the field of battle. Her Golden Sisters are excellent, expendable tanks, which definitely reduce our risk during fights... but this is the worst way for it to happen.


    ¡°...the scenes are harrowing, and we have kept you from the worst.¡± The President said sadly. ¡°But then, not all is evil.¡± The footage cut to scenes of parents rejoicing, meeting their healed children again. ¡°There is good and bad. And those who have developed these powers are your friends, neighbours, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, coworkers and acquaintances. We will not be a party to genocide. However...¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°...as a government, we owe it to the people to make our country both safe and strong, as we always have. Hence we passed the laws requiring certification as an official Hunter. Rumours and gossip have been spreading about what that entails, but first...¡±


    ¡°We would like to thank our foreign collaborators, for bringing the Choe-Museon incident to a close.¡± Another man said. ¡°As head of the Ministry of the Interior, Safety and Hunters, we reached out to a known, skilled agent. While our relationships with Japan aren¡¯t cordial...¡± The image switched again, and I wondered just how they had some of the footage of me. Perhaps they retrieved it from the cameras at the Academy?


    ¡°That¡¯s Soo-Ah¡¯s uncle.¡± Yu-mi frowned, angry. ¡°I¡¯ll give her a piece of my mind. This isn¡¯t the place for this, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°While we do want recognition of our support, to shore up relations, showing our abilities in action is quite the breach of our agreement.¡± I looked at Eri, who sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re not discrete yourself, Akio. And now others are leaking too? This isn¡¯t good... Hinata is going to be furious.¡±


    I nodded. I¡¯m pretty pissed myself. Oh well, the cat is out of the bag, now we have to deal with it. The Minister continued. ¡°...so it is now illegal to utilise any ability beyond human limits, unless one is an officially licenced Hunter, under our Ministry.¡± Yeah, they¡¯ve adopted a similar pattern to our Ministry for Spiritual Matters. ¡°If people wish to keep themselves to themselves, they can, but they must refrain from using such powers. This goes for foreigners too. Any visitor to Korea must refrain from using abilities, or they will be breaking the law. Oh... obviously, officially sanctioned diplomats such as Oshiro-nim from Japan and his party carry the same rights as Hunters. But unsanctioned use of powers to cause harm or loss to others will be punished with penalties three times in excess of similar unaugmented crimes...¡±


    The conference droned on, and more footage of us was displayed. Fortunately most of it was of me, Shiro and the Korean Hunters, only a little of it low-resolution images of my sis and her party. Even so, the damage was done. As the conference ended, my phone rang, and as expected, it was Hinata.


    As she hung up, we exchanged looks. ¡°She has it tough too.¡± Yu-mi said sympathetically. ¡°Uh... I know you want my dad to keep our connection with you hush-hush, but if there¡¯s anything we can do...¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it. But for now... we¡¯ll have to see what Hinata and the Japanese government say. Besides... we have more pressing worries.¡± Christina Bakker. Just what I don¡¯t need right now...


    ¡°So... Eri.¡± Yu-mi said, changing the subject. ¡°Do you think you could ever...¡± she trailed off, but Eri understood.


    ¡°I hardly hate you. I¡¯m grateful you tried to help us get through our issues. And I like that you¡¯re a steady girl who isn¡¯t impulsive. I think we can be friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± Yu-mi agreed happily. ¡°I could use the support as well. After all, I¡¯ll be helping run your Korean branch, right? And those Hunters seem hard to work with...¡± As Eri and Yu-mi chatted, the TV was now focussed on dry commentary from the news anchors. Fortunately they had little understanding of what was displayed, but it was still troubling. Yeah, in a way it¡¯s definitely good more of the world is starting to bring in laws to regulate Chosen, and raise awareness, but... it causes problems too...


    ********


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± As I entered the office at Shirohebizumi shrine, Karen-chan greeted me with a smile. The office was bustling with activity, and on seeing us, Shugo-kun came rushing over.


    ¡°Hey Akio-kun, Eri-chan... uh...¡±


    ¡°Yu-mi.¡± she said in English, and Shugo-kun frowned.


    ¡°My English is okay, but if I make mistakes, forgive me, okay?¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Yu-mi agreed cheerfully.


    ¡°So yeah, we saw the news. That was scary stuff. You okay, man? I know Shiro said you were fine, but...¡± He trailed off as the aforementioned Shiro walked in, followed by Shaeula.


    ¡°Hey, welcome back. Did you have fun?¡± Shiro winked at us. Eri reddened, but nodded.


    ¡°I definitely did. Seoul was very interesting. We brought gifts. But they can wait.¡±


    ¡°Indeed they can-can.¡± Shaeula agreed, before striding up to Eri and patting her shoulder gently. ¡°But I am pleased. Your eyes... Eri, it seems-seems you have reached a resolution. I like the look in them.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Though you might regret it a little. I¡¯m not going to oppose you at every turn, Shaeula, but I am going to make sure you keep your scheming to a certain level of moderation.¡±


    ¡°That is fine.¡± Shaeula snickered. ¡°I do not-not mind if it is you, Eri. Anyway, I have been waiting. Shiro here tells me you have-have a present for me?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I do. Though it might fail, so don¡¯t get your hopes up. But first...¡±


    Shugo-kun nodded, Karen-chan handing him some files. ¡°We¡¯ve got the answers to the questions you texted Yasaka-san, plus the follow-up research. We couldn¡¯t act on anything until you got back. Oh... by the way, preliminary tests of the Oracle Engine you asked us to build went well. Though there¡¯s still a lot of work before we can think about scaling it up to the next stage.¡±


    As he boasted, I took the documents. ¡°Dorte Andreassen, age twenty-five, a laboratory technician at the Norwegian Research Centre ¨C NORCE. University graduate, in Marine Biology. No particular unusual behaviour reported, other than... hey, how did you get all these files?¡± I asked. There were sickness records, which showed her absenteeism from work had skyrocketed since July. There was also some photographs. She was a rather pretty woman, though that was offset by her icy blue eyes, which seemed stern and unapproachable.


    ¡°It was all public record. Mostly.¡± Shugo-kun admitted. ¡°But she¡¯s the one you were looking for, it seems. But we haven¡¯t approached her. It won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯s not like you can just message her on Facebook and say ¡®hey there, are you a Chosen of Tyr?¡¯ is it?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I agreed, while Shaeula and Shiro laughed. Looking at the next file, it was another woman, from Greece, supposedly someone rather famous. That gives me an idea. We can put those siblings to use on this one.


    Lastly, there was a final set of files, which was incomplete. ¡°I see. Several locations in America, one in Botswana, and also Australia, as well as another person...¡± Tracking all these down, even with these details is going to be difficult. ¡°How is Yasaka-san? I should probably go Heal him, but sadly we have a more pressing matter first.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re doing it just so you can ask him follow-up questions, he¡¯ll be mad. But yeah, he¡¯s stable but hardly well right now.¡± Shiro snorted.


    ¡°Sadly, I think we need to. Though there¡¯s no way I can spare the time, not with our unexpected visitor. Where is she by the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. She¡¯s being held at the Ministry right now, under guard. So... the news...¡± Shiro said, and I nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re dealing with it. But... have we heard anything from any of the shrines and temples yet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing yet, but it¡¯s only been a couple of hours since the report from Korea, and the Japanese TV stations under the control of the nobility didn¡¯t broadcast the footage that showed use of your abilities. They omitted the parts with your sister entirely.¡± Karen-chan said. ¡°Though several more minor TV stations did air unedited and live footage. And the internet can¡¯t be restrained.¡± I took another dossier, glancing at it. ¡°So there¡¯s probably a little time.¡±


    ¡°Great. In that case... can you do me a favour and let everyone from Adamant know that we¡¯ll be having an important meeting this evening. That goes for all of you as well.¡± I said to Shiro and Shaeula, who both nodded. ¡°By the way...¡± I turned my head, looking outside, where a new series of construction was complete. ¡°Things have really moved on in just a few days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kana¡¯s been busting her ass. Grulgor too.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Makes me happy knowing I¡¯m not the only one. Since I had to rebuff Asha¡¯s Tree the moment I got back. We lost out on some ether, but overall it¡¯s not going to set us back much.¡±


    ¡°In fact, construction is actually ahead of schedule.¡± Karen-chan pointed out. ¡°The connecting underground station has been installed here, and the tunnel has been dug through to the factory site, though installing lights, the rails and more will take time. The factory is coming along well too. Though the tunnel to your new estate is going to take a lot longer, being as it¡¯s getting on for forty kilometres.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Everything seems to be in hand. In that case... ¡°Shiro, Shaeula... meet me in the Boundary.¡± I separated my Astral body for the first time since the battle at Choe-Museon Academy. ¡°We¡¯ll move to your mansion by the Spring and I¡¯ll try and get you your gift, Shaeula.¡± That way we will have some extra time.


    As the Fae nodded happily, I turned to Eri and Yu-mi. ¡°Eri, can you orient Yu-mi to my Territory and run her through how things work?¡±


    At her nod, I dealt with a few more minor matters, before ending up in a car, driven by Trey, heading for the Ministry, while in the Boundary, I entered the Ring Gate, Shaeula and Shiro (and more importantly, Tan) in tow. I feel a bit bad attending to all these problems before I¡¯ve even had chance to greet my family and the girls. But I¡¯ll see the girls later in the Boundary, where we are going to have to discuss who can get the Favours I¡¯ve brought back, if anyone can, and I can use my Material body once I¡¯ve met with Christina Bakker and discovered what she wants... There was so much to do, and so little time as always...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Four

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Four


    ¡°The place has changed.¡± I said, looking around at the mansion. It had now been fully refurbished after the battle with Ginneka and Kinneka led to its destruction, and it was a mixture of modern and Fae styles. The surrounding forest had also been replanted, but what was most different were the sheer number of Fae around, especially many nimble Sylphs, Sprites and other similar elemental-type Fae. Several of the little winged Fae flitted over, chattering curiously, but Shaeula waved them away imperiously.


    ¡°We are rather busy now. We can-can play later.¡± As the Fae scattered, Shaeula looked at me, grinning. ¡°However, I am most-most proud that the Spring and also the demesne brother Shaeraggo procured for me has become so popular. We should go-go to the observation point.¡± The mansion had a single tall tower in one corner, several stories higher than the rest, so it could see over the forest. As the doors opened, a number of maids greeted us, including Velna, Klena and several ratkin who were some of Ixitt¡¯s many daughters. Seeing that, Shaeula waved, and Shiro nodded politely, smiling wryly, as she confided to me. ¡°It sure is nice to be treated like royalty, but despite me being a princess...¡± She made her old joke, and Shaeula snorted happily. ¡°...I¡¯m not exactly comfortable with it. Tan sees it as her due though.¡±


    Cool drinks were pressed into our hands, and as we reached the top of the tower, we looked out towards the Spring, seeing fields of beautiful flowers, being lazily harvested by Mirror Bees, forests of trees laden with heavy fruit, and acres of shimmering golden crops. In the distance, the mirrored menhirs of the Spring shone brilliantly under the light of the massive moon overhead. ¡°It¡¯s good to see the barren, pestilent forest is almost gone.¡± I mused, and Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Primal Forest is sparing no-no effort to wipe away the traces of his hated Myconids.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°But we can-can profit greatly. With the fruits of our harvests we can make many-many valuable products.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still more surprised how malleable the lands here are.¡± Shiro observed, echoing some of my previous thoughts. ¡°I mean, the Spring wasn¡¯t on this side of the Seelie Court originally, right? Makes you think. And wonder just what Tan¡¯s Territory back in her own lands is like.¡±


    We made cheerful talk for a few more minutes. On the Material I was still in the car heading to the Ministry, and the further increased difference in rates of time flow was hurting my head, so I cut them short. ¡°Sorry, but we need to get started.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Shiro says you have something that can-can strengthen me.¡± Shaeula¡¯s amber gaze was pleased. ¡°But not-not a full Favour, yes?¡±


    I nodded, and briefly explained how I had separated some of Jarovid¡¯s Favour to give Shiro a part that suited her. ¡°Morana¡¯s Water is similar. I have a decent compatibility with it, but... there¡¯s also some of it which I think is much more useful for you.¡±


    ¡°I see. It surprises me that you have advanced so-so quickly. Now you can influence the crafts of the very-very Gods themselves.¡± Shaeula was proud of me, puffing out her chest happily, as if it was her own achievement. ¡°You are indeed-indeed a prodigy!¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eyes flashed crimson. ¡°Such a term is not used lightly in the higher Astral and the Territories of the Pantheons. A Prodigy is one who reaches a certain measure of talent far more swiftly than others. It is somewhat fitting here. However...¡± Tan cautioned us. ¡°Not every Prodigy goes on to greater things. Many find they have merely reached their limits sooner than others. It is not about who can go quickest, but who goes furthest.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for the advice.¡± I said gravely, and Shiro¡¯s face moved to a solemn expression as Tan acknowledged that, before Shiro laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take her words too much to heart, Aki. Tan¡¯s just being tsundere again. She thinks you have what it takes, or she wouldn¡¯t have made her offer to take us away with her. In any case... to us you¡¯re not a prodigy, but a hard worker.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Well, it¡¯s not a big deal, I mean, even Eri¡¯s gained the Class now.¡± There was silence at my words, before Shaeula raised one eyebrow.


    ¡°I see. I can not-not deny being rather frustrated. And also curious.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°Shit, the thing Eri¡¯s best at is being a little pervert who just wants to keep you to herself and...¡± At my expression, she trailed off. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t...¡± As Shaeula started cackling, I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, seems Eri¡¯s even recognised by my Eye.¡± I sent a thought to Eri. Shiro and Shaeula seem a bit surprised by your growth. By the way, how¡¯s Yu-mi doing?


    She¡¯s fine. Rather amazed by everything, but she¡¯s not a bad girl, so she¡¯ll fit in. I¡¯ve taken her up the Tree. Oh... you need to speak to Asha later, okay?


    As I sent an affirmative thought back to Eri, I considered the other advantage of Lovers¡¯ Link now. Eri¡¯s aether was a pool I could draw from should we both consent, and while compared to me it was a puddle, it was a substantial puddle in times of great need, and sustain in battle was always my greatest weakness. I can fight hard and well, but as my stores of aether and elemental energies run down, my effectiveness drops. It¡¯s a shame elemental energies don¡¯t seem transferrable, at least not yet. Sending back some affirmative thoughts, I turned back to Shiro and Shaeula. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s something you should all strive for, as the Class benefits are really good. And if Eri and I can do it, you all can too.¡± I paused, struck by a thought. ¡°Oh... well I¡¯m actually not sure if you can, Shaeula, as prodigies are usually ranked by age...¡±


    ¡°How rude.¡± Shaeula sniffed, though she took no actual offense. ¡°In terms of the Fae, I am young yet-yet. Do not-not disparage me. I wish to stand equal to all who are-are beside you. I will not-not be left behind.¡± She raised one eyebrow quizzically. ¡°Shiro, how-how about a wager?¡±


    ¡°Gambling with you is a terrible plan, with your crazy luck.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°But as there¡¯s not chance involved in this... sure. Next one to gain the Class wins. Who do you think it¡¯ll be, Aki?¡± Her smile was a little teasing now, as she put me on the spot. Actually...


    ¡°While I hardly think we can guarantee anyone else will get the Class, I do have a good guess as to who it might be. Though...¡±


    ¡°Not one of us, huh Shaeula?¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°I guess Aki is underestimating us, and he definitely doesn¡¯t want our buffs here.¡±


    Knowing she was just joking, even so, I played along. ¡°Oh, no, I implore you for your support.¡± I begged, squeezing out some fake tears. ¡°I¡¯d be helpless without you, Shiro, Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Glad that you know it.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Anyway, do you want the new buff as well?¡± she said, as Anesidora¡¯s blessings flooded into me, strengthening my ability to manipulate the hidden property of the Favour. A cool wind blew around me, as Shaeula also buffed my Fortune.


    ¡°Not yet. I need all my concentration right now, so I¡¯ll only use it when the timing is right.¡± I replied. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get started.¡± I used my Eye and all my senses, probing Morana¡¯s Drowning Lake Of Self-Sacrifice. It contained a strong adherence, water-aspected, and it was also tangled up with other concepts, some of which I could understand, control, sacrifice and devotion, as well as some I couldn¡¯t quite discern. The Favour, despite being somewhat damaged, quivered eagerly, as if willing to merge with me, but I resisted, seeing what I wanted. I was silent in the car on the Material, Trey knowing not to bother me, and I minimised my senses there, allowing me to focus as much of my thoughts as possible on the task ahead. The control... I don¡¯t need or want that. It¡¯s not the sort of power for me. But...


    Forming blades of aether and adherence, I slowly isolated those parts of the Favour, though the division was hardly clear-cut, like roots digging into soil. Worse, while I could make out the areas of absence, and even slightly feel the hidden aspect to the Favours, I was still working almost entirely blind.


    Winds And Waters Of Devotion And Worship is a blessing that directly causes the blessed beings to hold great feelings of affection, love and respect for the wielder, and those of weaker wills or already holding positive feelings will even find an urge to worship the wielder. Commands issued will not be refused unless they are directly against the core beliefs or safety of the affected being, and Water and Wind Elements can be expended to strengthen this effect, overpowering others and forcing them to comply, yet they will feel it is of their own volition they do so, and they will feel great pleasure and happiness to serve. The affect of Charm and Majesty of the wielder of this blessing is significantly increased at all times, dependant on the amount of Water Element held. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s broken.¡± Shiro observed. ¡°You could easily take over the world with that.¡±


    ¡°I have no-no need.¡± Shaeula grinned happily, pleased at her newfound strength. ¡°We shall do that together and need no-no crutch such as this. But once again, I thank you, Akio. You have not-not ever refused to aid me, not-not since the day we first met. I think it was I who was born under lucky-lucky stars. In fact, I certainly was.¡± I remembered the story she told me of the day of her birth, while she winked. ¡°As always, I do so-so love your gift.¡±


    ¡°Yep, we certainly got treated well.¡± Shiro agreed, now eyeing me. ¡°As for you, Aki, what¡¯s your benefit?¡±


    ¡°Several points of Charm, Sacral Chakra to Rank five, and a new Skill.¡± It¡¯s certainly less than what I would have gained if I had absorbed the full Favour, but I¡¯d rather share this one out.


    Soothing Waters Of Self-Sacrifice allows you to use your bodily fluids to soothe curses, poisons, misfortune and other ills a being is experiencing, though your own Fortune will temporarily be suppressed in response, and if you have a resonance with the target of your ability, you will also take on the damage they are suffering. Your bodily fluids contain the power to heal, and your own natural recovery rate and regenerative ability is enhanced by the amount of Water Element you possess. The effects of your Charm and Majesty are significantly increased at all times, and long-term exposure to your bodily fluids will very slightly increase the Majesty and Charm of the being so exposed. Damage caused to you by your own bodily fluids, most notably blood, will be dramatically decreased, and you can soothe the damage done to others by their own fluids by application of your own. You can imbue Aether, Adherence and ???????? into your bodily fluids. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°That¡¯s a... very specific... set of abilities.¡± Shiro said, rather stunned and a little uncomfortable. Shaeula was laughing loudly, and I felt a touch embarrassed myself, as Shiro continued.


    ¡°So, sounds like you can make healing potions out of your...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!¡± I warned, flushing. ¡°Tears! Tears are safe!¡±


    ¡°Sure. I was just going to say ¡®out of your tears¡¯.¡± Shiro lied. ¡°It¡¯s a very strange Skill, but it compliments my Berserk Blessing, and your Resonance. Which is what you wanted, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, anything that can help your buffs stack up gives us huge potential when working with Asha¡¯s Tree. In fact, we should go see her and run some final tests...¡±


    ¡°Nope, not happening!¡± Shiro cut me off firmly, surprising me a little. Shaeula followed up with another denial.


    ¡°Indeed. You shall-shall test it on us. It must be certain there are no-no dangers.¡±


    All right. I guess since Asha is in a pair with her Tree, there could be unforeseen problems, and if we damage the Tree that would wreck our plans. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll run a few quick tests before seeing the others. I still need to say hi to Asha, Daiyu and the others anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, Shaeula...¡± Shiro said, frowning. ¡°The effects of this ability have to be kept a total secret. Otherwise...¡±


    Shaeula agreed again. ¡°Indeed. Otherwise Akio will be quite-quite surrounded by those looking to profit from him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, some women would do anything to boost their Charm.¡± Shiro nodded.


    ¡°Oh come on. Nobody¡¯s going to start sucking out my blood for a very slight increase... are they?¡± I finished uncertainly, as matching eyes of amber and black stared at me, annoyed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate women. Besides, I don¡¯t even need Tan to tell me that when you add adherence into the mix, certain fluids are going to work better.¡± Shiro complained. She opened her mouth, before pausing, then changing what she was going to say, cheeks and neck a little red. ¡°For example, when you were a kid, did your parents tell you when you fell down and hurt yourself ¡®just put a little spit on it and it¡¯ll be good as new?¡¯. I mean, mine never did, but I¡¯ve heard others mention it. So I think spit would heal better than tears. Blood too, obviously.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± I had to agree, being rather experienced in these subjects now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the only part of it I need is the ability to reduce the damage from Boiling Blood and your buff.¡± Now I can overclock Boiling Blood to push it even further beyond Body Enhancement. ¡°Right, well I need to find a home soon for Jumong¡¯s and Aergia¡¯s favours, as well as whatever the one we get from the bastard who attacked my sis and the others is. Though I¡¯m a bit short of adherence to transfer one, even with the top-up I got from the pseudo-breakdown of Morana¡¯s favour.¡± I looked at Shiro, and her eyes blazed red.


    ¡°Very well, I will supply you. But do not think I am forgetting the great debt you are building up towards me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± I promised Tan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m already sure of how I¡¯ll repay your efforts.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± she replied, before relinquishing control once more.


    ¡°All right then. We¡¯ll do some quick tests, then go see the others...¡±


    As I was saying that in the Boundary, on the Material I had arrived at the Ministry and entered quickly. I was soon shown to a meeting room, which was guarded by Lieutenant Nakano. He nodded a greeting, and as I entered, I saw Major Sasaki and another military Chosen I wasn¡¯t overly familiar with, as well as Motoko¡¯s father, who looked furious. Seeing me come in, he also greeted me perfunctorily, and my gaze was drawn to our visitors. I recognised the massive, nigh seven-foot-tall man with dark skin and dreadlocks from London, the Chosen codenamed Titan, and when he saw me, his eyes narrowed, before he gave me a polite greeting. ¡°Hey man. Long time no see, ya.¡± I nodded back, then turning my gaze to the woman, Christina Bakker, still in her ratty lab coat, a turtleneck jumper underneath it, her legs crossed in faded jeans.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t the man of the hour, Akio Moonstone Oshiro. Nice to meet you again.¡± She grinned widely, seeming amused by my shock. What the hell happened to her? Didn¡¯t she heed my warnings? Her admittedly pretty face was covered in brutal burns along one cheek and around her eye, while her chin and neck were also mottled with scars. As she held out a hand to me, I noticed her little finger was missing, and her hands also bore more burns and scars. On seeing my surprise, she merely smiled more broadly. ¡°Oh, are you worried about me? Isn¡¯t that so very kind of you? Well, no point wasting valuable time, is there? We are both busy, busy people!¡± She waved her hand, clearly intending for me to shake it, in the way Westerners usually did. ¡°I¡¯m here to fulfil the promise we made you!¡±

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Five

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Five


    ¡°Promise? You mean the kidnapped citizens? Yes, we wanted them back, but showing up out of the blue like this...¡± Since she was glossing over her injuries, I chose to ignore them for now.


    ¡°Kidnapped? Adam hates it when you say such things. Though from a scientific standpoint, which values accuracy, it¡¯s hard to argue.¡± Christina responded, though her eyes showed no hint of shame. ¡°But yes, we did have some idea of inviting you to retrieve them yourself...¡±


    ¡°As if we would let Oshiro-san travel to America after the attempts on his life by your agents!¡± Motoko¡¯s father snapped. ¡°You must think we are fools and pushovers.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Christina shrugged, while Titan seemed ill at ease, worried the situation would escalate. He was sweating as he looked at me, clenching one hand reflexively, probably remembering our prior meeting. ¡°While I¡¯d just love to get my hands on Akio here and find out what makes him tick, I¡¯m not a fool. Besides...¡± Her smile was now strangely off, a little disconcerting, as she hugged herself. ¡°...I still need to thank you for your gift. Investigating that other world and the secrets it hides within has been so very rewarding!¡±


    ¡°Even so, to show up unannounced...¡± Tsumura-san said bitterly. ¡°...especially now. The timing could hardly be worse. It¡¯s almost deliberately problematic...¡±


    ¡°It was an interesting broadcast.¡± Christina changed the subject, looking at her phone. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a show-off. Or did the Koreans leak your performance on their own accord?¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Tsumura-san growled, and Christina giggled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go blaming us. I can assure you that America had nothing to do with it, or if they did, they weren¡¯t going through us. Adam hates you, but he also doesn¡¯t believe in poking the bear. In fact, he¡¯s rather pleased, I would imagine. The one thing he hates most of all are powers that influence the mind. I can¡¯t say I disagree in principle. After all... intellect is the precious root of all things, and without free will, there can be no true discovery, or enlightenment. But since you dealt with the matter that will be another couple off the Vermillion List.¡±


    ¡°Vermillion List?¡± Tsumura-san said, seizing on that, and Christina shrugged again.


    ¡°My mistake. Adam will be very angry if I leak any of his secrets. It wouldn¡¯t do for me to die before I¡¯ve finished researching all that this new paradigm has to offer.¡± She glanced at me, remembering what I had asked for in exchange for Chirurgery. ¡°All I¡¯ll say is it¡¯s a ranking of all the enhanced humans... and I suppose non-humans too... that the US is aware of. Don¡¯t forget, we are world leaders in technology, and have many political connections. South Korea is no exception. We have quite the military presence here. Just as we do here in Japan.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Tsumura-san asked, and Christina simply laughed derisorily.


    ¡°A threat? I¡¯m not in any position to threaten anyone. I¡¯m merely a scientist. Besides, matters are... more complicated... than you probably imagine.¡± Tsumura-san opened his mouth to interrupt again, and Christina looked at me, seeking help. ¡°Akio, can you please tell him to stop barking at me? It¡¯s giving me a headache, and I don¡¯t want my excitement to dim.¡± She looked at me, cheeks flushed. ¡°I have much to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Father-in-law, please calm down. I¡¯ve met her before, she¡¯s... well, not very diplomatic. Don¡¯t try and read into her like you would a politician or military man. Besides, I can handle it.¡± I wasn¡¯t anywhere near as close to Motoko¡¯s father or mother, as I was with her grandfather, but after going to London with them our relationship was starting to improve. ¡°Miss Bakker...¡±


    ¡°Please, just call me Christina. I hardly have the time or inclination for such formalities.¡± She countered, so I did so.


    ¡°Christina... I¡¯m grateful you finally kept your end of the bargain and returned the Japanese and British nationals, but there are a few issues. Setting aside your abrupt arrival... what about citizens of other countries you¡¯re holding?¡±


    ¡°The others? Well...¡± she looked around. ¡°You¡¯re recording this, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to make diplomatic incidents out of this matter.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think what you¡¯ve done is wrong and evil, and I don¡¯t condone it, but I can¡¯t force America to do anything. However, you must know that sooner or later you¡¯re going to have to come clean. And the longer you leave it, the worse it¡¯ll be.¡±


    Titan looked very uncomfortable at my accusations, but Christina merely rolled her eyes. ¡°Adam has it well in hand. I know you think me... wrong and evil...¡± She repeated my words in a dry tone. ¡°...but progress is vital. We simply have to know. Science is built on the backs of hard decisions, sacrifices and the misfortunes of others. War drives progress. Many technologies we take for granted come from wartime efforts, and some of them were from terrible regimes.¡± She paused, touching her scarred face. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. I know you despise me. But I am no hypocrite. I simply need to see the truth, and I had no ways before. Now I can, thanks to you. But...¡± she looked around. ¡°You want to discuss some matters best left unknown, don¡¯t you?¡± Her senses were keen, and she had picked up on some of my body language.


    I turned to the others. ¡°It¡¯s all right. You can go. I¡¯ll handle this.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d rather stay, if I can, son-in-law.¡± Tsumura Minoru-san said, his expression still icy as he looked at Christina. ¡°This is a matter involving the military, due to the actions of the Americans, and father is still in Korea handling the other mess.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You can stay.¡± I agreed. ¡°Major...¡±


    After agreeing, the soldiers left us alone with Christina and Titan, knowing I could protect Tsumura-san with ease. ¡°So, yes, as a matter of fact I do.¡±


    ¡°First, here is the manifest of the returned citizens.¡± Christina passed me a file, which contained twelve names, seven Japanese and five British citizens, ranging from nineteen years old to forty. ¡°The classifications have been amended. You know, originally we divided them into three types, Physical, Effect and Mystery, with an additional three Growth types, but now my research has shown...¡± Once she started talking, her eyes were shining with enthusiasm, and she couldn¡¯t help but explain grandly. ¡°...that¡¯s incorrect, as every ability has power to grow. Not just that, but even I have been able to achieve a measurable shift. Though with a sample size of one, it¡¯s premature to conclude that...¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I scanned the documents as she continued to explain her reasoning. It was certainly interesting that Christina had been able to increase her abilities without actually levelling up, even if the gain was small, but thinking about it, it was only logical. Being exposed to aether is beneficial, and I assume that it¡¯s not impossible to Rank up Skills as well which will grow stats... it¡¯s not hugely different to exercise building up strength on the Material... but Levelling is an easier, more significant boost.


    ¡°These are some interesting reports.¡± I mused out loud, turning to my soon-to-be father-in-law. ¡°I assume you¡¯ve read them before I arrived?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The information is of vital importance to our national security.¡± He agreed. ¡°There seems to be a few gaps though. Like it doesn¡¯t mention which God they have Favours from.¡± Seeing my surprise, he had the grace to look a little embarrassed. ¡°Motoko and I talk, of course. She is always eager to discuss you, and you¡¯ve made no secrets of your blessings to your allies.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I agreed. Hearing our conversation, Christina nodded vigorously, as though her neck was a spring.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we deem relevant. The classification of the ability, the effect, general power scaling... those we care about. The so-called God has little to do with these strange powers other than flavour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re not exactly right. You¡¯re still trying to apply scientific logic to everything.¡± I disagreed. Besides, it matters for one more reason.


    ¡°Without logic and causal connections, there can be no consistency, no effect.¡± Christina disagreed, however she paused. ¡°Though from our last meeting, I am highly aware that you are more experienced. Would you care to enlighten me?¡± She leaned forwards eagerly, twisting her body, showing off her ample assets, even hidden by her turtleneck, and she crossed and uncrossed her legs in an attempt to look sexy. ¡°I¡¯d be more than grateful to repay your favour.¡±


    Beside me, father-in-law looked furious, and I scoffed, remembering her insinuation before that she¡¯d happily give her body to me if it would gain her some research materials. ¡°I think you need to look in a mirror and learn to read the room. You look a fright, and I¡¯m sitting here with the father of one of my women. In fact, you met her at the gala in London.¡±


    ¡°By all means, answer it.¡±


    Seeing the caller was Tsukiko, I had an idea what it was about. ¡°Hi, sorry I haven¡¯t seen you since I returned.¡± I apologised, but she wasn¡¯t upset.


    ¡°It is fine. I understand you have many demands on your time.¡± She said with little preamble. ¡°Akio, I have had a dreadful dream. I closed my eyes for merely a moment, and...¡± She let out a long, worried breath. ¡°The great White Dragon of the West roared, feathered wings stretching out and shining more brilliantly than the sun. Many beams of light were cast forth, raining down around the world, scorching the lands below to glass. Many bolts struck Japan, but as the bolts fell on China, the serpentine Red Dragon with scales of shining jade roared, and the light shattered.¡± She paused for breath. ¡°I do not believe it was merely a nightmare, but a vision from Tsukuyomi, who has graciously not forsaken me.¡±


    ¡°If Tsukuyomi had, we¡¯d be having a falling out. You¡¯ve given everything for him.¡± I assured her. ¡°Do you get a sense of danger too?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She agreed, worried. ¡°A thick cloud of it is starting to build, hanging heavy over us.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s time to take precautions. We¡¯ve been through this before. I¡¯m planning to have an important meeting with everyone this evening, we can start then.¡±


    ¡°I will not keep you. I am aware you are busy.¡± Tsukiko said, having imparted her message. She paused for a moment, then let out a worried sigh. ¡°Akio, tomorrow, I was hoping we could finally see my parents, accompanied by Yasuhide. I... wish to establish a new relationship with them, and... have you do so as well.¡±


    The nervousness in her voice is oddly cute. It¡¯s the gap between her age and maturity, and her utter lack of normal life experience. ¡°Of course. We definitely need to settle it. After all... I need their permission to date their daughter.¡± I said slyly, and there was an embarrassed silence, before we exchanged farewells. Hanging up the call, I turned back to Christina Bakker.


    ¡°You might not believe me, but I have ways of knowing when something bad is going to happen. And talking to you, I started feeling very troubled. I hope for your sake you aren¡¯t planning anything...¡± I released my League, and Christina went pale, eyes wide, and her body started trembling.


    ¡°No... I... have no... cause to... harm you. I...¡± Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth and nose. ¡°... you told me... if you hel... helped me... that I would.... have to...¡± I relaxed my League, and she let out a shuddering breath. ¡°That was cruel. Titan, why didn¡¯t you do anything?¡± she wiped away the blood.


    ¡°Ya think I can?¡± Titan said, his own trembling stopping. ¡°He be a monster, I¡¯m not on his level. Besides...¡± Titan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Just a warning, no? You mentioned his sister a lot.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I nodded approvingly at Titan, who while arrogant when we first met, seemed to be a realist and held no grudges, having accepted I was above his level. ¡°There¡¯s little trust between us, with the history between me and America right now. But...¡± Deciding to show a little goodwill, I stepped towards Christina. Titan half-moved to block me, before realising he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What... what are you going to do?¡± she said uneasily, and I sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like looking at your face.¡±


    ¡°How rude. I¡¯ve always been praised for my facial symmetry and clear...¡± She let out a cry as I placed a finger against her horsehead and let aether flow. Her scars began to fade, burns vanishing, and even her missing finger regrew, though she moaned and sweated at the pain of that. Once I was done, I returned to my seat, and after a short while, she recovered. Glancing down at her fixed hand in surprise, she touched her face and neck, before pulling up her turtleneck, exposing her belly. ¡°Even here...¡± she said, surprised. ¡°I must admit to being rather shocked you¡¯d help me. After all, for some reason you don¡¯t seem to like me very much.¡±


    ¡°I think the reasons are plainly obvious. But it costs me nothing but a little effort so...¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why I did it myself. I definitely didn¡¯t like the woman, but she had brought us information, even if I was sure that Adam White, her boss, had vetted it and so I couldn¡¯t fully trust it. ¡°...just be grateful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am, you shy boy.¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m hardly well-versed in romance, but I¡¯m not an idiot. You did it because you like me! No need to hide it!¡± she preened, and I was once more struck dumb by her totally unwarranted confidence. ¡°Anyway... I assure you that America will in no way attempt something stupid like kidnapping your sister or your family and trying to blackmail you. That time has passed. You¡¯re too much to control. It¡¯s like riding a tiger. Getting on might seem a good idea, but then how the hell do you get off without getting mauled to death?¡± She giggled happily. ¡°Now, I need to point out that even if there¡¯s all these mysterious powers, which science can¡¯t yet explain, such as luck manipulation or energy creation, perceiving the future has to still be impossible, as if you can perfectly predict the effect, then there¡¯s no such thing as free will, and I refuse to accept that as a scientist and an atheist!¡±


    ¡°I thought the same to start with. Even with all the weird happenings and strange powers, I found foretelling the future hard to swallow.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen too much. I¡¯ve heard various explanations, such as it works a bit like a Laplace¡¯s Demon.¡± Saying that, Christina¡¯s eyes narrowed, her interest piqued. I thought a scientist of her calibre would have heard of that. ¡°It¡¯s certainly not immutable, though, the predictions can be changed, courses shifted. So free will and cause and effect aren¡¯t disregarded. I know that for a fact.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s rebirth proved it. We succeeded in changing her fate.


    ¡°That¡¯s... hard to swallow, but it makes sense.¡± Christina mused. ¡°But again, I assure you I¡¯m not here to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Says the woman who turned up unannounced.¡± Tsumura-san complained. ¡°There are proper diplomatic procedures to follow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s hardly time for that. I have research to do!¡± Christina shook her head, unwilling to be bothered by such things. ¡°I agreed to .... provide you with some help.¡± She hesitated to say the word spy, but she remembered our agreement. ¡°So I¡¯m willing to do so, to an extent. I¡¯m a woman of my word, you know!¡±


    ¡°In that case, just to be clear, America isn¡¯t going to be involved in any upcoming trouble, right?¡± I pressed, and Christina shook her head.


    ¡°Not that I know of. Adam is a pragmatist. He won¡¯t press you, after all, we heard of your threats last time. Nobody wants you coming after us. But that doesn¡¯t mean that certain factions aren¡¯t working towards their own interests. America is hardly politically united, and our President... he¡¯s got his focus on next year¡¯s election, and he¡¯s not the most... calm of men.¡± She snorted sourly. ¡°Not that I care who runs the country, Republican or Democrat, just so long as I can do my work unhindered, and with a suitable budget.¡±


    ¡°Right. In that case...¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I do have some matters I want to know. And it¡¯s in your interests to tell me.¡±


    ¡°If I can.¡± She said airily, though her eyes narrowed warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for specific Chosen. We touched on it earlier. From the Norse Pantheon. I have reason to believe that there¡¯s at least two in America.¡± I explained the locations I believed they were to Christina, and her eyes widened at the level of detail I provided, thanks to Yasaka-san. Though he collapsed before he could use his Book to find all of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the of Project Star Mirror facilities... uh... the black one.¡± Christina muttered. ¡°Oh, if Adam finds out you know about that, I¡¯m in serious trouble.¡± She tried to look seductive. ¡°You¡¯ll make it clear you¡¯re protecting me, won¡¯t you Akio?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Honestly, I really dislike her, but if she helps me, then I¡¯d feel too guilty to let the Americans disappear her for treason. ¡°So, since you¡¯re their head researcher, you must know.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. We weren¡¯t too concerned with the Gods involved, some didn¡¯t even know, but this one stood out. He was... memorable.¡± She sighed. ¡°Always shouting about ¡®Thor this, Thor that¡¯. I thought he was a bit wrong in the head even before... well, everything.¡± she said, expressing some remorse, although it was clearly superficial.


    ¡°Thor? Sounds like he could be who I¡¯m looking for. Can you release him to me? I understand if that might be an issue, but we¡¯ve already taken back the British hostages as well, so...¡±


    ¡°Adam wouldn¡¯t like it, but we could... except for the fact he¡¯s dead.¡± she said bitterly, and I paused, stunned. Dead? That¡¯s a shock, but... according to Minerva¡¯s Book, some of the seeds still exist there?

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Six

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Six


    ¡°Dead?¡± I confirmed. ¡°How?¡± Narrowing my eyes, my tone grew harsher. ¡°Did your experiments push him to his death?¡± If so, they must have been cruel indeed. I doubt a Chosen of Thor would be lacking in physical strength and endurance.


    Christina was trembling again at my sudden outpouring of League, stirred by my fury, but she met my gaze as boldly as she could muster, despite her trembling body and more blood that dripped from her nose. ¡°I understand you¡¯re angry with me. After all, some might say what we¡¯ve done was inhumane and cruel. But we didn¡¯t do it because we enjoyed it.¡± She managed to strike back. ¡°I¡¯m Christina Bakker, genius scientist, and I pride myself on getting to the bottom of any mystery! If there¡¯s other ways, I take them!¡± She puffed out her ample chest proudly, even as she shook and shuddered. ¡°There¡¯s always sacrifices. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. And I can assure you, we¡¯ve done our best to put your citizens back into an... acceptable... state.¡±


    The fact she thinks that is what¡¯s so frustrating. ¡°So if I put you or your family and friends through such experiments, tore your flesh, shattered your minds, all in the name of progress? Would you just clap your hands and forget it afterwards, and go ¡®oh, the ends justify the means¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I can only speak for myself, but most definitely so.¡± Christina said without hesitation, and I was surprised, though in hindsight, considering her previously scarred state and grateful enthusiasm for my Chirurgery I shouldn¡¯t have been. ¡°If it¡¯s not torture for torture¡¯s sake, and you can solve the mysteries facing us by breaking me, then by all means...¡± She spread her hands wide, her fear somewhat suppressed. ¡°...do whatever you will to me. I won¡¯t resist. Unless you like that.¡± She couldn¡¯t resist a little dirty humour.


    ¡°I can see why you¡¯re still single, despite your looks...¡± I muttered, my anger dying down to embers at her frank, and I believed honest, rebuttal.


    At my praise of her looks, which was all she paid attention to in my complaints, she looked ready to speak, only to shut her mouth, realising I was in no mood for flippancy. ¡°So if your experiments didn¡¯t kill him, then what happened? I want the truth.¡±


    ¡°Adam¡¯s going to be angry with me.¡± She muttered. ¡°I¡¯m almost too scared to go home for a while. Maybe I¡¯ll have to stay here... but then, my research...¡± she groaned, before making up her mind to speak.


    ¡°We picked up the loudmouth with a set of our operatives. It took a lot of effort to bring him down, his body was extremely resistant to the drugs, and our rubber rounds which should have broken bones just made him angry. We lost two good men. Though compared to your efforts he fell a bit short.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± I urged. Titan scratched as his head, before speaking.


    ¡°Egil, he was a big guy, ya? Makes me feel a bit small. Shouldn¡¯t have run his mouth though, man. Drew too much attention. Breaking world records so easily, plenty stupid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Christina agreed. ¡°Keeping a low profile was necessary before. Now it¡¯s impossible, too many secrets are out to the public, but back then... anyway, we took Egil Andersen to our facility for interrogation, and all he would tell us is that he was blessed by Thor himself, a winged messenger brought him a gift. Oh, and of course, he promised to smash our skulls like Thor crushed Jo?rmungandr. I looked it up of course. Backwards mythology.¡± She snorted, bitterly amused. ¡°Or not, it seems. Though without seeing a God, I won¡¯t believe they actually exist.¡±


    ¡°Depends on how you define Gods, but I could certainly prove they exist.¡± I said, and she looked interested, before continuing.


    ¡°I¡¯d very much like that. So many questions could be answered... without the need of the sort of experimentation you disapprove of. Anyway... his strength and durability were both significantly higher than his world record displayed, so I suppose he had some common sense, if by no means enough to escape notice.¡±


    That¡¯s rich, coming from you. ¡°How strong are we talking? His word record was over half a ton, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but in battle against our operatives, I¡¯ve seen footage. He displayed strength a number of times that. He picked up and threw an off-road vehicle which weighed more than two tons. And his physical endurance was beyond human.¡±


    ¡°So, minimum of four hundred in Might. Probably more. Not bad.¡±


    ¡°You can share how you quantify things?¡± she asked, distracted again, and I shook my head, urging her to continue.


    ¡°In any case, he was very useful to our research. We were able to test a lot about how a human body can be strengthened, and also the differences between here and the other world, the Boundary, as you¡¯ve called it. But he was more cunning than we gave him credit for. We¡¯d thought he was calmer, had accepted his situation, but he had kept an ability from us. When he was taken to the Boundary for testing, he called lightning and killed two of our own guarding him. In the scuffle afterwards, he too died. A shame, a real shame.¡± She shook her head, disappointed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t cage a Chosen, not easily. Especially not in the Boundary.¡± I observed, downcast. What a waste. Three dead Chosen, and for nothing. There¡¯s few enough of us to go around to begin with, and all over the world numbers are running low. I felt the pull of adherence from the Favours I was holding, more determined than ever to prevent their loss, yet worried about the consequences of hoarding so many. ¡°Not without overwhelming advantages.¡± Like Arisu-san¡¯s room, otherwise I¡¯d never dare to keep that bastard captured, I¡¯d have had to remove his Favour first.


    ¡°So it seems. It wasn¡¯t the first accident we¡¯ve had, but it¡¯s never easy getting the balance between safety and experimental freedom right.¡± Christina sighed. ¡°The situation is a lot better now that we are recruiting more beings from that world, but... there¡¯s resistance, of course. They aren¡¯t human, after all. Not that I care. I much prefer an intelligent monster over the average idiotic, self-absorbed and narrow-minded citizen.¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Did you keep his body?¡± I asked. Honestly, I¡¯ve not looked into what happens to a Chosen when they die. I know the Favour is pulled back, but...


    ¡°The corpse? Of course. Though many of my fellow researchers wanted to get rid of it. It¡¯s evidence of our failures and... international diplomacy.¡± Christina did understand their actions were problematic, even if she felt them necessary. ¡°But that would make a mockery of the work we put in, and also the sacrifice of our people and Mr Andersen himself. He¡¯s dead, however it happened, so we might as well make use of him. Not that we¡¯ve done anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes pragmatism needs to be balanced with emotion, but...¡± I sighed then. ¡°I¡¯ve done some pragmatic stuff myself, which isn¡¯t exactly... good.¡± At her knowing look, I frowned and clarified. ¡°I¡¯ve not done anything as wrong as you did though.¡± Kondou Kazuo, the invading Chinese and the Chosen in South Korea were all justifiable... but Yamato-san, it¡¯s harder to stomach. I had good reason, I did, but... I still wonder if there was another way, now my fury at his mistakes that led to Eri¡¯s maiming and so many deaths has faded a little. And with the footage of my sis... ¡°I want his body.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Adam is going to allow that.¡± Christina hesitated. ¡°The fact I¡¯ve even told you is making me shiver. He¡¯s of the belief that the few can be discarded for the greater good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, unfortunately that doesn¡¯t work.¡± I remembered the prequal to a famous visual novel, that had been adapted into a number of anime. ¡°There was a righteous man, who gained the power to change the world. He wanted a peaceful world, but to do so the power required removing the few to protect the many. But then, more and more of the few would have to be sacrificed, until eventually... everyone was. Once you start down that road, it¡¯s hard to stop. If sacrifices need to be made, we should make them ourselves, not force others to do them. I¡¯m not messing around, I¡¯ll be prepared to be diplomatic, and work with you all to not cause an international incident, but I¡¯m not asking.¡± I paused, coming up with the most plausible excuse I could. ¡°As a fellow Chosen of the Norse Pantheon, it¡¯s my responsibility to make sure his remains are cared for properly and he has a decent, spiritual funeral. I¡¯ll also try and make amends with his family, if he has some, pay compensation, not that any payment is enough to cover the pain of lost relatives. That goes for any other Norse Chosen too, and also the Japanese ones. I told you there¡¯s more to the God that gave the Favour than you considered, and now you know a little more. Aren¡¯t you lucky?¡±


    Tsumura-san didn¡¯t know what my purpose was, but supporting me, he agreed, seeing that Christina was hesitating. ¡°Yes, if Oshiro-san requires this, then it is in your best interests to relinquish his remains into our care. Our relations are strained, an act of goodwill now would go a long way to starting down the road to repairing our cooperation, in these most troubling of times..¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll... talk to Adam. When I work out a way to not get killed.¡± Christina said wryly. Her expression showed she was joking, but there was genuine worry in her eyes. ¡°So... do you want to go see the others now?¡± she asked, clearly eager to change the subject, so I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, we probably should.¡± I certainly hope they aren¡¯t in a terrible condition, but I¡¯m not holding out much hope...


    ********


    At the same time as I was talking with Christina in the Material I hurried back through the Ring Gate to my Territory. Going to the warehouse, the first girl I found was Daiyu, who was studying the Heirloom Jade Seal Of Kunlun, as well as the Yin-Yang Karmic Desolation Measure Formation and a number of other items. On seeing me coming, she looked up, her usually expressionless face breaking out into a small yet delighted smile.


    ¡°You have returned, I see.¡± She said, and I opened my arms for a hug. She was still shy, and Shiro laughing behind me didn¡¯t help (Shaeula had stayed behind to manage some matters in the Fae Realms, but would be back later for the meeting, bringing Hyacinth too), but after a moment she stepped into my embrace, arms encircling me. We kissed softly, before she told me she had missed me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too.¡± I said and meant it. ¡°About the Talismans...¡± I confessed I hadn¡¯t needed them, and Daiyu only shook her head softly, a gentle smile on her lips.


    ¡°This is a wonderful place now. Rich earth and water elements, the power of nature... and a blessing I do not comprehend, but is fecund with the power of fertility. Besides...¡± She reached for my hand and took it, and for a moment my thoughts turned to Asha when we had first met her, a tortured, near-broken spirit, covered in pestilent fungus and other parasites. Now she was vulnerable again, in a different way. ¡°...I wish to bring forth life, while I can never replace my sisters lost to save me, I wish to make the world, our world, bloom anew. But only with you, the one who saved me from my despair and suffering. Are... are you not pleased?¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to use my expanded vision to know that everyone around me was glaring at me. Even so, despite my great Alacrity and Split Thoughts, it was as if I was wading through treacle, my thoughts slow and ponderous. Me? A father? For a moment I didn¡¯t know how to feel, what I was feeling. I immediately felt inadequate. After all, up until just a few months ago, I had run from any responsibility, from those I cared about, and this... this was the greatest responsibility of all. But then... I¡¯ve changed. I¡¯ve accepted love from many, and given love back. Even... even Eri...


    Stop looking at me, idiot! Asha should be your focus now. But I get it. Your thoughts and emotions are leaking. I¡¯ll say my piece in a minute. But... you love Asha, right? Else you never would have slept with her in the first place. You may not be faithful to us alone, but I know you¡¯ll only share your heart with those you want to love. Now don¡¯t be an idiot moonstone, as Aiko might say...


    Eri¡¯s thoughts through Lovers¡¯ Link jolted me from my shock, and I squeezed Asha¡¯s hand gently. My thoughts were coming back to normal speed, and I realised the biggest worry. That the world wasn¡¯t safe. But was that a reason not to have children now, waiting for a better future that might be years, decades, centuries away, or instead... I think I get it. Or maybe I don¡¯t. Damn, I¡¯ve never talked to father about this sort of thing, for obvious reasons. I probably should have...


    ¡°Asha, you¡¯re sure? Oh, of course you are. Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m feeling a little shaken up...¡± There was some gentle laughter from the others. ¡°I... I don¡¯t know what to think. I wasn¡¯t prepared, but...¡± I pulled Asha into another, heartfelt hug. ¡°Asha, when I accepted you, I agreed we would be together forever, and... yes, one day, I thought of children. With you all.¡± I reassured Eri, Daiyu, and Shiro. Tsukiko too, though she looked away, not fully intimate with me yet, though her face held some strange longing.


    ¡°Not with us, I hope.¡± My sis said to Yu-mi, who laughed heartily, though her expression was warm. I guess talking about pregnancy and children hits most women the same way.


    ¡°You are not displeased?¡± Asha asked, voicing her true worries. ¡°I know your mortal women are taking some strange preventative measures...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re on birth control.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Well, apparently you don¡¯t need to, right Daiyu?¡±


    Daiyu agreed. ¡°I can regulate such functions of my body with Qi. It is a vital art for female Cultivators. I... I see myself having sons and daughters in the future to carry on the Incorruptible Jade, but... not now. I have too much to learn, too much strength to gain, and revenge to obtain. Besides...¡± She smiled at me warmly. ¡°... I wish to spend time with my Dao Companion, without the distraction of caring for a child. We are young yet, and will live long. There will be time for responsibility after we have lived our youth.¡±


    ¡°I left it to chance the first time.¡± Eri said to Asha. My sis muttered that she remembered, flushing crimson, and Eri waved a hand at her, before continuing. ¡°I wanted it for the wrong reasons. Now... until I truly have the strength to protect a child, I won¡¯t have one. Besides, perhaps I would have been a bad parent before this. Too wrapped up in my own selfish desires. But...¡± she gazed warmly at Asha, who was still in my embrace, trembling a little, but happy. ¡°...while I¡¯m jealous I wasn¡¯t the first... I¡¯ll have my time. I¡¯ve learned what¡¯s important, and maybe even some patience. And Asha... perhaps giving Akio children will make him less reckless. When you¡¯re a father, you have to be more responsible. Otherwise uncle... father-in-law... will kill you.¡± she said to me, firmly.


    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have kids. I mean, my body would definitely not be able to carry a child to term, and it would likely have killed me trying. Now... I¡¯ve got too much going on. But... I agree with Eri. I¡¯m damn jealous, Aki. And our kids would be bloody gorgeous. Yours too, Tsuki.¡±


    Tsukiko also gave her blessings. ¡°Just as the moon is a symbol of fertility, so too is Tsukuyomi one to encourage us to be fertile and procreate. I too never thought of ever having children. I never believed a man would look at me as you do, beneath the veils I hid myself with. My own parents... they loved me, I know it, but not in a way that raises healthy children. So...¡± she looked at me, her crimson eyes shrewd. ¡°...I am not confident I could be a good mother. But I will learn. One day. Together with you, I do believe. So I offer my blessings. Asha, Akio. May you both learn how to be better parents than many of ours.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be shittier than mine, But if he is...¡± Shiro looked around, and nodded at Eri, giving her leave to speak.


    ¡°As the first of us, I think I should be the one to say we¡¯ll not be pleased. We may be jealous, fight for your affections... but we all agreed, back before even Shiro was a thing, to never bring each other down, only raise ourselves up. So... if you¡¯re a bad father, Akio, we¡¯ll correct you. Though we might need help learning to be good mothers ourselves. Asha... you¡¯re going ahead of us. So when our time comes...¡± She bowed, as did the others, my sis and Yu-mi merely looking on, amused. ¡°...please take care of us!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Asha said, glimmering tears sparkling in her eyes like jewels.


    ¡°In that case... time to say what¡¯s on your mind, Aki. And be honest.¡± Shiro prompted, and I looked at Asha, my swirling emotions a mess, but one thing stood out. I¡¯m nervous, scared, unsure, worried... but most of all I¡¯m happy.


    ¡°Asha. Thank you.¡± I said, and she looked at me puzzled, as I simply repeated it. ¡°Thank you. For loving me enough to bear my children. I promise to always protect you, protect them, and protect our home.¡± Words were coming from my heart now. ¡°I¡¯ll also protect your sisters, both those here who also love me, and those others you have that I¡¯ve not met. If you want the world to bloom, for our children, then bloom it will. I¡¯ll...¡± I clenched my fist. ¡°...I¡¯ll never let Earth be destroyed. I¡¯ll become Astral Emperor, and fend off any who would threaten it. There will never be an ending like the Spring under the Myconids. Only an ending like where we beat the Myconids, and make it beautiful again.¡±


    Asha was looking at me, her fears dissipating, her eyes now like clear golden pools, full of love and trust, and I bent to kiss her soft lips. For a long moment we kissed, and as we parted, I continued gazing into her eyes. ¡°So thank you. I¡¯ll thank you every day, with words, deeds, love and affection. And I¡¯ll offer the same to our children. Because they¡¯ll be the fruit of what we¡¯ve shared, and precious treasures to us too. Thank you.¡± I was choking up, something I never expected to happen, and Asha¡¯s smile was blinding.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°I thank you too. For my life, and my home, and for your pledges. I shall always be yours, our children shall know my love, and your family and home shall be protected, sheltering under the shade of mine and many other great Trees. So I do swear these three Oaths. In exchange... I ask for the boon of your love eternal, your protection and care for the daughters I shall birth, and... that who you take under your protection will always find succour, shelter, safety and love.¡±


    ¡°I offer those Boons willingly.¡± I promised, feeling the solemn nature of her words. ¡°But... I¡¯m not Fae, not entirely. So I¡¯ll not stop at three. Four, five, ten, a hundred, a thousand. I¡¯ll give you as many boons as the stars are in the sky. Hell, I¡¯ll pull down the stars if you want them, or our children need them. So... thank you, Asha.¡± I touched her belly gently, though obviously I couldn¡¯t feel anything through the cloth. At that, the girls whooped and clapped, even Eri, who was doing it wryly.


    ¡°So, does everyone know but me?¡± I asked, embarrassed, after kissing and hugging Asha again, and she snuggled into my shoulder, her long hair warm against me. If so, that¡¯s rather mortifying. But... I find I don¡¯t care anymore...


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. Mom¡¯s been going crazy. She¡¯s driving auntie Hana up the wall.¡± My sis laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know how I feel about being an auntie, I¡¯m not old enough. But... it doesn¡¯t feel bad. And if they are Asha¡¯s daughters, they¡¯ll be adorable little saplings, I bet...¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡± Yu-mi asked, curious. ¡°How will you handle inheritance? It¡¯s a thorny issue for an ordinary family, or one that¡¯s had a remarriage.¡±


    ¡°Simple.¡± I said. ¡°My children... our children, they won¡¯t get to fight. You agree, right Asha?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°So long as they have their Trees and the beauty of nature, and... and our love for them, they will be content.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all they¡¯ll have. I¡¯ll make sure I have enough wealth and power to make every child we have happy. And... all of us will guide them on the right path. Rise up, not cast down, right?¡± I repeated Eri¡¯s sentiments, and she nodded firmly.


    ¡°Exactly. Anyway... Asha, are you happy now?¡± she asked. ¡°I know you believed in Akio, but... I know it has to be a big step, your first child. I can barely even imagine it. I can¡¯t believe I was so immature before.¡± Eri seemed shocked as my sis put her arms around her.


    ¡°Wow, don¡¯t be so down on yourself. You just had to grow up, and stop being the girl that only followed my bro around. You had to grow up too, bro.¡± she said to me as well. ¡°It took you longer than it should, but in the end, I¡¯m proud to call you my bro, and I¡¯ll be sure to spoil your kids rotten!¡± She turned to Asha. ¡°You and my bro can be the strict ones, we¡¯ll be the aunties they really like!¡± She winked, and there was good-humoured laughter. Asha looked up at me, my hand still on her belly, and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°I do not fully understand human childbearing, but I know... as a Dryad, it will not harm my daughters to continue to... be as one.¡± Her smile was teasing, and I found myself kissing her fiercely, while everyone else started up conversations around me about the uncertainties of Fae pregnancy and the fact we didn¡¯t have any clue about the due dates, while in the Material, I shook my stunned immobility off. Just how many kids does Asha want? When she said she wanted to make the world bloom, does she mean with our daughters in every open Tree? If so... if so, I would be having a lot of children, and equally as many with the others as well, I was sure. I¡¯d best work hard. I¡¯m going to need a bigger house...


    With that, I shouted loudly. ¡°All right, it¡¯s a toast! Break out the good booze and snacks, and when everyone¡¯s gathered together and we have a spare minute to ourselves, we¡¯ll have a proper party, inviting everyone.¡± My sis cheered loudly at that, and goblets of fruity wine were pushed into our hands. ¡°I¡¯ve said it, but I¡¯ll say it again, and again. From now until eternity. Asha... thank you!¡±


    ¡°We need no thanks between us. Only love to moisten parched ground, and trust to sprout happiness.¡± She countered. ¡°Otherwise I would have to spend eternity thanking you. So let us set that aside, and instead say...¡±


    We clinked our glasses together and took a sip, to the cheers of the others. ¡°I love you. And I¡¯ll love our daughters too.¡± We said together, and while my worries about whether I was ready, whether the world was ready, for me to be a father, didn¡¯t vanish, they faded to the background, replaced by a certainty that I would fight to the end if anyone tried to harm Asha or the life she was carrying within her...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Seven

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Seven


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Christina asked me, and I blinked, nodding, getting back to what we were doing. The person in front of me, a middle-aged man of Caucasian origin, was looking at me, a trace of fear in his blue eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re smiling. Good news?¡± Christina pressed, and reflexively I touched my face, to realise I was indeed smiling. Of course I am. I¡¯m excited, nervous, unsure, my emotions are a mess. But... I¡¯m happy.


    ¡°Yes, unexpected but good. But that¡¯s not important now.¡± I continued to address the man in front of me. ¡°So, you¡¯re not sure what happened to you over the last few months?¡±


    ¡°No... I... it¡¯s all a blur.¡± The man said, looking a touch vacant, and his expression betrayed a nervousness even he perhaps wasn¡¯t aware of the cause of. ¡°I... well, they said I¡¯d been in an accident and required rehabilitation. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here though. This is Japan, right? You¡¯re Japanese... though your English is great.¡± The man said, impressed.


    I turned to Christina, who shrugged, clearly unwilling to speak further in front of the victims, so I continued my kind questioning, my Eye shining brilliantly. On seeing that the returned citizens were surprised, but not shocked, as they obviously still remembered they had abilities of their own. I explained it was to help me check their conditions, and they all calmed down, though again their unease and fear seeped through, bodies trembling, eyes downcast. I guess even removing memories doesn¡¯t entirely erase the traumas. Definitely going to need Haru on this one, once she¡¯s finished dealing with the Korean situation. Haru was flying back for the big meeting this evening, though then she would be back to Korea for a few more days, as the victims of Choe-Museon were also extremely traumatised.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re here as I have special skills.¡± I finished. ¡°But soon you¡¯ll be able to go home, see your families again. Maybe in a week or two. In the meantime we¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re comfortable. Might as well see some sights while you¡¯re here, no? Japan¡¯s a nice country.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... thanks.¡± The man said, and I moved onto the next one after a while, a Japanese woman in her late twenties. We exchanged pleasantries, but she was also still very confused, and concerned about her family, as she was the caretaker for her parents who weren¡¯t healthy.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made provision for their wellbeing.¡± Tsumura-san promised, and that calmed the woman. ¡°They never gave up hoping you were still alive. I am sure they will be overjoyed for a reunion.¡±


    The woman opened her mouth to ask about just what had happened, only to start shuddering, her jaw clenching, and she swallowed her words, only managing a strangled affirmation. Seeing that, and what else my Eye could discern, I gestured, and Christina and my soon-to-be father-in-law stepped aside.


    ¡°This is a mess.¡± I growled, furious. ¡°I can still see scars on their bodies, despite your attempts to fix them. And they clearly still aren¡¯t right. Talking to them, it¡¯s as though there are bits missing. Their reactions are subtly off, and they seem scared of everything.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done the best we can.¡± Christina protested. ¡°Yes, there are... absences. The memory alteration technique isn¡¯t an exact science. We¡¯re lucky we needed it, and the cat who has the talent is someone Adam is able to trust, or else...¡± Christina made her throat-slitting gesture again. ¡°Mind control, memory alteration, compulsion, domination, illusions... anything that affects free will he deems exceptionally dangerous. It must be rigorously controlled. You¡¯ve seen the Matrix, right?¡±


    I nodded, having watched it when it was on TV a few years back. ¡°Your point?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s a terrible film. Makes no sense at all.¡± She snorted, amused. ¡°The machines would be better off burning the humans and their food for fuel rather than introducing greater inefficiencies by using biological processes and their waste heat. Now I did hear originally they were meant to be used for a neural network, which does remind me of some clever research in Russia, but...¡± she trailed off, seeing I wasn¡¯t amused. ¡°It was a joke. Obviously my point was that once you realise that everything you feel and experience could be fake, nothing can be trusted. If your thoughts aren¡¯t your own, are you really you? I can see Adam¡¯s point, though the scientist in me says that if something is indistinguishable from reality, it is real.¡±


    ¡°I get that. And that¡¯s not the only dangerous ability.¡± Hyacinth... honestly I think she could wipe out all life on Earth now if she tried hard enough, and that worries me. If she can do it, can others do something of equal scale?


    ¡°We¡¯re not natural enemies, Akio. Not at all.¡± Christina giggled. ¡°We have more in common than you think.¡± She looked at me, seeing as I was starting to look uncomfortable, a faint trickle of blood coming from my nose. ¡°You¡¯re experimenting right now, aren¡¯t you? On yourself? I can tell.¡± She inquired eagerly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but... I¡¯m not like you.¡± I insisted. She was right about one thing though, while I was taking care of my business here, I was also in my other subtle body, running through Shiro¡¯s new buff and how I could mitigate the downsides. I had just switched to restraining it with both my bodies, using Boiling Blood Resonance Link and Soothing Waters Of Self-Sacrifice. Now that I was using my Material form as well, the escalating backlash was visible to Christina, who was annoyingly observant.


    ¡°How is it, Aki?¡± Shiro was asking me, seeing as I looked rather pained. The great Rhyming Tree was swaying even though there was no breeze in the Boundary, and the brilliant glow around it and the skies above had intensified, being nearly twice as strong.


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Asha.¡± Eri was saying, and Daiyu agreed.


    ¡°Akio will be fine. Such wounds are nothing to him. But Asha is with child...¡±


    Asha nodded, feeling a little tense, one hand on her belly, the other on her Tree, yet her expression was trusting. ¡°I watched your tests, and how they were managed without harm to any but Akio. I believe no danger will befall my Tree, yet... the sensation is strange.¡± She stroked the bark tenderly, and she herself was glowing with the brilliant light of elemental energies, and I could see that a change was left in Asha, her spiritual body more dense, solid somehow. ¡°I feel slow moving sap racing, the stately thoughts and feelings of my other self normally ponderous as the seasons, now rapid, like the tides.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your Tree is so huge that it¡¯s both a blessing and a curse.¡± I laughed, despite the pain, though I was more than able to cope with the escalating punishment through the Link, my Ether Healing keeping up. ¡°The effect of Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing is spread over a large area, but conversely, the backlash on me is magnified. I feel a bit like a used rag.¡±


    ¡°Aww, suck it up baby.¡± Shiro snickered, though one of her eyes were crimson. ¡°Tan says this is a very impressive Tree.¡± she said to Asha, who looked proud. ¡°The higher Astral of course has forests of similar plants, and other wonders, but this Tree is working at a pace that borders on the strongest worlds that have yet to shed their Boundaries. She¡¯d be delighted to have it in her Territory... what¡¯s the problem, you said it, I¡¯m just sharing. Don¡¯t get all tsundere on me now...¡± Shiro criticised Tan jokingly, before looking more serious. ¡°There¡¯s a problem though. No, two problems, really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kyoto troubles.¡± I observed, seeing the sky trembling. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Boundary is supposed to have this sort of ether density.¡±


    ¡°It is rather refreshing though.¡± Daiyu laughed. ¡°I can feel my Qi building just standing here.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we are getting to a difficult situation.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I believe I can certainly keep this up a few hours more, especially since having two bodies I can cheat the resonance and split the punishment in half. But we are going to either have to deploy Artificial Ether Spires here as well to try and keep the ether density from spreading and causing the Boundary to fracture, or just suck it up and let the Boundary crack... but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re ready for the consequences of that yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the second problem is... this is going to attract a lot of attention. We¡¯re already constantly being bothered by attacks on our borders.¡± Shiro observed. ¡°I mean, calling it a bother is wrong, I suppose. Maybe call it free xp and loot?¡±


    My sis laughed at that. ¡°No kidding. They can¡¯t handle the forces here, so they just get taken out, but the numbers are increasing, I hear, right? Especially on the coast.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t the strongest force out there. If an etheric tide happens, every damn thing that washes down from the lower Astral, or worse, further out there, will be drawn to us like we¡¯re burning a beacon.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°There is another solution.¡± Tan declared. Not letting Shiro speak for her this time, and I found it rather amusing that she was so easy to tease. ¡°Simply reach a Territory of the fourth Rank and it will buy you some time. The problem will not go away, but...¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Eri pointed out. When Yu-mi asked her what she had realised, Eri explained. Yeah, I get it too. It¡¯s obvious really. ¡°Shaeula¡¯s home, the Seelie Court, has a number of Trees like this, right Asha?¡±


    ¡°As my Tree is now, perhaps only three to match or exceed it. But in its normal state, unaffected by your great powers, Shiro...¡± Shiro flushed and looked away at her praise, a charming sight which made me smile. ¡°...likely hundreds. Though many are lost and few are born anew. Although...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I met her eyes, my expression resolute, my mind made up . ¡°New ones will be born.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± By rough estimations, we could reasonably expect to double the ether output of the Tree, though not all the time, as it took time to escalate, and it would eventually reach a point the Tree would be harmed. That would happen almost instantly if I wasn¡¯t resonating and soothing, but fortunately I¡¯m able to cope... ¡°We can pull the Artificial Ether Spires back to here for now, and concentrate on squeezing out as much ether as we can. We need another hundred and fifty-five million, give or take. I reckon if we aim for an extra million per day on the Material, then that would take us to roughly five million a day, or just after the turn of the year for the instant construction. We might make less, or possibly more, but if we say an average of a million, it makes estimation easy.¡± I can¡¯t always be available to pair with the Tree, and there¡¯s no way we can use Berserk Blessing without me mitigating it. Asha¡¯s... Asha¡¯s pregnant. At least we only have to worry about preparing clothes and toys for one sex... it¡¯ll be a girl.


    ¡°...it will change your destiny.¡± I promised. ¡°Great responsibility comes with significant rewards. You¡¯ll be under my full protection, and I¡¯ll never betray you, so long as you do your duty. Now...¡± my eyes narrowed, and I was surprised, as I could already feel someone perfect for a Favour, surprising me. I followed my instincts, only to see a small doll-like figure kicking her legs in desultory fashion. On seeing me looking, she was stunned. ¡°... there are three Favours. One that honestly I think is not of great use, but even a weak Favour allows Territory construction and no level cap, so it has value.¡± I explained about Aergia¡¯s Favour. Unfortunately other than Azuki, the Zashiki-Warashi, there seemed no other suitable candidates.


    ¡°The second...¡± I raised my voice to address the crowd. ¡°Is a martial favour, the ability to cast forth arrows of light to strike distant foes with unerring accuracy. I believe those skilled with the bow and light element should be suitable...¡±


    ¡°Motoko, you should go for this.¡± Natsumi said eagerly. ¡°With your skills, and Aiko graciously ceding it to others...¡± My sis flushed at that, proud but embarrassed. ¡°...you should take advantage. We need to learn more elements, so light makes perfect sense for you.¡±


    Motoko looked at her, frowning. ¡°While I am reluctant to focus on one part of the path of Tsumura Arts above the others, I do want to be useful to Akio. However... is not what you have said to me also applicable to you, Natsumi? You are equally skilled with the bow, and can learn light element just as easy as I.¡±


    Natsumi shook her head. The crowd were also talking to each other, and before they could speak further, Bell spoke up, raising a hand. ¡°I wish to try for it. I understand it makes more sense for one of your wives to take it, since you are a generous husband...¡± She grinned, teasing me, our relationship having deepened a little since we had fought together in the trials of the Tengu. ¡°...but even if you decline my feelings, my loyalty you wouldn¡¯t dare to question, would you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, I have no complaints, Bell.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Soliteare also volunteered. ¡°I¡¯m as skilled as Bell and rather disappointed you never took me on your trip. I was so jealous. I want to try as well. Grandfather wanted me to be helpful to you, and... other things. But I am no less worthy than Bell.¡± She paused, looking at Moira. ¡°How about you? Interested? Though you¡¯re more towards the dark than the light.¡±


    Moira pursed her lips, frowning. ¡°No, I am no fighter, but in charge of strategic thinking. It would be wasted on me. However, ideally, it should definitely be retained by Akio and his direct family or subordinates. Such rare powers are too valuable to mishandle.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Natsumi pressed. ¡°Motoko, your competition is fierce. Do your best to win, I¡¯ll be cheering for you!¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡± Motoko didn¡¯t seem grateful, instead, her face was pale with suppressed fury. Seeing that, I opened my mouth to intervene, but Eri grabbed one arm, and Daiyu the other.


    Mouth shut, Akio. This is one of those times we girls have to sort things out ourselves. It must be tough for them, their relationship is old, deep and complicated. They¡¯ve changed, but some habits are hard to break. Eri¡¯s thoughts echoed in my head, so I shut my mouth, uncomfortable. Widening my vision with aether I could see that Shaeula, Tsukiko and Shiro were looking on knowingly. Hinata too. She had hurried back with Haru, and her bad mood caused by the Korean situation lifted a little as she looked at Motoko and Natsumi affectionately, with some exasperation too.


    ¡°Yes, of course. You¡¯re my best friend...¡± Natsumi began, only for Motoko to take a deep, shuddering breath.


    ¡°Akio, can you shield us from scrutiny for a moment? This is a ... family matter. Just for us.¡± she asked, so I nodded. I told the crowd we¡¯d be a moment, and to consider their own options carefully, and a wall of rock blocked us from view.


    ¡°Am I your friend, Natsumi?¡± Motoko asked, and Natsumi seemed offended.


    ¡°You¡¯d ask me that now? I love you Motoko, I always have. I¡¯ve always been by your side, so I want what¡¯s best for you...¡±


    ¡°Tell me the truth, Natsumi.¡± Motoko pressed. ¡°You want the Favour just as much as I, do you not?¡±


    Those words silenced her, and Natsumi looked sad for a moment. ¡°I do, but you¡¯re better at Tsumura Arts than I am, and...¡±


    ¡°I do not want to hear excuses or rationalisations. I want the truth. If I am your friend, no longer your master, or above you being as my family is high in the Fifty-Eight... then give me that. I never lie to myself, nor should you. Not even if you think it is what I want, what you want.¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡± Natsumi looked sad, before slapping herself across her cheeks, the sound loud. Lowering her hands, I could see her cheeks were now red, and her eyes too. ¡°Of course I want to be someone Akio relies on, I want the power to be by his side in battle, not a burden. I want to use Tsumura Arts to make a difference. But I have to be true to myself, you should go first and...¡± Natsumi was surprised as Motoko hugged her. Motoko¡¯s eyes told me what I needed to do, so I encircled them both with my arms, a three-way hug, feeling each other¡¯s warmth.


    ¡°Motoko, Natsumi. You¡¯re both equal in my eyes. Who¡¯s better now, who can stand at my side, who can fight... we¡¯ve only just started this path. The future isn¡¯t determined by the now, only by how much we support each other. So... Motoko, tell Natsumi how you feel.¡±


    ¡°I want a Favour. You are correct. But I do not merely want to be given it, if it could also be yours, Natsumi. Because... I struggled to see the correct path. It was Hinata and Aiko...¡± the two of them were surprised at her words. ¡°...who showed me it was wrong to merely treat you as a bodyguard. We... we love the same man, and we love each other. And Akio is right. If it is not now, then it will be later. But I will never rob you.¡± She turned to look at the others as well. ¡°None of you. My love for Akio and for you all is no lesser than anyone else. And I have my pride too. Natsumi... I may be your instructor in Tsumura Arts, but in terms of serving our husband, we are equal. I shall merely be Oshiro Motoko, and you will be Oshiro Natsumi. Our status, our skills... meaningless. All that matters is our hearts. So... please do not try and bow to me, step down in front of me. I would hate that, it would break my heart, and Akio would hate it too.¡±


    ¡°I would.¡± I agreed. ¡°Deciding who gets what Favour is hard, as it¡¯s such a treasure it feels unfair to those who miss out. But I¡¯ll be sure to be fair, and I have some ideas. Trust me.¡± I winked. ¡°Besides, you might not win, Bell and Soliteare seem fired up!¡±


    Natsumi suddenly giggled, face flushed. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of myself. Honestly... yes, I want to be the one who wins, but thinking that I¡¯ve taken the opportunity from you, Motoko, it¡¯s hard! I know we¡¯re equal.¡± Her flush deepened. ¡°When we served our husband together on the bed, my heart accepted it. But what the heart accepts, the mind doesn¡¯t always. Sorry. I see you as my big sister, my teacher, my lord and my friend...¡±


    ¡°We are the same age...¡± Motoko said, a little irritated. ¡°I am not the big sister.¡±


    ¡°You seem more mature.¡± Natsumi laughed. ¡°Honesty time... I¡¯m jealous of you all. It sometimes seems I¡¯m not needed. I don¡¯t have powers, I don¡¯t bring connections like Motoko does, not really. I... sometimes wonder why you...¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I kissed her then. She was surprised, but moments later she responded, her tongue tangling with mine. As we parted, Motoko rapped her on the head.


    ¡°Silly girl. As your teacher, I am disappointed. Tsumura Arts requires a steadfast heart, clear mind and unclouded eyes. It is about love, not gain.¡±


    ¡°Well said. I know you understand, Motoko.¡± Eri approved. ¡°None of this! Now I¡¯ve finally resolved my heart and mind, I won¡¯t let Daiyu or you go off the rails, Natsumi! Akio loves you. He loves me. He loves us all. He probably has a lot more love inside him, more¡¯s the pity. But what matters is not which of you takes the Favour, only that whoever gets it ends up helping Akio. There¡¯s always a path to power. After all, I don¡¯t have a Favour, and I¡¯ve developed a new way of helping a lot!¡± She said smugly.


    ¡°All right, less boasting.¡± I smiled. ¡°So... Motoko, Natsumi... you both have an interest?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± Natsumi said, her mind made up. ¡°Sorry, Motoko. I wasn¡¯t thinking with my heart.¡±


    ¡°I shall punish you with a thousand repetitions of the basic forms, to clear your mind of doubts.¡± Motoko smiled charmingly. I gave her a kiss too, to be fair, and released them, the rock wall crumbling behind us.


    ¡°Sorry about that, everyone.¡± I addressed the crowd below. ¡°Family drama. In that case, anyone else think they might have what it takes?¡± Honestly, Motoko, Natsumi, Bell and Soliteare weren¡¯t incredibly compatible, and certainly couldn¡¯t take it now, I could tell, but with some adjustments, they might be barely able to, like Kana was able to take Ks?itigarbha¡¯s favour after mastering earth element. Other than Azuki, who I would speak to when this was done, nobody else stood out, except...


    ¡°If I may speak?¡± A surprising hand shot up, and it was Miss Aditi, one of Eleanor¡¯s companions. ¡°I was favoured by Arjuna, and though I was robbed of my strengths, I still have an urge to fight for princess Eleanor, and for what is right. I... if I may challenge your trial, good sir, I would be forever grateful.¡± She curtsied elegantly.


    Now that... I did not see coming! Exchanging a glance with Eleanor, who also seemed surprised, I frowned. Her compatibility isn¡¯t there yet, but... it¡¯s no worse than the others. What to do, what to do?

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Eight

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Eight


    Eleanor looked troubled at Miss Aditi¡¯s sudden request, but Aditi held her ground. I didn¡¯t know her well, not at all, but judging by the reactions of her companions, such wilfulness and determination seemed unusual. From the little contact I¡¯ve had with her, she¡¯s always seemed rather softly spoken and polite.


    ¡°I... am not sure what to say.¡± Eleanor began. ¡°Aditi, we have no right to make such a request, but do you believe you could succeed?¡±


    Aditi wasn¡¯t sure, but her brown eyes were resolute. ¡°Princess, I have no idea. But... if a chance could come my way to replace what was lost, and once again stand by your side, I wish to seize it.¡±


    The members of Adamant and the crowd looked on, curious. Our allies from Britain came up to the stage me and my girls were on, and I communicated silently with Eri, who said I should decide based on how I felt, and I was surprised when David spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s a big ask, sure, but we¡¯re all friends here, right?¡± He draped an arm around my shoulder, grinning savagely, amused. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get the urge to help out your girls, playboy.¡± He winked at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°Ordinarily I¡¯d cheer for you both, especially you, fangirl.¡± He addressed Natsumi, who rolled her eyes, but she wasn¡¯t displeased. ¡°But little miss Indian here is one of my comrades, and as the battle-king of Britain, heir to Caturix, I don¡¯t let my comrades down. So forgive me.¡± He winked, and Natsumi giggled.


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully brave.¡± Shiro chuckled. ¡°Flirting with Natsumi here in front of Aki.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not flirting.¡± David snorted, amused. ¡°I¡¯m not the sort of man who needs to steal women from other people. But I¡¯m a professional, I have to respect those smart enough to be my fans!¡±


    ¡°As egotistical as ever, Mr Reckless.¡± Mary-Jane said quietly. ¡°If I may... as someone who knows what it is to lose these new powers... some may see it as a relief, perhaps. Setting down their burdens, but for those of us who have stood beside Princess Eleanor, and our other comrades, we know... if we don¡¯t carry it, someone else has to take that weight as well. If I could have my powers returned... I waver, but perhaps I would, despite the danger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you understand me well.¡± Aditi agreed. She bowed to me and the Princess. ¡°I certainly do not feel I have any entitlement to this boon. In fact, I have been receiving your kindness...¡± she said to me earnestly. ¡°...for some time. First in saving my life, and secondly, in showing me a path to regaining some strength and purpose. And I am no liar. My parents raised me to be upright. So I certainly cannot pledge to serve you, for I have already given my word to Princess Eleanor. However...¡± she curtsied again. ¡°...I can assure you that as long as it does not compromise my integrity or harm the efforts of the Princess, you can call and I will answer.¡±


    ¡°This is... troubling.¡± Eleanor said at last. ¡°We are allies, certainly, though asking for this seems a bit much.¡± She paused. ¡°Though of course you had no hesitation in robbing me for your aid, so my conscience could stand it, I think.¡±


    Shaeula laughed at that, coming over. ¡°Of course. And there will be more-more to take. Vassals and wives, both-both shall have their due, as agreed. But...¡± she was serious now. ¡°Even your treasures pale in comparison to the gifts-gifts of these Gods. But do not-not let the value sway you. It is simply a matter of inevitability.¡± She snorted happily. ¡°After all, Princess of Humans, you are tied to us by the very threads of Fate itself.¡±


    ¡°Miss Aditi, you are here, so of course you can compete.¡± I said at last. I hoped that Motoko or Natsumi would win the Favour, of course, and I was tempted to offer it to them without question and let them decide amongst themselves, but that was short-term thinking. There were a number of benefits to this current plan, such as showing off our power to Adamant and my other allies, finding a host who would use the Favour to its greatest extent, and more. Besides, Eri¡¯s shown me that strength doesn¡¯t have to be tied to Favours. In fact, I imagine she could defeat a number of Chosen, should she fight them earnestly, though obviously any number with broken or deadly abilities would defeat her in turn. ¡°We¡¯re all fighting for the same thing, which is the safety of those we love, our countries, and humanity. We have mutual defence agreements and more. So... yeah. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    As Aditi thanked me, I waved it off. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get cocky, Motoko and Natsumi will be taking part too, and you can¡¯t count out Bell or Soliteare.¡±


    ¡°I will thank you anyway.¡± Eleanor said seriously. ¡°Again, you have treated us with great fairness, even if you did plunder the Tower.¡± She seemed unwilling to let that go. ¡°Miss Motoko, Miss Natsumi...¡± she nodded to Aditi¡¯s rivals in this challenge. ¡°...once more I apologise for nearly ruining an important event in your life with my own narrow-mindedness. It seems we are destined to be at odds.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing to be concerned about.¡± Motoko said calmly. ¡°In the end, our debut was a great success, and my parents and grandparents were proud, and my classmates envious. Akio is prone to being misunderstood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°It¡¯s just one more rival to battle. And there will be no hard feelings. If it isn¡¯t meant to be, it won¡¯t come to us.¡± As David praised them, admiring their martial spirit, it was settled.


    As Bell and Soliteare joined Motoko, Natsumi and Aditi on the stage, I explained exactly what the trial would entail. ¡°This may be over swiftly, or it may take days, weeks or longer. But essentially, the five of you have to complete to strengthen your compatibility with the Favours.¡± There were only people I trusted here, so after giving the crowd that explanation, I went into more depth with the competitors. ¡°There seem to be multiple facets to it. As to how people are chosen to bear these gifts, it¡¯s not entirely clear, but we do know from experience a lot of details.¡± Some weaselkin and ratkin maids brought us all refreshments. My girls were eagerly listening to me explain, and the members of Adamant and the Fae were also partaking in a generous feast laid out to raise morale.


    ¡°The first thing is it depends on the God. Personality traits and experiences like the Gods from myth seem to be an indicator. Like how I hate dogs.¡± I laughed at myself. A wolf like Fenrir wasn¡¯t a dog, but it was the little things like that which could make a big difference. ¡°Jumong is worshipped in Korea, and I have some basic information. In addition to personality, experiences seem to be a factor too. If you mirror some, then it seems more likely to take.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s down to the adherence, right?¡± Shiro questioned Tan, and nodded. ¡°Yeah, makes sense. You may not be able to make them yourself, but of course you¡¯d know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also having talent in the area. Since this is an archery-related favour, being a skilled bow user is likely key. Then there¡¯s elemental affinities. Having the relevant Skill seems to make you more compatible. Let me explain...¡±


    The description of the Favour was The wielder can call upon arrows of potent light, near invisible and as swift as an eagle, yet precise enough to strike even a fly in flight. Just as Jumong struck down many prey animals with his precise accuracy, so too shall your foes be pierced with arrows as swift as light. ¡°So breaking it down, it¡¯s a light element, but archery is also very favourable with wind. Swiftness and precision seem to be key. Honestly, my sis could likely take it, if she was so inclined.¡±


    My sis nodded proudly. ¡°Yeah, and don¡¯t get me wrong, my bro has doubled up, so I could too, but I¡¯d rather someone else gets their chance.¡±


    ¡°You are quite kind, Aiko.¡± Motoko praised her, and my sis looked embarrassed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. It¡¯s just logical. Sure, it¡¯d give me more offensive options, but... I¡¯m confident I can learn to get my arrows that strong without a crutch. And a lot of the other benefits are wasted on me. I was more than happy to concede to you or Natsumi-chan, but it seems you have it tough.¡±


    ¡°I fear no competition.¡± Motoko declared. ¡°Not fair competition, anyway.¡± At her glance, Natsumi flushed.


    ¡°Sorry. Can we stop talking about that now?¡± she replied, and there was laughter.


    ¡°So, if you need to borrow anyone, feel free. The twins and Haru can help with elements, and anyone else will be happy to support your efforts.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Hinata declared loudly. ¡°The competition is starting. Those of you from Adamant will be rewarded if your help pushes one of the challengers closer to success. So stay sharp!¡± Some of the members seemed excited at her words, and others were merely puzzled. I saw the two Shiraishi girls looking particularly lost, and I glanced at Hinata. Seeing where I was looking, she sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. They aren¡¯t used to things yet. But when the Tengokusentou is back in their hands, they¡¯ll understand. Now I¡¯m more determined than ever to make the Koreans yield!¡±


    ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t be shy.¡± Natsumi laughed. ¡°Are you coming, Motoko?¡±


    Motoko shook her head. ¡°No, I shall return to the Material for a brief while. Good luck, Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°You too!¡± As they hugged, their brief dispute resolved, the two Elves grinned.


    ¡°Akio, I¡¯m going to show you I have what it takes!¡± Bell said proudly. ¡°Watch me and think better of me, all right?¡± Her smile was seductive, and she grabbed Natsumi¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s a lot harder for us Fae to transcend our limits, but I know it¡¯s possible, I¡¯ve seen it many times now. So help me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me out!¡± Soliteare pouted. She nodded to me, seeming a little shy, before following Natsumi over to Shaeula, who buffed them with her fortunate winds. They then grabbed Haru, who let out a little laugh as they dragged her off towards the twins.


    ¡°You forgot me!¡± Shiro shouted, and Natsumi shook her head as Motoko entered one of the buildings and vanished.


    Spoiler[collapse]


    ¡°Akio won¡¯t force you.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°But what do you actually lose? We¡¯re only asking you to do what you really want. You¡¯ve had time to rest. I remember when Akio bought you for Shaeula. I was jealous. I mean, I was his girlfriend at the time. Now I¡¯m still a little jealous, but...¡± Cat ears and tail sprang into life, adorning her. At that, David let out a low whistle. ¡°...trust me. When the day comes and you need strength, don¡¯t look back on now and regret because you were fearful, lazy and weak and chose poorly.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Akio¡¯s other Vassals have it pretty easy.¡± Hinata joined in. ¡°He¡¯s ready to protect them, same as always. You¡¯ll have it easiest. Your Territory will just be for using a barrier or gathering resources.¡± Hinata had grasped my point, understanding that in the future, as my Territory grew, other Territories would be more useful for securing specific areas, rather than holding ground. ¡°And more to the point, don¡¯t you think you were rescued for a reason? It¡¯s not just to play around with us girls. Imagine the children. You could be their protector.¡±


    ¡°The children?¡± Azuki screwed up her face. ¡°I¡¯m not a doll, not a toy... but... I miss the children.¡± Her tone was mournful. ¡°A home is no home without a family. Go on, put me down!¡± Azuki beat at Hyacinth with her small fists, and she chuckled, letting her fall. ¡°Ouch, you did that on purpose, brute!¡± Azuki rubbed at her bottom through her long velvet skirt. ¡°I¡¯m honestly very lazy. I am. So I don¡¯t want to work hard.¡±


    ¡°No, it seems not. In fact, I¡¯ve never seen anyone less inclined to action. All you want to do is sleep, then occasionally play around. Even sending messages between here and the Material used to tire you out.¡± I grinned. ¡°But... that¡¯s why you¡¯re perfect, I guess. Azuki...¡± I knelt down so I could look at her on her own level, more or less. ¡°I¡¯m not going to order you. Power isn¡¯t a compulsion, it¡¯s a privilege. But... if you don¡¯t want to regret, take what¡¯s offered.¡±


    Azuki bit her lip, nodding. ¡°I never want to go into the darkness again. I like the light, the sound of others. Even when I sleep, I...¡± she clenched small fists. ¡°...feel those around me, and I know I am not alone, I have a home to dwell in. But... I¡¯m scared. Of change.¡±


    ¡°Foolish little doooll. Not all change is bad.¡± Hyacinth scoffed, though her eyes seemed a little kinder. ¡°But yooou are missing the most important poooint. Akio is the master of our household, the master of us. Dooo what he says, and be grateful!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it like that.¡± I scolded her gently. ¡°But...¡± I picked up Azuki, smoothing down her wrinkled dress. ¡°...compared to what you¡¯ve suffered, this will be over in a flash, and then you¡¯ll find your worries fading.¡±


    She looked at me, her red eyes watery, before nodding, and speaking in a tiny, quiet voice. ¡°If... if I must. Will... will there be much pain?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Some is unavoidable, but with my Chirurgery now, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to minimise it.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Shiro remarked. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to it. Hyacinth, you watch over her. I¡¯m going to cheer on Motoko and Natsumi.¡±


    ¡°I shall as well.¡± Shaeula agreed, and one by one the others moved to support the girls as they strove to improve themselves.


    ¡°Can we... observe?¡± Eleanor asked. They had experience of my Chirurgery, when I repaired Miss Aditi and Mrs Mary-Jane, but they were curious. Out of more than just a whim, if I¡¯m not mistaken.


    ¡°Sure. Not that there¡¯s much to see...¡± Not unless you have very good Eyes...


    ********


    ¡°That did hurt.¡± Azuki protested, pouting. ¡°I feel strange.¡± She tottered on unsteady legs, trying to get used to her increased abilities. The Favour did strengthen all of her attributes, but it wasn¡¯t a large gain. Even so, the small doll was likely much stronger than the average person now.


    ¡°Your network is closer to Ginneka¡¯s than mine, so I had some experience. I made a few mistakes, so I¡¯m sorry, but in the end we succeeded.¡± I patted her head, and she puffed out her cheeks, though she didn¡¯t look too displeased. Beside me, Hyacinth nodded, smirking.


    ¡°Yooou did well. Though a true servant does nooot need to be bullied into doing her duty. But... go rest.¡± That was the greatest concession Hyacinth could give, and Azuki blinked at her, shocked.


    ¡°You heard her, you might as well.¡± I chuckled, touched at Hyacinth¡¯s care. Despite their bickering and rivalry, though that¡¯s mostly in Hyacinth¡¯s head, I guess, they aren¡¯t enemies. ¡°Honestly, your duties won¡¯t change much, you¡¯ll just have a small Territory to manage, and be more aware of any threats to the home and our family.¡± While working on her, which had drained my lingering adherence, leaving me needing to go back to Tan for more, or destroy some other Favours, I had decided the best course of action, especially with my feelings of ominous Foresight, would be to have Azuki drop her Anchor at our new estate. There wasn¡¯t many resources around to exploit, so it wouldn¡¯t bring in much ether, but quickly pushing it to Rank 3 and constructing some Emplacements would give me peace of mind, and since we owned the land in the Material, attackers in both worlds would then be somewhat disadvantaged. The ether required can be ferried over by a convoy easily enough, and it¡¯s a pittance that won¡¯t slow our plans...


    ¡°Fine.¡± Azuki yawned. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy anyway.¡± Her eyes blinked slowly, and Hyacinth nodded, taking her from me.


    ¡°I will see her hooome. Have no fear.¡± Hyacinth promised, and I kissed her cheek as a reward, making her flush. I¡¯m not going further in company. Brits are similar to the Japanese, in that public displays of affection aren¡¯t a done thing.


    As they left, Eleanor was looking a little troubled. Sir Arthur then spoke to me, his blue-eyed gaze intense. ¡°Your abilities continue to impress. In fact, that is one of the reasons we have come. The Princess hesitates to speak of it. For some reason she seems a little shy around you now...¡±


    ¡°Sir Arthur!¡± Eleanor protested loudly, face red. ¡°I am merely feeling the pressure of gratitude. Grandmother, mother and father all taught me to pay back the good twofold, and Henry and Richard to pay back the ill fivefold. Even now, Akio is allowing Aditi a chance at... well, a second chance. It speaks well of him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not being honest, Princess.¡± David grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve been feeling the weight of carrying everything on your shoulders. It¡¯s good to share. Look man...¡± he said to me. ¡°...you know we¡¯ve had to deal with some shit. That stupid redhead, and Donovan, the fucking prick... well, it¡¯s time to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Mind your language, Mr Reckless.¡± Mrs Mary-Jane warned him. ¡°I know it is an upsetting matter, but we are in company.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, got it, teach.¡± He shot back. ¡°Anyway. Sarah... she¡¯s had enough, and we can¡¯t live in the past forever, none of us can.¡± His expression was calm, but I could see turmoil in his eyes. ¡°So she asked us to destroy her Avalon, and the brats and the mad nun¡¯s one too. So that we can strengthen ourselves, and get some damn closure. But... if it¡¯s possible for little miss Indian and teach here to get back what they¡¯ve lost, or at least a damn substitute...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time. My heart is heavy, but we can¡¯t put it off for ever. You say that you can feel danger coming, then we... have to be prepared, else our sacrifices, and overcoming the betrayal, the blood on our hands...¡± Eleanor¡¯s hands were trembling a little, I could see even though she was wearing gauntlets. ¡°...would be for nothing. We failed to do more than provoke several interlopers, who faced death rather than provide us any useful intelligence, so our reasons to leave up their Territories are no longer valid. Instead, it poses a significant risk, having thorns digging into the flesh of Britain.¡±


    ¡°A leader has to make hard choices. Your grandmother remembers the Second World War and the sacrifices that had to be made. This is no different.¡± Sir Arthur consoled her.


    ¡°Miss McLaughlin knows she has betrayed us, and also knows mere words and apologies are not sufficient.¡± Mrs Mary-Jane pointed out, her hands on her staff white with tension. ¡°As I said before, I am still not sure if I want to take up this burden again. My husband and children worry so, but if I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°A burden laid down is one others have to carry.¡± Sir Arthur finished.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind carrying it, as I don¡¯t do it alone.¡± I promised. ¡°But if you are compatible with a future Favour, or can be made so, then I can aid you, if you decide you do want to.¡±


    ¡°I said he¡¯d say that.¡± David laughed, giving me a fist bump. ¡°In that case, the Princess has an offer to make you.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Eleanor said, expression grave. ¡°With your skills, I believe you can extract the abilities from Donovan, Sarah and Mary Stuart, and make use of them in better ways then merely strengthening us.¡± She raised her hands, and water danced, showing off the ability to use elemental water I had taught her. ¡°Instead, we would continue to learn in other ways. And... you can put their gifts to use. Though I would ask that you consider Mary-Jane, considering your kindness to Aditi, then we have no complaints if you take it for yourself. I trust you.¡± She said, her blue eyes staring into mine resolutely. ¡°I respect you too. I don¡¯t agree with everything you do...¡± She cast her glance back towards where Adamant and the Fae were feasting. ¡°...but I believe you will not commit evil deeds, or betray those who trust you. We will pull the thorns and be ready.¡± She reached out a hand, and I took it. ¡°If your premonitions are right and danger is coming, we will help one another.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I grinned, shaking her hand, the gauntlet cool on my palm. ¡°But honestly, I¡¯m not confident I can extract or use the Linked Favours. But we can take a look.¡±


    ¡°Great. Then the sooner the better.¡± Once her mind was made up, Eleanor buried her misgivings and grief, and was all business. ¡°By the way, grandmother would be happy to see you again. There¡¯s much to discuss about the New Year Honours.¡± As we chatted, in the Material I advised Christina I would have to leave for the day, as I¡¯d need my Material body in London. This shouldn¡¯t take long, I hope. I think Donovan was a lightning-aspected Favour. I wonder which God was foolish enough to bless him. He gives Kondou Kazuo a run for his money in being scum...

 Four Hundred And Seventy-Nine

    Four Hundred And Seventy-Nine


    ¡°That ability of yours is incredibly useful. To think you can travel between London and Tokyo in the blink of an eye.¡± Eleanor said, clearly impressed. ¡°If only we could do the same, our troubles would be greatly lessened. Even being able to travel the other world between our major cities would make defence trivial. It¡¯s your maid who grows the mushrooms that make up the Fairie Rings, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fooling nobody, Princess.¡± David snorted, though his own expression was grim. ¡°You just want to put off what we¡¯re doing. Not that I blame you. But poor old Raidre is looking sick. He hates talking about that mad maid.¡±


    Raidre, who had joined us when we went back to London, scratched his cheek grimly. ¡°That Boggart, or Brownie, or whatever she claims to be is dangerous. Extremely so. You should be very wary of her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyacinth is. But she¡¯s also kind, and I don¡¯t like you talking that way about her.¡± I insisted. ¡°She knows not to be reckless with her abilities. As for the Ring Gates, yes, she was the one who grew it on Bermondsey Isle. It¡¯s not easy and takes time, but hopefully she¡¯ll expand the Gate Hub in due course, since Primal Forest apparently allows it outside of the Fae lands, Not that he has much choice, Shaeula¡¯s got him under her thumb due to the Spring reforestation and rewilding project.¡± I too was not eager to undertake the task ahead, but steeling my will, I continued. ¡°But yeah, being able to move freely between the Boundary and Material is a hugely useful ability. Being able to do it took me a lot of effort though.¡± And shedding my humanity, not that I particularly mind, as now we know sapient races exist and have the same sorts of thoughts, emotions and feelings as we do, though spiritual beings definitely seem more prone to extremes of behaviour and emotion...


    ¡°In any case.¡± I finished. ¡°There¡¯s no point putting this off. I want to get back to see how the competition is going, and I¡¯ve a lot to do. No rest for the wicked, as my mom would say.¡±


    ¡°A very British saying.¡± Eleanor approved, steeling herself. ¡°Yes, David is right, much as it frustrates me. I am not eager to see Donovan again. Not after... his betrayal, and worse.¡± She was in an elegant white ruffled shirt and blue jeans, now we were back in the Material, and outside of her plate armour she looked frail and delicate.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, princess. Shit, this is where old man Arthur would be handy.¡± Sir Arthur had gone to prepare for our next task. As David cursed, he tried to reassure Eleanor. ¡°Look, the little shit is harmless. Armless and harmless.¡± He made a crude joke. ¡°I¡¯m here, and I¡¯ll bash his fucking face in if he tries anything. Akio will too, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it must be unpleasant, facing him again, but nothing bad will happen.¡±


    ¡°Mr Reckless, I understand you are trying to help, but don¡¯t bark at Princess Eleanor like that.¡± Mrs Mary-Jane chided. We hadn¡¯t wanted her to come, but she seemingly felt guilty she hadn¡¯t seen Donovan¡¯s growing madness, and as a teacher and a mother, she felt she had the duty to be one of the voices of wisdom on the team, along with Sir Arthur.


    ¡°You say that, but it¡¯s cheered her up!¡± David pointed at Eleanor with one of his thumbs, and she did look less pale. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m eager to see the little shit, or the redhead who betrayed us, or the nun bitch who nearly killed me, but we have to put an end to things. The redhead was right, for all her stupidity.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we must.¡± Eleanor agreed, taking a deep breath. ¡°So, let us proceed with it. I am prepared for... unpleasantness. He is apparently far from sane.¡±


    ¡°Not that he was before, by all accounts.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± As Eleanor pushed open the door I could see that the prison hospital room was bare, Donovan strapped to a bed in the middle with thick leather bindings. Ordinarily it would have seemed like overkill, but Donovan was a Chosen, so even so crippled, he could potentially be dangerous. He could easily try and bite out throats, or perhaps try and use aether or his ability...


    On hearing us come in, Donovan turned his head, despite the strap holding his neck in place. ¡°Useless bastards, I¡¯m hungry...¡± he rasped hoarsely, and Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jane seemed horrified at his condition and his change in attitude. Mrs Mary-Jane gasped, and Eleanor¡¯s pale face whitened further.


    Donovan froze momentarily as the orderly he expected turned out to be his erstwhile comrades. His eyes went wide, and then his expression changed, still steeped in madness, but with a cruel, predatory cast. He licked his dry lips, gazing at Eleanor like she was prey. ¡°So you came back, Princess. I was thinking you had forgotten me. Me, who will be king!¡±


    ¡°Dream on, jackass.¡± David snarled, as I stepped in front of Eleanor to shield her from his view. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking nugget now, and it¡¯s more than you deserve. I¡¯d have cut your head off too and ended it, prick.¡±


    ¡°David, you dare...¡± he suddenly stopped speaking, eyes narrowing, and I reacted, pushing Eleanor back behind me while also pulling Mrs Mary-Jane away. David spotted it too, and reacted, raising his fists in a block, while Raidre flared his aether. Sparks of dazzling green and yellow blurred into chartreuse forks of energy, which arced through the air, forming at first a wheel, and then a spear, before spreading out into a series of racing bolts, the air smelling of ozone.


    ¡°Nice try!¡± David groaned as the lightning numbed him. ¡°But Caturix doesn¡¯t fear the storm.¡±


    I unleashed water element, drawing in the lightning heading our way, and it sparked violently, before fading. On the bed, Donovan was breathing heavily, sweat on his forehead, and he glared at me hatefully. ¡°You! You¡¯re the one that sent that little bitch, interrupting my due!¡± A second wave of lightning flashed, but it was significantly weaker than the first, and I smothered it with more water element.


    ¡°Your due, huh? If you wanted Eleanor so badly, why didn¡¯t you try wooing her the traditional way? As far as I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s single.¡± Eleanor nodded instinctively, before her expression shifted to one of regret. ¡°As a teammate, a friend... you¡¯d have had a lot of opportunities to impress her. But instead...¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Donovan yelled, his voice cracking with malice. ¡°I¡¯m meant to be a king, I always was! A king doesn¡¯t hesitate, a king takes what he deserves! Eleanor should have been happy to be mine, that little orange-haired bitch too...¡± He then cried out as a blow of wind smashed into his jaw, hard enough to knock out a tooth. Blood beads glittered, and he glared at me balefully.


    ¡°Mind your mouth. Shaeula¡¯s too good for you, even if you were a king. And Eleanor is too. You had a chance to be a hero, to make a difference, and you let your greed consume you.¡± I took a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger. It was like looking in a distorted mirror. There are times I¡¯m tempted too, thinking that because I was chosen for this, I¡¯m special. That people should be grateful for what I do for them. But... so long as I¡¯m happy, and my family, friends and those I love are happy, that should be enough for me... even when I¡¯m Astral Emperor and rule Earth, I still can¡¯t take the adulation and respect of others for granted. It has to be earned, not demanded... ¡°Even so, it¡¯s not too late to salvage some dignity. If you accept your wrongdoings and make amends...¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Donovan snarled, spittle flying from his lips as he raged. ¡°This isn¡¯t over! I know that people can recover even from missing limbs now. I¡¯ve heard the idiots talking...¡± Eleanor looked grim at that, and Donovan¡¯s crazed smirk grew wider. ¡°...I¡¯ll make a comeback! You¡¯ll see I¡¯m the only man who can rule by your...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Eleanor said softly, and Donovan paused for a moment, before continuing.


    ¡°...side. It was meant to be, and...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Eleanor said, louder and firmer. Donovan seemed surprised, but Eleanor wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Donovan, if the only man who can stand at my side is you, then I would rather throw myself off the cliffs of Dover and perish.¡± As David laughed at that nastily, I watched Eleanor, surprised. Seeing me looking, she appeared a little ashamed. ¡°Of course, I know my duty is heavy. But I¡¯m not a saint. I have no objection to sacrificing for the good of Britain and its citizens, but there¡¯s sacrifice, and then there is being tormented. Besides, you should understand, no?¡±


    I did. Before I could answer her, Donovan grew increasingly frantic. Shimmering sparks of lightning gathered, but again I smothered it out before he could cause any harm. ¡°I think you should be gagged, little shit.¡± David quickly found a cloth and bound Donovan¡¯s mouth, and he glared at us with deep-seated hatred and at Eleanor with undisguised lust. ¡°Sorry about that Princess, teach. You shouldn¡¯t have to listen to his bullshit, it¡¯ll rot your ears. At least the dumb redhead I could maybe understand, but this worm...¡±


    ¡°Power can corrupt. I¡¯ve seen it. It¡¯s just like in South Korea. Those who aren¡¯t mentally strong might warp, especially... when pushed.¡±


    Eleanor understood. ¡°Maxwell Power, or whatever was masquerading as him. He¡¯s been manipulating matters behind the scenes. And it looks like Donovan here was fertile ground for his demagoguery.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But we have to take responsibility for our own actions. And some things I don¡¯t think can be forgiven. I know I can¡¯t forgive his behaviour. I can only thank all the Gods Shaeula got there in time.¡± I glared at Donovan, who couldn¡¯t speak, gagged as he was, but his eyes were full of hatred. ¡°But even so, the law will judge you.¡± I continued. ¡°But before that... it¡¯s time to reclaim what you used for unworthy purposes.¡±


    As we all stood there in silence, Sarah shifted under my penetrating gaze. After a moment she looked at David a touch accusingly, her face slightly pink. ¡°Are ye going tae stand there and let him look at me that way? Do ye nae be jealous?¡±


    David snorted bitterly. ¡°Think very highly of yourself, redhead, don¡¯t you? Perhaps I thought you were a strong woman worth the pursuit, but nothing matters more to a man than loyalty. I can¡¯t forgive your actions. If it were just me... but you betrayed the Princess, old man Arthur, teach and little miss Indian, Raidre... everyone who stood up and fought for Britain. Besides...¡± he grinned savagely. ¡°You think you¡¯re worth his interest? Dream on.¡±


    ¡°That be rather hurtful, ye ken. I¡¯m nae bad looking.¡± Sarah said with a resigned sigh. ¡°Ye should have done it the usual way. Like I swallowed up your favour, Mary-Jane.¡± Her words stung, but the older woman merely smiled back sadly, her eyes full of complex emotions. ¡°As it be, ye will nae get it out without killing me. I be linked tae something far, far greater.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so great about it? Instead of fighting each other, if we¡¯d have worked together we could have pooled our strengths. Instead... this. When you stare into an abyss, the abyss stares back. You¡¯ve become worse than the foes you claim to fight.¡± I criticised her, and she frowned.


    ¡°What gives ye the right...¡± she began, and froze as my aether dug into her, her body spasming, partially paralysed.


    ¡°The fact I won, the same right you¡¯re trying to claim. But despite all that, Eleanor, David and the others don¡¯t want you to die, just to face justice. I respect that. So shut up and let me work...¡± Sarah looked up at me, her blue eyes shining with resentment and also a faint tinge of gratitude, and I slowly began to work on removing the original Favour she possessed. Even with my great skills, the tangle of messy adherence was too great to remove entirely, and each strand cut inflicted backlash on her body, the Linked Principality unleashing adherence and also sucking it in. Time passed, my Eye aching from overuse, sweat dripping from me like rain, my concentration honed to a razor-sharp focus, all the Split Thoughts running in parallel, trying to simulate the outcomes.


    Cut, slice, dig out. Apply Healing there. Chirurgery to repair the damaged capillaries here. Cut, sew, stitch, replace. More Healing. Damn, this is hard...


    Beneath me, Sarah was silent, her pale skin now a ghostly white, her own sweat having mingled with mine. Her lips were sliced open by her teeth as she gnawed on herself to supress the pain, and her eyes were wide, staring.


    ¡°Shit, is it going well? I don¡¯t know...¡± David began, only for Mrs Mary-Jane to silence him, telling him to let me work in peace, without distractions. I barely heard him, and Eleanor placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Feeling her touch, I doubled down on my focus, despite the efforts I was already making. Fuck, of course it¡¯s not always going to be that easy. This one is... cut, slice, pull, repair the voids, sew up...


    More time passed, even my keen Perception not able to tell how long, and suddenly the mangled Favour popped free. It was barely intact, and wouldn¡¯t keep together for long. Looking around, my eyes met Eleanor, who was still squeezing my shoulder, and swiftly I made my decision. It¡¯s far from perfect, but it will be more use to her than me gaining a Level or two from the breakdown...


    ¡°What are you...¡± Eleanor was surprised as she felt an invasive sensation, aether and adherence squirming into her. Fortunately, the changed Favour was unravelling itself, providing adherence, so I was able to direct the collapsing energies to Eleanor. I wasn¡¯t able to see her Levelling up, but she obviously felt it, as she looked rather shaken.


    ¡°You... why?¡± she asked, and I shrugged, exhausted, but not done. I focussed on the Linked Principality, which was angrily sending pulses of damaging adherence through Sarah¡¯s body, blood was spraying from her ears, nose and mouth, even bleeding from her eyes, as David started to panic, and Mrs Mary-Jane looked sick.


    ¡°The Favour was trashed, but I think you¡¯d get much greater benefits from it than I would. Now I have to act fast...¡± With no time to be gentle, I cursed the One True Throne, who was seemingly responsible for the Favour, and its self-destructive resistance to being tampered with. My Eye stared deep into it, and my own orb started to bleed, the backlash punishing. It¡¯s definitely a sort of link, a passage, maybe... With no time to react, I had no choice, severing the entire area around it, while desperately trying to preserve the key areas of Sarah¡¯s Chakra network around it. She convulsed, passing out, and seconds later, a brilliant rainbow light flared, aether, adherence and something more scattering as the Favour detonated.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Forty-Five to One Hundred And Forty-Six...


    Gathering up all the displaced energies I could, while shielding and isolating the area, preventing the backlash from obliterating her subtle body, I continued to work on Sarah, repairing the damage the Linked Principality had done to her body. Eleanor watched on, her grip on my shoulder uncomfortably tight, but I had no attention to spare for it. Fortunately my Chirurgery was stronger than ever, and I had experience of many different types of Chakra networks. I bored fresh branches and capillaries, drilled new meridians, and began the arduous task of replacing the now non-existent crown Chakra, all the while bleeding off build-ups of aether which had nowhere to properly circulate. This is painfully familiar. It reminds me of the damage I suffered when I first started fumbling at creating my own Chakra network, before Shaeula instructed me properly. I couldn¡¯t see it back then, but my intuition tells me it¡¯s similar. If so...


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, stupid redhead. That¡¯s the easy way out.¡± David declared, frustrated. He punched the wall, heedless of blood scattering from his knuckles, denting the concrete. ¡°If you don¡¯t live to regret it, how can we feel happy?¡±


    ¡°What will be will be.¡± Eleanor declared, her own expression grave as she watched us, her grip a vice-like claw. ¡°But for what it¡¯s worth, I don¡¯t believe you will give up, will you Akio? A man as selfish as you surely is bad at surrender.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have time to reply, and I took it as a compliment, despite her perhaps not meaning it that way, instead I started the perfectly adapted Chirurgery I had used so often. A lunar Chakra was bored into her body and connected up, which relieved the pressure, as it was taking time to fill with aether and her lingering elemental energies. I started draining out as much as I could, which also caused her some minor damage, but compared to the half-formed crown Chakra, it was trivial and could be fixed later. Aether flooded out of me, and Mrs Mary-Jane shielded her reddened eyes from the visible halo-like glow around me. Wait, that¡¯s right, maybe...


    ¡°Prominence Dawn!¡± I declared, Spirit Water surging. It was drawn into the bright ring, fringed with dark to counterbalance it, and the water element with precious spiritual and healing properties was fortified with light, becoming something else, something powerful. Gleaming golden droplets shimmered, and I poured them into the working I was doing, the aether I was weaving now impregnated with the shining waters. The convulsions of Sarah stopped, her body temporarily flooded with the new energies, the lunar Chakra gathering it all, preventing it from running wild. As the glittering waters reached the crown area, I spun dozens of tendrils of aether, pushing my limits, blinking away several amber notifications in my eyes, and with one final surge of effort, recreated the missing crown Chakra, linking it up to where it had connected before.


    ¡°Finally... done.¡± I gasped, exhausted, the effort far harder than I had expected. Damn that Favour, it¡¯s both a tool and a trap... Sinking to my knees, I was stopped by Eleanor, who pulled me up.


    ¡°Is it... over? Will she live?¡± she asked me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯ll live. I can¡¯t promise there¡¯ll be no side-effects, but...¡± Seeing her beating heart with my Eye, the proper circulation of energies restored, I grimaced. ¡°...the worst is over.¡±


    ********


    ¡°So what the hell happened?¡± David handed me a can of coke, which I downed half of, needing the sugar and caffeine. ¡°You handled that prick Donovan easily enough. Why was Sarah different?¡±


    Using her name, huh? I guess you are still worried about her. Not that I don¡¯t get it. I tried to imagine if I¡¯d still care for one of my women if they betrayed me. I wasn¡¯t sure, but perhaps I¡¯d be like David, unable to let it or her go easily. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll never need to find out, fortunately. ¡°It was the Linked Principality. When it was interfered with, it started attacking her own body, and unlike other Favours which seem integrated around a Chakra, this was pretty much a replacement for hers. It¡¯s not like others I¡¯ve seen. In the end, I had to destroy it quickly and replace what was there before. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s perfect, but...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not God.¡± David slapped my shoulder, understanding. He too was drinking coke, though by his expression he likely wished it was strong alcohol. ¡°If she¡¯s alive, she¡¯s damn fortunate, after what she did. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± I agreed, saying no more. As a man, I could understand him. Moments later, Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jane returned. Eleanor¡¯s expression was grave, and David lurched forwards, his own mirroring her.


    ¡°Is she...?¡± he began, fearing the worst, but Eleanor shook her head.


    ¡°No. She is still sleeping. The doctors say her vitals are stable, and her brain functions seem normal, though they can¡¯t rule out some damage or loss of memories. It¡¯s just...¡± she looked at me, swallowing nervously. ¡°I had a call. It seems too well-timed to be a coincidence. It¡¯s Mary Stuart. She¡¯s awake!¡±


    Mary Stuart? I thought back to Linked Principality, and the strange nature of it. A coincidence? Yes, I think not...

 Four Hundred And Eighty

    Four Hundred And Eighty


    The prison hospital was sparsely furnished, the walls bare and covered in peeling grey paint. The soft beeping of medical equipment was the only noise in the room, now that the nurses had left us, and the still, almost oppressive quiet was finally broken by hoarse, barely audible words from the woman on the bed. Mary Stuart. She¡¯s... not looking well. No, that¡¯s a major understatement. Her once youthful and beautiful features had shrivelled up, her body shrunken and her skin sallow and wrinkled. She looked more like a woman in her late eighties or early nineties now, and her vivid green eyes were now a muddy grey, and her blonde hair now like bleached straw, brittle and pallid. And of course there¡¯s the burns and scars on her body from the backlash too... she looks like a skeleton, more dead than alive...


    ¡°Don¡¯t you... pity me. Heretics.¡± She whispered, cracked, desiccated lips shedding a trace of blood, which was thin and watery. She was in a tangle of wires, with sensors, drips and other devices attached to her body or sunk in with needles. ¡°I cannot abide... false sympathy.¡±


    David snorted sourly. ¡°You think we feel sorry for you, nun bitch? Truly, you¡¯re delusional until the end. No, you¡¯re just a damn fright, ugly enough to make any man look away.¡±


    ¡°Mr Reckless! I know she has committed grave offenses, but there is still no need to be rude!¡± Mrs Mary-Jane countered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for his attitude.¡± She apologised to Mary Stuart. ¡°Although... I certainly understand it.¡± She clenched her fist, remembering the betrayal that had cost her so much.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for courtesy. That only applies to humans... and I guess human-like beings.¡± David amended, glancing at me. ¡°But betrayers and backstabbers aren¡¯t human, so they deserve nothing but scorn.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t... disagree.¡± Eleanor said calmly, looking at Mary Stuart as she merely smiled blandly, her withered lips and gums showing yellowing teeth, the grin only reinforcing her skeletal image. ¡°But there is no point in unpleasantness, not now. After all...¡± She met Mary¡¯s gaze, unyielding. ¡°You failed, you lost. And... without a miracle, it looks like death is near.¡± Eleanor glanced at me, her eyes questioning, and I let my Eye shine, peering into the woman before us.


    ¡°Such a... filthy... gaze. Have you no shame, laying bare a woman¡¯s secrets...?¡± Mary managed bitterly, and I rolled my eyes, as it wasn¡¯t dissimilar to what Sarah had said.


    ¡°You lost any moral high ground when you let Donovan loose on the Princess. Fighting for Territory and power I can understand, even if I in no way condone it, but... such heartless cruelty appals me. Besides...¡± I pursed my lips, shocked at the frightful mess of her physical form and spiritual body. ¡°...I don¡¯t even know how you are awake, or even alive right now.¡±


    Her Chakra network is in ruins, only her crown and to a lesser extent her heart are intact, the rest have shattered, and the flow of aether is wild, attacking her own body, degrading it. Perhaps that¡¯s why she¡¯s aged? I¡¯m not experienced enough to tell... the Favour by her heart, Metatron¡¯s Words Of The Lord, seems to have kept the heart functioning to an extent... and the Linked Seraphim replacing her crown is pulsing out adherence. That must be it. Adherence can be used to perform miracles, if employed properly...


    ¡°Suffering... if she is truly ... worthy of the Lord, then her sacrifices will all... be rewarded in... the Ninth Heaven.¡± Mary said piously. ¡°Questioning... the grand plan... is hubris, pride is a deadly... deadly sin.¡±


    I clenched my fist, still carefully examining Mary. If it came to repairing her body, I wasn¡¯t sure I could do it, even with my prodigious skills in Chirurgery, and excellent ones in Ether Healing. But observing her current state was giving me a few insights which would allow me to improve once I had analysed and internalised them. ¡°I thought God was supposed to be omnipotent.¡± I said witheringly. ¡°If so, why should he need good people to suffer? If he can prevent it and doesn¡¯t, isn¡¯t he not God, but a Devil?¡± Beside me, David nodded approvingly, and Mary managed to raise one feeble hand, the effort nearly breaking her frail, stick-like arm.


    ¡°I have... heard it all... before. I... even threw such words at my... grandmother long ago. I was a wretched, impious... insolent... child.¡± There was a series of rattling, coughing noises, and after a moment I realised it was her attempts at laughter. ¡°It is so... easy... to disparage faith, the truth. After all... God cannot... speak to us. For he is beyond... our understanding. Just as the... ant... cannot judge us, and may consider our actions... evil... when we destroy the nest that... encroaches...¡± It seemed to be torment for her to speak, but we all listened patiently as she laboured out her words. It gave me more time to observe her, and Eleanor... it seemed that despite everything, seeing Mary in such a state was evoking her sympathy. She really is a kind girl. But then I knew that when she offered to help Motoko and Natsumi, fearing I was exploiting and abusing them. She may not always be right, and leaps to conclusions far too fast, and can be irritatingly stubborn but... I can¡¯t deny she¡¯s good at heart.


    ¡°... to protect ... our environment. But... God is good, despite... your sins, it is... not too late. Although...¡± her face was now set in a sneer. ¡°My death... is tolerable. But the loss of... the Anulus Fortunae...¡± Even despite her hoarse, throaty whispers, we could hear the malice in her tone. ¡°...taken by that creature... who should have... died in the ... purges... long ago... we shall not rest until... it is back in... our hands. Artefacts of the Throne... belong to... us.¡± She slumped, exhausted, her arm giving out a horrible cracking noise as it fell back to the bed, limp.


    I think I want another viewpoint... My Astral body formed, and now I could inspect Mary Stuart in the Boundary as well. There wasn¡¯t much difference in what I could see, but even a small nuance or insight might be enough for a breakthrough. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it, why you¡¯re so insistent on your God being the only way.¡± I shook my head, bothered by it. ¡°You know there are other Gods and Goddesses out there. And it¡¯s clear that your God didn¡¯t create the Universe, maybe not even Earth. Otherwise things don¡¯t make sense.¡±


    She took a number of long, shuddering breaths, her eyes sliding shut, and for a moment we all thought she had fallen asleep, before more soft words fell from her lips, laced with venomous disgust. ¡°In... my Father¡¯s house... there are many, many mansions... yet many... have been... overrun by monsters... false Gods and... Demons. Worse... perhaps. No, God is not omnipotent. I am... not a fool.¡± A faint tear trickled down her withered cheek. ¡°True omnipotence... can never... be.¡±


    ¡°Can a God create a stone they cannot themselves lift? Can a spear that can be stopped by nothing pierce a shield that defends against everything? Can God create a married bachelor?¡± Mrs Mary-Jane said, understanding. ¡°Omnipotence is paradoxical. While there are solutions and workarounds to come up with an accepted, workable definition, that means it isn¡¯t truly able to accomplish anything.¡±


    ¡°Trust you to come up with the explanation. You truly are a teacher.¡± David joked, through his expression was grim, perhaps not enjoying being in the company of Mary Stuart. Maybe he blames her for leading Sarah astray?


    ¡°My children are young, yet I never hesitate to answer any questions they have. Even if they don¡¯t understand the answer, you should never lie or dissemble with them. Tell the truth, and one day they¡¯ll grasp it.¡± Mrs Mary-Jane looked at me then. ¡°You should remember that advice. You will be needing it.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°I sure will. Honestly, being a father seems scarier than facing down deadly foes. But my father managed to raise me and my sis... so I guess I¡¯ll manage. Besides, they¡¯ll have a lot of mothers.¡±


    Eleanor grimaced at that. ¡°So it seems. Well, I have learned my lesson. So long as your children grow up happy and healthy, an unorthodox family is nothing to fret over.¡± She paused, looking at Mary meaningfully. ¡°But I believe we have more weighty matters at hand.¡±


    [My Heart Shall Stop, My Spirit Quieten And I Shall... Be... By... The... Right Hand... Of... The Lord...]


    Blood gouted from her mouth, scattering down her frail, wasted body, and the soft beeps of the medical machines around us were now just long, quiet hums. A doctor and several nurses burst in, and they pushed us aside, heedless of our status. I let them do it, as the Favours were no longer mine to take. At least I¡¯m observing what happens when a Chosen dies...


    It was fortunate I had decided to be present in the Boundary as well, as Metatron¡¯s Favour released a surge of what looked like violet spatial element, tearing free, the heart Chakra collapsing. It then vanished, leaving behind a small hole which was leaking in a higher ether density. Not entirely dissimilar to the usage of Saionji Gin-san¡¯s Favour. Linked Seraphim reacted differently though, sucking in all the aether, adherence and elemental essence around it, becoming diffuse and starting to fray apart, even as fragments of it were drawn into itself, being passed elsewhere, as far as I could tell. Not wanting to miss my chance, I struck out with as many blades and scalpels of aether as I could, wrapped in adherence, and the Favour tried to repel me, as if it was alive, unlike others which reacted passively as I harvested them.


    Seeing my strained expression on the Material, Eleanor asked me if I was all right, and I nodded, even as I was rocked by a surge of adherence, containing a ferocious, searing light and flame component. It hurt, but I was able to shrug it off, trusting to my Ether Healing, and as the Favour collapsed in on itself, the remains vanishing, I had carved off quite a chunk, which rapidly broke down and I absorbed.


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has...


    Another Level up. Nice. Not a total waste then, But... the main benefit was a surge of adherence, refilling my dwindling stocks. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have to beg Tan for a handout after all. Looking at Mary¡¯s sad, shrunken corpse, the Doctor giving up on resuscitation and checking his watch to make the death pronouncement, I slipped quietly out, the others following me.


    ¡°A fitting end for her. Hypocritical to the finish. I thought suicide was a sin?¡± David scoffed, only for Eleanor to criticise him.


    ¡°That¡¯s rather crass, David. And it wasn¡¯t exactly... suicide. She just didn¡¯t want us to take away her Favours, did she? It¡¯s more... like dying to protect a secret. Spies and secret agents would see it as an honour. And I daresay she sees it as Martyrdom. Poor, pitiable idiot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather charitable of you. I won¡¯t shed a tear for the bitch.¡± David wasn¡¯t moved by Eleanor¡¯s words. ¡°How about you?¡± he asked me, and I seriously considered it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a heartless person. I¡¯m sorry it had to come to this. But... she reaped what she sowed, as I think they also say in the bible, don¡¯t they? There are many unfortunate people such as those who were caught between the siblings in South Korea that deserve my sympathy. So I¡¯ll just count this as the conclusion to her misguided story. Though it¡¯s not the end.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that her organisation will let it go.¡± David agreed. ¡°Vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord, right?¡±


    ¡°That is worrisome.¡± Mrs Mary-Jane fretted. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll come after us all?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not specifically, but they still likely want what the Tower holds.¡± Eleanor sighed. ¡°And since Akio here plundered a ring to give to Shaeula... no, we surely haven¡¯t seen the last of them. I wonder...¡± she looked at me searchingly. ¡°Do you think that the ominous feeling you have might have to do with the Church of True Revelation?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. No, it¡¯s likely. Judging by the dream vision Tsukiko had...¡± I explained about the white dragon and its feathers of light. ¡°It does seem a little... biblical, in terms of imagery.¡±


    ¡°We should be on high alert then.¡± Eleanor agreed. ¡°Well, this was disappointing. We gained little. Perhaps we should have dealt with her when we had the chance.¡±


    ¡°Plans don¡¯t always work out as we hoped.¡± I consoled her. ¡°Besides, it was also that you tried to be compassionate and follow the law as well. And in the end... perhaps that power wasn¡¯t meant for us. Besides, it wasn¡¯t a total loss.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she raised an eyebrow questioningly, and I elaborated.


    ¡°I got a much better insight into how the Linked Favours function. It¡¯s still well beyond my full understanding, even with my Eye and my Chirurgery, but I can tell it¡¯s a sort of bond and also a transmitter, in a way. It can absorb and emit adherence, aether and likely other things. Huh.¡± I paused, having a sudden thought. Isn¡¯t that a lot like Lovers¡¯ Link, at least the Rank eleven version Eri has? That can transmit aether and adherence, though it¡¯s far cruder. That might be an area for study... ¡°In any case...¡± I finished. ¡°It likely has a lot of uses we don¡¯t know, such as strengthening and healing. From what Sarah told you back then, it seems it can also devour captured Favours as well. That Pantheon really doesn¡¯t play fair. But then, the biggest fists are the last word.¡± Rather than anarchy, it seems that the Pantheons have an agreement, but it clearly favours the One True Throne, judging by what we¡¯ve learned. But that¡¯s no different to how it works here on Earth. The stronger, richer party makes the advantageous rules to maintain the status quo. Well, we¡¯ll see. We¡¯ll definitely see, as I don¡¯t plan to just let that happen here...


    ¡°No shit.¡± David agreed, ignoring Mrs Mary-Jane as she told him to mind his language again. ¡°So, the mess is cleaned up. To an extent. There are still several other traitors who turned on the Princess. Shouldn¡¯t we deal with them as well, while we¡¯re at it?¡±


    Eleanor shook her head. ¡°Not yet. We would still like to get our laws updated first. We were behind Japan in that. And our Parliament isn¡¯t as keen on working together as your Diet was.¡± Eleanor tutted, irritated. ¡°But before that... we were rather distracted by the competition you proposed. We still have to sort out the matter of the returned citizens...¡±


    Yes, we do. And Christina Bakker is still hanging around like a ticking timebomb. There¡¯s so much to do. And tomorrow I am due to go to Kyoto with Tsukiko and Yasuhide-san. I think maybe Yukiko-san might be coming as well. But before that... I wonder how everyone is getting on with raising their affinity with Jumong¡¯s Favour?

 Side One Hundred And Seventy – The Challengers

    Side One Hundred And Seventy ¨C The Challengers


    Tsumura Motoko


    ¡°Should you really be out here then, Motoko-chan?¡± the older girl, one of Akio¡¯s close friends, Aimi-san, asked her. She was a rather bright, bubbly person, and Motoko understood why Akio and the others liked her. Men seem to enjoy a more outgoing personality. It is difficult for me, I am rather reserved due to my upbringing, but... her face reddened slightly, as she remembered Akio telling her she had become more aggressive recently. Seeing that, Aimi-san giggled. ¡°Thinking of something fun?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Motoko shook her head. There is no time for dwelling on that. This is a time for action and cunning. ¡°I was simply admiring you, Aimi-san. I have always thought you to be rather straightforward and honest.¡±


    The two men she was with, more of Akio¡¯s friends, Yasu-san and Shugo-san, laughed at that, and started teasing Aimi-san, saying that Motoko was calling her rude and blunt, but Motoko waved one hand, belying that. ¡°I know you are good friends, who do like to tease one another, but I still feel compelled to defend her honour. Being honest is a good thing. For too long, I was not. No-one can be happy, suppressing their true self.¡± She paused, taking a deep breath. ¡°Much as I enjoy this conversation, I am in somewhat of a hurry.¡± She had briefly explained to them when she had left the Boundary, and Shugo-san, the less boisterous of the two male friends of Akio here, nodded, gesturing to his laptop.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Motoko-chan. I¡¯m already pulling up all the data you wanted about Jumong. Though there¡¯s a lot of different variants. Do you want them all?¡±


    Motoko agreed. ¡°Yes, please, I would be most grateful for your assistance in this matter. Akio gave us some information, but I think I know him well enough now to know he was trying to make us think for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m often jealous of Akio-kun, you know.¡± His other friend, the loud yet good-natured Yasu-san said, his tone filled with mock-anger. ¡°Having a demure, refined cutie like you as his fiance?e... sometimes I think I should punch him hard on behalf of all us single guys!¡±


    ¡°Single? Speak for yourself.¡± Shugo-san snorted and Aimi-san agreed.


    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t rag on everyone just because you¡¯re batting a zero average. Although maybe that¡¯ll change in the future, if you keep playing your cards right...¡± her grin made Yasu-san flush. ¡°But I do agree.¡± Aimi-san looked Motoko up and down, admiring her figure in the training hakama she wore. It is a little disconcerting to be scrutinised so, but then, these are Akio¡¯s close friends, so I should expect them to evaluate me, to see if I am worth his time and love. Standing tall, she faced it, and after a while Aimi-san nodded. ¡°Every time I meet you girls, it still surprises me. But you¡¯re all good girls in your own way. And if I¡¯m not mistaken...¡± she smiled, her examination of Motoko having been for another purpose. ¡°...you seem more animated than usual. Did something good happen?¡±


    ¡°Of course something did!¡± Yasu-san rolled his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s fighting for a Divine Favour, Aimi-chan, it¡¯s only natural she¡¯s pumped up!¡±


    ¡°And this is why you¡¯ll strike out again if you aren¡¯t careful, Yasu-kun.¡± Aimi-san sighed theatrically. ¡°You need to learn to understand us women. We aren¡¯t a different species. Hayato-kun and Akio-kun are doing just fine as expected, and even Shugo-kun here is learning!¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m taking friendly fire?¡± Shugo-san complained, still typing away. ¡°Leave me out of Yasu-kun¡¯s mess.¡±


    As Yasu-san protested, Motoko found herself laughing, giggles bursting out of her, and she covered her mouth with one hand, trying to keep her composure. When she was done with her merriment, she apologised, but the others merely smiled at her warmly, and Motoko found the experience pleasing. Friends... not something us daughters of nobility have many of, or often even at all. Our own isolated little islands. But we can change that. Akio, Hinata, Miyu, Mayumi-sama, Sakura-sama... us. ¡°Yes, you were correct. Something good did happen. At first I was angered.¡± Motoko admitted. ¡°Natsumi... she yielded this opportunity to me. Not because she did not want it, but because of old habits, old realities. After all, how can she steal from her teacher and mistress?¡± Those words were tinged with bitterness, but she soon brightened. ¡°But when pressed, she revealed her true feelings. She did want this chance, and she also wanted to stand equal to me. We fought, but we are stronger for it. Though I do wish we could move past the old relationship...¡± she said wistfully.


    ¡°Really?¡± Aimi-san shrugged, and Motoko¡¯s gaze went down to her ample chest. For a moment she considered her own form. Her bust was on the modest side for Akio¡¯s women, though it exceeded Shaeula¡¯s, of course. Natsumi is larger there. I wonder... no, Akio has never shown any dislike for my figure, and I am toned and lithe, flexible too...


    ¡°Stop thinking about Akio.¡± Aimi-san snickered, interpreting her sudden flush and vacant stare correctly. ¡°I get that when you¡¯re in love, to start with, all you can think about is the other person, and wonder if they are thinking of you. In time you¡¯ll settle down...¡± she seemed a little emotional, wistful, perhaps. ¡°But... you and Natsumi-chan have known each other a long time, right?¡±


    Motoko nodded. ¡°Yes, approaching a full decade, since I was introduced to Natsumi as a potential bodyguard and student. And we have been together forever since. And will be forever in future.¡± That was satisfying. As they came closer to graduating Hanafubuki, the spectre of being separated, of marriage and having adult, male bodyguards was looming. Now that spectre was banished, and instead they would marry the same man, stand equal as true friends.


    ¡°And how long have you tried to shape a new relationship?¡± Aimi-san queried, and Motoko understood.


    ¡°A little over two months now, though it seems longer as we have spent time together in the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s your answer then, Motoko-chan.¡± Shugo-san said, placing the laptop in front of her. ¡°You can¡¯t expect to change how you feel in a hurry. A decade versus a couple of months, the weight of time is different. Even our princess, Shiro, she¡¯s had to adapt, and her prior mindset with Akio-kun only lasted a few years.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are quite correct.¡± Motoko agreed, feeling better about it. ¡°Even so, I am impatient. I am now greedy to grasp what happiness I had denied myself, denied Natsumi. I learned that from the others. And there are other opportunities to grasp.¡±


    ¡°Like this.¡± Yasu-san agreed. ¡°Though don¡¯t you feel a bit annoyed that Akio-kun isn¡¯t just letting you and Natsumi-chan decide between yourselves? If I had a girlfriend, I¡¯d be sure to shower her with gifts, you know?¡±


    ¡°Take it from a girl, don¡¯t go over the top. It¡¯s creepy.¡± Aimi-san pointed out. ¡°Though I don¡¯t entirely disagree with you this time. With such precious treasures, throwing it open like this seems odd.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of trust. Oh, thank you for your assistance.¡± Motoko said politely as she started reading the information displayed on the laptop. Looking at the myths, there seems to be a number of similarities. Often born from an egg, but the mother was pregnant by sunlight... hmm, so maybe normal light element would not suffice... skilled with a bow, can even strike a fly in flight. The most prominent myth is striking a river with an arrow, which compelled the wildlife within to make a bridge to cross... ¡°Yes, this is very helpful. To be honest, I do most certainly wish for a Favour. But my situation is somewhat different from Aiko-san¡¯s... Akio worried that she was out of his sight, back in her hometown, where he could not protect her. Me, I am close at hand, and when I am not, Fujiwara Security personnel and my family bodyguards are there to shield me. So... there is time to wait, to choose the perfect Favour. This one... Akio-san said it best. It is a crutch. She believes in her own skill with the bow, and her potential for growth. I respect that greatly, and her too.¡± Motoko was warming to the subject, ordering her thoughts she continued. ¡°Tsumura Arts is more than just archery. Spear arts, swordsmanship, physical combat and martial arts... it is all part of the whole. No part more valuable than any other. That said, I would certainly not turn down this opportunity were I to win.¡± She said dryly, making the others laugh. ¡°But I trust were a Favour perfect for Natsumi and I to be located, Akio would not stint us. There are certainly benefits to showing he is prepared to share with all who serve him, even if Shaeula likely is somewhat annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well we heard Akio-kun banging on about his childhood friend and sister for years, almost every time we were out drinking. Now I finally meet the fabled sister and lo and behold, she is damn cute. It¡¯s sickening!¡±


    ¡°If Karen-chan hears you say that you¡¯ll be in trouble...¡± Aimi-san warned him, and Yasu-san paused.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I couldn¡¯t hit on Aiko-chan even if I wanted to, right? Akio-kun would castrate me. He¡¯s way too overprotective. She¡¯ll die a virgin if he insists she has to have a perfect man.¡±


    ¡°A bit crude, but not untrue.¡± Shugo-san agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t think she minds right now. Maybe when she¡¯s older? But yeah, being a brother-in-law to Akio-kun is going to be hard work...¡±


    Motoko smiled at that. ¡°Yes, he already has a number of brothers-in-law. We have quite the tangled extended family. Now, this has been fun, but time is passing, and faster in the Boundary. I have to make haste...¡± Leaving Akio¡¯s friends to banter, Motoko started planning her next moves. Light element alone... perhaps I should have been more thorough in learning other elements, but Natsumi and I were focussed on honing our physical attributes, and Tsumura Arts. And it is not in vain, in sparring with many powerful foes and having skilled instruction from master Ulfuric, I can feel I am on the cusp of taking Tsumura Arts to the next level. But they do require elemental integration...


    ¡°Look at her concentrating. It¡¯s heart-warming to see.¡± Aimi-san was saying, but Motoko wasn¡¯t listening, her thoughts purely on what she had to do next to realise her full potential.


    Yes, I shall seek out Aiko-san and also Hikawa Ren-san. While it might be unfair to ask for their aid for myself, all is fair in love and war after all... her smile was one few had seen on her usually composed and impassive face. ...and whether or not this is the best Favour for me, I want Akio, and Natsumi, and the others, to see that I am up to the challenge, to be proud of me!


    ********


    Hori Natsumi


    ¡°Thanks a lot for agreeing to help.¡± Natsumi said cheerfully. She had been a bit surprised when Motoko had retreated to the Material instead of following her to the obvious conclusion, but after giving it a little thought, she understood. Trust Motoko to see an elegant solution. I need to try harder if I¡¯m going to catch up to her. I¡¯ve always loved, respected and even envied her, but... that¡¯s no basis for true friendship. I see that now. Old habits die hard, I suppose...


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem.¡± Haru-chan said, shrugging. ¡°Though I can only spare some time today, as I have to go back to Seoul later.¡± She shook her head mournfully. ¡°Poor souls. I understand how they feel. To have such a traumatic, destructive experience forced on them out of nowhere... it¡¯s enough to make one wish for the release of death. Not that death is much of a release. And I would know.¡±


    I¡¯m never quite sure what to say when she makes those sorts of jokes. I understand it¡¯s a coping mechanism, and Haru-chan certainly looks and feels a lot happier and more stable recently... I guess I¡¯ll just ignore it for now. I know Akio is concerned about her, so he¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t relapse into depression and despair again. He¡¯s good at that. I always feel safe and protected when I¡¯m with him. Excited too.


    ¡°We are only too happy to help, and to be of assistance.¡± ¡°Yes, we have been practising something ourselves, so we are very confident of being able to support you.¡± The two twins, Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan said in sequence. They were both in their usual red and white hakama, in contrast to the blue and white Natsumi was wearing, but together they looked like a bunch of sisters, perhaps Haru-chan being the oldest sister, chaperoning her younger siblings. Haru couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the image in her mind.


    ¡°Did we say something strange?¡± ¡°Was what we said odd?¡± the twins worried, but Natsumi shook her head, curly hair bouncing.


    ¡°No, just thinking that we look great in hakama.¡± she teased them. ¡°Maybe you should wear some too one time, Haru-chan. Not that you look bad in suits. But enough about that. I¡¯d like to learn light element, since it¡¯s clearly a factor in mastering this Favour from Akio¡¯s description. I really should have put in the time to learn more elements, but Tsumura Arts and physical strengthening have been our focus.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can leave us out.¡± Bellaera, the vibrant, blue-haired Elf said cheerfully, her own large bow slung over one shoulder.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Soliteare joined in, also carrying a beautifully decorated bow, her brilliant green hair always catching the attention of others. Her chest too. I¡¯m hardly small, though that¡¯s not always a good thing for combat. Sometimes I envy Motoko¡¯s slender figure, especially when drawing back on the bowstring. But then, Akio does seem to enjoy my chest, so... I don¡¯t want to change. No, there¡¯s no time to get distracted.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be shedding tears.¡± Soliteare¡¯s blue eyes sparkled. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to go on an adventure with Akio yet. Sometimes I worry he¡¯ll forget who I am!¡±


    Bellaera


    ¡°Brother Ren-sama!¡± ¡°Sister Asami-sama!¡± the twins declared in surprise as their brother arrived, accompanied by the mortal girl he was close to, as well as Motoko and Akio¡¯s sister, Aiko. She¡¯s an archer that even Shaeraggo respects the future potential of. Even if she wasn¡¯t the sister of the man I intend to court, I would wish to be close to her. Perhaps we should test each other¡¯s skills some time soon. Only through competition and rigorous practise can we better ourselves. Like now. Sweat was beading all over her body as she struggled to tame the vivid indigo light.


    On seeing Motoko, Natsumi smiled brightly.


    ¡°Did you achieve your aims? I had thought you would be coming for the light element immediately. If you are too slow, I¡¯ll beat you¡± Declaring that pridefully, she put her hands on her hips. ¡°I think I¡¯m close. But then, the twins are geniuses at this. They make it so easy!¡±


    As they blushed at the praise, looking down, Asami spoke up, also embarrassed. ¡°Please don¡¯t be so formal... and yet somehow so very informal... with me at once. If Kana-chan could hear you, she¡¯d laugh herself to death. At least lay off the -sama. -Chan is fine, I¡¯m a cute girl, and since I¡¯m going steady with your brother, that seems fitting.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, we call Kana-sama in the same manner.¡± ¡°We address all of the women of Akio-sama respectfully, just as we do Motoko-sama and Natsumi-sama.¡± The twins rejoindered, making their brother a bit perturbed, and Asami further embarrassed.


    ¡°Fine, do whatever you want! But you two are definitely Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan to me, all right? Gee, I came here figuring I might be able to get into something interesting. Kana-chan¡¯s always got things going on.¡±


    ¡°Much as I love this romantic comedy, that for once doesn¡¯t feature my bro, so I can appreciate it without worry...¡± Aiko cut in, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m here to help. Here.¡± She flourished an ornate hand mirror, with a pretty carved wooden frame. Even looking at it, Bellaera could see the shimmering indigo sparks within the glass, yet they had a much different feel to the light around them. She exchanged a look with her cousin, who nodded.


    Yes, I can sense it too. Do you think we are geniuses, meant to shine with the element of light?


    Sorry to burst your bubble, but wow, you¡¯re funny. Aiko replied to Teare¡¯s thought wryly, Haru having brought her, Ren and Asami into the link. The strain was heavier, especially on the twins, but their gruelling practice and efforts to strengthen themselves had paid off. Ren and I have been filling the mirror in our spare time. The light side, anyway. There¡¯s no shortage of light element anymore thanks to Haru-chan and her Territory, but our sunlight is the best, right Ren-kun? She winked at the boy, who nodded stiffly, a little sour.


    It was my gift of sunlight...


    ¡°We can hear you Ren-sama!¡± ¡°Mind your manners, Ren-sama!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect Aiko-sama!¡± ¡°Aiko-sama is worthy of the sun of Hikawa shrine!¡±


    The twins piled into him, and he had the grace to apologise, and Asami laughed, pinching his cheek, which made him look simultaneously irritated and slightly happy. Bellaera exchanged a knowing, and slightly envious glance with Teare, but kept her thoughts to herself. I never much considered romance, I was too busy defending our borders. But now I find myself jealous of others. Which is why I need to stand out. Winning here is the way to do that!


    ¡°I thought that light was the obvious way to strengthen our affinity.¡± Motoko explained, as light began to rain out from the mirror in Aiko¡¯s hands. ¡°But then, why settle for less than perfection? We do not accept good enough when we train in Tsumura Arts, do we? If we drill a form and it is not perfect after a hundred repetitions, then we do two hundred. Or five hundred. Or...¡±


    ¡°A thousand. Yes, I get it.¡± Natsumi chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came back, but I don¡¯t need your charity either, Motoko. We¡¯ll fight fair and square, just as we do in our training duels.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am well aware of that. I would not turn around and make the mistake you made, mere moments later. It is simply that you monopolised Haru-san and the twins first. But the myth of Jumong involves him being born from light, sunlight!¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d be perfect for it. But I¡¯m a good sharer.¡± Aiko grinned, pouring out her own sunlight into the mirror, then releasing it in motes of golden energies, easier to absorb. ¡°If I want an arrow faster than light, I¡¯ll practice until my hands bleed, and my muscles ache. That¡¯ll be more satisfying.¡±


    Bellaera agreed. ¡°Yes, nothing comes without effort. And if it does, it¡¯s not valued.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s another reason that Akio is so keen on this competition. I think in future he wants us to truly appreciate what we gain.¡± Natsumi said, and Motoko voiced her agreement.


    ¡°Kana-chan does. She¡¯s over the moon.¡± Asami giggled, delighted. ¡°She was so upset all the time when Akio-kun ignored her. She tried to pretend it didn¡¯t bother her, but Mio-chan and I could see right through her. Poor Mio-chan. She¡¯s all alone. Do we know any good guys that could be interested? She¡¯s cute.¡±


    ¡°If Shaeula was here, she¡¯d say my bro could take her. But I think he¡¯s already got his hands full.¡± Aiko laughed, before eyeing Ren. ¡°How about you, Ren-kun? Fancy starting your own harem?¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Asami insisted. ¡°Right Ren-kun? I¡¯m woman enough for you to handle!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And I¡¯m lucky.¡± He mumbled, casting an irritated look at Aiko for her starting the argument, but she merely looked away, whistling cheerfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m only teasing. But Natsumi-chan is right.¡± Aiko continued. ¡°Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan, you¡¯ve seen battle on mount Atago... but compared to something like Kyoto, or South Korea, or London... getting a Favour isn¡¯t just about growing stronger, or Akio showing he respects you... it¡¯s a commitment. I didn¡¯t take mine lightly. Neither did Kana-chan. The same goes for you two. You may be warriors, but there¡¯s no going back after this.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Teare agreed. ¡°But we are Way-wardens, we don¡¯t take backwards steps. And more to the point, we¡¯re women who have pride in ourselves. Your brother is a strange man. Why he believes that we don¡¯t appreciate him just because our great-grandfather sees political gain in our union escapes me. It knocks my confidence. But... I¡¯m not one for defeat!¡±


    I felt the same, but the way he looks at us has changed recently. I¡¯ve noticed it. I don¡¯t see love or lust in his gaze, much to my disappointment, but I don¡¯t see the sadness and worry I used to...


    ¡°It¡¯s really bothering you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Natsumi commiserated, and Motoko even went to far as to put a hand on Bellaera¡¯s shoulder. Mortified and red-faced, Bell realised she had leaked that thought over the linked Telepathy. Haru made a quip that she would wish herself dead if she made such an embarrassing blunder, but that she couldn¡¯t as she was already dead, and Aiko laughed until she was teary-eyed. In the end though, she too consoled not only Bellaera, but Teare too.


    ¡°My bro knows. He¡¯s stubborn though. As you can expect, the way that he ran away from Eri for years. And before you two say anything...¡± she glowered at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°It¡¯s not your faults either, nor is it Hinata-chan¡¯s. My bro¡¯s just got funny ideas. But now he realises it¡¯s not the arrangements or the benefits that count, but feelings. So... sorry Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan, but as a bad sister-in-law, I¡¯m encouraging my bro to snatch up all the good women. Though he needs to work hard too. Finding time and energy to make sure everyone is happy is going to be murder. So...¡± She narrowed her brilliant blue eyes. ¡°...everyone has to show results too. If everyone breaks their limits, bro will be too ashamed to fail himself. So, let spartan Aiko-chan and whipped Ren-kun...¡± she thumped her own chest and pointed at the teased Ren with her other hand, holding the mirror. ¡°...run you through the crash course in sunlight element!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose!¡± Bellaera dipped her head in gratitude. ¡°And I won¡¯t forget. Having your approval means much to me. In exchange...¡± she tapped her bow. ¡°...Shaeraggo is one of the greatest hunters of the Court, but not renowned for his pleasant personality or grace in teaching. I would be happy to impart some Fae techniques to you.¡± I would be glad to do it. I have experienced more in these past few moons than I have in dozens of years before this. The pace of mortal life is far quicker than our endless nights, and the times are changing at a pace that even shocks mortals. Besides... whatever great-grandfather wishes, Akio is right about one thing. Choosing for ourselves is best. And I choose to fight here and try and win! Though should I lose, I will congratulate my opponent and simply seek another chance. For as Teare said earlier, it seems that just as in hunting and battle, in romance, patience is key. But not too much patience, lest the prey lose interest, or be taken by swifter, bolder hunters.


    ¡°I shall offer it too!¡± Teare jumped in, and Bellaera¡¯s lips curled into a smile. And here is one such hunter. But I¡¯ll not back down. Casting her mind back to mount Atago, her eyes met Motoko¡¯s and Natsumi¡¯s, and while they were clearly determined, they also offered a supportive smile. Yes, having good rivals is motivating indeed. And goals... the Fae often lack such things, content to drift through life, fulfilling the whims of the moment... But Teare and I, and perhaps Moira too, have drifted to a place where we can change...


    ********


    Aditi Mistry


    ¡°I am most grateful for your assistance. With Raidre away, you did not have to come.¡± Aditi said politely to the Selkie who had come through the fantastical portal made from mushrooms, travelling between the Avalon of London and the Avalon of Tokyo in the blink of an eye. No, I should properly refer to them as Territories now. The Princess has adopted Mr Oshiro¡¯s terminology. And much more besides. Her lips quirked into a gentle smile, as she remembered the many looks the Princess showed in front of the man who had saved her life, as well as the lives of all her comrades. From disgust and loathing, to worry, fear, anger, now to warmth, joy, envy, sadness, playfulness and many more emotions. She shows her true face without reserve, a privilege few can see.


    ¡°It is fine. Lord Raidre would wish us to aid you. But these are...¡± The seal-like Selkie were eyeing Aditi¡¯s other helpers, strange fish-like humanoids with human faces. She had asked many questions of Mr Oshiro, and he had answered her graciously, further winning her respect, for it took a man of principle to be fair when those he clearly cherished were her competition. He had also sent for these Renyu, as he called them, saying they could aid her if she chose this method to succeed.


    ¡°We are the last of the Renyu of our clan, as far as we know.¡± The green-haired, most human one said, though his neck, arms and cheeks were dusted with fine silver scales. At those words the others keened sadly, their eyes red, though they had no tears left to shed. ¡°At least here, we can live, and have been promised vengeance, though it will not bring back our children, our parents...¡±


    The Selkie seemed a bit taken aback, and their confrontational attitude softened. The Selkie are much like Raidre, quick to anger, but loyal. It grieves me so many perished due to the treachery of our friends. Even now... Princess, I hope whatever choice you make does not wound your conscience. Lean on Mr Reckless, Mrs Mary-Jane and even Mr Oshiro. A burden shared is a burden divided. Feeling great sympathy for the desolate Renyu, Aditi comforted them as best she could. ¡°Perhaps some escaped whatever dreadful fate they were facing. You never know the end of things until you see it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. We can but dream of better days, before the great golden-eyed fiend came and enslaved and tormented us.¡± the green-haired Renyu declared sadly. ¡°Now, you wish us to control the creatures of the deeps in this river?¡±


    Aditi agreed. ¡°Yes, if you could I would be most grateful. Though control is perhaps the wrong word.¡± The Sagami river ran near Nishimorioka shrine, and that was true in the Boundary as well. Gazing at the rather wide body of water, Aditi remembered what she had asked, about the greatest mythical feat Jumong had perpetrated, at least as far as was known. ¡°I wish to cast forth my mightiest arrow into the river, and then the fish and turtles within should rise to the surface, making a bridge for me to cross.¡± Adherence is a subject beyond me. We were woefully ignorant and unprepared, compared to the likes of Miss Mary Stuart. But ignorance does not mean foolishness, as my mother often says. Foolishness cannot be cured, but the antidote to ignorance is knowledge, and fortunately we now have allies who share freely. Princess, I am so happy you do not have to lead alone anymore, cutting a path for us.


    ¡°Light element to match the arrows of Jumong. I fear I am not what I was...¡± she said, her tone softly mocking. ¡°...but even though I failed Arjuna, I yet live, and the bow the Princess bequeathed me still functions.¡± Drawing on all of the aether she could, she channelled it into the bow. Her skills in handling the substance, the source of energy, had come on leaps and bounds since she started training here with Mrs Mary-Jane. I am not useless. I have a second chance. And I want to seize it. I do feel rather sorry that of the five of us, only one can succeed, but... please forgive me. I want to stand by the Princess, by Sir Arthur, by Mr Reckless, and Mrs Mary-Jane. And by our new friends and allies too, such as Mr Oshiro. I am a woman that knows manners and gratitude. Should I succeed and my aid be needed, I will never hesitate.


    The Selkie and Renyu entered the water, sinking beneath the surface, and as Aditi squeezed out every drop of power she could, a string of faint light formed. It was far weaker than before, the lack of Arjuna¡¯s Favour leaving her pitifully bereft of brilliance, but a faint candle could still illuminate the darkness enough to see, though a bonfire was often better. Adherence is simply the fervent, pure belief in a being, or an event, or an outcome. I learned that from looking at the great Tree that stands at the heart of this shrine. Asha, the Dryad, she said it was nourished by what came from beneath the Tower of London. In that case, Jumong is represented by the strongest, single event...


    Her arrow formed, white and glowing, and with a cry she released it. The arrow plunged into the river with a sizzling hiss, before exploding, cascading up a fountain of water. As the droplets rained down, Aditi held in a sigh, thinking it wasn¡¯t ladylike. ¡°If I was Mr Reckless, I surely would have cursed. That was barely any strength. The creatures will not respond to me like that. Even if they do, it would merely be at the urgings of my helpers. That will not do. No...¡± She sat down, cross-legged in a pose of meditation, bow on her legs. ¡°...I can do better. I must do better. My only solace is, the others, they will likely not be swift at their own preparations.¡± Draw in the ether and convert it. Allow the strange, Fae lunar Chakra to do its work. The density of ether here is rather high. She glanced over at the great Tree and the brilliant prismatic light above, before shutting her eyes, blotting out distractions. Princess, this time I will protect you. I will not be fooled again. All those who you trust, I will be sure to watch carefully. Only those who I deem to have your best interests at heart will I allow near you. But to enforce that, I once more need strength. Which is why... I cannot lose this trial!

 Four Hundred And Eighty-One

    Four Hundred And Eighty-One


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I expected you to hold a competition over it.¡± Yukiko-san said, surprised, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, the aroma rich and pleasant. We were sitting in a small but upmarket cafe? in Kyoto, not too far from Tsukuyomi-jinja, Tsukiko¡¯s old shrine. No, I suppose it¡¯s hers again now. Despite everything, Tsukiko still respects and venerates Tsukuyomi, and sees herself as the Diviner, a shrine maiden, and I don¡¯t want to take that away from her. I owed Tsukuyomi as well, since I was now carrying his Favour.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sorry for Tsumura-san and Hori-san?¡± Yukiko-san continued. She was wearing large sunglasses instead of her usual fashion glasses, as well as a broad-brimmed hat to shade her face. Beside us, Tsukiko was also wearing similar accessories, though her hat was a baseball cap, looking a little odd over her long hair, and she wore a medical mask over her lower face. After all, we have the Imperial Princess, as well as Tsukiko and her unearthly beauty here. We don¡¯t want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. And Tsukiko is feeling particularly nervous today, and it¡¯s making her remember she hasn¡¯t shown her face under her veil in decades prior to recently. ¡°After all, you gave Izumi-san and your sister Favours without such selection. They might think you don¡¯t cherish them or think them capable.¡± Yukiko-san finished.


    Before I could speak, Yasuhide-san, looking rather smart in casual jeans and jumper, completely at odds with his usual priestly attire, spoke up. In fact, nobody is dressed like members of the faith today. Tsukiko is in jeans as well, with a high-necked wool jumper not able to mask her ample figure. ¡°It does seem a little unfair, but this old man thinks that there must be reasons, right?¡± He too was drinking coffee and looked the most relaxed out of all of us. ¡°I know for a fact you treasure them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There are a lot of reasons.¡± I agreed. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m now seeing a path to strength that really doesn¡¯t require a Favour, though that will certainly only work for those close to me...¡±


    Tsukiko, who was far from her usual demure, elegant and calm self, clenched her own cup of coffee tightly, taking a long breath to calm herself before speaking. ¡°Yes, Eri has done little but boast about it since her return. Though none of us possess the strange half-Yo?kai nature she now is blessed with, her strength is not derived entirely from that. Those of us who embrace you will find their strengths enhanced in proportion to the connection between our hearts.¡±


    ¡°And have you embraced him, Tsukiko-chan?¡± Yasuhide-san asked slyly, and the coffee cup momentarily fell from Tsukiko¡¯s hand, before she used her enhanced reflexes to grab it before it spilled. Behind her sunglasses she was no doubt looking at him with some bemusement and annoyance, and her visible face and ears were pink. Yukiko-san looked on, rather surprised at the change in her friend.


    ¡°I have not... not properly.¡± Tsukiko admitted, regaining her poise. She turned to me, and even though her mouth and eyes were covered, I could tell she was smiling gently. ¡°But I believe I wish to. I have long denied myself the simple pleasures of an ordinary woman, and now I wish to make up for all I have missed.¡±


    ¡°That make sense, and I¡¯m happy for you, Tsukiko.¡± Yukiko-san said slowly. ¡°But... are you sure you should be so hasty? I mean, I¡¯ve naught against Akio-san, in fact, I consider him a friend, after what we¡¯ve been through...¡± she paused, realising her words had sounded harsh, before making up her mind to continue. ¡°...but a relationship is something very different. I would never claim to have sacrificed what you have, Tsukiko, but as Imperial Princess, I know how hard it is to find someone who sees us for who we really are, who can give and not just take, who can...¡± she paused, embarrassed. ¡°...I think I have said too much.¡±


    Yasuhide-san was chuckling happily, and Tsukiko merely reached out a hand, grasping Yukiko-san¡¯s, squeezing it reassuringly, a physical contact the aloof Diviner would never have considered before. She¡¯s changing. We all are. ¡°No, you have spoken out of consideration for me. As your friend, I am grateful for that.¡± Tsukiko said gently. ¡°But I have not been hasty. I harbour no feelings of disdain towards Akio, far from it. In fact...¡± her exposed skin was now a deep red. ¡°...quite the opposite. I find myself thinking of him as much as I do Tsukuyomi, may the God forgive my inconstancy. That moment, where he promised me I would not die, the time he saved my spirit from final dissolution, the moment of my rebirth, that time in the hot springs...¡± her flush was now almost purple. ¡°...each memory seared indelibly into my being.¡±


    ¡°One of those things doesn¡¯t sound like the others.¡± Yukiko-san pointed out, but she wasn¡¯t angry or upset, merely a touch resigned. She sighed, as if to emphasise that, before looking at us seriously. ¡°I¡¯m just concerned. Akio-san is a good man, and I can¡¯t deny he cares deeply for you, considering the risks he undertook, the feats he performed, just to lead us to this happy ending. If it was only that, I¡¯d applaud you two getting together, and I¡¯d be the first to celebrate. But... you¡¯ll never have all his heart or time. I don¡¯t criticise, everyone seems happy enough, but... since you denied yourself so much, I want your future to be perfect!¡±


    ¡°I know. You¡¯re not telling me something I¡¯m not aware of, and honestly, it gives me nightmares.¡± I admitted, but I reached out and took Tsukiko¡¯s free hand, wanting to transmit my true feelings. ¡°I know my heart, and I know I can protect them, cherish them, and more importantly, help them all grow, and unleash their true potential, to be the best, happiest selves they can be. Tsukiko is no exception.¡± I promised. ¡°But I know I want to spend time with everyone, and they with me. I do despair that I can¡¯t give everyone the time they need to truly be content. But...¡± Despite the sunglasses, I stared into Yukiko-san¡¯s eyes. ¡°...I promise you, I¡¯ll make it work. Because I chose this too, and they are all worth it, Tsukiko no less than anyone else.¡± I squeezed Tsukiko¡¯s hand, and she returned the gesture.


    ¡°I see.¡± After a moment, Yukiko-san agreed. ¡°In that case, I have no further complaints. I¡¯ll hold you to it though. Tsukiko is my dearest friend, if you make her unhappy, you¡¯ll answer to me.¡± She said, though her smile was rather impish.


    ¡°You have no need to worry. The time I have spent with Akio may be scant, but it has been meaningful. A mere hour now stretches into colourful eternity, whereas before the months and years blurred into endless, grey days filled with nothing.¡± Tsukiko reassured her friend. ¡°I am happier in this vivid, dyed world, where a moment makes my heart race. Besides, the others believe in him too. He cannot mislead everyone. I place my faith in them, who place their faith in him.¡±


    Yukiko-san fanned her face, suddenly hot. ¡°That was quite the declaration. I never imagined you would speak so passionately about love.¡±


    ¡°She was saved from her greatest fears by him. What woman can ignore that?¡± Yasuhide-san snorted. ¡°But we got rather off the subject.¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± I agreed. ¡°The Favour... it¡¯s important, but what with the reveal of Aiko¡¯s new talents, I¡¯m concerned. It makes me hesitate to give anybody close to me one for the moment, but I also don¡¯t want to deny them a chance.¡±


    ¡°A bad business, that.¡± Yasuhide-san said softly, the sickly-sweet romantic mood of moments before vanishing. ¡°While KBS didn¡¯t broadcast the leaked footage here in Kyoto, I saw it on the internet. I¡¯ve tried calling Kiyomizu-dera to speak to Uchida Ren-san, but I was told he was absent. He¡¯s not at the hospital either, though Yamato-kun still lies comatose. I worry... though those members of Susanoo who refused to join the new Ministry and our alliance have assured me that all is well. I didn¡¯t want to mention much in case they were still unaware... a mess.¡±


    ¡°As the Diviner, I can attest that you had a greater purpose to take the Favour.¡± Tsukiko promised. ¡°But I fear now I will be seen as compromised. For I was the pure shrine maiden who was for Tsukuyomi and the Gods and Kami of Japan only, and now... now I have been soiled by mortal desires and my own wants.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said he hadn¡¯t embraced you?¡± Yukiko-san pointed out, and Tsukiko let out a small laugh, quiet and dignified.


    ¡°I have my purity, in body, but not in heart. My lips have been taken.¡±


    ¡°Kissing is romantic.¡± Yukiko-san understood, or thought she did. If she knew we did irrumatio in the hot springs, she¡¯d be shocked.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± I changed the dangerous subject hurriedly. ¡°In addition, there are benefits, it helps show Adamant and my other allies I¡¯m prepared to share the wealth, not just hoard it for my women and me, and it won me some goodwill from Princess Eleanor. We¡¯re allies bound together, but the closer we are, the more we can trust each other, the better. There¡¯s also the fact that I¡¯m a student of Tsumura Arts myself, now. I can hardly claim to be an expert, unlike Motoko and Natsumi, but I know enough... I think a Favour for them ideally should be either balanced around all aspects of their combat style, or something completely different. But that¡¯s just my thoughts. I also don¡¯t have the heart to deny them a chance at the power they crave. Hence... this competition. It suits all my needs, and my conscience.¡±


    ¡°You do think of them. I hope you¡¯ll give Tsukiko just as much consideration!¡± Yukiko-san said, and surprisingly it was Tsukiko who spoke up for me.


    ¡°I know he will. The tears he shed, the sweat and blood he shed for my sake prove it. Besides...¡± her tone turned sly, one I seldom heard from her. ¡°You would never have agreed to allow Akio to Enthrone me if you did not believe he would be good to me. I know he offered you the choice.¡±


    Yukiko-san agreed. ¡°I get it, and I do trust him, but... I have to stick up for my friend, don¡¯t I? Us women who have struggled to find a worthy partner have to stick together. Though now it¡¯ll just be me all alone...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, you know.¡± Yasuhide-san said, stroking his long beard regretfully. ¡°I feel bad too. Pushing the burden on Tsukiko-chan all these years. But it seems to me everything will work out all right. After all, Tsukiko-chan is still young, compared to us. She has ample time to make up for her past losses.¡±


    ¡°I could have done without the ¡®compared to us¡¯...¡± Tsukiko pouted, surprising everyone. At their shock, she shook her head. ¡°Before I did not care, but now I am a woman in a relationship, I hardly wish to be thought of as old. I wish Akio to see me as young and vibrant, and a delight to be with!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do, rest assured.¡± I kissed her lips softly again, and then turned to Yasuhide-san. ¡°Looks like the initial shock has given way to calm, so maybe we should all sit down and have a proper talk?¡±


    ********


    ¡°When Yasuhide-sama told us that you were reborn, I thought it possibly a cruel trick, though part of me hoped it was true.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s father said quietly. We were inside Tsukuyomi-jinja¡¯s modest building, where Tsukiko had dwelt a long time. Seeing her look around wistfully made me decide that she should spend more time here. With the unprecedented pace that Ixitt and his crew are building the underground tunnel and facilities in Tokyo, I wonder... could we build similar connecting Kyoto, Tokyo and the other major cities of Japan, and sites like mount Fuji and even Yukiko¡¯s Grand Shrine at Ise? Hell, can we even cross the seas, linking us to Korea? No, that¡¯s probably too grand an undertaking...


    ¡°Yasuhide-sama wouldn¡¯t lie to us. He told us that Oshiro-sama...¡± her mother began, but I interrupted her gently.


    ¡°Please, mother-in-law, we¡¯re family now. Just call me Akio. Otherwise I¡¯ll feel uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Akio-sama... Akio-san... then.¡± She said hesitantly. ¡°...you promised you were keeping her sleeping soul safe, and that she would return. We believe in the Gods, in miracles, but this was too strange.¡±


    ¡°I remember now. I was hardly thinking clearly at the funeral, but you assisted us to move the burned bones, the katsuage. And we asked if you and our daughter would be together.¡±


    ¡°And we will be!¡± I promised, hugging Tsukiko close. Despite her embarrassment she endured, and Yukiko-san watched on warmly, and perhaps with a trace of envy. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re a good woman, Yukiko-san, you¡¯ll find someone, I know it. Trying not to think of Eri¡¯s usual complaints over what she expected to happen, I continued speaking, while several shrine maidens in bright hakama, particularly trustworthy ones from the now defunct Tsukuyomi faction, were waiting in silence, ready to serve us more tea or snacks. ¡°To which I hope you can support us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± her father said, surprising me, only for him to shock me by giving us a weary smile. ¡°What man wishes for his only daughter to be swept up by a predatory wolf? We have to be especially wary, as our Tsukiko...¡± he said the name proudly now. ¡°...is so very beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡± Tsukiko said, surprised. ¡°Even in jest...¡±


    ¡°You are as serious as ever.¡± Her mother said emotionally, wiping at her eyes, though these tears were ones of contentment. ¡°As a little child, she loved the moon so, and her dreams were important to her as well. No, her visions. For we supported her in discarding her dreams for the good of others, of faith. But... it seems it was not all for naught.¡± She looked at me then, and despite her being a frail, elderly woman, there was steel in her eyes, along with a trace of self-loathing. Though if they can rekindle their family relationship, I hope that will fade in time. ¡°You will make my precious Tsukiko, the daughter we lost twice over, happy?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I declared and meant it. ¡°Hey...¡± I had an idea, and while I probably should have talked it over with Tsukiko first, I knew she would be pleased. ¡°...why don¡¯t you move to Tokyo? We have plenty of room on our estate, and it¡¯s not just my family that lives there. I¡¯m sure Tsukiko would feel better about it having you close at hand. It¡¯ll be hard to repair your relationship at a distance, and you¡¯ve lost out on so much already, you should seize every moment, and what better way than to be close at hand, living with your daughter?¡± More to the point, it¡¯s safer. They can be protected, and not used against us. ¡°My mom will welcome you warmly. After all, she really likes Tsukiko, and not just because she¡¯s beautiful. She thinks I need an older woman to look after me, and she doesn¡¯t count Shaeula as older. I mean, Hyacinth would clearly be the eldest, but I get why mom doesn¡¯t treat her that way...¡± Though there¡¯s Asha. Now that she¡¯s pregnant, she definitely exudes that motherly aura...


    ¡°He¡¯s speaking of other woman in front of you, Tsukiko.¡± her father complained. ¡°Are you sure he is the one? Do not merely let gratitude lead you down the wrong path once again. Prioritise your happiness, not your sense of duty! This time... this time we will stand by you, no matter what you decide!¡± As he exchanged glances with his wife, who nodded, Tsukiko merely laughed, relieved.


    ¡°I am glad that you finally see me again, not what I carry. And that you will support me if I choose to reject my saviour. You have become braver, standing up to him would require great courage.¡± Her smile was beautiful again, and somehow teasing, the gap between her usual behaviour enticing. ¡°But fear not...¡± she cupped my cheek gently. ¡°...who knows the touch of Destiny better than I? This was meant to be, and I am content. After all, you even think of my family.¡± She turned back to her parents, who were now looking fondly at their daughter, their earlier shock and grief subsumed by the realisation that their daughter was truly returned to them. ¡°Yes, I know you have lived in Kyoto for your whole lives, but I would be grateful if you would move to Tokyo. You will be well looked after, and Akio does not lie, his mother is very kind, if rather energetic. Besides, you can watch over us, and see that we speak the truth, that I am well loved.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing how fast they accepted your return. I know we said it at the funeral, but... I would have thought us merely liars.¡± Yukiko-san said, taking a sip of tea to calm herself. She was clearly overjoyed for Tsukiko, and that made us happy too. ¡°Of course, I suppose with the way the world is now, with talk of magic and mystery on every news bulletin and talk show, it might be easier to believe. And the proof is right here, after all.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, we would never doubt you!¡± Tsukiko¡¯s father said quickly, and Yukiko-san rolled her eyes. They had been amazed when they realised that their reborn daughter¡¯s truest friend was the Imperial Princess, and despite Yukiko-san¡¯s urgings they steadfastly refused to be informal with her like they were at the funeral. ¡°Besides... this is no dream. We are not our daughter, to see such truths in our sleep.¡±


    ¡°That feels vaguely insulting.¡± Tsukiko mock-pouted, enjoying the atmosphere. There was laughter, and Yasuhide-san leaned back in his chair, well satisfied.


    ¡°It all worked out in the end. It wasn¡¯t as bad as you feared it would be, was it, Tsukiko-chan?¡± he asked, and she shrugged gracefully.


    ¡°No, though despite my outward calm, my stomach was in knots, and I felt rather unwell. Fortunately with Akio and Yukiko here, I knew I could face this.¡±


    ¡°No praise for me? I¡¯m hurt!¡± Yasuhide-san complained, to more good-natured laughter.


    ¡°I simply do not know how to face you both yet. And I expect you have the same worries.¡± Tsukiko said, to their agreement. ¡°But we have this chance. I offer my prayers to Tsukuyomi, for even though the vision of the man with light, darkness and twilight being our saviour may have been wrong, it led to your determination to be the person that saves us. But there is more to come.¡± She glanced over at Yukiko-san, who swallowed.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t wish to spoil the mood, not now everyone is happy, but... it¡¯s still not over. You¡¯ll help me, right Akio-san?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I promised. ¡°We¡¯re friends, after all.¡± I opened my mouth to say more, when my phone rang. Pulling it from my pocket, I glanced at the caller, surprised. Yes, I did give her my number when we met that one time, but I wasn¡¯t expecting to ever receive a call. I wonder what it¡¯s about...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Two / Side One Hundred And Seventy-One – Kanzaki Keiko

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Two / Side One Hundred And Seventy-One ¨C Kanzaki Keiko


    The music died down, the lights dimming, and Kanzaki Keiko stood there pridefully, sweat beads glittering on her face and arms, the idol costume she wore, the short red skirt, with flashes of black and silver cloth sewn through it, as well as the silver shirt partially covered with a red and black waistcoat covered with sparkling sequins, catching the eye of the crowd. ¡°And that song was Sentimental Train! Now, Matsui-chan hasn¡¯t been well, as you all know, but she wishes she could be here to sing for you all.¡± Keiko continued. ¡°But who knows...¡± she addressed one of her colleagues beside her, who was wearing the same outfit, her hair bunched into braids with cute pink ribbons. ¡°...maybe our fans will get a nice surprise next Saturday, don¡¯t you think Yoshino-chan?¡±


    Spoiler


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    ¡°Oh definitely, Kan-za-ki-chan!¡± Yoshino-chan replied into her microphone in a singsong, cutesy voice. ¡°I just know everyone is super excited for the charity concert at the Tokyo Dome next Saturday!¡± She paused to allow the crowd here at the AKB48 Cafe? in Akihabara to cheer, before continuing. ¡°But to those of you who couldn¡¯t get tickets, don¡¯t despair!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Keiko grinned, her smile lighting up the room. ¡°Our very own cafe? will be hosting a live viewing event, and there will even be some of our ex-members coming back for a special live performance. So you can cheer us on from here!¡±


    ¡°And what do we have planned?¡± a third idol said, this one a cute younger girl with her black hair tied with a single white ribbon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a se-cr-et!¡± Keiko copied Yoshino-chan¡¯s inflections from earlier. ¡°But...¡± she lowered her voice conspiratorially, a clear act considering she was speaking into a microphone. ¡°...we¡¯ll be playing our newest single, and announcing our new centre. And that¡¯s not all... we¡¯ll also be having a collaboration song with an up-and-coming local idol group. Let your speculation commence!¡±


    ¡°You forgot that there¡¯ll be special international guests too!¡± the younger member broke in. ¡°Though don¡¯t let these foreign idols turn your heads. Who do you love?¡±


    ¡°AKB48! AKB48! AKB48!¡± The crowd in the cafe? chanted, waving their glowsticks frantically, much to the bemusement of some foreign tourists who had been drawn in by the noise earlier, or had just come in because it was a cafe? and they wanted something to eat or drink.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com


    ¡°In that case...¡± Keiko grinned. ¡°If you can all keep a secret, here¡¯s a brief taste of happiness! In fact, this next song is called Tsukiakari no shita de shiawasena ai! May you all find happiness and love under moonlight! A one, two, three!¡±


    The lights of the cafe? dimmed, leaving the glowsticks of the fans the only light apart from a few by the bar, and then spotlights, brilliant white like the moon, highlighted Keiko, who had moved to the centre of the trio. As the members began to dance, the routine they had painstakingly learned through hard work and endless repetition, her voice rose in song, and she was glad the lights were so bright, as it hid the scattering of tears glimmering in her eyes. I¡¯ve finally done it. I¡¯ve been voted number one and I¡¯m the centre on this single! And it¡¯s not just any single, but it¡¯s a single that we¡¯ll perform first at the biggest musical event in Japanese history.


    Her thoughts a whirl, they sung and danced, though it was only half the song and their first chorus, before they switched to several different songs in a medley. As their dance came to a close, the lights came up again, and the chants of the fans finally stopped. Tossing back her head, beads of sweat scattering, Keiko spoke again. ¡°You didn¡¯t get the full song, as not everyone¡¯s here, and let me tell you, the later verses are real bangers.¡± As the crowd cheered, she placed one hand at her mouth, to show she was sharing another secret. ¡°The last verse we¡¯ve actually rewritten in tribute to someone that¡¯s done AKB48 a huge favour. I think it¡¯s even better now.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to wait and see!¡± Yoshino-chan giggled. ¡°Since you who come to our cafe? are our biggest fans, we gave you a brief taste. But the full meal is served next Saturday! Anyway, I know you¡¯re all eager for the handshake event, but give us fifteen minutes to freshen up first, okay?¡± She winked, and the crowd waved their glowsticks in response. A curtain came down over the stage, and the idols relaxed.


    ¡°Whoa, you were on fire there, Keiko.¡± Yoshino Asuka said, taking a towel and wiping her sweat. Now the audience was hidden, they relaxed, addressing each other by their given names. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly blossomed recently. You¡¯ve even shrugged off the backlash from your interview.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she really does have a thing for him.¡± Ema, the younger idol, grinned.


    ¡°Oh you!¡± Keiko laughed wryly, also drying herself off. ¡°You know the way things are. If I seriously did date anyone I¡¯d have to drop out of being an idol. You know what the fans are like... I mean, I love them, we all do, but there are some bad apples...¡±


    ¡°No kidding!¡± Asuka hugged her, until she pushed her away. ¡°It¡¯s like these handshake events. I have to respect how the fans spend their hard-earned money supporting us, buying multiple copies of our albums and tickets just to get more votes, but... well, it¡¯s a good job that they are forced to wash their hands before they are allowed to come up. If it¡¯s just that they are nervous and sweaty, that¡¯s to be expected, but...¡±


    Ema spoke up, curious. She had only been a member of AKB48 a short time, and the upcoming single was her first major appearance, so she was a little naive about things. ¡°...Really? I thought that was an urban myth.¡± She flushed, embarrassed and morbidly curious. ¡°There¡¯s no way a fan would... you know... in the toilet beforehand?¡± She couldn¡¯t even say it, and Keiko found her blush adorable. Ema¡¯s a born idol, though she¡¯s got a different style to Asuka and me.


    ¡°I wish it was.¡± Keiko sighed. ¡°It never happened to me, but some of our founding members ended up with sticky hands. Fortunately we¡¯ve far better security and rules now. The worst we have to worry about is some slander online and having to remember the names or nicknames of all our wotaku. Although when it crosses the line into stalking that can be scary...¡± She brightened up then, reaching for her phone. ¡°...though if any of you get hassled, just tell me. I¡¯ll get it sorted.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to have your phone at work.¡± Ema said, and Keiko playfully flickered her forehead.


    ¡°Everyone does it. I know you have yours, right?¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged!¡± Ema flourished her own hot pink phone. ¡°So, by getting it sorted, do you mean you¡¯ll call him?¡± She inquired, brown eyes sparkling.


    ¡°I have another question. Do you really think Juu-chan...¡± Asuka referred to Matsui by her nickname, as she was a senpai in AKB48 ¡°...will be able to perform? When she had to be replaced as centre on her single due to illness she was devastated. I¡¯d love to see her come back strong!¡±


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s all hush-hush, but the promoters of the concert are powerful, important people. The government, big business and more.¡± Keiko pointed out, having done more research on the powers behind Akio-kun after their stint on the talk show together with Arisu-chan. Now she was a frightening woman, but so powerful and elegant. I wish I could be like her someday. ¡°I know management suggested it without much hope, to make things go with a bang but... I met her. The bar-bar my way girl, Shaeula-chan. She¡¯s the reason we rewrote the last verse. She brought hope and happiness to Juu-chan. I believe it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be amazing!¡± Ema raised her fists to the sky, excited. ¡°Injury and illness is scary. And we¡¯ll get to dance with her in front of all of Tokyo Dome. It¡¯s unbelievable. I¡¯m so lucky!¡± She hugged Keiko, rubbing her cheek on her. ¡°I¡¯m still a newbie, but thanks to being put in your trio I¡¯m flying!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just Tokyo Dome, this is going out worldwide!¡± Asuka laughed, and Ema froze, before her hug tightened.


    ¡°I¡¯m suddenly scared! Help me Keiko-senpai!¡± Ema cried, and everyone laughed.


    ¡°Oh, now you respect me as a senpai?¡± Keiko said with mock severity. ¡°Anyway, time is up, we need to get out there and make the day for our fans. After all, we¡¯re idols! We may not be heroes saving the world like some, but we do brighten the lives of our fans!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± they agreed, and placing their hands over each other¡¯s, they then raised them to the sky. ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡±


    After quickly freshening up, the curtain was drawn back on the stage, and they took their positions behind their individual tables, lines of fans in front of each one, clutching CDs, posters and other merchandise ready for signing. With a practised smile, Keiko greeted her first fan warmly. ¡°A-kun, good to see you!¡±


    ¡°You remembered me...¡± the man who was nicknamed A-kun said, scratching at his slightly chubby cheeks with delighted embarrassment. It was only his second time visiting her, so he was impressed.


    ¡°Of course, who could forget you? Oh, you¡¯ve got my limited edition poster where I¡¯m dressed as an Akiba maid. That one¡¯s premium!¡± Keiko praised him. ¡°Do you want a signature?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you could sign it with the name of the new single...¡± he said slyly, and Keiko couldn¡¯t help but giggle.


    ¡°You bastaaaaaaaaaaaard!¡± the man yelled, one hand clutching his destroyed eye. Moments later he fell to the ground, his other eye exploding too. Blinded, he flailed around and tripped over the fallen idol, landing on his knees, even as screams started around us. Kanzaki-chan leapt up, despite her injuries, and raced towards me, shouting out for calm.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right!¡± she shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, stay composed! Help has arrived!¡±


    As she did so, my feet suddenly started to feel a pressure, and I looked down to see the leather boots I wore were starting to shrink. Guess there¡¯s no cheating the Geas. I tossed my phone to Kanzaki-chan, who fumbled but caught it. Looking at me puzzled, I spoke rapidly. ¡°Call the local police, as I had to take on a cheat to get here in time. I was in Kyoto a couple of minutes ago.¡± I snorted, the situation painful but also amusing. ¡°Unless you want my feet to tear off in front of you...¡±


    ¡°No, ah.. okay!¡± She dialled hurriedly, and I ignored the growing pain to help up the crying girl, another idol running over. ¡°Ema, are you all right? I¡¯m sorry, I was frozen, I couldn¡¯t do anything?¡±


    Ema-san, the girl I had pulled up and helped cover herself, draping my coat over her and pulling it over her torn shirt, shook, sobbing silently. I could hear Kanzaki-chan reporting the situation to the police, and at that moment the boots stopped constricting my feet. Moments later Ema-san blew her nose, and with a shuddering breath, looked at me, eyes widening.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Oshiro-san!¡± she managed. ¡°Where did you come from? Oh... no, no...¡± She looked ready to cry again, and I looked down to see that my boots and trousers were covered in liquid where I had bent down. She blushed as red as a tomato, and in a mosquito-like voice whispered she was sorry.


    ¡°No problem!¡± I said, aether surging, extracting the liquid from my legs and also the floor, before flame element evaporated it. ¡°Now I¡¯m sure this was just a spillage from a bucket that got kicked over in the struggle, but it must be uncomfortable...¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± Ema-san whispered, understanding my consideration, and she shivered as she felt the unusual sensations of aether and flame element cleansing her shame.


    ¡°The police are on the way.¡± Kanzaki-chan handed me my phone back, looking down at the writhing man clutching his face. ¡°They¡¯ll take Sora-kun away... but can he be contained? He¡¯s not normal.¡±


    ¡°His strength is still a problem, but he won¡¯t be able to do much with his ability.¡± My Eye glowed as I confirmed that it was indeed an eye-related ability, and I had blinded him. ¡°They¡¯ll call for special police from the Ministry for Spiritual Matters, and they have specific holding cells. Though, maybe I should help them out, just in case.¡±


    At that, the man, Sora-san, let out a bitter, wheezing laugh, cackling madly. ¡°I¡¯m glad I can¡¯t see this! Kanzaki-chan, you slut, you...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you.¡± I growled, my League surging. I tried to direct it, though everyone around me fell silent under the strain of my presence. Sora-san was barely able to speak, pale from more than pain, and with a swift motion I broke his wrists and ankles with an audible snapping sound. He bellowed inarticulately, and I advised him to be silent. ¡°I suggest you choose your words carefully. I was meeting some people I¡¯ve now worried severely before this...¡±


    As if on cue, Eri¡¯s voice spiked into my mind. Akio, are you all right? Shiro came back in a panic, and Tsukiko called saying it was an emergency?


    I¡¯m fine. Though the fallout is going to be a pain. You can reassure everyone and handle it for me... I explained what had occurred, and Eri, pumped up to be of help, agreed to coordinate everyone. Turning back to Kanzaki-chan, I smiled reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault though, and nobody would care about being a bit worried over this.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me...¡± the third idol said cheerfully, though I could tell she was shocked by the sudden violence and putting on a brave face. ¡°Can I... have your autograph? I¡¯m a big fan... especially now!¡±


    I paused, a little surprised, and Kanzaki-chan burst out laughing, as she hugged Ema-san close. ¡°That¡¯s a role reversal, Asuka. Anyway...¡± she took a deep breath, calming herself. Security for the venue had reacted, and some of the idol fans had also regained their own calm and were making sure everyone was all right. Several people had fainted and one was having a panic attack, but my Eye could see there were no life-threatening injuries anywhere. ¡°...Akio-kun, thanks. For keeping your promise.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Though when I gave it, I never thought this would happen.¡± I snorted.


    ¡°No, I know. But still... thank you.¡± She smiled, and I raised a hand, aether flowing, and her cheeks and lips healed up. She touched them, surprised. ¡°I guess I should thank you again.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re an idol, the show must go on, right? Besides...¡± I began, only for Kanzaki-chan to interrupt me.


    ¡°I know this one. Your sister is an idol fan, right? So you did it for her.¡± She remembered our conversation from before. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we plan on giving her the full backstage experience on Saturday.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Anyway, please call me Keiko. I¡¯m Kanzaki-chan to the fans, but... to my friends I¡¯m Keiko.¡±


    ¡°All right, Keiko-chan.¡± I nodded, and she looked down, face red. Asuka-san started teasing her, and Ema-san joined in, trying hard not to see or hear Sora-san who was muttering and cursing in between his roars of pain. Soon, the police and some paramedics arrived, and several minutes after that a special team from the Ministry joined them, accompanied by Detective Kato and Officer Usui. On seeing me, Usui-san rolled her eyes, addressing me rather familiarly.


    ¡°Why is it whenever there¡¯s trouble, especially involving girls, you¡¯re always there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hurtful accusation.¡± I sighed, though I knew she was joking. ¡°Anyway... his power is in his eyes, so I blinded him. But be careful, he¡¯s gained a few Levels recently so he¡¯s likely stronger than you can handle. I¡¯ve broken his limbs to make it easier to control him, but even so, be careful.¡±


    ¡°You could have been gentler. This is going to be problematic.¡± The Detective sighed, before his expression hardened. ¡°Though I¡¯ve no time or remorse for scum who abuse those weaker than themselves. All right, interview everyone and get the CCTV footage...¡± He ordered his detachment to work, and as the cafe? bustled into life, Keiko-chan thanked me again.


    ¡°I¡¯m...¡± Emotion was getting to her now, the relief uncorking her shock and fear. ¡°...so glad you came. If I had... to watch Ema... hurt because of me...¡± Ema-san started to sniffle and shiver again, and Asuka-san started to console them.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Trust me. I know. But...¡± I had an idea. ¡°...if you¡¯re grateful, then make the concert a real success, okay? That¡¯ll help me a lot. Arisu-san would appreciate it too.¡±


    ¡°I am grateful.¡± Her fellow idols echoed her, Ema-san wiping her tears, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. Keiko-chan then paused, before managing a genuine smile. ¡°I guess it really was lucky that I was chosen to go on the talk show with you, otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Although there¡¯s no guarantee that wasn¡¯t what provoked that bastard to attack. ¡°Anyway, I have to go, now that the situation is under control.¡± As I said that, Ema-san grabbed one arm, while Asuka-san grabbed my other.


    ¡°No way!¡± Asuka-san protested. ¡°You can¡¯t just show up like a knight in shining armour in our hour of need and not let us thank you properly! Words aren¡¯t good enough!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You even...¡± Ema-san looked down at my coat she was wearing, before her eyes narrowed. ¡°...helped me out of trouble. You came here for Keiko, if you go without letting her express her gratitude, she¡¯ll be devastated!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she will be!¡± Asuka-san agreed, giving her a sly thumbs-up she thought I couldn¡¯t see. Keiko-chan rolled her eyes, but she did seem to want me to stay.


    ¡°Honestly, we¡¯re all really shaken up. It would be good if you could explain to us how you deal with such things. Oh, but you said you were worrying people, if you can¡¯t stay I¡¯ll understand...¡±


    Seeing her look pitiful, the others hanging onto my arms, I gave a rueful smile, listening to Usui-san chuckling at my discomfort. Directing some thoughts at Eri for her to pass onto the others, I conceded. ¡°Fine. You can let me go, I won¡¯t run off. I don¡¯t have long, but there¡¯s a bar near here I frequent...¡± I can console them a little, and I could use a drink after this mess...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Three

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Three


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. Management are going to be really upset. Will we be all right?¡± Ema-san said worriedly, looking at the footage displayed on my phone, as she sipped slowly at the brightly coloured non-alcoholic drink in a tall glass. She wasn¡¯t of legal age to drink yet, unlike us, but even if she was, it might not have been a good idea, as she had just stopped trembling, the aftereffects of being attacked by the man known as Sora-san coming out in her.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Keiko-chan reassured her. ¡°The cafe? has to shut as it¡¯s a crime scene, and the police said we could leave, although that¡¯s got more to do with you, hasn¡¯t it, Akio-kun?¡± She got to the point shrewdly. ¡°The Detective in charge definitely knew you.¡±


    ¡°I am one of the special advisors to the new Ministry.¡± I agreed, sipping at my whiskey. ¡°And the Detective and I go back some.¡± No need to say I saved his life. ¡°But yes, you¡¯ve reported everything, so I don¡¯t see how your bosses can complain. If they cause too much trouble, I¡¯ll speak to them for you.¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡± Asuka-san said cheerfully. ¡°That¡¯d be great. I¡¯m even more your fan now!¡±


    Keiko-chan gave her a stern look. ¡°There¡¯s no need to butter him up so, Asuka.¡±


    ¡°Why? Jealous?¡± she giggled, taking a sip of her own cocktail, before her expression turned serious. ¡°Whatever happens though, it¡¯s not good publicity. There¡¯s no hiding it.¡± Sora-san was shown being carried out, though he was cuffed and hooded, his mouth gagged, to hide his injuries. I don¡¯t regret it. He was the worst kind of scum, and his broken limbs were cleanly done, I could fix them rather easily should it be necessary, and if not with his higher stats he¡¯ll heal up in a short while I¡¯d imagine. Safety first.


    ¡°I was so scared.¡± Ema-san admitted. ¡°I couldn¡¯t move at all, and then he started...¡± her eyes trembled, and Keiko-chan and Asuka-san hugged her shoulders, calming her again.


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡± I promised. ¡°Despite how it seems, Chosen aren¡¯t common, and most of us aren¡¯t crazy.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Keiko-chan raised one eyebrow, clearly amused. ¡°...but I¡¯ve been in constant life or death battles and training from hell for many months now!¡± she mimicked, and I smiled ruefully.


    ¡°You heard that, huh?¡± I asked, and she nodded, her own smile broad. Beside her, Asuka-san laughed, and Ema-san tried to console me.


    ¡°It was very cool, Akio-kun, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Sorry, I have a bad habit of running my mouth in stressful situations.¡± I took a sip of my drink to cover my embarrassment, while I continued to observe the footage of the scene. ¡°Yeah, this is really bad timing. We¡¯re trying to reassure the public, and idiots are running wild, using their powers for shit like this.¡± I felt particularly aggrieved, as it was undermining the work I had done in South Korea, not that we weren¡¯t having problems with that, too.


    It seemed that wa son their minds as well, as Keiko-chan spoke up. ¡°I saw the news of you in Korea, it was quite dashing, how you helped rescue some children from a dangerous place. But I wasn¡¯t sure whether you were still away from Japan. If you were...¡± She bit her lip, thinking of the worst case.


    ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t have made it so quickly.¡± I conceded. That¡¯s why we need more Ring Gates. ¡°Maybe I can run across the ocean, I don¡¯t know...¡± I glanced down at my feet, wearing the Seven-league Boots, which had been polished up and the leather refreshed, and now looked like fashionable footwear that I wore most of the time when out and about.


    ¡°You said your feet would tear off...¡± Keiko-chan followed my gaze. ¡°How does that even work?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I shouldn¡¯t have said, but I got carried away in the moment. It wouldn¡¯t have been a disaster anyway...¡±


    ¡°Not a disaster?¡± Asuka-san raised an eyebrow, surprised. ¡°I¡¯d say losing your feet would be about as textbook a disaster as one can imagine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Ema-san agreed fervently. ¡°If we had no feet, we couldn¡¯t perform!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± I said, surprised, and there was laughter, the tense mood and gloom starting to lift. That¡¯s good. I¡¯m busy, but I can spare a little time for this. Although, Tsukiko and her parents... I sent a thought to Eri, who responded that they were coming back to Tokyo, though they had refused a helicopter and were taking the bullet train. The idols and I continued chatting, helping Ema-san to unwind, and then familiar voices were heard at the entrance to the bar.


    ¡°Hey, I know we¡¯re underage, but my bro is in there. I¡¯m not planning to drink, you know!¡± Turning, I saw my sis was arguing with the owner at the door. Beside her was Daiyu, who was trying to make herself unobtrusive, and also Shiro and Asha.


    ¡°You know me, I¡¯ve come here often enough, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m forgettable.¡± Shiro said, smiling brightly. ¡°We like it here, we won¡¯t cause any trouble. If there¡¯s any pushback, we¡¯ll compensate you for it.¡±


    ¡°Woah, she¡¯s gorgeous!¡± Ema-san blinked, seeing Shiro. ¡°No, they all are, but... she¡¯s too perfect!¡±


    Hearing that, Shiro looked over and winked, before pursing her lips knowingly seeing me sitting with the idols. The conversation with the owner finished up, and he allowed them in.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the heroes of Britain!¡± Asuka-san said, excited, as if meeting one of her idols, and Keiko-chan was also intrigued.


    ¡°She¡¯s your mutual friend with Arisu-chan, right?¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Arisu-chan, huh? Yeah, Arisu and I are good friends.¡± Shiro agreed, having her usual drink poured for her as she sat down in our booth. ¡°So, the urgent business that led to you ditching Tsukiko and me was this, huh? Hanging out with some idols?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Ema-san defended me stoutly. ¡°We were being attacked by a crazy person, I... I was...¡± she suddenly paused her sad words as Shiro put a hand on her head.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little cutie? Don¡¯t mind me, Aki and I go way back, and we¡¯re engaged. I just like teasing him. It¡¯s all over the news, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind introducing me to these others? Though...¡± Keiko-chan looked at my sis, who seemed incredibly excited as she sat down, a drink matching Ema-san¡¯s in her hand, Daiyu having one likewise. ¡°...this is your sister, right? The idol fan?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you know me already? Awesome!¡± my sis enthused. ¡°Damn right I¡¯m a fan! AKB48 is like one of the best groups! Though I¡¯m a fan of Red and White too...¡± she was embarrassed to confess that to the idols in front of her, before she perked up. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Kanzaki-chan, the idol who¡¯s keen on my bro! Everyone back home was taking about it.¡± As Keiko-chan blushed, she turned to the others. ¡°Matsui-chan too, right? And you¡¯re... Ito-chan, yeah?¡±


    Ema-san seemed surprised she was recognised, flushing in happiness, nodding frantically. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m new, but please support me!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± My sis gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Damn bro, good job! Creepy gross idol fans need to be dealt with, and scum who¡¯d attack women need to be wiped out. I¡¯d have put an arrow through his head if I was there.¡± She paused, realising the three of them were looking at her incredulously, so she shrugged, embarrassed.


    ¡°Sorry, I got carried away. It¡¯s true though. I¡¯m glad my bro was able to help you out. Anyway, I¡¯m Aiko, a huge fan. I¡¯m really looking forward to the show you¡¯ll put on next weekend! These here are Shiro, Daiyu and Asha. They¡¯re my bro¡¯s fiance?es. Well, Daiyu¡¯s a bit different, a... Dao Companion, wasn¡¯t it?¡± At Daiyu¡¯s nod, she continued boisterously. ¡°Same thing, different name, really. Anyway, Asha¡¯s pregnant, so be aware, if you¡¯re chasing my bro, he¡¯s already got kids.¡± She winked, enjoying my discomfort.


    ¡°Teasing them, Ai?¡± Shiro had shortened my sister¡¯s name now as well, it seemed. They had been spending more time together, and I guessed Shiro had grown closer with her. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t get it.¡± Shiro¡¯s grin was wicked, but also incredibly alluring. ¡°Anyway, since I was with Asha, I thought I¡¯d bring her along, she needs to get out and about sometimes. As for Daiyu... she can¡¯t watch our mad scientist, as she doesn¡¯t know much English. And she¡¯s been holed up making talismans, it¡¯s not healthy. So Eri volunteered to stay behind. She¡¯s making an effort, I have to give her that.¡±


    ¡°I was making significant progress.¡± Daiyu¡¯s Japanese was now excellent, showing her continued efforts to learn in her spare time. ¡°But I do confess it was somewhat lonely. Not something I ever expected to feel. But one joy scatters a hundred griefs. I had given no thought to the day of my birth for many years, except for astrological predictions, but now... I find myself anticipating that day greatly.¡± She looked so adorable, her usually expressionless face somewhat shy, so I patted her head, and she flushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether people should be jealous of you or think you crazy.¡± Asuka-san observed, seeing the affectionate girls.


    ¡°Jealous, definitely.¡± My sis laughed. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault too, you know?¡± She confided cheerfully. ¡°My bro was such a lame loser, but I encouraged him to follow his heart, and here we are!¡±


    Asha was also drinking a mocktail, alcohol likely had little effect on Fae gestation, but she was taking no chances. She was still surprised by the mortal realm, having a lot less experience than Shaeula or Hyacinth, as she usually stayed around her Tree or our new estate, and the idols found that endearing.


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± Keiko-chan said with a smile. ¡°Aiko-chan, you wanted to go backstage on Saturday, didn¡¯t you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve made all the arrangements. You¡¯ll be a VIP guest extraordinaire, you can meet the seniors in the group, try on our outfits, whatever you like!¡±


    The three of them exchanged glances and asked for some privacy. As they moved to another booth for a moment, I asked my sis and Shiro if they were sure, Daiyu too.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Motoko and Natsumi, as well as Hinata¡¯s bodyguard Kazumi, and Miyu and her bodyguard Michiru will be the first disciples I train. Hinata refused, but she believes she has another path. But a Sect cannot merely be the seven of us. I have not just been studying runes and talismans.¡± She looked at me earnestly. ¡°I intend to choose some promising members from Adamant. It is far from a flawed idea...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we get why Eri was soured on it. We weren¡¯t tactful.¡± Shiro apologised. ¡°Look, I¡¯m a jealous woman, but I¡¯m also not a fool. Better to follow Shaeula¡¯s path, and delight in my man being the most popular, most desirable, and the best, than to let the jealousy eat me up inside. But that requires confidence. I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll always seek me, after all, Aki, I¡¯m Shirohime, and I¡¯m beautiful, witty, and know you inside out. Shaeula thinks the same way. Eri... she didn¡¯t have the confidence. She knows you love her, but... hey, you still left her behind for years. It¡¯s hard for that not to leave a scar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But now... she¡¯s finally reconciled her true feelings with the reality of the now. She¡¯s not scared anymore. Even if you slept with everyone in Adamant, took them as concubines, Eri knows that your feelings for her are hers alone. Not that I think you should start becoming a Casanova. That¡¯d be such a moonstone move!¡± My sis warned me. ¡°You¡¯re right to worry about your time. That¡¯s why we brought Daiyu and Asha out today. It¡¯s hard to get time with you, even when you¡¯re split in two.¡±


    ¡°I do not mind, I am a Dryad, I am used to solitude, and soon... I will have our daughters.¡± Asha assured me, and that made my heart ache. Yeah, once I accepted Shaeula, and then Hinata... I¡¯d already shattered my promise to Eri, and my ability to call myself a faithful man. Not much difference between three and five, or even ten. But what happens if it is twenty, fifty, a hundred? In stories it just works, but if each girl only gets ten minutes a day... no way they or I could be happy. But...


    ¡°I mind.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Asha, I didn¡¯t fully understand what it meant for a Dryad to share her kiss, and I¡¯m sorry I was so dense, but... I love you. You¡¯re the mother of my children, and a beautiful, kind woman in your own right. I want to spend time with you! With everyone! But right now we¡¯re trying to firefight. Once we all grow strong enough to not have to worry, to protect Earth, then... well, hopefully we can relax!¡±


    ¡°Nai?ve.¡± Tan declared, one of Shiro¡¯s eyes turning crimson. ¡°Once a trial is overcome, greater trials oft lie beyond. But... to an extent you are correct. The higher Astral is full of dangers you can hardly imagine, but life unfolds over decades, centuries, millennia. There will be time for calm, so long as we have the strength for it.¡±


    We, huh? Shiro didn¡¯t miss that either, and I nodded. ¡°So Asha, seek me when you¡¯re lonely, when you want to see me, and I¡¯ll do the same.¡±


    ¡°Wow, big bro is on fire today. Turning on the charm!¡± My sis laughed happily. It was then that the three idols came back, having made up their minds.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Keiko-chan said, speaking for them all. ¡°In theory, we think... it¡¯s not a bad idea. But if we could hear more about just what¡¯s expected of us...¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Shiro pumped her fist. ¡°Daiyu, you explain your bit.¡±


    With that, they returned to the other booth and were talking animatedly, while Asha looked on, quietly amused, and my sis was ecstatic.


    ¡°This is going to be the start, bro! When the other members of AKB48 see their improvement, they¡¯ll want it too. And I can use this to persuade Tamami-chan she should join in too...¡±


    ¡°Just keep it in moderation. Think of Eri...¡± I warned, and my sis giggled.


    ¡°Sure thing, bro. But what does it matter?¡± She narrowed her blue eyes. ¡°Unless you¡¯re actually thinking of pulling rank and adding them to your harem, having them in Adamant shouldn¡¯t be an issue, the more the merrier.¡±


    ¡°My conscience is clear.¡± I insisted piously. ¡°It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just teasing you, bro. Relax.¡± My sis finished her drink noisily. ¡°It¡¯s kind of cool, seeing how you spent your time at university. I think I like it here. That aside, it¡¯s all publicity. Idols have a grip on the youth of Japan, don¡¯t they? Having them as your supporters is one of the reasons why we are having the concert, right? It¡¯s not just about fundraising, but your public image. And with the events of the day... you need it more than ever.¡±


    ¡°It is like the Seelie Court. There are many factions, and they are often at odds. Though humankind seems even more tangled and complicated.¡± Asha observed.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± My sis agreed. ¡°When you think about it, there¡¯s a lot more people in Japan than there are Fae in the entire Seelie Court. Stands to reason everything is such a mess. That¡¯s why we have laws and the police and the government. And why we need influence.¡±


    ¡°True. But more than that... we need to stop people misusing their powers. Every single one is precious.¡± I narrowed my eyes, annoyed again.


    ¡°At least you¡¯ve picked up another. No way you¡¯ll let that pervert keep his Favour, will you?¡± my sis pointed out, and I nodded.


    ¡°True. There might be some paperwork involved, but legally under the Ministry laws, just like a deadly weapon can be confiscated, so can a misused ability...¡±


    ¡°Great. Seeing how hard everyone is competing for Jumong¡¯s Favour, I feel a bit bad I could have pretty much scooped it up right away if I wasn¡¯t so magnanimous.¡± My sis boasted proudly. ¡°It¡¯s better to have it in our hands.¡±


    I hope you¡¯re right. But so much is happening all at once at the moment it¡¯s hard to be sure. But we are putting plans in place to ensure we can handle the fallout...


    ********


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t any fun, you bully!¡± Ema-san pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve been defiled! I¡¯ll have to retire before I ever made centre!¡± Her off-colour quip was mostly a joke, and hearing it I was relieved, as since she was able to make such a joke, she must have been able to put her earlier ordeal behind her, at least a little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic, Ema.¡± Keiko-chan sighed. ¡°It did hurt, but it¡¯s no worse than going to the dentist. Just... over the whole body. Oh, I guess it was rather bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like dieting.¡± Asuka-san pointed out. ¡°When we¡¯re so hungry doing endless repetitions of our routines that it hurts, we¡¯re not doing that because it¡¯s fun. I¡¯m more concerned with the benefits...¡±


    In the end, the three idols had agreed, and I had borrowed a back room to perform the Chirurgery. Even with my improved Skill, it was impossible to remove the pain entirely, but I did what I could. They had also accepted studying under Daiyu, though they weren¡¯t sure when they would have the time, but Daiyu, her expression resolute, advised them that when they realised they could perform far above their limits, they would have time for other matters, and she hoped to see them on Monday. Using some of her time up, huh? Well, I did say her birthday was her day to do as she pleased. If that¡¯s what she wants, it¡¯s a good time to make that phone call. I do have to prepare some birthday presents after all...


    ¡°Our manager has been calling.¡± Keiko-chan said, checking her phone. ¡°And leaving messages. She¡¯s worried, it makes sense. We should go.¡± She bowed to us all, grateful. ¡°Thanks for everything. Although...¡± Keiko-chan seemed a little shy. ¡°...she¡¯s asking if she can meet you to thank you for rescuing us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. And honestly, I¡¯m really quite busy...¡± I tried to refuse, but my sis rolled her eyes at me, irritated.


    ¡°Sure you¡¯re busy bro, I wouldn¡¯t try to say you¡¯re not, but this is an opportunity, opportunity! Time to sell yourself and your benefits beyond the concert, bro! I can see it now, armies of highly trained idols under my... err, I mean your command!¡±


    So that¡¯s her angle. Though... Shiro nodded at me. And even Daiyu looked interested, perhaps wondering if she could find more suitable candidates to start training for her Sect. Asha had no opinion, but she spoke gently. ¡°I know you are eager to return to work on my Tree, you feel a great urgency to strengthen our position. But chance meetings can often lead to great Fortune. It was the same for me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± I agreed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go greet your manager, at least. But I can¡¯t stay too long.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Keiko-chan smiled, relieved, and I cast my thoughts out to Eri, informing her we¡¯d be a bit late back. Her reply was nigh-immediate and rather irritated, though not with me.


    Miss Bakker is so very, very frustrating and aggravating! When are you coming back, I don¡¯t want to deal with her anymore? She¡¯s worked out I¡¯m not normal from how I move or something like that, and she¡¯s constantly pestering me about my abilities!


    Sorry about that, yes she¡¯s very... passionate... about her work. Just tell her if she bothers you too much she¡¯ll answer to me. As for Christina Bakker... yeah, I was going to sort out what we were doing with the returned citizens when Eleanor arrived, but we got distracted by the competition and Miss Aditi¡¯s participation. Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. By the way, can you get someone to relay a message into the Boundary? I¡¯d like Bjarki to prepare me a supply of our best materials.


    Making something, are you? That¡¯s great, I did love the axe and battle dress you crafted for me. Let me guess, a birthday present for Daiyu? You made me those for my birthday.


    You know me so well, though I have a few other matters I want to look into while I¡¯m doing it. Fortunately our Warehouse and forges are near Asha¡¯s Tree, so I can kill two birds with one stone. I also had a matter I was considering for a while, and now seemed the right time. I fired off a text message, asking for permission, and waited for a response. My sister was pulling my arm, eager to get going, so I gave up and let her drag me along. There¡¯s just no damn time. My week ahead is packed, no, my month ahead... if only other Chosen would stop causing trouble...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Four

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Four


    We spent a brief time with the manager of the AKB48 trio, a woman perhaps Karen-chan¡¯s age, though despite that she gave off a rather intense, youthful vibe. Maybe that¡¯s needed to work in the idol industry, even as a manager? My sis was painfully disappointed nobody else from AKB48 was there, but she soon perked up when she was asked by the manager if she had any interest in becoming an idol herself, though her reply had amused and exasperated me. What does she mean ¡®she can¡¯t, as I¡¯ll be jealous?¡¯ Sometimes I worry about her head. The woman had asked Daiyu as well, who had also declined, but had skipped over Asha and Shiro, which made Shiro a little irritated, though the reason was obvious. If Shiro was an idol, the rest of the group would be suicidal, trying to measure up. A good manager has to think of the bigger picture. It¡¯s not unlike what I have to consider, just on a far smaller scale.


    We had been thanked profusely for our assistance in resolving the matter of the insane fan, which was further exacerbated when I said that I¡¯d put in a word with the investigating officers, so that the venue could reopen soon and the incident be downplayed as much as possible. It was getting a little embarrassing, the older woman thanking me so earnestly, and Keiko-chan and the others clearly felt the same, as they were flushed and nervous. It became more awkward when the trio confessed to having had Chirurgery. The manager was stunned for a moment, but fortunately she had some understanding of the issues, having been made aware of the recovery of the idol Matsui-chan. It seems like Shaeula¡¯s been doing things while I¡¯ve been absent. Not that I mind. We¡¯re all working towards the same goal, and I know she¡¯s very invested in the success of this concert too. She¡¯s taking inspiration and planning to bring such events to the Fae realms as well.


    Understandably, their manager was worried about possible side-effects, but we reassured them there were only positives, and the three of them promised to really show off and excel in both practice and performance, so the matter was dropped, but I knew that my sis was pleased, as it was clear if the trio really did improve noticeably, then the other members and even other idol groups would take note. Though I think maybe I should get Hinata to round me up another set of patients to help, I just have a feeling...


    Once we departed, Shiro and the others headed home, though Shiro and Asha were heading back to Shirohebizumi, rather than our estate, leaving me to go to the Ministry facilities to relieve Eri. My Astral body instead travelled back towards the shrine at a rather more leisurely pace than with which I arrived here, and on entering the room, which was a polite way of saying well-decorated and comfortable cell, within which Christina Bakker was spending her time here, when she was not being questioned by members of the Ministry, Eri jumped up, relieved.


    ¡°Thank the Gods you¡¯re here, Akio!¡± She said, throwing herself in my arms in a bold display of affection. ¡°I¡¯ve been going mad having to deal with her!¡±


    ¡°How very rude.¡± Christina declared. ¡°I think we have had a wonderful conversation about the merits of knowledge and how it can shape progress. After all, aren¡¯t we both living proof of that? We should be good friends. We¡¯ve so much in common. But you won¡¯t succeed in making me jealous!¡±


    ¡°Nobody is trying to!¡± Eri snapped, and I had to snort derisively.


    ¡°You really do have a high opinion of your charms, Miss Bakker.¡± I deliberately didn¡¯t call her Christina this time. ¡°You think you can compare to Eri or anyone else? Dream on.¡±


    ¡°How hurtful! I¡¯ve got a big chest, I¡¯m told I¡¯m not unattractive, and quite frankly, I¡¯m a genius. What¡¯s not to like? Do you understand it, Titan?¡± She asked her ever-present bodyguard, who had the grace to look embarrassed, turning his head away.


    ¡°I wish you¡¯d leave me out of it, ya know?¡± he said, not answering, which made Christina flounce peevishly, crossing her arms under her chest.


    ¡°Nobody is on my side, it¡¯s heart-breaking.¡± She complained teasingly. ¡°But I am glad you are here, Akio. I have a question, and neither of these two would answer me properly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to regret this...¡± I muttered, and Eri, still in my arms, nodded emphatically, her limited patience spent. I¡¯ll have to make it up to her. While I can trust the Chosen soldiers of the JSDF, I¡¯d still rather keep Christina under our eyes too. Who knows what shit she¡¯ll get up to when we aren¡¯t watching? ¡°...but you can ask. I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll answer though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡± Christina¡¯s eyes sparkled eagerly. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve noticed this girl here is far from ordinary, but she insists she¡¯s not a Chosen, as you are calling them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Eri insisted.


    ¡°That¡¯s even more fascinating. Just from the way she moves, the balance of her steps, her reaction times when I make a sudden move... clearly she¡¯s far above ordinary. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she surpasses a number of the cats we have seen.¡±


    Eri and I exchanged a wry glance at her words. Calling them black cats is offensive, but for Eri it¡¯s incredibly apt...


    ¡°So my question is... who would be stronger, Titan here, or her?¡± Christina inquired. ¡°I had expected Titan to shout loudly he would crush her, but he seems rather less boastful since London and he wouldn¡¯t comment.¡±


    ¡°Ya man, I¡¯m no fool. I¡¯m strong, no question, but there be many powerhouses out there. And nowadays, there be no reason a girl can¡¯t be stronger than a grown man.¡± Titan nodded sagely at Eri, who gave him a slight smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would win when it comes to pure strength, in fact, likely not, my Might isn¡¯t incredible. But there¡¯s much more to strength than simply how hard one can punch.¡± Eri pointed out. ¡°All I can say is, if you tried to ask him to attack me, I¡¯d fight back and it wouldn¡¯t be easy!¡±


    ¡°See? Neither of them are giving me an answer.¡± Christina pouted. ¡°I understand they don¡¯t know each other¡¯s strengths fully, but...¡±


    ¡°Eri and Titan here are both right.¡± I settled the question. ¡°In a straight physical fight, it¡¯d be hard to call, but if Eri or Titan had a few trump cards...¡± I knew Eri did, she was likely able to use light element as a laser, at least strong enough to temporarily blind Titan, and with her shapeshifting she could gain other advantages. ¡°...I¡¯ve beaten a number of stronger foes due to having a few aces in hand, and I never underestimate my opponents.¡± It¡¯s why I quickly blinded Sora-san, even though his Eyes didn¡¯t affect me much. If I was cocky and he had stronger abilities, it wouldn¡¯t just be me who paid the price.


    ¡°Connection. Perfect. Because...¡± The Adherent Quicksilversteel indeed melted and flowed like mercury, allowing me to mix it with the other alloy I had crafted, though it resisted being forged. A powerful flame is required. Foehn? No, Foehn can¡¯t be controlled. But... A halo surrounded me, brilliant light fringed with inky darkness, and a searing citrine glow shone as I poured my flame element into it. Radiance retains the properties of the flame it is fed, but light can be endlessly concentrated, like a laser, the wavelengths matching. So... Forging with fiery light, I shaped two new blades, adjusting the balance. As I worked, I fed it not just the blazing light, but also my wind element. The Adherence within the Adherent metal resisted at first, but I also adjusted the Adherence slightly. The work was crude, and I was taking my first steps, but in the end I had a pair of beautiful blades that shone and rippled with green, yellow and indigo as the light touched the metal.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m utterly exhausted. My plans of doing all three weapons is going to be tough.¡± I also needed to keep adherence for the Favours I was maintaining. While my Ether Spires did supply me some adherence, the amount was only enough to offset one Favour, and I was sure Tan wouldn¡¯t lend me hers for this. Disassembling the work of art that was the tsuba and tsuka, the handle and protective guard for the hands which was a delicately coiled serpent, I carefully made a replica out of the metals here in the Boundary, before carefully seperating both and sharing the parts between them. ¡°It¡¯s not an entire Ship of Theseus, as I haven¡¯t replaced everything with identical parts, but the principle is the same. But...¡±


    Joining the new blades with the handles, I felt there was something missing. Even with my Skills, I hadn¡¯t reached the heights that Bjarki had with Storming Moonlight. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect to, I was an amateur compared to him, but I had made some fairly decent stuff before, such as Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels, so I felt I could get closer to my ideal. What do I have to work with? The metal is strong and unique, there¡¯s an adherence of connection running through the swords, as well as impregnated wind and radiance... hmm, I think I need more Ether Crafting to bring out the latent strengths here...


    Pouring out my aether, I studied Storming Moonlight carefully, probing it, seeing how it absorbed aether and released wind, flame or lightning. It was partially a factor of the material, but then, since Adherent Quicksilversteel was the majority component of these new swords, they were excellent at channelling aether and elements too, with little resistance. Maybe I can duplicate the internal workings? Fine scalpels of aether, and also adherence, due to the nature of the metal, formed, the work painstakingly precise, almost like creating a Chakra network inside the blades. I guess my Chirurgery skill helps a lot. It definitely helped, I could feel the vision I had for the swords being realised. As I worked, I found additional, greater insights, and moments later I was rewarded.


    Your Skill, Ether Crafting has increased from Rank 5 to Rank 6, surpassing the first bottleneck. Equipment and other items you create can more easily be imbued with abilities that draw on Aether and refined versions of Aether, with significantly improved conversion and draw rate. The latent, inherent properties of materials can also be enhanced slightly. [Class: Noble] [Type: Rule]


    In addition, my Precision had increased by a dozen points, and my Class Master Of Many Crafts had been going up repeatedly, and was now at Level four, with the benefits that brought. I guess Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds kicked in. That Class is now at two...


    Suddenly I understood more of Bjarki¡¯s seminal work, and I redid my efforts on the swords, and soon I was done again. Wiping silvery sweat from my brow, I realised I had quite the audience, now not just the craftsmen of my Territory, but Shiro was there with Asha, looking on wryly. Seeing my surprised gaze, she shrugged.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to disturb you, Aki. It looked like you were giving it your all there.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Asha agreed calmly. ¡°I am content to wait, I and my Tree are not going to disappear.¡± Her lips curved into a warm smile. ¡°Besides, I do not enjoy seeing you suffer to shield my Tree, even if it is your doing in the first place, and for a good cause.¡±


    ¡°Nice dig there, Asha! Anyway... huh, there¡¯s two now?¡± Shiro observed the twin Utsuroihebi. ¡°So, don¡¯t keep us in suspense.¡±


    ¡°Aye, there nay be a need f¡¯that.¡± Bjarki said, having returned and joined the watching crowd. He was blowing smoke from a wooden pipe clenched between his teeth, his practised eye glancing over the two blades. He gestured, and I handed him one, while I inspected the other. He brought out some delicate hammers and tapped the blade gently, listening to the sound of the metal.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± He observed. ¡°This¡¯n be no metal like I ken before. Perplexin¡¯, it¡¯n be.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Asha agreed, hand on her belly, looking interested. ¡°As a Dryad, I have a natural distaste for mines and forges, and the delving and smelting of metals, but for some reason I feel a... yearning.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯n be hope for ye yet.¡± Bjarki laughed, his attention still on the sword, his aether surging. I unleashed my eye, and snorted wryly, somehow both elated and rather disappointed.


    Utsuroihebi Twin [Item Type: Noble] [Item Class: Artifice] A twinned blade, two created from one, made from a treasured weapon of antiquity and materials both rare and unique. The powerful Adherence of Connection ties together the disparate elements, elevating the ambitious, spirited yet clumsy craftsmanship to a level where it can display a respectable portion of the powers of the materials it is made from.


    The blade is wickedly sharp, and will regenerate if provided with Aether from the wielder or the surrounding area, and excess Aether is converted to Wind and Radiance, further increasing the sharpness of the blade, and allowing bursts of Wind and Radiance to be unleashed, though this will drain Aether incredibly rapidly. The Adherence of Connection will draw on the bonds between the crafter of these twin blades and the wielders of the paired katanas, generating trace amounts of Adherence of Connection and also ???????. Due to the Rules bound by the Adherence within the crafting, this weapon is exceptional, but there are flaws within the design and implementation that a greater craftsman would not have allowed, and this prevents the true power being drawn out.


    ¡°Yeah, my Eye is dissing me again. It¡¯s been a while.¡± I snorted, again the mix of happiness at the swords being a weapon worthy of Motoko and Natsumi, and the annoyance that I clearly still fell short of a truly great pair of swords mingling, until Bjarki slapped my back heartily, having finished his own inspection.


    ¡°It¡¯n nay be bad, for a mere stripling like ye. If¡¯n ye could match my masterpiece after mere months, then why be I slaving away and learnin¡¯ m¡¯craft for many long years? Though....¡± He slapped my back again. ¡°It be passin¡¯ marks. It ranks among t¡¯best blades I forged until I came t¡¯yer lands, laddie. Though t¡¯materials cover many shames, and I nay be able t¡¯see all the techniques that be employed here.¡± He frowned, troubled at that, and I realised Bjarki was crafting with pure skill, talent and techniques, whereas I used Adherence to shortcut it.


    ¡°Yeah. Honestly, I think I should make you some Adherent materials when I have more adherence to spare. Even if you can¡¯t work them right now, if you can master the Skill I daresay you can go to an even higher level.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be holdin¡¯ ye t¡¯that, laddie.¡± Bjarki laughed, handing me back the second Utsoroihebi Twin. Examining them again, and feeling the faint bond between the swords and me as their maker, I realised I had gained something else, and now the present I wanted to make for Daiyu would have a higher chance of working as I intended.


    ¡°Right then.¡± I placed down the swords. ¡°I don¡¯t want to disturb Motoko and Natsumi when they are working so hard on trying to win the Favour. Can somebody fetch the twins if they are around? I¡¯d also like to get the Klein Bottle. I¡¯m going to need it...¡± If I can make this work... well, I also need that person too. It¡¯s going to cost some money, but why else am I gathering wealth? You have to spend money to make money, as the saying goes...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Five

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Five


    It didn¡¯t take long for the twins to arrive. Oddly enough, here they were now in full Adamant uniforms, which was a fresh look for them, though to differentiate the identical Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan, Chiaki-chan was in the skirt version of the uniform, while Chiasa-chan wore trousers. Chiaki-chan was holding the strange, eldritch Klein Bottle, and I could see faint sparks of deep violet energies drifting off it, only to fade and vanish, occasionally popping back into existence. Yeah, Spatial element is definitely the most mysterious of the seven primary elements...


    ¡°You called for us, Akio-sama?¡± ¡°We are always happy to answer your call, Akio-sama.¡± The twins declared in their usual, extremely polite manner. Seeing me looking at them, they seemed a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Is our uniform...¡± ¡°Is it strange?¡± Chiaki-chan finished Chiasa-chan¡¯s hesitant sentence. They exchanged a meaningful glance, before Chiasa-chan spoke up. ¡°As shrine maidens of Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine we are proud of our attire. We are grateful to be born in a family that worships the Kami.¡±


    ¡°However, we also serve you, Akio-sama, and we take that as a matter of pride also. And this is the uniform of those who are favoured. So sometimes we wish to wear it.¡±


    It seemed saying that was a little tough for them, but I merely smiled gently at them. I¡¯ve always felt protective of the twins since Kyoto. They nearly died, alongside Hotene-san and Keomi-chan. Sure, I can accept now that it mostly wasn¡¯t my fault, though as their leader and the person supposed to protect them, I still share some blame for not seeing Yamato-san¡¯s ambitions and carelessness, for being unable to correctly divine and prepare for the Foresight I felt. It¡¯s the same now. Though this time, we are doing everything we can... I did think it was sometimes wrong to have people so young train and prepare, even fight, though under safe conditions and well supported, but Daiyu¡¯s thoughts on Cultivation aligned with mine, in general. To build a firm foundation one had to start young, and in this world, only the strong could decide their own fates. Before, it was the rich. But money won¡¯t save anyone when the world truly becomes dangerous. Of course, we still need money now, of course...


    ¡°I think they look good on you. You¡¯re girls, so wearing the same thing all the time is a bit boring. Sometimes you should dress up. Anyway, I called you here about the Klein Bottle, and also... I know you¡¯re close to grasping spatial element, so I wish to help.¡± Behind me, Shiro rolled her eyes at my comments, looking amused, but I ignored her.


    ¡°Close? Not so close.¡± ¡°No, it is very difficult.¡± ¡°But we persevere. It will be the way we can help most.¡± ¡°We have no wish to tread the same ground as others. We want to be of service.¡± The twins spoke rapidly.


    ¡°Yes, I can see why. You gave up the chances to master other elements because you feared it would make it harder for you to help others... I respect that. But that¡¯s why I want to help you. After all, other than Arisu-san, I¡¯m the only one with experience here. Though without Haru it might be hard to communicate that properly.¡±


    The twins exchanged glances, silent and discussing matters between themselves, before they turned to me and spoke in unison. ¡°I believe it might be possible. We have connected to many minds, with help from Haru-sama, touched many thoughts, and shared them. Now... we can connect with Ren-sama even without her, and we believe some others are possible too. You... would be one of them, Akio-sama.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I asked, surprised, and the twins nodded.


    ¡°Yes, there is a connection between us.¡± ¡°Our minds can touch yours.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯ve linked via Haru a number of times?¡± I asked, and the twins said they didn¡¯t know. Curious, I opened my mind, just like I would to Haru, and I felt clumsy brushes against my thoughts. The twins screwed up their eyes in concentration, glancing at each other with faces filled with determination, and soft touches on my mind intensified. Moments later, I felt them...


    Akio-sama, can you hear us? Can you hear us Akio-sama?


    Yes, I can! I thought back, surprised, although the mental voices were faint and distorted, as if coming to me from a great distance. Turning to Shiro, who was still watching along with everyone else, I asked Tan a question.


    ¡°I know we can get better with training, and for those of us who have Favours it¡¯s certainly far easier, but... should it be this easy? I don¡¯t want to disparage the hard work of the twins...¡± At my warm thoughts they looked shy but resolute. ¡°...and they are certainly born talented, one in a million.¡± The twins could also tell truth from lies on many occasions, and they felt the truth of my words, feeling even shyer. ¡°But despite that, it seems strange they can boost their abilities so. Although...¡± I scratched my chin, thinking. ¡°...is it the good environment and everyone working together?¡±


    Shiro shrugged, and her hair turned crimson, flames licking over her long locks, her eyes ruby as well, Tan waking up from her half-slumber. ¡°This world is on the far fringes, long starved of ether, and so talents have withered and died. Worlds within the higher Astral, within the Pantheons, they have a great preponderance of special abilities beings of all kinds are born with. Not every mortal or spiritual being or monster or any of the myriad dwellers above that outnumber the creatures on your world many million times over is born with talents. No, not even close. But merely looking at humans and similar kinds of mortals, perhaps ten percent have bloodline talents. So yes... many strive to upgrade their gifts, and many will succeed. But it is a hard process, requiring great Fortune and talent. It does happen by chance on rare occasions, but I agree. The speed of progress here continues to impress me. I believe I understand the answer, but... once more I am not at liberty to speak of it.¡± With that she vanished, though as always what she didn¡¯t say was indicative, as with her final motion her eyes shifted, staring at my right wrist as Shiro returned to control of her body.


    ¡°Tan hid her thoughts even from me, Aki, but...¡± Shiro rubbed at her eye, the right eye.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I get it.¡± Honestly everything all fits into place. Just like everything is... connected. I think... My gaze strayed to Asha, who was watching calmly, idly rubbing her belly every so often. Seeing that made me feel simultaneously warm and a little afraid. I can still hardly believe I¡¯m going to be a father. But like every parent, I want my kids to grow up in a safe world, to be happy and healthy and follow their dreams. Though it¡¯s definitely going to be harder for Asha¡¯s daughters, I¡¯m sure... I was in a hurry to implement all the plans we had made, hence why we were pushing Asha¡¯s Tree to its limits to flood us with insane amounts of ether for the level Earth was at, as well as taking all the little hints I¡¯d obtained from Tan, my Eye, Yasaka-san¡¯s Book of Providence and even Daiyu¡¯s Cultivation and knowledge from Yo?kai and Fae, putting it all together for my master plan. But we don¡¯t have time for patience. Even setting aside the ominous Foresight and Tsukiko¡¯s vision of the White Dragon attacking, the main body of that damn golden toad will be recovering, and I don¡¯t think we can face it yet, not its full strength. So...


    ¡°Can you keep sharing your thoughts?¡± I asked the twins, who nodded. They started passing along images of their insights into the spatial element, though the pictures were faded and covered with faint static, something like what I¡¯d imagine an old-fashioned TV might look like with a bad signal. Focusing on their mental connections, I felt once again the sadness that I¡¯d put them through such trauma in Kyoto.


    It is not something to be sorry about. Yes, we followed Uchida-sama of our own will. We regret it. Not because we got hurt. No, because we had assured you we would not venture into the world of the Kami recklessly. But our respected father and Ren-sama wanted us to honour the prior commitments of Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine. That is why... yes, that is why... we will try hard. And not betray your trust again. Akio-sama take heart. Do not despair, Akio-sama.


    The twins¡¯ overlapping thoughts came at me in a tide, and I felt both their sadness and trust in me. I see. Obviously I¡¯m not the only person that regrets that whole mess. Honestly, girls... I can¡¯t blame you. You just followed your superiors, and even then, you did your best. I tried to grasp their thoughts and the images, clearing out the static, bringing it closer somehow.


    We respect you like we respect Ren-sama, our brother. Yes, our brother. You... you are our brother too, who guides and protects us. We feel ashamed we made you worry. Ren-sama strove for our sake. As did you, Akio-sama. Neither of you failed us. Because we both still live.


    I see. It won¡¯t happen again though. I promise. Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com


    You cannot promise that Akio-sama! No, there is no way you can manage every risk! But if you do your utmost to protect us... and we do what we can do to aid you... if everyone does everything they can, we can... then any sadness, any losses are inevitable. But we believe you will guide us all through the best path you can. Yes, events have proved that!


    They were right. The twin sisters, their thoughts continuing to overlap, either expressing the same thought in their slightly different ways, or finishing each other¡¯s ideas, had come to the correct conclusion, even at their young age. Despite, no, perhaps because of their traumatic experience, they understood the risks and the inevitabilities more than anyone. Despite our efforts, there were threats out there which outmatched anything we could imagine. All we could do was prepare the best we could, minimise dangers and maximise advantages.


    I¡¯m your brother, huh? Seems I¡¯m collecting sisters recently, what with Haano?bo?. Honestly, Kin Bonding And Restoration frustrated me as a Skill. I was endlessly grateful to it, as without it, Tsukiko would have died irreversibly. But unlike Shaeula, who could see anyone she was close to as her Kin, I struggled, having it limited to my family and the family of my lovers, leading me to need mental gymnastics to convince myself enough for the skill to work. But then... you don¡¯t need blood relations to be a family, to be Kin... you just need a strong bond and emotions...


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point.¡± I conceded, rather annoyed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that America can defeat me without paying a truly ruinous price. But I¡¯m also not a fool. I don¡¯t know everything. It seems a risk for little benefit.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Christina disagreed. ¡°We believe we¡¯ve discovered almost every Chosen in America. We have the NSA, and the best wiretaps and listening posts in the business. I don¡¯t believe it would be hard to get you permission to meet any of them from the Norse or Japanese Pantheons, since according to you we should pay more attention to that anyway, so we¡¯d have to collate the data...¡± she paused. ¡°Think about it, hmm? It¡¯s just like I said, there¡¯s no impossible demands, just... suitable prices.¡±


    With that Eri and I left, and on the way out, Eri looked at me, troubled. ¡°Akio, it¡¯s probably a trap. I know you can handle yourself, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it is a trap.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°They could shoot down the plane I¡¯m flying on and I¡¯d almost certainly survive it, unless they used a damn nuke. Even then, my Astral body would be largely fine. And if they ambushed me in the Boundary... sure, America likely has many more Chosen than we do, so I can¡¯t say there aren¡¯t any powerhouses... but I would imagine the ruinous cost they¡¯d suffer if I defended myself would put them off if they aren¡¯t idiots. Even then, they¡¯d have to take me out in both realms at once, and they likely don¡¯t know that or could achieve it...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... what if something bad happens while you¡¯re away?¡± Eri asked. ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°I am too.¡± I admitted. ¡°But I can¡¯t stay in Japan all the time.¡± I looked at my phone, where I had a message from an unusual source. Mayumi-san had contacted me, saying that she had arranged everything for a trip to South Africa, and that going across the border to Botswana wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Hinata had mentioned it to her, apparently, and Miss Lindiwe was eager to see me and also Mayumi-san to thank us again for my Healing. That wasn¡¯t the only message. Constantine and his sister had sent word that the person they had gone to speak to on my behalf was at least interested in hearing me out, and I also had to visit Germany as well to tie up a loose end that the Greek twins had mentioned. ¡°I have to secure as much advantage as I can now, before things spiral out of control. What I don¡¯t take, others will, or worse, it¡¯ll be lost forever. And I do need Egil¡¯s body. And there¡¯s at least one more in America.¡± Yasaka-san might have found more locations for me as well. As for the one in Australia, that might have to wait. ¡°The problem is twofold. I¡¯m working on empowering everyone, and we are in a less vulnerable position now that we have Nie Ling and Ginneka. But time is the crunch.¡± I couldn¡¯t make things fit. Greece, Germany, South Africa, Botswana and now America. That would take a significant time investment, even if I left out Australia.


    ¡°There¡¯s Daiyu¡¯s birthday on Monday, then the concert at the weekend, then not long after that it¡¯s Shaeula¡¯s birthday. Then we run into the Pilgrimage plans over Christmas and New Year, then there¡¯s the trip to Britain for the Honours ceremony, and then the first full moon of next year I have to be in the Fae realms. Sure, I can split myself in two, but that leaves no leeway for error.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to manage everything yourself.¡± Eri pointed out, hugging me close. Cat ears peeked out of her hair, and a lashing tail protruded from her clothes. They had been subtly modified so as not to expose her underwear or bare skin when she couldn¡¯t control her transformation due to emotion. ¡°Daiyu¡¯s birthday... well, you can¡¯t miss that. I won¡¯t allow it. Shaeula¡¯s birthday neither.¡± Eri insisted. ¡°They need days as wonderful as mine was. But the concert... that doesn¡¯t need your personal touch. I know you want it to be a success. But we can manage. Arisugawa-san knows what she¡¯s doing, and Suzu-san is very invested. In fact, if you leave it to Aiko and Hinata, I imagine they¡¯ll make sure it goes off without a hitch, and they¡¯ll thank you for it. If you do it that way, won¡¯t you have more than ten days free? Yes, you¡¯ll lose some ether, but with the right preparation that can be minimised. I believe in you, Shiro and Asha.¡±


    Looking at Eri, I pondered her words, before realising she was right. ¡°Yes, though I can¡¯t use all of that time. But I can certainly put something together...¡± My thoughts churning, I considered my options, only to stop dead at Eri¡¯s next words.


    ¡°And now we can head home. Tsukiko and her family will be waiting. Don¡¯t forget you ditched them to rush to Tokyo in a hurry. Tsukiko won¡¯t be angry, but... you¡¯ll need to make it up to her.¡±


    She¡¯s right. I will. And her family and Yukiko-san too. Yeah, there¡¯s just no time for everything I need to accomplish. I do need to delegate more. Right, I¡¯ll hand off the concert security to my sis and the others...


    ********


    Spatial Storage Ring [Item Class: Powerful] [Item Type: Rule]


    This ring made from materials from an unusual Tree, as well as Kobold Bluesteel, elegantly crafted, contains a small pocket of space within. It is keyed to the spatial coordinates of the wearer, and while separate, is affected by the Laws of the surrounding space. Matter can be placed within freely and withdrawn equally easily, though doing so gradually depletes the Spatial Element stored within, and it will need to be replenished in time.


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous, aren¡¯t you, Asha?¡± Shiro said, looking at the small yet elegant silver-blue ring in my hand. ¡°Though I guess Aki already got me a ring.¡± She touched her crude one made from cutlery the day I proposed to her. I had offered another, but she insisted she liked that one.


    ¡°I seldom wear much jewellery, nor even remember the time of my birth.¡± Asha shrugged. ¡°But receiving a gift is always pleasing.¡±


    ¡°Well, Spatial Rings just scream Cultivator, right?¡± I insisted. ¡°And girls love jewellery.¡± The ring I had crafted wasn¡¯t that powerful, it couldn¡¯t stop time for things inside and the space it could store was a sphere just over a couple of metres in diameter, but it showed what was possible. It also allows Daiyu to carry a few things for emergencies. Her ability is mostly defensive. Sure, being able regenerate from great injuries is reassuring, but it won¡¯t win battles alone. I don¡¯t want her to have to suffer for victory.


    Bjarki snatched it from me, eyeing it carefully, while several other Mortal Engineers and blacksmiths crowded around, experimenting by putting things in and taking things out. Seeing that, Shiro snorted. ¡°Trying to replace Arisu¡¯s Room, huh? A bold move, Aki.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. Though I do admit to taking some inspiration. Honestly, the size of the interior could probably be made larger quite easily, it¡¯s the action of shaping the space and opening it up that drains spatial element. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad for a first effort.¡±


    As everyone agreed, back in the Material I had returned home, while here in the Boundary several tired voices sounded behind me. ¡°Akio, you are here.¡± Motoko said, and Natsumi echoed her.


    ¡°Hi Akio. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Seeing the two girls, both covered in sweat and clearly exhausted, my Eye glimmered, and I assessed their compatibility with Jumong¡¯s Favour. Not enough. I can feel it¡¯s certainly higher than before, but neither of them are able to use it to anywhere near its full potential. But that¡¯s not important right now. What is... A little nervous, I glanced over at the wrapped bundle set aside at my makeshift workshop. Seeing that, Asha picked it up gently, and brought it over to me. I took it, before handing it over to Motoko. ¡°Girls... I¡¯ve got a present for you. It won¡¯t help you win this challenge, but...¡±


    ¡°For us?¡± Natsumi said, a delighted smile brightening up her tired face. Motoko seemed equally pleased, and they gently unwrapped the bundle together, revealing the twinned swords within.


    ¡°This is...¡± Motoko breathed, her face expressing a mixture of joy and confusion.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be...¡± Natsumi was equally stunned.


    ¡°It could be. I hope you aren¡¯t too mad at me, but I got your grandfather¡¯s permission first Motoko.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Motoko, Natsumi...¡± I paused for emphasis. ¡°Having to share your precious weapons is inconvenient, but I didn¡¯t want to disregard your love for them and just make you new ones so... I hope you like it.¡± As I awaited their response, I felt terribly nervous. Utsuroihebi was as precious to the girls as their lives, and I hoped my versions made them feel the same. They should. Each contains half of the original weapon, so the spirit of the sword should still dwell in each, if such a thing exists... Waiting for their response, in the Material Eri urged me towards the door of our home, so I was doubly pensive...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Six

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Six


    ¡°This... is surprising.¡± Motoko said, swinging Utsuroihebi Twin with practised strokes. Beside her Natsumi was doing the same, brown eyes wide in wonder. ¡°The balance...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it and the weight are just the same as always, but...¡± Natsumi agreed, testing the edge then sucking at her finger as beads of silver and red bloomed. She then flicked the blade with her nails, listening to the dull ringing of the metal. ¡°...the sword is much sharper, and if I¡¯m not mistaken it¡¯s an entirely different metal. That shouldn¡¯t be right!¡±


    ¡°It is perfect. As comfortable to use as an old friend.¡± Motoko enthused. ¡°Besides, we should not be trapped in the limited world of our common sense.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Natsumi agreed brightly. ¡°For a moment I forgot that, as I was so surprised.¡± Taking another swing, she let out a laugh. ¡°I should have expected this attention to detail from Akio. But...¡± She looked at Motoko, who thought for a moment, before she returned her own smile. The two of them then looked at me cheerfully. It¡¯s amazing how I can tell their moods from their faces and body language, all of my girls, really, especially when they have such different temperaments. Motoko is usually composed and stoic, but unlike Daiyu she does show more of her emotions, while Natsumi is more light-hearted, yet not to the extent of Kana or Hinata.


    ¡°Yes. I think I speak for us both when I say you have no need to be worried. Yes, Utsuroihebi is one of our most precious treasures, a sword that represents Tsumura house for the longest time. But just as you would never harm us, you will never harm our katana or our other weapons.¡± Motoko said solemnly.


    ¡°We wanted to wield them, they aren¡¯t just heirlooms. Weapons want, no need, to be used.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°But you understand us. A new sword, while a gift from you would be a delight... revitalising the old is special, and now...¡±


    ¡°We can both wield the blade to defend you, our family, our honour and our fellow sisters.¡± Motoko swung the sword, marvelling at the feeling of energy within it.


    ¡°Sisters. I finally feel I have them again, after so long.¡± Asha declared, and Motoko nodded sharply.


    ¡°Indeed. We may not all be human, mortals, as you call us, but we are all women.¡±


    ¡°Women who love the same man.¡± Shiro joined in. ¡°There¡¯s a crude name for that, Rod Sisters...¡± Shiro grinned broadly at the dirty joke. ¡°...but honestly, Aki, it¡¯s good to have women we can rely on. Sisters. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, Hina and Aimi are my friends who I trust, but... this goes deeper. They¡¯re my friends, and if they were in trouble I¡¯d do my best to help them out, even if it was tough or dangerous, but if it was Asha, or Tsuki, or Motoko and Natsumi here... I¡¯d even risk my life. That¡¯s what it means to be your woman, Aki. Anyone who can¡¯t do that isn¡¯t any good.¡±


    Her words were poignant, and just as I was entering our home, looking down to see a number of unfamiliar shoes on the rack by the door, as expected, I relayed them to Eri, who agreed wholeheartedly. ¡°See, I told you?¡± Eri declared triumphantly. ¡°Even if Shiro has been corrupted by Shaeula¡¯s way of thinking, she¡¯s still the closest to me in terms of the way she sees things. And she¡¯s right.¡±


    I relayed her words to Shiro, who snorted wryly. ¡°I¡¯m Shirohime, the white princess, I¡¯m always right. But besides us, there are other Dryads still out there, aren¡¯t there Asha?¡±


    ¡°There are. They are my sisters still, I concede, though not close sisters, like those of us who dwelt in the grove together down the long years near the Spring. I do wish to reconnect with them, but I cannot, not yet, not until I have seeded new life to assuage my guilt.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I assured her. ¡°Whenever you are ready I¡¯ll support you, and the others will do the same.¡±The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))


    At Asha¡¯s nod and gentle, warm smile, I realised we had moved off the subject. ¡°So, the two of you are satisfied?¡± I explained Utsuroihebi Twin to them, and their eyes sparkled at the thought of sharing a connection with each other and me through their favoured weapons. ¡°You¡¯ll have to register the weapon with the Ministry, as I believe it will manifest with you in the Material too, though we still need to test that.¡±


    ¡°We shall do so now.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Natsumi, you wish to as well, no?¡± At her nod, Motoko continued. ¡°Akio, thank you. We love your gift, and though it is greedy, we hope and wish that Gurenyari and Hebihikoukiba can join them soon.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks between us.¡± I assured them, pulling the two girls into my arms, making them blush, while Shiro whistled. ¡°And as for the other weapons, I plan to, but I need to recover. Crafting is hard.¡± As the Mortal Engineers and other crafters agreed cheerfully, Natsumi spoke up, her face a little pink, but her expression serious.


    ¡°There may not be a need for thanks between us, but we should always offer them regardless. In an arranged marriage, we were taught to make an effort, otherwise our lives would be lacking in joy.¡± Seeing my look she raised a hand to place a finger against my lips, silencing me. ¡°I know, we don¡¯t even consider this an arrangement anymore. Neither I, not Motoko, nor Hinata would deign to do so. But the lessons we learned are still important.¡±


    ¡°Natsumi has spoken what was on my mind. Love is not transactional, but we must still work at our happiness every single day. So again, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.¡± Motoko agreed.


    They¡¯re good girls, they really are. It¡¯s actually amazing that a lot of the noble daughters have grown up to be such people, considering the pressurised greenhouse they grew up isolated in. Though all of them have their issues and scars. But when those are worked out, the women beneath are beautiful inside and out. The Hanafubuki Academy and the rules that bind them aren¡¯t all worth discarding. But we¡¯ll use the influence of me, the others and even Adamant, which seems to be spreading through that school like one of Hyacinth¡¯s fungi... I had noticed another couple of new faces about, wearing the uniform. It was obvious Hinata was getting Shaeula to perform Chirurgery while I was absent, not that I minded, Skills were for practising, after all. ...but yes, we¡¯ll change it for the new generation, and a new Japan... led by us.


    Back on the Material, I entered the spacious living room of our mansion to find it crowded and noisy. Mom and father were there, as were uncle and auntie, along with auntie Hana''s parents. Mom¡¯s were here too, and of course Tsukiko as well, her parents, who were being crowded by the others and offered snacks and alcohol that had been opened, and Yasuhide-san and Yukiko-san were present too.


    ¡°Welcome back, Aki!¡± Mom said brightly as she saw us enter. ¡°You too Eri, dear!¡± Her face was flushed, and it looked like she had been drinking. At least her tolerance has been increased by gaining some Levels. Though she could really use Ether Healing... ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you ditched poor Tsukiko-chan and Yukiko-chan! That¡¯s probably treason, right?¡± She winked at Yukiko-san, who seemed a little hesitant, being in unfamiliar company, but she shook her head.


    ¡°It was for a good cause. We¡¯ve seen the footage. What a disaster.¡± Yukiko-san sighed mournfully. ¡°We want to prevent instances where Chosen seem to be a danger to the public, and now this...¡±


    ¡°It is inevitable.¡± Tsukiko reassured her. ¡°Power can breed arrogance and lead one down the wrong path. Though it is also not inevitable. For the Princess of Hungry Ghosts is now on a safer path. Though the Hungry Ghost inside her thirsts in a different measure.¡± She looked at me, and I wondered what she had seen. She then smiled shyly, and managed a wink, the expression unusual for her.


    ¡°That is enough of that son, Tsukiko-san.¡± Father said sternly, before apologising to Tsukiko¡¯s parents. ¡°Whatever the reason, my son should apologise for running off. Though it was work, good work that I am proud of.¡±


    Father surprised me with that, and uncle Junpei echoed him. ¡°Yes. Even though our daughter still hasn¡¯t graduated from high school, she is out doing important things as well. It is hard being a father.¡± He looked at Tsukiko¡¯s weary, old father and commiserated. ¡°Especially of a daughter so talented and beautiful. Your Tsukiko-san is stunning, but our Eri won¡¯t lose, I assure you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, little Eri is growing ever more beautiful!¡± auntie Hana insisted. ¡°But that¡¯s because she¡¯s more in love with little Aki. I... don¡¯t begrudge you happiness, especially after hearing your story, Tsukiko-chan. And we welcome you.¡± She addressed her parents. ¡°Our little Eri hasn¡¯t graduated high school, but it seems Tsukiko-chan was working her best from before she even attended elementary school. It must have been very hard and lonely.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡± Tsukiko said, surprising Yasuhide-san and her parents. ¡°I seldom complained, because I was too proud of my role, too eager to serve and worship Tsukuyomi and the Gods and Kami of this land. But for a child the burden was cruel and too heavy. I gave up so much.¡± As she spoke frankly, Eri nodded supportively, once more unable to resent those who had tragic or painful pasts. Seeing that, the complicated gaze in uncle and auntie¡¯s eyes, the mixture of pride, worry and acceptance, made me feel for them. Yeah, it¡¯s hard to be a parent of daughters. A feeling I¡¯ll know myself rather soon. No doubt they¡¯ll enjoy my own discomfort when my daughters are all grown up and ready to leave the nest...


    ¡°But if asked if I regret it, would change it? I would say not. I have saved many and helped guide Japan. More importantly... though I still carry the burden through choice, I have those who carry it with me, and the sacrifices I made have not robbed me of the chance to find happiness, merely delayed it. I shall simply start now.¡±


    ¡°See? We always thought we had it easy. Little Eri was going to marry little Aki, they were perfect together. We worried it wouldn¡¯t happen when little Aki moved away, but he came back, they started dating, got engaged... but now... it feels very... conflicting. Now your daughter has fallen in love, and it¡¯s to the same man as little Eri. We feel your pain.¡±


    As everyone ate and drank, tongues were loosened and true feelings spilled out. In the Boundary I was taking a break, regaining both my elements and aether, as well as healing my mental exhaustion by spending some time with the girls there, but here I was under quite a bit of stress.


    ¡°Our daughter...¡± Tsukiko¡¯s mother said, glancing at her child. ¡°...we barely have the right to call her such. We were fortunate to have a daughter so late in life, and when she turned out blessed... we embraced that. But we saw only the role, not our daughter. We were... poor parents.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Her father agreed. ¡°If... if Tsukiko wishes to experience love, find those to share her life with, we will bless her choice. We have no right to do otherwise.¡±


    Tsukiko sighed, frustrated. ¡°It is not a matter of rights. It is that you are my parents, and so should be a part of my life, our life. I never hated you, though at times I admit to resenting you, wondering what it would be like to live as an ordinary girl. But now I wish to find that out. I want to experience love, and friendships...¡± she looked at Yukiko-san and Yasuhide-san then. ¡°Do not mistake me. You two have been my only solace these past years. But I now wish for wider connections.¡±


    ¡°I always wondered.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Since so many shrines have endured being passed down family lines, there should be more spiritual items. It stands to reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Japan is a land of Kami, the Eight Million.¡± Yasuhide-san agreed. ¡°After all, an item lovingly used and cherished for a hundred years becomes a Tsukumogami. Somewhat like our little Azuki here.¡± She frowned at that, as Yasuhide-san took a sip of his tea. ¡°That¡¯s better. My old throat was dry. It was well-prepared, Eri-chan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m learning. I am going to be a wife, after all.¡± Eri said proudly, letting the Eri-chan from the overly- familiar old man slide.


    ¡°My point is... yes, there should be many tools and treasures. However, that sadly is not the case, for a number of reasons. The first is... many shrines were destroyed and rebuilt, their contents lost. While our bloodlines go back fifteen hundred years and more, the shrines themselves... sadly, few survived the ravages of time as unscathed as Ise.¡± He nodded at the Priestess of said shrine, Yukiko-san. ¡°Of course, families carried away what they could, preserving such treasures, even at the cost of their lives, only letting their children carry on their family. But time ravages stone, wood and metal just as it does flesh.¡± He said mournfully. ¡°Then the occupation after we lost the War and the Emperor was forced to recant his Divinity... much that remained was scattered. Though not all lost.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Despite the delicate balance between the faith and the Imperial Family, a number entrusted their treasures to us. It is far from what Princess Eleanor Windsor can boast of...¡± Yukiko-san said self-deprecatingly. ¡°But it is not without value.¡±


    ¡°The rest... well, during the Pilgrimage, it would be the ideal time to take stock, save what we can.¡± Yasuhide-san finished. ¡°Hopefully we can meet many Kami in the flesh and obtain their permission to use the treasures of their shrines, but those of greater Gods... it would be up to the family that owns the shrine.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded, agreeing. ¡°Yes, we could definitely use more treasures. In addition, we gathered a lot of data on the abilities of certain bloodlines. We could perform Chirurgery as we travel, as both incentive and reward.¡±


    ¡°You catch on quick, Akio-kun.¡± He praised. ¡°Yes, restoring the power of the bloodlines we carry is worth more than a few relics, but they are still precious to us, so have to be handled with respect.¡± Just like the weapons of Tsumura house. Yes, it makes sense.


    ¡°What is on your mind, Yukiko?¡± Tsukiko asked her friend, who appeared a touch troubled as Yasuhide-san talked. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to me.


    ¡°The Imperial Regalia... Until I saw them in the Boundary, I thought them merely historical items, with no true strength. But...¡± she glanced at Azuki. ¡°They are Tsukumogami as well. Yet... they sleep and cannot be roused. I consulted with Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon...¡± she paused, realising that name meant nothing to me. ¡°Yin-Yang Grandmaster is the head Onmyo?ji of the Imperial Family. Daimon-dono...¡± She used an old-fashioned respectful honorific. ¡°...who like us is a Chosen, for who better is qualified?¡± She realised she was getting distracted and calmed herself with a sip of tea, also thanking Eri, who waved it away. ¡°...his Favour I can¡¯t disclose, it would be wrong, has studied them, and he thinks that the Regalia are simply too powerful for the low level of spiritual energy in Japan, even there. He calls it Yin-Yang energy, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely right. I prefer your aether terminology.¡±


    ¡°I assume you¡¯ve tried?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°As has Daimon-dono and the several other Onmyo?ji Chosen. The Emperor wished to keep them as a trump card, to deal with troublesome Chosen who misuse their powers, but... for a start, the Ministry and you have taken on that role, and... while the Onmyo?ji are greatly knowledgeable, and are certainly a level above most Chosen I¡¯ve met in terms of prowess, compared to you or Shaeula.... There would be little chance for them. So instead the Emperor has asked me to beg for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°You would certainly be much safer with the mirror, Yata no Kagami of wisdom, the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi of valour, and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama of benevolence. You must remain safe, Yukiko. For Japan and the world. Though perhaps Akio will defend you better than such Tsukumogami can.¡± Tsukiko observed.


    At our talk, Azuki stood, waddling over to us eagerly. Her ruby eyes were expressive, and she knelt before me, legs creaking. ¡°Master, ever since you saved me, I¡¯ve been wondering... why am I alone? In the past, there were many others like me. I wanted to sleep, to forget the pain and the torment the corrupted Kami put me though, but... now I like being awake. Alas, that mad maid, she bullies me, but... I have a home to look after, and a family again. Now...¡± Her pale cheeks flushed to match her eyes. ¡°...there will even be children to play with me once more. I think... I want them to wake up too. The world may be sad and scary, but it is full of good things too! We living treasures, we should have just as much right to be happy as...¡± she stopped, surprised, as I patted her head. I knelt down, meeting her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, be they human, Fae, Yo?kai or anything else, so long as they follow the laws and live a good life, they are welcome.¡± I promised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I turned to Yukiko-san then. ¡°I don¡¯t mind trying to wake them up.¡± My mind was already spinning with ideas. We need some specialists. Bintara, certainly, and Selensha would be helpful too, I reckon. If it¡¯s just the lower ether density, we could take them deep into the Fae realms too... well, my Eye and Chirurgery should be able to give us some clues.... ¡°Of course, even though we¡¯re friends, I hope you¡¯ll be offering a reward?¡± The Imperial Regalia should be easily on par with the gear we got from the Tower of London, even Mortal Fragarach. If we had one, then it would help ensure the safety of my girls when we go abroad or in their daily lives, as they have a presence in the Material.


    ¡°Of course. The Emperor and my parents are hardly stingy. Besides, it would offend your backers in the shrines and nobility.¡± Yukiko-san agreed, feeling more positive now. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I can offer you though. Land maybe? You have plenty of wealth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. One of the Regalia. At least to borrow.¡± I conceded that gaining full ownership was unlikely. ¡°I¡¯d like to use it for my girls, like Tsukiko, who lack offensive and defensive strength. Uh...¡± My words seemed to have caused a commotion. Everyone was staring at me in silence. Eri was shaking her head, rolling her eyes, while Yukiko-san looked away, fiddling with her glasses.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a big ask. They are national treasures.¡± I said slowly, the sudden heavy atmosphere pressuring me. ¡°But it¡¯s a good deal. If I can wake them up, you benefit a lot, so loaning me one as a gesture of goodwill...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Yasuhide-san rubbed at his beard again, barely able to hold in his mirth. Since I was confused, back in the Boundary I asked Shiro if she got what was up, and she burst out into deep laughter, clutching at her stomach. When she finally stopped, she looked at me as if I was an idiot.


    ¡°Seriously, I know they say dumb guys are the cutest, but... when you keep telling us your Intellect is over two thousand, either it makes me think your Eye is broken, or there¡¯s a hidden stat about social graces which you are definitely substandard on. But I love you anyway! Let big sis Shirohime explain. You asked for an Imperial Regalia. With me so far?¡±


    I nodded, and she continued. ¡°Good, stay with me! Now, the Regalia aren¡¯t just the treasures of the Imperial family, but they can only be used by members of the Imperial Family as per tradition. Get it now?¡±


    Oh. Yes. I do. I missed that in my eagerness to get further strength for us. My comprehension must have shown on my face, as Shiro was laughing again, and I was glad Motoko and Natsumi had gone back to trying to improve their compatibility with Jumong¡¯s Favour so couldn¡¯t see my blunder.


    Back in the Material, I grimaced. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t think of the implication. That wasn¡¯t a...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Yukiko-san managed at last, once she regained her composure. ¡°I¡¯m just a plain woman anyway. Compared to Tsukiko or even Eri-san over there, who would be interested in me?¡± I was going to open my mouth to disagree, but Eri shot me a hard look so I kept silent.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I repeated, defeated. ¡°But yeah, honestly... just like Eleanor gave out what was within the Tower with the permission of the Queen, I think you could persuade the Emperor to change how things are. We¡¯re all in it together, and while I don¡¯t really believe all that much in Fate, Destiny and the Definite like you and Tsukiko do, I know that I want to protect you, Yukiko-san. Princess of Heaven or no, we¡¯re friends. Though don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ve seen your flaming sun of Amaterasu, I¡¯m sure you can look after yourself.¡± I managed a little laugh.


    ¡°Dodged a bullet there...¡± Yasuhide-san clapped his hands together, clearly amused. ¡°Much as I do enjoy seeing you youngsters in the throes of youthful exuberance, I¡¯m sure you are all busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Uh... well I¡¯m planning to go abroad for a while soon, when the plans are finalised, but I¡¯ll try and make time to check on the Regalia before I go. I¡¯d like to meet this Grandmaster Daimon too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We do dearly want the Regalia to awaken.¡± Yukiko-san had calmed down. ¡°I assure you, we¡¯ll show largesse befitting the Imperial Family. Assuming that you can do it.¡± She added, a touch acerbically, and Tsukiko took her arm with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Before you return, why not relax here with me in our hot springs? Nobody but Akio and we are allowed to use the one at this house, and Akio would hardly be so crass as to peep... Eri, will you join us?¡±


    ¡°I think I should.¡± Eri agreed, and she scooped up Azuki. ¡°You can come too. You¡¯re alive, just as we are.¡±


    As they left me alone with Yasuhide-san, I sighed. ¡°I get I made her uncomfortable, but I had no ungentlemanly intentions. Anyway... I need to lay some groundwork, but... I¡¯m at least fifty percent certain I can wake them up.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps your lack of intention was also offensive? But who am I to say? I¡¯m just an old man who enjoys watching the younger generation do their best.¡± He replied. ¡°Well, since I am returning to Kyoto alone...¡± he left his words hanging, and I conceded the point.


    ¡°We do have a guest mansion on the estate as well. I¡¯ve got people to contact, so why not join my family back downstairs and stay the night? It¡¯d help Tsukiko¡¯s parents to acclimatise.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do. Your home seems well stocked with tasty booze.¡± He grinned, standing and stretching.


    ¡°Of course it is. Shaeula¡¯s a big drinker, and now Shiro¡¯s healthy she enjoys it too.¡± As does my sis, much to father¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Besides, if the parents of Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi visit, we can¡¯t serve them supermarket beers.¡± As I rambled on, my thoughts were turning to how to contact the Hyakki Yagyo? and request Bintara¡¯s aid. And more to the point, what it¡¯ll cost me? Well, we have Ginneka, so hopefully some mortal pleasures can be sent their way as a fair exchange...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Seven

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Seven


    I spent some time drinking with my parents and the others while the girls enjoyed the hot springs. Obviously I wasn¡¯t going to peek, I was a gentleman, despite what some people joked. I was aware of the implications of what I had said to Yukiko-san regarding the Regalia when it was pointed out, but I thought I had made my stance quite clear afterwards. There was no need to worry about outdated practises and responsibilities, not when Japan and indeed the wider world was at stake. In the Boundary, as my strength recovered, my Astral body once more took on the burden of mitigating Shiro¡¯s buff on Asha¡¯s Tree, while Asha and Shiro returned to our estate. Every scrap of ether we can pull out makes me feel more confident. We¡¯ve also stepped up clearing unclaimed areas within a hundred kilometres of Shirohebizumi, though even with support from the Fae, it¡¯s slow going. But it is bringing in a wealth of additional ether and Etherites, as well as a few small groups of Yo?kai and other Boundary-dwellers who will join us when we expand...


    On their return, Shiro and Asha had gathered the rest of the girls who were at the estate, and they spent the night having a slumber party, me excluded. Mom, as expected, got totally hammered, and only some judicious Ether Healing prevented the disaster of her being violently sick everywhere. Of course, I did enjoy seeing Tsukiko¡¯s family getting on so well with mine and Eri¡¯s. The two elderly parents were certainly shy and withdrawn, but hearing stories about me and the other girls, and talking about their feelings for Tsukiko, it brought them all closer together. Of course, I was hardly spared, asked no end of embarrassing questions, not all of which I was able to deflect.


    The next morning, I decided to prepare breakfast. While Hinata had been in charge of hiring maids for the estate as well as other personnel, and we had a number of Fae maids on rotation too, sent to the Material by Ling when she had the free time and energy, I liked to cook for my girls and my family myself when I had time. Of course, it wasn¡¯t every day I got to cook for a Princess, although Shaeula and Shiro might disagree with that. Shaeula¡¯s definitely nobility, but not really a Princess from how we humans understand things.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bad.¡± Yukiko-san said, surprised, picking at the traditional Japanese breakfast I had prepared, though there were Western staples too. She had changed clothes, and I recognised them as belonging to some of the other girls, which made sense, as she never brought any luggage with her on this visit. Seeing her in what looks like Eri¡¯s jeans and one of Shiro¡¯s jumpers is rather fresh. Yukiko-san¡¯s eyebrows drew in as she saw me looking, but beside her, Tsukiko merely smiled gently, and Yukiko-san relaxed.


    ¡°I would hope not. I can¡¯t say I was the best at cooking, but I did live alone for a while, so my parents insisted I learned to a certain level, and while I did often make do with cup ramen and other staples of a lonely single man, when I got my first lodger I started putting more effort into my cooking, and with my stats, I pick things up quick.¡± Yeah, Shaeula wasn¡¯t content to live off instant food, even if she found the novelty fun at first...


    ¡°Except picking up on when you¡¯re saying something stupid, right?¡± Shiro teased. She elbowed my sis softly, who giggled, having obviously heard all about it when she was dragged to the hot springs. This is a lively dining experience. It makes me happy, having the house so full. And there¡¯s still so many people missing, like Shaeula, Hyacinth, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi and Kana...


    ¡°No way, my bro won¡¯t ever change in that regard. Though I never thought he¡¯d ask for what¡¯s basically a dowry from Yukiko-chan!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± my mom gushed, looking at the busy dining room with glee, her blue eyes sparkling. Since I had healed her astonishing drunkenness, she was the only one of the parent group awake, or at least the only one who had come back to our mansion for breakfast. ¡°My Aki, so bold! But despite everything, I¡¯m really shocked to be having breakfast with our Imperial Princess! She¡¯s even playing dress-up in Eri¡¯s clothes. It¡¯s like she¡¯s a newlywed!¡±The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))


    Yukiko-san flushed at that, fiddling with her glasses, so I decided to throw her a lifeline. I really didn¡¯t consider that my request was basically me saying I wanted to be a member of the Imperial Family, and Yukiko-san would be the only relevant marriage partner for that, unless her mother wanted a harem, of course... ¡°She¡¯s a guest, mom. Don¡¯t tease her.¡± I warned. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like meeting royalty and important heads of state is unusual for us now. We¡¯ll be going to Britain in a month or so to meet the Queen, remember?¡±


    ¡°I can hardly wait!¡± she squealed happily, and the subject was changed successfully, and Yukiko-san even gave me a grateful nod, though her face was still a little red. I¡¯m glad the misunderstanding was resolved. Although... I glanced at Eri, who while a little exasperated at my blunder, seemed rather accepting. Seeing me looking, she sent out some thoughts, a very convenient ability she loved using.


    It¡¯s just proving me right, you know. Besides, it¡¯s not like she was really offended. She¡¯s just... rather modest and withdrawn for a Princess. In that regard I think she¡¯s closer to Eleanor, from what I¡¯ve heard and seen. I won¡¯t tell you what we talked about in the hot springs and in our rooms, that wouldn¡¯t be fair, but... never mind. Just... keep your word and help her wake the Regalia. Nothing can happen before that.


    I sent back some affirming thoughts but couldn¡¯t help but observe Yukiko-san as she ate and talked, though this time I used aether to expand my vision so as not to bother her. Having spent a little time with Yukiko-san, such as after Tsukiko¡¯s funeral, I definitely understood she was a lonely, burdened woman. Despite the presence of these Onmyo?ji Chosen, Yukiko-san was still expected to shoulder a huge burden, being the Chosen of Amaterasu, the very God that the Japanese Imperial Family used to claim descent from. In fact...


    ¡°Yukiko-san...¡± I spoke her name suddenly, and her chopsticks jerked in her hands, before she calmed down a bit.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she answered, meeting my gaze.


    ¡°I was just wondering, have you considered having the Emperor reclaim the lineage of Amaterasu? Sure, we have the post-war agreement with America, but I think at this point we have some leverage, and if that¡¯s not enough... the Americans are keen on having me visit them. I don¡¯t like it, but... if I put in some conditions they will likely accept. After all, it¡¯s not like it costs them anything, is it? It might bring stability, since you have the actual power of Amaterasu.¡±


    She paused, surprised, chopsticks falling from her grasp, though as they hit her plate, the noise jolted her back to reality. ¡°Reclaim the lineage? I can¡¯t say grandfather hasn¡¯t considered it, but... America. It¡¯s surely not simply an ordinary visit they want. It would be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we said, but Akio is confident he can handle it.¡± Eri pointed out, though her smile was wry. See? I know the inevitable when it¡¯s thrust in my face. I¡¯m good at pattern recognition, unlike you, Akio. You can¡¯t just casually offer to solve one of the biggest regrets of her family out of nowhere and expect it not to pierce her deeply. Especially when it entails danger for yourself...


    ¡°Just consider it an apology.¡± Eri, whatever happens, Yukiko-san is my friend, Tsukiko¡¯s friend, and also an important Chosen ally. Of course I¡¯ll help her. If she was the Imperial Prince, rather than the Princess, I¡¯d do the same.


    I know. Which is why I¡¯m not annoyed. Exasperated maybe, but not annoyed. Besides, it does make sense. I see what you¡¯re aiming for.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology.¡± Yukiko-san started picking at her breakfast again. ¡°I know what you meant, I was just rather surprised. I... I would need to consult my family, of course. It¡¯s not a decision I can make for them. Grandfather was devastated by the outcome of the War and believed he had failed all our ancestors and Amaterasu, so...¡± She was seriously considering it. ¡°There are certainly political implications as well...¡±


    ¡°I think it is not such a bad idea.¡± Tsukiko said softly. ¡°The three pillars must all come together. What better way than announcing you represent Amaterasu, and Akio here Tsukuyomi, the sun and moon that protected these isles for thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°Hey, but...¡± my sis broke in, grinning. ¡°I remember in history class, despite being brother and sister, they were married, right?¡±


    As Yukiko-san flushed and Shiro chuckled, Eri just rolling her eyes, my mom looked positively delighted at the notion, before suddenly narrowing her eyes. With one hand, she bopped my sis on the head. ¡°None of that for you, Ai! Sibling romance is strictly off limits!¡±


    ¡°Mom, no way, that¡¯s... eww! I wasn¡¯t thinking that at all!¡± My sis protested, to more laughter from the packed table. Fortunately, mom¡¯s actions, and the protests from my sis and gentle teasing from the others, prevented the mood from turning strange. Good job mom, sis. Giving them a mental thumbs-up, I told Yukiko-san to take up the matter with her family and advised her that I had already set in motion plans for the Regalia. ¡°Anyway...¡± I changed the subject. ¡°...I dare say you¡¯re busy, both as an Imperial Princess and student, and the shrine maiden of Ise. Must be tough. I hope staying here hasn¡¯t interfered with your schedule.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve taken a leave of absence from university. Honestly, I was only extending my studies to delay having to make a choice about what to do with my life. I don¡¯t want for money, after all, so any career would only have been for my own gratification, to stave off boredom, to make myself feel ordinary. But now my path has been Chosen for me. I felt so alone, but...¡±


    ¡°You are not. Even when I told you about the threat to your life, I promised you hope, did I not?¡± Tsukiko said calmly, and Yukiko-san agreed.


    ¡°You did. I wasn¡¯t sure I believed you, but...¡± Yukiko-san looked at me searchingly. ¡°...I think you saw Akio-san under the light of the moon.¡±


    ¡°I do not know whether I did or not. But... better he who is here, than he who might never be.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s face broke into a smile.


    ¡°True, but this is a heavy conversation for breakfast.¡± I complained, adding more dishes to the table. ¡°Eat up! Our stronger bodies need a lot of energy to run properly, I¡¯ve made plenty for seconds, and even thirds...¡±


    As the girls complained I was trying to fatten them up, I exchanged a knowing glance with my mom. She can¡¯t transmit thoughts like Eri, but mom¡¯s always been easy to read. Yes, Yukiko-san is a good woman. She might be a little on the plain side, but she¡¯s hardly unattractive, and as she grows stronger she¡¯ll start accumulating Charm and grow prettier. But her personality is good. She¡¯s a bit fragile and prone to jealousy, it seems, but despite that she¡¯s been a friend to Tsukiko for many years, and from the time I¡¯ve spent with her, she¡¯s good company. But it¡¯s entirely possible for me to have female friends who aren¡¯t lovers. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to sink my fangs into Aimi-chan or Hina-chan, am I? Or Kana¡¯s friends. It¡¯s just... Yes, just because Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were married in myth, that wasn¡¯t an instruction manual... Thinking those final thoughts, I let the conversation at the table turn to other, more relaxed matters...


    ********


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± I said, surprised. My Astral body was in great pain, suppressing the boiling blood, or sap, more accurately, in Asha¡¯s Tree as the buff ramped up. Around us the skies shone brilliantly, the aurorae that streaked the Boundary bursting with light and energy. Motes of shimmering water, earth and wood elements were also plentiful and ever-increasing, and the Ether Spires were filling our Elemental Silos nicely.


    ¡°So just tell us the truth.¡± Yukiko-san, who was just about to head home when I spoke to the girls, said, having been unable to miss this. ¡°If you do, and the reason is good, I might support you. Assuming Akio-san can handle the danger.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said dryly. I¡¯m honestly not sure I can, and Uranai¡¯s words clearly said the risk was insanely high. But protecting the seeds I¡¯m sowing implies I¡¯ll get the seeds I¡¯m searching for. If so... everything might work out as we¡¯re planning for...


    ¡°I hear the ring of truth in the words.¡± Tsukiko observed, Nebisuki having repeated Uranai¡¯s warnings at my request. ¡°You must feel it too, Akio. Tsukuyomi whispers...¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I get it. But that doesn¡¯t mean we need to take it as read. Just like we didn¡¯t with your death, Tsukiko.¡± As she conceded the point, Nebisuki spoke up.


    ¡°It is simple. If I do not grow my fifth tail, Uranai long ago said I would not see the dawning of my nine-hundredth year. Now, it is rude to ask the age of a lady such as myself, and besides, time is a difficult concept for us Yo?kai. It was easier, in grandmothers time. Why, one could grow a tail just by surviving a mere century, though the world then was cruel and vicious, and even foxes with many tails could die, killed in disputes over little more than an insult or spilled sake. Now... I am proud of my tails, showing my age and power, but poor little Kitsune like the one you slew...¡± she glanced at me, serious. ¡°...they struggle so, barely able to grow new tails at all. When I was younger I plotted and struggled. In middle age, I gave up, revelled in debauchery and sin. I even travelled to wonderous places deep in the lower Astral, where time slows to a crawl, compared to the mortal world, all to lengthen my time. But as I grew closer to doom I once more laid schemes, though I was also resigned to my end. Yet now I see a way... you can wake grandmother, and if she is still sane, still powerful, she surely knows a way for me to sprout my fifth tail. Or perhaps it is my sixth, if you count the invisible tail that is my name.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all very well, but the risk is huge.¡± Eri pointed out. ¡°And Akio is bearing all of it.¡±


    ¡°Hence why I offered my name, my true name, my invisible tail, not Nebisuki.¡± She slouched, legs crossed, tails waving and with a growl Eri snapped that she should cover herself. Languidly the fox tugged her Kimono up, reducing the swell of bosom visible. ¡°Yes, I shall be bound, but I believe him an honourable being. I would not be tortured or abused. And if I were, so long as I was able to sprout further tails, my strength would grow, and like grandmother, perhaps I could free myself and proudly name myself to all. Oh what a delightful, fleeting dream.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Asha suggested, having watched quietly. Once more Shiro¡¯s aggressive buff was withdrawn from her Tree, costing us further ether, so I wanted some compensation for our wasted time, but the absence had left Asha calm and composed. ¡°...you should offer your name to another of us. That way if there are tricks, Akio can deal with it.¡±


    ¡°The only one strong enough to bind me fully...¡± Nebisuki glanced at us all. ¡°Perhaps you could manage it, daughter of Urakaze, but I am not as delicate as I look.¡± Several of the girls held in bitter laughter at that jest. ¡°It would not be trustworthy. No, only you...¡± She looked at Shiro. ¡°No, what dwells within you. And I suspect she would not have the patience to deal with such as I.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though Tan does wonder what you taste like.¡± Shiro quipped, licking her lips reflexively. Nebisuki quivered at that, clutching her body tightly, tails wrapped around herself.


    ¡°I have eaten and been eaten many times, by men and women both, but... I fear I would be devoured in the literal sense. And then, I would definitely not see the dawn. No, only Akio here has the strength. And I trust him enough.¡±


    ¡°Because you have no choice, right?¡± I questioned, and she shrugged.


    ¡°If that is how you choose to interpret it. It is hardly far from the truth. I know much of the Fae from my travels, and I know you are akin to them now. So let me say this. Great danger gives great opportunities. If you wish your fields to sprout, and I wish to see a new century of life... then we have no choice but to act. And to act now.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked everyone, and the decision was split. Shaeula, Asha, Shiro and Eri all believed I could handle the danger, whereas Hyacinth, Kana and my sis were worried I would get hurt or worse. Daiyu was troubled for a different reason, but when I asked, she blushed a little and said she hoped I would not miss her birthday tomorrow, since she had not cared before, but now was eagerly awaiting it. She also believed in my strength.


    ¡°I doubt very much my vote counts...¡± Yukiko-san said with a faint smile. ¡°But for what it¡¯s worth... I think you¡¯ll survive. Tsukiko...¡± She glanced at her friend, who nodded.


    ¡°Yes, whether Akio is he of light, darkness and twilight, favoured by the Kami of this land and Gods of a foreign land... that is unimportant. What is important is... he is Akio. And I believe in he who faced down the golden-eyed devourer for me.¡±


    ¡°With that said, Hinata and the others aren¡¯t here. I¡¯ll count Yukiko-san¡¯s vote, and I believe at least Hinata would believe you capable of this. Motoko and Natsumi are more cautious, but even if they dissented...¡± Eri tallied up the count. ¡°...worst case it¡¯d be eight to four in favour. Not that it matters.¡±


    ¡°No, all that matters is your call, Aki.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Tan believes you can handle it too. And I quote ¡®a mindless, rampaging beast, no matter how powerful, will be little match for his cunning and devious tricks¡¯. Hey, don¡¯t go all silent on me Tan!¡± Shiro started arguing out loud with Tan, probably to lighten the heavy mood on purpose. Looking at Nebisuki, I asked her one final time. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you? How long do you have?¡±


    ¡°I lie often, I admit it. Though my lies are more in the way I present things. That is the way of us foxes. We are not dissimilar to Fae in that regard. I am indeed an old hag, as that departed upstart proclaimed. I do not know how or why I shall perish, but Uranai was clear. But bind me, and I shall answer all your demands. But... you have the Bezoar, and the ability to be both hither and yon. If you cannot free grandmother, nobody can.¡±


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a go yet, but... if it is, it has to be swift. Because I¡¯m not missing your birthday, Daiyu.¡± She brightened at my words, and I continued. ¡°The first option, going now, has the gravest risks, but saves the crops I want to grow, right?¡±


    Nebisuki nodded. ¡°So it seems.¡±


    ¡°In that case... someone get a helicopter on standby and get me details of the weather and also volcanic conditions around Tochigi prefecture. That¡¯s where the stone is in the Material, I think? As for me... damn, it¡¯s going to be murder getting there and back...¡±


    As everyone scattered to the tasks I gave out, soon only I and Nebisuki remained, the Kitsune surprised but grateful. Even with that expression on her face, I was worried. ¡°You aren¡¯t tricking me, are you? If so, and it puts anyone I care about at risk you know the consequences. Anyway, I¡¯m not sure I need to take your...¡±


    ¡°My name, my true name is... Shinkume-no-Hana. Crimson Plum Blossom.¡± she said suddenly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to know that.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of enslaving you to trust you. You should know if you treat me fairly I¡¯ll do the same. And if you put those I care about in harm¡¯s way, then I¡¯ll make you regret it. Briefly.¡±


    ¡°So manly.¡±


    Ignoring her dreamy sigh, I shrugged. ¡°So, I¡¯ll call you Nebisuki still. Not like I should put your name out there. Besides, Hana is my mother-in-law¡¯s name. Shinkume isn¡¯t bad, but...¡± As I said her name, I could faintly see a fifth tail glowing behind her, and I had a thought. Prophecies are treacherous and lie with the truth. What if she already has her fifth tail, and... my Eye shone, and as I examined it, aether poured from me, soaking into her illusory tail. Nebisuki groaned and her own aether fought me, sweat scattering from her like silver rain, but despite my efforts to stop it, soon she was overpowered. I¡¯m not that much stronger than her. She... didn¡¯t fight it? As her shimmering fifth tail was now fully visible to me, amber letters burned across my vision, and she fell to her knees in front of me, tails wagging.


    ¡°Order me, master of my name, and I will do as you bid!¡± Her head turned up towards me, and I could see rings of prismatic light in her pupils, and a similar set of rainbow chains that reached from my Chakra network around her phantom tail.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this...¡± I lamented, but she shrugged, which was dangerous as I was looking straight down at her.


    ¡°Oh I did. Foxes lie, you know. And Uranai gave one final prophecy. So ask of me.¡±


    ¡°What did Uranai tell you? Tell me fully and don¡¯t lie or hide anything.¡± I ordered, giving in, and I could feel her tail surging with power, trying to resist, though Nebisuki herself merely gazed at me loyally.


    ¡°It is quite simple. Uranai declared that as the border between the old world that is somehow new and the new world that is also ancient collapses, those that were banished and driven from these lands, betrayed and persecuted will wake from their slumbering dreams, and blood of the Yo?kai and Kami shall soak the ground deeper than the Sanzu river. The Kitsune shall perish, and only those who give their name to Tamamo-no-Mae or the one who frees her shall live.¡±


    At her heavy words, I paused, stunned. Is this one of the disasters Tsukiko saw, or else something new? Though the one upside is... At least if Tamamo-no-Mae was capable of communicating and understanding names, she couldn¡¯t be the sort of degenerated beast of destruction Daiyu talked of. At least I hope not...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Eight

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Eight


    The situation was suddenly far more serious than I had imagined, going beyond just the imminent death of Nebisuki. Still, looking at her, I found that she didn¡¯t annoy me as much as she had done before. In fact, she¡¯s rather pitiful, though I guess I can understand one of the reasons she¡¯s so flighty and troublesome, considering she was just eking out what amusements she could in her final years. There¡¯s just one thing though...


    ¡°Setting aside your fifth tail... why choose me? Surely your grandmother would be a better choice, when she¡¯s rescued. A Kitsune would likely know best how to treat you...¡±


    At her look as she gazed up at me, which was now wry and slightly mocking, yet also embarrassed, her fair skin flushing, ears and tails standing erect, she rolled her eyes, though she made no effort to avoid answering. Feeling the bond between us shiver, I realised it was not entirely dissimilar to Kin Bonding or Lovers¡¯ Link. When she speaks, I can somehow tell through the fluctuations in the bond that she¡¯s telling the truth.


    ¡°You will not impress women asking such questions you should already know the answer to.¡± Her tone was flirty, but she was also annoyed, I could tell. ¡°Firstly, grandmother is not free. You are. And you and the brash daughter of Urakaze, and even that girl who was bullied by the Kijo have grown immeasurably. Even if grandmother is not released by you...¡± She puffed on her pipe for a moment, hesitating. ¡°...I believe you will do it, even without my urgings. You are rather a soft touch. Women find that appealing, but those of us with experience will bully you. I think you will rather enjoy it though...¡± She preened her tails, her Yukata gaping. I¡¯m not paying attention. This is a serious conversation, and the connection between us agrees. ¡°...but even if you do not, then I feel I could find another path to the fifth tail and beyond. Uranai is wise and her words speak the truth of things, but every truth is different when seen from other angles.¡±


    I nodded at that, unable to disagree. It¡¯s the same with Tsukiko¡¯s visions. Even Foresight is woefully imprecise. Seeing I understood and sympathised, Nebisuki continued. ¡°Tamamo-no-Mae is old, ancient, and even if she remains herself... well, she has killed humans aplenty, Yo?kai too, and many Kitsune, even her own children, if they displease her. She is an Empress, equal to Great Nurarihyon, one of the Three Great Evil Yo?kai of this land... well, four, I suppose. Old O?takemaru rages when forgotten.¡± She let out a quiet laugh at that. ¡°I have no wish to be bound to such an unpredictable woman. You fit my needs far better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my worry. Such a powerful, evil Yo?kai, and you want me to free her...¡±


    ¡°Most Evil is simply from the perspective of the times. Grandmother was often cruel, but she could well show compassion, love, kindness. She was simply mercurial, a creature of whims, on which she always acted, regardless of consequence, the privilege of the powerful. She is not so much evil as a force of nature. Besides, your little Chinese girl...¡± Nebisuki had a rather decent grasp of the state of the Material world, due to her travels. ¡°...said that to be sealed is to suffer. I think she has paid enough. Do you humans not imprison each other for the crimes of taking lives, and when the time is spent, the crime is forgiven?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. Whether death is the fairest penalty for killing is a subject of debate, and it differs country to country, but... yeah, historical crimes hundreds or thousands of years ago aren¡¯t my concern. It¡¯s what she might do now... but that¡¯s for later. We have to assess the situation first.¡±


    ¡°You are wise. I like that. The gap between your youth and the majesty you sometimes display appeals.¡± She licked her lips seductively, gnawing on the stem of her pipe. Her face flushed again. ¡°I am more than happy to help you take care of your... seeds.¡± Though it sounded like she was talking about the prophecy of Uranai, the implication was far cruder. Seeing my exasperated gaze, she sighed. ¡°You really are forcing me to speak. I may be no blushing maiden, but even I know shame. Let me be clear, you are the better choice, for I know your character and your distaste of lies and cruelty. Were Tamamo-no-Mae to know my true name, I would never break free of her, the greatest of foxes, with nine tails. If my strength grows enough and you mistreat and abuse me, eventually I would gain the strength to overpower your hold on my invisible tail. We foxes are cunning and patient, and bite back when bullied!¡± She paused. ¡°However, do not misunderstand me. I know Urakaze¡¯s daughter does not like me, and for good reason. But I did say a firm hand could hold me down, keep me loyal. And what firmer grip than on my tail?¡± She wagged her other four teasingly, even as she was breathing heavily, and through my hold on her I could sense the truth of her words as well as her arousal. ¡°Our tails are pleasing to us when touched. Even now, my mind shivers. You are so mean, teasing me thus, making me spill my innermost secrets. You brute. How will you make it up to me?¡±


    I think I¡¯ve bitten off more than I can chew here. I¡¯m not the best with pushy older women. Though right now, she is rather pitiful too. She¡¯s made one rather huge miscalculation... ¡°I understand. If I was in your position, I might make the same choice. But... I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to free yourself from me, no more than you would from Tamamo-no-Mae.¡±


    She cocked her head, smirking. ¡°You do think highly of yourself, Akio. It is true, you grow astonishingly, but when a Kitsune sprouts a new tail, our spiritual power soars immensely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I checked the amber letters that announced the gain of a Class when I bound her through her true name.


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Namebinder. This Class is gained by those who seize control of one of the many spiritual beings throughout the multiverse who are vulnerable to control via their True Name, their ????????, of suitable spiritual strength. This class increases the strength of your ????????, as well as your League, Charm and Majesty. If you are a being vulnerable to control via your True Name, it will be significantly more difficult to overpower you and force you to a Namebound state.


    Abilities that involve bonds can easily be applied to your Namebound, to the maximum strength of said abilities, and abilities you share with Namebound individuals will be slightly strengthened, and you are more likely to share insights that will lead to increases in Rank. In addition, your Aether will increase significantly as you bind stronger beings.


    ¡°It¡¯s that taking control of you via your true name, Shinkume-no-Hana...¡± My enhanced perception and vision made it clear nobody was in earshot as I spoke her real, true name. ¡°...is a bond.¡±


    ¡°It makes me shiver. None but I have ever spoken my name. The mother that gave birth to me merely called me Hana, the other half that makes our true name, our true selves comes to us Kitsune when we fully control the power of our invisible tail. You are a tease... wait... huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you finally noticed.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m basically the master of bonds. I have a lot of Skills, powerful ones, which operate on bonds and strengthen them. Classes too. So the thought of you somehow managing to break this strengthened tie... good luck with that.¡± She¡¯s already Kin Bonded, even though I definitely don¡¯t see her as family. Though my dislike for her seems to be draining away. A side-effect of seizing her tail, maybe? ¡°I suppose the only upside is that I was right. Uranai¡¯s prophecy about your fifth tail is the same crap that Tsukuyomi was spouting about Tsukiko dying. It doesn¡¯t matter who dies if death can be cheated.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Nebisuki frowned, clearly thinking about what I said, before she simply laughed, falling to the ground and rolling around playfully, hardly acting her advanced age. ¡°...is simply hilarious. I, the schemer, who planned to use you, caught in my own net. I handed you my tail, and now you can grasp it all you wish.¡± Tears fell from her eyes as she laughed so uproariously. ¡°It is so very... much like us. You mortals have tails... oh, tales... of we Kitsune, and oftentimes our schemes unravel, and we end up cheating ourselves, caught in our own traps.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± I asked, and she shook her head, denying that, and I could feel from her bound state she was genuine.


    ¡°No, I do not. I have lived long and been through many highs and lows of emotions. I have fought my fate, given up, then fought some more. If this is the way it ends, then so be it. I did my best.¡± Her smile was truly wicked then, and I found it beautiful. ¡°Besides, it will annoy Urakaze to no end. Seeing her face twist in anger will be a delight worth my bondage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad woman.¡± I chided her, and that only made her laugh more.


    Yeoh, that¡¯s not ominous at all. Of course, I do trust her though. ¡°Fine. But I don¡¯t want a large group, however...¡± I glanced at Nebisuki, who shrugged.


    ¡°I suppose I can hardly turn down your entreaties. Grandmother might listen to me, rather than you, if she is still sane, still herself. Besides, you could order me to go and I would be unable to resist, just as I am to any demand.¡± She wrapped her arms and tails around herself, faking a shiver, which made me snort, amused and exasperated at her playfulness.


    ¡°You should act your age. Anyway...¡± As I ignored her protests that she was not old, I turned to Chen Na, who seldom had much to do as one of Haru¡¯s Chosen Heroes other than guard the trainees power levelling to increase the margin of safety. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be useful.¡±


    She nodded. She was in a similar position to her fellow Kyoto terrorist Nie Ling, but being Enthroned, Haru had ultimate control over her actions, so she didn¡¯t have to be as strictly monitored when she was in Material Japan as the latter. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need me?¡± Shiro asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, you can hold the fort in the Material along with Eri. If there are problems I want people I can trust in place.¡± I didn¡¯t think that my Foresight was signalling imminent disaster, as in today, but I had been wrong too many times, or too dismissive of it, so since trouble was definitely coming soon, keeping back some trump cards was essential. Which is why... I glanced at Nie Ling, who was present amongst the crowd. The Chinese woman had settled into her effective plea bargain with Japan under my care, and while she lived a regimented life, and was watched over, she still had some spare time for leisure. But in an attack on the Material, she can send over reinforcements, so she¡¯s become invaluable, not just for pushing forward our construction by allowing Trolls and Giants to go on site.


    Similarly, Shaeula pointed out that her brother and sister might be available, especially useless Shaeraggo, as she harshly addressed him, which would have made him cry if he could have heard it, since he was a major siscon. As if thinking that activated her, my own sis piped up. ¡°What about me, bro? My Golden Sisters could be useful for scouting and triggering traps.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I conceded. ¡°But it¡¯ll be Boundary only. You¡¯re keeping a low profile from now on.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± She agreed, pumping her fist, glad to be called on yet again. With that decided, the party of me, Shaeula, Daiyu, Aiko, Nebisuki and Chen Na would head north. Ginneka had returned to the Material and was ready to send an off-road military vehicle we had procured to us here. The helicopter I would be taking in the Material was also ready, along with a pilot from the Black Wolf Company.


    ¡°Despite this, I still have plans for tomorrow.¡± I told Eri and Shiro after Daiyu had headed back to gather her talismans and other supplies. ¡°I have a guest from South Korea, so if we aren¡¯t back, keep her company. She doesn¡¯t speak Japanese or English, but I think it¡¯s likely that Yu-mi will be accompanying her, so that sorts the translation issues, though you¡¯ve learned a bit for emergencies, Eri, so back her up.¡±


    ¡°A guest, huh? Got it.¡± Shiro agreed. Eri was curious but kept her silence, only agreeing to help if needed.


    ¡°Keep the ether coming and stockpiled in Kyoto, apart from the convoy to our estate for Azuki...¡± As I continued to lay out my plans, everyone was prepared. I wasn¡¯t entirely at my best, due to the difficult and draining crafting I had performed yesterday, as well as the constant trickle of adherence the Favours I held were taking from me, but I had recovered enough to be confident I was ready for action.


    ¡°Is it always so frantic here?¡± Yukiko-san asked Tsukiko, who merely smiled. ¡°Compared to my Territory at Ise, there is so much going on.¡±


    ¡°All the strings of Destiny and the Definite are tangled around us here.¡± Tsukiko said meaningfully. ¡°After all, had you not asked Akio to wake the Regalia, he would not have sent to the Hyakki Yagyo? for aid, and...¡±


    ¡°I still would have come.¡± Nebisuki disagreed. ¡°In fact, I arrived so quickly as I met your messenger as he was returning to our Parade. But it is true... long years of stagnation are coming to an end. Great Nurarihyon curses the Gods, both ours and others, who treat us as mere playthings. But where the strong tread, the weak must stay silent or be crushed.¡±


    Yukiko-san nodded. ¡°My Sun of Amaterasu is likely not useful for you in your endeavours. But... I¡¯ll remain here until you return. I want to spend more time with Tsukiko anyway, and...¡±


    ¡°Hot springs again! More booze!¡± Shiro laughed.


    As I sat in the back of the helicopter as it took flight in the Material, a rugged, all-terrain four-wheel-drive car appeared, with large, heavy tires designed for difficult terrain and an equally powerful engine. ¡°Good job.¡± I nodded to Ginneka, who purred under my praise, tail lashing, casting a triumphant gaze at Nebisuki, full of rivalry. Nope, that¡¯s one squabble I¡¯m not getting involved in. ¡°All right, everybody knows what we have to do.¡± I opened the rear door, and Shaeula hopped in, followed by the others. Fortunately there¡¯s no traffic regulations here in the Boundary, so I should be fine to drive with my high stats...


    Opening the door, I started up the engine, a number of Fae who hadn¡¯t yet had the pleasure of a trip to the Material looking on with interest. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This is quite the carriage. I had heard mortals have advanced over the last few hundred years...¡± Nebisuki fidgeted on the back seat, leaning over the driver¡¯s seat I was occupying, before Shaeula glared at her, pulling her back.


    ¡°Sit down-down. I do not-not like you... and I do not-not want you fawning over Akio.¡± She then glared at me. ¡°And you too... this one is no good!¡±


    Shrugging, choosing wisely to ignore the topic, I steered the vehicle down past Asha¡¯s Rhyming Trees and towards the north, already beginning to worry about just what we¡¯d find there...

 Four Hundred And Eighty-Nine

    Four Hundred And Eighty-Nine


    ¡°This is fascinating.¡± Nebisuki wagged her tails, which provoked Shaeula.


    ¡°You are taking up too-too much room, with those annoying tails.¡± she complained, batting the golden-furred tails aside. ¡°Sit down-down and be calm, this is nothing.¡± Shaeula¡¯s smile turned mocking. ¡°Compared to trains or planes, this is rather ordinary!¡±


    ¡°It is me, bro, or is it getting a bit heated back there?¡± My sis had grabbed the seat next to mine, leaving the others in the back, feeling it wouldn¡¯t be fair to let either Shaeula or Daiyu have the seat and make the other miss out. It¡¯s considerate, but definitely a self-serving sort of consideration. ¡°I guess it¡¯s good to be relaxed before a difficult mission?¡±


    ¡°Urakaze¡¯s daughter follows her mother, it seems. So cold, so mean.¡± Nebisuki snorted, though she did at least wrap her tails around herself. ¡°I am simply a poor fox who now is forced to beg and scrape for scraps of happiness.¡± She squeezed out some clearly fake tears, bringing a snort of derision from Shaeula.


    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s seriously trying to get your attention, bro.¡± My sis remarked. ¡°Must be hard being such a man in demand. Don¡¯t worry, when you get stabbed, I¡¯ll be here to lend you a shoulder to cry on. I always thought it¡¯d be Eri that stabbed you though...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound a joke when you say it like that.¡± Back in the Material, I only had to sit in the helicopter, so my Split Thoughts were mostly focussed here, allowing me to easily drive and pay attention to the hijinks in the rugged vehicle. ¡°Nebisuki, play nice. A little teasing is fine, but I won¡¯t have you upsetting Shaeula.¡± I warned her, and the Kitsune sat back down, frowning piteously, though I was fairly sure she was just playing again.


    We were following the route that the convoy was taking from Shirohebizumi north towards Tokyo proper, though we would be skirting around the more populated areas, and heading much further north. Soon, our vehicle going at nearly a hundred kilometres an hour, we overtook the convoy and were out into largely uncharted lands beyond. Daiyu was sitting quietly, and Chen Na was beside her, looking terribly uncomfortable. I glanced back at her, finding something to say. I don¡¯t exactly like her, but she¡¯s effectively died and been reborn as Haru¡¯s Chosen Hero, so she¡¯s paid and will continue to pay for her crimes. That¡¯s punishment enough, and it¡¯s more important to use her skills to prevent further tragedies... ¡°Please stay alert, Chen Na. We¡¯ll be needing you to protect the car if we run into trouble, as we don¡¯t have time to stop.¡±


    At my words she nodded, having a task to focus on making her calm down. Beside her, Daiyu nodded approvingly, and my sis looked at me knowingly, but she didn¡¯t comment on that, merely asking about something on her mind. ¡°So, just what¡¯s the situation in Tokyo here in the Boundary? Are there many other Territories getting in your way?¡±


    ¡°Getting in my way?¡± I raised an eyebrow, amused. ¡°It¡¯s not like I own Tokyo, you know.¡±


    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s being deliberately dense again.¡± My sis addressed Shaeula and Daiyu. ¡°My bro¡¯s making a real push for Astral Emperor now, being humble doesn¡¯t suit him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If we do not have the biggest fist, we will be under those who do, and our safety and happiness cannot be guaranteed.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Besides, it is too late to back out now. You have a wager with Tan?ha?, and I do not believe the Goddess is inclined to allow you to falter should you win, and should you lose...¡± she paused, a slight smile on her face. ¡°...which I do not believe you intend to, such haste are we making now, then she will work you hard fulfilling all her needs. Either way, you either rule, or serve the ruler. So no false modesty.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Just as I saw the need-need to reform the Seelie Court, knowing only I have the capacity to do so...¡± She also paused, flushing pink, even to her ears. ¡°...I admit, at first it was merely wishful thinking, foolish-foolish dreams of a petulant child, seeking recognition and petty revenge, but now-now having dealt with the endless, frustrating politics of the Court, I am not-not conflicted any longer. Someone must-must take charge, and if not-not the King and Queen, it should be us.¡±


    ¡°You would put your lands and fates in the hands of Akio here?¡± Nebisuki asked, suddenly serious. At that, Shaeula barked a laugh.


    ¡°Of course, all-all I have is in his hands already. It will not-not be different for the Hyakki Yagyo?. Perhaps I will climb the Numbers, or mother will-will intervene, but... even Nurarihyon will have to acknowledge and obey, in due-due course.¡± Shaeula¡¯s tone was full of certainty, brooking no dissent.


    ¡°I see. I find it hard to believe that Great Nurarihyon will be so easy to cow, but it seems that I am in august company.¡± Nebisuki purred. ¡°I did see something special in you, when you slew that arrogant junior, despite his powerful curses and trickery, and slaughtered the Kijo. It seems I am the property of a powerful man. Hold me tight so I do not go astray.¡±The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))


    ¡°Property, huh? Branching out are we, bro?¡± My sis complained, and I waved that off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she¡¯s just teasing. Anyway, yeah, to answer your earlier question... even as Astral Emperor, we agreed rules to be fair to other Chosen, at the Ministry, didn¡¯t we? I can¡¯t just take their Territories, especially because it¡¯s harmful to them, potentially fatal, even. Honestly though... there¡¯s my Territory on the outskirts, then there¡¯s our allies and Vassals, those are fine, as well as some from the military, such as Major Sasaki¡¯s. There are surprisingly few others around, a lot less than we would have expected. Some have come forward and have been identified by the Ministry, and others the Ministry is working on pinpointing the owners of. Most of them are Rank two, or Rank three but not having extended to their maximum extent...¡±


    ¡°So what will you do?¡± My sis pressed me.


    ¡°Simple. Those who agree to work with us we¡¯ll respect their rights. I might try and incentivise them to either become a Vassal, or at least move outside of Tokyo. Transporting them some ether as compensation isn¡¯t a problem. Those who don¡¯t... well, they don¡¯t get the Ministry protections, right? If they are unknown, then I¡¯ll have their Territories dismantled, but not by Chosen, to hopefully prevent their injury from the Anchor being pillaged by those with the Conqueror Class...¡± As we discussed it we were speeding past strange architecture and groups of puzzled creatures dwelling within the Boundary. ¡°...of course, if they are hostile, then we¡¯ll take appropriate measures. We need to eliminate chaos and opportunities for trouble. I admit it, It¡¯ll be me who is the Astral Emperor, and this mission is potentially a huge step towards that, but I¡¯m not a tyrant or a dictator, or if I am, I at least want to be a benevolent one. There¡¯s plenty of room for others to expand their power bases, but we have to put ourselves first.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nebisuki nodded, understanding. ¡°Just how Great Nurarihyon allows the Parade to do as it wills, so long as it does not cross his decrees, you will do the same. I do approve!¡±


    ¡°Your approval means little-little to us, fox!¡± Shaeula complained, and as they fell to bickering again, I relaxed, amused. I might as well make the most of this, as soon it¡¯s likely we¡¯ll be plunged into severe danger, if Uranai is correct, and I¡¯ve no reason to believe she isn¡¯t...


    The tall, warped buildings of Boundary Tokyo started to diminish, replaced by more natural terrain. Unfortunately this was coupled with the easier terrain to drive on starting to vanish. Driving became more taxing, but I continued to steer us north, until we came to a massive river winding its way through the Boundary.


    ¡°The Edo river, huh?¡± I remarked. It was four or five times wider than on the Material, and far faster flowing, foaming whitecaps and spray cascading out, rainbows of light shining above it. Unlike in the Material, there were no bridges either.


    ¡°It is rather like the Thames, in London, is it not-not?¡± Shaeula observed, curious, eyes glowing a brilliant amber. ¡°However, there are other problems.¡±


    ¡°A worthy show. It makes me rather hot...¡± Nebisuki grinned, fanning herself with the cloth of her kimono, and I could see her invisible tail swishing happily. ¡°Now then. We have carved our own path across, one in fire and death. Mocking Grand Nurarihyon and worse still, Akio, ruler of this land, is unwise. But worse is coveting what is his.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°We seek to cross. Should he need to drive another blazing path across, or will you show obedience and atone?¡±


    The Kappa looked at each other, then back at the blazing trail of flames that bisected their river. The tides were starting to pull it apart, blazing tongues of light flowing away, but it still gave off a fearsome heat, and I could see the Kappa nearby weakening, water that was kept in a strange hollow on their heads slowly evaporating, silver light rising. In the end, a Kappa riding a giant turtle waddled onto land, his expression wary but cold.


    ¡°I think you should kneel.¡± Nebisuki said coldly, and suddenly one of the fiery balls of light flew from above her tail and burst above the Kappa, the shockwave throwing it to the ground. The other Kappa gasped, eyes glued to where the bowl that was part of the Kappa¡¯s skull emptied, water spilling to the ground. ¡°Much better!¡± Nebisuki snorted. ¡°Now speak. But first...¡±


    The Kappa, stunned, reached out, one hand finding his bowl empty. With a shudder, it knelt. ¡°You have bested this one. I am yours, to do with as you will. But as brother of our fallen leader, I implore you, hold your blazing flames. If... if it pleases you...¡± He gestured, and three more Kappa came to shore, riding smaller turtles, one of them a smaller albino one. They dismounted, and hesitantly, at his gesture, all knelt as well, heads down, waters spilling. They all shuddered, the smallest Kappa, who rode the albino turtle even crying loudly, but they remained prostrate. ¡°Four lives for the four we threatened. We cannot resist. But spare our Bitter River tribe from death!¡±


    ¡°All we wanted was to cross.¡± Nebisuki reminded them mercilessly. ¡°But you are kind, are you not, Akio?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I regretted having to use the power of Foehn and Prominence Twilight, but it was the most efficient way to remove the arrogant Kappa who had dared threaten what he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°I have no need of your lives. Had I wished them, my flames would have consumed you all, everything my light could touch flaring to ashes. Nebisuki speaks true. Soon I shall dominate this area. But I do not force anyone to leave, or make you slaves. You simply have to follow the laws everyone must abide by. Though willing allies will find me generous, and much profit in it. As for you four... I don¡¯t seek your lives, though my anger burns as hot as my flames. You dared threaten my allies, my sister and two of my lovers...¡±


    ¡°Only two...¡± Nebisuki joked, but I ignored her.


    ¡°...so I am afraid I had little choice but to exact retribution. That is enough. Though...¡± I glimpsed at the largest turtle. ¡°...give us passage across the river, and I¡¯ll forget this happened.¡±


    The first Kappa who came forward shuddered, but nodded, and the others breathed relieved sighs, though the last was still crying. ¡°We spilled water. Our lives are yours. The Bitter River clan will serve as long as our family remains the strongest.¡± He then glared at several Kappa behind them. ¡°My brother may have burned away, but I am still mighty, and my son, younger brother and sister are powerful!¡± At that booming declaration, the Kappa reflexively bowed, their own waters spilling into the river which were starting to steam and bubble from the Foehn. ¡°Come. I shall ferry you.¡±


    I glanced at Nebisuki, who snorted a loud laugh. ¡°Kappa are dreadful foes in water, but on land they rely on their tamed beasts. Besides... they believe that their spirits dwell within the water in their bowls. Spilled within water it returns to water, but spilled on land... that binds them. A nonsense, but... useful.¡±


    Back in our car, I drove slowly onto the back of the giant turtle. It rocked, sinking a bit, before straining and lifting us. It then cut across the current, away from the Foehn, and the other Kappa who knelt escorted us. Soon we were across, and the new Kappa leader once more bowed low. ¡°Thank you for sparing us. I and my family will serve and remain your friends for as long as we survive.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I said, thinking. ¡°In a few months, I¡¯ll control this land. Join with us, and we¡¯ll make sure you benefit.¡±


    ¡°As you will it.¡± The Kappa grovelled, leaving me feeling a little sorry for him. Unfortunately, we had wasted some time here, so after a few more parting words, I started driving us north again. My sis was the first to speak.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure I could surrender if someone killed you in front of me, bro. Let alone grovel like that...¡±


    ¡°Even to save the lives of Eri and the others?¡± I asked, and she opened her mouth to retort, before a thoughtful look shone in her eyes. ¡°See? Not so easy, is it?¡± I pointed out, and she nodded.


    ¡°We Yo?kai, and other spiritual beings, such as the daughter of dear Urakaze here...¡± Nebisuki began, tails wagging, though this time Shaeula didn¡¯t scold her. ¡°...all have our quirks. We do not see matters like you humans. After all, the Fae take their Oaths and Boons to heart, to their very being. Humans lie and cheat and do as they please. But we have many of the same emotions, but not all. We are creatures of passion.¡±


    Shaeula nodded, agreeing, and let her continue. ¡°The Kappa, perhaps he was merely going to appease you, so I forced him to kneel, knowing if he spilled his water on land, he would be compelled to obey you. He then made the choice to force his family to do so as well. Now they are yours, though if they sadly perish...¡± Nebisuki gnawed her teeth together, perhaps missing her pipe, as Shaeula didn¡¯t allow it in the car. ¡°...then we gain little. I advise on our return sending forces here to ensure they live until you can conquer this place properly. A clan of Kappa would make useful troops.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that...¡± I said, agreeing. ¡°I suppose I should thank you. That did make things easier.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I live to serve.¡± Nebisuki teased. ¡°It is only right for the strong to coerce the weak, in the Hyakki Yagyo?. Hence the true Hundred Demons is limited to the strongest. Of which you now have two as lovers!¡±


    ¡°Nope, just the one.¡± I insisted, ignoring her teasing. ¡°Anyway, Aiko...¡± Seeing as I was saying her name, she knew I was serious, so she paid attention. ¡°...I never want to have to be in a position where I¡¯m forced to choose between avenging you or bowing to save others, so... just be careful, okay?¡±


    My sis blinked her blue eyes, before breaking out in a brilliant smile. ¡°Got it, bro. I won¡¯t make you worry.¡± She opened the window, sticking her head out, the momentum making her black hair blow despite the lack of breeze. ¡°Can¡¯t you go any faster? We¡¯ve got to get to our destination soon!¡±


    With a wry smile I put my foot down, pushing the car¡¯s engine to the maximum. Meanwhile, in the Material, our helicopter was closing in, the skies ahead filled with a clearly visible dark cloud of ash and dust, lightning sparking within it, visible from many miles around. The windscreen was being plinked by small dust and rock particles, and the air smelt of sulphur, just like rotting eggs.


    ¡°We can¡¯t get too much closer, if the rotors get choked by the dust we¡¯ll crash!¡± The pilot shouted out over the noise. ¡°We need to set down.¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡± I calculated. There was probably only fifty or so kilometres to the destination, and with the government having ordered an evacuation of the area, just in case the second wave of eruptions were fiercer, I could run as I pleased without an audience. As it descended, I leapt out, dropping the last twenty metres to the ground, and with a military-issue breathing mask to protect me from the poisonous gases and ash over my face, I started to sprint through the deserted landscape, at a speed that exceeded the car in the Boundary...

 Four Hundred And Ninety

    Four Hundred And Ninety


    As I sprinted through the outer edges of the volcanic cloud, I started feeling the heavy presence of earth and flame elements around me. Mixed in were several other sorts, and I could feel the presence of dust element being carried in the ash, making it far more corrosive than it would have been otherwise. The material of my breathing mask was starting to dissolve, rubber and plastic bubbling, so I took it off, trusting to my enhanced physique, and Ether Healing that had already had exposure to dust element, back when fighting the Widow of Nails and her reanimated husband.


    The density of the elements in the atmosphere here is on par with some areas of the Boundary. That seems... too fast. While it was clear from both Ortlinde¡¯s words and Tan¡¯s that eventually the Boundary would fail, meaning that the Material would then directly lie against the lower Astral, and eventually more and more of the Astral would seep into the Material, that was a process that should have taken decades to even hundreds of years, ordinarily. Whereas here it¡¯s been half a year at best...


    Taking a breath, my Material body suffered spikes of pain as hot dust was taken in, but the damage was soon healed, and the Bezoar stone was shining faintly, filling me with earth energy in compensation for my injuries. I also drew on the fire and earth energy, the fire especially useful as some was consumed using Foehn earlier. I needed to be in as peak a condition as possible for whatever I was going to face. I doubt that the grave danger Uranai predicted is getting caught in a volcanic eruption. Honestly, I¡¯m confident I could do something about that, even if just to protect myself and the others...


    Using a trickle of aether to protect my clothes, I wished I had taken the time to enhance the Brigandine so it had the presence here on the Material as well. Self-repair would be handy now, otherwise I¡¯m going to come out of the other side of this naked...


    The ground was starting to be coated by stinging, corrosive ash, falling like snow, reminding me of a scene in an old horror game. Hopefully this won¡¯t end the same way. Though going to rescue an impossibly ancient, wicked fox doesn¡¯t sound like it has a good end... The temperature was starting to become oppressive, now I was getting closer to the Nasu peaks, and lightning was being generated from the terrible cloud of ash and dust above. One bolt struck not too far from me, turning a small grove of trees into burning torches. It was growing hard to see, never mind breathe, and the red glow of lava ahead, coating the sides of the peaks, filled me with worry. I opened my mouth to mutter to myself, only to shut it as the hot air and ash scorched my mouth and tongue. Ruefully, I grimaced. I¡¯ve spent too long in my own company. Now I¡¯m constantly surrounded by people, I have to get out of that habit. But that aside, I hope the Sessho-seki isn¡¯t buried under the lava. I don¡¯t want to go swimming, although...


    The ground under me rumbled, and I lost my footing for a second, as large chunks of rock were hurled out of the volcano, followed by an oppressive wave of burning ash. Fuck, pyroclastic flow... My Eye could pierce the shroud of dust, and since I was under ten miles from the mountains, I did the calculations quickly. Around two hundred miles an hour, that can cover ten miles in three minutes. Less, as I¡¯m running towards it... The thrown debris slammed into the surrounding terrain, explosions echoing, shrapnel sent in all directions, and I grimaced, remembering the words of Nebisuki, who in the Boundary was cheerfully urging us on, as we ploughed through groups of beasts that had accosted our progress to the north, massive monkey-like creatures who seemed to have only rudimentary intelligence, yet towered four or five metres high, and wielded trees and boulders as crude clubs and maces.


    ¡°Yes, crush them, crush them!¡± She was laughing, furry ears fluttering with her heightened emotions. ¡°Such mindless brutes deserve no salvation!¡±


    ¡°Just keep up the barrier please.¡± I told Chen Na, who had projected a bubble of force across the front portion of our accelerating vehicle. One monster ape stepped in front of us, only to be thrown aside by the impact. Our vehicle shuddered for a moment, the sudden loss of forward movement jolting us, and my sis cursed as one of her arrows went wide.


    ¡°Drive better, bro!¡± she pouted, window down, leaning out, adopting an awkward pose that would never have been accepted in Kyu?do?. Pulling another arrow from her quiver, watching it blaze into flames, she fitted it to the bow she gained from Shaeraggo, before unleashing the shot. This time, one ape was pierced in the eye, and the flames cooked its brain, causing my sis to exclaim fearlessly in joy. ¡°Nice! I¡¯m definitely improving in speed and penetrating power. Your brother was right, Shaeula, it¡¯s no good being concerned only with style and accuracy in battle, speed matters too.¡±


    ¡°I shall be sure-sure to tell him.¡± Shaeula sniffed, her torso sticking out of the window on the other side of the car, waving her hands, fine threads of wind bisecting multiple apes easily, silver blood and then rainbow ether falling to the ground as we zoomed past. We didn¡¯t even have time to collect it all, but despite that the girls seemed to be having a good time, apart from Chen Na, who was trembling from both the effort and fear. A thrown boulder struck near the car, and a second would have hit us, but for Daiyu, who was occupying the rear seat behind my sis. She let out a cry, gathering her Qi, and with one blow batted the boulder away. Her arm bent the wrong way with a sickening crunch, but calmly she pushed it back into place, and her Favour of Chang¡¯e quickly started knitting the broken bone back together. Seeing my concerned gaze, she managed a smile.


    ¡°I do not wish to use too much of my precious Water Qi, otherwise I would be unleashing the watery bullets I have learned from you. But we face unknown dangers ahead. After all, a local snake can supress a foreign dragon such as us. We must keep our strength to pull the fangs of the snake.¡±


    ¡°A real shame.¡± My sis declared, ¡°But you¡¯re right, Daiyu. Hopefully the next feast of free experience points you can join in. Bullseye! Another good hit... oh... too shallow. Well then...¡± A second arrow left her bow, and this time the giant monkey she had struck fell, slain.


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about what¡¯s ahead...¡± We were further out in the Boundary than the Material, due to a combination of the car being slower than a helicopter, and us getting constantly diverted and distracted by incidents such as the Kappa and this tribe of monkey beasts, so even with the faster flow of time here, we were still some forty miles out, by my best calculations. Despite the distance, the peaks of the Nasu volcanoes towered, clearly visible, and great columns of lava were soaring into the skies, something impossible in the Material world, lava falling like rain to bathe the surrounding areas, leading to what worried me, a massive, roaring wildfire that surrounded the destination.


    This requires great strength in earth and wind element. I am beginning to see where the need for wind is coming from... As we powered past the surviving monkeys, outstripping their pursuit, leaving them behind, on the Material I braced myself for the impact of the pyroclastic flow. I channelled earth element, and the ground shattered, curved pillars of the underlying igneous rock forming a makeshift barrier. I then called forth wind, forming a glowing green shield of air, not meant to block, but to.... The impact of the wall of scorching ash was incredible. The wind shivered, jade sparks flashing, but I held on, parting the flow like a jutting boulder in a river. Divert the flow. I can¡¯t take this head on, but I don¡¯t have to... The surface of the rock barrier was charring and bubbling, rock melting from the fierce, seven hundred degrees heat the flow brought with it. I held my breath, but despite the insulation of the wall of wind, I still felt my skin sear painfully. If it was me of a few months ago, I would likely have burned to ashes, only charred bones remaining, but now I could hold on, Ether Healing repairing me as fast as I burned.


    Moments later the flow was past, and I choked out a relieved sigh. Now the landscape truly was obliterated, fields and forests reduced to barren, ash-strewn lands. There were towns and villages in the vicinity, though fortunately few, and they had been evacuated by the government, but the repair bill would certainly be immense. Though that¡¯s for them to worry about... though if it turns out to be related to the Sessho-seki, it might be the first time the Ministry will have to put its spiritual disaster planning into action. We thought we had a couple of years yet...


    Craters were everywhere, shattered boulders lying amidst the destruction, and as the dust and ash cleared, I got a closer look at the nearby volcanos. Yeah, that¡¯s not natural... The peaks were all belching lava, yet it had formed a lake around the foot of the mountains, and the slopes were riven with boiling rivers of molten rock. I could see great clouds of poisonous, sulphurous gases hanging heavy over them, and as I watched another pyroclastic flow was unleashed, heading away from me, mercifully, but the eruptions didn¡¯t look like any I had seen or heard of before. Comparing it to the fountains of flame in the Boundary, I had just one thought. It¡¯s as though they are forming a barrier, or a field...


    In the Boundary, Shaeula expressed a similar thought, her amber eyes reflecting the brilliant light of the distant lava plumes. ¡°I do believe this is not-not natural, even for this realm. The Boundary...¡± She pointed at the dark skies above, dim aurorae overshadowed by the fierce glow of the volcanos. ¡°...it frays alarmingly. Perhaps it will not-not collapse today, or tomorrow, or even-even in the near future, but... such stresses, it will not-not hold long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about taking you all in there now.¡± I frowned, worried. ¡°I know we brought Chen Na for her shields, but this is going to be dangerous...¡±


    ¡°You knew that before, no?¡± Nebisuki reassured me. ¡°If you go now, and survive, your garden shall be protected from pillaging winged predators. Besides... I am sure nobody wishes you to face this alone.¡±


    Shaeula took a deep breath, before calming herself and conceding the point. ¡°You are correct, fox. I do not-not wish Akio to face danger without me by his side. Besides, if death should claim him, Hyacinth and I shall follow after. It is decided.¡± Shaeula obliquely mentioned the Pledged One Class and its effects, careful not to give Nebisuki any ideas, though with my grip on her invisible tail through her true name, it was unlikely she could cause trouble.


    ¡°As for me, I¡¯m not a martyr. But...¡± My sis narrowed her eyes, equal parts frightened and awed by the spectacle ahead. ¡°...just like in Korea, I can be useful in the proper place. I¡¯m no badass like you or Shaeula, bro, but I do have the Golden Sister Army. Better they suffer the danger than you do.¡±


    ¡°As for my feelings...¡± Daiyu smiled. ¡°I will not claim to die of grief should you pass, following you into death like Shaeula here. I will not let the Incorruptible Jade end with me. But I shall take no Dao Companion but you, and I shall do all I can to protect your legacy. But... as your Companion, I wish to share your hardships. And I am most confident in my durability. After all, I drifted, lost and alone and defeated, for many days in that cold sea, and I lived. Now I am far stronger than then. A little fire does not dismay me!¡±


    ¡°As for I...¡± Nebisuki wagged her tails. ¡°...there is no turning back. When one has lost hope, to see the possibility of it... it must be snatched, no matter the risk.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Chen Na was silent, and I did feel bad, but atonement was seldom pleasant. ¡°But follow my instructions. I don¡¯t want anyone dying here.¡± The car slowed, as I had to navigate around massive boulders of obsidian that were dotting the landscape, and soon we reached the outer edge of the falling lava rain. Chen Na¡¯s barrier shuddered, but the lava simply ran off it like water on glass, and while the interior began to heat up, Shaeula unleashed a little water element to cool us. As my sis praised her, in the Material I had just breached another Pyroclastic flow, protecting myself the same way as before, and reached the edge of the lava lake. Strangely enough, I could now also feel the presence of a significant amount of spatial element, so I began to draw than in too. That¡¯s one way to deal with problems...


    ¡°What the hell is bro doing?¡± my sis complained bitterly, eyes wide in annoyance. Shaeula merely shook her head, understanding.


    ¡°It is no-no different to Ether Healing training. In fact, it is quite-quite efficient, so long as one can survive the torture.¡± She grinned then, while she was troubled at my suffering, she was also proud, knowing I was doing it not only to grow but to work out how to tame the great rock. Around us, more lava was spewing from cracks in the mountains, and on the Material, another volcano roared, discharging a pyroclastic flow, fortunately once more away from me, as the ground trembled.


    For several hours I suffered, constantly pouring out earth element into the two boulders, while my wind kept the poison at bay, allowing ever-increasing amounts of it to flood into me. The drain on my earth element could never have been sustained without the Bezoar, and as the vivid blue of the rock started to bleach, I could feel darkness element within the terrible poison, and I drew that in. As I did so, I felt a number of overwhelming emotions, sadness, anger, hatred, despair, solitude, and more. For a moment I felt I would go mad with all the thoughts and feelings that were not my own, but then a voice broke through the pain.


    Akio. I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯m always by your side. Not just me, Shaeula and Daiyu are with you, aren¡¯t they? Aiko too. Don¡¯t be angry. I know you feel sorry for Tamamo-no-Mae, even if she¡¯s done wicked things. Just... keep calm and judge fairly in the end. I... we... believe in your decisions. No need to despair, if you¡¯ve made the wrong choice, and freeing her brings disaster, we¡¯ll face it together. Never in solitude. Eri¡¯s thoughts came to me, and I realised it was true. Now I was never alone. Not just her, while her bond to me was the clearest, I could also feel the tugging of strings that were Kin Bonding, Pledged One, and all those who shared Lovers¡¯ Link. Even Nebisuki...


    Thanks. I¡¯m all right now. It was just... overwhelming. This poison is of the spirit, it¡¯s... concentrated negative emotions, darkness of a purest sort. But...


    You need darkness for the night sky to be beautiful. Because only in that darkness can the stars shine their brightest. When... when this is all done and we get some free time, lets go to the mountains, all of us together, and play and watch the stars. And it will be over soon. Because I believe you can handle everything. And what you can¡¯t... we¡¯ll take care of for you. That¡¯s what being a family, being lovers, is all about.


    That sounds wonderful. We can¡¯t now, but next year, when the Territory is safely upgraded, the Quest in the Fae lands done... we¡¯ll do that. I released a little light element from within me, pushing aside the last fragments of dark poison, and smiled as my Eye positively blazed with light, numerous messages scrolling across my vision.


    Your Skill, Ether Healing, has increased from Rank 10 to Rank 11, traversing the fourth horizon and reaching the fifth vista that few from such lower realms ever sees. Ether Healing can now repair slight damage to your ????????. Your affinity for Light, Darkness, Yin and Yang Elements increases significantly, and you are able to control rampaging energies of these types within you and calm them in others. Your perception of ???????? has slightly increased, and foreign sources of ???????? are better integrated within you, and are less likely to have an adverse effect on the purity of your ????. Your ???????? will endure the ravages of time so long as your will endures.


    Your Skill, Throat Chakra Of New Moon Darkness, Shingetsu, has increased from Rank 3 to Rank 5...


    Your Skill, Darkness Manipulation, has become Darkness and Yin Manipulation Rank 4. You now convert a portion of your Darkness element into Yin Qi, a purer, non-tangible Element focussed on negative effects. All your skills involving Qi are slightly improved.


    Your Class, Wielder of A Mutated Element, has increased from Level Seven to Level Nine.


    Your Class, Prodigy of The Lower Worlds, has increased from Level Two to Level Four.


    Your League, Fate, Determination...


    Despite that surge of improvements, my only concern was stabilising the Sessho-seki, finding the truth of it. Now that I was largely resistant to the poison, my bodies had recovered, but it was still drinking inexhaustibly of the earth element I was providing. Releasing more and more of the poisonous gas to feed the Bezoar, I was sweating profusely, even if it flared to silver mist in the oppressive heat of the volcanic hell around us. Come on... a bit more, a bit more...


    It was just as I felt I might have to retreat when finally the two stones connected fully, Material and Boundary as one. The purple veins in the stone twisted into complex knots, and the space around me formed a sort of well, piercing from the Material, through the Boundary and deeper, a dungeon boring through the Boundary to the lower Astral.


    ¡°It¡¯s time!¡± I cried, ignoring my temptation to leave everyone else outside and handle matters myself. Eri was right, I¡¯m not alone, and I can¡¯t do everything myself. I made the decision to bring everyone, now I have to make sure that I don¡¯t regret that decision.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± My sis cried, and soon everyone, shielded by Shaeula¡¯s winds and Chen Na¡¯s shimmering bubbles of force, crossed the volcanic rocks and rivers of lava, arriving at my side. I was using the wind to restrain the poison, leaving the entrance clear, though it was taking a toll.


    ¡°So this is why.¡± Nebisuki looked at the swirling clouds of poison that I was holding away from the entrance with wind element. ¡°Yes, even I should not wish to be corroded by such sorrow...¡± Her keen senses had picked out the nature of the poison. ¡°Grandmother, your lament is heard by me. But perhaps...¡± Her tails wagged. ¡°It is the final day of your torment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak too soon.¡± I warned. My sis had summoned another Golden Sister, this one resembling Daiyu, and she looked at it with some interest, comparing, before it vanished into the dungeon within the Sessho-seki.


    ¡°How is it?¡± I asked, and my sis frowned, before nodding.


    ¡°It should be fine. There¡¯s definitely more of this poison in there, but most of it is sent out here. If we protect ourselves it should be okay, bro. It¡¯s... a bit weird though, I think.¡± My sis scratched her cheek, not able to see what was within, but as her Golden Sister was unharmed, it must have been safe enough.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Leaving my Material body ready to intervene, I leapt into the vortex, and soon found myself within a cave lit by endless, glowing flames of foxfire, floating about like deep blue will-o¡¯-the-wisps, the walls leaking faint clouds of the poisonous gas. I conjured wind, pushing the gas away, and then noticed the cold. It was volcanic outside, but within this dungeon the floor and walls were stick with ice, blues, pinks, purples and other shades forming a cold layer over everything. The golden Daiyu stood there unmoving, holding a long spear, and moments later Shaeula was next in, wind blowing around her fiercely like a vortex, still protected by Chen Na¡¯s bubble barrier. She blinked, surprised by the chill, and I reflexively put my arm around her. Moments later, the others followed, and as Shaeula took over the duties of forming a corridor of wind to block the gases from afflicting us, my sis sniffed.


    ¡°Come on bro. No time for flirting here. We¡¯ve a job to do... uh, yeah, I did wonder why my Golden Sister felt so... cold. Just where the hell is this bro?¡±


    A good question, sis. A damn good question... As I glanced around, I could see veins running through the icy walls, similar to the surface of the Sessho-seki, but in this case they looked wrong, somehow. Ominous. Almost like... chains. Yeah, I don¡¯t like it here, not at all...

 Four Hundred And Ninety-One

    Four Hundred And Ninety-One


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it here, not at all.¡± my sis complained. We had been winding our way through the passageways made of ice, and they were a jumbled mess of branches and twisting routes that seemed to follow no discernible pattern. At least that¡¯s what it seems...


    Using Shaeula¡¯s and my keen vision, as well as some scouting from Aiko¡¯s golden statues, we had discovered that some passageways led to massive concentrations of the toxic, corrosive gas, formed up in strangely shaped caverns. Avoiding those, we spiralled deeper into the separate space that was the inside of the Sessho-seki, but now I could clearly see something was on Daiyu¡¯s mind, by the expression on her face. ¡°Nobody likes it.¡± I said to my sis, replying to her complaints. ¡°It¡¯s a place where one misstep means death. But despite that... it¡¯s not as dangerous to me as Nebisuki implied it would be. But... Daiyu, your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I am no expert. Bear in mind I am merely speculating...¡± She prefaced her words with that warning, and her earnestness made me smile. Patting her head gently, I waited for her to continue, while my sister whistled, my display of affection improving her gloomy mood. I never quite get why sis is so invested in my love life... ¡°While I am more practised in Talisman-crafting, though my skills are far inferior to the Cultivators of old, I have some passing familiarity with Formations, after all, did we not secure a Formation during the Kyoto struggle?¡±Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com


    Hearing her, I used my excellent memory to remember the paths we had taken, as well as the ones we didn¡¯t that I¡¯d seen. Looking at them, and comparing them to the runes inscribed on the Yin-Yang Karmic Measure Desolation Formation... No, it likely isn¡¯t a coincidence... ¡°So you¡¯re saying this is some sort of Cultivation Formation, using the layout of the space itself?¡± I asked her, and she nodded.


    ¡°I believe so. The unnatural order of the passageways seems to describe several parts of a runic Formation. I recognise some from the Karmic Measure Formation, as well as several I saw in the old records and legacies of our Sect. Of course, expecting me to hazard a guess at what the Formation does from that is like asking a fish to fly. I am no carp, becoming a soaring dragon.¡± She seemed apologetic that she didn¡¯t know, so I intensified my hand, stroking her long black hair soothingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. We¡¯ll all become dragons in the end, and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re a girl, not a fish. I wouldn¡¯t want to cuddle a fish.¡± At my words she flushed adorably, her mood lifting. ¡°Besides...¡± I raised the more important point. ¡°We can hazard a guess at what the Formation does, can¡¯t we? And the more important question isn¡¯t what, but...¡±


    ¡°Who.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°To arrange such a Formation... it is a great work, such as from lost Kunlun. No mere Foundation, or even Accumulation or Perfection of Self Cultivator would be capable of this. Golden Core perhaps?¡±


    ¡°I have travelled across the lands you call China.¡± Nebisuki mused. ¡°I have met Cultivators, fought them, killed them, listened to them talk, after...¡± She paused, deciding not to say more. After a long exhalation of breath she continued, ears down and tails waving. ¡°...grandmother vanished long, long ago. Cultivators live long, but even one of these Golden Cores, as you call them, would have succumbed to the withering grasp of time.¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°Indeed, Cultivation is not merely about power, but is the pursuit of true immortality. Until one reaches the legendary realm of Saint, the mortal body will eventually age and die.¡±


    ¡°So, you are-are a Saint then, Akio?¡± Shaeula giggled, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Different routes to the same result. Cultivation basically massively strengthens the spiritual body and through that the physical, right? But even an unageing Material body won¡¯t lead to true immortality. Even spiritual beings age and die.¡±


    Shaeula and Nebisuki both agreed. The stronger the spiritual being, and the firmer their will, the longer they could endure, millennia no bar to their existence, but eventually even the spirit wearies, and once the will to endure falters, existence will gradually come to an end. ¡°So that means that whoever set this up is dead, right?¡± My sis asked. ¡°But... Tamamo-no-Mae is supposed to be as strong as Nurarihyon, isn¡¯t she? Or the King and Queen of the Seelie? So... just how did the Golden Core Cultivator do this in the first place? Are they that strong?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. From the records, I would suspect they are a match for Akio, in some respects, but not in all. It does concern me...¡± Daiyu admitted. After our realisations, we had more questions than answers, but there was nothing to do but push on ahead.


    ¡°In that case we shouldn¡¯t linger. The only way we¡¯ll find out the answer is if we see it ourselves.¡± There¡¯s definitely more to this than we know...


    ***


    ¡°At last...¡± my sis breathed a sigh of relief. We had been trudging through the dark space for hours, and it was starting to affect our moods. Having to constantly be alert for the dreadful poison which could inflict pain and death with a moment of carelessness, as well as navigate through the seemingly meaningless passages, many of which curved back in on themselves, forming descriptive runes, was certainly a trial, made worse by the darkness kept at bay by Nebisuki¡¯s foxfire. It was worse for Shaeula and me, as our wind element was used to keep us safe. Chen Na, fortunately, was in a better spot, as when her barriers were cast they didn¡¯t take much maintenance. Only Nebisuki, and to a lesser extent, Daiyu, seemed fine. Nebisuki was wagging her tails eagerly, while Daiyu had been studying the passageways, trying to discern any of the functions of the grand Formation.


    ¡°This should be the nexus, the centre.¡± Daiyu agreed, having mapped out the pathways in her mind. ¡°If my speculation is correct. I think... I wish I had some writing implements to make sketches...¡±


    I felt her birthday present, the Spatial Ring, sitting in my pocket. A little regretfully, she hadn¡¯t received it yet, as her birthday wasn¡¯t until tomorrow, but if she had it, perhaps she would have filled it with useful items such as those. Fortunately I remember, and have a better image of everything through my Eye. I¡¯ll put together a three-dimensional representation on the computer for her. In fact... The supercomputer Hayato-kun and the gang was putting together would likely have applications in studying Cultivation Talismans and Formations. If we could build enough of a knowledge base to simulate outcomes, surely we could achieve tremendous results.


    ¡°Want me to send in some Sisters?¡± my own sis asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, I think scouting is a mistake.¡± My glowing Eye pierced the gloom, and I could see a figure within, immobile. There was something else, too, unseen but the distortions of space gave it away, but I let my consciousness glide over it, pretending I hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°We¡¯ll go in bravely, but... stay alert. She looks bound, but... this is Tamamo-no-Mae we are dealing with.¡±


    ¡°So it is her?¡± Nebisuki breathed, and I nodded.


    ¡°If not her, then I have no idea who it is.¡± We blew aside the rest of the poison, it hanging thick and heavy, and entered the spacious heart of the Sessho-seki. Daiyu gasped, seeing the incredibly intricate Formations laid out around the room, tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of runes carved into the floor and walls in repeating, complimentary patterns. She glanced up, seeing even the ceiling was so inscribed.


    Nebisuki, however, cared not for that, her eyes on the figure at the centre of the room. She was hanging there, green eyes open, though their lustre was dull and faded, staring at nothing. Stunning reddish-blonde hair cascaded down her back, reaching below her feet, even touching the floor, and nine magnificent, bushy tails were bound behind her. Her figure was ripe and voluptuous, with the largest breasts I had ever seen on a woman, yet they suited her frame perfectly, and the kimono she wore being little more than rags I could see everything. She appeared a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, yet somehow still looked youthful. Though that was offset by her blank, dead face, her wolfen ears flat against her skull. ¡°It is true then. You were trapped here...¡± she said sorrowfully. ¡°...many have no love for you, grandmother, but... this is cruel indeed.¡±


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    ¡°She¡¯s not dead, right?¡± my sis asked, seeing the tangled chains of red, blue and purple that held her in place like a fly in a spiderweb.


    ¡°I do not-not think so.¡± Shaeula answered for me. Her mystic eyes glowed, and she paused for a mere fraction of a second, glancing at me, but seeing my slight smile, she continued, pretending she was hesitating for thought. Good girl. You know me well. ¡°If you look closely, you can see-see the poison being created from her body, drawn out by the chains. Though the fires of her life are mere-mere embers. A breath would blow it out.¡±


    Daiyu was on her hands and knees, investigating the Formation array. ¡°I recognise this rune... it has to do with karma. This one is... I see. Fascinating. So then perhaps this is an array dealing with Yin energies? But no...¡±


    ¡°Not everyone. My Dao companion will never betray me. Our hearts became one. And he has given me much.¡± She looked at me fondly.


    ¡°Amitabha, Amitabha. If you must be nai?ve, so be it. The young never listen, and even the old can fail to be wise. I too trusted unwisely. Fortunately, I am kind. I offer you this chance. You and I, girl. We shall be master and disciple. You have talent. I wish to start a new Sect, and crush Kunlun to dust for its betrayals of us all. You must hate them too. I dare say the treachery of their retreat has never been forgotten. It was not merely I who was cheated, debts left unpaid, karma heavy and burning.¡±


    ¡°I must decline. I am Matriarch of my own Sect, though so far it numbers but two. Though tomorrow...¡± Daiyu smiled at me, showing her affection, and I patted her head again.


    ¡°Yeah, tomorrow¡¯s your day. And you wanted to finally start accepting disciples.¡± I agreed. ¡°So, how does that lead to this?¡±


    ¡°I Divined an answer.¡± The monk said proudly. ¡°And I defeated this treacherous fox, trapping her within this painstakingly crafted formation. It took nearly sixty years to perfect, though fortunately the layers of sealing were rather swift. By this point my life was ebbing, but... with the Qi drawn from her heavy karma, I was able to break through, extending my life. Though sadly, it seems she has given up the struggle, and will soon perish. She was far livelier in the early days, cursing me to many cruel fates. Then she pleaded, offering me her body, her heart, treasures and more if I would release her. Threats, pleas, silence, guilt. All meaningless. After all... my Formation is a work of genius. Those greedy dogs in Kunlun, fighting over scraps while stealing from the rest of us... they do not know what they have done.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Nebisuki snarled, angered at his casual disregard for Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°Have you no compassion, so-called monk?¡±


    As I exerted my will, forcing Nebisuki to heel, she shot me a reproachful look. Meanwhile, the monk shook his head.


    ¡°Compassion? The Buddha will forgive her sins, and may she enter the wheel of reincarnation cleaned of the wicked karma she has accumulated. I have done her a great favour, and in turn have been justly rewarded. And in doing so, I discovered a true new method of Cultivation.¡± He looked at Daiyu again. ¡°It would not take you long to break through the Realms. Accumulation, Perfection, Golden Core... the formation remains, even if the fuel burns low. And...¡± he glanced at Nebisuki and Shaeula meaningfully. ¡°...the poor company you keep would sustain you.¡±


    Daiyu bowed, but shook her head. ¡°I have chosen my path. And even before that, I wish to believe I was not so cruel as to burn the lives of others for my own gain.¡±


    ¡°Every action takes from others. Food you eat others cannot, to find a Dao Companion, you deny others the same chance, to Cultivate, resources must be gathered, be it by guile or might. But I digress. Amitabha, it seems your journeys end here. But I shall give you one last chance. I have little interest in the little girl there...¡± He nodded at my sis. ¡°Or the woman.¡± And then at Chen Na, who was listening silently, face pale. ¡°...but you I find interesting...¡± he said to me, eyes gleaming. ¡°Your vision is sharp. I must know how it works, make it my own. And those two... well, Tamamo-no-Mae is providing little reward, it is time for fresh karma to be injected.¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s hand tightened in mine, and the monk addressed Daiyu again. ¡°Think carefully. It is a lonely road, Cultivating, and I would appreciate some company along it. You are not from Kunlun, so we have common ground. If the name of your Sect is so meaningful to you, I can adopt it. Think carefully before you turn me down...¡± he repeated, but Daiyu once more denied him.


    ¡°I do not care whether you are a master of the Six Noble Pursuits, and could teach me much. Or whether you have reached the heights of Nascent Spirit, such that any modern Cultivator could only imagine. I walk my own Dao, and my Dao Heart will not countenance such. Better a dog with my own conscience, than a tiger with no self-respect.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what she said, but judging by the look on his face, that was one hell of a sick burn...¡± My sis observed the change of expression, the monk indeed glaring, his jovial mask slipping.


    ¡°I see. The young, they seldom understand. Amitabha. Karma is indeed heavy in this place. Once picked up, it cannot simply be put down. Foolish. But this wise old man understands. So be it. Regrets are too late now. I am not merely who you believe me to be. Let me introduce myself. I am in fact the Saint of Swallowed Sorrows. Nascent Spirit? Foolish. Were that my only breakthrough, I would have withered away long since. No, I passed the Tribulation, and shed my mortal body, becoming a true Saint! How else can I live to face Kunlun and extract repayment on my betrayers and their descendants?¡±


    We all exchanged glances. A Saint? That¡¯s bad, right? Daiyu certainly seemed to think so, sweating profusely. Even so, she showed no signs of backing down or grovelling, which angered the Saint. ¡°I commend your bravery, at least, young one. Now... you will all never leave this place!¡± Suddenly his Qi and League surged, and we felt a great oppression blanketing us. My sis staggered, face pale, and Shaeula frowned, her eyes blazing amber as she fought back.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Nebisuki hissed. ¡°If he can defeat grandmother, and is stronger now, we are not his match...¡±


    ¡°You say that, but there¡¯s hope...¡± I didn¡¯t have time to elaborate, but while near-certain death seemingly awaited me if I came here now, Uranai prophesised that should I wait until just after the Quest in the Fae lands, the danger would have dropped. Just how much stronger would I be then? Which means that we must be on some sort of border in terms of the difference in our strengths. And... there¡¯s one more thing... ¡°Old monk, just how did you defeat Tamamo-no-Mae? Her power should have been well above yours.¡±


    The monk grinned, raising one hand high, ready to attack. As if proud, he confessed. ¡°Indeed, the sinful wretch was doubtless powerful, the greatest Kitsune that has ever lived. But she was too careless. And had accumulated too much karma. Many hated her, so...¡± His hand pulled one Talisman from his robes. I immediately cast water bullets, and the Talisman was torn to shreds before he could act. That provoked him, and his anger intensified, the thick aura of Qi around him palpable. Narrowing his eyes, he cursed me.


    ¡°You have no manners. If you wish enlightenment, let this wise old monk speak!¡±


    ¡°I would, if you were just speaking.¡± I countered, bringing snorted laughter from Shaeula and a smile from Daiyu.


    ¡°Amitabha. Let this monk enlighten you then...¡± He frowned, and this time he rapidly unleashed a Talisman, before I could stop him. Qi shone through the Formation, and the still, staring Tamamo-no-Mae shuddered imperceptibly. The chains started drawing the venom from her, and it was transmitted into a number of the corpses. ¡°...those who wished to seek vengeance, I led them here, and let them battle. The site I chose was well prepared... and with their own hatred, they fuelled this prison. So pitiful.¡±


    ¡°Says the man who wants revenge on Kunlun...¡± I scoffed. The dead rose, flames formed from the deadly mist that the Sessho-seki exuded, revealing a pair of skeletal samurai, clutching blades that shone with the venom, as well as a number of Yo?kai, an Oni, a Tengu, and three haggard women wearing frayed rags of cloth, with sharp fangs, pale skin and long talons like knives, all animated by the karmic poison. Six corpses remained still, however, and the monk spoke, his tone wry.


    ¡°The Six Paths Six Revivals Talisman, you destroyed the other. How vexing. But...¡± The monk clasped his hands in prayer. ¡°...the prideful fox fell before us, and I am far greater than ever I was. Your karma is to end your days beside her. Perhaps she will once more smile, seeing one of her kinsfolk strung up by her side...¡±


    As he gloated, my sis summoned her full array of Golden Sisters and five of them sprang into existence, and were immediately protected by Chen Na¡¯s bubbles. Daiyu leapt backwards, ready for combat, and Shaeula too prepared her best moves. Nebisuki looked lost for a second, before she yelped, my hold on her tail tightening.


    ¡°Pull it together!¡± I warned. ¡°You wanted this, so... time to fight for it!¡±


    At my words, she shook herself, coming out of her confusion. ¡°You are quite correct. This was what I chose. So...¡± she glowered at the monk. ¡°The Saint of Swallowed Sorrows, you say? How fortunate.¡± Her tails lashed, and her power surged, revealing the true majesty of one of the powerhouses of the Hyakki Yagyo?, foxfire dancing around us in tens and hundreds. ¡°Because I came well prepared, with those who can fill you with sorrow until you can swallow no more and burst from it!¡±


    At her words I nodded, drawing Storming Moonlight. There¡¯s more to this story, I can tell. But... the only way to get the answers is to fight, and the only way to get out of this alive... is to win!

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Two

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Two


    ¡°Little Kitsune, you should not be so proud.¡± the monk declared, tone imperious. Immediately, his Qi surged, becoming almost tangible, forming a pair of giant hands several metres across. Daiyu narrowed her eyes, shocked at the display but drinking in the details, yet she didn¡¯t halt her movement. ¡°Amitabha, teaching the sinful the meaning of their karma weighs heavy on me.¡± The hands of Qi slammed together, but at the last moment I jerked Nebisuki away by her tails. She squawked indignantly, but quickly realised I had saved her as the impact rang out, striking etheric sparks that brightened the gloom momentarily.


    Daiyu used that moment to launch her attack, Spirit Water bullets leaving her fingers, but the Oni, now a half-decaying corpse animated by fiery flames of toxic resentment, gave a mindless roar and swung its fists. The water bullets were blocked, but the Oni howled in pain, flames sizzling, and for a moment it faltered. My sis didn¡¯t miss the opportunity, and her Golden Sisters charged forwards. The hands of Qi swept out, slamming down, but the hands were repelled by Chen Na¡¯s barriers, even as they wavered from the force of impact, shards of ice and clouds of poisonous mist scattered as the statues were thrown backwards.


    Shaeula too reacted, though the Tengu headed for her, supported by the three wraith-like female Yo?kai. Seeing that, Shaeula laughed heartily, unintimidated. ¡°This-this again? The dead do not-not make good warriors. They have naught to fight for. Besides...¡± Water element surged, the orange gleam of spirit water riven by shining indigo surrounding her. ¡°Daiyu has-has uncovered their weaknesses.¡± Water surged into whips and bullets, and the Tengu staggered, flames dimming. One of the female Yo?kai perished too, shrivelling up and turning to ash, but moments later it reappeared, making Shaeula frown. Her eyes gleamed, and she let out a troubled sigh.


    Meanwhile, the monk was shocked, yet not afraid, merely curious. ¡°Amitabha, how fascinating. Such Spirit Water... a treasure indeed. I fear I must squeeze every last drop from you, it is too precious allowing a mere Kamaitachi to carry such. As for you...¡± He looked out over the golden statues that were suddenly engaged by the two undead swordsmen, the pair of them managing to face all of the golems at once, blades meeting in a series of vicious clangs. ¡°This wise and powerful Saint knows external power when he sees it.¡± He made a noise of disappointment. ¡°Taking advantage of external power is the way of Cultivation and praiseworthy, but such power must be made your own, not merely used. Power you do not control will surely control you.¡±


    My sis didn¡¯t understand him, cocking her head, only to suddenly be beleaguered, as the monk gestured, Qi that he had stored within the ice-covered walls of blue stone bursting to life. ¡°Arbuda Naraka. May your suffering cleanse your heavy karma!¡± Ice started shaping into grasping, searching hands, reaching out for my sis. Daiyu, seeing this, reacted, and she leapt to confront the hands.


    ¡°As for you...¡± the monk declared solemnly. ¡°You are the same. Nirabuda Naraka!¡± A dozen blades of glittering ice formed and slashed at my sis and Daiyu. I reacted, Foehn flaming to life, shattering the blades, but despite that, one managed to pierce through, invisible hands guiding it, more holding back the Foehn. Daiyu shoved Aiko out of the way, and blood bloomed, one arm severed clean off at the elbow. With a groan, Daiyu bit her lips, the stump showering blood for a moment, before it froze, her skin blistering and turning blue.Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com


    ¡°Daiyu! No!¡± My sis cried out with a pained roar, but Daiyu merely shook her head.


    ¡°Borrowed power. I too thought the same.¡± Daiyu calmly told the monk. While she distracted him, Nebisuki rushed towards Tamamo-no-Mae, only to be blocked by the three Yo?kai. They dashed in, spewing poisonous smog, talons gleaming with ice and fire, but Nebisuki¡¯s foxfire obliterated them. Moments later she was through, only to cry out in pain as the three Yo?kai were back, claws cutting her flesh and fur, swarming around her, spitting venom.


    ¡°They-they are not three beings, but two-two!¡± Shaeula called out. ¡°I do not-not understand how it works, but they return when slain.¡± The Tengu wasn¡¯t so lucky, and now Shaeula was dealing with the Oni, wind laden with Spirit Water disintegrating it cruelly.


    ¡°More barriers...¡± I ordered Chen Na, who started calling them up on everyone, even as Daiyu calmly bent down and picked up her severed arm, it also turning blue and freezing over. I just need an opening. But can it be that simple? My death is supposed to be almost certain here... what can I do to change that?


    ¡°But now I realise, borrowing power is not so bad, as long as the one lending is someone you trust or love. And even if not...¡± She pushed the stump of her arm against the severed limb. She gritted her teeth, and Spirit Water surged, scattering her blood, before the ice melted and her Divine Favour acted, the flesh knitting together. She groaned, wiggling her fingers weakly. Even with Chang¡¯e¡¯s rapid healing that has only grown stronger as Daiyu has, that arm won¡¯t be useable any time soon... I focussed my spatial energy as subtly as I could, ready to use Void Motion and behead the so-called Saint of Swallowed Sorrows and finish this.


    ¡°...power I need now is better than power I do not have. A starving man does not turn down a bowl of rice, even if it comes with bad intentions!¡± She gestured insultingly, and the face of the monk twitched, his calm fac?ade cracking. Now!


    Space shivered, and I moved. I felt a sudden searing pain, cold blistering my body, and as I reappeared, I swung Storming Moonlight, lightning wreathing the blade, aiming at the monk¡¯s neck. His head had turned, meeting my gaze, a slight smile on his face, as he caught the tip of my sword. Lightning flashed, but he didn¡¯t seem to feel it, instead, looking at me as if I was something pitiful. ¡°Such bad manners. This wise old senior was lecturing a junior in the proper path, and you interrupted. Futile. And now you shall die.¡± He waved his free hand in a gesture of prayer. ¡°Amitabha, my perception covers all this sealed space, and the space itself is a place of suffering, ice to cleanse the suffering and balance the fire outside, and the karma that cannot be expelled lingers. You will now suffer all the torments a sinner such as Tamamo-no-Mae bears.¡±


    Indeed, I was covered in a layer of frost, despite my strength my skin was blue and full of chilled blisters. The venomous, burning poison was also tormenting me, but I merely ground my teeth together and forced a smile. ¡°You say that...¡± I gasped, as blisters burst painfully, spewing silver and red blood. ¡°But you aren¡¯t that quick.¡± The Monk looked down in realisation at the blood running down his neck, staining his pristine robes of rainbow silk. The cut wasn¡¯t deep, but it proved one thing. I have the edge in speed, perhaps...


    ¡°It proves you are insolent.¡± The monk declared, surprised. ¡°But your best chance is gone, and I still have my head.¡± Giant hands of Qi tried to slam me, but I leapt backwards, wrenching my sword free from his grip. Moving was hard, my flesh painfully frozen, but Ether Healing was fighting back. It couldn¡¯t erase the chill yet, but it prevented it penetrating much more than skin deep. As for the venom, it still burned, but Ether Healing has acclimatised to it, rendering it largely harmless. That confused me, though. He¡¯s strong, sure, but... I don¡¯t think he¡¯s unbeatable? So where¡¯s the catch?


    The Golden Sisters were overpowering the two swordsmen. They were far less skilled, but the blades of the undead couldn¡¯t penetrate the barriers around them, so using their bodies to block strikes, they flailed and struck, bones shattering. My sis, tears in her eyes, was now fending off the arms of ice rippling from the walls and ceiling with her bow, blazing arrows shattering them, while Daiyu, continuing to distract the monk, bought time for her arm to recover fully. ¡°This... this is not your power. You lecture me, when you are a parasite, leeching strength off others? If you wish to gain strength from others, there are ways that respect the heart.¡± Daiyu¡¯s tone was scornful, and that seemed to provoke the monk.


    ¡°Junior student, do not mistake this proud monk¡¯s kindness for weakness. I am no soft persimmon, to be ridiculed so by a mere stripling who has not even started her Accumulation.¡± He rubbed at his neck, the wound my blade having caused already closed up. ¡°You speak of Dual Cultivation? A crutch for the weak who cannot face their Dao alone. This wise monk has no use for the pleasures of the flesh!¡±


    ¡°Alone we are weak. Together, strong.¡± Daiyu insisted, shrugging. ¡°I too thought as you did, and disdained the thought of opening my heart to another. But I was wrong.¡± As Daiyu spoke, Shaeula was supporting Nebisuki in trying to defeat the last of the reanimated dead, the trio. They were constantly killed, yet immediately reappeared, until Shaeula had had enough, pouting in frustration. Raising her hands, she let out a brilliant surge of lightning, and all three were struck. This time only one sprang back into existence once the brilliant afterimages died down, and Nebisuki threw herself at it, foxfire flashing, tearing it apart.


    ¡°So long-long as the strike was not-not at the exact same time to kill, the third, false-false one perished and returned.¡± Shaeula pointed out. ¡°But lightning moves fast-fast indeed.¡±


    ¡°I share my heart and my Cultivation, and grow stronger together. You... you steal and pervert. This... whatever this is, is not the work of a Cultivator, but of a demon!¡± Daiyu finished, and the monk¡¯s expression was no longer calm, but had twisted into one of hatred. I was preparing, readying Prominence Dusk, as I felt his Qi surge, as well as his League, the space itself shaking, violet sparks flickering to life around us.


    ¡°A demon? This monk, a demon? You go too far, junior student. This kind monk has been generous, sharing wisdom, even offering his tutelage, but you throw back it in his face.¡± He growled, before addressing Shaeula. ¡°You are right, these dead things fuelled only by residue of karma cannot compare to them when they were alive. Those who sought vengeance, those who bore hatred, those who wanted to fight... many had reason to hunt Tamamo-no-Mae. I gave them purpose, led them... and fed them to her. She was strong, magnificent.¡± He paused then, glaring at me. ¡°Another surprise attack? How ... insolent. Amitabha!¡± His Qi hands turned into a formless mass, spreading out over the frozen inner space, vanishing in a spray of purple. Tamamo-no-Mae shuddered slightly, though made no sound, and suddenly the Prominence Dusk I was building collapsed, the elements rebelling against my grasp, my aether scattering. ¡°Much better.¡± It wasn¡¯t just me, the Golden Sisters failed, as did Chen Na¡¯s barriers. I wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, but the monk seemed unperturbed, calm again, his slight smile gloating.


    My sis convulsed, puking out a mixture of blood, vomit and silvery mist over Nebisuki. Daiyu, eyes wide, nodded with deepest respect to me, suddenly able to move again, though she was in terrible condition.


    It is a Formation. It must be. Spatial-based, to seal of the inside of the Sessho-seki. It does make me wonder... for a Saint, this monk is rather... weak. Even for a practitioner of the Noble Pursuits, he should be able to crush us in a heartbeat. Yet here we stand... If it is a Formation, then... from inside and without...


    Daiyu hopped down, unsteady on her feet. My sis was next to open her eyes, and her thoughts were wry. Wow bro, I... can feel you? Everything about you? And... you can feel me, right? I... I can¡¯t get married anymore. You¡¯ve stripped me bare to the very soul, right? Penetrated every part of me...


    I knuckled her head gently, despite the rampaging pain in my mind. Split Thoughts fortunately Ranked up, alleviating a lot of the agony, as further instances were suddenly available to me. Don¡¯t be stupid. Even if it was as perverted as you made it sound, which it most certainly isn¡¯t, what does that have to do with getting married? This isn¡¯t the past, you know. It¡¯s not like... I tried to stop my thoughts, but it was too late. This wasn¡¯t Telepathy, this was me functioning as a transmitter for their Silver Cords, merging them along my Silver Connection and connecting to the Material through my other body, but the side-effect was that the Silver Cord transmitted so much of the spiritual of a person, thoughts, feelings, emotions, senses... it was all a bit bewildering, but it worked.


    So you admit it then! You¡¯ve finally gone and done... ouch! I rapped her head gently, before taking her from Nebisuki and setting her down. ¡°Enough. Help Shaeula. Buy me some time...¡±


    ¡°You got it, bro.¡± My sis said, suddenly all serious, seeing Shaeula having been beaten brutally by the chains, one arm snared, the chains trying to haul her up into the air. She unslung her bow, pulled an arrow free, and it flamed into life, confirming my earlier speculation. The burning arrow severed the chain, and Shaeula rolled to her feet, my sis, despite her own poor condition, injured by the period when her Silver Cord was constricted, holding her body up with sheer determination, reaching for another arrow.


    ¡°Now I am curious.¡± The monk proclaimed, for a moment his icy attacks flowing to a halt. ¡°You Yo?kai, I understand. But humans should be cut off from the mortal realm, and death should quickly follow. Yet somehow you can resist. Do enlighten this seeker of truth.¡±


    A chance. His loneliness and curiosity gives us a respite... ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯m not merely a mortal or a Fae, but both at once. In both realms at once.¡±


    The monk nodded. ¡°I see. Cloning Arts... no, if it was a clone, they would be separated. Split Body Arts. A wonderful diversion. Annoying, but wonderful. Though that does mean... you have to perish here! The Kitsune and the Kamaitachi will be Cultivation enough. Best to remove unexpected obstacles...¡±


    His Qi hands withdrew, suddenly forming dozens of small, round orbs of Qi. Utpala Naraka! Bloom!¡±


    Back on the Material, I realised it was strange. Why have a Sessho-seki here too? Fortunately, I could still manipulate my elements without troubles here, so I called on earth element, quickly twisting and breaking into the stone, the blue cracking. It took an immense amount of strength, but fortunately the Bezoar was supplying me. Poisonous fog surged out, and the ground around me trembled, unleashing more plumes of sulphur, but wind swirled around me, keeping it at bay, except for what I needed to fuel the Bezoar. Within, I found the answer, a series of what would look like inclusions of ore to the untrained eye, but they were clearly inscribed with intricate, tiny runes. Daiyu, sharing my senses intimately, able to see and feel what I did, recognised a handful of the runes. That one... it seems to be spatial in nature. I cannot comprehend it, I am too unlearned, but... destroy it! Earth element in brilliant crimson surged from me, and the plate resisted, but then I unleashed Foehn, and the plate quivered. No, that¡¯s not enough. The Formation Plates protect themselves. It was ingenious, the Saint could truly be called a genius. If Kunlun had many more like him, then if they returned we would definitely struggle. My Eye shone, and back in the Boundary, my sis threw up again, overwhelmed by the shared information, clutching her head. Daiyu held on, though her nose bled copiously.


    ¡°Spatial element to protect itself from all attacks, huh? Shifting them into the Dungeon? But... I can do that too. Void Motion!¡± Foehn flickered into existence, before vanishing, and suddenly the plate cracked, flames streaming from the gap. It wasn¡¯t enough, but in moments I had found another couple of plates with matching runes, and with a cracking noise, violent purple energies threw me back as the plates melted.


    Frozen lotus flowers burst into life within the Sessho-seki, and for a second the monk thought he had won, only for him to look up in surprise, as the ceiling cracked, jagged fragments falling, ruby energies surging, twisting the surrounding space. Shaeula suddenly crashed through, lightning flashing, her pinwheels surging for the monk¡¯s neck, and he jumped back, though not before taking a second wound there, blood scattering. Daiyu then unleashed her Spirit Water, bullets streaking towards him, while my sis shot arrow after arrow, as well as bolts of light.


    I still can¡¯t call on my Golden Sisters, bro. Do something about it! Daiyu doesn¡¯t look so good...


    ¡°Working on it.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Prominence Dusk!¡± At the second time of asking, I was able to call upon the umbral ring of darkness, fringed in radiant light. The nearby lotus flowers were drawn in, shielding Nebisuki and Chen Na, and not just that too, the nearby karmic poison was absorbed. Darkness permeated them, and the combination within was... interesting. The effect compounded, forming a crystal of darkly shimmering concentrated venom, corroding the space around it.


    ¡°Here, you wanted the karma... take it.¡± I waved a hand, and the chunk of ice flew out. The monk drew in his Qi hands, but with another flash of spatial element, I had it bypass his defences. He pulled a Talisman from his robes, and called out ¡°Mirror Refle....¡± But the crystal of ice, venom and darkness burst apart, and the monk screamed.


    There has to be more to it than this... My thoughts raced. I now understood why one would need earth and wind, and to be in both realms at once. Interfering with the rock took a great deal of earth element, and breaking the Formations from within seemed unlikely. The weak points were the Plates buried in the Sessho-seki in the Material. The monk was strong, but even as I dug deeper into the rocks, cracking more plates, feeling relief as Daiyu suddenly accelerated, her connection to her Divine Favour restored, her ravaged body healing again, I thought the danger too... manageable... to be in line with Uranai¡¯s prophecy.


    There was a shattering sound, and several of the chains holding Tamamo-no-Mae disintegrated, sending her crashing to the ground. As she hit it, Nebisuki rushed over, freed from defending the others. ¡°Grandmother!¡± she called out, eyes wide, only for the monk¡¯s cold voice to curse and spit out some harsh words, and the space around us quaked. ¡°Padma Naraka!¡± Blood scattered, and Nebisuki tumbled backwards, one more tail and her left leg severed, ice and poison rapidly corroding her.


    ¡°Now this monk is truly at the limits of his patience.¡± His robe was mostly gone, his flesh melting away, yet Qi was radiating from him, keeping the deadly exhalation of Prominence Dusk from inflicting fatal damage. ¡°If you do not cease damaging my Formation, it is not simply this monk who will regret it. The karma will be heavier than you can bear. Your death will be certain and final!¡±


    At his words, I frowned. Certain, final death? A coincidence, or a desperate attempt to regain the advantage? There was no way I could stop the assault now, or the murderous monk would finish us off, and Nebisuki needed urgent aid, or she would die in mere seconds. Daiyu, thinking hard, suddenly sent me a thought. I had believed I relinquished her Silver Cord, now that the spatial blockage preventing the connection from transmitting was destroyed, but our connection still lingered. Akio, I think I understand. Such cleverness, such recklessness. It did not make sense, how one could go to Sainthood from Golden Core, even plundering from such a power as Tamamo-no-Mae. And he seems too weak. Yes, he is a Saint, but...


    But?


    Obviously none since the days of Kunlun have ever seen one, our Realms can never reach so high, but... the Tribulation! The space is built to hide him, and why he will not leave, despite Tamamo-no-Mae likely being useless to him. He fears the Tribulation he has unjustly avoided!

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Three

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Three


    Tribulation? I¡¯d read about them of course. When breaking through to certain higher Cultivation Realms, the Heavens would challenge them, angry at their actions towards immortality. There were many types, but most involved lightning, while some also involved creatures from other realms appearing to try and kill the Cultivator, or at least test their will. Are you sure?


    Daiyu shook her head, even as her damaged and frozen body was healing she was using her Spirit Water to attack, as well as countering the poison gas. Chen Na¡¯s shield bubbles were repelling it, but how long that would last was uncertain. It is merely a guess, but... the way this space is created and sealed... things can come in, but not get out... Her mental voice was filled with static, fading, but I concentrated on the fading overlap of her Silver Cord and my Connection, pouring in aether, trying to feel it with Chirurgery, and suddenly her voice snapped back into focus, even as amber letters blazed in my vision.


    Your Skill, Silver Connection has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, breaking through the first bottleneck. Connection between your Material and Astral forms is strengthened, and the damage taken from having either destroyed is less reflected on the other. All abilities involving connections and bonds you possess are further strengthened. You are better able to overlap the Silver Cords of others who consent with your Connection, allowing you to function as a beacon, allowing spiritual data to flow between the Material and the Astral. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Artifice]


    In addition, as I broke another bottleneck, I gained yet another Level in Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds, which made me smile wryly. I wonder if there¡¯s an upgrade for mastering the Class at such a rapid pace? Maybe I¡¯ll find out in a few Levels. The more important thing though was the surge of strength I felt as Silver Connection upgraded. It seemed the two biggest factors in one¡¯s Statistics were firstly and most importantly the Chakra network, but after that, the Silver Cord or equivalent played a big role, and my power bloomed.


    I am willing to gamble he will not wish the space destroyed. Daiyu¡¯s thoughts were clear to me now. Looking at her with my Eye, I could see her Rank of Lovers¡¯ Link had risen, and rose again even as I watched. I could feel all of her, more clearly than ever, all her hopes, dreams, emotions...


    Don¡¯t forget about me, bro! Aiko¡¯s connection also sprang back into focus. If you¡¯ve already ruined me, what¡¯s it matter if it happens again? I mean, a girl only has one first...


    Aiko! I thought her name back at her loudly, showing my displeasure at her joke, but she merely replied to me with her mind, her spirit, not hesitating to fire arrows at the monk, her Golden Sisters back and attacking him, though the monk called out the name of another Frozen Naraka, and a great fan made of translucent ice formed, the gradients going from red to purple with each section. Feeling danger from that, I let out a warning shout. Mere moments had passed, thought communication nigh instantaneous, but the monk was also swift, and it took him little time to prepare his next move.


    Just help those pair of foolish foxes, bro! My sis stopped her jokes, but her face was flushed, and a glance at her status surprised me. Daiyu and I came for a reason!


    ¡°Insolence! Destroying the craft of a master of the Formation Arts is a sin, the karma heavy!¡± The monk swung his fan, and the nearest two golden statues were sliced in two, the shields of Chen Na penetrated, spatial element surging purple, showing how it was done. ¡°This transcendent monk is furious! Break!¡± Space fluctuated, and the remaining golden warriors lost their defensive shields, the barriers popping like soap bubbles. The ripples spread out, and my sis darted backwards, knowing without the protection the poisonous fog would quickly kill her painfully.


    Indeed. The monk surpasses me in every way, I am dust in front of him... but he is mistaken if he believes that the power he has stolen is his own. The Heavens have not yet judged him worthy, I am certain. Besides... Chang¡¯e has granted me this Favour, and I shall use it, and one day it shall be mine, not hers. You will see it so, correct? Daiyu turned her head, giving me a brilliant smile, her dark eyes seeming deeper than ever, before she rushed to my sis, throwing out a volley of water bullets, which the fan deflected, fragments of ice chipping off.


    ¡°Forgetting me-me are you?¡± Shaeula unleashed light and wind together, creating a vivid flashbang effect. The monk, surprised by such a blow, was dazed for a merest fraction of a second, but Shaeula¡¯s pinwheels sought his neck once more, and blood bloomed. ¡°That-that is three...¡± she crowed, as the monk swept his fan. One Pinwheel was severed, the spinning head careening forwards, but Shaeula was waiting for such. Wind surged, and the pinwheel spun backwards. The monk sensed it with his Qi, but thought it no danger, and was surprised as it slammed into his arm, hidden sharp wires within spinning free, slicing into his skin.


    ¡°You dare?¡± the monk roared, and I moved, darting to Nebisuki, who was crawling towards Tamamo-no-Mae, who was dangling on the ground, half held up by the remaining chains. Nebisuki¡¯s flesh was corroding, and blood was fountaining from her severed stumps. I quickly pulled her up, and she looked at me, the light fading from her eyes.


    ¡°It seems that Uranai was mistaken...¡± She coughed, venomous essence spilling from her onto my armour. ¡°...Unless I needed my fifth tail long... before this...¡± She glanced at Tamamo-no-Mae, an inscrutable expression on her face. ¡°Grandmother... greatest of us all. To meet such a fate... I feel sorry for you, despite everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I pressed the Bezoar back into her trembling hand, and poured out my Spirit Water and Ether Healing into the surprised Yo?kai. ¡°You won¡¯t die yet. Nor will she.¡± I nodded at Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°As for your missing tails...¡± My Eye flared, and I could see it had done tremendous damage to her spiritual body, the essence of a Kitsune¡¯s power being in her tails, and the backlash was terrible. ¡°...it so happens Shaeula and I are quite the Chirurgeons. Hold out a little longer, and watch me fulfil my promise, okay? After all... you contributed to our coffers in exchange for shares in our business, right? If you die, then that Fae Princess Ffionnan will just get everything. You don¡¯t want that, do you?¡±


    As Nebisuki laughed disbelievingly, Shaeula, Daiyu and my sis were all distracting the monk, though they were on the defensive, and the whole space quaked, sparks scattering. Cracks spread across the ceiling, and the floor distorted. Runes winked out of existence, and the monk roared in rage. Back in the Material, I was pouring out all my earth element, tearing the Sessho-seki apart, and using Daiyu¡¯s birthday present as a place to store chunks of the rock, as well as the destroyed and also intact Formation Plates I found within. Not sure it counts as a birthday present, second-hand jewellery, but having a few treasures within might be nice.


    My Eye was instrumental in figuring out what each Plate did, and while I wasn¡¯t able to understand everything, or even the majority of the complicated artistry that went into the Plates, I was able to work out which ones to break, and which ones to steal.


    My Eye was working overtime, seeing into the Sessho-seki, searching for a Formation. Back in the dungeon in the Boundary, the Saint finished his speech triumphantly. ¡°...you all shall take the trial, the approbation of the Heavens in my stead. Karmic Infusion Formation, Stage One. Blank Slate.¡±


    The monk was lit up with light, his Qi sucked out of him, leaving him empty.


    Daiyu launched an attack, and Shaeula, her hidden cards prepared, tried to interrupt the workings, but hands of Qi that had already been set up blocked the torrent of attacks effortlessly. My sis had no more luck, her arrows scattering off his defences, and Chen Na was cowering, unable to mount an attack, while Nebisuki was unconscious.


    I¡¯m the one who can do it... Prominence Dawn had been prepared, and I had used light element to try and mask the brilliant glow, though I suspected that the monk could see through that easily enough with his Qi Perception, but he didn¡¯t take it seriously. Which might be a mistake...


    ¡°This would never have worked in the era of Kunlun, but... Karmic Infusion Formation, Stage Two. Second Self!¡± The Formations blazed with violet light, and stored, different Qi poured into the monk, increasing his power, while his drained Qi was drawn into the Formation. ¡°Those that cheat the Heavens never come to good ends, and my strength will never match a true Saint, but... so long as I have the will and the patience, I will have my revenge! Karmic Infusion Formation, Stage Three, Destiny Adjudication!¡±


    A brilliant light surged, his stored Qi radiating out, along with a significant amount of spatial element. At that moment, Shaeula, Daiyu and my sis retreated behind me, and I unleashed Prominence Dawn, fuelled by my remaining Foehn. The monk smiled slightly, as if my efforts were useless, but at that moment my Material form finally retrieved what I was looking for.


    Spatial Expansion And Control Formation Plate [Item Class: Imperious] [Item Type: Artifice]


    A Formation plate, one of many combined to create a Legendary Formation that spins together a number of different, complimentary runic Formations, a labour of many long years and immense dedication and Qi, that touches the Laws of Space, Ice and the Dao of Karmic Retribution. Each component works as part of a greater whole, and this plate draws on the insufficient aether of the fragile Boundary, converting it to usable Qi and expanding the space within the Sessho-seki to accommodate the other Formations.


    Got you. Even as this was happening, the volcanos erupted fiercely, blowing ash high into the atmosphere, the ground trembling. Lightning began to flicker in the clouds, but not the usual static discharges caused by ash particles rubbing together. No, this was different, and very ominous. The ether density was rapidly scaling up, and the sky itself seemed riven with cracks into deep violet darkness...


    Within the Sessho-seki, the monk laughed. ¡°It begins... the Sessho-seki, this prison and sanctuary, will momentarily collapse. I intended to pass on the karmic fate to the drained Tamamo-no-Mae, a fitting punishment for her many crimes, or if that failed, wait for a foolish visitor to this rock who is suitable. I have great patience, but now...¡± he smiled at us. Here it comes. If my death is almost certain, it can¡¯t be anything but this. What would be different after the Quest, other than me being stronger? That¡¯s the clue to surviving this...


    ¡°Karmic Infusion Final Stage, Destiny Transference!¡± he roared, and the space shook, the Formation arrays shuddering. The rock began to crack, fissuring irregularly, and a faint, almost beautiful series of singing voices could be heard. The monk laughed. ¡°I see, I see. The Earthly world I have not seen in so long must be drifting closer to the Heavens once more. I guessed as much when I saw you with power not your own...¡± He nodded at my wary sis and Daiyu. ¡°...but to think the Heavenly Tribulation of Purifying Lightning has drawn some of them...¡±


    ¡°Prepare to get out. Shaeula, carry Nebisuki...¡± I shouted, simultaneously pulling the Formation Plate into Daiyu¡¯s ring, while unleashing the fires of Prominence Dawn. The monk snorted, space twisting around him, protecting him, although Foehn quickly ate away at his defences, just as it had against the golden-eyed devourer. But I wasn¡¯t aiming at him, but all in my sight.


    Akio, do you need help? Daiyu¡¯s thoughts rang out but I bade her ready herself to return to the Material. The Destiny Transference was surging, the Qi and the imprint it carried surging, but the monk suddenly frowned, his expression grave.


    ¡°How... at the very last...¡± His Formations shattered, the Sessho-Seki, without the push of the Spatial Expansion Formation, breaking down, the space itself collapsing prematurely. ¡°But I still control the Karmic Infusion Formation. What I make is not so easily broken!¡± He roared, all of his Qi and hoarded strength boiling out. It left him vulnerable, and the Prominence Dawn of Radiance, containing my Foehn, seared his flesh down to the bone, burning his insides. Above, in the Material, the lightning flared down, and I knew this was the moment.


    ¡°Prominence... Dusk!¡± I cried out, and the ring of brilliant light fringed with darkness inverted, dark to light, Yin to Yang, as it were. The greedy halo of darkness pulled in the Qi, the karma the old monk was trying to infuse into us all. Then space shattered, and the brilliant, incandescent golden lightning surged through the shattered Boundary, space crumbling away, and the monk roared in panic, but mocking laughter and beautiful singing could be heard over the sudden blinding flash as my Prominence Dusk drew the lightning my way.


    ¡°No, no, at the last hurdle... it is Kunlun all over again...¡± The wounded monk was unable to shed his burden in time, the collapsing space revealing his location to the distant, unreachable Heavens, and he was struck by the first bolt. Unfortunately, several bolts forked my way, striking me and the nine-tailed fox in my arms, and the agonising surge of energy blasted out, blinding me, robbing me of my senses. I guess this is it. The moment... is it death, and failure and the loss of everything, or victory snatched from the jaws of defeat?

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Four

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Four


    As the brilliant golden lightning, blazing so brightly it should have been impossible to look at, like staring at the sun, struck me, I tensed. Despite the radiance, I could see it in perfect clarity, and another bolt careened into Tamamo-no-Mae in my arms, despite my best efforts to shield her, and the same golden aura surrounded her. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and then the pain began.


    Calling it pain is an understatement... My whole body was immersed in simultaneous burning and freezing, like electric currents of incredible amperage flashing through every cell, every nerve, vein and artery. I was rightly proud of the durability of my body, and even damaged as it was from the frozen space the monk commanded, my flesh sloughed off in places, my body blue and cold, I believed I could handle the strike. However, the agony was beyond anything I had ever experienced. And these last few months I¡¯ve become an expert in pain. I guess there¡¯s always a new experience to be had...


    I quickly lost vision, my eyes starting to fizz and steam, and the remaining icy energy and poison afflicting me was expelled, golden lightning burning it to ashes. Several drops of black ooze, the impurities my body had largely rejected due to my Spirit Water, also oozed out, though that merely flared higher the torment I was feeling, now my very bones feeling as if they were cooking from the inside. For a moment my world contracted, only the brilliant radiance and the pain my companions in my searing solitude.


    No, that¡¯s... not right. I could feel the weight of someone in my arms. Tamamo-no-Mae. She was shuddering now, despite her seeming mindlessness, the lightning must have been tormenting her too. Unable to do anything but feel her, I forced aether to surge into my Eye, and suddenly I could see again, though only with half my vision, and everything had a strange, amber tint, colours going from a gradient of grey to gold, like an old black-and-white cartoon from the olden days, just with filters overlaid.


    He''s there, too... The Saint of Swallowed Sorrows, that terrible old monk, who I had wounded badly with the power of Radiance made from Foehn, which was even enough to defeat the clone of that bastard toad in Kyoto, had also been caught by the lightning, and the almost molten fury of it was seeping into his body where the Foehn had burned into him, cooking him from the inside. One of his eyes was useless too, having burst, golden flickers visible in the charred socket, but seeing me looking, his lips quirked into a hateful grin, though again, everything was happening in slow motion, time nearly having halted for us. Managing to glance down, I could see Tamamo-no-Mae was burning up, naked now, her rags of clothing turning to ash, the fur on her tails and ears, her hair, all starting to blaze into flame. Her eyes were still lifeless, but I fancied I could see a trace of pain within, though that might have been a projection of my own thoughts, or a trick of the strange way I was seeing things now.


    This... shit, this isn¡¯t good... My teeth ground together so hard that several shattered, and silver and crimson blood was gouting from my body, only to turn to golden steam and vanish. The lightning strike was so powerful it seemed to be disintegrating me from the inside out. Worse, despite my heightened resistance to pain my high stats gave me, the agony was fogging my mind, making it hard to concentrate.


    Certain death, but less certain after the Quest. It¡¯s a Quest for the Avalon, the scabbard of Excalibur that grants invincibility. It would be nice to not be burned to death by the damn lightning, but... I don¡¯t see it. The Avalon is for Eleanor, surely. So I wouldn¡¯t have it, that can¡¯t be the answer... I have to survive this first...


    My Silver Connection blazed, as I directed the rampaging lightning into it. The agony suddenly intensified, and for a moment my mind, my very spirit, seemed disconnected. A thick strand of golden lightning then roared into action, travelling to the Material, where my other body was largely motionless, all my Split Thoughts working to keep me sane from the torture I was suffering. As it did so, my body began to smoke, exuding droplets of foul impurity, flesh charring, bones smouldering. But at least... at least it¡¯s taking a third of the punishment. Now...


    Ether Healing surged within me, desperately trying to patch up the dissipating ash that was my body and spirit. It was then that I realised my world wasn¡¯t just my two selves, the arrogant monk, Tamamo-no-Mae and the lightning, but a series of overlapping, nonsensical whispers, all feminine in nature, ranging from childlike, curious voices, through to sultry adult moans and ancient, wizened croaks.


    The mysterious syllables were now almost like poems, perhaps having some sort of meaning that I didn¡¯t understand. It was giving me something to cling to other than the pain and my amber-coloured vision, so I let the sounds wash into me, only to notice a rictus grin on the face of the old monk. In fact, now the puzzling, nonsensical poems were resolving themselves into things I could understand, though I wasn¡¯t sure if it was real, or my mind playing tricks on me.


    ¡°Here lies a fool, little novice beyond his depths.¡±


    ¡°Challenging the Heavens, little boy who barely knows the world.¡±


    ¡°Foolishness and recklessness, little hope of survival.¡±


    ¡°Two sides of the same coin, little dreams lost in thunder.¡±


    ¡°Come with us, little fool who faces oblivion!¡±


    Through my vision I could see faint ghostly beings drifting around us, drawn in by the lightning and the great tear it had opened in the Sessho-seki, as well as the Boundary above. At first, they were mere spectres, nearly intangible, yet as I listened to the continuing songs and poems, they became more real. They were women, of all ages, from young children to old hags, yet all were beautiful, inhumanly so, reminding me of Shiro or Tsukiko, with long hair and delicate skin of innumerable shades, from the palest alabaster white, through to the darkest, umbral black. When they noticed I could see them, they gleefully approached, deftly avoiding the searing flashes of golden lightning that wreathed me, hands reaching out, touching me gently, running fingers over my burnt, carbonised flesh in wonder, their touch bringing momentary flaring agony, and then somehow cool relief.


    ¡°Still alive.¡± one said in wonder. Her words were in a language I certainly didn¡¯t speak, yet the ripples of her spiritual energies, her Qi, were transmitted to me. I felt I could have resisted it, but I saw no need, wrapped up as I was in trying to stop the ravages of the lightning burning me alive.


    ¡°Yes, where is this world? We followed the Tribulation, but...¡± A second strange woman agreed, her long hair tickling me, her fingers poking at my burned forehead, giggling harmoniously. ¡°...you are not much of a Cultivator, Although...¡±


    ¡°This Eye. It sees us. How wonderful. Do you think mother would like it?¡± A small, childlike girl with golden-yellow skin asked.


    ¡°Work of the Gods, it seems.¡± Another agreed, tracing my right wrist.


    ¡°This one hears us, but...¡± A woman gently tapped the head of the blazing Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°...empty inside. Mostly. A shame. But maybe...¡± She grinned them, and it was coldly beautiful, but also somehow filled me with trepidation, even overcoming my pain for a moment. ¡°...I am hungry to visit such a lower world. Perhaps as a vessel...¡±


    ¡°I want his spirit...¡± Another woman eyed me hungrily, and as I listened she became tangible, her presence like a line drawing, gradually being filled in by shape and colour, every detail of her springing into focus. She was tall and slender, but with curves in all the places men desired, her lips plump and moist. ¡°...do not worry, little Cultivator. It is a much more pleasant fate to fail your Tribulation to us than the Heavenly Lightning, or the Hellish Fire. The Chaotic Wind we drift in on... is soothing and calm. Not rigid and harsh like the Waters of Law. Surrender to me and know joy. It has been a while...¡±


    ¡°Sister, you devoured that would-be Earth Immortal just two hundred years ago.¡± Another beautiful woman protested, and voices were raised in chorus, calling her out. Her fingers dug sharply into me, and for a second the nails sent sparks of pleasure and pain through my nerves, at odds with the boiling lightning.


    ¡°Too late.¡± The monk mouthed at me. ¡°We are unfortunate indeed, that they have come. But this furious monk... shall... endure. Amitabha. I see nothing, I hear nothing. Amitabha. I feel nothing, I touch nothing. Amitabha. I tase nothing, I am nothing. Amitabha. I have no mortal flesh, I am a Saint that Swallows all Sorrows, until vengeance is mine!¡±


    ¡°Why are we here, sister?¡± one young girl asked, puzzled. ¡°This one is just at the very start of his journey, and that one...¡± Many of the ghostly women were flitting around the monk, trying to get his attention, whispering in his ears incessantly. ¡°...is all wrong. This is a lesser Tribulation, of Purifying Lightning, not one of Chaotic Wind. He is a Saint, but is not one...¡±


    The woman trying to persuade me to relinquish myself to her tightened her hands, nails piercing me deeper, sparks of golden lightning jumping from my flesh, burning her. As she yelped, sucking on her tender fingers, the beautiful marble skin marred by vivid burns, she pondered. ¡°Something has gone very wrong. This is not a world able to support Immortals. But no matter. Content yourself with the false Saint, sisters, I lay claim to this one. His spirit fascinates me...¡±


    As the others grumbled, throwing their complaints at their sister, I seized my chance. I only left the barest strand of consciousness in my Astral body, forcing all my Split Thoughts to focus on my Material form. Shit. What the hell are they? My entire body was trembling as I was touched, and worse, her words tempted me to give in, the pain I was fighting too incredible. Looking up at the sky, volcanic ash and pumice raining down from overhead, my body wreathed with golden electricity, I grimaced. This is only a momentarily relief, time to gather my thoughts. If this is why I would be killed, does that mean it¡¯s these women who are responsible? Thinking was painfully slow, much like the passage of time. Since we were struck by the lightning, it was as if we were slightly out of step with reality. The only mercy was that with my distorted vision, I saw that Shaeula and the others weren¡¯t caught up in it.


    So, all or nothing. Honestly, even with the power of the lightning split across two bodies, I can¡¯t resist it. What to do? No, one problem at a time. I may not be able to resist the destructive purification of the lightning, but I can delay it, so I need to focus on the bigger problem. And that¡¯s...


    Rebalancing my Split Thoughts, my Astral Body surged into action. Grimacing, I released Prominence Dusk, and the traces of Heavenly Lightning flashed out, striking the woman. She screamed, her cheek marked by three narrow burns, and she raised one perfect hand to it, eyes shining with wonder. ¡°You... you would wound me? How... unexpected.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t like hurting women, but... I also believe in equality.¡± I made a bitter joke and didn¡¯t stop my attacks there. Spirit Water and light element seemed the best idea, so I unleashed water bullets and beams of light focussed to laser-like intensity. The woman, caught unawares, was struck several times, and let out pained cries, before a series of overlapping petals of beautiful crimson and violet surrounded her like armour, forming a human-sized lotus flower.


    ¡°He hit older sister...¡± the woman interested in Tamamo-no-Mae gasped in wonder. ¡°How amusing. But he¡¯ll suffer for it now.¡±


    ¡°Ra?ng he? hua? zha?n fa?ng, li?ng qi? shun xi?, ra?ng he? hua? zha?n fa?ng, fe?ng xia?ng wa?n wu? di? yu?. Ra?ng lia?n hua? zha?n fa?ng. Yo?ng yua?n shui? za?i wo? de hua?i ba?o li?. Ra?ng lia?n hua? sheng ka?i, we?i lia?n hua? yi?n lie? jiu?¡±


    A haunting song started up, monosyllabic and sounding to my ears vaguely Chinese, of the old Kunlun dialect the monk had first spoken, yet I couldn¡¯t divine meaning from it, only that it mentioned lotus flowers and sleep. The ghostly women darted away, laughing and teasing, and then the flower opened, a brilliant crimson light shining forth, illuminating everything, followed by a breath of strong wind, shimmering like the finest imperial jade. The woman I had injured, her scarred face still achingly beautiful, looked at me with grim eyes. ¡°Hungry for power to face the Heavens, mortals grow, Cultivate. They shed the concept of natural death and rise to the Realm of Saint. But that is not the end, merely a new beginning. Once the body is pure, the spirit chafes uncomfortably. Let your spirits free and give yourselves over to my hungry embrace! Empty Winds, let thy hollow spirit be filled! May your karmic deeds be my food and drink!¡±


    The last thing I heard was a terrified groan from the old monk, and then jade energy swept over me, and I knew no more...


    ***


    I opened my eyes with a faint moan. For a moment, I wasn¡¯t sure where I was, only to panic, remembering I was being burned alive by lightning and attacked by strange women. But looking down, I realised I didn¡¯t have a tangible existence, not did I truly open my eyes. It seemed as though I could once more see everything through my Mystic Eye, everything cast in glowing gold and amber. Where am I? What¡¯s happening?


    I tried to move my Split Thoughts around, feel my other bodies, but while I could tell they still existed, thankfully, the connection to them was so distant and tenuous it was like they were a million miles away. This is it then. Death, I suppose. But if so, the afterlife is sorely overrated. Glancing around, I could see I was in some sort of old-fashioned city, though not one I recognised, with buildings six or seven stories tall, but faced with ornate marble and jade, the streets narrow, with enough space for only foot traffic. An illusion or a dream, huh? But that means my real bodies...


    A gentle breeze was blowing, and I felt a chill, despite having no form to speak of. Suddenly the empty streets were full of people, dozens, perhaps hundreds going about their daily business, wearing robes similar to what Daiyu favoured, close to traditional Chinese dresses for the women, just less daringly cut, with longer skirts and sleeves, while the men had their sleeves short, showing off perfectly honed muscles. Looking further out, I could see a magnificent series of halls and palaces on the peaks towards the centre of the city, with banners of finest silk hanging down, proclaiming that they were the home of powerful Sects. Ten Thousand Flower Throne, Heaven¡¯s Limit, Eternal Dao Of Jade, and many more... wait, I understand the language? Separating out a Split Thoughts, I quickly ran through all the words I could think of, discovering meaning, storing them inside that instance for later consolidation. I realised I could understand the words of the Cultivators too, and curiously, I listened in.


    ¡°... the Kitsune courtesan is paying a visit to Ten Thousand Flower Throne¡¯s halls once again. She seems very close with Matriarch Su.¡±


    ¡°Hush now. You¡¯re merely at Golden Core, and you want to talk about the Saint of Brilliant Flowers? Her ears are everywhere!¡± Another Cultivator cautioned the speaker, and she shrugged.


    ¡°It just seems odd to me. Although if it was the Chained Phoenix Sect, I suppose it would be stranger. Trapping and controlling spiritual beasts is their forte, after all...¡±


    Yes, I am a winged woman who hungers. It would have been easier to take you while wearing the flesh of your regrets. More satisfying for you in the end. Dying in the embrace of those you love... but alas, it is not to be. And this dog...


    ¡°Is useless.¡± I finished, slamming my fist down, and the skull exploded. With it went my final traces of distaste for dogs. ¡°You know, children like pets, don¡¯t they? Maybe I¡¯ll get my daughter a dog. A kind, quiet one, one that¡¯ll look out for her.¡±


    The scene blurred again, putting me in darkness, and then the golden sheen returned over my vision, which had been gone during the previous scene. Now I could see we were in Kunlun again, but the surrounds were different. The sky looked like that of the Boundary, dark aurorae surging overhead, and silver snow was falling, glittering with rainbows of colour.


    Tamamo-no-Mae looked down at the numerous corpses at her feet, her expression terrible. ¡°You bastards. Treacherous snakes.¡± She spat blood, her own clothes torn and shredded, bare flesh criss-crossed with deep wounds. Behind her lay the bodies of Su Caihong and Su Liena. Fortunately, they still breathed, though their wounds were grave.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this your idea, fox?¡± the Patriarch of the Chained Phoenix Sect, Zixin, declared with a sneer. Behind him were members of a number of other important Sects, as well as tamed spiritual creatures. ¡°Thin the herd, so that Kunlun may endure? I am not like her, I will go beyond Sainthood. But to do so needs unfathomable resources...¡± He grinned, pointing to the Spirit Funnel Formation he had stolen. ¡°Besides, she refused to entertain any of us. A great shame, for such a talented bloodline to only have one daughter and refuse to allow her to marry too.¡±


    ¡°Shame?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae drew on all of her spiritual power, great foxfires springing to life around her, towering overhead like fiery pillars. Even wounded, she was no weakling, and her boiling rage was fuelling hatred. I watched on, feeling sorrow for her. Yes, I imagined that she herself had perpetrated many such tragedies, but clearly Su Caihong hadn¡¯t chosen to massacre indiscriminately. After all, the monk had only been exiled from Kunlun, not killed. ¡°You do not know the meaning of the word, wretch. If you think you can chain me, you are mistaken... if I must burn away my life, I will see you all perish with me, you most of all, Zixin, I swear it, just as you Cultivators do!¡±


    His grin faltered, and some of the others shrank back. Seeing that, he cursed. ¡°Tamamo-no-Mae. I know your name, yet you resist my binding. I find this most vexing. After all, I am the greatest Tamer that has ever lived!¡±


    ¡°I shall leave, before Kunlun is fully isolated.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae ignored him, glaring at the others behind him. ¡°I shall take away Caihong¡¯er and Liena too. That fulfils your needs. If you try and stop me...¡± she growled. ¡°...try me. Your eyes cannot see the peaks you are trying to climb!¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll...¡± the Patriarch began, but several other Cultivators stopped him, crying out it wasn¡¯t worth dying over. He glowered, his expression hateful, but eventually jerked his head. ¡°Go then, bitch. And take those two corpses with you. Just pray we never met again, as I will not rest until you are chained at my feet, licking my toes like the beast you are.¡±


    ¡°I have submitted to many and forced many to submit. But you...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae backed off, grabbing the two dying Cultivators with her tails. ¡°...I would chew off my tongue before I tasted you, Zixin, you bastard.¡±


    With that she leapt away, and suddenly her eyes changed, and I realised that the one trapping me here had returned. You were both struck by the Heavenly Lightning, so your trial is also her trial. Though she has already failed. Her shreds of mind left are unable to resist. My sister has already stolen her flesh. Does this grieve you?


    ¡°Lots of things grieve me.¡± I said slowly. The scene shifted, and Tamamo-no-Mae was looking at a pair of coffins of mystical ice, a familiar figure, the great horned Bintara, looking on with a serious expression.


    ¡°You owe Great Nurarihyon much for this aid.¡± She declared, and the fox shrugged.


    ¡°It seems unfair, considering you could not help.¡± The fox sneered, her expression as cold as the ice.


    ¡°You asked, and I tried. I am the Bitan, and I am a great healer, but I am not infallible. The wounds are beyond me to treat. But here... they shall sleep for eternity.¡± Bintara paused, glancing at Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°It is hardly like you to be so concerned for others. I know a number of your daughters and granddaughters, those that you have not killed. They all speak of your lusts, your amusements, your follies...¡±


    ¡°And they speak true.¡± she retorted, weary, grey streaking her hair and the fur on her tails. ¡°...but also malign me. I shall punish them, if I ever see them in the future.¡± Her smile was wry, showing her teeth. ¡°But just as I can be cruel, I can also be kind. Living by my whims, doing as I please... it is a fulfilling life, but also empty. That is the dichotomy of me, I fear. One day...¡± She looked at the coffins, shaking her head. ¡°...perhaps one day I will meet someone who can tame me, make me kiss their feet, but it will never be that foul bastard. To be forced to heel... that is the one pleasure I have never tried, has always eluded me. And it would likely be the last...¡±


    ¡°To think that you could persuade Sekka to use so much of her strength for this...¡± Bintara said, her breath blowing mist into the cold air. The cave they were in was covered in frost, the pillars wound with beautiful flowers of ice, in many colours. ¡°...but even her frozen coffins cannot stop time entirely. They will die, just as winter follows autumn.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but...¡± She pointed to the delicate array carved into metal beneath the frozen edifice. ¡°...the craft of mortals sometimes surprises even me. I had to offer much to have a master of what the mortals call the Six Noble Pursuits create this space. It will seal itself, and time will slow to a crawl, like the imperceptible melting of the great glacier Sekka surrounds herself with.... It is ironic. I pressed for Caihong¡¯er to end him, but she felt guilty since he did craft her a wonderful Formation. Stolen now...¡± she growled. ¡°But this is its equal. No, it surpasses it. A shame though... I had nothing to offer in payment that could satisfy the human. He did not even wish for my body. So I lied. He is quite unfortunate, being cheated twice over...¡±


    Yes, the threads of destiny do converge. A river of selfish, petty deeds, leading to retribution. Can you bear her sins? Can you shoulder her karma? Was her fate wrong? Yes, she suffered, but she also owed him a great debt, twice over.


    ¡°Should I have to?¡± I would have shrugged if I had a physical form here. ¡°She¡¯s cruel, capricious and as worrisome as I feared, from what I can see, assuming these visions are true ones. But this vision is not one to bear. She tried to save those she cared for. There¡¯s no sins here.¡± I spoke up. Okay, so lying to that monk was bad, making him waste years of his life... but if I had to do the same to save someone I loved... ¡°Hey, Tamamo-no-Mae...¡±


    The fox flicked her ears, turning. ¡°Who is there? Why can I not see you? Are you a shade, haunting me? I will not let you defile this place!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m passing through. But I wanted to say... while doing good never balances out the bad... you should feel proud of what you¡¯ve done here, carrying them from Kunlun, saving their lives.¡±


    As Tamamo-no-Mae turned to me in surprise, I then addressed Bintara.


    ¡°As for you, Bintara. In the future you help me out healing a very dear friend of mine. So... thank you! As one who heals, you have done a lot of good. Yo?kai or not, I just wanted you to know many people appreciate you!¡±


    The Bitan looked at where I felt I was, shocked, and then vanished, puzzling Tamamo-no-Mae more. ¡°What... where did she go... oh... is... that it?¡± She smiled. ¡°Show yourself, Tia?nyi?. I am no Cultivator, but I know your games. I am trapped in your Chaotic Winds, or...¡± Her expression suddenly fell, her eyes rolling mockingly. ¡°No, I am the mere falsehood? I see...¡±


    ¡°Real or false, it¡¯s all the same.¡± I declared. ¡°Just... know that you do suffer for everything you¡¯ve done, so... I think you paid enough.¡±


    ¡°I see. I am merely a shade, someone else¡¯s Tribulation. Though if you are that bastard Zixin, I¡¯ll kill you, even if I am not real!¡±


    ¡°No need for that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Anyway, just know you had one granddaughter who implored me to save you. Not... not everyone hates you.¡± I can¡¯t help but feel sorry for her. Sure, if I saw her many other scenes of violence, cruelty and betrayal, I¡¯d likely feel less sympathy, but... while she is certainly cruel, the way she beheaded that Cultivator for nothing more than an idle insult, the way she casually suggested a massacre in Kunlun for the benefit of those she cares for... ¡°I have a question. How long will these ice coffins last?¡±


    She seemed surprised. ¡°I have no idea. They were meant to buy time, and the Formation to create a space called the Time-Killing Ice-Stone.¡± At her words, everything that happened up to now made sense. Yes, seeing this, it really makes me believe in Fate, Destiny and Karma. How could I not? ¡°But Sekka is skilled, and despite their grave wounds, they will cling to life tenaciously. If they breathe a breath every ten thousand, then perhaps a thousand years...¡±


    I see. Damn, it¡¯s too tight, timewise, but... Bintara must be more skilled now, and I¡¯m certainly a good Healer... ¡°In that case, tell me where the Time-Killing stone lies. I¡¯ll aid them...¡± From what little I saw of Caihong, she was as fair as she could be during hard times, doing everything for her daughter¡¯s sake...


    Tamamo-no-Mae looked at me, green eyes wide, before suddenly letting out a laugh. ¡°Good luck with your Tribulation. Should you break the bounds of Sainthood and see what mystery lies truly beyond... kill that worthless scum Zixin if he still lives, and...¡± She vanished, leaving only a lingering whisper in the air.


    ...thank you. I pray they still live, and can wake to a world better off without me in it...


    ¡°Wait, no, you didn¡¯t tell me where they were!¡± I shouted, frustrated, and her final thoughts didn¡¯t sit well with me. ¡°Shit. Fuck!¡± I swore vehemently. ¡°She may be a villain, but she¡¯s at least self-aware enough to feel repentant, isn¡¯t she? Can I carry her karma? Fuck off, nameless woman. She should carry it herself, otherwise what¡¯s the point? I may be a hypocrite, but I believe in redemption.¡±


    Oh, I see. This is both rather uninspiring and also rather fascinating. How unexpected. The false Saint is having a far more fun Tribulation, my sisters are shredding his resolve inch by inch. Besides, I have a name, angry little boy... you have barely lived a few years, and you dare to take that tone with me?


    ¡°I am she that blows on the winds... wings of jade expanding bright... I hunger for those who fly too high... for the road upwards is against the Heavens... so those who try and walk that path... I lead astray and take them hither.¡±


    That¡¯s a name? That¡¯s not a name...


    How rude. My name is a song, a poem, just as my mother¡¯s name is, and my sisters, and all my kind. But you are foolish. This is the past, but merely an illusion. Even with the great Dao of Time, the clock only ever ticks forwards. There is no overturning of past regrets. Now... you waver, your body failing, Lightning purifying you to ash. Would it not be more pleasant to be wrapped in my jade wings, and let me take you higher, seeing the path you do not deserve to walk for a brief moment before your spirit fades away? For amusing me here, I would do you that honour.


    I felt a great surge of temptation to listen to her, but remembering the look in Eri¡¯s eyes as she vanished, in Aiko¡¯s, in Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s, even in Bintara¡¯s, I focused. I can¡¯t really feel my body, so I can¡¯t use any elements, but... With a grin, I forced my consciousness down, slamming into the sharp corner of the ice coffin nearest me. Blood bloomed, the cold ice turning pink, and I felt pain. ¡°No thanks. I never meant to walk that road. Yet. But one day, Daiyu and I will talk it together, along with any others who wish to follow us. Right now, I¡¯m just here to save Tamamo-no-Mae. For a promise I made, and to help my seeds grow and bear fruit.¡±


    The frozen cavern vanished, and I was in darkness once more, but now when I concentrated, I could see flashes of green and gold in the dark and hear whispering voices. ¡°So, what next?¡± I asked, my voice swallowed by the void. ¡°I have more regrets, you know? And I¡¯m sure Tamamo-no-Mae has no end of things you could show me... but like you said, we¡¯re both in a hurry. If I die to the lightning, nobody wins, right... uh... Hisui? Or maybe Tsubasa?¡± Jade or wings. Both are good names for girls in Japanese.


    There was silence from the Tia?nyi?. Moments later I thought I heard phantom laugher, many voices, young and old, overlapping, mocking and teasing. Silence! You are trying my patience. But... Hisui shall do. You are certainly brave, in the face of death. But... you both carry so many regrets. Very well then... see if you can divest yourself of them all... after all, the hands of time only move forwards, and mistakes can never be undone...


    And then the scene changed again, and I found myself at my lowest point...

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Five / Side One Hundred And Seventy-Two – Zhao Daiyu

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Five / Side One Hundred And Seventy-Two ¨C Zhao Daiyu


    I tried to remain calm as Shaeula swept the fallen four-tailed fox Nebisuki out of the pouring lightning of gold, the very Tribulation of the Heavens that all Cultivators feared, yet also yearned for. For only through defeating the censure of the Heavens and the Earth can one truly rise to the peak of Cultivation. Though there are always higher peaks beyond, which can only be seen by standing on a higher plateau. I have learned this from my time here in Japan, with Akio and everyone else...


    Pushing those intrusive thoughts aside, I rushed over to Shaeula, who was looking down at the fainted Kitsune, who was pitiful with two missing tails and a leg shorn clean off. Seeing that, Shaeula tutted loudly. ¡°How-how vexing. You forced me to save you, foolish fox, when I did so-so desperately wish to leave you to your fate...¡±


    I looked at the body of Akio, still clutching the famous Tamamo-no-Mae, who was a legend even in China. She called herself Daji then, no? Or did she slay and impersonate the real Daji? I never studied her legends, preferring to work on my Cultivation. Now that seems rather an oversight.


    Again, I couldn¡¯t stop my thoughts from running wild, but I desperately called out to Shaeula. ¡°Stop, you cannot get closer to Akio! He has been caught in the Heavenly Tribulation of this distasteful fake Saint! One has to face the Heavens alone, anyone that intervenes faces their own destruction!¡±


    Shaeula paused, eyeing Akio with yearning, and I clearly understood how she felt. Behind me, Aiko, his sister, had frozen up, her blue eyes fixed on Akio, her face full of fear. The shining golden lightning, the Heavenly Purifying Lightning the false Saint spoke of, was blazing brilliantly around Akio and the Kitsune in his arms, as well as burning into the false Saint who was injured severely by Akio¡¯s blazing light of radiance. A feat that makes me proud. To injure so a Saint, even a flawed one such as this one, is no trivial act.


    ¡°So what-what can we do?¡± Shaeula whispered, pouring her healing into the ragged fox in her arms. Nebisuki stirred fitfully, letting out a small groan. ¡°Akio, he suffers so... can-can he hold on?¡± Indeed, Akio¡¯s eyes were starting to lose their focus, and his body was turning to ash. Worse, the strange sounds, almost like singing or poetry, that we could hear at the edges of our consciousness, were like nothing I had ever heard of. The Tribulation of Lightning I know, but this?


    Overhead, the golden lightning had torn through the space within the Sessho-Seki, and moments later it shattered, violet sparks of spatial energy cascading everywhere. The sky above, usually silver with strange dark flashes of reversed colour, was now writhing with golden arcs of energy, seeming to have even cracked the skies themselves. The volcanos and flaming lava of the Boundary were suddenly thrust around us, and the oppressive heat started to burn our skins.


    That snapped Aiko out of her shock. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Shaeula, Daiyu? My bro... he, he...¡± Her blue eyes were starting to tear up, and I felt the same way, frustration and sorrow hurting me. But for now, I knew more about the situation here than anyone, not that I knew much, so I had to take charge. ¡°First, we must secure our own safety. If... no, when Akio defeats this Tribulation he faces unearned, if he finds us dead his heart will break. Chen Na... can your bubbles block the heat?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Not perfectly, but I will do what I can...¡± She was exhausted, having been worked hard, but she managed to squeeze out a few more bubble shields, and I bit down on a sigh of relief as the searing heat was reduced to merely feeling like a scalding bath.


    ¡°My bro... I can still feel him through whatever the hell he did...¡± Aiko patted her lower body, her eyes glued to Akio as he continued to burn, the golden lightning intensifying. ¡°...but it¡¯s like he¡¯s empty. He¡¯s there, but there¡¯s no answer!¡±


    Shaeula, torn, shot one more bitter look at Akio and retreated, still carrying Nebisuki. The singing and strange voices were intensifying, and I felt a prickling in my Dantian, a primal sense of fear. I fancied I could see faint, almost translucent figures, mere shadows, with smiling, laughing faces and cold eyes, drifting on the strange breeze that accompanied the Lightning, which was now visible as it blew the falling ash and flames away from us, an unusual sight in the windless Boundary.


    ¡°Just what-what are you talking about? I felt great-great pain when that old fool sealed the space within the Sessho-seki, but you and Daiyu did collapse...¡± Shaeula hurried out her words, not willing to waste time when Akio¡¯s life hung in the balance. I understand, but honestly, there is nothing we can do except protect ourselves...


    ¡°Our Silver Cords were cut.¡± I murmured. ¡°No, not cut, else we would surely have died, but the passage of our spiritual information was certainly locked. It was the Formations...¡± I looked around mournfully. Many of the grand arrays of runes and plates were destroyed as the space shattered, and more were burning to ash now, or turning to molten slag. Priceless knowledge was being lost, but I would abandon it all, if Akio was to return safely. Knowledge can always be learned anew, but one¡¯s true companion of the heart, once gone, is gone forever. I refuse to countenance that! Ignoring the pain in my own body, as Chang¡¯e¡¯s blessing was knitting together my flesh, I flexed my arm gingerly. In battle, the arm is useless. It is barely held together, and will take further time for the stumps to bind truly...


    ¡°Akio acted desperately to prevent the fatal damage that would have inflicted upon us in time, and somehow managed to seize our Silver Cords, integrating them within himself, allowing us access to our Material selves once again.¡±


    ¡°It was totally uncanny.¡± Aiko followed up on my explanation, hand rubbing her lower body, where her Silver Cord trailed out of her. ¡°I could feel everything about my bro, and he about me. It wasn¡¯t like when we do Telepathy with Haru-chan and the twins.¡± Aiko¡¯s face was flushed red, though it was hard to tell under the crimson glow of the burning flames around us. Seeing that, Shaeula called upon earth element, and the ground shuddered, rocky domes pulling free and forming a roof over us, as well As Akio and Tamamo-no-Mae, though Shaeula was careful not to touch them, heeding my warning. With the worst of the falling ash and fire blocked, we breathed relieved sighs.


    ¡°It was... it¡¯s impossible to explain.¡± Aiko finished, shaking her head. ¡°Can you, Daiyu?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It was as if all we were and all Akio was were mixed, intertwined, together yet separate. It was... unique.¡± I too could hardly explain it.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s far more intimate than being seen naked, or even having your thoughts read. It was... impossible to hide anything, everything of my bro¡¯s was also mine, and everything of mine was his... now I really can¡¯t get married anymore...¡±


    ¡°You did not-not wish to anyway. I know you told Eri you would be a mean-mean sister-in-law, living off Akio for life. Not-not that he or we mind at all.¡± Shaeula managed a joke, though her eyes showed her pain, straying as they were to glance at Akio again and again. ¡°But if that is what you feel, when Akio recovers...¡± She swallowed, but showed no hesitation in believing in him, something I wished to emulate. ¡°...I shall-shall speak to him on your behalf...¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Aiko flushed deeply, rushing over. She was going to knuckle Shaeula¡¯s head, only to stop when she remembered the gravely wounded fox in her arms. ¡°Look... I¡¯m just joking. Mostly. It helps me cope. It was absurdly intimate though, trust me. I think... I know you and Eri and some of the others have shared lunar Chakras, right? Well, I imagine it¡¯s like that, just ten times more intense. And now bro did it with me. He really is a siscon... but...¡±


    ¡°He did not-not wish you to die.¡± Shaeula agreed, frustration in her voice. ¡°But why-why was I left out?¡±


    ¡°He surely trusted you to be able to endure. You are not like us, your Material body is a granted one, is it not?¡± I pointed out. ¡°It caused you some discomfort and injury, but you are strong. You can fight through it.¡±


    Shaeula nodded slowly. ¡°I do suppose that is true-true. But...¡± She shook her head, still frustrated, gnawing at her lip in helpless rage. ¡°What-what can we do? You are the expert here Daiyu, there is definitely naught-naught we can do to aid him?¡±


    I frowned, wracking my brains for a solution, but in the end, shook my head. ¡°The Tribulation Akio is facing is not something we can interfere in. Normally, one would either evade or block the Purifying Lightning, to pass the Tribulation. But...¡±


    ¡°But bro¡¯s totally out of it right now.¡± My sis confirmed, pacing restlessly in our makeshift stone shelter, the bubble of force she was shielded with rippling, seeming to mirror her uncertain mood. ¡°Can he even fight back against it? He¡¯s... not in good shape, right? Is he really going to die, leave us all behind... just to save a bad old fox?¡±


    ¡°That is rather... ugh... rather cold of you...¡± A weary voice muttered. Shaeula looked down to see Nebisuki stirring in her arms, shifting fitfully, and Aiko jumped, surprised.


    ¡°So you are alive then?¡± she said, and Nebisuki coughed, blood splattering Shaeula¡¯s ragged armour.


    ¡°I am. So, we go... from the cold... to this infernal heat.¡± She sighed, leaking more blood. ¡°Grandmother, Akio, are they...¡±


    I pointed, and Shaeula turned her body, moving Nebisuki so she could see the golden carnage. Lightning was flashing in arcing bolts from Akio¡¯s and Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s bodies, penetrating them deeply, burning them away inch by inch, though the surging aether of Akio was trying to stem the tide, Ether Healing replacing dissolved, ashen flesh, though it was fighting a slowly losing battle. Beside him, despite her seeming lack of consciousness, Tamamo-no-Mae was in better shape, perhaps her legendary strength serving her in good stead, but even she was starting to corrode away, purified by the violence of the Heavens.


    ¡°I see.¡± Nebisuki groaned. ¡°This does... not seem good. Uranai did warn us... that matters... were grave. I see she... understated the risks. If I... survive... then I shall be sure to withhold... the tasty booze... from her as punishment.¡±


    ¡°You shall survive.¡± Shaeula insisted. ¡°The monk, he-he is suffering too. If Akio fails, he shall surely not-not succeed. Whatever happens...¡± Her amber eyes were hot and hard. ¡°We shall-shall leave here. No... you-you shall leave here.¡± She addressed the fox, glancing at Aiko and I. Yes, I have heard. Pledged One. A double-edged sword, but... I have heard tell true Dao Companions who reach the higher realms can twine together their very selves, their Dao, and then they become two halves of the same spirit, perishing together as they lived together. How... enviable. Yet... if Akio falls, so too do Shaeula and Hyacinth. It will devastate the chances of humanity surviving. But then... My eyes felt hot, and I shook my head. I would never stop striving to challenge the Heavens, and I would spend my remaining time protecting Akio¡¯s family, friends and my other heartbroken sisters. No, it... will not happen. Akio is strong, a fighter...


    Aiko seemed to feel the same way. ¡°No, my bro... he won¡¯t die. Not if it¡¯ll kill you too, Shaeula!¡± she insisted. ¡°So we need to think! Bro brought us because he could trust us, didn¡¯t he? We aren¡¯t just dead weight, or here to cheerlead for him! We know this was super dangerous, right? But it gets less dangerous after he visits the Fae lands next year. So what could change then? It can¡¯t just be a little more strength, can it?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Nebisuki coughed. ¡°A trial that is on the borders of life and death could...¡± She coughed more red and silver blood, despite Shaeula¡¯s ministrations, the effort of talking hurting her. ¡°...be swayed by just a little more strength. But... foretelling the future... is a troublesome matter.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, Divination of the Six Noble Pursuits is esoteric and unpredictable. I know very little about it, though I do hope to learn. But it has undeniable power.¡± I glared at the monk, the Saint Of Swallowing Sorrows, whose hubris had started this mess. ¡°It enabled this monk to capture Tamamo-no-Mae by predicting a chain of actions.¡±


    ¡°In that case, lucky you have an expert to ask.¡± Aiko managed a bitter laugh. ¡°Tsukiko-chan knows better than anyone, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°So, say that the future is set, that tomorrow I shall die, for I eat a poisoned apple. Then a Divination says that tomorrow, my death is certain. Frightened by this, I stay home, and therefore do not eat the poisoned apple. A fate has been overturned. Knowing about it can change it. However, if my future was set, that tomorrow a powerful enemy of my father...¡± I trembled a little, remembering my father, my Patriarch, now gone, leaving me alone in the world... No, not alone. Looking around me, I have a family, a Sect again. And I will be damned if I lose it a second time. I swear it on the Heavens and the Earth. ¡°...would come and kill me, staying home would achieve little. Though perhaps if I feared my death I might prepare some additional countermeasures, which might just be enough to save my life.¡±


    ¡°So yeah, I get it.¡± Aiko agreed. ¡°We need to work out just what changes. Shaeula, you¡¯re a Fae, right? Any ideas?¡±


    Shaeula looked out of our rocky shelter, which was already starting to heat up, molten stone dripping. ¡°I do not-not know. I know only that it is the quest for Avalon, the scabbard which grants immortality, but that would surely be for Eleanor, as Akio has said.¡±


    ¡°Eri¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way Princess Eleanor isn¡¯t going to fall for my bro if he keeps doing her favours like that. Damn, having another sister-in-law who is world-famous is going to be so cool... but for that...¡± Her gaze was drawn back to Akio. ¡°...my bro has to live. So... think!¡±


    ¡°I do not-not think it is merely a matter of being stronger. If it was, then... perhaps we would intervene. But there is one more-more pressing matter.¡± Shaeula addressed us. ¡°This place... look.¡± Her eyes glowed, and she could see through the rocky dome. I sent out my Qi Perception, noticing what she meant.


    ¡°The Boundary is shattered by the Heavenly Lightning. This place...¡± I mused.


    ¡°Indeed. We must-must do something to secure it. It is too-too soon for the Boundary to collapse. We are not-not yet prepared. We need time. Three years, two... one at the absolute minimum.¡± Shaeula pointed out. ¡°So... we need to make this a Territory, but...¡±


    ¡°I shall do it.¡± I declared, at the same time as Aiko spoke up.


    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    On seeing my startled expression, Aiko shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t even say it. You¡¯re going to tell me it¡¯s dangerous, right? I know what happens if a Territory is destroyed by another Chosen. How could I not? I know where my Golden Sisters came from. And even when bro¡¯s Territory upgrades, we¡¯re too far from Tokyo for me to be incorporated.¡±


    ¡°If you already know that, why are you volunteering?¡± I asked. ¡°If you are wounded or killed, Akio will grieve.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Aiko did not back down. ¡°Trust me, I know what a siscon my bro is. It¡¯s only natural, when he has a sister as great as me.¡± She struck a prideful pose, though her expression was rueful. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding. I know my bro just cherishes me as a sister. But... I am proud to be his sis. I mean, who else has a brother who holds the fate of the world in his hands? So let me be an older sister, because I¡¯m your sister too, Daiyu. My bro is slow on the uptake, even now, and sure, you haven¡¯t been together long... but with what you¡¯ve shared, my bro is head over heels for you. If you were to die, he¡¯d be devastated. I have my pride too, you know!¡±


    ¡°You will.¡± I promised. ¡°Because you survived. And I¡¯ll see it done. Besides... you have friends, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡± Yes, Akio-sama speaks true.¡± The twins echoed. ¡°We were under his care, but...¡± ¡°...we still chose to follow honoured father¡¯s orders...¡± ¡°...to follow Yamato-sama in his selfishness....¡± ¡°...for ties of honour and respect.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, but...¡±


    The twins spoke rapidly, and then finished together. ¡°...no more. We learned. We follow Akio-sama now, and only him. We are proud, proud to be members of Adamant, the force that will raise him to the skies. Because he cares. For us. For you. For the world.¡± They then turned, and Hisui seemed surprised they could see her.


    ¡°Why so surprised? We are sharing Akio-sama¡¯s mind...¡± ¡°...yes, we are the Chaotic Wind. And we called you here.¡± ¡°Eri-sama...¡± ¡°...you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Eri nodded, sprouting black cat ears and a tail. ¡°Regrets can go eat shit.¡± She swore, such language incredibly unusual for her. ¡°Everything that happened was meant to be. I don¡¯t believe in Tsukiko-san and her talk of Destiny and Definite, but I do believe in fate. Not Fate with a capital letter, but what was meant to be. And it¡¯s ever changing, changed by us, but... I can only be me. Akio can only be Akio. And sadly...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we were always going to follow Yamato-sama.¡± Mine-san agreed sadly. ¡°Like I said, I have shitty tastes in men. But speaking of...¡±


    ¡°This is all very well!¡± Yamato-san yelled, enraged. ¡°You never helped me! You could have saved me, instead you stole from me, took from me, pushed me down to Hell!¡±


    Hisui, rather confused by these events, nodded. ¡°Indeed. A heavy karma to bear. He who steals shall be stolen from, he who kills shall be slain, he who spreads sadness shall know sorrow. The Heavens and the Earth are balanced.¡±


    ¡°Oh? In that case...¡± ¡°...you shall be stolen from.¡± ¡°I am glad to see you admit it...¡± ¡°...that¡¯s very kind of you.¡± The twins words went on the offensive, and Hisui paused.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eri laughed. ¡°You are trying to steal Akio¡¯s spirit, calling it a mercy. After all, you say the Lightning is pain like no other. Nurarihyon¡¯s torments that Yamato-san would endure would be the same. Hypocrite!¡±


    Hisui paused, and suddenly the other Tia?nyi? were giggling, and Hisui raised one hand, wind roaring. ¡°Silence, laughing at me, I will not stand for it!¡± As the wind scattered them, I found my mind clearing, and Eri actually winked at me. You owe the twins. You owe them a lot.


    Eri, is that you? Wait... which Eri?


    There¡¯s only one me. There always is. I¡¯ve been trying to reach you, but it¡¯s like you¡¯re in a daze, not answering. But the twins helped me, amplifying my mind. Akio, I can feel your life fading, it scares me. But... you won¡¯t give up, will you?


    No, I won¡¯t. But I¡¯m backed up against the wall here. I still don¡¯t know what would change from now until after the Quest. And I¡¯m grasping at straws...


    Then we¡¯ll help. Everyone supports you. Even Arisugawa-san, Suzu-san, the others. They¡¯ve all come, and... look, I can¡¯t explain it, but... here. Take it, take it all...


    I felt a surge of aether pour into me, refilling my dwindling reserves, Ether Healing surging back into full strength. The boost was welcome, and certainly bought me time, but I knew while Eri had certainly improved her Aether Statistic a lot, compared to mine it was a rather small puddle. But... the amount didn¡¯t diminish, more flooding in, refilling me.


    I don¡¯t get it, but Selensha set up some sort of magical effect, and then Arisugawa-san worked with the twins, something about spatial links... anyway, it hurts a lot, so... make this quick! I¡¯m burning from everyone¡¯s aether. It¡¯s not gentle like your Chirurgery, or even when Shaeula does it... maybe you are overthinking it. Maybe nothing changed with you at all. Look for something else that might have changed?


    ¡°See?¡± the Eri in my Tribulation patted Hotene-san on the head. ¡°Everyone pulls together. I can feel your aether there too. Keomi-chan¡¯s, the twins...¡± She looked out over the dead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for them. I really am. And honestly, I wish they were still alive. But they passed on. We have to care for the living now.¡± With that, the dead vanished. Moments later, so too did Keomi-chan, and Hotene-san, Hotene-san giving the first smile I had seen on her face in a long time, even if she wasn¡¯t real. It gives me hope, huh? So, maybe it¡¯s not me that changed but the situation here. That... makes sense, I think? ¡°Uh... Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, shouldn¡¯t you be vanishing too?¡±


    ¡°No, we will stay.¡± ¡°We are needed still.¡±


    ¡°This is moist frustrating.¡± Hisui observed, the events of Kyoto not playing out as she expected. ¡°I feel I am being made a fool out of. I do find it unpleasant. Perhaps I need to stop being polite.¡±


    ¡°Polite?¡± Eri scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re a thieving cat. Trying to take a man who doesn¡¯t belong to you. And it¡¯s my task to stop that happening. Because it¡¯s not just me, we all love and support him. You say he¡¯s done wrong? Well...¡± Eri sliced Yamato-san¡¯s head off with her axe, cold as ice, and the man vanished. ¡°...to me, it seems like he did a good thing. Aiko will save more lives with his powers than that worthless bastard ever did. All he did was get these people killed. And for what? All because he was jealous and wanted more power for himself.¡± She turned back to Mine-san. ¡°Sorry. But all you would have got from Yamato-san is exploited. Whereas Akio tries to grow us all. Just because he thought he¡¯d be able to keep what he grabbed, he got greedy. Akio helped make laws so those others who were worthy could keep what they had, rather than being a tyrant and taking it all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I lose.¡± Mine-san admitted. ¡°But... hey, Hisui!¡±


    ¡°My name is not Hisui!¡± Dark winds flashed, scattering the laughing Tia?nyi? once more. I felt the winds drop imperceptibly, though the agony of the lightning as now encroaching on me again. ¡°This is not how things should be...¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Mine-san laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t control things here, you just tempt and seduce and threaten and wear down defences until the mind breaks, don¡¯t you? But if Akio is a fortress, Eri here, she¡¯s his walls. And not just her... Cultivators are selfish, but Akio isn¡¯t a Cultivator. Not truly. No, actually, he is. But he¡¯s Cultivating bonds, and the strength of those around him. So...¡±


    ¡°Then the Tribulation will grow, engulf you all.¡± Hisui laughed darkly, waving a hand. ¡°Begone!¡±


    The scene wavered, plunging to darkness, but the twins, Eri and Mine-san remained.


    ¡°Awesome. You heard her!¡± Mine-san called to the winds, which I could now see boiling with fury, lightning crackling within it. ¡°The will of the Heavens cannot be denied, that¡¯s for sure. We are ants to the higher powers, even to you, Hisui. But...¡±


    ¡°The Saint of Swallowing Sorrows...¡± ¡°...he hid for centuries...¡± ¡°...so clearly there can be victories...¡± ¡°...after all, above Saint comes Earth Immortal...¡±


    ¡°This is an Earth Immortal Tribulation, of Heavenly Purifying Lighting and Chaotic Winds... the fool confused the Heavens, yes, and now strands no chance of survival...¡± Hisui admitted. ¡°For a Saint should first find his Dao. Only with a firm, unyielding Dao heart will we be turned aside. His heart is hollow and weak, filled with resentment...¡±


    ¡°Then this only ends one way.¡± Mine-san laughed, and Eri brandished her axe. The twins too adopted a fighting stance, violet energies shimmering, though through their connection with me, they were planning something else, and needed to buy time. The Yo?kai vanished, and Mine-san stood beside Eri. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a fighter, my death proved that. But then I¡¯m not me, am I? I¡¯m the Chaotic Winds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still me.¡± This Eri insisted. ¡°Whether I¡¯m real, or made of Chaotic Winds, or someone else masquerading as me... I¡®m always myself. Now... Akio, I definitely won¡¯t allow this woman to touch you. If I can share, then this selfish bitch is no good! But... just winning here means nothing, right?¡± She looked at the tail in my hand. ¡°There¡¯s three things you have to do, right? Crush this Tribulation of Chaotic Winds and send this whore packing...¡±


    ¡°Find a way to save Tamamo-no-Mae. Oh man, she¡¯s pretty much screwed, you know. There¡¯s a Tia?nyi? in there, and her body is also burning away. It should have been impossible for her to get caught in this, but... damn, that Prominence Twilight of yours rules. Wish I could have seen it, you know...¡±


    ¡°Lastly, you have to find your Dao.¡± ¡°You will not understand it...¡± ¡°...or even comprehend it.¡± ¡°But you need to start a seed. As the Wind tests your Dao heart.¡± ¡°We can help...¡± ¡°But there is someone else to ask...¡± ¡°But for now...¡± ¡°...let us show you...¡± Spatial energy surged, and I found myself connecting to someone unexpected.


    ¡°No, no...¡± Hisui blasted down dark energies, and Eri and Mine-san suffered the bombardment. Eri started to disintegrate, only to reform.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Wind itself. Perhaps Heaven forgives him? I certainly do. No, he¡¯s not wrong at all!¡± Eri roared, attacking anew, while Mine-san shook her head.


    ¡°Whoa, I can¡¯t keep up with that sort of intensity, I¡¯m just an idiot who didn¡¯t make the cut. But it¡¯s kind of nice to get a send-off, you know. Hey, maybe one day I¡¯ll be reborn, and I¡¯ll do things differently.¡± She winked at me, tugging at one ear full of piercings in embarrassment. ¡°After all... oh... whoa.¡± She laughed then, suddenly amused. ¡°...yeah, okay. You do have a chance. I know you can still hear me despite being... busy about now.¡±


    I am indeed. This... it¡¯s a bitter scene here. That bastard, but... Having left some Split Thoughts running I could indeed hear her, and as the weight of my karma collapsed, the scene dissolving, I heard her final words. ¡°...what is empty can be filled. But not just with anything. So look carefully, and... grasp the Winds!¡±


    Look carefully and grasp the Winds? Easier said than done. But... everyone¡¯s fighting for me. Even those who are only shadows of themselves remained themselves, so... Keeping a little of my attention on the battle against Hisui, and more on the true Eri and her constant funnelling of aether to me to fend off the lightning, slowing my rate of destruction, I looked at the scene in front of me, the Chaotic Wind Tribulation of the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows, the scene one unfamiliar to me, but the participants so very familiar.


    ¡°So you came, Tamamo-no-Mae.¡± The monk said, standing on a mountainside I recognised well. ¡°Have you the payment you promised?¡±


    ¡°No, I am afraid not. This poor Kitsune is poverty-stricken, you know? Ever since I was driven from Kunlun, just like you. If you want revenge, I am more than happy to assist you with that, just as you helped me with my sorrows.¡± Her tails stood up straight, and I could feel the rage and hatred she felt. I remember. Su Caihong, and Su Liena. You remember them too, don¡¯t you? I thought I felt the faintest twitch from the tail in my hand, before the monk spoke.


    ¡°Amitabha. I expected you to cheat me. I am not a fool. However... you shall pay me still, and indeed aid my vengeance.¡± The ground shook, and light flared, the array drawing on underground veins of energy, a vanishing rarity as the Earth grew ever-more starved of ether and elemental energies. It was converted to Qi, and Tamamo-no-Mae was surrounded.


    ¡°A pretty trick. But it will not hold me... huh?¡±


    ¡°It does not need too. Amitabha, my fellow seekers of revenge. This fox has wrong you, now it is time to make her pay for her sins.¡±


    Stepping out of the shadows, hidden behind boulders by careful Formations, were a great group of warriors. Samurai, bandits and monks on the human side, while there were other Kitsune, an Oni, a Tengu and a group of six strange women with cruel talons and pale, fang-filled faces on the spiritual side.


    ¡°What a treat...¡± the Oni rumbled, brandishing a colossal stone and iron club. ¡°Remember me, bitch? You killed all my wives! So it is only fair you join them in death.¡±


    Tamamo-no-Mae raised an eyebrow. ¡°I remember you, son of O?takemaru. Wives?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae spat. As she tried to raise her strength the Formation unleashed chains which snared a number of her tails. She rolled her eyes, remaining calm, though I noted her eyes looked perturbed, and the tail in my hand shook. ¡°You kidnapped and abused them for many years. They were quite mad. I killed them? I released them. As for you others...¡± Her head dipped. ¡°Some of you I wronged, took things from on a whim. I know how that feels now. It is likely too late to say I am sorry. But... if you want vengeance, fight me for it! I am Tamamo-no-Mae, greatest of Kitsune! I have lived a thousand lives in a thousand guises, I have ruled kingdoms and caused their downfall, I have fought the followers of the Gods, both winning and losing, I have been cruel, and I have been kind, I have acted on my whims always, yet some moved my heart. I have known love, hatred, envy, charity, compassion, wrath, every emotion known to mortal or spirit. My legend will live on forever, and if you wish to end it here...¡± Foxfire flamed, diminished significantly from when she threatened Patriarch Zixin in my prior visions. ¡°...come.¡± She beckoned with one hand and one unchained tail. ¡°...if I must go to Yomi, I shall not go alone.¡±


    And with that I watched in awe as a battle beyond my imagination began, the Winds boiling all around me, Tia?nyi? singing on the breeze, crowding around the true body of the monk, who was watching in a daze as his duplicate fought a battle from his past anew...

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Six / Side One Hundred And Seventy-Three – Zhao Daiyu

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Six / Side One Hundred And Seventy-Three ¨C Zhao Daiyu


    ¡°Step aside...¡± The Oni gnashed his fangs, his wild eyes staring. ¡°I will crush the bitch myself. I know she has to die, but first...¡± He licked his lips lasciviously, the watching me looking on with revulsion. ¡°...but first, she has to take the place of the wives she slew.¡±


    Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the Oni as if he was trash. Which he certainly is. ¡°Bold words, Oni. But you are not to my taste. I fear I will have to decline. I would rather sleep with a pig than you. I enjoy intelligence and elegance in my lovers, and in both cases a pig wallowing in filth surpasses you immeasurably.¡±


    As the Oni roared in rage at her insult, he rushed at Tamamo-no-Mae. I was curious about the legendary battle that happened nigh-on fifteen hundred years ago, but my attention was focussed on the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows, and the Tia?nyi? that were surrounding him. Unlike Hisui, who came for me and seemed to have bullied the others away from me, he was being harassed by a number of the translucent female spirts. Above all was the Chaotic Winds, and they were what I was most interested in, so my Eye blazed, brining it into focus. Pain stabbed into my brain, matching that which was searing my bodies, but I refused to back down. If I¡¯m going to get through this, I need information...


    ¡°I shall break your legs and arms and use you as a doll!¡± the Oni roared, the strike from him incredibly powerful, surging with earth and also lightning element. It was a stronger strike than anything I could deliver, but with a smile, despite her chains, Tamamo-no-Mae still blocked it, blazing foxfires catching the descending mace. Sweat beaded on her brow, but her green eyes merely held contempt.


    ¡°Oh really? If O?takemaru said that I would at least be concerned, but you? I think not...¡±


    The Winds... they are blowing into the monk, into Tamamo-no-Mae, and ... into me. I looked down, curious. The Chaotic Winds were penetrating me, but I had never noticed before. Narrowing my focus, I tried to feel what was happening inside me, while paying attention to the monk. The Oni was raging, but blood was dripping down his face where it had been burned, and one of his legs was pierced through, and ropey lines of stinking guts were tumbling through a ragged gouge in his stomach, the smell of cooked meat disgusting.


    ¡°I still have my arms and legs... unlike you.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae smiled cruelly, and her unchained tails slashed out, and the Oni¡¯s hands flew off, leaving him dumbfounded as blood spurted everywhere. ¡°You overestimate yourself. O?takemaru is someone who I respect, at least for his power. But his children... all so disappointing.¡± Then foxfire surged, and the Oni¡¯s head exploded. As he fell, ether scattered, and a large amount of it was absorbed into one of the Formations below, starting to be refined into Qi.


    Oh, how cruel. You used the poor Oni, led him to his death, just to fuel your own revenge. Doesn¡¯t your heart ache for him, little monk?


    Yes, so cold. The Buddha would be so disappointed in you.


    I think so too, sister. This sinful man wishes to become Immortal? He is not even worthy of being a Saint.


    Yes, the burden of karma weighs heavy. Best lay it down and come with us. Why experience pain and sorrow striving to deflect death, when you can live in a moment of fleeting bliss that will seem eternal?


    Unlike Hisui, who was nearly corporeal now, these wraith-like Tia?nyi? flitted around the monk, whispering to him, condemning him, and offering him relief. Though such relief is merely death...


    ¡°No... I...¡± the monk said, almost in a trance. ¡°Amitabha, the son of O?takemaru is a monster. I may have tricked him, but I paid what he wanted, a chance to kill Tamamo-no-Mae! I did the world a grand favour, this humble monk bears no karma for this!¡±Updated chapters at novelhall.com


    I see, I see. A fair point.


    But that means... no, we shall wait and see...


    I look forward to it, sister.


    As do I, sister. We must keep watching...


    What also interested me was Tamamo-no-Mae, of course. She was limp and insensible in my arms, but it seemed that this vision was also part of her trial, as a Tia?nyi? appeared beside her, almost tangible, like Hisui. This one was younger, and rather cute-looking, with brilliant orange hair and silver-black eyes, and despite being short, she had an impressive chest. On seeing me looking, she raised an eyebrow. ¡°You are intriguing, but elder sister has claimed you. I will content myself with the empty shell here.¡± She tapped Tamamo-no-Mae on the shoulder. The scene had frozen, leaving the headless Oni, though it seemed present and conscious, if not alive. Well, I guess this is a vision, so it doesn¡¯t have to be real.


    ¡°You wronged him. You killed his wives. Yes, you feel he was abusing them, so perhaps you felt justified. But who are you to come between a man and his wives? Such hubris. You always do as you please. Yet such hypocrisy.¡± The Tia?nyi? traced her hand along Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s expressionless, unresponsive face. ¡°When beings you cherish were endangered, you cried vengeance. Do you not feel shame?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± the Oni¡¯s head reformed. ¡°You did it out of spite, not mercy, bitch! Otherwise why not save them, rather than kill them?¡±


    ¡°Quite. If death is a mercy... you should enjoy your surrender to me. Oh... you do not respond. Your guilt is plain. Allow me to take you away on the Chaotic Winds...¡±


    My Eye observed the Winds strengthening, surging into Tamamo-no-Mae in my arms, and Hisui, having entered this part of the Tribulation now, whispered in my ear, her breath hot and tone sultry, sending shivers through me, but I held to my willpower, resisting. I already have women I like better than you, and when it comes to allure, Tan has you beat hands down.


    ¡°Rude. You are most frustrating. But it seems the Winds themselves are not eroding your spirit as they should. Strange. And your body resists the Purification, though that is but a temporary respite. Where your inner strength comes from, it will surely run dry, little Qi Refiner. Though...¡± Her hand moved to stroke my cheek under my shining Eye, and I smacked her hand away, making her hiss.


    ¡°I will see your secrets. You will offer them willingly to me. If not...¡± She smiled then, showing her teeth, looking somewhat menacing. ¡°...even if you survive somehow, then she will surely not. Her fate is with my little sister now.¡±


    That¡¯s what worries me. Surviving here is of course essential, we can¡¯t achieve anything if I¡¯m dead, but if Tamamo-no-Mae dies here, it¡¯s all for nothing, and worse... Uranai¡¯s prophecy warns the seeds I seek will be plundered and destroyed. I don¡¯t want it to end this way...


    ¡°What you want and what you get are two differing matters.¡± Hisui interjected. ¡°Your time is running out. Hers...¡± She looked down at Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°...hers ran out a long time ago. Besides, she is a sinful being indeed. You have seen only the merest acts of cruelty from her, you know this.¡±


    I nodded, despite not wishing to. I¡¯ll not lie. Even from what I¡¯ve seen and heard here, she¡¯s cruel and capricious. But she also knows positive emotions. Yin and Yang, right? Everything has its place.


    ¡°Would you say that if it was your loved ones she slew in a fit of pique, or your country she ruined because she was bored?¡± Hisui asked pointedly, and I knew the answer.


    ¡°So sue me.¡± I snorted sourly. ¡°Once more I¡¯m a hypocrite. It¡¯s no different to Chen Na and Nie Ling, or even Duke Formor and Grulgor, if you think about it. I¡¯ll use what I can, what I must. Besides...¡± My eyes shone with not just amber light then. ¡°...I think she¡¯s suffered plenty for her sins. Execution would have been far kinder.¡± The vision, the battle restarted as we talked, and once more I was giving it some of my attention while I watched the Winds carefully.


    ¡°We must all fight together!¡± one of the Samurai declared, clutching his katana. His face was noble, patrician in style, and he reminded me of the classic image of a heroic warrior from the past. The other warriors with him agreed.


    ¡°Yes, the chaos she brought when she beguiled our Lord led to the deaths of thousands, and many more uncounted died as famine swept the land!¡±


    ¡°She left with my sister...¡± another declared, furious. ¡°I never saw her again!¡±


    One of the Kitsune nodded, stepping forward towards Tamamo-no-Mae. He smiled, his handsome face reminding me of the Kitsune I slew. Tamamo-no-Mae looked similarly displeased, and she snorted coldly. ¡°You, I see.¡±


    ¡°You? What a way to greet your son, mother.¡± The fox spread four tails out behind himself, radiating power. ¡°This reunion has been long in the making.¡±


    ¡°I somehow understand O?takemaru now.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae said bitterly. ¡°Having disappointing children is a curse indeed.¡±


    ¡°Mother, you wound me!¡± The fox declared insincerely. ¡°If we grew up wrong, surely it is you to blame? Most of us you never spared any thought or affection for. Many of us you killed yourself. Is it any wonder we Kitsune are warped and twisted?¡±


    ¡°Always excuses. I see you have not changed.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae took no responsibility. Several other Kitsune she recognised were hanging back, but the Tengu was urging the six strange women to attack as well. ¡°I was ill-suited to motherhood, I do admit. We cannot be perfect at everything, now can we?¡± She shrugged, ignoring his protests, and the Kitsune laughed, a barking, hacking noise full of resentment.


    ¡°Oh, you are excellent at being selfish, and above all, angering me!¡± He declared. ¡°Humans, if you wish to strike her down, now is your only chan...¡± His words were cut off as Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s foxfire fell from the skies, piercing her son through and burning him from the inside out. As he combusted, he looked at her with accusing eyes which were quickly lost, blue and yellow flames spilling out from his charred sockets. ¡°...ce. Mother.... I... hate.... you...¡±


    ¡°I hardly hated you. But...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae said, a trace of melancholy in her tone, as she watched her son burn to ashes. ¡°...we all chose our paths. Blaming me for the crimes you committed is cowardly. I own my sins. And I clean up after myself. Besides... matricide is against the will of the Gods.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae smirked, and the vision froze, Winds blowing cold and harsh, and the flames formed a fiery version of the slain fox.


    ¡°How wicked you are, to speak of the Gods, you who spit on them.¡± The Tia?nyi? who wished to claim her said, her youthful face now cold. ¡°And you killed your own son, and he was not alone, many are your children and grandchildren who have fallen to your wrath. Kinslayer! Let the Winds be your judge!¡±


    She speaks true. Such is the most heinous of crimes.


    The Heavens hate those who slay their kin!


    She feels no remorse, no guilt!


    The intangible tail in my hand twitched. It was already faint, barely there, but as the Wind roared, it grew fainter, but... Hmm, if I imagine how I felt when I took Shinkume-no-Hana¡¯s tail, then... What could have changed in just a few months? If anything... Tamamo-no-Mae was nearing her end, so she would be even weaker, more a hollow shell. Does that make a difference to my chance of survival? If so... how?


    ¡°Unlike you, she bears heavy, heavy karma.¡± Hisui observed, even as the Tia?nyi? read the Winds and berated the monk, calling him out on leading another to his death.


    ¡°No, Tamamo-no-Mae was right!¡± The monk sweated, his flesh becoming translucent, like thin parchment, veins and arteries clearly visible beneath. ¡°That fox was a fiend who enjoyed murdering virgins after disgracing them, girls and boys both! He was one of the most wanted Yo?kai in this land! I should be praised for leading him to his death!¡±


    True, he was a monster.


    Is that your answer?


    We will accept it. For now.


    But such a firm statement... perhaps it might...


    ...come back to bite you!


    ¡°You bear the responsibility for turning him down this path.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae didn¡¯t respond to the cold accusations of the Tia?nyi? trying to take her. ¡°If you had treated him with love and kindness, rather than abandoning him to his father, who grew cold and distant and abused him, seeing your reflection in him that he longed for, turning him to an abuser in turn... perhaps...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit.¡± I intervened, having heard enough. The Tia?nyi? looked at me, surprised.


    ¡°This is not your concern, stay with elder sister and keep silent. Your life ebbs away, why waste it in defence of evil?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not defending evil. I¡¯m just saying, we are all responsible for our own lives. Tamamo-no-Mae did many wrong things, and not looking after her children until they were adults, able to stand on their own... I can¡¯t even fathom it. My children... I¡¯ll be the best father to them all, no matter how many there are, I swear it to the Heavens and the Earth!¡± I mimicked Daiyu¡¯s earlier oath, and Hisui drew in a sharp breath, as the Winds surged, and another bolt of Lightning flashed across the skies, intensifying the burning agony I felt.


    ¡°Elder sister, is this Cultivator mad? To invoke the Heavens during a Tribulation will only intensify it and make said Oath far more binding!¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not happening.¡± My sis shook her head. ¡°If you die to save my bro, nobody is happy. Think! Eri¡¯s fine, and so is everyone else, so there must be a way.¡±


    ¡°I cannot pass Spirit Water through Eri, when she boasted about her Lovers¡¯ Link, she clearly said it was only aether and adherence.¡± I shook my head, before my eyes widened. ¡°No, we have a link!¡±


    Aiko flushed. ¡°Yeah, that one. It¡¯s...¡±


    Shaeula was cackling, leaving everyone else confused. Chen Na, standing to the side, looking out of place, had been hauled into the room to donate strength. As I glanced over at the maimed Nebisuki, she merely smiled weakly at me. ¡°Even if you save him this way... what of Tamamo-no-Mae?¡±


    ¡°That is not my concern.¡± I shook my head, sliding shut my eyes, inwardly grasping towards the point of connection we still shared. It had faded somewhat, but still burned within me, and even with my eyes shut I could sense Aiko felt the same way. ¡°All we have to do is do our part, and trust Akio to do the rest.¡± The shining pathway in front of my blinded eyes that led to Akio looked a little like a road, a Dao, and I put one illusory foot on it, and then my other, taking small steps, bringing me closer to him, closer to us. There were other strands too, shining beams of light that connected him to countless others, forming a spiderweb of radiance. Aiko was there, still tied to Akio after the efforts to save our lives. Eri¡¯s was a shining beam, surging with rainbow energies, and the others, though fainter, were a tangled weave.


    Akio. Hold on. My thoughts reached towards him. I... no, we have an idea. This is not how our path ends. I refuse to allow it! I have lost everything once, never again! Eri showed us...


    ***


    The battle was fierce. Tamamo-no-Mae unleashed her flames, though with her body bound by chains, another tail ensnared, her aether, elements and more were being drawn out of her into the Formations trapping her. She¡¯s weakening... well, I know how this ends, anyway.


    ¡°Die, monster!¡± one of the long-clawed women screamed as three of her sisters burned to ash, though one seemed to phase back into existence, seemingly reborn, only for tails to lash out, bisecting the remaining four in one set of vicious strikes.


    You let them perish too, feeding your formation.


    They had existence, hopes, dreams...


    Everything you rendered down to mere Qi for your own ends.


    For shame. Can you not hear their screams?


    As the Tia?nyi? surrounded the monk, hounding him, he covered his ears, his body now so translucent I could even see his inner workings. The Golden Core, condensed in his lower Dantian, was clearly visible, and I grabbed what details I could, knowing it would help Daiyu later. Speaking of Daiyu...


    Take it, take it all, drain my dry, leave me a husk. But you need it! Her thoughts surged into me. She was refining her Spirit Water into Qi and transferring it to me, not unlike how we Dual Cultivated. The effort was clearly doing her some injury, but her body refused to quit, Chang¡¯e¡¯s Favour restoring her as fast as she suffered damage to her Chakra network. This is what we believe changes after the Quest. Your Spirit Water reaches new heights of perfection!


    ¡°The false Saint is finished.¡± Hisui observed, though her beautiful face, cheek marred with the three burns, was grim. ¡°It is not so much the weight of his sins, though those who have karmic burdens to bear certainly find passing Tribulations more challenging. But who among Cultivators has not cheated, stolen, killed? No, it is that he has these burdens, yet has never developed a firm, pure heart.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°While I am very hungry, my sisters can have him. His spirit may be Sainted, but it is a false, flawed construction. I would rather not eat rancid meat.¡± She grinned, pointing to the samurai, as he managed to cut a deep wound in Tamamo-no-Mae, but in return she impaled him with one hand smashing through armour, flesh and bone alike, clutching his still-beating heart, only to crush it with a single squeeze, a strange, melancholy expression on her face. ¡°This will end it. For him, and for her too. As for you...¡± She paused, smiling knowingly.


    Oh, he was a good, noble man.


    Yes, a hero. Fighting to right wrongs.


    And yet, you led him here, always planning to kill him.


    Just a tool. But you said...


    Yes, you said...


    The evil deserve to die, so it was no karmic sin leading the Yo?kai here.


    But what of this? Oh look... a man seeking to merely avenge his deluded sister...


    And another... his kingdom burned, and he seeks restitution...


    Tamamo-no-Mae was desperate now, and she fought, heedless of the injuries accumulating, more chains binding her. The mortal warriors died, and then her other Kitsune offspring and rivals. ¡°I... I never harmed your sister...¡± She looked down on the man she had just beheaded, as his blood mingled with one of her grandchildren, a feral-looking, twisted Kitsune with blood-red eyes. ¡°...I found her witty and charming, so I took her to see the world. But the world is not kind. She fell in love with one other than I, a noble abroad. Only to eventually be poisoned when she was no longer beautiful. But you, down in Yomi, know that I had that noble flayed, his house burned, all that turned a blind eye impaled, and his country ruined.¡±


    ¡°You think that justice?¡± Hisui asked, as the monk screamed, finally broken. ¡°No matter. His heart is hollow. Even revenge was second to his fear of his life ending. The Dao of Revenge, the Dao of Hatred, the Dao of Sin. There are many paths one would consider of Yin, but the Heavens and the Earth, just as they are a pair, so too is good and evil, right and wrong, karma. Neither is right, nor are they wrong, and to be true, darkness must contain some light, and the opposite is true. But he...¡± She snorted, as the translucent monk was torn apart, his body disintegrating. ¡°...no hollow heart of fear can form a Dao worth following.¡±


    Ugh... so disgusting. I do not like the taste, sisters


    Maybe we should let the Winds have him?


    No, I shall eat! You always only leave me scarps, sisters!


    Yes, bad food is still food. But the elder sisters always take the choicest meals.


    ¡°Not this time. The meal is bad all around.¡± The orange-haired Tia?nyi? complained. ¡°Such a strong being, easily on par with a Saint, with so much karmic weight... empty, wasted. I found a few dregs, but...¡±


    ¡°I too lose out, it seems.¡± Hisui looked at me sorrowfully. ¡°I cannot persuade you to accept a peaceful end, rather than being ground down by the Tribulation to nothingness?¡±


    ¡°Peaceful?¡± I snorted. ¡°I was here to witness the end of the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows. Having my spirit, my mind, everything about me, torn apart and used as sustenance doesn¡¯t strike me as better.¡± I wasn¡¯t certain why I ended up being drawn into his Tribulation, seeing his fate, but while I was linked thusly with him, I did drag up a few clues. Besides, everyone is fighting for me. Eri¡¯s sending through endless amounts of aether. Such a task is agonising, but everyone is helping. And Daiyu is doing the same with Spirit Water. Though she doesn¡¯t have enough to make a difference, unless...


    Yes, Shaeula is offering her aid, her all. She is condensing every drop she can and feeding it to me. We will endure, we will not falter. So you must fight with every speck of will you have too!


    That¡¯s right! Eri chimed in too. It¡¯s only some damn wind and lightning. We used to get thunderstorms in the mountains all the time! I was scared of them as a child, until one day we were caught in it together with Aiko, and you made it fun for us! Though you got scolded by father-in-law when we got home, all covered in mud and laughing.


    Wow, so embarrassing! Even my sis was there. Sorry I can¡¯t be much help bro, but I¡¯ll cheerlead for you. Uh... don¡¯t get the wrong idea, I¡¯m not putting on a short skirt and skimpy top for you though! I¡¯ll just... oh, you know what I mean. I could tell this time she really was joking about the cheerleader outfit, but deciding to turn the tables, I sent her a thought back of her, Eri and Daiyu wearing such outfits, jumping and waving pompoms energetically. Come on, bro, is this the time for jokes, be serious... but... hey, if you survive this, and come back to us safely, I¡¯ll do it. You would too, right girls?


    I don¡¯t need a reason to dress up for Akio. Do you Daiyu?


    Such clothes are strange, I have much to learn. But... come back to me and I will do anything. Win! My Dao Companion can do no less!


    As the girls did their best to keep my spirits up, I grinned at Hisui, tapping my Eye. ¡°I think I can survive, you know. Now the monk has failed, and it was his Tribulation, the fury is dying down.¡± My Eye wasn¡¯t much use, looking at either the Lightning or the Wind merely gave me a few broken sentences, long strings of question marks, and the fact they were Divine-Class Fate-Type effects, the most powerful I had ever seen. ¡°And as for my Dao... I may not walk a path yet, or have solidified it into a tangible idea, but... I know.¡± The thing I believe in, want to nurture, want to empower, want to make my strength. It¡¯s easy. ¡°Connections. The bonds we share. Not just with each other, but with the world itself. This is my world, Hisui. I sometimes get cold feet, it¡¯s hard carrying that weight. The fate of billions on my shoulders, not just humans, but Fae, Yo?kai, countless other types of sapient beings I¡¯ve yet to meet... I was just an ordinary guy a few short months ago. Maybe less than ordinary. A coward who ran from connections, from attachments, never feeling worthy or good enough. But I look at the lives I¡¯ve changed, and saved...¡± Space collapsed the vision fading, and I was back with Hisui in my own Tribulation. Mine-san was the only one remaining there, and she smiled at me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now. Almost done. You grasped it.¡± She nodded, proud of me. ¡°The emptiness is filled. Nothing hollow can ever resist the Winds.¡±


    As she started to vanish, I shook my head sadly. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s all I can say. Whoever¡¯s fault it was you died, the fact is you¡¯re dead, and the world¡¯s poorer without you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Mine-san laughed, looking embarrassed, even as she turned transparent. ¡°I¡¯m not her, though there are traces of her in me. I¡¯m the intangible that the Winds gathered to test you. Not real. But what¡¯s not real can be real, affect reality, right? Damn, yeah, I really backed the wrong horse in life. Sucks to be me. Maybe if things could have been different...¡± She vanished then, and I finished what I had to say to Hisui.


    ¡°...they outweigh the times I¡¯ve stumbled, the lives I couldn¡¯t save. And so long as I continue to stride forwards, working together...¡± I grinned. ¡°You wanted to devour me? No thanks. I¡¯ll fight until my last breath. I owe it to the trainees, to Mine-san, to the innocents who died in Kyoto... to the beings in the Boundary I¡¯ve killed, for reasons good and not so good... but why not take a little look?¡±


    I lowered my mental defences, and the Tia?nyi? buzzed around, though if any of them closed in and weren¡¯t shoed off by Hisui, I let off small sparks of the golden Lightning, sending them scurrying away. Hisui looked at me warily, touching her burned cheek. ¡°Trying to kill me? That would be petty vengeance and doomed to failure. Though how can you channel the Lightning?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m just diverting it a little. Hurts like hell.¡± I grimaced, Prominence Dusk drawing in tiny sparks, all I could manage now. ¡°Besides, I have something to show you. Why I can¡¯t lose here.¡±


    With one last suspicious look, Hisui vanished, appearing inside my mind. Looking around, she gasped at the shining spiderweb of lights. No, not a spiderweb. Branches.


    ¡°Is this... a tree?¡± Hisui asked.


    ¡°Yeah. You wonder why I came here? This is your answer. A Tree. Of Connections, of Bonds.¡± Towering within me, my body the trunk, was a series of branches of varying sizes. Some were huge, Eri¡¯s, Shaeula¡¯s, Hyacinth¡¯s, while others were smaller. Those who I held with Lovers¡¯ Link had larger branches than those who were tied to me by being Enthroned, Vassalage, or Kin Bonding in general, and there were others connected too, where our spirits had touched. There¡¯s even Shinkume-no-Hana now. Having taken hold of her, she has her own branch. And...


    ¡°Very impressive.¡± Hisui laughed. ¡°A Dao of Connection. And the Wind...¡± It was surging into me, trying to erode everything about me, and also reading me, and my memories, my shame, my guilt, my triumphs and losses, happiness and sorrow. And through me... everyone Connected to me. Eri was there, trying to transfer all she had to me, all everyone had to me. And the Winds touched them too. Faint, and weak breaths but... through her, the twins, Hotene-san, Mariko-chan... Mine-san was the only oddity, but perhaps I would understand it in time. Sorry Tribulation, but despite my failures, they all knew I tried. You can¡¯t bully me with their sadness. It¡¯s too late for the dead, but for the living... I shall shelter them all under the shade of my Tree, all our branches woven together...


    ¡°...it has little purchase here. Yes, now if only you could survive the Heavenly Purifying Lightning...¡±


    He will! Everyone will squeeze out their strength to the last drop topping Akio up! If I get any dissent, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll force them!


    My bro has this! If only to see Eri, Daiyu and me in lewd outfits. Never doubt my bro being a huge siscon, and a stupidly attentive boyfriend to the others!


    I shall Purify him first with Water, so that the Lightning finds him flawless. If there is naught left to Purify, it is merely the fading sparks of an impotent storm.


    As the voices of Eri, my sis and Daiyu echoed within me, reaching Hisui, she froze, eyes going wide in stunned shock, and she choked out a thought that I could hear. ¡°How... this is not correct. The Tribulation should have... no, wait...¡± Hisui felt the Winds blowing. ¡°At this distance from the source of the Chaotic Winds... perhaps... it cannot tell the difference between your bonds and yourself? How... how do such strong bonds form on a backwater world such as this?¡± Hisui clutched her head, trying to make sense of it all, and I knew I was smiling wryly.


    You think I know the answer? I get it, I¡¯m shocked too, but... I don¡¯t hate it. Not at all...

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Seven

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Seven


    Hisui clutched at her head, looking perturbed. After a moment, she narrowed her inky-black eyes at me, and seemed to have made up her mind. ¡°This is not your true Tribulation, little Qi Refiner. Merely the fury of the Heavens for your crass interference. But it seems that you might even survive. Since you refused my generous offer...¡± She reached up and pulled, and several strands of her purplish-pink hair came away and she twisted them into a strand of loops, before a small bronze bell appeared and was attached to it. ¡°...I am curious, just how willyou face your true Tribulations in the future? This...¡± She gestured, and I could tell she was considering my bonds, and the voices of Eri, Daiyu and my sis, who were still encouraging me to do my best, hang on and not give up. ¡°...will not save you. A true Tribulation of Lightning and Wind will not be so easily misled.¡±


    ¡°Your point?¡± I asked, as I began circulating my Spirit Water. If Daiyu and the others felt this was the key to changing my probable demise, who was I to question them? It makes sense anyway. Spirit Water was flowing into me through my Silver Connection, which was also Daiyu, somehow. The flavour, if that was even the right word, was nostalgic, reminding me of both Daiyu and Shaeula.


    ¡°I am simply curious.¡± Hisui smiled. I felt the tugging of her Charm but having been exposed to similar a number of times, I shrugged it off, and her smile changed, growing sullen. ¡°Yes, it seems I am not at my best. This world has changed over the years. You will press on, continue to Cultivate, will you not?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Even if it¡¯s not about power, I promised Daiyu, and I want to help her reach her full potential, realise her dreams. After all... that¡¯s my Dao, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Yes, once the path is embarked upon, Cultivators follow it until the end. You have great heights to climb...¡± Hisui observed. ¡°But should you surpass that fake...¡± She sneered over at where the other Tia?nyi? were tearing shreds of the monk apart, feasting. ¡°...and the true Chaotic Winds blow, you will face might far in excess of what you repelled here. I wish to see it. To sate my... curiosity.¡± She licked her lips again seductively.


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t like you very much. You¡¯ve tried to kill me, despite calling it mercy, and...¡± I glanced down at Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s still body.


    ¡°...give that up. There is no saving her. With no consciousness, one does not have the heart to resist the Winds, nor our tender mercies.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t even part of this Tribulation. Can¡¯t you just overlook her?¡± I asked. The younger Tia?nyi? who was toying with her scoffed.


    ¡°The meal is not as good as I had hoped, but it is my right to feast!¡±


    ¡°See? I¡¯ve no need to offer any of you favours. I might be a pushover for women, but I have standards in who I roll over for.¡± I poked some harmless mockery at myself, but I was serious. The Spirit Water was surging around my sacral and lunar Chakras, overspilling, and my Eye, which was already being taxed observing the Wind and Lightning, sparked with amber letters.


    Your Skill, Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your Sacral Chakra now generates significantly more Water Elemental energy...


    The sudden surge of Spirit Water within me as my body started producing more helped, but that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. Gingerly, delicately... I began to pass more of the burning golden lightning up to my Material body, which was in terrible shape. Not enough. But I¡¯m also in a hurry... The Bezoar had finished drawing in and converting the remaining poison of the destroyed Sessho-seki into earth element, and using the fact that earth fed water, I poured it in, dissolving it, strengthening my water element. I fed my fire into the earth, and my wind into the fire, the four primary elements being consumed at an increasingly rapid rate, but swelling my Spirit Water commensurately.


    Hisui looked at me, as if seeing what I was doing, and shrugged. ¡°I am wounded. Is it not the dream of many men to die in the arms of a beautiful woman? Surely a kinder fate than being purified by Heavenly Lightning, or ground away to nothing by the endless Chaotic Winds. Besides... other, worse things than we are often called by the Winds, to test your resolve and Dao heart. But I... I will come again, and truly match wills with you. My sisters and I, if we hear your Tribulation, will come. Thus, my gift...¡±


    She reached out, tying the bracelet of hair with the gentle bell around my left wrist, and the bell jangled softly in the Chaotic breeze. Moments later her black eyes went wide, and the darkness drained from them, revealing silver irises and deep blue pupils. She spat out some words I didn¡¯t understand, other than one word, a name...


    ¡°She?ng da? Go?ng zhu? Ji?'' e? de gui? hu?n Tan?ha?!¡± It sounded a little like ancient Chinese, perhaps it meant princess, or hungry, if it was referring to Tan?ha?. Hisui was sweating now, her hands trembling a little, and I could see she was communicating with someone outside of the Tribulation. After a moment, Hisui looked at me accusingly.


    ¡°Just what is wrong with this backwater world? Why is Tan?ha? here, and why dies she threaten me over you...?¡± Hisui blinked, realising she might have said too much. ¡°I... I will have to carry news of this back to...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± I broke in. ¡°You seem to know her, so you should be aware she¡¯s quite a thirsty woman, and she has a habit of holding grudges. Butting into her business strikes me as a terrible plan.¡±


    ¡°Even she cannot interfere with a Tribulation...¡± Hisui mused, but her face fell. ¡°Yet afterwards, indeed she could seek me out... but I have a duty to report these matters...¡± She was sweating now, silver droplets falling from her like light rain.


    ¡°Do you?¡± I wasn¡¯t much aware of what went on in the Pantheons above. Tan had mentioned a little, but usually only to emphasise a point or entice us to support her. Seems like the Tia?nyi? are from Tan¡¯s Pantheon then, or at least know of her... ¡°She¡¯s just attending to business down here, if you were smart you¡¯d leave her alone to get on with it.¡± I waved my left arm, and her bell tinkled a little. ¡°At least until you¡¯ve seen my true Tribulation?¡± Offering the compromise, I smiled. Hisui paused, clearly torn, before letting out a bitter sigh.


    ¡°I was terribly excited, drawn into a Chaotic Wind Tribulation. Instead my sisters and I were faced with mere rancid scraps, and now this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, blame the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows.¡± I deflected. ¡°Anyway, I suspect that if you are waiting for my Tribulation, you won¡¯t be waiting decades or centuries. Give me a few years. You can keep quiet about Tan until then, right?¡±


    ¡°Tan?¡± Hisui said incredulously. ¡°You would address noble Tan?ha?, oldest and most powerful of the Three Cravings, eldest daughter of Mara, so familiarly, and moreover, a mere Cultivator, defending a Divine being? This... perplexes me.¡±


    Her remaining sisters were watching on, and as this was happening, I had transferred almost all the golden lightning to my Material body. It was now burning down faster than I could repair it, even with the huge amounts of aether that Eri and the others were still funnelling to me. The Spirit Water isn¡¯t enough, either... maybe if I... My water was not merely concentrated, potent High Spirit Water, from the lands of the Fae, but also infused with Moonlight. I have more of that... Pouring my Mangetsu, the Full Moon Light I possessed, into the Spirit Water, I tried to magnify its power. Ignoring the constant pressures on both my body and mind, I answered Hisui¡¯s confusion. ¡°Tan¡¯s just Tan. Being powerful doesn¡¯t make her any less a person. So if she¡¯s got a problem, then of course I¡¯ll step in. What are a mere few years down here on this isolated planet compared to up there in the higher Astral? There¡¯s no benefit to you saying anything, and only demerits. Like I said, Tan holds grudges.¡±


    Elder sister, we should say nothing...


    It has nothing to do with us...


    I do not want to be burned by her thirsty flames...


    Her sisters will not thank us anyway...


    ¡°Best quit while you are ahead, elder sister.¡± The orange-haired one feasting on Tamamo-no-Mae declared. The beautiful, busty body with nine bushy tails was starting to become transparent, her fur now almost like glass, her skin pale. No good. Time is running out. Come on, come on...


    Feeling my desperation, Daiyu and Eri were squeezing out everything they could, while my sis was sending me inane thoughts, though filled with support and hope. The first thing I had to do was cut off the Wind and Lightning, and I now allowed the Chaotic Winds to flow through me as well, using Spirit Water to direct it around my body. The effort was excruciating, but rewarding.


    Your Skill, Water Manipulation has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first Bottleneck... It was suddenly easier to move the Spirit Water within me. Herding the lightning towards my Material right arm, letting the Winds flow through me, but blocking it as it tried to return, I attempted to convince the Tia?nyi? to relinquish Tamamo-no-Mae.


    ¡°You should quit too. After all, you said your meal is disappointing. Instead, I can put in a good word to Tan for you. That¡¯s surely worth more than eating some shreds of her spirit?¡±


    ¡°Nice try.¡± She laughed my offer off. ¡°I would rather eat now, than worry about tomorrow on an empty stomach. Besides... she is eroding away. It is over. Just be happy it looks like you will survive, and have caught in interest of elder sister.¡±


    ¡°It is not he who has my interest.¡± Hisui disagreed, pouting. ¡°But this world, this situation is most perplexing. But our time is running out...¡± The Winds were dying down now the monk was dead. ¡°Give up on her. She is finished. Do not let your concern lead you to stumble at the final hurdle. It would be a waste for your spirit to be purified to nothing, blown away on the Winds.¡±


    ¡°That almost sounded like you are worried about me.¡± I snorted. Desperately I needed more Spirit Water, and as I poured in all my Mangetsu, I felt more elements coming through my Silver Connection.


    The cleansing of the Lightning was evaded, yet deep into the storm he plunges...


    The whispers of our sister he denied, yet with ears wide open he returns...


    Pitiful foolish Cultivator, tossing aside your victory for defeat once more...


    The harmony of the Tia?nyi? made me shiver, and I could feel their anger, but Daiyu was the first to dismiss them. ¡°I have never heard of beings such as you. I knew of the Lightning from our histories, but... these Winds. It is refreshing to know that there are peaks beyond the peaks, just as I suspected. But as for ignoring you... it is best that way.¡± Daiyu took up a fighting stance. ¡°Begone, woman. Tamamo-no-Mae is under Akio¡¯s protection, and none may harm who he chooses to defend!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± My sis drew her bow too, though considering where we were, I imagined we weren¡¯t really physically present, more... representations... of ourselves. ¡°If you want to attract my bro¡¯s attention, just keep jiggling up and down like that, but do it quietly in the corner while we work!¡±


    ¡°Sis, that¡¯s rude.¡± I shook my head, before apologising to the now-confused Tia?nyi?. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not looking at you in a lewd way. Hisui neither. But... this is my path, you understand? My Dao. My way is Connection, and I already have a connection to Tamamo-no-Mae, as fleeting as it may be. In fact...¡±


    With a sudden thought, a blinking, slightly surprised Nebisuki appeared, her form here fully restored, her missing tails and leg back, though she looked wan and haggard, clearly suffering. Seeing Tamamo-no-Mae now chained in front of her, she blinked, trying to catch up.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not the only one. The Winds test my Dao, you all said, well if I let you have Tamamo-no-Mae now, then I would be betraying my path, my Dao. If so, there¡¯s no way I should have passed this mock-Tribulation. So step aside and we can part here, if not friends, then as acquaintances.¡±


    The Tia?nyi? seemed confused, perhaps not used to entering into negotiations. I heard the voice of Hisui from without, complaining that I was a fool, but I ignored that. I may well be a fool, risking everything when I managed to survive, but... that¡¯s the road I¡¯m walking. Besides, I believe we can do it together, and if we do... save the seeds, and build a foundation here that will withstand whatever comes...


    ¡°So where is this?¡± My sis asked, looking around. ¡°I¡¯m not here really, am I? It¡¯s just my thoughts.¡±


    I nodded, able to feel the connections between us and my Astral body still intact. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°It is written of in the old texts, in the most ancient of the jade tags the Incorruptible Jade possessed.¡± Daiyu observed. ¡°The inner self, sometimes called the Mental World, or the Sea of Thoughts. Cultivators who reached a certain level of strength could manifest their own personal worlds internally. Perhaps those that reach beyond Saint might even be able to express it externally... I would not be surprised if beings of great power have the same ability.¡±


    ¡°So this is grandmother¡¯s world now?¡± Nebisuki said, trembling, her spirit weak and feeble from her injuries. Though it seems Shaeula has stabilised her. ¡°How pitiful. There is naught here but the darkness, the silence.¡±


    ¡°You are ignoring me again!¡± the Tia?nyi? protested, as Hisui also found her way here, followed by a number of the other Tia?nyi?. Seeing them, the first Tia?nyi? tried to make herself look bigger, more threatening. ¡°Sisters, this one is mine, I claimed her!¡±


    ¡°You already said the meal was terrible. It¡¯s because of this, right?¡± I gestured to her desolate world, the Winds blowing in slowly eroding the edges, even the darkness slowly yielding. ¡°In that case, what have you got to lose? If we can¡¯t help her, she¡¯ll die, but if we can restore Tamamo-no-Mae to a more normal state, won¡¯t your potential meal taste better?¡±


    Hisui narrowed her eyes, perhaps wondering what my angle was, so I didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°We can fight now, or fight later, but why not see if we can make Tamamo-no-Mae something worth fighting over first?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, bro?¡± My sis asked, before realising she was speaking out loud. She tried to communicate with her thoughts, but since we were seemingly mental projections ourselves, following the bonds that tied us together through my Silver Connection, our thoughts were expressed for everyone to hear. She looked at the Tia?nyi? before saying her piece. ¡°They might be strong, you know? And...¡± She left unsaid that I was in no state to fight, and expecting Daiyu to was impossible as well, since she was ragged and drained from Qi Refining and passing it to me as best she could. Obviously Nebisuki is no use either, and my sis certainly can¡¯t do it alone.


    ¡°Again, one step at a time, sis.¡± I nodded to show that I understood her misgivings, but then winked. The orange-haired Tia?nyi? tilted her head, confused, but my sis merely shrugged.


    ¡°If you say so bro. Oh... I think I see. That could work.¡±


    I hoped she had understood our trump card here. Firstly, I wasn¡¯t sure of the strength of the beings blown in by the Tribulation. They could hardly be weak, but they hadn¡¯t directly attacked us, instead relying on the Winds and our own mental weaknesses. And despite everything, I¡¯m still confident I can repel their temptations.


    Hisui was the one to break the awkward silence that fell on the dark void. ¡°It matters little. Perhaps I will get my meal yet. If you fail...¡± She seemed eager, only to suddenly widen her silver eyes, alarmed. Yes, she gets it. Hisui grabbed a child-like Tia?nyi? who was skulking around, and rattled off some words in her indecipherable tongue, and all I understood was the name Tan?ha?. The young-looking girl seemed terrified, but Hisui tightened her grip and shook the girl, before she nodded, her eyes teary. With that Hisui tossed her away and she vanished, and while this was happening, I asked Nebisuki a question.


    ¡°Do you know a being called Sekka?¡±


    Nebisuki seemed surprised, but nodded, tails wagging. ¡°I know her. She is what you mortals call a snow woman, a Yuki-onna. She dwells in the far north, on the island humans name Hokkaido. She is not one of the Parade, but even Great Nurarihyon respects her. I am curious, why speak of her now?¡±


    I didn¡¯t doubt the visions were real, but getting conformation is nice. Before I could answer Hisui sighed. ¡°The Laws are followed by all, but you are not wrong. Noble Tan?ha? and her sisters are never ones to forget a slight. I have no wish to provoke her for no gain.¡± That said, she eyed me with curiosity and hunger, as well as a wry, knowing smile. ¡°The Winds may be dying down, but this heartless shell will fail at any moment. I am amazed you escaped the Tribulation, but you are spent. Even your bonds that brought you this far are dwindling...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, bro. What¡¯s your plan?¡± My sis asked again, worried, but stepping closer, ready to defend me, whether she could win or not, and seeing that, I shook my head.


    ¡°Our bonds aren¡¯t spent yet...¡± Sure, what aether I¡¯m receiving has slowed significantly, but I am still getting a top-up through Eri. In fact... Eri, how many are left to contribute?


    Not many. And to be honest, Chiasa-san and Chiaki-san can¡¯t hold on much longer. When you get back, they need a reward, they¡¯ve gone beyond their limits many times over to be of help to you. But if we force it... a few Fae are left, so... Eri finished explaining, and I was now aware of the bounds of what I could do here. At least with my lunar Chakra having Ranked up, my aether regeneration has also increased substantially. I will hardly have time to take it easy, but every little helps. If before was about quantity, everyone pitching in to overwhelm the Winds and Lightning with endless aether and elemental energies, this... this is going to be surgical, all about efficiency...


    ¡°Yes, I too am curious. We all are.¡± Hisui spoke for the Tia?nyi?, the one who was to claim Tamamo-no-Mae nodding rapidly. ¡°Just what are you going to achieve here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it? Why not wait and see?¡± I turned to Daiyu, Aiko and Nebisuki. ¡°All right then. I don¡¯t have a huge amount to go on with, but I have enough to start. A question.¡±


    As they all looked at me eagerly, I spoke, posing my thought. ¡°This darkness... it¡¯s cold and empty, but not entirely empty. What¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°That is obvious. Tamamo-no-Mae, and her chains...¡± Daiyu observed, before smiling happily, having understood, the expression on her face charming in its rarity. ¡°...of course. If this is her Sea of Thoughts, her consciousness made manifest, then if she is still within it...¡±


    ¡°Then we can wake her up!¡± My sis agreed, pumping her fist. ¡°Way to never give up, bro! You¡¯ve certainly changed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, has he?¡± Nebisuki asked, momentarily curious, before her ears lay flat on her skull, her tails drooping. ¡°No, that matters little now. What does is grandmother seems lifeless, insensible. And she is bound in so many chains...¡±


    ¡°Yes, so... we have to break her chains. But I suspect doing it via force here either wouldn¡¯t work, or might even damage her, speeding the erosion of the winds. No... I think what we have to do is stimulate her to break her chains herself!¡± And I have the key to that, I think. Though the question is, can I start the process before I run out of power, before she dies, or... before Hisui and her fellows decide this game isn¡¯t to their tastes? With those thoughts running through my head, I tried to project confidence. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if this would even work, or what the consequences would be. After all... it might not just be the Spirit Water that made the difference, and I¡¯m not out of danger yet. But... ¡°Fortunately, I have at least some of the keys to her chains, I think. So...¡± Taking a deep breath, I began...

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Eight

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Eight


    Considering this was a mental space, and that I could link my Silver Connection to others, providing a deep intimacy of thought and experience, I began. It didn¡¯t feel good, having to share myself with beings I didn¡¯t know well, like Tamamo-no-Mae and Shinkume-no-Hana, but I would do what I had to do.


    ¡°Besides, you feel a little sorry for us, do you not?¡± Nebisuki, now I was connected with her, alongside the others, I no longer addressed her with her true name in my mind, said softly. ¡°I find it equal parts puzzling and endearing. Rather presumptuous too, but... you are an unusual mortal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel sorry for you. Wow, no way!¡± My sis interjected, scowling. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, but I saw Eri torn apart, and that was at least half your doing, you and your little games. And don¡¯t try and give me some crap about oh, I was only playing, if your brother lost, I would never have let that fox take Eri away, because I know that¡¯s a lie!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be. I had no reason to be kind.¡± Nebisuki agreed, still deathly pale, her tails drooping. ¡°Besides, much as I abhorred the little upstart, he was the most promising Kitsune to join the Parade in many long centuries. Ah...¡± She let out a bitter sigh. ¡°It seems we Kitsune shall soon be extinct, if we fail here. So your need for vengeance is satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Revenge?¡± My sis snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t need revenge. Eri didn¡¯t die, bro won. But just because we won doesn¡¯t mean I can forgive you.¡±


    ¡°That is fair. In my long life, just like grandmother, I have doubtless done much that is hard to forgive.¡± Her frank admission threw my sis off for a moment.


    ¡°All right. That¡¯s enough. We have a job to do here...¡± I cut their squabble off as I drew on Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s invisible, zeroth tail, and deepened the overlap between my Silver Connection and her. It was... difficult. Even with her lack of resistance, or perhaps because of it, getting a connection was hard, and the weight of her League, her existence, still surpassed mine. Although, the gap... it¡¯s not so vast I can¡¯t see the other side of it. It felt similar to when I had battled Shaeraggo when he visited Shirohebizumi shrine to seek Shaeula. I was suppressed, my actions having a lesser effect than they should have, but it wasn¡¯t something that couldn¡¯t be overcome with luck and willpower.


    My Eye glowed, and I remembered the last scene, that of Tamamo-no-Mae being trapped by the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows, and his battles. In the mental space we all shared, I willed the image into life, and it was easier than I imagined, the slowly fading remnants of the Chaotic Winds blowing, firming up the images, giving them realism. The Tia?nyi? was watching us in silence, waiting to see how the situation could turn to her advantage, but I ignored her, only focussing a little of my attention on her. It was an odd scene, feeling the weight of the Kitsune in my arms, as well as seeing her chained mental projection, and in addition the Tamamo-no-Mae from her past, still proud and haughty as she dispatched the foolish helpers the monk had lured into being his pawns.


    ¡°Wow.¡± My sis declared, watching as even chained, the most legendary of foxes demolished the incoming Yo?kai and humans. ¡°She¡¯s... like really strong, bro. Are you sure this is a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Honestly?¡± I kept my attention on the mental projection, as her rusty chains twitched a little. ¡°No, but I know that Nebisuki isn¡¯t lying about what Uranai told her. Uranai could be lying, or wrong, but... I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know her, but I do know Tsukiko, and I think they are inherently similar. I think that when it comes to prophecies, they won¡¯t be able to lie. Of course, prophecies are tricky, and I¡¯m still almost certain to die...¡±


    ¡°Nope, not happening, bro. You¡¯ve come too far.¡± My sis insisted, still looking as the scene faded, and I now recreated the vision from the frozen north.


    Bintara was there, talking to the ghostly Tamamo-no-Mae, and Nebisuki barked a laugh. ¡°I see. Sekka, yes. So you wish to seek her out for this...¡± As the icy coffins were revealed, Nebisuki clicked her tongue, ears flopping wearily, tails drooping. ¡°...but such an art, one breath as ten thousand, yes, but so much time has passed. Sekka¡¯s Ice is the Ice that freezes all, even time, but... to ensure so long with such wounds...¡±


    As she identified the situation with her practised knowledge, I felt the remnants of the Wind blow faster, shaving away at Tamamo-no-Mae, but I also noticed a minute shivering in the chains that bound her, not coming from the Chaotic breeze. As I expected. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not going to lie. Su Caihong and Su Liena may well have passed on, but... if they didn¡¯t, if by some miracle they have held on, their time passing as merest fragments of these long years...¡± I thumped my chest, grinning. ¡°Healing has moved on. I¡¯m damn good at it. Bintara has surely improved over the centuries. Even mortal medical technology would astound you. There¡¯s still hope. Besides...¡± I heard a few tiny cracking noises, and only my Eye could pick up what had changed. ¡°...if they have perished, then someone needs to mourn over them, give them a proper funeral. And likely only you know the funeral traditions of Kunlun. And then... there¡¯s revenge.¡±


    The scene changed, to the familiar one to me of Patriarch Zixin and Tamamo-no-Mae protecting the wounded women. On seeing the scene, Daiyu¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Kunlun! And Cultivators of such power! Is... is he a Saint? A true one?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Just like I¡¯m sure Su Caihong was. Two leaders of the true Great Sects. Take a look, this is a priceless opportunity for you.¡± I replied, and Daiyu nodded, black eyes shining, senses straining as she tried to absorb everything around her. Meanwhile, the scene played out as I remembered.


    ¡°I hate that bastard already. What a cruel piece of shit!¡± My sis swore, angry and pouting in her fury, hand clenching her bow. ¡°If this was real, I¡¯d put an arrow through his heart!¡±


    ¡°I get your anger, but sadly this is just a memory. However...¡± I turned to Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s consciousness. ¡°Maybe we can kill him when Kunlun returns. I have a feeling it¡¯ll be soon, the world is changing fast, too fast. But taking on a true Saint, as well as his entire Sect, and all their tamed creatures... wouldn¡¯t your strength be needed? Besides...¡± I felt the Winds blow and embraced it. ¡°...isn¡¯t it better to take vengeance with your own hands? Even if Su Caihong and Su Liena live, He hurt those you care about. Don¡¯t you want to crush him, make him pay?¡± The chains trembled, and there were more minute cracks and chips on the chains. ¡°Remember... remember love. There¡¯s no better emotion to guide you.¡±


    The scene shifted, and now it was the scene of Tamamo-no-Mae and Su Caihong entangled. Nebisuki chortled, watching intently, while Daiyu was more concerned with the room it was taking place in, looking at every painted rune, every treasure, every scrap of jade. My sis, however, flushed a brilliant pink, and slapped my shoulder. ¡°Wow bro. Not cool. It isn¡¯t enough I¡¯ve had to watch you getting laid. Now you¡¯re giving me a Yuri show? Uh...¡± As Tamamo-no-Mae talked fondly of Su Liena, my sis narrowed her bright blue eyes. ¡°...maybe we should leave the fox behind? If she likes young, unspoiled beauties, my chastity is in danger, bro! You wouldn¡¯t like it if she eats me up, would you?¡± was always half-worried you were on that team anyway...¡± I teased, and my sis flushed a deeper red, now pummelling me with both fists. Ignoring her, I turned my attention back to the consciousness of the nine-tailed Kitsune. ¡°The world is full of people, humans, Fae, Yo?kai and more. All the handsome, beautiful, cute... just like my sis.¡± As Aiko lowered her head I reached out, patting hers reassuringly. I can¡¯t help but tease you sis, but it also serves a purpose. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a shame, languishing in darkness, despite the world being a place to enjoy? Though of course, you can¡¯t seduce Aiko, or I¡¯ll leave you a tailless fox. That goes for any of my girls too. But... I¡¯m not one to criticise your love life. After all... we¡¯re not too different.¡±


    ¡°So, you going to start adding men to your harem then?¡± My sis got back at me, and I laughed, rubbing her head vigorously now, making her squirm until she had enough. ¡°Quit it!¡± she smacked aside my hand.


    ¡°Nope, your bro is straight as an arrow. I meant more in... quantity. I can hardly blame her for affairs, when I have more than ten fiance?es.¡±


    ¡°You would have some way to travel to match grandmother.¡± Nebisuki snickered. ¡°But yes, you have made a worthy start for such a stripling. And quite important lovers too. Such as the daughter of Urakaze. It does please me to see her precious child plucked already. But...¡± She seized on my words. ¡°More than ten? Surely you know your wives?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s... difficult. There¡¯s a lot to consider.¡± I have some decisions to make, and hard ones at that. But now, just like Eri says, there¡¯s no point in running from them, or complaining, or wishing things were different. What matters is I¡¯m happy, they are happy, and in the end, it¡¯s for the best... ¡°But my point is... it¡¯s a wonderful world. Sure, there¡¯s bad things that happen, you¡¯ve suffered, and caused a lot of it yourself...¡± The scene switched to the callous way she killed the Cultivator for an ill-judged insult. ¡°...but... I have the solution.¡±


    At that her chains creaked again, and the scene went pitch black, just leaving us and her alone again, the Tia?nyi? still watching, though her eyes were now narrowed with interest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at her bountiful chest, bro!¡± My sis grabbed me, turning my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a good choice, don¡¯t let her figure seduce you!¡±


    ¡°Nothing is happening?¡± Daiyu said, leaking a sigh, sad that she could no longer see Kunlun.


    ¡°Yeah, these were all I saw. But...¡± I looked at Nebisuki. ¡°You have some memories with Tamamo-no-Mae, don¡¯t you? Share then with me.¡±


    ¡°I see. I understand what you need.¡± The fox agreed. She closed her eyes, a slight smile on her face. ¡°It will not be the... prettiest of scenes. I ... apologise.¡±


    Connected as we all were, I was able to shape the scene, though it was a drain on my mental strength. Fortunately, Split Thoughts made it tolerable. The darkness around us changed into a mountainous grassland, the spring sun setting, casting a vivid purple glow over everything. The flower-filled grass was blowing in the breeze, only this breeze was the Chaotic Wind remaining, and it surged into Tamamo-no-Mae, winning my gamble. With the scene set, it tries to erode her with it, but doing so reinforces the scene, pulling from Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s memories too...


    Quite fascinating. Hisui, who had remained outside this mindscape, possibly out of respect for her younger sister, interjected. Using the lingering Tribulation... but beware. The Heavens are not apt to be used and abhor being mocked. You tread a dangerous line, a razor¡¯s edge... I could imagine her licking her lips sensuously. But should you fall and be cut apart, I will be here to feast on your remains.


    Wow, thanks... My reply was monotone, before I switched attention to the scene. A dozen Kitsune were kneeling, and Nebisuki was one of them, though she only had three tails. Glancing over, she shrugged.


    ¡°I was very young. Nobody is born all-powerful. Even those from strong bloodlines like the daughter of Urakaze have to struggle for dominance.¡±


    The scene unfolded, and we watched. The oldest of the Kitsune, with an astounding six tails, was confronting Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°Elder Sister, you cannot be so selfish. The spiritual energy, the Aether, as the annoying humans are calling it, continues to diminish. Now I have aged, yet I cannot condense my seventh tail. Nor can...¡± he gestured over at another, who had five tails. ¡°...she condense her sixth. This is wrong. Now none can reach your heights, and yet... you do nothing to help the Kitsune who are halted by fate?¡±


    Tamamo-no-Mae, wearing a beautiful white kimono, open lazily to the waist, grinned, showing her fangs, her vulpine ears flickering, fur golden under the setting sun. ¡°Of course I do nothing, little brother. What do you expect me to do?¡± Her green eyes narrowed sharply, and as we watched the scene I knew I wasn¡¯t the only one chilled at the intensity and anger within. ¡°Those who have the wisdom have made preparations, and those that need a push...¡±


    ¡°Hang on, just how old are you?¡± My sis asked the question on my mind. The numbers in Nebisuki¡¯s story and Uranai¡¯s prophecy didn¡¯t add up. Nebisuki merely shrugged.


    ¡°Foolish girl. You will not like it when you are old and people question you. As I said, I tried many ways to cheat time. Not coffins of Ice, such as Tamamo-no-Mae had Sekka construct, but... there are pleasant lands to spend frozen centuries in. They move, but...¡± She giggled. ¡°I would be more than happy to take you and your wives, Akio. After all, we share no secrets between us, not now.¡±


    ¡°What an asshole...¡± my sis whispered, and Nebisuki agreed.


    ¡°Yes, he is indeed a vile excuse for a being. Should experience preclude love? As long as one is loyal now, what does the past matter?¡±


    That¡¯s... not a question I want to get into. For the sake of one girl. I¡¯m not sure, and I¡¯ll never ask, but... now isn¡¯t the time for such thoughts. Eventually Tamamo-no-Mae simply shut herself off, giving in to oblivion to isolate herself from the endless pain of being scraped away, body and spirit, inch by tortuous inch over the long years, but I caught her final, whispered words, before they were swallowed by the dying Winds... ¡°At least... feeling nothing is... peace...¡±


    With that the last of the Winds vanished. The Tia?nyi? grinned, coming over, her expression malicious. ¡°Yes, it is peace. Become part of me, my sustenance. You have experience in it. And your sins are heavy.¡± She looked at me, twirling her orange hair with one finger. ¡°Your efforts were appreciated. She has been ground down even further, yet somehow some fragments have risen to the surface. It is still a poor meal, but at least it has some seasoning. Now... leave. My elder sister has given you her bell, I would not dare to take you. But these others...¡± She grinned at Daiyu, my sis and Nebisuki. ¡°There are a lot of us who will be returning above hungry. And we have little time...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Indeed, as the Winds died down and finally retreated, many of the Tia?nyi? were riding them back up towards the upper Astral and places I could scarcely imagine. ¡°I think not. I¡¯ve been wondering... just what could change between now and after the Quest. Spirit Water, sure. But the scattered Tribulation is only one threat. There¡¯s you all. Even if I hesitated and lost the chance to gather seeds... there¡¯s still another way.¡± I tapped my wrist. Originally I was planning it this way, and if I lost my chance I still would. I believe it would succeed, though it would permanently stunt my prospective future growth from the treasure Ortlinde gave me. But it might still have proved worth it, to grow through my own merits, and to help certain others. And... for one more reason too...


    ¡°No? No?¡± The Tia?nyi? growled. The choir of voices intensified, and numerous spirits, young and old, started entering the mental world. Hisui was no exception, though she merely watched, as if waiting for me to fail. ¡°You think I was asking? You might be strong despite your feeble Cultivation, but in a battle of minds you will be devoured if we go all out!¡±


    The thing that could well have changed, that would deal with the Tia?nyi?, is... Using my better understanding of my bonds, I reached out, and soon I had overlapped another Silver Cord on mine. Great mental force surged, the space trembling and cracking, scintillating prismatic light leaking through the wounds in the space. My sis staggered, but even then, she steadied herself, glaring furiously at the Tia?nyi?. Daiyu was calling on her own disciplined mind, and Nebisuki barked a harsh laugh.


    ¡°I am far too weary and wounded for this. But... I hope you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± I agreed, sending my request to the one who could aid me. Are you sure? I was most generous, giving you no limit on the time required to succeed. You believe you can do it in mere months? Hubris. Though a man with confidence has its own allure...


    Yes, once the Quest is done, Avalon... It may not be for me, but if Eleanor lets me borrow it... I don¡¯t think I can fail. So...


    I can hardly let you fall here. My soon-to-be... there was a long pause in her thoughts. ...servant. Have no fear, I shall treat you well, you and the princess both. I will not interfere in your love, for though it is often cloying and tedious, it does break up the boredom. Boredom...


    Yes, you get it. Tan read my mind, before I literally screamed, the sudden, unbearable weight on my Silver Connection making me respect Shiro all the more, knowing she had to feel similar during Divine Possession. It¡¯s fine, Aki. I¡¯m used to pain. Besides, as I get stronger, it hurts less. And pain in the heart is worse than pain in the body. You get it, right? Shiro too shared my memories of the recent scenes, and she had picked out one of the key points. Anyway, bold move, Aki. Makes me feel kind of hot, how you¡¯ll put everything on the line for the win. But... oh yeah, best finish this quick. It¡¯s Daiyu¡¯s day tomorrow right, and ...it¡¯s nearly tomorrow!


    As the Tia?nyi? rushed forwards, Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s mental space shuddered further, and a great vivid violet flame blazed into existence. It soon resolved into Tan?ha?, though her appearance was no longer mirroring Shiro¡¯s, though there were great similarities. I guess all stunningly beautiful women are the same...


    ¡°Of course!¡± Tan?ha? boomed proudly. Her skin was a rich, dark chocolate brown, and her eyes and hair vivid crimson. Her bodyline was the sort men could only dream of, slender and voluptuous at the same time, her long legs drawing my eye. Her voice too, didn¡¯t sound like her thoughts, and I had to look away, resisting her with all my might. ¡°I am Tan?ha?, even if I am merely a projection, I am she who was chosen to Allure the Buddha. Of course I am one of the most beautiful in my Pantheon. No, the most gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°But... you failed, right? Failed on my bro too...¡± My sis was breathing heavily, even as a girl, feeling the immense Charm Tan?ha? radiated.


    ¡°Did I now?¡± Tan?ha? looked at me, smiling faintly, and I felt my chest clench. Damn, this is just a mental projection, and how high is her Charm? It¡¯s making me feel bad, do I do this to girls? ¡°With his... eagerness... to see our wager done, I would think differently. Now... to business.¡± Flames roared, and the Tia?nyi? flew back, panicked. ¡°Begone. I believe I told you this was not your place to intervene, dream parasites.¡±


    ¡°How rude!¡± Hisui complained. She hadn¡¯t advanced with her sisters, hanging back, and she adopted a haughty pose, though I picked up small trembles in her body. ¡°Even you have no right to interfere in a Tribulation! The Laws ingrained in the Astral over long aeons are...¡±


    ¡°Enough. Speak not of secrets mortals should not hear.¡± Tan said without a trace of shame, and I goggled at her for a reason other than her beauty. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but that¡¯s sheer hypocrisy.


    Do you wish my aid or not? Be silent. Her complaining thought echoed through me, and she continued. ¡°This is not a Tribulation. This creature is not a Cultivator. So I can interfere if I so wish. And wish I do.¡±


    ¡°I... I will not let my meal, poor as it is...¡± The orange haired Tia?nyi? cut her words off as flames started rising around her. ¡°...maybe... I am not so hungry after all. But...¡±


    ¡°If you are thinking of telling my father I am here, be my guest. Perhaps he has noticed I have tarried, or believes I am just killing time somewhere, passing the uniform days and trying to maintain my sanity. But remember...¡± She licked her lips, and for a moment I wanted to rush over and hold her. Several of my Split Thoughts shuddered, but I just managed to hold on, Shiro¡¯s mocking laughter in my head, praising me sarcastically for a good job. ¡°...when I return, and I shall... I will remember this. Of course...¡± She smiled then, perfect, luscious lips quirking into a benevolent expression. ¡°...I also remember when favours are done for me. When I return, and I shall... it will perhaps be in glory you can barely comprehend. Father will praise me, and I shall have a realm of my own, or at least a realm I can claim.¡± She glanced at me, her ruby eyes glittering with seductive droplets of moisture, looking like diamonds on her perfect... Damn, yeah... uh... honestly, I¡¯m not sure whether winning or losing the wager will be more problematic. Maybe it doesn¡¯t matter either way. Resisting Tan was definitely an act of sheer willpower, and I had gained several points of Resilience and Determination in just these few moments.


    ¡°We will of course follow the Laws above in such a place, and perhaps you will find yourselves welcome.¡± The flames increased in intensity, and the orange haired Tia?nyi? backed down.


    ¡°I would not dream of speaking of you, peerless Tan?ha?! We Tia?nyi?e?gui?nu?? bow before the Craving of Thirst!¡±


    Hisui nodded slowly. ¡°I held back, did I not, as promised? Though when he faces true Tribulation in the future...¡±


    ¡°By all means test him.¡± Tan?ha? agreed. ¡°I would not care for an unworthy servant, or a weak... well, no matter. My business is just that, mine. I am not here to merely assuage my boredom, Tia?nyi?, no, I have purpose, and father will most certainly understand and reward me greatly, in addition to what I shall gain. Stay on our good side and... time will tell you made the wisest choice.¡±


    The flames died down, several Tia?nyi? visibly pale from nearly being burned, and with some last frightened pleasantries and lingering looks, Hisui eyeing me with greater curiosity than ever, they retreated on the faded Winds, the remnants of the Tribulation coming to a final halt. Relieved I had evaded a second almost certain death, I thanked Tan?ha?, who merely laughed, a beautiful, musical, alluring... Damn. Uh, sorry to be a pain, but... you¡¯re not good for my heart right now.


    Tan¡¯s mental manifestation dissipated, and she spoke to me through Shiro again. How amusing you are. At least you appreciate my beauty. The Buddha, he was a fool, no? I may be cold, but the fire inside me burns hot. And though I was sent to trip his feet, distract him from his Dao, what man would not abandon their path to walk to me?


    ¡°Yeah, you sure are something.¡± I muttered, the words heartfelt, remembering her appearance. It was hard to tell just what was more perfect about her looks than Shiro or Tsukiko, but... somehow, perfect pieces assembled that way made more than a perfect whole, Charm magnifying the effect. You really are a Goddess. Seeing you like that drives home the point.


    Hmm. Of course I am. I always have been. I am glad you realise what a mistake the Buddha made. But there are no do-overs in life. He walked on by. Learn from that. Now, you have borrowed a favour from me you have not earned at the cost of time. But I shall not aid you further. As I proclaimed to them... win or lose. Show you are worthy to catch my eye!


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s showtime.¡± I agreed. ¡°The danger to myself from the Lightning and Wind was resolved, and the danger from the Tia?nyi? is also done. But...¡±


    ¡°That was crazy.¡± My sis was sweating. ¡°Bro, I can¡¯t even deal. When you joked I was on the other team, it somehow didn¡¯t seem a bad idea now... wow, no, no good! I¡¯m totally straight!¡± She shook her head like a dog would, shuddering. ¡°Wow, my bro¡¯s even seducing beings like her now... mom and dad will freak out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not the time for that.¡± I snorted, amused. ¡°Daiyu, are you all right?¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°I simply focused on my own thoughts, digesting what I have seen in these visions. But it was hard. It also... tests my Dao heart. As your Dao companion, to compete with her... no, you were correct. It is not time. So... how will you break her chains?¡±


    ¡°We nearly have.¡± Nebisuki interjected. On seeing me looking, she waved her tails triumphantly. ¡°You hold my name in your clutches. Only if you relinquish it can I be charmed away. To be held by a strong man... a delight I have not experienced. For even in my youth I was no pushover. Perhaps... perhaps grandmother needs that too.¡±


    ¡°I know what she needs.¡± I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°You do too. But...¡± Without the Winds we couldn¡¯t go into her past any further. What we had would have to do. ¡°...now it¡¯s just a case of doing it and hoping for the best.¡± And of course, hope that the danger has passed. But if not... I have no fancy tricks left. So now...


    ¡°Tamamo-no-Mae...¡± My voice resonated through her mental space, overlapping as we were. ¡°Can you hear me? If so... I have a proposition for you...¡±

 Four Hundred And Ninety-Nine

    Four Hundred And Ninety-Nine


    At my words, I heard faint noises again, the chains shivering. For a brief moment, the dead eyes of Tamamo-no-Mae, seeming almost like a weed-choked pond, seemed to glow like emeralds, but perhaps I imagined it. ¡°A proposition.¡± I repeated. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t want to let it end like this? You have unfinished business, both for good and for ill, so...¡±


    This time I was sure I wasn¡¯t mistaken, as her eyelids fluttered again, and her green eyes seemed to gleam knowingly. I then felt a bad premonition, as if a weight was about to crash down on me, oppressive and stifling. With a sound of shattering glass, the mental world was sundered, breaking apart, and in my arms, the body of Tamamo-no-Mae stirred, a barest movement, but several of the severed chains that were still binding her lashed out like snakes, wrapping around my wrist and throat.


    Not good... I could already feel myself being drawn back into her Sea of Thoughts, a new mental world, not one prompted by the Tia?nyi? or the Chaotic Winds, and in desperation I quickly forced the overlapping Silver Cords of Daiyu, my sis and Shiro to separate from my own. There was a momentary feeling of loss and isolation, their presence within me disappearing, and then I was suddenly overwhelmed by the still forceful mind of Tamamo-no-Mae, dragged into her pace, my grip on her tail now feeling like holding the tail of a tiger. Once you hold on, there¡¯s no letting go until the end, not if you don¡¯t want the tiger to kill you...


    The mental space resolved into a facsimile of the inside of the Sessho-seki, Tamamo-no-Mae back in her chains, hanging in the centre, long hair brushing the floor, tails drooping listlessly. The difference is I was looking at her from a higher standpoint, and as I tried to move I realised I too was bound in chains, feet unable to touch the floor. Seeing me struggle, Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s eyes flickered open, and her jaw worked soundlessly for a while, until she managed to croak out some ponderous, weak words. ¡°Arrogance... I... abhor... arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I knew everything was too easy. Easy, hah... we danced on the edge of death all through this, but because it worked out it seems trivial. But honestly, I feared and expected this final step... ¡°It seems to be that you¡¯re the Queen of arrogance.¡±


    ¡°I... had... rights to be.¡± She sneered, her pale face haughty and beautiful even now. ¡°But I am... so... very tired. I just want it all... to end.¡±


    ¡°Why? The Saint of Swallowing Sorrows is dead.¡± I persisted. ¡°And you survived.¡±


    ¡°Survival?¡± She rolled the word around her tongue, as if tasting it. I was aware we weren¡¯t physically present, our minds and spirits merely overlapping, me swallowed by her immense will, but it did seem real. ¡°And what do I have to... survive... for? I am broken, ruined... the world... has passed me by. Let me end, let... it end.¡±


    I frowned in disappointment. It isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t understand, but... Seeing my expression, she grimaced, showing her fangs. ¡°You do... not... get to lecture me, whelp who has... lived a ...mere... handful of years. What... suffering have you... known? Losses... endured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost those that matter. Yes, I¡¯ve avoided the worst, but even so... this isn¡¯t a pissing contest about who has suffered most. Nor even about who deserves it.¡±


    ¡°Pissing... contest?¡± She paused. ¡°You have strange... mannerisms, boy. And the language is... familiar, yet... not.¡± For a moment her green eyes held a spark of interest, before it was quickly extinguished, eyes darkening once more. ¡°The world... has passed me... by.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but...¡± I tried again, and she snorted, radiating scorn.


    ¡°I am... tired, boy. So very tired. Besides, I have... my pride. Arrogance, you... say I possess? I call it... confidence.¡± She stole the line I was going to use earlier but never had the chance to, and on seeing the look on my face she snorted wryly. ¡°You are an... honest one. Displeased, are you? I care... not. I felt... the cold Wind... the whispering... voices, telling me to give in... but I had already given in. Darkness, oblivion... it is all... I have left, I crave. And now... at least... the wretched monk does not... prosper from my... sorrows. Amitabha.¡± She muttered mockingly.


    ¡°I have confidence too.¡± I assured her. ¡°Confidence that it isn¡¯t time for you to give up! What foolishness would it be, here and now, just dying? When you lasted so long, did so much...¡±


    ¡°You think you know... what I did?¡± Her voice was firmer, as if she was becoming used to speaking again, even though they were merely transmitted thoughts. ¡°Oh... yes, you ... were there. I could feel you. Thoughts flickering...¡± She suddenly seemed surprised. ¡°How... weak and useless... I have become. Me, the woman that... made empires rise and fall on whims... who charmed the mighty... who roamed the world... as I pleased... letting my name bind me. But... I have nine tails, boy... even broken, I doubt you can force... me to heel. You have not the strength. I do admit...¡± she conceded graciously, though that too reeked of her arrogant disregard for me. ¡°...to have survived... shows you are not useless... but you rely on... others... too much. Only your own strength... matters. The strong are always the... lonely.¡± Hearing the melancholy in her voice, I disagreed.


    ¡°With only yourself to fight for, I can see why you would choose the end. The easy way out. Cowardly.¡± At my words her eyes narrowed, and I could feel a dark killing intent boiling, the fictional Sessho-seki around us seething with blue shadows. ¡°If you only disappoint yourself, let down yourself... hurt yourself.... Well, then death is an option. That¡¯s why I can never fail. Because I have those who push me forward, those I want to shield, those I want to stand alongside... and you do too. What of Su Caihong? Or Su Liena?¡±


    At their names, her anger spiked. ¡°Do not speak of them! You think you can trick... me? Oh... you saw... my sorrowful memories. I think... I remember. You wretch. They are dead, my efforts ... all in vain. Even if not... I merely wished to pluck Liena, she was so beautiful and pure. And Caihong¡¯er... she was simply my most recent... fling. You know I have many children, after all... I remember that little Kitsune from before... with you. What was her name again, I do forget?¡±


    Liar. But your lies don¡¯t escape my notice. ¡°Nebisuki. She begged me to free you.¡± You still call her Caihong¡¯er. And your eyes... they are full of a different sort of hatred now. Self-hatred. You regret it, I know... ¡°But forget her for now. Don¡¯t you want to live for them, see if you can reunite?¡±


    ¡°You... anger me.¡± Her League rocked me, tossing me in my chains like a boat adrift on a stormy sea, an apt metaphor as huge amounts of inky-blue darkness element were surging, buffeting me. I opened myself to it gently, drawing in what I could for some respite. ¡°I have been severed from the... outside for... so long, but I know... too many years have passed. Even with the work of that old fool, and Sekka¡¯s frozen blessings, they will have perished, alone, unmourned and unrevenged. To think otherwise...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± I disagreed. ¡°After all, the fact you survived proves miracles can happen.¡±


    ¡°Do not... question me. You know nothing! Everyone... knows nothing. Mortals, spirits, Yo?kai, even the wretched Gods... nobody ever learns, or simply... repeats their same mistakes. Endless... day after day, after month, after year... after decade, after century... after millennia.¡± She was raging now, the truest emotion I had seen from her here, no lies in her. ¡°Endless repetition of folly... nothing changes, nothing has value. Only one¡¯s own self and what one can... grasp!¡± She looked at me then, bitter. ¡°Even so, strength is no guarantee... of survival. Caihong¡¯er... this noble me...¡± She addressed herself sarcastically. ¡°Before us, many heroes and powerful beings... perished. These lands... where are the Kamuy that called them home now? Buried by time, and by our hands...¡± She glanced at her own hands, with their elegant long nails, suddenly pained and enamelled. ¡°By mine. Time... the endless repeat of failures, nothing ever changing... it is so... boring. Even a mountain wears down under wind and rain, and rock shatters when cold. We that live... we are not mountains, but flesh and spirit. Best not to care, to do as we please, live like fleeting sparks, and burn out. And my spark... it ends.¡±


    ¡°Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.¡± I quoted, though I never knew who originally said it. At that, she looked up, and I smiled as comfortingly as I could. ¡°I don¡¯t forgive you for what you¡¯ve done. Nor do you need my forgiveness. I saw some of your deeds, and history tells us of many more, though most think them myths. It¡¯s been a long time, and things have changed.¡±


    ¡°I am ... always told things change.¡± She dismissed that sarcastically. ¡°But all change is simply more... of the same. And who are you to question me?¡± Her tails stood up, and foxfire flared to life overhead, though I didn¡¯t miss the pained expression crossing her face. My Eye flashed orange, and I could see that even as a mental representation, her body was a mess, Chakras warped and melted, her capillaries, branches and meridians ruins, probably from long centuries of forcible extraction and Qi conversion by the Formations. Shit, I bet even just being conscious must hurt her. It¡¯s just like Eri and Shiro... ¡°And do not pity me! I neither deserve it nor want it...¡± She roared, convulsing. ¡°In the end, the only change is the end. Where I no longer have to suffer...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll do what I please.¡± Foxfire exploded, but it was weak, all sound and fury, and quickly swallowed by the roaring blue darkness around us, only a few faint burns on my imaginary form. ¡°After all, you said it yourself, only strength matters, and I¡¯m strong enough to feel sorry for you, judge you, if I so wish.¡±


    ¡°I told you... I despise arrogance.¡± she warned me, and I shrugged as best I could in the chains.


    ¡°And I told you, you aren¡¯t the only one with confidence here. Look, things have changed. Not everything, we still fight stupid wars, the world is in more danger than ever, the good often go unrewarded and the bad sometimes go unpunished, but... I... we... have the chance to change it. Because we do remember, you remember.¡±


    She mutely watched me, eyes glittering with emotions I couldn¡¯t discern, so I continued. ¡°Nebisuki wanted you freed, because otherwise the Kitsune will all perish. And I think... despite everything, despite all their blood you shed... your own brother¡¯s...¡± I found that hard to understand. I¡¯d never raise a hand to Aiko, even if she was taking the wrong path, I¡¯d stop her without hurting her. ¡°...your own children...¡± Asha¡¯s daughter isn¡¯t even born yet, and already I can tell I¡¯ll always love and cherish her. This fox... she¡¯s alien to me, but... I can see the recognisable emotions within her too. She¡¯s the mountain, tall, proud and so utterly lonely, whereas life is the wind and rain and snow, wearing her down, cracking the rocks, and seeping in and freezing, shattering her, leaving only a cold, hard core... that¡¯s no way to live...


    ¡°I am the mountain, you say?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae said softly, and I realised we were sharing our thoughts. ¡°And I regret Caihong¡¯er, my own cruelty? You presume to know me? From your mind you have lived barely at all. Can the pebble know the heart of the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Easily.¡± I said with conviction. ¡°After all, both are made of rock. Sure, there are many different types, and the stone doesn¡¯t feel the mass of the mountain always bearing down on it... but a stone can glance up at the mountain and feel sympathy for the heavy weight it must endure.¡±


    ¡°Sophistry. Your words are pretty, but futile. Even if I wished to live, which I do not... I am broken, shattered. Perhaps letting my granddaughter kill me, as I slew so many, might be a suitable end... another repetition of the boring follies...¡± Her League surged, oppressing me, and the blue darkness pushed against me, starting to eat into my mental projection. I sped up my absorption, watching as the image of Tamamo-no-Mae wavered, her own spirit now too powerful for herself, hastening her collapse. ¡°...if I kill you here, you shall release her tail. Then she can take vengeance...¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want vengeance. She¡¯s like you said, just followed in your footsteps, the way you¡¯ve paved for the Kitsune, doing cruel and kind things on her own whims, but always lonely, fearful.¡± I resisted the pressure. ¡°But she chose to reach out, to take a chance, to break the cycle. Because she¡¯s seen through us that the world has a hope for change. As do you. You only need to... reach out.¡±


    One chain holding me cracked, and I extended an arm, heedless of the pressure. Seeing that, Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s smile changed, her eyes frigid and malicious, sparkling like jade. ¡°If you know history, you know not to trust me. I have led many men and women to their ruin, twisting them to my whims. I shall do the same to you...¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± I promised, steeling myself for the final certain death Uranai had likely foreseen. ¡°And that¡¯s because I¡¯m not the mountain, alone, exposed to the wind and rain. I¡¯m a tree, in a forest, so the wind and rain feels gentle.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± She spat a laugh. ¡°You have a pretty tongue, boy, for sure. In better timers, I would certainly have been interested in a dalliance. Taking you from those you claim to love, proving my superiority... or perhaps... stealing those you love from you, breaking your heart...¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± I aped my sister. ¡°You¡¯re into Netorare, huh? Well, considering how you wanted Liena, I¡¯d say you¡¯re into pretty much everything...¡±


    ¡°Speak words I can understand.¡± She frowned. ¡°But you hold no fear...¡±


    ¡°If I or they can be broken apart so easily, it means our bonds were weak, our love was. And I know that¡¯s not true. I believe in them, and I believe in me. Even if, like you, I carry my sins. I swore to love only one woman, then discovered I couldn¡¯t do that...¡±


    ¡°Hah, who can?¡± She seemed almost sympathetic for a moment. ¡°I suppose... this has been amusing, if nothing else. But I grow weary. My mind is fogged. I have... wished to cease for too long. I cannot change my course.¡±


    ¡°Give me a chance. I can probably fix you...¡± I said, and her eyes narrowed, her anger returning, the brief goodwill my confession of tangled love had garnered vanishing.


    ¡°Again, I have made it quite clear, I...¡±


    ¡°Coward.¡± I threw my own anger back. ¡°You¡¯re happy when you are doing as you please, ruining lives, taking what you wish, praising your strength... but when I come to dominate you, you cry and quit the game. Coward is all I can call you.¡± I repeated, harshly, and she blinked at me, amazed.


    ¡°You dare?¡± she said, stunned.


    ¡°I do.¡± I shrugged off her pressure and negative emotions, the darkness in her heart eating away at me. ¡°You¡¯re no longer the top dog around here... or top fox. I came to save you, we came, and we fought off a Saint, crappy as he was, the Heavenly Tribulation, the Tia?nyi? .... And if you resist, I¡¯ll make you submit. You don¡¯t get to take the coward¡¯s way out. That¡¯s not how Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s story should end! Mountains may get worn down by the wind and the rain, but... they can still grow despite that. Have you never heard of colliding tectonic plates?¡±


    She cocked her head, not understanding, but moments later she laughed in a mixture of anger and delight. ¡°This... this is new. I have been threatened by many, those seeking their deaths, those that hate me, my enemies... but no-one has ever threatened me to live.¡± Her green eyes gazed deeply into mine, and she licked her lips, and I could feel her Charm, even now. It was a pale shadow of Tan?ha?¡¯s, but still immeasurably alluring, and I could see why so many had been seduced by her over her long life. ¡°In... that case, foolish boy... prove it. Here, prying into the flickers of what remains of me... endure what I endured, and then survive. If so... I will consider your plea...¡±


    Without even waiting for my agreement, the darkness suddenly overwhelmed my throat and lunar Chakras, flooding into me, drowning my mind. I could hear her shrill, cold laughter, and gathered a single Split Thought, separating it. With a surge, I counterattacked, sending it into Tamamo-no-Mae, carrying abundant memories, and also a single mocking statement. You don¡¯t get to consider, I know how that goes. I survive, and ... you obey! As I¡¯ve proved I¡¯m the stronger one!


    ***


    I had stopped chanting my mantra, now merely staring blankly at the Formations. Without that to cling to, it was near impossible to think, like I was trapped at the heart of a volcano, breathing in poisonous gases and bathing in molten magma. Why... am I doing this again? Oh... yeah... to win over Tamamo-no-Mae. But... I¡¯m dying. I can feel it. She has my respect, enduring this. It¡¯s been... what? A month? A year? If there was something distinct to focus on... but here in the Sessho-seki there¡¯s nothing to show the passage of time...


    Closing my eyes, for a moment I nearly gave in, only to reconnect with my separated Thought a little. That flooded it with pain too, but it also jolted me back to what I was doing. Damn, Uranai wasn¡¯t kidding, but... This was surely one of those problems where knowing failure was a near-certainly was a way to beat it. I can¡¯t have grown that much stronger in just a month or so, so all I need to do is push on when I want to give up, do it a few times and... I¡¯ll win.


    Needing something else to focus on, I started simulating some Chirurgery in my head, shutting out everything external, less than successfully. My thoughts kept blurring and scattering, but I persevered. I¡¯ll need this for if... no, when this is over...


    ***


    ¡°Still here, are we?¡± I was doubled over, barely able to move, but I raised one shaking hand and gave Tamamo-no-Mae a thumbs up, answering her question. She cocked her head, puzzled at the gesture.


    ¡°It¡¯s... saying... everything¡¯s okay.¡± I managed to wheeze.


    ¡°Is it? I hardly think so. Your stubbornness will kill you. My anger towards you has died off. I would let you go if I could. Unfortunately...¡± She actually did look sorry. ¡°I am far from my best. I cannot recall my anger now, it has escaped my fragile grasp. Have no fear, I shall likely perish when you do, or mere moments after. My body was ravaged, cannibalised. Managing my last strength proved beyond me, it seems. I was prideful until the end. For what it is worth... you did try.¡±


    ¡°Trying doesn¡¯t count for... shit.¡± I coughed. ¡°I¡¯m not here for the participation... prize.¡±


    ¡°So fierce.¡± The foxwoman smirked. ¡°I agree. Many tried to defeat me, and only that wretched monk succeeded. But in the end, for what?¡± She looked around at my memory, of defeating Mary Stuart and her false Angels in London. ¡°Yes, the world changes but it is still the same. The playground of those with power. Once I was one of those.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we never stop... striving. I may be far stronger than... I¡¯ve ever been, but a boy with a slingshot can fell and... kill a legendary knight.¡± I grated out, matching the tone of the scene. ¡°And I don¡¯t... want to... be getting hit by that... stone. Which is why I... need... you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot how it felt to have my heart race. Much as I hated that Cultivator who trapped me, I also grew to crave his love, for if he loved me, he would not wish to hurt me. I despise myself, I do. Do you perhaps love me now, crave my compassion? I told you, it is too late...¡± She reached down a hand to me, and I pushed it away weakly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter... yourself. Don¡¯t... get me wrong, you¡¯re... certainly a legendary beauty... but... nobody I love... loses to you!¡± I changed the image to all of the girls, though the numbers tallied wrong. ¡°No... I need you to... protect our future. In exchange... we¡¯ll be... comrades. I¡¯ll help you...find a place where you can be ... yourself, and ... never be bored again. In exchange... you protect them, and.... atone...¡± Only by concentrating on my goal could I keep sane. It wasn¡¯t so much the pain... Who am I trying to fool? The pain is unbearable, but... it was the slow disintegration and regeneration, which was rapidly wearing me down.


    ¡°Atone? Why?¡± she asked, genuinely puzzled. ¡°Those I have wronged, those I have hurt... from what you have shown me, I have been trapped for more than a thousand years. Perhaps some still live, such as Nebisuki, but... what good would it do them?¡±


    ¡°It does... you... good.¡± I surprised her. ¡°If everything is boring, meaningless to you... give it... meaning!¡± Oh damn, it¡¯s so hard to think now. No... it seems like time has passed, but it¡¯s all in my... our mind. Tomorrow¡¯s still... Daiyu¡¯s birthday. And I¡¯ll not... give her grief as a present... ¡°Be a person who... does good. Save the Kitsune who remain, many of them... will be your... kin... your family. Protect the world... you once made mistakes in... and save all the... fun... that you¡¯ve never... exper...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish, the world lurching, inky blue darkness drowning me, sucking me down. I could hear a faint, slightly disappointed voice, so faint and distant... ¡°...rather a shame. He was right, here at the end, someone to talk to... it was hardly so bad. But none can bear what I have borne...¡±


    ***


    Is this my limit? Was I too reckless? No... no it isn¡¯t. This is where... I have to push through. Essentially just a thought trapped within a bubble of torment, I laughed at myself. If only this wasn¡¯t a frozen moment, a slow exhalation of thought, then I could have something to cling onto. But...


    ... v... ... ... ...


    ... e...


    ... u... ... ...


    ... p...


    A slow, ponderous thought sawed through the darkness, something to cling to. Each sound, each syllable, seemed to take a second, and also a dozen years. But the voice I recognised. Eri. Of course...


    I had shut out the others so they didn¡¯t get trapped in this mess, but Eri¡¯s link was different. Momentarily brightened by that, I could hold on again for a while longer, but soon, after an indeterminate time, I once more sank into despondency, my spirit ready to surrender. I went beyond my limits, so... shouldn¡¯t I have succeeded? Or no... do I have to go further?


    Eri¡¯s soft thoughts were drowned out, no longer able to sustain me. Wryly, I imagined Uranai laughing at me, thinking I could cheat her prophecy. It was fitting, in a way... Wait, no, no it isn¡¯t! For a moment I had almost given in, let the thought of failure send me slipping into the endless silence of death. Understanding just why Tamamo-no-Mae had given into her destructive impulses, I managed to apologise to her, in the distance. I had stopped showing her scenes, not able to spare the mental energy, but... One last one... maybe?


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m... sorry.¡± I croaked, and the fox looked down at me, surprised.


    ¡°I had thought you finished.¡± She was using her tails as a seat, and she patted one, gesturing for me to come. With bloody hands I crawled my way across the darkness which had the solidity of the ground, and slumped on her, golden fur tipped with red now stained silver and crimson as I dirtied it. I was surprised as a tail wrapped around me, and it was oddly... comforting. ¡°Come to beg? Like I said, it is far too late...¡±


    ¡°No. Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have... told you... how to feel. This is... very unbearable. You must have been... truly strong...¡±


    Surprised, she laughed. ¡°I never thought that would be your last words. Yes, I was strong, unsurpassed even. But everyone can break. You draw your strength from others. If those others are no longer with you, are you merely a hollow shell?¡±


    ¡°No. No.¡± The scene blurred, and this memory I could barely hold together with what little mental strength I had left. Tamamo-no-Mae looked around, intrigued, at the faded, almost glass-like scene. ¡°If all I do... is... take... strength... not... fair.¡± I had to start omitting words, as my willpower was bottoming out. ¡°...right to... be strong... them... also... for myself.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I can do it. I haven¡¯t... the strength. But... in a month... just maybe... she¡¯d be...


    ¡°So what is this? You were right. It was not boring for once.¡± She glanced around at the bright lights and bustle of Las Vegas, the hordes of people, seemingly made of shadows and stained glass. ¡°I have seen similar already...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I croaked again, collapsing most of my Split Thoughts into one desperate surge of will, holding the pain in another. Only... seconds... or what feels like it... ¡°But... you could have done this... easy... way...¡±


    With all my might I pulled on the invisible tail of Tamamo-no-Mae I held. It wasn¡¯t the firm grasp I had like on Shinkume-no-Hana¡¯s, even weakened and a shadow of her former majesty, Tamamo-no-Mae was proud, unyielding. But she was weaker perhaps even than I was now. It¡¯s quite possible to die from pain, or at least break into an idiot. But I need to remember... I may be spent, but compared to what she¡¯s endured...


    Tamamo-no-Mae shimmered, the thought-form of her wavering. Her tails stood up and she cried out, but I was resolute, clamping all of my will down on her tail like it was my lifeline, which indeed it was. ¡°I shall not... yield...¡± She declared. ¡°Even Nurarihyon cannot.... bind... me...¡±


    ¡°That was... then. Sorry. I don¡¯t want... to... enslave you... but I need you to... stop this!¡±


    ¡°I warned you, I cannot, I am too weak, too worn... no!¡± She widened her eyes, realising she was vulnerable.


    ¡°Just... try. All... I ask.¡± She shuddered, drool scattering from her mouth, convulsing as she struggled, a fox caught in a trap. It evaporated, and the image I had used to distract her faded to a cage of mirrors. Everywhere she looked she could see herself, and me. I can¡¯t hold this... long. ¡°You set... it... in... motion. Release me, and...¡±


    ¡°...and?¡± She gnawed on her lip, tearing it open. Her chest heaved as she tried to resist, but even as the pain she had experienced continued to flay my last defences, I could feel her withdrawing her darkness element, and cracks were spreading through her dreamscape, light seeping in, looking like sunlight creeping through dark clouds.


    ¡°...we¡¯ll talk about it. After!¡± I pushed through a limit I would have surrendered to, if I wasn¡¯t aware I just needed to go a little further, a little faster, not to die. Rejecting the pain but accepting the suffering Tamamo-no-Mae had endured, I pulled, and overlapped her with my Silver Connection, for the first time, being truly synchronised. Doing so was a different sort of pain. As her Sea of Thought, as Daiyu called it, collapsed, all her remembered pain gushed into me, my actual Astral body and mind, and the sudden torrent would have drowned me, washed me away, perhaps even killed me, but... It might have just been an illusion, but it felt real to me... so... I let it wash through me, and more to the point, took it. The burden on the Kitsune lessened, her consciousness rising from the dark corner she had hidden it in, a bitter, frightened being who had let everything burn down to embers just to preserve one quiet, solitary sense of self. As my eyes flickered open in the Boundary, I found myself still holding Tamamo-no-Mae, lying on the lap of Shaeula, who was grinning happily. Everyone else looked sour, but on seeing me open my eyes, they smiled, relief on their faces.


    Shaeula reached down with one soft hand and stroked my hair gently. ¡°So, you woke-woke up. I never did harbour any doubts you would, but-but...¡± Her smile was now blindingly radiant. ¡°...I still-still believe you need to apologise for making them worry.¡±


    Relief flooded me, and I glanced at the fox in my arms, as her eyelids began to flutter, and her tails slowly twitched. Is that it... did we... do the impossible? Exhausted, the brief time I had spent in her mental world seeming now a distant, yet awful eternity, I drew a long, shuddering breath, tasting ash and sulphur, as well as a rich, earthy smell. I never want to have to do this again...

 Five Hundred

    Five Hundred


    Seeing the other girls look a little envious of Shaeula I raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Eri was the one that answered for me. ¡°To be fair, we played a game of chance to see who would get to look after you while you were out. We should have known better, matching luck with Shaeula isn¡¯t going to end well for anyone but her.¡±


    Shaeula merely grinned at that, glancing at the ring of golden knots and thorns on her finger. ¡°I have always been lucky, there is no-no need to be jealous. It was only for a few minutes, was it not-not?¡±


    ¡°Is that how long I was trapped in her Sea of Thought?¡± I asked, instinctively looking down at Tamamo-no-Mae. The remaining chains had started to disintegrate, and her colossal chest, now hidden by a coat draped over her, had begun to move, breaths coming slowly. ¡°It seemed like... damn, a long time. Everything blurred together...¡± I shuddered, remembering just how brutal the pain was. My thoughts could already run at a speed far outstripping ordinary people, even so, it seemed... excessive. Perhaps Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s mind was powerful indeed, even after all her torments. If so, I have even more respect for her will, if not everything else...


    ¡°Yes, it was merely twenty minutes or so.¡± Motoko said. At my questioning expression at seeing her, she shrugged. ¡°I covered her with my coat. There are... men present.¡± As my expression changed, she let out a surprisingly amused laugh, a little at odds with her usual elegant demeanour. ¡°You should already know we were here, I know Daiyu and Eri were communicating with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we weren¡¯t going to be left out.¡± Natsumi agreed with a grin. ¡°When our fiance? is in need, we¡¯ll be there. Don¡¯t feel bad for us.¡±


    ¡°Quite.¡± Motoko nodded firmly. ¡°I know you wished one of us to triumph in your little challenge, though perhaps it is better this way. Choosing between Natsumi and I must have been a nightmare for you, trying to appear fair...¡± She paused, her smile deepening. ¡°...It is quite all right, I will pretend Natsumi had a chance compared to me. What she does not know cannot hurt her.¡±


    For a moment there was silence, and I was shocked too, before Motoko¡¯s face reddened, and Natsumi burst out laughing. ¡°Sure, keep telling yourself that, Motoko! I may be your friend, but all¡¯s fair in love and war!¡±


    ¡°Is it me... or does everyone seem a little different?¡± I asked. Motoko wasn¡¯t usually one for humour, being quiet and serious.


    ¡°This time was... nerve-wracking. It brought everyone closer. Apart from poor Asha, Kana-chan and Hinata. They all missed out.¡± Natsumi said thoughtfully. ¡°Kana-chan was still working at your construction projects, Hinata is returning from Seoul, and Asha... nobody wants to risk her. She wanted to help, but... we knew that you wouldn¡¯t want to put her or your children in any danger. We were right, weren¡¯t we?¡±


    All of the women nodded fiercely, and I finally smiled, feeling that it was over at last. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too uncertain. I don¡¯t know anything about Fae pregnancy, but I¡¯ll learn.¡±


    Eri was the one to agree. ¡°We all need to learn. Asha is the first, and it makes me rather jealous, but our time will come. But fortunately, we gathered other allies. When we called on your behalf, they answered.¡±


    I could see Shaeula¡¯s brother Shaeraggo, accompanied by Selensha. Shaeraggo was casting glances at the badly wounded and pitiful looking Nebisuki, who now outside of the Sea of Thought of Tamamo-no-Mae was back to her tragic state, missing a leg and two tails, though her wounds had stabilised, likely due to Shaeula¡¯s ministrations. Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. He shouldn¡¯t be doing that with one of his wives just there. The Fae really do have a casual and tangled web of relationships...


    Beside them was Haano?bo?, accompanied by a number of Tengu. She was wearing her mask as usual, but it was impossible to mistake her wings and vibrant hair. Seeing me looking, she muttered out some words. ¡°We have an alliance with you, and Great Taro?bo? would not break his given word.¡±


    ¡°And it has nothing to do with the fact it was Akio who was calling you?¡± Natsumi teased her. ¡°Your dear brother called, how could you refuse?¡±


    ¡°He is not... no, it does not matter.¡± Haano?bo? wrapped herself in her wings like a cloak, clearly embarrassed. Since going through the trials of Mount Atago together, Motoko, Natsumi and Haano?bo? had a closer relationship than I had initially expected they would. ¡°I am pleased to see you safe. I had heard it was a grave undertaking.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s only room for one sister here!¡± My own sis insisted, half-joking. ¡°Oh well, at least I¡¯m not tsundere, so I have the advantage.¡± There was further laughter from everyone, relief starting to overpower the sense of urgency and danger.


    ¡°And are you ignoring us?¡± A harsh yet amused voice broke in, and I turned to see David Reckless, sitting down casually on a nearby boulder. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt the feelings of our dear Princess if you do.¡± Beside him, Eleanor was perched elegantly, despite her pale face of exhaustion, her green and gold armour making her look regal, even so drained.


    ¡°David...¡± she hissed, clearly flustered. ¡°This is hardly the time for your jokes.¡± As he raised an eyebrow at her sardonically, giving a mocking laugh, she shook her head. ¡°Enough out of you. We are not being ignored, he was getting to us.¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the help. Every drop of aether and elemental energy was vital, this really was a reckless move.¡± I couldn¡¯t resist a pun which got a wry chuckle out of David.


    ¡°I am glad you appreciate our aid.¡± Eleanor relaxed, her normal calm demeanour reasserting itself. ¡°Obviously we have many demands on our time, trying to solidify our control over London and the surrounding areas, especially since we are shorthanded...¡± Remembering that made her sad. There had been a full accounting of the Chosen of Britain after the betrayal by so many, falling in with Mary Stuart, and a number more had been relieved of their duties and were under close watch by the British government.


    Seeing how her words had dampened the mood, she flushed again. ¡°Never mind that. We are allies, so it is only natural for us to aid each other in times of need. You would do the same for us, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If one of us is stronger, we all are.¡± I agreed. Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s breathing was now regular, and I had a feeling she was conscious, just pretending to be unconscious, trying to assess the situation. Not that I can blame her. Everything that happened in her mindscape seems like a dream, though that might just be because of the warped sense of time and all the pain. Holding in a shudder so as not to worry everyone, I continued.


    ¡°Not that I want you to think I¡¯m only doing it because you helped us, but it seems that Motoko and Natsumi are decided.¡± I glanced at the Elves too, remembering my sis having said Bell had done something impassioned I hadn¡¯t seen. Seeing my look, Bell shrugged, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face, and Soliteare nodded her agreement. ¡°The Elves agree, it seems. So assuming that Miss Aditi can prove herself compatible, the Favour is hers. Besides, you are shorthanded.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there.¡± David teased. ¡°Thanks fangirl, quiet girl.¡± He waved approvingly at Natsumi and Motoko. ¡°You as well.¡± The Elves were also thanked. ¡°Our little miss Asian will be delighted to be back on the front lines. It¡¯ll be hard on the teacher, but...¡±


    ¡°David, we can hardly ask for more.¡± Eleanor demurred. ¡°Of course, I do hope that you bear our aid in mind when it comes to taking treasures from the Tower...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, those are two different matters. Hinata would be angry if we don¡¯t get what we paid for.¡± I teased Eleanor. ¡°But of course Mrs Mary-Jane can be considered if a suitable Favour presents itself.¡± I then looked around, surprised. ¡°So, are we underground?¡±


    My sis nodded. ¡°Yeah. I had to make it my Territory, the Boundary... apparently it¡¯s screwed here, and I know you want it in check. Before you say anything my big bro moonstone would say...¡± She cut me off. ¡°I know it¡¯s a huge risk, you don¡¯t have to tell me, bro. But you also knew going after this bad old fox...¡± She nodded at Tamamo-no-Mae in my arms. The Kitsune twitched a little, and I knew she was listening. Does she understand us? Perhaps as we were sharing minds...


    ¡°...was a risk too, a bigger one than this, but you thought you had to do it. So you planned as best you could. It still needed everyone to help out, but... this isn¡¯t any different.¡± She grinned triumphantly, hands on her hips despite her exhaustion. ¡°She should be done soon. We¡¯ve been digging!¡±


    I glanced around, and I could see that her golden warriors were indeed expanding the cavern we occupied, and as my Eye flared, the effort incredibly fatiguing, with how drained I was, I could see where the damp, musky smell was coming from, as I saw Hyacinth sitting amidst a smaller side tunnel, a rich vein of ruby elemental energies gushing out of cracks in the ground. A ring of vivid mushrooms and toadstools had grown around her, and her body was radiating her nature element, spores continuing to grow out the Ring Gate.


    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided then.¡± I conceded. Having a Territory offered a lot of benefits, but also matching risks. ¡°However, when the Ring Gate is linked up, get Ixitt¡¯s Mobile Silos to ferry over enough ether to get upgraded to Rank three and throw down some extra defences. It¡¯s only a million or so ether...¡± Only a million. I remember when that was an unimaginable sum. Now it¡¯s a day with Shiro¡¯s extra buff and me mitigating it. Of course, since I¡¯ll be going abroad for a while soon, that isn¡¯t an option for the near future...


    ¡°Thanks bro!¡± My sis gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Appreciate it. But for now, shouldn¡¯t we worry about other things?¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time.¡± I broke in. ¡°One thing at a time. For now... let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ve a lot to do before tomorrow.¡± Offering my hand to Daiyu, she took it gently, and we waited for Hyacinth to finish...


    ***


    ¡°This seems manifestly unfair.¡± Nie Ling rarely complained, she was usually withdrawn and quiet, but now she was protesting bitterly. ¡°If she¡¯s in fact Bao Si, as the stories say, she is responsible for much greater evil than I did! And it was at her own pleasure!¡±


    ¡°I see my legend lives on.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae said unhelpfully. Once Hyacinth had exhausted herself creating the Ring Gate and linking it to the Hub at Shirohebizumi shrine, we had returned there, though my sis had stayed behind, and was receiving ether shipments organised by Shaeula. ¡°But what does that matter? I know not what you have done, little girl, but from your words, you have done evil too. Does one being more heinous negate the lesser?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± Ling seemed unwilling to back down. I was having her send Tamamo-no-Mae to the Material, as it was not something she could manager herself, unlike fifteen hundred years ago, due to her malformed network and the lower ether density of Earth. Beside us stood Hyacinth and Tsukiko, who had decided to take care of her acclimatisation. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I remembered.


    Tsukiko wants to be useful, and feels a little out of place herself, having embraced her own self, not as just the Diviner, so she also feels that fish-out-of-water vibe. As for Hyacinth... when she heard what Tamamo-no-Mae had endured over the long years, perhaps it struck a chord with her, as she wished to also help her. Her nature as at least partially a Brownie likely influences that too.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t being punished like I am!¡± she finished, losing steam.


    ¡°Am I not?¡± The Kitsune laughed. There was another here, her granddaughter, though she was waiting for Shaeula to recover some aether to treat her injuries with Chirurgery. I¡¯ll likely have to finish it off, she¡¯s totally broken by the loss of her tails and the backlash, but once she¡¯s stabilised properly, we have time. ¡°I endured more than you could cope with, little girl. Perhaps it was not punishment meted out by those I wronged, but you would not last a moment under that pain. I have lost more than you could ever hope to understand.¡±


    ¡°Look, are you unsatisfied?¡± I asked Ling, troubled. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand where she is coming from, but nothing changes the innocent dead of Kyoto. While the level of blame she should face is tricky to decide, both legally and morally... she also needs to live with it herself. ¡°I know you¡¯re not free to do your own thing, but you live quietly at my estate, you can go out if properly supervised, and you may think we¡¯re exploiting your powers, but... we are paying wages into an account for you. You just can¡¯t access most of it yet. Do you really think that you didn¡¯t do anything deserving of punishment?¡±


    That silenced her. Biting her lip, she cried out. ¡°I¡¯m not as strong as you. Perhaps I should have spat in its face, let it consume me... but I¡¯m no hero. I did what I had to do to survive!¡±


    ¡°And so are we. Your power is needed. And honestly... do you want me to let you go? I can.¡±


    She paused, surprised, and opened her mouth to speak, before her expression changed, and she looked down, torn. I thought I could understand her, so I pressed on. ¡°What would you do then? I¡¯ll give you what you¡¯ve earned, so you can buy a small home somewhere, but trouble will come looking for you, we both know it. You have power, but it isn¡¯t one that is useful alone. Not against someone like me, or even the Chosen in Korea. And you know that defeating you would strengthen others. Besides... you strike me as someone who doesn¡¯t want to fight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I never wanted any of this. I just wanted a peaceful life...¡±


    ¡°Which you have, it sounds like.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae interjected. ¡°I see no manacles, no chains. You are not starved or tortured.¡±


    ¡°Chains can be invisible...¡± Ling pointed out, and Tamamo-no-Mae seized on that as if she was waiting on it.


    ¡°Yes, they can. And I am so bound. I am merely a poor slave to this master of yours. Unlike you though, I am not human. I shudder to think how I will be used and abused, tormented to make up for my crimes...¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t do that.¡± Ling said, and Tamamo-no-Mae smirked, her point proved. Ling flushed, but then sighed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m a weak person. Why the Duke of Dreams chose me, I have no idea. Honestly... I thought I would hate this, hate you.¡± She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. ¡°But it isn¡¯t so bad. Using my power for this, not to fight. I¡¯ve visited the construction site. It¡¯s miraculous. Seeing giants and machinery hand in hand. If... if I make the world better, maybe...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll sleep better at night?¡± I asked knowingly, and she sighed.


    ¡°I had no choice. I... think you were too cruel to me. But... I know many died so I could live. You¡¯re right. Unless I somehow convince myself it was worth it... and I can¡¯t go home. In China I¡¯m a traitor they¡¯ll hunt down, and it is as you say, others like us will hunt me... even so, her punishment should be greater than mine!¡±


    ¡°It was greater than you could imagine.¡± I assured her. ¡°Not that it makes the crimes she committed disappear. But... just as I need your powers, Nie Ling, I need hers. Understand?¡±


    ¡°I do. But... You¡¯d really let me go?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Before... maybe not. But you¡¯re right about one thing. There¡¯s no fair solution to your crimes.¡±


    ¡°Such a meaningless conversation.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae waved her tails. ¡°You acted in your own interests. Others paid for it. Just own it. I do. Now it seems you are paying penance here. That should be enough. Nobody can turn back time. Now, little girl...¡±


    ¡°I have a name, it¡¯s...¡± Ling began, but Tamamo-no-Mae cut her off.


    ¡°Now, little girl...¡± she repeated, and Hyacinth giggled. ¡°...I am eager to see the world that lacks boredom I was promised, and... it has been many, many long years since I have known pleasures of the flesh and spirit. I am eager to regain some semblance of joy, if only to spite that old fool who tormented me.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it...¡± Ling said with a frown, before saying hesitantly. ¡°Do you think I can be like you, and not regret it one day?¡±


    ¡°Who is to say I have no regrets?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae laughed. ¡°I am naught but regrets. But I am who I am. I did those acts, through boredom, malice, hubris, pride or jealousy. I am me, I could have done nothing else. Of course, now... I cannot live for myself. So for now... I shall try being a new me. But even a new me, memories merely a mask I wear, shall still act as I act, for I can do naught else. You... had no choice but to be yourself. Those acts have consequences, but... how you decide now is also not a choice, but inevitability.¡±


    ¡°Inevitable?¡± Ling nodded. ¡°Maybe so. In that case...¡± She looked at me seriously then. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind some of my wages... if I¡¯m... going to keep on doing this work, I want to take some pride in it, not just feel like I¡¯m atoning, or being punished. And... donate the rest. It won¡¯t change anything, but... I will do some good in the world. Besides...¡± She looked on, earnestly, and I thought it was the truest face she had ever shown me, her spiky, bitter defensiveness and self-pity swept aside to reveal her core. ¡°...I really don¡¯t hate the work. Seeing everyone working together to build something, rather than working for that monster who threatened and controlled me, only seeking to destroy... I think this is the better path.¡±


    ¡°And there is your answer, little girl.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae smiled. ¡°If you have no choices, either accept that, or convince yourself that your lack of choice is meaningless. I shall do the same. Though again., being myself, I can do nothing else. Though being dominated will be a novel experience...¡± Her grin was wicked, so I shook my head.


    ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough of that. I¡¯ll talk to Hinata. We¡¯re actually already donating to the victims¡¯ families on your behalf, but I agree it¡¯s more meaningful this way. Now, I¡¯m in a hurry, can you send Tamamo-no-Mae over now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I too am eager.¡± The Kitsune crowed, and as aether surged, and Tamamo-no-Mae shed her Astral body, I recreated my Material form, while my Astral one headed for the Ring Gate, for the Fae Realms. I need to restore as much of my aether and elemental energies as possible for Daiyu¡¯s day tomorrow. No, it¡¯s nearly today, in fact. In any case... at least that¡¯ll be a much more pleasing undertaking than today¡¯s was... Exchanging a knowing glance with Nebisuki as I left the room, I found myself grinning, admiring Asha¡¯s great Tree that towered over the Ring Gate Hub.


    We did it. Uranai believed that Tamamo-no-Mae can protect my seeds. Now all I need to do is gather them, sow them... and then... the harvest!

 Five Hundred And One

    Five Hundred And One


    At the rebuilt mansion in the lands of the Fae, I gratefully took a drink from the weaselkin maid Klena. Taking a sip of the fruity, restorative Faerie wine, I tried to fight off my bone-weary exhaustion, while in the Material, I was watching Tamamo-no-Mae looking around our estate with a mix of curiosity and detachment.


    ¡°I...¡± My hands trembled a little as I remembered the numerous times I had come close to death. Uranai wasn¡¯t wrong. I had been through difficult situations before, but not a number of deadly threats in quick succession. ¡°...never mind. It¡¯s over.¡± I didn¡¯t like gambling with my life, or putting the others in danger. But often it¡¯s necessary. Uranai seemed to know just what to say to make me act. That makes me wonder... I had the gift of Prophecy myself, now that Tsukiko had given me the Divine Favour of Tsukuyomi. Perhaps the outcome was always meant to be my victory, but the way to achieve that was to predict something else? ¡°Just like that movie, the Matrix. When the Oracle said that Neo wasn¡¯t the One... she knew he was, but only telling him that would make him act the right way...¡±


    At Klena¡¯s quizzical look, I barked a laugh, starting to feel a little better. ¡°It¡¯s a classic film. Next time you are sent to the Material, why not watch it? You might not understand much of it though.¡±


    As Klena protested that when she was there she was to serve her princess, as well as me and the other girls, I took several deep breaths, calming my nerves. Forgetting the sheer torment that Tamamo-no-Mae had inflicted on me was proving a challenge, the suffering carved deep into me, but fortunately, I could already feel my Resilience, which had grown significantly through my efforts to resist, first the Chaotic Winds, then the Tia?nyi?, and finally that agony, starting to soothe my mind, allaying my fears. Speaking of the Tia?nyi?...


    My Eye shone. Fortunately, merely observing an item didn¡¯t take much strength, as I was trying to recover as much as I could so that I could satisfy Daiyu as she wished on her birthday. Daiyu herself, while excited for tomorrow, had also been drained of strength, so was sleeping, though I doubted she¡¯d let any of her day go to waste if she didn¡¯t have to. She¡¯ll be up early, I¡¯m sure. Besides, as a Cultivator, and as Chang¡¯e¡¯s Chosen, she has excellent recovery.


    Tia?nyi?e?gui?nu?? Bell of I Whisper High On Golden Breeze... With Skies Like Sapphire And Jade... I Lure Those Fools To Desire¡¯s Gate... And With Wings Unfurled They Meet Their Fate... In Cold Arms Tight, With Jade Skin Soft And White... Even In Death There is Surely Delight. [Item Class: Powerful] [Item Type: Law]


    This Bell, crafted from a strand of a powerful Tia?nyi?e?gui?nu??¡¯s hair, containing her unique Aetheric and ???????? signature, will resonate and ring when exposed to the Chaotic Winds, making her spirit tremble. She will then be able to determine where the bearer of this Bell is, and be drawn to it.


    ¡°Damn, she wasn¡¯t kidding when she said her name was a poem. That¡¯s a damn mouthful. At least Hisui definitely fits, considering jade is in her name several times.¡± Although, it doesn¡¯t look like the Bell does anything useful for me. Why is she so sure I won¡¯t just take if off, or destroy it? She¡¯s right, though...


    Perhaps I was too easy to read, Shaeula, Eri, the others, even my sis... they were all able to tell what I was thinking most of the time. Continuing to drink my wine, I shook my head self-deprecatingly. I survived, and if... no, when I inevitably rose to face such a Tribulation in future, better a familiar face than a Tia?nyi? I didn¡¯t know. Besides, I had a feeling she would be easier to bargain with.


    ¡°That said...¡± I muttered, taking out the Spatial Ring I had crafted for Daiyu. ¡°There¡¯s one item that I need to do something about first...¡±


    Withdrawing my own severed arm from inside, I grimaced. Of course, having been hastily infused with materials from the Sessho-seki, as well as a significant amount of High Moonlight Spirit Water, spatial and darkness elements. It was a strange deep blue colour, threaded with violet and orange veins. On seeing it, Klena shuddered a little.


    ¡°Master, what-what is that?¡± she couldn¡¯t help but ask, and I answered her with a sigh.


    ¡°Sadly, my arm...¡± Seeing her glancing at my unwounded body, puzzled, I snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I grew it back. Now, I need some peace and quiet. But can you fetch me something sweet to eat, like honeyed fruits? I know that the Mirror Bees are producing lots of sweet treats.¡±


    She hurried off after a curtsy, leaving me to investigate my crude, desperate handiwork. I had to hurry, as the arm trembled, and I could feel it starting to corrode from the inside.


    Crude Right Arm Of Tribulation [Item Class: Noble] [Item Type: Law]


    Severed flesh, fused with potent Spirit Water, imbued with Light, Darkness and Spatial Elements, to form a crude cage to hold Mutated Elements of significant power. The workmanship was crude, and unless reinforced, the Heavenly Purifying Lightning and True Chaotic Winds inside will break free. As these Elements are part of ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? this will attract the fury of the ???????? Heavens.


    The design elements intended have likely not yet been implemented, as the Elements within, despite being frozen in the infused Ice created from the Spirit Water, are slowly beginning to revert to their base forms.


    ¡°For a rush job in those circumstances, I don¡¯t think I did so badly...¡± Stinging at the implied criticism from my Eye, I grimaced. I was going to need Shiro¡¯s buffs and likely help from a buffed Bjarki too to finish the work, but for now... Can¡¯t let those elements get away after trapping them. Sure, I did it to survive getting caught in the Tribulation, but what idiot would let such a chance escape them?


    I didn¡¯t have long, though. While the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows had fooled the Heavenly Tribulation, when his tricks were revealed, his end followed rapidly. Now the Arm was free of the Spatial Ring, which contained several Formation Plates I had salvaged from the Sessho-seki, making the Ring in effect a similar thing, it was starting to crumble.


    ¡°All right, soon as I get this done I can concentrate on recharging myself, ready for Daiyu.¡± I hyped myself up, and began to work aether, as well as adherence. I had a lot more of the shattered remains of the Sessho-seki, and the mansion also had some crafting materials such as bluesteel and other metals, though it was a far-cry from what my Territory stored. As I worked, my Eye notified me of several more Rank-ups of my Skills. My overall power had increased a lot, and not just mine. Now that the immediate situation was resolved, and before I gathered the seeds I could, it was probably worth taking stock of everyone¡¯s progress, and work out the best avenues for them to focus on. I¡¯ll start with Daiyu, of course.


    The key to this craft was to strengthen the spatial and isolating aspect of the Arm. Eventually, I hoped to improve it so that we could feed in wind and fire elements to strengthen the unique elements within, but the main thing was to prevent escape. I copied some of the patterns and runes I had observed and memorised, but I wasn¡¯t able to make them work as a Formation. Maybe later...


    After several hours, I was done. The arm had stabilised, and after a quick glance at it, annoyed that it was still called a Crude Right Arm, I stowed it away. It buys some time, that¡¯s enough. Klena, who had returned a while ago and was waiting quietly, offered me a plate of the honeyed and sugared fruits I had asked for, as well as some baked treats that were clearly inspired by mortal cookies and as I took a bite, I closed my eyes, concentrating on relaxing and allowing my energies to replenish...


    ***


    ¡°Work hard, little pest, ooor else I will be angry!¡± Hyacinth complained, and Azuki darted behind the legs of Tsukiko, glaring with her little ruby eyes at Shaeula.


    ¡°I am doing my job, crazy maid!¡± Azuki shot back. ¡°I have to protect the home. I¡¯m doing it, I¡¯m not being lazy!¡±


    ¡°Hyacinth has given this hooome my blessing. Your aid is nooot needed. Clean, tidy! This place is a mess, I wish I cooould spend more time here, but I have sooo many demands on my time. Nooot that I would complain, Akio, nooo, never, but...¡± Seeing me looking, she seemed ashamed of her complaints, but I was happy to see it, and as I smiled warmly at her, she flushed, her purple eyes narrowing in pleasure and embarrassment. I walked over and patted her head, stroking her hair a little.


    ¡°I know. Shaeula needs you when she meets with the dignitaries of the Seelie Court. It¡¯s a status thing, having a powerful maid, and is there one stronger than you? I don¡¯t think so.¡± At my understanding she seemed relieved. ¡°I like spending time with you too. But just like I¡¯ll be going abroad without you soon, sometimes we have to be apart.¡±


    I glanced at Azuki. ¡°Try to get along with Hyacinth. And you... get along with Azuki, all right?¡± As Hyacinth pouted, Azuki nodded.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, mother-in-law Emi.¡± Eri smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand the difference between Dao companions and marriage, but they¡¯ll be together forever, so why worry about little details like a ring?¡±


    ¡°I must say, you¡¯ve become calmer, Eri dear.¡± My mom replied, and as that was happening, Daiyu unwrapped the box, revealing the jewellery within. Her Qi Perception touched it, and she looked surprised.


    ¡°Happy birthday.¡± I said again. ¡°Here¡¯s your gift. It¡¯s a Spatial Ring. It¡¯s a staple of Cultivation stories. Also... I managed to salvage a fair few things from the Sessho-seki. So they¡¯re inside. There¡¯s something else in there too, which has to stay there, but... anyway, I hope you like it.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Daiyu agreed, flushing. Sliding the ring onto her finger, she let out a little Qi, and produced one of the Formation Plates from inside. ¡°This is a princely gift.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just sorry he missed our birthday. But there¡¯s always next year, right Motoko?¡± Natsumi remarked. This was one of the nights they stayed over at our estate, though they were too drained and exhausted to do much more than sleep. I noticed neither of them were wearing their school uniform or even their customary training hakama, instead wearing robes similar to Daiyu¡¯s usual attire.


    ¡°That is correct. I hope to have a wonderful day next year. But for now...¡± Seeing me looking, she smiled. ¡°This is Daiyu¡¯s day, and she has gathered her disciples. We are happy to be able to share a part of it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re skipping school. Fortunately we actually get praised for it.¡± Natsumi giggled. It was then that the door opened, and a familiar face walked in, though she looked pale and exhausted.


    ¡°Hinata, you¡¯re back.¡± Eri said, and Hinata nodded tiredly, holding the door for some other guests.


    ¡°Excuse me. We meet again.¡± Yu-mi said with a smile. She was wearing a smart skirt suit and white shirt, looking rather mature and business-like. Beside her was another familiar face to me, Suk-ja, the young Korean Hunter I had hired. She was wearing jeans and a jersey, but on seeing me she nodded.


    ¡°Thanks for coming.¡± I said in Korean, having picked some of it up from Yu-mi. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it should be an easy job. I just want you to use your Winged Diamonds of K¡¯uk¡¯ulkan so we can extract the Crystal element.¡±


    She nodded again, but before she could reply, a woman swaggered in, wearing a skimpy tank top and shorts, despite the autumnal chill. ¡°So this is your house, huh? Nice. And it¡¯s as full of cute girls as I imagined.¡± Violet-noona grinned savagely. My mom¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at seeing such a... unique... woman, her vivid tattoo sleeve drawing her attention.


    ¡°Oh my, so bold.¡± Mom chuckled. ¡±Aren¡¯t you a fiery one? I love the tattoo!¡± Being a British woman, mom didn¡¯t have the same distaste for them as the majority of Japanese citizens. ¡°So, you are...?¡± Since Violet-noona was speaking in English she replied in the same manner.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Akio-oppa¡¯s subordinate. But the Blue House is getting really annoying, so I decided to cut and run... ah, I mean, leave things to my little bro and head over here for a while. Someone has to watch little Suk-ja here. It¡¯d be way too annoying to deal with Ji-ho if something happened to her. At least she¡¯s from Inevitable Victory. If she was one of Lee Jong-su¡¯s girls, you¡¯d have him acting like a worried chaperone.¡± She grinned wickedly. ¡°You do have a reputation, and it certainly looks well-deserved.¡±


    ¡°I told you I can handle it.¡± Yu-mi shook her head. ¡°But I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Happy birthday, Daiyu.¡± Hinata ignored their bickering. As Daiyu thanked her, Hinata turned to me again. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s taken me so long. There¡¯s definitely more to this situation than mere incompetence. I¡¯ve extracted monetary and political compensation out of the Korean government, but... there¡¯s an undercurrent I don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done your best.¡± I gave Hinata a hug, and she kissed me on the cheek softly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take up more of Daiyu¡¯s day. Besides, I need a bath and some sleep. I only snatched a little on the plane.¡±


    Yu-mi suddenly widened her eyes, pointing at Tamamo-no-Mae, her nine tails draped behind her. ¡°Who... what is that?¡±


    ¡°Rude child.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed. ¡°Am I not a beautiful, alluring woman?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re certainly beautiful, but... oh, I see. One of those.¡± Yu-mi glanced at me for confirmation, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a Yo?kai. She¡¯s staying here for now.¡±


    ¡°Not one of your women then?¡± Yu-mi questioned me with a little smile, and Tamamo-no-Mae simply snorted in derision at that.


    ¡°Nope, just an ally.¡± I said firmly. As we were talking, the door opened, and Suzu-san burst in, excited. Since she was staying in the empty house on the estate to prevent her risky lifestyle of sleeping in internet cafes and cheap hotels in shady areas of Tokyo, she was often a visitor for breakfast, but today she was positively giddy with delight. Following her in were three women wearing training-wear, tracksuits and t-shirts.


    ¡°Uh, should we really be here?¡± Ema-san said shyly. Her tracksuit was pink, increasing her youthful vibrancy.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kanzaki Keiko-chan reassured her, winking at me. Her tracksuit was a pale blue, and beside her, the warmly smiling Asuka-san was in bright yellow. ¡°Our manager said we can, since we¡¯ve mastered the routines for the weekend so fast. In fact...¡± Keiko-chan lowered her voice a little, embarrassed. ¡°...despite you saving us from Sora-kun... they now want everyone to have the same procedure we did. It seems a little ungrateful, if you ask me. Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Nope, no problem at all!¡± My sis bounded over eagerly, standing beside Suzu-san. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re here. Awesome. Told you it made sense. So...¡± As Suzu-san and my sis began chatting to the idols, I turned to Daiyu.


    ¡°Sorry about this, it¡¯s supposed to be your day, but there¡¯s so much going on.¡±


    ¡°It is fine. After all...¡± Daiyu smiled. ¡°While I wish to spend it with you, I also wish to make a start on other matters. I believe that Miyu and Michiru will be arriving soon.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I looked at the eager trainees Daiyu was going to instruct in the basic arts of Qi Refining. ¡°...I¡¯m sure I can help.¡± Today is going to be a welcome change of pace. No life or death battles, merely making the day special for a girl I love...

 Five Hundred And Two *Contains Status – Akio ?, Daiyu 2*

    Five Hundred And Two *Contains Status ¨C Akio ?, Daiyu 2*


    ¡°That was quite interesting.¡± Yu-mi let out a soft laugh. Violet-noona had stayed in the living room with my mom, and they were hitting it off surprisingly well, although I was a little worried, as Violet-noona had asked for alcohol, and since it was still the early morning I felt it was a little premature for that. I hadn¡¯t the heart to refuse though, so I let her indulge. I seem to be surrounded by women who like to drink. Oh well, as long as she doesn¡¯t get mom started, even with her stat boosts she¡¯s gained recently she¡¯s still a total lightweight... ¡°Mother is nice.¡±


    ¡°Mother?¡± I said, puzzled.


    ¡°Your mother, I mean.¡± Yu-mi chuckled again. ¡°I can see where you get your free spirit from. If she¡¯s your mother, no wonder you¡¯re such a playboy.¡± She winked teasingly.


    ¡°Actually, mom was big into me marrying Eri at first. She¡¯s always wanted it, since she and mother-in-law Hana have been close friends since before my sis was born. But... when she finally accepted Shaeula and Hinata... I guess she broke. Now she jokes about having a Rugby team of my wives.¡±


    ¡°A Rugby league.¡± Daiyu disagreed. ¡°She says a team will no longer suffice.¡±


    ¡°I bet that¡¯s an annoyance to you.¡± Yu-mi commiserated. ¡°But at least you get one day a year all to yourself, to have him spoil you. At least until he gets another girl with the same birthday. Oh, mine¡¯s February nineteenth, by the way. Don¡¯t forget to bring me a present, I¡¯ll be working hard. And speaking of...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to hesitate.¡± A present, huh? I guess I do need to start remembering my subordinate¡¯s birthdays, being a boss is a thankless task. And she will be helping run my Korean operations, along with Violet-noona, so... got to treat her right.


    I was surprised, as Yu-mi actually looked to Daiyu. ¡°Sorry to bother you, but this matter, it¡¯s actually more for you to deal with.¡±


    Daiyu thought for a moment, her English less practised than her Japanese, but eventually she answered. ¡°Speak. Akio has goodwill towards you, so I shall... hear you out?¡±


    ¡°Goodwill, huh?¡± Yu-mi glanced at me sideways, twirling her brown hair idly with one finger. ¡°Never mind. Anyway... I was in a bit of a quandary, but I think I have a solution. You remember Kim Eui, the girl you rescued who was going to work with you and Haru-unni?¡±


    Haru-unni huh? I guess that they¡¯ve grown closer in their time in Korea. ¡°Yes, I could hardly forget her. She was a fighter, did what she had to do to survive. In her place, I don¡¯t think many people could do the same.¡±


    ¡°Well, Haru-unni suggested that since she¡¯s going to be rather busy, since matters with the government aren¡¯t going well... sorry about that, by the way. I can¡¯t help but feel responsible for that, since my father asked you for help.¡± I waved that apology off, and she continued. ¡°...oh, in any case, Daiyu here was looking for trainees too, wasn¡¯t she? And it apparently requires discipline and mental strength?¡±


    I had to translate some of the more difficult words, but Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°She may still be physically frail and a bit malnourished, but she¡¯s got a mind like iron. And... I thought maybe if she had something to take her mind off things... I know it¡¯s only been a few days, but she¡¯s really struggling to reacclimatise to a normal life. She¡¯s seen and done far too much.¡±


    ¡°I see. I will assess her then.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Next time you return, you can bring her.¡±


    ¡°I already did.¡± Yu-mi admitted. Seeing my quizzical look she sighed, looking frustrated. ¡°But she¡¯s... rather withdrawn and sullen. Understandable really. She didn¡¯t want to intrude as this is a happy home, and she feels stifled, unable to deal with ordinary people. I left her outside. I¡¯ll go get her...¡±


    As she left in a hurry, I shrugged. ¡°Seems like everything is under control...¡± It was then amber letters flared across my vision.


    A Vassal Territory has reached Rank 3. Your Class, Conqueror, has increased from Level Twenty-two to Level Twenty-three.


    Moments later my phone rang, and I pulled it out to see it was Miyu calling. I guess it¡¯s her who Ranked up. It has been a while, so...


    ¡°Akio, please pass on my apologies to Daiyu. Michiru and I will be there shortly, we are boarding the helicopter now. But I felt it was worth waiting a little. I have been gathering ether for a while, so I have finally been able to strengthen my domain.¡±


    Daiyu, listening, shrugged to indicate she understood, and after a few brief words, I let her go, as the noise of the helicopter made communication difficult. ¡°Excellent, that¡¯s good news. I know she¡¯s been focused on building defences, as the goal of her Territory isn¡¯t to expand, but getting to Rank three gives her more options. Really, I should have funnelled her and Kikuchi-san resources, but especially in Kikuchi-san¡¯s case, there¡¯s no rush as his Territory is enclosed by mine. As for the others...¡±


    Daiyu understood. ¡°There is little point in using resources that way. In case of the worst, and your emergency plan is activated...¡±


    Since my Foresight was blaring warnings, this time we were not going to be unprepared. I had discussed matters with the Ministry, the Prime Minister, and also grandfather-in-law Katsuro Tsumura. We had a number of plans depending on the severity of the event, and several of those meant ceding certain advantages for greater safety.


    Our discussion was interrupted by the return of Yu-mi, who was trailed by Kim Eui. She looked better than last time we had met, her face and hair clean, wearing a casual tracksuit not dissimilar to what the idols wore, just in black. Though she was still too thin, her suffering and hunger unable to be washed away in just days. Despite that, her big brown eyes held a fire of resentment within. ¡°We meet again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re looking... well?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Why was that a question?¡± Eui frowned. ¡°No, don¡¯t answer that. I know I still look dreadful. I don¡¯t feel much better...¡± She then glanced over at Yu-mi. ¡°Sorry, that was rude of me. I shouldn¡¯t take it out on you, you saved me and my friends. Too late, but...¡± Fortunately she was speaking English so Daiyu didn¡¯t fully understand her, but Yu-mi snapped back in Korean, and as Eui flinched, she moderated her tone, but she was still rather annoyed.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair, Eui. I know you¡¯ve had it hard, but to blame Akio for not being there faster is...¡±


    ¡°Entirely normal, unfortunately.¡± I soothed Yu-mi, slightly amused at how angry she was. Eui looked contrite for a moment, before her expression hardened, though I could see a lot of it was her trying to project strength, perhaps still stuck in the behaviours she had to display to survive in Choe-Museon Academy. ¡°Such terrible events don¡¯t provoke rational responses. I can¡¯t change the past, but... I think it¡¯s a good idea to come here. Haru can help you cope with your emotions when she¡¯s free, but I think the best thing for peace of mind is the strength to resist such unfairness in the future.¡±


    As we talked, I could hear the idol girls whispering, asking Motoko and Natsumi if Eui was one of the victims of the Korean incident, which had been on the news. Displaying rather more than I¡¯d like known, of course...


    ¡°Yes, it seems so. Akio rescued many. Though he did have help. The strange woman from earlier is a Chosen as well, I believe.¡±


    ¡°I wonder, does Akio think tattoos are cool?¡± Natsumi tilted her head, thinking. ¡°Though obviously we can¡¯t get them, can we?¡±


    ¡°I see. I... just want to take my mind off things. Dad and mom are trying to understand me, and Haru-noona did speak to them, saying if they tried to blame me or punish me she¡¯d be angry...¡± She let out a slightly bitter laugh. ¡°That shut mom right up. She loves me, I know, but... I was her pride and joy, a daughter she could brag about to her friends, and now I¡¯m ... like this. Dad worries the company reputation will take a hit too. But... I know they care about me, in their own ways. It¡¯s just... they don¡¯t know how to handle me. I don¡¯t know. But... at least here people understand me better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Not really.¡± Yu-mi shrugged. ¡°I felt I was an unfortunate person, having to marry a stranger to save my cousin. Compared to you... well, there¡¯s no comparison, is there?¡±


    As we talked, eventually Eui calmed down, and Yu-mi, patting her shoulder gently, promised she¡¯d be fine here with us. ¡°I¡¯ll be in another room if you need me. I should pay my respects to your mother.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s drinking, try and get her to stop.¡± I warned her, and Yu-mi giggled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. It might be fun to hear stories about your younger days, before you were a hero.¡±


    It was then the door to our training room opened, and Eri came in, leading Miyu and Michiru-san, as well as Kazumi-san. Miyu and Michiru-san were both dressed in their elegant black uniforms from Hanafubuki, while Kazumi-san wore a suit similar to what the Fujiwara Security Services donned. On seeing them, Daiyu nodded, pleased.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, Daiyu.¡± Eri said quickly. ¡°I know it¡¯s your day, but I¡¯d like to take lessons with the others. You¡¯ve taught me a little, but it might be a path to improvement.¡±


    Daiyu nodded, not unwilling to teach Eri further, but one of the idol girls, the youngest, Ema-san, suddenly let out a shrill cry. ¡°Oh God, is that the Hanafubuki uniform? Are you the Goddesses of Tokyo?¡±


    Goddesses of Tokyo? At our inquisitive looks, Ema-san flushed. ¡°It¡¯s my brother. He¡¯s always going on about how the perfect girl isn¡¯t an idol like me, but a refined, quiet Goddess from the legendary school for nobles. I make sure to hit him then, the jerk!¡± She clenched her fist for emphasis.


    ¡°I am indeed a student at Hanafubuki, as is Michiru and Kazumi here.¡± Miyu said, nodding elegantly. ¡°But you have been talking to two such this whole time. Motoko-san, Natsumi-san, it is good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ema-san raised an eyebrow, and Motoko nodded. ¡°I am Tsumura Motoko. My grandfather is head of the Japanese armed forces. Even so, my lineage pales compared to...¡±


    Keiko-san was pale. ¡°Fujiwara.... You mean Fujiwara Security, banking and media?¡± At Miyu¡¯s nod, she started to tremble. ¡°Isn¡¯t that like... one of, if not the richest families in Japan? Even on a worldwide scale, we¡¯re talking top one hundred, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, though it is uncertain whether my house or Ichijou house is the richest in Japan. Besides...¡± Miyu looked at me, a slight smile on her face. ¡°I believe soon Oshiro house will overtake us.¡±


    ¡°It seems we were saved by a very impressive person.¡± Asuka-san pointed out impishly. ¡°So, what does this training entail? I know we tentatively agreed before, and our manager was amazed at our improvement in stamina, memory and grace.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they agreed to let us come. We¡¯re all set for the weekend anyway.¡± Keiko-chan broke in. ¡°But we still don¡¯t quite get it. Though we¡¯re grateful for the opportunity, teacher.¡± She bowed to Daiyu, who smiled warmly.


    ¡°You can call me Matriarch, for I am currently the head and sole practitioner of the Incorruptible Jade Sect. You will be my disciples...¡±


    As she explained, Suk-ja tugged at my sleeve, a little worried. ¡°So what should I be doing? I¡¯m getting paid for this, it¡¯s an official job, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t speak Japanese, or even English. In fact, I was never very studious.¡± She whispered to me in Korean, before giving a nervous giggle.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can translate the important parts. Like I said, we just need you to provide us crystal element. It¡¯ll be easy money.¡± I promised, and as Daiyu had everyone adopt the lotus sitting position for meditation, I followed suit, and Suk-ja hastily copied me.


    ¡°... Cultivation is at its heart, a method to seize power from the natural world, the Earth and the Heavens. And not just for the sake of power, but eventually, all Cultivators seek three great goals.¡± Eri was translating for Eui, since English was the common language they shared. ¡°The first is agelessness, immortality. To free oneself of the bounds of natural death. The goal is distant, but... we have seen the heights. It can be achieved.¡± That grabbed everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°The second is strength. Not external strength. For while external power can be used and should be used, only strength belonging to oneself can be truly trusted. Turn the power of the Heavens and the Earth into your own, and then you control your destiny, your life.¡± Eui shivered at that, and her brown eyes were suddenly burning with intensity. Yeah, maybe this is what she needs. Yu-mi was right. ¡°The strong are those in control. The third... that is the Dao. Now, I cannot tell you of the Dao. It is individual, yet regimented, strict, yet flexible, powerful yet weak. Just as Yin contains a drop of Yang, and the opposite is true, so too the Dao is everything and nothing. It is the path you embody and seek. Be it of martial prowess...¡± Motoko, Natsumi, Kazumi-san and Michiru-san all nodded. ¡°...or of a concept such as beauty, love, fire, ice, even time or space. In time you will know it, but... the road is long, and never ends. Become an embodiment of the Dao that best suits you, and your power will be limitless.¡±


    As Daiyu talked, I felt it was a good time to check over my Status once more, since I had achieved a number of gains. Though at the cost of nearly dying a number of times...


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    1903 2075


    Fortune


    41 42


    Fortitude


    1887 2057


    Majesty


    32 34


    Intellect


    2043 2209


    Charm


    48 52


    Resilience


    2234 2550


    League


    28 30


    Alacrity


    1975 2149


    Determination


    27 46


    Precision


    2055 2225


    Foresight


    34


    Aether


    7363 7903


    Fate


    25 28


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Connection


    Rank 5


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5) Artifice (6)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Combat Technique


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Boiling Blood


    Rank 1


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 9 Rank 11


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Principle (7)


    Aetheric Chirurgeon


    Rank 11


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Crude ???????? Manipulation


    Rank 1


    Powerful (4)


    Law (8)


    Split Thoughts


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Crown Chakra Of Space


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Space Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Full Moon Light ¨C Mangetsu


    Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Throat Chakra Of New Moon Darkness ¨C Shingetsu


    Rank 3


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Darkness and Yin Manipulation


    Rank 2


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart Chakra Of Wind


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Wind Manipulation


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 6


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I have a good eye, and I also have the ability to improve the spiritual bodies of others.¡± At my words, the idols looked uncomfortable, remembering the pain. Even Kazumi-san nodded, but Michiru-san was of course unmoved by such memories, only eager. ¡°Of course, all I can do is help create the relevant pathways and unblock meridians and acupoints, make sure your Chakras are clearly defined.¡±


    ¡°It bypasses the limitations of aptitude.¡± Daiyu agreed, proud of me. ¡°Though talent is indeed still a factor, hard work will achieve some results with these benefits.¡±


    She then began to go further into the details of the various stages of Cultivation, so I took the opportunity to examine Daiyu to see her progress.


    Zhao Daiyu


    Bonded Kin


    Chosen Of Chang''e, Immortal Goddess Of The Moon


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    244 444


    Fortune


    9 10


    Fortitude


    256 461


    Majesty


    3 6


    Intellect


    305 495


    Charm


    5 7


    Resilience


    499 721


    League


    6 7


    Alacrity


    303 503


    Determination


    9 14


    Precision


    267 465


    Foresight


    3


    Aether


    1570 2196


    Fate


    3


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Qi Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 4


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Cultivator Chakra Network


    Rank 3


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Rule (5)


    Lower Dantian Of High Spirit Water, Yang Moonlight And Jade


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Qi Manipulation Of Water, Yin, Yang, Earth And Jade


    Rank 6


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Qi Perception


    Rank 5


    Rank 6


    Powerful (4)


    Artifice (6)


    Qi Combat Techniques


    Rank 2


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye And Root Chakra Of Jade


    Rank 1


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Yang Moonlight


    Rank 1


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Throat Chakra Of Yin Darkness


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Sacral Chakra Of High Spirit Water


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 2


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Cultivation Skills]


    Spiritually Pure Qi Refining


    Rank 9


    Rank 10


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Spiritually Pure Foundation Technique


    Rank 7 Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Spiritually Pure Dual Cultivation


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Spiritually Pure Physique


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Second Noble Pursuit: Formations


    Rank 1


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Noble Pursuit: Talisman Crafting


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Combat Technique


    Rank 4


    Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers¡¯ Link


    Rank 5


    Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Chang¡¯e¡¯s Moon Elixir Of Immortality


    Rank 3


    Rank 4


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    [Level]


    37 49


    [Class]


    Dual Cultivator 2/10 Accumulator 0/10 Wielder Of A Mutated Element 5/10 6/10


    Karmically Pure 1/20 2/20 Fae-Bonded 6/20 8/20


    [Mastered Class]


    Qi Refiner 10/10 Foundationist 10/10


    Territory Rank


    None


    Daiyu¡¯s certainly grown stronger. Now her foundations... wait, I need to be careful, that gets confusing when talking about Cultivators, as a foundation is not the same as Foundation. Anyway, she¡¯s adjusted well, her stats all what they should be. While she lags behind Shaeula or Divine Possession Shiro, Daiyu¡¯s excellent healing, Combat Technique and overall stats, as well as her insight, I don¡¯t have many worries trusting her on the battlefield.


    It also seemed that she had managed to obtain the Second Noble Pursuit as well, perhaps exposure to the works of the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows having triggered her evolution. In general though, Daiyu, being a dedicated hard worker, had just made incremental yet significant improvements. She now had access to darkness element, as well as Yin, likely sourced from the Dark Rhyming Tree, and I knew why she had striven to obtain it in her free time. Beside me, Suk-ja whispered a question.


    ¡°Are you all right? Your face seems flushed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I muttered, knowing my face was a little red. ¡°Just listen to the explanation.¡± I continued to translate a little for Suk-ja, despite her not being one of Daiyu¡¯s students. Who knows, if the crystal element we can extract proves as valuable as I hope, maybe I¡¯ll try and negotiate a longer-term transfer with her Guild Leader.


    ¡°...there are indeed other methods of Cultivation. Though some are unworthy.¡± Daiyu and I exchanged glances, and the resolution in her black eyes to never use such methods was plain to see. ¡°Cruel ways such as stripping the Qi from other beings and devouring it... that is the way of evil. No, in the Incorruptible Jade, such is not tolerated at all. And it is not needed. With our advantages, we shall grow stronger through our own merits.¡± She paused then, her face also slightly pink.


    ¡°There is another method, one with the joining of body and heart. A Cultivation method between two people. Yin and Yang is shared, and Qi resonates, and through this combination, strength is generated. Though such an act must not be considered recklessly. It can only be with one you respect and cherish, one you... wish to be a companion for life.¡±


    ¡°She means through sex.¡± Eri rolled her eyes. ¡°Dual cultivation, she and Shiro call it. But honestly, it¡¯s not something you¡¯ll be doing, is it? Well, I suppose I can, and Motoko and Natsumi too...¡±


    ¡°I have a question!¡± Keiko-chan asked, raising her hand like she was back in school. ¡°Bear in mind that we¡¯re idols, we can¡¯t have boyfriends, although... no, forget it. But... is it... necessary?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Daiyu shook her head. ¡°I am merely explaining the ways in which we can Cultivate. In fact, I too looked down on such methods. Dual Cultivation is seen as weak, relying on others instead of one¡¯s own self. Now, however...¡± She smiled at me joyfully. ¡°I realise it is merely an added benefit of having a loving Dao companion. Should you find one such, then the method can be given to you.¡±


    ¡°I have a question too!¡± Michiru-san¡¯s hand shot up, the scarf she wore around her neck blowing from the sudden motion. ¡°This ninja wishes to know... must it be a man, this Dao companion?¡± Her efforts not to look beside her gave away her intentions, and Miyu tried to keep her face impassive, but she flinched a little.


    ¡°A Dao companion is simply who your heart yearns for. I do not believe gender is a concern. As for the Dual Cultivation technique itself...¡± Daiyu frowned, thinking. ¡°The techniques our Sect has are all for female and male pairings, Yin and Yang. Perhaps it could be modified, or other Sects know more... there are Sects that only have female disciples, so... honestly, it would not work the way my technique does, but perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Will this be a Sect of only women then?¡± Miyu asked, looking back at me, and Daiyu answered quickly.


    ¡°No, not at all. Suitable male candidates will be welcomed. Of course, I shall never practise Dual Cultivation with any but Akio. But if other disciples choose their companions I will offer instruction.¡±


    ¡°Instruction, huh? You mean... watching?¡± Eui spoke up, rather disgusted, once she heard the translation.


    ¡°I am no exhibitionist.¡± Daiyu shot back. ¡°No man shall see my skin, or my secret places, other than Akio. For... women... well, we bathe together, do we not? And in this house, there is usually someone observing. But if Akio does not mind, I can instruct women. But it is not merely an act of gain but of love too. Set this aside for now, for we get off the main point.¡±


    Eui nodded slowly. I heard Michiru-san mutter ¡°If it has to be a man, then surely...¡± and glance back at me, hiding her face with her scarf, only her eyes visible, and I sighed. Not this again...


    ¡°Now, time for my first practical instructions.¡± Daiyu led the group in starting to gather ether, ready to begin conversion.


    ¡°Should I join in?¡± Suk-ja asked, uncertain, and I shrugged.


    ¡°You can if you want, but if you¡¯re not going to take it seriously, you¡¯re most likely better off continuing down your own path. Anyway...¡± Daiyu was signalling me for assistance, so I ventured over, Eye glowing, ready to help correct any mistakes and aid in their first steps towards Qi Refining...

 Five Hundred And Three

    Five Hundred And Three


    ¡°Yes, I believe you have succeeded.¡± Daiyu said, her Qi Perception penetrating Keiko-chan as she sat in the lotus position, face red and sweaty with exertion. ¡°Keep it up. This is merely the first steps on the path to Cultivation. But even refining a little Qi will strengthen your body, mind and spirit. Perhaps you have talent.¡±


    Keiko-chan, flushed and with a slightly pained expression, managed a grin. ¡°It wasn¡¯t comfortable though. And if my fans could see me in this state now...¡±


    ¡°You did say that Akio-kun here was your ideal man?¡± Ema-san giggled. She was struggling, but I would adjust her with Chirurgery next. On seeing me looking, she shivered a little, probably remembering the pain of her initial Chirurgery and the discomfort Keiko-chan had endured as I made adjustments here. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t mind him seeing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never live that down, will I?¡± Keiko-chan laughed, before changing the subject. ¡°Matriarch...¡± Daiyu smiled slightly as she was addressed in the proper manner. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it a bit aggravating, considering how many years you struggled to learn? Doesn¡¯t this seem rather too easy and unfair? Besides, if I have talent...¡± She glanced over at where Eui was sitting with Eri, relentlessly refining Qi.


    ¡°It is a question of desperation. Kim Eui seeks control in her life, to prevent her future repeating her past. It is a wise decision, and a Cultivator needs the hunger to succeed.¡± Daiyu approved. ¡°As for fairness...¡± Daiyu glanced at me, cheeks faintly pink, and her slight smile broadened. It¡¯s always nice seeing Daiyu smile. She¡¯s usually so expressionless, but she does it more often now. I like it. ¡°...I must admit, it does sting me a little. Ever since I could walk I studied and trained, eschewing all the ease of childhood, the pleasures of womanhood. Now Akio can smooth a path for almost anyone to learn the basic techniques. But... even if we start in different places, it is not she who walks fastest, but she who walks furthest that wins. Besides...¡± Daiyu¡¯s rare smile turned mischievous. ¡°...Akio will simply have to spoil me to make it up to me. I do have some needs.¡± She stared at me boldly, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Sure, even if it wasn¡¯t your birthday, just say what you need. Anyway, Ema-san, you¡¯re next.¡±


    ¡°Wish me luck.¡± Ema-san swallowed, nervous, though her eyes held a gleam of anticipation. Daiyu¡¯s lecture on some simple Qi techniques, such as rudimentary body strengthening, reaction time enhancement, and the ability to disorient a powerful man with a touch, had piqued her interest, especially the last talent, after her dreadful experiences at the AKB48 cafe?.


    ¡°With Akio¡¯s assistance, you do not need luck, merely persistence and courage.¡± Daiyu promised, and soon I was working on Ema-san, the Eight Moons Chakra Network which she had been granted before was certainly effective and seemed better than others I had observed in rival Chosen, for example, but when it came to Cultivation, it wasn¡¯t properly optimised. The area around the lunar Chakra was particularly problematic, but that wasn¡¯t an issue for simple Qi Refining, or likely even Foundation realm. I suppose that while everything seems to function on the basic principles of ether and its derivatives, there are numerous variants, so it¡¯s no wonder each uses a slightly different set of capillaries and branches optimally...


    Once Ema-san was done, I progressed to Asuka-san. Once she too was prepared, I moved to Kazumi-san. ¡°Do you worry about leaving Hinata alone?¡± I asked her as I worked, making the necessary adjustments.


    ¡°Hardly. There¡¯s no safer place than here.¡± Kazumi-san replied. ¡°Anyone foolish enough to attack this estate gets what they deserve. But I can¡¯t rely on others to do my work for me forever. I¡¯m Hinata¡¯s bodyguard, and her friend.¡± At her words, Natsumi nodded completely understanding.


    ¡°It¡¯s a struggle. And it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not grateful.¡± Kazumi-san told me. ¡°I¡¯m stronger than ever, and more than capable of beating any ordinary thugs or kidnappers. But the world is getting less ordinary day-by-day.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Asuka-san agreed. ¡°Who would have thought that Sora-kun was a psycho with magical powers? If not for Akio-kun¡¯s timely intervention...¡±


    Ema-san shuddered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about it! I don¡¯t! It makes me...¡± Her words were cut off as Daiyu gently rapped her and Asuka-san on the head, telling them to concentrate. As they shut their eyes, trying to refine Qi, Kazumi-san continued.


    ¡°Hinata herself has some benefits, but she¡¯s not focussed on growing stronger. So I need to do it. After all, there are times you can¡¯t be with her, and places you can¡¯t go. This seems like a way anyone can grow stronger, without needing to be...¡± her voice lowered. ¡°...one of yours.¡±


    One of mine, huh? ¡°I think you worry too much, Kazumi-san. This is only the beginning. And I know Hinata loves you and appreciates your efforts. I appreciate them too.¡± I turned to Michiru-san then. ¡°That goes for you too. It¡¯s good that Miyu has such a close friend.¡±


    The boisterous ninja girl leapt up, nodding furiously. ¡°I knew you would understand me, Akio-sama! Indeed, it has pained my heart that Miyu-sama is in fact stronger than this ninja right now. It is such a shame, I should face harsh punishment.¡± Her face flushed red at her own words, and once more I had to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Yeah, she¡¯s rather amusing, but... considering her actions when she tried to poison Hinata at our first meeting... she takes everything way too far.


    Before I could speak, Miyu shook her head. ¡°You are bothering Akio. If you insist on being punished despite having done no wrong, it only makes him uncomfortable.¡± Miyu bowed apologetically, her poise even in the lotus position shining through. ¡°I apologise on Michiru¡¯s behalf. Again. It is all because she is strangely comfortable around you. I do understand though...¡± She sighed. ¡°Anyway, Michiru, I may be physically stronger, due to my Favour from Ame-no-Uzume, but that means little. If you and I were to fight...¡±


    ¡°Never! This Michiru would cut her own throat before ever harming you!¡± she insisted, and I could see some of those around us smiling. Sadly, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s serious though. She may claim to be descended from Koga ninjas and play the part well, but... she¡¯s got a few screws loose in her head, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°I know.¡± Miyu sighed. ¡°You are doing it again, Michiru. Keep this up and I will have to punish you, and not in the way you are thinking. It is quite true though. Motoko-san, Natsumi, do explain.¡±


    The two of them exchanged glances, and Natsumi spoke up, perhaps as she had a closer standing to Michiru-san, despite her higher family lineage, she was still a bodyguard. ¡°Miyu is right. Skill and experience can overturn an advantage in raw power and speed. Of course, if the gap is too great, skill becomes meaningless. But... you¡¯re not weak, Michiru-san. In our school, there are a lot of bodyguards, but really, there aren¡¯t that many I actually respect. You and your sister are two of them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s you of course, Natsumi.¡± Motoko chuckled. ¡°Sakura-sama¡¯s guard, as well as Mayumi-sama¡¯s, of course. Then there¡¯s the...¡± She rattled off a few names of eminent families, and I recognised a couple. Isn¡¯t that girl one of the new recruits to the training school? Are they focussing on the ones with excellent bodyguards?


    ¡°In any case, we are wasting Akio-san¡¯s precious time with his fiance?e.¡± Miyu bowed again, and Daiyu waved it off.


    ¡°It is not important. I am enjoying seeing the first steps for my revitalised Sect.¡± Daiyu accepted her apology. ¡°But in your case... I believe your foundation to be a Cultivator is most excellent. You have the grace and elegance of a dancer. You are one, after all. And if Qi can strengthen your Chosen abilities, then you can provide further strength for Akio.¡±


    ¡°It comes down to that, I see.¡± Miyu smiled softly. She was certainly more outgoing than the first time we had met. ¡°Of course, I am grateful to Akio as well. Had he not listened to my foolishness and persuaded me otherwise, my fate might have been very different, and far less pleasent. I am happy that I can use my talent for something other than my family lineage. It can be suffocating, being a daughter of the Fujiwara family.¡± She smiled at the idols then. ¡°Goddesses of Hanafubuki? Sometimes I feel more a prisoner than a Goddess. Only when I am with Michiru, or playing the piano, or dancing the Kyomai, or... when I am helping make something special here.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t regret it?¡± I asked, and Miyu seemed offended by the question.


    ¡°Becoming your Vassal? How could I? You were right. You and Hinata-san both. I now have the power to dictate my own fate, though it is borrowed from you. My engagement was cancelled, and I am far freer to do as I wish. Honoka will likely inherit Fujiwara house, since her father is the eldest son of grandfather, so... my fate was to be married off as a prize. But now...¡± She smiled, a pure and elegant expression. ¡°...you hold my reins. After all, you persuaded grandfather that I belonged to you.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, so much to take in!¡± Keiko-chan said, amazed at the scene. ¡°But wait... you do Kyomai? Imperial Kyoto-style traditional dance? Is your teacher...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ageha-sensei is my teacher. Though that is not so special. After all, even Motoko-san here studies under her, though... Ageha-sensei does lament that you seem more interested in fighting than the arts, and your appearances at practice have dropped alarmingly of late.¡±


    ¡°I have a different path. Though I do wonder...¡± Motoko glanced at me. ¡°Would you like to see me dance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d love to.¡± I said, and Motoko nodded.


    ¡°In that case, I shall find more time to practice. But I cannot neglect my Tsumura Arts.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the presence of greatness.¡± Ema-san giggled. ¡°My brother would do anything to take my place right now. Kyomai students... he¡¯d consider that real dancing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, idols are good too, just ask my sis.¡± I pointed out, and I continued to make adjustments, until everyone was slowly converting Qi, even Eri and Miyu. Heading back over to Suk-ja, who was a little bored and also worried, I patted her shoulder gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your turn is coming up. Come on.¡± I led her over to Daiyu, who was eagerly waiting for my second birthday present, which was Suk-ja¡¯s presence. Daiyu was still glancing down at the Spatial Ring with a satisfied expression rather often, so I knew so far her birthday was going well.Discover new chapters at novelhall.com


    ¡°Daiyu, this is Suk-ja. She¡¯s one of the Korean Hunters I met over there. She has a rather useful talent though. One I thought we might be able to investigate.¡±


    Daiyu nodded. I translated a brief conversation between them, and at my reassuring nod, Suk-ja raised one hand, and a shining polyhedral crystal appeared, glowing with etheric light, spinning in the air, emitting a mournful vibration.


    ¡°This is K¡¯uk¡¯ulkan¡¯s Winged Diamond.¡± I explained. ¡°It¡¯s got decent attack power and manoeuvrability, a good Favour.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Daiyu nodded. ¡°And it is forged from crystal element, no?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s rare to have composite elemental abilities. But since Shaeula learned lightning from a similar event, I thought perhaps we might be able to learn crystal element, if we work hard, or at least revitalise your body.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± Daiyu nodded at the retreating girl. ¡°And when she is next in battle, and her Diamonds prove more effective than ever, she will remember this, and learn from it. My only regret is we used a significant stock of elemental energies from your Silos. And that you spent it all on me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to learn crystal element, definitely. But you are my priority today, Daiyu¡± I agreed, hugging her close now that Suk-ja was out of the room. I then let out a surprised yelp as I felt small hands on my bottom. Daiyu was flushed red, her eyes and lips moist.


    ¡°It is indeed my birthday. And today, I am glad I was born. So... I wish to experience closeness. Eri has mentioned on her birthday you indulged yourselves. I also wish to. And if it can strengthen us, if we can Cultivate together, perhaps it will help you learn Jade as well?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But what about the students?¡± I asked, and she let out a soft laugh.


    ¡°My disciples are doing well. I shall watch over them a little longer, and then... the bedchamber.¡±


    Unable to withstand her suddenly smouldering, alluring look, I merely answered with yet another kiss, and after we separated and Daiyu straightened her robes, we headed out back to her disciples. We spent a while watching them, Daiyu and I offering advice and corrections, and it seemed that everyone had managed to reach Rank one in Qi Refining and gain the Qi Refiner Class at the least. I could see Daiyu¡¯s impatience rising, and after I had confirmed that the last of them had achieved the goal for this first session, Daiyu stood straight and addressed them as their Patriarch.


    ¡°Disciples, you have all achieve the first steps on the long path of Cultivation. Do not mistake your swift progress for it being trivial, or easy. You have advantages others do not, excellent teachers.¡± Daiyu glanced at me boastfully, and I gave her a praising smile in return. ¡°Now you must all strive to perform Qi Refining at every spare opportunity. Doing so will increase your reserves of Qi and your speed. But that is hardly enough. The effective ratio of Qi to aether is the greatest challenge, and...¡±


    I listened to her speech, impressed at her deep knowledge. As she finished, telling them she expected to see the results of their efforts in the near future, and that they could text her or come seek her out with questions any other day than today, the girls stood up gratefully, stretching cramped and tired limbs from meditating for a number of hours.


    ¡°Done at last!¡± Ema-san grinned. ¡°I thought my legs wouldn¡¯t work!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Ema. You should thank our Matriarch.¡± Keiko-chan said firmly, before standing, wobbling a little on unsteady legs, and bowing. ¡°Thank you for your instruction. Just as we put the effort into our idol activities, we¡¯ll do the same here. We promise!¡±


    ¡°If you do, you will achieve great things.¡± Daiyu promised. Then a question occurred to her. ¡°Will you also be joining Adamant?¡±


    The idols exchanged glances, while Kim Eui¡¯s face changed, becoming a blank mask. Keiko-chan spoke for them after a while. ¡°It seems a bit hasty to decide. That¡¯s... a serious commitment, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I agreed. ¡°And not one to take lightly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s only been a few days. We need to think about it.¡± Asuka-san nodded, supporting Keiko-chan. ¡°But... we¡¯ve seen your sincerity. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll perform our heart out at the concert, all of AKB48 will, and we¡¯ll be sure to show your sister and any of your friends who want to come a good time! We¡¯ll support Suzu-chan as well, like we promised!¡±


    We exchanged more pleasantries, and the idols left, planning on heading to a bar incognito. Ema-chan wasn¡¯t quite old enough to drink, but in the right bar she could still enjoy herself without alcohol while her friends drank. Next to go was Eui. She thanked Daiyu for the help, glanced at me as if she had something to say, and after a moment she spilled out words as if a dam had burst. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, and I have to find a new way to live, to live with myself. I¡¯ve changed... I cant go back to who I was before. It hurts... everything hurts, but... I have to live for those that didn¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I won¡¯t say we owe it to the dead, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong except survive, and even try and help people. But you weren¡¯t strong enough.¡± My words seemed harsh, but she understood.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Being weak is a sin nowadays. So...¡± she clenched her fist, the arm still painfully thin and weak. ¡°...I¡¯ll take what you offer, and I¡¯ll never cry again.¡± She scrubbed at her dry eyes. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll make those who are evil weep.¡±


    ¡°I approve.¡± Daiyu nodded, and as I translated the English words she hadn¡¯t yet learned, Eui nodded. ¡°Gather strength, live a life so you can say from this point on you have no regrets, and then even should you be defeated in the end, you will fail knowing you gave it your all.¡±


    ¡°Failure, huh?¡± Eui barked a laugh. ¡°Already setting me up for disappointment? I know I¡¯m not much compared to you, or him...¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Or Haru-unni. I know I¡®m just a kid. I haven¡¯t even finished school...¡±


    ¡°I doubt I am much older than you.¡± Daiyu shrugged. ¡°And nobody who survives what you did is a child. Life has a way of making us grow, be it through adversity or sorrow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you want to finish your education, or whether you want to work. I know that Yu-mi will find you a position in our Korean organisation.¡± I said softly, the sombre mood infecting me. ¡°If that¡¯s not what you want, I can probably pull some strings and get you the sort of work you want...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m happy enough to work with Yu-mi-unni and Haru-unni. Bora-noona seems fine too, and Kang-oppa.¡± Eui insisted. ¡°But I don¡¯t just want to be behind a desk. I¡¯m clever, yes...¡± she remarked bitterly. ¡°After all, I was one of the top students at Choe-Museon. But that didn¡¯t help me. Matriarch, Daiyu-unni... please help me grow stronger. You too, Akio-oppa.¡± She bowed to us, and I could see that despite everything, she wasn¡¯t a weak girl broken by her hellish time in that closed-off world of the Academy, but a fiery, angry young woman, who never wanted to feel so helpless again, feeling out of place in a world that didn¡¯t yet understand her. Unfortunately, as time goes on, I¡¯m afraid more and more people will know her pain...


    ¡°In that case, work hard and I shall spare no effort on your training.¡± Daiyu promised. ¡°There are other avenues though...¡±


    ¡°You mean Adamant? Yu-mi-unni mentioned them. She¡¯s already rising through the ranks, so she says. But... it¡¯s quite a commitment. I went through hell protecting my heart and purity. To give that up...¡±


    Hang on a minute. I had heard something I couldn¡¯t let pass. ¡°I think there¡¯s been some sort of misunderstanding. Adamant isn¡¯t my personal harem or anything...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one that thinks that.¡± Eui sniffed, looking to Daiyu for assurance.


    ¡°It is as he says. Akio truly does not see it that way. In fact, and it is hard to believe...¡± She leaned in, though the effect was spoiled by her fumbling for the words she didn¡¯t yet know, which I had to provide. ¡°... considering his many lovers, he is oddly unwilling to accept the affection of others. Why, I did fear he would refuse me, despite it clearly being an act of fate, us being destined Dao companions. I washed up, alone, desperate and eager for vengeance, and was placed in his care, only surviving by miracle stacked on miracle. And yet he agonised over me. So... do you really think he would force you, or others?¡± Daiyu held my arm possessively. ¡°If he wishes, I have no right to stop him, I was not first, so know his position well. Many would gladly jump at the chance. But... do you believe he would so compel you?¡±


    Eui met my eyes for a moment, before sighing. ¡°I guess not. He can¡¯t be a bad man when you all look so happy. But rules are rules. I¡¯m not sure, but... you¡¯ll help me whatever I choose, right Matriarch-unni?¡±


    Daiyu raised an eyebrow at the address, but nodded firmly. ¡°I am the Incorruptible Jade, and my disciples shall not be tarnished while I live. Akio is my second, my Hall Master, as he should be called. Adamant Hall, perhaps.¡± She smiled then, like a beautiful lotus unfurling, clutching my arm tightly. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me, this is my special day, and I have other plans.¡±


    Eui flushed, clearly understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll get out of your way then. I¡¯ll... go see unni.¡± She rushed out to find Yu-mi, and as she did so, Eri slipped back in, a sly expression on her face.


    ¡°That girl seems rather embarrassed. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not.¡± I insisted. ¡°She just has the wrong idea about Adamant.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you say so.¡± Eri arched an eyebrow teasingly. ¡°But forget about her.¡± She nodded to Daiyu. ¡°Thanks for helping me again. I think Cultivation is one way I can get stronger and help more. I want Akio to be able to trust that I can handle myself in dangerous places one day, like he trusts you.¡± There was a hint of envy in Eri¡¯s tone, as expected, but mostly just honesty. ¡°I know he remembers me getting hurt, but... oh well, I can take my time.¡± She then got to the point. ¡°Your room¡¯s tidy, Daiyu. Go ahead. But... you can¡¯t spend all day and night making love, can you? I mean, you obviously can, and it¡¯s not a bad thing, but it¡¯s your birthday and there must be other things you want to do?¡±


    Daiyu looked at me, and I shrugged reassuringly. After a moment she nodded. ¡°I seldom get to experience the vastness of Tokyo. Perhaps some sightseeing?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Shopping too, I think. I¡¯ll see to it, get you an itinerary. The others can help. A nice meal too. Very date-like. Anything else?¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°Once that is done, perhaps a trip to the Boundary? I would fight beside you for a while, Akio, just you and me, together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so very you.¡± I laughed, and Eri agreed, nodding. Daiyu flushed a little, but took my hand, leading me towards her room.


    ¡°Of course, who else could I be but me?¡± As we reached the door to her room, Daiyu leaned up and kissed me, and I felt her hands on me, first my bottom as before, then on my belt, and as she started unbuckling it, I pushed her into her room, kicking shut the door behind me...

 Five Hundred And Four *R18/Contains Sex*

    Five Hundred And Four *R18/Contains Sex*


    The door to her room slammed shut behind her, and soon Daiyu and I were on her bed, the cool feeling of the white silk sheets against our bare skin somehow thrilling, promising what was to come. I couldn¡¯t help but glance around, despite having been in her room before. It was just like Daiyu¡¯s personality, straightforward, clean and elegant, mostly in black and white, though she did like the colour green as well.


    Seeing me looking, Daiyu, next to me on the bed, leaned in, black eyes as moist as her damp lips, and kissed me. Soon her tongue was probing me passionately, and I responded, tangling mine with hers, pulling her into my arms, the white and gold dress she wore making her appear like an elegant fairy. Just like in the Cultivation novels. Daiyu¡¯s definitely worth the title of jade beauty.


    ¡°So, you want to Dual Cultivate?¡± I asked, and she nodded, though she seemed a little annoyed.


    ¡°Of course. Growing stronger is important. If I am to keep up with you, stay by your side, I need strength. But I also enjoy the intimacy, the closeness.¡± She kissed me again, on the forehead this time. ¡°I would not have you think I am only interested in what I can gain. You hesitated enough.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me?¡± I asked, hugging her tightly. Daiyu¡¯s chest wasn¡¯t massive, but for her build it was large enough, and she usually wore Cultivator-style robes which were rather tight, emphasising what she had. ¡°You were suddenly put in my care, and... like Hinata, you¡¯re... well, your age made it a little uncomfortable for me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Daiyu asked, genuinely puzzled. ¡°Wait, no, I think I understand.¡± Daiyu let out a slightly aggrieved sigh. ¡°Seeing your lively sister, who is very carefree, and the women from the training school of various ages... unlike in the world of Cultivation, the young are encouraged to eschew weighty burdens, to grow slowly, to enjoy themselves. But I... I am not such. As I have told you, since the day I could walk I have trained. Martial arts, Cultivation, the Six Noble Pursuits. I have never been a child, for Cultivators do not have a childhood. Although...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I prompted. There¡¯s always something new to discover about women. They always have more hidden depths, and even when I think i¡¯ve figured them out, look away for a day, even an hour, and they¡¯ll have changed. Perhaps now I¡¯ve realised that, I¡¯ve truly become a riajuu?


    ¡°Now is hardly the time, the situation here in Japan is not settled. But seeing Asha, it makes me think of our own children. I want them to follow in my footsteps, just as I followed in my father¡¯s, and his parents before him. But I also do not wish to deny them the joys of an ordinary life, a childhood, such as your sister, Eri, Kana and others had. To that end...¡± Her dark eyes met mine, her gaze honest and earnest. ¡°...I will be strict, yet also kind. But we have strayed from the topic.¡± She kissed my forehead tenderly again. ¡°I was capable of seeing for myself, deciding for myself. You did not force me. I am a woman of great pride. Perhaps many men would find that off-putting. With my status as a prodigy, and beautiful one...¡± She smiled wryly, and I fond myself laughing. Daiyu certainly isn¡¯t modest. But she¡¯s earned the right not to be.


    ¡°...I was well used to envy from women, and jealousy from men. Many wished to dominate me, tame me... but I am Zhao Daiyu, I bend to none I do not choose. You worried that it was fast, that we did not know each other, but as I said... I was alone in the world, cast adrift on the tides, and I washed ashore into your hands. It was clearly the will of the Heavens. No Cultivator would question such. And...¡± This time she kissed my lips, and deeply her tongue probed. She took my hand, placing it on her chest, and despite the white cloth in the way I groped it, and her mouth opened a little as we kissed, leaking out a pleased, aroused moan. I restrained myself to just a little fondling though, and as we parted, a thin bridge of saliva momentarily linking our tongues, I felt she looked at me a little reproachfully, before her serious demeanour returned.


    ¡°...besides, you were to my taste. I confess, I did not see my Dao companion as someone to be shared, but I also have no resistance to the possibility, considering that concubines are not unusual in the Sects. Father never took one, he was devoted to mother, but... I am not my father. Neither are you.¡±


    ¡°I promise I¡¯m not conflicted anymore.¡± I reassured her. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s been a lot to get my head around. Eri, I thought I¡¯d spend my life with her, but... honestly, I also loved Shaeula, but lied to myself. Honestly, I lie to myself a lot. I¡¯d loved Shiro too, even before this, but never admitted it to anyone, least of all myself. But things have changed. Hinata came into my life like a bolt of lightning, chaotic and fun, and then one after another I accepted more girls. I felt bad, especially for Eri, but...¡±


    ¡°But Eri is stronger than you believed. You still cannot help but see her as that small child you had to protect. I understand her well.¡± Daiyu concluded. ¡°But surely your thoughts have changed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, honestly, feeling bad is just selfishness, to make me feel better. I know it, I have to own it. I chose everyone, because I wanted to. I may have felt pressured, like with Hinata, but... I chose to give in. Therefore I will accept it. And I want everyone to be happy, and...¡± I¡¯m not selfless, nobody is. The truth is... ¡°...honestly, I want you all. Perhaps it¡¯s greed like that why I might be suitable to be Astral Emperor, despite my misgivings. But... I refuse to just take. So as the numbers of girls within my arms increase, I worry that each of you won¡¯t receive the full share of love you need. And... I may be determined, but I already know there will be more who I fall for, more who fall for me... it¡¯s only going to get worse.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°But fortunately, you have no weak little flowers, who only exist to look good in a vase, to be placed on a shelf and forgotten. Even those who would be ordinary, those you considered young girls... Eri, Kana, Hinata, Aiko... they all strive to become their best selves. No, to transcend their limits, and be better. And not just for you, but for their own pride. I respect them. They may not be Cultivators, not yet, but they live the essence of it. And... we are not merely ordinary. Shaeula, Hyacinth, Asha... you as well. You will live hundreds of years, perhaps more, if not slain in battle. I too... I have now seen a Saint, false as he was, and in the visions, true ones. And we have even tasted the edges of a Tribulation above Sainthood. I have seen the heights of Mount Tai, and while the distance is great, the drop frightening, to know it exists, and that others will help me walk that path, fills me with anticipation. Now, since it is the day of my birth, and you agreed to listen to all my wishes and whims... I shall be brief, as I have other things to do. But... remember, in the world of Cultivation, he who has the biggest fists makes the rules, and all problems yield to power. You are a dragon, Akio. Not meant to be bound by mortal limitations. Simply grow stronger, and find a way to satisfy us, all of us, those with you now, and those yet to come.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m certainly not the fool I was, am I?¡± I asked, and Daiyu merely smiled slightly, a touch mocking, and I pretended to be angry.


    ¡°Oh, make a fool of me will you? Then... you have to be punished!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Daiyu giggled teasingly, showing her hidden softer side when we were alone. ¡°If you can! I am proud of my durability, and I heal fast.¡±


    Her eyes were bright, and I took the bait. I grabbed at her chest again, squeezing more firmly, and she let out a gentle moan. My knee slid up her body, pushing up the long skirt of her robe, revealing her slender, jade-like thighs, and the rather risque? black panties she wore. Seeing those further inflamed my passions, and one hand reached down, tickling her inner thighs, while my other hand crept to her bottom, kneading and groping the smooth flesh, which was rapidly becoming hot to the touch.


    Daiyu¡¯s breath was coming faster, and we locked lips again. Pulling at her panties, I slid them down a little, observing a scattering of droplets of sour-smelling nectar. Seeing I had noticed, her skin flushed, but her movements grew furiously passionate. Pressed against me, her body winding sinuously, she reached down and tugged down my pants, my already hard cock popping free. For a moment she froze in surprise and I laughed, kissing her playfully, lightly tapping her bare bottom. ¡°Why are you so shocked? You¡¯ve seen it before. More than seen it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Daiyu pouted, showing a rich series of expressions in the heat of our intimacy. ¡°Regardless, I am still lacking experience. Though I do strive to be the best, as I told you before. Be it in Cultivation, martial arts or love, I shall soar like the phoenix to the Heavens!¡± she promised, making good on her words by gently grasping my manhood. One hand stroked the glans, tingling on my sensitive flesh, while the other gripped my shaft, tightening and loosening as if it was her pussy, as she stroked me.


    Unwilling to be undone, I unlaced the toggles that held her robe-like dress shut, baring her breasts, clad in a black bra. I tugged, and her breasts spilled free, her nipples already pink and hard. With an expression of delight I started sucking on one, biting it gently, and she moaned softly, though she didn¡¯t stop her hands. Shooting me a reproachful look, she opened her mouth to speak, only for her words to be swallowed by another, louder gasp. I rolled my tongue around her nipple, gently stroking it, sucking on her pale flesh, leaving rosy kiss marks behind, and while I was doing that, my fingers spread her pussy, more droplets of love nectar falling. I scooped a drizzle out, my finger momentarily darting inside her, and then began to wetly polish the bean of her clitoris, her skin flushing with arousal.


    ¡°I... will not be outdone!¡± Daiyu gasped, taking on my challenge. She pulled my cock towards her entrance with her small hands, and for a moment I thought she was going to start having sex, only for her to clamp her legs around my body, her thighs sandwiching my dick. I could feel her panties rubbing against me, and also the hot feel of her flesh. With a mischievous smile she showed off her flexibility, rocking her lower body while now using one hand to rub my glans, the other to stroke my face tenderly, even as I toyed with her breasts.


    ¡°Where did you learn this?¡± I asked, licking her nipples one last time, leaving them damp with my saliva. My lower body felt hot and heavy, the smooth feeling of her thighs, combined with other sensations from her slightly lowered panties driving me towards the peak. She opened her mouth a little, tongue peeking through, seeking a kiss, and I obliged, and when we parted, she giggled, answering me happily.


    ¡°It just seems interesting. It is like Cultivation. Some things are just meant to work, but... there are endless variations.¡± Her thighs tightened, and she teased me further. ¡°I thought you were going to punish me? It seems... you are about ready to burst... uh?¡± She let out a gasp as I pulled her up into my embrace, my engorged dick throbbing mercilessly. Seating her on my lap, I gently parted her folds, my cock sliding into her pussy, her warm, sticky walls throbbing. As she was penetrated, her skin turned bright pink and she started to sweat.


    ¡°So forceful. I hardly hate it though...¡± Daiyu whispered into my hear, her breath as hot as her body. ¡°...eventually I would have had to find a Companion, or if not, to marry purely to pass on my bloodline to offspring. Perhaps... oh...¡± I was rubbing her clit still, and that loosened her up, and with one final thrust, scattering precum and her love juices, I was buried to the root, and her expression went slack for a moment, as she fidgeted restlessly. She then recollected herself, continuing. ¡°...yes, perhaps I would have been like Su Caihong, from the visions of the nine-tailed fox we shared. A single dalliance, to make a child, and then lonely. I...¡± Having recovered from the deep penetration, her breath now more even, she slowly began to slide up and down on me, her tight ass slapping against my thighs, while she guided my free hand to her breasts again. ¡°...am happy it does not have to be that way. So...¡±


    ¡°So?¡± I encouraged her.


    ¡°So no more foolish thoughts about whether I am happy.¡± she insisted, softly kissing me. I could feel her care and affection through it, and when we parted, I shook my head, even as she slid up and down on my cock, trying to find the areas inside her that gave her the most pleasure. Occasionally she would tremble, eyes widening, and then change her movement patterns, forcing my dick to rub her pleasingly. ¡°I am. And you are. How could... ahn... you not be? With... um, ahn... me?¡± She was now starting to gasp and moan. ¡°Being... uh... on top in... ahn, ahn... control is very... uh, ahn... satisfying!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t worry, not really, not anymore.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not about whether it¡¯s right, or good for you.¡± I started to move my own body, teasing her. ¡°In control you say? I¡¯m still punishing you!¡±


    Wet slaps sounded, and Daiyu groaned. Seeing that her pleasure was intensifying, I realised she had guided me to the spot bringing her the most sexual pleasure, and so I probed at it, moving fast and them slow, alternating, rubbing inside her. My own body was shivering, and I could feel my seed boiling within me, eager to dye her insides.


    ¡°Your punishments are... ahh... lewd but... ahn... so kind!¡± Daiyu managed, expression slack. ¡°I... am... flying away! Ahh... soaring!¡± Daiyu convulsed, the rich scent of her sweat and nectars tugging at my nose. Her pussy convulsed, clamping down on me, and only my iron willpower stopped me cumming straight away. I had something to say first, but I was also eager to release myself, indulging in Daiyu¡¯s body, so I made it quick, tightening the muscles in my ass to prevent me leaking.


    ¡°Daiyu, I know I¡¯m the one for you, for everyone. I can¡¯t trust anyone else to make you happy. But... now I have greater worries, because... having accepted everyone in my heart, and... likely accepting others in the future, I want to be just as good for all of you as you are for me.¡± I admitted it to myself now. I was selfish and greedy, but it did definitely come from a place of love. Some loves grew over a long time, like my feelings for Eri, from a childhood friend to a sister to a lover, whereas others could spark quickly, through shared battles and trials. Or even a flash at a first instant, like Hinata insists she fell for me. All love is as valid as any other, so long as we work at it... With my words I sped up, each thrust shaking Daiyu¡¯s still sensitive body, the afterglow of her orgasm still lingering. Despite that, and her cute little moans and gasps which turned me on even more, her damp black eyes were looking at me curiously and lovingly. Yeah, Daiyu was right. She was meant to wash up on my shore. And nobody will take her from me now...


    ¡°I... love you, Daiyu!¡± I promised, one final thrust accompanied by a long, soft groan as my body convulsed.


    ¡°It... ahn... grows larger and hotter inside... uh... me.¡± Daiyu muttered dreamily. ¡°My insides... so warm... and full!¡±


    I gushed out a torrent of my semen, far in excess of what a normal body should have. Daiyu¡¯s insides were twitching, her womb shivering as I poured it inside her. Soon it was trickling out around the edges of my still iron-hard dick, and I thrust into her a few more times, wringing damp groans from her, until I finally slid free, cloudy white liquid splattering her panties still worn around her thighs. Lying down beside her, I pulled her into my embrace, finishing my thought, stroking her hair and wiping the sweat from her brow. Although... With a mischievous grin I began to toy with her sensitive clit and sodden pussy again, keeping her fire burning, and she gave me a knowing look, though she was far from displeased.


    ¡°Thank you, Daiyu.¡± I kissed her sweaty forehead, tasting her unique scent. ¡°As always, that was magical. But as I was saying... my worry now isn¡¯t whether I¡¯m right to have you all in my life, just... how can I make sure that you are all as happy as you can be? It keeps me up at night sometimes. I think even claiming Earth as an Astral Emperor would be an easier task...¡±


    Arms around me, Daiyu snorted. ¡°Liar. We are all very easy to please.¡± Daiyu¡¯s stamina had recovered quickly, as befitting such a tough girl with a regenerative Favour. ¡°Everyone is making an effort. Yes, I wish to spend time with you. As do Eri and the others. But today they conceded to me, as I will concede when it is fair. We all know we have to be reasonable. You are our spoils, and when dividing you, we must make sure everyone gets enough. Besides...¡± She giggled, her breath coming in soft gasps, as her pussy dribbled out more of my cum, pulsating as my fingers aroused it anew. ¡°...you managed to double the time we can spend with you, with your subtle bodies being twinned. That is progress.¡± Her giggles were somewhat high-pitched.


    ¡°True.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now...¡± I picked up Daiyu and slid behind her. I pulled down her panties and tossed them aside, before stripping off her dress, which was sadly now covered in sweat and other liquids. She¡¯ll need to change before going out tonight... ¡°We¡¯re not done, are we?¡±


    Daiyu wiggled her ass suggestively, turning her head to look at me. ¡°No, I am not yet satisfied. While it would be nice to spend many days like this in bli...ss...¡± She sucked in a breath as my dick slid inside her again, her insides now sopping with lubricating fluids, both mine and hers. Touching her belly gently, she smiled. ¡°...we cannot, until we have secured Earth against all our enemies. When that day comes... all of us together will celebrate. I hope you have... ahn...¡± I began to move, dick sliding in and out, probing different spots from before, her body responding. ¡°...the stamina... uh, ahh, for us... ahn... all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a man, of course I¡¯ll manage.¡± I snorted, amused, slapping her bottom playfully, the sound ringing out. That made Daiyu tighten on me, so I did it a few more times, until her bottom was faintly pink from other than arousal. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it you who brags about your staying power?¡±


    Daiyu smiled challengingly at me, and her ass twitched, as she tightened her own muscles, clamping hard on me. As I groaned in pleasure, her smile turned triumphant.DiiSco?ver new stories on


    ¡°Try me and see!¡± she snickered, balancing on one foot in the doggy-style pose on the bed, her other foot tickling my balls. ¡°I shall be the last woman... standing...¡±


    ¡°Challenge accepted!¡± I grinned, attacking her insides with a far more rapid pace than our first sex of the day. Not wanting to be outdone, Daiyu¡¯s foot caressed me, and I marvelled at how agile she was, her toes seeming almost as dexterous as fingers as she fondled me. I used my free hand that wasn¡¯t embracing her to play with her clit and asshole, even sliding a finger in a little, loosening her up. Daiyu¡¯s gasps were hoarse, but she refused to relent, and with a cheeky grin, actually used a little Qi. Her long hair twisted around my body, teasing me gently, and with a smile I decided to call her bluff. Pulling out, ignoring her brief moan of disappointment, I grabbed her long, flowing dark locks that had been brushing against my now bare upper body, her hair having somehow removed my shirt. When it comes to Qi control, she¡¯s got more talent than I do with aether, definitely. If anyone¡¯s the prodigy here, it¡¯s her...


    ¡°What are you...?¡± She began, only to look surprised as I wrapped her hair around my dick and started stroking. Daiyu released more Qi, so I was curious, and my Eye shone, and I could see that it was some sort of technique to turn hair into a weapon. Yet she¡¯s using it this way?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to...¡± I cried out moments later, no need to hold back to match with her. I usually enjoyed seeing the girls drowning in pleasure more than feeling my own, but Daiyu was being cheeky, so teasing her tugged at my feelings, making me feel a little sadistic.


    ¡°Such a waste...¡± Daiyu pursed her lips, before her eyes went wide. Moments later I laughed, the crude hair-job we had performed together not feeling the best, but it was something amusing, so I enjoyed it nonetheless. The evidence of that was the spray I cascaded through her silken strands, and soon her hair was stickly and clumping up. The jet had also blasted her face and upper body, beads of white along her breasts, neck and face. With a delicate tongue, she licked up my cum, swallowing it, before looking down at her hair, a momentary expression of annoyance on her face.


    ¡°I believe that the middle Dantian is a mediator of elemental Qi, much as the Golden Stove refines aetheric Qi, the so-called strengthening elixir. It would tally with what the lunar Chakra does. Especially as, if the lower Dantian creates elixir, the middle creates spirit. No wonder you can share your spiritual senses through synchronising them. I believe the Chakra networks we see... mine, yours, Shaeula¡¯s, those of Yo?kai, Fae and others... are all generally similar, yet we only perceive the surface, perhaps a little deeper. There must be an underlying, truly perfect one.¡±


    I had considered that myself. Shaeula¡¯s forcing of a lunar Chakra into me had been madness, and only her inherently absurd good fortune seemed to have saved the day, that or perhaps the bond we shared through our Oaths and the Fae-Bonded Class. But perhaps it wasn¡¯t as miraculous as it seemed, merely Fortune allowing her to strike at the right part of my rudimentary network, unearthing what was already there, for us to perfect it later.


    ¡°Despite that, I¡¯m not confident.¡± I warned, and she giggled, speeding up her hand. She rolled down my body, and gave me a sly wink, opening her delicate mouth.


    ¡°I am. But not a fool. Should you break me, I trust to Chang¡¯e¡¯s blessing, and my own strength to recover. And we shall summon Shiro and Tan?ha? and take all precautions. But... I have seen the peaks...¡± Her breath tickled my sensitive glans, cool against the precum that was leaking from the tip. ¡°...and I know my foundation is lacking. Even with your Spirit Water. There are many Cultivators who take the slow and steady path, taking no risks, and many are destined for the summit, but... those that take the correct daring risks are those that challenge the very Heavens themselves.¡±


    ¡°I know, but...¡± I began, and Daiyu sucked at my dick, licking it greedily. She then released it momentarily.


    ¡°I am going to persuade you, even if I must offer you my body once more.¡± She winked again, playfully. ¡°So... see how serious I am!¡± And with that, she seized my cock, sucking on it messily, her technique still clumsy, but she was a quick learner, and soon she was swallowing noisily, my cum trickling from her mouth, while I tapped away a message on my phone with my free hand, wondering why I was such a pushover for my girls...


    ***


    ¡°So, why did you want to see.... me?¡± Shiro trailed off, looking at the state of the bed and our bodies, sticky with love nectar, cum and sweat. ¡°Shit, what the hell have you two been doing?¡±


    ¡°Is it not obvious?¡± Daiyu replied, still nestled naked in my arms, having no shame showing herself in front of Shiro. I suppose she is prepared to show Dual Cultivation to others we are close to, just not men, thankfully, so this isn¡¯t shameful to her. Besides, it shows she¡¯s comfortable with the other girls, which is a good thing. ¡°First we made love, then we Dual Cultivated. But I found myself unsatisfied. I am a greedy woman, all Cultivators are by nature. I want it all. Why, are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Aki would be upset if I wasn¡¯t. That¡¯d mean I don¡¯t love him enough.¡± Shiro winked. ¡°But your big sis Shirohime will make allowances, especially on your birthday. So, what¡¯s your complaint? As far as I can tell, you¡¯ve been breaking in the bed well enough. It looks like a damn bukkake show in here.¡± As I raised an eyebrow at that, she flushed. ¡°Oh come on, Aki. You know I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯ve listened to you guys talk about porn before. It¡¯s not like I watch any. If I wanted some fun...¡± Her blush deepened, and Daiyu laughed gently.


    ¡°Unfortunately, not today. Akio is mine this day. But if you aid me, I will remember this favour.¡± Daiyu promised.


    ¡°I¡¯m not... I can go a few days without sex just fine!¡± Shiro was very cute when flustered, it didn¡¯t happen that often, so Daiyu and I both enjoyed the moment. ¡°So you never answered me?¡± She changed the subject as best she could.


    ¡°It is simple. While I do enjoy the feeling of Dual Cultivation, it is not enough. I believe I need my middle Dantian, the Crimson Palace, or perhaps the lunar Chakra. I would most sorely wish to experience the close blending of spirits. Sharing our Qi through Dual Cultivation, our feelings and sensations... it is wonderful, but somehow lacking.¡±


    Shiro pursed her lips, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. Not that I¡¯d know. I don¡¯t get to do either with Aki. Don¡¯t get me wrong, sex is great, and ... well, honestly, being someone¡¯s girlfriend, even a harem bastard like Aki here, is more satisfying than I ever imagined it would be. Just hanging out seems so much more special. But if you are unsatisfied, think of me!¡±


    ¡°I apologise.¡± Daiyu did nod sadly. ¡°I did not think, forgive me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Forget it. I¡¯m lucky to be alive at all, I guess. But... isn¡¯t that a dumb move? Aki¡¯s got skills, sure, but... this is your Cultivation, right? I doubt there¡¯s too many shortcuts that work.¡±


    Daiyu nodded, now addressing Tan. ¡°Tan?ha?, I would ask for a moment of your time.¡±


    One of Shiro¡¯s eyes flashed red, and her mouth opened, only for a long, confused pause, as Tan took in the scene of Daiyu and me snuggled together in a state of post-coital bliss. After a further silence, she coughed, before speaking. ¡°I was listening. Your Crimson Palace, yes? I am not a Cultivator myself, though I am not unaware of the general points. I have already achieved what Cultivators aim at, barring... no, that is not to be spoken of.¡± There was a faint buzzing before she changed the subject. ¡°Yes, there are three Dantian, and without all three being active, you will never reach the truest of heights. Though so few, even in the Pantheons, ever see such pinnacles. Even with just your lower Dantian, you could certainly reach Sainthood, or even Immortal, yet the road would be long and hard. With the Crimson Palace... that would be enough to pave your way.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Daiyu nodded. ¡°So that is why they say those who only use the lower Dantian have lacking talent. So how does one awaken it?¡±


    ¡°There are many ways. It has atrophied within the bodies of you young beings, due to insufficient ether density. In time, perhaps your children will once more recover their bloodlines. Bloodline... hmm.¡± Tan paused. ¡°I see another way. You are Jade-Blooded, are you not?¡±


    ¡°So they mentioned it then?¡± I asked, and Tan nodded, while Shiro spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, we all like to share each other¡¯s triumphs, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Akio...¡± Tan spoke. ¡°Show me her body.¡±


    ¡°You can see everything already.¡± Shiro quipped, glancing at Daiyu¡¯s naked, dishevelled yet somehow glossy body, and Tan silenced her.


    ¡°Enough. We have little time for your amusements, princess. I am serious. Show me, those images of light you made before.¡±


    Nodding, I peered at her with my Eye, weaving an illusion. Daiyu¡¯s network was projected, and Tan observed it carefully. Out of curiosity, I tried overlaying a version of the lower Dantian over the middle one. It didn¡¯t quite fit right, and I also tried with the lunar Chakra, which did seem to connect better, though the position was wrong. Unless... The Night Moons that Shaeula now had, perhaps...


    ¡°Tan, the lower Dantian seems to subsume the root and sacral chakras. So wouldn¡¯t the middle Dantian do the solar plexus and heart chakras? If so...¡± I changed the illusion, making a rough image. ¡°Shiro, can I get some buffs on Chirurgery? Go all in, I can handle some backlash.¡±


    ¡°If you say so...¡± Shiro surged with aether, and soon my Chirurgery was temporarily breaking new barriers. As I worked, it was as if I was gathering new insights, and my Eye burned uncomfortably. I separated out the lower Dantian and my lunar Chakra, looking deep inside the structures, seeing the careful webs of capillaries, acupoints, meridians and more that went into them. Yeah, even perfectly adapted networks like I give through Chirurgery are just that. Adapted. They may be strong and stable, and likely good enough, but... obviously it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. Tan also gave me some pointers, and the fact that Daiyu had a significant bloodline would certainly be advantageous, apparently.


    ¡°How about this?¡± I said at last, everyone peering at my illusory version of Daiyu¡¯s network. ¡°Before, I would have considered this a masterpiece, but now I can see while it¡¯s certainly excellent, it¡¯s far from the best it could be, even with your guidance, Tan.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Tan snorted drily. ¡°I am pleased you finally realise your shortcomings, Akio. You have talent, I admit it. Few combine such perceptive sight as you have with talents of Chirurgery, coupled with such healing gifts. The combination stands you in august company. But if it was so easy to create Cultivators, why would there ever be a shortage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though it¡¯s just like granting my trainees a lunar Chakra won¡¯t actually grant them the Skill until they work on it and strengthen it enough, it offers some benefits. So...¡± I looked at Daiyu beside me. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m actually more confident now, and...¡± I looked at Tan and Shiro before shrugging. ¡°...okay, I still can¡¯t help you out, Shiro. I¡¯m not going into the tangled mess that Tan¡¯s conjunction with you is, not yet. But I¡¯ve learned a little. One day soon...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, Aki. I want to screw you like the others do.¡± Shiro teased, and Tan spoke coldly.


    ¡°I think not. Not while I am so connected with you. Make do with what you have.¡±


    ¡°I forgot you¡¯re not ready for that sort of thing yet...¡± Shiro snorted, and as they bantered, Daiyu grasped my hand.


    ¡°I understand I will have to advance it through my own efforts, but... taking a little help from my Dao companion is hardly cheating. The Heavens will forgive me, I am sure.¡± She then took a deep breath. ¡°I will never blame you, even if something goes wrong. If so, I am yet young, we both are. We have time to seek solutions. Perhaps knowledge from Tamamo-no-Mae, or those from Kunlun, if they yet live... and if not, I have already decided I will fight in other ways. If those such as Eri, Kana, Motoko and Natsumi can, I can do no less.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± I kissed her tenderly, and with the roaring of my blood boiling under Shiro¡¯s buffs, I began. ¡°First, we do this...¡± Aether flashed, fine needles of it clearing out debris and blockages in the meridians, opening acupoints and precisely prickling minor Chakras, opening them like lotus flowers. Then came knives, slicing away dead, dysfunctional areas. Daiyu¡¯s body, much like the first time I had worked on a Dantian, almost seemed to guide me, though I had to resist it at points. The knives of aether also widened some branches, shaving off others, as well as cutting a rather savage hole in Daiyu¡¯s back. She groaned, this time the pain far greater, and I also had to fight against Chang¡¯e¡¯s blessing, which was trying to repair her subtle body, though thanks to that I also noticed that when I got something right, it no longer tried to undo the damage I was inflicting. At least I assume so, from my experience and the sense my buffed Chirurgery is giving me...


    ¡°Everything¡¯s like clockwork, like the Orrerys Eri used to admire as a child but could never afford. Every star, every planet, every gear, moving in precision. But... sometimes we have to stand in the darkness to be able to see clearly.¡± The aether generated by the main seven Chakras blinded and obscured what lay behind. Worse, just like the starry skies above, things move. Like Shaeula¡¯s Night Moons. Eri¡¯s now too, I guess.


    Aether was used in ever more creative ways, sculpting and shaping, and I realised to an extent that Shapercraft worked as well. I can make an item out of my severed arm, so why can¡¯t I make Daiyu an item of sorts? Being an item is just an arbitrary distinction, isn¡¯t it? I mean, fantasy is full of tales of living swords, golems and more. The Crimson Palace took shape, though it wasn¡¯t quite right, but I needed slightly more than just that. The position is a little off, but... Guided by feel, Daiyu¡¯s nature as my Fae-Bonded, I clutched her hand. ¡°This is dangerous. I think if we leave it now it¡¯ll likely all be okay, but...¡± She stopped me with her lips, kissing me desperately. I could feel her trembling a little, her skin hot with nerves, but when she pulled free, our kisses lingering on each other¡¯s lips, she was resolute.


    ¡°I accept no half measures. If I succeed, I shall rejoice. If I fail, you can wash away my sorrows...¡±


    ¡°Sneaky!¡± Shiro complained, and I shut out all the distractions, pulling in adherence too. I was short of it, which might affect my future plans, though I hopefully had a method to deal with that. But I wouldn¡¯t spare it for Daiyu. With one final effort, I shaped my cutting blades of aether into a strange, corkscrew-type drill, and made one savage incision through the middle Dantian. Daiyu convulsed, but the spirals of adherence that layered the surgical tool quickly scraped away the damaged areas, injecting healing energies. Her Divine Favour reacted, accelerating, and before I could respond the area stabilised, aether and Qi flowing to it, sparking it to life.


    Your Class, Shaper of Flesh and Spirit, has increased from Level Three to Level Five. Damage your Shaping causes to subtle bodies will heal with less scarring and complications. Tools made from Aether, Adherence and ???????? to work your will are sharper and more precise. Larger structures and parts of the ???????? ?????? are more easily manipulated.


    Your Skill, Shapercraft, has increased from Rank Two to Rank Three. You have increased perception regarding the structures of subtle bodies, and you can allow slightly imperfect structures to function properly, though if this is too extreme complications may cause injury. You have a limited ability to conjoin differing foundational points of a subtle body, allowing for unique effects, but when Shapercrafting living matter, the balance must be maintained else rejection will occur.


    Your Class, Master of Many Crafts, has increased from Level Seven to Level Eight...


    The messages blaring across my vision showed I had achieved something, but what mattered was Daiyu, so my Eye shone all the brighter, and as further letters scrolled across my vision, I let out a slight sigh of relief, releasing my held breath...


    Crude Middle Dantian Rank 1. The Middle Dantian, the Crimson Palace, is a cauldron...

 Five Hundred And Five – R18/Contains sex

    Five Hundred And Five ¨C R18/Contains sex


    Crude Middle Dantian Rank 1. The Middle Dantian, the Crimson Palace, is a cauldron that amplifies and stores spiritual strength, magnifying Elemental Qi and spiritual fortitude. This Dantian is currently empty, and requires charging with an Accumulation of Elemental Qi to show its true power. This Dantian has been paired with a Crude Lunar Chakra, and while the connections are far from stable, the resonant effect offers further storage of and growth of Elemental energies and related Unique Elements.


    Daiyu blinked, a smile on her face as she let her Qi Perception loose inside herself. I was smiling too, and sensing my mood, Shiro let out a quiet chuckle. ¡°Guessing it went well, Aki? Tan¡¯s very eager to know how it went... of course I¡¯ll tell him, I mean, he knows anyway Tan, no point hiding it.¡± She paused, her own grin wicked as she obviously talked out loud so we could hear, rather than communicating with Tan mentally. ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict?¡±


    I explained the Middle Dantian, and Daiyu spoke up. ¡°Calling it crude is rather an insult. I believe it to be quite functional. Though it is currently empty. It does make me wonder. It seems much as the Lower Dantian, the Golden Stove, relates to the Foundation Realm, this Crimson Palace surely has a correlation with the Accumulation Realm.¡±


    ¡°Of course it does.¡± Tan spoke up, her tone rather...petulant, almost. ¡°Such is basic knowledge within the Sects of the Pantheons. I am more curious about the conjunction, however. Akio, how I wish I had your Eye.¡± She licked Shiro¡¯s lips, gazing at me with a hungry gleam in her ruby eyes. ¡°My perception is keen, yet even I have limits. Seeing how this... lunar... Chakra coexists would be elucidating. We have no Fae in our Pantheon. How vexing.¡±


    ¡°Be careful what you wish for, Tan.¡± Shiro warned, amused. ¡°If you want to eat him I don¡¯t mind lending you my mouth, but I don¡¯t think you have the bravery for that.¡± Shiro cracked an obscene joke, and for a moment her eyes turned back again, Tan retreating. Feeling that, Shiro winked at me. I laughed, as did Daiyu, though most of her attention was inwards.


    ¡°I am Tan?ha?, the Thirst, eldest daughter of mighty Mara! My favour is not given so lightly.¡± Tan snapped, her usual calm rather absent. Shiro laughed, and when she was done, Tan let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°Enough with your tired japes, princess. This is a serious matter. The interplay between aspects of the subtle body is a fascinating and dangerous matter. There are many components to a spiritual body. Some are universal. There must be Chakras to draw in ether and generate aether. The main branches and capillaries spread and circulate this energy. There are seven primary centres, and their locations are generally well understood. Creatures of myth and different form to you humans may have different sites, but generally... root, heart, third eye are the three primary which will never be absent, and above them the crown rules.¡±


    Shiro and I exchanged a glance as Tan talked. Yeah, Tan¡¯s in lecturing mode again. Not that I mind, it¡¯s always very informative, and it is addressing some questions I have.


    ¡°If I may interrupt?¡± Daiyu asked, and Tan nodded, so she continued. ¡°Then, the Dantians are similar. Lower, built around the root and surrounding Chakras, then Middle, around the heart, and I assume that the Upper Dantian shall encompass the third eye Chakra, as well as the others around it?¡±


    ¡°You assume correctly. Cultivation is a ... foundational... system. Mortal language is so... imprecise.¡± Tan complained. ¡°I do not mean as in the Foundation Realm. Merely that it is a system reduced to first principles, then iterated upon smoothly, until its existence is an accepted... no, that goes beyond what I can say. My point is thus. All are built from the same beginnings, though then there can be many variations. Though a foundation built upon carelessly, too much piled upon it, will surely be unstable and collapse. You must not be reckless.¡± She glanced at me warningly, and I understood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not suddenly going to try and combine everything together. But... Daiyu wanted to take the risk, and it was calculated. With Chang¡¯e¡¯s Favour and Chirurgery, I was confident that I could put her back to her original state, or close enough, with the help of Shiro¡¯s buffs, should the worst happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the princess is perfectly suited for such a Favour.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°And it does drive your Skill to impressive heights. At our level, each step forward is a major breakthrough, complete with both terrible requirements and in return, significant efficacy. There are certainly those above you in terms of ability to manipulate subtle bodies, even with the princess granting you further knowledge. But again, you have advantages most do not. But do not allow arrogance to grow. Cultivation is not something easily trifled with. The Heavens are jealous.¡±


    ¡°Point taken.¡± I agreed. ¡°But honestly, I think the lunar Chakra, and to a lesser extent the parts of the Yo?kai network, are all compatible, with some work. We¡¯ve proved that humans can hold the Fae network, and even a hybrid between Fae and Yo?kai, Eri has that. So... yeah.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Balancing differing powers and making them our own is the essence of Cultivation.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Besides... Tan?ha?, we are not aiming to merely be powerful. We wish to be the best we can be, for beyond our world, lies realms beyond imagination. You know this well, better than any of us.¡±


    Tan made an indelicate sound, but agreed. ¡°Yes, I respect your understanding. Arrogance will not serve you. Were I able to exert my full might, I would be able to triumph over you all easily enough.¡± She looked at me then, her ruby eyes intense. ¡°And even I lack something fundamental. I may be a Goddess, but even so... I decided to remain here on the chance of it. I am powerful, but compared to my father, or the strong of other Pantheons... yes, calculated risks are worthy. But never let greed blind you to the risks, assume you will succeed.¡± she warned, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. She¡¯s certainly mellowed since our first meetings. I guess she can¡¯t share a body and spirit with Shiro so deeply and not be influenced? Or is it something else...


    Shiro, perhaps guessing what I was thinking, rolled her eyes. Before she could speak though, Daiyu frowned. ¡°Shiro, I believe I need to regulate these new parts of me. It has disrupted the smooth flow of Qi within me. I shall meditate a short while to grasp it. For now...¡± She glanced down at my naked lower body. ¡°...it may be my birthday, and I am not yet satisfied, but...¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not all hot and bothered, seeing Aki like that. It¡¯s another thing that surprises me. I never thought I was such a lewd woman. Guess I was all repressed and pent-up over the years. But...¡± Shiro winked at me, her eyes back to black, Tan clearly having severed her consciousness, anticipating. ¡°...since you two are having an evening together, us girls are planning to as well, having some fun of our own. And I don¡¯t want to be oozing all evening long. So...¡± Shiro brushed her long silver hair behind her head, bending over, lips pursed. ¡°I¡¯ll just get a quick taste of it. Keep you strong for Daiyu.¡± She let her tongue delicately peek from her lips, her face close enough to my glans for her breath to tickle me softly. As she gently lapped at it, she giggled as Daiyu, despite her meditating state, still flushed.


    ¡°I apologise. Perhaps Akio should have cleaned off first...¡± Daiyu muttered, and Shiro swallowed my cock, her mouth warm, tongue teasing at my shaft, while her hands tickled my balls gently. As I shivered, running my hands through her hair, stroking her head, Shiro opened her mouth wide, speaking, though her words were muffled by my member stuffing her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing to be ashamed about. We¡¯re all Aki¡¯s haremettes. Still makes me laugh saying it...¡± She dabbed her tongue at my oozing precum, using both sides, each feeling unique, and then blinked, surprised. ¡°Getting bigger, huh? I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve any interest in other dicks, but I¡¯ve always thought you¡¯re packing, Aki. Must be because you¡¯re a half...¡± Her cheek bulged as she moved her head back and forth, using her mouth like her pussy, her delicate lips tightening and loosening alternatively.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that big...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Big enough.¡± Shiro snorted, suddenly clamping her mouth shut, sucking on my glans, and I groaned, barely able to keep an ejaculation in. Shiro narrowed her eyes, seeing that as a challenge, and she intensified her oral assault. ¡°You like it here, right?¡± Her hand squeezed my balls, as if to force my cum out.


    ¡°Shiro, I¡¯m... I¡¯m going to...¡±


    ¡°Let it out. I¡¯m thirsty!¡± Shiro giggled wetly, sighing lustily, and as her head slid forwards, my cock hit the back of her throat and spasmed, warm liquid surging. Gripping her head I held her close, hugging her, and her throat worked, though even as she drank my sperm she made sure to continue licking and sucking at my shaft.


    ¡°Just how much... bluh!¡± Shiro tried to complain, only to gag as I continued to cum, and she desperately swallowed. Her cheeks bulged, and then finally my flow ceased. Pulling free, I patted Shiro¡¯s head, and her smile broadened. She opened her mouth to show she was still holding a large puddle of pearlescent liquid on her tongue, before swallowing, making sure I could see. As she licked her lips clean, she spoke. ¡°How is it? Like making me swallow? I know guys dig that. It¡¯s the dominance thing, right?¡±


    I cut her off with a kiss. Grinning, we tangled tongues, and when we parted, she touched her lips softly. ¡°I knew I got you all hot and bothered. But you nearly got my clothes dirty. Ugh, better brush my teeth a few times, or I¡¯ll have Aki-breath outside.¡±


    ¡°To answer your question, I¡¯m a man. Of course I like it. But I also want to bring you pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Shiro crossed her arms. ¡°Not today. Like I said, I¡¯ve not got a humiliation fetish, I don¡¯t want you dripping all evening long. Especially when you blast it out like a damn hose.¡± Her accusation was mocking yet kind. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll leave this...¡± she gently tapped my dick. ¡°...for Daiyu. How¡¯s it coming along?¡± Shiro asked, a trace of jealousy in her voice.


    ¡°But there¡¯s this.¡± I squeezed, and the jade in my palm shattered. The energy flooded into me, and it was pure elemental energy not Qi! It was still far too meagre for me to learn the element, but I could now see the path to it.


    ¡°Yes, there is that.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Now... more to the point, our time is wasting. I wish to make the most of the day.¡± She clutched my hand, threading her fingers through mine. ¡°Do you think... we can now?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± I nodded. ¡°We can give it a try at least. The worst that happens is we¡¯re simply making love.¡±


    ¡°Not such a terrible failure.¡± Daiyu agreed, skin flushed again. ¡°Now, you shall have to lead. I am your teacher in Dual Cultivation, you can guide me in this.¡±


    ¡°I can. Well, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± I amended. ¡°First...¡± I reached down, gently teasing her clit and pussy. She was already damp, and it didn¡¯t take more than a few moments before her pussy was making lewd, wet sounds, leaking love nectar and dribbles of my sperm. As she relaxed, flesh pink and hot, her legs spread, her slit opened, and I pushed my glans against her. Aether and elemental energies were boiling within me, forming a stream to my lunar Chakra, and I traced my fingers along Daiyu¡¯s body, encouraging her to circulate what aether she could along the pathways. It was hard for her, and the majority of it was Qi, similar but not the same, but soon she was generating at least a small vortex of energy, spinning in the opposite direction to mine.


    ¡°Ready then?¡± I asked, and her answer was a kiss, her small teeth digging into my lip sensuously. With that I tightened my lower body, and I slid inside her, parting Daiyu¡¯s dripping body, sliding through her warm, damp insides. She bit harder, her tongue seeking mine, so I obliged. With one of our hands tangled, my other was still touching her body, allowing her to focus on the energies. With one final surge, my cock reached deep into her filling her up, and her womb shuddered, eager, the unfamiliar feeling of the current of aether and Qi leaving her body and spirit almost too sensitive, my every touch making her tremble.


    ¡°Stop, do not move for a moment...¡± She gasped breathily, but that only inflamed my own passions.


    ¡°All right. I won¡¯t move, but I will...¡± Channelling out my surging tide of elemental energies through my sacral Chakra, where out bodies were pressed together, Daiyu moaned, now biting her own lips. Her pussy tightened, as if seeking to crush me, and she shed sparkling tears of pleasure.


    ¡°What... is this? You are penetrating me, body and spirit at once!¡± She seemed almost delirious by the shock. ¡°It is like Dual Cultivation, but... no, I shall... not be... outdone.¡± Her legs wrapped around me, and she pressed her forehead to mine, her free hand pressing my heart. Her own feeble flow of aether was unable to beat my weightier one, leaving my thoughts, emotions and pleasures to flood her, but I was unable to get more than fragments of hers.


    ¡°Go, become one with me the way we know, any way we can!¡± Daiyu invited me, and I needed no second invitation. I started to move, gently at first, my motions tender, my dick sliding through her sopping pussy. But as she flooded me with Qi, the streams that normally cycled between us instead diverged, becoming a mirror opposite to the current that was overwhelming Daiyu as I made love to her. My arousal increased, and I shifted, my cock now rubbing against a particularly sensitive spot, and Daiyu gasped, drooling a little. She was wide-eyed, yet despite her seeming confusion and vacant, pleased stare, deep within dark sparks of insight were burning. Even now, she was fascinated by the process, so like yet unlike Dual Cultivator as she knew it.


    ¡°I see.¡± She moaned. ¡°Yes, there, there!¡± I obliged by speeding up, moving like a gentle piston, poking and teasing her hole, her pussy wriggling as if it wished to suck me in. ¡°It is... ahn, oh my... uh, ahn... again, two sides... ahn... uh... to the same... ahn... coin!¡±


    ¡°I can feel your thoughts and emotions.¡± I agreed. The swirling vortex of Qi was soaking into my lunar Chakra. There was certainly resistance, and it wasn¡¯t anywhere near as clear as when I performed this act with Shaeula, Hyacinth or even Eri, but even so, it was present. ¡°So how are mine?¡± I struggled to speak calmly, a hot, stilted feeling rising inside me, as if I wished to explode into her, both body and spirit.


    ¡°So sweet, so very, very sweet and... ahn... wet!¡± She gasped, her turn of phrase odd. ¡°Now, give me your... love!¡±


    She tightened up, legs suddenly clamping me, making it hard for me to move. Despite that, I was more than capable. My free hand strayed to her clit, which was already engorged, and as I softly polished it, finger vibrating, her legs spasmed, and with her impossible strength, if I was an ordinary man, she would have snapped me in two. As she moaned and twitched, I rolled back a little, her stiff legs resisting me, just enough that I could get some fingers around my shaft. With a few strokes, the heat that was building within me boiled over, and with a final forward motion, I stabbed my dick deep into Daiyu, even as I splashed her insides with another gushing torrent.


    ¡°See? Wet!¡± Daiyu moaned triumphantly, free hard slipping from my heart, flow of Qi diminishing, and she hugged me, legs and arms shuddering as she came, my spurting cock rubbing at the entrance to her womb. She squirted, the smell of my cum mixing with the sour tang of her love nectars, and she stuck out her tongue, seeking me. I obliged, while also continuing to scrape my weakening dick against her entrance.


    Soon only the sound of our moans could be heard as we kissed frantically, the heightened emotions Daiyu was feeling from my attempt to merge our lunar Chakras overwhelming. Her attempt in return had been rather less intense, but I still had experienced a trickle of her spirit. There was definitely a little Jade elemental energy within too...


    As Daiyu calmed down, the feeling deeper than mere Duel Cultivation, we lay in each other¡¯s arms on the soiled bed. After a moment, Daiyu spoke contemplatively. ¡°I understood something as we joined together. For a moment it was drowned out by our pleasure, but...everything has two sides. Dual Cultivation is more a process to share and strengthen each other through mutual transfer of Qi, but also extracting the essence of female and male, the Yin and the Yang. This Fae way... it is intense.¡± She shuddered in remembered ecstasy. ¡°But it is not intended to strengthen the tangible, Qi, but to... strengthen the intangible, bond, emotions, experiences.¡±


    I nodded, thinking the same. While doing it often strengthened Lovers¡¯ Link, and occasionally led to breakthroughs, it wasn¡¯t really a strengthening technique. My Eye flared, and in satisfaction I noticed that Daiyu¡¯s Lovers¡¯ Link had also increased, as expected. Perhaps she¡¯ll be the next after Eri to reach Rank eleven? No, she¡¯ll have stiff competition from Shaeula and the others. It¡¯s not easy traversing that horizon. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s almost a religious experience to the Fae, in a way.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though it certainly does have some benefits in comprehension, as well as some risks. Fae of opposing types... well, it can get messy, so I hear.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Daiyu said softly, determined. ¡°I shall definitely experience it properly. It was as if I was drowning in you. It was sweet, like sinking in honey, but I believe it would be sublime if both sides were balanced, like Yin and Yang.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to experience you properly.¡± I agreed, kissing her sweaty forehead. Despite all our increased Fortitude, we still seemed to get tired and sweaty during sex. I suppose that¡¯s for the best, otherwise the joy would be gone. ¡°Even being weak though, I enjoyed the closeness.¡±


    ¡°You were far from weak.¡± Daiyu chuckled. ¡°But then, I am a traditional woman, as well as a Cultivator. My Dao Companion should be forceful and strong. It is reassuring.¡± Her face was pink, but she seemed serious. ¡°I am the Matriarch of the Incorruptible Jade. It is a great, almost unbearable responsibility. I owe my father, all those before him, all those who died... so I must be as strong and unyielding as jade itself. I must shed no more tears, and I must triumph. And I will.¡± she swore. ¡°But I need a place I can be me. Zhao Daiyu. Not the prodigy of hard work, but simply Daiyu.¡± She looked at me earnestly. ¡°Where I can lay down my burden for a while. For I know the truth. Even jade can shatter. I apologise, placing this burden on you, but... huh? Why did you do that?¡±


    She looked confused as I rapped her forehead gently with my knuckles. Shaking my head, I sighed, before kissing the spot I struck. ¡°Because you¡¯re being foolish. A burden? I¡¯d carry Mount Tai on my back if it was for you. Like I said earlier, I¡¯m a new me. No more looking back. I chose you, you chose me. How and why doesn¡¯t matter. And me... I just want those I love to smile, and to reach their full potential. So, just as you washed ashore to Japan and came to me, let me be your harbour in the storm.¡±


    Daiyu blinked, before her smile widened. ¡°That is rather embarrassing to hear, and worse to say, no doubt. But...¡± She bent over and kissed me once more. ¡°...I am thrilled to hear it. Now, we must make haste. We both need to bathe before we can enjoy the rest of my birthday. As Shiro says, it would not do for me to be reeking of our love and leaking everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Want a hand?¡± I grinned, and she was the one to knuckle my forehead now, her smile softening.


    ¡°Of course. But any further love shall have to wait. So hold your urges back.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m a lustful beast!¡± I protested, and as she replied that I surely was, I stretched, feeling drained yet fulfilled. All right then. Time to make this evening memorable...

 Five Hundred And Six

    Five Hundred And Six


    After a brief, but also amusing, time in the bath, where we discovered an unlikely use for water element, making sure that Daiyu wouldn¡¯t have any unfortunate accidents during our night out, we dried ourselves and dressed. The other girls had coordinated Daiyu¡¯s outfit for the night, as while Daiyu had a very refined aesthetic sense, she wasn¡¯t well versed in modern fashion. She looked a little surprised at first, but soon dressed, and I raised my thumb approvingly when she was done.


    ¡°You look great. That¡¯s such a fresh style for you.¡± She was wearing tight, three quarter-length jeans, showing off her slender legs, as well as a red t-shirt, layered over with a paler cardigan-style frilly top. She had also piled her hair up and pinned it, giving off an entirely different impression to her usual stoic coolness.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°It does not hurt to dress more casually now and again.¡± Daiyu demurred, rather embarrassed. She then deflected attention to me. ¡°You look rather splendid as well.¡±


    ¡°I would hope so. I never used to put much thought into my clothes, but I can¡¯t show you all up now, can I?¡± I was in smart casual, a white shirt and blue jeans paired with a watch that while not the sort I wore on special occasions or meeting important people, was still more expensive than I would have ever considered buying before all this. After checking my hair in the mirror, the slight wildness of the style making me look a little dangerous, I gave Daiyu another once over, making her flush a little. ¡°All right, we good to go?¡±


    Daiyu nodded, and we said our goodbyes to everyone. Tamamo-no-Mae was being watched over by Shaeula and Hyacinth, while Shiro, Eri and some of the others were going out. I noticed Suzu-san tagging along with that group, and my mom and auntie Hana were joining them too. That¡¯s quite the mixture.


    After some playful teasing from my mom, Daiyu and I headed out into the Tokyo night. The December chill was hanging in the air, but with our stats the cold was nothing. A driver took us the short distance from our estate into central Tokyo, and our stop was the brilliant lights and bustle of Shinjuku. Daiyu was a little overwhelmed with the number of people around, having lived in a relatively quiet mountain hideaway until now, but she was gradually getting used to life in Japan. As we chatted, she admired the bright neon, in shades of purple, blue and green, that seemed to be everywhere. Soon we passed under the gate of red lights that marked the most well-known entrance to the Kabukicho? district, and the flow of people and the intensity of the garish displays competing for our attention increased.


    Daiyu looked around, fascinated. We were speaking Chinese, since it was just the two of us, and her birthday, so those around us couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°And why have you brought me here? It seems interesting, but...¡± She nodded to the numerous handsome well-dressed men propositioning women, as well as scantily clad young women, who despite the cold were braving the Tokyo night to speak to passers-by, trying to guide them into various establishments. ¡°...it seems a little... exotic.¡± she said at last.


    ¡°Technically it is a red-light district, but we¡¯re not here to pick up girls, or heaven forbid, guys.¡± I snorted, knowing anyone that tried to hit on Daiyu would be lucky if she didn¡¯t break them, and if she didn¡¯t I would. ¡°A lot of Kabukicho? is great bars, little restaurants and fun places to discover. I thought Akihabara, one of the main places I hang out, just wouldn¡¯t tickle your fancy like it does Shaeula or Shiro. Besides, I¡¯m told there¡¯s a fantastic Chinese eatery down one of the side streets. I figured you might as well have the taste of home?¡±


    Daiyu nodded slowly, a slight smile curving her lips. ¡°I see. Yes, if you were here to find women of ill-repute, Eri would be most angry. And she would not be alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯d be upset, Hinata, the others as well...¡± I began, but she cut me off, her words surprising me.


    ¡°Hardly. Those who would be angry would be Bellaera, Soliteare, Yu-mi and others who desire their chance. They would feel slighted that you would consider such women more important than them.¡±


    ¡°I can see why that would be bad, but Yu-mi? We¡¯re not like that.¡± I protested, though then I cocked my head, thinking. ¡°No, we¡¯re not like that, but... in Seoul she did seem very relaxed around me, though that might have been the booze talking. And she did say the marriage was on hold...¡±


    Daiyu clapped her hands together, rolling her eyes in a passable imitation of Eri when she was exasperated by things I said. ¡°You were right, you have learned. I am not saying that Yu-mi would wish to marry you... the Elves certainly do, but setting them aside... she has complicated feelings, and it is only natural to regret missed opportunities, even if at the time they were spurned. You... have a habit of making us feel special.¡± Her hand reached for mine, but before we could speak further, a voice interrupted us.


    ¡°Hey hey, beautiful people! Why not come this way? We have food, we have drinks, we have handsome men and women, eager to please!¡± The Chinese was heavily accented but passable, and we turned to see a lanky, blond man wearing a vivid purple shirt, gold chains around his neck, grinning at us. He wasn¡¯t bad looking, I supposed, but Daiyu didn¡¯t seem to care, annoyed at the interruption.


    ¡°Make yourself scarce. We are busy.¡± she declared coldly. ¡°And we have no need of other companionship...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Is he your boyfriend? But you were talking about other women. Turnabout is fair, and...¡± The man froze, as I let out a trickle of my League. Everyone on the street around us felt a brief chill, glancing around surprised, but the purple-shirted man shuddered, taking a step back.


    ¡°Sorry, but Daiyu¡¯s mine. I may be a bastard, but I¡¯m a protective one. Besides... if you were going to offer her some guys, they¡¯d have to pay her. And you can¡¯t tell me you have any girls her equal in your bar?¡±


    The man gaped, suddenly looking at us more closely. ¡°Hang on... are you...¡± He swallowed, throat working fearfully. ¡°...the hero of Britain?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± I agreed, and the man blanched. Apologising hastily, he backed off, and Daiyu relaxed.


    ¡°They thought we were foreigners, as we weren¡¯t talking Japanese.¡± I grasped her hand now the interruption was dealt with and led her through the streets. Seeing a little izakaya bar that seemed nice enough, some overworked salarymen and women drinking alongside students from some of Tokyo¡¯s universities, I led Daiyu over to a pair of open seats and sat down. ¡°Japan¡¯s generally rather safe, but they occasionally do scam foreigners. Of course, if they tried that on us...¡±


    Daiyu laughed meanly and switched to Japanese. ¡°I do not drink often, what do you recommend?¡±


    ¡°Hey, does she have some identification? She doesn¡¯t look legal to me.¡± The owner of the bar spoke up sternly, glancing over, and with a smile, I gestured, and Daiyu flicked her Spatial Ring, which she was wearing with pride, and there were gasps around as her Ministry Passport popped out. I took it and opened it, and while she was under twenty, the special exemptions and diplomatic status it conferred made the man¡¯s eyes widen in shock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t get into trouble, we have a certain measure of extra-legal status.¡± I promised him. ¡°It¡¯s a bit cheeky, but as you can see, it¡¯s her birthday, and I want to make it fun.¡±


    ¡°I would most appreciate it if you were to relent.¡± Daiyu said politely. ¡°Besides, I can hardly get drunk, my body is extremely hardy.¡±


    ¡°Hang on... oh.¡± The barman swallowed, recognising me. ¡°Sure thing. I... recommend something sweet for the lady. Here...¡± He pulled out a bottle of Umeshu, plum wine, and poured her a generous measure over some ice. ¡°As for you...¡±


    ¡°Whiskey on the rocks. A good one, best you have.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Can... I have an autograph?¡± one man asked, and with a smile I took the proffered pen. ¡°Sure, but... make it quick, okay? Like I said, this is Daiyu¡¯s birthday, and I wanted to show her a good time in traditional Japanese fashion. So, anyone else?¡±


    After that, I signed for a number of people, some requesting I jot brief personalised notes. Even Daiyu got asked, a little bemused, but she offered her signatures while sipping on plum wine, her glass constantly being refilled. A couple of the students who were women had taken to her, and Daiyu showed off, summoning money from her Spatial Ring to pay for drinks for them. I had offered, of course, but Daiyu was insistent on paying for them herself, only letting me buy for her. As I chinked my glass against hers and took a sip of the fiery liquor, I frowned, as conversation around us had turned to the volcanic eruptions in the Nasu mountain ranges.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t been a big eruption for a long time, it was long overdue.¡± one man was saying, drink in hand, gesturing wildly. ¡°This one was a doozy though, came out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you see that comedian on TV last night?¡± another replied, smiling drunkenly. ¡°He said that it was probably Tamamo-no-Mae, right? After all, isn¡¯t she supposed to be sealed in some rock up that way?¡± The man snorted. ¡°Load of nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± one girl asked, leaning forwards, expression intense. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re sitting here with Oshiro-sama, he¡¯s a hero! And he¡¯s already said that Yo?kai are real. They are, you said so, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked me, leaning in, only for Daiyu to gently guide her away, muttering that she shouldn¡¯t throw herself to the wolves and expect not to get eaten, which hurt my feelings a little. She¡¯s only a random woman I¡¯m talking to in a bar, I may find it too easy to fall in love, but I¡¯m not going to devour every girl I meet!


    ¡°Very real.¡± I agreed. ¡°All sorts of mythical beings exist. Barkeep, another round for everyone.¡± As more glasses of booze arrived, I glanced at Daiyu. She nodded, sipping at her drink. It seemed she was enjoying the very different experience to her usual routine, and while she was shy at first, being so domineering and forthright, she was soon relaxing, and proved very popular, especially with other women.


    ¡°In that case... I know Shaeula¡¯s offered you chances to work with us in the past. Now... I¡¯m going to insist.¡± I said firmly. ¡°We¡¯re always short of people, and we can work around your studies.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean to have her join Adamant?¡± Daiyu asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, but it might be nice to have her attend a few training sessions.¡± As Ichika-san blinked at me, like a deer in the headlights, I elaborated. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re afraid because you don¡¯t feel in control, and you¡¯ve had too many bad experiences. There¡¯s an easy answer to that. Power. If you feel at the mercy of others, of life, then put yourself in a position life bends to you. It¡¯s not easy. But... you do have friends who can make that happen, whether you like it or not, Ichika.¡± I made sure to strip away any distance between us by removing any honorific, and that startled her, but I felt a shock was needed. ¡°You may be a friend to me, but Shaeula really appreciates you, and for her, I¡¯d do anything. So... quit being beaten down by life. You think your luck is bad? I¡¯d say the opposite.¡± Compared to someone like Kim Eui, she¡¯s been lucky. But the answer is the same. Power and control.


    ¡°Akio is quite right.¡± Daiyu interjected. ¡°From what I understand, you only lost money, not your virtue or your life. Perhaps it was upsetting, you felt hopeless, but such losses mean nothing compared to what you have gained. Do you honestly believe that if danger threatened, no one would aid you?¡±


    ¡°No, I know they would, that¡¯s why...¡± she began, and Yoriko-san snorted, slamming down her now-empty mug of beer.


    ¡°This is ruining the mood! It¡¯s Daiyu¡¯s birthday, don¡¯t be like this! You know, Akio-kun, you¡¯re right. She¡¯ll never change unless she¡¯s made to. She¡¯s tried before, but as soon as she stops thinking about it, she starts moping again, and we¡¯re back to this. So... this Officer will overlook your coercion and blackmail and turn a blind eye!¡± She looked away, whistling cheerily, and after a moment, even Ichika had to laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m pathetic, I know it. But... honestly, I do want to prove I¡¯m a friend Shaeula can count on. But it¡¯s hard. I mean, she¡¯s one of the heroes of Britain, a princess, and I¡¯m just...¡±


    ¡°...the same as me.¡± I insisted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born anything but ordinary. I got a lucky break, braved danger, and here I am now. Daiyu¡¯s the same. She¡¯s just a girl, who is the prodigy of hard work!¡± Daiyu smirked at that, letting me speak. ¡°And you experienced fortune amidst your misfortune. Because you met us. So, just accept it. I won¡¯t hear any refusals, right Ichika?¡±


    She looked down, before finally breaking into a shy smile. ¡°All right. I get it. This time, I promise! I hate feeling this way. I know I¡¯m wrong. I¡¯ve always been an idiot, and slow on the uptake, it¡¯s why I got fooled so easily. I... can see why Shaeula likes you so much now. And you too, Daiyu. Fine. But I don¡¯t want to give up university. I was ready to quit, but... that feels like they won.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Like I said, we¡¯re short-handed. You can work around that. But... first mission, all right?¡± I tapped away at my phone, and moments later it beeped, indicating a response. Yep, Shaeula is as active on her phone as ever.


    ¡±What is it?¡± she asked, nervous, and I grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re heading to our estate to hang out with Shaeula. You can go too, Yoriko-san. Don¡¯t worry about the hangover, Shaeula can fix that. Finish up here and a car will pick you up in about half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Me too, huh? Getting to check out your mansion would be fun.¡± Yoriko-san agreed. ¡°And it has nothing to do with you wanting to get rid of us so you can smooch with Daiyu here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± I equivocated, and that lifted the mood. As Yoriko-san insisted she¡¯d stuff her face with as much as she could before she had to go, I exchanged a glance with Daiyu, who smiled back at me, enjoying the occasion...


    ***


    ¡°That was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said to Daiyu as she looked out over the water. We were along the Shibuya promenade, and weren¡¯t alone, as the brightly lit street with a rather picturesque overlook was popular with couples, and even on this chill December night, plenty of people were enjoying themselves.


    ¡°It was. But it is now no longer my birthday. A shame.¡± Midnight had come and gone, after Yoriko-san and Ichika had left, Daiyu and I had visited several other attractions, including a pretty outdoor Ferris wheel, which had allowed us to appreciate the lights of Tokyo from a fresh perspective, as well as enjoy a brief bout of kissing in the privacy of our own glass-fronted booth.


    In the end I needed to wear a scarf over my face to prevent us being constantly recognised, and we had listened to a lot of talk about Korea and also the volcanic eruption, as well as troubles worldwide. It was only natural people were talking about it, normally sudden eruptions were rare, Japan¡¯s Meteorological Agency monitoring for earthquakes and other tell-tale signs. Fortunately, a lot of talk was praising the swift response of the government, but what surprised me was that it wasn¡¯t just the guy we met at the bar earlier who tied in the eruption with the legends of Tamamo-no-Mae, we heard it mentioned at least a dozen times. It seems like all these new phenomena are being accepted by the public. Makes sense, as there¡¯s no end of evidence about Chosen and spiritual beings worldwide now...


    ¡°I¡¯m not so pedantic.¡± I pulled Daiyu closer in my embrace. Our breath was steaming in the chill night air, yet we weren¡¯t cold, the warmth of our bodies pressed together despite our light clothing more than enough for us. ¡°Tomorrow I may be endlessly busy, but... the night is still young!¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± Daiyu agreed happily. Our keen ears picked up the words of some other couples nearby, poking fun at our closeness, which made Daiyu redden a little. ¡°I must say... I understand everything now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow, not following, and she snorted, gently pinching my cheek, before kissing the tender spot.


    ¡°What it is you wish to protect. All I have known up until now was the ascetic rigours of my Sect. I do not disparage it, how could I? It has made me who I am today, and it is as you told Ichika. Strength allows one to control their own life. And strength brought us together and will keep us together. But... the Incorruptible Jade was too pure. We need a reason to fight. And I see your reason is to preserve this. A warm world, full of light, colour and sound. Full of people living happily.¡±


    ¡°You understand me well.¡± I agreed, playfully poking her cheek in a reverse of earlier. ¡°I think that¡¯s why I could get along with the nobility in the end, despite their problematic viewpoint on some matters. Not everything they want to protect is worth it, and Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi... hell, even Miyu, Mayumi-san, the Shiraishi sisters, the new recruits... we¡¯ll all tear down what shouldn¡¯t stand, but... they believe Japan, and its people, traditions, places... they have worth, and I agree. I mean, I bet you¡¯d look great in a kimono.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I shall borrow some from Shaeula.¡± she said, and seeing me glancing down a little, following my gaze, her flush deepened. ¡°I believe my chest straining against the cloth would please you.¡±


    ¡°So long as it¡¯s just me who sees it.¡± I kissed her, past the point of caring who was watching. ¡°Yeah, I think people who have something to fight for are stronger than those who don¡¯t. it¡¯s only natural. I worry. If something like the Sessho-seki and the eruptions happen here in Tokyo... the damage would be terrible.¡±


    ¡°Then you should hurry. A Rank four Territory will make a grand bulwark against such disasters. Perhaps you should suffer more and let your blood boil!¡±


    ¡°My blood¡¯s already boiling, thinking of what¡¯s coming next.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Are you that eager to Cultivate with me again?¡± Daiyu teased.


    ¡°I sure am. You look great right now. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a different person.¡± I looked her up and down, and Daiyu laughed.


    ¡°I feel different. Before, to walk like this, drinking, meeting people, enjoying the scenery... it was all a waste of time. Another minute, hour, day I could Cultivate. Now... I feel more motivated than ever. Though I must still work hard, to not lose my title in your heart.¡± She winked, fuelling my ardour.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your place in my heart is secure. So... shall we go?¡± I scooped her up in my arms into a princess carry. Daiyu was embarrassed but didn¡¯t protest. ¡°I saw a hotel on that street we passed a while back. We can cap the night off there nicely.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I shall allow you to spoil me.¡± Daiyu gave in, her smile radiant. ¡°Carry me, my Dao companion! Carry me to bed and your embrace!¡±


    Needing no further urging, I abandoned any attempt to disguise myself and leapt forwards, covering a dozen metres in a single easy bound. It¡¯s convenient they say Chinese food is good for sexual stamina...

 Five Hundred And Seven *Contains Status – Shaeula 11, Asha 2, Rhyming Tree 2*

    Five Hundred And Seven *Contains Status ¨C Shaeula 11, Asha 2, Rhyming Tree 2*


    ¡°Sorry that you had to keep the Arm in your ring, I know it¡¯s creepy.¡± I apologised to Daiyu, as she removed it from her birthday present, the Spatial Ring. I took it from her, determined to make it into something useful, as it was an opportunity I had very nearly died for. She had already taken out a lot of the gifts inside, the majority of Formation Plates and other fragments of useful knowledge in her room, though she had piled a lot of the broken fragments of the Sessho-seki I had obtained for her to one side here.


    ¡°It is no matter. What is mine is yours.¡± Daiyu softly kissed the ring. ¡°It is magnificent. With so many treasures, such as the Spatial Expansion and Control Spatial Plate which has left it spacious. It is a great shame that the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows perished so foolishly and we could only save a little when the Sessho-seki failed and the interior was exposed to the volcanic fury of the Boundary. But I am well satisfied. There are many treasures which will aid my Cultivation, and enable to me to prepare teaching materials for my new disciples.¡±


    Daiyu was in a fantastic mood, glowing with vitality and good cheer, despite the fact we had barely snatched an hour of sleep in the love hotel. Now we were back in the Boundary at Nishimorioka, although my Material body was back at the estate, as I had a lot to do over the next couple of days and little time to do it. I would shortly be catching a ride to Kyoto, as I wanted to speak to Yasaka-san in person.


    We were not the only ones gathered here though, around Asha¡¯s Tree. Asha was here, of course, as was Bjarki and his cadre of eager smiths and engineers, as well as Shiro, who also had little sleep due to her night out. Shaeula too was with us, and she was inspecting the weak and ragged Shinkume-no-Hana and her grandmother, the legendary Tamamo-no-Mae, her eyes glowing amber as she frowned, working basic Chirurgery and Ether Healing. In addition, Hyacinth was waiting patiently, ready with refreshments and kind words, though she also had another purpose.


    Speaking of Shaeula... Letting my Eye shine momentarily, I checked her status again, sadly expecting that despite Shaeula¡¯s solid growth, she would be unable to repair the two ruined Kitsune. Though of course, any stabilisation and repairs she can provide are most welcome. Economy of effort is key, we have so much to do, and I doubt I¡¯m going to be able to preserve much of my strength with what I¡¯m doing next...


    Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan


    Royal Fae


    Kamaitachi


    Four Element, Lightning and Light Aspects


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    954 1120 +30


    Fortune


    30 32+1


    Fortitude


    966 1130 +30


    Majesty


    24 26+1


    Intellect


    1011 1171 +30


    Charm


    30 34 +1


    Resilience


    947 1133 +30


    League


    21 23 +1


    Alacrity


    1000 1185 +30


    Determination


    16 20 +1


    Precision


    974 1134 +30


    Foresight


    12 15+1


    Aether


    4045 4630 +30


    Fate


    10 15+1


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Night Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Combat Technique


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Aetheric Chirurgery


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 6 Rank 8


    Noble (5) Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Enhanced Spiritual Form


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Third Eye Chakra Of Light


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart And Solar Plexus Chakras Of Lightning


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Lightning Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart Chakra Of Wind


    Rank 8 Rank 9


    Noble (5) Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Wind Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Water Manipulation


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Earth Manipulation


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Lunar Chakra Of Four Elements, Lightning And Light


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Spatial Perception


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Rule (5)


    Kamaitachi Dagger Technique


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Combat Technique


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Mystic Eyes Of Perception


    Rank 6 Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Kin Bonding And Restoration


    Rank 5 Rank 7


    Imperious (6) Legendary (7)


    Principle (7)


    Blessing Of Fortunate Winds


    Rank 5 Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5) Principle (7)


    Blessing Of Befuddling Winds


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    Fortune


    Fortitude


    2308 2603 +30


    Majesty


    Intellect


    Charm


    Resilience


    League


    18 21 +1


    Alacrity


    Determination


    28 30 +1


    Precision


    Foresight


    Aether


    11087 14475 +30


    Fate


    10 12 +1


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Drawing Wood Chakra Network


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Silver Cord


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Roots Drinking Earth, Water and Wood, Branches Drinking and Growing The Moon


    Rank 6


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Trunk And Roots Chakra Of Wood


    Rank 6 Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Trunk Chakra Of Water


    Rank 2 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Roots Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 2


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Lunar Chakra Of Wood, Water And Earth


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Noble (5) Imperious


    Rule (5)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers¡¯ Link


    Rank 4 Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Branches That Spread Nature Under The Moon


    Rank 1 Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Dryad Bound


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Two Worlds Sapling


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    [Level]


    0/56 18/136


    [Class]


    Great Rhyming Tree Of Wood, Water and Earth 14/20


    True Rhyming Tree Of Wood, Water and Earth 2/30


    [Mastered Classes]


    Rhyming Tree Of Earth 10/10


    Great Rhyming Tree Of Wood, Water and Earth 20/20


    Asha¡¯s and her Tree¡¯s Aether are off the charts. I suppose it makes sense, as they share a function with an Ether Spire, constantly absorbing and strengthening it. Huh, I wonder... aether strengthens living creatures, so it also strengthens the land, right? Maybe that¡¯s the function of Dryads and their Trees... an area to speculate on... Setting aside those thoughts, I still could hardly believe I had Lovers¡¯ Link with a tree!


    Now that Asha was under a Throne, she had received the benefits, and those were shared with her Tree too, it seemed, without needing a specific slot, which was a bonus. Asha¡¯s and her Tree¡¯s abilities to handle and generate elemental energies and adherence had dramatically improved, even putting my rate of Skill growth to shame, which made sense, now I thought about it. They were running such abilities constantly, and usually in a highly buffed state. Asha and her Tree had also Levelled up a little through Asha¡¯s efforts, but Asha was far too valuable to risk in battle. So she only did an occasional small, safe grind with the weaselkin or nowadays with Adamant members, hunting stragglers who came in from Sagami bay.


    At least her stats are now enough that I don¡¯t have to worry about her so much on the Material. If it¡¯s not a Chosen attacking she should be fine, but she¡¯s still too weak for taking into danger, even setting aside the pregnancy.


    ¡°I am quite well, I assure you. There is no need to look at me so intently.¡± Asha flushed a little, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But tell me when you aren¡¯t, and Shiro will end the Berserk Blessing. Now, let me see...¡± I checked our stock of ether, though most of it was stored in Haru¡¯s Territory. Even with the million or so we ferried out to Aiko¡¯s new Territory, we had still accumulated a phenomenal amount. Just under thirty-two million ether. An incredible bounty. Unfortunately... As we needed more than a hundred and seventy million to immediately clear the build queues and Rank up the Territory to four, it would still take us a month.


    My lips curled into a smile as I considered that. A month and change. Considering how new to Earth all this is, we¡¯re making excellent progress. Tan says so too. If I just wanted to queue the upgrade, I could do it right now, for ten million and whatever it takes to sweep the queues clean. But being undefended for so long... no thanks. We¡¯ll wait and advance firmly. I do learn my lessons eventually...


    The build queues themselves were as follows. Ether Density Anchor Spire and Ether Spire Anchor Spires were both at sixteen Astral days to Rank 2. Then we had the long-running project of the Rank 4 Ether Spire at one hundred and twenty-four days remaining. Considering we had rush-built three Spires to Rank 4 while this one was ticking down... ironically, it¡¯ll be just about done when we want to upgrade the Territory. Good timing, maybe? Lastly there was the Rank 4 Boundary to Material Connection at the factory site, with six hundred and twenty-one days left. That would obviously require an expedited build to complete when we were ready for the all-important Territory upgrade.


    ¡°All right then...¡± Turning to the matter at hand, as Hyacinth moved to Asha¡¯s Tree, prepared to offer it her nature element to ease any suffering it felt, ¡°It¡¯s time for this...¡±


    Daiyu sat beside me, eyeing the Right Arm eagerly. ¡°It contains the trapped power of a Tribulation. Do you intend to make that power yours?¡±


    I heard a snort from Shiro, though it certainly came from Tan. Mindful of her advice, I shook my head. ¡°Not yet. I wouldn¡¯t be so bold. And as for containing a Tribulation, not exactly. But it certainly contains some interesting mutated elements. But they don¡¯t like being contained...¡±


    ¡°Of course, how could the punishment and trials of the Heavens ever be contained by our hands?¡± Tan said scornfully. ¡°Be very careful. You saw what befell the false Saint in his hubris and sneaking cowardice.¡±


    ¡°I sure did.¡± I agreed. ¡°But I also saw that he nearly succeeded, to an extent. Well... basically, what I want is to somehow combine the Klein Bottle as the outer shell, while we use the Right Arm as the inner, the... engine, for want of a better word. And... we have these.¡± I gestured to a nice pile of glittering Etherites, mostly blue and green. I thought back to Hinata, before she had ventured off to school this morning, making up for the time she missed while in Korea, she had proudly offered me the spoils when I mentioned I needed them. At first I had imagined she had obtained them through trade, but...


    ¡°How is it? I¡¯ve been gathering them for a while.¡± Hinata had puffed out her chest proudly, looking rather cute in the Hanafubuki uniform. Beside her, Kazumi-san rolled her eyes and shared a brief smile with me, our relationship more casual after she had studied under Daiyu yesterday. ¡°You know the treasure I got from the Tower of London?¡±


    I had nodded, remembering she had taken the Pot of Faerie Gold. I had set that aside, as Hinata wasn¡¯t a combatant, but it seemed that Hinata had been using it daily.


    ¡°Most of the time nothing of value pops out, though once Shaeula did tell me I¡¯d found a lost item belonging to the badgerkin. I gave that to Ulfuric. He... was silent for a while, lost in thought, but he did thank me in the end. It was a rusty dagger, with a faded inscription. No, that doesn¡¯t matter...¡± Hinata had said cheerily. ¡°At every other day I just get pyrite or junk. I guess I¡¯m too greedy, but it can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯m an avaricious girl. But quite often I get Etherites. I¡¯ve been giving them to Ixitt for a project, but... I keep half of the best ones. I knew you¡¯d need a sudden infusion one day, and when it comes to wealth, I should be the fiance?e you come to!¡±


    Hinata had been exuding the need to be praised, so I had gently patted her head, given her a kiss and a hug, though Kazumi-san had rolled her eyes and straightened out Hinata¡¯s uniform afterwards. Anyway, that had led to this enviable situation, where I had supplies on hand. I¡¯ll need to use every ounce of talent at my disposal...


    ¡°Going all out then, Aki?¡± Shiro asked, Shaeula was clearly interested as well, especially as the Kobolds had brought a significant amount of bluesteel from their mines, and the materials for Adherent Quicksilversteel were gathered too.


    ¡°Yeah. Basically adherence is our bottleneck. I¡¯m already struggling with carrying retrieved Favours, the Ether Spires can only do so much. And these mutated elements are muddy with adherence. So not only can we maybe find a way to create these mutated elements for us to master, longer term... if I can get a ready source of disposable adherence as well...¡±


    With that said, it was time to begin. I was nervous, but with my recently improved crafting Skills buffed up by Shiro, and help from Bjarki, I was sure I could achieve something, though a complete failure would ruin everything.


    ¡°So, ye want me tae make t¡¯batteries t¡¯anchor the barriers?¡± Bjarki said, and I nodded.


    ¡°Though the specification is a bit different. I need...¡± I sketched out images for him, and also created holographic-style images from light element. After a brief explanation, answering a few questions, I finished up. ¡°...so I¡¯ll make the Adherent materials, and then we¡¯ll combine them, hopefully into the frame... speaking of... that should come first.¡±


    With a grimace I checked the Klein Bottle once more.


    Klein Bottle [Item Class: Noble] [Item Type: Principle]


    A container crafted from wood fed with Spatial Elements, crafted by a genius Mortal Engineer going beyond the limits of Fae understanding. It appears to have no entrance or exit when viewed without Spatial Element, but such Elements are attracted within and magnified. Coils of specially prepared bluesteel wires form a series of loops that further increase and magnify the Spatial Element within. How the Lantern was placed inside such a bottle is a mystery.


    ¡°So, this needs to be transformed into a shell, integrating the batteries and the Arm, they allow transmission without having an entrance or exit. It makes my head hurt.¡± I complained. ¡°Fortunately...¡± My Material body was on the way to Kyoto now, and I was studying non-Euclidean shapes and four dimensional objects in three dimensions. My high Intellect still couldn¡¯t enable me to understand something completely beyond me, just as it didn¡¯t help me with my emotional intelligence much, more¡¯s the pity, but when I vaguely grasped something, like the movement of a multi-dimensional shape through a lesser-dimensional space, I found that I could visualise it reasonably clearly.


    ¡°Here we go...¡± I said, and Daiyu and Shiro both patted my shoulders reassuringly before backing off, while the other girls looked as if they wished to. Though Shaeula¡¯s done all she can. I glanced down at one finger, where the Anulus Fortunae lay, glittering coldly, and I could feel the fortunate winds swirling around me. So I¡¯m as prepared as I can be...


    Spatial element surged from me in a violet tide. I used my Eye to home in on the unseen, spatial fluctuations, using the purple sparks almost like iron filings revealing a magnetic field. My head immediately started aching fiercely, so I reallocated various Split Thoughts to best maintain my perception. The dwarves were busy working, and soon piles of batteries were ready, just waiting for the next stages.


    I wish I was ready though... but I think I¡¯m starting to understand...


    Your Skill, Spatial Perception, has increased from Rank 3 to Rank 4...


    Your Skill, Spatial Perception, has increased from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your ability to understand spatial coordinates in multiple dimensions and independent spaces has increased. Your calculation abilities, especially in vector space, have noticeably strengthened, and your ability to perceive and utilise Spatial Element and its derivatives and composites has significantly increased.


    The load on my Split Thoughts dropped significantly. Sighing in relief, I put down the Klien Bottle. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t want to be premature. Let me think about it.¡± Turning to the finished batteries, I simulated what I wanted in my mind, sketching it for the Dwarves, leaving them to work. Soon I had crafted enough Adherent Quicksilversteel to finish the roughly two score batteries the size of soda cans. I then scraped out my supplies of remaining adherence, only leaving enough to transfer the Favour to Miss Aditi later and a little extra to carry Taranis¡¯ Favour until my stocks slowly recharged.


    ¡°It is marvellous to watch. Seeing someone working with their hands and skills... I find it praiseworthy.¡± Daiyu whispered so as not to distract me as I crafted pieces of Adherent metal.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hot. Don¡¯t you agree, girls?¡± Shiro muttered, and Hyacinth snickered.


    ¡°While I dooo not feel that Akio should be labouring like these Dwarfs, I dooo derive pleasure out of seeing him enjoy himself...¡±


    ¡°Yes, he looks very intense and satisfied.¡± Asha agreed.


    Really? I¡¯m enjoying myself? Satisfied? I was so wracked with nerves my back was dripping with silver sweat. Despite that, I did enjoy seeing finished articles, such as Daiyu¡¯s Spatial Ring or Shaeula¡¯s Pinwheels. Yeah, being well-geared is one way we can leverage our strengths. Every advantage, every advantage...


    An hour later the parts were done. Now the risky part was here. ¡°Bjarki, you¡¯ve taken a look at the Right Arm. Can you prepare it?¡±


    He frowned, stroking his long, bushy beard. He then raised a hand flat, waving it a little. ¡°I nay be sure, ye ken? If¡¯n y¡¯want certainty, then ye be needing Ivaldi, t¡¯greatest of Dvergr. But where¡¯n he now dwells, nay can tell. But... I be up for t¡¯challenge.¡± She slapped his hands together, looking down at the arm, which was slowly leaking the internal energies.


    That¡¯s the problem. I¡¯ll have to finish the Arm when I¡¯m integrating it, that¡¯s for certain, but I also need to prepare the Bottle. The whole point of the bottle is that it has to be sealed, so I can¡¯t just leave it open, or it¡¯ll break, my calculations say... and it I try to do either the Arm or the Bottle first, I¡¯m almost certain that will be a disastrous failure. We need to narrow the window as much as possible...


    ¡°In that case... make a start.¡± I advised him, and Bjarki nodded. His portable forge was brought out, his assistants fuelling it with the finest of processed coal from their mines, as well as using several Etherites and fire elemental energies from our Elemental Silos. As the forge heated up, Bjarki swallowed, then placed the blue Arm on the forge. His fellow smiths were ready with a number of engraved plates, setting up what looked almost like a runic circle, green Etherites at all the cardinal points. Yeah, even this crafting is costing us a fortune...


    I myself was preparing the Etherites Hinata had gifted me, and as I began to work, my spatial element wielded like scalpels and thin needles, carefully unpicking parts of the warped geometry the lantern at the heart of the Klein Bottle was generating, I could feel the slowly rising pain of my own Berserk Blood buff, as well as the Tree¡¯s. The pain was bearable though, compared to what I had endured under the edges of Tribulation and then Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s fury it was merely discomforting.


    The key to this working was in my Shapercraft. After all, the Lantern of the Violet Void at the heart of the Bottle stated that The Will-o¡¯-the-wisp is bound by some dark enchantment to continue to produce Spatial Element despite being a mere empty shell so the Will-o¡¯-the-wisp should be a valid target for Shapercraft. Perhaps it was even made that way. I glanced at Hyacinth, sparing her a moment of my attention. I wonder if the Unseelie use such abilities for torture and crafting? If so, her suffering must have been dreadful. No, no time for that now, focus!


    It was like unlocking an incredibly complicated tumbler lock. I had spoken to Ixitt and Arisu-san, and so had a grasp on its intricacies, but despite that, the calculations were utterly brutal. Yet, one by one I shifted the four dimensional flows, and inserted the strangely shaped pieces of Adherent metal, though not into our space. Precious blue and green Etherites shattered, allowing me to focus, and the craft I had put into the Spatial Ring, as well as what I had seen of the Sessho-seki, stood me in good stead.


    Click. Turn. Click. Click. Snap. Weld. Click. The puzzle unfolded, and the spatial elements finally unravelled, revealing the transparent wooden bottle melting away, yet the wood was still there, just phase shifted. I reached out, my spatial element distorting the ragged field of warped space that made the Lantern so dangerous, not breaking it, but smoothing it, and the core, the dead Will-o¡¯-the-wisp that wasn¡¯t actually dead, was within my grasp. Aether and adherence flowed, and I began the next stage of the craft.


    ¡°Allow me, Akiooo!¡± Hyacinth was there, mopping my brow and back, soothing me, careful not to interfere. I gave her a grateful smile, and delved deep into the poor, spiritless husk of the Fae creature. Now I had simply to replicate some aspects of the Spatial Ring, using it as a material and the focus, the core.


    ¡°Remarkable...¡± I heard Tan mutter, but I had no further attention to spare. Each moment of Shapercraft was more precise than the last, made ever more difficult by the spatial waves and eddies around it. My Resilience and Determination were occasionally rising, as was my Precision. It seemed like I was there for hours, working away, and on my trip to Kyoto I shut out as much stimulus as possible, reducing my divided attention to the bare minimum. Everything but what I was working on was merely a muted buzz, and I wielded my energies with swift yet delicate caution, each stitch of spatial element completed, moving onto the next.


    ¡°Ach, it¡¯n be gettin¡¯ away from us. More flame, ye damn laggards! By Ivaldi¡¯s great bristling beard, t¡¯ice is out of hand!¡±


    Forced to spare some attention, I saw that while my Crude Right Arm of Tribulation had been melted, flowing almost like a metal or molten stone, it was now leaking a freezing mist of ice element, and worse, I could see a breeze picking up, sparks forming.


    ¡°If that Purifying Lightning goes wild here, there¡¯s going to be casualties, right?¡± Shiro was asking Tan, and then she nodded, one eye flaming red.


    ¡°Indeed, even weakened, I dare say these weaklings will not survive it.¡± Tan acknowledged. ¡°I shall do what I can to buy time.¡± Brilliant flames surged, intensifying the heat of the forge. It began to blacken, metal and brick warping, but the icy torrent ceased for a moment.


    ¡°Me toooooo. Hyacinth can help!¡± She raised a hand, and a spray of spores infused with purple light surged out, forming a momentary seal. Daiyu, thinking fast, removed the Spatial Expansion Plate from her ring, and thrust it into the hands of a dwarf, who then raced into the surging tide of violet.


    ¡°I have no need of it. The Ring itself is large enough and gift enough. Besides, I have remembered the design. One day I shall craft it anew.¡±


    Shaeula was frustrated, but she was at a delicate part of her Chirurgery and Healing, and also had little way to help. Asha was the same, but a scattering of leaves fell from her Tree, as if supporting us, and I felt stirrings of adherence within me, just a trickle, but every little could be the difference between failure and triumph. Rapidly working on the final shaping, I called on Prominence Dusk, the penumbra behind me glowing brilliantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it in!¡± I cried, and Bjarki, desperate, set to work, even as the spatial energies around him containing the flow began to twist and crack space, his mobile forge splitting with an audible crack, throwing shards everywhere, drawing blood.


    ¡°Aye, but we nay be done yet, if¡¯n we quit now, it¡¯n all be for naught. And this... this¡¯n be a craft even Ivaldi would be proud of, I can feel it, deep in m¡¯bones, ye ken?¡± He screwed up his lips, blood sheeting down his torn brow and cheeks, his hands burned by ice and fire as he hammered away, scattering wind, ice and lightning. ¡°But if¡¯n ye can do something...¡±


    Tan¡¯s fires ate away at the ice and wind, but the lightning only grew in intensity. Desperately, I rushed forwards, still working, the last finishing touches being employed, the dull grey Will-o¡¯-the-wisp now turned into a small, shiny violet sphere, shimmering with rainbow energies. The assistant Dwarves and weaselkin desperately maintained their circle of protection, though most Etherites had crumbled, but I waved them aside. I was using Boiling Blood to accelerate my thoughts and actions, and now with three sets of painful blood-related self-harms running all at once, I was starting to think that the Tribulation wasn¡¯t so bad. Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s test was worse though...


    ¡°Kindle, you bastard, spark!¡± I prayed, perhaps to Tyr, or Tsukuyomi, or some nameless, hopefully benevolent being. Reaching the forge, the spatial barrier that Daiyu and Hyacinth had forged shattered, drawn into Prominence Dusk. The ring blazed, darkness deepening, the matching fringe of light growing brilliant, the Tree behind us casting a long shadow, out over my Territory. Not even able to care what the combination of such mixed elements would be, I ejected it high into the sky, while kicking the Plate back to Daiyu, who caught it, surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a present to you... I don¡¯t want it... broken...¡± I said, as I seized the molten mess that was my former arm. Bjarki had done his best, but my Eye could see it was imperfect, and about ready to explode. But I¡¯m not done... yet... Light is warped by gravity, lensing... I can use that...


    Mangetsu surged, illuminating me, casting shadows equal to the Prominence Dusk, no, deeper. But around the small purple jewel I was holding, light bent and twisted, revealing a shape that shouldn¡¯t have existed. It was like a dodecahedron, only with heptagons as faces, which shouldn¡¯t have fit in our geometry. But in four dimensional space... it can. ¡°Get the batteries in!¡± I cried, my Split Thoughts, Boiling Blood, all Shiro¡¯s buffs, my Eye, spatial element and everything else working in tandem.


    Bjarki, not to be outdone, was still trying to purify the Right Arm in its tar-like state. He gestured, and his assistants, many of them sporting layers of painful frost, or jagged cuts from the shrapnel, seized the batteries and raced for the corners, all forty-two of them. As the first were shoved into the spatial gaps illuminated by my Mangetsu, I rapidly closed the space. Some unfortunate Dwarves lost fingers as they couldn¡¯t withdraw in time, but I¡¯d fix them after this. Blood and flesh vaporised, but the impossible array stabilised.


    ¡°T¡¯stuff... it...¡± Bjarki¡¯s hammer disintegrated, a precious tool lost, and I knew we would have to improve our whole setup if we were to craft such wonders in the future. Amber letters blazed across my vision, and by the look in Bjarki¡¯s eyes, he was in the throes of enlightened panic as he refused to give up. Wind scattered from the melting mass, howling, and with a roar, Bjarki grabbed a chisel and thrust it into his own ear, then repeated it on the other side.


    ¡°That¡¯n be better, damn whispers. I need... quiet. By Ivaldi¡¯s stinking feet, I ken why he hid himself away t¡¯craft wonders!¡± Seeing my expression, he grinned madly. ¡°Be fast, I cannae hear ye, so if¡¯n we need t¡¯change the plan, ye¡¯ll have to compensate for me...¡±


    The batteries were in place, and the space around us was humming, vertices of vivid violet flame forming around Bjarki and me. I poured my spatial element into the once-Fae, and the batteries responded, absorbing it, and drawing in surrounding ether. The frame holds and self-reinforces. However... Space was cracking, and we only had a few minutes at best, moments at worst, as the new Klein Bottle, no, the Klein Stone was meant to be a closed system in three dimensions...


    ¡°Fine then! I beat near certain death, I¡¯m not going to lose to a damn piece of myself, no matter if it contains Heavenly fury.¡± As I spoke I was already working, and my Shapercraft began to draw it into a thin, twine-like line. No, too gloopy still, it needs to be perfectly consistent, otherwise any added energy from outside will gradually build up and ... that would be bad. Very, very bad.. In that case... I didn¡¯t want to risk this, but...


    ¡°Foehn!¡± Even as I unleashed the roaring, hungry flames, the fortunate winds died down, somehow consumed by Foehn, and the rampaging, hungry tide calmed. The flames melted into the remains of the Right Arm, liquifying it perfectly, before being absorbed into the Lightning within, the remnants frozen and dropping to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯n be ready. But... ye need t¡¯balance it!¡± Bjarki shouted, unable to hear himself to moderate his tone, or perhaps from excitement at this Fortune-based turn of events. Wearing this ring and having the winds, my Fortune must have been well over a hundred, maybe pushing a hundred and fifty... that¡¯s enough to turn a one percent chance into four percent, ten percent into forty... and when the winds blow themselves out... look at Las Vegas and Shaeula¡¯s win on the slot machines... even wildly improbable results occur...


    Bjarki, now using his hands to work the materials, heedless of his dissolving flesh, bones visible, gave me a frenzied grin, and I could do no less. With Fortune on my side and a great craftsman... damn it... we go for it! Blood splattered as I cut my wrist open with a thread of air, as a medium for the craft. I poured out Spirit Water and wind element too, and just like the frozen Sessho-seki, they swirled together forming a brilliant shimmering ice. The lightning and wind trying to escape was momentarily halted, and as I spun the thread, it began to take shape around the core of the Klein Stone. Lightning tried to break out, to purify the fools imprisoning it, but the ice controlled it, sealed it, and the thread froze momentarily.


    ¡°It¡¯n be now or never!¡±


    Hearing Bjarki¡¯s cry, my Eye flared, and I realised the Chaotic Wind was now seeping free, threatening to unravel the thread, trying to break apart the ice and steal the water from it. I first considered consuming it with flame element, but that could have destroyed the ice as well, allowing the Purifying Lightning to cascade. The Sessho-seki was only built to evade the Lightning, I think... no, I have considered this. I¡¯ll just have to... Earth element surged, coating the thread, and I used pieces of the Sessho-seki that we had salvaged from the wreckage, that Daiyu had removed from her Spatial Ring, to lightly coat the thread, trusting that the artifice of that cruel old monk was strong enough, since it seemed to hold for many centuries.


    There, it¡¯s working. Damn, steady hands, steady hands. With a final effort, the majority of the strange stone, which wasn¡¯t naturally occurring, had absorbed a huge amount of my earth element, as well as water and wind, also strengthening the ice. ¡°Stay in, damn you! It took me great pains to trap you!¡±


    As the final strands wrapped in place, the batteries sparked to life, and with a grunt of desperate willpower, I poured out my remaining spatial element, twisting the few remaining pieces of Adherent Quicksilversteel into place, vanishing them from view. With a final surge of violet aurorae, the shockwave of which tossed the madly cackling Bjarki away, and sent more leaves falling from Asha¡¯s Tree as the gust swept across the hillside, the strange polyhedron collapsed, becoming a small, multi-faceted jewel the size of a fist, the shape constantly shifting and changing, impossible to tell how many faces it had, or what shape each face was. In fact, I think it¡¯s changing moment to moment...


    As it fell into my palm, it rested there, cool to the touch, as if faintly covered in frost, and indeed, moisture was forming due to the heat of my skin. Lifting it up, bone-weary, my thoughts scattering, I peered at it, and what I saw both surprised and elated me...


    Tengoku-seki [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Law] ...

 Five Hundred And Eight *Contains Status – Hyacinth 5*

    Five Hundred And Eight *Contains Status ¨C Hyacinth 5*


    Tengoku-seki [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Law]


    This miraculous item is forged from the principles of multi-dimensional space and Cultivation techniques, forming a small, sealed pocket of space which is invisible to the outside world. Based on the now-defunct Sessho-seki, the Cultivation Techniques employed here are the works of a child as compared to an adult, but with other crafts and great understanding of the scientific nature of alternate non-Euclidean space, a facsimile was created on a smaller scale for a different purpose.


    Trapped within, Heavenly Purifying Lightning and Chaotic Winds are sealed by potent Ice and Spatial Elements and integrated within the being of a spiritless Fae creature. These Elements can be nurtured and grown by filling the Tengoku-seki, which allows passage in very specific ways, so supplying suitable Elements will prevent the dissipation of these Elements. The shell, formed from a mysterious Klein Bottle, is specially designed to magnify Adherence and allow it to be collected.


    The Heavens do not approve of such disrespect, and the fury of a Tribulation is not to be mocked. The Tengoku-seki is fragile, and if overloaded, the Elements within will break free, and that which is hidden shall be revealed...


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s good. Everything I hoped...¡± I muttered, quickly scanning the description of the item. Bjarki, his hands and arms little more than burned bones held together by mere sinew and willpower, grimaced suddenly, coughing blood, though his eyes were feverish as he gazed at the small orb in my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯n be done then? I see... I see. Beautiful!¡±


    ¡°You damn fool.¡± I complained. Grabbing Bjarki by the shoulder with my free hand, I quickly started Ether Healing, and aether surged from me, reknitting his flesh, sealing burns. His ruined hands flexed, and Bjarki let out a deep laugh.


    ¡°A fool? Aye, we Dvergr are fools f¡¯but three things, ye ken? A tankard of ale, a nugget o¡¯gold, and lastly, a mighty craft. And this¡¯n... it be mighty indeed, aye? The sort that even Ivaldi would approve of.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. It¡¯s turned out how I hoped...¡± I replied as I brought Bjarki out of danger. I then turned to the other injured smiths and regenerated their lost fingers and other small injuries. While I was doing that, Hyacinth had trotted over to me, mopping my sweat and offering comforting words of praise for my efforts, while Shiro observed the new item with interest, one of her eyes a brilliant crimson, showing Tan was watching too.


    ¡°...but of course, it¡¯s all theoretical.¡± I explained further. ¡°Sure, I saw a lot of the Formations of the Sessho-seki, but my Cultivation talents are modest. But what I have noticed, from seeing those, and talking with Daiyu, as well as seeing the other Formation Plates we have...¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Shiro had understood. ¡°It¡¯s a lot like programming, isn¡¯t it? In a language we don¡¯t really get, but nonetheless, I know that Hayato and the gang have noticed as well and plan to run a lot of supercomputer time on it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice to put my degree and job to some use.¡± I snorted, continuing to finish the remaining healing. ¡°It¡¯s not overly useful in battle, but... when it comes to this sort of thing, and crafting... it helps to think logically and methodically. As well as to build a system that does what we want from first principles. Crafting seems to follow a similar process too.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s not exactly that simple. Even if we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing, aether solves everything.¡± Shiro shook her head. ¡°Although...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is quite-quite true that many miracles can be wrought with power.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I have experienced this myself, with-with the wind, but... it is not-not wise to merely rely on brute force. Power has limits, and greater feats require escalation.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I agreed, having finished saving the maimed hands of our eager craftsmen. ¡°I know I didn¡¯t get this perfect, but I got it close enough, thanks to what I had to work with, to make things happen. It¡¯s left me drained though. Although fortunately...¡± Eri was supplying me with aether through Lovers¡¯ Link, which should be enough to tide me over. Shaeula¡¯s done what she can, minimising my needed efforts, so it¡¯s time to switch.


    Thanking Eri in my thoughts and receiving an amused warning to not work too hard in response, I handed over the Tengoku-seki to Shaeula. She took it in her hands, looking at it almost reverently, while I sat down beside the silent, observant Tamamo-no-Mae, and the frail, pale Nebisuki. ¡°Be very careful with it.¡± I warned. ¡°It¡¯s a ticking time bomb in some respects, but you¡¯re the perfect one to feed it, considering it¡¯s mostly lightning and wind we¡¯re trying to harvest.¡±


    Shaeula¡¯s eyes glowed amber, and she winced, a sickly frown crossing her features. Blinking, she narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of it all, before nodding. ¡°I understand. Caution is something I do-do excel at!¡± she boasted, and Shiro snorted.


    ¡°Sure you do. What do you think, Hyacinth?¡±


    Hyacinth froze, unwilling to criticise Shaeula, and her silver-violet eyes swam with uncertainty, before she decided discretion was the better part of valour. ¡°I think that Akiooo should rest. You are working toooooo hard, Hyacinth is worried about you!¡± She had mopped my sweat, and was gazing at me with tender concern, though her glances at Bjarki and the others, whose injuries had required me to attend to them, were noticeably less warm.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll have plenty of time to rest on my trips abroad, hopefully.¡± I assured her, patting her head, which made her flush and giggle. ¡°A lot of travelling, mainly, and some diplomacy. While I¡¯ll try and keep my Astral body here as long as I can, once I need it for something, you¡¯ll have to do without me for the rest of the time.¡±


    ¡°We shall manage.¡± Shaeula promised, extending a faint trickle of vivid lightning into the Tengoku-seki, a merest whisper of power, judging the effect. ¡°After all, even though we have-have many commitments, what use would we be if we could not-not protect everything in your absence, is that not-not correct?¡±


    Hyacinth nodded fiercely. ¡°Indeed, I have been cooking in my pooot, any foe will be reduced to dust and rooot!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather poetic.¡± Shiro sniggered. ¡°Scary too. But yeah, leave it to us, Aki. Besides...¡± She glanced over at the two foxes, and lowered her voice a little, though if she genuinely didn¡¯t wish them to hear, she¡¯d have taken precautions. ¡°...even if the oncoming disaster happens, this time we¡¯ve taken every available safety measure. Everyone knows what to do, even the Ministry has a broadcast ready. Britain¡¯s been informed and stands ready. Just let us handle it. You think you have to go, so just go.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Trust us and we shall prove-prove worthy of it.¡± Shaeula nodded fiercely. ¡°Besides, did we not-not rescue this fox? Uranai did predict she would help, no?¡±


    For the first time in a while, Tamamo-no-Mae spoke. She had sat in silence as Shaeula had ministered to her severe spiritual injuries, but now her bushy tails twitched. ¡°Me? I fear you are being rather optimistic, little Kamaitachi. I may be the proud nine-tailed fox, but... I am barely myself. The Kudan are wise and see the strands of what may be and what should be, but... even they are far from infallible.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Else I should be dead.¡± I agreed. ¡°Nebisuki, can you wait a while? I¡¯d like to take a look at Tamamo-no-Mae first.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The now two-tailed fox sighed, her lone leg kicking restlessly. ¡°I am a patient woman, I have always been prepared to wait. Compared to realms where time moves like droplets of pitch, endlessly slow... I can endure. Though...¡± She looked at me, her expression teasing. ¡°...I would greatly appreciate it if I too could taste the pleasures of the mortal realm while I recuperate, just as dear grandmother has. After all, I sacrificed for you, did I not?¡±


    ¡°Actually, you sacrificed for your own benefit.¡± Shiro pointed out shrewdly. ¡°And don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, trying to win Aki¡¯s pity and affection. You think you¡¯re worth his love?¡±


    ¡°When in my prime? Certainly!¡± Nebisuki nodded fiercely, not backing down. Her grandmother looked at her, the detachment in her eyes fading a little, and the younger Kitsune continued. ¡°I know you hardly care for me, daughter of Urakaze...¡± Shaeula nodded at that, so Nebisuki continued. ¡°...I can indeed see why, though just because I have had... acquaintance... with some of your family before is no reason to spurn me. We all have pasts. It is the now and the future that matters. I am not as fickle as grandmother...¡±


    ¡°Fickle? It is simply so few were my equals or worth my effort.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae sneered. ¡°And few of those that were liked me overmuch, or were to my tastes. Nurarihyon took little Seirei to wife, and he is... surprisingly loyal.¡±


    ¡°As he should be.¡± I nodded, remembering the strange scenes inside his Territory, and the small doll he had given his love to. In terms of power, she¡¯s a good match. Her ability to make wishes reality, even limited, still leaves me sweating. ¡°I sometimes feel he¡¯s a better man than me, but... this is for the best. I know I can make everyone happy, so I will.¡±


    As my Eye shone, peering deep into the ruin that was her spiritual body, Tamamo-no-Mae curled her lip, and continued. ¡°Strength is appealing, there is no question of that. But just strength abhors me. O?takemaru and Shuten Do?ji are both arrogant and boorish, though there is a certain savour in being... overpowered.¡± She glanced at me then, her green eyes shining nigh-imperceptibly. ¡°But few can. Not without base trickery, like that worthless monk. But...¡± her expression turned sombre. ¡°...I did have a few who I... cared for. All gone now, no doubt.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. We¡¯ll know soon.¡± I promised, thinking of Su Caihong and her daughter, likely dead in the frozen north. But she put everything into trying to preserve their lives. And this Sekka is supposedly on the same level as many of the top Numbers of the Hyakki Yagyo?. There¡¯s still hope.


    ¡°The issue is, nooobody who Akio chooses may take any others.¡± Hyacinth said firmly. She was rather fascinated by the Tengoku-seki, and was glancing over at it, faint sparks of purple rising from her, matching the colour of her eyes. Of course. She¡¯s unlocked a brief taste of spatial element, after all, having been making Ring Gates. Quickly measuring her growth, I smiled. Hyacinth is right. Just like the Myconids, she punches way above her weight in terms of devastating destructive power, and even without that, she¡¯s reached the same level of raw power as Shaeula, even if she has much lower flexibility and utility. It¡¯s hard to use her properly, but anyone who attacks us will regret it!


    Hyacinth


    Noble Grey Fae


    Space, Light, Darkness and Wood Aspect


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    856 1156 +30


    Fortune


    5 7 +1


    Fortitude


    877 1174 +30


    Majesty


    2 +1


    Intellect


    765 1030 +30


    Charm


    9 13 +1


    Resilience


    781 1043 +30


    League


    11 16 +1


    Alacrity


    916 1176 +30


    Determination


    10 15 +1


    Precision


    893 1165 +30


    Foresight


    6 8 +1


    Aether


    2369 2879 +30


    Fate


    4 6 +1


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Sufficient (3) Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Weal And Woe


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    ¡°Is he a fool, little Hana?¡± she said at last, and as I gently began the arduous task of reforming her melted Chakras and networks one by one, she shivered. They¡¯re largely destroyed, so I expect she¡¯ll suffer a great loss of strength, even with my help, I¡¯m not a God, or a miracle worker. But then she¡¯s also retained her core League and massive aether reserves, so perhaps over time if I can renew her she¡¯ll naturally return to her peak? If so, are we talking months, years or even longer? Unless I can think of a suitable solution, she might have to rebuild from a low ebb. Damn it, I really didn¡¯t want this to be the scenario where you recruit a boss character and they are nerfed to hell when they become playable...


    Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth... everyone was laughing at me, even Asha covering her mouth with one hand.


    ¡°Little Hana?¡± Nebisuki laughed. ¡°So you remember? As for your question, he is undoubtedly a huge fool. But his foolishness is honest. And... though he did it because of my words picking at his interests, as Uranai no doubt intended, I can but think that some part of his desperate attempts to save you were for me.¡±


    ¡°You can think it.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°We all think things that might not be true if it makes us feel more appreciated, better loved.¡±


    ¡°And so I will.¡± Nebisuki snorted, agreeing. ¡°Also... I am also not the only enemy here, who wishes to be a friend now. That again speaks well to his strength, grandmother. Any fool can crush enemies, slaughter foes, but only those who are destined to rule, who have true power, can make enemies not only yield, but beg to be a part of his world.¡±


    ¡°Like Nurarihyon, and his Hyakki Yagyo?...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae mused, before letting out a bitter, indrawn hiss. ¡°Careful, that burns. Treat a beautiful woman with far more care. Have a delicate touch!¡± She glanced at the others. ¡°You should teach him how to handle us. I am not ... that.¡± She nodded at the Tengoku-seki. The craftsmen and Bjarki were bringing out observation tools, but were careful not to bother Shaeula, instead chattering eagerly amongst themselves, comparing ideas, not even listening to our conversation. Makes a change. This time when we¡¯re having an embarrassing talk in public, nobody¡¯s even listening...


    ¡°No, I am Tamamo-no-Mae, I believe.¡± Her words were bitter. ¡°I still have my memories, enough of them, I suppose, distant, foreign though they seem to me. Only a few motes sparkle, bring me any emotion. But I am still the greatest seductress of the East. From the great empires of the Shang dynasty, through Tianzhu, the land called Ind, and then these isles, I have been the woman all men have dreamed of bedding, all women wished to be as beautiful as, all who sought power envied. At least treat me so!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s... pouting?¡± Shiro cocked her head, snorting with laughter. ¡°Damn me, Aki¡¯s a natural. I still don¡¯t get how he could have changed so. I need to speak to Aiko and Eri more. Find out just how this all started, and how he kept it hidden for so long.¡±


    As Shaeula laughingly agreed, I sighed. ¡°Mock all you want. Sorry, Tamamo-no-Mae...¡±


    ¡°Call me Mae. My true name... it is unpleasant now I am so weak.¡±


    ¡°Mae then. I may have saved you, but... I did it for selfish reasons. But... I also don¡¯t mean to treat you without due care and attention. It¡¯s just...¡± I paused then. When she had compared herself to the Tengoku-seki, I had an idea. And it¡¯s a truly terrifying, dangerous idea.


    Looking at the Skill gains I had achieved, I had gained a new Skill, Calculative Predictions, which had rapidly risen, reaching Rank 3 in the blink of an eye. It was one Ixitt made great use of, and I suspected Bjarki may have possessed as well, as it seemed to be akin to insight for a craftsman.


    This Skill increases the ability of the bearer to perform complicated mathematics and simulations in areas of natural law, such as material stressors, gravity, propulsion, and other aspects of physics and chemistry. It allows a limited predictive model to be created to test theories and applications of the sciences mentally, though this is limited by the knowledge the bearer already possesses. In addition, biological and spiritual bodily processes you have understanding of can be simulated. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Artifice]


    I had also gained several Rank-ups in my crafting Skills, with Crude ???????? Crafting having finally become simply ???????? Crafting and reaching Rank 3. In addition, Shapercraft had jumped two Ranks from 3 to 5, Dvergr Crafting had finally risen to Rank 3, and Ether and Adherence Crafting had both increased, to Rank 8 and Rank 4 respectively. The gains had been spectacular, but the question as to why was more important, and judging by some of the benefits I received, in addition to the usual better, more efficient crafts, I understood.


    Basically, I can now create an item effect within an unresisting spiritual or material body using Shapercraft, and the flow of aether, elements, adherence and ???????? can be promoted and strengthened. And while most of the description of ???????? Crafting is obscured by the usual bevy of question marks, one telling point seems to be repairing the spirit through the fundamental aspects of ????????. I could only think of one reason these abilities had strengthened.


    ¡°...look, I¡¯ll be honest with you, Mae. You¡¯re very damaged. I mean, it¡¯d be impossible for you to be unharmed, the monk was draining you dry, shredding you apart slowly, all those years.¡± She nodded bitterly, and I continued. ¡°But I¡¯m confident I can fix you to the state that you¡¯ll stop hurting at the least, though using your League and aether will still damage you again, and you¡¯ll be weaker than your granddaughter, for certain. Much weaker.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how the tables have turned, grandmother. If I was not such a mutilated, tail-shorn descendant, I would turn you over my knee and spank you for your terrible attitude.¡± She snorted a laugh as she met her grandmother¡¯s glaring eyes. ¡°No, I suppose I would not. I too understand the bitterness of long years of yearning.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae turned from Nebisuki to me. ¡°I am wise, and I may have lost much of my strength and will, but none of my cunning. I hear a but in your words.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I agreed. Everyone was listening raptly to me now, and I could feel a new thread of Foresight chiming. This one... it wasn¡¯t overtly dangerous, but... it tangled with the threat I could feel looming, and perhaps the decision made here would have great influence, for good or ill. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m confident I can allow you to function, and you might slowly recover, you¡¯re strong, after all. But... that could take longer than you¡¯d like. A lot longer, but...¡±


    The nine-tailed fox wasn¡¯t the only one who snorted, Shiro rolled her eyes and mouthed something to Shaeula, who laughed.


    ¡°Here it is then. Many sought favours from me. Some few I granted. Mostly, it went poorly. I did not like being badgered, boy.¡± Mae sniffed.


    ¡°I know. Look... you¡¯re... actually wrong. You are like the Tengoku-seki... or you could be.¡± It wasn¡¯t that risky, at least, in terms of failure, or so I assumed. It¡¯s combining Chirurgery and Ether Healing with Shapercraft and also... other crafting Skills. Using her as a material, though we¡¯ll also need... huh, yeah, that¡¯ll work. I ran some Calculative Predictions, and my Eye also guided me. Okay, now I really think I¡¯m a cheat protagonist. The synergy with all these Skills is broken.


    I asked Bjarki and his smiths to fetch me a significant amount of bluesteel, as well as a number of other precious materials. On the journey to Kyoto, which was drawing ever closer, I stopped looking at physics, and instead was checking out surgical procedures and medical equipment, searching for what I needed. I then offered my solution.


    ¡°If you could trust me, and let me craft you... I believe I can fix the worst of your wounds. It wouldn¡¯t be perfect, but if done right... it¡¯d be like pacemakers, artificial body parts, medical gauzes that help veins and arteries regrow as a scaffold then dissolve away... I think your recovery time could be measured in a matter of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Aki¡¯s making cyborgs now. It was only natural, Tan. After all, he¡¯s already got plans for the classic Sharingan-style eye transplants.¡± Shiro joked out loud for us to hear, and Shaeula nodded, agreeing.


    ¡°I... do not understand.¡± Mae said at last. ¡°You... do not have to ask my permission. I could fight you, resist your grip on my name and my invisible tail, but doing so, all I would gain is the satisfaction of my death.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t do non-consensual here.¡± I joked, tuning out Shiro¡¯s inevitable ribald quips about that. ¡°Honestly, you¡¯ve done many terrible things in your life, I¡¯ve seen it. But... a lot of religions have a Purgatory to pay for sins with punishment, and... you¡¯ve had yours. Look, I confess, I want you to protect the seeds I¡¯m to gather. I need that, if I¡¯m going to be sure I can protect Earth and those I care for on it. I¡¯ll even protect you and Nebisuki here. And Su Caihong and Liena, if they still live. But... there¡¯s a saying we have. Save someone¡¯s life and you¡¯re responsible for them from now on. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true, but... you did want to die and I forced you to live, so... let me at least get you back to a state where you can make your own choices without any regrets.¡±


    ¡°Hana, you are a fool.¡± Mae said at last, and the Kitsune snorted.


    ¡°How so, grandmother? If you mean my sorry state, I agree, but... if he can craft me new tails, I will accept in a mere moment, and will kiss his feet, and...¡± she pursed her lips, licking them lasciviously. ¡°...other more fun things.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Shaeula swatted the fox, who giggled, not hurt by Shaeula¡¯s light chastisement.


    ¡°No, I mean your choice. You shall never be free of him, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Freedom? Perhaps all I ever needed was a strong binding, to tie me down. Perhaps that is all we Kitsune ever need, even you, grandmother. A sad shame. We are a pitiful race, are we not? Forever causing mischief, seeking pleasures, but always, always unfulfilled. Are you not the same?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Mae agreed finally. ¡°Or so I felt. It is... strange. My memories that remain are much as that magical contraption I watched in their home, with moving pictures and sound. Real, yet distant. But the hollowness is real to me.¡± She narrowed her eyes, and I felt her tugging on our bond, her tail, perhaps a warning to me. ¡°Now, speak no lies, human. No, Akio, I suppose.¡± She amended, giving me the honour of speaking my name. ¡°What do you seek? What will your aid cost me? I am... not good at paying what I owe. And that led me to here. I... hardly trust myself. If you lend me aid, I will likely bite your hand, as I have so many times before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But... I don¡¯t think so. Nobody can go through Purgatory and not understand the pain of others.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Like I said. Protect my seeds, protect my home and those I love, until at least this danger has passed. After that, I¡¯d love it if you continued to aid us, but... it¡¯s up to you. Just don¡¯t cause trouble, go back to wicked ways, or else...¡± I stared into her eyes, my League at its maximum, and she grimaced, unable to resist fully with her own without harming herself further. ¡°I¡¯d hate to make Su Caihong cry. And don¡¯t think I can¡¯t do it, if you push me.¡±


    Mae was silent for a moment, before letting out a long laugh. ¡°I see. Had you merely offered fair words, no threats, I would not have believed you. But...¡± she turned to the others, just as the dwarves brought back large stocks of ingots and other materials. ¡°...he is too generous. I do not trust me.¡±


    ¡°Nor I. But careful, fox. I have never eaten one such as you. Do not test me.¡± Shiro¡¯s hair burst into crimson flames as Tan warned her.


    ¡°No need for threats.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think we have an understanding.¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± Mae nodded slowly. ¡°Perhaps I am not myself, perhaps it is your dominance, but... I find myself curious. You promised this world would never be boring again. I may cheat and lie, but I hate being cheated and lied to. So... tell me true. Is this for my benefit?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I promised and meant it. She let out a long sigh, before she turned once more to Nebisuki, who was snickering, amused.


    ¡°Be silent, granddaughter, else when we are both at our best, I shall have to teach you to respect your elders. It seems... we shall be together long this time. With much to do.¡± She squeezed shut her eyes. ¡°Very well. You may begin then. But heed my earlier words. I am beautiful and precious, and handling me roughly, marring my beauty, is an affront I shall not forgive you for. And if... you should find the chance... I would appreciate you extending the same courtesy to Caihong¡¯er and Liena. Should they have received their miracles as I did. They would have been far worthier of it than my sorrowful self, but... those who do good often face bad ends.¡± She laughed mirthlessly. ¡°Girls, you should remember that well and watch out for him. He is too nai?ve and kind-hearted. He needs women who are cold and hard to keep him safe.¡±


    ¡°We know it well-well.¡± Shaeula laughed, and I noticed her expression had changed as she looked at the nine-tailed fox from myth. ¡°We do try, but it is not-not something we can do alone. Strong, loyal, obedient... those are who we seek to be our sisters. And it is an enviable position to be in. For... we are never-never bored.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I wish we had time for boredom! Even now I¡¯m a buffbot extraordinaire.¡±


    ¡°Gooooood girls, no matter how bad they were before, can still be forgiven. Hyacinth was.¡±


    ¡°My Tree and I did unspeakable things to survive, but... life can still be beautiful. What was once desolate and barren can be regrown, and what buds shall sprout.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mae nodded. ¡°Then... we shall see what sprouts from my withered, bitter ground, and whether my beauty is tarnished beyond repair. Begin.¡± She ordered me to start, her tone brooking no argument, and I snorted, amused. Sure, I may be able to force you with your name, but... does it seem like I¡¯m in control here? Women aren¡¯t creatures who can be easily tamed. All we can do is show them the way...


    ***


    ¡°This would truly be impossible without my Eye.¡± I muttered, as the fine, almost impossibly minute threads of bluesteel, strengthened by ancient Dvergr techniques and aether, were being manipulated on a level so precise as to make me thankful my Resilience was so obscenely high. Shaeula had funnelled me all of her remaining aether through Chirurgery and was now trying to recover as rapidly as possible. Back in the Material, Eri was doing the same. I was resorting to emptying out all the aether my Ether Spires provided me, as it required the draw of my Territory as well to work repeated crafts of these levels. At least we don¡¯t need lightning element so Shaeula can still carefully nurture the Tengoku-seki...


    ¡°I would hate to...¡± Mae moaned, though there was nothing lewd about it, only pained. ¡°...see impossible if this... is not. I had thought... my tolerance to torment... admirable, honed by the long... torture... but... congratulations... you rival... that wretched... monk!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± I used wind element to catch the falling silver and red blood that seeped through her skin. Only the girls were present, and we had taken the materials and Tamamo-no-Mae herself somewhere private, one of the Boundary shrine buildings. She was naked, her massive bosom heaving, her tails wagging, fur and hair drenched with sweat and blood, to which Hyacinth was attending as best she could, a sympathetic look in her eyes.


    Nebisuki was watching on with a mixture of fascination and horror, her two remaining tails curled around her, her hands touching her stumps, and Shaeula couldn¡¯t help but tease her, easing her own exhaustion with threats of the same surgery for Nebisuki.


    ¡°Apologies will... hardly... suffice.¡± Mae managed to mutter.


    ¡°If she was a more innocent girl, I¡¯d say Aki should be taking responsibility.¡± Shiro quipped, and Asha shook her head.


    ¡°A woman is a woman. Nobody wishes to be seen like this, touched so deeply. He is remaking... reforging her, step by step. It is... greatly intimate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not any fun, trust me. I know some of the myths...¡± Obviously we had been researching Gods from every religion in our spare time, or rather, my staff were, and there was a whole subsection of it at the Ministry as well. ¡°...Pygmalion made a statue that the Goddess Aphrodite brought to life. But Mae already lives. So...¡±


    ¡°Bah...¡± Mae spat blood as the wires connected to her throat Chakra. Hyacinth had contributed too, but a tide of darkness element was being held within a carefully crafted false throat Chakra, made from bluesteel and other rare metals. Shapercrafting it and her surrounding spiritual body, the wires that were functioning as a scaffold for the savage redrilling of her network linked up, pulsing with a sudden surge of aether as the flow continued.


    Speaking of flowing aether... I was resorting to destroying Etherites to keep up too, which was a waste, but we did have a large stock of red and orange ones, the numbers increasing daily as more and more Artificial Ether Spires were condensing them from the high-ether areas. My natural recovery was strong, but I was being taxed hard, as each Chakra was its own careful craft. Worse... ¡°This is the crunch. Third eye and crown.¡± I muttered, and Mae blanched, her tails writhing.


    ¡°The heart was.... bad... enough. I truly... believed... I would die. My tails... too. For another... reason.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the tails. Guess you don¡¯t like them touched, right?¡± Shiro observed sympathetically, and Nebisuki answered for her.


    ¡°It depends who is touching.¡± She explained. ¡°It is an... intimate... part of us, for we are our tails, and they are our power. We do enjoy those we are close with playing with them, but...¡±


    ¡°This is a medical procedure.¡± I insisted, blinking sweat from my eye. Hyacinth was busy tending to Mae so it was Asha who handed me a goblet of fruity juice, which I gulped down, the flavour soothing. ¡°And she knows it. Besides, a bit of shame is better than... well, death.¡±


    Mae nodded weakly. ¡°Quite. When... my heart... was grasped, a hard, cold metal inside... I believed I would die... at last.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was tough. I have to work so fast. But...¡± I had stirrings of hope. Admittedly, I had planned to do a lot more today and tomorrow before I would have to leave on the first leg of my trip abroad, but I was going to be wiped out after the two incredibly challenging crafts I had undertaken. I need to strengthen my own Chakra network, if so, I can pull in much more... ¡°...I think it¡¯ll work. Now to prepare the third eye core.¡± Hyacinth had stepped up again, her light filling it alongside mine, and Shaeula had also spared what she could. The item itself was a work of art, based on a mixture of modelling, crafting and what I had seen of Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s true strength and form through the Tribulation with my Eye.


    ¡°Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t have to be perfect, as it¡¯s eventually going to break down and be absorbed, but for now it¡¯ll function to allow you to draw on far more of your strength, hastening your recovery and reducing complications.¡±


    Temporary Third Eye Chakra Of Tamamo-no-Mae [Item Class: Imperious] [Item Type: Rule]


    This artificial part of a spiritual body, forged from Adherent metal, Elementally absorbent alloy and the flesh of Tamamo-no-Mae, has been forged in a facsimile of the original, functioning Third Eye Chakra. Ordinarily, such would cause significant rejection and damage, or at best function poorly for a short while, but it has been connected to the spirit and ????????, and the surrounding spiritual body has also been Shapercrafted into at item as well, prepared to slowly encroach, absorb and repair itself.


    Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s Regrowth [Item Class: Imperious] [Item Type: Principle]


    This mass of spiritual flesh and energy has been threaded and connected with an artificial scaffold of Adherence, Aether and Elementally absorbing and channelling threads, mimicking the original Chakra Network. Instead of rejection, it has been crafted to attach to all aspects, especially the ???????? of Tamamo-no-Mae, and gradually be subsumed and become her new spiritual body. This process will be hastened by the flow of aether the body can hold and maintain, with a stronger flow stabilising the body, spirit and ???????? at a more rapid rate, provoking a true regeneration.


    ¡°Reducing... complications. This is... nothing but... complications.¡± she spat, glowering at me. ¡°At least... if you err and I perish, I shall insist... my dear granddaughter Hana here... reminds you of it... every... single... day!¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t need to.¡± I promised, my Eye shining brilliantly, as I precisely opened up Mae¡¯s forehead. I heard a gulp from Shiro, and I understood, as it was effectively a fatal wound on us, but with Chirurgery rerouting the energies around the injury, as if it wasn¡¯t there, and Ether Healing preventing the damage from spreading, it was possible.


    ¡°Was my healing like that, Tan?¡± Shiro asked quietly, but I barely heard her or the answer as I focussed my all in placing the artificial Chakra in place. Worse, they had to be paired with Artificial Night Orb Chakras too, so it was a multi-stage process.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It was finely balanced, and your life was nearly extinguished many times, but... the finesse required here... it exceeds it many times over.¡± Tan replied out loud.


    That was nerve-wracking too. But there, I was frantic, fearing Shiro would die. Here... I¡¯m certain Tamamo-no-Mae won¡¯t die, even if I fail, though... it still won¡¯t be good. If I mess this up, a second try will be orders of magnitude harder as I¡¯ll have a mess to unpick... now, connect... it¡¯s like a circuit diagram. And a series of logic gates. I¡¯ve made my own at uni enough times. But this is still working on the micron scale. Hell, factories can work on nanometre-scale, at least I don¡¯t have to be that precise. Even with all my Skills and Statistics there¡¯s no way I could do that yet. Fortunately, I don¡¯t need to. Get it close enough, and like we discussed earlier, aether will eventually smooth out the minor issues...


    ¡°And done...¡± I muttered, Ether Healing regrowing smooth, jade-like flesh over the savage trepanning in Mae¡¯s skull. Her breathing was ragged, her body shuddering, but she looked at me with a hint of respect, I thought. Though when she started howling and cursing me, spitting blood, I thought perhaps I was mistaken. ¡°Now I have been... laid bare, my very... thoughts... and what lies within... my flesh spied... upon... I am... humbled. My pride... such as it was... no, I lost... my pride to... that bastard monk... yet even he... has not stripped me to... nothing as... you have...¡±


    ¡°Final step.¡± I said, ignoring her, and the final Chakra, charged with vivid violet spatial energy, contributed by Hyacinth, mostly, a far-cry from the strength of the other artificial Chakras, was placed in my hand. It¡¯s not so much about the elemental energies anyway, it¡¯s more to make sure everything meshes together...


    ¡°If... I... offer you... what I offered him... my... everything... will you... please... stop?¡± Mae cried out, and for a moment my hands froze, before I shook my head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that. I know this is awful, but... you¡¯ve come so far. Unlike what the monk did, this will soon be over. Now... this... I feel bad about.¡± With a surgical strike, her long, golden-blonde hair was shorn off, exposing her bare skull and flickering ears. She flushed with shame and self-loathing, likely anger too, and her emerald eyes stared daggers into mine, even as endless tears flowed down her deathly pale face.


    ¡°You will... take... responsibility for... debauching and... disgracing... me!¡± She swore, and I nodded. I know enough to understand a woman¡¯s hair is her life. But there¡¯s really no other way. As for responsibility, I¡¯ll do as I promised, and show her the world still has value.


    Nebisuki was clutching her own long hair, her tails wrapped so tight I thought she¡¯d snap herself in two. The other girls were looking at me reproachfully, except Hyacinth, who giggled, wiping the suddenly bald skull. ¡°Hyacinth understands. For... rebirth... nooo price is too great. Besides...¡± She bent down and whispered something into Mae¡¯s twitching ear, and as I was so intently focused, I heard it. ¡°I knooow. Akio loves long hair like yooours. He will fix it. And the more you suffer...¡± Her smile was amused and somehow evil at the same time. ¡°...the cuter you becooome to him.¡±


    As Mae¡¯s emerald eyes opened wide, I seized the moment, and Shiro turned away, unable to look any further as I peeled her flesh and bone away expertly. Damn, why does the spiritual body have to resemble the material body so perfectly? That¡¯s a damn brain... and it¡¯s in the way...


    Swallowing grimly, I carefully manipulated her head, pushing aside brain-matter, forming a sort of small, bowl-shaped indentation. Her body spasmed, and she bit down so hard she was likely to hurt herself, but Hyacinth merely shoved a stick formed from wood element in her mouth. It snapped, but it prevented Mae from biting herself. Tails flailed uncontrollably, and Hyacinth retrained them with vines so they didn¡¯t distract me. I placed the crown Chakra where it should go, but that was the easy part. The most delicate array of branching paths, capillaries and acupoints were around the root, the heart and the third eye, but here... each one runs through such vital areas. I have to do the best I can...


    ¡°Hang ooon.¡± Hyacinth was grasping her hand. ¡°The worst is over. Hush now, hush. Yooou know what it is to be hurt, hurt ooothers. You are like me. Hyacinth is here.¡± She glanced at me, frowning. ¡°Akio, be swift. Fooor this is a crueller invasion ooof her existence than any should bear. The Dark Maidens... if it was nooot for pity, compassion, you would make the cruellest Maiden of all.¡± She giggled then, her free hand going to her crotch, which she tapped lightly through her maid outfit. ¡°Thooough that would have tooo go first, Akio!¡±


    No thanks... With that thought, and a shiver running through my groin, I began the final crafts, turning Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s body into a series of linked treasures...


    ***


    ¡°And... done.¡± I gasped, collapsing beside Tamamo-no-Mae. Her skull was once more sealed and covered in flesh, though her long hair still lay beside her. Shaeula gave me one withering glance, seeing I was spent, before coming over and gathering the golden strands, calling on what aether she had recovered to begin reattaching it.


    ¡°It is... over?¡± Mae took a long, rasping breath. ¡°You are not tricking me? I am... safe?¡±


    I nodded, blinding pain my own companion, as I had stressed my Eye, mind and network far too severely. In fact, my Eye was swirling with a mess of question marks and garbled orange text. Have I broken it? Ugh... no, it¡¯s probably just strained... Tapping my head, shooting needles of pain pierced me, but I blinked at Tamamo-no-Mae, and some sentences, though hard to read, slid through the gibberish...


    Tamamo-no-Mae [Nine-Tailed Kitsune] [Queen Of The Three Most Evil Yo?kai] [Item Class: ???] [Item type: ???] [Namebound to Oshiro Moonstone Akio] [????????-bound Artefact] [Kin] [Fallen Empress] [Tribulation¡¯s Refugee]...


    Shit, there¡¯s a lot. Now... please all the Kami and Gods in the Pantheons, let me rest... Even as I wished for that, I knew that was a forlorn hope, as in the Material I was pulling out a chair, Yasaka-san, Saionji gin-san and several other guests, including the prickly, fearful Akai, waiting for me...

 Five Hundred And Nine + Announcement

    Five Hundred And Nine + Announcement


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse the insult, you look rather like shit, Akio-kun.¡± Gin-san observed with a wry smile as I pulled out my chair and sat down, trembling a little. Damn, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been this exhausted since the bad old days of running long distance at school. Even across this separate body I can feel the effects of aether depletion... no, everything depletion.


    Glancing at the older man, who was addressing me rather more familiarly recently, I stifled a yawn, but before I could speak, his Chosen Hero, Akai, the young phoenix, blinked her fiery red eyes at me. She let out a hiss, wrapping her long brown hair all around her, covering her rich brown skin. Only her eyes were visible as she peered at me warily, and I pinched my nose, feeling a headache coming on.


    It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one, as while some of the others in the room let out amused chuckles, Gin-san rubbed at his temples. ¡°Akai, we¡¯ve been over this. Akio-kun isn¡¯t going to hurt you. You¡¯re a phoenix, by Avalokiteshvara! A mythical immortal bird feared and respected by all. At least act like it sometimes.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Akai declared, acting like a petulant child. I guess she is, in a way. Gin-san said he found her as a chick in the Boundary, and despite looking like a fashionable, if rather sloppy, young woman, she¡¯s still childish. ¡°He¡¯s scary!¡± She insisted, hissing again. ¡°Every time, stronger and stronger! And...¡± She paused, a little unsure, and it was Yasuhide-san who broke the silence, laughing heartily, tugging at his white beard, though I noticed that he looked less wrinkled and worn than usual, perhaps the benefits of Chirurgery reducing the wear and tear on his body.


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly a funny one, Akai-chan. It¡¯s good that Akio-kun is stronger, we don¡¯t want to face a situation like Kyoto again, do we? Though it seems we will be.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Troubles are definitely brewing. Tsukiko-chan would hardly be wrong about this.¡±


    Saying her name so casually wrung frowns and disapproving murmurs from many of those around us, but it was Chiyo-san who was next to speak, from her position next to the old monk Bankei. ¡°Enough of the theatrics.¡± She was blunt and to the point as always. ¡°Our Lady Diviner, Tsukiko-sama, has returned, her fate defeated as Akio-kun promised. And I have spoken to her. When I visited Shirohebizumi, to see how my granddaughters were getting along...¡± She paused then, eyeing me with a dispassionate gaze. ¡°They¡¯ve blossomed, certainly, having mastered earth element, as they call it, though mostly thanks to Hiroto-kun¡¯s little twins. Brilliant girls. And it seems his boy has matured after... well, after those tragic events. Sometimes a boy becomes a man when he faces despair.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I agreed, placing my elbows on the table and resting my head, not caring about the rudeness. Just need to catch my breath. The finishing touches to Tamamo-no-Mae had wiped me out, and my vision was a mess, streaked and stressed with orange light and meaningless shapes, almost as if it was the aura for a fierce migraine. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan, they always go above and beyond what is required, and they had no reason to, after Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°However... they do tell me of... a troubling issue.¡± Chiyo-san continued. ¡°My girls, they say there¡¯s rather a divide now, between the ordinary trainees, and those who have joined another group. Adamant, they called it. It seems the lions¡¯ share of resources and effort go towards these recruits, and the work on bringing those of the faith into the fold decreases.¡±


    Yasuhide-san agreed, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. ¡°You know, Akio-kun is rather busy, gallivanting around the world, saving people heroically. Then there¡¯s this business with the Nasu volcanoes. Clearly not a natural event. But my dear Shiori was talking about this group too. It¡¯s very interesting. She was torn about joining, though I advised her to wait.¡± His smirk was knowing.


    ¡°Yeah, this isn¡¯t really the time or place to discuss Adamant. But it¡¯s not what you think, or fear. It¡¯s certainly a more... personal... force for me, but that¡¯s all.¡± I assured them, once more cursing the fact everyone thought I was just gathering a huge group of women to satisfy my lusts. Honestly, if that¡¯s what I wanted, I have Eri and the others, I¡¯ve no shortage of women! ¡°As for the numbers of the faithful, yeah, I need to increase it, but we also need to perform Chirurgery for the government and the military, and for now it¡¯s just me and Shaeula who can. Isn¡¯t this off-topic though?¡±


    Chiyo-san nodded, before chastising Akai again. ¡°The only thing you should be scared of is your virtue, it seems, little phoenix. As for Tsukiko-chan...¡± she stumbled over the familiar address but was making a point to be less respectful than before. ¡°...she has made up her mind, in part thanks to Akio-kun here. She is still our Diviner, but has thrown in her fate with his, and so no longer wishes to hide herself away. The reason for it has passed, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, her visions came true, at least in part, but we turned aside their consequences. And I won¡¯t let her go back to a lonely life of serving Tsukuyomi. If she¡¯s going to dedicate her all, then she deserves to have a happy life while doing so.¡± I swore, and Yasuhide-san nodded cheerfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s my boy.¡± His words were proud. ¡°Anyway, buck up, Akai. Strong allies are a wonderful thing, and Akio-kun is kind to women. He won¡¯t break anything but your heart.¡± He echoed Chiyo-san¡¯s words, and I was going to protest, but considering I had just been terribly intimate with Tamamo-no-Mae, even if it was to help restore her to her full strength far more rapidly... I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted to. It was hellishly difficult, and it has left me spent... but I don¡¯t have time for Mae to slowly recuperate. Uranai basically persuaded me to rescue her now through Shinkume-no-Hana, and my Foresight is buzzing too.


    ¡°Akai, you¡¯re a trusted ally. Nobody wants to hurt you, least of all me. In fact, one of the reasons I¡¯m here is to make sure everyone¡¯s on the same page ready for trouble. Gin-san said you were awesome last time trouble broke out, so I¡¯ll be relying on you.¡± I reached out a hand across the table, trying to force a smile onto my exhausted, sallow face. For the longest moment I was left hanging, before Gin-san coughed loudly, and with a tentative, weak motion, Akai¡¯s hair parted a little, and her arm came out. She hesitated again, before gingerly taking my hand.


    ¡°You promise?¡± she said, as I gently squeezed her hand, which was far warmer than ordinary humans, her skin the temperature of hot tea.


    ¡°I promise, Akai. We¡¯re all friends here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re strange.¡± She said, releasing me. Shaking her head, her hair was flung behind her, revealing her face once more, and her ruby eyes wavered a little. ¡°Always changing. Not human, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t either, are you? Neither is Shaeula or Hyacinth, but do we need to be human? We¡¯re all intelligent beings with thoughts and feelings. Even the Gods are.¡± I knew that for a fact, as while I certainly couldn¡¯t say Tan had the same thought processes as us mortals, she definitely did have many of the same emotional responses, if on a grander scale sometimes. ¡°As for changing... yeah, I have to change. Because I¡¯m the one in charge.¡± I declared proudly. ¡°And therefore it¡¯s my responsibility to protect Kyoto and everyone here. Though I¡¯ll be counting on those who can help, like you can, Akai. But don¡¯t hesitate if you need something.¡±


    Akai frowned, looking down at the hand I had held rather quizzically, before nodding slowly. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll trust you, scary man... Akio. Huh, Akai, Akio. We match.¡± She puffed out her cheeks. ¡°In that case... I want cute clothes and pretty dresses. Lots of food too. Gin is such a miser!¡±


    Surprised by this turn of events, I looked at Gin-san, who coughed. ¡°I hardly stint on Akai¡¯s needs, I assure you. But I am simply the humble priest of Kinkaku-ji. I don¡¯t have your bottomless wealth, Akio-kun. Besides, she may be a chick, but she eats like she¡¯s Suzaku itself, and thrice her size.¡±


    ¡°I get hungry.¡± Akai continued to pout, but fortunately the mood had shifted, and there were now smiles around the table. ¡°I won¡¯t grow up big and strong like you if I don¡¯t eat!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got you there.¡± I let out a chuckle of my own. ¡°Sure, we can go shopping. I¡¯m too tired for much else anyway.¡± I promised, and as Akai¡¯s face lit up, I turned my attention back to business. ¡°The matter with Tsukiko is final. As for increasing the number of trainees via Chirurgery, we definitely want to, but for now it¡¯s on the backburner. We¡¯re still ahead of schedule, really.¡±


    At everyone¡¯s grudging agreement, I continued. ¡°So, are we all prepared for the upcoming troubles?¡±


    Gin-san nodded, though his smile was now quite sour. ¡°The plan is in place, though some of us can¡¯t help but think this is a ploy to swallow up all of Kyoto.¡±


    ¡°If I really wanted that, you think I couldn¡¯t?¡± I sighed. ¡°I was the one who put in place the Ministry rules to protect your rights. Rest assured, we¡¯ll help you re-establish if needed, but we want to avoid further unnecessary casualties. We don¡¯t have enough Chosen to be throwing them away over petty pride or holding ground.¡±


    ¡°Alas, this humble monk must report a problem.¡± Bankei said, before anyone else could speak. ¡°The remaining Chosen of Susanoo faction refuses to answer our calls and has isolated himself. Young Uchida also remains withdrawn, and the remains of Susanoo within Kyoto are likewise estranged from us. Unless Uchida Yamato-kun wakes...¡±


    ¡°Damn fool.¡± Chiyo-san snapped, without any kindness or pity, though her face betrayed her sadness. ¡°He¡¯s suffered a grave loss. I sympathise. But he¡¯s not alone in that. Yamato-kun gambled recklessly and paid for it.¡± She turned to me then. ¡°Is there no way you can rouse the boy? We¡¯ve heard tell of your many miraculous healings.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Trust me, if I could, I would. But... the matter is complicated, and beyond my power to intervene in.¡±


    Chiyo-san nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. ¡°Yes, I can see why.¡± She changed the subject, surprising everyone. ¡°By the way, my granddaughters were talking about your sister. She¡¯s been kind to them apparently, and they feel she has a golden future.¡±


    [Item Class: ???] [Item Type: ???] ¨C It is currently impossible to determine the ratings of this Shapercrafted living being, as the true strength of Tamamo-no-Mae is currently unusable and she has only partially adapted to the artificial components that have replaced her withered Chakras and further Network.


    Makes sense, I guess? Blinking back tears as my Eye continued to rampage, I did scan a more interesting description, before my Eye refused any further stress.


    [????????-Bound Artefact] ¨C Due to the manipulation of flesh, spirit and ????????, as well as the significant quantity of your Aether, Adherence and ???????? invested in Tamamo-no-Mae, further heightened by the existing bond that connected you, her ???????? has become bound to her Shapercrafted nature, with unpredictable results. In addition, there has been some cross-mingling of ???????? through the existing bond, so the ????????-Bound Artefact can only display its greatest power when the ????????¡¯s of both parties are in accord. It further strengthens bonds and bond-like abilities.


    Yeah, that one¡¯s not problematic at all. Squeezing shut my temporarily dysfunctional Eye, I was more focussed on Kyoto, as our impromptu meeting had come to a close, and I had pulled Yasaka-san aside, Gin-san following, along with Akai, who was still wary, but eager to go shopping. I guess she¡¯s just the same as Shaeula. Girls love to shop, no matter their species...


    ¡°So yes, I¡¯m finally done...¡± A haggard and pale Yasaka-san wiped at his forehead, looking down at the secure tablet in front of me. He paused, as my eye slid shut, a pained grimace crossing my face. ¡°...it¡¯s ironic for me to ask, considering how you abuse me, but are you all right?¡± he asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, just massively overstressed my body.¡± I forced a laugh, despite the bitter migraine raging in my head. ¡°So it¡¯s not just you I ask to ruin himself.¡±


    ¡°Not that I feel any better. Well, moving on.¡± Yasaka-san coughed. ¡°I¡¯ve spent far too long wiped out in bed, coughing up blood. I¡¯m hoping for a break. Don¡¯t be calling me while you¡¯re abroad.¡± he warned sourly. ¡°Anyway, here¡¯s the details. Annoyingly enough, I worded the question badly and ended up laid up for an hour because it told me about you! Six in total, one of which is you. Then there¡¯s Dorte Andreassen and that other guy, as we found before. Then these.¡± Three social media profiles, two men and a woman, were displayed, and the fourth person, another woman, supposedly an Icelandic musician, despite her lack of media presence, was also listed. ¡°As for the seeds, we can confirm our weightlifter the Americans have is one, while our live man here is also in America.¡± He tapped the screen.


    ¡°Great. And we have narrowed down the Botswana location, and also found the others?¡± I looked at the list and some maps. ¡°Legendary work, man.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder happily. Looks like everything is falling into place. Hmm... Looking at the locations, it wasn¡¯t impossible I¡¯d be able to strike one or two more during the itinerary, with a bit of juggling. ¡°So, as for first contact with these Chosen... the Ministry imagines it¡¯s best to go with others, rather than me. I¡¯m too big a potential danger to them apparently.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Yasaka-san agreed, handing me the secure tablet. ¡°Now, I¡¯m done, right? I am done?¡± His tone was almost pleading, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him.


    ¡°One last issue. And honestly, this shouldn¡¯t be as bad...¡± I began, but he cut me off, irritated.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you always say! Saionji-sama, at least your questions weren¡¯t so... so brutal!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you know you¡¯re contributing.¡± Gin-san reassured him. ¡°And once the dangers facing Japan are navigated, you can retire into a life of luxury, only having to work occasionally.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re depositing money into your account for each question. You¡¯re certainly well off. But this one... it¡¯s about some women, a mother and daughter, that we could potentially save. How can you say no to that?¡± At my pleading gaze, spoiled by the fact one of my eyes was sealed shut, and I was pale as paper, he finally relented.


    ¡°I sometimes... no, I often hate you...¡± Yasaka-san grumbled, without much heat, more for the sake of it, I thought. ¡°All right then. Ask your damn question, and I¡¯ll see if Minerva is feeling helpful.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I held my breath after saying my next words. ¡°There¡¯s a pair of Cultivators, who should be preserved in the far north of Japan. Su Caihong and Su Liena. Are they still alive, and if so, will they remain so for much longer?¡±


    As Yasaka-san repeated the question, sweat beaded on his brow, but in theory this should have been far easier to bear the burden of, being as we knew a lot of information already, and it was barely touching on the immediate future. As he opened his mouth, back at Shirohebizumi, I spoke up, stopping Mae in her tracks.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s been a day for miracles. Su Caihong, Su Liena... they still live in the frozen coffins you and Sekka made for them.¡±


    Mae blinked, trying very hard not to look as if she cared overmuch, which I found unbearably cute, but the movement of some of her bushy tails gave her away. ¡°You do not have to lie to me. I am not a child. I have lived many times more, hundreds of times more than you. False hope... I no longer wish for death, so...¡±


    ¡°Akio does not lie, foolish ooone.¡± Hyacinth declared. ¡°Sometimes, efforts can be rewarded. Nooot always, not often enooough, but sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you work hard for it?¡± I pressed. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was praiseworthy cheating the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows, but again, you did it out of love, so... I can understand it.¡±


    ¡°Love? Caihong¡¯er and I were merely passing some pleasant hours together.¡± Mae denied, though her tone betrayed her, voice wistful. ¡°They should not have survived, even moving so slowly through the ages, but... Caihong¡¯er was strong. Nobody rises to the Matriarch of one of the Five Great Sects, of Ten Thousand Flower Throne, by being easy to bully. And Liena... she was doted on by her mother, her treasure....¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I patted her on the shoulder. ¡°...you¡¯d better restore your strength as fast as possible. After all, Kunlun is gone, and they have nothing anymore. Someone has to provide for them...¡±


    Mae gave me a flat look, while Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth and Asha all rolled their eyes at me in unison.


    ¡°Come on now, Aki. You know you¡¯ll offer them a place. Besides, won¡¯t it be you healing them?¡±


    ¡°I believe Daiyu would benefit a great-great deal from their knowledge.¡± Shaeula agreed.


    ¡°Grandmother... I am happy for you.¡± Nebisuki said softly, and Mae paused, swallowing, before her usual aloof demeaner reasserted itself.


    ¡°Of course you are. Did I not spare you, all those years ago? I am being rewarded for my good deeds.¡± She turned to me then. ¡°I will not declare that you owe me... despite subjecting me to such indignities, seizing my name... I know you had little malice, and I have benefitted. Your insistence in persuading me to stay is self-serving, but I can hardly fault that. So...¡± She bowed then, a difficult thing to do for a woman of her pride, I wagered. ¡°...I ask you. Prove to me your words hold absolute truth. If you can save Caihong¡¯er and Liena and help us seek vengeance... then I shall consider our meeting a blessed one, and believe that the world is no longer a dull, dead place.¡± She grinned then, savagely beautiful, her League, Charm and Majesty all soaring. ¡°For it will not be. For vengeance stirs the blood, and your enemies... shall be my enemies, and your road, my road!¡±


    Nodding, I took her hand, allowing her to feel my sincerity. ¡°Obviously it won¡¯t be easy, and it¡¯ll have to wait until my return from my trip, but we have time. For now, prepare, and the day you see them again will be here before you know it.¡±


    I¡¯m glad that for all she suffered, at least the one good deed she did that I know of, no matter how selfish, didn¡¯t go unrewarded... Holding in a yawn, not willing to break the sanctity of the moment, I let my focus drift, to where Akai was skipping out of the shrine, urging me to hurry, her fear of me currently forgotten...

 Five Hundred And Ten *Contains Status – Shiro 5*

    Five Hundred And Ten *Contains Status ¨C Shiro 5*


    ¡°I think you should return to the estate with our pair of foxes.¡± Shiro advised me, seeming concerned, and Asha nodded.


    ¡°You look extremely weak. It must be a great burden, taking the pain the sap of my Tree feels. Must you be so impatient? If you collapse, who will lead us?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Shiro stated firmly, leaving me no chance to disagree. ¡°Sure, we want to Rank up the Territory as soon as possible, but saving a few hours won¡¯t matter in the long run.¡±


    Shaeula shook her head. She too was exhausted, having aided me to the last drop of her strength, but as she wasn¡¯t under the yoke of Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing, her state was far less pitiable than mine. ¡°That is true, but there are indeed-indeed reasons to remain.¡± Her amber eyes were knowing. ¡°Besides, time is precious. We can rest when-when we are victorious.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± I managed a dry laugh. ¡°Though you can cut off the Berserk Blessing on me now, Shiro. I¡¯m not doing any more difficult tasks, now I just want to recover.¡± Shaeula understands. It isn¡¯t just the extra ether, though I¡¯d love to make us an extra couple of million via resonating and mitigating buffs on Asha¡¯s Tree before I go. No, if I can Rank up Boiling Blood Resonance Link, we can push it harder in future. And I¡¯m feeling it¡¯s close... I was actually rather surprised that it hadn¡¯t Ranked up already, but there was something a little different about a Tree than a person. Sap rather than blood. It¡¯s not entirely dissimilar, but... well, if I do break through, hopefully I¡¯ll be able to raise the Skill faster in future.


    As Shiro agreed, the slowly growing pain was cut in half, and I breathed out an exhausted sigh of relief, rubbing at my closed eye. Hyacinth wiped my forehead with gentle care, fussing over me, and behind me Mae barked a laugh, addressing her granddaughter. ¡°A persistent, dedicated man. What say you? Men who are too forceful can often by annoying.¡±


    ¡°You hardly seemed annoyed when he told you of that woman you liked, grandmother.¡± Nebisuki snorted. ¡°And you let him persuade you to remain. But I myself do adore persistent men. Those who have the charm and strength to match their eagerness, at least.¡±


    Mae merely remained silent, while her granddaughter chuckled. I was finally able to relax, enjoying the atmosphere both here and in the Material, as there Gin-san and Akai were accompanying me through the streets of Kyoto. ¡°Nebisuki, you can go back with Mae. I¡¯ll get Ling to use her ability.¡± Having made up my mind, and feeling rather sorry for her, despite our previous ill-feelings, I relented. Besides, it¡¯ll be good for Mae¡¯s mental stability. ¡°Just... try not to trouble Eri or her family. She¡¯s still holding a grudge.¡±


    ¡°As well she might.¡± Nebisuki reached for her pipe, before putting it down with a frown, realising that I wasn¡¯t a fan of the habit. Seeing the look of regret in her eyes, I shook my head.


    ¡°You can smoke. Just don¡¯t do it in the house in the Material, you can go outside. I¡¯m not a prude, it¡¯s no worse than drinking, just the smell is a bit unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nebisuki put the stem in her mouth and took a long pull on the pipe, her lungs hissing as she breathed out a cloud of fragrant, blue-grey steam. ¡°Perhaps I shall consider giving up this habit. But right now... I need the calm it brings me.¡± Her smile was a little sad. ¡°At the time, you were entertaining toys, there to pass a few moments of boredom for the Parade. I did enjoy seeing that old Matriarch discomforted and raging, and I even find myself missing our little Kitsune. He thought he could surpass me, take my Number in the end. Why, even him calling me an old hag seems nostalgic now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the Parade, are not-not emissaries coming to collect more-more alcohol today?¡± Shaeula pointed out to Hyacinth. ¡°We should make-make haste to receive them. The Hyakki Yagyo? has gathered many treasures over the long-long years, we should not-not rest until all are in our hands!¡±


    As the two of them bustled off towards the Ring Gate Hub, Hyacinth calling for maids to bring our latest merchandise, a mixture of Fae wines and spirits made from produce from the Spring of Clear Reflections, as well as barrels and bottles of Material alcohol brought over by Ginneka, Nebisuki forgot entirely what she was about to say, merely laughing, embarrassed. ¡°It makes me forget everything, seeing this. Grandmother... Akio is quite correct. This world... it is different now. I cannot regret my deeds, for I did not know any of you then, nor that I would be dependant on your good graces, but...¡± Her grin was mocking. ¡°I am an investor, no? Just as that annoying, tight-fisted Fae Ffionnan is. I contributed the Bezoar and persuaded the other Numbers to trade what you needed for pleasures. In many ways... I provided you dear grandmother here.¡±


    ¡°I think Aki did most of the work...¡± Shiro muttered, and Nebisuki merely blew out more smoke, gathering her thoughts, ignoring the jibe.


    ¡°I still believe I can claim much credit. But I agree, our paths have crossed with blood. So...¡± She looked at me sincerely, and I could see the lineage of Tamamo-no-Mae in her, the shape of the face, her eyes, her chest. ¡°...I do appreciate you trusting me. When even my sincere actions, my wishes for you to save grandmother for my own ends, have nearly led you to death. I may be rather shamefully pathetic right now...¡± She looked down mournfully at her missing leg and shorn tails. ¡°...but ordinary mortals, I could still cause them great harm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re no fools.¡± I promised. ¡°There¡¯s always somebody about who can put up a fight...¡±


    As soon as I spoke those words Asha shook her head, disappointed. ¡°That is something you needed to leave unsaid. She knows, but also wishes you to understand... that she appreciates it nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°It is fine.¡± Nebisuki sighed, her two tails waving in a desultory fashion, her ears drooping. ¡°I have a grasp on what sort of man he is. He has much that appeals, but... someone too perfect would be exhausting.¡± Even Mae cracked a smile at those words. ¡°Besides...¡± she continued, smirking over at Shaeula in the distance. ¡°It pleases me to no end that Urakaze¡¯s little flower was plucked by such a man. I thought the world bleak, but... there are endless surprises still. Just like your miracles, grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems so.¡± Mae agreed, noticing the surging build-up of ruby and violet energies around the Gate. ¡°And it also seems our guests from the Parade are arriving. How... nostalgic. It has been a very long time. Now... I shall watch my errant granddaughter, make sure little Hana causes no trouble.¡±


    ¡°How could I? Though I am not restrained through my name forcefully, I can hardly do such.¡± Nebisuki¡¯s gaze was also fixated on the ring of mushrooms. ¡°But regardless... despite my investments, I understand your caution. We Kitsune have wicked reputations indeed. So I appreciate you will allow me to recuperate in your world. For... I shall not be restored until your return now.¡±


    ¡°I can do it tomorrow....¡± I began, but she shook her head in denial.


    ¡°It is not merely I wish to avoid the pain. I am not grandmother. I have no iron will and ancient pride.¡± Mae snorted at that, perhaps remembering how her dignity was as nothing before the slow dissolution of her very spirit. ¡°Though I can endure hardships if brief.¡± Nebisuki once more ignored Mae. ¡°No, you will be venturing to foreign lands. You feel you should be able to recover there, but... even the powerful such as grandmother can be taken unawares. You should rest and be at your best.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°How many times has a protagonist been caught out by not being at full strength? We¡¯ve seen it in too many stories.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I conceded, admitting it was probably wise. ¡°I¡¯ll stick to helping Asha¡¯s Tree and matters that don¡¯t take aether or elemental energies. I admit to being exhausted. First the matter with Mae, and then the multiple tough crafts... I could use a day off.¡±


    ¡°He does listen then?¡± Nebisuki grinned, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°Sure, though if something comes up, he¡¯ll try and handle it. Let¡¯s hope nothing does.¡± Shiro smiled wickedly then. ¡°I¡¯m sure us girls can pamper you. After all, we¡¯re going to miss you. Only Hinata gets to go with you for some of the trip.¡±


    I was saved from answering her by the arrival of our visiting guests, and seeing the two burly Oni, one with skin a deep azure blue, the other a fiery red, arriving, Red with a large sack slung over one shoulder, I buried my exhaustion deep, not wanting to show any weakness. We¡¯re tentative allies now, through trade and mutual interest, but there¡¯s still no need to be careless.


    Shaeula¡¯s maids were ready, and I recognised Klena and one of Ixitt¡¯s daughters, Quaela. She¡¯s a lot more practised than she used to be. I guess Hyacinth is good at whipping the new maids into shape. We need more of them to maintain our dignity both here and back on the Material, it seems. I know Ixitt¡¯s sneaked another bunch of daughters in. He¡¯s persistent, if nothing else...


    ¡°Welcome.¡± Shaeula greeted our guests, though she did sneak a glance at the sack, her eyes glowing. Nodding in satisfaction, she gestured, and Quaela led the maids in offering Red and Blue refreshments, including large cuts of roasted boar, shipped over from Mount Atago. Red grabbed a leg-bone, covered in greasy meat, the skin crisped to perfection, and bit in with his sharp fangs, ripping it apart, while Blue was guzzling a clay jug of strong spirits. She glanced over, only to spot the two Kitsune. She fell silent, eyes wide, and on seeing where she was looking, Red spotted Nebisuki and stomped over, still eating, his teeth shredding meat and bone alike.


    ¡°Har. Har. Har.¡± His laugh was slow and thunderous. ¡°What do we have here? Looks like you have fallen on sorry times, sly fox. I¡¯m gonna struggle to think of what to call you now. Four tails? I only see two. And...¡± He finished the meat, licking his fingers, before seizing a jug of sake from one trembling maid and gulping it loudly. ¡°Not just me who¡¯s legless...¡± He laughed again at his crude joke, belching. ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, Blue?¡± He turned to his companion, slightly smaller but with a chest that rivalled Mae¡¯s, if you adjusted for her far greater height. ¡°Blue?¡± he said again, puzzled, as she was just frozen, staring open-mouthed at Mae.


    ¡°It has been a while. Last time we met I believe I taught you both a harsh lesson in the difference between us.¡± Mae said languidly, showing no fear, arms crossed under her chest, kimono straining. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think she was still at her full strength. Is that experience? It¡¯s something I need to emulate.


    ¡°Ya old bitch... I mean, fox...¡± Blue stammered, eyes as wide as saucers. ¡°So ya were still alive then? I did think ya wouldn¡¯t have up and died, too old and too mean...¡±


    Red blinked, before letting out a belly launch, clenching one fist. ¡°Yeah, been a long old time, my bones hurt remembering.¡± He grinned, tusks jutting up making him appear sinister. ¡°We used to try and take you down whenever we could. Never did win once.¡±


    ¡°Ya know, this ain¡¯t the time for this...¡± Blue muttered. ¡°...Nebisuki here always said ya weren¡¯t dead. But what brings ya back... and here?¡± She paused, glancing at Nebisuki again. ¡°And why are ya so cut up, like a damn Ippondatara?¡±


    Ouch? That¡¯s the one-legged Yo?kai, right? Stepping up, I forced my near-blind eye open, smiling warmly. ¡°Mae is my honoured guest and will be staying with us a while. As for Nebisuki, she was wounded honourably, but her recouperation will be swift. I assure you. I may not be Bintara, but I¡¯m confident in my healing talents.¡±


    ¡°Mae, huh?¡± Red chuckled, waiting for something. After a moment, where we all stood staring at each other, he repeated himself. ¡°Mae? Mae? This is unexpected. Found yourself a new toy have you, nothing ever changes.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I am a guest.¡± Her League surged, and the maids scurried off, the pressure getting to them.


    ¡°Cut it out, Red.¡± Blue interjected, giving him a hard strike across the shoulders. ¡°Ya know I like a good brawl as much as anyone, but... the booze, booze!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Red conceded, and as Mae withdrew her League, letting it settle at a bearable level, he scratched one cheek, laying down the sack of treasures. ¡°Much as I¡¯d love to fight, just like the olden days... if we wreck this place...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be dead.¡± Shiro laughed, enjoying the reunion and the clear tension. Her hair and eyes were blazing with flame, and Tan took over. ¡°I would not have my dwelling soiled by pointless squabbles.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree. Keep it peaceful, please.¡± I joined in, and Red sighed cavernously.


    ¡°I get it. Blue and me, we love a good brawl, but we love grand booze better. And meeting old friends works up quite the thirst.¡± He laughed once more, massive body shaking with mirth. ¡°So, little man, you met Grand Nurarihyon and lived to tell the tale, and now Mae...¡±


    Mae narrowed her eyes dangerously but said nothing, and Red guffawed, enjoying her reaction. ¡°...is your guest, as she says. Few humans ever met either and lived to speak of it.¡±


    ¡°Though if ya plan to meet that old bastard O?takemaru or the sulky Sutoku, ya better be wary. They¡¯re not as welcoming as the boss of the Parade, ya get it? Now, ya must excuse us, we¡¯ve worked up a damn thirst. And we need to get back and tell everyone the news about ya return. Some old friends may want to see ya?¡±


    Mae sniffed, shrugging. ¡°If I am not too busy with my own affairs, and they cause no trouble.¡± she conceded, and as the maids carried forwards a massive barrel of whiskey, that held nearly five hundred litres, the tense atmosphere dissipated, and Shaeula quickly started negotiating a price, Asha shot me a concerned look, and I let her lead me off to one side, where I could sit and watch the proceedings, leaning my weary head against her chest, while she stroked my hair. Red glanced over, grinning toothily, but then went back to haggling, so I relaxed, diverting most of my attention to Kyoto again, where Akai was touching the fabric of a white summer dress, making noises of appreciation.


    ¡°Are you sure you shouldn¡¯t take a rest, Akio-kun?¡± Gin-san asked me, not for the first time. I was wearing a mask and sunglasses to avoid being recognised, but I did look rather dreadful.


    ¡°This is restful enough. With our stats, just walking around isn¡¯t too bad, is it? And matters are more relaxed back in Tokyo.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get over how you can be in two places at once. Though, thinking about it...¡± Gin-san smiled, considering something. ¡°...if Sun Wukong was a real God, perhaps his Favour would allow one to clone themselves? Though I believe his origins are rather more fictitious.¡±


    ¡°Who can say? Many people would consider a lot of mythical beings fiction, but we know they aren¡¯t. I¡¯ve met a number of Kami and even actual Gods.¡± Seeing Akai looking troubled, torn between the white dress and a pink one next to it, I gave some advice. ¡°I think the white one would look nicer with your skin tone. That pink¡¯s a bit too garish. If you really like pink, how about...¡± I cast my gaze around the store. ¡°That one... no, it¡¯s a bit too daringly cut, you suit cute more than sexy, I think. How about this one?¡± I took a dress off the rack and passed it to her.


    Akai hesitated for a moment, before taking it and holding it up to her body. Seeing her hesitating, I advised her to try it on in the changing room, and she clutched the clothes to her chest, glancing around before scurrying off, head down.


    ¡°She¡¯s so timid.¡± I laughed, finding her cute, like a younger sister. ¡°Hard to believe she¡¯s a phoenix, or powerful in battle.¡±


    ¡°Some strength can only be shown in crisis.¡± Gin-san said piously. ¡°Akai¡¯s jumpy and easily flustered, like a little chick, but when threatened her flame burns all. But...¡± He looked at me, amused. ¡°You seem to have a way with girls, Akio-kun. A lot more makes sense now.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± I snorted. ¡°It¡¯s just that Shaeula, my sis and the others love shopping. Well, Shiro¡¯s a bit of a slob who prefers to just order white jeans and t-shirts off the internet, but I¡¯m breaking her of that habit now. Most of the girls are eager to grab clothes, jewellery, makeup, and all sorts of accessories. And of course they want me to like them. Trust me, you can¡¯t just say things look nice, you have to help them choose, which usually mans picking the one they like and helping them justify it.¡±


    ¡°I see. The life of a married man is hard.¡± Gin-san smirked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not married yet...¡±


    ¡°But your fate is sealed. Even if you wanted to back out, with you marrying the daughters of Takatsukasa and Tsumura houses, you¡¯d have to flee the country.¡± he pointed out, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I know that. Not that I have any objections to marriage, in fact I¡¯m looking forward to it, which I never thought I¡¯d say only a few months ago. But even so, despite everything, I¡¯m still a man, so talk of marriage makes me nervous. Anyway... changing the subject... how do you manage with Akai?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not too hard to look after, apart from the money. I have the shrine maidens of Kinkaku-ji and other nearby Amaterasu shrines play with her and normally they¡¯d take her shopping.¡± As we talked, he explained his routine of care for Akai. Obviously, she had to train too, though she didn¡¯t like fighting at all, but she could be persuaded to venture out into the surrounding areas around Kyoto outside Haru¡¯s Territory, where numerous monsters lurked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Akai came rushing back, both dresses in hand, pouting, cheeks puffed out adorably. ¡°I like them both!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy then.¡± I decided I could spoil her. Akai was a crucial component of the Kyoto defence, so deserved a reward. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to them both, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Akai blinked her big eyes at me, and I nodded. With a delighted little skipping hop, she flounced over to the counter, and I quickly paid. Honestly, these aren¡¯t even that pricey, now that my girls have to hang around in circles with Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi everything they buy has to be quality.


    With those purchased, Akai clutched the bag tightly and began looking at straw hats. After we had bought one, and she was wearing it on her head cheerfully, we took a break, and sitting in a cafe? overlooking the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Akai was eating from a jumbo parfait, easily big enough for four ordinary girls, while Gin-san and I enjoyed a beer. This is relaxing. And matters are in hand in Tokyo too.


    Shiro had joined in on spoiling me while Shaeula and Hyacinth handled the negotiations. It actually went better with Mae there, her presence both excited and scared the two Oni, and Red quipped that seeing her again drove him to drink. Our Etherite stock was replenished, and we also received precious metals, gems and materials from slain monsters and Yo?kai for crafting. It¡¯s not exactly cheap selling such large quantities of expensive booze, but once the factory is running, money should flood into our coffers, so spiritual resources trump material ones for sure.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that difficult?¡± I asked Akai, as with her unusually hot body temperature, the ice-cream melted as she tried to eat it, but she shook her head. ¡±No, it¡¯s fine. Cold is delicious!¡± She spooned a mouthful of melted cream and chocolate into her mouth, making a gasp of pleasure.


    Looking around Kyoto, which still mourned the near thousand dead, as there were floral tributes and incense sticks still left at the sites, I once more affirmed my desire to prevent it happening again. Seeing my changing attitude, Gin-san patted my shoulder gently, the older man, who had been so arrogant when we first met, trying to bring me under his command, smiling knowingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything that can be done has been, and we¡¯ve planned for everything we can think of. Yasaka-san has been asking questions constantly, in between your errands. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have much to go on, but... look, we trust in the Gods. They gave us this chance, but all we can do is our best. Besides...¡± He took a swig of beer, before continuing. ¡°...we are but mortal. And even those of us who aren¡¯t, like Akai...¡± He glanced over at the girl as she drank a big gulp of her melon soda, before she started spooning ravenously at the parfait again, ropes of melted cream scattering. ¡°... or indeed your Yo?kai... are all still living beings. As Avalokites?vara says, the greatest mercy the vast Universe bestows on us is we are not omnipotent. All we can do is our best, and if we fail, then so be it. That doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t feel regret, but... it is in the trying that we show our true compassion.¡± He finished his beer, sighing contentedly. ¡°Of course, such ramblings likely seem foolish to you youngsters.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not that much older than me, Gin-san.¡± I pointed out, and he snorted, amused.


    ¡°True, compared to that old fox Yasuhide, I¡¯m still in my prime. And now I¡¯m a powerful voice in the Ministry, my ambitions are secured. So don¡¯t worry, Akio-kun. I¡¯m the last man standing, what with Yasuhide having retired and Ren mourning his fool of a son. I¡¯ll not let all that slip from my grasp now. Another beer?¡±


    ¡°I want cake!¡± Akai declared, even though she hadn¡¯t finished her parfait yet, but since it was a pleasant afternoon, the breeze chilly but not unpleasant, I shrugged.


    Type


    Silver Cord


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Divine False Moon And Star Chakra Network


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Divine Spark


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 6


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 7 Rank 8


    Noble (5) Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Divine Possession: Tan?ha?


    Rank 4


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Flames Of Thirst And Famine


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    Alluring The Buddha


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Blessing Of Many Gifts


    Rank 5


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Blessings From The Box


    Rank 5


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Berserk Blessing Of Blood


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    [Level]


    61 63


    [Class]


    Divine Medium 11/20 Mortal Spark 5/30


    Fae-Bonded 2/20 3/10 Mediator Of ?????????? 1/10 2/10


    Shiro hadn¡¯t changed much since the battles at Choe-Museon, but her strange Mediator Class had gone up, as had Lovers¡¯ Link, though she was still bitter about it lagging behind, declaring that she would have to drag me to bed and talk body to body until the multiverse realised she was serious. Rolling my eyes, amazed that such different women could all have the same reaction to the same issue, I set that aside and began further experiments on Shiro¡¯s buffs...

 Five Hundred And Eleven *Contains Status – Ixitt 3, Grulgor 3, Shirohebi 2*

    Five Hundred And Eleven *Contains Status ¨C Ixitt 3, Grulgor 3, Shirohebi 2*


    Arriving at the site of our new factory, which also had an annex for the Ministry for Spiritual Matters to conduct tests on aether, as part of our agreement, I couldn¡¯t help but nod in satisfaction. The ether density was significantly elevated, likely helped by the Rank 3 Boundary to Material Connection, as well as the numerous and growing numbers of artificial ones made by Ixitt¡¯s Mortal Engineers. That gave us numerous benefits, and coupled with the powers of Ling and Ginneka, we could perform Boundary-style feats here. As evidenced by the swift progress on construction. I hear the underground tunnels linking here, Shirohebizumi and our new estate are coming along far faster than expected...


    The scaffold and foundations for a number of large buildings were already erected, and workmen were swarming over them. The cost was significant, but money wasn¡¯t exactly an issue, as we had reserves, coupled with the loans Barclays and Chase Midas Gold had advanced us, as well as support from Fukumoto Kenji, owner of the Nichibotsu group, so burning money to hire astronomical amounts of workers to get things done was viable. Besides, if we spend a few billion yen here or there, Ixitt¡¯s convinced our products will make the money back and more in no time. He¡¯s not alone in that, Shiro even joked we should forget being Chosen and just go into the battery business...


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just batteries and power generation, or even weapons and military inventions, as part of my agreement with Mayumi-san and Ichijou house. Once our facilities were running, and recycling Japan¡¯s garbage and waste into valuable materials, we would have endless opportunities to expand. I know we¡¯ve been buying up more land around here, ready for additional factories. Power, Water, Food and Security. We want to make sure that all of those we can provide, in case disaster strikes. And of course it¡¯ll be wildly profitable too...


    As I prepared to enter the site, I spotted a somewhat familiar face. I hadn¡¯t spoken to her, really, just nodded at her in passing as she was hanging around Shirohebizumi, but being as she was Hashimoto Noboru-san¡¯s daughter, I hadn¡¯t minded her presence. She was wearing her usual heavy makeup, her hair bleached, but her clothing was an unflattering yellow hard-hat on her head, and thick black overalls, though her one concession to fashion was a pink scarf around her neck. On seeing me, she froze for a moment, looking unsure.


    ¡°Hi, you¡¯re Sana-san, right?¡± I said, breaking the ice, and she swallowed nervously, before breaking out into a smile.


    ¡°So you remember me. I¡¯m like totes honoured. Oh... err, sorry, I¡¯m very honoured.¡± She corrected her language, which made me chuckle.


    ¡°No need to be formal. I¡¯m not someone who you need to fawn over.¡±


    ¡°Err, ya sure about that?¡± Sana-san looked at me cautiously, before breaking into a smile. ¡°Well, you¡¯re the boss, literally, ya feel me?¡± She giggled. ¡°Besides, I owe ya for getting my dad out of his slump. So... uh...¡± She fidgeted nervously, and I guessed what was wrong.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you¡¯re working here, I don¡¯t mind. While I don¡¯t exactly approve of those still at school working, studying is important, I¡¯m also not thinking it¡¯s wrong getting in on the ground floor early. And considering Hinata and Kana, it¡¯d be hypocritical to complain. Do well and you might get promoted, maybe you could even be your dad¡¯s boss.¡± I joked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s... like, not that, though... sure, I¡¯m relieved. Though Karen-chan did say there¡¯d be no issues. Uh... can I like... have a selfie with ya? I want to show off at school, and... well, the bitch who lives with me...¡±


    She went on to explain the wager she had with her stepsister, who she really didn¡¯t get on with. I felt annoyed when Sana-san¡¯s mother didn¡¯t support her, but interfering wasn¡¯t for me to do. Although they say the best revenge is becoming successful. ¡°Sure, you can have a selfie, but... be careful. Please don¡¯t show it carelessly. You¡¯ve had Chirurgery then, right?¡± As she nodded, I continued, warning her. ¡°So you might be able to handle ordinary thugs, but... being connected to us could bring danger. So be wise and don¡¯t brag. As for your stepsister... I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the time to help you on that one, but... I¡¯m like Shaeula, I believe firmly in oaths, wagers and promises. So... she¡¯ll help you resolve it, I¡¯d imagine. The day of the concert, I bet you¡¯re going, right?¡±


    Sana-san nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m totes looking forward to it. I¡¯ve got good tickets, and I¡¯ll get to hang out with your women. I still can¡¯t believe you took all them cuties for yourself, ya feel me?¡± She giggled then, waving a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll send ya a picture. She¡¯ll look a damn fright, stuck up bitch. She should be damn grateful I ain¡¯t as vengeful as she is. Calling me a slut...¡± She suddenly paused, realising who she was grumbling to, and I could see her flush, even under her heavy makeup. ¡°Uh, never mind that. I¡¯m on the clock. So, ya here to see Kana-chan, right? Lucky her! Anyway, like, praise her properly, ya get me? She¡¯s been working herself hard to get you to smile.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget her contribution, but even without that, I smile when I see her.¡± Of course I do. Kana¡¯s that ordinary yet special girl who really knows how to make a guy feel good. She¡¯s always fun.


    ¡°Woah, I¡¯m jealous. Oh well...¡± Sana-san grinned then. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t catch a good guy, ya just wait and see. I have a steady job with prospects and I ain¡¯t even left school yet. Though... having to stay in dad¡¯s shitty apartment really sucks. When¡¯s the new building going to open?¡±


    ¡°Soon.¡± I laughed, remembering the other construction project, this one under Kenji-san¡¯s auspices, my grandfather-in-law making sure that a number of massive apartment blocks were being constructed, though a lot of the materials were provided by our Mortal Engineers, so that they could be taller, more spacious and aesthetically pleasing than the usual Tokyo high-rises. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth the wait, I promise.¡± Internal power generation provided by Ixitt¡¯s crafts, a hydroponics floor and indoor parks and rivers, internal shopping mall... basically a mini village all in one. And with stronger, aether-reinforced materials... it should stand up to disasters, as well as being set in a garden of great beauty, to fulfil my promises to Asha and Primal Forest...


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt ya, boss!¡± she promised. ¡°Anyway, better get going, I¡¯ve taken up your time, sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± I smiled, relaxed. In the Boundary, now I had been restored by Akai¡¯s feather, I was recovering as much of my strength as possible, which took very little of my concentration, so I was following the advice of Asha and the others and resting in preparation for my trip abroad. At least I¡¯ll be able to save a dozen or so hours from the original plans...


    As we walked into one of the buildings, we descended in a lift to the cavernous underground section. It was divided into numerous massive caves, and some of them were starting to be filled with shining lamps and production-line machinery in preparation for launch. There were thousands of human workers bustling about, as well as stranger sights, such as weaselkin and ratkin barking orders or studying schematics. Wagons of construction materials were being brought in, a mixture of standard materials such as steel girders, bricks, spools of wire and much more, but in some I could detect the presence of aether, likely some of the stable alloys and crafts the Mortal Engineers had devised.


    ¡°Most of the really wild stuff goes on where Kana-chan is.¡± Sana-san said to me, expression proud. ¡°Not that I go down there much, I¡¯m not exactly an asset. Totes feels bad, but I still help out. I¡¯m like an odd-job girl and liaison. If Kana-chan or the big guys need anything, I make sure they get it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all work experience.¡± I agreed. Sana-san then waved at someone.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Ixitt. Over here, over here! The boss is visiting!¡± She yelled over the noise of the machinery, and he scurried over, in his human form, his multiple pockets bulging with useless devices and trinkets, a huge backpack slung over one shoulder. On seeing us, he grinned.


    ¡°I see you, Akio, and also Sana. What a pleasant surprise. Here to check on progress? Or more just to see Kana? She will be rather pleased indeed. Her labours have helped us to advance far ahead of even my schedule. Grulgor¡¯s too. He is wasted in battle, he should take up a promising career in construction.¡±


    It had been a while since I had fully assessed Ixitt, as getting our cross-Boundary projects up and running was of vital importance to consolidate my hold on Japan, so I let my Eye shine, feeling that it was on the verge of a breakthrough, the orange glow dazzling. Soon. I¡¯m curious to see what I can divine when it¡¯s genuinely passed the first bottleneck, not just temporarily elevated by Shiro¡¯s buffs.


    Ixitt Raethe


    Fae


    Flame, Earth and Light Aspect


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    171 216 +15


    Fortune


    7 9 +0


    Fortitude


    172 221 +15


    Majesty


    2 4+0


    Intellect


    481 602 +15


    Charm


    2 +0


    Resilience


    294 364 +15


    League


    6 10 +0


    Alacrity


    254 299 +15


    Determination


    12 17 +0


    Precision


    249 301 +15


    Foresight


    5 +0


    Aether


    1067 1511 +15


    Fate


    2 4+0


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 3 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Conversion


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Principle (7)


    Split Thoughts


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Light


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Earth Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 4 Rank 6


    Powerful (4) Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Lunar Chakra Of Flame, Earth and Light


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    [Practical Skills]


    Ether Crafting


    Rank 7 Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Dvergr Techniques


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Alchemy


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Faecraft


    Rank 6 Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4) Rule (5)


    Mortal Engineering


    Rank 6 Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Calculative Predictions


    Rank 1 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Artifice (6)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Spatial Perception


    Rank 1 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Rule (5)


    Firearms Technique


    Earth Fae 10/10


    Great Earth And Water Fae 20/20


    ¡°Grul is the stone and water, and stone and water is Grulgor!¡± He declared boastfully, which seemed apt considering he was fused with both. ¡°Taking them in I grow stronger, understand better. Grul is no longer a fool.¡± One of the Giants barked a laugh, only to shut up as Grulgor glared at him.


    It was then Kana approached, after having taken a moment to remove the least flattering of her protective gear, smooth out her hair and brush the dust from her skin. Smiling broadly, she nodded at Ixitt and Sana-san, before hopping up next to me and giving me a hug, as well as a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I teased, and she narrowed her dark brown eyes, before kissing me again, this time on the lips. I resisted the urge to tease her further, contenting myself with that.


    ¡°So, you finally came down here?¡± Kana paused, before turning to the workers. ¡°Back to work! Grul, I¡¯ll be back to help in a minute, you can manage without me, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Grul understands.¡± The Troll laughed. ¡°You want to spend a little time with him. Grulgor says the tunnel is growing. A little will not hurt.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly fathom how Grulgor became so reasonable.¡± Ixitt marvelled. ¡°Back in the day, he was one of Duke Formor¡¯s most loyal brutes, only thinking of violence and destruction.¡±


    ¡°Back in the day? Wasn¡¯t it only a few months ago?¡± I teased. ¡°And... it seems he still thinks of this as a way to train for battle. And it is. His grasp on water and earth has spiked, and I daresay his Absorption Skills can be used to brutal effect in combat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learnt a few things too.¡± Kana leaned against me happily. Sana-san giggled softly, looking away, and Kana rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh you. You¡¯d think a flashy gyaru would be less shy, more pushy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I like the look, I¡¯m totes not a loose woman!¡± Sana-san protested, though there was no heat in it. ¡°Uh, so... that snake over there is the Kami, right? An honest-to-goodness God? Makes my mind go blank, ya know. Dad¡¯s seriously working in a crazy place.¡±


    Shirohebi


    Kami Of The White Snake Shrine


    Adherent Of Tsukuyomi


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    80 190 +15


    Fortune


    5 10 +0


    Fortitude


    120 221 +15


    Majesty


    3 8+0


    Intellect


    145 250 +15


    Charm


    3 +0


    Resilience


    160 305+15


    League


    10 13 +0


    Alacrity


    142 240 +15


    Determination


    2 +0


    Precision


    101 200 +15


    Foresight


    2 7 +0


    Aether


    640 1105 +15


    Fate


    5 10+0


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Divine Star Chakra Network


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Principle (7)


    Divine Spark


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Manipulation


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Earth Manipulation


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 4 Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    [Intangible Skills]


    [Unique Skills]


    White Snake Domain Of Earth


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Law (8)


    Subordinate Kami


    Rank 1


    Sufficient (3)


    Law (8)


    [Level]


    0/15 17/17


    [Class]


    Recovering Divine Being 2/10


    Tsukuyomi¡¯s Subordinate 1/10


    ¡°Well, I see that you¡¯re putting Shirohebi to work here. How does it feel, getting to order around your Kami?¡± I teased, and Kana kissed me on the lips again, only a little flushed that others were watching.


    ¡°Honestly, it feels amazing.¡± Kana giggled when we parted, idly touching her damp lips. ¡°Not that they¡¯re a Kami, honestly that doesn¡¯t seem so special. Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha feel more divine, you know? But because I always used to hate being a shrine maiden, I just wanted to get away, be someone else, live a happy life, but mom and my father would never let me. Grandfather was worse, he gives his everything to Shirohebizumi shrine. And all for such a rundown dump...¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you totes have difficulties too, who¡¯d have guessed? But you¡¯re beautiful, Kana-chan.¡± Sana-san commiserated, and Kana shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe so, but all beauty is good for is catching a man. Not that I¡¯m complaining, as I hooked a winner.¡± She teased me, as I continued to listen, while checking out the new facets of Shirohebi¡¯s status.


    Tsukuyomi¡¯s Subordinate is a Class that a Subordinate Kami of Tsukuyomi will obtain. A Subordinate is a lesser Divine Being who possesses a Divine Spark, who pledges existence to a more powerful Divine ????????. League will strengthen, and they will take on intangible aspects of their patron. In Tsukuyomi¡¯s case, Charm will increase, and Foresight and Fate will increase greatly. They may gain granted abilities as their Divine Spark burns hotter and brighter, becoming ??????????. As Tsukuyomi is far distant, any aid provided is not direct, but Tsukuyomi is an expert at transmitting will and aid through Boundaries, and so suffers less resistance from ????????????.


    Recovering Divine Being is a Class gained when a being with a Divine Spark, long starved of Adherence, begins to recover. Ability to process and utilise Adherence improves, and any Flavours or Domains of Adherence they possess will strengthen. ???????? also strengthens.


    I see. I guess the fact that Shirohebizumi shrine is the centre of our new efforts is bringing in prayers, and thus adherence for them. I expect that since I¡¯m the Chosen of Tsukuyomi now and they follows me, that¡¯s how they caught that God¡¯s eyes? In any case, it¡¯s a good thing, as Shirohebi isn¡¯t physically powerful, and is limited in ability to Level. Still, so many question marks. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to pierce them when my Eye breaks through its bottleneck?


    ¡°I could have been a model, I¡¯ve got the looks.¡± Kana glanced at me, smirking. ¡°I always see Akio checking out my legs, and my chest¡¯s not so bad either. Plus I¡¯m beautiful. Though saying that with Shiro and now Tsukiko around always makes me feel a bit hollow.¡± she admitted, so I cheered her up.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re gorgeous, but so are you, and you¡¯ll only get more charming as you grow stronger. I know it. But yeah, you¡¯d definitely cut it as a model or a TV presenter. Maybe not an idol though...¡±


    ¡°You know me too well. I¡¯m not a fan of hard work. At least not for no reason. And having seen what Suzu-chan goes through, and having talked to Tamami-chan and the others of Red and White... not for me.¡± Kana agreed. She yawned, rubbing at her eyes, and concerned, I offered her a little Ether Healing.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. My head feels a bit tense recently, I¡¯ve been getting very tired eyes. I¡¯m not used to such hard work. You¡¯ll get like that too, Sana-chan.¡± Kana promised. ¡°Just ask Miyu-chan if you see her. She¡¯ll tell you that Akio works us until we drop!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the rich girl, right? She¡¯s like the daughter of a real bigshot, there¡¯s totes no way a girl like me could go anywhere near her, ya feel me?¡± Sana-san shook her head, scared of the thought.


    ¡°Honestly I thought the same. But she¡¯s not so bad. Sure, some of the new trainees are stuck-up snobs, but they soon get whipped into shape. Hinata won¡¯t let any bad attitudes stand, and with Motoko, Natsumi and Miyu-chan backing her up... so far it¡¯s working. Oh that¡¯s so much better. I feel all warm and tingly inside.¡± Kana stretched like a cat. ¡°Anyway, much as I¡¯d love to kiss and cuddle all evening, this is a workplace, right Ixitt?¡±


    As the ratkin grinned in response, Kana gave me one last peck on the cheek and hopped down. ¡°Might as well fill you in on how it¡¯s going. Honestly... reckon we can get the basic tunnels connected before Akio gets back?¡±


    Ixitt scratched at his cheek, pondering, before smiling toothily. ¡°I believe so. After all, even my calculations and predictions have been exceeded.¡± Ixitt clapped his hands together and explained happily, while Sana-san commiserated with me with a wink.


    ¡°Initially we expected some difficulties. Ether density is far lower here than the Boundary, of course, and the Material resists the use of elements, though far less than it resists aether. Fortunately, we have a surfeit of earth wielders, being as Shirohebizumi is a very rich source of elemental earth, thanks to Asha and her Trees. There is also the benefit of those who are your allies that learn earth element can gain two of these Levels, with promises of more when the Earth Altar is upgraded.¡± He lectured us sagely, and Kana, Sana-san and I exchanged wry looks. I was curious though, so I guess it¡¯s fine.


    ¡°Using earth element, we can strengthen and reinforce soil, rock and similar materials, and conversely weaken them. This allows us to both excavate and fortify at rates faster than mortal machinery can. We can use said machinery to further expedite this, so we believed we could finish in months rather than years or a decade. Time waits for none, not even us Fae. However... happy fortuitous circumstances, and the aid of Kana here and Grulgor, have changed our projections.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you helping me gain Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Favour, Akio.¡± Kana said modestly, before cracking a smile. ¡°Although honestly, I am amazing, putting in the effort. Take heed, Sana-san. I was lazy, but when I started moving towards a goal I wanted...¡± She looked at me boldly, and again I found it hard to fathom how I had won the heart of such a girl. I was a bit of a bastard to her. But they do say girls like bad boys...


    ¡°He¡¯s thinking something dumb.¡± Sana-san giggled, and Kana nodded, agreeing. I exchanged a glance with Ixitt, who shrugged.


    ¡°The mysteries of a female mind are not for us men to know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be more convincing if it didn¡¯t come from someone with eight wives...¡± I complained, only for him to rebut me coolly.


    ¡°And how many will you have? Unlike Mortal Engineering and science, the mysteries of the heart are not understood through repetition and exposure. Now, shall we change the subject?¡±


    I nodded, defeated. Obviously I had women on my mind, who I would have to at the very least have a decent discussion with. But there are way more important matters at hand. ¡°Oh, Sana-san, were you on an errand? I hope I haven¡¯t delayed you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If I can¡¯t guide the boss around, what can I do? Besides, I don¡¯t have a lot to do, ya feel me? I¡¯m an odd-job girl for now.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re earning credit with people who matter. Like me!¡± Kana pounded her chest, praising herself. ¡°Speaking of... Akio, while you¡¯re here, why not watch me at work? Working girls are sexy, right?¡±


    ¡°Phrasing.¡± I laughed, and she stuck her tongue out at me playfully, before hopping down and striding over to the front of the tunnel. She struck up a conversation with Grulgor, who barked orders at the Trolls, Giants and white snakes, as well as the mortal workers using machinery and contributing earth element. Our Elemental Silos accumulate plenty in comparison to our other elements, due to Asha¡¯s Tree running buffed the majority of the time, and Kana and Grulgor certainly have permission to tap it... no wonder we¡¯re ahead of schedule, when coupled with the higher ether density... My Eye shone, and looking at the supporting workers, several of the Black Wolf Company mercenaries seemed to have stronger root Chakras than I would have expected. Professionals learn fast, and with plenty of elemental energies to burn...


    ¡°This tunnel is significantly deeper than the average Tokyo subways.¡± Ixitt pointed out. ¡°When we cross various lines above us in the ground, we require extra reinforcement, but a task that should ordinarily take months and significant disruption can be achieved easily.¡± Ixitt continued explaining. ¡°Since this is effectively a military tunnel, connecting the key locations of Shirohebizumi Shrine, the factory and Ministry, and your estate and the Tokyo bay, with potential plans to expand to other priority areas such as various military facilities and Azabu, to protect the key estates of the Fujiwara house and others, we have dug it down more than a hundred and fifty metres, and deeper in some key places of vulnerability. Of course, such would increase the difficulty ordinarily, but... ironically, it is actually easier for our needs, as the deeper tunnels allow more strengthening of the surrounding bedrock, and while we cross the water table in places... we have used that to construct a private aqueduct and reservoir, along with a purification facility, so that in disaster we have fresh water.¡±


    The project has certainly expanded. Not that I¡¯m complaining. Maximum security is our watchword now. As I listened, Kana was preparing, drawing on earth element, and Ixitt continued. ¡°We also have power generation and storage, though I intend to install my new devices as soon as is practicable. In addition, we must secure access to air in these deep tunnels. That would be an extraordinary difficulty and expense, to say nothing of a potential weakness, but...¡± He grinned, pointing to several architects and surveyors looking at maps. ¡°...it is a good time to see Kana and Grulgor in action.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve not seen her work much.¡± Sana-san agreed. ¡°It¡¯ll be totes cool to see it up close!¡±


    Kana, hearing us with her enhanced senses, waved at us, before speaking loudly over the din of digging and bellowing Giants and Trolls and the whine of drills. ¡°So, this is the spot? One hundred and fifty-seven metres, but we have to align it at forty-six degrees for the last twenty-six metres to avoid existing infrastructure, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Izumi-sama.¡± One of the men pointed out respectfully. ¡°You¡¯ve managed before, but this is a steep shift, and if we get it wrong, the above sewerage and subway system will suffer damage.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me. I have to look good right now. Bring it on!¡±


    A large series of interlocking pipes were brought in, and with a smile, Kana pressed her hands on the solid rock wall. ¡°In Ks?itigarbha¡¯s name, flow!¡± Energy flashed crimson, and the wall rippled.


    ¡°Grul is one with the stone, one with the water.¡± He growled, and the rippling material shifted, Grulgor growing until he towered as high as the Giants, nearly the entire height of the colossal tunnel. His arms grabbed the pipes, and they were inserted like straws into milkshake, sinking into the gloopy stone. Kana wiped sweat from her brow, droplets of mud and rock bouncing off the hard hat she had worn again, and as I used my Eye I could see the pipes pushing through the stone like it was mud, and the inside was sucked clean of blockages.


    Very impressive. I can see why this saves so much time...


    ¡°The locations for the ventilation shafts are classified and are all on government or allied properties. But even so, we have taken further precautions. One-way filters and devices that can be charged with wind element are also inserted, preventing poisoning or other harmful attacks.¡±


    When the ventilation shaft was finished, taking only half an hour, they turned their attention to the rock ahead. That was somehow even more impressive, for as Kana liquified the earth and stone ahead again, it flowed into Grulgor, who grew colossal, filling the space. He them melded with the wall, and a surge of earth element glittered like a million red stars under the artificial lights. The rock ahead for many dozens of metres surged into the tunnel proper, the stone around it becoming dense and smooth, an occasional scaffold or set of metal bars inserted to secure areas that couldn¡¯t simply be fortified with compressing stone via earth element.


    ¡°The calculations are challenging, but we have paid experts.¡± Ixitt grind. ¡°Strengthen the bedrock itself, and apply a little help here and there with structural support, and we barely even have to dig. Though dig we do.¡± He grinned. ¡°Some areas it is easier to have brute strength clear it. But as you can see...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was more than a hundred metres in... what... thirty minutes?¡± I agreed, impressed.


    ¡°I believe one hundred and forty-seven metres as per the plan. I would hardly believe Grulgor would ever understand such, but the world, both worlds, are never short of surprises.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Sana-san was a little awed, and looked at Kana jealously. ¡°I totes wish I was a superhero. Guess I¡¯m not good enough, makes sense. Who¡¯d choose me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Kana came back, mopping her sweat, and took a drink from the vehicle. ¡°I wasn¡¯t either.¡± She rubbed her eyes, her face a little pale. ¡°Damn, I need this. It¡¯s thirsty work, and we still have a dozen more sections to do today. Good job I don¡¯t need as much sleep as I used to. But the harder I work, the quicker it¡¯s done. Hinata promised me once Shirohebizumi, the estate and the factory area are complete, the rest can be done slower.¡± She then looked at Sana-san earnestly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t chosen either. And it¡¯s not all fun and games. But everyone has their own part to play. Karen-chan, Hayato-san and the others, even your father, Sana-chan, they all do their part. Do we look down on them because they can¡¯t do what I do, or Akio does?¡±


    ¡°No, I totes didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m not a bitch. Dad¡¯s working hard now, harder than mom. I just... well, it¡¯s a tough world.¡± Sana-san said lamely, embarrassed.


    ¡°It sure is.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°But it¡¯ll be tougher for our enemies. Just look at this place. And don¡¯t worry, if we have to evacuate, I¡¯m sure you and your dad are on the list, Sana-chan!¡±


    As the girls bantered, me occasionally watching, I once more marvelled at the combinations power could provide. With Kana¡¯s Earthen Womb and Grulgor¡¯s Stone Absorption, together they are an order of magnitude more powerful that apart. It makes me wonder... why are the Gods so set on their Kodoku ritual when working together has such benefits? It can¡¯t just be that there can only be one Astral Emperor, can it? Kana grabbed my arm, teasing me, begging for praise, and I cheerfully gave it, while considering the rest of my evening. I have to make sure Mae and Shinkume-no-Hana are settled in, spend some time with Eri and the others, and gather my strength properly after today¡¯s exertions, but... Narrowing my eyes as I laughed at one of Kana¡¯s jokes, I decided that tonight I would actually sleep for once. Maybe my dreams will tell me something. Seeing Shirohebi, that he¡¯s now an adherent of Tsukuyomi... is it an omen, or am I reading too much into it?

 Five Hundred And Twelve *Contains Status – Motoko 2, Natsumi 2, Aiko 7*

    Five Hundred And Twelve *Contains Status ¨C Motoko 2, Natsumi 2, Aiko 7*


    The sky was streaked with vivid lightning, multicoloured sparks of energy scattering through the skies like aurora borealis, yet far more brilliant and intense. The scene below was an ordinary one, apart from the mysterious storm overhead, but suddenly the seemingly peaceful cityscape scene shattered. At first the ground seemed to shiver, faint ripples in the air like the heat haze reflected from roads on a scorching summer day. Then a whine began, a faint susurrus just below the register of human hearing, a silence that ached, and the passers-by seemed uncomfortable, edgy somehow.


    Some people stopped, trembling, and as they spoke to each other only silence could be heard, and then one of the rippling pools of distortion popped like a soap bubble. Out hopped a bizarre creature, appearing in a spray of violet sparks. At first it looked like a rabbit, though the size of a large dog, and one nearby passer-by, a woman, looked down in surprise, seeing it as cute. Others saw it too, and were shocked by the size and sudden appearance, but perhaps due to the changing world they were not immediately alarmed or wary.


    The woman looked at the stationary rabbit, unsure of whether to approach, only to suddenly gasp in horror as it tilted its head, and within the fur of its face, a row of a dozen red eyes slid open, watching her, and the mouth, impossibly long, unhinging the near-entire head of the creature, gaped open, needle-like teeth glinting dully in the light of the chaotic lightning overhead, drool dripping to the pavement. She screamed soundlessly, and was not alone, others joining in, but the rabbit hopped forwards, and jaws clamped on her, tearing her apart in a welter of gore.


    Others scattered, but more distortions crackled with violet energies, and other creatures appeared. Foxes, elephants, crocodiles, snakes, scorpions, even extinct creatures such as dinosaurs and those which defied description or classification, and soon the streets ran with blood. During all this, the rabbit chewed, and after a while it sprouted a series of tumours, fatty lumps swelling and eventually bursting. When that was complete, the rabbit had grown in size, now matching a horse, and had sprouted a pair of grasping female arms, just with fur and multiple joints, and nails as long and sharp as scythes. Other lumps hit the ground, forming into more small rabbits, and also young, human-like children, only each was subtly malformed, with bestial features or extra body parts.


    This done, the now-massive rabbit hopped down the street, and as a child ran its way in panic, one of the new arms swung like a whip, and blood splattered...


    Overhead, the sky suddenly descended into night, the clear skies still wreathed with iridescent lightning, thunder booming silently. The moon was shining overhead brilliantly, a massive disk hanging in the sky. Below, the creatures were rampaging, forming packs that surged like locusts, devouring all life in their paths and multiplying, only occasionally turning away erratically like the tide hitting a breakwater. There was the sound of shattering glass, and a great black rift, fringed with purple light, shrouded the stars, and a great sound of war drums could be heard, and the marching of booted feet, and cries of rage and hunger...


    At that moment, a great shadow swept across the land, and the moon, which shone so brilliantly, was suddenly obscured by a series of deep black triangles, which resembled naught so much as jaws, ready to close and bite...


    All this cannot be stopped. The Destiny of the Definite has too much weight. Even should you attempt it, events have begun far outside your sphere of influence, and will be felt here when the ripples reach. All that can be done is strive, struggle and try and turn aside disaster, saving what you can protect...


    The vision blurred, the shadows covering the moon scattering, revealing the glowing disk, and six figures could be seen in the light. I recognised many of them, Shaeula, though she was wreathed in powerful winds, and many Fae and Yo?kai were in her shadows. Shiro, half of her face twisted into an expression of great hunger, hair and eyes red and blazing, the other half cool and silver. Yukiko-san, the incandescent sun fringing her like a halo of gold, and Eleanor, a great towering pillar of life energies soaring behind her, a curtain of shimmering energy falling like a fountain. There were two others as well, one a hunched shadow, indistinct and blurred, and droplets of blood were constantly falling from it, darkening the land around. And a pink bird, shining with light, connected to something greater, a reservoir of shining brilliance that was somehow so very sorrowful...


    Only though the conflux of a tangled web of Destinies and a multitude of Definites can what the moon overlooks endure. Prepare... prepare...


    That¡¯s hardly helpful! The voice, presumably of Tsukuyomi, was the only sound I could hear in this silent... vision... I supposed. I already know of the Princesses of the Six Paths. As for Shaeula and Shiro, if they die I¡¯ll be dead first, and Eleanor and Yukiko-san are my friends, so I¡¯ll of course protect them. As for the other two... They both seemed ominous and sad, and I would do my best to find them, and if necessary defend them. What¡¯s the use of telling me this? It¡¯s like I¡¯m sitting in a greenhouse, you tell me the glass will be destroyed, but it¡¯s done by someone with a gun on a far rooftop. I¡¯ve no way of preventing it... at least give me something useful! I can see why Tsukiko was always so worn down and depressed. There¡¯s no use in knowing there¡¯s a man with a gun out there ready to shoot if I can¡¯t leave the greenhouse to stop him!


    There was silence, the vision frozen, and then the scene shifted, and I was immersed in water, drifting in a lake, the moon overhead reflecting in the glassy, smooth waters. In said reflection images were suddenly shown, and if I was actually here, in a tangible form, I would have smiled. Finally being useful, eh?


    The scene switched, becoming monochrome, revealing a teeming horde of people, moving with one purpose. They looked like zombies, paying no heed to their surroundings, merely fixated on their targets, a number of men and women who shone with colour in this black and white world, red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo and violet. On seeing them the mass of people charged, and though they were weak and frail, they attacked with almost rabid, desperate fervour.


    Above them in the sky, a great, serpentine white body could be seen, writhing through the clouds, and bolts of brilliant light shot from it, turning into feathers which struck the ground, detonating. One such target was a tower standing amidst a steaming lake, adorned by beautiful statues of celestial beings. Light flashed, and flame roared, forming a mushroom cloud, lightning crackling, the flickering tongue of a snake visible, tasting the scorched air. Amidst the destruction shadows moved, and a stunning marble statue of a woman, tall and muscular, carrying a spear in one hand and a shield in her other, an owl on her shoulder, eyes tied with a ragged blindfold, was rocked, daggers striking sparks.


    Other statues appeared, and then a multi-armed statue of gold shattered, a torii gate collapsing, and a number of twisted, ghoulish forms wearing tattered rags surged out of the ground, faces twisted into snarls of bitter malice, ringing golden bells. A prideful, faceless giant strode out across the land, one hand clutching a winged serpent rod, blood dripping from it, and where he passed ordinary people became violent and filled with fury, shouting and hollering, shaking fists at the sky, becoming another tide of zombies, who rushed great mansions and shops, looting and breaking all within their grasp. A young girl was surrounded by shadowy figures, all pointing, mocking and laughing, and a noose fell, a woman, her dead flesh dripping with maggots, dangling lifelessly, and a second noose then fell beside it, while waiting, the crowd jeering louder. Even then a giant foot was coming down, to trample on the garden below, trees snapping under the force, blossoms scattering, and then the scene changed, broken trees merging...


    A great Tree stood, spreading branches out over the land, and I recognised it. That¡¯s Asha¡¯s Tree. A horn blew, shaking the skies, and a great wooden wheel dropped, the spokes studded in jagged, dagger-like splinters. It began to roll, faster and faster, crushing people beneath it, until it was about to strike the Tree, towering over it, while trumpets sounded overhead and feathers fell...


    You wish to stop the bullet. But if it has already been shot...


    Then we either have to dodge it or block it. Is this... the upcoming events which I fear?


    Yes. Destiny is in motion. Many bullets have already found their mark, as you would speak of it, but... the future is an intricate tapestry, of many threads. The Definite anchors, the Destined weaves, and Chance are stray threads that should be plucked out to not spoil the weave, but a single tug can unravel much, changing the course of the tapestry ever so slightly...


    I get it. At least you¡¯re trying to be helpful. I¡¯ll search for the threads we can pull... With that the image vanished, and I opened my eyes to the early morning twilight. I felt some weight against me, and remembered that before I had gone to bed, Eri and Motoko had been having some fun with me. I turned, to see Eri on my left, pressed tight against me, still snoring gently, face blissful, while on my right, Motoko, her arms curled around mine, slowly opened her eyes, giving me a gentle smile.


    ¡°Good morning, Akio. I trust you slept well? You do not rest enough, everyone is worried you are working too hard.¡± she whispered, careful not to disturb Eri.


    ¡°I know, but if I don¡¯t, who will?¡± I leant over and kissed Motoko on the lips, just a gentle greeting. ¡°Did I wake you? It¡¯s still dark outside.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Motoko shook her head. ¡°I am an early riser. I have to train Tsumura Arts, before heading to school. Though I feel today will be a good day.¡± She smiled brilliantly, before regretfully releasing me and standing. She went to the walk-in closet of my room, where all of the girls had a spare set of clothes for just this event. Motoko pulled out her blue and white training hakama, and giving me a rather cheeky grin, tied back her long hair and began to dress slowly, her skin flushed pink, making sure I got a view of everything.


    ¡°I can still hardly get used to this.¡± Motoko marvelled. ¡°To think I would be allowed to spend my life as I please, yet still uphold the honour of the nobility. Although...¡± She took my hand, squeezing it as she returned to my side. ¡°...I have my pride. And my love. Now I am more concerned with being the best wife I can be. That shall bring enough honour to Tsumura house. And it is far from a burden. After all...¡± She smiled, and her temperament recently was becoming less stoic and formal, more charming. ¡°... how could I ever give up this? Last night was wonderful. If it was a better time, and we had celebrated our wedding ceremony, I would have been delighted to conceive a child, to continue our houses. The act itself is joyous. I can certainly see why our parents and brothers warn us off this act. My heart sings, just as it does when wielding my weapons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. My heart certainly raced last night.¡± I let out a soft chuckle, and Eri stirred, yawning.


    ¡°Have you had your heartfelt talk?¡± she said, coming out of her own sleep. ¡°If not, I can rest a little more. You went hard on me last night. My hips and back ache.¡± She looked at Motoko then. ¡°You must be the same. He needs to learn restraint!¡±


    Motoko shook her head. ¡°Do not pretend you hated it. I know you too well, Eri. If you can feel his passion, your heart is at peace. Mine is the same. And we will be without it soon...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re off tomorrow, right?¡± Eri pointed out, and she regretfully moved away from me, her own body naked. Seeing Motoko already dressed, Eri frowned and crossed her legs, face flushed. ¡°How can you bear putting on clothes before a bath, after we... were so enthusiastic.¡±


    ¡°It is a little uncomfortable.¡± Motoko agreed, her flush deepening. ¡°But I intend to work up a sweat, and do not have time to bathe twice. Besides, it will likely just be Natsumi and Daiyu who join me this morning, and they will merely be envious.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Eri nodded, pulling on a bathrobe, smirking at the trace of regret in my eyes as her naked body was covered. ¡°But as for me, I¡¯m going to wash off. You need to as well, Akio.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. And you¡¯re right. At least I¡¯m getting a flight from London, rather than one of our airports. It¡¯ll save me a good dozen hours of travelling.¡± There¡¯s more than one way to use a Ring Gate. We definitely need to establish more, but each one is also a risk, for now, and after those visions... Most were opaque, but some were obvious, that we would come under attack directly. Though I already knew that, thanks to Uranai¡¯s words Shinkume-no-Hana brought me. We¡¯ll step up protection, and... hopefully we have our trump card now...


    ¡°In that case, I shall go, Natsumi will be waiting for me, since it was not her fortune to win the draw last night.¡± With that Motoko bowed to us and left, leaving Eri nodding knowingly.


    ¡°Shaeula¡¯s luck arranged it.¡± I glanced down at my bare hand, the Anulus Fortunae now back with Shaeula, as the tasks I needed great Fortune for were done. Seeing I understood, Eri continued. ¡°She thinks that we need to grow our bonds. Motoko and Natsumi usually sleep with you together, so she wanted to mix it up a bit. I think she¡¯s right. I learned more about Motoko this way, and she of me. How about tonight, you go for Natsumi and someone else?¡±


    I ruffled Eri¡¯s hair playfully, proud that she was sharing so well, and she snorted, tugging me towards our bathroom. ¡°Oh come on, we had this out in Korea, didn¡¯t we? I¡¯m happy. Motoko was happy. You heard her, right? She¡¯s even thinking of children. I suppose having Asha pregnant brings that to mind. But not me. Not yet. I¡¯ve not reached my potential. And there¡¯ll be time for that later. But for now...¡± Her grin was wickedly teasing, and it made my body twitch and feel hot, seeing her look so different to usual. ¡°...seems like I was right. You have some energy, so... how about a little morning fun in the bath?¡±


    My only answer was sweeping her up into my arms and rushing into the bathroom, kicking shut the door behind us...


    ***


    ¡°Looking good!¡± I praised, watching the footwork, as Motoko clashed with Natsumi, using their live weapons, the Utsoroihebi Twins. Sparks flew, and their dance was blindingly rapid, exchanging blows with their enhanced attributes. After a moment though, the match as decided, and this time it was Motoko whose blade was poised at Natsumi¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Got me again.¡± Natsumi smiled ruefully, as the blade was withdrawn, and she bowed. ¡°That¡¯s seven to four in your favour.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it is still rather close.¡± Motoko said magnanimously. My sis, who surprisingly had also been up and was practising in our estate¡¯s training grounds, handed them both towels.


    ¡°Good job, you¡¯re both really skilled. I could certainly learn something.¡±


    ¡°Aiko¡¯s always been considerate of her club juniors at school, at least.¡± Eri said, watching as she produced some cold drinks next, which the girls took gratefully.


    ¡°Wow, don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m not usually considerate!¡± My sis pouted, though it was more from reflex than genuine emotion. ¡°Besides, we martial arts girls have to stick together!¡± Daiyu wasn¡¯t here, possibly training her Cultivation rather than her combat skills. Well, we do have that opportunity. Speaking of...


    My Eye shone, and I was relieved to feel that my strength had recovered noticeably overnight. My Boundary self was reformed and had arrived at Shirohebizumi shrine and would be resonating with the Berserk Blessing of Blood from Shiro to eke out what extra ether we could before my journey abroad. We¡¯ll shoot for an extra million...


    Tsumura Motoko


    Bonded Kin


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    173 280


    Fortune


    1 2


    Fortitude


    171 306


    Majesty


    4 5


    Intellect


    156 270


    Charm


    5 7


    Resilience


    169 301


    League


    1


    Alacrity


    185 308


    Determination


    3 5


    Precision


    184 312


    Foresight


    Aether


    402 741


    Fate


    1


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 2


    Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Light


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Wind Manipulation


    Rank 3 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart Chakra Of Wind


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Combat Technique


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Sword Technique


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Spear Technique


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Bow Technique


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Tsumura Arts


    ¡°That is correct. I feel Shaeula was wise, playing her games.¡± Motoko had also noticed what Eri had. ¡°Next time I shall ask another to accompany me. After all...¡± Her elegant smile was rather lewd, and I realised anew that by repressing the daughters of the nobility and preventing them from discovering their own sexual desires, it had created some very eager women, with a blend of elegance and lust. ¡°...just one of us alone makes it hard to satisfy you. My Statistics have doubtlessly been improving steadily, but when you truly indulge in us...¡± Eri, Motoko and Natsumi shared a look, while my sis rolled her eyes, amused and embarrassed. ¡°...while it is pleasurable, it can be quite wearing.¡± she finished.


    ¡°Yeah, pick on me why don¡¯t you?¡± I chuckled. ¡°I assume you had help from Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the two of them are basically the shining stars of the entire training school.¡± Natsumi smiled. ¡°And despite being busy Haru-san also helped us.¡±


    ¡°Some of the new noble sons are showing an interest in them, despite their humble lineage, from the faith.¡± Motoko pointed out. ¡°Though Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san both decline any such entanglements, claiming they are too young, and too dedicated to the Gods and yourself, Akio.¡±


    ¡°They did join Adamant, didn¡¯t they?¡± my sis said, and that made Eri sigh.


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to show loyalty like that. Besides... my biggest complaint is... what was Shaeula thinking, letting girls like the twins in? They are far too young!¡± She crossed her arms peevishly. ¡°I like them too, they are cute and polite, and so very talented, but... Akio, you have a reputation to uphold. Hinata is as young as you can safely go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on making a move on them, or anyone from Adamant...¡± I paused, not wanting to lie to Eri. ¡°Well, not specifically from Adamant. I do... have to talk to Bell and Teare. Anyway, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ll accept them, but... I owe it to them to talk things out, see where we all stand.¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± my sis agreed, and Motoko and Natsumi too. They all had a deep respect for the Elves, and especially for Bell after Mount Atago and our battles there.


    ¡°In that case, how about we have some breakfast. You pair have to go to school soon, don¡¯t you?¡± Eri gave me a searching look, but just as she had said this morning, she was no longer defensive about our relationships, she genuinely just didn¡¯t want me to fall to the state of a lolicon, sacrificing my pride and dignity. Yeah, Hinata, despite her youth, is old enough to make her own decisions. But the twins... if anything, they seem rather like sisters to me. They do treat me a lot like they do Ren-kun. I seem to be collecting sisters recently...


    ¡°Oh, there was one thing on your Status that was interesting.¡± I addressed the two noble girls, who waited patiently. ¡°You got a Class.¡±


    Elemental Warrior is a Class gained by those who have pushed their combat skills to the peak and are also a master of an Elemental Combat Technique of sufficient level, as well as the Elemental energies to fuel it. The path to breaking through the limits of basic combat skills and forging a truly unique path forwards is fraught with fewer challenges, and the ability to generate and utilise Elemental energies increases.


    ¡°In addition, you¡¯ve caught me up in terms of raw Combat Skills.¡± I pointed out, and the two of them nodded, Motoko explaining.


    ¡°Of course we have. Now nothing holds us back, we can train as we please, and our bodies have such great stamina, and our learning speed has increased many times over, so we can push ourselves as far as our time allows. We also have expert tutelage from master Ulfuric, and other great warriors, such as Shaeula¡¯s siblings. Even from you on occasion.¡± She teased me cheerfully, proud of her growth, and of Natsumi¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard though.¡± Natsumi chimed in. ¡°We¡¯re fumbling our way through the dark here. Master helps us, but it is something we need to do ourselves, find our own way. That¡¯s another reason that Motoko and I took different elements. It might help us finally distil down Tsumura Arts into our path forwards.¡±


    ¡°If we see our path, perhaps we can help you walk it...¡± Motoko began, only for my sis to let out a rather unladylike cry.


    ¡°Wow.¡± She slapped her cheeks hard enough for her to wince, and Eri chided her for her theatrics, but my sis was undeterred. ¡°I¡¯m fired up, you know? Motoko, Natsumi, I¡¯m moved! You didn¡¯t get the Favour you wanted, but you¡¯re still pushing yourselves to improve, despite that. I can¡¯t be slacking off, not now I have a Territory to run too!¡±


    ¡°Your archery is a match for ours.¡± Motoko reassured her. ¡°You also need to find your path.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± As my sis let out a sigh, she slapped herself again, more gently this time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯ll take a hunter¡¯s path, like Shaeula¡¯s bro, or a warrior¡¯s path, for battle. Or maybe some third road. But I know this... I¡¯m an archer at heart. My Golden Sisters are awesome, and I¡¯ll learn to make them stronger, more numerous, more flexible... but when it comes to... killing...¡± her hands trembled a little, but her expression was resolute. ¡°...I¡¯ll be using my bow. Swift, clean and deadly.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± My Eye flared again, and I scanned my sis, checking if there were any suggestions I could make. Yeah, my Eye is prickling. It¡¯s not exactly painful, but it definitely feels like things inside it are changing...


    Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    Chosen Of She Who Shows Compassion And Mercy, Kannon


    Kin


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    229 501


    Fortune


    3 5


    Fortitude


    235 510


    Majesty


    1 2


    Intellect


    206 483


    Charm


    6 8


    Resilience


    265 538


    League


    3 5


    Alacrity


    232 524


    Determination


    4 6


    Precision


    246 540


    Foresight


    Aether


    1109 1847


    Fate


    2


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Sunlight


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Aetheric Chirurgery


    Rank 1


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Combat Technique


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Bow Technique


    Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Spiritual Kyu?do?


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 2 Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Kannon''s Golden Warriors Of Mercy


    Rank 5


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    9 43


    [Class]


    Kami-Blessed 2/20


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 3/10


    Archer Of Light 3/10


    Fae-Bonded 6/20


    [Territory Rank]


    3


    ¡°Hmm...¡± I read out Aiko¡¯s stats, and she hid her face in shame. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve been grinding out levels every chance I could get, I damn near depopulated Nishimorioka¡¯s surroundings after Kyoto, and I¡¯ve overtaken you two...¡± Motoko and Natsumi nodded at that. ¡°...but my Skills haven¡¯t changed much at all! Ugh, I¡¯ve been relying too much on the Golden Sisters for sure!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you also started well behind us, sis.¡± I reassured her, though she wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°But there¡¯s always room for improvement. Perhaps wind element might be worth learning. That one boosts flame element and is good with a bow too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right bro! I¡¯ll do it! I swear!¡± She was shouting, hyped up, but Eri quickly calmed her down.


    ¡°Aiko, don¡¯t forget your exams. You do want to get into that university, don¡¯t you?¡±


    My sis shuddered, as if doused with water. ¡°Uh, sure. I definitely do, no question about that. But... there¡¯s still winter break coming up, and with my Intellect... it won¡¯t take long to cram everything!¡± She smiled broadly, and we all chuckled. Yeah, my sis never changes.


    ¡°Even so, you have to study! Mother-in-law Emily and father-in-law Taichi will be so disappointed if you fail. Besides...¡± Eri seemed to loom over Aiko, which was a feat as my sis was half-British, so rather tall for a Japanese girl. And a little taller than Eri. ¡°You wanted to be a Chirurgeon, I remember? I¡¯ll not blame you for failing to Rank up your Chirurgery, we know you are waiting on Akio to win his wager with Tan?ha?, but you can¡¯t just be a one-trick pony. Now you¡¯ve moved in with us, you¡¯re slacking off!¡±


    ¡°You know, I think I have an idea on how to proceed.¡± I decided to cut my sis some slack. ¡°One thing that could make a big difference to everyone is activating the lunar Chakra. That dramatically increases the amount of elemental energy available for use. and gives faster recovery too. It should be within reach as well, everyone has decent Chakras already...¡±


    ¡°All right then! Wind element and a lunar Chakra, and then I¡¯m going to immerse myself in Kyu?do? until I reach Rank five and can match Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s Tsumura Arts here. I can find my own path too!¡± My sis, never one to be down for long, was bubbling with enthusiasm. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hit the baths and then eat!¡± It seemed to me she was desperate to leave, her cheeks pink, and I had an idea why. It¡¯s all right, nobody will be so crass as to say anything, sis. Motoko and Natsumi are too polite, and Eri... she doesn¡¯t want to hear you complain. As for me, I know how it happened, so it¡¯s no big deal...


    Before she could drag the noble girls to the baths, I stopped them. ¡°Just one thing. I¡¯m proud of your growth, you two, but... still, be careful, okay? I just have a bad feeling trouble is coming sooner rather than later.¡±


    They exchange glances, and Motoko nodded. ¡°Do not worry. We carry Utsoroihebi with us everywhere now. Both of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we won¡¯t be complacent.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°We also know what you fear. But... is there any specific threat, you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I had some visions when sleeping last night, but I¡¯d like to talk to everyone about it before I go, see if we can glean any clues.¡± I remembered the dream from Tsukuyomi. Some of those irritate me like listening to nails scratching on a chalkboard, or a bit of food stuck in my teeth. I know we¡¯ve taken all the precautions I can think of, but... there must be more we can do...


    Setting that aside, I left with Eri, leaving the others to enjoy their bath, and headed for the living area. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine. Maybe Tsukiko can shed some light on it. You don¡¯t have to do everything alone.


    Eri¡¯s voice echoed in my head, and when I turned to her, surprised, she giggled.


    It¡¯s more intimate this way. And I could tell you were troubled ever since you woke up. Motoko could too, she has excellent instincts. Why do you think we put on a show? It wasn¡¯t just to tease you...


    ¡°I see.¡± I put my arm around Eri, pulling her close. I¡¯m a lucky guy. I know it, and I¡¯ll always work to keep it that way. Yeah...this time, we¡¯re ahead of the threat. We might be fighting largely blind, but we¡¯ve covered every avenue we can think of... but it never hurts to review... As Eri nodded, I turned over the dreams in my head again, trying to glean any meaning I could...

 Five Hundred And Thirteen *Contains Status – Haru 3*

    Five Hundred And Thirteen *Contains Status ¨C Haru 3*


    As Eri and I entered the living room, we were greeted by a few surprising faces. Suzu-san was here again, though not wearing her usual gothic lolita-style dresses, but a sparkly idol outfit, red waistcoat over yellow shirt and a short black miniskirt. Seeing me looking, she brushed back her blonde drill-curled braids and greeted us.


    ¡°Morning, boss! Morning Eri-chan. I hear you had fun fast night. She was quite jealous, it was cute. She really is honest with herself, unlike some.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean Shiro?¡± Eri asked, and Suzu-san nodded happily.


    ¡°Yes, she came over with a few drinks last night. Not that I touch alcohol of course, it¡¯d be a scandal if an idol such as me was caught out indulging. It was quite lively though, we had other guests too.¡± She nodded at those, and the ones she indicated surprised me.


    ¡°Oh come on, Akio-oppa, I wasn¡¯t going to stay in a hotel when you had a house with spare rooms right there!¡± Violet-noona gestured with her chopsticks, earning a frown of disapproval from auntie Hana, who was here this morning and helping make breakfast. We did have maids, hired by both Hinata¡¯s grandfather and also sourced from Shaeula, but auntie felt the need to be busy. Though as she saw me coming in with Eri sticking to me, her face radiant, auntie¡¯s expression softened.


    ¡°Yes, it was quite the party!¡± My mom said. She seemed to have hit it off with Violet-noona, and also had the two Kitsune with her. Mae looked as imposing as ever, her tails occupying the space on one entire sofa, while Nebisuki looked a little pitiful in comparison, though she now had an artificial prosthetic, likely sourced from the military, over her missing stump. Seeing me looking, she grinned, though there was a trace of sadness there.


    ¡°Fear not. I have enjoyed my sojourn to the mortal realm once more. I am fully aware you shall restore me in time. Until then...¡± she giggled, her momentary sorrow buried deep behind her flirty fac?ade. ¡°...I am content to be a guest who is treated like a queen. Last night was rather fun.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡± Yu-mi was the next to speak up. ¡°I enjoyed getting to know your mother, Akio.¡± This morning she was dressed in a rather more casual set of jeans and jumper. Beside her were the other two from Korea. Eui was quiet as always, her eyes darting around, perhaps unable to shed her hypervigilance after the long time trapped in the hellish Choe-Museon, though she was eating heartily, shovelling the food down as if she was worried it would be stolen from her. That¡¯s good. She¡¯s still terribly thin. She needs to get back to a healthy weight...


    ¡°I was going to go to a hotel, but...¡± Suk-ja said softly in Korean, glancing at Violet-noona, who was laughing uproariously, my mom continuing to praise her tattoos.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I welcome all cute girls! We have the space, and as Aki¡¯s mom, I want to do my part.¡± Mom declared boldly, interpreting her expression. She then winked at me, a sly expression on her face. ¡°Yu-mi here told me all about how you met and what was proposed. Silly Aki, she was handed on a plate to you!¡±


    ¡°See, never a dull moment.¡± Suzu-san giggled, as Eri sat down beside her, while I listened to my mom continue to embarrass us. Yu-mi¡¯s face was pink, but she merely smiled at me, one eyebrow raised in commiseration.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just do that, mom. You¡¯re a woman. How would you like to be forced into an arranged marriage with someone you don¡¯t know, even if it¡¯s for a good cause? And you didn¡¯t raise me to extort women that way!¡±


    ¡°See, Yu-mi! My Aki¡¯s a good boy!¡± Mom said proudly, puffing out her chest and standing tall. As Yu-mi chuckled a little, she nodded.


    ¡°I know it. Our acquaintance has been brief, but meaningful. My cousin is recovering well, so dad says, and now... the future is what we make of it, right?¡± She winked at me cheekily. ¡°I¡¯m aiming for a high position, and I¡¯m an ambitious woman, I¡¯ve found. So I¡¯ll get it through my own efforts. I don¡¯t need to sell myself for it. That said...¡± she nodded at my mom. ¡°...I won¡¯t say there¡¯s no thoughts of what if I¡¯d have just smiled and accepted it? I didn¡¯t, so I¡¯ll never know, but... well, it¡¯s on hold, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    On hold again, huh? ¡°If you want it to be. I¡¯ll not pressure you.¡± I conceded, before changing the subject. ¡°So, what... all of you had a party at the home Suzu-san¡¯s crashing in?¡±


    Mom agreed. ¡°Yes, it was a lot of fun. We¡¯ve got legendary mystical foxes, guests from Korea and America...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Japanese.¡± Suzu-san grumbled, tossing her head. ¡°And I have to practise. It¡¯ll be Saturday before we know it, and I still need to nail down my routine. It¡¯s my big break...¡± She gulped down her tea and stood, flashing her long legs in her daring outfit. ¡°...no rest for the wicked. Probably why my two bosses are always so busy...¡± She giggled, rushing out like a storm.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something dangerous about her.¡± Violet-noona mused, watching her go, before shrugging, the material of the tank top she wore struggling to cope. ¡°But then, better that than being too soft, right. Fuck... I mean shit... no ... uh... oh damn, trying not to swear is hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Taichi doesn¡¯t approve of bad language, but I¡¯m not such a prude.¡± Mom giggled. ¡°I know what you mean though.¡± Mom¡¯s sapphire blue eyes, so like Aiko¡¯s, narrowed as she looked at the exit Suzu-san had left from. ¡°She¡¯s definitely... a little eccentric, but... I think she¡¯s had a hard life. I tried to get her to open up yesterday. I wasn¡¯t just enjoying fawning over the new additions to our household.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, Emi.¡± Hana complained as she brought over fresh food and drink, just as Motoko, Natsumi and my sis came in, fresh from their baths, the two nobles changed into the elegant Hanafubuki uniform, my sis in a casual tracksuit. You could at least make the effort, sis. Everyone else has. If you lounge around all day you¡¯ll put on weight...


    ¡°Bro¡¯s thinking something rude, I can tell. So, what were you saying? Suzu-chan, right? Yeah, she¡¯s an odd one. But then, I get the impression she¡¯s made a clean break from her past, reinvented herself. That¡¯s not such a bad thing. Besides, bro can keep an eye on her, and she looks up to Shiro, so... all¡¯s good, I guess? Better her here with us than getting in trouble or causing trouble, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. Apparently Suzu-san¡¯s Karakuri puppets were excellent in battle, only limited to the base materials, construction, and what ingenuity and aether Suzu-san could invest into them. I know some Mortal Engineers have been helping her. Though... she treats the puppets like members of her idol group, so she doesn¡¯t want to risk them in battle unless she has to... ¡°I know Arisu-san feels better having Suzu-san under our care, rather than having her sleep in internet cafes, cheap hotels and worse...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks. That¡¯s just asking to get molested. Though I suppose Suzu-chan could kill any ordinary thug or pervert...¡± My sis declared, shaking her head. ¡°So, you were living it up last night, mom, auntie? What were dad and uncle doing?¡±


    ¡°They are spending time with my parents, and Hana¡¯s too. As well as Tsukiko¡¯s.¡± Tsukiko was absent for breakfast, and as an early riser that was unusual, so I assumed they were all together. ¡°It¡¯s been hard for us, but also for them. They... don¡¯t understand how to relate to their daughter. It¡¯s a shame. Tsukiko is such a good woman. Just what you need, Aki!¡± Mom smirked knowingly. ¡°An older woman to pamper you. She has a very motherly figure too.¡±


    ¡°This is... confusing.¡± Mae said to her granddaughter, bemused. Though I note that¡¯s hardly stopping her enjoying the food. ¡°For such desperate haste in trying to free me from my prison, everyone seems rather... relaxed. Perhaps I might even say... lazy?¡±


    ¡°I hardly think so, grandmother.¡± Nebisuki twitched her ears softly. ¡°It is simply that a mind overstretched will crumble. Few have the disciple or drive to spend every moment struggling. Nor should they. We know better than any, do we not? A life of toil without amusement is a life that shall be brief.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Mae murmured. ¡°It is true that the pursuit of pleasure is the greatest motivator. But... the situation is dire, no? Hence the haste?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I constantly need to reaffirm what I¡¯m fighting for.¡± I told the cynical fox who had lived far too long without hope. ¡°And look around. Isn¡¯t this worth protecting? Honestly, I never dreamed I could have a life like this. That we could. I¡¯m actually not as strong as you think.¡± I admitted. Most people were listening into my conversation, though since I was speaking in English, due to our Korean guests, Yu-mi was translating for Suk-ja.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t as though I found yesterday easy. Forging the Tengoku-seki, going beyond to repair you, Mae. But... I could do it because I wasn¡¯t doing it just for me. But... also equally because it was for me.¡± I grinned at Eri and Motoko, both of whom flushed, remembering our night together. ¡°The Night Parade concerns itself with pleasure, doesn¡¯t it? Well, humans are the same. It¡¯s a rare person who can do good just for doing good. That¡¯s not to say I don¡¯t want to be righteous, if I can do a little good here and there, all the better. But... I put our own welfare first, our family.¡±


    ¡°Even us?¡± Yu-mi couldn¡¯t help but ask, and it was Eri who answered.


    ¡°Adamant... much as I don¡¯t like the way Hinata and the others went about it... I understand why they made some of the rules. It¡¯s to forge a larger family, a group that lives and dies for each other. So yes, you¡¯re family, Yu-mi. And... I personally am grateful to you. I don¡¯t forget when someone helps me. Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Of course...¡± mom said, eyes sparkling. ¡°Yu-mi, dear, you could always take that final step... now¡¯s the best time, before the wedding...¡±


    ¡°Mom, this is a serious talk...¡± My sis sighed theatrically, and mom laughed.


    ¡°I am serious, Ai dear. Yu-mi here is a well-bred young woman, and pretty too. Eri likes her as well, so...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mae snorted, idly combing the fur on one of her tails. ¡°Yes, perhaps my experiences have left me rather... distrustful. I know you saved me from endless imprisonment, slow agonising dissolution, but... I always feared your motives. After all, am I not a great betrayer, the ruin of empires, the trickster who led many great men to their demise? I... do not trust easily. But seeing this... simplicity... I understand. You are a fool. But a fool with power and determination. I suppose... I am not ungrateful enough to spit on that. Not anymore.¡± She stood, her tails spreading out behind her, nine parts of a furry halo. Aether surged, and she stretched, yawning. ¡°You say you fear for your seeds, no? I shall watch over them, until I get bored. For now you may have the upper hand, but I am Tamamo-no-Mae, and I am confident soon you shall be under my spell. Until then...¡± Her green eyes were distant. ¡°...and until I see old friends again, I shall aid you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± I grinned, pleased. A willing helper was worth ten coerced. ¡°But for now sit down and enjoy your breakfast and some time to unwind. You¡¯ve been trapped so long, and a little freedom can¡¯t hurt. Besides, disturbing dreams or no, what will come will come, and we have time yet, I think.¡±


    ¡°Dreams?¡± Mae said. ¡°You mean prophecies? I have heard the woman Tsukiko speak of her gifts.¡± I nodded, so she continued. ¡°In that case, we should speak to her. I too am no stranger to foretellings, though compared to Uranai, that greatest of Kudan...¡± She turned to Nebisuki. ¡°You need not think you can rest, despite your injuries, little Hana. You may be crippled, but your mind is still sharp. I suspect that the whole of the Parade is buzzing with news of my return, brought by those idiot Oni. We can use that to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°You mean...?¡± Nebisuki titled her head, surprised.


    ¡°I do. When it comes to the shifting tides of the future unwritten, a Kudan simply must be consulted. Though such power comes at a great cost. Kudan almost always die in their infancy. Only a truly stubborn and powerful creature such as Uranai has the will to endure these long centuries.¡± Mae pointed out. ¡°I am not at my best, but...¡± Aether still bubbled through her, and she smiled, and around me everyone flushed, as her Charm was incredible, even the girls were momentarily affected. ¡°...you did not lie. All my pain, these... Chirurgeries... you worked upon me, the cold metal, glass and gems forged into my spiritual flesh... I am stronger than yesterday, far more than I would have expected. A pittance compared to my peak, of course, yet... likely enough to project an illusion of strength.¡±


    I nodded, and as we chatted, Violet-noona piped up. ¡°Well shit, oh, oops, uh... yeah, anyway, being in a Guild is like being a family too. And you¡¯re the boss now, Akio-oppa. It¡¯d be good if you can take my little bro under your wing, he¡¯s a bit of a coward when it comes to women. He could use an older bro for advice, as he doesn¡¯t listen to me, the fucking... oh, the idiot.¡±


    ¡°Really? From what I¡¯ve seen he¡¯s telling you to get in a relationship, Bora-unni.¡± Yu-mi smiled teasingly, and Violet-noona actually flushed, before tapping her tattooed arm, flexing it.


    ¡°Sure, but let¡¯s be real. I¡¯m crude and wild, and I¡¯m strong. You¡¯re Korean, so you know. Japan¡¯s the same, right? Women like me aren¡¯t popular, in fact we¡¯re looked down on, hated. No mother-in-law¡¯s going to welcome their son dating me...¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re cool!¡± mom chimed in unhelpfully. ¡°You¡¯ve got a wild charm, and you¡¯re funny, Violet dear.¡±


    ¡°Be serious, please.¡± I chided her. ¡°Look, Violet-noona, don¡¯t worry about that. I think soon any mother-in-law¡¯s going to want a strong daughter-in-law over a demure homemaker. So don¡¯t sell yourself short. And you¡¯re right. You appointed me as leader of the Violet Scorpions, so yeah, I am like an older brother to the members. I¡¯ve done all right with my own sis...¡±


    Eri laughed at that as my sis flushed, but I ignored them.


    ¡°...so yeah, don¡¯t sell yourself short. We¡¯re all a team here. And it¡¯s not just us.¡±


    ¡°Where do I fit in?¡± Suk-ja said, frowning, feeling out of place.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t we all allies?¡± Violet-noona laughed heartily. ¡°We all went through shit at Choe-Museon together, and we¡¯ll be working such shit jobs together again in the future. For now, might as well enjoy your easy task. Not every time has to be a shitshow like the Academy.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah, I want you to continue working with Daiyu while I¡¯m away, helping her to strengthen and realise her Jade Qi. You can also store any excess crystal element in bluesteel batteries for later use...¡±


    Breakfast continued, Motoko and Natsumi leaving after kissing me on the cheek, being driven to school. More people came down when they woke up, and I enjoyed the bustling yet harmonious atmosphere. But unfortunately, Mae is right about one thing. Today... I have a great deal to do. Since tomorrow I¡¯ll be away for over a week...


    ***


    ¡°I see.¡± Tsukiko nodded. Mae and Nebisuki were with me in her room, and she sat in Seiza, wearing her shrine maiden garb, as the Diviner. It¡¯s a shame, as I like seeing her in casual clothes, but since we sought her advice in interpreting Tsukuyomi¡¯s dreams, she felt it was appropriate. Not that she looks in any way bad in this outfit.


    ¡°The difference is clear. There are actually several types of visions.¡± Tsukiko continued. ¡°The first set, the creatures that spilled out into the streets, killing as they pleased, and the shadow over the moon... that is a Realised vision. I believe those creatures exist. A more distant event can often be shown as such, if Tsukuyomi wills it, though being so clear is often not possible. I hardly claim to understand the Gods, even Tsukuyomi, who I revere, but... there are definitely certain restrictions on how knowledge can be displayed. Realised visions are rare. The second...¡±


    ¡°They are Allegory.¡± Mae declared, bringing a nod from Tsukiko. ¡°Such are the difficulties of interpreting the future. After all, even a future such as the sun rising tomorrow, as it always does, has not actually happened yet. So a true image of it is merely a likeness, a facsimile. Even Realised visions contain a measure of uncertainly, of allegory. And it will be inevitably coloured by the perception of the receiver of the visions.¡±


    ¡°Many of my visions are thus. The Red and White Dragons, the Princesses of the Six Paths. None are simple, though I was able to recognise some, the nature of the dreams clear to me.¡± Tsukiko agreed. ¡°Perhaps even the Gods are restricted, or there are some risks to clear, Realised visions. But real or metaphorical, the issues are the same. The danger is coming, and we have to be ready.¡±


    Seeing Tsukiko so pumped up, the rest of us smiled. ¡°Indeed, you have courage, woman.¡± Mae nodded. ¡°Now...we have the information.¡± She nodded at the tablet computer I had typed everything onto, rather intrigued by how it worked. She said some jade tags and plates in Kunlun had similar functions. It makes sense. Science or magic, both will try and invent the same convenience, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°And what is next?¡± Nebisuki asked, and Mae smiled, wiggling her vulpine ears in amusement.


    ¡°Simple. The next delegation from the Hyakki Yagyo? will seek me out. After all, my return shall bring change to the world of Yo?kai. Besides... old friends will wish to renew our acquaintance, reminisce over the olden days.¡± Mae said confidently. ¡°I shall visit the Parade and speak to Uranai. After all, I do so need to thank her for her words which pushed you to act, my dear granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°That is dangerous. You have many enemies, grandmother. And the Parade recognises only strength. You are... still weak.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though...¡± She stretched, the cloth of her kimono protesting. ¡°...I am far from the broken shell I should be. I can certainly project strength, and I shall not spare my effort to revitalise myself. I shall be able to chastise any insolent fools who disregard my reputation by the time we must go. The wise will be wary of antagonising me, knowing I hold grudges and nurse slights for centuries, and the fools... I can marshal power for a brief time, enough to dissuade or punish them.¡±


    ¡°I see. It would help to seek another opinion. But...¡± Since I wasn¡¯t going to be here, I was wary. ¡°Take Shaeula with you. That way Uranai will be on your side, and it lessens the chances of any... incidents.¡±


    ¡°Hark at him worrying about me. How... unexpected.¡± Mai chuckled.


    ¡°That is simply how Akio is.¡± Tsukiko said softly. ¡°And I would not have him change.¡±


    ¡°It seems he means his words from this morning.¡± Mae continued, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Of course I did. And hopefully one day soon, Su Caihong and Su Liena can be sitting there as well, experiencing a world unlike anything they remember.¡±


    Ears and tails twitched, and Mae was silent for a long moment, before letting out a cavernous sigh. ¡°I find this hard to deal with, granddaughter. I have strode across the known world, courted and wooed by many, from humble beggars to kings and emperors, Yo?kai, spirits and humans alike. I am well used to flattery, to obsequious fawning, gifts and promises both grandiose and foolhardy. Yet... I find myself quite believing he means it, and not to win my affections.¡± She addressed Tsukiko and Nebisuki, rather puzzled.


    ¡°That is so. I find it strange myself. The mortals have certainly changed. He deals with both the Hyakki Yagyo? and the Seelie Court with such ease, as though we are merely the same as he. And it is not only him. Last night... ordinary, uninteresting mortals, chatting and drinking with us as though it was nothing. I... find the world strange. Yet now...¡± She clutched at her two remaining tails. ¡°...I would soon be healed, and condense my fifth tail, and live. There is too much I have not seen, too much I have yet to do. And as for the other Kitsune... yes, many will perish, but those who endure... they will surely thank you in the end, grandmother, Akio.¡±


    ¡°I too wished to live, despite being fated for death, the dissolution of my entire being. So I sympathise.¡± Tsukiko said with a slight smile. She touched her face, unused to being without veil in shrine maiden hakama, but her ruby eyes were resolute. ¡°I have chosen life, a life here, with everyone. Perhaps I could have chosen another path...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Yukiko-san would be happy to take you in.¡± I agreed, and Tsukiko shrugged.


    ¡°That would simply be this path, merely delayed. I am certain of it. You shall shelter the Princesses, and stave off disaster. That it not prophecy, or the world of Tsukuyomi, but what I believe, from seeing it with my own eyes.¡± Tsukiko insisted. ¡°...no, this path is the one I wish to walk. Perhaps it shall not be perfect... but I will take earnest efforts and what happiness I can hold, rather than pining over dreams that may never come true.¡± She paused then, and flushed, smiling ruefully. ¡°Though that sounds like this was not my first choice. I would hate for you to think me unwilling or lacking in eagerness.¡±


    ¡°Such amusement.¡± Mae snorted, waving her tails for emphasis. ¡°I am quite dismayed, to be lectured by one who venerates those worthless Gods. No, I understand your faith, woman, but... we Yo?kai have no love for the Kami and those above them. But... you are indeed speaking true. Compared to the suffering I have endured, the loss of dignity, pride, hope... this is paradise. And even without that...¡± She looked at me wolfishly, licking her lips. ¡°...promises were made. I can lie, but I abhor being lied to. And I admit... your straightforward desire to aid me... it certainly is fresh. I am not a hasty woman. What is a year, or ten, or a hundred, here?¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, if I am not mistaken...¡± Nebisuki began, only for her to fall silent as Mae looked at her fiercely.


    ¡°Enough of this.¡± Mae chuckled. ¡°There are words to say and words not to, granddaughter. There are few of my blood left, no doubt. At least try and have the wisdom, grace, poise and charm I have. Else you will end up with only inferior lovers.¡± She nodded at me then. ¡°I believe you are also in the Boundary, yes? At that great Tree?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m recovering my energy, and I¡¯ll be mitigating the Berserk Blessing so we can get more ether. I¡¯ll be meeting Eleanor later, as well as Miss Aditi, and hopefully handing over Jumong¡¯s Favour. Meanwhile, here I¡¯ll be meeting up with Haru soon.¡±


    ¡°We should go then.¡± She seized Nebisuki by her ear, giving it a gentle yet insistent tug. ¡°If I am to appear before the Hyakki Yagyo? once more, and see that old rogue Nurarihyon, I cannot shame myself by being so weak...¡±


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Enhanced Spiritual Form


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Light


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Darkness Manipulation


    Rank 4 Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Throat Chakra Of Darkness


    Rank 1


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Purifying Spirit Flame


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    [Unique Skills]


    Blessing Of Sharing Light


    Rank 6 Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Light Of Muted Emotions


    Rank 6 Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Lovers¡¯ Link


    Rank 1


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    38 40


    [Class]


    Ghost Of Light 8/10


    Conqueror 1/50


    Purified One 3/10 4/10


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 1/10


    Spirit Guider 1/20 4/20


    Pledged Vassal 4/10 5/10


    Fae-Bonded 2/20


    [Mastered Class]


    Empath 10/10 Ghost Of Light 10/10


    Territory Rank


    3 - Vassal Territory To Oshiro Moonstone Akio Rank 3


    ¡°You¡¯ve really increased your mental and healing Skills and Classes.¡± I observed, and she smiled at me wearily, covering her embarrassment by sipping more coffee.


    ¡°Of course I have. If I wanted to get done before Christmas I had to multitask. Of course it helps that my brain isn¡¯t entirely physical. I¡¯m a ghost, remember? So I don¡¯t think I have the limitations others do. But as I reached into more and more minds, often multiple ones at once, I found what I could think about expanding. Perhaps it was Kannon showing mercy on me, so I could focus on more work at once. It¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll keep up with the Ministry. Now all I need to do is work out how to grow more arms...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯d upset your father.¡± I joked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like to see that either. Anyway, I¡¯m not sure that being a primarily spiritual being makes it any easier to overwork your brain. You shouldn¡¯t downplay your efforts.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t get anything from flattering me, Akio-kun.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Arisugawa-san that the internet is shipping you with, not me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± I snorted, amused by her deflection. I won¡¯t mention I extended her the Rank of Lovers¡¯ Link I can grant anyone suitable. Having the extra stats from me might save her life in an emergency. But... the name of the Skill might upset her. ¡°Anyway, hopefully that means you¡¯ll be able to help the British and Japanese Chosen a little easier, now that you¡¯ve got better Skills.¡±


    ¡°I would think so. And, speaking of... aren¡¯t you on a similar crusade later?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m visiting a pair of hospitals. I know I¡¯m supposed to be preserving my aether, but... we want to get ahead of any problems, so we¡¯ve arranged for some patients for Ether Healing. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t help everyone, but...¡±


    Haru finished her coffee and gave me a sympathetic look. ¡°Most people cant help anyone, Akio-kun. Doing a little good is better than claiming that if you can¡¯t help everyone, it isn¡¯t fair to help anyone. I certainly don¡¯t feel bad at being helped, even if... not all of us made it.¡± Her brown eyes were distant, and I didn¡¯t like her dwelling on her harsh past, so I spoke quickly.


    ¡°Speaking of helping... are you ready for this? She¡¯s... annoying as ever.¡±


    Haru looked at me knowingly, a slight smile on her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll let you distract me. I appreciate it, even if you¡¯re as a clumsy as usual. And yes, she is annoying, but... if you¡¯re going to America, you have to use every tool at your disposal to stay safe. Do you really have to go? Alone?¡±


    ¡°I do. There¡¯s things I can¡¯t leave there. As for going alone... I¡¯m more vulnerable with others, as they can be used against me. If America wants to take me hostage or kill me... I won¡¯t say they can¡¯t, but they¡¯d need to know more about me than they do, and be prepared to pay a ruinous price. Even then, their odds aren¡¯t great...¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Haru stood, and I finished my coffee. A minute later we were entering a secure room, the door sliding open, and the smiling face of Christina Bakker greeted us, as she bounded off her bed.


    ¡°Akio, you came back! That¡¯s great. I have so many questions I need answers to...¡±


    Haru and I exchanged exasperated glances, before I forced a smile. Here we go again. She¡¯s... very hard to deal with...

 Five Hundred And Fourteen

    Five Hundred And Fourteen


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, it¡¯s so dull being cooped up in here.¡± Christina declared, crossing her arms under her chest and pouting like a younger woman. ¡°I had thought you had forgotten about me, Akio, but then I thought that couldn¡¯t be right.¡± Her pout changed into what she regarded as an alluring smile, but instead it seemed comical to me, as though she was merely aping behaviour she didn¡¯t really understand. The annoying thing is she¡¯s right. She is very pretty, so she still looks attractive. But I¡¯m happy with what I have, I¡¯m not a fool led by my lusts into picking up such a poisonous snake. Perhaps Christina was the sort that wouldn¡¯t bite out of malice, but she had no qualms using her venom if it would help her reach her goals, even on herself.


    ¡°Actually, I did have other things on my mind.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but say, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Now I know that¡¯s just you being a shy boy!¡± She glanced at Haru with some interest. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to say in front of her, I understand...¡±


    Haru snorted, exasperated by her already. ¡°You certainly have a high opinion of yourself, Miss Bakker. But honestly, all you are is a hostage again, isn¡¯t that right? It seems to me Director White wouldn¡¯t raise much protest if Akio-kun here was to take out his frustrations on you, or worse, as it would just give him a bargaining chip to write off some of America¡¯s past actions in exchange.¡±


    ¡°Adam... Adam¡¯s a pragmatic man.¡± She admitted. ¡°But when it comes to getting results, there¡¯s nobody better than me. Sure, I may ruffle a few feathers, but...¡± Her eyes were distant. ¡°...Adam understands that. For the greater good of the United States of America, and humanity... in that order. That¡¯s his motto.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s yours?¡± I asked. ¡°For science, anything is justified?¡±


    ¡°Not anything.¡± Christina shrugged again. ¡°I don¡¯t like it that you seem to think I¡¯m eager to hurt others. I¡¯ve explained to you if there are other ways, I¡¯ll take them. But I am a woman of science, of logic, of mathematics. If the sacrifices of ten can save a thousand, there¡¯s no question it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±


    The trolley problem again. I hate that one so much. Just like with Ling. But... ¡°The ten might not think so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am more than happy to be one of those ten.¡± Christina declared, her conviction shining through. ¡°Though obviously those of us who blaze a trail through the darkness of ignorance to seek the light of knowledge should be preserved, I¡¯m no hypocrite. I believe in my goals. Sometimes...¡± she nodded at me, her expression earnest. ¡°...I don¡¯t really understand other people. Don¡¯t they want to know? The wider universe is open before us, vistas we humans can only dream of unfolding, and all everyone wants to do is hunker down, stay as we are. It¡¯s frustrating. I offer people the chance to see beyond, and all they do is call me mad, or evil. It hurts my feelings a little, you know.¡±


    She genuinely seemed sad about it, and I had to steel myself not to sympathise. Just because she¡¯s an attractive woman doesn¡¯t mean she deserves my pity. I¡¯m not so shallow. She¡¯s right about one thing though...


    Before I could voice that, Haru laughed coldly. ¡°Hurt feelings are trivial compared to what your experiments have done. Broken minds and bodies, people have died. You may think that trivial, but take it from one who knows, death is anything but easy. You think you have value? Akio-kun has achieved more, learned more, knows more than you ever will. You¡¯re not here to make jokes and try and seduce Akio-kun. I¡¯ll never allow that!¡±


    At her vehemence, Titan, who was in one corner, minding his own business, leapt to his feet, unsure if he should step in to protect his charge. Haru shot him a baleful look, and despite his powerful frame and great strength, he flinched back. As well he might, physical strength is useless against Haru, she¡¯s an Onryo?. Her light element would fill him full of holes before he could act anyway.


    I opened my mouth to speak, and Haru¡¯s thoughts came across to me. Sorry Akio-kun, something about that woman rubs me the wrong way. And I owe it to your women to stop you making a mistake. What is it Eri-chan says? You can love anybody you wish, except for those who truly aren¡¯t worthy. And this one... she¡¯s not capable of understanding love. If you want to indulge, you have far better at home! There are others too who would warm your bed if you need some variety...


    I was shocked that Haru of all people could talk about such matters so casually, considering her past. I¡¯m not so shallow. I promise! I¡¯m not a lustful beast, who can¡¯t help but pounce on hot women with big breasts...


    I know you noticed her chest. Westerners tend to be bigger.


    It¡¯s not... I mean...


    I know. I¡¯m teasing you, though I admit to being rather annoyed. She reminds me of Nie Ling in a way, though Ling is full of self-pity, and Christina here doesn¡¯t even care. Both might admit to being wrong to get what they want, but they¡¯ll never believe they made mistakes, deep down. Now... don¡¯t get dragged into her pace. We¡¯re not here for you to flirt, we¡¯re both too busy for that!


    The mental conversation happened in an instant with our high mental stats, and Christina spoke, amused. ¡°Touched a nerve, did I? I¡¯m used to being hated by women. They¡¯re just jealous. Beauty and brains, I have the winning combination. But you¡¯re pretty enough. And I¡¯m not interested in a monopoly.¡± She grinned in a manner she likely thought was inviting. ¡°I told you. I don¡¯t mind sacrificing for my goals. Like Adam, I¡¯m a patriot, but... I¡¯ve already fell into your clutches, Akio. You gave me the chance to see the world that Titan and the others do. I don¡¯t want to die for it if I can help it, and Adam would vanish me without hesitation if I go too far, but... I have money only a woman can use, don¡¯t I? And I¡¯d say my balance is plentiful.¡± She deliberately bounced her ample breasts with her arms.


    ¡°So you¡¯d be a common whore then?¡± Haru said coldly, and Christina narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Touched another nerve, I see. Sorry, but I don¡¯t see it like that. Set aside emotions and be rational about this. Be dispassionate. It¡¯s merely a physical act, one that supposedly men enjoy. Is it really any different to working a manual job. If I worked up a sweat lifting boxes all day, is it any different than lying back on a bed with my legs spread? Oh, I¡¯m aware it hurts a bit the first time, but then, I imagine if you put me to a day of hard, physical work, I¡¯d be wishing for the relief of a bed and a little prick.¡± She giggled then, amused at her own joke.


    ¡°I...¡± Haru paused. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s nothing wrong with a woman doing as she pleases. But... without love...¡±


    ¡°Love? That¡¯s not a tangible thing.¡± Christina shook her head. ¡°Physical relationships are something I can trade. How can one sell love? In fact, I¡¯m a little surprised.¡± Her grin was now manic. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. While I did decide to come to Japan under my own steam, Adam would be more than happy to trade me for some goodwill from you, Akio. You¡¯re the top of the Vermillion List now. There¡¯s only a couple of others he¡¯s got his eye on as much as you. If you worked out your anger using my body... well, there¡¯s no end of ways that could work out. If you¡¯re a monster, then I could die, and then Adam has the moral high ground. Less cruel and... well, he knows I¡¯d get over any assault. It¡¯s purely physical, when the bruises heal I¡¯d be as good as new.¡±


    I glanced sideways at Haru, who had gone expressionless and deathly silent. Uh, do you want to step out? I can handle this for now. Haru? Haru?


    She didn¡¯t answer me with her thoughts, and the idiot woman continued. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s reproduction. Now, you don¡¯t strike me as the sort who¡¯d disregard your own child. Being pregnant seems a hassle and would interfere with my work, but I could certainly use it to earn your sympathy, and...¡±


    A flash of light flared, and Titan moved, only for a second burst to scour a hot line down the floor in front of his feet, forcing him to halt. Christina, who had frozen, only moved her eyes, watching as strands of her hair drifted down beside her, the smell of burning proteins filling the room. She opened her mouth slowly, but Haru spoke first, her tone icy.


    ¡°You know nothing, Miss Bakker. I almost pity you your ignorance. You should be thankful Akio-kun isn¡¯t the man you imagine.¡± Every word was enunciated clearly and dripping with pain and anger. ¡°In fact, I do pity you. In the world you inhabit, there¡¯s no room for anything but what you can see and touch. It¡¯s why... why you¡¯ll never be able to grasp what you desire.¡± Haru glanced at me then. ¡°See? She¡¯s not worth your time, even if she was naked. It would just be masturbation.¡±


    Hearing such a word out of Haru¡¯s mouth shocked me. Are... are you all right?


    I¡¯m fine. I promise. Just... bad memories. She¡¯s an idiot. For someone so intelligent, she has absolutely no understanding of normal human emotions and behaviours. But... she¡¯s still a woman. She should pray she never endures what I did. If it wasn¡¯t you, I¡¯d... no, never mind.


    ¡°It must be hard, chaperoning her.¡± I remarked to Titan, who was still looking down at the charred line in front of him. Swallowing, he stepped backwards, and managed a nod.


    ¡°Ya man, totally. Miss Bakker, she sure is a beauty, but... nah, not for me. Ya know what they say, man. Don¡¯t stick it in crazy, ya?¡± He wiped sweat from his brow, before glancing at Haru, who was radiating an icy anger. ¡°Uh, sorry... ma¡¯am? I¡¯ll... shut up now.¡±


    ¡°I think you should make yourself scarce.¡± Haru warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t hurt her, despite me sorely wanting to teach her a harsh lesson about the realities of life. But...¡± She shuddered. ¡°...I¡¯m better than that. I wouldn¡¯t honestly wish it on anyone.¡±


    ¡°You... yeah, you can step out for a bit, Titan.¡± Christina said after a moment, face pale. Perhaps she had realised she had pushed too far, or said something that had triggered Haru. As he shuffled out, she managed a grin, though it lacked her usual insane confidence. ¡°So, I... I¡¯m sorry? I¡¯m not entirely sure...¡±


    ¡°Spare me your apologies. You just have no idea.¡± Haru cut her off. ¡°If Akio really did assault you, you¡¯d not be laughing or thinking you gained something. Trust me. Now...¡± Haru turned to me. ¡°I want to get down to business. There are her victims that need helping.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you... make a start.¡± Look, if you want to talk, I¡¯m always here. And if not me, then one of the girls...


    It¡¯s fine. I promise. It¡¯ll do me good, being distracted, even if I¡¯ll have to share some terrible memories. If you need me, I¡¯m just a thought away, all right?


    With that, Haru left the opulent cell that Christina was occupying, though not through the door. Perhaps making a point, she left through the wall, becoming translucent and sliding through it unopposed, while Christina watched her go. After another moment of silence, the woman spoke. ¡°I... so, I don¡¯t quite get it, but... did she...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my place to talk of her struggles. But... just because you think nothing of it, doesn¡¯t mean others don¡¯t suffer pain. And as a scientist, you¡¯re a bit of a disappointment.¡±


    That got her attention, making her annoyed. ¡°How so? I work on facts, results, outcomes. Setting aside emotional, illogical responses, enduring what can be managed... how is that wrong?¡±


    ¡°Because we all live with emotions. And emotions and bonds have power too.¡± I declared. ¡°If you try and divorce the human element from the world, you¡¯ll fail. You may wish that we were all machines, computers, logical and predictable, but we aren¡¯t. And it¡¯s that which drives progress.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a weakness?¡± Christina was warming to the argument, already forgetting the momentary fear she felt at Haru¡¯s justified anger. I did have to admire her ability to set aside her own emotions and wellbeing for her goals, not that I found that particularly praiseworthy. ¡°Imagine a world where Chemistry varies depending on the mood of the elements involved. It would be chaos.¡±


    ¡°But if that was the world you lived in, you¡¯d have to accept it.¡± I pulled up a chair and sat down. Christina sat across from me, and tilted her head, thinking.


    ¡°An oversight! You¡¯re right, Akio. No wonder you¡¯ve done so well. Oh, if only I had the knowledge you had. My... my offer stands you know. Maybe I upset your companion, but... I know.¡± She winked. ¡°You find me attractive, desirable. Everyone does. You gave me the ability to enter that other world, and I don¡¯t think it was just to get information out of me.¡± I opened my mouth to say it was, but she continued, stroking her face. ¡°You healed my scars too, couldn¡¯t bear to see my beauty tarnished, you shy boy you? Well, how about it? I was serious earlier. I¡¯m not interested in marriage. Unless that¡¯s something you¡¯re into.¡±


    Marriage? With you? Hell no. Even if I was interested, Eri would kill me, and rightly so.


    ¡°I get that men are possessive. There¡¯s a certain importance to a woman¡¯s first time. I¡¯m not sure why, sure, there¡¯s the biology of it, but what does breaking a membrane matter? A woman doing too much sport or riding a horse can lose that young. I can promise that I¡¯ll only sell my body to you, if that appeals. Nobody else can pay what you can, anyway.¡±


    As she offered with no sense of shame, I sighed. In a way, she¡¯s offering an arranged marriage, so I shouldn¡¯t be disgusted, but... comparing Hinata¡¯s earnest liking of me, the strong loyalty and care of Motoko and Natsumi, even the genuine respect the Elves seemed to have for me... this was just grubby and off-putting, no matter how attractive the madwoman was. ¡°I think we should change the subject.¡± I declared, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Suit yourself. It¡¯s rather cute, considering.¡± Her grin was wide now. ¡°In that case... I have to say, my treatment here leaves a lot to be desired. I¡¯m not allowed to go out, and I just know all my calls are being listened into and monitored. And here¡¯s little old Christina, bringing back her charges as promised, but not thanked for it, oh no.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to thank you when you were partially responsible for their kidnapping in the first place. That¡¯s like being grateful when someone steals from you, then returns barely half of what they stole.¡± I shook my head, once more forced to admire her ability to compartmentalise things.


    ¡°Point taken.¡± she conceded, giggling softly. She pushed up the bridge of her glasses, leaning forwards. ¡°But... speaking of listening in, you¡¯ve made changes to your telephony networks and encryption, which has made our job of gathering intelligence a pain, but we¡¯re the United States! You don¡¯t think we are short of methods, do you? We¡¯re always listening.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but I¡¯d like to see you listen in on the other world.¡± I snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t know what goes on there.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± She conceded the point. ¡°Now, I think we keep misunderstanding each other, Akio.¡± She continued to lean forwards, and the angle did make the most of her assets, perhaps her intention. Coyly, she twirled some of her long, dirty-blonde hair with her fingers. ¡°I definitely don¡¯t want to disappear, but... Adam knows I¡¯m a pipeline to you now. Sure, he was furious, but... he knows me well enough to understand there was no way I could have turned down your offer, to be able to experience that world. Even if it¡¯s incomplete.¡± Her eyes narrowed knowingly. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. We get reports from your training school. America has many friends. You should be one too!¡±


    A mole? Or is she bluffing? ¡°We¡¯ve been through this. I¡¯m happy enough committed to Japan and Britain, and I guess South Korea as well now. There¡¯s nothing you can offer me... as for your reports, I expect you¡¯re trying to catch me out.¡±


    ¡°Want to bet on that?¡± Christina¡¯s eyes gleamed behind the lenses of her glasses. ¡°I¡¯m told you do love a good gamble.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I asked, though I wasn¡¯t going to be drawn into her games carelessly.


    ¡°Simple. Look, Adam¡¯s giving me a certain leeway. Not just because I¡¯m the best at what I do, but because you are. You know... not taking anyone with you to America is a pragmatic move, but it¡¯s unnecessary. Adam knows to move on you, or especially those you hold dear, would be like poking at a sleeping dragon. We remember your threats when that poor deep-cover squad got wrecked. Though we learned from that. We make sacrifices too, you know, for the greater good.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but... I¡¯m confident of protecting myself. Why risk others?¡± I ignored her talk about the attack on Shirohebizumi, as that was a bad memory. I was far too indiscreet. I hope I¡¯ve improved.


    ¡°It¡¯s your call, but... honestly, it does ruin our plans.¡± she admitted, surprising me. Seeing my look, she pretended to cower. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t take it out on my body, Akio! I¡¯ll talk, no need to torture me... unless you want to, of course.¡± With a sly giggle, she continued. ¡°We have no plans to attack or abduct your little fiance?es, even if some of the brass think that might be the way to get you to fall in line. Me, I¡¯d rather try and control a tiger by holding its tail. Less likely to get killed that way. Kyoto, London, South Korea... when you take action, you win, and your opponents don¡¯t come out of it safely. Or even always alive.¡± She snorted. ¡°No, Adam¡¯s listened to me on that at least, so you should thank me.¡± Her grin was switching between amused, seductive and manic in rapid succession. ¡°It¡¯s time I started paying up, isn¡¯t it? Before our little wager.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°You... don¡¯t strike me as someone who cares whether the population survives.¡±


    ¡°Harsh. Look... you healed my scars. I was going to offer payment, but... you did it anyway. You¡¯ve a kind heart. It can be a weakness, but... you get results. Look...¡± She pulled up her jumper again, and rummaged around her bra once more. This time it slid down further, and I caught a brief flash of pink, before she pulled out another piece of metal. ¡°...I...¡± With a sudden motion, she turned the long, thin piece of wire towards her neck, thrusting it. This time I wasn¡¯t caught off-guard though and grabbed her wrist. She grunted in pain, flesh bruising, and the wire merely grazed her neck, a thin rivulet of blood beading on her pale skin.


    ¡°That¡¯s very painful. I asked you to get rough with me, but this wasn¡¯t what I had in mind, Akio.¡± She released the wire. ¡°You¡¯ll break my wrist, that defeats the point of stopping me.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± I grated coldly. ¡°Were you trying to kill yourself?¡±


    ¡°I was going to slice my carotid artery, which certainly should be fatal.¡± she agreed mildly, which infuriated me more, I released her wrist, and she cradled it, eyes tearing from the pain.


    ¡°So why? I thought you didn¡¯t want to die?¡± I snapped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. But I also don¡¯t fear it. When you granted me the ability to enter the Boundary, I suffered many wounds, much pain. But it was worth it. I learned so much. Not enough, but my research exploded in potency. And... I no longer needed to resort to such experiments as you loathe. Don¡¯t get me wrong... I still have a great wish for power and knowledge. Your eyes for one... if I had those...¡± She chortled, and I grimaced, wondering if this was what it was like to be on the other side of my plan and wager with Tan. Okay, yeah, it¡¯s creepy as hell.


    ¡°...I was confident you¡¯d heal me, not let me die.¡± Christina said after recovering her poise. ¡°...and if not... it turns out I¡¯m as bad a judge of character as everyone says I am, but perhaps you¡¯d feel I deserve death. And in dying, I¡¯d help America. Like I said, I¡¯m a seeker of the truth, but also a patriot. Though the truth... it comes first.¡± she admitted.


    I was at a loss. Dealing with this mad scientist was more tiring than even Mae. I trickled out aether, healing the small slash on her throat. ¡°I already fixed your scars. Don¡¯t make work for me.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡± She touched her throat, wiping off the thin line of blood. ¡°So... you know my resolve. So, I¡¯ll lay my cards on the table, what I want. Though... first, you have to keep your promise. I won our wager!¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Don¡¯t regret it...¡± I grabbed her arm again, and pulled her close, and then the screaming began...


    ***


    ¡°So harsh. It made my first time seem as nothing.¡± Tears were in Christina¡¯s eyes as she stretched, shuddering. Her lab coat was on the floor, and her clothing was dishevelled, but I hadn¡¯t touched her lewdly, of course, merely performed Chirurgery without paying ay attention to minimising the pain it caused. I felt bad about it, but something about her really rubbed me the wrong way. A petty revenge, but... sadly it had the opposite effect. Looking away, I bit down on a sigh. I guess she really is a masochist.


    ¡°That¡¯s twice now. I¡¯d say you¡¯ve laid claim to my body.¡± Christina teased, all red and quivery. ¡°So... I already feel sharper, though I itch infernally. Just like last time, though it seems far more... localised. Hold on a minute.¡± She pulled her jumper over her head, trying to peer over her shoulder at her back where the lunar Chakra was located.


    ¡°Cover up.¡± I complained, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No way. There¡¯s no point anyway. The bra has to come off.¡± With a sly grin she unfastened it, though I turned my back quickly. I heard the rustle of cloth, and she said cheerfully that I could turn around now. Half expecting a trick, I did so, but she was wearing her jumper again, though her tame bra was in her hand. ¡°Here...¡± She tore the cloth to shreds, revealing the underwire, which she also broke, gathering several more flash drives made from the unique memory metals. Tossing the scraps of cloth to the floor, she flushed. ¡°People might get the wrong idea when they see this.¡±


    ¡°Enough. I have things to do today, and I wasn¡¯t planning to spend all day with you!¡± I complained.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m having a lot of fun. I guess I¡¯m a late bloomer? Mother and father would be so proud of me. It¡¯s been too long, maybe I should call...¡± Shaking her head, she sat down, crossing her legs casually. She also crossed her arms under her chest again, and without underwear, the effect was far more destructive, and she sniggered at my discomfort. ¡°To business then. I do owe you intelligence, but that¡¯s in your hands already. These...¡± She flourished the other items. ¡°...you have to pay for. Firstly... I won¡¯t ask that you show me a good time, Akio. Your little fiance?es would kill me anyway... although if you want to have a clandestine affair, I¡¯m certainly game for it. All right, I¡¯m ... no, I¡¯m not joking, but now isn¡¯t the time for that. It would be my preferred choice, though. No, you¡¯re meeting Adam and the President wants to meet you too. No doubt Chris and the others will be there. So... secure my safety and liberty. I don¡¯t want to disappear, and I don¡¯t want to be imprisoned. It¡¯s boring enough here. Speaking of... at least let me go out, I don¡¯t mind guards. Or better yet, get me a lab. Being in Japan is sparking my creative juices. Other juices too.¡± She looked down at me, licking her lips, and I gave up worrying about her not-so-subtle come-ons. I just have to understand she¡¯s new to these emotions and doesn¡¯t understand proper behaviour. Besides, I¡¯m used to Shinkume-no-Hana doing the same thing, though her entreaties are far more elegant, if just as flirty.


    ¡°Despite everything, I don¡¯t want you to die. I¡¯d rather you live to make amends.¡± I said at last, and she nodded happily.


    ¡°I still believe what I did was necessary. But... you tell me when I¡¯m free and clear. I¡¯ll do good deeds and my research will save the world!¡± she insisted. ¡°Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± I grimaced.


    ¡°Great. so...¡± She pulled out her phone. ¡°I only have a phone your government provided, hence why I know everything is being tapped... but honestly, they¡¯re all so foolish. I¡¯m Christina Bakker, genius extraordinaire! You think we don¡¯t have unbreakable, discreet codes?¡± she bragged. ¡°Anyway...¡± She tapped at the phone, and as it rang, she winked at me. ¡°Got to act fast. No point dawdling, when a decision is made, be bold! That¡¯s the American way... oh, Adam, Adam, it¡¯s been too long! Get on video... yeah...¡±


    ¡°Your face...¡± came the familiar voice from the phone, and Christina tilted the screen, revealing the visage of the Director of the Paranormal Branch of the NSA. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good as new. Everywhere else too.¡± She giggled like a schoolgirl. ¡°Now... we¡¯ve come to an arrangement. I don¡¯t want you to overheat, but... I¡¯m going steady with Akio now.¡±


    You what? Only my high stats kept my face impassive and my reaction muted. Adam raised one eyebrow on the screen, and she continued.


    ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly shy, for a man with so many women, but I won him around! After all, I¡¯m quite the catch. Beauty and brains!¡± she bragged, and Adam shook his head.


    ¡°All balanced by your inability to read the room, and your frankly abhorrent sense of morality.¡± Adam retorted. ¡°I did admire your loyalty to your ideals as a counter to that, but... are you defecting?¡±


    ¡°Perish the thought, Adam! I¡¯m grateful to be on Project Star Mirror, and for all the help you¡¯ve given my research. Even if you were stingy with the budget!¡± She laughed them, running a hand through her hair. ¡°Huh, Adam, you¡¯re a guy, right? What hairstyle would I look hottest with?¡±


    ¡°Why not ask your boyfriend?¡± he said coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not here to play games, Christina. I tolerated your little stunts, expecting you not to wag your tail for the ability to enter the other world wasn¡¯t feasible. But it seems like you¡¯ve been wagging something else. Now, Akio, we have to talk.¡±


    I nodded at the phone, ignoring the way Christina was moving her bottom, as if she did have a tail. ¡°I think we do. I have to thank you for acceding to my request about Egil Andersen. As a fellow Chosen of the Norse Pantheon, I have a duty to see him repatriated and properly sent off.¡±


    ¡°A simple matter. His death was... unfortunate. As was the damage to the citizens we... forcefully invited.¡± Adam conceded. ¡°But we agreed that was the past. The future ... Christina Bakker knows far too much. You understand I can¡¯t let that go, but... I also have little wish to cross you again. During your visit to America, you¡¯ll see just how hospitable we can be, and why you should join our cause. After all, America was built on immigrants and their useful skills and work ethic.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Adam. When it comes down to it... I¡¯m still thinking of our country.¡± Christina promised. With a grin she took my arm, pulling me close. Her breathing was ragged, her face flushed, and I resisted the urge to pull away as she pressed my arm into her chest. Yeah, no bra. Adam looked put off by her antics, but her expression must have been convincing, as he shrugged, resigned.


    ¡°I never thought I would see this day. I... man to man, are you sure this is a good idea? There are plenty of beautiful women out there, in fact, America is full of beauties. I¡¯d be happy to introduce you to a number on your visit. But Christina... she¡¯s... quite frankly, not all there.¡±


    ¡°How rude!¡± Christina smirked, pulling me closer. She lifted a leg, pressing it against mine, and I bit down on a grimace. You can¡¯t even see that on the camera. You¡¯re just taking advantage of me! ¡°I¡¯m unique, I have rarity value!¡±


    ¡°I do so hate idle chatter, when we are both so busy, but... I have to ask again, man to man... what attracted you to her? It can¡¯t simply be her appearance, can it?¡±


    Christina turned her face to me, eyes sparkling, waiting for my answer, and put on the spot, I fumed inside. Perhaps this is my punishment for my inconstancy? This is hellish... ¡°She¡¯s... driven. I appreciate a woman who knows what she wants out of life. And... well, while I don¡¯t approve of a lot of her past actions... she has promised to make amends, so... that¡¯s... praiseworthy?¡±


    I was suddenly assaulted by her, her mouth pressing against mine. I instinctively wanted to resist, but as Adam was watching, I couldn¡¯t retaliate or it¡¯d ruin her play. She was clumsy, her tongue squirming, but I made the best of it, and when she parted, face red and chest heaving, she grinned foolishly. ¡°I guess there are benefits to emotions. That ghost girl was right! Maybe it¡¯s an avenue for further study...¡±


    Resisting the urge to scrub my mouth out, feeling like a poor girl bullied in a bar, I forced a smile, as Adam watched on, incredulous. He then coughed, and his expression turned serious. ¡°I can¡¯t say I approve. You know you¡¯re hardly indispensable, Christina. There are plenty within Project Star Mirror and the surrounding establishment who would love to get rid of you. You¡¯ve made enemies.¡±


    ¡°Progress always comes with danger.¡± she said at last, after her eyes stopped spinning. Her breath was hot on my cheek as we stared into the phone she held. ¡°Besides, while I¡¯m certainly not brazen enough...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Adam who sneered at that, I felt my own lips curl.


    ¡°...to claim I am motivated purely for love of my country here, Adam... you won¡¯t be disadvantaged.¡±


    ¡°Treason is treason, and in these troubled times, we can¡¯t afford any betrayals, and those who do...¡± He glanced behind him at some sort of display case. ¡°...will find we are prepared to punish them, no matter the cost.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it all before, Adam. How better a hundred innocents die than a single guilty one goes free. I¡¯m not sure the mathematics check out.¡± Christina laughed, though I could hear her nervousness. ¡°But not only will you anger Akio, my man, if you go after me...¡± She steeled herself, her confidence rising. ¡°...I¡¯m also in the unique position to advocate on your behalf, Adam! After all...¡± She kissed me again, and her eyes were sparkling. Damn it, you are using this opportunity to sate your own desires! ¡°...I have his ear. You know, in the bedroom, after...¡± She flushed again, radiating heat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to know about that. I myself would rather bed a viper. I¡¯d never be sure what I¡¯d wake up missing were I with you...¡± he said, amazed. ¡°This... is not productive. Akio...¡± he ignored Christina, addressing me. ¡°Don¡¯t think that our goodwill is limitless. But she is right. I have no wish to be at odds. We should work together. We are natural allies after all. This is not a conversation we should have on a clearly suborned line. The work here is clumsy. I look forward to meeting you in person. And... I suppose I should congratulate you.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Christina... do not forget yourself!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Adam. I¡¯ll be too busy to get into trouble anyway!¡± She stuck out her tongue playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know where to draw the line. Trust me, I¡¯ve got this. Everyone wins. We¡¯re all friends now, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    With a mutter of disagreement, the phone went dead. I immediately broke free from Christina¡¯s grip and took some distance, my face thunderous. Seeing that, she giggled. ¡°Oh don¡¯t go back to being shy! You loved it. It was certainly... enough to make me hot. I have a different itch to the one on my back, deep inside.¡± She licked her lips in a crude attempt at seduction, still wet with my saliva. Seeing that, I conjured some water and rinsed out my mouth, but that just seemed to turn her own more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that again! That was assault.¡± I insisted, and she shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think most people would feel sorry for you. Now, I was just being driven, and going for what I want. And now... to make amends. On these drives is a copy of the Vermillion List. It might be a little out of date, but... Adam doesn¡¯t know I stole it.¡± Her smile was wide. ¡°What better way to prove my sincerity? Now Adam will find it hard to hold me to account. The second drive... that¡¯s my research data. It might pale in comparison to yours, but it might be useful to you. Now, can¡¯t we go out? I¡¯ve been cooped up in here too long.¡±


    She has absolutely no shame! It¡¯s... oddly impressive, in a loathsome way. ¡°And why should I help you?¡±


    ¡°Because you need me to put together a special device to read the drives? It¡¯s high-tech stuff. Maybe you can figure it out, but it¡¯ll take time.¡± she gloated. ¡°Besides, I want a laboratory. Looks like I¡¯ll be commuting between Japan and America quite a bit. Also...¡± Her cheeky, lustful demeanour suddenly vanished, and she was cold as ice as she put her glasses on again. ¡°...I can trust you, can¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°To the extent I¡¯ll not harm you.¡± I agreed, and she nodded.


    ¡°In that case... you wanted to know where I got my information. There¡¯s... someone I want you to meet. She¡¯s very interesting, and very talented. If only I was as fortunate as her... although...¡± she looked at me, a predatory, hungry gleam in her eyes. ¡°...I don¡¯t think that the surgery... no, Chirurgery, you call it, don¡¯t you... you performed on me is the limit. Don¡¯t worry, I can tolerate the pain, and now I don¡¯t even have to worry about scars. Not that I worried before, but now I have to look my best, don¡¯t I? Huh... there¡¯s a thought. If virginity is so important to a man, that little membrane, you could make a fortune regenerating it over and over again. I¡¯d be more than happy to sacrifice my body for science and let you test it out repeatedly, you know...¡±


    Feeling a headache coming on, in the Boundary I watched as the Ring Gate flared into life, red and violet motes of energy scattering, and Princess Eleanor and her party arrived, the diffident yet terribly excited Miss Aditi standing behind her. At least in the Boundary I¡¯m not being so soundly mistreated...


    With one final sigh, I told Christina to sit down, while I pulled out my phone. It¡¯s true, I¡¯m very eager to see this Vermillion List, and the other information, but... As Katsuro-san, Motoko¡¯s grandfather answered me, I hastily explained the situation. While Christina Bakker was technically not a prisoner, she was being held under the watch of the JSDF and our Ministry, so I thought it best to get a second opinion. On hearing that we had the potential of a great windfall of intelligence, including about possible leaks inside the training school, Katsuro-san approved of me chaperoning her until she had built her device to read the memory metals. Once I explained that, Christina pumped her fist, eager to head out, but I looked her up and down, before shaking my head.


    ¡°Somebody needs to get you a bra. There¡¯s such a thing as public indecency.¡±


    Turning away to arrange that, and also preparing to see Haru and make sure she had calmed down and her work was going well, I could hear Christina¡¯s amused, wicked laughter, and I shook my head. Nobody can ever find out about this. Otherwise Eri will kill her. But she¡¯s not the sort who looks like she understands tact, so...

 Five Hundred And Fifteen

    Five Hundred And Fifteen


    ¡°Hey man. You look like a sack of shit.¡± David cheerfully greeted me, clasping my hand. ¡°Like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle. I¡¯ve seen happier smiles on death row inmates.¡±


    ¡°David!¡± Eleanor gasped, scandalised. ¡°Watch your language! And you¡¯ve never seen a death row prisoner anyway, have you? Britain abolished the death penalty years ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen films.¡± David shrugged. ¡°Seriously though...¡± he addressed me then. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, you look damn sour. Got some troubles?¡±


    I glanced at Shiro and Asha, who as usual were accompanying me at Asha¡¯s Tree, beside the Ring Gate that the British party had entered through. On seeing my woeful expression, Shiro smirked, laughing meanly.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right Aki, you can tell me, I won¡¯t be mad. Shit, we¡¯ll find out anyway soon enough. You are a horrible liar. Best tell me about it, before someone who gets more heated hears.¡±


    ¡°We can step out?¡± Sir Arthur said politely, showing his good, aristocratic manners. ¡°If it is a private matter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... fine.¡± I sighed, knowing it was quite the mess. ¡°I¡¯m basically having women troubles. Don¡¯t laugh...¡± David immediately broke into a wide grin and sniggered. ¡°It isn¡¯t what you think. I have a madwoman who insists she¡¯s in love with me, and...¡± I explained the mess with Christina Bakker, careful to pay attention to Shiro and Asha. Both of their faces were expressionless, but Eleanor¡¯s was grim.


    ¡°I have to say, I have a higher opinion of you than when we first became acquainted, and... I am certainly not going to jump to conclusions, having been burned a number of times. I do learn, if slowly.¡± Her tone was crisp, her blue eyes disapproving. ¡°But you can be rather a fool, Akio.¡±


    Shiro, who could take it no longer, doubled over, guffawing loudly, clutching at her belly. After her laughs subsided, she wiped at her black eyes, before snorting, the sound like tearing paper. ¡°That¡¯s hilarious. You¡¯re such an... an Aki sometimes. I¡¯d say you¡¯re being a Yasu, but that doesn¡¯t quite fit. My poor Aki, assaulted by a crazy woman. It¡¯s just like that scene from the Bizarre Adventure, isn¡¯t it? Did you wash your mouth out with muddy water?¡±


    ¡°I did rinse myself.¡± I admitted. ¡°I was caught off-guard, okay? However much I dislike her, her information, assuming it¡¯s true, is incredibly valuable. And... it wouldn¡¯t sit right on my conscience to have her die. I believe she should make amends.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. You may be a damn playboy, but man to man...¡± David echoed what Director Adam White had said, probably a usual reaction to the thought of dating Christina. ¡°...she¡¯s got the looks, but... I¡¯d rather date a snake. Less poisonous. And you don¡¯t strike me as a fool. Besides...¡± He nodded at Shiro. ¡°It¡¯ll just piss off your girls.¡±


    ¡°David!¡± Eleanor snapped again. ¡°There are young ladies present!¡±


    Indeed, in addition to the excited Miss Aditi, and the solemn and motherly Mrs Mary-Jane, there was a new face with the British group. She looked around my sister¡¯s or Eri¡¯s age, with medium-length brown hair and a cute, freckled face. She was rather short, and wearing a long, robe-like dress. Seeing us all looking, she looked down and blushed, before greeting us, her eyes sparkling. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to meet you, Sir Hero!¡± At her address, I bit down on a grimace. I don¡¯t feel like a hero right now... but then, making difficult choices for the greater good always leaves me feeling dirty.


    ¡°I¡¯m Callie Rogers...¡± She introduced herself, smiling happily, before her expression changed, becoming downcast, and Miss Aditi patted her shoulder gently. ¡°I... I was on the Manchester team, but... I got injured. Now I know it was all a ploy because I¡¯d never betray Princess Eleanor, but...¡±


    ¡°It hurts, shortstuff.¡± David commiserated her. ¡°Don¡¯t we all know it? We had our own betrayers too, more¡¯s the pity. But... that just makes your loyalty all the more worth having. I¡¯d rather have a trustworthy hard worker, than a treacherous powerhouse, when it comes to watching my back!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call her shortstuff.¡± Eleanor sighed, exasperated anew. ¡°I¡¯ve told you to stop with the nicknames, David.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Princess.¡± He smirked, not backing down. Miss Callie ignored them and continued talking to me. ¡°I¡¯m filling in for Mrs Smith. Not that I ever could replace you...¡± She waved her hands frantically, and Mrs Mary-Jane merely smiled reassuringly. ¡°...I¡¯m not as good as she was, but... I¡¯ll do my best, I promise. And I was told that I simply had to come here, especially today.¡± She looked at me earnestly. ¡°Can... can Miss Mistry really recover her powers? Truly? And if so... could Mrs Smith have her chance?¡± The hope and innocence in her eyes almost blinded me, which just made me feel worse about what was currently going on with Christina.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± I said, unwilling to promise. I glanced at Miss Aditi and gave my first genuine smile for a while. ¡°For Mrs Mary-Jane, we can¡¯t be certain, but... well done, Miss Aditi, you¡¯ve certainly done enough.¡±


    She curtsied elegantly, though the effect was somewhat spoiled by the armour she wore over her clothes. Our forges had supplied the British a number of Brigandine, and looking at Miss Callie, I guessed we¡¯d need to forge one more. ¡°I am most humbled and grateful for this opportunity. You did not have to give it, when all these Favours are so precious, and those you cherish wished for them.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Shiro nodded. ¡°But... There are always other options. But speaking of women... I know you¡¯re eager to get started, Aditi, and I can¡¯t blame you, but... Aki, Eri¡¯s going to take an axe to the woman when she finds out. I find it funny, Shaeula likely will as well, but... well, unlike our resident insane scientist, I do understand human emotions. There¡¯s no way this doesn¡¯t end badly.¡±


    ¡°You find it amusing? What if a man had forcibly kissed you?¡± Eleanor pointed out, and Shiro and Asha exchanged glances.


    ¡°Point taken.¡± Shiro conceded. ¡°But we¡¯re already rife with double standards here. Aki¡¯s got eleven of us, hasn¡¯t he? And there¡¯s no way it stays that way. But I do agree. I don¡¯t want a bitch like that getting her claws into Aki. Fortunately, when it comes to looks, I have her beat. You¡¯re no loser either, Asha.¡±


    Asha agreed. ¡°Yes, I am growing riper and more beautiful as I mature.¡±


    ¡°Eri too, she can do that shifting cat crap, and be anyone you want her to be. Lucky.¡± Shiro sounded jealous for a moment. ¡°But... it¡¯s all her idea, and you just got stuck going along with it, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Of course. She¡¯s definitely not my type, and I¡¯m not going to say something foolish like I¡¯ll be the one to teach her what love is. But she¡¯s right that if she leaks too much, the Americans will likely have her killed. And I don¡¯t think she¡¯s wrong that pretending to be my woman would give her protection from that, a measure, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... we know her. I¡¯ve only met her briefly, but I¡¯ve figured her out. Sure, she snatched some kisses now, but... you think you can carry out the charade during your trip to America?¡± David paused. ¡°Speaking of the trip, your flight is booked for tomorrow morning. Old man Arthur, Raidre and me, we¡¯ll accompany you before your flight, you need some time away from women, in the company of real men. So, where was I... oh yeah? Fuck me, you¡¯d have to be a moron not to see just how it¡¯ll go. She¡¯ll constantly push the boundaries, and you won¡¯t be able to do shit, and in the end, to prove you¡¯re not bullshitting the yanks, you¡¯ll end up in bed with her.¡±


    ¡°Sounds right to me.¡± Shiro nodded. ¡°it¡¯s classic. So... not happening. We owe Eri that much. Besides, there¡¯s an easier solution. You¡¯d have thought of it if you didn¡¯t still suck with women, Aki. It¡¯s almost endearing, how you¡¯ve not changed at your core. I¡¯d hate it if you did, but... come on. She doesn¡¯t have to be your girlfriend to come under your protection. Just make it clear you¡¯re sheltering her, and you¡¯ll be pissed off to no end if she disappears.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s like how if anyone made a move on you lot, I¡¯d respond appropriately.¡± I said to the British contingent.


    David guffawed at that, and Eleanor frowned, pensive. ¡°Then the matter is simple. Otherwise you¡¯ll end up in more trouble that you can handle. Unless you want that insane woman, and are merely using this as a pretext to force your hand?¡±


    ¡°Jealous, Princess?¡± David said between his laughter, only for Eleanor to shoot him a withering glare.


    ¡°Do be quiet, David. This is a serious matter. It might not seem it, but... we are allies. And that requires trust. I don¡¯t actually believe you want that, Akio, but... tell me honestly.¡±


    ¡°Nope, no way.¡± I shook my head. ¡°There¡¯s a whole queue of women I¡¯d rather romance, she¡¯d be near the bottom of the list. But...¡±


    ¡°Just say you broke up.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°I may not be a man, but I¡¯d imagine that she¡¯d put off any boyfriend rather quickly. Sure, she looks good for a quick sexual encounter or two, but living with her...¡±


    I was once again surprised by how crude Shiro could be at times, but David nodded, agreeing with her. ¡°No kidding. She¡¯s the sort who would look fantastic in a bar, and then the next morning, when you both woke up and she started talking, you¡¯d swear off the booze for life. Before beating a hasty retreat, never to be seen again.¡±


    ¡°In that case, the matter is settled. Although...¡± Eleanor frowned. ¡°Do you think her data can be trusted? It could be a plan to entrap you.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, she¡¯s annoying and unable to think like we do, but she is inherently honest, I think. Science is the pursuit and revelation of truth, as she says. That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not been outmanoeuvred by her bosses, but... is it beneficial to the Americans right now? And... I need to go there and retrieve Egil¡¯s body. That¡¯s not in doubt. So...¡±


    ¡°So play it by ear. We¡¯ll all judge the information together. And try and hold Eri back when she finds out that madwoman has a thing for you. I mean, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s wrong.¡± Shiro purred, looking at Asha.


    ¡°It is true. I find him very appealing indeed. And I shall never let go, just as a great tree spreads roots through soil and stone alike, resisting wind and rain, no matter how great the gales.¡± Asha agreed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Shiro slapped me on the back. ¡°So, don¡¯t worry. Just... be a man. You can handle it!¡± She gave me a thumbs-up, and I nodded. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting that all Christina¡¯s dirty talk and enticements were actually her pathetic attempt at flirting. But now I know, I can deal with it.


    ¡°Enough with the moping.¡± David snorted. ¡°Princess, how about we give him a gift, cheer him up?¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°Yes, we did get rather... distracted.¡± Maids arrived, bringing us fruity drinks and plates of treats. Miss Callie looked especially surprised, perhaps not expecting the Boundary to be so... normal. After finishing her goblet of juice, Eleanor pulled out a wrapped bundle and passed it to me. ¡°We have taken stock of what remains in the Tower, and...¡± She glanced at Miss Aditi and Mrs Mary-Jane. ¡°...I am still grateful for your assistance in this matter, and with... Sarah.¡± A momentary flicker of grief showed on her face, before she was once more the stoic princess. ¡°So, as a token of our thanks, and in the hopes that you will not forget Mary-Jane... here.¡±


    Taking it in my hands, I unwrapped it, my Eye shining, and I was surprised to see it was a lump of some sort of metallic ore, though it had somehow grown into the shape of a crude arrowhead, seemingly repeatedly heated and cooled, the metal shimmering with bubbles and other inclusions. Peering at it, the description surprised me.


    Cassiterite Faerie Arrow [Item Class: Powerful] [Item Type: Law]


    This strange agglomeration of metallic ore has grown into an unusual shape due to absorbing the latent Adherence of these Isles. Perhaps once Faeries dwelt in the mine that proffered it, or the mine itself is located in an area of weakness, where the Material and Astral touch each other fleetingly. It seemingly has no active use, not as a weapon, or as a talisman.


    ¡°This is full of adherence?¡± I asked, and Raidre, who had been silent up until now, nodded.


    ¡°Aye, it was with the treasures of the Tower. By the salt and smoke, we had no use for it, but... it reeks of the cold, dark pressure of the lands. We Selkie love the seas, the salt, the breeze. Not... not this. Yet... it contains strength.¡±


    ¡°You are using such powers to fuel Aditi¡¯s recovery, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eleanor said. ¡°I know such is precious...¡±


    ¡°No kidding. He owes Tan a great deal of debt. And sure, we have the Tengoku-seki now, but... that¡¯s only providing a trickle.¡± Shiro broke in. Eleanor listened patiently, before continuing.


    ¡°...but Aditi is more precious to me. Mary-Jane as well. That goes for all of you.¡± She looked out over her team fondly, seeing the proud look on Sir Arthur¡¯s face, and ignoring both David¡¯s off-colour jokes and Miss Cassie¡¯s adoring gaze. ¡°Grandmother said that a gift that can¡¯t be given away is no gift but a shackle. It doesn¡¯t quite track, as these aren¡¯t our gifts, but our charges, but the point still stands, I think.¡± Eleanor shook her head, a slight smile on her lips. ¡°We¡¯ve already given away so much, and lost more to destruction and theft. You might as well make use of it, Akio.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I will.¡± I said gratefully. Using my Eye, which was glowing brilliantly, I could observe the aspected adherence trapped within, and slowly I started to manipulate it, purifying it and extracting it from the seemingly ordinary metallic ore...


    ***


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll have this... and that.¡± Christina was rummaging through a bit of computer parts down on back alley of Akihabara. While Akiba was now mostly an anime and manga mecca for tourists, a lot of the old Electric Town nature of it still survived, with shops selling no end of computer parts, old machinery and tools, much of it either rare, vintage, cutting-edge or any combination of the three. As Christina hummed to herself, picking out more parts, I steeled myself. Damn, she¡¯s ruining my day. At least Eleanor gave me a pleasant surprise.


    Uncharitably thinking why Adam, and this Chris I hadn¡¯t met, wanted rid of her, I waited for her to finish, paying the bill. Titan had been left behind, bemused, as Christina had told him she wanted to go out with her man, which had utterly confused him. I could only nod my head slowly, going with the flow, but I had refused to hold her hand, and while she mocked me for being overly shy, she didn¡¯t press it further, likely sensing my patience with her was waning.


    ¡°That¡¯s everything, except for...¡± Her eyes darted around, and she found another store across the street. Quickly finding a brand new tablet computer, as well as some old cables and a pair of wire strippers, she held her hand out and I gave her more money. With those safely purchased, she clutched the items to her chest and grinned teasingly.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re often there, and if you ran into Shaeula, Shiro or Hyacinth... no getting out of that.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°In any case, while I was able to see little, I did manage to glimpse some of your trainees. And perceived their spiritual bodies via my eyes. From there... other shrines, such as Hikawa-Kawagoe could be visited, and as a more major shrine, several visits would pass unnoticed. I saw more there, and gathered further intelligence. I did try to infiltrate the area around this Hanafubuki Academy, but it was off-limits to all. But the more people I saw, the more chances I had to cross paths with them, learn and observe...¡±


    ¡°Scryer¡¯s quite excellent. Not as excellent as me...¡± Christina sang her own praises, as she was creating her device. ¡°...but without her aid, I¡¯d know far less about matters. That makes me think... Scryer, what can you see when you look at Akio? Damn, I¡¯m so jealous of you, if I had your eyes... care to donate? I¡¯m not sure if a transplant would work, but with Akio¡¯s healing...¡± She was warming to the subject, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Seeing that, Christina flushed, smiling. ¡°Falling for my ambition and charm all over again, are you?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just my sis said similar things. She wants special eyes too. But trust me, I¡¯ve experimented on myself. You aren¡¯t the only idiot.¡± I told her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. All you end up with is a functional eye, but no magical abilities.¡±


    ¡°A man after my own heart... we really are two of a kind. It¡¯s meant to be. Be still my racing heart and damp, burning loins!¡± Christina cackled, and Maryam groaned.


    ¡°You should stop that if you are serious. The look on his face, it is most disgusted.¡± I was indeed displaying a rather grossed-out expression, not needing to hear that talking to me was getting her all hot and bothered. ¡°But yes, I am... curious.¡± Maryam suddenly concentrated, her eyes turning into silver disks, orange sparks forming. I opened up my own Eye to check what she was doing, and as our gazes crossed, time seemed to stop for a moment...


    Your Skill, Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge, has increased from Rank 5 to Rank 6, breaking the first bottleneck in truth. Your ability to grasp knowledge beyond the bounds of the lower, disconnected world you find yourself in has increased significantly, and avenues that were blocked to you shall open. The weight of the Tree of Knowledge is far from light, and some wisdom can harm those that know it, and some secrets are kept for a reason. You are further able to grasp the flavours and strengths of Adherence and utilise it with greater efficiency. Due to a resonance with the Eyes Of Wise Water, you have captured its ability to perceive the wisdom within Adherence, and deeper into the material, spiritual and ???????? aspects of living beings.


    ***


    ¡°You all right, Aki?¡± Shiro asked, as my face paled, my Eye blazing brilliantly, the amber deepening, now drawing on my Spirit Water as well.


    ¡°Yeah, just... broke through to Rank six without your help...¡± The world around me seemed different, somehow, and as I looked at Shiro, I could see deeper into her network, to the parts where Tan joined her, and even... I recoiled as blood dribbled from my eye socket, and suddenly a surge of adherence clamped down on me, my Eye dimming. Shiro¡¯s hair blazed crimson, and her eyes were glimmering, intense rubies.


    ¡°Best you not peer too deeply. I find it... rather rude, Akio. I am a woman who has her dignity and privacy. But even despite that... the true form of those who wield Divinity is not easy to bear. These Kami, as you call them, are mere flickering sparks and candles. I am a shining flare that will blind you, burn you away. If you wish to see my all...¡± She licked Shiro¡¯s suddenly dry, cracked lips. ¡°...best you make haste.¡±


    With that, Tan receded, leaving Shiro to shrug. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s impressed with your Eye, Aki. But also worried. It¡¯s a Skill that draws on higher powers, and there are any number of dangers. But most of all, it¡¯s just a huge strain on your Chakra network.¡±


    I nodded, feeling better now that my Eye had been temporarily switched off. Cautiously, I let a trickle of aether into it, and it burst into life again, looking at the mostly empty Faerie Arrow. The adherence within was clearer than ever, and it contained a presence of not only the dark, silent earth, but also of weapons of the Fae, not cold, harmful iron, which was anathema to many Fae, but of bronze, and other alloyed crafts. Curious. Now I understood it better, taking it for my own, purifying it, making it an adherence that allowed me to retain the Favour of Taranis and Jumong I held, seemed far easier.


    It''s an arrow. Maybe not light, but there¡¯s the connection. And as for Taranis... perhaps this strange metal shape, with all the bubbles, was caused by repeatedly being melted by the heat from lightning and cooling afterwards. Lightning is also related to the Fae, and Britain¡¯s certainly a stormy isle... The slightly changed adherence was still incredibly muddy and impure, the concepts a stretch and my handling equally clumsy, but it still made a noticeable difference in the rate of consumption. As the others chattered quietly, watching me work, unwilling to disturb me, I finished draining the item, and it suddenly lost all mystery, now looking just like a warped lump of ore, and to my Eye it just showed up as a rock.


    ¡°All right then. I appreciate the gift, adherence is at a premium for the moment.¡± There¡¯s still another Favour to extract from our South Korean detainee, but I don¡¯t want to hold it if I can help it, too wasteful. Arisu-san¡¯s keeping him detained for now... ¡°So let¡¯s get down to it. You ready?¡± I asked Miss Aditi, who was clearly nervous, but also excited, and she clutched her bow in clenched hands that were pale even with her chocolate skin tones.


    ¡°I am rather full of trepidation, but... I wish to stand at the side of my friends, and fight for Britain once again. For this... I thank you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me too soon. This probably won¡¯t be comfortable.¡± I pointed out, readying Jumong¡¯s Favour. I passed it to Miss Aditi on a tide of aether and adherence, and it was swallowed up by her body. Adherence poured from me, fortifying her, and as she began to groan and sweat, Shiro smiled sympathetically.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad for me, Tan helped out, but... oh well, no pain, no gain, so they say.¡± She waved at one of the ratkin maids and asked them to bring some strong liquor for after.


    ¡°I can... bear it.¡± Miss Aditi said, sweat streaking her brows. After a short time that likely seemed long to her, the Favour finally settled in, and my Eye could clearly see the connections. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Miss Aditi took a deep breath, more from habit than a need to breathe here. Raising one hand, she concentrated, and as a leaf drifted down from Asha¡¯s tree high above, she narrowed her eyes, and a moment later a barely visible streak of bluish-purple light pierced it, the leaf exploding into charred fragments. She then gasped, hand over her mouth, before turning to Asha and bowing apologetically. ¡°How frightfully reckless of me. I should not have done that...¡±


    ¡°It is but a fallen leaf. If it was my Tree, I would be most angry. As would Akio.¡± Asha raised an eyebrow knowingly. ¡°I trust... you are satisfied?¡±


    As Miss Aditi nodded, tearing up, David actually pulled her into a bearhug, lifting her up and spinning her around. ¡°Good job, little miss Asian! Now you¡¯re back and ready to fight alongside us big dogs.¡±


    ¡°David, put her down!¡± Eleanor complained, and David, with a sly grin, tossed Miss Aditi to her. Eleanor caught her, gently turning to place her down safely. Then Miss Aditi was crowded with the others of her group, all excited and expressing their well-wishes, all apart from Mrs Mary-Jane. She was smiling, yes, but it was a wistful, sad one.


    ¡°Envious? Or having regrets?¡± I asked her, and she nodded.


    ¡°Complicated feelings. I am very happy for her, of course. To be restored, capable of truly supporting our friends... that is a great thing for Miss Mistry. As for me... I have my children. I can¡¯t afford to die in battle, but... they are so proud of me. When they met princess Eleanor, they were starstruck. I... need to be a mother who protects them. If not me, then who?¡± She paused then, her expression impish. ¡°They would dearly love to meet Miss Shaeula as well. Ever since they saw her on television, all they can say is you would bar-bar my way? They are quite taken with her. Though my husband...¡± She let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°He was more taken with Miss Shiro here.¡±


    ¡°At least he¡¯s got good taste. But so sorry to disappoint, I¡¯m not up for an affair.¡± Shiro snorted.


    ¡°Nor is he. Otherwise I¡¯ll be sure to teach him a lesson...¡± She waved her staff with a heavy flourish, before turning to Miss Aditi now there was a gap in the crowd. ¡°Congratulations. You worked hard for this.¡±


    ¡°I did. As have you.¡± Miss Aditi said, tears in her eyes. ¡°I... hope you too can rejoin us soon.¡± She turned to me then, grasping my hand. ¡°Thank you, Mr Oshiro. No, I... shall not be formal. Thank you, Akio. I will never forget your kindness, and if you are ever in need, I shall answer the call. So please... help her too.¡±


    ¡°I will. Though finding a compatible Favour isn¡¯t an easy task, although...¡± David and Raidre had already started on the booze that the maids brought, and Sir Arthur joined them with a smile, though with a far smaller cup. Even Eleanor joined in, taking a goblet. ¡°...since you worked hard, Aditi...¡± I dropped the Miss to match her new manner of address. ¡°...if you could explain precisely your process of accustoming yourself that would be great. I¡¯ve already spoken to the others, but any knowledge we gain could mean the difference between compatibility or not...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± She wiped at her eyes, then steeled herself. ¡°It was quite simple. I simply tried to embody both the ability itself, and the meaning behind it. The adherence, if you would?¡± Seeing I understood, she continued. ¡°The mythology of Jumong is not complex, and so...¡± She went on to tell me how she used arrows to hunt creatures to cross a river, how she struck down flies in flight, and much more...


    ***


    ¡°And done! Praise me!¡± Christina said, having assembled her device.


    ¡°Yes, well done, I suppose.¡± I managed, and she shivered, face red, panting.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the cold disdain I like. It isn¡¯t as hurtful as rejection, it feels like teasing!¡±


    ¡°She is broken. I am loathe to blame you, as her brain is already beyond my understanding, but... she is somehow even more annoying than before.¡± Maryam complained. ¡°I shall not ask you to take responsibility though, I am not heartless, and her follies are her own. Just... at least stop making her do... that. I am ashamed to be seen with her!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Scryer! So, spill it, what did you see? I need to know! Is Akio as wonderful on the inside as his exterior?¡± She held out a hand, and for a moment I thought she wanted me to hold it again, before she clicked her nails on the table. ¡°Flash drives? Unless you want to touch me?¡±


    With a snort I passed her the thin strands of metal and she began to connect them, her tablet booting up. Maryam was silent for a moment, before looking grim.


    ¡°I am never going to go against him. The wisdom of his body is deep, and his waters powerful. None I have seen before can match him.¡± She looked at me as if I was a monster. ¡°How did you gain such strength? How much blood is on your hands? Perhaps you are a bigger fiend than Christina here?¡±


    ¡°Birds of a feather should flock together, so I remember people saying, and I certainly agree. Okay, here we go... my ingenuity knows no bounds. Here we are...¡± On the screen Christina displayed some of her research, and it had a crude Chakra map overlayed over male and female diagrams. ¡°...not bad, huh? I worked out that your strength isn¡¯t the result of these blessings. Like your laser beams... here...¡± She pointed to the screen, revealing the third eye Chakra was painted in indigo. ¡°How is a tricky matter. Care to enlighten me?¡± Her breathing was hot and fast, and fortunately Maryam came to my rescue.


    ¡°Out of date, Christina. So very out of date.¡± Maryam pointed at the screen. ¡°So many lights, so many colours, so much wisdom.¡± She pointed at all the Chakras, as well as at a spot where my lunar Chakra would be. She then opened her eyes wide, looking at Christina with her silvery-orange orbs. ¡°You have it too, now. Your glow is stronger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there was no need to send you out spying, Scryer. All I had to do was ask nicely and Akio was more than happy to gift me the proper method.¡± she said proudly, displaying some other research information. I skimmed it, most of it was... of questionable utility, but it would be handy to have and we could comb through it in more detail later. Christina was pressing her breasts against my arm as I looked at the tablet, so I quickly shot her down.


    ¡°I only did that because I wanted to know who the mole was, and I lost my wager. So don¡¯t think I did it for you!¡±


    As she flushed anew, licking her lips, I turned to Maryam, having an unanswered question. ¡°You don¡¯t know what the Charka network is called, do you? You¡¯re not the one who told her about the Eight Moons, are you?¡±


    Maryam shook her head. ¡°No, I see, but to interpret it is my task. Goddess Anahit gave me the ability to see my way to the heart of things, and to bless others with health and healing, but... there are no shortcuts to knowledge.¡±


    That makes me feel guilty, I¡¯m rocking the biggest shortcut there is. ¡°Christina...¡± I said firmly, and she stopped her squirming. ¡°Who¡¯s your man or woman on the inside, then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She admitted unhelpfully, and under my cold gaze she rubbed her legs together. ¡°I don¡¯t! You can bully me all you like, punish me in any number of lewd ways... and you should... all right, I¡¯ll get to the point.¡± Sensing I was genuinely annoyed, she didn¡¯t push matters further. ¡°Only Adam, maybe Gina, would know who we have here. Honestly... Adam wants to exploit me, but you heard him, he doesn¡¯t trust me. Though Adam¡¯s not overly trusting of anyone. Between you and me, he¡¯s a bit of a control freak.¡± She leaned in and whispered theatrically, and I had to lean away, as she attempted to lick my ear.


    ¡°I thought you were going to stop that?¡± I asked, and she shrugged.


    ¡°No, I clearly said I¡¯d accept that you were never my boyfriend, and that you don¡¯t like me. But I said I¡¯d win you over, and you said I was welcome to try.¡± She pointed out triumphantly. ¡°I¡¯m just testing boundaries. Very important task... speaking of...¡± She plugged in the next flash drive, the thin string of metal sparking a little, and the tablet displayed a password screen. ¡°Adam¡¯s not any better with computers than most other people. His password is likely.... Hmm, eight characters. Even he probably wouldn¡¯t use PASSWORD... AMERICA is too short, EMPEROR is also only seven letters. Hmm... INQUISITION is too long, huh... I bet it¡¯s... IMPERIUM.¡± At her triumphant words, the screen unlocked. ¡°Yep, Adam¡¯s nothing if not predictable. It¡¯s why I¡¯m rather worried for my safety, but you¡¯ll protect me. Scryer too, right?¡± She grinned, before handing me the tablet, which displayed a header stating it was the Vermillion List. With one finger she swiped the screen, bringing up a familiar image, one of me. ¡°Adam sees America as the hegemony to rule the world, especially now. But... there are obstacles. Like you. Anyway, this is a copy of Adam¡¯s private data, so hopefully it¡¯s a bit more complete than the version shared around Project Star Mirror. It was not easy to get.¡±


    Looking down at the screen, I nodded.


    Akio Moonstone Oshiro. Priority Rank: Deepest Vermillion. Threat Rank: Deepest Vermillion. Projected Status: Non-Interference Recommended, Possible Intelligence Leak. Chance Of Recruitment: Low / Special Medium, see appendix.


    ¡°Looks like Adam¡¯s added a qualifier. It makes sense, the Vermillion ranks were filling up. Hmm...¡± Christina tapped the word, and it brought up the list. Light, Medium, Dark, Darker, Deepest. ¡°Oh, you should be proud. Adam¡¯s definitely got you figured out. The best. Even Scryer says so. Hmm...¡± She tapped the screen again, and suddenly her image was displayed.


    Christina Bakker. DARPA/Project Star Mirror Lead Scientist. Loyalty questionable. Possibly suborned by Akio Moonstone Oshiro. Easily seduced by knowledge that only he has access to. However, somewhat patriotic, and coldly pragmatic. May be used as leverage or a sacrifice, but best deployed as bait or a bribe.


    Christina frowned. ¡°Easily seduced? I can hardly argue, can I? But... Adam, that¡¯s cold! I know he¡¯d sacrifice me or anyone else for his goals, and America, but... I can¡¯t help but feeling rather indignant. Now I can¡¯t help but want to feel suborned. As for being a bribe... offer¡¯s still open.¡± Her smile looked pained, but her eyes were resolute. ¡°So, Scryer... want to see what Adam really thinks about you?¡±

 Five Hundred And Sixteen

    Five Hundred And Sixteen


    After pressing the screen a few times, Christina accessed further files on the staff of Project Star Mirror. Bringing up Maryam¡¯s details, Christina¡¯s expression froze for a moment.


    Maryam Samuelian. Codename: Scryer. Project Star Mirror Asset. Vermillion-Class.


    Known abilities: Enhanced perception of the unseen. Not easy to understand or imagine uses for, but it certainly has a number of applications in asset management. Codename: Eyes Of Wise Water.


    Ability to heal physical traumas and wounds, repairing damaged organs and regrowing minor missing extremities. Surely possible to expand strength of this ability applying logic, as regenerating deep wounds is still tissue replacement, and at greater volumes than can be healed externally. Codename: Water Healing.


    Neither of the above abilities fall within proscribed categories marked as Knowledge Heretical and Antithetical. Action therefore not required.


    Loyalty not in question. Scryer is a second-generation immigrant, and despite showing respect to her Armenian heritage, has adapted well to American life, and exhibits normal interests and no subversive political ideologies. Family has been profiled, and again, have blended in well with American society, and have no dangerous affiliations.


    Multiple uses. Healing of injured operatives, as well as soldiers and culturally significant assets. Ability to detect cats who have slipped though the surveillance network and identify foreign agents. Espionage and knowledge gathering, with Eyes Of Wise Water, has numerous advantages in scouting and unearthing information on foreign cats and organisations.


    On reading the file on Maryam, Christina¡¯s expression had cramped up, but she muttered that there was an addendum to the final paragraph. Clicking on it, the following text was displayed.


    Suggest professional espionage/spy/military training to maximise her potential. Consider recruitment into inner circle of Project Star Mirror, NSA Paranormal Branch Liaison role.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Christina pouted, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s... very unfair in comparison! Why am I of questionable loyalty and only worthwhile as a bribe or offering, but you¡¯re in Adam¡¯s good graces, Scryer?¡±


    Maryam and I exchanged glances, before she shook her head, leaving me to answer. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because you are here with stolen data from the Director of your whole organisation, giving it to a foreign cat?¡± The term was insulting, and irritated me, though since I already had a low opinion of Adam it didn¡¯t change anything. ¡°You also exposed Maryam here? I mean... I¡¯m grateful, of course, but...¡±


    ¡°I only did that because I like you!¡± She insisted. ¡°And because I know I can persuade you to be helpful to Adam and the USA. I¡¯m... confident...¡± She grinned, pushing her chest together with her arms, trying to look alluring. ¡°...I am, don¡¯t laugh, Scryer!¡±


    ¡°Look, stop that.¡± I said seriously. ¡°Christina. I¡¯ve made it clear how I feel, but you¡¯re right. We like who we like...¡± I wasn¡¯t going to say love, as she clearly didn¡¯t understand such feelings. She was simply awoken to her female lust, and because she had no understanding of ordinary human engagement and socialising, she had taken it to an off-putting extreme. It¡¯s not exactly fair for me to blame her for that, really. That doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it, though. And for now... ¡°And don¡¯t who we don¡¯t. But for now... this is your time to shine. You¡¯re a scientist, aren¡¯t you? A seeker of knowledge and truth? So act like one. After all, didn¡¯t you want to show me your strengths, impress me?¡± I can steer her in a better direction, hopefully. I¡¯m hardly smooth, but I¡¯ve a lot more experience with women that I ever expected I¡¯d have...


    Christina paused, thinking for a moment, then nodded, and the slack, almost lascivious expression on her face when she looked at me faded, replaced by a cold, detached smile. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re quite right, Akio. I got... carried away by these new, unexpected and rather thrilling feelings.¡±


    ¡°Just like always...¡± Maryam sighed, ordering more coffee from the waitress.


    ¡°I¡¯m passionate... about what I choose to explore. But you¡¯re right, Akio.¡± She affirmed again. ¡°Now¡¯s the time for work, not for pleasure. And...¡± Her smile was now sly and teasing. ¡°...there¡¯s nobody out there quite like little miss Christina. When I¡¯m on fire, I¡¯m the best in the world!¡± Her pride shone through, and that was a little bit attractive, unlike her horrendous, perverted attempts at flirting. Still doesn¡¯t make me forget what she¡¯s like on the inside though.


    ¡°In that case... look, I know it hurts your feelings a bit... which hopefully should make you understand the hurt you cause to others...¡± I began, and Christina nodded.


    ¡°Maryam, a question, woman to woman?¡±


    ¡°Oh God, I fear what is to come. Ask away.¡± Maryam sighed, resigned.


    ¡°So, I... uh... made a rather tactless claim, and seem to have upset one of Akio¡¯s close acquaintances. Maybe even a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But she¡¯s definitely a dear friend of mine, and honestly, I¡¯m holding a grudge over it. She had a horrible experience, it in fact killed her, and you trivialised it...¡±


    ¡°Horrible experience? You mean...¡± Maryam looked aghast, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, the one you are thinking. The one women fear.¡±


    ¡°Angraget! You may be a genius, Christina, but it is only matched by your utter stupidity in other matters. She will not forgive you, not easily, perhaps not at all. Being struck, bruised and battered hurts and is fearful, but being... assaulted... also scars the heart, the soul. I shall ignore the fact you said it killed her, for I have seen much since Anahit¡¯s messenger came to me. Christina, you should apologise, but be prepared for her not to accept it. Only actions and genuine contrition might make her forgive you in time. And if you are doing it merely to please Akio...¡±


    ¡°Of course I am!¡± Christina said, almost proudly, and Maryam and I exchanged another glance of confusion. Seeing that, Christina giggled. ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Look, imagine If I had a device that could flawlessly replicate a painting, down to every detail, each atom perfectly the same, even the effects of time and hard use perfectly recreated. Wouldn¡¯t it be the painting? Could you say it has less artistic merit? It¡¯s exactly the same, and if they were swapped over in a dark room who would ever know? Would the joy of looking at the painting be any less? So yes, I want to make amends so you¡¯ll forgive me. But I¡¯ll still be apologising, and meaning it, so... how can you complain, or not accept it?¡±


    For a moment I was silent, mulling it over, before letting out a bitter sigh. ¡°I hate that the logic on that is irrefutable.¡± I sighed. ¡°If you perfectly mimic something, it effectively is that thing. And doing a good deed for a bad reason is still praiseworthy. Just... try your best?¡± I gave up. She does need to repent for her treatment of Haru. Even if she still doesn¡¯t get why, so long as Haru feels better, it¡¯s a win. ¡°Back on topic...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I shouldn¡¯t dwell on Adam¡¯s disdain. After all, being a honey trap isn¡¯t that dishonourable.¡± Christina, as always, was quick to rationalise. ¡°I expect you have your fair share of those. Weren¡¯t some of your fiance?es offered in that manner? And you like them, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m constantly being offered women for marriage. It¡¯s a bit burdensome, but... some of them are good girls, sure. And I promised to consider everyone on their own merits.¡± Christina smiled at that, perhaps imagining the pile of merits she thought she had.


    ¡°Well, that aside... you are interested in this, no?¡± She pressed the screen, and the file came up, but it was again password locked.


    ¡°Huh, Adam¡¯s a little more tech savvy than I thought. I can crack anything given a few hours, but... twelve characters, huh? And if his main password is only letters, I expect this will be similar. Hmm...¡± Christina brought out her phone, searched a few terms, and smiled. ¡°Too easy, Adam. Maybe you secretly wanted someone to crack it. It¡¯s surely... EXTERMINATUS. There we go. Predictable as ever.¡±


    The screen displayed a list of abilities that Adam considered too dangerous to allow to exist, and looking at them, I grimaced. Yeah, we¡¯re replete with such.


    Mind control and hypnotism, charming and illusions, perception manipulation, dream control, cloning, shapeshifting, poison and hormonal secretion, matter transformation. Huh, the last one? ¡°Why matter transformation? The others I get, seems he¡¯s concerned about free will, largely. But that last one doesn¡¯t fit...¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, Adam¡¯s very impassioned about one¡¯s actions being their own. You might even say he¡¯s fearful of losing control of situations. So...¡± Christina brought up the detailed notes, and as I read it, it made sense, though not for the reasons I was thinking.


    Matter transformation has the possibility of causing worldwide destruction on an unprecedented scale. Even fantastical abilities such as calling fire from the sky or summoning poisonous gases are localised and can be managed. See Midas for an example. Originally, the ability to turn matter into gold was concerning on an economic level, potentially enough to cause worldwide market shocks and an economic recession if confidence in the value of ours and others¡¯ strategic reserves were compromised. However, reports from our agents who survived suggest that Midas can also create other metals such as silver. If so... radioactive metals such as uranium-235 and plutonium could be created in significant quantities, giving him the power to make huge swathes of the world uninhabitable, or provide the key components for nuclear weapons to terrorists and corrupt regimes. Nobody should have such power.


    ¡°That... makes sense.¡± I agreed slowly, and Christina nodded.


    ¡°Of course. Adam, love him or hate him, actually puts thought into his decisions. Although... I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s the power that needs to be disposed of, just... faulty users.¡± Christina¡¯s flirty, annoying mannerisms vanished completely, as she pondered the problem. ¡°Even looking at earlier, I can see useful ways to utilise mind control and hypnotism, for example. That ghost girl, just make her forget all the bad stuff.¡±


    I winced, and so did Maryam. ¡°I know you mean well, but that¡¯s a bad example.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Sadly, the bad things that happen are just as much a part of us as the good things. If they were removed, it¡¯d change our personalities. We wouldn¡¯t be ourselves. However, using them in ways to mitigate, to cope...¡± That¡¯s what Haru can do with her Light Of Muted Emotions. ¡°...so you¡¯re not wrong, just... it¡¯s an area that requites tact. Which is not your strong suit!¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± Christina admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll make a note of it. But you agree, then? Being able to change one metal into another, in addition to allowing us test the limits of physics and chemistry, making new breakthroughs, there are a number of exotic metals that might have fascinating applications. We just don¡¯t know as they are too rare to test.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s also Astral materials too.¡± I agreed, warming to the idea. ¡°Even with all our mines, we still have a shortage, and there are probably rare metals out there too. Adamantine, Orichalcum, Hihi¡¯irokane... if those could be created from common iron...¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. Our research on items found in this Boundary is in the early stages. Some persist in both worlds. It makes me ever-more eager to see your magitech facilities. I would love a tour...¡± Christina rubbed her hands together eagerly.


    ¡°You know, you both seem oddly... compatible, at this moment.¡± Maryam muttered, and Christina and I both spoke at the same time, though saying the opposite.


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s just an area of interest!¡± I cried, while Christina agreed.


    ¡°Yes, Scryer! Your keen eyes don¡¯t lie. We¡¯ve so much in common!¡±


    ¡°God, what reactions. No...¡± She sipped on her coffee, looking up at the sky. ¡°It hardly matters. Your point is, that the ability is not what matters, it is the user.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve got healing abilities, don¡¯t you? So do I. I haven¡¯t ever used them this way, I have other, easier to use attacks, but I suspect that I could channel Ether Healing to wildly disrupt the workings of someone¡¯s subtle bodies. Just as too much medicine is poison...¡±


    Maryam nodded. ¡°I had considered that. For... self-defence, if nothing else. I am not a fighter, but... if I were to be taken like the poor unfortunates I healed...¡± Christina looked away, whistling innocently. ¡°...I would certainly fight to the death. Perhaps even use my powers on myself and have a mercifully quick end.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m trying to gloss over it.¡± Christina sighed. ¡°Anyway... Midas again, huh? Let¡¯s see.¡±


    She opened up his file, and there was a blurry photo of a dark-skinned man, tall and with long hair, though the colour was odd, reminding me a little of Shiro¡¯s. That¡¯s a bit of a giveaway, although... it could be dyed, I imagine, though I remember Shiro lamenting how her hair refused to take any colour, even black, back when she wanted to try to stand out less. There were several other shots, but each of them was a little vague, making it impossible to identify the man in question.


    ¡°The King of the Favelas, Son of the Sun, Hui?tzilo?po?chtli. Daughter of the Moon, Me?tztli. Midas. Arjuna...¡± That codename made me smile sadly, as apparently that was the initial Favour Aditi had possessed. ¡°Saraswati...¡± This one had a picture of a rather elegant Indian woman, Amrita Goswami, supposedly one of the few female members of the Rajya Sabha, the Indian Council of States. According to the file she was keeping her powers a secret yet building a clandestine coalition of powerful men and women, perhaps to secure her own position, or maybe even seize power. Her abilities were largely unknown but expected to be along the lines of similar to Yasaka-san¡¯s. ¡°...then there¡¯s codename Kraken. He¡¯s someone I need to meet.¡± The Americans had likewise identified one of the others who possessed the Seeds of the Fruit of the World Tree, and while they didn¡¯t have those facts, they knew he had powerful water-controlling abilities.


    ¡°And worse...¡± I continued, lowering my voice. We were speaking in English, of course, and the few others around us were mostly Japanese students, but even so, I was leaking a trickle of invisible wind energy around us to mask the sound. ¡°...there¡¯s the ones the American¡¯s have abducted that weren¡¯t British or Japanese. Like that Australian guy. Stupid idiot. Though I¡¯m not one to talk.¡± I laughed self-deprecatingly. While he had the bright idea of using YouTube to make money, I had been similarly reckless with my forays in Las Vegas. Luckily, I had the good fortune to remain undetected until I had the strength to protect myself, but this guy found out the hard way what drawing attention could cause.


    ¡°This puts me in a bind...¡± Christina was sweating now. As Maryam had criticised her, Christina never thought things through when it came to doing what she wanted, achieving her goals, merely deciding she needed to do it, then acting. And just like that, we have enough information on American crimes to start a damn war...


    ¡°It is a mess of your own making.¡± Maryam said without much sympathy, though her hands were shaking on her near-empty mug, as she realised she was implicated too.


    ¡°I know. So help me get out of it, Akio, Scryer! I¡¯m too young, beautiful and intelligent to die! I don¡¯t want to die a virgin either!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but crack a bitter joke, despite being pale as a ghost.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can pretend I haven¡¯t seen this stuff. It¡¯s too vital to my interests.¡± I was firm on that. ¡°Besides, my memory is near-photographic nowadays, so it¡¯s already all stored in my head. In any case, my trip to America has to go ahead. It¡¯s my duty to repatriate Egil Andersen¡¯s corpse.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. There¡¯s something more to it.¡± Christina opined, and at my look, she shrugged. ¡°Look, I get you... don¡¯t think as highly of me as I¡¯d like you to... fun though that sometimes is. But I won¡¯t have you underestimate my scientific acumen! You don¡¯t seem particularly interested in the supposed Norse nature of your abilities, and hardly mention anything about it. And your initiative goes way beyond what I¡¯d expect. No, there¡¯s something else at play. Don¡¯t worry, Adam won¡¯t screw you on this, although... I worry he might try and get some favours out of you.¡±


    ¡°Curiosity killed the cat...¡± I warned, but Christina only gave me a scornful look.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. You won¡¯t kill me. I may struggle to understand people, but you, you¡¯re endearingly predictable, at least in that regard.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Maryam nodded. ¡°I have only known you a few hours and from rumours, and despite your understandable distaste, you are oddly kind to Christina here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he likes me, I¡¯ve been right all along!¡± she crowed, and Maryam sighed.


    ¡°Again, do not ruin a good moment.¡± She set down her mug shakily, and looked at us, deadly serious. ¡°So, how do we get out of this mess? I for one, have no intention of being silenced when I have done nothing to warrant it other than be dragged down by this madwoman.¡±


    ¡°I... well, any ideas?¡± Christina threw it to me, and I sighed.


    ¡°Certainly not your plan about being my girlfriend. No... hmm. Christina...¡± I made up my mind.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she said nervously, starting to breathe faster, so intense was my gaze.


    ¡°As far as I can see, there are two paths before you. One, you go back to the USA and throw yourself into your work, making yourself indispensable to Adam. That might succeed, but then, after this mess, he might just decide you¡¯re far too much of a loose cannon, a liability, to risk keeping around. Your only hope is he hasn¡¯t noticed you¡¯ve copied his data. I¡¯m still impressed at how you did it...¡±


    ¡°It was simple really. The biometrics I bypassed by some clever solutions, such as lifting his fingerprints and making a mould, and with my skills, I can copy data even without unlocking it, by using electric pulses to change the system clock and BIOS, forcing it into a special administrative safe mode... oh, yes, not the time for this, is it?¡± She flushed, falling silent, and I took over.


    ¡°...so if he doesn¡¯t know you might get away with it, but he¡¯s a paranoid individual, I imagine, so you can¡¯t hope for that blindly. That path is fraught with risk. The other path... is you claim asylum. And work for me.¡±


    She paused. ¡°But... is this some way to secretly make me yours, no... no time for such amusing dreams... are you serious? I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m actually a patriot. Besides, if I do defect, then Adam will send someone after me for sure. Maybe he¡¯ll take a leaf out of the Russian¡¯s book, and go for the polonium umbrella, or a little Novichok laced around the place. You may be powerful, but... I still believe in technology! If Adam seriously pulled out the stops he could kill you. He could certainly dispose of me!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m certain that Novichok wouldn¡¯t kill me.¡± I sneered. ¡°Though if I find out he¡¯s trying, then I¡¯ll be sure to return the favour. As for you... all we need to do is give him enough incentive. But that¡¯s costly. So in exchange you need to pay up... and before you say anything, no, not with your body.¡±


    She shut her mouth, swallowing what she had been about to say. ¡°So, with my research? But you don¡¯t exactly approve of my methods...¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± I loaded up her data she had provided from her other flash drive. ¡°...honestly, considering your limitations, you¡¯ve inferred a lot, and there are even a few points I¡¯d like to take note of. As for... the unethical stuff... you got one thing right. Experimenting on ourselves is possibly stupid, but fine. I mean, you should see how I teach Ether Healing now. It¡¯d get me thrown in prison for cruel and unusual punishments.¡±


    That seemed to interest her. ¡°You mentioned experimenting on eye transplants too...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Just like you thought, it¡¯s only logical. While determining where something intangible like strength or speed resides, vision is obviously in the eye.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps the brain.¡± Christina mused, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, or there. But even I don¡¯t have the courage to start carving out pieces of that. Though I¡¯d survive it.¡± Probably intact. It¡¯s the Wolverine problem, when he regenerates his brain, why do memories come back? But I have two functioning minds, both the same yet separate at the same time, sort of like a pair of mirrored memory solutions in a computer, a RAID system. The Shapercrafting of Mae had certainly pushed such boundaries, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed feasible. No, not right now.


    ¡°So, I see. You¡¯re more understanding than I thought. But...¡± Christina began. ¡°I hate to admit it, but... you don¡¯t trust me at all, do you? I see why, in hindsight. I mean, even now I¡¯ve screwed up and gone farther than I imagined here. It¡¯s not like you think me liking you makes me trustworthy, and... from an outside perspective, I probably would trust me either.¡±


    ¡°Some self-awareness at last. This is a day for miracles.¡± Maryam muttered, but we both ignored her.


    ¡°Yeah, your feelings... look, I¡¯m flattered you like me. I don¡¯t know why... no, that¡¯s false modesty. Unfortunately I am starting to realise why. But... you¡¯re very new to such emotions, and you could quite easily stop feeling that way, or find someone else more interesting, to your taste...¡± Christina tilted her head, listening intently, as I explained seriously. ¡°Maybe that¡¯d be for the best, all things considered. But... whether you do or not, you¡¯re too reckless, and so I¡¯d need some assurance. The question is...¡± I gazed into her eyes, and she took her glasses off, staring back boldly. ¡°...are you prepared to accept being bound to not betray me? I won¡¯t restrict you much, and if you want to leave in the future you can... but you¡¯ll be restricted heavily. Honestly, it¡¯s not a decision I can make alone, I¡¯ll need to consult a lot of people, as well as the Ministry... but that¡¯s all predicated on you accepting.¡±


    ¡°Being bound, huh?¡± Christina mused. ¡°The sort of thing Adam fears the most. If you have that level of power, you could bend the world to your will. Do anything, have anyone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my power.¡± I corrected. ¡°And there are always limits. But if you accept willingly, from experience you¡¯ll abide by it, and suffer little to no side-effects.¡±


    ¡°I see. and other than safety and security, what¡¯s in it for me?¡± she asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I have Mortal Engineers and crafters who have talents beyond your own research. Like our magitech, as you put it. You¡¯ll never be bored, and always able to find something new to explore. You can even help me in my less ethical experiments, though usually I¡¯ll be the lab rat for that one. It¡¯ll also enable you to make amends for your cruel treatment of the kidnapped citizens. You might have to accept their scorn and hatred, but... that¡¯s a small price to pay for redemption. I¡¯ll even come up with some sort of win-win deal that satisfies Adam White and America as a whole. Though I¡¯ll win more.¡± I declared. It would be so easy to say that she would get to spend time with me, but... even though I hate that she¡¯s into me, it¡¯s still flattering, in an odd way, and... I don¡¯t want to trample on her so callously. Of course, there¡¯s no way she¡¯s my type, I¡¯m just... sympathetic, ever so slightly.


    ¡°That¡¯s... tempting.¡± Christina admitted, licking her lips, a touch nervously, I felt. ¡°Scryer... what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I would say follow your heart, but... surely that would lead you into more trouble.¡± She swallowed. ¡°What about me? I know too much. I was prepared to be exposed, for I have hardly done much to warrant you detaining me. I have only visited public spaces and investigated in that manner. But then... this fool, she...¡± She gestured to the laptop, before putting her head in her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. For now, you were never here.¡± I smirked. ¡°Although you¡¯ll owe me a favour too. But unless you think you¡¯re constantly under surveillance... as long as we never mention this except in the Boundary in private, you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°No, I made sure to use a phone I bought locally to liaise with Christina here...¡± Maryam looked relieved. ¡°I think I am safe.¡±


    ¡°Lucky you. As for me...¡± Christina leaned in. ¡°I do have some... conditions. Which might seem rather cheeky, considering my position here, which I have to admit is rather tenuous. But I wouldn¡¯t be Christina Bakker, scientist extraordinaire if I wasn¡¯t prepared to dance on the edge of the gallows.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s hear them.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Firstly... like I said, I¡¯m a patriot. And I also don¡¯t entirely fancy cutting all ties. You may not believe it, but I do have friends there. Sort of... and family too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± I agreed. ¡°I suppose if the Americans deem you a risk in need of silencing, whether you are prepared to risk yourself is your choice. I can protect you here, but...¡± It¡¯s her own life. So long as she can¡¯t betray us that¡¯s fine.


    ¡°Secondly, I¡¯m desperate to further explore this mysterious new world. I¡¯ve only scratched the surface. I don¡¯t want things hidden from me, I want to know it all! I¡¯m a genius, even you admit it. What I could do with such knowledge would shock you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a perilous request, hence why I need assurances of your silence and loyalty.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Though if you work for me, obviously there¡¯s little point in hamstringing your efforts. Though again, immoral and unethical research won¡¯t be tolerated, unless I am prepared to be your test subject.¡±


    ¡°A man after my own heart.¡± Christina chortled. ¡°So lastly, can you be nicer to me?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck. I¡¯ll be as nice to you as you deserve. Anyway, I have to make a few calls, see if this is feasible, but... you know what you have to do, right?¡± Assuming the diplomatic problems are deemed tolerable for Japan¡¯s interests, I can pass her off to Ixitt when Shaeula¡¯s worked her magic... Then when I travel to America, she can come with me and we can untangle the mess of her lies to Adam White...


    Picking up her tablet, which she then handed to me, while Maryam looked at it like it was a ticking time-bomb, which in a way it was, Christina managed a smile, though she didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°Of course. I have to grovel to that ghost woman... don¡¯t scowl at me. I still don¡¯t get it, but I¡¯m trying to put myself in her shoes. I suppose I wouldn¡¯t like it if someone else attacked me, because you wouldn¡¯t like it...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite it, but... good effort?¡± I said, not sure why that was a question. Turning to Maryam, I smiled. ¡°You say you have a Japanese phone that shouldn¡¯t be monitored. Give me your number. I¡¯ll be in touch. But nobody will ever know you saw this.¡± I pocketed the tablet, and she nodded, grudgingly giving me her number, while cursing Christina in what I presumed was more Armenian.


    All right then, that kind of threw off my plans for the day. I¡¯ve calls to make...

 Five Hundred And Seventeen

    Five Hundred And Seventeen


    ¡°This is definitely troubling.¡± The Prime Minister, Abe-san, rubbed at his temples, a grave expression on his face. ¡°Sometimes I deeply regret timing my political career to coincide with this mess.¡±


    ¡°On the bright side, you¡¯ll always be remembered in history.¡± I joked, though I understood how he felt sometimes. We were gathered in the Prime Minister¡¯s residence near the Diet building in Chiyoda ward, in an underground, sealed room that was meant for use in wartime. It was sort of like a bunker, and had no internet or other telecommunications except a single, wired hardline to the outside, to prevent any possibility of being hacked or tapped. Which is very important considering what I¡¯ve brought.


    ¡°I¡¯d settle for a peaceful, easy time in office.¡± He laughed dryly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you both agree?¡± He addressed the other two people here with us.


    ¡°I would settle for having my Undersecretary actually available to me on occasion.¡± The austere and prim Minister for Spiritual Matters, Morita Yuna-san complained. With her black rimmed glasses and hair pulled into a tidy bun, she reminded me of a schoolteacher. Since she had five or so years on me in age, or maybe a few more, but I always felt it was best to underestimate a woman¡¯s age, rather than be wrong in the other direction, I addressed her very politely.


    ¡°Sorry about that, but Haru¡¯s abilities are indispensable, and it certainly comes under the remit of your Ministry, international Chosen-related work, and the safety and wellbeing of our Chosen citizens. Nobody can do what Haru can, at least not that we¡¯ve found, so for now she¡¯s got to do her part.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted a quiet life, Morita-san, you never should have taken such a key post.¡± The final person here, my grandfather-in-law, Tsumura Katsuro-san, pointed out, his tone gruff, though his smile was kind. ¡°But the rewards are commensurate with the struggles. Everyone knows your name now, you are almost as famous as the Prime Minister. As for Suzuki-san... her work is indeed vital. If we can restore some of these Chosen to a measure of health, their talents can be put to use, and Britain is further in our debt. South Korea too, but...¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s one of our problems, their response to our efforts. Not the biggest one though...


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s for the longer term. Now...¡± The Prime Minister looked at the tablet sitting on the table between us like it was an unexploded bomb. ¡°...we have this to deal with.¡± He rubbed his temples again. ¡°Christina Bakker is certainly a danger to herself and us. It would be far easier if you could take her in hand, Akio-san. She¡¯s too dangerous to be running loose.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass thanks.¡± I snorted. ¡°While she does have an unhealthy infatuation with me, she¡¯s not my type, and she wouldn¡¯t gel with the others.¡± I nodded at Katsuro-san. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t subject Motoko to getting along with her. Besides, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll find someone new to fixate on in due course. I do agree though, she¡¯s... a wildcard.¡±


    ¡°This data... if the Americans are aware we have it, this will be a seed of discontentment between us.¡± Abe-san warned. ¡°It¡¯s not merely proof of their crimes, including which members of their Senate have approved such extra-legal killings, but... this data on so many foreign Chosen offers unprecedented tactical scope. Why, there¡¯s even two Japanese Chosen on the list we didn¡¯t know about, who haven¡¯t come forward. While we can¡¯t legally force them, those that don¡¯t certainly bear watching.¡±


    ¡°Her research data as well.¡± Katsuro-san agreed. ¡°It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but just as after the War, many Japanese and German scientists were absorbed by the West, and their work, though furthered by unethical means, was iterated upon... we cannot afford to ignore this, despite the cruel, immoral way it was sourced.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± I conceded, feeling bad about it, but knowing grandfather-in-law was right. ¡°Having had a quick skim through, she¡¯s realised a great deal just from experimentation and interviewing American Chosen, and while most of it is behind what we know, she has exceeded me in a few insights.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned with our immediate problem. Fortunately she revealed the presence of this agent, Mariam Samuelian. She entered as an ordinary tourist, and as you reported, did nothing to arouse suspicion. That proves we could well be infiltrated by any number of others.¡± Morita-san sighed. ¡°Though numbers of Chosen worldwide are limited, and there aren¡¯t many who have been trained, like your daughter, Tsumura-san.¡±


    As he nodded, I offered my opinion. ¡°Yeah. Though the Church of True Revelations has a similar scheme, I remember from London there were others than Mary Stuart who could infiltrate the Boundary. China has their Cultivators too. Though...¡± I pondered what we could expect them to achieve. ¡°Assuming they were just a Cultivator, at Daiyu¡¯s previous level, which isn¡¯t likely, as she was a true prodigy...¡± I couldn¡¯t help but brag about her, which earned me some gently mocking smiles. ¡°...they could certainly kill a number of ordinary people, but against armed police or the army they¡¯d be quickly killed. And we¡¯re not America, where you can buy guns easily...¡±


    Katsuro-san agreed. ¡°Yes, while arming oneself with knives, axes or other weapons is hardly difficult, compared to the damage that automatic weapons or explosives can cause... yet if the correct target is attacked...¡±


    ¡°You mean schools, politicians, high-interest media figures such as poor Shinohara-san... oh wait, she¡¯s all fixed thanks to you now, isn¡¯t she? Never mind... but yes, there are still circumstances where a fairly minor attack can cause panic and loss of faith in both the government, and Chosen as a whole.¡± Abe-san mused.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. My Foresight was still niggling me, and meetings like this, while dull, were also important to prepare our contingencies ready for potential avenues of danger. Fortunately, I was also in the Boundary having rather more fun at the same time, though I was starting to sweat a little, as the effort of mitigating Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing for Asha¡¯s Tree was increasing as each minute passed. I just have to tell myself it¡¯s good training, and that we are coining in the ether because of it. I mean, it¡¯s true... doesn¡¯t make it hurt less though.


    ¡°...although, there are some worrying possibilities. An ability like Ginneka has, or even Nie Ling¡¯s, or some sort of mass buff skill... they could turn a lot of ordinary people into dangerous weapons.¡± I finished, and Morita-san nodded stiffly.


    ¡°We have considered it. The Ministry has been building a register of known abilities, looking for patterns. I had hoped to have Suzuki-san to help with that...¡± She frowned meaningfully, making me feel a little guilty. ¡°...but alas, she is always tasked with other matters. But this...¡± She eyed the data tablet. ¡°...will save us a great deal of effort.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just let you add it to your database though.¡± Abe-san shook his head. ¡°In case of data leaks. In fact, once outside of here, we can¡¯t even speak of it. The only time it can be discussed is in here, or similar isolated rooms, or in the Boundary.¡± Abe-san marvelled at that strange world. He had received Chirurgery from me and had a brief orientation, though he wouldn¡¯t be entering himself except in very special circumstances, obviously. The main reason was to get him the stat boosts a network provided, as he was constantly working long hours under intense pressure.


    ¡°...you can use a little of the data if it is massaged to disguise it, and we can make plans to counter other threats, but... for now, it¡¯s under wraps.¡± Abe-san finished. ¡°This Mariam woman, she¡¯ll be very discretely watched as well. Also... we¡¯ll have to look into recent immigrants, see if we can spot any suspicious features, but the numbers are simply too large to have any degree of control. We can use AI to sift datasets for patterns, and employ some clerical staff from various Ministries to double-check it... but don¡¯t hold out hope we¡¯ll find anything.¡±


    ¡°The JSDF is on full readiness.¡± Katsuro-san promised. ¡°We can respond quickly. But against Chosen... it depends on their strength. If it is on the lines of those from China last time, some of them we can likely kill conventionally. But if it is someone of my grandson-in-law¡¯s calibre... all we can do is buy time...¡±


    ¡°We do have some assets. For example Bunta Futamura-san, in our Ministry Investigative Division. But deploying them would be complicated.¡± Morita-san pointed out, and I realised that was the first time I had heard Bunta-san¡¯s family name. Shiro and Suzu-san both just call him Bunta...


    ¡°Well, we have some potential avenues to explore. Shall we wrap things up for now?¡± Abe-san asked, and I nodded. I had memorised all of the information on the tablet using my significant Intellect, so leaving it secure here seemed the better plan. Turning to Katsuro-san, I asked him a question.


    ¡°We¡¯re having a family dinner, everyone together this evening, since I¡¯ll be away for a week or so.¡± I¡¯ll be back before Shaeula¡¯s birthday, and then it¡¯s the Pilgrimage, so there won¡¯t be a lot of time for the others, so this evening we¡¯re going to all come together... ¡°Natsumi¡¯s and Hinata¡¯s parents are coming, and I hope Motoko¡¯s will too, but it¡¯d be nice to have you there as well, grandfather-in-law.¡±


    Katsuro-san thought about it, before agreeing. ¡°Will my grandson be there?¡± he asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I hope so, but while I¡¯ve not met him much, he doesn¡¯t seem to be overly fond of me.¡±


    ¡°He is a proud young man.¡± Katsuro-san shook his head. ¡°Tsumura house is second only to the three great houses, so he likely believes Motoko is wasted on you. He also has no interest in Tsumura Arts, finding them outdated and worthless compared to modern military tactics and equipment. As heir to the house, he has his own opinions.¡±


    ¡°Not very wise ones.¡± Abe-san said, before apologising. ¡°Sorry Katsuro-san, I spoke out of turn again. But you have to admit, Akio-san here is hardly a poor match. Though I wouldn¡¯t want him around my daughter. Oh, again, no offense.¡±


    As Morita-san snorted at his blunder, Katsuro-san waved it off. ¡°It is fine. The way of the nobility is not the way of others. And perhaps it is not the right way. But... for Motoko¡¯s sake, I want her to be happy. And she is. Though of course, I worry. She is not a Chosen, yet she still wishes to fight.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s giving her all, Natsumi too.¡± I reassured him. ¡°And everyone is working together to make sure everyone can fulfil their potential. Anyway...¡± We talked idly about various unimportant things as we left the room.


    Moments later, we heard footsteps, and a young woman came barrelling around the corner, running in extremely unladylike fashion. On seeing her, Abe-san¡¯s face lit up, before he realised he was in company, and he put on a stern expression, though it was too late to cover his blunder. I guess that must be his daughter? He obviously dotes on her.


    ¡°Hotaru, don¡¯t run around the halls. Especially today of all days. Besides, weren¡¯t you with your mother? Don¡¯t you have homework or something else to do?¡±


    ¡°Homework¡¯s such a shitty bore. Fuck that.¡± The pretty young woman cursed, her incredibly foul mouth at odds with her appearance. Though her hair was short for a girl, and a little boyishly cut, she was tall and had long legs, and a decent figure. She was wearing faded jeans and a t-shirt with the name of some band I didn¡¯t recognise emblazoned on it.


    ¡°...I¡¯m like... well, first.¡± She seemed nervous, for some reason. ¡°Okay... deep breaths girl, deep breaths.¡± She worked herself up, before asking me her favour. ¡°Firstly, I know that mom and I are on the list for Chirurgery, like dad, but I get you and Shaeula-chan are fucking busy. Dad always says so.¡± Seeing me raising an eyebrow, she flushed a little. ¡°Hey, Shaeula-chan¡¯s like... my idol. One of them anyway. She was so fucking cool in London! You would bar-bar my way? Shit, so awesome! But yeah, while you¡¯re here, can you do us? I know it hurts, but I¡¯m fucking tough, get me?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can, so long as your father agrees.¡± That¡¯s a small favour, and she¡¯s right, family of high-ranking politicians and Ministry employees need to be protected.


    ¡°Awesome! Knew I could count on you, no shit.¡± She laughed loudly, sounding rather dirty and boyish. ¡°But... well, I know that old man you were with was a bigshot from the nobility. You¡¯re dating his granddaughter, getting married, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded, and she continued. ¡°So... well, next year¡¯s my last at school. Shit, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for university, but... fuck me, you don¡¯t care about that. Sorry to waste your time. But yeah... like... Shiori-chan and big jugs, tiny cutie and elegant-chan...¡± Her nicknames for I presumed the Takakura sisters were unique, certainly. ¡°...they¡¯re totally cool, and I like them a lot. Hey, want me to put in a good word for you? Who do you like best...?¡±


    I headed off that argument. ¡°I think I¡¯m rather full in terms of girlfriends, and Kiaria-san and Mizuki-san are way too young.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I get you.¡± Hotaru-san nodded. ¡°Guess I should be thankful you¡¯re not a fucking pervert. But they¡¯ll grow up to be beauties, just like me!¡± She thumped her chest proudly, no shame at all. ¡°Anyway... they¡¯re so fucking lucky, getting to go to Hanafubuki. Graduate from that school and you¡¯re set for life. Not only do you get to know all the girls from the rich families, but you get to meet a better class of guy, get it? Shit, I hate the fact they don¡¯t let daughters of politicians or entertainers enrol. They say that politicians come and go, depending on the voters. I get it, but shit... my dad¡¯s not going to get voted out. Sure, he¡¯s stressed as fuck, but... nobody can handle the situation like he can. After all, you support him, right Akio-kun?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d work with whoever gets into power...¡± I admitted, and she chose to ignore that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear me running my shitty mouth, do you?¡± she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point. I¡¯d be in your debt for fucking ever if you could put in a good word, get me admitted to Hanafubuki for the last year. Pull some strings, like? I may not be able to do much, but... you¡¯d be surprised.¡±


    That¡¯s it, huh? Well, knowing Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Miyu, Honoka-san and many other girls from there... yeah, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a good fit... I was about to tactfully turn her down when the door opened, and Abe-san entered with a tray of tea, shaking his head.


    ¡°Hotaru, we¡¯re going to have to have words later.¡± He bowed to me then after setting the tray down. ¡°Sorry Akio-san. Hotaru¡¯s... very selfish. But she¡¯s my daughter and I love her, so please forgive her for me.¡± He bowed again, and I felt bad for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± I shrugged. ¡°All she was doling was asking for a favour.¡±


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t know you. That¡¯s rude in itself. Look, Hotaru, this is why the nobles behind Hanafubuki exclude us. You¡¯re the archetype of what they think ordinary girls are. Vulgar and unrefined.¡±


    ¡°Shit dad, I may be vulgar, but I¡¯m not unrefined. I¡¯ve good grades and I¡¯m athletic...¡± she protested, and he asked me my thoughts.


    ¡°Honestly, from knowing a lot of Hanafubuki girls, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d work. But...¡± I frowned. ¡°Look, I can give you Chirurgery, and why don¡¯t you attend the training school a few times, mingle with some of them? I know it¡¯s always more of a lesson to see it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that. Although...¡± Before his daughter could speak, Abe-san asked me a favour himself. ¡°...while it¡¯s likely a conflict of interest, and politically damaging... if Hotaru could attend your training school more regularly, and learn a few things, I¡¯d feel more at ease. Especially after our talk today.¡±


    Oh yeah, about possible targets for attack. Politicians and their families would be prime propaganda if they were killed.


    ¡°It¡¯s also the best chance I can give you to mingle with the children of nobility, a number attend the school regularly. You just have to accept that¡¯s the way it is...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Though it can be hard work. We take training seriously...¡± I warned, and Hotaru-san seemed excited.


    ¡°Fuck me, thanks dad, thanks Akio-kun!¡± She grabbed a mug of tea and downed it, clearly elated. She then winked at me. ¡°I¡¯m still not counting myself out of my dream of attending Hanafubuki, no fucking way. But I¡¯ll take your advice and see the real flowers of Japan in action. Also... you want me to help you charm any of them, just say the word!¡± She gave me a lewd grin and a thumbs-up, followed by Abe-san chastising her, embarrassed and scandalised...


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, Aki?¡± Shiro said, as we were sitting under Asha¡¯s Tree in the Boundary. ¡°You¡¯re smiling. Has the pain gone and driven you crazy? Shit, just let me know and I¡¯ll dismiss the buff if you can¡¯t hack it anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I promised, looking up at Asha¡¯s Tree. The glow around it, rainbow energies and silver ether glittering around the upper branches, was the most intense it had ever been, showing the fruit of our efforts. ¡°You know, you have a rather foul mouth sometimes, Shiro?¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s rude.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Nothing this princess does is ever foul. When a beautiful girl swears, it¡¯s just endearing. What¡¯s brought this on, Aki?¡±


    ¡°I just met a girl who would make a sailor blush with her swearing. And she¡¯ll be coming to the training school soon. It¡¯s just unusual for girls to swear a lot, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sexist.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°Your sister swears sometimes, doesn¡¯t see?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but only when she¡¯s really mad.¡± I defended her.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, I shouldn¡¯t have expected you to say a word against your beloved sister.¡± Shiro snickered. ¡°So, is she pretty?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not bad, but the training school is already full of pretty girls. She¡¯s the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter...¡±


    ¡°Ah, a big catch then.¡± Shiro teased me, and as I explained it wasn¡¯t anything like that, I once more inspected our ether stocks, very pleased by the progress. We were now holding just under forty million ether. So far Shiro¡¯s extra buff was helping us pull in a million extra ether per Material day, although as I was suffering greatly today and it wasn¡¯t yet done, we would likely clear an additional half a million or so extra today, assuming I could continue to protect Asha¡¯s Tree from the side effects.


    ¡°She¡¯s definitely a unique girl, from just my brief meeting. She¡¯s got an interest in noble girls, so...¡±


    ¡°Say no more.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll put Miyu in charge of her.¡± Shiro stretched, yawning. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re staying here to resonate with the Tree, right? In that case I¡¯ll be off. I want to make it back before the meal, and I need to shower and change first. It¡¯ll be good to have everyone all together. Although...¡± Shiro seemed a little sad, and I wondered if she was missing her own parents, but when I voiced that thought, she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot, Aki. They¡¯re hardly parents at all. I¡¯m more than happy to take yours. Your father¡¯s always rather nice to me, and your mother¡¯s hilarious. No, I was just thinking you¡¯ll be away for a week. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be able to keep your Astral body here long...¡±


    ¡°Will you miss me?¡± I teased, and she retorted quickly.


    ¡°Who¡¯ll miss you? Why would I? I¡¯ll actually be able to take a break on supervising all these buffs, it¡¯ll just be once a day... no, I¡¯m not tsundere, I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t be. Yeah, of course I¡¯ll miss you, Aki. But nobody minds. If you have to do it, do it. And Hinata could use her turn. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll hold the fort...¡±


    After a little more jovial jesting, Shiro vanished, leaving me alone under the Tree, while on the Material, I finalised the details with the Prime Minister and left his residence. I called Haru again, and she assured me grumpily that Christina Bakker was fine, just sleeping, and with that I hopped in my waiting car and was driven back to our estate, ready for what would be a raucous and interesting meal, no doubt...

 Five Hundred And Eighteen

    Five Hundred And Eighteen


    The main room at our estate was literally packed with people. Beside me, Hinata¡¯s brother Hiroto-san gave me a gentle smile, raising his beer to me mockingly. ¡°This is the problem with being so popular, Akio-san. These family gatherings get rather too large.¡±


    ¡°How do you manage it? In the nobility, I mean?¡± I asked him, looking around at the crowd. It was all my girls and their families, though we also had a few other guests. Keomi-chan was Kana¡¯s cousin, so was welcome to be here as family, but we had also brought along Marika-chan, as she was home alone otherwise. Hotene-san was also here too, since after the events of Kyoto, she was very dependent on her fellow survivor, Keomi-chan. In addition we have our pair of freeloader foxes.


    Shinkume-no-Hana was enjoying the sympathy she was receiving for her missing leg and tails, sipping on plum wine, while Mae was sitting imperiously, as if in a royal court, surrounded by the older members of our group. Strangely enough, Tsukiko¡¯s elderly parents had taken a shine to the Kitsune, perhaps as they were extremely pious, and were listening to her talk, pouring her sake whenever her glass was empty.


    In addition, we also had our group of Koreans, since they were still here it seemed churlish not to invite them. My mom was keeping them company, alongside Daiyu, and Violet-noona seemed to be having a great time, while Yu-mi was looking after Suk-ja and Eui.


    ¡°We don¡¯t. Not like this.¡± Hiroto-san chuckled, looking at his sister fondly. Hinata was rushing about talking to various people, as energetic as ever. ¡°Bear in mind Fukumoto house was only part of the Three-Hundred before this, so it¡¯s a bit different, but mother was from Takatsukasa house, so I think I can speak authoritatively on the subject.¡± Hiroto-san looked a little proud. ¡°When she married father, she became part of our house, and lost a lot of status. And her brother then didn¡¯t really bother with her after that. It¡¯s only natural. And complicated. But then, uncle was ...¡± Hiroto-san stopped what he was about to say, probably because one of our other guests was Sakura-san, Hinata¡¯s cousin, or sister, depending on how you looked at it.


    Yeah, her father was extremely opposed to Hinata being adopted. Even now he has very limited responsibilities, supposedly due to health issues, but it¡¯s more being kept in the background. Seeing her looking so disconsolate, I was about to go speak to her, when Eri went over, accompanied by Shiro.


    ¡°Sakura-san, there¡¯s no need to fret. We are all friends here.¡± Eri said warmly, putting on a calming expression. ¡°If you are worried about being without a bodyguard, this is the safest place in the world right now. Besides, Kazumi-san is with her. They are having their own little gathering in the other home.¡±


    ¡°I am hardly concerned about that.¡± Sakura-san replied coldly yet politely. ¡°I just...¡± She was looking at Hinata with a complicated expression on her face.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Shiro spoke up. ¡°Must be hard, seeing your cousin come in and cause a fuss. But Hinata¡¯s a little fireball. Besides, you need to see the benefits rather than the problems. But not today. Today everyone¡¯s here to have some fun.¡±


    ¡°But I...¡± Sakura-san began, and Eri shook her head.


    ¡°Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi are all relaxing. We¡¯re all among family, Sakura-san. You¡¯re Hinata¡¯s family, so just treat us all the same...¡±


    As Eri and Shiro handled the situation, Hiroto-san finished his beer and took another. Seeing me raising an eyebrow, he shrugged. ¡°I might not be as invested as my sister, but I¡¯ve still been training on occasion. It takes extra effort to get drunk now. Anyway, looks like all your women are working together to keep matters in hand. So you might as well relax, you¡¯ve a busy week ahead, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded, taking a sip of my own beer, grateful Ether Healing allowed me to feel the pleasures of being tipsy without the side-effects. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot that I have to take care of. So...¡±


    ¡°So, you should relax when you can, son.¡± My father joined us, alongside uncle Junpei, grandfather Jack and also grandfather-in-law Kenji-san, who nodded to his grandson beside me. ¡°A stressed man makes mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Eri¡¯s grown up so much.¡± Junpei observed emotionally. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day when she cared enough to reassure other people. She¡¯s really come out of her shell.¡± We were all speaking in English for Jack¡¯s benefit, though after Chirurgery, he was learning Japanese, refreshing his past, mediocre efforts, and the boosted Intellect meant he was learning rapidly.


    ¡°Our children have to grow up.¡± Kenji-san said fondly. ¡°And our grandchildren too. Hinata¡¯s extremely excited about the trip to South Africa. She¡¯s hoping to show Ichijou-chan she has what it takes to match her, no, surpass her. And even you¡¯re maturing, young Hiroto.¡±


    Hiroto-san shrugged, embarrassed. ¡°Well, it¡¯d feel bad if I wasn¡¯t working as hard as my sister, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    There was laughter and agreement, and Jack spoke up. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it. Taichi, how did you raise such a son?¡±


    My father shook his head, an unusual smile on his face. ¡°I still do not know. I admit to worrying about both my son and daughter over the years.¡± He looked over to where my sis was sneaking sips of beer, and he turned away, ignoring it. Yeah, that¡¯s a losing battle. Besides, her stats are high enough it doesn¡¯t really affect her much. She just wants to fit in with everyone else. Father also found it hard to complain about breaking the law, as the noble girls were used to drinking from an early age at parties, and father didn¡¯t feel comfortable meddling in the affairs of my women. Even Eri, he had a light touch with.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why.¡± Hiroto-san said, amused. ¡°Other than his womanising, Akio-san¡¯s a stand-up guy. Hinata loves him a lot, and so do the others. He¡¯s a good provider too, and honestly, Oshiro house is one of the Fifty-Nine in all but name. Though not everyone is happy about that...¡±


    Motoko was in one corner of the room, talking to her parents, as well as Katsuro-san, who was able to make time to attend. Natsumi was there too, and she had a slightly bitter expression on her face, as she was sidelined, Motoko¡¯s brother, Masaru-san, standing stiffly with a grim expression on his face as he observed the bustling room. Moments later, a maid came bustling past, and Masaru-san casually ordered Natsumi to fetch him a drink.


    My face hardened, and I was about to intervene, when Motoko grabbed her brother¡¯s arm. He was older than her, in fact he was probably a couple of years older than me, and he was quite tall and well-muscled, being military-trained, like every man in the Tsumura house, but despite that, he was unable to shake off Motoko¡¯s grip. His face reddened, and in the end, after failing to dislodge her he tried to pretend nothing had happened.


    ¡°Natsumi is your bodyguard, sister. It¡¯s only natural to follow my orders, after all, I am the heir to Tsumura house, while you... you will be leaving us soon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Hiroto-san grabbed my arm to stop me from going over there. ¡°Motoko-san can handle it. Hinata tells me all about all your wives, so I know she¡¯s not the sort to take any nonsense, even from her brother. But he doesn¡¯t like you much, does he?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Well, his mother was the same at first, but after London I think I¡¯ve won her over.¡± Indeed, Rikako-san was about to say something, but at a look from Motoko she remained silent.


    ¡°Whether I leave or not is irrelevant, Masaru-sama...¡± she scolded her brother coldly. ¡°But Firstly, I think you will find that this marriage is not merely a noble arrangement...¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Oshiro-san¡¯s simply a commoner who had great fortune. Unworthy of a daughter of Tsumura house. You should be marrying into Ichijou house, or Takatsukasa house. Fujiwara house has no male heir, but...¡±


    ¡°Not noble? More fool you, Masaru-sama. If you think that, you truly are a shame to Tsumura house. Mother, father, grandfather...¡± she addressed her family. ¡°I have ignored his poor attitude towards Akio these past months. I understand it. We are a great house of long lineage, and pride is in our very bones. Though I do worry for the future. If Masaru-sama cannot grasp the way things are now, we can only decline...¡± He made to open his mouth to chastise her, but Motoko narrowed her eyes, as furious as I had ever seen her. ¡°...shut up, Masaru.¡± Her honorific was gone now. ¡°


    ¡°What I cannot abide is that you would order Natsumi around. She is my sister-in-arms, and in heart too. We will both marry the same man, and we will share joy and sorrow, and fight together.¡±


    ¡°Oh Motoko...¡± Natsumi breathed, before gathering her own will. ¡°She¡¯s right, Masaru-san. While I still see myself as Motoko¡¯s bodyguard, I know I¡¯m not. As she is also mine. Not just her...¡± She gestured to the watching girls. Hyacinth had paused, and was staring at Masaru-san rather murderously, and Hinata was also watching coldly.


    ¡°...but each of us will defend the others. Would you be so crass as to order one of Akio¡¯s other wives to fetch you a drink, Masaru-san? If so, I¡¯d like to see how you deal with the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Natsumi has status higher than yours, Masaru.¡± Motoko scorned him. ¡°Even by the rules of the nobility. After all, many marry into the great houses, as you suggested I do, but how many can command their daughters, even ask them to give up their lives?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m marrying Akio, and lest you forget... I¡¯m a daughter of Takatsukasa house, I outmatch you!¡± Hinata insisted, and Kenji-san chuckled beside me, praising her courage under his breath. ¡°But Miyu... she lives and dies by Akio¡¯s word. If he wanted, he could ask for her hand in marriage too, and she would give it. Sure, that might have... issues...¡±


    No kidding, as far as I can tell she¡¯s into girls, for one!


    ¡°...but Fujiwara-sama wouldn¡¯t protest at all. As for Mayumi and Sakura... well, we¡¯ll see.¡± Hinata saw me watching and winked playfully. ¡°So watch your mouth, Masaru-san. If you upset Natsumi, you upset all of us, and you can¡¯t bear the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Can I kill him, just a little bit, I prooomise?¡± Hyacinth broke in, and Motoko chuckled elegantly, hiding her laugh behind one hand.


    ¡°I do not think you can kill someone a little.¡±


    ¡°No, but... I can certainly burn off his head. He¡¯s not using it.¡± Shiro was next to complain, and her beauty overawed Masaru-san a little.


    ¡°I appreciate the aid, but I can handle this. In fact, I should. After all, is not chastising a brother the job of a sister?¡±


    My own sis laughed at that, and Masaru-san flushed. ¡°I... you...¡±


    ¡°I would stop while you¡¯re ahead.¡± I couldn¡¯t stand watching him make a fool of himself any longer. I walked over, patting the watching girls on the head as I went, before draping my arms around Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°I treat Motoko and Natsumi the same, just as I would Hinata, or Shaeula, or Eri, or any of the others. You may not understand, but... if you think Motoko has married down, you¡¯re a fool.¡±


    ¡°He is right.¡± Katsuro-san said gently, and his daughter-in-law Rikako-san nodded, remembering her own disdain, which left her smiling ruefully. ¡°Grandson, military minds must be flexible. I agree following the traditions we hold is important too, but... here there is no conflict. Just consider Akio-san as a son of Takatsukasa house, and let it go at that.¡±


    ¡°He is simply jealous. A small-small man.¡± Shaeula, who had been silent until now, interjected, ¡°Did you perhaps think this should-should be you?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Masaru-san was lost for words, and I decided to step in.


    ¡°No thanks.¡± My sis shook her head. ¡°I like her, don¡¯t get me wrong, but... she¡¯s a bit scary.¡±


    She sure is! Anyway, as I had to mingle, I approached Asha, who was with Natsumi¡¯s parents, taking about clothing.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m very curious.¡± Masae-san said warmly. She resembled Natsumi quite a bit, having a youthful exuberance still, but also the quiet elegance of a noble mother. ¡°Just how fast do Dryads grow? I¡¯ll need to know if I am to make clothing for them. Akio-san¡¯s children should all wear Hori-made fabrics. I wish our daughter would hurry up... though I suppose it would be a scandal, marriage should come first...¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Natsumi gasped, flushing scarlet. ¡°You can¡¯t talk about that here...¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± she teased. ¡°It was a significant concession, your father and I allowing you premarital relations. Honestly...¡± Now it was Masae-san who was pink with shame. ¡°...the conversation we had to have with Fujiwara-sama... it was nerve-wracking. Fortunately, he is very understanding of your situation. Though I suspect he does worry about Miyu-sama.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about there.¡± I assured her, stepping into the conversation, giving Natsumi a hug and then one for Asha too, gently patting her stomach. ¡°Asha, how¡¯s your Tree? It¡¯s not too much, is it?¡± I was still trying to mitigate the Berserk Blessing, and over the several hours of the feast, which was over twice that in the Boundary, the effect of Shiro¡¯s buff had risen, though so had the additional ether and elemental gains...


    ¡°It is not too painful. My Tree is huge and growing well, any discomfort is spread throughout it. And Trees endure. We cling to the ground with our roots, and we resist the winds and rain with our canopies. We will not die, even if we must struggle...¡± She remembered her past, and I hugged her again.


    ¡°Just say if it¡¯s too much. Nothing can put you or... our children... at risk.¡± I insisted, and she was the one kissing my cheek now, mimicking Kana from earlier, since more in such company would be rude.


    ¡°I never will. To answer your question, Masae, I simply do not know in this case, as Akio has a... unique... heritage. He is Fae now, but also human. But ordinarily, we Dryads age with our Trees, and Trees grow slowly. Yet as they will pair with existing adult Trees, it is hard to say. But I shall be honoured to see my daughters wear such things, as they will not be confined to their Boundary homes, but will walk this world too...¡±


    Conversation then turned to what sorts of little kimonos and dresses would look good on children, so Natsumi pulled me away.


    ¡°Thanks for earlier.¡± she whispered, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I think her brother did it to try and exercise power over me, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your fault.¡±


    ¡°Actually, as a bodyguard from a lesser family, it¡¯s only natural for him to order me about. I used to have to fetch him drinks all the time when at the Tsumura estate. Honestly, if I wasn¡¯t from a noble house, no matter how minor, he could have called me to his bed.¡± She paused, flushing deeper. ¡°But he didn¡¯t! Nobody touched me but you!¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Now it was me kissing her cheek. ¡°I remember our first time. That aside... yeah, the nobility will be reformed. Like your mom says, Fujiwara-san is very considerate of our issues. Besides, the training school seems to be full of nobles nowadays...¡±


    Natsumi giggled. ¡°That¡¯s mostly Hinata¡¯s doing. But she¡¯s right. If we induct all of the daughters who attend Hanafubuki in our ways, and get as many into Adamant as possible... then we control all the nobility by proxy. Maybe one day soon there won¡¯t be three great noble houses, but just one at the pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a way off yet.¡± I whispered, and she nodded, her smile sly.


    ¡°Not so long as you think. Hinata is determined. Hence why Sakura-sama... -san is here.¡± Natsumi couldn¡¯t show Sakura-san too much deference. ¡°Well, that and she¡¯s lonely, of course.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, Hinata seems to have a complicated relationship with her cousin. I wonder why...¡±


    ¡°There are... rumours. I don¡¯t want to speak of them.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°But amongst the top families like Motoko¡¯s, there are whispers that Sakura... no, I said I wouldn¡¯t say. Just... Hinata did have reason for her bitterness, and why she pressed to become equal to any of the three great houses so fearsomely. Even to the extent of bringing in Kazumi-san, a bodyguard, when she didn¡¯t have the pedigree to do so.¡±


    ¡°Is it going to cause us any problems?¡± I asked, and Natsumi shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how it could, but... it¡¯s a personal matter. But Sakura-san surely knows herself. Setting that aside, so you¡¯ll be going with Mayumi-san to South Africa too, and Ichijou-sama?¡±


    I nodded, and Natsumi shook her head. ¡°Be careful. Mayumi-san is by far the most arrogant and forceful of the daughters of the three great houses. Don¡¯t get swept up into her pace, or if you do... be sure to get the best of the bargain...¡±


    ¡°Do you think that Hinata would settle for a poor deal?¡± I quipped, and Natsumi laughed, pulling me closer by my arm, and her breath was hot on my ear.


    ¡°Tonight... it is my turn in your bed. And do you know who else won the lottery?¡±


    I shook my head imperceptibly, and she gently nibbled on my ear. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve got a surprise then...¡±


    I guess so. But a pleasant one...


    ***


    ¡°It is quite troooubling, being a mistress.¡± Hyacinth said to Tsukiko, who merely nodded. She was unveiled in front of many people, quite a lot of them unfamiliar to her, and it had exhausted her mental strength. Likewise, Hyacinth had also suffered, seeing all the maids at work.


    ¡°Yes, but you did well.¡± I said, sitting between them. ¡°You too, Tsukiko. I know how stressful it can be when you aren¡¯t used to it. But at least...¡± I glanced over at her parents, talking with Jack, Evelyn and the Kitsune. ¡°...they seem more settled.¡±


    Tsukiko nodded. ¡°Indeed they are. And I am grateful. It is still impossible to change our relationship so swiftly. But... time is what we have, no? Tamamo-no-Mae is right. For us... a year or ten is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Time is looong and often cooold.¡± Hyacinth said insightfully, and with a hint of melancholy in her violet eyes, silver highlights twinkling. ¡°Yet here is very warm, and Hyacinth loooves it. Mistress Tsukiko, never fooorget that what is whole can be shattered in but a moooment.¡±


    Tsukiko¡¯s eyes narrowed, and for a moment my Eye activated, picking up a surge of aether around her, as well as the violet flickers of spatial element. For a brief second Tsukiko¡¯s red eyes were shading violet, matching Hyacinth¡¯s, and after a moment she reached out and took the surprised Fae¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tsukiko remarked. ¡°I shall take your advice. For who knows better than you?¡± Tsukiko turned to me then. ¡°I believe you should take Hyacinth to your bed tonight. I know she did not win the lottery, but you have enough strength to spare for three, do you not?¡±


    Hyacinth flushed, her grin turning sloppy, and I nodded. ¡°Assuming the chosen two don¡¯t mind. Besides...¡±


    ¡°You will ooonly have mistress Hinata for the next days.¡± Hyacinth chuckled, glancing sideways at Tsukiko, communicating with her eyes.


    Tsukiko blinked, seeming to understand, and smiled at me. ¡°Do not mind me, spend some time with Hyacinth. I shall seize the moment and talk to my parents once more. Besides, I wish to speak to the legendary fox I heard tales of as a child.¡± Tsukiko got up primly and strolled off, while Hyacinth clutched my arm, humming off-key and contentedly.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked, and she nodded.


    ¡°Hyacinth always is, nooow. Though sometimes when people annoooy me...¡± She glared at Motoko¡¯s brother, who had loosened up after drinking a lot of fine alcohol, and was now chatting with my father, who had taken it on himself to smooth matters out between us. I appreciate it, but it¡¯s not likely I¡¯m going to do something stupid, father. Though I did chastise Shaeraggo for his idiocy... We had invited Shaeula¡¯s family, of course, but despite Shaeranna¡¯s wailing, Prince Shaetanao had required their presence for some Fae matter or other, so they weren¡¯t here.


    ¡°...I dooo find it a little hard to clear my mind. Sometimes serving like I used tooo helps, but... this is not so bad.¡± Hyacinth nodded to herself. ¡°It reminds me... ooof old times. The glittering lights in the dark, wine and sooong.¡± She glanced at the speakers that were playing gentle background noise. ¡°The parties spiralled ooout into the endless night, spanning days, weeks. We were fools. The rot was already in ooour hearts, the dark.¡±


    Fascinated, I listened. Hyacinth almost never mentioned anything about her past before she fell, so I didn¡¯t want to distract her. As if understanding that, she gripped my arm, her fingers digging in. ¡°It was tooooo easy. To let petty mistakes and grudges grow. We hated the humans, who wielded bright, cold iron, who burned ooour trees and our homes. But were we blameless? Nooo, our hands were already red.¡± She looked down, as if her own hands were covered in liquid. ¡°Pranks, harmless fun. Sooour the milk, steal a shoe, turn a bed upside down. Nooo... lead into swamps, steal a child and leave a changeling, burn a hooome, the sleepers inside... when did it start, why did it start? I dooo not know. Sooome changed. The weaker ones... ratkin, Goblins... first. And those with anger-filled hearts. Giants. Trooolls. But we never thought it could strike us, and sooo the endless night was full of dancing, ooof music and lights, until it was not any longer. And once a heart is pierced, there is nooo putting back the blood...¡±


    I listened, rapt, to her explanation, only for her to fall silent. I waited a little longer, but she didn¡¯t speak, until she suddenly shuddered, the usual silver glaze in her violet eyes shining. ¡°Oooh, was I talking?¡±


    I shook my head, squeezing her hand. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter. We were just sharing a moment.¡± As she giggled, I kissed her on the cheek, and she flushed, chortling. One day I¡¯ll know everything. But until then... better the Hyacinth we know. I sat with her for a while, before moving on to speak to Eri and Shiro, who were engaged in a heated debate with Violet-noona over the merits of body art...


    Yes, this has been fun, but... tomorrow, it all starts. So many tasks need to go perfectly to not upset my plans, and, above it all... My Foresight was still prickling. But... I¡¯ve prepared all I can. And nobody but me can do what needs to be done. I can¡¯t be everywhere at once, but... I glanced at Mae as she was questioning Tsukiko over some small matters. I¡¯ve hopefully secured the aid of the one who can protect my seeds. If not... I looked down at the boots I wore. They had been tailored and spruced up by Natsumi¡¯s family, and now the Seven-League Boots were fit to be worn everywhere. At seven leagues a step, it¡¯s still a long way home...

 Five Hundred And Nineteen – R18/Contains Sex

    Five Hundred And Nineteen ¨C R18/Contains Sex


    The rest of the evening passed rather pleasantly. There was a brief problem, when Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing reached the point Asha¡¯s Tree might have started to take damage, and I certainly couldn¡¯t mitigate it any more with my Skills, the pain becoming unbearable even for me, the damage outpacing my Ether Healing, so with some grumbling, Shiro cancelled her buff and then was ferried back to Shirohebizumi, making a brief appearance to reinitialise it, as every drop of ether was precious, considering I would be away for a while.


    On her return, she started drinking heavily with my father and Shaeula, commanding I make it up to her on my return. I agreed, laughing, and after talking with other guests, the families of the girls, the party wound down.


    I then found myself in my bedroom, with three women waiting for me. Natsumi smiled, still wearing her rather fetching party dress, while next to her was the oddly quiet withdrawn Hyacinth. Finally there was Asha, sitting there serenely, watching me warmly.


    ¡°That was a little stressful.¡± Natsumi said after a moment. ¡°Mother can be a bit embarrassing at times. But she¡¯s right, Asha. It would be nice to have your children wearing our clothing. I¡¯ll help sew them. After all, your children are our children too.¡±


    ¡°I had never considered it. Young Dryads usually go bare, or weave their clothing out of leaves and bark. Only when we mature do we stray far enough from our Trees to be mindful of such things.¡± She touched her own dress, in a pale green.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s no good.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°We can¡¯t have our children running around naked. Besides, you want them to have the best things in both worlds, don¡¯t you?¡± She winked at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway...¡± I paused, unsure of how to speak, and Hyacinth spoke up.


    ¡°I dooo think I should not be here tonight. I feel bad...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°The lottery is just a fun game, we don¡¯t have to abide by it. Akio has the last word. If there¡¯s one girl he wants to have relations with, then of course we¡¯ll agree. Though...¡± Her smile was cheeky. ¡°...if you play favourites some of us might get upset. I¡¯m teasing...¡± She saw the expression on my face. ¡°...we all understand. Especially us daughters of nobility. Honestly, this is a good idea. We do grow closer through shared experiences, and the habit of staying with those we are closest to needs breaking. So... to that end, you¡¯re happy you have Hyacinth here, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Just like I told you, Hyacinth. You¡¯re as much my wife as anyone. But there¡¯s one thing...¡± I looked at Asha. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, is it safe to have sex?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°I believe so. I am not mortal. But even so... perhaps just some other activities? I can cede to Hyacinth, for...¡± Asha regarded her fellow Fae warmly. ¡°I have never forgotten you were one of those that saved me and my Tree, and I am endlessly grateful. And while I did enjoy the intimacy, the feelings I have never felt before... I have a low drive for amorous activities I believe, for I am as much plant as Fae. And I have fruited. Though...¡± Her eyes narrowed wickedly. ¡°...It will take great efforts to reseed the forests of the Fae and also this Japan. I will be calling upon you again.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± I managed a dry laugh. Just how many daughters am I going to have? I really need our factories to start producing, raising kids isn¡¯t cheap...


    ¡°In that case... I¡¯m not very experienced, but we do talk. Shiro shared some interesting ideas with us. She seems very... experienced. Not in that way...¡± Natsumi giggled again. ¡°We all know she¡¯s dedicated herself to you, just as we nobles do. But as a worldly-wise woman, she has great insights.¡±


    I¡¯m sure Shiro would be happy to be praised, but knowing it¡¯s for her knowledge of erotic matters, I daresay she¡¯d be conflicted.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I asked, excitement building. After all, I¡¯m a healthy man, and what man wouldn¡¯t be overjoyed by his gorgeous women proposing some sort of lewd game?


    Natsumi flushed, her noble shyness making it a little hard to say, but in the end she forced out the words. ¡°How about a race? We take it turns using our mouth to service you. Thirty seconds each? And the winner is the one who makes you ejaculate?¡± Hearing her speak so matter-of-factly about it was arousing in itself, especially accompanied by her blushing face.


    ¡°Blooowjobs? Hyacinth knows that one well, we played it befooore.¡± She perked up a little, licking her pale lips.


    ¡°I am inexperienced, but I am prepared to taste your seeds. They have found purchase in my fertile soil, so they are potent indeed.¡± Asha said elegantly, and with that, I found Natsumi¡¯s hands on my trousers, and soon they were pulled down, my pants too, revealing my stiff cock. Natsumi poked the head idly, sending shivers through me.


    ¡°All right? Who wants to go first?¡± Natsumi asked. ¡°Since we are experienced, Hyacinth, maybe Asha should decide her turn?¡±


    Asha waved her hand gently. ¡°I shall allow you to choose.¡±


    ¡°Rock-paper-scissors it is then!¡± Natsumi said, and after the three girls played, the order was Natsumi, Asha then Hyacinth.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll start and warm you up.¡± Natsumi grasped my cock in her firm yet gentle hand. Blushing, she looked at me with moist brown eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take off your dress? I don¡¯t want to get it dirty...¡± I asked, and Natsumi giggled, her mouth close enough to my dick to feel her hot breath.


    ¡°Liar! I remember you loved soiling our dresses in London. Don¡¯t mind it. My family knows cloth, we can easily remove the stains. Though I¡¯ll do it myself... if mother saw it, I would die of mortification...¡± She then swallowed my cock whole, one hand on my balls teasing me, while her tongue started licking my glans and all around my shaft, her second hand making a ring with her fingers around my cock, gently squeezing and stroking as she sucked.


    ¡°How is it?¡± she asked wetly, and my answer was to slip a hand into her dress, pushing down her bra and fondling her breast, while my other slid into her skirt, groping her ass and rubbing her pussy through the fabric of her panties. Her flush deepened, and she intensified her sucking, heaving hot sighs.


    Her tongue was rough and warm, and she found a spot under my dick that sent shudders through me. Grinning, she continued to focus it, until Hyacinth called time, and Asha took over. As Natsumi pulled away with a little regret, wiping her mouth and fixing her dress, in a way that somehow showed more, Asha sat down elegantly on her knees before me. Not seiza, like a Japanese person would, but refined, nonetheless.


    ¡°I shall begin then.¡± Asha bent down, her hands gentle. Taking my dick as if it was precious, she had an entirely different style to Natsumi, gently licking it all over, fingers squeezing. ¡°I must release your seeds...¡± Asha proclaimed, and as she did so delicately, her mouth sucking on me as if it was a gentle breeze, I stroked her hair, respecting her wish not to experience too much pleasure as she was pregnant. Though she can still feel my affection, I hope.


    Indeed, Asha narrowed her eyes, enjoying our closeness, and when her time was up, she patted my dick gently, as if to thank it, before turning, only to see Hyacinth was already naked and her pussy was dripping. Her clothes had been neatly folded, of course, it was Hyacinth, but she was clearly eager.


    ¡°My turn. Bad luck, Asha. But there is always next time, nooo?¡± she commiserated the Dryad, who merely smiled.


    ¡°I have already all the happiness I need. Although...¡± She touched her lips, which had been clamped around my shaft only moments begore. ¡°I also delight in giving pleasure, my Kiss, to my beloved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, giving is just as good as receiving. Sometimes better.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°While we noble daughters aren¡¯t taught bedroom skills, at least Motoko and I never were, we are taught that serving is a joy. Our parents and teachers got that right, at least...¡±


    As Asha and Natsumi bantered, Hyacinth was frenziedly sucking on my dick, eager. Her tongue was like a snake, and even her hair was moving. She guided my hand to her pussy, and as I slid my fingers into and around it, toying with her clit, wet sounds resounded, and Hyacinth began to moan, speeding up her fellatio. She varied the pressure her mouth was emitting, alternatively squeezing and relaxing, and it did feel like her mouth was a pussy. Natsumi watched, learning all she could, while Asha gently put a hand on Hyacinth¡¯s sweaty back. Tears sparked in Hyacinth¡¯s eyes, sliding down her cheeks to drop onto my legs, and with my other hand I stroked her head, her hair settling down again, no longer acting like she was a Medusa.


    ¡°Akiooo...¡± Hyacinth muttered, arms around me, but her head didn¡¯t stop moving, her tongue searching, probing, tasting me. I was oozing precum, and could feel a hot load rising within me. I could have resisted, but... It¡¯s more than thirty seconds, surely?


    Asha, still patting Hyacinth, shook her head, and Natsumi waved a hand. Understanding, I forced my body to respond, the opposite to usual. Normally I¡¯m trying to hold myself back...


    ¡°I looove this flavour, it soothes me, reassures me...¡± Hyacinth muttered, clamping her mouth down, tongue wrapping around me. Moments later, I groaned, my cum jetting out, and Hyacinth¡¯s teary eyes widened in pleasure. She gulped again and again, droplets and rivulets scattering, and her own pleasure spiked, and she gushed her own sour nectars, soaking my stoking hand. She continued to suck on me, as if to drink me dry, and when I was spent, she pulled free, cloudy white cum spilling from her lips, and she opened wide for a moment, showing me her full mouth, before she swallowed. ¡°I wooon. But...¡± she paused. ¡°Hyacinth got carried away. That was toooooo long.¡±


    ¡°The details don¡¯t matter.¡± Natsumi insisted. ¡°Akio¡¯s happy, you¡¯re... happy. So we are too, right?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°Yes, I do not begrudge you your love, Hyacinth. For he saved you, as he did me, did he not?¡±


    Hyacinth nodded slowly, thinking about something, and Natsumi clapped her hands.


    ¡°All right, time for the main event. The first one, anyway, as we know Akio is insatiable, and we have to make sure he remembers us for a week when he¡¯s alone with Hinata! Since Hyacinth won, I think we should let her have the first bout of lovemaking.¡± Natsumi exchanged a look with Asha, who nodded, and I felt warm inside. They¡¯re very considerate. Hyacinth¡¯s clearly not been right since the party. They are trying to make her feel better...


    ¡°If yooou are sure? It does not seem fair, you were toooooo generous with the timings¡± Hyacinth said, licking her fingers, having swallowed my cum cheerfully. Her chin was still sticky with it, and it had dripped down her neck and chest.


    ¡°The competition wasn¡¯t important. Not this time.¡± Natsumi pointed out. ¡°Only that everyone has fun. If you really want to play properly, why don¡¯t we get everyone together, make a real game of it?¡±


    ¡°If we do that, I¡¯ll be squeezed dry!¡± I laughed, imagining nine, or perhaps ten, if Tsukiko decided to play, of my women all waiting their turn. It¡¯s times like this I¡¯m grateful Kana is taking our relationship slow...


    ¡°Do it for us.¡± Natsumi insisted, smiling.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I patted the bed, my dick standing hard despite Hyacinth¡¯s passionate efforts moments ago. She flopped down beside me, and with her fingers spread her pussy, inviting me in. She then blinked, surprised, as I waited.


    ¡°What is wrooong?¡± she asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯d like to know. You seemed upset at the party. Want to talk about it? You don¡¯t have to, but we¡¯re here for you, okay?¡±


    Hyacinth shook her head. ¡°I am fine. I wish tooo serve.¡±


    ¡°And I wish to find pleasure together. But if you¡¯re sure...¡± I kissed her tear-stained cheeks gently, surprising her, before gently sliding into her hot insides, her pussy clamping down with joy as I entered her,


    ¡°Yes, I looove this!¡± Hyacinth insisted, arms around me, as I began to thrust, sliding in and out of her. ¡°I feel connected, wanted, needed.¡±


    Yeah, there¡¯s definitely something wrong here. As I continued to slide in and out, wet liquids scattering, the sour, almost grassy smell of Hyacinth filling my nose, I didn¡¯t aggressively grope her like usual, which was puzzling her. Instead I stroked her hair and back, though I couldn¡¯t help myself from cheekily squeezing her ass a little. When I did that, Hyacinth giggled softly, though there was an edge to it.


    She was grinding up and down, her breathing erratic, eyes moist, and I found myself at a loss. I never thought it could happen when having sex wasn¡¯t fun... It was physically pleasurable, as always, Hyacinth eager to please, and her frenzied motions were squeezing my cock as if to milk it, but... there¡¯s no joy in it. Normally when I embrace them, they hold me... we feel the connection of our hearts. This... It wasn¡¯t right.


    I didn¡¯t blame Hyacinth, she was clearly struggling emotionally, but sex was a joining of our hearts, so perhaps I could use it to communicate. Especially if I... yes, that could work. Hyacinth was panting, losing herself in pleasure, yet she was a good girl, not forgetting to make sure to look at my face to see where my own pleasure spots were. She moved so my glans was rubbing on her insides, stimulating us both, but her violet eyes seemed confused at my expression.


    ¡°Are you nooot enjoying me?¡± she asked, her tone pleading, and my answer was to release a great surge of my elemental energies and aether, sending them out towards Hyacinth. For a moment, she looked frightened, silver sparkles in her violet eyes, but I then kissed her for the first time, and she widened her mouth as she did her eyes, and I slipped inside my tongue, tasting her. We twisted together, tongues, arms and also our genitals, and Hyacinth squeezed shut her eyes for a moment, before her own elemental energies responded, surging into me as mine flooded out, along with her emotions and sorrows...


    I knew it. She¡¯s hurting... Hugging her tight, I pulled Hyacinth up into a sitting position, so my dick reached deep inside her, striking the entrance to her womb. My spiritual energies were also inside her, carrying my warm feelings and love towards her, and with every thrust we felt each other in greater detail.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. You can talk to me, to us.¡± I promised, and Hyacinth burst into tears, sobbing and wailing. Even so, she didn¡¯t stop bobbing up and down on top of me, even if her arms were clutching me tightly enough to hurt, her nails digging into me, drawing thin rivulets of blood. This is nothing, compared to what she feels...


    ¡°I love you.¡± I whispered, and she tightened up on me, squeezing my cock tight. ¡°So if you need anything, I¡¯ll do it. If you don¡¯t want to say, that¡¯s fine, but...¡±


    No more words needed to be said. Despite her sobs, she sought my tongue, rocking and riding on my dick, shuddering as she started climbing towards orgasm. Her kisses became slack, filled with drool, and moments later her back arched, and she let out a loud, shrill shriek, her pussy gushing her grassy nectars. I then thrust up one final time, and my cum jetted out, soaking and filling her insides, just as her elemental energies filled me, and mine hers. We were blending together, becoming one, and I clutched her as tightly as she did me as we collapsed, panting to the bed, one final thrust of my cock emptying me out, splashing out of her down her thighs, rendering us both a sticky mess.


    ¡°Hah, Hyacinth is... sooo confused. But...¡± She touched her belly, panting heavily, and as I went to pull out she shook her head, hair tickling me, and so I lay there in her embrace, feeling her worries. In the end, she spoke up. ¡°I... Hyacinth feels ashamed, to weep in front of you, Akiooo, and the other mistresses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± Natsume shook her head, and Asha agreed. ¡°We all have our struggles. But... we have the ideal man to chase them away.¡± Her smile was cheeky yet warm, and Hyacinth nodded, wiping her eyes.


    ¡°I... do not remember, nooot truly.¡± she said again, an explanation she often gave, but I was starting to doubt, especially with the feelings we just shared through the Fae way of bonding. ¡°But I worry. I am happy, truly happy again, and... I dooo not want the darkness to creep in again. For it all to fall tooo ruin. Seeing everyone, it reminded me ooof far-off days, the sparkle of the Court, the ... before.¡±


    ¡°Before the Unseelie?¡± Asha asked, knowing, and Hyacinth nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Whooo could see it coming? Nooot the King, nooor the Queen, nor even her. Hyacinth could not either. But I should have, if sooo...¡± Words failed her, guilt bubbling up, and I silenced it with kisses, gently playing with her hair until she calmed down. After a while, the look in her eyes changed, our shared emotions calming, and she shuddered like wet dog, before kissing me noisily, licking my face, and she was back to her old self.


    ¡°I am sooo ashamed, making a fuss, ruining your fun.¡± She repeated her earlier words, though this time they were less sorrowful. ¡°Akiooo, mistress Natsumi, mistress Asha. How can I make amends?¡±


    ¡°No amends needed. We understand.¡± Natsumi joined in on our hug, while Asha once more stroked her hair, and mine as well, radiating a motherly aura. ¡°Though... if you insist...¡±


    ¡°Anything...¡± Hyacinth promised, and Natsumi giggled.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m up next. And then... Hyacinth, do it over, and really satisfy yourself, and Akio as well. In here...¡± she patted Hyacinth¡¯s bare chest. ¡°...after all, this is making love, not just sex. So unless you feel the love...?¡± She let out a yelp as Hyacinth hugged her too, smiling.


    ¡°I knooow, I understand. I... am very thankful I am nooo longer in the box. I looove it here. I looove everyone. So... yes, go ahead. Hyacinth will help!¡± With that she stripped Natsumi off as she protested, embarrassed, and then tossed her down gently beside me, before sitting down to watch, her violet eyes shimmering.


    Crimson with embarrassment, Natsumi paused for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°I guess this was the whole point of us changing up who sleeps with you together. In that case, I¡¯m Hori Natsumi, ready for battle!¡± Announcing her readiness just as she would in a martial arts tournament, we all burst out laughing, and under the watchful eyes of Hyacinth and Asha, I pulled Natsumi close, knowing I had a long night ahead, but one I would not trade for anything.


    Hyacinth... there¡¯s more to this than she lets on. But all we can do is encourage her. She¡¯s recovering, certainly, not anywhere near as damaged as when we first met her, but... some wounds are deep, and exposing them to the light is painful. I¡¯ll ask the others to keep an eye on her, and when I return... maybe I can do some digging, or at least get Shaeula to...


    Then my thoughts, despite my numerous Split ones, scattered, as Natsumi began to suck my cock once more, trying to make up for lost time...


    ***


    ¡°Did you have a good night?¡± Eri asked me as I came down for breakfast. Natsumi was up before me, bathing and then heading off to practise with Natsumi, but Asha was still in bed, watching over the mentally exhausted Hyacinth, who was sleeping soundly now, her worries being out in the open relieving her stress. Even if she¡¯s not said much, opening up a little, first at the party and now in bed, it surely helps her...


    ¡°Just as good as the night before.¡± I gave Eri a good morning kiss, and she raised an eyebrow, amused. The surprise made her cat ears and tail pop into existence, pushing down the hem of her jeans a little.


    ¡°Flatterer. Flirt.¡± She criticised me insincerely, before returning me a more passionate kiss, her black eyes as damp as our lips when we parted. She ran her tongue over hers, tasting me, and then snorted, amused. ¡°The other girls are going to miss you. I am too... but for me its different.¡± She was triumphant as she poured me some cold tea into a mug.


    After all, we can talk to each other whenever we want, feel each other, right? They¡¯ll need to work harder on their Lovers¡¯ Link... but surpassing me is just a pipedream!


    Sure. And yeah, we¡¯re never apart now. I ruffled Eri¡¯s hair, thinking back to her. ¡°So, how¡¯d you find the party?¡±


    ¡°I enjoyed it. And more importantly, mother and father needed it. Seeing us all together, all our families... they get that this is the life we chose, and that the other girls are the same as me. And more importantly, their parents too. In that respect, Kana¡¯s parents and Tsukiko¡¯s make the biggest impression, but surprisingly... Natsumi¡¯s mother and father made an impact. For nobility they are very down to earth, and have ordinary worries.¡±


    I nodded, sitting down, while Eri brought me my breakfast, rice and miso soup alongside some grilled fish. It was a light breakfast, as I would be travelling to London through the Ring Gate in the early afternoon, which due to the time difference would send me back to breakfast time again.


    ¡°Yes, actually Natsumi¡¯s family, other than being very old and notable in their industry, are really very normal. Yet they have to follow noble ways. Natsumi¡¯s future was potentially difficult. That must have troubled her parents. But now...¡±


    ¡°But now, the arranged marriage they knew would come happened, but fortunately Natsumi is happy, and more than that, she¡¯s remained with her best friend, even marrying the same man. Therefore she can be assured her future will be a kind one.¡± Eri finished for me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. So talking to mother-in-law Masae-san and father-in-law Shou-san is good for your parents. After all, they have an ordinary perspective on an abnormal situation.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Though honestly, my parents have come around to it. They know it¡¯s either you for me or nobody. And I¡¯m happy. What parents don¡¯t want their daughter to be... oh.¡± Her face fell as she sat down beside me, remembering one noticeable absence from our party. ¡°A poor choice of words. Shiro¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t take offense. And I don¡¯t think they want her to be unhappy, they just... I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s not my place to interfere unless Shiro asks me to. But it seems more like selfishness and neglect than malice.¡±


    Shiro wasn¡¯t up either, having hit the booze hard, especially after her forced break, so I didn¡¯t want to talk about it further. Observing Eri, I let my Eye shine. Realising what I was going, Eri leaned back, her chest straining against her t-shirt, appealing to me. With a laugh, I waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯m too busy to take you to bed right now, Eri. I had enough last night. Anyway...¡±


    Mori Eri


    Half-Bakeneko


    Bonded Kin


    [Material Statistics]


    Combat Technique


    Rank 2


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Elemental Axe Technique


    Rank 1


    Rank 2


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (3)


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 8


    Rank 11


    Imperious (6) Legendary (7)


    Artifice (6)


    Principle (7)


    Shifting Cat


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    50/107 54/148


    [Class]


    Dark Temptress 8/10


    Fae-Bonded 5/20 9/20


    Spirit Pledged 7/10


    Kami-Blessed 2/20


    Shapeshifter 1/10 2/10


    Maneki-Neko 1/20 2/20


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds 1/10


    Qi Refiner 2/10


    [Mastered Classes]


    Spirit Pledged 10/10


    Dark Temptress 10/10


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve got the Skill for your Lunar Chakra now? And you¡¯re at Rank two for Qi Refining?¡± I asked, noticing the key points, and Eri nodded proudly.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s strange how everything came full circle. It was Shaeula giving me Chirurgery and then your aether pouring into me that started everything. I¡¯ve been working hard. I don¡¯t want to be left behind, even though I wasn¡¯t crippled for that long, to me it seems like forever. So now I¡¯m well, no, better than well, I¡¯ve been making up for lost time.¡± She puffed out her chest, pressing against my arm. ¡°With my body being half Bakeneko now, it¡¯s more malleable, and easier to strengthen. Though it does come with downsides.¡± She gestured to her tail. ¡°I can¡¯t always control it yet. I can¡¯t wear skirts easily in case I flash someone, and I don¡¯t want to be responsible for their murder when you find out someone saw my panties.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be that unreasonable. Probably.¡± I amended, pleasing Eri greatly with my possessiveness.


    ¡°Anyway. I find Qi Refining easier than expected. Daiyu¡¯s saying I take after her, a prodigy. It makes sense, after all, we both managed to gain the Class, didn¡¯t we? The others need to try harder!¡± Eri¡¯s triumph gave way to en embarrassed smile. ¡°Honestly though, Daiyu¡¯s teaching is excellent. And despite being constantly praised from the day she was first a Cultivator, she isn¡¯t that arrogant. She¡¯s easy to get along with, I like her. There¡¯s something calming about having some girls around who aren¡¯t always chattering away, like Shiro and Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Daiyu¡¯s very stoic. But also surprisingly loving.¡± I muttered, and Eri sniffed.


    ¡°Not surprisingly. For Daiyu, you were her destiny. I know how she feels. And not only that, you can even Cultivate with her. With us all soon, hopefully. In fact, Daiyu and Shaeula both suggested I be the one to test it out more thoroughly, the more advanced Chirurgery too. I know you are planning to add the Night Orbs Shaeula and I have, as well as Daiyu¡¯s Dantians, to everyone. It makes sense you¡¯d worry, it¡¯s like doing multiple heart transplants not knowing if they¡¯ll take. But me... I¡¯m malleable!¡± As if to prove a point, Eri¡¯s chest started to grow, straining the cloth of her t-shirt, before she grimaced.


    ¡°Ugh, I need to do this when not wearing a bra, that was painful.¡± She returned to normal. ¡°But joking aside, if something goes wrong, I¡¯m more able to withstand it and be fixed. I¡¯ll be sure to try and get Shifting Cat to higher Ranks while you are away. I¡¯ve been practising a lot. Also... Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan...¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. It was very rare for Eri to use the -chan prefix with anyone, Aiko was the only one I remembered, though obviously that stopped after Las Vegas. Seeing my expression of surprise, Eri explained.


    ¡°They are very good girls. Refined, polite, talented and loyal. It¡¯s troubling. For a moment I almost knew how Shaeula and Shiro felt, before common sense reasserted itself. But I understand Adamant better now. Not that I condone Hinata and the others going behind our backs, but we¡¯ve talked it out, and I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t do it again. But... girls like the twins can¡¯t be allowed to escape us. Not that they want to. They idolise you... as a brother.¡± she added.


    ¡°Aiko won¡¯t be happy then.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Seems like I¡¯m collecting sisters...¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. Turnabout is fair.¡± Eri crowed. ¡°Though they¡¯ve helped ius all, me included, learn. My light element wouldn¡¯t have grown without their linking, and I¡¯m sure it was one of the reasons I finally properly condensed the lunar Chakra. When it comes to rewards, they should be top of the list. Haru-san too.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll have all the money and support they¡¯ll ever need, and I do intend to make custom equipment for them at some point. Anyway...¡± I went back to Eri¡¯s status. ¡°Your biggest weakness is your stats. They¡¯re not exactly low, but like everyone else, you haven¡¯t had much time to Level up recently, so the best way to boost them is to increase the strength of your Chakra network and Silver Cord. It looks like you¡¯re close though...¡±


    I estimated that via the glow I could see with my Eye, and Eri agreed.


    ¡°Yes, I can feel a breakthrough is soon. By the time you return, hopefully I¡¯ll be more able to stand at your side, even without a Favour.¡±


    I nodded. Although, depending on my first errand... ¡°So, do you have any plans?¡± I asked, changing the subject now that Eri was aware of her current potential and growth plans.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eri said after taking a mouthful of grilled fish, swallowing. ¡°I have to finish my final school assignments, and then I¡¯m done. Though honestly, I¡¯m going to take an exam for a top university, even if I won¡¯t go. Just to increase my value, and also to please my parents.¡± She paused then. ¡°Aiko has to as well, though she¡¯s running behind. If she¡¯s not careful she¡¯ll have to work over winter break. Missing Christmas would be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say...¡± I agreed. We talked more about her plans, including watching the concert at the weekend, and soon more people were entering the room, having woken up, and breakfast became far livelier...


    ***


    ¡°All right then. That¡¯s great.¡± I said to Suk-ja, who was sweating, having exhausted herself conjuring more of the Winged Diamonds for Daiyu and I. Beside me, Daiyu was absorbing the energies from the first batch, and now I held the second. Breaking them down, I shattered them, sucking in the crystal element. It still hadn¡¯t stimulated my Chakras to produce any yet, but I could definitely feel it soaking into my root and third eye Chakras. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, like I say, it¡¯s an easy job. Best way to earn money...¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m a little worried about Ji-ho-oppa and the others.¡± Suk-ja frowned, only for Violet-noona to laugh.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry...¡± she said, even as she was having a practise bout against Trey and Aliyah, fending them both off gracefully, even as they barraged her with volleys of rock projectiles and tried to close in to use their fists, feet and knives. ¡°Korea¡¯s a fucking bore at the moment. Hey... that won¡¯t work...¡± She dodged Aliyah¡¯s thrust, but then stumbled, Trey stamping the ground, liquefying it.


    ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯m not even using my venom or summoning the scorpions...¡± Violet-noona snickered, ripping her foot free of the quagmire, her knee flying out, though Aliyah blocked it, the impact making her grunt and knocking her back.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Trey said, knife thrusting, only for Violet-noona to grab his arm and toss him over her shoulder.


    ¡°You think?¡± she snorted, before slamming her boot into his guts and pointing a fist at the rising Aliyah.


    ¡°Shit Trey, we lose.¡± Aliyah conceded. ¡°Good fight.¡± She held out a hand and Violet-noona shook it, before Trey struggled out from under her, dusted himself off, and patted her back.


    ¡°Yeah, damn good sparring. I¡¯d hire you for the Black Wolf in a heartbeat, girl. We need more female operatives.¡±


    ¡°I thought you worked for Akio-oppa now?¡± Violet-noona raised an eyebrow. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m a Hunter, not a merc.¡±


    ¡°Private Contractor...¡± Trey corrected reflexively, and Aliyah pounded his back.


    ¡°Stow that shit, Trey. Now we¡¯re just employees. Anyway, you¡¯re a girl after my own heart. When I get back, we should hit a few bars.¡±


    ¡°I thought you liked them cute and petite... ahh...¡± Trey was silenced by Aliyah¡¯s boot, and he adopted a hurt look. Aliyah ignored him and continued talking.


    ¡°If we could do the wind shit, move faster like Luciana, you wouldn¡¯t have it so easy. But the girl¡¯s a damn genius apparently. Got the fancy new uniform and everything...¡± Aliyah looked put out at that, before brightening up. ¡°Oh well, it¡¯ll be good to be back in the old US of A, even if it¡¯s only for a few days. Luciana can handle the Company in our absence just fine. It¡¯s just a shame we¡¯re accompanying such a madwoman.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to put up with it. I want eyes on her, and also... I need some clever, competent people with me.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, your compliment would make me blush.¡± Aliyah snorted, and Trey nodded, echoing her sentiments. ¡°So anyway, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on your true precious cargo. That Hinata girl is a real cute one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you. Ichijou-san will have guards, but they aren¡¯t the real deal.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are.¡± Aliyah grinned. ¡°Thanks for the gear anyway.¡± She and Trey were wearing Brigandine under-armour, and were also armed with enhanced telescoping batons containing bluesteel which was full of lightning element, as well as a modified pistol which could use elemental rounds, and a few special secret toys, and all of it was now able to exist in both the Material and Boundary. Prototypes of Ixitt¡¯s mass-produced series...


    ¡°You can count on us.¡± Trey promised. ¡°So, update on the mad scientist?¡±


    ¡°Haru tells me she¡¯s awake, and seems lucid, but she¡¯s... unusually quiet. It¡¯s eerie. The experience has either knocked a few screws loose, or she¡¯s processing it. In any case, she¡¯s got Titan as her guard as well, and he¡¯s all right, but he¡¯s a brawler, all strength and toughness. If it comes down to it...¡±


    ¡°We know. Kill the fuckers and let God, or in this case, you... sort out the aftermath.¡± Aliyah scowled.


    ¡°Yeah. And worst case, if you¡¯re injured I can fix you right up...¡±


    ¡°How reassuring.¡± Trey grimaced, while Aliyah tossed her head, hair beads jingling.


    ¡°Yeah, you two are fun.¡± Violet-noona snickered, before kneeling down before the exhausted Suk-ja. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, Korea¡¯s damn quiet. Almost too quiet, but if the situation calls for it, I¡¯ll go back. Shit, I¡¯m not just freeloading while little bro holds the fort...¡±


    Before Suk-ja could reply, a frustrated voice called over. ¡°Do you mind? I am trying to read...¡± Mae had spoken, her tails raised in annoyance. On her lap was the mysterious old book, the one we had found in Boundary Inuyama. She was idly leafing through it, able to read the ancient Japanese within, and she was making transcriptions for us, including the illustrations, being a surprisingly skilled artist, using an old-fashioned animal hair brush.


    ¡°Sorry. We can move away...¡± I apologised, and Mae sighed.


    ¡°It is your home, I am a guest here, even if an honoured one.¡± Her arrogance was returning hour by hour. ¡°But art requires silence. And before you ask, yes, I am a master of painting, music, calligraphy, go, and much more. After all, was I not the greatest courtesan in the Eastern lands?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ll have to learn from you.¡± I laughed. Speaking of learning... Back on the Material I was cramming German lessons off a digital recording while I sorted out some other matters. ¡°More to the point, how¡¯s your strength?¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to fight to see?¡± Mae scoffed, before shaking her head. ¡°I am still far from my peak, but the... modifications... you made to me seem to be holding, and I feel far better than yesterday. I have no wish to push it, but I suspect if I must, I could exert perhaps seventy-five percent of my former strength for a minute or two, before suffering injury.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Seventy-five percent, huh? That¡¯s a lot, considering she¡¯s Nurarihyon-class, but the short time is a problem. But if she heals more every day...


    ¡°I can see you worrying.¡± Daiyu spoke up, having finished her absorption. My Eye shone, and I could see a deeper reservoir of crystal Qi within her, but it hadn¡¯t been able to trigger her inner Jade yet. ¡°We are all here. This place is not defenceless. But have no fear, we are not arrogant. We may be tigers, but there are dragons still. There will be no mistakes.¡±


    ¡°All of the Black Wolf is ready. It¡¯s honest work, at least.¡± Trey declared. ¡°Protecting women and children is a good feeling. Even if...¡± he looked at Daiyu ruefully. ¡°...some of those women and kids could kick the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°I have Cultivated for long years, and received the blessing of Chang¡¯e. If I could not, I would be too ashamed to call myself Black Jade.¡± Daiyu demurred, proving she was indeed not taking her talents for granted. ¡°Despite that, at first I lost to firearms. Now though...¡± She flexed. ¡°I am far stronger, and have accepted the power I disdained before. If I ever faced the same again, matters would end differently.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help but worry. But again, I¡¯ve double-checked our contingencies this morning.¡± I sighed. ¡°But the problem with Favours and the like is, we never know if there¡¯ll be some cheat ability that surpasses what we can imagine or plan for.¡± As it was nearly time for me to use the Ring Gate, on the Material I said my farewells to everyone else, at least those not at school. Hinata would be taking a flight from Haneda, a private plane of course, one provided by Ichijou-san, and Christna Bakker, Titan, and Aliyah and Trey would be joining them. Dismissing my Material body, I took one last look at the Territory details. Seeing that, Trey and Aliyah realised they needed to leave, so after exchanging a few fist bumps with Violet-noona, they returned to the Material, though not before Aliyah grumbled how unfair it was I could reach London in moments, not nearly a day...


    All right, we now have just over forty-four and a half million ether. Not bad, Shiro¡¯s extra buff makes a big difference. In terms of build queues, the two Anchor Spires only had a handful of days left. When they were done, that would be a further boost, though minor, as most of our ether was generated by Asha¡¯s Tree, which wasn¡¯t affected by them.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be off, although...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you shall return in a moment. So there is no need to fret.¡± Daiyu agreed, a faint smile on her face, and indeed, I stepped through the Ring Gate, reached Bermondsey isle, and resummoned my Material body as soon as I crossed to the shore, to prevent falling in the Thames. Moments later I popped back through the Gate, and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, welcome back.¡± Daiyu agreed, and with that, I went back to our training, though for how long... That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it? As soon as I need to enter the Boundary on my travels, I¡¯ll vanish from Japan. Ideally, I¡¯ll never need to, but... that¡¯s simply not feasible, and too much of a waste...

 Five Hundred And Nineteen – R18/Contains S*x *Contains Status – Eri ?*

    Five Hundred And Nineteen ¨C R18/Contains S*x *Contains Status ¨C Eri ?*


    The rest of the evening passed rather pleasantly. There was a brief problem, when Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing reached the point Asha¡¯s Tree might have started to take damage, and I certainly couldn¡¯t mitigate it any more with my Skills, the pain becoming unbearable even for me, the damage outpacing my Ether Healing, so with some grumbling, Shiro cancelled her buff and then was ferried back to Shirohebizumi, making a brief appearance to reinitialise it, as every drop of ether was precious, considering I would be away for a while.


    On her return, she started drinking heavily with my father and Shaeula, commanding I make it up to her on my return. I agreed, laughing, and after talking with other guests, the families of the girls, the party wound down.


    I then found myself in my bedroom, with three women waiting for me. Natsumi smiled, still wearing her rather fetching party dress, while next to her was the oddly quiet withdrawn Hyacinth. Finally there was Asha, sitting there serenely, watching me warmly.


    ¡°That was a little stressful.¡± Natsumi said after a moment. ¡°Mother can be a bit embarrassing at times. But she¡¯s right, Asha. It would be nice to have your children wearing our clothing. I¡¯ll help sew them. After all, your children are our children too.¡±


    ¡°I had never considered it. Young Dryads usually go bare, or weave their clothing out of leaves and bark. Only when we mature do we stray far enough from our Trees to be mindful of such things.¡± She touched her own dress, in a pale green.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s no good.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°We can¡¯t have our children running around naked. Besides, you want them to have the best things in both worlds, don¡¯t you?¡± She winked at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway...¡± I paused, unsure of how to speak, and Hyacinth spoke up.


    ¡°I dooo think I should not be here tonight. I feel bad...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°The lottery is just a fun game, we don¡¯t have to abide by it. Akio has the last word. If there¡¯s one girl he wants to have relations with, then of course we¡¯ll agree. Though...¡± Her smile was cheeky. ¡°...if you play favourites some of us might get upset. I¡¯m teasing...¡± She saw the expression on my face. ¡°...we all understand. Especially us daughters of nobility. Honestly, this is a good idea. We do grow closer through shared experiences, and the habit of staying with those we are closest to needs breaking. So... to that end, you¡¯re happy you have Hyacinth here, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Just like I told you, Hyacinth. You¡¯re as much my wife as anyone. But there¡¯s one thing...¡± I looked at Asha. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, is it safe to have sex?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°I believe so. I am not mortal. But even so... perhaps just some other activities? I can cede to Hyacinth, for...¡± Asha regarded her fellow Fae warmly. ¡°I have never forgotten you were one of those that saved me and my Tree, and I am endlessly grateful. And while I did enjoy the intimacy, the feelings I have never felt before... I have a low drive for amorous activities I believe, for I am as much plant as Fae. And I have fruited. Though...¡± Her eyes narrowed wickedly. ¡°...It will take great efforts to reseed the forests of the Fae and also this Japan. I will be calling upon you again.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± I managed a dry laugh. Just how many daughters am I going to have? I really need our factories to start producing, raising kids isn¡¯t cheap...


    ¡°In that case... I¡¯m not very experienced, but we do talk. Shiro shared some interesting ideas with us. She seems very... experienced. Not in that way...¡± Natsumi giggled again. ¡°We all know she¡¯s dedicated herself to you, just as we nobles do. But as a worldly-wise woman, she has great insights.¡±


    I¡¯m sure Shiro would be happy to be praised, but knowing it¡¯s for her knowledge of erotic matters, I daresay she¡¯d be conflicted.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I asked, excitement building. After all, I¡¯m a healthy man, and what man wouldn¡¯t be overjoyed by his gorgeous women proposing some sort of lewd game?


    Natsumi flushed, her noble shyness making it a little hard to say, but in the end she forced out the words. ¡°How about a race? We take it turns using our mouth to service you. Thirty seconds each? And the winner is the one who makes you ejaculate?¡± Hearing her speak so matter-of-factly about it was arousing in itself, especially accompanied by her blushing face.


    ¡°Blooowjobs? Hyacinth knows that one well, we played it befooore.¡± She perked up a little, licking her pale lips.


    ¡°I am inexperienced, but I am prepared to taste your seeds. They have found purchase in my fertile soil, so they are potent indeed.¡± Asha said elegantly, and with that, I found Natsumi¡¯s hands on my trousers, and soon they were pulled down, my pants too, revealing my stiff cock. Natsumi poked the head idly, sending shivers through me.


    ¡°All right? Who wants to go first?¡± Natsumi asked. ¡°Since we are experienced, Hyacinth, maybe Asha should decide her turn?¡±


    Asha waved her hand gently. ¡°I shall allow you to choose.¡±


    ¡°Rock-paper-scissors it is then!¡± Natsumi said, and after the three girls played, the order was Natsumi, Asha then Hyacinth.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll start and warm you up.¡± Natsumi grasped my cock in her firm yet gentle hand. Blushing, she looked at me with moist brown eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take off your dress? I don¡¯t want to get it dirty...¡± I asked, and Natsumi giggled, her mouth close enough to my dick to feel her hot breath.


    ¡°Liar! I remember you loved soiling our dresses in London. Don¡¯t mind it. My family knows cloth, we can easily remove the stains. Though I¡¯ll do it myself... if mother saw it, I would die of mortification...¡± She then swallowed my cock whole, one hand on my balls teasing me, while her tongue started licking my glans and all around my shaft, her second hand making a ring with her fingers around my cock, gently squeezing and stroking as she sucked.


    ¡°How is it?¡± she asked wetly, and my answer was to slip a hand into her dress, pushing down her bra and fondling her breast, while my other slid into her skirt, groping her ass and rubbing her pussy through the fabric of her panties. Her flush deepened, and she intensified her sucking, heaving hot sighs.


    Her tongue was rough and warm, and she found a spot under my dick that sent shudders through me. Grinning, she continued to focus it, until Hyacinth called time, and Asha took over. As Natsumi pulled away with a little regret, wiping her mouth and fixing her dress, in a way that somehow showed more, Asha sat down elegantly on her knees before me. Not seiza, like a Japanese person would, but refined, nonetheless.


    ¡°I shall begin then.¡± Asha bent down, her hands gentle. Taking my dick as if it was precious, she had an entirely different style to Natsumi, gently licking it all over, fingers squeezing. ¡°I must release your seeds...¡± Asha proclaimed, and as she did so delicately, her mouth sucking on me as if it was a gentle breeze, I stroked her hair, respecting her wish not to experience too much pleasure as she was pregnant. Though she can still feel my affection, I hope.


    Indeed, Asha narrowed her eyes, enjoying our closeness, and when her time was up, she patted my dick gently, as if to thank it, before turning, only to see Hyacinth was already naked and her pussy was dripping. Her clothes had been neatly folded, of course, it was Hyacinth, but she was clearly eager.


    ¡°My turn. Bad luck, Asha. But there is always next time, nooo?¡± she commiserated the Dryad, who merely smiled.


    ¡°I have already all the happiness I need. Although...¡± She touched her lips, which had been clamped around my shaft only moments begore. ¡°I also delight in giving pleasure, my Kiss, to my beloved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, giving is just as good as receiving. Sometimes better.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°While we noble daughters aren¡¯t taught bedroom skills, at least Motoko and I never were, we are taught that serving is a joy. Our parents and teachers got that right, at least...¡±


    As Asha and Natsumi bantered, Hyacinth was frenziedly sucking on my dick, eager. Her tongue was like a snake, and even her hair was moving. She guided my hand to her pussy, and as I slid my fingers into and around it, toying with her clit, wet sounds resounded, and Hyacinth began to moan, speeding up her fellatio. She varied the pressure her mouth was emitting, alternatively squeezing and relaxing, and it did feel like her mouth was a pussy. Natsumi watched, learning all she could, while Asha gently put a hand on Hyacinth¡¯s sweaty back. Tears sparked in Hyacinth¡¯s eyes, sliding down her cheeks to drop onto my legs, and with my other hand I stroked her head, her hair settling down again, no longer acting like she was a Medusa.


    ¡°Akiooo...¡± Hyacinth muttered, arms around me, but her head didn¡¯t stop moving, her tongue searching, probing, tasting me. I was oozing precum, and could feel a hot load rising within me. I could have resisted, but... It¡¯s more than thirty seconds, surely?


    Asha, still patting Hyacinth, shook her head, and Natsumi waved a hand. Understanding, I forced my body to respond, the opposite to usual. Normally I¡¯m trying to hold myself back...


    ¡°I looove this flavour, it soothes me, reassures me...¡± Hyacinth muttered, clamping her mouth down, tongue wrapping around me. Moments later, I groaned, my cum jetting out, and Hyacinth¡¯s teary eyes widened in pleasure. She gulped again and again, droplets and rivulets scattering, and her own pleasure spiked, and she gushed her own sour nectars, soaking my stoking hand. She continued to suck on me, as if to drink me dry, and when I was spent, she pulled free, cloudy white cum spilling from her lips, and she opened wide for a moment, showing me her full mouth, before she swallowed. ¡°I wooon. But...¡± she paused. ¡°Hyacinth got carried away. That was toooooo long.¡±


    ¡°The details don¡¯t matter.¡± Natsumi insisted. ¡°Akio¡¯s happy, you¡¯re... happy. So we are too, right?¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°Yes, I do not begrudge you your love, Hyacinth. For he saved you, as he did me, did he not?¡±


    Hyacinth nodded slowly, thinking about something, and Natsumi clapped her hands.


    ¡°All right, time for the main event. The first one, anyway, as we know Akio is insatiable, and we have to make sure he remembers us for a week when he¡¯s alone with Hinata! Since Hyacinth won, I think we should let her have the first bout of lovemaking.¡± Natsumi exchanged a look with Asha, who nodded, and I felt warm inside. They¡¯re very considerate. Hyacinth¡¯s clearly not been right since the party. They are trying to make her feel better...


    ¡°If yooou are sure? It does not seem fair, you were toooooo generous with the timings¡± Hyacinth said, licking her fingers, having swallowed my cum cheerfully. Her chin was still sticky with it, and it had dripped down her neck and chest.


    ¡°The competition wasn¡¯t important. Not this time.¡± Natsumi pointed out. ¡°Only that everyone has fun. If you really want to play properly, why don¡¯t we get everyone together, make a real game of it?¡±


    ¡°If we do that, I¡¯ll be squeezed dry!¡± I laughed, imagining nine, or perhaps ten, if Tsukiko decided to play, of my women all waiting their turn. It¡¯s times like this I¡¯m grateful Kana is taking our relationship slow...


    ¡°Do it for us.¡± Natsumi insisted, smiling.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I patted the bed, my dick standing hard despite Hyacinth¡¯s passionate efforts moments ago. She flopped down beside me, and with her fingers spread her pussy, inviting me in. She then blinked, surprised, as I waited.


    ¡°What is wrooong?¡± she asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯d like to know. You seemed upset at the party. Want to talk about it? You don¡¯t have to, but we¡¯re here for you, okay?¡±


    Hyacinth shook her head. ¡°I am fine. I wish tooo serve.¡±


    ¡°And I wish to find pleasure together. But if you¡¯re sure...¡± I kissed her tear-stained cheeks gently, surprising her, before gently sliding into her hot insides, her pussy clamping down with joy as I entered her,


    ¡°Yes, I looove this!¡± Hyacinth insisted, arms around me, as I began to thrust, sliding in and out of her. ¡°I feel connected, wanted, needed.¡±


    Yeah, there¡¯s definitely something wrong here. As I continued to slide in and out, wet liquids scattering, the sour, almost grassy smell of Hyacinth filling my nose, I didn¡¯t aggressively grope her like usual, which was puzzling her. Instead I stroked her hair and back, though I couldn¡¯t help myself from cheekily squeezing her ass a little. When I did that, Hyacinth giggled softly, though there was an edge to it.


    She was grinding up and down, her breathing erratic, eyes moist, and I found myself at a loss. I never thought it could happen when having sex wasn¡¯t fun... It was physically pleasurable, as always, Hyacinth eager to please, and her frenzied motions were squeezing my cock as if to milk it, but... there¡¯s no joy in it. Normally when I embrace them, they hold me... we feel the connection of our hearts. This... It wasn¡¯t right.


    I didn¡¯t blame Hyacinth, she was clearly struggling emotionally, but sex was a joining of our hearts, so perhaps I could use it to communicate. Especially if I... yes, that could work. Hyacinth was panting, losing herself in pleasure, yet she was a good girl, not forgetting to make sure to look at my face to see where my own pleasure spots were. She moved so my glans was rubbing on her insides, stimulating us both, but her violet eyes seemed confused at my expression.


    ¡°Are you nooot enjoying me?¡± she asked, her tone pleading, and my answer was to release a great surge of my elemental energies and aether, sending them out towards Hyacinth. For a moment, she looked frightened, silver sparkles in her violet eyes, but I then kissed her for the first time, and she widened her mouth as she did her eyes, and I slipped inside my tongue, tasting her. We twisted together, tongues, arms and also our genitals, and Hyacinth squeezed shut her eyes for a moment, before her own elemental energies responded, surging into me as mine flooded out, along with her emotions and sorrows...


    I knew it. She¡¯s hurting... Hugging her tight, I pulled Hyacinth up into a sitting position, so my dick reached deep inside her, striking the entrance to her womb. My spiritual energies were also inside her, carrying my warm feelings and love towards her, and with every thrust we felt each other in greater detail.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right. You can talk to me, to us.¡± I promised, and Hyacinth burst into tears, sobbing and wailing. Even so, she didn¡¯t stop bobbing up and down on top of me, even if her arms were clutching me tightly enough to hurt, her nails digging into me, drawing thin rivulets of blood. This is nothing, compared to what she feels...


    ¡°I love you.¡± I whispered, and she tightened up on me, squeezing my cock tight. ¡°So if you need anything, I¡¯ll do it. If you don¡¯t want to say, that¡¯s fine, but...¡±


    No more words needed to be said. Despite her sobs, she sought my tongue, rocking and riding on my dick, shuddering as she started climbing towards orgasm. Her kisses became slack, filled with drool, and moments later her back arched, and she let out a loud, shrill shriek, her pussy gushing her grassy nectars. I then thrust up one final time, and my cum jetted out, soaking and filling her insides, just as her elemental energies filled me, and mine hers. We were blending together, becoming one, and I clutched her as tightly as she did me as we collapsed, panting to the bed, one final thrust of my cock emptying me out, splashing out of her down her thighs, rendering us both a sticky mess.


    ¡°Hah, Hyacinth is... sooo confused. But...¡± She touched her belly, panting heavily, and as I went to pull out she shook her head, hair tickling me, and so I lay there in her embrace, feeling her worries. In the end, she spoke up. ¡°I... Hyacinth feels ashamed, to weep in front of you, Akiooo, and the other mistresses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± Natsume shook her head, and Asha agreed. ¡°We all have our struggles. But... we have the ideal man to chase them away.¡± Her smile was cheeky yet warm, and Hyacinth nodded, wiping her eyes.


    ¡°I... do not remember, nooot truly.¡± she said again, an explanation she often gave, but I was starting to doubt, especially with the feelings we just shared through the Fae way of bonding. ¡°But I worry. I am happy, truly happy again, and... I dooo not want the darkness to creep in again. For it all to fall tooo ruin. Seeing everyone, it reminded me ooof far-off days, the sparkle of the Court, the ... before.¡±


    ¡°Before the Unseelie?¡± Asha asked, knowing, and Hyacinth nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Whooo could see it coming? Nooot the King, nooor the Queen, nor even her. Hyacinth could not either. But I should have, if sooo...¡± Words failed her, guilt bubbling up, and I silenced it with kisses, gently playing with her hair until she calmed down. After a while, the look in her eyes changed, our shared emotions calming, and she shuddered like wet dog, before kissing me noisily, licking my face, and she was back to her old self.


    ¡°I am sooo ashamed, making a fuss, ruining your fun.¡± She repeated her earlier words, though this time they were less sorrowful. ¡°Akiooo, mistress Natsumi, mistress Asha. How can I make amends?¡±


    ¡°No amends needed. We understand.¡± Natsumi joined in on our hug, while Asha once more stroked her hair, and mine as well, radiating a motherly aura. ¡°Though... if you insist...¡±


    ¡°Anything...¡± Hyacinth promised, and Natsumi giggled.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m up next. And then... Hyacinth, do it over, and really satisfy yourself, and Akio as well. In here...¡± she patted Hyacinth¡¯s bare chest. ¡°...after all, this is making love, not just sex. So unless you feel the love...?¡± She let out a yelp as Hyacinth hugged her too, smiling.


    ¡°I knooow, I understand. I... am very thankful I am nooo longer in the box. I looove it here. I looove everyone. So... yes, go ahead. Hyacinth will help!¡± With that she stripped Natsumi off as she protested, embarrassed, and then tossed her down gently beside me, before sitting down to watch, her violet eyes shimmering.


    Crimson with embarrassment, Natsumi paused for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°I guess this was the whole point of us changing up who sleeps with you together. In that case, I¡¯m Hori Natsumi, ready for battle!¡± Announcing her readiness just as she would in a martial arts tournament, we all burst out laughing, and under the watchful eyes of Hyacinth and Asha, I pulled Natsumi close, knowing I had a long night ahead, but one I would not trade for anything.


    Hyacinth... there¡¯s more to this than she lets on. But all we can do is encourage her. She¡¯s recovering, certainly, not anywhere near as damaged as when we first met her, but... some wounds are deep, and exposing them to the light is painful. I¡¯ll ask the others to keep an eye on her, and when I return... maybe I can do some digging, or at least get Shaeula to...


    Then my thoughts, despite my numerous Split ones, scattered, as Natsumi began to suck my cock once more, trying to make up for lost time...


    ***


    ¡°Did you have a good night?¡± Eri asked me as I came down for breakfast. Natsumi was up before me, bathing and then heading off to practise with Motoko, but Asha was still in bed, watching over the mentally exhausted Hyacinth, who was sleeping soundly now, her worries being out in the open relieving her stress. Even if she¡¯s not said much, opening up a little, first at the party and now in bed, it surely helps her...


    ¡°Just as good as the night before.¡± I gave Eri a good morning kiss, and she raised an eyebrow, amused. The surprise made her cat ears and tail pop into existence, pushing down the hem of her jeans a little.


    ¡°Flatterer. Flirt.¡± She criticised me insincerely, before returning me a more passionate kiss, her black eyes as damp as our lips when we parted. She ran her tongue over hers, tasting me, and then snorted, amused. ¡°The other girls are going to miss you. I am too... but for me its different.¡± She was triumphant as she poured me some cold tea into a mug.


    After all, we can talk to each other whenever we want, feel each other, right? They¡¯ll need to work harder on their Lovers¡¯ Link... but surpassing me is just a pipedream!


    Sure. And yeah, we¡¯re never apart now. I ruffled Eri¡¯s hair, thinking back to her. ¡°So, how¡¯d you find the party?¡±


    ¡°I enjoyed it. And more importantly, mother and father needed it. Seeing us all together, all our families... they get that this is the life we chose, and that the other girls are the same as me. And more importantly, their parents too. In that respect, Kana¡¯s parents and Tsukiko¡¯s make the biggest impression, but surprisingly... Natsumi¡¯s mother and father made an impact. For nobility they are very down to earth, and have ordinary worries.¡±


    I nodded, sitting down, while Eri brought me my breakfast, rice and miso soup alongside some grilled fish. It was a light breakfast, as I would be travelling to London through the Ring Gate in the early afternoon, which due to the time difference would send me back to breakfast time again.


    ¡°Yes, actually Natsumi¡¯s family, other than being very old and notable in their industry, are really very normal. Yet they have to follow noble ways. Natsumi¡¯s future was potentially difficult. That must have troubled her parents. But now...¡±


    ¡°But now, the arranged marriage they knew would come happened, but fortunately Natsumi is happy, and more than that, she¡¯s remained with her best friend, even marrying the same man. Therefore she can be assured her future will be a kind one.¡± Eri finished for me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. So talking to mother-in-law Masae-san and father-in-law Shou-san is good for your parents. After all, they have an ordinary perspective on an abnormal situation.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Eri agreed. ¡°Though honestly, my parents have come around to it. They know it¡¯s either you for me or nobody. And I¡¯m happy. What parents don¡¯t want their daughter to be... oh.¡± Her face fell as she sat down beside me, remembering one noticeable absence from our party. ¡°A poor choice of words. Shiro¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t take offense. And I don¡¯t think they want her to be unhappy, they just... I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s not my place to interfere unless Shiro asks me to. But it seems more like selfishness and neglect than malice.¡±


    Shiro wasn¡¯t up either, having hit the booze hard, especially after her forced break, so I didn¡¯t want to talk about it further. Observing Eri, I let my Eye shine. Realising what I was going, Eri leaned back, her chest straining against her t-shirt, appealing to me. With a laugh, I waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯m too busy to take you to bed right now, Eri. I had enough last night. Anyway...¡±


    Mori Eri


    Half-Bakeneko


    Bonded Kin


    [Material Statistics]


    Combat Technique


    Rank 2


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Elemental Axe Technique


    Rank 1


    Rank 2


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (3)


    [Unique Skills]


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 8


    Rank 11


    Imperious (6) Legendary (7)


    Artifice (6)


    Principle (7)


    Shifting Cat


    Rank 1 Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    50/107 54/148


    [Class]


    Dark Temptress 8/10


    Fae-Bonded 5/20 9/20


    Spirit Pledged 7/10


    Kami-Blessed 2/20


    Shapeshifter 1/10 2/10


    Maneki-Neko 1/20 2/20


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds 1/10


    Qi Refiner 2/10


    [Mastered Classes]


    Spirit Pledged 10/10


    Dark Temptress 10/10


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve got the Skill for your Lunar Chakra now? And you¡¯re at Rank two for Qi Refining?¡± I asked, noticing the key points, and Eri nodded proudly.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s strange how everything came full circle. It was Shaeula giving me Chirurgery and then your aether pouring into me that started everything. I¡¯ve been working hard. I don¡¯t want to be left behind, even though I wasn¡¯t crippled for that long, to me it seems like forever. So now I¡¯m well, no, better than well, I¡¯ve been making up for lost time.¡± She puffed out her chest, pressing against my arm. ¡°With my body being half Bakeneko now, it¡¯s more malleable, and easier to strengthen. Though it does come with downsides.¡± She gestured to her tail. ¡°I can¡¯t always control it yet. I can¡¯t wear skirts easily in case I flash someone, and I don¡¯t want to be responsible for their murder when you find out someone saw my panties.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be that unreasonable. Probably.¡± I amended, pleasing Eri greatly with my possessiveness.


    ¡°Anyway. I find Qi Refining easier than expected. Daiyu¡¯s saying I take after her, a prodigy. It makes sense, after all, we both managed to gain the Class, didn¡¯t we? The others need to try harder!¡± Eri¡¯s triumph gave way to en embarrassed smile. ¡°Honestly though, Daiyu¡¯s teaching is excellent. And despite being constantly praised from the day she was first a Cultivator, she isn¡¯t that arrogant. She¡¯s easy to get along with, I like her. There¡¯s something calming about having some girls around who aren¡¯t always chattering away, like Shiro and Shaeula.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Daiyu¡¯s very stoic. But also surprisingly loving.¡± I muttered, and Eri sniffed.


    ¡°Not surprisingly. For Daiyu, you were her destiny. I know how she feels. And not only that, you can even Cultivate with her. With us all soon, hopefully. In fact, Daiyu and Shaeula both suggested I be the one to test it out more thoroughly, the more advanced Chirurgery too. I know you are planning to add the Night Orbs Shaeula and I have, as well as Daiyu¡¯s Dantians, to everyone. It makes sense you¡¯d worry, it¡¯s like doing multiple heart transplants not knowing if they¡¯ll take. But me... I¡¯m malleable!¡± As if to prove a point, Eri¡¯s chest started to grow, straining the cloth of her t-shirt, before she grimaced.


    ¡°Ugh, I need to do this when not wearing a bra, that was painful.¡± She returned to normal. ¡°But joking aside, if something goes wrong, I¡¯m more able to withstand it and be fixed. I¡¯ll be sure to try and get Shifting Cat to higher Ranks while you are away. I¡¯ve been practising a lot. Also... Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan...¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. It was very rare for Eri to use the -chan prefix with anyone, Aiko was the only one I remembered, though obviously that stopped after Las Vegas. Seeing my expression of surprise, Eri explained.


    ¡°They are very good girls. Refined, polite, talented and loyal. It¡¯s troubling. For a moment I almost knew how Shaeula and Shiro felt, before common sense reasserted itself. But I understand Adamant better now. Not that I condone Hinata and the others going behind our backs, but we¡¯ve talked it out, and I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t do it again. But... girls like the twins can¡¯t be allowed to escape us. Not that they want to. They idolise you... as a brother.¡± she added.


    ¡°Aiko won¡¯t be happy then.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Seems like I¡¯m collecting sisters...¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. Turnabout is fair.¡± Eri crowed. ¡°Though they¡¯ve helped us all, me included, learn. My light element wouldn¡¯t have grown without their linking, and I¡¯m sure it was one of the reasons I finally properly condensed the lunar Chakra. When it comes to rewards, they should be top of the list. Haru-san too.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll have all the money and support they¡¯ll ever need, and I do intend to make custom equipment for them at some point. Anyway...¡± I went back to Eri¡¯s status. ¡°Your biggest weakness is your stats. They¡¯re not exactly low, but like everyone else, you haven¡¯t had much time to Level up recently, so the best way to boost them is to increase the strength of your Chakra network and Silver Cord. It looks like you¡¯re close though...¡±


    I estimated that via the glow I could see with my Eye, and Eri agreed.


    ¡°Yes, I can feel a breakthrough is soon. By the time you return, hopefully I¡¯ll be more able to stand at your side, even without a Favour.¡±


    I nodded. Although, depending on my first errand... ¡°So, do you have any plans?¡± I asked, changing the subject now that Eri was aware of her current potential and growth plans.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eri said after taking a mouthful of grilled fish, swallowing. ¡°I have to finish my final school assignments, and then I¡¯m done. Though honestly, I¡¯m going to take an exam for a top university, even if I won¡¯t go. Just to increase my value, and also to please my parents.¡± She paused then. ¡°Aiko has to as well, though she¡¯s running behind. If she¡¯s not careful she¡¯ll have to work over winter break. Missing Christmas would be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say...¡± I agreed. We talked more about her plans, including watching the concert at the weekend, and soon more people were entering the room, having woken up, and breakfast became far livelier...


    ***


    ¡°All right then. That¡¯s great.¡± I said to Suk-ja, who was sweating, having exhausted herself conjuring more of the Winged Diamonds for Daiyu and I. Beside me, Daiyu was absorbing the energies from the first batch, and now I held the second. Breaking them down, I shattered them, sucking in the crystal element. It still hadn¡¯t stimulated my Chakras to produce any yet, but I could definitely feel it soaking into my root and third eye Chakras. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, like I say, it¡¯s an easy job. Best way to earn money...¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m a little worried about Ji-ho-oppa and the others.¡± Suk-ja frowned, only for Violet-noona to laugh.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry...¡± she said, even as she was having a practise bout against Trey and Aliyah, fending them both off gracefully, even as they barraged her with volleys of rock projectiles and tried to close in to use their fists, feet and knives. ¡°Korea¡¯s a fucking bore at the moment. Hey... that won¡¯t work...¡± She dodged Aliyah¡¯s thrust, but then stumbled, Trey stamping the ground, liquefying it.


    ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯m not even using my venom or summoning the scorpions...¡± Violet-noona snickered, ripping her foot free of the quagmire, her knee flying out, though Aliyah blocked it, the impact making her grunt and knocking her back.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Trey said, knife thrusting, only for Violet-noona to grab his arm and toss him over her shoulder.


    ¡°You think?¡± she snorted, before slamming her boot into his guts and pointing a fist at the rising Aliyah.


    ¡°Shit Trey, we lose.¡± Aliyah conceded. ¡°Good fight.¡± She held out a hand and Violet-noona shook it, before Trey struggled out from under her, dusted himself off, and patted her back.


    ¡°Yeah, damn good sparring. I¡¯d hire you for the Black Wolf in a heartbeat, girl. We need more female operatives.¡±


    ¡°I thought you worked for Akio-oppa now?¡± Violet-noona raised an eyebrow. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m a Hunter, not a merc.¡±


    ¡°Private Contractor...¡± Trey corrected reflexively, and Aliyah pounded his back.


    ¡°Stow that shit, Trey. Now we¡¯re just employees. Anyway, you¡¯re a girl after my own heart. When I get back, we should hit a few bars.¡±


    ¡°I thought you liked them cute and petite... ahh...¡± Trey was silenced by Aliyah¡¯s boot, and he adopted a hurt look. Aliyah ignored him and continued talking.


    ¡°If we could do the wind shit, move faster like Luciana, you wouldn¡¯t have it so easy. But the girl¡¯s a damn genius apparently. Got the fancy new uniform and everything...¡± Aliyah looked put out at that, before brightening up. ¡°Oh well, it¡¯ll be good to be back in the old US of A, even if it¡¯s only for a few days. Luciana can handle the Company in our absence just fine. It¡¯s just a shame we¡¯re accompanying such a madwoman.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to put up with it. I want eyes on her, and also... I need some clever, competent people with me.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, your compliment would make me blush.¡± Aliyah snorted, and Trey nodded, echoing her sentiments. ¡°So anyway, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on your true precious cargo. That Hinata girl is a real cute one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you. Ichijou-san will have guards, but they aren¡¯t the real deal.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are.¡± Aliyah grinned. ¡°Thanks for the gear anyway.¡± She and Trey were wearing Brigandine under-armour, and were also armed with enhanced telescoping batons containing bluesteel which was full of lightning element, as well as a modified pistol which could use elemental rounds, and a few special secret toys, and all of it was now able to exist in both the Material and Boundary. Prototypes of Ixitt¡¯s mass-produced series...


    ¡°You can count on us.¡± Trey promised. ¡°So, update on the mad scientist?¡±


    ¡°Haru tells me she¡¯s awake, and seems lucid, but she¡¯s... unusually quiet. It¡¯s eerie. The experience has either knocked a few screws loose, or she¡¯s processing it. In any case, she¡¯s got Titan as her guard as well, and he¡¯s all right, but he¡¯s a brawler, all strength and toughness. If it comes down to it...¡±


    ¡°We know. Kill the fuckers and let God, or in this case, you... sort out the aftermath.¡± Aliyah scowled.


    ¡°Yeah. And worst case, if you¡¯re injured I can fix you right up...¡±


    ¡°How reassuring.¡± Trey grimaced, while Aliyah tossed her head, hair beads jingling.


    ¡°Yeah, you two are fun.¡± Violet-noona snickered, before kneeling down before the exhausted Suk-ja. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, Korea¡¯s damn quiet. Almost too quiet, but if the situation calls for it, I¡¯ll go back. Shit, I¡¯m not just freeloading while little bro holds the fort...¡±


    Before Suk-ja could reply, a frustrated voice called over. ¡°Do you mind? I am trying to read...¡± Mae had spoken, her tails raised in annoyance. On her lap was the mysterious old book, the one we had found in Boundary Inuyama. She was idly leafing through it, able to read the ancient Japanese within, and she was making transcriptions for us, including the illustrations, being a surprisingly skilled artist, using an old-fashioned animal hair brush.


    ¡°Sorry. We can move away...¡± I apologised, and Mae sighed.


    ¡°It is your home, I am a guest here, even if an honoured one.¡± Her arrogance was returning hour by hour. ¡°But art requires silence. And before you ask, yes, I am a master of painting, music, calligraphy, go, and much more. After all, was I not the greatest courtesan in the Eastern lands?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ll have to learn from you.¡± I laughed. Speaking of learning... Back on the Material I was cramming German lessons off a digital recording while I sorted out some other matters. ¡°More to the point, how¡¯s your strength?¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to fight to see?¡± Mae scoffed, before shaking her head. ¡°I am still far from my peak, but the... modifications... you made to me seem to be holding, and I feel far better than yesterday. I have no wish to push it, but I suspect if I must, I could exert perhaps seventy-five percent of my former strength for a minute or two, before suffering injury.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Seventy-five percent, huh? That¡¯s a lot, considering she¡¯s Nurarihyon-class, but the short time is a problem. But if she heals more every day...


    ¡°I can see you worrying.¡± Daiyu spoke up, having finished her absorption. My Eye shone, and I could see a deeper reservoir of crystal Qi within her, but it hadn¡¯t been able to trigger her inner Jade yet. ¡°We are all here. This place is not defenceless. But have no fear, we are not arrogant. We may be tigers, but there are dragons still. There will be no mistakes.¡±


    ¡°All of the Black Wolf is ready. It¡¯s honest work, at least.¡± Trey declared. ¡°Protecting women and children is a good feeling. Even if...¡± he looked at Daiyu ruefully. ¡°...some of those women and kids could kick the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°I have Cultivated for long years, and received the blessing of Chang¡¯e. If I could not, I would be too ashamed to call myself Black Jade.¡± Daiyu demurred, proving she was indeed not taking her talents for granted. ¡°Despite that, at first I lost to firearms. Now though...¡± She flexed. ¡°I am far stronger, and have accepted the power I disdained before. If I ever faced the same again, matters would end differently.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help but worry. But again, I¡¯ve double-checked our contingencies this morning.¡± I sighed. ¡°But the problem with Favours and the like is, we never know if there¡¯ll be some cheat ability that surpasses what we can imagine or plan for.¡± As it was nearly time for me to use the Ring Gate, on the Material I said my farewells to everyone else, at least those not at school. Hinata would be taking a flight from Haneda, a private plane of course, one provided by Ichijou-san, and Christna Bakker, Titan, and Aliyah and Trey would be joining them. Dismissing my Material body, I took one last look at the Territory details. Seeing that, Trey and Aliyah realised they needed to leave, so after exchanging a few fist bumps with Violet-noona, they returned to the Material, though not before Aliyah grumbled how unfair it was I could reach London in moments, not nearly a day...


    All right, we now have just over forty-four and a half million ether. Not bad, Shiro¡¯s extra buff makes a big difference. In terms of build queues, the two Anchor Spires only had a handful of days left. When they were done, that would be a further boost, though minor, as most of our ether was generated by Asha¡¯s Tree, which wasn¡¯t affected by them.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be off, although...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you shall return in a moment. So there is no need to fret.¡± Daiyu agreed, a faint smile on her face, and indeed, I stepped through the Ring Gate, reached Bermondsey isle, and resummoned my Material body as soon as I crossed to the shore, to prevent falling in the Thames. Moments later I popped back through the Gate, and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, welcome back.¡± Daiyu agreed, and with that, I went back to our training, though for how long... That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it? As soon as I need to enter the Boundary on my travels, I¡¯ll vanish from Japan. Ideally, I¡¯ll never need to, but... that¡¯s simply not feasible, and too much of a waste...

 Five Hundred And Twenty

    Five Hundred And Twenty


    ¡°Cheers!¡± David declared, hoisting up his glass of beer and polishing off a good third of it in a single big swig. He then sighed, satisfied. ¡°That hits the damn spot.¡±


    ¡°Drinking so early in the morning isn¡¯t a healthy habit.¡± Sir Arthur pointed out, and David snorted, amused.


    ¡°You need to lighten up, old man. Besides, I feel like celebrating.¡± I was sitting with David, Sir Arthur and Raidre in a private lounge at the airport, while the last checks on the private plane I¡¯d be taking to Greece were being performed. ¡°You feel the same, admit it. Why not have a drink? I know you like a pint or ten...¡±


    ¡°I suppose it can hardly hurt.¡± The white-haired yet still strong older man agreed. As he drank from his own pint, I glanced over at Raidre, who seemed pensive. Before I could say anything, David continued chatting.


    ¡°The Princess is in high spirits still. Not even that worthless wretch Donovan can bring down her mood. Nor...¡± He trailed off, and I had the feeling he was going to mention Sarah. Seeing I realised, he changed the subject. ¡°So, how¡¯s my fangirl? She doing okay? You ever going to find her a Favour?¡±


    It was my turn to snort now, and he narrowed his eyes, grinning. Finishing his pint, he told Raidre to fetch him another, and something stronger to chase it with, ignoring Sir Arthur¡¯s disapproving look. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get jealous man, I¡¯m not the sort to go after another man¡¯s woman! I can¡¯t help it if she knows a badass when she sees one!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I laughed it off, having complete faith in Natsumi. Especially after last night. ¡°Natsumi¡¯s not that sort of girl, and even if she was, which I repeat, she most certainly isn¡¯t, I¡¯m confident I¡¯d still hold her love and interest over you, David.¡±


    ¡°No hesitation, huh? Well, I¡¯m just messing with you. Us real men have to stick together. With the Princess running our team, it can get a little girly at times, the chatter. I expect you have it worse, though?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I find it very soothing.¡± I thought back to all our adventures, where I was indeed surrounded by a number of women, though now most of them were with me in an entirely more intimate fashion. ¡°But yeah, sometimes it¡¯s nice to cut loose and talk about things us men are interested in.¡± Although Shiro tends to feel like one of the guys most of the time. Though if I tell her that she¡¯ll hit me, and complain I¡¯ve gone blind. She¡¯s a... complicated... woman. ¡°As for finding Natsumi and Motoko Favours... it¡¯s not so easy, but... they don¡¯t begrudge Aditi her second chance. They¡¯re kind girls. Nor do the Elves. For them... it¡¯s not about the Favour itself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, what a riot. Our Princess tries not to be disapproving, but it¡¯s hard for her. Isn¡¯t that right, old man?¡± David asked Sir Arthur, who looked up at the ceiling, sighing, before nodding.


    ¡°True, Eleanor is very old-fashioned in her views, especially after the trouble with her uncle. A very bad business, that. While it was certainly not technically illegal here, many saw it as immoral, and it was certainly distasteful. But you hardly want to hear about the woes of our Royal Family. Eleanor talked to the Elves, Bellaera and Soliteare, I believe...¡± I nodded, and he continued. ¡°...and once she discovered there was no coercion, and that they genuinely wish to attract your attention... she¡¯s a kind woman at heart. She can no longer complain. Though she does rather dislike your womanising ways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful. I¡¯m only trying my best to make everyone happy...¡± I shook my head, taking a swig of my own beer. Raidre was back, and David nodded to him before downing a shot of some strong spirits, smacking his lips.


    ¡°I get you. Times like this, women want a strong man. Someone to protect them. Though your group seem quite keen on protecting you. Training themselves as well. Got to say, I approve. Nothing beats a strong woman. The Princess is even more of a catch now. But it¡¯ll be hard to win her over.¡± He looked at me, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Well, good luck to her.¡±


    ¡°Old man, Raidre, is he being dense on purpose? It¡¯s fucking annoying.¡± David swore, and I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°If you¡¯re implying that I¡¯m interested in Eleanor...¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter whether you are or not, dumbass. Look, old man, you explain. I¡¯m in too good a mood to deal with this shit.¡±


    ¡°Language, David. No need to be crude.¡± Sir Arthur sighed. ¡°If I may be blunt, in honour of our friendships and working relationships?¡± I nodded, and he continued. ¡°Setting aside Eleanor is what I believe you Japanese would call a tsundere, and us British would say isn¡¯t honest with her feelings, I¡¯ve talked to the one you call the Lady Diviner. Now she is an impressive, elegant woman.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already taken, old man. Too young for you too...¡± David snickered.


    ¡°David, your japes are sometimes tiresome, you know that?¡± Sir Arthur grimaced. ¡°And I am no more likely to steal another man¡¯s woman than you are, and I would also fail. After all, who can compete against the man who defeated destiny itself for her, and proved wrong a God?¡±


    ¡°No shit. That¡¯s the problem though, isn¡¯t it? You think so too, don¡¯t you Raidre?¡±


    The hitherto silent Fae nodded, his expression a difficult mixture of worry and irritation. It seemed like he was regretting something, or perhaps resigned. ¡°I returned to the Court for a visit. I had been gone long. By the salt and smoke, little had changed. It still reeks of rotting darkness and corruption. And yet... there is hope within. A certain... momentum, like waves washing against the crumbling shores. It is spreading, like the scent of the seas. The daughter of Shaetanao has brought change... and you with it.¡±


    ¡°The Princess of Beasts. Though I do agree, the name is ill-befitting for a princess such as her.¡± Sir Arthur praised Shaeula, which I knew would amuse her greatly. ¡°Then there is your other comrade, the Princess of Hungry Ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Comrade? Say what you mean, call her his lover.¡± David scoffed, and Sir Arthur shook his head.


    ¡°Have some delicacy. Anyway, we know that Eleanor is the Princess of Humans in this prophecy, and I find it apt. There are few Princesses as, for want of a better phrase... human... as Eleanor, for good or ill. She is a woman of strong principles, and great inner strength, yet also she has great fears and hidden weaknesses larger than many.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she still thinks she¡¯s a coward.¡± David snorted. ¡°Considering her power is to take a damn beating, that¡¯s bullshit. Anybody would be scared of that. Besides, guts is standing up for yourself and those that matter despite being afraid. And she¡¯s got guts in spades.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Raidre agreed. ¡°And that is why we of Bermondsey Isle pledged to her. Fairness, loyalty, honour... we Selkie value such. It is why the Court reeks. Such was lost over the long centuries. But perhaps it can return again...¡±


    ¡°Look. She¡¯s lonely. Even with us at her side.¡± David pointed out. ¡°Sure, we do the best we can, but... I¡¯m a fighter, not a thinker. She has enemies, I¡¯ll punch them out. After all, I¡¯m the War God of these Isles. Caturix knows his shit, choosing me! Old man Arthur here, he¡¯s known her forever, she¡¯s like a niece to you, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. An adorable, beloved niece who I want to see happy. It breaks my heart, seeing her fight, yet I am also proud. But heavy is the head that wears the crown. Her Majesty knows that well, and now her granddaughter has to shoulder an even weightier burden. I am thankful I was able to be one beside her, and the others gathered helped, except...¡±


    ¡°For the damn betrayal. Fuck that nugget Donovan and the stupid red-head bitch. Samuel and the other fuckers can go eat shit in Hell too. Even that...¡± David sighed, clearly furious. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to talk about it much, but the only reason she got through that mess unhurt...¡± David¡¯s eyes narrowed at that. ¡°Unhurt. If those pieces of stinking shit weren¡¯t dead I¡¯d treat them worse than your little princess did Donovan. Fuck, got any necromancers so we can pull them back and make them see the error of their ways?¡±


    David was fuming, and while I hadn¡¯t heard the full story of Eleanor¡¯s flight to her Territory before we arrived to defeat Mary Stuart and the traitors, I knew it had been harrowing.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting off my point.¡± David downed his beer, slamming the glass on the table. ¡°You taught her how to throw around water, right? Without that she was in deep shit. Then you all swanned in, despite our Princess being a right bitch to you, and not only saved her life, but saved us all. Sure, you scammed her over the Tower, but... she¡¯s not a fool, our Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eleanor is not exactly.... academic.¡± Sir Arthur allowed. ¡°None of her brothers were either. But she is far from foolish. The support you are providing to Britain and will continue to do so is worth a great deal. You did not have to offer it.¡±


    ¡°Worse, you helped us with the redhead, meaning we didn¡¯t have to take more drastic steps.¡± David agreed. ¡°And now little miss Asian is back with us. That¡¯s something you really didn¡¯t have to do. If you¡¯d have given that Favour to fangirl or her friend, or even one of the Elves... that¡¯s what anyone would have done. Shit, she¡¯s a sensitive woman, our Princess, even if she comes across as brusque. It was eating at her, what little miss Asian and teacher were going through. Now... she¡¯s got her smile back. Because she believes that you¡¯ll find one for teacher too. You will, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If it can be found. It¡¯s not so easy, otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, all your women would have one. I know. Though this trip you¡¯re taking, I¡¯ve got my ideas.¡± David wasn¡¯t fooled. ¡°No joy with our nugget¡¯s leftovers yet?¡± he asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, nobody seems compatible. Maybe I could force it for Shaeula, as she¡¯s a lightning user now, but... I¡¯d rather find her a more fitting ability. I mean, she wields a copy of Fragarach now, so perhaps one from the Tuatha De? Dannan.¡± I mean, she seems to be from a descendant line, so it¡¯d surely be fitting.


    ¡°Yeah, well the Fae are largely Brits, so she¡¯s one of us, just like Raidre here. Who should be getting me more booze...¡± David laughed. ¡°Anyway, a shame. I¡¯d like that worthless nugget to contribute something useful in the end. But yeah... point being is, Eleanor feels a great debt towards you. And you¡¯re one of the few that can understand just what she¡¯s going through. Japan has that Imperial Princess, but... you¡¯re supporting her too, aren¡¯t you? When it comes to Japan, you¡¯re top dog.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to deny it. In fact, when Ixitt¡¯s factories come online... we¡¯ll control the economy too, in short order. Political power, military strength, Chosen, finances... yeah... it¡¯s like I¡¯m the Prince of Japan, if you look at it that way... ¡°It can be tough, but... if not me, then who? I have to guarantee the safety and happiness of those within my sight.¡±


    ¡°It is that which Eleanor lacks. We do our best, but...¡± Sir Arthur frowned. ¡°...we already failed.¡±


    ¡°So yeah, the Princess is conscious of you like nobody else, man. Fucking hell, it¡¯s crazy. You¡¯re like a damn spider, luring woman after woman into your web. Even now back home, there¡¯s tons of talk about pairing you up, you know? Even the Queen, that old bag, she¡¯s been asking the Princess what she thinks of you. I mean, politically, it¡¯s a no-brainer, right? Especially since...¡±


    ¡°David, we are not supposed to know about that matter...¡± Sir Arthur cut in sternly, and David grinned.


    ¡°Sure, international politics. Fuck me, I can hardly wait though. Sure, I¡¯m jealous, but I also get a perverse pleasure watching your problems stack up, Akio.¡± He slapped my shoulder happily. ¡°My point is... Eleanor needs someone to truly rely on, somebody who won¡¯t let her down, who can protect her. If her body is her shield, then... well, what boyfriend would want her to get hurt?¡±


    The core of Divinity, comprised of concentrated Adherence, compressed over many years. A Divine Spark will take on the aspect of Divinity that the Adherence embodies, offering positive benefits to all actions regarding said embodiment, and also dramatically increases the League and Fate of the bearer.


    That was the same as before, but now there was more.


    The Spark integrates within the ????????, and forms a mutually reinforcing cycle which strengthens the control of Rules, Principles and Laws related to the aspects of Adherence embodied, as well as the true nature of the bearer¡¯s ????????.


    Divine Sparks can form naturally, as Adherence of a suitable type builds up within a being, or it can be condensed, via the gathering and compression of a large quantity of suitably-aspected Adherence, though this usually requires a catalyst to spark condensation and contact with the ????????.


    I see. So, I can just wait, but there¡¯s no guarantees, or... I needed to grow my abilities with Adherence, but I wasn¡¯t sure what aspect I actually embodied. Although, I do have one idea. It might be irrelevant, but...


    I then looked at Foehn. I had long considered the difference between unique elements and mutated ones, and the answer I came up with was Adherence. Seeing Tan¡¯s Flames Of Thirst And Famine, and their similarity to Foehn, got me thinking. Back in the Boundary at Shirohebizumi, I sent a maid running to fetch Shaeula, wanting to study her elements as well.


    This unique Fire has long dwelt within the earth, but it was made impure by the addition of a foreign Wind that drifted in from the higher Astral. With unexpected assistance you have purified it and taken it within you, and you can now call upon its fury. It knows only ceaseless hunger and an urge to exist, and has consumed other Flames, Winds, Earths, Waters, Dusts and more, each strengthening its ceaseless striving to destroy.


    The description was little different, but as I let out a tiny flicker of it on my palm, careful to shield myself from it, and to not allow it free to burn a hole in the plane, as crashing would be a huge pain, I examined it with a critical Eye, trying to see into the essence of it. Yeah, it¡¯s as I thought...


    Foehn contained Adherence, and this one was aspected with the need to devour fuel and never die down, two contrasting yet paired Adherences. Shaeula arrived, and her Fortunate Winds were also flavoured with Adherence, those of luck and success. Winds And Waters Of Devotion And Worship likewise contained several aspected Adherences, of confusion, domination and yet also soothing.


    Hang on... does that mean... I had a sudden, extremely dangerous thought, and when I explained it to Shaeula, her eyes went wide, the amber gleam intensifying. With clenched fists she nodded, declaring it was worth a try, and her determination to now master Adherence Manipulation was soaring, as doing so would also help her control her winds. Just like I should be able to manipulate Foehn with more precision now and strengthen it. Although... I had many demands on my Adherence, mostly for carrying and distributing Favours, though now I also needed to condense a Divine Spark. Therefore I¡¯ve no leeway to test my idea yet. A shame... but when things calm down, if they ever do...


    With that wry thought on my mind, I contemplated for the rest of the flight, while I continued to soak in the German language...


    ***


    Clearing airport security was easy, as I was on a private jet and had a diplomatic passport, so soon I was outside, feeling a pleasant chill in the air. Seems like it¡¯s not that much different to Japan. There, I saw my guides waiting for me.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Constantine said cheerfully. Behind him, his quieter sister Sophia nodded at me, a touch warily. Though I remember Constantine said she was normally far more talkative than he was. Perhaps it¡¯s because her English is rather shaky?


    ¡°I am.¡± I greeted them. ¡°So, I¡¯ve received your messages. Everything¡¯s good to go?¡±


    Constantine looked a little unsure of that. As they ushered me towards a waiting car, it was Sophia who spoke up uncertainly. ¡°We... met the woman. But at first, she was wary and ... suspicious? Is that the word?¡± At her brother¡¯s not she continued. I opened the passenger side door for her as Constantine got in the driver¡¯s seat. I sat in the back.


    ¡°She kept quiet, rarely goes out. To find her... she worried we meant to do her harm.¡±


    ¡°We explained all this.¡± Constantine started the car and began the drive to our destination, Mount Ida. ¡°And there¡¯s no point being nice to Sophia. She¡¯s all nagging and poison, just take my advice and steer clear.¡±


    Sophia started ranting at him in Greek, her tone venomous, and at his casual deflections, I smiled. Quite the sibling relationship. As the red-faced Sophia calmed down, Constantine managed a few more words in Greek, before apologising to me.


    ¡°See what I mean? Anyway, we explained we meant her no harm, and we had the offer for her. She... hasn¡¯t technically agreed but wants to meet you in person. She hasn¡¯t declined, either.¡±


    ¡°Just how did we find her?¡± Sophia asked, after taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Shooting her brother a glare, she continued. ¡°I must... apologise...¡± The words were quiet, and her brother widened his eyes incredulously, making her snap at him in Greek again, before she finished her thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my brother. If it was up to him, we¡¯d be drowning in debt. First Germany, then Korea. Who paid for it all? Me! And now... God¡¯s grace, I doubt I still have a job to return to, my break got long.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Sophia. But... I was right!¡± Constantine protested.


    ¡°By God and all his Angels, does that matter? Being right doesn¡¯t feed us or clothe us!¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°Look, thank you for employing my useless, layabout brother. And for paying me as well. But... I understand why she was frightened. This world... it is beyond me.¡± She touched the crucifix she wore around her neck. ¡°I am Orthodox, not Catholic, but even so... I listen to the Pope. The world is crazy. Nearly as crazy as Constantine.¡±


    ¡°Finding out things isn¡¯t too hard, if you know the right questions to ask. And if she doesn¡¯t want to sell in the end, that¡¯s fine.¡± I reassured Sophia. ¡°I certainly won¡¯t take it by force. As for your brother, he¡¯s got his value. Here and in Germany. More than enough to make me hire him. Though I will have to insist he stops his website, or at least changes the content.¡±


    Constantine made a face at that as he translated the harder words for Sophia. I then pointed out he could share a lot of true information, at least the stuff that wasn¡¯t sensitive, and he perked up. The drive was quiet after that, everyone deep in thought, and soon we were parked at the base of the mountain. Looking up, in the distance I could see a rather impressive observatory many hundreds of metres above on the peak. Seeing my gaze, Constantine told me it was the Shinakas observatory.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we don¡¯t have to walk that far.¡± Sophia grumbled, looking down. She was wearing heels, though they weren¡¯t overly large, they still weren¡¯t the best shoes for walking long distances in, let alone up a mountain over rough terrain. Seeing my gaze, she flushed, her olive skin darkening further.


    ¡°I told you to wear trainers. There¡¯s no need to dress up, unless you¡¯re trying to catch his eye, sister? Though considering your history with boyfriends, a serial bigamist wouldn¡¯t feel out of place...¡±


    Sophia drew in a hissing breath, clearly offended, and before she could respond, I let out a wisp of air, whacking Constantine on the forehead. He clutched it, teary-eyed, a bruise forming, and as he looked at me accusingly, I frowned.


    ¡°Ignoring the fact I¡¯m not a bigamist, Japanese law now permits everything, don¡¯t be rude to your sister. A brother should be kind.¡±


    Sophia let out a laugh, both mocking and a little shrill. ¡°That¡¯s right. Constantine, who¡¯s looked after you throughout this mess? You¡¯d be on the streets and living on lentils.¡±


    Constantine rubbed his bruise, muttering to himself, before apologising. ¡°Sorry Sophia. But I am watching out for you.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± she conceded eventually. ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass me again though. I just... oh, who cares? We have to go.¡± Angrily, she started stomping up the path, ascending the mountain, and I looked at her brother, who shrugged.


    ¡°Seriously, my sister is a mess. An attractive mess, sure, curves in all the right places and a cute face, but...not worth it. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you!¡±


    ¡°These false accusations are coming thick and fast today. I¡¯m not indiscriminate.¡± I sighed, as we started to follow Sophia. ¡°So, our target lives on the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in a small cottage a few hundred metres from the base. So I guess Sophia¡¯s poor choice of footwear isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    It only took us a moment to catch her up, and we climbed in awkward silence, until we reached a narrow branching path. Following that for a few hundred metres, we found a small, thatched cottage tucked away in a tiny valley. It had clearly seen better days, but it was still neatly whitewashed, and the steps up to it had been swept spotless.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Constantine said, before asking Sophia to knock, saying that ¡®she liked Sophia better than him.¡¯


    ¡°Of course she does. You never shut up, and you don¡¯t have any manners with women, young or old.¡± His sister sighed, shrugging. Soon she was gently tapping the door, and it opened a crack, dark eyes peering out, before words were exchanged in Greek. Moments later, the door opened, presumably revealing the woman I was here to meet.


    She was very old, short, thin and her once-olive skin was now pale and heavily wrinkled. Her hair too, short and curly, was now also a dull white. But she moved with surprising grace, and her back was straight, no weight of age upon her, and I realised her movements weren¡¯t normal. Yeah, she¡¯s got a Favour, the stat boosts are noticeable.


    The most striking feature of hers were her eyes. They were a dark black, similar to the eye colours in the East, like Eri¡¯s, Shiro¡¯s or Daiyu¡¯s. But they held a profound wisdom that could only be gained by age and long experience, and they seemed to see into me. As I resisted the urge to look away, I saw what looked like faint silvery specks floating in her dark irises, shimmering faintly like stars in the night sky.


    The woman spoke to Sophia rapidly in Greek, and she nodded, before turning to her brother.


    ¡°She says...¡± Constantine translated for me. ¡°Traveller from a far-off land who has come seeking her, you had best come in. But do wipe your feet, and she hopes you brought no ill-will with you. If so, she will entertain you with true Greek hospitality, but she also hopes you don¡¯t complain that her home is meagre.¡±


    I see. Bringing ill-will, huh? I think I¡¯m bringing her an opportunity, but... Smiling politely, I bowed in Japanese fashion, which made her raise one white eyebrow, the wrinkles around her penetrating eyes crinkling. She then let out a quiet, dry laugh and gestured for us to come in. All right then. Time to see if Yasaka-san and his Book were right as usual... if so... Well, if it could even identify opportunities such as this, then there were few limits to the potential growth everyone could experience...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-One

    Five Hundred And Twenty-One


    Once inside the house, which was full of cheap, yet perfectly cleaned and maintained furniture, Sophia told me to take a seat. Constantine sat beside me, and as the elderly woman headed for the kitchen, Sophia followed.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s such a nag, but she has a good heart, I suppose.¡± Constantine allowed. ¡°Anyway, we Greeks are very hospitable, so just accept what Theodosia offers, and be thankful.¡±


    Theodosia? ¡°So that¡¯s her name then?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°I know you Asians have a thing about which name to use, we Greeks are rather easy-going. Just calling her that or aunty would be fine. Nobody likes to feel old. Anyway, as guests, we should be polite and bring no harm, and help if needed. Sophia gets on better with her than I do, so...¡±


    I nodded. Seems like she¡¯s helping out with some sort of meal. I could smell a rich aroma drifting in. Looking around, I could see there were a great deal of pictures dotted all over the room, faded photographs that had clearly been well cared for. Many of them were monochrome, showing just how old they were. I could see what looked like a number of photos of a younger Theodosia, many of them with a man beside her. He was quite tall and rather handsome, even in the still images, and as they grew older together in the photographs, they were suddenly holding babies, and then accompanied by children, and then by grandchildren, the family expanding.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± I saw that in several images, the man was holding a telescope or similar equipment, and some of the shots were of this very mountain and the observatory. And others were of the night sky, stars clearly visible. I think Eri would like those.


    Seeing where I was looking, Constantine explained a little. ¡°That was her husband, Stelios. His name meant ¡®like a star¡¯. It¡¯s apt, as he had a keen interest in the night skies. He eventually had a job at the Shinakas observatory on this very mountain. Even when he died, some ten years ago, he was still working there, refusing to retire.¡± He shook his head, perhaps in wonder. ¡°They even managed to buy a little land here on Mount Ida and built this cottage. Aunty lives here still, unwilling to leave, despite her family living dispersed around Greece.¡±


    ¡°I see. It obviously holds memories for her.¡± Seeing how she cared for the photographs of her extended family, I nodded approvingly. ¡°But it must be hard for an old...¡± I changed what I was going to say, not wanting to be rude. ¡°A single woman living alone out here. It¡¯s not exactly a quick jaunt to the shops, is it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Sophia agreed, returning, carrying bowls of steaming hot water with clean towels. ¡°Wipe your hands and face, a guest should refresh themselves, aunty Theodosia says.¡±


    Taking one, I did as asked, wiping off my sweat, and Sophia nodded at the photos. ¡°She¡¯s still popular, after all, her husband worked here for more than twenty years... so once or twice a month the staff will bring her the essentials or take her into town. She... gets by? Yes, gets by.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s stubborn. Like most of us Greeks.¡± Constantine laughed.


    Sophia rattled off some rapid-fire Greek, looking peevish, before agreeing and letting out a long sigh, back to her shaky English. ¡°Yes, or you¡¯d have a damn job, brother, not wasting your life...¡±


    ¡°I have a job!¡± he pointed out, triumphant. ¡°And I¡¯m doing it now! If all goes well, then I¡¯ll have done a great service, won¡¯t I?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Honestly, you¡¯ve done what I asked, so even if she doesn¡¯t agree, and the other girl we need to find has moved on or declines, I can¡¯t hold you at fault. I¡¯ll keep my word and give you both suitable roles.¡± I always need more people, and at least they¡¯ve seen the changing world close up, in South Korea...


    As the two of them started bickering, mixing between Greek and English, I continued looking at the photographs, until Theodosia returned, carrying several large bowls and a clay jug of what smelled like honeyed milk. Despite her seemingly frail arms she carried them confidently, and as Sophia got up to help she nodded gratefully, her black, mysterious eyes sharp. I too stood, and took one bowl, full of mixed vegetables drizzled in olive oil, placing it on the small table. It was a little cramped, not meant to seat four, but when all the food and drink was placed, Theodosia addressed me in Greek.


    ¡°She says, you should eat. It¡¯s a long way out here, so you must be hungry.¡± Sophia translated.


    ¡°Thank you! Uh... Ef-ha-ri-sto?¡± I tried sounding out a thank you in Greek, and everyone smiled.


    ¡°She says your pronunciation was passable.¡± Sophia translated again. ¡°Now, eat! Aunty won¡¯t talk business until her guests are settled.¡±


    The old woman clasped her hands in prayer, Sophia and Constantine joining her. Since I wasn¡¯t a Christian, I didn¡¯t follow suit, but I did mutter ¡®Thank you for the meal¡¯ in Japanese, as was our traditions. Hey, this isn¡¯t bad. The food was different to what I was used to, being neither Japanese, nor of the British sort my mom made on occasion.


    At first we all ate in a rather awkward silence, but after a while Theodosia began to talk, her Greek clipped and rapid, Sophia and for the more complicated phrases, Constantine translating. ¡°So Stelios was always showing her the skies, calling her his Goddess of the Night. Auntie used to get so annoyed...¡±


    At Constantine¡¯s words, Theodosia said some more Greek, and he laughed. ¡°Yes, that is an unfortunate choice of words. After all, woman of the night is a way of describing those women who sell themselves for money.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean it that way...¡± I defended the departed Stelios, despite not knowing him. In the photographs he looked at peace and happy to be with his wife and family.


    Sophia translated, and Theodosia replied back. ¡°Of course not.¡± Sophia explained. ¡°It was due to her hair, which used to be black as the moonless skies. And her moods...¡± Sophia was the one to chuckle now. ¡°She says she could be quite cold at times, and dark and moody, but that uncle never gave up on her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s as it should be.¡±  I agreed, thinking of my own dark fiance?e, Eri. ¡°After all, there¡¯s no such thing as bad emotions.¡± I had learned that through my study of darkness and light elements, and of Yin and Yang, Daiyu assisting me. Too much of anything was harmful, love becoming obsession, charity becoming condescension and poison, but a little of something could be medicine, such as envy driving someone to improve, or jealousy leading to a confession. ¡°Besides, I think that sometimes such emotions can be rather adorable.¡±


    After it was translated for her, Theodosia shot me a rather flat look, before breaking out into a resigned sigh. She exchanged more words, and Sophia nodded. ¡°Auntie says you are a fool, but a fool she understands. Her husband was just like you. Driven.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure about that. For years I had drifted through life, never trying too hard, always avoiding what I didn¡¯t want to face. But... Perhaps now that¡¯s true. After all, now I give my all to everything I do. Because I have to. I have responsibilities. In the Boundary I was still resonating with Asha¡¯s Tree, keeping the ether flowing, and while the pain hadn¡¯t built back up to the levels of last night, it was getting to the stage where I was struggling to keep my face from showing an expression of discomfort here in the Material. ¡°A person who chases after their dreams, I can respect that.¡± I said at last.


    ¡°She agrees. After all, in the end, she says if uncle wasn¡¯t looking up at the stars, searching for meaning out there in the universe, he wouldn¡¯t have seemed right to her. But he also never forgot to look at her, nor their family. The night is beautiful, but also distant. Drowning in it is lonely...¡± Constantine translated.


    ¡°Yeah, we have to appreciate what we have, while searching for what we don¡¯t.¡± I agreed. Once she understood, Theodosia narrowed her eyes. She whispered something to Sophia, who nodded, and she left, going back to the kitchen. A bit of an awkward silence descended, until Sophia returned, carrying a clay jug which gave off a strong, herbal scent, reminiscent of trees. Sophia poured us all generous measures, and Constantine nodded.


    ¡°Mastika. It¡¯s traditional for after a meal.¡± He then paused. ¡°It¡¯s... not always to the taste of foreigners. But...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I wasn¡¯t particularly fussy about my alcohol. I then said thank you in Greek again, this time my pronunciation somewhat better, to everyone¡¯s amusement. I then said a few words of Greek I had picked up here, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. It¡¯s only natural with my Intellect. It may not help me emotionally much, but when it comes to learning and pattern recognition...


    Taking a sip of the strangely woody liquor, I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Different to what I¡¯m used to, but it compliments the meal. Yamas!¡±


    Copying their words again, Constantine smiled. ¡°We could make an honorary Greek of you yet. Indeed. Yamas!¡±


    As we all drank, the atmosphere turned harmonious, but there was a definite edge to it, hiding beneath the surface, which was only to be expected, due to the reason we were here. After drinking another glass of liquor, hot towels were proffered anew, and after wiping my hands and face, Theodosia turned to the Greek siblings and with a rather grave face, spoke seriously.


    ¡°Aunty says... you may as well be honest about why you are here.¡± Sophia communicated he words to me.


    ¡°Obviously we¡¯ve told her. At least the gist of it.¡± Constantine agreed. ¡°But... well, we don¡¯t fully understand it ourselves, and...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Theodosia managed that word in English, before lapsing back into Greek. Her words were rapid, and Sophia soon realised she was unable to translate everything, so her brother tried his best.


    ¡°She says she knows you are like her, blessed or cursed by the Gods. We Greeks know all about the way the Gods are often cruel. When you think of such tales, we Greeks are famous.¡± It seems an odd thing to be proud of, but it was true. Even in manga, the Greek Gods were reasonably often depicted as very... petty, for want of a better word.


    ¡°She knows you have offered to compensate her for taking on the burden, but...¡± Constantine looked embarrassed. ¡°She half-believes you have come here to kill her. We tried to explain that¡¯s not the case, but... there¡¯s no internet or TV here, and she¡¯s... never heard of you.¡±


    ¡°That makes her unusual.¡± Sophia smirked at me. ¡°How does that make you feel?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t after fame.¡± I said defensively. ¡°Although it has its benefits. I¡¯d hoped I¡¯d be able to persuade her of my good intentions. Although...¡± I sighed. My intentions were good. I was doing this for those I loved, and I was prepared to take the burden from someone who would willingly relinquish it, as well as compensate them fairly. Although can anything truly compensate for this chance? Though... many have died already. It¡¯s not a guarantee of success, far from it. And if not me... one day, someone else will come visiting, and then...


    In addition, absorbed energies can be converted to Light Element, though the further from Light the absorbed energies are, the poorer the conversion. These Lights can then give birth to stars which will be released to strike down the bearer¡¯s enemies, and the stars are strengthened by the positive emotions of the bearer, for with greater passion, trust and compassion, comes deeper love.


    Just as Nyx was the first and only existence, dark and lonely, yet gave birth to the brilliance of the cosmos, innumerable stars shining, so too will you fill your empty heart with Light, yet still be of and love the Darkness. Class: [Legendary] Type: [Law]


    I see. The ????????, I can almost understand it. With my Eye upgraded, and my knowledge growing, I felt certain I¡¯d be able to comprehend the missing component of Divine Favours soon, especially as I was having so much exposure to them. The Favour was perfect as well, just what I wanted for Eri, a defensive one, though it had the added benefit of some offensive properties, seemingly a sort of damage reflection, as well.


    Theodosia was having her sweaty brow mopped by Sophia, she couldn¡¯t do it as her own hands were still trembling from the Chirurgery. I took a moment to consider how the Favour worked, intrigued. It seemed that the cloak would likely be a mixture of spatial and darkness elements, spatial to absorb, and darkness to convert. I wasn¡¯t sure of the mechanisms, but as it was a Law-Type Favour, it must have been fundamental. Studying it will likely prove fruitful. A shame I really don¡¯t have time right now...


    Sophia was saying something, and I looked up, snapping free of my reveries, while I extended my mental connection to Eri, calling her to the Boundary. ¡°Sorry, I missed that.¡± I said, and Sophia grunted sourly.


    ¡°Aunty, she says you were quite rough with her. A man should be gentle with women, except in the...¡± her face flushed, and she coughed. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that, auntie!¡± She lapsed back into Greek, and Theodosia gave a tired chuckle, before replying.


    ¡°Anyway, she is alive, and is freed of the will of the Gods, able to watch over her family in peace again. But... oh, I can¡¯t explain this. Brother, you do it!¡± Sophia¡¯s English once more failed her, and Constantine took over.


    ¡°She says she would like to know when Eri will receive this, and... that you should know the stories of Nyx, to understand her better. Nyx... she was the Night, born from Chaos. Lonely, empty yet flawless. But she longed to be filled, and so she became one with the Darkness, Erebus, and gave birth to Light and Day. Thus she was filled with stars.¡± He paused to listen to Theodosia again. ¡°Men and women are the same. There is beauty in darkness, but also loneliness. Yet finding someone to understand you, to fill that void...¡± Constantine looks sympathetic. ¡°She misses her husband, even now. She says if uncle Stelios was still with her, perhaps she would have been able to carry the will of Goddess Nyx. But she is old and tired. Now... now she just wants her stars, her children, to shine brightly for as long as they can. And... she envies you. You are still young and have your passions ahead of you. Though it seems you¡¯ll be tested like never before.¡±


    ¡°The Gods...¡± Theodosia said in broken English. ¡°Indifferent. Yes? Cold. Demanding? But...¡± Theodosia reached out and tapped my chest, above my heart. ¡°People. Care. Passion? Light!¡±


    ¡°I think I understand.¡± I nodded gently. ¡°The Gods want results, but... to us how we live is equally meaningful. Don¡¯t worry...¡± I assured her, my words as always translated for her. ¡°I won¡¯t lose. Not again. I¡¯ve tasted the sting of loss, and I hate it. But I¡¯ll also not toss aside my principles, or the happiness of those I care about, to win.¡± I may not strictly be human now, but... I¡¯m still a person!


    ¡°As for Eri...¡± I continued. ¡°Actually, she¡¯ll be receiving the Favour now.¡± As Theodosia looked surprised at my words, in the Boundary Eri had arrived, a mixture of anticipation and shyness on her beautiful face.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Eri asked me, showing a maturity she had only gained recently. ¡°After all, I feel sorry for Motoko, Natsumi and Hinata. They need one more than I do. After all, with my Lovers¡¯ Link so strong...¡±


    I cut off her words with a kiss. She reciprocated, hugging me tightly, and for a long moment only our impassioned embrace matters. When we parted, I ruffled her hair like I used to, and she flushed, her onyx eyes moist. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re thinking of the others, but... don¡¯t worry, their time will come. For now though...¡± I chose my words carefully. Eri once said that before, she¡¯d even have accepted being together if it was simply out of pity, not love, just because she desired it so. But she¡¯s matured. What we¡¯ve been through would change anyone. Now she wants a genuine connection. Perhaps that¡¯s one reason she was able to push Lovers¡¯ Link so high. After all... she¡¯s loved me for so long. And... while before, I felt unworthy of that, now I know... it has to be me. I want it to be me. Nobody else will ever be able to love Eri like I can. But... to love someone, you have to let them grow, not stifle them...


    ¡°Eri, this isn¡¯t just a gift, it¡¯s a responsibility. I... feal uneasy.¡± My Foresight was still blaring in the back of my mind, and worse, I would be away from home. Yes, I could get back instantly now by dismissing my Material body in Greece, but that wasn¡¯t an option that would last. It¡¯s inevitable I¡¯ll need to enter the Astral at some point on this trip... ¡°And so... I want you to protect everyone. Can you do that?¡±


    Eri¡¯s answer was another kiss. On parting, she wiped at her lips, face flushed, before nodding firmly. ¡°I can. No, I want to. Not just Aiko, and our family. But everyone. I¡¯m proud... proud that I was the first girl you loved.¡± She paused then, pouting, a rich expression she usually only showed in front of me, or the other girls she trusted. ¡°And I know, maybe Shaeula or Shiro were girls you loved romantically before me... but love is love. I was there long before them. I don¡¯t care what you tell me, I know it in my heart. But that¡¯s not the point.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what your point is?¡± I teased, and her pout intensified, and she balled her fist, striking me gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be annoying. Not when we¡¯re having a serious talk. I... I like my life now. And those in it. Be that the other girls, or the trainees like Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan, or the Fae... I finally understand what it is to care about people, not just you and Aiko. So yes, I want to be able to protect them. Not just because I want you to praise me...¡±


    ¡°But you do, right?¡± I teased her more, and she flushed a deeper red.


    ¡°Of course. But that¡¯s not just me. Even Bellaera and Soliteare are the same. Not just them... I must have been born under an unlucky star, to fall for such a popular man. But then... above that unlucky star must be a whole constellation of lucky ones, because I fell for you. And you loved me back!¡± Another round of kissing followed, before Eri finished her point. ¡°So yes, even without the Favour, I¡¯ll fight with all my strength, and the strength your love provides me. But... extra power never hurts, does it? You¡¯ll rest easier away from home, and I... I can do more.¡±


    ¡°Just... be careful. We¡¯ve made detailed plans and contingencies for any disaster we can think of, but we still don¡¯t know exactly what will happen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve brought back Tamamo-no-Mae. According to the prophecy, doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll win?¡± Eri shrugged, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Maybe. But just like Tsukiko proved, it¡¯s far from absolute. And even if we win... we could still lose those precious to us.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... I¡¯ll do my best to prevent that happening.¡± Eri promised again, and I then brought out the shining Favour, once more slightly confused over how it moved over the distance. Does that mean if I had Daiyu¡¯s Spatial Ring, I could transport supplies that way too? It¡¯s something to think about.


    Seeing the sparkling energies in my hands as I channelled my adherence, ready to implant it, Eri¡¯s eyes were drawn to them. ¡°So, which... which God is suited for me?¡± she asked, both curious and fearful of the answer.


    ¡°Seems like it¡¯s Nyx.¡± I said, sitting Eri down, ready to work.


    ¡°Nyx? I don¡¯t know that one...¡± Eri frowned, and I explained what details I had heard from Theodosia. Eri brightened up, and her eyes seemed to match the night itself. ¡°I see. Of the night sky and stars, and the first Goddess, who brought forth the light with her love. I think... I like that! I was worried it would be some horrible Goddess of jealousy.¡±


    ¡°Well, jealousy is just love taken too far.¡± I reassured her. ¡°I still don¡¯t know the details of Nyx¡¯s love, so... feel free to look it up online.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy some books. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have money now, and I like to read.¡± Eri promised, wincing a little as I performed Chirurgery to optimise her subtle bodies ready for acceptance. ¡°Now... don¡¯t worry, I can take a little pain. I¡¯ve had worse.¡± At that her tail reappeared, waving in memory of her dismemberment.


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯ll still be as gentle as I can be.¡± I promised, and as scalpels of aether prepared her Chakras, I gently transported the Favour inside Eri. She shuddered, and it began to drink in adherence, of which Eri was lacking, so I had to supplement it with my own, energies rushing out of me. I watched with my strengthened Eye, eager to gather further information on how Favours were integrated. As I suspected, the hidden component which I almost understood wasn¡¯t visible directly, but could be tracked by its effect on the adherence and ether around it. So, it seems to bind with Eri on a deeper level. The adherence and ether are also merging with her Astral body, wrapping around the key Chakras, but... wait, I see it...


    For a brief moment I was sure I saw a beautiful light, perhaps like a flame, burning in a colour that was impossible to describe, white, yet not, the colours around it seemingly to lose their lustre, almost becoming monochrome while still retaining their shades. It was as if there was another Eri, not her Material or Astral form, but a further, deeper one, more fundamental, perhaps. And the tendrils of invisible flames were drawn to it, perhaps by some sort of similarity. Sadly, then it was gone, my Eye¡¯s insight fleeting. Was that... the secret to compatibility?


    My thoughts scattered as Eri¡¯s Astral body shone brighter, her body surrounded by rippling energies. Her throat, third eye and crown Chakras had expanded, the vortex of energies around them intensifying, deeper blues, indigos and violets clashing. Eri groaned, before gritting her teeth and getting the energies under control. Silver sweat dripped from her, and I gently wiped her clean, mirroring what Sophia had done for Theodosia earlier.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Eri whispered, before she frowned, eyes going unfocused, as if she was going through her memories, or perhaps new information she was receiving. ¡°I... yes, it is perfect for me. With this...¡± She let darkness surge, and a cloak of blue, which quickly faded to an inky black, reminiscent of a moonless night, draped around her, obscuring her body. ¡°...you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    I could hear her voice clearly, and with my Eye I could see her clearly, though it was enough to cause a headache, seeing as she was shrouded to my normal eye. Checking Eri¡¯s stats, I could see she hadn¡¯t gained much, perhaps because Nyx¡¯s Favour wasn¡¯t geared towards that, or maybe because she had rather high numbers already. What had changed was that her third eye and throat Chakras had both passed the first bottlenecks, strengthening her light and darkness generation significantly. Sadly, she hadn¡¯t quite gained enough to have spatial element created by her crown in appreciable quantities, but it was certainly more active, and a very faint haze of violet could be seen circulating throughout her body.


    When I said as much to Eri, she merely smiled confidently. ¡°I see. In that case, I can speak to Arisugawa-san or Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan. I should be able to make a breakthrough in spatial element, and it should only strengthen my new powers.¡± Her grin was then sly. ¡°We should test it. To set your mind at ease, if nothing else. But... go easy on me! After all, if I¡¯m the Night, then you¡¯re my Darkness, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s no Night without you.¡±


    With a smile, I gently stepped back, releasing a little wind, and it was sucked into Eri¡¯s cloak of night, purple and blue sparks scattering. Watching as the wind element was surrounded by indigo motes of light, gradually turning from jade to amethyst hues, my Eye observed a shining orb of light forming, as small as a fingernail. Soon, both my eyes could see it, and with a grin, Eri let the orb fly out towards me. I batted it aside, shocked at how fast it moved, and it burst when I touched it, heat and light stinging my palm.


    ¡°I see. Yes, I can also do this...¡± Eri focussed her own light element, and more stars formed in her dark robe, larger and with greater luminance. ¡°...at least it¡¯s a beautiful attack.¡± Lights flashed, and a dozen stars flew out at me. I leapt aside, but unlike attacks of conventional light, these turned, following me.


    ¡°Just like shooting stars.¡± Eri giggled. ¡°Come on, charge me up. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯d look beautiful, draped in the Milky Way?¡±


    Raising one eyebrow, I struck down the chasing stars, before answering her wishes, light and wind flashing from my hands in carefully controlled amounts. It¡¯s wise to test her limits while I¡¯m here. So that she knows what she can do in an actual battle...


    Back on Mount Ida, I clapped my hands together. ¡°All right. Eri¡¯s successfully obtained Nyx¡¯s Favour. You¡¯ve held up your end of the bargain, Theodosia, so now it¡¯s time for me to do mine. We¡¯ll take you into town so we can transfer you the money, and I¡¯ll take all the details of your family. Constantine, arrange an engineer to come out here and get her connected to the internet. The expense doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s a pittance compared to ten million euros anyway, and she needs to be able to contact me if I¡¯m needed so I can keep my end of the deal...¡±


    As everyone was bemused at my sudden exuberance, I smiled, despite the pain I was in. Eri¡¯s barrage of star-like lights was intensifying, and while I was sure her cloak wouldn¡¯t be able to stop something like Foehn, her prowess in battle was now significantly improved. All right then, Greece is handled. Next stop... Berlin. Germany, here we come...

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Four – Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Four ¨C Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata


    ¡°I¡¯m quite excited about this. How do you feel, Hinata?¡± Mayumi said as she settled down into the comfortable seat on the private jet they were taking to Europe.


    Happy, of course. Hinata merely smiled knowingly for a while, before answering. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to be going abroad with Akio. I was a little jealous of Motoko and Natsumi before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and you aren¡¯t excited to be travelling with us? I¡¯m hurt, Hinata-chan.¡± Ichijou Kira-sama said, amused. Mayumi smiled at that, before agreeing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, grandfather! Hinata should be delighted to take a trip with me, her best friend. Besides, you can see Akio-kun whenever you want, but you¡¯re always too busy for me, isn¡¯t that right, Katana?¡± Mayumi addressed her bodyguard, who as usual was in pristine male clothing, tight trousers and a shirt with a jacket worn over it, rounded off with a tie. Her hair was cut somewhat short and bundled at the back into a ponytail. I wasn¡¯t really able to tell before, but now I¡¯ve been training with Motoko, Natsumi and Kazumi, as well as the others, I can see the quality of bodyguards by their attitude and how they move...


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tsuchiya Ohta, who Mayumi always called Katana, agreed loyally. ¡°Any time spent with you is precious, Mayumi-sama, and with me here, you¡¯ll never face any danger.¡± She then looked at Kazumi, who was beside Hinata, also dressed in more male fashion, though that was for ease of movement in combat rather than Hinata¡¯s preference, unlike poor Katana-san. ¡°I will allow Kazumi-san is decently skilled.¡±


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± Hinata piped up, not offended, but actually pleased by the praise her friend was receiving. ¡°I won¡¯t trade her in, not even now I¡¯m a daughter of Takatsukasa house. Besides, she¡¯s been trained by the best.¡± In fact, when it comes to bodyguards in Hanafubuki, while most noble daughters have them and also attendants, when it comes to actual skills... the ninja sisters, of course, Katana-san, my Kazumi, Natsumi, definitely, though she probably shouldn¡¯t count as a bodyguard now... and a couple of others. Most are simply from branch families or cousins, more as a way of practising for the future, or upholding family traditions. In a real fight... they¡¯d be rather hopeless. Those were the sorts of things Hinata thought about nowadays, surprising herself. I¡¯m more open, always watching. After all, I don¡¯t just have to think of myself anymore...


    In that vein, the two bodyguards who had accompanied Kira-sama weren¡¯t ones she recognised, and she had made a number of trips to Mayumi¡¯s home in the past. While her combat senses were woefully lacking compared to Motoko¡¯s or Natsumi¡¯s, Hinata had a quick brain and sharp eyes, and it had only been strengthened by Chirurgery and training. They¡¯re likely some of Ichijou House¡¯s Chosen. They don¡¯t look too impressive at first glance, but who knows what Skills they are hiding?


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s refreshing having real combat experience. That¡¯s not something we can usually expect.¡± Kazumi agreed politely, mindful of who she was speaking to.


    ¡°That aside...¡± Hinata changed the subject. ¡°...you are my friend now Mayumi, and I like you, but... compared to Akio, I¡¯m sorry, but you lose.¡± Her impish smile robbed that of its sting. ¡°Besides, while it¡¯s hardly as glamourous as meeting the Queen of Great Britain and the Princes and Princess, for my engagement debut, this isn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Mayumi allowed. ¡°It¡¯s a very important stage in any of our lives. Making the right impression is vital. Even more so for you now, Hinata. You¡¯re not one of the Three-Hundred any more. No, you have to uphold the honour of the Takatsukasa house.¡±


    ¡°The Oshiro house too.¡± Hinata giggled, and Mayumi agreed, which surprised her a little.


    ¡°That¡¯s true as well. Which is why you should be grateful to me.¡± Mayumi straightened her back proudly, looking very pleased with herself. ¡°After all, we graciously allowed you to join with Ichijou House on this venture, and even gave a substantial stake in Ichijou Heavy Industries!¡±


    ¡°I remember it differently.¡± Hinata wasn¡¯t willing to let that pass unchallenged. ¡°And it¡¯s most definitely you who is getting the better deal, Mayumi! Working with Akio will bring immense profits. In fact, I feel we were almost cheated!¡±


    As Kira-sama chuckled happily, watching his granddaughter and Hinata banter, Mayumi shook her head. ¡°Hardly. At least say that when the profits come rolling in. But my point is that there will be a significant number of important people at Miss Lindiwe¡¯s banquet and gala. Heads of companies as large globally as Nichibotsu, and powerful politicians from all over the African continent. Perhaps even some royalty. So rest assured, things will go well for you.¡±


    Hinata blushed a little, seeing the genuine concern in Mayumi¡¯s expressions. Before, she would have expressed it, yes, but... she would have seen it as a shame, that someone she enjoyed the company of was having a hard time. But now... we can finally stand as equals. And Mayumi can only see those equal to her as real. Even poor Katana-san, who Mayumi is clearly deeply fond of, isn¡¯t on her level. And I have Akio to thank for this...


    Akio would deny it, of course, saying it was through Hinata¡¯s own efforts, her own charms, that finally won Mayumi over. And to an extent that was true. Hinata wasn¡¯t one to downplay her own hard work and value. After all, she had long striven to be accepted, her mother¡¯s bloodline as noble as any. But I¡¯m also never going to deny the contribution of others. Akio¡¯s least of all. It was Akio who helped her stand on this stage, to make her shine. And he¡¯s also captured Mayumi¡¯s interest. After all, as a daughter of nobility, and more so as the prized granddaughter of Ichijou house, she was kept away from men. In fact, Akio¡¯s surely the man she¡¯s interacted most with outside of her immediate family, pitiful though that is...


    Saying nothing of what she was thinking, Hinata nodded. ¡°I do hope so. After all, I don¡¯t often get these opportunities.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important for us as well, Mayumi.¡± Kira-sama began, but then the door to the private jet opened, and their other passengers embarked. First was a powerful, well-muscled dark-skinned man with a strange hairstyle. Dreadlocks, are they? He was tall enough to have to stoop a little to enter the plane, and he was in a suit, looking uncomfortable. Immediately, Katana-san and Kazumi tensed, sensing his threatening presence, but Hinata placed her hand on Kazumi¡¯s, calming her down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll cause any trouble.¡± she said, but that didn¡¯t mollify Kazumi. I suppose I should be proud of her resolve and professionalism. In comparison... Kira-sama¡¯s guards didn¡¯t react, showing that indeed they weren¡¯t ordinary bodyguards, but almost certainly Chosen.


    Behind the man, who went by the codename of Titan, was a woman. She was a strange one, the scientist Christina Bakker, someone who would cheerfully commit unthinkable acts in the name of experimentation, yet seemingly had no care for her own safety or welfare either. She was certainly rather pretty and had a body that Japanese women seldom could match, with fuller waist and chest, though she wore tired, ill-fitting clothes, and her hair was messy and uncared for. She looks... quite dreadful.


    Indeed, it seemed the woman wasn¡¯t well, as her blue eyes were somewhat listless, and her face was pale as paper. She saw Hinata and the others looking over, and she gave a small nod, before sitting down on one of the vacant seats, looking lost in thought. Before anyone else could speak, a harsh voice barked out some words in English.


    ¡°Stop blocking the aisle, you big ass.¡± Hinata saw that it was Aliyah, followed by her equally as imposing brother Treyvon. They were smaller than Titan, but still towered over Hinata and the others, and the pair of them were smartly dressed in tight combat clothing, and a number of weapons, both visible and hidden, were on their person.


    ¡°Calm down woman, this be a private plane, ya know. No rush to board.¡± Titan huffed, but he did sit down quickly, beside Christina Bakker.


    ¡°Sure, but the sooner you shut your mouth and take a seat, the quicker we can be going.¡± Aliyah continued, ill-humour plain. ¡°And don¡¯t try any shit... I mean... cause trouble...¡± She amended her language, which made Hinata have to hold in a giggle, being aware of how furiously the big woman usually swore. I guess Akio¡¯s told her to be on her best behaviour, since Mayumi is present. He knows I don¡¯t care about bad language. After all, Shiro swears regularly.


    ¡°Why would I do that? I be just here to protect Miss Bakker. And nobody wants to hurt her, ya?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± Treyvon said, clapping his sister on her shoulder. With a grimace she sat down in one of the remaining seats, and as the personal attendant who was looking after the private flight went to close the doors, he also sat. ¡°We¡¯re well-equipped to handle any trouble.¡±


    At that, Titan snorted, a great sound like ripping cloth. ¡°Ya think? Don¡¯t get cocky, man. I may not be a match for ya boss, but I¡¯m Titan! That be no mere nickname, ya?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re right. We¡¯ve already taken a beating from Akio.¡± Treyvon agreed ruefully.


    ¡°But you ain¡¯t him.¡± Aliyah butted in, her smile almost feral. ¡°No kidding, even with our training, we can¡¯t match you for strength or speed, but we¡¯re professionals, and we know what the f... what the hell we¡¯re up against now.¡± Aliyah glanced over at Hinata. ¡°For now, we¡¯re here to protect her. So don¡¯t force our damn hands.¡±


    ¡°Are ya sure ya want to be spilling out ya guts here?¡± Titan said, frowning. ¡°Ya supposed to be a diplomat, leaking secrets is bad.¡± Now the conversation was back in English Titan was able to follow it again.


    Christina¡¯s eyes lost their focus for a moment, before she swallowed. ¡°Too late for that. I¡¯ve made my choice. I¡¯m relying on Akio to protect me now. Even...¡± She looked at Hinata, and actually seemed contrite. ¡°...I¡¯m not a woman who understands others. I know that or thought I did. Now... I angered Akio, but honestly... I wasn¡¯t lying. Nobody makes me feel like he does... I didn¡¯t think I could feel that way.¡±


    As Mayumi laughed, Hinata clicked her tongue. Sometimes I understand how Eri feels. Akio being so wonderful is certainly something I delight in, but it can attract... problems. I... I won¡¯t sideline Eri again, nor anyone else. I was wrong, and she¡¯s forgiven me, so... I can¡¯t break trust anymore. Even if I know Adamant is necessary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re his type. Although...¡± The treacherous thought leaked out. I¡¯ve listened to Shiro¡¯s tales and talked to Tan. What she was prepared to do, could certainly potentially have done more harm than this mad scientist ever did. No, it¡¯s not the same. Akio loved Shiro long before this. He won¡¯t...


    ¡°Although?¡± Christina asked, seeming slightly hopeful.


    ¡°Although Akio is hardly cold enough to disdain you for that.¡± Hinata dissembled. ¡°But what does anger him is your actions in the past. But despite that, he won¡¯t abandon you.¡±


    ¡°I know. I... understand better now. I¡¯m a scientist. The best in the world...¡± She then tittered nervously, looking pale. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what can¡¯t be measured empirically, what can¡¯t be categorised. Human emotions, hopes, dreams... such unscientific things.¡±


    ¡°Just because they aren¡¯t tangible doesn¡¯t mean that they don¡¯t matter.¡± Hinata pointed out. ¡°Just look at the world now. All sorts of things that we thought were just stories are real.¡± Hinata pointed out, and Christina nodded.


    ¡°You sound just like Akio. And I... figured if I made an effort to understand, even if I didn¡¯t, that would be enough. And if I showed I was repentant, even if I wasn¡¯t quite sure why... isn¡¯t it the same? Just as you can¡¯t tell the difference between two electrons.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong.¡± Hinata shook her head. ¡°This is where your intent matters. Though I suppose first steps aren¡¯t something I should criticise you for. But no matter your reasons, you¡¯ve provided help to Akio and he¡¯ll not forget that.¡±


    ¡°Help. I made a mistake, went further than I should. But isn¡¯t that the story of my life? Adam is going to be furious. Poor little Christina, going to disappear.¡± She sounded back to her teasing self, though her eyes were still a little numb. ¡°I can¡¯t change the past. One thing I believe with certainty is that even in a world of magic and unscientific nonsense, time travel surely is impossible. The past is gone, as if it never existed. Else... the universe would be in constant flux. Reality itself would collapse.¡±


    Mayumi, who was listening, eyes sparkling, perhaps enjoying the unusual conversation, offered an idea. ¡°What about parallel realities? That could allow travel to... if not the past, a past?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve considered that.¡± Christina mused. ¡°But... even if that was possible, doesn¡¯t it just mean I still can¡¯t change the past, only move to an alternate one? I¡¯ve... done what I did, and I still believe it was necessary, no matter how cruel. But... I was prepared to suffer the same. I did... I think?¡± She shook her head, as if to clear the cobwebs from her thoughts. ¡°Perhaps it doesn¡¯t matter, but... if it made him like me more...¡±


    I hate that I actually feel sorry for her, at least a little. I remember how I felt, when I wasn¡¯t sure whether pursuing Akio was the right thing to do. Motoko and Natsumi understood that as well. We were selfish too, pushing ourselves on him. Well, there¡¯s no comparison between us and her, of course... and we¡¯ll spend our lives making him happy, whereas Christina Bakker doesn¡¯t even seem to understand what human happiness is... no, she¡¯s no good, but... I still sympathise. A little. ¡°I think you should give that up. At least in the short term. Don¡¯t be in a rush. I get that you¡¯re new to these feelings, but... to us, you¡¯re still complicit in the kidnapping, torture and death of a lot of innocent people. No matter how good your reasons, so you see them... that¡¯s not something we can just forgive and forget.¡± Seeing the half-puzzled, half-guilty look on the scientist¡¯s face, Hinata relented a little. ¡°Just... keep being useful, and try your best, okay? Now, maybe we should get off this subject, it¡¯s just making everyone gloomy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree!¡± the tipsy Mayumi agreed brightly. ¡°We were talking about our future successes together, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were.¡± Hinata couldn¡¯t help but smile ruefully, as they switched back to Japanese. Everyone at Hanafubuki learns English of course, and now thanks to the boost in my Intellect, I speak it near-perfectly, but... Japanese is more relaxing. And as we¡¯ll be speaking English on a lot of our trip, I might as well make the most of this time.  ¡°Though mine will be greater than yours, I promise you that. Takatsukasa House will be rebuilt by my hands. As for who sires the next heir, I don¡¯t care much about that. Be it me, or Sakura, or even little Minoru-kun.¡± Hinata paused for a second, her smile now fond. ¡°He¡¯s throwing everything into becoming a superhero, it¡¯s very cute.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly proper for a son of such a noble house to effectively do the same work as a bodyguard...¡± Kira-sama began, but Hinata interrupted him.


    ¡°Mind what you say. Motoko and Natsumi might take offense to that. In fact, it¡¯s old-fashioned traditions that restrict women which has led to Akio scooping us all up. Minoru-kun is young. Getting stronger now will help him in the future, whatever his path is. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s always watched, and his training is very gentle compared to ours.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it makes me wonder, just how far will Akio-kun go? Miyu-chan is rather close to him, no? I doubt Shige would refuse a marriage between them at this stage. While Honoka-chan¡¯s prospective husband will surely inherit, having such a strong tie and a share of the Fujiwara fortunes would be a large benefit... and then there¡¯s talk of... well, never mind that one.¡± Kira-sama coughed theatrically. ¡°Even your cousin Sakura-chan... there¡¯s merits to it. But if Akio-kun takes too many daughters, then the bloodlines of the nobility will get rather tangled...¡±


    You¡¯re forgetting one name. Though that makes sense, Kira-sama. After all, you think of your granddaughter as special. And she is. But no more than Miyu is. No, less than her now. After all, Miyu is Chosen as well as a daughter of Fujiwara house. Keeping her thoughts to herself, Hinata merely brushed that question off. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m entirely opposed to the idea, but... there has to be limits. There are better prospects for Akio¡¯s future wives than more noble daughters. Not that we¡¯d refuse if Akio was charmed by one. So long as she obeyed the rules we all agreed to.¡±


    ¡°Better prospects, huh? I think I understand.¡± Kira-sama agreed.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t. Grandfather, Hinata, don¡¯t keep me in the dark, I hate that!¡± Mayumi pouted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no mystery to it.¡± Hinata enjoyed Mayumi¡¯s annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s blatantly obvious that a political marriage between Akio and our allies is the way to ensure strong relations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Mayumi realised who Hinata meant. ¡°That would be... interesting.¡±


    ¡°It definitely would. Eri¡¯s sure it¡¯ll happen, and I don¡¯t see why she¡¯d be wrong. But we¡¯ve wandered off the topic again.¡± Hinata brought the subject back to the factory. ¡°Unless you have a burning desire to express your own interest?¡± Unable to resist that teasing, Hinata waited for a moment, as Mayumi looked away, face pink. ¡°No? Anyway... without talking specifics...¡± There are too many people I don¡¯t entirely trust here, and it¡¯s sad, but... I think that Christina Bakker is probably less worrisome than Kira-sama¡¯s new bodyguards, being as she¡¯s not a native speaker. The risk of information leakage is small, but I still don¡¯t like taking needless chances.


    ¡°...yes, we¡¯re at the cutting edge of cross-Boundary research and production. We¡¯ll capture the initial market. Sure, it¡¯s nai?ve to think that no-one else will manage similar technological breakthroughs, maybe other countries are working on them now...¡± Hinata glanced at Christina knowingly, as if her words were accurate, the US was still far behind. ¡°...but I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll get ours out first. At the least, our technologies will help make Japan self-sufficient, which is vital as the world grows ever more uncertain, and we can certainly make significant profits selling the excess overseas and to our allies...¡±


    ¡°The American dream.¡± Aliyah snorted, the first words she¡¯d said for a while. She was nursing a glass of juice like Hinata, and at her inquisitive gaze, Aliyah snorted sourly, tossing her head, beads jingling. ¡°I¡¯m on duty, despite what you might believe, I¡¯m a professional. Work hard, play harder, right Trey?¡±


    ¡°Leave me out if it.¡± Her brother shrugged, a can of American cola in his hands. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t follow everything they said.¡± Since Hinata was speaking in Japanese, they were following along as best as they could.


    ¡°Your Japanese is as shaky as your Russian. Shit... uh... damn. Anyway, you need to put more effort in. I can¡¯t say I followed everything, but I understood enough. At least we won¡¯t need to worry about the Company¡¯s paychecks bouncing...¡±


    As the two siblings argued, Hinata leaned back in her chair, amused by the distraction. Looking out of the window at the clouds below, Hinata wished the flight would hurry up and reach its destination. While she enjoyed spending time with Mayumi, and talking about her plans... That¡¯s nothing compared to spending time with Akio, and, more importantly... Her smile reflected in the glass of the window, unaware of how her expression was charming those around her, Hinata finished her juice, thoughts racing. If everything goes as we plan, then Akio will be able to reach new heights of power, and with him, all of us. I can¡¯t wait! Every day is better than the last, and tomorrow... it¡¯s going to be just wonderful!

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Two

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Two


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit grim.¡± I said, looking around at the claustrophobic, dilapidated streets of the old Luisenstadt district of Berlin. A number of older men were out despite the biting cold, sitting casually on the steps of their residences, smoking tatty cigarettes, or drinking booze from bottles of dark glass. They were watching us with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, with some hostility mixed in, perhaps seeing us as outsiders, and if I was the me from before, I would have been rather intimidated.


    ¡°This is quite the place.¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a place for women to come. I can¡¯t believe you brought your sister here...¡± Now it wouldn¡¯t matter, if anyone tried anything, Aiko would be more than capable of fighting them off, but if she was just ordinary... yeah, no way I¡¯d bring my sis to a rundown slum like this...


    ¡°Thank God and all his Angels, somebody understands!¡± Sophia exclaimed, pleased. ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t care that your sister is a delicate woman, like a rose.¡±


    ¡°Delicate?¡± Constantine raised an eyebrow, surprised. ¡°Gamo?to, you¡¯re as delicate as a nettle, Sophia. And you nag like one too!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t curse at me!¡± Sophia said loudly, before realising we had more eyes on us, and she shrank in behind us, reaching out a hand to grab my arm, before she hesitated at the look on Constantine¡¯s face. She withdrew her hand, but still hit behind me as she shot him a glare. ¡°What? If you have something to say, say it!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of saying a word, sister. But shouldn¡¯t you rely on your brother, or are you trying to act cute in front of him?¡± He turned to me with a wry smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, Sophia isn¡¯t cute at all!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up, sometimes I hate you!¡± Sophia snarled. ¡°Besides, when it comes down to it, I¡¯d rather take my chances with Akio than you, my big strong twin brother.¡± Constantine flushed, remembering their last visit. ¡°Who would you rather rely on in a fight?¡±


    ¡°Point taken. I¡¯m a thinker, not a fighter.¡± Constantine said proudly, which confused me a little. Odd thing to take pride in, given the situation. ¡°But if trouble does start, of course I¡¯d protect you, Sophia. Just like last time!¡±


    ¡°All I remember last time is you were as scared as I was, fool!¡± Sophia countered. ¡°But... I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be trouble. Not really...¡± she conceded. ¡°The place stinks of hopelessness, but...¡±


    I looked around again and understood what she meant. Yes, the streets were unkempt and the people poor, and there was a clear hostility to outsiders, but it was just that. A rejection of the outside. As we passed through and left, no doubt they¡¯d be happy to see us go, but it looked like nobody actually wanted to cause trouble. I was wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy skies above, and a mask over the lower part of my face, so it wasn¡¯t like anyone could easily recognise me. Sophia did stand out though. And I definitely wouldn¡¯t advise her to come here alone. She¡¯s certainly attractive enough to put temptation into people¡¯s minds.


    ¡°...but it¡¯s just a community who¡¯s wary of strangers.¡± I finished, understanding. ¡°Seeing places like this, it makes me feel rather proud, but also quite guilty. There aren¡¯t many places like this in Japan, though I suppose the area around Hisuikomushi shrine shares a little with this place, being as it¡¯s rather run down and has a lot of... uh...¡± I looked at Sophia, unwilling to finish that sentence, and Constantine smirked.


    ¡°Women of ill-repute, I imagine. Are you acquainted with those?¡± he teased me, and I shook my head in firm denial.


    ¡°Nope, never. Do you think I¡¯d do that to my girls?¡± And before, I¡¯d never have had the guts, or honestly saw the need. Back when I was running away from my feelings, from Eri and to a lesser extent Shiro, I was happy just imagining such a life, relying on manga to live vicariously through. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to give your sister a bad impression of me, I¡¯d understand though.¡±


    ¡°He?stika. If you want to make a play for Sophia, well, it¡¯d be the first time she¡¯s attracted a rich man, but not the first time she¡¯s gone for someone who already has a girlfriend or two. I can¡¯t recommend her though. She¡¯s not as relaxing as those I¡¯ve met. She¡¯s a typical Greek woman, too domineering. Tight with the purse strings and a tyrant at home.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened after a moment as she processed the English. ¡°Purse strings? Who had a job that paid for all your insane crap...¡± She then lapsed into Greek, and I recognised a number of swearwords now.


    As they bickered, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Though angry words were exchanged, the siblings were close, and I appreciated that. However... We were drawing rather more attention that I liked, so I interjected. ¡°I think we shouldn¡¯t cause a scene, don¡¯t you agree?¡± I let out a trickle of League, and their argument halted. ¡°Are we nearly there?¡±


    Constantine shuddered as though he was a wet dog, before looking around. ¡°Yes, the bar where we met her was around here. Wasn¡¯t it?¡± he asked his sister, who nodded. She pointed the way, and soon we were outside it. The building was run-down, the walls painted a faded white that had turned a dull, dirty grey. A few men were standing outside watching us, big, burly Westerners, smoking and holding large glasses of half-drunk beer. Sophia shrank behind me again, and Constantine shook his head.


    ¡°Last time we were here early, it was far less busy. But...¡± he cheered up. ¡°We¡¯re with the Hero of Britain, we don¡¯t have anything to fear, do we Sophia?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± she agreed. As I moved past the people outside they looked at us coldly, making Sophia and even Constantine shrink in close to me. Inside, the buzz of conversation could be heard, and the surrounding tables were filled with burly men drinking. Hardly any women to be seen. This is a real man¡¯s bar, apparently...


    Spying an open table in the corner, I nodded to it, and the siblings sat down, backs to the wall. I headed to the bar and spoke out an order in the German I¡¯d been practising. ¡°Bitte drei gro?e Biere.¡±


    The man quietly poured me the glasses of foamy amber liquid and asked for twelve euros. I had brought a mixture of foreign currencies with me, so paid quickly, and as I hefted the litre mugs, turning back towards the table, I heard a man talking loudly and coldly in Greek.


    There was a man, smartly dressed, at odds with the ordinary patrons of the bar, and he was clearly aware of the siblings. Perhaps it¡¯s that Karl they mentioned before?


    Seeing me watching, Constantine¡¯s eyes showed his relief, and he said something to the man, who turned. At that moment I approached, dropping down the beers to the table with an audible thud, my stats making it easy to prevent spillage. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I said in German. ¡°There¡¯s no need to shout. Sorry, I don¡¯t speak Greek, can we do German or English?¡±


    ¡°English?¡± The man said, nodding. ¡°That will suffice.¡± I pulled out two chairs, gesturing for him to sit down, and the man nodded. ¡°At least you have manners, stranger. But if you came with our journalist here...¡± He said the word with a measure of disdain. ¡°...you were warned. You are unwelcome here, the Rachsu?chtiger Geist has many enemies.¡±


    Vengeful ghost, huh? Interesting...


    ¡°I assure you I am not one of them...¡± I broke in, and Karl narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Yet you go about with a masked face, hiding yourself. I am not a fool. You think we do not recognise those like the Geist? There have been others, and none have come with good intentions. I doubt you are any different.¡±


    ¡°Others? And what happened to them?¡± Constantine couldn¡¯t help but ask, swallowing nervously, perhaps remembering the strength of the little Chosen he had met here before.


    ¡°Those who were unwise and did not take our advice and forget their inquisitiveness... they found themselves unprepared to face the fury of madness, their anger and lust for power was their undoing.¡± He paused meaningfully. ¡°There are many rivers surrounding this place, and into the cold darkness the unjust will go. I am not a religious man, but... what we have seen can change many minds.¡± He gestured to the patrons of the bar, all of which were watching us now with great hostility, and many of them carried heavy wooden cudgels, metal bars or knives. ¡°So, Herr Constantine, Frau Sophia, unnamed stranger who reeks of trouble... do you believe your cause is just, and will not attract the punishment of the Furies?¡±


    ¡°It seems wrong, threatening us Greeks with our own Gods in Germany...¡± Constantine muttered, but his pale-faced sister kicked him under the table and hissed for him to shut up, looking at me pleadingly.


    Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take action. ¡°Actually, I do believe my cause is just, and I¡¯m certainly not here to harm her.¡± I promised. ¡°Besides...¡± With a smile, I took off my mask and glasses. ¡°...to be blunt, if I was here to cause trouble, it¡¯s not like anyone here could stop me.¡±


    Karl¡¯s eyes widened as he recognised me, as did many of the patrons of the bar. Cries of ¡°Held von Gro?britannien¡± and ¡°Koreanischer Retter¡± echoed around the bar, which embarrassed me. I¡¯m collecting nicknames. It¡¯s awfully Chunni. ¡°You?¡± He said at last, before turning an accusing gaze on Constantine. ¡°She asked to be left alone, and you bring him here? I thought you less of a fool, or did your desire to share the truth blind you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for intimidation.¡± Constantine replied, though he was starting to sweat, the atmosphere pressuring him. ¡°We¡¯re simply here to talk, and make an offer. I¡¯m confident she¡¯ll be interested, and if not... we¡¯ll be on our way, causing no trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± With my expanded perception, I could see directly behind me, and the door had opened silently, and a small figure had slipped in, wearing a long, hooded coat, obscuring her features. I didn¡¯t even need my Eye to tell she wasn¡¯t normal, by the graceful, stealthy way she moved. Some of the patrons who were scowling at us had noticed as well, and they seemed to be relieved, yet had heightened tension too. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d hope my reputation speaks for itself. I¡¯m not a bad man.¡±


    ¡°A righteous light often casts dark shadows.¡± Karl said ominously. ¡°And I would have to question just how you gained such strength, Herr Akio.¡± He nodded meaningfully. ¡°After all, we have seen the videos from South Korea. Our young ghost has as well. For so many like her to be gathered... and one was your sister, yes? You look too alike to be unrelated. For siblings to both have such powers... seems implausible...¡±


    Curse the Korean government and their disregard of our secrecy. I know Hinata and the Japanese government have extracted some compensation, but... revealing my sis has that Favour is going to cause terrible problems... ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not as uncommon as you¡¯d think...¡± I remembered the Korean siblings who had turned Choe-Museon into a hell. ¡°...there¡¯s a certain bias to the spread of Favours, it¡¯s not as random as it seems. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Frau Richter?¡± I turned, facing the small shadow who was watching us. It was a little uncomfortable, as I could feel the distrust and suspicion radiating from her, but I supposed it was understandable.


    The small woman jerked, surprised, before pulling down her hood, and I had to hold in a yell of amusement. Even though Constantine and Sophia told me about her appearance in advance, yeah... it¡¯s still too perfect a match. She looked much younger than her actual age, and had long, fluffy blonde hair framing her doll-like face, her blue eyes staring at me with fierce wariness. She¡¯s the spitting image of a certain reincarnated salaryman that ended up in not-Germany. ¡°Have you investigated me? How? I¡¯ve been careful.¡± She was surprised I spoke German to her, and also that I knew her surname. Well, that¡¯s a very easy question for Yasaka-san to answer.


    ¡°Yes, but I know a lot of Chosen, often with odd powers.¡± I stood up and bowed in Japanese fashion politely to her, continuing to speak. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we all sit down together and lose the atmosphere. You can hear us out, and if you aren¡¯t satisfied we¡¯ll be on our way, and won¡¯t bother you again.¡±


    Karl looked at her, and the young woman nodded sharply, letting out a long sigh, nothing childish about her at all. ¡°Fine. But if you try anything...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be dumped in the surrounding rivers?¡± I raised Karl¡¯s threat from earlier, and the girl rolled her azure blue eyes, annoyed.


    ¡°That might be difficult. But don¡¯t underestimate me!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± Sophia and Constantine were using their phones to translate the conversations for themselves now it had switched to the German I had learnt especially for this, and as Adelheid Richter sat down beside me, her short legs kicking restlessly on her stool, I asked Karl if he would be so good as to bring us a menu. He snorted, and gestured, sitting down himself, and soon a beer was slammed down in front of Adelheid, who took a swig. I raised one eyebrow, and she snorted sourly. ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl. Despite my appearance. And I¡¯m German. Of course I love beer. Though...¡±


    ¡°You say that money can¡¯t buy your body or love. I respect that. But shouldn¡¯t it be able to buy your loyalty and labour? After all, that¡¯s what a job is. And when it comes down to it, working with me is the best option for your future.¡±


    ¡°You want to make me fight? Little weak Adelheid? How cruel...¡± Her expression changed and her voice turned sickly sweet and childish. I nearly spat out my beer, but after a moment let out a sigh.


    ¡°Very amusing. But it¡¯s not a case of wanting, is it? You¡¯ve already been fighting, and it¡¯s only going to get worse.¡± As the numbers of Chosen continued to decrease, there would be those who would just set up their own domains, but others would certainly follow the Kodoku that Earth was now and hunt down others to grow stronger themselves, seeking to be Astral Emperor. And that¡¯s before issues like that damn toad in China... ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve learned I can¡¯t stop those who desire strength from getting it, all I can do is help them.


    ¡°True.¡± Adelheid changed her tune, reverting to normal. ¡°But even say I agree that if I stay here others will find me... why should I listen to you?¡±


    ¡°I did learn German just to speak to you.¡± I grinned, and she had to concede that point, though she grumbled it couldn¡¯t have been that hard, as her own memory was much better nowadays.


    ¡°Realistically... who else would you choose to side with, given the chance? In terms of security, I work with a great number of Chosen, and have ties to a number of governments. I¡¯ve the money to reward you fairly, and...¡± I leaned in meaningfully. ¡°...I also have the talents to see how best to improve and strengthen others. You¡¯re right, it¡¯s no coincidence my sister has her abilities.¡±


    ¡°I think you should consider it.¡± Karl said, surprising me. ¡°We are grateful to you, for showing us our pride again, how to be better men, despite adversity, but... our Rachsu?chtiger Geist must roam freely. You have a purpose. The Furies chose you to be justice and vengeance on this world. You will not achieve that here.¡± He then addressed me sternly. ¡°You may underestimate the strength of the ordinary, but should the Geist come to harm through your actions...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do everything to prevent that, just like I would for any of my other allies. But...¡± I thought for a while. ¡°...how about this. You¡¯re a clever man. You speak multiple languages, most importantly English. I can always find a use for you, though I¡¯d have to do some background checks of course. I¡¯m a firm believer in second chances, when appropriate, but...¡±


    Karl seemed amused. ¡°Of course. Some sins preclude redemption. Though I am not guilty of those.¡± His expression darkened. ¡°However, we of this district, we... are close-knit. Especially since our Geist came to us. The worst have been expunged, and what is left...¡±


    ¡°How about this then?¡± I had an idea, and while the details would need to be filled in by others, I had a feeling it would work. ¡°How about a bit of a regeneration? If this area is poor, then all the people need is jobs to bring money back to the area, right?¡±


    ¡°It is hardly that simple. It is not merely laziness and ... chequered pasts... that prevent success.¡± Karl disagreed, though I did detect a glam of interest in his eyes.


    ¡°True. But ill-health can be sorted, and training provided.¡± I was warming to the idea. Having more subordinates wouldn¡¯t go amiss, and it was also charitable work, in a way. The Japanese government would probably say I should bring employment to Japan first, and I intend to... but if I¡¯m to be Astral Emperor, all the world will be mine to protect, so...


    ¡°Is nobody asking my opinion?¡± Adelheid said grumpily. ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I apologised. ¡°I just thought that since you feel a little responsible for the people here, I¡¯d do something to help them out. A win-win, right?¡± I steepled my fingers, looking at her seriously as I rested my chin on my hands. ¡°So, are you interested? If so, tell me what you want.¡±


    ¡°I want a fight.¡± The woman grinned fearlessly, her eyes rather manic. ¡°I don¡¯t like that you look down on me. You¡¯re strong, your halos shows that...¡± There was that word again, and she clarified she meant my presence, effective force. So, League then. ¡°...but I¡¯m no weakling. Underestimate my because of my youthful looks and I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±


    ¡°All right then, Tanya.¡± I conceded, and she looked puzzled.


    ¡°Tanya? My name is Adelheid.¡± I laughed at her confusion and changed the subject.


    ¡°Fine, but... no serious injuries. I can Heal up anything that isn¡¯t too bad easily enough. Is there anywhere we can do it? I can¡¯t in the Boundary right now...¡±


    ¡°I know a place.¡± Karl said, and with that, the matter was settled...


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make you regret your arrogance.¡± Adelheid smirked, her blue eyes cold and intense. ¡°I¡¯m no weak little girl. I¡¯m not so easy to buy!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, honest work isn¡¯t buying you. But... I¡¯m also curious about what you can do.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you are.¡± she sneered. We were in an abandoned lot, by one of the rivers, ironically enough. It was run-down and choked with weeds and nettles, but nobody was around, so it was perfect for a practice fight. ¡°But those who underestimated me are gone now.¡±


    ¡°I never underestimate anyone.¡± I assured her. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve seen some terrifying abilities.¡± Arisu-san¡¯s springs to mind. I think she could kill me with her Room. It¡¯s not always about raw power...


    ¡°Those who say that always end up overestimating themselves.¡± Adelheid taunted. ¡°Fine. Hit me with your best move... as for me...¡± She surged with aether, and also adherence. My Eye had very little trouble picking up most adherence now, but I was surprised she was using it to attack. ¡°Jealous Judgement!¡±


    I felt a weight settle on me, adherence weighing me down. It wasn¡¯t unbearable though, and instead, I began to unravel the adherence, purifying and plundering it. Adelheid seemed surprised, but she quickly rushed towards me, keeping low, taunting me to attack.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Though I already know what you can do... Instead of striking out, I merely used earth element to liquefy the rock and stone below, and she stumbled. Then a blast of wind struck her, but instead of a cannonball, it was a gentle smack, one that you would give a troublesome child. Aether surged, and I was then buffeted by a similar, unnoticeable impact.


    ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± Adelheid growled, struggling free of the mud. As her anger boiled her strength was growing, and it was an ability not dissimilar to Jarovid¡¯s. Her coat and other clothes were covered in muck, and she was seething. ¡°You call that a...¡± Another gentle bolt of air struck her, before I was hit by a similar backlash, and she glowered at me. ¡°Wait, how do you know...?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve already asked a Goddess of Wisdom about you.¡± I grinned. ¡°Hence why I¡¯m very keen on recruiting you. Not many Chosen have three abilities.¡± I paused then. ¡°I¡¯m hardly free from sin, so your first ability did affect me a little, but... sadly I hard counter it.¡± Spirit Water bubbled, and then I changed it to ordinary water, a tide washing over Adelheid, who squawked, but it washed the mud from her clothes. ¡°As for your second, your avenging ability, I expect that¡¯s how you¡¯ve stayed alive up until now, but... if I know about it, I can just trap you. And...¡± I raised a hand, calling on Foehn. The blazing flames were even more brilliant than usual, as now I understood the adherence within it more, I could concentrate the flame and manipulate it more easily. ¡°...If you can¡¯t survive the attack, it doesn¡¯t matter if it rebounds. I imagine you¡¯ve used your final ability to grow strong enough to manage, but... me, I can take what I dish out...¡±


    As the flames reflected in her eyes, her anger was doused like she was by my water. Wringing out her hair, she sighed. ¡°Shit. I lose. I didn¡¯t think I could win head on, but... I never do. I¡¯m always underestimated, everyone lets their guard down...¡±


    ¡°If it was just me, I could...¡± I agreed. ¡°But I carry the fates of a lot of people with me, so I can¡¯t get careless again. I¡¯ve already lost before, and... I never want that to happen again.¡± I reached out a hand, and Adelheid took it, letting me pull her to her feet as I dismissed Foehn, though I used the remaining hot air around us to dry the girl off.


    ¡°Look around you.¡± Adelheid snorted bitterly, and in her eyes I could see bitter memories. Surrounding us watched the patrons of the bar and Karl, as well as the Greek siblings, who now seemed relieved. ¡°Nobody can coast through life winning all the time. The world reeks of injustice. It¡¯s why the Furies exist. Why they are needed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s why you are needed. By me.¡± I released her hand. She looked at me scornfully, but didn¡¯t dismiss me. ¡°Let me put your power to use, and in exchange, I¡¯ll always be on your side.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not such a good person...¡± Adelheid muttered, a little embarrassed, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Who is in this world? Like I said, my hands aren¡¯t totally clean, but we live in a muddy world, sometimes we get dirty, and mud shows more on white than black.¡±


    ¡°Is it settled then?¡± Karl asked, rather mesmerised by our shockingly brief skirmish, where the ground erupted, and flame and water were called into existence out of seemingly nowhere.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hear him out.¡± Adelheid agreed. ¡°Jealous Judgement didn¡¯t make me despise him, so... he¡¯s no monster.¡±


    ¡°Great. Well, I could use another beer after that. Then, if you agree, we can go to the Japanese embassy here in Berlin and get you some documents. Then we have a flight to catch, I have to meet the rest of my party soon. So come on, Tanya, let¡¯s get things hashed out...¡±


    ¡°Hey, things are moving too fast!¡± Adelheid snapped, confused. ¡°And my name isn¡¯t Tanya, it¡¯s Adelheid! Don¡¯t forget that!¡± Following me like a forlorn puppy, she grew angrier as the residents of Luisenstadt began to laugh at her in a good-natured fashion, and with a flushed face she worked her short legs, catching me up. ¡°Wait, I said wait, damn it all!¡±


    Spoiler


    [collapse]

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Three

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Three


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t agreed to anything! Are you listening to me? Shit, I¡¯m not a child!¡± Adelheid was fuming next to me in the back seat of the rather luxurious four-wheel drive car we were in. On my other side sat Karl, who was accompanying us as Adelheid¡¯s chaperone, in a way, and I was amused by his genuine respect and affection towards the fiery girl.


    Towards the front sat the siblings, while the driver and the vehicle was one Sir Arthur had arranged for us, as he had connections all throughout Europe, and we didn¡¯t want to discuss anything secret in an ordinary taxi, but time was precious, so even the journey to the embassy could be used productively.


    ¡°Really? You asked for a fight, I gave you one. I thought it was all settled?¡± I said, feigning surprise. It was impossible not to tease her, as her reactions were so explosive, and with her adorable appearance, the gap was intense.


    ¡°Settled? Shit. Crap.¡± She swore again, and I now knew why everyone always joked German was the best language to swear in, as the curses were guttural and intense.


    ¡°Okay, enough joking.¡± I promised. ¡°Look, what do you have to lose? You¡¯ll be safer working with us, and you¡¯ll also benefit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to move abroad!¡± she complained. ¡°I don¡¯t even speak the language.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easily rectified, as you told me when I mentioned my German. Learn English at least, Adelheid.¡± I didn¡¯t call her Tanya this time was the topic was serious. ¡°I don¡¯t mind tutoring you.¡± She rolled her eyes at that, and as I was about to continue, Karl spoke up.


    ¡°While we will miss you, our Geist, we also pray for your safety. Us Godless, wretched men and women, who drift through life here on the bitter streets of Luisenstadt, found new faith in the Furies you serve. Anger at our weakness, jealousy over our lives, and avenging our sins. You were never meant to remain in such a small place. You have been chosen.¡±


    Adelheid made a sour face, and I cajoled her. ¡°It¡¯s not a permanent move. Once matters are secure, I¡¯ll need a representative for Germany, just like I have for Britain and South Korea. And if we can find an area with suitable elements, we can set up a Ring Gate, and I can travel between easily then.¡± South Korea comes first though. But each additional Gate in the Hub uses up more of the earth element around Shirohebizumi. We can certainly handle a few more, especially with Shiro¡¯s buffs on the Tree, but... I still like to be sparing. There¡¯s the security risk until we upgrade the Territory to Rank four and get the Anchor Spire that allows us to modify the barriers as well...


    ¡°Stop treating me as a child, or else...¡± Her expression changed to a childish, adorable one. ¡°...I¡¯ll start talking like this, mister, and everyone will think you¡¯re a pervert kidnapping me!¡± Her singsong, teasing tone made me laugh.


    ¡°Yeah, please don¡¯t do that, my reputation is bad enough.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m offering a bad deal. And like I said, I¡¯m prepared to listen to reasonable conditions.¡±


    Seeing I was earnest, she gnawed on her lip again, falling silent, and I turned to Karl. ¡°So, I¡¯m curious, You say you were a businessman before. What industry?¡±


    ¡°Pharmaceuticals. In fact, I was the President and major shareholder in a company renowned worldwide, that I daresay even you have heard of. It was... quite the scandal.¡± Karl seemed downheartened and guilty, yet his smile never faded. ¡°Greed is a terrible poison. When one has wealth and power, only the desire for more remains. And cutting corners, making poor choices...¡± He looked at me seriously then, and Adelheid was listening closely too. ¡°...I hope you understand the wisdom of knowing your limits.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. As long as my family and friends have a good life, that¡¯s enough for me. Though sadly we do need to gather wealth for a legitimate reason, to benefit everyone. Anyway... pharmaceuticals, huh?¡± That was an area Ixitt had a passing interest in, after all, Alchemy lent itself to such as one of its facets, but was hardly a focus. Yeah, there¡¯s an idea...


    Back in the Boundary in Japan, Hyacinth was serving us some cold drinks. I was sweating profusely, the pain from the Berserk Blessing I was taking from Asha¡¯s Tree shockingly intense, though every so often my Resilience increased, which helped my motivation. That and the extra ether, of course. Daiyu was also here, alongside her Korean disciple Kim Eui, and they were Qi Refining steadily due to the higher ether density. Suk-ja was here as well, and she was squeezing out every last Winged Diamond, breaking them down as she had been taught, and feeding the crystal element into bluesteel batteries.


    ¡°Hyacinth, a question? Oh, I guess this is to you as well, Daiyu.¡± At my words Daiyu opened her onyx eyes from where she was sitting under the shade of Asha¡¯s Tree and looked at me seriously.


    ¡°Gooo on. Ask away.¡± Hyacinth said eagerly, and I mentioned the Faerie Dew that Selensha had been drinking to replenish herself during the Trial of Three where we first met. Hyacinth made a face at that, and nodded, pursing her lips.


    ¡°Yes, Faerie Dew. It can restooore one¡¯s strength. But Hyacinth hates it. Tastes nasty, nooot fit to serve you or the mistresses.¡±


    Daiyu was clever, so immediately understood my angle. ¡°I see. You mean concoctions and restoratives rich in Qi, or aether, I suppose. Perhaps elemental energies?¡± At my nod, she continued. ¡°Rare herbs such as ancient ginseng are flush with strengthening Qi. If Refined into potions, pills or even food, then it is greatly nourishing.¡± She paused for a moment, thinking more deeply. ¡°I believe there are tales of rare jewels and minerals, or even crystallised lightning, which serves the same purpose, though in the modern age, such have almost entirely vanished. If the Incorruptible Jade carried out any from Kunlun, they have long been used up. After all, only a few rare pills and talismans remained to us...¡±


    ¡°I dooo not wish to serve unfitting beverages, but... Hyacinth can make ooone.¡± she declared, and at my nod, she hustled off to grab the ingredients.


    Back in the Material, still in the car, I addressed Karl. ¡°So, pharmaceuticals. That might be a suitable business to start up. It doesn¡¯t conflict with my current plans...¡±


    ¡°If you are seeking my assistance, I have knowledge, but...¡± Karl¡¯s expression was self-mocking. ¡°...I am no longer allowed to hold high position in any company, nor be involved in any medicinal market. The outcome of the case attracted widespread interest, after all. I was fortunate to escape longer imprisonment.¡±


    Adelheid looked interested at that. Seeing her curiosity, Karl laughed rustily. ¡°I too am a sinner to be judged. But the criminal justice system is not as pure as the judgement of the Furies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not an evil man, Karl.¡± Adelheid protested. ¡°Not like those perverts and bastards... you helped me, helped others.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am a repentant man.¡± Karl agreed.


    I¡¯ll need to look into the scandal of course, but... ¡°Expertise would be appreciated, but who knows. It might well be we can make an exception for you. But that¡¯s not up to me. Though I¡¯d like you to meet my fiance?e at some point. She handles my business empire. Not now though, we¡¯re on a tight schedule this trip.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Adelheid said snidely, but her blue eyes were strangely gentle. She¡¯s prickly, but she does seem to care for Karl, I think.


    ¡°Hinata. She¡¯s not been on any of my high-profile appearances.¡± I said self-deprecatingly. ¡°But she¡¯s managing a lot, despite her age. Her family has always been big in business. She¡¯s the granddaughter of the owner of Nichibotsu.¡±


    ¡°Marvellous, little Fra?ulein, you look adorable!¡± The staffer at the embassy obviously spoke German as well, no embassy would employ staff that didn¡¯t speak the local language. Right now we were taking a picture of Adelheid for her passport documents, and her Ministry registration would be processed as well. There were certainly some issues regarding whether the German government would be happy to see us give dual nationality to a Chosen from their country, but in terms of diplomacy, we could handle it, I was confident.


    ¡°Fra?ulein is offensive!¡± Adelheid protested, fuming. Regardless, with her hair combed properly, and her face lightly made up, she at least looked a little closer to her actual age. ¡°This isn¡¯t last century! Shit, crap, I hate this!¡± She turned to Karl for support, only to see his amused smile and curse even louder.


    ¡°You should be pleased, our Geist. After all, matters are settled, are they not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Adelheid squirmed as the picture was taken, her cheeks red. ¡°Look, piss off then! I don¡¯t care. You abandoned me... do whatever the hell you want!¡±


    ¡°Now you don¡¯t mean that.¡± I pointed out, and she hissed at me like a feral cat. It was too late though, as her photograph had been captured and was displayed on the monitor on the wall, which was also Nichibotsu brand, an irony not lost on her. Soon her documents were being printed, and as the staffer left to deal with the final bits of bureaucracy, Adelheid stalked over and sat down on a seat, crossing her legs, clearly infuriated, but also happy, if I wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll have a substantial salary, accommodation provided, opportunities to train and progress, and you¡¯ll be in charge of the Territory we¡¯ll establish around Luisenstadt at a later stage. And I¡¯ll compensate you with the required ether, and you¡¯ll have support from my forces.¡± Adelheid¡¯s Territory was only Rank 2, and she had dismantled it, breaking her connection to it now everything was settled, but honestly, if she wasn¡¯t alone and constantly running into trouble, she easily could have been Rank 3 by now. It was as I expected. Rank 3¡¯s were very viable now, it had been over a year in Boundary time since the start of all this, but due to the dangers of upgrading, most would work on bolstering their Rank 2¡¯s as much as they could, rather that chance it, unless they either had a solid alliance, or were in an isolated area. Likely only those with great fortune such as me, or those sponsored by a state are able to push for Rank four though. I¡¯d be surprised if there will be more than two or three a year from now...


    ¡°I know all that! I¡¯m not as stupid as you are!¡± She puffed out her cheeks as she insulted me. ¡°I... okay, fine. It¡¯s not a bad deal, and you don¡¯t seem a bad guy, I suppose I can concede that, but... you¡¯re just so annoying!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hurt.¡± I chuckled. ¡°But anyway, I¡¯ll start teaching you English. With your stats you should be fine.¡± Now we were at the embassy, I¡¯d given her a brief explanation of how I measured things, and had a glance at her Favour. I couldn¡¯t glean all her details, as she wasn¡¯t bonded to me or one of my Chosen Heroes, but her Divine Favour, the Erinyes¡¯ Triad Of Judgement, was fascinating. Basically, her Jealous Judgement, of Megaera, worked on Karma, and the more sins one had committed, the more the target would be ensnared and slowed down in both movements and thoughts. Unluckily for Adelheid, I was largely immune to it due to my Spiritually Pure Physique, and while my hands were far from clean, even when I was being hard on myself I didn¡¯t think I was an evil man.


    Then there was Furious Judge of Alecto, which increased her Might, Fortitude, Alacrity and Precision the more angry she became. That made up for the fact that her Favour didn¡¯t give her a huge Status boost, but was more balanced towards her Aether. Lastly, Tisiphone¡¯s Avenging Judgement was a rebounding effect as I was already aware of thanks to asking Yasaka-san before my visit. It had limits, of course, and didn¡¯t stop Adelheid getting hurt, but when you combined all three aspects of the Favour, it had incredible potential.


    ¡°Stop looking at me. I¡¯m not on display!¡± Adelheid grumbled, and I realised I was lost in thought for a moment, likely due to most of my attention being in the Boundary, where Asha was trying to grow some ginseng to Daiyu¡¯s standards. In addition, Daiyu was also remembering details of various mushrooms and fungus she had seen in her Sect¡¯s scrolls and plates, such as the reishi mushroom. Obviously, ordinary ginseng and mushrooms had no spiritual properties, so a lot of trial and error would be required, but Hyacinth was eager to find mushrooms that did, so she could use her own spores to replicate them as she did the Ring Gates.


    ¡°Sorry, you were just surprisingly adorable.¡± I smiled, amused. The brash girl definitely brought out my urge to tease her, and I¡¯d only known her for a few hours, but I already felt a little protective towards her. Aiko will be annoyed, looks like I¡¯m picking up another little sister. But again, Eri will just laugh and say turnabout is fair...


    ¡°Oh shut up. If that¡¯s all you want, I can totally be all cute and polite...¡± She started elongating her vowels and speaking in a sickly-sweet tone, like a young child. ¡°...but then it¡¯s abuse making me fight, isn¡¯t it?¡± She tilted her head, and again the comparisons to the famous Tanya were undeniable.


    ¡°Honestly, while I do feel very bad about it, we do have one elementary schoolgirl who has fought. Though it¡¯s conducted with extreme safety margins, and only to Level her up, against mindless beasts.¡± Marika-chan was going home tomorrow. No, due to the time difference, it¡¯s after midnight in Japan now, right? So I guess it¡¯s today. Speaking of...


    ¡°Bah.¡± Adelheid looked like she was going to spit again, but looking at the clean, polished floor, she merely made a sour expression. ¡°It¡¯s a shitty world, where even young girls have to fight. But has it ever been any different? The weak can only blame themselves when they get no justice.¡±


    ¡°True. But I do believe those of us who are strong can and should aid the weak. But better, we can help the weak to be strong.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Fine. You win this time.¡± Adelheid snorted. ¡°So, Karl, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Simple.¡± The man explained. ¡°I will return and we of these streets shall meet and discuss whether we are prepared to work for him.¡± He nodded at me. ¡°I think the majority will not decline. Then... I shall wait until the time is right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already started working on plans.¡± I said, surprising them, which made sense as they didn¡¯t know about my ability to be both Material and Astral at the same time. ¡°But yeah. Hinata will either see you herself or arrange a representative.¡±


    I then turned to the siblings. They were looking far more relaxed now that their main tasks were done. ¡°As for you two...¡± I switched to English. ¡°...good job. We secured the Favour and our little Tanya here...¡± Though she didn¡¯t speak English, Adelheid recognised the name, and scowled. ¡°...so you can take some time off for a few days. Then we have more work for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be good to take a break and not be bothered by my brother¡¯s idiocy.¡± Sophia muttered. ¡°I just want to relax and go shopping...¡±


    Constantine took offense to that, complaining that it was ¡®his idiocy¡¯ that got them this job, which would pay more than Sophia¡¯s work, and as they bickered, the staffer at the embassy returned with Adelheid¡¯s documents, a set of passports, as well as her Ministry identification card, and a Japanese bank card linked to an account with the ability to make international withdrawals. Adelheid looked at that, oddly amused.


    Seeing me looking at her, she flushed again, putting it away in her faded purse, which was a cute design. She glowered at me, blue eyes hard. ¡°What? I don¡¯t have the money to buy anything better.¡±


    ¡°Actually you do.¡± I chuckled, checking my watch. ¡°We have a few hours before Hinata¡¯s flight arrives, so you need a lot of things for the trip.¡±


    ¡°Trip?¡± Adelheid asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, since we have you now, you¡¯ll be an asset at our next destination. After all, nobody expects a cute young girl to be capable of combat, right?¡± As she protested she wasn¡¯t a young girl I turned to Karl. ¡°I know most German shops aren¡¯t open that late, so do you have any recommendations? Somewhere Adelheid can get some suitable outfits, as well as necessities?¡±


    ¡°I see. What sort of clothes?¡± Karl asked, with a knowing smile, and I found myself smiling as well.


    ¡°Ordinary clothes obviously. But we¡¯ll also need some party dresses too, something suitable for a very distinguished affair.¡±


    As Adelheid gave me a death stare, Karl chuckled. ¡°I see, I see. Our Geist is moving out of the shadows. It just so happens that not everyone has forgotten me, I know some people. Let me make a call.¡± As he pulled out his phone to make arrangements, he fixed me with a stern glare of his own. ¡°Our meeting has been interesting, Herr Oshiro, and I am extending you the benefit of your reputation and words. Just remember... the Geist is of Luisenstadt now. No matter where she goes, we shall send her our prayers and well-wishes. And while we may be the forgotten, the lost and the reviled, we are also those with little to lose. Do not betray our trust and disappoint us.¡±


    As Adelheid looked away, clearly embarrassed by Karl¡¯s words, I nodded seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a man of my word. Besides, I¡¯ve already been judged, right?¡± As I said that to her, the little blonde woman looked away, unwilling to answer, and Karl¡¯s hearty laughter filled the room...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Four

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Four


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is such a good idea...¡± Adelheid complained as she kicked her legs restlessly, her mannerisms childish. We were in the private lounge of the nearby airport, waiting for Hinata¡¯s flight to arrive, where it would be refuelled, and then we¡¯d be on our way. Adelheid glanced at the pair of suitcases beside her, remembering our shopping spree earlier, and her expression changed. ¡°Did I need all this? Don¡¯t mistake me, I deserve it, but...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on my team now. And you have your own money.¡± I assured her. ¡°And as for the dresses... yeah, we¡¯ll be taking you to a rather high-profile event, you can¡¯t just turn up in jeans and a jumper, even though you look cute like that.¡± At my gentle smile, Adelheid flushed, shaking her head, cheeks puffed out grumpily.


    ¡°I get that, but... that store... so... so annoying!¡± she grumbled, and I didn¡¯t think she was thinking of all the measuring and choosing. The store Karl took us to was a small yet very upmarket tailors, which had a very wide selection of gorgeous dresses and gowns for both older women and young girls. The owner seemed to know Karl, and was very surprised at him making the call. Then... When he said he thought Karl was coming with his daughter after so long, the situation was so awkward... Karl had changed the subject, and the owner was a professional, glossing over the messy mistake, but it had taken a while for Adelheid to relax her tension.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± I gently soothed her. ¡°Thinking about it won¡¯t do you any good. From the sounds of it, it was due to a divorce, rather than his daughter dying or anything like that. Or is it jealousy?¡±


    ¡°Me? Are your eyes working, fool? Shit, crap. I¡¯m not jealous of some girl who doesn¡¯t see her father anymore. I never want to see my shitty parents again.¡± Adelheid¡¯s blue eyes went wide and angry, and oddly I could feel aether surging within her.


    ¡°All right.¡± I apologised. ¡°No need to use your Favour here. Calm down. I can tell that Karl is very protective of you, no matter the reasons. And... well, it¡¯s none of our business, but where there¡¯s life there¡¯s hope. Hinata¡¯s people will look into his background, to make sure it¡¯s safe to have him work for me, so...¡± At my meaningful glance she tossed her head, not meeting my eyes.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not jealous. Stop making me repeat myself!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my bad. Anyway, shall we continue?¡± We had taken a small break, but I had been teaching her English. She remembered a little from her school days, but had never paid much attention in class, so I had been going through the basics, though with my German far from perfect, we couldn¡¯t really discuss complicated concepts, but I could teach her conversational English at least.


    ¡°If it¡¯ll shut you up talking nonsense.¡± Adelheid conceded, and we resumed me repeating phrases in both English and German, Adelheid parroting it back to me, and then having to remember it a few minutes later. Her memory was far better than an ordinary person¡¯s, though obviously vastly inferior to mine, but with her learning capabilities she soon was able to converse at an amateur level.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough!¡± Adelheid finally said, before ratting off a number of swearwords in both German and English. I had taken the archetypal route of also teaching swearwords, as it was almost a meme nowadays that the first things anyone did when they got a dictionary in another language was to find the rude words. Besides, it¡¯s part of her speech patterns. She swears more than Shiro does, and certainly with more feeling.


    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± she reiterated, nearly kicking me as she swung her legs. Glancing at my watch, I saw that a couple of hours had vanished during my teaching, so it wouldn¡¯t be long before Hinata and the others arrived.


    ¡°Yeah, take a break.¡± I allowed, handing her a drink. She twisted off the top of the bottle savagely and took a swig. ¡°But at least you¡¯ll be able to follow along with the basics.¡±


    ¡°Why not teach me Japanese?¡± Adelheid asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°English is the universal second language. Sure, you¡¯ll probably want to learn Japanese too, but this is a rush job, so for now...¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡± She interrupted me with a childish howl. ¡°I¡¯m already done with school!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but if you want to be strong, then you have to keep learning. You can¡¯t just rely on your Favour alone, or you¡¯ll eventually lose.¡±


    ¡°You just love lecturing me, don¡¯t you?¡± Adelheid rolled her eyes. ¡°Think you¡¯re a teacher or some shit?¡±


    We continued our playful argument, and through the high windows of the lounge I could see a jet coming in to land. ¡°All right, fun¡¯s over.¡± I told her, and as the jet taxied up to the terminal, Adelheid watched with some interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never flown before...¡± she said quietly, and I resisted the urge to pat her head. She¡¯s not actually a kid, despite how she looks.


    ¡°Lucky you, what better way to experience it for the first time than flying in private luxury?¡± My attention was taken by seeing Hinata and the others disembarking, though I suppressed a grimace at seeing Christina also leaving the plane. Not like I can put her off forever, might as well bite the bullet.


    ¡°Huh, you seem happy.¡± Adelheid observed. ¡°That¡¯s almost cute. Or is it creepy? Not for me to say...¡±


    A couple of minutes later, the door to the lounge opened, and Hinata rushed in, throwing herself into my arms with a smile. ¡°Akio, I¡¯ve missed you! But I¡¯m here now, and ready to show off to the world!¡±


    Mayumi-san had followed her in, accompanying Ichijou-san, as well as two bodyguards I didn¡¯t know, but could feel the strength within them, as could Adelheid, as she was immediately on the defensive, bristling like an angry cat. Kazumi-san was with them too, and Mayumi-san turned to her, laughing. ¡°I see Hinata couldn¡¯t even wait a minute. At least her marriage should be a loving one. I¡¯m jealous!¡±


    ¡°She is very deeply in love.¡± Kazumi-san agreed, smiling. ¡°But she¡¯s also being needy, as if she wanted to see him, she could anytime.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, being in two places at once.¡± Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°I still can¡¯t quite understand how that works, but...¡± She narrowed her eyes, glancing at Adelheid, who was looking wary and defensive now all the newcomers had arrived. ¡°...so, who¡¯s this? Your new girlfriend, Akio-kun? If so, she¡¯s a little... young... don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Fortunately she was speaking in Japanese, or Adelheid would no doubt deny it furiously. Shaking my head, I explained. ¡°She¡¯s a Chosen I¡¯ve picked up to be on my team, Adelheid Richter. She¡¯s got talent, and will be an asset, I¡¯m sure. As for her age, she¡¯s not much different to you and Hinata actually. She¡¯s just youthful...¡±


    ¡°I see. She doesn¡¯t seem to understand us. How about English?¡± Mayumi-san changed language, while Hinata watched on from my arms, a wry smile on her lips. Yeah, Hinata knows me well and trusts me. Besides, she¡¯s aware of my itinerary.


    As Mayumi-san began to speak, I noticed Christina looking at me with an indecipherable expression. It left me feeling uncomfortable, but it was better than the sloppy, lusty grin she had on her face when we met the last time.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Adelheid-san. I¡¯m Ichijou Mayumi, granddaughter of Ichijou Kira, and Akio-kun and Hinata¡¯s business partner!¡± Mayumi-san puffed out her chest proudly, and her smile was regal, but that didn¡¯t impress Adelheid.


    ¡°Rich girl, huh? What¡¯s so special about that? Try living a life where you drift day to day, never being safe, and see if you can boast about whose granddaughter you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a fool, it seems. When I took the Vermillion List, I had already crossed a line I shouldn¡¯t. I got too excited. A character flaw of mine, it seems.¡± Her tone was bitter. ¡°I had hoped that you would protect me... no, I had hoped for more.¡± She flushed, clearly mortified. ¡°I still do.¡± We barely heard those whispered words, before she raised her voice again. ¡°But then, nobody loves little Christina. Men are... more complicated than I imagined. Objectively, I am quite the catch. I have large breasts, a pretty face, I¡¯m intelligent, not poor...¡±


    ¡°Modest too...¡± Aliyah yawned, having woken up from her sleep. ¡°Damn, woman. I have no interest in men and I know more about them than you do. Don¡¯t you agree, Trey?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Christina asked, interested.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could easily get laid in a bar, so long as you kept your mouth shut. You ain¡¯t my type, but I admit you¡¯d clean up well, I imagine. But nobody wants a relationship with someone that looks at it like it¡¯s a science experiment. And you¡¯re hardly like a woman at all in terms of personality. Too consumed in work, and too cold, too... too logical. Women should be passionate!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m passionate about knowledge, science. But... my heart races differently now.¡± she admitted. ¡°I suppose perhaps this is my punishment. If I¡¯ve done wrong, then maybe it¡¯s some consolation. Anyway... Titan, you¡¯ll tell Adam about my leaks, won¡¯t you?¡±


    The big man shrugged uncomfortably. ¡°I have to, ya know? I don¡¯t want to get ya in trouble, but what choice do I have?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Christina agreed bitterly. ¡°I... hate leaving work unfinished. That would make everything I¡¯ve done a true crime. All my efforts for naught, their... their suffering for nothing.¡± She sighed. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve read the files. Midas is dangerous. I worry he might interfere in your matters. As for me... I don¡¯t have anything you desire, it seems. I¡¯ve already shown my hand.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let Adam make you disappear. That¡¯s my promise.¡± I reassured her. I didn¡¯t like her, but... after her brave, stupid and reckless request to Haru, she seemed changed. More introspective, slightly more empathetic. She was still definitely abnormal, but it was less... off-putting, for lack of a better term.


    ¡°I¡¯d very much appreciate that.¡± she chuckled. ¡°Of course, my offer still stands. I¡¯m now becoming aware I¡¯m perhaps not quite the trophy I thought I was, but... I still have plenty to offer.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Hinata shot her down. ¡°I¡¯m not having you as a sister, and I know Eri would agree!¡±


    ¡°How rude!¡± Christina protested, squirming a little, breathing a touch heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve changed, I¡¯m turning over a new leaf! And if I¡¯m a woman without any understanding of emotions, what better way to help me learn to be a woman he likes?¡±


    As they bickered, Hinata holding my arm defensively, Adelheid grumbled.


    ¡°So noisy, so crazy. You know a great number of weird people.¡±


    ¡°That I do.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway...¡± I switched to German for a bit. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll accompany me to Botswana. That way you can protect Hinata. I considered going alone, but I¡¯d feel safer when she¡¯s with me. Hopefully there should be no troubles, but...¡± Midas. Even if not him, a Chosen¡¯s died in that area, so... either Boundary dwellers or other Chosen. If it¡¯s the former, Hinata should be safe, the latter...


    ¡°Fine.¡± She agreed. ¡°It¡¯s too late to back out now. It may seem like you¡¯re demanding an extra sausage, but...¡± Another strange idiom, but one I just about grasped. ¡°...when you¡¯re paying for all my meals, grabbing one off my plate isn¡¯t unreasonable. Shit.¡± She breathed, the swearing heartfelt. ¡°I... feel restless. Like I don¡¯t know what to do with myself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I reassured her. ¡°You¡¯re on my team now. I¡¯ll look after you.¡±


    She gave me no answer, merely resuming her staring out of the window, but from the set of her back it seemed she had relaxed a bit. Hinata finished arguing with Christina, who was a little red-faced, and then Ichijou-san spoke up.


    ¡°This was all very amusing...¡± Indeed, the old man seemed to have a rather more playful disposition than Miyu¡¯s grandfather. ¡°...but while I have your ear, Akio-kun...¡± he addressed me familiarly, like Mayumi-san did. ¡°...I would like to give you some thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow, and he smiled.


    ¡°The matter with the Tengokusentou. I know you have your Korean allies looking into matters, as well as that American, Mr Kelly. It seems to be bearing fruit, though of course, we remain wary.¡±


    ¡°Park Yu-mi is an excellent find.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°With her as the lead in Korea, supported by Kang Bora and her brother, we¡¯ve got a very good chance of building up a significant power base. She¡¯s well-connected with the sons and daughters of a number of influential Korean businessmen, politicians and more. I like her enthusiasm as well. Although, I question her judgement in one respect...¡± She grinned impishly. ¡°If she wasn¡¯t so proud, she¡¯d already be the twelfth. Fancy turning down an arranged marriage to you. It¡¯s too late for regrets now.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone wants to marry Akio-kun, Hinata.¡± Mayumi-san laughed. ¡°Less to share him. Besides, we grew up knowing we¡¯ll be married off for our families. Ordinary people don¡¯t understand that. Not every rich family is like the Three-Hundred.¡±


    ¡°True. But it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Or a bad thing, either. As long as every party is happy in the exchange I won¡¯t judge. But that¡¯s not what matters.¡± I frowned. ¡°Considering Ruby Serpent and the Mizuhara house¡¯s involvement in the mess, it seems unlikely they¡¯d just give up, or don¡¯t have a plan.¡±


    ¡°True, and we are wary. Mizuhara house is being watched, and Shiraishi house, while effectively having collapsed, is being propped up for the time being.¡± Ichijou-san sighed, troubled. ¡°The eldest Shiraishi girl should be made to inherit the family when we retrieve the Tengokusentou, but she¡¯s far too timid. Her sister Arisa-chan is bolder, but far too young. In any case, their useless parents will be given a stipend but will have to relinquish the family assets.¡±


    ¡°Nozomi and Arisa are under my care.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°They¡¯re troublesome girls, but they are finally beginning to understand their position. But without the Tengokusentou there is no Shiraishi house.¡±


    ¡°In any case, if it is simply a matter of extortion, to make a profit, then we will stuff their mouths with gold. After all, I am assuming that we will be wealthy after our investment in you bears fruit.¡± Ichijou-san continued to smile. ¡°If a problem can be solved by money, then we¡¯ll do so. Though Shiraishi and Mizuhara houses can hardly escape punishment. If they assume we will bail them out every time they make mistakes, then other nobility will stop caring, and not even Fujiwara and Ichijou houses can carry all of the nobility alone.¡±


    ¡°It seems things are in hand then. But... it just doesn¡¯t make sense to me. Even if they sell it back for ten times the price, was it all just some harassment?¡± I had a bad feeling about it, but then, I had bad feelings about everything at the moment. I warned Ichijou-san again, and he assured me that the negotiations were being carefully handled, and they were wary of traps.


    ¡°All right, enough talk of business!¡± Hinata declared cheerfully, leaning her head against my shoulder fondly. As Mayumi-san accused her of flirting, she stuck out her tongue happily.


    ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯m excited! This is my debut coming up, and I want Akio to spoil me. I may not need a Favour for myself, but I¡¯m still jealous of Eri, who wouldn¡¯t be? So now... it¡¯s my time!¡±


    ¡°Sure¡± Ignoring the eye-rolling of Aliyah and the clear jealousy of Christina, I resolved to spend the rest of the flight spoiling Hinata, though despite her words, talk quickly turned back to business, and her eyes lit up when I told her about our plans to research and hopefully sell restorative potions and pills. Seeing her brilliant expression, I couldn¡¯t help but hold her close. Yeah, Hinata shines brightest when she¡¯s partaking in her interests. That smile... I have to protect it.

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Five – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Five ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°It seems my bro and the others have arrived safely.¡± I said, as I leaned back in the plush leather seat of the expensive foreign car that was driving us back to Nishimorioka. There was no need for a helicopter today, as we weren¡¯t in any rush, and sometimes it was fun to take it slow. This even comes with a mini bar. And with my Ether Healing I barely even get hangovers now!


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shaeula nodded. She was accompanying me back, along with the little cutie Marika-chan, who was going home for the first time since her move to Tokyo. She was a serious little girl, but adorable, and she was trying to maintain her mature composure, but I could see she was happy.


    ¡°It is rather convenient indeed-indeed that Eri can communicate with Akio wherever he may-may be. While mobile phones are great, it lacks... intimacy, I should-should say.¡± Shaeula finished, grinning.


    ¡°Jealous, huh?¡± I asked, still unable to believe the life my bro was living now. ¡°My bro¡¯s off with Hinata-chan travelling the world, and here you are stuck in Japan.¡± I couldn¡¯t help teasing Shaeula. I felt as close to her as I did Eri, which was a testament to just how thoroughly she¡¯d wormed her way into our lives and hearts. In fact, I liked all my bro¡¯s women, and they all made sure to get along with me, but Shaeula was special. If not for her, Eri might never have confessed, and none of this would have been possible...


    ¡°I will survive.¡± Shaeula snickered, beer in hand. ¡°I am rather busy myself, and besides, it is not-not as if I can not-not see Akio when I wish. He is still here as well-well, at least for now.¡± She took a swig, before wiping foam from around her lips, a cute gesture that she did instinctively. ¡°I dare-dare say Akio will have to relinquish his Astral body at some point soon to assist him in his endeavours, but for now-now...¡± She then shrugged. ¡°Besides, I am so-so busy...¡± She now looked exasperated, and I sympathised.


    ¡°I was quite-quite nai?ve. Even a small yet vastly important...¡± Shaeula wasn¡¯t one for modesty, which amused me as always. ¡°...domain such as the Spring of Clear Reflections requires much-much effort to manage. Always meetings and discussions.¡± Though Shaeula was complaining, I could tell she really enjoyed her life now, and the power she held, so I let her complain for a while. I know she¡¯s jealous, but... she¡¯s also good with sharing. She wants Hinata-chan to have her time too. I don¡¯t know If I could be as generous myself...


    ¡°So, Marika-chan, you must be looking forward to seeing your family again?¡± I asked when Shaeula wound down her grumblings. She looked a little guilty, which was also cute, but she was an honest girl too, so she nodded politely.


    ¡°Yes, Aiko-sama, I am.¡±


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t do!¡± I said firmly, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ve told you about that!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Aiko-chan...¡± Marika-chan flushed adorably, her face and ears pink. She struggled not to be incredibly polite to us, and she definitely had reverence for my bro, seeing him as something near-Divine. And that passes to me and our family by default. Divine, huh? I guess I know my bro too well, I can¡¯t really see it, though... when he¡¯s maximising his League and giving orders to everyone... okay, maybe I get it a little...


    ¡°Yes, I am quite happy to see mother and father again. Grandfather too.¡± She didn¡¯t mention her sisters, which was a little sad. I knew she didn¡¯t dislike them, but she¡¯d said they had no interest in running Chairoakitara shrine or being shrine maidens, so there was always that gap between them. ¡°But I can finally meet Chairo-sama!¡± Her smile was brilliant and pure, and it made me want to pull her into a hug. I want her as a younger sister. Bro¡¯s collecting new sisters recently, so maybe he can... wait, but if she¡¯s my sister, she¡¯s bro¡¯s sister too. I¡¯m the younger sister here! Thinking inane thoughts, I flushed too, matching Marika-chan.


    Shaeula glanced at me, a knowing smirk on her face, and my skin felt hot to the touch, and I knew I must be burning crimson right now. Changing the subject, I spoke up. ¡°And there¡¯s just one more week left until winter break at school. Thank the Gods. Though you¡¯re lucky, Marika-chan. I have my final exams, but you¡¯ll be moving up to a faith school with no worries.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you will excel, Aiko-chan.¡± Marika-chan replied stoutly, and I felt her kindness.


    ¡°Yeah, should do. I¡¯m much better at studying, maths and physics are easy for me now, and the uni I¡¯m interested in for sports science isn¡¯t that demanding in terms of grades. But anyway, we have to make the most of winter break! We¡¯ll be busy doing this pilgrimage for a good chunk of it... that¡¯ll be fun, but not that relaxing.¡± I then looked at Shaeula. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday too, isn¡¯t it? My bro¡¯s bound to spoil you rotten.¡±


    ¡°I should indeed hope-hope so, after his efforts for Eri.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°I do not-not mind it will be during the pilgrimage, as I am most-most fascinated by the native spirits of this land.¡±


    ¡°I am eager as well.¡± Marika-chan agreed. ¡°I want to win the approval of Chairo-sama and the other Kami, becoming a true shrine maiden, and bringing Chairoakitara shrine back to glory. After all, Akio-sama... err, Akio-san...¡± While I had instructed Marika-chan to call me by the -chan honorific, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to address my bro with such informal tones. I guess we have to take what we can get. ¡°...has elevated Shirohebizumi shrine. Kana-san, Keomi-chan and the others are very happy, and I hope one day to be as capable as Kana-san is!¡±


    Unable to resist the urge, I ruffled Marika-chan¡¯s hair, making her giggle softly. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush, you¡¯re just a kid. But my bro¡¯s right about one thing. Hard work started early pays off. After all, I started Kyu?do? and volleyball when I was young, and now I¡¯m pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°And modest as always.¡± Shaeula chuckled. I pretended to be offended, but everyone knew I was joking.


    ¡°What do I have to be modest about? I¡¯m going to surpass your brother one day, Shaeula!¡±


    ¡°I would love-love to see it. Though that day is likely far off.¡± Shaeula shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe so, but the pilgrimage might help with that.¡± I was eager to strengthen the Kami-Blessed Class. The bonuses it offered were always welcome, and while it didn¡¯t seem to have much to do with Kyu?do?, I just had a feeling there would be benefits. Besides, I didn¡¯t accept Kannon¡¯s Divine Favour just to rest on my laurels. Nope, now I have to prove I¡¯m worth it. And without the advantages Eri enjoys. But I¡¯m happy for her. Just like she was for me. Now she has a Favour too, we can stand together, and better still, it sounds like she¡¯s got a defensive Favour, while I¡¯m an archer. What better combination to really kick some ass?


    ***


    ¡°I am home.¡± Marika-chan said loudly as we followed her up to her house. Moments later, we could hear the pattering of feet as several girls came running out to greet us.


    Wow, they look just like older Marika-chans! Cute, and if so, Marika-chan¡¯s got a bright future ahead of her.


    ¡°Mother, father, Marika-chan¡¯s home!¡± the younger sister said in surprise. ¡°And she¡¯s brought... guests...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Oshiro Aiko-san!¡± the oldest sister exclaimed. I recognised her, she was a first year in the highschool branch of our school, and while I hadn¡¯t interacted with her much as she didn¡¯t do sports, I had seen her around. ¡°Oh my God!¡± She was practically squealing. ¡°You looked so amazing in Korea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, can we see it? The Golden statues?¡± the other sister chimed in, eager, and I felt both rather flattered and also exhausted. This must be how bro feels when he goes out...


    ¡°Please, elder sister Rumi-san, elder sister Himari-san, calm down. Our guests should not be hassled the moment they arrive!¡± Marika-chan chided them adorably. Oh yeah, Himari-chan. That was her name. I remember now.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Shaeula-chan as well!¡± the older sister, Himari-chan, noticed her, having spotted me first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t bar-bar your way!¡± Both sisters burst out into happy giggles then, and Shaeula rolled her amber eyes.


    ¡°I would hope not-not.¡± Shaeula pulled on indoor shoes for guests that were by the door, and I did the same. As we did so, Marika-chan¡¯s mother, Junko-san, and her father, both came out.


    ¡°Marika, you¡¯re home? Why didn¡¯t you call me... oh, guests.¡± Junko-san noticed us. On seeing who we were, her expression changed, and she was now wary and guarded, but she wasn¡¯t overtly rude. ¡°Come in, Oshiro-san. Dannan-san, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Shaeula. I have no-no need of your formalities.¡± Shaeula declared boldly. ¡°Besides, Marika is our friend and comrade, so we-we are allies too.¡±


    Her father frowned at that as well but was too polite to speak out. Junko-san wasn¡¯t so restrained though. ¡°I still think it is far too soon for Marika to be involved, but grandfather... I have no idea why I ever agreed to this!¡±


    Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either, but... Shaeula shifted a bit guiltily, and I assumed that she was involved somehow. Not that it matters. Everyone¡¯s keeping Marika-chan safe. She¡¯s like a little mascot at the training school. And there¡¯s another girl around her age as well now. Arisa-chan, right?


    ¡°Because it is the right thing to do, mother.¡± Marika-chan spoke up, wise beyond her years. ¡°It is early, but as Aiko-chan told me on the journey here, just as she started Kyu?do? young, so too I started my role as a shrine maiden. And I love it, and I want it to be my life. I understand you worry for me, mother, but everyone looks out for me.¡±


    As she repeated my words I was embarrassed again, but they seemed to reach Junko-san. She looked at her daughter with a complicated mix of pride and resignation, before remembering her manners. ¡°Come in. Take a seat. Himari, Rumi, some tea for our guests.¡±


    As they agreed, disappointed they couldn¡¯t talk to us more, we entered the house. Soon we were seated in their living room, and it wasn¡¯t that much larger than my home here in Nishimorioka. Most of the town wasn¡¯t rich, if not as poor as the Mori¡¯s. Though those days are gone. It was hilarious when uncle and auntie heard that my bro spent nearly a billion yen on getting Eri that Favour though. They went so white I thought they¡¯d pass out on the spot. It¡¯s hard to shake a poverty mindset...


    ¡°So tell me, what was it like meeting the Queen?¡± Himari-chan asked Shaeula eagerly the moment we had tea in our hands.


    ¡°The Queen?¡± Shaeula sniffed charmingly. ¡°I feel she should-should be proud of meeting me!¡± Despite her arrogance, Shaeula briefly explained, while I watched, amused.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but we still haven¡¯t seen the golden statues!¡± Rumi-chan gushed, looking at me with her big brown eyes pleadingly.


    ¡°Rumi, magic isn¡¯t a toy, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Junko-san snapped, and I could see she was definitely harbouring doubts about everything. Deciding to do my bro a favour, I hoped to smooth things out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but I even gave a demonstration at school before.¡± Marika-chan¡¯s sisters nodded at that, having seen it. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s more dangerous not to know, especially if you¡¯re a shrine family. Maiko-chan¡¯s shrine was targeted by a bad man, and her father was put in a coma for weeks...¡± Realising what I was saying wasn¡¯t helping, I hurried to my point. ¡°...basically, it¡¯s here now whether we like it or not, so best to understand it, and make it ours.¡±


    ¡°You raise a good point.¡± Marika-chan¡¯s father, who was keeping silent up until now, agreed. ¡°Junko, dear, Marika is back, happy and healthy...¡±


    ¡°I am only visiting, since Aiko-chan graciously offered to bring me home to see you. I will be back during winter break for longer, though I have to partake in the pilgrimage to earn the favour of the Kami of Japan.¡± Marika-chan was eager at the thought. ¡°Our humble shrine will see many visitors. I cannot wait to see Chairo-sama bless them all!¡±


    Seeing Marika-chan¡¯s enthusiasm, Junko-san had to give in, though she still wasn¡¯t happy. Shaeula lazily reached out a hand and patted Marika-chan¡¯s head gently, making her squirm, embarrassed. Is it wrong that Rumi-chan and Himari-chan seem jealous?


    ¡°Have no fear, Marika is not-not exposed to danger that can not-not be managed carefully. All life entails risks, but I assure you that Akio does cherish her. And Marika is not-not weak. Her drive and determination are praiseworthy. As a female and a mother, I would-would expect you to be supportive, and praise her hard efforts.¡±


    Junko-san pursed her lips at that, but in the end, she conceded the point. ¡°It¡¯s hard to overlook all the trouble. First Marika was attacked in her new home, then the mess at Kyoto, London, now Korea...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± I said, and with a wave of my hand I materialised one of my Golden Sisters, this one appearing to be Eri, as that seemed more appropriate for being back in Nishimorioka. Huh, it looks a little different. Now Eri¡¯s statue has a flowing cloak on that looks damn cool. Wow, maybe I should take up sculpting? No, I¡¯m more into sport... As Marika-chan¡¯s sisters gasped in awe, stars in their eyes as they looked at it as it stood in the centre of the room, I continued. ¡°No point burying our heads in the sand, is there? Sooner or later trouble will find us. But just look at it this way. In the unlikely event a burglar broke in here now with a knife and threatened us... Shaeula or I could handle it easily. Marika-chan... it might be tough, she¡¯s still a bit small to fight properly, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a foul, no mentioning him! Buy me another glass of juice as a penalty!¡±


    As Tomoko-chan protested jokingly, I glanced at Rika-chan and Yae-chan. Yae-chan looked down, still flushed, while Rika-chan shrugged, resigned to it all. I mean, yeah, I get why Yae-chan yearns for my bro. He did too well on their stupid penalty date, and he¡¯s changed a lot. But... I just feel sorry for her. But... all I can do is give her some advice. Just like I did before...


    ***


    Marika-chan was practically skipping up the steps towards Chairoakitara shrine, eager to enter the Boundary there. Shaeula was with her, while I hung back a bit with Yae-chan and Rika-chan. I was going to check their progress when we entered the Boundary, and I also wanted to talk to Yae-chan before we got there.


    ¡°So... this might sound a bit condescending, but... you sure this is the path you want to take? My bro... he likes you just fine, but not romantically.¡± I was going to be straight with her. I had joked with my bro before he could snap her up, and Yae-chan wasn¡¯t a bad girl. A bit flashy and annoying at times, but she was genuine.


    ¡°Yae here¡¯s a bit of a fool. Don¡¯t get me wrong, when Akio-kun came back and was so different, even I was interested. But I¡¯m more of a realist.¡± Rika-chan giggled. ¡°He¡¯s out of my league. Just look at Shaeula, or even Ri-Ri. Then there¡¯s those noble girls... nope. I still want him to be my friend though. And I¡¯m like Yae. I want to move to the capital when exams are over. It¡¯ll never be a boring life, hanging around with you, Ai-chan!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well you¡¯ve taken the first steps accepting Chirurgery, so getting a job with us isn¡¯t a problem.¡± I assured her. ¡°So... your thoughts?¡± I asked Yae-chan again.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m stupid. And maybe I should move on... but... I want to give it my best shot. Otherwise... I think I¡¯ll always regret it!¡± Yae-chan said earnestly. ¡°I don¡¯t have many hopes, but...¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Like I said, the next girls lined up are mythical foxes, Elves, or rich heirs.¡± Yu-mi¡¯s definitely regretting not accepting marrying my bro now. Whether it¡¯s enough to push her to make a serious play for him is another question, but... well, Yae-chan has it tough. ¡°But... I did speak to my bro about you...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yae-chan yelped so loud that Shaeula and Mariko-chan looked back at us, making her lower her head and her voice, blushing scarlet. ¡°I mean... what did he say?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, he likes you just fine, but that¡¯s all. But I did make him promise to genuinely consider your feelings if you confess, and not string you along.¡± Kana-chan had it hard. No repeat of that, thanks.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ll fail, but... I have my pride as a woman.¡± Yae-chan muttered. ¡°It¡¯s his fault anyway! He was too dashing, too mature!¡±


    As she echoed my earlier thoughts, I did feel sorry for her. I¡¯m actually feeling a little annoyed with my bro now. He can¡¯t go breaking hearts everywhere he goes! But... I guess it isn¡¯t always his fault. Though sometimes I¡¯m sure he deliberately says things that make girls misunderstand. Scratch the surface and big bro moonstone is still under there!


    ¡°If you are serious...¡± I thought about it. ¡°...and you don¡¯t mind playing the long game...¡± At my words, Yae-chan nodded, so I explained my idea. Once I was done, she nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting, or... working hard. And if it doesn¡¯t work out... it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll have lost anything. I¡¯ll only benefit, won¡¯t I? Thanks Ai-chan, you¡¯re a good friend. I mean it.¡±


    Rika-chan was looking at us warmly, but a little concerned. ¡°Can you make that happen?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± I thumped my chest. ¡°Of course I can! They listen to me. Besides, Shaeula¡¯s here. And you¡¯re coming to Tokyo. You can speak to the others...¡±


    Yae-chan had perked up, and she nodded again. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll take your advice. I¡¯ll work hard to slowly fill in the moat, then strike with all my might. If, after all that, Aki doesn¡¯t accept... I¡¯ll move on. I will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Yae!¡± Rika-chan approved, and as we reached the shrine, Marika-chan¡¯s grandfather rushing over to greet us, I was well satisfied.


    ¡°Put that aside for now. Just enjoy the concert tomorrow.¡± I advised. ¡°And we can have some fun and shopping in Tokyo too. It¡¯ll be awesome. You can hang around with some of the others, as well.¡±


    ¡°My rivals...¡± Yae-chan giggled, and I slapped my forehead, having spoken carelessly, but she reassured me. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Honestly I don¡¯t. I think one of the best things out of all this is how we¡¯ve become closer to you and Ri-Ri. That¡¯s something that won¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess not. Anyway, best say our greetings...¡± I agreed, before bowing to the priest.


    ¡°Hi, it¡¯s been a while. Can you let us borrow the shrine, same as always?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been too long. You¡¯re more than welcome as always.¡± He turned to his granddaughter again then. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, Marika.¡± He gave her a hug, which made Marika-chan embarrassed, which was adorable as well.


    ¡°I have missed you too, grandfather. But I have carried the pride of our shrine. It has been meaningful.¡± she replied.


    ¡°I know. You¡¯ve always been devout and diligent, and you¡¯ve earned this chance. Though Junko does worry about you.¡± He admitted. ¡°Oh, where are my manners. Come in, and I¡¯ll get some tea and cakes.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± I stopped him. ¡°We¡¯ve already had some treats at the cafe?. And we don¡¯t have all day, we need to be back in Tokyo tonight. Busy day tomorrow. Though when we¡¯re done, we can probably spare some time for you to talk with your granddaughter.¡±


    Marika-chan smiled at me, and her grandfather thanked me, so after that, we entered the Boundary, appearing in the familiar Chairoakitara shrine.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting used to this now.¡± Rika-chan said, stretching. ¡°Not that I think we¡¯re achieving much.¡±


    ¡°All training is worthwhile.¡± Shaeula disagreed. ¡°When I first arrived here in this town, I was most-most weak. Not-not as pathetic as when Akio first defeated me, but... still most-most feeble. Now look at me!¡± She flexed one slender arm, amused. ¡°While I can not-not determine your Skills as Akio does, my eyes are keen. I shall inspect your progress later.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m feeling intimidated.¡± Yae-chan chuckled, her mood better. ¡°We¡¯ve never been good on tests, have we Rika?¡±


    ¡°No, though our grades have skyrocketed nowadays.¡± She giggled in response, before Shaeula opened the door, Marika-chan following behind, eager to see the Brown Dog Kami. Entering into the main chamber, which was richly decorated here in the Boundary, Marika-chan was wide-eyed in awe and wonder, despite the shrine being far less impressive than my bro¡¯s Territory she was used to. I guess it¡¯s all about expectations...


    Seeing all the dogs lying around, some the size of ponies, I felt a brief twinge of discomfort, but I was mostly over my dislike of dogs now. Not like if a dog menaced me again I couldn¡¯t teach it a lesson... They weren¡¯t all I saw though, as lounging in one corner, as though she owned the shrine, was the massive Oni I had fought with and entrusted to guard the shrine. Beside it was sitting the brown Dog Kami, and Marika-chan¡¯s eyes widened in shock and awe, before she even noticed the huge Oni, flinching back.


    ¡°Gwa ha har!¡± The Oni laughed in her strange, guttural way. ¡°You came back, ally of those bastards.¡± I still don¡¯t get what she means by that.


    ¡°A good thing too...¡± The Oni continued. ¡°I was getting rather restless, gwa mwa ha! There¡¯s nothing to do and little to fight here.¡± She then paused, eyeing Shaeula, licking her lips. ¡°Wait a second. For a tiny little thing with no tits, you smell strong! And familiar.¡±


    Shaeula grimaced, crossing her arms. ¡°I shall have you know my chest is quite-quite well liked by the only male that matters. Size is not-not everything. Now, I shall forgive your rudeness, as Oni are rather lacking in manners, I have-have observed.¡±


    ¡°Lacking? I¡¯m not lacking anything, unlike you, tiny-tits!¡±


    Rika-chan and Yae-chan were giggling at the juvenile insults the Oni was throwing out. They were more familiar with her than I was, so perhaps this was nothing new.


    ¡°I see.¡± Shaeula frowned. ¡°Such a disappointment. If you wish-wish to meet that fool Red, perhaps you should have better manners.¡±


    ¡°You know Red? For true? How?¡± The Oni narrowed her purple eyes. ¡°Little girl like you...¡±


    ¡°For the last-last time, size is not-not everything!¡± Shaeula then shifted, and she was in her Kamaitachi form, her jade sickles at wrist and ankle especially fetching. ¡°I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Kamaitachi, and Seventy-First of the Hyakki Yagyo?, of course I know-know Red and Blue.¡±


    The Oni was surprised, before grinning ferally. ¡°I see. But you aren¡¯t any bigger like that, girl.¡±


    Before Shaeula could explode, I stepped in. ¡°Now, no need for that. My bro finds her endlessly cute, but then he doesn¡¯t discriminate. Hyacinth, Shiro and Tsukiko are hardly small. Asha neither. Anyway...¡± I tapped my finger, where Daiyu¡¯s birthday present from my bro sat, which I¡¯d borrowed. If I lose or break it, I¡¯m dead. Daiyu loves this gift... ¡°It can be boring work, just hanging out. Don¡¯t worry, soon we¡¯ll keep our promise and introduce you as you wanted. But for now...¡± I channelled a little aether, and the ring disgorged some of its contents. A large clay gourd of Fae spirits appeared, as well as several barrels of strong liquor Ginneka had brought over. To prevent the barrels returning to the Material, Ixitt had used some red and orange Etherites to make some sort of seal for them, not that I entirely understood it.


    ¡°Huh? I smell booze.¡± The Oni rose to her feet, ripping the cork free from the gourd, and hoisting it to her lips, taking a hearty swig, despite the size and heavy weight. ¡°Not bad, not bad...¡± she approved. ¡°Fine, this will kill some time!¡±


    ¡°Great. And...¡± I took out some offerings for the Brown Dog Kami too, though I passed them to Marika-chan to hand over. She took them gracefully, before handing over some ornate porcelain bowls of rice, salt and pure spring water. Uh, actually, is it spring water when Shaeula conjured it up? It¡¯s definitely pure though...


    ¡°Here, Chairo-sama, please accept my humble offerings!¡± Mariko-chan said happily. The Kami, with as much dignity as a dog in tri-corner hat and robes could have, gratefully lapped at the water, before licking the salt and devouring the rice. When he was done, he growled his thanks, but I could barely stifle a giggle, as the Kami had rice in his fur.


    ¡°Let me help you!¡± Marika-chan hurried closer and quickly groomed the rice out of the fur, the Kami making a rather embarrassed expression, which was a sight to see. The other dog adherents had their tongues out, in a canine expression of amusement, while Shaeula had joined the Oni in a drinking contest, watching on calmly.


    ¡°Grr.¡± The Brown Dog Kami shook himself, coughing. ¡°I thank you, pious child of our shrine. My paws are not the most flexible. Now... Grr. Finally you are here, my shrine maiden. Accept my blessings and may the grace of the Kami and our creator Gods shine upon you.¡± Tears of joy sparkled in Marika-chan¡¯s eyes as she received the words she wanted to hear from her shrine¡¯s Kami. ¡°Your Kagura dance is beautiful, I have watched it these past years. May you continue to bring beauty to this shrine, and veneration to the Kami, Grr.¡±


    ¡°I will, I will!¡± Marika-chan promised, and as the Kami continued to praise her, I gestured to Yae-chan and Rika-chan to be quiet, and they gave me knowing nods. I guess there¡¯s no need to hurry off. This is a rather heartwarming scene. I¡¯m happy for Marika-chan. And seeing her like this... yeah, she was always meant to join us. Her piety is really very touching...


    Looking over at the drunken Oni, I resolved to keep her happy. Protecting this shrine meant protecting Marika-chan¡¯s smile, and that was something both my bro and I agreed on. But that aside, I can hardly wait for tomorrow. Red and White, AKB0048 with Keiko-chan¡¯s new song, even Suzu-chan... plus I know there¡¯s some secret surprises... bro may be having fun on his little honeymoon with Hinata-chan, but we know how to party too!

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Five

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Five


    ¡°The view is spectacular.¡± Hinata gushed, looking out over the city of Cape Town far below us, her small hand in mine. The temperature was a pleasant, warm one this time of year in South Africa, so she was wearing a rather cute summery dress, though with little exposure, with a fluttering hem down to her ankles, and long sleeves, though those were lacy and airy. Her cute young lady image was topped off by a wide-brimmed hat, shielding her from the bright sun.


    ¡°It is indeed.¡± I grinned, and Hinata blushed as I was looking at her, not down the mountain.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a flirt. I don¡¯t hate it though.¡± Hinata gently pounded my shoulder with her free fist. ¡°This is nice. It¡¯d be perfect, except for...¡± She turned to look at Mayumi-san, who was accompanied by Katana-san as always. Mayumi was more flashily dressed than Hinata, despite our hike, her dress exposing more, though she barely noticed the eyes of others on her, acting like a queen.


    ¡°...unneeded guests.¡± Hinata finished, and Mayumi-san snorted cheekily.


    ¡°How could you be so mean to me, Hinata? Aren¡¯t we best friends? I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d enjoy seeing the sights with me.¡±


    ¡°We are friends, yes.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°But this is clearly time for Akio and me to spend together romantically. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a hindrance to that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, no.¡± Mayumi-san shook her head. ¡°After all, she¡¯s come along, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Mayumi-san gestured to the silent Adelheid, who was dressed in casual jumper and jeans, watching the scenery below idly.


    ¡°It seems a little cruel to leave Adelheid behind, since she doesn¡¯t speak Japanese, and her English is basic.¡± I explained, a point Mayumi-san had to concede. I noticed she also didn¡¯t count the silent Kazumi-san, who was accompanying Hinata as always.


    ¡°Besides... at least Adelheid knows when to keep quiet. You¡¯ve been chattering away to Akio and me constantly. I get that you¡¯re excited, Mayumi, but sometimes I wonder...¡±


    ¡°Wonder what?¡± Mayumi-san tilted her head, not taking offense at Hinata¡¯s words.


    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re so starved for male company who isn¡¯t your father, grandfather or brother, that you¡¯re eager to monopolise Akio. I think you need to find another hobby, Mayumi.¡± Hinata¡¯s words were teasing, but I could see she was a little annoyed, judging by the way she gripped my hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s a funny joke, Hinata.¡± Mayumi-san chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, aren¡¯t we? Besides, this is fun! Akio-kun is someone I can talk to without any shadow cast on my reputation, and I know he won¡¯t suddenly attack me. After all, he¡¯s your fiance?, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my fiance?. And this is my debut event for my engagement. Father and grandfather really should be here, but there¡¯s just too much for them to do back in Japan right now, and besides, this trip isn¡¯t just about me, I know that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best not to overshadow you.¡± Mayumi-san promised, missing the point. ¡°Though it is hard, I am the beautiful, intelligent Ichijou Mayumi! Where I go, all eyes follow and tongues wag. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so relaxing here. You speak your mind to me freely, as does Akio-kun. Besides...¡± Her smile was teasing now, trying to turn the tables on Hinata. ¡°...grandfather is taking responsibility for being your chaperone at this debut. It¡¯s quite the honour. I know you worry about matching Motoko-san¡¯s and Natsumi¡¯s, but... everyone at Hanafubuki will celebrate, I am quite sure.¡±


    Yeah, the girls take it seriously. Their families too. Natsumi was telling me her treatment by the true noble daughters at school had changed after the pictures of her debut were shared. They were stuck in a bit of a limbo before, as she was marrying me along with Motoko and Hinata, which gave her a certain status, but she was also from a low family of the Three-Hundred, which was at odds with that. Now though, they treat her as if she¡¯s from a family like Motoko¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to Kira-sama.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°But still, I don¡¯t get to spend as much time with Akio as I¡¯d like...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re spending time with him now!¡± Mayumi-san missed the point, her naivety about relations between men and women showing through.


    ¡°Does she ever shut up? She¡¯s chewing off our ears like she¡¯s starving.¡± Adelheid said in German grumpily. I held in a laugh, before replying.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s always quite talkative. Don¡¯t mind her. How are you finding your first trip abroad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice view.¡± Adelheid conceded, a woman of few words. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, unlike her...¡± She snorted at Mayumi-san. ¡°...I¡¯m not the fifth wheel on this wagon. Just enjoy yourselves.¡±


    ¡°What did she say? I speak French, but not German...¡± Mayumi-san asked, curious.


    ¡°Nothing important.¡± I waved my free hand to dismiss that. ¡°Anyway, the view really is amazing.¡± I agreed with Hinata¡¯s earlier sentiments. ¡°It¡¯s different to Mount Fuji, but no less spectacular.¡±


    ¡°That makes me wonder...¡± Hinata said, thinking. ¡°...do you think that others have Territories here?¡±


    The thought had crossed my mind. ¡°The ether density is a bit lower than Kyoto¡¯s, but higher than Tokyo¡¯s. In fact, South Africa seems to have a higher ether density than most of Japan in general. As for Territories... since I don¡¯t think one can own the mountain, it¡¯s hard to say, but... I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. I¡¯m keen on securing Mount Fuji, and we¡¯ll do so as soon as we reach Rank four and can reach it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry that someone will already have claimed it?¡± Mayumi-san asked, curious.


    ¡°From what I understand, that¡¯s unlikely. It¡¯s bound to be full of Yo?kai and other powerful beings. But... nobody¡¯s registered it with the Ministry, so in theory it¡¯s fair game.¡± I wasn¡¯t keen on seizing land by force, and if it was claimed by someone unwilling to fall in line I wouldn¡¯t use Conqueror to destroy their Anchor, but I would consider removing their Territory and taking it for my own.


    ¡°Yes, nobody should be holding such valuable sites other than us.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°Anyway, Territory or not, it sure is beautiful up here.¡± The rich vegetation and numerous species of flowering plants around us were unlike any scenery we had back home.


    ¡°Yes, beautiful indeed.¡± Once more I echoed her, yet looked into Hinata¡¯s eyes, until she flushed and looked down shyly. Behind us, Kazumi-san coughed softly, well used to and exasperated by our romantic antics.


    ¡°You flirt!¡± Hinata giggled, and Katana-san also looked away, though she remained alert, even up here.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep showing us how in love you are.¡± Mayumi-san smirked. ¡°I already know Hinata adores you. Anyway, how about breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± We had landed in the early hours local time and been ferried to our hotel for a quick couple of hours of sleep, which was enough to refresh us. Instead of eating at the hotel, I had packed us a hamper of food, which was slung over my shoulder. A picnic out here is rather romantic. Ichijou-san had some business to attend to, and he was accompanied by his Chosen guards, while Titan and Christina stayed back at the hotel, and Treyvon and Aliyah were watching them. And anyway, Aliyah did say watching me flirt with Hinata would just make her sick...


    Unpacking an array of fresh sandwiches, snacks, biscuits and more, I laid down a blanket for the girls to sit on. I also pulled out several bottles of wine, as while it was early for alcohol, and we¡¯d likely be drinking later, I wanted to set the scene with Hinata, and I could use Ether Healing to sober everyone up before we left.


    Seeing Katana-san still on alert, I asked her to relax and sit down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if any danger threatens, I can take care of it.¡± I promised. She didn¡¯t look convinced, but Mayumi-san waved a hand, agreeing with me.


    ¡°Oh do take a seat, Katana. If Akio-kun can¡¯t protect us, sadly I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be much help. Besides, we¡¯re all friends here, aren¡¯t we? Take your lead from Kazumi, she¡¯s not concerned.¡± Indeed, Hinata¡¯s friend and bodyguard had already relaxed, well aware I was always prepared for any danger.


    Katana glanced at Adelheid, who was flopped down and was munching on some snacks like she was starving, and Mayumi-san shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. Akio-kun has her in hand. Now, can someone uncork the wine? This isn¡¯t a bad vintage...¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Do you think Akio would pick something poor? This was from the hotel¡¯s private collection.¡± Hinata said proudly, as I uncorked it elegantly with a corkscrew. I could pull it out by hand, but that seems a little crude. Ordinarily, hiking up Table Mountain should have taken two hours, and doing it with a hamper full of glassware and cutlery would have been considered foolish, but I could have sprinted up it easily enough, and even the girls were more than capable of doing it in an hour after Chirurgery. That¡¯s not counting Adelheid, of course. Like me, she could run up it quite easily.


    Pouring the fragrant red wine into glasses, when everyone had their own and a plate of food, I declared a toast. ¡°To a productive trip...¡±


    ¡°And to a wonderful date!¡± Hinata added to much laughter.


    ¡°Sure, to a productive date too!¡± I echoed, and Hinata flushed.


    ¡°And what would you consider productive?¡± Mayumi-san was genuinely curious.


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon for you to know that.¡± Hinata was flushed pink but smiling happily. ¡°When you finally get engaged, if anyone will have you, then you can ask!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that there¡¯s hardly any suitable matches for me. It¡¯s not like I can marry your new brother Minoru-kun, can I? He¡¯s too young for me. And marrying into one of the upper Fifty-Eight presents its own issues.¡± Mayumi-san was slightly offended, but she recovered quickly, her mood mercurial. Taking a sip of the wine, she smiled broadly. ¡°Yes, this is good. Anyway... I think I understand. I am a model student, after all!¡±


    ¡°Sure you do.¡± Hinata agreed wryly, before sipping on her own wine. Adelheid was drinking too, but it seemed she preferred beer. Fortunately I had packed a few cans, though she had skipped them because they¡¯d got warm during the climb. An easy fix...


    Taking a can, I used water element and a little aether and soon it was ice cold. I tossed it to Adelheid, who caught it, surprised, but then she cracked it open, taking a swig. ¡°A neat trick there. I¡¯ll have to remember that one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier with water element, but... huh, that gives me an idea.¡± I released a fine, cooling mist of it, shrouding us all. The South African heat was quick to evaporate it, leaving us dry, but the drop in temperature was welcome. ¡°Anyway, you can do it with just aether, but it¡¯s more taxing that way.¡±


    ¡°It is a great pleasure to see you again.¡± She said in slightly accented English, reaching out a hand for us to shake. We did so in turns, the grip a little different to what I was used to. In addition, she seldom met our eyes, which seemed to be a cultural thing. Then again, nobody likes too much direct eye contact in Japan, but we¡¯re a bit different, as mom still has the habit of meeting eyes while talking. Oh well, different cultures. Nobody¡¯s right or wrong.


    ¡°I see you again. Sanibonani!¡± she said after the handshakes were finished, and Ichijou-san, ever the well-travelled businessman, grinned.


    ¡°Yebo, sawubona!¡±


    Miss Lindiwe looked pleased, so we quickly echoed Ichijou-san, which seemed to be the correct response.


    ¡°The formalities are over.¡± Miss Lindiwe said cheerfully. ¡°We meet again. You are looking very beautiful tonight.¡± she said to Hinata and Mayumi-san. ¡°Especially you, Miss Hinata. I see your engagement is agreeing with you.¡±


    ¡°It most certainly is!¡± She held my arm tightly, as if to claim me. ¡°But then, my husband-to-be is most certainly the best there is.¡± She paused, glancing at Miss Lindiwe. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re looking better. You¡¯ve filled out a bit.¡±


    Before she could answer, a strong, powerful voice called out to us. ¡°Yes, my princess has recovered. Though she could still stand to eat a little more. Women should be pleasingly plump.¡± The speaker was a tall, well-built African man, wearing a high-quality suit, with a head of curly hair. Beside him was an older man, balding but still giving off the aura of a leader.


    ¡°Father! Don¡¯t embarrass me in front of our guests!¡± Miss Lindiwe pouted, which showed women were the same the world over. ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t the past anymore, women don¡¯t just sit at home!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a fiery one, Mandla.¡± The older man said to Miss Lindiwe¡¯s father. ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t have to lose her.¡± He then paused. ¡°Where are my manners?¡± He gave us a handshake, though it was more what I was used to. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mr Kira. It¡¯s good to see you healthy. I¡¯m feeling my age myself at times.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to be energetic when Akio-kun here is doing all these interesting things. Anyway, I¡¯m sorry that Kenji-san couldn¡¯t make it...¡± he mentioned Hinata¡¯s grandfather. ¡°...but we¡¯re very busy nowadays. I expect you are too. Anyway, his granddaughter is here to represent him, and... well, you know our traditions. Oh, and congratulations again on your victory, Mr President.¡± Huh, he¡¯s the President of South Africa? No wonder there¡¯s so much security.


    ¡°I do.¡± the President agreed. ¡°You are looking quite lovely tonight, Miss Hinata. And this must be your fiance?, the Hero of Britain, Savior of South Korea, Mr Akio. I must say, in the flesh you seem less intimidating...¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that, not sure of his meaning. Hinata then spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Yes, this is my engagement debut, to inform the world there is no going back on our marriage. Not that I¡¯d ever allow that. Good to see you as well, Mr Mandla.¡± She greeted Miss Lindiwe¡¯s father too.


    ¡°Yes, I hope we can talk some business later.¡± Mayumi-san broke in. ¡°After all, our factory will be operational soon, and we need raw materials.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to extra tax revenues.¡± The President laughed. ¡°Although...¡± He looked troubled for a moment, which none of us missed, but before we could ask he changed the subject. ¡°...there¡¯s someone here I don¡¯t know. Is this young girl with you?¡±


    Adelheid screwed up her face, annoyed, as she understood enough English now to get what he had said. I warned her to be good with a small smile, before explaining. ¡°Actually, she¡¯s a friend and ally of mine, and older than she looks. She¡¯s Adelheid Richter, and she¡¯s a Chosen I¡¯ve recruited.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± Adelheid managed.


    ¡°I see. In that case, there must be a fascinating story to tell. But I shouldn¡¯t monopolise you just yet.¡± The President apologised. ¡°I know little Lindiwe here is eager to spend time with her saviours. And there will be a number of other politicians who¡¯ll be happy to discuss cooperation. I know that the Nigerian Foreign Minister is here already, and I think we are expecting representatives from the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana and more... it¡¯s time the whole of the African continent steps up.¡± He paused, smiling. ¡°I believe the Crown Prince of Lesotho is invited as well.¡±


    ¡°Great. You can introduce me later.¡± Hinata beamed. At her excitement, the president laughed, before departing with a wave.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Queen of Great Britain, but there¡¯s still a number of dignitaries here. It¡¯ll do.¡± Hinata concluded.


    ¡°Not just those, but the heads and Presidents of some of Africa¡¯s most prominent companies.¡± Mr Mandla boasted. ¡°Kumba-Stillwater still holds sway, and it would be rude not to celebrate the full recovery of my Lindiwe. It¡¯s just a shame...¡±


    ¡°A shame?¡± I asked, and he frowned.


    ¡°I mean no offense to you but turning to those outside our shores... if there was one here who could have helped her it would have been better, but it was not to be.¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be rude, please!¡± Miss Lindiwe was upset by his attitude. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who helped me, or why. I was dying, and nobody could save me. Now I have a second chance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He agreed. ¡°That was indeed rude of me. I just hope our homeland can be strong. Anyway, do excuse me. I see some other guests I must greet...¡± As he scurried away, she apologised to us again.


    ¡°Sorry. He really is grateful to you, and we won¡¯t go back on our agreements. It¡¯s just... there¡¯s a lot going on nowadays. Everyone has to pick a side...¡± Her expression was downcast, but Mayumi-san, as usual with little tact, asked her what she was talking about, and Miss Lindiwe froze for a moment, before confessing.


    ¡°Our security isn¡¯t so strict simply because the President and other world leaders are here. It¡¯s because... they¡¯ll probably be coming. They have no invitation, but... who would dare stop them? And father sympathises with their aims, at least...¡±


    ¡°They?¡± Mayumi-san asked, and before Miss Lindiwe could answer, the question became moot. A buzz of conversation swept through the venue, and the crowd parted. Even from here I could feel the pressure of a powerful League, though again, mine surpassed it. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s enough to make the guns the security has here worthless though.


    An imposing dark-skinned man with close-cropped red hair, which was closer to crimson than ordinary red, wearing a long, reddish-ochre skirt-like garment, strode in like he owned the place. He was bare-chested, an array of beads of precious jewels, ivory and metal around his neck, covering most of his torso. But most imposing was his confidence. He walked with the air of a leader, and beside him was a stunning woman of around twenty-five years of age, voluptuous and sultry, her own clothing in blood-red, a western-style suit overlayed with similar reams of beads to the man. Several other men were behind them, though there was something off about them, and I quickly realised they weren¡¯t humans, but some sort of spiritual beings.


    ¡°Are they...?¡± Hinata asked, shivering.


    ¡°Yeah. No question.¡± I answered her. The President we had spoken to earlier went to greet these new arrivals, looking uncomfortable and shaky at the sheer force the newcomer exuded, but as I released my own League in a way to protect those around me, offsetting the pressure, he noticed. His black eyes narrowed, and he said something to the woman beside him, who nodded, grinning. The President backed aside, seeming oddly deferential, and the group stalked over to us.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. It will...¡± Miss Lindiwe was muttering to herself. I nodded to Adelheid, who was on high alert, while the pair of Chosen Ichijou-san had brought were also wary. Katana-san and Kazumi-san were also ready for trouble, though they were well aware they stood little chance of being useful against a powerful Chosen.


    The man strode closer, accompanied by his companions, and he glanced at the two bodyguards attending to Ichijou-san, before spitting out some harsh, contemptuous words, which were greeted by laughter from his companions. Though damn, the woman in red is gorgeous even doing that.


    ¡°Msunu wako! Bunch of useless cowards.¡± He switched to English, his stare intimidating the bodyguards, but I merely stood there, composed. Adelheid was unmoved as well. She was nervous, I could see that by her mannerisms becoming more childish, but her blue eyes glared at the newcomer with unblinking ferocity. Yeah, she¡¯s seen enough trouble to harden her resolve... ¡°But you...¡± he continued. ¡°Rha! I know you. You¡¯re famous. What the fuck brings you here?¡±


    His tone was dry, but I could see he was evaluating me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so crude. There are young ladies present.¡± Miss Lindiwe said, and though she was clearly afraid of this man, she didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°Ah, so there are. My apologies.¡± The woman in crimson said with a sweet smile, at odds with the tension. Around us, the conversation had stopped, and everyone in the hall was watching. ¡°Yes, very adorable ladies as well, it seems.¡± Her English was fast and flawless. ¡°Nkosi, don¡¯t be so harsh. We¡¯re not on the battlefield now.¡± Behind them, the accompanying spiritual beings grinned balefully.


    She then apologised again. ¡°Oh, where are my manners? You¡¯re... Japanese, if I recall? Very keen on politeness and introductions. I am Zozibini, she who received the gift from Qamata with both hands. This here is the noble Nkosi Khetho, he who chooses, and offers choices. As for the others... best left unsaid.¡±


    The spiritual beings continued to smile, as if that was a hilarious joke. It was then that Mr Nkosi spoke up, appraising me cautiously. His League suddenly spiked, but I let my own out to counter it, and my patience was at its send.


    ¡°Can we drop the pissing contest? You¡¯re upsetting my fiance?e.¡± I grumbled, shielding Hinata.


    Mr Nkosi barked a laugh, and the pressure dropped. ¡°You... you are quite the strong one. I see your reputation is not just rhino shit.¡± He eyed Hinata and the others, shrugging. ¡°If I scared you, I apologise. Rha! I am a man of action, not decorum. I leave that to Zozibini and the others.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... good that you could make it, brother Nkosi.¡± Miss Lindiwe tried to smooth things over, addressing him with wary respect. ¡°This... you already know...¡± She was starting to sweat but was doing her best to be a good host and smooth things over. She introduced us, and finished by saying that I was her saviour, who cured her terminal, untreatable cancer.


    ¡°I heard that.¡± Zozibini agreed mildly, looking like a secretary at the moment. Though she¡¯s not weak, far from it. From the way she moves, I¡¯d say she¡¯s a cut above the usual Chosen. ¡°Such a shame that we weren¡¯t able to help. But it¡¯s not our speciality, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Her smile was teasing. ¡°Anyway, to translate for dear Nkosi, he is quite pleased to meet another who follows his path.¡±


    ¡°I can speak for myself, woman!¡± he grumbled. ¡°So what brings you here? This is not Britain, or Korea. We don¡¯t need nor want your interference.¡± He was prickly and challenging. ¡°For too long, we have had to bend the knee to the West. But now our time is coming. We are warriors, proud, bold and unafraid. Now when we raise our spears, no longer will guns answer us.¡± He grinned wildly, pointing at his bare chest. Below the mess of ornate beads, I could see a number of faint scars. ¡°No gun can harm me now. So... I offer a choice. Leave here, or...¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± I asked, knowing that I couldn¡¯t back down, I needed to venture into Botswana, to find what remained of my fellow Norse Chosen.


    ¡°Or...¡± He made a gesture with one hand, forming a spear-shape. ¡°...pray to Qamata, the true God, for you shall see courage has burned within the Xhosa undimmed for all these years.¡±


    Before I could answer, another wave of League silenced the room, and I could hear clapping. Mr Nkosi scowled, turning, and we could see the newcomer, who was also accompanied by a number of men and women, most of which again resembled spiritual beings to my enhanced senses. More trouble? I reached out and patted Hinata¡¯s back gently, and she smiled at me ruefully. Yeah, this is certainly not quite the debut she had in mind. It¡¯s troublesome, in a very different way to Motoko¡¯s and Natsumi¡¯s...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Six

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Six


    ¡°Well said, Nkosi, you¡¯re not as barbaric as you seem.¡± The newcomer, a tall, dark-skinned man with a shaven head and piercing eyes, who was thin and wiry, dressed in a neat yet casual outfit, continued his clapping, though by the angry set of Mr Nkosi¡¯s features, it seemed to be sarcastic. The men behind him, either Chosen or spiritual beings, it seemed, also were smirking, and I could feel the tension between the two groups.


    As if to underscore my point, the man addressed the woman in red. ¡°Beautiful Zozibini, why not listen to me and abandon dull old Nkosi? You¡¯d have a far better time with us. I¡¯d hate to see such a woman as you squander her life. These tired ideas of tribe and clan are so last century. We¡¯re all proud Africans, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    Hang on, this one was on the Vermillion List data Christina brought me. He wasn¡¯t Vermillion, so Adam didn¡¯t attach incredible importance to him, but... His name was Dino Moloi, apparently, and while the Vermillion List didn¡¯t have a great deal of data on him, he apparently was some sort of element user, though the details were sketchy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll decline, as I have before, Dino.¡± Miss Zozibini replied mildly. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it rather rude to ignore our international visitors?¡±


    Bedside us, Miss Lindiwe was looking terribly nervous, beads of sweat forming on her brow. She was glancing at us, her expression apologetic, but it seemed it was out of her control, so I didn¡¯t hold her responsible.


    ¡°Rha! Nobody asked them to come.¡± Mr Nkosi snapped. They were still speaking largely in English though, perhaps for our benefit. ¡°Nobody asked you to come either, sorcerer.¡±


    Sorcerer?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure nobody invited you either, chief.¡± Mr Dino scoffed back, and I realised then it seemed they were making fun of each other¡¯s names. ¡°At least we came properly dressed. Look around, barbarian. Who comes in tribal dress to a meeting of politicians and business leaders? At least beautiful Zozibini is wearing a suit as well as her beads.¡±


    ¡°Please, I would very much like it if you don¡¯t fight.¡± Miss Lindiwe tried to intercede. Several of the armed security around us looked nervous, hands on their automatic rifles, but the Chosen here ignored them. ¡°I... these are guests I invited, who I owe a great deal to.¡±


    ¡°It is true.¡± Miss Zozibini agreed. ¡°You are looking well, Miss. It was a shame we couldn¡¯t help...¡±


    ¡°We are those chosen for battle.¡± Mr Nkosi agreed. ¡°War is a noble calling.¡±


    ¡°War is a sad waste of lives and resources.¡± Mr Dino disagreed. ¡°But I would expect no less from someone who clings to the old ways.¡± He taunted Mr Nkosi, whose face screwed up into an expression of rage. Before it could escalate, and with urging looks from Ichijou-san, I broke in.


    ¡°Excuse me, but can you take your arguments elsewhere? Firstly, I don¡¯t think you were invited, were you?¡±


    ¡°We go where we please, none can bar our paths.¡± Mr Nkosi said, which made Hinata chuckle. The man glared at her, but Hinata, proving her bravery, or perhaps her confidence in me, merely met his furious stare.


    ¡°Sorry, you just said what Shaeula did. She¡¯s cuter and stronger than you, though.¡±


    Miss Zozibini laughed at that, and before he could reply, one of the Chosen accompanying Mr Dino stirred the argument. ¡°Oh yes, I saw that. You would bar-bar my way? She certainly looked stronger than you, Xhosa.¡±


    ¡°Look, enough, all right?¡± I wasn¡¯t going to let the argument escalate. ¡°I have great confidence in Shaeula, but she¡¯s not here. We are though. And I am going to have to insist you all play nice. This is a big day for Hinata, and I won¡¯t let you spoil it. If you try... I might just stop being polite.¡±


    Miss Zozibini seemed to understand more than then men did. ¡°You look very beautiful, young one.¡± Her words were kind. ¡°Please tell me, what brings you here today?¡±


    ¡°Simple. I am here for my engagement debut. In our circles, the first major event where a woman is with her fiance? holds special meaning and importance. It should be flattering I¡¯m holding it in your country.¡±


    ¡°I take it so. And I am more grateful that my saviors are attending this gala.¡± Miss Lindiwe agreed, hoping the angry mood would diminish, but it seemed her hopes were in vain.


    ¡°Honoured? Typical hubris from foreign exploiters.¡± Mr Nkosi growled, his ornate bead necklaces swaying and clinking as he gestured violently. ¡°I know you are here to pillage our wealth, as has been done for centuries. But that time is over.¡± He turned to Miss Lindiwe then. ¡°Your father still isn¡¯t listening. He is a fucking fool. If he is not more careful, he will endure what Hili of the Amambalu experienced.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces hardened at that, and Miss Lindiwe looked shaken. It must have been some sort of proverb, idiom or threat. Beside me, Mayumi-san was watching on, seemingly unconcerned about the tense air in our corner of the room, but Katana-san and Kazumi-san were professionals, and were on edge, ready for a fight to break out at any moment. With my vision expanded by aether, I could see that the other guests were split into two camps, one trying to steer well clear of us, the others looking as if they were eager to make either our or the African Chosen¡¯s acquaintance.


    ¡°How crude. Threatening a poor young woman who has just recovered with the Tokoloshes. For shame. After all, you don¡¯t command them, do you, chief?¡± Mr Dino said pointedly. ¡°For once though, I agree.¡± He was outwardly kinder than Mr Nkosi, but he was no less angry, it seemed. ¡°Kumba-Stillwater has exploited Africa for far too long. And worse, the precious heart of our land is dug out and sent far away, to serve the forges and factories of foreign lands. Why, if Africa had a soul, it would surely be weeping, raped and pillaged by the greedy, who give nothing back.¡±


    ¡°Our land does have a soul, sorcerer.¡± Mr Nkosi barked his retort. ¡°It is our mother, who births and shelters us, and our father, which protects and tests us. But for once I agree with you. No more digging and mining. It is an affront to Qamata. Why else would the Gods return, other than to correct these wrongs, since we proved too greedy and feeble? Rha, fuck all the greedy!¡±


    ¡°We... it¡¯s unreasonable. Father is prepared to offer concessions, money to help restore the land, provide for the less fortunate...¡± Miss Lindiwe promised, before looking at me, worried. ¡°I... we made promises, to Mr Akio, for his aid. I...¡±


    ¡°It is important to keep promises.¡± Miss Zozibini agreed. ¡°With both hands, one must take, and one must also give. However... the times have changed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have.¡± Mr Nkosi agreed.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not how the world works. Without mines and raw materials, without industry, how can we progress?¡± Mayumi-san began. Her grandfather tried to stop her, worried, but Mayumi-san was enjoying herself, and liked to argue. ¡°Do you have a car? A computer at home? A mobile phone? Would you give it all up and live in a cave?¡±


    I don¡¯t disagree, but... this is not the place for that. I wasn¡¯t the only one to think so, as one of the spiritual beings behind Mr Nkosi was incensed. He reached out a hand faster than any of our guards such as Katana-san could react, ready to slap the woman who had annoyed him, while he spat out some harsh words. ¡°Little bitch. Go and fuck a dog...¡± Before he had finished I was gripping his wrist, none-to-gently, and his last words were etched with strain as he tried to shake free. Mayumi-san blinked, face suddenly pale as she realised she was almost struck, and Katana-san moved in front of her, urging her to retreat.


    Miss Lindiwe was crying out that violence was prohibited, that this was an event full of dignitaries, but Mr Nkosi and Mr Dino and the rest of their groups were watching. Perhaps this was just an excuse to see what we would and could do?


    ¡°Let me go, fucking pussy!¡± the spiritual being snapped, but then he suddenly fell silent, as I raised my League to its maximum, holding the focus so that it only affected the bastard in my grasp. He paled, shivering, clearly outclassed, and fell silent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so crude in front of the ladies.¡± I said, deathly quiet. ¡°And everyone here, including Miss Lindiwe and her father, is under my protection. Cross me if you dare, this is your first and only warning.¡± I squeezed his wrist hard enough to leave already forming bruises before releasing him. He staggered back, and I expanded on Mayumi-san¡¯s point, which I agreed with, if not her unwise delivery.


    ¡°Besides...¡± I continued. ¡°Mayumi-san wasn¡¯t wrong. We can¡¯t stop progress, and now... well, there¡¯s the Boundary, isn¡¯t there? We can make progress in a better, safer way...¡±


    ¡°The Ancestral World? I should expect no less from foreigners.¡± Mr Nkosi scoffed, glaring at his beaten companion, perhaps contemptuous that I outclassed him so much. ¡°Not content to destroy our Earth, you wish to ruin that too. Well, lions may fight each other for the pride, but when the hunter comes, they will band together and fight tooth and claw, even unto death, to protect the pride.¡±


    ¡°He speaks the truth. One thing we are united on is that Africa is ours. No foreigner will be permitted to enter the Ancestral World, and any who is found there, no matter who and why, will be the enemies of all. Competition, survival of the fittest, is our way, but we will not be overshadowed and exploited anymore. The time of our ascension is now!¡± Mr Dino agreed, to nodding of heads and affirmative cries from his followers.


    That¡¯s... a pain. Hinata knew our purpose here, so tried to offer a rebuttal. ¡°You think Akio wants to exploit the Boundary? You don¡¯t know him, or what he¡¯s achieved. One of his other fiance?es, Asha, is a Dryad. A spirit of nature. Would she love a destructive, exploitative man? In fact, we plan to make Japan a beautiful place of clean technology and nature in harmony. Recycling, clean power... less pollution, more wealth to go around.¡±


    ¡°Words. Talk is cheap, especially from one who has come to claim their blood money from African soil.¡± Mr Nkosi scoffed.


    ¡°I...¡± Miss Lindiwe began, but I stopped her. There¡¯s no point to this. It was then that the Chosen with Mr Dino smirked. He was light-skinned, with blonde hair, perhaps of some Caucasian descent, and his accent was perhaps Dutch, or some similar European language.


    ¡°How about this?¡± He smirked, clearly having a plan. ¡°Let judgement be dictated by the truth.¡±


    ¡°I think that sounds interesting.¡± Miss Zozibini giggled charmingly. ¡°But in the interests of fairness, let the threads of Anansi prevent any untoward tricks.¡±


    The man glared, but his smile soon resumed. ¡°Of course, I trust you, beauty. And Anansi¡¯s powers are not for evil use.¡±


    Hinata and I exchanged glances, a little confused, but Mr Dino spoke up.


    ¡°Enough talk!¡± Mr Dino called out. ¡°Let the show begin!¡±


    Aether surged, and I felt a pulling within me. I actually felt I could resist, my League outclassing Mr Janco by a significant margin. Feeling that, I realised that the power could be used as a weapon quite easily. Just summon the scales against a mob of enemies, then forcibly weigh their sins, with a death penalty. Risky, but if his own karma isn¡¯t too sinful, and their League doesn¡¯t surpass his too greatly, it¡¯d be rather effective. Ugh, I hate cheat powers like that. It¡¯s flawed, but situationally lethal. It¡¯s why I have to be careful.


    Despite my high League, great stats and an array of powerful Skills, I never took that for granted. After all, there were many Favours still out there, and it just took one with the right ability to render my advantages moot. Not this one, though... I let the spiritual heart be pulled from my chest, and it appeared, a brilliant, glowing orb of white, fringed with orange and indigo. The crowd gasped, and moments later Miss Zozibini¡¯s was pulled free, this one a black orb trailing numerous fine strands. Finally, a small, pure white heart left Mr Janco. All three settled on their respective scales, and then three further balances appeared, now they were at sixty degree angles. These empty scales were suddenly glowing, and three feathers appeared above them, small and white.


    ¡°Let the Scales judge fairly!¡± Mr Janco declared, and as they descended to the empty balances, he was pouring out aether. He was grinning at me, as if sure he had won, but I merely stared back, confident in myself.


    ¡°I doubt wanting the treasures of the earth, dug from our mother¡¯s soil, makes you a benefactor of Africa.¡± Mr Dino whispered to me. ¡°I daresay Nkosi there respects your bravery, though. Me... I hate your foolishness.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Mr Nkosi whispered back, as my feather hit the empty balance first. ¡°I do respect it. I am the spear of Qamata, the Xhosa and Africa. You... you are a spear of selfishness and greed. One day soon I¡¯ll force you to kneel.¡±


    ¡°But not today. Now watch as we humble the famous... huh?¡± He faltered, and I smirked inwardly at the look of shock on his face as the feather sank, pushing up my heart.


    ¡°I guess I do mean well after all. And it¡¯s true.¡± I declared to the crowd. ¡°My new industry does indeed require a lot of material. But... honestly, mining the Earth dry isn¡¯t something we need to do. In fact... soon, we¡¯ll be launching our new recycling technology. It can reclaim all of the materials from anything. Trash to treasure. With that, we can keep the Earth clean and satisfy our needs for decades, just off what we already have!¡±


    Hinata agreed, seizing the moment, while I could see the strain on Mr Janco¡¯s face, and the sheer perplexity at why the Feather outweighed my heart so massively. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata shouted, proud, before tapping Mayumi-san on the shoulder. ¡°My friend and I, we have an agreement with Kumba-Stillwater. And honestly, even with Akiko¡¯s recycling, it will take time to reach enough scale to fill our needs, so on the short term we¡¯ll need ores and metals. But... trust me. One day soon... Akio will transform this land, just as he will Japan, and it will be a magnificent sight to see!¡±


    ¡°Arrogance!¡± Mr Nkosi declared. ¡°What need have we of outsiders?¡±


    ¡°There can only be one Astral Emperor.¡± Hinata lowered her voice, letting Mayumi-san speak to the crowd. ¡°And sorry, but it won¡¯t be you!¡±


    ¡°This... cheating!¡± Mr Janco complained, but Miss Zozibini sniffed, amused.


    ¡°A cheater always accuses others. Now... the game isn¡¯t over, is it? I warned you, Anansi¡¯s threads would choke you if you tried tricking me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t... I was after... you should want him removed as well!¡± It didn¡¯t matter to Mr Janco that I could hear him, since he could no longer harm me.


    ¡°Oh? What do you say, great Nkosi?¡± She turned to her leader, who shrugged, his beads clinking.


    ¡°I do want him gone, but as of yet, he hasn¡¯t crossed me. Rha, you rhino fucker, you wouldn¡¯t know honour if it rammed a horn up your ass.¡±


    ¡°Honour doesn¡¯t protect you!¡± Mr Dino complained. ¡°Just as it didn¡¯t our ancestors. Even now, those who have power still treat us as fools. How many of those like us you killed did you do with honour?¡±


    ¡°Fine. You made a mistake.¡± Mr Janco scowled at Miss Zozibini. ¡°It seems you lose.¡±


    ¡°That is yet to be seen.¡± Her feather landed next, and with a trembling, her heart began to sink slowly. At the same moment, his feather found its place, but instead of the heart sinking, the feather did, and he looked up triumphantly. At that moment, I muttered a few words, shrouded in wind energy, so only the recipient could hear.


    ¡°See? Poor Zozibini. You grasped your defeat with both hands. Now... your time is over. Anansi chose poorly.¡± Mr Janco gloated, before he suddenly screamed in outrage. His heart dropped so suddenly the golden chains shattered, and in the same moment, Miss Zozibini¡¯s feather began to sink, until her heart was above the feather, safe.


    ¡°Impossible! How? I...¡± He suddenly chocked, and I could see strands of spider silk around his neck.


    ¡°This time you made your own Akua doll sticky, and slapped it with both your hands.¡± Miss Zozibini taunted him. ¡°Now you¡¯re trapped by your own scheme. Such a shame...¡± The beautiful woman clad in her bright red suit laughed, and there was malice in it. ¡°It¡¯s been a good day indeed.¡± She nodded to me, and then to Adelheid, who grunted sourly.


    ¡°The show is over... what an... unexpected result...¡± Mr Dino tried to keep face, but Mr Janco collapsed, and blood ran down his face. The crowd panicked, but I used all my Charm and Majesty to calm them, saying that nobody else would be harmed. My Eye shone, and I could see that the Divine Favour within Mr Janco was collapsing. I see. Basically his plan was to have the losers Anchor¡¯s be destroyed. Whether he planned to take down both me and Miss Zozibini or just me... in the end, he was defeated by his own trap...


    It was as if he had been Conquered by himself, which had caused immense damage to his subtle body, as well as ripping free his Favour. Unfortunately I was unable to take it before it vanished, but now I could see hatred in Mr Dino¡¯s eyes, as well as on the faces of his comrades, as they looked at us. He gathered up the fallen man, before stalking out of the hall as quickly as he had arrived.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the end!¡± one spiritual being spat, before the rest of his group also departed.


    ¡°Please, everyone, there is no need for panic.¡± Mr Mandla declared. ¡°Consider it a rare chance to see how dangerous it can be to meddle with the powers of our Gods. Perhaps we should be thankful we weren¡¯t chosen, eh?¡± His joke was followed by nervous laughter from the crowd. Some of the less brave guests did leave, but he continued to reassure them. ¡°Mr Akio is not at fault, and he is the man who cured my darling Lindiwe. Nor are our... other brave guests, uninvited though they are, but far from unwelcome.¡± More nervous laughter, and Mr Nkosi spoke up boldly.


    ¡°That Afrikaner goat pussy is no loss. He¡¯s not a good man.¡± Mr Nkosi spat. ¡°I¡¯ve my suspicions about just how honest the Scales are. I warned you, Zozibini. You played a reckless game.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Qamata is fair, and those who try and cheat Anansi seldom come to good ends.¡± She was unmoved, though she gave him a brilliant smile. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to worry you, great Nkosi.¡±


    ¡°Rha! Who would worry about you, woman?¡±


    ¡°In that case, we were talking about your presence here...¡± Miss Zozibini said to me, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Later. I¡¯m not here for business, I¡¯m here for Hinata. So... it¡¯s time to do the rounds and introduce her to the people that matter.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Hinata agreed, rather excited. She believed in me before, so when I said I would win, her nerves disappeared, but she was a bit shaken up by the cheater¡¯s fall. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Zozibini, go with her. You know everyone, don¡¯t you?¡± Mr Nkosi grumbled, and I shrugged. Maybe he¡¯s not so bad after all?


    ***


    Hinata was chatting way happily to the Crown Prince of Lesotho, as well as the Presidents of Ghana and South Africa. I had taken some group shots with Hinata and the dignitaries, and Mayumi-san had already sent them to the leading ladies at Hanafubuki, and was already getting responses.


    ¡°This is annoying.¡± Adelheid grumbled beside me. ¡°Everyone¡¯s looking at me. I feel out of place.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be so cute then.¡± I laughed, in a good mood. She grimaced, before kicking me in the ankle, only to wince and try and pretend her foot didn¡¯t ache.


    ¡°Thanks for your help though. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s a good person or not...¡± I nodded at Miss Zozibini, who was helping smooth Hinata¡¯s conversations with the honoured guests here. ¡°...but I do know that Mr Janco was a cheater.¡±


    Adelheid shrugged, rubbing her sore foot against her other ankle surreptitiously. ¡°The Furies hate dishonest sinners. His heart was heavy with treachery and evil. That¡¯s all there was to it. Ugh, where¡¯s the beer?¡± She picked at the plate of food in her hands idly, sipping at the glass of champagne she held with a complicated expression on her face. ¡°This stuff just isn¡¯t to my taste.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get you something if I can find it.¡± I looked around, scanning the waiters, only for one to step up.


    ¡°Here you are sir.¡± He passed me a glass of foaming amber beer, which I handed to Adelheid, who took it eagerly, though she glanced around to see if anyone would complain. Seeing as nobody did, she took a swig, smacking her lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. I don¡¯t like wine, it¡¯s got to be beer. Huh...¡± As she tilted her glass, there was a clinking noise. ¡°Is something in here?¡± She reached into her glass and moments later pulled out a leaf. ¡°Shit, even at swanky parties, there¡¯s still... huh...¡± Her blue eyes narrowed as she looked at the leaf in her hand. ¡°This feels... wait, is this... solid gold?¡±


    Hearing her words I narrowed my own eyes. Gold, huh? Then does that mean...? I turned, but the waiter who had given me the glass of beer was nowhere to be seen, vanished into the crowds perhaps...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Seven

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Seven


    Glancing around the room, the waiter that had handed us the beer had vanished.


    ¡°Here.¡± Adelheid passed me the gleaming leaf, rather confused. Frowning, I inspected the piece of what felt like solid gold. Huh, is there writing on it?


    The leaf was a work of art, if it was fake, looking exactly like one from the decorative vases of plants that were dotted around the hall. However, the odds of someone having a fake leaf, and just so happening to use it to attract my attention, seemed rather unlikely. With my inhuman vision, I could read the tiny scratches on the surface of the leaf, which read, in English, ¡®I will find you later. Be ready.¡¯


    With a slight smile on my face, I squeezed, crushing the gold into a small ball. Maybe we can have it made into some jewellery for Hinata, a nice bonus of the trip. Now, just what does he mean? Was it a threat, or simply an invitation? I had no run-ins with Midas, which was my assumption for who sent it, though I couldn¡¯t rule out some sort of imposter, but then I had entered South Africa with Christina Bakker, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be impossible for someone to find that out, if they had connections.


    It certainly seems like the Chosen here in South Africa have a measure of authority and inspire both fear and respect. If he thinks I¡¯m involved with the efforts for the Americans to target him, Midas might hold a grudge...


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Adelheid asked, having not paid enough attention to see the tiny inscription. Despite the leaf being in her mug, after only a moment of irritation, she had resumed drinking.


    ¡°Just a message.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Still, if he¡¯s looking for trouble, he must have also seen that Mr Janco¡¯s attempts backfired spectacularly, but then...¡± Placing the ball of gold in my pocket, I frowned. The Vermillion List mentioned he was able to kill soldiers with golden dust, somehow, and if a person could be affected like this leaf was, even partially... yeah, Spiritually Pure Physique is no protection against this...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much.¡± Adelheid said gruffly, rolling her eyes. ¡°If he proves trouble, I¡¯ll help you deal with him, just like I did with that shitty cheater. He could be strong, but that¡¯s just sausage to me. It won¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    I was the one rolling my eyes right now, at another idiom my German wasn¡¯t good enough to understand. She¡¯s certainly one for the colloquial chatter, isn¡¯t she?


    As if reading my mind, her pale skin flushed a little, and she took another gulp from her glass to hide her embarrassment. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m confident. You won¡¯t need my help, but if you do... shit, you know what I mean!¡±


    I resisted the urge to pat the head of our little tsundere, who was older than she looked. ¡°I do, and I¡¯m grateful. If it comes to it, I¡¯ll happily take your assistance. It certainly dealt with Mr Janco.¡± Those who cheat have to prepare to be cheated. I¡¯m still curious as to how Miss Zozibini knew Adelheid could help. Her Favour is interesting...


    ¡°You should be!¡± Adelheid agreed, and I smiled again. Yeah, I guess she¡¯s right. I certainly feel the situation is more secure with Tanya at our side...


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s never dull around you, Akio-kun!¡± Mayumi-san declared, warmly watching Hinata as she talked with the dignitaries at the gala. I had left her chatting, as she was very much enjoying making connections and proposing deals. Obviously I would spend more time with her later, both because it was her debut and of course because I wanted to, but for now there were other things I needed to take care of.


    ¡°Is it always so exciting? I still don¡¯t know what happened.¡± Mayumi-san continued, thrilled by the spectacle, though poor Katana-san seemed on edge, glancing at the African Chosen who were still here, unashamed of their intrusion, eating, drinking and talking to the other guests seemingly without care.


    Sharing a commiserating glance with Katana-san, I then explained to Mayumi-san, and her eagerly listening grandfather. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it was exciting. I don¡¯t like taking chances with my safety...¡±


    Mr Mandla, Miss Lindiwe¡¯s father, was also with our little group, and he nodded apologetically. ¡°I should definitely beg your pardon for this terrible breach of etiquette. Unfortunately...¡± He also glanced over at Mr Nkosi, who was talking animatedly with some South African businessmen, his expression one of power and arrogance. ¡°...we simply have no way of preventing such as them from going where they will.¡± He smiled ruefully. ¡°Matters are very different here in South Africa and our sister African nations, at least here in the south. Sometimes I envy you and your Ministry. And that I hear the Japanese are very respectful of authority and law abiding.¡±


    ¡°Not always.¡± I shook my head, remembering. ¡°Power seems to bring the worst out in some people.¡± We still had Sora-san, who had tried to attack the AKB0048 idols, as well as the prisoner from Korea in Arisu-san¡¯s Room, to deal with at some point. ¡°But in general, you¡¯re right. We¡¯re trying to keep things running smoothly.¡± I glanced at Ichijou-san¡¯s bodyguards, who must have been Ministry registered. I know Haru is keeping track, obviously. They can¡¯t be that interesting, if she hasn¡¯t alerted me to their existence. Honestly, uptake is slower than we¡¯d like...


    ¡°What we wish for, and what reality allows, are often two separate things.¡± Ichijou-san said cheerfully. ¡°You should remember that, Mayumi.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± she declared airily, her arrogance and interest undiminished. ¡°So, in that case, why did you accept his provocations? Though I would have done so as well, that Janco man was rather arrogant and unpleasant.¡±


    Since we were speaking in English for Mr Mandla¡¯s benefit, Adelheid could understand some of what we were saying, and I didn¡¯t need her derisory snort to understand what she thought about that.


    ¡°True, and while he was harping on about cowardice, it¡¯s not wise to bow to pressure.¡± I agreed. ¡°But...¡± Everyone was listening to me now, wanting to know my reasoning. ¡°...once I realised that there was no way I could lose the trial he proposed, then it was like an arrogant gambler busting into a game of poker, when I was already holding a royal flush. All that was left was to take his chips.¡± I frowned, articulating my thoughts. ¡°Firstly, it would prove my strength, show I¡¯m not to be trifled with. My reputation should do that already, but people only trust what they¡¯ve experienced themselves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I did think your exploits were somewhat overblown, before I met you.¡± Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°Fortunately, Hinata believed in you from the start. It makes sense that she would though, she has the ability to spot those worth making friends with, such as me!¡± Adelheid rolled her eyes, muttering imprecations in German at that.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you worried about... conflicts?¡± Mr Mandla frowned. ¡°It looked as if he was in very bad shape as he was carried out, and Dino... he looked positively murderous. They are used to doing as they please, their presence here at my daughter¡¯s gala shows that well. The police, even the army... so long as they fight their personal squabbles and leave the rest of us alone, they don¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want to clash with your African Chosen. There¡¯s no benefit for any of us doing that. But...¡± I remembered the damage Mr Janco had inflicted upon himself. ¡°He set his own penalties. If it was just as he said, only preventing him from entering the Boundary here on the African continent, it would have hampered him a lot, but he¡¯d still have a future. Instead...¡± I shook my head, irritated. ¡°...instead, he tried to steal from me. He reaped what he sowed. Seeing how fairly he ran his little challenge would tell me a great deal about Mr Dino and his group. Now... I know they aren¡¯t a group I can trust.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t all, of course. Anubis¡¯ Scales Of Judgement didn¡¯t act like it was supposed to, at least that was what I thought. Once I had used my Eye buffed by Shiro, it made more sense. Due to the influence of ????????????... I had no idea what that influence was, but it was something I felt worth investigating further.


    ¡°How could you be sure that you would win?¡± Mr Mandla asked. ¡°I confess, we have seen Dino and Nkosi, as well as some others, perform some impossible feats. And rumour has it that Nkosi has survived being gunned down several times, and even turned the tables on his attackers, killing them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite possible. He had some faint scars, and I know guns are largely useless against me.¡± I agreed. ¡°It makes sense why they can go where they want. It¡¯s not like you can bring in RPGs or sniper rifles for your guards, is it? As for how I was certain...¡± I didn¡¯t want to give too much away. ¡°...once I knew that it was a Skill weighing sins, I was sure. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m confident in my good karma.¡±


    Mayumi-san snickered at that, amused. ¡°Really? Some say that your behaviour with women is far from inspiring confidence. Most would say you¡¯re rather sinful. Not me, of course. I¡¯ve seen how happy Hinata is, and Motoko-san and Natsumi as well.¡±


    ¡°Regardless...¡± I ignored her interjection, glancing at the members of Nkosi¡¯s group around the gala. ¡°I now know more about the character of the local Chosen. Which is important.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you afraid of trouble? I know Dino¡¯s group will not let this go...¡± Mr Mandla¡¯s expression was grave. ¡°I also worry they will take it out on us. Already, as you¡¯ve seen, they are extremely unhappy with Kumba-Stillwater, and our agreement with you. If they do...¡± He glanced around at the visiting dignitaries from all over the African continent. ¡°...there are limits to how tolerant the army can be, and there will be a response, but...¡± He looked over at his daughter, who was alongside Hinata, talking with the Crown Prince of Lesotho, who was laughing at some quip. ¡°...I prayed for my daughter to live, and my prayers were answered, but it¡¯s all for nothing if she ends up harmed in some petty dispute.¡±


    Seeing his clear worries, I felt rather sorry for him. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Besides, while it was simply a deal between us, exchanging assets for Healing, we are working together, so that makes us allies. And I abhor my allies taking losses. I¡¯ll try and sort something out.¡±


    Striding over to Mr Nkosi, who was intimidating another man with his air of power and command, that man was grateful for the opportunity to escape, so with some muttered words in a language I didn¡¯t speak, he scurried off, Mr Nkosi watching him go, his eyes narrowed coldly. He then turned to me, crossing his arms over his bare chest, beads clinking. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    His tone wasn¡¯t as frosty as it was before, but he still seemingly didn¡¯t like me much. ¡°I wanted to talk about Mr Dino, and Kumba-Stillwater.¡±


    ¡°Mr this, Mr that.¡± Mr Nkosi grumbled. ¡°We may be speaking English, but I am a proud Xhosa, a native of South Africa. I don¡¯t need your rhino shit politeness.¡±


    I was a bit taken aback at that, but I did understand. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not anywhere near as formal as most Japanese people, and I can go without honorifics and titles without feeling uncomfortable, but I guess it¡¯s my default state. Do you have any preferred means of address?¡± I¡¯ll stick to Miss Zozibini though, I have enough women I call casually...


    Nkosi shook his head. ¡°For you, my name will do. I am not some mewling weakling, who cares about such things. I am a warrior! Speaking of that camel pussy Dino and his little shit-sniffing hyena Janco... I will give you credit for your guts. Though I suppose if you fought well in Britain, enough to earn the title of hero, you can¡¯t be a coward. Rha! I did get a good laugh, seeing his trickery backfire.¡± Nkosi narrowed his eyes. ¡°What a fool. Is he really shut out from the Ancestral Land in Africa? If so, serves him right. There¡¯s blood on his hands, just like all of ours, but his is more black than red.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s shut out, all right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Shut out from his powers forever.¡±


    At my words, Nkosi frowned. ¡°What shit is that? He looked hurt, sure, but...¡±


    ¡°Which is fine.¡± Hinata squeezed my arm tighter, his anger making her trembles worse, but her spirit remained firm, with me by her side to draw courage from. ¡°But... for a tiny patch of secure land, in your Territory, where there is a rich source of water or earth element... having the insurance of being able to contact us, receive immediate reinforcements in any danger... you called your God Qamata, didn¡¯t you?¡± Her change of subject threw them off, and Miss Zozibini spoke up.


    ¡°Indeed. Qamata, the true God. There are many other Divinities, but all serve Qamata.¡±


    ¡°Then their messengers must have told you why now.¡± At Hinata¡¯s words, they nodded, and she giggled triumphantly.


    ¡°Then would a lion put his pride at risk for the pride that is a sin?¡± she questioned him. ¡°If you truly believe you can face threats like we know are coming alone... then you¡¯re a fool we don¡¯t want to work with. But... don¡¯t interfere with our modest business, make sure to keep those we want to protect safe, and form an alliance with us which protects your interests and ours... well, in that case, you only stand to gain.¡±


    Obviously we gain as well. Alliances and Ring Gates work both ways, and sooner or later... I glanced at Adelheid, who had found more beer from somewhere. ...As the Chosen dwindle down to fewer, stronger individuals, I¡¯ll need to bring them under my aegis. Selling batteries and dealing with waste, reforesting and regreening the world... sure, Japan comes first, and to a lesser extent Britain and South Korea, but while Hinata sounds like she¡¯s offering them a good deal, it¡¯s all doing things we want to anyway, and making us a profit as well...


    ¡°She makes a good point, great Nkosi. We can make exchanges too. You are surely here not just for your cute fiance?e¡¯s sake?¡± she pointed out, and I agreed.


    ¡°Yes, I have one small order of business. But it¡¯s far from here, so shouldn¡¯t cause you trouble.¡±


    Nkosi frowned. ¡°I have given you warning...¡±


    ¡°Yes, and we heard.¡± I agreed with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here under the Norse banner to fulfil a religious duty, then I¡¯ll be out of here. Though... agree to Hinata¡¯s offer and we¡¯ll be back briefly. It¡¯ll still be your land, so we¡¯ll have stolen nothing. You only stand to gain.¡± Not entirely true, as I¡¯m sure we could force through their Territory barrier before they could respond if we had to, but... I can¡¯t see much need for that.


    ¡°Rha!¡± Nkosi snarled at last. ¡°I am not going to be fooled by you, girl. But... we Xhosa are heroes, not ungrateful elephant cunts, like some.¡± He was clearly venting at Dino¡¯s group. ¡°There will be no retaliation here, and so long as the rich who have pillaged and raped the African continent all these years open their purses and help restore it to glory, we shall relent. For the favour you showed Zozibini. Though she would have been the victor, regardless! Despite whether there is some dark presence behind that fucker Dino and his licking dogs.¡± he insisted, and I suppressed a grin.


    Sure. I¡¯d say the same about Hinata or any of the others. And at least he¡¯s aware of the problem and taking the warning seriously. I don¡¯t want a situation like in Korea to erupt here. Although... I can¡¯t be everywhere. Troubles are inevitable, and will spread... ¡°Fine then. In that case, enjoy the rest of the party...¡±


    The next hour was spent with Hinata, gathering more pictures for her to send to Hanafubuki and the nobles she was acquainted with, as well as closing some business deals. Hinata was a shrewd negotiator, and several promised to be significantly profitable, while also not forgetting to attempt to put Nkosi and his followers in our debt.


    Once that was done, I ended up outside overlooking the ocean. Hinata and Mayumi-san were beside me, Katana-san and Kazumi-san a distance away from us to afford us privacy, while also keeping an eye on the other guests who were taking a break on this spacious outside terrace.


    ¡°Grandfather is closing a few more deals, but... I think you surprised him, Hinata. But I¡¯m not to be outdone!¡± Mayumi-san puffed out her chest in pride, which was dangerous in her somewhat risque? dress. She was beautiful, certainly, but I preferred Hinata¡¯s more restrained appeal.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found some more who want healing. After all, seeing Miss Lindiwe so well... it¡¯s only natural others want the same.¡± Mayumi-san finished, and Hinata raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have, but I probably got to them first. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re prepared to visit Japan.¡± Hinata assured me. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have time now.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to steal from your best friend?¡± Mayumi-san flushed, though her anger wasn¡¯t real, more a friendly sort of rivalry, I wagered.


    ¡°Only because you are trying to reap the unearned rewards from the fruit of Akio¡¯s efforts.¡± Hinata rejoindered. ¡°You¡¯re not his fiance?e, and you¡¯re not putting in any effort yourself. Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    ¡°I should say not.¡± Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°If I was, you¡¯d be relegated to second place, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Hardly, I¡¯m Takatsukasa Hinata now. Besides, status doesn¡¯t matter, our rankings are all down to our place in Akio¡¯s heart.¡± She leaned up and kissed me gently on the lips, and I could taste her faint, delicate lipstick. ¡°And I know I¡¯d always be more special to him than you!¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± Mayumi-san cried, and I could see Adelheid also enjoying the view over in the corner, rolling her eyes even though she couldn¡¯t understand our Japanese.


    ¡°The lion doesn¡¯t challenge the mouse!¡± Hinata scoffed, taking inspiration from Nkosi and all his talk of prides. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy anyway. What would you bring to Akio? It¡¯s past time he needs connections with the nobility, or to marry for money.¡± Hinata enjoyed having the upper hand, and as they argued, I could see her joy. Yeah, if Mayumi-san didn¡¯t see her as a friend, an equal now, they couldn¡¯t fight like that. After all, you can dismiss an inferior, not care about their opinions, but if you want then to understand you, you have to value them. Hoping that Hinata¡¯s debut had been as satisfying as she hoped, I suddenly froze. I wasn¡¯t alone. Adelheid was bristling up like an angry cat, her blue eyes narrowing as she searched around.


    Aether, huh? Quite the effort to affect the Material so strongly...


    I heard mutterings from the other guests on the terrace as a cold breeze blew in, muting the warm evening heat of South Africa. As they filed back into the hall, Kazumi-san came over with a small shawl she had carried in a bag she had with her, wrapping Hinata¡¯s exposed arms and shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone cold all of a sudden.¡± Kazumi-san observed, Katana-san nodded, also doing the same for Mayumi-san, while Adelheid drifted over, exchanging a look with me, so I nodded.


    ¡°Oops...¡± As Katana-san was wrapping Mayumi-san in her own shawl, it caught on one of Mayumi-san¡¯s earrings. It popped free, falling to the ground, but the last passing guest caught it, and with an elegant smile passed it back to Mayumi-san, who responded politely.


    He¡¯s...


    ¡°My thanks. I would hate to lose this, it¡¯s not expensive, but I do appreciate the way it matches my...¡± Mayumi-san said in English, before freezing, her hand on the now solid-gold earring, even the small dark gemstone suspended in it now giving off a metallic shine.


    ¡°You¡¯re... Midas.¡± I said to the tall, dark-skinned man, with a close cropped, almost bald head, but what little hair there was had a faint golden tinge to it, not blonde, but as if it was metal, the gold to Shiro¡¯s silver.


    ¡°So they call me.¡± he agreed. Kazumi-san and Katana-san quickly stepped between him and their charges, but Hinata and Mayumi-san were both merely curious and still at ease, Mayumi-san because that just seemed to be the way she was, but Hinata... She gripped my arm tighter, but her smile let me know she was assured that I was there, and that I wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Midas said in his impeccable, refined English. ¡°I am not here for trouble.¡±


    ¡°So, why are you here?¡± My Eye was glittering as I observed the area around us. The door to the terrace was jammed now, the metal locking mechanism having warped and bent, so it was just us out here, the aether that had caused the cooling dispersing, the South African heat returning rapidly.


    ¡°You are cautious. I like that. But I suppose you would have to be.¡± Midas agreed mildly. ¡°As for why I am here, you received my message, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Adelheid snorted about that, grumbling about how it was offensive, dropping stuff in her beer, even if it was valuable, though her attention never left Midas, and I could see she was ready to attack if necessary.


    ¡°I did. You could have worded it better. I might well have misunderstood.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°If you were frightened by a few words, you¡¯re not the man I believe you to be... or the man I need.¡± He looked at me seriously, his brown eyes earnest and trustworthy. Though of course, the most successful tricksters seem honest... there¡¯s no room for carelessness here.


    ¡°The man you need, huh? So, were you looking for me?¡±


    Midas only grinned, his handsome face amused. ¡°There¡¯s no need to try and probe me for information. It wasn¡¯t hard to find out you would be here. There¡¯s been talk of this gala for days, and rumours of your attendance are well known. I have many people who would aid me, either for their loyalty or for gold.¡± He paused then. ¡°I was very impressed with your actions earlier. The Scales Of Judgement... I most certainly would not subject myself to them. Especially not now.¡± His smile turned cold. ¡°I was listening in to your talk with that hot-headed Nkosi. Yes, there is much wrong here. And I could use some aid rooting it out. But... what brings you to South Africa?¡±


    He leaned forwards, intense. ¡°While I could see you cherish your fiance?e very much, you are one of the busiest men alive, no doubt. There must be a greater purpose than merely showing off, but nobody knows, not even with gold on offer. If it does not conflict with my aims, I can aid you. A fair exchange. So, what do you say?¡±


    Interesting. Looking Midas square in the eyes, I smiled slightly, showing nothing of what I was thinking. ¡°I say I¡¯d need to know more. But here... while the view is nice, it¡¯s not the right place for it. For now, fix the damn door, and once the gala winds down... then we¡¯ll talk.¡± Midas, one of the most dangerous Chosen, according to the stolen Vermillion List. Seems like Christina was right, he is active in this area. But who¡¯d have thought he¡¯d come looking for me...

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Seven – Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Seven ¨C Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner


    ¡°Cheers, everyone!¡± Shiro was saying, raising her glass of brightly coloured drink. Tsukiko was still rather uncomfortable at such crowded, almost rowdy occasions, but she made an effort to smile, which wasn¡¯t a terrible struggle. I do suppose I am more bemused than anything. It is hardly an unwelcome feeling, rather, it feels warm, but I still confess to being overwhelmed at times.


    ¡°Cheers!¡± everyone echoed, and it was an eclectic everyone, most definitely. Though I am best placed to accept it, considering my role as the Diviner. Tsukiko had also raised her glass and offered the typical Japanese toast, but Shiro had seen her slight hesitation, and grinned broadly.


    ¡°Come on Tsuki, no need to be shy. We¡¯re all friends here... strange as that is.¡±


    Tsuki. It was strange. She had almost entirely abandoned her name, until Akio had forcibly shared it, in defiance of the prophetic vision of Tsukuyomi she had as a child, which foretold her death should anyone hear her true name or see her bare face. Reflexively, she touched her own perfect features, her customary veil no longer with her, nor her usual ornate shrine priestess robes and hakama. Instead, she was in a pair of jeans and a fluffy jumper, though the jeans were a wine red, and the jumper a snowy white, in deference to her calling.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose we are.¡± she agreed, taking a sip of the fruity cocktail. They had been given a large private room, which was a necessity considering the attendees. Glancing around, there were ordinary people, such as Akio¡¯s university friends, but Shiro herself was famous now, after having appeared at the press conference in London, and there were... other... strange guests.


    ¡°Mortal customs are rather fascinating.¡± The Fae Princess Ffionnan said to her companion, the tiny, foot high Fae Princess Estalian, who had been smuggled through the streets to this destination in a small bag, much to her annoyance, but now she was using an empty, overturned beer mug as a stool, and was waving her legs and wings animatedly, her face flushed from the cocktails she was guzzling though a straw comically.


    ¡°That they are...¡± Estalian giggled, before burping a little, covering her tiny mouth with her hands. ¡°I must say, you have great talents.¡± She spoke to the woman Nie Ling, the Chinese captive who was responsible for bringing the two Princesses here, and was required to maintain their existence, as such powerful beings burned through the aether used to shift them from the Boundary quickly.


    Suzuki Haru, the Onryo? woman who served Akio, translated her words for Nie Ling, who nodded, withdrawn and embarrassed, but still with her own drink. The rest of the group was more normal, consisting of Shiro¡¯s friends, Akio¡¯s secretary Karen-san, as well as the policewoman Usui-san and her friend (as well as Shaeula¡¯s) Ichika-san. Rounding off the group was the nervous Bunta-san, and also the Kitsune Nebisuki, whose missing leg was replaced by a prosthetic, and while her tails had been hidden by a voluminous coat during their journey here, now she was letting her two remaining tails free.


    Ffionnan also giggled too. The many coins, jewels and beads braided into her long hair gave off a relaxing tinkling sound as she shook her head. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always good to be able to see my investments come to life.¡± She began to talk about the visit to the construction site of Akio¡¯s factories. Work was proceeding well there, and as construction had moved into the tunnels connecting the shrine, the estate and the factory, machinery and other essentials were being moved in, ready for production to finally begin.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Estalian burped again, and when her fit of giggles calmed down, she explained. ¡°Though while the magic carriages and strange scrying mirrors are fascinating, I¡¯m more interested in your progress on light element, Ffionnan.¡±


    ¡°I am making progress.¡± Ffionnan boasted. ¡°Though transcending our being is difficult, and I have no need to tell you that, Estalian, considering your successes... the instruction is very clear.¡± She nodded at Haru-san gratefully, as she had assisted alongside the twin shrine maidens from Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine before. ¡°I suspect soon I¡¯ll be able to make my treasures glimmer with beautiful light. The way gems and precious metals sparkle is simply inspirational!¡±


    ¡°You old miser, you haven¡¯t changed at all! A new element is for more than just vanity! Look at Moira, how hard she labours.¡± As Estalian bickered back, one of Shiro¡¯s friends, the brash young man Yasu-san, turned to the woman sitting next to him and let out an amused comment.


    ¡°There¡¯s just something amazing about all this, isn¡¯t there, Karen-chan babe? Though I have to say, that little one looks a lot more like it¡¯d expect a Faerie to be like. Sorry, but the big one¡¯s a bit normal.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Big one?¡± Ffionnan scoffed, her expression dangerous. ¡°I am the very definition of wealthy, regal beauty! Mortal kings and heroes would often offer gold and jewels for the chance of snatching a mere glimpse of me!¡±


    ¡°All right, Yasu-kun didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Akio¡¯s friend Hayato-san stepped in, flashing a handsome smile to diffuse the tension. ¡°Princess, how about another drink? Yasu-kun¡¯s buying?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I shall partake. When one does not pay, it tastes all the sweeter. After all, wealth should accumulate, not decrease!¡±


    ¡°I cannot help but feel... I am made light of here.¡± The Kitsune Nebisuki complained. She was sucking on the ivory stem of a smoking pipe, though due to the laws of Japan regarding indoor smoking, it wasn¡¯t lit. ¡°Am I not a more interesting sight than these two visitors from another land? Oh, nobody loves me, except for Akio. I do so wish he was here to console me, hold me close...¡± She sighed, her bosom heaving in her partially open yukata, which she wore despite the cold.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stare, if I was you, Yasu-kun. Karen-chan might get the wrong idea.¡± Another of Akio¡¯s friends, the short and rather pretty Aimi-san warned with a smile. ¡°And I can see you trying to peek subtly too, Shugo-kun. What would your girlfriend say?¡±


    As the two men flushed and stammered denials, Shiro broke in.


    ¡°Expecting men not to glance at those tits requires high moral character.¡± She smirked at Hayato-san, who ran a hand through his blond hair, embarrassed by her endorsement. ¡°Shit, even Aki can¡¯t help but steal a peek at any gorgeous woman that walks by. But... seriously, you¡¯re bigger than me. And Tamamo-no-Mae is colossal. Is it something about Kitsune where you all have huge tits?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I have met others, and like you humans, we are varied. But... I do take after grandmother.¡± She sighed, drinking the sweet alcohol in front of her. ¡°It is a shame she refused to venture out into the mortal world, but... it seems she takes her duty seriously. Until Akio returns in mortal form, she will not abandon her vigil.¡± Her two tails wagged restlessly. ¡°I never thought grandmother would be so docile. Wilfulness and self-centred passions are her usual nature.¡±


    ¡°Suffering changes a person.¡± Haru-san shrugged. ¡°Besides, she knows gratitude, it seems. And I know we all feel better having her watching over Akio¡¯s home and family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aki¡¯s tamed the mythical nine-tailed fox. I expected no less.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Still, we don¡¯t lose, do we, Tsuki? We may not be as comically huge as her, but we¡¯re still stacked and gorgeous. And if Aki catches you eyeing Tsuki much more Yasu, you¡¯ll get to see what life is like without that part you hold dear, and too often, if you catch my drift.¡± Her mean and crude humour still surprised Tsukiko, but the group took it in their stride, the men laughing and teasing Yasu-san, apart from Bunta-san, who was sitting in the corner of the room, ever alert like a panicky rodent. Narrowing her beautiful ruby eyes, Tsukiko shook her head.


    Shiro and I are very alike. Both of us were born with spiritual atavism, adapted for a world long passed. Though now fortunately returning. Yet... our fates were different despite the similarities. Whether it was her bloodline, or the blessing of Tsukuyomi, or simply that Kyoto, where she was born and lived, was richer in ether, she had not suffered the dreadful weakness and illnesses Shiro had endured her whole life. Though I made other sacrifices.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so gloomy, Tsuki.¡± Shiro noticed her thoughts. ¡°This is a fun night out. Sure, we started a bit late, but since the concert isn¡¯t until the afternoon, we¡¯ve plenty of time to sleep it off even if we party the night away!¡±


    As several people called out that they agreed with her, including the tiny and drunk Estalian, Shiro continued. ¡°It was good we didn¡¯t start until near midnight anyway, I had to help Aki with something. Man, it¡¯s odd, missing him. I mean, for now, we can go and see him any time we want, right? And even if we can¡¯t, Eri¡¯s got him in her head any time she wants, so we can always get an update. I¡¯d say that must be strange, but honestly... it just seems normal to me now. Tan¡¯s always with me, after all. It¡¯s just a damn shame Arisu couldn¡¯t make it. Since tomorrow is her big return to the public eye, if you don¡¯t count the talk show, she wants to make sure she¡¯s perfect.¡±


    ¡°I for one am relieved.¡± Bunta-san muttered. ¡°She scares me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a wet blanket, Bunta-kun.¡± Usui-san snorted. ¡°You¡¯re a big boy now, and you have those shadows that can easily handle your enemies. I¡¯ve seen them in action. She can¡¯t be that scary...¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun would certainly disagree.¡± Haru-san chuckled. ¡°Now don¡¯t misunderstand me, Akio-kun is very fond of Arisugawa-san, but he does find her intimidating. Besides, he believes she¡¯s a genius, and that her ability is one of the only ones he knows of that he thinks could defeat him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but even if she squashes Aki to pieces with her Room, she can¡¯t take him out in both realms at once. But I¡¯m scared of only one thing... that Aki¡¯s very fond goes too far.¡± Shiro shuddered, looking pensive, and it wasn¡¯t a sight Tsukiko was used to seeing. ¡°I¡¯m Shirohime, gorgeous, intelligent, charming and powerful...¡±


    ¡°Modest too...¡± Shugo-san whispered, only to fall silent at Shiro¡¯s glare.


    ¡°Quiet in the peanut gallery. Modesty is a sin when you¡¯re as good as I am. Anyway... yeah, I have confidence against anyone, but... Arisu¡¯s got the looks, the charm, the intellect... plus Aki has a deep-seated need to be bullied, I¡¯m sure.¡± She snorted, amused again. ¡°Arisu would end up in charge in short order. Anyway... she can¡¯t make it, so let¡¯s not talk more about her tonight!¡± As she insisted that, Bunta-san sighed in relief.


    ¡°All right then!¡± Shiro continued loudly. ¡°Game time! Someone bust out a deck of cards or something similar. And get us some more booze. Let¡¯s get this party started!¡±


    ***


    Tsukiko was feeling a little light-headed after losing a number of rounds of cards. Despite retaining some of the strength Tsukuyomi had granted her, even after passing it on to Akio, she was still tipsy, as Shiro had tailored the loss penalties to each drinker.


    ¡°For someone who can predict the future, you suck at gambling.¡± Shiro teased, sitting down beside her. ¡°Your face is nearly as red as your eyes.¡±


    As Konoe-san and Usui-san continued talking back and forth about work, Shiro glanced over. ¡°You¡¯re looking red there, Tsuki. The booze, or... thinking of something, or someone else?¡±


    ¡°Perceptive as ever.¡± Tsukiko admitted, unwilling to lie. ¡°I... have the resolve. To pursue my happiness.¡±


    ¡°Great. I like that. Shit, even Tan wants happiness, though the happiness of a Goddess is rather complicated, it seems.¡± Her eye glinted red at that, and she snorted, likely communicating silently with the Goddess inside.


    Shiro and I are alike in that regard as well. Though I was not sharing a body with Tsukuyomi, I did hear his voice in my dreams and visions...


    ¡°This is very interesting.¡± Ffionnan declared, listening in. ¡°Work is a strange concept, though payment, I understand!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a moon-damned usurer!¡± the tiny Fae Estalian giggled sourly. ¡°Always collecting treasures. Are you some sort of dragon, making a bed of gold and jewels to sleep on?¡±


    ¡°I shall have you know, my hoard diminishes. There are always new shares to buy! But I do admit, while it pains my heart, I hope to soon reap the benefit of profit shares and dividends. Maybe I will make a bed of gold, though sleeping on cold, hard metal is unpleasant. Perhaps just the frame...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you will see an excellent return on your investment.¡± Haru-san promised. ¡°While I¡¯m not specifically involved in it, Karen-san can update you on progress. You saw it yourself earlier, soon the first devices will be up and running. Trash to treasure at first, and then energy security for Japan and our allied countries.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of work... Bunta-kun, you know where I¡¯m coming from, right?¡± Usui-san was rather drunk and aggressive. ¡°We¡¯ve been investigating, with help from your Oracle Engine. That thing¡¯s wild, the Detective says that it¡¯s dangerous to rely on it, but it can... oh, what did he say... oh yeah, it could revolutionise crime prevention and active policing! Anyway... the case makes no damn sense. Sure, we¡¯ve been checking the list of names we have obtained, but... nothing on any of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural...¡± Bunta-san said. He shrank in on himself when everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, especially Shiro¡¯s, which made him sweat. Oh yes, she was his leader, or perhaps Tan?ha? was, and she put fear into his already cowardly heart.


    ¡°...anyway...¡± he continued. ¡°If these deaths and attacks have been a warning, a smokescreen or some sort of distraction... we¡¯re dealing with a conspiracy. Clearly there are Chosen at play as well. We¡¯re at a loss for now, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so aggravating!¡± Usui-san agreed. ¡°The only thing is we¡¯ve narrowed down a few of the more suspicious names on our immigration list. But most of them are elderly, and some are businessmen who in addition to charitable work, have ties to some of the biggest enterprises in Japan. If they are problematic, then this goes way over our heads. The Detective hates dealing with nobility, especially the real big ones, like Fujiwara house.¡±


    ¡°Not as much as Daizen did, dumb bastard.¡± Shiro grumbled, though Tsukiko noticed her black eyes seemed downcast. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Bunta?¡±


    As the nervous man agreed softly, Shiro continued her bitter rant. ¡°Sure, he¡¯d probably not be happy working with us considering Aki¡¯s ties to the nobility, but... beats being dead, doesn¡¯t it? All he had to do was walk away, but no, he had to make threats... yes Tan, I know, Abrogation is a real win, but... oops, that¡¯s a secret!¡± Shiro made an effort to pull down her eyelid and stick her tongue out, which confused Tsukiko.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Shiro continued, her face a little flushed with seeming embarrassment. ¡°I can¡¯t see any of the big nobles being involved, it doesn¡¯t make sense, but... I guess you police have to follow any leads, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Usui-san slurred, clearly drunk by now. Her hair bun had come loose, and she had started fanning herself with one hand, after having unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Beside her, Konoe-san tried to calm her down, to no avail. ¡°Just because something seems improbable, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible! I mean, just look at here! Faeries and Foxes and magic people...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°We can boot up the Oracle Engine again, maybe. Shaeula¡¯s Fortune can power it...¡±


    Perhaps because she was thinking of her past, Shiro shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all the Raven Knight¡¯s fault. If only he hadn¡¯t insisted we kill Shaeula and Aki, when his real goal was to get his damn Tree back. Vengeance over common sense... fool.¡±


    That drew attention, and Estalian stopped flailing her legs long enough to look up. ¡°The wandering Raven, I see. He¡¯s a pitiful one, but also unrepentant. If he enters the Court again, he¡¯ll be hunted down by the Way-Wardens... but he¡¯s not been seen in a fair while... uh... I need more alcohol!¡±


    ¡°I know Aki is just waiting for their next meeting, considering he was almost killed last time. Worse, apparently he said some very hurtful things to Shaeula as well.¡± Shiro shrugged, grinning nastily. ¡°He has it coming. Damn, I know that gathering up Chosen led to me meeting Arisu and Suzu... I guess you too, Bunta...¡± Her words to him seemed an afterthought, but in a way Bunta-san seemed relieved at that. ¡°But then, working with selfish and evil people definitely required something like the Binding Chains... I much prefer it now, where Aki only brings on good people. Anyway...¡±


    ¡°Yes, if I may.¡± Karen-san interjected. ¡°The Oracle Engine... how it works, I can¡¯t honestly understand it, but by all means use it, it¡¯s what we spent all that money on.¡± Shiro¡¯s friends smiled at that, embarrassed by how eagerly they had spent money on it, and Karen-san continued. ¡°You could also try asking Miyu-san. She¡¯s a Fujiwara herself, isn¡¯t she? And she¡¯s quite approachable, I think?¡±


    ¡°I can help too, perhaps.¡± Tsukiko volunteered, unwilling to be left out. ¡°It is as Konoe-san says. It feels good to contribute, and I feel... restless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be installed in your original planned position as special advisor to the Ministry soon enough.¡± Haru-san promised. ¡°And... you wish to be useful to Akio-kun, the man who defeated death for you... and for me, I suppose, although Kiku made it possible for him...¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Tsukiko said without shame. Yasu-san whistled, impressed, and Shiro snickered. Despite that, Tsukiko was unwilling to dissemble. ¡°It is not merely that Akio has taken the mantle of Tsukuyomi, or that he saved my life... or that I wish to pursue a life with him, together with you, Shiro, and everyone else...¡±


    ¡°Shit, saying it like that makes me shy...¡± Shiro looked down, her flushed face hidden by her long silver hair, and Tsukiko¡¯s smile broadened. Yes, for someone who seems so outgoing, you are rather shy, and direct praise and compliments embarrass you...


    ¡°...I have no idea if I can receive any visions or dreams, but... perhaps the Oracle Engine will stimulate me?¡±


    ¡°Worth a try.¡± Usui-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll leave talking to the Fujiwara girl to the Detective though...¡±


    Now that was settled, talk turned to the recent volcanic eruption that afflicted the Nasu Volcanoes. Obviously, they knew the cause, and that Tamamo-no-Mae was rescued from there, but even so, concerns that such would happen elsewhere was an ever-present fear in the back of their minds.


    ¡°It is like this...¡± Estalian said, beginning to lecture us. Ffionnan broke in, her arrogance on show, and they started to struggle, Estalian flying up and pulling on Ffionnan¡¯s hair, while she waved her hands like trying to swat a fly. Despite the fight, Estalian continued to speak, though her words were occasionally interrupted with cries of annoyance and pain.


    ¡°...only the Queen, may she return from her self-imposed retreat one day, is as well versed in such matters as... ouch, you old miser, stop that... me. The density of ether and elemental energies is... I¡¯ll pull out your damn gems and throw them away...¡±


    ¡°Little brat! Act your age! I¡¯m not a fool either! I can explain!¡± Ffionnan grumbled as their comedic fight continued.


    It was then that Nie Ling spoke up, worried. ¡°If you exert yourselves, then I can¡¯t hold you here for long...¡±


    Tsukiko, who could now speak Chinese as flawlessly as Akio could, translated, and soon the argument calmed down, though with a smirk, Estalian conjured a blast of wind while Ffionnan wasn¡¯t looking, shearing off a few strands of hair, allowing several golden beads to fall away and be lost. With that done, she continued to explain. ¡°...so yes, as I was saying, I believe the rivers of unusual ether used to be called Ley Lines. They flow between areas of unusually high or low density. They will have largely become dormant.¡± She started to lecture everyone, and Tsukiko listened carefully.


    ¡°Coming here wasn¡¯t just to experience mortal pleasures. I¡¯m not this damn Leprechaun.¡± Ffionnan protested at that again, but Estalian merely pointed at the fallen gold beads, which sent her diving to pick them up, but she used wind to roll them towards the exit of the room, making Ffionnan scurry.


    ¡°Anyway, no, I am concerned that the Seelie Court will be affected as the Boundary begins to break. It¡¯s already happening. While it is fascinating, just as the reverse was... I suspect that old Ley Lines and sites of rich elemental energies will rekindle, and... just as when water meets lava... there will be... disruption.¡± Estalian continued.


    I see. It makes sense. The world of the Divine, the spiritual will not integrate with the mortal world we know painlessly or easily. Which is why... Her resolve undimmed, Tsukiko vowed to ensure her return was meaningful, not just for her own sake, her parents, for Akio¡¯s happiness, but so that Tsukuyomi¡¯s wish for the world to be preserved was fulfilled. I owe my God that. After all... the past is dead. And now... Glancing around the room, Tsukiko felt warm. It was still uncomfortable, stepping out of her isolation and aloofness, but...


    I have not just found a chance at love, or regained my family, or found sisters, or become a true friend to Yukiko, now able to share my hidden face and thoughts... no, there are many people, many beings, both human and not, who I can allow to behold me... the real me. Though... there are parts of me I can only share with one other... Shiro met her gaze, and Tsukiko flushed, but met it honestly. Shiro gave her a thumbs up, and, taking up her glass, Tsukiko took a long drink of her alcohol, paying close attention to the priceless, near unheard of opportunity of listening to a lecture from a Faerie Princess on aetheric metaphysics and mysticism...

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Six – Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Six ¨C Matsumuro Tsukiko, The Diviner


    ¡°Cheers, everyone!¡± Shiro was saying, raising her glass of brightly coloured drink. Tsukiko was still rather uncomfortable at such crowded, almost rowdy occasions, but she made an effort to smile, which wasn¡¯t a terrible struggle. I do suppose I am more bemused than anything. It is hardly an unwelcome feeling, rather, it feels warm, but I still confess to being overwhelmed at times.


    ¡°Cheers!¡± everyone echoed, and it was an eclectic everyone, most definitely. Though I am best placed to accept it, considering my role as the Diviner. Tsukiko had also raised her glass and offered the typical Japanese toast, but Shiro had seen her slight hesitation, and grinned broadly.


    ¡°Come on Tsuki, no need to be shy. We¡¯re all friends here... strange as that is.¡±


    Tsuki. It was strange. She had almost entirely abandoned her name, until Akio had forcibly shared it, in defiance of the prophetic vision of Tsukuyomi she had as a child, which foretold her death should anyone hear her true name or see her bare face. Reflexively, she touched her own perfect features, her customary veil no longer with her, nor her usual ornate shrine priestess robes and hakama. Instead, she was in a pair of jeans and a fluffy jumper, though the jeans were a wine red, and the jumper a snowy white, in deference to her calling.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose we are.¡± she agreed, taking a sip of the fruity cocktail. They had been given a large private room, which was a necessity considering the attendees. Glancing around, there were ordinary people, such as Akio¡¯s university friends, but Shiro herself was famous now, after having appeared at the press conference in London, and there were... other... strange guests.


    ¡°Mortal customs are rather fascinating.¡± The Fae Princess Ffionnan said to her companion, the tiny, foot high Fae Princess Estalian, who had been smuggled through the streets to this destination in a small bag, much to her annoyance, but now she was using an empty, overturned beer mug as a stool, and was waving her legs and wings animatedly, her face flushed from the cocktails she was guzzling though a straw comically.


    ¡°That they are...¡± Estalian giggled, before burping a little, covering her tiny mouth with her hands. ¡°I must say, you have great talents.¡± She spoke to the woman Nie Ling, the Chinese captive who was responsible for bringing the two Princesses here, and was required to maintain their existence, as such powerful beings burned through the aether used to shift them from the Boundary quickly.


    Suzuki Haru, the Onryo? woman who served Akio, translated her words for Nie Ling, who nodded, withdrawn and embarrassed, but still with her own drink. The rest of the group was more normal, consisting of Shiro¡¯s friends, Akio¡¯s secretary Karen-san, as well as the policewoman Usui-san and her friend (as well as Shaeula¡¯s) Ichika-san. Rounding off the group was the nervous Bunta-san, and also the Kitsune Nebisuki, whose missing leg was replaced by a prosthetic, and while her tails had been hidden by a voluminous coat during their journey here, now she was letting her two remaining tails free.


    Ffionnan also giggled too. The many coins, jewels and beads braided into her long hair gave off a relaxing tinkling sound as she shook her head. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always good to be able to see my investments come to life.¡± She began to talk about the visit to the construction site of Akio¡¯s factories. Work was proceeding well there, and as construction had moved into the tunnels connecting the shrine, the estate and the factory, machinery and other essentials were being moved in, ready for production to finally begin.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Estalian burped again, and when her fit of giggles calmed down, she explained. ¡°Though while the magic carriages and strange scrying mirrors are fascinating, I¡¯m more interested in your progress on light element, Ffionnan.¡±


    ¡°I am making progress.¡± Ffionnan boasted. ¡°Though transcending our being is difficult, and I have no need to tell you that, Estalian, considering your successes... the instruction is very clear.¡± She nodded at Haru-san gratefully, as she had assisted alongside the twin shrine maidens from Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine before. ¡°I suspect soon I¡¯ll be able to make my treasures glimmer with beautiful light. The way gems and precious metals sparkle is simply inspirational!¡±


    ¡°You old miser, you haven¡¯t changed at all! A new element is for more than just vanity! Look at Moira, how hard she labours.¡± As Estalian bickered back, one of Shiro¡¯s friends, the brash young man Yasu-san, turned to the woman sitting next to him and let out an amused comment.


    ¡°There¡¯s just something amazing about all this, isn¡¯t there, Karen-chan babe? Though I have to say, that little one looks a lot more like it¡¯d expect a Faerie to be like. Sorry, but the big one¡¯s a bit normal.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Big one?¡± Ffionnan scoffed, her expression dangerous. ¡°I am the very definition of wealthy, regal beauty! Mortal kings and heroes would often offer gold and jewels for the chance of snatching a mere glimpse of me!¡±


    ¡°All right, Yasu-kun didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Akio¡¯s friend Hayato-san stepped in, flashing a handsome smile to diffuse the tension. ¡°Princess, how about another drink? Yasu-kun¡¯s buying?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I shall partake. When one does not pay, it tastes all the sweeter. After all, wealth should accumulate, not decrease!¡±


    ¡°I cannot help but feel... I am made light of here.¡± The Kitsune Nebisuki complained. She was sucking on the ivory stem of a smoking pipe, though due to the laws of Japan regarding indoor smoking, it wasn¡¯t lit. ¡°Am I not a more interesting sight than these two visitors from another land? Oh, nobody loves me, except for Akio. I do so wish he was here to console me, hold me close...¡± She sighed, her bosom heaving in her partially open yukata, which she wore despite the cold.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stare, if I was you, Yasu-kun. Karen-chan might get the wrong idea.¡± Another of Akio¡¯s friends, the short and rather pretty Aimi-san warned with a smile. ¡°And I can see you trying to peek subtly too, Shugo-kun. What would your girlfriend say?¡±


    As the two men flushed and stammered denials, Shiro broke in.


    ¡°Expecting men not to glance at those tits requires high moral character.¡± She smirked at Hayato-san, who ran a hand through his blond hair, embarrassed by her endorsement. ¡°Shit, even Aki can¡¯t help but steal a peek at any gorgeous woman that walks by. But... seriously, you¡¯re bigger than me. And Tamamo-no-Mae is colossal. Is it something about Kitsune where you all have huge tits?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I have met others, and like you humans, we are varied. But... I do take after grandmother.¡± She sighed, drinking the sweet alcohol in front of her. ¡°It is a shame she refused to venture out into the mortal world, but... it seems she takes her duty seriously. Until Akio returns in mortal form, she will not abandon her vigil.¡± Her two tails wagged restlessly. ¡°I never thought grandmother would be so docile. Wilfulness and self-centred passions are her usual nature.¡±


    ¡°Suffering changes a person.¡± Haru-san shrugged. ¡°Besides, she knows gratitude, it seems. And I know we all feel better having her watching over Akio¡¯s home and family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aki¡¯s tamed the mythical nine-tailed fox. I expected no less.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Still, we don¡¯t lose, do we, Tsuki? We may not be as comically huge as her, but we¡¯re still stacked and gorgeous. And if Aki catches you eyeing Tsuki much more Yasu, you¡¯ll get to see what life is like without that part you hold dear, and too often, if you catch my drift.¡± Her mean and crude humour still surprised Tsukiko, but the group took it in their stride, the men laughing and teasing Yasu-san, apart from Bunta-san, who was sitting in the corner of the room, ever alert like a panicky rodent. Narrowing her beautiful ruby eyes, Tsukiko shook her head.


    Shiro and I are very alike. Both of us were born with spiritual atavism, adapted for a world long passed. Though now fortunately returning. Yet... our fates were different despite the similarities. Whether it was her bloodline, or the blessing of Tsukuyomi, or simply that Kyoto, where she was born and lived, was richer in ether, she had not suffered the dreadful weakness and illnesses Shiro had endured her whole life. Though I made other sacrifices.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so gloomy, Tsuki.¡± Shiro noticed her thoughts. ¡°This is a fun night out. Sure, we started a bit late, but since the concert isn¡¯t until the afternoon, we¡¯ve plenty of time to sleep it off even if we party the night away!¡±


    As several people called out that they agreed with her, including the tiny and drunk Estalian, Shiro continued. ¡°It was good we didn¡¯t start until near midnight anyway, I had to help Aki with something. Man, it¡¯s odd, missing him. I mean, for now, we can go and see him any time we want, right? And even if we can¡¯t, Eri¡¯s got him in her head any time she wants, so we can always get an update. I¡¯d say that must be strange, but honestly... it just seems normal to me now. Tan¡¯s always with me, after all. It¡¯s just a damn shame Arisu couldn¡¯t make it. Since tomorrow is her big return to the public eye, if you don¡¯t count the talk show, she wants to make sure she¡¯s perfect.¡±


    ¡°I for one am relieved.¡± Bunta-san muttered. ¡°She scares me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a wet blanket, Bunta-kun.¡± Usui-san snorted. ¡°You¡¯re a big boy now, and you have those shadows that can easily handle your enemies. I¡¯ve seen them in action. She can¡¯t be that scary...¡±


    ¡°Akio-kun would certainly disagree.¡± Haru-san chuckled. ¡°Now don¡¯t misunderstand me, Akio-kun is very fond of Arisugawa-san, but he does find her intimidating. Besides, he believes she¡¯s a genius, and that her ability is one of the only ones he knows of that he thinks could defeat him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but even if she squashes Aki to pieces with her Room, she can¡¯t take him out in both realms at once. But I¡¯m scared of only one thing... that Aki¡¯s very fond goes too far.¡± Shiro shuddered, looking pensive, and it wasn¡¯t a sight Tsukiko was used to seeing. ¡°I¡¯m Shirohime, gorgeous, intelligent, charming and powerful...¡±


    ¡°Modest too...¡± Shugo-san whispered, only to fall silent at Shiro¡¯s glare.


    ¡°Quiet in the peanut gallery. Modesty is a sin when you¡¯re as good as I am. Anyway... yeah, I have confidence against anyone, but... Arisu¡¯s got the looks, the charm, the intellect... plus Aki has a deep-seated need to be bullied, I¡¯m sure.¡± She snorted, amused again. ¡°Arisu would end up in charge in short order. Anyway... she can¡¯t make it, so let¡¯s not talk more about her tonight!¡± As she insisted that, Bunta-san sighed in relief.


    ¡°All right then!¡± Shiro continued loudly. ¡°Game time! Someone bust out a deck of cards or something similar. And get us some more booze. Let¡¯s get this party started!¡±


    ***


    Tsukiko was feeling a little light-headed after losing a number of rounds of cards. Despite retaining some of the strength Tsukuyomi had granted her, even after passing it on to Akio, she was still tipsy, as Shiro had tailored the loss penalties to each drinker.


    ¡°For someone who can predict the future, you suck at gambling.¡± Shiro teased, sitting down beside her. ¡°Your face is nearly as red as your eyes.¡±


    As Konoe-san and Usui-san continued talking back and forth about work, Shiro glanced over. ¡°You¡¯re looking red there, Tsuki. The booze, or... thinking of something, or someone else?¡±


    ¡°Perceptive as ever.¡± Tsukiko admitted, unwilling to lie. ¡°I... have the resolve. To pursue my happiness.¡±


    ¡°Great. I like that. Shit, even Tan wants happiness, though the happiness of a Goddess is rather complicated, it seems.¡± Her eye glinted red at that, and she snorted, likely communicating silently with the Goddess inside.


    Shiro and I are alike in that regard as well. Though I was not sharing a body with Tsukuyomi, I did hear his voice in my dreams and visions...


    ¡°This is very interesting.¡± Ffionnan declared, listening in. ¡°Work is a strange concept, though payment, I understand!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a moon-damned usurer!¡± the tiny Fae Estalian giggled sourly. ¡°Always collecting treasures. Are you some sort of dragon, making a bed of gold and jewels to sleep on?¡±


    ¡°I shall have you know, my hoard diminishes. There are always new shares to buy! But I do admit, while it pains my heart, I hope to soon reap the benefit of profit shares and dividends. Maybe I will make a bed of gold, though sleeping on cold, hard metal is unpleasant. Perhaps just the frame...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you will see an excellent return on your investment.¡± Haru-san promised. ¡°While I¡¯m not specifically involved in it, Karen-san can update you on progress. You saw it yourself earlier, soon the first devices will be up and running. Trash to treasure at first, and then energy security for Japan and our allied countries.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of work... Bunta-kun, you know where I¡¯m coming from, right?¡± Usui-san was rather drunk and aggressive. ¡°We¡¯ve been investigating, with help from your Oracle Engine. That thing¡¯s wild, the Detective says that it¡¯s dangerous to rely on it, but it can... oh, what did he say... oh yeah, it could revolutionise crime prevention and active policing! Anyway... the case makes no damn sense. Sure, we¡¯ve been checking the list of names we have obtained, but... nothing on any of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural...¡± Bunta-san said. He shrank in on himself when everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, especially Shiro¡¯s, which made him sweat. Oh yes, she was his leader, or perhaps Tan?ha? was, and she put fear into his already cowardly heart.


    ¡°...anyway...¡± he continued. ¡°If these deaths and attacks have been a warning, a smokescreen or some sort of distraction... we¡¯re dealing with a conspiracy. Clearly there are Chosen at play as well. We¡¯re at a loss for now, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so aggravating!¡± Usui-san agreed. ¡°The only thing is we¡¯ve narrowed down a few of the more suspicious names on our immigration list. But most of them are elderly, and some are businessmen who in addition to charitable work, have ties to some of the biggest enterprises in Japan. If they are problematic, then this goes way over our heads. The Detective hates dealing with nobility, especially the real big ones, like Fujiwara house.¡±


    ¡°Not as much as Daizen did, dumb bastard.¡± Shiro grumbled, though Tsukiko noticed her black eyes seemed downcast. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Bunta?¡±


    As the nervous man agreed softly, Shiro continued her bitter rant. ¡°Sure, he¡¯d probably not be happy working with us considering Aki¡¯s ties to the nobility, but... beats being dead, doesn¡¯t it? All he had to do was walk away, but no, he had to make threats... yes Tan, I know, Abrogation is a real win, but... oops, that¡¯s a secret!¡± Shiro made an effort to pull down her eyelid and stick her tongue out, which confused Tsukiko.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Shiro continued, her face a little flushed with seeming embarrassment. ¡°I can¡¯t see any of the big nobles being involved, it doesn¡¯t make sense, but... I guess you police have to follow any leads, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Usui-san slurred, clearly drunk by now. Her hair bun had come loose, and she had started fanning herself with one hand, after having unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Beside her, Konoe-san tried to calm her down, to no avail. ¡°Just because something seems improbable, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible! I mean, just look at here! Faeries and Foxes and magic people...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hayato-san agreed. ¡°We can boot up the Oracle Engine again, maybe. Shaeula¡¯s Fortune can power it...¡±


    Perhaps because she was thinking of her past, Shiro shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all the Raven Knight¡¯s fault. If only he hadn¡¯t insisted we kill Shaeula and Aki, when his real goal was to get his damn Tree back. Vengeance over common sense... fool.¡±


    That drew attention, and Estalian stopped flailing her legs long enough to look up. ¡°The wandering Raven, I see. He¡¯s a pitiful one, but also unrepentant. If he enters the Court again, he¡¯ll be hunted down by the Way-Wardens... but he¡¯s not been seen in a fair while... uh... I need more alcohol!¡±


    ¡°I know Aki is just waiting for their next meeting, considering he was almost killed last time. Worse, apparently he said some very hurtful things to Shaeula as well.¡± Shiro shrugged, grinning nastily. ¡°He has it coming. Damn, I know that gathering up Chosen led to me meeting Arisu and Suzu... I guess you too, Bunta...¡± Her words to him seemed an afterthought, but in a way Bunta-san seemed relieved at that. ¡°But then, working with selfish and evil people definitely required something like the Binding Chains... I much prefer it now, where Aki only brings on good people. Anyway...¡±


    ¡°Yes, if I may.¡± Karen-san interjected. ¡°The Oracle Engine... how it works, I can¡¯t honestly understand it, but by all means use it, it¡¯s what we spent all that money on.¡± Shiro¡¯s friends smiled at that, embarrassed by how eagerly they had spent money on it, and Karen-san continued. ¡°You could also try asking Miyu-san. She¡¯s a Fujiwara herself, isn¡¯t she? And she¡¯s quite approachable, I think?¡±


    ¡°I can help too, perhaps.¡± Tsukiko volunteered, unwilling to be left out. ¡°It is as Konoe-san says. It feels good to contribute, and I feel... restless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be installed in your original planned position as special advisor to the Ministry soon enough.¡± Haru-san promised. ¡°And... you wish to be useful to Akio-kun, the man who defeated death for you... and for me, I suppose, although Kiku made it possible for him...¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Tsukiko said without shame. Yasu-san whistled, impressed, and Shiro snickered. Despite that, Tsukiko was unwilling to dissemble. ¡°It is not merely that Akio has taken the mantle of Tsukuyomi, or that he saved my life... or that I wish to pursue a life with him, together with you, Shiro, and everyone else...¡±


    ¡°Shit, saying it like that makes me shy...¡± Shiro looked down, her flushed face hidden by her long silver hair, and Tsukiko¡¯s smile broadened. Yes, for someone who seems so outgoing, you are rather shy, and direct praise and compliments embarrass you...


    ¡°...I have no idea if I can receive any visions or dreams, but... perhaps the Oracle Engine will stimulate me?¡±


    ¡°Worth a try.¡± Usui-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll leave talking to the Fujiwara girl to the Detective though...¡±


    Now that was settled, talk turned to the recent volcanic eruption that afflicted the Nasu Volcanoes. Obviously, they knew the cause, and that Tamamo-no-Mae was rescued from there, but even so, concerns that such would happen elsewhere was an ever-present fear in the back of their minds.


    ¡°It is like this...¡± Estalian said, beginning to lecture us. Ffionnan broke in, her arrogance on show, and they started to struggle, Estalian flying up and pulling on Ffionnan¡¯s hair, while she waved her hands like trying to swat a fly. Despite the fight, Estalian continued to speak, though her words were occasionally interrupted with cries of annoyance and pain.


    ¡°...only the Queen, may she return from her self-imposed retreat one day, is as well versed in such matters as... ouch, you old miser, stop that... me. The density of ether and elemental energies is... I¡¯ll pull out your damn gems and throw them away...¡±


    ¡°Little brat! Act your age! I¡¯m not a fool either! I can explain!¡± Ffionnan grumbled as their comedic fight continued.


    It was then that Nie Ling spoke up, worried. ¡°If you exert yourselves, then I can¡¯t hold you here for long...¡±


    Tsukiko, who could now speak Chinese as flawlessly as Akio could, translated, and soon the argument calmed down, though with a smirk, Estalian conjured a blast of wind while Ffionnan wasn¡¯t looking, shearing off a few strands of hair, allowing several golden beads to fall away and be lost. With that done, she continued to explain. ¡°...so yes, as I was saying, I believe the rivers of unusual ether used to be called Ley Lines. They flow between areas of unusually high or low density. They will have largely become dormant.¡± She started to lecture everyone, and Tsukiko listened carefully.


    ¡°Coming here wasn¡¯t just to experience mortal pleasures. I¡¯m not this damn Leprechaun.¡± Ffionnan protested at that again, but Estalian merely pointed at the fallen gold beads, which sent her diving to pick them up, but she used wind to roll them towards the exit of the room, making Ffionnan scurry.


    ¡°Anyway, no, I am concerned that the Seelie Court will be affected as the Boundary begins to break. It¡¯s already happening. While it is fascinating, just as the reverse was... I suspect that old Ley Lines and sites of rich elemental energies will rekindle, and... just as when water meets lava... there will be... disruption.¡± Estalian continued.


    I see. It makes sense. The world of the Divine, the spiritual will not integrate with the mortal world we know painlessly or easily. Which is why... Her resolve undimmed, Tsukiko vowed to ensure her return was meaningful, not just for her own sake, her parents, for Akio¡¯s happiness, but so that Tsukuyomi¡¯s wish for the world to be preserved was fulfilled. I owe my God that. After all... the past is dead. And now... Glancing around the room, Tsukiko felt warm. It was still uncomfortable, stepping out of her isolation and aloofness, but...


    I have not just found a chance at love, or regained my family, or found sisters, or become a true friend to Yukiko, now able to share my hidden face and thoughts... no, there are many people, many beings, both human and not, who I can allow to behold me... the real me. Though... there are parts of me I can only share with one other... Shiro met her gaze, and Tsukiko flushed, but met it honestly. Shiro gave her a thumbs up, and, taking up her glass, Tsukiko took a long drink of her alcohol, paying close attention to the priceless, near unheard of opportunity of listening to a lecture from a Faerie Princess on aetheric metaphysics and mysticism...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Eight

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Eight


    After returning to the main body of the party, Ichijou-san could see that something was off. We quickly concluded our business at the gala, Hinata briefly introducing me to a few more dignitaries and business leaders from across the African continent that would be beneficial to know, while Ichijou-san took over the after-gala meetings for us, though Hinata was going to give him detailed instructions, which greatly amused him.


    Soon, after saying our farewells to Miss Lindiwe and Mr Mandla, we were in our expensive foreign car with our new guest, heading back for a much needed discussion. Though... There¡¯s something wrong here, and even Mayumi-san has noticed it...


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel at all nervous... you know, you never did say your name.¡± Mayumi-san inquired. She was right, as Midas was incredibly calm, in contrast to Katana-san and Kazumi-san, who despite my presence, were both on high alert, looking ready to attack if Midas made any threatening moves whatsoever.


    ¡°Midas will do.¡± The shaven-headed man smiled, showing his teeth. ¡°While it is not chosen by me... and is not African, I believe that he was King of Phrygia, which would be in Turkey now, if I am not mistaken...¡± At Mayumi-san¡¯s agreeing nod, he continued. ¡°While I myself am African... I still enjoy the symbolism. After all... in the West, they would say a Midas touch brings success to every endeavour, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that.¡± Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°But you haven¡¯t answered my other question.¡±


    ¡°It is simple.¡± Midas agreed. ¡°Am I not in the presence of the Hero of Britain, and the man who rescued innocent schoolchildren in Korea?¡± His smile was broad, but beside me, Hinata was looking at him flatly, a pensive expression on her face. To hide that, she snuggled into me, so I reached out an arm and hugged her.


    ¡°You would hardly be so crass, would you, as to harm someone who came seeking your assistance?¡± he continued. ¡°Of course, I am hardly so weak as to fear harm. After all... many have tried to bring me low, and while it has been... inconvenient and stressful... I remain free.¡±


    The two bodyguards for Ichijou-san, while clearly not used to such situations, started feeling tense too. I made a small gesture for them to calm down, while matching Midas¡¯ smile with one of my own.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not one to resort to violence unless me or those I protect are in danger. But... there¡¯s still a lot of unanswered questions regarding your intentions.¡±


    ¡°All in good time.¡± Midas declared. ¡°All in good time.¡±


    The limousine quickly reached the hotel, though it wasn¡¯t our hotel. While there was every chance that Midas or indeed the other Chosen who gate-crashed the gala already knew or could guess where we were staying, there was no point taking chances. Instead, I had secretly messaged Aliyah and Trey to move everyone to the third-best hotel in the area.


    Seeing our destination, everyone remained quiet. Mayumi-san, who normally commented on everything, as if seeking to always have our attention, was clearly well-versed in security, as well she might be, being the heir to such a prestigious house, seemed to understand and showed no surprise.


    ¡°In that case, we should talk.¡± I said, and Midas grinned again.


    ¡°Of course. Over something cold and strong, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Business talks do proceed well over alcohol.¡± I agreed. While Midas is hiding his League, I doubt he¡¯s any weaker than Nkosi or Dino. So I doubt alcohol will loosen his tongue...


    Once we arrived at our new suite, I knocked on the door, and there was silence for a while, Aliyah and Trey likely checking it was us. After a moment, Treyvon opened the door, eyeing Midas warily. ¡°Welcome back.¡± He said in English, his Japanese still not as fluent as his sister¡¯s.


    ¡°Americans, huh?¡± Midas frowned, a swift expression he quickly suppressed, but my senses caught it. Makes sense he doesn¡¯t like them, I suppose...


    ¡°Got a problem?¡± Aliyah asked sourly, behind her brother. ¡°We¡¯re just here as bodyguards and gophers, just pretend we ain¡¯t here. Or not.¡±


    I glanced around the room. Titan and Christina weren¡¯t sitting on the sofas in the living area, they were likely hiding in one of the other rooms. I concentrated, and quickly confirmed my guess. I glanced at Midas, but he either didn¡¯t notice, or was keeping quiet.


    ¡°Katana, Kazumi... some drinks for us all.¡± Mayumi-san ordered casually, and while Katana-san nodded, Kazumi-san looked at Hinata for instructions.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hinata sighed. ¡°Since Akio is here, but... it¡¯s polite not to ask Kazumi to do things. She¡¯s not your bodyguard, Mayumi.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a spoilsport, Hinata.¡± Mayumi-san waved it off. In the end, Kazumi-san moved at Hinata¡¯s nod, and then Hinata breathed a few words, so quiet as to barely be audible, but my Perception meant I could pick it up, as surely was her intention.


    ¡°I think Mayumi needs some sort of shock. She¡¯s trying, I¡¯ll admit, but... too many years of being treated as a princess, no, a queen, has meant she can¡¯t step outside of that. As her friend, I have to correct her. Besides, it¡¯s really annoying.¡± Her smile was slightly apologetic, but I did agree. Miyu had changed, but Mayumi-san was still stuck in her past mindset, even if she had finally opened up to Hinata.


    Once the drinks were on the table, Adelheid, who had been silent the whole time, her language skills still rather inferior, made a bee-line for the beer. Midas glanced at her, another quick frown on his face, before he too reached for a glass. It was filled with ice and a brown creamy liquid. Amarula, I think? That¡¯s a local drink...


    ¡°Not bad.¡± he declared, smacking his lips, before dropping down onto one of the unoccupied sofas with a certain arrogance, as if he owned the place. ¡°So, let me be blunt. You want to know why I sought you out, why I offered a deal for my aid?¡±


    Deciding to try some Amarula myself, Hinata following suit, I sat opposite him, Hinata on my left, while Adelheid scooted up to the right, putting some distance between us. ¡°Yes. I know there¡¯s no such thing as free in this world. And excuse me, but for some reason I simply doubt that you¡¯re going to tell me you want money or the like. The man with the golden touch shouldn¡¯t have a shortage of funds.¡±


    He shook his head wryly at my biting sarcasm. ¡°Of course not. Just as I changed the leaf and the earring... if I wish, golden treasures are mine. Though I would expect you to understand my limits better than most.¡±


    I agreed with that. If it¡¯s some sort of unique ability it¡¯ll likely consume a huge amount of aether. Or if it¡¯s metal element, the same issue would apply... Of course, I had the reports from the Vermillion List about the gold dust that had seemingly killed the US agents, and it didn¡¯t take much effort to imagine ways transforming even a tiny portion of a human body to metal would be fatal.


    ¡°So, you said there was a lot wrong here, and it needed rooting out, and that if my goal didn¡¯t conflict with your aims you¡¯d consider helping me. There¡¯s the issue though, you know about us, but we know very little about you, Midas.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to know? I¡¯m a good, family man, who was granted this power. It was... unexpected, but it was clearly the will of the Gods.¡±


    Adelheid snorted at that, still sipping at my beer. ¡°There seem to be no end of Gods ... imposing? Yes... imposing their wills nowadays.¡± She then lapsed back into German. ¡°We¡¯re all dancing to someone else¡¯s flute. But I¡¯m no shitty puppet. I¡¯m my own woman!¡±


    I nodded, agreeing. As I said from the start, I¡¯m grateful to Ortlinde and Tyr, and now Tsukuyomi, but I¡¯m also not their servants. I¡¯ll help them out in the future, their Pantheons, if I can... but our own needs come first.


    ¡°So, what do you want to root out?¡± I asked bluntly. On another seat, Mayumi-san watched on with great interest, finding all this very exciting, while her grandfather clicked his tongue, before speaking up.


    ¡°Now, now Akio-kun. Getting to the point so straightforwardly might be one of your good points, but it can also be seen as rude. Besides, negotiation requires finesse. You tell him, Hinata-chan!¡±


    ¡°When it comes to business, I¡¯ll step in.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°But Kira-sama, Mayumi, neither of you really understand Chosen matters. Yes, you have your Ichijou house recruits...¡± She glanced at the two guards of Ichijou-san again, her lip curling imperceptibly, clearly unimpressed by their calibre. ¡°...but when it comes to dealing with such things, there¡¯s more to it than business. Let Akio handle things, and I¡¯ll step in when needed.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a very good woman.¡± Midas approved, making Hinata grin smugly, her cheeks pink. ¡°My wife... well, perhaps you¡¯ll have the chance to meet her, Akio-kun.¡± He copied the Japanese form of address. ¡°She¡¯s a wonderful woman, and always will be. Of course, if I was to gather as many beauties as you have, my wife would seek out a practitioner of juju and curse me with the thunderbolt, the Magun. Pardon the expression, but I would not stand strong ever again...¡±


    The men in the room, me included, all reflexively glanced down. Seeing that, his smile was wicked. ¡°Anyway... I digress. I would be more than happy to speak of my needs, but first... why don¡¯t our other guests come out to join us?¡±


    So he did notice. I expected so... ¡°Christina, Titan, no point being shy.¡± I sighed, and after a moment the big man Titan came out, wearing a ripped, sleeveless t-shirt, and shorts, all the better to intimidate with his powerful physique. Behind him Christina, still wearing her faded lab coat as if it was armour, followed him, almost using him as a shield.


    ¡°More Americans, huh?¡± Midas narrowed his eyes. ¡°You keep poor company.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± I denied her, and she pouted, and when she was going to object I raised a hand to forestall her. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, Mayumi-san. Honestly, I¡¯m a bit wary of taking Hinata, but this is a learning experience for her, and I¡¯m confident of protecting her. Actually, I don¡¯t want to take Kazumi-san either...¡±


    ¡°You have to!¡± Kazumi-san implored. ¡°I am Hinata¡¯s bodyguard and friend. I don¡¯t mind dying, so long as I can see her safe...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a failure as a bodyguard.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You don¡¯t just guard their body, but their hearts too. Your death would wound Hinata¡¯s heart badly. But... I sympathise. You¡¯re trying to find your path to the power you need.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s rough.¡± Aliyah spoke up story. ¡°Women have it hard. Especially in this company. But you¡¯re young yet. I¡¯m not going to call you a kid... you¡¯ve been a professional for years, even if not like Trey or me were. But... Akio¡¯s right. Dying sounds noble, but it¡¯s the fucking end, get it? Sure, you may go out satisfied, but what about those left behind, and what about next time, when you ain¡¯t there? Got it? Live to fight another day.¡±


    ¡°Akio and I are trying to think of a way, Kazumi.¡± Hinata promised. She was unwilling to say more here, in unknown company, but we had considered our options. If Hinata had a Favour, she could take some Territory and gift Kazumi-san a Throne slot. It was a bit of a waste, but eventually we¡¯d start having more and more Thrones available. Other ideas were similarly plausible, yet with their own unique flaws.


    ¡°Yes, Mayumi, you need to remain behind.¡± Ichijou-san said gently. ¡°Besides, would you leave business to me alone? And I wanted to spend time with you on this trip.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Besides...¡± Hinata knew how to handle Mayumi-san, it seemed, as her next words fired her up. ¡°You keep bragging about how we¡¯re in business together. Don¡¯t just work for Ichijou house, you have to bring profits to our company! Prove you¡¯re better than me, if you can!¡±


    ¡°Just see if I don¡¯t!¡± Mayumi-san took the bait, being self-confident and eager for a competition. Hinata gave me a hidden thumbs-up, and then Christina spoke too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come, though.¡± she said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s not safe, and you¡¯re another non-combatant. Besides...¡± I glanced at Midas, who had good reason to hate her.


    ¡°I know. But... if I go, you can bring Titan. For... insurance.¡± she reasoned. ¡°I also... it¡¯s as you said. I¡¯m a fool, and if I die, perhaps it is my just desserts? It would also make a mockery of my efforts, although... others will take up my mantle, and prevent my data being a cruel waste. But... I am inquisitive, knowledgeable, and one of the finest scientists alive. My knowledge would be helpful!¡±


    ¡°These women have no use. They cannot enter the Ancestral land...¡± Midas began, but I shook  my head.


    ¡°Since you shared with me, I¡¯ll share with you. As it happens I can bring a number of people with me. It won¡¯t be an issue.¡± I dissembled, being about as honest as I suspected Midas was, without actually lying. After all, he¡¯s no fool.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me if something bad happens to her...¡± he glared, and I shrugged.


    ¡°You heard her. I disagree and think it¡¯s a mistake, but... I¡¯m not going to stop her from trying to make amends, even if it¡¯s misplaced. Besides...¡± Having Titan with us might well be helpful. So, me, Adelheid and Titan... we won¡¯t be beaten easily... Though Hinata was a potential weakness, leaving her here worried me too.


    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s a long journey to the border, we should prepare...¡± Midas said, standing and finishing his glass of alcohol.


    ¡°Our helicopter is ready, with a refuelling location halfway already organised.¡± Ichijou-san advised, and that surprised Midas a little, but he quickly recovered.


    ¡°Excellent. I see time is of the essence. But... you wanted me to help you with a religious observation, no? Can you elaborate?¡±


    ¡°While we¡¯re on route. We¡¯ll be in the air a number of hours.¡±


    As he agreed, I pulled Aliyah and Treyvon to one side while everyone else was making ready. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you pair to take care of things here.¡± I lowered my voice, making sure nobody was listening. ¡°I know it seems odd, when we have two Chosen, but...¡±


    ¡®¡±I get you. Fucking paper tigers, both of them.¡± Aliyah snorted sourly, hair beads clinking as she shook her head.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so rude, green, I¡¯d say. They¡¯ve got whatever unnatural strength they gained, but... no combat experience.¡± Trey agreed with her.


    ¡°Green as grass, or your piss after a night on cocktails, Trey.¡± Aliyah scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s an annoying bitch, that Mayumi girl, so full of herself, never had any hardship or misfortune, but... we¡¯ll keep her and her granddaddy out of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just you... I guess I don¡¯t need to say, but... keep those girls safe. No more repeats of Kyoto, all right?¡± Trey warned, and I grinned as I saw he included Adelheid in his gaze.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m prepared. And ready for anything.¡±


    ¡°See that you are.¡± Aliyah pounded my back with her big hand. ¡°We will be too.¡± She then patted her clothes, where a number of hidden weapons were. ¡°Shit, it¡¯d be better if nothing goes down, and we make it out without any fuck-ups, but if not... at least the rat will be happy that we¡¯ve given his new toys a workout. Don¡¯t worry...¡± She glanced at the pair of paper tigers who were guarding Ichijou-san and Mayumi-san. ¡°...if they are green fucks like this pair, us being weaker and slower won¡¯t mean jack shit. It¡¯s not the size of the dog in the fight, but...¡±


    ¡°...the dog that goes for the throat, and has an assortment of damn good weapons.¡± Treyvon grinned, rather handsomely.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how the saying goes...¡± I snickered. ¡°But yeah. It¡¯s harsh, but the Chosen are paid to guard, so make sure you save Ichijou-san and the other two first...¡±


    ¡°Roger that! Like you I¡¯m always up for saving cute girls.¡± Aliyah smirked. ¡°Now get going. I don¡¯t envy you. There¡¯s something about old Midas here that doesn¡¯t sit right with me. You agree, Trey?¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t know. He doesn¡¯t seem malicious, but... yeah, he¡¯s hiding something.¡± Trey agreed. ¡°If I had more time, he¡¯d be someone I¡¯d like to have a few drinks with, get to know him better, but...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got a wife Trey, he ain¡¯t going to go for you...¡± Aliyah teased, and as they bickered, I nodded to myself. Obviously. He wants something from me, and he knows far more about me than I¡¯d like. Someone like Yasaka-san, maybe? He did say someone informed him about me. With those thoughts in mind, we finished up and headed for the helicopter, knowing that Aliyah and Trey would move everyone back to our prior hotel, when they were sure the area was clear of watchers...


    ***


    The helicopter ride was long, and we had refuelled in the middle, but we were closing in on the border. Initially, the atmosphere had been a bit frosty, Christina trying to ignore the harsh glares from Midas. She had tried to ingratiate herself with me, in her usual clumsy way, but it definitely seemed that her behaviour was more... fragile, unsure than before. If she¡¯s learned some empathy from Haru¡¯s sharing of memories that would be a good thing, but... it¡¯s also oddly... wrong to me. Like she¡¯s not herself. Maybe that¡¯s a good thing...


    After Hinata stepped in with a cold smile to prevent her flirting with me, Hinata took over, seeming to take pleasure in denying her. I tried not to see or hear the way it made Christina flush and pant though.


    Adelheid was relaxed, actually falling asleep, though she did warn me in German not to let my guard down, and to keep an eye on her safety. Meanwhile, Titan was on high alert, and so was Kazumi-san, though she watched with a fond expression as I flirted with Hinata.


    ¡°So, will you share with me your religious obligation now?¡± Midas asked, having remained largely silent for most of the trip. ¡°After all, we are approaching our destination. And there is a time for honesty if we are going to help each other.¡±


    Hinata moved in my embrace, and I understood.


    ¡°Of course. Well, I had a realisation, perhaps you might call it a vision... anyway, I am aware that a fellow Chosen of the Norse Pantheon has perished in Botswana, and I need to retrieve their remains, and commit them to their God.¡± I kept my vision on Midas, and was sorely tempted to use my Eye to observe him, masking the glow with aether, but I had a feeling he¡¯d detect that.


    ¡°I see.¡± He seemed only slightly curious. ¡°Quite a coincidence then. Perhaps our cooperation was fated.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps...¡± I agreed, as the helicopter cut through the African skies, heading for its destination, where I had a feeling there would be more waiting than I had anticipated. Damn, so much for a nice, simple retrieval job. I had hoped this one would be simple, but who knew retrieving the Chosen of Thor¡¯s body from America is shaping up to be less trouble...

 Five Hundred And Twenty-Nine

    Five Hundred And Twenty-Nine


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m going to have to depart ahead of schedule.¡± I apologised to Asha, who was idly tending to the field of plants she had created, and Hyacinth had strengthened, using the rich elemental energies her Rhyming Tree was outputting. ¡°I¡¯ve sent Shiro a message to end her Berserk Blessing, but if you could remind her... I don¡¯t want your Tree, or you, to suffer any harm, especially not now.¡±


    ¡°I shall do so.¡± Asha smiled warmly. ¡°We knew you would have to venture into the Boundary in foreign lands eventually. It merely comes a few days sooner than expected.¡±


    I nodded at that. Yeah, getting by without leaving here was very unlikely. That doesn¡¯t mean I worry any less though...


    Seeing my concerns, Asha stood from her field of ginseng and other herbs. She gently brushed dirt off her green dress, one of her favourite colours, it seemed, as she often wore some variant of the shade, and she then came over, sitting beside me, leaning her body against mine. Asha wasn¡¯t particularly demonstrative of her physical affection, though of course we had made love a few times, but as a Dryad she had a rather low sexual drive. It seems she¡¯s abnormally fertile though, that or we¡¯re just lucky...


    ¡°I know you worry. But... take it from one who knows. You cannot be everywhere, protect everyone, at all times. Not unless you gather everyone you care about together, and hide away. And... that way is merely delaying the inevitable. After all, did the might of the Seelie Court prevent the loss of the Spring, and my long suffering, the death of my sisters?¡±


    I shook my head, understanding her point. ¡°I know. Even if we did all hunker down together, we¡¯d slow our growth, stunt our potential, leave our fates in the hands of others. But... it doesn¡¯t stop me worrying.¡± I idly stroked Asha¡¯s long, auburn hair, and her smile was brilliant yet warm.


    ¡°Nor should it. Everyone is delighted when you worry for them. I know I am, it shows our hearts are connected. Though... we also do not wish for you to worry. Emotions... love... it is rather complicated. We Dryads have it better...¡± Her smile changed, now teasing, an unusual look for Asha. Perhaps now she is no longer alone, and is engaging with others, her personality is adapting?


    ¡°...after all, we find just one mate in our lives, and then fruit. You... you have many within your grasp.¡±


    ¡°Most men would say I¡¯m a lucky bastard...¡± I disagreed, and she chuckled softly.


    ¡°Maybe so. Everyone is special. I can see that. But... while you receive much love and joy, each is also a weight to carry. If it was just me, or even a handful, then you could perhaps keep us all safe within your grasp, but... that is not your fate. Nor should you lament that. Princess Shaeula is correct. You are destined for great things. Else I could not have been saved. And not just me. Even now, a being of once-terrible power lives humbly in your home, a match for even my father, great Orion, I would imagine. Both are wounded, but... Tamamo-no-Mae will recover with your care, will she not?¡±


    ¡°She will.¡± I agreed, still unsure of what to do with her, but I believed Uranai¡¯s prophecies, as passed onto me by Shinkume-no-Hana. I do feel better having Mae here. Even if she can only manifest most of her abilities for a short time... I¡¯m sure that would be immense... ¡°Honestly, Shaeula is curious to see if we can heal the King of the Fae, perhaps together, especially if we enlist aid from Bintara as well... it might be doable. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t do it for free...¡± I had to laugh at that, while feeling a little guilty. While Orion was more a spiritual father to Asha, the Fae took such matters seriously.


    ¡°Nor should she.¡± Asha agreed, surprising me. ¡°Kindness, compassion... they are worthy deeds, but... you have commitments now. To us.¡± She patted her belly tenderly. ¡°To our children. Those you love should not be disadvantaged by your charity.¡±


    ¡°Can I touch it?¡± I asked, and Asha merely guided my hand to her stomach, sliding it inside her dress. Her skin was warm, and soft. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s too young to feel them moving? Or do Fae even do that?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. Fae pregnancies are... malleable. I expect mine to be more so. After all, you are not entirely a Fae, nor mortal. Who can say how our fruits will grow? Yet I know they will be well-loved.¡±


    ¡°I still find it hard to imagine...¡± I admitted. ¡°I knew in my head one day I might settle down and have children, but it all seemed so abstract, distant. But I don¡¯t want you to think I¡¯m not thrilled...¡± I hastily assured Asha, who merely smiled in response. ¡°...it¡¯s just... it¡¯s a big responsibility. Now I have to leave the world a better place, for our children, and the children yet to come. And... that¡¯s hard, isn¡¯t it? Ordinary parents half a year ago were worrying about house prices, education, crime... we have to worry about the oncoming apocalypse, dangerous Chosen, rising tensions...¡±


    ¡°It is no different. It is just more to protect. But... we all are responsible for that. You cannot carry it all alone, nor should you.¡± Asha reassured me. ¡°I may not be strong myself, but... I too will defend what I cherish. I owe it... to those that perished so I might live, to our budding fruits, and ... to you, who shared my Kiss I can only give once.¡± She kissed me then, a gentle, comfortable kiss. It didn¡¯t have the deep passion of some of the others, but I could taste her love, and when we separated, our lips and tongues damp, I continued stroking her belly, making the most of this brief, calming interlude.


    With my free hand I gestured to her colossal and slowly growing Rhyming Tree that towered over the heart of the Territory. Up on the terrace above I could hear the voices of denizens of our Territory enjoying their rest and relaxation. ¡°Not strong? Without your Tree, none of this would be possible.¡± I assured her. ¡°But yeah... I know. Everyone¡¯s working so hard to be able to protect themselves, and each other. I¡¯m happy, but also worried. But... I can¡¯t be everywhere at once. I have to accept that. We can¡¯t stop trying to grow stronger.¡±


    Asha nodded, agreeing, and I changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s nearly time for the charity concert here in Japan, right? I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m missing it, but I know everyone¡¯s excited. Especially my sis... Kana too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they seem rather joyful.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°I do not quite understand the appeal myself.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s your plans for the day?¡± I asked, enjoying these last few peaceful moments here, as soon I would be dismissing this half of me and recreating it in Botswana.


    ¡°I shall tend my fields and the Trees for a while. The herbs are not to Daiyu¡¯s satisfaction yet, though it is but early in my experiments. Then... I shall be spending time with your family at our home.¡± Her slightly green cheeks were tinged with faint pink. ¡°I confess it a little disconcerting how they fuss over me so. I am not used to it, though it is far from unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a big thing, mom¡¯s first grandkids. No wonder she¡¯s thrilled.¡± I laughed cheerfully, thinking of my excitable mother. ¡°She always imagined me and Eri having kids together... I guess she¡¯s still not wrong, but now... mom¡¯s just like that famous meme from the film Predator, where they clasp hands. Both Shaeula and mom seem obsessed with me increasing my wives.¡± I chuckled dryly. ¡°Mom really wants that team of grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°Predator?¡± Asha asked, confused, and I shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s an old American film. I saw it a few years ago. It¡¯s not bad. But that¡¯s not the point... it was just a joke.¡± I snorted, amused. ¡°If you ask Shiro, I daresay she¡¯d be able to explain the meme. All that matters is... mom¡¯s thrilled. And... honestly, I am too, though I¡¯m equal parts scared!¡±


    ¡°Your mother said that everyone is frightened at first.¡± Asha reassured me. ¡°But she believes in you. Your father does as well. It seems that you turned out fine in the end, he said.¡±


    I shrugged at that. ¡°Yeah, father... well, he doted on Aiko more than me, but I guess girls are more adorable than boys? I was never that close to him, but... I certainly respect him. And... things are better now. But I think I¡¯ll be a more supportive parent, at least I hope so.¡±


    ¡°So, you wish me to be the stern one?¡± I blinked at Asha¡¯s words, before I realised she was making a joke, and I pulled her close, playfully toying with her hair, enjoying the last few moments of peace before inevitable trouble engulfed me...


    Back on the Material in Botswana, we had landed, the helicopter flying away to refuel for our return. Hinata watched it go, before turning to me, whispering so quietly hopefully only I could hear. ¡°There¡¯s clearly more to this than we¡¯ve been told. I know you know that, but...¡± She glanced over at Christina Bakker, troubled. ¡°...is bringing her wise? I¡¯ve no love for her, how could I? She would have tortured or even killed you if you weren¡¯t strong enough to protect yourself. But... she¡¯s useful still. We don¡¯t have to like her to use her...¡±


    I nodded, using a trickle of wind to hide my voice from the others. ¡°It might cause issues with the Americans if she dies under our custody, but... if she is trying to atone, in her own way, even if it¡¯s stupid... I can¡¯t find it in me to deny her the chance. But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re my priority!¡±


    ¡°Kazumi too, make sure you save her!¡± Hinata whispered, and I nodded, though we both knew if the worst happened, Hinata would have to be my ultimate priority. It shouldn¡¯t come to that though, I hope. Fortunately the worst danger, the Material bodies, isn¡¯t an issue for me anymore as I can watch over them...


    ¡°So, we are here.¡± Midas declared, and I nodded, sure that the seeds I was searching for had to be involved in whatever Midas needed me for. After all, the coincidence of this small town we had landed beside being in near enough the exact same area as where we were headed was too obvious to ignore.


    ¡°Yes, so... you avoided explaining in detail during the flight.¡± I observed. ¡°But it¡¯s time to come clean. We can¡¯t help if we aren¡¯t aware of just what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°In that case... we should go to my home.¡± Midas offered, and I raised an eyebrow quizzically.


    ¡°So, you just happen to live near the problem?¡±


    Midas frowned for a moment, but quickly shook his head. ¡°You are hardly a fool, and have seen many things. Power is drawn to power, and trouble often comes unbidden. Now... follow me.¡±


    He led us through the streets, mostly deserted due to it being late at night, and I was on high alert, and wasn¡¯t the only one. While Christina was looking around, her eyes a little unfocused, clearly still not mentally sound, both Titan and Adelheid were wary, Kazumi-san too, of course, she was keeping close to Hinata, and she was also carrying some hidden weapons made by Ixitt.


    ¡°Shit. Feel that?¡± Adelheid grumbled as we approached a modest yet well-kept house. She was rubbing at her arms, a chill at odds with the warm African night, and it was a feeling I understood.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a Territory. His, I presume.¡± I nodded at Midas, who seemed unconcerned. ¡°It¡¯s a strong one too. Rank three. So he¡¯s either worked hard or is damn lucky, upgrading that far is risky.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Though mine is gone now. You owe me for that, you promised, remember? If you try and cheat me...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cautious one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve spoken to Hinata, you know I¡¯m not that sort of man. Anyway... we¡¯re here.¡±


    Indeed, we had arrived, and Midas opened the door grandly. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t offended by my humble home. I know it seems... strange... that with my golden touch I live so plainly, but... home is where the heart is, so they say. Please come in, and... you are welcome here, have no fear.¡± He addressed us Chosen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it...¡± Christina¡¯s eyes regained a little light as she grabbed my arm, holding me back as Titan led the others in. ¡°If he had such a stable home, there¡¯s no way we should have so little information about him. It doesn¡¯t add up. Midas is one of the cats... uh... sorry, Chosen... that Adam has been most interested in.¡±


    ¡°I... think ya be in real trouble.¡± Titan agreed. ¡°I be not saying anything, I have to be honest, I don¡¯t much like ya, but I¡¯ve been ya guard for a while. But... he always knows.¡±


    ¡°So yes, poor little Christina is going to end up the way many of my test subjects did. Unmarked grave. So at least let me help this one last time... I can¡¯t turn back the past, but... at least some victims returned home safely, and can be helped. Your injuries too...¡± she nodded at Hermodike. ¡°...I¡¯m a beautiful woman, though for some reason Akio hasn¡¯t succumbed to my charms. It¡¯s unscientific!¡± she cried, though her face was pale. ¡°Wounding us is like throwing paint on the Mona Lisa! At least let Akio restore such a work of art!¡±


    She¡¯s laying it on thick. It¡¯s similar to how she talked before, but not quite the same...


    ¡°But you¡¯d happily destroy such art, you Americans, if it wasn¡¯t yours.¡± Midas snorted. ¡°Always the same. You look down on us. And you would do worse, render it down to pigments just to see how it worked.¡±


    ¡°I would, and have. Therefore, is it so wrong to want to see the paint put back in its place?¡± She crossed her arms triumphantly, and Hermodike sighed.


    ¡°My husband worries so. You understand, surely?¡± I nodded at her words, clasping Hinata¡¯s hand.


    ¡°In that case... if you can swear to only heal my wounds, and not affect me in other ways, I would be happy to be beautiful again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still beautiful!¡± Midas grated, and Hermodike laughed lightly.


    ¡°Oh, you.¡± Her words were fond. ¡°If you do attempt to harm me, my husband is quite overprotective. And powerful, the strongest in Africa!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you will see why my gold is not mere baubles for the wealthy to enjoy.¡± He promised. ¡°I know you are powerful, but I am he called Midas. My touch is death, just as Zoe? became gold at his careless contact.¡± His glare was fierce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I promised, and as my phone vibrated in my pocket silently, I glanced at Christina, who winked at me subtly. ¡°I always treat women with respect.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Hermodike¡¯s smile was shy. ¡°I can show my face, but I would hope you don¡¯t need to see my leg. I am a modest woman, that is for my husband¡¯s eyes only.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go quite that far.¡± Hinata giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t hate shorter skirts, but I agree my most attractive appearance is only for Akio.¡±


    ¡°Your idea of a shorter skirt is still to the knees.¡± Kazumi-san rolled her eyes. ¡°Hanafubuki education is strict indeed.¡±


    There was some laughter at that, and I assured her I wouldn¡¯t need to see her leg, as my Eye would direct the healing regardless, again implying it was a healing eye. Midas nodded. ¡°I am curious, my knowledge of Norse mythology is scant. Perhaps one God has such an eye they bequeathed you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± I asked them to fetch a few things, and as they turned away, I took out my phone, and Christina smirked as I quickly glanced at her message. ¡®I¡¯m getting you a chance, don¡¯t waste it¡¯, huh? How did she notice?


    With damp towels and a bowl in hand, as well as some soothing lotion, which were just a distraction, I let my Eye shine, though I tried to mute the glow with light element as much as possible. Nodding, I grimaced. ¡°Yes, actually the outside of your leg isn¡¯t too bad, but the muscles, nerves and bones are also quite degraded. There are metal fragments inside. From... bullets, I¡¯d imagine?¡±


    Midas nodded sourly. ¡°Yes, from American bullets. They died for it, though.¡±


    ¡°I can fix that, though it¡¯ll hurt a little. The face... don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be as good as new.¡± Yeah, some sort of burn or shrapnel scarring across one cheek and around her eye. She was lucky she wasn¡¯t blinded. Though I suppose it¡¯s not just luck...


    I then let my aether free, and while it was a bit of a challenge removing the fragments of metal from muscle and bone without disturbing her skirt, I managed it, and soon the bowl was full of bloody fragments, her body healed up, and it was far easier to fix her face. With a tremulous smile, she brushed her long hair aside, revealing her restored cheek and forehead.


    Watching closely, I noticed a bit of regret in Hermodike¡¯s eyes, but it was quickly covered by happiness. As Midas fussed over his wife, Christina gave me a thumbs-up, and mouthed ¡°did you see?¡± at me. I inclined my head, slightly thankful her efforts had given me a graceful chance to have a look at Hermodike and Midas without drawing suspicion.


    ¡°I can see why Miss Lindiwe and her father are so delighted. Your healing is indeed a great talent. We have found none yet who have such blessings.¡± Midas nodded gratefully. ¡°I appreciate this aid, and...¡± He frowned at Christina. ¡°There is no forgiveness, for I know you have the blood of my African brothers and sisters on your hands, among many others, but... there is gratitude.¡±


    ¡°I do it because it¡¯s right!¡± Christina said proudly, the irony not lost on us all. It wasn¡¯t convincing, especially the way she was eyeing me out of the corner of her eyes, trying to see how I reacted, her face pink. ¡°Not because I expect to be forgiven. Sadly... were I to travel back in time, I¡¯d likely do the same thing again. Because I didn¡¯t know there was someone like Akio...¡± Her face twitched, and she realised she had said too much. ¡°...his healing eye would make my experiments much safer and less painful. It would be practically humane!¡± she tittered nervously.


    ¡°I suppose I can respect your commitment to forbidden knowledge, even if I doubt your humanity.¡± Midas then grimaced. ¡°You betrayed your country, you say?¡± He glanced at me then. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure you¡¯ll die. As long as you cling to him. But if you do, it will be what you deserve. But...¡± He inclined his head in a polite manner. ¡°...my wife and I will pour a last drink for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I suppose?¡± Christina shrugged.


    ¡°In any case... to business. Will you aid me in dealing with the problem Africa has here?¡± Midas pressed. ¡°It would be challenging for you to find your fallen Norse comrade without my aid, as the favoured of southern Africa flock to the wanderer, and all agree no outsiders shall be tolerated in the Ancestral Land. But I can smooth your path, despite the cost to my reputation and alliances.¡±


    ¡°I can see it¡¯s an issue.¡± I agreed. ¡°But...¡± I glanced at my companions. ¡°There¡¯s risk, going to the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll step out.¡± Hermodike said cheerfully. ¡°After all, I can show my face without shame again. Besides, we have guests, and hospitality is important.¡±


    ¡°I can offer you a secure room that can be locked from the inside. Surely you hardly fear my frail wife can beat down your door? Besides, you brought the big man for that purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Midas grinned at Titan, showing his teeth, and though Hinata squeezed my hand, I nodded.


    ¡°Hardly frail, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not worried, and I trust in your honesty.¡±


    Shown to a storage pantry which had a fairly sturdy wooden door with thick bolts, we were offered enough blankets to make it more comfortable, and soon we were set up. It was cramped inside, the girls having to huddle together, while Titan occupied another corner.


    ¡°Want me to watch for ya, man?¡± Titan asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°While Hermodike, even if she unlocked the door, can¡¯t do much... his words missed the point. It would be easy enough to get some strong men or Chosen here and break down the door. He¡¯s not a fool, and knows I¡¯m not one either. But... again, I don¡¯t see the benefit for him in that, and he knows that too.¡±


    ¡°There are other benefits though, aren¡¯t there?¡± Hinata was shrewd. ¡°Miss Bakker, you pressed for Akio to Heal her. You noticed something...¡±


    ¡°Why yes I did!¡± She crossed her arms under her chest proudly, looking a bit like her old, arrogant self. ¡°But I won¡¯t steal Akio¡¯s thunder. I doubt this room is bugged, so...¡±


    I checked, but just in case shrouded us with wind. ¡°Yes, she hides it well, perhaps because for some reason her stats are absolutely lousy, expect for Aether. But Hermodike¡¯s a Chosen too. And actually, she¡¯s a matching pair with Midas.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have more experience in noticing the subtle changes. After all, I did experiment on myself and noticed what a little exposure could do.¡± Christina boasted. Then her mood changed mercurially, her face falling. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t brag. The work was meaningful, I can¡¯t deny that, but... I felt what it cost others.¡±


    ¡°So, what Favour?¡± Hinata asked, and I lowered my voice still further.


    ¡°Aje?-Shaluga, twin aspected God and Goddess of prosperity, treasures and trade.¡± I replied, and Hinata widened her eyes, mind racing. Christina also worked it out quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. You¡¯re here for more than just religious rites. Just like you want Egil Anderson¡¯s body. It¡¯s the treasure Midas spoke of, isn¡¯t it? That would make...¡±


    ¡°...him or his wife the wanderer they spoke of? So... why bring us here?¡± Hinata finished for her.


    ¡°I can answer that.¡± I laughed grimly, and remembering what my Eye had seen, I started to speak...

 Five Hundred And Thirty

    Five Hundred And Thirty


    ¡°There was a certain sense of... familiarity... when my Eye observed them. When I saw what I learned, I understood why.¡± I glanced at Christina, and she had at least enough sense to appear embarrassed, though it couldn¡¯t hide her eagerness to know. Before I could speak, Hinata made her demands clear.


    ¡°I know you joke about having betrayed America...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no joke, more¡¯s the pity. I was overeager, didn¡¯t think things though. Adam knew he had to allow a little leeway, but he trusted I wouldn¡¯t go too far... but it seems I did.¡±


    ¡°Whether you¡¯ve committed treason or not, whether they want you dead... none of that matters.¡± Hinata declared firmly. ¡°You have heard too much and are about to hear more. And honestly, I don¡¯t trust your word. Why would I? If you betrayed your bosses, you could betray us if you find someone more suited to fulfilling your twisted desires.¡±


    Christina opened her mouth, but shut it, unwilling to lie, it seemed. She flushed, looking quite uncomfortable. ¡°I... find that contempt rather itchy. Your cold eyes, Akio¡¯s harsh stare... no, you¡¯re right. I had no pride as a woman or even a person. Pride as a scientist is very different, turned towards different aims. Hopping from one laboratory or group to another for better opportunities is normal... but... certain matters demand loyalty, I see now!¡± Christina shook her head, her unkempt blonde hair a tangled mess. ¡°It comes down to this, Hinata. I know you believe I won¡¯t find anyone better. There isn¡¯t anyone better, is there?¡±


    Our rapid conversation was taking a bit of time, but we still needed to be prepared. Hinata nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true, but then, I don¡¯t think much of your emotional intelligence. You may be clever, well-learned, but when it comes to your understanding of people... that¡¯s not what¡¯s important, though. You know too much!¡± Hinata repeated vehemently. ¡°And nowadays, the old-fashioned methods of brainwashing and extracting information, like torture, drugs or bribery...¡± Hearing such cold facts come from Hinata¡¯s mouth surprised us, me most of all, but then, she always was a realist, despite her tender age.


    ¡°...now there are many ways to find knowledge. Someone could have telepathy, like Haru, or a domination ability, forcing you to talk. We can¡¯t simply let you just go back to your role in America, not now. We either kill you to seal your mouth, or we make use of you.¡±


    ¡°I... understand.¡± Christina¡¯s momentary exuberance was snuffed out. ¡°I really did burn all my bridges.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a narrow thread that leads across the chasm. It¡¯s up to you to grasp it.¡± Hinata advised her. ¡°But you should be aware of how cruel and ruthless the world is. After all, at least you have a choice, even if it¡¯s an unpalatable one.¡±


    Christina nodded. ¡°Time is wasting. When this is over... I¡¯ll accept my fate, whatever it is.¡±


    Hinata was trying to scare her, but she was serious too. I don¡¯t like that. I don¡¯t want the girls to have any more blood on their hands than is necessary. It¡¯s inevitable that they¡¯ll have to take some hard decisions, but as their husband, I should be shielding them from what I can... anyway, time is short.


    ¡°As I was saying, that familiarity... it felt a bit like some sort of connection, or resonance. When I looked deeper at the pair of them with my Eye, I got the usual information, which is important in itself, but then also... it¡¯s easier if I explain.¡± First was Hermodike¡¯s.


    Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s Female Face Of Seeking Prosperity And Treasures: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ?????????, and has been fortified by an external, powerful force, a Seed of the Fruit Of The World Tree. The female face can seek out valuable treasures, pockets of rich resources and wealth ripe for the taking, and use and understand them effectively, and in conjunction with the male face can understand how to strengthen and create value within treasures and items, or purify pockets of resources, increasing their potency.


    The absorbed nature of this external influence has also changed the Adherence and ????????? of this Favour, allowing the bearer to instinctively know and understand how to find ways to further increase the power of treasures, or attract other similar treasures to her, drawing on knowledge through the Seed¡¯s connection to ????????????.


    Just as Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s female face smiles upon hearth and home, bringing happiness and joy, so too shall all the treasures of this world fall into your clutches, and ?????? ?????? ?????? shall find and strengthen the Seeds, sprouting prosperity and wonderous Fortune. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Law]


    And then there was Midas¡¯ Favour.


    Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s Male Face Of Creating Wealth And Stability: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ?????????, and has been fortified by an external, powerful force, a Seed of the Fruit Of The World Tree. The male face can manipulate Metal Element, and has the power to utilise Gold Element, a Mutated and powerful variant Element, to transform inorganic matter or even biological flesh to gold or use it as a weapon. In conjunction with the female face, one may sacrifice their own body to create offerings that draw on Fortune, Fate and the strength of Metal.


    The absorbed nature of this external influence has also changed the Adherence and ????????? of this Favour, allowing the bearer to comprehend and generate a more complex variant Mutated Element of Metal. While Gold has immutable, incorruptible properties, Silver shall purify, heal and spark emotions, while Copper manipulates Aether with great efficiency. This enhanced Element is rather unstable and requires the Seed¡¯s connection to ???????????? to function properly, and over time the Seed will be consumed to fuel this additional Elemental energy.


    Just as Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s male face provides coin and comfort, bringing warmth and plenty, so too shall wealth accumulate in your grasp, and those who threaten your home shall be cast out, and the Seeds shall release their ????? ????? ????? until Metal shall sprout within your heart. [Class: Legendary] [Type: Principle]


    ¡°I¡¯m still not entirely sure how the Classes and Types work.¡± Hinata muttered. ¡°I know we don¡¯t have time for a lecture now... and whoever arranged it so that there¡¯s Classes of Skills, and Classes such as your Conqueror... very sloppy.¡±


    Christina looked crestfallen at that, eager to know, so I summed it up as best I could in a single sentence. ¡°Midas¡¯ power is technically stronger, but... there¡¯s something more fundamental about Hermodike¡¯s. Like it touches more on the Laws that govern reality. Anyway... the obvious worry here is that they¡¯ve already been using up the Seeds. But they can¡¯t all be gone, at least they weren¡¯t before, according to the Oracle Engine and Yasaka-san. Now... we should head in.¡±


    ¡°So, want me to stay, man?¡± Titan asked again, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. But do wait a few minutes, then stay back. You¡¯ll be a surprise for them. I still don¡¯t know if they are our enemies, but... their lack of honesty doesn¡¯t inspire confidence or trust.¡±


    I quickly gave Christina some aether, and once they were all inside, I greeted them in the Boundary. That left Christina blinking strangely.


    ¡°How did you beat us here?¡± she asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. What matters is we¡¯ve delayed a bit having our discussion. We don¡¯t want to make Midas suspicious, so...¡± I was using aether to etch arrows into the ground so Titan could follow us. The Boundary was fairly malleable, so such marks wouldn¡¯t persist for too long, but it would doubtless be enough to guide him our way.


    ¡°What kept you?¡± Midas asked when we caught up with him. He wa standing outside the house, looking up at the beautiful un-light aurorae of the Boundary. Seeing Hinata and the others with me, he grimaced. ¡°So, you did bring them all. This isn¡¯t a midnight safari, where you watch the danger from a distance, protected by field guides and safe from harm. The Ancestral Land is full of hidden peril.¡± His lips quirked sadly at that.


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about us though, we only take necessary risks.¡± I promised, and he shrugged.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to believe me, and in a sense he was right, it was a risk, taking Hinata, but she¡¯d been training, and was looking for field experience to grow.


    ¡°Your wife, I¡¯m sorry she got hurt.¡± Christina apologised again, but not until she had glanced at Hinata, waiting for her approval to speak. ¡°If she¡¯s just an ordinary civilian, then there¡¯s no benefit in causing harm.¡±


    ¡°So there is to us? You are quite tolerant, having this creature who sees you only as an experimental subject at your side. But your reputation perhaps precedes you. She is beautiful, on the outside, at least.¡± Midas mocked me as we were led out into the wilderness. The surrounding scenery was fascinating, long fronds of twitching grasses that moved without a breeze reaching my waist, and higher on Hinata, of course, as she was rather shorter than I was. Trees that were strangely gnarled and twisted also waved around their branches, and out of the corner of my eye, I was sure I could see some of them moving.


    ¡°Someone has to keep an eye on her.¡± I shrugged. ¡°By the way, thanks for letting us into your Territory. I notice the resistance has dropped.¡± It had happened after I Healed Hermodike, so this made me suspect it was actually her Territory, and answered the mystery of why it was Rank 3. With two nearby they can protect each other from attacks...


    ¡°I did call you here.¡± Midas admitted. ¡°And it would be difficult for you to be at your best if you were unwelcome. There are a number of dangers here. We would likely be fine, but your companions... I am a married man myself. I would hate anything to happen to your fiance?e, especially after such a successful debut.¡±


    ¡°It was rather great, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m just sorry mother, father and grandfather were too busy to attend, unlike Motoko¡¯s parents. Well, I suppose Natsumi wasn¡¯t accompanied. Say, I have a question...¡± Hinata built on the conversation Christina had sparked. ¡°...your wife, she seems very nice. Beautiful too. You¡¯re a lucky man.¡±


    He chuckled, good humour in his eyes at that. ¡°Yes, I am indeed. I was always a weak man, but my wife... she was from Nigeria, originally. Yoruba. I don¡¯t much care for these tribal distinctions. I¡¯m not Nkosi, dreaming of a Xhosa takeover of the whole of Africa, forming a new empire by Africans, for Africans. I do agree that outsiders should stay clear, but...¡± He sighed, looking up at the skies overhead. ¡°Only great power can make that happen. After all, across Africa are many different countries, from South Africa here in the south, occupied and shaped by the Dutch and the British, to Egypt in the North, while they too saw British colonisation, things turned out differently, and their culture, history and mythology is vastly different to those in the central and southern reaches. We have civil wars, tribal conflicts, different cultures and religions... perhaps it¡¯s the greatest melting pot in the world. But that pot is boiling...¡±


    Hinata made a noise of agreement. ¡°Yes, you throw Chosen into the mix, and you get... well, what happened at the gala. Warlords, vying for power, each with different aims. But bringing order isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d like order. I follow my wife¡¯s traditions. My own are similar, but...¡± He gestured, and a brilliant mote of light formed on his fingers, a deep, ruddy orange, not the bright orange of water element, but the dull, furnace-glow dusky orange that reminded me of metal, and within glimmered sparks of golden and silver light. ¡°...I¡¯m not a religious man, as I said before. I expect the Gods, they are merely to us as we are to the animals. More knowledgeable, with powers we can¡¯t understand. But... if there are those to believe in, my wife¡¯s Orishas, those Divine beings, would be my first choice now.¡± He paused to chuckle darkly. ¡°Though if you ask Nkosi, or perhaps those from the north, from Egypt, or even the more Christian South Africans or Kenyans as a whole... their answers would surely be different.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in a way we have it easier.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though if we expanded it out to the whole of Asia, we have a huge panda of a problem on our doorstep.¡±


    ¡°As bribes, or for alliances.¡± Midas agreed. ¡°It is a treasure. And all treasures in our lands belong to Aje?-Shaluga, to bring wealth and happiness, and we understand the mysteries of them and how to make them work. I was weak, and frail, life was hard. But my wife is my truest treasure, and... if I am to protect her, I need to be strong!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disapprove. But... I don¡¯t imagine there are many Seeds, if you keep handing them out. Worse, while Hermodike¡¯s enhanced strength seems stable, your Favour is consuming the Seeds to empower you, isn¡¯t it? Soon they¡¯ll all be gone.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He grated. ¡°You understand them well, as expected.¡± He glanced at my right wrist. ¡°How unfair it is, being provided with such treasures.¡±


    ¡°You think? Sure, you can look at it in hindsight and say I was happy with it, but... the number of times I nearly died at the start, I was laughably underpowered. Makes me jealous of him...¡± I nodded at the remains. ¡°...if he put up a good fight against you and your wife, I feel cheated, even if your wife¡¯s clearly an unbalanced support type with poor combat stats.¡± I¡¯m guessing he didn¡¯t take the harder, better way Ortlinde offered me. Perhaps he had access to his Favour at the least...


    We were almost within earshot, and I was using wind to prevent our conversation being heard by his wife or our hidden watchers. ¡°One last question then, since time is short. You brought me here for my Seeds, I¡¯m guessing? That¡¯s a little... callous.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± Midas admitted. ¡°It eased my heart when I discovered you were with her...¡± He snorted at Christina, still loathing her, as well he might. ¡°But healing my wife... and accepting our hospitality. It shames me to repay good with ill, even if you clearly used such healing as an attempt to spy on us. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because nothing you said added up, and while you seem a good enough person from my initial impressions, your mannerisms showed a number of red flags. And sorry, but once you wanted to take us to here, where I already knew that the Seeds were, it reeked of a trap. Now, it¡¯s up to you...¡± I let the wind barrier fall, before nodding at Hermodike. ¡°Wanderer... hey, is that a Norse quip? Are you pretending to be Odin? That¡¯s not whose Favour lies here...¡±


    As she shifted, a little surprised, I pressed my advantage. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good to see you again, Hermodike. I¡¯d say long time no see, but... it¡¯s only been a few minutes.¡±


    As Hinata and Christina giggled at that, Adelheid rolling her eyes, and Kazumi-san wary as ever, I cast my vision backwards with ether, relieved to see Titan was at the crest of the canyon, hidden, watching us. He was strong and fast, so he could be here in moments if needed, which was reassuring.


    Hermodike turned her covered face to Midas, as if to ask if he had told us, and he shrugged. Seeing that, she pulled off her cloak, and her beautiful, now unscarred face actually seemed relieved. ¡°My apologies. It sat ill with me, lying to you, especially when you came to my home, and restored me.¡± She waggled her leg happily. I noticed she was wearing a vast number of golden, silver and copper bangles, as well as a beautiful golden scarf, which looked woven from cloth of gold, but was likely the hair Midas had talked of shearing for her. ¡°Dearest husband, does that mean...?¡± she asked Midas, who shrugged again.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to talk. He knows everything, anyway.¡±


    ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t our watchers come out too?¡± I raised my voice, and after a moment the cracks in the crumbling walls around us were vacated by a half-dozen Chosen, a few of which I recognised, including the scowling Dino, his eyes cold.


    ¡°Did you double-cross us, Khumo? We had an agreement. Fifty-fifty, and an unshakable expansion pact between us. Most generous if you ask me. After all, you and your lovely wife may be strong...¡± At his tone, Hermodike retreated, clutching her scarf, clearly hating the man. ¡°...perhaps only I am your equal, but we have the numbers, more so now that we swept into Southern Namibia and made it plain that it was joining our crusade, or...¡± He drew a thumb across his throat. Behind him, a couple of dark-skinned men wearing what looked like chainmail pieced together from bone and feathers, yet carrying weapons that were all too well made, scowled, and shot murderous glances at Dino, but he simply waved their hostility off.


    ¡°Bark all you like. You lost, and you want what we all want. Power!¡±  He played his eyes over us all, and he stopped when he saw Christina, who despite her tatty clothes and unkempt nature was still a busty beauty. He grinned, licking his lips, before his roaming gaze moved on.


    ¡°That¡¯s the normal reaction!¡± Christina grumbled, red-faced but with a slightly disgusted expression. ¡°It¡¯s only you that isn¡¯t attracted to me, Akio!¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time for that!¡± Hinata hissed, standing in a spot close enough to me to be protected and shielded from the most attackers, but far enough not to get in my way, her self-defence lessons in the Boundary bearing fruit.


    ¡°If you¡¯re pulling a fast one, Khumo, then you know you¡¯ve broken faith. It won¡¯t be just us you have to contend with. Even that glory-obsessed fool Nkosi, who thinks he¡¯s a damn lion, would turn on you. After all, outsiders are not allowed here, are they?¡± He sneered contemptuously. ¡°Besides, if you were confident of dealing with him yourself, you wouldn¡¯t have needed us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Hermodike whispered, clutching her scarf, bangles jingling. ¡°Aje?-Shaluga coveted the Seeds. Perhaps it was her face that guided the bitter, angry man to us, where we fought and he fell. I understood how to remove them, how to grant them to others, to strengthen what lies inside, at the core.¡±


    ¡°Janco didn¡¯t make it.¡± one of the Chosen behind Dino sneered. ¡°Strangled by his snare, like some foreigner trying to camp in the savannah. We owe you for that!¡±


    ¡°That hardly seems fair.¡± Christina complained. ¡°Don¡¯t they say only gamble what you can afford to lose? If he was gambling his life, he should have cheated better, surely?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but now is not the time to provoke them.¡± Hinata snorted, trying to hold in a giggle at the Chosen¡¯s enraged faces. It was Dino that held up a hand to stop the squabbling.


    ¡°All right, I mourn for Janco as much as anyone. He was a damn canyon crab, but he knew when to bow down.¡± He used some sort of insult I didn¡¯t understand, though one of the pale-skinned Chosen winced. ¡°I¡¯ve no time for racism. I¡¯m more interested in whether someone will obey.¡± He glared at Midas and his wife. ¡°You may hold the precious Seeds here and manipulate them. But... are we still going to take his?¡± He pointed at me.


    Midas bit at his lip, before sighing, imploring me. ¡°I would ask humbly that you relent and give us your Seeds. We can use them to grow stronger, and create a better country, and perhaps one day, stop all the petty infighting, wars and pointless tribal disputes that mar Africa as a whole. If we were at peace, not marred by conflicts, we could be the envy of the world. After all, humanity was born here. Aje?-Shaluga knows there are great strengths in this Ancestral Land. Even just setting my home country right would be a welcome start and would do so much good. Can¡¯t you see that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s selfish, but... you¡¯ve taken from others too.¡± Hermodike seemed embarrassed. ¡°I know how to extract them. We won¡¯t need to take your arm, like Dino suggested...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve already lost an arm, it¡¯s not the way to remove the Seeds.¡± I grimaced, remembering. ¡°I have a nasty feeling, if you separated them from me... well, it¡¯d be like what happened to Janco.¡±


    Hermodike shook her head. ¡°I am no killer, not of good people. And you seem a good man, your reputation precedes you. With my strengthened gift, I can free them without causing you great harm. It is... unpleasant, but... we live in fear even now. The Americans are always watching, waiting for a chance to strike. Others, such as this corpse upon which we scavenge... we just want the strength and the alliances to live our lives and protect what is ours. Is that wrong?¡±


    ¡°Too late to worry about right or wrong.¡± Dino waved one hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯ve been using this as a trap to lure in the greedy and dispose of them. Not a killer? Good people? Dead is dead, woman. You may despise us, but we¡¯ve done nothing worse than you two. If anything, we¡¯re just more honest about our needs.¡±


    ¡°They sure do talk a lot. Shit. Like the chattering of birds. English is so unsatisfying. German sounds far more respectable.¡± Adelheid grimaced, twisting a finger in her ear before pulling it out, inspecting it and blowing on the end, flicking away a little wax. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me. Not that any of you understand me anyway... the world has always been kill or be killed, take or be taken from, but all you big men, coming here to rob Akio and a bunch of girls. Pathetic. But do you think you can? I wouldn¡¯t be so sure...¡±


    ¡°I understand you.¡± One of the Chosen muttered in accented German, glaring, and Adelheid snorted, blue eyes wide and amused.


    ¡°Great, so you think you have headwater here? No, you¡¯ve spilled the damn water and slipped on it!¡± Adelheid grinned back balefully, her fingers twitching. ¡°The Fury is rising within me. I hate self-righteous shits. This isn¡¯t stealing a loaf of bread to survive, this is plundering!¡±


    ¡°Sadly, I¡¯m disinclined to relinquish what¡¯s mine. I have just as much right to it as you do. But...¡± I glanced at the remains of the Chosen with mixed feelings. ¡°Conversely, I came here to take these Seeds. Though I lay claim to them, through the fact I am one of those who were given them, I¡¯m not the sort to take those Seeds you¡¯ve already used. But I will reclaim these and his body. There are other ways to grow stronger, but I need the Seeds for something else...¡±


    As Midas and Hermodike looked torn, Dino barked a laugh. ¡°You think you get to negotiate? Khumo, Lola...¡± His shortened nickname for Hermodike seemed to annoy her and her husband. ¡°...you want these as much as we do! Giving you half, when we¡¯ll barely have enough to get once each, probably, maybe not even that, is already showing you too much respect! You¡¯re both soft, pathetic. Even Nkosi has more fire than you do. if I had your powers, Khumo, I¡¯d already rule South Africa as a King, reinstate a monarchy! I¡¯d invade Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho... I¡¯d forge an empire. That¡¯s all that lion-obsessed fool has right!¡±


    ¡°Think very carefully.¡± I warned, ready for a fight. We were outnumbered, but I was still confident, even if their Favours were likely unpredictable due to some of them having beaten me to the Seeds. ¡°Once you start a fight, I¡¯ll end it.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Dino sneered. ¡°You¡¯re here, so your ordinary selves are just lying vulnerable at Khumo¡¯s house. All unprotected.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster, so I won¡¯t harm your woman...¡± He nodded at Hinata, who shivered. ¡°...I don¡¯t steal from other men, I have some standards.¡± Some of his followers smirked at that. ¡°The others though... nothing like a good tumble in the sheets to cool down blood boiling from battle. Oh, that¡¯s something Nkosi and his battle-obsessed idiots would say. No... you, my girl...¡± he smirked at Hinata. ¡°...are some rich heiress. You and the other one who I don¡¯t see here. Ransom is a wonderful thing. We need a lot of money if we¡¯re going to make it in this world.¡±


    ¡°You go too far!¡± Hermodike was angered. ¡°No true man does such to women!¡±


    ¡°You think? Just watch the news. It happens every day, here in Botswana, South Africa, all over the continent. America and Asia too. If they don¡¯t like it... they should be stronger!¡± He gestured, and more figures poured out of the caves. Most of them seemed to be spiritual beings, but there were a couple more Chosen too. Yeah, we¡¯re outnumbered more than the Chinese invasion of Kyoto. But... it all comes down to Midas and Hermodike, and what they¡¯ll do...


    As a distant roar echoed, the ground was shaking, and a colossal creature was barrelling towards us, looking like a wingless dragon. Titan turned to see it, and with a panicked cry, abandoned his hiding place, as the massive multilegged lizard began to descend the ravine. Titan came rushing towards us, and I caught the look of bitter disappointment on Hermodike¡¯s face as she saw him.


    ¡°Husband... this isn¡¯t what we agreed on, is it?¡± she whispered, and Midas, face impassive, remained silent.


    ¡°Husband, husband!¡± she repeated, but as the massive lizard crunched down the mountain, brightly coloured frill of scales around its neck fanning out, he remained unmoving, a complicated and shameful expression on his face, while Dino and the surrounding Chosen grew ever more enthusiastic...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-One

    Five Hundred And Thirty-One


    ¡°It¡¯s too late to grow a conscience now, Khumo. You know the way the world works. You¡¯re strong, but despite that, you can¡¯t protect you and your wife alone! Strength in numbers is needed! Besides...¡± Dino¡¯s grin was fierce, as he glanced at the giant lizard creature that was powering down the slope, claws sinking into the ground like scythes. ¡°...if you had any confidence, you¡¯d have handled this alone. You needed our help!¡±


    My Split Thoughts were accelerating, allowing me to assess the situation calmly. It seemed bad at first glance, but honestly, while I hadn¡¯t expected there to be trouble, I had planned for it, so little went without problems nowadays that preparing for unanticipated disasters was second nature. Plus of course there¡¯s the Foresight constantly eating away at me. It hasn¡¯t picked up in intensity or dropped, so I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s not about this mess...


    Having Hinata, Kazumi-san and Christina here wasn¡¯t ideal, but also it wasn¡¯t a problem. With my Chirurgery, Aether Manipulation and them not resisting me, I could easily draw them dry in a moment, sending them back to the Material, where my other half was waiting, and it would be far easier to defend them there. As for being outnumbered...


    My Eye shone, and the giant lizard was identified as Agadzagadza¡¯s Spawn [Wyrm] and it seemed to be some sort of Dragon-like creature, despite being a lizard. It seemed more powerful than the two Wyrms I had defeated before, though not overwhelmingly so, yet it would likely give a purely Statistic focused Chosen like Titan a hard time.


    I exchanged a meaningful glance with Adelheid, and she spat a curse word in German, a satisfyingly guttural invective.


    ¡°Nobody has a right to say what we do is wrong!¡± Dino laughed as his forces moved into position, including a number of spiritual beings still hidden within the cracked walls of the canyon that he perhaps thought had gone unnoticed. ¡°Our powers were given for battle, to take and take until only the strongest remain! I know you agree!¡±


    As Titan skidded to a halt beside us, he breathed out a hasty apology, but I waved it aside. The dispute between Midas, Hermodike and Dino would decide the course of this battle, and in mere moments it would likely be another life-or-death struggle. While I was confident, I wasn¡¯t arrogant, and was prepared for a hard fight.


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Midas glanced at Hermodike, who was very clearly torn. ¡°...in the end, we get to decide on our own conscience.¡± His face was hard. ¡°I... loathe the Americans and others like them...¡±


    Christina flinched at that, looking downcast, but also somehow thoughtful. She didn¡¯t speak though, and Midas continued. ¡°...I¡¯ve fought for my beliefs, but... it seems we diverge here, Dino.¡± At his words, Hermodike finally breathed out a sigh of relief, looking at Midas with deep affection. ¡°Our prior agreements are still in force, and we can certainly collaborate in the future, but...¡±


    ¡°Oh. In that case, we¡¯ll be going then.¡± Dino turned away, before turning back, sneering. ¡°Is that what you thought I would say? Do you have a hollow void between your ears like Nkosi does?¡± The lizard-like Wyrm had pulled to a halt now behind Dino¡¯s forces, and I could see faint wisps of toxic smoke rising from its mouth as it fixed us with beady, yellow eyes. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve worked well together. I thought you were a pragmatist. Ruthless. You¡¯ve killed more men than me, Khumo!¡±


    ¡°I am so.¡± Midas agreed, and I could feel aether rising, as well as adherence. Faint traces of energy were leaking from him as metal surged within his being. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. Aje?-Shaluga has spoken, and to gather the Seeds would strengthen us immeasurably. But... only a child would stoop to stealing from a good man. A child or a villain. I see... it does not sit right with my wife.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no true man at all.¡± Dino spat, laughing. ¡°There¡¯s no good and evil, only who¡¯s right in the end! Power! I thought you understood that. Do those starving while the rich feast care about right and wrong? No, only that they can steal foods to eat! You let your wife¡¯s tender heart dismay you...¡±


    ¡°Without us, you have no way of using the Seeds. They are treasures, which need to be handled with care!¡± Midas countered, and Dino shrugged, addressing his men.


    ¡°You¡¯re right at last, Khumo. True. We do need... your wife! It doesn¡¯t have to be this way.¡± His expression was sad but somehow mocking. ¡°You¡¯ve not lied. We¡¯ve benefitted from each other¡¯s help a number of times. It¡¯s why we all have such a firm grip on the Ancestral Lands, and many of our enemies are dead or capitulated.¡± Again some of the followers of Dino looked angry at his words. ¡°If you could use all the Seeds yourselves, likely you¡¯d have done so, but you can¡¯t. Think this over carefully...¡±


    At his cold words Hermodike shrank back, not being much of a fighter, while Midas¡¯ stone face grew ever flintier. ¡°I simply think you have gone too far. Despite everything, he did restore my wife to good health. They broke fast with us, having kola nuts and honey and wine. They know about the Seeds, as much as we do, maybe more. We should all come together and rethink this... peacefully. There is room for a consensus.¡±


    ¡°Consensus? Janco is dead. Now, it¡¯s his own fault for losing, but... that¡¯s one Seed wasted.¡± Dino scoffed. ¡°And though I wasn¡¯t fond of him, he was my man. I don¡¯t let people take what¡¯s mine, I take from others. As for them breaking fast... yes, I know where your home is, Khumo. You can run back and try and stop those I¡¯ve sent there, but... if you won¡¯t aid me, your wife will. Rest assured, I¡¯ll not mistreat her, so long as she transfers us all the Seeds. After all her face has only just been fixed, and I¡¯m not a man to poach other¡¯s wives. Though I do believe a man should chastise his wife so she learns to do as she¡¯s bidden without backchat!¡±


    Dino then turned to us. ¡°One thing I agree on is we don¡¯t have to kill you. I should, because of Janco, but so long as I get what I want, I¡¯m an easy man to like.¡± He swaggered annoyingly. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll change your mind soon anyway. We¡¯re not all here. This is the time to act. I¡¯ll capture those rich folks you travelled with, and also wipe out Nkosi and his idiot followers. With money, the Seeds, no rivals and you doing my bidding, Khumo, Lola, South Africa is mine in its entirety, the whole Ancestral Land my playground. And that¡¯s just the start...¡±


    Damn, he talks too much. Though... I could see the flows of aether and elemental energies with my Eye, it seemed that he was stalling, as several powerful attacks were being prepared. If only Hermodike withdrew her permission for them to be here, it wouldn¡¯t boot them out, but it would seriously hamper them... Of course, we weren¡¯t idle as well. Adelheid was sweating, but she was drawing on her abilities, ready to unleash them at my signal.


    ¡°Hey, you know, you bark awfully loud for such a little poodle.¡± Christina tilted her head, breaking the mood. ¡°I mean, here you are threatening two Double Vermillion, two of the top, at that, when we in the US classify you as what, a mere Violet at best? You should at least have an appropriate sense of scale.¡±


    The sudden tense mood, which was mere seconds from outright battle, froze over. Until Dino laughed, a bitter, yet amused sound, his fists clenching. ¡°Very funny, bitch. You¡¯ll not be laughing in a few minutes. Nobody kill her, when we seize her I¡¯m going to take my time with her. American women seem to have no respect for men.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so terrified, Mr Violet.¡± Christina smirked, but she did step closer to me, her face rather pale.


    ¡°Last chance, Khumo, Lola. It didn¡¯t have to be this way. We¡¯ve worked well together for now...¡±


    There was something off about the whole situation. Something was niggling at me. Now, how we got here made enough sense. Just as I was using information cheats to look for treasure, in this case, the Seeds, Hermodike and Midas had chanced upon the Seeds early and had put them to use, and now wanted to increase their stock, using Hermodike¡¯s own specialised treasure seeking Favour. This, coupled with their dealing with the more powerful Chosen warlords of South Africa and Botswana, had led to this situation, where they planned to extort my seeds from me. Yeah, I¡¯m not prepared to take Seeds from my other Norse Chosen, but it¡¯s a logical plan...


    It was there things started breaking down. Hermodike seemed rather soft-hearted, and clearly didn¡¯t want to go through with things, and Midas was hardly an evil man, from what I¡¯d observed, though there was a chance I was wrong, certainly. Dino... now he seemed fairly trashy, but there was no need for a fight here. In fact, there was little need for Janco to act at all to start our rivalry... huh. Could it be?


    ¡°I think we should all pause and rethink things, before we regret this.¡± Hermodike managed to speak. ¡°It seems you are already here so... why not come in, and my husband and I will serve you...¡±


    ¡°Too late.¡± Dino growled. ¡°You knew this day would come, Khumo.¡± Dino lowered his raised hand, and all hell broke loose, the imminent attack, which had hung frozen for this brief conversation, springing into life. ¡°That idiot Nkosi is right. There¡¯s no room for two lions in Africa. He¡¯ll be getting his comeuppance about now, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    There. I see it. I thought it was merely a grudge targeting Miss Zozibini, but... My Eye blazed with aether, focussing carefully, and yes, there they were. I¡¯m covered in tiny threads of adherence. As is Dino and Midas. I see...


    Anansi¡¯s Threads Of Fate - These manifestations of Fortune, Foresight and Fate connect together shared destinies, in a way that allows the bearer to understand and avoid cunning tricks and traps, and weave their own schemes to fool and outsmart opponents, claiming victory and the greater the unfair scheme overcome, the greater the rewards, and the greater the fall her opponent suffers.


    I see. I overlooked that, but it makes sense now, everything that¡¯s happened here. I moved instantly, drawing aether from Hinata and Kazumi-san. They were here to get experience, learn how I conducted myself in the Boundary, but risking their safety wasn¡¯t something I relished. I also reached out for Christina, but she resisted as best she could, shaking her head frantically, so I relinquished my grip on her.


    At the same moment, Hermodike declared ¡°None of you are welcome here. Leave the Ancestral Land and come as guests to our home!¡± I immediately felt the pressure of the hostile Territory oppress me, my efforts suddenly more difficult. Fortunately it seemed that Dino¡¯s group was affected too.


    ¡°Fuck you, Lola! You¡¯ll regret this!¡± Dino roared, as boiling elemental energies, twisting jade and amber, flared around him. ¡°Storms take you, fools!¡±


    ¡°Jealous Judgement!¡± Adelheid¡¯s own ability was unleashed, rushing over the surrounding Chosen and spiritual beings like a wave. The effort of targeting so many clearly fatigued her, but her angry blue eyes showed little fear, only anger, and hr internal aether was rising.


    ¡°This is war, Dino!¡± Midas yelled, and our strange three-way battle was in full swing. Motes of golden dust filled the air, targeted towards Dino and his cronies, but Midas made little effort to prevent us from being in the line of fire. ¡°I¡¯ll call in my forces!¡± he shouted to his wife, who was regarding us with worry, gnawing on her lips as she made to retreat.


    ¡°Burst!¡± The rock bullet, which I had created beneath my feet and moved through the ground to strike him as he threatened Hinata, detonated, and Foehn which had been trapped inside gushed out. His screams as his leg was engulfed in the burning yellow napalm was music to my ears.


    Christina clapped as if watching an exciting play, and I once more wondered at her sanity. Midas took that moment to create a long sword forged from gold, and he stuck it through the chest of one of Dino¡¯s hapless Chosen, who quickly perished, blood and gold frothing from his mouth. Titan wasn¡¯t idle either, proving why he was a premiere American Chosen despite a plain ability, as he grabbed a fallen boulder, hefting it above him, and with a grunt, hurled it, ploughing through a number of attackers.


    ¡°You... fucks. Think... this is... over? I... can¡¯t believe...¡± I wasn¡¯t going to give him the chance to respond, and a bolt of lightning pierced his head, his brain flaring to ash. Even then, he was smiling, and I had a bad feeling.


    ¡°...have to show my... real... ability...¡± His voice was dancing on the gales he had created, and as his body disintegrated, not into aether but a surging cloud of lightning, his laughter echoed on the winds. ¡°Living Embodiment Of The Storm...¡±


    Back in the Material, I attacked like the storm myself. The ordinary thugs, who were burly men armed with Russian and Chinese-make automatic rifles, were instantly taken down, their wrists and ankles broken, since I was in no mood for mercy. One Chosen was leading them, and he was one I had seen at the gala but who hadn¡¯t spoken, and my Eye detected more of the strange spider-strands of adherence binding him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here? Huh?¡± He seemed confused to see me, especially as I had dispatched the intruders in mere moments.


    ¡°I¡¯m wherever I need to be.¡± My fist slammed into him, and even with his enhanced stats he was helpless to resist. ¡°That¡¯s mine...¡± I didn¡¯t have time to mess around making him safe, so I quickly wrenched out his Favour, repairing just enough damage to prevent his life being endangered, but without more Healing or urgent medical attention, he would be left with lasting injuries. As I dealt with him, I suddenly panicked, as I heard a shout.


    ¡°Akio-san, it¡¯s...¡± Kazumi-san¡¯s cry bellowed, and I moved only to see another Chosen had appeared, a small, non-descript dark-skinned man with shaven head and intricate black tattoos covering most of his exposed skin, even his face. Kazumi-san had attacked him with her batons, but now blood was gouting from her shattered arms, but despite that, she had wrapped her legs around him and was trying to bite out his throat, after crying out so I could hear.


    My Eye didn¡¯t spot him. Damn, I should remember my Eye is awesome but not infallible. It couldn¡¯t tell the difference between Ginneka, Kinneka and the weaselkin maids originally, either. If this is a stealth-orientated Favour...


    Hinata was staring at Kazumi-san in horror, but worse, the phone in her hand was squawking out noises of battle, and I could hear loud cursing in English over it. Fortunately even with my focus split between here and the Boundary I could think and act without a pause, so I vanished in a shower of indigo light and then Kazumi-san was in my arms. Behind her the man was blinking in surprise, as if wondering how I covered the intervening distance in an instant, as if teleporting. Then he was wondering just where his arms had gone, as he collapsed to the ground, the walls painted red.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You did good.¡± I assured Kazumi-san as I began to repair her arms, but she stopped me.


    ¡°I tried, but against him I was just too slow. I¡¯m... resolved.¡± She glanced at Hinata, who was shaking, unused to such violence, but trying to hold herself together, as she knew she¡¯d need to be prepared for it to happen again in the future. ¡°Hinata, Akio.¡± I noticed she dropped my honorific, perhaps due to the stress. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the means. I need power! I¡¯ll give up anything for it. I never want to be so helpless again.¡±


    Setting down Kazumi-san, I shook my head. ¡°Later. For now...¡± I snatched the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the situation...?¡±


    ¡°Bad, fucking bad...¡± Aliyah groaned as though she was coughing up blood herself. Fortunately her phone was linked to wireless mic and earbuds so she could talk and fight. ¡°Like we thought, those paper tigers were dogshit. We¡¯re fucking lucky... that... they underestimated Trey and me. But... it¡¯s still not looking good... I...¡± With that the phone cut off, following a loud crunching noise.


    Listening to the sudden dead tone, Hinata looked at me, brown eyes wide with worry. ¡°Akio... Mayumi... Kira-sama... will they... what if...¡±


    ¡°It should be fine.¡± I reassured her, taking a moment to give her a soothing hug, before I apologised out loud to Midas and Hermodike. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll pay for the damn repairs.¡± I punched a fist through the wall and tore out a ton of internal wiring, plaster and wood scattering everywhere, before releasing a surge of dark element into the mind of the armless Chosen, knocking him out, before binding his legs behind his back and tying them to his neck, so if he struggled he¡¯d strangle himself.


    ¡°Anyway... Dino was talking about ransom. Worst case I¡¯ll pay for their return. Hostages have to be treated well to have value. But...¡± I grimaced. ¡°We need to get back there soon... shit, a worldwide Ring Gate network would be so handy... when I¡¯m Astral Emperor, that¡¯s the first law I¡¯ll impose...¡±


    Hinata forced a smile, pretending she was cheered by that, while back in the Boundary the situation was simultaneously calming and becoming more tense. Without Dino, and with Adelheid¡¯s Jealous Judgement weighing them down, the Chosen and their forces were crumbling. Midas was infuriated, and spikes of golden metal had torn from the ground, piercing another Chosen, transmuting them to a gleaming, screaming statue.


    Adelheid had just finished beating down a number of snake-like spiritual beings, trampling them underfoot, and with a barrage of rock bullets I had filled with Foehn, the final Spawn had collapsed and was dying too. The battle on top of the canyon had ended as well, though Midas¡¯ forces had been greatly diminished.


    ¡°Was this worth it?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Worst case, you could have laid claim to the Seeds that you earned yourselves. I¡¯d probably have walked away.¡± It would have pained me, but as long as I get the ones from America, those should be enough.


    ¡°Worth it?¡± One of the last standing Chosen under Dino scoffed. He was trying to appear calm, but I could see by the expression on his face he hadn¡¯t expected things to go so disastrously. ¡°You think we¡¯ve lost?¡±


    ¡°Looks like losing to me.¡± Adelheid spat. ¡°But what can beaten dogs do but yap?¡±


    Christina giggled at that, though then she winced. Veins of gold were slowly creeping through her skin, despite my efforts, the chaotic melee had obviously spread Midas¡¯ poisonous gold element past my defences. With a sigh, I cut into her flesh, using my Eye to guide me, and as blood tainted with gold and aether sprayed from her wounds, flesh mending, she nearly passed out from the pain.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Titan agreed, taking a moment to catch his breath. ¡°But this ain¡¯t done, ya know.¡±


    ¡°It is. If you¡¯re relying on the forces attacking the house, I¡¯ve dealt with them. The stealthy, tattooed bastard really pissed me off. He¡¯s very fortunate he isn¡¯t dead. Now call Dino back here and get him to call off the kidnapping back in Cape Town. Otherwise I am going to annihilate you all, root and branch, international diplomacy be damned. I need to set an example that nobody profits from messing with those under my protection.¡±


    ¡°You think Dino cares what we think?¡± One of the bone-armoured Chosen muttered, from where he was lying broken and bloody against a pile of rocks. ¡°We only joined him because it was that or death. Sure, his favoured bastards got these Seeds... but he¡¯s always in it for himself. Just as now...¡± He nodded knowingly. ¡°We¡¯re all... warriors here. The rewards... for defeating an enemy here...¡±


    A sudden look of horror passed over Hermodike¡¯s features. A flash of distant lightning pierced the sky, and a pillar of storms connected the skies and the earth. Moments later the oppression of the Territory that I had been suppressing vanished, and Hermodike coughed blood, going limp and collapsing, As she did so Midas roared out in rage, howling the name ¡°Dino!¡± to the sky in elongated fury.


    Everyone seemed to be stunned, frozen, and then I vanished, sprays of vivid violet motes of light scattering, and I was atop the platform where the remains of the Norse Chosen were, and I caught the falling woman, Eye blazing. Blood then bloomed as a dozen golden spikes hammered into my body, and I could feel the contagious gold even eating away at the aether my body was using for Ether Healing. With a grimace I unleashed Foehn within me, searing away at that and my own flesh and blood. Amber letters blinked across my vision, but now wasn¡¯t the time.


    ¡°Back the fuck off. I¡¯m trying to help...¡± Her Divine Favour was being ripped from her, and I repaired the damage as best I could. But that wasn¡¯t my entire aim. Aether flooded from me like a storm, adherence as well. With a curse, I drew out everything I had, and grasped the connecting threads that were tearing the Favour from her. The Favour started to deform, but I halted the transmission. The moment I did so, I could sense the one on the other end, Dino.


    I see. It¡¯s like that, is it? You¡¯re one cold bastard, but... The spider-like threads of Adherence around me were vibrating, and even as my flesh burned, I grinned balefully. ¡°...for now she¡¯s stable, but Dino¡¯s Conquering her. What about your Territory?¡±


    Midas, who was about to charge me, ground to a halt. ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡¯m under attack, but...¡±


    ¡°In that case, we have to wrap things up quickly.¡± I advised, my gaze turning back to Dino¡¯s remaining forces. ¡°Every second counts...¡±


    Seeing the cold, glaring eyes of me, Midas, Adelheid and Titan, lacking their numbers and powerful Spawn, the remaining Chosen faltered... Yeah, dealing with the minions isn¡¯t too hard, but... Dino¡¯s far more powerful than we anticipated, so... With a grimace, feeling a little guilty, but taking it for my payment, I expanded the web of adherence and aether I was weaving, and plunged it down into the remains of the Norse Chosen. Immediately a huge rush of energy filled me, and as more letters scrolled across my vision, time froze once more...


    You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Forty-Nine...

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Seven – Ortlinde. Valkyrie Of Tyr

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Seven ¨C Ortlinde. Valkyrie Of Tyr


    Within the richly decorated room, silken tapestries and beautiful portraits and other works of art on the walls, pristine vases and marble statues arrayed around large couches that were occupied with a trio of inhumanly beautiful women of different builds, hair and eye colours like a rainbow assortment, one of the women jolted upright, her expression tense.


    ¡°Again?¡± One of the women still sitting down, who now had a number of faint, claw-mark scars trailing down one smooth cheek, past her vivid, orange eyes, ran a hand through her brilliant aqua-blue hair. ¡°You have all the good Fortune, littlest sister. Perhaps the Allfather smiled during your birth.¡±


    Ortlinde nodded, her brilliant golden eyes going a little vacant, the prismatic silver rainbow of aether forming around her wrist like a halo, matched by the same glow in one of her eyes.


    The third Valkyrie looked up from the book she was reading, flipping the pages idly with one hand, her other arm strapped up and splinted. Ordinary injuries could be healed or recovered from easily enough, Ortlinde knew, but wounds caused by the dreadful creatures that were invading the World Tree Pantheon and the surrounding Territories were no trivial matter to recover from, resisting aether and adherence.


    ¡°It makes sense. She was the one who persuaded us to go with her reckless plan. All is as the Allfather wills it, even our defiance, it seems.¡± The pearly-eyed and pink-haired Rossweisse shrugged, her book momentarily forgotten, her injury too, judging by her slight wince. ¡°A shame hers seem exceptional. Although...¡± She puffed out her ample chest proudly, at odds with her small frame.  ¡°...mine are showing their talents. Sometimes the obvious choice is not the best one. For all my study of strategy, I am beginning to learn that lesson.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair, Rose.¡± The blue haired Siegrune pouted. ¡°I picked carefully too, I did. But when I¡¯m handling his Favours, it¡¯s only natural that they are going to have erratic personalities. I wish I was lucky like you were!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet...¡± Their youngest sister hissed, Ortlinde trying to concentrate. Rossweisse let out a dry chuckle, before shaking her head, clearly amused.


    ¡°Our littlest sister is a serious as ever. Why else would she carry Tyr¡¯s gifts down to the mortals? Besides, if you want to complain about Favours, those who Tyr¡¯s blessing favours should be reckless and self-sacrificing. Usually they are amongst the first to fall.¡±


    ¡°Could you please be quiet?¡± Ortlinde repeated, the chattering of her two sisters distracting her. She forced a smile, the only one able to see the spiritual body of the being in front of her, one of the two she chose to bear both Seeds that were not truly hers to give and Favour that was her responsibility to pass on.


    ¡°Yes, serious as ever.¡± Rossweisse smiled.


    ¡°Quite unlike me, huh?¡± Siegrune snickered. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just complaining. After all, you only had your arm broken, me, my beautiful face got scarred. What if it can¡¯t be fixed? The Einherjar will weep... huh... no way, that isn¡¯t right...¡± Her inappropriate jests were driven from her lips, her orange eyes going wide in shock, a faint, weak glow around her wrist shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow.


    There was a single sound in the room, that of a book falling to the floor, as Rossweisse stood in shock, her wounded arm striking the book clumsily and sending it flying.


    Ortlinde turned to see Siegrune¡¯s vision fixed on the second of the Chosen she had passed on her burdens to, and frowned. ¡°You... see him too?¡±


    ¡°I do, Lin, I do.¡± Siegrune babbled, giving her an annoying nickname. As the most cheerful, energetic and rascally of the nine sisters, Siegrune was always a handful, and Ortlinde might have thought it a prank, some sort of teasing, except there were slight tears in her eyes, silver drops luminous against the deep orange. ¡°For a moment I thought it was impossible, that he somehow wasn¡¯t dead, but...¡± She shook her head, tears forgotten, and suddenly she yelped, pushing one hand to her faintly scarred cheek. ¡°Oh no, Lin! He¡¯s quite handsome, and I¡¯m all beaten up. If I¡¯d have known I¡¯d have worn makeup to cover the wounds!¡±


    Ortlinde let out a long, bitter sigh at her antics, though it was hard for annoyance to overwhelm the feeling of relief and satisfaction that came from seeing one of her charges once again.


    ¡°So, uh... hi there, Ortlinde.¡± Akio scratched at his own cheek, rather shocked by this situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but... I don¡¯t have time for this. I know there¡¯s heavy time dilation between Earth and here, but... lives are in danger. I have to go back.¡±


    ¡°So heroic. Definitely one of yours.¡± Siegrune chuckled. ¡°Where are my manners? I¡¯m Siegrune, Lin¡¯s older sister. And you... you¡¯ve obtained the lingering trace of my Truesoul I left with that poor unfortunate.¡±


    At her words, Akio clutched his head, eyes narrowing, an expression of pain crossing his features, and Ortlinde gasped in shock and annoyance. ¡°Sister, we cannot speak so carelessly of such matters. It is against the agreements we all made, adherence binds us to not speak of it to those from humble worlds!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Siegrune giggled innocently. ¡°Right here and now, we¡¯re simply sitting in our parlour, relaxing and celebrating our survival in another life-and-death war. I can speak of what I want.¡± She stuck out her tongue, and Ortlinde found it a little endearing, even if annoying. ¡°Besides, even if we don¡¯t speak of it, the fact remains all the Favours are made from soullight, and the damned Ninth Heaven and their Linked Favours make extensive use of Truesoul fragments and soullight to dominate the worlds adrift in the Boundary seas. It¡¯s all hypocrisy, forced on us to minimise lost worlds, but what good does that do us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Ortlinde grimaced. ¡°It sounds wrong when you speak so fluently about weighty matters.¡± She glanced over at Akio, who had a look of realisation and understanding, and was nodding to himself, while muttering ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. The missing, repeated question marks were those...¡±


    ¡°How rude. I¡¯m not an idiot, Lin! How could you say that in front of our visitor?¡± Siegrune pouted, though she was still cheery and excited. ¡°I¡¯m as smart as anyone, I just don¡¯t like books like Rose, or boring talks like younger Hilde! Besides...¡± In fact, her excitement was rising, and honestly, Ortlinde felt it too. She had been delighted when her second Chosen had reached a level where their Truesouls had resonated, but this one, this Akio Moonstone Oshiro, he had exceeded her expectations by far, and now... Seemingly he has managed to claim one of the strands of Truesoul Siegrune left behind...


    ¡°...he¡¯d have a fair chance at making Foringi of an Einherjar battalion of one of the outer Territories. I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Akio¡¯s words distracted the two Valkyries. ¡°But again, there¡¯s no time. The situation is a mess...¡±


    ¡°There is a saying, better sure than swift, but better swift than hasty.¡± Ortlinde warned. ¡°It seems your circumstances are indeed not ordinary. But... you are here now, so I shall guide you to make the best of it. Your other visits have proved fruitful, the Seeds bearing rewards. This shall be no different.¡±


    ¡°What youngest sister Lin said!¡± Siegrune chimed in, laughing. ¡°Neither of mine made much of an impact. No, that¡¯s not right, is it?¡± Her smile was wicked. ¡°You¡¯re mine, now. I¡¯m much cuter and fun than our straight-laced and boring youngest sister! Let big sister Siegrune take care of you from now on.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Ortlinde narrowed her golden eyes, and Siegrune snickered, claiming she was scared. Shaking her head, she brushed aside her crimson locks and assessed Akio. ¡°I suppose now that my loose-lipped sister has said things she should not have, I may as well explain further. And the benefit may see you through your current crisis.¡±


    ¡°That would be great.¡± Akio muttered. ¡°I never thought it¡¯d be so annoying only having a single consciousness again. I guess my Silver Connection doesn¡¯t easily support such unfathomable distances... but you certainly do like explaining things, Exposition-san.¡±


    At that Siegrune choked with laughter, before Ortlinde sighed. ¡°I told you to call me Ortlinde, youngest daughter of the Allfather. Now... the Seeds, to be used properly...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it.¡± Akio interrupted. ¡°And I have someone very knowledgeable to talk to, even if what she doesn¡¯t say is usually how she guides us, without breaking the rules. I wondered why I was so... woefully unprepared. While most everyone else was armed with their Favour and the ability to thrive, I didn¡¯t even have a functional Chakra network. I should have died a dozen times over. It was a miracle I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°By the Allfather, Great Mother, the White and Pure, The Thunderer, Trickster and all the Highest.¡± Siegrune swore, her face expressing her shock. ¡°I know that¡¯s how the Seeds work best, but... you gave nothing?¡± Her orange eyes sharpened to the point of fierce hunger, and right now she looked like one of Loki¡¯s spawn, ready to devour Ortlinde whole. ¡°And yet here he stands? Even Rose¡¯s pair don¡¯t have his power.¡±


    Ortlinde¡¯s expression blanked, and she felt the niggling sting of pain, not just from her slightly wounded Truesoul, but also from her heart. It was a pain her sisters felt keenly as their Chosen fell one by one as always, but the guilt was a different beast this time. Turning to Akio, who was watching in impatient silence, Ortlinde bowed in apology, one fist striking her chest in military fashion, signifying that she saw him as a combatant. This time we did not merely choose those to pass Favours on to, plunging them into battle which would likely lead to their deaths, but... we actively tried to hamper them, so that the Seeds could sprout. Because only from virgin, untainted soil can the mightiest of trees grow...


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Akio said at last, seeing her reluctance to speak. Siegrune chuckled, though her expression was still dark.


    Rossweisse flushed, covering her ample bosom with the book, but with a flushed face and a scowl, she began to trace runes, adherence and aether shimmering as she scrawled the letters in the air. ¡°Ehwaz, Mannaz, Pertra, Hagalaz, As, Thyth...¡± Her forehead was beading with sweat as the glowing runic letters formed around her...


    ¡°Can you connect me spirit to spirit?¡± Ortlinde asked. ¡°Ordinarily such would be dangerous, but my foolish elder sister does not lie.¡± As Siegrune stuck out her tongue, amused, Ortlinde continued. ¡°You do indeed have the strength to be considered a captain of the Einherjar. Your growth is astonishing. Your spirit can withstand mine.¡±


    ¡°I think you need to hurry... Rose is struggling to hold the runes in place.¡± Siegrune warned, and Akio looked troubled, before nodding.


    ¡°I suppose it does work. My gratitude towards you is fathomless, Ortlinde. You gave me this chance. Without it, I¡¯d never have saved Shaeula, she¡¯d be dead. Shiro would likely have abandoned herself to Tan, becoming a shadow of herself. Hyacinth ... would still be in the box. Asha would decay away. Daiyu would be a prisoner still, lost and alone. There¡¯d be no salvation for Tsukiko, her spirit would have been devoured. Eri, my sis, my family... I¡¯d still be estranged from them. I¡¯d never have known Kana. Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi would be wasted in a nobility that didn¡¯t understand them.¡± His voice was solemn. ¡°Not just them. Karen-chan would be broken, possibly suicidal. Tamamo-no-Mae would still be being tortured, and there would be no hope of saving the Cultivators she risked everything to keep alive. Every life I¡¯ve touched, people I¡¯ve saved... Kim Eui and those from Choe-Museon, Eleanor, David, Sir Arthur and those from London...¡± His words spun a tale of deeds well done, and Ortlinde was impressed. ¡°So I guess I do see you as someone precious to me too, my benefactor. But... don¡¯t regret this, okay?¡±


    ¡°What is to regret? I stole the Seed, persuaded my sisters, tricked Atropos, wounded our very immortal existences for this... a mere bond means nothing before my duty.¡± Ortlinde insisted, and for a moment she was confused by the very human look of pity and amusement on his face, before...


    Wait, what is this? Hmm... I feel a presence, a little corner of my being... invaded? No, nothing so harsh...


    ¡°So, you have higher stats than me, huh? A side benefit...¡± Akio sighed. ¡°Now it¡¯s not just Asha¡¯s Tree which gives me a boost...¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± Ortlinde declared, and with a final surge of power, Rossweisse inscribed her final rune, drawing it with her thumb, the array of letters bursting into shining light that somehow was many colours yet transparent and none at once.


    ¡°Eo!¡± With that, Rossweisse was welcomed into Ortlinde, and suddenly she could experience what she was. ¡°So this is him, huh? I think mine are... oh, this is vexing!¡± The petite Valkyrie gnawed on her lips, frustrated. ¡°Mine are still in this fight! I picked winners too, but... yes, I see.¡±


    Akio seemed a bit taken back as her older sister looked him up and down, drawing several more runes of inquiry, Ortlinde reassured him everything would be fine. ¡°Rossweisse knows what she is doing. Rest assured.¡±


    ¡°I do, I most certainly do!¡± she agreed, toying with her rose-pink hair. ¡°But... that bond...¡± She suddenly giggled. ¡°Our youngest is so nai?ve. No matter. In exchange for my aid... no fighting my Chosen. Work together, like good children, all right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not convincing coming from someone who looks like you, Rose!¡± Siegrune giggled. ¡°Anyway, do something!¡±


    ¡°I am, I am! You think I am the child? I am as calm and collected as our older sisters. Now, let me see if I can ... ah.¡± She glanced down. ¡°Your feet are being tortured by some sort of adherence. It seems reminiscent of Endless Knot work. Geas, I think they called it? Hmm... I am no expert in their unique methods of adherence manipulation, I prefer runes, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, my friends are coming under attack where they are staying, and my Boots know that. I need to warm the authorities, or my feet will be destroyed. It bloody well hurts, but so far my body is proving tough enough to get away with pain, but every second it gets harder...¡± Akio grimaced.


    ¡°Let us see if my seed of an idea can bear some fruit...¡± Rossweisse made a tasteless pun. ¡°You have a spatial element aptitude. That is rare, for those whose worlds have not shed the Boundary that protects them and isolates them. But it is weak. Not enough for your aims. Ordinarily there would be naught you can do but train and strive, however...¡±


    ¡°The Seeds...¡± Ortlinde breathed, and Rossweisse nodded.


    ¡°Even that might not be enough, it can strengthen the spatial element he wields, certainly...¡± Holding her chin, thinking, she peered at him with her pearly eyes. ¡°But... it so happens... huh... book, I need a book...¡±


    ¡°Rose is really into this.¡± Siegrune giggled as her sister turned away, rushing to the shelf and flipping through the books one handed until she found what she was looking for and rushed back.


    ¡°Of course I am. This might be futile, but... there is definitely a chance. The Seeds are special. Our precious World Tree is knowledge, and knowledge shapes the Astral. This runic formula is a bit beyond me, but... Raido, Ehwaz, Mannaz, Othala... uh... no, that one is not right... maybe... by the Great Mother, by the Queen of Love and Desire. Time to toss the bones and gamble! Ur, Ehwaz!¡± The runes flared into being, and Rossweisse mopped at her sodden brow, as power flooded into Ortlinde and through her into Akio.


    ¡°What... my feet stopped hurting... huh... my boots...¡± Akio seemed perturbed, and Rossweisse shrugged.


    I note his eyes followed her chest. How scandalous...


    ¡°The boots have an adherence of spatial travel. But they are limited by that function. Instead... the Seed... if it absorbs it... Tiwaz, Raido, As, Nauthis... maybe... Ortlinde, you owe me for this! I can feel my strength depleting!¡±


    ¡°There is no owing between sisters.¡± Ortlinde answered seriously, and Rossweisse froze for a moment, before she cracked a smile.


    ¡°You nearly had me there. I am too tense, you are right. Huh.¡± She took several deep, calming breaths, steeling herself, before drawing more runes. ¡°Sowilo, Feo, Ehwaz... and lastly... Raido again!¡± The surge of adherence Rossweisse generated was once more absorbed into Akio through Ortlinde, and this time Akio groaned, his connection starting to collapse.


    ¡°I... whoa...¡± His eye burned orange as the Seed disintegrated, pulling in and amplifying spatial element and the adherence and aether liberated from the shattered boots. Some of the adherence was different, and was also absorbed elsewhere, but as the connection between them, momentary as it was, unable to withstand the vast ocean of the Astral between them, was sundered, the link between their Truesouls fading into the distance, Ortlinde thought he heard some faint words. ¡°I¡¯m grateful. I¡¯ll see you again... one day. Because like it or not, now... we¡¯re connected...¡±


    ¡°That... was wild!¡± Siegrune laughed, exultant, before fetching a jug from a side table and pouring Rossweisse a glass of wine, which she gulped down, nearly spilling it with her unsteady hand. ¡°Good job, Rose. I don¡¯t get it, I¡¯m no Runecaster, but... it worked, right?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. I have no idea what happened to the Geaswork present within the adherence, but the nature of it was rich with spatial energy, and the ability to traverse great distances in a single step. Coupled with the power of the Seed, its nature to imbue learning, knowledge and Skill within a worthy being... I believe we achieved something.¡± She paused, her pale skin tinged nearly the same shade as her hair. ¡°I am ashamed to say it, but I believe I benefited myself. My grasp on the Runes has improved, and I think my ability to handle adherence strengthened too...¡±


    ¡°Good job, Rose!¡± Siegrune praised her again, before sending a sidelong glance at Ortlinde. ¡°Maybe you should take over from Ortlinde, since you were so helpful to him? Hang on, wait, no, I¡¯m going to take him! It¡¯s fate, he¡¯s taken a piece of my Truesoul too!¡±


    ¡°I think not!¡± Ortlinde shouted, perturbed. ¡°I passed Tyr¡¯s blessing to him, wove the Seeds with my Truesoul fragment and set him on this path. I was harsh, offering him little guidance, but... cream rises to the top.¡±


    ¡°I was only teasing. But... I can think my own efforts weren¡¯t in vain.¡± Siegrune was serious, her orange eyes solemn. ¡°I¡¯m pleased. He¡¯s picked up the scattered wreckage of my failures. When he comes again... maybe I¡¯ll be able to aid him as you have.¡±


    Ortlinde nodded, but in the back of her mind, seeming so faint as to be perhaps an illusion, a faint sense of his presence lingered, a warm gratitude, and a trickle of hope. Each Seed is harder to absorb than the last. Now he has taken four... to use more, ordinarily I would expect it to take many long years, decades, perhaps even centuries... but... he is full of surprises, and... it is as he said. He is not alone. Now even Siegrune, foolish and flighty though she is, is with him...


    ¡°This quite ruined my mood to read.¡± Rossweisse declared, finishing her wine and taking a deep breath. ¡°I am quite exhausted. Perhaps we should find sister Helmwige, I would greatly like to listen to some soothing music from her lyre. And she is less likely to lecture us than Brunnhilde and Gerhilde...¡±


    As Siegrune agreed, Ortlinde nodded as well. Yes, after our fierce battles of late, we could use some more time to recover our equilibrium and poise. And... perhaps this unanticipated good news will cheer my older sisters? With that final thought, Ortlinde began to tidy up the scattered books, an unexpected spring in her tired steps...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Two

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Two


    As my consciousness returned from the upper Astral, I breathed out a sigh of relief, as my mind reconnected with my Astral and Material bodies, and I realised only a short time had passed. That made sense, with the time dilation in effect, but it still reassured me. Though one issue I immediately noticed was that a Territory Barrier was back in effect, having sprung into existence in the moments that seemed minutes I shared with the Valkyries high above.


    It¡¯s not the same barrier. Not Hermodike¡¯s. It must be Midas¡¯ barrier. Do they have a shared or overlapping Territory? That was something interesting to consider, as I had my Vassals, but now was not the time. All my Split Thoughts and Intellect was surging, thinking my way through the situation. A lot had happened in mere minutes, and while I was desperate to act, the situation chaotic and dangerous, the Valkyries were right, acting hastily wasn¡¯t the same as acting swiftly. A few seconds now to make the right move could salvage the situation...


    Now that I understood the basic concept of the existence of Truesouls and soullight, my Eye seemed to sit easier in my socket, less weighty on my spirit. Taking a moment, I quickly examined the Seeds, set in their bracelets of Truesoul, assessing if they could be any further help to me here.


    Ortlinde¡¯s Wolf-Hair Bracer Of Silver Wisdom [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Principle]


    This spiritual item, attuned and implanted into both Material and Astral subtle bodies, is forged from a strand of Ortlinde¡¯s Truesoul, hewn from her very existence at great cost. This creates a resonant bond with the bearer¡¯s own Truesoul, forming a cascade effect that allows efficient strengthening and transferring of power, far in excess of what should reasonably be possible.


    This strand of Truesoul has been forged together with ample Soullight, Adherence and Aether, and the essence of a Divine Favour of Tyr. In addition, a number of Seeds of the Fruit Of The World Tree, Yggdrasil, have been lodged within, and become acclimatised to the bearer of this miraculous bracelet, and through exposure to the Physical, Spiritual and Soul aspects of the bearer as they grow, the Seeds will be absorbed perfectly, the energies they carry adapting to the bearer. The purer the adaption, the greater the absorbed strength, and the Truesoul of the bearer will also strengthen.


    As the Seeds are absorbed, so too will be the Truesoul, leading to a greater resonant connection between the Truesoul of the creator and the bearer. The Favour within will also be changed and adapted by the Seeds, the Adherence and Soullight within mutating.


    The information my Eye could deliver now was significantly enhanced, and I felt perhaps I was close to another breakthrough. I suppose an Eye of Knowledge would grow when I learn new, shocking things. The information on the new strand of Truesoul I had picked up was also displayed, and it was largely the same, though the name was different...


    Siegrune¡¯s Giant-Hair Bracer Of Chaotic Wisdom [Item Class: Imperious][Item Type: Principle]


    There was an extra part to the information, as well as the Favour not being Tyr¡¯s, but Loki¡¯s! For a second I thought that was odd, as in most stories I had read, Loki was an antagonistic force to the other Norse Gods, but giving it a moment¡¯s thought, I realised that firstly, while there were obvious correlations between the myths and what Earth was experiencing now, I knew nothing about how the Pantheons actually worked, and secondly, considering Tan, her father Mara would certainly be considered an evil God, but he seemed to be part of his Pantheon without worries. Perhaps the Pantheons aren¡¯t simply a monolith, but the Gods within function as an alliance?


    Anyway, the amber letters flared, and I quickly absorbed the information revealed.


    This item has been significantly damaged, many Seeds extracted improperly, damaging the underlying strand of Truesoul belonging to Siegrune. Thus resonance while possible, is weaker. The Favour of Loki, Loki¡¯s Jo?rmungandr Fangs, has been destroyed, and only remnants of the Adherence and Truesoul linger within. The Seeds can be used to empower and strengthen, but as they have already been dyed by the Adherence and Soullight of the past bearer, the effect is unsuited to other subtle bodies, and thus the gain is unpredictable and prone to flaws.


    Makes sense. Again, it seemed to be why Ortlinde had left me with virtually nothing to start with. The greater the danger, the less I had already, the more easily adaptable to my needs the Seeds became. So I probably can¡¯t use these Seeds for my purpose, at least not yet. But now they are a proper part of me, through Sieglinde¡¯s strand of Truesoul, I can start adapting them to my needs...


    Checking the two Divine Favours I held, that of Taranis I took from that brat Donovan in London, as well as the new one I had wrenched free from the attacker here in the Material, I was pleased to confirm my suppositions. Yeah, these are also crafted from tiny shards or threads of Truesoul, likely from the Gods themselves. No wonder they aren¡¯t eager to give out too many or those too strong...


    It was like death from a million cuts. They seemed different to the Bracers, from what I could tell, the Truesoul from Favours was still attached more securely to the Gods, the resonance deeper. So, the majority return... in fact... are they even severed strands like the Valkyries did, or is their approximation simply made wrong from lack of a deeper understanding, or other factors?


    I didn¡¯t have any further time to consider, even with my accelerated thoughts going through all this in an instant, time was precious. Tan doesn¡¯t do her own Favours, but she knows enough to bind to Shiro. I had imagined it was just a linkage of their spiritual bodies, but now... I¡¯m almost certain there has to be a Truesoul bond too. So she must be knowledgeable to an extent...


    That aside, I addressed Adelheid, who was holding off the surviving Chosen of Dino¡¯s faction, while Midas was grinding his teeth in fury, deadly radiating waves of metallic dust pouring from him. Where they passed, Dino¡¯s forces perished, coughing up tainted froths of blood and internal matter, aether scattering as their bodies started to petrify to metal. ¡°Can you handle things here for a while?¡±


    ¡°Shit. Demanding an extra sausage again, are you?¡± Her smile was bitter, and her face was streaked with blood, but she nodded. ¡°Do what you need to, but you owe me! I don¡¯t forget!¡±


    With my new knowledge, my Eye could now see the Soullight and Truesoul within the spaces that simply appeared as absences to me before in the Favours. I was therefore more able to prevent Dino from fully Conquering it, and saw the connection between a Favour, the Territory Anchor and the bearer. I don¡¯t have long. If I try and fight it right now the Favour¡¯s just going to completely disintegrate...


    There was a lot to unpack, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Now was the time to act swiftly, but not in haste. ¡°Great, I may be asking for an extra sausage, but it¡¯s a meat feast on me when this is all done, order what you like!¡± With that I turned away, leaving a faintly red Adelheid shaking her head, a bitter scowl on her face.


    ¡°Shit. Shit. He said that on purpose! I¡¯ll be telling Frau Hinata about this!¡±


    My Chakra Network had been strengthened by the absorption of another Seed, and had Ranked up. That gave me another significant boost to my Statistics, as well as an overall improvement in my aether and elemental generation. But the second Seed had been more interesting. It had not only strengthened my crown Chakra, but thanks to the aid of the Valkyrie Rossweisse and her runes, it had been able to assimilate the adherence and spatial power of Godwin¡¯s Seven-League Boots, integrating it as a Skill rather reminiscent of those granted by Favours.


    Now the boots are just a nice pair, with no special powers. I feel a little sorry, since it was a treasure of the Tower of London, but... me having a power is better than relying on items. After all, items can be lost, broken or... my Eye glowed as I inspected the Favour I was struggling to trap. ...time to go. Lowering the barely stabilised Hermodike to the ground, I moved.


    Spatial element boiled, and I teleported. It wasn¡¯t the short hops I did with Void Motion, but I was suddenly three kilometres away, following the connecting glow of Soullight, and, ignoring the bitter pain in my feet, I fixed my gaze on the great hole that had been burned into the ground, a metre across, the edges shimmering with flecks of light, smooth like volcanic glass.


    Performance is good. I doubt I can get back to Japan with this Skill, but crossing hundreds of miles rapidly should be very possible. The new Skill, Seven-League Wings Of The Chooser, was at its heart a spatial technique which could send me a significant distance in a singe step. Ordinarily the cost of such in spatial element would run me dry in short order, but now a powerful adherence had been absorbed and integrated within me, and that reduced the cost to manageable levels, though the Geas had now also become the fuel. Fortunately my stats and Ether Healing were up to the task, but prolonged use would definitely lead to me needing to grow new feet.


    Without hesitation I threw myself down the recently charred hole, following the Soullight glow. As I fell, I chuckled at the last line of the Skill description. While it is a great honour to be swept up in Valkyrie Wings, and Chosen to be one of the true Einherjar, the bearer of this Skill wishes to arrive before those his wings enfold are slain, even at the cost of maddening pain. For Choosing life suits better than Choosing death, noble or otherwise.


    Damn right. Sometimes my Eye sasses me, but other times, it¡¯s spot on. My thoughts were scattered moments later, as a sudden howling gale of jade wind element surged, the glassy walls of the hole sliced apart into a maelstrom of glittering glass knives. I merely frowned, tanking them, my Brigandine starting to struggle to keep up with the damage, but I was beyond such attacks now.


    As I thought that, the smell of ozone filled the air, and lightning seared up at me. This attack was more dangerous, but in the narrow pit there was no room to dodge, so I countered by conjuring Prominence Dusk, sucking it in, the penumbra at my back crackling with dark energies, brilliant light illuminating the ground below. Moments later I dropped into a large cavern, looking like an underground hangar, the roof and floor connected by great stalactites and stalagmites.


    ¡°You¡¯re a persistent thorn in my fucking side...¡± Dino growled. He was barely a human now, a shifting figure of winds and lightning, but to my amusement I noticed that two of his fingers, those he¡¯d lost earlier, hadn¡¯t reformed. ¡°...I¡¯ve been planning for weeks to take down Khumo and Lola, gain the great strength for doing so, but... I got greedy and thought I could take you on as well. I wonder why? Everything was so perfect. I¡¯m normally more methodical.¡± His eyes shimmered with elemental energies, and with a gesture he swept his arm, the rock pillars around him shattering, bolts of aetheric light caught in a barrier of swirling winds, not unlike Shaeula¡¯s Emerald Wind Prison.


    ¡°Fuck, Khumo¡¯s a paranoid bastard. His bolthole is riddled with traps...¡± Lightning blazed, and in the distance a number of Defensive Emplacements were bathed in forking bolts of energy, before collapsing, the golden columns topped with the familiar crystals exploding.


    Waves of strange creatures were battling, though several more Agadzagadza¡¯s Spawn were ploughing through like living tanks, crushing the monkey-like defenders underfoot and belching venomous fumes that seemed to corrode whatever it touched. One Spawn hammered into another golden Building, and the gold tarnished as claws raked down it again and again, until it exploded, ether scattering, only to be absorbed by the struggling Territory.


    ¡°...but there¡¯s always a weak link. That idiot Nkosi claims to be a hunter, but me... I¡¯m a poacher.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a traitor.¡± I shook my head, and he laughed scornfully, winds blowing, echoing his voice around the cavern.


    ¡°Hardly. Khumo and me, we were just using each other. No matter how strong he is, he and his wife can¡¯t survive alone. The savannah and deserts are full of the bones of those who tried.¡± He sneered at my naivety. ¡°It¡¯s a weak will like that which will see you fall! You are wasting a precious gift. The Seeds are power!¡± He raised one hand, lightning flaring. ¡°And power should be used by those fit for it!¡±


    Back in the Material, Hinata was pacing restlessly. It had only been minutes, but she was deeply worried for Mayumi and her grandfather. Kazumi-san was trying to comfort her, while I was attempting to contact Aliyah and Trey, the phone ringing out.


    ¡°Akio, what do we do?¡± Hinata asked, panicked. ¡°This is such a mess...¡±


    ¡°I know. But we¡¯ve almost dealt with things here.¡± I reassured her. ¡°But they have been taken for ransom, so hopefully they shouldn¡¯t have been harmed. Anyway...¡± I looked at Hinata closely. ¡°It¡¯s time to make a decision.¡±


    ¡°A decision?¡± At my serious tone, Hinata was distracted from her worry and faced me, her brown eyes meeting my grey ones. ¡°What do you need from me?¡±


    She¡¯s a good girl. She immediately puts aside her pain and starts thinking of us, and how she can benefit me. I... have to repay that faith in me. No, not have to, I want to. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Do you want to be a Chosen? If so... I can leave you here without worry. But if you do take up this mantle...¡±


    ¡°I know. Like Kana, Eri, everyone else... I¡¯ll have to prove worthy of it.¡± Hinata nodded, understanding. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m much of a fighter, but Kana isn¡¯t either, and she manages. So... which Favour is suitable for me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this...¡± I finished up my complicated Chirurgery and crafting, combining my Skills. Using Midas¡¯ Favour as the base, I integrated what was left of Hermodike¡¯s Favour, and while the improperly integrated Seeds were a little awkward to work around, I believed that I could stabilise it fully later. ¡°Fortunately, while my adherence stocks are low, we have a lot of spare Favours to work with...¡±


    Hinata nodded at the implication, especially with our captured Chosen here. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but it¡¯s simply not possible to hold all of the Favours of those you¡¯ve beaten, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, the adherence drain simply scales up too fast. And now I think it might also overstress something else.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But I need adherence for a lot of things, like implanting and also repairing and shaping Favours, as well as hopefully saving Mayumi...¡±


    ¡°You can save her?¡± Hinata¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Oh... sorry, now isn¡¯t the time for that.¡± She changed the subject, though she was still pale. ¡°You get stronger when you break down Favours too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I agreed. ¡°Yeah, though since I¡¯ll be using the adherence and other bits for this, I won¡¯t see too many benefits. But having fought this mess of a battle alongside Adelheid, and against Dino and Midas... while we need Chosen, a few stronger Chosen are better than a lot of weaker ones...¡±


    Hinata nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes. I agree. There¡¯s definitely merit in having a number of Vassals, but...¡± Hinata sighed. ¡°You have too much to protect, and even being a Chosen is no guarantee of safety. So... I will be strong. But I won¡¯t do it at the expense of your other needs. Wealth, political power, influence... you still need more. This proves it.¡± She then swallowed. ¡°So, I hear this hurts, doesn¡¯t it? But... I¡¯m ready for it. Be... gentle, okay?¡± She gave me a tremulous smile, and I patted her head, before aether and adherence surged, as did soullight I had extracted from the collapsed Favours I was breaking down. I¡¯m stronger now, so I can safely hold three longer-term, maybe. Taranis can stay for now, but I¡¯ll have to pick the others carefully... anyway...


    Hinata felt a foreign energy enter her, and she paled, her body shaking. I tried to mitigate her pain as much as possible with Ether Healing, but the pain was on spiritual, or perhaps a soul level, so preventing it all was impossible. Still, connecting everything up was much easier now I could see more of the Favour and its workings, as well as the shadow of Hinata¡¯s deeper aspects.


    ¡°Hinata... stay strong!¡± Kazumi-san took one of her hands, while I held the other, and as I worked, Hinata sweating and aching, the Chirurgery only lasting a short time, but to her seeming like it took forever, Kazumi-san whispered into my ear, a tiny, almost inaudible buzz, trusting to my enhanced senses, so that Hinata couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Is there any I can use? I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s weak, or even useless. I need anything that will make me stronger. And... I¡¯ll take any other measure too. I hate being weak. I¡¯m a bodyguard and a friend. I know how Natsumi-san feels. Besides, if Hinata gets a Favour... I feel like I¡¯ll lose my purpose.¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s been shaken by this mess, as well she might be. But... With my eyes, I tried to express that she shouldn¡¯t be hasty, and she gave me a knowing look, before nodding. Moments later, I was done, and Hinata¡¯s eyes brightened, her body full of energy.


    ¡°This... this is Midas¡¯ Favour... and Hermodike¡¯s too?¡± She seemed shocked, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Not exactly. But... it¡¯s certainly close enough. It¡¯s now just this.¡±


    Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s Golden River Of Prosperity And Treasures: This Divine Favour is made from two paired Favours, though part has been stripped of its Truesoul connection. It has also been fortified by Seeds of the Fruit Of The World Tree, and through clever Chirurgery and Shaping of Adherence and Soullight, the benefits have been maximised while retaining as much strength as possible.


    Crafted from concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and Soullight infused Truesoul strands, this Favour can search out and find treasures, objects of spiritual significance, rich resources and exploitable wealth. Treasures and items can also be improved, and instincts and luck regarding such matters are sharpened to a high degree. Fortune significantly increases, Fate increases, and Charm also increases. In addition, this Favour bestows the Mutated Metal Elements Gold, Silver and Copper on the bearer, though due to the incorrectly applied nature of the Seed that enhanced the Metal Element, only a very small amount of Silver and Copper Elements are generated, and Gold Element is also significantly reduced from what it should be as compensation.


    If the Seed could be properly integrated, this downside could perhaps disappear. Just as Aje?-Shaluga brings prosperity and shelter, warmth and plenty, to hearth, home and relationships, so too shall the bearer of this Favour prosper and their family shall be wealthy beyond measure. Yet even Aje?-Shaluga could not predict that the Favour could be used this way. [Class: Legendary][Type: Law]


    Not sure why Charm increases, but... it turned out well. Hinata¡¯s... no longer weak. Though other than Aether, her Statistics haven¡¯t seen huge gains... but against ordinary people she¡¯ll be fine...


    ¡°I... Motoko and Natsumi will be jealous.¡± Hinata smiled guiltily. ¡°On their trip they didn¡¯t get anything, and they even conceded their chance to Miss Aditi to help out your political aims. But...¡± She was resolute, not allowing her guilt to rule her. ¡°They¡¯ll be happy for me. And so...¡± Hinata frowned. ¡°Huh... I smell a treasure. Quite a few in fact... a scarf of gold, some bangles and jewels...¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. Sadly though, they didn¡¯t help Hermodike when her Territory was usurped. We have to be very careful who we let inside our Territory. I don¡¯t want to get beaten this way, it¡¯d be humiliating, and would bypass a lot of my strength.¡± Although as I¡¯m not actually using the Favour... I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m definitely still linked to my Territory Anchor, so it¡¯ll still damage me, but I daresay I wouldn¡¯t be as crippled as Midas and Hermodike...


    Hinata was showing off, conjuring tiny specks of gold, before suddenly making a eureka face. ¡°My Pot Of Faerie Gold... I think I can make it less random... huh...¡± She blinked, before flushing guiltily. ¡°No, I can¡¯t get distracted. Mayumi. You can leave me here... you can run fast, right? Faster than a sportscar? It should only take you an hour to two to make it back to Cape Town. Though they could get away in that time...¡± Biting her lip with anxiety, my ringing phone surprised us all. Looking down, I was pleased to see it was Treyvon.


    ¡°Finally.¡± I said, only for his pained words to cut me off. On hearing that the situation was worse than bad, the two Chosen dead, Trey and Aliyah only alive because of Ixitt¡¯s emergency medicine and the enemy¡¯s fear of my retribution, I squeezed my phone hard enough for the screen to crack and metal to deform. No, it¡¯s time to calm down. I can do this.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± I hung up, before Trey could reply to my puzzling comment. Seeing that, Hinata looked hopeful.


    ¡°A minute? Not even you can do that. Though... can you?¡± she asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°I can. So... Hinata, I¡¯m leaving the Material aftermath to you. As for the Boundary...¡± My expression was grim as I approached the caged, weakening Dino, after helping myself to and destroying a couple of the less useful Favours his surviving minions had to top myself up. ¡°...I have to claim what we¡¯re due as compensation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata agreed with a wicked smile, covering her anxiety. ¡°I¡¯ve told you, always get what we¡¯re owed!¡±


    As Dino screamed, his Favour hewn from him, his body disintegrated, and due to the special nature of it, I didn¡¯t think much of his chances of his Material body surviving either. Despite that, I had little sympathy for him, only glaring at the last few Chosen. ¡°So, it¡¯s time to pay up. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fix you up enough to stand trial when I¡¯m done...¡±


    Meanwhile, after one final kiss with Hinata, in the Material I vanished, bounding over twenty miles in a single step, though my feet burned as they hit the dusty ground. Despite that, I moved again, once more leaping across Botswana, and with another couple of spatial enhanced steps, I was over the border and into South Africa, but my boots were filling up with blood. Fuck it. Doesn¡¯t matter. Feet can be regrown. Just push through it...


    With another step, and then another, even my newly plentiful spatial element was starting to diminish, it wasn¡¯t as efficient as Arisu-san¡¯s Room for transportation, probably as her Room was kind of like a portal, whereas I was moving myself. Speaking of Arisu-san, it should be time for the concert in Japan. I hope everything goes well, and my sis and everyone else are having fun... someone should be...


    Trying not to think about my disintegrating feet, I strode again, and again, and again, rapidly returning to the south, where I was going to show the last of Dino¡¯s minions the error of assuming that just because we Japanese were polite, reserved and didn¡¯t enjoy trouble, we could be threatened, pushed around and tormented...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Three

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Three


    With a grunt of pain, I completed another space-traversing step, coming to a rest outside the hotel we had been staying at, stumbling and crashing very painfully into a parked car outside. My feet were barely held together by strips of sinew, now mostly just bones, and blood was sloshing from my boots when I moved. Yeah, doesn¡¯t matter how tough I am, the adherence of the Geas is more than capable of overwhelming me... but...


    Ether Healing was working and given time I would make a full recovery. As the owner of the car, which seemed to be a police vehicle, panicked, leaping out and pulling a gun on me, shouting at me to stop, I raised my hands conciliatorily. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m with the guests here... though that may be hard to believe.¡± I looked down, seeing my ragged state. It had been thoroughly exhausting, using my new Skill to traverse the whole of South Africa in what was surely only minutes. Even with the greater production and efficiency of my spatial element, I was running on empty, only enough to make space travelling steps a few more times.


    So yeah, this Skill doesn¡¯t solve all my problems. At least not yet. Sure, I can get where I need to go fast, but if I had to make it back to Britain or Japan, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. Unless I Rank up the Skill and my crown Chakra of course. I¡¯ll work on it...


    The stress of using so many complicated Split Thoughts had likely strained me, as my thoughts were racing a bit, but back in the Boundary, I was finishing up dealing with Dino¡¯s followers, who had lost all hope seeing Dino vanish, his form of wind and lightning disintegrating. I was also further Healing Midas and Hermodike, making sure they would survive the Conquering of their Anchors and the subsequent removal of their Favours.


    Taking a deep breath, letting my Resilience calm me, I was about to speak, when I head a familiar voice, though the words were slurred and hard to understand. ¡°Watch... where you¡¯re... touching, jackass. I¡¯m fucking hurt...¡±


    Glancing over at the hotel, which was crawling with armed guards, the police as well as a small military detachment, the rich and important guests being ferried out by their own security, I could see Aliyah and Trey being carried out by an emergency medical team on stretchers. I felt relief when they were still alive, despite having spoken to her only a few minutes ago. Seeing is believing.


    ¡°I need to question you!¡± the Officer was saying. ¡°This is a restricted scene!¡± He pointed his gun at me, but I ignored him.


    ¡°Later!¡± I promised, rushing over. On seeing me, Aliyah cracked a smile, her expression wildly ghoulish with her face a ruin, teeth missing and one eye blind. ¡°You... don¡¯t look so good.¡± I managed, feeling rather guilty that she had to face Chosen despite not being one.


    ¡°No shit...¡± she managed. ¡°I bet... I look... better than...  I fucking feel. But... you ain¡¯t... got time to be here, jackass. The rich girl, her nai?ve... little bodyguard... and the old... man...¡±


    Trey, who looked in better shape, though he had clearly been battered and shot a number of times, his limbs all braced up, grunted his agreement.


    ¡°Aliyah¡¯s right. We¡¯re not dead, so... you can fix us, can¡¯t you? Get the hell out there and find them... letting kids die isn¡¯t right. Besides...¡±


    ¡°...they trusted... you¡¯d keep them... safe.¡± Aliyah managed, though the efforts exhausted her. The medics attending to her snapped at her to calm down and sleep, trying to administer anaesthetics to knock her out, but she cursed them to silence, before continuing, fixing me with her ghoulish ruined stare. ¡°...I know the old man... would say he¡¯s... used to kidnapping attempts... but... isn¡¯t this why everyone puts... you... in charge?¡± The long conversation seemed to exhaust her, and she squeezed her remaining eye shut, before forcing out a final few words. ¡°Prove you¡¯re... worth it, bastard.¡±


    ¡°What my sis wants to say is... do what you can, no regrets.¡± Trey managed, bringing a weary snort from his sister. ¡°This wasn¡¯t your fault, but... that doesn¡¯t always make it easier. Now... they can¡¯t have gone too far... you got back so quickly. No idea how. But... shit, if they¡¯re smart, they¡¯ll go to ground, hide...¡±


    I nodded, quickly pouring a little Healing into both of them. It wasn¡¯t enough to effect any major repairs, but it further pushed them out of danger and eased their pain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry...¡± My Eye blazed brilliantly, stronger than ever, the amber glow surprising the police and military around us. I could see the commanding Officer, who seemed to be in charge, with the hotel manager, and he was coming this way.


    ¡°...they can¡¯t escape me. They won¡¯t escape.¡± Pouring aether into my Eye, further strengthening it, I felt a brief wave of dizziness as it was like I was a bird of prey, with incredible visual acuity. I usually do this when I¡¯m stargazing with Eri... how I wish I was having that sort of fun now... It was harder on my brain, as I could also see through most ordinary obstacles, so the processing of visual data was abnormally high. Leaping up onto a nearby ambulance then up onto one of the ornamental trees that were planted on the approach to the hotel, I quickly clambered to the top, extending my visual range. There. Got you...


    I could see a non-descript four-by-four truck speeding towards the outskirts of Cape Town. In the back, only Ichijou-san was close to calm, Mayumi-san was pale-faced and hyperventilating, a woman with a cruel-looking face beside her, while Katana-san was tied up with what looked like industrial copper wire, one arm broken, her face swelling. I guess she tried to resist...


    There was a driver, as well as two strong-looking men, rounding off the passengers, and they were armed with guns. So I¡¯ll need to be careful... but again, at least they¡¯re alive. As the commanding Officer who was attending this incident shouted up to me, I ignored him, vanishing in a spray of purple motes of energy which quickly faded behind me like a shower of violet ashes, my recovering feet suddenly ripped apart again, bones cracking.


    Landing suddenly on the bonnet of a car travelling around sixty kilometres an hour was nothing to me, but I did worry for the passengers, especially Katana-san, who was injured. Fortunately they¡¯d all had Chirurgery, so even Ichijou-san was stronger than the average adult in their prime. I channelled aether, dispersing the force of deceleration, cocooning them, but the driver of the car wasn¡¯t so lucky, his head slammed forwards into the wheel, stunning him. The other ordinary thug was thrown forwards, seatbelt preventing him from taking injury, though he was dazed, and his gun fell free.


    The two Chosen obviously weren¡¯t halted, and the stone-faced woman, a hint of cruelty in her eyes, brandished a pair of brutal-looking scissors towards Mayumi-san¡¯s face. Mayumi-san was hollow-cheeked and with a dead stare, barely responsive, but as the woman declared ¡°Whoever the fuck you are, back off, or else I might...¡± I unleashed a precise barrage of light and wind elements. The scissors fell from her hands as her wrist was pierced, blood blooming, and her body was punctured in multiple other places, cutting important muscles and tendons, rendering her helpless. The back window shattered as my wind struck it, glittering shards of glass showering out into the night, surrounded by a citrine glow. The woman then went sailing out of the window, trailing streams of blood, hitting the pavement hard and rolling across the road with a pained cry and curses.


    The second Chosen was also targeted, but his skin was suddenly covered in a metallic sheen. It wasn¡¯t enough to fully prevent my focused beams of laser-like light from doing him injury, but metal liquefied and seared his skin underneath. My wind slammed him, but his weight was heavier than expected, so he merely hammered into the door, which buckled under the impact, rather than flying out of the vehicle.


    I can deal with that. Kicking through the cracked and pierced windshield, shattering it, ignoring the knifing pains in my feet, I grabbed the Chosen, driving into him like a spear. We crashed out of the car, and he landed below me, his metallic armour still shielding him from the worst impacts. His fists flailed at me, his face twisted into a rictus of pain due to the burns and craters my laser light had left on his skin, but I grabbed his wrists, my Eye glowing as my face twisted into a baleful expression.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gone after those of us who don¡¯t fight.¡± I warned. He tried to headbutt me, but my elbow cracked his metal plating, dazing him. ¡°Now... you have to pay for what you¡¯ve done...¡±


    Screams rang out as I quickly severed free his Favour, not paying too much care in how I dealt with his Chakra network. A quick pass of Healing to keep him alive, and he had fainted, metal skin vanishing. His injuries were suddenly severe enough to keep him in rough shape, but I had little sympathy for him, especially seeing the wretched state of Katana-san and Mayumi-san¡¯s withdrawn, terrified stare. I could see that Ichijou-san, with the experience of age, and the vigour of Chirurgery, was now trying to untie Katana-san now the opportunity presented itself.


    The woman had dragged herself to her feet and was swearing in a sulphuric mix of what was probably Afrikaans, English and some other native tongues. She could barely move, but her eyes were full of hatred as she scowled at me, and a surge of aether was rising, poisonous fog leaking from her mouth, nose and ears. Behind me, Ichijou-san cried out a warning. ¡°Be careful, Akio-kun! That smoke turns into deadly poisonous snakes, it killed my hired guards...¡±


    ¡°Too late!¡± the woman laughed, cackling madly, blood sheeting down her battered face, as she jerked and shuffled like a zombie. ¡°May Mamlambo bring you the misfortune you deserve!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a slow learner...¡± I observed, completely unconcerned. A jade typhoon surged around me, and the snakes of poisonous smoke were torn apart into a ball of compressed gas. I let a little leak out, and it burned the flesh of my finger I extended to it, but Ether Healing quickly adapted to it, restoring the corroding, blackening flesh to healthy pink in short order.


    Mamlambo¡¯s Brain-Eating Venom was what my body identified it as, and apparently it caused necrosis, swelling and fatal damage to the brain and nervous system. Though with my Ether Healing at the Rank it was, to me it was largely harmless. Seeing that, the woman snapped, howling and cursing, but moments later she was quiet, lying on the ground, rocking silently, as her Divine Favour was torn free, finishing this little skirmish.


    Turning back to the hostages in the wrecked vehicle, I paused for a second, as my Eye flared orange all of a sudden, letters scrolling across my vision, along with a strange feeling of... comfort. Setting that aside for a moment, I wrenched the door free from the vehicle, before grabbing Katana-san and lifting her clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, let me deal with this.¡± I glanced at Ichijou-san¡¯s hands, which were bruised where he had tried to use the fallen shears to cut the thick wire binding her. ¡°Here.¡± I let out Ether Healing, soothing his aches.


    ¡°I am not the one in need, Akio-kun.¡± He insisted. ¡°Ohta-chan here, she saw a chance when they were struggling to get us into the car and tried to help Mayumi escape...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry...¡± Wires flew free as I effortlessly sliced them apart, though not before wincing as every step I was taking, and even standing right now, was less than fun on bloody feet. ¡°I¡¯ve plenty left in the tank. So, just what happened? Trey and Aliyah are alive at least, but I¡¯ll have to take some time fixing them up...¡±


    I pushed Katana-san¡¯s broken arm into place, careful to numb her pain as much as possible. Bone knitted together and bruised and torn flesh began to regrow, the swelling in her face going down. I then frowned. ¡°Sorry, this will hurt for a second...¡± I reached into the surprised girl¡¯s mouth and gripped a tooth. With a sharp motion I pulled it free, and she yowled, even with the pain numbed. Moments later, her jaw began to itch, and slowly a new tooth was reconstructed, filling in the gap that was occupied by a broken molar.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful...¡± Katana-san muttered, looking at the broken tooth I was holding, which must have happened when she was hit. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t be so careless with a woman. Hinata-sama will scold you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d probably find it funny. Whether Shaeula¡¯s corrupted her, or she was like that before...¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not important. I¡¯m not going to leave you needing dental work, and when it comes to teeth, it¡¯s a lot easier to regrow a new one than fix a broken one. The same with Eyes... sadly...¡± Saying a silent prayer for Aliyah, I grimaced.


    ¡°I am glad they survived. They fought well and would have laid down their lives for us. Truly professional.¡± Ichijou-san approved. ¡°Unlike the Chosen Ichijou house unearthed. Hinata-chan was right after all. They truly were inferior to you, Akio-kun. But then, nobody is invincible. Your companions managed to kill one of the enemies, by working together and putting their lives on the line.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to give them a bonus, and I¡¯d love to give them a vacation, but... not just yet.¡± Katana-san had regained her colour, and was working her restored arm, spinning it in circles to check her range of motion was restored. Seeing me watching, she flushed a little, before carrying on the explanation.


    ¡°Ordinarily, there was no merit in risking Ichijou-sama and Mayumi-sama¡¯s safety by any reckless actions, but as we were taken away, I came to the conclusion that they wouldn¡¯t hurt them physically, due to wanting ransom and not wanting to provoke the Japanese too far. I would only have been risking retaliation on my own person, which I was more than prepared to risk.¡± she confided, her word choice and tone much more relaxed and informal with me than I had ever heard from the quiet, reserved, often male-dressed girl. It¡¯s not like I know her as well as Kazumi-san or Michiru-san, but... her attitude has changed.


    ¡°Mayumi-san...¡± She looked over at her charge, her face concerned, as Mayumi-san was still sitting there quietly. I had also knocked out the other ordinary thugs with precise flicks of wind, so there was no danger, but her quiet was... unnerving. If not unexpected. She¡¯s been through a traumatic experience, it seems...


    ¡°...she started to panic. She was calm at first, but that woman...¡± Katana-san turned and glared venomously at the fallen Chosen who I had robbed of her Favour. ¡°...couldn¡¯t resist taunting Mayumi-sama with those scissors, saying what she¡¯d like to do if the ransom wasn¡¯t paid, about how a finger or an ear or a nipple would make a wonderful enticement to pay up, and that she could snip off something else daily until the ransom was paid...¡± If looks could kill, the woman would certainly be dead from Katana-san¡¯s fury. ¡°When the moment came that they tried to bundle her into the car, I saw my chance. I reacted, but... it was useless. I¡¯m just not strong enough.¡± Her fury faded, now replaced by self-loathing. ¡°I was right, fortunately. They beat me, but even I have value as a hostage, it seems. Though they did threaten to hurt Mayumi-sama if I tried anything in future. In ways that wouldn¡¯t show up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t be hurting anyone anymore. They¡¯re done. You¡¯ll make sure of it, won¡¯t you Ichijou-san? Anyway, can you call a car to take you all to the hospital? I¡¯ll meet you there to make sure everyone is fine. I have a ... small matter... to deal with first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll handle it. This is an international incident. Another one. It seems you have either very terrible, or rather fantastic luck, depending on how you look at it.¡± Ichijou-san rubbed at his bearded chin idly, trying to regain his poise. ¡°Oh, and enough with the formality. Just call me uncle Kira. And I¡¯m sure Mayumi doesn¡¯t need a stuffy -san from you. I would say she¡¯s cute enough to be a -chan at the least!¡±


    ¡°Uncle?¡± I raised an eyebrow at his unusual request. Before I could comment on his advanced age, he snorted light-heartedly.


    ¡°Yes, while we are called the Three Grandfathers by the nobility, and it¡¯s a title of respect, I¡¯m as sprightly as a younger man, especially after your Chirurgery. Mayumi and my family won¡¯t be burning incense for me any time soon, so yes, uncle will do.¡±


    ¡°As for me... I see you as a fellow warrior.¡± Katana-san dipped her head in respect and thanks. ¡°You kept your word and saved us. So simply call me as you would a close friend. Though...¡± She paused for a moment, confused. ¡°You were in Botswana. How did you get back here? There¡¯s none of those Ring Gates here, is there?¡±


    ¡°And how¡¯s Hinata-chan?¡± Ichijou-san... no, Kira-san, I supposed, asked, concerned. ¡°I hope she¡¯s safe too?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, there was trouble, a lot of it, and things got messy. I think my dreams of squeezing in a few side trips before I go to America have died...¡± I sighed at that. Still, a certain retrieval of Egil Andersen¡¯s body and Seeds is better than a potential recovery from other locations. This has taught me I need to secure what I can and go from there. ¡°...I think we¡¯ll need Minister Morita-san in on this mess.¡± I said another silent prayer, this time to Morita Yuna-san, who was Japan¡¯s Minister for Spiritual Matters.


    ¡°That bad, huh? Worse than this?¡± He frowned, and I shrugged in response.


    ¡°Potentially. Though so long as we get out of the situation without any major international tensions it will have been worth it. Though we lost two Chosen over this mess...¡±


    ¡°Better we found out they were unreliable now, rather than when you weren¡¯t here to intervene.¡± Katana-san shook her head, coldly pragmatic, perhaps remembering their performance.


    ¡°Ohta-chan is right. It was a terrible experience, but... it worked out in the end. I always choose to look on the bright side. It¡¯s why I became a monk in my golden years. Not that I was able to stick it out. Too wedded to Earthly pleasures, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    As Katana-san laughed softly, Mayumi-san stirred, her thoughts seemingly rebooting. She blinked her brown eyes at us, before looking around, seeing the two Chosen who mentally tormented her lying beaten and broken on the road, the vehicle she was travelling in wrecked, with unconscious men inside. She shuddered, before gingerly clambering out, though her shaking hands betrayed her fear.


    ¡°She¡¯s Katana, grandfather! I gave her a perfectly good name!¡± Mayumi-san¡¯s voice was as bright as ever, though an octave lower, and the quaver in her words was another sign she was on the edge of panic.


    ¡°Maybe so, but... I think she¡¯d rather be Ohta-chan right now.¡± At his words, the bodyguard blushed, looking down. ¡°Anyway, Mayumi. Now isn¡¯t the time, but... let this be a lesson to you. No matter how old our family, and how influential, a madman with skill and strength can undo it all. Now more than ever. But...¡± Seeing his granddaughter¡¯s pale face, he relented. ¡°We can talk about this later. When things have... calmed down somewhat. Hinata-chan should be involved as well. Since she carries the same burden now.¡±


    ¡°Not quite the same.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Hinata... she can now protect herself.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kira-san understood from my words. ¡°A benefit indeed, but... problematic. Yes, poor Morita-san will have her work cut out for her. Anyway...¡± He made a call, and soon sirens were blaring, police and an ambulance coming our way. ¡°...you have business, you said?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± I advised. ¡°Then I¡¯ll regroup with you all at the hospital. We¡¯ll need a new hotel, anyway...¡±


    ¡°Are you... don¡¯t go!¡± Mayumi-san suddenly grasped my sleeve, face ghostly white. She seemed surprised she had, and was embarrassed, but her fear overwhelmed her. ¡°I... look, we could still be targeted!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just stepping away for a couple of minutes.¡± I gently disentangled her fingers from my arm. ¡°If there¡¯s any danger to you all, I¡¯ll stride back in a moment. Just like I did this time.¡±


    For a moment there was silence, Mayumi-san looking at her hand I had touched, face pink, before she nodded, and managed in a tiny voice. ¡°See that you do. Hinata... Hinata would be very sad were I to come to harm. I hope... you would be too, Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°It seems I lost. What a farce.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we were dancing on other¡¯s strings. There was another winner.¡± I pointed out, and Midas understood.


    ¡°I see. So, the spider herself strangled us. I should have known. We had traffic, I sometimes provided gold for... expenses... when they needed to secure untraceable goods.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing weapons and so on?¡± I asked, and he nodded, aggrieved.


    ¡°I would have preferred to partner with them over Dino and his bandits, but... she advised against taking what we offered. Not that we were antagonistic... I have no need to rule. But in the end, I was strong, but my wife... her power was not suited for struggle. I question Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s wisdom.¡±


    ¡°I get that. There are a few Favours I¡¯ve seen that don¡¯t seem a wise investment, but... actually, they can be surprisingly potent if used properly.¡± Like Minerva¡¯s Favour. Yes, Yasaka-san has almost no combat power, but... Skills can be learned, elements obtained... and with a Book that answers questions, all these opportunities can be grasped, as can the weaknesses of your foes... I daresay Hermodike had similar opportunities to leverage her gifts... ¡°It also seemed like you were meant to be a pair. But that doesn¡¯t matter. Like I said, that path is closed to you. Fortunately, Dino¡¯s group is wiped out, and it seems that Nkosi¡¯s forces aren¡¯t antagonistic towards you.¡±


    ¡°I have other enemies. But... I suppose at least the Americans will stop hounding us.¡± He glanced at Christina bitterly. She looked a bit unsure, and merely shrugged, so I offered my suggestion.


    ¡°If I sought further vengeance, it wouldn¡¯t sit right with me. I¡¯d have to kill your wife as well, as she¡¯s a part of this. But... I¡¯ve retrieved the Seeds...¡± And your Favours. ¡°... but don¡¯t misunderstand me. If Hinata had suffered harm, you¡¯d see just how forgiving I truly am. Now... since you¡¯ve managed to avoid the US agents for a while, you must have other safe houses? And I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve been squirreling away gold? You¡¯d have to be a fool not to.¡±


    Midas nodded. ¡°I hardly appreciate your tone, but you are right. Yes, we have gold hidden here and in other boltholes. We can survive.¡±


    ¡°Good. And your wife can still use the items you bequeathed her. So she¡¯s not as vulnerable as she appears. I suggest you both think very carefully about what¡¯s next, but if I were you, I¡¯d be lying low for the foreseeable future.¡±


    At my words, the two of them exchanged glances, before nodding. ¡°We will... discuss it.¡± Midas agreed, so I left them to it for now. Adelheid and Titan were both recovering their strengths after the hard battle, while Christina followed me. Once we were out of earshot, she leaned in close, though I managed to avoid her pressing her chest on me. She still seemed... strangely pensive and vacant, but she was making an effort to act the way she was when we first met. ¡°Go on then, you can tell gorgeous Miss Christina the truth. You have Midas¡¯ Favour, don¡¯t you? No way you¡¯ll let that one slip your grasp. Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be able to let them off so easily.¡±


    Am I so transparent? ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t.¡± I shook my head, and she laughed.


    ¡°Oh, lying by omission, I see. So, who did you give it too? Your young fiance?e, I¡¯m guessing?¡± she pressed, and since she was going to find out anyway, I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I put together both of their Favours, and Hinata was compatible. I guess you could say she¡¯s the new Midas now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d keep that from Adam.¡± Christina chuckled. ¡°Though now I want to study her abilities. Honestly, matter transmutation seems one of the more impossible, unscientific magics...¡± As she rambled on, Adelheid stalked over.


    ¡°Are we done then?¡± she asked, and I agreed we were.


    ¡°Great. This was horrible.¡± She scowled at the battlefield. ¡°I had enough trouble when people kept hunting me down in Berlin. But that was tame, compared to this. But I suppose we¡¯ve had a pig or two, considering the end result.¡±


    I cocked my head, not understanding, and she explained. ¡°It means to find good fortune. You don¡¯t say that in English or Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I laughed, my good humour returning. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why pigs are lucky, usually they just get made into sausages, right?¡±


    ¡°I never thought about it.¡± Adelheid shrugged. ¡°So what¡¯s next? Shit, I could use a holiday. I¡¯ve only been following you for a day or two and now this...¡±


    ¡°I think you might get your wish.¡± I sighed. ¡°This is likely to turn into a whole diplomatic issue, so we¡¯re likely to have to stay here a few days. But I daresay there¡¯ll be ample time for you to relax and enjoy yourself.¡± I emphasised the word and she smiled teasingly, looking like a little girl, her voice going singsong and high pitched.


    ¡°That¡¯s big of you, mister. I¡¯ll be sure to enjoy myself, along with your pretty girlfriend! But you¡¯ll give me some money, won¡¯t you? I want to buy some treats...¡±


    ¡°Stop that.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not a pervert you know, saying it like that makes it seem like I¡¯m bribing little girls. Besides, you¡¯re the one that keeps telling me you¡¯re not a kid!¡±


    She chuckled at that. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. Us Germans are positively renowned for our sense of humour. So... can we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, shortly. Hinata should be making arrangements to deal with our captives up above, and we just need to work out where Dino¡¯s survivors dived in from and have them arrested. Then...¡± I glanced at Midas, who was comforting his wife, and the scene made me sigh. Yeah, no point being overly vengeful. It wouldn¡¯t be good karma either... ¡°...you¡¯ve got quite the helicopter ride back again.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Adelheid snorted. ¡°You¡¯re already there. Though...¡± She glanced down at my feet, which were mostly healed but my boots were still smeared in silver and red blood here, mist faintly rising. ¡°On second thoughts, a nice helicopter ride sounds just delightful...¡±


    ***


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get over that.¡± Aliyah touched her face, which despite her rich, dark chocolate skin tones was oddly pale from the pain, even mitigated, of having her ruined eyeball and defunct teeth scooped out by my expert hands. Blinking her refreshed blue orb, she grimaced. ¡°If nothing else, that¡¯s one hell of a power.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, sis. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything to be so shocked about, is it? I mean...¡± He nodded over at our guests, Miss Lindiwe and her father, who were here to apologise, since they held themselves responsible for Dino¡¯s rampages, considering he came to their party uninvited. Not that they could have stopped it.


    ¡°...didn¡¯t he cure her aggressive cancer? It¡¯s all the same, flesh, bone, blood...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for some reason in stories, Healing doesn¡¯t replace lost blood. I¡¯ve no idea why. It doesn¡¯t seem logical.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Oddly enough, the actual hardest part was fixing the lingering problems Ixitt¡¯s salve caused. Nasty stuff. But it did help keep you alive, so I¡¯ll count it as a win. But I won¡¯t be using any.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can handle pain, if I have to. Don¡¯t like it though.¡± Trey agreed. At that, Aliyah snorted, and they started bickering about their past experiences about getting shot and stabbed, and Aliyah mocked Trey for ¡®bawling like a bitch¡¯ when a bullet was dug out his bottom. He shot back by saying she cried like a little girl the first time she got knifed in the ribs, and Aliyah snorted, the sound like ripping cloth.


    ¡°Fuck you, Trey! We all know I¡¯m the toughest of us, I mean, all my scars are badges of honour. They¡¯re impressive, right?¡± she asked me, and I nodded, before we realised Trey was silent, before he sighed, slapping his head.


    ¡°Bragging about how Akio¡¯s seen every inch of your body again, sis?¡±


    Aliyah realised that was what she had implied, and she looked embarrassed and horrified for a moment, before growling menacingly. ¡°I told you about that in fucking confidence when I was under duress, bastard! Besides, you¡¯re just jealous that he¡¯d ogle me and not you. You don¡¯t have the tits and ass for it bro, and you have a few dangling bits too much for his taste!¡±


    Seems she¡¯s decided it¡¯s her brother¡¯s fault rather than mine. Well, that¡¯s good... I went over to the TV and turned it on. This was one of the best rooms in the best hospital in Cape Town, so the TV could get programmes from America, Europe, all of Africa, China, and of course Japan. Since it was getting on for five in the afternoon in Japan, the charity concert had been in full swing for a while, but I was curious, so after some fiddling with the channels, we brought up the coverage. I don¡¯t recognise the group dancing right now, but... I of course recognised the host, Arisu-san, who was looking absolutely stunning. Chosen don¡¯t really need makeup as their skins are usually perfect, but she¡¯s wearing a little, applied with great talent. Instead of her usual black or red gowns, she was wearing a white and gold dress, a little daring but not too showy, elegant lace sleeves and chest piece keeping it from being overly revealing.


    ¡°She¡¯s one fine looking woman...¡± Aliyah stopped arguing with her brother to admire her on the TV. ¡°Though she¡¯s certainly not my type. I don¡¯t like the cold ones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... Arisu Arisugawa, isn¡¯t it?¡± Miss Lindiwe asked, having seen our interview when it was broadcast internationally, making FujiTV famous internationally, and quite the sum of money. Though Arisu-san hasn¡¯t forgiven the executive... I think his name was Miyauchi Masaki... for breaking his agreement with her. Nor the hosts that interviewed us. I know something¡¯s going on behind the scenes there, but I haven¡¯t had time to ask about it. It¡¯s not really in my wheelhouse, anyway...


    ¡°It is indeed.¡± I agreed. ¡°She¡¯s a friend of mine, and best friend of one of my fiance?es. She¡¯s also a powerful Chosen in her own right. And really, this is her comeback, to show the world she was wronged and betrayed. So... I¡¯m sad I¡¯m not there to see it.¡± I grinned then, remembering. One advantage of being able to mentally communicate with Eri whenever I want is I can find out how things are going. Eri¡¯s not that excited about the concert, not like my sis, Yae and Rika-chan, nor Kana and her friends, but... she is being productive. Apparently she and Daiyu are paying special attention to potential idols for Daiyu¡¯s Sect. I still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re going to end up with a group of Cultivators that are mostly famous idols...


    ¡°Fortunately...¡± I continued. ¡°...there¡¯s plenty of us there to support her. Shiro will be there, along with the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Miss Lindiwe smiled. ¡°But, as for your situation... I apologise again.¡±


    ¡°As do I.¡± Her father, Mr Mandla approximated a contrite, Japanese-style bow. ¡°I do hope this doesn¡¯t sour things between us. My daughter lives thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tough for you to face down Chosen, I don¡¯t blame you for failing. Just so long as you keep your agreements with us. I¡¯ll handle pushback from Nkosi and his crew.¡± After they caught me in their schemes, I¡¯ll not let them interfere with us any further.


    ¡°That would be... appreciated. Gone are the days when money solves all these sorts of problems, it seems.¡± Mr Mandla laughed nervously. ¡°Anyway, I have explained on your behalf to the military and the National Director of Public Prosecutions, many of the dignitaries at our gala have responded with support as well. The calls from Miss Hinata helped a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can imagine.¡± Hinata was busy on the flight, though she¡¯d be here soon. She had been making calls, trying to stabilise the situation, cashing in favours and promises made to her at the gala. Kira-san had also pulled strings, and with the support of the British Ambassador, and soon to be our Japanese one, once he arrived, we¡¯d be able to make some headway.


    ¡°I do hope this doesn¡¯t colour your impression of South Africa. I would hate that.¡± Miss Lindiwe apologised again. ¡°It¡¯s a fine country, and with good people. It¡¯s just... things have changed.¡±


    I waved away her apologies, and I didn¡¯t blame them. The hotel, I was less lenient with. Obviously, they were totally unable to stop armed men and Chosen busting in, but... they didn¡¯t even try, leaked our room number, and delayed calling the authorities. Those responsible, no matter how coerced, had to be held responsible, and I knew Kira-san would be extracting compensation.


    ¡°In that case, you know where we are if you need anything. Anything at all.¡± Mr Mandla bowed again, before retreating, Miss Lindiwe promising to return when Hinata was back, and also expressing a hope that Mayumi-san would be feeling better soon. I assured her she was just tired from her ordeal, and as she left, Aliyah snorted again.


    ¡°No shit. It¡¯s enough stress to really make a kid exhausted. But... she¡¯s tougher than she looks, I reckon. Maybe it¡¯ll be a wakeup call for her? Rich girl thought she was the centre of the world. Plenty of folks like that in the good old US of A, for sure.¡± As Trey nodded understandingly beside her, she made her point. ¡°Sure, she might have understood she was in danger of being kidnapped, on an intellectual level, but she always believed in her security. But nothing¡¯s certain in life. Now it¡¯s happened, and she¡¯s watched her security die in that horrible way, and watched us get our asses kicked... though we did kill a fucker...¡± Since she seemed to want praise for that, I gave it generously, and she grinned, proud. ¡°...it¡¯s shaken her world view, and her feelings of safety. She¡¯s one of the lucky ones. She¡¯s only got mental scars, and she¡¯ll get over it in time. You¡¯ve got that ghost girl, Haru, who can help too. But... it changes a person, seeing the ugly side of the world up close.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve fought in many countries. And we¡¯ve seen some shit that makes me question whether God exists. I can understand killing for power, for wealth, even for honour... but some bastards take pleasure in it. That Anja chick was like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s why I don¡¯t like mean women.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°Her and her damn scissors, she got off on threatening the girl. Of course, you put paid to that. Good fucking job. But our point is... she realised that she can¡¯t rely on being Mayumi Ichijou to keep herself safe anymore. And her family name don¡¯t count for shit when the scissors come cutting, her flesh bleeds just as easily as a common girl from the slums. So... it¡¯s a shock. She¡¯ll either grow from this, or she¡¯s hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I nodded, understanding her viewpoint. ¡°Hinata won¡¯t let her break, and she¡¯ll force her to confront reality. That¡¯s what friends are for, right?¡± I winked, and Aliyah laughed, back in good humour, now her injuries were Healed. Though she did insist I left a couple of the new scars. She¡¯s an odd woman, is Aliyah. I thought women all wanted smooth, unblemished skin. They were all in places easily hidden by her clothes, though...


    ¡°No shit. Anyway, Trey and I need our rest, we went through hell out there, waiting for you to run your ass back here. And we ain¡¯t answering any questions the cops ask until we¡¯re good and ready. You¡¯ve got things to do, so scram. We¡¯ll watch this concert of yours...¡± She pointed to the TV. ¡°...Asian girls are growing on me. I¡¯ve always liked them cute. Some of those outfits are damn nice. Anyway... can you at least get us some beers? I¡¯m convalescing!¡±


    ¡°This is a hospital, sis!¡± Trey protested, and she smirked.


    ¡°The best hospital. And we¡¯re only still in for checks, and to make sure that the bastards who attacked us get nailed by the law good and proper. Getting the pre-Healing injury reports was a great call.¡± She enjoyed the thought of her enemies getting what was coming to them. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t bullshit me, Trey. You want booze too, I know it. We always used to get hammered when recovering from injuries back at the Black Wolf base.¡±


    ¡°I admit, it sure would be nice to have something a bit stronger right about now. I¡¯m feeling a touch wistful.¡± He agreed.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll have some booze sent up, some food too.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Aliyah shook her head at me, though it seemed off, as her hair beads had been taken out at the hospital, and her frizzy hair was now hanging down rather straighter than usual, framing her face. ¡°...like we said, you¡¯ve got places to be. Just don¡¯t forget the damn booze!¡±


    As I left, shutting the door behind me, leaving them watching the concert and chatting, hearing the casual chatter that clearly showed they were used to surviving life and death struggles, I smiled, heading for the room where Mayumi was sleeping, Katana-san, no, Ohta-san, as I didn¡¯t want to treat her just as a bodyguard, watching over her. I¡¯ll just look in on them, check everything¡¯s okay, and then... ugh, time to deal with more international politics... I can¡¯t say I¡¯d rather have Mayumi-san and Hinata in danger, but I prefer honest battle to this sort of diplomatic skirmish. Shaking my head wryly, amused at how much I¡¯d changed, I sought reassurance from Eri, who began regaling me with some tales from the concert...

 Side One Hundred And Seventy-Nine – Oshiro Sapphire Aiko

    Side One Hundred And Seventy-Nine ¨C Oshiro Sapphire Aiko


    ¡°I can¡¯t get over how nice this mansion is.¡± Rika-chan was saying, as she helped herself to rice balls from the steaming pile in the centre of the table. Several maids were cooking, a mixture of human staff and weaselkin sent over to the Material by Nie Ling, and it was quite the surreal sight for my guests from Nishimorioka. Of course, I¡¯ve got used to it now! It makes me feel superior, but I guess that¡¯s not fair.


    ¡°That building over by the shrine is nice too, but this... this is just awesome. If I¡¯d have known you were going to get so rich, Ai-chan, I¡¯d have been your friend earlier!¡± Rika-chan finished.


    ¡°Not saying you should have made a play for Aki?¡± Yae-chan snorted. Aki. She still calls him by that nickname, despite Eri telling her to stop. It¡¯s kind of cute, and also really pitiful. Now I¡¯ve got to know Rika-chan and Yae-chan better, despite their flashy exteriors, they¡¯re friendly girls. But... it¡¯ll take far more than just being somewhat cute and nice to attract my bro now. Honestly though... if Eri didn¡¯t exist, and my bro was just an ordinary guy, I wouldn¡¯t be so upset if he had a girlfriend like Yae-chan. He was always so reserved and self-effacing. A more outgoing girl like her would have been perfect. Of course... life hasn¡¯t worked out that way.


    ¡°Now Ai-chan¡¯s smiling at me!¡± Rika-chan pouted. ¡°You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t get him out of your head. I know my limits! I¡¯m not prepared to fight a losing battle. Though I¡¯ll admit... my standard for guys has gone up a lot these past few months...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not smiling at you.¡± I teased. ¡°And you¡¯re smarter than you look, Rika-chan! The battle for my bro is like a circle of tigers and dragons, as Daiyu might say. Best to stay clear of it. You¡¯re a woman who¡¯s got potential. With Chirurgery and the training I¡¯ve given you, you¡¯re ahead of the game in this new world.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound convincing coming from you.¡± Yae-chan sighed. ¡°You¡¯re a second generation Chosen, so you can look down on us.¡±


    Second generation? Seeing my puzzlement, Yae-chan smirked triumphantly, idly winding a finger in her messy bleached blonde hair. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t get it to start with, like the first generation, you were gifted it, hence second generation. I just thought it made sense.¡± As I nodded, thoughtful, she continued. ¡°Besides, you should be nicer to me, Ai-chan! After all, it was me who had the first real date with your brother! I could sell my story for a fortune, the first girl to date the Hero of Britain, Saviour of South Korea! I won¡¯t though, I¡¯m not a girl who would kiss and tell!¡±


    ¡°I know there were no kisses to tell on, though you did try.¡± I narrowed my eyes, equal parts amused and exasperated. ¡°Besides, considering you¡¯d be admitting to being the one girl my bro¡¯s been on a date with who didn¡¯t end up winning his heart, not sure I¡¯d be bragging about that!¡±


    Yae-chan shrugged, before clutching her chest theatrically. ¡°You wound me to the quick, Ai-chan! That¡¯s a low blow. I can¡¯t disagree though, it kind of stings...¡±


    Feeling a little sorry at her genuine discomfort, I offered an olive branch. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Like I discussed when I picked you up from Nishimorioka, if you have the genuine drive to make an effort, there¡¯s a way to at least give you a shot. Not sure if it¡¯ll work out, but... speak to Shiro later, okay? Assuming she¡¯s not hungover, she¡¯ll help. But that¡¯s for after the concert. Are you both as hyped as I am?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Rika-chan laughed. ¡°Not only do we get to see AKB0048, Red and White, and more... we actually have full VIP backstage treatment! I¡¯d have to be dead not to be excited, and if I was, I¡¯d rise from the grave to go!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Yae-chan also nodded fiercely. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame Aki isn¡¯t here too.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I agreed. ¡°Bro wanted to be, but he¡¯s always so busy. Even with two of him he¡¯s always working full-tilt. But at least Eri says things are in hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s both an enviable and terrible gift.¡± Yae-chan mused. ¡°Sure, being able to talk mind-to-mind with the person you love any time you want would certainly make you less lonely, but... it¡¯s also a little scary too. What if they break up? Oh, what am I saying, Ri-Ri would never leave Aki. If times were normal and he was a cheating husband who got caught out, Ri-Ri would forgive him. Though I¡¯d also worry she¡¯d say something like ¡®we should die together!¡¯ and go for a murder-suicide!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not that bad.¡± I laughed. ¡°Though I guess when you see her in her YandEri mode, you might think it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, maybe I should get my axe and show you just how scary I can be?¡± The familiar voice of Eri echoed behind us, and we turned to see Eri had come in, followed by Daiyu. ¡°Good morning, Rika-san, Yae-san. Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just the sort of girl who lets her beloved cheat on her, then cooks dinner with a smile.¡± Her grin was a little dangerous, but I knew she was teasing. I think, anyway. Eri¡¯s far more expressive than in the past. More stable as well. Except when she snaps...


    ¡°I greet you all.¡± Daiyu bowed in martial arts fashion. She was neatly dressed in a white Chinese-style robe as usual, but in deference to the day, she was also wearing a pair of green leggings underneath, more fashionable shoes rather than her usual workmanlike flat ones, and she was also wearing a green shawl, and rather nice jade earrings, hairpins and a pendant.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s so cute!¡± Rika-chan gushed, seeing Daiyu. ¡°Like a perfect doll! Akio-kun¡¯s a sinful man!¡±


    ¡°I think Ri-Ri¡¯s changed too.¡± Yae-chan remarked. ¡°I think this every time I see you, but you¡¯ve grown prettier. Now... there¡¯s an air about you. Dark and mysterious. It¡¯s kind of cool.¡±


    Eri nodded, helping herself to some breakfast. ¡°It makes sense. After all, I¡¯m a... second generation, you said, yes?¡±


    ¡°You heard all that?¡± Yae-chan flushed. ¡°I... uh, meant it in a positive way, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Sure you did. But you¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t very well adjusted. If Akio married me and we lived a normal life, he probably would have cheated on me, and my forgiveness would have been equally heavy and just pushed him away further. Now... I know that love isn¡¯t just one sided. Anyway, enough of that. It¡¯s a boring topic.¡±


    ¡°So, are you looking forward to the concert?¡± Rika-chan was asking Daiyu, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I have little interest, though... I shall be there as Matriarch to my new disciples, and to scout further suitable candidates. To become a Cultivator requires rigorous discipline both mentally and physically, and much hard, repetitive practise. I had thought those who could accept such were rare, but it seems that these idols, as they are called, have the dedication, if properly harnessed.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you talked about that, didn¡¯t you Ai-chan?¡± Rika-chan gushed, before looking at Eri with a greatly amused expression. ¡°Speaking of cheating... It must be a bit of a worry when Kanzaki-chan declared on national television that Akio-kun was her ideal man, then he saved her in a daring rescue, and now... she¡¯s hanging around here, being trained. I mean, she¡¯s not the most famous of AKB0048, but her popularity is soaring, especially with girls. I mean, she¡¯s an idol! Every guy dreams of being the one to tame an idol, right?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re focusing on the wrong thing, Rika-san.¡± Eri rolled her eyes. She was also neatly dressed, ready to go out despite the early hour, wearing jeans and a fluffy jumper, though she¡¯d made the effort to wear a little jewellery my bro had bought her, which was unusual for Eri, she never really cared much for finery. ¡°You think that Shaeula or Shiro aren¡¯t famous? In fact, soon we¡¯ll all be in the public eye. I... wasn¡¯t confident before, but now I truly have the strength to stand beside Akio, protect him, my family, all of us... so... I¡¯ve nothing to hide. Idols? They¡¯ll wish they were as popular as us!¡±


    I snickered at Eri¡¯s bold declaration, but it was just like her now. No hesitation. She knows where waiting and wishing gets her. Nowhere, that¡¯s where. ¡°True, but Keiko-chan is very nice. The others too. I like them. And if they work hard with Daiyu, that¡¯s a good thing for us and them.¡±


    ¡°First name basis... that¡¯s awesome. Do you think they¡¯ll be friends with us too?¡± Rika-chan asked, and Yae-chan rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Who knows? But it¡¯s not just us going, is it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed. ¡°Kana-chan and her friends, as well as some trainees from the school are coming too. Then there¡¯s Shiro and my bro¡¯s uni friends. I think...¡±


    Daiyu nodded at my inquisitive look. ¡°Yes, I shall be bringing Eui. It will do her good not to dwell on her sorrows. Though I have few complaints. She is an extremely hard worker, for she understands that power is the only guarantee of safety in this world.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Heavy topic. Well, let¡¯s change the subject...¡± Yeah, this is a light-hearted, happy day. Bro may be off doing some scary stuff, but... Eri would know if he was truly in trouble, and he wouldn¡¯t want to ruin our enjoyment...


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m just myself. Shirohime doesn¡¯t need to change for anyone, people have to change for me. Aki did.¡± She smirked slyly. ¡°Though Eri would disagree, wouldn¡¯t she Aiko?¡±


    ¡°Sure would. So... who else is coming? I know Kana-chan and her friends and most of the trainees are coming direct from Shirohebizumi and meeting us there.¡±


    ¡°Tsuki and Asha don¡¯t have any interest. They¡¯ll be spending the day with your parents, Aiko, as well as the others. Shopping, eating out, having fun... good luck to them. As for Motoko and Natsumi, they aren¡¯t really interested either, but they might show up, depends how busy they are. As for Shaeula...¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Of course she wouldn¡¯t miss it, she¡¯s a huge otaku Faerie weasel. What a combination. She¡¯ll be going along with you girls, added security if nothing else. Aki¡¯s still quite worried about his Foresight, so everyone has to be guarded. It¡¯s why Hyacinth is accompanying Tsuki and the crew, and I¡¯ll be with the older group at the concert.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. No repeats of Kyoto.¡± I agreed firmly.


    ¡°Great, so anyway...¡± Shiro stretched her legs, clad in slender white jeans like usual. In fact, she usually only wore other colours like purple and red when out with my bro. ¡°...I suppose I best think about leaving. But before I do, I¡¯d best wake up our sleeping princess.¡± As Shiro vanished upstairs, I let Rika-chan and Yae-chan watch some TV. It seemed to be a struggle for Shiro, as twenty minutes passed before she came down alone, a wry expression on her stunning face.


    ¡°She¡¯s hitting a shower. She¡¯ll be ready when you are, have no fear. Her friend Ichika will be meeting you there as well. She¡¯s a bit gloomy, but don¡¯t hold that against her, okay?¡±


    I nodded, remembering the woman, she was doing some part-time work around the shrine for my bro. It was then the doorbell chimed, and on going to it, I saw one more of my bro¡¯s employees there. Hashimoto-san, right? His daughter¡¯s Sana-chan. She¡¯s also doing some very basic part-time work after school at the shrine sometimes now... I then paused, surprised. Wait, there¡¯s another one?


    Sana-chan had a very distinctive appearance. Unlike the gal fashion of Rika-chan and Yae-chan, which was flashy enough, and a bit wild for my tastes, Sana-chan was a gyaru, which took it further. Rather than a little hair bleach to go blonde and some makeup and accessories, as well as wearing skirts a little too short and tops a touch too low cut, gyaru fashion emphasised heavy makeup, tanned skins, loud hair and clothes that did trend towards the revealing, though also in a sexy, fashionable way. They didn¡¯t have the best of reputations, but judging by reputation was stupid anyway. Sana-chan¡¯s a nice enough girl, the sort you can find anywhere.


    Indeed, today she was wearing a pink low-cut shirt, with sparkling sequin patterns on the sleeves and chest area, as well as a cute purple boa-style scarf, which she could use to cover herself. It was paired with a white lace skirt that puffed out, showing off her thigh socks. Her dark-blonde hair was styled neatly with bright pink highlights, and her tanned face was accentuated by rather loud eyeshadow, lipstick and other powders, making her seem older and more mature. Honestly, I¡¯d feel a fool dressed like that, but she¡¯s fine, if you ask me. Though Hashimoto-san might not agree. It¡¯s a look for a university girl, maybe, rather than a highschooler.


    In fact, he looked rather troubled. Despite that, I asked them to come in. I glanced at the second girl, who I didn¡¯t know. She too was in full gyaru style, though her makeup was cracking a bit, her face screwed up as if she wanted to cry, which was odd. I mean, she¡¯s pretty enough. Not as cute as me, or Rika-chan or Yae-chan, but... plenty of boys would be interested in her.


    She had her hair tied up in a large ponytail, and it had been dyed, by the looks of it, and was now a loud pink. She was wearing a tight dress, low cut and short, with a vivid leopard print pattern, and she had paired this with fishnet tights, leaving a gap visible between those and the skirt, and her height was boosted by a pair of bright pink heels. On seeing us looking, she shivered, before biting her lip and glowering at Sana-chan, as if she hated her. Seeing that, Hashimoto-san seemed to shrink in on himself.


    Noticing his worry, Sana-chan sighed. ¡°Stop that dad, this has totes nothing to do with ya, feel me? Ikeda-san was the one who brought this on herself. She should be thankful she¡¯s getting to go backstage and see some idols, getting the real VIP treatment, ya get it?¡± She paused, scratching at one cheek shyly. ¡°Like, I¡¯m totes getting an upswing of respect for ya, recently. Don¡¯t blow it by being a doormat for mom. She¡¯s over ya, move on.¡±


    There¡¯s a story here. Seeing the tense situation, I offered them refreshments, and Sana-san cheerfully agreed, while the girl, Ikeda-san, asked for water in a quiet voice. Hashimoto-san declined though, as he was apparently here to take Shiro to the Tokyo Dome, and then he¡¯d be back to take us all later. Overtime for my bro, apparently. Though he seemed happy enough as his daughter was going.


    ¡°Mom won¡¯t forgive you for this.¡± Ikeda-san spoke suddenly, glowering at Sana-chan. ¡°Forcing me to dress like a whore. I hate you, you¡¯re a bad girl!¡±


    I frowned, not liking that language. Before I could speak, Shiro came out, ready to go, followed by Shaeula, her hair still damp, wearing her usual orange yukata, who narrowed her amber eyes at the cursing. Seeing the two new arrivals, Ikeda-san¡¯s mouth dropped open, and even under the fake tan and makeup I could see she was flushed.


    ¡°Oh, so you-you are the one who made the promise with Sana, are you not-not?¡± Shaeula queried grumpily, and Ikeda-san managed a nod, her head bobbing like it was on a rusty spring.


    ¡°I did, but...¡± she protested, only to freeze as Shaeula¡¯s expression hardened. Changing the subject, she managed a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Ikeda Aya, Sana-chan¡¯s sister. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, and an honour. I saw you both on the TV in London.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my sister, I¡¯ve told ya a million times.¡± Sana-chan snapped. ¡°If mom wants to get remarried, more power to her. Dad was kind of lame back in the day...¡± Hashimoto-san winced at that. ¡°...but just because your dad married my idiot mom, that don¡¯t make ya my sister, ya feel me? Especially not the way you called me a prostitute and a slut and told mom I was selling my body to old men.¡±


    At that, I frowned. That¡¯s a really nasty thing to say...


    ¡°But you dress like a tramp, Sana-chan...¡± Ikeda-san tried to defend herself. ¡°...and you skip school a lot, and stay out late...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t like this.¡± Rika-chan and Yae-chan exchanged glances. ¡°In fact...¡± Yae-chan continued. ¡°...it¡¯s stereotypes like that which can really hurt, you know? We get that sometimes, don¡¯t we Rika?¡±


    Rika-chan nodded. ¡°Yeah, guys think we¡¯re easy, or girls think we¡¯re bitches, just because we like to dress a bit cute and flashy. Sure, gyaru style is a little more than we like, but... I think you look cool, Sana-chan!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± she blushed. ¡°You girls are cute as hell too, ya feel me?¡±


    ¡°I do not-not approve.¡± Shaeula fixed her gaze on Ikeda-san, who was torn between asking for an autograph and being ashamed. ¡°But that is no-no matter. What does matter is, you made a wager. I have been told of this. And given word and gambles are sacrosanct. You will not-not be allowed to shirk it. So... today, you must go around proud-proud of your looks, without hiding. Are we clear-clear?¡± Her tone brooked no disagreement, and Ikeda-san nodded weakly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡± Sana-chan snickered. ¡°You¡¯re showing off a little, but you ain¡¯t that slutty. If I was the bitch you say I am, I¡¯d have wagered you had to do what you accused me of, not just dressing up. But I¡¯m not that cruel, to you or the poor guys looking for action.¡±


    I had to stifle a giggle at her catty meanness. It was quite funny.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Sana-chan continued. ¡°I just want ya to leave me alone to get on with my own life. Is that so wrong? I¡¯m no slut, I have a part-time job, which is more than you do. Walk a mile in my shoes, and maybe ya will get it. I don¡¯t want an apology, ya wouldn¡¯t mean it anyway. Just... face up to it. Ya hurt my feelings, and it wasn¡¯t cool.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Hashimoto-san apologised. ¡°I know that she¡¯ll be angry, but I¡¯ll speak to your mother.¡± He promised the girls.


    ¡°I¡¯d leave it.¡± Shiro spoke up, having understood the situation from their interactions and also from hearing about the wager before. ¡°It¡¯s just two girls having a fight. No big deal. Now...¡± Shiro looked at Ikeda-san with her mysterious, dark eyes, leaving her in awe. ¡°...I hate nothing more than girls who lie and slander other girls. You think I haven¡¯t had my share?¡± She looked mournful for a moment. ¡°So, today you¡¯ll be nice, and fun, and make sure everyone has a good time. Besides...¡± Shiro smirked, and I was reminded she was rather boyish in some of her humour. ¡°...maybe you¡¯ll enjoy dressing that way? I bet you¡¯ll get more guys calling out to you.¡±


    ¡°I... okay.¡± Ikeda-san nodded, defeated, before steeling herself. ¡°But... can I have your autograph? Yours too, Dannan-san.¡±


    Shaeula grunted. ¡°Very well-well, but I echo what Shiro advised you. Do not-not merely embody the words you spoke, but also the spirit in which they were offered. Even if you keep-keep the letter of your promises, if you cheat the spirit, you only-only hurt yourself. I learned this lesson the hard-hard way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡± Sana-chan agreed, though she was clearly amused by the desperation her stepsister had in trying to get autographs from the girls. ¡°Anyway, I totes told ya I knew them. I¡¯m not smart, but I ain¡¯t a liar, I wish ya would learn that. Anyway, if ya want the maid¡¯s autograph...¡±


    ¡°I do, I do!¡± Ikeda-san nodded rapidly, and Sana-chan giggled.


    ¡°Fine. I won, so I¡¯m not a graceless bitch. Can ya sort that out?¡± Sana-chan asked me, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± As I went to find Hyacinth, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to myself. This is going to be one hell of a day. We¡¯ve not even left for the concert yet and we¡¯ve had this fun rivalry kick off. It¡¯s just a shame Hinata-chan and bro can¡¯t be here to share it with us. Oh well... It wouldn¡¯t be long now, and honestly, much as I was really looking forward to seeing the performance from Tamami-chan and the rest of Red and White, I had a deep curiosity about just what sort of performance Suzu-chan would be putting on...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty – Arisugawa Arisu

    Side One Hundred And Eighty ¨C Arisugawa Arisu


    ¡°Everything¡¯s looking good, Arisugawa-san!¡± Her personal assistant for the concert, a somewhat older, steady woman in her late thirties, Ehara-san, advised. She was bright-eyed and eager, being a relatively unimportant member of the staff at TBS. She was a little plain, with mousy brown hair in a bun, and a slender figure, though Arisu found that no issue. Too often in this business, the beautiful have large egos, and a temper to match. Though I daresay White would tease me and say I am no different...


    ¡°Sound check seems good, the cameras are in position, and the international partners and local affiliates... oh... sorry.¡± Her face suddenly fell. ¡°I know you have had issues with FujiTV recently, and that... you don¡¯t exactly love us here at TBS... uh... sorry, I¡¯m babbling. Do forgive me.¡±


    Holding in a pointed sigh, Arisu nodded. ¡°Of course. The coverage of my scandal here was unkind, salacious and wholly untrue. But unfortunately, business is business. There is little room for sentiment. Although... rest assured, I have not forgotten any slight or betrayal.¡± At her cold, dark gaze Ehara-san shivered, and Arisu made an effort to soften her expression. ¡°That had nothing to do with you, Ehara-san. So I will not blame you for it. This concert, it is important for a number of reasons, and I can set aside my pride for now to make it a success.¡±


    ¡°Professional as ever!¡± Ehara-san perked up. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to work with you on your comeback, Arisugawa-san, it really is. You¡¯re looking utterly captivating! We should give our support staff a raise, your makeup and dress are gorgeous. No, I suppose it¡¯s all down to your beauty. I mean, you were the one actor hotly tipped to break into Hollywood, before the...¡± She trailed off again. ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Again, that is the past. I have not forgotten, and those who accused me falsely will suffer, just as my foolish ex-fiance? and his whore paramour are now. But I am a pragmatist. In fact, only those who can be rational will survive.¡± Objectively yes, I know I am beautiful, and this dress is elegant, rather than sensual, but far from prudish. I am a woman who is pure yet powerful, that is the image I wish to project, to overwrite the allegations of my infidelity, bullying and more. Laughable. As if I needed to lie, cheat and steal to get ahead. But perhaps...


    Arisu wasn¡¯t one for dwelling on the past beyond her need for vengeance. Done was done, and nothing could rewrite the past. But it was impossible not to think that without the cruel experience, driving her into isolation and her hobbies, studying the sciences and reading many, many books, the Favour she received may have passed her by and ended elsewhere. And then... money and fame is no guarantee of further safety. Any powerful Chosen who desires a woman... or indeed a man... can take them, and who could stop them? Sometimes I feel a little pity for the idols and stars of today. Fame makes one a target at the best of times, and this is far from the best world right now. It has already happened, and if not for Akio-san¡¯s intervention...


    ¡°You¡¯ve had it tough.¡± Ehara-san commiserated, but she was still excited. Being a lowly staffer who had few prospects, to be scouted by Arisu was a dream for her, especially as it was allowing her to make her mark in an event that not only was going to be watched by a huge viewership in Japan, but also internationally. Even though she¡¯d likely not get much airtime, if any, just having her name prominently in the credits, and getting a shoutout from Arisu, would boost her status. Of course, she¡¯s also intuitive. She¡¯s aware I picked her because she had no influence, and thus no involvement in any of the coverage of my past.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I shall grin and bear it. TBS won the bid so that is that. And they at least chose co-hosts for me who did not publicly comment on my affairs. Now...¡± Arisu glanced at her watch. ¡°...we should check on the early performers, to make sure nothing has gone awry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s a good idea. The first one is...¡± Ehara-san consulted her clipboard. ¡°Suzumebachi. Uh... I¡¯ve never heard of her and her group, but apparently... she¡¯s a friend of yours?¡±


    At the troubled look on her face, Arisu shook her head, a cold smile tugging at her lips. ¡°She is more of...  someone I am looking out for, though fortunately I have passed on a great deal of that responsibility to Akio-san. If you are concerned about nepotism, especially with my past reputation... I admit, there is a degree of favouritism here. Though it is not my doing. She appealed to Akio-san, who is very well connected. But there are reasons she should be included, so my conscience is clear. Though I confess to some small trepidation. Suzanne-san is rather... exuberant.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯d know best, Arisugawa-san, and honestly, with some of the groups performing here, nobody is going to mind some filler to warm the crowds up. I hear tickets have been changing hands on the black market for ludicrous prices.¡±


    ¡°I hope those who tout have a conscience and at least donate to the fundraiser.¡± Arisu¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°I understand wishing to be here, as either fans of the groups involved, or simply as it is an historic event... but this also serves a purpose. While the government has implemented disaster relief funds and compensation, Kyoto, and now the villages destroyed by the Nasu eruptions, are certainly worthy of public support. We always care more about causes we have aided ourselves.¡±


    ¡°A bad business that.¡± Ehara-san agreed. ¡°Do you believe the stories, that the killing stone was responsible for it, and that Tamamo-no-Mae, the legendary Yo?kai was escaping?¡±


    ¡°That is not exactly accurate.¡± Arisu couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. ¡°Though you would most likely be amazed were you to know the truth.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave me in the dark after saying that, Arisugawa-san!¡± Ehara-san pleaded. ¡°I really want to... oh, excuse me.¡± Her phone had started to ring, and on answering it she had a quick conversation, before hanging up. ¡°It seems some VIP backstage guests are here. Mori-san, Kim-san and Zhao-san. Quite the international mix of names. But I¡¯m more excited to meet the fabled Shaeula-san! You would bar-bar my way?¡± Ehara-san giggled like a younger girl.


    ¡°Be sure to show them adequate respect when we greet them.¡± Arisu-san warned. ¡°Mori-san and the Chinese girl are also fiance?es of Akio-san, and Kim Eui is one of the survivors of the atrocities at Choe-Museon. They are to be afforded all due courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, of course.¡± She giggled again, and Arisu spoke up, exasperated.


    ¡°What is that look for? If you have something to say, do say it. I prefer honesty.¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering... you seem quite close to him. I know you denied it during the talk show, but... are you sure there¡¯s nothing going on? I¡¯m not trying to spread gossip, but...¡±


    ¡°This again?¡± Arisu sighed. ¡°I do assure you, we are simply comrades. No, I can go so far as to call us friends. He is engaged to my other friend, White, and I also have no interest in romance at the moment. A working relationship of trust suits me better.¡±


    ¡°At the moment? Okay. Sorry to have asked.¡±


    ¡°I do not mind. Again, I prefer an honest question than a fool that spreads gossip, now... there they are.¡± On seeing the newcomers, Arisu gestured for them to approach, and as always, Shaeula bounded over without any care for her royal dignity, wearing a very luxurious yukata, and her hair was bundled up into side buns with ornate hairpins filled with diamonds and moonstones. That looks a custom set.


    ¡°Arisu, we have-have come to see Daiyu¡¯s disciples. But-but before that, who is this? And why are you staring?¡± Shaeula addressed Ehara-san, who hastily apologised.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just happy to meet a celebrity, and not of the usual sort. Working at a TV station, I¡¯m used to idols, actors, singers... but you, you¡¯re a hero!¡±


    ¡°I am indeed-indeed, you are shrewd!¡± Shaeula puffed out her chest, delighted by the praise. ¡°Now, we are here to see-see our friends. We have these VIP passes...¡± She tapped the badge pinned to her yukata. ¡°...so we can go-go as we please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though you need an escort, to prevent any issues occurring with the performances.¡± Arisu explained patiently. ¡°For now, I am going to see Suzanne-san. Would you care to accompany me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Mori-san spoke for them, and after taking a good look at the group, Ehara-san nodded happily.


    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re all so adorable. The two of you could be idols, if you can sing and dance! You¡¯d be very popular.¡± She then paused, realising she had overlooked the Korean girl, who was still rather too thin. ¡°Oh, sorry, you¡¯re... pretty too. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t speak much Japanese.¡± Mori-san explained, before translating. In English, Kim Eui managed to agree that she understood, and wasn¡¯t cute anyway.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Zhao Daiyu insisted. ¡°No disciple of the Incorruptible Jade is so self-effacing. Be proud. You are still recovering. Your body is fine, but even Ether Healing cannot restore the effects months of malnutrition and stress have caused. But a thousand-year-old ginseng still matures but a day at a time. You work hard. That is praiseworthy. And while I hardly believe looks are integral to Cultivation, I allow none to speak ill of my disciples, not even themselves!¡±


    ¡°So fiery!¡± Ehara-san was rather taken aback by her passion. Soon they had arrived at Suzanne-san¡¯s dressing room, and with a brisk knock, Arisu waited for a response. When bidden to come in, she opened the door, to reveal Suzanne-san and her dancers. A member of staff was touching up the makeup of her backup dancers, though she looked uncomfortable, as if something was wrong she couldn¡¯t quite understand. Of course. Those dancers are not alive in the conventional sense, merely Suzanne-san¡¯s war puppets. Karakuri, she called them.


    ¡°I know.¡± Ema-san stuck out her tongue, red-faced. ¡°I was only teasing. I bet you could though. During our Cultivation training you pick things up so quickly and are so strong and graceful.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I swing my axe and fight, and Akio blesses me, even when he¡¯s not here.¡± Mori-san declared proudly.


    ¡°Not just you...¡± Another AKB0048 idol said, this one with a wilder look, wearing long black lace gloves and stockings in addition to the usual skirt, shirt and waistcoat. ¡°...Kanzaki-chan, Yoshino-chan and little Ema-chan have been performing like they are possessed in practice. Even our dance coaches and choreographers are wowed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re super special, super human!¡± Ema-san giggled. ¡°But hang on, why are they Kanzaki-chan and Yoshino-chan, but I¡¯m Ema-chan?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re so cute...¡± Another member came and ruffled her hair, causing her to protest that she¡¯d need to have it styled again. As the idols bantered playfully, another addressed Shaeula.


    ¡°So... ah, we¡¯ve seen just what a difference this Chirurgery makes. Honestly, we¡¯re all jealous, and we can¡¯t keep up with those three now. So... I know management has been asking, but... to be the best we can be, we need that too.¡± Several others echoed her, and Shaeula looked smug, before casting a glance at Daiyu.


    ¡°Our aid is not easily given. They accepted the honour and the responsibility of becoming my disciples. Of course I shall train them to the best of my abilities. Should you wish to become my disciples as well, then you will be adjusted to be better able to process Qi and aether and taught both martial arts and the skills of Cultivation. Your improvement will be like giving wings to a tiger.¡±


    ¡°Of course-course, there is also another option.¡± Shaeula grinned predatorially, and Mori-san rolled her eyes, while Kim Eui simply watched on, alert and restless. ¡°Though the requirements are great-great loyalty, the rewards are beyond most-most can imagine.¡±


    ¡°The hats are cool too...¡± Ema-san piped up.


    ¡°But...¡± the wild-looking idol frowned. ¡°We¡¯re AKB0048, we¡¯re idols! We have our training, our rehearsals, our performances, our dreams...¡±


    ¡°Yes, as do my disciples. And you shall see them shine on this stage. As members of the Incorruptible Jade now, I shall tolerate no less. For jade is perfect and beautiful, and never breaks.¡± Daiyu insisted. ¡°Cultivation is a way of life, but each must follow their own Dao. But any Cultivator of worth shall find such tasks as dancing a mere trifle, compared to the rigours of the path to immortality.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Keiko-san agreed. ¡°Honestly, we spend a fraction of the time we used to learning and memorising. We can usually get it in one or two repetitions now. As for the commitments and promises... Akio-kun saved our lives. So we understand. You don¡¯t, Kae-chan...¡± she addressed her senior respectfully. ¡°And that¡¯s fine. But... I don¡¯t see it as being at odds with our idol work.¡± She flushed faintly then, and Mori-san muttered something under her breath, about ¡®Hinata and Shaeula being naive, Akio will never prey on those girls indiscriminately...¡¯


    ¡°In fact, it is most-most opportune. This concert is an example. Akio is a firm-firm believer in winning over the masses with spectacle and joy, rather than force-force of arms and threats. Wherever possible.¡± she amended. ¡°But you do not-not have to decide now. We welcome beautiful, loyal hard workers. I do hope Tamami and her friends agree as well. They were fine-fine females.¡±


    As the talk turned to their small Akiba rival group, Arisu checked her watch again. It is nearly time. Before she could speak, Juria Matsui-san whispered something to her, face pink with embarrassment.


    ¡°When I graduate from AKB0048... I¡¯ve always wanted to be an actress. Like you. I... I always believed you were innocent, Arisugawa-sama. Now... I¡¯m happy the world knows it. I... just wanted to say, like you, I got a second chance. And... I¡¯m not going to squander it. And I know you won¡¯t either. So... look at me on stage, and... I¡¯ll look at you too.¡± She giggled, embarrassed. ¡°And... I don¡¯t mind any harsh training or commitments, if one day I get to share a stage with you!¡±


    Well, this is a surprise. As Matsui-san retreated, blushing, Arisu shook her head. Share a stage with me, she says? The stage I walk on now is not the backstabbing, treacherous world of acting, but the more honest, but no less bloody field of battle. But... I do suspect that White would be happy to have another idol in her clutches. What was it Suzanne-san said? Oh yes... she feels pride when he shows he is desired by other women. A strange concept, but then... this Fae that fool the Raven loathed is the same as well, it seems. She glanced at Mori-san, and almost felt relief. At least there is one person whose thoughts I can understand. Though... who am I to judge? He has given me no cause to doubt him, and I am not one to act on what might be. I take people as they are, as they have treated me and those I consider my friends.


    ¡°Ehara-san, it is time for me to head for the main stage. Do escort my friends around until it is time for final preparations and be sure to find them a replacement by then. In fact, we will need several, as between acts, when I am hosting, there will be others coming. Akio-san has been quite profligate with his backstage passes.¡±


    As Ehara-san checked if Arisu would be all right, fussing over her, all she could think about was her upcoming performance, as professional as ever, her expression becoming crisp and professional. Very well. My last public appearance was ruined by that treacherous snake Miyauchi. But this time, I shall tolerate no further meddling. Not that anyone would dare, the government wishes this to go smoothly as well...


    ***


    So, here we go then. Her co-hosts were both from TBS, though in a sop to her wounded feelings, neither of them had been involved in the press coverage against her back during her scandal, scant consolation though that was. Her male co-host was a famous comedian, Aoki Ken-san, who was in his fifties and running to fat a little, his head shaved after he started going bald, though he was still rather handsome for his age. He was known for witty commentary on current affairs and was a regular on the media circuit and had admitted to being a fan of idol groups in the past. He also made no mention of my supposed scandals. He avoided the more controversial topics, it is how he retained his popularity.


    He was dressed in a sharp blue suit and red shirt with a white tie, as if he was trying to look like a flag of another country. The combination was odd, certainly, but he carried it off quite charmingly, as if he was an out of touch uncle at a wedding. I suppose that he is a comedian, a little... comedy is to be expected.


    The second host was a woman in her early thirties, who used to be a popular idol herself, though her group was hardly comparable to AKB0048 or the like. But she did sing centre on a single that made number one on the Japanese music charts, so she was certainly famous. She was looking a little pouty, her face set coldly, and Arisu held in a snort. Always the same. I can hardly help it if I am attractive. It is good genetics and I take care of myself. Faulting me for that is simply nonsensical. It is why science is so appealing. Unlike human emotions, it usually makes sense.


    The woman, Konno Fumie-san, was wearing a daringly cut pink dress, showing off her cleavage, and her hair was dyed a light brown and pulled back into a sporty ponytail, making her look younger. On seeing Arisu¡¯s gaze, she smiled, as if her hidden hostility was only an illusion.


    ¡°You ready, Arisugawa-chan? It¡¯s an honour to be hosting this event with you. Right Ken-kun?¡±


    Her voice was sweet and charming, and rather false, but so long as she did her job, Arisu wouldn¡¯t care. Though I hardly like her using such an informal honorific with me. But... I am a professional. Such things are meaningless right now.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, yeah.¡± Aoki-san agreed, straightening his tie. ¡°This is a big deal. I¡¯m a touch nervous. But... I always say, if you can¡¯t laugh, what can you do? The events of Kyoto were a tragedy, but... it¡¯s heartwarming to see Japan responding! These idols have donated their time and energy to fundraising, it¡¯s great. As a former idol yourself, you must be proud, Fumie-chan?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± she agreed. ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯m so happy to be here, doing my part even though I¡¯m more of an actress now.¡±


    True, though your roles are usually supporting ones at best. ¡°Yes, we must do our utmost to host well.¡± Arisu agreed. ¡°Though you are wrong. It is not just the Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, our special guests.¡± Aoki-san smiled. ¡°The crowd is going to go wild. Anyway... five minutes. We ready? Everyone have water? Talking is thirsty work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such an old woman, Ken-kun...¡± Konno-san started teasing him, but Arisu tuned it out, focused, getting in the zone. Three minutes left. All right then. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, and it was one that would stop the hearts of most men, and many women. This is certainly easier than fighting in life-or-death battles or weathering a storm of slander and invective. But... no less important, in it¡¯s own way. So... White, Akio-san, I shall do you both proud...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Two – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Two ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, Hisano-chan! I don¡¯t like it at all. It... just doesn¡¯t seem you, you know?¡± Yasu was talking to his younger cousin, Hisano, and his face was twisted into an expression of frustration. It was a very Yasu expression, to be sure, but not usually in this context, and it was starting to piss me off a bit.


    It seemed it wasn¡¯t just me, either, as Shugo spoke up. ¡°Come on, Yasu-kun, leave the poor girl alone. It¡¯s a day out, of course a girl is going to dress up for it, especially when she¡¯s out with her friends.¡±


    ¡°I know, but...¡± Yasu ran a hand through his hair in frustration, while looking at Hisano, who met his gaze boldly. Not wearing glasses, I see. Contacts, or... no, that¡¯s not it. ¡°...it¡¯s... where did little Hisano-chan go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± she replied huffily. ¡°I¡¯m still me. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re having so much trouble understanding that I¡¯ve just changed a little. I¡¯m growing up. Besides, do you really want me to be shy and miserable for ever, Yasu-kun?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got you there!¡± Aimi was next to speak. ¡°All right, Yasu-kun, this is getting tiresome! Hisano-chan¡¯s come out of her shell, and she¡¯s cute! Women have to be cute, you agree?¡± Crossing her arms, in the rather daring dress she was wearing, drew Yasu-kun¡¯s attention, and I held in a snicker as Shugo tried very hard not to openly peek, since his lovely partner Akiko had joined us. The teacher was a little older than Shugo, a couple of years or so, but she had a youthful enough attitude.


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± he stammered, only for me to cut him off, as this was getting tiresome.


    ¡°Look, shut it, Yasu. You¡¯re just embarrassing yourself. It¡¯s even worse than you think too. Even Aki¡¯s not so overprotective of Aiko. I saw her earlier, and she¡¯s all dressed up. But does Aki go all ¡®oh no, you can¡¯t dress so cute, all the boys will hit on you?¡¯ and tell her to wear a shapeless jumper and jeans? Nope. If he did, we¡¯d give him a damn good beating. I mean...¡± I rolled my onyx eyes, irritated. ¡°...it¡¯s sure funny to bully Aki for being a total siscon, and honestly, if he wasn¡¯t protective of Aiko we¡¯d kick his ass anyway, but... despite all the jokes, his care is so that she can live her happiest life. And that means being free to do what she wants. Of course, if she does get a boyfriend, he better pray he¡¯s a good man, else he¡¯ll probably end up finding out what Foehn feels like first-hand, but...¡±


    I paused, took a breath, and looked at Hisano, who was wearing an attractive red and white dress. It wasn¡¯t even that revealing, through the skirt was a little short and her arms were bare. In addition, her hair was styled differently, and she wore light makeup. ¡°...I doubt you¡¯re fishing for a man anyway, are you Hisano?¡±


    She shook her head, exasperated. Behind her, the quiet Maiko from Hisuikomushi shrine actually smiled wryly.


    ¡°No. Not that it¡¯s a problem if I do. Nobody complains about Kana-chan dating Akio-kun. But me... I just want to like myself. And... I actually have talent, you know? See?¡± She tapped her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t even need any further Chirurgery or Healing. Now that I¡¯ve pledged to Shirohebi as a worshipper... oh, sorry Maiko-chan, but I hate beetles.... Not the Jade Beetle, of course, but... uh, there¡¯s big benefits if you worship at the White Snake Earth Altar... uh... sorry, I¡¯m rambling.¡± She flushed, embarrassed. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ve got my Levels, and my stats are enough to correct my vision. I still wear glasses sometimes though... my face feels a bit bare without them.¡±


    ¡°She has a number of fashionable pairs.¡± Maiko confided, teasing her. ¡°She spends a lot of her earnings on them. I think... it¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Maiko-chan! That¡¯s embarrassing! Anyway, Yasu-kun, we should go! If we miss any of the concert I¡¯ll never forgive you, and the others will lynch you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, into the bus.¡± I chivvied everyone. ¡°Hayato and Hina will meet us there, and we still have a few others to pick up on the way. Make yourself useful and drive, Yasu.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am, I am.¡± he grumbled, leading everyone onto the borrowed minibus. ¡°What is this? Everyone pick on Yasu day?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that every day?¡± I sneered meanly, though there was no malice in it. After all, Yasu¡¯s a bit like Aki, they both like being bullied by cute girls, I think. ¡°You¡¯re just salty, since Karen has to work today. She¡¯s not exactly keen on an idol date anyway.¡± I then cast my gaze over Aimi. ¡°Is your boyfriend the same? I was sure you said he was coming. Maybe you¡¯re just worried he¡¯ll fall for me when he sees me? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll never cheat on Aki, and even if I would, I wouldn¡¯t do you dirty, girl!¡± I puffed out my chest proudly, and Aimi giggled, though...


    You see that Tan, am I imagining it?


    You woke me for that? How irksome. No, you are correct, princess, she is rather nervous. Though you mortals and your relationships are a complicated matter. Perhaps it is not going well? She bragged to you before that ¡®he was a keeper¡¯, no? It must be embarrassing to boldly declare something wrong.


    Well, considering you steeled your heart to seduce the Buddha, and he walked on by, not giving you a second glace, and after that you shut yourself away from men, I get that. But... seems like you¡¯ll be learning soon enough.


    Do not get ahead of yourself. Nothing is decided yet. Now, leave me be. I am not here to solve your dramas.


    Sure, sure. Well, come out later and listen to the music, okay? It¡¯s some top-tier groups playing.


    ¡°I know. I trust you, Shiro.¡± Aimi agreed. ¡°As for my boyfriend, sadly he¡¯s got to work. It¡¯s a bit of a rush job, but apparently something big is happening soon, in regard to some old hotel or something...¡±


    ¡°Ah, bummer.¡± I agreed. ¡°Bad luck for him. Though... Aki¡¯s missing out too. Though Eri says he¡¯s okay. I¡¯m a little jealous...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hisano piped up, surprising us. ¡°I¡¯d be a little scared of someone I liked being able to hear my thoughts, hear theirs. Sometimes... there¡¯s things better left unknown. But Eri-chan¡¯s a very bold woman. She¡¯s also been really kind to me, and helped me in the Boundary.¡±


    ¡°Is there someone you¡¯re interested in then?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Not really. But... there¡¯s a lot of romance going on at the shrine. It¡¯s impossible not to think about. Asami-chan and Ren-kun are dating, and several other shrine maidens have found love. Honestly...¡± she giggled, looking at Maiko. ¡°...that one from Akaiwashi shrine¡¯s even fallen for a Faerie, right? Though at least it¡¯s an Elf. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able to fall for one of those weasels... oh, never tell Shaeula I said that, okay?¡±


    ¡°My lips are sealed. Though...¡± Maiko smiled mysteriously. ¡°I think that if any true interspecies romances did happen, there¡¯d be ways around it. Throne slots are precious, but... I know my dad would sell some for money.¡± She paused, embarrassed. ¡°Not that we¡¯re struggling anymore. Akio-san has paid off our debts and kept the yakuza clear of Hisuikomushi... but really, dad¡¯s fairly useless. We¡¯re just happy to be under Akio-san¡¯s protection and we¡¯ll generate him ether tithes and fight to defend his Territory, but... expanding and growing like he does... no way. Honestly... I¡¯m deeply grateful. Rather than being a slave of a monster, dad¡¯s much happier just being a supporting nobody.¡±


    ¡°Harsh.¡± I proclaimed. ¡°Though...¡± A twinge of guilt flashed through me. Tan¡¯s Territory was now being managed entirely by Arisu, and I hadn¡¯t laid down my own. I then shook that off. Hey, I¡¯m the buffbot that keeps the aether flowing. Asha and I are probably the two that contribute the most to Aki¡¯s expansion and growth right now! Though Asha... I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted kids, and I definitely didn¡¯t right now, but Asha was enviable in a way, nonetheless. Aki¡¯s first children would always be special to him.


    ¡°...it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t see the appeal. Managing a Territory is hard, risky stuff. Though at some point I¡¯ll have to bite the bullet.¡± Tan had been reticent on precisely what the benefits of owning high-Ranking Territories were, but as Aki always said, what she didn¡¯t tell us was almost always more important than what she did, so I knew at some point, to grow stronger, we¡¯d need to go down that route. But Aki first. He¡¯s the one that will make Earth his own Territory...


    ¡°Should I be listening to this?¡± Akiko smiled, a touch embarrassed. ¡°I know Shugo-kun has important friends... I never thought that the quiet guy and the stunningly beautiful woman he claimed to know were two of the Heroes of Britain, but... you are, and... I¡¯m flattered you think I¡¯m good enough for your friend...¡±


    ¡°Hah, he should be lucky we think he¡¯s good enough for you...¡± I snorted, and she giggled.


    ¡°Shugo-kun¡¯s an earnest man, he treats me right. And now I find out he¡¯s well-connected too. But... honestly, I think I shouldn¡¯t know too much. So... I¡¯m shutting my ears.¡±


    As Suzu finished her last song, finishing with a leap and pirouette impossible for an ordinary human to perform, her backup dancers, her Karakuri, catching her artfully, a series of massive booms ringing out as the confetti cannons triggered, showering the crowd in waves of golden and black, she thanked the audience, extolling the merits of her merchandise and imploring them to check out her next live performance, whenever that would be. It was then that the stage lights dimmed, and the host¡¯s stage was illuminated, revealing Arisu and her co-hosts.


    ¡°It¡¯s Arisu I worry about.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°And that was our first act, Suzumebachi.¡± Arisu declared in her silken yet cold voice. ¡°And fortunately for Suzanne-san, she did not let me down. Some of her dancing was... interesting... but overall, a credible performance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little harsh, Arisu-chan!¡± her female co-host Fumie chided cheerfully. ¡°I actually found her quite fresh. It¡¯s interesting, seeing a foreign perspective on Japanese music. That last song though...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arisu bowed her head, clearly a little exasperated. ¡°I do not really wish to talk about it. Perhaps I am too close to the subject matter.¡±


    ¡°Too close to Akio-kun, huh? Is that an admission? That would really spice up this concert!¡± Ken teased, and Arisu shook her head.


    ¡°You clearly know I meant close by proximity, not depth of feelings. Now... her dancing style is clearly enhanced by her strengths, and it could certainly use more elegance, rather than relying on exuberance, but then... perhaps that is what was needed to excite the crowd.¡± At that, glowsticks were waved by the audience, and I felt a spark of satisfaction, that they appreciated Suzu. There¡¯s still hope that she can live the life she wants.


    ¡°I do have a question though...¡± Fumie asked. ¡°So I get that Suzumebachi is the group name, but only Suzu-chan has spoken or been introduced. The other members of Suzumebachi...¡±


    ¡°There was something odd about them.¡± Ken agreed. ¡°They were all elegant and very well practised, but... I don¡¯t know. There was something a little off. They were... mechanical, almost? Wooden in their performance? Not that I¡¯m slandering them, they were all very pretty! Why, if I were twenty years younger, and Arisu-chan had rejected me...¡±


    ¡°Very amusing.¡± Arisu sighed, as a brief wave of laughter passed around the arena. ¡°Actually... it seems age... brings you wisdom.¡± As Ken made an expression like he had been shot in the heart, Arisu continued. ¡°Actually, you are correct. Wooden is apt. Suzanne-san¡¯s backing dancers are actually puppets controlled by her will and power, hence why they are not introduced. For Suzumebachi is Suzanne-san in its entirety. Although...¡± She lowered her voice, though the microphone obviously amplified it. ¡°...from what I understand of idol fans, the fact that the puppets are not truly sapient should be no bar to them having fans. So... check out the concert website, and there are profiles and names. And they are also present in Suzumebachi¡¯s merchandise stall, and as prizes in the idol gacha.¡±


    ¡°Wooden, huh? I don¡¯t know much about Suzu-chan...¡± Hina pointed out, as sharp as ever. Just because Hina is shy, doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t observant. In fact, the shyer the girl, the sharper she has to be. A lesson Yasu could do with learning about Hisano. Eri¡¯s the same.


    ¡°...but not all of them seemed made of wood. In fact, several of them looked very human.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re definitely puppets.¡± I promised. ¡°Though sadly your eyes are sharp, Hina. Some of them were... repurposed. But don¡¯t mind that. Suzu¡¯s... well, do you think Aki would let her do anything bad?¡± I finished lamely, and Hayato shrugged, reassuring his fiance?e.


    ¡°No, and neither would you. You pretend to be cold and aloof, but... you¡¯re a good one at heart, Shiro.¡±


    I¡¯m not as kind as you think. Tan knows. But... Aki loves me anyway, and Shaeula, Eri, Tsuki and the others, they accept me. Aki¡¯s family does too, so... I won¡¯t go down a dark path again. ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I felt embarrassed, but the support was welcome. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it anyway. They¡¯re Karakuri puppets, so... at least if Suzu ever makes it big, she doesn¡¯t have to share her royalties with the rest of the group.¡±


    Fumie had made a similar joke, harking back to her own idol days, and Arisu let her drone on for a minute, before stopping her. ¡°Now, our next act is due on stage in a moment. They are one of Tokyo¡¯s own, though small in scale, they have a very passionate fanbase. While they may be called AKB0048¡¯s younger, less famous sister, I have it under good authority that Akio-san himself is a fan... it is Red and White, the shrine priestess-themed group from Akihabara! Before that though...¡± Her expression was serious.


    ¡°It is time to thank everyone for their donations, especially our generous overseas friends. It is not easy to dig deep into your pockets to help another country, when your own could suffer as well. Rest assured, international delivery of any prizes from the donation sweepstakes is no problem. But...¡± She gestured, and the big screens which had gone dark again lit up, revealing a thermometer-style pledge tracker, the bulb and lower portion red. ¡°...let it not be said that Arisugawa Arisu is a poor sport. Here...¡± She illuminated a spot halfway up. ¡°...If donations reach here before the intermission of the concert, I will reveal a shocking secret, one which has only been alluded to so far. As well as then opening the special secret prize auction to take place in the intermission. You would not wish to let this chance slip by!¡±


    Secret, huh? Yeah, I know what she¡¯ll say. It¡¯s interesting, but not something that concerns me, really. Though the special prize auction... some of those prizes are really something...


    ¡°What¡¯s the secret then?¡± Yasu asked, curious, and Shaeula spoke up, snorting.


    ¡°It would not-not be any fun to tell you, Yasu. Have-have patience. Although... you know already. If I were you, I would pay more-more attention to the prizes in the auction. Though I do not-not know if you have enough money...¡±


    ¡°Sick burn...¡± Shugo smirked, and Akiko looked on fondly.


    Hopefully this soothes her nervousness. I wonder... is that why Aimi¡¯s boyfriend won¡¯t meet us? I get it... we¡¯re not exactly simple. But... if a relationship is to last, then he¡¯ll have to accept Aimi has important friends...


    ¡°Now then... it is time. For our next act. Raise your glowsticks, change the colours...¡± Arisu intoned gravely. ¡°Give generously, and welcome... Red and White!¡±


    The stage was illuminated with a backing of crimson and white strobe lights, matching the glowsticks of the crowd, which were now seas of red and white. After twenty or so seconds, the strobes died out, and three spotlights converged, one a brilliant scarlet, two a piercing pearl, and they were focused on three women. Then the silence was broken by the three shouting out together.


    ¡°Hi, those who came out to see us, those watching at home and abroad...¡± ¡°...I¡¯m Tamami...¡± ¡°...I¡¯m Tsubame.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m Kanako...¡± Their voices overlapped. ¡°And we are shrine maiden idols who serve the Gods, as well as you fans! So... fans old and new, dig deep in your hearts and support those who suffer, and clear out your ears, and listen.¡±


    Tamami took up a pose, arms pointed to the sky, as she continued. ¡°The Gods are kind, they don¡¯t send us trouble without hope. But... it¡¯s us people who have to help each other. So... for those who suffered in Kyoto, for those who lost their homes, for those who are scared, or confused, or don¡¯t know what to do... I¡¯ll just say... trust in Akio-kun, Suzu-chan, Arisu-chan and the others who fight against unfairness and evils that threaten us. And trust in yourselves!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Kanako agreed. ¡°Even a hundred yen matters. Don¡¯t give what you can¡¯t afford, but... anything you can matters!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Gods are watching, we¡¯re watching, but... your hearts are watching!¡± Tsubame agreed.


    ¡°And speaking of hearts...¡± the three cried, as Tamami spread her arms wide, forming what looked like a bow. ¡°...we¡¯re here to send our love... straight to your hearts. This is... Arrow to the Heart!¡±


    And with that, a catchy, upbeat tune blared from the speakers, and the three began to dance and sing, the crowd sucked into the excitement.


    Yeah, they¡¯re good. Oh well... I settled in, enjoying the show. I have to go backstage and visit Suzu after this, but... I might as well enjoy myself first, with the others...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Three – Fujiwara Miyu / Fujiwara Honoka

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Three ¨C Fujiwara Miyu / Fujiwara Honoka


    ¡°So that¡¯s what we need to do next, Miyu. Miyu.¡± There was a long pause, before the annoying voice spoke up again. ¡°Miyu! Are you even listening to me?¡±


    Holding in a biting sigh, Miyu blinked, looking at the speaker, her father, who was pacing restlessly in his expensive suit, from the famous Royal Line tailors, who only catered to the nobility and political elite of Japan and those they recommended, a treasured antique watch on his wrist that he constantly checked nervously. I know Akio has been getting his suits from there, after grandfather provided him a recommendation. To an ordinary person it hardly matters, but a discerning eye will realise it means he is accepted by the nobility.


    ¡°I heard you. Please do not address me so informally, it rather upsets me.¡± she replied. Beside her, Michiru, her friend, bodyguard and companion, glowered at Miyu¡¯s father, clutching the hem of her bright crimson scarf.


    ¡°Informally, Miyu? You¡¯re my daughter, despite what you think. Miyu, Miyu!¡±


    She ignored him, until he gave in with a sigh. ¡°Miyu-san. Calling my own daughter such... I get that you dislike me, but I am still your father. And my father wants this event to be a success, so I have to do my best. You respect father, at least, don¡¯t you? You never talk to me or acknowledge me!¡±


    ¡°I am talking to you now, no?¡± Miyu responded acerbically, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. It was hardly proper for a daughter of nobility, especially of Fujiwara house, but perhaps she had been corrupted by Hinata, Akio and others. If so, I hardly mind. Akio and the others have much noble about them. They make more of a difference than father does, have saved many lives. Mine included, else I likely would have killed myself by now, and that saved Michiru, as she would have followed me into death...


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± Her father sighed, and Miyu felt a brief flash of satisfaction, though there was a little guilt mixed in as well. I have changed a touch, it seems.


    ¡°So, what is it you want?¡± Miyu asked, cutting him off. They were seated in an executive box at the Tokyo Dome, watching the charity concert. Miyu was actually interested, for while idol performances were not something daughters of nobility should have been concerned with, as a student of the Kyomai school of traditional Japanese dancing, she had a professional curiosity, and while as opposed to her elegance and worshipful calm, idol dancing was frenetic, cheerful and showy, she found it impossible to deny the charm of it.


    ¡°I was discussing our next steps. But... I¡¯m your father, Miyu-san. Much as you¡¯ve ignored me for almost your entire life, I¡¯m still worried about you!¡±


    This time Miyu couldn¡¯t hide her disdain, and Michiru was having a hard time, knuckles white on her scarf. ¡°It is rather late for that, father. You have had no involvement in my life. You left everything to grandfather, as always.¡± She glanced at his watch, her expression contemptuous. ¡°Besides, I hate inconstant men.¡±


    ¡°I... nobody gainsays father.¡± He admitted, frustrated. ¡°Besides, it was for the best. Father is still vigorous, despite his advanced age. Moreso now, isn¡¯t he? Older brother Hidemasa is nearly sixty, and while I¡¯m younger, I¡¯m hardly young.¡± His tone was bitter. ¡°Father is too stubborn to die, it seems, and older brother... he¡¯s not exactly capable of running the behemoth that is Fujiwara house. Yes, there are plenty of capable helpers on the board, like Harada-san and Ueno-san, but... well, I know my brother. He isn¡¯t a listener, and he¡¯s arrogant.¡±


    Aren¡¯t you too, father? Still, Miyu did him the courtesy of listening to his complaints.


    ¡°But that means that it falls upon you and Honoka-san to be the heirs. Although... you are both girls. So by the rules of the nobility and Japan...¡±


    ¡°It would be our husbands who took over the family.¡± Miyu agreed. ¡°Though Honoka-san is the daughter of Hidemasa-sama, so it will be her husband who must guide Fujiwara house when grandfather is gone. Besides...¡± Miyu¡¯s lips twitched, as she held down a smile. ¡°I cannot marry without the permission of my master.¡±


    She enjoyed the look of bemused discomfort on her father¡¯s face as he pondered that. ¡°It¡¯s all a nonsense. How could you have decided that? Why didn¡¯t you...¡±


    ¡°Talk to you? Why would I?¡± Miyu interrupted. ¡°It is my life, and you abdicated responsibility for it. Did you have any input in my prior engagement?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± her father protested. ¡°You know I¡¯ve left the inner echelons of Fujiwara house to make my own way as a figure in government, in the MEXT department. I¡¯m not Hidemasa, who can only sit there pretending to be important, when father and Harada-san make all the decisions. I chose my own path, and I make it on my own merits.¡±


    Really? I suppose this is why I have no respect for you, father. You see less clearly than I do, and I was blind too. ¡°Your own merits? Hardly.¡± Miyu scoffed. ¡°Yes, you have made your way up the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, but on your own merits? There is a limit to being a fool, father. I too was sheltered, but I somehow know more than you. You think that your status as the son of Fujiwara Shige does not influence others? How many times have your ideas been accepted simply because of your ancestry, or your fellows smoothed out problems for you, because not to do so might be seen as a slight against Fujiwara house, a mistake?¡±


    ¡°And how are you any different?¡± her father snapped back, before a trace of guilt flashed across his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miyu-san, that was uncalled for...¡±


    ¡°No, it was not.¡± Miyu shook her head sadly. ¡°I much prefer your real feelings, than trying to pretend to be a parent at this late stage. I have seen real families now. Fujiwara house is worthy, and wealthy, and powerful... but... a family it is not. Perhaps it cannot be, for the weight of what we carry through these hundreds and hundreds of years is too much, too precious... but... while I am a daughter of Fujiwara still, and that cannot and will not change... I am also not free to simply be that.¡± Gathering her thoughts, Miyu smiled, and she didn¡¯t notice her father taken aback by her genuine, unusual expression, Michiru looking on approvingly.


    ¡°Of course I was simply Fujiwara Miyu, I was respected and praised simply for being her, rather than being me. Yes, my dancing, my piano, they are talents that are my own, but without the opportunities afforded to me which were none of my doing, I could never have realised them. Unlike Hinata, who, despite the same bloodline as me, one of the Three Great Houses, was treated with disdain. I was rather pathetic. And woefully selfish. When I was visited by Ame-no-Uzume and given... perhaps forced... to take these powers, I despaired. Perhaps if I was a different woman, I would have spoken to you, father. Or grandfather. Though that would have been futile. He would simply have used me, as he uses us all. I hardly hate him for that, I respect grandfather... but I cannot sacrifice myself for others. No, instead I demanded others aid me. I was pathetic.¡± she repeated bitterly.


    ¡°No, Miyu-sama!¡± Michiru protested, heartbroken. ¡°It was I who was so disrespectful to Akio-sama and Hinata-sama, nearly injuring Hinata-sama! We... went about matters wrongly. Though with father¡¯s advice, that men are not to be trusted...¡±


    ¡°It seems we think the same of father, and the pair of you are very similar.¡± He nodded at Michiru. ¡°Yes, father will set aside his own needs and those of others for Fujiwara house and Japan. It is praiseworthy, perhaps... but... I leave that to Hidemasa-san. As for you...¡±


    ¡°Yes, as for me... I was fortunate. Akio answered my wishes, but not in the foolish way I envisaged. Now... now I am Miyu, and I have my own worth. It is hard, and often frightening, but... never lonely.¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Michiru insisted, and Miyu felt warm at her care. ¡°I am always with you. Now... more than ever. With your Throne empowering me I am better able to protect you!¡± she insisted stoutly.


    ¡°Yes, though... it is sadly a waste. Five Levels, even fifteen... while admirable and meaningful, compared to what Hinata enjoys... but that is for another time.¡±


    ¡°I notice that you call Oshiro-san and Takatsukasa-san without honorifics, Miyu-san. That... surprises me. After all, you loathe men, and are not close to others...¡± her father pointed out, and Miyu once more struggled not to roll her eyes or grimace and tut irritably.


    ¡°Of course I do. And whose fault is that? We are taught that men are wolves, and never meet any outside our family, and even at parties where they are, they are kept away from us. We are to be sold for the benefit of our families, and yes, we benefit, I have had opportunities many, even Hinata, have not had, but the price we pay... besides, grandfather has had a hand in Honoka-san¡¯s education, and mine... and he has biased us.¡±


    ¡°You think Oshiro-san wouldn¡¯t use you for his own gain?¡± her father insisted, and Miyu laughed scornfully.


    ¡°Nobody in the world does not think of profit and loss. And the world, especially now, is hardly kind enough to allow me to receive while not giving. This is the lesson I learned with some difficulty. Yes, he works me to the bone, making me dance endlessly, all to save an hour here or there. But in doing so, I found a measure of happiness and self-worth. If you mean, because he holds the rights over me due to my Vassalage, he can sell me as he wills... in theory, were he to go against grandfather, or persuade him, which is possible, if enough if offered, but...¡±


    Michiru spoke up. ¡°Akio-sama is not one to sell another¡¯s happiness. Especially not those he has sworn to protect. When you swore to be his Vassal, ever since, he has cherished and supported you, Miyu-sama.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. He would rather fail and face defeat than sell another for his victory, and fortunately, Hinata and the others he surrounds himself with agree. Not that I feel he will fail to triumph. Hinata has discerning eyes. As for why I call them so familiarly... it seemed foolish not to, for to them, I am not Fujiwara Miyu, but simply Miyu. I do not despise him for being a man. For it seems not all men are created equal.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± her father muttered after a long, uncomfortable silence. Outside, her fellow Vassal, Suzu-san, had just finished her set. I must congratulate her later. It is only proper.


    ¡°You never were close to Miyu, were you?¡±


    ¡°No. We kept to ourselves. It is hard, only Sakura-sama, Mayumi-sama and Miyu-san were of a level I could approach, and being youngest, I felt rather out of place. Perhaps some of the higher Fifty-Eight, such as Motoko-san would have been sufficient as friends, but... it was problematic. If we show favouritism, it causes chaos. At least, it did...¡± Honoka smiled. ¡°Now matters at Hanafubuki are quite different. Miyu-san has changed, and Hinata-sama has taken over Takatsukasa¡¯s heir spot, displacing Sakura-sama...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I know it well. Takatsukasa house...¡± her father frowned. ¡°So, Miyu... has she given you any indication of her intentions? If she was... for example, to marry Oshiro Akio...¡±


    Really? I cannot see that, though Miyu-san likes him well enough. She is very distrustful of men. ¡°If so ordered she would, I have no doubt, but who would order her? Grandfather has conceded authority to Akio-sama, and I doubt he would do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Nai?ve.¡± Her father sighed, a long, slow exhalation of breath. ¡°If you are complacent, Miyu will become more important to Fujiwara house than you, daughter. I have my suspicions about this Oshiro Akio. From appearances he seems perfect, but I know that shadows conceal hidden flaws. They always do. He¡¯s currently abroad with Mayumi-san from Ichijou house. Hinata, Mayumi-san, Miyu... don¡¯t you see? Honoured father is blinded. Whether it¡¯s greed at the possible power, or the thought of good health and long life...¡± he grimaced, clearly troubled. ¡°...honoured father, and the heads of the other houses are sleepwalking into handing everything to the lowbrow upstart who didn¡¯t even have any wealth or lineage before this year!¡±


    ¡°I do not think you should be criticising grandfather that way, father.¡± Honoka chided him, only to be surprised as he glared at her, something he hadn¡¯t done before. Gaping, open-mouthed, she was shocked for a moment, before correcting her unladylike pose. ¡°Grandfather is Fujiwara house, and we uphold it. Miyu-san does no less. Besides, grandfather would be ill-pleased if you speak behind his back. He appreciates forthrightness.¡±


    ¡°Maybe from you, daughter.¡± He disagreed. ¡°But he seldom brooks any disrespect or argument from us. He never listens to me. If Kazuhito hadn¡¯t of entered government service... no, you¡¯re right.¡± He visibly restrained himself. ¡°I am out of sorts. These last few months have been difficult for us all. But...¡± He smiled warmly. ¡°...I do worry for you. From when you could walk you¡¯ve lived in the main estate with grandfather, sometimes I feel he is more your father than me. And then you shall be married, and another man will take charge of you.¡±


    Kozue was frowning beside her, but Honoka paid her no mind, merely smiling sweetly. ¡°It is the honour of a woman to marry for her family. I have hardly neglected my training. I will marry as ordered, but... I am aware the world has changed. The candidates for any union are likely very different now. I only hope you can bless it, father.¡±


    ¡°My suggestions have been... dismissed.¡± he admitted, frustrated again. ¡°Sons of good families, well prepared to marry in and manage Fujiwara house, giving grandfather leisure to enjoy his golden years. I have been preparing too... but out of nowhere, this mess.¡±


    ¡°But in change comes opportunity.¡± Honoka disagreed. I do not like questioning father, but... he seems restless, more so than usual. ¡°Besides, if Miyu-san and her husband proves better able to run Fujiwara house...¡±


    ¡°No. You are missing the point. No matter. I¡¯ve been listening to your stories of how everything works on the occasions I have been free, but... you need to excel, and learn more. It¡¯s simply imperative. You... there must be those you can ask that will aid you? The favour of Fujiwara Honoka is no small matter.¡±


    Honoka nodded. ¡°It is a place where status is disregarded, but... that is merely words. The other nobility there, they of course defer to me, to Miyu-san, Hinata-sama...¡± I was rather rude to Hinata-sama when I first met Akio-sama. While my status far surpassed theirs then, so it was justified, it was... short-sighted. Now, even by our own rules, Hinata-sama is my equal, or perhaps more.


    ¡°...Mayumi-sama as well, obviously. The shrines have a similar response, as they know of the nobility. Though the common folk, the Fae... their attitudes are equal parts refreshing and perplexing. But yes... many are eager to help me.¡±


    ¡°Great, great.¡± her father brightened up. ¡°Then work hard and don¡¯t disappoint me. I know honoured father holds high hopes for you too.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you wanted, father?¡± Honoka asked politely.


    ¡°Oh, not exactly. Can I not come and see you, Honoka?¡±


    You have visited me more recently of late, even if the visits are still fleeting, mere chats about my studies and experiences. ¡°Of course you can, father. I am at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good.¡± He nodded, seeming tired, or perhaps stressed, but there was a light in his eyes she had seldom seen. ¡°I have a lot going on. You know, I don¡¯t trust... oh, we¡¯ve been over this. But honoured father likes bold successes. So, if I am to upstage that fox Koji, I need to achieve something. I know...¡± He glanced down at his watch. ¡°...honoured father thinks little of my drive, but I have achieved before, oh, how I have.¡± His lips curled into an odd smile. ¡°...and I can again. I know honoured father, as well as Ichijou-san and Takatsukasa-san, the other heads of the nobility, they are all furious and grief-stricken at the Shiraishi disaster with the Tengokusentou.¡±


    Honoka nodded. ¡°Indeed. Poor Nozomi-san and Arisa-san are quite devastated, their house essentially collapsed. Fortunately, Hinata-sama has taken them in, and you are surely aware that she is confident of reclaiming it from the foreign investors...¡± She trailed off at the look of satisfaction on her father¡¯s face.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I have hardly been idle. I have my people working on it. Honoured father thinks I lack the instincts to get things done, am content just to waste away, growing older day by day. But your father isn¡¯t so weak, Honoka. I expect a breakthrough soon, perhaps even today.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Honoka was impressed. ¡°I am sure grandfather will be delighted. I still remember celebrating Shichi-Go-San all those years ago there. My kimono was beautiful. Miyu-san looked stunning as well. And the weddings, and funerals...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have fond memories myself.¡± Her father agreed. ¡°And it will be even more satisfying when we are there in the future, as everyone will know it was thanks to me! Yes, it¡¯ll all be worth it...¡±


    Honoka merely smiled and listened, in impeccable seiza, until her father excused himself. As he left, Kozue, who had remained silent the whole time like the professional bodyguard she was, finally spoke up. ¡°Your father... he seemed... rather preoccupied.¡±


    Honoka nodded. ¡°Yes. Of course, everyone is working hard. I dare say father is no exception. We must as well. After all, you do not wish to fall behind Michiru, do you?¡±


    Kozue ground her teeth, her beautiful, doll-like face blank. ¡°My sister is an idiot, she takes after father. All flashy showmanship with no substance. That is not ninjutsu. Nor is it bodyguarding. It is simply vanity, the need to show off. But...¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± Honoka apologised. ¡°I cannot give you the advantages Miyu-san can give Michiru.¡±


    Kozue was horrified, bowing low, head touching the floor. ¡°No, I have no wish to make you feel guilty. It is surely my fault for my lack of skill. But... no matter what my useless older sister gains, I shall always be superior, because I am not an idiot!¡±


    ¡°I believe in you. But Michiru deeply cares for Miyu-san, you should respect that.¡±


    ¡°I do, I stand corrected.¡± Kozue sighed. ¡°Though... I have my suspicions their relationship is... not proper. I would never be so bold, Honoka-sama!¡±


    I do not quite understand. But I suppose I do not need to. ¡°So, there is no training today, due to the concert, most of the training school is in attendance. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°I shall do whatever you wish.¡± Kozue promised, and Honoka nodded, relaxing her legs now father had gone.


    ¡°What do I want to do? I think... perhaps I should speak to grandfather. For some reason...¡± I feel a nervous chill. Perhaps I am coming down with a cold, or... perhaps it is a foreboding. Grandfather always taught me to be logical, to assess the known facts carefully, but also... never disregard a feeling. It may be, it probably is, nothing, yet... our brains make decisions based on information that we may not be aware we have... but I am still young and nai?ve.


    ¡°I find that a wise idea. Besides, Fujiwara-sama always enjoys seeing you, Honoka-sama. Who would not?¡±


    Honoka stifled an unbecoming giggle. I feel you are not an unbiased judge, Kozue. But... yes, I miss grandfather too. I spend so much less time with him recently, what with my training. It will do me good to see him looking healthier and happier... and perhaps he can untangle my misgivings...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Four – Zhao Daiyu

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Four ¨C Zhao Daiyu


    I do not exactly see the appeal of this. If I had spare time, I would rather Cultivate than make merry. Although... perhaps my thoughts are shallow. The path to the Dao is seldom a straight road. And I do find myself enjoying the company, rather than constantly being wary of the envy and jealousy of the other disciples of the Incorruptible Jade of the past. Here... Daiyu shook her head, as she watched Eri and Eui, two of her new disciples, watching the idol group play over the monitors in the AKB0048 dressing room.


    It was a little confusing to her, though not unpleasant at all. Cultivators were by nature a selfish breed, resources were finite, especially over the last years, the treasures the Sects that had been exiled from Kunlun possessed long being used up, the state of the world so devoid of Qi in all but the rarest places. And sadly, though she admitted to herself she had a very idealised view of the Incorruptible Jade, perhaps coloured by loss, her fellow disciples were no different, hating her for her talents, the fact that the Patriarch was her father, that she could reach Foundation Realm even in this barren world. Yet... here things are different. Is it because...?


    No, here, while everyone wished to be stronger, they rejoiced in the gains of others, it firing them up to strive for greater heights. An increase in power for one, was an increase in might for all, and it was a refreshing thing to feel, and made her choices seem right. Yes, our ways before... perhaps we were climbing trees to catch fish, a futile endeavour.


    Of course, this newfound sense of warmth pressured her in a different way. Now it was simply impossible to settle for merely walking this path herself, she needed her disciples, and especially those that were her family now, to walk with her. Which meant knowledge was needed. She often spent time interrogating the Cultivators who surrendered and were captured during the battle at Kyoto. They unfortunately knew little of value, but even scraps could be forged into mighty weapons by a skilled enough weaponsmith, and knowledge was no different. They accepted the same sort of plea-bargain as Nie Ling, and now work for the Ministry, under heavy watch, of course. I know that Shaeula was called upon to restrain them with her winds. Akio does not care for such things, but... if willingly accepted to gain a measure of freedom, it is no imposition.


    Of course, opportunities were Heaven-sent, and Daiyu was not one to deny the Heavens their due, just as it was that she was able to see Kunlun in the Tribulation visions, even a brief glimpse was enough to stimulate her insights. And then... it seems that Tamamo-no-Mae, despite being a Yo?kai, knows a great deal about Cultivators. But more than that... Daiyu seldom expressed emotion. It was said that Cultivators were of two types, the stoic, and the impassioned, and she would most certainly consider herself the former.


    The two Kunlun Cultivators, who the Kitsune sacrificed much to save, only to believe she had failed, living in torment, praying for death, then to be liberated, and to find that they yet endure, as if waiting for her. It must be weighing on her. But... it weighs on me too. Daiyu had her pride, all Cultivators did, and hers was higher than most. She was the one to teach Akio, her now beloved Dao Companion, and all the others, the path of the Heavens and the Earth. But... Su Caihong was at the peak of Cultivation, a Sect Master of one of the True Great Sects of Kunlun, and her daughter Su Liena was a genius, given all the resources her mother could muster. Now...


    It was a given they would be saved. Akio¡¯s abilities to manipulate spiritual and material bodies was beyond what this world had seen since perhaps Kunlun itself, and he was not alone. Now that he had taken in Tamamo-no-Mae, saving the Cultivators trapped out of time was a certainty. Compared to my knowledge from dusty scrolls and jade tags... they lived Cultivation at a greater height than I could even see. It is like an ant looking up at Mount Tai. The peaks are shrouded in the clouds. During the Pilgrimage, the frozen north of these isles would also be visited, and then the icy tomb where they slumbered would be found and the sleepers liberated.


    A thousand books offers less than a journey of a thousand miles. But... It was hard not to be worried, that her self-imposed role would be meaningless, but... her Dao heart held fast. Because even if she was useless, nobody would forsake her. This was not the cutthroat world of the Sects, but... a family. And she had love now, something she never imagined possible.


    ¡°You¡¯re smiling.¡± Eri said suddenly, looking at her curiously, her black eyes a match to Daiyu¡¯s. ¡°You should do it more often. Though... it does look a little troubled. Want to talk about it?¡±


    Daiyu shook her head. ¡°No. Merely... pondering the nature of my role here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple.¡± Eri chuckled. ¡°Take it from one who worried more than most. I was comparing myself to Shaeula, which was a hard and bitter comparison then. Now... I¡¯m me, she¡¯s her, and you¡¯re you. You just have to be Daiyu, and Akio doesn¡¯t ask any more of you.¡±


    ¡°True. I had come to that conclusion myself.¡± Daiyu admitted, her slight smile broadening. ¡°Though, I suppose it would be as if Akio had another childhood friend, one who overshadows you, who suddenly came into our lives...¡±


    Eri snorted. ¡°Fortunately there¡¯s no such thing. I suppose Shiro is the closest to that, and we do have a bit of a rivalry, but also friendship. But... there¡¯s no point worrying about that, is there? Honestly, even though you¡¯re a Cultivator, you¡¯re on the more normal side of things. Nobody can compete with mythical historical figures such as Tamamo-no-Mae, or Goddesses like Tan?ha?. So instead, we just be ourselves, and so long as we love Akio, he loves us, and we can all be friends... it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re worrying over losing a penny, when we are already rich in pounds.¡± Eri said some strange idiom, possibly British, maybe.


    Beside them, Eui had turned away from the screens, watching. She didn¡¯t understand much Japanese, so Daiyu switched to English, which she was becoming ever more fluent in. As a minimum, everyone should learn English, Japanese and Chinese. There are likely a few other languages we should know as well. Fortunately as a Cultivator, my capacity for learning is unmatched.


    ¡°Are you not watching the idol act? I know Aiko was very excited, Kana as well.¡± Daiyu observed, and Eri shrugged.


    ¡°Sure, I like idols well enough, but I¡¯m not a fanatic like Aiko, or the fashionable idiot duo. Red and White are good, yes, but... they aren¡¯t fellow disciples yet, are they Eui?¡± She addressed the quiet Korean girl, who nodded slowly.


    ¡°I used to enjoy idol groups too. Korean ones. In fact...¡± she sighed. ¡°...before Choe-Museon, I would have been overjoyed to be here. But I find I¡¯ve lost the interest...¡±


    ¡°Then let me give you a lesson, as your Matriarch.¡± Daiyu spoke, and Eui stood up straight instinctively, their short acquaintance more than enough to instil obedience into her. ¡°Regain interest, or find new ones. The Incorruptible Jade now demands that their Cultivators live rich, fulfilling lives. What use a grey eternity? Better to burn out brilliantly, enjoying life.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Keiko bounded over, in her full outfit, already made up beautifully. It is curious, this idol wear. I much prefer Cultivator robes, or more comfortable clothes such as Shiro and Eri wear. But does Akio like them, the short skirts, the frilly, sparkling shirts and little coats? Perhaps... maybe I could try them on occasion...


    ¡°Poor Eui-chan! You¡¯ve had it rough. But... you can¡¯t let that ruin your life. If you do, then those that hurt you win! It¡¯s like...¡± She paused, thinking. ¡°It¡¯s like if we quit being idols after Sora-kun went mad and attacked us... then he has power over us. No, we are the only ones that have the power!¡±


    ¡°Despite what you might hear...¡± Asuka grinned, also coming over, followed by one of the large group Daiyu didn¡¯t really know. ¡°...not every idol is a poor oppressed starlet that has to be very compliant to get a role or a break. AKB doesn¡¯t go for that! Anyway... cheer up, Eui-chan! We¡¯re fellow Cultivators, right? I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying that. But... honestly, everyone¡¯s mad jealous. We¡¯re going to steal the show, well, us and...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Matsui Juria, but you can call me Juu, It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all. I¡¯ve only met princess Shaeula before.¡± The pretty woman in her twenties smiled. She was wearing the same outfit as the others, only instead of in red, blue and white, she was in pink and gold.


    ¡°Princess? You¡¯ll give Shaeula a big head...¡± Eri snorted, but she did politely introduce herself and the others in return. The rest of the group were listening in too.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t she?¡± Juria asked, and Eri sniffed again.


    ¡°Yes, but if you let her run wild, you only get chaos. Her, Shiro and Hinata can all be real handfuls.¡±


    I¡¯ve noticed this. Since Eri received her Divine Favour, she no longer puts any distance between the other girls with her tone and honorifics. Perhaps now she finally feels the equal of any? ¡°It is true.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Though it is all for our benefits.¡±


    ¡°You think? No, that¡¯s not fair.¡± Eri eyed the three idols who were also her fellow Disciples. ¡°Adamant... I get it. Don¡¯t much like Shaeula¡¯s intentions behind it, but... I¡¯m not so shallow as to reject anything that benefits us. Though if it happens again, I had best be informed!¡± The three idols who had also joined the group smiled knowingly, which was frustrating some of the others. But it was Juria who spoke up.


    ¡°Anyway, I wanted to thank her again, since I only have this chance thanks to her aid.¡±


    ¡°You can. She¡¯s out in the crowd. She¡¯ll be backstage later.¡± Eri assured her. ¡°In fact, I expect she¡¯ll be going backstage to hang out with you girls specifically. Aiko¡¯s infected her, she¡¯s a huge idol fan now. There¡¯s a group I don¡¯t know much about on next, then you¡¯re up, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Juria agreed, before grinning at Keiko and her fellows. ¡°Though you should get ready. It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tamami said at last, having recovered from the great enthusiasm, and the fact that Red and White¡¯s dressing room was far too full of visitors. ¡°They were. When the collaboration song was proposed, we were a little intimidated, you know.¡±


    ¡°No kidding!¡± Kanako laughed. ¡°We are only semi-professional compared to AKB, we didn¡¯t want to look lame. But we did want to be here, not for ourselves, but...¡±


    ¡°For Kyoto, and those that fell there.¡± the three of them spoke together, drawing interested looks from the AKB idols.


    ¡°After all...¡± Tamami continued. ¡°I am a shrine maiden of a true shrine too, Kanda-myo?jin. I knew what was going on, though not what was at stake. And then... Yamato-san led that ill-fated expedition.¡± Her face fell. ¡°We were Tsukuyomi faction, so none of ours were involved, and we didn¡¯t know any of the fallen personally. Even so... it¡¯s a tragedy. So few are left who follow the faith, although...¡±


    ¡°There are more of us now.¡± the girl Hisano spoke up. Daiyu noticed she looked better dressed and more fashionable that usual. ¡°After all, I pledged my belief in Shirohebi, and now I even intend to attend festivals at the shrine. I¡¯m actually looking forward to the Pilgrimage. It isn¡¯t the way I ever imagined spending my winter break, but... it should be fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh damn yeah, it¡¯s winter break soon.¡± Kana said. ¡°I¡¯d almost forgot, considering I¡¯m working myself like a dog building that damn underground railway line to Akio¡¯s home. I¡¯ll get time off to join the Pilgrimage, no way I can miss out. And maybe... if the mood is right, a date or two with Akio!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of my bro...¡± Aiko spoke suddenly, peering at Eri. ¡°You¡¯re looking more relaxed. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve been doing that weird mind-to-mind thing with him. So, spill. How¡¯d it go?¡±


    Eri glanced at the idols, who all gave different reactions. The three who were Daiyu¡¯s disciples merely grinned, showing they knew to keep their mouths shut. Tamami glanced at Tsubame and Kanako, before speaking for them.


    ¡°We¡¯re very grateful you offered us this Chirurgery, and for being our fans. It meant a lot, having your brother in our audience, even if things didn¡¯t go so well. Honestly... I¡¯m a shrine maiden. I want to serve Daikokuten and Ebisu, two of the seven Gods of fortune. You know...¡± she frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that singer of Suzumebachi at our shrine a lot over the last few months. She really stands out, wearing gothic lolita dresses even in hot weather, and those hair drills... her dancers, you think...¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Yes, her Favour comes from Ebisu. Really, you have a lot in common.¡±


    ¡°In that case... yes, I too want to reach my full potential. Both as an idol and a shrine maiden. So I accept.¡± Her fellow idols echoed her, and Eri nodded.


    ¡°Great. We¡¯d be glad to have you, but... are you ready for the next step?¡± She looked at Daiyu, who then explained the potential of joining her Sect.


    ¡°You can study with us! It¡¯ll be great!¡± Keiko laughed happily. ¡°We can work on more collaborations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing...¡± one of the idols who had supported Red and White said softly. ¡°We¡¯re usually in the back, we haven¡¯t been in the spotlight much. So this was an opportunity.¡± Her two fellows agreed. ¡°This might earn us a few more votes during the next poll for positions. One day... we want a centre spot, like Juu-chan, or Kanzaki-chan here, even if it¡¯s only for one song. But... all we did was learn some basic choreography. Tamami-chan, Yoshino-chan and little Ema, they had far more demanding a schedule. They have to learn their own song, as well as support the other songs in our set... and now this too. We... we¡¯re in awe. But...¡±


    ¡°We can work hard!¡± a second insisted. ¡°We... don¡¯t mind studying under you, if it¡¯ll make us better!¡±


    ¡°Yes. We know we have to give to receive. Just so long as it isn¡¯t the casting couch!¡± the third of the newcomers giggled.


    ¡°There¡¯s no fear of that.¡± Aiko smirked. ¡°My bro still doesn¡¯t have the guts. Which is strange, considering his harem. Anyway... welcome aboard, I guess. Looks like your Sect is filling up nicely, Daiyu.¡±


    Daiyu nodded her agreement, well pleased. ¡°Yes, though the Cultivation is gruelling and requires utmost focus, the rewards are tangible, and shall change your lives. Just as your skills and signing and dancing bring you both joy and purpose, so too shall your Dao, whatever it might be.¡± It is... reassuring. Seeing the Incorruptible Jade gradually rise from the ashes of treachery, betrayal and ignoble defeat. Father... if you are looking down from the Heavens, I hope you are proud of me, of what I shall accomplish.


    ¡°Great. We have to clear it with our managers and the group bosses, but... they want us to get Chirurgery anyway. And...¡± one said, before Keiko took over.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s fantastic publicity, working with the Hero of Britain, Saviour of Korea...¡±


    Eui snorted at that, shaking her head, and Daiyu understood. Survivor¡¯s guilt, they call it. I know it well. But... to survive is to press onwards. Lest all be in vain.


    ¡°So, the next act... I¡¯ve only heard of them. We¡¯ll watch them, sure...¡± Kana declared, to nods of agreement. ¡°But after that, and before the intermission, it¡¯s your time to shine, girls.¡±


    ¡°It sure is!¡± Keiko was hyper with excitement, the adrenaline not having died down from her collab song. ¡°My debut single as centre... oops, wasn¡¯t supposed to say that, but I have no secrets from you girls!¡± she insisted. ¡°Juu-chan¡¯s finally doing her song too, and we have all the big hits... so I need to calm down. Anyway...¡± She grinned at Eri. ¡°How¡¯s he doing? He¡¯s in Africa, right?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Yes, well, South Africa, though they had to go to Botswana for a while. There was trouble...¡± Before anyone could speak, she waved a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Akio and Hinata are fine. Hinata¡¯s more than fine. It seems like it was her turn to get her reward...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kana shrugged. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not one like mine, where she can be worked like a mule. But... poor Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan will feel jealous. Anyway, I¡¯m happy for Hinata-chan. So, there must have been a fight. Was anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°Aliyah-san and Trey-san were wounded rather badly, but you know how it is. If Akio is there, or Shaeula, then so long as you¡¯re not dead, you can be fixed up. Even complicated injuries like mine are no problem now.¡± Eri reassured everyone. ¡°Sadly, it seems Ichijou-san had a rough time...¡±


    ¡°That bratty rich girl?¡± Aiko asked. ¡°Hinata-chan¡¯s friend? Is she okay? If she¡¯s hurt, my bro won¡¯t take it well.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s unharmed physically. Just had a terrifying experience. She¡¯ll get over it. It might make her calm down a bit.¡± Eri was sympathetic, but Daiyu knew she wasn¡¯t overly fond of Hinata¡¯s brash friend, and found her interest in Akio rather annoying.


    ¡°So long as she¡¯s fine.¡± Kana shrugged. ¡°So, I guess there was a fight then? Can¡¯t he go anywhere without causing trouble?¡±


    Daiyu looked at Eui, who was a little lost, before smiling slightly. ¡°I fear that trouble is everywhere, and he seeks to end it, rather than cause it. But we who follow the Path of Cultivation know the heights are paved with daggers. So long as he triumphs, and we remain safe, there is no cause for concern.¡± Indeed, I would rather my Dao Companion be as brave as a tiger, wise as a Qilin, fierce as a Dragon, and yet as handsome and prideful as a Phoenix, and kind as only a human can be. As talk turned away from Akio and back to the upcoming concert, and occasionally to just what Cultivation was like, Daiyu found herself smiling a little, Eui watching her closely, a wry expression on her face...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Five – Kanzaki Keiko

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Five ¨C Kanzaki Keiko


    ¡°You were great.¡± one of the other members of AKB0048 gushed, praising Keiko and the others. ¡°But don¡¯t get complacent. We won¡¯t be outdone!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± another groupmate agreed. It was one of the rare occasions when the entire group was gathered, to put on a huge performance, and while AKB0048 weren¡¯t the headline act, they were second billing, and were positioned before the intermission, having the same length of set as the headliners. ¡°Even though you¡¯ll be doing your song where you¡¯re centre, Kanzaki-chan, so are we!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Juu-chan is too!¡± yet another said, and Keiko exchanged a wry glance with Asuka and Ema, who were likewise being mobbed by their fellow groupmates, as were the three girls who were part of the collaboration song with Red and White. Seeing that, the most respected member of the group, Narumi-chan, or Rumi-Rumi to the group members who looked up to her, clapped her hands, her stunning smile drawing all eyes.


    ¡°All right, I know everyone is excited. Even for us, playing Tokyo Dome, and more, being seen nationwide and worldwide is a huge deal... but we¡¯re AKB! We are always ready to give it our all. So... calm down everyone.¡± Her smile was beautiful, and for a moment Keiko was envious of her, as Rumi-Rumi had achieved great success and had been centre on a record number of songs, winning fan vote after fan vote.


    ¡°We can do it, just like always. Now... watching Kanzaki-chan, Yoshino-chan and little Ema, as well as the others, doing the collaboration song got us fired up, but... again, we¡¯re AKB! Performing awesome songs for the adoring fans is what we do! And we¡¯re the best at it. Tamami-chan and Red and White are like our little sisters, and which little sister can outdo her older, wiser siblings?¡±


    ¡°Objection!¡± Ema raised one hand cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m the youngest, and I¡¯m not content to be in everyone¡¯s shadows forever! I¡¯m looking forward to our song, but...¡± She stared at Keiko, her eyes intense. ¡°...I¡¯m going to grab a centre spot soon, be a hit with the fans, win a poll! Besides...¡± Her smile turned wicked, like a little imp. ¡°...I know you¡¯re upset that your ideal man isn¡¯t here to watch, Keiko-chan! But if you were to date him, you¡¯d have to quit. It¡¯d make me and Asuka-chan super sad, but... follow your heart and your dreams!¡±


    Keiko found herself blushing. Ema, you cheeky little... Before she could say anything, Ema was squawking in protest as she had been swept into Rumi-Rumi¡¯s arms, pressed against her ample bosom.


    ¡°Well done little Ema!¡± Rumi-Rumi smiled warmly. ¡°Your cheeky antics have calmed everyone down. You know, maybe you¡¯ll surpass us all one day. But before that... it¡¯s not easy to win a fan poll!¡± Releasing the flushed girl, Rumi-Rumi chuckled, patting her head gently and carefully, so as not to muss her hair. ¡°As for you, Kanzaki-chan... It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand it. Oshiro-san is very heroic and brave, but... it¡¯s bad form for an idol to say she likes someone. It ruins the dreams of our fans. We¡¯re for everyone, not for someone. But again... I understand it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I only said he was my ideal guy.¡± Keiko¡¯s flush returned. ¡°Which he is. I mean, he saved us! But... you¡¯ll see soon. It¡¯s just a fantasy. Just like our fans fantasise about us, can¡¯t I about someone else? Anyway, when his sister and his girlfriends come backstage after our set, be nice, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Asuka giggled cheerfully. ¡°They¡¯re all rather amazing, in their own ways. I don¡¯t think I could do it, share my boyfriend... hey, I don¡¯t have one, okay?¡± she insisted, before anyone could speak. ¡°Just saying!¡±


    ¡°I could!¡± Ema giggled. ¡°It¡¯s actually a little romantic. I asked Matriarch Daiyu about her experiences, and... it¡¯s dreamy. The Dao of Love! Maybe I¡¯ll follow that path!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand...¡± Rumi-Rumi was puzzled, and she wasn¡¯t alone. As Asuka grabbed Ema and playfully teased her, Keiko shook her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ve told you about Cultivation. It¡¯s one of the reasons we¡¯re so good now. The Dao... it¡¯s like your way of life, your core, what you believe in and embody most. It¡¯s well beyond me, to be honest. But then, our Matriarch admits it¡¯s beyond her too, for now. But...¡± She looked out at the host of groupmates, all resplendent in their matching outfits, be they wearing shorts, skirts, waistcoats or scarves. ¡°...honestly, don¡¯t you find it wonderful and terrifying? The world...¡± I¡¯ve thought about it a lot. Ever since talking to Akio-kun and Arisu-chan. Being saved from Sora-kun. Becoming a disciple under Matriarch Daiyu, putting on the uniform I was given... nothing seems real, yet it¡¯s actually the most real life has ever felt...


    ¡°... we are AKB0048, you¡¯re right Rumi-Rumi.¡± Her voice echoed in the changing room as everyone looked on. One of the event staffers glanced at their watch worriedly, but Keiko knew she had time. ¡°We do more than sing and dance. We¡¯re the stuff of fantasies and dreams. Not all of them are good...¡±


    ¡°Like Sora-kun... that was a nightmare, not a dream...¡± Asuka sighed, and around her there were nods. Sadly, stalking wasn¡¯t uncommon in the idol scene, though Sora-kun was fortunately a rare escalation, even if it almost ended in unthinkable tragedy.


    ¡°...yes, sometimes the dreams we offer corrupt. But for many... we bring light into boring, dreary lives, offer escape. But... I want us to be more than just that.¡± Yes, they are all clever, driven, intelligent and powerful women. Ruthless too. Some of them scare me a little. But one thing anyone can see is... the world will go their way, or they¡¯ll crush it. And honestly... I¡¯m jealous of the world they see in their dreams. And... I do believe in destiny.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rumi-Rumi spoke for everyone, as she often did, and Keiko¡¯s answering smile was radiant. Even Rumi-Rumi flushed a little at her charm.


    ¡°Asuka knows. Ema knows. Those who danced with us just a while ago know.¡± There were nods as she continued. ¡°As idols we sell dreams, and give a hope that the world isn¡¯t grey and bleak. Each song, each dance is almost like a prayer, in a way. Tamami-chan gets that, hence Red and White call themselves servants of the Gods and the fans. But... this is a world now that truly needs those bringers of hope.¡±


    ¡°And you think we can be that?¡± Rumi-Rumi was no fool, so she understood Keiko¡¯s point.


    ¡°I know we can be! When people fear disasters and for their own safety and those of their loved ones, just like now, we can dispel the gloom. When the world seems bereft of hope, we can be there to shine like a beacon, showing there are still those that would dispel the darkness!¡± Yes, idols used to be objects of devotion, usually from the Gods. Isn¡¯t that a little similar to Akio-kun and the others, those who carry the hope of the Gods that Earth won¡¯t perish, that humanity will prosper? ¡°And... when our fans, our believers, are threatened, are menaced... we will not only give them courage, but we¡¯ll use our strength to defend them!¡±


    Yes, weakness is a sin. We can¡¯t rely on our agents, our security, to protect us from what¡¯s coming. I... we¡¯ve seen the other side.


    ¡°I... we... we¡¯re entertainers yes, but...¡± Rumi-Rumi began, only for Ema to giggle madly. Yes, she understands. After all, Sora-kun nearly... until Akio-kun came soaring in like a prince, no, like a Divine being, and ended our nightmares...


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it Rumi-Rumi. Fighting is for police and soldiers, right? Everyone thinks like that. But while Matriarch Daiyu certainly isn¡¯t ordinary... when you speak to Eri-chan, or Aiko-chan, or many of the others... they are just like us. They know that strength isn¡¯t something you leave for others!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Asuka backed them up, addressing everyone, pumped up. ¡°If... if we were strong, Sora-kun could never have done what he did, we might have even been able to steer him off his destructive path! Think about it... if we weren¡¯t saved... we might be dead. Or if not...¡±


    ¡°Our careers as idols would have been finished.¡± Ema didn¡¯t like to think about it, Keiko knew, and the younger girl still had nightmares, though they diminished a lot after the Chirurgery. Increased Resilience, I expect? ¡°Some would say I¡¯d be finished as a woman, but... that¡¯s not something we should say.¡±


    Yes, not something we should say. It¡¯s too cruel to her, Suzuki-san. I can still hardly believe she¡¯s a ghost.


    ¡°Instead...you¡¯d be mourning. AKB0048 might even have finished. A few times in the past, when things got bad, it looked dicey, didn¡¯t it?¡± Ema asked piercingly, and Rumi-Rumi had to admit it was true. And incidents of stalking and assault are nothing compared to what would have befallen the three of us...


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± one girl spoke up, and Asuka took over.


    ¡°Do you know why Matriarch Daiyu asked us to be her disciples? It seems crazy. We¡¯re idols, singers and dancers, entertainers. It¡¯s because when it comes to pursuing our dreams, we¡¯re single-minded, to an almost idiotic degree!¡± Her words were self-deprecating. ¡°We have a diet that rivals third-world prisoners, we constantly train and exercise, repeating routines over and over, sometimes a thousand times, until we can do it without a mistake...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Keiko continued. ¡°...we keep ourselves absurdly fit, yet always beautiful. To be at the top, we deny ourselves love, pleasures such as sweets and free time... and we¡¯re still not satisfied. We can always be better, be the centre, of attention, of the group, of the fans! Well, despite everything, I believe in the fans, though... I no longer want to deny myself the pleasures of life.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, Keiko-chan!¡± Ema insisted. ¡°Daiyu-chan... err, Matriarch says she did it that way, and ended up all alone, left adrift in the oceans to die, horribly wounded. But now she knows that true strength comes from grasping everything she desires. And that love is the strongest path of all. I like it. The Dao of Love!¡± she repeated her earlier words.


    ¡°So let amber lightning flash, let brilliant rain fall...¡± Asuka sang.


    ¡°Against headwinds of sorrow, raise all your might and walk...¡± Ema joined in, before they all sang together.


    ¡°Because after lightning strikes thrice, the sun will come! Your hopes bloom like sakura blossoms in spring, clouds part and misfortune runs! If you press on, and let none bar your way, amber lightning will flash, and sorrow burns away!¡±


    They paused, the lights dimming to nothing, apart from the spotlights, the remaining dancers frozen.


    ¡°We¡¯re lightning that strikes thrice!¡±


    With that last line delivered by the three of them the music died, and the audience responded, and Keiko found her face wet, her voice choked up. Looking at Asuka and Ema, who seemed to feel the same, Keiko wiped her face, before smiling at the crowd, who were waving their glowsticks frantically in approval.


    ¡°Thank you, thanks you all! It was an honour, singing this song! Like we told our fans at the AKB cafe? in Akiba that fateful day, this song was modified a little. So, Shaeula, I know you¡¯re watching, thank you for helping Matsuri-chan realise her dream. In fact, her song is up next!¡± The spotlight then lit up Juu-chan, who was similarly teary, yet composed. ¡°So... thank you. I hope you continue to let nothing bar your way. And that... you¡¯ll go easy on us in training!¡± She winked, while Ema burst out into giggles. ¡°Anyway, there are two versions of the three of us in the special idol gacha, our ordinary AKB versions, and thrice lightning versions, which like Suzu-chan, are super rares! It¡¯s all for a good cause, so why not buy a few? The ones in the arena do have a slightly boosted rate, as a bonus for buying a ticket...¡± Keiko confided slyly, as if giving secret information. ¡°But even so, our online and international orders still have a shot at some one-off collectors editions!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I look awesome cute in my thrice lightning getup!¡± Ema giggled. ¡°And... if we sell enough, maybe we can do this again. Maybe we¡¯ll even ask Akio-kun if his girlfriends in various costumes can be part of the set?¡±


    ¡°No way, he won¡¯t allow that... he¡¯s the jealous type.¡± Asuka sniggered. ¡°Unless... we really hit monumental sales and sell out the gacha that factories have been running around the clock to fill with merchandise. Anyway... we better stop now, or Matsui-chan will cry...¡±


    ¡°Yes, back to our positions!¡± Keiko agreed. ¡°But... say a few words first, Matsui-chan! This is it, your big moment. Nothing more bars your way!¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± Juu-chan laughed. ¡°Anyway...¡± She gave high-fives to the three of them, before occupying the vacated centre spot, Rumi-Rumi as her backup. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Matsui-chan, and... this is my moment! Our moment!¡±


    As the lights switched to a brilliant cross shaped pattern, lighting up the members of AKB0048, the music began to play, quietly at first, and then, cannons full of confetti cherry blossoms blasted out into the crowd, and flames shot into the sky, some of them sparking to ashes in a beautiful and also dangerous display.


    Watching the blossoms fall, burning, Keiko smiled, as the long-awaited song Cherry Blossom Fortune Telling began. Really, we can only do such impressive stage shows because of the presence of Chosen. I hope this changes people¡¯s perception of them. It¡¯s not all villains like Sora-kun... Then she had no more time to think, as she was moving through her part of the dance routine...


    ***


    ¡°Thank you one and all!¡± Rumi-Rumi declared, as the final song, Teacher Teacher, finished. Flames sparkled and a cascade of golden sparks sheeted down from the roof, flanking the stage in an elegant display. ¡°We are AKB0048, and we love you all! Dig deep into your hearts and your pockets, and do donate to this good cause, or take a try on our idol gacha for no end of awesome prizes! But don¡¯t get addicted, okay? Trying to get every member of AKB0048, especially with alternative costumes, will bankrupt you!¡± She winked, exuding the grace and charm that had made her the manager of AKB0048 within the girls of the group.


    ¡°No kidding. Though... I¡¯m one with an alternate costume.¡± Juu-chan also spoke. It was as if a devil was lifted from her, and honestly, Keiko wasn¡¯t the only one to have shed a few tears during her song. Fortunately we were on the fringes for Cherry Blossom Fortune Telling, as Ema was crying big ugly tears. Luckily you can¡¯t tell under those lights...


    ¡°Anyway... we want to thank Red and White for collaborating with some of our promising young members.¡± Juu-chan continued. ¡°And also...¡± She thanked the previous bands, and those to come.


    ¡°And thanks to Suzu-chan and Suzumebachi for warming up the crowd, and our wonderful hosts.¡± Rumi-Rumi waved at Arisu-chan and her co-hosts. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve said our piece already, but... this isn¡¯t the end. No, we¡¯ll go from strength to strength, and so will Japan! We¡¯ve suffered sad tragedy and loss, but... like our song says, the stormy clouds will pass! Be well everyone, and now it¡¯s the intermission, feel free to spend some money!¡±


    Everyone in the group took a bow, and then the lights dimmed, revealing Arisu-chan, Aoki-san and Fumie-san.


    ¡°That was a spectacle, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Fumie-san spoke cheerfully. ¡°Though my heart shook when the fiery rain of blossoms happened. That¡¯s a breach of health and safety regulations for sure, I don¡¯t want us to get shut down!¡±


    ¡°Yes, for a moment I thought that a mistake had happened and the fire alarms were going to go off.¡± Aoki-san joked. ¡°That would have made history in a different way. But you looked as calm as ever, Arisu-chan!¡±


    ¡°Of course. It was carefully choreographed, with support of a number of wielders of wind, the spectacle was contained. And rather beautiful.¡± Arisu-chan agreed. ¡°Besides, even were there a genuine accident, I am here. I would handle it.¡±


    ¡°Not as beautiful as you, Arisu-chan. Why, if I was twenty years younger...¡± Aoki-san repeated his usual joke, as the members of AKB0048 left the stage. There was cleaning and restocks to do before the next acts, and besides, everyone was exhausted. Except us three, of course.


    As they entered their dressing room, Keiko smiled. ¡°Matriarch, fellow disciples. Aiko-chan, Kana-chan.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, our dressing room is full of beauties. Hey... is that... Shaeula?¡± one groupmate said, eyes wide, and the woman in question nodded, her amber hair and eyes drawing attention.


    ¡°Indeed, it is me-me.¡± She snorted, amused. ¡°And it is quite-quite the pleasure to meet you all. I am very-very much a fan.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget me!¡± Aiko-chan declared. There were a number of girls behind her, two in gal fashion, and two more, in gyaru stylings, though one looked simultaneously uncomfortable and excited. ¡°Anyway...¡± Aiko-chan gave everyone a thumbs-up, before coming over.


    ¡°Hey, Keiko-chan, Ema-chan, Asuka-chan, great song! Shaeula was hilariously embarrassed by it. You were all great too!¡±


    As the VIP visitors who were either friends, family or lovers of Akio-kun, it seemed, were mingling with the idols as they changed clothes and stripped off their makeup, Daiyu strode over, forcing the three of them to instinctively stand up straighter. It¡¯s sort of ingrained in us, isn¡¯t it?


    After giving them an appraising glance, their usually expressionless Matriarch gave a brisk nod. ¡°Not so bad. Your performance was tolerable.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Keiko laughed in relief. ¡°Anyway, now you¡¯re here, let me introduce you to everyone...¡± Glancing around the packed room, Keiko felt a surge of pride and joy, as well as determination. I¡¯ve done it. I sang my song as the centre, at the biggest event I¡¯ll likely ever see. But that¡¯s not enough, not anymore. No, our horizons have opened up, and we have to seize lucky lightning when it strikes, or forever regret it...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Six – Emily Jade Oshiro

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Six ¨C Emily Jade Oshiro


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Emily giggled, clinking her glass against Hana¡¯s, before swinging it around and bumping it against the one held gingerly by Tsukiko-chan¡¯s mother, Kaoru-san. Taking a swig of the sweet drink, Emily leaned back in her chair, content. This is the life! Surrounded by family, and beautiful daughters-in-law! And having a drink or five in the afternoon!


    ¡°You should be careful, dear.¡± Taichi spoke up, frowning, his greyish eyes with just a hint of brown so like their son¡¯s, making her giggle again.


    ¡°Careful? Why?¡± Emily asked, taking another deep sip of the cocktail. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, leave her alone, man.¡± They were conversing in English for the benefit of their two Korean guests, one of which, the punk, aggressive and totally cool Violet, was chugging a beer across the table from her, heedless of the looks she had received on the way in, her arms bare in a black tank top, despite the December chill. Tattoos are cool! I know the Japanese hate them, and think they are only for yakuza or women of ill-repute, but I like them! And her attitude¡¯s really fun too!


    ¡°Let unni drink, she¡¯s a big girl.¡± Violet let out an unconcerned belch, making Emily giggle yet again.


    ¡°I know.¡± Taichi rubbed at his temples. ¡°But Emily is a notoriously poor drinker. A lightweight, as the British would say. While getting Chirurgery has improved that somewhat...¡± he gestured to Emily with one hand. ¡°You see?¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s a bit red-faced. Shows she¡¯s enjoying herself.¡± Violet defended her.


    ¡°So be it. Then you can look after her, Kang-san.¡± Taichi conceded.


    ¡°I told you, call me Violet. I haven¡¯t got time for that shit... err... sorry, my bad. Akio-oppa tells me you¡¯re not fond of profanities.¡± She scratched her cheek, a bit disconcerted. ¡°But... I have a bit of a foul mouth. And now I¡¯m a Hunter, well... soldiers swear like troopers, right? Most men that come out of compulsory military service have fouler mouths than when they went in. And we... we fight scarier things than night drills and trench crawling. Right, right?¡± She looked around for support.


    ¡°I... have some experience.¡± Tsukiko-chan admitted, and Emily was once more lost in admiration. She¡¯s so utterly beautiful, I can hardly believe my Aki has bagged such a woman! Although Shiro¡¯s the same. None of the girls are plain at all, even dear Eri-chan is a beauty, but... something about Tsukiko-chan catches the eye. It¡¯s... she seems so otherworldly, refined and noble. Although also rather sad...


    ¡°However I can hardly say it has coarsened my language. Although... when I died, I did feel the urge to swear bitterly, curse the Gods, but... fortunately in my last moments I had something else to distract me.¡± The elegant girl¡¯s skin flushed nearly as deep a red as her eyes, and Emily covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smile.


    That¡¯s my boy, always making the right moves! He must have got his charm from me! Taichi¡¯s rather too fond of projecting a stern front, rather than being romantic. Honestly, it seems a miracle we got together, looking back on it. I guess... I just like hard workers?


    Kaoru-san and her elderly husband Taro-san both looked ashamed and troubled, but Tsukiko-chan, good girl that she was, saw and consoled them, despite the rather difficult relationship between them. ¡°Do not worry, mother, father. My faith remains undimmed. How could it not? I am the Diviner, and also Matsumuro Tsukiko. But even the Gods are prisoners of this vast universe, and I know they are not omnipotent. After all, not only noble Tsukuyomi, but if I wished, I could speak to any number of Kami and Gods. Prince Sho?toku for one, and also Tan?ha?, though she is not one of ours, and find out they are limited, not as we are, but by their own troubles. And... it is the end of things that matters. If the path is thorny and bitter, so long as the fruit at the end is wonderful, then all is well.¡±


    ¡°And was the fruit sweet?¡± their other Korean companion, Yu-mi-chan asked, seeming genuinely curious. ¡°Honestly, I think I kind of get it.¡±


    Tsukiko-chan nodded elegantly, though the still-fading blush made her already youthful appearance seem more innocent, as in a way she was. It¡¯s like a classic fairy tale. The princess all alone in her tower. Tsukiko-chan wasn¡¯t exactly alone, but she was isolated from connecting with others. ¡°I have hardly tasted all the fruit has to offer, but I have plucked it from the branch of thorns, and am delighted, though also... it is somewhat intimidating.¡± Tsukiko-chan glanced at Asha and Hyacinth, who had also accompanied the group out. I wanted Mae and Nebisuki to come too, but Mae insisted she had to protect the shrine while we were all absent, and Nebisuki seems to be feeling sorry for herself today... oh well.


    ¡°There is nooo cause for concern, mistress Tsukiko.¡± Hyacinth assured her. ¡°Hyacinth was scared tooooo at first. Kindness is nooot something I was used to, or considered a choooice for me. But happiness is something we must wooork on, all of us together.¡±


    Asha agreed. She was drinking juice, rather than alcohol, which was a good thing. While we hardly had any cluse of how Fae physiology worked, and weren¡¯t sure just how our daughters would turn out... daughters, and plural. Apparently Dryads can only give birth to girls, and Asha is sure she is carrying more than one child... Emily and Taichi weren¡¯t comfortable with her drinking, in case it was detrimental to their grandchildren. Fortunately Asha was happy to acquiesce, being terribly easy-going, as well as calm, mature and beautiful. We¡¯re going to be grandparents. I wasn¡¯t sure this day would ever come, honestly, what with Aki being so standoffish, and Ai being... well, Ai, I guess?


    ¡°As most of you know, I too was the same. Dying day by day, rotting away, poisoned in body, heart and spirit. But now...¡± She touched her belly tenderly, and Emily found herself getting excited, thinking about the children, and not just Asha¡¯s, but all of Aki¡¯s yet to come. ¡°...I have the chance to spread my seeds on fertile ground, to fruit and bear new life. I enjoyed your metaphor, Tsukiko. It is apt. The greater the sorrow, the more brilliant the joy when such is banished.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little left out...¡± Yu-mi-chan confided to Violet. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to marry a man I¡¯d never met, even to help save my cousin. I know that¡¯s selfish, but...¡±


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s not at all. I¡¯d never do that shit... uh, I¡¯d never do that, even for my little bro. Sure, if he was in debt I¡¯d raise the money for him, or if he was in trouble I¡¯d fight for him. But I¡¯m a woman, there¡¯s some lines you just don¡¯t cross. So, don¡¯t feel bad over it, Yu-mi. Your dad was a bit of a bastard making that choice for you, to be honest. I¡¯d have slugged him, guilt-tripping you like that.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t dad¡¯s fault. He was desperate. And he didn¡¯t think there was another way.¡± Yu-mi-chan smiled then, and Emily felt a brief twinge of regret. She¡¯s another good candidate for a daughter-in-law. Well-educated, pretty, good family background, and sure, she¡¯s Korean, but I don¡¯t care about that. Taichi¡¯s not a racist either... oh, calling it racism isn¡¯t a good thing. I guess... the Japanese just have a very insular nature? Anyway... she¡¯s sticking around, so maybe there¡¯s still hope? Making sure not to look at her best friends Hana and Junpei, feeling a little guilty, she listened, draining her drink.


    ¡°Anyway, Akio isn¡¯t a bad man, not at all, so fortunately I was spared. I won¡¯t go into detail on the complicated way that makes me feel, but... my cousin is safe and recovering well, and I¡¯ve found something really interesting to do. And you¡¯re on board with it, aren¡¯t you Violet?¡±


    ¡°Sure am! I wasn¡¯t much of a leader, too hot-tempered, I reckon. I¡¯ll let Akio-oppa take the lead on that, and just hit who needs hitting and reap the rewards.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll have to do more than just that.¡± Yu-mi-chan giggled. Yes, she¡¯s definitely a -chan now I get to know her. She may not be Japanese, but she¡¯s got that young woman energy! ¡°I want to be a part of this, and I have grand plans. In fact, the first steps are happening today.¡± She gestured at the screen displaying the concert. They had booked a private room, but outside Emily could hear the ordinary patrons watching too.


    ¡°That¡¯s AKB0048, isn¡¯t it?¡± Emily asked, curious. ¡°I know Ai has some of their stuff. Though I remember when I was younger, it was all about buying the CDs. Now it¡¯s streaming...¡±


    ¡°Yes, three of them are fellow disciples to Eui. You know... I think I need to make time for that training myself.¡± Yu-mi-chan mused. ¡°I thought only Chirurgery would be enough, but I¡¯m reconsidering after the events here.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tsukiko-chan agreed. ¡°Danger comes unbidden, and can spring from anywhere. In fact... Akio and I share a great deal of foreboding recently. It is why Tamamo-no-Mae is wise. Asha¡¯s Tree cannot lie unprotected.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, subject change.¡± Emily pressed the bell on the table, summoning the waiting staff to bring more drinks. With a glass in hand, Emily waved it cheerfully. ¡°Much as I just love talking about Aki and his love life, we¡¯re here to bond, as a family. Oh, and keep our lovely Korean friends entertained.¡± Emily didn¡¯t forget Yu-mi-chan and Violet, as they weren¡¯t family. Not yet anyway, who knows what the future holds? That¡¯s why it¡¯s so exciting...


    ¡°Sadly, I¡¯m not a masochist, and she keeps breaking my heart. Oh...¡± he mock-swooned. ¡°...the beautiful are always the cruellest.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you are likely the second coming of Shinohara-san, and I look forward to hearing of your many charitable endeavours, Aoki-san.¡± Arisu-chan countered, and he turned towards his co-host will a pained expression.


    ¡°See what I mean, Fumie-chan? She¡¯s breaking my heart again!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Ken-kun, but I think you¡¯ll have to grin and bear it!¡± she laughed. ¡°Anyway, Arisu-chan, I¡¯m amazed you know all this...¡±


    ¡°I am well connected, a bother that can sometimes be.¡± Arisu-chan sniffed. ¡°Anyway, clean, safe water should be provided via new methods as well, and communications can be maintained if there is power. Safe shelter... we have also talked about that. So... do not despair. Rest assured that if we all come together, we can weather the storm. Do not believe in rumours, or let hysteria spread lies. I abhor that.¡±


    ¡°I think Ryusei-kun and Mei-chan are likely trembling in fear right now...¡± Aoki-kun snickered nastily. ¡°But I agree. Honestly, there¡¯s a great number of rumours going around about Chosen, spiritual beings, worldwide disasters... it can be unsettling, but... just like here at the concert, life goes on, and if we all work together, we can get through this!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Konno-san agreed. ¡°Anyway, great talk, Arisu-chan! Lots to unpack, but... it¡¯s time for our next act, the first after the intermission. And it¡¯s a big one! You may have heard of these...¡± she addressed the watching audience. ¡°...but you¡¯d never imagine them to appear here... in a show of solidarity from across the Sea of Japan, in tribute to the tragedy of Choe-Museon, and the heroics that resolved it... we bring you... Blackrose!¡±


    The lights in the stadium blacked out, and then pink spotlights shone down, illuminating four women. Then flames and other pyrotechnics exploded throughout the arena, pink sparks cascading downwards curtaining the stage, and then a song even Emily had head began to play, the idols beginning a flashy dance routine.


    ¡°I had a hand in getting them on the bill.¡± Yu-mi-chan declared proudly. ¡°Although Hinata did suggest to the Blue House that a show of solidarity would be in everyone¡¯s interests. As for the specifics... well, those who go to Master Bear¡¯s nightclub in Gangnam are quite well connected...¡±


    As Yu-mi-chan talked brightly of her input, Emily leaned back, content. Kana-chan¡¯s working very hard, and so are Ixitt and Grulgor... honestly, I was a bit scared of the big guy at first, but he¡¯s actually quite pleasant when you talk to him, though Shaeula seems a bit bemused and rueful about that. There¡¯s history there, I know. Anyway... Aki really needs to make Kana-chan feel special, all the work she¡¯s putting in getting the factory ready on his behalf!


    ¡°It... how is it possible for such a grand undertaking to happen?¡± Taro-san asked, before his face fell. ¡°Excuse me. I spoke out of turn, it is not my place to question...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Junpei sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just as involved as any of us. We¡¯ve accepted that now, haven¡¯t we Hana?¡±


    She agreed. ¡°Yes, little Eri wouldn¡¯t forgive us if we didn¡¯t, and she¡¯s all grown up, she can make her own choices. Your daughter is the same, why, despite hardly looking it, she¡¯s rather older than little Eri, and has been shouldering responsibilities for a long time. Of course, we don¡¯t get it either...¡±


    ¡°It is quite complicated.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°I am not a Mortal Engineer, but I have listened to some of Ixitt¡¯s lectures, as the best source of elemental energies and aether is by my Tree.¡± She went on to explain a little, and Yu-mi-chan filled in the rest.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I have much involvement, although when Japan is done, Britain and South Korea are next in line to buy the technology, for the right price. It¡¯s good leverage.¡± She smiled, pleased at Aki¡¯s cunning. Though it¡¯s probably Hinata-chan¡¯s doing. She¡¯s a smooth operator, that girl!


    ¡°From what I understand, the main thing is supplying your home, obviously, important government and military facilities, and then having at least some power available for every major city, town and village. Yeah, we¡¯re looking at years, probably, unless it can be scaled up to a national effort, which seems improbable considering the resources involved... but on the bright side, we¡¯re all going to be rich!¡± Yu-mi-chan enthused.


    ¡°We?¡± Emily asked, amused, and Yu-mi-chan blushed adorably.


    ¡°Yes, we! I¡¯m head of his Korean operations, along with Violet here...¡± The tattooed woman gave a thumbs-up, watching Blackrose on TV, chugging beer. ¡°...and...¡± She glanced at Hyacinth, whose smile was tender and reassuring. ¡°...I have other ties. No backing out, the die is cast, I¡¯m part of Akio¡¯s group for good. Anyway...¡± she coughed, a little pink. ¡°It¡¯s a huge undertaking, but... we¡¯re not simply planning for tomorrow, next month, or even next year, but decades ahead.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Taro-san managed. ¡°Forgive my ignorance.¡±


    ¡°You are hardly ignorant, father.¡± Tsukiko-chan shook her head, denying that. ¡°Even I am hardly aware of everything that goes on. Besides, your role... it is to rekindle our family bonds. Akio insists on it. And... I would be grateful too. I gave up much, to be the Diviner, and I would never regret it. But... now I want my repayment, and Akio insists I should claim interest.¡±


    Talk turned to happier matters, and Emily giggled, watching in delight. Taichi laid a warning hand on her arm, but she shook it off. ¡°It¡¯s fine, totally fine! I¡¯m not drunk... I promishe!¡±


    ¡°You promishe, do you?¡± Taichi had noticed her slight slurring, and sighed. ¡°No matter, I suppose the worst that will happen is you have a rotten headache tomorrow.¡±


    As Emily nodded, Yu-mi-chan¡¯s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she then told everyone she had to take the call, retreating to one corner.


    ¡°Oh, hi dad. What¡¯s up? Watching the concert? Of course you are... so anyway... oh.¡± She paused, nodding. ¡°Yes, I see. Huh, what?¡± Her eyes went wide with surprise for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s great news, Akio will be pleased... oh.¡± She was clearly puzzled. ¡°Not your doing? But they¡¯ve agreed? Tuesday, you say? Okay... yeah, sure, I can be there. Send me the details, I need to pass them on. Bye.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Yu-mi-chan seemed rather perplexed. Seeing that, Emily spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yu-mi-chan shrugged. ¡°It seems the Tengokusentou negotiations have concluded in our favour. Though dad says it doesn¡¯t seem down to him or those helping him. Anyway, apparently there¡¯s to be a cash settlement, and a handover ceremony on Tuesday. Dad¡¯s been invited since he was doing negotiations behind the scenes, so I¡¯m going along.¡±


    ¡°I see. So good news then?¡± Emily shrugged. ¡°In that case...¡± She grinned, hitting the bell to summon a server for more drinks. ¡°Let¡¯s watch the concert and drink more! Party, party, party!¡±


    As Emily laughed, Taichi trying to calm her down, Hana rolling her eyes, clearly exasperated, she thought that this was simply perfect, beautiful daughters-in-law, good friends, and an ever-expanding family. Yes, this is the life! It¡¯s amazing how everything has changed for us... long may it continue!


    With one last glance at the concert, Emily let out a contented sigh, the warm glow of alcohol leaving her pleasantly numb...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Seven – Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Seven ¨C Shiratori Himeko, Shirohime


    ¡°And that was Kill Your Love!¡± the lead of Blackrose called out, as the music died. ¡°Though...¡± She smiled at her fellow groupmates, all of them with the glow of exhaustion and contentment that came from giving a great performance. ¡°...I think today is all about showing love, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re very honoured to be here.¡± another woman nodded cheerfully. ¡°Just like Kyoto, the tragedy of Choe-Museon has touched the hearts of a whole country, and we pray for the victims there as well.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re often at odds, sadly...¡± the third idol agreed. ¡°I know that relationships are strained between South Korea and Japan. But we don¡¯t like that. That¡¯s why Blackrose is always in your area!¡±


    Shiro nodded at that. Blackrose had indeed released an album where their songs were sung in Japanese, so despite being Korean, they were greatly popular in Japan, and having them here was quite a coup.


    ¡°Yes, and... we¡¯re grateful to Oshiro-oppa...¡± the last idol declared, and at that Shiro rolled her eyes, a little irritated. I know it¡¯s just an honorific, like we Japanese use, but seriously, calling Aki older brother, all these women...


    Feeling threatened, princess? Tan¡¯s lazy voice echoed through her mind. It seems these women are rather famous...


    Me? Threatened? Oh please, I¡¯m Shirohime, and Aki¡¯s madly in love with me. Besides, it¡¯s only natural women admire him. But I¡¯m surprised, I didn¡¯t think you had much interest in music, Tan?


    I do not, it is true. My foolish, debauched sisters, they wallow in pleasures and call upon many creators of music and other entertainments to idle away their endless hours. I was far too disciplined for such. Though, I felt it was wise to listen here, after all, the truth of a world is revealed through its culture. And for now, I have little better to do...


    There¡¯s nothing wrong with appreciating music and entertainment. In fact, it¡¯s one of the things that makes life worth living. Shiro¡¯s face was momentarily crossed with a bitter frown. It was all that kept me going, for a long time. Escapism, enjoyment... it¡¯s all valuable. Perhaps... that¡¯s what your sisters were doing? It seemed to be a shock, the Buddha not falling for any of you?


    There was a long silence in her thoughts, before Tan replied, and Shiro could feel her irritation. I was beautiful, charming, unspoiled, and though my father bade me turn him from his path for petty reasons, I would have been a faithful woman for him. I would consider abandoning his journey for me a small, insignificant price to pay. So yes, I was indeed shocked, as were my sisters. But I am stronger minded than they. I did not succumb to my disappointment and... cavort... as they have.


    Instead you shut yourself away, until you saw a chance with me, right? I mean, being a shut-in is time honoured tradition here in Japan, so it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get it. But... it¡¯s a lonely life. Fortunately, it¡¯s never too late to start appreciating life, as I¡¯ve discovered. So, just how long have you been shut away?


    You should know better than to enquire of the age of a maiden, princess. Suffice it to say I am as old as I appear. Besides...  As the idols of Blackrose finished their speech, pleas for unity and tolerance that made Shiro nod, Tan finished her thoughts. ...time is a difficult concept for we Gods, and those, who like us have unshackled themselves from mortality. As you will likely find out. It is not the length of ages, but the moments within that define age. And I... have been on hold, you perhaps might say, princess. But now the frozen moment is moving once again. This chance...


    You think we¡¯re going to win? Of course we are... Aki¡¯s got this. Especially with your help, Tan.


    Let him prove himself worthy first. I am not a woman to surrender lightly. Though...


    She tried to hide her thoughts, but Shiro was getting better at picking them out, or perhaps Tan cared less than before, and her lips quirked into a wicked smile. Yeah, screw the Buddha. When we meet one day, we can rub it in his face on what he missed out on, and how you got over him and moved on...


    Get over? Do not be insolent, princess. I had no love for him, though my pride demanded I give my all should he have been Allured by me. But yes... ¡®screw¡¯ the Buddha, as you put it so succinctly. I am not old... Tan insisted. ...not as we immortal beings reckon age, but... I have waited long for satisfaction. It would certainly be a great pleasure for my work here to bear fruit, this opportunity I seized the one to break my chains of isolation and allow me to be more than my father¡¯s daughter. But for now... I grow weary of this conversation.


    With that, Tan was silent once more, and Blackrose had said their final words, more fireworks and pyrotechnics blasting out into the arena. They¡¯re kind of awesome. Anyway... yeah, why should I care about idols that fancy Aki? There¡¯s already Keiko. Besides, compared to me, most idols are plain and uninteresting. Yeah, no problems here at all...


    Arisu was back speaking, and Shiro grinned. You go girl! You¡¯re doing great, your comeback starts now!


    Yasu seemed equally excited. His sloppy smile always amused Shiro. Her friends were all so... full of life, something Shiro used to envy. Fortunately now my own life is full. Too full, sometimes...


    ¡°Awesome, you think we¡¯ll get to meet Blackrose if we go backstage? I mean, AKB0048 is great and all, but we¡¯ve been to the cafe? in Akiba enough times and met a few of the members, it¡¯s... it¡¯s not the same!¡±


    ¡°Should you be getting so excited over meeting some cute idols?¡± Aimi teased him. She had seemed a little down, perhaps because her boyfriend wasn¡¯t able to make it, but she had soon perked up, seeing the acts. Aimi¡¯s always so relentlessly cheerful, no way a little loneliness will keep her down.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Yasu insisted. ¡°Karen-chan would totally understand. I mean... you¡¯re happy too, right Shugo-kun, Hayato-kun? Don¡¯t deny it in front of everyone, I know you are! Even you¡¯re stoked, right Aimi-chan?¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± she laughed. ¡°Hina-chan understands...¡± Indeed, Hina knew that it was impossible for Hayato to remain unmoved by a great idol performance, but she also knew he wasn¡¯t the sort of guy to hold thoughts of unfaithfulness. It was like admiring famous actors, it was harmless enough. Not that I ever had any celebrity crushes. Although you could argue Aki¡¯s a celebrity now...


    ¡°...Akiko-chan might not get it, so be careful, Shugo-kun! She looks a keeper, so don¡¯t blow it and end up like Yasu-kun!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a loser! Karen-chan thinks I¡¯m great!¡± Yasu insisted to Aimi¡¯s warning, to some laughter. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not the only one here without my partner!¡±


    ¡°Low blow, Yasu-kun!¡± Aimi sniffed, before taking a moment, and then glancing over at Shiro. ¡°After all, Akio-kun isn¡¯t here either, so Shiro¡¯s all alone too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m never alone.¡± Shiro insisted, grinning. I¡¯ve always got Tan. Honestly though... the day we part will come. Though before that there¡¯s a long way to go. And by then... if Eri can do it, I most certainly can. Okay, she can be a bit frustrating, but she was kind to me when I first came into her life, and she¡¯s the only relationship to Aki that comes close to mine, as a childhood friend. Well, if you don¡¯t count Aiko of course. Since Aki¡¯s such a relentless siscon...


    Pulling out her phone, Shiro opened one of her group chats. For a phone that only had her gang of uni friends she was here with and Aki before, now it was stuffed with various contacts and groups, but the most important one was the one she teasingly called ¡®Aki¡¯s harem¡¯. ¡°See? I can get real-time updates on how Aki is. Eri¡¯s always listening. Aiko is right, she¡¯s definitely got yandere tendances...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you don¡¯t?¡± Yasu shot back with a rare display of bravery.


    ¡°Oho, bold, bold. Shit, Yasu, you forgot I¡¯m Shirohime. Anyway... yes, I¡¯m a bit annoyed Aki can¡¯t be here, he¡¯d love it, he may not be as much of an idol fan as his sister, but he certainly does like cute girls who can sing and dance. Sadly...¡± she glanced down at the messages from Eri, ignoring the replies from the other girls. ¡°...looks like Aki¡¯s been busy enough. Seems Hinata¡¯s demanding he take some bitch for all she¡¯s worth... so knowing Aki, it¡¯s probably some hot woman...¡±


    ¡°Are things always this... lively?¡± Akiko asked, still holding a large bag, full of the small figures they had won from the merchandise gacha during the interval. Of course they had to participate, it being only natural. Oddly enough... Shiro glanced at Yasu, who had been the most fortunate of them, and had pulled the ultra-rare figure of Arisu. Maybe your luck is changing?


    ¡°Sorry, Akiko-chan.¡± Shugo put his arm around her shoulder smoothly. ¡°I can carry the bag, you know?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know you all want to wave your glowsticks. It¡¯s surprising, but a little amusing.¡± Akiko denied his kindness. ¡°They¡¯re not heavy, just little plastic figures. Though with the big heads, they look kind of cute.¡± Akiko had actually pulled a good figure as well, Tamami from Red and White. The rest of them had scored ordinary idols, such as from AKB, and Shiro hadn¡¯t forgotten how Yasu had teased her over not getting the Akio figure that like Arisu, was ultra-rare. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you get away with that! This Shirohime¡¯s wrath is subtle, and strikes when you least expect it!


    ¡°Yeah, the style is very popular in gacha capsule machines. Of course, if you want to buy the real thing, the one to eight and one to six scale figures... that¡¯s going to set you back a lot of money. Even more here, as it¡¯s for charity.¡± Shugo explained patiently, a little flushed as Shiro, Aimi and Hina smiled warmly at the two of them. Yeah, they look good together. I approve.


    ¡°That one of Arisugawa-san was incredible...¡± Akiko mentioned the star of the collection, available in very limited qualities. Shiro couldn¡¯t help but stand taller, proud of her friend.


    ¡°I was tempted to buy it, but...¡± Yasu shot Shiro a wary look, and she snorted.


    ¡°Yeah, Karen might find it odd. Arisu certainly would. Anyway... it¡¯s nothing unusual for us.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°In fact, Aki¡¯s room has plenty of figures, manga, anime and other things. Plus he¡¯ll be getting a copy of all the prize figures, I¡¯m sure. Shit, not sure how to feel about that...¡± Yeah, it¡¯s only Arisu¡¯s that weirds me out a bit... oh well, no point worrying about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s very strange.¡± Akiko laughed, a cute giggle that made her seem a little younger than she was. ¡°At first, hearing about Oshiro-san, he seemed an ordinary guy, a good friend, but then I discovered he was the Hero of Britain, and superhuman! Then... chatting like this about him, and his silly hobbies... I¡¯ve come full circle. It makes him seem more like us, more real...¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Hayato agreed. ¡°Though honestly, Akio-kun¡¯s always had a bit of a strange life.¡± He looked at everyone, and they all, except for Akiko, intoned the same phrase together.


    ¡°The dog, right?¡±


    ¡°So it is a group then. Guess I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Tough break...¡± Shugo patted his back reassuringly.


    ¡°Shush!¡± Aimi whispered, as the crowd had fallen near-silent, only the waving of glowsticks showing they were still alive. The anticipation was palpable, as Arisu finished her introduction.


    ¡°They need no preamble, for their fame precedes them. And gathering the four of them was an act of international cooperation that required a significant amount of string-pulling, And of course, connections.¡± Arisu smiled ruefully at that, looking particularly fetching. ¡°So, I shall let them speak for themselves. Without further ado... for this collaboration is a one-off that likely will never be repeated... I announce... the Royalty of East and West!¡±


    The stadium went pitch black, and then just like with Blackrose, four spotlights appeared, only two were a mixture of red and white, while two also contained blue. They illuminated four people, and two of them, Shiro recognised, blinking her eyes in surprise. Really? Shit, Arisu certainly knows how to get things done, her comeback is going down in legend...


    ¡°Hey, you were right after all...¡± Aimi teased Yasu, but Shiro wasn¡¯t listening, as Arisu declared proudly some shocking words.


    ¡°In solidarity, showing the close ties and shared joys and sorrows between our two countries... I present to you, from Japan, Ayumi, the famed Empress of Pop, and our Imperial Princess, Mikasa!¡±


    Yukiko, who was in her gold and red shrine maiden hakama, had her usually rather dowdy long braid decorated with bright crimson and gold ribbons, and her glasses were absent. She did seem uncomfortable without them, and from talking with her and Tsuki, Shiro knew she wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable in the public eye, but she was still a beloved Imperial Princess. Besides, that ship has sailed. She¡¯s a Chosen of Amaterasu, the Priestess of Ise, and more importantly, she¡¯s our friend and comrade. Staying out of the public eye isn¡¯t something she can aspire to now...


    Ayumi was a woman of middle age, but was still radiating an aura of vitality, and while Shiro hadn¡¯t been a particular fan, her music was everywhere in Japan. But Arisu wasn¡¯t done, as she announced the other two.


    ¡°From Great Britain, I present the best-selling artist whose new album is surely going to destroy all records, Adelaide, and... her Royal Highness, the granddaughter of the Queen of Great Britain, and Chosen who has fought alongside our very own Oshiro Akio, Princess Eleanor Windsor!¡±


    The crowd went wild, glowsticks waving frantically. Adelaide seemed calm, obviously used to such crowds, but Eleanor exchanged a wry, nervous glance with Yukiko, and Shiro had to smile. Eleanor was wearing a deep green gown with golden highlights, bringing to mind the Armour of the Green Man. Yeah, she¡¯s another rather shy Princess, isn¡¯t she? I¡¯ve no doubt she and Yukiko will be firm friends. Probably more. Eri¡¯s not wrong, they¡¯ve more flags than a military parade...


    ¡°Uh... shall I go first?¡± Eleanor asked, and with a gentle, relieved smile, Yukiko nodded.


    ¡°Please do. I am finding this immensely unnerving.¡±


    ¡°As am I. Oh well, grandmother said I would have to make more public appearances, especially now.¡± A brief ripple of nervous laughter passed through the watching audience, before Eleanor coughed, clearing her throat, and then spoke. ¡°It¡¯s... an honour to be here. An honour I could certainly have passed over, I¡¯m not much of a public speaker, less... less a singer. But don¡¯t get too excited. Princess Mikasa and I only have one chorus on two songs. Even that... let me tell you, my hands are shaking as much as if I was facing terrible monsters. Oh... perhaps not the most terrible though.¡± she confided. ¡°Anyway...¡± She glanced at Yukiko, who gestured for her to continue. Eleanor coughed once more, and then got to the point.


    ¡°Honestly, we know your pain, citizens of Japan. While the deaths in London were scant in comparison... it was only thanks to aid from your shores, and some of our own brave warriors, that we didn¡¯t suffer a worse calamity. And... Britain will not, I will not forget that. So here I am. It¡¯s a little embarrassing, and not something I considered a Princess should do... but then grandmother reminded me of when she was part of the Olympic opening ceremony, and not to be a wet blanket, and how much I owed Akio, so... oh, I¡¯m babbling. Just... let it be known we stand together!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Yukiko stifled a smile at her fellow Princess¡¯ struggle. ¡°I grieved when your brother was wounded, Miss Eleanor, and am glad that Akio-san was able to help him and you.¡± She then addressed the crowd and the watching worldwide audience. ¡°I too am Chosen. Amaterasu has blessed me. I find it amusing, as we have long said we were descended from such a Goddess. Not that we can nowadays. Although... if we have proof, I would think it should be allowed.¡± She winked, covering her nervousness. ¡°Kyoto, the volcanic eruptions, London, Choe-Museon Academy, many other disasters worldwide big and small... if we stand as one, united, we can weather them. Hence why Miss Eleanor and I are here, when we would rather shirk the spotlight.¡±


    Eleanor nodded firmly at that, and Yukiko continued. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a pleasure to see the outpourings of support, and I especially thank our international guests, such as Blackrose. I rather enjoyed your songs. As for those donating... or buying gacha prizes... sadly, there is no version of myself or Miss Eleanor... but... online donators have a chance to receive an Adelaide, or an Ayumi-san, though unlike Blackrose, who were in the gacha here on site, to keep the surprise, just in case, these two weren¡¯t. So anyone who bought a gacha can present their receipt to the merchandise area for a free draw to win one. Though the chance is ultra-rare, I¡¯m told.¡± She looked embarrassed, faintly red under the spotlights. ¡°Really, I feel a little disappointed in our country, that this is a thing, but...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s cute...¡± Adelaide said in English, someone obviously translating for her via her earpiece. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll steal the idea for merchandise on my upcoming tour. Especially for the Japanese dates!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of the usual idol scene.¡± Ayumi chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m more a singer than an idol, but... it¡¯s interesting being treated more as such for once. And a chance to duet with honoured royalty, and an artist I respect... it fills me with happiness!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Adelaide agreed a few moments later, having caught up. ¡°I¡¯ve never considered it before. But... I never thought I¡¯d be appearing with a Princess, let alone two! When I was approached for this, I couldn¡¯t turn it down. Just like everyone, I watched with bated breath the chaos in London, seeing Prince Henry so grievously wounded. I cheered when the Princess was safe, and was awestruck by Akio and Shaeula, and the others who were involved.¡±


    Shiro smiled with pride, listening. The others teased her about her involvement, and she simply shrugged. Yeah, the press conference was wild. I sometimes forget I¡¯m famous...


    ¡°Anyway...¡± Ayumi finished. ¡°Our songs, they¡¯re meant to bring us together. Just like our two countries are joined as one, to weather this storm. So... if you could say some final words.¡± She nodded to the two Princesses, who exchanged looks.


    ¡°In that case.¡± Eleanor, who had been speaking in English, translations being piped over the stadium speakers, switched to passable Japanese. Makes sense she¡¯d be learning. Sure, Aki and most of the rest of us speak English just fine, but she¡¯s a fairly responsible woman, even if her views on relationships are a little... old-fashioned. She¡¯s making an effort though...


    ¡°...do enjoy the show. And please, don¡¯t criticise my singing voice.¡±


    ¡°For me...¡± Yukiko smiled shyly. ¡°Also please don¡¯t complain too much that I can¡¯t match up to Miss Adelaide or Ayumi-san. And yes, as Miss Eleanor said, please enjoy the show, and more importantly, the message, that we are not lone beings adrift in the dark, but all holding our torches together, banishing the night!¡±


    ¡°As expected from a priestess, very profound.¡± Eleanor chuckled. ¡°Anyway... Miss Adelaide, Ayumi-san, if you would...¡±


    The two famous singers from West and East nodded, and the first song began, one of Adelaide¡¯s famous hits, her unique voice joined by Ayumi¡¯s, and when the chorus hit, the crowd waving their glowsticks frantically, strobe lights flashing on the stage, the two Princesses began to sing, faces pink with embarrassment. ¡°We could have had it all...¡±


    Shiro smirked, thinking that Aki certainly was unfortunate missing this, and looking around at her enthralled friends, and Akiko, who seemed surprised but excited to see the British artist Adelaide here, she asked Tan if she was enjoying the show.


    I am more interested in the two Princesses. Especially the one who smells of an old, powerful flame. Her power would be delectable, and a fine match for me, but alas...


    Yeah, if you try and eat Yukiko, Aki will be your enemy for sure. That¡¯s for... no, I won¡¯t crack that joke now. Honestly though, if you¡¯re a good, patient girl, you¡¯ll get your reward anyway, won¡¯t you? Aki¡¯s got this.


    Do not talk down to me as if I am younger than you, princess.


    I thought you said that you weren¡¯t old at all, that frozen time doesn¡¯t count? Shiro grinned triumphantly, having scored a victory in their banter.


    I am not. But I am still your senior, your ¡®senpai¡¯, as you would say. You have a great deal of faith... it is almost blinding...


    Of course I do. And I¡¯m hardly alone in that, am I? We all believe. And... I know you do too Tan, I know you do too. So stop being all tsundere and just admit you¡¯re eager to see if he can really do it, no, when he does it.


    There was a long silence, long enough for the song to finish, and this time a Japanese tune began, Ayumi¡¯s hit Fairyland, and as Shiro watched the two Princesses again raise their voices in song, Tan finally responded.


    I would indeed like to see it. And have I not invested much in him, in you? Adherence, knowledge and more. I believe I should see my reward.


    And you will. Though... then you¡¯ll have to pay up too.


    A loud snort rang through her mind, rather unladylike. If I must pay up, it shall be you that suffers most, princess. For how else can I...?


    Shiro blinked, before bursting out in laughter. Don¡¯t worry about it. After all... I still owe you a great deal, Tan, even if you were using me. Because... you still cared enough about me to try and make me happy. So... I want you to be happy too.


    Her only answer was a comfortable silence, so Shiro merely shrugged, and went back to enjoying the spectacle that would maybe never be seen again, two Princesses singing together. Although to be fair, throw in Shaeula, hit some karaoke and we could go for the triple. Hell, Aki could definitely make that happen. If we filmed it and put it on a streaming site, we could make a fortune...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Eight – Yukiko, Princess Mikasa

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Eight ¨C Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    ¡°That was terribly embarrassing.¡± Princess Eleanor was saying, as she held a hot mug of coffee in her hands. Seeing Yukiko looking, she raised one eyebrow sardonically, amused. ¡°What? I may be British, but I like coffee just fine, and I feel the need of a pick-me-up. You should understand, the stereotype of the Japanese is you only drink tea too.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t judging.¡± Yukiko had to chuckle a little. ¡°In fact, I could use something strong myself. If not coffee, then perhaps some alcohol. It was nerve-wracking, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    The two Princesses shared a smile. They were backstage at the Tokyo Dome, the final act, the duet combination of Adelaide and Ayumi-san, having finished to rapturous applause, and now Arisugawa-san and her co-hosts were giving the final speeches, before the crowds would be set free to descend on the merchandise stands and bars to drain the Dome dry.


    ¡°Some might call us idiots. Fighting is clearly more frightening, but...¡± Eleanor shrugged. ¡°...I¡¯ve never been one for being in the public eye. Richard, he¡¯s born for it, being the heir after father, and Henry... well, he¡¯s never out of the news...¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s certainly been in  a few well documented incidents. At least he seems to have settled down now he¡¯s engaged.¡± Yukiko interjected.


    ¡°I would bloody well hope so!¡± Eleanor swore fervently. She took a long sip of her coffee to calm herself, before continuing. ¡°If he still acted like the fool after nearly dying to Mary Stuart, I¡¯d have to question his intelligence. Though... sadly we Windsor¡¯s aren¡¯t exactly renowned for our smarts. My grades at school hardly could match yours, Yukiko.¡±


    ¡°Grades are all I have going for me.¡± Yukiko shrugged. ¡°At least you look like a Princess, Eleanor. Me, I could fade into the background on the street without any difficulty.¡±


    ¡°What is this, a Princess pity party?¡± Eleanor snorted. ¡°But as I was saying, yes, much like you, I¡¯ve always shied away from the spotlight. Even my cousins have been in the tabloids more than me. But... I get that it¡¯s necessary. Though... a concert.¡±


    Yukiko nodded, fully understanding. We are very similar, in a way. Both of us shunning the fame being royalty entails, both of us Chosen by the Gods, and... both of us Princesses of the Six Paths, according to Tsukiko. I wonder how she¡¯s doing, out with Akio-san¡¯s family...


    ¡°Thinking of your friend, are you?¡± Eleanor correctly determined by Yukiko¡¯s suddenly vacant expression. ¡°I doubt you¡¯re thinking about him, anyway.¡± Eleanor¡¯s smile broadened, slightly mocking yet comfortably warm. ¡°This whole mess was partially his idea. But... he¡¯s not wrong, grandmother says so. Though... all this merchandise. I don¡¯t quite get it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a cultural thing, I think.¡± Yukiko shrugged. ¡°At least with a certain subset of the Japanese youth. And honestly... it makes sense in a way. There seems a bias towards the young in terms of the favour of the Gods, though there are certainly plenty of exceptions. Keeping the young from causing chaos is a matter of national interest. Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon-dono agreed.¡±


    ¡°An Onmyo?ji, huh?¡±  Eleanor mused. ¡°Fortunate. Britain should also have a rich legacy of hidden practitioners, but... they are all either in hiding, or already killed. It seems Mary Stuart and her fanatics were three steps ahead of us.¡± She frowned, her blue eyes like chipped sapphires. ¡°I¡¯m not sad that she perished, not after what she did, but... it¡¯s such a waste. Britain lost many God¡¯s Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were lucky in that regard. Although...¡± Yukiko helped herself to coffee too, wincing a little at the strong taste. I like mine a little milder. ¡°...Akio-san and Tsukiko both feel danger approaching. I hope peace lasts until after the Pilgrimage. It will take in both Ise Grand Shrine and the shrines at the Imperial Palace. Daimon-dono and his Onmyo?ji are hoping to come together and share knowledge, though honestly... they are more interested in Daiyu-san. Onmyo?ji and Cultivators have many similarities, they insist, though their paths diverged fifteen hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°Lucky. We¡¯ve no Druids, Witches or Wizards, not that we can find. If Merlin is hiding somewhere, or King Arthur is not entirely a myth, it would be a wonderful time for a return. Though I suppose our situation is not as dire as it could be. Thanks to his help. I just hope... no, that¡¯s too selfish of me.¡± Eleanor shook her head, slightly rose-cheeked.


    ¡°You mean helping Mrs Mary-Jane Smith, yes?¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°Aditi is back with us, her zeal greater than ever, actually. It¡¯s even inspiring David to new heights. But Mary-Jane tries to pretend she doesn¡¯t care, that she gets to spend more time with her husband and children, but... it eats her up inside. But asking for another Favour, when we already snatched this one from Miss Motoko or Miss Natsumi... I¡¯m not so shameless. Honestly, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done a lot for us.¡± Yukiko disagreed. ¡°Yes, they saved your life, and protected the Tower of London, but... you¡¯ve paid for that. And our alliance makes us both stronger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly that simple.¡± Eleanor chuckled, a little embarrassed. ¡°Although I¡¯ll keep paying. The agreement was Akio¡¯s women, his sister, and his Vassals. But it seems he¡¯s not shy on increasing two of those. Fortunately we only agreed on one sister as well, as I have heard talk of an adopted Tengu sister? Honestly, that man...¡± Eleanor was smiling, shaking her head. ¡°I honestly found him quite shameless and frustrating at first. I was rather rude. But...¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Yukiko agreed. ¡°Tsukiko, who has always been there for me... I get mixed feelings when she found her love with him. She¡¯s been alone so long... I wondered if it would be enough for her, such a complicated relationship. But she seems happy. I suppose the noble Lady Diviner...¡± she injected the title with a rather dry tone. ¡°...would never have a normal relationship. No, she couldn¡¯t. Even so, I... what with matters as they are...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Eleanor frowned. ¡°I can guess why you have mixed feelings. It might come to nothing yet though, right? I¡¯m in the same boat as you, so at least we¡¯ll sink together. It does make things.. awkward, considering. Honestly, Akio¡¯s more popular than I am back home. It¡¯s a little frustrating, but on the bright side, it keeps me out of the spotlight just a little. Anyway...¡± Her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. ¡°While we have the many treasures of the Tower, you only have three, yes, the Imperial Regalia?¡±


    Yukiko nodded. ¡°Yes. The Sword, Mirror and Jewel. They have immense spiritual power, too immense, according to Grandmaster Daimon-dono. Part of the Pilgrimage will hopefully to be reawakening them.¡± With those, I should be more than able to protect Ise, perhaps... stand against the threat of the Golden-Eyed Devourer, the one that nearly claimed Tsukiko, and is destined to come for me...


    ¡°And will he be rewarded for his efforts? Considering the talk I¡¯ve heard in diplomatic circles...¡± Eleanor asked shrewdly, and Yukiko nodded, her face now the one that was slightly pink.


    ¡°It seems impossible not to. It was his demand, after all. Though... the Tsukumogami that makes up their other selves might decline. Searching through ancient records, Daimon-dono and his Onmyo?ji found out a lot of interesting things. If one does, though... and the others accept me...¡±


    ¡°Done deal, huh? My commiserations. Or congratulations, I suppose. You are indeed fortunate here in Japan. Our Royal Family certainly has our oral traditions, grandmother has passed them onto Richard, Henry and me. In fact, even my cousins are being roped in. But... the monarchy has changed family lines too many times to have such detailed histories as you hold. A real shame.¡±


    ¡°True, but what the Tower protects is easily a match for any of the Regalia, I imagine.¡± Yukiko was embarrassed by the praise for her family. I never really wanted to be a Princess. But... we don¡¯t always get what we want. And if I wasn¡¯t... I¡¯d never have met Tsukiko. I hope she¡¯s having fun...


    ¡°Yes, Asha is full of praise for the power she obtained. It¡¯s... quite the grand tree she has, I admit. Anyway, enough talk of that. Back to the concert... apparently even despite the ludicrously early start back in Britain, it¡¯s been watched by as many people who watch the World Cup final. That¡¯s the football... uh, soccer... version to you Japanese.¡±


    ¡°So it was worth you flying over for this then, despite how busy you are?¡± Yukiko smiled, sipping her own strong coffee.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Eleanor agreed. She skimmed through the BBC website on her phone. ¡°Very positive coverage so far. Honestly, we might be better suited to PR work, rather than fighting, and I don¡¯t know just how to feel about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We hate both.¡± Yukiko agreed, once more struck at the resemblance between their tastes, personalities and situations. Though of course there are some differences. I didn¡¯t make quite such a lousy first impression...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but that smug smile is rather irritating.¡± Eleanor frowned, looking up from her phone. ¡°Anyway... it appears some of the merchandise from here is already up on auction sites at inflated values. Damn vultures. Don¡¯t they know this is for charity?¡±


    ¡°If it becomes too much of a problem, we have ways of finding out now.¡± Yukiko assured her. ¡°But a bit of reselling is harmless, so long as it¡¯s not out of hand. Just imagine if our figures were available?¡±


    ¡°No thank you!¡± Eleanor shuddered. ¡°I felt bad enough having to sing that chorus. And worse, it¡¯ll be on a charity album, yes? So I¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true... at least we¡¯ll be alive to hear it, and Britain and Japan will be stable enough to still enjoy such things.¡± Yukiko pointed out, and Eleanor nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fault your logic.¡± She finished her coffee, placing the mug down. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t have to keep me company, Yukiko. I appreciate it, but my Japanese is coming along well. I¡¯ll be fine by myself. I know you miss your friend.¡±


    ¡°No, we should stick together, at least for now.¡± Yukiko shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll have time to spend with Tsukiko when the upcoming trouble is dealt with. And speaking of... everyone¡¯s ready to implement the emergency plan?¡±


    Eleanor nodded. ¡°It met with a decent amount of opposition. Wasted work and resources, all that waffle. But being dead is a lot more wasteful, if you ask me. Besides, we have assurances that resources will be provided to help us rebuild.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yukiko agreed. ¡°It¡¯s the same here. Nobody likes a setback, but... all our best planners, both human and spiritual beings, decided. Anyway... that¡¯s good. As for Tsukiko... she needs more time to bond with her parents, and her greater, expanded family. I¡¯ll catch up with her another time. So...¡± Yukiko checked her own phone. ¡°...they¡¯ll be backstage. Want to do the rounds, thank the performers?¡± She quickly gulped down her own coffee, the caffeine and sugar strengthening her.


    ¡°Sure, why not? I have come a long way, after all it¡¯s not like I can just walk through a Ring Gate, is it?¡±


    No, that¡¯s true. With that they left their dressing room, heading for where her colleagues and allies were...


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s Princess Eleanor and Princess Mikasa!¡± A younger girl squealed, unable to hide her excitement and surprise. That¡¯s quite the fashion. She was wearing a tight leopard-print dress, fishnets and loud pink heels. Her bunched up hair was bright pink too, and her makeup was heavy. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not to believe, Ikeda-san?¡± another similarly dressed girl smirked. ¡°I totes told ya we were connected. You¡¯ve already met one princess, ain¡¯t ya, in Shaeula, so what¡¯s two more?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± A complicated look of mixed annoyance and happiness flickered in the first girl¡¯s eyes as she looked at the speaker. ¡°...who would believe you, Sana-chan? I¡¯m not an idiot...¡±


    ¡°Nope, I think you are.¡± A familiar face said, and Akio-san¡¯s sister, Aiko-san, piped up. In addition to the numerous idols from AKB0048, now in their casual clothes after the show, the room was filled with young girls from Akio-san¡¯s training school, as well as an older group, led by Shiro. It was crowded, but everyone was talking happily, especially... That¡¯s a large group around Daiyu-san. I had heard that some idols were taking lessons in Cultivation...


    ¡°It¡¯s not nice treating someone like an idiot just because of how they dress.¡± Aiko-san continued. The girl... Ikeda-san... seemed like she was going to snap back, but she then shrank in on herself, perhaps cowed by Aiko-san¡¯s charm and bubbly personality.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Aiko-chan. She¡¯s always like this. But I¡¯m not a monster, ya feel me? She¡¯s done what she promised, so...¡± Sana-san apologised. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s just a bit starstruck.¡± She gave a rather adorable smile, not diminished by her own thick fake tan and makeup. ¡°Since it¡¯s not every day ya get to meet a Princess, is it?¡±


    ¡°It seems I was overthinking things. Well, I¡¯ll see who is suitable on my end. It¡¯s not as easy as you would think. David, for example, while he craves strength, he¡¯s... not exactly the pious type, and is wedded to his praise of Caturix. As for Aditi...¡±


    I see. Yes, in some cases we have it better. Although... this does make me wonder. We are most definitely not the only country with Gods and Kami. What... what benefits do others have? Including... including our enemies... Thinking of the twin Dragons Tsukiko had prophesised, the Red and White, Yukiko felt a chill, and for a brief moment... No, it¡¯s nothing. It must be. I¡¯m just tired after my performance. And dwelling on the upcoming troubles because we were talking about it...


    ***


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Glasses clinked together, and Yukiko took a sip of beer. Beside her, Eleanor had gulped down half of a glass of it, starting to unwind.


    ¡°Yes, cheers.¡± Arisugawa-san remarked, sipping on a crimson wine elegantly, her poise impeccable. Sometimes I think she is more suited to be a Princess than I am.


    The larger gathering had broken up, most of the younger girls having fun with various idols from the concert, and now it was just Shiro and her group of friends, along with Arisugawa-san, and Suzu-san, or Suzanne, as Arisugawa-san called her. Makes sense. She¡¯s definitely not Japanese, despite her attitude and language skills. Not with those looks.


    ¡°Hey, look what I got!¡± One of Shiro¡¯s friends, Yasu-san, declared proudly, pulling out a small figurine which despite the big head, was clearly recognisable, with long dark hair and piercing eyes. ¡°I lucked out and won your figure from the gacha, Arisu-chan!¡±


    Arisugawa-san twitched a little at that, and Shiro rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I see. Most fortunate, as there are few of me in circulation.¡± Arisugawa-san said at last. ¡°Just... do not do anything unsavoury with it.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Yasu, she saw right through you!¡± Shiro howled with laughter, and the young Suzu-san grinned, tugging idly at one of her brilliant blonde curls, while sucking on a lollipop.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare, or the boss would burn him alive for you, Arisu-chan!¡± She paused then. ¡°Oh, did anyone get one of me?¡±


    ¡°No luck I¡¯m afraid, Suzu.¡± Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°A shame. But some lucky people did. Not that it beats getting your figure, Arisu-chan!¡±


    As the talk continued to be harmless, one person there seemed out of place. Turning to the woman, Yukiko politely asked her who she was.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m... I¡¯m Akiko, your Majesty. I¡¯m... Shugo-kun¡¯s girlfriend. Sorry... I... uh... I¡¯m a schoolteacher, I feel very out of place here...¡±


    ¡°A schoolteacher, huh?¡± Eleanor broke in. ¡°Just like Mary-Jane. There¡¯s no shame in it. A praiseworthy role, in fact. However...¡± Eleanor suddenly smiled impishly, and at that Shiro raised an eyebrow, grinning to herself as well, muttering something too quietly for even Yukiko¡¯s enhanced hearing to pick up, other than ¡°...so bad, after all. At least she...¡±


    ¡°...it¡¯s proper to call Princess Mikasa Her Highness. Majesty would be reserved for the Emperor. Though you Japanese of course have your own customs. -sama perhaps, though that does seem rather generic.¡±


    As Akiko-san flushed, she apologised, thanking Eleanor for the correction. ¡°So, yes... I feel out of place here. I¡¯m... well, I didn¡¯t know Shugo-kun was so important before we started dating. You get it, right Aimi-chan?¡±


    The shorter woman nodded. ¡°Yeah, I do. My boyfriend... he¡¯s been really busy with work at the moment. I never really understood what he did before, except he was working for some big company. But... seems like it¡¯s actually some sort of subsidiary of Fujiwara house. That¡¯s Miyu-chan¡¯s family, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°That why you¡¯re getting an invite to that hotel?¡±


    ¡°Seems so.¡± Aimi-san nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a very formal event though... oh, damn.¡± She suddenly looked mortified. ¡°I simply don¡¯t have anything to wear! I¡¯ll shame him and me if I turn up dressed in miniskirt and floaty top!¡±


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll hit the shops, no problem!¡± Shiro laughed. ¡°Or better yet... I know.¡± She pulled out her phone, firing off a rapid text.


    ¡°Who are you messaging?¡± Suzu-san asked, and Shiro grinned.


    ¡°Natsumi. Her family is not only nobility, but in the traditional clothing business. I bet they can sort you our with some borrowed jewellery to match as well. We can¡¯t be having you looking like an idiot, Aimi, it¡¯ll shame your boyfriend, who we still have yet to meet, may I add...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± Aimi-san clasped her hands in apology. ¡°He¡¯s... always so busy. Honestly, it was getting me down a lot. I mean, he¡¯s handsome, got a good job, kind to me... but... anyway.¡± Aimi-san coughed to cover her embarrassment. ¡°...actually, that¡¯d help me out a lot. But aren¡¯t clothes from there very expensive? I know I have money, but...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll ask nicely, and if not, I¡¯ll make Aki pay. Although...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Aimi-san asked, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°Just... this hotel was a big deal, for... uh...¡± She glanced at Yukiko and Eleanor, seemingly a little uncomfortable. ¡°...reasons. Anyway, so obviously we¡¯re happy to have recovered it, even if not through all our efforts. So just do me a favour and keep your ears open, okay? I¡¯d be curious as to what went down.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Aimi-san muttered, relieved. ¡°Sure, I can do that. I¡¯ll ask him for what he can tell me too.¡±


    ¡°In that case... back to celebrating!¡± Shiro declared, raising another toast. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s fantastic, being able to go out drinking without worrying about collapsing and having to duck out early...¡±


    As she launched into tales of her past, her friends interjecting their own amusing tales, some of which made Shiro blush, Yukiko exchanged a glance with Eleanor. Yes, this certainly isn¡¯t a usual circumstance. But...


    ¡°So, Arisu-san...¡± Hayato-san asked, speaking for everyone. ¡°Do you think your return to the public eye went well?¡±


    ¡°I should say so.¡± Arisugawa-san nodded. ¡°Though sadly, I shall have little time to dedicate to the entertainment business. Sadly my abilities are too valuable to Akio-san and White here.¡±


    Shiro nodded at that. ¡°No kidding. Though with your talents, I daresay you can pull off every scene in one or two takes, so you¡¯d be done in no time.¡±


    ¡°You forget there are other actors in any given scene.¡± Hayato-san pointed out, and Shiro nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, forgot about that. I agree, working with Arisu would make me nervous, I¡¯d make more mistakes than usual.¡±


    ¡°How cold, White. Are you saying I am frightening?¡± Arisugawa-san shot back, and there was more laughter, most of them agreeing that she was indeed intimidating. I think so too. There is an unapproachable yet regal aura she has. Though... she seems reliable.


    ¡°You certainly aren¡¯t good-tempered. But I love you anyway!¡± Shiro snorted, and Suzu-san couldn¡¯t stop giggling at that.


    ¡°In any case...¡± Arisugawa-san sighed. ¡°This was an excellent experiment. All indications are it is being talked about worldwide, with largely positive reception. This is a war. It may not seem like it now, but... that does not make it any less true.¡± Everyone was listening to her words, especially Yukiko and Eleanor, who understood, being as they were privy to the highest layers of government in their own countries.


    ¡°For now, it is sporadic, incidents such as Kyoto or London, small-scale yet tragic. However...¡± Arisugawa-san held everyone spellbound. ¡°...that turn of events will not persist forever. Battles between groups, between countries... classical wars, one could say... will escalate, despite our best efforts. There are those...¡± Arisugawa-san sniffed, and Shiro snickered, knowing who she meant. I do as well, I think. ¡°...who believe in the good of others, but sadly, I am a realist. There are many who are not good people, or worse, those who would have been good, but are easily corrupted by power and wealth. So chaos is inevitable. Worse...¡±


    ¡°Worse?¡± Eleanor asked.


    ¡°Yes, eventually... it will not just be human wars. So... keeping the populace behind us, when we will require their support... propaganda via entertainment. It is one important piece of the puzzle.¡±


    ¡°I get it. If the concert brings everyone together, and shows people are willing to donate and sacrifice for good causes... then we can escalate it when matters get worse.¡± Hayato-san pointed out.


    ¡°Indeed. So perhaps even with limited time, I shall be called upon to help create documentaries, films or entertainment for our purposes. But for now...¡± Her lips curled into a rather mean smile, which was still beautiful, but if it was directed at her, Yukiko knew she would be shivering. ¡°... I am satisfied. Those who tried to destroy me... they shall see I have risen, from the ashes of their lies, like a phoenix, and... they will feel the flames of my revenge!¡±


    As Shiro and Suzu-san clapped and cheered, Yukiko swallowed nervously. Yes, I¡¯m very glad I¡¯m not her enemy...


    With that thought in her mind, Yukiko pulled out her phone, sending a message to Tsukiko. There might still be time. I am supposed to be chaperoning Eleanor, but it¡¯s not often I am in Tokyo nowadays, so I want to see Tsukiko again... I know I said I wouldn¡¯t, that I¡¯d leave her to spend time with her new family, but... I get a sudden urge to see her. I doubt Eleanor will object, after all, she¡¯s rather affable. Well, in most cases. Lips quirking in a smile, remembering Eleanor¡¯s terrible first impression and treatment of Akio-san, she held in a laugh, and as her phone beeped, signalling Tsukiko had replied, she finished her beer, ready to suggest a move...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Four *Contains Status – Akio ?, Hinata 1*

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Four *Contains Status ¨C Akio ?, Hinata 1*


    ¡°What a day, huh?¡± I muttered, and beside me, Hinata nodded. Ordinarily, she would have been utterly exhausted by the events of the last day, of battles and danger, but instead she was radiant, full of energy, although there were certainly the shadows of concern on her face. Having arrived back by swift helicopter, I had filled her in on Mayumi-san¡¯s situation, which left her angry but thoughtful.


    Seeing that, Ohta-san, who was in the room with us drinking a mug of warm coffee, had her usual impassive, boyish expression break, concern in her eyes as she glanced at the door to the other room. ¡°She¡¯s... still sleeping. It was extremely traumatic for Mayumi-sama. She¡¯s always been aware of the potential of being kidnapped or attacked, for the nobility it¡¯s a constant threat....¡± Ohta-san¡¯s usual clipped, impeccable manner of speech was now more informal, and Kazumi-san, who was also here with us, seemed a little wierded out by that. Seeing us looking, she grinned ruefully.


    I suppose for bodyguards, it¡¯s rare to see behind the mask, the professional personality. To others, it may look like young women playing pretend, but knowing Kazumi-san, Natsumi, and now Ohta-san... yeah, they take it seriously, train hard, and are willing to be injured or even die, and worse... kill... for their charges if they must. Adopting a manner of speech and conduct, making it their lives, is nothing in comparison.


    ¡°...of course, she believed in Ichijou house... in me...¡± Ohta-san clenched her fist, full of self-recriminations. ¡°...but she was put in danger, could have been killed... I¡¯m too weak.¡±


    ¡°I feel that.¡± Kazumi-san agreed, repeating her past worries. ¡°So... no hesitation anymore. I¡¯ll do what it takes to be able to stand next to Hinata. You... can do the same, Katana-san.¡±


    ¡°But I...¡± Ohta-san once again glanced at the closed door, troubled.


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things, Katana.¡± Hinata broke in. ¡°Mayumi¡¯s strong-willed. Some...¡± Hinata smiled impishly. ¡°...might say Mayumi¡¯s a bit of a nai?ve fool, but I like that about her. She¡¯ll recover, she¡¯s too self-centred not to. Besides, we have Haru-san to help with any lingering trauma. But... if you want to be strong, Katana, there are certainly ways.¡±


    Hinata¡¯s wicked smile was tempting, like the Devil, and Ohta-san seemed unsure. ¡°But... Mayumi-sama...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Don¡¯t you get it? If Kira-sama hasn¡¯t worked out what¡¯s best for Mayumi after these events, he¡¯s a fool, and as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, Kira-sama¡¯s not an idiot.¡± Hinata draped an arm around Ohta-san, who was still unsure, though I could see her wavering. I exchanged a glance with Kazumi-san, who shrugged.


    ¡°Hinata knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± she mouthed at me, and I had to nod. Despite the chaos, Hinata had remained surprisingly calm, although she said it was because of her trust in me, though I disagreed, at least in part. Hinata¡¯s always been strong-willed, she¡¯s just got the chance to show what she can do now.


    Hinata¡¯s grin deepened as she turned to me. ¡°Akio, now might be a good time. Since it¡¯s just us in here.¡± Indeed, uncle Kira... damn, still can¡¯t get used to that, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m taking his advice and calling Mayumi-san by -chan, she¡¯ll get the wrong idea for sure... was, despite the terrible scare he had endured, and the worry for his granddaughter, starting to manage the political fallout, from which I¡¯d taken a break, as Hinata and Kazumi-san had returned.


    ¡°Time for what?¡± I asked, and Hinata grinned.


    ¡°To take stock. I think Katana could do with hearing about my growth.¡±


    I see. Yes, there had been other priorities, so I let my Eye shine, examining Hinata, who released Ohta-san and shivered a little. ¡°They¡¯re right.¡± Hinata was a little red-faced. ¡°It does feel very intimate when you peek like that. I think I like it though...¡±


    As Ohta-san seemed confused and Kazumi-san chuckled wryly, I set that aside, focusing on Hinata¡¯s new status. She wasn¡¯t really a combatant, so I¡¯d had little cause to do so before, but now things had changed.


    Fukumoto Hinata


    Bonded Kin


    Chosen Of The Twin-Aspected Bringer Of Wealth And Prosperity, Aje?-Shaluga


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    261


    Fortune


    7


    Fortitude


    251


    Majesty


    Intellect


    303


    Charm


    6


    Resilience


    401


    League


    4


    Alacrity


    313


    Determination


    2


    Precision


    323


    Foresight


    Aether


    1705


    Fate


    7


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Cord


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 2


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Metal Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus And Root Chakras Of Gold, Silver And Copper


    Rank 1


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Earth Manipulation


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Unique Skills]


    Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s Golden River Of Prosperity And Treasures


    Rank 1


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Lovers'' Link


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Level]


    30


    [Class]


    Fae-Bonded 3/20


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 1/10


    There were a few surprising points to note, but the one that grabbed my eye was her Chakras. ¡°You¡¯ve fire element as well? I know you mastered earth, but...¡±


    Seeing my shock, Hinata grinned impishly, looking a lot like Shaeula when she succeeded in pulling a prank on me. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not just a pretty face and sexy body. You remember how at first, I wanted to learn wind element, but it was too hard without Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan? Honestly, they might be the two best recruits Adamant has...¡± Hinata seemed proud of her achievements, and of Adamant too. ¡°...anyway, I lost interest in it when I wasn¡¯t going to be an attacker. Earth offers more benefits in defence, and the Levels from the Earth Altar, while not so important to me...¡±


    Her cheeks flushed at that, as well they might, as she was clearly thinking of Lovers¡¯ Link. ¡°...are still Levels. Each one counts. But... since the twins listen to me, and now we have Mount Atago and its rich elemental resources, and it¡¯s easy to get there via the Ring Gate, or just take from the Elemental Silos... I managed to make it work. I¡¯ve been waiting to show off!¡± She giggled then. ¡°Motoko and Natsumi spend too much time on their weapon Skills, but when we get some downtime, go help them learn more elements, okay?¡± Hinata showed magnanimity for her fellow fiance?es. ¡°Though I suppose they are still ahead of me, after the race to gain a Divine Favour, which I ended up beating them to, so... yeah, I¡¯ve had my rewards for now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anything else would be greedy!¡±


    ¡°Well, I am compatible with wealth and prosperity!¡± she grinned happily. ¡°Do you think the fact I have both earth and flame make a difference? Metal seems to be a composite element?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway, it seems that the Favour mostly focuses on Aether, most of your other Material Statistic gains come from the fact inheriting the Favour has increased the Ranks of your Silver Cord and Chakra network. Though it seems somewhat inferior to the boost my sis got, for example. Maybe due to its nature, or the work I did with it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Hinata shrugged. ¡°How can any girl find fault with a gift such as this? I¡¯m pleased my fiance? is a man of means.¡± Her impish smile turned serious then. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m still not a fighter, that¡¯s clear to see. Status-wise Motoko and Natsumi aren¡¯t worse than I am, and they have actual combat sense and talents. But I¡¯m no longer a liability, one you need to protect so strictly. And if I can master the same sort of attacks Midas used, I¡¯ll not be so vulnerable. Although...¡± She frowned. ¡°I still don¡¯t generate much metal element. It is as you said when you gave me the description of the Favour earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yeah ...due to the incorrectly applied nature of the Seed that enhanced the Metal Element, only a very small amount of Silver and Copper Elements are generated, and Gold Element is also significantly reduced from what it should be as compensation. A bit annoying, but there¡¯s certainly a workaround, other than just Ranking things up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do tell!¡± Hinata grinned in anticipation.


    ¡°It¡¯s linking the elements to your lunar Chakra. It¡¯s rather difficult, but when you do, generation and storage of your elements increases significantly. I struggle to explain it, and it seems easier for the Fae, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Shaeula and Hyacinth, Asha too.¡± Hinata nodded. ¡°With the twins or Haru-san¡¯s help, I can make progress, I¡¯m sure!¡±


    Seeing Hinata so enthused, Kazumi-san was smiling warmly, while Ohta-san was a little confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You know enough about what¡¯s going on, Katana-san.¡± Kazumi-san reassured her. ¡°Now... Hinata¡¯s beyond where she needs my protection, so... I simply have to grow stronger still, so I can reclaim my role! It¡¯s... not easy though.¡± She looked at me earnestly, and I didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse her. I¡¯m a jealous guy, if it was a man so passionate about protecting Hinata, I¡¯d probably balk at it, but Kazumi-san... she¡¯s honest, and it¡¯s not romantic love, but friendship. And the more friends my girls have who they can trust, the better.


    ¡°Can you do it? It seems... impossible.¡± Ohta-san glanced at the door again, clearly downcast, but Kazumi-san was undeterred.


    ¡°Alone I can¡¯t. But I¡¯m not alone. Anyway, just think about your future path, what you want, and how you can achieve it. And... take it from me. I feel rather inadequate, but I¡¯m still happy for Hinata. Strength is a wonderful thing. Because only with strength and influence can she decide her own destiny. Mayumi-sama, for all her lineage, doesn¡¯t have that, so she¡¯s a prisoner of what others want for her. But maybe...¡±


    Hinata nodded. ¡°When she bounces back, it¡¯ll make or break her will. Whether she chooses to be Ichijou Mayumi-sama, or something more, simply Mayumi... we shall see. Anyway... I¡¯m feeling pumped up.¡± She clutched her Pot Of Faerie Gold. ¡°Once things settle down, I can¡¯t wait to see just how I can influence the Pot with my new abilities.¡±


    Nobody commented on the fact that my Eye identified Hinata as Fukumoto Hinata, not Takatsukasa Hinata, which made sense, as honestly, she still saw herself that way, her adoption was just a formality so she could help us take over Takatsukasa house. Other than that, Hinata¡¯s status was quite standard. While she was conversing with Kazumi-san and Ohta-san, I took a moment to scan my own improvements, of which there had been a number recently.


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    2075 2295


    Fortune


    42


    Fortitude


    2057 2279


    Majesty


    34 35


    Intellect


    2209 2430


    Charm


    52 54


    Resilience


    2550 2821


    League


    30 35


    Alacrity


    2149 2373


    Determination


    46 48


    Precision


    2225 2475


    Foresight


    34 36


    Aether


    7903 9001


    Fate


    28 32


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Tsumura Arts


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Practical Skills]


    Crude Soullight Crafting


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Crafting


    Rank 3 Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Ether Crafting


    Rank 7 Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Dvergr Techniques


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Alchemy


    Rank 1


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Shapercraft


    Rank 2 Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    [Unique Skills]


    Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge


    Rank 5 Rank 6


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Kin Bonding And Restoration


    Rank 7


    Legendary (7)


    Principle (7)


    Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Might Of Indestructible Jade


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    The Future Reflected By The Moon


    Rank 3


    Legendary (7)


    Fate (9)


    Prominence Twilight


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Boiling Blood Resonance Link


    Rank 2 Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Soothing Waters Of Self-Sacrifice


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Seven-League Wings Of The Chooser


    Rank 1


    Imperious (6)


    Law (8)


    [Level]


    148 154


    [Class]


    Kami-Blessed 12/20 Conqueror 24/50 25/50


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 7/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven 8/20 11/20


    True Faeduine 7/30 9/30 Qi Refiner 2/10 Dual Cultivator 2/10 3/10


    Master Of Many Crafts 7/20 13/20


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds 7/10 8/10


    Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit 3/20 5/20


    Namebinder 6/20


    [Mastered Class]


    Fae-Souled 30/30


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 10/10


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 10/10


    Territory Rank


    3


    As usual, there was significant strengthening across both Skills and Statistics. Now that I had a clearer understanding of the missing energy obscured by question marks so often, soullight, and the Truesoul it seemed to derive from, I felt confident of making further gains, and the drain of adherence I was experiencing with the numerous Favours I was carrying had slowed, the wastefulness less, though obviously it still wasn¡¯t manageable for long.


    As I watched on fondly as Hinata was explaining something to Ohta-san, the door opened, and Kira-san... Yeah, uncle Kira¡¯s a no go for me, I think... stepped in. Ohta-san looked at him with an expression of yearning, and he interpreted it correctly.


    ¡°Mayumi¡¯s awake. Still rather shaken, but not physically harmed.¡± he assured her. ¡°It¡¯s just shock and stress. My Mayumi¡¯s a fighter, she¡¯ll come out of it. For now though...¡± He looked at me and Hinata. ¡°All the players have assembled. Are you ready?¡±


    I nodded, an expression of annoyance creeping over my features. ¡°I am. And I¡¯m pissed off.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine. I¡¯m not exactly happy myself, Akio-kun.¡± Kira-san agreed. ¡°But... international politics seldom cares whether we are pleased, only that matters run smooth, and face is preserved, as our Chinese cousins might say.¡±


    ¡°Kazumi, you stay here with Katana and make sure Mayumi is okay.¡± Hinata ordered, before turning to Kira-san. ¡°Well, Kira-sama...¡±


    ¡°Uncle Kira.¡± he insisted, and Hinata giggled.


    ¡°Uncle Kira then. I shall be accompanying you. After all, I was privy to half of this mess, and now...¡± She raised her hand, and sparkles of glittering dust appeared. ¡°...things are complicated.¡±


    ¡°So it seems. You¡¯ve had it tough too, I know, Hinata-chan. But then, you were with Akio-kun, so...¡±


    ¡°Hey, he made it here in time, uncle!¡± Hinata protested. ¡°Even when it shouldn¡¯t have been possible. You try running from Botswana to here!¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Kira-san agreed, clasping hands in prayer for the two Ichijou House Chosen who didn¡¯t make it. I knew that there was at least one more they had unearthed, a woman who could heal, if not to mine or Shaeula¡¯s level, but it had certainly hurt Ichijou house¡¯s political capital. ¡°And I¡¯m very grateful, as is my Mayumi. But...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± I held out my arm to Hinata, and she took it, making sure that she was presentable still, and once out of our private waiting room, there were a number of armed soldiers. Nodding at them, we followed Kira-san, up a flight of stairs to the hospital¡¯s lecture hall, which had been converted into an impromptu meeting room.


    On entering, I couldn¡¯t help but frown, as sitting across from us were some familiar faces. Nkosi, still bare-chested apart from his array of beads, some of which seemed new to me, subtly different, was sitting with his legs idly slung over the edge of the desks in front of him, which was an irksome position to sit in considering his choice of clothing. Hinata giggled beside me, averting her eyes, but she nudged me, as my eyes flickered over to Miss Zozibini, who had changed her outfit to another crimson suit with crisp white shirt. She smiled at me, though there was nothing seductive about it, her beauty cold.


    There¡¯s another, who I don¡¯t know. A wizened old man, who could barely have been over five feet tall and was as thin as a rake, his face painted with vermillion and pearl streaks of pigment, was peering at us with his azure eyes.  He was wearing traditional dress and beads similar to Nkosi, though his chest wasn¡¯t bare, instead he was wearing an ochre mantle and scarf.


    ¡°Well, look who it is, it¡¯s our foreign pair of dangling balls.¡± Nkosi sneered, only for Miss Zozibini to raise one eyebrow in reproof.


    ¡°Mind your language, great Nkosi. We are in august company.¡± She then bowed to me. ¡°I apologise for his words, but great Nkosi is a simple man, though a noble one.¡± She then turned to the others already here. In one corner was the British ambassador to South Africa, as well as the Japanese one, who had finally arrived after making great haste, and the local head of the consulate.


    On the other side was sitting the President of South Africa, and a number of what looked like high-ranking politicians. Taking advantage of my incredible hearing, Kira-san advised me in a barest whisper that the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Defence was here, as well as South Africa¡¯s foremost General, and the room was filled with more armed soldiers and police around the walls.


    ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± The President, who recognised us from the Kumba-Stillwater gala, greeted us. As we nodded back politely, his expression softened. ¡°I heard that your granddaughter is awake. How is she?¡±


    ¡°Rather shaken, as you can imagine, but thanks to Akio-kun¡¯s timely intervention, she escaped serious harm. Though I must admit...¡± Kira-san¡¯s expression hardened, as we took our own seats with the ambassadors. ¡°...if she had come to harm, we wouldn¡¯t be sitting here so peacefully.¡±


    ¡°We understand that.¡± The British ambassador agreed, as we were all communicating in English. ¡°But dwelling on what-if¡¯s doesn¡¯t help resolve this mess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The President sighed dramatically. ¡°This is... quite a messy incident. And impossible to cover up. The hotel attack was witnessed by many, and the numbers of the dead...¡±


    ¡°They were a load of hippo-dung rhino-fuckers anyway.¡± Nkosi snorted bitterly. ¡°Dino¡¯s useless fucking goons. Good riddance to them. Can¡¯t say you¡¯ll miss them, will you?¡±


    ¡°Mr Khetho, please maintain some decorum.¡± The President warned, though he seemed to quail under Nkosi¡¯s fierce gaze. ¡°As what the Japanese and British are calling a Chosen, yes, you go beyond our expectations, but that doesn¡¯t mean you are above the law. Your actions have been recorded.¡±


    ¡°Rha! Those hippo-cocks started it.¡± Nkosi laughed. ¡°Bunch of vultures and hyenas thinking they can fell the Lion of Africa. Stupid heaps of dung.¡± His snort was loud and derisory, showing what he thought of the dead.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of missing them.¡± The Minister for Home Affairs, a dark-skinned and powerful looking man in his fifties or sixties declared, his voice booming in the hall. ¡°Chaos is to be avoided, and this whole incident has damaged Japan¡¯s trust in us, although...¡± He glowered at me then, eyes narrowing. ¡°It seems you were heavy-handed as well. This is not Japan or Britain, and you were not invited to aid us, unlike South Korea.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but when those under my protection are at risk, I¡¯ll take appropriate action. I¡¯m not so soft as to let harm to me and mine slide.¡± I was staring at Nkozi and Miss Zozibini as I said that, and he grinned back, while she seemed unruffled, despite her hand in this mess.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between not letting things slide, and killing in the streets. Even a diplomat wouldn¡¯t get away with that!¡± the Minister continued.


    ¡°Besides...¡± the General stated, his stare cold and hostile. ¡°...like it or not, these Chosen are military assets on a national scale.¡±


    ¡°Go eat shit.¡± Nkosi smirked. ¡°We¡¯re for Africa, not for your useless government, which has done nothing for South Africa, the people, or Africa as a whole. If you think you can use us in your games...¡± He glanced at Miss Zozibini, whose smile never faltered. ¡°...why not play one of ours?¡±


    ¡°We need calm.¡± The President declared again, waving a hand. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true, General. A country without these Chosen is a weak one. And though it was not on our soil... Mr Dino Moloi and his followers, they were South African citizens in the main. If one of our Chosen murdered...¡±


    ¡°Murdered?¡± I raised one eyebrow, rather incensed. ¡°As it happens, most of them survived. It was only Dino and a few others who were too crazed to stop who died by my hands, and it was Midas who killed most of the others. In self-defence, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The British and Japanese ambassadors had exchanged notes, and were coordinating. ¡°While we would obviously strictly investigate the deaths of any of our citizens abroad... we also adhere to local laws. Weapons, and thus abilities are allowable in justifiable self-defence, when unlawfully attacked, by South African law. What isn¡¯t justifiable is the kidnapping of Mr Ichijo, and his granddaughter, which led to the deaths of two bodyguards, and nearly others as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an outrage.¡± The Japanese ambassador agreed, adding his weight to it. ¡°Mr Oshiro here, he is an investor and business partner of Kumba-Stillwater, here to celebrate that, and the recovery of Miss Lindiwe, which was his doing. South Africa stands to benefit immensely from alliance and investment, but... instead, we are attacked relentlessly, and then treated as criminals for defending ourselves!¡±


    He¡¯s good. He puts just the right amount of passion in.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fighting off some gangs!¡± The General complained. ¡°Or killing a carjacker in self-defence! Mr Moloi and the others are treasures...¡±


    ¡°Which you could not control.¡± Miss Zozibini spoke up. ¡°Else, you would never have allowed them entry to the Kumba-Stillwater gala, and to provoke our good friend the Fairy here.¡±


    ¡°Fairy? Never mind...¡± the President sighed, clutching as his temples. ¡°It¡¯s true, we have given a great deal of leeway, which you and yours take full advantage of... but when you were just fighting amongst yourselves... no, this is a mess.¡±


    ¡°Rha! Dino was a fucking wild hyena. Greedy and a scavenger, and can¡¯t be trusted. You¡¯re well rid of him.¡± Nkosi insisted. ¡°And as for why you let us do as we please most of the time... it isn¡¯t rhino-shit like the goodness of your hearts, or respect for us, is it? It¡¯d be too costly to stop us. And you need us!¡±


    ¡°Precisely why this is a disaster!¡± The General pressed, and Nkosi snorted, his beads jingling as he crossed his arms insultingly.


    ¡°You¡¯re the fool, soldier boy. No good having a gun that blows up in your hand, you¡¯re going to have a better fucking time going in barehanded. He had ambitions, but was a worthless hippo-cunt. Rha!¡±


    ¡°Allow me to translate for great Nkosi.¡± Miss Zozibini took over. ¡°In the longer term, Dino and his cohorts would only have brought you to ruin. Their ambitions were lofty, but their moral characters... to say they had any character at all would be a lie. Besides... all was fair. Anansi tells tales and the outcome is now written. A page which is written on can never return to being blank again...¡±


    As both sides argued over the rights and wrongs of the situation, Hinata held my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. I reached for Eri in my thoughts, and apparently the concert was going rather well. Which is more than can be said for here, that¡¯s certain. Damn it, I refuse to accept any fault here. No... Miss Zozibini saw my glare, her lips curving into a rather alluring smile, and she winked, which made my hand tighten on Hinata¡¯s.


    ¡°The issue is...¡± Kira-san was saying now. ¡°...if we are talking about losses, we have two dead Japanese Chosen, and this is not even a question of self-defence. We were attacked in our hotel, kidnapped, and there is ample evidence. What redress for that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± The Japanese ambassador agreed. ¡°Ichijou house has long enjoyed a diplomatic status, this is tantamount to failing to protect a VIP, no, a visiting politician. Wars have been declared for less! Sanctions are almost inevitable!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for haste.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Both sides have suffered losses, I understand that. And so long as the perpetrators are punished... all the perpetrators, and compensation paid towards the families of the dead and the injured...¡± Might as well get Aliyah and Treyvon some cash. They did the best they could, more than I¡¯d have expected against Chosen. ¡°...I can let my grievances go. As for if you wish me to compensate those I¡¯ve injured... do criminals often take money from the victims legally here in South Africa?¡± I raised one eyebrow, seemingly curious, and Hinata¡¯s grin grew wider. Yes, the days of me being cowed by political elites are over. I¡¯m still up for a compromise, but... if we don¡¯t get the better of the deal, we¡¯ll be seen as easy to take advantage of.


    ¡°Rha! By everyone, you mean us?¡± Nkosi laughed loudly. ¡°Brave little shit, aren¡¯t you? We didn¡¯t hurt you and yours, in fact, we¡¯re getting dragged into this mess for helping,  just because I put down a few flapping vultures who thought they could take advantage of me! Fuck, have some dignity and gratitude!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Then what about Miss Zozibini here?¡± I scowled, showing my displeasure. You spun your web, your Spider Tales, and pulled on all our strings. Me, Midas, Dino... so this could all be laid at your door!¡±


    ¡°You think so? I¡¯m flattered.¡± She titled her head, smiling, dark skin and hair accentuating her charms. I blinked, not vulnerable to her allure, strong though it was, the gap between her cool demeanour and her seductive one emphasising her beauty.


    ¡°I know so.¡± I shook my head, and her laugh was bright, musical.


    ¡°You give me far too much credit. Yes, you became part of a tale, and I certainly cannot deny I set a few strands myself, but... I am not Anansi, nor Qamata. I am no Goddess, with knowledge of all things, of how events will play out. I simply saw a chance. And it was a fair trade, no? Did you not retrieve what you sought here in our African continent?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get what you wanted too?¡± I shot back. ¡°But... Mayumi-san...¡±


    ¡°Mayumi-chan...¡± Kira-san whispered inaudibly to others.


    ¡°We can hardly be held responsible for the evils of others. I saw the tale, I made small adjustments, so that all the participants were able to write their roles. You came seeking treasures. Poor King Midas and his wife, hands that turn all they touch to gold are cold, and one must be careful not to overreach and turn to gold themselves. As for Dino... great Nkosi is right. He is a hyena that thinks himself a lion. Hyenas have cunning, and sharp fangs, but when against true strength, a pack of hyenas will cast aside their wounded and weak as bait to distract their predators. Sadly, Dino was unaware that in this tale, he was not the predator...¡±


    ¡°And what of you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We simply played our part as well. You would have found conflict, it was inevitable. We merely steered it a little. And in doing so, benefitted. As did you.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± I began, only for Hinata to speak up.


    ¡°Maybe so. But intent matters. Mayumi is the cream of Japanese nobility, a flower loved by all...¡±


    I held in a grin at that. Mayumi-san was certainly pretty, but her personality was too domineering for my taste, without the redeeming charm of Shaeula. Though to be fair, bold women are fine by me. Now that she¡¯s not looking down on Hinata, anyway...


    ¡°...if she is left traumatised by this incident, it will be a national disgrace, a slap in the face to the nobility of Japan. Imagine if we were to put at risk the daughter of your President for one of our schemes, even if you benefitted? Wouldn¡¯t it lead to cries for redress, anger that we had no respect for South Africa and its important people?¡± Hinata¡¯s words were reasonable. ¡°Yes, we came to South Africa to find something, but it was found in Botswana, so you have no cause to complain.¡± She addressed the South African contingent, explaining everything calmly, her newfound confidence from her Favour shining through. ¡°We are clearly the victims here.¡±


    ¡°Rha! That rude little girl...¡± Nkosi began, before Miss Zozibini stopped him with a gentle laugh.


    ¡°Now, great Nkosi, don¡¯t be rude. The rich have their own styles. Now...¡± she smiled at Hinata. ¡°I understand what you are driving at. Very... business minded. Now, what will you demand in exchange for the humble part we played in your misfortunes? Though bear in mind, without brave Nkosi defeating a number of Dino Moloi¡¯s forces, it could have been far worse, and even without our prompting, your presence here would have drawn his ire in any case.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± Hinata asked, and everyone else faded into the background, as it seemed only Hinata and Miss Zozibini were present. Imagining Hinata with a gleaming aura of gold, confronting Miss Zozibini in a spider web, I wasn¡¯t the only one waiting for their words.


    ¡°After all... you¡¯re a cunning woman. A spider indeed.¡± Hinata¡¯s grin was teasing yet harsh. ¡°If you can read a story as well as you say you can, you must know this was never going to fly.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, little girl, I can come over there and turn you over my knee and give you a fucking spanking.¡± Nkosi snarled.


    ¡°If you did that, Akio would kill you.¡± She laughed, unconcerned, not taking her eyes off Miss Zozibini.


    ¡°That rhino-cunt, I could...¡± he began, only to stop as he felt my gaze on him. He smirked, to show he wasn¡¯t afraid, and his hand glowed with shimmering light element, which definitely gave off a sense of danger, but I merely stared back, unmoved.


    ¡°We adults are talking.¡± Miss Zozibini¡¯s teasing grin remained. ¡°Do forgive great Nkosi. He is a leader, but also a man. And men can be childish, no?¡± She spoke as if Hinata was a close friend, her manner charming and informal. ¡°But we would rather be friends, despite his bluster. So... you think I already know the answer you seek?¡±


    ¡°Your confidence says so. Honestly, if you provoke Akio like this, you¡¯re either a fool or you¡¯re confident you have something to soothe our anger.¡±


    ¡°How very amusing. In that case...¡± Miss Zozibini nodded. ¡°...I hardly believe I am a fool. So yes.¡± She gestured to the wizened, small man beside her. ¡°I did so happen to bring the one thing you need the most now. So the threads and skeins of the story say. Consider it our heartfelt apology for the unfortunate deaths of your bodyguards, and the trauma to the young Miss. If it was just the danger you were in, you would surely have to consider it the perils of being Chosen, no?¡±


    Hinata snorted, realising Miss Zozibini knew more than she was letting on, and had clearly realised Hinata¡¯s new status. She glanced at me, and I nodded. I trust you to handle this. But...what do I need most right now? After all, I¡¯ve retrieved the Seeds...


    ¡°In that case, if we receive an apology...¡± Hinata began.


    Nkozi growled at that, but Miss Zozibini had no shame, bowing deeply.


    ¡°Indeed. I am sorry. Especially since he bravely defended me from an unfair Scales Of Judgement. The story was crueller than I imagined. But... trust me. The Fairy Mmoatia will not leave... disadvantaged. Four for two. It seems fair to me. Let them be frozen, halted.¡± She tapped the old man on his shoulder. ¡°After all, what you need most is time. Let our friend here call upon Khonsu, and his moon shall steal your time... holding four, no... five... in a frozen moment. It seems you have a great affinity with the moon. Is it not wonderous, how all these tales come together?¡±


    Hinata turned to me, understanding, and I nodded. It¡¯s true. Going to America now is important, any delay could compromise my chance of getting the Seeds from Egil Andersen¡¯s corpse. But also... I¡¯m overloaded. So... Narrowing my eyes, I decided to listen to her, despite my annoyance at how we were used for their ends. Though... I¡¯m not foolish enough to trust her unconditionally. I¡¯ll not be strangled by her threads of spider silk like Dino and Midas were...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Five

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Five


    ¡°No tricks.¡± I warned, and Miss Zozibini smiled warmly.


    ¡°Perish the thought. Here we are, trying to make amends for your feelings of betrayal, and gratitude for your aid of me. We are hardly so crass, are we, great Nkosi?¡±


    ¡°Rha! Speak for yourself, Zozibini. I don¡¯t like this foreign heap of rhino dung. Though...¡± He looked as if he was going to spit, but at a pointed look from Miss Zozibini, as well as realising the company he was in, he refrained with a sour grimace. ¡°...Got to say, I do like the way he put that elephant-fucker Dino in his grave. He¡¯s no fucking loss.¡±


    ¡°Please, great Nkosi, this is not the time for profanities.¡± Miss Zozibini apologised for him. ¡°He¡¯s just posturing, don¡¯t mind him. As for tricks... I believe you can see through any, no?¡±


    At my slow nod, she gestured her ally forwards, and the small, wizened man with the painted face came to me, aether shining.


    ¡°Just as the moon is a revolving mirror of time, from new to crescent to half to gibbous to full, to gibbous to half to crescent to new yet again... stop the moon and stop the time, an unblinking eye of wisdom...let Khonsu halt your time!¡± The words weren¡¯t in English or Japanese, but I somehow still understood them, as if they were universal.


    The aether was joined by adherence, and also a torrent of elemental energies. It was mostly the inky violet of spatial, but in addition a significant amount of lighter purple indigo, as well as traces of blue, were drawn in.


    Hinata seemed a little wary still, but at my nod she relaxed, and I concentrated on observing, my Eye glowing brightly, on feeling it out with my own spatial, light and darkness elements. It was definitely a composite element, mainly of space, but its workings were too hard for me to grasp. Honestly, while my understanding and ability with spatial element has increased recently, I¡¯m still no expert. But...


    With my memory, I made sure to record every detail, and hopefully Arisu-san might be able to make sense of it. Space seemed to warp inside me, it was hard to explain, as it wasn¡¯t technically space, but it also was somehow. I had a cursory understanding of physics, like how light moved in a timeless moment, and how time slowed down for objects moving at incredible speeds... So, space and time are linked. It¡¯s called spacetime, after all...


    I felt a strange sensation, as if all my adherence was frozen. I gently tugged at it, only for the old man to speak in a language I didn¡¯t understand, shaking his head, frowning. Miss Zozibini hastily translated. ¡°He says to stop that. Time is like a mighty river, swimming against it, halting the current, it is barely contained, and a single crack will cause the dam to break, time resuming its normal course. So only when you wish to use the bounty you have seized from those who are weaker than you should you break the seal.¡±


    ¡°Weaker than...¡± Hinata narrowed her eyes, clearly not liking her turn of phrase.


    ¡°Stronger or weaker, that¡¯s not relevant.¡± I did stop trying to move my adherence as suggested though. It certainly left me at a minor disadvantage, my ability to use my own adherence temporarily sealed, but there were two positives. No, actually it seems there are three. Firstly, with more time to examine this moon seal, I might be able to divine more about how he¡¯s done it, how Khonsu¡¯s Favour operates. Secondly, now my pressing need to either break down some of the Favours or find someone who was either compatible or could be made suitable had been postponed, giving me a chance to get Egil Andersen¡¯s Seeds without losing out on this other opportunity. And thirdly, and most surprisingly...


    It seemed that there was a slight resonance between the effect and Tsukuyomi¡¯s Favour. I didn¡¯t get much use out of that ability, mostly down to my need to spend most waking hours in both bodies doing numerous tasks that demanded my time, as well as the fact that most of the time when sleeping the Favour was quiescent, but I did feel rather guilty I was wasting the gift Tsukiko had given me. So any information on it is welcome...


    ¡°I would hope this shows our sincerity, that we have no wish to be at odds with you.¡± Miss Zozibini said when her ally stepped back, seeing rather exhausted. ¡°We should let bygones be bygones, as you might say. Great Nkosi here would say, once the shit¡¯s been cleaned off one¡¯s boots, there¡¯s no point further complaining about the elephant.¡±


    At that surprising crudity, Nkosi barked a laugh, and the tense atmosphere in the room diminished, the politicians seeming to think the matter was resolved, but Hinata merely looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I understood her meaning. She¡¯s a greedy girl. This doesn¡¯t sit well with her...No?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°It does... to an extent.¡± My words cut off the lightening mood of the room, plunging it back into wary gloom. ¡°But the thing is... this shit when wiped away still left us with deaths and a traumatised young woman. So excuse me if the elephant waving its tail and offering a little lip service as an apology leaves a bad taste in my mouth.¡±


    Kira-san seemed content to let us handle things, and at his gaze the diplomats supporting us fell silent, so I continued. ¡°Yes, your help with the gentleman here...¡± I nodded at the man with his painted face. ¡°...is welcome, but honestly, it¡¯s hardly an imposition. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve given up anything except perhaps he¡¯ll have to rest up for a day or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hinata agreed, her brown eyes flashing with a faint metallic shimmer, which I found positively adorable. Hinata was more charming than ever, and not just due to her likely higher Charm now. ¡°The thing is... we have our reputation and honour to uphold. If word got out we could be exploited in other people¡¯s schemes just because you intend to offer us a little bribe at the end... no, that won¡¯t do at all. My good friend and sister Daiyu has a saying... To truly show sincerity is to cut your flesh and break your bones. In this case, well, elephants have ivory, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Rha! You fucking greedy pigs, always the same, treating our great Africa as your own personal source of wealth. Just as you came for the minerals and precious metals of South Africa...¡± Nkozi was incensed, but Miss Zozibini merely narrowed her eyes. Yeah, it¡¯s the thinkers that scare me, not the boasters, the ones quick to anger. She¡¯s by far the more dangerous one, even if her powers ¡®seem¡¯ weaker. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to hide her true strength.


    ¡°Peace, great Nkozi. I am sure that our brave woman here would not be so greedy as to suggest we suffer for their hubris. After all, you entered the tale to seize spoils with tenuous connection to you, no? That entails risk. Those who steal are stole from in turn.¡±


    ¡°True, but those that set the stage, direct the play, right?¡± I countered. ¡°You inflamed the situation I¡¯m sure, made damn certain that Dino and his thugs were in the right places. But...¡± Hinata nodded, and I understood her intentions. ¡°...we¡¯re not here to argue that. But were the situations reversed, I¡¯m sure Nkosi here would be clamouring for a chance to show his mettle.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking right I wouldn¡¯t stand for it...¡± he fumed, and I saw a brief hint of annoyance, well masked, cross Miss Zozibini¡¯s face.


    ¡°Enough, great Nkosi. There is a time and a place for combat. Now... make your point, and I will listen, for we are not at odds, despite your anger. It is dangerous, being touched by the Gods. For they are capricious, yes?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not interested in blood for blood, because you¡¯re right. We did come here for our own ends. But that doesn¡¯t quell my dissatisfaction, and your kind gesture...¡± I nodded at the Chosen who had frozen the time of the captured Favours again. ¡°...seems a mere token. No... you like stories, don¡¯t you? Well, how about you face us honestly, in a story of our choosing. If you win, then I promise to consider none of this happened, and I¡¯ll forget my dissatisfaction. And Nkosi here can brag he defeated me...¡±


    At his smirk, I knew I had them. Miss Zozibini would also think she had the advantage as well, but I¡¯d seen her Threads.


    ¡°And if you win?¡± she asked, taking the bait as I expected.


    ¡°Then you have to allow us a safe and stable Territory here in South Africa and protect it.¡± Hinata declared. ¡°And no longer cause a fuss about our operations here. We won¡¯t interfere with your actions, but you can¡¯t with ours.¡±


    At that, Nkosi seemed incensed, as well he might be, considering his anger at who he considered outsiders taking advantage of Africa, but sensing that, Miss Zozibini held up a hand, forestalling him again. Even so, he was glaring at us furiously, bare, beaded chest puffed out angrily like he was trying to make himself seem larger.


    ¡°This seems a rather unfair trade.¡± She smiled softly, almost mockingly. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t believe you can truly set aside your conflict with us. Best we simply go our own ways...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hinata denied her. ¡°Considering those who Akio has forgiven before, who even genuinely tried to murder him... he¡¯s not as petty as you.¡± Her smile was sharp yet amused. ¡°Our favour is worth a little sacrifice, a little ivory, and we¡¯re not asking for much. South Africa is huge, you can¡¯t easily control it all, so a corner for us...¡±


    She¡¯s thinking of Ring Gates. Yeah, it makes sense. My life would be so much easier if we had them established worldwide... and of course, the African continent likely has no end of wonders in the Boundary we might be able to make use of... My sis had used her Territory now, but we still had plenty of options, and if linked to the Gate network, defending it shouldn¡¯t be impossible, especially with cooperation from our local warlord here, who now seemed to hold unchecked power in the region after we were helped into taking out his biggest rivals.


    ¡°...is hardly going to inconvenience you. Besides, aren¡¯t you confident?¡±


    Miss Zozibini¡¯s smile was cold yet charming. ¡°I know stories well. The confident often come undone at the final step. Now, Nkozi... if you would allow me?¡±


    ¡°So you agree then?¡± Hinata pressed, and though Nkosi stared daggers at us, Miss Zozibini nodded.


    ¡°Men do care about their pride.¡± She smiled warmly at Nkosi, before transferring that smile to Hinata. ¡°I hardly think you are weak and easy to exploit. After all, Dino Moloi could tell us otherwise, if the dead could speak. Even King Midas has fled, it seems... but... it is not in Anansi¡¯s nature to turn down a game, to miss out on a story...¡±


    With that settled, Hinata and I exchanged glances. All right then. From what I know of how her ability works, which story will trap her in her own strings?


    ***


    ¡°Are you sure about this, Akio-kun, Hinata-chan?¡± Kira-san asked. He seemed in a jovial mood, but I could tell he was worried about his granddaughter still, and now this situation too. ¡°I agree it¡¯s important to project power, it¡¯s how the Japanese nobility have remained ascendant all these years... but it¡¯s a risk. And... the South African power structure isn¡¯t enthused.¡±


    Your Fate has increased by Three.


    ¡°You confused the Threads, so I was not able to see the story I was actually in. I had assumed you were going to trick me, and you did, but by making me assume the trick was that I would know you were tricking me.¡± Her lustrous dark skin seemed a little dull, and she was exhausted, her strength diminished. ¡°But...¡± she laughed then, surprising me. ¡°I do approve. It is the sort of trick Anansi favours. Truth hidden by lies only to reveal the truth anew. I admit defeat.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I don¡¯t!¡± Nkosi snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not beaten, I...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll accept the result.¡± I warned, my League stoked to its maximum. Hinata paled, quickly ushering everyone away, and Miss Zozibini staggered, before also beating a retreat, a little blood leaking from her nose. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, I¡¯m not in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°Rha! Should I care?¡± Nkosi was unwilling to back down, but... he was definitely feeling the strain, sweat beading on his forehead and cheeks, a minute trembling in his limbs.


    ¡°I think you should. You¡¯re strong. A true lion...¡± I tried not to make that sound sarcastic, but wasn¡¯t sure I entirely succeeded. ¡°...in fact, amongst the Chosen I¡¯ve met, you¡¯d certainly rank amongst the top few. Your League is impressive. You¡¯re standing up to me...¡± Especially since my League has grown recently. I don¡¯t know how much higher it can go, before I reach a wall...


    ¡°...and you¡¯ve obviously fought many hard battles, honed yourself, but... I¡¯m not in the mood to lose.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m scared of you, fucking pair of dangling hippo balls?¡± he spat back, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, I know you¡¯re not. Like I said, you¡¯re a lion, the king of the jungle. But it¡¯s not the lion who rules, is it? It¡¯s the smart hunter. The lion that survives is the one that knows to avoid trouble.¡± I narrowed my eyes, coldly annoyed. ¡°You agreed to let Miss Zozibini compete. Shouldn¡¯t you respect her resolve and will?¡±


    That gave him pause. He turned his head and spat noisily, before grunting a harsh acceptance. ¡°Fucking fine. That¡¯s true. I¡¯m no lying snake, not like that bastard Dino. Rha! Zozibini, what the fuck are you doing? I thought you always knew how to read a fucking story?¡±


    ¡°Even Anansi lets his pride trick himself. Remember when monkey tricked Anansi into his own pit of stakes where he had killed hog, by claiming there was gold in the... hole?¡± Her eyes showed sudden recognition, clapping her hands. ¡°How marvellous. It is exactly like the tale of Anansi and Fling-A-Mile too. Impaled on my own spikes, because I reached for gold that was merely fool¡¯s gold. Is it because you tampered with the Threads Of Fate? It should not be possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be amazed what¡¯s possible.¡± I dried myself off with a gust of wind and flame element. ¡°Does it feel good, being used? And your loss was mild, though unlike your previous gift, at least it¡¯s something that costs you.¡±


    ¡°I hope we¡¯ve made our point.¡± Hinata¡¯s smile was wicked. ¡°If you wanted our aid, you should have had the decency to ask for it. Consider that payment for Mayumi¡¯s fright.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Miss Zozibini nodded. ¡°I suppose it is a small penalty at that. Though I am all the weaker for it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d imagine your Fate, Fortune and Foresight determine how strong your Favour is.¡± I mused. ¡°Conversely, if your opponent has high stats, it¡¯s harder for you. But if you want to play again, by all means give it a try... but you might lose more next time.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. After all, monkey might have tricked Anansi once, but usually, it is Anansi who is the victor, and I am not so arrogant as to fall for the same scheme twice. Now... we should go. Although...¡± She waved her phone, and mine chimed, Hinata¡¯s too, her number having been transferred over to us remotely. ¡°...I suppose you will need to notify us when you plan to secure your Territory.¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t forget now!¡± Hinata warned, and Nkosi spat again, though he remained silent. With that, they left, leaving the grounds of the hospital with their fellow Chosen...


    ***


    ¡°So we¡¯re in agreement?¡± the President stated, and Kira-san nodded, mopping his brow.


    ¡°It seems we are. We¡¯ll not hold South Africa responsible for our lapse in safety, no more than you can hold Akio-kun and the others responsible for the deaths of South African citizens in self-defence. After all, Chosen matters are... chaotic, at the moment. I think you should get a handle on things, like we are trying.¡± He warned mildly. ¡°Though I do confess, it¡¯s not the easiest of tasks. We¡¯re fortunate that Akio-kun is a fairly mild-mannered man, and that he¡¯s got good women by his side to keep him grounded.¡±


    Hinata smiled broadly at Kira-san¡¯s praise. ¡°Yes, though it seems Zozibini seems to be the brain behind Nkosi¡¯s brawn. But that aside... compensation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The President agreed. ¡°Not that we admit to any fault, but in the interests of diplomacy, a package of compensation to the families of the dead, as well as your injured, will be provided. And... we have no objections to your claiming of this other world, in a single instance.¡±


    I¡¯m not so sure, the General here looks like he¡¯d want to object again, but... We¡¯d had this argument, and the fact that we had a Ring Gate connecting us to Britain (Yes, we hadn¡¯t claimed the Territory, but the principle was the same) and would soon be doing the same in South Korea, had won the argument. Kira-san had also promised some potential agreements in terms of mutual defence and cooperation, though the details were yet to be worked out. And of course, it¡¯ll have to be agreed by me and the others. But...


    ¡°Fine then. In that case...¡± Kira-san looked at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll go see Mayumi...-chan.¡± At his annoyingly hopeful look I gave in and used the honorific he demanded. ¡°You can finish up here.¡±


    When Hinata and I left, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s been quite the few days. I was jealous of you going abroad with everyone else, but if it¡¯s like this all the time, it¡¯s not the fun holiday I thought it¡¯d be.¡±


    ¡°It seldom is.¡± I grinned, pulling her into a hug. We stayed like that for a while, finally relaxing. ¡°Although, one day we¡¯ll be able to enjoy normal, fun holidays, where we don¡¯t have to do anything. Though... not for a while.¡±


    Hinata nodded, agreeing. ¡°Yes. Well, speaking of... it seems that the Tengokusentou is being handed back, for a hefty cash settlement. The annoying thing is it wasn¡¯t our efforts that secured it fully. Though in the end, what matters is we have it back. Uncle Kira...¡± Hinata smiled wryly at that. ¡°...grandfather Itsuki, and Fujiwara-sama only care about the outcome. Seems like the negotiations were mediated by Fujiwara-sama¡¯s son in the end. Which is odd, as...¡± Hinata narrowed her eyes, wary. ¡°...I feel bad saying it, as... it¡¯s just not a done thing to criticise anyone from Fujiwara house, but... Hidemasa-sama is not well regarded. He¡¯s seen as a man whose ambition outstrips his abilities. But he does have connections, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good for the Shiraishi sisters, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked, and Hinata shook her head.


    ¡°Not necessarily. We always planned to return the Tengokusentou to them, rather than their useless family, but Hidemasa-sama... like I said, he¡¯s ambitious. He might try and keep it within Fujiwara house. Although...¡± Hinata¡¯s lips quirked into a smile. ¡°...if Fujiwara-sama plans to intervene, Hidemasa-sama won¡¯t be able to resist. Thanks to our support, I¡¯ve been invited to the grand handover, where it¡¯s returned to the nobility. I should be able to make it back to attend, even with these loose ends here to tie up.¡±


    ¡°I see. And you¡¯ll be careful, right?¡± I asked, worried, as I¡¯d still almost certainly be in America at that time.


    ¡°Always.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°Now... I¡¯m better able to protect myself and others, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°True, but look at Miss Zozibini. She was confident in her own abilities, and she¡¯s much more experienced than you.¡± I warned, and Hinata flushed a pale pink, before kissing my lips softly.


    ¡°I get it. I won¡¯t be arrogant. I know you worry. And you¡¯re having those premonitions of danger. I¡¯ll be prepared for anything, and worst case, I¡¯ll get myself and those who matter to us out safely. The Tengokusentou isn¡¯t worth our lives, no matter its history.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± We kissed again, and with a smile, Hinata got off my lap, walked over to the door and locked it from the inside. With a sly grin, she glanced at the bed in the corner.


    ¡°It seems an awful shame not to use the bed, doesn¡¯t it? After all...¡± She checked her phone. ¡°We¡¯ve a few hours yet.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± I raised an eyebrow, and she giggled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think, I know.¡± She got up and rummaged around in the corner, finding a cupboard that contained some hospital gowns, and even a nurse¡¯s uniform. ¡°How about some role-play? I could be a naughty nurse, or a sexy patient, needing a visit from a hot doctor?¡±


    My only answer was rushing over and scooping her up, tossing her down on the bed, listening to her giggles...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Six

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Six


    ¡°Don¡¯t you look very self-satisfied?¡± Mayumi-san pouted, sitting up in the bed, Ohta-san beside her, relief showing on her face. Mayumi-san was still rather pale, but she was smiling at least. ¡°You could have visited me a little earlier, Hinata, Akio-kun!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I had better things to do.¡± Hinata replied teasingly, clutching my arm tightly, her flushed, satisfied face and bright eyes showing her satisfaction after our love. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re Ichijou Mayumi, right? A little thing like an attempted kidnapping won¡¯t get you down.¡±


    ¡°Little?¡± Mayumi-san managed a weak snort. ¡°There¡¯s kidnappings for ransom, then there¡¯s... that.¡± She took a long, shuddering breath, clearly still not over the experience, but her smile came back, even if it was a little wobbly. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I have to set a good example for other noble daughters. After all, we must always remain composed!¡±


    ¡°How did things go?¡± Ohta-san asked us, surprising Mayumi-san, who didn¡¯t expect her taciturn guard to be so close with us.


    ¡°All good!¡± Hinata held up her hand in the victory pose. ¡°Much as I¡¯d have loved to have Akio beat that crude blowhard to a pulp and teach Zozibini a lesson she wouldn¡¯t forget... this isn¡¯t our backyard. We¡¯ve already caused a lot of trouble here for the South African government, even if it mostly wasn¡¯t our fault.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, although...¡± My grin was rather savage. ¡°Settling the score isn¡¯t something we abandoned. I beat Miss Zozibini at her own game, plundered a little of her Intangible Statistics. It probably doesn¡¯t quite offset what she gained from this mess, but it¡¯s a warning, and I assume she¡¯s smart enough to heed it. But... the beauty is, they missed the real kicker. In being forced to allow us to set up a Territory, they haven¡¯t realised they¡¯ve been outmanoeuvred.¡±


    Hinata nodded. ¡°It¡¯s only natural of course. They¡¯ll be Rank three, certainly. But from three to four is such an incredible jump in time and resources, it seems impossible to get there any time soon. But...¡± She gazed lovingly at me, talk of expansion, power and wealth exciting her as much as our lovemaking. Yeah, she¡¯s certainly perfect for Aje?-Shaluga¡¯s Favour.


    ¡°We can do it. Early next year, we¡¯ll hit Rank four in Tokyo. Then it won¡¯t take more than a few months to do the same in Kyoto and help Princess Eleanor advance in London as per our alliance agreement. Then, while our good friends here in South Africa are protecting our Territory, they¡¯ll be forced to watch as we leap ahead of them, reach Rank four and hem them in. They¡¯ll end up as isolated bubbles of Territory within our greater dominion, and eventually they¡¯ll have no choice but to submit, or be choked out.¡±


    She clapped her hands happily. ¡°I can hardly wait to hear that boorish Nkosi swearing, and see the look on Zozibini¡¯s supercilious face. They don¡¯t know it, but they already lost. Consider it a little revenge for you, Mayumi. Although the true perpetrators are dead.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mayumi-san¡¯s face relaxed, her smile seeming more natural. ¡°Of course, as my best friend, you understand well that nobody gets to disrespect the Ichijou house. Well, you carry the same burden as me now, so it¡¯s only natural.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a burden. Being Takatsukasa Hinata is something I had to do to raise my value for Akio.¡± She smiled at me teasingly, before her expression turned serious. ¡°You¡¯re right though. Akio can be a bit passive. Compromise is good, business is built on it, but when we¡¯re going for a win-win, it needs to be at least sixty-forty in our favour from now on. But from a longer-term standpoint, we need footholds everywhere. Just thinking of Japan isn¡¯t enough. After all, I don¡¯t know about you, Mayumi, but I¡¯m not content to leave my fate in the hands of some other Astral Emperor. No, it¡¯s got to be Akio.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but...¡± Mayumi-san looked at me searchingly, before shrugging. ¡°...well, it¡¯s not like we were Chosen, were we?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Hinata teased, before becoming serious once again. ¡°There are also other benefits to claiming a Territory here in South Africa. With Ginneka¡¯s abilities and Ixitt¡¯s technologies, it won¡¯t be long before moving materials between the Boundary and Material becomes routine. That way we can use Ring Gates to directly traffic ores and metals between here and the factories in Tokyo, making our supply chain resistant to external troubles. I think that¡¯ll be important...¡±


    Seeing them chatting away happily, I disentangled myself from Hinata, and headed to the other room. Aliyah and Trey were in there, recuperating well after my Ether Healing, while Adelheid had joined them. She was reading a magazine she had found somewhere, though it seemed she was more looking at the pictures idly, not speaking the language.


    ¡°Settled things then?¡± Trey asked, and I nodded. Adelheid looked up, and I smiled at her. She puffed out her cheeks and looked away, sulking a little. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get your reward for the hard work you¡¯ve put in this trip, I promise.


    ¡°Yeah, all handled.¡± I agreed, explaining what had transpired again. When I was done, Aliyah laughed until her aching body hurt.


    ¡°Fuck me, that¡¯s funny. But the bitch got off lightly. I mean, you busted up my ribs good, and that firecracker Shaeula, she...¡± Aliyah paused, glancing across at Trey, who was pretending not to listen. Aliyah shrugged, trying to laugh it off. ¡°...anyway, I get she doesn¡¯t know you, but if she had half a brain she¡¯d not have tried to rope you into her shit. I mean, I ain¡¯t foolish enough to mess with you again, once bitten, twice shy, and you can bite bad.¡±


    ¡°Learning some wisdom with age, Aliyah?¡± Trey asked, and she snorted sourly, shrugging again, clenching one hand into a fist, showing off her impressive muscles.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t old, bastard. I¡¯m in the prime of my damn youth. Which makes it so sad I ain¡¯t got a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°With an attitude like that and your foul mouth is it any wonder you¡¯re single? Especially as you like the cute types, sis.¡± Trey replied, and she smirked nastily.


    ¡°Maybe so. But shit, Trey, you get to talk to me like that when you can stay with a guy for more than two fucking weeks. You always pick a cheater or a flake.¡±


    As the siblings bickered, Aliyah lacing her words with vitriolic but harmless swearing, I couldn¡¯t help but grin. They¡¯ve got a good sibling dynamic, and obviously love each other, have each other¡¯s backs. I respect that.


    Adelheid put down her magazine, sighing. ¡°It is always like this. They argue incessantly. Fortunately, I only understand the train station, their nonsense makes no sense to me.¡±


    Finding Adelheid¡¯s entertaining idioms rather cute, I simply smiled back, also ignoring the two siblings as they argued, seeing that they were clearly recovered enough to fight, though it would likely take a little longer to fully restore them. ¡°Yeah, that can be a mercy.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll say it again. Damn good job during the battles. You proved why it was right to seek you out.¡±


    The blonde girl looked embarrassed at that, idly twirling at her long hair, looking more childish than she was. ¡°It was nothing. It was kill or be killed there, and I embody the Furies. I¡¯m not one to just lie down and die. Though...¡± She fixed me with her stern, blue-eyed gaze, looking anything but young for a moment. ¡°...it¡¯s looking like I might have been safer staying in Luisenstadt, waiting for others to come hunt me down!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± I laughed ruefully. ¡°We¡¯ve strength in numbers. And I can tell you¡¯ve grown stronger.¡±


    Adelheid crossed her arms defensively. ¡°It seems so, but I still don¡¯t care for being forced into life-or-death battles constantly.¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, neither do I.¡± I promised. ¡°I can hone my strength outside of battles just fine. Though there are benefits to be had in conflict.¡± Seeing that she understood, I changed the subject, asking her how Christina Bakker and Titan were.


    ¡°That madwoman.¡± Adelheid sniffed, wary of the scientist. ¡°At first she seemed rather distant and possibly traumatised, but... after a few hours on the helicopter she seemed to recover, and while I don¡¯t understand most of her jabbering, I get that she¡¯s working on something.¡±


    I nodded, not sure whether to be relieved or not. No, I guess I am relieved. I¡¯ve little liking for her and what she¡¯s done, but... honestly, even if her affections are a little, no... a lot creepy, it¡¯s hard to absolutely hate someone who expresses a liking for me. Even to the extent of trying to trap me into being her boyfriend... oh, no, wait, that¡¯s just swung around to creepy again. But one thing is true... There would certainly be no benefits to letting her die, and it might even cause problems in America. Though what with Adam White¡¯s likely misunderstanding she¡¯s provoked, as well as her stealing of his Vermillion List... there¡¯ll be problems aplenty anyway...


    ¡°This is all very well...¡± Mayumi-san complained again. ¡°...but we¡¯re talking about serious matters, not your harassment of Hinata, and whatever this rather terrible attempt to appeal to Akio-kun is.¡± She waved a hand at Christina, her expression one of distaste. Behind her, Kira-san hid a smile behind one hand, careful not to provoke his granddaughter.


    ¡°Oh, so you think I¡¯m appealing? Good to know, I¡¯ll make a note of it.¡± Christina smirked, as usual missing the point. She realised that, as she blinked, reorientating her thoughts on the now. ¡°No, I¡¯m not dressed up for that. We¡¯ll be boarding flights soon, and at the other end...¡± She glanced at Titan, who was wisely keeping his silence. He too had made an effort, and was wearing a nice suit, though with his frame and muscle he looked a little comical. ¡°...Adam will be waiting. I have to... uh, well, it¡¯s like this. Maybe if I seem more professional, Adam will go easy on me? No, probably not...¡± She laughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said that dying a virgin is a great shame, and we¡¯re flying first class, so... at least give me a test drive on the flight. Who knows, you might like it?¡± More nervous laughter followed, her cheeks pink, and sadly I was sure she wasn¡¯t joking.


    No way though. Objectively, she¡¯s a woman with attractive features and a great body, her curves are different to the Japanese. But... Despite that, I certainly wasn¡¯t interested in her that way. Though honestly, I did feel a little sorry for her, and treacherously, a corner of my Split Thoughts couldn¡¯t help but replay the messy kiss she had given me when on the video call to Adam White. Blame my Intellect, forgetting anything is near-impossible nowadays.


    Whether it was the brief moments on play-pretend boyfriend that had affected me, or it was my natural tendency to be too soft on women, I realised I couldn¡¯t let Adam disappear her like she feared. No, it¡¯s definitely just that she brought us helpful information, and I owe her for that. I¡¯ll never forgive her for her experiments and complicity in the cruel acts of the Americans, but... if she genuinely wants to make amends, then she should be given the chance, even if it takes her a whole lifetime. Though I just wish her reasons were rather better than she¡¯s got a weird schoolgirl-in-love crush on me...


    Yes, women could be just as evil and dangerous as men. Kiku, some of the Chinese invaders at Kyoto, Chae Cho-Hee... I can¡¯t be lenient, just because they appeal to my memories of my sis and Eri when we were younger. But that aside... ¡°No thanks.¡± I declined her, making her pout. ¡°I¡¯m planning on enjoying a relaxing flight, it¡¯s not often I get much time to myself.¡±


    ¡°I can be relaxing...¡± she whined, and I heard the buzz of desperation in her voice. Yeah, she¡¯s like a magpie in other aspects too. She stole Adam White¡¯s shiny classified data, not thinking of the likely consequences. If he¡¯s noticed...


    ¡°Sure you can. I¡¯m not feeling very relaxed now.¡± I shot back, and those in the room who understood couldn¡¯t hold in their laughter. ¡°But seriously, I¡¯m not going to lie for you, cover things up, pretend to be your boyfriend, but I¡¯ve said I won¡¯t let Adam arrest you without a fight. Be content with that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend...¡± she whispered, and for a moment her expression changed. It was vacant, distant, and her lips twitched, perhaps in fright. Is she... remembering? Christina had gradually started to return to her previous teasing, annoying nature, but in quieter moments, or when stressed, I could see the cracks in her fac?ade. To my great annoyance, this made me sympathise with her more.


    It''s at times like this, I need Eri here. Although... thinking about it, Eri, despite putting up a jealous, tough front, can be rather tender towards other girls having a hard time, like Hyacinth, Asha, Daiyu and Tsukiko... nah, our mad scientist here isn¡¯t comparable, I¡¯m sure Eri would kick her to the curb without remorse.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to applaud you for persistence, but can we drop the subject?¡± I shook my head as my answer. ¡°Anyway... please stop bothering Hinata. If all goes well, you might get a chance for further study... humanly.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look like she believed me, but she did remain silent, stopping her clumsy attempts at flirting. ¡°So, those of us getting on the flight to Washington DC are me, Christina, Titan, Trey and Aliyah, as well as Adelheid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be good to be back home. The place can be shit, but fuck me if I don¡¯t want a real burger. It¡¯s just not the same in Japan.¡± Aliyah complained, and her brother echoed her.


    ¡°No kidding. The booze is fine too, but sometimes I miss American beer. And the men. Japanese guys are fine, but they tend to be a little scrawny for my taste.¡±


    ¡°Shit, bro, you like pretty-boys, you should be in Heaven.¡± Aliyah shot back, and he shrugged.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between thin and lean, sis, just like there¡¯s a difference between fat and stacked.¡±


    ¡°What would you know? And don¡¯t ogle your sister, pervert. Fuck Trey, you don¡¯t even have any use for tits...¡± Aliyah crossed her arms under her ample assets as if to make a point, and Titan and I tactfully looked away as their usual arguments started. I had one concern, and that was Adelheid. Originally, I hadn¡¯t planned to take her with me to America, I didn¡¯t want to put any other Chosen at risk of being used to try and leash me, but...


    ¡°You should be assured.¡± Ohta-san was back to her clipped, professional manner of speech now Mayumi-san was back with us. Her brown eyes were earnest, and she looked rather noble in a sharp charcoal grey suit, with trousers rather than a skirt as usual. ¡°I am hardly so arrogant as to claim I can protect Mayumi-sama and Ichijou-sama by myself now, but I assure you this...¡± She exchanged a glance with Kazumi-san, who nodded reassuringly. ¡°I can most certainly buy time for Hinata-sama to act, even if I must die for the opportunity. My resolve is stronger than the sword Mayumi-sama named me for.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die, Katana.¡± Hinata interjected. ¡°But... I¡¯ve got to respect your guts. Honestly, I still don¡¯t want to be a fighter, it¡¯s not my style, but any wife of Akio¡¯s has to be more than dead weight. I understand why Akio¡¯s going alone. The Americans probably can¡¯t do anything to threaten him, but they can us.¡± She pulled out her phone and used the translation app to convert her words to rudimentary German for Adelheid.


    ¡°I understand why you¡¯d want to stay with Akio. It can¡¯t be any fun, nobody understanding you.¡± At the words coming out of Hinata¡¯s phone, Adelheid nodded.


    ¡°....and I hope you¡¯ve seen that Akio is reliable, and he¡¯ll treat you as a friend, not as a tool.¡± A slower nod this time, but she did nod, which relieved me.


    ¡°So, keep yourself safe, Adelheid, and look after Akio.¡± Hinata sniggered then, her expression her usual impish one. ¡°Not that you¡¯ll be able to stop him getting into trouble. Just... keep an eye on our liability here.¡± She nodded at Christina, who managed a faint smile in return.


    ¡°Have no fear.¡± Adelheid glanced over at me. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the sort to pull me over the table.¡±


    As Hinata seemed confused, Adelheid sighed, finding different words for the phone to interpret. ¡°I mean, he won¡¯t try and use me one-sidedly. It¡¯s all... give and take, yes? As for our liability, as you call her... I doubt there are many men who can resist her if she tries so hard, even with a personality that shitty. So don¡¯t ask for miracles.¡±


    ¡°How rude. I¡¯m simply honest...¡± Christina managed, but everyone ignored her. Hinata finished speaking with Adelheid, before she reassured me not to worry.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking a private jet back to Japan just after you leave. We¡¯ll be in no danger. Instead, it¡¯s you who is going into the lion¡¯s den... no, wait, that was here, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She giggled at her own joke. ¡°Seriously, be careful. And hurry back, you don¡¯t want to miss the start of the Pilgrimage, or worse, Shaeula¡¯s birthday is at the weekend. She¡¯ll make your life hell if you don¡¯t spoil her that day!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed. ¡°Yeah, at least after the middle of January my schedule clears up for a bit...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡± Hinata shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the thing about important people, their schedules always fill up. Isn¡¯t that right, uncle Kira?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± He laughed happily. ¡°Now more than ever you¡¯ll be busy. After all, work is going very well on the factory site, and I can hardly wait to start production, and I know Mayumi is the same.¡±


    Mayumi-san agreed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time to start making a return on my investment! If it¡¯s a disappointment, I¡¯ll lose respect for you, Akio-kun, Hinata!¡±


    Seeing her putting on a brave face, I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even in just the parts you¡¯re involved with, I¡¯m sure profits will be huge...¡±


    As the conversation turned to back in Japan, my thoughts drifted towards America, and what troubles and opportunities I would find there. Surely it can¡¯t be as much trouble as South Africa was. Although... I glanced at Christina Bakker, who once more seemed lost in thought, disconnected from the conversations around her. ...there is this troublesome issue to resolve...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Seven

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Seven


    After an extremely enjoyable and relaxing flight, where for once I had the opportunity to take things easy, pampered by the stewardesses in the first-class section of the plane, we touched down at Dulles International Airport. The flight had been peaceful for me, with Adelheid idly watching some TV on the in-flight set, while also listening to some German to English and German to Japanese vocab lessons on her phone.


    Christina had been largely silent as well, her expression rather vacant and troubled, growing ever more tense as we crept closer to our destination. Perhaps it was thoughts of the technical treason she had committed against the United States by stealing the Vermillion List data and handing it over to a foreign power, or it was her prior worries, I wasn¡¯t certain.


    Our last passengers had spent the trip taking advantage of the first-class service, Aliyah and Treyvon finding common ground with Titan, the three of them enjoying complimentary booze and meals, though fortunately none of them had taken it to excess and become drunk. It was amusing hearing Aliyah be so happy about flying first-class, obviously when they were on Black Wolf Company business they kept costs low, this sort of extravagance isn¡¯t usual for them. Or for me, honestly...


    The cost of the tickets was scandalous, really, and my old, frugal self from five months ago protested internally, but Hinata and Kira-san both pointed out that I had a certain level of status to maintain now, and being cheap was detrimental to the image we wished to project. Though I¡¯m also sure Hinata just wants me to enjoy the finer things in life as well...


    As we had the day of settling business and Healing, causing what was supposed to be a quick in-and-out trip, to attend Miss Lindiwe¡¯s recovery gala, make a few connections, then nip across the border to Botswana and retrieve the Seeds, to become a major drain on our time, it was now early Monday morning local Eastern Standard Time, and in Japan it was nearing midnight.


    Fortunately, I was always in mental contact with Eri, and of course I had my phone too, so I had been kept abreast of matters back in Japan. Reaction to the concert and the various revelations had been positive, and the Ministry for Spiritual Matters was having to field so many calls for interviews and questions by concerned citizens that apparently the Minister, Morita Yuna-san, was having a rather stressful time of it, and was considering hiring a separate PR and enquiries section, according to a rather amused yet exasperated Haru.


    I don¡¯t like being away from home long, especially with the Pilgrimage due to start on Friday, then Shaeula¡¯s birthday on the Saturday. I did worry about the overlap, but Shaeula assured me so long as I made time for her in-between the shrines we visited, she¡¯d be content... I really need to remember her birthday gifts, just like I did for Daiyu... damn, even with a Material and an Astral body, I¡¯m constantly short on time...


    The one plus in all this was that Shiro was keeping the buffs running and we were raking in ether. It was a lesser amount, as without me there we couldn¡¯t risk Shiro¡¯s Berserk Blessing, but it was still far above what I imagined anyone who wasn¡¯t supported by a host of Vassals could manage.


    As we taxied in towards the terminal, I glanced out the window. The skies were grey, and a few faint flakes of snow were falling. It was a rather dull morning, but what caught my eye was that there seemed to be rather a lot of military personnel about, unusual for a civilian airport. Coincidence? I hardly think so.


    Grabbing my bag, I quickly rounded up my party, and as expected, the others that had noticed the unusual scenes were Trey and Aliyah, their mercenary instincts keen as ever, and Adelheid, who was naturally wary.


    ¡°Thank you for flying with us. We hope you come again!¡± The attractive stewardesses and handsome stewards ushered us off the plane, and as we descended, ahead of the crowd of course, the privilege of being in first-class, even the slower Christina had noticed the situation, her face going pale.


    Inside the terminal, ordinary passengers were being kept back by armed US soldiers, as well as federal agents in crisp black suits paired with white shirts, both male and female. I heard mutterings from the crowd that perhaps a celebrity was coming, and when some tried to raise their phones ready to take pictures and shoot videos, they were quickly and politely disabused of that notion by the black-clad agents.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried. Adam... he¡¯s a pragmatist, but... he¡¯s ruthless.¡± Christina clutched my arm to her ample chest. I didn¡¯t resist, as she did genuinely seem frightened, and while I had no doubt that many of her test subjects experienced greater and more horrific fear under her experiments, even so, it didn¡¯t sit right with me tossing her aside right now. Besides, there¡¯s still her little ruse. I¡¯ll disavow being her boyfriend when I meet the Director, but until then...


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not letting you die until you¡¯ve genuinely made amends for all the suffering you¡¯ve caused.¡± I assured her. It¡¯s the same as Nie Ling. It never brings back the dead, but... at least it can help the living.


    ¡°That¡¯s... is that saying you want to spend the rest of my life with me?¡± Christina managed to tease, though it was clearly an effort, so I casually flicked her forehead with my free hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot. Is this the time for flirting? I¡¯m just going to work you to death until you¡¯ve done enough good to outweigh the bad. You¡¯ve heard us mention it, remember? The Scales Of Judgement? Until your heart weighs less than that feather, you¡¯ve not got my permission to die!¡±


    ¡°How cold... but I don¡¯t hate it.¡± Her breath was coming faster, her face red, and she squirmed, which was troubling for me, as it pushed my arm against her heaving chest. Behind me, Aliyah rolled her eyes, clearly irritated, but despite that, she was carefully watching all the threats around us, gauging the exits, as was Treyvon.


    ¡°Enough.¡± I flicked her forehead again, but was regretting my habit, as it was clearly having the opposite effect on the strangely masochistic scientist.


    It seemed some in the audience had recognised me, as I could hear my name, and Britain and Korea being mentioned. I also heard some people asking if Christina was one of my women, as she was clinging to me, and I was grateful the woman in question couldn¡¯t pick that noise out of the buzz of the crowd, else I¡¯d never hear the end of it, and it¡¯d only embolden her.


    ¡°This way, if you¡¯d please.¡± One agent stepped up, and a path was cleared through the terminal, the ordinary passengers being held back. I glanced at my companions, who, other than Christina, all nodded or shrugged, signalling agreement. Following them to passport control and immigration, our documents were briefly checked, though Adelheid¡¯s seemed to surprise the officer a little, but in short order we were outside, in a cordoned off area, filled with more soldiers and agents, as well as a number of black Humvee-style trucks with tinted windows, and a woman, who when Christina saw her, she went tense, her grip on my arm buried in her chest almost painful.


    The woman was wearing a black suit with a long skirt and stockings, her white shirt paired with an elegant bolo tie set with a large black onyx. With her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun, she certainly looked different to the agents around us, despite the similar dress code. Her face was pretty, if rather cold, and her eyes were a rich brown colour, matching her dark skin, but those too seemed a little chilly, as if she was wary or angry. ¡°Welcome, Mr Akio Oshiro, and companions, to the United States of America. I am Viola, Undersecretary to the NSA Paranormal Branch. I¡¯ll keep things brief.¡± She gestured to one of the waiting black vehicles. ¡°Miss Bakker, Director White is eager to see you now that you¡¯ve returned. Most eager, in fact. He has a great deal to talk with you about. After all, your leave was rather unexpected, and unauthorised.¡±


    Christina swallowed, forcing a smile, her face now white as a sheet. For a woman that didn¡¯t flinch when it came to injuring herself during her experiments, to see her so wary now... Adam White must be a dangerous man. No, I already know that, considering what he¡¯s ordered.


    Tightening her already vice-like grip on my arm, Christina cast a pleading glance at me, and I bit down a sigh. ¡°Christina is very tired from the events of South Africa and our long flight. I was hoping to take her to our hotel, for a few hours of rest. I¡¯m due to meet with the Director this afternoon, so Christina can accompany me then. Loathe as I am to keep her from her work, I do hope the Director can be understanding, considering... our relationship.¡±


    Viola narrowed her eyes which were like glittering precious topaz, hard and cold. ¡°I would have imagined that travelling as you did, there would have been ample time to rest on the plane...¡±


    Christina managed a nervous titter. ¡°You know how it is, Viola. Or maybe you don¡¯t? After all, you¡¯re still single, aren¡¯t you? Too wedded to the job...¡± Another nervous bout of laughter followed, and sweat was beading on her forehead and cheeks, despite the end of autumn chill in the air, flakes of snow landing on our heads and melting. ¡°...who am I to talk? You know my love for my experiments. But... sometimes you just need to find a good man. Or a woman, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re into, Viola. I¡¯m not one to judge.¡±


    Those words made Viola purse her lips sourly, and I was sure I could hear her teeth grinding, but her face remained impassive, though she was looking at me as if I was filth. I¡¯m not the masochist here, I¡¯m not enjoying being looked at with disdain!


    ¡°I see.¡± she managed in the end. ¡°It¡¯s quite the imposition, but... Director White did instruct me to be as accommodating as is reasonable. Do be sure to get some rest then, Miss Bakker. If you are too tired to adequately explain your behaviour to the Director, there will be... consequences.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get that, I do.¡± Christina nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to cause Adam more trouble.¡± Again, more strained laughter. Both sides knew the other was lying, I imagined. ¡°Trust me, no more fooling around.¡± Hey, I¡¯ve not touched you, woman! You¡¯re wrecking my reputation!


    The annoying thing was a lot of the agents and soldiers guarding the area seemed envious or impressed. Objectively, Christina was a beauty, after all, and she¡¯d made an effort to look far less like a nerdy slob than usual. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I take my meeting with Director White very seriously. After all, ever since London, we¡¯ve had such productive conversations.¡± I got in on the subtext as well, and that made Miss Viola blink, forgetting her disdain for a moment.


    ¡°Good. I hardly speak for the Director, I wouldn¡¯t be so bold, but I do know he is eager to... set matters straight and clear some misconceptions. I¡¯ll leave you to the tender care of Miss Bakker then, and we will send you to your hotel, and also collect you at the appointed time, if there are no objections? Leaving your safety to chance... quite unacceptable. Why, even the President is eager for tomorrow¡¯s event.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I agreed. Hinata had made sure to drill into me I needed to constantly assert my importance, so as to not lose the upper hand in negotiations. To that end, we were staying in one of the more exclusive hotels in Washington DC.


    ¡°In that case...¡± Miss Viola glanced over at Titan. ¡°I trust you aren¡¯t too tired to come back for a debriefing, and that you¡¯ve not been having fun with Mr Oshiro here?¡± Her tone was quiet, but I could hear the irritation.


    ¡°Nah woman, I be fine.¡± The big man shrugged, the fabric of his suit straining. ¡°I can come in and tell the boss what I know, ya.¡± He turned to us, especially the worried Christina. ¡°Obviously, I be only your keeper, Miss. I¡¯ll let ya tell the Director all the details, wouldn¡¯t want to get it all wrong and make a fool of myself, and cause trouble, ya know?¡±


    Christina¡¯s complexion regained a little colour. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be sure to give Adam the full story. Just... well, you don¡¯t need me to tell you, do you Titan? There¡¯s no point speculating on what we don¡¯t understand. We¡¯re here for empirical evidence, for certainties, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Titan waved a hand, showing he understood, and an agent opened the door for him, and he entered the vehicle. Viola glanced at Trey and Aliyah, pursing her lips again momentarily, before nodding to us. ¡°In that case... if you would...¡± She gestured to another of the blacked-out trucks, and as the door was opened, I helped Christina in, followed by Adelheid. I was going to sit next to her, but Christina squirmed around until in the end I was sandwiched between the two women, though Adelheid was keeping her distance, blue eyes cold. That¡¯s our little Tanya...


    Trey and Aliyah took up seats in the rear, and soon we were off. Christina breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could say anything, I nodded meaningfully at the driver, and she made a ¡®zipping¡¯ gesture over her mouth, which froze me for a moment, leaving me blinking, surprised. Shit, that was almost cute. No, I¡¯ll not be fooled. When she¡¯s quiet and not panting like a pervert she¡¯s attractive, but her personality is garbage.


    As the vehicle, which on the inside was rather plush, yet sturdily built, the frame and glass likely both bulletproof, I let my gaze wander outside, to the gentle snowfall as it started to dye the world white...


    ***


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m gorgeous...¡± she managed to joke, though her face was pale, blue eyes serious.


    ¡°...but everyone¡¯s got their own lines they won¡¯t cross. Just like you pair and kids. Even if they are on the wrong path, you can¡¯t justify it to yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Kids, innocent women. Though fuck men. In Trey¡¯s case, literally.¡± Aliyah smirked. ¡°Seriously... the world ain¡¯t fair, and it ain¡¯t equal. I don¡¯t agree with everything you do, Akio, but... I like that you¡¯re trying to be as fair as your conscience will let you be. And fuck me, if you want to offer second chances to women more than men, well, that just makes you human, and I don¡¯t disagree. After all, women are far more likable.¡±


    ¡°So, yeah.¡± I agreed with Aliyah to an extent. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t believe in second chances for everyone, assuming there¡¯s certain lines they haven¡¯t crossed, but... it stings my heart more to see a woman grieving. My sis would laugh, calling me a virgin loser... oh wait, she can¡¯t anymore. ¡°If it makes you feel safe, you can stay here.¡± I told Christina. ¡°But I¡¯m not suddenly going to fall for you. Conversely, I¡¯m not going to show you special treatment either, so you¡¯ll just have to accept this is my room. My problem is, I know what you¡¯ve done and why. Others... others have likely done worse, but...¡±


    Hyacinth. In the long years before she was captured and put in the box and found her way to us, what terrible deeds did she do in her madness? Like the child soldiers, she was made that way, but the dead and hurt still grieve the same. But... to me, Hyacinth deserves my love and forgiveness. Hypocrisy, but... yeah, Aliyah and Trey are right. I¡¯m not claiming to be perfect. I just want a world where there¡¯s as much happiness as possible for as many as possible, but... happiness for those I want to protect counts far more than the joy of others. Otherwise... how can I truly say I love them?


    ¡°I understand.¡± Christina bowed her head. ¡°And... that¡¯s actually something rather novel for me. Of course...¡± her pale face flushed with colour, though it seemed forced. ¡°...I don¡¯t believe you can resist me forever. I asked Scryer for some tips, so... look forward to that! Yes, I think logically that Adam won¡¯t be reckless, but then I feel he could act anyway. If he sees through our ruse, works out that you actually wouldn¡¯t go so far for me as he thinks, or if he decides that making an example of me is worth risking your enmity. Now I¡¯m back... things I was so certain would be fine before now seem terribly... nebulous. I hate it when I can¡¯t calculate the numbers, follow the logic. But now... I think I understand the irrationality of people far better. Whether that will be good for me, or bad for me... I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Her smile seemed genuine for once, lacking her usual sly nature. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to die, leave my work undone. If... if I have to die in the end to make amends, I can live with that, but at least let me feel what it is to be a normal woman first.¡± Oh no, there her perversions are. Way to spoil a genuine moment. But then, it seems she wouldn¡¯t be Christina Bakker is she was capable of following social norms,


    ¡°So yes, I don¡¯t feel it¡¯s safe to return to my apartment, I have to stay here. It¡¯s not logical, but it¡¯s a gut feeling. Something I¡¯d have laughed at before. Anyway... I¡¯m kind of hoping we can work something out with Adam... have me seconded out to you in Japan, as some sort of reconciliation package. Maybe throw in a few bits of harmless information as a bribe? I know you probably don¡¯t want to work with us here in America after everything we¡¯ve done, but... honestly, we didn¡¯t do it to be evil. We believed in the work. That surely counts for something?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway, that ran long.¡± I sighed. ¡°So, Aliyah, Trey, I¡¯ll see you later this evening?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I ain¡¯t missing Buck plying me with free booze.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°But before that...¡± she glanced at her brother, who explained.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long, so we¡¯re meeting up with a few of the heads of some other PMC¡¯s that are in the area. Got to reestablish our credentials, if we¡¯re going to ever do any missions again like you planned. Besides... get the bastards drunk, and they have loose lips. We can¡¯t share any mission info, but... we keep our ears to the ground. They¡¯ll know a lot of rumours and mysterious happenings going down around the US and wider world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because a merc who ain¡¯t curious is soon a dead merc. Oh sorry, contractor.¡± Aliyah corrected, ribbing her brother.


    ¡°Sounds good. If we run into any problems, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± I promised. ¡°Although...¡± I glanced at Trey, back at Aliyah, then at Trey again, and he guffawed, amused.


    ¡°Yeah, I know my sister gets a bit crazy when she¡¯s drunk, but... she says that since you can purge her system of the booze any time you want, it¡¯s on you if she acts up...¡±


    ¡°Shit, Trey!¡± she cursed, thumping his shoulder firmly with one fist. ¡°I never said it like that. It¡¯s just... fuck. This is a mission, I get it, but also a holiday. We¡¯re back in the US of A, at least for a couple of days. I¡¯ll be damned if I ain¡¯t enjoying myself while I¡¯m here. You owe me that much, right?¡±


    With a smile I nodded. I guess so. I guess so...


    ***


    ¡°Nice place.¡± I whistled. The NSA headquarters was an impressive-looking series of massive, rectangular buildings, every inch of the sides covered in windows, which were reflecting the faint rays of the sun trying to break through the snowy clouds.


    After Aliyah and Trey had left, Christina, who was exhausted mentally from thinking about thoughts and emotions she was clearly unsuited to, claimed one side of the large bed for her own, though she did clumsily try and insinuate... no, insinuate made it sound subtle... she said outright I could come over and ravage her if I wanted. As if to prove a point, she started to change right there, and with a grimace, I made good on my threat not to care. I didn¡¯t ogle her, but I made no effort to look away, figuring she¡¯d break first and get embarrassed.


    Remembering gives me a headache. She broke first, all right. But only into a red, quivering mess. Her masochistic tendencies are rather annoying.


    Adelheid had enough in the end, unable to bear watching the tragic romantic comedy of an idiotic woman who barely understood emotions trying to seduce a guy who had no liking for her. She also took issue to Christina¡¯s clothing and makeup, and with a quick phone call to hotel reception, they had a rather fetching suit delivered from an upmarket tailor. It was off-the-shelf, of course, but still excellent. The only issue was that Christina insisted on pairing it with a lab coat, so we had one of those delivered as well, which was certainly a challenge that the hotel rose to. Yeah, costs a fortune, but the service is godly.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    ¡°It certainly is. Though the Paranormal Branch is having to compete for space.¡± Christina puffed out her chest proudly, not forgetting to slam it into my side, trying to entice me. She then grimaced as Adelheid whacked her head, and not for the first time, before cursing in broken English.


    ¡°No. bad, no mess up shirt, shitty woman!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. A few wrinkles won¡¯t...¡± Christina began, but Adelheid clouted her again, even though she didn¡¯t understand, she guessed Christina was talking nonsense.


    ¡°No! Shit. Schei?e! Be good! No touch face!¡± She slapped Christina¡¯s hand, also not for the first time. Surprisingly enough... No, maybe I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Adelheid is nowhere near as young as she looks, and she¡¯s lived a hard life, largely independent ...Adelheid was good with makeup, so she had helped Christina touch herself up, and also carefully washed and combed her hair, before styling it into a rather fashionable braid. That was another fun time. Considering Christina was running around the room naked. Honestly, it¡¯s a good thing father wasn¡¯t about, or he would make me take responsibility. No thanks!


    ¡°Fine, fine! I won¡¯t!¡± Christina exclaimed, nursing a sore hand, as our little Tanya packed quite the punch in her small frame. ¡°Anyway, where was I? Oh yes...¡± As the vehicle that had been sent to pick us up passed the security checkpoint, the driver showing his ID and going through retinal and fingerprinting scans, which for some reason made Christina flush, she continued her explanation.


    ¡°...anyway, Adam¡¯s budget is increasing day-by-day. Honestly, he¡¯s got you to thank for part of that. The President is... quite an unusual character.¡± Christina said without a hint of irony. ¡°He barely paid attention to the outbreak of Chosen...¡± Christina was being very careful not to use dehumanising language for us anymore, and I had to applaud her efforts. ¡°...although Adam and the other bigwigs like Chris and Gina did try and downplay matters. But your debut on the London stage shattered that. You¡¯re in for a treat tomorrow, meeting him.¡± She snickered, amused. ¡°Anyway, our budget is on the up, but not everyone in the NSA likes that.¡±


    The vehicle parked, and several suit-clad staff opened the doors. I helped Adelheid, out, and Christina stared at me expectantly only for me to ignore her. She let out a little moan, her legs twitching, before she shuffled out after us. ¡°So cold! Colder than the weather.¡± she tittered, red faced from more than the chilly air. ¡°But I¡¯m patient. No, that¡¯s a lie. Nobody would believe little Miss Christina has any control. Anyway, I do so like a challenge.¡±


    She then took a deep breath, producing her own ID card, and swiping it. She seemed surprised when the light turned green, and she then used her fingers and eye to further turn two more lights green, and then the door slid open. The escorts took us to a lift, where again Christina repeated her swiping and scanning, and soon we were on the top floor of the building, waiting in front of a set of double doors.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± I asked Christina, who nodded stiffly, her teasing manner now suppressed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say. Adam... look, I¡¯m not joking. I may have an IQ of one hundred and ninety-one... no, it should be higher now, considering your Chirurgery boosts my Intellect, no?¡± At my gaze, she coughed. ¡°Sorry. Sadly my EQ is inversely proportional to my IQ. Or at least... it was. I think Haru broke something inside me. It... doesn¡¯t feel all that good, honestly. But that was my own stupidity in action, and... it¡¯s far too late for regrets.¡± Realising she was still babbling, she cleared her throat.


    ¡°I made a mistake, not thinking things through. If I¡¯d have just run off, he¡¯d be mad, and might still try to scapegoat me. I realise now, I was the sacrificial lamb in London. I think he was hoping you¡¯d harm me, so he could use that against you to balance some of our own crimes. But I went further. So... I¡¯m certain if you don¡¯t step up to protect me, I¡¯m going to be buried in an unmarked grave after some liberal interrogation and drugging to find out everything I know and you know. And... like I said, I don¡¯t want to die, not yet. Not with my life¡¯s work, and my love life unfinished!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to lie to him, but... girlfriend or not, I¡¯ve made you my responsibility.¡± I promised. With that, the doors swung open, revealing an impressive office, though oddly, one corner held some cabinets full of small, painted figures and larger tanks and other ordinance. Hey, is that... Warhammer, right? My mom was more a Dungeons and Dragons girl when she was young, but she mentioned them a few times... usually about how she¡¯d never have been able to afford an army as a kid...


    A table was also set up, covered in what looked like miniature scenery. I then took in the rest of the room. Titan was there, standing stiffly, while the woman we had met earlier, Viola, was seated at one desk, working on her computer, while behind the larger, central desk... We meet at last.


    Director Adam White rose from his chair. He seemed larger in person, with sandy-brown hair and hazel eyes. His suit was clearly an expensive one, a match for any I¡¯d seen Fujiwara-san or Kira-san wear, and his aura of commanding confidence could almost be felt, he was clearly so used to being obeyed. Christina shrank in beside me, clutching my arm tightly, fingers white, while Adelheid merely glanced around, disinterested.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t the thorn in my side, and my runaway scientist. Or should that be hacker?¡± He raised one eyebrow, clearly annoyed. ¡°As for you...¡± he glanced at Adelheid. ¡°Adelheid Richter. We didn¡¯t have much information on you at the time, but... oh, where are my manners.¡± He gestured to a series of seats set up in the centre of the room. ¡°Please, make yourselves comfortable. Viola, some coffee for our guests. Oh, or... would you prefer tea, being Japanese?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Coffee is fine.¡± Adelheid and Christina agreed as well, so, showing the confidence Hinata had taught me to exude, even if my League was currently leashed to a low ebb, I strode over to the seats confidently, tossing Christina down onto one, while Adelheid perched on another. All right then. It¡¯s time to face the man that tried to abduct me, who would have killed innocents to get to me... who I cannot agree with his methods, no matter what. But that I still have to deal with, if I want access to Egil Andersen¡¯s body...


    Wishing that Hinata, Shaeula or even Tan was here with me to help with negotiations, I gathered all my focus. Here we go then. First move is yours, it seems, Adam...

 Side One Hundred And Eighty-Nine – Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata

    Side One Hundred And Eighty-Nine ¨C Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata


    ¡°Cheer up, Mayumi. Everything will be fine.¡± Hinata promised, as she lounged in the comfortable leather seat, a mug of an exclusive, luxury tea in hand. Despite everything bad that had happened, the overall situation really called for champagne, but Hinata wasn¡¯t particularly interested in celebrating alone, as Mayumi was still rather too quiet, though she was trying to hide it. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand, but as her friend, it¡¯s my duty to help her through this!


    ¡°Really? As it happens, I am fine. Just... thinking.¡± Mayumi replied after a moment, in a passable imitation of her usual poise, though Hinata knew her too well to fall for it. Still, a different approach might be needed.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m thinking too.¡± Hinata glanced over at Kazumi and Katana, both of whom gently signalled their agreement. Uncle Kira was watching too, clearly leaving Mayumi¡¯s fragile state to her. Uncle Kira. Now I truly feel like a daughter of Takatsukasa house, no, like a genuine equal to Mayumi. ¡°It was rough, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mayumi looked up, and Hinata continued. ¡°We¡¯re always taught about the dangers we face as noble daughters. Even before, when you considered me just a rich girl... well, there¡¯d certainly be a good ransom for me. But it never seemed real. After all... sorry to say this, Kazumi, Katana, but while you¡¯re both professional and skilled, if a gang of kidnappers, well-armed and prepared, came after us, the end result would be the same.¡±


    ¡°It pains me to say it, but you¡¯re right.¡± Kazumi agreed. ¡°I¡¯m confident against two or three thugs or opportunists, after all, criminals in Japan seldom carry guns, but... professionals...¡± She shook her head, a grim smile on her face.


    ¡°My family has protected the heirs to the Ichijou house for many generations.¡± Katana agreed. ¡°My big brother protects your brother, Mayumi-sama. I train hard, I have honed my skills. A woman has some disadvantages in terms of combat, it is harder to build up muscle strength, we are more fragile. But instead, we have other strengths. Greater flexibility, and I like to think we remain calmer.¡±


    Kazumi nodded, and Katana continued. ¡°I have trained with the sword I am named for, daggers, hidden weapons, anything to keep Mayumi-sama safe. What we do is no mere playtime for children, I would lay down my life to see you safe. But it is true. There are certainly a number of situations in which I would fail. One woman alone cannot beat off a gang of dedicated criminals.¡±


    You think so? Perhaps that was true, but those days are gone. Still, Hinata liked the way the talk was going, so she kept her silence, merely sipping on her tea, waiting for the right moment to interject.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But bodyguards are important.¡± uncle Kira agreed. ¡°Not just from a traditional standpoint, but as a deterrent for trouble, and to handle... unexpected problems. The gangs and armed criminals that could overpower you pair are organised, and thus it falls to us adults to deal with them. Why do you think Fujiwara Security Services exist? It¡¯s not just a company providing bodyguards to the nobility, and those who are on good terms with us that can pay. No, it also has behind-the-scenes, underground operators and intelligence gatherers. They make sure that the greater dangers never reach you. Never again.¡±


    Hinata was clearly curious, so uncle Kira elaborated. ¡°This is a great secret, so...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell, grandfather. I am a woman who can be trusted!¡± Mayumi promised pridefully, a spark of interest in her eyes, and Hinata was glad to see it. Obviously, she agreed too, and uncle took the agreement of their bodyguards for granted. Something which I admit I do too much. Bodyguards are people too. But I¡¯ll do better in the future...


    ¡°In that case. Hidemasa-san is not Shige¡¯s oldest son.¡± At that revelation, Hinata and Mayumi were shocked, but uncle didn¡¯t let that stop him telling his tale.


    ¡°His oldest son was a good boy, and he married a cousin of your mother, Hinata-chan. So in a distant way you would have been related. They had two young children, a boy and a girl, and all was well in Fujiwara house, no worries over succession, not like now. They had bodyguards too. Fujiwara house doesn¡¯t have any remaining vassal families like Ohta house, but even so, many were crying out to take the positions. After all, being bodyguard to the heir of Fujiwara house is a great honour, and then your children can follow you, and perhaps a new vassal house of bodyguards could rise.¡±


    Mayumi nodded, understanding, while Hinata already knew there was more to the story. Something bad obviously happened...


    ¡°Yes, it is as you both surmise. On a trip to America, he and his whole family were murdered, bodyguards and all, in what was a heist gone wrong on the surface. But there was obviously more to it. Because even in the land where there are more guns than people, his bodyguards should have been capable of defending from a random carjacking. But... even with all the might of Fujiwara house, answers were never found...¡±


    Really? I think you know more than you want to say. Hinata¡¯s senses had improved dramatically ever since Akio had granted her a Favour, and she picked up on the subtle cues that indicated uncle wasn¡¯t giving her the entire truth.


    As if he noticed her disbelieving stare, uncle Kira coughed, took a sip of his own tea, which smelt of brandy, and explained. ¡°So, Shige was determined that this would never happen again. He built Fujiwara Security Services from the ground up, and any schemes are dealt with behind the scenes. But not even such a behemoth as they can solve the lone wolves and fools who would try and cause trouble. Hence why you girls...¡± he nodded at Katana and Kazumi. ¡°...are far from obsolete. Except...¡±


    ¡°Except that everything¡¯s changed now.¡± Hinata declared. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Mayumi? Even a dozen of Fujiwara Security¡¯s best men wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect you during that battle. Honestly, it¡¯s a miracle that Akio¡¯s mercenaries managed to take one down, and that almost killed them.¡±


    Hinata didn¡¯t miss the shudder than ran through Mayumi, but her friend nodded firmly. ¡°Quite. It was a credible performance, I suppose. Akio-kun does have a knack for finding the right people.¡±


    ¡°And the best fiance?es.¡± Hinata couldn¡¯t help but boast, hoping Mayumi would smile. She did, at least a little, so she pressed her attack. ¡°My point is, while I wasn¡¯t aware of the reason for the formation of Fujiwara Security Services, it makes sense. When tradition alone wasn¡¯t enough, expand it. And now... when this no longer offers us enough protection, we have to go further again.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Kazumi acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯ve been throwing myself into training, but it¡¯s not enough. I see that now. Battles are terrible...¡± she confided to Katana. ¡°...but somehow, when Akio-san is there, it always seems manageable. It¡¯s the same when you see Shaeula in action. I no longer wish to dabble at the edges, gain a little strength.¡±


    ¡°But to get what you want...¡± Hinata narrowed her eyes, though she couldn¡¯t help but smile. I¡¯m glad you finally understand, Kazumi. Natsumi did from the start, though... she¡¯s surprisingly romantic. The idea of marrying the same woman as her beloved friend Motoko appealed to her like a sweet dream, and then Akio captured her with his own charms... ¡°...there¡¯s really only two routes. Yes, you could train like Aliyah and Treyvon, have weapons provided by Akio and Ixitt, and you¡¯d do quite well. You¡¯d probably be able to handle some idiot Chosen who underestimated you. Though the idiots will decline over time. Only the strong, the smart and the ruthless will be left five years from now, I¡¯d imagine.¡±


    Uncle Kira looked on, clearly impressed by Hinata¡¯s perception, and as everyone was hanging on her every word, Hinata puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°You can go the original Eri route. She¡¯s basically what the training can do, taken to the extreme, flush with Levels and personal instruction. But that comes with its own set of problems and consequences.¡± Lovers Link. I¡¯m sure that it wouldn¡¯t be too hard for Akio to reach a level where he loves Kazumi enough to share two Ranks with her, as he likes her well enough, and she could put some effort in. Which would be thirty Levels available, and that would only grow over time. After all, he loves Aiko dearly, and despite our teasing it¡¯s not romantic. His family too. The only problem with that is...


    ¡°The second way, and possibly the more feasible route, is to simply find a Divine Favour you are suitable for. Or if not, to make yourself suitable for. Even I¡¯m rather strong in combat now, at least I presume so.¡± Hinata chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°When I return, I¡¯ll seek out the others and they can give me some training, help me work out the best way to use my metal element. But again... there¡¯s a rather large obstacle to that.¡±


    The flight was long, some seventeen or so hours, and it gave Hinata time to relax. She had continued talking to Mayumi and the others, though matters had turned to far less serious ones, idle chatter about fashion and the goings-on at Hanafubuki. As Hinata watched the clouds below, like a white, fluffy sea, she knew that Akio would also be on a flight, heading in the opposite direction. America, huh? I hope everything goes well. Adelheid is with him, and she seems reliable, but...


    Pursing her lips, she considered Christina Bakker. The woman was trouble, certainly, but the information she had provided from America was proving very useful to both Akio and the Ministry. And she¡¯s smart. She bounces off Ixitt and the Mortal Engineers well, even if we¡¯ve sensibly been keeping her away from any major projects. The question is... is she worth the downsides?


    Hinata genuinely wasn¡¯t sure, and that bothered her. There were certainly ways of making her safe, via Shaeula¡¯s befuddling winds, perhaps... Oh wait, it¡¯s winds and waters now, isn¡¯t it? Anyway... but even if she could be trusted, her very presence was liable to cause friction with America. Drumming her fingers idly, Hinata sipped on another brandy tea, feeling the warmth spread through her. It was then her phone pinged, signalling a message. Uncle¡¯s did as well, and as he pulled it out, mobiles working on this private jet due to clever engineering, his expression hardened.


    Coincidence, or... having first thought it was another message from one of her group chats, or from her fellow fiance?es, she hadn¡¯t hurried to check it, but now... fumbling out her phone, she glanced at the message, seeing it was actually from Miyu. Reading it, she let out a hiss of surprise and anger, and her expression was mirrored on the face of uncle Kira, who in an uncharacteristic display of anger threw his empty mug across the jet.


    ¡°Damn it all, why now of all times?¡± he growled, infuriated.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, grandfather?¡± Mayumi asked, puzzled. Her phone hadn¡¯t received any messages, which made sense, as other than Hinata, Mayumi had few friends close enough to contact her, especially not with this. Hinata ground her teeth, before scrolling to her contacts and firing off a sympathetic message, not that her words would being much solace.


    Uncle looked at his granddaughter for a long moment, stroking his white beard idly, before sighing, conceding. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll find out soon enough, Mayumi. It¡¯s... about Sakura-chan.¡±


    ¡°Sakura-san? What about her?¡± Mayumi seemed puzzled, and uncle Kira and Hinata exchanged a meaningful glance. Yes, I¡¯ve suspected, at least enough of it. It is one reason I used to be so bitter...


    ¡°It seems that news of her... irregular birth... has come out, and she is being ostracised at school over it, and Takatsukasa house is reeling. It¡¯s fortunate that you effectively seized control, Hinata-chan, otherwise this might be a blow that Takatsukasa house might not recover from.¡±


    ¡°Irregular birth? I don¡¯t understand...¡± Mayumi did seem puzzled, but then, to her, Ichijou, Fujiwara and Takatsukasa houses were special, and could do no wrong.


    ¡°Itsuki¡¯s son is a bit of a fool.¡± Uncle Kira sighed bitterly, remembering. ¡°I mean, he couldn¡¯t accept the way things are, which is why he¡¯s currently in retreat for his ailing health. But even back then, he was careless. It¡¯s accepted for the men of the nobility to play around a little, I¡¯m afraid. It¡¯s not fair...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, though I understand why us girls are taught so strictly. Love is a wonderful and terrible thing. I¡¯m only glad I got the chance to find my own.¡± Hinata agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just for the reasons you are thinking.¡± uncle Kira sighed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s certainly traditional and desirable to have the bride a virgin on her wedding night, archaic though that is. It¡¯s tacitly assumed the groom is too, even though that¡¯s likely not the case, but with men, who can tell? But there have been instances of grooms having to accept brides with experience in the past, though if it becomes common knowledge, honour won¡¯t allow the wedding to continue, and it brings shame to both houses. But the issue is, back when Itsuki, Shige and I were young, there were several daughters who died together with their lovers, seeing suicide as romantic and preferable. That¡¯s what we fear. Love is sweet, but it can also be poison.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I support the right of any woman to find her own love. Though I don¡¯t particularly object to arranged unions either. It worked for me, Motoko and Natsumi after all. Anyway, yes, hearing the whispers, and the way my mother acted, her incredible bitterness... I knew something was up within Takatsukasa house. It hardly seemed fair. If it was true, then Sakura was no more a Takatsukasa than I was. I... wasn¡¯t kind to her at times. I feel bad now...¡± Hinata sighed.


    ¡°I see. What... what of her mother?¡± Mayumi asked, and uncle was the one sighing now.


    ¡°Itsuki paid her off to disappear. Rather cheaply, as it happens. He was too proud, we didn¡¯t find out until later, though I know Shige made arrangements so that she wouldn¡¯t starve and could live a peaceful life. Now it shames me to admit this, Mayumi, but I had lovers in my youth. Your father too. But we were always careful to prevent pregnancies, and when we were done, the women were well looked after for the rest of their lives.¡± He glanced at Hinata then. ¡°It¡¯s one reason we don¡¯t particularly object to however many women Akio-kun has. So long as he supports them properly, it¡¯s not an issue. To be noble is to grasp what you want, but also... to take responsibility for your actions. Your uncle didn¡¯t do that, Hinata, and he failed Sakura-chan and Minoru-kun, as well as both Sakura-chan¡¯s true mother and her new one. A real shame.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what will happen to Sakura-san then?¡± Mayumi asked, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s hardly her fault that her father was a fool.¡±


    ¡°Really? Shouldn¡¯t you be decrying her as not noble now, Mayumi?¡± Hinata chided, and Mayumi flushed, clearly embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned the lesson you¡¯ve been trying these last weeks to teach me, Hinata. Don¡¯t be snide. Sakura-san is Sakura-san, and finding this out doesn¡¯t change what I think of her. She¡¯s comported herself as a proper daughter of Takatsukasa all these years. What¡¯s your plan, Hinata, you must have one?¡±


    Hinata nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad you finally understand, Mayumi. Sadly, since I¡¯ve been invited to the return of the Tengokusentou, I won¡¯t be at school tomorrow. So I leave it to you, Mayumi. You¡¯re not in Sakura¡¯s class, but if you show your support, it might help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be at the Tengokusentou as well. I had considered bringing you, Mayumi, but instead your brother will go, along with your father. So yes, it would be helpful if you could help manage the situation.¡± Uncle Kira¡¯s expression hardened, his brown eyes flinty. ¡°Those who knew the truth of Sakura-chan¡¯s birth are few, so finding out who released this shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. I¡¯ll certainly make them regret it. Shige is furious. But again, we can¡¯t do much until after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the timing is a little too perfect?¡± Hinata asked, having a bad feeling. ¡°Why now? And the Tengokusentou... it¡¯s great getting it back, but it seems too easy. Yes, the Ruby Group is making an absurd profit, but... it doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±


    ¡°Nor us, Hinata-chan. We old men aren¡¯t fools, despite Itsuki¡¯s mistakes.¡± Uncle Kira shook his head, stills stroking his beard. ¡°Both events seem designed to hurt the nobility. And we won¡¯t stand for it. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be cautious. It seems you and Shige are of one mind. Fujiwara Security is going to be ramped up, and those Chosen the nobility can trust will be drafted in to attend the handover as guests. And of course...¡± his smile was warm now. ¡°We have you there, don¡¯t we Hinata-chan?¡±


    Glancing at Kazumi, who nodded firmly, Hinata agreed. ¡°It seems so, uncle Kira, it seems so. But I¡¯d still like to make some of my own preparations, just in case.¡± Yes, it¡¯ll be late when we land, but even so, I don¡¯t need much sleep now, and the others are the same. Besides... One thing they all agreed on was trouble for one was trouble for all. Nobody would mind being roused from their rest in an emergency...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Eight

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Eight


    As Viola handed us our mugs of coffee, Christina tittering nervously as she took hers, Adelheid blowing on it childishly, Adam fixed me with a steely glare. ¡°It¡¯s rather flattering you accepted my invitation to come here. Don¡¯t worry, as a show of respect, only Titan here is around.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow mockingly at that. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to check to know that¡¯s a fiction. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d let an outsider, much less one such as me, to waltz into the heart of the NSA. After all, we do have some history, don¡¯t we? And some new, unfinished business. But don¡¯t think I¡¯m complaining. You¡¯d be a fool not to have other Chosen hidden here, or security with very heavy weapons. It¡¯s almost cute. You know they can¡¯t stop me if I chose to make a scene.¡±


    Miss Viola bristled at that as she sat back down, her gaze flinty, but Adam merely chuckled, seemingly in good humour. ¡°True or not, I have a position to uphold, and that entails a certain measure of preparation. But whether you might be able to survive a volley of AP rounds at close range, or a controlled explosion, what of Miss Richter here? And I¡¯m certain your... girlfriend...¡± His tome was simultaneously amused and contemptuous. ¡°...would not survive. A situation nobody wants to see. And there¡¯s no reason for a conflict yet, is there?¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± I didn¡¯t like the way he was threatening Christina, even if I understood it.


    ¡°No, I know.¡± Adam disagreed mildly. His eyes were still full of fire, but his posture was relaxed, as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°After all, as part of the agreement with Japan and Britain, we¡¯d make concessions, and it would be as if we had never extracted your citizens. Surely you wouldn¡¯t be so uncouth to hold us accountable over something that never happened.¡± His words were loaded. ¡°I had heard you Japanese were rather polite.¡±


    ¡°And we are.¡± I swallowed down my anger. ¡°And yes, while I don¡¯t entirely agree, I¡¯m bound to abide by my government¡¯s decisions.¡± I took a draught of my coffee, and it was excellent, rich and mellow. ¡°But that certainly doesn¡¯t mean everything is good between us.¡±


    ¡°No, I should say not.¡± He agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll... just step out, ya?¡± Titan said wisely, sweating in the tense atmosphere. ¡°I be outside if ya need me, boss.¡± He nodded at Adam, before looking at me and Christina. ¡°Good luck. I think ya might need it.¡±


    As Titan shut the door behind him, Adam spoke. ¡°Viola, please present the findings from our internal security department, if you would.¡± Adam leaned forwards now, trying to appear friendly and threatening all at once. ¡°I never considered it. I knew Christina was insane, certainly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so rude, Adam! I¡¯m... just socially awkward.¡± Christina tittered nervously. ¡°But I¡¯m treating being human like science. I¡¯m going to experiment until I get it right!¡± She beamed at me, though her smile was tinged with bitter sadness and regrets. I remember she said that if a fake is indistinguishable from reality, then it¡¯s effectively real. Perhaps if she tries hard enough, she can actually force herself to be human. Maybe with Haru¡¯s help...


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly incapable of remorse.¡± Adam agreed, as Viola passed him a tablet. He touched the screen a few times, nodding in satisfaction, before addressing me again. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯m well aware you are a man who has an interest and appetite for beautiful women...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true...¡± I broke in. ¡°...each of my girlfriends is someone I cherish. I¡¯m not indiscriminate.¡±


    ¡°...is that so? But in any case, you certainly have spread yourself thin. And objectively, Christina here is certainly... attractive. Still wearing a lab coat, I see? Though you¡¯ve scrubbed up well, and that suit would make me think you were a charming career woman, if I didn¡¯t know better.¡±


    ¡°Why thank you for the compliment, Adam. But I¡¯m only interested in Akio, I¡¯m afraid. Besides, you¡¯re married.¡± Christina giggled, her mood changing suddenly.


    ¡°So is he, to all intents.¡± Adam scoffed. ¡°I would think you know me well enough to know I¡¯d rather embrace a venomous snake than you, Christina. I was just a little surprised. In fact...¡± Adam, still holding his tablet, looked at me conspiratorially. ¡°...I was thrown off. It didn¡¯t seem plausible, you and Christina. Viola didn¡¯t buy it. She¡¯s a woman. Your body language was off, a little... irritated, hesitant, perhaps. Of course...¡± He was the one chuckling now. ¡°...being irritated when Christina is around is only natural, that didn¡¯t mean anything, and you have a reputation for honesty.¡±


    I winced at that, and he noticed, his smile broadening, fingers idly drumming on the tablet, Christina¡¯s eyes glued to it, face pale. At least Adelheid is relaxing, drinking her coffee. Oh, is that a marshmallow floating in hers? Cute. But no, she may not understand much we¡¯re saying, but she¡¯s ready to act at any time. Our little Tanya would never misread the atmosphere, I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s how she¡¯s survived so long...


    ¡°I¡¯m a pragmatist. Nobody reaches high office, least of all in such a vital security service, without being able to see the bigger picture, make the necessary sacrifices. It would be foolish to provoke you for no reason, and it¡¯s well known that you cherish your loved ones to the point of irrationality. We received your message from the surviving agents Japan returned to us loud and clear.¡±


    I nodded at that. ¡°But...?¡±


    ¡°But, if we have a reason? That changes matters. I didn¡¯t think anything of it. The laptop isn¡¯t connected to any network, and the locking mechanisms are airtight. Passwords, fingerprints, retinal scans, a randomly generated key... and I seldom left the laptop anywhere it could be accessed, and never for more than a few minutes. But... even you leave traces, Christina. So I had it analysed by our white-hat crackers. We¡¯re the NSA, for God¡¯s sake, they are as good as you can imagine. And it didn¡¯t take them too long to discover the Vermillion List had been accessed, and downloaded.¡±


    Christina was terrible at hiding her semblance of emotions, so she was white as a sheet, looking down. Miss Viola was clearly furious, but Adam was calm, too calm. ¡°There was no one else it could feasibly be but you, Christina. I wasn¡¯t aware you were a hacker, your expertise lies in other fields. And your motive is clear... I admit, it¡¯s the perfect deal. Classified, important data, and you even get to sleep with a beauty too. A reverse honey-trap. Hilarious.¡± His expression didn¡¯t match his cheerful words though. ¡°I always knew there was a possibility of this. You¡¯re shrewder than I gave you credit for.¡± Adam now had all his attention on me.


    ¡°I had expected Christina to get herself into trouble in Britain. It would have been good leverage. But instead, you gave her what she wanted most. I knew at that point she was compromised, but... sadly, we can¡¯t pick our tools. And no matter her personality, Christina Bakker is one of the most talented researchers in the entirety of the United States. Biology, chemistry, physics... computers now, I guess. I could tolerate her little games, feeding you a piece of intelligence here, perhaps warning you of a problem there. But this...¡± He slammed the tablet down coldly, making Christina jump, spilling her coffee, her white shirt staining brown. Adelheid merely glanced up, but I could see she was ready to respond, so I gestured covertly for patience, and she snorted, taking another sip of her cooling drink.


    ¡°...this is something beyond what I can tolerate.¡± Adam growled. ¡°Tell me, Christina. Has he turned your head with the promise of greater ability to research? You¡¯re American, woman. Patriotic! How can you turn on your country?¡±


    ¡°At first it was that.¡± Christina agreed mildly, surprising Adam. She was pale, and her face was twitching, a nervous tic, but her words were crisp, clipped. ¡°Oh, as to how I accessed your laptop, it¡¯s actually easy. You don¡¯t even need to be a genius, really. Your passwords are laughable, I lifted fingerprints from your desk, and retinal scans are oddly easy to fool, if you can take a suitable picture, magnify and sharpen it. As for the encryption key... that was a little more complicated, but... the numbers aren¡¯t actually random.¡±


    ¡°I see. I asked why, not how.¡± He replied quietly.


    ¡°Ah. My bad. Little Miss Christina can¡¯t read the room. But... I¡¯ll learn.¡± She glanced at me, took a deep breath and explained. ¡°Sorry Adam. It¡¯s really nothing personal. And... I do think of America, you know. I¡¯m a woman of cold rationality, able to make decisions others wouldn¡¯t. So I thought. But now I realise... logic alone is never complete. I¡¯m a monster, no question. But I was born this way, perhaps. With missing pieces that make up a person. Instead, I was filled with the thirst for knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Making excuses?¡± Adam asked, tapping the tablet, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Excuses? Those won¡¯t wash out blood, will they? No matter what I say, you won¡¯t forget this either. But... with both logic and my newfound emotions, which sear through me like molten metal, making my heart race, and my...¡± she flushed, glancing at me. ¡°I learn. I¡¯m not going to say what oozes.¡±


    You just did! Still, while we¡¯d talked about this in the hotel, she felt especially raw, exposed here. But I¡¯m not going to overlook what she¡¯s done. Nor... would she want that, I think. Christina¡¯s someone who only knows how to do something until the end, go the whole way, even if that distance is too far, too insane for ordinary people to contemplate. Huh, Ixitt¡¯s a bit like that too, I think, judging by his injuries when we first met. Are all scientists wrong in the head?


    ¡°...honestly, Adam, assume you¡¯re right. That they are somehow the vanguard of destruction, or can¡¯t be trusted. If so, what good is it if we protect America alone? A crumbling sandcastle, swept by the sea, that¡¯s all we¡¯d be. And besides... power has no sin. Just like a gun, in the wrong hands, it can be used for crime, the right hands, it can protect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous line of thinking. There clearly are powers that never should be allowed.¡± He disagreed, but was listening, at least.


    ¡°No, my head was turned at first by Akio¡¯s abilities. As you knew they would be. But... he¡¯s honestly a lot like me!¡±


    I choked at that, and she giggled. ¡°Not that he¡¯s amoral, but that he seeks to know, to innovate, to grow. I suggested something that few would countenance, and he had already tried it! Now I know... what my role is.¡± Her smile was actually stunning, though her eyes... yeah, she¡¯s still crazy. ¡°...let me make amends with my body. Experiments too cruel for you to perform on others, too risky to do on yourself... subject me to them all! If I am to die, let me die in pursuit of the truth, and... in feeling the same suffering those under my care did. Oh, you can use my body in other ways too.¡± Her grin turned sloppy again, her pale, serious face now a blushing, panting mess. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are things you¡¯re too nervous, ashamed or kind to ask of your other girlfriends. You¡¯re a little shy, but I¡¯m up for anything! It¡¯s all new to me, and I¡¯m eager to learn, together! And I¡¯ll never judge. How can I?¡±


    Ugh. Just what does she think of me? I wasn¡¯t alone in that, as Adam and Viola looked disgusted, but our disdain merely hastened her breathing, and it took her a while to get it back under control. While she did, Adam looked at me askance.


    ¡°My image of you is rather shattered. Is she really your type?¡±


    ¡°As you suspected, she was lying. She¡¯s not my girlfriend.¡± I came clean. ¡°Honestly, I like my women more... demure? I am Japanese. I mean, I don¡¯t hate it when they get frisky, or are keen on trying something new, but... yeah, not that.¡± I gestured to the panting Christina. ¡°But... that aside... I believe I owe her my protection. Because, no matter the cruel things she¡¯s done... if you interrogate, torture and kill her just because of the information she stole for me... it would haunt me, honestly. And... she¡¯s messed up, broken... but she¡¯s earnestly, as much as she can, anyway, trying to think of ways to atone.¡±


    ¡°I see. How little you think of us. I suppose it¡¯s understandable.¡± Adam rose to his feet, arms folded behind his back, as he regarded Christina. ¡°After all, here we do whatever is needed. We don¡¯t enjoy it, we¡¯re not monsters, but... whatever is needed. Really, will you be foolish enough to protect her, even against our full might? She¡¯s clever, is Christina, but Japan has intelligent scientists too. She¡¯s offering you her body, but... if you accepted an offer to come to the US as an immigrant, you could bring your women, and we¡¯d shower you with more. Ten, twenty, it wouldn¡¯t matter. There are even some famous movie stars, the pride of Hollywood, who would be yours.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so... but, like I said, I¡¯m not with them because I¡¯m greedy, not truly, but... because I love them. Maybe I love too easily, but... that¡¯s just the way it is.¡± I denied him. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s little profit in it, but... I wouldn¡¯t be who I am if I backed down. Eri, the others... they hate her, but... they¡¯d be so disappointed in me if I returned her kindness, no matter how unwelcome, with ingratitude. So, think of another way.¡±


    Christina listened to my words, and her smile seemed more genuine now, though with her it was hard to tell. ¡°Be still my heart. So I do have a chance! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not greedy, even if you just treat me as a fling, I¡¯m more than happy...¡±


    ¡°Oh, be quiet.¡± I waved a hand, and her words were snatched by wind, and watching her giggle and blush silently made me a little irritated, so I fixed my gaze on Adam, letting my League leak a little. Viola blanched, feeling a sudden pressure, but Adam stood, unmoved, though I noticed his posture change a little. ¡°She does want America to prosper. She¡¯s still American, after all.¡± I admitted. ¡°In fact, she hoped that she could bring us together, make up for the rift between us. Now I¡¯ll be clear. I¡¯ll never work with you while you conduct such heinous crimes. I know I can¡¯t question your British and Japanese hostages... the government deal...¡± I grimaced. ¡°But there are surely still others, I¡¯m no fool.¡±


    ¡°No fool, yet you¡¯d go against us for her?¡± Adam scoffed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point arguing with her, Viola. We all know what she¡¯s like. It should have been expected. So... is Scryer well?¡± Adam asked.


    I nodded. ¡°Of course. The Ministry is keeping tabs on her, but all she¡¯s doing is looking, that¡¯s not a crime, though not disclosing her Chosen status on entry technically was, but it¡¯s not worth making an issue of. So, you do know. If these powers were a gun, it¡¯s the difference between being given one, or making one yourself from first principles.¡±


    ¡°True, but the gun is still dangerous in the wrong hands.¡± Adam conceded. As he watched me charge my strongest Daemon towards the tank he called a Land Raider, he cautioned me. ¡°Your chances of breaching the armour are slim, and if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll shoot it down...¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m rather lucky.¡± I shrugged, and as I threw the dice, Adam agreed.


    ¡°It seems so. But can you survive the explosion?¡± As he removed the tank and put down a circular blast marker, we threw dice, and yes, it survived, but was still rather injured. As my other units charged and massacred Adam¡¯s figurines, the battle swung in my favour. Seeing that, Adam shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t even enjoy a game that involves chance. I pity you, a little.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of ways to pass the time that don¡¯t involve luck.¡± I retorted, and Christina snorted, giggling. Adelheid rolled her eyes at her irritating mannerisms, but she then went back to watching Adam and I, curious.


    ¡°Speaking of luck...¡± Adam interjected. ¡°...South Africa, I hear you had some troubles. But it seems that you survived.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Much to your disappointment, I¡¯m sure. If Christina and I perished there, that¡¯d be a problem solved for you. Speaking of... you can cross a number of names off your Vermillion List. Midas included.¡± As my turn ended and it was Adam¡¯s, he grinned, before suddenly putting several squads of silver-armoured Space Marines onto the board, including one squad of five, who were massively bulky and well-armed with heavy halberds. Terminators, right?


    ¡°You know, I thought that armies were supposed to be balanced in terms of points?¡± I quipped, and Adam shrugged.


    ¡°Battles aren¡¯t always fair, are they? Besides, I have to counter your obscene luck somehow. I can see how you got your start ripping off Las Vegas casinos now. That cat we brought in really hated you.¡±


    This time, combat wasn¡¯t going my way, my Fortune not enough to overturn the massive advantage these units had against the Daemons I had been given to field. They put up quite a fight though, and even two of the Terminators fell, despite the odds in their favour. ¡°Besides...¡± Adam continued, satisfaction on his face as my forces shrank by almost half. ¡°...you bemoan our actions, but when it comes to killing off the cats, you¡¯re second to none. Though I applaud you for removing Midas. He was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s rather different.¡± I tossed a handful of dice, all but one coming up sixes. ¡°I¡¯ve just been defending myself and others. Besides... Midas... he couldn¡¯t do what you feared. Even if he could, if you had the capacity to create nuclear bombs at will, would you commit suicide to protect the world?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same...¡± He shook his head as I began my next turn, rallying my depleted troops and striking back. Finally my only unit of ranged models came out of cover, and their fireballs and blasts engulfed the black armoured Space Marines, and more half of them were wiped out by my lucky rolls. In close combat, Grey Knights fell, and the ordinary troops were shredded, despite my falling numbers. The battle seemed in the balance, as did the conversation.


    ¡°...we know ourselves. I can be trusted not to misuse such an ability, although...¡± He looked at me, and there was some emotion I could see in his eyes, dark and indecipherable. ¡°...power such as this clearly can¡¯t be trusted. Even if I could be. After all...¡± He pointed at the remaining Terminators, as his next turn began. ¡°...not everyone has the strength of spirit to resist corruption. And the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Can you honestly tell me...¡± Most of my remaining forces were cut down, though Adam¡¯s own figures were reduced to a mere handful. He frowned, glancing down at the dice in front of him, full of ones and twos, sparing my remaining most powerful commander. ¡°...that you¡¯ll not bring misfortune the world can¡¯t afford?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can. Because I have things I have to protect.¡± I insisted. ¡°And have you considered, if the Gods aren¡¯t as you fear, and these powers are needed... then removing them...¡± I sacrificed my remaining troops to allow my commander to engage the Inquisitor that led Adam¡¯s forces. With some ludicrously fortunate rolls I removed him from the board, but my own commander was now exposed, and the next turn, though luck was on my side, it was impossible to weather the number of high rolls I needed to make, and my final figures were removed, leaving Adam the victor, though with barely a dozen of his own models remaining.


    ¡°...is going to lead us to ruin. Anyway, seems you win. But... is it really a victory? Considering how many more you lost than I did?¡±


    Adam glanced at the board. ¡°I told you, there¡¯s truth in games. A pyrrhic victory is still a victory. I refuse to believe that humanity can¡¯t rise to the challenge. With all our weapons and advanced technology and brilliant minds... yes, even you, Christina...¡± As she nodded, pleased, Adam made his point. ¡°...and our numbers, we¡¯ll win. If knives don¡¯t work, guns will. If guns won¡¯t, bombs will. If bombs don¡¯t pack a punch, missiles. If that¡¯s insufficient, then we have nukes.¡±


    ¡°And if that¡¯s a failure?¡± I asked, and he shrugged.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see much withstanding a nuclear bombardment. But our researchers are already working on better weapons. I¡¯m not a fool. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t trust you cats, and neither should you trust these so-called Gods. But just as you say, some powers can be used safely.¡± He picked up the remaining Grey Knight Terminators, the two that survived the battle. ¡°I respect the Imperium. Originally, it was supposed to be a bastion of progress, enlightenment and purity. But it was ruined, flawed from the start, as it relied on the very powers it should have stamped out, and of course, they betrayed, because that¡¯s what unclean, unscientific, irrational powers do. Then the modern Imperium... beset by enemies, backward and religious... but ruthless, willing to sacrifice anything to remain alive, to press onwards. No price is too great to pay for the continuation of the species, or the state.¡±


    ¡°You know... I only skimmed the rulebooks, but from the flavour text, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to idolise the Imperium. It¡¯s horrific and grim, unfair and treats lives like they¡¯re disposable.¡± As Christina guffawed, Adam gathered up his figures, carefully putting them back in the cabinet. For several minutes he was silent, before he shut the glass door and turned back to me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they? Yes, I admit, everyone wants to live, and most deserve to. But... every decision a government makes is a hard one. The cost of healthcare... people die every day because they can¡¯t afford treatment and the state can¡¯t subsidise it without too deep a cut elsewhere. Wars too... to protect ourselves, our interests, soldiers die, and our enemies too. There is always collateral damage. You can¡¯t have a bloodless war. Just look at Kyoto. Blinding your eyes to the truth won¡¯t save anyone, Akio.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re never going to see eye-to-eye on this.¡± I shook my head, but from our dealings, what Adam had ordered done, I had expected that. ¡°Thanks for the game though, it was fun, and it did open my eyes. Lives are cheap, aren¡¯t they? Especially going against me.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Adam asked, one eyebrow raised in surprise.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the point you were trying to make? That even with my good fortune, your side has the numbers, the firepower and the willingness to die to overcome me if necessary?¡±


    ¡°I like you, you know.¡± Adam grinned. ¡°You grasp the truth quickly. It¡¯s a shame. If only you were American... though, there¡¯s still time to accept citizenship. My offer stands. Money, women, power... it could all be yours. And if Christina finds you a kindred spirit, your research turned her head... just think of what you could achieve with our backing, the backing of the most powerful country in the world behind you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s not about a country, it¡¯s about who I want to protect.¡± I denied him again. ¡°I can see we will never agree. I believe in striving to win without sacrifice. Your way is opposed to everything I believe in.¡±


    ¡°It sounds wonderful.¡± Adam agreed, surprising me. ¡°But life unfortunately isn¡¯t a game. Your luck amazed me. Your Daemons performed miracles. If the world worked on the crisp, clearly understood and balanced rules of a game, then yes, you could hope for a clean victory, bloodless, except perhaps for your enemies. But it isn¡¯t, is it? Sacrifices... it¡¯s a case of choosing what to lose, in order to win. Just as in the end, your Daemon cut down my Inquisitor, even knowing after that it would fall in turn. You¡¯re strong, and lucky, but also nai?ve, a fool. Too easily swayed by sentiment. You¡¯ll crack, break, the day one of your precious women dies, or the day Japan burns. And if it is by the hands of those using the powers of these so-called Gods... you¡¯ll remember my words then. But it¡¯ll be far, far to late.¡±


    You think I don¡¯t know that? That there¡¯s certainty down my path? No. There¡¯s not. Tsukiko died, I¡¯m lucky Kin Bonding saved her spirit. Even now, I¡¯m away from Japan. If something happens in my absence... ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He seemed surprised I agreed. ¡°But... I still won¡¯t choose your path. Because believing the worst and selling hope for your so-called pragmatism offends me. And it¡¯s not what any of them would want. If I¡¯m wrong, if I break, if we die... then we do it together. But I honestly don¡¯t think I am wrong. Better a new friend and ally, than an assumed enemy. I¡¯ve proven it many times.¡±


    ¡°That only works until it doesn¡¯t. Nai?ve. But then, you were an ordinary salaryman before, yes? I suppose I should expect you don¡¯t have the stomach for hard choices. Oh well... to business then.¡± He sat down again, while Viola refreshed our coffees. ¡°Christina Bakker committed treason against the United States of America. She¡¯s not your lover, not your friend. She¡¯s simply an annoyance. You think we can simply let that go? Why should we?¡±


    ¡°I thought you believed in pragmatism.¡± I snorted. ¡°Killing her now doesn¡¯t make the information we obtained magically go away. All it does is make you feel better. And having me owe you a favour... which I hasten to add won¡¯t be something that goes against my morals... is clearly the most rational choice.¡±


    ¡°You make a compelling point, but... allow treachery once, and the floodgates open.¡± He disagreed, only for Christina to speak up.


    ¡°Enough games, Adam. Who even knows about it, other than you, Viola here and a couple of white-hat crackers? I doubt you¡¯ve told Gina or Chris, as it makes you look an idiot.¡±


    There was a long pause, before he laughed, which caught us off guard. ¡°True. You¡¯re cunning in all the wrong ways, Christina. Honestly... your insights made our early breakthroughs possible, but... now we¡¯ve got to move past that, you¡¯re a liability. I¡¯d be happy to see you be someone else¡¯s problem. But...¡± He stared at me, contemplating. ¡°Quid pro quo, as they say. Quid pro quo.¡±


    ¡°That goes both ways.¡± I agreed. ¡°Speaking for Japan, and Britain, we have things we insist on as well.¡±


    ¡°You might think differently if you knew what we did. It¡¯s harder now, a lot of our satellite interceptions, wiretaps and listening posts are obsolete now you are aware of our actions, but... we¡¯re the NSA, Akio. We know more than you do, far more. But...¡± he glanced at his watch. ¡°...time marches on. I¡¯ve enjoyed this meeting, and when you play a game against someone, especially a wargame... it gives you an insight you otherwise wouldn¡¯t have. But... I¡¯m not the only one who wants to meet you, and I can¡¯t make decisions alone anymore. Not after the mess you created last time.¡±


    His smile was now rather bitter. ¡°Honestly, you baffle me. Or has the power gone to your head? If so, I can see why. Going from a nobody to a hero, wealthy, women throwing themselves at you, men envying you... I¡¯m American. I get it. Captain America, who wouldn¡¯t want to be him? But this isn¡¯t a comic, where the good guys win and everyone goes home happy. And you¡¯ll see that. Trust me, you¡¯ll see that. I just hope, for your sake, it¡¯s not too late. But if it is... don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. It¡¯ll be too late for regrets when your foolish insistence on playing with fire leaves everything in ashes.¡±


    He turned to Viola. ¡°Are they here?¡±


    She checked her phone. ¡°Yes, everyone¡¯s arrived.¡±


    ¡°Well then? Shall we get to the point?¡± Adam asked, and I rose, nodding. Adelheid quickly gulped down her coffee, snacking on the remaining marshmallows, and Christina nervously rose and huddled behind me.


    ¡°In that case... Viola, lead the way.¡± he ordered, and as the door opened, I could see Titan standing there, guarding the door. As we exchanged nods, I expanded my vision, watching, as Adam was smiling, wry and sly. Yes, we¡¯re never going to see things the same way. But... he¡¯s not wrong. Play a wargame with a man and you understand how he thinks. And Adam... he thinks winning is the only thing that matters, no matter the cost...

 Five Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    Five Hundred And Thirty-Nine


    ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you in person.¡± A woman, who was probably in her late fifties or so, a stern expression on her face, with dusky skin and dark eyes, coupled with her tight head of black hair, offered me a handshake. I took it, and her grip was still firm. She struck me as a woman who was all business, her pale blue skirt suit clearly expensive, yet also tastefully understated. Yes, I shouldn¡¯t underestimate her.


    ¡°I¡¯m Gina Haskell, the current Director of the CIA. A pleasure.¡±


    As she stepped back, the other guest in the room, another man, of a similar age to Gina, yet still rather handsome, his black hair fading to silver a little at his temples, his greenish-blue eyes filled with intelligence yet also wariness, took her place, also going for a handshake. His black suit was more ostentatious, and he wore a large ¡®stars and stripes¡¯ pin badge on his lapel. ¡°I¡¯m Christopher Wright. FBI Director. You already know Adam, it seems.¡± He cast his gaze over my companions as he released my hand, seeming a little confused by Adelheid, a faint frown on his lips, before his gaze hardened with hostility as he beheld Christina.


    Seeing that, she giggled. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be staring at me like that Chris, what will your wife think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not... I...¡± he began, before realising he was being mocked. ¡°Watch your mouth. I had hoped you¡¯d killed yourself with your experiments.¡±


    ¡°So harsh, so cold, Chris! I don¡¯t care for it from you, though!¡± Christina eyed me, as if to see if I was jealous, which made me sigh internally. Seeing that, and perhaps mistaking it for some more positive emotions, Christina flushed, sitting down in a chair that would be next to mine, dragging it closer, so that I¡¯d be pressed close to her. ¡°How¡¯s the kids?¡±


    At that, Christoper growled, taking a step forwards, fists clenched. Gina called for him to stop, while Adam watched on, impassive, taking his own seat.


    ¡°You stay away from them! If you ever go near them, so help me God, I swear I¡¯ll...¡± Christopher rumbled, incensed.


    ¡°Oh, relax, Chris. You don¡¯t want your hair to start receding, instead of just going grey.¡± Christina tittered. ¡°I¡¯m a changed woman, you know!¡±


    ¡°Yes, calm down, Christopher.¡± Gina agreed, gripping his arm. ¡°You can¡¯t let her rile you up. Your children are safe...¡±


    Seeing my confusion, Christina explained. ¡°Chris here, his son and daughter are both Chosen. I had thought that the odds of that were astronomical, but from statistical analysis, and your own experiences, I can see that Favour distribution is actually far from random. Family pairings are surprisingly common.¡±


    That surprised me. ¡°In that case, why were you fumbling in the dark so much? If children of important governmental figures are Chosen, just ask them.¡±


    Before Christopher could answer, Christina helpfully exposited. ¡°Chris is overprotective, and he¡¯s tried to keep his kids out of all this, but Adam sniffed them out. I can¡¯t help but think it foolish, Bethany and Zachary should be honing their powers, learning new strengths...¡±


    ¡°You bitch, you just want to torture them, like...¡±


    At Adam¡¯s loud, fake coughing, and Gina¡¯s tight grasp, Christopher realised he had gone too far. Adelheid couldn¡¯t understand, but wasn¡¯t worried, knowing the people here couldn¡¯t harm us, and Christina...


    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand me. I¡¯d be hurt... except, well, I¡¯ve certainly made some mistakes. But I¡¯ve turned over a new leaf!¡± she declared, leaning into me. ¡°Now it¡¯s all about consent, and self-experimentation! I¡¯ll make amends that way, and also show off my good side to Akio!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sit down, and we calm talk calmly.¡± Gina persuaded Christopher, and when everyone was seated, I introduced myself.


    ¡°I agree. Anyway, I¡¯m Akio Moonstone Oshiro, in the Western order. You can call me Akio, I don¡¯t stand on honorifics. It¡¯s... good to meet you?¡±


    ¡°Why is that a question?¡± Gina asked, intense. ¡°Oh, I imagine you have little fondness for us, or especially for Adam, considering your past, Akio. And since you¡¯ve spent time with him, he¡¯s likely annoyed you further. But we all need to set aside our discontent, as reasonable adults, and come to some sort of mutually beneficial accord. Although...¡± She nodded at Christopher, who took a deep breath, visibly calming himself, and he finished for her.


    ¡°...this is just an informal discussion and sharing of ideas, trying to... brush over... some past problems. We don¡¯t have the authority or inclination to make decisions without oversight from Congress and... the President.¡±


    Adam snorted at that, and while I wasn¡¯t particularly interested in foreign politics, everyone had heard stories of the current President, but I wouldn¡¯t judge from hearsay, since apparently I was meeting him tomorrow, alongside other important people. ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m certain you can make one concession.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Gina asked, leaning forwards intently. Beside her, Adam was grinning sourly, knowing what I wanted.


    ¡°Christina Bakker is going to be seconded to work under me in Japan. I owe her that much.¡±


    At my words, Christina flushed red, and it wasn¡¯t just me who noticed a little drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. What is she, a damn dog? Adelheid was equally disgusted, sliding her small frame across her chair to get as much distance from the woman she viewed as crazy as possible. I suppose she¡¯ll... express her feelings in a more normal way in time? Maybe?


    ¡°Oh?¡± Gina asked. ¡°Much as her personality leaves a lot to be desired, and Christopher would be happy to be rid of her, Christina Bakker still is a ranking employee of DARPA, seconded under Adam, and not someone who can easily be released. After all... she knows rather a lot of classified information.¡±


    Christina paled at that, and Adam sneered. I decided to make my point. ¡°Yes, she does I¡¯m sure. Though we all know that a lot of that information has been extracted through means that would turn the international community against you. But that¡¯s irrelevant. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware how knowledgeable I am. I have access to sources of information you most certainly don¡¯t, judging by your actions. Anything Christina could tell me...¡± I fixed Adam with a steely grey gaze, and he got my point, arching an eyebrow sardonically. ¡°...isn¡¯t going to be something I couldn¡¯t discover for myself. And besides, while matters are clean between Japan and America...¡± My tone showed what I thought of that. ¡°...I still think America should show some sincerity. And what do you lose? From Director Christopher¡¯s reaction, it seems you understand that Christina is dangerous, hard to handle.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, in your hands I¡¯ll be as easy to handle as a kitten!¡± she retorted, but at a firm glare from Gina she shut her mouth.


    ¡°I certainly agree she¡¯s reckless, but her work provides results.¡± Gina allowed. ¡°Besides, why her? Though...¡± Gina narrowed her eyes. ¡°...her attitude seems rather... unusual. You seem somewhat... animated.¡±


    ¡°I am, I am.¡± Christina agreed. ¡°And I believe my breakthroughs will be greater than ever. Logic alone is insufficient!¡±


    ¡°But if you leave, then your greater breakthroughs, as you call them, will go to Japan.¡± Adam pointed out. ¡°We¡¯ve discussed this, Christina. You owe us. You owe me! How can we stand by and let this happen? I agree, I am rather unwilling to confront Akio over you, but unwilling doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gina agreed. ¡°No more than you¡¯d simply allow us to poach one of your allies.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference though.¡± I disagreed. ¡°While Christina¡¯s right, and logic isn¡¯t everything, it¡¯s clearly illogical to make an enemy of me, when you¡¯ve barely managed to smooth things over. Instead, you should be giving me a little face, as the Chinese might say.¡±


    ¡°But we are the only losers here.¡± Gina pressed, and Christopher, who clearly hated Christina, looked troubled, though he kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°From how you played our little game, I understand you better.¡± Adam spoke up. ¡°You tried to minimise your own casualties until I changed the way the game was played, showing there was no limit to my reinforcements. Then, you made sure to defeat the leader, even if it meant your own doom. It tallies with the message our agents brought back after their failure. Yes, everything has a price.¡± Adam surprised me with his words, turning to Gina and Christopher. ¡°It is a price we¡¯ve been paying, harsh though it is. While I have little sympathy for the criminals and undesirables who awakened these wretched powers like cuckoos in our midst, the brave US patriots who died... even our foreign guests... it was bloody but necessary work.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. Not at all.¡± I disagreed.


    ¡°Maybe not for you. But not everyone was bequeathed the power you were, the knowledge.¡± Adam replied, unmoved.


    ¡°But not everyone does. And horrible as it is to say, I do understand Adam¡¯s reasoning to an extent.¡± Gina broke in. ¡°Everyone in America has the right to bear arms. Constitutionally, these abilities you possess would come under that. But... just as some are handguns or automatic weapons, and can cause great harm in the wrong hands, others are bombs or nuclear weapons. We make a mistake here, and not just dozens, or even hundreds, like in your Kyoto, could die, but tens or hundreds of thousands. Hell, if someone was to have a powerful-enough ability to spread a plague, for example, and it was released in a packed airport, we could be looking at tens, hundreds of millions! Yes, what Adam and the scientist you are defending here has done was too far perhaps, too cruel... but a few hundred lives for the safety of millions. The mathematics of survival are cruel.¡±


    Gina¡¯s expression was earnest, if with a tinge of self-loathing, and I knew they meant well, even if their methods appalled me, reeking of the sacrifices I hated.


    ¡°Better a hundred innocents perish than a potential disaster goes free.¡± Adam intoned piously. ¡°We take no pleasure in it.... Well, you don¡¯t, do you, Christina?¡± he asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Even... even before now, when there were ways to test the things we needed to know that didn¡¯t involve harm, I took it. Unfortunately... so much required cruelty. Which is why from now on, Akio and me, we¡¯ll test on each other! No limits, no sorrow. I don¡¯t particularly enjoy pain, although...¡± She licked her lips, peering at me for a moment, before adjusting her glasses and coughing, cheeks pink. ¡°...never mind. Different sort of pain. ¡°...but, I¡¯m willing, I have full consent and understanding of the meaning of such tests. As do you, don¡¯t you? We¡¯ll get all the answers we¡¯ll need that way. It won¡¯t wash the blood off my hands, but... if my work does prevent a disaster you fear, Adam... then atonement... it¡¯s a good first step, yes?¡±


    ¡°You? You¡¯d do this?¡± Christoper asked, astonished. ¡°I find it hard to believe. All you ever understood is numbers, results, never the human cost, or the emotional weight!¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re sadly right.¡± Christina pulled her lab coat around her suit like armour. ¡°I don¡¯t deny it. Unravelling the mystery was everything to me. I had to know. I still do have a deep craving to know. But... that¡¯s not all I want to know.¡± Her face paled, and her eyes reflected faint horror, and I assumed she was remembering the shared experiences Haru poured into her. ¡°I need... I need to work through everything. So I simulate, assume, and test how I feel. Emotions aren¡¯t science, but... I¡¯m Christina Bakker, and I will not stop until I understand everything about how I feel now. And I¡¯ll do some good!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... shocked.¡± Christopher said at last. ¡°If I didn¡¯t believe in Director White¡¯s threats of dangerous mind-altering powers before, I would now... but... you¡¯re still you, I can tell. Only your depthless insanity would talk so... strangely about what it means to be human.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I vote you take her away. I think she¡¯s like those M-29¡¯s. She¡¯s powerful, but if we use her, we¡¯ll be caught up in the fallout.¡±


    ¡°But she knows far too much.¡± Adam pointed out, and Christopher shrugged.


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯re having this talk, yes? Negotiations. Sure, without the President¡¯s approval, and Congress ratifying matters, there¡¯s a huge amount we can¡¯t agree on, but we can lay some groundwork, and... Christina¡¯s not a prisoner, not yet. If she chooses to leave freely and we don¡¯t detain her... that¡¯s not a matter we need oversight on.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Adam fixed us with a stern glare, and seemed amused when Adelheid¡¯s blue, frosty stare was the one that unnerved him the most. ¡°Christina. You¡¯ve already greatly disappointed me. But I expected some problems. As your boss... I can sign the release papers for an official transfer. Let me see... how about this?¡± Adam leaned forwards, rubbing his chin, thinking.


    ¡°This Ministry in Japan, how about Christina is seconded there as a foreign liaison? In exchange, we want regular reports. Now, I¡¯m aware you don¡¯t feel like sharing with us, and the Japanese government has its reservations, but... the truth is, America is still Japan¡¯s biggest supporter, and with China making waves, and an undercurrent of religious unrest worldwide... these so-called Church of True Revelation fellows...¡± His lips curled into a grimace. ¡°...friends need to stick together. Past transgressions are no bar to future cooperation. History tells us that. After all, we were on opposite sides during the Second World War.¡±


    Gina frowned. ¡°It¡¯s true, this is well within our remit. But nothing in life is free...¡±


    ¡°True. And while I am here, not causing trouble, because Japan has deemed the abduction of our citizens didn¡¯t happen, politically... I still remember. But...¡± I nodded at Christina, and they understood.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Gina sighed. ¡°Our research is moving in different directions now, anyway, so I¡¯m told. The early fog of ignorance has been driven back somewhat.¡±


    Christina stifled a giggle, eyes sparkling, having escaped death. She then whispered something so faintly only my ears, and maybe Adelheid¡¯s, could pick it up. ¡°I¡¯m still staying in the hotel tonight! I won¡¯t feel safe until I¡¯m back in Japan!¡±


    Great, and here I was thinking I could have a peaceful night... oh well, onto more negotiations...


    ***


    ¡°As I live and breathe, Akio! You¡¯re looking mighty fine, and so are you, Aliyah. The poor guys here tonight will be having to swallow their tears, missing out on a beauty like you!¡± Buck Kelly hollered loudly, as he saw us arrive. The security had been a bit of an issue. Adelheid had changed into a more mature outfit, dark slacks and a turtleneck jumper in a soothing charcoal grey and had changed her hairstyle and makeup to seem older, but she still didn¡¯t seem (and indeed wasn¡¯t) twenty-one. But as invited VIP¡¯s we were ushered in after a brief discussion.


    Indeed, I was in one of my usual suits, but Aliyah was wearing a dress, similar to when I first met her. It was white with gold highlights, and offset her dark skin and hair brilliantly, as well as showed off her ample cleavage and toned, long legs through a deep slit in the side. Not to be outdone, her brother Treyvon was wearing a suit similar to mine, though whereas I was lean, his muscular frame made him rather eye-catching.


    Christina, who after our preliminary negotiations had calmed down, was now also in a dress. We had sourced it from the hotel again, and she wasn¡¯t wearing a lab coat, as I had insisted. The blue dress wasn¡¯t anywhere near as daring as Aliyah¡¯s, leaning more on the elegant side, but coupled with Christina¡¯s ash-blonde hair pulled up into a proper hairstyle, and some light makeup, she looked mature and attractive.


    ¡°You¡¯re always with the ladies when I see you, Akio!¡± Buck continued, eyeing Christina appreciatively. ¡°And different ones each time too! My Mary will be shocked, and I can hardly wait to see David spit out his drink. Anyway, come in, come in!¡± Buck himself was wearing a smart pair of jeans, with a white shirt with the top few buttons open, a casual yet stylish look.


    ¡°Fuck me, don¡¯t keep us waiting, Buck. I¡¯ve worked up a hell of a thirst today!¡± Aliyah complained, and soon we were inside. As we passed the raucous interior of the bar, called Kelly¡¯s Haven, I noticed something, and I wasn¡¯t the only one who did, as Aliyah doubled over laughing, though that was a dangerous pose for her.


    ¡°What the shitting hell is that? Oh my fucking sides... if I rip this dress laughing it¡¯ll be your fault, man!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you like it?¡± Buck grinned. Indeed, while we were heading for a private booth at the end of the room, the decoration was... ostentatious. Indeed, the bar down one side of the room had a Fae-like feel, with a mural of a nightscape, huge moon overhead, and small lights like fireflies bobbing, which on closer inspection were little Fae, possibly Sylphs or Pixies. That wasn¡¯t what caught our attention of course. What did, was a larger-than-life metal cutout of Shaeula, holding a bottle of Fae spirits in one hand, her other beckoning invitingly. The barmaids are in yukata as well, though... honestly, some of them are struggling to move. Must have been a rush job...


    ¡°Let nothing bar-bar your way to the wines and spirits from the immortal lands of the Fae.¡± Trey read, noticing the banner above that bar. ¡°Approved of and supplied by Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, old friend of Buck Kelly, and fiance?e to the Hero of Britain, Akio Moonstone Oshiro!¡±


    ¡°Oh God, that¡¯s embarrassing...¡± I grimaced, though I knew Shaeula would revel in the attention. Glancing at the prices displayed on another signboard, I swallowed nervously. Yeah, that¡¯s the sort of prices the drinks we had in Gangnam cost, sometimes more. Even so... I could see people were paying.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing shameful.¡± Buck slapped me gently on the back, grinning as we passed the crowds, and I could see two familiar faces sitting at our booth, the frosted glass which allowed viewing out but not in no bar to my eyesight. One was a glamourous blonde woman, around the same age as Buck, Mrs Mary Kelly, and she was wearing a modest yet expensive pale lemon dress. The second was David Jacobson, tall and lean, slightly dark-skinned, and in a short-sleeved silk shirt in a bright blue, showing off his poker tattoo.


    ¡°Long time no see. Who¡¯d have thought it, huh? That guy I met at that backwater casino in Vegas was such a bigshot. Anyway...¡± David grinned, lifting up his glass, which held a faintly glowing orange liquid, which looked like Fae Wine. ¡°...cheers, down the hatch!¡±


    As he took a heartly swig, Mrs Kelly greeted us, paying special attention to Aliyah, Christina and Adelheid, and soon we were seated, a starstruck, yukata-clad waitress bringing us over several bottles of both ordinary, yet expensive, Irish whiskey, and spirits made from the honey from the Mirror Bees. Seeing my look, Buck shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, I had to rush things when I knew you were going to be in town, but... the first orders have come through. Sure, the supply is nowhere enough to stock all my bars, but... here, we can make the first impression. And it seems to be working. I told you, Akio, you¡¯re my lucky charm!¡± He slapped me on the back again, and as I took a sip of whiskey, which was warm, mellow and fiery, and then chased it with a swig of the smooth, creamy and punchy Fae alcohol, I nodded, while David was complaining that his bars and restaurants were missing out on such a glorious opportunity...


    As Adelheid took a sip of whiskey, her face frowning at the taste, I slid her a glass of the Fae spirits, and she seemed to like that better, though she was muttering to herself that beer was the only real drink. Aliyah and Trey were digging in with reckless abandon, and Christina...


    ¡°I¡¯m not normally much of a drinker. I find intoxication anathema to rigorous, logical thought, but... it would be terribly boring if I don¡¯t indulge. This is a date, right? Right?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just an excuse to unwind.¡± I shook my head. The negotiations had dragged on for a while. I had intended to ask for access to two Territories, one on each coast of America, but of course there was huge pushback on that, but at least the idea was broached. It won¡¯t happen until we reach Rank four anyway. I intend to move the Ring Gate Hub to a newly secure, high-security site away from Asha¡¯s Tree and the Anchor and route all travel through that. No more carelessness. But when that happens, I want a worldwide network. It¡¯s going to be hard gathering enough Chosen Vassals and others like my sis and Eri to expand it, but... that¡¯s a worry for later...


    ¡°But...¡± My expression softened. She¡¯s fundamentally broken as a human being, but... I know she¡¯s genuine when it comes to her desire to take on all the risks in terms of experimentation I can¡¯t or won¡¯t. And not the sort of genuine which is merely a perfect fake. ¡°...relax anyway. We could all use a break after the stress of the last few days.¡±


    Taking another gulp of whiskey, I sighed, letting the background noise of the bar and the TV showing some sort of American sport in our booth wash over me. Tomorrow, I have to meet the President. That¡¯s... going to be a pain. Though... he¡¯s supposedly impulsive, and doesn¡¯t always listen to his advisors, so if I can win him over, maybe I can get some easy concessions? Of course, if I piss him off, that¡¯d be terrible...


    Setting that aside, I resolved to lower my resistance to alcohol for now, and let happy drunkenness wash my worries away...

 Five Hundred And Forty

    Five Hundred And Forty


    ¡°So, then the stupid bastard goes and asks Aliyah if she¡¯s done playing for the other team, and if she¡¯s happier now she¡¯s got a taste of a man¡¯s rod, a hero¡¯s, no less.¡± Trey was waving his half-drunk glass for emphasis, clearly tipsy and amused. ¡°Of course, I tried to calm her down, but...¡±


    All eyes turned to Aliyah, all except for Adelheid, who was sipping from a glass mug of beer, well satisfied, though she had complained bitterly at first that American beer was awful. Fortunately the bar did stock some European bottles, so she was drinking one happily. Belgian, I think?


    ¡°Dumb dipshit. He¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t knock out his teeth, just busted up his nose a bit. And he¡¯s an ugly fuck, nobody can tell the difference.¡± Aliyah shrugged, her expression a little awkward as she noticed Buck and David couldn¡¯t help but check out her chest as it bounced. As for me... nope, no way I¡¯m getting caught doing that. Besides... my vision¡¯s nearly three-sixty anyway. Unless I was doing other matters or trying to recover ether, I usually left one Split Thought processing expanded sensory input, it was good training in the Skill and also mental stats.


    ¡°...anyway...¡± Trey took over again. ¡°That started a bit of a brawl. A few of his guys were there, and a couple of other Captains joined in for fun, though...¡± He smirked at his sister, who was angry, but still in control of her temper. ¡°...wouldn¡¯t surprise me if a few of them just wanted to cop a feel during the scrap.¡±


    ¡°Normally, the price for that is high. Ain¡¯t it?¡± she sneered at me, and I had to smile. Hey, I did let you hit me. Not my fault it didn¡¯t do anything to me.


    ¡°There¡¯s a story there, I know it!¡± David grinned, and Buck nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, old buddy. But I¡¯m a gentleman, and I¡¯d never dish the dirt on a doll like Aliyah. Besides...¡± He turned to Mrs Kelly, kissing her on the cheek gently, making her flush a little. ¡°...I¡¯m a happily married man, I leave the playing around to the younger generation. Though...¡± he pointed, and we could see the busy Fae-themed bar through the glass surrounding our luxury booth. ¡°...Shaeula, she sure is a wicked one. No mercy on men or women.¡±


    Aliyah grunted. ¡°She sure is. Bad to the bone, cute as hell, but she¡¯s got a mean streak and loves to tease.¡± She then paused, embarrassed. ¡°Shit, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. It was only a hug. A hug! I lost a bet, that¡¯s all. Bitch cheated me!¡±


    ¡°I think you were trying to cheat her first.¡± I replied mildly, my treacherous mind remembering Aliyah, naked as the day she was born, big and muscular in a way no other girl I¡¯d been around was. Well, it¡¯s all water under the bridge. Honestly, she¡¯s crude, short-tempered and not a fan of me, but... she and Trey do have their positives. And since they¡¯ve accepted my deal, they¡¯ve worked for me wholeheartedly. I¡¯ve forgiven them for their part in the attack on me. And why not? They¡¯re right. They kept Aiko and Eri out of the mess I caused.


    ¡°Maybe so, but... oh, fuck it. Done is done. Anyway, my point is, none of those bastards would enter my eyes, even if I was in the market for a guy. I¡¯ve got standards, yeah?¡± She then paused, glancing at Mrs Kelly. ¡°Oh, sorry. I should mind my language.¡±


    Mrs Kelly shook her head gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine, dear. I¡¯ve a fair share of Irish blood in me, a bit of colourful language won¡¯t upset me. You should hear Buck swear when he¡¯s losing at cards or on the horses. Drinking, gambling and cursing, the trio of Irish vices!¡±


    ¡°And I fear I am prey to them all.¡± Buck admitted. ¡°So... Aliyah, doll, what happened next?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Trey didn¡¯t even need to step in.¡± She downed her drink and clenched one fist. ¡°If it was before, their numbers would have overpowered me. Sure, I¡¯d have taken a few bruises, but we¡¯re professionals. We¡¯d not do more than brawl, no lasting injuries. I¡¯d have busted up a few more noses though.¡± She sniggered, tossing her head, beads jingling softly. ¡°This time though, the dumb shits haven¡¯t worked out the world¡¯s changed. I beat the fuck out of all of them. They¡¯ll be nursing aches and pains all day tomorrow. Serves them right. I ain¡¯t giving up on my dream of a cute girlfriend, not even for you.¡± She smirked at me. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve got your hands full with the madwoman there.¡±


    ¡°How rude!¡± Christina, who was lying against my shoulder, face alarmingly flushed, giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not mad... unless I¡¯m mad for knowledge... no, madly in love? Yes, that one, that one!¡±


    ¡°Fuck me, she¡¯s an awful drunk.¡± Aliyah rolled her eyes. ¡°And she¡¯s staying in your room tonight? I¡¯d normally call bullshit on that, saying you wanted to take advantage of her... but it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know she¡¯s more than willing.¡± She let out a cavernous sigh as Christina giggled, nodding, trying to kiss my cheek, so I held her at bay with my free hand, which she then began to lick, which was rather annoying.


    ¡°I can learn. And having that giant Shaeula staring, it creeps me out but makes me think.¡± Aliyah shuddered. ¡°Anyway, it wasn¡¯t all just fun and games. We got the intel you needed. Though it doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense, ain¡¯t that right, Trey?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s the usual crap, though more of the missions involve assisting in actions against others like you two.¡± He nodded at Adelheid and I. ¡°Usually support or area suppression. We¡¯re hardly equipped to handle what the US government can¡¯t. Damn, gives me shivers remembering.¡± He did indeed shudder, like his sister did earlier. Yeah, they¡¯re quite a lot alike, as much as they bicker and fight.


    ¡°Anyway, cutting through the crap, one thing of note was that rumours have been circulating about some strange deals for weapons. Mostly in Russia, there¡¯s a crap-ton of old AK¡¯s and RPG¡¯s in circulation there. But I¡¯ve also heard tell of a few raids, jacking more upmarket equipment from Europe and even some in our own backyard, the US. Once or twice could be coincidence, but this many? No way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and obviously, since we get a lot of our gear from these same channels, so do most PMC¡¯s, people have taken note. A couple of groups have just up and vanished, poof, into fucking thin air!¡± Aliyah drained another glass of Fae liquor and waved the empty vessel to emphasise her point. ¡°Shit, this stuff is awesome. You know, Luciana gets to drink this all the time, rubs it in my face. Thinks she¡¯s a bigshot now, just because she wears the damn uniform...¡±


    ¡°Aliyah...¡± Trey warned, and she paused, grinning shamefacedly, before refilling her glass.


    ¡°Yeah, shit, sorry. Getting off-topic there. And she does share with me, so I guess she¡¯s not all bad. ¡°Anyway, yeah... we know usually when a Company is liquidated, we hear on the grapevine. Like that redneck bastard Alex Trakand and his team. But these... not a whisper. It means trouble, and I ain¡¯t exaggerating.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Trey nodded, supporting her. ¡°We¡¯ll keep digging tomorrow, when the hangovers and the bruises fade. But... I¡¯ve got a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I nodded sourly. ¡°Me too. I¡¯m just nothing happens while I¡¯m away from home, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, life ain¡¯t that easy.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°But you can¡¯t sit at home, babysitting, can you? Shit, even I know your trips abroad have brought in big gains.¡± She nodded at Adelheid, who was watching the TV, still drinking. ¡°You¡¯ve planned, and it¡¯s just a matter of trust, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me...¡± David asked diffidently. He had listened to the talk with sparkling eyes, most men being patrial to talk of martial heroics and bar brawls. ¡°...I don¡¯t exactly understand, but like everyone, I saw the press conference in London, watched your talk show with Arisu Arisugawa...¡± He suddenly grinned. ¡°She¡¯s gorgeous. I reckon you can work your charm on her and win her over!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± I laughed, and the idea was a little scary. ¡°She¡¯s a good friend and ally, and she¡¯s best friends with another of my fiance?es, so it¡¯d be awkward as hell. I do agree she¡¯s stunning though. Objectively, Shiro and Tsukiko are more perfect, but... when you add on Arisu-san¡¯s poise and professional charm, she seems a cut above almost anyone.¡±


    ¡°For someone who¡¯s not... aha... interested...¡± Christina giggled, breath hot on my cheek. ¡°...you sure do talk well about her. I¡¯m a little... jealous? Yes, how interesting. This is jealousy! I only ever used to feel that when I looked at funding for experiments I wasn¡¯t given! But I¡¯m not a woman who is here to... annoy you! Want me to help you win her over?¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I grimaced, flicking her forehead lightly, making her giggle, already flushed face darkening. Adelheid roiled her eyes and told me to stop flirting, which I denied internally. I¡¯m not flirting!


    ¡°Anyway, you were saying, David?¡± I changed the subject.


    ¡°Oh yeah...¡± he nodded. ¡°I saw the concert too. Not really my thing, but everyone was watching. I donated too. Not that I¡¯m interested in the random rewards.¡±


    ¡°You say that now, but some of them might be worth a dollar or two down the line, right Akio?¡± Buck winked conspiratorially. ¡°Which one do you think will be worth the most?¡±


    ¡°Arisu-san, definitely. Though Suzu-san¡¯s a dark horse.¡± I considered it. ¡°And while I¡¯m in there, and just as rare as Arisu-san... generally, female figures are far more valuable. Due to the usual type of collector, I guess. Oh, and thanks for your donation, it does help.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± David shrugged. ¡°We may have only met briefly, but we¡¯re poker buddies, and a friend of Buck¡¯s is a pal of mine, I won¡¯t hear otherwise.¡± As Buck teased him, saying he just wanted in on the Fae booze and image rights deal, the conversation devolved into a drunken squabble, before my ears picked up an interesting conversation, even over the buzz of the busy bar.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea, Zack. Why must you always be so headstrong? If dad finds out, he¡¯ll be pissed!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on Beth, lighten up! It¡¯s him in the flesh, the Hero of Britain, Saviour of South Korea! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to miss meeting him, he¡¯s my idol! Besides...¡± As they came closer, the voice was getting lower. ¡°...dad doesn¡¯t want us using our powers, does he? He won¡¯t even let us learn with the others. I want to ask a few pointers!¡±


    ¡°...but that¡¯s...¡± The exasperated young woman¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°...dad¡¯s only thinking of what¡¯s best for us. I nearly died, didn¡¯t I, Zack? I still have the scar. I hate this. It¡¯s so ugly...¡±


    ¡°Well, not like you have a boyfriend, Beth! So don¡¯t sweat it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, you little bastard! I¡¯m your sister, how can you say that? You want me to end up a spinster, all alone?¡±


    ¡°When you don¡¯t nag, you¡¯re a great catch, sis. What¡¯s a few scars? Anyway, just... don¡¯t be mean, okay? I¡¯ve wanted to meet him for ages...¡±


    Now the others could hear. Buck frowned, as this was a private booth, and he left instructions for only the staff to enter, and indeed, a bouncer intercepted the two, but after a brief conversation, he let them pass. That made Buck¡¯s expression uglier, but I understood. They demonstrated they were a Chosen and the young man claimed to be a friend of mine. Sure, he should have asked Buck, it¡¯s sloppy work, but in odd situations the instinct is just to go along with things.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡± Bethany declared, and before her brother could protest, she fixed him with a stern glare, her green eyes full of determination. ¡°No arguments, Zach! I only tagged along to stop you getting into trouble. And he¡¯s right.¡± She inclined her head to me in thanks. ¡°Dad¡¯s going to be furious. Especially since we ran into her.¡±


    Christina let out a drunken giggle, which we all ignored. The subject was changed, and as Buck was once more telling the story of the poker match at Casino El Diablo, which both Mrs Kelly and David pointed out was his favourite story, one he told often, Aliyah joined in.


    ¡°Shit, yeah, I can¡¯t believe I got third place. Although...¡± she glowered at me, and I laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, I was trying to help you and Buck win second and third. But in the end, the game was too rigged. I could only manage second place myself.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I wasn¡¯t sharp enough to notice...¡± Buck apologised. ¡°But it was mighty swell of you to care, my lucky charm!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aliyah agreed. ¡°Looking back, you were rather good to me. Though you¡¯re still a pig, who checks out my tits.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you stopped flaunting them, sis...¡± Trey broke in, and their argument kept everyone amused, until talk turned to Buck¡¯s plans for his chain of bars.


    ¡°So yes, the Fae, they have a great deal of presence in tales of the old country, Ireland. And many Irish-Americans yearn for that land, even if they only have stories from their granddaddy to listen to. Kelly¡¯s is a bar where you can get a little slice of that mythical home. It¡¯s probably about as Irish as our Saint Patrick¡¯s Day parades, but it¡¯s not about what¡¯s real, but what provokes a reaction.¡±


    David nodded, agreeing. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s about what sells. And people come to bars, pubs and clubs for ambience, atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°So yeah, now I know the Fae exist, leprechauns too, like Princess Ffionnan, you can bet your bottom dollar I¡¯m going to capitalise on it. And...¡± He winked at me. ¡°Thanks to Akio here, I got a deal with Shaeula, and I finally managed to get clearance to sell Fae booze, though it was a close-run thing. I had the costumes and the bar fixtures ready, but... yeah, nearly didn¡¯t make it for your visit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a bit disconcerting...¡± I nodded at the watching Shaeula cutout. ¡°...but yeah, I¡¯ve seen people taking photos with it. And so long as we both profit, and people are more accepting of the Fae as a result, everyone wins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡± Zachary was starstruck, and had forgotten the presence of Christina, which wasn¡¯t that odd, as even with her increased stats from Chirurgery, she wasn¡¯t used to alcohol, and had been guzzling it, so she was now half-asleep, muttering and drooling. ¡°See, Beth? It¡¯s not all bad!¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Bethany muttered grudgingly. She had enjoyed the Fae brandy, which was indescribably fruity and sweet without being cloying, but packed a punch, even if that kick was also somehow mellow. ¡°You did save Princess Eleanor, I suppose.¡± She finally admitted. ¡°She¡¯s so elegant and refined.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a little intimidating, meeting Princesses.¡± I chuckled, sparking a new round of tales. I was listening to Trey explaining the difference between various types of guns and their use, which left the women bored, but the men interested. Yeah, not every girl¡¯s a tomboy like my sis...


    Akio, it¡¯s bad, there¡¯s a problem! Eri¡¯s alarmed thoughts echoed in my brain, and suddenly the sickening feeling of Foresight I was feeling spiked up, magnifying intensely. Immediately, I let Ether Healing kick in, and I was suddenly sober, though the side-effect was my bladder was suddenly painfully full. No time for that now. Eri. Is everyone safe?


    Yes, but... can you get Japanese TV where you are? It¡¯s Kyoto...


    Seeing my sudden urgency, Adelheid tensed, looking around for enemies, and Christina blinked blearily, trying to sober up. Having no time for that, I gripped her forehead, pouring in ether, and her gaze cleared, becoming lucid again.


    ¡°Can we get Japanese TV here? It¡¯s an emergency!¡± I cried, and Buck shook his head, but then realised the TV was also internet connected. He hurried out to get a staff member to see what they could do, while Eri was hurriedly explaining, sending images to my mind. That¡¯s... the ungrateful bastard... I was enraged and shocked by what she was saying, and soon Buck was back, and the TV was displaying a feed from the Kyoto Broadcasting System. On it was Uchida-san, father of Yamato-san, and he was accompanied by several other priests who were former Susanoo faction and hadn¡¯t come under our umbrella.


    He¡¯s accusing you of all sorts of things! Eri was clearly incensed. And worse... there¡¯s more trouble...


    Indeed, there was a buzz in the bar, a surprised one, and I could see that the sport had been interrupted by an emergency broadcast.


    ¡°Oshiro-san is no hero, he¡¯s a thief and a murderer!¡± Uchida-san was declaring coldly. ¡°See?¡± Footage was then played of his son, calling his golden statues. Then it switched to Korean footage of my sister, and her Golden Sister Army. Damnit, Hinata was right. This is why we didn¡¯t want any broadcasts...


    ¡°Oshiro-san steals the power and lives of others, spits on the Gods... no, no, there is only one God!¡± Uchida-san declared, shocking me. ¡°Oshiro-san¡¯s only Deity is greed. After all, he heals the rich, not the poor. Isn¡¯t that the opposite of how it should be?¡±


    I think there¡¯s more to it. Those church people are on TV again...


    As Uchida-san continued his rant, displaying yet more incriminating footage, mostly from Korea, but some also from other sources, even within Japan, I was simultaneously listening to Eri while watching the footage on the TV outside.


    ¡°Be not afraid.¡± The white-haired old man, who called himself Cardinal Lorenzo Giudice last time, was again addressing the world. ¡°Once more, to all who believe in the Lord, you shall be saved. Your sins before are irrelevant, the Throne is forgiving. So long as you cast aside false Gods.¡±


    There. On the footage of Kyoto, I could just make out white and gold robes in the background. Seems like Uchida-san¡¯s cast aside his faith and thrown his lot in with them. That¡¯s not good, if they¡¯re already present in Kyoto... Eri, is the disaster protocol active? My phone was starting to ping, so rapidly it was nearly non-stop, and I opened it even as Eri¡¯s thoughts were transmitted to me at a rapid speed.


    Yes. Suzu-san, Arisugawa-san and Futamura-san have all relinquished their Anchors and carried the ether to your Territory. Word has gone out to Kyoto and our other allies, but I¡¯m still waiting to hear. But... everyone¡¯s so scattered. Hinata¡¯s at the Tengokusentou, alongside Shiro for support. I think Miyu-san was going there too, along with the Shiraishi girls. Motoko and Natsumi are at school, Kana too, obviously... I¡¯m at home, and Daiyu¡¯s here too, but Asha went to the shrine to see her Tree. Shaeula and Hyacinth are at the Spring, but I¡¯ve sent someone to send word...


    Shit, the situation¡¯s spiralling as I feared. If only...


    ¡°The hour is darkest just before the dawn. I believe that to be true. God¡¯s radiance has dimmed, too many sinners, using the false and profane powers of Devils, Idols and unclean beings, preventing us from righteously ascending to the Ninth Heaven. Yet it is not too late. For repentance can be sought or issued.¡± The Cardinal was calm, composed, yet cold. ¡°If you are willing, when the swords, spears and words of the Lord come for you, simply kneel and ask for forgiveness. You shall be spared. Those who persist... they shall still be saved, only through fire, sword and rope.¡±


    I calculated, and even with Wings Of The Chooser, there was no feasible way I could cross the ocean, and unknown dangers surely lurked in the depths of the Boundary seas, so swimming was totally foolish. If I get a plane chartered now, even a military one from the US Government, the battles will be over, one way or the other... fuck!


    Skimming my phone I saw messages from various people, and the situation was escalating. Apparently, the murders that Bunta-san, Yoriko-san and Detective Kato were investigating were being laid at our door, and evidence was being presented. Clearly fake, but right now, with everything going on...


    ¡°We will endeavour to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.¡± the Cardinal finished, a holy glow behind him shining, whether by aether or carefully crafted artistry, I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°But when one is dealing with cancer, the body sadly suffers. Know that those who perish shall be guaranteed a seat at the Lord¡¯s side, and even the sinful shall be cleaned in death! Now, Deus vult! God wills it!¡±


    ¡°Damn... this is bad, right?¡± Buck was saying. He didn¡¯t understand the Japanese, but he understood from the footage. ¡°I mean... you didn¡¯t, did you?¡±


    ¡°His stupid son got himself into a deadly situation. I simply salvaged what I could, after he got a lot of innocent people killed.¡± I grated, furious. ¡°Fuck. I...¡±


    Akio, I¡¯ve got word the Territory is under attack. We¡¯re rallying forces, but... without you... no, forget it. I¡¯m not weak any longer. I¡¯ll take up my axe and fight! You... be careful too. You¡¯re far from home. And they likely hate you after your victory in London.


    Wishing Eri luck, I cursed again. ¡°This is shit. Damn it...¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Trey tapped my shoulder, and I took a deep breath, and my Resilience spiked up. Soon I had regained control, and I nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Since I can¡¯t do much from here...¡± I glanced around the room. Trey and Aliyah were resigned but ready, Adelheid had put down her beer, watching me patiently, and even Christina seemed calm. Buck, Mrs Kelly and David were white and pale, as was Bethany, but Zachary seemed eager. Poor guy, he¡¯ll learn. ¡°...it¡¯s up to me to coordinate. But... if he¡¯s after Chosen... we need to get somewhere away from people.¡± I fixed Zachary and Bethany with a stern glare. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Coming with us might put you in more danger, but if you are going it alone and you¡¯re a target...¡±


    ¡°Come on sis, let¡¯s go with him. He¡¯s the Hero of Britain. He can be trusted!¡±


    Bethany rubbed at her side, biting her lip until it bled, but in the end she nodded. With that, the four of us left, while Aliyah and Trey would see Christina back to the hotel, but not before she¡¯d awkwardly wished me luck, making the Wright siblings stare, shocked. As we raced out into the night, me keeping my pace down so that the others could keep up, my phone was constantly updating me, as was Eri. Each message was grimmer than the last. Now, public and damning condemnation of Takatsukasa house and the nobility as a whole was being disseminated on the internet and broadcast on TV by KBS and FujiTV, and it also targeted me and my relationships, making me out to be a pervert who did unspeakable things to girls. Similar smear campaigns were being directed at Eleanor in Britain, as well as other people worldwide, who must have been Chosen I was unaware of, as some were on the Vermillion List data Christina had given us, but others weren¡¯t.


    Clenching my fist, I vowed that we¡¯d weather this storm, and if it put those I cared about in danger, I¡¯d be sure to bring retribution. Come after me if you dare, but slander my friends, my family, attack them, harm then... I don¡¯t care if you have Nine or Ninety-nine Heavens, I¡¯ll smash through them all until I¡¯ve had my own retribution!

 Side One Hundred And Ninety – The First Strikes

    side one hundred and ninety ¨C the first strikes


    first - revelation-cardinal lorenzo giudice - ?????????


    as the cameras were switched off, revelation-cardinal lorenzo giudice let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of his words settle on him. with his white and gold ceremonial vestments covering his still-powerful frame, and his piercing, raptor-like hazel eyes and hair speckled with grey, he appeared every inch a fiery priest, convinced of the righteousness of the cause, and of god. and indeed i am. deus vult, god wills this. nearly eight billion souls, they cannot be spent in vain. the ninth heaven will welcome them all.


    ¡°quite the performance.¡± the rasping, dry voice that sounded like a snake skittering across sand rang out. his fellow cardinal, the ancient, century old woman, her hair white and threadbare, her skin dusky and filled with innumerable deep wrinkles, smiled then. beside her, the huge horn, the spiritus exitii, the breath of destruction, said to be one of the trumpets that were blown at jericho, to bring down the walls, lay menacing and radiating power.


    ¡°yes, you have a way with words, lorenzo.¡± she continued, her breathing hoarse. ¡°what will the pontiff think? even now, i expect he will be scrambling to... calm the situation.¡±


    ¡°i would expect no less from him. he is caloroso, warm-hearted and forgiving. indeed, it is simply that he is too soft for these times, for the true revelation.¡± lorenzo shook his head sadly. ¡°of course, should we succeed in our goals, defeating the unclean, the empio, ungodly... he would be perfect to lead the remaining saved souls into the warmth of the ninth heaven. though... such a road looms long ahead of him. he may not see the end. none of us might, konstantina.¡±


    ¡°me more than most, yes?¡± she laughed, a funereal sound. ¡°these old bones are not suitable for fighting, but if the breath must blow, then blow i shall. speaking of... is this a prudent course? i know that granddaughter of magdalena has perished, and the anulus fortunae is stolen...¡± a dark expression crossed her face, her eyes fierce. ¡°...we must surely slay that inhuman bitch and reclaim the sacred treasure. but... the hallowed grounds are still spreading. deploying so many of our forces... it seems... hasty.¡±


    at the look in lorenzo¡¯s eyes, konstantina cackled, patting the bronze mouthpiece of her great, curled horn. ¡°peace, lorenzo, peace. i am as eager as any. why, i wish i was alongside my successor, leading the choirs to victory. you know...¡± another dry, hacking cough. even the great power she had been bestowed, the winnowing of her spiritual form strengthening her, had limits, her advanced age still too much for her.


    although, in time, the strength drawn from her hallowed ground and the worthless spirits of the creatures that dwell in the false boundary that separates us from the blessed ninth heaven above may be able to restore her vitality, enable her to see the end of this journey.


    ¡°...i am never one to shirk the work. i just worry. our hallowed grounds are far from their peak. and our believers are limited.¡±


    ¡°la serenita?. peace, konstantina. i understand your fears, but we must have faith. after all, while all is in the mani di dio, the hands of god, we must also act. the parable of the drowning man, while it is a modern one, it has great truth, no?¡±


    ¡°yes. fortunately...¡± her tone was sharp. ¡°...we are capable. my successor, she is not weak, and while the seminary is gone, we still have many forces. but...¡± she frowned, narrowing her eyes, and a great spiritual power radiated from her, her dry, withered skin cracking, bright red blood trickling. ¡°ah, the watcher that spoke to me, the noble grigori, it sees so many threats. we will take great losses, the work will be delayed.¡±


    ¡°better we suffer now and remove the thorns that pierce our brows, before they become infected.¡± he replied piously. ¡°there are those that have powers we must secure for our own, and if that proves impossible, then they must deperire, perish!¡± the book chained to his side, the precious relic, the verum lore, the truth of knowledge, was warm under his touch. ¡°matters are... irregular. the pristine clockwork of the throne¡¯s great, noble plans has jammed, a few gears sticking or slipping. so... we must advance our actions.¡±


    ¡°yes, the missing cardinals, the death of mary stuart...¡± konstantina agreed softly, though her expression was still a little vacant and rapturous, despite being smeared with bloody drips. ¡°there are those who do not belong here. like the squatting abomination that has taken root in the far east.¡±


    ¡°yes. china is too dangerous for us to cleanse now. all efforts have failed.¡± he nodded, internally lamenting the loss of brave men and women who attempted to scout that godforsaken land. ¡°a different approach is needed there. but our true army comes from the west, the brulicante, teeming masses who worship the throne. we will lose judges and squires, as well as many faithful who have pledged their lives to these endeavours. and the martyred dead, many will see their final, true rest.¡±


    ¡°for every one that falls, five will heed our call.¡± konstantina agreed. ¡°as for the dead, over fifteen hundred years many have been interred in the crypts and mausoleums, awaiting the call to arms. the strongest cannot be awoken, the spirito within them too starved of strength. but in time...¡±


    ¡°exactly.¡± lorenzo agreed. ¡°yes, we are bereft of our strongest forces, but... we ourselves, the cardinals of true revelation, have taken the field. and nothing shall arrestare our advance. we shall remove the crown of thorns from our brow, even if our hands bleed, are pierced for it. then, that fiend that has made china its lair, and the clearly hidden powers that have interfered with the perfect clockwork orrery of gods¡¯ design, shall all be dragged into la luce, and the light will blind and consume them.¡±


    placing down the verum lore upon a nearby podium, the pages opened. dense, archaic text, which was somehow still readable, filled many pages, but as he flipped to pages yet unfilled, the number seemingly greater than the book itself held, divine energy surged around him, and upon the pages, text began to appear, gleaming a brilliant rainbow, before fading to a deep violet hue. ¡°i see.¡± he muttered, the words spelling out several secrets. ¡°konstantina, i hesitate to put il onere, this burden, upon your old bones, but...¡±


    ¡°it is my duty, and my pleasure, to serve even to the last breath, the final drop of blood. for flesh, blood and bone are naught compared to spirito incorrutibile. that which is immortal within us and belongs to the throne.¡± her smile was that of one enlightened, and with one sharp nail, she drew a line across her withered wrist, and blood began to flow, dripping to the pages. ¡°now, grigori, share what you have seen with us, let it be written in verum lore, the truth. let naught stand in the way of god!¡±


    the words that were written in purple light dimmed, the letters turning vermillion, seeming to be bloody ink scribed on the pages. pictures were forming too, and at the image, a strange gate made from two pillars strewn with thick twisted ropes that resembled snakes, and a tree rising in the background, he smiled, though it was not a pleasant one. yes, the greatest threat lies there. but... it shall not stand, nothing can, against the might of the throne!


    ***


    second - uchida ren - kyoto, japan


    ¡°...is consorting with the chinese criminals who caused so many deaths in the very kyoto i am standing in now!¡± uchida ren roared at the camera. the staff from the local kyoto broadcaster had been joined by a team from fujitv, and they were only too happy to help dish the dirt on that cursed bastard oshiro akio, apparently. he betrayed my son, my yamato! he was supposed to be the one who brought peace to the land, instead... he wasted away, every day inching closer to death, never waking, his power stolen, his reputation tarnished.


    footage was displayed of the chinese woman, nie ling. it was impossible for those involved with the inner workings of oshiro akio¡¯s faction... he doesn¡¯t deserve any respect. he has killed my son. yes, he still breathes, but his spirit is gone ...not to be aware of her, since she was using her accursed power to ferry people back and forth from the spiritual realm. ren still had people that showed loyalty to him, even if most of susanoo deserted like rats off a sinking ship. yes, even those who did not lose precious family during the mess that left my poor son comatose had ties to those who did, and they still speak to us...


    ¡°worse, he is responsible for the deaths of many, children included!¡± footage, harrowing and cruel, was played of the dead being carried out, many of them in high school or even younger, taking a deep breath to steady himself, ren stepped back to let someone else speak, the head priest of aoikaeru shrine, a small yet still true shrine that worshipped a minor kami. he was old, the priest, and his hair was white, thin as gossamer, and he moved with a ponderous and trembling gait, his health having worsened significantly since his granddaughters perished. as tears rolled down his wrinkled, sallow cheeks, ren managed to mask his smirk of satisfaction, as the lead producer sent by fujitv watched with bright eyes.


    ¡°this is perfect, perfect.¡± the producer was ecstatic. ¡°nobody else can break a story like this. fujitv will go down in history, this program might even get more traction than the charity concert! yes, some of the higher-ups were against this, but... i have miyauchi masaki-san in my corner. he¡¯s already under pressure, after provoking arisugawa-san, so he¡¯s desperate. but for me, it¡¯s a win-win! i can take the lion¡¯s share of the credit for a success, and if it all blows up, well, i can push the blame on him!¡±


    what a shallow cretin. greedy and small-minded. this is about more than fame, it is about judgement. akio will suffer for what he did. i swear it on the grace of kannon... no, never again. his thoughts reflexively turned to the goddess his family had venerated for countless generations, but he pushed that aside. ¡°just do your part.¡± ren grated. ¡°i have given you so much information, it should be impossible to refute it all.¡±


    ¡°yes, it¡¯s all great stuff!¡± the loathsome man agreed, and ren stepped back, taking a break, before he would finish off akio¡¯s reputation with some more daggers of knowledge he had unearthed. as he did so, ren glanced at the man wearing robes of white and gold, who spoke little japanese. fortunately, i speak enough english.


    ¡°a good work.¡± the tall, knightly figure smirked. his blonde hair was pulled into a short ponytail, and he was carrying a sword. but not just a sword. an assault rifle was strapped across his back, a great rarity in japan, and ren had no idea how he had managed to smuggle that and the dozens of others carried by his forces into japan. ¡°the godless, heretic scum who slew the great and pious mary stuart, murdering her when she was a prisoner in all defiance of the laws of god and man, shall face justice!¡±


    ren nodded, but wondered just how true that was. not that it matters. they had said that princess eleanor of britain had been complicit in her torture and murder, though considering the british response to the attacks and the state of prince henry, the truth was surely far murkier. but it is yet another dagger to pierce him with, bleed him out, destroy his reputation, and then... cold sweat was beading on ren¡¯s skin, and he was trembling. he no longer wore priestly robes, as his old faith was dust, and he often felt awkward, uncomfortable.


    ¡°yes, i wish him to pay. and i will pledge to any god that can deliver on my prayers. kannon did not, and her gift is now in the hands of his sister, mocking me, making light of my yamato!¡±


    ¡°and you were wise.¡± the man, supposedly a judge of revelation, whatever that meant, smiled warmly, an odd expression on his angular, aggressive face. ¡°repenting of false worship and turning to the lord saved you. and yamato has been baptised, shriven and the last rites read. his soul is now safe, his false faith absolved. now the storm is coming, and the sinners will wail and gnash their teeth, but they will be scoured.¡±


    i have seen it. their forces. dozens of men, well-armed. yes, you shall get your punishment too, saionji gin! you were a thorn in my side, but now, like the dog you are, you rolled over and showed your belly for akio. pathetic.


    one of his susanoo faction adherents, who also spoke decent enough english, watched with some discomfort. ¡°you can speak.¡± ren told him, and with a nervous glance at the judge, he started talking in japanese.


    ¡°uchida-sama, you... you truly abandoned the kiyomizu-dera and kannon? how can that be possible? kannon, in her infinite mercy...¡±


    ¡°where was her mercy for my son?¡± ren hissed, furious, his anger so palpable the man stepped back, nearly fainting. ¡°fifteen hundred years we kept her faith alive, and like a whore, her favour goes to his wretched sister. he will not wake, and still kannon does nothing. not even bring me the solace of vengeance. instead, the wretched bastard akio is lauded as a hero, while yamato is derided as a fool who caused so many deaths. but... that is not true!¡±


    the man was sweating, but he managed an objection. ¡°but... we know that oshiro-san was at the concert when the first deaths occurred. the hikawa boy, he...¡± his words stopped as ren struck him. fortunately, it was off camera, but the crew waved at him frantically, warning him off, so ren dragged the priest away, before throwing him to the ground and kicking him, the savagery making ren feel much better.


    ¡°if you feel so strongly about it, you should have joined him.¡± ren spat when he was exhausted, his feet hurting. the fallen priest raised his bruised arms, having shielded his head, and managed a few weak words.


    ¡°but... the lady diviner, she vouched for him...¡±


    ¡°the diviner is dead.¡± ren shook his head. ¡°i know, i attended the funeral, i am not a fool. and no matter what akio claims... it is not the diviner that stands with him now, it is simply a devil masquerading as her, a cruel ruse. those fools gin and yasuhide, they think themselves so clever, so righteous, but they follow a monster who will doom them all. the gifts of the divine, the sanctity of life and death... nothing is sacred to him. if you mention the blessed, noble lady diviner again, i will be most angry!¡±


    at his baleful stare, the injured priest swallowed his words and scuttled away, limping and uncomfortable after the beating ren had delivered to him. the judge laughed, before nodding appreciatively.


    ¡°it seems he offended you. those with treacherous tongues should take care. words are wind, but when the wind blows ill, it invites in evil.¡±


    as the priest of aoikaeru shrine finished up his impassioned, hateful speech to the media, which would not only be broadcast over most of japan but was being picked up by sympathetic news outlets around the world, as well as being streamed online, ren nodded. ¡°yes, he should be mindful of how he speaks. i am still the head of susanoo faction... no, saying that name now...¡± ren finally severed his lingering attachments to the faith he had so fervently followed, as did his father, his grandfather and many generations before him. ¡°...it is the past. the future is all i care about. a future where those who stole from me will face judgement!¡±


    ¡°judgement is what i specialise in.¡± the white-clad western man smirked. ¡°have no fear, all these sinners have evaded the judgement of the lord for far too long, but... god is always watching.¡±


    ¡°you need to be careful.¡± ren breathed, the feeling at the pit of his stomach hot and sickly, a mixture of hatred, trepidation and regret boiling away, eating at him. but it is too late to turn back now. i have offered everything for revenge... ¡°attacking the territory here will not prove easy. his cursed subordinate, another abomination, devil pretending to be human, holds the strongest position in kyoto. she has even stolen ownership of kiyomizu-dera... yes, kannon¡¯s light has surely been extinguished form the world... if it ever existed at all.¡±


    ¡°it did not. the only light is the light of the lord. behold the throne and know true glory. and you will.¡± the judge patted his shoulder comfortingly. ¡°because you made the hard choice. all past sins can be forgiven, if only you embrace the truth. and your son is saved as well. when our work leads to the descent of the ninth heaven, you and your son will be saints, just as we will be.¡± he paused, grinning, tapping his assault rifle. ¡°don¡¯t worry, we are quite aware of the dangers in attacking her filthy realm in kyoto, that desecrated ground. but i think she will have more to worry about than our actions, besides...¡± his eyes narrowed, a cold expression on his handsome features. ¡°...that is not my target, no. i have... other... matters to attend do.¡±


    with a shudder, ren felt the heat in his belly spread, warming him. they say vengeance is cold, but no... to me it is as the sun itself. those of you who listened to his lies, cast me aside... i shall not weep at your funeral. no, i have no tears left to shed, unless they are tears of rage and hatred...


    ***


    third - fujiwara honoka - hanafubuki private academy, tokyo


    ¡°are you well, honoka-sama, you have seemed distracted? i noticed you did not answer all your questions as speedily as usual.¡± kozue, her bodyguard asked with some worry. the small girl was wearing her usual scarf alongside the elegant and soothing hanafubuki school uniform, though it was far less flamboyant and noticeable than her older sister michiru, who served miyu-san as her guard.


    fifth - judgement cardinal luca aloisio - tokyo, japan


    ¡°and so it begins. at last.¡± judgement-cardinal luca aloisio declared with great satisfaction. he was a big man, over six feet tall, and his iron-hard muscles, now enhanced by the great power of the divine he had gathered, strained under the silver chainmail that he wore under a white cassock. under his meaty hand was a great wooden wheel, ringed with studded stakes, and the divine power radiating from it was palpable.


    ¡°yes, the faithful have gathered.¡± one of his judges, a man with similar brown hair and eyes to luca nodded. ¡°our preparations have not been in vain. praise the lord and the throne!¡±


    ¡°indeed. finally, judgement will fall upon that wretched sinner who slew that fool mary stuart. i knew she was not her grandmother. her zeal was admirable though, and even in death, she strikes against our enemies.¡± his hand was tight on the massive wooden breaking wheel, the precious rota iudicii, the wheel of judgement. the ancient, dark wood held a rich sheen, and luca felt he could smell iron, the blood that had soaked into this precious artefact over the years proof no sinner could escape judgement.


    ¡°the days of old shall return. the false politicians and worthless forked-tongued speakers that have led the world away from faith, basking in self-interest and vice shall be purged, and we shall usher in the ninth heaven, as was always meant to be. but first... root and branch, we must rip away the foundation of that scum. only then can we defeat him.¡±


    ¡°it will not be easy, judgement-cardinal.¡± the judge, one of his elite, pointed out. ¡°even with all our careful preparations. we have the hardest task by far.¡±


    ¡°and i rejoice at it.¡± luca sneered. ¡°the throne sets us our tasks, and the harder the better. after all, even that fool mary stuart is a martyr, and shall be seated on the right of the throne in the ninth heaven. those of who fall will be remembered. new martyred dead are always needed. but even though some of us will surely perish, by the rota iudicii, i swear we will rip out the roots of this great heresy. and when the so-called hero of britain is revealed as unable to protect anything, the world will know only one path to salvation exists.¡±


    ¡°they call it a spider thread, here in these lands.¡± one judge, who was short and with a different slant to his features, pointed out. he was japanese, one of the few adherents to true revelation that the far east supplied. ¡°blasphemous, of course, but sometimes there is truth in metaphor. hope is a slender thread many are eager to grasp, but when it breaks, only a plunge into despair and damnation awaits.¡±


    ¡°apt.¡± luca agreed. ¡°that aside... everyone is armed?¡±


    ¡°of course.¡± the first judge agreed. ¡°this has been in preparation since the failures in london. our people have been slipping in through numerous channels. though not everything went as planned.¡±


    luca nodded. ¡°those damned police. sniffing around our operations. but no matter. they only found the pitiful fates of those that refused our offers. they know nothing of those who accepted.¡± it was a risk, approaching wealthy businessmen, philanthropists and charitable folk, especially after in britain, maxwell power turned out to be running his own agenda. yes, he too will be found and sentenced to breaking on the wheel. but first...


    ¡°yes, those who accepted the light of the nine heavens shall find salvation. after all, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter the nine heavens.¡± the japanese judge agreed piously. ¡°unless their wealth is dedicated to a cause. those others... in death they serve as a tool to show our enemies as corrupt. anyway, with their aid, we have gathered everyone. as for the weapons...¡±


    ¡°the reliquaries are working perfectly. though many of the ones we have kept over the long centuries have ceased to function, our artisans have managed to create modern replicas.¡± the judge nodded at several suitcases which were being opened by other squires and troops from the church. to ordinary inspection they appeared normal, but if one could sense the divine, the energy they radiated was a faint haze of violet drifting off then. ¡°they appear empty, but...¡± as one squire opened his judge¡¯s reliquary and let his limited energy flow into the hidden mechanism, a flash of purple shone, and the empty case was filled with guns, swords and ammunition, as well as grenades and even an old russian-make rocket launcher. ¡°...simply storing them in the false boundary is simple enough.¡±


    ¡°excellent. i am not so old-fashioned as to decry advances in weaponry.¡± luca nodded. ¡°though the wheel is all i need. we are no longer in the era of knights, where swords and lances clash, and longbows rule the battlefield. no, this is a modern age, and the throne uses all tools. even profane ones.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re talking about them?¡± a third judge, this one a woman with her long black hair tied in a braid grumbled, scowling. ¡°what are the odds they would choose to act when we did?¡±


    ¡°god does not play dice.¡± luca intoned. ¡°the lord offers us a way. it will separate the forces here. and if they kill each other, so much to our advantage. though it will rob me of the satisfaction of breaking them upon the wheel with my own hands. but... the task comes first. and we shall not fail. no more than the others will.¡± luca¡¯s eyes were cold as he declared this, and his thoughts turned to his fellow cardinals and their forces. under the watchful eye of the grigori, and the truth of knowledge, the verum lore, our targets have been set, and they shall submit or be destroyed. our foundation is the strongest, we have been planning for fifteen hundred years!


    ¡°in that case... shall i give the signal?¡± the first judge asked, pulling out his phone. ¡°we need to coordinate with the forces in kyoto.¡±


    luca took a deep breath, stroking the wood of the wheel, and then nodded, his brown-eyed gaze sharp and predatory. ¡°yes. transmit. it is time to strike. i shall lead the team into the desecrated grounds here. it is a potent one, but its strength will not resist me and my judgement! the other judges are in position with the dragon¡¯s teeth that can call upon the martyred dead. judge solomon, judge hiroshi, judge susan...¡± at their names, the three judges knelt, eager expressions on their faces.


    ¡°...solomon, hiroshi, you shall lead the forces attacking this pagan shrine, this nest of snakes. leave none alive, be they men, women or children. only death can cleanse them. we cannot allow others to strengthen the masses. only the ninth heaven is the path to truth. keep a watchful eye on our allies...¡± he sneered, this the one decision of the revelation-cardinal¡¯s he took issue with, though for the greater good he accepted it. but when their purpose is served, i would happily send those treacherous and blasphemous sons and daughters of iblis to their graves. ¡°...and set the false idols to the torch and salt the ground so that nothing might grow there again. let it remain forever as a monument to sacrilege. as for you, susan...¡±


    her plain face burned with fervour and her eyes with fanaticism as she knelt, listening to his next words. ¡°...the sins of the father are visited to the third and forth generation. but in this case... the sins of the son shall be visited on all who call him family. examples must be made.¡±


    ¡°have no fear. i shall lead our forces and defeat them. i fear no false powers!¡± judge susan declared, tugging on her braid in an expression of rapture.


    ¡°most excellent. as for the third target...¡± luca scowled. ¡°the wretched child of iblis, as he calls himself, leads that. it is for the best. while sinners are buried deep there, innocents are too. best the blood and the sin remains on the hands of the unclean. but i understand the necessity. secular powers are naught before the divine. they should learn to bow before the lord and the throne as they used to. kings and peasants alike are all equal before the lord!¡±


    judge hiroshi trembled, understanding just what was to come. ¡°there is no going back from this. none at all. strike at them, and the nobility...¡±


    ¡°the only true nobility is the priesthood. i simply hope one day the pontiff, soft as he is, realises we are in a war, and there is no time for charity and forgiveness. i suppose he is a product of the times, not forged in the truth of knowledge as we are. but revelation-cardinal lorenzo has hopes for him. so i will reserve judgement. after all, i am judgement-cardinal, not charity-cardinal. how apt that cardinal supposedly perished here in the east.¡±


    ¡°i understand.¡± judge hiroshi swallowed, steeling himself. ¡°besides, when their support is shattered, and the false bravado they have cultivated by being respected, feared and obeyed crumbles... they will be impotent.¡±


    ¡°exactly.¡± luca agreed, hefting the wheel onto his shoulder. ¡°now, none know we are here, our collaborators have made sure of that. even so...¡±


    ¡°it is under control. we have local forces in place to prevent any interruptions.¡± judge solomon promised. ¡°the grace of the lord go with you on your mission, judgement-cardinal. i pray you are victorious!¡±


    ¡°of course.¡± luca smiled, though there was little mirth in it. ¡°after all, while the cat is away, the mice can do little but scurry around and wait for destruction!¡±


    ***


    sixth - sixteenth - tokyo, japan


    ¡°this sits ill with me...¡± the olive skinned, short woman who was wearing a tight black leather jerkin and trousers, with a black veil woven around her face, only revealing her piercing hazel eyes, muttered, her language foreign to this eastern land.


    ¡°why?¡± a man with dusky skin and numerous piercings in his ears, barely visible behind his own veil, asked. ¡°our knives have reaped the young and the old alike, the deserving and the undeserving. iblis cares little from where the tribute comes from.¡± he paused then, and the woman figured he was smiling mockingly behind the faceless veil. ¡°or are you frightened, sixteenth? does your buttocks clench and your bladder burn hot? perhaps a tumble before battle would restore some fire to your heart and your loins.¡±


    the woman termed sixteenth gave him a flat look. ¡°twelfth, you think far too highly of yourself. if i wished to copulate, i would do it with a dog over you.¡± as he snorted bitterly at her rebuke, the others around him let out their own quiet chuckles. ¡°no, i am simply unconvinced we should work with the hateful book-watchers.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s true.¡± another, twentieth, a woman like her, agreed. she too, like everyone around them, was in form-fitting black leather and veiled. they stood out, certainly, but even so, none of the passers-by paid them much of a glance. after all, the arts of the assassin, as passed down by the great hasan al-sabbah, allowed them to call upon the traces of spiritual energy, that these easterners so crudely called qi, to turn aside and fog minds. though now our strengths have grown, it is trivial to deflect attention, until we act, of course. it would take greater strength than ours to keep minds indolent and confused when blades are flashing and blood splatters.


    ¡°just weeks ago we were fighting the cursed idiots who believe they are the only truth. how many nameless ones fell? and even several sons and daughters of iblis perished. though we bled them...¡± she hissed in satisfaction, and sixteenth agreed with twentieth¡¯s sentiments.


    ¡°the first son and first daughter have spoken. who are we to disobey?¡± fourth, a tall, powerful assassin, waved one hand, silencing them. ordinarily he would have been in command of this operation, but instead they had their trump card, who was looking at the magnificent building that loomed ahead of them with some interest. he was short, but handsome, with mesmerising blue eyes, unusual for one of the sons.


    ¡°after all... loyalty is bred into us. death before betrayal, no backwards step. they must have their reasons, their jinni whispering to them. defeat is simply temporary, our knives may shatter like our bones, but in the end, another blade in the darkness will come, our enemies perishing.¡± fourth finished. ¡°just assume it is a test. everything is a test.¡±


    ¡°everything is a test!¡± the twenty veiled figures echoed piously, only the son of iblis remaining silent. as he stepped forwards into the wide, open space around the building, which was elegantly planted with grasses, trees and flowers that were fading in the end of autumn chill, a man barked at him to stop, that this was a private, restricted area, and that no photography was permitted.


    japanese. of course it would be. we all speak many languages, it is foundational to our skillset. but... son husam, he was not one of us, until the jinn chose him... ¡°great son husam, he is warning you to stop.¡± sixteenth told him in arabic, unseen still despite standing in the open. ¡°worse...¡± her danger sense was prickling. ¡°...they are prepared to act. i had thought this was a peaceful land.¡±


    twelfth snorted, mocking her. ¡°truly, you are a fool. perhaps i should pound some of my wit and intellect into you. no land is unafraid to act when their precious ones are in peril. and the powerful can evade all sanction.¡±


    son husam tilted his head, understanding. with a smile he opened his mouth, speaking english. ¡°i am not here to take photographs. this is... a school, yes?¡±


    ¡°a private school!¡± the suit-clad man, clearly a powerful security guard, and who was armed with both metal batons and guns, sixteenth noted, switched to english, relieved he could be understood. ¡°you are already in a no access area. turn back.¡±


    ¡°turn back? oh, yes, i apologise...¡± son husam grinned, and as he turned away, the man relaxed, only to suddenly freeze. literally. exchanging words with son husam, jinn of ice, is dangerous...


    sixteenth was as trained as any of the strongest who had not yet earned a true name, even if her powers were nothing compared to the sons and daughters. but when it came to killing... the other security guards protecting the school sprang into action, including several up on the walls in hidden observation posts beside the fortified main gates. sixteenth and twelfth both acted, and it annoyed sixteenth that the crude man that always mocked her and made advances on her was more skilled than she.


    son husam crushed the skull of one man ruthlessly, his blood congealing, and that frozen blood was used as small bullets to take down a man reaching for his phone to signal an alert. the bullets weren¡¯t strong enough to kill him, his armoured cloth suit protecting his vitals, but fingers and phone were both shattered.


    other men rushing in to engage, pulling out guns, were suddenly white as ghosts, their blood leaving their bodies as throats were split by the other advancing children of iblis, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, their perception-blocking arts released. gunfire sparked, as the two lookouts opened fire, but son husam hauled up a fallen man, blocking the shots. then they fired no more, sixteenth slashing her knife, a jambiya, through his throat. twelfth had likewise silenced his foe, though suddenly alarms blared, the beautiful building, ringed by cherry trees that stood bare of leaves, suddenly alert.


    what happened? all the guards are dead... it was a perfect assassination, as per the scriptures of iblis.


    ¡°times move on.¡± twelfth grimaced, his own blade slashing through a set of wires, sparks flashing. ¡°it seems like some automated equipment. when it detected gunfire it relayed some sort of warning. and... it redoubled when his heart stopped.¡± he kicked the dead man. ¡°fine. we move. the task, no matter how distasteful, goes ahead.¡± he was all business now, and sixteenth nodded.


    ¡°everything is a test, after all.¡± she managed, as her fellow children leapt up the walls. son husam merely glanced at the gate, before vaulting up over the wall with ease, his jinni-given strength great. landing in the smooth, paved courtyard below. ice formed on the stones, and several nearby trees were rimed with bitter frost. sixteenth felt a chill, her leather clothes not keeping it at bay, before wiping clean her jambiya.


    ¡°yes, everything is a test. and only by passing every test might we be worthy to earn a name, become a son or daughter of great iblis!¡± twelfth agreed. ¡°now... let all our foes pass into the sweet embrace of death, and if they are worthy, the embrace of god. if unworthy... then only salt and boiling flame await in jahannam!¡±


    hell, yes. sixteenth nodded. it was not for her to question the first son and daughter. that way lay anarchy and failure. racing across the grounds, her comrades like a score of indistinct shadows, son husam leisurely strolling across the grounds, his breath streaming to frost in the already chill december air, she clutched the hilt of her knife, ready to reap a toll in blood and honour...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-One – Barriers Breached

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-One ¨C Barriers Breached


    First - Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata, The Tengokusentou, Tokyo


    ¡°You were supposed to be at school, Mayumi.¡± Hinata rolled her eyes, amused and a little sympathetic. They were outside the impressive Tengokusentou, and it wasn¡¯t somewhere Hinata was often allowed to attend in the past, as despite her mother being from Takatsukasa house, until Akio came into her life and they managed the effective takeover of said house, Hinata was seen as barely noble at all. That reminds me... Sakura. We may have not seen eye-to-eye, but... when I find out who has been spreading those tales, I¡¯ll make them pay. No... there¡¯s more at play here, I¡¯m no fool.


    The Tengokusentou was a delightful old building, maintained impeccably, and was the favourite place for weddings, funerals and special events to be held for the upper nobility. It bordered the beautiful Senzoku-ike lake, and the spacious grounds were filled with cherry and plum trees. While Hinata had heard her mother remark wistfully that in modern times the view had become less special, due to the metropolitan build-up around it, it still was the most beautiful hotel and grounds in Tokyo. Indeed, the ten story pagoda-style building with its white and red tiling, chased with gold, was simply magnificent.


    Only today, it was crawling with Fujiwara Security, as well as several Chosen who had been unearthed by Fujiwara-san and uncle Kira. The loss of the two Chosen in South Africa had damaged Ichijou house, but he still had a few left, though one, a woman who apparently was a capable healer, if not able to perform Chirurgery like Akio, wasn¡¯t present. In addition, there were a number of inconspicuous (and some rather visible) guards about, one of which was very tall for a Japanese man, well over six feet, and he was nearly bursting out of his black suit, which was paired with a garish crimson shirt and skinny black tie. His black hair was cut short, and he had a small, out of place moustache.


    ¡°Yes, well, I thought... you¡¯d be lonely without me, since Akio-kun isn¡¯t here!¡± Mayumi declared boldly, though Hinata held in a smile, knowing she was simply still afraid after the kidnapping. ¡°Besides, this is a big deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mayumi cast her gaze over their companions, the nervous Shiraishi sisters. They were both impeccably made up and wearing kimonos, as were Hinata and Mayumi, of course, Miyu too, who was accompanied by Michiru, who looked like she wanted to go speak to the huge man, who resembled her facially. So that¡¯s the fabled Koga-san, who supposedly heads a secret unit of agents and troubleshooters for Fujiwara-sama. Though his reputation as an oddball seems well deserved.


    Buit most shocking of all was that Shiro, who Hinata had asked to accompany her, was also wearing a kimono. White, of course, though it had a splash of vivid red across one shoulder, a red spider lily. Shiro spoke up then, grinning in her usual insouciant manner. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s just clinging to you. It makes sense, you¡¯re reliable, Hinata.¡±


    Almost blushing at the praise, Hinata nodded happily. Yes, I get on well with Shiro. We¡¯ve both got the same sort of plans for Akio. ¡°True, and now I¡¯m stronger than ever. Though...¡± It wasn¡¯t done, bodyguards weren¡¯t luggage carriers, but Kazumi and Michiru, both dressed in the Hanafubuki school uniforms, as that was acceptable anywhere, were carrying suitcases containing some emergency items. ¡°...I still have concerns.¡±


    Mayumi flinched at that, and Hinata knew her friend was still rather traumatised. I¡¯ll get Haru-chan to see what she can do when she¡¯s free. Mayumi was in a bold and flashy black and white kimono, in stark contrast to Hinata¡¯s own purple one, and Miyu¡¯s calm sakura pink.


    ¡°Hence why you came to me, huh? Wise!¡± Shiro boasted. ¡°I can handle most problems, and if I can¡¯t, Tan certainly can. Though there¡¯s one dreadful problem we can¡¯t solve...¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mayumi took the bait. ¡°Just what¡¯s that then?¡± Mayumi, while she held nobility superior, was rather docile around Shiro, as her unnatural, unreal beauty crushed Mayumi¡¯s prejudices.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Aki doesn¡¯t get to see us all in our kimonos. I¡¯ll have to send him a video.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Mayumi was relieved. ¡°So, a simple matter to resolve then.¡±


    Shiro glanced over, her black eyes meeting Hinata¡¯s brown ones, and Hinata couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. I think Mayumi¡¯s missed the point, or else South Africa affected her more than she knows...


    ¡°Uh, why... why are we here?¡± Shiraishi Arisa-chan, the younger daughter of the family, in a white and pink kimono, asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean... why us alone, and not father and mother?¡±


    The older sister, the busty yet shy and soft Nozomi-san, nodded slowly. Her white kimono had golden detailing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Mayumi spoke up, eager to show her customary knowledge and dominance. ¡°Grandfather and Fujiwara-sama spent a great deal of money on regaining the precious ancestral inheritance of your family. It¡¯s not yours anymore. Though... the fact that you two are here and not your useless family should be an indication of what the plan is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Mayumi.¡± Hinata broke in. ¡°This is a happy occasion. But...¡± Hinata nodded at the suitcase Kazumi carried. ¡°...you know what¡¯s in there, and what you promised.¡±


    The two sisters nodded, Nozomi-san with little vigour, and Arisa-chan rather sullenly, but they did it. Hinata noticed the group of her grandfather, uncle Kira, grandfather Itsuki and Fujiwara-sama were passing through the entrance now, so they decided to pick up the pace, though it was amusing seeing Shiro walking in geta sandals, something she wasn¡¯t used to. Of course with her stats she quickly adapted and it¡¯s almost annoying how graceful she can be, although... Hinata couldn¡¯t help but puff out her chest proudly, now that she had the same powers.


    As they reached the entrance, Koga-san smiled at them all. ¡°Ojou-chan¡¯s... Michiru.¡± His tone of speech was archaic and formal, like an old-fashioned samurai, quite at odds with his appearance, though now that Hinata had experience with warriors, she noticed that his stance was casual yet ready to react to an attack from any direction. After calling them all young girls of high standing, he addressed his daughter with some pride, though seeing her carrying a case he frowned.


    ¡°Honoured father...¡± Michiru¡¯s speech patterns changed, mimicking Koga-san. ¡°...I understand your concerns. But these items cannot be handled by anyone else. Trust in me. I would never neglect Miyu-sama¡¯s safety, nor the others.¡± She seemed prideful. ¡°Indeed, I am likely your match now, father!¡±


    ¡°I see. Has my daughter grown up? That makes me sad.¡± He indeed smiled a touch sorrowfully. ¡°But such boasting means you are still too green. Now...¡± He ushered the group aside to as not impede the flow of dignitaries. ¡°...be alert.¡±


    ¡°Is there trouble, honoured father?¡± Michiru asked, and he shrugged, his expression serious, though it was spoiled a little by his loud suit and ridiculous tiny moustache.


    ¡°I always expect trouble. Let the frontmen of Fujiwara Security hold the line, we from the underground, we know hidden dangers. And... the nose knows.¡± He tapped his nose theatrically. ¡°There¡¯s something rotten here. Everyone knows it. But... I¡¯ll get Shige-dono to safety, no matter what.¡±


    So, Michiru¡¯s father is on first name basis with Fujiwara-sama, huh? I knew he was no ordinary man. I know Kozue hates her father, but Michiru deeply loves him. But if he¡¯s alert... well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not. Shiro¡¯s here after all, and we have the suitcases...


    ¡°Miyu-sama will be safe too!¡± Michiru assured him. ¡°As for the others...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡± Shiro smiled cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m here as security today. This kimono is a bit of a pain to move in, but... I can always tear it off in an emergency. Now, don¡¯t get the wrong idea...¡± She winked. ¡°I¡¯m wearing a bodysuit underneath. One of Ixitt¡¯s new specials, made like the Brigandine, just better. I¡¯m not flashing anyone, or else the hotel and every guy in it would face the wrath of Aki. You girls too, right?¡± He nodded at the Shiraishi sisters, who were given them as part of Adamant. I¡¯m wearing one too, it¡¯s actually very comfortable, and doesn¡¯t displace the bodyline of the kimono, so one doesn¡¯t have to go without underwear, or wear the very annoying special set.


    ¡°It would be a shame if you ruin it before Akio sees you in it.¡± Hinata teased, though she nodded at Koga-san. ¡°Anyway, any particular areas of concern?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hinata-ojou.¡± Koga-san leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°A number. Though do not think that your elders are foolish. We are aware of the troubles. It is why we are here.¡± His expression was sly and animated, quite unlike the taciturn Michiru. Perhaps I can see why Kozue is so exasperated with him. At least a little...


    Koga-san glance at the Shiraishi siblings with some sympathy. ¡°Eldest Shiraishi-ojou¡¯s ex-fiance?, Kuwahara Takehisa has declined to attend the event, instead sending his brother. This was unexpected, considering his discovered involvement in this mess.¡± Hinata noticed that Koga-san offered no honorifics for the unworthy ex-fiance? of Nozomi-san. She also noticed that Nozomi-san¡¯s face had crumpled, tears threating to break free, but her sister held her hand discretely, trying to comfort her.


    ¡°You¡¯d have to be pretty stupid to turn up at an event where you¡¯d screwed the important bigwigs of Japan out of billions of yen, right?¡± Shiro remarked. ¡°Although, you¡¯d also have to be rather arrogant to do it in the first place, knowing you¡¯d get found out. So yeah, I can see why he¡¯d not be here.¡±


    ¡°More to the point, while the Ruby Group has sent delegates to oversee the handover now the money has been paid...¡± Koga-san interjected politely, agreeing with Shiro¡¯s assessment. ¡°...none of their top executives have been sent.¡±


    ¡°Just... how much did the recovery cost?¡± Nozomi-san asked timidly, her voice damp with sad emotion.


    ¡°More than I shall see in a lifetime, Shiraishi-ojou.¡± Koga-san waved one hand, imagining. As the two sisters went a ghastly shade of white, Nozomi-san sagging, though Arisa-chan was easily able to support her with Chirurgery-enhanced strength, Hinata advised them to be quiet, and that matter would be settled later. Yes, it¡¯s already planned out, I know. Though we can benefit, uncle Kira and Fujiwara-sama have their own ideas too.


    ¡°Do go on.¡± Hinata continued. ¡°I expect you are now going to say Honoka-san and Hidemasa-san aren¡¯t in attendance either, instead, Fujiwara-sama had to bring Miyu.¡± Her level of honorifics was quite different for Fujiwara-sama¡¯s son, as she had heard that he was a rather weak man, which made all this very strange. Koga-san noticed, giving her a wry smile.


    ¡°You have quite the perception, Hinata-ojou.¡± Koga-san agreed. ¡°Normally, Hidemasa-dono would be eager to impress his father. Perhaps he has learned the wisdom of appearing humble, but...¡±


    ¡°Taken as a pattern, there¡¯s no doubt something¡¯s up.¡± Shiro nodded sharply.


    ¡°Yes, ojou.¡± Koga-san nodded. ¡°Now, I have kept you long enough. Just... be wary. Though we are on high alert, do not fear. Anything you can notice, assume we have already. After all, we are professionals!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Hinata agreed, and as they were ushered inside, she looked around appreciatively at the beautiful marble construction. The task to install modern conveniences had been a great work, and Hinata had been surprised the worthless Shiraishi family had been able to do it, but on asking, apparently Fujiwara-sama had supervised it. Adding electricity without damaging the artistry of the architecture must have been a struggle.


    ¡°The meeting is in the grand hall on the fourth floor, the Heavenly Blossom Chamber.¡± Hinata mentioned, amused by the name. ¡°So, stay alert, everyone. Our own safety comes first, but then we need to protect those around us.¡±


    ¡°Already expecting something will happen, Hinata?¡± Mayumi was pale, perhaps wishing she had stayed at school after all, but Shiro slapped her on the back reassuringly.


    ¡°Relax, Mayumi. Aki might not be here, but we are.¡± She looked around, seeing some of the open rooms. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s shoot a video for Aki. Got to show off, right?¡±


    Shiro ushered everyone inside, and Hinata held in a laugh. Trying to cheer our upset girls up, huh? From what I¡¯ve been told of Shiro, she used to be rather selfish, now she¡¯s trying to comfort others. Love changes a person, it seems? I¡¯ve been changed too, in more ways than one. Shiro shot a video, just of the girls posing, with some amusing commentary, but when she tried to send the video to Akio, it wouldn¡¯t go.


    ¡°Of course it won¡¯t.¡± Hinata remembered. ¡°There¡¯s a phone suppressing system in the grounds of the Tengokusentou, too many important people do business here. You need a Fujiwara phone to make it work. Send it to me and I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Shiro nodded, and as their phones connected wirelessly, the video was transferred. Hinata started sending it to Akio without issue, but halfway, the phone disconnected, losing signal.


    ¡°Looks like your phone¡¯s gone too.¡± Shiro observed with a smirk, though Hinata noticed her worry. Mayumi agreed her phone was also not working, neither was Miyu¡¯s, nor the Shiraishi¡¯s.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll take Koga-san at his word and that they¡¯ve noticed this. But... everyone... time to open the cases...¡± Hinata ordered, and with professional ease, Kazumi and Michiru opened their burdens...


    ***


    Second- Judgement-Cardinal Luca Aloisio - Akio''s Territory, The Boundary, Tokyo


    ¡°Commence the assault!¡± Luca ordered. In the Earthly world of mortals, where the sinners and the foolish who stuck their heads in the sand like ostriches, awaiting their end, dwelt, multiple raids would be commencing. While Luca hated myths that were not of the Throne, one resonated with him, that of the Hydra of Lerna. Our foe has many heads. And unless we cut them all, he will recover in due time. That cannot be allowed to happen. The Revelation-Cardinal knows this. Those who have what they should not, those who are a danger to us, and those who shall suffer swift and righteous vengeance. For vengeance is mine, I will repay, sayeth the Throne.


    There was a trace of unease within his heart. Old Maximillian could certainly hold his own, and when swinging the Crucis Purgationis, none were his equal in battle. Likewise, Ortiz could wield his whip firmly still, destroying flesh and spirit of a sinner alike. No, it was the newcomers, that brother and sister pair, who bothered him. Their tasks are important too. But while they are the successors to their Seats, they are untried, raw. I fear they may fail purposelessly, as Mary Stuart did.


    As the Choir lined up outside the filthy Desecrated Ground of that bastard Akio who had killed Mary Stuart, Luca shook off his grim thoughts. Breaking wheel in one hand, and a short, gladius blade in the other, he swung that down, signalling for the start. The seven faithful that made up this one of Konstantina¡¯s Choirs were few in number, compared to the Martyred Dead that were gathered in their many hundreds. Bringing them across the seas was a great challenge, but long had the preparations been made, so sowing them as the mythical Dragon¡¯s Teeth circumvented that. Though the bitter irony was hardly lost on Luca, using the adherence from a false mythology to strengthen and transport good, pious faithful who gave over their sprits in death to the cause, knowing that their ascent unto the Ninth Heaven would be delayed many hundreds, maybe thousands of years.


    Though of course, what is time to the dead, and any delay is worth waiting for paradise. ¡°And on the seventh day, seven horns shall blow, and the walls of the wicked that defy those who serve the Throne shall be cast down. False Jericho, shatter. Let the Horns blow!¡± At his prayer, the seven members of the Choir raised trumpets chased with gold and bronze, and a loud, sonorous note resounded from them.


    ¡°Make ready.¡± Luca commanded the Judges and their squires, who were to guide the Martyred Dead. ¡°They likely have reinforcements, but we can seal them, and the attack on Godless Kyoto should be mirroring ours, splitting their focus.


    ¡°By the Lord, we shall do his will!¡± The Judges intoned, kneeling, and Luca blessed them with a benediction, even as the noise of the horns grew and grew, a wave of oppressive sound pressing in on them. There was a shivering cry, a noise like breaking glass, and the wall preventing them from entering collapsed, as if it had never been.


    Yes, faith is a powerful weapon. And it has been stolen from us most blasphemously. But it shall all be reclaimed, and that which has profited from tainted faith shall be hewn down. For the Tree of Knowledge belongs only to the Lord, not to impious, false men. ¡°Let the Martyred Dead blossom. Deus vult! Os bene vult! Spiritus vult id! By the Lord, Bone and Spirit, the Martyred Dead walk again!¡±


    No longer were they the shambling, imposing yet clumsy warriors Mary Stuart had commanded. While the greatest still lay within the crypts, tombs and ossuaries that held them, those unearthed now could be charged with suitable faith, adherence. That released a little of the spirit tied to the dusty bones, giving it animus and a certain measure of intelligence and skill they possessed when they were mortal. There are dangers to this course of action, many will call us butchers, monsters... but the Lord was unflinching when he hardened Pharoh¡¯s heart and sent the Angel of Death... and so must we be. And in that growing sense of fear, awe and worship, strength is found...


    The Linked Seraphim inside him burned as the skeletal forces marched in, their eyes glimmering with a faint indigo light, wisps of many colours shimmering on their bones. Almost immediately, the weight of the profane area oppressed them, but with his second Favour from the Lord, he was able to resist it, feeling it as no more annoying than raindrops in summer. ¡°Pathetic!¡± Luca roared, the faith of the Ninth Heaven surging through him, counteracting the profane, desecrated effect.


    The Martyred Dead advanced, and from a distance bolts of aether flew, crude Defences sparking, and that was followed by a rain of arrows, clattering off the bones, doing only minor damage. Luca sneered, laughing at the crude Fae creatures he could see in the distance, scurrying weasels. They weren¡¯t worth his time, he could leave them to the Judges to purge. They are no danger, despite what they think.


    Indeed, now that the only one who could threaten him, that accursed sinner Akio, was absent, it was only a matter of time to crush the Hydra that faced them, to rip the tree of false knowledge out by the roots. And even in the event that not every action achieved the desired effect... Luca shrugged, breaking wheel in hand, using it to block a few errant arrows that swept his way, as he continued to advance at breakneck speed. The Verum Lore will not steer us wrong. The Revelation-Cardinal cannot fail to profit, as only we know the true way to use the adherence of faith that will be generated, come what may...


    A strange sound like a hive of angry wasps could be heard, and great booming roars, like an enraged dragon. Turning his head as he ran, he was amused and slightly troubled to see that some of the accursed weasels were hefting what looked like guns, and even rocket propelled grenades, though their design was strange, and glittered with silver and rainbow aether and elemental energies.


    Several of the Martyred Dead stumbled, bones, even reinforced by aether and adherence, shattered, and more lost limbs. Several were even completely destroyed, grenades exploding, blowing them into splintered dust. Luca crossed himself with the hand holding his gladius, lamenting that the Martyred Dead had finally found their true rest. Though such is the fate they accepted when they left their mortal remains infused with their slumbering spirits. No, I shall not mourn. But celebrate. And... ¡°Not until the mission is done!¡± With a loud roar, Luca charged onwards, knowing that while none remained who could stop him here, there were still a few sinners who could cause him trouble. But...


    ¡°The Wheel of Judgement turns for all, and no weeping, or wailing, or gnashing of teeth, shall delay my coming, nor halt my righteous anger!¡± Around him more gunfire was coming in, explosions sounding, and the horns continued to blow, a deafening clarion, turning this profane place into a battleground, the holy against the evil...


    ***


    Third- Mori Eri - Their home, Tokyo


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, so very bad!¡± The little Zashiki-Warashi Azuki declared, rushing into the living room of the mansion. Eri was there, drinking tea with her family and Tsukiko, as well as Yu-mi, Eui and mother-in-law, father-in-law and Tsukiko¡¯s parents, and the strange and crippled kitsune Nebisuki.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Eri asked, while mother-in-law Emily made delighted noises, finding the little doll-woman incredibly cute. She waved a hand to quiet everyone down.


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡± Azuki cried out. ¡°The Territory is under assault. Not just here. Kyoto too! Daiyu, that crude Violet woman...¡± Azuki had little liking for the brash and forthright Korean woman, although Eri actually found her rather cool. ¡°Runners have been sent to fetch Shaeula and the mad maid, but...¡±


    ¡°I believe if Matsumuro-sama wishes to head such a study, you would lose out, considering her backing. However, she is a gracious woman, who gave her life for the greater good. And Oshiro-san, slavedriver though he is, does share rewards fairly.¡±


    More flames scattered, and Akai let out a cry as she was wounded again, flames blazing, making Gin click his tongue. Careful, Akai. I know you are practically unkillable, so long as your flames burn, but practically isn¡¯t totally. These foreign invaders might be wretched and intolerant, but they are surely not suicidal fools... ¡°I can¡¯t argue with your reasoning. Regardless, Avalokites?vara is always watching with compassion, so I shall send them to their afterlife. They would surely not complain at that. Especially since your knowledge has revealed their forces to me. I am now more than confident we can win. Although...¡±


    Gin looked at Yasaka-san, who as usual seemed like he had seen better days. Though he certainly had benefitted from Akio-kun¡¯s ruthless attempts to... how did he put it, ah, yes, power level him... as his thinning hair had stopped receding, and had even began to regrow, and his hunched posture had straightened out, making him look ten years younger. Of course, that came at a cost. Akio-kun was constantly sending him questions, many of them skirting the limits of what the Book Of Providence would answer, and while Yasaka-san had certainly grown spiritually stronger, more able to endure unearthing the many secrets he was asked, he was often abed for days at a time.


    ¡°You should return to mortal Kyoto.¡± Gin warned. ¡°The other four are meant for battle, they are capable of handling themselves. Nobody can afford it if you suffer injury.¡±


    Yasaka-san nodded, relief plain on his face. ¡°Yes, and while I¡¯ve certainly grown physically stronger, and have learned how to use light element to protect myself, I¡¯ve no wish to face those madmen or their skeleton warriors in battle. If you need any more information, I hope it can wait, I¡¯m feeling rather exhausted. But if it¡¯s an emergency...¡±


    Gin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send one of the others to ask. Just hunker down and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad my shrine isn¡¯t here in Kyoto.¡± Yasaka-san grumbled, moments before he vanished. ¡°I couldn¡¯t handle all this stress...¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Gin replied to the now vacated space, while flames whirled in the background, Akai still fighting. It wasn¡¯t just her, but the four Chosen of Kyoto were fighting too, as well as a number of spiritual beings, and the forces of Kinkaku-ji. ¡°But it seems that this attack is doomed to fail. From what I understand...¡± Gin tapped an earbud in his ear, the modern technology rather incongruous here, but still exceedingly useful. ¡°...they are being beaten back in Suzuki-san¡¯s Territory as well, though once more the horns carried them past the initial defences. Splitting their forces seems foolish, although...¡± Gin scratched his chin, irritated. It was lucky I spend half my time in Kyoto. If I wasn¡¯t here, well, the others would handle it, but it would certainly be more fraught with peril.


    ¡°...I suppose attacking Kyoto in the first place is foolish. Even if they focussed on Kinkaku-ji, then forces from Suzuki-san, including the powerful Tengu from Mount Atago, would come, but if they focus on that, then I can direct my forces to take them from behind, and Akio-kun can send endless reinforcements from Tokyo. It¡¯s quite possible they are unaware of that, but...¡± Gin listened to Akai¡¯s cry as she swept up out of another pillar of flame. One of her crimson eyes met his, even from this distance, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sleepy air it still gave off, even now.


    ¡°...I¡¯ve never assumed my enemy is a fool. Even less so because that wretched idiot Uchida has thrown aside everything he believed in due to grief. What a pitiful man in the end.¡± Gin had a little sympathy for his old and bitter rival, and knew grief could drive one to madness, but even so, betraying his very faith and consorting with enemies was too far. Especially since everyone at Conclave knows it was his son who caused the tragedy, Akio-kun saved who could be, at great personal cost, his fiance?e gravely injured. No... ¡°Our enemy isn¡¯t a fool. There¡¯s too much going on at once for that to be the case. So...¡± It would be simple to try and ask Yasaka-san¡¯s Book, but without knowing enough, it would potentially be misleading, or further exhaust him to no effect.


    ¡°...I shall just have to keep my eyes open, and if there¡¯s a trap here... then with Avalokites?vara watching over us, we shall evade it, with infinite grace and mercy...¡±


    ***


    Sixth - Irena Alexandrovna Kuznetsova - Fyodor Technological Institute, Moscow, Russia


    ¡°You should be sleeping, little one.¡± The big bear of a man, his blonde hair short and shaggy, a matching beard and moustache covering his pale face, grumbled, taking a swig directly out of the glass bottle he was holding, letting out a sigh of contentment. ¡°It is far too early for such hard work.¡±


    He took another swig, grimacing, his blue eyes bleary and sleep fogged. ¡°It is the crack of dawn. You will never grow into a big, strong woman, with bounteous breasts and a beautiful ass, if all you do is work. Sleep, drink milk and grow taller!¡±


    ¡°I do drink milk. A lot of it!¡± Irena pouted, puffing out her cheeks, pink eyes flashing in annoyance. Idly, she wound strands of her pale white hair around her fingers, frustrated. ¡°And I hate it when you call me ¡®little one¡¯, I am not a child. I¡¯m a university graduate, whereas you barely went to school, Alexei! And why are you drinking so early in the morning, if you are here to help me?¡±


    This is so frustrating. In the end, despite all my pleading, the only one with mysterious powers they could find to aid me was this buffoon. He doesn¡¯t have an ability to help with the spark I need, though I do suppose with his ability, I have made some progress on a different angle. No... I know why Alexei is the one.


    ¡°A drink? This?¡± Alexei Zakharov chuckled, waving the half-empty bottle. ¡°This is the water of life, little girl. Without water, how can a man think? And as for you being a graduate... I have a daughter your age, she is still at school. And already far bigger than you. Taller too!¡± He gestured crudely, with a laugh, though having worked with him these past few weeks, she knew he genuinely meant no real insult, he was just a tactless fool.


    ¡°Pizdets!¡± Irena swore. ¡°Just shut up, I¡¯m as big as I¡¯m going to get. No matter how many cookies I eat or milk I drink, unless... no.¡± I¡¯ll not speak of it again. I asked to visit Japan, or at least bring Akio here, to see if he could fix my albinism, but I also want to try and spark true intelligence in my designs. But... After expressing that a few too many times, and similar sentiments, Irena had discovered they were tapping her data access. Of course, Irena hadn¡¯t allowed them to see her more irregular contacts, but nonetheless, nobody here at Fyodor Technical Institute, nor the people from the government overseeing the research, were fools. Absence of suspicious material was suspicious enough to a certain sort of person. I hate dealing with illogical people.


    ¡°Little girls should not swear, they should be in bed and sleeping at this hour!¡± he repeated after a dry chuckle. ¡°But I know you are big in mind, if small in body. So, what do you wish me to do today? More of those wires, yes?¡±


    He¡¯s here to guard me, prevent any problems. He¡¯s very strong. Hiding her thoughts with a blank face, Irena nodded. Pressing a few keys, the wall slid aside, revealing a mechanical arm and a leg, one side open, exposing the innards. ¡°Yes, please. The specimens certainly exceed the potential of all my prior efforts. Being able to move more naturally, like ordinary muscle fibres, expanding and contracting without wear and tear... if I cannot make the brain function effectively enough, if I ease the computational requirements, I can still make progress.¡±


    ¡°Yap, yap, yap. Little girls should talk less and eat more.¡± Alexei drained his bottle, burping, before letting out a sigh. ¡°To think, mighty Svarog gave me the power to move metal, forge it from will, yes, and all I do is make silly wires. Such a waste. But...¡± He grinned, taking up a new, full bottle, and with a flash of rusty light, the top was sliced off.


    Irena rolled her eyes at his theatrics. ¡°You¡¯ll cut your lips on that glass.¡±


    ¡°I am a strong man. I do not fear a little blood.¡± He grinned, swigging from the now open bottle. ¡°As I was saying, little one. I get paid well, at least. And the work is easy. Only blood I shed is from this...¡± He grinned, though the faint cut on his lip sealed up at a nearly visible pace. ¡°...or your tongue. Girls should be kind, not so sour.¡±


    ¡°Oh please shut up.¡± Irena grimaced. He was tiring to deal with, but for successes, no matter how small, Irena could put up with a lot. ¡°Here¡¯s today¡¯s specifications.¡± She passed him a tablet. ¡°And yes...¡± she rolled her eyes, sighing bitterly. ¡°...I have dumbed it down into simple language. So get to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Little slavedriver you are.¡± He miraculously began to pull gleaming metal out of the air, and shaped it into fine threads, smooth and cold to the touch. Irena watched eagerly, and around her the cameras of the lab recorded every detail, as they always did, in various spectrums, such as visual, IR, UV and other wavelengths. In fact, while Irena had little understanding of how it worked, she had shared the video with her correspondent from Japan, and he had provided some excellent insights, which Irena had appreciated.


    ¡°It still bothers me. Mass from nothing violates the most sacred tenets of science, the Laws of Thermodynamics. But then, it¡¯s not from nothing, is it? Just... an alternate energy source. So the laws might only seem to be broken.¡± Irena still found it hard to grasp. Anyway, Alexei could conjure a great deal of metal, but it didn¡¯t persist. If he wanted to make metal that remained, it drained him heavily, though apparently in the other, mysterious mirror to the world, that restriction was far looser. That was enough to frustrate her to no end.


    Kakogo chyorta! Where the hell have the Laws of Physics gone? On strike? On holiday? The Laws of the universe had to be the same everywhere, but it was clear that no longer seemed to be the case. It was a puzzle Irena, with all her genius intellect, couldn¡¯t solve. No, that¡¯s just for now. I will solve it, just as I shall solve the puzzle here.


    The next few hours passed in a steady state of complaints from Alexei as Irena continued to ask him to refine the wires. Working her robotic arms and tools, soon the leg was retooled with the next stage of the artificial muscles and nerve clusters, or rather, signal input wires. As she reached out to stimulate it, seeing if the neural network could work it with the drastically simplified need for calculations and balancing, the power suddenly went out, plunging the lab into darkness, the sudden red glow of the emergency lighting kicking in shading her surprised face a bright crimson.


    ¡°Blyat¡¯! What now? If this has damaged any of the circuitry, I swear, I shall complain to the Chancellor of Fyodor Institute, government stooge or not... useless clowns...¡±


    ¡°Little girls should not be so potty-mouthed.¡± Alexei chuckled again. ¡°Power cuts happen, yes? Back home, our power goes out all the damn time...¡± He trailed off, as suddenly the lights came back on, accompanied by sirens, and the sound of a great explosion, the thick walls shaking, dust, which Irena was so careful to keep out of her clean workspace, falling from the ceiling.


    ¡°...though maybe this is not such.¡± Alexei tactfully agreed, putting down his bottle, and readying himself, as the Institute broadcast an alert.


    ¡°Warning, warning! All personnel remain calm and at your stations. Evacuations will be established once the threat is dealt with. Should you see the intruders, do not engage, I repeat, do not...¡± The warnings were cut off with a scream and then the squealing of static, and the sirens were also silent then.


    ¡°I see. Little girl, best leave this to Alexei, yes?¡± He grinned, thumping his big, muscular chest proudly. ¡°I may not be smart like you, but when it comes to a fight, I have crushed many skulls. And that was before... now Svarog is with me... do not worry, little girl, I am here.¡±


    Irena nodded slowly. The silence was worrisome, but what was worse was the occasional cry that could be faintly heard, or gunfire, explosions, more dust trailing down from the ceiling. Is it the foreigners, back to kidnap me? No, this seems bigger...


    Gnawing on her lip, tormented, she worried for the safety of her Babulya, and mama and papa. As she considered uttering a silent prayer, something she would normally never countenance, but was so rattled it crossed her mind, the room shook again, more violently, and a noise like a whining buzzsaw echoed, and with a flash of brilliant light, the door collapsed, heavy, thick metal turning into chunks.


    Irena screamed, leaping behind Alexei, who cracked his knuckles, head bobbing from side to side as he loosened up. The door fragments began to melt, and the hardened durable steel flowed towards him forming a crude armour and a heavy iron pole. ¡°Who do we have here then?¡±


    Two figures stepped into the room, and Irena blinked, as they looked exceptionally unthreatening, except that one of the pair was carrying a long spear, with a strange, almost glittering blade at the head, gleaming like iron pyrite, the metal pitted with flecks of red and gold.


    ¡°Oh, where are my manners?¡± one of the pair said in melodious tones. Looking closer, they seemed like twins, though this speaker had very long hair and held a golden cup, which was filled with a liquid Irena surely hoped wasn¡¯t blood. As she swallowed nervously, the woman, at least Irena assumed she was, spoke. I think it¡¯s a woman? Both were beautiful, but their body shapes were androgynous, and their facial features pretty enough to be a girl¡¯s, and likewise could also be called handsome, like a boy. They wore white robes, chased with gold, though now they were sprinkled with a rusty red. As were their eyes, as Irena noticed, so very red, and utterly gorgeous.


    ¡°I am Anastasia Solovyova. And this is my brother, Konstantin. Do forgive him, he does not speak, for he has no tongue. Life can be so cruel at times.¡± Her smile was warm, yet somehow oddly wrong, Irena wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡°Back up, bastards!¡± Alexei flexed, swinging his heavy staff. Irena knew it was a feint, as during his time working with her his control had improved, and he had no need for such crude methods now. ¡°I shall not let you harm her. Good Russian girls grow up big and strong, and make many fine Russian children. Big men, beautiful women!¡±


    ¡°How... touching.¡± Anastasia applauded, careful not to spill from her chalice. ¡°I do approve. But, I fear you are mistaken. We are here for you, and your dangerous gifts.¡± At her words, Alexei tensed, eyes going between his two opponents, who were clearly like him, if they had broken the security at the Institute which had repelled foreign invaders before.


    The short haired man, Konstantin, made to move, but Anastasia raised a hand. ¡°No, we should offer him a chance to join us first. That would be the proper order of things.¡± Her smile was gracious. ¡°So, how about it? Abandon your false power, and follow a different path. I am sure God would wish for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And how much?¡± Alexei made a gesture with his hands, signalling money. Irena, who was watching, didn¡¯t miss the flash of what seemed to be contempt in Konstantin¡¯s ruby eyes. ¡°After all, a job is a job, yes?¡±


    ¡°A job is a job? Oh, how true you are. But there are jobs... and there are callings. And our calling is nobler than mere... bodyguard duty.¡± Anastasia disagreed. ¡°But...¡±


    Before she could speak, Alexei moved, faster than was humanly possible. His crude iron bar separated into a multitude of thin wires, each sharper than knives, and they whipped out at the intruders.


    ¡°I took the money. I am a man of...¡± Alexei began proudly, and while Irena hated blood almost as much as she hated little creepy crawlies like spiders, she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away. She had been goaded into testing Alexei¡¯s metallic armour before, and it could endure forces similar to high-calibre anti-material rounds, but she was still concerned. After all, the door, it didn¡¯t seem to be explosives that breached it...


    The sound of cutting flesh echoed, and blood splattered, droplets spraying across Irena¡¯s cheek. She held in a scream, her already ghostly albino skin now bleached white as bone.


    ¡°...pride...¡± Alexei gasped, strands of metal fluttering down around him. His armour shattered, sheared apart, just like the door was, and Konstantin shook his spear, more droplets of crimson staining Irena¡¯s meticulously clean room.


    Pizdets! Babulya, she will scold me... a scientist needs a pristine environment, and the floor... the floor is dirty...


    Frozen, she watched as Alexei looked down. ¡°That hurt...¡± he grumbled, surprised. The wound was deep, only his inhuman, God-given strength keeping him alive. ¡°How... Svarog¡¯s metal is... the work of a God.¡±


    ¡°God? How... blasphemous!¡± Anastasia held up a hand, holding back her brother, who raised his spear again. ¡°Borrowed power is unfit for good men and women to use. But power has no sin, if you ask me. With a little... adjustment...¡± She lifted her golden cup, catching the drops of falling blood. ¡°...careful...¡±


    Thin lines of blood were on Anastasia¡¯s face now, marring her cheek with some faint scratches. She raised one finger, wiping them off. ¡°Using your blood as a weapon... clever. Iron, yes. We know iron and blood well. It is a good thing I have... fast... reactions.¡±


    ¡°Little girl... listen well. If you wish to curse... try this. Go to Hell, you sister-fucking dipshit, and you, you raddled...¡± He coughed, the spear buried in his chest, piercing his heart, blood gushing free, a carmine flow. ¡°...two rouble cunt, which has likely...¡± More coughs. ¡°...had more dicks than a Russian battalion... go fuck yourselves!¡±


    He then slid down, and the metal around him rusted, turning to brown dust.


    ¡°An unpleasant man.¡± Anastasia observed, not caring that her beautiful robes were now soaking up his gore, the hem crimson. ¡°But a brave one. And skilled... another may not have dodged that. He went for my eyes. Always go for the eyes or the throat.¡±


    Irena was unable to think, her mind blank for the first time in her life. A frozen scream held in her throat, she merely blinked, as the two continued their conversation, well, the woman talked, while the man listened.


    ¡°It would have been difficult... to make use of him. He was not as personable as the one Mary Stuart brought in. A sorrowful situation, that one. But... she is with God now, no, my brother?¡± She bent down, closing Alexei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Now, to bring it back.¡± Her golden chalice shimmered. ¡°Such thick adherence.¡±


    What seemed an eternity later, the woman rose. ¡°So, one. I hope the others do as well. Though we have advantages they do not, brother. Least of all, we work together. Oh...¡± She saw where he was looking, raising his spear.


    Am... am I going to die here? Babulya, I promise to eat my vegetables, even the disgusting ones, like peas... if only you save me. No... if you come, you can only die. Stay away... She squeezed shut her eyes, only hoping it wouldn¡¯t hurt, only to feel nothing, and hear a warm voice.


    ¡°No, brother. Stay your spear. She is a lost child, yes? As the Lord says, suffer the little children come to me. I have always liked that one, and are you not the same, brother? Children are our treasures, and the future. Our task here is done. Onto the next. The task shall go ahead, as always.¡±


    Konstantin gave Irena a cold look, before turning away. Her shocked mind rebooting, she looked down at Alexei, who had been annoying and boorish, but had cared for her in his own way, and had also been part of her research, even if in a small way. Swallowing down her fear, she managed a few words.


    ¡°Why...? What did Alexei...¡±


    ¡°He had a treasure even he did not know. There is Truth in Knowledge...¡± Anastasia replied softly. At that her brother made a faint, mocking noise that might have been laughter. ¡°...and only in the right hands shall power be made pure. Now, child... be well.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait...¡± Irena reached out a hand. ¡°Mama... Papa... did... did you kill them?¡±


    At that, the two of them paused, but only the woman spoke. ¡°We wield the spear only to kill who we must, or those that had the ill-fortune to be in our way. Many are dead, yes, but... perhaps your parents are not among then. Best pray, child. But if not, then, merely consider it...¡±


    Her remaining words entered Irena¡¯s ears, but she didn¡¯t process them, her mind lost. Falling to her knees, her jeans soaking up the spilled blood, material soaked, a hoarse yell, the scream the shock had frozen, ripped out of her, and she wailed, crying, hoping beyond hope that her mama, papa, Babulya and those she knew here were still alive. Her small fists beat at the slowly-cooling corpse of Alexei until some of the survivors, many of them injured and shellshocked themselves, came to drag her away from the scene...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Two – Escalating

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Two ¨C Escalating


    First - Shiratori Himeko, Shiro - The Tengokusentou, Tokyo


    Sitting with the so-called nobility in the richly appointed and beautifully decorated hall, Shiro stifled both a yawn and a laugh. Heavenly Blossom Chamber, huh? They sure do like fancy names. It¡¯s... certainly something though, even I can admit that. Maybe I¡¯m being too harsh, I mean, I like Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi well enough. Even Miyu seems all right now.


    The hall had beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows all around, and many of them were panelled with beautiful pink stained glass, which filtered the winter sunlight to a beautiful rose colour. The view around several sides were spoiled a bit by the surrounding urban sprawl and high-rise buildings of Tokyo, but the view out over the lake was indeed gorgeous.


    I like it very much, princess. It reminds me a little of my own home, far from here. I too enjoy the quiet arts, though... there is something to be said for more robust activities, I do concede.


    Shiro¡¯s smile now escaped her control. Sure Tan, I know what¡¯s won you around. Shit, I get it. We¡¯ve all changed, we can¡¯t stay the same. The nobility has to as well, and those Aki has surrounded himself with knows that. But... I suppose some of these old traditions are pretty nice. Looking around, Shiro felt her face heating a little, and Tan was quick to seize on that.


    Your face is the colour of what you call sakura in this country, cherry blossoms. Are you thinking of your wedding? It was to be held here, no? One of them, anyway...


    Don¡¯t tease me Tan, else I¡¯ll be forced to return the favour. Anyway... Shiro changed the subject of her thoughts. Do you sense anything? It¡¯s all rotten, we know that, but ferreting out just what is the problem is a different matter. It¡¯s not like they¡¯ve planted bombs, I¡¯d guess, or the security detail should have found it... unless...


    Indeed. Our Favours can go beyond the expected. Still... Shiro¡¯s eye flashed crimson for a moment. ...we are here, are we not? And I do not smell any particularly delectable powers, although...


    Shiro bit down on a laugh. Looking at the feast, huh? It does look nice. Can¡¯t have a big noble event without a good meal and some booze. You know, that¡¯s one of the things I like most about my life now. I don¡¯t have to go home just as everything starts to get fun...


    Idly listening to the conversation Hinata was having with her grandfather and a number of the old nobles, Shiro drummed her fingers. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t Yu-mi supposed to be coming to this? Isn¡¯t that her dad?¡±


    Looking at the Korean man at the back of the group, looking uncomfortable and out of place, Hinata nodded. ¡°Yes, but when all the bad news hit, that stupid broadcast about Akio and his sister, she decided to stay home and help keep their parents calm. She¡¯s... actually a really caring person. After all, she helped Eri and Akio work things out, finally. Besides, she says she prefers going clubbing, and she wants Akio to take her when he¡¯s back, see what Tokyo has to offer, though she says it won¡¯t beat Gangnam.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun. I¡¯ll have to go along.¡± Shiro nodded. ¡°Anyway, sorry to interrupt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, you¡¯re here as my security. No offense, Kazumi.¡± Hinata chuckled. She was calmer now, as everyone was armed. It was hard to conceal hidden weapons in the form-fitting kimonos, but nobody was looking under the chairs. Hinata then turned back to Shige, Itsuki and Kira, the three most important of the old men. Sasuke was there too, and he was the grandfather of the three rather pretty girls that sometimes visited the training school. Though one of them is more memorable than the others. Her damn tits are nearly as big as mine, and she¡¯s not even... never mind, that doesn¡¯t matter, although Yasu might say that tits always matter. That¡¯s why he¡¯ll strike out with Karen if he¡¯s not careful... oh well...


    ¡°...so, about Sakura. I¡¯m most angry.¡± Hinata was insisting. ¡°This is your fault, grandfather!¡± She was grilling Itsuki now. ¡°If you had disciplined your son properly, this couldn¡¯t happen, but instead he¡¯s a total waste of space. My mother was mistreated by him, by you all, and now Sakura... sure, we¡¯ve never seen eye to eye, but now I know what¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Hinata-chan, you shouldn¡¯t be so forceful...¡± her paternal and beloved grandfather Kenji chided her gently, though by his slight smile he agreed with her sentiments. I like the old man. He¡¯s funny, and he always ends up giving us pocket money when he visits. Sure, it¡¯s only chump change to us now, but back in the day I¡¯d have killed for a free couple of hundred thousand yen here and there.


    ¡°...yes, Hideaki may have made mistakes, but...¡± Itsuki began, but Kira cut him off with a dry chuckle.


    ¡°Mistakes?¡± His tone was scornful. ¡°I should say so. None of us here, not even you, Kenji...¡± The old man looked away, embarrassed. ¡°...haven¡¯t loved a little too freely in our youth. But so long as the women were looked after, and no unnecessary children were born from it... it¡¯s simply youthful folly. But now... if it was Ichijou house, or Fujiwara house, then it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. We could make provision, but... Takatsukasa house is floundering...¡±


    ¡°Was floundering.¡± Hinata disagreed. As lesser nobility and other invited guests were filling up the rest of the hall, the talk continued. ¡°It¡¯s not just that, or his attitude to mother, he also antagonised me and Akio, which is the most stupid thing he could have done. Isn¡¯t that why he¡¯s in retreat for his ill-health?¡± Her smile was malicious. ¡°Anyway, I know you¡¯re angry, and so am I. She¡¯s my cousin. Akio will be furious too. Family matters to him. So... I have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Do go on.¡± Shige offered, glancing at his granddaughter, but Miyu seemed calm, unconcerned.


    ¡°I think that you should give Sakura into our care. We already are Takatsukasa house in all but name. But... we¡¯ll make use of Sakura, and also deal with the rumours. To me... Sakura¡¯s just as much a Takatsukasa as I am. I feel sorry for Keiko-san, having the fact that Sakura isn¡¯t her daughter and her fool of a husband¡¯s infidelity spread throughout the nobility... but my mother is already doing much of the work stabilising the image of the house, and Akio and I are doing the rest. Sakura needs a fresh purpose, and I¡¯ll give it to her.¡±


    ¡°This is all very fascinating. What do you think, Mayumi?¡± Hideki, her older brother, who seemed to be the same age as Shiro, asked his sister. He was a handsome enough man, one Shiro might have given a second glance before, but now she had a better man to put in her eyes she hadn¡¯t paid him much attention. He had come with his grandfather, since he was heir to Ichijou house, and this was good experience for him, apparently. And from what I can see, he worries about his younger sister. So while he might seem a bit of a snob, at least he¡¯s not trash.


    ¡°I think Hinata must have a plan. And... it sounds fun. Can you share your ideas? I¡¯ll help if it¡¯s interesting, and it doesn¡¯t harm Sakura-san. After all... she¡¯s one of the few daughters that match me.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hinata was amused. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely matured. So, who are the others?¡±


    ¡°A strange question.¡± Mayumi grinned, and while Shiro could see she was still rather timid compared to normal, a spark of life was in her eyes. ¡°You of course, my best friend. Miyu-san here. Honoka-san, Sakura-san hasn¡¯t changed. I¡¯ve respected her elegance all these years. And her willpower in putting up with you, Hinata.¡± She smiled to show she meant no offence. There was a moment of silence, before she added two more names, surprising everyone. ¡°Motoko-san, and Natsumi-san.¡±


    The second name especially, and that she used an honorific now, stunned her grandfather and brother, though Shige was smiling quietly, possibly approving. I¡¯m a little shocked too. I¡¯ve seen her treat Natsumi as a servant a few too many times for comfort, though Natsumi also treats it as natural. Stupid customs should just be tossed aside...


    ¡°What? I can learn! Trust me, getting kidnapped is an experience that focusses the mind. I found out who my true friends were, and... I may have my pride, but I also have my smarts. I get excellent grades at Hanafubuki, as befits a daughter of Ichijou house! I realised then... the nobility has to accept Akio-kun, and just like the Three-Hundred, we have to being those like him into the fold. Though for Akio-kun... it has to be of a rank equal to us, be that through Takatsukasa house, or by making it the Four Great Houses. Else in the end, we¡¯ll be left behind. I¡¯m not going to be left behind, and I won¡¯t let Ichijou house be either! So by that logic, Motoko-san and Natsumi-san are my equals!¡±


    She seemed so proud, that Shiro couldn¡¯t help but laugh. As everyone looked at her, she wiped tears from her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s so precious. Shit, you¡¯re a funny girl. Annoying too, but I think you¡¯re fun to be around. Equal? Sorry, but no. Any of Aki¡¯s women outclasses you in every way. But... maybe there¡¯s hope for you to make something of yourself yet. What you¡¯re born with, that¡¯s not yours. It doesn¡¯t matter to me if this Sakura girl is born from an affair or not. What you do, what you can achieve, that¡¯s what matters.¡± Don¡¯t you agree, Tan?


    Not exactly. Just as some are born with great fortune, others are cursed with ill fates. It is disingenuous to claim that birth matters not, princess. But... rising above that makes a being more than ordinary, but truly worthy of power.


    ¡°I get that. But I¡¯ll also not lose the pride I have in my birth! I¡¯ll just... be Mayumi.¡± She echoed the earlier lessons she had been taught after the kidnapping, seeming to have taken them to heart. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m going to make a huge success of our joint business venture, Hinata. Then I¡¯m going to reinvest the profits in something else. I¡¯ll only use my own money and charm to succeed. I¡¯ll set up a meeting with Akio-kun when he returns, see what we can hash out. And... I¡¯m with you. Now the Tengokusentou is reclaimed, Sakura-san is the pressing issue.¡± She turned to her grandfather. ¡°So, Arisa-chan and Nozomi-san... what¡¯s their fate?¡±


    The two girls shuddered, holding hands, as the true peaks of the nobility regarded them, but oddly enough, the timid Nozomi managed to put some strength into her eyes, holding firm for their judgement, and it was Shige who spoke, and his tone was kind, yet firm. ¡°By rights, Shiraishi house is finished as nobility. Yes, your family still has some hotels and ryokan left, but the crowing jewel, what made you nobility, was the Tengokusentou. If you sell your assets, you can clear most debts, but then, that¡¯s it. No... the Tengokusentou was reclaimed by our efforts, so it no longer belongs to Shiraishi house. But then... losing nobility is something that Kira, Itsuki and I have long tried to prevent. Though we cannot legislate for fools. Whatever happens, Shiraishi house and Kuwahara house are done, Two more precious lines ended. But... Shiraishi house can rise again, with you.¡±


    ¡®¡¯I thank you, Fujiwara-sama!¡± Nozomi bowed low, elegant in her kimono. Arisa did the same. ¡°I... am not strong. I worry I might not be capable enough...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a deal with Hinata, yes?¡± Kenji soothed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You are also in her care. Despite being a cheeky girl, she won¡¯t mistreat you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°After all...¡± She tapped her foot, and they understood.


    ¡°Please, take care of us, Hinata-sama.¡± Nozomi bowed again, her sister echoing her.


    ¡°Yes, please... give us your guidance. We¡¯ll work hard, just... don¡¯t make my sister suffer.¡±


    ¡°How rude. I love all my subordinates dearly.¡± Hinata wasn¡¯t seriously offended. ¡°Anyway... so, Sakura, Nozomi and Arisa are officially under our care. We¡¯ll take charge of the Tengokusentou, and make sure it is never lost again.¡± She dropped her honorifics. ¡°More... Akio has some hotels, they¡¯re not much compared to what Shiraishi house had before, but...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll buy up as much of Shiraishi house¡¯s assets as we can, though the Ruby Group and Kuwahara house have tried to bankrupt them subtly, so some are lost for good. But... the new Shiraishi house carries their blood, and will be better than ever before.¡±


    ¡°Great...¡± Shiro broke in, bored of the talk. It¡¯s settled. Hotels and crap like that don¡¯t matter. Aki¡¯s got more than enough money coming in to support us all, hotels or no. It¡¯s the girls that matter. And now Shiraishi house is an Adamant property, they¡¯re settled. Sure, we likely owe these old men a debt, but Aki won¡¯t let them push us around. As for Sakura... she¡¯s elegant and pretty. Maybe I¡¯ll try and groom her into a ranking officer. There¡¯s a few I have my eye on, like a couple of the Elves, and Luciana... another can¡¯t hurt...


    ¡°...so, can we focus on the problem?¡± Shiro gestured around them. The hall had filled up, and everyone was seated. Their large group was in the positions of honour, surrounded by a modest empty space to prevent eavesdropping, and opposite them were chairs set up for the sellers of the Tengokusentou, which were awaiting their owners, who had yet to arrive. ¡°Nobody here thinks this isn¡¯t some sort of trap.¡±


    ¡°And yet, here we are.¡± Kenji pointed out. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s clearly a scheme afoot. And the timing of the media coverage and the attacks on the nobility... it¡¯s serious. But we have you here, don¡¯t we? And my Hinata, and Miyu-chan. Plus some others like you. And Koga-san and his people have left no stone unturned. Nerve gas, bombs, radioactive waste, chemical and biological weapons... they¡¯ve swept for them all.¡±


    ¡°So that just leaves...¡± Shiro pointed out the obvious, and it was Hinata who answered.


    ¡°Either they are simply just bad businessmen who put immediate profit ahead of long-term stability... which nobody believes, least of all you, Shiro... or... it¡¯s a trap using spiritual powers. Which is why you¡¯re here.¡±


    Hmm. I smell... Qi. Be cautious.


    I never did really grasp the difference between Qi and aether. I get that Qi is somehow aspected, but... it¡¯s also purer? That seems incongruous to me. No, that doesn¡¯t matter now. Shiro quickly relayed Tan¡¯s warning, and at that moment, out came the brother of the man who had betrayed Nozomi, and Shiro immediately disliked him, as he had a rather off-putting smile, despite looking otherwise ordinary in his expensive suit. With him came a dozen men, a mix of standard Caucasian Americans, though some appeared of Asian heritage. They were all wearing matching suits, in a bright crimson, and many of them wore tiny ruby ear studs, an unusual look on men.


    I fear we need the Searching Gaze Of Ichnaea. I can smell that many of those red-clad fools are full of Qi. Though they are likely at best Foundation Realm. But that cannot be all, surely?


    That¡¯ll alert anyone sensitive though, right?


    Yes, so... timing is key. I shall let you decide, princess.


    How magnanimous of you, Tan. Relaying her findings in hushed whispers, Hinata looked to Shige, who bade them wait for now.


    As the lead member of the Ruby Group stepped up to the podium, and tapped the microphone, ready to speak, Tan prepared herself to use the Searching Gaze, while Shiro watched on, suddenly pensive. It¡¯s annoying, being unable to contact the outside world. That¡¯s surely no coincidence either...


    ***


    Second - Mori Eri - Their Home, Tokyo


    As Eri and Aiko rushed outside they were met by Suzu-san and one of her dancers, as she called them. They¡¯re rather creepy, but... I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. What she was wearing was also odd, as Suzu-san was wearing a voluminous hoodie, with the hood up, and large sunglasses and a surgical mask. Likewise, her backup dancer was also overdressed.


    Even as the sounds of explosions and whine of bullets echoed through the usually quiet, calm and private air of the estate, seeing them looking, Suzu-san shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m an idol! I can¡¯t be seen to be doing these sorts of things now. And... I don¡¯t really want my fellow dancers to get hurt, but this is a needs-must situation, yeah, Eri-chan, Aiko-chan?¡± Her usual airheaded way of speaking broke for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve abandoned my foothold in Akihabara, so now I¡¯m here to stay! And... honestly, I like it a lot more...¡± A large explosion echoed, the gatehouse going up in a plume of black smoke, a roiling cloud of flame soaring to the heavens.


    ¡°...better wrap this up.¡± Suzu-san remarked. The estate was in an exclusive, isolated area of Tokyo overlooking the bay, but the hustle and bustle of ordinary Tokyo wasn¡¯t that far distant, and crowds were gathering. ¡°I sent the others to the Boundary, just in case. But... here I feel at home. So... I¡¯ll fight for it. I¡¯m an idiot, yeah, but... I¡¯ve always been prepared to do anything for my dreams. Can you two?¡± Her words were pointed, though Eri couldn¡¯t see her eyes behind the thick sunglasses, she imagined they were stern.


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Aiko chimed in. ¡°This is it, Eri. We take up arms, it¡¯s not...¡± The gatehouse was now gone, and dozens of people were rushing in. Most of them seemed terribly... ordinary... for want of a better word, except for the fact that man or woman alike, their faces were twisted into expressions of contempt, hatred and mindless fanaticism, and they were carrying weapons not seen in peaceful Tokyo. Some of the others wore robes of white and gold, and Eri narrowed her eyes, seeing they seemed trained, perhaps similar to the students at Akio¡¯s school.


    ¡°...a game. Or killing some mindless monsters. These... these are people, Eri.¡± Aiko finished, her blue eyes nervous, her hand on her bow trembling.


    Oh yes, Aiko... she¡¯s not been through what we have. Thankfully. But... better to experience it sooner than later. The world¡¯s only going to get more dangerous. ¡°Yes, and these people are here to kill us, our parents, our friends, and have already killed.¡± She pointed her heavy axe at the destruction. ¡°No way everyone survived that. Me... I¡¯ve killed a Kijo. She wasn¡¯t human, but... she was a living, intelligent being with hopes and dreams. And she was trash. As are these. Nobody takes those we love away from us, Aiko. Nobody! I won¡¯t relish this, but... I¡¯m not going to back down!¡± With that she charged forwards, and Suzu-san turned to Aiko, offering some wise words before joining her charge.


    ¡°Yeah... the boss, Akio-kun, Arisu-chan... they all know life isn¡¯t clean. Look at the idol industry. If you aren¡¯t a superstar, you have to do all sorts of dirty deeds. Luckily... we¡¯re the superstars here, Aiko-chan... but being the best means doing a different sort of deed. And when this is over... we¡¯ll all commiserate together, okay?¡±


    Bullets whizzed towards Eri, and as Aiko¡¯s Golden Sisters surged forwards into the torrent of fire, Aiko nodded, resolute. ¡°Shit!¡± She cursed with feeling. ¡°Wow, I knew this day would come. I¡¯m not renowned for my smarts, but I get it. Besides... mom, dad, uncle, auntie, Tsukiko-chan... everyone else... Kyu?do? may be a sport, an Art, but it¡¯s also a tool of war, of killing. Of protecting!¡±


    It¡¯s rather disconcerting that this is the third time the shrine has come under attack. But at least this time... Diamonds slashed through the neck of a man clad in white. As he toppled, trying to staunch his cut throat, he glared at her, eyes full of hatred, and Suk-ja had to look away. That was a mistake, as a bullet whizzed past her cheek, and she stepped back into cover. This is somehow worse than Choe-Museon Academy! No, it¡¯s... it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not alone.


    As her energy started to run dry, all her earlier experiments leaving her far from fighting form, she remembered Ji-ho-oppa¡¯s words to her, that a Hunter should always be in fighting trim. Puffing out her cheeks in exasperation, she remembered him fondly. It wasn¡¯t often that she was away from him, and it had been a tough choice to make, coming abroad to work, especially at her age. But she was a Hunter, and Hunters were in it not just for the glory, but to make money. Besides, with Yu-mi-unni and Eui, she didn¡¯t feel so isolated.


    A gunshot rang out, shockingly loud, and Suk-ja panicked, regretting losing focus in battle. Fortunately, her heart calmed down as she realised she hadn¡¯t been hit, only for another shot to ring out, and she gasped in horror as she watched one of the scorpion-men... Third, I think? ...collapse, headless, before disintegrating. With that, Suk-ja knelt down and vomited messily, until her stomach was dry. Quickly wiping her mouth, she stood again, Diamonds circling.


    I know they come back... but Violet-noona said they aren¡¯t exactly the same... No, I promised to protect this place! Fortunately the attackers seemed intent on attacking the shrine and the training school, rather than the Tree, but several explosions had come close, and Suk-ja knew she couldn¡¯t make it obvious she was defending it, lest she draw attention to it. Ji-ho-oppa would be so disappointed in me if I screw up here. I hope... I hope he¡¯s eating okay while I¡¯m away. He does tend to just eat junk food...


    Another gunshot, and this time Suk-ja was ready. Her Winged Diamonds could also be used as a mirror, and she used it to detect the sniper. He was non-descript, and looked like any ordinary Japanese person, except he was dressed in robes and armour, and carried a massive sniper rifle. The other scorpions were pinned down, and as they were, that emboldened the surviving attackers to press forwards again. Suk-ja winced as the shrine took several hits, ropes and statues of snakes blasted to fragments. It¡¯s fine. Everyone¡¯s down in the panic room...


    Another man came in to view now, blonde, well-muscled and wielding a strange device, sort of like scuba-tanks, with a long hose attached to it. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and as she watched, the man laughed, flame roaring from the nozzle, showering the front of the shrine, which caught fire quickly. He then turned, grinning at Suk-ja in her shelter. He shouted some words, not that she understood them, and then the flames transformed into a cloud of fireballs the size of baseballs, dozens of them.


    The bombardment showered her defensive position, and her Diamonds managed to protect her, at least, but again, the training school was peppered with explosions, and was looking worse for wear, smoke and flames rising. A second barrage was coming in, and then someone shouted for her to get down, then someone smashed into her. She rolled, panicking, feeling a weight on her, then someone grabbed her, dragging her to her feet. It was a short olive-skinned woman, muscular and tanned, with a long braid hanging down behind her to her bottom. She was wearing a set of armour Suk-ja recognised, of Adamant, and her cap which had fallen to the ground had officer insignias. Luciana, I think? Wasn¡¯t she at the construction site... oh...


    Luciana grabbed her cap, dusted it off and set it on her head, before with a grin she pulled out her own weapon, a heavy pistol. Calmly, she took aim and squeezed the trigger, and one by one, men and women who were attacking fell, her own shots far more accurate and ruthless than the assailants.


    ¡°There¡¯s a sniper! Sniper!¡± Suk-ja desperately searched for an English world, and she hoped she had it right.


    Luciana trilled a melodic response, and Suk-ja was frustrated, but then Ixitt, who seemed to have mastered a great many languages, translated. ¡°She says thanks. Any ideas where? Oh... perhaps it will not matter...¡±


    As she watched on dumbfounded, a tall, muscular bald man in a suit, which seemed to be a Troll, of all things, roared out in rage and rushed towards the man wielding flames. Fireballs bombarded him, and the sniper did indeed shoot, which Luciana didn¡¯t miss, her brown eyes narrowing as she spotted the distant flash of the muzzle. Grulgor¡¯s arm was pierced, but he barely seemed to notice, and the hail of fireballs had steam rising from him, but all he did was grin balefully, his yellow eyes furious.


    ¡°You have done well.¡± Ixitt replied, bringing up a multi-barrelled contraption looking like a comical minigun. ¡°Though it seems Akio will be footing the bill for some... redecoration.¡±


    With that, a loud whining sound rang out, and his gun whirred, numerous storms of bullets, each glittering with wind energies and accelerating rapidly, cutting into the ranks of the enemy. In the face of that assault, even the fanatics were starting to waver, all except the man with the flamethrower, who unleashed it at Grulgor, only to have it destroyed by a mighty punch, even as a torrent of flames engulfed the Troll.


    That didn¡¯t stop him though, as Grulgor burst free, and as another bullet punched him in the skull, he bellowed, somehow surviving it, the spent shell bouncing off, even as it cratered in his forehead, nearly pushing one eye out. Luciana then was shrouded in jade energies and sprinted towards the distant sniper, creating a cloud of obscuring dust with the ruby hue of earth element, and Suk-ja was left rather at a loss. Do I... need to do anything else now?


    Ixitt, who had finished gunning down the packed ranks of the insurgents, merely smiled at her, switching to a smaller weapon, with which he ruthlessly shot down the fleeing enemies, though those which had abandoned their weapons he only struck in the legs, disabling them. ¡°Do not be concerned. You did well, protecting Asha¡¯s Tree here. Buildings can be restored, but life... it cannot. Now... fortunately one of the initial sites for the tunnel network is here, so it did not take us too long to run here. Though Grulgor picked me up, Luciana too. It was quite the discomforting conveyance. Certainly swift, though.¡± He chortled self-deprecatingly, continuing to snipe. ¡°It will be better when the maglev trains are in place. But for now, they are already proving their worth...¡±


    Suk-ja nodded, her empty stomach and burned throat from her earlier vomiting hitting her now her adrenaline was running dry. Glancing at the burning buildings, feeling the heat sting her skin, she nodded. Yes, I¡¯m grateful. Else... else I¡¯d have had to do something about those two myself... but, Ji-ho-oppa, I think I can say I carried the pride of the Inevitable Victory today...


    ***


    Fifth - ???????????? - Somewhere in Romania


    ¡°You look terrible.¡± The old woman, her hair a few strands of white, clinging to a wrinkled scalp, said compassionately. Her blue eyes were still keen, despite being buried in pale, wrinkled cheeks, and as the woman bustled about, wearing a plain, undyed long-sleeved and hemmed dress of wool, the girl managed a faint, embarrassed smile, careful to keep her mouth shut.


    Glancing at the window of the dilapidated, isolated shack she found herself in late at night, she looked at her reflection in the meticulously clean glass. Her eyes narrowed, and she felt shame at her appearance. Not her physical appearance, for she was tall, slender, with perfect proportions, and her hair was long and a stunning rose-gold, yet seemed to shimmer a metallic red when caught under the lights of the shack. Her eyes too, they were captivating, she had been told, long ago, though to her, it almost seemed an insult, and she had dismissed the speaker as trying to curry favour with her, or win her over. I was wrong of course. As to the motives, anyway...


    No, she was ashamed by the fact her alabaster skin was smeared with dirt and grime, her gorgeous hair lank, tangled and messy, and the lace dress she wore was barely fit to be rags, her golden necklace and all but two of her rings lost now. Her long, almost sharp fingernails were caked with filth, and though they could not be seen, her undergarments had seen better days as well.


    ¡°...when I saw you outside, I thought perhaps you were a moroaica?, a vengeful ghost, come for me.¡± the old woman continued, as she warmed some soup on a stove, and poured out a generous measure of a rich-smelling drink, the scent of plums enticing. ¡°Out so early in the morning, before the sun has even risen. You¡¯re lucky these old bones don¡¯t need much sleep anymore, and I was awake reading. Why, when you collapsed at my door...¡±


    The language was different to what she remembered, but the girl was a quick student, she had always been praised for that, before. And it was one of her gifts. Back then, she spoke nearly twenty languages, and could learn another in a week, so piecing together the changes were easy. What wasn¡¯t was keeping her mouth shut, as the smells were making her drool a little, and then her stomach gurgled, shockingly loud in the confines of the small hut. Flushing faintly, she wished she had a hole in the ground to bury herself in blissful silent darkness, but she had nowhere to hide, so she simply covered her face with her hands.


    ¡°None of that.¡± The old woman chuckled. ¡°No shame in being hungry, and... my cooking is good, if I do say so myself, and... I make my own T?uica?, right here from the orchards around this valley.¡± She tapped the pretty, decorated cup the drink was in, and it made a rhythmic, ringing sound. ¡°Now girl... eat up. No sense is ever said on an empty stomach, and on a full one, we have leisure to ponder.¡±


    She brought over the soup and the little cup. ¡°Now, drink up. You¡¯re not as young as you first look, are you, my dear? A woman, not a girl as I first thought.¡±


    The girl nodded. Yes, I am no child. Perhaps I never was. Taking a sip, careful not to show her mouth, her eyes widened at the taste, new yet somehow nostalgic, and her beautiful green eyes, which also seemed to contain a metallic lustre when the light hit them just right, that of a deep hepatizon alloy, widened involuntarily.


    Seeing that, the old woman was pleased. ¡°Yes, my T?uica? is simply the best tonic for a weary mind and body. And a guest, no matter whether invited or not, should always have a cup. Don¡¯t forget the soup now, dear. Alcohol on an empty stomach isn¡¯t wise.¡±


    She nodded, finishing her cup, before eagerly drinking the soup. It was rich and beefy, and tasted faintly of metal, which further increased her flow of saliva, though it also had a very strong vinegary tang which made her sensitive nose wrinkle. Seeing that, the old woman grinned, and it was a wicked one for her age.


    ¡°Beef tripe soup will put some meat on your bones, my dear. The tripe helps stimulate strong muscles and bones. You¡¯re rather too scrawny, my dear, although...¡± she looked her up and down. ¡°...it seems that might not always have been the case. You¡¯ve a good height on you, so when you fill out again... you¡¯ll be fending off the boys, yes. Or...¡± Seeing her ragged state, clothes torn and ripped, she frowned. ¡°...maybe that¡¯s not to your liking. My apologies. I won¡¯t think any less of you, even if you were a woman of a certain profession. No different to selling labour, if you ask me.¡±


    The girl was slightly offended, but continued to drink the soup. Finally, she put the mug down, and nodded politely, before covering her mouth with one hand. ¡°I... thank you for the meal. And for the shelter.¡± It was hard for her to form the words, and her accent was rather... archaic, but she managed. ¡°I am... not that. I have more pride... but... I look like a beggar, and come bearing little. But... again, I have my pride. My...¡± Her face twisted, and faint tears trickled from her eyes, their colour now a blueish-green. ¡°... no. I must not cry. I shall not cry.¡±


    As the woman looked on in sympathetic silence, the girl pulled off her smaller golden ring, placing it on the table. ¡°Here. I have no coin. But this is gold, and the rubies are real.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take that. It¡¯s clearly important to you.¡± The old woman shook her head. ¡°Besides, just for some soup, T?uica? and shelter... I have pride too, little girl.¡±


    ¡°No, only one ring matters.¡± The girl disagreed. ¡°Take it. If... it is too much, do you have water? I... I stink and am covered in filth, grave dirt. And... perhaps... a change of clothing? These... are not fit to be seen in.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± The woman looked her up and down. ¡°Winter is coming, and you¡¯ll catch your death in those rags. A bath I can do, and... if you can wait a few hours, I can let out some of my old clothes. Goodness knows I hardly need a full wardrobe of them nowadays. I barely wear anything but dowdy wool dresses unless it¡¯s the twice a month I make the trip out to the city for supplies and to sell my produce. No family left to visit me, you see. So... unexpected though this was, it¡¯s nice to have company.¡±


    ¡°It is nice. Yes.¡± The girl agreed, nodding, relieved now that the ring was taken, as the old woman scooped it up. ¡°It has... been long. For company that I wished for.¡±


    ¡°Like that, huh?¡± The old woman nodded knowingly. ¡°Now, forgive me for being rude, dear, but you have a beautiful face, even if you¡¯re currently rather pale and gaunt, as though you¡¯ve not seem the outside in a long, long time. So... why hide your mouth? I can think of a few reasons, but... well, men can be cruel, and if a girl bites... don¡¯t worry. Dentists nowadays can do miracles, girl, with implants and such. You might not be able to afford them, but one day... dentures are also very convincing, and cheap.¡±


    Dentist, dentures? The girl tilted her head, puzzled, before understanding her meaning. ¡°I told you... it was not that. My... my teeth are just a little odd, is all. I... am self-conscious. Father told me never to show them to others carelessly. Father...¡±


    Seeing the girl sink into regrets, the old woman nodded, feeling rather ashamed. ¡°I see. Well, dentists can do wonders. A goal to save for, yes? But... even with that, you¡¯re a beauty under the muck, I wager. So... just smile. I promise not to be disgusted. Consider it payment for another favour, and I¡¯ll drive you into the city later.¡±


    ¡°Drive? Oh, a carriage. I do not smell horses, but...¡± the girl began, and when she received an odd response, she coughed, and lowered her hand gingerly. Her lips curved into a smile, and the old woman frowned, before laughing.


    ¡°I see. Odd indeed. I would assume you were playing a prank on me, girl. Except for your state when you arrived on my doorstep. So, are you sure you aren¡¯t a moroaica?, a strigoi, here to drain me dry?¡±


    At the second term, Strigoi, the girl trembled, eyes wavering. ¡°I am not one to repay hospitality with ingratitude. I swear it.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I was just joking, anyway... such things don¡¯t exist... I would have said, would you have asked me a few weeks ago. But what with that mess in Britain. I was shocked. It was all everyone talked about in the city. Makes me think I should have a satellite dish installed for television.¡±


    I do not understand her words. But...it seems something happened, somewhere far away? Seeing that confusion, the old woman explained, and the girl listened intently. When the story was told, the girl nodded. I see. Others... like the one...


    ¡°Well, enough of this. No need to be shy. Help yourself to the shower.¡± The woman ushered her into a small room, neatly tiled on walls and floor, with a small tub. The girl looked around for the stove to heat the water, only for the woman to give her a strange look.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t have amnesia or something like that, do you?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°I... am just not used to bathing alone.¡±


    ¡°What are you, some runaway rich girl? Might explain a lot. Maybe you will bring trouble to my door. But... by evening you¡¯ll be on your way. Here, I¡¯ll wash you. Give me those rags, girl. Oh, wait, I can¡¯t keep calling you girl. I¡¯m Valeska. You?¡±


    ¡°I am... Ileana.¡± She replied slowly. ¡°A moon that illuminates.¡±


    ¡°A lovely name. rather old-fashioned, but then... not all the past is bad.¡± As she was stripped off, Ileana shivered a little. She then watched in fascination as the strange metal devices poured out instant hot water, no servants required. Soon, she was soaking in the small tub, Valeska washing her hair. She luxuriated in the feeling, though when she saw how black the water turned with her filth, she flushed a little again, the barest pink in her alabaster skin.


    ¡°There, all done.¡± A sudden sound roaring by her ear when she left the bath made her jump, warm air on her skin. She tensed, nails out, hissing, only to see Valeska holding a strange, loud object.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never seen a hairdryer, with hair such as yours? And I thought I lived without much luxury.¡± Valeska snorted.


    ¡°I... someone else always dried my hair.¡± Ileana huffed defensively. ¡°I thank you for this kindness.¡± She luxuriated in having her hair combed out straight, and then strange clothes were laid out for her, a pair of male pants, in a durable blue fabric with what looked like brass buttons, as well as a loose-fitting shirt.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to give me time for the rest.¡± Valeska gestured with her undergarment, a corset shift, which was woefully stained and even torn in places, the cloth rubbed to near see-through. Once more Ileana flushed, thinking of being seen in that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any old-fashioned undergarments. You¡¯ll have to make do. The panties I can make work, but the bra... I¡¯ll see what I can do...¡±


    Pulling on the pants, which Valeska called jeans, Ileana did up the buttons. It was a tight fit, and she felt uncomfortable in more ways than one, but they did look durable. Loosely buttoning up her shirt, she felt the pleasure of being clean for the first time in so long. Taking another cup of T?uica?, and snacking on some spiced beef jerky, her stomach was full too, and the inside of the small house was warm.


    Spoiler


    [collapse]


    It may not have grandeur, but it is certainly paradise compared to my recent troubles. Pouring herself another cup of the plum liquor, Ileana froze, her keen smell and hearing picking up someone, no, many people approaching. Then there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Oh, two visitors in one day. What a shock.¡± The old woman stood up. Ileana wanted to bid her stay her hand, but there was no point, as they were all around the house now. The door opened, and outside was a man, a man she recognised. You, monster of that hated God...


    The man was handsome, she had to admit. Though that was tempered by the cold, judging expression on his face. With close-cropped brown hair, olive skin and piercing brown eyes, he looked like a handsome courtier, except for the thick chainmail he wore, white surcoat draped over it, and the heavy, flanged mace he carried that weighed more than an ordinary man could wield. He was leaning on a shield in the shape of a wagon wheel, and as the door opened, he bowed.


    ¡°My apologies for the intrusion. I am Judge Alexandru Ardelean, and I mean you no harm, good woman. Instead...¡± His eyes searched the room behind her, and as he met Ileana¡¯s gaze, his cold expression turned almost benevolent, and his grip tightened on his mace. ¡°...it seems I¡¯ve found you, wicked, Godless spirit who should have stayed in her grave. We found the others, exhumed them and consigned them to the fires, but you... you can run, little rabbit. You can certainly run...¡±


    For a moment, Ileana trembled, fear of her endless pursuer striking her dumb, then she hissed, fight-or-flight instinct kicking in, and aether surged, her blood boiling within her...

 Announcement – no chapters for several weeks

    Announcement ¨C no chapters for several weeks


    As I''ve mentioned before, my father was seriously ill. Unfortunately now he has passed away this morning, so for a couple of weeks I will be too busy to write and I don''t exactly feel in the mood anyway...


    I''m available on discord still if you need anything, or just want to reassure yourself I will be back. Which I will. I know hiatus'' makes people fear, but this should be a rather short one in the grand scheme of things...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Three – Impacts

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Three ¨C Impacts


    Mariam Samuelian, Shirohebizumi Shrine, Tokyo


    I... need to report this. But... Mariam was surrounded by shocked onlookers, the teeming mass of people being kept back by a heavy police presence, as flames spiralled up on the hill where Shirohebizumi shrine was located. From here gunshots and explosions could be heard, and figures moving with truly inhuman speed and grace were battling.


    ...what can I say? Mariam glanced down at her phone. Unlike those around her, she wasn¡¯t filming the scene, but instead was torn. She had received a call earlier from Director White, and it seemed that Christina had notified him that she was exposed to Akio. She had been expecting a recall order, but instead he had bidden her continue with her mission to observe the training school and any others around the shrine, as well as... I can hardly believe it, I was sure Director White would dispose of her, and I do not believe the Director is so gullible to be fooled by her charade of being in a romance with Akio. He looks like he is holding a snake when he is with her.


    That aside, it seemed that Christina would be returning to Japan, and he needed trusted eyes on her, lest she cause further problems. The whole situation is a damnable mess.


    ¡°Everyone stay calm and remain behind the barricades!¡± An Officer was shouting through a megaphone. The steps up to the shrine were cordoned off, dozens of tense police holding back the crowds, even as they flinched and cowered at the roaring of heavy weapons and explosions. Sooty ash was falling like snow, and Mariam winced as her eyes could see the swirling colours of spiritual powers shining. A great rain of fireballs poured down from the flames, barraging the hillside, and she was glad she wasn¡¯t involved.


    ¡°The army is on route to pacify the situation!¡± the Officer shouted, trying to maintain order, as the growing crowd was starting to press against the barricades. Mariam heard many mutters about magical powers and so forth, apparently rumours about the shrine had spread widely. Abgeh! Idiots, the lot of them! If she had a choice, Mariam would still be sightseeing, or enjoying a nice late lunch. No, instead she was here, following orders. Well, he who pays the bills chooses the meal, yes?


    Another bright explosion, a fountaining cascade of rock and stone rippling into the air, and even from here with ordinary eyes it was visible, the crowd gasping and clapping like it was a fireworks display they were apparently so fond of in this country. Narrowing her eyes, she could make out a fierce battle going on between a powerful, bald-headed man, who to her mysterious eyes seemed inhuman, and a blonde, Western man. Others were fighting too, and gunfire and grenades were being exchanged liberally.


    ¡°It is like a warzone.¡± Mariam muttered, slipping back through the crowd, going against the flow. Dialling the Director, even knowing it would be late at night there, she figured he would either still be awake, or wouldn¡¯t mind the interruption. Moments later she was proved right, as the phone connected.


    ¡°Scryer. What is it? An...¡± his words were drowned out by distant booms. ¡°...emergency? I¡¯ve got reports of worldwide trouble. You¡¯re not the only one... is that gunfire?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the shrine is under attack, it is chaos!¡± Mariam declared urgently. ¡°It is like a scene from that war film... with... that actor... Tom Hanks, yes, Tom Hanks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about saving any Private.¡± the Director shot back. ¡°How did they get that many guns into Japan? Even for us it would prove troublesome... anyway, good job calling me, Scryer. I¡¯ll be sure to let Akio know, though he probably is already aware. He has his means. But showing willing costs us nothing.¡±


    It seems he is on better terms than I imagined. Perhaps Christina, no... surely not. ¡°So, Director, what should I do? I could offer my aid to the survivors...¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea.¡± the Director mused. ¡°Since you¡¯re a known quantity now. And getting close might glean some insights. More to the point...¡± The phone suddenly cut off, and Mariam stared dumbly at the cracked screen as it fell to pieces, blood spraying on the smashed device.


    My... my hand? What...


    ¡°You¡¯re not on the list.¡± English words, rare here, sounded beside her, a man speaking. He was fairly non-descript, the sort of ordinary, dark-skinned Western man one could see anywhere, brown hair, hazel eyes, standard build. He was wearing a white shirt and white jeans, an unusual combination, such usually being seen as more feminine.


    Oh, I see. Panic has set in me. I am not much of a fighter. Staring dumbly between the man and her missing three fingers, she ground her teeth, trying to resist the pain. Stupid Christina, this is all her fault. If she was here, I would show her the back of my hand, across the face. Hands... Feeling sick, she grunted out a single word. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The crowd hadn¡¯t noticed, too intent they were on the spectacle on the hill, and she had moved away to make her call. ¡°I should be up there, attacking the so-called shrine, but... I thought... have you heard the saying, when the cat pounces, the mice scatter, even the ones it does not chase? And it seems by the Lord¡¯s wisdom, I was right.¡±


    He was idly waving a finger at her, and to her eyes, it was covered in a glowing green aura. It surged again, and blood bloomed, her own casual jumper ripped. Stifling a groan, she turned away, only for the man to chuckle. ¡°Going somewhere? I fear I am not one who the Angels of the Ninth Heaven came to bless, but... I have learned.¡± Bolts of green pierced her thigh, ripping through her skirt, and as she screamed, some in the crowd turned.@@@@


    Seeing the wounded, bleeding woman, several rushed over, but Mariam desperately waved them away, knowing to get them caught up in this would be disastrous. I have a conscience. It is why I was happy to offer the poor, abducted souls my aid. But... I also have no wish to die here...


    ¡°Run! Run away... he is a... terrorist!¡± Mariam yelled as loudly as she could, though as she spoke very little Japanese she had little hope they would understand.


    ¡°No, I am a martyr!¡± the man grinned. He pulled out an assault rifle from behind his back, grinning maliciously. Seeing that, the crowd scattered, screaming. ¡°And I shall sit beside the Lord when the Ninth Heaven descends...¡±


    ¡°Police! Do not move!¡± Sadly, only one of the men who were keeping order had a gun, and with a laugh the man in white opened fire. The policeman fell, as did several beside him, and though they wore ballistics vests, they were still badly injured, Blood spilled, joining ash on the steps towards the shrine, and the man laughed manically.


    ¡°Step aside, if you wish to live! I am only here for this little rat!¡±


    ¡°How rude...¡± Mariam was grateful for the grace of Anahit as it strengthened her body enough that she could keep going, despite her injuries. I... If I do not die here, I can fix my injuries. But... where can I go? ¡°I am no... rodent.¡±


    A policeman stumbled, blood scattering as flickers of green energy slashed at his face, blinding him. The man in white chuckled, his gunfire striking sparks off the barricades and parked cars. ¡°No, you who accepted the damnation of false Gods... I was far too cruel... to the rats!¡±


    ¡°You will... die here.¡± Several of the men in the crowd seemed ready to try and help the police, but when one fell howling, shot in the thigh, that was enough heroics for the mob, not that Mariam blamed them. ¡°You cannot hope to... escape. The army is coming.¡±


    ¡°No, I am merely one of many.¡± The man agreed, surprising her, his expression almost cheerful. ¡°This task... the losses are necessary. Though, nobody wishes to die.¡± Mariam had no real familiarity with guns, but she was aware that magazines only held a limited number of bullets. Slowly, ever so carefully, she slid backwards, even as she distracted him with talk, though as he did explain, he was lashing her with cutting blasts of green. They scored through her clothing, slicing scars into her flesh, and she bit down hard, keeping in her cries, which seemed to excite the man more.


    ¡°Yes, to return in glory is a dream. But... even in death, so long as we accomplish our goals... the Linked Angel shall claim our noble souls and return our borrowed strength to the worthy! Sacrifices to ensure our triumphant victory are not sacrifices at all!¡±


    ¡°But... why me?¡± She was stalling, the uncomfortable feeling of blood in her sneakers squelching with every step making her nauseous. Or no... is that the pain?


    ¡°There is no reason.¡± He chuckled, raising his gun, and by her count, there could only be a handful of rounds left. ¡°Simply that I could tell you were a sinner, and leaving you alive defeats the point. Crush this nest of vipers, salt the earth, cut root and branch, so that the tree of rebellion here is pruned before it becomes a greater danger.¡±


    ¡°That is simply... oh, Kna konvir! You mindless fanatic!¡± she retorted, hating that her life was likely to be cut short just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, the same could be said for many poor souls that the Director renditioned. It was not my doing, I did what I could for them, but perhaps... this is my fate? Anahit... am I done? No... all I need is one chance... he has a gun, but I have my Anahit-given strength...


    ¡°Mindless? Your words are wind, signifying nothing. And I have dragged this out far too long.¡± He squeezed the trigger, and Mariam threw herself backwards, spinning. Several bullets grazed her, and another pierced her shoulder, striking bone, but then the gun clicked, empty. Wind flensed her, and fragments of her brown hair scattered, trimming it short and ragged, one ear flying off, her cheeks laid bare to the bone. Despite the agony, Mariam sprinted, though the effort was agonising, even while using Anahit¡¯s power to start healing herself and restoring her torn flesh and muscles.


    ¡°Oh, you are trying to... escape?¡± the man in white seemed shocked, as he realised her intentions.


    If I run into the suburbs, he will hunt me down. No, into the battlefield is my only hope now. If... if they win... She rammed through the temporary barricades, wincing at the painful impact. Only a few police remained, many of them giving emergency first aid to their comrades who had been shot, crying out desperately for help. The man cursed, chasing her as he started to reload, and Mariam looked up towards the blazing battlefield that was the shrine. It is so near, yet... so far...


    A distance of a few hundred metres uphill, ordinarily she would find that nothing but a brisk stroll, but now, it seemed endless. She tried her best to run, though one leg wasn¡¯t bearing her weight well. Green bursts of energy continued to beat at her, and she stumbled, any second expecting to hear the click that was her death sentence, that of a fresh magazine being inserted. Then something tugged at her shorn hair and mutilated ear, and moments later a loud boom echoed.


    ¡°I... go... to...¡± A gurgling, damp voice echoed out, and she risked glancing back, only to see that the man in white was now the man in red, as his clothes were soaked with his own blood, a crater in his chest. He was on the ground, and the life went out of his eyes, his final words unheard.


    Breathing a damp, iron-tainted sigh of relief, blood trickling from her lips, Mariam considered turning back, only to see a man carrying a heavy gun of a design she had never seen before. He was white-haired and wore strange, goggle-like glasses, and had many pouches and pockets sewn on his durable clothing. It seemed like he was injured too, but was paying it no mind. Seeing that, Mariam pressed on. I am committed now. And...


    The battle was ferocious, but at least she knew from her own covert investigations what sort of people lived at the shrine. They would shelter her, if they won, and if not... I would not survive if others such as the poor, deluded dead Eh Shoo Dtsak, are lurking. Sometimes, danger is the safest place.


    ¡°I thank you... for your aid.¡± Mariam gasped, as he grabbed her, before tossing her unceremoniously to a young Asian girl.


    He said something in an Eastern language, not Japanese, and the girl nodded, tapping her chest proudly, before managing some terrible English. ¡°I... take after. You safe!¡±


    ¡°I hardly feel safe, but...¡± Heat was stinging her many wounds, and the smoke was making her gag, but looking around, she could see that the battlefield had devolved into two major battles, most of the attackers as dead as the one she left down below. The bald, muscular brute was exchanging fierce blows with the blonde man, flames surging into him, which then somehow were doused with water.


    As well, a pretty, petite woman with the grace and agility of a panther was darting through the chaos and the fires, knife and gun in hand, engaging in a brutal cat-and-mouse with an Asian man armed with a dreadful assortment of heavy firepower. Even as she watched, the woman pounced on a couple of fleeing men, knife tearing through one throat, gunshot to the head dispatching the second ruthlessly.


    Squeezing shut her eyes, Mariam coughed, then she swallowed, as something was put in her mouth, leaking cold, clean water. Swallowing, she opened her eyes again, to see the girl placing a plastic bottle to her lips. Gratefully, she nodded, her eyes on the battles that would decide whether she would join her would-be murderer in death...


    A brief squirming sensation was felt in her stomach, and despite her willingness to truly fight her whole life, she felt the sudden weight of it, the fact that she had taken a life. No, not a life. I have taken lives before. She had killed in the Boundary, and many of those had intelligence, emotions, even if they were monstrous. But this was a fellow human.


    The taste of iron on her lips seemed to burn her, and her breath came fast, far more rapidly than her exertion should have merited, especially now. I was prepared for this day. But... Her hands trembled a little on the hilt of her treasured sword, but with an effort of will she pushed it down, focussing on what was important. It is not just me who has faced this. Akio has made this choice. Shiro too. Shaeula... she is not human, as we understand it, but... she is as human as any of us in terms of her emotions, hopes and dreams. No, I cannot falter now. Not realising tears were trickling down her face, she bit her lip as she caught up with Natsumi and Katsuki-san, who had entered the classroom, from which sounds of screaming and tears could be heard from multiple voices.


    The door...  The security door had been breached, the thick metal and composite fibre alloys which were resistant to heavy weapons useless, a large hole having been bored through the locking mechanism, likely by one of the dull explosions they had heard earlier. Shaped charges, I imagine.


    Motoko was a Tsumura, and while her brother was on the military track, she had always expressed an interest in the army, and so was aware of a lot of weapons and strategies. Grandfather always indulged her, even if her mother was despairing of her unladylike interests. If they are using military-grade equipment then the safety shelter is nothing but a coffin. No, we must... go on the offensive.


    Blinking away tears, steeling herself, Motoko saw that inside the classroom there was chaos. Natsumi had joined the attack, her own Twin sword dancing, driving back an enemy. A second foe was engaging two other opponents, one of which was Kozue, who was fighting with an assortment of daggers and long needles. She had been wounded, but was still calm. Good... Honoka-sama is unhurt... The granddaughter of Fujiwara-sama was watching, horrified, as battle raged. Beside her, the teacher in charge of her class lay unmoving and soaked with blood, and there were several other small bodies too.


    ¡°Mizuki!¡± Katsuki-san cried out, on seeing her younger sister. She was in a terrible state, one eye missing, a slash having laid her face open to the bone, and she was also bereft of fingers on her left hand, and she had been stabbed a multitude of times, the front of her uniform torn open, blood soaking it down to her long skirt. Despite that, she was struggling desperately against another opponent in black, this one seemingly female, short yet fast.


    ¡°Run... away, big sister!¡± Mizuki-san coughed, red on her lips. ¡°They... mess with your head... there¡¯s... more...¡±


    Motoko spun, and her blade clashed with a pair of knives, already covered in blood, and that made Motoko pause, her feelings of guilt at her lethal battle vanishing. This day will go down in history as a grave one. For their blades to already be crimson...


    ¡°You¡¯re fast...¡± one said in decent Japanese. ¡°...but everything is a test. Your defeat will lead us closer to the glory of Iblis!¡±


    ¡°Is killing young girls glory?¡± Natsumi spat, as she shouldered aside the opponent she was fighting. There was a brilliant flash, only Motoko understanding, and the assassin dropped bonelessly, a vile stench of burned meat filling the air. ¡°You want to fight, fight us, who know what we¡¯re doing!¡±


    ¡°The Son and Daughter command it. We obey.¡± The speaker chuckled, though to Motoko¡¯s ears it sounded forced. ¡°And nobody cries when the lion preys on the antelope. There are always predators, and always... prey!¡±


    A surge of aether flooded out, though it had similarities to Qi. Kozue staggered, but gritting her teeth so hard her gums bled, she threw a needle. Her attacker batted it away, only for Mizuki to slam into him from behind, despite her strength ebbing away. An elbow shattered her nose, stunning her, but instinctively her arms clutched the assassin. He flipped the knife, once more stabbing her, but Natsumi again called upon light element, and he toppled, even as Katsuki-san was screaming. She rushed over, grabbing her mortally wounded sister, tears spilling from her eyes.


    ¡°Mizuki! Mizuki! Mizuki!¡± she wept, only for the younger girl to manage a bitter smile, blood frothing on her lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... want to die. How... stupid this is. But... I was the first to see them. I guess... the old tales... weren¡¯t all talk. The Takakura... family is special.¡±


    ¡°You... fuckers!¡± Motoko never swore, it was hardly befitting of a daughter of Tsumura house, but she knew soldiers did a lot, and now she understood why. Her rage was white hot, and yet her mind was cool, her training of long years forcing her to remain calm. Pushing herself beyond her limits, she surged forwards. Light element can finish this quickly, but... we do not have endless reserves. There are surely more attackers... best to end this with steel if I can...


    A thrown kunai from Kozue was batted aside by one assailant, but it distracted him long enough. Motoko surged forwards, the more spacious classroom giving her an edge. Her blade shimmered as she swung it at superhuman speed, a glittering web of slashes forming a perfect cage, cutting off her opponents moves like a brutal game of shogi.


    The assassin that spoke tried to flank her, but Natsumi charged, kicking a desk at them, making then back up. That was all the opening Motoko needed, and following the ruthless teachings of Master Ulfuric, who had helped them hone the Arts into a true tool for killing, Motoko¡¯s blade struck three times in quick succession, throat, heart and groin.


    ¡°The Son and Daughter will be displeased. Three dead in...¡±


    ¡°Four!¡± Natsumi declared, a thrown kunai from Kozue suddenly wreathed with Natsumi¡¯s wind, changing directions and slamming into the head of the attacker. There was a sickening crunch, and the foe dropped, blood and other liquids scattering.


    Again, the classroom erupted into screams, everyone panicking, but Motoko and Natsumi remained calm and took charge. ¡°Natsumi. Get everyone up and moving... the shelter will not be safe, but staying here is madness.¡±


    Natsumi nodded, clapping her hands. ¡°All right. I know it¡¯s bad, but... everyone, get up. Those of you who have had Chirurgery, grab the injured and... the others.¡± She swallowed, and Motoko knew she wanted to avoid saying the word. ¡°Kozue, can you still fight?¡±


    The small girl nodded, clutching at her scarf, white knuckles betraying her unease as she glanced at Honoka-sama, who nodded slowly. ¡°Yes... yes.¡± Her words firmed up. ¡°I am a bodyguard, I can do my duty. These injuries are nothing.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Motoko praised, kneeling down beside the dying Mizuki-san and weeping Katsuki-san, heedless of getting blood on her skirt. As she did so, Mizuki opened her remaining eye, a bitter grin on her slashed face, her words both quiet and slurred, her broken nose making them indistinct.


    ¡°I¡¯m... glad. At least... they died. Screw them. Don¡¯t cry... big sister. I... hate... this. Life was... just getting fun. And now...¡± She coughed, red frothing up, and she was so deathly pale, making the crimson stand out. ¡°...look after Katsuki and Kiaria. I would... have said...¡± She was wracked with painful spasms. ¡°...that Kiaria is a cry-baby, but it seems... it runs... in the family.¡±


    ¡°Oh Mizuki...¡± Katsuki-san wailed. Motoko and Natsumi exchanged a glance, troubled.


    ¡°Yes, can¡¯t you feel a chill in the air? It¡¯s not natural.¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s up to us, but...¡±


    ¡°Akio could do it.¡± Motoko made up her mind. It was a risk, time was precious, there were clearly more attackers who had infiltrated Hanafubuki, including at least one who was making no effort to hide the aether he was giving off. Even without QI Perception, we have become far more sensitive to these things.


    ¡°Yes, but... even without his Mystic Eye, he still had some enhancements from sharing some of Shaeula¡¯s abilities at the time...¡± Natsumi warned, though she was also in agreement. ¡°So if you fail...¡±


    ¡°I would rather regret failing than live with the guilt of not trying. Though...¡± It is a risk. Using up my reserves now... but... she fought. I would not be myself if I did not respect and praise that.


    ¡°What... are you... talking... about?¡± More coughing and faint words from Mizuki-san.


    ¡°I have Ether Healing at Rank four. It should be enough. Though I do not have Akio¡¯s perception. But... Qi is an internal system, and I know the human body well... besides...¡± Motoko managed a faint smile as everyone was being gathered by Natsumi. ¡°...all I have to do is keep you alive. Scars, mistakes, further damage that is not fatal... Akio or Shaeula can restore you later. Just... I have no wish to see a brave woman die.¡±


    Mizuki-san manages a faint, pained smile then. ¡°Yes... that¡¯s... that¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way... he¡¯d let a woman with... my chest... die... the pervert. I... always... catch him.. checking me out...¡±


    ¡°Mizuki!¡± Katsuki-san gasped through her tears, shocked, and Motoko smiled warmly yet ruefully, already pouring in aether, trying to close the more grievous wounds, no matter how clumsily, replacing lost blood.


    ¡°Yes, I can hardly deny Akio is rather attracted to large chests. He is hardly alone in that, I think. Often...¡± Motoko confided, and she could see that despite the fear, the panic, the terror, those who had survived the attack were listening curiously, as Motoko¡¯s engagement was still a rather important topic of conversation amongst the noble daughters.


    I am making progress, but... I have to hurry. Enemies are closing in, there is no time for caution. Yes, trust that if I can help her survive, even if she is crippled and ruined, she can be made whole at a later time. ¡°...I worry a little. I am one of the slenderer of Akio¡¯s fiance?es. Even Natsumi here is rather more well-endowed. But I am confident I have other charms...¡±


    ¡°Besides, Shaeula would be angry if you bring it just down to breast size.¡± Natsumi giggled. ¡°Akio¡¯s a man of wide tastes, but... it¡¯s true, he does like large chests. And yours is rather incredible, Mizuki-san!¡±


    She grunted, before managing a faint smirk. ¡°It¡¯s nothing... but trouble. It gives me backache, and I¡¯ve... no idea why... I¡¯m so much bigger... than my older sister. And perverts... always gawk at... me. But... if he can save me... I¡¯ll let him... cop a feel...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you would have to leave it a few years.¡± Motoko chuckled, amused at her bravado. ¡°You are far too young for Akio. But...¡± Motoko stroked her black hair softly as she poured out her aether in a tide. ¡°...I know he would grieve if you died. So... fight, like you did before.¡±


    ¡°If... you and Akio-san can save Mizuki... then... I...¡± Katsuki-san began, clearly offering herself, and Natsumi snorted.


    ¡°Honestly, Akio has such a bad reputation. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s rapacious and insatiable. There¡¯s always been a reason. Ours were amongst the worst of all. But... if thinking that way makes you feel better, go for it. As for us...¡± Natsumi¡¯s hand was tight on Utsuroihebi twin, and Motoko knew she had to hurry.


    ¡°There.¡± After what seemed like an age but was likely only a minute or two, Motoko stood, hands and uniform soaked with blood. ¡°It is field medicine, and I fear moving you will be painful, but... you will survive.¡±


    As Mizuki-san squeezed shut her good eye and Katsuki-san started babbling in gratitude, Motoko shook her head. ¡°There is no time for thanks. Only for action. Are there any others who can be saved?¡±


    Natsumi shook her head sadly. ¡°Everyone else who is injured can hold on. They were... ruthless.¡±


    ¡°In that case... Kozue. Lead everyone towards the emergency shelter. For we...¡± Motoko exchanged a quick glance with Natsumi. ¡°...we still have work to do.¡± Taking a life is not a light matter, yet... we have a right to defend ourselves, to defend others who cannot take up sword, spear and bow. Tsumura Arts... they were used to protect this country, and now... they are again!

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Four – Fears and Fury

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Four ¨C Fears and Fury


    ¡°Good afternoon, our distinguished guests.¡± The lead delegate of the Ruby Group spoke into the microphone, his slightly accented Japanese amplified and spreading around the packed hall. ¡°I thank you for attending this... handover... of the renowned Tengokusentou.¡± With his expensive crimson suit and ruby jewellery, he almost looked like he was dipped in blood.


    Fujiwara-sama curled his lip in a show of annoyance, and Hinata privately agreed. Handover? This is simply extortion. Not even business. Profit is a good thing, but the best deals are those where both sides walk away thinking they got the best of it.


    ¡°It is our great honour, to return this treasured...¡± As the man continued to speak meaningless, clearly false platitudes, Hinata exchanged another glance with Shiro. The tension as palpable. At any moment, trouble was sure to break out, and they had been ready, their weapons under the antique chairs, but that momentum had been stymied by this situation, throwing them off a little.


    Hinata shifted her head a little, glancing at Nozomi and Arisa. They were both glaring at the brother of Nozomi¡¯s erstwhile fiance?, having finally realised that Nozomi wasn¡¯t loved at all, and that the Kuwahara house had been involved in the betrayal that effectively destroyed Shiraishi house. It may be heartbreaking, but at last Nozomi doesn¡¯t have to marry a man who will only exploit her and hold her in contempt. Instead, she has a bright future... assuming we don¡¯t run into a fatal problem here.


    Seeing the unease on Hinata¡¯s face, Shiro spoke up with a confident whisper, rolling her obsidian eyes at the platitude filled speech of the Ruby Group executive. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If things get troublesome Tan will take care of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about.¡± Hinata muttered back. ¡°She¡¯s... rather destructive. If the historic Tengokusentou catches fire, it¡¯ll be a disaster, and screw up my plans.¡±


    ¡°How rude.¡± One of Shiro¡¯s eyes flickered red lazily, and Hinata had to chuckle at the languid, slightly offended tone that came from her lips. For a Goddess, Tan?ha?¡¯s attitude is rather... amusing. Whether that¡¯s Akio¡¯s influence or Shiro¡¯s, it¡¯s hard to say, but I certainly find it interesting.


    ¡°I am an appreciator of beauty. My own abode, far from here, is a simple yet elegant treasure. I would not carelessly damage such a site. However...¡± Her eye narrowed, and Hinata could feel aether rising. ¡°...things can be replaced, but when a mortal perishes, their spirit is lost forever. Ordinarily.¡± Tan?ha? admitted then, and Hinata¡¯s grin broadened, as she half-listened to the rambling of the executive up on the podium.


    ¡°But relying on miracles is not a wise endeavour. There are many here who the princess wishes to prioritise. If I must burn this place to ashes to ensure their safety, then I shall sate my thirst with abandon.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s such a tsundere.¡± Shiro giggled quietly. ¡°I swore never to be one myself, but Tan¡¯s a classic case. She¡¯s worried about us. And about how Aki would take our deaths. Oh well...¡± Shiro clapped her hands quietly, just as the executive was finishing up his speech. ¡°Reckon it¡¯s time to use Ichnaea¡¯s Favour?¡±


    ¡°And now... while Hidemasa-sama is unable to attend here today, his noble father and his niece are in attendance.¡± The executive grinned at Fujiwara-sama and Miyu, with seeming good humour. ¡°Hidemasa-sama did sterling work with us to make this deal possible. A deal that opens true cooperation between the Ruby Group and our backers, and the nobility of Japan led by Fujiwara house. In these trying times, that is surely a good thing. So... Hidemasa-sama¡¯s right-hand man in these negotiations... come up and say a few words!¡±


    At that, Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend stood up, a proud expression on his face. Beside him, Aimi-san also seemed happy, and Hinata felt a brief pang of worry for her. I don¡¯t know her well, but as Akio¡¯s close friend... no, there¡¯s no reason to believe that her boyfriend is involved in any scheme. After all... he¡¯s here. But... with Hidemasa-san absent, and no phone signals...


    Shiro seemed to be equally troubled, but oddly enough, it was Mayumi who spoke up, frowning. ¡°From what I have heard, Hidemasa-sama is... eager... to get your attention and praise, Fujiwara-sama.¡±


    Fujiwara-sama nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Yes, he does crave my approval, though he does little of note to earn it. When I am watching.¡± Hinata didn¡¯t fail to notice the brief expression of pain that crossed Fujiwara-sama¡¯s face. ¡°Going against me openly would be... unthinkable. Though...¡± He glanced back at his granddaughter Miyu, who was listening intently, as Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend began his speech, thanking Hidemasa-san for his hard work in setting the table for the successful negotiations.


    Successful? We overpaid many times over. If he was in charge of Fujiwara house, they would end up like Takatsukasa house in short order. Near bankrupt. Though if I am being charitable, money was hardly the issue here.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point speculating.¡± Shiro seemed motivated by Aimi-san¡¯s potential plight, so with a surge of energy, Tan?ha? called upon her ability, and Hinata could sense the aether clearly, now she had her own powerful composite Favour. A near-invisible wave of aether radiated outwards, Tan?ha?¡¯s ruby eye glittering with rainbow lights.


    ¡°Make ready...¡± Hinata whispered, and Nozomi, Arisa, Miyu, Michiru and Kazumi all reached down, ready to grab their weapons at a moment¡¯s notice. I hope it¡¯s nothing, but... there¡¯s too much evidence to the contrary...


    ¡°As I suspected. Two possessing Divine Favours...¡± Shiro¡¯s now crimson eye narrowed as Tan?ha? whispered her findings. The red-suited men seemed uncomfortable, likely sensing the change in aether around the Tengokusentou, confirming more of Hinata¡¯s conjecture. Her expression then shifted to one of disgust. ¡°...no, not two. Five. There are those outside, and worse... they reek of the arrogant Throne.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mayumi spoke up quietly for all of them. Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend was still happily giving his speech, seeming proud of his achievements, though obviously some eyes were still on their very important group, so they had to be circumspect. ¡°Are... are they here for you, Hinata?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how. After all, I was surely beneath their notice before, and I only gained my Favour these past couple of days.¡± Hinata shook her head minutely, the sudden spike in the danger of the situation making her sweat. No, there¡¯s no need to fear. I may be new to this, and lacking practical experience, but... I¡¯ve heard of how Midas supposedly did battle...


    ¡°Those that call themselves the Throne, the Ninth Heaven...¡± Tan?ha? curled Shiro¡¯s lip in disdain at the words, as though they offended her. ¡°...have many advantages. They perhaps could have divined your new strength, or worse...¡± She paused, a grimace crossing Shiro¡¯s perfect features. ¡°...if they are aware I am here, they would balk at naught to bring me down. I have been cautious, but at times I have been forced to act... if so...¡±


    The speech had lost everyone¡¯s attention. Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend hadn¡¯t noticed, so proud and eager he was, but some of the red-clad men were clearly on edge.


    ¡°...I fear I may be a cause of trouble.¡± Tan?ha? finished. ¡°I had little intent of acting precipitously, and perhaps with Divine Possession, I have been noticed.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Shiro whispered. ¡°You¡¯ve always been needed, Tan. And if there¡¯s consequences... you¡¯ll deal with them, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Tan?ha? seemed almost offended. ¡°I have no fear of a few dogs of the Throne, and I am not alone here. Though...¡± She wrinkled her nose, and Hinata noticed a faint, sickly-sweet smell. It was Miyu who spoke up though, having also noticed.


    ¡°Do you smell that? It is rather cloying, like incense, though without any hint of subtlety. It is too sweet, like burned sugar...¡±


    Hinata nodded, though Mayumi and the others didn¡¯t seem to be able to detect it, which made her wary. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s faint, but... growing stronger. It¡¯s not poison gas, is it? I hear some of those can smell sweet.¡±


    ¡°Honoured father would never make such a mistake.¡± Michiru declared, offended. ¡°Every vent and location would have been checked thoroughly for such things.¡±


    ¡°It is not gas.¡± Tan?ha? declared, the one ruby eye she was using narrowed ominously, making Shiro appear rather comical. ¡°Not in ways you understand. It is an ability, a Favour, if you will.¡± She licked Shiro¡¯s lips, and Hinata noticed they were dry and cracked. ¡°One I recognise. Sa?ncho?ng.¡±


    Everyone seemed confused at that, Hinata included, so Tan?ha? hastily explained. ¡°The Three Worms of Misfortune. They are a spiritual affliction. This one... the second Worm, it attacks the Dantian known as the Crimson Palace, near the heart. I see. It all becomes clear to me now.¡±


    ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Hinata asked, frowning. ¡°There are too many important people here. Though if they all perish, then it will mean war with the Ruby Group... Japan¡¯s revenge will be terrible...¡±


    ¡°Though that will not bring back the dead, will it?¡± Fujiwara-sama pointed out, and uncle Kira nodded.@@@@


    ¡°Yes, the nobility would be quite paralysed, and...¡± He glanced at Miyu meaningfully.


    ¡°You do not mean that uncle Hidemasa-sama...¡± Miyu trailed off, before a stern expression crossed her beautiful, elegant face. ¡°No, I cannot turn away from difficult things anymore. I have no wish to replace Honoka-san as your heir, grandfather, and I cannot in any case, as I am merely a humble Vassal to Akio-san. But... if uncle thinks I am a threat to his ambitions...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all very well, but... what do we do? If it¡¯s some spiritual plague... shit, I¡¯m getting Hyacinth flashbacks...¡± Shiro was sweating, and Hinata couldn¡¯t help but agree. If we assume it is similar, then we could already be exposed and are doomed...


    ¡°Remain calm.¡± Tan?ha?¡¯s voice was stern yet quiet. Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend was still talking, though he was faltering a little, seeming to sense a change in the atmosphere. ¡°The Sa?ncho?ng are dangerous, and indeed those exposed would likely suffer death quickly, from seemingly natural causes, but...¡± Her crimson eye gleamed coldly. ¡°...this is only an imitation, an ability. So...¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re airborne, it¡¯s a shame we¡¯re short on competent wind users.¡± Hinata mused. ¡°If Shaeula was here, we¡¯d be fine.¡±


    ¡°Tan has a solution, I imagine?¡± Shiro suddenly relaxed, and Tan let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Indeed. Not a... long-term one, but it shall suffice. After all... we are the cicada, so we must deal with the mantis before us, as the oriole stalks us both from behind.¡±


    That sounds like something Daiyu would say. It¡¯s not a hard expression to understand though. But... I get why the Ruby Group might attempt this. If these Worms don¡¯t act instantly, and the causes of death are varied, heart attacks, strokes and so forth... well, it would certainly be extremely suspicious, and the nobility would surely dig into it... but with the Three Grandfathers dead, and potentially other chaos... Hinata glanced at Miyu, who nodded slowly, understanding. ...their aims would likely still be served, and if the Ruby Group is simply a front, they can disappear, their task succeeded. But... the Church of True Revelation... if they attack us here... the consequences would be ruinous...


    As Hinata¡¯s thoughts raced, Tan?ha? stood up, drawing all attention. Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend paused, frowning at the rudeness, and a number of other distinguished guests who weren¡¯t sitting with their big group also looked rather disgruntled. Tan?ha? paid them no mind, of course. Now both of Shiro¡¯s eyes and her hair were all a brilliant crimson, faint flames flickering, and the combination of Tan?ha?¡¯s immense confidence and Shiro¡¯s stunning looks made her seem like an Empress, drawing all eyes and silencing dissent.


    She opened her parched lips to speak, and her loud tone rang out. Miyu narrowed her eyes, as did Hinata, as an uncomfortable absence was suddenly felt around then, the aether levels dropping away to a bare minimum. ¡°I deny you! Abrogation!¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of...¡± one of the red-clad men began, only to freeze as Tan?ha? glared at him, licking her lips.


    ¡°You know precisely what, foolish one. Your scheme, while clever, has failed. I am She Who Thirsts, the false Sa?ncho?ng will avail you naught here. As for you...¡± She turned, glaring at another of those clad in red, likely the second Chosen, Hinata surmised. ¡°...your efforts to obfuscate are worthless. If you aim to act against us...¡±


    ¡°What... what¡¯s going on?¡± Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend asked, unable to look away from Tan?ha?, which would certainly annoy Aimi-san, Hinata supposed. He then shook himself, as though gathering his will, and glanced to where Fujiwara-sama and the others were sitting. Seeing they made no protest, he was unsure of how to proceed.


    ¡°And you would be...?¡± The red-clad man Tan?ha? had addressed ignored the confused employee of Fujiwara house, merely glaring at Tan?ha?.


    ¡°I would be one who you should never have provoked.¡± Tan?ha? tossed her long, blazing red hair. ¡°Now, yield and accept my judgement, before our uninvited guests cause further troubles.¡±


    It¡¯s time. Hinata reached under her chair, revealing her weapon, to gasps from those around them who were ordinary guests. As the others followed suit, she was actually feeling a little relief mixed in with her fear. The uncertainty is over, now for action...


    ¡°This is most irregular...¡± Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend muttered, unsure of how to proceed, when the lead figure in his red suit snorted loudly.


    ¡°It seems we have caught some bigger fish than we anticipated. Though I have no idea just what you are insinuating.¡± He tried to dissemble.


    ¡°I think you know all too well.¡± Tan?ha? snorted. Then she suddenly snapped her head around, towards the entrance of the hall, as a Fujiwara Security operative rushed in, looking alarmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency... outside...¡± He seemed panicked, quite unlike the usual well-trained calm of a professional bodyguard, and Hinata knew the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Fujiwara-sama stood, his expression calm yet furious, and he quickly began to bark orders to the security personnel in the room. Hinata looked to Shiro, no, Tan?ha?, who grinned balefully.


    ¡°You do not seem sure, little Zashiki-Warashi.¡± The maimed Kitsune, whose real name they didn¡¯t know, but who called herself Nebisuki, drawled. With her missing leg and shorn tails she cut a rather pitiful figure, but Emily still found her incredibly beautiful, and rather amusing. She then cast a glance at Hana. Though I can see why Junpei and Hana dislike her. And not for the usual reasons of beautiful women hanging around Aki. But... it seems Eri and Aki have forgiven her, so it¡¯s unfair to hold a grudge.


    ¡°I... you shut up!¡± Azuki complained. She was wary of the Kitsune, and rather defensive. ¡°I am still not very strong, all I can do is lull people to sleep, slow them down. You can hardly expect me to fight! I watch a home, look after children...¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s a bad thing to say right now. Emily felt sick with worry, and it must have shown on her face, as Taichi tried to comfort her. He wasn¡¯t a demonstrative man, especially in company, but he could be sensitive when necessary. Except with Aki, oddly enough. Taichi has some very old-fashioned views on male roles and strengths. It¡¯s so very Japanese. But... he¡¯s starting to change his views.


    ¡°We have to believe in Eri and Aiko.¡± he declared, drawing all eyes away from the dreadful news on the TV. ¡°They were confident, and... I hardly think it is misplaced. After all...¡± He stared at Nebisuki, who had the grace to look a little abashed. ¡°Eri has understood her own powerlessness before, and Aiko learned her lesson there as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you... I still don¡¯t know why we allow you to stay here!¡± Hana complained, glowering at Nebisuki. ¡°You pushed my little Eri into a life-or-death battle. She was horribly wounded and should have died!¡±


    Nebisuki¡¯s two remaining tails wagged sadly, and her fox-ears lay flat on her skull. They¡¯re so adorable. I just want to fluff them. We never had a pet, Aki and Ai hate dogs, after all, but... no, that¡¯s not important now.


    ¡°Yes. I confess it.¡± Nebisuki agreed, surprising everyone. Seeing our shock, she grinned, stretching, and her ample assets bounced alarmingly. She¡¯s bigger than me, and I¡¯m not small. Though compared to her grandmother... hah, grandmother. Tamamo-no-Mae doesn¡¯t look any older than her twenties. I still can¡¯t believe it. It¡¯d be like meeting King Arthur or Merlin from the old myths. Though Shaeula did say the Lady of the Lake was real, so... it makes me wonder... no, this isn¡¯t the time. Shaking her head to clear her rambling thoughts, Emily listened as the fox spoke solemnly.


    ¡°I indeed allowed a situation where Eri was put in great danger. After all, they were merely interlopers, who had caused the Parade much trouble. Besides...¡± Nebisuki chuckled self-deprecatingly, looking alluring even doing that. ¡°...I am a Kitsune. Chaos is in my nature. And I was starved for entertainment. After all... I believed I was to die soon. It was inevitable.¡± She glanced at Tsukiko-chan, who had remained quiet, looking after her elderly parents, as well as Hana¡¯s parents. They¡¯re terrible gossips, and honestly, hard to get along with, but... family is family.


    ¡°I too know the folly of allowing what will be to determine what is.¡± Tsukiko-chan agreed softly. Emily could hardly tear her eyes away from her. Eri was beautiful, no question, Shaeula too, the noble girls as well. Emily was proud that every one of her soon-to-be daughters-in-law were stunning, the sort of girl that any mother-in-law would be proud of. But two stood above them all, in terms of sheer, impossible perfection. Tsukiko-chan could be the avatar of a Goddess. That face, those eyes, those proportions! Aki¡¯s such a lucky boy. Who says nice guys never win?


    ¡°You would, yes, favoured of Tsukuyomi. Unlike Great Nurarihyon or most of the Hyakki Yagyo?, I have little disgust for the so-called Gods.¡± Nebisuki snickered. ¡°After all, what are they except beings with powers in excess of our own, just as we Yo?kai are to humans... well, most humans.¡± she amended. ¡°And your path was a hard one. Similar to mine, no, crueller. But just like me, you are now tied to your saviour.¡±


    ¡°Tied?¡± Tsukiko-chan shook her head. ¡°If you mean that I live purely through his Throne Of Heroes, then you are correct. However, that was my choice. Choices. I, who tried constantly to turn aside the Destined, feared the Definite, who tried to offer others choice, never believed in it myself. But... I chose this. I still find it hard...¡± She smiled at her elderly parents. ¡°...mother, father. I am unversed in the intricacies of ordinary human behaviour, of the feelings others share with one another. But I know I wish to feel them, to make up for lost time.¡±


    ¡°Tsukiko... I have no right to stop you.¡± Her father whispered. ¡°Your mother and I, we... we only saw the weight of the God you carried, your holiness. We... made mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Everyone does.¡± Nebisuki barked a laugh, chewing on the stem of her ornate pipe. It wasn¡¯t lit, and not just because they were in an enclosed bunker. After all, it had excellent air circulation systems and purifiers. No, she had stopped smoking, because Aki didn¡¯t approve of the habit, and didn¡¯t want the others exposed to second-hand smoke. It¡¯s the little cute things like that which get me. I should loathe her, but...


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly a mistake...¡± Hana pressed, infuriated. Yes, while it¡¯s wonderful to have a whole football team of daughters-in-law, it also causes friction. There¡¯s... a lot of extended family.


    ¡°I ask no forgiveness.¡± Nebisuki shook her head. ¡°And Eri herself no longer blames me. Simply put, if Eri died there, I would have died too. I am no fool. That dreadful maid, Hyacinth... no, calling her dreadful is rather cold. I find her personality amusing, she is certainly closer to being a Yo?kai in terms of temperament than a Fae. It would not have merely been the Kijo who perished under her wrath. No, I would be a decaying, rotten corpse as well, alongside many of the Parade. Though Great Nurarihyon would have punished her and Akio too, no doubt. No, we all would have perished there. But you do not care about that. I understand.¡±


    Nebisuki was pensive, and her gaze flickered to the TV. ¡°No, Tsukiko. I believe in destiny, but not quite as you do. It was all meant to be. However, that does not mean if we do naught, it would have come to pass. It was meant in that none of us could have done otherwise. I was bitter, bored and spiteful, just looking for entertainment to while away my final few years, while perhaps putting a troublesome youngling in his place. His grave, as it happened. Akio was too stubborn to back down when Eri was at stake, and she...¡±


    Nebisuki¡¯s eyes narrowed and she smiled, looking rather more like a cat than a fox. ¡°...had no qualms about fighting to the death. Just as she does not now.¡± She swung the conversation back to Hana and Junpei¡¯s worries. ¡°A myriad of events could have shifted the paths of our futures. And it may seem self-serving to only crow about the result... but after all, I am a Kitsune. I am wicked and cheeky. So... the end result is... you have naught to fear. Eri suffered, but through suffering is borne strength. She is no weak little girl.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but... look at the situation! There are guns and worse out there!¡± Hana complained, still fearful.


    ¡°You still underestimate Eri. And Aiko too.¡± Nebisuki tried to reassure Emily as well, which she appreciated. She¡¯s... got a colourful past. But I don¡¯t hold that against her.


    ¡°Mere mortal weaponry will be rather useless against them. After all, Eri holds strong bonds with Akio, bonds that empower her. I...¡± She paused for a moment, orienting her thoughts. ¡°...I spoke of Uranai¡¯s prophecy, and it is indeed true that I and all my fellow Kitsune would perish, were grandmother not to return to us, and Akio and she shelter us.¡± Her smile turned rueful then, and Tsukiko-chan seemed to have a knowing gleam in her beautiful crimson eyes.


    ¡°But prophecy and visions are seldom clear.¡± Tsukiko-chan understood. Her expression changed, now one of serious solemnity, and Emily was squealing in her heart, despite the danger outside. She¡¯s so serious, yet that contrasts with her almost girlish behaviours when it comes to romance. It¡¯s gap moe, right? No wonder Aki likes her.


    ¡°What sounds so clear and simple seldom is, yet it leads to the correct result anyway. Though... not without efforts.¡± She echoed Nebisuki¡¯s earlier words.


    ¡°Indeed. Grandmother is needed to protect Akio¡¯s seeds. He believes they are something, but...¡± She gestured to the screen, where the newsreaders were constantly giving updates on various situations countrywide and worldwide. ¡°...I believe differently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still worried.¡± Emily spoke up, understanding. ¡°I know you said that Asha will be safe with Mae, but...¡±


    ¡°Grandmother is far from her best, yet Akio has restored her with his talents.¡± Nebisuki assured her. ¡°Any threat to the Dryad will be met by her swift and furious retribution. Grandmother is wicked indeed, and terrifying, but none can harm those she chooses to protect without consequence.¡±


    ¡°I am curious to meet the Cultivators from fifteen hundred years ago.¡± Tsukiko-chan agreed. ¡°And it is a sad tale, but a heartwarming one.¡±


    ¡°Aki would go that far for you, don¡¯t worry!¡± Emily promised, and Tsukiko-chan laughed charmingly, a faint red flush on her cheeks.


    ¡°He already has. Further than I believed possible. Which is why we should trust in Akio. And also in Eri, and Aiko, and all those who fight.¡± She was resolute. ¡°That includes Tamamo-no-Mae and Asha. I believe the seeds will sprout, have no fear.¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°I can hardly wait. Grandchildren. Our grandchildren.¡± She addressed Hana, Junpei and Tsukiko-chan¡¯s parents. ¡°No matter the woman who bears them, they belong to us all. That¡¯s what Aki says. Eri agreed too.¡±


    ¡°It amuses me greatly. I am from a family more dysfunctional than most. Yo?kai are not known for family ties, and grandmother... she has shed more blood of her children and grandchildren than even our enemies. I have never considered bearing offspring myself. After all, my time was short, and grandmother left a deep impression on me when she slew many of us, sparing only me. So I find it refreshing. And a little comical. But I agree. The future only works if you all share in it.¡± Nebisuki¡¯s two tails lashed. ¡°I daresay our little Zashiki-Warashi is overjoyed. Children are their treasures.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Azuki nodded, her nervousness forgotten. ¡°Though... I wonder how Dryads will differ. Will they live in the home, or dwell outdoors?¡±


    ¡°More to the point... grandmother is caught, as am I.¡± Nebisuki smirked, chewing on her pipe. ¡°And there are none prouder than Tamamo-no-Mae, the only Kitsune whose name could not bind her until now, one of the Three Most Evil Yo?kai... though really, it should be four. She has been an Empress, and a lowly slave, a Princess, a warrior, a witch, and a prisoner. She has slain many, and dispensed mercy to others. Always at her own whim. She has watched the world come and go for millennia, and been trapped in a frozen moment for equal ages. Now...¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Emily asked, holding her breath.


    ¡°Now her path is a different one. I know my grandmother, as perhaps none but this Su Caihong do who yet live. Or perhaps Great Nurarihyon, though he seldom speaks of her. But grandmother¡¯s pride will only accept one outcome, I am certain. And she will never wish to seem weak in front of he who has caught her invisible tail. So... I pity any who try and harm Asha. Grandmother will show them that even faded glories still outshine an upstart.¡±


    She leaned back, well-satisfied, and Emily nodded in relief. ¡°That¡¯s great. If anything bad was to happen to Asha...¡± She then frowned, thinking. ¡°...but I¡¯m a little bit torn, you know? I like older women for Aki, he needs a wiser head to take care of him, but... Mae is very... experienced. I mean, she¡¯s already got grandchildren! And she likes girls too!¡±


    ¡°True. I was quite hurt when Urakaze¡¯s dear daughter called me a harlot.¡± Nebisuki chuckled. ¡°It is true we foxes are lusty, grandmother more than most, but... does that not make the man that tames us, forces us to submit, a great one? Now that I shall live.... Once I am healed, I want to settle down. Grandmother... she has been imprisoned longer than many countries have existed. Her past is her past. Some might call Akio a wicked man, for his myriad of partners...¡±


    There were some wry smiles at that, Emily included, as she nodded.


    ¡°...but we know better, yes?¡± Nebisuki finished her argument. ¡°Men do like virgins, I know. It is pleasing to the ego. But... to discard a gem just because it has been touched before is foolish, and...¡±


    ¡°I know. My Aki wouldn¡¯t be so shallow.¡± Emily nodded. ¡°But... she¡¯s Tamamo-no-Mae!¡±


    ¡°I know. A myth that shakes the world. But...¡± Nebisuki smirked. ¡°...I think it more plausible a match than the Goddess that dwells within Shiro. She is a being older even than grandmother, and more powerful, and not even from this world. Yet an experienced woman knows.¡± She winked then. ¡°Your thoughts are still mundane. Grandmother is hardly out of his reach. And... I would be pleased to see it. She has suffered much. Sinned much, yes, but... you humans believe many curious things, such as Purgatory, yes? I feel grandmother has suffered for her mistakes. And she can start afresh. Besides... should she risk herself to save Asha and his unborn children, I doubt Akio will look unkindly upon her.¡±


    ¡°I think... we should change the subject.¡± Hana didn¡¯t like talking about Aki and other women, which Emily understood. I¡¯m just grateful that Hana and Junpei are kind people who want the best for Eri. Eri¡¯s accepted it, so they have too. But... I get it. If it was Ai in a relationship with a man who had multiple girlfriends... I¡¯d probably feel the same way. But... I wouldn¡¯t have to worry. If he didn¡¯t treat Ai right, Aki would teach him a harsh lesson.


    ¡°Is... is this going to happen a lot?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°What, Aki attracting mythical beings and Goddesses?¡± Emily giggled, only to flush as Hana gave her a flat, angry look. ¡°Sorry, bad joke.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because it¡¯s not funny. I know this isn¡¯t the end of that.¡± Hana sighed, exasperated. ¡°I mean... this violence? The danger?¡±


    It was Tsukiko-chan who answered, nodding slowly. ¡°I fear so, yes. While we, as the epicentre of the changing times, will attract conflict as a lightning rod, even those who mind their own business will find trouble coming unbidden. The world has changed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying...¡± her mother said, and Tsukiko-chan comforted her, appearing mature and confident.


    ¡°It is. Yet... we have hope. Even above us now, no?¡± Tsukiko-chan shook her head. ¡°I too have a decision to make. I still retain greater potential than others. I should be one who can join the fight.¡±


    Her parents protested, but Emily, totally proud of her, stepped in. ¡°If you¡¯re sure, I think you should follow your heart. I don¡¯t really want Ai fighting. Aki neither, obviously, but... I¡¯ll support you. As will everyone else, Eri included, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Tsukiko-chan nodded, and Emily continued, looking around at those trapped in the panic room of their luxurious new mansion. I remember when we had nothing. Now we have a luxury mansion, outdoor hot springs, fancy cars... but what hasn¡¯t changed is, we have each other. No, now there¡¯s just more of us. ¡°We¡¯ve all come together for one reason. Aki¡¯s gathered us all. But that doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re a family. And we have to help each other, especially when things are tough. There¡¯s no point worrying about what can¡¯t be changed. If Tsukiko-chan says the world is going to be dangerous... well, just above our heads we can see that. But it¡¯s not just us. It¡¯s happening worldwide. So... we may not be able to fight, but we can¡¯t be a burden. Instead... we have to support our children, make sure they always have good advice, support and love.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Taichi approved. ¡°I do feel a little ashamed that the younger generation is bearing all these burdens, while we can only provide a little support doing odd jobs and secretarial work. No, it is time we showed our adult calibre. After all, it is rather hypocritical for us to complain that our children are doing dangerous tasks, if we do not step up ourselves?¡±


    As Junpei threw in his support, Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile. She was still frightened, not for herself, but for Ai and Eri, and all those in danger. But... As she exchanged a knowing glance with Hana, she made a decision herself. ...I know Taichi doesn¡¯t mean to fight, just that instead of cowering here in a safe room, it would be nice if we were more than just liabilities. I wonder... maybe we should learn Cultivation? That sounds interesting, and I¡¯m sure Daiyu would teach us... or maybe we should work on elements?


    Shaking her head, Emily knew it was a big decision to make, so... When Eri and Ai return safely, and Suzu-chan as well... we¡¯ll talk...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Five – Storms And Arrows

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Five ¨C Storms And Arrows


    Haano?bo? of the Winter North, Haru¡¯s Territory, Boundary Kyoto


    ¡°In Great Taro?bo?¡¯s name!¡± The cry rang out, and the Tengu who were flying overhead Kyoto unleashed a volley of arrows down on the invaders below. Several of the humans fell, pierced by the ritual shafts, and Haano?bo? smiled with satisfaction under her traditional crimson, long-nosed mask.


    ¡°Do not let up the assault!¡± she cried, flapping her white feathered wings to keep aloft, her long violet hair streaming out behind her. ¡°We are the Tengu of Mount Atago! We command the skies!¡±


    A cheer erupted from the throats of her forces, their own faces hidden behind their own masks, hoods and helms, though none were as detailed or as ornate as hers. In fact, Haano?bo?¡¯s mask was also chased with gold, though the metal appeared almost orange under the skies of the Boundary, matching the water element she commanded, in the name of Genbu. Her words inspired the troops, and they redoubled their assault, though at that moment attacks were returned on them, the vile mortal weapons the intruders carried barking out tongues of flame, as the metal projectiles soared into the skies like a host of droning, stinging insects.


    ¡°Futile!¡± she scoffed, as she dipped to avoid the bullets. With a wave of her hand, a dozen large javelins of water formed, before freezing into icy lances. She tossed her head, and they plummeted, piercing the attackers that had dared to fire back. In addition to that, her three strongest Tengu warriors weren¡¯t using the traditional long bows, which were similar in status to Kyu?do? Yumi, though smaller and less ornate, but they too were armed with mortal weapons, of a fashion, she supposed.


    ¡°To trespass on our lands is an affront!¡± one of the Tengu cursed, before squeezing the trigger of the... assault rifle... he held. Projectiles rained down rapidly, far in excess of the speed an archer could loose arrows, and three of the mad-eyed interlopers were cut down, the bullets bursting in bright sparks of elemental light.


    ¡°To challenge we Tengu, who rule the skies from our perch on Mount Atago, is simply folly.¡± another crowed, also firing with satisfaction. As her forces cheered, Haano?bo? shook her head, no longer the arrogant woman she once was. Defeat and humiliation will beat the arrogance out of anyone. Although... brother Arangbo? has not changed. If anything, he is more boisterous than ever.


    With the death of her two brothers... My other brother is dead, even if he perhaps lives under Great Taro?bo?¡¯s punishment... Mount Atago¡¯s defence was being left to the Spring East, and he was gleefully battling the invaders. But merely remaining passive was no option, for they had commitments, and alliances. That did not change the fact that Haano?bo? would treat these invaders with respect and use all her strength to vanquish them. I shall not be trampled underfoot, taste dirt again.


    ¡°Remain cautious. There is much strange here.¡± she warned. ¡°This invasion seems foolhardy, yet... perhaps it is just we do not see the true intent. Their ingress was also far swifter than anticipated. The great barrier that surrounds our lands was vanquished in but a moment. And their weapons... they are not trivial.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Another Tengu agreed, even as his arrow left the bow, and whistled downwards, the fletching crafted to make a pleasing and yet menacing sound in flight. It buried itself in the throat of an assailant below, and wings dipped in satisfaction as the intruder collapsed, silver and red scattering. ¡°Some have been injured by their strange tools, though luckily none have perished.¡±


    ¡°Careless.¡± another sneered, one of the few that held the new weapons provided by Akio, he who Great Taro?bo? had ceded control of Mount Atago to. ¡°We are the Tengu! We have the absolute advantage of the skies. To be caught by projectiles is shameful!¡±


    ¡°But you hold one of the new tools, brother!¡± a smaller, female Tengu argued back. ¡°You understand them better...¡±


    Haano?bo? shut out the argument, unleashing more blasts of icy projectiles down on the enemies below, though she was retaining most of her strength, in case of... accidents. In the distance, in a Territory controlled by another, though it was an ally, a great cry rang out, and a fiery bird soared up, brilliant flames surging, bathing more attackers in gleaming rays which burned them to carbonised statues.


    We rule the skies, do we? Haano?bo? frowned behind her mask once more. The Phoenix was but a chick, certainly, but even a young bird was kin to mighty Suzaku, the great Vermillion Bird of the South. Thinking of such brought sad thoughts to the forefront of her mind, remembering Shungbo?, of the Summer South, her brother who was slain by the treachery of her other brother, Fungbo?. And also...


    ¡°Thinking of your new brother, are you?¡± one Tengu cawed laughingly. Haano?bo? dipped her head and her wings, frustrated, long violet hair also hiding her crimson mask, as if she wished to further veil her face.


    ¡°Nonsense. And I am not his sister! Those are merely words...¡± Even to herself, her denials sounded weak, but she was frustrated. Fortunately, there were many interlopers below to take her ire out on, and ice rained down, slaying many, satisfying her. Though... those walking bones. Ordinary attacks, arrows and even bullets have little effect on them...


    ¡°Words Great Taro?bo? has accepted. What is said cannot be taken back.¡± the Tengu countered. ¡°Besides, he has seen your face, Winter North! Only the closest to us can see our shame. And... the Directions are unbalanced. Great Taro?bo? is the Centre, but North and East cannot hold without South and West!¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± Haano?bo? was frustrated, and indeed, she did know. And I am grateful. Even though Akio was the one who humiliated me first, trampling me to the ground, robbing me from the skies, he then did not disdain me, and fought my brothers for my pride. But... to take a new brother, not even a Tengu... besides, I have heard much talk about his blood sister...


    Haano?bo? had walked the Material world on a few occasions now, called forth by the mortal woman who possessed the power of Dreams. And it was the work of a moment to venture through the Ring Gates to Tokyo, so she did have some closeness with a number of Akio¡¯s retinue and allies. The Treetop cafe?, as they call it... the view is rather pretty. It is as if one is flying, without needing to beat our wings... She flushed, thinking of the delightful alcohol and wonderous foods she could sample there, and the barrels of it the Fae princess Shaeula had given her to bring home.


    ¡°Only Great Taro?bo?¡¯s kin can be chosen for the honour.¡± the Tengu continued, and by the set of his head, he was amused. ¡°Perhaps some distant cousins could be found with the skill to accept South and West, but... your new brother has flames worthy of Suzaku indeed, and Great Taro?bo? himself has declared him worthy. And conveniently... it seems that his other sister possesses a golden metal. Gold is the most perfect of all metals, and thus she perhaps is worthy so carry the will of Byakko and the West.¡±


    ¡°I know all that!¡± Haano?bo? shouted, frustrated, only to wish she hadn¡¯t as the other Tengu chortled at her discomfort. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. ¡°Words said by Great Taro?bo? cannot be disregarded. I know that! And he accepted. But I have not! Until I do...¡±


    ¡°Hoping for more?¡± one of the female Tengu under her command snickered. ¡°I have heard the rumours, as have we all. Being a sister is no bar to his tastes, it seems...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Haano?bo? wished her voice sounded more authoritative, but it was time to focus. ¡°We are the retinue of the Winter North! And we will not allow our focus to falter! Whatever my thoughts on Akio, or his ascension, if... if he succeeds in attracting Suzaku¡¯s attention, if his sister is indeed one Byakko favours... we will know soon. During their pilgrimage to the Kami...¡± The Tengu were unhappy, long having quarrelled with the Kami of Japan, but they understood that now was no longer the time for petty discord. ¡°...when they scale Mount Atago and pay homage to the Sacred Flame that burns there... the ceremonial trial shall take place. Then... we will know the answer. If... if Akio succeeds in becoming Summer South, then... it seems I shall have no choice but to submit. But for now...¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°...we are here to defend what is ours!¡±


    Swooping high into the sky, the Tengu continued to attack. On the ground bolts of energy from the Territory Defences were constantly sparking, but again, the dead creatures of bone, animated by restless spirits, were hard to bring down, many attacks passing through their hollow ribcages, or only glancing off. Haano?bo? noticed a force of defenders holding off the attackers, and she could see the Kami Prince Sho?toku there as well, though he was staying at the rear, directing the battle, and she tossed her head in disdain. He is no fighter. I should deserve more respect from Akio, for I battle fiercely! I am Winter itself!


    ¡°There is one thing I am confused by...¡± the Tengu who had teased her earlier, one of her most veteran warriors, was puzzled. ¡°...these mortals, how are they all here?¡±


    ¡°Is it unusual?¡± another asked, before clenching a fist in satisfaction as his arrow found its mark. ¡°There are many mortals that walk Kyoto, and some have even visited Mount Atago.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... they were welcomed, and guests. These... these are invaders! The oppression of this Territory should affect them far more severely!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Haano?bo? agreed. It had been bothering her as well, but considering their aim was to repel the invaders, slaying them, she had chosen to focus on that. ¡°Only those with great spiritual power should be able to endure, and these...¡± She watched as more arrows and bullets were exchanged, the Tengu coming off the victors. ¡°...seem far from Onmyo?ji or other practitioners of the Arts, or even the favoured of the Kami. No, they seem a mere fanatical rabble.¡±


    ¡°Rabble or not, they are a nuisance.¡± another Tengu complained. ¡°But we shall surely triumph here. The stronger forces seem to be in the north.¡± He nodded over to where the Phoenix was battling. In addition, there were holes forming in the sky, and great power was leaking out, bathing the attackers with destructive forces. Haano?bo? shivered as she contemplated that.


    ¡°Yes, but again they may be hiding some nefarious intentions. Best we wipe them out.¡± Haano?bo? flew up higher, casting her gaze around, until she spotted a small group of humans in white and gold robes, carrying a number of horns and other musical instruments such as harps. Listening, she could hear faint music, and it wore at her nerves, niggling at her. ¡°Over there!¡±


    As Haano?bo? flew over, followed by some of her Tengu, while the rest continued their aerial bombardment, she suddenly wheeled in the sky. A large number of walking skeletons had emerged from cover, and they were armed with bows. Arrows flashed towards her, but initially she felt they would be no danger, as she had the heights. She was soon panicking and flapping backwards though, as the arrows shimmered with strange energies, and flew as if they were the bullets these mortal guns used. Several Tengu failed to avoid them and were injured, but fortunately the arrows, despite their ferocious, unexpected power, had still slowed over the distance.


    ¡°Vile dead!¡± Haano?bo? cursed, icy javelins falling, shattering upon them, but while the skeletons slowed, they suffered little damage. It was then that the white-clad mortals below raised their horns and harps, and they began to play. What is going on?


    ¡°There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun...


    ...who rideth upon the heavens in thy help...


    ...and in his excellency on the sky....


    ...The Eternal Throne is thy refuge...¡±


    Their voices were raised in song, accompanied by haunting sounds of the harp and powerful, booming blasts on their great curled horns. It was actually beautiful, the sounds enchanting, but Haano?bo? felt danger, and so decided it was no longer time to hold back. As arrows of bone came whizzing at her, she started her own chant.


    ¡°Genbu, Lord of Winter, Master of Water, He Who Heralds Winter... I call upon the deep black ocean. Purge the unholy spirts and bring peace once more to the sacred mountain, let the cold stillness of winter and black waters reign once again...¡±


    ¡°And underneath are the everlasting arms...


    ...and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee...


    ...and shall say, Destroy them!¡±


    Their chants overlapped, and Haano?bo? was a step late, the powerful ritual of water and ice not an easy one to conjure. Sonorous sounds rang out, and a massive surge of adherence rained down on her like a cudgel. She was stunned momentarily, beginning to fall, and flapped her wings, only to note in horror that she could no longer stay aloft, the sky denied to her. Panic shone in her yellow eyes, violet hair streaming out behind her.


    The other Tengu were dropping too, and as arrows rose towards them, they fought to move out of the way. No, it cannot end like this. I shall not taste the ground again, nor defeat. Or even if I shall... I shall fall with my dignity untarnished.


    ¡°Black Water Purification: Sanzu-no-Kawa!¡± Haano?bo? howled out the finishing words of the ritual, and the great water and ice elements she had gathered surged, forming first a blanketing wall, blocking most of the incoming arrows. It then pressed down, freezing the nearby bone soldiers solid, those most affected breaking apart. Smiling with satisfaction, she continued to command the Winter of Genbu, and more and more of her enemies were wreathed in white, blue and pink ice, immobile. Even so, Haano?bo? couldn¡¯t arrest her fall, and she closed her wings and tucked in her limbs, ready to minimise the impact, when a great black slash in space opened, and she fell inside. Even as she did so, she could see her fellow Tengu suddenly wrapped in shining orbs of energy.


    ¡°This is quite the annoyance.¡± A cold voice sounded, as Haano?bo? hit the ground, only to feel no pain, as it was a springy, soft surface. She was within a sealed space, lit only by violet flames burning in ornate braziers dotted around the corners of the silent room. Blinking, she stood, realising she was free of whatever effect the musical performance of the intruders had upon her.


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Haano?bo? inclined her head politely, and the cold yet beautiful woman returned her nod, her head of raven-black hair contrasting with the blood red gown she wore, accentuating her stunning, curvaceous figure. ¡°But... the battle, my Tengu...¡±


    ¡°I should hope you are not accusing me of inadequacy.¡± the woman, Arisu, declared coldly, though there was a slight smile on her face, even if it was tinged with annoyance. ¡°I have been busy. Not only did I relinquish my Territory, but it was also impossible to get hold of White and Red. Therefore, I had to use my secondary authority to disassemble it. And it is as well that I did. I have been busy.¡± she repeated. ¡°As for your Tengu, I brought Chen Na. Her defensive shields should suffice for now. She is not the only new arrival to this mess. For now...¡±


    The space Haano?bo? was in opened, revealing the outside again. ¡°...we should take... action!¡± Arisu slashed her hand downwards, making a chopping gesture, and a violet beam shot out, space parting, and two of the musicians simply split apart, in a welter of silver and red gore, steam rising. Arisu remained cold and detached, and Haano?bo? admired her, especially as indeed, her Tengu were safe. Battered and unable to fly, yes, but the shield bubbles had prevented serious harm. They were engaging the frozen skeletons, breaking them apart, so Haano?bo? knew she had little time to waste, drawing on the Sanzu-no-Kawa.


    ¡°Shatter!¡± Haano?bo? turned the ice into a sea, or rather a river, of projectiles. Several of the musicians tumbled, pierced, and the remainder were either feathered with Tengu arrows, or Arisu dispatched them gruesomely, by manipulating the space around them. Moments later, the fight was over, and Haano?bo? felt the oppressive adherence dissipate. I can fly again!


    ¡°It seems...¡± Arisu nudged a broken horn with her foot, which was clad in a rather inappropriate high-heeled shoe in black. ¡°...that whatever these musicians were doing is similar to the Fae ones. There is certainly a spatial component, though it seems to mostly be adherence related. Troubling. I do not care for things I do not understand, but then, learning is its own reward.¡±


    ¡°Should we be so carefree?¡± the nervous Chen Na asked, having joined them. ¡°The enemy is everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though they die everywhere too.¡± Arisu observed coolly. ¡°Damage to Kyoto has been minor, but this is clearly widely orchestrated. If anything, I expect this is to prevent Kyoto sending reinforcements to Tokyo. A futile effort, but...¡± She shrugged, gorgeous even doing that. ¡°...if one is prepared to spend lives, or... deaths, I suppose...¡± she sneered at the broken skeletons. ¡°...recklessly, then it might achieve some aims. White cannot be reached, so I suspect they are striking there as well. It is well-coordinated, if naught else. Of course, provoking Red is only feeding a hungry bear, though she would not appreciate the simile.¡±


    ¡°Such waste.¡± Haano?bo? frowned, hardly able to imagine it.


    ¡°Well, one thing humanity has in plentiful supply is people. Worse, idiotic fools who will throw their lives away for ideology. Although, if I am being... charitable...¡± Arisu sniffed, tilting her head regally. ¡°...it is not hard to understand now that Heaven is not merely a wish, but a certainty. Even if I doubt very much it is a paradise as many religions claim. Else why this?¡± She trod on a frozen bone, shattering it. ¡°Worse... these undead... there could be thousands, tens of thousands, more. Whether they are stolen from graveyards or some other means... numbers are their own power. Except... not today.¡±


    ¡°Not today?¡± Haano?bo? repeated, eager to rejoin the fight.


    ¡°No.¡± Arisu nodded. ¡°Numbers are useless against her. Why... in Europe in the fourteenth century, they say that half of the population died to the Black Death. Fifty million people. Now...¡±


    In the distance, a dark, ominous energy was building. It was the rich brown of nature element, similar to the wood element her brother Arangbo? wielded, but it gave off an entirely different feeling. Wrapping her white wings around herself, Haano?bo? felt a chill.


    ¡°...not even the dead can survive her vengeance. Honestly... the world is doomed.¡± Arisu let out a cold laugh, amused. ¡°How can it ever survive when such powers exist?¡±


    In the distance, they could hear Hyacinth¡¯s laughter, even if they couldn¡¯t see anything but a cloud of orange and purple spores spreading. The human foes panicked, only to be surprised as they were merely coated in the powder. Haano?bo? was equally surprised, but Arisu explained.


    ¡°If she runs rampant, then the allied casualties will be ruinous, and Kyoto will be uninhabitable until cleansed. No... she may well be insane, but she still has reason, contradictory as that is.¡± The skeleton host suddenly stopped, vivid mushrooms and toadstools sprouting, devouring bone, turning it into flaking black and brown detritus as the raised warriors collapsed. ¡°We shall finish the living intruders. I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Haano?bo? asked, as she took to the skies, though she was only a few metres above Arisu, politely listening.


    ¡°If the world does end, in plague, nuclear war, global winter or worse... at least we will have front-row seats to the show.¡± Her laughter was again cold, yet somehow charming. ¡°I suppose the only way we can survive is if we are the only ones that control everything. So, we should have no mercy. For only through our victory can the safety of the innocent be assured.¡± Saying that, space cracked, and several fanatics were ripped apart in a mist of red and silver blood. In the distance great vines were rising up out of the fog of spores now, crushing and twisting the fools who tried to use mere guns against the thick, trunk-like tentacles.


    Haano?bo? nodded. She gestured, and her Tengu continued to fire, arrows seeking the hearts and throats of their foes. Unwilling to hold back, her own water bullets and ice javelins joined the onslaught, and in the distance, the Phoenix roared, flames boiling and falling like rain. The world shall end, shall it? Is that why Great Taro?bo?, my father, he conceded so easily? Our lore teaches us that the world is cyclic, it has neither a beginning nor an end. Just like Yin and Yang, from the beginning comes the end, and from the end... a new beginning.


    Watching the collapse of the host of moving bones, seeing forests of fungi and other plants sprout from their remains, she swallowed behind her mask, equal parts frightened and intrigued. If the Tengu¡¯s stewardship of Mount Atago is coming to an end... what new beginning will we Tengu embrace? An image, a face, popped into her mind, and she nodded to herself, flapping her white wings. Whatever that future is... we are on the right side of it...


    ***


    A nameless Goblin, Akio¡¯s Territory, Boundary Tokyo


    ¡°Remain calm! All non-combatants are to evacuate to the emergency shelters!¡± As the mortal man shouted into some sort of cone that amplified his voice, the Goblin looked around, troubled. The packed mass of Fae were watching the distant horizon with a mixture of anticipation, worry and horror. Lightning flashed in the distance and explosions boomed, clouds of smoke and flame rising.


    Explosives, yes? I have an understanding of these now. Indeed, the Goblin had volunteered to assist in the forges and smithies of the Mortal Engineers, and had proved adept with his hands, and a quick study, and to his surprise, he had been given more responsibility, and was even allowed to make suggestions on possible future projects.


    To think they would allow a Goblin such leeway. The rumours were indeed true. All here are judged on their merits and behaviours. And we Goblins... The prejudice ran deep. Most of the Goblins seceded with the Unseelie Court or joined the Wild Hunt, and the olden ways, that of clever craftsmen, wise tricksters and benevolent spirits, was now replaced with tales of cruelty and malice, caps dyed with blood giving many their name and affiliation, the Red Caps.


    ¡°By the First Goblin, it is known to be a mess.¡± The Goblin complained to himself, even as the evacuation continued. The shelters were sturdy, apparently a mirror to those in the mortal world, and many Goblins had been employed in the delving of them, as well as a great many Kobolds. Employed. A fascinating yet troubling concept.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bellaera chuckled. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t do at all. Cousin Moira is always so straightlaced and humourless. I don¡¯t want to be lectured endlessly. Besides... the quicker we handle matters here, the sooner we can celebrate. After every victory, we have to send off the fallen, and rejoice in our own survival.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully the fallen will rejoin us soon enough.¡± Teare echoed their earlier conversation as her hands worked, feeding in rounds, pulling the trigger, ejecting spent casings and repeating the process, mowing down some of the remaining assailants. Bellaera joined her, and they weren¡¯t alone, other members of the long-ranged sniper squad continuing to rain down death at an impossible distance. Though their weapons are not as artfully crafted as ours are. The perks of our position, I suppose...


    In the distance thunder rumbled, and forked bolts of lightning crashed down. ¡°Yes, seems like our princess is enjoying herself. It looks like the battle will be over soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Unless they bring overwhelming force to bear... wait...¡± Bellaera froze, a rapid blur crashing through the defences, a great surging wheel of dark, nearly black wood spinning, shearing through barricades and defenders alike.


    ¡°Enemy breach!¡± came the cry, and Teare opened fire at the new intruder, her bullet soaring out, only for it to be blocked by the great whirling mass of stakes and spikes that formed the wheel. Immediately, a dark thorn of bloody wood was shot outwards, aiming for Teare, as fast as the bullets their rifles discharged, and Bellaera leapt, crashing into her cousin, driving them both to the ground, just as a heavy impact sounded. Cries abounded, as several others who had attempted to shoot the intruder hadn¡¯t been so fortunate, and they were now pierced by wooden spikes.


    ¡°Thanks, Bell. No, there¡¯s no time...¡± Teare grabbed her gun, ready to shoot, through her long ears trembled, betraying her nervousness, as she observed the foot long wooden splinter jammed into the barricade where she was standing a mere moment before.


    ¡°We...¡± As Bellaera and Teare opened fire again, this time they were aware of the possibility of counterattacks, and indeed, as all their shots were blocked, even the explosive, fiery rounds, more dark thorns were launched at them. Avoiding them, they continued the barrage, as did others from various barricades and fortifications. The Defensive Emplacements were barking out bolts of Aether as well, but one suddenly collapsed, destroyed, pierced through by a series of blackened stakes.


    ¡°Not good...¡± Bellaera cried, seeing the destination of the assailant. ¡°The shrine... no, the Tree!¡±


    A number of weaselkin left in reserve tried to block the intruder, but they were quickly sliced apart or left impaled by long spears of wood. Desperately shooting, Bellaera didn¡¯t even feel it as she failed to dodge the counterattack, and a thorn lodged in her shoulder, piercing through cloth, metal and flesh, bright red and silver blood bubbling from the wound.


    ¡°If Asha is harmed... it will mean war!¡± Teare cried, she too hurt, though less so, cuts on her cheek from where shrapnel had scored her. ¡°Worse, if the Territory is destroyed...¡±


    Others were reacting, but as they gathered to rush to the defence of the Tree and Anchor, a booming voice called out coldly, and it was full of adherence, reality itself seeming to shiver. ¡°Great Wall Of Twelve Gates!¡±


    A great surge of power gathered, and suddenly the crest of the hill, comprising the shrine, Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree and the Ring Gates, were all sealed within a dome of shining golden light. Twelve statues of winged humans showing unearthly beauty were holding swords at equal intervals around the hemisphere of light, and even approaching, Bellaera, Teare and the other defenders could feel a sense of dread.


    ¡°No, this... this is bad!¡± Bellaera cried, recognising the terrible power behind the barrier. Desperately, she opened fire at the dome of shimmering golden light, only for her bullet to be reflected, the golden wall rippling. Her eyes widened, and one of the nearby angelic statues suddenly opened its eyes, raising a sword high. It spoke, words that were not in any tongue Bellaera understood, yet the meaning was somehow still clear.


    [The Gate Of Issachar Is Barred To The Sinful!]


    The statue slashed downwards, and a beam of condensed light tore towards the stunned Bellaera, only for her to be knocked aside. There was a cry of pain, and a rush of blood splashed her face, before she hit the ground hard, the weight of another on top of her. Panicked, she looked at Teare, who grinned weakly at her, blood gushing from a bad wound in her thigh, the bone showing, already carbonised and turning black.


    ¡°I guess... I returned the favour, Bell.¡± Teare managed to grin, while Bellaera ground her teeth, trying to remain calm, to keep in her angry shouts and tears. Hauling up her injured cousin and friend, she glanced back at the dome of radiance, only to see the statue had resumed its original position, eyes sliding shut. The defenders had frozen, unwilling to provoke the barrier recklessly, and she was at a loss as to her next move.


    ¡°You idiot.¡± Bellaera managed at last, as she bent down to apply a tourniquet and field surgery, a skill most ranking Way-Wardens had mastered. ¡°You could have been killed. But... I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t. and thanks.¡± As she tied off the injury with a strip of cloth from her leggings, she frowned at the charred bone. ¡°When the princess is done slaughtering her enemies, she¡¯ll fix you right up, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Teare gave a slow nod, her grin pained. ¡°Yes, that would be great. I¡¯m afraid this hurts a damn lot, Bell. Still...¡± She glanced over at the dome. Another brave Fae approached, slashing at one wall, only for another statue to declare [The Gate Of Zebulun Shall Not Open To The Wicked] and obliterate the poor weaselkin with a golden slash, burning a furrow in the ground two dozen metres in length.


    ¡°...we have to think of something! We can¡¯t let Asha fight without us!¡±


    Nodding, Bellaera also watched the shimmering barrier balefully. It will be fine. It has to be! After all, if we have to entrust everything to Akio, and we fall apart in his absence, why are we even here? No... we are strong, and our enemies have underestimated us and our resolve. Asha will be fine...


    ***


    Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Akio¡¯s Territory, Boundary Tokyo


    ¡°Die, you ungodly wretch!¡± the man clad in white and gold exulted, his voice a snarl, as explosives and bullets rained down on Shaeula. As a thin line of blood trickled from her pricked knuckle to the ground, Shaeula found herself grinning, even in this desperate situation.


    Iron nails, you say? I have experience of those...


    A loud explosion, bigger than the rest, burst, and a swarm of iron balls were discharged from the fragmentation mine, shooting in all directions, piercing the smoke and dust that obscured the battlefield. The white-clad soldiers of the Church of True Revelation, Judges, as they called themselves, didn¡¯t let up on their assault though, and gunfire tore through the murk, heavy impact sounds echoing.


    ¡°Yes, Cardinal Stuart shall be avenged, and the blessed relic, the Annulus Fortunae, shall be reclaimed!¡± the fanatic cried, only to pause, surprised, as a gust of green flicked aside the dust, revealing Shaeula, who was now standing, her golden fur dotted with splashes of silver and crimson blood, and tangled with dirt and dust. Seeing that, she tutted, vexed, and raising one hand, a beautiful jade sickle jutting from it, she called upon wind and water, washing herself off and straightening her torn yukata, even as more bullets flew at her.


    ¡°That is most-most uncomfortable.¡± Shaeula declared, irritated. Tilting her head cutely, her amber eyes narrowed, she waved her hand again, and a jade ripple of air repelled the incoming attacks, scattering them.


    ¡°That... that is impossible!¡± the leader of her assailants grunted, eyes wide. He turned to a woman in white behind him, who was carrying a metal censer akin to those used in religious ceremonies, a thurible, ornate and chased with ruby and gold, swinging it on a chain, each motion releasing more puffs of invisible, sweet-smelling metallic incense. ¡°You foul Fae cannot resist the adherence within the iron, your very natures abhor it!¡±


    ¡°That is not-not incorrect.¡± Shaeula agreed with a cold smirk on her lips, her weasel face showing her pointed teeth. ¡°We Fae hate iron, I have no-no idea why, but it does not-not suit us. Only those who joined the Court from elsewhere, Dwarves, Trolls, others... they-they can tolerate it. Of course, I found my weakness to it greatly-greatly lessened when Akio gave me a new mortalform. Else how could I survive in Japan, iron is simply everywhere, is it not-not?¡± Her words were mocking, and she seemed to enjoy the burning eyes of the man as he stared at her, enraged. One Judge lifted his rifle to open fire, only to drop headless as Shaeula raised one ankle, and an invisible blade of wind flew from the jade sickle there.


    ¡°Do not-not interrupt me. A monologue or a transformation sequence, neither are to be-be intruded upon, it is simply quite-quite terrible manners.¡±


    ¡°How... we magnified the effect tenfold, no, more! You worthless heretic creature, a perversion of man, the iron blessed by our true faith should reduce you to ashes! It was working, I saw you falter...¡±


    ¡°See-see?¡± Shaeula gloated. ¡°I let you-you speak, did I not-not? Manners. To answer your curiosity, before the end... yes-yes, it caught me quite by surprise. But the thing is... I am royal on both sides. I am not-not merely a weaselkin, but also a Kamaitachi. And there is no-no mythology of weakness to iron for we Itachi.¡±


    Having said her piece, Shaeula suddenly moved, her speed a blur. A sword appeared in her hands, the wind surging around it, moaning balefully, and with a casual slice she cut through several opponents. That sparked her enemies into action once again, and soon she was being fired upon from all angles.


    How... trivial. Shaeula felt the fortunate winds blow around her, strengthened by the ring on her finger, and it was simplicity itself to bend her body to avoid incoming attacks, tilt her head at the right moment to avoid a grenade, which exploded, the debris harmlessly deflected by the rushing winds around her. The Mortal Fragarach in her hand flashed, as did her jade sickles, wind blades surging in an endless tide of attacks, and the enemies around her diminished in number, bodies striking the floor.


    The thurible hit the ground, bouncing, chain severed, followed by the severed arm of the woman holding it, then her body, white robes stained red and silver with her blood. The lead assailant seemed stunned, as his carefully laid ambush crumbled, his Judges and their squires decimated, as well as the devout believers they had brought, were reaped as though they were wheat before the scythe that was Shaeula.


    ¡°You... you monster! Ungodly abomination!¡± he cried, so furious that a trickle of blood leaked from his nose, staining his face which was already covered with dust and dirt from Shaeula¡¯s gusting winds.


    ¡°I shall take-take that as a compliment.¡± Shaeula grinned toothily, raising her ornate sword high. The hilt was richly decorated with knotwork, and the blade itself almost seemed to ripple, as if seen through a haze of heat. ¡°Now then...¡± Her winds blew again, and this one was damp, as if an invisible fog. Her opponent shivered, but he did not relent, and as he readied for battle, adherence surged, visible to Shaeula¡¯s amber eyes.


    ¡°Tell me true, you interloper. Just what-what are you hoping to achieve? All that you will leave on this soil is blood-blood and bones.¡± Shaeula asked, and the man sneered, even as his skeletal warriors, the Martyred Dead, as Shaeula had heard Mary Stuart call them before, were charging over. Ugly, pitiful monstrosities. To her eyes, she could see their spirit lights, so unlike the brilliant orbs that spun around her near-invisibly now, their numbers growing, which enraged Shaeula still further.


    Their lights are one with the bones and can never be separated. How... tragic. But I shall still not show mercy. For they little deserve it.


    ¡°It shall be your blood that soaks this profane ground!¡± the man cried. ¡°I call upon you! Descend unto us, Archangel!¡±


    The adherence, so thick as to be almost tangible as a presence in the air, poured into the man from elsewhere. Shaeula tried to see the mechanism by which it worked, it seemed he was absorbing it from his fallen comrades, but the majority was provided from inside him, leaking from a strange Favour within him. Shaeula then hissed, tears of silver blood springing from her eyes, and she had to blink them away, stopping her inspection. My Eyes are not as perceptive as Akio¡¯s anymore, it seems. Something I shall surely have to correct. I have my pride. While I am proud of his growth, I have no wish to be left behind. After all, I have many rivals to keep me sharp, and always striving.


    ¡°You think your little Archangel scares me-me? How droll.¡± Shaeula let out a mocking laugh, even as she swept her blade high. ¡°I am she who commands the winds, I wield the legacy of Nuada Airgetla?m, and as a Fae, I carry-carry the lineage of the Tuatha De? Danann, no-no matter how distant.  The winds heed-heed my call! As do you, intruder!¡± A whipping gale of emerald, jade, peridot and other shades of rich, gemlike green towered up into the sky. Several nearby skeletons were sucked in, and their bones quickly reduced to powder, spirit lights dimming and extinguishing as their anchors to existence were destroyed.


    Lightning started to be drawn from her, for lightning shared a connection with the winds, and so her Mortal Fragarach also gave her control over it. Perhaps it was not how it was supposed to work, but Shaeula had been with Akio long enough, and worked with great minds such as Ixitt and Arisu, to know that how things were supposed to be were simply crutches for the ignorant. Several forks flickered down, blasting craters into the ground and destroying yet more of the undead. ¡°Now... speak, you wretched fool-fool, I bid you!¡±


    The man laughed madly, even as the adherence took shape, forming a being of what at first appeared to be great beauty, an androgynous figure, slender and beautiful, with two great wings comprised of pure white features spreading out three metres from each of the Angel¡¯s shoulders. But there was definitely something wrong with it, as though the beauty was simply a mask, hiding what lay beneath, and as it moved, slightly jerky, as though an improperly put together puppet, the flesh squirmed, and Shaeula¡¯s eyes once more itched and burned. I preferred the Principality. At least it looked like what it was, an abomination...


    ¡°We know that is martyrdom! All over this sinful world, we rise up! Many will fall, but our places at the right hand of God, bathing in the light of the Throne atop the Ninth Heaven, is assured by our sacrifice!¡± At his words, the Archangel attacked, a sword of light forming in one hand, and armour surrounding the slender, seemingly frail body, also made of light, this tinted a brilliant golden. Shaeula dodged, barely evading the slash, and then a follow-up, her fur singed.


    Taking the opportunity, she sent out wind and lightning, shattering skeletons one after another, even as she barely evaded the Archangel as it rushed at her. The mouth opened wide, far wider than a mouth should, and out came an unearthly scream.


    [Be Slowed Before The Light Of Zadkiel, For The Weight Of Your Sins]


    Shaeula stumbled, twisting her body to avoid another blinding slash, suddenly clumsy, as the foolish mortal continued to shout, exultant.


    ¡°Our deaths are meaningless, for our wills are passed on, strength borrowed from the Lord reclaimed. For there is no greater joy than to give everything for the Lord, just as Abraham would have given up his only son! But the Lord is kind... our mortal forms are nothing, compared to the soul everlasting!¡±


    You talk too much. But...


    ¡°Sear her away with the light of purification!¡± The Judge laughed scornfully, seeing Shaeula¡¯s great advantage eroded, her movements down from her near imperceptible grace to merely swift. ¡°No, the Grigori, those who watch, they see all. The false tree of knowledge must be uprooted, and the three fruits that fall burned to ashes. The book that sees shall be put to the fire, and the eyes that see blinded, the devil who masquerades as Divine purged, the heads of the snakes severed...¡± At that moment, Shaeula felt a great surge of adherence from back towards the shrine, and she turned her head, barely evading another slash from the so-called Archangel.


    ¡°Yes, the false tree shall be cut down, and every leaf, branch, root and scrap of bark reduced to dust. None can stand against the Rota Iudicii, Judgement will come when the tree is broken upon the wheel! And the spiritual Great Wall Of Twelve Gates shall never admit the sinful!¡± He suddenly paused, shaking his head, face damp, and not with tears or sweat. ¡°Wait, what am I...¡±


    ¡°I see-see.¡± Shaeula spoke at last, her Winds And Waters Of Devotion And Worship having done their work. The hillside was surrounded by a brilliant golden dome, and occasional blasts of golden light similar to what the annoying Archangel was wielding were flashing out. ¡°Most-most frustrating. If there is even a scratch upon Asha or-or her Tree, Akio will see you suffer. But...¡± Asha is not weak, though I doubt she can fight someone of the strength of that mad female Mary Stuart. And I sense a similar, no, a stronger presence behind that gleaming dome... fortunately, she is not alone here. While Akio was absent, she has been put to use...


    Shaeula¡¯s lips curled into a mocking grin, made even more insulting to the Judge by her weasel features.


    ¡°Has the despair broken you, vile abomination?¡± he crowed, as his remaining Martyred Dead had surrounded her. ¡°If so, bow your head and kneel, pray to the Lord and perhaps you will find salvation in...¡±


    ¡°Oh do shut-shut up.¡± Shaeula sniffed. ¡°I do not-not like interrupting monologues, but yours is simply too-too irritating for my delicate ears...¡± She swept the Fragarach down, blocking the slash from the false Archangel. Light scattered, but her own brilliant blue energies countered the golden radiance. ¡°...you gave me the answer I did-did require, so now... time to die...¡±


    ¡°Arrogance! The Archangel...¡±


    ¡°...is nothing, you fool-fool! I have fought a so-called Principality. You think this-this scares me?¡±


    Shaeula grimaced, and her aether flowed, resisting the adherence that was slowing her. It shattered with a loud bang, a pressure wave scattering, and Shaeula¡¯s whirling mass of wind and lightning collapsed, the remaining dead blown apart. ¡°No, I shall make-make this swift.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± the Judge cried, stumbling backwards, wide-eyed, as Shaeula suddenly drove his Archangel back. ¡°There is simply no...¡± He then opened and closed his mouth silently, eyes wide with fear and surprise, before he coughed, blood showering from his mouth, traces of green wind element bubbling from his throat, slicing his tongue.


    ¡°It seems...¡± Shaeula snorted mockingly. ¡°That you do not-not believe your own words. And why-why should you?¡± Shaeula swung Mortal Fragarach, and the Archangel staggered. It opened its mouth wide to howl again, only for a bubble of green to shroud the head with its gaping open jaws. The scream could still be heard, despite Shaeula conjuring a vacuum to block the sound, which surprised her, but then adherence operated on strange principles.


    ¡°Annoying!¡± Shaeula was hit by the muted soundwave, and it was rather painful, but with her superior stats and Ether Healing, she was good as new in moments. Her sword flashed, wind and lightning drawn to the blade, and one white wing was severed, the Archangel screaming soundlessly, mouth agape, blank, inky eyes glowing balefully, golden armour of light flickering and dimming. The wing hit the ground, before breaking apart into sparkling motes of light, which were drawn into the Territory.


    ¡°...after all...¡± Shaeula kicked aside the wounded abomination, her lithe leg striking like a snake. ¡°...this is what you want from me, no-no?¡± She flourished the ring on her finger. ¡°Which means I did-did help slay your Mary Stuart. So you are but-but an annoyance in comparison. But none may lie before my blade. Lest you be silenced and suffer!¡±


    Fragarach flashed again, and the other wing was hewn off. Lightning surged into the wound, and one eye burst. Moments later the Archangel collapsed, a Pinwheel unravelling from under Shaeula¡¯s ragged yukata and the wire, thrumming with wind, bisected the creature into multiple parts, the golden armour barely able to hold for a moment against her great winds. The sword then swung, and the head exploded with one last barely heard scream.


    ¡°I did not-not fight the Principality alone, but-but... I am also not-not the female I was then. We grow-grow and change.¡± Shaeula declared with satisfaction, her small chest puffed out. ¡°Besides, this is merely trash. It does not-not even qualify as a fake Angel if you ask me. Compared to the Principality, this was most-most pathetic.¡±


    With one last look over her shoulder at the dome trapping the shrine and Asha¡¯s Tree, she then gave the stunned enemy her full attention.


    ¡°It is time-time...¡± Shaeula¡¯s eyes were glowing brilliantly, and the Judge staggered backwards, glancing around for help, but his own forces and even the Martyred Dead he had called were all destroyed in the gale, and the remaining troops were hard pressed elsewhere in the Territory. Seeing there was no help coming, he opened his mouth to speak, but only blood, wind and silence came forth from his lips. Seeing that, Shaeula snickered cruelly.


    ¡°Second thoughts? Well, I fear-fear it is far too late for those. You wanted martyrdom, yes-yes? Well then...¡± Mortal Fragarach slashed out, and the fool fell, body striking the ground. As he died, Shaeula watched closely, only to shake her head. ¡°No, it seems I can not-not probe the mysteries of this Favour. It does not-not seem like the others. But I shall remember, and perhaps Akio can make-make sense of it on his return. His return.¡± Her thoughts turned to Akio. I do hope he is not in any danger in that far-off land. No, I suspect he can handle himself just fine. It is for us to prove we can protect ourselves now. It would not do to constantly be a burden... my pride will not stand that.


    Glancing around, Shaeula could see Daiyu, Violet, and even her foolish brother were acquitting themselves well. The momentum of the attack was blunted, and despite the early setbacks when the mortal weapons reaped a surprising toll, matters had inevitably turned in their favour. All this, just for... Shaeula turned her gaze back to the gleaming dome the fool had called the Great Wall Of Twelve Gates.


    Shaking her head, she sheathed Mortal Fragarach and retrieved her Pinwheel, before deciding to see if she could breach the golden wall. It is not that I have little trust in she who remains within, but... no harm must come to Asha. None at all...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Six – Freeze and Fury

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Six ¨C Freeze and Fury


    First - Mori Eri, Their estate, Tokyo


    Landing in front of the hateful brown-haired man, her legs bending a little to mitigate the stress of her impossible twenty-metre bound, her newly materialised black cat tail lashing angrily, Eri swept her great axe at him with a bitter snarl.


    ¡°It is true.¡± The man leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding Eri¡¯s brutal swing. His eyes were radiating contempt, disgust and hatred, and in this backdrop of smoke, flame and ashes, he seemed a demon, not a man, to Eri¡¯s eyes. This is our home now! To think you¡¯d dare come and assault it! Well, I¡¯m not weak, cowardly little Eri anymore. I¡¯m going to make you pay!


    ¡°They say that devils always show signs on their flesh. You inhuman monster!¡± He swung his sword as Eri attacked again, and axe clashed against sword, and the man staggered, feet sliding backwards on the ash-covered mud that had been churned by the boots of the attackers. Blinking, he seemed surprised as Eri overpowered him, but Eri was frowning too, her cat ears twitching uncomfortably. My hands are numb. But...


    Faint flickers of lightning shimmered on the head and shaft of her axe, burning her palms. That didn¡¯t matter though, and Eri pressed on, her movements inhumanly graceful, the strength of Lovers¡¯ Link coursing through her, a warm weight on her body, heart and spirit. ¡°Devil? I¡¯m not the one here to kill the innocent.¡± She spat again, this time in his face, and he wasn¡¯t able to avoid it and her swinging axe, so as he parried, wincing again, her spittle splashed his cheek, deepening his fury.


    ¡°Besides...¡± she continued, dancing around him, continuing to strike. ¡°...I¡¯m not inhuman. Yes, I¡¯m half Yo?kai now, but... humanity is a state of mind. Shaeula, Hyacinth, Asha, they¡¯re as human as any of us. More human than you...¡±


    Lightning flashed, and Eri tilted her neck, bending it more than was seemingly possible, the forked bolt slashing through where her head was, reminding her not to be careless. Behind her, an arrow flashed, and another fanatic fell, Aiko setting aside her own horrors at taking lives and defending their family cowering within the estate¡¯s underground panic room. Good girl. You¡¯ve always been kind, this must be hurting you, but... like me, you chose this path. And this is why. Without strength, all we can do is suffer under the boots of the strong. Daiyu is right. Those with the biggest fists are the only ones who can decide their own fates...


    ¡°...but what matters is...¡± Eri was undeterred. The man leapt backwards, his own speed far exceeding even the students of the training school, which indicated that if he wasn¡¯t a Chosen, he was at least different somehow, but with his lightning, Eri was sure he was such a foe, another Chosen sent to hunt them.


    ¡°...Akio thinks I¡¯m adorable! Besides, Shiro told me no man doesn¡¯t like cat girls!¡± He was fast, but Eri was faster, the fact it was borrowed strength not deterring her. After all, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer... all we have is the other¡¯s too. Her face then flushed a deep crimson, quite out-of-place in this life or death struggle, as she remembered the other use of her power that Akio adored. At least he¡¯ll never get bored of me. Because I can be anyone he wants me to be.


    ¡°What nonsense...¡± The man parried desperately, but Eri¡¯s overwhelming strength nearly jolted the golden sword from his hands. ¡°You Whore of...¡± His words were cut off as he coughed blood, his voice silenced as Eri¡¯s leg had bent at an unnatural angle and elongated, her foot staving in his throat.


    ¡°You better watch your tongue.¡± Eri growled, and her teeth lengthened into fangs as her anger got the better of her, ears standing upright and fur on her tail bristling. ¡°Belittle me, curse me, shame me... but never spit on my love for Akio. I¡¯m no whore.¡± As her head cooled, she regretted revealing one of her trump cards, her insanely flexible body that she was getting ever more skilled at manipulating. Ginneka and her brother were alive again, so able to instruct her, and during gaps in her training, she had sought them out. Of course, I only take advice from Kinneka, I¡¯m not letting him see me change and transform. Though Ginneka causes her own problems.


    Eri understood well that she had tried to kill Shaeula, Hyacinth and Akio, and that she had... certain tendencies that Eri hated in women. But despite that, Ginneka had saved her from a terrible fate, even if for selfish reasons, and Eri had promised to call her sister if she survived. And I¡¯m no liar. But just because she¡¯s my sister doesn¡¯t mean I have to respect or tolerate all she does. But... she¡¯s been good recently... Eri¡¯s support had softened a lot of the resentment against Ginneka from others, and while she still definitely didn¡¯t approve of the way she chased Akio... it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t understand.


    After all, Akio¡¯s the best man alive, compared to him, all other men are at best harmless, but most are just cockroaches or dust... uh...


    ¡°Bitch! Looking... down on... me...¡± the man grunted, surprising Eri with a sudden, unexpected strength. ¡°Getting lost... in your... thoughts in battle...¡±


    Shit. Eri had been cut by his golden sword, one arm laid bare to the bone, blood seeping out. Lightning wreathed the wound, and Eri shuddered as it wormed its way inside her. There was something off about it, not like the lightning Shaeula used. Her senses were abnormally keen, and she now had a Favour, so... It¡¯s not elemental lightning, is it? Adherence...


    She wasn¡¯t Akio, though she was like him in many ways. Mother-in-law Emily teased her about it constantly, but it was only natural. To Eri, he was the person who cared for her most when she was younger, whose back she always watched, who she wanted to be like, to be with. It was only natural she mimicked his thought patterns, and bad habits of getting lost in her own head during stressful situations. Of course, she didn¡¯t have Split Thoughts, so it did make her clumsy. But... Thoughts that take an ordinary person seconds are just a moment to me...


    Unhesitatingly, she manipulated her arm, shrinking it down to the size of a child¡¯s, and with a cry, she slashed it off with her own axe. Lightning exploded from the severed limb, and with a grunt of pain Eri grew a new arm, though unlike the fluidity of the silver and gold Bakeneko siblings, it took a lot out of Eri. Panting, she glared at her attacker for a moment, before stepping up her assault.


    ¡°You...¡± the man began, only for Eri to leap around, bouncing off wrecked security towers, fallen gates and nearby trees, like a masterful parkour expert. The man spun, trying to keep up, and Eri evaluated his Statistics as to perhaps be on a par with her own, without Lovers¡¯ Link. Of course, the lightning is dangerous, and he may have other tricks. But...


    Glancing backwards at where Aiko and Suzu-san were still battling valiantly, Eri felt reassured. Most of the dangerous threats were down, so if she could just handle her opponent... leaping down with catlike grace, she dodged more lightning, though she purposefully allowed a little to graze her, the Cloak Of Nyx drawing it in, Stars starting to glimmer in the gorgeous robe of darkness she wore.


    It¡¯s beautiful. Perhaps the only dress I shall love more is my wedding dress. Next year, perhaps...


    ¡°We should finish this. Our friends and family must be worried.¡± Eri declared, the axe in her hands screaming to duel, to defeat the fool who challenged her. Leaping forwards, her axe swung down, only for the man to cry out in desperation despite his smashed throat.


    ¡°Descend, Archangel... let not...¡± Blood bloomed, his sword struck from his hands, and then his right arm was severed cleanly at the elbow. He screamed again, but this time there was adherence in it. Despite that, Eri was undeterred, aiming to finish things quickly, going for his other arm.


    [Lightning Shall Purge The Unclean] The strange words, pregnant with adherence, shattered the calm as they came out perfectly from the man, despite his injuries. A violent cloud of energy erupted, but Eri was leaping backwards, claws on her feet sinking into a nearby tree, keeping her fixed there, though her shoes were ruined in the process. A brilliant nova had charred everything within five or six metres of the man, and sparks were still glittering in the air like fireflies.


    ¡°No, calling you a man is wrong. Idiot.¡± Eri had no sympathy for him, but she did wish she had eyes like Akio or Shaeula now. She had heard the stories of Mary Stuart and the battle of London, and her desperate last efforts. This was... similar, she assumed, if likely on a far more modest scale. Her fur weas standing up on end, warning that this situation was dangerous, but Eri still had confidence.


    [By Barachiel, Be Purified! The Throne¡¯s Wrath Fall Upon This Godless Land]


    The man had lost all reason in his eyes, they were now black pits, and his body had twisted, wings of black feathers ripping from his back, each several metres across. His skin was squirming too, and cracks were forming, sparks scattering out from within him. The severed arm was leaking blood still, but it was boiling. Raising that stump, lightning flashed, a greater volume than before, and Eri was unable to avoid it all even as the tree she was standing on was blown into flinders. Some shrapnel was stopped by her Cloak, as was a lot of the lightning, but she still suffered a number of bad burns.


    Two of the last attackers who had been hiding rushed out at her, fervour in their eyes as they alternated their gaze between the warping false Angel and her. One squeezed the trigger of his gun and bullets spewed out, but Eri didn¡¯t care. Like a panther she surged over the wreckage surrounding them and with two slashes her opponents were dead. It certainly does get easier. I know why Akio worries now. But...I¡¯m not so generous as to spare those coming to kill me and those I love.


    More lightning flashed, and the ground exploded around her. Eri felt more injuries accumulate, her recently healing ribs shattering again, but that was nothing to her, as it was almost a benefit, in some ways. Landing heavily, she rolled, making sure to keep hold of her axe. Glancing down into Tokyo, she narrowed her eyes, her great visual acuity picking up people filming the fight with their phones, and even camera crews. They won¡¯t see much at a distance. With the homes of the rich and powerful on these hills, they can¡¯t come closer either. But...


    Dodging in a roll as more lightning exploded where she was standing, Eri kept her attention on her enemy, which was seeming less human each second. The wings were sparking with lightning, and as it walked, slower than before, but with dreadful purpose, thunder sounded, the air buffeting her. His skin was becoming transparent now too, and she could see even his bones were starting to char.


    ¡°Eri, we¡¯ll help!¡± She heard Aiko¡¯s cry, and several Golden Sisters rushed over.


    [False Idols Of Gold Melt Before Barachiel] The grim, strange words sounded, and thunder boomed and a brilliant pillar connected the sky and the hillside. Eri used the axe to shield her face from the glow, and when she could see again, all that remained of the Golden Sisters were strands of fading ether. Worse, the abomination was turning towards Aiko and Suzu-san now.


    ¡°Not this time!¡± Eri roared. Brilliant Stars left her Cloak, and the partially descended Archangel staggered, translucent flesh cratering. One leg was disabled, slowing it further, but it continued to stare out at Aiko with its fathomless eyes of darkness, raising its unwounded arm.


    ¡°I, Mori Eri, challenge you! One on one, Barachiel!¡± She guessed at the name, though she supposed it could be invoking Barachiel like Haano?bo? did Suzaku. ¡°Until one of us cannot fight any longer!¡±


    The axe in her hand trembled with joy, and she felt a thread of adherence, far greater than earlier, tie around her spirit, her heart. With a wild grin, she raised her axe high, and called out to Aiko and Suzu-san. ¡°Leave this to me! It¡¯s dangerous! You¡¯re not going to survive a direct hit, I can heal myself.¡± As if to echo her words, a sword of crackling lightning was swung down at her, and her tail was sliced off even as she tried to dodge. Grimacing, aether flowed, reknitting flesh. I¡¯m going to have to eat a lot after this... oh well, a lot of girls would envy the ultimate diet plan.


    There wasn¡¯t exactly a correlation between losing body parts, shapeshifting and her actual weight, but perhaps due to the spiritual nature of it, she did notice she seemed a little gaunter after doing it too often.


    ¡°But...¡± Aiko cried, only for the ever-grinning Suzu-san to grab her arm.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. If Eri-chan says she can do it, she can do it. Besides, she¡¯s right. You¡¯re an archer, not a warrior, Aiko-chan, and me, I¡¯m just a harmless little superstar idol! No, we should clean up the last of the mess... then worry about the PR nightmare that¡¯s coming! Oh well, I¡¯ll throw it all in Arisu-chan¡¯s and Akio-kun¡¯s laps.¡±


    Aiko looked troubled, but at Eri¡¯s next words, she paused, and Suzu-chan tilted her head in puzzlement, before grinning. ¡°Oh, bold! I like it! You know, I think I can help you with that! Aiko-chan, if I leave the last few attackers to you then?¡±


    Grateful for something to do, Aiko nodded, and Eri exchanged a look with Suzu-san, even as she dodged more lightning and the glittering storm sword that the Angel was wielding, the blade three metres long. Suzu-san winked innocently, and Eri snorted. You¡¯re not as airheaded as you seem, I suppose.


    ¡°All right then, time to duel!¡± Eri cried, charging. The Angel swung the blade, but Eri slid under it, scuffing along the ground. She then leapt up, and her Beheading Axe Of Trials swept outwards in a brutal arc. The Angel moved as though it had no bones, but crunching sounds could be heard. It parried, and lightning flashed point-blank. Eri rolled in the air, her legs twisting and bending out of shape, and for a moment she remembered a retro fighting game Akio had as a child, and the strange stretchy man in it.


    ¡°On your knees!¡± Eri cried as her feel slammed into the face of her foe, though it seemed almost unbothered. Landing, her legs returned to normal, and she enhanced the muscles within. For a moment she felt rather grotesque, as her legs swelled up to the size of a bodybuilder, but then she was catapulted forwards by a mighty leap. Axe flashed, and flesh was severed.


    [Mortal Flesh Is Weak, Spiritual Flesh Remains Incorruptible]


    Even as both legs, the wounded one and the uninjured, were cut free by Eri¡¯s axe, the Angel was still held aloft by the wings. Instead, it thrust down the sword of lightning, piercing through Eri like a lance. She heard Aiko¡¯s despairing cry, but her blood was up, her fury soaring, and she didn¡¯t respond with words.


    A little more. You¡¯re just a shitty puppet who can¡¯t do much. Eri knew Shiro and Tan, and knew how these things worked. The true Barachiel wouldn¡¯t be such a weakling, and likely wouldn¡¯t even be able to manifest without wrecking the Boundary. Even in Divine Possession, Tan was still only able to dribble out her strength, constrained by both the Boundary and the weakness of Shiro¡¯s body. And this scum isn¡¯t Shiro, and the Angel isn¡¯t Tan. No...


    Her Cloak Of Night was blooming brilliantly, Stars forming one after the other as the blade pierced her, but Eri was smirking, her onyx eyes looking at the dark pits of her attacker with disdain. ¡°You¡¯re just a last gasp of a dying monster. Angel?¡± Eri spat at the sword, and it flashed to steam as it contacted the glowing blade. ¡°I call you a fool.¡±


    It seemed confused, and pulled the blade free, ready to impale her again, only to pause for a brief moment. Eri noticed, realising it had detected her ruse, and in that instant the Stars bloomed, leaving her Cloak in a rain of brilliant shooting stars, tracing shining arcs through the air. Her clothing was charred and burned, but as her flesh reknitted, the hole she had forced in her torso filling as the internal organs she had pushed aside returned to their places, she swung her axe.


    The black wings exploded, feathers falling and turning into blazing strands of lightning. Eri ignored the burning pain she felt as her axe sheared through the remaining arm of her enemy. The lightning sword shivered and winked out of existence, and the false Angel collapsed to the ground. Even then it wasn¡¯t beaten, and it opened its mouth to cry out, lightning crackling around it, only for Eri¡¯s axe to strike home. Blood bloomed, then she wrenched the blade free, pressing it against the neck of her opponent, biting through transparent flesh, resting against charred bone.


    [...Thunder... Judges... Time Will Come...] With that the man, now blinded, eyes burned away by lightning, coughed, hot blood streaming from his mouth and numerous wounds.


    ¡°I won this duel...¡± Eri declared, as Aiko and Suzu-san rushed over, the battle seemingly done. The beautiful gardens were ruined, and the gatehouse and walls had collapsed, but fortunately their home and those within seemed safe. We can rebuild. Trees can be replanted. Though Asha will be upset...


    As the adherence around her dissipated, Eri felt a surge of intangible strength, and the axe in her hands quivered, almost as if it was happy. Patting the blade, she grinned, before letting her ether flow into the fallen man, staunching his fatal wounds. Though with his bones and internal organs in that state... he¡¯s crippled. No more than he deserves though...


    ¡°Suzu¡¯s here!¡± the girl declared, striking a pose, her blonde hair drills bouncing, Seeing Eri¡¯s flat look, she giggled, before producing a number of long wooden needles. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that Eri-chan, just trying to lighten the mood. Oh... and don¡¯t feel sorry for these people, all right? Those who live by the sword die by it, yes? And those that kill others for stupid reasons can¡¯t complain when they are killed in turn.¡±


    Realising that she was trying to comfort her in her own way, Eri snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t. And if we do have nightmares, Aiko... well, Akio will just have to comfort us.¡±


    Aiko flushed at Eri¡¯s words, but she nodded, watching curiously as Suzu-san inserted the needles into the near-corpse of the Judge. Ether surged, and then she clapped her hands. ¡°And done. Though it isn¡¯t easy. It only worked on him because his mind¡¯s a wreck. You sure you want him alive?¡±


    Eri nodded, entirely without sympathy. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if he has a lightning-based Favour or not, but if so, we should take it. But I¡¯m more interested in Akio and Tan studying the way he called upon this so-called Archangel. Maybe they won¡¯t learn much, but...¡± She winced, all her injuries starting to prey on her body. Seeing that Aiko offered her a shoulder, which Eri gratefully leaned on.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Suzu-san nodded, finishing up. ¡°The boss, when she¡¯s in what Arisu-chan calls red mode, can be really scary. If there¡¯s anything to find, she¡¯ll see it. Anyway... done.¡± All the needles were placed. ¡°I can see why you wanted him puppeteered. Even without arms and legs, if he tosses around some lightning he could be dangerous. But...¡±


    Her expression was suddenly serious, and Eri tensed up, only to wonder why she bothered at Suzu-san¡¯s next words. ¡°...when we¡¯re done, I¡¯m scrapping him, okay? He¡¯s definitely not the sort of backup dancer I want in Suzumebachi!¡±


    As Aiko sniggered, Eri shook her head. Glancing down the hill, she watched as Aiko pulled the fallen man up onto her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. ¡°I can see that. But that¡¯s a worry for later. Once we¡¯ve made sure that there aren¡¯t any more surprises here, we¡¯ll go get our parents. After all, I don¡¯t want to have to deal with the police and the press, do you?¡±


    As the other two shook their heads, Eri grimaced, leaning on the shaft of her axe. ¡°I think... this is going to be trouble. While we did nothing wrong... the ordinary people of Japan will be horrified. But... it doesn¡¯t matter. Even if the whole world¡¯s against us...¡±


    ¡°...if we have the biggest fists, all they can do is whine.¡± Aiko meaningfully looked at her burden, quoting Daiyu. ¡°...and we¡¯ve proved our fists are pretty damn big, right?¡±


    Eri chuckled at that. ¡°Bigger than these losers at least. But... I¡¯m worried. It won¡¯t be just us they targeted, will it?¡± Taking out her phone Eri was dismayed to see the lightning had fried it. ¡°There¡¯s a TV in the house. Let¡¯s go check the news, and use someone else¡¯s phone...¡±


    ***


    Second - Izumi Kana, Kana¡¯s faith school, Tokyo


    ¡°Settle down, settle down!¡± Kana¡¯s teacher was trying to restore order, but it was a futile effort. Everyone was on their mobile phones, watching live footage or checking what people were saying online. Kana herself had her phone out, and her stomach was lurching, bile rising. Ugh... that¡¯s our home. And the shrine!


    Kana did feel a little guilty that her first thought of home was the Tokyo estate she shared with Akio and the others, especially since she only spent half the week there, but Kana quickly quashed that. There¡¯s no time. Besides, I¡¯m a pragmatic girl, when Akio finally asked me out and I accepted, from that moment I was serious. Besides, there¡¯s no running from this relationship now, else Shaeula and Eri will kill me! No, what matters is...


    ¡°That¡¯s... Hanafubuki Academy, right? Where Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan, plus a lot of the others go, yeah?¡± Asami-chan was clearly worried for them. ¡°That¡¯s... bad. Don¡¯t they know that they are all super rich girls? Nobody¡¯s going to let them get away with this...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just here in Japan!¡± one girl cried out loudly, brandishing her phone, and the teacher clearly gave up, fumbling for her own mobile device. ¡°There¡¯s stuff happening worldwide...¡±


    ¡°I think they know.¡± Kana puffed out her cheeks, exasperated, and also fearful. ¡°I want to go help right away, but...¡± She paused, torn, and Kikuchi Maiko-chan spoke up. She was no longer the mopey eyesore in class, and while Kana still couldn¡¯t claim they were the best of friends, having worked together a while now, they were certainly no longer at odds.


    ¡°You worry they¡¯ll attack here too, right?¡± Maiko-chan was scared, clearly, but she had toughened up over time. ¡°If they are going after Hanafubuki, as well as your shrine... then it stands to reason they might target here too, as there¡¯s a lot of us. I¡¯m just glad Hisuikomushi shrine doesn¡¯t seem to be a target yet. Dad sent me a message. He¡¯s going to the Boundary to fight, but... if Hisuikomushi comes under attack, then we¡¯re already in real trouble, considering where it is.¡±


    ¡°True. I... well, mother and father should be fine. Grandfather too.¡± Kana muttered, mostly to reassure herself. ¡°Looking at the footage, it seems like Ixitt and Grulgor are there. I do want to go help though... but I¡¯m not a great fighter...¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should go?¡± Asami-chan asked. ¡°After all, we¡¯re trained.¡±


    The other girls in class were listening intently. It was no secret Kana was Akio¡¯s girlfriend now, nor that a number of their classmates were being trained, though the details were secret still, only generalities given out. Of course, even the allure of that was fighting against the girls¡¯ needs to check the ongoing situation via social media.


    ¡°No way.¡± Kana shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re trainees, sure, but... it¡¯s not like you are members of Adamant, with all their special gear. No, you¡¯ll be best keeping the situation here calm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can even join Adamant, Asami-chan!¡± Mio-chan joked. ¡°You and Ren-kun are going out now, so you fail at the first hurdle! Maybe I should volunteer, so Kana-chan isn¡¯t alone...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Kana snorted, seeing Mio-chan was trying to keep her calm. Even chatting, Kana was willing her bloodline abilities to awaken. She had a decent control of her Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden nowadays, but her ability to sense thoughts was still erratic. But it¡¯s the Eyes I need. Lights flickered in her vision as aether arose within her, and she extended her senses in a crude manner, similar to how Akio did it.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d be able to say no to Akio-san even if I wasn¡¯t in Adamant.¡± Mio-chan giggled charmingly, tugging on one pigtail idly, and though it was forced, her humour was having an effect, calming the class. ¡°I mean, if you set aside the polygamy, he¡¯s the perfect man, and... well, I¡¯ve seen you still be happy Kana-chan!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± Kana couldn¡¯t help but bite, and Mio-chan shrugged.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all about ¡®what if¡¯, you get it? If I turned him down, I¡¯d always wonder just what my life would have been like, how high I could have gone. When I see you as one of the most famous people in the world, living a life I can only dream of, Kana-chan... let¡¯s just say only girls who really think highly of themselves, or those already in love like Asami-chan here...¡±


    Asami-chan protested at that, but Mio-chan merely waved a hand, finishing her thoughts.


    ¡°...would turn that down. But what I will say is, for a secret organisation, they¡¯re really very... boastful.¡±


    No kidding. I know why they didn¡¯t ask me and Eri about it, not that it matters, but... yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking the same.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious when you think about who is involved.¡± It was Takagi Hisano-chan who spoke up with a snort. Other than Kana herself, Hisano-chan was the one who had changed most out of all of them. She no longer wore glasses most of the time, her eyes having been fixed by her stats, and her style was good. Kana still couldn¡¯t call her a beauty, but she was far from the dowdy, introspective loner who had stuck up for Maiko-chan and got pulled into this life that one time. No, now I feel it''s fair to say she¡¯s damn cute. Plenty of guys would give her a second glance now.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kana¡¯s headache started, as she pushed her Eyes well beyond what she could control yet, but that was followed by heartache, as several bright abnormalities flared into her sight. It could be a coincidence, but... I don¡¯t risk my life, or theirs on that. Keeping calm, Kana asked for an explanation, even as she mentally prepared herself for battle.


    ¡°Shaeula, Hinata-san, Shiro... they all want to be praised. They want Akio to tell them ¡®well done¡¯ and be proud of them. Sure, a secret organisation sounds nice, and I bet Akio would be happy, but... that¡¯s too long-term, so instead, their idea of secret just means exclusive, so that he can see how hard they¡¯ve worked for him. Honestly... the three of them and Eri-san are definitely the most needy. Even you are fairly relaxed, Kana-chan...¡± At her rueful smile, Kana had to laugh. Yes, I never used to be. But... I like myself now. Hell, if what I¡¯ve been through didn¡¯t change me, I¡¯d be a lost cause.


    ¡°...and contrary to the rules, it¡¯s not about girls for Akio. As you say, Mio-chan... it¡¯s not like he¡¯d struggle. Honestly... I¡¯d have joined Adamant already if I could find a way to tell Yasu-kun without him going mad.¡± Hisano-chan let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°He¡¯s so overprotective. If he¡¯s not careful, Karen-chan will dump him, and she¡¯s too good for him so he won¡¯t do better...¡± Everyone had taken after Akio and was calling her Karen-chan now, which was fair. She was older, yes, but she had a very friendly, relaxed air about her, and Kana liked her.


    ¡°...that¡¯s not important.¡± Hisano-chan finished. ¡°Anyway... you probably know this, Kana-chan, Maiko-chan, being shrine maidens... but... it¡¯s all about adherence. The end goal of Adamant... it¡¯s simple. And... I want to be a part of it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in any hurry to date anyway.¡±


    Kana nodded slowly. Yeah. Everyone has their plans. Even I do. But... everything ties together nicely. But now this... it¡¯s why... Kana clenched her fists. ¡°There¡¯s two kinds of trainee. Those that were pushed on Akio by various shrines and nobility... and those of us who are serious. If you¡¯re serious, Hisano-chan, go for it. I¡¯ll tell Shiro to beat down your cousin if he protests. He won¡¯t dare mess with her. I came to that realisation myself after Kyoto, when I begged to be trained hard. So... yeah, I get it. But for now... everyone, stay calm. Okay? I¡¯ll be back in a minute, and... it''ll all be over.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s... really trouble?¡± their teacher asked timidly, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°Hopefully not as big of a problem as at Hanafubuki or my shrine. After all, we¡¯re just a little school out in the suburbs... but yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call the police...¡± Her teacher fumbled for her phone screen, and Kana nodded again.


    ¡°Yes, do that. But... I¡¯ll have to handle it until then.¡± Standing, admiring the looks her classmates gave her for her bravery, she grimaced. I¡¯m still a bit shallow I see. But... honestly, I too want to be admired and loved and pampered. The difference is... I¡¯m also willing to give back now. In exchange, I¡¯ll protect, love and help. Here... It¡¯s on me to protect everyone. Ksitigarbha, give me strength! Oh, and you too, Shirohebi!


    Feeling a little guilty she was praying to the owner of her Favour instead of her Kami, Kana strode over to the window, her school uniform feeling rather too scant to serve as armour. Fortunately her classroom was close enough to the entrance, and despite not being on the ground floor, a small drop wouldn¡¯t phase her. Opening the window, she leapt out, and she landed, skirt fluttering.


    Oh, good. They¡¯re women. I¡¯d feel pissed off if a guy saw my panties. Realising she was being stupid, she gazed at the intruders. Her school had no fancy security or gatehouse like Hanafubuki, only a heavy metal gate, which they had climbed easily enough. There were only two, which tallied with her vision, and Kana felt both insulted and relieved.


    That relief was short lived though, as she realised one of them was carrying a suspicious looking ornate box, and it radiated strong aether. ¡°All right then. I suppose you won¡¯t just turn around and leave?¡±


    Seeing Kana, the first woman shouted something in English. Kana¡¯s language proficiency had skyrocketed hanging around with Akio and the gang, as almost everyone spoke fluent English. But there were still the odd words here and there she didn¡¯t know. What¡¯s a Reliquary? That box, maybe?


    They had called her a filthy harlot, which incensed Kana. I¡¯m still a virgin, and I¡¯ve only ever dated one guy! Bitches! Then they had cried to open the Reliquary and retrieve the cargo. Kana was a little confused. These two didn¡¯t appear to be Chosen, but they certainly weren¡¯t normal, even if their appearance could pass for any ordinary Japanese woman. Except for the eyes. There¡¯s hatred there.


    As the lid was torn from the casket, streams of violet could be seen by Kana¡¯s eyes, and even as she drew on the power of earth element to subdue the intruders, her eyes widened, as she saw what was within, larger than the box could seemingly contain. Oh fuck... is that... a bomb?


    ***


    Third - Kanzaki Keiko, Akihabara, Tokyo


    ¡°That¡¯s... Suzu-chan, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ema¡¯s words were barely audible, and her voice was trembling. The usual daily training that the idols of AKB0048 underwent had halted, and now everyone was crowding around the TV backstage, watching the news with ever more horrified expressions. Normally, their managers and personal trainers would have been browbeating them back to work, but now... even they were lost, accepting any practice today would be futile.


    ¡°Yeah, it must be, Ema.¡± Asuka agreed, her face damp from sweat not generated by their intense routines now, but fear. Keiko felt the same, and her tracksuit was soaked with perspiration, a rarity nowadays, after her Chirurgery.


    Rumi-Rumi, who was taking part in their training today, since the trio were currently hot prospects in AKB0048 after the successful charity concert, alongside a number of more established senpai¡¯s, nodded. ¡°I think so. It¡¯s a long distance shot, but... she¡¯s very recognisable. And rather eccentric.¡±


    Despite the dreadful situation, Keiko managed a smile. Rumi-Rumi could always be trusted to try and calm the tension. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Suzu-chan.¡± Keiko then pointed out Eri-chan and Aiko-chan too. ¡°They... they¡¯re fighting their hardest.¡± She winced, seeing that even in the long-range, blurry footage being aired on the news, as the reporters were unable to get too close, due to both privacy and safety reasons, people were dying.


    ¡°Suzu-chan... she just... killed someone.¡± another of her fellow idols cried, face pale. ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Self-defence.¡± Keiko sighed. ¡°It¡¯s clear. That¡¯s their home. Nobody comes visiting with machine guns and cannons, unless you have some very strange guests.¡±


    ¡°Those are RPG¡¯s, Keiko.¡± Asuka laughed. ¡°Not cannons.¡± A nervous giggle went around the room, and Ema chimed in.


    ¡°Does it really matter? They both go boom!¡± Ema spread her arms wide innocently, and this time the laughter was a little more relaxed. Keiko looked at the fellow members of her trio fondly, glad they understood her intentions.


    ¡°Yes, boom indeed. Do you really think...¡± Keiko addressed her fellow idols. ¡°...that they should just sit there and die? Let their families die? I... think Suzu-chan is doing what a true idol should.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Rumi-Rumi asked, and Juu-chan, who had also been spending time with them after the concert, was the one to speak. Of course she is, she¡¯s experienced the good they can do...


    ¡°In ancient times, an idol was an object of worship. Nowadays, it¡¯s changed a lot. We¡¯re respected and liked, yes... but... we¡¯re here to brighten the day of our fans, to help them when times are tough. Bring a little sparkle... well, times now are tough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very tough.¡± Keiko agreed. ¡°It¡¯s like what we talked about backstage at the concert. To be an idol... no, a new kind of idol. I know our managers and the brass want you all to get Chirurgery. And it¡¯s true, you¡¯ll be way better idols. More beautiful, better dancers and singers... but... they want it for free, or just for money. That¡¯s... that¡¯s unfair.¡±


    Ema nodded, bouncing up and down with excitement, despite the grim circumstances. ¡°Yeah. Just like when Akio-kun saved us from Sora-kun! That was... bad.¡± She shuddered, remembering, and Keiko was once more grateful she went on the talk show after giving that interview where she had said the man she most admired was Akio-kun. It was half a joke at the time, but now it¡¯s totally true. And... I want to give back, and I know Asuka and Ema feel the same.


    ¡°But what Keiko is trying to say is...¡± Asuka spoke up. ¡°Now, we still need to bring hope. And to do that, we need strength! If you want the Chirurgery, that¡¯s fine. But like we¡¯ve said, commit to it. We can still sing, dance and perform. But also... inspire and protect!¡±


    Watching as Eri-chan fought against some terrible opponent, lightning flashing, Keiko resolved herself. I already have no issues with Adamant. Nor with being a disciple of the Incorruptible Jade. Times are changing. If anyone isn¡¯t my fan anymore because they believe I¡¯m somehow tainted, or less worthy, because I like Akio-kun, or am in Adamant... it¡¯s sad, but that¡¯s their loss. I fight for them, after all!


    ¡°Serious talk time. Now seems good.¡± Keiko eyed the staff around the room as well, knowing they would relay her words to management. ¡°AKB... we¡¯ve been offered the chance. We talked about this, and you all said you¡¯d think about it.¡± She pointed at the screen. ¡°Suzu-chan may be odd, but her heart is truly that of an idol. I don¡¯t want to lose to her, to anyone. So... make up your minds. At the weekend... the Pilgrimage starts. Apparently, all of us who participate are likely to gain a Class, and maybe even ¡®max it out¡¯. I don¡¯t exactly get it, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going! Asuka too! And the girls from Red and White are already shrine maiden idols, so they¡¯re in.¡± Ema warned.


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll be left behind. AKB can¡¯t be losers, we¡¯ve been the most recognisable idol group in Japan for years! Rumi-Rumi, Juu-chan, seniors... time to decide.¡± Asuka insisted. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t look for trouble, trouble will find us. Like Sora-kun. And worse...¡±


    Keiko finished up their arguments. ¡°They¡¯re attacking schools, so they say. Don¡¯t some of us have sisters and brothers who could be affected? If you knew you had the opportunity to stop that, but didn¡¯t... wouldn¡¯t you regret it, hate yourself? You¡¯d lose the music in your hearts. Then as idols... you¡¯d be dead anyway.¡±


    At their words there was silence, until Rumi-Rumi broke in gently. ¡°I understand why you care so much, Keiko-chan. You¡¯re shining now. I love it. Ever since you won your centre role, you¡¯ve been radiant. But... idols can¡¯t date.¡±


    Keiko snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy. Honestly. But... maybe one day... for now...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°...If ever any of you are in danger, or our family, or our fans... I want to be able to say, like Suzu-chan, I did my part. Even if it¡¯s hard, even if I get hurt, even if the world hates me... I¡¯ll know I did what I should have.¡± Her two friends nodded emphatically, supporting her. ¡°So... it¡¯s time to choose. Sure, you might get to trickle in later, join Adamant or study under Matriarch Daiyu, but... miss this opportunity, and you¡¯ll regret it!¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Ema giggled, still bouncing on her heels, looking dreadfully cute, even in her sweaty sportswear. ¡°Daiyu-chan... oh, she hates that. I think in Chinese it¡¯d be Yu-Yu or Dai-Dai for a nickname, right? Or maybe Daiyu¡¯er? Anyway...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll kill you if you call her any of those.¡± Asuka laughed.


    ¡°...maybe. Yeah, best not.¡± Ema winked, and her antics had further soothed everyone¡¯s tension and fear. ¡°But I asked her, and she says that it¡¯s a Kami-Blessed Class, and it gives Charm and Majesty, which is awesome for idols. Who doesn¡¯t want to be cuter? I know Keiko desperately does.¡±


    As she flushed at that, Keiko nodded. ¡°Every woman does. For us idols it¡¯s even better. There¡¯s Fortune and League too, as well as general boosts that¡¯ll make us better singers and dancers. Better at everything, really. We¡¯ve had the basic lectures, but we¡¯re still beginners so... if you start now, you won¡¯t be too far behind us. I¡¯m also hoping that Hinata-chan will let me redesign some of the uniforms, and...¡± She glanced at Ema and Asuka, who seemed a little shy. ¡°...we¡¯ve written a song specially for this. And... it has parts for everyone. But... only those who join us get to be in it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Rumi-Rumi was impressed. ¡°And I am guessing you three are the centres?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Unless you get good enough to snatch it from us, Rumi-Rumi. But... we... uh... haven¡¯t told management yet, so... if you could put in a good word for our song we¡¯d appreciate it!¡±


    ¡°You have been busy these last few days. All right. I¡¯ll do that.¡± Rumi-Rumi promised, and the three of them were relieved. She then clapped her hands, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll take a vote. And I¡¯ll contact everyone who is off today. Are we in or out?¡±


    As everyone¡¯s hands went up, some more hesitant than others, Rumi-Rumi nodded. ¡°Great. AKB lives and dies as one! That¡¯s how it should be. Even if our juniors are leading us into trouble.¡± She laughed warmly, and Keiko flushed. ¡°Now... I think we all know what we should do. Suzu-chan may be from a rival group, but she¡¯s a friend who performed with us, and... she¡¯s fighting harder than ever. Not just for her dreams or her fans, but... for her life! So...¡±


    Keiko grinned, as did her friends. They gathered in a circle, placing their hands together, before starting the traditional chant. ¡°Fight on! Fight on! Fight!¡± As they threw up their hands, Keiko found herself watching the TV again, and oddly enough, she wished she was there. I¡¯m not good enough. I have the uniform, but not the strength... But...


    Seeing that Asuka and Ema felt the same, Keiko felt resolve burn in her heart. After the Pilgrimage, we might not be useless. Matriarch Daiyu is right. No matter how hard the training, no matter how gruelling the physical and mental struggles... we¡¯re idols. No, more than that, we¡¯re AKB idols. We won¡¯t hesitate to put our minds and bodies through hell to be the best! Now... we just have a little more incentive...


    ***


    Fourth - Hori Natsumi, Hanafubuki Private Academy, Tokyo


    ¡°They are adept at hiding their presence, Motoko.¡± Natsumi mouthed silently, trusting Motoko to read her lips as they headed towards the entrance. ¡°Some might have slipped past us.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Motoko agreed, also without a sound. They had both slowed their breathing, despite the situation, and while before it was still audible, if quiet, after their training and the Levels they had gained, now only truly superior hearing would pick out their sounds, and if necessary they could hold their breaths for a time that would impress the Ama, the female Japanese pearl divers. ¡°But we can only trust the bodyguards to protect their charges well. And those who are trained can fight. Now...¡± Motoko held up a hand, making a sign with her fingers, and Natsumi nodded.


    Yes, switching to hand signs is better. Tsumura Arts, like most martial pursuits, had its own signs for swift and silent communication. It could only handle basic concepts around battle, but that would be enough, as Motoko signed again. Be alert and silent. Finding the enemy a priority.


    Natsumi agreed, signing back. Agreed. Find and neutralise.


    Sadly, the situation was not in their favour. While Hanafubuki boasted state-of-the-art security systems, such as blast-proof security doors, monitoring systems and guards from Fujiwara Security Services, the fact remained that these systems wouldn¡¯t protect against Chosen, nor a concerted terrorist attack. After all, Japan is supposed to be peaceful. And few would be foolish enough to set all of the nobility and much of the larger businesses of Japan against themselves, unless either they didn¡¯t care, or had confidence to resist...


    Motoko signalled that they should advance, and Natsumi nodded, following on quiet feet. Walking silently was the foundation of a proper warrior¡¯s tread, as it indicated one was light and mobile, able to react swiftly, and with the close-quarter styles of Tsumura Arts, that was vital. They headed towards the other middle school classes, only for Motoko to pause.


    Enemies. Two... Motoko made a sign behind her back, and Natsumi agreed.


    I wish we¡¯d been able to master Daiyu¡¯s Qi Perception. It would be excellent in sensing our enemies. My instinct, perhaps due to my long years as Motoko¡¯s bodyguard, and one of the Three-Hundred, is to get the other classes to shelter in the main refuge, but... Without knowing enemy numbers, locations and capabilities, that was fraught with the potential of making a bad situation worse.


    Still, one thing Natsumi was sure of was their enemies were small in number, and they had already killed some. Clenching her fist quietly, Natsumi took a long, yet silent breath. I am Motoko¡¯s shield. Nothing has changed in that regard. Though now she is also mine.


    ¡°How puzzling.¡± Motoko said out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone around. Do you think...¡±


    From above, a woman clad in tight black leather, hiding everything but her eyes, dropped down. It was a very ninja-like skill, clinging to ceilings, but with proper equipment it was quite possible, to say nothing of those with enhanced strengths. The elongated, curved knife she held was shimmering with some liquid, likely poison, and it aimed for the back of Motoko¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Too bad.¡± Natsumi reacted, but not to attack the one aiming for Motoko. No, she spun, just as some sort of large package was hurled around the corner towards them. Jade energies gusted, and the device was blown backwards, moments before it exploded with a loud boom, matched only by the clang of metal on metal, as Motoko¡¯s Utsuroihebi Twin was spun with speed and grace, intercepting the blade aimed at her nape.


    ¡°Damn it all...¡± Natsumi had thought she had blocked the explosion, but it was a wicked device, filled with ball-bearings and broken metal. A flechette bomb. Against most international treaties... Worse, the shrapnel seemed somehow resistant to her wind, piercing through the jade gusts. Has it been treated with aether somehow?


    Undeterred, Natsumi continued to pour out her energies. Motoko was keeping her elemental energies in reserve, whereas Natsumi felt it best to end matters quickly, as the longer they delayed, the more likely further daughters of nobility would perish. The strain was intense, but as she was barraged by wicked debris, she protected her vital organs, narrowed her stance and only threw back the bits and pieces that threatened her life, splitting wind element into multiple streams, she suddenly felt the world slowing down around her.


    Blood bloomed, as several pieces of metal sliced through her uniform. At that moment, she could see Motoko releasing her katana with one hand, readying a counterattack. Several ball bearings were flying towards Motoko¡¯s defenceless rear, and while she had undoubtedly sensed them, she was tied up, so Natsumi strained herself further, splitting her winds thinner, yet trying to still deflect the resistant projectiles. Blood scattered, this time from her nose, and her head was aching fiercely, a great pain like a migraine.


    I won¡¯t be deterred! I¡¯m skilled with wind element. Even if I¡¯ve not been able to overcome the first bottleneck, I can still do this! Shaeula could! Natsumi was determined. She sometimes felt inferior to the others, that she blended into the background, was seen as a part of Motoko. In the past that would have thrilled her, to be considered as a whole with her best friend, mentor and master, but... Times have changed.


    Now Natsumi desperately wished to be seen as unique, the equal to any. No, surpassing the others, even Motoko. She knew it was selfish, and also that every woman, Motoko included, felt the same way. Some, like Eri, Shiro and Shaeula, Hinata too, were just more open about it. I envy them. I do. But... I have my own charms, my own strengths. I¡¯m not just Motoko¡¯s shadow!


    In that slowed moment, Natsumi felt something. It was like the brief thoughts, feelings and emotions that sometimes strayed through Lovers¡¯ Link. Natsumi always liked that, knowing that Akio loved her for herself, not just her family status, even if the Hori¡¯s were nothing compared to the Tsumura house. But this time... That¡¯s... Shaeula? No, not her, but... It was as if remnants of Shaeula¡¯s memories were caught within the bonds, and they seeped into her. Something tore inside, as if a wall Natsumi had been pushing at had collapsed, and in a moment of clarity, her hazel eyes widened. So it¡¯s like that...


    Understanding more about wind, how it wasn¡¯t just about air, the movement and constituents of it, but had somehow more spiritual properties too, and didn¡¯t have to merely be bound by conventional physics, her control multiplied, and the remaining fragments of the bomb scattered, swept up by her gale. Droplets of blood were blown away too, and Natsumi formed the wind into bullets, returning fire. She winced as the corner wall exploded, pierced through by multiple blasts, and more red scattered, and a body hit the ground hard.


    Even as she was exhausting her reserves of wind, the moment of slowed clarity dissipating, yet the thoughts and memories lingering, she turned to see Motoko had flourished a hidden weapon, a rather plain yet serviceable dagger, from her sleeve. Unlike Kozue or Michiru, hidden weapons were not a focus of their Arts, but having a short blade for close work in melee, when spear and sword were stymied and bow useless, was only natural, even if Tsumura Arts also focussed on martial arts. In a slashing motion Motoko struck, and it was her attacker whose throat was slit, and her eyes went wide behind her veil, before she spat out some Arabic-sounding words and collapsed, Motoko making sure she was not faking by sweeping Utsuroihebi Twin, cutting the head free entirely.


    Brutally efficient. I wish I could be as calm as Motoko is. Motoko wiped blood from her sword, then her dagger, resheathing the later in her uniform sleeve, before turning to Natsumi. On seeing her rueful expression, she flushed, coughing nervously.


    ¡°I would not have you see me as brutal, yet... an enemy left for dead who is not is a treacherous trap indeed. Oh... you are hurt. I had worried when there was the explosion, but I sensed you working wind...¡±


    They had abandoned hand signs, as that blast had robbed them of any chance for remaining hidden, at least until they moved locations.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Well, no, not nothing...¡± Natsumi shrugged, wincing a little as her injuries stung. ¡°But I didn¡¯t get hit anywhere major. I¡¯ll scar, but...¡±


    ¡°While scars are honourable, our bodies looking beautiful pleases us more.¡± Motoko¡¯s smile was kind. ¡°Though I fear Mizuki-san should be prioritised for healing. Can you manage?¡±


    Natsumi nodded. ¡°Though my uniform has seen better days. I¡¯m a little upset.¡± Indeed, it was ripped and torn, exposing her undershirt in places, which while it covered her upper body better than most clothing ordinary girls their age wore, Natsumi still felt a twinge of shame, likely due to her upbringing, she supposed. ¡°Luckily there isn¡¯t anyone to see. I have my gym uniform in our classroom... but for now...¡± She pointed at the devastation. ¡°...there was another attacker.¡±


    They rounded the destroyed corner, only to see a masked figure lying against one wall, having left a bloody trail where he had crawled away. It seemed he had been pincushioned by a lot of the flechettes Natsumi had thrown back at him from his bomb, and then he had been repeatedly pierced by wind bullets and fragments of wall. The dark eyes of the man watched them approach, and then he sighed.


    ¡°It seems you are dying.¡± Motoko observed quietly and calmly. ¡°And your fellow has already passed. Would you care to enlighten us on your motives here?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would?¡± The man gasped in decent Japanese, before uttering what sounded like swearwords in Arabic, then returning to Japanese. ¡°Everything... is a test. Even how we die. To the light... of Iblis... I shall return, and blaze away... to nothing. Though...¡± Whatever he was going to say was lost, as his life ebbed away.


    ¡°That bomb was nasty.¡± Natsumi observed into the sudden silence. ¡°It wasn¡¯t purely Material. Maybe something akin to Mortal Engineering? If they have more, then the shelter won¡¯t be safe...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Motoko agreed, clicking her tongue. ¡°But all we can do is deal with our enemies. Two more have fallen. Can you still go on?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t even need to ask!¡± Natsumi insisted. They began to head towards the entrance where the attackers had come from, and Motoko asked her about her breakthrough.


    ¡°It seems your abilities have strengthened. I am proud of you!¡±


    Natsumi giggled quietly. They had abandoned stealth and were rushing now. ¡°Yes, I just knew that Shaeula could do it, and somehow...¡± She explained, and Motoko nodded in understanding.


    ¡°I see. It bears investigating, but... hmm, that is for another, happier time. Do you feel that?¡±


    Natsumi nodded too. ¡°Yes, the air has become rather chilly... it¡¯s not natural, even for this time of year. The heating system could be broken, but...¡±


    ¡°It is abnormal. I do not need Qi Perception or Shaeula¡¯s Eyes to know that.¡± Motoko frowned. ¡°And... it seems we are the only ones making haste.¡±


    Yes. It seems so. A dark-skinned man, rather tall and sallow, yet also handsome, had entered the school. He too was wearing dark black leather, but no veil, and his face was exposed, slightly pink from the chill. If the situation wasn¡¯t what it was, one might mistake him for a teacher perhaps, though Hanafubuki had no male teachers so young, in case of impropriety. But in these circumstances, and with the biting chill in the air, and the blood on his leather...


    ¡°Ah. A welcoming committee.¡± The man spoke in English, though his words were rather stilted, as though it was a struggle for him. ¡°When I heard this was a school... I had thought I would see some fine young women. Not you... girls. Middle schoolers, yes?¡±


    Natsumi and Motoko froze at the unexpected and rather insulting conversation. The man asked them if they understood his words due to the pause, and Motoko shook her head, clearing her surprise.


    ¡°I am no young girl. I am a woman. But... to the West, we do appear younger. We had some issues in Britain too, I suppose.¡± Motoko bit down on a sigh, replying politely in English despite the situation. ¡°This is a private Academy. I believe you are trespassing.¡±


    ¡°And you are no ordinary girls.¡± The man didn¡¯t answer her probing. ¡°Swords. And they have been used. It makes me feel a little better about what I...¡±


    Motoko reacted, and light element blazed. There was a sizzling hiss, and the man seemed stunned for a moment, before he raised one hand to his now burned face, fragments of something clear and smoking falling from his flesh, livid pink burns across his cheeks and forehead, and surrounding his eye sockets. ¡°That...¡±


    No time to let him speak. Natsumi didn¡¯t have a great deal of light element left, but she discharged it, aiming for joints and vital spots. Motoko did the same, and steam rose.


    ¡°Bitches! I am the great Husam, Son of...¡±


    ¡°Tenacious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Natsumi grumbled. Ice? I see. But... Natsumi made a hand sign, and Motoko responded with her own subtle one, before they both drew their blades and rushed in, their positioning honed by long years of familiarity and now harsh practice both alone and under Master Ulfuric.


    Chosen. Give Everything. Full Offense.


    New hand signs had been added by the two of them to cover Chosen, Fae, Yo?kai and other new eventualities. One thing was clear to both of them, however, that despite the Levels they¡¯d gained and the Skills they¡¯d learned, they were both obviously inferior to any but the most apathetic or specialised Chosen.


    Only death awaits us if we drag this out. It¡¯s a shame he survived the light element lasers. That¡¯s our trump card. However... Tsumura Arts were originally designed for this sort of fight, and with Utsuroihebi Twin in their hands...


    ¡°This truly is a nest of Devils. I can see why the First... stop that! I, Husam, am honouring you with speech!¡±


    Motoko and Natsumi¡¯s slashes were blocked. The impact jolted them both, and Natsumi grimaced. It was like striking a solid wall, even with the enhanced and unnatural sharpness of the Twins. Ice shattered and flaked away from the point of impact, and Natsumi noticed something else. I¡¯m slower. Numb... huh? Ice?


    Her torn uniform and undershirt were cold, as was her skin, a faint yet rapidly growing ice encroaching on her, sapping her warmth. Motoko was suffering too, her uniform stiff and hampering her elegant movements.


    This is bad. Even if by some miracle we¡¯ve killed all the intruders but him... nobody left can handle this! He can just freeze the locked classrooms and shelter, and everyone will die of hypothermia! Worse, Natsumi was keenly aware she was in a dishevelled state, and was simultaneously angry, embarrassed, and mad at herself for worrying about that now.


    ¡°Devils? We are simply women trying out best to defend our comrades and classmates!¡± Motoko shot back, sliding away using the quick footwork of Tsumura Arts, the hebiodori, or snake dance.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Natsumi used the distraction to free her own blade, dropping low and sweeping out with all her strength in one kick at his knee. Her toes broke under the impact, and ice scattered, but the man, Husam, as he called himself, barely moved, though he did wince.


    ¡°You are just like they are. Those without a name, only a number.¡± He scoffed, and suddenly the blood on his leather had solidified into bullets. Motoko and Natsumi dodged but they were slowing fast, ears, nose, lips, hands and feet already numbing. Wind roared from Motoko now, trying to replicate Natsumi¡¯s earlier feat, but some bullets got through, and one of Motoko¡¯s arms was hanging limp, while Natsumi was bleeding from several deep gouges in her torso, though her ribs had stopped the projectiles, at the cost of cracking.


    ¡°But that should have killed you. Wind? Does your own Jinni raise this light and wind? Feeble, if so.¡± he scoffed.


    There¡¯s no time. But... Her numb hands still held her sword, no longer the single treasured relic of Tsumura house, but half of a whole, and made by Akio for them both. He didn¡¯t see her as half of Motoko, or her shadow, but... instead, he took what Motoko wished she could share and made it so. Each blade was a twin, yes, but also unique. The differences were hard to spot, but... it shows the care and attention to detail and... his foresight!


    ¡°We¡¯ve got more!¡± Natsumi rushed forwards, and while Husam had higher Might and Fortitude than her, their Alacrity and Precision were comparable, which showed how hard they had trained and grinded, as Akio and Shiro had put it. Her own water elemental bullets bloomed, and barraged Husam, who was momentarily wary, as the light beams had burned his skin, even if only superficially. But when he saw it was water, he laughed, clearly amused.


    ¡°Your feeble efforts only strengthen my Ice, woman...¡± Some of it was frozen and returned, and Natsumi staggered, falling to one knee, one hand leaving the hilt of her katana, forming an odd shape.


    Fire. Trust. Strike.


    Motoko roared, her flame element blazing. Now Husam shielded his face again, and steam rose, but after a moment where he was wreathed in a yellow halo of fire, he relaxed, his armour melting but still largely intact. Raising one fist, he swung it at Motoko, but with a great effort, she blocked it with her disabled arm, and there was a sickening crack as despite her Fortitude, it was broken and twisted by the impact. She ground her teeth, dark brown eyes fierce, but still she glanced at Natsumi, trusting her plan.


    The only way to beat a vastly more powerful opponent is either through surprise, or in an instant of genius using the tools on hand. If it drags out much longer, we¡¯re dead...


    ¡°Break!¡± Natsumi shouted, her water element boiling. She had infused it with most of her remaining aether, and now it was part of the weakened, refreezing armour, she drew it back towards her, and the armour shattered, revealing several gaps, as her water had converged to the areas most weakened by Motoko¡¯s flames. We¡¯re not the same, but we do complement each other perfectly. In battle, in life or in love... we¡¯re our own selves, but still... better together. Her embarrassment from her state changed to one at her memories, of London and later.


    ¡°Futile! Accept your demise and know it is an honour to fall by...¡±


    ¡°Empty...¡± Motoko called out, thrusting one-handed. Husam sneered, knowing a katana wasn¡¯t a thrusting weapon, but he then was caught off-guard as Motoko¡¯s blade shone, and a brilliant beam of warm yellow-gold light left the blade. His Ice armour simply melted, the light carrying the power of fire, and at that moment, Natsumi also called out.


    ¡°...Radiance!¡± Her sword was swung, and the frozen numbness of her body was banished by the backlash of the golden glow. It was rather painful, just as if one warmed freezing hands near a fire, but also comforting. Her own beam also hit home, joining Motoko¡¯s, and the target was Husam¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Utsuroi-kagayaki!¡± They cried together, forcing out all of their aether, and the aether that had pooled in the Twin blades ever since Akio had crafted them. There was a roar from Husam, as he drew all his icy frost back within himself, trying to fend off the light as he had before, but...


    ¡°It¡¯s not light, but radiance!¡± Natsumi grinned. ¡°Light that also carries flame...¡±


    ¡°It is not as beautiful or deadly as Akio¡¯s radiance that carries Foehn, but nonetheless...¡± Motoko joined in, as steam rose from Husam, his strength fading as his heart and the surrounding tissues were burned to ashes, the beams colliding and cascading through his body and Chakra network.


    ¡°...with your armour weakened, and our beams converging, you¡¯re done!¡± Natsumi breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the sudden warmth in the air.


    ¡°It was a difficult decision, naming this ability to fit Tsumura Arts. Shaeula suggested ¡®Akio¡¯s Hot Passionate Love¡¯ as the name, but that...¡± Motoko blushed adorably. ¡°I cannot in good conscience shout that in battle.¡±


    ¡°I might have done.¡± Natsumi shook her head. ¡°I feel so underdressed right now. I need the reassurance.¡±


    Husam watched with a look of disbelief at the banter, before he collapsed to his knees, and then fell face down to the floor. Blood poured from his scorched flesh and mouth, still bubbling from the radiance. ¡°I... the Jinn... my Ice... beaten by two... little... girls...¡±


    He then coughed one final time, and was still.


    ¡°Little girls? I¡¯m almost offended.¡± Natsumi crossed her arms under her chest, sticky blood soaking them through her torn undershirt. ¡°Don¡¯t you watch the news? I¡¯m engaged to be married!¡±


    ¡°I do not think he cares.¡± Motoko winced, bracing her shattered arm and forcing the bones together. She groaned in pain, face white, but after a moment she shook her head. ¡°I would ask for some cloth, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Natsumi didn¡¯t hesitate, and her shredded uniform was soon bandages, binding Motoko¡¯s arm, Natsumi¡¯s foot and their many other wounds. ¡°Now I am unfit to be seen. If anyone does, I¡¯ll die of shame. Though... it beats dying to him. Thanks for understanding.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Motoko chuckled rustily. ¡°I had the same thought, though I was simply going to melt his armour of ice first. After all, if we did not end him quickly, with one decisive strike, we were doomed. We are still too weak!¡±


    ¡°Regretting letting that Favour slip through your grasp? Especially now Eri and Hinata have their own?¡± Natsumi questioned her as they dragged themselves out of the school building to survey the situation. Seeing dead Fujiwara Security personnel, they bowed their heads in prayer for a moment.


    ¡°I suppose. Though... honestly, it was not a perfect fit for us. We use our bows, yes, but... a Favour for us should either be favouring many weapons, or strengthening us in other ways. But... it certainly would have made this battle rather more favourable.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Natsumi nodded. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no more attackers waiting outside. I just hope and pray there¡¯s no more Chosen in the assault. We¡¯re done if there are, I don¡¯t even want to face one of those ordinary assassins right now.¡±


    ¡°Yet we must.¡± Motoko warned, and Natsumi shrugged, though wished she didn¡¯t, as her wounds ached abominably. I feel awful. I just want to curl up and sleep, or better yet, have Akio hug me and Heal all these injuries. If I was still myself from a few months ago... even one of these might have been fatal for me...


    ¡°All right, but we¡¯re out of most of our abilities, and in rough shape. I can¡¯t stop you, but as your erstwhile bodyguard and friend... I¡¯m not going to let you sacrifice yourself for anyone there. Not even Honoka-sama. But... we need to save who we can. At least Kozue is still there, and a few others who have had Chirurgery. If we link up with them again...¡±


    Motoko nodded. ¡°I understand. I too have no wish to die. It is... not pleasant, fighting other humans. It is nothing like our battles in the Boundary. But...¡± She cast one last glance at the still body of Husam. ¡°...it is a shame. An Ice Favour would have been useful.¡±


    ¡°Still thinking of Favours I see? Well, I want one too! Our training can only take us so far. But to get one... we have to survive. So... let¡¯s go.¡± With that, the two of them limped back into the main building, Natsumi pondering their situation wistfully.


    It¡¯s a phenomenal achievement, us killing a Chosen despite not being one ourselves. But... the end result has left us near useless. I now understand why Akio is so much happier now that he¡¯s strong enough to crush most opponents. He still won before, but... I certainly approve of having the leisure to win safely. As a bodyguard, I¡¯d be a failure...


    Indeed, while an ordinary person might think that a bodyguard had succeeded in her duties if she defeated the threat, no matter her wounds, while that was partially true, an elite bodyguard, like those who protected the nobility, or Fujiwara Security, they knew that to be injured was to risk being unable to protect from follow-up attacks. It hurts the heart of our charges too. Though fortunately, Motoko is understanding and made of sterner stuff, with a stout heart and great courage. Besides... her injuries wounded my heart...


    Thinking such thoughts, the faint stirrings of their slowly regenerating aether beginning the process of Ether Healing, the two of them exchanged a glance, now once more communicating with hand signals, as getting ambushed again in their current state would be a disaster...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Seven – Blood and Bravery

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Seven ¨C Blood and Bravery


    First - Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata, The Tengokusentou, Tokyo


    As her new sword, Clai?omh Solais, hit the ground, Hinata was overcome by a wave of exhaustion. Even so, her exultation was a match for it, the exuberance of using such power still shocking her. Water fell down like rain, the water from the lake bounding the Tengokusentou showering down, forming brilliant rainbows, even as steam rose.


    ¡°The grounds...¡± Hinata heard a pained cry from Nozomi-san, and did feel a little guilty for a second, as the beautiful gardens of the Tengokusentou now had another burned furrow through it, a number of old shrubs and trees blackened and dying. Sorry again Asha, but...


    The Chosen that had commanded the colossus of water was now nothing more than a smouldering ruin, the beam of golden light Hinata had wielded through her new sword having effortlessly dispatched him. Motes of golden-tinged indigo light were floating in the air, clashing with the dark blue sparks of Miyu¡¯s Dance, and the surroundings felt off, somehow, almost tingly.


    I don¡¯t have a way to describe it, but... it¡¯s somehow both wrong and reassuring at the same time. Reaching down with numb fingers, Hinata grasped her treasured sword, admiring the beautiful knotwork decorations and shimmer of the blade itself. It seems I¡¯ m not feeling bad about... about killing that man. Is it because I¡¯m used to it now, or...


    Setting that aside, she made a quip, perhaps not even realising herself that she was struggling inside. ¡°Now I match with Shaeula! I have a Faerie sword too! Although... I don¡¯t know how to fight with it, and I doubt I can use that beam of light any time soon again. The blade feels empty...¡±


    At the blast, which had rocked the battlefield, everyone on both sides of the bloody skirmish had halted, transfixed. Now, as the rainbows died down, and Hinata¡¯s words filled the silence, the momentary freeze in hostilities broke, and chaos ensued once again.


    ¡°Do not be so arrogant.¡± Tan?ha? sniffed, tossing her head, even as her flames surged out. Now the water giant had fallen, its wielder slain, she was free to turn her attention to another foe. White robes burned, and metal melted, and the smell of cooked flesh filled the air, and the sounds of screaming howled out, only to be cut off as Tan?ha? made a displeased expression. ¡°Disgusting. Part of a greater whole, and quite unsuitable for my use. Barely even a drop to quench my thirst.¡± Blinking, she suddenly realised her attitude might have seemed cruel, so her smile softened, but Hinata paid it no mind.


    I¡¯m well used to Tan?ha? now, and it seems wrong to judge a Goddess by our standards. Especially as she¡¯s on our side. Ordinarily, I wouldn¡¯t trust that, but since she has the wager with Akio, which she¡¯s destined to lose... she¡¯ll be bound to us irrevocably soon enough. I can hardly wait!


    Seeing Hinata smiling knowingly at her, Tan?ha? retorted, which amused Hinata further. ¡°That sword, do not be too proud of it. It is merely a replica. Many are the works of the Pantheons that are recreated in lower Worlds, given to champions and heroes. Compared to the weapons my father wields, it is a triviality.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m a hero or a champion, am I?¡± Hinata teased, pouring out more golden dust. The situation seemed to be stabilising, with two of the three Chosen the Church of True Revelation brought having perished, and a great number of the dignitaries already evacuated. It was then that Hinata noticed Mayumi was still there, poor Katana with her, looking around constantly, clearly on edge. Seeing that, Hinata pouted angrily.


    ¡°What the hell are you still doing here, Mayumi?¡± Hinata shouted, even as her golden powder, the Midas Touch, as she called it, was eating away at the lungs and internal organs of some of the remaining terrorists, painfully finishing them. ¡°You need to retreat along with the others!¡±


    Mayumi nodded, her eyes wide, shocked at the carnage. ¡°I know, but... what of Miyu-san? She¡¯s still inside...¡±


    ¡°The Dance continues.¡± Tan?ha? gestured to the faint blue tinge overlaying the Tengokusentou grounds, which was spreading and intensifying slowly. ¡°Besides... I have sealed the abilities of those fools who schemed against us with Abrogation. It shall not endure long, but we are almost finished here. And any enemies who seek to do her harm will suffer...¡±


    Indeed, the ordinary fanatics who remained in the grounds had collapsed, their weapons and explosives useless with their bodies constantly damaged by Miyu¡¯s darkness element. Only the strongest of the Judges were continuing the battle, and even as Hinata watched, Koga-san, Michiru¡¯s flamboyant father, threw a handful of dangerous powder into the face of one, who screamed, and as he fell, he was quickly dispatched, Koga-san showing no mercy and breaking his neck.


    ¡°Yes, and Miyu should be dancing towards the exit.¡± Hinata nodded. ¡°But... she¡¯s important to Akio, to us. And... she¡¯s my friend.¡± Hinata winked at Mayumi, who shrugged.


    ¡°I get it. I do!¡± She was panicked, her face pale and her breath coming fast, her trauma of being kidnapped only a short while ago resurfacing. ¡°She¡¯s my friend too! Which is why I¡¯m worried... I don¡¯t want... nobody should have to...¡± The usually talkative and pushy Mayumi was struggling for words. Seeing that, Hinata smiled softly, even as her fading metal element was supporting Tan?ha? in battling the final Chosen the Church had brought. I get it. You¡¯ve changed. But... don¡¯t change too much. Don¡¯t lose your fire.


    If anything else, that was what Hinata hated the most about the fools that had kidnapped Mayumi and uncle Kira. They had no chance of victory, and had only succeeded in causing Mayumi mental anguish. Just like these idiots here. Don¡¯t they know how powerful Tan?ha? is? No, I guess they wouldn¡¯t do...


    ¡°I shall be finished soon.¡± Tan?ha? promised, an expression of disgust on her face as she battled the last enemy that still threatened them. The man, wearing white robes chased with gold and carrying an ornate, ancient looking sword, similar to a Roman gladius, was hard-pressed, dodging Tan?ha?¡¯s flames, though again that was causing further devastation to the poor grounds. ¡°Then I shall deal with our other guests.¡±


    Unlucky them. Though of course, Hinata had no sympathy for the members of the Ruby Group and their schemes. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Hinata promised. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, but I should be enough to handle things. Besides, if they turn on Miyu, they¡¯ll take a hit from her Dance. Besides, you won¡¯t lose to that last idiot, will you?¡±


    Kazumi wanted to argue, not liking Hinata charging into danger, but seeing Hinata holding Clai?omh Solais, and seeing the destruction her Divine Favour had wrought, she was unable to insist. Hinata saw her internal struggle, and smiled impishly. I know you¡¯re jealous, Kazumi. But... maybe one day a Favour suitable for you will be found.


    ¡°Lose? To a feeble lapdog of the Throne, using borrowed power?¡± Tan?ha? almost seemed insulted. ¡°You called me here to ensure all would be safe, and I shall see that done.¡± At her words, the man in white narrowed his eyes, perhaps understanding some Japanese. At her words, energy surged from him, and he cried out in English.


    ¡°Descend, Angel! Shine the light of the Ninth Heaven...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tan?ha? declared, a great flaming arm forming above her. With a swatting gesture, the blazing arm crashed down, and the unearthly form of the Angel that was shimmering into existence shattered, mercifully only half-seen, and the Judge was also crushed, letting out a strangled cry as he was pounded into the ground, limbs breaking, blood spilling and flesh tearing. As the great flaming arm dissipated, Tan?ha? spoke harsh words. ¡°I am almost insulted. An Angel? Even were it to manifest in full, I should have crushed it and torn off its false wings. But a mere summoned shadow? Pathetic.¡±


    Hinata winced, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. Kazumi also looked away at the grizzly scene. There¡¯s another crater in the grounds... I think...


    Nozomi-san and Arisa-chan were frozen, though at least they had acquitted themselves passably in their first true battle. Both of them were staring at the devastated gardens, tears in their eyes, but Hinata had no time to let them grieve. ¡°All right then. We¡¯ve won here.¡± Hinata changed the subject, glancing around at the situation. Armoured buses had pulled up, and Fujiwara Security and members of Koga-san¡¯s underground team were making sure that the nobility and guests were boarding, to be taken to the Fujiwara and Ichijou estates until this whole mess was sorted out. Makes sense, those are the safest places now.


    Mayumi and her bodyguard, Katana, had remained behind, as had Nozomi-san and Arisa-chan, who Hinata was pleased to see had acquitted themselves well. Even the fragile Nozomi-san fought. I guess their hard training as Adamant members has worked wonders. But then... she glanced at Tan?ha?, no, Shiro, and remembered their conversations about Adamant and the intent of forming it.


    It was Shiro¡¯s idea to make sure that the training skewed towards the psychological, breaking their reluctance to fight and making them feel close-knit loyalty towards each other and more importantly, to us as leaders, and Akio above us. Yes, I wanted an absolutely loyal force, ones who would dedicate their lives to Akio, but... Shiro knew how to make that happen.


    It seemed Tan?ha? was looking elsewhere, and following her gaze back towards the Tengokusentou, Hinata was surprised to see Aimi-san, one of Akio¡¯s dear friends who was in attendance, still hadn¡¯t evacuated, despite having helped a number of other attendees to the buses. She was trying to cajole her boyfriend to move, the staffer from Fujiwara house that seemed to work under Hidemasa-san. He was standing, shellshocked, looking around, muttering quietly to himself. At this distance his words shouldn¡¯t have been audible, but Hinata revelled in her newfound strengths and could hear easily.


    ¡°It... it shouldn¡¯t be like this, Aimi...¡± he muttered, seeing the flames rising from the scorched gardens and the broken windows of the Tengokusentou and the scorched exteriors, that would take painstaking and costly efforts to repair. Though we¡¯ll do it, of course. It¡¯ll be restored to perfection. After all... we have to hold our mortal wedding ceremony here.


    ¡°I know... but... we have to go!¡± Aimi-san was tugging at his arm, her face pale. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything here.¡± Her Chirurgery-enhanced strength was in evidence, and he shifted, but his expression was lifeless.


    ¡°Hidemasa-sama... he said it was my chance! He promised... once this deal was done, he¡¯d surely have his father¡¯s praise. But... but...¡±


    ¡°Aimi!¡± Shiro called, Tan?ha? letting her surface for a while. ¡°What the hell are you still doing here? Get on the damn buses girl! Although...¡± Tan?ha? took over. ¡°It seems matters externally are resolved. Though our enemies suffer.¡±


    Glancing around, Hinata saw it was true. The intensifying darkness element was still striking the fallen terrorists, and some had died under the onslaught. She walked over towards the two of them, Tan?ha? and the others following, while Tan?ha? explained further.


    ¡°Indeed, the princess says that it doesn¡¯t matter how many trash mobs there are, Miyu¡¯s AOE DOT cleans them out just fine. She has quite the colourful turn of phrase. I can hardly say I understand most of it, unfortunately.¡±


    Hinata was likewise puzzled, but Aimi-san, despite the gravity of the situation, managed a brief giggle, seeming almost surprised she had. ¡°She¡¯s just talking game design. That means area of effect, so all enemies over an area, and DOT is damage over time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hinata nodded, understanding. ¡°Yes, the damage is accumulating as Miyu continues to Dance. As for trash... I understood that.¡± She glared around viciously, seeing the devastation. ¡°They certainly were trash, human garbage.¡±


    ¡°No, I think you¡¯re missing the point. Trash mobs are... no, never mind.¡± Aimi-san, close to tears, took a deep breath and once more tried to inspire her boyfriend to move. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right, come on, please!¡±


    ¡°I fear you are wasting your breath.¡± Tan?ha? sighed. ¡°The shock has momentarily broken him. How shameful, when young girls can resist and fight.¡± She glanced at Arisa-chan, who flushed a little at her praise, but she held her weapon at the ready as she was taught.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Hinata shook her head. Koga-san was coming over, likely to evacuate them, as they were the last group remaining other than Miyu and Michiru, and their enemies. ¡°It¡¯s the betrayal. It¡¯s obvious now I think about it.¡±


    ¡°No. No!¡± the man shouted suddenly, waving his arms madly, despite Aimi-san¡¯s efforts to calm him down. ¡°Hidemasa-sama couldn¡¯t have known, he wouldn¡¯t abandon me to this... you lie!¡± He raised a hand with a snarl, and was going to swing a fist at Hinata, only for Koga-san to grab his wrist in a vice-grip.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t threaten Hinata ojou-chan, else you can¡¯t handle the consequences.¡± The big man in his suit smiled cheerfully, and Hinata would have thought him rather comedic, if she hadn¡¯t seen him use his martial arts and hidden weapons to kill a number of armed opponents, without any shred of mercy. Not that I disapprove. Mercy is a luxury for the unassailably powerful, and we certainly are not invincible, even with Tan?ha? here.


    For a second Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend fought in his iron grip, before lucidity came back into his eyes. Realising who he had nearly struck, his face went pale with horror, and he stammered an apology. ¡°Fuku... Takatsukasa-sama... forgive me. I would never...¡±


    Hinata tossed her head dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t pay it any mind. You are clearly distraught. With Kazumi at my side, you could never have touched me anyway, and even if you did strike me, I am far beyond you now.¡± It wasn¡¯t a boast or a statement of pride, merely objective fact.


    ¡°No, no... my disrespect...¡± he babbled, and Hinata turned to Aimi-san.


    ¡°Sorry about this. We really didn¡¯t want to drag you into trouble. You should go with the evacuations. You too Mayumi.¡±


    Mayumi shook her head. ¡°No, I feel safer here with you. I¡¯ll stay.¡± Katana seemed to disagree, but held her silence.


    ¡°The threat from the rabble that follow the so-called Throne are dealt with, true, but the poisoned fangs of these so-called serpents remain. We must take some alive, to see just what they have schemed.¡± Tan?ha? declared, and Hinata agreed.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s obvious... this wasn¡¯t some spur-of-the-moment effort to extort or humiliate the nobility, as we suspected... now, Koga-san, you should come with us. Michiru is still in danger.¡±


    The big man looked troubled, before he shook his head. ¡°Sorry Hinata ojou-chan, but my duty is to Shige-dono and the other VIP¡¯s, your grandfather too. They must be protected. Michiru is a Koga, and bodyguard to Miyu ojou-chan. She will gladly lay her life down to protect her, and would scorn me for abandoning my duties. After all... this attack was well planned. If I was running it, I¡¯d have a backup plan to attack the survivors as they fled. So I need to be there.¡±


    Hinata thought that made sense, even if it was rather cold. ¡°But... surely the Church hasn¡¯t got the Chosen to throw more away like this?¡± Hinata was feeling impatient, the conversation, while quick, was delaying their rescue of Miyu.


    ¡°Measuring the resources of the wretched Pantheon is foolish. They have their ways. The losses will not sting them near as much as it would if we were to suffer them. Now...¡± She narrowed her crimson eyes, and for a moment, Aimi-san¡¯s boyfriend gawped at her, stunned, before Aimi-san gripped his arm fiercely, with all her new enhanced strength, and pinched him savagely.


    He yelped, and his head suddenly cleared. ¡°Oh, sorry Aimi. I got... distracted. No, that¡¯s not the point...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find out just what the conspiracy was here, and rescue the Tengokusentou. Mayumi... I still think you should go.¡±


    ¡°No! I only feel safe when I¡¯m with you or Akio-kun...¡± she insisted, and Hinata froze, before a wicked grin crossed her face.


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is. I¡¯ll do my best to protect you then, Mayumi, as my dear friend, but... Miyu comes first.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Mayumi pouted. ¡°She¡¯s got a lot of value, and... it¡¯s not from her birth.¡±


    Hearing her say that, Koga-san was surprised, but he didn¡¯t comment. He merely bowed, urging Aimi-san and her boyfriend towards the last of the buses. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t let you go, ojou-chan. If any of you get hurt, Shige-dono, Kira-dono and Itsuki-dono will have my head, but... please, look after Michiru for me, and make sure Miyu ojou-chan gets out safely. It¡¯s been interesting watching her change, and...¡±


    He glanced at Nozomi-san and Arisu-san, taking in their under-armour and weapons with a professional eye, before checking out Mayumi and Katana, and lastly Hinata herself and Kazumi. ¡°...it seems times are changing as well. Some for the worse, but...¡± He grinned then, and it was cheeky and infectious, making him look younger. ¡°...I always did admire Motoko ojou-chan and her stance on the beauty of combat. It seems she is not alone in that.¡± He winked, before ushering Aimi-san and her troubled boyfriend towards the last of the evacuation vehicles.


    ¡°All right then.¡± Hinata declared, the blue glow around them an indication that Miyu was still dancing. ¡°Don¡¯t regret this.¡± she warned Mayumi, who shrugged, standing close behind her.


    ¡°You two...¡± Tan?ha? allowed Shiro to speak to Nozomi-san and Arisa-chan. ¡°Good job so far, I know it¡¯s not easy, this is your first real combat mission, excluding boring Level grinding in Aki¡¯s Territory. And you probably feel sick, feel hurt... but look around. This place is yours! And enemies would rob you of it! But... with your own hands, no matter how red they get, you¡¯re determined to hold onto what you love! Good!¡± With those stirring words, the two calmed down, and it even had an effect to reduce Mayumi¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°Oh, and as it¡¯s now an official Adamant mission, do well and there might be a promotion in it for you. And if you accrue enough merits, Aki might even give you your new rank insignias and medals!¡±


    Trust Shiro to cut through the tension. Although... Hinata exchanged a wry glance with Kazumi and Mayumi. They both noticed too. Nozomi-san actually looks happy about that. How odd... and Arisa-chan doesn¡¯t look displeased.


    Shaking her head, Hinata clutched Clai?omh Solais tightly. ¡°Come on, we need to help Miyu and Michiru, and make sure than we catch our treacherous serpents.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tan?ha? agreed, back in charge and ready to fight, her hair blazing with brilliant flames. ¡°This Tengokusentou is a burrow infested with snakes, but we shall dig them out and skin them for our troubles...¡±


    Quite the metaphor. With that they entered the battered Tengokusentou once more, feeling the pressure of Miyu¡¯s darkness element intensifying...


    ***


    Second ¨C Fujiwara Miyu, The Tengokusentou, Tokyo


    This is extremely troubling. Miyu continued to Dance the Departing Dusk, her muscles aching slightly, the flow of aether within her bubbling and boiling. Though I suppose I should be thankful for Akio-san¡¯s hard training, making me Dance for hours and hours in his Territory. I am certainly far stronger now.


    Beside her, Michiru stood, as resolute as ever, ready to protect her, and Miyu felt warm looking at her, even as she waved her custom fans that had been crafted to amplify her dance. Michiru, I want you to stay by my side forever. But... It was envious, seeing Motoko-san and Natsumi-san. I must remember to give Natsumi-san proper respect. After all, she is Akio-san¡¯s fiance?e, and thus the equal of any of us, and besides... she has shown that what I wish can actually come to pass...


    ¡°Are you sure we should remain, Miyu-sama?¡± Michiru asked for seemingly the twentieth time since the disaster of the Tengokusentou had begun. The sounds of breaking glass and explosions could be heard, and smoke was slowly starting to fill the grand hall, though by the volume at least whatever fires were burning could not be too serious. Michiru glanced at the executives of the Ruby Group, and the clearly ill-intentioned member of Kuwahara house was with them. On seeing him, it further reinforced her belief and determination.


    Determined. Me? I was so pathetic and selfish, wishing for everyone to solve my problems for me, trusting that my status as Fujiwara Miyu meant I was owed that. Instead... Hinata-san and Akio-san tolerated my insubordination and selfishness, and have been endlessly patient with Michiru and I.


    Thinking back to their first meeting, where Michiru had taken things too far as usual, the test Miyu had set for her guests not to include potentially killing Hinata-san with poisoned needles, she smiled, despite her worry and exhaustion. No, now I am proud I was chosen by Ame-no-Uzume, that my heartfelt joy and love of dancing was recognised by the Divine. I still loathe battle and danger, but...


    Thinking again of Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, Miyu felt envy, but also great happiness for them. It touched her heart. She had always admired Motoko-san, as had almost all of the girls of Hanafubuki. Determined to carve her own path, hold onto her dreams which were something no daughter of high nobility like she could hope to possess, yet somehow still being as refined and elegant, as poised and as noble as any, more than most. Indeed, I think now her self-belief and determination is true nobility. Many of them have it as well, despite not being born to great families. Akio-san too...


    No, she was jealous. Motoko-san and Natsumi-san were clearly in love with each other. Not... perhaps not in the way Miyu felt for Michiru, but love was love, and they, like Michiru and her, they never wished to be separated. And now they would never have to be. Marrying a man they loved, able to spend their lives together, obligations met...


    But I can have that too. Michiru and I can. For Akio-san has quashed the horrors of an arranged marriage to a man I would have no wish to touch. She shuddered a little, but her Dance continued on unimpeded, a grace and beauty her master in Kyomai dance would surely praise. The inky blue of the darkness element continued to escalate, hanging heavy around her, dyeing the lanterns that lit the hall an eerie shade.


    I feared and loathed men. My father, I barely ever spoke to him ever since I reached puberty, until just recently. Only grandfather... I love and respect him, but I also fear and sometimes hate him, for... my life is at his whim, and would have been at my husband¡¯s. But I have my own ideals. Now... now I see there are men out there who respect women, who are not to be feared, although... Michiru was peering at her quizzically, and so Miyu knew her smile must be strange to her.


    No, it is odd indeed to claim the man who made me realise is Akio-san. For I should be disgusted, he has claimed Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, Hinata-san and many more. But... his love is equal to the greed he displays. And... he does not see them as trophies or as prizes, or worse, as his toys... but he genuinely wants the best for them, for us... for me. Miyu had spoken with Shaeula often, the princess a revelation to her, of noble lineage but irreverent, teasing, playful yet kind and strong. Miyu hadn¡¯t received Chirurgery yet, as they still didn¡¯t want to risk disrupting her Divine Favour and how it worked. But... One day, if I become enough of a Fae like everyone else, Michiru too...


    It was possible, supposedly, for two women, or even two men, of the Fae, to create offspring. It was odd to Miyu, but not unpleasant, though... I love Michiru, I want to be with her, but... her children? Perhaps it was her upbringing, or simply too ingrained within her, but... she couldn¡¯t quite get over the hurdle that it seemed off somehow. She had broached the subject with Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, a shaming experience to be sure, but they had treated her kindly. They understood the appeal, but had no interest in each other that way. Apparently they had tried it, on the bed with Akio-san, but there had been no spark, and they found joy in his touch, but also in serving together.


    That was a shock, but refreshing. For us sheltered daughters, to talk openly about such...


    Despite everything, Miyu did want a lot of what the nobility considered happiness for a woman. Just... she wanted more. It was confusing to her, and to Michiru, though her bodyguard was also rather... submissive, in a way. She enjoyed Miyu taking the reins, but also... I believe Hinata-san called her a pervert, but Michiru is just... Michiru. Being so dominated physically by Akio-san that time had left a great impression on her mind, as had the favour they had been shown since.


    That time I caught her in the bath, thinking about it, touching her most secret... Face scarlet, Miyu decided to dismiss that thought, concentrating on her dancing. It would all work out. Miyu believed that now. Whatever decision she reached, she would have the support of Hinata-san, and she would help her make her desired future come to pass.


    But to be worthy of it... I need to work harder. Aether intensifying, Miyu suddenly felt more graceful, her dancing ever more elegant, harkening to the time Ame-no-Uzume danced to try and lure Amaterasu from her cave... I believe Akio-san would say I have just Ranked up, but... I have no way to check. Although...


    Her blush was back, as she remembered the third Dance she had obtained recently. Akio-san had not observed her with his Eye recently, so he did not know of it, but Miyu knew instinctively. She had not tried it, not even with Michiru, for it was too embarrassing, but... No, later. It is powerful, but the... conditions... I hesitate to speak of it. Although...  Now she had effectively been in a true battle for the first time, Miyu had a different perspective, and resolved to unburden herself to Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, those she looked up to, about this and her other worries.


    ¡°They seem panicked.¡± Michiru pointed out, as they observed the cluster of Ruby Group executives, who had not fled, despite Miyu¡¯s expectations. The conversation was in a mix of English, Japanese and Chinese, and she regretted neither she nor Michiru spoke more than a few words of Mandarin.


    ¡°It is understandable. I suspect they had no idea that a third force would strike here.¡± Miyu responded.


    ¡°We¡¯re finished!¡± the Kuwahara traitor was saying, and Miyu felt relief for Shiraishi Nozomi-san, that she was now freed from a likely loveless marriage with his brother. Better to be broken-hearted now and know the truth, than a lifetime of misery. It enraged her, and her darkness element intensified. Hinata-san is right. I understand we are all beautiful, elegant, intelligent and refined, but... at what cost? But we can have both... she will see to that, with his aid.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± one of the red-clad men snapped back, also in Japanese, quite accented as though he was more used to speaking English. ¡°This is a setback, but...¡±


    There was a lot of Chinese said rapidly between several other groups, and Miyu picked out Sa?ncho?ng, Fujiwara Hidemasa and a few other words she recognised. Ji?du? jia?o tu?? It sounds familiar.


    Michiru must have recognised it. ¡°I think they mean... churchgoers? In this context, Miyu-sama...¡±


    Miyu nodded, working it into her graceful dance. ¡°Yes, it must mean the outside assailants, the Throne, as Goddess Tan?ha? called them.¡± The explosions and sounds of battle from outside had largely died down, and Miyu was not worried. After all, we have a genuine Goddess on our side, no matter how limited she is to act. Hinata-san too. She is as I am now. I feel closer to her.


    One of the red-clad executives glanced at the two of them with a wry expression, before switching to English, knowing they understood. ¡°There is no point, Mr Kuwahara. The die has been cast, and it came up not in our favour. Talking your way out of this...¡±


    ¡°But we did nothing!¡± Kuwahara-san insisted. ¡°We...¡±


    ¡°They blocked the Second Worm. Even now...¡± He twitched his fingers. ¡°...I am unable to exercise it, and my fellow is likewise blocked. A cruel trick.¡±


    Miyu exchanged a glance with Michiru, and they both understood. Believing the words of the enemy is foolish. If they say they are weak where we can hear, they are likely strong.


    ¡°But...¡± Kuwahara-san was sweating. ¡°...all our hard work and planning. It can¡¯t end here. No, we can... we can talk it out.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± The man in red snorted. ¡°After all, Miss Fujiwara has been listening all along. And I believe she has suspicions. It would be hard not to have them...¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kuwahara-san repeated like a broken record, before his expression changed, to one of callous cruelty. ¡°...it¡¯s still not too late to salvage something. Fujiwara Miyu-sama is here, only guarded by one bodyguard. If she were to... well, these outsiders could be blamed, yes? And then one part of our goal...¡±


    I thought so. Uncle Hidemasa-sama, you would dare sell Japan to foreigners, just to overthrow grandfather, your own father?


    ¡°Be my guest.¡± The Ruby Group Chosen suggested. ¡°Though she is one with powers. You think she is dancing for the joy of it? Can¡¯t you taste the darkness in the air? I suspect the moment we act as her enemy...¡±


    Miyu raised an eyebrow, impressed at his perception. Of course, neither her nor Michiru were foolish enough to speak and confirm his guess.


    ¡°Then what do we do? Whoever wins outside we lose, unless they both wipe each other out!¡± Kuwahara-san grumbled. ¡°Everything was going so well! All my brother¡¯s careful planning... we were going to replace Takatsukasa house, and with Hidemasa-sama¡¯s support...¡±


    As expected. All the pieces fit, if one assumes the plan is made by a fool. Even with all the upper nobility here slain, there are those such as Tsumura-sama who would resist. Though... the addition of these Sa?ncho?ng, they offered the possibility of lessening the suspicion. And Goddess Tan?ha? claimed there was a second foe, with powers I do not know... no, perhaps the scheme is not as weak as I surmised. Although...


    ¡°It¡¯s a new world, Mr Kuwahara.¡± The Chosen agreed. ¡°Well, your scheme is on the verge of collapse. Unless you have a solution to Miss Fujiwara here?¡± His tone seemed mocking, though Kuwahara-san didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°I... I do.¡± He fumbled in the pocket of his suit and brought out a gun. It looked strange, perhaps made of porcelain or plastic, but was unmistakably a weapon. ¡°One shot. If... if she dies, you can do something, yes?¡±


    The Chosen clasped his hands, interest in his expression. ¡°Oh my, how bold. But... there is two of them? Do you think you can?¡±


    ¡°I... I... I took marksmanship lessons in America. I can...¡±


    ¡°Michiru!¡± Miyu commanded, and she acted without hesitation. She surged towards the traitor to the nobility, and panicked, he cried out, raising his gun. A bullet hissed out, but Michiru was already moving, keeping out of the line of fire. The first bullet slammed the floor, striking sparks, and there was no time for a second, as suddenly he screamed, the darkness of Dusk surging in on him now his actions had declared him an enemy. Flesh blackened and burned, and he vomited dark blood, blue sparks mixed within. A second later, Michiru slammed her palm into his neck, and with a strangled squawk he dropped, unconscious. Despite that, now he had acted against them, the Dusk savaged him, and he would surely die soon.


    I thought I would feel more at that. I was so terrified, but... I realise I was only frightened of my own suffering, my own pain, my own loss. I am not a lovable woman. It surprises me why Michiru is so devoted to me, and why Hinata-san and Akio-san reached out to me, why their friends accept me...


    ¡°I may not be able to dodge bullets, but I am most certainly fast enough to avoid being aimed at, especially now!¡± Michiru tossed her scarf proudly, though even if she was shot, so long as it hit her body, the under-armour should be enough to prevent any appreciable injury. ¡°Though...¡± Michiru looked down at her foe sadly. ¡°...I had thought to take him alive, to face Fujiwara-sama¡¯s judgement.¡±


    ¡°No such luck.¡± The Chosen chuckled. ¡°Oh well, his brother had all the brains in his family anyway. Though it seems he did give up a rather lovely fiance?e for this scheme. But then, if he rose to head of the great and mighty Kuwahara house, with our backing... a hundred women of equal quality wasn¡¯t impossible. Alas... it seems he overreached.¡±


    ¡°A hundred? You are not Akio-san.¡± Miyu laughed, still dancing. ¡°As for overreaching... you grasped at what you should not as well. Leaving here alive would be the most you can hope for.¡±


    ¡°You think so, little miss?¡± His tone and address was more informal, almost teasing now. ¡°No, unlike the poor dying idiot your bodyguard left for dead, we already claimed the rewards for our efforts. As for dying...¡±


    Yes, excellent. Just like that... Michiru had used the excuse of attacking Kuwahara-san to close in on the red-suited Chosen, who seemed to be the leader. It was folly to hope she could handle their greater numbers and strength, but Michiru had many hidden weapons, a number of them enhanced by Akio-san¡¯s Mortal Engineers. ...capture or disable him and...


    ¡°...I fear it is not today.¡± the man grinned, and Miyu suddenly staggered, feeling a sharp pain. Michiru collapsed, clutching at her chest, and the surging darkness element around the Tengokusentou shattered. As Miyu tried to regain her balance, dark eyes showing her puzzlement, the Chosen clapped, and it was as if Miyu¡¯s eyes were suddenly unclouded. He had blood on his face, and he looked rather injured, but his smile was still teasing.


    ¡°Yes, this is not a game, and the young often overestimate themselves.¡± He brushed off his suit, the red of his own blood darker stains on the crimson cloth. ¡°I do admit it was quite painful, using the Second Worm, despite your delightful dancing. My brethren here, he specialises in... obfuscation. And synergises delightfully with me. Now... sadly you are my insurance. Don¡¯t worry, we are not barbarians. You won¡¯t be ill-treated while a hostage.¡±


    Several of the red-clad men came towards her, while another headed for the fallen, gasping Michiru. Suddenly panicked, Miyu forced herself to remember her lessons. She was unable to use her ability, as the Sa?ncho?ng, in addition to sending blazing pain through her heart, making it beat irregularly, close to failing, disrupted her Chakra network and capillaries in the heart and surrounding areas. But...


    ¡°The woman I look up to most... is Motoko-san!¡± Miyu declared, groaning out the words. Her beautiful fans swung, and they discharged the wind element the bluesteel within them held. Miyu¡¯s control of the wind was disrupted badly, as the heart Chakra mediated it, so their clashing powers seemed unfavourable, but fortunately the fans were not merely a repository, but masterpiece weapons and works of art in their own rights, and the artfully designed wires and columns of metal that formed the bones of the fan purposefully designed to focus and amplify wind, which was an element she had learned herself, with support and assistance from others, of course.


    Jade blades of focussed, vibrating winds swept out in two fan-shapes, even in pain Miyu¡¯s motions graceful and elegant, and the red-suited men tried to dodge, their movements inhumanly fast and agile, though not to the extent of a Chosen, perhaps rivalling Michiru. Cultivators, yes? But...


    Against accelerated and enhanced wind element, which blew with speeds rivalling a hurricane, they were caught, blood blossoming, bodies sliced apart as though they were caught in a whirlwind full of blades. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the man bending down towards Michiru rear back in agony, a needle buried in his eye. Michiru had managed to stab him with a hidden weapon, and the poison was starting to act, a lethal concoction of Japanese Yew extract and other similar native plant and animal poisons. I do not really feel comfortable with her having such deadly weapons, what if she scratches herself? But she insists Koga-san taught her well...


    ¡°Surprising...¡± the Chosen complained, only to suddenly jump backwards, a blast of flame narrowly missing him. Miyu winced as the priceless tile floor was burnt, but such could be replaced. Michiru could not be.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Motoko you look up to is it?¡± Hinata-san¡¯s cheerful voice sounded. ¡°I¡¯m a little hurt you don¡¯t praise me more, Miyu!¡±


    Turning to the newcomers, the effort painful, her muscles burning and her heart labouring, Miyu could see Hinata-san had come, followed by Goddess Tan?ha?, Kazumi, Nozomi-san, Arisa-san, and oddly enough Mayumi-sama and her bodyguard Katana. The latter two looked rather shamefaced. Wait, what is that sword Hinata-san is wielding? I do not remember that in the cases? Just looking at it Miyu could feel the grandeur of it, it seemed wonderfully antique.


    Forcing a smile, Miyu shook her head. ¡°Of course I respect you, Hinata-san. You showed me that nobility is not just in the blood, but in the actions, the ambition. But... Motoko-san...¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Hinata-san giggled, though her humour vanished when she saw her enemies. ¡°I love Motoko too. She really shines when she¡¯s doing what she loves. I bet she¡¯s sorry she¡¯s missing out on the battle here. Anyway... we were worried when your Dance cut off... luckily it seems we are in time.¡±


    ¡°Seems like our uninvited guests came off worse.¡± The red-clad Chosen sneered. ¡°I can at least hope it was costly for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it was.¡± Hinata-san complained. ¡°The grounds are obliterated. Nozomi-san and Arisa-chan nearly burst into tears!¡± She was about to say more, but Goddess Tan?ha?¡¯s hand fell on her shoulder, and with a grimace she fell silent, while the Goddess turned her beautiful crimson eyes towards the equally red-clad men who survived.


    ¡°I see you did not heed our warnings.¡± Her voice was cold. ¡°You shrugged off Abrogation faster than I anticipated. But...¡± Her tongue darted out, licking her cracked and dry lips. ¡°...now I thirst for what you know. Surrender and perhaps you can survive.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I think you are nearly spent.¡± The man declared. ¡°And the Second Worm should be affecting you all any moment...¡± Blood bloomed, and he fell, his head pierced by a shining lance of almost burning light.


    ¡°Spent? Yes...¡± Goddess Tan?ha? agreed, her skin lightening, from rich creamy chocolate brown to Shiro¡¯s pale white, her hair turning silver, eyes returning to black. ¡°...but I have enough for that. Yes... if nothing else comes from my journey to this backwater world, learning that attack was worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°Cool laser, Tan.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°We... kinda wanted him alive, but... guess it¡¯s not worth risking those damn Worms.¡±


    Miyu felt her clenching heart start to recover, as Shiro walked over, placing a hand on her back. ¡°Ether Healing... I¡¯m not great at Healing others, but for something like this...¡± Her aether started purging the effect of the Sa?ncho?ng. ¡°Oh... Nozomi, Arisa... sorry about the floor. Don¡¯t worry, Aki¡¯s loaded, he¡¯ll fix it! But enough of that... as your Adamant commanders, Hinata and I order you...¡±


    ¡°Take them down!¡± Hinata grinned, giving the two girls a thumbs up. ¡°Mayumi, Katana, watch and be envious!¡±


    Nozomi-san actually saluted, which surprised Miyu greatly. She had glanced at the fallen Kuwahara-san, her eyes slightly moist, before she raised her gun. Arisa-san was behind her, and as the enemies raced forwards, also armed, an exchange of gunshots echoed. Nozomi-san winced, and Arisa-san stepped in front of her.


    ¡°Shoot my sister would you? Wreck our precious Tengokusentou?¡± She pulled the trigger, emptying a load of elementally enchanted rounds into an oncoming Cultivator, felling him, before she snatched out a long, narrow blade, bluesteel enchanted with wind-elemental batteries. The sword was wreathed with wind and she darted out with surprising speed.


    ¡°Ho?ng lo?ng zi?ta?i - Wa?n ke? jia?n ya?!¡± Her red-suited opponent adopted a martial arts stance, crying out in Chinese, with ¡®Dragon¡¯ and ¡®thousand¡¯ the only words Miyu recognised. Qi was surging, Miyu having trained enough under Matriarch Daiyu to understand that, but whatever attack he was going to deliver was cut off as Arisa-san¡¯s blade of vibrating wind accelerated, severing him near in two. Blood splattered, and Nozomi-san cried out, but she didn¡¯t stop firing either, despite the pain of her bruised flesh. Thankfully it seems her under-armour held, though her pretty dress is ruined. No, all of our clothing has seen better days.


    ¡°My turn!¡± Kazumi engaged another opponent, who cried the same words and adopted another similar pose. This time the attack was unleashed, arms moving in numerous snakelike patterns, yet each strike was as if a great beast was biting, sharp as knives.


    ¡°Damn it, I wish I was stronger...¡± Blood bloomed as Kazumi¡¯s cheek was laid bare to the bone and her shoulder was crushed by another hit. Blows struck her body, but other than suffering fractures, again her custom armour held. ¡°...but I have to prove I¡¯m worth their effort!¡± With her remaining hand Kazumi threw out a small device, attached to a wire. The soda-can sized spindle unwound, and darted to the left in a flash of green, the sharp, vibrating wire, a smaller variant of Shaeula¡¯s Pinwheels, slicing through the upraised arm and then the neck of the surprised Cultivator, who then toppled headless to the ground, drenching Kazumi just as Arisa-san was.


    ¡°It works. Though...¡± Moments later the spindle sagged, wind element exhausted. ¡°...it certainly needs improvements. But Ixitt will be happy with the test data.¡±


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± Hinata-san snorted, seeing the remaining few red-clad members of the Ruby Group, no, Ruby Serpent, eyeing the windows of the Heavenly Blossom Chamber.


    ¡°No you can¡¯t!¡± Arisa-san screamed, rushing at the nearest one. ¡°Those windows were installed hundreds of years ago! They¡¯re priceless!¡±


    Seeing her younger sister go berserk, Nozomi-san smiled helplessly, reloading calmly, the brutal drills she had endured in the Boundary bearing fruit. Moments later Michiru surged up, still pale and shaking, the effects of the Sa?ncho?ng lingering. With a malicious grin, she pulled out some more needles from under her skirt, and managed to hurl them at the nearest enemy. He blocked most of them, but was still pricked several times, stiffening.


    ¡°I know you... no, we Cultivators... are resistant to poison because of Qi, but... that contains modified blowfish toxins. Ordinarily it would be fatal, but for you... perhaps just paralysis. If you are fortunate.¡±


    ¡°As for you...¡± Hinata-san charged. Her sword flashed, and even though the strike was clumsy, her Chosen-granted stats, as well as those she shared from Akio-san, made her too fast and strong, and her opponent was disarmed. Literally. Hinata then booted the stunned, armless Cultivator in the groin with relish, folding him up, and as he fell, she called out a little flame element to cauterise the stumps, the smell of seared flesh unpleasant. ¡°...hey, we can pump this one for info!¡±


    ¡°I want this one!¡± Shiro cried, relying on her stats, as she charged the last man standing. He reacted faster than expected, so was likely the other Chosen. As Shiro approached, she suddenly blinked, slowing, as if she lost sight of him. ¡°What... where...¡±


    Miyu opened her mouth to cry out as the man raced for her, drawing a blade to stab, only for Shiro¡¯s eyes to burn crimson. ¡°A tolerable attempt. Obfuscation, is it? My eyes may not be as keen as his, but...¡± Goddess Tan?ha? declared with a cold smirk, and Shiro took over.


    ¡°...well, Tan¡¯s got a reservation for an upgrade, so it¡¯s all cool! Anyway, eat this! Shirohime knockout fist!¡± As Hinata-san rolled her eyes at Shiro¡¯s embarrassing behaviour as she dragged her victim over, Miyu was wobbling on unsteady legs over to Michiru. Shiro¡¯s punch landed, and the Chosen was knocked out, the impact making Shiro wince and shake her hand, knuckles bloody. ¡°Shit, that damn well hurt! But...¡± She stamped down on him callously. ¡°...Tan thinks this one isn¡¯t that dangerous on his own. No point wasting either his information or his Favour!¡±


    ¡°So, we... we won?¡± Mayumi-sama asked, looking around. She seemed calmer now, and oddly unworried by the dead. Oh. Yes, poor Mayumi-sama was kidnapped while in South Africa, and saw some carnage.


    Her bodyguard, Ohta, who Mayumi-sama insisted on calling Katana, looked jealous, and Miyu understood. It is hard, seeing others perform better in our own roles. It is why I used to envy and fear my cousin Honoka-san, who was better than me at everything despite being younger. Sakura-sama too, she was well-liked and popular, and of course Mayumi-sama, who had pride and presence to spare. Now... Now if I feel jealousy, I understand the way to defeat it is to push myself to excel.


    ¡°Seems so...¡± Shiro looked around, still shaking her hands. ¡°Huh, here it is.¡± The podium where the speeches had been delivered cracked as Shiro booted it, revealing the horrifying sight of a large bomb, as well as what likely was a portable jammer, hence the lack of signal over the Tengokusentou and the grounds. ¡°...oops. Guess these idiots came prepared.¡±


    ¡°I am shocked honoured father would miss this.¡± Michiru grumbled as Miyu helped her up. ¡°Such carelessness!¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably thanks to that Chosen.¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°He probably did something to the podium, made it look normal. Anyway... boom!¡± Everyone flinched as Shiro¡¯s flames swept across the jammer and the bomb mechanism. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This one looks like standard high explosives. Everyone knows they don¡¯t get set off by heat, right? Needs the detonator.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be risking it.¡± Hinata-san chuckled nervously. ¡°Anyway, can Tan?ha? check if there are any more enemies... what the hell?¡±


    As soon as the jammer broke, everyone¡¯s phones began ringing non-stop, messages and alerts pinging in. As Hinata opened hers, her face paled. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s... I can¡¯t even say! The shrine, our estate, Hanafubuki, all over Japan, no, the world! This is bad, super, super bad!¡±


    Miyu nodded, helping Michiru over to Shiro for Ether Healing. ¡°But... we must remain calm. Just as we endured here, we can only have faith in the others.¡±


    Mayumi-sama gave her an appraising look. ¡°You have certainly changed, Miyu-san. You were never so calm, it was all a front before. I wonder if this is the Akio-kun effect?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Miyu shrugged, and Michiru denied it, claiming it was all Miyu¡¯s own hard work. That made Miyu smile, despite her deep weariness and the terrible situation unfolding outside. ¡°No...¡± Miyu continued. ¡°...I suppose it is, but... if you want to change, you also need to have the will, Mayumi-sama. Nobody can do it for you, only point the way and support us.¡±


    ¡°Drop the -sama. It feels wrong. After all, you were rather impressive.¡±


    As Miyu nodded, their few surviving prisoners were secured, and moments later a division of soldiers from the JSDF entered, along with emergency medical staff and firefighters, and they were all ushered out for their own safety...


    ***


    Third ¨C Takatsukasa Sakura, Hanafubuki Private Academy, Tokyo


    ¡°This is horrible.¡±  Uekusa Sayuri, Sakura¡¯s bodyguard ever since childhood, muttered, having seen the horrific injuries of Takakura Mizuki-san as she was brought into the emergency shelter. Her older sister Katsuki-san was clearly distraught, but Mizuki-san was managing to keep her calm, though even forming words pained her, blood bubbling from her pale lips.


    ¡°This... this shouldn¡¯t be happening!¡± Sayuri continued. She was quite slender for a bodyguard, with her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and her pale brown eyes full of worry and confusion. The Uekusa family had served Takatsukasa house for many, many generations, providing bodyguards. Few noble houses had such remaining now, even Fujiwara house hadn¡¯t retained their bodyguard lineages over the centuries. It was a point of pride for her. Was. Yes, the right way to phrase it.


    Fortunately Honoka-sama¡¯s class had now reached the shelter, though that had brought this tragedy to light, and it was known that not every girl in her class had survived. ¡°Quiet, Sayuri.¡± Sakura hissed, the awful day growing worse and worse, though she felt terribly selfish to dwell on her own troubles when her fellow schoolmates were dead, and the fate of other middle school classes that hadn¡¯t reached the shelter were unknown. After all, my life might have come crashing down, but I still live at least. For now, anyway.


    The cold chill of dread was creeping into her battered heart, and Sayuri watched on helpless, understanding her master¡¯s mood. Sakura stepped forwards, speaking to Honoka-sama, asking for clarification of the situation, but before she could answer, a noble daughter from a family under Fujiwara house¡¯s umbrella, one who was from a minor house and obviously held jealousy, laughed meanly. ¡°No need to answer the bastard, Honoka-sama. You will dirty your mouth talking to the whore¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Several other girls giggled, taking pleasure and distracting themselves from their fear by spite, and Sakura felt her heart break. I am not a whore¡¯s daughter! My birth mother... it was just a mistake, father being reckless. It is true though... I am not my mother¡¯s daughter.


    Sakura had known of course. Not for her whole life, but the last few years. She had a particularly vicious great-aunt, who had divorced and returned to Takatsukasa house because of her vile behaviour and temper, a great shame to the family, and since Takatsukasa house had declined, she was vocal in claiming she should have been in charge, rather than grandfather Itsuki. One event, she had become drunk and called out the truth, that Sakura was bastard born. Worse, Sakura knew cousin Hinata-san at the very least suspected, if not outright knew. It¡¯s why she pushes at me so, and why I have to... I have to... no, it all seems so pointless now. I... I wish she was here.


    Yes, Sakura had been harsh with her cousin, and perhaps... perhaps some of that was pushing her own shame onto her, but mostly, she just wanted Hinata-san to behave like a true daughter of their family, because... she is, just as much as I am. No, more so now. Sakura didn¡¯t know what to do with her life. Her younger brother Minoru-kun had entirely given up inheriting the house, content to be what he called a ¡®superhero¡¯, while Hinata-san was excelling, and had already made connections with Tsumura house, and even Fujiwara house, technically. Sakura knew she couldn¡¯t win, Hinata-san was Oshiro-san¡¯s fiance?e, and he had the support of all the three grandfathers, her own included.


    I had considered marriage out, but now... who will have me? I am worthless. She clenched her fists at the insulting laughter, nails biting into her skin and drawing blood.


    ¡°Do not insult Sakura-sama!¡± Sayuri cried, but she was shouted down by others, a bodyguard with no right to speak to her betters. It was then Honoka-sama spoke up.


    ¡°I think this very foolish. Is now the time for this? Besides, I have always looked up to Sakura-sama as a senior.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s just a false, tainted...¡± another daughter began, only for her to recoil back, shocked, as a handprint was on her cheek, where the near-hysterical Katsuki-san had slapped her. As she stared on, wide-eyed, Katsuki-san cried out.


    ¡°My sister is dying! Motoko-san and Natsumi-san... they... they could be dead too! If they are... if it¡¯s just us... and you are wasting time on stupid stuff that doesn¡¯t matter... who cares who her mother is! Are you insane?¡±


    Several girls shot back, claiming she was low born, only at Hanafubuki through odd circumstances, and Sakura had enough. Who cares what they think of me? Their opinion can¡¯t sink any lower, can it? ¡°She¡¯s right! And show some compassion. If you are the best of us, as you suggest, I would rather not be noble. Many of the Three-Hundred are behaving better! Her sister is gravely wounded, and... some of us have sisters who have not returned...¡±


    Panicked nods agreed with her, and Honoka-sama nodded. ¡°Well said. Though... we must hope that Motoko-san and Natsumi can win out. But...¡± She glanced at Kozue, who was also hurt.


    ¡°If there are what they call Chosen, then I fear they shall be defeated. Even the assassins are a dangerous threat.¡± Kozue explained.


    ¡°But we¡¯re safe here, aren¡¯t we?¡± one girl asked, and Kozue shook her head.


    ¡°No. They are well-prepared. Even without Chosen, they have explosives and likely poison gas and worse. The security here is stronger than the emergency blast doors in the classrooms, but in time they can break it. Worse...¡±


    ¡°Help will be slow to come.¡± Honoka-sama warned. ¡°This is obviously prepared.¡±


    As everyone argued, Sakura sighed. Motoko-san, Natsumi... I... I wonder... Sakura had attended the training camp at Shirohebizumi shrine only a handful of times. It didn¡¯t appeal to her, and she always felt an outsider, as it was Hinata-san¡¯s territory. Despite that, she still had a basic understanding of what went on there, Hinata-san always made sure of that. I had thought it her attempts to taunt me, but perhaps I did her a disservice.


    Sakura clapped her hands, drawing attention to herself, which she had been avoiding studiously since the news about her birth was spread by clearly malicious hands, the timing of which now seemed awfully coincidental. As eyes both curious and unkind focussed on her, she floundered for a moment, before coughing. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of you at the training school. Any of you who can fight, we should make ready. We can¡¯t simply rely on Motoko-san and Natsumi saving us!¡±


    ¡°Who are you to...¡± one of the girls who had tormented her unmercifully began, only for one girl from the Three-Hundred, a popular, sporty girl whose father was head of a very important accounting firm, raised a hand.


    ¡°I think you should be quiet.¡± The other girl protested, but the first girl, Hazuki-san, Sakura believed her name was, merely glared, and Sakura actually felt the pressure. ¡°I said shut up! Anyway... I... ah.... It¡¯s a little embarrassing. I¡¯m not really supposed to say, but... Watari-san, Ishisaka-san...¡± She addressed two other members of the Three-Hundred. ¡°...I know, you as well.¡± She made a gesture, placing her two hands together in a diamond shape. Faces flushed, the two girls returned the gesture.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Hazuki-san declared. ¡°...for Adamant to step up. Sorry, Sakura-sama... I can call you Sakura, can¡¯t I?¡±


    At her kind tone, Sakura nodded, surprised, and Hazuki-san continued explaining. ¡°Well, you are high commander Hinata-sama¡¯s cousin, and... she honestly would want us to look out for you. I should have been kinder, and stood up for you. But it¡¯s hard... we of the Three-Hundred... we¡¯re looked down on.¡± There were nods around the shelter at that, and Sakura listened on, dumbfounded. High commander? Hinata-san?


    ¡°That¡¯s why... Hinata-sama has been recruiting us. Honestly...we look up to her! She transcended! Natsumi-sama too!¡± There were giggles from the three girls, and even some of the other upper nobles who had had Chirurgery, but like Sakura seldom did any active training or participated in anything, nodded.


    ¡°We want to be someone!¡± Watari-san nodded. She was a bookish sort, all cute black braids and black-rimmed glasses, and wracking her brains, Sakura remembered her family ran a traditional pottery studio that was considered a historical and cultural treasure. ¡°And...¡± She blushed. ¡°I want to be more like Natsumi-sama and Motoko-sama... honestly I¡¯m jealous of Akio-sama! He gets them both!¡± Her blush deepened and Sakura realised Watari-san had a deep admiration for the two of them, in the way a lot of girls in Hanafubuki did for other classmates.


    ¡°In that case...¡± Sakura coughed. ¡°Those of us who can, gather up. Sayuri, you too. Honoka-sama...¡±


    ¡°I can fight too.¡± Honoka-sama surprised everyone. ¡°I admit, I must not risk myself needlessly, but I can be the final defence. Else we shall all die anyway.¡± she reasoned, and even Kozue didn¡¯t interfere.


    ¡°In that case...¡± It felt good to take charge. It wasn¡¯t her place perhaps, but... it seems my cousin is a high commander. Quite laughable, but she has changed a great deal these last few months. For the better, I suppose. If she was here, there wouldn¡¯t be panic. She would know what to say. But... if I no longer have Takatsukasa house, if I am dismissed from Hanafubuki as bastard born and a disgrace to my family... I suppose I could always...


    Giving orders, she arrayed everyone in position. The three from Adamant had some minor weapons with them, small but better than nothing, and they only regretted that they weren¡¯t high enough rank to have proper Material uniforms and weapons. ¡°Perhaps you should bother Hinata-san when you see her next.¡± Sakura surprised herself as she made a joke, though the tension was escalating the longer they were trapped in the shelter. The teachers weren¡¯t of much use, as this situation was well beyond them, and they were content to follow, not lead.


    ¡°No way!¡± Ishizaka-san, a rather tall girl with short hair and a cute, heart-shaped face shook her head. Her family was in the brewing business, apparently. ¡°The high commanders are kind, but also a little scary. They¡¯d give it us in a heartbeat, but they¡¯d...¡± she blushed. ¡°...I agreed to the oaths, but I¡¯m not going to force the issue! I¡¯m too shy!¡±


    The other two laughed, and Sakura frowned, before understanding. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t think?¡±


    ¡°No, but Shaeula definitely would!¡± Watari-san giggled. ¡°It¡¯s almost worth it, maybe Motoko-sama and Natsumi-sama would notice me then...¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Sakura was no expert, but even she understood that strange non-human girl¡¯s proclivities. ¡°Yes. I see. I was pestered myself by her. But...¡± She left unsaid that she felt herself above Oshiro-san. After all she was the daughter of Takatsukasa. All a cruel joke. Hinata-san was right. It¡¯s all wrong. She just knew it first, her and Motoko-san. If I die today... I¡¯ll only regret I wasn¡¯t less strict. You win, my cousin. You win.


    The banter continued, cutting through the nerves, and under the first aid of the teachers, and the emergency supplies in the shelter, Mizuki-san and the other injured were stabilised. It was then that the cameras that monitored the outside picked up several figures in tight black leather rushing forwards, and moments later the cameras winked out, and a faint hissing noise could be picked up by those who had received Chirurgery.


    ¡°Prepare!¡± Sakura declared, palms sweating, heart beating fast. For a moment she could hardly believe what she was doing, but at a nod from Honoka-sama, she took a deep breath. What do I have to lose, anyway? I... I am free? Suddenly the pain in her chest vanished. It was true. Her cousin was taking Takatsukasa house, and if she was outcast...


    She glanced at the three girls from Adamant, who were nervously chanting ¡°No backwards steps!¡±, while clutching small daggers. I could do worse. Hinata-san might mock me, but...


    The thick metal door was glowing, First red, like a dull cherry, then through orange, yellow, and finally a bluish white, the edge of the door smoking and molten metal dribbling. A wide hole was forming, and one of the more scientifically minded girls cried out that it was thermite. Panic was spreading, and Sakura knew there was little they could do if poison gas or bombs were tossed in. But they were as ready as they could be. Those that had Chirurgery were at the front, the three from Adamant leading, Sakura with then, alongside Sayuri, Kozue and other bodyguards. Then came the rest of the bodyguards in the shelter, then the younger, more fit female teachers. Honoka-sama was then there, and the rest of the students were hiding in the back.


    Sweat was beading on her brow, and not just from the heat, as the hole widened. Soon the locking mechanism had melted, and the heavy doors were now useless. Moments later a dull boom sounded, a wave of pressure pouring through the holes in the door, and the iron tilted, ripping free now the locks and other points of connection had been destroyed by the thermite.


    ¡°Back up!¡± came the cry, and everyone retreated frantically, as the door slammed down with an ear-splitting crash. Cries of fear filled the air, and Sakura could suddenly smell urine. At least it¡¯s not mine. I am terrified though. But...


    Moments later, several figures leapt in. I count six. This is bad. The only mercy was that bombs weren¡¯t indiscriminately tossed in. Perhaps it doesn¡¯t suit their needs. Perhaps they need our bodies more... intact?


    ¡°Now!¡± Sakura cried, setting aside such grizzly thoughts.


    ¡°No backwards step!¡± Hazuki-san cried, raising her dagger and moving with great speed, her aptitude with sport further enhanced by Chirurgery. Her blade was parried lazily though, a slender, womanly form in black leather blocking it with a long, curved blade.


    ¡°Nice effort.¡± she spoke in perfect Japanese, her face hidden behind a black veil apart from her eyes and ears. ¡°But your blood shall be dedicated to Iblis this day!¡± The other black-clad figures had darted in and were engaging, and while their movements were slower than the girls facing them, they were far more skilled, and the front line was quickly pushed back, injuries accumulating.


    Exchanges in what sounded like Arabic were flowing casually between the assailants, and they even seemed to have the leisure to taunt idly. Sakura, desperately swinging her makeshift weapon, a metal chair leg, cried out as it was dodged and a blade tore through the shoulder of her elegant uniform, ripping it open along with her flesh. Tears blossomed in her eyes, as pain the like she had never felt before in her pampered life rocked her. Sayuri cried out in anger, and exchanged a handful of blows with the man, and actually managed to slice his veil, before he kicked her in the stomach as shreds of black cloth fluttered down, revealing a dusky, slightly olive-skinned face, his ears and nose filled with multiple piercings, studs glittering.


    ¡°That was well done. I am surprised.¡± The man even had the time to lick his blade menacingly, enjoying the frozen moment of fear. ¡°This is more enjoyable than anticipated. We must finish, before Son Husam decides to stop being lazy and does his work.¡± He then plunged down his blade. Sakura leapt backwards, taking a cut to her back, cloth and flesh again parting. She darted at the attacker, and with a grin he flipped his knife, stabbing Sakura instead of the helpless Sayuri, who screamed out in horror and terror.


    ¡°No backwards steps!¡± Hazuki-san cried out again, and her attacker paused for a moment.


    ¡°How... amusing. You parrot our own words, but... do you know what it means?¡± Hazuki-san fell, her limp hand bloody and no longer able to hold her dagger. Kozue launched an attack with hidden weapons, but it was parried by another foe.


    ¡°It means to walk the path of carnage, to slay who must be slain, to reap the toll that Iblis demands. Weak little girls are useless. He glanced over at the woman who had injured Sakura first. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Sixteenth?¡±


    ¡°Enough. Just kill them, Twelfth, do not be like the others, who must be playing with their prey. It would have been easier...¡± Blade flashed, and Sakura screamed. The man Twelfth also twisted his blade, enjoying her cries, even as he stomped down on the floored Sayuri.


    ¡°...if we did not have to use our blades. But... the damn Book-Watchers want the disgrace of the high and mighty, this land, to see their beautiful young maidens scored by blades, see the horror. Bombs and poison is too... impersonal.¡±


    ¡°Enough chatter.¡± a powerful man cried, as he cut down a bodyguard who had received Chirurgery. The wound wasn¡¯t immediately fatal, but with stomach pierced, death would follow quickly without emergency first aid. ¡°Everything is a test!¡±


    ¡°Everything is a test!¡± they chanted back by rote.


    ¡°Come on, Fourth.¡± The man, Twelfth grinned, his smile wicked, as he finally tore the knife out, and engaged with another desperate girl. It was heart breaking to see, as Sakura¡¯s vision darkened, her blood leaking out from her, that even outnumbering the enemy so badly, they were no match for trained killers.


    ¡°You know...¡± the man drawled. ¡°...the others are enjoying themselves. I might myself. These are some pretty girls...¡± Shivers went around the room as the pale-faced and huddling masses of the ordinary students heard his threat, deliberately in Japanese. The teachers cried out for them to stop, but obviously they wouldn¡¯t, Sakura knew. On her knees now, she felt calm, at peace, despite the agonising pain.


    ¡°You disgust me. Ibn al Kalb! You dog¡¯s son, Twelfth!¡± the woman Sixteenth cursed. ¡°May your manhood rot like your cursed soul!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ll still have time to ride you later...¡± he called back, deflecting the efforts of the enraged Sayuri, enjoying peeling her clothing with gentle slashes that also drew shallow lines of blood. ¡°...why blame me? The others, they must be doing the same. I bet Son Husam is pounding away even as...¡±


    There was a frozen moment, everyone stopping what they were doing. The rearmost two attackers were suddenly impaled, steel running through their bodies, and Twelfth had halted, a severed head, still wearing a veil, bouncing off him. He looked down idly, almost unable to calculate what had happened.


    ¡°Motoko-sama! Natsumi-sama!¡± Watari-san gushed. She looked terrible, only standing because of her stats, her shirt and skirt soaked with her blood, and she was gasping heavily, but her eyes brightened as she beheld her idols, even as she took in their awful state. Sakura could see it too, and relief died in her heart.


    They are... hurt worse than I am. It¡¯s... a miracle they are still standing. Indeed, both of them were favouring one arm, and one of Motoko-san¡¯s was so brutally twisted and broken it was starting to turn black. Despite that, her blade had pierced her opponent, and she wrenched it free, a grimace on her blood-covered face. Natsumi was in slightly better shape, but only just, dragging one leg, her clothing little more than scraps of cloth, rather indecent. But her blade too had cut down a foe. It seemed she had thrown the head as well, saving Sayuri, at least for the moment.


    ¡°I see you.¡± Motoko raised her katana one-handed, the blade crimson. ¡°You have fought hard, Watari-san. I am proud of you.¡±


    As the silly girl squealed in delight, Natsumi managed a tired laugh. ¡°That goes for all of you. It isn¡¯t easy to fight for your life and others... Sakura-sama... you¡¯re hurt...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± she admitted, barely able to see. ¡°But... I am glad... you....¡± Unable to finish, Sakura collapsed, lying in a pool of her own blood.


    Meanwhile, Twelfth was cursing. ¡°Useless fool. Killed by a pair of useless women. Iblis will flay his soul for a thousand years for this disgrace! Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°If you mean your Chosen...¡± Motoko-san was saying, her blade flashing, only to be parried by the one called Fourth, only for him to dart backwards as Natsumi attacked him as well. ¡°...I fear you will be waiting a while. Until we kill you. You can see him in Yomi!¡±


    ¡°You are bluffing! Son Husam¡¯s ice was both impenetrable shield and deadly weapon...¡± the woman whose name, or rather designation, she supposed, as everyone was using numbers now, Sakura didn¡¯t know, cried out. ¡°Unless...¡±


    She dropped to the ground, slain, watery bullets leaving Natsumi¡¯s hand, intercepting her as she swung her blade. There were only a scattering, but striking the head was enough to be fatal. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re Chosen too!¡± Natsumi declared, and Sakura, even as she bled out, thought that was a lie. I would know, otherwise. I¡¯m sure of it...


    ¡°Not as powerful as Son Husam, it seems.¡± Fourth grunted. ¡°Twelfth, with me. Sixteenth, keep everyone else occupied.¡±


    ¡°That is going to be difficult. But... I shall not retreat, not one step. Everything... is a test.¡±


    ¡°Everything is a test.¡± Fourth responded, but Twelfth merely grinned.


    ¡°If this is a test, Son Husam failed it. The others too. But...¡±


    ¡°Seventeen plus your foolish so-called Son...¡± Motoko-san warned. ¡°Our blades took their lives. We can... manage a handful more.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. They shame Iblis and the name Hasan al-Sabbah!¡± Twelfth spat in Motoko-san¡¯s face, and she made no effort to avoid it, or perhaps couldn¡¯t. She only grimaced in disgust as it struck her bloody cheek.


    ¡°The only shame is what you have done here.¡± Motoko-san declared coldly. ¡°But we shall have... vengeance!¡± Motoko-san rushed him, and blades clashed. She was pushed back, while Fourth attacked Natsumi, on alert for more water bullets.


    Sixteenth was now under pressure, the remaining Chirurgery-enhanced students taking it in turns to attack her in pairs, even Honoka-sama stepping up. Kozue swung her scarf as a distraction, and Sixteenth went to bat it aside, only for the weights inside it to swing around and wrench her dagger free. Then Kozue threw a small ball, which exploded, showering her with some sort of burning powder. Honoka-sama threw her weapon, which was batted aside, but then Katsuki-san was there, expression twisted with hatred, and she had grabbed Hazuki-san¡¯s fallen blade and drove it into the throat of her opponent, who seemed surprised, as her own knife was now piercing Katsuki-san.


    ¡°That¡¯s... for Mizuki!¡± she cried, mixed anguish and pain making her scream hoarse.


    ¡°Everything... is... a... test...¡± Sixteenth coughed blood, sagging, and the pair of them collapsed, Honoka-sama and another girl rushing to hold Katsuki-san up.


    ¡°Truly, truly shameful...¡± Twelfth grunted. ¡°It seems we are not to succeed in our mission.¡± He barked a laugh then. ¡°Even when we kill these annoying pair, if I have to stab to death every woman here, even with your help...¡±


    Fourth nodded. ¡°Yes. The bombs it is. But...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Most of them are on the other...¡± He realised too late, gasping in horror.


    ¡°Quite.¡± Motoko-san agreed, releasing her katana. Twelfth blocked it, and the suddenly unarmed Motoko-san should have been an easy kill only for him to panic as a bomb flew at him.


    ¡°If it detonates here, you will die too...¡± he cried, momentarily flustered.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Motoko-san¡¯s katana spun suddenly, catching Twelfth by surprise, slashing his throat open. ¡°That is why we disarmed it. It was merely a distraction...¡± Exhausted by using her last aether, she staggered, nearly falling. ¡°I am forever grateful that Akio¡¯s Aether Statistic is suitably grandiose. It seems... larger than even it should, recently. It makes me wonder...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, Sakura! Please!¡± Despite Natsumi¡¯s battle with Fourth, Sayuri was kneeling beside her, lifting Sakura up, heedless of the blood soaking the floor and her own injuries. Now that there was simply one opponent, the dead and dying girls were taken to safety by others, and Kozue was able to attack from the rear, aiding Natsumi.


    ¡°This test... was it ours, or yours?¡± Fourth asked suddenly. Natsumi had slowed, certainly, but still had the speed and skills to exceed Fourth, even with her loss of blood and many wounds. ¡°We were told... there would be no Jinni here. We are the Children of Iblis! Descendants of Hasan al-Sabbah! Even were we to face a thousand ordinary people, the twenty of us should have been able to triumph, and Son Husam could have faced such alone! Brave, strong men who guarded this place were but lambs to the slaughter!¡±


    He attacked wildly, forcing Natsumi to use her bad leg to brace, and she stumbled, but at her sudden grin, Fourth hesitated, fearing a trick like which had undone Twelfth, only to stagger as Kozue cut his hamstring and he now was the one favouring a leg.


    ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re not ordinary! Not anymore.¡± Natsumi¡¯s cry echoed out as she threw her katana as well. Fourth spun to block it, weight on one leg, but that leg too was crippled by Kozue, he had no way of defending against attacks in his blind spot when Natsumi was so fast and determined, and he collapsed. Natsumi leapt, grabbing the airborne katana, and with a slash, the abnormally sharp metal decapitated him.


    ¡°Thanks all the Gods, it should be over...¡± Natsumi gasped, collapsing. ¡°I was running on only adrenaline and spite...¡±


    ¡°Do not forget love. We must live to see the others, to see Akio again.¡± Motoko smiled, and Sakura thought it truly beautiful.


    ¡°Good.¡± she managed. ¡°I wanted... to see you both. Thank you for... saving us... at the cost of... your own wounds and... conscience.¡±


    Motoko-san limped over. ¡°Our conscience is clear. It would be selfishness itself to practice Tsumura Arts merely for the sake of it, and worse... we trained to kill. For honourable reasons, in defence of our country and our loved ones. No... the brave are you all...¡± She held Sakura¡¯s hand, and Natsumi took up her words.


    ¡°Yes, while fighting back is smarter than cowering like trapped rats, waiting for death... it still takes guts.¡± Natsumi looked sad at the only current fatality here, a dead bodyguard, though there were many gravely injured girls, including Sakura herself, the Adamant trio, and Katsuki-san.


    ¡°Are... are you sure we are safe?¡± a teacher asked, and Natsumi shook her head.


    ¡°Sure? We never can be certain. But... once we said we had killed seventeen of them, hope evaporated from their eyes.¡± Motoko-san nodded, agreeing. ¡°So if there are any left, it must be just one or two. Give... give us some time to rest and we can handle them. But for now...¡±


    ¡°First aid!¡± Motoko-san ordered. Her hand was warm, even against Sakura¡¯s cooling skin. ¡°And Sakura-sama...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she managed, feeling at peace. No more worrying about the fate of Takatsukasa house, or the truth of my birth. It will be... peaceful...


    ¡°Do not give in. The wounds are grave yes, but... you are made of sterner stuff. Your blood is Hinata¡¯s blood. Besides...¡± she looked Sakura over. ¡°...none are individually mortal, though some are close, and Chirurgery makes you durable. If you stubbornly resist death...¡±


    ¡°...that goes for all of you!¡± Natsumi cried.


    ¡°...then when we recover some aether, if we are not attacked, we can do basic field Ether Healing. It is far feebler than  what Akio or Shaeula can manage with their ability to sense and see inside your bodies, but... all we need is to buy time. Now... can someone volunteer to reach the teacher¡¯s lounge and contact help? Though I imagine some should be on route regardless.¡± Motoko-san asked, and after a while, a fearful pair of teachers slipped out past the collapsed door.


    Sakura coughed, a dribble of red running down her chin. Resist? Why...


    ¡°None of that.¡± Motoko-san actually slapped Sakura gently, making her lips curl into an annoyed pout. ¡°I know you are hurt, and grief-stricken, but... many would be sad were you to die. Let me make it plain!¡± Motoko-san glared at everyone, and Natsumi backed her up, equally grim, and seeing the pair of them so, after seeing and hearing of their brutal heroics, everyone watched, cowed.


    ¡°Sakura-sama... the rumours, true or not... I do not care. The slander stops now. Sakura-sama... no, Sakura, is our family, for she is Hinata¡¯s. She may be overly prideful and stubborn, but she is someone many looked up to, as both a student here and a daughter of nobility. She is who she was yesterday, and the day before, and a week before that, or a month ago...¡±


    ¡°If you think she¡¯s changed, then don¡¯t blame us for not being kind!¡± Natsumi warned. ¡°We didn¡¯t bleed and nearly die a half dozen times to save such ingrates.¡±


    ¡°Besides... it is all so very foolish. Hinata is Hinata, whether Takatsukasa or Fukumoto, or even Oshiro. Why should Sakura be different?¡± Motoko grinned. ¡°So... Sakura...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she managed, wetness on her face that wasn¡¯t merely blood. Sayuri watched on, also teary-eyed and grateful.


    ¡°You will need to recover fast, if you are to join the Pilgrimage. It should be profitable, in terms of power. And... also quite fun. It is Shaeula¡¯s birthday, amongst other entertaining diversions. Hinata will be upset if you are not there.¡±


    Pilgrimage? Power? I didn¡¯t care before, but now... entertaining sounds delightful...


    Her eyes slid shut, and Sayuri cried out, thinking she had died, but Sakura waved a hand weakly, signalling she was still alive, as she resisted her injuries with all her might. Hinata... I want to talk. Honestly. I want... what do I want? I¡¯m not sure, but... to find out, I have to survive...


    She lay there, both hands held, by Motoko-san and Sayuri, until emergency services stormed into the broken shelter, accompanied by the classes of missing students, who mercifully had few casualties, Motoko-san and Natsumi having slain the intruders before most of them could do much harm...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Eight – Valour and Hatred

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Eight ¨C Valour and Hatred


    First ¨C David Reckless, The Boundary, London, The United Kingdom


    ¡°Get the lead out, old man, or you¡¯ll be buying the beers after this!¡± David cried, as he swept his heavy mace through another of the annoying piles of bones he hoped he would never see again. Bone splintered, and the flickering lights burning within the fleshless skull dimmed and slowly faded, as if the life was going out of it. Life, hah? What a sad joke. These corpses are already dead.


    ¡°That¡¯s ... what, twenty-seven for me?¡± he called out, well pleased, even as he kicked away another, bones shattering under his Caturix-given strength, which had been increasing sharply recently. Makes sense, we¡¯ve all been slaving away like good little beavers. ¡°Best make that twenty-eight!¡±


    ¡°Slow and steady wins the race, young David.¡± His rival in this contest of valour, Sir Arthur Dumbarton, was clad in shining silver armour, and wielded his great sword with practised ease, looking like a knight of old. Except for his white hair and beard, of course. Battle is for the young, though the old man would disagree.


    A sweep of his blade smashed past the bronze shield the skeleton held, and the backswing decapitated it, skull bouncing off the oddly paved road they were standing on in the London Boundary, inside the Princess¡¯ Territory. ¡°I believe that is twenty for me. I am not so far behind.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll leave you in the dust, old man!¡± David too was wearing armour, plainer, leaner and less ornamented, and the black metal suited him perfectly. It was a gift, he supposed, from Akio¡¯s Territory. All of the Princess¡¯ team had been gifted various treasures, even the teacher, and she wasn¡¯t back to active duty yet, only keeping her hand in during training and hoping for another miracle, like little miss Asian had received.


    I don¡¯t hate getting stuff for free, but there¡¯s definitely ulterior motives behind it. I¡¯ve got my eye on him. Not that I blame him. And... I hate stingy bastards. Nothing worse than a miser, except a miser who won¡¯t stand a round of beer!


    ¡°You know, you can tell them to be quiet.¡± Speaking of the Princess, Eleanor was in her usual green and bronze armour, though her sword had been replaced. She no longer carried her ordinary sword from the Tower, but now wielded a more suitably sized, slightly more slender and wickedly sharp sabre-style sword, made from some strange alloy of Dwarven metals and some crap dug out of Akio¡¯s Territory. Even as David watched, the blade was glowing with the orange light of water element, and Eleanor could use it to form a cutting beam, extending her reach.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it! I look up to Sir Arthur so much! David too!¡± Callie insisted. She was at the rear, accompanying their team¡¯s little miss Asian, Aditi, who wasn¡¯t wasting her power on these small fry skeletons. She was a cheerful young thing, and had become somewhat of the team mascot recently, with her freckled face and her bobbed brown hair.


    ¡°Oh, and why the pause before you said my name?¡± David growled, and Callie froze, before realising he was teasing her. She grinned, a touch shamefacedly, but the Princess just coughed loudly, even as she was swinging her sabre, water slicing through three skeletons at once, shattering bones effortlessly.


    ¡°Probably she is still rather intimidated by you, David.¡± Aditi spoke up politely as usual. Her gift had been a dress-like set of armour which resembled one of her traditional outfits, a sari, but it was woven of cloth seeded with metal fibres and offered excellent defence while being lightweight. It also could vibrate to maximise protection, apparently, something to do with feathers from some sort of monster bird...


    ¡°By me? I¡¯m hurt!¡± David pretended to play the victim, even as he felled his twenty-ninth and then thirtieth skeleton. It was true they were all far stronger now, since the disaster when that little wretch and the redhead betrayed them, but... Shit, I didn¡¯t want to think of that.


    ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡± Eleanor shook her head, her elegantly tied ponytail of brown hair bouncing as she did so. ¡°No, your skin is as thick as a rhino¡¯s, David. And you are hardly sensitive enough to be so easily upset.¡±


    ¡°Way to put a guy down.¡± He snorted, enjoying the banter, though there was definitely something missing for him. ¡°Anyway, anyone else think this is bullshit? It¡¯s annoying, but... compared to that hot bitch Mary Stuart...¡±


    Callie shivered at the venom in his tone, and Eleanor pursed her lips, her blue eyes hard. ¡°Language, David! Don¡¯t be a bad influence for Callie and Aditi. But I get your point. It seems... almost intended to tie us down.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just what I was saying. I wasn¡¯t King of the Octagon for nothing, my battle instincts have only sharpened since Caturix chose me. This is harassment, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I heard that.¡± Eleanor¡¯s lips quirked into a smile. ¡°Perhaps I should ask Akio to come over and thrash you again, so you¡¯ll stop bragging.¡±


    David groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I¡¯d like to think I¡¯d do better than one from nine, though it¡¯s best out of eleven now, yeah? Or is it more? I haven¡¯t seen the bastard for a while.¡±


    Callie giggled. ¡°You sure are good friends, David!¡± She waved her staff, which still was the relic she had received from the Tower of London, but it had been customised and improved by that guy¡¯s so-called Mortal Engineers and now sported a number of shaped Etherites and crystals, amplifying Callie¡¯s healing, and giving her slightly more attacking options. She¡¯s not got the flexibility of our good teacher, but... she¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯d rather have a loyal tryer than a powerful traitor anyway, even if lacking a front-line shield bearer holds us back sometimes. Though not against these trash...


    ¡°Thirty-one. Thirty-two. Thirty-three, and the beers won¡¯t be on me!¡± David cried, hurling his mace to destroy one skeleton, before he punched and kicked two more apart, not even needing the surging strength his Battle Hymn of Caturix provided to be able to crush them.


    ¡°Yes, they are birds of a feather.¡± Sir Arthur agreed, gallantly gesturing for Callie and Aditi to advance, always ready to respond to any threats. They were pushing outwards but had to split up. Raidre and his people were handling the other direction, and smaller, straggler forces were being mopped up by the armies they now commanded. Raidre hated the mostly mindless drones, copies of Goblins, the bloody big wolves and various other creatures that they had killed in this damned shadow of London, calling them ¡®spiritless shells¡¯, but the Princess preferred to use them, as they were useful enough when directed, and sending creatures with intelligence to die hurt her heart.


    She¡¯s a tender one, is our Princess. I¡¯d say she¡¯s not cut out for this war, but... she does well enough. She¡¯s learned to be ruthless when she has to be, and pain no longer scares her. Though... David knew what did scare her. No, scare was the wrong way of phrasing it, it was more the anticipation made her worry, kept her lost in her own head.


    In a way, I¡¯m grateful to these stupid Church fucks. It¡¯ll do the Princess good to work those muscles. Exercise focusses and clears the mind, helps you work through doubts.


    ¡°Hey, I may have bragged about my past romantic conquests, which were many and always gorgeous...¡± he boasted, slamming his chest with one fist as he retrieved his mace, quickly wrecking the crushed skeletons, making sure they stayed dead... or more dead, anyway. ¡°...but I¡¯m not like Akio, or the wretched meatball.¡±


    Eleanor and Aditi winced at his description of that worthless brat Donovan, and Callie paled. David cursed himself for speaking of him, but in his usual manner, just pressed on. There isn¡¯t an obstacle, conversation or battle that can¡¯t be bulldozed through with enough guts and strength! ¡°I was dating one at a time! If you mean I¡¯m a badass, then yeah, I get it. Anyway, I think our Princess has him on her mind more than me!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± she disavowed that, but nobody missed her faintly flushed cheeks, even under the strange light of Eleanor¡¯s Territory, a Territory that was overrun by these crappy skeletons. They were hunting for Eleanor¡¯s Buildings, and a few had been brought down already, which was annoying as hell. Nothing major though, these heaps of bones can¡¯t even handle it when there¡¯s too many Defensive Emplacements without overwhelming numbers. But then, where do they dig all these bastards up, and why won¡¯t they simply collapse under the pressure here?


    Seeing everyone looking at her, she shrugged. ¡°If I am, I am merely worried that he will return to plunder the Tower once more. I owe him, but the terms of the agreement... were certainly rather too loose. His sister, his girlfriends and his Vassals. He seems to add to all three with annoying regularity. I¡¯m still not sure I should cave in and allow his so-called new sisters any treasures, it seems a stretch.¡±


    ¡°It is not like he does not repay us.¡± Aditi tapped her armour, and then her eyes narrowed. Raising her stringless bow, she fed her power into it, and a near-invisible arrow formed. She then loosed it, and it shot off into the distance. Aditi¡¯s eyesight had improved greatly, and she nodded in satisfaction a moment later. ¡°I skewered the Judge leading the battle in the area several kilometres to our south. Oh, I was saying, do excuse me...¡± She apologised for her digression, which made David grin, as it was a very Aditi thing to do, little miss Asian was relentlessly polite.


    ¡°...yes, I cannot thank him enough for granting me the power I now wield, and his promise to bring back hope to Mrs Mary-Jane. Besides, he has showered us with gifts, even though some of his own allies are lacking. I think he shows sincerity...¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty, God protect her noble soul, thinks the same. Her health has never been better, and she delights in being able to tell the Royal physician to, and I quote... ¡®bugger off¡¯ ...when he tries to restrict her from drinking brandy and eating rich foods.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it?¡± Eleanor grumbled, even as they were forced to chase another group of the skeletons. It was clearly just to prevent them sending aid to Japan through the Gate and Bermondsey Isle, though runners had been exchanged before the Gate was mysteriously blocked, so they were aware of the situation.


    ¡°Grandmother has been making me drink with her late into the evenings recently. Henry and Richard are there too.¡± She chuckled then. ¡°It makes me laugh. I never have a hangover, unlike my brothers, or my father when he joins us. But the talk... it is excruciating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, can¡¯t blame your bro henry. His fiance?e may despise Akio, but your brother owes him his life, your life too. And he¡¯s a Veteran. He¡¯s seen some scraps in his time. He knows when times are tough, you want tough men... oh and women too.¡± David hastily added.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s quite vocal in his opinions. As is her Majesty.¡± Sir Arthur agreed, Aditi fired another arrow, sniping one more of the actual living fanatics who were conducting the harassment. ¡°Politically... it is a most excellent move. Though of course, the wishes of the people involved are important as well. But... noblesse oblige. The modern day might be different, but... the more things change, the more they stay the same.¡±


    Eleanor clutched her sabre, and rushed to battle, hacking away at the skeletons as if they were the topic of conversation. As they crumbled, David smirked. ¡°Well, our princess sure isn¡¯t buying the beers tonight, is she? Come on old man, keep up!¡± He then addressed the Princess teasingly.


    ¡°Bothering you, is it?¡± David casually backhanded a skull, shattering it. Old rusty swords raked against his armour, but did nothing but draw a few sparks, and he headbutted another skeleton, leaving it headless. ¡°If you really object, then...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... complicated.¡± Eleanor shrugged. ¡°And it would make me a hypocrite...¡±


    ¡°Nah, you worry too much. Plenty of people think the same way. Our tabloid press loves him, he gets more coverage than most celebrities. But at the end of the day, you know what¡¯s up.¡± He winked then. ¡°But then, he¡¯s got good taste. After all, there¡¯s my fangirl, little Natsumi!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan of Shaeula!¡± Callie spoke up, smiling, eyes sparkling happily, despite the battle raging. But then, it¡¯s not like she needs to do much. This is just a series of annoying chores, barely a workout.


    ¡°She¡¯s so cute and powerful! And she¡¯s funny too! Though...¡± she paused, embarrassed.


    ¡°I get it.¡± David smirked. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯d be the happiest by far, but... fuck me...¡±


    ¡°Language!¡± Eleanor responded automatically at his cursing, and it felt right, their camaraderie and bonds strong.


    ¡°...she¡¯s crazy. Even little Callie here¡¯s in her sights. It¡¯s fun hearing Raidre talk about her old reputation, and it¡¯s even more fun watching him shit himself talking about how her power in this Seelie Court is growing. Speaking of... you¡¯ve got that Quest or some shit in the new year, right? Going after the scabbard of Excalibur, yeah? Seems fishy, but then all this is as crazy as our little bar-bar my way firecracker is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but first... New Year¡¯s Honours.¡± Eleanor pointed, and bullets of water destroyed several skeletons. She had improved her technique dramatically, and had actually managed to tame another element, that of earth, which was apparently rather dangerous. But then, the Princess can just break herself and heal, over and over, until her body just goes ¡®fuck it¡¯ and gives in, making it work. That¡¯s his knowledge again though. She may be irritated, but facts are facts.


    ¡°Think everything will be worked out by then? It¡¯s not just political, there¡¯s all the mystical shit, prophecies and some such too, right?¡± David asked, genuinely curious. ¡°I totally think that¡¯s a load of shit, we make our own decisions, forge our own fates, but... it isn¡¯t up to me, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, it most certainly isn¡¯t.¡± the Princess grumbled huffily. Though if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re more embarrassed than angry or upset. It¡¯s kind of cute. You should smile more. Hah, something to look forward to. Guys like feisty and happy women. For a moment a flash of red and blue was in his mind, and he pushed that aside, feeling sad, angry and frustrated all at once. Hating that, he decided to continue his teasing to focus his mind.


    ¡°In fact, can we change the subject? We can¡¯t be careless, now can we?¡± Eleanor suggested.


    ¡°All right, all right!¡± David smirked, having had his fun. ¡°Callie, my neck¡¯s a bit stiff, crank out your healing and fix me up, would you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I need to save it for real emergencies.¡± She shook her head apologetically. ¡°I know the situation here seems in hand, but we can¡¯t be... oh.¡± She blushed red as a tomato, realising David was just teasing her.


    ¡°You fall for it every time.¡± David sniggered. ¡°I can see I¡¯m going to have to keep an eye on you, or you¡¯ll get sweettalked and swindled by some guy, or dragged into her schemes. Don¡¯t worry, uncle David¡¯s got your back, girl!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Callie protested, still scarlet, and there was laughter, but David was still a little troubled. Compared to the news worldwide, we¡¯re barely under any pressure. It¡¯s just busywork, keeping us pinned. It pisses me off they are taking us lightly, but then... we did need saving last time, can¡¯t deny it. The fact the Ring Gate doesn¡¯t work anymore though...


    Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he shrugged, before charging at another mob of worthless skeletons, their bones dirty and cracked, their weapons little more than wooden clubs, bronze swords and stone axes. I guess they¡¯ll just have to handle it. Not that I doubt them. Even with Akio abroad still, they sure aren¡¯t pushovers, are they?


    ***


    Second - Ileana ??????, somewhere in Romania...


    ¡°Vile abomination, affront to the Lord, I shall see you burn, if it the last thing I do!¡± the Judge who had named himself Alexandru Ardelean roared out, his voice seething with such ferocious hatred that it caused Ileana to flinch, though she quickly recovered, having been doused in the fury of his rage a great number of times since the battle had started.


    Beneath her foot lay a man, also clad in white, his armour broken, blood staining the rough wooden floor beneath him, a red pool growing. The smell... it disgusted her, and she swallowed, her deep green, almost sparking eyes, watering from the smoke that was filling the small home of the kind and gentle woman that had offered her tuica? and soup without any request for repayment, even given her clothing, though again, she was wearing rags unfit for her beauty. She had taken my ring, but... I know she only did it to set my mind at ease. Charity... sometimes it is a frightening prison.


    Her blue trousers, so reminiscent of what working serfs would wear, were now torn and shredded, her pale, alabaster flesh peeking out, though the perfection was ruined by a number of livid burns across her skin, as well as deep cuts, which had bled thin trickles of tar-like black blood. Her shirt too was crimson and black, red with their blood, as three other of the hated hounds of the so-called Church lay strewn around the jumbled, wrecked room, and black with her own. Her teeth itched, her long, pointed canines burning almost as hot as the fires had when they searched her flesh.


    She shivered and coughed, lungs filling with smoke, even as the Judge screamed and ranted. He was hurt too, as she was, the battle having been fierce. His mace had broken many of her ribs and punctured one lung, she suspected, which was hardly helping her breathing. In return, she had skewered him through his torso with her hand, his shield shattering as she struck through it, but then he had grinned, and spoke in an old language, one of the many Ileana remembered from her tutors in her youth, before... before the slumber.


    Latin, yes. The translation... with the context of what happened, it is simple to understand... He had cried ¡°The blades and fists of the faithless may spill the blood of the faithful, but the sin shall be returned fourfold to the sinner!¡± and her own body had near exploded, turgid blood scattering. Even now... She glanced down to where her shirt was torn and missing, a great gouge the size of a plate carved out of her abdomen, her guts pierced, the contents leaking, burning her stinging skin. It was only through sheer willpower and her slow, sluggish blood flow that she remained standing, though it was an effort not to tilt, lopsided.


    It was clear she was no match for the hateful man, and while he was wounded badly too, her wounds were grave, and she had accumulated further injuries defeating his followers. In the end, she had no choice but to draw on what little power resided within her, and she met his hateful gaze with her own. He flinched and tried to look away, but she had poured her aetheric strength into her eyes, and for a moment he was captivated, her thrall. It will not last long, and he is too strong-willed, contains far too much aether, for me to dominate.


    Her eyes had burned and wept black tears as she gave him the order to strike his own legs, and he had done so, his mace cracking bone. He collapsed, her hold on him broken, but orders that went against the self, or were suicidal, or even any order given when one understood and despised her... they were frequently resisted and short-lived. His legs were injured, yes, but he would recover quickly.


    Ileana had considered trying to kill him as she had his followers, but she feared his power of retribution, and was already so weak, so... exhausted. And that had led her to the sorry state of the present, where she was being cursed by the temporarily crippled Judge, while she quaked and trembled in agony, and the quiet, tidy little home burned, fires sparked by the conflicts.


    And worse... shutting out his abuse, she turned to the small, battered figure of the woman who had taken her in, even as two more of the men who despised her rushed in, hearing the cries of their leader.


    So tired, so... very tired. I hate this. Why... why am I the last? What... what did I do to deserve this? Can I be faulted for my very birth? Anger boiled in her, and hatred, and resentment, but most of all, a deep, bone-aching weariness and sadness, which ached almost as much as the gaping wound in her side, and the many lacerations and burns on her flesh.


    ¡°No... don¡¯t... stop, please...¡± Valeska, the kind old woman, was lying against one wall, almost as pale as Ileana, her only colour the vivid red soaking her twisted legs, and black ash smeared across her cheeks. One of the so-called Godly men had pierced her casually with a sword, so sure that she was wicked, for having sheltered her.


    It is the hypocrisy of it all I despite. It was the same back then. But... they are powerful, and superior in their own righteousness. What was it mother said? Oh yes, do not fear a strong man, a brave man or a skilled man, no, fear a man who is so convinced he is right that death holds no fear for him, neither his, nor yours.


    It was that which had caused Ileana to fly into a rage, and she had decapitated the monster with a swing of her thin arm, though then they had cried out that she was the beast.


    Blood, the smell making her sick, rose in her throat, clogged her nostrils, and Ileana roared, pouring out the truth inside her, the power only her family had possessed. Blood responded, and the liquid puddles on the floor erupted, dozens of thin needle-like lines of blood piercing the throats and eyes of the two newcomers, slaying them instantly. The effort made her insides burn, and she felt light-headed for more than the loss of her turgid blood, but what was worse were the cries of Valeska.


    Staggering, fighting to keep her maimed body upright, she knelt beside the poor woman. She looked back, her blue eyes now so pale as to be almost grey, as if the colour was draining with her life, matching her strands of white hair.


    ¡°I... am sorry.¡± Ileana apologised. ¡°Your gifts, they... they are ruined.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t... kill... child.¡± Valeska coughed. ¡°But... I suppose... you shouldn¡¯t have to die either. You... you are a Strigoi in truth. It seems these old eyes... are keen, and my wits... haven¡¯t faded...¡± She coughed again, and there was blood in it, staining her pale chin.


    ¡°No.¡± Ileana denied it. ¡°I am Ileana. I am not a monster! I am not!¡±


    ¡°It seems... that even if you are... you are a tender one.¡± Valeska raised a hand, and wiped a tear from her cheek, touching it lightly for a moment. Her arm then fell, and Ileana reached for it, catching her hand, only to feel her ring in her palm.


    ¡°There. I felt bad... taking a young woman¡¯s keepsake for a little food, drink, water and old clothes, even a ride... into the city... I was going to... return it.¡± Her words were labouring, and there were still foes outside, and her strength was hardly equal to the task. Worse, the cursed Judge could recover at any moment, and she had no other means of facing him.


    ¡°Do not speak.¡± Ileana shook her head. ¡°Do... do you want to live?¡±


    ¡°Everyone... wants to live.¡± Valeska managed. ¡°But... oh, the myths. No, I have... no wish to be a Strigoi, to be the living dead...¡±


    Not everyone. Not everyone wishes to continue. But... ¡°That is... a falsehood, a lie!¡± Ileana was incensed. ¡°Tales spread to justify the hunts, the purges, the... dark times. We are alive! Our existence is simply... slow, as beat our hearts!¡±


    ¡°I see. I apologise, young... Ileana. But...¡± She laboured out the words, and with a grimace, Ileana shook her head, long hair that was now dyed a deeper red with blood brushing the cold face of her benefactor.


    ¡°...please! I cannot bear the weight on my conscience. Besides... I do not know this world, these hair dryers and showers... I shall surely be lost, exploited. I will never lose my pride, I would rather die than become what you mistook me for, but...¡±


    A slow chuckle leaked from Valeska¡¯s throat, and she nodded, so slowly, ever so slowly. ¡°Yes, young one. I... promised to take you to town. I am... a woman of... my word. Always have been. And I am too... old... to change now...¡± Her words were almost inaudible at the end, even for Ileana¡¯s excellent hearing. They are coming. Cautious not to thin their blockade so as I can exploit a gap, and wary of me, since I slew the last to enter... I have minutes, no more.


    Ileana had never done it. Her younger sister had, and her older brothers, of course. Her mother, father, uncles and aunts too, most of them at least. But Ileana had been studious, quiet, and never had cause to need or desire a blood child. Many came seeking their family, the ill, the old, the desperate, the greedy, and few were chosen. It was both blessing and curse, just as was Ileana¡¯s existence, but... glaring, green eyes burning with hatred now seeming to shimmer to blue, she resolved she would pay him back, him and all who were like him. But now... escape...


    Her heart beat, a dull thump in her chest, and with a delicate finger, she pierced her own chest, the long nail plunging deep. It is... unpleasant. I can see why brother says it is erotic. Eldest Brother... he had so many blood children, his twelve brides. Where are they now? I only remember... no, I cannot remember! I will not!


    Thinking of the hateful words of Alexandru, who claimed to have put the others to the flames, she felt her own burns anew. Desperately, she withdrew the drop of blood from her heart, and her vitality poured into it. It was difficult, her blood was sluggish, more so from her long sleep, and had barely begun to move after her desperate flight after she was awoken, her endless sanctuary suddenly burning her flesh, searing her awake from her millennia or more of slumber. And I am far from well.


    The droplet of black blood shimmered, becoming a clear droplet of red, orange, blue and violet hues. She pressed her finger to the near unresponsive mouth of Valeska. For a moment there was no response, and then weakly she sucked, the droplet trickling into her. The pain from her wounds intensified, her essence, her vitality, the very concept of her existence dimmed, her heart beating again, but at that moment, Valeska groaned.


    ¡°You vile spirit, blasphemy against the Throne!¡± the Judge roared, trying to drag himself on his cracked legs, though with the wound she had given him as well, he was barely able to move. ¡°You are a plague, a disease! A virus! True evil spreads!¡±


    Virus? Ileana tilted her head, not understanding, as Valeska groaned again, and stood, body trembling.


    ¡°I... I can move. It still hurts though. Damnably so...¡± She could speak properly again, though her pallor was still grave. The flow of blood from her wound had tapered off to a trickle, and as she staggered like a drunk, she frowned. ¡°I feel... odd. Why didn¡¯t I heal?¡±


    ¡°If you could, why have I not?¡± Ileana huffed, before hissing. ¡°You said you could drive us to the city, despite having no horses...¡±


    Valeska nodded, staggering over to a side table. It had been knocked over, and the wood was smouldering, as the fires around the house were spreading. ¡°Oh, my old bones ache fiercely, and this damnable wound... there!¡± she cried out triumphantly, picking up an oddly shaped metal key. Ileana was confused, but Valeska pointed to the door. ¡°Outside.¡±


    ¡°Not that way.¡± She turned, bracing herself, and smashed through one wooden wall, the flames having made it weak. The impact was agonising, and the flames scorched her, but they were out. A woman with a crazed expression raised something to stop her, but blood surged, and she fell, pierced by crimson daggers.


    ¡°Fortunately, the sun... it still has not shown its face.¡± Ileana managed, nearly blacking out with fatigue, her eyes now a deep violet.


    ¡°Why, do we burn away in the light, like a demon?¡± Valeska asked. ¡°...if so, it is not much of a life...¡± Even as she spoke, she pulled Ileana towards an odd, square-looking metal carriage, but yes, there were no horses.


    ¡°My old girl...¡± Valeska slapped the front, making a loud noise. It mattered little, as two more enemies were closing in, and with the last of her strength Ileana threw more bloody blades. It only wounded one, but they were wary, which bought them a moment.


    ¡°No, no...¡± The door to the carriage was wrenched open, and Valeska threw her inside, making her screech. She then clambered over her, pulling shut the door and sitting beside her, next to some strange, odd wheel.


    ¡°...the sun, it is unpleasant, but... we do not die. We are not the dead!¡± she insisted again, only to panic as a loud roaring noise shook her fading consciousness. The carriage began to move, and it ran right at one of her pursuers, who leapt aside in panic. The bumpy ride was making Ileana sick, as it bounced over the rough terrain, but she noted it would already outrun her father¡¯s fastest carriage, pulled by his prized black horses.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief. I like the night as much as any old woman, but...¡± Valeska grimaced. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure I could get us to shelter before the sun comes up, or before... I pass out.¡± She removed one hand from the wheel as her feet worked on some pedals, touching her seeping wound. ¡°I haven¡¯t healed, I just... slowed, yes?¡±


    Seeing her repeat her earlier protestations, Ileana nodded weakly. ¡°Yes. The vitality will heal you in time, but... we also suffer slowly, and can endure.¡± She suddenly panicked. ¡°That cursed man will follow us soon, we must... get away...¡±


    ¡°Sure. The thing is... it¡¯ll be hard to find us.¡± She spun the wheel, and the carriage tilted, taking a tight bend around a hill, the house and the rising plume of smoke disappearing from view. ¡°Even with their own cars, my girl here is mountain born. Near as old as I, but still a tryer. Besides, I know these mountains and hills like the back of my hand.¡± Valeska¡¯s smile was wicked. ¡°And we¡¯ll shake them off. When we do, we can cover some distance.¡±


    Ileana nodded, not entirely understanding. Weakly, she reached out, and dropped the ring she held. It bounced, and Valeska looked down. ¡°Careful, you¡¯ll lose it under the seat.¡±


    ¡°No. It is yours. Now... you are my blood child. I would give you a token.¡±


    ¡°Me, your child? How foolish.¡± Valeska grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ll accept the sentiment though. After all, my house and all my things are burning, all but my girl here.¡± She slapped the wheel.


    Ileana nodded, troubled, clutching at her gaping wound as she huddled into an exhausted ball of anger, fear and confusion. ¡°How will we survive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t insured, and even if I was, I doubt it covers attacks by religious fanatics...¡± she chuckled. ¡°I have some small savings. First... we need to hide and heal. Or do you need a hospital? I¡¯m amazed you are still alive.¡±


    ¡°No, I can recover my vitality.¡± Ileana promised.


    ¡°In that case, we hide, we heal... then... you tell your aunt Valeska everything, all right? No lies or omissions this time.¡±


    Aunt? Does being my blood child offend her so? As for speaking of everything... the thought filled Ileana with regrets, but she nodded slowly. Yes, I must speak of much, and ask much as well. The faint rays of the sun starting to creep up over the horizon reminded her she knew so little, and was adrift, alone, apart from her blood child beside her, and thoroughly, utterly out of her time...

 Side One Hundred And Ninety-Nine – Barriers And Brutality

    Side One Hundred And Ninety-Nine ¨C Barriers And Brutality


    First ¨C Zhao Daiyu, Akio¡¯s Territory, The Boundary, Tokyo


    ¡°Let the Lord¡¯s wrath burn you to ashes, just as the pagan shrine here shall burn, the false idol overturned!¡± the man in white vestments, trimmed and edged with rich gold, solid-looking chainmail armour draped underneath, cried, raising his sword to the skies. Lightning answered, and a flashing bolt flew down, almost impossible to dodge.


    ¡°Oh fuck, Daiyu!¡± Violet cried, the vivid-haired, tattooed woman someone the likes of which Daiyu had never met until now, cried out in panic. She is an unusual woman indeed. I suppose I was too sheltered. Broadening my horizons, meeting many different kinds of people, it can only aid my Cultivation.


    Her mind calming in an instant, Daiyu reacted, and from her Storage Ring on her finger, her precious birthday gift, she suddenly withdrew a heavy tower shield. The elongated, slightly curved rectangular bulwark, took the lightning head on, sparks yellow, green and combinations thereof scattering, and Daiyu felt her hair stand up on end, static heavy in the air, the tang of ozone itching her nose.


    ¡°I am fine! There are more enemies coming!¡± Daiyu cried back, her body small enough to be sheltered behind the shield, even as a blast of thunder echoed, buffeting her hair and clothing. It stings a little, sometimes I wish I was... a little bigger.


    The Incorruptible Jade had no Storage Talismans left in its legacy, though she had heard a few of the other Sects had one or two, but Talismans were of limited use, unlike her precious, heartfelt gift. Feeling the urge to kiss the pretty ring on her finger, no, feeling a sense of longing and sweet pain that surprised her, she realised she was missing Akio, wanting to kiss him. Feeling a faint blush on her cheeks, she quickly stabilised her mood. This is not the time for that! I am Zhao Daiyu, the Black Jade That Remains Unbroken. In battle I am fierce and I show my enemies no mercy! Especially not this foe!


    Darting out from behind the shield, Daiyu idly wondered just how lightning functioned in the Boundary, and why the air smelt of ozone and why there was thunder. Then her focus sharpened, and she withdrew a trio of bells from her storage ring, of pink, yellow and reddish-purple, the trio representing wind, earth and flame, while the charred yet still mostly intact shield vanished. I have been gifted much. And I shall put it to use...


    Even as Daiyu was charging towards her opponent, who narrowed his cruel eyes in surprise at the sudden appearance of the shield which had blocked his deadly strike, Violet was also acting. A dozen fanatics armed with an assortment of mortal weapons, guns and grenades, opened fire. Violet was fast, obviously having been in a few heated battles before, as she ducked and weaved even while maintaining forward momentum. Of course, it was impossible to dodge everything, but she was wearing, as Daiyu was herself, a set of lightweight and strong armour crafted by Akio¡¯s Fae artisans.


    Violet grunted, impacts bruising her but doing little damage, so long as she protected her head with her arms, which she did, taking only minor injuries. With a savage grin, she raised one hand, and a shimmering purple scorpion-tail materialised, snaking out and lashing like a whip. Bones shattered, one crazed woman being hurled aside, before the tail sank its stinger into a second, the man immediately stiffening up, foam frothing from his mouth, skin blackening. The tail then slammed into a third man, even as Violet punched a fourth so hard his neck shattered, and a fifth woman was then sprayed with venom from the ethereal stinger, and she convulsed, flesh bubbling and melting.


    ¡°Martyrs all!¡± the man who Daiyu was charging cried, lowering his sword, pointing it at her. Daiyu instinctively dodged, and it was as well she did, as lightning flashed, narrowly missing her.


    ¡°Fools all.¡± Daiyu disagreed, furious at the waste of effort and life this all was. While he was speaking English, so Daiyu could largely understand him now, it hardly mattered. I have no need to hear his words. They are simply misguided justifications.


    Time for... my new Technique. Daiyu¡¯s proficiency had been growing, she never missed an opportunity to train. In that regard, she approved of Akio¡¯s mindset, or grindset, as Shiro cheerfully called it. Crossing the distance remaining against lightning would be difficult, but not with her Storage Ring. Then...


    ¡°Fools? How dare you defame the new Martyred Dead! Blaze! Baraqiel¡¯s Judging Sword!¡± Lightning gathered on the blade, forming a brilliant line of crackling light. Daiyu was charging headlong towards it, but she was unafraid. Qi flowed, and her Ring once more discharged the shield. Lightning so hot and dense as to be almost plasma slammed into the charred surface, and the shield trembled, even as the burning beam scattered. The shield warped and burned, but just as it was about to fail completely Daiyu withdrew it again, before resummoning it an instant later at a new angle, deflecting the remainder of the lightning, which flew off and pulverised a nearby wall.


    More lightning sparked towards her, but this was a pale shadow of the beam she had just faced, and the shield appeared above her for a moment, blocking the sizzling beams, and as thunder boomed, the malformed shield finally gave out, breaking into fragments. Close enough, I suspect...


    Taking a stance even as she covered the last few metres towards her hate-filled opponent, Daiyu cried out. ¡°The Eight Trigrams! Summer flows to Autumn, to Winter, to Spring, and the Cycle renews!¡±


    The bells in her hands surged with her Qi. Her Technique was wildly imperfect, cobbled together based on her memories of some of the oldest Jade Tags in the Incorruptible Jade¡¯s archives, now long lost to her. I have always had an excellent memory though. It makes me wonder... the two Cultivators from Kunlun who sleep in the frozen north, what must they know that we no longer do? Can they fix my flawed workings?


    Her thoughts sped up as her energy, both her Qi, and Yang and Water elements sparkling


    ¡°Xu?n! Li?!¡± The pink bells shimmered, providing her the wind she lacked, and the purplish-red bells blazed fire. ¡°Ku?n! Dui?!¡± Earth she could create herself, and the yellow bells amplified it, leaving her plenty for a later stage. The ¡®lake¡¯ was substitutable with her water element, she had no better reference for now.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± The man seemed to be moving in slow motion as lightning sparked along his blade once more, as he cried out in fury.


    ¡°Qia?n! Ka?n!¡± ¡®Heaven¡¯ was her weakest link. But the skies were sometimes called the heavens, so she used wind as a substitute. That dropped the power and stability of an already shaky Technique, but... it only needs a few moments... Water boiled, her Spirit Water that was a gift from her Dao Companion fizzing with power and making her feel as if she was in his embrace.


    ¡°Ge?n!¡± ¡¯Mountain¡¯ again was abstract, but she had earth element to spare, and that was supported by her Jade, the strange Qi she had started accumulating like her, incorruptible, hard and unyielding. Beautiful too, I know. Though I only take pride in that now because I have he who I wish to look on me fondly...


    ¡°Zhe?n!¡± Her Ring flickered and a number of bluesteel batteries flashed out, crackling with some of Shaeula¡¯s lightning element, which she had donated. ¡®Thunder¡¯ was again abstract and made her Technique fragile, yet...


    ¡°Eight Trigrams, One Strike Of Summer!¡± She struck out, even as his lightning flashed, and in a moment of inspiration, Daiyu grinned. Her smile must have been something, as the man paused for just a fraction of a second, and Daiyu somehow wove his lightning into the Eight Trigrams, fortifying both Thunder, and strangely enough, Heaven, stabilising the harmony and balance.


    Not all of the lightning, that feat was beyond her, and her armour shuddered, earthing the blast as it struck her, even as the man dodged her fist, only to be caught as she moved onto the next step.


    ¡°Two Strikes Of Noon!¡± Bone cracked as her kick caught his arm, and it bent, the sparking sword falling from his hands.


    ¡°Four Strikes Of Autumn!¡± Daiyu sped up, her body burning, Dantian struggling, but the man was flailing, and two of her hits got through, a punch breaking a number of his ribs, and a kick breaking his jaw.


    ¡°Eight Strikes Of The Afternoon!¡±


    ¡°I shall not... you bitch... fall here! I call upon you, oh Baraq...¡±


    His energy surged, even as Daiyu beat him mercilessly, and she felt the danger, stepping up her assault. I never made it past eight in the practise, but... I feel this is the moment!


    ¡°Sixteen Strikes Of Winter!¡± His words were cut off as Daiyu¡¯s vicious palm strike shattered his jaw, severing his tongue. Her knee slammed into his abdomen, and numerous blows struck at his vital points, transferring chaotic energies, the clashing elements, into his Chakra network through his acupoints and meridians. Daiyu¡¯s body was protesting too. Even though the style was familiar to her, as she used Jade Yang Stance as the base, her movements were too charged with differing energies to be comfortable.


    ¡°Thirty-Two Strikes...¡±


    Her enemy let out an inarticulate scream, unable to speak, clearly willing her to stop her words, but Daiyu was furious, and also elated. ¡°...Of Night!¡±


    As her body sped up, becoming a blur, muscles tore and bones cracked, but Chang¡¯e shone her favour on Daiyu as ever, allowing the clumsy Technique to be performed without crippling herself. The man had stopped screaming long before all thirty-two strikes landed, and by the end, when Daiyu could no longer go on, energies scattering, coughing up blood violently, red and silver gushing from her, she staggered, the Eight Trigrams collapsing.


    ¡°A shame...¡± Daiyu spat blood, before wiping her face. ¡°...I wonder what the Sixty-Four Strikes Of Spring would have been like...¡± Looking around the battlefield, paying no mind to the ragged, almost unrecognisable mess of flesh and bone on the ground before her, she withdrew the bells and spent batteries into her Ring. ¡°Oh, I see you have finished up here, Violet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, useless idiots.¡± She shrugged, and a dozen bodies littered the field behind her, many of them twisted and melted by poison. ¡±You okay? Shit, never mind, forget I asked. I forgot you can heal like crazy. Well then...¡± She glanced down at the corpse of Daiyu¡¯s erstwhile opponent. ¡°Nice moves. Didn¡¯t give him much chance to react, did you?¡±


    Daiyu nodded slowly. In the distance, horns and singing could be heard, and it was still setting her teeth on edge. Resolving to do something about it, Daiyu was about to suggest pressing on, when suddenly from behind them a great barrier of shimmering golden light appeared, a dome sealing off the shrine and its surrounds.


    ¡°Fuck. That¡¯s...¡± Violet¡¯s jaw dropped, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I see as always, the sense of foreboding a Cultivator feels is accurate. But...¡± They watched as allies tried to assault the barrier, great blasts of light forcing them back. Narrowing her eyes Daiyu felt she would not be able to breach such a ward, not easily, nor quickly. ¡°...we are fortunate, in a way.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how so?¡± Violet asked. All around them, battle was raging, though the Territory¡¯s forces had the upper hand, as it seemed the majority of their powerful leaders were dead.


    ¡°We had the foreknowledge that Yo?kai fox brought us. And...¡± Daiyu looked at the golden dome, bolts of energy still flashing from it in multiple directions, before turning away, face set into an expression of resolute anger. ¡°...Asha should not be alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Her. Shit, that¡¯s right. But... you think she can... wait, who am I kidding?¡±


    ¡°Enough rambling. I wish to silence this annoying drone.¡± Daiyu turned and started sprinting towards the sounds of music. With a shrug, Violet chased after her, and soon they came upon a number of young men and women dressed in white, singing a mournful hymn, while others were blowing horns, banging drums and playing what looked like Konghou.


    They call them harps in the West, no? I have seen pictures of Angels supposedly playing them in some of the books here.


    The singers cried out in English, too fast and jumbled for Daiyu to make out much, but then, she didn¡¯t need to. Rushing in, she charged directly at the fanatics, only to come under attack from blasts of sound which hit her like the thunder from earlier. She staggered, spitting blood, but was undeterred. Her Ring discharged a number of stored throwing needles, the spikes thin and wickedly sharp, and with her great strength she launched them, piercing a number of the singers in throats and eyes, as well as several of the horn blowers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me out!¡± Violet insisted, drawing in a deep breath, then blowing out a cloud of venomous gas. Those who had grabbed weapons and were rushing them were caught in it, and they cried out and gagged, vomiting, crying and starting to turn purple, the virulent toxins a potent and deadly weapon. ¡°Just like a scorpion, don¡¯t touch me carelessly, because I fucking well sting!¡± She crossed her arms triumphantly, purple scorpion tail materialising again, striking down more foes, even as Daiyu was pressing her own attack.


    ¡°Jade Yang Stance. Light Flowing Blossoms!¡± Brilliant petal blades of Yang energy bloomed, as she still had ample reserves of that, as little was used in her Eight Trigrams earlier. The shimmering, beautiful knives of light spun around her like a storm of cherry blossoms and were soon dyed silver and red as they fell, the musicians and singers worthless against her fury.


    In the spring, I would dearly love to see the cherry blossoms with everyone. It... will remind me of home. And apparently it is a tradition here, to have a viewing party with close friends and family. Hanami, it was called, yes? The floating, gleaming blades of death made her think of that.


    As Violet also finished her enemies, the oppressive waves of sound had fallen silent at last. Looking around, Daiyu quickly spotted something interesting, a number of ornate rectangular boxes, carved and decorated, seemingly made from stone, some of them chased with precious metals.


    ¡°What are they?¡± Violet asked, walking over and making to kick one lid off, but Daiyu stopped her.


    ¡°I am not sure, but... my intuition tells me they might be similar to my Ring.¡± She stroked the gift idly, as she thought. ¡°If so, then our enemy has delivered us poisoned meat buns that actually served only to save us from starvation.¡± With a faint smile, she lifted a lid off carefully, but it was empty. ¡°We should take these with us.¡±


    ¡°What about the battle?¡± Violet asked, as there were still pockets of fighting. ¡°And the damn glowing lightshow over there?¡± She gestured to the golden dome in the distance.


    ¡°We shall serve best by eliminating the remaining intruders.¡± Daiyu decided. ¡°Even bearing burdens, we can likely do so.¡± The boxes wouldn¡¯t go in her Storage Ring, resisting with waves of purple sparks, so she was sure her guess was right.  Strapping several boxes to her back, she bade Violet do the same, which she did after a few grumbles.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Violet asked, and Daiyu¡¯s gaze went to the distant shrine.


    ¡°And then, we shall reconvene there. I expect that Shaeula will also have dealt with her opponents. She is not one to be idly trifled with. She may look a butterfly, but in truth she is a fearsome hornet, her colours pretty but signifying danger. We can attempt to break the barrier and aid those within.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but... no matter if you call them pretty or not, no girl wants to be compared to a stinging bug. Just a tip from me.¡± Violet snorted, shifting the burden on her back, and suddenly she was doubled over, guffawing at Daiyu¡¯s seemingly innocent answer, head tilted in a perfect attempt at innocence.


    ¡°Oh, but did you not compare yourself to a scorpion, Violet?¡±


    ¡°Shit, got me there... never knew you had a sense of humour. It¡¯s cute...¡± she wheezed when she could speak again. ¡°...come on, we have to get cracking. These bastards aren¡¯t going to kill themselves, more¡¯s the pity...¡±


    With that, Daiyu nodded, and they were soon hunting down the remaining survivors, shattering the faltering Martyred Dead and capturing or killing the last human invaders, as without the presence of the choir and their instruments, the Territory¡¯s oppression was at last depleting the foe...


    ***


    Second ¨C Izumi Kana, Kana¡¯s Faith School, Tokyo


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Kana panicked, thoughts racing, though she quickly calmed herself down as the bomb started to make a beeping sound as if ready to explode at any moment. The women were glaring at her evilly, and their eyes showed no fear of death as they raced towards her school.


    What would Akio do? Or Shaeula, or Eri... or anyone? I know, they¡¯d...


    Kana realised no matter what happened, whether she was injured or not, she couldn¡¯t let them detonate the bomb. Kana was hardly an expert in explosives, but it looked big and heavy, more than enough to cause some serious damage. My friends are inside, and a lot of ordinary, uninvolved girls... these bastards...


    In what seemed a frozen moment, Kana¡¯s mind churned. Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Favour was hot within her, and she remembered how she had worked to make herself suitable for it, the hardest she¡¯d ever worked in her life, up to that point. Of course, now I slave away every day, digging tunnels, reinforcing walls, moving equipment. It¡¯s hard work, and I often wish I was able to spend more time having fun, be it with Akio, the others, or just my friends, but... it¡¯s made me strong. And I was always proud, so...


    Mind made up, Kana unleashed earth element in an instant. A ruby tide flowed into the ground, and Kana felt a brief moment of exultation, and more than that, a sort of pride that wasn¡¯t about her looks and charm, but about herself as a person, and the hard work she¡¯d put in. I wasn¡¯t perfectly suited for this Favour, just... good enough. Well, nobody gets to say that Izumi Kana is good enough! I¡¯m perfect! And... I¡¯m so much stronger than before.


    The hard hours of labour had refined her control of both aether and earth element, as well as improved her control over her Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden and the Earthen Womb. She hadn¡¯t sought out Akio for him to check her growth, instead wanting to save it for a... special... occasion, but Kana was no fool, she knew, and could feel the difference.


    ¡°I¡¯ll not let you hurt anyone at my school, bitches!¡± Kana roared, not realising everyone could hear her, until there were cheers and cries, her classmates and friends at the open windows.


    ¡°Too late, we shall all perish together!¡± one woman screamed. ¡°But only we shall see the Ninth Heaven...¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Kana disagreed. The ground rippled like it was fluid, mud and stone shifting like soft clay, and the two women suddenly disappeared as though they were standing on quicksand, the mud sucking them and their bomb under. ¡°I¡¯m in no rush for the afterlife, thanks. I¡¯m quite satisfied with the life I¡¯ve got now.¡± Crossing her arms as they vanished from view, Kana waited, her heart hammering in her chest.


    There it is. Her control over the Earthen Womb shook, as did the ground, fragments of dirt, grass and paving stones thrown up into the air, the ground arching up into a mound before collapsing in on itself, the ripples diminishing. Releasing a breath, her heart hammering, Kana contemplated what had just happened.


    They¡¯re dead for sure. They were trapped down there with the explosion. It¡¯s not like they wouldn¡¯t have died up here anyway. Stupid suicide bombers... Kana walked over to the casket they had pulled the bomb from, noting it was showing up as abnormal to her Eyes. That¡¯s why I left it up here, didn¡¯t suck it down...


    Now she could hear the cheers from her friends, she turned, making sure her face was set to her usual smile. On seeing that, Mio-chan called down asking if she was all right, and Kana nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good. All safe, not a scratch on me.¡±


    She got some dubious looks in return, but Kana merely dusted off her uniform, brushing dirt from her red blazer and chequered skirt. ¡°I mean it. Anyway...¡± She took a deep breath, mind made up. ¡°I have to go. I can¡¯t see anyone else around here, and I don¡¯t think our school is important enough for them to target twice. I... need to go to my shrine!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asami-chan asked, and their teacher stuck her head out of the window, telling Kana she should stay and wait for the police to arrive, stay where it was safe, but Kana merely shook her head again, laughing quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I knew what I was getting into. One thing I¡¯ve always been is a realist.¡± Akio can talk all he likes about not wanting us to fight, that I¡¯m a supporter, but... this day was inevitable. Even if we don¡¯t look for trouble... trouble looks for us. I knew that already. Just how many times has my shrine been attacked? ¡°Anyway, can someone come down here and grab this box?¡± She nudged it with her foot. ¡°I think Akio will want it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± Hisano-chan offered. Other classes had heard the commotion and were now crowding their own windows curiously, and oddly enough, their attention made Kana feel a little better. I guess I have always liked being the centre of attention. The right sort of attention anyway. It was rough, being so beautiful. Now...it¡¯s fine.


    ¡°Oh... and, don¡¯t worry.¡± Hisano-chan shouted down, surprising everyone. ¡°If anyone else does come... I¡¯ll fight! I may not be much good, but...¡±


    ¡°I can too!¡± Maiko-chan agreed, and Kana nodded, slightly touched, eyes a little hot.


    ¡°Fine. I think it won¡¯t come to that, and teacher should call the police, if she hasn¡¯t already, but... do your best, and don¡¯t die, okay? So long as you¡¯re alive, Akio and Shaeula can put you back together, good as new.¡±


    Remembering Eri and Shiro¡¯s states in the past, Kana had confidence that was true. Taking a deep breath, she turned away, well-wishes from her friends and classmates in her ears, and the ground below her rippled, sucking her under, though not like the terrorists, this was gentle, almost kind, leaving Kana held in a bubble of clear space. Moving through the earth, ruby sparks fluttering around her beautifully, she considered her best course of action.


    The tunnel actually cuts through not far from the school... if I head that way... Moving through the ground at the speed of a galloping horse, Kana now realised the importance of the work she and her fellow construction slaves like Grulgor were doing. It¡¯s not just access for the factories, no... the tunnels were vital for connecting their points of vulnerability, and the planned underground bunkers and storehouses would offer safety to those like Kana¡¯s family, who weren¡¯t fighters.


    A minute or so later she popped out of the wall of the tunnel, careful to repair it behind herself automatically, and then she giggled, shaking her head. I¡¯m so whipped. The thought of causing setbacks to the work and delaying the schedule automatically makes me annoyed. Oh well...


    Fortunately, her school was only a short train ride from the shrine, so she quickly began to sprint. Her speed certainly couldn¡¯t be compared with the powerhouses of the group, but crushing any Olympic athlete was easy for her, and she could run at a sustained sprint for miles. Therefore it only took a few more minutes for her to arrive, and bound up the steps to Shirohebizumi shrine, already hearing the chaotic sounds of battle above. Her heart was starting to hammer unpleasantly, and her palms were sweaty, so she discretely wiped them on her skirt.


    Emerging out into the chaos, Kana¡¯s eyes were drawn to the nearby training school building. Most of the windows were shattered, and it looked rather burned, some flames licking fitfully on the outside. Kana felt a surge of anger at that, remembering how overjoyed she was when the school opened, giving her access to a gym, pool, sauna and rooms for her and her friends. Now... The blow is less painful, considering I have a home with Akio now too, but... I¡¯m still furious! Don¡¯t they know how long I wanted to have luxuries like this, and they go and destroy them?


    Despite the chaos, screams, shouts, gunshots and explosions in all directions, the annoyance made Kana feel better, soothing her rapid heartbeat, and her head cleared. Trust me to calm down because of that. If Eri could see me now, she¡¯d call me shallow.


    That was a soothing thought as well. Her relationship with Eri was actually fine now, they both understood each other, and while they liked to spar verbally with each other, Kana had no issues calling her a friend. Eri does though. She can be such a... what does Akio and Shiro call it... ah yes, a tsundere. That only applies to people who aren¡¯t Akio though. With him she can be full on psycho...


    ¡°All right then...¡± Kana quickly checked the situation. It actually seemed to be going better than she had imagined, if you ignored the damaged buildings and burned greenery. Grulgor, in his comical mortalform, bald-headed, muscular and wearing a suit that was now ripped, torn and scorched, was battling an opponent, constantly being set alight, but quickly recovering, his body flowing like her Earthen Womb, or turning to water before reconstructing.


    Ixitt was sniping anyone who left cover, and that young Korean girl Suk-ja was with a number of the wounded, protecting them, not all of them people Kana recognised. Tourists, maybe? I know we¡¯re a minor shrine, and Shirohebi¡¯s not popular, but we are still a traditional shrine, so get the occasional visitor.


    There was that foreign woman Luciana as well, and she was darting around like a dancer, gun and blade reaping a toll in lives. Kana felt a little sick, but insisted to herself it was all down to the burning smell of grass, trees and unfortunately, dead flesh... Yes, it¡¯s horrible, but... wait a minute. Trees, burning?


    A sudden horrifying realisation hitting her, Kana raced for the grove behind the training school where Asha¡¯s mortal Tree was. Praying she wasn¡¯t too late, she was a moment too late to notice when she almost ran into a figure wearing white, and carrying a rather surreal sight, a large scythe.


    Just... how did he get through the streets carrying that? Kana¡¯s first thoughts were inane, and she flushed, ashamed of herself, before her dark brown eyes narrowed, and she fully took in her opponent. He was a tall man, taller than Akio, perhaps six and a half feet tall. His white garments were a white hoodie, as well as white jeans. The hoodie was bulky, even considering his muscular arms, which bulged with strength. Is he wearing a bulletproof vest or some armour underneath?


    The man turned his average-looking face on her. He was a Western man, white skinned with a small, neatly trimmed brown beard and short hair. It was his eyes that were abnormal, and Kana felt he was dissecting her like she was a piece of meat. I¡¯m used to guys staring at me. I¡¯m beautiful. But... not with such contempt. Now... how has nobody else seen him? Oh...


    Kana¡¯s head was aching, and she realised her Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden must have detected him. A brilliant rainbow aura was surrounding him, though the most prevalent colours were blue, indigo and violet, occupying nearly eighty percent of his aura. There was another fading aura, and Kana looked down to see a figure dissipating to ether, the corpse missing a head, and she felt sick again.


    ¡°What are you doing here, girl? And how do you see me? For none see the passing of the Memitim, only feel their breath.¡± His ferocious gaze hardened.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kana took a step backwards, mind working. It seemed the man had crept up and killed what looked like one of Violet¡¯s scorpion-people, and she suddenly felt a surge of both relief, and then disappointment in herself at that relief. No, they are living beings too. If it was Shaeula, or Hyacinth, Asha, or even Grulgor beheaded there, I¡¯d grieve. Bastard. Kana clenched her fists, suddenly furious, and also desperate. Asha¡¯s Tree, he¡¯s too close to it...


    ¡°I fear now you have seen me, I must remove you. The great work cannot be hampered, and many brave souls will fly to the Ninth Heaven to afford this Memitim his due.¡±


    Memitim? What the hell is he on about? No, who cares, he¡¯s crazy, but I get it. While everyone is distracted, he can slip in and cause havoc. But it won¡¯t be that easy. Not now... ¡°Sorry, but this is my family shrine, and I don¡¯t think you are welcome. Especially not when you are clearly crazy.¡±


    ¡°Crazy?¡± The man scowled at her. ¡°I think you will find...¡± He suddenly seemed to disappear from her view, and Kana had a brief moment of panic, before she realised even if she couldn¡¯t see him, she could see the aura of abnormality around him. She gestured, ruby light surrounding her in a halo, and the ground erupted into churning muck, sucking down around where the aura was. There... oh, wait...


    Suddenly having a bad premonition, she leapt backwards, and tears were in her eyes as blood bloomed along her arm, her blazer and white shirt cut apart, flesh scored by cold metal. It was only a minor nick, but still terrifying, as for a moment she could see her blood hovering in the air, on the edge of the blade of the scythe. Then she leapt backwards, and realising she had missed trapping her opponent, she tried a different strategy.


    This isn¡¯t my first battle! I fought beside Akio and the others against that bear Kamuy. And I¡¯ve grown since then! Earthen Womb did specialise in a certain type of manipulation, but Kana had trained and honed it, and attempted to master earth element as well, and in addition...


    I got special permission from the school to wear this jewellery. We¡¯re a faith school, so... it makes sense they¡¯d be understanding. Besides... It was no mere necklace she wore under her shirt, but a golden two-headed snake, which formed a tight loop around her neck. The Earth Serpent¡¯s Torc was her gift from Akio, a treasure of the Tower of London, and it significantly strengthened her earth element, and Ks?itigarbha¡¯s Earthen Womb too. It also makes me more beautiful... not that I needed that. And... fertility... no, there¡¯s no time for dwelling on that now, instead, I...


    The ground exploded, mud showering in all directions, except at Kana, her control enough for that. For an instant the man was covered in muck and became visible, only for him to vanish again, mud and all. For a moment Kana was at a loss, and she ducked, seeing he was closer than she liked, and she felt something whizz past her head. Oh yeah, obviously that wouldn¡¯t work. Otherwise he¡¯d have to strip naked to go invisible. He must be able to do his clothes or things touching him as... her thoughts were interrupted as the scythe cleaved through her blazer again, drawing a line of fire deep into her side. Her clothing flapped open, but fortunately it only exposed her flank.


    It hurts though! Damnit, it hurts! I won¡¯t scar though, I¡¯ll get Shaeula to buff it right off me! Blasting up more mud she plastered it on her wound. It wasn¡¯t exactly hygienic, but it would stop the bleeding until Ether Healing kicked in, as the wound was troublingly serious.


    ¡°Sorry, your stealth isn¡¯t perfect though...¡± Kana rolled, and she heard the impact of metal on stone. I only saw him for the moment, but... I¡¯m picking up his ability with my Eyes, which is now somewhat offset to where he actually is...


    ¡°Ks?itigarbha, Shirohebi... I need your strength!¡± Kana cried out, exploding the ground again, this time into rock, not mud, and a forest of pointed cones like spears shot out, aimed behind where she could see the radiance with her over-stressed Eyes. Blood bloomed, and Kana could see it when it was free of the man¡¯s body, and also see it dripping down a dozen of her thicket of stony stakes.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re even. No, wait, we¡¯re not... I¡¯m a woman, you shouldn¡¯t scar me!¡± Kana shook her head, hopping backwards, and not a moment too soon, as her spears of rock shattered, and she felt the whoosh of wind on her face as the scythe swung where her head was a moment before. Sweating, stomach lurching, she called more rocky spears, again skewering her enemy, though she could hear the ring of rock on something solid. Yeah, his body is protected, but...


    The game of tag continued, and soon the man¡¯s invisibility faded. He was panting, and his face was pale. His arms and legs were full of deep gouges and holes, weeping blood, and his hoodie was shredded, indeed revealing some sort of heavy, blade-proof vest which had seen better days but protected him from being skewered. As he held his scythe in trembling hands, he glared with such hatred that Kana no longer felt scared of him, but her emotions had come full circle to ridicule.


    ¡°Want to surrender?¡± Kana asked, but the man merely spat at her.


    ¡°Gross!¡± Kana muttered, dodging the spittle. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly making me sympa... thet...ic... to... you...¡± Her words slowed in shock, as suddenly around them a golden light bloomed in the sky, cutting through the smoke and the chaos. Kana¡¯s Eyes were suddenly blinding her, a golden glow surrounding her in all directions like she was under vividly glowing water, and as she blinked, tears streaming, knifing pains in her brain, the man chuckled.


    ¡°I feel the presence of the Divine. And I am blessed to do his work!¡± The stone spikes shattered, and the man staggered on unsteady legs. ¡°You exhausted me, bitch, and stopped me from claiming every sinner here. But I shall take your head at the least. Someone worshipping pagan idols will make a worthy prayer.¡±


    Squeezing shut her eyes, Kana threw out all her power, and the hillside sagged, becoming a sucking quagmire around her. She was dragged down into the muck, and as she sunk, praying that this subsistence wouldn¡¯t damage the facilities underground, she radiated earth element, turning the mud into a forest of spiky needles.


    For a long moment, she worried it wasn¡¯t enough, but once underground, she could no longer see the blinding shine that had disorientated her. Wiping her eyes as the mud parted around her, she sensed someone else, unmoving, and as she slowly rose out of the mud in her Earthen Womb, she brought up the man too. He broke the surface, and while his body was still intact, his arms, legs and fatally, his head, were full of more holes than a colander. With a grimace, Kana threw up at the grizzly sight, but her eyes were already starting to burn again, as it was like she was surrounded by the sun.


    I don¡¯t think I need to see it anymore... Glad that she had enough control to shut her Eyes off nowadays, Kana sighed in relief before being noisily sick again. Moments later a hand was on her back, and she jumped, alarmed, only to see it was Luciana, looking down on her, a concerned expression on her bloody face.


    ¡°Are you all right, chica?¡± She spoke in English, with the odd foreign word thrown in, though she could talk in Japanese a little too. Kana was glad it was her, as if any man saw her in such a state she¡¯d die of shame, as her clothes were torn, she was plastered with mud and stained with vomit. As many of the Black Wolf Company, Luciana included, worked with Kana on the tunnelling operations, they weren¡¯t strangers, so it was embarrassing still, but bearable.


    ¡°Yeah... yes. I¡¯m... it¡¯s just...¡± Kana shrugged, struggling to stand. ¡°Why... are you here? The battle...¡±


    ¡°Is mostly over.¡± Luciana shrugged. ¡°The big guy battered the fire-calling bastardo to death in the end, and I dealt with the snipers.¡± She drew one finger across her throat in a universally understood gesture. ¡°Ixitt, little diamond chica, well, we overpowered the invaders. Mierda, it is a mess though. Now it is safe the police and army will be coming, and too many people saw, filming with their cameras, and streaming too, no doubt.¡±


    Kana nodded, finally getting to her feet. ¡°Oh... okay, but... something strange happened. Damn... Asha¡¯s Tree!¡±  Stumbling off again, Luciana nodded, her smile proud and reassuring as she glanced over at the dead body and the wicked-looking scythe.


    ¡°El primero, the first one... it is always the worst. But... it was you or him, I know. So, what brings you here? Weren¡¯t you at school?¡±


    ¡°They brought a bomb. I blew them up with their own explosion.¡± Kana shuddered a little. ¡°But... I worried. Yes, we¡¯re on the news here... not just us, the estate, everywhere! It¡¯s... madness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, chica. Kana.¡± She used her name instead of calling her ¡®girl¡¯ all the time. Kana would normally be uncomfortable without honorifics, but considering Luciana wasn¡¯t Japanese it didn¡¯t bother her so much. ¡°Tears are good. El veneno, the poison, tears wash it away, better than keeping it bottled up inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying...¡± Kana insisted, only to touch her face and realise it was soaked. ¡°Oh...well, I... I¡¯m fine. Honestly.¡± She scrubbed at her face. ¡°I must look a fright. Don¡¯t let anyone else see me, I¡¯ll die!¡±


    ¡°You look fine to me, Kana.¡± Luciana was sympathetic. ¡°I think maybe tonight, we will not be having to dig tunnels, yes?¡±


    Kana managed a faint smile. ¡°I hope not. I¡¯m wiped out. But... Asha¡¯s Tree!¡± Kana suddenly sighed in relief as she saw the Tree still standing, unharmed. ¡°That¡¯s great. I had worried...¡± While nobody knew what would happen if Asha¡¯s Material sapling was destroyed, nobody wanted to find out.


    Someone called over to Luciana, and she shouted back she was fine and just checking something. The two of them approached the Tree, and thoroughly inspected it, but then...


    ¡°Is it me, or... does the Tree feel... how do I put this... atemorizada? Scared... the leaves, the branches... they tremble. No breeze, see?¡± She held up a licked finger to the sky, and felt nothing.


    Kana nodded, having a bad feeling suddenly. Her Eyes triggered, and the golden glow overwhelmed her again. Blinking, trying her best to control them, she ratcheted it down to a dull glow, and could see it was some sort of weird dome, faintly transparent and shimmering. ¡°You... you don¡¯t see that? Kana asked, and Luciana blinked.


    ¡°See what? I see nothing.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Making up her mind, despite her exhaustion, Kana dropped to her knees. ¡°It¡¯s safe here now, yeah?¡± At Luciana¡¯s nod, she lay down. ¡°In that case, watch me please, I¡¯m going to enter the Boundary quickly, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± As her eyes squeezed shut, Kana followed her usual process, only to meet intense resistance. No matter how she pushed she was unable to enter the Boundary, and with rising panic, her eyes snapped open.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get in? Can you?¡± As they swapped positions, Luciana also failed.


    ¡°No, I too am blocked. Mierda.¡±


    As they exchanged troubled looks, Kana once more glanced at Asha¡¯s Tree, and a leaf dropped off one branch, fluttering to the ground, where it sank into the mud. Swallowing nervously, lingering taste of vomit in her mouth all that reminded her of her momentary weakness at her actions here today, those worries pushed out of her mind by this new fear, she glanced up at the sky once more. What in Shirohebi¡¯s name is going on in there? It must be an attack, but...


    ***


    Third ¨C Arisugawa Arisu, Saionji Gin¡¯s Territory, Kinkaku-ji, The Boundary, Kyoto


    ¡°Such wretched futility.¡± Arisu observed, as the cry of victory resounded. At that moment, a great flaming bird came plummeting down towards them, wings wrapped around itself, before resolving into a young, dark-skinned woman with crimson hair around her like a cloak, and brilliant red eyes. On seeing Arisu, the young Phoenix flinched, looking down, and Saionji Gin-san, the jovial yet commanding priest of Kinkaku-ji, whose ability had reaped a great toll on the enemy during this battle, chuckled, amused.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be rude to our dear friend Arisugawa-san, Akai.¡± He reached out in good humour and ruffled the Phoenix¡¯s hair playfully. She squirmed, clearly annoyed, but she let him do it. ¡°She is rather stern, but I am assured she is actually kind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Akai complained, wisely saying nothing about that. ¡°The bad men, they cut and stabbed me a lot.¡± The Phoenix pouted, looking younger than her human appearance suggested. ¡°I want to eat and go sleep!¡± Her red eyes were droopy now and she yawned, mouth opening wide.


    ¡°Very well then.¡± Saionji-san finished messing with Akai¡¯s hair. ¡°Go home and have a rest. Tell the apprentices to cook you something.¡±


    Akai blinked sleepily and nodded, before heading inside the massive golden structure that was Kinkaku-ji here, the massive golden horns that swept above impressing Arisu as always. As she disappeared, Saionji-san smiled fondly at her departing back. ¡°She may be childish, but she¡¯s certainly a Divine Phoenix. Nobody but you defeated more of our enemies...¡± Saionji-san looked at another of their gathered allies, the maid, Hyacinth.


    Now she... she is dangerous. And not merely due to her... abilities. Arisu had of course spoken to Akio-san about her, and the potential danger she posed, perhaps to the entire world. If unleashed at full power, it was hardly impossible for Hyacinth to turn Japan, as far as the winds spread, into a wasteland of death. It shows that the subtle is far more dangerous than the obviously destructive. Conjuring a surge of fire element to destroy a tank, for example, on the Material, would be a draining feat, but the same amount of Hyacinth¡¯s wood and nature element could lay waste a city the size of Tokyo. Akio-san had looked sad then, and said that even if he perished, Hyacinth would not go berserk, even if Arisu did not entirely believe him.


    I have spoken to White about it as well, and also the Red within her. Neither would countenance discussing... countermeasures. I have no wish to act precipitously, but... we should be prepared. Hyacinth was fundamentally broken as a being, Arisu knew it. She could see the fathomless well of darkness in her eyes, the seething cauldron of madness and hatred, that she too shared. Though compared to Hyacinth, my darkness is but a drop of ink in water. I thought I cursed the unfairness and treachery of those I trusted, but...


    ¡°No, she¡¯s fine. So long as she has Aki and us, she¡¯s healing...¡± White had said, and Red echoed her, surprising Arisu, as the Red Goddess was always pragmatic and cold. ¡°Indeed. So long as he does not perish, she shall remain stable. Besides, having a weapon such as her in our grasp offers many possibilities. So fear not, we are watching her, and will help stabilise her poor mental state.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if Aki does die though, she¡¯ll break. But then... so will I. I¡¯ll be right beside her burning the world. Shaeula too. You think Eri won¡¯t either? The others, they¡¯re too responsible. It¡¯s kind of cute... but us... we¡¯re all crazy in our own ways. You know it, Arisu. So... there¡¯s no reason to worry. But...¡± White¡¯s smile had turned wicked then. ¡°You¡¯d better do your best to protect Aki to keep that from happening. But... don¡¯t fall for him, okay? I know it¡¯s a big ask, but... I don¡¯t want you as a rival!¡±


    As if I would be so swayed. I have no wish for romance right now. I am still feeing too betrayed, too untrusting. But... burning the world... As Hyacinth spoke cheerfully, with that strange, elongated and drawling manner she had, Arisu set aside her thoughts. One thing is right. Hyacinth is a menace, she devastated the invaders. No, she does have reason still. And there are plenty of other ways the world will end. It will me a miracle indeed if there are any of us left ten years from now.


    ¡°Thooose wretched dead, they annoyed me. It reminds me ooof the bad times, of Woe.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°The Unseelie, they looove to disgrace the dead, use them. Hyacinth hates it, and seeing this made me furiooous. So I made them gooo back to death!¡±


    ¡°You did well.¡± Haano?bo?, the strange masked Tengu nodded, her violet hair catching the eye, especially when paired with her brilliant golden eyes and the pure white wings on her back. She looked like what the West would call an Angel, and Arisu had enjoyed the upset that dichotomy had caused the attackers. ¡°Invaders are to be defeated. It is our way! Those who trespass with ill-intent should be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°So bloodthirsty.¡± Saionji-san chuckled. ¡°But in this case, I agree. Fortunately...¡± He turned to Yasaka-san, the older, weary man, with dark circles around his eyes and a sallow complexion. ¡°...it seems Kyoto is well in hand. The last stragglers are being chased down by our forces and my Chosen. Their efforts to invade Kyoto have come to naught.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Yasaka-san agreed wearily. ¡°But there are troubles elsewhere. A great many...¡± His eyes were moving as though he was reading a book only he could see. Arisu found that fascinating, and also rather troubling. As a woman who loved physics and science, and prided herself on her intelligence as well as her appearance, loathing the idea in the mainstream media that most actors were lacking in scholarly talents, she could accept and even understand how her Room worked. The same went for many of Red¡¯s powers, and even elemental abilities, even if the classification of elements was an eclectic, idiotic mess.


    Her lips curled into a smile as she remembered discussing it with White and Akio-san over a few drinks. Akio-san found it equally annoying and baffling, and he too rebelled at the idea of foresight, of destiny and fate. It denies all we are, robs us of free will. No... It was difficult for him now. He had accumulated another woman, and Arisu had given up feeling irritated over it. While she hardly spent as much time with him as White did, she understood him, and all of them too. So long as they never betrayed each other, Arisu would tolerate it. The issue was that Matsumuro-san, his newest ... well, wife, she supposed... was the embodiment of belief in predestination and immutable fate. Even if that belief was shaken now. After all, her claimed fate was tossed aside. It makes me feel a little better about everything. If there are fates, our own wills can overturn them.


    ¡°...the Ring Gate is down, somehow.¡± one Mortal Engineer agreed, this one a ratkin, Arisu observed. ¡°We¡¯re stuck here in Kyoto. It¡¯s odd. If the Gate was destroyed on the other side, I think the mushrooms would wither and die here too.¡± He scratched his furry ear, tail lashing, eyes gleaming. ¡°It¡¯s fascinating. I wonder what caused it...¡±


    Ah yes. I get the inquisitive mind, but... now is not the time.


    With a sigh, Arisu shook her head, long, luxurious black locks flowing as she did so. ¡°I shall go and see. I cannot believe that their Territory would fall, it has a great many powerful defenders, and Moira has been rigorous in preparing for such an event. But even so, discovering the reasons for this blockage is vital, as the Gate network is integral to our future plans.¡±


    As everyone agreed, Arisu opened her Room, the slash in space still fascinating her, as did the Room itself. Fortunately, she had been able to relinquish her prisoner from South Korea, and he was now in custody within the Ministry, alongside the pervert who had tried to attack the idols from AKB0048, as well as several other Chosen criminals who had been identified by Yasaka-san¡¯s Book and arrested by Detective Kato Reiji¡¯s new squad.


    Trying to step out again next to the Ring Gate, Arisu frowned. That is... odd. It was as if she was trying to push through solid glass with her fingers, and golden-violet sparks and motes of light scattered, giving her a headache. She tried several nearby places, and then finally her door opened, and she stepped out into Boundary Tokyo. Moments later, she was shocked at what she saw from the foot of the hills upon which the heart of Akio¡¯s Territory lay.


    What is... that?


    [The Gate Of Naphtali Rejects The Ungodly!]


    Upon the great golden dome of light which enclosed the hills were twelve equally spaced winged humanoids with a golden hue, representations of Angels, most likely, every thirty degrees around the circumference. One of these had spoken, and the language was not one she understood, linguistically, but she understood it mentally, on some sort of spiritual level. I find this unpleasant. The angel swung its weapon, and a brilliant beam of light flashed, and an explosion rocked the Territory.


    Seeing Shaeula, the Cultivator girl Daiyu, and many others scatter from the blast, Arisu hurried over, the taste of spatial element and something else hanging in the still Boundary air. On seeing her approach, Shaeula brightened up.


    ¡°Arisu, it is most-most timely seeing you here. Can you use your Room to take-take us inside that?¡± She waved a hand at the dome.


    ¡°I am afraid not. I have tried, but it seems to be a sealed space of sorts. Perhaps a static version of my Room?¡±


    ¡°How frustrating.¡± Shaeula indeed did seem aggravated. ¡°It is not-not good. Inside lies Asha¡¯s Tree, Asha herself as well. The Anchor too. If...¡± She gnawed at her lip, before Daiyu put a hand on her shoulder. Shaeula then forced a grin.


    ¡°Of course. I am not-not worried Asha will die, nor that Akio¡¯s Anchor will be-be destroyed. No, not-not at all.¡± Her words were clearly a lie, and Arisu raised an eyebrow, as supposedly she hated lying and liars, as did Arisu herself.


    ¡°Well, perhaps a little.¡± Shaeula amended. ¡°Though...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°... honestly, we have-have a precaution. It is just... I believe this must-must have been done by one such as Mary Stuart. And she-she was a powerful opponent. I would feel much-much more reassured if I could aid them within, and the waiting.... It does not-not sit well with me.¡±


    ¡°We all feel the same.¡± Daiyu insisted, and even the South Korean woman, Kang-san, nodded. ¡°But all we can do is struggle to breach the accursed dome.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, I shall return to Kyoto and advise them of the situation, and then bring back those who can assist.¡± Arisu suggested, and after receiving their thanks, she was soon stepping out in Kyoto again.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation? You look grave, Arisugawa-san.¡± Saionji-san observed.


    After Arisu explained, he frowned. ¡°Perhaps... it is not impossible my Gaze Of Avalokites?vara might be able to pierce though it, but... hmm. I think we should take a moment to search for solutions.¡±


    It was then that a horrible scream rang out, a heart-wrenching cry of pain, and Yasaka-san collapsed, losing his colour, silver mist rising from him, crimson blood with similar streamers of silver spraying from his mouth. Hyacinth and Haano?bo? were soon on alert, expecting an attack, but Arisu shook her head.


    ¡°I have an excellent grasp on the space around us. There is no enemy. No, this seems as if...¡±


    Saionji-san realised as well. ¡°His Anchor? But... damn! His shrine is in Osaka! And it¡¯s well protected, several other Chosen from the city registered with the Ministry, and we were paying them to guard it, so... damn it all!¡± He was furious, but not as furious as Arisu.


    ¡°I had said little at your choice not to discorporate your Territory as per the emergency plans for full-scale disaster, which we prepared after Kyoto.¡± Her voice was cold, and a fury was building inside her. Hyacinth was attempting to stabilise the spasming, broken man, but it seemed futile. ¡°You are merely an ally, and your Territory is reasonably well defended, and right on Suzuki-san¡¯s border, with help at hand. But... this.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I was breaking down my Territory, and struggling to do the same to White¡¯s, for fun? Suzanne-san as well? It is a point of risk. Territories offer many benefits yes, but also vulnerability. And to leave one so far afield...¡± she continued her furious words.


    ¡°Yasaka-san¡¯s Territory gave him a lot of boosts, and he needed them, his power takes it out of him, and... the focus of any attacks should have been here, and it was!¡± Saionji-san rubbed at his temples, feeling sudden pain. ¡°Shit! Those fucking terrorists! It must have been them, yes?¡±


    ¡°That or someone else talking advantage of the chaos.¡± Arisu leashed her anger, as it was doing them no good. ¡°Are there any others here who have Anchors elsewhere? If so, they should be warned...¡±


    Saionji-san nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll return and make a call to Morita-san at the Ministry. As the Minister she should be able to access the records and send out warnings and check who is still unharmed...¡± As Saionji-san vanished in a hurry, Arisu turned to Hyacinth, whose efforts were proving futile.


    ¡°Come with me, and bring the poor idiot with you.¡± she ordered, and Hyacinth nodded, scooping up the fallen Yasaka-san and carrying his fading, fraying Astral body into the Room...


    ***


    Fourth ¨C Asha, Akio¡¯s Territory, Shirohebizumi Shrine, The Boundary, Tokyo


    ¡°Perhaps we should leave this place?¡± the woman who had accompanied Asha, Tamamo-no-Mae asked. Behind her were nine bushy tails covered in brilliant golden-red fur, matched by her red-blonde hair that cascaded behind her like a cloak, flowing like silk. Her deep green eyes seemed to hold a myriad of emotions within, many Asha could not decipher, but right now there was concern in abundance.


    ¡°You are no warrior, yes?¡± the Yo?kai suggested. No, to call her a mere Yo?kai was disrespectful, she had the presence and the charm of a true ruler, and the deep sadness and weariness too. It was as if Asha was before King Orion or Queen Ariel, and the pressure was intense.


    Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s beautifully decorated kimono was open at the waist, revealing a generous expanse of her enormous breasts, larger even than her granddaughter, who was similarly well-endowed. Asha herself was hardly small, but she felt outclassed at the raw seductiveness the foxes exuded, even if it was leashed somewhat.


    ¡°No, I am not.¡± Asha agreed. ¡°However, I am not the weakling I was. A great deal of my power withered away over the long years of madness and suffering, but... I am confident I am reclaiming it, and will soon surpass my past self. Are you...¡± she asked, hesitantly, and Tamamo-no-Mae barked a laugh of mixed amusement and bitterness.


    ¡°Like you, I am not my best self.¡± Her tails lashed, troubled, and her face twisted, perhaps remembering her own torments, ones that Asha sympathised with, even if unlike her, Tamamo-no-Mae had a history of cruelties both grand and petty, to weigh down her conscience. ¡°Akio, he has done what he can, and though sometimes at night I wake wishing he had not...¡± She shuddered at further remembered pain. ¡°...I confess to not expecting to feel so... normal.¡± She clenched one elegant fist, her fingernails long and sharp, but also attractive somehow. ¡°I can fight somewhat, if I must. But there is little point tempting fate. For fate can be cruel, and delights in irony.¡±


    ¡°I do not doubt it.¡± Asha found her own fate ironic, though the cruelty was fading from her mind, little by little. When a Dryad found her fated partner, gave her Kiss, she became more and more entwined with them, spirt and mind alike. Besides... Her hand went to her belly, where the seeds had been sown, and new life fruited. It is my redemption. To give life after taking so much away to survive. But also my joy... sisters, I shall not wither, not shall they.


    ¡°However, my Tree...¡± She eyed the smooth bark of her great Rhyming Tree, which like her was regaining former glories, no, perhaps it had already surpassed its past peak, as it was constantly absorbing more elemental energies and ether due to Shiro¡¯s persistent blessings. Buffs, they call them...


    ¡°My Tree, it dwells in both realms at once, the mortal and the spiritual. In a way, it is like Akio himself.¡± She smiled fondly, her golden-yellow eyes reminiscing. ¡°It seems to me we were certainly meant to be. For we grow more alike. But...¡± She shook her head, her own long and beautiful hair of auburn flowing. ¡°...conversely, I feel what it feels. And it senses danger there too. Here at least you can exert your greatest strength, yes?¡±


    ¡°That is... substantially... true.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae agreed, frowning. ¡°It does not matter, I suppose. What will be shall be. I suppose I must be a fool, to be grateful for small mercies. I suspect millennia of suffering does focus the mind on what little joys we can experience.¡±


    ¡°It does indeed.¡± Asha agreed, finding pleasure in all the little things, her gardens, the camaraderie with Hyacinth, who had also suffered as they had, and helped her grow many interesting plants. Her fellow sisters, who loved the man she loved. The mortal world. At first she had found it... unpleasant... too noisy, crowded and dirty, lacking greenery and nature, but Akio had promised that would change, and... There is much to love as well. I am a new me. I cannot be bound to the old ways.


    ¡°Since there is little point in retreat, we shall just guard this place.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae nodded. ¡°There is much here of value. It is... terribly foolish. There is a saying about the danger of stacking eggs, no?¡±


    ¡°We would say putting all our eggs in a singe basket.¡± Asha chuckled gently. ¡°But I understand. Our hands were somewhat forced by the need for strong earth element, but yes, as soon as we reach Rank Four, at least the Anchor and key Buildings will be relocated, and the Ring Gate Hub secured with further barriers and defences, and an isolated processing centre linked in. Hyacinth can grow the mushrooms, and we have identified a suitable area also rich in energies.¡±


    ¡°Prudent.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed, glancing around at the deserted shrine. Most of the non-combatants had been evacuated to shelters, and even now the battle raged all around the Territory. In the distance lightning flashed, explosions boomed, and irritating, droning sounds of horns and singing could be heard which set Asha¡¯s teeth on edge, itched at her very spirit.


    ¡°In that case, we should... no, never mind.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae changed her mind, her tails stiffening, standing up. With a swift gesture she grabbed Asha, leaping backwards. The surrounding Defensive Emplacements opened up, bolts of prismatic silver energy stabbing out, towards a rapidly approaching cloud of dust and debris. A lance of dark wood came flying from the mass, striking an Emplacement, which shattered into a spray of aether, making Asha frown. It was then a great voice boomed out, and she staggered, feeling a great weight of aether and adherence all around her, almost as a physical pressure.


    ¡°Great Wall Of Twelve Gates!¡±


    A colossal golden dome suddenly enclosed the hillside, mysterious, ghostly yet beautiful golden figures atop it, and Asha suddenly felt cut off, and the stirrings of danger pricked at her mind and spirit. It seemed she was not alone, as Tamamo-no-Mae spat out a curse.


    ¡°Damnable bastards of their corpse God! May their manhoods rot and their wombs be barren as dust!¡± Seeming to be angered, Asha watched as Tamamo-no-Mae raised a hand. Brilliant yellow and green lights converged, balls forming over two of her nine tails, and then they combined, and a forking beam of lightning lashed out, striking the golden dome. Ripples of light spread, and sweat beaded on Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s fair skin, only for three of the ghostly figures to cry out words that were understood on an instinctively spiritual level, something Asha was used to, being a Fae, but did not expect.


    [None May Pass The Gate Of Reuben!]


    [Evil Within The Gate Of Judah Be Repelled!]


    [Foul Spirit, The Gate Of Levi Rejects You!]


    Three gleaming blasts arched downwards, the ghostly figures swinging their weapons, sword, spear and axe, and Tamamo-no-Mae cursed again, before shoving Asha to safety. Asha panicked, but a gust of green guided her to a safe landing, even as the hillside exploded, two more nearby Defensive Emplacements reduced to ashes.


    ¡°Mae!¡± Asha cried out, panicked, as the glowing golden figures settled back to calm stillness, though she could see another one of them through the golden glow striking towards the outside of the dome. Distracted, she didn¡¯t notice the great mass of debris and wood come to a stop, and when it dissipated, there was a man standing there, taller than Akio, muscular and powerful, his arms and legs straining against the silver chainmail armour he wore, each link seemingly forged in a cross shape. Over that he wore a white cassock, trimmed in gold, and one of his hands was resting upon a dark wooden wheel, nearly as tall as he was, ringed with wooden spikes, but it gave off an odd, almost metallic stench, and just looking at it made Asha shiver.


    ¡°Ah, there you are.¡± The brown-haired man spoke, hand tightening on his great wheel. His equally dark brown eyes at first seemed kind, but Asha could see that he was eyeing her as if she was an insect, a curiosity with little value other than to be stamped on.


    ¡°Me?¡± Asha took up a defensive stance, and the man chuckled, full of dark humour.


    ¡°You.¡± He agreed. ¡°So many lives lost, the many Martyred Dead giving their service. All for you... and your accursed false Tree!¡±


    At the venom in his voice, and the bile directed towards her precious Tree, her other self, she immediately acted. Vines ripped from the ground, her wood element surging within her, and she tried to ensnare the intruder. Under the light filtering through the translucent dome, which was dyed gold, Asha felt she had him, as the vines twisted around him, but moments later he flexed, and the vines shredded. Asha tried to call on more, desperate to halt him, but with a laugh he cried out some harsh words.


    ¡°In blood there is iron, and abominations of the spirit fear iron, and fear the true soul, for they have none!¡±


    Asha suddenly felt weak and dizzy, and the man laughed. ¡°Just the words lack potency, but the belief in the thing is the thing. You wretched spirits loathe the touch of it, and you should be pierced by it until you perish. That is one thing poor, useless Mary Stuart had right. If only her grandmother were still alive, the grand plan would not have been so disrupted. Magdalena knew how to wield the skewer...¡±


    Seeing the man approaching, Asha reflexively backed off, her movements weak, her hand trembling as it touched her belly. Though behind her was her Tree, and as she watched, fighting the urge to scream and vomit, his cruel gaze turned to it.


    ¡°Eve was the one who persuaded Adam to taste the forbidden fruit. The Tree Of Knowledge... Knowledge is poison. Faith, and unyielding obedience to the Throne is all that is required of us. God knows, Man believes.¡±


    The fanatical fervour made Asha shiver. ¡°No, this filthy tree has grown too big, and must be uprooted, every leaf and branch hewn and fed to the flames, the trunk rendered to sawdust, and that scattered so that none shall try such again.¡± With a wicked glare he peered at Asha, still clutching her belly, and he grunted.


    ¡°And let no devilish spirit sire more of her kind. No, while the Lord allows for forgiveness, I do not forgive. For the wages of sin are death. And... this blasphemous Tree, your essence... it is a sin against the Ninth Heaven!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Asha cried. Her fruits, her Tree, she would protect them! While she would die without her Tree, the reverse was not always true, and she could live on, perhaps, as a dream within its stately, ponderous existence. My fruits, My Akio, I only regret...


    As nature element surged, a struggle as her body was still polluted by a painful adherence, Asha made ready to fight and die, only for a sudden explosion of ghostly bluish-green flame to burst between them, pushing back the intruder, who shielded himself with his great wheel. Moments later, Asha felt a hand on her back, and a cool energy entered her, purging the lingering taint of imagined iron from her body. Shuddering, she looked at her saviour, the wickedly grinning Kitsune Tamamo-no-Mae, whose kimono was fluttering in the backlash of her explosion, her hair and tails too. With one slow wink of her brilliant green eye, she spoke.


    ¡°You forgot me. How... mortifying. I suppose I am but a recent arrival. Yet...¡± She brushed imaginary dust from her clothing. ¡°...such strikes were surprising, and did catch me off guard. But do you think little golden beams can defeat me? I have strode the world, toppling kingdoms, seducing kings, queens, princesses and princes alike. I am feared above all others, the greatest of Yo?kai. And now... I am in a rather bad mood indeed.¡± She turned to glare at the newcomer. ¡°You are not welcome here. Go now, and I shall let you live...¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°I see. And who might you be, and where does your confidence spring from?¡±


    ¡°As barbaric as I remember. All your kind are the same. So convinced of their own righteousness. At least my mistakes, my crimes, my passions, I own, rightly or wrongly, for I did them at my own whim. You always have your excuse, anything is justified if he wills it. Besides, if you wish a name, it is only polite to give yours first, no?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae grumbled, her tails lashing.


    ¡°Politeness? To a monstrous sinner such as you? What insolence.¡± He turned and spat on the charred hillside, and Asha frowned at the disrespect of it.


    ¡°But... I am always in a good mood when doing the Lord¡¯s work. And before I break the insolence out of you with the wheel...¡± He patted the dark, stained wooden monstrosity fondly. ¡°...it will do no harm. I am Judgement-Cardinal Luca Aloisio, and this, the Rota Iudicii, is the Wheel of Judgement that will break you and this accursed tree!¡±


    ¡°We shall see.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed regally and disbelievingly, and as Asha watched on, the tension palpable, she introduced herself. ¡°I am Tamamo-no-Mae, the one Kitsune that fears none knowing her name, cannot be tamed... no, I suppose that is no longer true.¡± She took a deep breath, chest heaving. ¡°...No, I am Tamamo-no-Mae, the nine-tailed fox, and I shall be your doom, witless torturer! So stand and face me!¡±

 Side Two Hundred – What Must Be Protected – End Of Arc 10

    Side Two Hundred ¨C What Must Be Protected ¨C End Of Arc 10


    ¡°So stand and face me!¡± After her words, Tamamo-no-Mae didn¡¯t hesitate, leaping forwards a dozen metres in a single bound towards the hateful dog of the so-called Throne. It had only taken her a brief moment to evaluate the desperate situation she was in, her millennia of experience and cunning quickly assessing the key points.


    Firstly, the barrier. It seems that it only responds to direct attacks, else this would already be futile. The beams had caught her by surprise, Tamamo-no-Mae was certainly still rusty and far from her best, endless deep stretches of years being tormented at the hands of the Saint Of Swallowed Sorrows, the dissolution first of hope, then of the self, leaving her hollow, hardly able to believe she still existed. Perhaps this battle will do me some good. Recapture some of my old spark.


    No, if the glittering golden wall of adherence, cursed belief, could attack at will, Asha and her Tree, as well as everything else here, would be destroyed in an instant. That was the issue. Too much to protect. And protecting was not usually one of her desires, there were few she had actually chosen to save before in her long life. Caihong¡¯er, certainly, her daughter Liena... No, such thoughts are a distraction.


    She had to force the foe away from the centre, back towards the dome, hence why she acted first. The dome, though... Tamamo-no-Mae was weaker than her heyday, but also far stronger than she had any right to be. Even as her outstretched fist moved towards the head of this Luca Aloisio, she surveyed herself, not for the first time, while shuddering tremors shook her. I believed no pain could ever surpass what that monk put me through, but I was wrong. Perhaps one can grow used to any torments in time, but then a fresh one can lead to equal misery. Kindness mediated it though... how... charmingly unexpected.


    Her fist was blocked by the great wooden wheel that the man wielded, a wild, furious grin on his face, and the impact rocked them both, Luca sliding back a dozen more metres, which wasn¡¯t a terrible result, but conversely the wheel shuddered, as if alive, and Tamamo-no-Mae felt a bitter chill on her skin where she made contact. Grimacing, she realised it too held great dark adherence, but she had no time to stop. I must always be on the offensive to mask the weakness of my position...


    Pirouetting, one elegant, beautiful leg, that Kings, Princes, Emperors and Yo?kai alike had sold their very spirits to behold and touch, spinning into a brutal kick, Tamamo-no-Mae unhindered by her elegant kimono, despite the effort of fighting in such, she considered the other problem rapidly, her breathing steadying, her mind starting to spring back into the old routines of combat. Some of her battles had been legendary, and despite her towering, imperious strength, not all had been won. O?takemaru had battled her to a draw, levelling a mountain in the process, and the many great servants of Kami and Gods had been ferocious, sometimes she fled, her tails between her legs, though anyone that spread those tales soon found her lacking a sense of humour.


    I have seen ages come and go. I suppose I would call the time before Kunlun departed as the Age of Gods and Yo?kai. Aether was thick everywhere, the realm of the Material and the Spiritual, both were intermingled in many places. Mortals were both amusing toys and treacherous foes, objects of desire for their fervent ability to believe, and also for their ingenuity. Spiritual beings, despite being far stronger, were all flawed. Myself included. We cannot be what we are not, whereas mortals can be anything.


    Her foot was blocked by the wheel, but undeterred, her tails swung, and blades of glittering jade wind, bolts of boiling citrine flame, lances of topaz water, and missiles of ruby earth, all poured down from her against the enemy. Sadly her efforts were futile, as the wheel was like a great shield, and her attempt to finish the battle instantly was a failure.


    ¡°Feisty, aren¡¯t you?¡± His brown eyes held no lust or desire for her, and that made Tamamo-no-Mae both uncomfortable and irritated. No, instead, he was merely full of contempt, and also had a berserk battle lust she saw in the eyes of O?takemaru. ¡°But you are still... just a worthless spirit!¡±


    His roar echoed as his muscles bulged, inhuman strength bolstered by a surge of adherence from somewhere, and Tamamo-no-Mae was shoved back, landing on her feet, hissing.


    ¡°In blood there is iron...¡± he began to chant, and Asha, who had watched the momentary exchange, the blinding flurry of blows, with worry, cried out a warning, but Tamamo-no-Mae merely shook her head, long locks flowing behind her.


    It was during my travels across the world I first ran into the servants of the so-called Throne. They had little purchase in this land, but I was bored. Eternity is a curse to some, yet those of us who achieve it fear losing it. But... it seems they have changed somewhat. I remember the so-called incarnation, the Avatar of the Throne. Yes... he was powerful, and could work miracles, the greatest tangle of adherence I had ever beheld, but...


    Tamamo-no-Mae had clashed with enough Kami, Gods and their mighty servants over the years, and she knew enough to leave the followers of the Throne alone, unless they provoked her. Some did of course, someone always did. But she had put those memories aside as she returned to this land, Japan, though she passed through many others, Persia, Ind, Hua... They have different names now, yes?


    The Throne had spread their feelers wide, encroaching onto the demesne of other Gods and their mortal followers, no... batteries, I suppose. One of the new things I have learned of. She had encountered missionaries in Ind, for example, and yes, she disliked them, so had destroyed the more insulting of them. But then on her return she noticed the second age beginning. The Boundary.


    ¡°I do not fear iron. What I fear...¡± She admitted to herself, if no-one else, that she did still shake with nightmares, perhaps fearing that her freedom was but a dream, a last torture from the Saint Of Swallowed Sorrows. ¡°...you cannot give me.¡± She drew in a great breath, her tails shimmering with verdant emerald sparks, and she exhaled, a roaring tornado blowing. Luca¡¯s words were snatched by the wind, and he was driven back, the ground starting to be shaved apart, fine grit carried like miniature arrows, but again the wheel and his sturdy armour prevented harm. Yet he is pushed back, away from what must be guarded.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Luca roared over the gale. ¡°You think so? The Wheel turns, First Spoke Of Judgement! Cor Perforare!¡± The wheel bulged, and a dozen vicious stakes were shot from it. She leapt aside, but the stakes twisted in the air as if they was alive, chasing her down.


    ¡°Annoying!¡± Tamamo-no-Mae growled. Her tails swung, jade and citrine light combining once more to lightning, and she swept the bolts across the incoming projectiles, exploding them, her network tingling unpleasantly, and she frowned. I am not whole. His work was... unexpected, and agonising, but clever. Even so...


    As the cloud of debris was scattered, she thought of the Boundary. It does not seem natural. I can perhaps see a decline in the spiritual, the Astral tides, they ebb and flow, etheric density rising and falling. Perhaps, like a spreading drought, a fierce and unexpected drop could cascade. Yet... no, I shall not unravel the mystery. But... we great Yo?kai, the Cultivators of Kunlun, the true adherents of the Gods, the greater Kami... we all were too powerful for this starved world. And now...


    She suddenly flinched, one of the stakes surviving her lightning, and with a cry she dodged, the spike missing her face by a merest whisper. She felt a chill, smelt the tang of iron that was unmistakably the blood of many, many beings, both mortal and not. Foxfire blazed from her, and the stake burst into flames, yet it chased her still, and now she was on the retreat, before she discharged another beam of lightning towards her opponent to keep him on the back foot, but he swayed aside, and it struck the golden dome behind him, spreading ripples.


    [The Gate Of Judah Disdains The Wicked Who Seek To Breach It!]


    Curse it all! The Angel on the wall swung its weapon, and Tamamo-no-Mae barely dodged the golden beam which moved almost as fast as she could see. The blazing spike nicked her face as it swung past, and with an angry growl, she smashed it with her fist, only to see Luca grinning balefully at her.


    The Boundary. Outside it lies deeper realms. From what I have learned, some spiritual civilisations have moved there, but... our world is still far weaker than it was. The Boundary somehow protects us, according to that terrible Goddess who dwells within the mortal... to shatter it is to invite in those that would oppress, enslave or worse, devour the endless hordes of humanity, those rich batteries of adherence.


    If she acted, the Boundary here could be destroyed, even in her weakened, half-complete state, her battle instincts dulled by time and torture, she had strength that could do so. But... this working of adherence is both blessing and curse. This space is somewhat sealed. Perhaps... She narrowed her green eyes, ready to act, only to shiver in pain, her face numb. Then her heart clenched, and she felt a great blaze of torment within her.


    ¡°Your heart is pierced, wretch! Now perish, the blood of ten thousand Godless sinners condemns you!¡± Luca roared.


    It ... is uncomfortable. Yes. But... Compared to what she had suffered, this was hardly unbearable. With a surge of orange light, water gushed, pushing out the black drops from her slashed cheek, the wound sealing, the scar fading, until her perfect face was untarnished once more. The black blood burned away in a cascade of flame, and she retaliated, bombarding fireballs of foxflame slamming down, though she was careful not to strike the walls of the dome again.


    ¡°I disdain such trifles.¡± She tossed her head arrogantly, not seeking to provoke, but unable to change her nature. At least not that part of me. ¡°Your sinners are not my judges. Nobody may judge me but myself!¡±


    She had found a way to preserve Su Caihong¡¯er and Su Liena, leaving them in the care of Sekka in the frozen north, and betrayed the monk that would become the Saint Of Swallowed Sorrows by tormenting and exploiting her for the next... seemingly fifteen hundred years.


    I shall call that the third age, the age of mortal ascendancy. Aether was pitifully low except in rare places the Boundary had slight flaws, pools leaking through. The Yo?kai, the great powers of Cultivation, of Gods, of the very Astral, they departed or diminished, hid or were hunted. Mortals exploded in both number and knowledge. I find it hard to believe...


    ¡°Judgement is only the Throne¡¯s, and we are His hands!¡± Luca cried, more stakes flying towards her. Lightning and flame clashed with them, and this time she made sure that none escaped.


    Since... since being freed, if one could call it that... She felt the invisible hand upon her tail that was the core of her being, the translucent, intangible spirit, and shivered, this time with a sensation that was somehow both disquieting and so very, very comfortable.


    I sometimes played at being a servant or a slave, my life was long, and I was often bored. But it was all a conceit, an amusement for me. When it became tiresome, or were my wants denied, I would assert myself, and rebuke the one who annoyed me. None did so twice. Now... She remembered the words of her errant, foolish granddaughter. ¡°But... apparently his bonds are unbreakable, so... he claims he will hold my name forever. Perhaps yours too, grandmother.¡±


    I find it hard to believe such is the case. I am Tamamo-no-Mae! Not the first Kitsune, but truly the greatest, none ever my equal. However... I remember her, throwing herself on the ground before me, grovelling, few tails limp, defeated. ¡°Because I do not wish to die!¡± she had begged, and on a whim, I spared her. Only to see her again, shorn of leg and tails, back to what she was before. And as bound as I, but certainly happier about it. I suppose I am grateful to her, it seems it was her urgings that led to my rescue. Perhaps letting her live that day was my most fortunate decision.


    Perhaps... perhaps it will relieve my boredom and confusion at the changing world that passed me by while I was bound by that cursed monk, or try something I have never done before. To be bound, dominated in truth. But... that is for later. Her sudden smile was interrupted by the bastard Throne follower holding his wheel above his head. A sudden intuition burning within her mind, she spun her tails around her like armour, tails blazing a deep violet. That hurt her, something fraying a little inside her engineered body, but around her deep amethyst flames flared, and as the ground around her erupted, wooden stakes as thick as an Oni¡¯s leg seeking to pierce her, she glared balefully at Luca.


    ¡°Second Spoke Of Judgement! Anima Contrita! May the Wheel¡¯s jaws condemn your unclean soul!¡± At these words, he was closing in on her, undoing her efforts to push him back towards the edge of the battlefield. Asha was crying out, but Tamamo-no-Mae merely clicked her tongue. The stakes seemed to have skewered her, jutting through her body, but she swept a dignified arm, the sleeve of her kimono fluttering, chest heaving, and the stakes were sundered. The flames vanished, and she stepped out, unharmed.


    ¡°How?¡± Luca paused, only to raise the wheel and block another mighty punch, only to suddenly groan as vivid violet flames had sparked to life, and her hand had passed through the flames, emerging on the other side of the wheel. As chainmail cracked and split, cassock tearing, she unfurled her fist, long fingers now jabbing out, and blood bloomed as her nails pierced deep. He groaned again, but his eyes held no fear, only hatred.


    ¡°How? I am hardly so weak as to be troubled by such a trifle.¡± Spikes ripped free from the wheel, as well as from the ground, closing in on her like an iron maiden, but again they passed through the flames, leaving her unharmed, able to break them with casual blows.


    I studied this new world I found myself in. There were... many eager to aid me, yet not curry favour. A... strange occurrence, for sure. It seems tales of my exploits, both wicked and wise, have survived the endless centuries, and granddaughter has also spoken of me. Yet... they believe because Akio saved me, I am worth saving, and that I shall save in turn.


    ¡°My flesh is a fortress! And my faith is my army!¡± Luca roared, and he swung the breaking wheel he carried.


    ¡°Useless. I am not so easily...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae frowned then as the violet flames that were redirecting the attacks on her collapsed. The backlash of spatial element running wild caused further cracks and tears inside her patched Chakra network, but undeterred, she grabbed the wrists of her opponent, holding him tight, while she bared her teeth in a snarl.


    ¡°Easy? Doing the Lord¡¯s work is never easy! Third Spoke Of Judgement! Existentia? Annihila?re!¡±


    The violet spatial element was blown away, and she shrieked. Tightening her grip, she felt bones crack under her grasp, yet as her elemental energies ran wild, the dark, bloody breaking wheel swung towards her unprotected face.


    ¡°I think... not!¡± Tamamo-no-Mae cried now, her nine tails whipping out like maces. The wheel struck her, and cold pain flared, several of her tails going numb, the smell of death in her nostrils, but she batted the wheel aside, raining blows down on Luca. His cheek cracked, nose breaking, and his armour was reduced to a ragged mess of tinkling silver shrapnel, littering the floor. As his body was bruised and battered, Tamamo-no-Mae staggered, the wheel rim sprouting bloody wooden stakes, and more of her tails were pierced.


    ¡°Break!¡± Luca cried, and the world around her shivered. Pain bloomed, and with her elements in disarray, she struggled to counter as he tore one of his wrists free. She snapped his other though, and her nails raked through his flesh, bright red blood blooming in counter to the dark, fetid blood that was poisoning her wounded tails. Leaping back, she staggered, before righting herself, unwilling to show weakness in front of her opponent.


    He too was proud, and he merely looked down at his broken wrist which was pumping blood both red and silver with some disdain, before the breaking wheel shrunk a little, now able to be wielded one-handed. Vines and roots burst from the ground, trying to entangle him, and missiles of earth were launched, Asha desperately trying to intervene, and as Luca was bombarded, Tamamo-no-Mae thought of her change.


    ¡°Please, look after Asha and her Tree.¡± Akio had asked her before he left. ¡°Protect everyone else too, of course, but... our Seeds, they are in danger. Uranai said so, and I believe her.¡±


    ¡°Uranai? I remember that Kudan. She is a miracle. The only one born strong enough not to die young after a single prophecy, or at best a couple.¡± She had shrugged. ¡°I... find it hard to refuse. If you asked me to eat horse dung and lampblack, I would have to feast upon it.¡± Her bitter laughter had rung out, and he had looked suitably guilty, which somehow annoyed her.


    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t intend to bind you. I didn¡¯t think I even could have. But... I promise my words aren¡¯t orders, but requests. I hope... we can be friends.¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± That had amused her. ¡°Who ever seeks to be friends with Tamamo-no-Mae? Many seek my beauty, my wisdom, my power... but my friendship? These few days have been full of surprises.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly beautiful.¡± Akio had agreed, looking down at her chest, unable to help himself, and she had stood straighter, revelling in a more usual, honest reaction. ¡°And your wisdom, yes, it could be as profound as Tan¡¯s. She knows a lot of things, but you know more about Earth¡¯s past, as you lived it. Your power? Yes, I hope you can lend me your aid, but... for good, for protection. I don¡¯t need you to revisit your past mistakes. And friendship... why can¡¯t we be friends?¡±


    As her tails twitched, as she regained control of her chaotic elements a little, forcing out the cursed black blood from her numbing body, her momentary thoughts remembered his earnest expression, and she had to smile ruefully.


    ¡°You are... a good man, I hear.¡± For once she was not dissembling or flattering, or scheming. In front of he who held her tail in his grasp, her spirit itself, what was the point? But... she didn¡¯t understand him, not at all. ¡°I... have done much that is wicked, petty and evil. My dear granddaughter knows too. Is my friendship worth anything?¡±


    He laughed then. ¡°I¡¯ve done evil too. For good reasons maybe, but... I need strength, and not just mine. We all need to pull together. If we can, then the necessary evils become obsolete. As for your crimes... I doubt you¡¯ll ever be forgiven, or can even forgive yourself...¡±


    Tamamo-no-Mae had snorted again at that, her tone mocking, but his eyes seemed to peer into her very spirit, and she fancied she could see a mysterious, tenth tail behind her back, glowing with transparent foxfire. His words next shocked her.


    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t think you need or desire forgiveness. And maybe I¡¯m just being foolish, meddling... but... you suffered for a woman you cared for and her daughter, and in the end... you were punished enough to deserve a chance to redeem yourself. And... if you can, why not be happy? Just... stop doing those bad things, and over time, you can outweigh the bad. After all... you¡¯ll have a very long time to do it, right?¡±


    Shrugging her shoulders, her body repairing itself, she watched as Luca likewise was throwing off Asha¡¯s desperate attacks. The final Defensive Emplacement on the hill discharged, only for spikes to destroy it, as well as the Armoury nearby, which made her wince.


    ¡°Asha, stand down. Do not draw his ire. Leave this to me!¡± she cried, and Asha nodded, though her expression was worried.


    ¡°You should not call a woman old.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae had retorted, oddly shy and embarrassed, not like herself at all. ¡°Besides... I acted selfishly for Caihong¡¯er¡¯s sake. It was hardly... altruistic. Are you not the same? Are good deeds for love not selfish? Do... do you desire me? If so... order me, and I shall lay off my kimono, my body bared to you, and you can sate yourself with my flesh. I shall... nay, I cannot resist.¡±


    At the look of fury on his face, she had felt frightened for a moment, shocking her anew. His voice was low and hard. ¡°I will never force myself on you. Nothing is lower than a man who takes advantage of women that way. I would rather die. So don¡¯t say that again. As for...¡± He took a deep breath, calming himself. ¡°...it being selfish to do good deeds for those we love? Yeah, it¡¯s selfish, but still beautiful. Just like you.¡±


    Her thoughts scattering, her lips curled up into a smile. Tails standing on end, her wounded tails restoring themselves, she glared at her opponent, even as he raised his wheel high. ¡°This world has changed. A fourth era is here. The return of what once was. No, it shall be greater, if that Goddess is to be believed. You crave it, hunger for it...¡± Unsealing some more of her strength, feeling her Chakra network and Astral subtle body tremble, her hair and tails stood on end, as if gravity was in reverse, and the weight of aether was intense. Her figure changed, her body growing taller, limbs elongating, and her ample breasts shrunk, as she adopted a form she had not taken for many, many years.


    I remember this. When I was playing as Lady Kayo?. But... it is a form better for fighting in... Her smile was cold. ¡°...but I... I was merely doing as I pleased during the first age, the second... I failed and what I cherished was taken from me. Forever, I thought. The third, long era, I was a prisoner, tortured worse than any punishment your so-called Hells you speak of can inflict, and now... this time... this age... I shall try something new, and see if it pleases me. But... to do so, you shall have to depart this place!¡±


    I studied and learned much these days. There were many to help me and my poor foolish granddaughter, show us the wonders that did not exist when last I roamed this land. The world... it is crowded, and dirty, and fool of fools, the wicked and the selfish everywhere. But there is good too. And beauty. And hope. There is always something new to see, over the horizon. And after wishing for my end, now... I find myself rather curious, perhaps even eager, to see what happens next...


    ¡°Oh, you think so?¡± Luca growled, grinning. The wheel hit the ground, and he placed his good hand upon it. ¡°No, it is you, and that creature, and that accursed Tree that must be swept aside and purged. Fourth Spoke Of Judgement! Peccatum, anima et caro franguntur super rotam! Flesh be torn, soul be flensed, and sins be weighed!¡± The wheel responded to his words, a thick, almost palpable wave of adherence surging, and Tamamo-no-Mae was suddenly alert, as she sensed the initial skirmish was over, and now they would go at each other with full force and fury...


    Blood boiled out from the wheel, thick, black and turgid, rapidly enlarging the wooden edifice, until it stood well over three metres tall, a weapon for giants, or to break them. The seething, brackish black and red mass pulsed as if alive, and suddenly stakes shot out from it, no, not stakes, these were like thick bloody needles, and they quivered and bent as if alive, and Tamamo-no-Mae felt sick, as on the edge of her consciousness, mutters, whispers and even screams were heard, faint, clawing at her mind like nails on glass.


    Asha was being affected too, and she sagged back against her Tree, which also trembled, branches drooping and rustling as though buffeted by an uncomfortable breeze.


    This is... not promising.


    ¡°Your blood will dry on the wheel as I break you, and strengthen it, join the choir of ten thousand voices who have perished, broken inch by inch until their sins have been paid for.¡± Luca smirked, and the wheel spun, the bloody needles surging towards her. Aether burned, and Tamamo-no-Mae dodged, her tails sparkling with more lightning as she blasted through the surging spines that sought her life. Even as they were vaporised or cut apart, more formed, but as she pushed her body, gradually ratcheting up the power she commanded, so as not to overstress the feat of engineering that was her mostly restored body, she suddenly saw the wicked grin on his face, and realised she wasn¡¯t the true target.


    ¡°You cursed fiend. And they called me wicked and treacherous...¡± The needles of blood surged towards Asha and her Tree, so Tamamo-no-Mae, her elements largely having steadied, called upon her violet flames, tails wagging with the effort. It always was a mystery to me, the amethyst flames that seemed to warp distance. How ironic that having merely been freed a short time, I already know more about them than I ever learned in a thousand years...


    Asha and the base of her Tree was wreathed in the cold flames, looking up in wonder, as the needles closed in. They were swallowed up, discharged in other directions, faint motes of light leaking from them. Even as she wielded lightning, beams cutting and severing, another volley of attacks came at her, but she evaded as best she could, bloody spikes hammering into the ground. More burst up from below, surrounding her like a cage, or a grinning mouth of bloody fangs, and she sped up still further. Her body ached and burned, like a mortal who had overtaxed their muscles far too much, a sensation she wasn¡¯t used to, and it should have been unpleasant, but now it felt almost... pleasing.


    It is honest pain. Not torture. Of course, it would be best if my body was not such a hollowed out gourd, hastily patched. But I would be ungrateful indeed to complain. Darting through the closing jaws, she suddenly had a terrible premonition, fuelled by Luca¡¯s ugly grin. Leaping high into the air, momentarily soaring as high as the crest of Asha¡¯s great Tree, the ground she was standing on was barraged by golden light, craters forming.


    [The Gate Of Issachar Shall Not Be Sieged By Enemies From Within!]


    [The Gate Of...]


    [The...]


    A half dozen sonorous voices had cried out, and the golden Angels had swung their weapons. Tamamo-no-Mae was momentarily confused as to why they had assaulted her, only to see the ploy. Her violet flames had shifted the tendrils of blood, and they had impacted the walls afterwards. Should they not have counted as his attacks? Well, no matter, I suspect he knows his wicked arts best...


    Unwilling to be on the back foot, her tails gathered a great deal of glowing yellow flame energies, and a massive fireball formed overhead, a half-dozen metres across. With a smirk, she discharged it downwards towards him, even as she fell.


    He looked panicked for a moment, but the blood tendrils collapsed, oozing back towards the great bloody wheel, and it rolled to shield him. There was a tremendous blast, and smoke and flame scattered in all directions. The smell of burning iron was sickening, but she was disappointed to see that Luca had survived unharmed.


    ¡°We shall see about that!¡± Tamamo-no-Mae cried, tails lashing. This time she gathered up ruby red earth element, as well as shining orange water, and the rich, verdant brown of wood. Caihong¡¯er had explained the Five Elements that governed Cultivation, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood and Earth. Though of course she had already known, after her travels in Hua, which was now called China, she believed.


    ¡°You are not the only one who can attack with weight of numbers!¡± she declared, and the ground erupted, great arms of earth and stone, held together by ropey vines of plant matter, stretching up high above Luca. They then slammed down, as if trying to flatten him to paste. Unwilling to relent, she then drew in another deep breath, wind element boiling, and exhaled a cutting tornado. The cloud of dust that was rising after the hands attempted to crush him was blown apart, and chips of stone flew in all directions.


    Wait... her senses straining, she breathed out again, this time to move as she fell, and a dozen zigzagging bloody tendrils whipped through where she just was, several stony arms shattering. Glancing through the gap, she could see the wheel had formed a bloody dome over Luca, and while he seemed hurt, blood trickling from one corner of his mouth, his brown eyes were as determined as ever. Moments later, the arms she had wrought burst apart, and as she landed, the spikes were chasing her once again, so in desperation she led them away from the centre of the hill, which was starting to accumulate damage from the battle, several Ether Spires looking rather bent, and the beautiful snake decorations of the Earth Altar having cracked and lost teeth and scales.


    The longer this goes on, the shockwaves from our battle do more and more damage. If I do not finish this quickly... Her violet flames boiled, once more diverting attacks away from her through holes in space, but Luca again took advantage to redirect them to strike the dome, and golden beams harassed Tamamo-no-Mae incessantly. Fortunately she had prevented any of the tendrils getting into Asha¡¯s Tree, fearing what the corruption that had dogged her tails would do, but bark was flaking off from the clashes, and leaves were falling.


    ¡°I am... Tamamo-no-Mae!¡± she roared, as if to proclaim her power to the heavens. Six glowing balls of flame formed above the same number of her tails, and she grimaced. This is about my limit, safely at least...


    The burning spheres were launched, and again and again she conjured fireballs. The blood dome was barraged, but it held, although... Yes, I see it. Six gusting tornados of wind joined the flames, amplifying them to pillars of golden fire, for a moment resembling the Hellenic temples she had seen during her travels across the Western lands, so many years ago.


    With a grimace, her focus diverted, and one tornado died down, and she diverted the wind to surround Asha and her Tree, even as Tamamo-no-Mae coughed, feeling sick and numb. The blood burns away, yes, but it is foul and cursed, full of the adherence of resentment and regret. Truly the weapon of a cruel man, a sadist.


    Seeing her beautiful, currently dark-skinned face start to whiten, her dark green eyes becoming bloodshot, Luca scoffed, even as he eyed the flames. ¡°A good effort. Many sinners have been freed by your fires. However...¡±


    The wheel shifted, and tides of brackish blood surged, dousing the flames with more acrid smoke. To her eyes, the great bloody edifice had shrunk a little, but clearly, if she wished to burn away all the blood, she would have to get truly serious. I do not know if I can. My body, it is aching fiercely, yet... It wasn¡¯t an order, despite his grip on her invisible tail, her spiritual core, Akio did not dominate her. Instead, it was a request. And... glancing back at Asha, her gaze softened for a moment. Like me, she is out of her time, cast adrift in a sea of suffering, only finally having reached the shore.


    Beautiful, perfect lips curling into a smile, Tamamo-no-Mae began to laugh, even as the barrage of crimson whips began to barrage her again, pointed, stake-like tips whirring and rotating balefully seeking her life. Flame and wind blew around her like a mirror to the breaking wheel, and blood sizzled. Despite that, the flaming tornado was being peeled away, inch by inch.


    ¡°Have you gone mad? Has despair broken you?¡± Luca queried, seeming genuinely interested. ¡°If so, I shall end this quickly. I fear all outside have been martyred.¡±


    Indeed the Angels on the gates were calling out their mantras with increasing regularity, the golden beams shooting outwards, and the glow of gold was dimming. At first, Tamamo-no-Mae had thought it her imagination, but now it was clearly visible. Yes, no working, especially one such as this, can endure forever. The adherence within it is being expended by both defence and those golden beams. If so...


    ¡°No, I have not gone mad. I wished I had, many times, during my long imprisonment in what mortals call the Sessho-Seki. Blissful oblivion was all I could reach for... as for you... your efforts are merely the posturing of a child. Compared to the days of yore, the first age, or what you claim to follow, that Avatar... your strength is but all boasting and bluster.¡±


    That seemed to further anger Luca, and the barrage of bloody thorns intensified, ground erupting with them, waving like the tendrils of a stinging sea creature. Tamamo-no-Mae merely drew on the strength inside her, and now three more balls of wind and flame were hovering around her, flame drawing in the wind. ¡°No, I was thinking that he gathers those who hunger to him. Some are the broken, the lost... others, who seek something better. As for my foolish granddaughter... well, let me say it simply would not do to have him think she is the pinnacle of our kind.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense do you...¡± His words were cut off as the winds literally exploded around her, but instead of repulsing the blood, it drew it in, sucking it towards a point in front of her. The wheel struggled, rolling backwards, pulling on the tendrils, before Luca cried out and they were severed, but even so, a mass of blood the size of a small boulder had accumulated within the vortex.


    ¡°Nonsense? I am Tamamo-no-Mae, my words once worth a kan


    of purest gold. Perhaps now it might be worth even more. After all... I lived during the age where the emissaries and Avatars of Gods roamed. Your corpse included, fool!¡±


    Her body changed again, shifting, her tails broadening and growing, her features becoming more bestial, canines and teeth sharpening and lengthening, ears growing,, fur sprouting. ¡°I do not care for this appearance, I grew to love the adoration of men and women alike. But... what is adoration compared to victory? Besides...¡±


    She glanced at Asha, even as her body was sparking with little aches and pains, burning spikes shivering her. She could feel the work Akio had done on her body creaking. He did say it would take time for my body to acclimatise, and not to overtax it. But... what else can I do?


    Understanding, Asha seemed to be smiling, though she was clearly terrified and anxious, clutching at her belly with one hand, rubbing her Tree with the other. Despite that, she spoke. ¡°Indeed. Do not worry, Akio is a man with deep understanding, and he even found Shaeula¡¯s natural form cute. You... look rather intimidating, but... he might just find you somewhat cool.¡±


    ¡°As if I care...¡± she grunted back, though Asha was raising an eyebrow at her annoyingly, and Tamamo-no-Mae had to force her raised tails down to stillness. ¡°Enough!¡± Straining to contain the blood, she had to act, and dozens of glowing, fiery suns appeared, surrounding the blood. ¡°I am not to be mocked nor teased!¡± There was a massive eruption of flames, coupled by Tamamo-no-Mae weaving her violet shield of space over the Tree and the Buildings dotted around the hillside, the effort fatiguing.


    ¡°Let your resentment burn to ashes, and vanish knowing the fool who wielded you shall join you soon!¡± she crowed, and a great molten orb rushed towards Luca. The breaking wheel caught the orb of liquid fire, only to shriek and scream, more blood combusting. Luca was pushed back, his one-handed grip slipping, sweat streaming from his brow, hair smouldering, skin browning from the intense heat.


    ¡°The Lord on high, the Throne atop the Ninth Heaven...¡± he began to pray, as Tamamo-no-Mae poured more of her energy into the glowing sphere, breathing hard. She fought the urge to howl in triumph, as it was undignified, yet her tails were wagging fiercely once more.


    ¡°Fifth Spoke... of... Judgement...¡± Luca suddenly cried, but Tamamo-no-Mae leapt, her now oddly hinged and hugely muscled legs propelling her in a single bound. She passed the glowing fire orb, which was shrinking even as the wheel was, blood burning away, her flesh blackening under the effects of the toxic mist that the fires created, and her now knifelike claws slashed out.


    ¡°Judicium... Ira... Et Salus...¡± The words were barest whispers coming from his mouth, as Luca¡¯s head was upside down, then hit the ground and bounced. Behind him, the fire orb detonated, hurling the head away like a discarded apple, and the wheel shuddered, a great deal of the remaining blood consumed, parts of the dark wood now black with char, not old iron.


    ¡°That... ached...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae stumbled, buffeted by the blast, pushed away by the great pressure, and the sudden weakness in her body, as something had popped within her as she exerted greater strength than she should have to instantly cross the distance and strike. ¡°...but I am no fool. I have heard your chants four times. You think... I would... allow a fifth?¡± She panted, tongue lolling out, her breath hot and fast.


    Asha let out a cry of joy, and was about to rush forwards to the clearly spent Tamamo-no-Mae, only to pause, looking around in surprise. It took only a moment for her to realise what the Dryad was surprised by, as the slowly thinning dome of golden light still sealed the space around them, sparks of brilliance still shooting outwards as it was provoked by her allies without.


    Turning her fierce emerald gaze on the severed head, she leapt for it, only for the breaking wheel to move. It had shrunk again, much of the blood exhausted, but it was still like running headfirst into an iron plate, and she was stunned and the cold curse once more burned at her flesh. As she was repelled, the severed head began to laugh, full of hatred and self-loathing.


    ¡°It seems you have killed me, wicked creature. How... unexpected. When I reach the Ninth Heaven, no doubt Mary Stuart, and old Magdalena, they will both taunt me. To think I, Luca Aloisio, the Judgement-Cardinal... would be slain by such as you...¡±


    Tamamo-no-Mae moved to crush his head, only for the wheel to block her again, and it was moving with ever-increasing speed and fury.


    ¡°How rude. I should not expect manners from a beast without a soul such as you.¡± His tone provoked her, and she spat back he was the true beast, but he merely chuckled.


    ¡°It seems you are Salome and I John, and just as the great Baptist could not survive without his head, no more can I. Yet...¡± He breathed out a sigh, his burned face twisting into a grin, even as his life streamed out, red and silver, from the ragged stump that Tamamo-no-Mae had carved with her claws. ¡°...I am not Mary Stuart. At the last, I shall... not... fail!¡±


    Desperately, Tamamo-no-Mae bounded at him, but the wheel, ringed with sharp stakes, raked at her body, blocking her, even as an unearthly keening could be heard, and the severed head shaped words.


    ¡°Descend, Power! Hear my dying cry, and carry my soul to... the Ninth Heaven... and... let this... destroyed evil... herald... my triumphant...¡± There was a moment of silence, and then the final word was spat out. ¡°...coming.¡± The head flared to aether, yet Tamamo-no-Mae felt no relief, as the twelve Angels atop the walls had stopped attacking, even as the barrier around began to slowly crumble, golden motes rising towards the silver skies above.


    [The Gate Of Reuben Opens To The Blessed One!]


    [The Gate Of Simeon Kneels To That Which Banishes Evil!]


    [The Gate Of Levi Cries Welcome To The Power!]


    [The Gate Of...]


    [The Gate...]


    [The...]


    [The Gate Of Benjamin Watches Judgement Be Done!]


    A great mass of golden mist seeped out from the walls, and violet flames shimmered, though these were not Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s doing. It was as if the Boundary was cracking, and something was coming through.


    Fortunately, this space is isolated. Despite that, and though I suspect this is but a shadow of the true self... I am in trouble.


    Attempting to attack the mist, she called out lightning, once more mixing fire and wind, but the wheel stymied her at every turn. Asha backed off fearfully, even as the mist began to sprout odd, geometric metal shapes, fan-like blades of gold and silver jutting from the golden fog. Moments later, a vaguely humanoid form, though with small head, great wings of blades, and with one arm far longer and thicker than the other, forged from shifting fog and lumpen metal, had appeared. With its massive arm, which was longer than the five metres in height the whole being was, it reached down and plucked the wheel, which drank in the golden fog and expanded, now functioning as both massive shield and club.


    This... this is a novelty... Before O?takemaru, before Nurarihyon, before the Kami, or the Avatars of would-be Gods, or Saints of Kunlun... Tamamo-no-Mae had never felt outclassed. Yes, she had not always won,  but... I see. It is not that I am fearful. After all, seeing it now... The creature was powerful, yes, abnormally so, but it was a shadow, a projection. No, perhaps an Avatar is a better term. It is from far away, far above...


    No, it was not even that her body was cracked and patched, that her former strength was sealed. I see. My... my confidence is gone. That cursed monk still robs from me, swallows my sorrows, even now. But... Taking a deep breath, she shuddered. ¡°I am not one to stay defeated. It shames me that I would have kissed the feet of that wretched monk, given him my heart and spirit to stop the pain. But he did not desire it, only my suffering and his gain. Now...¡±


    The Angel, this Power, turned to look at her, small, featureless face a mass of metal cubes and spirals. It almost seemed like it didn¡¯t see her, until it raised the wheel carelessly, and she leapt backwards. The impact shuddered the whole hillside, more damage caused to the Buildings there, and parts of the walkway around Asha¡¯s Tree collapsed, but fortunately there was no serious damage done, though despite that, Tamamo-no-Mae was sweating, her fur sticking to her as silver streamers leaked from her skin.


    The best course of action would ordinarily be to probe it, work out its weaknesses and strengths, but... if I drag the fight out, then the Tree and all else here will be destroyed, even if it does not target it... No, I must burn like the Gozan no Okuribi, the great five bonfires, and spend myself in fury, caring not for whether my flames endure. I wonder... do they still light the five mountains of Kyoto ablaze even to this day? I must ask. I would wish to see it again, sake in hand...


    Idle thoughts shooting through her mind, she tensed. ¡°Now... I once more find myself with the urge to abase myself, and am once more unwanted, it seems. Friendship. Hah.¡± She launched lightning, turning the Power away from Asha¡¯s Tree, and leaping aside as the wheel struck the ground once more, the quake doing further minor damage, but this time the destruction mostly radiated outwards, though she could see her allies scurrying away from the surging rubble from the ground through the ever more transparent dome.


    ¡°It vexes me somewhat. But... to explore these feelings further, to become myself once more... I must win here, so...¡± She had been channelling power through her tails, as was the way of the Kitsune, each tail an expansion, a crystallisation, of their spirit. Each one was an order of magnitude harder to forge than the last, nowadays. Even in the days of old, when it was said a fox grew a new tail every century, that wasn¡¯t strictly true. Yes, if the effort was put in, the Kitsune strong enough, It would happen, but the eighth and the ninth tails...


    I am not the only one with nine tails because I killed many who could have reached that peak, though that is also true. Poor little granddaughter. Nebisuki. No, I have heard your name. Shinkume-no-Hana, your tail is already in his clutches, so your name no longer binds you. To have reached four tails in such a wasted era is not... terrible. That little coward I spared that day... to think you risked all to rescue me, your tormentor, your nightmare. Selfish or not...


    ¡°...I have to return. For until I understand him, her and myself... I shall never know peace!¡±


    At her roar, she drew on her true power, tails thrumming. Six, to defeat the foolish mortal butcher and his wheel. Not enough.


    The aether and elemental energies around her, still a little disarrayed after the purged cursed adherence of earlier, surged. Fur standing on end, green eyes shimmering with a rainbow of colours, her power peaked. Seven. No... eight...


    Time seemed to slow. Battles between the powerful, such as when she and O?takemaru destroyed the mountain during their mythical clash, operated on a different scale and time to lesser beings. What seemed like mere seconds to watching mortals and scampering Yo?kai could be minutes or even hours in the eyes of the combatants. Sixty heartbeats. No, perhaps fewer... I must be swift...


    Her insides steaming, cracks and crackles sounding, things popping inside her, Tamamo-no-Mae charged, talons extending out to the size of swords, tails ballooning until they were five metre long streamers of fur and fury behind her.


    ¡°Mountain Breaker!¡± she cried with an unearthly howl so full of aether Asha cried out and sunk to her knees, hair streaming out behind her. Nine sparkling rainbow lights gathered, sucking in red, yellow, orange, green, blue, indigo, violet and more, growing and expanding. Her howl had sparked off the fading dome, and the Angels retaliated, though their beams of golden light were barely a shadow of their former might. She took the hits, even as the Power moved, swinging the breaking wheel to block the nine prismatic stars that arced towards it.


    [Evil Extinguishing Golden Sword!]


    The Power spoke, a wave of telepathy, and Asha clutched her head. Moments later she was recovered as Tamamo-no-Mae split some of her power off, isolating her. Ignoring Asha¡¯s grateful look, she watched as the great glowing orbs detonated, and the top of the fading dome splintered, purple lights cascading.


    Of course. This space cannot hold. And if it does not... catastrophe. I must be...swift?


    She was thrown back, the Power backhanding her with the small arm, moving at a speed that hurled her into the golden wall, which then showered more beams down on her. Blood bloomed, and she spat silver and red, but was moving as the Power¡¯s golden sword of light punched dozens of metres into the ground, liquefying rock into flaming magma, even as mist and metal was blown away by her Mountain Breaker.


    ¡°This... takes me back.¡± She wiped at her mouth, before lightning twisted into nine blazing ropes and blitzed the Power, Sparks were struck from unearthly metal, and her heart beat once, more shards of her Chakra network cracking. ¡°They say...¡± She moved, her claws tearing space, only to be blocked by the wheel, which launched more of the bloody impaling spikes at her. This time she was unafraid though, and as her heart beat once more, violet light crackled on her lengthening claws, and she sheared through the spikes, dodging another Golden Sword from the Power. The elements and aether within the sealed dome were shuddering chaotically, and the Buildings below were starting to crumble. Faster... Eight is not enough. But...


    Her bloody grin was wicked, her fangs smeared with her own blood. ¡°I am a fool, but a proud one. I... shall... not... lose... again!¡±


    Nine! Several of her larger tails shattered to pieces, even as the rest barraged the colossal giant of mist and irregular metal. Her body was ablaze, a cascade of splintered craftsmanship rippling through her, and despite the pain, she felt a small bite of amused satisfaction. Next time... do better. I am Tamamo-no-Mae, it is only natural to labour for my sake. Now. Nine heartbeats. It is all... I can... manage. The first beat rang in her chest, and her speed was now truly blinding.


    [Evil... Ext...]


    ¡°Silence, doll!¡± Tamamo-no-Mae kicked the head of the creature, while her remailing tails slammed the arm wielding the golden beam upwards.


    [...ing...uish...ing... Gol...]


    ¡°Mountain Breaker, Lake Drinker!¡±


    Instead of nine glowing orbs, now it was dozens, and the sky burned, as brilliant as the aurorae that streaked the skies of this boundary, and the Astral beyond that Tamamo-no-Mae remembered.


    [...den... Swo...rd]


    Eight. Seven. Two more beats in her chest, more of her self shattering, but the storm of punches, kicks, sweeping claws and lashing tails, even as her body disintegrated, rocked the Power, though most were blocked by the infernal wheel it wielded, which also seemed to have a mind of its own, seeking to pierce her. Flames gouted, and more and more black blood was reduced to ash, as she breathed flame like a mythical Dragon, a Ryu?.


    ¡°Go to Yomi, you worthless falsehood!¡± Tamamo-no-Mae bellowed, as her heart beat once more. Six. Suddenly she heard a cry of horror beginning, agonisingly slow, and she could see that the golden beam the Power had unleashed and she had kicked away was reflected off the shattering dome, and had bounced towards something below. It was a Tree, but not Asha¡¯s Tree. No, it was a small, crystalline and silver sapling, made of unearthly materials. Heedless of her fear, Asha was sprinting towards it in slow motion, but she would never make it in time.


    It is not the Tree I must protect, but... Foresight prickling, she took a deep breath, and in a violet flash, she was gone. Deflecting the golden beam, melting a furrow in the ground until it slammed back into the Power, scattering golden mist, she felt her arm break. Her heart beat once more, and she realised her Foresight was accurate.


    ¡°Bah...¡± Coughing blood, even with her fiendish reactions, her speed a hundred times or more what a mortal could conceive of, giving rise to the witnesses of many of her great battles likening her to the fury of the Heavens, lightning itself, she was unable to deflect every piercing stake of blood that the wheel had unleashed. But even so pierced, her tails pinned, her abdomen impaled, spikes jutting from her back, the little Tree stood untouched, one crystalline apple dropping from the branches, hitting the ground slowly, a ringing glass chime sounding.


    Five. Her protesting body riddled, going numb, her aether and elements scattering, the cold, grudge-filled adherence filling her, she watched as the Power drew closer. Asha was still frozen, barely forming a scream as to her, it had all happened instantaneously.


    Die! Suffer! Pierce! Burn! Break! You witch! Demon! Flay! Gut! Bleed! Ungodly heretic! Traitor! Flense! Rupture! Impale! Blasphemer! Whore! Sever! Crucify! Boil!


    The echoing cries from the adherence were filled with thousands of years of grudges and pain, and they assaulted Tamamo-no-Mae as she struggled. Another Golden Sword was forming, no, a Golden Halo, the Power drawing on what essence it had, and the crown of golden light shone balefully. Nothing within the dome will survive that...


    ¡°Die you say?¡± she retorted to the cursed thoughts. ¡°I would have welcomed it. Suffer? Oh how I did. Pierce? You pierced me. Burn? My very spirit burns to hold this moment. Break? Oh how I have broken! Yes, many said I was a witch. A demon. Flay? Yes, my flesh flakes away. Gut... my blood does bleed from my pierced innards. Ungodly heretic? I am simply me, and I disdain the Kami, the Gods. I need them not. Traitor? I betrayed many, sunk nations, even my own kin... Flense... yes, my body and spirit are winnowed out. I rupture, my spirit leaking, and I am impaled. I curse the Gods yes, as for being a whore... I have loved, and been loved in return. My tails, they are severed, I am transfixed, yet... yes, my blood still boils, my spirit too! I. AM. NOT. ASHAMED. OF. WHO. I. AM!¡±


    Four. Three. ¡°BUT I SHALL LET IT ALL GO, THE PAST! AND BE REBORN!¡±


    Her howl was pregnant with her own adherence, and though her elements were tainted, she was the nine-tailed fox, master of many elements, her tails dominating them. Flame purifies. But it needs fuel. I...


    They were there then. Somehow she could feel them. Perhaps it was an accident of fate, or an effect of the wheel piercing her with the accumulation of ten thousand deaths, the hatreds, the grudges, the belief having congealed into this hateful abomination of a weapon, wielded by an emotionless puppet of destruction.


    ¡°I shall... start anew! I do not shirk my past...¡± Her anger vanished, replaced with sadness, an emotion she seldom felt. ¡°...I have enough pride to own my whims. However... the past me... she vanished, that cursed monk swallowed me whole for his fuel. Now... I somewhat regret it. Perhaps...¡± Her tails shivered, the tail that was her core too, and it seemed to shimmer with orange and vivid blue diamonds, shaped like teardrops, running down her tail. Pretty.


    ¡°...I am feeling his sorrows at what I have done. Or perhaps... is this guilt?¡± Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, no, a million spectres loomed behind her then, misty and insubstantial, and she grinned, her body becoming less bestial, her fur fading, resuming her most favoured form, that of the beautiful, destructive foxwoman Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°If so, it is bittersweet.¡± Her words were indecipherable to any but herself, as she was in the accelerated frame of a great battle, her words a buzz, but she needed to say them.


    ¡°Yes, I know. I toppled nations, I slaughtered armies. I killed my own kin, more Kitsune died at my bloodstained hands than at the hands of the mortals. Yes, look at me with hatred, do not forgive me. I do not seek it. To ask for it... would be... pointless.¡± The small blue and orange teardrops entered her body, and she felt more of herself disintegrate. Blood was seeping from her, dropping into the roots of the shining, strange Tree behind her.


    Black ooze dribbled, a match to the blood invading her, no, darker, more sinister. The spirits that haunted her, their own spite, hatred, grudges... the adherence of malice that only such an array of deaths could create, shivered. The leader, a six-tailed Kitsune she recognised as one of the ones that was with her amusing granddaughter when they begged for her aid and she repaid them with death, regarded her with black eyes, and she snorted.


    ¡°Of course. But... you are my kin, in the end. Even in death your cursed grudges linger. It is surely Karma that led to my suffering, and this moment. But...¡±


    Her heart hammered, the sound of broken glass echoing, and her body erupted, water gushing from her, a water she had heard of but seldom seen. Spirit Water. Even Caihong¡¯er would have given a great deal for this much, this purity, this... light!


    Two. ¡°Are your hatreds weaker than theirs? I am Tamamo-no-Mae! Even in wickedness, I have no equal! Now... the wheel turns, and blaze, blaze! Know I seek not forgiveness. I am above such! But... making amends. To do so for my sins...¡± Blood ran down her beautiful face, and she cackled, madness and seduction in her gaze. ¡°...then it will take an eternity. Perhaps longer than this world endures. Eternity. Bound. Yet...¡± Water glimmered, and a harrowing tide of filth crackled from her collapsing spirit, and the shadows were gone. Perhaps illusion, perhaps my dying imaginations, but... ¡°...let it be fuel for my victory, my first step on the road to wherever my future leads, in this new age of unlimited possibility!¡±


    The adherence that poured from her and kindled flame roared. The flame was liquid, like she had never wielded, like his, somehow hot and cold at the same time, and she roared, her heart hammering possibly its final beat, a mere fraction of a second having passed throughout her whole hallucination since being impaled. ¡°Foehn, flame that devours even my Karma!¡±


    Her missing tails were suddenly replaced by the brilliant flames, and it was hot, agonising. Yet also cold, soothing, lulling her to shut her eyes, but she resisted the urge. The blood impaling her sizzled, vaporising, feeding the flames. Her shattered network, breaking like so much fragile pottery, was held together by flowing water, and she raised her head to the sky, roaring.


    ¡°One instant cannot pay for all... but any endless road begins with but a single step!¡± I travelled the world, this mortal world and the spiritual one. It was... entertaining. Now... new vistas stretch before me. Things I have never seen. Old friends I thought I could never meet again... to die here... what a tragic farce. Yet...


    The wheel shuddered, flames instantly streaking down the tendrils that had pierced her, and it squealed, wreathed in blazing fury, the blood no match for the fires. An instant later, faster than a blink, Tamamo-no-Mae slammed into it, and the giant metal arm holding the wheel shattered, golden fog also catching light, burning. The forming golden halo dimmed, and she smirked, enjoying the exhilaration of her first and possibly final step on her new road.


    ¡°At least... I had... the opportunity to start a new journey. Others will see it through... for me...¡± Her laugh was bitter, yet somehow it felt good, freeing. ¡°Now, begone!¡± The wheel hit the ground, now the colour of old oak, brown, and streaked with char and flickering tongues of clinging flame.


    ¡°Mountains may break, lakes may boil, but... the world continues to spin. Turning World, Returning Time! Mawaru Sekai, Kaeri No Jikan!¡± Putting everything into one single strike, all the adherence that had accumulated, her burning Karma, the dome instantly winked out of existence, golden light collapsing, and a brilliant column of silver light pierced upwards, and as it collapsed, the strands of dissipating energy seemed almost to resemble a tree.


    [..olden... Halo...]


    The last, fading words of the Power were but an almost clockwork, buzzing whisper. The golden crown it was calling vanished, and the golden fog dissipated, the chunks of metal that made up its form also vanishing, as if it was just an illusion. Perhaps in a way it was. It was hardly a true representation of the horrors of the Gods and their servants...


    Zero. Her faltering heart beat once more, and Tamamo-no-Mae shattered. Her tails flared to ash, and as she fell, she squeezed shut her eyes. Her spiritual tail endured though, and she couldn¡¯t help but let a thought trickle through it. Your workmanship was shoddy. I loathe them, but next time, maybe seek out Kagutsuchi or Ame-no-Mahitotsu and learn how to forge masterpieces properly...


    As she was about to hit the ground, her terribly light body was caught by someone, and she opened her eyes to see a tearful Asha clutching her. Feeling an odd sensation, she turned her head a little, so she couldn¡¯t look into her eyes. ¡°Why weep? We won, I believe. Although...¡± The sky above was abnormally active, multicoloured cracks rippling across it, matching her shattered body. ¡°...it seems that the Boundary here has not enjoyed... this.¡± Her words were interrupted by coughing blood.


    Shaeula and the others were coming now the dome was breached, but Tamamo-no-Mae had no wish for them to see her humbled. Again. If I was at my best, that fool and his shadow of a higher being would have knelt before me as I crushed them... but alas, the world turns, but times past do not return.


    ¡°Here!¡± Asha spoke, suddenly pushing something into her mouth, and she bit down instinctively. Hard, cold metal suddenly yielded, turning almost liquid, and her eyes widened in confusion, as she saw that she had bitten into a crystalline apple. I remember...


    ¡°The Tree! I do not know how, but... it is alive too!¡± Asha cried. ¡°When I saw it threatened, it called to me, and...¡± She touched her belly. ¡°...I could not let it be destroyed, but... you saw, and acted. I think... it wants you to live.¡±


    ¡°I simply did not wish for more destruction.¡± She struggled to shrug, though the fizzing and crackling pains within her had been soothed. Her next words were drowned out as Asha forced the other half of the apple down her throat. Coughing, Tamamo-no-Mae gave her a flinty glare, but Asha was unmoved.


    ¡°Yes, I know. But... even so, I thank you. As does the Materia Tree.¡± Asha smiled softly, seeing the others rushing over. ¡°You took great injuries to protect it and me. Else you could have won easily, yes?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not... easily.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae admitted. ¡°Yet it certainly would have been less... arduous.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine.¡± Asha promised. ¡°If you live, then Akio can fix you.¡±


    ¡°You have a great deal of faith in him, it seems.¡± Her lips curled into a wry smile. ¡°I am not so swift to believe.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but... was that not Foehn I saw? You were moving too fast for me to keep up with, but I saw that. And...¡± Tamamo-no-Mae was amazed when Asha ran a finger down her skin and licked at the residue. ¡°I knew it. Moonlight Spirit Water. There is nothing else like it. Only Shaeula and Akio possess such.¡± Her golden-yellow eyes were knowing as she smiled benevolently, as she wiped at Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s face gently, which confused and embarrassed her to no end. I am a great Yo?kai, feared and appeased. To be treated in such a manner... it is... excruciatingly shameful. Yet... oddly enough, I do not hate it.


    ¡°His reforging of me anew did not hold.¡± she pouted, and only grimaced harder when Asha chuckled. ¡°What? Is my suffering amusing?¡±


    ¡°Perish the thought.¡± Asha hoisted her up onto her unsteady feet, dusting down her torn and ragged kimono. ¡°Oh your poor tails. You took so different without them. But do not worry. I know Akio planned to fix your granddaughter on his return, somehow. Two is just the same as one, I suppose. As for my laughter...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae asked.


    ¡°It reminds me of the stories of how he used to break his swords all the time. Master Bjarki was quite distraught, but... each time he reforged the blades, they were better, and stronger. Until now... Storming Moonlight does not break. You shall be the same. A setback, of course. But it has its compensations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what could compensate for this?¡± Tamamo-no-Mae raised one eyebrow in annoyance.


    ¡°Akio will be rather guilty, and so very grateful. As am I.¡± Asha whispered, to spare her embarrassment, as the others were here now. ¡°And that is worth much.¡± Speaking up, Asha addressed the newcomers.


    ¡°Shaeula, Daiyu, I am glad to see you both survived. You too as well Violet.¡±


    ¡°I am most-most pleased too.¡± Shaeula agreed, before looking sympathetically at the battered and tailless Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°You as well, fox. It seems you fought hard-hard here. I knew you were a female of your word.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I lie as easily as I breathe, unlike you, Faerie.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae had to snort in wry self-deprecation. ¡°Yet... a road begins with a single step, yes? No matter the length of the journey or the trials ahead.¡±


    Daiyu nodded. ¡°It is a good saying, and I agree. We are already on this road, but... it seems you can catch up. And strong companions are worth their weight in gold.¡±


    At that, Tamamo-no-Mae had to bark a laugh. She felt weak, fragile, her aether and elemental energies hard to grasp, but the collapse of her fractured spirit had halted, a strange, almost metallic sensation spreading within her, like cooling balm on burns. ¡°I am worth more than mere gold.¡± She tossed her head, wincing at the feeling of discomfort. ¡°So... if this mess is over...¡± She staggered over to the wooden wheel, picking it up, her expression now one of distaste. ¡°...I believe I wish to sleep for a week.¡±


    ¡°There is no-no time for that.¡± Shaeula warned. ¡°We must-must be sure no more enemies threaten, and when our work is done, we celebrate! Much-much sake, whiskey, beer, food and entertainment! Besides, Akio will not-not be long in returning, and the Pilgrimage shall commence. We have much-much to do... although... my Birthday is at the end-end of the week. That-that day is mine, so if you wish to share him then, best start pleasing me!¡±


    At her cheeky teasing, Tamamo-no-Mae couldn¡¯t help but snort a tired laugh. ¡°Please you? Should you not be pleasing me, a poor, ragged battered woman, who is enslaved and worked until she nearly dies?¡±


    Shaeula barked another laugh, telling her she was one of the ¡®luckiest females alive¡¯, and Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head, stumps of her tails twitching. Alive. Yes, it seems I am, we are...


    She glanced around at the devastation, some more minor Buildings having collapsed during the shockwaves of her battle, yet what needed preserving was indeed preserved. And for some reason, I feel... lighter. Glancing at her missing tails, she snorted again, before letting them lead her off, Asha supporting her. And not just because of my shorn tails. No, a journey began is hesitation overcome. Now, all I can do is see what lies ahead of me. I wonder if I shall see the same things they do...

 Arc 11 – Pilgrimage And Princesses – Five Hundred And Forty-One

    Arc 11 ¨C Pilgrimage And Princesses ¨C Five Hundred And Forty-One


    Pacing restlessly in the nearby park, we were attracting odd looks from the few passers-by who were coming and going at this late hour. Some of them seemed to recognise me, and while most were curious, a few seemed almost disgusted, perhaps having already seen some of the propaganda that was being spread at this very moment.


    Adelheid was watching me with a bored expression, her long coat pulled around her body to ward off the late autumn chill, not that she felt the cold much, with her stats, so it was more habit than any actual need. Her blue eyes gazed at me with a little concern, so I forced a smile, even as Eri was telepathically relaying the situation to me as the battle unfolded.


    It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m a bit beaten up, but it¡¯s nothing serious. And we¡¯ve captured the first Chosen who attacked, I¡¯ve made her... harmless. Aiko¡¯s fine too, she¡¯s doing well, although... I think she might need a hug and some spoiling when you¡¯re back. Killing... it¡¯s hard. I guess you know that better than anyone.


    Just keep your focus on the battle. Don¡¯t get distracted. I warned her with my thoughts, worry eating away at me. I was also getting endless phone messages, while the two Wright siblings, Bethany and Zachary, were also glued to their phones, watching footage from Fox, CNN and various other American news channels, showing the worldwide carnage. Though oddly, there seems some very obvious... gaps.


    What do you mean, gaps?


    Sorry, was thinking about something else for a moment. Yeah, I¡¯ll spoil you both, don¡¯t worry! I wish I was coming home right away, but if I do, I¡¯ll cause needless trouble with the President here, and not getting Egil Andersen¡¯s body after all this would defeat the point... just...


    I get it. We all do what we have to, to support each other. Anyway, it¡¯s reassuring to have you here in my thoughts, even if you can¡¯t be here in person. It gives me strength. And I need it... but... I¡¯ll still win and keep everyone safe! Though the grounds will need restoration. It¡¯s a mess here...


    Don¡¯t worry about that, just... stay safe.


    Her only response was a sense of amusement, but I felt her worry and stress. Clicking my tongue, I grimaced, drawing attention from Zachary.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, yeah.¡± Zachary agreed, frowning at his phone. ¡°But... you¡¯re the Hero of Britain, it¡¯s all lies, right? People won¡¯t believe that! It¡¯s not like anyone would! I mean, who would you believe, a terrorist or someone who¡¯s done good deeds?¡±


    His sister fixed him with an angry glare. ¡°Really, Zack. Sometimes you¡¯re so nai?ve. It¡¯s why...¡± Her hand went to her side, a habit that she seemed to have, and her face paled. Seeing that, I was curious, as she had mentioned a scar in the bar, my Eye glowing a little.


    She didn¡¯t notice, as Bethany was berating her brother, and it reminded me a little of my own sister, Aiko. Stay safe. I... I didn¡¯t want any of you to have to fight and kill, not yet. But the day was always coming. I just wished it could be when I was there to help...


    Adelheid snorted softly as she saw my Eye, but she was looking at her own phone, watching some German news. It seemed there was trouble in Europe too, though of a different sort, more protests and spontaneous rioting breaking out in cities across the continent. Of course, it seems like there¡¯s been assassinations too...


    ¡°...it¡¯s why we ended up in trouble, and we always do! You don¡¯t think, Zack!¡± She put her hands on her hips, looking rather incongruous in her black lace miniskirt and velvet shirt of black and pink. ¡°You know what dad always says. There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than mob mentality and conspiracy theories. No smoke without fire, right?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, not everyone, maybe even most aren¡¯t going to believe what these so-called Church people say, but didn¡¯t dad say that nearly ten percent of Americans believe that the Earth is flat, not round? Come on, anyone who¡¯s been in a plane can see that the world isn¡¯t flat!¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Zachary admitted. ¡°...but... I mean, how much of that is true and how much is people just being funny?¡±


    ¡°Then take Creationist beliefs.¡± Bethany leaned forwards, and her brother merely smiled a little, sighing, as if this was a normal occurrence for him. ¡°I mean, we go to church, right? Well, most of the time... but I don¡¯t believe the world really is six thousand years old. If that was true, then science wouldn¡¯t work, would it? Stuff like evolution, radiation, the stars and planets... geology...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get you, Beth.¡± He nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Americans who take things on faith.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just human nature. It¡¯s hardly just Americans.¡± I agreed, surprising them. I had finished my assessment of Bethany, and she did indeed have a nasty scar. ¡°My mom always used to say ¡®you can¡¯t reason someone out of a position they didn¡¯t reason themselves into in the first place¡¯ and now... honestly, I think you¡¯re right, Miss Bethany.¡±


    She seemed surprised I had spoken, before curling her lip into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s not your mother. Jonathan Swift said that. I know, because I study PPE at college. We did a module on him and other European philosophers and satirists.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but my mom still likes the quote.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, PPE huh? That¡¯s Politics, Philosophy and Economics, right? You must be smart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Beth is really clever, she wants to follow dad into government service, but she can still be a huge pain, always nagging.¡± Zachary couldn¡¯t help but boast about his sister, while also putting her down.


    ¡°Oh, just shut up...¡± Bethany grumbled. ¡°My point is...¡±


    ¡°Your point is right. And it¡¯s worse than I had considered.¡± I agreed, surprising her again. ¡°Because they have evidence, of a sort. It¡¯s a mixture of outright lies, frame jobs, deception and horrible misrepresenting of some truthful events, but... there¡¯s plenty of smoke, so people will be desperate to see the fire. Especially when religion is brought in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Forty percent of Americans believe in Creationism. I mean, it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone, so it¡¯s fine...¡± She paused. ¡°...well, okay, sometimes it can be a bad thing, when it interferes with teaching science in schools, or leads to unnecessary censorship, but... it¡¯s mostly harmless. Though...¡±


    ¡°...now we have tangible proof of the truth of the existence of Gods.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sure, it doesn¡¯t exactly fit what most people believe, but it¡¯s good enough. This is going to cause worldwide chaos. Worse...¡±


    ¡°...yeah. Combine religious fervour with fear....¡± Bethany shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s textbook. Nurture fanatical followers, as well as build a large base of people who are frightened or sympathetic enough to condone the violence. Never overtly, no, just... something along the lines of ¡®Oh, I wouldn¡¯t do it myself, but... I can see why they do...¡¯ which leads to a normalisation of it within the wider community.¡±


    Exactly. She is a smart girl. It¡¯s like my mom said about the Irish troubles. It was on the wane when she moved to Japan, but when she was a young girl, there were still terrorist attacks quite regularly, and the community on both sides of the conflict were enablers by tacitly accepting the rationale behind the bombings, even if they didn¡¯t explicitly condone the violence...


    ¡°Fortunately, I have countermeasures.¡± I insisted. ¡°But it¡¯s still a disaster. How many Chosen like us will be killed, wasted? Speaking of...¡± I looked at Bethany meaningfully. ¡°That is a nasty scar. Want me to remove it? I could do with a distraction.¡± Eri¡¯s running commentary was keeping me updated on their situation, but contact had been lost with the Tengokusentou, and footage of Shirohebizumi being attacked was on the Japanese news and the internet...


    It seems like there¡¯s been some terrorist bombings at shrines in Kyoto as well. Uchida Ren, you bastard! I get that you are grieving for Yamato, but this is too far! My Resilience was keeping me calm, but even with my incredibly high stats, remaining composed when so much bad news was coming at once, when so many friends, family, allies and those I loved were in danger... I took a deep breath as Bethany looked at me with suspicion.


    ¡°Wait? Where are you looking, you pervert?¡± She crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if to shield it from my view. ¡°Have you been ogling me all this time? Are the rumours true?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you falling into the trap you just decried?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, as I was used to such exaggerated reactions. ¡°Despite what that bastard Uchida Ren is saying about me, I¡¯ve never mistreated a woman. I still feel a little guilt for not being able to give everyone all the attention they deserve, but... I¡¯ll make them all happy, I guarantee it. Besides... while I can see through clothing with my Eye, I only looked at your side. You mentioned a scar earlier, and you rub it incessantly when stressed or thinking, so...¡± I shrugged. ¡°...Anyway, you¡¯re an attractive woman, with an interesting style, Miss Bethany, but I¡¯m sorry, you don¡¯t compare to any of my lovers.¡±


    ¡°Drop the Miss. It¡¯s annoying. You Japanese are so formal!¡± She let her arms drop. ¡°Hey, Zack. Tell me, why am I suddenly really annoyed right now? Did he have to say that to me? He could have left it at ¡®I¡¯m attractive¡¯, without... ugh!¡±


    Zachary gave her a sympathetic look, before grinning at me wryly. ¡°Sorry, Beth can be a pain. But you¡¯re right. She¡¯s not a nice submissive sort like Eastern ladies. It¡¯d be hell being her boyfriend, when she¡¯s nagging, but she has her good sides too, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you¡¯ll find all of my women are plenty fiery.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Anyway... Bethany, if you want the scar gone...¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± She seemed embarrassed out in the open.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t even need you to pull up your shirt. My Healing has improved a lot.¡± At my words, she bit her lip thinking, but as her brother urged her to accept, she finally nodded. She then squealed as I put my hand on her side, though she was still wearing her shirt, so it wasn¡¯t as if I was touching bare skin. She then shivered as my aether flooded the wound. ¡°Yeah, nasty. I¡¯d be curious to know what did this. There¡¯s adherence in the wound which stops it healing, and it likely has been worsening over time, yes?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary was angry. ¡°Beth, you told me it was getting better!¡±


    ¡°It... it was!¡± she replied defensively, shivering at my ministrations. ¡°Just... just occasionally I have episodes, okay? I... I know I complain, but... I don¡¯t want you to feel guilty, Zack! Not over that. I¡¯d love it if you were less reckless in future though, so I keep warning you...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve experience with worse wounds.¡± I promised, and carefully extracted the adherence, taking a trickle for my own. That done, flesh reknitted, and the damaged Chakra network of her subtle body was repaired. ¡°All done.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary asked eagerly, and Bethany groped at her side, feeling no pain. She slid a hand under her shirt, and on feeling smooth flesh, her greenish-blue eyes glimmered with moisture and emotion. Taking a deep breath, she thanked me.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful. I¡¯m sorry I shouted at you, but... that¡¯s a perverted power you have there!¡± She faltered, before nodding to herself. ¡°Thanks. Not just for me, but for my brother. I know I rag on the little shit...¡±


    ¡°Hey...¡± he mock-protested, amused and happy.


    ¡°...but he was feeling guilty I got hurt. So yeah. Just...¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°That madwoman... she¡¯s bad news! She¡¯ll dissect you as soon as look at you, and she has a terrible reputation. It would be bad optics to get involved with her, especially now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t I know it.¡± I ran a hand through my hair, stressed, as Eri was now in a ferocious battle with another Chosen. I had faith she¡¯d win, she was getting a vast amount of boosts from her Lovers¡¯ Link, but... can¡¯t help but worry, can I?


    ¡°But... while it¡¯ll never erase the crimes she¡¯s been a part of, if she genuinely wants to make amends, I think that¡¯s for the best.¡± After all, I¡¯ve offered the chance to others. Nie Ling. Tamamo-no-Mae. Shaeula¡¯s given a chance to Duke Formor... I admit, sometimes I¡¯m a hypocrite, I never considered giving Kondou Kazuo a chance... but then, he was lacking any sort of shame or remorse...


    ¡°It¡¯s the breasts, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bethany grumbled, surprising me. ¡°God, you men are all the same. Well, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you, and you can keep her the hell away from me and Zack!¡±


    The atmosphere in the near-deserted park had become lighter, a little more jovial, when Adelheid spoke up. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± I had sensed it too, someone coming closer. They didn¡¯t seem to be a Chosen, the aether they exuded was far too low, but they weren¡¯t ordinary.


    Seeing Adelheid¡¯s tense expression, the two siblings froze.


    ¡°Have... they come?¡± Zachary was sweating, and I nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can only sense one. Besides, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Hero of Britain and all...¡± Zachary relaxed. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Beth. He¡¯s got it in hand.¡±


    She grunted. ¡°You have a lot of faith in him. A lot of his exploits are probably exaggerated. I judge on deeds, not words, but...¡± Her hand went to her side before she froze. ¡°You get ten points for healing me. But you lose five for hanging around with that madwoman, and another three for sneaking a peek at me! So... I¡¯ll trust you this once!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honoured.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but snort, as the man approached us. I could see in the dimly lit conditions perfectly well, and he was a rather smartly dressed man in his late fifties, with dark brown hair and a small, neatly trimmed beard, which was going to white at the edges, matching the expensive white suit he wore, with gold cufflinks and belt. No weapons, I see.


    ¡°We meet at last, Mr Oshiro. No, Akio. I feel I know enough of you to be on a first name basis.¡± The man spoke with quiet confidence, and Adelheid tensed, but at my hand gesture, she paused. Zachary and Bethany seemed a little confused, but the man merely nodded respectfully at them. ¡°Anyway, I bid you all greeting on this monumental night.¡±


    ¡°So, here to try and take me out?¡± I sneered, and he raised one eyebrow, clearly affronted.


    ¡°Perish the thought. Do you think I can? I am a realist, Akio. Oh, where are my manners. You can call me Isaac.¡±


    The way he said it made me suspicious. ¡°That¡¯s not your name, is it?¡±


    ¡°It is now.¡± he disagreed. ¡°For right now, I stand as Isaac before you. Now, shall we get down to it?¡± He glanced at the phones in our hands, watching the streams. ¡°Yes, the opening of the Crusade has begun. But you, the wicked who stands in the way of the light of hope, of salvation...¡±


    ¡°Wicked?¡± I interrupted. ¡°What did Eleanor ever do to you where she deserved death? No, worse than death.¡±


    Isaac didn¡¯t seem bothered by the interruption, and his calm, almost superior smile never faltered. ¡°Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me. The first Commandment. And the most important. Besides, her family has taken and hoarded that which belongs to the Throne.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... I mean...¡± Zachary spoke up then. ¡°Beth and I, we¡¯re Christians. Not the most devout but... thou shalt not kill, right? And... this isn¡¯t the Middle Ages. You can¡¯t just run an Inquisition...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the man asked mildly. ¡°The true Book of Revelation makes it quite clear. The only path to salvation is to offer our all to the Lord, and Earth must ascend to the Ninth Heaven, to Eden lost to us because of fools who cast their lot in with the false, the profane. You think we do not weep for the slain? Yet... better one suffers to save ten. Ten for a thousand. A thousand for a million. A million for a world.¡±


    ¡°The cruel mathematics of salvation.¡± I agreed. ¡°When you say it like that, it sounds only sensible.¡± That surprised Bethany and Zachary, who watched me, wide-eyed, as I continued to argue. ¡°However... that only works when the sacrifices are ourselves. I was faced with someone who made the choice to sacrifice a thousand for their own safety. I couldn¡¯t do that. But in reverse... well, we all make our own choices. If your God is so all-powerful, then there should be no need for the few to perish.¡±


    ¡°God does indeed love a martyr.¡± Isaac wasn¡¯t drawn into my arguments. ¡°And while the Throne is almighty... we have free will, and evil lurks everywhere.  We must not let the bad apples rot the barrel. I know you understand.¡± He looked at me oddly warmly. ¡°Your false tree, the poisoned apple of forbidden knowledge. It must be uprooted. Even as we speak, it falls. You are but one man. You cannot be everywhere. And while perhaps only the great Cardinals themselves are able to face you... you are not the Lord, omnipresent. No...¡±


    I¡¯m certainly worried. While I¡¯m too far away to feel the warnings my Territory would give me if its under attack, it¡¯s obvious that it is. But... The Seeds would be protected. Uranai, the cow that gave prophecies, the Kudan... she had passed that knowledge to Shinkume-no-Hana, who had brought it to me, and we had saved her grandmother, the legendary Tamamo-no-Mae. I still believed nothing was set in stone, my distaste for prophecy still strong, but... everything flows, like a river. All our decisions and struggles. And... this river won¡¯t be halted...


    ¡°...many sinners with profane powers shall perish. To prepare for the true coming of the Lord¡¯s faithful.¡± Isaac finished.


    ¡°And... is killing children what you consider good? Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, right?¡± Bethany asked, her phone now displaying a scene from Japan, that of what was surely Hanafubuki Private Academy, the gatehouse and walls littered with the dead, smoke rising from the buildings.


    ¡°A barrel that already has some rotting apples.¡± Isaac declared without sorrow. ¡°Those innocents who die shall of course be welcomed into the next life by the Ninth Heaven. Our Material forms are but transient, after all, with the spirit, the soul, it is eternal. Besides... you Japanese have many amusing sayings. Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. We are not afraid of secular powers, and the powerful should leave well enough alone. With this message, all should understand and heed it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a Chinese saying.¡± I glared, my grey eyes hard, my League surging. The man faltered a little, before trying to pretend he was fine, though the effort made sweat bead on his brows. Bethany let out a little yelp, while Adelheid watched on, impassive, not following the conversation but getting an idea from our body language.


    Motoko, Natsumi. There are others there too. The Takakura sisters. Kudou Shiori. Motoko and Natsumi will fight, but... against Chosen... Feeling sick, I stepped forwards. ¡°I can forgive a lot. Come against me, and I¡¯ll understand it. We¡¯re rivals. We have a different vision for the future. But this... it¡¯s widespread, indiscriminate...¡±


    ¡°Hardly. Every target has meaning.¡± Isaac disagreed.


    ¡°Shut. Your. Mouth!¡± I warned coldly, and he was taken aback. ¡°You¡¯ll fail. My Tree will stand. My Territory too. My home, my friends, even Hanafubuki. I believe it. The world won¡¯t bow to your terror, and your boastful promises.¡± I wish I was more sure of that. But... ¡°So, are we fighting?¡±


    ¡°No. I shall simply be on my way.¡± Isaac disagreed. ¡°I merely came to give you a warning, and see if you understood your mistakes, the futility of opposing the Throne.¡±


    ¡°What a jackass...¡± Zachary muttered, and I didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°My mistakes? It¡¯s you who has made a grave error. Your forces will bleed. There¡¯s no way you can afford the losses. And... you¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± My growl, pregnant with League and Majesty, made everyone shiver.


    ¡°Oh? You can hardly stop me. Unless you wish to kill me. In which case I shall me martyred, and it shall prove everything we have said about you true to the masses.¡± Isaac seemed confident, though the sweat on his brow accumulated despite the chill in the night air. ¡°As for our losses... they will be far lighter than you think. I assure you of that.¡± He turned to go, only to suddenly freeze, as my aether wrapped him in invisible chains. He strained, clearly stronger than an ordinary person, likely on par with one of my trainees who had undergone Chirurgery, but against my potent will he was helpless.


    ¡°Are you sure...?¡± Bethany asked, worried, and I nodded, quickly dialling a number on my phone.


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no way I can just let him walk away, but... I¡¯m in America now, so...¡± The phone rang once and was then immediately picked up, a sloppy voice answering.


    ¡°Missing me already?¡± Christina giggled. ¡°I¡¯m flattered! I¡¯ve just got back to the hotel, and I¡¯m getting into bed. I¡¯m only wearing a lab coat, so... feel free to hurry back. I¡¯ll be waiting!¡±


    Damn, she¡¯s such a pain. ¡°There¡¯s no time for that right now, you know the situation!¡±


    ¡°I thought in times like this, it was appropriate to lighten the mood?¡± she asked, sounding genuinely affronted. ¡°I was only trying to help. Oh... I wasn¡¯t joking about the lab coat though Akio. It barely covers anything...¡±


    Biting down a sigh, I got to the point. ¡°Not now, please. I¡¯m sure that Adam is still awake, what with all this going down? Can you call him and get him to send over some police or agents to arrest a terrorist? In terms of abilities, he¡¯s troublesome but shouldn¡¯t pose a danger when restrained.¡±


    There was a brief pause, and then she offered agreement. ¡°All right. Just the one? How¡¯s things over there? I hope dear Bethany and Zachary are still doing well, little Adelheid too?¡±


    At her question the two siblings looked scared, but I waved a hand reassuringly. ¡°Yeah. Seems like they don¡¯t want to trifle with me, they have other targets.¡±


    ¡°In that case, leave it with me.¡± Christina promised. ¡°I¡¯ll make a call while we¡¯re on the way back.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I was surprised, and I could almost hear her amused smile as she answered.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point lying about the hotel then, is there? We might as well go back to the bar if there¡¯s no danger. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take me a minute to get dressed again. You can take my clothes off later!¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± I shot her down, and she laughed.


    ¡°Playing hard to get. It¡¯s cute. Frustrating, but cute. Anyway... I¡¯ll see you soon!¡±


    Looking helplessly at the others as she hung up, I shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s... certainly unique.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say a psycho...¡± Bethany disagreed, shivering. ¡°...you could have asked us to call dad.¡±


    ¡°Best keep things tidy.¡± I disagreed, not wanting to owe anyone else here a favour. Adam owed me, and it was a debt he likely couldn¡¯t repay. ¡°Now, we wait...¡± As Isaac glared at me, not even struggling any further, we continued to watch the footage on our phones, while Eri kept communicating with me about the progress of her battle...


    ***


    ¡°This is scary stuff.¡± Buck was saying, as he knocked back a good slug of hard whiskey, on the rocks. Even Mrs Kelly didn¡¯t seem bothered, letting him drink.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± David agreed. They had stayed in the private room of the bar, watching the unfolding chaos. Outside, most of the patrons had also stayed, fascinated, and now all the televisions around the bar were displaying footage from Japan and the rest of the world.


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking ruthless, that¡¯s what it is.¡± Aliyah grumbled. She and Trey had brought Christina back, and were also overindulging, though Treyvon had told me to purge them of drunkenness so they could respond should anything go down, but his gut instinct was that Isaac wasn¡¯t a bluff.


    What was it Aliyah grumbled? Oh yeah, that ¡®they at least have more than shit for brains if they realise taking you on is suicide¡¯. Of course, then she added ¡®but they ain¡¯t got much more than a hollow skull, as those fuckers should have learned from us about provoking you by going after your family...¡¯


    Adelheid was quietly drinking more bottled beers, but she seemed tense, pensive somehow, and I knew she was thinking about her own time hiding in Berlin, being harassed by other Chosen and sought out by the government. In addition, Zachary and Bethany had come back with us. They were still clearly uncomfortable around Christina, but I felt it best to keep them with us, and after Healing Bethany¡¯s scar, she was a bit less cagey.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad that your little fiance?e and sister are both okay. They are, aren¡¯t they?¡± Buck asked again. ¡°They were both real dolls. Shaeula too. I can hardly picture them fighting.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them fool you. The sister, she¡¯s a funny one, but Shaeula¡¯s mean as a snake, and Eri, she¡¯s got a short fuse and a bad temper.¡± Aliyah grumbled. ¡°The pretty ones are always the troublemakers.¡±


    ¡°Trying to imply you¡¯re pretty, sis?¡± Trey teased, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I had received word from Eri that she¡¯d won, and through Suzu-san¡¯s help she¡¯d captured another Chosen. That¡¯s Eri. Turning disaster into opportunity. Fortunately, though the estate had suffered damage, our families, Tsukiko, Yu-mi and the others were safe in the panic room too. ¡°Unless there¡¯s a second wave, at least they¡¯re good.¡± Though I can tell Eri¡¯s worried about my sis and her mental state. And I think despite what she imagines, Eri¡¯s struggling herself. She never could hide much from me, especially not now.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Mrs Kelly agreed. ¡°Buck speaks very fondly of them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on your well-wishes. I just hope everyone else is all right. Even now, Shaeula¡¯s fighting... no, Shaeula¡¯s powerful, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Obviously my Territory still stood, or else my Favour would likely have been torn from me. Something would happen anyway, I¡¯m not sure how mine differs to the standard...


    ¡°Yeah. Poor girl. She¡¯s very popular here in the States, you know? Especially with us of Irish descent. We like our girls small, cute and feisty! And a temper is the Irish way!¡± Buck agreed.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe they¡¯d attack schools...¡± Bethany grumbled, but Christina leaned forwards, drunk again, making sure to show off her cleavage to me with a look that she likely thought was enticing, but was just comical.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like to hear it, Bethany, but... it¡¯s actually an interesting move.¡± Christina shook her head, ash blonde hair tumbling, as it had come free of her ponytail. ¡°Firstly, a significant measure of Akio¡¯s support comes from the Japanese nobility, and that is cemented both through arranged marriages with a number of daughters, as well as his training and support of others. I think these fanatics see him as a threat, but it sounds like one they don¡¯t want to face head on. I mean, we got burned, and thanks to that I ended up his slave.¡± She chortled, and I rolled my eyes. Hardly.


    Seeing I wasn¡¯t biting, she looked disappointed and repeated herself. ¡°His slave. Love slave, sex slave, whatever. Oh, he¡¯s no fun. Honestly... just trying to take his mind off things. But basically, the move is quite brilliant. Ruthlessly callous...¡±


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Bethany spat, and Christina shrugged.


    ¡°If I say it, you know its true then. But don¡¯t worry.¡± She smiled at Bethany, and it was an oddly pure, excited one, though not the sloppy lewd grins she¡¯d been giving me recently. ¡°I have a plan for my research direction. And it¡¯ll be me under the knife, so... I¡¯ll know what it¡¯s like.¡± She shuddered them. ¡°No, I already know, Haru has a wicked gift indeed. But... that aside... shatter his support, prevent further support, and paralyse the rich and the powerful of Japan. Terrorism works, sadly, but only when the scale is grand enough that the majority fear they could be impacted at any time. And the powerful are even more protective of their interests than the average citizen. After all, a voter might make a fuss, but a billionaire lobbies, gaining far more influence than a single voter ever could. Worse...¡± Her blue eyes narrowed. ¡°...the sheer audacity and awful grandeur of it will actually provoke admiration in some. Human beings are... very complicated. It would be so much easier if we ran on logic, like computers. And those who sympathise with their aims, well... a display of power will make them believe they are on the winning team. Or push them that way, so they aren¡¯t on the losing one.¡±


    ¡°The world, it has gone mad.¡± Adelheid shrugged, not understanding much but from out gloomy expressions she grasped we were troubled deeply. ¡°Still, it is hardly all bad news, is it? The shrine, it is safe, yes? Besides, lies have short legs. The truth will always come out.¡±


    It was true. Shortly after we returned to the bar, our prisoner taken away, I got a call from Kana. It seemed she had defended her own school, as well as rushed to the shrine, and with the help of Ixitt, Grulgor and Luciana, had defeated the enemies there. The training school building was a bit of a wreck, and would need to be repaired, but since we¡¯d all be away for Pilgrimage soon... a good result. It¡¯s only money, that can be replaced. But... Kana was another like Eri who had gone beyond anything I could ever have expected of her. She claimed to be fine, but again, I could tell she wasn¡¯t. All I could do was praise her, promise to spoil her when I returned, and worry about the fact that she said something was clearly odd in the Boundary, as they were locked out of it.


    Our so-called Isaac here made it clear the Tree was a target. When I said his name to Buck and Mrs Kelly, she said that Isaac was the son of Abraham, who God tested by demanding he sacrifice his son. So he was just a sacrifice to warn me, huh? Setting him aside, Kana would be leading the Pilgrimage alongside Tsukiko and Yukiko-san, taking the leadership roles, supported by various other shrine maidens. She was blossoming nowadays into a fine woman and Chosen, and always worked hard, despite her grumbles about wanting an easy life. Yeah, I know there won¡¯t be much time for relaxation, and I¡¯ve already promised Shaeula her birthday will be time for us to do fun things together, but... I¡¯ll have to make time for the others.


    Shaeula, hmm. Thinking of her made me itch, and I suddenly stood.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, my man?¡± Buck asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I just... get the urge to do something. Not that I can, but...¡± Pulling out my wallet, I dumped a pile of notes on the table. ¡°...I want to get Shaeula an early birthday present. She¡¯s fighting her hardest, so...¡±


    Buck looked a bit surprised, but once I explained, he grinned.


    ¡°That¡¯s mighty fine, and mighty romantic of you.¡± He slapped me on the back approvingly, and I tried not to see the envious look Christina was shooting me. Even Bethany seemed a little impressed, a slight smile on her face, until Zachary teased her, and she blew up at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell at cost, and chip in myself!¡± Buck grinned, and David too threw in some cash. Moments later, Buck strode out into the Fae-themed bar of Kelly¡¯s Haven, the barmaids still serving drinks dressed in yukatas to the patrons, though they too snatched glances at the televisions in between serving. Then everyone froze as Buck muted the sound. All eyes turned to him, and he urged me forwards.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my boys and girls...¡± Buck declared grandiosely. ¡°Your old pal Buck Kelly knows that the world is in a mess right now, and you all want to watch it unfold. But...¡± He slapped my shoulder heartily. ¡°...this here is Akio, Hero of Britain, and fiance? of our dear doll Shaeula.¡± He nodded at the giant cutout of her with a smile. ¡°And he has something to say. Something you should hear, and something you¡¯ll love to hear.¡±


    I cleared my throat, then began. ¡°As Buck says, I¡¯m Akio. Nice to meet you all. Now... I¡¯m afraid that Shaeula is currently fighting for her life, and not just hers, but for the lives of many others, innocent and precious to her, to us. She will never let these bastard fanatics bar her way...¡± There was laughter at that. ¡°...to protecting what she holds dear. Nor should any of you. In this world, we have to fight for what is precious, what is right. But... fuck, I wish I was there with her, with them all.¡± At my genuine anger and worry, the patrons seemed sympathetic, but I pulled myself together.


    ¡°Now, all I can do is... wish her well. And... I hope you can all do the same. So, to that end... the drinks are on me, so please, raise a toast to Shaeula, and all our comrades who still fight, offer a prayer for their safe return, if you believe in such, or if not... just hope very hard!¡± Britain stole from them, they say? Well, that¡¯s fine. If they are going to weaponise belief... then we can too...


    At the cheers, Buck spoke to the barmaids, and soon everyone was holding full glasses of booze, and not the cheap stuff either. ¡°Lead us in a toast, man!¡± Buck insisted, and I did so.


    ¡°To Shaeula! To what is right, and ... to victory!¡±


    ¡°To Shaeula, to victory!¡± Everyone clinked glasses and cheered, and I felt warm inside. They¡¯re not doing it for the free drinks, though that never hurts. Shaeula¡¯s won them over by her bravery and poise during the events in London. In fact... that¡¯s what this is all about. Hearts and minds. They use the twin weapons, of fear, sorrow and terror, the threat of punishment, in one hand, alongside faith and rewards in the other. Well, we can match that. I know we can. Just... both our hands will be clean...


    As everyone drank, even Zachary and Bethany, who had relaxed, Adelheid grinned. ¡°This party is getting lively. The bear is certainly dancing here!¡± At my quizzical look, she shrugged, taking a gulp from her oversized bottle of imported lager. ¡°It hardly matters. Now then...¡±


    As we talked quietly, Buck and David were doing me the favour of filming the scene, making sure to get plenty of well wishes and praise for Shaeula. She likes that. She¡¯s never been one for false modesty, she loves being praised. It was then I felt a strange sensation.


    Kin Bonding? No, but... similar. Wait...


    I could feel a strange tugging in my hand. My Eye shone, and I ignored Bethany¡¯s grumble I just wanted to peek at women, and Christina slurring that she wouldn¡¯t even wear the lab coat when we got back to the hotel. All my attention should be... Since I wasn¡¯t in the Boundary right now, I had a lot of Split Thoughts available, and they churned. I could almost see it, the so-called zeroth tail, and my Spirit Water was being drawn out of me, sinking into the bond and vanishing. Foehn too. It was stirring restlessly, boiling and blazing, and tongues of it left my lunar Chakra and vanished.


    Mae... you¡¯re... It wasn¡¯t like Lovers¡¯ Link, no, the hold I had on her was less of emotion and more forceful control. I hadn¡¯t intended it, no more than I had intended Hana, the Kitsune, not Eri¡¯s mother, of course, to be so bound. Instead, she had orchestrated it, to make me help her, believe her, though she was hardly aware of the consequences.


    She¡¯s fighting. Hard. I worried. Yes, I had Shapercrafted Mae, reinforcing her ravaged body, almost like a scaffold that she could integrate into herself to heal, but her power was simply too great to sustain. Yes, she could use a significant portion of it now, and was likely on a par with me, but if she pushed herself further, she would surely collapse. She¡¯s been drained and hollowed out over millennia within the Sessho-Seki, it¡¯s unreasonable to expect me to be able to fix her, for her to recover in such a short time, but...


    It was possible she could push herself to her limit, blazing like a spark before it faded, and I worried she was doing just that. Checking the details of her again, now that I understood more about the concepts of Truesoul and soullight, I was slightly surprised.


    [Truesoul-Bound Artefact] ¨C Due to the manipulation of Flesh, Spirit and Truesoul, as well as the significant quantity of your Aether, Adherence and Soullight invested in Tamamo-no-Mae, further heightened by the existing bond that connected you, her Truesoul has become bound to her Shapercrafted nature, with unpredictable results. Efforts to manipulate and change the Truesoul of a being is the province of those of great League, who understand and can manipulate the true permanence of themselves and others. It is not to be undertaken lightly, as a collapsed truesoul is ????????? ???????????.


    In addition, there has been some cross-mingling of Truesoul, Adherence, Elemental energies, Qi and Aether through the existing bond, so the Truesoul-Bound Artefact can only display its greatest power when the Truesouls of both parties are in accord. It further strengthens bonds and bond-like abilities. Soullight can be infused into this Artefact to promulgate healing and restoration, but only Soullight of a matching wavelength can be used, for the Truesoul is inviolate and rejects outside interference in all ordinary circumstances. The overlaying Spirit can also be fortified by related Adherence and Aether. There is a consequence of this though, as entanglement and connectivity shall ???????? and the Soullight ?????????? ????????? ?????????.


    That¡¯s... a lot to take in. But it explains why Mae is drawing on my elements. But I don¡¯t care. She¡¯s fighting, and she didn¡¯t have to. She says she has little sense of gratitude, but... maybe she¡¯s changed, or underestimates herself? Now it wasn¡¯t just my bond with Tamamo-no-Mae that was quivering, but Kin Bonding was also shifting, tangling up with the invisible tails I held in my clutches.


    I felt connected then. To Shaeula, to Mae, to Shinkume-no-Hana, to everyone who had ties to me, and amber letters burned across my vision suddenly, surprising me. Adelheid raised an eyebrow quizzically at me, but oddly, and rather annoyingly, enough, it was Christina who noticed.


    ¡°I see. That is the reaction you make when you learn something new, yes? Your eye glows, and you make a puzzled expression.¡± She leaned in close, and this time her breasts were hitting my arm not through clumsy flirting, but because she was simply eager to know more. ¡°Go on, share! It¡¯s fascinating!¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked, and she grinned, winking playfully, her face flushed from the alcohol.


    ¡°I¡¯m always watching you. You fascinate me. I¡¯ve told you that, yes? So... don¡¯t keep a woman in suspense. Being a tease is mean... although, I don¡¯t hate it, when you¡¯re cold to me, I feel shivery deep inside...¡±


    Setting her behaviour aside, I watched the letters with a dose of surprise.


    Your Skill, Kin Bonding And Restoration, has advanced from Rank 7 to Rank 8, as you grasp at bonds not merely of the Material, the Spiritual, but also of the Truesoul.


    Ordinarily, such bonds are of the Spirit, as restoration of the Spirit, while challenging, is possible, while the Truesoul shall remain inviolate and pure. However ??%$%% ????$%¡ê%^ ????%^&%$% ??????$^^$ ????$$^$¡ê¡±%& >>>>??????%$¡ê%¡ê.


    The pressure on your Truesoul by the deep bonds you share shall increase as the greater depth and number of bonds accumulates. The pressure shall ???????? ???????? ???????? if can resist then %&^$%$%^&^& ^&^&&^&&^&^& ^*^&^&^&^&^&^& true League, and &^$&^%^%^%^%% %$*%¡ê$&*$%* generate Soullight in increased quantities.


    However ??????? ??????? ???????? ????????.


    Lovers¡¯ Link subsumed within Kin Bonding And Restoration is strengthened. Aether, Elemental energies, Adherence and Soullight are now generated by all parties at an increased rate based on the ??????? ??????? ???????? ???????? and this effect increases as the bonds of Lovers¡¯ Link strengthen.


    [Class: Legendary] [Type: Fate]


    Uh, those aren¡¯t all the normal question marks. It¡¯s... a mess. Is that... some sort of blockage? I remember when Tan used to say what I presume was either ¡®Truesoul¡¯ or ¡®soullight¡¯ on occasion, and I just heard it as static. Almost as if some Law or perhaps an adherence of some sort prevented understanding. Just reading the oddly distorted parts gave me a headache, and buzzing noises ran through my head when I did so. Setting that aside, what I could read was intense enough.


    It had jumped two Types, up to Fate, which was only matched by The Future Reflected By The Moon. I did idly wonder why it was so, when Soullight Manipulation was only a Law Type, but... again, I guess I can try asking Tan. She might not be able to tell me though.


    I had been lost in thought for several minutes. I then felt a surge of bitter, weary amusement, and a horrible scraping feeling, a pain that wasn¡¯t my own. It was quite terrifying, and made me shiver, an existential dread running through me, before it faded, and I could almost hear a dry chuckle from Mae.


    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Christina was pouting. ¡°I want to know! I need to know! Tell me!¡± She was clutching my arm tight to her chest and shaking it, which admittedly was a pleasant sensation, even if the woman doing it was lacking in charm.


    ¡°No way.¡± I denied her. ¡°There¡¯s too many people around and things I probably shouldn¡¯t discuss casually.¡±


    That just made her more curious. ¡°Then you¡¯ll tell me back at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I disagreed.


    ¡°But... it could be fundamental to my research! No, I get the feeling it is!¡± she wheedled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± I disagreed. ¡°Some matters are too sensitive. Besides, your research... I don¡¯t know how... sane it¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°Amen to that!¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°She¡¯s crazy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m driven!¡± Christina disagreed, and as she pouted, and we continued our argument that Buck categorised as a lover¡¯s quarrel, much to my annoyance, my phone rang. Quickly, I picked it up, to find in relief it was Daiyu.


    ¡°Thank the Gods you¡¯re all right. How about everyone else?¡± I asked quickly. There was a pause, before Daiyu started filling me in. It seemed that the battle for our Territory had concluded. Shaeula, Daiyu, Asha and Violet were all safe, and while there had been casualties amongst the Fae defenders, many of them were within Kin Bonding, and I could certainly feel a great deal of spirit-lights through Shaeula. Though that¡¯s not all I feel. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if her Kin Bonding And Restoration has changed too.


    Mae... she had fought against a Cardinal, it seemed, similar to Mary Stuart, and protected Asha, her Tree and my Territory to her last dregs of strength, pushing herself far too hard, as I had feared she would. Asha had grabbed the phone and tearfully praised her then, and I could hear a weary laugh in the background, and an ironic, self-mocking protest that she had allowed a number of my Buildings to be destroyed by the shockwaves of battle.


    ¡°She... her tails...¡± Asha sounded grief-stricken and mournful. ¡°They all vanished, torn apart. All to protect us...¡±


    So that was the pained sensation I felt. Just like Shinkume-no-Hana and her tails. But... The tails weren¡¯t just part of a Kitsune¡¯s Chakra network, no, there was certainly a more fundamental element there, likely Truesoul related. Maybe with more Shapercrafting and Soullight Crafting I can do something?


    ¡°How is she now?¡± I asked, and after a brief series of quiet noises, I heard a hesitant voice.


    ¡°This device is puzzling. You are further away than the lands of the followers of that aggravating corpse. Across the great seas, yes?¡±


    Corpse? Never mind that. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very far away, Mae. How... how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Not... so well. I am rather wretched right now. Even my foolish granddaughter chooses to bully me, now she has more tails than I. But... I have passed through the worst that could befall me, and yet here I am. She will regret, when I am whole again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I think she¡¯s just trying to make you feel better. Or... maybe work off some frustration? After all, you¡¯ve been a big shadow cast over her life a long time, Mae. So... what of Hanafubuki?¡±


    Daiyu took the phone back. ¡°It seems that Hanafubuki was hit hard. Motoko and Natsumi acquitted themselves most excellently, killing a Chosen of the Gods with the swords you forged for them, as well as their own determination and the training I provided. They are truly worthy of being disciples of the Incorruptible Jade. Unfortunately, there are many injured, some grievously, and a number of dead, though the toll was slight, considering. When a fox is loose amongst chickens, one cannot expect mercy. Fortunately the two of them beheaded the foxes, and apparently several other trainees comported themselves nobly, despite taking injuries.¡±


    More deaths. Shit. But... at least Motoko and Natsumi live. And they killed a Chosen? I really must praise their efforts, although... this mess is going to cause chaos in Japan. Their sons and daughters are everything to the nobility...


    ¡°News from the Tengokusentou... all are safe, and the enemies defeated.¡± Daiyu continued. ¡°Though there have been some... troubling... revelations. On your return, you will have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Just so long as everyone¡¯s all right.¡± I breathed, relieved, only for Daiyu to pause. That¡¯s... ominous.


    ¡°Not... everything went as planned.¡± Daiyu admitted. ¡°In Kyoto... it seemed that with aid from Hyacinth and Arisu, the battle was won, only for Yasaka to fall into a coma, his Territory destroyed.¡±


    What? I was shocked, as the plan was to dismantle Territories in emergencies, and since few had anywhere near the resources invested that I did, we could afford the rebuilding costs. As I reiterated that, I heard Daiyu sigh. ¡°Indeed. Here in Tokyo that happened, and all are safe. But... apparently as his shrine is far from the city, he disregarded that. And paid the price.¡±


    Fucking hell. Yasaka-san was vital to us. Worse... I wasn¡¯t sure if the Church of True Revelation was able to use it themselves or transplant it like I could. If so... that¡¯s a terrible disadvantage for us.


    ¡°That is not all...¡± Daiyu interrupted my thoughts. ¡°Attacks in the Material Kyoto happened as we were repelling the enemy. Those at Kinkaku-ji survived, though Gin was injured, just when it seemed victory was ours. But several key shrines were devastated, and tourists were killed, along with two Chosen. It seems...¡±


    ¡°Uchida Ren, right?¡± I guessed, having seen news of the bombings, but it sounded worse than I had imagined. Two more dead. Such a damnable waste.


    ¡°Yes. He and the disaffected members of the former Susanoo were responsible. Ren had fled the city, but we caught several others of his faction thanks to aid from the military.¡±


    Scratching my head to ward off the sudden migraine that was forming, I exchanged a few more words, then promised I would return to Japan as soon as possible, after my business was done. Hanging up, everyone was looking at me sympathetically, and I forced a smile. ¡°It could have been worse. At least the casualties were... slight.¡± Thinking about the fact our families and all my fiance?es had survived made me feel guilty about the other victims, but... be grateful for small mercies. This could have been a disaster, but for our careful preparations and everyone¡¯s strengths and resolve.


    ¡°Anyway, sadly, I¡¯m stuck here. So there¡¯s nothing I can do except provide moral support.¡± We can only hope these losses will set the Church back significantly. A Cardinal certainly can¡¯t be replaced easily. But... Isaac seemed so confident that it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of resources for them...


    Hoisting my glass, I shrugged ¡°In that case, the next round¡¯s on me too. After all, our crowd here was cheering for Shaeula, so we should tell them the good news.¡±


    As everyone agreed, Christina giggling that she wouldn¡¯t mind if I made a drunken pass at her, I batted her off, glancing down at my phone. This is going to be one horrific mess to untangle. Christina is right, there¡¯s method to their madness, even if it seems rather impulsive. But... what is it we¡¯re not seeing? They¡¯ve been planning for this longer than we can imagine, so...


    Gulping down a mouthful of whiskey, I exchanged a last glance with Aliyah and Trey, who had listened quietly but were clearly thinking the same. As they hoisted their own glasses, I set that aside. Tomorrow, I have to meet the President of the United States of America, and then I can reclaim Egil Andersen¡¯s body, and meet the other Japanese and Norse Chosen... when that¡¯s done... screw it, I¡¯ll see if I can hitch a ride on a damn fighter jet if I have to... I need to get home to those who need me...

 Five Hundred And Forty-Two

    Five Hundred And Forty-Two


    ¡°Good morning... ugh... my... my head...¡± I was greeted by the sight of a very pale-faced Christina rummaging around beside her bed for something. Her long, rather unkempt ash-blonde hair had tangled up around her naked body, and as the thin bedsheet she was wearing fell away, revealing her rather impressive breasts swinging bare, I looked away like a gentleman. She¡¯s such a pain, but...


    Honestly, she had been a welcome distraction. We had carried on drinking at Kelly¡¯s Haven long into the night. I worried about local liquor laws, as we went past the stated closing hours, but Buck had just shrugged and said that tonight was special, and if the police were called, he¡¯d deal with it. Indeed, the raucous crowd had cheered and drank, and sang songs, both American and Irish, and oddly enough there were even a few Japanese songs thrown in, some I recognised as particularly bad renditions of some famous anime themes.


    I think Buck could certainly have made more money. I certainly lightened my wallet a bit. But... Seeing the huge upswing of support for Shaeula was heartwarming, and also served a purpose. It¡¯s a war of hearts and minds now. And... if we¡¯re going to win people over, I think it¡¯s easier to direct people¡¯s approval towards tangible people like Shaeula, rather than an abstract, nebulous God. Though... we also need to increase faith in those too. The Pilgrimage... hmm... I wonder... I¡¯ll call Arisu-san, she probably has connections...


    The news coverage had actually displayed some footage from the press conference in London, and of course the scene where Shaeula had delivered her now famous catchphrase. The crowd had cheered and toasted, and when I had announced that I had word that Shaeula was safe and had triumphed, the patrons were boisterous and exultant in the extreme, cheering and toasting her wildly. We had also recorded a lot of the footage, which I planned to show Shaeula as a surprise.


    Pulling on her glasses, Christina blinked blearily, her skin an unhealthy pallor. She made no effort to cover herself though, merely yawning. ¡°...I thought that you were getting me drunk, so you¡¯d have an excuse for attacking me. Really, is everything I¡¯ve heard about men wrong?¡± She seemed almost affronted, and I had to chuckle.


    Of course I didn¡¯t do anything. Just letting her sleep in my room as she wanted was a big enough concession. I honestly don¡¯t think that Adam White will try anything now, there¡¯s no benefit to it for him. He might certainly be brutal in his methods, but he also seems pragmatic, measured. But Christina was right. If there was even a one percent chance they might try to snatch and disappear her, it was probably worth eliminating that last risk.


    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s just that you¡¯re not my type.¡± I shot her down, and she shivered, her body reacting, and I cursed myself for having the perception to notice. I did not need to see that. Oh well... compared to the troubles of last night, this is only a minor annoyance.


    ¡°Your cold rejection stings. But I¡¯m a persistent woman.¡± She stretched, making sure to show off her ample breasts, letting the sheet fall further to reveal that she wasn¡¯t wearing panties either. Though I knew that. She didn¡¯t exactly make an effort to cover herself last night. It felt rather uncomfortable sharing a room with a naked woman, even if of course I was the perfect gentleman and left her to her own bed, but it wasn¡¯t as if even Eri would care that much. She knows she can trust me not to do anything stupid, and I¡¯d much rather be here with her, or indeed any of my girls. Shiro... she¡¯d just laugh and make jokes about how if this was a year ago, I¡¯d think I¡¯d died and gone to Heaven...


    Christina held her pose, her pale, clammy skin growing redder and redder, as for a moment I was lost in thought, shaking off the mussiness of my own sleep. Not that I had much. But I thought I¡¯d snatch an hour. Since for once I wasn¡¯t also bustling in the Boundary, it made sense to try and activate The Future Reflected By The Moon. It didn¡¯t reveal anything though. But then, it¡¯s not like even Tsukiko had prophecies and visions when she wanted. All I got from my hour of sleep was a vague feeling of restless dread, a faint headache, and a handful more messages on my phone.


    ¡°I... uh...¡± Christina¡¯s mouth was flapping, and I realised I was staring, so I glanced away, and she let out a long breath, trembling a little. Both relieved and aroused, she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. ¡°...You¡¯ve got a sadistic streak, haven¡¯t you? Do you get a thrill from bullying me? If so...¡± Her smile was wicked, and I could almost see her drooling. ¡°...I don¡¯t mind. I daresay there¡¯s things a shy boy like you would like to try but don¡¯t want to appear perverted in front of your other women.¡± She winked playfully. ¡°...Little miss Christina here won¡¯t judge, even if it hurts! I¡¯ll consider it an experiment in human reproduction and...¡± She suddenly turned green, stomach heaving. ¡°...oh, I shouldn¡¯t have drunk so much, but... it was fun and unusual for me...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a pain, you know that?¡± With a sigh I got out of my own bed, and placed my hand on her forehead, careful to avoid her as she tried to press against me. Aether trickled, and her pallor faded, and her eyes became rather more lucid. With a smile that was decidedly less lewd, but was still rather teasing, she thanked me.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s so much better. I rather enjoyed the experience of drinking to excess, but... yes, the body does not approve. Speaking of experiments...¡± Despite the fact she was stark naked, she suddenly narrowed her eyes, her focus sharpening. ¡°...I get you were busy last night. You had so many calls and messages...¡±


    Yeah, she¡¯s not kidding. Obviously I had calls from all of my women, as well as my family, friends and more. Oddly enough, the most interesting call was from Yu-mi. Remembering, I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little, though obviously it wasn¡¯t all good.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re likely busy, but I just wanted to check in with you. Or perhaps you¡¯d rather I make room for another call from Eri and the rest?¡± Yu-mi had joked, and after I assured her that no, I was glad to hear from her, and that she was safe, she had got down to business.


    ¡°My dad¡¯s staying with us for now. He¡¯s very shaken up by the whole disaster at the Tengokusentou. A bad business that. I¡¯m just glad that everyone made it out safely. It seems that Hinata was shrewd as always, taking Shiro as protection. Though I hear she certainly held her own... no, if she hasn¡¯t told you already, I certainly won¡¯t steal her thunder. Be sure to praise her properly, okay? Women love that from a man they like.¡±


    I remembered thinking just how much Yu-mi¡¯s demeanour had changed, from the sullen, standoffish woman who loathed the idea of an arranged marriage with me, but would have done it anyway for her cousin, as she was a kind girl at heart, to this proactive, cheerful and charming woman who was constantly driven to succeed.


    ¡°Anyway...¡± she had continued. ¡°...your mother¡¯s taken charge of him and got him settled in the spare house. She then moved the idol girl in with your sister for now, saying she couldn¡¯t stay in a house with my dad. I get it, but it¡¯s not like my dad has the guts to try anything... oh well.¡± She had giggled, clearly amused. ¡°I really like your mother. She¡¯s very welcoming. Though she does keep teasing me, asking if I regret turning you down. Well, enough of the happier chat.¡± She was serious then. ¡°I¡¯ve been in touch with Kang Da, back in Korea, as well as several acquaintances of my dad. In my role as South Korea¡¯s Adamant Captain, of course.¡± She sounded proud and teasing at the same time. ¡°There¡¯s definitely been a planned leak of the footage, it wasn¡¯t an accident, unlike the government claimed. It seems that factions in the Blue House are jockeying for position, and we¡¯ve almost become a casualty in the crossfire of their schemes...¡±


    She had then explained her reasoning, and her plans for action. She was going to fly back to Korea when everything was settled, but before that, she had asked to come along on the Pilgrimage. I had been a bit surprised, as she wasn¡¯t Japanese, but that hadn¡¯t concerned her. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m particularly devout, and... honestly, if I¡¯m going to hold the position I¡¯ve been given, I can¡¯t be just a figurehead. I¡¯m... actually a rather prideful woman, aren¡¯t I? Besides... having met those you call Kami, I have no problem worshiping them. It¡¯ll be good practise.¡±


    ¡°Practise for what?¡± I had asked, and she merely giggled again, this time rather wickedly.


    ¡°Wait and see. It¡¯s not for me to say. I may be a Captain, but I still answer to the Commanders. So do you, it seems.¡± After that, we had exchanged some more chatter, mostly for us both to reassure each other everything was well, and then after I hung up, of course I had another call from someone else...


    As those memories ran through my head in an instant, in front of me, Christina finished her plea. ¡°...and yes, you¡¯ve had other things on your mind, but... it¡¯s important to further our understanding of your abilities. Now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... I don¡¯t exactly trust you, do I?¡± I countered, standing, Christina¡¯s eyes devoured my body, her throat gulping, her face hot, but I was wearing underwear, at least. Though obviously, my body was far from the rather frail, nerdy state it was accustomed to only five months ago, and now my muscles were quite impressive. Other things too.  ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson about oversharing.¡±


    ¡°That hurts... and not in a pleasing way...¡± Christina tore her eyes from my body, looking into mine earnestly, and it was an expression I seldom saw on her. ¡°...look. I said it to Adam, Chris, Gina and the rest, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m a patriot. I am a proud American. But... I¡¯m also a woman. I never thought that would matter, but it does. I¡¯m... perhaps I¡¯m a fool.¡± She paused then. ¡°No, actually, this works!¡± She bounced up and down excitedly, and I hardly knew where to look.


    ¡°At least put on a nightgown or something, I know you brought luggage.¡± I complained, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No! The topic is serious, but... this is a rare chance to appeal to you! Anyway... intelligence. Your Statistics,


    as you call them. Intellect is a thing, yes? If so... there should be a great deal of ramifications. Firstly, nobody can remain as they were if their brain changes so. Greater processing power will inevitably strip away extraneous, irrelevant emotions and ideas. Consider chess... well, I suppose it should be shogi, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Mom taught me chess too. Not that I¡¯m much good at either. Although...¡± It¡¯s true I¡¯ve not played in a while. Maybe I¡¯m grandmaster level now? It should be easy enough to calculate dozens of moves ahead in an instant...


    ¡°Yes, you get it. A boring, yet ruthlessly efficient game, is what our best chess-playing AI¡¯s manage nowadays. But you... your brain should be working at the level of a supercomputer, in some respects. Perhaps not quite as good at calculations. But when you combine what our brains do well that computers do not, pattern recognition, abstract thinking, intuitive logic... there¡¯s no way you should be making the choices you do.¡±


    ¡°Is that a dig at me?¡± I had to laugh, and she shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a liar, Akio. I may have my faults...¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you certainly do...¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s the sort of coldness that somehow thrills me.¡± Christina giggled, and while I hated myself for it, and was certainly not softening my stance or forgiving her for her many crimes, I couldn¡¯t help but find that a little amusing. ¡°No, I¡¯m serious.¡± She continued to lecture me, which was rather incongruous, as she was still stark naked in our hotel room.


    ¡°My point is, if we understand the how and the why, we can turn it to our advantage, and make it perform the what.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about this. Resilience seems to prevent my thought processes from changing too much. It¡¯s hard to explain to someone whose stats aren¡¯t as absurd as mine, but... even though I can be in two places at once, or think about six different things at the same time, and run through thoughts that should take minutes in a fraction of a second... I still feel like me. So of course I act like I always have, just... a little more solidly, for want of a better expression.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Christina agreed, balling one fist and slamming it in her open palm for emphasis. ¡°But that¡¯s not the whole picture. In our analogy... you¡¯re a chess supercomputer. You¡¯ve gone from an amateur to a grandmaster, yet you can still make moves that eschew the best outcome, based on what your Resilience protects. And honestly...¡± She blinked behind her glasses. She didn¡¯t really need them after she finally received the full Chirurgery, but she had said she was used to them, and it made her look intellectual. ¡°...I think that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    I blinked at that, completely shocked, and she snickered. ¡°Surprised? I... may not grasp the finer points of human behaviour, but... I¡¯ve changed. Been changed. The logical outcome I can think of, is that you either demand I be punished for my actions, or better yet, make Adam hand me over, and exploit me for everything I know. Perhaps even take out your anger on me, treat me harshly, then sentence me to death.¡± She shivered at that, lips parting wetly, and my earlier amusement vanished. Nope, still creepy. But... she¡¯s vastly more expressive than before. Just what happened when Haru shared all those memories and experiences with her?


    ¡°Logic dictates what is necessary, desirable or harmful. But... following your career, from what Adam has unearthed, and I have learned since... despite mistakes, despite choices that were poor... you¡¯ve prospered. I think... pure calculative and logical methods will fail in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear you say that.¡± I said at last. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a denial of everything you¡¯ve worked for, you¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± She waved her hand triumphantly, back straight, face proud. ¡°I have just come to a realisation. Data supports the change! And it¡¯s relevant here. So... you¡¯re a chess supercomputer, yes? You have immense processing power, but... if I wanted you to do something else... well, I can¡¯t suddenly expect you to perform flawlessly at poker, for example. Your brain, whether your Intellect, as you call it, is either ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand, can¡¯t know what it doesn¡¯t, can¡¯t perform tasks it doesn¡¯t have software for. And... the effect of Intellect is surely not just mediated by Resilience, but also your personality.¡±


    ¡°And so?¡± I asked, rather fascinated by the in-depth analysis.


    ¡°And so... if I was to install poker software onto you, you¡¯d be capable of perfectly playing hands, but... you could also bluff! Because you are not swept away in the cold enforcement of logic and numbers.¡± she declared triumphantly. ¡°More to the point... it¡¯s why a genius like me is valuable. I live and breathe the scientific process. So, were I to have your level of Intellect, I would be able to operate far in excess of others, because the core of my being, the software and hardware mediated by both Intellect and Resilience, is specifically optimised, by either nature or nurture, most likely a combination of both, for experimentation, intuitive leaps, data sorting, pattern recognition and more! But...¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°...I can also help you train your mind to have the same sort of pathways as mine does.¡±


    ¡°Be like you? No thanks.¡±


    ¡°You wound me again. Is it fun for you, deliberately being cold? Here I am, all defenceless, naked before you... surely you wish to push me down, punish my cheeky, virgin body and soul with your...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± I flicked her forehead, and she pouted, though her eyes were sparkling. ¡°You¡¯re making some good points, but enough with the terrible flirting. It¡¯s not sexy, you know?¡±


    ¡°Really? I disagree, my body is...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your attitude. Honestly... being so brazen about it is almost off-putting.¡± I explained. ¡°Anyway... I get what you are saying. You¡¯re saying that even with all my stats, I¡¯m likely still less efficient than you or Ixitt at research and creation. It makes sense. Motoko and Natsumi, for example, they are able to defeat opponents with greater speed and strength, because they know how to use what they have more efficiently.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So... you should share with me. I know you distrust me. But... I¡¯ve made it clear.¡± She spread her arms again, looking proud. ¡°I¡¯ll have no secrets from you. Honestly... it¡¯s also best for America. We¡¯ve... disappointed you. And even on this fun trip across the world, I¡¯ve seen nothing to make me doubt you are going to be... what did they call it... ah yes, the Astral Emperor. So... use me. I... honestly, I¡¯m a mess of confusing emotions I never felt before. And it just motivates me to reach new heights. You... can use those who have done bad deeds, yes? That woman, Nie Ling. She is from China and was involved in the second Kyoto incident? Her ability... it is simply too good to pass up. There must be others, yes? I was listening to your calls.¡± She pulled out her phone, showing me she had searched online for the myths and legends of Tamamo-no-Mae. ¡°Compared to me... if even half of these tall tales are true... her hands are stained crimson with blood to the elbows.¡±


    It''s true. She¡¯s got me there. She¡¯s genuinely seeking redemption. For selfish reasons, perhaps, but...


    As if seeing me wavering, she smirked. ¡°It¡¯s cute. Everything shows on your face. I never would have paid that any notice before. I¡¯m changing. I thought... to perfectly replicate a thing was for it to be the thing. But perhaps now I realise... aiming to be something, changes you. We can¡¯t stay the same. So...¡± She took off her glasses, folded them neatly and her expression was now incredibly serious, none of her earlier flirting. ¡°...you took me from Adam. Use me. It¡¯s not just logical, but also tallies with your past acts. If they have to strive for forgiveness, to balance the scales, then I shall as well. I... will need help, yours and others. Because... I do tend to forget myself when conducting research, and I admit... I will take actions that go beyond the bounds of what ordinary men and women would countenance. Yet... with a firm hand...¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, and her smile was calm as she continued. ¡°I do not mean it in a sexual manner, I assure you. I... hope for that too. But... since I apparently lack charm, I shall set it aside for now.¡± Even her word choice and tone were different, as if delivering a proposal or request for funding. ¡°You can bind me further with these mind controlling winds. Or any other method you might have. You can set guards and watchers upon me. You can vet every experiment. I have no wish to die for nothing. Dying for something... that is meaningful. Romantic, perhaps I would say now, though never before.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing romantic about death.¡± I disagreed. ¡°It just leaves behind sorrow.¡±


    ¡°You would be sorrowful for me? I shall... bear that in mind.¡± She blinked, misunderstanding me, but... I suppose it¡¯s true that living her life to make amends is a better choice.


    ¡°Now, you can hardly deny we need to further research all aspects of ether, aether and all other new phenomenon?¡± At my headshake, she nodded knowingly. ¡°Of course not. In fact, your own progress has outstripped ours. Now, from the chess grandmaster standpoint...¡± she went back to her earlier example. ¡°...experimenting on enemies and criminals is logical. But... we did that, and you loathe it. And yes, when the subjects run dry... it leads to...¡±


    ¡°What you did.¡± I grunted coldly, and she shivered.


    ¡°Yes. Mistakes. For... I was going to say good reason, but... now I see our folly. Hence why I propose this.¡± Her expression was calm and composed. ¡°I shall be the test subject for every experiment I can be involved in. There are no moral issues with that, and I shall not only suffer what our prior subjects did, but... worse.¡± Her lips quirked in a smile both excited and fearful. ¡°After all, while Scryer is a decent healer, compared to your efforts... We shall dig into my brain, my body, my spirit... every part studied and tested. We shall build knowledge, and implement it.¡±


    At her words, I had horrific visions of her skull peeled open, parts of her brain removed and then regrown, and other horrors. I raised it, and she looked at me with such a red-faced and lustful expression, her calm shattering, I nearly recoiled.


    ¡°I knew you would understand. Yes, I have plans in that direction. Chakras, how do they interact with our Material forms? How does the brain mediate such things? Can lost memories be healed... so many things we should know.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Suddenly I felt sick. ¡°...I was planning to transplant my Eye and regrow it. No, I already tried... it didn¡¯t work, but...¡±


    ¡°You have not given up.¡± She clapped her hands together, entire body now scarlet with arousal and excitement. ¡°A failure can tell us as much as a success, sometimes. But... what would you do if you caused permanent injury to yourself, lost your Eye?¡±


    ¡°I was certain that wouldn¡¯t happen...¡± I admitted, and she nodded.


    ¡°As am I that my experiments will not maim or kill me and will lead to applications that will strengthen you and your followers to unprecedented heights.¡± She then shrugged. ¡°If I am wrong... then I have reaped what I have sowed, yes? These Church folk, do they not say ¡®an eye for an eye¡¯?¡±


    I didn¡¯t like it, not at all, but... She¡¯s right. I believe I can win my wager with Tan, use the Seeds to replicate my Eye, but... such resources are finite and precious. If improvements could be made... and she¡¯s willing. Insane, but willing... but, can I trust her? Oddly enough... I hate to say it, but...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± Christina¡¯s tone was back to normal now. She stood, sniffing her naked body. ¡°I reek of sweat and alcohol. No wonder you aren¡¯t pushing me down on the bed...¡±


    ...I think so long as she¡¯s got access to the research she wants to do, she¡¯ll be happy. Even so... whatever happens, we need safeguards on her... Watching her go, my headache had returned. Damn, it seems that I¡¯m always on the verge of a migraine nowadays...


    ***


    As the sound of the shower filled the room, I quickly cleansed myself with a little water element and aether. Glancing over at the discarded mess of Christina¡¯s clothes, I realised she was quite the slob too. Though to be fair she was very drunk. Everyone was. Even Zachary and Bethany had carried on drinking with us into the small hours of the morning, Bethany¡¯s wariness of me having faded after I healed her scar. As I prepared the expensive suit I would be wearing to meet the President at the White House, for a state dinner and then a less formal gathering afterwards, I skimmed my phone, firing off messages where appropriate.


    Huh, a new one from Fujiwara-san. Seems important...


    Checking the time, I made a call, and quickly he answered. ¡°Sorry about the late hour over there.¡± I apologised. ¡°I got your message. Is... is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Fujiwara Shige-san, the grandfather of Miyu and Honoka-san, sighed, his usually steely tone, rich and powerful despite his advancing age, sounding rather defeated, exhausted. ¡°While my granddaughters are safe, and the Tengokusentou and Hanafubuki survived, the damage is... significant. Fortunately, winter break is almost upon us, so Itsuki, Kira and I, on consultation with the other families, have decided to suspend school for the meantime. The security is clearly inadequate for these troubling times.¡±


    That made sense. I murmured my agreement, and he got to the point, what he really wanted to discuss. ¡°While the former fiance? of Shiraishi Nozomi is still at large, perhaps not even in the country, significant assets, mostly stolen from Shiraishi house and liquidated, it seems, have been moved abroad. We did however, thanks to the brave efforts of Hinata-san and your fiance?e Shiratori-san...¡± He called Shiro by her actual name, which would hardly have pleased her. ¡°...as well as my Miyu, I can hardly believe it.... We captured his brother, as well as a number of members of the Ruby Group. It did not take long for... Shiratori-san to persuade them to talk. And it confirmed my worst fears.¡±


    I listened, as he explained how he had established Fujiwara Security Services after his eldest son and his family was killed on a trip to America. He had always had suspicions about who was behind it, hence the strange state of Fujiwara house, but... ¡°So, it seems Hidemasa was indeed behind it, and he had contact with the powers behind the Ruby Group, the Chinese Triads... no, Cultivators, I suppose I should say...¡± He paused for a moment, and I could hear his grief. ¡°I can hardly believe it. Kazuhito likely suspected his brother had great hatred for him, hence why he absolved himself from running Fujiwara house and went into politics. And despite being the eldest, Miyu was always too quiet and diffident. Or so I thought. To think she would defy me and end up under your reins.¡±


    I wanted to protest at that, but it was technically true, and it didn¡¯t seem the time anyway, so I made a quiet, non-committal response as he continued.


    ¡°I believed that if Hidemasa felt he would take over after me, or at the least, Honoka and her chosen husband would, he would remain quiet, but...¡± Another long, mournful, grief-stricken sigh. ¡°...it seems that the changes that have swept over Japan provoked him. He fears Miyu¡¯s rise, under your care. And he is hardly competent enough to succeed on his own merits, taking over from Koji-kun, who runs our businesses for me and directs policies I have no need to interfere in. So it seems he once again turned to outside aid, those who had served him well before.¡±


    The bitter story was unveiled, though there were still gaps, of course. But it seemed that the Ruby Group put Hidemasa-san... no, Hidemasa... Those who would turn on their family don¡¯t deserve any respect... in contact with Kuwahara Takehisa, who was already rotting the Shiraishi house from within after his engagement to Nozomi-san. The plan was then to dispose of Miyu, alongside her father, and if possible, some other executives on site, like Harada Koji-san, and the head of Fujiwara Security Services, Ueno Junichiro-san, by using hidden methods only the Ruby Group supposedly had. That would be by these Sa?ncho?ng I¡¯ve heard about. But...


    ¡°Hidemasa can hardly even scheme correctly.¡± Fujiwara-san grieved. ¡°The Ruby Group and the Serpents behind them surely wished to eliminate the majority of the powerful nobility, leaving us vulnerable to takeover, and Japan¡¯s economy and political power in turmoil, now of all times. Kuwahara-san was simply the first snake of ours that left his burrow. There are others. Though we are doing a full audit of the Three-Hundred and the Fifty-Eight. Though I would ask...¡± He paused, seeming a little hesitant, so I encouraged him to speak.


    ¡°...if I could obtain the assistance of Suzuki Haru-san, as well as Hikawa Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san? This is too important not to extract all the poisonous thorns, especially now.¡± He then explained the ongoing situation in Japan. The major Church attacks had been in Kyoto and Tokyo, both bombings and shootings in the Material, and widespread chaos in the Boundary, though in our Territories at least, as well as Gin-san¡¯s in Kyoto, the Boundary battles had wrapped up before the major Material strikes, so the damage was lesser than anticipated, though lives were still lost.


    A full audit of Territories around Japan was ongoing by the Ministry, with military support, but from just Tokyo alone, many of the Territories whose owners remained anonymous had vanished, surely destroyed. If that was repeated over Japan, or worse, worldwide... Yeah, we got out okay, but... a lot didn¡¯t. Fortunately, all our Territories are linked by Ring Gates, so we are far less vulnerable...


    Public sentiment was mixed. Just like after Kyoto, protests and some rioting had broken out, though surprisingly, in Japan at least, it wasn¡¯t as furious as expected, our reputation and deeds having garnered some support, or at least a willingness to wait for our responses, from many. Though of course, there were still a great deal of angry voices demanding Chosen be exiled from Japan, imprisoned or worse, and another group targeting us specifically, as well as the nobility and wealthy of Japan.


    ¡°...so then. Now that Hidemasa is in custody, when you return, if we could search his mind for what we need that would be appreciated. And then... Honoka¡¯s potential engagements are now void, and as a daughter of a kinslayer and a disgrace, her path to inheritance is blocked. Though, there are other issues...¡± Talk had turned back to Fujiwara house¡¯s troubles.


    ¡°These are all internal family matters.¡± I suggested. ¡°...I don¡¯t think I need to be involved.¡±


    ¡°I fear you are mistaken.¡± he disagreed. ¡°With Miyu as your... Vassal...¡± The word seemed to pain him a little. ¡°...and under your protection, you will certainly find yourself involved regardless of your desires. But for now... I believe you are meeting the President shortly?¡±


    At my affirmation, he offered me some advice. ¡°He is a... troublesome... fellow. I have met him on a number of occasions, he fancies himself a businessman, and indeed he has accumulated a great deal of wealth. But... he can also be unreasonable. Yet he can certainly be persuaded to act for self-interest. Remember that and you can get what you need from him.¡± After some more warnings and advice, I hung up, just as Christina was coming out of the bathroom, towelling off her damp hair. Still naked I see. Not that it matters now, I¡¯ve seen enough of her.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡± She teased, preening, and I merely shook my head and started to get changed. Seeing I wasn¡¯t biting, she went over to her own luggage, pulling out a rather fetching pale green gown with golden accessories. Then out came her underwear, which was green as well, in a similar shade, and rather... scanty.


    Seeing me looking, she chuckled. ¡°I can hardly meet our President and all the other dignitaries in a lab coat, can I now? Besides, I can¡¯t embarrass you, little miss Christina would never shame you so!¡± she promised cheerfully. ¡°And it isn¡¯t like you can go just with Adelheid, is it? Americans are quite conservative, you know. It¡¯ll look bad.¡±


    ¡°Adelheid isn¡¯t anywhere near as young as she looks...¡± I protested. I mean, she was drinking beer with the best of us last night.


    ¡°So, you¡¯d be happy to take her out on a date to a fancy restaurant then?¡± Christina asked shrewdly, as she pulled up her panties and started to tug on her bra, covering her ample breasts, and she smirked as she saw me looking. Okay, she got me that time. Having them covered actually makes it more interesting. What can I say, I¡¯m a man...


    ¡°It would be rather embarrassing and uncomfortable.¡± I admitted. ¡°People would certainly mistake things.¡± I had that issue now, though mostly with Shaeula and Hinata, though Daiyu looked younger than she was too, Cultivators seeming to have a slightly slowed physical maturity, perhaps due to their Qi training from a young age.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Christina laughed, stepping into her dress. She struggled to zip it up and turned her back to me, so without much thought I pulled the zipper up, and she squirmed, making sure everything was in place. ¡°You need a woman of a certain calibre on your arm at this event, and the fact I¡¯m American... it shows you¡¯re on good terms with us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really though.¡± I disagreed. ¡°There¡¯s some Americans I¡¯m friends with, like Buck and his wife, and I suppose David now. Bethany and Zachary seemed all right too. But I¡¯d say I¡¯m on bad terms...¡± I put on my watch, and my cufflinks, each of which was an antique which Motoko had gifted me, apparently from her grandfather.


    ¡°...I¡¯m hurt. But I understand. Consider this... efforts to repair relations.¡± Christina pointed out, and it was hard to argue with that. ¡°...besides... while we¡¯ll be working together a long time, I¡¯ll be busy, as will you.¡± Her smile was a little sad, and a lot nicer than her usual one. ¡°So I may never get this chance to raise my favourability points with you like this again.¡±


    ¡°I think you studied the wrong things when you were learning about Japan.¡± I grumbled, before taking a deep breath. ¡°Look. I¡¯ll be honest. It¡¯s not just up to me what we do with you. I need to get everyone else¡¯s input, though they¡¯ll let me make the final call.¡±


    ¡°A marriage interview, how old-fashioned.¡± she teased, only to shrug. ¡°Just lightening the mood again. I can tell you are about to say something important.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I nodded, checking myself out in the mirror, but I could see her reflection, watching me. ¡°I... experimented on Kondou Kazuo. He was a monster, a death row prisoner, you¡¯d say. But my actions were still cold. But... without the experiences there, some of my later deeds, such as removing Divine Favours with Chirurgery, they might not have been possible. Not just those...¡± I took another dep, regretful breath.


    ¡°When I tormented Shaeula and the others, to help them learn Chirurgery at the cost of pain and potential harm, or when I was the instigator and catalyst in turning Hyacinth into a weapon of mass destruction that could have a catastrophic impact were she to misuse her strength. All for good, necessary reasons. It¡¯s just...¡± Words failed me, and I shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say that I understand, or that you did the right thing. But not because I don¡¯t, or think you were wrong...¡± Christina spoke earnestly. She pulled her glasses on again. ¡°That¡¯s better. I feel quite naked without them. Oh yes... you don¡¯t want me to tell you what you did was right. You want to feel burdened. I must say...¡± She puffed out her chest proudly, which made her green gown strain. ¡°...I¡¯m rather proud of myself for picking up on that. Emotions... are just like anything else. A set of software we can put in our brains. I¡¯ll master them.¡±


    I don¡¯t think it works like that, but... perhaps it wasn¡¯t just the memories and experiences she shared, maybe they¡¯ve jogged loose some rusted gears, or soaked in somehow...


    ¡°What matters is the line. The line you can live with. What I... what we did... that crosses what you can tolerate. So... I¡¯ll help you stay behind your line. In future, any dangerous experiments, where someone might be harmed, I¡¯ll willingly accept. And help you plan and improve them. I am a genius after all.¡± She couldn¡¯t help boasting. ¡°I have no wish to die, and I don¡¯t enjoy that sort of pain... though... perhaps in bed...¡± She glanced over meaningfully, before snorting. ¡°...but death in the pursuit of the true pinnacle of science... that is an end I can face with few regrets. Of course, I shall endeavour to make our experiments as safe as possible, so as not to strain your delicate conscience. And... who knows. Maybe one day you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me.¡± I disagreed, and she shook her head, even as she styled her hair, though she was doing such a bad job of it I took over, frustrated, and as I brushed through her long ash-blonde hair and pinned it up, she answered my denial.


    ¡°No, but... it¡¯s yours I care about. I¡¯m Christina Bakker. I¡¯m always going to be selfish. But... a firm hand on my reins, your hand... and I believe I can certainly do a great deal of good.¡± Her smile was proud, but also a little pouty. ¡°I mean, why do others get to have a second chance, and I don¡¯t?¡±


    Not answering, I finished up her hair, and perhaps that was an answer. I pulled out my phone and called up Adelheid, who grumbled she was already ready. ¡°Come on then. Our transport awaits. I¡¯ll be honest, like most people, I¡¯ve always wondered what the White House is like.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not as exciting as you are imagining.¡± she shrugged. Outside our room, Adelheid was waiting for us. She was wearing a modest black dress, with the hems down to her ankles and full coverage, along with a black lace hat with velvet purple roses, her hair hanging loose, yet I could tell she¡¯d made an effort. Giving her a thumbs-up, I praised her.


    ¡°Looking good, Tanya!¡±


    ¡°I keep telling you, my name is Adelheid!¡± she shot back, and even though we were speaking in German, Christina got the gist of it.


    ¡°You know...¡± she smirked. ¡°I put Tanya in a search engine, with Adelheid¡¯s description and...¡± I quickly grabbed her hand to stop her showing her phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke.¡± I promised. ¡°Though you look very adorable today, Adelheid.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. You think a little beer will leave me hungover? I am German after all.¡±


    ¡°Just a little, huh? I remember you draining bottle after bottle... but then, I guess your stats are good, so whatever. Anyway, shall we go?¡± Trey and Aliyah were surely sleeping off their own brutal hangovers. Today they were again gathering information from their fellow PMC¡¯s, but they¡¯d be joining us to retrieve Egil¡¯s body later. I had offered them the opportunity to come with us, but Treyvon got rather panicked at the thought of his sister getting drunk and punching the President or something similar... yeah, that would certainly be a diplomatic incident I don¡¯t want to resolve...


    As Christina agreed cheerfully and Adelheid with significantly less enthusiasm, we strode down towards the foyer, only to stop when we got there, as three familiar faces were wating. Is that... FBI Director Christopher Wright, Zachary and Bethany? What are they doing here?

 Five Hundred And Forty-Three

    Five Hundred And Forty-Three


    Director Christopher was in a formal suit, and I now had the experience to recognise it as a particularly high class one. Bethany and Zachary had changed, obviously, both of them in more casual clothing, jeans and hoodies, and seeing me looking, Bethany¡¯s cheeks flushed a little pink. Yeah, she¡¯s dressed rather differently to her flashy style from last night.


    The pair of them also looked wretchedly hung over, which made sense, as despite their likely high stats from their Favours, they were certainly downing a great deal of strong spirits, both mortal and Fae, as the mood got to them.


    ¡°If we could talk...?¡± Christopher asked, and as I had no reason to refuse, we were soon in a small private room at the hotel. Zachary was clutching a bottle of water, sipping at it gingerly, and seeing that, I offered to cure their hangover, but Christopher shook his head grumpily.


    ¡°Let it be a lesson to them. Young women like Bethany shouldn¡¯t be getting drunk, it¡¯s not safe nowadays.¡±


    I nodded at that, having to agree. ¡°Yeah, my sister will be starting university in the spring, if all goes well. I¡¯ve told her to be careful of that herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s old fashioned, dad...¡± Bethany grumbled, but he shook his head, expression stern.


    ¡°You think so? But it only takes one mistake to ruin your life.¡± I nodded along to his warnings, and Bethany rolled her eyes, looking younger than she was. Seeing I was supporting him again, Christopher coughed, clearing his throat. ¡°I... well, when Bethany and Zachary came staggering in drunk at such a late hour... I was concerned! I only knew because she¡¯s back from college on winter break.¡±


    Bethany looked a little ashamed at that, but her lip was still curled in defiance. It was Zachary who spoke up.


    ¡°Come on dad, I was with her. Besides...¡±


    ¡°Besides? Haven¡¯t you seen the news?¡± he cried, before taking a deep breath, visibly calming himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He apologised to me. ¡°I¡¯m just... concerned. I had told my children to stay well clear of any trouble, especially as...¡± He glowered at Christina, who pushed at her glasses nervously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so grumpy Chris! I¡¯ve turned over a new leaf, I promise. I¡¯ll find out what I need to know with the highest of ethical standards... maybe not the highest safety standards, but...¡± she glanced at me, gauging my response. ¡°...when one has someone that can heal any wound on tap, as well as a colleague who specialises in mental health care... I can take a few risks for results. Besides...¡± Now she was the one with a slightly pink face. ¡°...it wouldn¡¯t be so bad, having Akio here worried about my wellbeing, I think?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve...¡± Christopher looked stunned for a moment. ¡°...I know what you said to us, but... I find it hard to believe.¡± He blinked, before turning to me. ¡°I know of your... reputation. But... her?¡± He seemed incredulous. ¡°Christina Bakker is certainly a beauty, objectively so, but... her personality is trash.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m beautiful, huh?¡± Christina preened in her green gown. ¡°Don¡¯t be hitting on me or I¡¯ll tell your wife, Chris!¡±


    ¡°I think you missed the point.¡± He sighed again. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d rather bed a snake. Nobody knows what she¡¯s thinking behind those cold blue eyes of hers. I doubt she even knows what romance or love is. And my kids are terrified of her. I warned them to stay away from her, and you. But it seems they think themselves adults, too old to listen to their father.¡± The pair of siblings shifted restlessly, looking guilty as well as hungover.


    ¡°I like to unravel the secrets of everything.¡± Christina shrugged. ¡°This is simply a new mystery. Besides... it¡¯s all water under the bridge, right Bethany, Zachary?¡± Her smile was teasing, and in the end the two nodded.


    ¡°Yeah... though...¡± Bethany struggled to articulate her thoughts. ¡°...I think you¡¯re even more frightening now. Just... I suppose if anyone can take it, you can.¡± She nodded at me, and I grimaced.


    ¡°Honestly, she¡¯s absolutely not my type. But... it¡¯s not like I can tell her she¡¯s not allowed to fall for who she likes. I¡¯m not taking her up on anything though.¡± I insisted, and Christina shivered, an almost inaudible moan escaping her damp lips. Damnit, she¡¯s strange. A masochist, right? It¡¯s really hard to deal with her when even being mean to her turns her on...


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Bethany ignored my protestations, perhaps getting back at me for her hangover, and I shrugged, unwilling to talk about it further. She then continued. ¡°I... didn¡¯t want to go, but Zack dragged me out...¡±


    ¡°Hey Beth, that¡¯s so not fair, way to stab me in the back! Else why would you have got all dressed up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb, little brother! I¡¯m a woman, I can¡¯t go to a bar looking unfashionable! If anyone I knew saw me, I¡¯d die.¡± She then paused, face red. ¡°I have to thank you again. For... for healing me. Honestly, I just wanted to forget about all of this. I¡¯m not as much of an idiot as Zack, thinking all this is fun...¡± Her hand went to her side, but this time it stopped before touching, and she withdrew it, further embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, Beth, it¡¯s just... it¡¯s all for a reason, right? And stop nodding at me, madwoman!¡± Zachary was still wary of Christina.


    Christopher coughed loudly, again, and his two children fell silent, as did Christina, only showing a knowing smile. ¡°Excuse my rambunctious kids. I¡¯m... I suppose I should thank you for looking after them last night. Even if I disagree with their drinking. I wanted them to keep a low profile, to... stay out of everything.¡± He seemed troubled, so I let him talk. I still have time. And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand. Even if we¡¯ve made the opposite choices.


    ¡°So I was angry when I heard they slipped out to meet you. But... I suppose I do understand. You¡¯re quite the celebrity, Mr Oshiro.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Akio.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I suppose Christina here does.¡± At her quiet giggle, while Adelheid was sitting and waiting patiently, as if none of this concerned her, he continued.


    ¡°I get why your deeds might have inspired my son. But... it¡¯s no game, is it?¡± He frowned at his daughter, and Bethany looked down and away. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of just how serious Bethany¡¯s injury was. I¡¯m thankful you healed it, but... I can¡¯t help but fear you have ulterior motives. Or I did...¡±


    ¡°He never made a big deal of it. I think... by the morning, you¡¯d even forgotten, hadn¡¯t you?¡± Bethany looked at me, and I shrugged.


    ¡°My memory¡¯s not that bad. But... it¡¯s not like it was anything special. I was there, I could do it, so... I did. Girls shouldn¡¯t have scars if they can help it...¡± I paused then, before smiling ruefully. ¡°...honestly, not that there¡¯s anything wrong with honourably earned scars. A number of my fiance?es take battle seriously, and aren¡¯t scared of wounds. Though... I still think not being injured is better. And so do they.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to conclude...¡± Christopher seemed a little amused at the messy situation. ¡°You are not a particularly astute politician, Akio. But... you are a good man.¡±


    I smiled ruefully, scratching at my cheek. ¡°Hinata often says I don¡¯t always think things through. But... your son Zachary is right, I think. This is all for a reason. And it would hurt my conscience to not help out when I can. I¡¯m no saint...¡± I admitted. ¡°...I can¡¯t help everyone. But Bethany was there, so... I thought I might as well.¡±


    Zachary was grinning. ¡°I told you, Beth! The Hero of Britain is a great guy! I look up to him, he should be our role model!¡±


    ¡°Enough, son.¡± Christopher seemed a little frustrated. ¡°I understand in your position, he seems someone to respect, but...¡± His expression turned rather pensive, and he seemed to be struggling with something, before he let out a long, troubled sigh, making up his mind. ¡°It seems that even if my children stay hidden, stay out of trouble, then trouble will come looking for them. I don¡¯t want that.¡± He glanced at Christina, before looking me in the eyes earnestly.


    ¡°I feel I owe you for helping Bethany. She¡¯s grounded...¡± As Bethany protested she was a college-going adult and was too old to be treated like a child, Christopher disagreed. ¡°...no, you¡¯re in trouble, your wound... you kept it secret. It was getting worse, yes? What if you died? In the end, you would have!¡±


    ¡°Maybe not...¡± I tried to support her instinctively, as she reminded me a bit of my own sister as she looked downcast, biting at her lip. ¡°...it certainly was poisoned by a nasty adherence...¡± None of them really knew what that meant, but Christina nodded knowingly. ¡°...but the progression was slow. It¡¯s quite possible that Bethany could have grown stronger fast enough to recover, or developed some sort of talent...¡±


    ¡°Except Beth didn¡¯t want to think about any of this.¡± Zachary pointed out knowingly. ¡°So... thanks again. For saving my pain in the ass but irreplaceable sister.¡±


    As Bethany pouted, I grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I don¡¯t have an older sister... well, unless you count Haano?bo?, I suppose...¡± My grin turned rueful at that mess. ¡°But even she feels younger, despite her age.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to be serious. Oh, what¡¯s the use?¡± Christopher seemed rattled, but he took a deep breath. ¡°I suppose I would rather have this situation than what we had before. So, I will repay my debt. While Japan has certainly curtailed the NSA¡¯s information gathering there, thanks to our... earlier transgressions...¡± He grimaced, as well he might. Yes, that¡¯s a euphemistic way of putting it.


    ¡°...You¡¯d be a fool not to surmise we still have means of gathering information.¡±


    ¡°Should you be saying that, Chris? Not very patriotic of you. It might be hard for Adam to disappear you, unlike little old me, but he¡¯d give it a good shot. Hearing him bang on about those stupid little figures he plays with, he¡¯d say you were a heretic or traitor, and ripe for the firing squad.¡± Christina interjected cheerfully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, who abandoned America to run off to Japan, and no doubt leaked many of our secrets! It¡¯s... a great concession... that we haven¡¯t had you whisked away to a military prison for interrogation.¡± Christopher shot back.


    ¡°Hardly!¡± Christina was unmoved. ¡°I¡¯m a patriot, Chris! In fact, I¡¯m doing America a great favour! I¡¯m afraid that be it in a year, or perhaps five or ten, Chosen such as Akio will stand at the top. No, he¡¯ll stand at the top. Our data of Growth types shows that, and I have a great wealth of it to pull from in Japan. And in terms of that, Akio and his forces exceed the best we have to offer significantly. No... when he stands at the top, I¡¯ll be sure to put in a good word for our interests, as a proud American concubine!¡± She puffed out her ample chest with pride, straining her green gown and the scanty, lacy underwear beneath. ¡°You can praise me for the effort I¡¯m putting in! I¡¯m still learning, but I know he¡¯s rather soft on those he cherishes.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he cherishes you!¡± Christopher began, only to be interrupted by a shout of ¡°Yet! I¡¯m just getting started!¡± from Christina. I rolled my eyes, exasperated, and Adelheid, despite not understanding, was clearly over this whole ordeal, and while she wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to the state dinner, I could tell she would take any opening to be done with this mess. I don¡¯t blame her. Saying that in front of me... kind of defeats the point. Although... she¡¯s mostly joking, I think.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work if you say it...¡±  Christopher thought the same. As Bethany and Zachary were actually sniggering at Christina¡¯s behaviour, their fear of her slightly dampened by her demeanour since last night, Christopher gave up, running a hand through his hair in exasperated fatigue. ¡°Forget it. But, it¡¯s not patriotism if you¡¯re doing something you want to do anyway...¡±


    ¡°Oh it is! It¡¯s the best kind. Makes me motivated.¡± Christina was the one snickering now. ¡°Anyway... I get it. You love your kids Chris. So let me give you one last piece of advice. Now¡¯s the time to get in good with Akio.¡± She winked at Bethany. ¡°Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Enough of that. You just want to get your hands on my kids still! It¡¯s not happening.¡± Christopher grumbled, but he then took a deep breath. ¡°Damn, we don¡¯t have time for this. Enough. Akio... we know that Japan suffered a significant loss of what you call Chosen.¡± He laid out the information he was soothing his conscience with. ¡°In America...¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but... our President will likely use it as a bargaining chip. So if you know in advance... basically, there has been almost no Church of True Revelation activity in America. China neither, but here... the reasons why could be that we have already gathered most of our ability users, or some other scheme.¡±


    I pondered the implications of that, before nodding. ¡°Thanks, that is interesting. So... if America hasn¡¯t been hurt by this mess...¡±


    ¡°Our President is likely disinclined to act boldly. Unless given cause, or if he can see the profit in it.¡± Christopher admitted. ¡°Though with him, it¡¯s sometimes hard to tell just what he¡¯ll do. We tried to keep him as disinterested in this whole new paradigm as possible these last months but...¡± he sighed again, bitterly. ¡°...London put paid to that. You put paid to it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I replied after I rapidly considered it, Split Thoughts churning. After a moment, I nodded. ¡°Thanks for the information. I appreciate it. I can only hope America won¡¯t forget what it owes us, and me


    , and also won¡¯t be short-sighted. Anyway...¡±


    ¡°We should go.¡± Christopher agreed. ¡°I am attending the dinner as well, of course. Bethany, Zachary. Home. Now.¡±


    ¡°Before they do...¡± I extended an invitation. ¡°I understand your situation better than most. If... you ever want to talk, feel free to call me.¡± They had taken my phone number last night, and Zachary had teased his sister about that. She reddened remembering, but this was serious. ¡°You never did tell me what your abilities were, which is fine, even prudent, but... should you ever want to take things further, actually be a part of this... well, I daresay as your father¡¯s head of the CIA, you¡¯d favour America, but... as the events of yesterday and today have shown, it¡¯s a worldwide issue, and we should all pull together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll... think about it.¡± Bethany answered slowly, hand going to her side and stopping again, while Zachary shrugged and winked at me when his father couldn¡¯t see. Christopher seemed troubled, but in the end, he thanked me for the offer. I shook hands with his children, and as they left, Christopher watched them go, shaking his head.


    ¡°No father wants their children to do a dangerous job. But...¡±


    ¡°...sometimes you have to just support them. I may not be a father, but I¡¯m a brother, and a lover. My sister, my fiance?es... they too chose danger. But... I think in a way, it¡¯s less risky.¡± As we resumed our exit, we stepped out into the wintry sun, where an armoured limousine was waiting to whisk us away. Christopher had his own black, armoured four-by-four waiting outside the hotel as well, guarded by two black-suited, burly men.


    Opening the door for Adelheid and Christina to get in, I exchanged my final words with Christopher. ¡°So... don¡¯t stifle them, support them. Like I said, I¡¯d be happy to provide some guidance.¡± The Vermillion List data Christina nabbed didn¡¯t have their abilities on, perhaps because Adam didn¡¯t want to cause friction...and while my Eye could easily discern their Favours... I¡¯m disinclined to do so. While I¡¯d probably never be found out, it wouldn¡¯t sit right with me. They seem good people... and I respect their current stance. But I hope they¡¯ll take the hand I offer. No ability is useless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Well, I shall see you shortly. For the first time today.¡± Christopher reminded me. Obviously, it likely wasn¡¯t a great secret he and his children met me here, but I took his point. It wouldn¡¯t do if the President thought we were colluding. Though other than the information I received, it was innocent enough...


    With that, I took my place next to Adelheid, ignoring Christina¡¯s look of discontent that I wasn¡¯t next to her, and with that, the door shut behind us, and the limousine headed off. All right then. White House, here we come...


    ***


    I had to admit, it was very exciting entering the White House. Sure, I had seen many places I could barely have imagined in the past. Buckingham Palace for one, and of course the lands of the Fae, but that hardly diminished the impact of visiting the seat of perhaps the most powerful man in the modern world. At least for now. I suppose in the future, it¡¯ll be Earth¡¯s Astral Emperor, but that¡¯s likely some time away yet...


    Security was tight, as expected, and there were a number of Chosen here too. We spotted Titan, wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt. His mighty physique made him look a little comical, and he seemed embarrassed, especially when Christina waved at him cheerfully, but he still managed a polite nod of greeting. A number of these are rather powerful. It makes sense. The United States has a decent population, and Christopher claimed they had secured or at least identified the majority of their Chosen, so picking out some powerhouses should be easy enough. Individually, I was confident I could handle any of them, likely even a few at once, barring any of them having an ability that defied convention, such as Arisu-san¡¯s Room. But then, it¡¯s not really about security, is it, but projecting power...


    As if echoing my thoughts, Adelheid snorted. ¡°They are all dust collectors. If you wished to cause trouble, how could they stop you?¡±


    We were soon ushered into the very impressive State Dining Room within the White House. The walls were a mixture of pale white and rich gold, and valuable tapestries, drapes and candelabras were everywhere, the lighting natural rather than electric. Impeccably dressed servers were standing around the edges, and there were already a number of people seated, and I recognised some familiar faces. Mr Gerard Hunter, the British Foreign Secretary, who I met in London, was there, and he gave me a knowing nod, though his expression as he looked at Christina beside me was far from amused.


    Gina Haskell and Adam White were here of course, and behind us, Christopher was being shown to the room. There were also likely a number of high ranking members of the US government too. Doesn¡¯t look like the President is here yet.


    ¡°This way, if you would.¡± a server asked politely, and the three of us were guided over next to Mr Hunter. I pulled the chairs for Adelheid and Christina before the servers could, which earned me on odd look but as I sat down, Mr Hunter greeted me.


    ¡°It seems we meet again, Mr Oshiro. You have been busy.¡± With his stern face and short, blackish-brown hair, he certainly looked every inch the politician. He offered a handshake, and I took it. Glancing around, Mr Hunter grimaced a little. ¡°We¡¯re quite outnumbered here, it¡¯s mostly the great and the good of American politics. Though...¡± He glowered at Christina. ¡°...I don¡¯t think too highly of the company you keep. In better days, she¡¯d be seeing the stand at the Hague.¡±


    As Christina tittered nervously, more guests were being ushered in. A server topped up our water glasses from the crystal jugs, and already expensive bottles of wine, red, white and sparkling, were waiting. All American vintages of recent years. Soft power, huh? I get it... we¡¯re doing the same with Fae products.


    ¡°I find it best to keep an eye on her.¡± I admitted. ¡°Properly directed, she¡¯s got the opportunity to start making amends. Although... she knows it¡¯s a big ask.¡±


    Christina nodded. ¡°Yes. I... for what it¡¯s worth, I regret my actions. And not just because we got caught!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but use inappropriate humour, but I supposed that was who she was, her ability to pick up the correct social cues was certainly lacking, though... I think there¡¯s some calculation in it too.


    ¡°You think regret helps?¡± Mr Hunter scowled, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No, but it should be offered, I think. But I hardly think it¡¯s fair to blame Akio for what I¡¯ve done, just because he¡¯s putting me to use. In the right dose at the right time, medicine, but... improperly used, poison.¡±


    ¡°Calling yourself poison?¡± I raised an eyebrow, and her smile was slightly lopsided now, her face a little red.


    ¡°You know how to push my buttons, Akio. They say the beautiful is often the deadly. Anyway...¡± She shrugged. ¡°Just pretend I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Mr Hunter frowned. ¡°...events have certainly escalated. The civil unrest on the streets of Britain has been a problem. Fortunately, Princess Eleanor appealed for calm, after surviving her own troubles. It¡¯s largely damped down, except in a few impoverished inner cities. Fortunately, our beloved Princess is even more revered now, and as she had been targeted previously, public sentiment is largely on her side. It seems Japan is similar. While Princess Mikasa is not as public a figure, she has come out in support of our policies, and the Gods¡¯ Chosen as a whole.¡±


    Eleanor and Yukiko-san, huh? Yeah, people love Princesses, it probably has more sway than if I¡¯d have done it. ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯ve only been appraised of the situation by those back in Japan.¡± I pointed out. ¡°But yeah, it seems the troubles back home are manageable.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But... it¡¯s a powder keg. While nothing so base as the attack on a school for noble children happened in Britain, the fact it did happen means that those in power are frightened. It¡¯s a damn mess. Fortunately...¡± he looked at me strangely then. ¡°...you are still planning to attend the New Year Honours, yes?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡± I grinned. ¡°My mom is excited, she¡¯s British, as you know. My sister too. And Shaeula loves the pomp and ceremony. Besides... afterwards, I have a task to complete with Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So I hear, though the details are known only to the Prime Minister and a few others.¡± Mr Hunter replied. ¡°Just... oh, we¡¯ll talk about this later. He¡¯s here.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just me, everyone turned to see the entrance of the President of the United States of America. He was tall, a few inches taller than I was, and though his hair was greying, which made sense as he was in his seventies, he still walked with a certain arrogance. His navy blue suit was clearly well-tailored, and I could see it was made of the same sort of high-spec anti-ballistic fibres that Fujiwara-san¡¯s suits were woven from. His watch was one I recognised, a Patek Phillipe Ellipse, in rose gold and dark blue. His shirt was a flamboyant black, and his tie a brilliant red silk. Striding in as if he was the most important man in the room, which in a sense he was, I supposed, he quickly gathered all eyes, and gave a brief speech.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you all here today. Now, business shouldn¡¯t be talked over dinner, there¡¯s time for that later, but... working on an empty stomach isn¡¯t good business either. Now... no need to stand on ceremony.¡± As he and the First Lady, his wife, sat at the lead table, servers began opening the wine, asking us which vintage we favoured. Adelheid pulled a face but took some white, while Christina refrained. Seeing my look of surprise, she shrugged.


    ¡°I have to keep a clear head. As enjoyable and novel as getting drunk was, I¡¯m here for my brains today. Oh, I suppose I¡¯m here to make you look good too. You have to have a beautiful woman on your arm, or our President will look down on you!¡±


    As Mr Hunter and I both took the red vintage, he seemed resigned. ¡°That¡¯s true, yes. The President has a... fondness for women, certainly. In that regard the two of you are alike.¡± He fixed me with a steely glare. ¡°Though I hope for all our sakes, you are capable of treating your women well.¡±


    I was slightly offended, but Chistina spoke first. ¡°How rude. You obviously don¡¯t know him, Gerard. I can call you Gerard, right?¡±


    ¡°No, you may not.¡± He declined her, but in typical Christina fashion, she ignored him.


    ¡°Gerard, I may be a newcomer, but I¡¯ve seen his attitude. He¡¯s not a pushy person. More¡¯s the pity.¡± She giggled as the first course arrived. It smelled delicious, a rich chilled tomato soup with spicy olive oil and sourdough. Taking a spoonful, she sighed contentedly. ¡°Eat up, it¡¯s good! Anyway...¡± Adelheid needed no invitation, and was rapidly devouring her newly arrived dish. I took a spoonful as Christina talked, and indeed, it tasted as good as it smelled.


    ¡°...I do think he could stand to be greedier, I mean, I laid myself bare, waiting for his advances, and he ignored me! I was most disappointed. But... that¡¯s just the way he is. He certainly does fall in love easily, which is both a blessing and a curse.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mr Hunter admitted. ¡°A number of people struggle with it in Britain. We¡¯re... quite set in our ways. Princess Eleanor was one of those, though... she¡¯s mellowed her attitude somewhat. She had to.¡±


    Talk turned to more idle conversation, Mr Hunter filling us in with little anecdotes about Princess Eleanor and her current troubles. Obviously I knew a lot about them myself, being as our Territories were effectively right next door due to the Ring Gates, but he seemed to delight in talking about her mundane life too. I chuckled at one anecdote, where Eleanor had been running her brother Henry through his paces, getting him back in shape like a wicked drill instructor, when the main course arrived. It was beef ribs, smoked and fruity, as well as a lobster poached in citrus butter. It was served with well-prepared American vegetables, and while I wasn¡¯t used to such foods, being raised in Japan, they certainly were tasty. And I don¡¯t even need the special cutlery. A brief flash of wind, and our lobsters, Mr Hunter¡¯s included, split evenly.


    ¡°He¡¯s a handy man to have around, see?¡± Christina declared triumphantly, waving her silver lobster fork. ¡°I imagine that Eleanor appreciates that about him?¡±


    ¡°Actually, her Majesty is your biggest fan.¡± Mr Hunter was rueful as he ate some of the perfectly cooked ribs elegantly, his manners impeccable, as one would expect from a Foreign Secretary. ¡°She¡¯s often heard talking about your latest deeds. The doings in South Africa came to her attention as well...¡±


    ¡°A bad business that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°And a lesson on the dangers of what happens when Chosen run about unchecked.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your foresight in establishing a Ministry early impressed us.¡± Mr Hunter agreed. ¡°Though despite that, these Church fanatics...¡± His expression said everything, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. From what I gather, a number of Japanese Chosen who were hesitating to come forward or didn¡¯t want to be known have disappeared. It¡¯s a huge blow. Still, losses to our enemy have surely been heavy too.¡± They lost a Cardinal, at the least, and Mae claimed some strange wooden wheel, though without my Eye we can¡¯t fully analyse it.


    ¡°Yes. National Power is dictated not just by economy, military and culture now, but... Gods¡¯ Chosen are equally as important. Perhaps more so...¡± Mr Hunter eyed me. ¡°I understand you took a loan from Barclays to establish businesses, and your cooperation with Ichijou Heavy Industries is about to enter production... but her Majesty and the Prime Minister, as well as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, are all keen for you to enter partnership with us. Rumour has it that you¡¯re instead establishing some sort of factory in Germany?¡± He glanced at Adelheid.


    ¡°Yes. I wanted to set Adelheid¡¯s conscience at ease.¡± As I said that, she heard her name and glanced over at us, before rapidly going back to eating. For a small woman, she sure can tuck away food. But then, Chosen do seem to eat more in general. I¡¯m curious as to why. Maybe Christina has discovered the answer? I assume it¡¯s to do with stronger muscles and a faster-acting brain, perhaps not all the energy comes from aether, but there¡¯s also a tangible, Material change?


    ¡°But we¡¯re allies.¡± Mr Hunter grumbled. ¡°Although... her Majesty has a proposal. Though... traditionally, it works the other way around... but then...¡± His mutters dipped in volume as he idly finished his meal.


    Taking a swig of wine, a server immediately topped it up. I thanked him with a nod and mused over Mr Hunter¡¯s words. Christina was looking very amused, and also rather envious. The main course was cleared away, and after some more chatter, the dessert was brought out, a basket of white chocolate with candied raspberries, peaches and banana ganache.


    Seeing Adelheid drooling as it was placed down, I smiled to myself. I could feel eyes on us from all around the room, and I glanced over to the President¡¯s table. He met my gaze boldly, and gave a little smirk of acknowledgement. Shaking my head, I went back to eating my dessert, and after that was done, I leaned back, well-satisfied, sipping on the last of my wine. It would have been nice to be here with the girls, rather than Christina, but... yeah, this was certainly an experience that wasn¡¯t even possible for me at the start of the year...


    ¡°I would greatly appreciate it if you allowed me to accompany you in your discussions with the President.¡± Mr Hunter asked, as the tables were cleared. ¡°We share a lot of common interests, and... if I may be frank?¡±


    I nodded, so he continued. ¡°This is not just a case of treaties or allied interests anymore. Both our Prime Ministers, as well as her Majesty the Queen, and also his Majesty the Emperor... have decided we need an irrevocable tie, bonds that will not be sundered. After all... the troubles afflicting us now apply pressure to force us all to act in our own interests. But if our interests are anchored securely together, then... such temptation will be useless.¡±


    Christina nodded. ¡°It seems to me, following the logic... that is surely one of the Church¡¯s aims. Make everyone look to their own narrow interests, strike them with fear, if not even their precious heirs and children are safe... if anyone could be a powerful terrorist...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you would say such.¡± Mr Hunter replied, and Christina merely smiled knowingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m learning. Little miss Christina can¡¯t stay a fool forever. After all, I would hate to bring shame to my partner here today.¡±


    I ignored her calling me her partner, but nodded at her sentiments. ¡°Yes, unless we can come up with countermeasures for this sort of event, it¡¯s impossible to have stability. I can¡¯t be everywhere at once, and neither can my forces. There¡¯s just too many points of vulnerability. And it¡¯s a lot easier to terrorise with Chosen than suicide bombers, for example.¡±


    It was then that the sound of a bell rang, and we turned, to see the President had stood, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Clapping his hands together, he smiled. ¡°All right then. I hope everyone is relaxed. Now... our honoured guests today are from Japan, Britain and... oh, do excuse me.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure about Adelheid, and someone whispered in his ear, an adjunct, most likely. ¡°...oh, Germany. I see. Anyway, I won¡¯t drone on and on, I¡¯m not the boring old man who thinks he can unseat me. We¡¯ve a lot to discuss, so...¡± As the tables were rearranged by the White House staff, he gestured to the one he was sitting at, where a number of empty seats were, and with a wicked grin he rubbed his hands together. ¡°...let¡¯s do some business!¡±

 Five Hundred And Forty-Four

    Five Hundred And Forty-Four


    Taking a seat at a table with the President and his wife, who was a stylish woman in her mid-fifties, wearing a classically styled skirt suit, we were joined by Mr Hunter, as well as several of what I assumed were high-ranking members of the US government, as well as Adam White, who drew an irritated glare from the President. Once we were all seated, a variety of drinks were brought out, and the table was surrounded by black-suited security, as well as a number of Chosen, screening us from the wider room where other groups were gathering.


    This is going to be... interesting.


    You¡¯ll be fine. Eri¡¯s thoughts echoed in my mind, a touch of amusement within. Compared to meeting Nurarihyon, how bad can it be?


    That¡¯s true, At least his wife Seirei isn¡¯t here to threaten me with her wish-granting power every time she speaks. Honestly though, I¡¯m feeling a little nostalgic for those simpler times...


    Now I know you¡¯re joking. Me... I¡¯m thrilled. I always knew you were special, Akio. Even back in Nishimorioka. Admittedly, I never thought you¡¯d end up going so far, but... I¡¯m just happy I get to walk beside you. And I know the others feel the same. So, hurry up and come home. Besides... a lot of us need you. It¡¯s been rough.


    I can imagine. Anyway, it¡¯s late over there... or early, I suppose. Did you get any rest? I know, after... after I took my first human life, it hit me hard.


    Actually, it... it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. For me, anyway. But... it¡¯s still not a nice feeling. I haven¡¯t slept yet. When I close my eyes... no, forget about that for now. When... when you return, you can spoil us all, soothe us. And... Tsukiko wants to speak to you about something as well. But that¡¯s not what matters...


    Our thought conversation was brisk, but time was still passing. I took a coffee, and apparently it was Hawaiian Kona coffee. It smelt rich and smooth, and I remembered this was a brand that Fujiwara-san was highly fond of. Tastes as good as it smells...


    ...since you will be meeting the President today, Hinata wanted to be here for you. She¡¯s... well, she had it rough too. Besides, we¡¯ve been looking over her new sword. It gives us something to do. In fact, everyone¡¯s staying over. The house is crowded. But then, school¡¯s been cancelled for Hinata and the others, Kana too. Fortunately the faith school that Chiaki-san and Chiasa-san attended wasn¡¯t attacked, but... under our advice that school closed early for winter break too.


    Makes sense. We were cutting it close for the Pilgrimage anyway, some school would be missed.


    Yes so... Eri¡¯s thoughts were suddenly displaced, and I heard the cheerful voice of Hinata in my head, though there was a faint brittleness to it, and I felt a wave of sympathy for her.


    I¡¯m here! We¡¯ve been experimenting with the twins, and I hope you can hear me? If I feed my thoughts into Eri, then she can share them with you, right?


    I tried to think back to Hinata, and found I couldn¡¯t, but when I directed my thoughts through Lovers¡¯ Link to Eri, they did make it back, as though Eri was functioning as a relay tower, similar to when Haru did it.


    I see. Don¡¯t trust me huh? I teased her.


    Don¡¯t be silly. Nobody trusts you more than me! Hinata insisted, only to correct herself, likely as Eri was protesting. Eri trusts you as much, as does everyone else. But not more! Anyway, I just thought it would be handy having the upper hand in negotiations. Grandfather has met the President a few times, you know. As has Uncle Kira and Fujiwara-sama, of course. The upper echelons of the business world are very global. So I remember a few stories. It might give us the edge...


    Agreeing, and feeling a little reassured to have them with me, even if only their thoughts, I took another sip of the rich coffee, waiting for the President to start.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± the President opened up the conversation with a grandiose gesture around us. ¡°The White House sure is something, yes? Power. That¡¯s what it¡¯s all about. Power and respect.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly impressive.¡± I conceded. ¡°It reminds me of Buckingham Palace. You can feel the weight of history, and yes, I imagine it would be rather intimidating to most ordinary people.¡± Not to me though, not anymore.


    ¡°Buckingham Palace, huh?¡± The President smiled, glancing at Mr Hunter. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯ve tagged along, Gerard, but now you¡¯re here, you can tell him how close I am to the Queen.¡± He smiled broadly. ¡°Her Majesty and I are old friends.¡±


    I glanced at Gerard, who looked as if he had eaten something sour, but with consummate professionalism, he smoothed out his expression and offered a version of events that wouldn¡¯t offend. ¡°It¡¯s true, the Honourable President was received by her Majesty during his state visit earlier this year. Before all this mess started.¡±


    ¡°I hear she likes you too.¡± The President grinned, though his eyes had grown sharp, and his smile seemed a touch predatory. ¡°Quite understandable. You stood out in London. Impressive. Though don¡¯t let it go to your head. These Church fools might be a big deal, but... they know better than to mess with us!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I made sure to keep my attention on the President, but as my vision was widened with aether, I could see Christopher, sitting with Gina Haskell and a number of other people, and he was casting worried glances over here discretely.


    ¡°Yes. Bad business all around, I admit.¡± the President admitted. ¡°Going after a school, that school. No wonder everyone in Japan is angry. I hear Europe is a mess too. Though the dear old Queen has things in hand. Her granddaughter sure is something. A real beauty too. Lucky.¡± He winked at me, leaving me a bit confused, and Mr Hunter coughed loudly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a matter for now.¡± he interrupted. ¡°Though it¡¯s true Britain is largely calm. I wouldn¡¯t say that the deeds of Mr Oshiro shouldn¡¯t be praised though.¡±


    ¡°I never said that. I¡¯m not the old dodderer, going senile. I¡¯m sharp as a razor still.¡± The President seemed irked at being corrected, but he then made his triumphant point. ¡°Look around you. We have plenty of superheroes like you, Akio.¡± He didn¡¯t go for any honorifics or politeness, just straight to the point. I can handle that. But if I was a more traditionally raised Japanese man, this would be hellishly uncomfortable. He¡¯s very... intense.


    ¡°These fanatics... they didn¡¯t dare attack the US. Scared of what we¡¯ll do. I am not known for messing around. If they struck at us, I¡¯d bomb them back into the stone age, send them to meet their God, I¡¯ve done it before, and I¡¯ll do it again!¡± He grinned proudly. ¡°It¡¯d be different if we had a weak leader, an appeaser, but everyone around the world knows this President is not to be trifled with or disrespected. I suppose I ought to thank them, and you and your kind. My re-election should be a snap. In times of chaos, the voters want a steady pair of hands, a man they know they can trust. Not some old fool who would likely try and understand the terrorists.¡±


    Adam White coughed loudly then, and Christina smirked at his discomfort.


    ¡°Mr President, this is an issue that goes beyond mere...¡± he began, only for the President to cut him off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Director.¡± His tone was cold. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten the sheer lack of care your reports to me contained. ¡®Not a big deal¡¯ and ¡®some potentially interesting applications but otherwise business as usual¡¯. If the events of London hadn¡¯t come to my attention, would I still be thinking nothing major is happening? You and the others are fortunate you still have jobs, no, you¡¯re lucky you aren¡¯t locked up for treason!¡±


    ¡°Mr President, we¡¯ve been over this...¡± one of the other men at the table tried to intervene. ¡°...the situation was still poorly understood, and matters moved faster than anticipated...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± the second man agreed, running a hand through his greying hair with a grimace. ¡°Besides, you... didn¡¯t always read the reports, or attend the briefings, did you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a busy man! The country, the world... they don¡¯t run themselves.¡± the President grumbled, but he did seem aware enough to know the man spoke the truth. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Events moving... we¡¯re the United States of America, for God¡¯s sake!¡± He slammed the table loudly. ¡°We don¡¯t get to be blindsided! I¡¯m number one, we¡¯re number one!¡±


    ¡°If I may...¡± Christina asked for leave to speak, and even as Adam¡¯s hard brown eyes bade her keep silent, she ignored him, also ignoring the way the President¡¯s gaze flickered down her body, taking her in. ¡°...I feel I am expertly placed to speak on these matters.¡±


    ¡°You can speak any time you want.¡± The President smirked, ignoring the cold look his wife shot him. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you that scientist, Miss... Miss Bakker, yes? One of our finest, I hear. What brings you here with Akio?¡±


    ¡°Obviously I¡¯m his partner at the event. It wouldn¡¯t do for a man of his calibre to come unescorted, and Miss Adelheid here, she¡¯s... a little on the young side.¡± Adelheid was drinking her coffee cheerfully, paying little attention to the tense atmosphere.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that. You¡¯re a lucky man, Akio. A man after my own heart. Although...¡± He paused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an important national asset? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s wise for you to date a foreign national, especially one so... high-profile. Espionage won¡¯t be forgiven.¡± He addressed Christina sternly.


    ¡°Oh, anything I know, rest assured they knew first.¡± she dissembled expertly, and I could see Adam¡¯s hands clenching his mug of coffee in annoyance, knuckles white. ¡°Besides, you should be encouraging me.¡± She giggled charmingly, grabbing my arm. ¡°Men like to talk in bed, don¡¯t they? And I¡¯m a good listener!¡±


    That amused the President, and he guffawed heartily. ¡°True. Just don¡¯t forget who you owe your loyalty to. But...¡± He eyed me with a little more respect now. ¡°...I never trust a man who isn¡¯t interested in beautiful women. The rumours do you justice. I heard you¡¯re getting engaged to the granddaughter of old Kenji Fukumoto. I¡¯ve met him a number of times, done business with him too. I saw his granddaughter at a party once, she was certainly pretty.¡±


    ¡°She says thank you.¡± I replied, after sharing that with Hinata via the link with Eri, and he seemed a little unsure of what I meant.


    ¡°Anyway, my point is... you¡¯re a man of appetites. And business. I know you¡¯ve had large investments from Chase bank, as well as a British one, and are in business with Ichijou Heavy Industries. I can respect a man who gets what he wants, even if others say it¡¯s foolish or wrong. When the Japanese changed the law to legalise polygamy... well, plenty of fools said I¡¯d never be President, that I¡¯d never beat that harridan of the old guard, that the stinking marsh that infests Washington would swallow up my hopes. But... I¡¯m a winner. And winners recognise each other.¡±


    I nodded slowly, unwilling to cause a scene. He¡¯s arrogant. But...


    He has a right to be. There have only been forty-four men who have ever held the seat of the President of the United States of America. And before you ask, Grover Cleveland served non-consecutively, hence why the current President is considered the forty-fifth. The President is a powerful man. But... he has an ego. We can use that.


    Hinata was relaying her thoughts to me in real time as I shared what was happening with Eri. ¡°I had to do it. I feel an utter bastard sometimes, but... when I decided to love them all, I made my decision that nothing


    would stop me from making their lives happy ones. Any obstacle would be overcome, any enemy dealt with. So... I leveraged my influence, and got the law changed.¡± Following Hinata¡¯s advice, I asserted my own strength and political capital. ¡°And, just as in London... if these fanatics try and harm those I love... well, I¡¯ll be sure to crush them thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°I certainly admire your optimism.¡± The President chuckled, in good humour. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem, yes?¡±


    ¡°I fail to see what that could be.¡± Mr Hunter spoke up. ¡°Our government, Japan¡¯s, and many others, are coming together to declare the Church of True Revelation a proscribed terrorist organisation. The events of London were one thing, but this coordinated worldwide series of atrocities, some targeting schools... there can be no question we need to act.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, but...¡± the President seemed a little hesitant. ¡°...the thing is, the average American is a good, hardworking, industrious, God-fearing individual. They are tired of the outside world telling them what to do and how to live, what to think and believe. Tired of welcoming those that threaten their way of life. As President, I was elected to stand up for them and their desires.¡±


    ¡°I fail to see the relevance.¡± Mr Hunter frowned. ¡°And before you say it¡¯s about religion, the Pope has again come out in condemnation of these acts, as has the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as the leaders of many Christian faiths worldwide. I myself am a Christian. That doesn¡¯t mean I approve of such violence and hatred.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... there is a certain sympathy towards those who fight for their religious ideals...¡± the President shrugged. ¡°And since the attacks haven¡¯t affected us... well, you know how people are.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I agreed, narrowing my eyes, grey gaze hard. I couldn¡¯t help but relax my grip on my League, and the guards around our table tensed, the Chosen looking particularly flustered. My glower quickly froze them in place though, and I rumbled out my words harshly. ¡°We all have our own concerns, it¡¯s only natural, but... it would be a grave mistake to stand aside on this issue. After all...¡±


    The President met my gaze boldly, but he was starting to sweat a little. ¡°...yes?¡± he managed after a long pause.


    ¡°...we stand together, or we fall divided. Your... superheroes...¡± I used his own word from earlier. ¡°...may seem to be decent enough, but... will they be enough?¡±


    One of the suited men couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°You arrogant little bastard...¡± His words were then swallowed as I glared at him, and that made him angrier, but he then realised where he was and who he was guarding, so he leashed his fury with a great effort.


    ¡°...arrogant? Actually, I¡¯m always worried that I need to be stronger. But... I¡¯m also experienced. How many life-or-death battles have you been through? You might have fought in the Boundary, but... I¡¯ve battled yakuza, armed agents from the United States...¡± I made a point of reminding those here of that. While we had agreed not to hold America to account over it after we received compensation, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t still leverage it. ¡°...who tried to abduct me illegally. Mary Stuart. Chosen in Kyoto. Chosen in South Korea, South Africa, and many other hard battles you couldn¡¯t even dream of.¡±


    Beside me, Christina was grinning happily, looking as pleased as if she was being complimented. That made my head ache, as I recognised that same reaction from my fiance?es all the time. Of course, just because she likes me, doesn¡¯t mean I have to like her, no more than Shaeula has to like her many fans...


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly true you have been involved in more conflict than most...¡± Adam interrupted smoothly. ¡°...but our forces are strong. The United States military is the finest in the world, our firepower and global reach simply unrivalled.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± I nodded. ¡°And yes, that¡¯ll help for now. But... it only goes so far. And I know your history. There have been terrorist attacks on America before, despite your strength. And these fanatics... they have means that conventional might can¡¯t deter. Why they didn¡¯t strike on US soil this time...¡± Hinata had been discussing the same, and her reply agreed with mine. ¡°...it¡¯s probably precisely for that reason. To make you hesitate, and to perhaps garner support. Their targets in Europe seem to have been very strictly chosen as well...¡±


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t simply solve all our problems with bullets and bombs, Adam.¡± Christina warned. ¡°Else you wouldn¡¯t be so concerned about those on the list you called... oh yes, the Heretical and Antithetical. You do sometimes amuse me! You should be thanking Akio anyway, you were so worried about Midas, and he¡¯s no longer a concern.¡±


    He seemed sour at her mockery, but he nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s inevitable. Even those guarding the President grow stronger over time. And it seems the number of terrorists involved in the worldwide attack don¡¯t make sense from the data we¡¯ve... obtained.¡±


    ¡°Too many, yeah?¡± I nodded, having had the reports from Japan.


    ¡°This is all very well...¡± the President had composed himself and seemed irked at being ignored. ¡°...when that report from the Bureau of Political-Military affairs came across my desk, saying we¡¯d agreed the sale of our F-22¡¯s to Japan, I did wonder, but the documents said we were developing newer, better technology anyway, and that... military equipment was less important in potential future conflict scenarios. You¡¯re saying...¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Christina giggled. ¡°If the White House was targeted by those jets, and the place was bombed... Akio would stroll out of here, dust himself off and just be distraught that I had died.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her attempts to ingratiate herself into my feelings. She was clearly clumsy, but was experimenting, in a way, seeing what I did and didn¡¯t like, would and wouldn¡¯t accept. I guess she was serious when she said love and romance was just something else for her to learn the rules of...


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Adelheid was able to survive, and doubtless some of the guards here would too. Though injuries are probably inevitable for those that don¡¯t have defensive abilities.¡± she continued. ¡°But that¡¯s not the point. It¡¯s possible to tell a Chosen...¡± Adam grimaced at Christina¡¯s adoption of our more respectful terminology, but she didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care. ¡°...with a high degree of certainly from my research, just by the way they move and react, the difference between an ordinary person measurable. And obviously Chosen have a number of ways to tell, be it through special visual acuity or other means. And when like Akio, their tempers are up, we can feel it.¡±


    She grinned at the President, simply not caring that she was being rude. ¡°Just like now, it¡¯s intense, isn¡¯t it? Not many Chosen have the weight, the pressure Akio does. That¡¯s proof of his superiority.¡± She winked sarcastically at the American Chosen who had spoken out of turn earlier. ¡°But that is all a mask for the problems we face. It¡¯s obvious... the so-called Church clearly has a means similar to Akio to transform or imbue ordinary people with strength, and also to transport items that go beyond science. Anyone here could be such an enemy, and if they are prepared to die...¡±


    ¡°Which they clearly were.¡± I pointed out, agreeing. Hinata says the others agree as well. A lot of the attacks on us in Japan were clearly made with the anticipation of immense losses, all to take out a few key targets. Thank the Gods Mae was able to protect Asha and the Tree, as well as my Anchor, or else...


    ¡°And they did.¡± Christina winked. ¡°Yes, Japan suffered losses, but Akio¡¯s allies held firm. It will weaken Japan as a whole, yes, but... strengthen Akio¡¯s overall voice and influence. But if the same was to happen in America...¡±


    The President scowled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, I know! They¡¯re wary of our retaliation, but it¡¯s true. The risk of assassination is high. That¡¯s the message that their worldwide actions have declared. There was an attempt on the highest nobility of Japan, yes?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately we anticipated trouble. Trouble which... I am afraid to say, was also from American citizens.¡± I added a further bargaining chip at the right time.


    ¡°The Ruby Group. They¡¯re... not the only conglomerate causing me a headache.¡± The President grumbled. ¡°That reminds me...¡± His smile was suddenly predatory, a gleam is his blue eyes. ¡°...you complained about the United States trying to kidnap you. It¡¯s a nonsense of course, we would never do such. The Japanese government would attest to that. But... when it comes to kidnapping... Suzanne Castor.¡±


    Oh? This, huh. ¡°Suzu-san... Suzanne, I suppose I should say... is staying with us voluntarily, for her own safety and protection.¡± I countered.


    ¡°You say that, but I know for a fact that she¡¯s not yet eighteen years of age.¡± The President countered. ¡°Therefore it¡¯s illegal child abduction. By Japanese law, it¡¯s actually stricter. Parental consent is required for those under twenty to leave home, yes?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wrong.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Under the new Ministry special passport scheme, certain exemptions apply, so she¡¯s legally able to maintain her autonomy, and we consider her as a Japanese national as well as American.¡±


    ¡°You think that will fly?¡± the President sneered. He glanced at one of the other politicians at the table, who coughed, before his wrinkled face set into a firm expression.


    ¡°Mr Castor is... a respected figure in our State. When his daughter ran away he was... distraught.¡± The word was rather monotone, and we could all see he was lying. ¡°...she is a... troubled, young girl. Not socially aware, and... has problems with learning.¡±


    We anticipated this eventually, though... Suzu-san always said her family wouldn¡¯t want her back, so long as there was no benefit in it for them, or demerits for her staying away. Besides... I don¡¯t like the way they are talking about her. She¡¯s... an odd girl, but... she can be strangely sharp at times. That¡¯s beside the point, though. Suzu-san is my Vassal, and I have responsibilities...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are aware of Suzanne¡¯s home situation...¡± I asked the President. Mr Hunter was urging me not to argue with his eyes, but I wasn¡¯t going to back down. ¡°...while she makes pains not to call it abusive, it was clear that she was at the least neglected by her family. But yes, I get that¡¯s not the point. But what is... I¡¯m effectively Suzanne¡¯s legal guardian, you could say. I have a responsibility to her. I¡¯m more than willing to discuss this with her parents, but...Suzanne¡¯s opinion will be respected.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s easy to just ignore our laws?¡± the President asked, his tone harsh. ¡°There are consequences...¡±


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, America makes a habit of saying its laws take precedence over other those of other countries. Even setting aside the blatant kidnapping of our citizens, and the still unlawful detention of many international Chosen... and before you say ¡®we all agreed that never happened¡¯, grow up. I¡¯m not demanding further concessions because of that, but just because we all agree a polite fiction, it doesn¡¯t make the truth disappear. If you want to talk about consequences, go right ahead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m jealous!¡± Christina trilled. ¡°Though Suzanne is quite the fascinating girl. It must grate on the Castors that the problem child they let fly the coop has turned out to be so important. But then...¡± She suddenly laughed wickedly. ¡°...from what I¡¯ve heard, they¡¯d probably be quite satisfied marrying her off, so long as they profited, and the husband-to-be kept her out of sight. You interested?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No way. Besides, Suzu... Suzanne wants to be an idol, so she needs to stay single.¡±


    It was then the President¡¯s wife spoke up. She had remained quiet the entire time, but this subject had obviously piqued her interest. ¡°I saw the broadcast, the concert. Miss Castor looked very happy performing. I think... perhaps it might be best to let her be?¡±


    ¡°If her parents want to put in an official legal complaint, they are more than welcome to. Like I said, I¡¯m on a tight schedule, but I¡¯m prepared to meet with them if it can be arranged quickly enough. But... if they simply want her back to save face, or to exploit her abilities... I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t see eye to eye. And I¡¯ll be frank. Nobody can force me to abandon those under my protection. That goes for Christina too.¡±


    ¡°Be still my heart!¡± Christina giggled, flushing. ¡°And before you say it, I know. It¡¯s my expertise you want, but it was still nice to hear.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± The President nodded. ¡°This doesn¡¯t have much to do with what we were talking about, the Church of True Revelation.¡± He backed down, though he seemed satisfied. Hinata was of the opinion he was weighing up what his support over the issue would cost me, and I didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Mr Hunter was glad to be back on safer ground. ¡°Mr Oshiro raises an excellent point. If they can increase their numbers, as we suspect...¡±


    ¡°You must think us foolish.¡± Adam spoke. The President clearly didn¡¯t like the man, judging by the cold glance he gave him, though he allowed his interruption. As Adam placed a phone on the table, he turned on footage from FujiTV, of Uchida Ren, and also the leaked footage of my sis from Korea. ¡°Your numbers aren¡¯t merely increasing by this so-called Chirurgery you performed on Christina here. You have the means to transfer or steal powers. You are as dangerous as the Church. In fact...¡± his eyes narrowed. ¡°...it makes me wonder about some of your requests, such as the corpse of the unfortunate Egil Andersen.¡±


    Shit, what do you think, Hinata?


    It was obvious that this was going to be a problem. Unfortunately, the rumours, outright lies, deliberate half-truths and pointed truths we wished to keep secret that Uchida-san spread with help from foolish broadcasters here in Japan have the potential to cause more damage than the overt invasion. Fortunately, Arisugawa-san has a plan to handle the situation. When you return... for now...


    As we exchanged rapid thoughts through Eri and the twins, we decided on our course of action. ¡°You can wonder all you like, but this was already agreed. Going back on your word now would certainly make me reconsider your trustworthiness.¡±


    ¡°Speaking for Britain, I would have to agree.¡± Mr Hunter joined in. ¡°While I am obviously not privy to any agreement made between Japan and America... we strongly support Japan in any negotiations regarding this matter.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would.¡± Adam declared, a touch scornfully. ¡°But you misunderstand me. Why, even during the troubles in Japan, Scryer contacted me, and I gave her the go-ahead to offer assistance. It seems she ended up needing to rely on help herself, but our intent was there. But when such... interesting... information is released into the public domain, you hardly expect us to ignore the potential ramifications? And don¡¯t try and tell us that it is all lies. Christina here has surely run her mouth...¡± At his glower, she giggled, sipping on her coffee and whistling falsely. ¡°...and you are aware of our research and information gathering. There¡¯s simply no way we can let such slide.¡±


    I glanced around meaningfully at the Chosen security. ¡°Are you sure here is a good place to discus it? Though I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if one or two of them have an idea...¡±


    ¡°It seems to me, this is just an extension of the plans of the terrorists, to sow discord. We shouldn¡¯t fall for it.¡± Mr Hunter insisted, and the President nodded, eyes narrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously something you¡¯d say, Gerard. But... you¡¯re right. We¡¯re all friends here, aren¡¯t we? And friends should help each other.¡±


    Here it comes. I waited as the President clasped his hands together, trying to appear both friendly and intimidating at once, I presumed. Though considering I¡¯m used to dealing with beings with great Majesty and Charm, like the Seelie Princes and Princesses, this is nothing...


    ¡°I¡¯ve been curious, ever since London. Even before that, rumours in the business world have ben circulating about the ¡®miracle healer¡¯ who can cure anything, for a price. In fact, Kenji Fukumoto was hardly shy in bragging about you in the right circles, though details were scarce. But... there¡¯s more, yes? From what I gather... this Chirurgery offers a multitude of benefits. Health, stamina, longevity, clear mindedness...¡± He smiled knowingly. ¡°...not that I need the latter. I¡¯m still sharp as a man half my age. And that goes for the bedroom too.¡± He nudged his wife with his elbow, and she smiled benignly, despite likely being embarrassed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I conceded. ¡°About the Chirurgery, I mean. Of course, while Chirurgery might be able to make a super soldier, I think what the Church does is a little more... in-depth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so important.¡± The President disagreed. ¡°What is... have you considered becoming an American citizen? It would certainly offer you many benefits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried that, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Christina shrugged. ¡°When it comes down to it, we don¡¯t have anything to offer he can¡¯t already get himself. Though I¡¯m more than prepared to sacrifice my precious chastity and body to his lusts for us!¡± She winked at me, and I held in a sigh.


    ¡°A shame. Of course, it¡¯s never too late. Any time, make a call, and I¡¯ll push it through. Executive Order.¡± The two politicians with us looked sour at his words. ¡°I¡¯ll concede for today, but... as a gesture of goodwill, I think it would surely be wise to offer me this Chirurgery. After all, in Britain you¡¯ve done it for the Queen.¡±


    And as expected... Chirurgery is too enticing to pass up. Now, time to make the points Hinata suggested. I was thinking along roughly the same lines anyway...


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s such a good idea. As the President of a foreign country, wouldn¡¯t that be considered as unduly meddling with your internal politics? I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s something your citizens would look upon favourably.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± The President disagreed fiercely. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, yes? There¡¯s no need to be shy. Despite your status, as far as I¡¯m aware, you aren¡¯t a politician or a diplomat, are you? So as a private citizen, you can render a service to me, it¡¯s no different to selling me a suit.¡±


    ¡°I think the comparison is rather facetious...¡± Mr Hunter began, but the President merely scoffed at him.


    ¡°Jealousy is a terrible thing, Gerard. Besides, it¡¯s impossible for us not to know what Britain and Japan are planning. That strikes me as interfering in politics more. I¡¯m aware of his status as a special advisor to this Ministry of Spiritual Matters, but this is still a private transaction.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see the necessity.¡± I countered, and the President shrugged.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t think me owing you a favour is worth anything?¡±


    From what I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯re not the best at repaying such favours. I¡¯m not American, so some of it could be hearsay or sour grapes, but... ¡°Let¡¯s say for sake of argument I do give you Chirurgery, which is essentially priceless... I¡¯d certainly need some concessions.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we already allowing you to meet some brave American superheroes and take away the body of a foreign national? Despite the Director¡¯s concerns here?¡± he pointed out, and I snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s payment for your past transgressions. And it¡¯s also in your best interests, as we¡¯ll likely end up having to soothe the family of Egil Andersen on your behalf. No... let me lay out what I¡¯d need.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always ready to do a deal.¡± The President leaned in eagerly, and Adam reminded him gently that he wasn¡¯t able to act unilaterally, there were checks and balances, but again the President shrugged that off.


    ¡°Firstly... Suzanne Castor. Again, I¡¯m prepared to meet with her family to discuss matters, but... don¡¯t test me on this. I¡¯ve gave her my word she¡¯s under my protection, and nowadays I don¡¯t lie. Besides, let¡¯s face it. If they wanted to find her before this, they could have. She¡¯s oddly cunning in some ways, but even using cash, she still would have left a trail through flights, immigration and so on. A rich family like the Castors could have hired investigators. It¡¯s too late to play the caring family now. Of course, if they genuinely are sorry, then they have a place in her life. But it¡¯s her choice. In theory, since she¡¯s Japanese dual nationality now, all she has to do is revoke her American citizenship...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t speak for them, but... I¡¯m not interested in pressing the issue.¡± The President agreed. ¡°While it could be considered trafficking a minor, and thus highly illegal, it seems to me there is no... untoward... relationship between you and Suzanne Castor.¡±


    I frowned but nodded. ¡°Yes. Like I said, she¡¯s not in any sort of relationship. She wishes to remain an idol, which to her means no boyfriend or dating.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t stop the Castor family from causing trouble...¡± he admitted, but Adam spoke up.


    ¡°From my understanding of them... they might wish to exploit her abilities or find a suitable marriage partner. Though... they are not exactly welcoming to Eastern nationalities, so would be... reluctant... to do business with you. But their main priority is avoiding what they see as the shame her behaviour brings their family. They were mortified when they discovered her performance in front of the world.¡±


    I see. So, we can leverage that. ¡°Secondly...¡± I made my next demand. ¡°...I need a renegotiation of one part of the post-war treaty between America and Japan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something we can agree on! It would need ratifying by Congress!¡± the cry came from the grey-haired, elderly man at our table.


    ¡°Actually, I doubt very much it¡¯s an issue.¡± I disagreed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t involve trade, economic or military policy. It¡¯s simply... Ningen-sengen, the declaration of humanity that the Emperor was made to assert at the end of the Second World War. It¡¯s clear that Amaterasu has blessed the Imperial Bloodline, as evidenced by Princess Mikasa...¡± I didn¡¯t call her Yukiko-san, since this was a formal setting. ¡°...so, to ease her heart, as well as give the Japanese another belief to help us unify against the disruption the Church is causing, I would ask that we are allowed to publicise that the declaration was merely words, and that the Sun burns bright within the Imperial Family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... I can¡¯t see it being a problem. I can issue an Executive Order to force an amendment. Of course, I¡¯ll get the damn leeches of the marsh grumbling, trying to stop any change. But I¡¯ll drain that marsh and leave them all to dissolve in the sun, if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty will be pleased...¡± Mr Hunter muttered to himself, though my ears picked up his barely breathed words. I¡¯m not sure what that has to do with Britain, but okay...


    ¡°So then. Chirurgery.¡± The president rubbed his hands gleefully, but I wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else...¡± I interrupted, and then glanced around meaningfully. ¡°I think for this one you might want to send away your Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bold of you.¡± The President narrowed his eyes. ¡°Trying to separate me from my guards...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your call.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just giving some helpful advice. Besides, do you really think they could protect you if I wanted to rampage here? But why would I? We¡¯re cutting a deal. I thought that was your favourite thing to do?¡±


    The President nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m all about the art of the deal. It¡¯s the American way. But...¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± I let a shroud of wind element, the green glow suppressed, fold around the table, swallowing our words. ¡°...I¡¯ll do this for free.¡±


    The President looked interested. ¡°What was that? I feel a chill...¡±


    Outside the circle, the guards reacted with alarm, but the President raised his hand to reassure them. A few of the Chosen were glowering at me, but Adelheid glared back as she sipped on yet another coffee, while eating some delicious baked treats. Seeing that, they looked away, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel amused they were cowed by such a young-looking woman, especially as she had some spots of cream around her mouth from the cakes.


    ¡°I just used a wind barrier to mute the sound. Because trust me, you don¡¯t want your Chosen to hear about my next request.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now I¡¯m curious.¡± The President leaned forwards. Beside him, his wife gave me a sympathetic look. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in mincing my words. Tell me what you want, and I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Mr President, this is most irregular...¡± the grey-haired man complained, and the other nodded beside him.


    ¡°This could be construed as political corruption and bribery!¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± The President snorted, amused. His mood was quite mercurial, I had noticed, and it was hard keeping up with his shifting focus, but I remained calm. Fortunately, with all my Split Thoughts I had ample time to think, and Hinata and Eri were constantly in my thoughts as well.


    ¡°This is merely a private transaction between me and another person. It¡¯s all utterly above board.¡± he continued brazenly.


    ¡°That would be more convincing if you weren¡¯t insisting on an Executive Order. There¡¯s no way that either House will...¡± the white-haired politician complained, but his mutters soon became inaudible and frustrated as it was clear the President wasn¡¯t listening to him.


    ¡°Ignore them. They¡¯re supposed


    to be in my Party, but they do nothing but complain.¡± The President¡¯s words dismissed their concerns, and I was rather glad that Abe-san, our Prime Minister, was far more reasonable. Although... sometimes unreasonable people can be good to trade with, so long as I don¡¯t let him run roughshod over me...


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point then.¡± I turned my gaze to Adam White. ¡°All of the other Chosen America has... abducted... they need to be freed and compensated. The families of the dead, too. No more experiments, though... Christina tells me they have mostly ended now anyway.¡±


    She nodded cheerfully. ¡°Yes, we were coming to the limits of what we could discover, and now that we are having more contact with the native beings of this Boundary, as well as some international research...¡± She made a face as if to say she was sorry she had made a sudden mistake, but I could tell she was faking it, and meant to let that slip. ¡°...my bad. Sorry Adam, Mr President! But it¡¯s not like everyone doesn¡¯t know we have the best spy network and espionage on the planet. After all, the NSA is always listening, right Adam?¡±


    ¡°You think yourself so amusing, Christina. When did you get so bold? Do you really think he¡¯ll protect you?¡± Adam narrowed his eyes, clearly furious.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Christina surprised me. ¡°I¡¯m a genius, Adam! But you don¡¯t need to be to know how he reacts. All you have to do is watch. I frustrate him, he dislikes me, but... because I¡¯m willing to change, he¡¯ll watch over me.¡±


    ¡°Only because you¡¯re a woman.¡± Adam grumbled, and I shrugged uncomfortably.


    It¡¯s fair that I¡¯m called a hypocrite, the tears and pleading of women do move me more than men, but... It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t spare Grulgor, is it? And the Cultivators we captured during the second Kyoto incident were men. They¡¯re currently assisting the Ministry, after having given all their knowledge to Daiyu. But that¡¯s not the issue. The... ¡°...difference between you and Christina isn¡¯t that simple.¡± I drew everyone¡¯s attention with my words, and I was glad nobody else could hear us.


    ¡°Oh, do enlighten me.¡± Adam narrowed his eyes coldly. When we had finally met, I had thought him a harsh, pragmatic man, but now I could also feel his ruthlessness radiating from him, the mask slipping.


    ¡°...the difference is, Christina participated in your crimes with a desire to gain knowledge and use that knowledge to help make the world better. Yes, she¡¯s amoral and cold, but... you, you are motivated by fear, and your aim is control, domination. You¡¯re not the same.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Adam was angry, but he kept his composure, even if his tone was even frostier. ¡°I am simply a realist! Christina is useful yes, but she¡¯s also dangerous. Too often scientists ask if they can, rather than if they should. Our efforts are necessary, not just for America, but for humanity in general!¡± His words were impassioned, but I disagreed.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just frightened of change.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, there is cause for concern. It would be possible to devastate countries, perhaps even make humanity extinct, with the right abilities. Conversely, it¡¯s also possible to stop such disasters. Let¡¯s be honest...¡± I turned to the President, who was smirking at Adam¡¯s discomfort, and I got the idea they didn¡¯t like each other. ¡°...you have access to the big red button, don¡¯t you? With just an order, you could start a war that would send humanity back to the dark ages. I don¡¯t know how true it is, but I heard that nuclear weapons detonated at high altitude would cause catastrophic damage to the world¡¯s electronic infrastructure?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Christina agreed cheerfully. ¡°You get a wave of Compton scattering, the high energy electrons will fry everything, just like a massive solar storm. Of course, compared to the effects of nuclear winter, which would likely cause a temperature drop of seven to ten Kelvin, leading to devastating global collapse of agriculture, as well as ash particles causing widespread mechanical failures, health issues... then there¡¯s the radiation... oh my yes. Such a bombardment probably wouldn¡¯t drive humanity to extinction, but it would finish our march towards progress.¡±


    ¡°The President can¡¯t just decide to do that. There are checks and balances, safeguards...¡± Adam denied that hotly. ¡°...whereas what safeguards can restrain such as you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point. But conversely, it¡¯s not just us, is it? There are finally other intelligent beings, even whole civilisations, out there. Many are likely more powerful than we are.¡± I countered. ¡°So acting on fear isn¡¯t very scientific or logical...¡± Christina smirked at that, reaching for my arm, but I dodged, swaying aside, and she flushed, breathing becoming ragged.


    ¡°...if we cull those of us with power, what do we do when the inevitable happens? Japanese, British, American history. It¡¯s all the same. When two civilisations meet, the weaker one fares poorly.¡± I finished, and Adam had to concede the point.


    ¡°Yes, humanity is beset on all sides! From within, and from without. I know Japan has the special passport scheme, and those such as Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan are recognised as true Japanese citizens, with rights equal to any human, but... that¡¯s foolish!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true it¡¯s a concern.¡± The President agreed. ¡°Immigration is a problem. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯d be more than happy for you to naturalise as an American, and that includes all your wives, the human and the not.¡± The President gave me an approving look, matched only by his wife¡¯s clearly long-suffering one. ¡°America is open to the powerful and the productive. But... it¡¯s when our culture is under threat, eroded. These so-called spiritual beings, they don¡¯t share our culture, our values, and even our lifespans. What will happen when their numbers grow? Will they get to vote, bring in their own political parties, laws... it¡¯s a real problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something we¡¯ve considered.¡± I agreed, surprising them. ¡°But again, you¡¯re letting fear rule you. Perhaps Christina could do with a little more fear... but her approach is better, even if it needs leashing to a sense of humanity, of common sense... I¡¯m not praising you...¡± I insisted, as she giggled wetly, and once more I was struck by how hard it was to deal with a masochist. ¡°...look, the whole point of my alliance with the nobility of Japan is to prevent cultural erosion. Cultural shifts are fine, fresh new ideas, perspectives, traditions... but we need to keep the best of ours too. Fortunately... it¡¯s possible. At least I will strive to make it so. After all... one advantage is that it seems we can bear offspring with each other. Biologically speaking, doesn¡¯t that make us far more similar than we are different?¡±


    ¡°You know this personally, do you?¡± the President laughed. ¡°That¡¯s quite amusing. I like a man who isn¡¯t afraid to do what others wouldn¡¯t dare to!¡±


    ¡°My point...¡± I ignored that. ¡°...is that your path, Adam, it¡¯s regressive, and foolish. Never mind it being inhumane and criminal.¡± I glanced at the Chosen around us, our words still hidden from them. ¡°So it has to end, and amends have to be made. And the wastage of precious Favours has to stop. Christina here... she gets that. You... I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool.¡± Adam shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re weighing possible future catastrophe with the near certainty of annihilation now. A single act of insanity and we lose everything. Don¡¯t mistake me...¡± he glowered at Christina briefly, before looking back at me. ¡°...it¡¯s as I said earlier, there¡¯s no appetite for further conflict between us. Even with the great deal you are keeping from us.¡± He tapped his phone that showed the footage from Japan once more. ¡°And I support efforts to deal with this so-called Church of True Revelation, they are too unpredictable. But I cannot stand aside and let America, humanity, perish under the dreadful powers of a few reckless fools, or be marginalised and persecuted on our own planet by those who aren¡¯t human!¡±


    ¡°Short sighted, Adam. So short sighted.¡± Christina shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re a country built on immigrants seeking a better life. Sentiment perhaps has changed...¡± Christina glanced at the President, knowing his views. ¡°...but I have no objection to expanding our horizons. Besides, from what I understand, when the Boundary starts to collapse, or Territories grow stronger... there will be overlap between the Material and the other, Astral world. I don¡¯t know if Earth will expand, or space will warp, allowing more land to exist in the same volume... I have theories, but...¡± As she was about to launch into her new idea, I gave her a withering look, and she blushed. I guess she¡¯s been speaking to the others, gathering information. She¡¯s certainly proactive.


    ¡°...well, never mind that. All I¡¯m saying, Adam, is... you are only seeing the risks, not the possible rewards.¡±


    ¡°I get why you want to retain the status quo.¡± I nodded at Christina¡¯s words. ¡°America¡¯s number one, after all. But the path you are travelling won¡¯t help you. So now... do the right thing. I insist. I¡¯m being extremely generous not asking for those behind your Project Star Mirror to be tried for their crimes. And make no mistake. They are crimes.¡±


    ¡°I feel I should point out I wasn¡¯t appraised of any of this. Adam, your reports were trash. You¡¯re fortunate you have backing.¡± The President sneered. ¡°But any more mistakes and you¡¯re not just gone, but you¡¯ll find out why crossing me is a mistake.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m on the stand, Christina Bakker will be there right beside me.¡± Adam warned, and my returned smile was frosty.


    ¡°I know that. Honestly, it would be a lot easier if I could just toss her aside, but...¡± It¡¯s true. I¡¯m a hypocrite, but... I¡¯d rather by a hypocrite that strives to offer redemption for those that wish to try. Hyacinth, Tamamo-no-Mae, Christina... others too... but the first step to any redemption is undoing as much harm they caused as possible. ¡°...I don¡¯t go back on my word. Remember that. And remember what I promised.¡±


    Under my glare, Adam nodded. ¡°I remember. But this is rather unfair. Scryer did try and help under my instructions...¡±


    ¡°This is a complicated political issue...¡± Mr Hunter, who had remained silent during our confrontation, spoke up. ¡°It makes me a little uncomfortable to hear it, though, since Britain¡¯s Gods¡¯ Chosen have already been returned safely... there¡¯s no benefit in causing our ally, America, who stands with us against the terrorist threats such as the Church, needless international condemnation. I¡¯m sure that Mr Oshiro here is willing to extend the same aid to the other... guests...¡± his lips curled unpleasantly at that euphemism. ¡°...of America, in terms of healing and mental health care, that he offered our citizens. Of course, such shouldn¡¯t be granted for free.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Hinata pressed for our advantage, knowing that not only could we achieve our goal of getting the remaining captives freed, and the worst excesses of Project Star Mirror shut down, but we could also get paid for it. It¡¯ll take up a lot of Haru-san¡¯s already precious time, so we need remuneration. Not necessarily financial, but...


    ¡°It¡¯s a mess, but it¡¯s a mess of your making, Adam! You and the others.¡± The President declared, looking through the wall of invisible wind at Gina and Christopher. ¡°So clean this all up! I don¡¯t need any trouble when my re-election campaign will be moving into full swing soon. As for the cost... we can meet it.¡± He paused. ¡°Going to ask for anything else?¡±


    I shook my head. There¡¯s no point pushing. Hinata agrees. He can supposedly be extremely vindictive so... we¡¯ll take what we need and call it a win. ¡°Not for Chirurgery, although obviously this can¡¯t be construed as any support for you over your political rivals. As you said, it¡¯s merely a private transaction. I¡¯ll throw it in for your wife as well. But...¡± I warned them not en enter the Boundary, as I certainly wouldn¡¯t be held liable for injury of death caused by being foolish.


    ¡°A pleasure doing business with you. I¡¯m confident we can manage your humble requests.¡± He seemed pleased. ¡°As for another matter...¡± He fixed me with a firm stare. ¡°...we talked earlier of your business ventures, we are of course aware of the construction going on around several sites on the outskirts of Tokyo. And we¡¯ve heard rumours... care to tell me precisely what you¡¯ll be making?¡±


    It¡¯s a good opportunity. Obviously we threaten the vested interests of a number of countries who hold the energy monopoly over the rest of the world. The United States especially, as the fact that oil is valued in dollars helps prop their currency up as the world¡¯s reserve. Perhaps in simpler times, you¡¯d mysteriously disappear, and your technology would vanish or be used by the US military, but... if they try that now, it won¡¯t go well for them. Hinata was excited, and so I disclosed our plans.


    ¡°Battery and generation technology. Far in excess of what current scientific standards can manage. A minimum of ten times the capacity, with significantly less waste heat. In terms of generation, micro-style power plants, each with generation of several hundred kilowatts to a megawatt per hour.  They produce electricity directly, rather than replying on turbines and the like, so maintenance and lifespan should be excellent.¡±


    At my proud boasts, Adam narrowed his eyes, clearly calculating how that could change the balance of power. The President was equally impressed, though his smile was a little worrying.


    ¡°I¡¯d find that hard to believe, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Although... I¡¯ve no reason to doubt. We¡¯re doing our own research, of course. Wholesome research.¡± He glanced at Adam, smirking at his discomfort. ¡°It¡¯s simply a miracle how many reports cross my desk now, whereas before I never heard about any of this. That¡¯s the downside of having subordinates who think themselves competent.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re a leader too. Obviously, you can¡¯t compare to carrying the weight of the United States of America on your shoulders, and being the protecter of the free world, but... I see a lot of myself when I was young in you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I managed dryly, while Eri and Hinata were laughing heartily in my head as I relayed that comment. Chiaki-chan, Chiasa-chan, you are good girls, not making fun of me!


    ¡°I see, I see. No wonder old Kenji Fukumoto is so eager to marry you off to his daughter. If his electronics could have such batteries... hmm... computing, transportation... even military applications. The HELIOS system...¡± As the President muttered to himself, ticking things of on his fingers, I waited, until he snapped back to reality, smiling at me invitingly. ¡°The potential is there for a trillion-dollar company, certainly. And you control most of the shares?¡±


    ¡°All of them, technically. The deal with Ichijou Heavy Industries is for other products.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see.¡± he seemed enthusiastic. ¡°But... to produce enough products to make your business the best it can be... can Japan handle it? And the supply chain...¡±


    ¡°Obviously we need to scale up.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though once we get the production lines working we anticipate scaling them up rapidly. As for resources... we have plans for our supply chain already.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you have to watch out for forgeries and theft.¡± he pointed out. ¡°China in particular is notorious for not respecting intellectual properties.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not foolish enough to claim that we¡¯re the only ones capable of merging Material and Astral technology, but... I¡¯m confident nobody will be copying our products for quite some time.¡± We have too many advantages invested, like Ixitt¡¯s genius, Nie Ling and Ginneka¡¯s Favours, and more... by the time others start making similar advances, our products should have already captured a significant market share. Though the President is right, meeting demand worldwide is going to be impossible over the shorter term, which is why in general it¡¯ll be supplied to Japan and Britain first, then, assuming our potential ties with South Korea aren¡¯t scuppered by their internal division, Yu-mi can start expanding our business there.


    ¡°I like your confidence.¡± the President declared. ¡°I think we need to talk more about this...¡±


    At Hinata¡¯s urgings, I nodded, trying to navigate the negotiations, while Adelheid relaxed. Seeing that, I held in the urge to sigh. At least someone¡¯s having fun...

 Five Hundred And Forty-Five

    Five Hundred And Forty-Five


    I was asked to take a photograph shaking hands with the President, which I refused, as I didn¡¯t want to show any endorsement for him, as it was none of my business what the Americans did, so long as they stopped their criminal and wasteful treatment of Chosen, but when it was pointed out that not doing so would be in itself a statement, as every guest at state dinners inevitably took a suitable photograph with the President, I gave in. I did warn him that he couldn¡¯t use my photograph out of context, and he agreed, extremely cheerful as he had gained the concession he wanted, the promise of my Chirurgery.


    Those seated around our table had changed, the two politicians now replaced by Gina and Christopher. Christopher was trying to play it cool, but I could see beads of sweat on his brow and the faint tremors in his muscles that indicated nervousness. Hold it together. You really didn¡¯t do much wrong except give me a heads-up on something the President revealed anyway.


    ¡°There¡¯s still my point from earlier.¡± Adam pointed out sourly. I had restored the shield of wind to block sound, as our conversations weren¡¯t something we wanted others, especially Chosen, to hear. The President had been hinting pointedly about the possibility of getting cooperation from our new company, but before he could make it explicit, Adam had broken in again, irking him.


    ¡°Is now the time for this, Director?¡± the President scowled. ¡°You¡¯re already on thin ice.¡±


    ¡°I think it is.¡± Adam¡¯s gaze was cold. ¡°The fact that these powers can be transferred opens a lot of dangerous possibilities. More to the point... it makes you more of a threat.¡± He warned me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already designated Akio the highest priority on your little list, Adam.¡± Christina chuckled. ¡°If you keep revising it, it loses its value.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡± he snapped. ¡°Isn¡¯t science all about reevaluating things based on new knowledge and findings?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Christina pointed out triumphantly. ¡°And you need to reassess how you see things.¡±


    ¡°Bluntly put...¡± Gina spoke with her usual brusque manner, likely masking concerns. ¡°...you¡¯re saying we have to adapt our thinking?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Christina nodded. ¡°After all, so much of our actions were based on flawed premises in the first place.¡± She glanced at Christopher. ¡°So there¡¯s no need to worry, Chris. Your kids are safe from me. Although... if they really want to harness their gifts, they should get the best tutors.¡±


    ¡°Lay it out for me. Your reports so far have all been crap. They¡¯ve improved...¡± the President conceded. ¡°...but it¡¯s still just half-baked nonsense. I¡¯ve learned more just drinking coffee and talking...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr President.¡± Adam bit down on a sigh. ¡°...simply, there has been no second wave of the black cats...¡± As I narrowed my eyes, he changed his terminology. ¡°...ability users, and from the information, which I hasten to add is speculative, incomplete and highly untrustworthy...¡± His gaze flickered to me, and I had to incline my head. Of course he wouldn¡¯t trust it, since he doesn¡¯t trust the Favours themselves...


    ¡°...there is unlikely to be a second advent, what we have now is all we will discover. Imagine this, Mr President.¡± He leaned forwards, his coffee forgotten, cooling on the table. ¡°The greatest weapons of humanity, nuclear bombs. Say... there is only enough uranium on earth to manufacture eight hundred. We would have four hundred, Russia three hundred and fifty, and fifty more scattered around a half dozen other countries. Power would be balanced. But now, suppose that a country... for example, Japan...¡± He eyed me warily. ¡°...comes along, and can not only destroy said weapons, but can also effortlessly steal them for their own. In a year, perhaps now it might not make much of a difference. Fifty for Japan, thirty around the world, and we are down to three hundred and eighty-five. But Russia would also be down, to three hundred and thirty-five. Other than Japan now being in a position of strength, not much has changed. But if that was to continue unabated...¡±


    ¡°Soon Japan would have hundreds, exceeding ours and Russia¡¯s.¡± the President nodded. ¡°And that would leave us at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°From just listening to his talk of batteries and electricity generation, you can assume that the analogy doesn¡¯t just apply to weapons.¡± Adam warned. ¡°Honestly... from our viewpoint, you¡¯re too dangerous to let live, Akio.¡±


    His words seemed to be a threat, but we both knew he couldn¡¯t challenge me again without being certain of the outcome, which he wasn¡¯t. ¡°That¡¯s certainly feasible.¡± I agreed calmly. In addition to coffee, a massive display of confectionery, football-sized crystal sugar balls, set on a base of white chocolate, with heaps of American cherries, and other fruits had been wheeled out. Adelheid had of course been brought a large serving of it, and Christina was eating it too, in-between her alternating biting and teasing remarks to Adam, her expression when she was enjoying the dessert a far cry from her usual ones, making her look like an ordinary woman for a change.


    ¡°The problem is there¡¯s a number of faulty assumptions involved. But... is it really for me to correct them? After all, knowledge is a priceless commodity, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    That¡¯s right. It benefits us clearing up their misconceptions about Chosen matters, but why do something for free when we can get paid, or at least earn a favour? Hinata was eager to strengthen our position.


    ¡°I like to think we¡¯re all friends here, aren¡¯t we?¡± the President smiled brilliantly. ¡°There¡¯s no point holding out on us.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, friends. Just like the poor innocent citizens of other countries who are even now held in American incarceration.¡± I remarked dryly, and for a moment the jovial fac?ade of the President cracked. He weighed me up, before turning his attention to the others around the table.


    ¡°I knew nothing about that.¡± The President insisted. ¡°Those actions were taken by our well-meaning Directors here. Besides, I understand it¡¯s all in the past, and didn¡¯t happen, yes?¡±


    ¡°True, but whether we acknowledge that or not, expecting me to be open and generous is asking too much.¡± I insisted. I turned to Adelheid then. ¡°You¡¯re really enjoying that. Do you have a sweet tooth, Tanya?¡±


    She gave me a flat look, her blue eyes cold, now well used to my occasional misnaming of her, taking it as the joke it was, while she sipped at her coffee. ¡°Yes, I like sweet things. So what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I grinned. ¡°Just Tanya was very keen on coffee too, it¡¯s amusing. And your expressions match your appearance now.¡±


    ¡°Why are you trying to find the hair in the soup? How I look hardly matters.¡± She puffed out her cheeks, but didn¡¯t stop eating and drinking. As I conversed in German, I could see everyone except Christina growing more tense around the table. Having made my point, I took everyone in. ¡°All right then. I don¡¯t want it said I¡¯m unreasonable, but... knowledge is power, yes? Surely sharing mine is worth something.¡±


    ¡°And what do you want?¡± the President asked. ¡°I¡¯m prepared to be reasonable...¡±


    ¡°Mr President, you can¡¯t promise things that need to be ratified by Congress...¡± Gina began. He waved that off though.


    ¡°We can at least hear him out, no? This is a mess of your making, the Agencies have been extremely


    disappointing so far. A crisis comes and you all fall to pieces. The marsh has stagnated for far too long.¡± He turned to me then. ¡°So, what¡¯s your price? And what information?¡±


    I held up my hand, three fingers sticking up. ¡°Firstly, you¡¯re wrong about Divine Favours. Secondly, you¡¯re wrong about the dangers we face, and thirdly, you¡¯re wrong about the benefits we can obtain.¡± I lowered my three fingers. ¡°You know, I¡¯m very fond of the way that Fae do things.¡± Ignoring Christina¡¯s teasing that I was just thinking of Shaeula, I shrugged. ¡°Three Oaths for three Boons. While we¡¯re not making promises... information for results.¡± My three fingers were once more raised.


    ¡°Firstly, support against the Church of True Revelation, and also... well, I¡¯ll explain if you agree.¡±


    At the piercing look the President was giving me, I stared back, unmoved. ¡°Secondly, information sharing...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s far too dangerous...¡± Adam began, but I shot back.


    ¡°You think far too small. This isn¡¯t the time for us to jealously hoard our influence and past glories, like an aging dragon sitting on its hoard. As you¡¯ll see...¡±


    Yes, it¡¯s time to start building a grand coalition. Though... South Korea have been extremely disappointing, despite all my personal efforts. Hinata was sulking, her thoughts through Eri¡¯s bond pouty, which I found cute. Somehow able to tell Hinata knew that and was blushing, I let her change the subject. You know, depending on how the political infighting in their Blue House goes, we might lose our support there entirely. Which renders all our efforts there pointless.


    Not pointless. I disagreed. After all, we gained Yu-Mi, Violet-noona and her Hunter Guild, as well as some Favours. We still had the prisoner captured, and his Favour would be extracted soon. I had a feeling I knew who it would be suitable for, especially since we had gained a number more prisoners due to my girls¡¯ exploits during my absence, and a similar one had been gained.


    Yu-mi, huh? Yeah, I definitely think she¡¯s got a lot of potential. I never would have thought that at the start. Of course, she¡¯s got poor judgement when it comes to men. Fancy turning you down! Hinata¡¯s giggle was loud in my mind. Perhaps we¡¯ll have her run for President of South Korea if things go wrong. Wouldn¡¯t that be something?


    We shared a laugh across our rapid exchange of thoughts, mere moments passing. South Korea was like Japan in a lot of ways, rather patriarchal, and also very age orientated, so a young woman like Yu-mi would ordinarily be laughed off the stage. But... these weren¡¯t ordinary times.


    Anyway, you¡¯re doing good, Akio. Hinata got to the point. From everything I¡¯ve heard about the President, and from what you¡¯ve shared today, he¡¯s got one great weakness. Just keep exploiting it, and we¡¯ll make him an ally. Even if he¡¯s not popular at home, or loses the election next year... well, in a year, our Territory, Haru-san¡¯s too, both should be Rank four... at that point, our influence at home and abroad should be rock solid.


    ¡°Thirdly...¡± After the brief mental conversation, I lowered my final finger again. ¡°...international exchange. There might be circumstances when we seek a... secondment... of some American Chosen.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely outrageous!¡± Adam was incensed. ¡°You can steal abilities, that would just be feeding a monster...¡±


    ¡°Monster?¡± Christina spoke for me, narrowing her blue eyes, which were now as cold and hard as little sapphires. ¡°Adam, you really are a fool sometimes.¡± Ignoring his angry glare, which I wondered if it was because he felt the situation was slipping out of his control, she explained. ¡°We¡¯re the monsters. I see that now. What I felt, what I¡¯ve experienced...¡± She shuddered a little. ¡°...and what I see reflected when I look into his eyes...¡± She glanced at me then, a faint rosiness in her cheeks. ¡°...I don¡¯t much like. But... I didn¡¯t know any better. It¡¯s not an excuse... I was still wrong. And even now, I second-guess myself all the time. Because the only framework I have is what I think Akio won¡¯t approve of. Which is hard...¡± She winkled at me then, surprising me. ¡°...as he can be an insane risk-taker. But who said life would be easy?¡±


    Adam opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off. ¡°Akio was right. You are fearful Adam. I sought to understand, you only seek to control, to force everything new into the narrow box we have called the now. It¡¯s the opposite of science. And... Akio¡¯s too strong to ever get back in your box. And he¡¯s not alone in that.¡±


    The President guffawed heartily, even as his wife rolled her eyes at his antics. He slapped me on the back, once more taking the opportunity to admire Christina in her fetching green gown. ¡°Seems to me like she¡¯s very keen on you, Akio! She¡¯s a beautiful woman. You¡¯re a lucky dog. Reminds me of myself, in the old days. Men of power and influence attract women. But I bet you have a lot of troubles too.¡±


    ¡°Troubles? You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± I agreed. ¡°If I liked her, it¡¯d be fine, but... her admiration is heavy.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Christina¡¯s breathing deepened, her flush darkening. ¡°You make plain your dislike. But... while I¡¯m not a patient woman, not at all... I¡¯m a persistent one. But... this all distracts from what matters.¡± With an effort she calmed her breathing. ¡°Adam, we¡¯ve tried it your way. And it isn¡¯t working. Even in my brief stay in Japan, I¡¯ve seen a number of things that convinced me we¡¯ve been sorely mistaken. I wish... I wish I was born in Japan. Then I¡¯d have been a part of this from the start!¡±


    ¡°Actually, you likely wouldn¡¯t have been.¡± I shook my head. ¡°At least not up until now anyway. At the start I was at least attempting...¡± I had to smile at that, and Hinata¡¯s thoughts were amused and teasing. ¡°...to keep a low profile.¡±


    ¡°Director, I¡¯ll take your thoughts under advisement...¡± the President spoke up. ¡°...but considering how you kept me in the dark, and that goes for all of you...¡± Christina was the only one who seemed unphased, giggling a little. Adam masked his anger, face expressionless, while Gina and Christopher looked somewhat guilty. ¡°...you¡¯ll forgive me for according you the same courtesy.¡± He was radiating vindictiveness. Turning to me, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m a straight shooter, I tell it like it is, and I¡¯m a businessman. So fire away.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Firstly, yes, there won¡¯t be any more Divine Favours. Which is why the waste of them has to stop. Adam... that footage from Korea, of my sister... it¡¯s misrepresenting the situation. I saved that Favour from going to waste. Spiritual beings surpassing our power dwell beyond our knowledge... no, that¡¯s for later. Anyway... you can¡¯t just take a Favour and give it to just anyone. Compatibility is key. And it¡¯s a real challenge for the more... esoteric Favours. So don¡¯t worry that it¡¯s a sudden race for stealing powers. That shouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe that your sister just happened to be compatible then?¡± Adam pointed out, eyes narrowed, only for aid to come from a surprising place.


    ¡°It... makes sense.¡± Christoper spoke up hesitantly. ¡°My Bethany and Zachary... they both have these powers. And... Christina here did her research.¡±


    ¡°Yes. At first I thought the odds discrete, a billion-to-one miracle for Chris here.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But as my dataset and understanding grows, I realise that it seems sibling pairs are far from uncommon. South Korea was another such. It makes sense, when you think about it. I don¡¯t know if genetics plays much of a role, or whether it¡¯s... personality... but it isn¡¯t a surprise to find out his sister is compatible if he is.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Aiko had a... well, a baseline capacity to accept it.¡± I nodded.


    Adam however, seized on the point I wished to avoid. ¡°Even so, individual powers have different requirements, yes? From our cataloguing of the Vermillion List, it¡¯s easy to see patterns, though some may just be false positives. Your sister just happened to match with this one?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. She did.¡± I insisted. ¡°She has an inherent aptitude for light element, and that was the key. With a little preparation, it was possible for her to accept it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Coincidence, huh?¡± the President muttered. ¡°I have a question. Now that I¡¯m actually getting reports...¡±


    ¡°And reading them...¡± Adelheid and I were probably the only two that heard Gina¡¯s quiet muttering.


    ¡°...I received several from Japan this morning. You know, that school, Hanafubuki Private Academy, while it doesn¡¯t accept children from newly wealthy families, or those of ordinary politicians, actors or the like... there are a few in the so-called Three-Hundred who are from families who have foreign interests and blood, Americans included. One of which, they run a famous brewery, with both a strong presence in Japan and also in America. Motoko Tsumura, and Natsumi Hori... your fiance?es...¡± The President¡¯s grin was knowing. ¡°...I¡¯m told they are also stunning, and Motoko¡¯s family is highly influential. Good job. But... also, apparently they defeated the terrorists that attacked... some strange death-cult, so I hear. But... one of these ability users were there too. So... it is pure coincidence that two more of your fiance?es have suddenly gained these powers, the Favours, as you call them?¡±


    He¡¯s not a fool. And when he senses a weakness, he attacks it, but... he¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is an appropriate topic for discussion...¡± Mr Hunter tried to interrupt, but the President shushed him.


    ¡°Gerard, this is very relevant. This isn¡¯t Britain now.¡± He turned back to me. ¡°So, care to explain?¡± He then paused, as my own smile was hard.


    ¡°Of course. But... you¡¯re making faulty assumptions. Motoko and Natsumi... I¡¯m so proud of them. They won... with their own power. They don¡¯t have Favours.¡± Not yet, anyway.


    ¡°Then how?¡± the President asked, not entirely believing me, I wagered. ¡°I know Chirurgery boosts the all-around performance of a person, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I was talking about, before Adam started complaining. We won¡¯t see any more Favours, but... a Favour is just a pre-packaged way of making someone strong. Anything a Favour can do, it can be learned, trained. Me... my Favour doesn¡¯t even work.¡± I admitted. ¡°Not yet anyway. But... through hard training and experience, I¡¯ve learned how to do things that rival a number of Favours.¡±


    ¡°Titan found that out the hard way.¡± Christina giggled. ¡°Adam, Chris, Gina, Mr President. It doesn¡¯t matter if Adam has his way and kills every Chosen in America, even the world. Eventually, humanity will adapt, our bodies acclimatising to the new power, ether. And with the wealth of spiritual beings out there... people will learn how to control it, and so... the genie is out of the lamp. Breaking the lamp or trying to kill the genie won¡¯t stop this, only delay it at best, and weaken us all.¡±


    ¡°I have some advantages in knowledge and help, but... Motoko, Natsumi, they¡¯ve worked hard. I still don¡¯t know how they won, and thinking about it makes me sick, what happened if they were hurt...¡± I must have looked dreadful, as despite not understanding me, Adelheid reached out and patted my hand, even as she picked idly at her plate of dessert. ¡°...but they are still ordinary humans, ordinary girls... what they can do, so can anyone with enough determination and the right opportunities.¡±


    ¡°And at the Tengokusentou too?¡± the President asked. ¡°Kenji¡¯s granddaughter... she was seen wielding a brilliant sword...¡±


    ¡°No, she... was compatible with another Favour.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°All right, tell me the truth.¡± The President eyed me seriously. ¡°Can you make anyone suitable?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not for a particular Favour. I¡¯ve got a good sense of tweaks I can make if there¡¯s one that anyone has a chance with, though. So... say it¡¯s a one in a hundred thousand shot to be perfectly compatible, but then perhaps one in a thousand might be almost compatible. I can raise those odds a bit. So don¡¯t expect me to be able to take and grant Favours to anyone. I¡¯m just... a lot better at preventing waste. But that¡¯s not my strength. What is... is helping those like Motoko and Natsumi to reach their true potential. Unfortunately... it seems the Church can do similar. So... we have to stop thinking of suppression, it¡¯s futile and harmful. No, we need to think of management.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jumping ahead to Akio¡¯s third point...¡± Christina understood. She certainly was a genius, no question, even if her emotional range and maturity had been lost, subsumed within her brilliance. ¡°...Chirurgery is welcome. Healing injury and disease beyond modern science, coupled with that... well, the wealthy will likely live long, full lives well into their second century.¡± She winked slyly at me, and I didn¡¯t miss the gleam in the President¡¯s eyes at that. ¡°The new technology that combines our two worlds... it¡¯ll be both profitable and essential. Who would give up their smartphone now? But imagine a smartphone five times more powerful, with a battery that lasts days on a single charge, even when heavily used? That¡¯ll be reality soon. And that¡¯s just scratching the surface...¡±


    As she spoke she seemed to glow with excitement. ¡°I myself have some ideas for technology that might be revolutionary. Maybe I can get a factory drilled next to the existing one... oh, never mind that... my point is... no more than the Aztec empire could stop the Conquistadors from sweeping them away, their horses giving them the edge... we can¡¯t stop progress. But... the Favours, and those like Akio... they give us the chance to shape the changes. We can help decide how the world progresses. So... if we act foolishly from fear and from wanting to keep the status quo... we¡¯ll be swept aside. Of course, Japan has sensibly decided to follow Akio.¡±


    ¡°Britain too.¡± Mr Hunter agreed. ¡°Princess Eleanor and Mr Oshiro have established a solid alliance, and... we anticipate further closeness between them and our two nations. Whatever the rest of the world decides, we have our course set.¡±


    ¡°My second point...¡± I decided to drop the bombshell. ¡°China. Do you know what¡¯s going on there?¡± I asked. ¡°The Church stayed away, yes?¡±


    ¡°We have reports.¡± Adam admitted. ¡°Cultivators, if that can be believed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve met one.¡± Christina nodded happily. ¡°Even before the world changed, there were those that defied our understanding hiding, just out of sight. A shame. I suspect we wiped out  much of America¡¯s native traditions of such when we colonised and mistreated the indigenous peoples. Though I suspect a few pockets remain hidden.¡±


    ¡°I mean, why the invasion?¡± I asked, and Gina frowned.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that disgruntled, Japanese-hating outcasts who refused to accept the oversight of the Ruling Party?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an oversimplification. In fact...¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Adam, what you dread is already here. So throwing away our only tools to defend against it through fear is idiotic. There¡¯s a creature which has come from above... it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Adam, you have my reports on the compiled knowledge that was imparted to our American Chosen.¡± Christina agreed. ¡°They anticipated we had decades, maybe even a century, before our world started coming to the notice of others. Instead... in less than a year there are...¡± She snapped her mouth shut, giving me a wry look of apology. You were going to say there¡¯s ¡®two¡¯, right? Nope, keeping Tan a secret is important.


    ¡°Yes, the situation here on Earth is... irregular.¡± I agreed. ¡°This creature is immensely powerful. We only defeated a portion of its strength. If we do nothing... well, I think it¡¯s pulling the strings in China, it¡¯s certainly controlling most of their Chosen by now. The Church, it¡¯s similar.¡± Red Dragon and White Dragon. If the golden-eyed devourer is the Red, then the White mustn¡¯t just be a threat to us but Earth as well, in a way... their powers... their goals... I imagine they want the Boundary down as soon as possible...


    ¡°But... if it¡¯s a creature like that, it can¡¯t affect us here...¡± Gina asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°Sure it can. Not just by controlling and forcing Chosen to do its bidding, but... perhaps it could get someone to build it a Throne, or if it¡¯s like Mae...¡± Shinkume-no-Hana, she needs Nie Ling to send her to the Material, but Mae, she¡¯s capable of existing in whichever realm she pleases, when you reach such a strength... of course, she finds the Material rather low in ether and uncomfortable, but with her body the way it is, it¡¯s bearable...


    ¡°...it can probably exist here, though...¡± There¡¯s a thought. If it wants to monopolise the spoils of Earth, then it won¡¯t want to collapse the Boundary yet, unlike the Church, which clearly desires higher attention, from their own Pantheon. Perhaps that¡¯s our only saving grace, that and it seems hurt by us killing the clone. It buys us time...


    ¡°...with the strength is has, its League and abilities... I imagine even nuking it would be useless. And even if somehow you were able to brute force it, what will you do when more come? No, we stand together now, we make plans now, we prepare.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The President said at last. ¡°That was enlightening. Now, you wanted compensation.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve shared a lot of knowledge. Some benefits me if you know it, like about the Chinese threat. Others, well, I¡¯ve disadvantaged myself a little. So...¡±


    ¡°Director. I¡¯ll have the orders on your desk in an hour after dinner ends.¡± The President stated, his tone cool. ¡°Cooperate. As for the Church... like I said, it¡¯ll be a hard sell to a section of the American people, but...¡± He glanced at Mr Hunter. ¡°...Gerard. Her Majesty and me, we¡¯re on excellent terms, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you could put it like that.¡± he replied diplomatically.


    ¡°I expect I¡¯ll be getting an invite to this... unprecedented... New Year Honours ceremony?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t normally have foreign heads of state unless a key citizen of theirs is being honoured, but...¡±


    It¡¯s an ego thing. Hinata was observing triumphantly. All politicians love the limelight, want to be respected and admired, but... from what grandfather used to say, the current President takes that to extremes. We can use that.


    ¡°...I think we can make an exception this time. In light of our... cooperation against current threats worldwide.¡± Mr Hunter conceded.


    ¡°Great. Great!¡± The President clapped his hands. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world. It¡¯s history in the making. I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll be there, a part of it. The voters will see I¡¯m the man to guide us through this crisis. Anyway... what do you want now?¡± he asked me, as though everything was settled. Which in the end, I suppose it is.


    ¡°I need to know just what the American Chosen are capable of. Just like I¡¯ve seconded a Hunter from Korea to Japan so we can use her ability for some experiments, if there are any American Chosen with a unique talent we need, it would be appreciated if we can borrow them. Of course, we¡¯ll be sure to train them while they¡¯re with us, so it¡¯s a win for us both. This of course is secondary to what¡¯s already been agreed.¡±


    Adam glanced at Christina, who shrugged innocently. Yes, we already have the Vermillion List, but it doesn¡¯t list all the American Chosen, being more focussed on ¡®foreign threats¡¯ and American Chosen who are not already in hand or who Adam considers risky. Zachary and Bethany aren¡¯t listed...


    ¡°Yes, everything is prepared.¡± Adam conceded. ¡°After this, those you wanted to meet are waiting, as is... the body of Egil Andersen.¡± He then frowned. ¡°This is unfair though. Ability users are a national asset. Having access to knowledge of ours, while hiding your own... it¡¯s like you know the secrets of our military deployment.¡±


    ¡°It comes down to trust.¡± I answered. ¡°Your actions so far haven¡¯t shown you to be trustworthy. Far from it, in fact. But... if you mend that reputation, follow through... our Ministry has a register of Chosen. If you can persuade our government to share that with you, be my guest. But... this is a deal, and I hold more of what you want. It¡¯s only natural, supply and demand, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Adam.¡± The President cackled. ¡°I am curious about a few things, especially about... compatibility. But for now, I¡¯m in a good mood, and we¡¯re all busy.¡± He smiled at Adelheid. ¡°At least someone properly appreciates our hospitality. I daresay we¡¯ll have lots to talk about at New Year Honours. I know you¡¯ll be busy, but... you can make time for me, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s settled then.¡± He clapped his hands. ¡°I like talking to someone who knows how to do business. Once I¡¯ve followed through, pushed those duffers in Congress into doing the right thing, and made a public address...¡±


    We concluded our deal, and as the meal finished, there were more photographs taken. A car was prepared to take us to the facility, when Christopher came up and asked to speak to me in private. Surrounding us with a barrier to deaden the sound, we went to one corner.


    ¡°You play a dangerous game. Our President... he¡¯s a mercurial man. But... you dangled enough juicy bait in front of him to get him thinking. How much of what you said was true?¡±


    ¡°Substantially, it was all true. Though the presentation was arranged just like your desserts.¡± I nodded at the mostly eaten confectionery. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°In that case... Bethany and Zachary. I worry about them. Now more than ever. Can... can you help them?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, and he frowned uncomfortably.


    ¡°They... they¡¯re on winter break right now. Can you take them back to Japan and make sure they know what to do? It seems staying out of trouble isn¡¯t an option anymore. And Bethany was injured, so...¡±


    ¡°I see. In theory that¡¯s not a problem.¡± I exchanged some thoughts with Hinata and Eri. Neither were opposed, since we needed to establish a Territory in America as well at some point for the Ring Gate network. If you can make one or both of them a Vassal, the benefits would be huge. As always, Hinata dreamed big.


    ¡°As for compensation... I¡¯m not asking a lot. Just... support. Same as always.¡±


    Christopher nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll... talk to them. Also... Adam¡¯s not one to back down. He can¡¯t refute your warnings, or go against the President directly, but... he¡¯s dead set on managing this new paradigm ruthlessly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I had that impression from him, as well as what Christina had told me. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    As we separated, the President¡¯s personal bodyguards came over, and I was taken deep inside the White House, to a place visitors seldom saw, where the President and his wife were waiting, ready for Chirurgery. As I passed the black-suited secret service agents, I couldn¡¯t help but swallow nervously, despite the fact I was in no danger. Okay, I¡¯m performing Chirurgery on the most powerful man in the world. If I somehow managed to screw it up... no, there¡¯s no way I could now. Although... it hurts like hell. Here¡¯s hoping he doesn¡¯t carry a grudge...

 Five Hundred And Forty-Six

    Five Hundred And Forty-Six


    It was definitely nerve-wracking, working on the President, especially as I still wasn¡¯t entirely confident in reducing the pain during work on reconstructing Chakra networks. Oddly enough, the President bore it well though, and when he was done, he seemed pleased, swinging his arms happily. I had touched him up while I was working, of course, but he actually didn¡¯t have any major health issues. Still, regenerating some damaged cartilage and worn bone, and cleaning out the cardiovascular system, would likely have as much of an impact on his health as the stat boosts.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m twenty again!¡± The President boasted. ¡°Though I¡¯ve never lost my edge, of course. A full eighteen holes of golf, a steak dinner and a tumble with a woman, and I¡¯m still full of energy...¡± He paused, realising his wife was there, undergoing my Chirurgery as well, her face pale and sweat on her brow. ¡°...of course, that was my younger days. I wouldn¡¯t now. Now it¡¯d be a second round of golf instead!¡±


    Despite the pain, his wife smiled a little, though I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was resignation or the pain from the Chirurgery that was making her eyes twitch. As I finished up, I stepped aside, allowing the President the opportunity to comfort her, but oddly enough he seemed focussed on talking to me. ¡°I expect you know what I mean. As a businessman, and a man of importance, you have to work hard and play harder, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded slowly, a little put off. He had talked constantly during our time deep in the White House about the possibilities of my planned battery and energy generation business, and Hinata had advised me to let slip we were planning to work on pharmaceuticals as well. The President had taken the bait, and while I had assumed that the sitting President of the United States of America was forbidden from running businesses and personal enterprises while in office, Hinata had advised me that it was actually a political, rather than a legal issue.


    Obviously, his head had been turned by the potential profits, but more importantly, I got the feeling he craved validation, that he wanted other people to praise him for being smart, insightful and an excellent businessman. Therefore, getting in early, investing in us while we were still relatively unknown (in a business sense of course, as I wasn¡¯t modest enough to believe I wasn¡¯t one of the hottest topics of conversation worldwide recently) was a way of him showing he was better and smarter than everyone else, than his detractors. It was a bit... childish... maybe, but I certainly understood the need for validation. Though I just need respect from my friends, family and lovers. The rest of the world... not so much...


    We needed colossal sums of money ourselves, not just to secure the resources and land we needed for our Territories, but to make sure my vast extended family was safe and living a suitably pleasant life, but the profits we were likely talking if Ixitt and the others could successfully implement our plans were so incredible that we certainly could spare some for political capital, but the President here was a risky choice for a number of reasons. Still, Hinata told me to be non-committal, and that she, with help from her father and Kira-san, would negotiate with him in the future.


    We can¡¯t commit to anything. But if we brush him off, he¡¯ll likely be offended. Grandfather says he¡¯s notorious in the business community for being thin-skinned and quick to hold grudges, as well as equally fast to forget favours he owes. Though forgetting one to you... that might not go so well. Just play it cool, and it will encourage him to follow through on what he¡¯s already promised, to secure the potential of further, more lucrative deals...


    Listening to Hinata¡¯s advice, I let him talk, and soon we were shaking hands, his blue eyes bright. ¡°It¡¯s been a rather enlightening visit.¡± he was saying. ¡°I can¡¯t say that the Chirurgery, as you call it, was fun, but I¡¯m a big tough man still full of youthful vigour, not some doddering old relic of the stinking marsh with fading capacity.¡±


    As he tightened his grip, showing off his strength, I held in a smile. He¡¯s certainly competitive, but then... I guess you can¡¯t run for political power if you aren¡¯t either competitive and seeking fame, or wishing to serve others. Of course, both together is best, but...


    ¡°Anyway, from what the Director...¡± he often addressed Adam with contempt, I noticed, perhaps still holding a grudge over the earlier lack of clarity in his reports. ¡°...says, the body you want to retrieve, as well as the people you wish to meet, are all waiting at a nearby secure facility. I¡¯d love to come with you, take a look around, but... I¡¯m a busy man. I run the free world. Busier than ever! But who else could do it?¡± he boasted.


    ¡°I know from talking to our Prime Minister that we¡¯ve certainly increase the workload...¡± I admitted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you! At least things are interesting.¡± The President chuckled. ¡°Now I¡¯ve made arrangements as you requested. Military transportation back to Japan in stages. It¡¯ll only save a few hours, but... time is money to us, isn¡¯t it? Time is money. For Christina Bakker, the corpse and your other colleagues, they¡¯ll fly back on a private jet, yes? Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen to them. You have my word.¡± He glanced back at his wife, before lowering his voice. ¡°Though if I was you, I¡¯d fly back with Christina. The flight would pass a lot more enjoyably. There¡¯s a club I¡¯m in, you know the one, right?¡± he ribbed me, showing off. He was a lot more relaxed now we were out of the setting of the formal state dinner.


    ¡°I think I know the club you¡¯re talking about.¡± If Shaeula knew about it, she¡¯d definitely want to make love on a plane. And she wouldn¡¯t be the only one. ¡°But Christina and I aren¡¯t like that. Besides... when you have a lot of women, they all compete for the firsts. I¡¯ll leave that for the future...¡±


    ¡°Sure you¡¯ll be joining me, huh? I knew you were a man I could do business with from the start. We¡¯re the same sort. Nobody who doesn¡¯t have big ambitions and big appetites will succeed!¡± He paused, his grin sly. ¡°I¡¯m very much looking forward to the new year. I know that unprecedented events have been coming thick and fast, almost daily, but... I expect the ceremony the dear old Queen is hosting to go down in history. Better still... we can continue our talk on business there, assuming you have any time for it!¡± He laughed boisterously.


    It won¡¯t be me doing the negotiating anyway... I nodded, and as we exchanged final pleasantries, I was escorted back to my group. Adelheid was looking rather contented, while Christina seemed eager. On seeing me, she brightened, tottering over, still not used to high heels. ¡°You¡¯re back? How did it go?¡±


    I glanced at the final member of the group, Christopher, who was clearly nervous, it showing on his face. He followed Christina over to me, but waited for my answer to her question. ¡°Not bad. The President assures me there won¡¯t be any unforeseen issues about your return to Japan. I said you were worrying too much. You could have stayed at your own home...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know Adam like I do!¡± Christina shook her head, reaching out to grab my arm. I could have dodged it, but I allowed it, since we were still in public, and she had accompanied me here. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s all about risk management. It¡¯s not like it cost you anything, did it? If anything, it was a reward!¡± She pulled on my arm teasingly. ¡°Not just anyone gets to sleep with me...¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Christopher asked, shocked, and I flicked Christina¡¯s forehead hard, making her tear up as she rubbed it with her free hand, but she was still smiling, her face hot.


    ¡°Of course not. We just slept. In separate beds, may I add! But... I can¡¯t lie and say she wasn¡¯t too defenceless. If...¡±


    ¡°Stop there!¡± Christina insisted, her sloppy expression vanishing. She reached out with her free hand and aimed to flick my forehead this time. I let the blow land, and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little satisfaction as she winced, her finger aching from the impact. As she shook her hand, she complained. ¡°I may be inexperienced and unused to social norms, but... before, perhaps I might have been careless with my body. I didn¡¯t see the issue, little miss Christina is nothing if not pragmatic. But.. I¡¯m starting to understand. So... I only was so unguarded as I was with you. Don¡¯t mistake it for a lack of modesty!¡±


    That outburst shocked Christopher, and it took him a while to recover. Blinking, he had a different expression on his face as he observed her. ¡°You¡¯ve changed...¡±


    ¡°The only constant is change!¡± she intoned piously, and that made Christopher shake his head.


    ¡°Before, you¡¯d never have said that. Weren¡¯t you a proponent of the immutable beauty of natural and scientific laws?¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged!¡± Christina agreed. ¡°And they are still things of beauty. But... that¡¯s not all there is.¡± She looked into my eyes then, her blue orbs containing a softness that surprised me, and also a deep hunger. ¡°After all... what we are calling Material Laws are indeed fixed, but... aether and ether are either complex beyond our understanding in their immutability, or, as I suspect... endlessly flexible, if only we have the will and knowledge.¡±


    I agree. My studies on ether, aether, elements... and I suppose adherence and soullight now... the beautiful linked spiderweb of different states... it makes me think that there¡¯s some deep, underlying principle, but that principle is also somehow... not fixed, or rather... it can be shifted?


    ¡°I see.¡± Christopher was silent for a moment, before he sighed, troubled. ¡°I spoke to Zachary and Bethany. Zachary was thrilled, as expected, and I could barely ask him before he agreed. Bethany... she is a smart girl, and more wary of trouble, perhaps due to her experiences... but honestly, she¡¯s still young, and up for an adventure. Though she has only committed to winter break, though if she needs to ask for a leave of absence... it might be possible to do so with your assistance, considering her course is involving politics.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity many would covet.¡± Christina agreed. ¡°I¡¯m already excited. Before... I kind of slipped away without getting permission off Adam.¡± She tittered nervously. ¡°Of course, we had talked about repatriating the Japanese and British Chosen, so... I got away with it. But now... it¡¯s official. The President himself is penning orders. I know you and Adam don¡¯t much care for him...¡±


    ¡°I never said that!¡± Christopher denied hurriedly, and Christina¡¯s giggling intensified.


    ¡°Sure, sure! My point is, it¡¯s one thing to keep intelligence close to your chests, but quite another going against a signed Presidential decree! I¡¯m home free...¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted the best for America...¡± Christopher couldn¡¯t help but argue, and Christina shrugged.


    ¡°I do.¡± Even as she clutched my arm, she smirked teasingly. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m cosying up good to Akio here! I¡¯ll bravely sacrifice my dignity and chastity for America and win him over!¡±


    Ignoring that, he shook his head. ¡°Christina Bakker, I... if you do anything to my children...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for informed consent nowadays!¡± Christina assured him. ¡°Of course, if they want to undertake some hard training, I¡¯ll be sure to assist and document it. After all... girls should have Ether Healing, right?¡± She winked at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Bethany should certainly learn the basics. That way she won¡¯t have to worry about spiked drinks and the like.¡± I agreed, thinking of my sister. Though now it would take another Chosen to cause her trouble when she goes to university in the spring. I assume that is still her plan... ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll likely put them to work if their abilities are useful, but... I¡¯ll also make sure they¡¯re capable of defending themselves.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Now that is settled...¡± Christopher relaxed a little at my reassurances. ¡°...I¡¯m to escort you to the facility. Adam wanted to come, but... after your fiery exchanges, I felt I would be a better choice. And... I want to talk a little more.¡±


    We were soon whisked away in an armoured truck with blacked-out windows, and on the brief journey, Christopher pressed me for information on just what life was like for Chosen under my protection. I answered his questions as best I could, though Hinata advised me on what I could and couldn¡¯t reveal, and by the time we arrived, the truck let through a security checkpoint guarded by armed soldiers, he had fully relaxed.


    As we left the vehicle, Adelheid was glancing around with some interest, while Christina was bored and contenting herself with teasing me, looking very out-of-place here in her green dress. A soldier, this one rather tall and imposing, and wearing the long bar insignia of a chief warrant officer of the highest rank, stepped out to usher us to our destination, and after a perfunctory exchange of greetings, Christopher showing off his identification, we were inside the secure facility, standing outside a heavy steel door, reminiscent of one inside a prison.


    ¡°Inside.¡± The warrant officer stated, and after swiping his keycard, green lights shone and a buzzing noise could be heard, followed by the heavy clicks as the locks disengaged. The door was opened, and inside the bare room, lit only by the glaring, harsh radiance of strip lights, was a single table, upon which lay a pale, well-preserved body.


    Is that him? Egil Andersen? I reflexively turned to look at Christina, and a guilty expression crossed her features. ¡°That¡¯s him. We... didn¡¯t expect him to die. He was a troublesome one, honestly. Angry and proud. Even after Adam¡¯s operatives captured him, he never gave in or thought he was weak.¡±


    ¡°At least he¡¯s at peace.¡± Adelheid took off her hat as a mark of respect. ¡°By the Furies, he won¡¯t be the last to go, will he? Let¡¯s not talk around the hot porridge. The truth is most of us will end up just like him.¡±


    ¡°I want to tell you you¡¯re wrong...¡± I replied, my Eye starting to glow as the door shut behind us, locking us in. Not that I couldn¡¯t break that door if I wanted. ¡°...but you aren¡¯t. The events of yesterday prove that. So... I want to make sure as many of us can get through this mess safely, so there¡¯s enough of us to protect the Earth.¡±


    ¡°My German is rather... rusty, I was always better at Dutch...¡± Christopher spoke up haltingly, surprising us. ¡°But I¡¯m glad to see you still say the same things when you think nobody can understand. It gives me confidence...¡± He switched back to English, exhausting his fluency, most likely. ¡°...that I can trust you. That America can trust you. We... made mistakes. Through fear, perhaps. Of the unknown, of the world changing... but regardless of that... Japan and America, we¡¯ve been friends and allies since the end of the War. Nobody wants that to change.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m still furious about it, but... if the President implements my demands, and my visit here goes as planned... I¡¯ll finally let it go. Though I still won¡¯t forgive Adam easily. He¡¯s clearly unrepentant.¡±


    At my words, Christopher nodded, and I turned my full attention to the corpse, my Eye illuminating the Material and Astral bodies, which were occupying the same space, the Silver Cord a dull, frayed mess. Okay, I¡¯ve learned something already...


    Christina was about to speak, but she narrowed her eyes as she realised I had discovered something. Though her cheeks were puffed out, and she was tapping her foot restlessly, heels sounding a staccato beat on the stone floor of the cell. Seeing that, knowing she was hellishly curious, I let out a little aether and light element, forming an illusionary version of his spiritual subtle body so she could follow along. I¡¯m also blocking the view of the cameras of course.


    There were the obvious cameras, the hidden ones, and one final camera which was incredibly well hidden, likely prepared so that I¡¯d stop looking after I found the other hidden cameras. Fortunately, with my stats it was easy to spot them. Knowing that the watching soldiers would be frustrated, I let out a broad smile as I pointed out my findings to Christina. With Christopher¡¯s kids coming to Japan, even if it¡¯s just for a while, he won¡¯t find it easy to cause me trouble. Not that I think he would...


    ¡°You see, normally on death the Silver Cord should dissipate, The Material Body is left behind, while the Astral body, which seems to contain the spirit of a person... it goes to wherever spirits go. Though we know for certain the process isn¡¯t irreversible. Kin Bonding And Restoration proves that, and... also, so does the Barracks, and the Spawning Spires. I¡¯ve never really considered it before, but, in light of what I know...¡± I don¡¯t think I should mention the Truesoul carelessly. I¡¯m not bound like Tan to keep it secret, but no good comes of sharing deep knowledge too widely. But it makes me think. Material, Spiritual... Soul? So, if the spirit is...


    I was straining for a realisation. The Barracks... it can create a form that the spirit-lights from Kin Bonding can occupy. But... the Barracks can also create perfectly conscious and sapient Fae even when we don¡¯t have any dead weaselkin needing rebirth, and Fae also can be born from nothing, according to Shaeula... just... just what is the spirit? Is it the self, personality, memory? If so, then what¡¯s the Truesoul?


    ¡°...it still seems a little strange. No... I see.¡± The Seeds were still there, fortunately, and the faint connection that trailed up higher, yet seemed to have almost no spatial position at all, the mirror to my own which I seemed to sense a little more clearly since I became aware of the Truesoul, had become tangled.


    Grimgerde¡¯s Thunder-Hair Bracelet Of Mighty Wisdom [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Principle]


    This spiritual item, attuned and implanted into both Material and Astral subtle bodies, is forged from a strand of Grimgerde¡¯s Truesoul, hewn from her very existence at great cost. This creates a resonant bond with the bearer¡¯s own Truesoul, forming a cascade effect that allows efficient strengthening and transferring of power, far in excess of what should reasonably be possible.


    This strand of Truesoul has been forged together with ample Soullight, Adherence and Aether, and the essence of a Divine Favour of Thor. In addition, a number of Seeds of the Fruit Of The World Tree, Yggdrasil, have been lodged within, though the bearer of this miraculous bracelet has perished, the Seeds dormant, and gradually eroding, due to being starved of Soullight.


    As the Seeds are absorbed, so too will be the Truesoul, leading to a greater resonant connection between the Truesoul of the creator and the bearer. The Favour within, Thor¡¯s Thundering Might, will also be changed and adapted by the Seeds, the Adherence and Soullight within mutating. Since the Seeds have been but lightly exposed and dyed by the Adherence and Soullight of the past bearer, they shall readily accept further Adherence and Soullight from a new possessor, can they safely be entangled from the shell of their past bearer, and integrated safely to a suitable new host.


    Yes, they still remain! All twelve... Unlike the few remaining that Midas and his wife were exploiting, this was a near-perfect set, and my Eye could see only faint traces of adherence within the seeds. The shining orbs, looking almost like molten silver, crackled with faint, almost imperceptible sparks of what seemed to be a sort of lightning element, likely drawn from the Favour trapped within.


    I relayed the good news to Hinata, Eri and the others, and this time it was Eri who thought back to me.


    So, can you use these? If so... you can win your wager with Tan, right? Without weakening yourself?


    I think so. The ones I obtained from Siegrune¡¯s Bracelet aren¡¯t exactly optimal for what I want to do. At least not yet. If I flush out the adherence and soullight and effectively recolour them, then they¡¯ll be usable, but these... the poor bastard, looks like Egil Andersen was like me, brave enough, or rather ignorant enough to take the second, harder way, starting almost from scratch, for promise of greater heights.


    Only he was somehow even more careless with keeping secrets than you! Eri¡¯s thought was harsh, and I could also hear Hinata¡¯s laughter, and even Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan seemed amused through the connection they were maintaining.


    Yeah, yeah. Mock me all you want! If I wasn¡¯t, then Hinata wouldn¡¯t even be here! Despite my harsh sounding words, everyone could feel I was being playful. You¡¯re right though. At least I was aware of the dangers, Egil openly advertised his abilities, before he gained the strength to protect himself. And the result is this...


    The thoughts shared with me went as silent as the room, as everyone pondered that. I bowed my head in silent prayer, wishing Egil Andersen¡¯s spirit, and perhaps his Truesoul, well, wherever it ended up. Yes, it was a lie I told Adam White to get access to his body, but... while obviously I¡¯ll have to take into account his family¡¯s wishes, Egil deserves a Viking funeral. Perhaps he¡¯ll even see this Grimgerde, wherever he ends up...


    Gathering all my Split Thoughts, Body Enhancement thrumming, raising my perception and agility to the limit, I carefully began to work Chirurgery. This Bracelet was largely whole, and the Favour intact, if entangled, so I didn¡¯t want to damage it. Fortunately, damage to both the Material and virtually dissipated Astral body wasn¡¯t a factor, being as he was already deceased. My Eye was mostly concentrating on the connection that went higher, though.


    I was able to understand my own connection at a deeper level, ever since I had bestowed a Rank of Lovers¡¯ Link upon Ortlinde. The feeling was distant, yet somehow almost without distance. And it provided strength. Ironically, whereas I was the one to strengthen and empower the others, here, a portion of Ortlinde¡¯s strength flowed back into me, her Aether Statistic especially monstrous. It¡¯s why I have the reserves to do things such as this...


    ¡°That reminds me... Christina, you¡¯re a scientist, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. To the observers, it looked like I was simply standing there, but Adelheid could certainly feel the ripples in the surrounding ether.


    ¡°One of the best in the world!¡± She puffed out her chest proudly, straining her dress.


    ¡°In that case... say I can communicate over great distances with my thoughts. But... I don¡¯t feel any appreciable lag. Isn¡¯t information supposedly unable to be transferred faster than the speed of light?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Otherwise causality seems to break, according to our best models of how everything works.¡± Christina nodded. ¡°But... if you are talking about those back in Japan... light travels at just under three hundred million metres each second. Japan is probably... oh, let¡¯s see, eleven thousand kilometres, convert to metres, run the calculation...¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I nodded, my Intellect making the mathematics trivial. ¡°Only thirty-seven milliseconds. Not something that would be noticed as a lag in any conversation, even those that rapidly take place in my mind. But...¡±


    Ortlinde, and the conversation I shared with her fellow Valkyries Siegrune and Rossweisse, again, there seemed no lag. One could argue my consciousness was pulled along the bonds, shortening the distance, but despite that, something didn¡¯t add up. I explained that, and Christina frowned, thinking. In the end, she shrugged.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot I can¡¯t explain. It¡¯s equal parts fascinating and frustrating. But... just as the so-called Boundary, the Astral, exists, perhaps your connection that allows communication also travels through another place. It only seems to travel faster than the laws of reality allow, but actually, the distance is either shortened or even perhaps there is no concept of distance in that place. Or alternatively, time could be halted, achieving the same thing? Is there a way to test it? Unfalsifiable hypotheses are utterly worthless...¡± Seeing her earnestly considering it, arms crossed, for a second I had the treacherous thought that she actually seemed a little cute, but I quickly reminded myself of all her irritating, annoying and also criminal antics, banishing such thoughts quickly.


    ¡°...regardless. Before I know the answer, I can hardly be sure, but... there are already numerous breaches in our understanding, though... I still suspect conservation of energy applies, as the system is never closed, so additional energy is supplied by ether, aether or other sources we don¡¯t consider... of course, that still leads to the potential issue of faster-than-light communication, which could cause any number of paradoxes. Except... Earth is too small. Even at the furthest distance, there¡¯s not time to do much. Now, colonise the solar system, or better yet the stars...¡± Her grin was wicked, and she paused. ¡°...actually... the solar system at least... it¡¯s possible, isn¡¯t it? Couldn¡¯t you get to the moon in the Astral, and perhaps set up a Ring Gate?¡±


    ¡°That or as Arisu-san¡¯s Room grows stronger, she could get there...¡± I laughed, never having considered it. ¡°Oh well, this was an interesting diversion, and helped me realise something. Thanks Christina.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± She flushed. ¡°I like that you take an interest in science and knowing how things work. Anyway, can you continue the lightshow? I hate not being able to see what¡¯s going on. I have a feeling that something incredible is happening here!¡±


    Smiling ruefully, I expanded the visual presentation, and also created a zoomed in version, focussing on the area around the Bracelet. The drain was hardly trivial, but with power spilling into me from Ortlinde, it wasn¡¯t an issue for me. So then, the Silver Cord... when I had it damaged against Duke Myrcolaxriath, or even in Las Vegas, those skittering pests making me feel odd... the Cord clearly exists, but after a certain distance from the body, it vanishes. And... when I had my White Cord Skill back at the start of all this, it stated that if I travelled too far from my Material body, my Cord could fray and snap. Doesn¡¯t that suggest something... I see...


    An idea in my head now, I carefully eased out the Bracelet. It had both a Material and Astral presence, though it didn¡¯t show up on any scans or investigations that Christina and her team at project Star Mirror had done previously. No, it was as if the Material existence only happened when it was removed. Narrowing my Eye, I strained, wishing I had Shiro¡¯s buff, but...


    No, I can do this. My Eye, it¡¯s strong enough. Yes, I see it. The Bracelet itself had a kind of Silver Cord, and not just one. Looking into myself, I quickly created my Astral body too, feeling the weight of my Territory Anchor. That was a bond to me, but also it was mediated through the Wolf-Hair Bracelet. It did seem odd, that we Chosen could create Anchors so easily, when most Territories were simply existent, rather than secured, at least below Rank 4. Tan mentioned some rare few Rank Three Territories could accumulate an Anchor, but generally, it took a Rank Four to form one. It all fits...


    Pulling on the Silver Cord of Grimgerde¡¯s Bracelet with my aether, I felt it shiver, and as I moved the Bracelet in both realities to my body, sliding it in, watching it tangle with the Bracelet I already had, the strands of connection that soared higher, they shivered, and it was the same sort of sensation as when I had connected to Ortlinde before...


    So, time and distance, just why does time flow differently in the Astral? If the rate was different but fixed, that would make sense, wouldn¡¯t it? After all, I¡¯m no physicist, not like Arisu-san or Christina, but even I¡¯ve heard of time dilation, time changes depending on how fast you¡¯re moving, or what sort of mass you are near... wait, is that it?


    Groping for a realisation, I remembered the most famous equation, E=MC2. Time slows down around mass, and mass is also energy... but... Fortunately, my memory was now excellent, so I dredged out some old knowledge I learned at school. The ones experiencing such dilation would see it as a normal flow of time, but outside, it would seem to have slowed down. So those within experience a greater amount of time. Doesn¡¯t that seem to match?


    Obviously, there were problems with the theory, a number of them, but I wasn¡¯t trying to solve a mystery Tan probably knew the answer to anyway. No, I was grasping for a realisation. With a grimace, I flooded aether, what trickles of adherence I had that wasn¡¯t still frozen, and also something more, into the bonds, and with that, my consciousness shifted, surging upwards...

 Five Hundred And Forty-Seven

    Five Hundred And Forty-Seven


    As I moved, I concentrated on both the passage of time, and the feeling of distance, trying to understand as much as I could, but even with my high stats, the effort was impossible, the swirling mess of energies just too much for me. But what I was able to focus on were the bonds that were tied to me. They were invisible, yet beautiful and sparkling, in colours I couldn¡¯t even describe, intangible, yet solid and weighty, as though forged from tungsten, and also timeless, yet ever-changing and growing.


    The dichotomy of these bonds was stark, but fortunately... I have so many. All similar, yet different. The spiderwebbed strands of Kin Bonding And Restoration snaked out, and from them, the spirit-lights of fallen Kin that Shaeula cherished, I could then feel Shaeula¡¯s bonds. She was also connected to me via another, Lovers¡¯ Link, and many of those spiralled out from me, touching friends, family, lovers and more. Daiyu¡¯s was strange, almost as if a second bond ran within the first, and I wondered if that was what made one a Dao Companion, something more fundamental, real, rather than just words.


    Then there was my Territory. That was a bond too, and my Anchor was also a part of me, as well as being a part of the world, yet it was also part of my Favour, the one from Tyr I wasn¡¯t using, and I could feel it there, dormant, changing, my every deed, action and growth strengthening and changing it. I could free it, I believed, if I wanted to. Though... It seems to demand sacrifice. That¡¯s not a Favour I want. There¡¯s only one sacrifice I¡¯m prepared to make, and unless it accepts that... no, you¡¯ll just have to change until I¡¯m satisfied.


    Each Seed within the Bracelet had a bond too, no, two bonds. One was with me, a deeper part of me. Now that I had a basic understanding of the Truesoul, I could see them drawing on faint trickles of the indescribable radiance leaking from mine, the Soullight. Their other bond was to something far distant, far greater, and my Eye resonated and burned faintly as I considered that. It too had a bond, and I knew that, as when I had forcibly raised my Eye¡¯s Rank past the limits of what I could handle I¡¯d been overwhelmed.


    In addition, I could feel other Territories, other links. Those from my Thrones, Shaeula having been tied by yet another chain of bonds, and those of my Vassals. Through my Vassals, though it was faint, almost like trying to discern a whisper within a hurricane, I could feel their own connections.


    Then there were also the strange ties of obligation, of closeness, that was the Fae-Bonded Classes many girls shared, bonds that seemed almost forged out of luck, and tickled at my lunar Chakra faintly.


    Beyond those, I had other, stranger bonds too. There was the Favour of Tsukuyomi I held, and this link, bond, seemed almost illusory, misty, insubstantial, as if a mere dream or reflection. Then, I could also feel my grasp on Shinkume-no-Hana and Tamamo-no-Mae, and while the bonds were one-sided, me being in the dominant position, that wasn¡¯t all they were. Looking more closely at those threads that connected us, I could see the faint flow of thought and emotion, carried by aether and adherence, as well as... that faint aura, is it... is it Soullight?


    And then, there was another trio of threads. These ones were faint, one thicker and more... for want of a better expression... deeply rooted. The second was rather frayed and tattered, while the third, new and fresh, faint but with potential. It was those three I wanted right now, and I let them pull me, both moving through space and not moving at all, perhaps as if I was still, and the multiverse itself was shifting around me?


    At the core, the bonds... the deepest ones, are not just Material, Spiritual, but they are of the Soul... I grasped at a thought, something deeper, but even considering it made my head ache, no, not my head, my very Astral body trembled, Chakra network labouring, and my Eye bled silver, even on the Material. I heard Christina cry in alarm, despite it being so glacially slow, as if a film being played back at a thousandth of the speed, yet at the same time it happened in a mere moment.


    Your Skill, Silver Connection has advanced from Rank 6 to Rank 8, reaching the second wall. All abilities involving Connections and Bonds you possess are immensely fortified, and such Bonds will not be severed easily. You have glimpsed a portion of the path to the truth of Divinity and what lies beyond, though to take the next step requires greater strength than you now possess. Should you exceed the Fifth Heightening, or condense a Divine Spark, you may be able to manifest the true Silver Connection, and awaken your ???????? ???????? ?????????? [Class: Legendary] [Type: Law]


    The Skill had jumped two Ranks, and now exceeded the strength of my Eight Moons Chakra Network. My Statistics had all jumped by around three hundred points, Aether growing significantly more as usual, of course, but the pressure this was putting on my Chakra network was uncomfortable, the balance rather disrupted. Though... I can use this. It¡¯s like training. If I push my body, it¡¯ll grow...


    All my Chakras, especially the lunar one, were working overtime, whirling and churning at a faster rate, and I felt that several of them would likely breakthrough soon. The crown Chakra was working the hardest though, violet sparks scattering around me. My Eye too, it felt a mere whisper away from another breakthrough, as the great spiderweb of bonds around me solidified, becoming ever more tangible. Oddly enough, now I could feel a bond I had missed before, sharply coming into focus, and the Tia?nyi?e?gui?nu?? Bell that I had forgotten about rang softly on my wrist, chiming gently, despite there being no Chaotic Winds present.


    I see. So, the Bells do more than just what Hisui said.


    That bond stretched far distant, yet again, it was no distance away at all. However, the extra clarity made me reconsider myself, and I peered deep inside again, and followed all the bonds to their source. I see. They all join... here. Fascinating.


    Adherence was gathering, separate to the other adherence I held, forming a faint, flickering ember. It was tiny, so small I would certainly have missed it were I not guided by the strands of Soullight that made up the array of bonds. Once more marvelling at Shaeula¡¯s incredible Skill, Kin Bonding, which was a miracle in itself, I inspected the tiny spark with my Eye.


    Proto-Spark ¨C This faint accumulation of Adherence is the first beginnings of a Divine Spark. The strength of your League is sufficient to attract and begin compressing suitable Adherence, though to agglomerate such is a feat few will ever overcome, even in the wider Multiverse. The Adherence here is of Knowledge, Bonds, Connections, Growth, and other muddled Concepts. The greater the purity of an Adherence, the Concept, the Law, the Dao, the more efficiently a Divine Spark forms. Balancing multiple flavours of these Concepts requires many times the effort of a single one, made more difficult by how opposed such flavours are.


    I see it. Yes, it¡¯s as I expected. Knowledge, though? I had my suspicions of where that came from, and honestly, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. In fact, it proved the idea that had been germinating within me for a while now was plausible, if fiendishly difficult. Tan had called it sheer hubris, and an affront to the dignity of the Pantheons, but I had sensed a restless sort of excitement within her cool, stoic demeanour. Later on, when Tan was sleeping, Shiro had told me that the Goddess had displayed a great deal of excitement in their shared thoughts, but that such embarrassed her, especially as she was eager to put her younger sisters in their place, as they had always looked down on her since the Buddha walked on by them.


    It''s still just a dream, but... it becomes more reachable every day. But... I do this, and... there¡¯s no question, Earth¡¯s Astral Emperor is me. Nobody else would tolerate, or even be able to overcome, what we¡¯ll do, if they took that seat... My mind made up in this frozen and yet somehow rapid moment, I felt calm as the path I had decided to walk solidified, and there was no longer any turning back. Ever since I accepted Ortlinde¡¯s gift, spared Shaeula, loved Eri, then gave my heart to Shaeula too, the others, one after another, opening my heart, my mind, my very self... this was the endgame. It¡¯s got to be me, because only I can protect what I wish to protect, love who I wish to love, make happy those I want to see smile...


    You have gained a Class. You are now the only ???????? ???????? ????????.


    ????????. ??????????. ??????????. ??????????.


    What the hell? Even with my improved Eye and understanding, it¡¯s all garbled nonsense and question marks? How frustrating. But... the only?


    That didn¡¯t fit the other Class messages I¡¯d received, and indeed, it didn¡¯t fit what I understood as the concepts of a Class, which was that the multiverse seemed to recognise certain achievements and proficiencies, and somehow use those to strengthen those beings that met the criteria. Though I suppose... someone always has to be first, right?


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Taker Of Paths Yet Unknown.


    Oh, thank the Gods, no question marks this time. Damn, the Class sounds awesome, but... totally chunni. I wonder what it does...


    Throughout the multiverse, inhabited by countless beings, from the humblest bacteria to the mightiest God, civilisations innumerable, from crude tribes of barely sapient animals, to space-faring technological empires, to Divine Pantheons that encompass endless universes, there are countless roads, yet most have been already walked by many feet.


    Even those ways that have not been charted have had many step foot upon the beginnings of the road, but some paths are winding, or dangerous, or have somehow escaped notice. You have stepped upon one such Path, which while glimpsed by others, none have been able to take it to its conclusion and see where the final end is.


    Having made your final resolution, which has gone beyond the mere decision of mind, vow of heart, and compact of spirit, the essence of your immutable self, your Truesoul, has been seared with this Path, and ??????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????????.


    Though you have begun your journey, many are those who set forth and never see the end. Failure, turning aside, or perhaps others walking ahead of you, now the way is open... none within the boundless Multiverse know if you shall see the end of this Path, not even you. But should you see the end, that Path shall be yours, and yours alone. For while others may imitate, there is only one first and brightest.


    Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm, League, Determination, Foresight and Fate all show stronger effects, and this effect increases the more your Class advances.


    Your affinity for Adherence related to the Path you seek increases significantly, and Adherence of similar, complementary natures can be transformed into Adherence you require. You may now overcome the first bottleneck when it comes to manipulating Adherence, though without a formed Divine Spark this will be extremely difficult.


    All Skills relating to your Path will have the potential to grow faster, assuming your understanding of such merits it. Your Truesoul will ????????????? ????????????? ??????????????? and the chances of you manifesting your ???????? ???????? ?????????? increases.


    Your Path is not yet able to empower Adherents, for it is but a single step further along the journey than those who have stumbled upon it before. Should your Path be manifested tangibly, others who have ties to this path and your blessing may share in the benefits and strengthen the Path. Should enough Adherents gather, and the ??????? ???????? ???????? ???????? then a new Multiversal ???????? ???????? ???????? may be established.


    Okay, there¡¯s the question marks. I knew it was too good to be true. Still... what I did get was enough. Adherents. Path. This all sounds... very Cultivation. In fact...


    My thoughts were interrupted by more amber letters.


    Your Class, Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds has become Pioneer From A Lower World.


    Even amidst geniuses as numerous as grains of sand, those that have begun a Path untravelled while still far distant from the heights of the Pantheons, the Reaches and the other realms within the ???????? ????????? are rare indeed, a barest fraction of a fraction of an already miniscule group.


    Skills that would be halted by the fourth horizon are able to surpass that blockage and continue to grow, though such Skills require incredible strength, dedication and understanding to progress.


    Not quite as snarky a description as last time, I see. The Class hasn¡¯t given me any immediate benefits, but... it is like Lovers¡¯ Link, which naturally seemed like it should stop at Rank ten, but now Eri has surpassed that and it granted different benefits? If so, long-term... no, that¡¯s not what matters now, what does is... I¡¯m here...


    My consciousness had reached up to the heights above once more, and now I was gratified to see the shocked expressions on the faces of some women I recognised. Ortlinde was there, of course, wearing a white dress edged with golden embroidery, her fiery red hair cascading free, shock in her golden eyes as she let the goblet she was drinking from drop from her elegant fingers.


    The pink haired Rossweisse gestured with a knowing smile, and the goblet halted, tilting before it could spill the ruby red wine within on the priceless carpet below. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a surprise? Littlest sister will be overjoyed. She has been worried about you, although... she can feel your safety much more clearly now.¡±


    As Ortlinde froze, the boisterous, irreverent, almost boyish, blue-haired Valkyrie Siegrune let out a laugh as bright as her orange eyes. ¡°Oh look, he¡¯s back again. Our brave hero.¡±


    ¡°Our?¡± Ortlinde managed, and Siegrune nodded happily.


    ¡°Yes, ours, Lin. After all, a strand of my Truesoul, no matter whether it¡¯s rather frayed or not, lies within him now.¡±


    Before they could speak further, I cast my perception around the room, spotting two more Valkyries I didn¡¯t recognise. Though looking at one of them, with her long, raven-black hair and crimson eyes reminding me a little of Tsukiko, though their expressions and demeanour were nothing alike, this woman giving off the air of a raptor, a predatory bird, I felt that I should recognise her, as if she was something I had forgotten.


    The final woman present was tall, taller than any of the others, and she was... statuesque. No, saying it that way did her a disservice. Her body was large and muscular yes, but somehow also lithe. Her arms, bare in a silver, sleeveless dress, were still slender, even as much as they were powerful. One arm was covered in smooth, clear skin, while the other was traced with small, half-faded lines of scarring, though they somehow accentuated the beauty of her muscles.


    Her chest was huge too, nearly a match for Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s. It strained at the silver cloth, but her waist was slim, cinched by a golden belt, and her muscular legs were visible underneath the short skirt. Her yellow hair was pulled into a rough braid, tied with silver ribbons, and her face, while a little masculine, was somehow also gorgeous, her purple eyes, one peering out of a star-shaped ring of scars that gave her a rugged, bold appearance, fixed on me, a mix of confusion and wariness showing within.


    Before anyone else could act, she reached behind her for the large maul that was resting there, the hammerhead a heavy mass of steel the size of a small barrel. ¡°Who are you?¡± she snapped. ¡°You are not him. He perished!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Grim! I know you are hot-tempered, but there is no need to be as fierce as your nickname.¡± Rossweisse chimed in, a gentle smile on her beautiful face. ¡°He is our littlest sister¡¯s young prodigy, and also the one who took up the mantle of one of Siegrune¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°He sure did!¡± Siegrune nodded fiercely. ¡°So put down your foe-crusher, Grim! Or else you¡¯ll have to take on both me and Lin! Rose will back us too!¡±


    ¡°Will I now?¡± The charming, pink-haired girl smiled, her pearlescent eyes shimmering with powerful aether. ¡°Perhaps. Anyway...¡± She waved a hand, calling a rune, and the hammer fell from the woman¡¯s hands, striking the floor with a dull sound. ¡°...this is most interesting, most interesting indeed.¡± She traced several more runes then. ¡°Kenaz! To see with wisdom! Eihwaz! To understand!¡±


    A brilliant glow illuminated me, as well as my wrist, and as it did so, I checked the details of the Bracelet there with my Eye. It had changed, of course.


    Valkyrie¡¯s Bracelet Of Spiral Silver Bonds [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Principle]


    This spiritual item, attuned and implanted into both Material and Astral subtle bodies, is forged from a strand of the Truesouls of three Valkyries, sisters from the Youngest Nine, the last born. This creates a resonant bond with your own Truesoul, forming a cascade effect that allows efficient strengthening and transferring of power, far in excess of what should reasonably be possible, and this effect is magnified by the tripled helix of strands, which have somehow integrated with your own Truesoul, not merely resonant, but somehow incorporated, yet not absorbed as intended, but still fully intact, even the damaged strand beginning to recover.


    These strands of Truesoul have been forged together with ample Soullight, Adherence and Aether, yet the Adherence within is being transformed to a different flavour. Further Seeds of the Fruit Of The World Tree, Yggdrasil have been integrated within, containing differing Soullight and Adherence. This should be impossible to balance, and a mortal form too frail to dye such a number of the potent, near Mythical seeds, yet somehow the Bracelet is in harmony. Through exposure to your Physical, Spiritual and Soul aspects, the Seeds will be absorbed perfectly once the errant energies have been transformed and purified. The Seeds themselves are.... ^%$%$^$ &^%^%& ???? &^%%^&& ?????!!!!!


    The Divine Favours within can be liberated, yet they too benefit from the effect of the Seeds and the slow washing of Physical, Spiritual and Soul, transforming slowly into something new, with endless possibilities. The Soullight within these Favours is potent, far in excess of the strands within the Bracelet, yet it too is starting to change, even if the effect is but a barest, sluggish whisper.


    A stinging pain blared through my eye, and it wasn¡¯t merely question marks this time, but a mess of jumbled, illegible symbols, which had happened a few times before. I wasn¡¯t the only one grimacing though, as Rossweisse was also making a troubled expression.


    ¡°No, I shall see! Mannaz! Balance the power... Perthro, Hagalaz! Destiny and Fate, A challenge we can meet! Dagaz


    ! Illuminate what the Eye sees!¡±


    As her finger traced the runes, power boiling from her, there was a moment of silent stillness, and then my Eye burst, blood splattering.


    Akio? What¡¯s happening? I felt your hurt...


    Akio? Are you in danger? How...


    Eri and Hinata¡¯s thoughts came to me, which again proved that our bonds were somehow unbounded by traditional distance and time. I barely thought back that I was fine, even as I wasn¡¯t, blood gushing down my face.


    Ortlinde cried out, placing a hand on her own face, as if pained in sympathy. The cheerful Siegrune paled, and even the burly woman... Grim... Grimgerde, from the Bracelet, I¡¯m guessing? Looked stunned. Only Rossweisse seemed calm, and she traced more runes.


    ¡°Stabilise! Ansuz! Ehwaz! By the Allfather, by the Great Mother, The Thunderer, The Hero, The Weavers of Fate... by any who will listen...¡±


    I see. she only seems calm, she¡¯s panicking too. ¡°...Eihwaz! Ehwaz! Transformation, restoration!¡±


    ¡°You reckless fool...¡± Grimgerde rumbled. ¡°You are not mighty, fertile Frigga! Nor wise, mystical Freyja! I thought it was only Siegrune and Ortlinde who get so carried away...¡±


    ¡°I... it was a simple mistake. The knowledge is hidden from us, but... by Yggdrasil... Lin, Run, you want him to prosper, yes?¡±


    They both nodded. Siegrune laughed bitterly. ¡°I do. He¡¯s my last hope for that world now. I¡¯m not like littlest sister Lin who still has her second.¡±


    ¡°Me... I have my two still, yes.¡± Rossweisse couldn¡¯t help but boast, standing taller, and I had to turn my consciousness away. ¡°And they are performing well. I have hopes, but... this... this is making me need to know! I have an idea...¡± Her shimmering white eyes looked into my remaining one. ¡°It is rather a coincidence. The Allfather has but a single eye. Why, you may ask, when even our foolish sister Grim here can have hers restored, despite her suffering such a terrible wound.¡±


    As the burly woman scoffed at that, I pondered the question. ¡°Adherence, right?¡±


    ¡°In part, yes. But it goes deeper.¡± Rossweisse shook her head. My aether was draining rapidly, the strain of being here entirely under my own power, following the new Truesoul strand, rather intense, but fortunately I had aether to spare, now more than ever, though my Silver Connection burned with sparking pain.


    ¡°A man may change. Every day brings new experiences, memories, emotions. You never sleep the same person as you were when you awoke at the dawn.¡± she explained.


    ¡°Poetic...¡± Siegrune muttered, but everyone was fixed on the conversation, even the black-haired woman, who had merely watched everything so far. She then coughed loudly, drawing everyone¡¯s flustered attention.


    ¡°Oh, Hilde... sorry, I... forgot you were there!¡± At that moment, face flushed, eyes watering with embarrassment, I found Rossweisse terribly cute.


    ¡°I have been listening. I accepted the plea of Ortlinde, the youngest of us, despite my misgivings. I burn with sorrow every time someone falls in battle, knowing if they had just obtained a Fruit, and the power rooted within them...¡± She shook her head, raven locks flowing. ¡°...but there is hope. A little... hearing tales of those who are bravely growing, fighting... it soothes me. Yet... you have let your arrogance overcome you, Rossweisse. If you have harmed him...¡±


    ¡°Hey, she¡¯s trying her best.¡± I broke in, grateful for her previous aid. ¡°Thanks to her help before, I saved those who mattered to me. If that costs me an Eye, so be it. Anything that can¡¯t be given away isn¡¯t a treasure, but a shackle, yes?¡±


    The Valkyrie, whose nickname seemed to be Hilde, shook her head. ¡°That is irresponsible. A warrior never abandons a weapon they can use, especially not from carelessness. Knowledge is the most dangerous weapon of all. It is a sword without a hilt. It can wound its wielder just as it can an enemy. Rossweisse, you are far too inquisitive.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± She exhaled a long breath. ¡°But... let me put this right. I can, and I will! For Lin and Run, Grim too now!¡± She drew several more runes, even as she began to speak. ¡°Where was I? By the Great Mother, ah yes... a man may change. The spirit changes too. Though slowly. Belief, Adherence, it shapes a being, and we are shaped by our self-beliefs, our own memories. Rob a man of his memories and tomorrow a different man is born. But there is still something that does not change. The eternal. The immutable.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore...¡± Hilde shook her head, and everyone seemed sad.


    ¡°Yes. You are right. But... just as falling in battle, blade in hand, is passage to Valhalla, in the tragic comes the opportunity.¡± Rossweisse explained. ¡°We can shape the unchanging self, though the cost is great, and never something to do lightly. A man may forget his memories, a spirit may fray and scatter to dust, but... when a Truesoul is gone, it is the end. Though in the Truesoul lies the light of immense power.¡±


    Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder. I see. I was right. The spirit isn¡¯t exactly akin to what we humans would consider a soul. It¡¯s similar, but different. If I had to put it in easy to understand terms... it¡¯s like Buddhism, maybe? Reincarnation? A person may go through any number of lifetimes, even being animals, plants, other creatures, but at their heart, they¡¯re still themselves? And the Soullight... I don¡¯t quite get it, but... if making changes to the Truesoul can liberate it... I see... that¡¯s how it is? Maybe?


    ¡°But if the invincible is in fact vincible...¡± Ortlinde spoke, feeling guilty. ¡°...then it can recover, be restored. Hence... why we mimicked the Favours the Gods handed out, with shards of our own true selves. It was also penance... for our theft, and... for your deaths.¡±


    ¡°Our littlest sister was desperate, but honestly... she didn¡¯t think this would work.¡± Siegrune shook her head. ¡°But she¡¯s stubborn. And it¡¯s true that the baby gets spoiled, right?¡± She winked at me, and I stifled a laugh.


    ¡°Yes, my own younger sister is the same.¡± I agreed, the pain in my missing eye now bearable, though the absence threw me off.


    ¡°There is a point to this...¡± Rossweisse insisted. ¡°Hilde, I am going to try something... reckless. And you are not going to be pleased, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Then do not do it.¡± Hilde insisted, bristling like a cat, long black hair swaying as she shook her head for emphasis. ¡°You have done enough damage...¡±


    ¡°All we do is chase our losses.¡± Ortlinde broke in. ¡°I trust you, Rossweisse.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Siegrune, I chose him, but... the Bracelet is mine no longer.¡± She turned to Grimgerde then. ¡°Sister... do you feel it? He has taken up your mantle, and that of the Thunderer. I ask you to support him.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She rumbled. ¡°I am shocked at this turn of events, but... carry on his legacy, swing your fists and call the thunder for he who cannot any longer.¡±


    As I nodded, Rossweisse produced a small, almost insignificant shard of metal. I went to examine it with my Eye by reflex, only to click my tongue. Yeah, of course it wouldn¡¯t work now.


    ¡°Is that...¡± Hilde asked, shocked and appalled, and Rossweisse tilted her head and flushed, trying to look contrite, I wagered.


    ¡°I did say you would be angry, elder sister! Yes, when we cut open the Fruit, even Skuld¡¯s shears suffered a tiny bit of damage. I collected this splinter that none of you noticed. But... it is still part of the whole, so...¡± With a cry she punched the shard into her own body, while grabbing a book off the shelf behind her, flipping through it one-handed. ¡°...please do not be jealous, sisters. I am not doing this merely to sate my own curiosity... oh, that burns... I need a Runic Craft, one I remember...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure of that, Rose. You said before you wished you could experience this.¡± Siegrune snickered.


    ¡°I benefited. My Runic Craft advanced dramatically. Perhaps he is my lucky charm.¡± Rossweisse giggled, trying to ignore the agony she felt. ¡°Here it is. Now, this... will likely be... discomforting!¡± As the shard popped free from her body, she caught it, then began to trace runes with both hands. ¡°Sowelo! Berkana! The sun awakens, the birch trees blow in the dappled breeze! Laguz! Dagaz! There is illumination, and transformation! With the knowledge we carry, the branches of the World Tree shading us... Inguz! Let you be unified!¡±


    For a moment I was surrounded by glowing script, and then I felt a wrench. Eri and Hinata were crying out, and then suddenly I wasn¡¯t just my consciousness, but... my Astral Body was somehow here...


    ¡°You fool, he will not have the Silver Cord to endure such a separation from his base, Material form...¡± Hilde began, only to halt in surprise. ¡°What is... that?¡± She eyed my brilliant Silver Connection. ¡°You have already become as one, both flesh and spirit in harmony? No, there is still a separation...¡±


    I marvelled at the sudden weight of ether around me. Everything felt more real, more visceral. It wasn¡¯t unbearable, in fact, it felt comfortable, my straining Chakra network slowing down, the Chakras settling. For a brief moment, I considered the possibility that I could leave my Astral body here, experience the true heights of the upper Astral, but I dismissed that. No, I can¡¯t leave everyone else to fight alone. Besides...


    ¡°This is dangerous.¡± Hilde spoke for me. ¡°Such a tempting target for many of the predators that flit around the shallows of the Astral. Reckless, so reckless!¡±


    ¡°I shall be quick, eldest Gerhilde.¡± Rossweisse promised, grimacing. ¡°Though it pains me...¡± With a smile she reached out a hand to caress my cheek, only for Ortlinde to step in and slap it away. ¡°What? I simply wished to... never mind. This side of you is fascinating. Has that bond you created changed you so? If so... Gebo! The gift of giving! Wunju! Love, enlightenment! Ehwaz! Perthro! Mannaz! Destiny, fates, minds and wills... now... Othala! Dagaz! Inguz! Let us be unified, transformed, and I shall inherit you, you shall inherit me!¡±


    Something changed within me then. Without my Eye I couldn¡¯t see what it was, but I could feel that familiar bond between me and Rossweisse. ¡°You... Lovers¡¯ Link?¡± I asked, blinking my eyes (well, one eye and an empty, bloody socket) in shock.


    ¡°It feels warm. Oh, and do call me Rose.¡± She winced. ¡°Integrating a strand of my carved Truesoul into you was hardly easy, and I fear compared to those above us, my work was crude. But with the path to follow, from your Bracelet, how it has changed... and your essence is so very good at accepting the connection of hearts, minds and emotions.¡± She giggled, relieved. ¡°No, I need to hurry.¡±


    She reached out, stroking my ruined cheek. ¡°I am so sorry. I never meant to wound you. But...¡± She stood on her tiptoes, peering into my empty socket. ¡°You are not the Allfather. You have no need of a missing eye. Berkana! Regrowth with my Truesoul as the base! Littlest sister, dearest Ortlinde, you are right! All or nothing! I no longer wish to simply snatch a world from the Throne, tired of defeat. I want to see just how far we can go... how far he can go!¡± Shimmering with ether, I cried out in pain as my Eye regenerated, though then my other eye popped, showering Rose with blood and goo.


    ¡°How lewd...¡± Siegrune laughed, only for Gerhilde to glare at her.


    ¡°If you have time for crude humour, you need to train more. We are often smeared with gore on the battlefield...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Hilde for you. No sense of humour...¡± Siegrune was undeterred. ¡°Hey, your other eye... You know, that colour is kind of cute...¡±


    ¡°Hush now. This is hard work. There is a destiny here. Perhaps...¡± Rose glanced down at the tiny metal splinter. ¡°No. While Urer spins the thread, Vereandi weaves the tapestry, and Skuld cuts the strands... no destiny can force a coward to be brave, nor make a brave man flee his obligations. But... a hand on the bellows can forge a weapon unequalled, and while Loki may bite, good deeds are their own reward.¡±


    As my Eyes recovered, I tried to call on what had changed, only for my vision to be dyed orange. Both eyes. Wait... what is... that? I staggered, feeling an ancient, impossibly majestic weight upon me. It was a Tree, no, the Tree, Yggdrasil, the Seed which had made up my Eye resonating. It was the size of a continent, no, a continent that was larger than Earth as a whole, so... calling it a World Tree was hardly wrong. It was... Power. The aether it was giving off was truly, awe-inspiringly blinding. In a mere second, it generated ether equivalent to nearly a day of Asha¡¯s fully buffed Rhyming Tree, and the multitude of rich, powerful and thick elemental energies was shocking. These energies spread along branches the length of which it was impossible to imagine, stretching out into space, through space, reaching other worlds.


    But it was the knowledge that shook me, the weight of what the World Tree knew. From a single seed, from some unknowable source, the Tree had witnessed near eternity, from seed to sapling to mighty, towering edifice. And now it was the heart of a Territory so vast I could hardly fathom it.


    Voices were raised, and I could barely hear them, only for a slap to bring me back to my senses. My eyes unfocussed, I was looking into the eyes of Grimgerde, whose mightily blow had left a handprint on my cheek, as well as loosened some of my teeth. ¡°Do not think of it. Only the Allfather has the strength to witness all our World Tree has within it.¡± She then turned her cold purple eyes on Rose. ¡°You fool. Despite everything, he is from an ether-starved, lower world! Not even from the Reaches! A genuine backwater! Of course the weight of our Territory will crush him!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ortlinde spoke up. ¡°He is not crushed. Are you?¡± She peered into my eyes with concern, and I felt my face heating up as her beautiful features were merely inches away, and I realised that now I was actually present in full, I was being subjected to their full, unfiltered Charm. Damn, they¡¯re gorgeous. It¡¯s like being in a room with five Shiro¡¯s! No, it¡¯s worse!


    Swallowing, my mouth suddenly dry, I was going to nod, but she was so close to me our foreheads might have touched if I did. ¡°It was certainly overwhelming, but... I think I was just scratching the surface.¡± Considering it, my eyes gazed past her into the far distance. ¡°Yes, it would take greater Intellect than mine, or significantly more Split Thoughts, to comprehend all the World Tree does. Perhaps... perhaps only a God could?¡±


    ¡°I see. I am relieved.¡± Ortlinde leaned back, and Rose was beside me once more, peering into my eyes, making me blush. Her lips curled into a soft smile, but she poked and prodded at my eyes, which stung, and she drew another rune.


    ¡°Can you see once more?¡± she asked me, and I concentrated, before my eyes widened in shock. I could indeed see the orange letters again, but this time, through both eyes. Seeing my surprise, Rose chuckled. ¡°Having only one eye capable of seeing the unseen, connected to knowledge... it is a point of weakness. Just ask poor Grim.¡±


    Grimgerde scowled, rubbing at the star-shaped tracery of scars around one violet orb. ¡°They can be healed. I am not so fragile, and none who bear the Thunderer¡¯s Gift on my behalf can be such a weakling either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... his eye is special, Grim. I saw it. So best not to risk loss.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you act so carelessly?¡± the raven-haired Gerhilde questioned her harshly. ¡°Your actions could have brought about the very end you sought to prevent.¡±


    ¡°I am still not a true Master of Runic Craft.¡± Rose admitted, making an adorably embarrassed expression. ¡°The last time he visited, I simply made Runic Words from the rune letters, to manifest abilities. But... when I aided him, my understanding grew, and now I weave the meaning of the runes into power. It is far stronger, yet, I believe my true path is to form the word that best suits, while also taking the meaning of each individual rune. But such Runic Crafts are the preserve of the Allfather, the Thunderer, the Beautiful and Wise.... Even so... I did good work.¡± She stroked my cheeks again. ¡°Tell me, how do you like them?¡±


    Your Skill, Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge, has become Mystic Eyes Of The World Tree and your Skill has increased from Rank 6 to Rank 7. You have integrated the Seed of this great Tree fully, the connection within taken truly for your own, with the aid of Runic Craft, the Runes themselves fragments of knowledge from the Tree whose roots draw on the knowledge of the deepest depths, whose branches spread far and wide, leaves rustling in the winds of truth, and whose Fruits carry the truth of wisdom.


    Your understanding of Runes has slightly increased, and your Adherence of Knowledge, Connection and Growth have all strengthened. Your eyes pierce falsehoods, reveal the hidden, and illusions are often laid bare before you. Your ability to perceive the energies that make up the worlds around you has been enhanced, and your connection with Yggdrasil has strengthened, and it will not suppress you.


    Your Truesoul has accepted the Seed of Knowledge, and so long as it endures, this blessing, or perhaps curse, of Knowledge shall remain within you. Your Truesoul has also drawn on a string of similar provenance, and established a great Bond.


    My Truesoul? Huh?


    ¡°Is my work not good?¡± Rose laughed. ¡°You said a gift given that cannot be relinquished is a shackle, yes? Well, chains exist for a reason, and no shackle of physical existence, be it Leyding, Dromi or even Gleipnir, binds as surely as a shackle of thought, emotion, or beyond that... the immutable Truesoul. I am sorry I broke your shackle, but... I am ever one to return a gift with a greater one.¡±


    She winked, her pearlescent eyes shining, and I saw brilliant letters scroll across my vision, even as I could feel two new, faint connections through Rose. Are they... those she gave the Seeds to? My eyes widened so far I thought they¡¯d pop from my sockets, and suddenly I could hear Eri and Hinata again. They were worried, but I reassured them I was fine.


    ¡°How did you do it? I like you, I feel grateful, but...¡± Somehow, my new Eyes were telling me that Rose had the Lovers¡¯ Link Skill. No, I knew she had the Skill, but... This is impossible. Strength was boiling through me in an endless cascade from her to me, and it felt... Is this how Eri and the others feel?


    Yes. It¡¯s... rapturous, honestly.


    Eri, you weren¡¯t supposed to hear that. My thoughts were a mess, my usual control unable to cope with the absurd situation.


    I know. But... the strength we receive from you, it feels so warm. It¡¯s been ours for so long, we don¡¯t always notice, but... it grows as you do, as we do. And while I don¡¯t trust borrowed strength, we trust yours without question, right Hinata?


    Yes, for us, your strength isn¡¯t something borrowed, but something we own! Because you already own us, and we you! Though... it would be wonderful if one day we could contribute to you like this. Asha... she¡¯s the only one that can, through her Tree... although...


    Yes. Since Ortlinde accepted Lovers¡¯ Link, Asha¡¯s Tree is no longer the most powerful source of Aether among us, but now...


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt...¡± Rose smiled at my instant communication with the others. ¡°...but it gets better than this. Berkana, a new beginning. Othala! You have inherited, as have I! Nauthiz! Your struggle to reach this point, my struggle to understand the true Runic Craft! Dagaz! Let Soullight illuminate...¡± The brilliant glow leaked from her, and my Eyes could see a little clearer the something I had almost grasped earlier, yet even that fleeting realisation had massively improved my Silver Connection. It was a slight nick, no, two wounds to her intangible self, and then a larger one, a jagged slash that felt familiar and warm to me. From that wound light blazed, pouring into me, and my own body responded, drinking it in, and more amber letters cascaded though my vision, followed by greater strength.


    ¡°Stop that!¡± Gerhilde was frantic. ¡°A mortal body from such a lower world, no matter how strong, cannot contain this! Besides... we are Valkyrie! Choosers of the Slain, Heralds of the Vanir and the Aesir. Daughters of the Gods, Captains of the Einherjar... you cannot crack your Truesoul like this, become imperfect, base...¡±


    Grimgerde was watching on, her hand on the shaft of her incredible hammer. Siegrune was chuckling, orange eyes wide and sparkling, while Ortlinde...


    ¡°Stop, Rossweisse! This... is too far! I never wanted this...¡±


    ¡°Jealous, littlest sister? No need to be. This... this is exactly what you wanted! But only I made it possible. He is my... our Einherjar! No... for he is not slain. I choose the living, for the dead... the dead have stalled.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± I gasped, still unsure of what was happening. ¡°...not true. Haru, she¡¯s dead, yet... her potential is unlimited!¡±


    ¡°I see. No, it is... your... potential...¡± Rossweisse smiled. ¡°I am... she who carries the Blessings of the Great Mother, Frigga! My eyes...¡± her shining, pearly orbs blazed as brightly as mine did. ¡°...carry her clairvoyance. Hence why I can wield the runes, even if I am yet imperfect. But...¡± she paused, a bright light flashing as she drew another rune. ¡°Dagaz! Runic Words, with meanings that speak to the truth, no, they become truth!¡± With that, the Lovers¡¯ Link she had taken from me changed, and my vision was obscured with question marks and garbage symbols, only for my Eyes to see through it, understanding dawning.


    You have gained a Class. You are now a Ver Valkyrju.


    ¡°If you do this, you will be cast out!¡± Gerhilde cried. She was glowering at me with furious anger, her red eyes glaring hot enough to make me feel my flesh was burning. Her League was blazing, and while it was far above mine, it wasn¡¯t so far beyond me I couldn¡¯t tolerate it, even if I was weakened.


    ¡°Your Divine Flame, its Adherence will be muddied, your Divinity lost!¡± Gerhilde roared.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Rose would be that dumb...¡± Siegrune seemed calm, fascinated. ¡°...she¡¯s got a plan, right?¡±


    ¡°Always! Now... a gift for me. I...¡± Rose bent in, placing a kiss on my forehead, the sensation damp and warm. Ortlinde flushed, and went to pull her away, but Siegrune blocked her, while Grimgerde hefted her hammer, intercepting Gerhilde, who had reached for a wicked looking two handed blade as tall as I was.


    ¡°This might sting, but... we must exchange gifts. I have given you mine, a piece of my Truesoul. In return...¡± She reached down to my wrist, and a silver Seed parted from me, drifting into the air, sending a surge of pain throughout my being, as if something was torn from me, a part of my very spirit, my soul.


    ¡°What use a single Seed? We could have used them to strengthen ourselves, but...¡± Ortlinde shook her head. ¡°It would not be enough. We are already too set on our path.¡±


    ¡°Watch and learn, littlest sister. If you are to imitate me... learn from your beautiful, wise, dashing elder sister!¡± Rose puffed out her chest proudly, making Siegrune laugh loudly, even as she held Ortlinde back. She then turned to me. ¡°I wished to see what was hidden. Do you remember? See it, and know. See it all, and know why I chose this. Ortlinde... your desires have wrought a miracle. But a miracle alone cannot save us. No, I shall stack a miracle atop a miracle, one more upon his shoulders.¡±


    Even as she talked I focussed my mind on the details of the changed Bracelet, and the garbled information became clear. The Seeds themselves are impregnated with the Adherence of Bonds and Connection, as well as that of Growth and Knowledge. These Seeds can be absorbed by a Bond to strengthen it and fortify it, allowing it to grow beyond its limits. Though without a Connection, a Bond, the Seed is useless.


    ¡°Littlest sister...¡± Rose continued as she held the Seed, peering at it with wonder, eyes shining prismatically. ¡°...I chose the wise and the faithful. After all, the Great Mother Frigga does mediate marriage between the Gods and Goddesses of the World Tree. Grim, you chose the proud and the mighty. Run chose the unpredictable and chaotic...¡±


    ¡°And they certainly were a disappointment.¡± Siegrune chuckled. ¡°But... I like to gamble, toss the bones and see how they fall. It¡¯s why you didn¡¯t have to convince me hard to go with your plan, Lin!¡±


    ¡°Even you chose those who fit your tastes, eldest sister.¡± Rose addressed Gerhilde. ¡°The wise and bold. But our littlest sister... your choices...¡±


    ¡°I... chose those who would embody what it meant to strive, to protect, and... never give up.¡± Ortlinde admitted. ¡°I wanted our theft of the Fruit to... matter. Though...¡± Her golden eyes searched mine. ¡°...you hardly inspired confidence. Yet... you were a fine fit for heroic Tyr¡¯s Favour. And... you have exceeded anything I could have hoped, so swiftly.¡±


    ¡°So let us take it to its conclusion.¡± Rose smiled. Holding the Seed, she traced more blinding runes, and now to my Eyes I could see the powerful adherence within them. The runes... reminded me of Qi, in a way, only as to adherence as Qi was to aether.


    ¡°Sowelo! Let it awaken! Eihwaz! Transform, yet retain your power! Ehwaz! In partnership... progress!¡± With a sudden movement the runes coalesced, and the Seed in her hands melted. Then, as we watched, she thrust her hand into her right eye. Blood splattered, and silver metal was thrust inside.


    ¡°Wunjo!¡± Rose didn¡¯t falter, despite the cries of her sisters. ¡°I am fulfilled, and through the bond, enlightened. Ehwaz! Our partnership is forged through shared desires. Othala! You inherited from us, we from you! Nauthis! We struggle, we strive. The Seeds are dyed! And we persist! Eihwaz! We are the Choosers of the Slain, but what we shall see slain here is... defeat! Transform....¡± The molten Seed sank into her bloody socket, forming a silver orb. ¡°...and grant me true understanding! I see what you see, you see what I see! And what I see... is hope!¡±


    The runes coalesced into a chain of words. My bonds burned, my spirit, my Truesoul ached. Hinata and Eri, the twins... they all knew something monumental was happening, and they held their breaths, their thoughts frozen.


    ¡°None of us are cowards.¡± Rose intoned, and as she moved the hand from her eye socket, I watched in wonder as her eye regenerated, yet...


    ¡°You feel it? As do I! I... feel... wonderful!¡± Rose giggled madly, the release of tension almost causing her to collapse.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Gerhilde overpowered Grimgerde, sword striking her hammer aside, and as she pushed past, she caught Rose as her legs gave way. ¡°You foolish sister! How can we hide this?¡±


    Rose turned to me, and it was strange. If I concentrated, I could overlay what she saw over my own vision. Without my experience using expanded perception with aether and dwelling in two separate bodies at once, it would have been quite troubling. When I did so, I realised I could see information on Gerhilde flicker into my vision. Rose quickly shut her eye, leaving one open in a wink, and the amber letters fizzled out.


    ¡°I would not do that, my dear Verr. Else Eldest sister will take your head. I would not become an Ekkja so soon...¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Siegrune¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But...¡± She glanced at Ortlinde, who was frozen.


    ¡°They are the ones we chose. That is all.¡± Rose giggled. ¡°By the Allfather¡¯s beard, eldest sister, that hurts...¡± Fingers had tightened around Rose¡¯s arm. ¡°Let go! My poor arm, you brute...¡±


    ¡°You broke the laws!¡± Gerhilde warned coldly, not releasing her sister. ¡°We must have no duty but our role, no conflict of interests, and the day we do...¡±


    ¡°We... we stole the Fruit. And Skuld¡¯s shears. We... we gave more knowledge than was allowed by the Compact between the Pantheons.¡± Ortlinde seemed to come out of her shock, looking between me and Rose. She was biting her lip until blood flowed, uneasy. ¡°I... I still feel great guilt. But also great joy. You have surpassed my expectations. And even Rossweisse would go so far for you...¡±


    ¡°For myself as well!¡± She opened her eye, and it glowed a brilliant amber, and I realised her pearly white eyes weren¡¯t so dissimilar from my grey ones. It was a strange sensation, but I felt that my Eye was seeing something, something else, as Rose drew a rune. It blazed into being, bright and brilliant. ¡°Our World Tree... I have a piece of its wisdom. Small, insignificant, as are we to the Allfather and the Tree that is his Anchor, but... even a whisper of such endless knowledge enlightens me. See Jera, the rune of harvest and abundance?¡± The two lines that comprised it, looking a little like the English letter ¡®L¡¯ at opposite slants, were ripe with power, and the rune was larger than the others Rose had drawn.


    ¡°Now I see it also represents growth. My understanding of the Runic Craft has leapt again. I draw on your eyes, Akio.¡± Her smile was cheery. ¡°I realised, when I worked to create your Wings through Ortlinde. I realised... what we could do together.¡± She paused. ¡°Though... even drawing on a fraction of my strength through this bond... Lovers¡¯ Link... so... poignant.¡±


    ¡°Lover? Verr? Rossweisse, you... you... I chose him, I found him!¡± Ortlinde cried.


    ¡°And you have shown you know best, littlest sister!¡± Rose teased. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it! Isa! Be paused!¡± She drew a rune, and Gerhilde shuddered, allowing Rose to pull free. As she rubbed at her tender arm, she smiled winsomely at her youngest sister. ¡°As for who found who, what matters is the goal, yes? We are all sisters, we shared the Seeds, just as we shall share the blame for our transgressions. Though It would be best if we had a triumph before we are chastised. The Allfather favours victory, it would earn us forgiveness.¡± She then turned to me.


    ¡°I see it. Do you? I am straining you, yes? The Seeds do not function as you imagine. Not yours, not now. You are the centre. Without you, I can no longer see beyond. Your bonds are a marvel. A power all of their own.¡±


    ¡°Actually, they are borrowed from another...¡± I shook my head, and Rose shook hers, though her expression faltered as Gerhilde threw off her frozen state, eyes blazing.


    ¡°Perhaps, but now all your own.¡± Rose declared. ¡°You have spun a web of connection that few could equal, but... such will crush you. Unless...¡± She tapped her eye, and I nodded, my own flaring to life, checking out the details that were hidden before. Not all the obscuring question  marks parted, but enough did.


    You have gained a Class. You are now the only Twister Of Connection¡¯s Strands, Loom That Weaves Bonds, Blade That Severs Misfortune.


    An embodiment of a Path is a Class with immense potential. Some call it Destiny, others a Law, or a Dao, yet to be first is to be not merely one that walks a difficult Path, but one that carves it through all obstacles. A Path is focussed on a single Concept, and this Concept is one others have seen, yet... this Path is one untravelled, for just as Bonds can Connect and Nurture, so too have these Paths been twisted together, forming a Road none has walked to the end of before.


    Bonds between thoughts, between hearts, between spirits, between the very Truesoul itself. Connections that defy Fate, Connections blessed by Fortune, Connections that tie together that which should not coexist. Bonds that nurture growth, Connections that transcend Space, Time, Destiny, Definite, Cause, Effect and Bonds that give, Bonds that share, Bonds and Connections that will slice mischance, sorrow and ill-fortune.


    A Path is solitary, yet this Road cannot be walked alone. Strength is not merely measured in pride or power, but in the endless sea of threads that uphold this impossible Journey. For a Path is a lonely destiny, yet this Path is woven of Connections, creating a whole from many, yet somehow one.


    Your Connections are both sword, shield and armour, but also your blood, sweat and tears. You draw strength from those you cherish, those you protect, and they in turn draw strength from you, adding new strands to the tapestry that makes up your Path. Should you falter, should your bonds be severed, you shall stray from this Road. Yet should your Bonds strengthen, your Connections spread, multiply and blaze brilliantly, the endless darkness shall be bridged, and a sword that banishes all ills shall shine...


    Okay... there¡¯s no... benefits? But... no, there is one. The Class name was... insane. I understood that it was a unique one, only for me, but it was still making me cringe. I think I¡¯ll just call it Bondweaver. Yeah, we¡¯ll go with that...


    As I thought that, the letters changed, and the Class itself seemed to become Bondweaver. Yeah, much, much better!


    ¡°You...¡± Gerhilde was growling, and she swung her hand out towards Rose, who resigned herself to the slap, and as the crisp sound of flesh striking flesh rang out, she blinked in surprise, only to see me standing over her, my cheek caved in, blood splattering, teeth scattering. Fuck me, that hurt... her strength is no joke, but then... I know that from the Might Rose is funnelling me through Lovers¡¯ Link.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit her.¡± I managed to slur, Ether Healing repairing my battered face. ¡°Hear her out at least. Sisters shouldn¡¯t fight, and... you¡¯re the elder sister! It¡¯s an older sibling¡¯s job to protect their younger sister! And they¡¯ll trouble us, and make mistakes, but... isn¡¯t that what a family is?¡±


    ¡°Family. Yes.¡± Rose chuckled, rather shocked, but also pleased, I thought. ¡°Do not pout so, littlest sister Lin. I shall take the words of my new Verr to heart. And enlighten and indulge you. You too have Lovers¡¯ Link, you accepted it freely. And did so to aid Akio. That Bond, that Connection... it is precious. It shines. The Eye does not lie.¡±


    ¡°But... I have a lot of people with Lovers¡¯ Link. Don¡¯t misunderstand. My family, friends... it¡¯s badly named...¡±


    ¡°How scandalous.¡± Siegrune chuckled, while Grimgerde was leaning on the shaft of her mighty maul, watching solemnly. ¡°But... Rose. You¡¯re... serious?¡±


    ¡°Deadly.¡± She walked over to me and took my hand. ¡°I thought... we are the Youngest Nine. Until new sisters are birthed. The others, they pamper us, yet... in these times, even we face death on the battlefield, the destruction growing ever fiercer. The Hel-vegr drain ever grater reserves of our power, just to stave off the growing storm. Our allies, even our enemies... we are all beset. Something... something has gone very wrong. I have heard whispers... as have we all. So our littlest sister persuaded us... after all, a Fruit of the World Tree is but once in a millennia, no, even rarer an event, and... it somehow fell in front of us, unnoticed. A miracle. And Skuld... she carelessly left her shears unattended. I am not a fatalist.¡± Her words were impassioned. ¡°I believe in our own choices, yet... it shook me. But... Ortlinde... speak. Reassure our eldest yet again.¡±


    Ortlinde looked at me, her golden eyes shining, and then down at where Rose was holding my hand. She then looked up again. ¡°Yes. I believe. Now. Before, I merely... hoped. But... Rossweisse... you have gone too far! To... to claim this... the punishment...¡±


    ¡°Forget the punishment. Listen to your heart. After all... I am still your older sister. And that matters.¡± She squeezed my hand, though I noticed she was blushing. I mean, how old is she? Older than me, for sure. Perhaps... no, dangerous line of thoughts.


    ¡°Then... I... I want to win! Sister, will what you do help? Gerhilde, Siegrune, Grimgerde... if Rossweisse tells us it can turn aside our decline, give us hope again... would you stand with her?¡±


    ¡°I would!¡± Siegrune smirked. ¡°It¡¯s exciting! Besides... think about it. None of us will likely ever see the Sixth Heightening, and eventually we shall fall in battle. How few of the older Valkyrie have ascended to true Divinity? But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have ambition... I hate those creatures! They don¡¯t even let us ferry the dead to Valhalla, and the Einherjar diminishes. I... Rose, I¡¯d be prepared to break the laws for a chance.¡±


    ¡°My hammer hungers for battle. I support the strong. And the driven. Ortlinde, it is why you convinced me. I would rather dare risk it all on a brave last stand than cower and weep as the World Tree burns!¡± Grimgerde growled.


    Gerhilde was silent, but after a long moment she spoke. Her hand twitched, and I reflexively stepped in front of Rose again, and she lowered her fist. ¡°You... are too easy, mortal man. Though I confess, Rossweisse is beyond mortal beauty. But she is not for you! Release him, Rossweisse, and we can... talk.¡± She sighed, brushing back her black hair from her face. ¡°I too... hate the state of things. But... do you really think he can reach the Sixth Heightening, and lead his world to us? If so... he would be worth a hundred of us, yet...¡±


    ¡°Ask him. I know you want to. And... it should be you who asks, Lin.¡± Rose spoke, and Ortlinde nodded, her golden eyes meeting mine.


    ¡°Can you? Will you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be Astral Emperor. I¡¯ve decided, and it¡¯s a Path I can no longer back down from.¡± I promised. ¡°As for joining your Pantheon... I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s someone from another Pantheon I¡¯d like to help too... but, we¡¯ll certainly be allies. But...¡± I tapped my eyes with my free hand. ¡°...I need to go a different way. Weave a path through the darkness of uncertainty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you shall have to come as soon as possible, my Verr. After all, if you wish to claim me...¡± Rose giggled. ¡°And... Ortlinde... if he ascends in triumph... will you not...?¡±


    Her red face was the only answer we needed.


    ¡°It is all talk!¡± Gerhilde snapped, but her stance was softening. Rose shook her head, long pinkish hair fluttering.


    ¡°No. It most certainly is not. And... while he lives, my strength will continue to increase. One solitary Seed has strengthened me more than a dozen would have were they fresh from the Fruit. Because... that is the path he was suited for, and he chose. Now... Ortlinde... if you believe... reach out your hand...¡±


    She did so, and Rose pulled free another Seed, and as the pain surged through me on a deeper level, she kissed my forehead again. ¡°There, there. Bear with it, my Verr. One day you shall have your reward. But... our littlest sister gave you a gift, should you not return it?¡± She glanced at Ortlinde. ¡°Though be aware... this is a promise, Heitstrenging. A solemn vow. I may have been... forward, but...¡± Her face was as pink as her hair as she pressed her ample chest into my arm. ¡°...I understood what I promised. And I already do not regret it. But...¡±


    Ortlinde nodded slowly, hands reaching out. ¡°I too... I felt the guilt at forcing your hand, manipulating you. I gave you nothing, for that was the greatest gift I could give you. Yet you saved my heart by living still. So has she, but... look after her, please.¡±


    ¡°Mine too! They still live! I chose the smart ones!¡± Rose giggled. ¡°They¡¯re good, I promise! They¡¯ll be a help!¡± I could feel two new bonds, faint stirrings, likely Rose¡¯s Chosen. As Ortlinde took the Seed, it melted, bursting into molten flame. She cried out, fingers charred to black bones, yet her golden eyes were resolute. As Rose drew runes to heal her, Ortlinde pointed, and a brilliant flame blazed on her finger. I felt energy drawn from me, Foehn answering, and Ortlinde looked down in worder, as did Gerhilde, who froze.


    ¡°That flame... it seems like one that would burn in the depths of Muspelheim!¡±


    ¡°Be careful. Foehn... it¡¯s dangerous. When it starts to burn, it won¡¯t stop, unless you draw out the flame element within it, and if you screw that up...¡± I shuddered.


    ¡°I...¡± Ortlinde swallowed. ¡°...I feel our connection. It deepens. I... did not expect this to be possible. The Seeds return to us. I...¡±


    ¡°Will you Choose him? Not for the Einherjar, but... for our hope?¡± Rose asked, and after a moment, Ortlinde nodded, flame red hair flowing at the motion.


    ¡°I... it shall be my penance.¡±


    ¡°Foolish littlest sister Lin!¡± Siegrune cuffed her head playfully. ¡°Listen to your sister who knows! Men don¡¯t want to be told that. Instead, say something like... oh, by the Trickster... uh... I shall be waiting naked in my bed, take me to Valhalla with your mighty sword?¡±


    ¡°Hah, you know as much as Ortlinde does, little fool!¡± Grimgerde rumbled amused. ¡°Trying to act wise and tough.... But she is right, Ortlinde. No true man wishes a tragic heroine. Instead...¡±


    Ortlinde swallowed, though her pride wouldn¡¯t let her be defeated. ¡°Then... hurry and break the shackles of your world, and triumph. And on the day you truly reach here... I shall... show my gratitude. And you shall be well pleased.¡±


    Your Class, Ver Valkyrju, has Increased from Level One To Level Two.


    ¡°It will have to do.¡± Rose chuckled. ¡°So, how about you, Grim, Run? After all, you have a connection?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll... pass. I just want to watch the show. Oh, but use my strength wisely!¡± Siegrune fanned herself, face flushed, but her orange eyes glowed with amusement.


    ¡°I do not know him. And... too scrawny.¡± Grimgerde grabbed my arm, squeezing. ¡°Next time you visit... we shall wrestle. I kneel to none who cannot overthrow me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Feel free to visit when you can. Though... you cannot stay... even now, it is painful, yes?¡±


    I nodded. Somehow Lovers¡¯ Link with Rose had reached Rank 5, perhaps because she was adept at manipulating it, or... perhaps for other reasons. Oh fuck. I just got hit with the reverse of what I tried to do to Tsukiko, right? But... I have a long time to think about things. I¡¯m not going to lie to anyone though... I¡¯ll speak the truth.


    In any case, five percent of her Statistics was massive to me, and added to the other gains, my Aether stat was incredibly impressive. But... maintaining the separation of my Material and Astral body was challenging, and growing ever more so with increasing rapidity, reminding me of trying to do the same in the Boundary with my crappy White Cord, back at the start. And if I screw up and the connection breaks... I¡¯ll be stuck here forever, separated from those I love back on Earth.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a struggle. But... I¡¯ll continue to fight and grow until I succeed. And honestly... you showed me what I plan will work, Rose. Lin.¡±


    ¡°How bold!¡± Siegrune laughed again, as Lin looked away from me.


    ¡°I can see the shadows of your plan in your thoughts. Let me give you one bit of advice...¡± Rose said as her parting words, as my Astral body began to fray and dissipate. She gave Lin a knowing look, and a moment later my other hand was taken, both Valkyries holding me fast as I disintegrated. ¡°...the Seeds can be used to empower and strengthen. But yours... they share. It is better, in a way. As your gifts strengthen, so do those we have received from you, and... as we grow them, perhaps you too shall receive strength in turn. But... the strain on your spirit and Truesoul is appalling. I am impressed. Grim does not wish a weaker man then her, but me... I am happy with one whose will matches mine! Yet do not be reckless. If you wish to gift others you share bonds with in the same way, the strain will be exponential. What you need is...¡±


    ¡°A transmitting tower, right?¡± They understood what I meant, luckily, I wasn¡¯t sure they would. Rose¡¯s bright smile rewarded me.


    ¡°Yes. But... you would need to share a strong bond with it, and it would need to be immensely durable, strong and able to grow...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already worked that one out.¡± I would have tapped my Eyes if my hands weren¡¯t still enveloped within those of the Valkyries. ¡°But... you all should know how it is done better than I do. After all... Yggdrasil...¡±


    With that final word, I dissipated, and I was back with all my focus on the Material. Despite being up in the highest Astral for what seemed like dozens of minutes, for some reason barely any time had passed down below. I had wiped the blood off my face, Adelheid still looking around for danger, Christina offering me the sleeve of her dress, which I turned down, not wanting to soil it, but thinking such awkwardness was very like her, while Christopher was merely staring at me, stunned as my eyes had exploded in turn and then recovered.


    ¡°So, did you succeed?¡± Christina got in my face, reaching for my eyelid, pulling it down, peering into my eye. ¡°Fascinating. Seeing it pop and then regrow... but... I¡¯ve noticed a difference. Before, only one eye had the little flecks of colour in. Now... both do.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you are observant!¡± I remarked. ¡°Yes, I... well, let¡¯s just say I went where no one from Earth has ever been before. But... that¡¯s for later.¡± I asked Christopher to send for some staff to put Egil Andersen, fallen Chosen of Gerhilde, in a coffin for respectful transport. ¡°For now, I need to meet those I wanted to see here. And...¡±


    Eri, Hinata... I have something to tell you...


    Akio? Are you all right? Where... where were you? Eri asked. Hinata was right behind her, thoughts overlapping.


    Something big happened, didn¡¯t it? It was weird. I... feel sick. And Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan are in a lot of pain. You owe them a treat when you get back to Japan! It was like how you explained you being in the Material and Astral at the same time. Our thoughts we shared were so fast, while time around us moved slow... or normal? I don¡¯t know... I threw up on my sword! Eri¡¯s laughing at me!


    I didn¡¯t! Eri denied it. I feel bad too. Like I was on a rollercoaster going round and round at great speed. Anyway... you sound guilty... so, what¡¯s up?


    Well... first, I retrieved Egil¡¯s Seeds successfully, which was great. And I saw an opportunity to visit the Valkyries again. And when I was there, Rose... uh, Rossweisse, the one who helped me before, she used her runes to bring my actual Astral body there. It was incredible... I can hardly describe it. But... I tried my best to explain, and they were appropriately amazed, until... So yeah, well... In the future, far, far in the future, when we finally secure Earth and take our place in the higher Astral, like Tan says will happen... I... well, it seems like I¡¯ll be getting married...


    I expected an explosion, but Eri surprised me. Ortlinde, right? I mean, that was obvious. If you answer her hopes, of course she¡¯ll fall for you. I expected that. Although... Her knowing tone pained me, and honestly... I barely knew Rose or Lin. Even if I was grateful to them, it seemed insane to consider marriage, but... The Class. The Verr, whatever that means. No, it¡¯s obvious what it means. The Multiverse accepted it. But... in that case...


    ...is it just one? You called her Rose. And it seems she is quite taken with you. You gave her what Aiko and Tan wanted, right?


    Sorry. I... like I said, that¡¯s for the future. I¡¯ll need to get to know them better first. If they don¡¯t fit, I¡¯ll turn them down, I promise...


    Valkyries? Aren¡¯t they like Tan?ha?? No, I expect they are one step below her, as she is a true Divinity, if a rather... mundane one. Though don¡¯t tell her I said that! Hinata chuckled nervously in my head. Damn, now we have connections to two Pantheons. Good job!


    In that case... you will have to step up your game. I imagined Eri was rolling her eyes. I expected it eventually, but... before they ever lay hands on you, I¡¯ll have indelibly taken a chunk of your heart.


    You have already!


    Don¡¯t try and flatter me to get out of this. Hmm... honestly, without meeting them, it¡¯s difficult. So... you have to think of a way to take one of us with you next time, all right? Ideally me. As first wife, I need to see our new... interlopers. I don¡¯t care whether they¡¯re an ordinary girl, a Fae, a Yo?kai, A Valkyrie, a Goddess or even a damn Angel! They ruin what we all have and I¡¯ll deny them! And don¡¯t think I stand alone on that! Kana, Motoko, Natsumi, they¡¯ll back me! You too, yes Hinata? Even Shiro and Shaeula won¡¯t want trash creeping in... As Eri lectured me, I couldn¡¯t help but let my eyes blaze, and despite the great distance, I felt closer to the World Tree than before, and as Foehn churned within me, I could feel a faint stirring of connection...


    So, I¡¯m a Bondweaver now, am I? It makes sense. I chose the path where I never lose anyone precious to me again, yet... I don¡¯t merely protect everyone, but I also help them grow so that they too can protect their own bonds, who they cherish! Now... let¡¯s get this over with. I need to get back to Japan. I need to begin the next stage of my plan, the step that will make us preeminent in Japan, no, likely the whole world!

 Five Hundred And Forty-Eight

    Five Hundred And Forty-Eight


    While the first of the Chosen I was here to meet was being fetched, I decided to reexamine some details with my new, improved Eyes. There was something I obviously needed to check, but I decided to put that off for a minute, holding in a wry smile at the thought that despite all the changes I had undergone, at my heart, I still fell into the same patterns.


    Unfortunately, the question marks plaguing the description for Silver Connection remained stubbornly present. I had suspicions they would, as that insight I had barely grasped, that feeling, it was profound and deep, and almost felt beyond what my Eye, Eyes now, would understand. Undeterred, I looked upon the information I wanted, seeing some of the question marks vanish and become legible, amber text.


    This is... fascinating. Yet... honestly, it also makes me worry, in equal measure. I¡¯m doing this... I¡¯m... really... doing this?


    Should enough Adherents gather, and the strength and purity of the Path be refined to the level of Laws or beyond by deriving a system from existent Rules and Principles, then a new Multiversal Construct that shall integrate within the overarching Laws of the Multiverse may be established.


    Swallowing, I peered further, deeper.


    An Adherent is someone who practises a Path with belief in the reality and existence of said Path, following it and utilising the Rules, Principles and Laws it provides, strengthening these Laws, making them more real and perfect.


    I think I get it. If Daiyu was here, I could certainly confirm my thoughts, but... Examining Moonlight Jade Qi Refining, I delved deeper, almost imagining I could hear Rose¡¯s amused laughter echoing far distant in my head.


    Moonlight Jade Qi Refining [Class: Powerful] [Type: Artifice] ¨C You can refine Aether, combined with Light and Earth Elements, into a potent Qi...


    No, I don¡¯t care about how it works, but...


    Qi is a refined form of some of the fundamental energies of the Multiverse. It takes two forms, Earthly Qi, and Heavenly Qi. It is designed to function within the Path of Cultivation, which in turn is a Path created from the broader Six Paths ????????????.


    The Path of Cultivation is governed by Laws that are immutable, yet all Laws sit within the overarching Rules, Principles and Laws of the Multiverse. Anyone who is an Adherent of the Path of Cultivation is bound by the Laws of Karma, and Heavenly Tribulation, yet such shackles imposed offer commensurate benefits such as ??????? ???????? ???????? ?????????.


    I thought so. Cultivation is strange. But... to lift the veil of ignorance... I quickly checked my Chakras, and it was as I expected.


    Earth Element is a refined form of some of the fundamental energies and matter of the Multiverse. It is present in a number of Paths, such as the Four Elements, the Seven Chakra Element System, the Five Elements and more...


    Water Element is a refined form...


    Flame Element...


    So, that¡¯s why elements are seemingly so disparate. Why we have compounds, actual elements, chemical processes, fundamental forces and particles, and even stranger concepts, all bundled together in various groups? It¡¯s because a Path has been arranged that way. But just who did the arranging, and why? Do benefits accrue to the creator of a Path if others are Adherents of it? Isn¡¯t that... kind of like being a God? But then... they are called Adherents, and adherence is the power of faith, of fervent belief... oh, there¡¯s still too much I don¡¯t know, but...


    Whatever form my Path would take, I would have to plan it carefully. Whether it was something simple, like an element, or a whole, complicated system of incredible depth such as Cultivation, or probably even a Path that didn¡¯t change what already existed, merely integrated within it, I¡¯d have to choose wisely. But whatever I choose, it doesn¡¯t seem like something I can do alone. Fortunately... that¡¯s not the path I¡¯m walking...


    Despite these thoughts taking only a fraction of a second, Christina noticed something. Whether it was a scientist¡¯s sixth sense, or a subconscious tell I had I wasn¡¯t aware of, she realised I had understood something. ¡°That¡¯s a face of someone who has suddenly discovered a discrepancy in their perfectly planned experiment.¡± Her tone was light, and her eyes glittered with eagerness.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. When something doesn¡¯t go as expected, that¡¯s when the truth is revealed.¡± She tried to soothe me, and I had to laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just pondering some weighty matters, but it doesn¡¯t change the next step. Anyway...¡± The door opened, and in came a tall, dark-skinned man. He overtopped me by a head, and though he wasn¡¯t particularly muscular, he had a certain physical presence. My Eyes observed him, and though he was a World Tree Pantheon Chosen, he didn¡¯t have a Bracelet or any Seeds. Not one of Lin¡¯s or her sisters¡¯ then.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± he spoke gruffly as he pulled out a chair and sat down, legs crossed. He glanced over at Christina for a moment before eyeing me coldly, his brown eyes hard, and it seemed he was in no mood to pander to me.


    Oh well, I guess my reputation doesn¡¯t work on everyone, does it? Putting on my best smile, I sat in front of him too. ¡°I just wanted to talk a little about some cooperation. Us fellow Norse Chosen should stick together...¡± As he seemed unmoved by my suggestion, I bit down on a sigh, and delivered my pitch as best I could...


    ***


    ¡°This has been a very mixed bag.¡± I grumbled, taking a sip of my coffee. Christina, a warm, sympathetic smile on her face, reached over and wiped at my cheeks and forehead with a handkerchief, surprising me. On seeing I was shocked, she flushed, her face pink, but she didn¡¯t stop her ministrations.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been researching what a good woman does, a good girlfriend.¡± She puffed out her ample chest proudly. Fortunately, after Egil¡¯s corpse was dealt with, someone had found her a lab coat, and she now wore that over her revealing, low-cut dress, so the feeling of her chest against me wasn¡¯t so distracting. Though honestly, I need a distraction now. It¡¯s rough...


    Even with my impressive Majesty and Charm, which was clearly having a greater effect, if Christina was anything to judge by, as the heat in her blue-eyed gaze as she looked at me had intensified since my return from the highest Astral, was unable to sway all of the Chosen I had interviewed.


    ¡°I suppose it makes sense.¡± I let Christina mop off my brow. It was embarrassing, but... I suppose I can grant her this small happiness. It¡¯s not like Eri or anyone else will care, considering I¡¯ve just established a pair of long term engagements without asking... I¡¯m not cowardly enough to say it isn¡¯t my fault, that Rose and Lin did it on their own... it takes two to tango, they say...


    The only mercy was it would likely be years, perhaps even decades, before I managed to secure the Earth, and maybe even centuries before we were capable of truly travelling to the World Tree. Though maybe not so long. Siegrune did say she would come visit when she felt Earth had shed the Boundary. But yes, years at the minimum. But now...


    Now I was worried. The Valkyries were constantly fighting, and it sounded from what little I had heard, the fact that they were driven to using the stolen Fruit to empower us, that the situation was grave. I don¡¯t want to travel back there with my consciousness again, and find out that they¡¯ve died in battle. Or even that one of their sisters has fallen. But... I can¡¯t do anything. The only mercy is...


    By being accepted as the Verr, pledged husband of a Valkyrie, Divine daughters of the Gods and Goddesses of the World Tree Pantheon, the Ver Valkyrju, not merely by troth, but also by tied Truesoul and Heitstrenging, the bearer will find their affinity and control of Spatial Element increasing. Fortune will also increase significantly, as will Charm. The Valkyrie, Choosers of the Slain, Gatherers of Heroes, are only won over by boldness, so Determination shows a greater effect.


    However, to be Verr comes with obligations. Cowardice is poison, and those that flee from battle or abandon their allies in the midst of the fray will be disowned, and the Valkyrie will stop at nothing to slay them, then taking their own lives in the disgrace thereafter, of giving heart and spirit to a worthless man. In addition, as Choosers of the Slain, a Valkyrie must be impartial. The majority of Valkyrie retire from this duty when they become a bride, only with permission from the commanders of the Valkyries, Imperious Allfather Odin, Proud Sigrun, Mystical Frejya, or Cold Hel, can they continue to serve.


    The bond between a Valkyrie and their Verr is deep. Should their Verr fall in battle bravely, weapon in hand, space itself will sunder, and despite the grave cost she will fly on Wings of Space and carry him to his deserved rest. Likewise, when a Valkyrie faces the travails of doom, strength will be drawn from the Verr, in an effort to stave off ruin.


    ...I don¡¯t intend to die, forcing them to come for me, but... knowing that in their hour of greatest need they can borrow some of my strength is reassuring. It also means if that¡¯s not happening, then they shouldn¡¯t be in any great danger...


    Setting that aside, my thoughts went back to the Chosen I had met. It made sense that they would be proud and hot-tempered. While it had only been around half a year in Material time since we all received our Favours, in Boundary time it was well over a year, and those that remained were either those who grew stronger and had talent, or those who cowered and hid away. I suppose there¡¯s also the ones with special abilities who were nurtured by others, like Yasaka-san. Shit... Yasaka-san... He was still comatose. He had been flown over to Tokyo, since he could no longer enter the Boundary, and Shaeula had stabilised his ruined network. Losing that Favour is a huge blow. A lot of other Japanese Chosen seem to have been removed as well...


    Regardless, most of the Chosen from the Norse and the Japanese Pantheons I had met here weren¡¯t exactly eager to join me, though a few seemed a little impressed to have met me. Also, so far none of the World Tree Chosen were ones which had received the Seeds. That was helpful, certainly, as I was able to observe more of the differences. A couple showed some interest in collaboration though, so I had hopes we¡¯d be able to work something out. There was still one more remaining, and as the door opened, ushering in the newcomer, I saw it was a woman in her late thirties, with a rather charming look. She had a heart-shaped face, medium length blonde hair which floated in curls around her, and a petite yet graceful figure.


    Seeing me, she widened her greenish-brown eyes, and let out a small chuckle. ¡°So, the Hero of Britain. What an honour for me.¡± She nodded respectfully, before taking a seat, crossing her legs clad in powder-blue jeans carelessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t particularly want to come, but it¡¯s not like I had much choice.¡± She looked at Christina warily. ¡°Oh, I remember you. You... seem a little different?¡± She was the first to speak to Christina, though most had looked her over, which wasn¡¯t too surprising. She is quite the appealing sight, so long as she keeps quiet, after all.


    Christina paused, thinking. She then turned to me after a moment, face falling into a rare expression of apology. ¡°I made an oversight! This is not like me at all! I¡¯m sorry. Little miss Christina was too wrapped up in trying to appeal to you... I mean, be helpful...¡±


    As she corrected herself, the woman who had sat down laughed, idly playing with the laces on her strappy white shirt. Christina ignored her, instead fixing her gaze on mine.


    ¡°I never thought that my presence would cause you problems, but... I think a lot of the Chosen we met might have been more willing to join you, or at least work together, if I wasn¡¯t here. I have a... bad reputation.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Christopher agreed. He had been keeping quiet in negotiations, his seat against the far wall, but it seemed he couldn¡¯t let that slide. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe I¡¯m letting my kids go to Japan while you¡¯re there. Honestly, I¡¯m trusting Akio here more than you, and... also your change. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but... I don¡¯t think you¡¯d do something to make him hate you.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. But I¡¯ve blundered here! I¡¯m too used to those who see me without fear now.¡± She glanced at the bored Adelheid, who was idly drinking coffee that had been provided. Yeah, she sure does act like Tanya when coffee is involved. Though she also drinks plenty of beer too...


    ¡°Anyway, even those who I haven¡¯t met and ran tests and questionnaires on likely talked, so... all the American Chosen know of me. Seeing me with you... it¡¯s bound to taint you by association.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my fault too. But... I¡¯ve a lot on my mind.¡± The fact of the attacks worldwide, then the sudden surprise marriage ambush of the Valkyries, even if it would be a long time before we would be in a position to truly spend time with each other, it all threw me off, made me overlook things. Careless again. I¡¯m getting better, but I¡¯m still weak to sudden shocks, it seems...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a bit late, but... I should go.¡± Christina seemed crestfallen, so I shook my head.


    ¡°No, in a way, it might be a good thing. After all, you¡¯re working with me now. If they turned up to Japan and found you there, and panicked, well... perhaps it¡¯s best to weed them out early, and in time, if you can reform your reputation...¡±


    ¡°The rumours definitely do you justice.¡± The last World Tree Chosen giggled, seeming younger than her age. ¡°You¡¯ve seduced even the rumoured psycho scientist, and...¡± Her expression looked significantly less friendly as she beheld Adelheid. ¡°...it seems you like them young too. But me, I¡¯m married, so don¡¯t get any ideas!¡± She brandished her hand, a wedding band on one finger.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s been a grave misunderstanding. Adelheid here is a lot older than she looks. She¡¯s also not my lover or anything like that. She¡¯s a Chosen I picked up. She was having a hard time on her own, so...¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deny I was seduced!¡± Christina giggled, though her heart didn¡¯t seem to be in it, and I guessed she was still troubled over causing me problems. Damn, I didn¡¯t think she could even feel that sort of remorse. Women... sure are complicated. My mind going back to how easily Rose had taken me as her husband, despite us literally having spent perhaps an hour together in their frame of temporal space, I once more understood how little men like me could understand women.


    Although... I do get it, to an extent, I suppose. Interest in my abilities is what piqued Tan¡¯s curiosity, well, that and sharing a body and mind with Shiro, and constantly being bombarded with her feelings, I guess. And it seems like they are desperate. Besides... uh... I kind of hate myself for saying this, but... I¡¯ve become quite the catch.


    ¡°Yes, you have!¡± Christina agreed, mirroring my thoughts, and I froze, confused.


    ¡°You were wondering why I like you, despite us having only been acquainted a short time, yes?¡± Christina was slightly off, but not entirely. ¡°If you say such things, Hinata will get angry, no? I hear her bragging about love at first sight. I¡¯m too logical to fall prey to such, but... what¡¯s not to like? So long as a woman can accept sharing, you¡¯re perfect. And while many women dream of love, a perfect, fairy tale love... I¡¯m a realist. Me... I seek a connection, shared interests and passions. A mind that can match mine. Don¡¯t judge other¡¯s reasons. What might seem small or stupid to you may mean everything to them!¡±


    ¡°When did you learn empathy?¡± Christopher groaned. ¡°It¡¯s messing with my head. But... it relieves me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so... let¡¯s hope Bethany doesn¡¯t fall for him!¡± Christina couldn¡¯t resist causing trouble, and as Christopher shot back, and they began to argue, I once more considered Rose and Lin. Ortlinde... Lin... I get. She chose me, and gave me a piece of her Truesoul. She nurtured me, felt guilt for the dangers, worried I would die... and I have repaid her gamble so far with hope. But Rose... no, she has her reasons. Not just the Eye I gave her. When she smiled at me... it was teasing, cute... but genuine. Honestly... I have to accept I¡¯m not who I was anymore. I¡¯m going to be Astral Emperor, rule a world, be stronger even than the Valkyries, so they said... I can¡¯t just think in normal terms now...


    It was certainly easier for me to rationalise. Thirteen wasn¡¯t much different to eleven, especially as it wouldn¡¯t truly be thirteen for years, or even decades. As those thoughts passed in an instance, the woman spoke up.


    ¡°Yes, quite the seducer. Now... I¡¯ll set aside the fact that she is here, since it seems to trouble her, and I¡¯m a kind woman.¡± She smiled teasingly. ¡°Now, I wasn¡¯t briefed much on why I am here, simply that you wanted to meet anyone who has been blessed by Viking Gods, yes?¡±


    I nodded, my Eyes glittering, and everyone froze. With a grimace, I reigned in my Charm. Not only has it spiked a huge amount since Rose and Lin pledged to me, the effect of all my Intangible Statistics has also increased a lot... I need to get used to controlling the new intensity... ah... perfect. She¡¯s...


    ¡°Yes. Though as it turns out, you were the one I wanted to meet, Mrs Carrie S?rensen.¡±


    ¡°Enough with the flirting. I¡¯m married. Happily even!¡± She pouted, again brandishing her ring. ¡°Make do with that crazy scientist, thank you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hit on you, I promise. But... you¡¯re one of just eighteen. Though there¡¯s few of us left, I¡¯m afraid.¡± My Eye saw that she was carrying a Bracelet within her. Helmwige¡¯s Lyre-string Bracelet Of Harmonic Wisdom was its name, but the Divine Favour was not within it, instead it was a part of her, curling from her heart up to her throat Chakra,  indeed also looking like a number of silver strings. It was Bragi¡¯s Words That Shape Wind And Song, and looking at it, it had some applications in attacking, being largely wind element, but it also had several similarities to Miyu¡¯s Favour.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, suddenly wary, and I smiled as reassuringly as I could. Seeing the tense atmosphere, Christoper and Christina stopped their arguing, and Adelheid was looking at us, her blue eyes wary.


    ¡°When you were offered this Favour, do you remember who came for you? A Valkyrie, yes?¡±


    ¡°She was cloaked and hidden, and didn¡¯t speak her name. But... from the set of her body and the way she moved, the occasion when her purple ponytail swung free of her hooded cowl... yes, I knew she was a woman, and not one like me.¡± Carrie replied.


    That stung me. I had noticed the flame red hair of Ortlinde on occasion under the hood, but had thought nothing of it, and with her deep, resonant voice, I had thought she was perhaps male, though seeing her in her natural state, I wondered how I could have made such a mistake. My sis was right. Back then I was big bro moonstone, unable to tell many things about women...


    ¡°Why did you take the gift? I also see you are using your Favour. Did you...?¡± I left the question hanging, and she glanced at Christopher, who nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Mrs S?rensen. You¡¯ll be paid for your time and efforts here.¡± he reassured her, and after a while she nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like talking about it. I... don¡¯t want to get hurt. I don¡¯t much fight. I quickly got rid of that Territory, as she called it. Because losing it... it¡¯s dangerous, right?¡± I nodded, and she continued. ¡°As for ¡®the harder path of growth¡¯, no thank you! Instead... this gift...¡± she paused, embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always dreamed of being a singer. I write songs, play the guitar... but I never amounted to much. Always been poor.¡± She sighed self-deprecatingly. ¡°So, when I was offered a devil¡¯s bargain to gain this...¡± She started singing her words, and indeed, her voice was moving, beautiful, captivating. ¡°...of course I took a chance, my dream was within reach. I have even signed a record deal recently. My first true album will be out soon. My husband loves it too. I¡¯m so much prettier and...¡± She flushed then, glancing at Christina.


    ¡°Better able to take a tumble in the bedroom, huh? Lucky!¡± Christina chortled. ¡°It¡¯s not an area we studied, but... Akio here satisfies a lot of greedy girls. His libido can¡¯t be normal.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that.¡± I coughed. ¡°Do continue.¡± I tapped my foot to the beat as she sang her next explanation.


    ¡°I kept a low profile. I didn¡¯t want to get captured and dissected somewhere. But... even that was no good. I shouldn¡¯t have used my phone to do internet searches. The NSA picked me up. It¡¯s no wonder we all got caught. Nobody thinks someone is always listening.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I may not be strong, but...¡± She sang, wind and aether swirling, and it was as if a full orchestra was playing. ¡°...I can still do this. And this...¡± The sound formed an invisible blade, and an unoccupied chair was smashed to splinters.


    ¡°I see.¡± After listening, I understood. ¡°Me, I took the riskier way. And I¡¯ve fought to raise my strength. But... since you chose the path of strength first, you¡¯re greatly helpful as a point of comparison. Besides, I promised... Ortlinde, Rossweisse and the others I would look after you. I¡¯ve not met Helmwige, who gave you this Favour, but... in a way, we¡¯re related.¡± After all, Helmwige is my sister-in-law now... damn, it hurts my head just thinking about it...


    ¡°Helmwige? Was that her name?¡± she sang, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes. So... you¡¯re a singer, huh? That gives me an idea...¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m pretty, but I¡¯m married!¡± she insisted again, and I snorted, amused.


    ¡°Christina, maybe it was my reputation that put the other Chosen off. Most of them were men, after all. Maybe they¡¯re jealous, or think I¡¯ll steal their sisters, lovers or daughters.¡±


    ¡°I understand that...¡± Christopher grumbled, but we ignored him. I then addressed Carrie again. No point being excessively formal. Americans are quite relaxed, and... we¡¯re both those the Valkyries chose.


    ¡°Did you see the charity concert that happened in Japan a few days ago? You might not have...¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. Everyone in the industry was watching. It was a big deal. Worldwide coverage... the artists that performed there were lucky. There¡¯s... even an American girl, yes? Though she was acting Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I¡¯ll be meeting her parents during a brief stopover on my return home.¡± Yes, the few extra hours I can save crossing the country in a military jet are going to be wasted, but... I also want to drop off my Astral body near Las Vegas while I¡¯m there. I want to investigate the site Foehn was found again...


    ¡°Regardless, it was a good show. I sing pop, country, that sort of music, but I appreciate talent.¡± Carrie finished. ¡°But...¡± She shuddered then. ¡°I worry. The troubles around the world. I¡¯m not particularly religious, you know? But the thought of others hunting me down, because I took this power... I knew there¡¯d be a cost...¡±


    ¡°Well, how do you feel about coming under my protection? Japan¡¯s a nice place. And you¡¯d be able to learn relatively safely.¡± She¡¯s clever in a way. A Territory is essential, but it¡¯s also a big point of weakness if not properly defended...


    As she looked at me, I made my pitch. ¡°As for your music career, that¡¯s something to encourage. After all, from the concert, you might have guessed what we¡¯re going for. Besides... not everyone has to fight, but you can still contribute. For Helmwige, to prove she was right to choose you out of everyone else. I know she¡¯d be proud of you then.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you know what they think.¡± Carrie pointed out, and I nodded.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯ve met and talked to five of them. You could too, if you grow stronger.¡± After dropping that bombshell I explained further about what she would potentially be doing, and the protection I¡¯d offer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems... risky.¡± Carrie was idly rubbing at her wedding ring, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m scared, but there weren¡¯t any attacks in America... people died, schools were attacked in Japan, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but each time we are better prepared.¡± I continued to talk to her for a while, my Eyes observing her all the time, while the others occasionally spoke up when they had something to say...


    ***


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll accept? That last thing you said was rather cold.¡± Christina giggled. ¡°It¡¯s the sort of thing I¡¯d have said. And everyone knows I lack empathy and emotions!¡±


    Christina had changed out of her dress, and was in casual, comfortable leggings and jumper, paired with her usual lab coat, of course. Adelheid was also dressed in jeans and a hoodie. We had said out farewells to Buck and Mrs Kelly, and now we were standing outside the aircraft that were going to whisk us away.


    I don¡¯t fancy my ride much, but... A fighter jet was on the runway, unladen with weapons and with extremal fuel tanks attached. It was a single seater, but with my stats, I was able to squeeze myself awkwardly in along with the pilot for the duration, and instead of nearly five hours, I would be able to reach Las Vegas in two. Giving me time for that damn meeting. Though how I cross the Pacific ocean... I¡¯ll find that out when I get there. The fighter was an F15 of some sort, though I was hardly an expert in American military hardware, but I was told I could do over two thousand miles with the extra fuel tanks.


    The private jet that the others were taking was much nicer, and while it would stop on the west coast for refuelling, it would still take everyone back to Japan. Setting that aside, I answered Christina. ¡°Her Seeds are precious. All I¡¯m asking is that if she does die, that she doesn¡¯t get cremated prematurely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that almost sounds like you are hoping she does die. Shit. I get what you mean! But you can be an ass sometimes!¡± Aliyah was here too, along with Trey. They were both comfortably dressed ready for the flight, and I¡¯d cured their hangovers. The coffin containing Egil Andersen had been loaded aboard, so it was just our group waiting.


    ¡°What Aliyah was trying to say...¡± Trey explained reasonably, patting his sister on her shoulder gently. ¡°...was that broaching the subject with someone you just met was a little... uh... forward?¡±


    ¡°Maybe so. But... there¡¯s not many of us left out there, so losing any is a blow. Anyway, you both look pleased.¡±


    ¡°Of course we do!¡± Aliyah preened. I steadfastly refused to check out her chest, and she strained harder. Wait, do you want me to look? I thought you hated it.. oh, wait, I get it. You just want an excuse to be pissed at me, right? Yeah, men sure can¡¯t understand how women think. Giving in and doing what she wanted, and getting a harsh glare in return, I listened to their report. ¡°We¡¯ve done just what you wanted. With the information from that Oracle Engine, we think we¡¯ve narrowed down the location of the last one here in America. And they weren¡¯t cremated. It¡¯ll be robbing graves though...¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t come to that, I think.¡± Trey shook his head. As we waited for our final passengers to arrive, they continued to speak.


    ¡°It fucking well might!¡± Aliyah grumbled. ¡°Especially if they¡¯re really a walking pile of treasure. Anyway, enough of that. The info¡¯s here.¡± She handed me a tablet, and I glanced over it, nodding.


    ¡°Great. So I¡¯ll let you two handle the arrangements. How did the rest go?¡±


    ¡°Like clockwork.¡± Trey replied. ¡°Honestly, once all the drinking and the fighting died down...¡± He glanced at his sister as he said that, and she had the grace to look embarrassed, shrugging, hair beads jingling. ¡°...and we made our pitch, plenty were interested. Times are tough at the moment, and honestly... seeing Aliyah kick the shit out of the heads of four PMCs, then single-handedly win a bar brawl against a dozen others... yeah, they can see the way the wind is blowing.¡±


    What the hell did you do? Obviously the shock was showing on my face, as Aliyah chuckled, crossing her arms and standing tall.


    ¡°I could beat up those dipshits before. Though... no more than a couple at a time. Anyway, we¡¯ve got a list of names. I wouldn¡¯t say they¡¯re all trustworthy, but Shaeula can work her magic or whatever.¡± She shrugged again, drawing my eyes. ¡°The worst thing is, a few of the fuckers who quit the Black Wolf have tried to come crawling back now.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you recruit them?¡± I asked, and Trey shook his head.


    ¡°No way. They were our friends, still are, really...¡± Aliyah snorted derisorily at that, but he ignored her. ¡°...but the one rule is, don¡¯t quit when things get tough. They bailed. So... no room for them.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I trust you. Anyway... the Pilgrimage...¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t much for God. Might as well pray to whoever gets me some damn benefits.¡± Aliyah suggested. ¡°So I¡¯m in. All of the new recruits for Fenrir will be.¡±


    Fenrir, huh. Makes sense. The greatest wolf from Nordic mythology. The Black Wolf Company was going to be split, and take on new recruits. The Black Wolf part would handle security, counterespionage, policing and so on, while Fenrir, the elites, would be trained to fight in both Material and Astral, and specialise in retrieval of treasures such as the fallen Chosen with Seeds, or discovering anomalies, unique elements, strange Buildings, species of spiritual beings we could trade with or recruit, and more. Of course, they¡¯ll be powerful combat assets too, but right now... we need to gather what we can, before others take it away.


    ¡°Just one question though.¡± Aliyah asked. ¡°Luciana... is she in or not? I mean, she¡¯s got her own thing going on with Adamant, yeah? Fancy uniform and all...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have one too, sis.¡± Trey chuckled.


    ¡°Just so long as it ain¡¯t skimpy!¡± she grumbled. ¡°But yeah... Luciana¡¯s moving up in the world. Even if there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll get me to join your growing squad of groupies.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that.¡± I explained for what seemed like the dozenth time. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force them into anything. I have my hands full right now anyway, and they¡¯re getting fuller!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯m so fucking jealous... I mean... never mind what I mean.¡± Aliyah smirked, though she didn¡¯t actually seem angry, it seemed like she was more enjoying the pretence. Maybe we¡¯ve finally got used to each other.


    ¡°Still, Luciana¡¯s a beauty for sure. She¡¯s a cold one at heart, not much love for men. I get that. But she¡¯s not a hater like me...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t hate all men, Aliyah. Just...¡± Trey broke in, and she sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, guess not. I mean, there¡¯s some good guys around, I¡¯m sure. Not that I¡¯ve ever fucking crossed paths with many. But... all I¡¯m saying is, she¡¯s living her best life, and seems keen on rising the ranks. I kind of miss her, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a whole lot of women in the Black Wolf, though at least you keep plenty around you. Speaking of...¡± Aliyah looked at the newcomers, blue eyes gleaming. ¡°Who is that cutie? She¡¯s totally my type...¡±


    Christopher had arrived, followed by his children. Zachary was gazing at us all with sparkling eyes, plainly dressed, while Bethany... while she wasn¡¯t as flashy as on our night out, she was wearing a lacy black top and pleated skirt with long stockings and boots just below the knee. Both of them were pulling suitcases behind them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leer, Aliyah. You¡¯ll scare her!¡± Trey warned, as Christina giggled at the banter.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± As Christopher warned his children to be careful, and always listen to me and not to do anything dangerous, Aliyah then charged over to introduce herself, ignoring Zachary, who like me, couldn¡¯t help but watch as she bounced along. As we exchanged wry, understanding glances, his sister shrinking under Aliyah¡¯s passionate introduction, I relaxed a little, though I couldn¡¯t help but glance at my own transportation, the pilot running through his final checks.


    Yeah. We¡¯ve gained a lot this trip. More than I¡¯d have imagined. But... I need to get back to Japan. There¡¯s too much I need to sort out, and now that my resolve has been made, and even the multiverse seems to have accepted it... it¡¯s time to start laying down the first stones of the Path I¡¯ll build that takes us beyond the crisis Earth is facing... all the way to the heights of the Astral itself...

 Five Hundred And Forty-Nine

    Five Hundred And Forty-Nine


    As Christopher and I watched the private jet taxi along the runway and then take off, soaring into the skies, I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t look as if they are heading off to war. I¡¯ll look after them, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a father, are you?¡± Christopher shook his head. ¡°We always worry for our children. Especially now. And especially in the company they are keeping.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but soon.¡± It still doesn¡¯t seem entirely real to me, but... it does focus the mind. I think I get where he¡¯s coming from. ¡°Trust me though, this is for the best. Besides, Christina... she¡¯s certainly... dangerous, I¡¯m not going to lie, but... I¡¯m sure she¡¯s changing, has changed a little. Maybe she didn¡¯t intend it to go as far as it did, but... it¡¯s like a few gears have been reset in her mind, and now the clockwork can turn...¡±


    ¡°Trust is hard to build.¡± Christopher sighed, looking at his watch. ¡°Especially with her. I admit, she definitely seems different. But they say a leopard never changes their spots. And she¡¯s a very intelligent woman. Have you considered that she¡¯s just putting on a fac?ade, a mask that she thinks you want to see? She¡¯s certainly amoral enough for that.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve considered it.¡± I nodded. ¡°But I honestly don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. But I¡¯m not careless with the safety of others, so we¡¯ve taken precautions anyway. Anyone can change. I mean, I¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± My smile was a touch mocking. ¡°I used to be quick to run away from my problems, feign ignorance when things were hard, pretend not to understand until it went away... but those days are over. Facing the truth can be painful, but it¡¯s always the right thing to do. Just as you have to. Besides, you¡¯ve taken the first step, and that takes the most courage.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Christopher asked, as we turned and walked back to the main building, where one of the lounges was going to host my imminent meeting with Suzu-san¡¯s family.


    ¡°The thing is, like it or not, your children are Chosen.¡± I pointed out. ¡°While it¡¯s not impossible they could give it up and live an ordinary life... you saw the news around the world. It wasn¡¯t just Britain and Japan, Europe as a whole... in India there was an attempt on that female politician that failed, right? Trouble in the Philippines, in South America there was unrest in various countries... South Korea also had rioting, though I have my suspicions about that one...¡± What with the information the South Korean government released on us, and now this... someone¡¯s pulling the strings behind it, I¡¯m sure...


    ¡°Just because you don¡¯t look for trouble, definitely doesn¡¯t mean trouble won¡¯t look for you. And you know that. Besides...¡± I had thought about this a lot. Not only the Gu Vessel theory, the Kodoku, but how it related to becoming an Astral Emperor, and what that meant for a world. Now my Eyes see more clearly, and I have more insight into what lies beyond... I think I¡¯m building a picture.


    ¡°Besides...?¡± Christopher hung on my words, equal parts troubled and fascinated.


    ¡°...it seems to me that Territories are a double-edged sword. They offer great benefits, sure. Vast stocks of ether and aether to draw on, elemental energies and more. The utility is immense, but it is also the most glaring point of weakness. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re strong, if your Territory Anchor is vulnerable. And you can¡¯t protect it all the time.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the point of it?¡± Christopher asked.


    I¡¯ll just give the first, safest point. My second theory, that it¡¯s a way of artificially forcing Chosen to fight, so that the strongest will master Conqueror and have a suitable League to take the next steps, that¡¯s a little troubling. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s right. ¡°Just as the Territories in the Boundary have barriers, oppress unwelcome guests, and offer benefits... so to will that spill over into the Material. I know that America has been gathering intel on what the Ministry has been doing, but we¡¯ve nothing to hide. I don¡¯t know what shape it will come in, but there is going to be some sort of potentially world-ending chaos coming soon. And I suspect that anywhere outside of a strong Territory is going to be in trouble...¡±


    So, protecting the land, raising League... and also being able to reach a Rank Six and dominate the planet itself... all three aspects feed into each other, and... it¡¯s the same higher up. The World Tree Pantheon... somehow, Yggdrasil seems to be the Anchor to a myriad of greater Territories, the central pillar, perhaps... there¡¯s a hint there, for what lies beyond, I think...


    ¡°...if so, then... Bethany and Zachary...¡± As we entered the room where we were meeting the Castor family, I listened to Christopher struggle with his worries.


    ¡°...Bethany was already injured severely. I have to thank you again for helping her. Zachary, he¡¯s too careless and reckless... up against a real threat... I just want them to be safe. As safe as possible.¡± he amended, his tone bitter. ¡°It¡¯s why I have to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, understanding. I have a sister who is the same way. Fortunately, there¡¯s plenty of others who can keep an eye on her now. ¡°Even in Japan, we suffered losses. It makes me think that now, more than ever, we need a central, unifying force. I don¡¯t know how many people will agree with my proposals, but... honestly, it might be good for Bethany and Zachary to take part.¡±


    ¡°Just what do you mean?¡± Christopher was wary, and I explained.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. If Territories are vulnerable, then a unified central command is imperative. I wasn¡¯t so worried, as we gave up our vulnerable Territories, most of them, at least, and consolidated around mine. If all Territories are bound into one unified whole, then the danger to any individual one is minor, and we can respond instantly to threats.¡±


    ¡°But... that would mean my kids would have to move to Japan permanently...¡± he narrowed his eyes. ¡°...they have a life here, they¡¯re Americans.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. While it¡¯s only me who can travel via the Boundary to reach Material places...¡± I hadn¡¯t explained how it worked, but as I was flying to London, and from intelligence the Americans had gathered, it was obvious I was able to pull some sort of trick when it came to where I was at any given time. ¡°...Boundary to Boundary travel allows reinforcements to arrive, and the sharing of vital resources.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any country would allow such unrestricted travel for potentially dangerous elements. Especially Adam. He¡¯d be adamantly opposed to you having such freedom. He thinks you shockingly dangerous, just too troublesome to deal with now. I... don¡¯t disagree about the potential risks. Not that I think you are likely to do anything criminal, it¡¯s just...¡± he hastily amended, struggling for words.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Adam¡¯s not entirely wrong when he likens us to potential nuclear weapons in the hands of ordinary people. The problem is, there¡¯s a need for such, it seems, so his dreams of getting rid of those of us he can¡¯t control and taming the rest on America¡¯s behalf are but that, daydreams.¡± I then expressed my idea.


    Fenrir... not only will they seek out precious treasures and locations in the Boundary, they¡¯ll also be responsible for the expansion of the Ring Gate network via the Hub. Of course, until we reach a Rank Four Territory and can fix the obvious glaring flaws in the security of our layouts, that¡¯s not happening. Fortunately, by the time the Pilgrimage is over, and I¡¯ve done whatever Quest the Lady Nimue? requires of Eleanor and I, we should be just about ready to go. Shiro¡¯s buffs and Asha¡¯s Tree are a profitable combination.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware, but North America is a big place. There¡¯s no way you can monitor the entire Boundary there or claim it, not for years. It¡¯s simplicity itself for us to set up our own Territory in a suitable spot, and as it¡¯ll be reinforced from mine, good luck digging that thorn out. Or if not, it would be easy to set up across the border in Mexico or Canada. Hell, even an island off the coast would work. The Boundary has all sorts of strange places that don¡¯t quite match the Material. Instead... I think it better to work with me. And... isn¡¯t it a chance?¡±


    ¡°You mean my kids?¡± he asked, and I nodded, checking my watch. They should be here any minute. I believe they are sticklers for punctuality?


    ¡°Yes. From what I gather, they seem like people I can work with. And I¡¯m sure America would be happy to have at least some oversight on my activities in America.¡± Of course, it¡¯ll be simplicity itself to secure other sites. I know it¡¯s hard for Hyacinth to produce the Ring Gate mushrooms, but she grows stronger all the time, and while Primal Forest may grumble, the old Treekin is more concerned with his monopoly within the Fae Lands. And I¡¯m more than happy to cut him and his kin in on some advanced reforestation and regreening projects for Japan and the wider world. If I¡¯m going to rule the Earth, I want it to be a green, pleasant and technologically sleek land, nature, science and Astral knowledge all as one.


    ¡°So, Bethany and Zachary would be... your point of contact?¡± Christopher understood.


    ¡°Working for me, to be precise. In exchange for that, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about safety and security of their Territories, as it would be part of our collective. They could grow stronger in relative safety, and learn how to harness their abilities. They¡¯d certainly have the potential to achieve great things.¡± Favours aren¡¯t additive. Finding ones that benefit each other, which have exponential effects when their powers are combined, is surely the key to victory.


    ¡°Of course...¡± I could see Christopher was still hesitant to take that final step, but as he had asked for my assistance, knowing it was best for his kids, he would soon accept it, I was sure. ¡°...I want my kids to be happy, and what father doesn¡¯t want his children to excel? Working for you though...¡±


    ¡°Like Christina was joking so tastelessly, it¡¯s not a bad thing to have Americans working with me. It does make me better disposed towards America as a whole. Not that I intend to brush Adam¡¯s and the NSA¡¯s crimes as a whole under the carpet. It¡¯s a chance, and it¡¯s up to them, but... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad offer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll... think about it. Though...¡± He let out a long, resigned sigh. ¡°...my kids may be young, but they¡¯re adults. I can advise them, but they¡¯ll make up their own minds. However...¡± His expression was suddenly serious, and I adopted the same expression. ¡°...Suzanne Castor is a minor, by the laws of both our countries. Without parental consent, her stay in Japan is legally kidnapping, or worse, trafficking minors. And the Castors... they have little love for the East. No, I would go so far as to say they despise it, and those from there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of the tricky legal situation, although under the new special passport scheme, as I explained, her stay in Japan is actually legal from our point of view. Her status as a Chosen exempts her from any age-related restrictions, though conversely she could also be tried as an adult were she to commit any crimes using her powers.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that will move them.¡± Christopher shook his head. ¡°But regardless, I¡¯ll remain here as a mediator. Though as Director of the CIA, I have little remit over law enforcement. That¡¯s Gina¡¯s field. So don¡¯t expect me to be able to do much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The intercom rang, and announced their arrival. A few seconds later, the door to the lounge slid open, and three people walked in. Yes, right on time.


    The first was a man, perhaps in his late forties. His blonde hair was trimmed short, and starting to go grey. He had a handsome face with few wrinkles, and piercing blue eyes. He was also wearing an expensive suit, from an exclusive American brand. The woman next to him was likely his wife, Suzu-san¡¯s mother. She was also in a suit-style outfit, though it was slightly less formal, with a long black pencil skirt. Her eyes were also blue, but her hair was more brown than blonde, and unlike her daughter, it was styled far more ordinarily, in a long braid down her back. Her figure was rather explosive though, and boded well for Suzu-san¡¯s future, definitely.


    Lastly, a man around my age, or perhaps a year or two younger, also in a suit, with short blonde hair, paired with a tidy goatee beard, combined with his cold blue eyes giving him a rakish sort of look, entered. He surely was Suzu-san¡¯s brother, as I could see a touch of resemblance around his facial features, his nose similar to hers. As he saw me, his expression twisted momentarily into one of surprise and disdain, before he smoothed it out.


    Christopher and I stood, and gave our greetings, naming ourselves, and before we sat again, the Castors taking the chairs laid out for them, they gave their own greetings.


    ¡°Good evening. I am John Castor. This is my wife Loretta. And my son, Alexander.¡±


    As they gave us polite nods and the two men shook our hands, their grips firm, I assessed them. Yes, they aren¡¯t happy, but are trying to hide it. Well, let¡¯s see how this plays out.


    Once we were seated, John Castor wasted no time in getting to the point, his face impassive, but his temper clearly on show by his body language. ¡°We are here to speak of our errant daughter, Suzanne. I shall not dissemble, we wish her returned. It is a stain on our reputation, her absconding from home, and also her disgusting behaviour.¡±


    Disgusting behaviour? I kept my face impassive, and let them speak. Mrs Castor was next, and she raised a hand to her forehead as if she was distraught.


    ¡°Yes, our Suzanne, making a spectacle of herself in front of the world, singing such awful music, performing is such shameful clothes, speaking that...¡± Mrs Castor paused, her lips twisting as though she was sucking on something sour.¡±...when I saw that, I was mortified.¡±


    Suzu-san¡¯s brother was keeping his silence, watching me, and Mr Castor took over again. ¡°It seems that you have some connection to our stupid daughter. You are an adult, Mr Oshiro. You might be rather famous nowadays, for being one of these ungodly mutants, or whatever you are...¡±


    Christopher winced at that, but I held my silence, despite feeling irritated. I can¡¯t lose my temper. Suzu-san is my Vassal, and Shiro¡¯s friend. Arisu-san¡¯s friend too, despite that seeming unlikely. Hell, I suppose she¡¯s my friend now too, and I know since she lives on our estate, my sis and the others spend time with her...


    ¡°I prefer the term Chosen.¡± I interjected, my tone level and slightly cool, and Mr Castor paused, before nodding slowly.


    ¡°I see. Chosen. I do not believe in such. The only truth comes from the Good Book. Our daughter never was interested in proper behaviours. She was slow to learn, hyperactive, rude and disobedient. It only makes sense she would be one of you... you... Chosen. But...¡± He let out a theatrical sigh. ¡°...despite that, she is still our daughter, and it seems the President himself is not opposed to harnessing these powers, unwise as it surely is.¡±


    ¡°Our daughter must come home. She needs re-educating and correcting. Oh, how shameful it is. Everyone in dear John¡¯s circle of acquaintances has been calling us, asking about her. Their wives too. It¡¯s been quite a trial!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yeah, I¡¯m definitely seeing why Suzu-san doesn¡¯t talk about her homelife much. They... don¡¯t care about her at all, do they? I cast a glance at Alexander, frustrated. I don¡¯t get it. If Suzu-san was my sister, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d sit there and let her be talked about like this.


    ¡°But... here¡¯s the thing. I know Suzanne...¡± I switched to her American nomenclature. ¡°...ran away from home at least several months ago...¡± We¡¯d not talked much about the specifics, she was reluctant to do so, which made sense, running away from home and successfully getting into Japan couldn¡¯t have been easy, and then she was living an ephemeral life in Akihabara, living out of manga cafe?s, twenty-four hour arcades and love hotels. It¡¯s honestly a miracle she managed that without falling foul of the darker elements of Japanese society. Sure, we¡¯re law abiding in general, but the underbelly is still there. Fortunately, she had her Chosen strength...


    ¡°...so this concern now seems rather late.¡± I finished, and even with my Resilience, I could tell my displeasure was leaking out.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Mrs Castor cried. ¡°Suzanne is our daughter, you have no right to criticise us! It¡¯s... she was a troubled child, angry, insubordinate, pushing boundaries. How she kept gathering that awful foreign garbage... it was just dreadful, wasn¡¯t it dear?¡±


    Mr Castor agreed. ¡°Yes. You... are Japanese yes? Your culture, some of it, I suppose it is praiseworthy. Deference, politeness, manners... but there is the undercurrent of wretched trash, those horrible comics and cartoons, the worthless music, the games, the scandalous clothing... no Castor should be enamoured with such. We are a strict, Godfearing household, and we tried to correct her, but she was not a clever girl, or even an average one. Not like her brother.¡±


    Alexander remained largely expressionless, but I could tell he was pleased at the praise. That just stoked my annoyance further. It doesn¡¯t help I feel personally attacked here. ¡°I understand Japanese otaku culture can be off-putting, and it¡¯s true the idol industry that Suzanne loves certainly has its dark sides, a lot of them... but it wasn¡¯t hurting anyone. You said it yourself, Suzanne is still young. Why not let her have her fun, and worry about her place in society when she goes to university or gets a job?¡±


    ¡°Suzanne? She hasn¡¯t the mind for it, the slow girl.¡± Mrs Castor shook her head, again pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, as if the very thought pained her. ¡°As for work... if we sent her out to see clients, we would be mortified. Not like Alexander. He¡¯s carrying on our legacy brilliantly, and everyone says how clever and driven he is!¡±


    ¡°Mother...¡± Alexander spoke up for the first time. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what Mr Oshiro here was asking.¡± He then looked at me, putting on a smile. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple really. Suzanne... she is mentally unwell. You have surely seen it. In addition to her learning needs, she suffers from extreme mood swings, depression and more. Worse, she often indulges in self-harm, so can¡¯t take medicine for this. It... well, when she ran away without the assortment of contraband she kept hidden in her room, we thought... she had finally snapped, and left this world.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Honestly, Suzu-san definitely is... quirky... she¡¯s not the quickest, and she has a one-track mind, and is always inappropriate, as if she can¡¯t perceive certain social cues.... But she¡¯s sharp as a razor when it comes to how other people are thinking sometimes, when they¡¯re troubled. It makes me wonder... those who fear the anger or disdain of others have to learn what people are thinking, what will set them off... no. I¡¯ve not heard a single bit of concern for Suzu-san...


    ¡°So, you had a funeral then?¡± I asked, and the three of them exchanged glances, before Mr Castor answered.


    ¡°It was hardly appropriate, and... might have caused my dear Lorretta distress. It would have had an impact on our business as well. A daughter committing suicide... a sinful end like that... best we glossed over it, and let her rest. Only... it seems she is still causing bother.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Suzanne I know isn¡¯t anything like that. Yes, I can see why you found her difficult, but... I think if you¡¯d have ever genuinely listened to her, you might have been able to find common ground.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Honestly... I¡¯m struggling not to just throw the three of you out here and now...¡±


    ¡°Typical Asian. Polite only when it suits you, but biased against outsiders...¡± Mr Castor narrowed his blue eyes, glaring. ¡°...I thought you Japanese respected your elders, respected family ties? Legally as well, you have kidnapped Suzanne, and you should be arrested for who knows what else. I suspect our daughter was promiscuous, God knows she dresses like a slut, so you¡¯ve probably debauched her. If she has been living in Japan all this time... I have heard all the dark rumours! Schoolgirl prostitutes, massage parlours... no daughter of ours...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± My voice echoed out, my League spiking up. I had enough presence of mind to keep it to a tolerable level, but the three of them in front of me blanched. Christopher struggled too, but as my ire wasn¡¯t directed at him, he calmed down after a few breaths, while Mrs Castor swooned theatrically, her husband going to her side. Alexander glowered at me, resisting, despite sweat beading his brow. Once they felt the force of my anger, I leashed my League once again, though my temper was still hot.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard you show any concern for Suzanne at all. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let her suffer in a household that doesn¡¯t even care enough to look for her when she runs away. No, you were happy she was gone, so long as she was out of sight, out of mind. But now people know... your precious reputation is in danger, so...¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Mr Castor growled. ¡°She is our daughter, so she follows our rules!¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m Suzanne¡¯s legal guardian, I suppose. And I see myself as her older brother, I guess. Ordinarily, I¡¯d never try and steal that role from a good brother, but...¡± I remembered Haano?bo?, and her sorrows, which fortunately now were resolved. ¡°...a brother that only sees his sister as a burden should just cease to be!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be, Suzanne is an American, our daughter, and underage!¡± Mr Castor managed to growl back. ¡°There are laws...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes there are.¡± I agreed. ¡°Laws against abuse too.¡±


    ¡°We never hit our daughter!¡± he shot back, and I laughed derisorily.


    ¡°Sometimes, emotional abuse hurts worse than physical pain. Neglect is a crime too. Just because she was a little different to what you wanted, you were ashamed of her... well, that¡¯s over. Besides, Suzanne, no, Suzu now... she¡¯s a Japanese citizen. Yes, she holds dual nationality, but... if needs be she can give that up.¡± If they showed any concern, I might have tried to mediate, but... this is just sad...


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± Mrs Castor swooned again. ¡°If our competitors find out that our wretched daughter has eloped with a Godless foreigner such as you...¡±


    ¡°Again, you only care how her actions impact you!¡± I clenched my fist, and suddenly Alexander stood up violently, and as his chair fell to the floor, making a loud sound, he spoke into the silence.


    ¡°Mother, father. Let me handle this. You are getting rather too heated...¡± He then turned to us. ¡°Director Wright, since you are accompanying Mr Oshiro, he must be an honoured guest of America.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Christopher agreed. ¡°We came here fresh from a Presidential state dinner, where he met the President personally and they had fruitful discussions. Mr Oshiro is a valued partner.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you likely want no scandal or impropriety to taint you, do you?¡± Alexander¡¯s words were kind, but his tone was sly, implications clear. ¡°An affair with a young runaway, Americans hate such sick crimes...¡±


    ¡°Well, if it comes to a contest of criminality, much as I¡¯d hate to do it, I can certainly throw down a few cards of my own...¡± I responded, and Christopher blanched, face going pale from stress.


    ¡°No, most definitely not. Mr Castor, you don¡¯t want to press the issue here, trust me. You¡¯d lose all your friends in Washington, and Mr Oshiro is not someone to provoke without cause.¡±


    ¡°I see. I stand corrected, but I was just offering some advice.¡± Alexander¡¯s smile was supposedly inviting, but to me he seemed reptilian, untrustworthy. ¡°In that case... I saw your conference in Britain. I suspect almost everyone in the world has, those with a television anyway. My sister.... She¡¯s terribly dumb and frustrating, but it¡¯s impossible to deny she¡¯s a beauty. We are a well-bred family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Suzu-san is quite pretty. And she shines best when doing what she loves.¡±


    ¡°Doing what she loves? An interesting choice of words...¡± he responded, and I frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be crude, that¡¯s your sister you¡¯re speaking about.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me. It¡¯s because she¡¯s my sister it struck me.¡± Alexander smiled, his eyes weighing me up. ¡°You asked if we were concerned. Of course we are. But... just as if I was to bring shame to the family, father and mother would disown me, Suzanne has to bear her fate. Now, I am aware you are engaged to be married to the granddaughter of Mr Kenji Fukumoto. He is a rival to us, and one we are well acquainted with. I believe his granddaughter is not dissimilar in age to Suzanne?¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t judge. The Good Book says only the Lord holds that right.¡± he shrugged. ¡°But it shows us the path, yes?¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I was getting a bad feeling, and had already guessed.


    ¡°You have many fiance?es. The law has even changed. Suzanne is under your care, and you seem to hold feelings for her. Now, a simple solution would be to come to an arrangement.¡± He turned to his parents. ¡°Mother, father, you always wanted Suzanne to get married, but worried she would shame us and be a poor bride. It seems she has some respect for him as well, more than she ever had for us. A solution presents itself that satisfies everyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Mr Castor nodded. ¡°Yes. If Suzanne was abroad in preparation for her upcoming engagement...¡± His expression was suddenly troubled. ¡°...honestly, I have little love for you Asians. I wanted Suzanne to marry well, and carry on the Castor lineage without... adulteration. But her stupidity put paid to that, alas. No decent American man of means would take her now, not when she is ruined by being God knows where doing God knows what with God knows who and how many. Worse, she made a spectacle of herself in front of the world...¡±


    He really is trash. I know I didn¡¯t get on with my father, but... he loved me and Aiko, and always wanted the best for us. He just struggled to show his true feelings sometimes. Whereas this bastard...


    Showing none of that on my face, I listened, as Mrs Castor, who had recovered from the surge of my League, nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. No doubt we will have to endure a barbarous marriage, no wedding in white, no priest, some foreign mumbo-jumbo, but...¡± Her cold eyes sparkled. ¡°...I hear you Asians like submissive women. Well, a woman¡¯s place is indeed in the home. Suzanne never understood that, but... have no fear, I¡¯ll beat her into shape before the wedding. I suppose it¡¯s too much to hope she goes to the bridal bed a virgin, but... I¡¯ll be sure to check she is free of disease and possible future troubles... and the Castor women are fertile stock. She¡¯ll be sure to give you healthy children, although... I do worry any child of hers might have her... difficulties.¡±


    I could almost hear her thoughts, that she could never offer her daughter as a bride to anyone she valued, considering that. Damn, being so perceptive is painful at times, or is it just that they¡¯re just too transparent? I didn¡¯t think awful parents like these actually existed, that they were a myth. Poor Haru, I can see why Telepathy used to be a curse to her. If she met people like these, her spirit would be submerged in their filth.


    ¡°Just... be sure to keep her out of sight.¡± Alexander finished, seemingly pleased with their suggestions. ¡°Put paid to this singer nonsense of hers. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to be embarrassed either. Keep her at home and... well, I don¡¯t expect she¡¯ll be much use cooking or cleaning, but marriage has its perks.¡±


    Eri? Are you awake?


    It had been a while since we had shared our thoughts, the twins leaving after the need for Hinata had ended. But I projected my mind through Lovers¡¯ Link, feeling a greater clarity than usual.


    Akio. What¡¯s up? Yes, I¡¯m... I was just resting a little. You know I don¡¯t need much sleep nowadays.


    Sorry about the early hour, especially as I kept you up so late as well. Can you do me a favour? Can you go wake up Suzu-san? No, knowing her, she¡¯s probably up practising her routines anyway. But... I need to speak to her.


    All right. Give me a minute...


    As the three of them prattled on, Christopher was shooting me nervous looks. I knew he had his own worries about Bethany, but it wasn¡¯t like I went out of my way to seduce women. Far from it. Anyway, their repulsive suggestions continued, Mrs Castor practically planning who to invite to the reception, while worrying about how to ensure her daughter didn¡¯t act up during the wedding, while Mr Castor was talking about cooperation between them and Nichibotsu... Alexander was the worst though. His expression was cold as he assured me that they¡¯d ensure that Suzu-san would ¡®never complain when they were done¡¯, and she¡¯d ¡®accept any bridal duties, as she was too slow and stupid to resist¡¯.


    Okay, she¡¯s here. What did you want her for?


    Try not to be mad... which is a big ask, admittedly, as right now I¡¯m considering causing a major diplomatic incident by using Foehn to burn three terrible people to ashes...


    That sounds ominous...


    I¡¯m with Suzu-san¡¯s parents. They¡¯ve come to protest about her appearance in Japan. Not that they expressed one tiny particle of care for her wellbeing or safety. All they¡¯ve done is trash her.


    Bastards. Oh... Suzu-san says that¡¯s nothing new, she prefers it when they ignore her, and she¡¯s sorry you have to put up with it. She says you can tell them she¡¯s never coming home... although... she also says that if she¡¯s causing you problems she can move out. She managed living in twenty-four hour establishments before... oh, shut up Suzu-san, Akio won¡¯t abandon you... oh, I wasn¡¯t supposed to share that...


    You¡¯re right. I won¡¯t... anyway, her parents are trying to sell her to me for marriage... and before you get upset, you know I¡¯m not into that!


    I know! I¡¯m not as jealous as everyone says! I¡¯m not! Besides... I don¡¯t hate Suzu-san anyway. But... she says ¡°I¡¯m an idol! I can¡¯t get married yet. Although, if it was to you, it might pass. I know some of the AKB girls are thinking that... but, sorry again. My parents and brother are just awful. They only care about how they are seen by others. But... I¡¯ll have to decline marriage. The boss will kill me, I¡¯m not going against her! But don¡¯t get me wrong, Akio-kun, you¡¯re totally a catch, and I like you just fine! It¡¯s just... totally not the right time for that.¡±


    I had to chuckle, and the timing was bad, as it was just when Alexander was saying something unpleasant about his sister and he smiled, a mocking smirk, thinking I was warming to his suggestions.


    I¡¯m glad she¡¯s so honest. Now... ask her for me. If she gives me the word, I can make it so her family regrets treating her like that, and never messes with her again. But if she does that...


    I get it. Give me a minute.


    I waited, letting the Castors talk, and then the answer came back.


    She says ¡°They aren¡¯t my family. The boss, Arisu-chan, Bunta-kun... you, Akio-kun, Aiko-chan, Eri-chan here, all the others who live here... you¡¯re my family. The idols who I danced with at the concert, everyone who comes to the training school... they are the only ones I need. I... I don¡¯t hate them, really I don¡¯t. Maybe I¡¯m as slow and stupid as they say, but... they¡¯ll never let me live my life. To them, I¡¯m just a brood mare to be sold off. Though, at least selling me to you isn¡¯t so bad. Anyway... do as you see fit, and... I trust you.¡± That was heavy stuff. Honestly... when she said I was her family, I felt a little guilty. I... need to open my heart more. Though not to other men! You¡¯re enough for me!


    Trust you to reassure me of that! I know, Eri, don¡¯t worry. And you¡¯re right. Our circle has expanded, we have many new friends. All right then... tell Suzu-san... no, Suzu... While I was getting better at being less standoffish and more informal, I still had a tendency to put distance between me and others. But after her words, calling her with honorifics just seemed wrong. ...I¡¯ll take care of it, so... I¡¯ll see her soon, and she should practice her performances. Maybe we¡¯ll have some surprises along the Pilgrimage.


    Got it. Beat down those trash for me!


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough.¡± I clapped my hands together. Christopher was sweating liberally now, and he urged me to remain calm with his eyes, but I was done.


    I suppose... I can consider this practice for if I ever meet Shiro¡¯s parents. Honestly, the Castors are far worse, and there¡¯s still some room for redemption in Shiro¡¯s case, but if they continue to hurt her... then I¡¯ll make them regret it. ¡°Suzu... she¡¯s a good girl, and I like her a lot.¡±


    ¡°Then, it surely makes sense to agree...¡± Mr Castor¡¯s eyes sparkled eagerly, but my next words turned that expression into a scowl.


    ¡°Hardly. It makes sense to discharge my responsibilities. If you want to try and ruin my reputation, go right ahead. But be warned, I am not in the mood for this. Suzu is under my protection, and is a dual nationality citizen. No matter what fuss you kick up, she¡¯ll stay with us as long as she wants, and if she wants to be an idol, if that¡¯s her dream, then an idol she will be. I don¡¯t care what you do, claim she¡¯s a different girl, hold a funeral for your own Suzanne... but she wants no part of you anymore.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just...¡± Alexander growled. ¡°...despite everything, she¡¯s Suzanne Castor! She¡¯s ours to manage...¡±


    ¡°No, her life is her own. Now...¡± I pulled out my phone and quickly sent a message. ¡°...this is how it¡¯s going to be. I want some sort of waiver stating that Suzu is legally emancipated. She doesn¡¯t need any money or inheritance rights, though if you have any of her clothes or possessions left...¡±


    ¡°We burned all those slutty, obscene things and tossed the foreign garbage in the incinerator...¡± Mrs Castor spat.


    ¡°...if there¡¯s any, send them to the Japanese embassy, and I¡¯ll arrange it to be taken to Japan.¡± I ignored her. ¡°Then you¡¯ll go your separate ways.¡±


    ¡°And if we don¡¯t?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°I think we have right on our side here, legally and morally.¡±


    ¡°This is America. The biggest fists and the best lawyers win, no?¡± I chuckled without any humour. ¡°And my fists are large indeed. I sent a message to Hinata, my fiance?e you talked about earlier. If you give me trouble, then Nichibotsu, as well as my own company, will spare no expense to drive the Castor company to bankruptcy. Even if we have to lose millions, billions of dollars, I¡¯ll do it. Don¡¯t cross me. I¡¯ll undercut you to hell, research competing and better products in all your lines, call in favours... I¡¯ll ruin you...¡±


    ¡°You would go that far for our stupid daughter?¡± Mr Castor didn¡¯t seem able to understand it. ¡°Then why...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, John!¡± I threw aside politeness. ¡°Because we care about her. Her. Not just what others think of her, or what she¡¯s worth. Though you¡¯re a fool. If you¡¯d have treated her with love, rather than if she was somehow lesser than you, just because of her hobbies or slight social difficulties, you¡¯d have a great Chosen to protect you and your company. As it stands... she¡¯s one of us, and be it a country, a Demon, or even their own family... we won¡¯t let anything hurt those we count as one of us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re insane...¡± Alexander seemed unable to grasp it. ¡°There¡¯s no profit in this. Even if you are reluctant to marry her, perhaps it would upset some of your other fiance?es, I get that... you can still take her, and work with us, make money, grow influence...¡±


    ¡°But at the expense of her happiness? You¡¯re not much of a brother, Alexander.¡± I turned to his mother then. ¡°As for you, Loretta. You¡¯re a woman too. How can you treat your own daughter like that?¡±


    ¡°What do you know? She¡¯s a shame to me as a parent...¡±


    ¡°Even despite that, you should still love her. I disappointed my father endlessly when I was young, but he never stopped caring.¡±


    ¡°You... you¡¯re not invulnerable!¡± John snaped, all pretence of civility gone. ¡°And you may have the President¡¯s ear, but we are an old family, we have deep roots! And you have many enemies. The media coverage of you, your crimes...¡±


    ¡°Not so bright, are you?¡± I sneered. ¡°Or are you as slow as you claim Suzu is? Assuming you¡¯re right, and I¡¯m some sort of evil criminal with superpowers... you¡¯re going to piss me off? You left Suzu, not knowing if she was alive or dead. Now she¡¯s shown her worth, suddenly you want her back, and even then, you¡¯re just going to revert to your same old behaviours. And if you¡¯re wrong... you¡¯ll make an enemy of the whole of Japan, Britain too. I don¡¯t like to blow my own horn, but I¡¯m popular...¡±


    ¡°We should go. We¡¯ve lost here.¡± Alexander at least had some dignity. ¡°You fight dirty, not like an American.¡± he accused me. ¡°Father is right, you Easterners are corrupt.¡±


    ¡°The only dirty thing here is your attitude. Now, take my number.¡± I had a second phone for business contacts now, especially for ones I didn¡¯t exactly like, but were still necessary. ¡°If you think this isn¡¯t over... call me, and we¡¯ll talk. If it gets to actions, then I¡¯ll make sure you regret it.¡±


    With that done, the Castors swept out, trying to maintain their arrogance, but they looked small, hunched, and far less confident than when they strode in. As I leaned back in my chair, Christopher let out a long sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about them.¡± He apologised, which I didn¡¯t think was necessary. ¡°The Castors are an old family that made their money in oil, before moving into computing. They are very old-fashioned, typical Bible Belt. Not that everyone¡¯s like that.¡± He hastened to defend the Americans living there, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I get it. It¡¯s no different in any race, religion or creed. There¡¯s good and bad. But they certainly were worse than I¡¯d been warned.¡±


    ¡°Too used to having their own way, maybe.¡± Christopher shrugged. ¡°You... you wouldn¡¯t really ruin the Castor family, would you? They may be small compared to Nichibotsu, but they have friends in high places, and deep reserves. It would waste many billions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lie when I say I look after those who are under my protection, assuming they don¡¯t harm me and mine. And Suzu... she¡¯s a friend, and a friend of one of my fiance?es. So yes, if that¡¯s what it takes to keep her safe, her dreams intact... money, I can always make more.¡± I then smiled wryly. ¡°So trust me. Bethany and Zachary will be fine. If they get on with everyone, and don¡¯t cause trouble... I¡¯ll do the same for them.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± Christopher seemed both pleased and troubled at that. ¡°Hopefully there shouldn¡¯t be any need for your aid. Christina Bakker was their only fear, and... you say she¡¯s changed. So...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway... damn, I wish I had more time. I¡¯d have loved to check out Las Vegas again, there¡¯s a few things I wanted to do there, but... I¡¯m just out of time. Oh well, next time...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your jet. Like you requested, it¡¯s the most high-powered small jet available, and the pilot will burn fuel recklessly, running at top speed. We¡¯ll have you in London before you know it...¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I nodded. ¡°This trip around the world, it¡¯s certainly had its fair share of troubles, and also gains... but... it¡¯ll be good to be back home.¡± First, I¡¯ll have to check my Territory, make some repairs, probably... then, it¡¯s preparation for the Pilgrimage, and several very important events. Mount Atago, and the Imperial Regalia, as well as in the frozen north, Su Caihong, and Su Liena, sleeping, waiting for Mae to return...

 Side Two Hundred And One – Aliyah James – Fenrir

    Side Two Hundred And One ¨C Aliyah James ¨C Fenrir


    ¡°Right then...¡± Aliyah smacked her lips as she rummaged around in the well-stocked fridge that the plush private jet held. One thing¡¯s for sure. We certainly travel in style now we¡¯ve joined up with him. Though... As she pulled out a six pack of nicely chilled beer, thankfully American for once, as while Japanese beer wasn¡¯t bad, she still missed the taste of home at times, she couldn¡¯t help but glance down at where the cargo hold was located.


    Travelling with a corpse, huh? Ordinarily, it shouldn¡¯t bother me. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of bodies, made enough of them too, but... shit, there¡¯s just something a little off about these Chosen. Makes me worry they¡¯ll suddenly spring back to life, though he assures me he¡¯s removed the Favour, Seeds or whatever...


    Setting that creepy thought aside, she pulled a can, tossing it to her brother, Trey, who caught it skilfully in his big hand and cracked the ring pull effortlessly, taking a long swig. Turning her attention to the others, Aliyah smiled in a manner she hoped was charming, straightening her back, pushing out her best assets, the ones that never failed to get a rise out of him, which made her simultaneously frustrated and amused. Teasing him isn¡¯t so bad. He still owes me for last time in Vegas! Sure, that little bitch Shaeula instigated him, but he could have shown a damn spine and let me keep my modesty! Modesty, hah...


    ¡°You want a can, girl?¡± she asked Bethany Wright, who was wearing killer boots, paired with stockings and a pleated skirt, which left enough of a gap to draw her interest. I¡¯ve heard that Shiro woman mention that. It¡¯s called the Zettai Ryouiki, the Absolute Territory, in Japanese, right? I¡¯m certainly absolutely interested! Her lacy black top was modest but showed off just enough to keep Aliyah happy too.


    As Bethany hesitated, her brother chimed in. ¡°My sister doesn¡¯t mind beer, but she¡¯d like something sweeter, no doubt. I¡¯ll take one though! It¡¯s a long flight, yeah?¡±


    Aliyah wasn¡¯t interested in Zachary, who was dressed down in a comfortable hoodie and jeans, but she tossed him a can nonetheless, which he also caught easily, despite her putting some force in. I guess he¡¯s a Chosen too. Catching that ain¡¯t anything special. ¡°In that case... there¡¯s some cocktail cans here, or some spirits...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a sweet cocktail.¡± Bethany decided, and Aliyah quickly fished her one out, tossing it to her with far more elegance than the casual way she slugged it at her brother. As she opened the can and took a sip, Aliyah licked her lips, ignoring the glares from her own brother. Shit, Trey, I know! She¡¯s the daughter of the Director of the damn CIA! We may be living in Japan now, but pissing him off is still a really bad idea, even more so since as Fenrir, we¡¯ll be travelling to America a lot, I¡¯d wager...


    It wasn¡¯t like Aliyah was planning to toy with her or mistreat her, getting close to a cute woman like Bethany was its own reward. While her base in Japan was full of hotties and cuties, sadly most of them were interested in him, their boss, Akio, which was endlessly frustrating. I¡¯m not jealous though. Not... at... all.


    The little girl, Adelheid, raised a hand, clearly wanting a drink. Aliyah hardly cared about such things as the legal drinking age, the shit she and Trey had seen at an early age made turning to booze to get by a necessity sometimes, and it made no sense that they could be on the battlefield, living and dying, long before they could legally down a beer. Tossing her a can though, Aliyah couldn¡¯t help but ask her the question that had been on her mind a while. As the little blonde girl with the striking blue eyes narrowed them in enjoyment, looking like a contented cat, Aliyah spoke.


    ¡°So, how old are you, Tanya?¡± At that nickname, she frowned, but seemed not to understand the question. Aliyah fumbled through her old memories of other languages, before coming up with a few German words, her accent lousy. ¡°Wie alt? Das... Alter?¡±


    The blonde girl looked contemplative for a moment, before raising up the hand that wasn¡¯t holding her beer, opening all the fingers once, closing them, then opening more. Seeing that, Aliyah whistled, surprised. ¡°Shit, you are older than you look, girl. You¡¯re definitely popular with a certain sort of bastard, I bet. Even so... bit early to be drinking for you ain¡¯t it, although...¡± Some long-buried trivia resurfaced. ¡°Although, Germany does have one of the lowest ages in the Western world, so... bah, who the hell cares anyway?¡±


    ¡°Is there none for me?¡± The buxom yet frustrating scientist, Christina Bakker, asked. She was in her usual lab coat, and as she pushed her glasses up her nose, which Aliyah was both amused and irritated to see were significantly more fashionable than the pair she used to wear, she pouted, her expression one that surprised Bethany and Zachary, as they stared at her open-mouthed, drinks forgotten.


    ¡°What?¡± Christina whined, tossing her head, ash-blonde and somewhat messy ponytail bouncing. ¡°I don¡¯t normally indulge, keeping a clear head is important for any sort of scientific endeavour, but... I¡¯m confident a few drinks won¡¯t hamper my thinking nowadays, not after Chirurgery, and besides...¡± Her expression was so out of place on her features, Trey nearly choked on his beer.


    ¡°...I¡¯m missing Akio already. Oh well, at least he should be waiting for us when we return to Japan!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Aliyah tossed her a can, enjoying her fumbling for it. ¡°Have a drink and stop looking so... so damn lovesick! It¡¯s messing with my head. You¡¯ve got a great body, I can¡¯t believe you fell into his clutches too.¡±


    ¡°I wish I was in his clutches.¡± There was a cold hiss as the can in her hands opened, and Christina took a long sip. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s pleasant. As I was saying, he¡¯s not so easy to win over, alas. But nothing good ever comes easy, does it?¡± She tittered wistfully before taking another sip of beer.


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s that he¡¯s not into the crazy ones? Nah, no fucking way that¡¯s true, not with the psycho maid and that wicked little bitch Shaeula... even that beauty Shiro, she¡¯s got that red Devil inside her, who always looks at everything as if she wishes she could eat it. Thinking about it, the childhood friend¡¯s a bit of a crazy one too...¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I have a good chance then?¡± Christina chuckled, and Bethany couldn¡¯t help but speak up in amazement.


    ¡°Zack, am I going crazy or is she a completely different person?¡±


    ¡°Nope, sis, I see it too.¡± Zachary was equally amazed. ¡°I realised it before at the bar, but... you know, I thought the Hero of Britain was so awesome, saving Princess Eleanor like that, and then rescuing those kids in South Korea. But maybe this is the most amazing feat of all, taming a monster!¡±


    ¡°Rude!¡± Christina chuckled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t a monster... I just... I was too focussed on the results, not the processes. Too logical, that¡¯s little miss Christina¡¯s biggest flaw. No room for emotions.¡± Her face flushed, and not from the half can of beer she had downed, as her grin had turned sloppy again, her eyes moist. ¡°It really was foolish of me. Emotions are so... so... well, fascinating. And... exciting!¡± She squirmed, her breath coming fast. ¡°When I was lying there beside him, naked, defenceless... oh, how I waited, my body aflame... but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Quite enough of that!¡± Christina yelped as Aliyah threw her another can after gulping down her own, pulling out another pack from the fridge, as well as a bottle of whiskey. ¡°Shit, I need the hard stuff to get through a flight like this. You too, right Trey?¡±


    Her brother nodded as he caught the bottle. ¡°Oh, this brand¡¯s expensive. But yes, it¡¯s going to be a gruelling flight.¡± Pouring out some glasses of the amber liquid, he glanced at Christina. ¡°The boss might take it wrong if you say you slept beside him. You were in a different bed, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That bed was still beside him!¡± she protested, and Zachary burst out laughing.


    ¡°To think, sis... the ogre that everyone said was an unfeeling machine who would dissect us as calmly as we¡¯d eat a steak is blushing and giggling like one of your college friends.¡±


    ¡°My friends aren¡¯t so... so pathetic.¡± Bethany sighed, finishing off her cocktail. ¡°I¡¯ll take one of those whiskeys. This is making my head ache.¡± As Trey passed her a glass, she observed the mad scientist. ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed, being so desperate? It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t already have a lot of women.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that stings.¡± Christina giggled. ¡°The abuse... as for shame... I consider that as meaningful as budgetary complaints for my research. As in, it¡¯s pointless. I want, no, I need to succeed, so I shall. The sweet pain is just a bonus!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... a total masochist, aren¡¯t you? Creepy...¡± Bethany shuddered, and Aliyah found herself nodding her head.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a lost cause. A real heavy woman, a landmine girl, they call them in Japan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, sis.¡± Trey snorted, and she shot him a glare, her beads jingling as she whipped her head around.


    ¡°Shut it! I¡¯m a damn catch! Beautiful, strong and best of all, I know a woman¡¯s heart. But fuck me, I think I might end up shaving my head and going all Buddhist if I have to watch more and more women fall into his clutches.¡± She snatched a well-filled glass of whiskey and gulped it down, not savouring the vintage. ¡°That hits the spot. Anyway, fuck me, where was I? Oh yeah, lost causes... Beth... I can call you Beth, right?¡±


    As Bethany nodded slowly, a little confused by Aliyah¡¯s intensity, she continued. ¡°Just... try not to succumb, all right? I don¡¯t want to be all alone! Besides...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt, but my sister likes guys.¡± Zachary warned, and Aliyah slumped down in her seat, waving her glass for a refill.


    ¡°That¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t know any better. I ain¡¯t one to give up... anyway, subject change! This is depressing me!¡± Sometimes I wish I could be like little Tanya over there, just oblivious to the surroundings, drinking beer...


    ¡°Ah, excellent timing!¡± Christina suggested, lounging in her chair, eyeing Beth and Zachary like they were tasty morsels on her plate. At that look they flinched, and she softened her expression, fiddling with her glasses, embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t bite... though I do understand why you would be so wary. No, I¡¯m simply curious. Just what powers do you possess and what Gods do the pair of you follow? I know Akio will dig deep into that on his return, but... a head start never hurts!¡±


    ¡°For some reason I think telling you is a bad idea!¡± Beth countered, but Christina shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re under Akio¡¯s protection, here at his invitation. Besides, I promised Chris...¡± Aliyah didn¡¯t miss how Beth¡¯s face twitched as Christina addressed her father so familiarly. ¡°...I¡¯d be good. I¡¯m a woman of my word, especially now. Akio hates lies. Well, teasing and playful mistruths are fine, but genuine lies and breaking promises is anathema to him. It¡¯s likely the influence of Shaeula, I think. It¡¯s a fascinating area of study. The spiritual affects the physical, yet the reverse is also true. We are shaped by more than merely nature and nurture.¡±


    Watching her lecture, Aliyah exchanged a glance with Trey, and knew they were thinking along the same lines. She¡¯s a different woman when immersed in her research. Honestly, she wouldn¡¯t look out of place on the podium at some big scientific symposium. Her poise is ruined if you know her though...


    ¡°If you want to harness your abilities, for both your own benefit and safety, and that of others, then you have to be open with what you can do. So... do enlighten me!¡± Christina giggled again, breaking her solemn image. ¡°I¡¯m all ears. I¡¯m a good listener!¡±


    Beth and Zachary exchanged another long glance, before he nodded. ¡°Come on Beth, it¡¯s too late to be shy now. I don¡¯t know about you, but... I¡¯d love some guidance. Our abilities are hard to use. If... If I was stronger, you never would have got hurt.¡±


    Beth rolled her greenish-blue eyes, sighing. ¡°If you weren¡¯t a reckless idiot, charging in like a kid with a new toy, you mean.¡± Her hand went to her side, and her relief when she felt it was palpable. Taking a deep breath, Aliyah couldn¡¯t help but glance at her thighs as she crossed her legs, getting comfortable. Damn it, I know. It¡¯s bitchy of me to get pissed at him for checking out my tits when I do the same to other women, but... I have to have some pleasures, damn it all! Besides, I know he fucking well loves the abuse anyway.


    ¡°We... we have twin Goddesses, as it happens.¡± Beth finally spoke. ¡°Not that we met Goddesses. It was some sort of strange spirit that visited us in our dreams. At first I thought it was just that, but...¡±


    ¡°I called her. I¡¯d had the same sort of dream!¡± Zachary was excited. ¡°And unlike Beth, since it seemed so real to me... I tested it when I woke up! It was easy to see the results. Throwing dice, I could get high rolls almost at will! Same with tossing coins, and... I even found a lost wallet on the street that morning!¡±


    ¡°Ah, probability manipulation.¡± Christina grinned knowingly. ¡°Quite a common Mystery-Type ability. Even generic, from our findings. Almost all of you slightly affect the world around you in this manner, yet some few of you can actively influence such things. I wonder, does this validate Many-Worlds Interpretation, that it shifts the world to the desired outcome, or... no, no, I digress.¡± She smiled wickedly. ¡°Now, let me tell you, Akio deems this ability of yours as Fortune. And he has tested it extensively and quantified it. So, do tell me more!¡±


    Aliyah was momentarily drawn in by her breasts as she leaned forwards, her jumper and coat straining, and she clicked her tongue as Trey snorted. But Christina and the two siblings were paying her no mind, so she just listened, swigging whiskey and beer alternatively, enjoying the moment.


    ¡°I have the ability of Dola, Goddess of Fortune.¡± Zachary explained. ¡°I can manipulate my luck to make it better, and it helps a bit in battle. If I stab, or throw something, then usually it hits home.¡±


    ¡°Relying on luck to fight is why I got wounded...¡± Beth chided him. ¡°I... I was found by the messenger of Dola¡¯s twin sister, the Goddess of Misfortune, Niedola. I don¡¯t have good luck myself, probably why I got hurt. But my enemies, they stumble, or fail, or...¡± she trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s largely useless. If I could call fire or lightning, or have super strength or speed...¡±


    ¡°Useless? Hardly.¡± Christina shook her head. ¡°Anyone can develop those sorts of talents. Well, anyone siding with Akio, it seems.¡± She puffed up as she praised him, as pleased as if she was getting it herself, and Aliyah felt a brief sense of wry shame as she couldn¡¯t help but find that cute. Must be the booze rotting my brain. She¡¯s cute in the same way a black widow spider is...


    ¡°No, we had a... test subject, I suppose I should say, who also had the ability to create misfortune, alter probabilities in a negative way, though his gift was to centre it on a specific area. The testing of that was fascinating. Hmm...¡± Aliyah was taken aback momentarily as Christina stared at her. ¡°If I remember correctly, he was captured in Las Vegas. I wasn¡¯t much interested in the how so much as the fact we had secured him, but I do vaguely remember that the Black Wolf Company brought him in, an off-the-books mission.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was us.¡± Trey agreed, and Aliyah leaned back in her seat, reminiscing.


    ¡°Yeah, that sleazy fuck in Vegas. His whole tournament was a scam. Not only was he messing with the numbers, his whole operation was crooked anyway. And that¡¯s where we crossed paths with Akio for the first time. If I could go back in time, I¡¯d have suggested we ride and die with that dumb redneck fuck Alex Trakand and get our asses gunned down by the Spetsnaz.¡±


    ¡°Now I know you don¡¯t mean that, sis.¡± Trey soothed, holding in a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re just a little sore about how things panned out. But honestly, Akio liked you even then, right?¡±


    ¡°If by liked, you mean he couldn¡¯t stop checking out my damn tits in that dress I wore, then yeah, no shit.¡±


    ¡°It was spectacular. I¡¯m no admirer of women¡¯s bodies, but you certainly were a beautiful sight, Aliyah.¡± Trey complimented her, and Aliyah hated that her skin felt hot at the praise. I¡¯m no damn blushing schoolgirl, like some of his fiance?es. Frustrating...


    Before she could answer, taking a swig of whiskey to give her a moment to compose herself, Christina leaned in with interest in her eyes. ¡°Oh, just what dress was that then? Maybe I need to find it myself. He did pay me more attention when I accompanied him to the White House... as... as his partner.¡±


    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± Aliyah scoffed, feeling better. It was hard to stay embarrassed next to such a mess as Christina Bakker. ¡°Partner? Not in the sense you¡¯re thinking. But sure... I¡¯ll take you shopping if you really want to hang around him with your tits on show.¡±


    Beth actually giggled, and as everyone looked at her, she flushed. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just... it¡¯s very hard to reconcile her with how she used to be. Anyway... I¡¯d like to hear more about how you and Akio met. I know my brother¡¯s just dying to hear about it.¡±


    ¡°No kidding I am Beth!¡± he agreed. ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan of his heroics, so hearing about it, some stories that the public hasn¡¯t heard yet, I¡¯d feel like I¡¯m a friend!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Aliyah snorted. ¡°But top everyone¡¯s drinks up Trey. This will be a long one. Give Tanya some more beers too. She might as well get buzzed since she doesn¡¯t understand what the hell I¡¯m saying.¡±


    As she was given another can of strong American beer, the blonde girl nodded, leaning back with contentment. When everyone had their drinks, Aliyah glanced out of the window, seeing the clouds passing by below, focussing her mind. ¡°So yeah, the casino was rigged to shit, and then this guy, and the cutest little orange haired girl you ever saw, came strolling in, though her looks sure are deceiving. Shit, anyway, he checked me out, the pig, then the pair of them started winning, and winning big...¡±


    ***


    ¡°...so yeah. I¡¯m kind of pissed off that the reason I won third place was because Akio was cheating on my behalf. Seems like I won him over, or my tits did.¡± As there were chuckles around the cabin, Aliyah continued her story, pleasantly buzzed. She had shucked her hoody, feeling hot, and after a glower at Zachary to stop him checking her out in her tight, cropped t-shirt, she had stretched, grabbed a bottle of spirits to herself, and was now sipping as she spoke.


    ¡°So, after that, the sleaze asked us back for drinks to do the publicity for the win. I¡¯d made a bit under two million dollars. Not bad for a night¡¯s work. Of course, he planned to rob us and keep all the cash for himself. Short-sighted prick. But then, Akio dealt with his thugs like they were nothing, and I choked the fat sack of shit out. At the time I thought Akio and Shaeula were Japanese Special Forces or Intelligence. I quickly realised they were both just idiot show-offs though. Anyway, he left, trying hard to be gallant...¡± She snorted, enjoying how everyone was hanging on her every word, except Trey and Tanya, of course, Trey as he had heard it all before and was there, and Tanya for the obvious reason.


    ¡°...then we cut the power and extracted our target.¡± Trey finished for her. ¡°And that¡¯s where you come in, Christina.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he ended up at the Star Mirror facility. Still there now, I imagine. He wasn¡¯t overly willing to cooperate, but... we had our ways.¡± She seemed a little down.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t feel sorry for that


    fat fuck. Anyway... that¡¯s my story.¡±


    ¡°Not all of it. You and Luciana went to gather more information on the target, right?¡±


    Oh fuck you, Trey! I¡¯ve told you more about just what happened at Kelly¡¯s Rest that night than I should have. But you know there¡¯s more...


    ¡°I¡¯d love to hear more!¡± Zachary insisted, and when cute Beth nodded, Aliyah swallowed her pride and shrugged. Maybe it¡¯s the booze talking, or time is a great healer, but... yeah, it doesn¡¯t sting so much anymore. But no fucking way I¡¯m playing cards with Shaeula again, unless... huh. An idea. Seeing Aliyah grin invitingly suddenly, Zachary blushed, which she found rather amusing. He¡¯s just a young idiot. Well, whatever...


    ¡°Fine, but I want a favour. If you two can mess with probabilities, I need to play some cards. You two are on my team!¡± Maybe I¡¯ll have my revenge yet!


    As Zachary promised, stammering, eyes on her ample chest barely restrained by her t-shirt, Aliyah went on with her story. ¡°He was trying to feel me out at the casino, dropping some keyword hints. Of course, now it all makes sense. Aether. Territory. Don¡¯t worry, you pair will get the crash course. So, we agreed to meet at the bar owned by another guy at the poker tournament. You were at his bar and met him last night.¡±


    At their nods, she continued. ¡°Anyway, when we got there, he was with Shaeula, as well as his fiance?e, a cute, shy-looking little thing called Eri, but don¡¯t let her fool you, she¡¯s a possessive, fiery woman in truth. His sister too. She¡¯s kind of my type...¡± Aliyah paused, glancing over at Beth. ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t making a move on her anyway. Akio¡¯s an overprotective idiot for her, I ain¡¯t risking my life for it. Though I might have, if she was willing. It¡¯s odd, she gives off a bit of a scent of being into girls, you know...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous subject. Best drop it...¡± Trey advised, and she shuddered.


    ¡°Yeah. I ain¡¯t saying she¡¯s a lesbian, far from it. I wouldn¡¯t dare. Just... well, who cares? I¡¯m not crazy. My point is though, they were careless as hell. Bringing uninvolved family to a meeting with us. So Luciana and me, we subtly tried to probe for info, what Japanese agents were doing going after the corpulent fucker, what they knew... but I guess I was a bit drunk. So when I tried to get a bit closer to Shaeula, maybe see what she looked like under her clothes... she took me to the fucking cleaners. Seems I pissed her off ogling her and the others, and she¡¯s a bitch for tricks and teasing.¡±


    ¡°Here it comes...¡± Trey muttered, and Aliyah didn¡¯t even have the energy to glare at him. All in the past now.


    ¡°So when I suggested some strip poker... well, I got carried away, seeing as I won third place at the tournament. I didn¡¯t know Akio had helped me win then... Shaeula just ate that up. And she annihilated me, even when I was cheating. Total loss.¡±


    ¡°Aliyah¡¯s always been a bad gambler. Can¡¯t bluff.¡± Trey pointed out as everyone except Adelheid listened, fascinated.


    ¡°Shut the hell up, Trey.¡± Aliyah snorted. ¡°Of course, the deal was I had to show Akio. I guess if you¡¯re not into other girls, losing strip poker to them ain¡¯t much of a problem. Especially for the Japanese. I know she ain¡¯t native, but she¡¯s adapted to their bathing culture and shit.¡±


    ¡°By... show... you mean? Like... underwear?¡± Beth asked, fascinated and horrified, face cramping. ¡°I couldn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°No, I mean total loss. The way we came into the world, no arms or hands hiding it.¡± Aliyah puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°I ain¡¯t no fucking coward. Besides, Shaeula would never let me back out.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you were so pissed at the poor guy. Sounds like it wasn¡¯t really his fault.¡± Trey whistled. ¡°Anyway, Aliyah is a terrible drunk. We¡¯ve been thrown out of no end of bars after she¡¯s started fights. And she... does tend to start getting careless with her clothes.¡± He nodded at her, and Aliyah shrugged again.


    ¡°I¡¯m hot, so what? If the boy over there sneaks too many peeks...¡± She moved her fingers into a claw shape. ¡°Out with his eyes! I can look after myself, Trey! But...¡± Feeling in a good mood, her mind a little fuzzy, she grinned lopsidedly. ¡°...Akio, he could have been a gentleman. But I guess I¡¯m too fucking irresistible. Anyway, so I went up for the hug, as agreed...¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Trey muttered, and Aliyah yawned, shaking her head.


    ¡°Keep up, dumbass. I went double or quits with Shaeula when I lost the last hand. If I won, she¡¯d get naked too, and if I lost... I had to hug him, totally nude. She got me good. The problem was...¡± Aliyah touched her lips, remembering. ¡°I was so fucking pissed at the time. We slipped, and our heads clashed. Lips too. When he kissed me, I fucking lost it. Cried like a little girl. I¡¯m so ashamed. It was only locking lips, a damn kiss. Not like it was my first, if that even matters, I¡¯m not a damn Japanese schoolgirl.¡± The words poured out of her, almost cathartic. ¡°Sure, might have been the first man to touch my lips, but it¡¯s not like he had his tongue down my throat, or he was grabbing handfuls of my tits and ass. I soon perked up after a few more drinks anyway. Got my pride, you know? I ain¡¯t no shrinking violet, just sat there, fucking naked. Let him take a good look. So, in the end, I win, I guess? I wasn¡¯t embarrassed, and... if any of you tell anyone about this, or how I cried like an idiot, you¡¯re dead, got it?¡±


    As Aliyah clenched one fist, Trey was shaking his head. Yeah, maybe I¡¯ve had more to drink than I thought. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve told the full story, not just about the strip poker. But... I guess it ain¡¯t the sore subject it¡¯s been before anymore. Still, if the crew knew I¡¯d cried... well, if Trey talks, I¡¯ll beat him until he¡¯s sorry...


    ¡°So anyway...¡± Aliyah leaned forwards, and Zachary looked away, which made her smile. Little punk. Real women too much for him, no doubt. You can look though Beth, I¡¯m hot stuff!  ¡°...I want to pay Shaeula back! So I¡¯ll challenge her again, and you two help me, okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea Aliyah. Damn, how much have you had to drink?¡± Trey eyed the half-drunk bottle of spirits in her hand. ¡°I suppose at least we can¡¯t get in too much trouble on a private jet. Think about it...¡± He rubbed at his temples, as if he had a headache. ¡°...if Shaeula does lose, doesn¡¯t that mean young Zachary here will see her naked? If so... he¡¯ll be travelling back to America in the opposite direction to Egil Andersen, but also in a coffin...¡±


    ¡°Shit Trey, I¡¯m not an idiot, of course I thought... of that.¡± Aliyah was finding it a little harder to articulate, perhaps because she was frustrated. ¡°No, he just... waves his hands and gives me the luck, right? And then Beth here and me, we can double team her. She curses her to bad luck, I use some sleight of hand...¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll still lose.¡± Trey advised. ¡°Best quit it while you¡¯re ahead sis. If she made you hug him naked last time, she won¡¯t be satisfied with just that, and you know it. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Fascinating!¡± Christina observed, eyes behind her glasses sparkling. ¡°If it¡¯s a plan where Akio has to hold you... I¡¯m in. I am not much good at poker, but I can calculate the odds!¡±


    As Aliyah nodded, her brother addressed Beth and Zachary. ¡°See? If my drunk sister and Christina here think it¡¯s a good idea, you can be sure it¡¯s not. So... stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice. I¡¯m not getting naked!¡± Beth shuddered, eyeing Aliyah a touch disdainfully, which made her feel bad. Zachary also shook his head, unwilling to get on Akio¡¯s bad side. Oh well. Not everyone is... as brave as me.


    ¡°Trey...¡± Aliyah muttered. ¡°...you tell the next part. I¡¯m going to drown my sorrows...¡±


    ¡°Heaven help me...¡± Trey grunted. ¡°But fine. This flight¡¯s a long one, so listen up. After my sister¡¯s escapades in creative flirting...¡±


    Oh shut the hell up Trey. Damn, this is good booze. A glass or two more ain¡¯t going to hurt...


    ***


    ¡°...so he beat the shit out of us.¡± Trey was gesturing with his half-empty glass, and Aliyah found herself nodding along. I remember that. Busted up my ribs good.


    ¡°


    It gave me chills when he declared that he¡¯d even go after the President if we made a move on his friends or family.¡± Trey continued, and Aliyah found herself nodding. No shit. It¡¯s even more ironic now.


    ¡°He¡¯s a passionate man!¡± Christina giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you two. Now you are under his protection, he¡¯ll afford you the same!¡± As Beth and Zachary seemed rather embarrassed at that, Aliyah spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why... ugh, maybe I¡¯ve drank too much...¡± Her eyes wavered and she burped, before her vision swam back into focus. ¡°...anyway, why are you being so cocky, woman? Ain¡¯t half this mess your fault, yours and your damn agency? We only tried to pull him in because of orders from you all!¡±


    ¡°A fair point. Though originally, I was seconded over from DARPA... oh, you don¡¯t want to hear that.¡± Christina giggled cheerfully, her own face flushed from booze, though she hadn¡¯t drunk nearly as much as Aliyah had. Nobody has. Bunch of pussies. Don¡¯t they know this is a celebration? We got out of this trip alive. It was fucking touch and go at points, Trey and me, we almost died in South Africa...


    Feeling a bit melancholy, she hiccupped, before taking over the tale from her brother. ¡°So yeah. We got picked up by the Japanese military and were put in a secure facility. Prison really. Wasn¡¯t so bad though, right Trey?¡± At his nod, she smirked meanly. ¡°They even let us have exercise gear, dumbbells and shit. Real generous. Then one day, this bigwig which turns out to be the grandfather of another of Akio¡¯s fiance?es turns up and says we should think very carefully about our future. Fuck me, if... uh...¡± Feeling a little sick, she knuckled her head to clear it. ¡°...we had anything else to do but think. Then Akio came along, and the rest is history.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Black Wolf Company came under his care, those of us who didn¡¯t quit...¡± Trey began.


    ¡°Fucking turncoats.¡± Aliyah muttered fiercely.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t respect those who left, but I still get it. Anyway, then we started undergoing some strange training, honing our skills. No, I suppose they should be Skills, with a capital S.¡± Trey snorted. ¡°But you two will be learning that soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little scared, but also excited...¡± Zachary nodded, eyes wide with excitement from the tales of their crossing paths with Akio, though Aliyah was amused to note Beth was less enthused.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Christina clapped. ¡°Well, would you two like to hear of my fated meeting with Akio? It was dramatic, let me...¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Beth shot her down, and Aliyah roared with laughter, slapping her thigh heartily.


    ¡°Yeah, who wants to hear about your stupid antics? So, anyway... more booze, all right?¡±


    ¡°Nope, you¡¯ve had enough, sis.¡± Trey suddenly stood, snatching her half-empty bottle. ¡°At times like this, better Ether Healing would sure be great. Shit.¡± He cursed lustily as Aliyah tried to punch him. ¡°Calm down sis, I know it¡¯s good to cut loose now and again, but...¡± he leaned in. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to make a good impression?¡±


    Suddenly feeling sober, Aliyah nodded. ¡°Oh... yeah. Fuck me. Whoops.¡± The warm glow of alcohol was coursing through her, but she shook her head, hair beads jingling, to clear it. ¡°Damn, we¡¯ve still got ages to go before we land. Damn...¡± Bladder feeling uncomfortably full, Aliyah staggered to the toilet, and after yanking down her jeans and emptying it, she splashed her face with water, before checking herself in the mirror. Uh, yeah, I look wasted. Best... cool it for a bit.


    ***


    ¡°No matter how much you pick on me, I ain¡¯t stripping.¡± Aliyah snorted, looking at the terrible cards dealt to her again. ¡°Lucky we¡¯re only betting pocket change though. I see how he and Shaeula ripped off all those casinos now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it was strip poker, I wouldn¡¯t have played, even to assuage my curiosity.¡± Christina sniggered, looking at her own cards. ¡°No offense, little Zachary, but little miss Christina here...¡± she thumped her chest proudly, and Aliyah couldn¡¯t help but watch. ¡°...has learned I can¡¯t be careless with my body. It¡¯s not for you!¡±


    ¡°Why do I hate the fact I feel like I¡¯ve been dumped and I wasn¡¯t even interested?¡± Zachary sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°If you were interested, I¡¯d disown you, Zack.¡± Beth warned. ¡°She may have changed, maybe, but she¡¯s still Christina Bakker!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m still me!¡± she agreed. ¡°Anyway, shall we place our wagers? I want to tally the figures and update the running total.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m curious...¡± As their hands were flipped over, Zachary with a full house, Beth with a straight, and everyone else with assorted trash, Aliyah with a shameful nine high, Zachary had a question. ¡°...just how much did Akio win from Las Vegas?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Shaeula bragging. She won a slots jackpot, he obviously came second in that rigged tournament, and they kept winning big at every casino they went to. A bit under ten million dollars.¡± Aliyah shrugged. ¡°I know Shaeula constantly plays around on online gambling sites when she¡¯s bored and usually wins a fair amount.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Beth? Why didn¡¯t we think of that?¡± Zachary blinked in shock. ¡°It seems so obvious.¡±


    ¡°Online gambling¡¯s illegal in our state, stupid.¡± Beth chided him. ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s illegal in Japan too, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s trivial to obfuscate one¡¯s whereabouts online.¡± Christina muttered, as Zachary scooped up his winnings. They had been playing cards and drinking for several hours, though Aliyah was mostly drinking coke and water, clearing her head. One good thing about having these Levels and Statistics is my body runs hot, it quickly recovers, even when I¡¯ve had frankly dangerous levels of alcohol.


    ¡°Oh... yes, these figures are very encouraging. See?¡± Christina showed Zachary and Beth her notes. ¡°It¡¯s possible to estimate the effect of your increased and decreased Fortune, though more of the data seems to be obscured by some spiky results. Of course, the answer is simply more testing!¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t changed!¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so bored of this. And it¡¯s giving me a headache, using my powers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wound me!¡± Christina teased. ¡°I¡¯m just preparing you for life in Tokyo. You¡¯ll be using your gift a lot, I¡¯m sure. Though Zachary¡¯s will likely see more use. Especially if it stacks with Shaeula¡¯s Fortune manipulating talents. Though...¡± Aliyah watched sourly as Christina stared intently at Beth, until Beth looked away, troubled.


    ¡°...no, that¡¯s it! It¡¯s just like negative numbers multiply to a positive. Fascinating. Please, I need to test this now! Just a few more hands... oh, you said you were bored. Let it not be said little miss Christina is not a good listener, and a compassionate woman!¡± She winked. ¡°Be sure to tell Akio how good I¡¯ve been when we land, all right?¡±


    Rummaging around in the supplies in the well-stocked cabin, she quickly found some dice. ¡°You two just keep your abilities running on me when I say, and I¡¯ll do all the testing and data crunching. Easy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy! It¡¯s very exhausting!¡± Beth protested.


    As Christina countered that Beth needed more training, more Levels and better Skills to make all this a breeze, and that pushing herself was the first step to victory, Aliyah yawned. Stretching, she happened to meet Tanya¡¯s gaze. Yeah, I get why he teases her with that name. I don¡¯t know why, but... she just seems to be a Tanya. Oh well...


    ¡°Uh... at least you¡¯re having... oh, you don¡¯t speak English. Let me see... uh... Spa?? That¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it? Shit, my German is nearly non-existent, and there¡¯s no use asking Trey. If it was Russian, or even Japanese now, I¡¯m not too bad, but...¡±


    Adelheid, who had been idling away the time peacefully, drinking beers and looking casually out the window, or listening to the in-flight TV on her headphones, nodded. Raising her half-drunk can, she spoke. ¡°Meine Philosophie ist, das Leben zu genie?en, solange ich kann.¡° With that, she turned away, leaving Aliyah to ponder her words, while Trey ended up drinking with Zachary, and Beth was idly watching Christina roll dice with ever more excited cries and reactions as she scribbled frantically, despite Beth¡¯s protestations that she wasn¡¯t intersted and was bored.


    The first bit¡¯s easy... her philosophy, right... so... uh, Leben is... life, I think? Her philosophy in life is to... oh, screw it. She¡¯ll learn Japanese and English soon enough. Then we can hold a proper conversation...


    Leaning back in her seat, Aliyah yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a sleep for an hour or two, so keep the noise down, all right? That means you, you squealing madwoman.¡±


    ¡°How rude!¡± Christina pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, just... very excited. But, out of deference to your performance during this trip, and your support for my beloved Akio, I¡¯ll try and keep my voice down.¡±


    ¡°Your beloved? Dream on...¡± Aliyah snorted, eyes sliding shut, the pleasant feeling of intoxication, the gentle rocking of the jet, and the lack of danger around her dragging her down into a peaceful slumber. Fenrir, huh? Not going to lie... it¡¯s... kind of cool. Shit... I¡¯m going to have to recruit hard. I want... to teach a load of... cute, sexy women to fight, to be bad bitches. But... they¡¯ve already snatched so many up, even... Luciana...


    Those were her last thoughts for a while, as blissful slumber took her...

 Side Two Hundred And Two – Park Yu-mi

    Side Two Hundred And Two ¨C Park Yu-mi


    ¡°How¡¯s breakfast, dad?¡± Yu-mi asked her father, who was sitting at the large table in the spare house on Akio¡¯s estate, which used to be where the strange American girl Suzanne was staying, but since it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to have her alone with a man, even if the man was Yu-mi¡¯s father, the house had become a sort of de facto lodgings for the growing Korean contingent Akio had gathered.


    You still look rather haggard. You were getting better after Akio rescued cousin Yu-jun too. It¡¯s fine though... the worst is over. ¡°I know it¡¯s Japanese style, but... if you want, I can send out one of the staff to get something more to your tastes?¡±


    ¡°No, Yu-mi, it¡¯s fine.¡± Her father shook his head. She hated to see that the grey at his temples had increased over the last few months dramatically, his once brown hair streaked with it, and his brown eyes seemed rather paler than she remembered. Dad always used to be so... so big, is that the expression? Running the Doosan group, his voice was like thunder, and people ran to do his bidding. He was always so kind to me too. It hurt dad a lot to use me as a bargaining chip to elicit aid for rescuing cousin Yu-jun. When the mess at Choe-Museon happened, his precious departed sister¡¯s son trapped there... it crushed him. Even now, his face is so wrinkled and he looks ten years older than his age.


    ¡°Yeah, if you want anything, go for it!¡± Another guest around the large table, the brash and boisterous Bora, or Violet, as she preferred to be called, spoke loudly and with a tone that was a far cry from the usual respectful one that most Koreans spoke in. Though I know she doesn¡¯t mean any offense by it. That¡¯s just how she is. With her dyed purple hair hanging messily around her face, and her body clad only in a pair of small lounging shorts and a black tank top that showed off her muscled midriff and her vividly tattooed arms, Yu-mi couldn¡¯t help but think Violet should have been rather more modest. Though I suppose there¡¯s only my father here, as men go, and Violet doesn¡¯t seem to care much for modesty anyway.


    ¡°As for me...¡± Violet continued. ¡°...This Japanese food isn¡¯t bad, but shit... oh, sorry...¡± She tried to keep her habit of swearing in check as there were several younger girls around the table too. ¡°...I mean, it¡¯s decent, but I miss the taste of home, you get it?¡± She turned to one of the attending maids, human, on this occasion, as the Chinese woman, Nie Ling, was having to manage the fallout of the battles over Tokyo and Kyoto, so had no energy to spare moving mere maids at the moment.


    ¡°Hey, you mind running out and getting us some Kimchi toast and pancakes? I know there¡¯s a Korean restaurant that¡¯s not too far from here?¡±


    As the maid curtsied and hurried off, Yu-mi couldn¡¯t help but smile at the fact all the servants were women. It¡¯s like the tales of the Chinese Imperial harems here. Or the Joseon Royal Court. Glancing at her father again as she sipped on her tea, she cursed the fact that he was swept up in the Tengokusentou battles, as it had reawakened his fading scars from Yu-jun¡¯s traumas. I suppose I should be thankful he wasn¡¯t hurt. I¡¯m grateful that everyone allowed me to invite my father here. I don¡¯t want him to stay alone in a hotel or go back to South Korea yet. And... I can¡¯t leave myself. No, there¡¯s too much for me to do.


    ¡°Oh, sorry...¡± Violet managed not to swear this time. ¡°Should have asked you guys if you wanted anything? Well, knowing the maid, she¡¯ll bring back some extra stuff anyway...¡±


    The other two at this table shook their heads. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m fine.¡± Kim Eui, a younger girl also saved from Choe-Museon by Akio, and one she considered her dongsaeng, her little sister, shook her head. She had recovered a lot since she was rescued, and had filled out, no longer the frail, haggard and jumpy girl she was before, and Yu-mi was happy to see it. But I do wish she¡¯d be more demanding.


    The other girl, who Yu-mi wasn¡¯t as close to, but still had a lot of respect for, was Hyeong Suk-ja, from the Inevitable Victory. She was short, baby-faced and had her brown hair pulled into pigtails today, making her look even younger, but from what Yu-mi knew, she had acquitted herself well at the battle of Shirohebizumi shrine.


    ¡°I¡¯m all fine too. I¡¯m not that hungry anyway.¡± Suk-ja agreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Violet shook her head. ¡°If the pair of you don¡¯t eat, you won¡¯t grow up to be big and strong.¡± She stretched, yawning, and the two of them couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to her impressive assets, the tank top doing little to disguise their size. Turning to Yu-mi, Violet asked her as well. ¡°What about you, Yu-mi-unni? I bet you¡¯ve got a busy day, you¡¯ll get tired if you don¡¯t eat plenty at breakfast. Or are you on a diet?¡±


    ¡°No, no need to diet. I¡¯m quite proud of my figure. And I exercise more than ever!¡± Yu-mi insisted. ¡°In fact...¡± Yu-mi was in her Adamant uniform, as today was an important day. Though I¡¯m not wearing my cap. It¡¯s not really appropriate to wear a hat at breakfast Still, the military-style uniform in black and gold, with diamond-shaped rank insignias, was rather fetching, and Yu-mi had chosen the skirt variant, her slender legs wrapped in the short, tight, leather-style fabric, as well as a pair of sheer stockings. It¡¯s important to be beautiful as well as powerful. That¡¯s a lesson I¡¯ve learned here quickly. Power...


    ¡°...I¡¯m confident I¡¯m prettier than ever. My proportions are just right. Isn¡¯t that right, dad?¡± She winked at her father, trying to lighten his gloomy mood.


    ¡°Oh... yes.¡± He nodded after a moment. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a charming girl, and a kind, good one. Too good...¡± As his expression shifted, Yu-mi held in a sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that to make you feel bad, dad. Cheer up! I just want a compliment from my dad, who I love.¡±


    ¡°Despite everything? I... I sold you... you proved you were a better person that I could ever be...¡±


    ¡°Hey, man.¡± Violet shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t. It¡¯s lame. I get you¡¯re feeling a bit of self-loathing. Sure, I get it. But... Yu-mi-unni here... she¡¯s not trying to make you feel bad, man. Shit, oh... oops... I mean... my big sis Yu-mi, she¡¯s a smart woman. Already rising the ranks, right?¡± Violet winked, and Yu-mi nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Dad, we have talked, and I¡¯ve tried to clear the air, but...¡± Standing, she brushed down her skirt, straightening it, and made sure her jacket was presentable. Under the black and gold jacket she wore a beautiful black shirt, and it was as good as any clothing by the top Korean designers. No, it¡¯s better. As an Officer, I received one of the first uniforms that exists in both the Material and the Boundary at once. This cloth looks ordinary, but it¡¯s as durable as anti-ballistic fibres, while still being lightweight and cute.


    ¡°...yes, I was reluctant to get married, but... I couldn¡¯t leave my cousin to suffer. In the end, I agreed, didn¡¯t I? Of course, it turned out that Akio wasn¡¯t the kind of man I thought he was, and he gave me the choice. So we¡¯re not rushing things. He¡¯s a good man, and despite his tangled mess of a love life...¡± Yu-mi couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. She was very fond of a number of his girlfriends now, especially Eri, after their night in Gangnam. ¡°...I think he¡¯s very much a catch. But... time will tell. I¡¯m in no rush, things are on hold.¡±


    ¡°On hold? I could have swore Akio-oppa said you rejected him.¡± Violet laughed.


    ¡°No. He asked if I wanted to marry him. I didn¡¯t. And right now, I still don¡¯t.¡± Yu-mi admitted. Marriage? That¡¯s a big step. But... ¡°Dad, I¡¯m wearing the uniform. And I¡¯m proud to do so. You might not know what that means, but it¡¯s a commitment. I¡¯m not just doing it for the power and influence, though... I think I¡¯ve found my direction in life. No more playing around aimlessly, going with the flow. But if that¡¯s all I wanted, there are other ways. Like Eui is doing, becoming Daiyu¡¯s disciple, for example. No, I wore this... because I want to.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I still tried to sell away your happiness...¡± her father muttered, downcast, and Yu-mi shook her head. I know we¡¯ve talked about this, but... it might be good to finally be honest.


    ¡°Life¡¯s all about what things cost and what we¡¯re prepared to pay. Arranged marriages, while old-fashioned, aren¡¯t exactly unknown, are they dad? Besides, if you try and tell Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi the same thing, they¡¯ll be very upset, so I wouldn¡¯t. Especially not Hinata, she¡¯s my direct boss, the Commander!¡± Yu-mi giggled cheerily, making it plain she felt no distress over the past.


    ¡°Dad, look...¡± she pressed. ¡°Maybe you can feel bad you put Yu-jun¡¯s happiness ahead of mine, but... were the situation reversed, and I was trapped in Choe-Museon...¡± As Eui shuddered, Violet patted her head reassuringly. She flinched at the touch, before relaxing into it. ¡°...I know you¡¯d have done everything you could to save me, be it risk your own happiness, the Doosan corporation, or even your own life. So don¡¯t see it as a bad thing. Besides...¡± She thumped her chest proudly. ¡°...you¡¯re my dad. Even doing something that made you feel guilty, it was still a good thing. If I¡¯d accepted the arrangement, I have no doubts I wouldn¡¯t have been unhappy. But... I¡¯m actually quite a selfish girl. I like doing things on my own terms. So I will. But... and this is


    a but, as nothing is set in stone.¡±


    At her intensity, everyone was watching her, waiting on her every word, and Yu-mi felt the thrill. This is what it is to matter, to be important. But it¡¯s not just that. Power... I know what power is for. It¡¯s not to feel important, to impress others, or even to make money, live a good life. It¡¯s to protect happiness, that of ourselves, and those we cherish, our family, friends... lovers. I¡¯ve learned that since I first came to Japan, from the people I¡¯ve met here, who¡¯ve been good to me, shown me the way.


    Her face felt hot, and Yu-mi knew she was blushing, but... it had to be said, or her relationship with her father would never go back to the way it was before, there would always be the shadows of guilt and regret between them. ¡°...even if in the end, Akio and I do end up together, it¡¯s not on your head. You just introduced us. It¡¯s sort of like euihon, a matchmaking meeting, right? Or even hoewi, a proper, formal business meeting. You were just helping me get some connections. The best connections. Looks like you¡¯ve still got it, dad! You know how to network, that¡¯s for sure. So, enough doom and gloom, all right? I want us to be close like we were before.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Violet gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Honestly, Yu-mi-unni, you and Akio-oppa should totally get together if you like each other. There¡¯s no point worrying about the numbers anymore. Damn, I wish my little bro was as put together as oppa is. Though being fair to the little bastard... uh... guy... he¡¯s been handling Guild business just fine in my absence. He¡¯s been working with your boss, Suk-ja.¡± She nodded at the younger girl. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have the numbers with me and my scorpions here in Japan. Poor bastards. Another few new replacements came in overnight...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your Guild...¡± Yu-mi changed the subject. Her father was looking at her with damp eyes, breakfast forgotten, but... His expression has changed. It looks like he¡¯s genuinely thinking about my words, when before, he... couldn¡¯t help but feel the guilt. I¡¯m not lying though. I¡¯m grateful. Whatever his intentions, the end result is I¡¯m happier than ever, and pursuing my dream. ¡°...have you given any more thought to the Pilgrimage, Suk-ja?¡±


    The younger girl shook her head, pigtails shaking. ¡°I¡¯m a little conflicted. I¡¯ve been treated well here by everyone, you as well, Yu-mi-unni. But the Pilgrimage is taking power from Japan, isn¡¯t it? And... when my employment here is done, I¡¯ll be going back to Korea. It feels a bit wrong...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she just adorable?¡± Violet teased, now rubbing Suk-ja¡¯s head like she did to Eui earlier. As the younger girl squirmed, Yu-mi nodded in understanding.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, and you¡¯re a good girl, honest too. But firstly, you may be getting paid, but you went above and beyond your role in defending Shirohebizumi shrine. You were employed to provide Crystal element for Daiyu and Akio. Not to fight.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m also getting to train and take part in Levelling sessions...¡± she responded, and Yu-mi¡¯s smile broadened.


    ¡°Yes, and you deserve to. Besides... sooner or later, I¡¯ll be expanding operations in Korea, in my role as an Adamant leader. In fact, I¡¯ve got to welcome some guests to Japan before the Pilgrimage starts. So no sleep for me tonight, as they land very late this evening! But today, it¡¯s more important we welcome Akio back home safely. I hear it¡¯s been rough for him too.¡± Yes, all my playing around and socialising back home wasn¡¯t in vain. I¡¯ve managed to persuade a few of my friends who I think are suitable to join me. The prospect of being able to fast-track to officer status, even if they¡¯ll be below me... it was enough. ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to have you as a strong voice supporting me, Suk-ja. Just so long as you don¡¯t forget that gratitude!¡± Yu-mi winked charmingly, and after a minute, Suk-ja flushed, laughing helplessly.


    ¡°All right, Yu-mi-unni. I¡¯ll stay and join the Pilgrimage. I can help if there¡¯s trouble, I guess. Though... with who is going...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no shit... uh, no worries!¡± Violet snickered nastily. ¡°Anyone tries to attack this parade, and they¡¯re in for a beating that will go down in history.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve... changed, Yu-mi.¡± her dad said at last, watching. ¡°You... have a glow about you, a... a confidence. Maybe... I¡¯m just a fool after all.¡±


    ¡°No, dad.¡± Yu-mi shook her head, speaking fondly. ¡°You just care about me. But I¡¯m happy. I really, truly am. I¡¯m doing what I want to do, and if there¡¯s a future I want, I¡¯ll make sure to work for it. And I¡¯m confident I can get it. You¡¯re the same, right? Yu-jun is safe in Korea, recuperating, and he¡¯ll take over the Doosan group in the future.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡± he asked, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Not really. You¡¯re going to make provision for my allowance, right?¡± She winked, and Violet chuckled crudely, Suk-ja and even the quiet, taciturn Eui cracking smiles. ¡°Besides...¡± Yu-mi continued. ¡°I¡¯m wearing the uniform. And I¡¯m not a grunt, I¡¯m an Officer. Below only the Commanders! My future¡¯s assured, and the allowances are generous.¡± She winked. ¡°Dad, when Akio gets back, I¡¯m going to ask him to give you Chirurgery.¡±


    As he opened his mouth to protest, Yu-mi denied him firmly. ¡°Just shut up dad. If you still feel any guilt, do it for me. I¡¯d ask Shaeula, but she¡¯s too busy Healing the injured still, and she hates doing Chirurgery on men. I get it. She¡¯s a passionate girl. But I want you to go back to being the strong dad I remember. Being all hunched and exhausted doesn¡¯t suit you. Oh, and before you say something stupid... the Tengokusentou wasn¡¯t your fault either. And in the end, Hinata¡¯s happy. It got a bit banged up, and the grounds need a complete rework, but... it¡¯s back in our hands. And you helped a little with that. They don¡¯t forget, and the credit reflects on me. So... you¡¯re helping out in my career even now, dad!¡±


    I¡¯m also happy for Nozomi and Arisa. It¡¯s their prided family treasure, I¡¯m told, and they¡¯re my juniors in Adamant, so when they do well, we do well!


    ¡°I... am?¡± he stammered, and Yu-mi nodded firmly.


    ¡°You are, dad! So enough of this. Anyway...¡± They had talked for quite a while, and the maid had returned, and true to Violet¡¯s prediction, she had brought back a wide selection of Korean food. It makes me suspect they have some stocked in the estate somewhere, it seemed a bit quick. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me though, these maids are sourced from the Japanese nobility, right? It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re well prepared...


    Grabbing some Kimchi pancakes, Yu-mi smiled at the familiar flavour, before glancing over at Eui. Everything sure was a mess, but today there¡¯s more fallout to deal with. But it¡¯s not all bad news. I don¡¯t know precisely what¡¯s going on, but... Even someone with only the basic Lovers¡¯ Link like Yu-mi could tell something monumental had happened, and she was looking forward to hearing about just what feats Akio had performed now.


    That¡¯s one perk of being in Adamant. And also being trusted by Eri, Daiyu and Shaeula. I don¡¯t have to worry about being excluded...


    ***


    ¡°The situation is now-now contained.¡± Shaeula let out a long sigh. Her face was unusually pale, her skin contrasting her rich amber hair and eyes, and the vivid red of the yukata she was wearing this morning. ¡°All those who would not-not survive without my Ether Healing have now-now been treated. Many still remain wounded, but they are not-not in danger of death, so I shall do what-what I can, and Akio will no-no doubt handle the rest on his return.¡±


    The talk was in English, since Yu-mi was present, as well as a few others, like the American woman, Mariam Samuelian. She had been patched up by Shaeula, her more critical injuries fixed, though she still had a maimed hand and other wounds that would need restoring later. While it was a bit odd having her present for private discussions, Yu-mi trusted that they knew what they were doing, and Hinata had privately told her that she had agreed to be bound by Shaeula¡¯s Winds And Waters to prevent any leaks.


    It¡¯s not flawless, but they have good reason to believe it¡¯s worth the small chance of problems. Anyway... it won¡¯t be too long before they don¡¯t need to speak English on my behalf... Yu-mi had been learning Japanese in her limited spare time, and after Chirurgery, Lovers¡¯ Link and gaining some Levels, her mental acuity was sharp indeed, and she had already reached the N4 Elementary


    level of understanding, and was closing in on Intermediate at N3.


    I suppose being highly motivated helps, and anything I need access to, like tutors or materials, I just have to ask and it¡¯s provided. But no, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a genius or anything, it¡¯s mostly my new stats. Even a mere percent of Akio¡¯s now supercharges me.


    Feeling simultaneously a little smug and also rather lucky, Yu-mi continued to listen. She was now wearing her cap, the military style rather imposing, but of course, as it was designed by Hinata and Shiro, it also leaned towards the sexy. If I wore this uniform in Master Bear¡¯s nightclub I¡¯d look awesome. You know what... I think I will. Of course, Akio simply must come with me. Eri too. And my new Korean recruits...


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be good to have Akio back. He¡¯s coming via London¡¯s Ring Gate so he should be back this evening, though the rest of his party won¡¯t make it back until late at night. But the Pilgrimage should proceed as planned.¡± Hinata explained, gently stroking the ornate sword that was bare on her lap. She was in casual clothes, which was an unusual sight, as Hinata was normally in her Hanafubuki school uniform, but after the attacks, and the school being shut down early for winter break, Yu-mi supposed it made sense.


    Besides, I think she wants to look nice for Akio when he returns. I get that. That¡¯s a rather cute set of shorts and t-shirt. It showed off a lot less skin that Violet¡¯s earlier, of course, the length of the shorts modest, and the t-shirt fully covering her body and her upper arms, but in a cute blue and purple she definitely was pretty. I¡¯m more jealous of that sword though. And her Divine Favour. I wonder... that could have been me. No, it still can be! I¡¯m Park Yu-mi, Adamant Officer!


    Standing tall, Yu-mi watched as Hinata handed the floor to Kana, who was also in casual clothing, skinny-fit jeans and a bright red jumper, highlighting her good figure. Her long hair was tied back into a braid with a big red ribbon, and she wore an ornate hair clip which she had bragged was a gift from Akio.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be starting bright and early tomorrow morning...¡± She smiled apologetically at Yu-mi, who shrugged, suppressing her own smile. ¡°And our first location will be Shirohebizumi shrine, of course. Those who need Chirurgery first to participate will be handled. You¡¯ll have some coming, won¡¯t you Yu-mi?¡±


    ¡°Three, if all goes well. All women of good families and reputations.¡± Yu-mi nodded. ¡°I¡¯d have liked more, but... we have to start somewhere, and Korea... the situation there is a bit rough right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not pleased. Not pleased at all.¡± Hinata agreed, her hand on the hilt of her new Faerie sword tightening, knuckles white. ¡°But those who broke faith with us will pay. Oh, my apologies Kana, please continue.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kana waved off her words, turning to Tsukiko-unni, who was wearing a similar outfit to Kana, though her jeans were white and her fluffy jumper was a dark red, reminiscent of shrine maiden attire. Though calling her unni seems a little disrespectful. There¡¯s something almost... no, entirely holy about Tsukiko-unni. Perhaps Tsukiko-nim would be better. Yes, that works.  Yu-mi was actually rather in awe of the woman, and also felt a great deal of liking for her, perhaps as she was the same sort of existence as Haru-unni, who she had grown close to. Even death can¡¯t stop Akio from protecting us. It¡¯s... an amazing thing.


    ¡°Anyway, this is a huge undertaking. And I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m one of the ones in charge. Father and grandfather are so proud of me, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± There were some giggles around the room at that admission, and Kana continued, face pink. ¡°But I¡¯m not doing it alone. Tsukiko will be helping, as will... as will Princess Mikasa... though she insists on being called Yukiko by us...¡± Kana swallowed, her nerves showing. ¡°We¡¯ll even get to visit Ise Grand Shrine, and the shrine inside the Imperial Palace, which only her family would normally see... no pressure, am I right?¡± More laughter, and Kana continued. ¡°In addition, Kudou Shiori-chan will be assisting, representing Kyoto. We shall be your instructors, although...¡±


    ¡°Individual groups shall have their own leaders, working to help us manage matters.¡± Tsukiko-nim¡¯s voice was soft, melodic and strangely ageless. Her dark red eyes were mysterious and captivating, and Yu-mi had to look away for a moment.


    ¡°There are a number of different groups who shall be making up this Pilgrimage.¡± Tsukiko-nim explained. ¡°Those who wear the uniform...¡± She nodded at Yu-mi, and Yu-mi found herself nodding back, face a little pink.


    ¡°Those from the faith. Those who have had Chirurgery in failed attempts to find a suitable recipient of a Favour, and those who our research deems has potential. Then there are the sons and daughters of nobility.¡± Tsukiko-nim nodded regally towards Fujiwara Miyu-nim.


    ¡°Though it seems as always, we are rather more slanted towards daughters as usual. I suspect it is down to Akio-san¡¯s personal tastes.¡± Miyu-nim made a light-hearted joke, which seemed to surprise those around the room. I had heard that Miyu-nim was an earnest, serious girl, not one for humour. I guess everyone who comes here changes for the better.


    ¡°In addition, there are some selected soldiers from the Special Forces, and several Chosen, as well as a few friends of us here. Some police and staffers from the Ministry too. And of course, those from the training school.¡± Tsukiko-nim finished. At that, Aiko shrugged. Akio¡¯s sister is very much like him. Impulsive but bold.


    ¡°It¡¯s all very experimental.¡± Kana took over. ¡°Yes, the aim is to strengthen us all to the maximum. Get Kami-Blessed up to the maximum for various benefits. But in addition, we¡¯re looking for treasures that the shrines might hold, and also Kami who might be amenable to joining us. The events of the last few days have shown us the necessity of that.¡±


    As everyone agreed, it was Miyu-nim who spoke up again. ¡°I am afraid though that I must sadly monopolise Akio-san on his return. It is upsetting for you all, eager to see him as you are, but... it is fortunate he has no lack of energy.¡± She smiled slightly, though it was a little sad. ¡°Due to the events at the Tengokusentou, Akio is needed by my grandfather to resolve a troubling matter. In exchange however... grandfather will provide Koga-san and others of the finest operatives at his disposal to ensure the safety of the Pilgrimage. Now, you might think it is not needed, considering the attendees...¡±


    There were more nods at that. ¡°But there are other benefits.¡± Miyu-nim glanced at her strange bodyguard, who even now was still in her school uniform with her usual long red scarf covering half her face. ¡°During the journey... we shall be entering the hidden village of the Koga, although...¡±


    ¡°It is not exactly hidden.¡± Her bodyguard shrugged. ¡°Honoured father is rather upset at their lack of pride in their craft, but to outsiders it is a perfectly normal town, with little to see. But... we suspect there is at least one shrine or temple dedicated to Hachiman or Marishiten which would be considered true.¡±


    ¡°I have to say, I never thought I¡¯d end up meeting Ninjas!¡± Kana giggled. ¡°There are also some other ceremonies to attend, such as one on Mount Atago, all in all, this trip will take us the length and breadth of Japan. It¡¯s going to be an interesting Christmas!¡±


    ¡°Of course, during my birthday, I shall-shall be monopolising Akio for my own.¡± Shaeula insisted. ¡°But as I am quite-quite generous, during that day, I shall extend an invitation to my fellow sisters to partake in some fun-fun events.¡±


    ¡°Christmas Eve is going to be a bloodbath, right Eri?¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to want a date with Aki, but there¡¯s only two of him at best. Oh well, he¡¯ll just have to suffer!¡±


    ¡°Back on topic...¡± Hinata coughed. ¡°Thank you, Kana, you explained it well. But, as for the logistics...¡± As everyone paid attention, Hinata explained. ¡°The goal is obviously not just strengthening us, but also to find a path to easily distilling down what others need to do to get the same benefits, and perhaps relating it to other countries. Our allies in Britain have turned down this offer, as they don¡¯t feel right dedicating worship to Japanese Gods, but they are interested in our results to see what might be applicable for them.¡±


    Yu-mi nodded. As a Korean, she felt a little odd participating, but... I¡¯m not that pious anyway, and... honestly, I¡¯ll put my happiness ahead of belief. But if we could do the same for our own Gods, that might help with recruitment... and if it empowers Akio, I¡¯d be happy...


    ¡°Everyone should have donated the requisite funds. It isn¡¯t meaningful unless it comes from your own money, but rest assured, the cost will be made up in various ways. After all, those in Adamant get generous salary, and there will be opportunities for those of the faith and others to complete tasks for us to earn enough to repay the debt.¡±


    ¡°I had to borrow a ton of cash off my bro to lend to Rika-chan and Yae-chan...¡± Aiko sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not even at uni yet and I¡¯m already rocking a ton of debt!¡± Her expression was wry.


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯ve purchased the offerings and supplies for everyone, and they are standing by. We will also be repairing and redecorating the majority of shrines and temples on the Pilgrimage route, as well as constructing a new building in the style of the Tengokusentou on the grounds, which will house shrines to various Gods and Kami. Currently, Tsukuyomi, Kannon, Prince Sho?toku and Shirohebi are the ones planned. There is space for more though, of course.¡± Hinata explained.


    ¡°Any other suggestions, we¡¯ll consider.¡± Kana nodded. ¡°So don¡¯t be shy. Oh, back to you, Hinata.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Hinata grinned impishly. ¡°As for transportation... we¡¯ve put on a number of high-powered buses for us locally. The government will cooperate and close roads for us to speed our path. It¡¯s some minor inconvenience for the public, but we should be out of each area relatively quickly. For moving between cities and visiting isolated shrines, we¡¯ll be using a mix of privately laid on shinkansen, and also a number, a large number...¡± she giggled wickedly again. ¡°...of helicopters. Really, the expense is tremendous. Akio¡¯s loans from Chase and Barclays are being spent in a very odd manner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nerve-wracking!¡± Kana chuckled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m not used to spending such vast sums of money. It makes my knees go weak. Just being involved in the planning is shocking!¡±


    ¡°Best get used to it.¡± Eri advised her. She had been sitting quietly, listening to the talk with her arms folded. But then, unless she has something to say, she¡¯s on the quieter side. Of course, when she does want to talk, she¡¯s not one to be put off. I like that. A straightforward girl like Eri is easy to be friends with, even if she doesn¡¯t think so herself.


    ¡°After all, Kana, you¡¯re Akio¡¯s girlfriend now. You wanted this. So it comes with the territory.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice, Eri.¡± Kana winked playfully. ¡°But you must be finding it hard too. You were poorer than we were!¡±


    As the two bickered, Tsukiko-nim clapped her hands, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We have a very busy day ahead, preparing. People will be arriving throughout the day and night, eager to begin this act of piety to the Kami and great Gods. So, now that everyone is appraised of our roles, we can begin. May the blessings of the Gods be with you!¡±


    At her solemn words, Yu-mi found herself nodding. She¡¯s right. I have a very busy day. As an Officer in Adamant, I have to get the troops organised, and I also have to prepare everything for my Korean guests. Oh well... Clenching her fist to hype herself up, Yu-mi felt excitement stirring within her. ...it¡¯s time to prove I¡¯m worth the role and can manage the responsibilities!


    ***


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m parched.¡± Yu-mi gratefully took the glass of cold barley tea from Hyacinth, the grinning maid one of the smaller group who had gathered in Akio¡¯s main house.


    ¡°You are welcooome.¡± she replied politely, before giving tea to the two strange Yo?kai, the Kitsune Nebisuki, and Tamamo-no-Mae, who were also here, alongside a number of Akio¡¯s women. As the clearly wounded and fatigued Tamamo-no-Mae took the glass, she nodded politely, furry ears waving, which Yu-mi found rather cute. She had dark rings around her eyes, deep shadows, and her face seemed hollow. And... she doesn¡¯t seem to have any tails.


    Nebisuki behind her still had two bushy red fox tails jutting from her rear, and she was using them as a cushion to lean back on, one leg coming out from the bottom of her rather scandalous pink kimono, which was open at the waist, revealing a generous expanse of milky-white cleavage. The other leg was nowhere to be seen, of course.


    ¡°Grandmother, it pains me to see you so... shorn. I can sympathise.¡± Nebisuki chuckled. ¡°Why, were the many Kitsune who used to live in terror of you to see you now...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae grunted tiredly. ¡°I know you are enjoying this, granddaughter, but... I am in no mood for your teasing.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eri slammed down her hand on the table beside her, making a loud noise. Her obsidian eyes took in the pair of Yo?kai, Nebisuki having persuaded the frazzled Nie Ling to send her back to the Material to be ready to greet Akio on his return, Tamamo-no-Mae needing no such help, though she seemed far too small, almost fragile right now.


    ¡°I get that you have a history, but...  without Tamamo-no-Mae¡¯s protection, Asha, and Akio¡¯s children... they surely would have been killed, and Asha¡¯s Tree destroyed, Worse, Akio himself might have been wounded by the loss of the Territory. So... don¡¯t mock her. She gave her tails for a good cause, and... they¡¯ll be restored. Yours will too, so long as you don¡¯t annoy us. Mae may have been a bad person in the past, but to us she¡¯s only shown her good side. Whereas you...¡± Eri¡¯s glare was fierce, and Nebisuki tittered nervously.


    ¡°Still holding a grudge, I see? Have no fear, I shall endeavour to make it up to you!¡±


    Eri grunted. ¡°You¡¯d please me more if you just went back to the Night Parade, but...¡±


    ¡°Alas, I cannot. Akio holds my name, and so bound I am. Such a shame.¡± she drawled insincerely.


    ¡°All right, we get it.¡± Shiro was next to speak up. ¡°So, everything¡¯s running smoothly for Pilgrimage then? Not that I have much to do, since I have good subordinates like Yu-mi here...¡± Shiro grinned wickedly at her. ¡°...to manage the troops.¡±


    As everyone else echoed the sentiments, that things were in hand, Shiro glanced at Hinata and Eri, who were sitting together, looking very pleased about something. ¡°The twins ran off. I get that they have to get ready, but... it¡¯s suspicious.¡± Shiro questioned the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one that¡¯s felt Lovers¡¯ Link change a bit. And you two have been smiling smugly at each other, as if you¡¯ve got a secret, this whole time. And don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed you glancing at me sideways every so often!¡± With that her hair and eyes flared to red, faint flames flickering. No matter how many times Yu-mi saw that, it never failed to amaze her. I¡¯m in the presence of a genuine Goddess!


    ¡°Yes. Lovers¡¯ Link, as you call it. I can feel it acting rather oddly.¡±


    Yu-mi marvelled that even the tone and cadence of speech changed, it was like Shiro was a totally different person. Which she is, I suppose.


    ¡°It is a potent Skill indeed. Your talents are almost miraculous.¡± Tan?ha? continued, and Shaeula, who was idly polishing her own Faerie sword, perhaps competing childishly with Hinata, raised one hand with her fingers upraised in the sign for victory.


    ¡°I am most-most pleased you acknowledge my brilliance, Tan. But yes, I feel-feel my grasp and understanding of Lovers¡¯ Link has greatly improved, my connections deeper. As to why-why...¡± She too started staring at Eri and Hinata, wanting answers, but Eri merely held her silence, and Hinata shrugged, her expression amused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll find out soon. We aren¡¯t trying to keep you in the dark, it¡¯s just... it¡¯ll be a lot more fun this way.¡± Hinata giggled suddenly as Eri¡¯s facial expression cramped, her smile a little strained. ¡°But trust me...¡± Hinata continued. ¡°If anyone¡¯s going to be happy about this, you will be, Shaeula. But Eri and I agreed, Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan too, that Akio should be the one to share the good news.¡±


    ¡°Oho...¡± Shaeula chortled. ¡°I see-see.¡± She then glanced over at Tan?ha?, whose eyes held a clear curiosity.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. ¡°I am merely here to sate my terrible curiosity. Besides, the princess wishes to know as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± Shiro¡¯s voice sounded, one eye darkening back to black. ¡°But don¡¯t drag me into it, Tan. I¡¯m a woman who¡¯s got patience. I¡¯m not a heavy woman like Eri!¡± She then paused. ¡°Damn it if I¡¯m not utterly curious though! Is it really such a big deal? If Aki¡¯s just powered up again, then that¡¯s nothing new. He does that every other day, it seems. Tan can hardly keep her surprise in check.¡±


    ¡°Now who is dragging who into things, princess?¡± Tan?ha? took over again. ¡°I concede that his growth is on the higher end of what can be expected, especially for such a backwater world. Although, this world constantly proves far more intriguing that anticipated...¡± She glanced at the large wooden wheel that rested in the corner of the room, which Asha had brought back with her, along with the wounded and exhausted Tamamo-no-Mae, at the conclusion of the fierce battles.


    ¡°...perhaps... hmm.¡± Tan fell silent, and Shiro¡¯s hair returned to silver, flames vanishing.


    ¡°She¡¯s got some guesses, but she doesn¡¯t want to say in case she¡¯s wrong.¡± Shiro slyly shared Tan?ha?¡¯s secrets, which Yu-mi found shocking, and made her respect Shiro¡¯s bravery, as well as her unearthly beauty. ¡°I¡¯ve got mine too. But... you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll let Aki spill the beans.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be worth the wait!¡± Hinata promised, clearly loving knowing what was to come.  ¡°Before that...¡± she glanced at Yu-mi. ¡°...everything¡¯s ready, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Yu-mi stood proud and saluted smartly, matching her uniform, fists held in a diamond shape. ¡°You can count on me! Everything¡¯s organised and ready to go first thing in the morning. Though some people will have to arrive tomorrow, those we can settle are all in lodgings at or near Shirohebizumi shrine. We will commence on time.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hinata nodded. ¡°Our schedule is insanely tight, but it can¡¯t be helped. Nothing good ever comes easy.¡± Yu-mi noticed that Hinata was glancing at Shiro again, trying desperately not to smile. Now I¡¯m curious too. But... I¡¯ll find out when Akio returns. Akio, huh? Realising that she had missed him, she shook her head. When did that happen? Before I knew it, everyone here, Akio, Eri, Shaeula, Tsukiko-nim, Shiro... everyone else... they became a part of my life.


    ¡°In that case, shall we not-not make the most of what little time we have, and relax?¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°After all...¡± She glanced at the slender (and expensive, Yu-mi noticed) watch around her wrist, the strap and casing in an elegant rose gold. ¡°Akio should be soon-soon arriving in London, no?¡±


    Eri nodded. ¡°Yes, he will be arriving shortly. I hadn¡¯t the heart to tell him he¡¯ll be rushing off to a meeting with the nobility straight away, and after that he¡¯ll be using Ether Healing until he drops...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a caring wife, Eri.¡± Shiro smirked. ¡°Not wanting Aki to suffer. Oh well, it serves him right for abandoning us to go globetrotting. Even if I get why, I¡¯m still jealous...¡±


    As everyone bantered, Yu-mi leaned back, sipping her tea, quite content. I still have a few tasks to do, but I¡¯m not meeting my guests until late tonight. That means I¡¯ll be free to greet Akio when he returns. While it¡¯s hardly been boring here in Japan, if anything, it¡¯s been dreadfully stressful and frightening, from even the little I¡¯ve heard, Akio¡¯s had adventures that match ours. And... I want to hear all about them...


    A small smile on her lips, not noticing the amused looks Shiro and Shaeula were giving her, Yu-mi let the warm babble of conversation and teasing wash over her, as she contemplated the days ahead...

 Five Hundred And Fifty

    Five Hundred And Fifty


    Ring Gates really are a cheat. Yeah, having Fenrir establish linked Territories all over the world would make things so much easier...


    After the private jet landed at London City airport, I was greeted by several civil servants on behalf of the British government. They were aware I was in a hurry, but they still felt the need to take up an hour or so of my time. They made apologies that Princess Eleanor wasn¡¯t able to greet me personally, but she was busy dealing with the attacks on London. I understood, so wasn¡¯t offended, but they seemed to think it was an affront to me, so weathering their continued fawning was a little trying.


    I¡¯m not such an... no, it¡¯s too late to think that now. My Path is set. I suppose they do have to show me respect. But Eleanor is my ally, so there¡¯s no need for ceremony between us.


    They had also been extremely concerned about our attendance at New Year¡¯s Honours, being hosted by the Queen. Of course, I assured then I would still be there, and that afterwards I would meet my commitments to Eleanor in the lands of the Fae. They had then pressed me on Japan¡¯s guest list, and seemed rather insistent on us bringing a significantly greater number of attendees than I had planned, both in terms of my family, and also Japanese dignitaries.


    I was a little wary of bringing too much of our power to Britain, especially considering the recent attacks, but the Ring Gate had again proved its worth, so if I could take our fighting strength anywhere, it would be Britain. Having instructed them to contact Karen-chan regarding the details, as she was my secretary, I thought it would be a nice holiday for the girls, and mom would enjoy returning to Britain, and my sis was eager to see mom¡¯s homeland.


    Once they were satisfied, I dismissed my physical body. While we were talking, I was at least able to make good time in the Boundary, and had headed to Bermondsey Isle. I exchanged brief greetings with some of the Selkie there, who still seemed simultaneously awed and commiserating at the fact I was the fiance? of Shaeula, her reputation when she was younger still hanging over her. Once that was done I hopped through the Gate, emerging in Japan mere seconds later, turning a near eighteen hour flight into an instant. Of course, if I¡¯d have flown the other way with the others, the flight wouldn¡¯t be near as long, but this is still far, far quicker.


    It felt good, relaxing, to be back in my Territory. I could see the scars and damage from the invasion, and a number of the Buildings had been destroyed around Shirohebizumi shrine, but thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts, especially Mae, apparently, the worst case had been avoided. Returning to the Material, I was quickly greeted by everyone, as they had journeyed to Shirohebizumi from our estate, waiting to see me.


    ¡°Akio, you¡¯re here!¡± Eri rushed into my arms, ears and tail lashing, before her arms encircled me, and her lips sought mine. As we kissed passionately, the other girls watching on with fondness and amusement, I sent my thoughts to her.


    Come on, I¡¯ve not been gone that long. And you¡¯ve been in my thoughts the whole time!


    Eri rolled her dark eyes. She didn¡¯t think back to me via Lovers¡¯ Link, but instead spoke out loud, perhaps for the benefit of everyone. ¡°I know you¡¯ve only been away a short while. But... it¡¯s been rough. You know... some of us have had to... go further than we¡¯ve ever done before. I am not bothered...¡± Eri insisted, but by the subtle tremors of her body in my arms, I wasn¡¯t sure I entirely believed her. ¡°...but later... as our husband, you need to pamper and reassure us, all right?¡±


    My only answer was another passionate kiss, and my free hands patted her back reassuringly, and stroked her fluffy ears. ¡°I know. You¡¯ve been so strong, you¡¯ve done so well. It must have been hard...¡±


    At my tender reassurances, Eri took a deep breath, steeling herself, glimmering diamond tears in her eyes, but she nodded. ¡°I suppose... it was. But... I¡¯m okay, I promise.¡± She took another breath. ¡°After all, we hate lies, right? That doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t take some pampering though. But sadly...¡±


    ¡°Yes-yes, there is little time.¡± Shaeula was next up. I released Eri, and Shaeula leapt into my embrace. As our lips met, her small tongue squirming and tangling with mine, her kiss greedy, I realised I was going to be doing a lot of kissing this evening. As our lips parted, a faint bridge of saliva linking us momentarily, Shaeula narrowed her eyes, the brilliant amber glow soothing.


    ¡°I know-know Eri and Hinata have been keeping a secret, but I think-think I see. You are radiating so much more Charm... or perhaps it is that-that the nature of your Charm has changed, deepened? It is...¡± Shaeula¡¯s skin was pink and hot, her breath coming fast. ¡°...most-most alluring! If I but had the time, I would eat-eat you up now. But I have patience!¡± Her small hands caressed my body. ¡°After all, my birthday is upon us soon-soon!¡±


    ¡°My turn!¡± Hinata appeared. She was wearing rather more formal clothing than the others, who were in their casual clothes, cute ones of course, as they clearly wanted to appeal to me, but casual nonetheless. As Shaeula parted from me reluctantly, Hinata was next for her hug and kiss. When we separated, she turned to the waiting crowd of girls, especially Shiro.


    ¡°I know you want to know, but... Akio really doesn¡¯t have time right now. Sorry!¡± she apologised to me. ¡°But the matter with Fujiwara house really has to be sorted out now you¡¯re back. Don¡¯t worry though, I¡¯ll be accompanying you as the daughter of Takatsukasa house. It¡¯s a matter concerning all of the Three Great Houses after all. So... I¡¯ll content myself to just this.¡± She kissed me again, pressing her body against mine, before parting. ¡°Oh... and you simply have to see Clai?omh Solais! It¡¯s awesome and I want to know all about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m next!¡± Natsumi bounded into my embrace, Motoko looking on warmly. Natsumi pressed her chest into me, her casual hakama not muting the sensation, I could feel her curves clearly. Surprised, she grinned. ¡°I made this myself. Motoko¡¯s too. It looks like an ordinary hakama for training, but it¡¯s made from high-quality silk, and also some materials from the Boundary. It¡¯s like a second skin.¡± She giggled. ¡°It is decent enough to wear without shame in public...¡± She continued to rub against me, her leg pressing into my groin. ¡°...but also doubles as bedwear. And it¡¯s easy to clean...¡± She then kissed me greedily.


    ¡°Was it rough?¡± I patted her head when our lips parted. ¡°I heard about Hanafubuki.¡±


    Natsumi shook her head, expression pensive. ¡°Not in the way that you mean. Fighting, killing... yes it was so much more intense than I ever imagined, but I¡¯m a bodyguard. I trained for it, and even if it was just a play, knowing I¡¯d be replaced when Motoko married... I took it seriously. No, it was the deaths of the girls I¡¯ve known since kindergarten, blessedly few as they were, and the injuries, which rattled me. But... we¡¯ll talk about it later. At length. In a more comfortable environment.¡± Her brown eyes were inviting, and her chest was tight against me. With some reluctance, she stepped free. ¡°Motoko, your turn.¡±


    ¡°I can wait.¡± she insisted warmly, but Natsumi shook her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ve time to linger later. Besides, others are waiting their turn.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yes, I was being slightly foolish.¡± Motoko admitted. She too was wearing the silky hakama, and while she didn¡¯t press her chest into me like Natsumi, perhaps because her breasts were more on the modest side, she had no issues kissing me passionately as the others had. When we parted, lips damp, she was breathing heavily.


    ¡°Oh, my heart races so. Perhaps more than even in battle. I... like Natsumi...¡± Motoko gathered her thoughts. ¡°...the battle itself, the lives we took... they did not move me. They were enemies, and invaded Hanafubuki to torture and kill. They deserve neither pity nor remembrance. But...¡± I squeezed her hand gently, stroking her cheek, while she gathered her thoughts, Natsumi and the others watching on with supportive expressions.


    ¡°...though I do not grieve for our enemies, will not... it is strange. You talked of this. I have killed in the Boundary many times, even some creatures that have clear intelligence. This should be no different, but... it feels very much so.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I kissed the tips of her ears, making her squirm and blush. ¡°It does. And Natsumi¡¯s right. Now isn¡¯t the time, but... I¡¯m here. I¡¯m always here for you. And that goes for all of you.¡± I told everyone else.


    ¡°I do not doubt it.¡± Motoko took a deep breath, and then her smile was the usual calm one I remembered. ¡°Welcome home, Akio, my husband. I would offer you dinner, or a bath, or...¡±


    ¡°How cliche?!¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°If you offer him you... he¡¯d have to service us all. Eleven might be a bit much for even Aki to handle, although...¡± One of her eyes was crimson. ¡°Tan seems to be very curious and impressed right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be nine!¡± Kana insisted, chuckling. ¡°I¡¯m not having my first time in an orgy, thank you very much! You aren¡¯t either, right Tsukiko?¡±


    I glanced at them. While Eri was in her usual casual style, though her cardigan and t-shirt were lacy and cuter than she used to wear, and Shaeula was of course in a brightly patterned yukata, Kana was in jeans, though as usual they were slim-fit, showing off her long, slender legs, and she wore a pink t-shirt, also cut cuter than her normal look. Tsukiko was wearing a one-piece dress, in a tasteful white, with a long, flowing hem, but the upper part showed off a decent amount of her cleavage, and her arms, making it both pretty and rather sexy. Seeing me looking at her chest, Tsukiko¡¯s skin flushed a little, which was unusual for her.


    ¡°I... was considering where to take our relationship. I mean, I have already...¡± She touched her lips, and I remembered that time in the hot springs, where Tsukiko and I first shared some erotic pleasures. ¡°...sooner or later, I wish to experience it. Lovemaking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but later is better, trust me!¡± Kana insisted. ¡°Hyacinth, you go next, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nooo, I should go last, after all yooou other mistresses....¡± Hyacinth began. Her maid outfit was the usual scandalous one she wore when indoors and out of sight of others, but it too had some rather cute lacy adornments that had surely been added to make it more stylish.


    ¡°No, if we¡¯re doing the order, you should go next.¡± Shiro insisted. ¡°Besides, what does it matter who goes where? Aki¡¯s got enough love for us all.¡± She narrowed her black eyes then. ¡°Hopefully he¡¯s got a little more to spare.¡±


    Feeling guilty, wondering if Shiro had puzzled some things out after all, as she did know me very well, I nodded. As Motoko stepped aside, Shiro gave Hyacinth a gentle push, and after a brief hesitation, she surged forwards, embracing me, pulling my head into her expansive cleavage. ¡°Akiooo, you have returned! All the mistresses are safe, as yooou can see. Though...¡± Her expression darkened, a deep anger in her silver-violet eyes. ¡°...many were injured. It was enough tooo drive Hyacinth to a deep rage! I killed and I killed and I...¡±


    Her words were cut off as I pulled free from her cleavage, though not before I kissed her bare flesh, though she was too angry to stop. I plugged her mouth with my own, kissing her aggressively, one hand reaching under her skirt and grabbing her ass, my other hand stroking her head. She froze for a moment, before the anger drained from her eyes and she started seductively attacking me. Her hands somehow managed to get inside my pants, and her kiss was electric. I heard Shiro letting out a dull whistle, and it took me several minutes to calm Hyacinth down, kissing and fondling her until she came to her senses.


    ¡°I know it was hard. But you did well. And everyone¡¯s still fine.¡± I soothed her, as she buried her head in my chest this time, her embarrassment driving her to hide her face.


    ¡°I knooow. But... it angered me, it did. It doooes!¡± she declared. ¡°It shooould not happen again, but Hyacinth fears that it will!¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s talking about, but... I can tell she¡¯s hurting. Bad memories, perhaps. I know she says she doesn¡¯t remember her past well, but... as her stats increase, it¡¯s only natural more will return to her...


    After another five minutes, Hyacinth had recovered, and with one final cheeky pat on her bottom, which made her giggle and flush, she retreated from my embrace, looking at Shiro. ¡°I am sooorry. You must be eager, mistress Shiro. Gooo right ahead!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Shiro grinned. She stopped in front of me, looking me up and down, a sardonic expression on her face. ¡°Yeah, definitely something¡¯s changed. Want to share with your dear Shirohime?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I nodded. ¡°But first...¡± I opened my arms for her. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt too, but the t-shirt wasn¡¯t white, it was a patterned blue and black one, and her jeans were blue too, and though it was a small change, the fact she¡¯d made the effort made her look sexier than ever.


    Seeing me checking her out, Shiro smiled broadly. ¡°Yeah, we all thought we¡¯d make an effort. Shit Aki, if even one of us was waiting at home for you, you¡¯d be a winner at life, but here you have all of us. Honestly... it¡¯s good to change my colour scheme now and again. After all... I was White, but you¡¯ve dyed me, overwritten my purity.¡± With that she finally stepped into my embrace, leaving the other girls rolling their eyes and chuckling over her declaration.


    I hugged Shiro, feeling her gorgeous body, and we kissed. Shiro, despite her words, wasn¡¯t too aggressive, and I enjoyed stroking her long silver hair as we kissed, though I also couldn¡¯t resist a quick squeeze of her ass, as it stood out in the jeans. Rolling her eyes, Shiro returned the favour, and after a while we parted.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m gorgeous, but... no touching the merchandise until you tell me just what¡¯s up, Aki. Otherwise Tan¡¯s going to wear out my brain with all her questions and speculation. Hinata and Eri just won¡¯t tell us!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, Shiro, it¡¯s a lot more fun this way!¡± Hinata teased, while Eri folded her arms, tail swaying, seeming rather smug.


    ¡°They¡¯re right. But... want me to give you a little hint?¡± I leaned in, and Shiro grinned.


    ¡°I knew you couldn¡¯t resist me, Aki! Go on, I won¡¯t tell!¡± She tilted her head towards me, and I was so close to her ear my breath was making her shiver. Unable to help myself, I licked her ear, and she jumped adorably, surprised. Once she finished giving me a reproving look, she tilted her head again, and I breathed out my question, so quietly that only Shiro could hear it.


    ¡°Just how is Tan going to have a... relationship... with me? Won¡¯t she have to borrow your body to do it? To do... everything?¡±


    For a moment Shiro paused, frozen. Then her face turned scarlet, no, not just her face, all her exposed skin went crimson. Moments later that was joined by her eyes and hair, as Tan surged to the surface.


    ¡°Arrogant man. You are premature, our wager is not concluded, and the agreed time is running out. You have grown stronger, certainly, but that step...¡±


    I placed my finger against Shiro¡¯s, no, Tan¡¯s lips, the first time I had ever voluntarily touched her, and it silenced her, eyes going wide. As the silence stretched out, I grinned, speaking into it. ¡°What can be done once can be done again, right? So I¡¯m afraid I know I¡¯ve won. I just... hope you don¡¯t regret it, Tan.¡±


    She opened her mouth as I removed my finger, and her tongue slid out, licking her lips where my finger had been. ¡°Arrogant. So arrogant.¡± She repeated her earlier complaint. ¡°I am Tan?ha? the Thirst. I regret no words I have spoken. It seems you think yourself the victor, yet... now I am curious.¡± She sniffed, her tongue out, tasting the air. ¡°You have a greater number of Seeds, though the taste is different. But... some are missing which you had before. Fascinating. Did you... who... how...?¡± Her fiery crimson gaze looked as if it wished to devour me, and with her cheeks still flushed from Shiro¡¯s embarrassment it was incredibly alluring.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. It¡¯s... quite the tale.¡± I promised. ¡°Now...¡± I¡¯ve accepted Tan already in my heart. After all, she¡¯s a part of Shiro, at least for the foreseeable future, so it¡¯s not further dividing my already precious time. Besides... Shiro wants it herself, and I genuinely respect Tan. She¡¯s given us a great deal of advice. We got of to a rocky start but...


    I did worry that she wouldn¡¯t take my aid to a Valkyrie of the World Tree Pantheon too well, but I had told her that my goal was to pay my debt to Ortlinde, and also to her, while not joining their Pantheons hastily, so she should understand.


    ¡°...would you like to give me a welcome back kiss?¡± I teased, and one of her eyes flared to black, Shiro widening it further in shock at my confident banter. And why shouldn¡¯t I be confident. It¡¯s... insane, but... I married two Valkyrie! I may not see them for years, perhaps, but... it¡¯s still a true marriage, my Class confirms it, and... honestly, Ortlinde and Rossweisse don¡¯t seem the sort to make vows they don¡¯t intend to honour. So... a Goddess I was already planning for won¡¯t dismay me.


    ¡°I think... not.¡± Tan managed after a very awkward silence. ¡°You have not won me yet, Akio.¡± Using my name was a rare sign she was serious. ¡°Now I have greater concerns. Where... where did the Seed go? It is a powerful treasure, if you let it slip from your grasp carelessly...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± I assured her. ¡°It¡¯s far, far from here, and repaying a debt. But that¡¯s a tale for later. There are still others in the queue. So...¡± I opened my arms. ¡°...want a hug?¡±


    Tan snorted. ¡°Foolish man. No, Akio, I shall be retreating for now. But you simply must speak of this soon. I hope you have not made any grave mistakes in your eagerness to prove yourself a better man than the Buddha and stand beside me?¡±


    I shook my head, and Shiro¡¯s hair reverted to silver, eyes to black. ¡°Shit, Aki! You... you¡¯ve rattled Tan there! She¡¯s sulking, and... you nearly made my heart stop. But... oh shit, you¡¯re right!¡± Shiro was babbling. ¡°I... I never really thought about it, did I? I know under Divine Possession my Body becomes more than mine, it takes on aspects of Tan, but... it¡¯ll still be me, won¡¯t it? Damn... Anyway... uh, Daiyu, you¡¯re up!¡±


    As Shiro stepped away, muttering and obviously having an internal conversation with Tan, Daiyu approached. She was wearing an outfit that made me blink in surprise, white track shorts and t-shirt, with a black zip-up top layered over it. While the outfit was plain, it was clearly a designer label, and she looked dangerously cute and fresh in it.


    Sauntering over, Daiyu seemed a little shy, but with her hair also bundled up with hair-sticks, she seemed jaunty and sporty. ¡°I... does it look weird? Eri and Kana helped me pick out the look.¡±


    ¡°No, it looks awesome!¡± I gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re like a new woman! I¡¯m curious though, why the change?¡±


    Daiyu smiled, her usual slight one that only those who knew her well could notice, though the faint pink tinge on her cheeks gave away she was embarrassed and happy at my praise. ¡°Everyone is trying to appeal to you. I am no different. But... it is also training wear. I... have received news. It seems my disciples from this idol group, AKB0048, will be coming on Pilgrimage not alone, but... with the whole group. So I shall endeavour to train them all to Qi Refining, if you can aid me with Chirurgery.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hinata spoke up. ¡°I was expecting Keiko-chan and the others, being as they are Adamant members too, but seems like the whole group is in, after the concert and the events of the last few days, they realised it was the best for them. I¡¯ll put Tamami-chan from Red and White in charge and get Suzu-chan to help out chaperoning and directing the group. After all, Tamami-chan is a genuine shrine maiden from Kanda-myo?jin, which is also on our Pilgrimage, and she¡¯s eager to show it off.¡±


    ¡°No kidding...¡± Shiro spoke up, though she still seemed a little dazed. ¡°...Ai is going crazy at the thought of spending more than a week on tour with not just Red and White, but AKB0048 as well. Oh, and Suzumebachi I guess, though since she knows Suzu, the effect kind of gets ruined. Oh... and before you wonder...¡± Shiro grinned, clearly trying to get her own back on me for teasing her and Tan, and withholding a juicy secret. ¡°...Ai wanted to come see you when you returned, but... we said only your lovers got the privilege of welcoming you back in person. Eri half expected her to say she was coming anyway...¡±


    ¡°I did not! Not really...¡± Eri amended, ears flickering. ¡°Aiko¡¯s normal, honestly. Well, abnormally normal, if you know what I mean? But... back on Daiyu...¡± Eri smiled at me knowingly, seeing as I kept checking out Daiyu¡¯s pretty legs which were bare because of her rather skimpy shorts. ¡°...don¡¯t worry, for the actual training, Daiyu¡¯s prepared some very modest, if still cute tracksuits. But she¡¯s always noticed you admiring her legs when the slits in her Cultivator robes show them, so...¡±


    ¡°You do not need to embarrass me by telling him...¡± Daiyu¡¯s faint flush deepened, and I pulled her into a hug. I gently stroked her bare thighs, making the most of it, and as we kissed, her black eyes melted with passion, becoming damp. When we parted, she softly sighed.


    ¡°...but then, I suppose it does not matter. I am happy to see you returned safely. As for me... I am a mongoose who has slain many rats in my time. So I have no need of your emotional care. Though... I do crave your attention for... other... reasons.¡± The white cloth of her t-shirt was sticking to her, and it seemed like she was quite excited. I kissed her again, and then, with slight regret, we parted. I then asked something I was wondering.


    ¡°So, if only my lovers are waiting... why are they here?¡± I pointed out Mae, who was looking frail and unwell, almost worse than when we first met and the Saint of Swallowed Sorrows was torturing and draining her. She didn¡¯t possess a single tail, and while I¡¯d been told of her heroics and the injuries she suffered, it seemed worse than I had been told.


    ¡°Why would I not be here?¡± our second guest, Shinkume-no-Hana, grinned broadly. ¡°I explained to my fellow sisters...¡± Eri wasn¡¯t the only one to grimace at that, Shaeula had a very sour expression on her face, as well she might, considering her family¡¯s history with Nebisuki. ¡°...that our names and tails are in your grasp. That bond... it is as deeply intimate and passionate as any love...¡±


    ¡°That-that is quite enough!¡± Shaeula complained, shooting her a bitter look. ¡°You have not-not the quality to stand beside Akio. You are not-not loyal!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did I not say that I was just waiting for the man who could tame me, little daughter of Urakaze? But no matter... it would be cruel, yes, letting grandmother come here all alone?¡±


    Mae said nothing, merely watched me tiredly. Yeah, I¡¯ve got to do something about that, but... My gaze fell on Asha, and I felt great affection for her and relief she was still alive and unharmed. ¡°She¡¯s not my lover, but... she certainly earned her right to make demands of me.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Mae spoke at last, as if the very words were an effort. ¡°You hold my name. I had no choice but to defend the shrine and your woman.¡±


    ¡°Not true and you know it. I only asked you to help, it wasn¡¯t an order.¡± I saw through her lies.


    ¡°You... you will rescue Caihong¡¯er and Liena, you freed me from suffering... I... may be fickle, untrustworthy, and prone to forgetting gratitude...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that sounds like you, grandmother...¡± Nebisuki chuckled.


    ¡°...silence, granddaughter.¡± Even without her tails and her power gravely diminished, her tone still cowed her cheeky granddaughter. Seeing Mae pout, her chest threatening to spill free from her half-open kimono as she struggled for composure, I spoke.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll rescue them, if I can. I don¡¯t believe good deeds, especially ones motivated by love, should go unrewarded. But... I¡¯ll also restore you. Better than before.¡± I moved forwards. Asha stepped aside demurely, despite it being her turn, and as I made to mouth an apology, she reached out for my hand and pressed something inside it, while winking, an unusual gesture for her. I let my Eyes glow, which caused Shiro¡¯s eyes to flare red, Tan noticing my obvious change.


    Apple Of Crystallised Immaterium [Item Class: Noble] [Item Type: Law]


    On reading the description, and seeing it had come from the Materia Tree, I was surprised, but also grateful. Maybe this is the Tree¡¯s way of thanking Mae for protecting it? I don¡¯t need the apple to restore her, not now, I don¡¯t think, but... it¡¯ll certainly make it easier.


    Bowing before Mae, which made her eyes widen at my humility, I grabbed her hand. ¡°Thank you, Mae. You protected what matters to me, so I¡¯ll do the same for you. And don¡¯t worry, I am certain this time you¡¯ll be closer to perfect than before. I won¡¯t rest until I can see your true majesty, like in your heyday!¡±


    ¡°That seemed awfully like a proposal. How envious, grandmother! I am so jealous...¡± Nebisuki teased, but we ignored her. There was a long silence from Mae, before she spoke, surprisingly timid.


    ¡°Will... will it hurt like before?¡± As she stared at me with upturned eyes, the brilliant green lustre now rather dull, I paused. Damn, that¡¯s so adorable... you wouldn¡¯t think she¡¯s... I curtailed my thought, seeing as those eyes hardened, and I once more marvelled how all women were so sensitive to thoughts of their age.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to moderate it. But, no pain, no gain, right?¡±


    ¡°It seems grandmother has fallen into the hands of a sadist. Perhaps that is meant to be.¡± Nebisuki snorted. ¡°Will... will you restore me too? I may not have fought, but I was prepared to protect everyone, were the mansion¡¯s shelter to be breached.¡±


    ¡°Mae first, as she¡¯s more complicated, but yeah... you earned your injuries fighting alongside us. So the least I can do is fix you...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you pleased, grandmother? I seem a mere afterthought, yet he thinks deeply of you and your care.¡± She chewed on the silver stem of her smoking pipe in frustration, though it was not lit, as she had given up the habit, at least here in the Material.


    ¡°I... am too exhausted for your annoyances, granddaughter!¡± As the two of them exchanged complaints, I pocketed the Apple. I think the Pilgrimage is the perfect time to use it as well. My Skills are better than last time, my knowledge too. With... Shiro¡¯s buffs and the perfect materials...


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Asha!¡± She was wearing different clothes to normal too, though like Motoko and Natsumi, it was only a variant. Her customary gown-like dress was in a pale yellow, and rather more daringly cut. We hugged and kissed, though I was careful not to squeeze her too tightly, and after we parted, our lips damp, I gently rubbed her belly and listened to her stomach, even as she stroked my hair, yellow eyes gazing at me fondly.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hear anything yet.¡± Eri pointed out. ¡°Asha¡¯s not been pregnant long enough.¡±


    ¡°That is nooot true!¡± Hyacinth shook her head. ¡°The strooonger the Fae, the shorter the term. Why, I remember when little Tita...¡± she paused, her face suddenly becoming an expressionless mask. ¡°Nooo. Forget I spoke. That... I do nooot...¡±


    Eri and Shaeula went to console the clearly troubled Hyacinth, leaving an awkward atmosphere, but in her usual calm manner, Asha dispelled it. ¡°Hyacinth is correct. Though we Dryads are slightly odd in that respect, as our daughters require Trees. I shall not take forty weeks, as you humans do. Though I expect no imminent birth.¡±


    ¡°You should be careful then.¡± Tsukiko spoke up, concerned. Her white dress made her seem like a Fae princess herself, what with her flowing, raven-black hair and beautiful crimson eyes full of wisdom. ¡°Asha, your children are Akio¡¯s treasure, our treasure. One day...¡± She touched her own belly. ¡°...I wish to have a child. Though, even should she be favoured by the Gods, I shall not allow her to be sacrificed for their goals!¡±


    ¡°Already imagining a daughter, huh? I think me, I¡¯d like a boy.¡± Kana chimed in, though then she flushed a deep crimson, realising what she had said. ¡°Not for ages yet though! So don¡¯t expect you¡¯ll get the fun of making one with me any time soon, Akio!¡± She masked her shyness with teasing. ¡°I definitely want a boy though. If I had a daughter, and she ended up in a harem like we all are... I¡¯d have to join my mother and your mother in their club, Eri!¡±


    As Eri snorted, amused, Kana then pushed Tsukiko¡¯s back. ¡°Since you¡¯re already planning your family life with Akio, best go greet him, yeah?¡±


    Asha stepped aside gracefully, and Tsukiko approached. For a moment she stood there, a little unsure, before a bright smile crossed her features, her ruby eyes sparkling. ¡°I... suspect I am overthinking matters. While I am not used to this... I understand one thing. I... am very pleased to see you returned to me, to us... safely. Your mother, she says I am perfect for this, so...¡± She pulled me close and her lips touched mine. I pushed out my tongue, and she opened her mouth with a damp sigh. Our kiss was clumsy, she having had little practice, but it was fervent, and as she heated up, her arms were around me, holding me tight. Her chest is big, and so soft and warm...


    ¡°Think of me as a big sister.¡± Tsukiko was flushed saying it, but she persevered, and I blamed my mom for putting ideas in her head. ¡°I can spoil you, whereas you feel the need to spoil the younger girls. Here...¡± She patted her chest. ¡°...any time you need comfort, my... my breasts are here for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what a sister does. Oh wait, if he asked Ai...¡± Shiro smirked, and Shaeula laughed uproariously, before Eri¡¯s lecture silenced them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind...¡± I looked into her eyes earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m going to be the man that brings you happiness in your second chance at life, and... I want to spend my life with you, and the others too. But... don¡¯t rush things. We¡¯ve only done a little, so...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am most inexperienced. But... we are on a pilgrimage to the Gods. We shall visit Kyoto, and my shrine, but also... Gassan shrine, upon Mount Gassan... it is the grandest shrine to Tsukuyomi, and upon the heights, under the gaze of the Gods, my God...¡± Her gaze was both hot and somehow calm at the same time, and I thought perhaps that was her maturity showing. ¡°...I shall rededicate myself... for I will offer my body and heart to you, and you will be who my heart seeks to serve.¡±


    Shiro whistled again, her argument with Eri forgotten. Kana also shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t compete with that! Tsukiko, you¡¯ve certainly grown bolder. I know you said you were going to follow your dream, so I¡¯m told, when you were in the safe room, but... that¡¯s bold!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to serve me... just... share my life with me.¡± I corrected her, and she kissed me again, taking my hand and slipping it down her dress and inside her bra. I reflexively squeezed, unable to help myself, fingers sinking into soft flesh. She heated up, blush deepening, and she bit down on a moan, embarrassed, which was incredibly adorable. When she calmed down, she finally spoke.


    ¡°Feel my heartbeat. It beats for you. My heart races now...¡±


    ¡°No shit, Aki¡¯s groping you... no, I¡¯ll be quiet!¡± Shiro was again cowed by Eri¡¯s steely glare.


    ¡°...yes. It¡¯s fast. But also soothing. It shows you¡¯re here.¡± I told her, and she laned in and kissed me again, still clumsy, but eager to learn. When we parted, and I released her breast, a faint flicker of regret passed over her features, before she suddenly laughed, the sound rich and delighted.


    ¡°...to think I would feel this way. Tsukuyomi, did you foresee this? Was it all a ruse, to guide me to here, to you?¡± She gazed into my eyes. ¡°Whether it is or not... I am content. No, more than content. I look forward to the future, to see what it holds. But not through prophecy, nor visions, but... through our efforts. So... Gassan shrine. I shall be ready.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Hinata nodded. ¡°Motoko, can you make the arrangements? We¡¯ve plenty of time before the Pilgrimage passes through Yamagata prefecture.¡± As Motoko nodded, Hinata frowned. ¡°Oh, your flight from America gets in late tonight, yes?¡±


    I nodded, as Tsukiko slipped back from me, her boldness exhausted, yet she had a warm, relaxed smile on her red face. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve got a couple of newcomers as well. I told you about them...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the children of the FBI Director. I talked it over and we agree it¡¯s okay, so long as Shaeula gets to bind them to keep our secrets and not betray us. Don¡¯t worry, Yu-mi and some escorts will be picking up her recruits from South Korea, and they¡¯ll be going through the same procedure. Neither country has much credit with us right now...¡± As Hinata explained indignantly, I nodded, praising her for preparing extra offerings so that unexpected additions were manageable. I¡¯ll bill Christopher on their behalf, or... they can work the debt off using their abilities. I had received a message from Christina, since the private jets were equipped with signal boosters and receivers so could receive calls and texts, saying they had interesting ones, so I had high hopes, even if she wasn¡¯t clear on what they were.


    ¡°You know...¡± Kana shifted nervously when Hinata wound down. ¡°I¡¯m feeling rather nervous. But...¡± She gave me a hug, and also kissed me. It wasn¡¯t as passionate as some of the other kisses, but it was deep and heartfelt, and when she pulled away, she was breathing fast, face red. ¡°...you are my boyfriend, so kissing when we haven¡¯t seen each other seems right. No, kissing any time seems right. And a hug. But... that¡¯s all you get. I¡¯m not one for making bold declarations like Tsukiko...¡± She chuckled, straightening her clothes that had been rumpled where I hugged her tightly.


    ¡°...but I will tell you this. I¡¯m going to do my best as one of the leaders of this Pilgrimage. You¡¯ll be proud of me, and glad you finally had the courage to ask me out. And...¡± She smiled wickedly. ¡°I want to go on dates! There isn¡¯t much free time, but some of the shrines and temples are in rather scenic or fun areas. And then... there¡¯s Christmas Eve!¡± She winked, and I opened my mouth to agree, when suddenly my Foresight started prickling.


    Okay, that¡¯s... amusing. It¡¯s not... really... danger, but... Not sure whether the multiverse was toying with me, I swallowed what I was about to say, which seemed just as well, as Eri, Hinata, Shiro, even Motoko and Natsumi, heated up, declaring they too wanted Christmas Eve dates. Seeing that, Kana winked at me, and I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, as it seemed like this chaos was what she wanted, to keep things fun. Even if you nearly got me lynched!


    Impressed that my Foresight, perhaps now it had increased intensity, had warned me of a misstep, even a minor one, I knew I couldn¡¯t rely on it, but I resolved to trust it more. As the girls argued, Hinata reluctantly pulled herself away from the fray, grabbing my hand. ¡°I do want to stay and fight for my share, but I know you¡¯ll be fair, Akio.¡±


    As I nodded, she continued. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s little time. You have Ether Healing and Chirurgery to do all through the night in preparation for the Pilgrimage, and no doubt you want to check your Territory and fix some damage?¡± As I nodded again, she smiled.


    ¡°In that case, we should go. Fujiwara-sama and the others are waiting for us. Haru-chan too. We... need to resolve this mess. But... you should brace yourself.¡± As Hinata¡¯s earnest brown eyes looked into mine, I held in a sigh, needing no comical Foresight to know this situation was going to be irritating, in more ways than one. The only thing that matters though, is making sure Miyu isn¡¯t disadvantaged. She¡¯s my Vassal, and our friend. That¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t compromise on...

 Five Hundred And Fifty-One

    Five Hundred And Fifty-One


    ¡°It¡¯s always amusing that they forget I can be in two places at once...¡± I said to Hinata as the limousine pulled out of Shirohebizumi shrine. ¡°Though honestly, I¡¯m not going to be having fun and flirting. I hear it was bad.¡±


    Before I left, my Astral body reappeared, and Shaeula was leading me to the numerous injured. Of course, that only covered the Fae and other Boundary dwellers. There were others that required Ether Healing, such as a number of the wounded from Hanafubuki, some of which were either entirely unable to enter the Boundary, or despite having Chirurgery, were still too weak or wounded. While Shaeula had managed the potentially fatal wounds, exhausting herself, there were still quite the number of casualties that needed attention.


    She did well though. I hear that a few of the girls from Hanafubuki, including Mizuki-san... It was impossible not to remember that girl... were near death, and she at least got them stabilised and out of danger.


    Guessing what I was thinking, Hinata nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll still have your work cut out for you in both worlds when you return. We¡¯ve moved most of the wounded that still need your Ether Healing to a temporary location near Shirohebizumi. After all, a lot of them will be going on the Pilgrimage, so they need fixing. There¡¯s the extra Chirurgery too.¡± Hinata smiled sympathetically, patting my shoulder comfortingly, before her smile changed to one of fierce pride.


    ¡°Some of our newer recruits to Adamant really acquitted themselves well in the Hanafubuki battle. They were hurt badly, nearly died, but they stood their ground and fought, without a single backwards step. Thanks to that... Sakura, she didn¡¯t die. Again, Shaeula made sure they were out of danger, but I want them ready to go for the full experience. Honestly, I think they¡¯ve got great potential for the future. Bravery and willingness to fight and die for Adamant is the greatest advantage. Leadership, Skills, combat prowess... all that can be trained, but loyalty and guts is inherent to a person, I think.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think bravery can be learned. Eri wasn¡¯t brave but look at her now.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But you¡¯re right, fixing a personality isn¡¯t as easy as training up some Skills and Statistics.¡±


    ¡°Only you could think that training those are easy. As we hear more about other Chosen, it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re the exception, not the normal.¡± Hinata snuggled in close, though she was careful not to ruffle her formal clothing, as the meeting with Fujiwara-san was coming up shortly. She looked positively adorable in a medium-length, tight charcoal shirt, white ruffled shirt and matching charcoal suit jacket, like a proper professional businesswoman. Seeing my admiring gaze, she blushed a little, before giggling.


    ¡°They¡¯re all decently cute as well. Not to our standard, but there¡¯s very few daughters of the nobility, even the Three-Hundred, that aren¡¯t pretty. Good breeding and money helps.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how cute they are, just that they make a full recovery. But Shaeula knows what she¡¯s doing, and... yeah, I feel rather powerful right now. I¡¯m sure I can handle everything and still be fresh for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it.¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°So, want to tell me about them? These Valkyries? It¡¯s just Eri, me, Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan who know. It was actually very amusing. The twins are totally in awe of you, you know? They are extremely devout and see you as the second coming of Izanagi. They¡¯ve expressed a willingness to continue supporting you as their career goals and are especially excited that the Pilgrimage will be visiting their shrine. Here¡¯s a suggestion.¡± Hinata winked. ¡°I¡¯ve deliberately not suggested adding shrines for Susanoo-no-Mikoto and Kushinada-hime to the new shrine building at the Tengokusentou. Because I think you should. It¡¯ll help cement their loyalty to you. And make them happy.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I really like and respect the twins, but Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan are too young to be deciding their future right now. However, I agree. Their shrine¡¯s Kami and Gods should be represented. They were with us nearly from the start.¡±


    ¡°Blame yourself. You¡¯re just too impressive.¡± Hinata smirked, enjoying my slight discomfort, teasing me playfully. ¡°And they were always going to be shrine maidens, that was never in question, it¡¯s just... now they want to be yours. Honestly, it¡¯s not like we can let their talents go to waste, is it? They massively increase the efficiency of our training and allow us to do some crazy feats like when I linked into Eri and met my new sisters.¡± Her smile was now wicked.


    ¡°Haru-chan can do a lot of the same things, but she¡¯s also very busy, and her linking isn¡¯t as good as her reading, probably because she wasn¡¯t born with the gift and a second self, like the twins were. The important thing is, since they decided, to make them never regret their choice, right? Isn¡¯t that what you said to us?¡± Hinata chortled. ¡°I remember it. I remember everything you say!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to be careful then.¡± I teased, and she continued to explain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they know what they want. And as members of Adamant, I¡¯ll be sure to look after them, as will Shiro and Shaeula. So, anyway, back to the Valkyries...¡± As we pulled into Azabu, approaching the Fujiwara estate, I regaled Hinata with the tale, her expressing shock and surprise at just what had transpired. As the car pulled up, she gave her final thoughts.


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky.¡± she breathed, relieved, surprising me. Seeing my shock, she rolled her brown eyes, snorting.


    ¡°I¡¯m thankful you came back to us. Think about it. You were there. There! The same sort of place Tan?ha? comes from. And you have the means to move yourself there permanently. You could have lived in a world beyond our imagination and stay with your new Valkyrie wives. Instead... you chose us!¡±


    ¡°Of course I did.¡± I patted her head reassuringly, careful not to mess her hair, as the driver opened the door for us. As we stepped out, I noticed that there was a heavy presence of Fujiwara Security Services scattered about, far more than usual.


    ¡°After all, what I love is here. And while admittedly, seeing the World Tree, hundreds, thousands of worlds more fantastical and wondrous than I can even imagine, definitely appeals...¡± I paused, gathering my words, wanting to say it properly. ¡°...it¡¯s only worthwhile if I¡¯m seeing it with everyone I love. There are sights I want to see, and dreams I want to experience, but... together with you all.¡±


    As Hinata blushed at my heartfelt words, she leaned in and kissed my cheek gently. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet. And I¡¯m glad. As we all feel the same way. And not just us. The twins, the members of Adamant, our family and friends, those who support us... and we¡¯ll succeed. Though... I do feel a little bit bad for the Valkyries. Their husband is so very far away!¡± She giggled then. ¡°Don¡¯t you love them and want to be with them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... genuinely a hard one. Ortlinde, I feel an immense gratitude to. And she¡¯s certainly beautiful, with her fiery red hair and golden eyes. She¡¯s got a killer figure too. I think... love can spring from many things, and a need, a want to repay, that¡¯s one seed that can sprout. Honestly, it¡¯s the same with Tan. I¡¯m not just comfortable with her, I owe her. And... honestly, I want to break her shell, see the real Tan?ha? that nobody else has ever seen.¡± I scratched my cheek then, embarrassed by my honest thoughts. ¡°As for Rossweisse, she¡¯s stunning in a different way to Ortlinde. She¡¯s closer to your type, in fact.¡± I teased Hinata, who mock-frowned, looking down at her chest. ¡°Clever, inquisitive, with a specialty. Instead of business though, hers are Runes, and they¡¯re fascinating. And again, I¡¯m grateful, she helped me in my hour of desperate need, but... I¡¯ve spent barely any time with her. But... she chose me, and... the multiverse accepted her vows. I... don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be hard to love her. Ortlinde neither. But they are loves for the future, you are all my now!¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Very well said.¡± Hinata nodded. ¡°I always knew my husband would have to be clever and practical. Ones for the future, huh? We¡¯ll have to map the political intrigue on a grand scale, since we¡¯ll have ties to World Tree and Tan?ha?¡¯s Pantheon. She called it the Six Paths before, yes?¡±


    As I nodded, she explained quietly. ¡°Tan?ha? is a done deal, you say?¡± At my nod, she grinned, well satisfied. ¡°In that case... while she can¡¯t use most of her strength, we¡¯ll still have a huge advantage in our camp. If we can just deal with these Dragons of Red and White...¡± We were shown to a reception room for a brief wait by a smartly dressed maid, and Hinata finished outlining her plans, asking me more questions about the Valkyries. When I was done describing what Rossweisse looked like, since I wasn¡¯t sharing many images with Eri and Hinata during my shocking stay in the upper Astral, merely impressions, she again glanced down at herself knowingly.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll definitely have to warn Mizuki-chan to watch out.¡±


    As I denied that, there was a knock on the door, and a butler appeared, accompanied by Ueno Junichiro, the head of Fujiwara Security Services, whom I had met a few times. He had a certain panther-like grace, and even though he wasn¡¯t a Chosen and my Statistics meant he was a trivial opponent for me, I still was a little wary of him. He¡¯s obviously utterly well trained, and it¡¯s like Ulfuric always says, a Giant can be felled by a Pixie if the Pixie is ruthless and skilled enough and strikes just right...


    ¡°This way. You are the last to arrive, but everything is ready now.¡± After exchanging a handshake, he led us to another room. Outside, I saw Michiru-san, as well as her younger sister Koga Kozue-san, who was pacing restlessly, face pale, clearly troubled and wary. Katana-san, or rather, Ohta-san, was there too, and nodded at me warmly. We had grown closer after our time together in South Africa and my rescue of her and Mayumi-san. There was another bodyguard there too, and I recognised her as the shy, quiet bodyguard of Sakura-san. Uekusa Sayuri-san, right?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring Kazumi, as I¡¯m with you.¡± Hinata whispered to me. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s hyped up for Pilgrimage and doing last minute preparations. Although...¡± Hinata suddenly spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Akio won¡¯t let any harm befall your charges. Don¡¯t overstress yourselves, or it might affect your performance tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I thank you.¡± Michiru-san bowed. She was quite deferential to Hinata, probably because Miyu was. Koga-san only scowled sullenly, while Uekusa-san blinked weakly at us. Ohta-san was cheerful though, despite wearing her customary male suit, she gave me a rather girly smile, showing that she was still beautiful, despite her rather androgynous haircut and features.


    ¡°Yes, I know I can trust you two to look after Mayumi. Keep an eye on Sakura-sama too. She has... had a tough time. As for tomorrow. I shall give it my all. As shall Mayumi.¡± She lowered her voice conspiratorially. ¡°She¡¯s still nervous about being alone, but she¡¯s genuinely fascinated by the prospect of the Pilgrimage. She... might be a little annoying... but do make allowance for her.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± we agreed, and as the door was opened, Ueno-san took his place outside. Greeting us within were a circle of seats. At the back sat Fujiwara-san, Kira-san, and also Hinata¡¯s grandfather Itsuki-san. Miyu¡¯s father, Kazuhito-san was there as well, though he seemed small and timid in comparison to his elders. Beside them was a man I didn¡¯t recognise, but Hinata breathed near-silently that he was Harada Koji, the current lead strategist and acting leader of policy decisions for Fujiwara house, running things on behalf of Fujiwara-san.


    Then, to the left was Mayumi-san, Sakura-san, who was still looking rather pale, despite appearing uninjured. She was one of the few Shaeula restored fully back to health after her battles. Probably knowing this would be necessary. On seeing us enter, Sakura-san gave us a grateful, almost welcoming look, which surprised me, as she and Hinata had clashed often before, and she certainly blamed me for the current state of Takatsukasa house. I guess a lot has changed while I¡¯ve been gone.


    Then there was Miyu, who nodded a polite, elegant greeting towards us, and lastly, closest to Fujiwara-san, was Honoka-san. She was sitting there calmly, and appeared composed, but from the way her hands trembled and the nigh-imperceptible twitches around her eyes, I could see she was rattled. As well she might be, considering.


    On the right, was only one person, and he was rather bruised and battered, and chained to his chair. Upon closer inspection, he did seem to resemble Honoka-san a little, though he was quite old, in his fifties, and his hair was dyed black to hide the grey. I assumed that was Fujiwara Hidemasa, and as I glanced at Hinata as we took our seats, Hinata sitting next to Sakura-san, she nodded at me, confirming my guess.


    He won¡¯t get an honorific from me. Hinata and Shiro were put in grave danger at the Tengokusentou thanks to him. Besides, he planned to kill off his own father, and Miyu as well. The piece of shit.


    Seeing me glaring at him, he flinched, before steeling himself. But before he could speak, Fujiwara-san cleared his throat. ¡°Good. Everyone is here.¡± he intoned, sounding exhausted, and I could see he didn¡¯t look well, dark rings around his eyes, his face paler than usual. ¡°Ordinarily, I would have kept this matter internal to Fujiwara house, but...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Kira-san chuckled bitterly. ¡°Not when a foreign coup was staged on the grounds of the Tengokusentou, and the nobility was nearly decapitated at a stroke.¡±


    ¡°Honoured father...¡± Hidemasa began, speaking urgently. ¡°This has all be a mistake...¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Fujiwara-san declared coldly, and Hidemasa froze, mouth flapping open, words fading.


    ¡°You will have your chance to speak, or rather, your thoughts will.¡± Fujiwara-san assured him. ¡°Now, perhaps your heirs should be here, Kira, but...¡± he glanced at Itsuki. ¡°Hideaki-kun is still in... convalescence for his health issues, and this is not something I would burden Kokoro-san or Keiko-san with, and... honestly, this concerns our daughters. Honoka...¡± Fujiwara-san seemed concerned for her, which I could understand.


    ¡°I am fine, grandfather. You do not have to concern yourself with me. If father did this, he should certainly face the consequences of his actions.¡± she managed calmly, though again, I could pick up her clear stress.


    ¡°Honoka!¡± her father cried, only to fall silent as I glowered at him, a little of my Majesty enough to cow him. I then glanced at Miyu, who nodded, understanding, and she reached out a hand, placing it on Honoka-san¡¯s. For a moment she shivered at the touch, before relaxing.


    ¡°In any case... since this concerns Honoka and Miyu, who are my heirs, but also contemporaries of your granddaughters, and as Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan are potentially the heirs to you, Itsuki...¡±


    ¡°My Mayumi would hate to miss out. It¡¯ll be a good lesson anyway.¡± Kira-san chuckled.


    ¡°In any case...¡± Fujiwara-san turned back to his son, while we all watched. ¡°...the truth will be revealed.¡±


    ¡°This is all a mistake!¡± Hidemasa blustered. ¡°I had no involvement in my older brother¡¯s death, or the attack on the Tengokusentou! I swear it! It¡¯s a mistake!¡±


    ¡°You can come out now.¡± Fujiwara-san ordered, and Haru suddenly appeared, drifting through the solid wall, certainly making an entrance. I get how Haru does it, she¡¯s an Onryo?, but why do her clothes turn ethereal as well? Hmm, something to think about...


    ¡°I am here.¡± She first politely spoke to the Three Grandfathers, before then greeting Miyu and the others, before turning to me. ¡°I see you made it home safely, Akio. Not that I had any doubts, but your fiance?es worried.¡± Haru¡¯s smile was teasing. ¡°Me, I was just glad I got a break from your demands, though I was still worked to death!¡±


    ¡°Well, during the Pilgrimage you won¡¯t have too much to do.¡± I promised, and she shook her head, clearly amused.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t make promises you can¡¯t keep, Akio. Oh well...¡± She drifted to her seat beside the handcuffed Hidemasa. She shot him a rather unhappy glance, her brown eyes seeming to glow blue for a second. ¡°...I want to get this over with. He¡¯s not... not Kondou Kazuo, but his mind is a different sort of sewer. All petty jealousy and unwarranted self-importance, and a disregard for the value of others.¡±


    Seeing him being badmouthed that way, Honoka-san was pale, and as he protested, Fujiwara-san slammed his fist down, and the sound made Hidemasa fall silent.


    ¡°Enough. You may or may not be aware, but Suzuki-san here has great talents. While the legalities of mind reading and Telepathy for criminal evidence is being debated and refined by the Ministry, this is not a criminal court. This is Fujiwara house, representing the nobility of Japan. Now, please proceed, Suzuki-san. And you again have my thanks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. I am Undersecretary to Minister Morita-san. And since the Tengokusentou terrorism clearly involved spiritual matters...¡± She shrugged, resigned. ¡°Now...¡± She fixed her eyes on Hidemasa. ¡°Akio, if you would, can I link my mind with yours? I have been spending time with Chiasa-chan and Chiaki-chan and we have been experimenting. I want to...¡±


    Borrow your Majesty. I¡¯m rather Charming, but... my Majesty is lacking. I could hear her chuckling in my mind. Quickly giving her permission, it was a strange sensation, but not entirely unlike the feeling of Eri¡¯s Lovers¡¯ Link bond to me that allowed Hinata in. I see. Yes, you¡¯ve all been making great strides.


    Flatterer. There¡¯s no point being nice to me, I¡¯m not going to fall for your kind words! Anyway... thank you. This will work.


    It was far from perfect, but I couldn¡¯t help but use my Eyes to see what Haru was doing. Interestingly enough, she seemed to have gained a Skill I had never seen before.


    Telepathic Channelling is the process of drawing on the Intangible Statistics of a willing participant who you connect to Telepathically. A proportion of said Statistics can be utilised and projected against another target you are linked with, or released in a burst over an area, though this is significantly weaker, the focus and impact diluted. Charm and Majesty show the greatest effects, followed by Determination. League also has a potent effect, yet it puts a great strain on one¡¯s Body, Spirit and Truesoul, manifesting League beyond one¡¯s limits. Fortune and Fate have only a very minor impact, and Foresight has seemingly little to no effect currently. [Class: Noble] [Type: Rule]


    I shared my information with Haru, and her thoughts came back quickly.


    Yes, I imagined it would be somewhat like that. Honestly, it¡¯s a little scary, as taking in someone else¡¯s Intangible nature is like trying to drink deep while underwater. Fortunately the twins are kind, and you... I am used to you, and we already share a connection. Now... I want to get this over with. Fortunately, I¡¯ve already scanned his surface level sins, so...


    Yeah, that¡¯s rough. Get done what you need to.


    In and out. With your Majesty shutting him down, I can more easily rifle through his deeper thoughts without having to force it. It¡¯s like reaching an arm down into a bucket of black tar to grope for and pull out a number of marbles from a pile. You can take me out drinking tomorrow evening after the day¡¯s Pilgrimage is done. I will need to unwind!


    Sure, no problem! I promised, my thoughts of laughter reaching her. She smiled slightly, before her eyes started shining an intense, ghostly blue. ¡°Now then, we are aware that you plotted and sought the death of your elder brother, and that you contacted a group of Chinese-American criminals, a sort of Triad, I suppose. But how did you make their acquaintance, and... were you aware they were Cultivators, even then?¡±


    At those words, Honoka-san¡¯s impassive face began to crumble. Miyu held her hand, and she steeled herself, but it surely was a heavy burden for a middle schooler. Hell, this would hurt even for an adult, finding out their father was involved in fratricide and worse.


    ¡°I have no... idea... what you... mean!¡± he managed to grate, but Haru merely sighed.


    ¡°Lies. People always lie. I like those that don¡¯t. Oh... I¡¯ve found a marble. It¡¯s red and shiny... oh. Fascinating.¡± Haru blinked. ¡°Fujiwara-sama, it seems that you might have to conduct some housekeeping. Not just you. Ichijou house and several of the upper houses of the nobility have gone a little rotten.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kira-san leaned forwards. ¡°In my house? How very interesting.¡± For a moment, the kindly old man with the white beard seemed rather menacing, and I realised nobody could control the power he wielded while being nai?ve and forgiving. ¡°Can I have the names, Haru-chan?¡± As always, Kira-san was rather familiar.


    ¡°Yes. Oh, before I do... they didn¡¯t know that the Ruby Group were Cultivators, even if a few in the upper echelons of this movement were aware of the minor abilities the shrines and temples of Japan possessed. But they did often joke that they were so good at getting things done it was like magic.¡±


    She then gave out the names, and Fujiwara-san nodded. ¡°I see. Fools all. It has been too long since the war. We grew up in that era, Itsuki, Kira. We know where lack of unity and selfish jockeying for position leads. Takatsukasa house is proof of that.¡±


    ¡°None of the group of troublemakers are from Takatsukasa house. I suppose there is no merit in it.¡± Itsuki-san grumbled. ¡°We only endure thanks to your support, much as it pains me. It ate away at my son, and Hideaki made bad decisions, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Sakura!¡± Hinata insisted, comforting her cousin, who was nominally her sister due to the adoption. ¡°Takatsukasa house is on the up! We¡¯ll see to that. Don¡¯t worry about the past... decide what you want to do now, and we¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°Nobody from Tsumura house is involved either.¡± Kira-san noted. ¡°It makes sense. As a military family, they understand loyalty and following the rule of law and superiority.¡±


    ¡°I wonder just how many more of the nobility¡¯s issues are related to these troublemakers?¡± Kira-san mused. ¡°There have been incidents in isolation that looked like mischance, or simple accidents.¡±


    ¡°He knows of a few.¡± Haru confirmed, Hidemasa shaking his head desperately, sweating, unable to speak as her will and blue-eyed gaze held him in check. ¡°But... it¡¯s simply jealousy. And self-righteous stupidity.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°He... they all... they think you all too old, too stubborn, and too set in the old ways. They look at America and the Middle East, where families as rich and influential as the upper nobility live lives of endless luxury, indulging their every whims, where here, there are rules, restrictions and a need to appear modest. He hates that. They hate that. And worse... Hidemasa knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to live his dream while he wasn¡¯t heir. So...¡±


    ¡°So you killed your brother and his family.¡± Fujiwara-san declared, and Hidemasa blanched, even as his mouth worked silently to deny it. ¡°I thought you too weak-willed to go against me, my son. Just a parrot repeating what you felt I wished to hear. I had my suspicions, my very well-founded suspicions, and Kazuhito did as well.¡± Fujiwara-san glanced at Miyu, his usually hard brown eyes softening. ¡°Your father entered politics, outwardly to benefit Fujiwara house and increase our influence, but also to show his elder brother he was absent from the succession. It helped that you were a withdrawn, diffident girl, Miyu. It made my troublesome son feel that he was assured of succession.¡±


    Miyu nodded. ¡°I am sorry for being a disappointment, grandfather. I... I will change, I promise.¡±


    ¡°You have changed.¡± Fujiwara-san reassured her. ¡°I feel far more confident in your future now. Before, your husband would have controlled your entire life. But...¡± He sighed then. ¡°Regardless of that, Fujiwara Security Services was established not just to restore some of the old ways, those of the diminishing bodyguard families of the nobility, but to protect my family and allies.¡±


    ¡°This... isn¡¯t true!¡± Hidemasa managed, having bit his lip until it bled to break Haru¡¯s dominance over him. ¡°I still... I still wear the watch you gifted me, father!¡± He tried to move his manacled arms. ¡°I have always followed your words!¡±


    ¡°That is true. But... while you expected me to die soon, or if not, at least Honoka, your daughter who would be unable to go against you or the husband you chose for her, would effectively be your puppet.¡± As Honoka-san¡¯s eyes darkened, the life going out of them a little, I glanced over, worried.


    ¡°But of course, things have changed.¡± Kira-san pointed out. ¡°The biggest change of all, is Akio-kun here.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Fujiwara-san agreed. ¡°Miyu left my control and has become bold.¡±


    ¡°Not true grandfather, I still respect you and honour Fujiwara house, but... I am Vassal to Akio-san, and it is a commitment I have sworn to myself, and to Ame-no-Uzume. Were I to break faith, I fear I would never dance again, and the music would leave me.¡±


    ¡°See? Most bold.¡± Fujiwara-san chuckled, though I could tell his heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°Worse...¡± He looked at me then. ¡°With this Chirurgery, and your ability to heal, my imminent death from encroaching old age has been pushed back. I feel as though I am sixty, no, fifty again...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Mayumi-san spoke up excitedly, perhaps elated at being present for such a monumental meeting, when usually it would have been her older brother present. ¡°I know for a fact that so long as you don¡¯t die instantly, Akio-kun and Shaeula can bring you back from the brink of death!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so pleased at that?¡± Hinata raised one eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with you!¡±


    As Mayumi-san¡¯s face turned rather pink, Haru spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move this along. I don¡¯t like wading through the sewer of tar in his head. But you¡¯re right. He realised everything was falling apart. After all, he isn¡¯t young anymore, and he wanted to live a decadent life of power and influence while he could still enjoy it. And worse, Miyu-san was becoming more important. After all... as I know well, being a Vassal to Akio is a ticket to success.¡±


    ¡°All so very foolish.¡± Fujiwara-san shook his head, frowning. ¡°My son, if you were in charge of Fujiwara house, it would end up like Takatsukasa house in mere months. We have power and wealth because we are responsible. We are not the Middle Eastern royalty, whose foundation is unshakable so long as oil exists and is needed...¡±


    ¡°Though soon, Japan will be free of dependence on it. Perhaps their days are numbered.¡± Kira-san smiled smugly, eyeing me.


    ¡°...nor are we the new generation of American wealth. Yes, the richest pioneers exceed our assets, but... with no history and little disciple, within three generations, all that will be left will be a number of decently wealthy disparate families, the companies they built and profited from long gone to dust.¡±


    ¡°But that would be their problem!¡± Hidemasa managed, angry. ¡°Why should I stint myself, not take advantage of what we have, just for those descendants who will disregard me anyway, forget me!¡±


    ¡°As you have done me?¡± Fujiwara-san snapped coldly, and Hidemasa bowed his head, shocked by his anger.


    ¡°I suppose a family squabble is one thing.¡± Kira-san pointed out. ¡°But most of the upper nobility of Japan was at the Tengokusentou. Had your plan succeeded, the nobility as a whole would have collapsed. How would you have profited from that?¡±


    Hidemasa remained silent, chewing on his bloody lip, but Haru spoke for him, earning a bitter, furious glare.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say he was thinking...¡±  Haru observed. ¡°...but he listened to Kuwahara Takehisa, who seems to have also been deeply involved with the Ruby Group, and if the nobility was decapitated at a stroke, he was persuaded that as the new head of Fujiwara house, with everyone else inexperienced and vulnerable, the nobility reeling, he could stand atop Japan.¡±


    ¡°Such a nonsense.¡± Kira-san snorted. ¡°I applaud confidence, but you truly are overestimating yourself, Hidemasa-kun.¡± He shook his head in dismissal. ¡°Ichijou house would certainly endure, I¡¯ve raised my sons and grandson well. Takatsukasa house... assuming you managed to kill Hinata-chan while she was there, yes, it might collapse...¡±


    Again, Sakura-san seemed troubled by that, Hinata squeezing her hand.


    ¡°...but you forget several important points. Tsumura house would remain strong, as would several others of the Fifty-Eight who weren¡¯t in attendance. And most importantly... if Hinata-chan was killed, you think you¡¯d live to enjoy your victory?¡± He glanced at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, in fact, I¡¯m finding it very hard not to beat the shit out of Hidemasa here and now.¡± At my venomous words, the man in question shivered, and Haru chuckled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully him like that, I don¡¯t want to see all the ways he¡¯s thinking in his head you can torture him. It scares me to death... oh wait...¡± she deadpanned, and the harsh mood lifted. ¡°But substantially you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t read Kuwahara-san¡¯s thoughts through Hidemasa, obviously, but I can see some of his facial expressions and hear his words in his memories. It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s playing a different game. I¡¯m afraid Hidemasa here is just too arrogant and dense to notice.¡±


    As Hidemasa glared at Haru, Fujiwara-san nodded. ¡°Yes. Arrogance and stupidity are not necessarily a disaster. After all, there are many arrogant nobles, and a number of stupid ones. But combining the two, thinking oneself powerful and clever when one is not, that leads to ruin. I think we have heard enough. Gag him!¡± he ordered and nodded towards me.


    Yeah, Haru shouldn¡¯t have to touch him. I walked over to the chair and placed the secure restraint around his mouth, tightening his bonds too. He tried to rant and rage at me, saying I couldn¡¯t touch a noble like him, until he was silenced, but that just reinforced his lack of intellect. And I don¡¯t mean Intellect, the Statistic. He¡¯s... too self-absorbed. Everything¡¯s about him. Life isn¡¯t like that, not even for me.


    As I retook my seat, Fujiwara-san addressed us all. ¡°I think it is clear. My foolish son is guilty not only of fratricide, but attempted murder of many of us. Worse, he was in compact with foreign powers, who clearly aimed to destroy Japan. Kuwahara house is in custody, yet sadly, Takehisa remains at large. I suspect Ruby Serpent has other tendrils buried within Japan, sheltering him. But we shall dig him out.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Nozomi needs closure.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°Oh, my apologies, do continue, Fujiwara-sama.¡±


    ¡°In that case... there is the matter of punishment. Ordinarily, an enforced retreat, similar to poor Hideaki-kun, though... more final, would be the solution. Under Japanese law, even multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder would not lead to the death penalty, however, one crime does carry it. Instigation of foreign powers to attack Japan. The Tengokusentou is a clear case of that.¡± He paused, his gaze sweeping over the girls, before fixing on Honoka-san. ¡°What do you think, granddaughter?¡±


    That¡¯s a bit cruel. She¡¯s too young to have an opinion on her father¡¯s life and death... it seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that, as the other girls seemed both sympathetic and annoyed.


    ¡°I...¡± Honoka-san managed to speak, her voice placid, though her hands were trembling more visibly. ¡°...agree, grandfather. What my father did is too unforgivable. If... if Hinata-san, or my dear cousin Miyu-san were harmed... besides, without Fujiwara house, father is... is nothing. To bite the hand that feeds him is disgraceful and unbecoming of a noble.¡±


    As Hidemasa thrashed at his bonds, making grunts and trying to speak, Fujiwara-san narrowed his eyes. ¡°Honoka-san, you always believed you would be the heir, did you not?¡±


    ¡°I did. I have always studied hard to please you, be it at my scholastic pursuits, dance, tea ceremony, flower arranging... but... I am the daughter of a disgraced traitor to Japan now...¡±


    ¡°No, Honoka-san, that¡¯s not true...¡± Miyu insisted, and I was warmed to see how far their relationship had come recently, when before they barely spoke and called each other with the distancing -sama honorific.


    ¡°Let her speak her mind.¡± her grandfather insisted, and reluctantly, Miyu nodded, falling silent.


    ¡°...I cannot be the heir. My blood is tainted, and Fujiwara house must remain strong and a bastion for Japan. I believe you have shown your worth, Miyu-san. No, Miyu-sama.¡± Her brown eyes looked slightly dead as she went back to her old form of address, and seeing the pain in Miyu¡¯s eyes at that, I resolved to speak, but Haru¡¯s voice echoed in my mind.


    Not yet. Oh, I get a bit of a headache parsing everyone¡¯s thoughts like this all at once, but... Fujiwara-sama is not being cruel, I think. Just... let them sort it out. You¡¯ll know when to intervene. Trust me.


    All right. I did trust Haru, without exception, and as she smiled at me, raising an eyebrow teasingly, I leaned back. Hinata noticed, and so held her own silence, which made Mayumi-san keep quiet too. Oh look, she¡¯s learning how to read the room.


    ¡°I have to agree that unfortunately, right now, you are unsuited to be heir, Honoka.¡± Fujiwara-san suggested. ¡°Ordinarily this is a matter for Fujiwara house, but as we need to stand united more than ever, I would seek your counsel, Itsuki, Kira.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly raise an objection. My own son Hideaki has been foolish, and our house was facing ruin.¡± Itsuki sighed. ¡°Minoru, Sakura... Hinata. May their generation do better than mine and my son¡¯s did.¡±


    ¡°I have a competent heir, but my Mayumi is a worry.¡± Kira chuckled. ¡°Too high pride and status. I¡¯d have you watch Hidemasa-kun rather closely, Mayumi. See where pride without ability gets you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Mayumi-san nodded slowly. ¡°Fortunately, I have Hinata, Akio-kun and the others to open my eyes. I thought they were being harsh with me, disrespecting me, but instead, they were just trying to enlighten me to my flaws. I won¡¯t blame them for that, though they could have been kinder.¡± She winked at us. ¡°Oh, and Sakura... I know you have something to say. I¡¯m here to support you, so... let¡¯s sort this mess first, all right? Priorities!¡±


    ¡°My Mayumi is all grown up. It brings a tear to my old eyes!¡± Kira-san teased, wiping at pretend droplets, making Mayumi-san blush. As the mood lightened a little, Miyu spoke, her tone unsure, troubled.


    ¡°I cannot be heir. I am committed to Akio-san as his Vassal, as I stated before. I therefore cannot marry...¡± She glanced at me, almost pleading for my support, and I nodded reassuringly. ¡°...therefore I shall have no heir to continue Fujiwara house. Besides, while you say I have changed, at my heart I am still weak. I rely on Akio-san, Michiru, Hinata-san and the others.¡±


    ¡°Is it that you will not marry, or that you wish a choice?¡± Fujiwara-san pressed, and Miyu froze. She thought about it, and slowly shook her head.


    ¡°I am not good with men. I have only just started speaking with father again. I have grown a little better, Akio-san is fine. As for marriage. Perhaps in the future, I could bear it, if... if...¡± She flushed redder than a tomato, and I could hear Haru¡¯s laughter in my mind.


    ¡°I see. I was in a hurry. After all, I am old, old enough to remember the War. It would hardly be a surprise if I dropped dead any day, except... that changed. Now, I likely have ten years or more of life. Time enough for you both to grow up and change, and for... other opportunities to present themselves.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a certainty!¡± Hinata puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°In ten years, Akio will be the sole voice in Japan. The world, if we have our way, but there¡¯s many unpredictable dangers, so... I¡¯ll be conservative and claim Japan for certain. At that point, Miyu... you can do as you please. Until then, your efforts for Akio don¡¯t contradict your duty to your house.¡±


    ¡°Moves are indeed afoot.¡± Kira-san smirked at me, and Haru paused for a moment.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s... true? Oh my.¡± She held her hands over her mouth, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a spoilsport.¡± Kira-san chuckled. ¡°A little mystery is fun, and we old men find little better than surprising the young. You¡¯re not wrong though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Little Hinata-chan showed incredible power at the Tengokusentou, as did Miyu-chan. Even Sakura-chan fought bravely at Hanafubuki. And that¡¯s just the start. Mayumi, how¡¯s the business plan coming along?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it. I¡¯m not going to be left behind. Honestly... I feel such a fool. When I bragged that the stake in Ichijou Heavy Industries was a generous, too generous deal, I was ignorant. But let it not be said Ichijou Mayumi can¡¯t learn! You can learn too, Miyu-san, Honoka-san. There¡¯s no better friend to have in your corner than Akio-kun!¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Hinata mock-pouted, and Mayumi-san smirked.


    ¡°You¡¯re just part of Akio-kun¡¯s package now, Hinata!¡±


    ¡°That... kind of stings, but I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s true!¡± Hinata grinned.


    ¡°So yes. Honoka, right now, you are not the best choice to be the heir. And in ten years, a lot can happen. For now, Miyu will be tacitly admitted as my heir apparent, and it will also be known that Akio-san has the right to choose her husband, as we agreed before. I fear you may find it aggravating, fending off idiots as greedy as my son, but... it will keep the flies from buzzing and spoiling the banquet. Have you any objections?¡± Fujiwara-san asked.


    I shrugged. ¡°I have no problem dealing with fools. As for Miyu, she¡¯ll marry who she wants, or not, if that¡¯s her path to happiness. I take my obligations and my friendships very seriously. I don¡¯t break my promises.¡±


    ¡°I prefer dealing with an honest man.¡± Fujiwara-san agreed. ¡°So then, Miyu, are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°If Akio-san consents, I do as well.¡± She nodded. ¡°Though my work for Akio-san obviously takes precedence.¡±


    ¡°How bold of you, you never used to talk back to me. But... Honoka...¡± Fujiwara-san addressed her now.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she managed, keeping her voice steady, though it was clearly an effort.


    ¡°I blame myself, but I have warped your education, and your foolish father has used you as a tool. I do not need you to agree with everything I say. In fact, if you do that, you will simply be a puppet, if not for your father, then your husband, and even if you never married, to the board.¡±


    ¡°I would never...¡± Harada-san shook his head, aghast, and Fujiwara-san snorted.


    ¡°True, but who is to say you will live forever? You make a tempting target for an accident.¡± He had no response, and Fujiwara-san continued. ¡°Miyu was like you before. But now she is not. I can trust her. She listens, but makes up her own mind, after consulting those she trusts. Now, I wish you to do the same. I have several paths I think you might like to follow, but first... your father. What do we do with him?¡±


    ¡°The law is clear, and...¡± she began, but at the sad look in her grandfather¡¯s eyes, she swallowed, and finally tears sprung free. ¡°...I hate him! I hate my father. He is a cold man, and I am not as much of a fool as I pretend to be, I realise I am just a means to an end for him. But he is still my father. I... do not wish him to die. But that is simply selfish of me, and I am tainted by his crimes...¡±


    ¡°Then I shall pronounce my judgement. For the crime of conspiring to murder his older brother, Hidemasa will be imprisoned for the rest of his life. I am not a monster, he will have some few comforts, but... there shall be no freedom.¡± As Hidemasa sagged in a mixture of relief and rage, Fujiwara-san smiled.


    ¡°That was not so hard, was it? Now, allow me to make a suggestion as to your future. You could simply take Miyu¡¯s place. A Fujiwara daughter who is not expected to be heir but marry well for the good of the house. Or... you could strive to study, to learn, and to become someone that can genuinely run Fujiwara house. I daresay Miyu would relinquish her role swiftly were that the case.¡±


    As Miyu nodded, Hinata was rolling her eyes at me, mouthing something. Speak up? What? Oh... yeah.


    Slow on the uptake, aren¡¯t you? Why are you even here, Akio? It¡¯s obvious, and every conversation so far has led this way. Oh, to be a fly on the wall... though... hey... hang on...


    Haru turned to Hinata, eyes wide, and Hinata merely giggled, winking.


    It seems I missed out on a lot! Eri-chan¡¯s going to stab you, you¡¯ll end up a ghost like me. Then we can be together in death, oh... never mind, that one was a bad joke...


    she flushed, her humour having gone too far, and I snorted.


    Don¡¯t worry, Eri knows about it, and she¡¯s fine with it. It¡¯s a problem for another day, no, another decade, maybe, anyway.


    ¡°There¡¯s another option.¡± I suggested. ¡°How about you let me take charge of Honoka-san, as I have Miyu? While Honoka-san doesn¡¯t have a Favour, Hinata¡¯s quite good at whipping daughters of nobility into shape.¡± She giggled at that, and I gathered my thoughts.


    ¡°That way, I can be a balance. If I have the rights to decide Honoka-san¡¯s and Miyu¡¯s husbands, though of course, the right actually resides in their hands...¡± I insisted. ¡°...I¡¯ll just be supportive if they find someone suitable they like... I take all the pressure, and we can use those ten years or more to reform Japan and the nobility. I know Hinata wants to reshape Takatsukasa house...¡±


    ¡°Not just them. But the Fifty-Eight and the Three-Hundred. My plan is... ambitious...¡± Hinata smiled winsomely. ¡°...yet it is already in motion, and after the trials of the Tengokusentou and Hanafubuki, I¡¯d say it¡¯s going to accelerate. Honoka...¡± Hinata dropped the honorific. ¡°...I¡¯m not going to force you, but... I can groom you as an officer. You won¡¯t be alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is my time to speak.¡± Sakura-san stood. ¡°I... first must thank you, Hinata. I... I was not kind. You... know why. I...¡± She teared up, and it was obviously hard for her, but Hinata waved a hand.


    ¡°All in the past. I had my insecurities, you had yours. We¡¯re young, of course we¡¯ll be petty and make mistakes. As for Shaeula helping you recover, that¡¯s a given. You fought bravely. Not just you. Everyone did.¡±


    ¡°I... want to see my birth mother. Not yet, but... when I¡¯m someone she can be proud of. I¡¯ll apologise for father, and for you, grandfather.¡±


    Itsuki seemed guilty. ¡°I... we had too much pride. My son, he perhaps gets it from me. Though I have many regrets now... your mother, not your birth mother, but your mother nonetheless... Keiko loves you, and wishes the best for you. She raised you your entire life.¡±


    ¡°I know. But... Hinata was right. I was never free. We girls, we sacrifice, but... we do receive in return. But... I¡¯m tired. Grandfather, I renounce my share of Takatsukasa house.¡± At her declaration, Hinata smiled. ¡°Instead...¡± she firmed her resolve. ¡°I intend to train with my cousin, with everyone. I shall put on the uniform and earn my future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my cousin!¡± Hinata approved. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, training starts tomorrow! It¡¯ll be hard, but... in the end, you¡¯ll find your own worth. And honestly... don¡¯t rule out inheriting Takatsukasa house just yet, Sakura. A lot can change between now and when Akio stands atop Japan.¡±


    ¡°If... that is your wish...¡± she began, and Hinata snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Sakura. I¡¯m just saying, if you work hard, people will respect and help you, me included. Akio too. He¡¯s weak to hard-working girls looking to find their own dreams. And that¡¯s why... Honoka, you should take the same path. I know you were scared by Hanafubuki, but... weren¡¯t our Adamant members cool and brave? You could be like that too! I know you¡¯ve got potential, my Adamant protegees told me you stood with them.¡±


    ¡°I... grandfather, what should I do?¡± Honoka-san, no, Honoka, asked quietly.


    ¡°From the perspective of Fujiwara house, it is problematic having both heirs in his clutches.¡± As Honoka¡¯s face twisted at that, he continued, his tone gentle. ¡°But what can we do? It seems I underestimated just how much he can grasp in his hands.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You set this all up, long ago.¡± Hinata explained. ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional, but you created a system that made this possible. Isolating us all from men, a strict hierarchy, where the lesser obey the higher, and you educated us to be elegant, smart and subservient to our husbands. But... if you take away our husband, and replace it with... well, with a noble figure, a leading figure... I¡¯m going to come out and say it... with a God...¡±


    I choked at that, and Hinata smirked. ¡°You think I¡¯m joking? You¡¯re going to be the husband of Tan?ha?, no? And surely the husband of a Goddess is a God? Besides, while Eri still complains that Adamant is a personal sex cult for you... it¡¯s far more than that. Shaeula, Shiro and I, we all had our input, but not just us. Motoko and Natsumi, Daiyu too, gave us some martial insights in terms of training, and how to instil discipline and loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Should you be telling us this, Hinata-chan?¡± Kira-san was both equally fascinated and troubled. ¡°You¡¯ll give Shige and Itsuki a heart attack, thinking of their daughters in his clutches, doing things that should not be spoken of in mixed company.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. He¡¯s not touched a single member. Nor will he, unless there¡¯s genuine love.¡± Hinata shrugged. ¡°The rules are there for another reason. Though Shaeula and Shiro, and honestly... while I don¡¯t enjoy losing more precious time with Akio, if it was to secure us a very favourable new marriage partner, I¡¯d accept it, so I also think this... don¡¯t mind if Akio does indulge. But Tan?ha? also gave her input. Adamant. It means unbreakable, unyielding. But diamonds are also a perfect arrangement of carbon atoms. We¡¯re like that. Each member is loyal to each other and would fight and die for each other. I¡¯m so proud of those who did battle during that day of strife. But... there¡¯s a deeper purpose. One Akio should find amusing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow, and she flushed, giggling.


    ¡°The One True Throne has their Saints, the World Tree their Valkyries, the Six Paths apparently have a number of different groups, Tan?ha? was reluctant to say. Six of them, I¡¯d imagine... in any case, a group tied together with rigid laws and purpose, and... the focus of a great deal of adherence. Imagine it! Adamant, the beautiful, the brave, the loyal and the elegant. Honestly, noble daughters may be weak, but their spirts have been forged to perfection for this thanks to Hanafubuki and noble tradition. They will capture the imagination and inspiration of the world, and shine! And perhaps become the heralds of Akio¡¯s ascension.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... not lacking for ambition, Hinata-chan!¡± Kira-san whistled, scratching his bearded chin. ¡°It seems only my Mayumi has resisted...¡±


    ¡°For now!¡± Hinata winked. ¡°You all made this situation, so I¡¯ll exploit it without any mercy.¡±


    ¡°Hold on...¡± I raised one hand, and Hinata pouted, speaking rapidly, trying to convince me.


    ¡°Akio, it¡¯s perfect, and everyone benefits! Longer-term, everyone should be able to transition past mortal, just like you did. Tan?ha? thinks it possible, even if she scoffed and said it was wildly improbable to forge a whole new type of spiritual being out of nothing here in a lower world, but we know what a poor track record she has of being right, and...¡±


    I held up my hand again, stopping her red-faced tirade. ¡°No, I get that. And honestly... it sounds possible, from what I understand. Though I think boosting everyone¡¯s League would be necessary. The Pilgrimage should make a foundation for that. No, I¡¯m not blaming you or stopping you...¡± It¡¯s not like I can anyway, can I? You¡¯re all so excited, making your own plans... I don¡¯t have the heart to stop you all.


    It''s true, you¡¯re screwed, Akio. Haru¡¯s thoughts were amused. I like Hinata-chan, Shaeula and the others a lot, but... when Hinata-chan says she was raised to be submissive and an obedient wife... I think she¡¯s wrong on that. Either that or she¡¯s changed... regardless... best be accepting of it. It seems like they want to transcend their mortality for you... it makes sense. Otherwise your human girlfriends will age and die... they likely hate that thought.


    Well, you¡¯ll always be around to keep me company, won¡¯t you Haru?


    Stop that. Definitely stop that! I¡¯m telling Eri-chan on you!


    As we bickered in our thoughts, I asked the question that was on my mind. ¡°Didn¡¯t you... first say that Adamant was a secret society?¡±


    Hinata flushed a deeper crimson, and Mayumi-san burst out laughing at her sudden embarrassment.


    ¡°We... we did. Because we wanted to build it up more first, and hand it over to you fully formed, and get your praise...¡± Hinata whispered. ¡°Besides, Shiro said secret societies were cooler, but then... we also wanted uniforms that looked amazing... to... help with adherence, yes.¡± she stammered. ¡°If we are more memorable, better able to draw the public¡¯s praise and worship, it¡¯ll work better...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting that, but... it just seems at odds with your stated intention.¡± I asked again, and she looked down.


    ¡°Honestly... while it would have been awesome to deliver you a potent force... that would take too long. We... I... wanted your praise now...¡± Her voice was quiet and ashamed, but she was so cute I pulled her into a hug.


    ¡°Oh Hinata.¡± I kissed her forehead softly. ¡°You all sabotaged yourself just for that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... the most important thing is for you to be proud of us...¡± she muttered, and Mayumi-san doubled over, nearly falling off her chair howling with unladylike laughter. When she finally got that under control, she wiped her damp eyes, still sniggering.


    ¡°Honoka-san, Sakura-san... are you sure you want to get wrapped up in such a crazy plan as that? Although... being honest, living forever and staying young and beautiful does seem awfully tempting. And while Akio-kun is certainly lecherous, he¡¯s not the sort that would lay his hands on an unwilling woman, I know that for sure. But... worship, huh? Do you think yourself a God, Akio-kun?¡± she questioned me, genuinely curious.


    ¡°No. Certainly not. Although... honestly, God just means powerful. A Valkyrie isn¡¯t much different to a Kami, or an Angel, or what we¡¯d call a God. I¡¯m also not claiming I¡¯ll live forever...¡± I warned. ¡°...even the spirit can wear down, apparently, but... I¡¯m certainly not classically mortal anymore. The lines are blurry.¡±


    ¡°We have strayed from the important point.¡± Fujiwara-san coughed. ¡°I can see there are... considerations. Troubling ones. But... Honoka. It is your decision. Do not do what I desire, but what you feel is best for you.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Honoka opened her mouth slowly. She looked around the room at us, before asking Miyu. ¡°I do not know. What do you think I should do, Miyu-sama?¡±


    ¡°You can discard such formalities, for one.¡± Miyu frowned. ¡°It just creates barriers. I cannot live your life for you, Honoka. But... if you seek a future where you can be who you want to be, whether that is heir to Fujiwara house, or your own person, taking a hand offered to you is wise. And at that point, there is no difference between us. For I chose to serve, and if you do as well, we are sisters as well as cousins.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Honoka pondered that. ¡°I...¡± She glanced at her father one last time, before her eyes cleared, the darkness lifting. ¡°I... am honestly uncertain. But I can make a choice. I fear I am too proud to easily change without help, but I also have an urge to follow, for grandfather¡¯s weight lies heavy on us, does it not, Miyu?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, grandfather is a titan, a colossus that has ruled and guided Japan from the shadows. All Fujiwara house fears him or should.¡± She glanced at Hidemasa briefly. ¡°So yes. It is not perfect, but... allow Hinata-san and the others to guide you, and in ten years... or sooner, perhaps... we shall see if Fujiwara house even needs either of us. I suspect...¡± She eyed the blushing Hinata in my arms. ¡°...Japan will have changed immeasurably in that time, and the nobility, faith and Imperial family with it.¡±


    As she smiled knowingly, the decision seemingly settled, Honoka and Sakura-san coming under Hinata¡¯s care, solidifying her as truly the peak of noble daughters, Haru sent me one last thought.


    They¡¯re certainly not wrong. But not just those. Politics, big business, the media... everything¡¯s warping, twisting. It¡¯s a lot of responsibility, but... I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll handle it. Oh, noble Kami Akio, I pray to you... please let me do less overtime next year! Please!


    Unable to hold in a snort at Haru¡¯s teasing prayer mocking me, I considered our next move. More Ether Healing, then Chirurgery through the night... there¡¯s certainly no rest for me, but...


    With a smile, I addressed everyone. ¡°We¡¯d better wrap this up. It¡¯s an early start tomorrow, and we¡¯ve a lot of ground to cover.¡±


    Hinata also agreed. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, Sakura, Honoka. Your uniforms will be ready in time. If your bodyguards want to join too, I¡¯ll make arrangements. Regardless, they¡¯re already on the Pilgrimage, so...¡± Listening to Hinata plan furiously, I started making my own plans. If that¡¯s what Adamant is truly for... it meshes well with my own intentions, my own Path... yes, I can make this work...

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Two

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Two


    As the girls were discussing the upcoming Pilgrimage, Miyu¡¯s father, Kazuhito-san, who had sat in stony silence during the interrogation... No, it wasn¡¯t an interrogation. Haru just skimmed his mind and laid it all bare for us... of his treacherous brother, approached me. He called over his daughter too, so Miyu left the group and followed us to one corner of the room, away from everyone else.


    ¡°That was... quite troubling. But I¡¯m relieved.¡± he spoke, his tone surprisingly relaxed, but then I guessed if he was working outside of the nobility, speaking as formally as a lot of the upper nobility might cause friction and distance at work. Oddly enough, Kira-san doesn¡¯t exactly speak formally, and Mayumi-san takes after him. Hinata¡¯s the same way.


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± I remarked dryly. ¡°Discovering your brother already killed your older brother, and that he planned to kill you, your father and your daughter as well... not the family dynamic I¡¯d enjoy...¡±


    ¡°No, if your sister wanted to kill you, I dare say you would simply let her, with a smile on your face, as if saying ¡®Oh well, if Aiko wants it, it cannot be helped¡¯.¡± Miyu interjected, and her father looked at her, surprised, before scratching his chin in a rather rueful manner.


    ¡°My daughter has certainly changed while I wasn¡¯t watching.¡± His expression was wry and somehow sad. ¡°She never would have spoken so boldly to a man before and would barely deign to acknowledge I existed. Honestly, I accept it is partially my fault. I have not been a good father. There were reasons, certainly. My father wanted to take personal charge of raising Miyu and also Honoka-sama... no, perhaps she should be Honoka-san now. And... I am not present often. My work keeps me busy... and away from Fujiwara house.¡±


    He glanced over at his brother, as Ueno-san and his best men came in to drag the restrained and struggling criminal away, chair, chains and all. ¡°I know you are wondering just why you needed to be here.¡±


    I nodded, and he explained. ¡°On the surface, having you take charge of Honoka-san¡¯s education and growth seems a good idea, and it would be churlish and ignoble in the extreme to make such a decision when you aren¡¯t present. Miyu has changed, thanks to you...¡±


    ¡°Actually, she¡¯s changed through her own will and determination.¡± I insisted. ¡°Sure, I may have offered a little guidance, Hinata and the others have too, but nobody changes who doesn¡¯t have the motivation to change.¡±


    As Miyu looked down at the floor, face a little pink, expression solemn and embarrassed, her father barked a bitter laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s your way of thinking which is why we can trust you. And of course, the results of your actions.¡± He glanced between me and Miyu. ¡°Daughter, let me give you this advice. As a father, I¡¯ve not given you much, but... trying hard only earns praise when you are a child. In the adult world, results are everything. A trier whose business collapses and his family starves earns no praise, and no one remembers the athlete who tries their best but finishes in seventh place.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have learned that. In the Boundary, there is no room for failures.¡± Miyu acknowledged him. ¡°And... I have not been much of a daughter to you either, father. I... am still uncomfortable with you, but...¡± She sighed then. ¡°...I cannot stay within my shell forever, my closed world with just Michiru and me. For Akio-san and Hinata-san forcefully expanded my horizons, and now... now I am comfortable around many people.¡±


    ¡°Quite the shocking change indeed. Miyu was too timid and isolated, Honoka-san too bold and reckless, yet unable to understand when not to follow father¡¯s will. Hopefully you can fix her, before she grows up too twisted. I... don¡¯t really approve of the way the nobility raises our daughters, our sons neither, not that I was blessed with one.¡± He glanced over at Hinata as she gestured wildly, slapping Sakura-san on the back with one hand, Honoka with the other.


    ¡°Her plan is... insane... I think? I admit to not receiving the same reports that father does, but having worked to help produce the charity concert, which was a triumph, may I add, Arisugawa-san has such awesome presence, especially now, that she might be the second most popular Chosen in Japan, even surpassing Princess Mikasa. But I do know you have some fantastical powers. And that the sons and daughters of nobility you have nurtured have grown. Yet... to become more than human...¡±


    ¡°It is possible.¡± Miyu spoke up, surprising us. Seeing that, she tutted, which shocked her father. ¡°Why are you surprised, Akio-san?¡± she grumbled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your end goal, allowing Eri-san and the others the same opportunities and lifespans that Shaeula or Asha enjoys? Besides, you have shown us the path to follow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though... I was thinking more along the lines of turning everyone into Faeduine, like me. This way, creating an entirely new type of spiritual being, similar to Valkyries... it¡¯s bold. But yes...¡± I genuinely considered it in light of the Path I was taking. ¡°I think Hinata¡¯s plan needs some tweaking, but it could work...¡±


    ¡°Of course it can.¡± Miyu rolled her eyes. ¡°I have seen miracle upon miracle, and... with everyone working together it will happen. I just hope I get to take a break from Dancing. I want to play piano again, I am becoming terribly rusty!¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by laughter from Kazuhito-san. ¡°That... is quite unlike you, Miyu. This is the biggest change of all.¡± He wiped at his eyes. Several of the others in the room were glancing over at us now, though none interrupted us, although Haru gave me a wicked smile that clearly indicated she knew what I was thinking. ¡°Do you have any interest in this future, this Adamant?¡±


    ¡°Michiru and I, we shall be there. When I swore to Akio-san, after he denied me my self-destructive selfishness, and saved both Michiru and I from despair, I meant it, father. I knew grandfather would be angry, but... I believe it is all for the best. Akio-san¡¯s presence here, at such a pivotal moment, is proof.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s more to come.¡± Kazuhito-san agreed. ¡°I... want to see it. Just what these new Valkyries portend. Maybe by that time, we will be more like a family.¡±


    ¡°Family is important It¡¯s... too late for Hidemasa, but you, Miyu, Honoka and Fujiwara-san...¡±


    ¡°Please, call him Shige. My grandfather would be closer with you, like you are with Ichijou-sama.¡± Miyu asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Shige-san, then. No, you still have time to rebuild your relationships. Family is a precious thing.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Kazuhito-san agreed. ¡°There¡¯s another, related reason why you had to be here, Akio-kun...¡± He too changed his manner of address. I expected he was used to informality, being involved in MEXT, as the entertainment industry was a totally different style of politeness and unspoken rules than the nobility. ¡°...you are aware that when a daughter of nobility marries, she invariably becomes part of their husband¡¯s house, though Honoka-san would have been a rare exception.¡±


    I nodded, understanding that. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not entirely dissimilar to how it works for normal families. A daughter tends to lean more towards her husband¡¯s family, though it¡¯s not as extreme as here.¡±


    ¡°In our case yes, she would have to adhere to and support her new family, prioritising their interests in full. That is just the way it is. Of course, usually the bride¡¯s family would gain some concessions or prestige in exchange, but... it¡¯s all bartering them for gain. That¡¯s how it¡¯s always been. Honestly, there¡¯s a lot of talk of your arranged marriages, it¡¯s even reached my circles in MEXT and other government ministries. But that¡¯s not my point... my point is...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Miyu suddenly understood. ¡°Grandfather was discussing my future here, and it would be impossible by our traditions and standards, and also a grave insult to Akio-san, to dispose of me without his input or consent.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Kazuhito-san agreed. ¡°You have always understood well your duties. Though before they left you lifeless, like a doll.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m her husband...¡± I protested, only for Miyu to give me a withering look.


    ¡°No, you are not. Though you certainly could be considered my guardian, more so than my father.¡± Kazuhito-san looked abashed at that. ¡°You admit to controlling my marriage, I obey you in all things, I move at your discretion. It might not be marriage, but it is functionally the same, or at least comparable to us being an independent house, and you, my parent.¡±


    Nope, I don¡¯t have a daughter only a few years younger than me! And don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see you laughing at this, Haru!


    As Haru stuck her tongue out at me playfully, I considered it. Setting aside my feelings on it, it did make sense from their cultural standpoint. ¡°Miyu, you know you can make your own decisions, right?¡±


    ¡°I understand that.¡± She nodded, though it seemed a touch peevish. ¡°But I also have duty to you. If I allow grandfather and the others to make decisions regarding me without your support, I shame you, and they will think less of you. Hinata-san would never forgive that, and neither would I.¡± She tutted again. ¡°Honestly, you have been more than fair with Michiru and I. Especially considering our disastrous first meeting. I will not be the one to disadvantage you. Besides... for Hinata-san¡¯s plan to work, it requires adherence specifically, yes? I admit to being less than practised in just what adherence means and can do.¡±


    She turned to her father then. ¡°That is a rather more... advanced... course, perhaps I should say. The Imperial Kyoto Style of Dance, as opposed to simple classical dancing. And at this I am still a beginner, though with everyone¡¯s help I am no longer a point of liability. In fact...¡± She smiled brilliantly, and it was captivating for a moment. ¡°I was unable to break my Territory during the attacks, for I was busy at the Tengokusentou, but fortunately, the defences held, and the forces they sent there were defeated. If it was before, I certainly would have perished.¡±


    ¡°I did wonder about that.¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a gamble that luckily went in our favour. Since you focussed on keeping your Territory small and well defended, rather than expansion, it hits harder than an ordinary Territory. Oh well, I have plans to stop this happening again...¡±


    ¡°Seeing you so close to Miyu warms my heart.¡± Kazuhito-san admitted. ¡°I can rest assured that if something happens to grandfather, or to me, she will be well looked after.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I agreed. ¡°But considering Hidemasa is dealt with... it¡¯s just Nozomi-san¡¯s trash ex-fiance? that¡¯s at large, right? I think you¡¯re safe. That¡¯s a point... will you be coming back to Fujiwara house, I mean the day-to-day running of it, now your brother is out of the picture?¡±


    ¡°No. I am quite happy in MEXT, and it is a surprisingly important role nowadays. Besides, grandfather¡¯s time is no longer so short, and you yourself admit Japan will likely change beyond all recognition in the next decade. Besides...¡± He smiled then, rather knowingly. ¡°...after the concert, we have several other large-scale projects. The first starts tomorrow, in point of fact. It will be a pleasure working with Arisugawa-san again. We will be broadcasting vignettes from the Pilgrimage. ¡®Slice-of-life¡¯ I believe the producer calls it, whereas Arisugawa-san declared it ¡®propaganda and counter-information warfare¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see. Does everyone know?¡± I asked, and it was Haru¡¯s thoughts that answered me.


    Yes, though Arisugawa-san¡¯s plans were originally for a few press conferences at key points, but after the chaos and the blatant lies of the so-called Church of True Revelation, she decided to escalate it, hit back. Ask him about FujiTV...


    Before he could speak, I shook my head. ¡°Never mind. My question should be, I hear FujiTV broadcast some problematic content, stirring up trouble...?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid so. Their licence has been revoked, and a lot of the executives are in custody. Arisugawa-san was quite pleased, as one who screwed her over, Miyauchi Masaki-san, was among them. Unfortunately, Uchida Ren-san, who was on the broadcast, has vanished, and we haven¡¯t been able to apprehend him.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a thorn we¡¯ll have to pluck another day.¡± I still felt a little pang of guilt about his son, Yamato, but I quickly suppressed it. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Arisugawa-san the details when I see her in the morning. I don¡¯t want to tread on her toes.¡±


    It should be fine. Haru¡¯s thoughts sounded. Just be yourself, and maybe do an interview or two at the right time. I know that she¡¯s discussed it with Hinata-chan, so I daresay she¡¯ll be pushing the Adamant dynamic, and Daiyu-chan will be able to show off her idol disciples to best effect.


    I see. In that case, I¡¯ll do that.


    ¡°My second project is more interesting. I¡¯ll be leading an extensive crew to Britain for the New Year¡¯s Honours ceremony. Ordinarily, we¡¯d buy British coverage, even on the rare occasions a Japanese citizen is getting conferred, but... interest is sky high, and this event... oh, no, there¡¯s nothing public yet.¡± At his words, Haru was looking away, whistling innocently, and I once more wondered just what thoughts she had read.


    ¡°I see. Yeah, I get it¡¯s a big deal. So, you¡¯re in charge of that? I expect Shaeula, Shiro and the rest of us will have to be interviewed?¡± I asked, setting that aside.


    ¡°Oh, certainly...¡± he agreed. ¡°Anyway, I certainly can¡¯t leave my post in MEXT, regardless of my foolish brother¡¯s disgrace.¡±


    Our conversation concluded, and Hinata and the others returned. ¡°We need to get going. We¡¯ve lots to do!¡± Hinata rubbed her hands gleefully. As the door opened again, we could see that the bodyguards to the girls were still waiting outside, and while Michiru and Ohta-san were quite calm, Koga-san and Uekusa-san were troubled, especially the small Koga-san, who was pacing restlessly like a cat, pulling on her bright scarf, only to freeze when she saw us exit the room.


    Sakura-san was the first so speak up. ¡°Sayuri, it is fine. Everything is resolved. I feel... lighter? Yes, lighter. And grandfather has endorsed my plan. Hinata... will be supporting me. So, you can choose what you want to do. I cannot make your decision for you.¡±


    The shy girl, who seemed an odd choice for a bodyguard, took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I always do, Sakura-sama! I will stay by your side.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡± Sakura-san glanced at Hinata, who smiled knowingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sakura! I¡¯ll have a uniform prepared for Sayuri. The Pilgrimage is the first chance to whip you both into shape! By the end of it, everyone should be far stronger. You want to be stronger, don¡¯t you Sayuri?¡± Hinata asked, and the girl nodded fiercely.


    ¡°I do! For Sakura-sama!¡±


    ¡°Then, listen well to Hinata and the others.¡± Sakura-san warned, seeming a different person, resolved and resolute. ¡°To them, I am simply a recruit, one of many.¡±


    As Uekusa-san seemed rather affronted at that, Hinata spoke up cheerfully. ¡°Hardly! You¡¯re my dear cousin, Sakura! One I now want to be closer to. Besides, you put in the work, and being fast-tracked to officer status should be a cinch! I¡¯ll get the twins to give you a hand. You¡¯ll help too, won¡¯t you Haru-chan?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I have no choice.¡± Haru rolled her eyes playfully. ¡°This is why I prayed for less overtime next year, as I¡¯m dead out of luck for the rest of this one!¡±


    Seeing that Koga-san was looking particularly troubled, glowering at Miyu, I spoke up. ¡°Honoka...¡± As I said her name without honorific, Koga-san bristled like a furious cat, but Honoka showed no displeasure, and the Three Grandfathers were coming out, so she held in her anger. ¡°Best get some rest. It¡¯s an early start tomorrow. Is Koga-san attending with you?¡±


    ¡°I shall endeavour to do my best.¡± Honoka declared. She was still clearly shaken by her father¡¯s savage deeds, but life was in her brown eyes again, and while she was a frail, elegant looking girl, I hadn¡¯t forgotten that Shige-san¡¯s opinion of her was that she could be too bold. ¡°Kozue, things have changed. My father is disgraced, and I am no longer the heir to Fujiwara house.¡±


    ¡°That... that cannot be!¡± Koga-san cried, turning to glare at Miyu, who met her gaze placidly, surprising her. ¡°Have... have you stolen Honoka-sama¡¯s rightful place?¡±


    ¡°Kozue!¡± Honoka snapped, and the little girl froze. ¡°Do not be rude to Miyu-san! Grandfather is right. I am too headstrong, and there is too much of my father in me. But... I am not without hope. I have entrusted myself into the care of Akio-sama...¡±


    ¡°Nope, no need for that. My name is fine.¡± I insisted, and she corrected herself.


    ¡°Akio-san then. My grandfather wished it, but I also do. I see how my cousin Miyu-san has blossomed, and I wish to learn her strength. As to who shall inherit Fujiwara house...¡± Her eyes met mine, and I nodded reassuringly. ¡°...that is for others to consider. I have assurances grandfather will live long yet. We have no need for haste.¡±


    ¡°But... Honoka-sama...¡± Koga-san protested.


    ¡°But nothing.¡± Miyu declared. ¡°I am exhausted with your disdain, Kozue. Yes, I was timid and weak, unfit to be a noble daughter. But right now, I am quite irritated, for reasons I hardly understand, so. Be. Silent.¡± Her words shocked Koga-san, and she turned, reflexively looking at her big sister, Michiru-san, but there was no sympathy in her expression.


    ¡°A Koga Ninja always follows her master¡¯s orders, Kozue. You shame her by your disquiet!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t Ninjas! You and father are both idiots!¡± Koga-san had tears in her eyes now, but Honoka stepped up and patted her head soothingly, surprising her.


    ¡°Hush now, Kozue. I know you care for me, but... this is for the best. If you truly believe I am the most worthy to be grandfather¡¯s heir... help me prove it!¡± She turned to Miyu and apologised, before also bowing to Hinata. ¡°I am sorry. The failings of the bodyguard are the failings of her master. I shall be sure to educate her. If not... she cannot follow me.¡±


    ¡°No, Honoka-sama! You need me!¡± Koga-san cried, and Honoka shook her head firmly.


    ¡°I need you, yes. As a friend, and someone who does not shame me, especially in front of Hinata-san.¡± She bowed apologetically. ¡°I still do not fully understand the purposes of Adamant, from your description it was a little difficult, but... I shall prove worthy of it. And if Kozue wishes to follow, she must as well.¡±


    ¡°I will follow wherever you lead!¡± she insisted stoutly, glaring, and Honoka smiled rather more warmly now.


    ¡°Good. Then we must prepare. For we must be at Shirohebizumi shrine early in the morning...¡± Honoka began to soothe Koga-san, and I exchanged a glance with Hinata, her wry smile making me smile back. There¡¯s never a dull moment, is there? Seriously though, Hinata¡¯s done it. She¡¯s basically usurped command of all the high-ranking noble daughters in Hanafubuki. Okay, so maybe Mayumi-san isn¡¯t under her control, but she¡¯s definitely still dancing to her tune...


    ***


    ¡°All better.¡± I patted the weaselkin on the shoulder, his missing arm having regenerated. He thanked me, before nodding reverently to Shaeula, who was working beside me, before he sauntered out. Wiping a little silvery sweat from my brow, I grinned. ¡°Is that the last one? I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    Shaeula sniffed at that, her amber eyes appearing both amused and exasperated. ¡°The last-last one here. There are still quite-quite a few to attend to in the mortal realm. Besides, you do not-not seem exhausted to me. You have definitely grown far-far stronger during your sojourn to foreign lands.¡±


    ¡°True. I¡¯ve had some gains. And not just me, of course.¡± I agreed. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about those on the Material until I¡¯m back, we¡¯re just leaving now. So I might as well take a quick look at the damage and how the Territory is faring.¡± Strolling out of the makeshift infirmary we had converted one of the ordinary buildings surrounding Shirohebizumi shrine into, I started checking the status, both of my eyes now glittering with orange sparkles within the grey.


    ¡°I very-very much like that. Now both of your eyes resemble mine.¡± Shaeula grinned, peering into my eyes. ¡°And your charms have greatly-greatly increased.¡± She licked her lips, tugging at the neckline of her yukata, face rather flushed, amber hair sticking to her forehead. ¡°Perhaps we should... talk-talk about this somewhere more comfortable? You have much-much to tell me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but unfortunately...¡± I patted her head fondly, brushing aside her sweaty bangs. ¡°...you know we¡¯ve too much to do. besides, on Saturday, I¡¯m all yours!¡±


    ¡°True-true.¡± she agreed. ¡°Though I can not-not have you all to myself, due to the Pilgrimage, but... we shall still have much-much fun. Now, speak! I shall not-not tell Shiro and Tan, I promise, but the curiosity is quite-quite painful to me!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯ll just have to wait! But it¡¯ll certainly be worth it... I hope.¡± I chuckled, as I assessed our Buildings first.


    There were the usual randomly occurring Unique Buildings scattered about, the Rank 6 Kobold Den and the Rank 4 Mirror Bee Hive. Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t been involved in the destruction, as they weren¡¯t easily replaceable, if at all. There were then seven areas of major construction throughout the Territory.


    The first and most significant, which had also taken the heaviest damage, was around the Anchor and Asha¡¯s Tree, at Shirohebizumi shrine. Thanks to everyone fighting hard, and Mae¡¯s heroics, we escaped with only some collateral damage, the major facilities intact.


    There was some good news, as the two Anchor Spire Upgrades had finally finished while I was abroad, so now our Anchor was at Rank 3, while it had three Anchor Spires at Rank 2, those being Build Queue, Ether Spire and Ether Density.


    The Key Buildings, such as Asha¡¯s Rhyming Tree at Rank 6 and the other Rank 3 Rhyming Tree, also survived. As had the Materia Tree, which also seemed to have evolved to Rank 3 recently! The Ring Gate Hub at Rank 5 and the Kobold Mine at Rank 6 were also intact.


    We had lost all four Defensive Emplacements, the Armoury, the Treasury, the Warehouse and the Spawning Spire. For now, we could live without the Defensive Emplacements. We hadn¡¯t focussed on them, so they were little more than an irritant to any powerful assailants. Likewise, the Spawning Spire and the Armoury weren¡¯t too important. We had plenty of Mortal Engineers churning out gear, and while higher-Rank Armouries had a lot of potential, we could wait.


    As for the Spawning Spire, losing the Kobolds it created would cause a slight drop in our Mine output, but the Kobold population was growing anyway, so it was fine. I quickly rush-built a replacement Treasury and Warehouse to Rank 2 and queued in their upgrades to Rank 3 in the now-vacant slots. That didn¡¯t take much ether, and while our storage was therefore smaller than it used to be, it wasn¡¯t a big issue, and we would get back to Rank 3 in relatively short order.


    That left the following Buildings here. The White Snake Earth Altar at Rank 2, which had suffered a lot of damage but hadn¡¯t been destroyed, was slowly recovering by sucking in the surrounding ether. The pair of Throne Of Heroes at Rank 3 and Rank 2 respectively, as well as a Boundary To Material Connection at Rank 2, and a Rank 2 Barracks, which again suffered nearly enough damage to destroy it, but it had clung on, were also remaining.


    Lastly, we still had four Ether Spires, three at Rank 3 and one at Rank 4, and a Rank 4 Silo with Rank 4 Elemental Silo and Rank 3 Expanding Silo annexes.


    All in all, we¡¯d taken a hit, but it was far less serious than it could have been, but again, it highlighted our greatest weakness. Too many vital eggs in one basket. That was why the push to the next Territory Rank was so paramount, and our absolute focus. Then, I could move the Anchor elsewhere, and while the Ring Gate Hub and Asha¡¯s Tree were fixed, the plan was to set up a second Hub somewhere isolated using Hyacinth¡¯s ability to grow the mushrooms and have all the Gates route through that first before being able to access the heart of my Territory. With it surrounded by a host of powerful Defensive Emplacements, it would reduce our potential vulnerabilities significantly. Lastly, at Rank 4, presumably we would be able to add another Anchor Spire, and the Territory Barrier one would allow us to further reduce our weaknesses. That¡¯s still a long way off, unfortunately. But not near as long as I would have imagined a few months ago.


    The Ring Gate Hub was connected to Shaeula¡¯s mansion near the Spring of Clear Reflections in the Seelie Court, Kyoto, Bermondsey Isle in London, and also my sister¡¯s Territory in the Nasu mountains. Due to that, some forces had been sent to secure it, while my sister was ready to forfeit it at any time, but fortunately no trouble of note had occurred there.


    Expanding the Ring Gate network to South Korea, America, Germany, Greece... many other places, all of that¡¯s important, as my trip back via London proved, but... it¡¯s too risky to connect additional points of weakness at the moment. But preparing and scouting for suitable locations is what Fenrir will be for, amongst other tasks...


    Shaeula¡¯s old Territory was our second point of construction, and it had mercifully been left entirely unscathed by the battle. There were four Ether Spires, again three at Rank 3 and one at Rank 4, as well as four Defensive Emplacements, all at Rank 2, one of which was a Sniper, and another a Rapid-fire Emplacement.


    Lastly it sported a Rank 2 Barracks, and a Rank 3 Silo with Rank 3 Elemental Silo and Rank 2 Etherite Silo annexes.


    We then had the graveyard with the Dark Rhyming Tree at Rank 3, which also avoided the battles. Two Rank 3 Ether Spires, a Rank 2 Barracks, and the same set of four Rank 2 Emplacements as graced Shaeula¡¯s old Territory were set up here. In addition, there was a Rank 3 Silo with a Rank 3 Elemental Silo Annex.


    We also had some small construction at Hisuikomushi shrine. The same Defensive Emplacement set of four at Rank 2, as well as a Rank 2 Barracks, but they had seen no action, other than the Sniper Emplacement occasionally firing into the distance.


    Where did see action was our coastal zone to secure water element and a spot for grinding Levels. It had been unlucky enough to run afoul of a group of invaders and had suffered some damage. The Ether Spires were unharmed (three at Rank 3 and one at Rank 4) as was the Silo at Rank 3 with its Rank 3 Elemental Silo Annex. Unfortunately, the Rapid-fire Emplacement and an ordinary one had been destroyed in the skirmish, so now only a pair of Rank 2 Emplacements, one of which was a Sniper, remained.


    The testing facility and factory site had also remained uncontested, and fortunately the Rank 2 Material To Boundary Connection, and the Rank 3 Boundary To Material Connection were untouched, which was especially pleasing as the latter was being upgraded to Rank 4...


    Finally, we had the mountainous area to the west, where many of our Mines were located. That area had little tactical value, so again had seen little action barring some enemies passing through. We hadn¡¯t had chance to set up defences there, so it hadn¡¯t provoked any response.


    We had a pair of Kobold Mines here, at Rank 3 and Rank 4 respectively, as well as three Dwarven Mines (two at Rank 4 and one Rank 5) as well as a grove of Kodama Trees at Rank 4, which might have been another reason no battling took place here, and finally, the Rank 2 Dwarven Smelter And Foundry.


    Growth has really stalled out, it¡¯s actually gone backwards, if you consider the damage we took. Of course, there¡¯s a very good reason for that...


    Checking the queues, there were my new additions, the Rank 3 Treasury and the Rank 3 Warehouse, both with forty days until completion, an Ether Spire which had reached a nice round hundred days to Rank 4, likely aided by Miyu¡¯s Dancing, shaving off a day or so, her Skill gradually increasing, and lastly, the Boundary To Material Connection upgrade to Rank 4, at five hundred and ninety-nine days remaining.


    In terms of ether, checking Haru¡¯s Territory as it was largely stored in her Silos, we had reached a touch over seventy-seven million ether. Considering we needed one hundred and seventy million to rush-build the Territory to Rank 4, we were still a fair way off, but we were closing in on half of it already.


    Running some quick calculations, we were making roughly four and a half million per Material day with Shiro buffing it. If Shiro was able to use Berserk Blessing Of Blood, we could make a hundred thousand or so more before it became dangerous, and if I was there to mitigate it with Boiling Blood Resonance Link and the Soothing Waters Of Self-Sacrifice we could push that into the half a million or more per day realm, but I was wary of pushing Asha¡¯s Tree too hard, so it would be best to say the maximum possible was five million per day.


    We still needed ninety-three million plus rush-build costs to clear the queues, so in the absolute best case, nineteen Material days to the upgrade, taking us to the seventh of January. Of course, the best case isn¡¯t happening all the time. Shiro¡¯s going to be joining us on the Pilgrimage, and so there¡¯ll be times Asha¡¯s Tree isn¡¯t buffed, and I certainly won¡¯t be there to use my Skills. Shiro¡¯s going to be transported back when feasible, much as she complains about the inconvenience, but for the next couple of weeks, we might manage half uptime on her buffs. Even so... if it takes a month, that still puts us in the middle of January, which isn¡¯t too bad...


    The potential upsides of getting Shiro a maxed-out Kami-Blessed Class was too tempting to sacrifice, even to shave some days off our progress. If her Favour or Skills improved, we could potentially make up the shortfall anyway. I wonder what Tan thinks about it though, being a Goddess herself? Oh well, it¡¯s going to be a series of shocks for her anyway, what¡¯s one more?


    ¡°Wait? I am not-not terribly patient.¡± Shaeula grumbled. ¡°But I shall-shall hold in my deep curiosity.¡± Her smile turned wicked then. ¡°Though punishment shall await!¡± As she licked her lips seductively, I grinned. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve held her. But... I¡¯ll correct that soon, and not just for her!


    ***


    ¡°You certainly took a beating.¡± I looked down on the bandaged body of Takakura Mizuki-san, who was wearing a hospital-gown style robe over her wrappings, lying in a bed that had been set up for her in a makeshift ward near Shirohebizumi shrine. It would have been easier to use the training school, but the building had taken some damage during the battles there, from fire and explosions, and while it was probably structurally sound still, taking chances was foolish. One of her eyes was covered, and one hand too, and the bandages clearly didn¡¯t cover a whole


    appendage.


    ¡°You think? It¡¯s a miracle I didn¡¯t die.¡± She shuddered, before looking at Shaeula, who had followed me back to the Material, and Hinata, who was accompanying me still, as she wanted to see her Adamant members Healed. ¡°She saved my life, but... I¡¯m still in a lot of pain, and...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Mizuki.¡± Her calming older sister Katsuki-san soothed. She was sitting beside her bed, peeling apples into the almost too classic shape of little rabbits, her long hair tied back with a simple ribbon, her plain clothes suiting her well. ¡°Shaeula had a lot of people to help, once you were out of danger, I was relieved. But if she used all her strength on you, others might have paid the price.¡± She held out an apple on a toothpick, and Mizuki-san leaned forwards, grimacing as the bandages tightened, faint spots of red forming on them, to join layers of pink which had already soaked through.


    Taking a bite of the apple, she chewed and swallowed, before crashing back to her bed with a sigh. ¡°This hurts... it hurts so much! But I¡¯m not selfish. I don¡¯t want anyone to die. There was... enough of that...¡± she quietened down.


    ¡°Does it hurt-hurt as much as getting stabbed?¡± Shaeula asked, and Mizuki-san glowered at her with her remaining eye.


    ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t! I¡¯m sure half the reason you didn¡¯t heal me all the way is because you wanted to let him cop a feel!¡± At her accusing words and glare Shaeula merely chuckled, neither confirming nor denying it, but I felt the need to defend us.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bit too young for me, Mizuki-san. I swear I¡¯m not a pervert! And Shaeula wouldn¡¯t put you through pain just for that, she¡¯s not that cold.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± she complained. ¡°Even my big sister considers you lecherous. She thought you¡¯d demand her body for saving me! Besides, even now you¡¯re straining to see what¡¯s under my gown, aren¡¯t you? Go on, admit it! I won¡¯t judge you!¡±


    Uh, I think you¡¯re judging me right now! I glanced at Katsuki-san, who was flushed and clearly embarrassed, quite unlike her usual cool demeanour. Seeing that, she bowed, apologising. ¡°I am sorry, I was quite in a panic when Mizuki was gravely injured. I didn¡¯t know what I was saying! But the truth is, I¡¯m so grateful. First to Motoko-san and Natsumi-san, who stabilised my precious younger sister, and to you, Shaeula, who made sure their hasty aid would hold, and... to you, Akio-san. Because... Mizuki will be as good as new, won¡¯t she?¡±


    I nodded confidently. ¡°Of course. Not even a scar. I promise.¡±


    ¡°And how would you know that, without ogling me, every inch of me, in sordid detail?¡± Mizuki-san groused, but she didn¡¯t seem unhappy, more that her complaints were a habit. ¡°Go on, get it over with. Feel me up. You¡¯re just dying to get your hands on my boobs, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not the sort of man who lays his hands on an underage girl.¡± I quickly assessed her condition with my Eyes. She was horribly scarred, and her internal organs were covered in ugly knots of tissue. Yet the crude sealing of her flesh had prevented her bleeding to death. Shaeula had seemingly corrected the worst of the hasty work and left the rest to me. It¡¯s actually a bit challenging... As I stared down at her, Split Thoughts calculating, her exposed skin darkened.


    ¡°You¡¯ll lay your eyes on me though, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have to see you to fix you.¡± I sighed. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re... quite impressive, Mizuki-san. You¡¯re a beauty like your sister, but... more a cheerful sort, rather than an elegant one, maybe?¡± Even as I spoke, aether surged, and Mizuki-san shivered, groaning.


    ¡°This... isn¡¯t comfortable, but...¡± she gasped. ¡°I can... feel it. My eye, my fingers...¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I let a little wind out, slicing her bandages. She blinked, and that was with both eyes. She also flexed fingers that were regrowing rapidly, though it was a fairly disgusting sight, bones and flesh sprouting, and it wasn¡¯t exactly pain-free, but I damped down most of her nerves, only leaving her a dull, creeping sensation rather than agony. Working multiple threads of Ether Healing at once, her internal organs, tissues and even her chipped bones repaired themselves, polished as good as new, and torn flesh on her belly and, yes, her breasts, reknitted, smooth skin forming. A few minutes later it was done, and Katsuki-san was hugging her younger sister happily.


    ¡°How can we ever thank you?¡± Katsuki-san asked, and I shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need thanks. I heard Mizuki-san was rather brave, and because of her fighting to the bitter end, Motoko and Natsumi made it in time to save many lives.¡±


    Mizuki-san blushed, but she nodded proudly, thumping her more than ample chest, and her eyes narrowed in annoyed amusement as I couldn¡¯t help but look, it was involuntary. ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t want to, but I had to. I was the one who saw through them. The Takakura family does have special powers, the old tales are true!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make your actions any less heroic.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°I have a proposition for you both.¡± At her words, Katsuki-san froze, but her smile didn¡¯t falter. ¡°I believe character is important. Skills can be trained, but perhaps you have the best of both worlds. You know what it¡¯s like to not have the strength.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was horrible.¡± Mizuki-san agreed. ¡°But what can I do? I¡¯m not like him...¡± She glowered at me.


    ¡°No, but neither were Motoko and Natsumi. And look at them now. The same goes for me.¡± Hinata winked. ¡°I think you two have a promising future as officers in Adamant, I really do. And with some personal attention and training... you could go far, and never have to be beaten like that again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious about your talent. Can I take a look?¡± I asked, and Mizuki-san nodded.


    ¡°Go ahead. I can¡¯t really explain it. Those terrorists, they were hard to spot, but somehow, I could sense them. It wasn¡¯t like I was seeing them, but...¡± She struggled for words, still flexing her restored fingers, looking around with her replaced eye happily. ¡°...I could almost feel them.¡±


    ¡°Sensory-type abilities are treasures.¡± I mused, excited. ¡°Let me see...¡± My Eyes quickly peered deep into Mizuki-san. It was possible, if rather more difficult, to extract Skill information from someone I shared no bonds with, if I knew where to look, or had plenty of time, but now it was far easier, and my Eyes saw in a more comprehensive manner, so I soon found what I was seeking.


    Dark Moon Drawing Sprit is a remnant of a Divine blessing bestowed on the bloodline of a faithful worshipper, though the Adherence that created this blessing has almost been exhausted, yet through a reinvigoration of an infusion of steady Aether and a restored and rejuvenated Chakra network, in addition to being exposed to a similar ability, it has partially reawakened, though its strength is still nascent.


    This degraded Skill is only capable of drawing in and perceiving the Aether that all living beings exude, though as it is still fragmentary and weak, it only activates when exposed to a strong Aether of a similar nature.  Due to the enforced activation, this Skill is beginning to regain the ancestral form it once possessed, though the bearer is still weak, so this will be a very slow process.


    This Drawing Spirit likely has another, complimentary ability, yet it is not currently one the bearer can support. In addition, it seems to be one half of a paired Skill, though any remnants of such a Skill within the bearer have long since atrophied, due to lack of Adherence and many generations of dilution. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Rule]


    ¡°I see. I did wonder why your names all seem to involve the moon.¡± I mused, and Mizuki-san couldn¡¯t help but ask what I¡¯d seen. When I explained, she pumped one fist, her fingers now healed, triumphantly.


    ¡°See? We do still carry the true blood of Takakura house, despite being a branch family!¡±


    At her exuberance, Katsuki-san scolded her. ¡°Mizuki! Have some decorum! We have important guests. Besides...¡± her tone was wry. ¡°...you may be recovered now, but you must still be weak. And we have to be up early in the morning.¡± She turned to me, bowing in apology. ¡°I apologise for Mizuki. But she¡¯s grateful. As am I! And knowing she has some fragments of our family legacy, long thought lost... even if she never manages to regain its full glory, it¡¯s a joyous event.¡±


    ¡°Grateful? He should be grateful. I know he¡¯s checking me out!¡± Mizuki-san snorted. ¡°A leopard can¡¯t change his spots, and he can¡¯t help but ogle me! Besides...¡± She narrowed her eyes, looking rather cute and sly. ¡°...I expect you can help me with my Skill, can¡¯t you? With Chirurgery, maybe?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s possible, I imagine. I¡¯m very interested in finding out what it was like at full strength. And the paired ability, but... I don¡¯t think I can recreate than out of nothing. I¡¯m good, not a miracle worker.¡±


    ¡°I thought of that too!¡± Mizuki-san cried triumphantly. ¡°Akio-san, you can just check out my sisters! If I have it, then surely Katsuki and Kiaria are the same!¡± She seemed so proud that it was hard not to pat her head, but I resisted, and Katsuki-san beat me to it anyway, giving her sister a gentle stroke, into which she leaned like a mischievous kitten.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Mizuki. I heard his words just like you did. Your bravery in confronting the intruders awakened your gift. I didn¡¯t do that. I was useless...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to say who was useless or not. I know you went with Motoko and Natsumi towards danger. Now, if I may?¡± As I tapped under my eye, she nodded slowly, and soon I had dug through Katsuki-san as well, and I clapped my hands together in excitement.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Mizuki-san crowed, elated. ¡°So go on, tell me!¡± She crossed her arms, and this time I did manage not to stare. She¡¯s doing that on purpose now. Is she trying to get back at me, or just seriously tsundere?


    ¡°It¡¯s better than I¡¯d hoped. Although your ability is broken and fragmentary, it seems to be the other half of Mizuki-san¡¯s. I wonder if Kiaria-chan has any as well, having other fragments to examine might help with the reconstruction. Honestly, I don¡¯t know if we can put it back to how it was before, but we can probably make it do something.¡±


    Fragmentary Bright Moon Pushing Spirit is scattered shards of a Divine blessing bestowed on the bloodline of a faithful worshipper, though the Adherence that created this blessing has almost been exhausted.


    This degraded Skill is incapable of performing any function in its current state, but it seems to be designed to push out the Aether that all living beings exude, though for what purpose, it is impossible to say.


    In addition, it seems to be one half of a paired Skill, alongside Dark Moon Drawing Spirit, and even from the lingering, near-insignificant traces of Adherence, it can be seen that they are designed to complement each other in function. [Class: ???] [Type: ???]


    I see. It can¡¯t even tell me the Class and Type as the Skill is utterly busted...


    ¡°What do you think it does?¡± Katsuki-san asked, intrigued despite clearly trying not to get her hopes up. ¡°I can understand Mizuki¡¯s gift. The ability to sense others, and the unseen, such as Yo?kai, it would indeed be the sort of blessing a God would bestow on his shrine maidens. But as for expelling their aether...¡± She shook her head, puzzled.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Mizuki-san was excited, having already forgotten her prior injuries, it seemed. ¡°We¡¯ll work it out, won¡¯t we?¡± She then snickered, nodding fiercely. ¡°Akio-san here will make sure of it. We¡¯re too cute to ignore!¡±


    ¡°Mizuki!¡± Katsuki-san chided again, but she ignored her older sister, merely smirking at me teasingly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help being eye-catching. It¡¯s a pain, but... no pain, no gain, right?¡±


    As Shaeula was also snickering, enjoying Mizuki-san¡¯s bravado, no doubt, Hinata leaned in, her brown eyes intense. ¡°Indeed. Very well said. So, you¡¯d best get some rest. Because tomorrow begins your true hardships.¡± Her grin was wicked. ¡°But yes, the gain will certainly be commensurate with the pain!¡±


    As Mizuki-san gulped, and Katsuki-san seemed resigned and accepting, I shrugged. Moon-themed abilities. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the daughters of Takakura house were also Tsukuyomi shrine maidens in their ancient history. I know they are the noble family with the greatest tie to the faith... perhaps tinkering with these powers would give some insight into my own Divine Favour that Tsukiko bequeathed me, and...


    It still didn¡¯t sit right with me. I knew why Tsukiko passed the Favour to me. And honestly, I wanted her to be much less the Diviner, and far more Tsukiko. But I also understood her faith was integral to her very being. So if I can reconstruct her Favour even partially from the remains, just like the Skills Katsuki-san and Mizuki-san have... Favours, hmmm... I could feel the weight of the Favours I was carrying, adherence frozen.


    This Pilgrimage... hopefully we can find homes for many of them, including others we have yet to extract...


    ***


    After leaving Mizuki-san and Katsuki-san¡¯s room, Hinata having sent a runner to the Boundary to take care of some details, we Healed up a number more of the wounded, before I arrived at a room which housed three girls from Hanafubuki.


    ¡°Hinata-sama, Shaeula-sama!¡± the first girl cried, trying to get up from her bed, though the effort brought beads of sweat to her brow, her face going ghastly pale. Shaeula frowned at the honorific, but seeing as the girl was seriously injured, she let it slide. She was wearing black-rimmed glasses, the sort that a bookish girl would like, and her hair was pulled into black braids. She seemed in a lot of pain and was heavily bandaged, one arm strapped to her side. She then saw me, and froze for a moment, before her pale skin flushed. Huh?


    ¡°I would get up, but... I¡¯m too injured, I¡¯m afraid.¡± she managed, confusing me a little. ¡°I can¡¯t... salute... either.¡± She moved her hand, curling the fingers, and with a smile, Hinata reached out and placed her hand against hers, forming a diamond shape.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony, Watari-chan!¡± Hinata soothed her. ¡°Akio¡¯s no ogre. In fact, he¡¯s very impressed with you, with all of you, Hazuki-chan, Ishisaka-chan!¡± She addressed two other girls, one who seemed quite tall, and had a pretty, heart-shaped face, though that face was marred with some deep wounds which would surely scar without help, and the other reminded me of my sister a bit, she had that lean, sporty look, but she was in terrible condition, one arm clearly crippled, and deep gashes everywhere. The tall girl¡¯s not exactly in great shape either, judging from the bandages.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard you were incredibly heroic, stepping up when it mattered to protect your classmates. Motoko and Natsumi spoke of your heroics.¡± I had received a number of messages and spoken to them all, of course.


    ¡°Motoko-sama, Natsumi-sama! Oh my...¡± The girl with braids, Watari-chan swooned, only to cry out, coughing blood. I exchanged a glance with Hinata, who chuckled.


    ¡°She¡¯s a huge fan of theirs. Honestly, when she was brought here, she tried to get out of bed despite being near crippled, and go to your house, because she heard they sleep there often. I worry she wanted to sniff or lick the blankets, or try and find their underwear.¡±


    As Watari-chan blushed, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I guess single-sex schools are dangerous in many ways.¡±


    ¡°Especially ours.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°The three of them stood for Sakura too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... I¡¯m still ashamed.¡± The sporty girl, Hazuki-san, I believed, managed to grate through her broken jaw. A number of teeth were stubs, and while I thought she was still beautiful, due to her deeds, I could see it was clearly bothering her with more than just the pain. ¡°I was too... too frightened to speak up against the... slanders... but...¡± It was a struggle to speak, so I held up a hand to stop her.


    ¡°We all get scared. In the end, you did, though, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they did.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°And their rewards will be appropriate compared to their loyalty and bravery.¡± They all seemed to swell with pride at that, despite their injuries. My Eyes shone, and that seemed to captivate the girl with the pretty heart-shaped face, who was staring into my eyes, until I raised an eyebrow, and she tilted her head away slowly, flushed.


    ¡°You did not-not peer into my eyes the same way when I gave you aid.¡± Shaeula chortled, and Ishisaka-san looked down, embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease her so. I get it. When it was just one eye, it was impressive, but with both... there¡¯s a lot of balance. Besides, the amber flecks within shine brighter now.¡± Hinata chuckled. ¡°Akio, if you would make a start, while I tell them where we go from here?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded, splitting my thoughts and working on all three of them at once. I could see hastily repaired injuries that surely would have been fatal, likely treated by Motoko and Natsumi with desperation, and then further work by Shaeula, who had stabilised them, and left the larger disfigurements and maiming alone to save on aether.


    But I don¡¯t need to save anymore... not only did my stats go up a lot, my Lovers¡¯ Link with Ortlinde, and also with Rossweisse, had deepened. It¡¯s hard to say, but... I¡¯d imagine Rank three. And three percent of the best of their stats might not seem a lot, but it¡¯s not trivial, especially in Aether. Their Aether Statistic is suitably monstrous.


    As the three wounded students of Hanafubuki marvelled as their wounds began to heal, broken limbs bending back into shape, missing teeth regrowing in a straightened jaw, deep gashes fading, clean, unbroken flesh sprouting, Hinata stood, hands on her hips, back straight. ¡°This would go better if I was in my uniform, but... Hazuki-chan, Watari-chan, Ishizaka-chan, the three of you acquitted yourselves with great glory. My only regret is you were inadequately armed and trained, which is our failings. That shall never happen again, you have our promise. Now, Sakura will be joining Adamant, and I am grooming her for a command role. I would like you three to be her support. But I will not neglect you. Motoko and Natsumi will...¡±


    Watari-san burst up again, eyes sparkling. ¡°Oh, to train under Motoko-sama and Natsumi-sama! I never could before. I wanted to study Tsumura-style swordsmanship or archery... the spear or martial arts would be good too... they would have to touch me when we sparred, to correct my terrible posture...¡± She let out a dirty laugh, and I glanced at Shaeula, who shrugged, amused.


    ¡°...sadly, my parents wouldn¡¯t let me bother Motoko-sama, since we are just from the Three-Hundred, and they said a potter had no need of a sword. My parents were wrong though!¡± she declared, seeming almost proud of that, before Hazuki-san, who was nearly back to full health under my ministrations, leaned over and bopped her on the head.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± she complained, only for Ishizaka-san to nod at me, and Watari-san blinked, remembering where she was.


    ¡°You forget everything when it comes to Motoko and Natsumi, don¡¯t you?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Oh, your arm should be fine now.¡± Wind severed the splint and bandages and she flexed it, surprised.


    ¡°I would die happy if they could hold me!¡± she cried entirely without shame, and I was once more amused by the sheer acceptance of love between girls at Hanafubuki.


    ¡°Motoko and Natsumi are Akio¡¯s fiance?es. That¡¯s not exactly appropriate, is it?¡± Hinata chuckled.


    ¡°For that, I would gladly allow you to take me!¡± Watari-san offered, face red, breath coming fast. ¡°Bring me to your bed, and I will serve alongside them.¡± Her flush deepened, and she started leaking that dirty laugh again.


    ¡°I say do-do it!¡± Shaeula insisted. ¡°I like her, she is quite-quite amusing!¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re missing the point. Akio is rather a jealous man. If he wasn¡¯t, he¡¯d certainly ask us to play with each other more for his amusement. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Hinata asked me, and I nodded, remembering when I had asked Motoko and Natsumi to kiss. It was certainly sexy, but honestly, I wasn¡¯t exactly sold on it. Of course, I was doing it to help them realise their feelings, rather than for titillation, so it worked out. Although to be honest...


    I glanced at Shaeula, who seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. It definitely depends on the girl. ¡°No.¡± I told her. ¡°Watari-san seems nice enough...¡± She let out a noise of surprise and embarrassment at that, but I ignored it. ¡°...but I¡¯d never force Motoko and Natsumi into something they don¡¯t want just so I can sleep with another woman. Besides, I have all of you, don¡¯t I? You¡¯re all the best of women, I¡¯m well satisfied already.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Hinata-sama!¡± Hazuki-san spoke up, looking at us warmly. ¡°This is why you adore him, and why you tell us to wear the uniform with pride.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Hinata nodded regally. ¡°He is a man worthy of your respect, worthy to serve. But more importantly... he¡¯s a man who will never let you down.¡± She winked, as I finished up my Ether Healing. ¡°You¡¯re all better. So, how do you feel? Did... did this experience break your spirits?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ishizaka-san stood, and she was tall for a girl of her age. Though as a gentleman I looked away from her body, as she was wearing a hospital-style gown which gaped alarmingly as she moved. Seeing that, Hazuki-san giggled.


    ¡°I agree with Ishizaka-chan! Our resolve hasn¡¯t faltered. If anything... it has grown!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Watari-san broke in. ¡°My love for Motoko-sama and Natsumi-sama is growing too, and... while I never thought a man would be worthy of them, I am glad to be proved wrong! Let me be your concubine, I¡¯ll persuade my parents, if I cry and beg and scream...¡±


    Hazuki-san and Ishizaka-san grabbed her, revelling in being able to move and be free of pain. As Ishizaka-san held her arms behind her back, and Hazuki-san covered Watari-san¡¯s mouth, Hinata shook her head.


    ¡°High spirits indeed. You should call your parents...¡± As Watari-san¡¯s eyes brightened behind her glasses, Hinata deadpanned a continuation, making her sag, limp. ¡°...and tell them you are all well again. I know they worried. While they didn¡¯t go so far as to blame us for your injuries, they certainly made it plain they want you protected, kept away from danger. But... you¡¯re better than that, yes?¡±


    As they nodded, Hinata continued. ¡°I knew my trust in you wasn¡¯t misplaced. No, you have a few hours to talk to your parents, but... here by five sharp in the morning, all right? As we have an early start!¡±


    As the trio of Adamant, Watari-san having been released, made the diamond salute, Hinata gave them some final orders, and as they left to get changed and call their worried parents, Hinata turned to me. ¡°There¡¯s some more work to do. Best get to it, unless you¡¯re tired?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m full of stamina.¡± I slapped my chest proudly.


    ¡°And Hinata is full-full of wickedness.¡± Shaeula chuckled. ¡°I think you could be a Fae yourself, Hinata. We very-very much like such teasing. Maybe your sword has-has changed you?¡±


    Hinata shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve always been a tease. Besides... care of our members is our role as the leaders of Adamant, Shaeula. Even being Healed by Akio, they must still have lingering fears. It¡¯s inevitable.¡± Hinata¡¯s hands shook a bit, and I put an arm around her. Leaning into me, she snuggled close. Shaeula pouted, so I extended my other arm, and she jumped into my embrace.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll provoke and tease them, give them purpose and resolve, offer treats and favours, and raise their affection for us and Akio. After all, for our plan to work, they have to absolutely worship you, Akio.¡± Hinata¡¯s expression was wry, with a trace of self-doubt. ¡°In a way... it¡¯s a little cruel, but their injuries needed to be fixed by you. Now they¡¯ll always remember what you gave them, every time they move an arm, or eat, or see their face in a mirror.¡±


    ¡°It is not-not cruel, but a great blessing. We know that.¡± Shaeula grinned. ¡°We take, but we give-give far more, do we not-not? Now... we have more wounded to aid.¡±


    ¡°I have a question...¡± I asked something that had been on my mind. ¡°Just how many girls from Hanafubuki have you roped in now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, around twenty...¡± That¡¯s a lot. ¡°...percent.¡± What the hell?


    Seeing my confused expression, Hinata giggled, her slight melancholy dissipating. She kissed my cheek happily, and Shaeula, unwilling to be left out, did so on the other side. ¡°Hanafubuki isn¡¯t as large a school as you are imagining. There are not many eligible daughters. Honestly though... twenty percent is a little low. I am shooting for around sixty-five percent. And before you say we should grab them all, Shaeula...¡±


    Hinata rolled her eyes, as Shaeula snickered, as if it was an argument they had rehashed a number of times. ¡°...there are those who just don¡¯t have the character, those who already have a fiance? they actually like, or have some sort of sweetheart, those who have genuinely no interest, and those that don¡¯t meet my or Akio¡¯s standards.¡±


    My standards? ¡°I didn¡¯t think Shige-san or Kira-san would allow that...¡± I suggested, and Hinata shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they can stop it. I told you, they created a perfect storm of conditions to raise the exact sort of soldier we need. Besides, I give everyone the choice. Some, like Nozomi-san and Arisa-chan, I was a little forceful with, but they¡¯ll be better with us. Anyway... time¡¯s wasting. We should go.¡±


    Nodding, I let them lead me to the next room, pondering her words. Valkyries, huh? Made from mortal women. I wonder what Ortlinde and Rossweisse will think of that?


    ***


    ¡°All done.¡± I wiped off my sweat, before checking my internal stocks of aether. A little lower than I¡¯d like, but it also recovers a lot faster now, so I should be fine. There¡¯s enough time too.


    ¡°You have-have worked hard.¡± Shaeula praised me. ¡°I have-have done little, only those where the gratitude and respect for you is not-not so needed. That means I am at your disposal, should you need-need my aether.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it. But we have a lot of Chirurgery coming, don¡¯t we? Save your strength for that.¡± I chuckled. I then glanced at Hinata. ¡°It¡¯s getting on for midnight. And we have a lot to do. So, it¡¯s time. Call everyone together in the Boundary. In fact... it¡¯s time to head to Shaeula¡¯s mansion. I... have a lot to talk about, and... some things I want to try.¡±


    Hinata nodded, face pink. ¡°I am a little sad it will no longer be a secret only you, me, Eri and the twins hold, but...¡± She winked at Shaeula. ¡°...it¡¯s going to be amazing.¡±


    ¡°I can-can hardly wait. The suspense has been killing me.¡± Shaeula pouted, before racing away, quickly followed by Hinata, who glanced back at me with a teasing expression. When they were gone, I headed off myself, searching for Mae and Nebisuki. Reaching into my pocket, I felt the cold, smooth crystalline apple residing there. All right then. This time... let¡¯s make it perfect!

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Three

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Three


    As we all gathered in the mansion on the borders of the Seelie Court, some of the less common visitors such as Kana and Daiyu glancing around with great interest, Velna, Klena and the other maids served us Fae drinks and delicacies, while we all sat comfortably in the grand sitting room. It had been refurbished since it was rebuilt after the battle with Kinneka and Ginneka ended with it burning down, and now it had comfortable, mortal-style couches and chairs, upon which all my women were relaxing, as well as Shinkume-no-Hana and Tamamo-no-Mae.


    Mae seemed a shadow of herself still, frail and shorn of tails, yet despite that, she somehow managed to radiate haughty arrogance, while Shinkume-no-Hana was sitting quietly next to Shaeula, whose glowering was keeping her in line. Yes, they don¡¯t get along, not just because of the mess with Eri when we first encountered the Night Parade, but... well, in other circumstances, perhaps Shaeula would be calling her sister-in-law. That has to be complicated... it certainly makes me feel strange, I agree... but that was all long ago, before we were even born...


    ¡°Are we going to discuss your secret then?¡± Shiro asked, leaning forwards eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s been driving me crazy, not knowing, and Tan¡¯s constantly been theorising in my mind. And before you deny that, Tan, your tsundere act is getting old, and everyone can see through it, especially me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am quite-quite eager to know!¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°It is rather frustrating that Eri and Hinata have this secret they share with Akio that we do not-not.¡±


    Eri and Hinata exchanged a sly glance with each other, before Eri leaned back, taking a long, slow drink of her wine, obviously stalling on purpose to tease the others. When she slowly placed her goblet down, she smirked wickedly. ¡°It makes a change for me to have a secret. I haven¡¯t forgotten you kept Adamant from me. I get that your intentions weren¡¯t malicious, but I¡¯m still pissed off...¡±


    ¡°Hey, Hinata kept it secret too!¡± Shiro protested, and Eri gave her a flat look.


    ¡°Yes, but Hinata genuinely understands her mistake and is sorry. You... you¡¯re just evading responsibility. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not petty...¡±


    Kana giggled at that, and Eri gave her a grumpy look too before continuing. ¡°...I don¡¯t hold a grudge, but I don¡¯t want to see it happening again. Consider this my small act of retribution. But we¡¯ll be talking about Adamant here, won¡¯t we?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll be talking about the future direction we¡¯ll be taking. I now know it, and the Path is set. So we all need to be on board with it. Especially you, Tan.¡±


    Shiro¡¯s eyes flared crimson, and Tan¡¯s gaze hardened, as if she was trying to peer deep inside me. Finally, she licked her lips with a sultry gesture after that long, uncomfortable inspection. ¡°I see. But there is only room for one Astral Emperor. If it is to be you...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid so. It¡¯s me. But I¡¯m getting ahead of myself.¡± I held in a grin as Shiro¡¯s face flushed, and honestly, I was sure it was the usually unflappable Tan still in charge of her body there, because of what I implied. Even a Goddess is a woman at heart, especially Tan, who basically was a hikikomori, a shut-in, if you believe her stories, which I have no reason to doubt.


    As all eyes were on me, I began. ¡°Firstly, Pilgrimage. If we can get everyone to maximise their Kami-Blessed Class, well, at least those of us who can get it...¡± I looked apologetically at Shaeula, Hyacinth and Asha, but then, they had access to Fae Classes we seemingly didn¡¯t. ¡°...that¡¯s a huge step up in power. We¡¯ve been growing steadily, but... events have shown us we can¡¯t rely on just a few powerhouses anymore. We all need strength.¡± I glanced over at Motoko and Natsumi, who nodded, understanding better than any. They had won, yes, but it had been a close battle, and if their Chosen opponent had been less arrogant, they could easily have been the ones who died.


    ¡°If that strength comes from Classes, great. We¡¯ll now try our best to min-max everything. From Favours... we no longer have the luxury to worry about the justification for taking them from our enemies. And while finding suitable hosts is still essential, you are all first. Those of you who don¡¯t have Favours, we¡¯ll make you compatible.¡±


    ¡°So, just what Favours do we already have at our disposal?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°I know you have a few, Aki.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a good time for this. Firstly, we have the prisoner from South Korea. You¡¯ve... checked him, right Shaeula?¡±


    Shaeula nodded, her face twisting into an unpleasant expression as she remembered. ¡°He is not-not a pleasant male. But I have-have indeed used my winds and waters to make him speak-speak the truth to me. He was not-not brainwashed, like the other poor-poor fools. He seemed to have fallen for the mad female Chae Cho-Hee.¡± She sniffed then. ¡°I do not-not think much of his taste. But even were he an unwilling puppet, you would still-still take his Favour, no?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though obviously if he was innocent, he¡¯d be compensated.¡± I agreed. ¡°His Favour is one of speed, which is a simple but well-balanced one. In addition, we also have that pervert who tried to attack the AKB0048 idols. He had a paralysing eye ability. Not terribly interesting, but... I¡¯d rather someone was putting it to use, and in a situation like Hanafubuki, wouldn¡¯t it have been helpful?¡±


    As Motoko and Natsumi agreed, I continued. ¡°I myself am holding a number of Favours. There¡¯s the Taranis¡¯ Wheel Of Thunder, that came from that traitor Donovan. But in addition, I picked up a few more on my trip.¡±


    ¡°It was very profitable.¡± Hinata giggled, patting Eri on the shoulder. ¡°We both gained as well. So we know the value of these Favours, and... also the proof that Akio treasures us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kana agreed, glancing sympathetically at the mortal girls who still didn¡¯t possess them. ¡°It certainly makes you think. Aki is holding some of the most priceless treasures in the world... and he gives them to us. Honestly, I wanted my boyfriend to be generous and give me surprise gifts, but... this goes far beyond what I could ever have expected.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The priceless treasures for my priceless loved ones.¡± I grinned. ¡°Anyway, back on topic...¡± I reorientated my thoughts, eating a large, candied fruit from the plate beside me, the sweetness somehow not cloying, my body feeling reinvigorated. ¡°I also have Favours from Shango, Nkunim, Mamlambo and O?gu?n. They¡¯re a mixed bag, but I¡¯ll go into details later.¡±


    ¡°Five?¡± Tan spoke up, surprised. ¡°It should hardly be possible for you to sustain such a drain on your adherence, holding such. Yet you seem capable...¡± Her eyes narrowed, she licked her lips again and sniffed, as if simultaneously tasting and smelling me. ¡°...there is a strange scent, an... intriguing one...¡± She narrowed her, or rather Shiro¡¯s, crimson eyes. ¡°I see. I am hardly an expert in matters of space and time, but it seems you have been partially frozen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°Using adherence is very difficult for me right now, as the Favours are frozen within me. Payment for a debt.¡± I remembered Zozibini¡¯s annoying attempts to entangle me in her schemes, but at least she paid compensation. ¡°It¡¯s how I managed to collect so many Favours, though I did break down some others to keep my adherence topped up. In any case, I¡¯ll be breaking the seal very shortly, as I need to use all my Skills for what we need to do next. So, we¡¯ll quickly have to find hosts.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Favours...¡± Kana spoke up. ¡°Eri and Suzu-chan were amazing. Not only did they defeat their enemies, but they also thought to capture them. We¡¯ve got a couple imprisoned, Though... they¡¯re not in a pleasant state, I hear.¡± Kana shuddered, and Eri¡¯s dark eyes narrowed.


    ¡°They came to kill us and our families. They should be thankful they are alive at all. Besides, limbs can be regrown, but when you¡¯re dead... well, maybe we could be like Haru-san or Tsukiko, but... not everyone is that lucky.¡±


    Getting the picture, I shook my head. Ugh, I get that would be the safest way to restrain a Chosen, but it¡¯s still gruesome. Eri¡¯s... certainly ruthless when it comes to our safety. I don¡¯t hate it though, I¡¯m just a little sad she has to make such choices. But... it¡¯s only going to get worse, until our fists are big enough to deter other enemies from causing trouble.


    ¡°The two we captured, one uses lightning and the second, we have no idea. I¡¯m hoping you can find out, Akio.¡± Eri suggested, only for Tan to shake her head.


    ¡°If they are tools of the Throne, you shall have little success, I fear. I cannot speak of their methods, in truth... I do not understand them well myself...¡± That admission seemed to embarrass her, and Tsukiko and the others smiled warmly at her wry discomfort. ¡°...yet the Throne¡¯s Favours are difficult to grasp, and often slip through the fingers of others, only to reappear in fanatical hands once more. Although...¡± Her crimson eyes peered deep into mine. ¡°...perhaps you have an advantage others do not. How envious...¡±


    Envy no more, Tan. Soon it¡¯ll be your turn. ¡°Anyway, great job Eri. It¡¯s risky, and honestly I¡¯d rather you just made sure of your own safety, but... I know you were just thinking of everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I just...¡± Eri glanced at Motoko, Natsumi and Tsukiko, which gave away her true thoughts and feelings. Yeah, Eri takes being first wife seriously. She wants everyone to be on an equal footing. It¡¯s cute. I¡¯ll definitely spoil her later. Especially since when we¡¯re not alone she can be a little dishonest... Proving my point, she shrugged. ¡°...hate waste. With Suzu-san¡¯s help, I had the ability, so I did so.¡±


    ¡°I am most-most impressed. Daiyu and I, we were too concerned about slaying our enemies, and protecting the Territory.¡± Shaeula grimaced, remembering, and Daiyu nodded.


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s important. If we lost the Territory, or Asha and her Tree...¡± And our children too, of course. ¡°...that would be far worse than missing out on a few Favours we may or may not be able to use. Honestly... everyone did so well.¡± I was immensely proud of everyone. Even without me there, they had stood in the face of disaster and turned it aside through bravery and will. ¡°During the Pilgrimage, I¡¯m going to spoil each and every one of you!¡±


    ¡°Me too? How... salacious!¡± Nebisuki smirked, and I merely ignored her, which made her grin broaden, teeth showing.


    ¡°So, we will be endeavouring to become suitable for Favours?¡± Motoko asked. ¡°Natsumi and I have some experience in that. It should be possible, if we know just what the Favours are and from which Divinity. Though we shall need to research.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s why I want Karen-chan along on the Pilgrimage. Yasu-kun, he¡¯s probably not going to want to go on a trip without her anyway.¡± I grinned at that. I wasn¡¯t sure how far their relationship had actually gone, but Yasu-kun seemed quite taken with her. I didn¡¯t blame him, really. An older woman was probably what he needed, and Karen-chan was intelligent and attractive, and with Chirurgery looked younger than her actual age. Though she¡¯s been through a lot, if Yasu-kun doesn¡¯t treat her right, he¡¯ll answer to me.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be in charge of information gathering, while my other staff hold down the fort. Speaking of...¡± I took a deep breath, as we were getting to the point of explanations. ¡°We¡¯ll need to bring in more people to my project. Arisu-san, Haru, Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan, my sister of course, Ixitt and Bjarki, and also...¡± I took a deep breath at this. ¡°Christina Bakker.¡±


    At that, Eri narrowed her eyes. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t like her. She¡¯s... cold. Ruthless.¡±


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t, Eri?¡± Shiro shrugged. ¡°Who ended up capturing two enemies and delimbing them, just so we can plunder them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different!¡± Eri had the grace to blush. ¡°But... you¡¯ve seen the news! Akio¡¯s already being criticised for Nie Ling! The leak that one of the terrorists who attacked Kyoto is not only still free, but working for us, has hurt our image a lot! Bunch of ungrateful idiots. Without us, Kyoto would have been a massacre...¡±


    ¡°I am afraid it is human nature.¡± Tsukiko comforted her. ¡°People are easily moved to anger and condemnation. But any storm shall pass. Just as the moon can be obscured by storm clouds, it still shines, and we will see it again.¡±


    ¡°Nice metaphor, Tsuki.¡± Shiro grinned. ¡°Anyway, who gives a shit what they think?¡± Shiro shook her head. ¡°Arisu¡¯s going to handle that, you mark my words. But... I agree. I don¡¯t much like her. Why do we need her?¡±


    ¡°Simple. She¡¯s... got ideas. And...¡± I hesitated.


    ¡°Spit it out, Aki. Nobody here will think less of you.¡± Shiro promised, and I sighed.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a pair of reasons. Firstly... I¡¯m planning on some truly shocking Chirurgery. And... I love you all too much to risk any of you. Christina feels her best role is to be the guinea pig for any dangerous experiment. And honestly... the second reason is... she¡¯s trying to change. Maybe it¡¯s all a fake, maybe she¡¯s got me tricked, but... if she wants to make amends, she should get the chance to. She¡¯s right. Nie Ling got a chance, and...¡± I glanced at Mae, who merely stared back, her eyes dark and exhausted.


    ¡°That¡¯s trye. I... wanted to say something about that.¡± Hinata spoke up. ¡°While Shiro¡¯s right, and it should only be our business who you like, Akio, I¡¯m afraid we do need to balance our public image. Tamamo-no-Mae... the tales of her cruelty and evil deeds are legendary. People are going to talk if you romance her, Akio.¡±


    Romance? Uh...


    I was going to deny it, but paused. I won¡¯t lie to myself. I feel a great deal of affection for her, especially after her heroics, but... it¡¯s difficult to get over the fact she¡¯s effectively controlled by me, at least for now. It feels... you know, a bit like those bad isekai stories where they get the harem of compliant slave girls so they don¡¯t have to face rejection or conflict...


    ¡°If I may...¡± It was Nebisuki who spoke up. ¡°...nobody knows of grandmother¡¯s deeds better than I. But... who has suffered more than she? I have travelled the world in search of a way to avert my death, and now have found it. I have heard many philosophies, and one I like is thus... Repentance is not shame or guilt. Shame does not make amends, and guilt is only self-serving. Expressing regret and apologies is good, humbling, but without actively bettering oneself, and striving to balance the harm one has caused, there can be no forgiveness. But even if one tries and fails, so long as one sincerely attempts it, karma will balance.¡±


    Tsukiko nodded. ¡°That is a central Buddhist tenet, no? Bankei-sama has spoken of such many times. I... hardly disagree. If failing invalidated genuine effort, then the world is a cruel place indeed. After all...¡± She managed a faint smile, her red eyes, which were a different lustre to Tan¡¯s, but similarly like brilliant rubies, glittering with an odd sense of mischief. ¡°Akio failed to save my life!¡±


    ¡°Still on that, huh?¡± I chortled, knowing she was just teasing. It was hard for her, to reclaim her sense of self, rather than the Diviner¡¯s mask, but her shell was cracking more and more every day. Spending time with the others, without veils and other barriers, was humanising her.


    ¡°Yes. I am still ¡®on that¡¯, as you put it. Because that way, you simply have to make it up to me.¡± Tsukiko smiled, cheeks pink.


    ¡°Shiro put you up to that, right?¡± I asked, and as the woman in question looked away, whistling, Daiyu spoke up.


    ¡°I too understand. I saw much of her past during the false Tribulation. Her petty cruelty, disregard for others, and selfishness. Yes, it was balanced by her great willingness to go beyond for those she cherishes, but... anyone can be kind to those they care for. The question is... do you wish to change?¡± She asked Mae directly, and for a moment there was silence, before she shuddered.


    ¡°Buddhism. I remember that.¡± Mae began. Shiro¡¯s eyes gleamed, and I knew Tan had complex emotions towards that religion as well, thanks to the Buddha walking on by her. Though now I¡¯m grateful he did. I¡¯m not into stealing other people¡¯s wives...


    ¡°I thought it rather foolish. Doing as I pleased seemed the only thing of worth in this world. I disdained the weak, and pitied the selfless. Why deny ourselves joy? But...¡± She shuddered then. ¡°...shame does not make amends? If it did, I would be a Buddha myself. I shamed myself endlessly during the years I was imprisoned, denuded and dissipated by that false Saint¡¯s tortures. Guilt is self-serving? Perhaps. Perhaps not.¡± She looked at her granddaughter. ¡°Do I feel guilt for my deeds? What good would that do? Do you think the spirits of my slain kin would howl any less were I sorry? Would you?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I would find it insulting and wrong. If Tamamo-no-Mae was to turn back, what was it all for? But...¡± Her two remaining tails wagged, as she gnawed on the stem of her unlit pipe. ¡°...can you better yourself, grandmother? You lost, you were a beaten cur, you said it yourself. All pride gone, all hope, all shame, all of your past self... ashes in the flames. Even now... you are not who you were, are you?¡±


    Mae nodded. ¡°I have the memories. Most of them. But... they feel as if I am observing them. As If an outsider. My only true memories are...¡± she glanced at me, her expression pensive. ¡°...from the moment my chains were cut, to now. And also the ones I regained during the Tribulation. They live within me!¡± She ground her teeth. ¡°Caihong¡¯er, Liena, and that bastard... Zixin...¡± she spat, her dull eyes blazing into furious life.


    ¡°Your point is?¡± Eri asked, and Nebisuki shrugged.


    ¡°If you are talking about the opinions of others, then I suppose I have none. And I am aware you hate me. With good cause. But I was desperate and petty, expecting my end soon. And bored. I... understand grandmother well. Better than anyone, perhaps. The only opinion that matters is ours, no?¡±


    Eri had nothing to say at that, frowning, but after a moment, she nodded. ¡°She saved Asha. That counts for a lot with me. But... it¡¯s hard.¡±


    ¡°It is. But... grandmother.¡± Nebisuki¡¯s expression was earnest as she leant forwards, though that made her chest nearly spill free of her kimono, and Shiro chuckled as she caught me looking.


    ¡°...the greatest of the Kudan, Uranai, she gave a prophecy. That only through you, or he who could save and compel you, would any of us Kitsune survive what is coming. Our tails must be in your grasp. Now... you could pass the responsibility on to Akio, yet... perhaps it is fated, the wheel turns.¡±


    Tsukiko agreed with that. ¡°I no longer believe in the immutable Definite. But... I most certainly believe that Destiny always leaves a thread of hope, a spiderweb strand to cling to.¡±


    ¡°You wish me to make up for my past actions by saving my poor, diminished kind?¡± Mae snorted tiredly. ¡°That will not bring back the slain. Nor offer them any succour. We Kitsune are treacherous and fickle. The dead would likely hate me more, and cry ¡®why them, not us?¡¯ do you not agree, my granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°I do. I would! After all, my actions were all motivated by grief, resentment and spite. So I understand.¡± Nebisuki smirked nastily. ¡°Nobody can change the past. But the future...¡±


    ¡°You are a bother, granddaughter. No, Hana.¡± Mae grumbled, and Eri rolled her eyes at that, probably thinking it was stranger her mother sharing a name with this... rather bold..,. fox.


    ¡°This is why I had little grief when I was provoked into disposing of my kin.¡± Mae¡¯s smile was bitter and amused. ¡°We are all irritating pests. So very aggravating.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I lived a life of my own, because power is the one truth.¡± She narrowed her dull green eyes. ¡°I am glad you realise this. If somehow the great Tamamo-no-Mae, greatest of Yo?kai, she who has been lauded and praised by nations, even worshipped by many, was to become the licking dog of a weak, foolish man...¡±


    ¡°Licking dog?¡± Hinata asked, and Shiro choked, nearly dying from holding in her giggles.


    ¡°It¡¯s... a rude term. You don¡¯t need to know it.¡± I insisted, my own face feeling a little hot.


    ¡°...then those that died to my whims or my deeds, or who suffered, will have their only solace, that they were part of the story of Tamamo-no-Mae, diminished.¡± Even her apologies were rife with arrogance, but... Yeah, I see it.


    ¡°I can only be who I am, granddaughter, even when I no longer feel entirely myself. But...¡± She let out a cavernous sigh. ¡°...I did not hate standing against that worthless trash who called upon the abominable stink of their corpse God. And... if needed, I shall do so again.¡± She preened, looking like an Empress in truth for a moment. ¡°I even secured a rather interesting prize. You should take a look at it later.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, the Wheel.¡± Asha nodded. ¡°I... shall speak for her too. I am grateful. Alone, I was surely doomed. And she suffered so.¡±


    ¡°A mere fraction of what I have endured in the past.¡± Mae snorted. ¡°And many would say no less than I deserve. But... granddaughter... I shall reach out a hand. Though it seems we are both snared in the same net. But any who seek me for salvation, I shall not slap away their hands this time. Perhaps... trying something new is amusing enough.¡± She looked at me then, serious.


    ¡°My love is... not kind. But possessive. Yes, I would face the world for those I cherish, but... because my love is self-serving, it is for my sake. Caihong¡¯er, Liena, they were mine, and Zixin taking them from me, hurting my possessions... it enraged me... I... have likely never loved truly, where I desire others to be happier than I.¡±


    I don¡¯t know. Your feelings seemed genuine enough for me, but who am I to judge? ¡°I see.¡± was all I answered, allowing her to speak.


    ¡°You hold my name. It feels... uncomfortable, yet... also somehow fresh. I am like all Kitsune, flighty, irritating and selfish. My heart is small and covered in thorns. To make it yours... do you even have the strength to do so?¡±


    ¡°My thorns have already been filed down.¡± Shinkume-no-Hana chuckled, only to fall silent as Mae glowered at her. She chuckled, before addressing us. ¡°She is not honest. How can she be? She has ruled herself her whole life, only to be stripped of everything. Now, she has it returned, or will...¡± She glanced at her tailless grandmother. ¡°...it is only natural she is confused. But... we Kitsune are all earnestly seeking one thing. Grandmother was simply too strong ever to find it. And when we do not get what we desire, we become bitter, and cruelly playful.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Daiyu asked, curious.


    ¡°Domination!¡± she barked a laugh. ¡°Why else would we be this way? Our very names binding us, but only if one has strength in excess of our will? We are all simply waiting for he or she who can force us to heel. After all, are foxes not merely wild dogs? And dogs need a master to fawn over.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself, Hana.¡± Mae sniffed. ¡°I am not so weak. Yet...¡± She looked at us all one by one. ¡°...If you can truly restore me to my full splendour, and still I cannot shake you from my tail, then... perhaps it was meant to be. I respect strength, and while I do not understand it, loyalty. Perhaps I had little because I was jealous of those who could be loyal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing we can never allow.¡± Eri stepped up. ¡°If you want to be one of us, you can never betray Akio or us. If you do, only your life will suffice for an apology! It goes doubly so here! Since you¡¯ll be too dangerous to let run free!¡±


    ¡°So cold,. You remind me of my younger days.¡± Mae laughed, irritating Eri. ¡°You worry far too much. Now, let me be blunt. I owe a great debt. I swore to any being that would listen, were I saved from my torment, I would dedicate my all to that which saved me. But now I am freed, I find that no longer so important. After all, when the pain passes, one forgets the lesson. But...¡±


    She leaned back, eyes distant. ¡°My dear granddaughter Hana is right. I have never tried it. Being truly in love, giving of myself to give, rather than to simply receive more in return.¡± She looked at me then. ¡°This has run long, and I can see the Goddess within her...¡± she nodded at Shiro. ¡°...grows frustrated at the delays, eager to know your tale. As... am I. Let me simply say this... my heart of thorns, my bitter ennui, my lost sense of self... if you wish to claim it, show me you are the greatest, a light that shines so bright it dazzles my eyes and sets my dull wooden heart ablaze. Make me desire for you to possess me, for me to fawn on you, and lick your feet, just to have a mere moment of your time.¡± Despite her weariness, she puffed out her massive chest imperiously. ¡°If you wish to claim Tamamo-no-Mae, do what none ever has before, and make me love.¡±


    I blinked at that. ¡°That was quite the impassioned speech. But nobody¡¯s asking my opinion?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°My senses of who you¡¯ll fall for are flawless!¡± Eri insisted. ¡°After all, you¡¯re going to prove me right in a minute, aren¡¯t you?¡± At her knowing look, I had to laugh.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. But honestly...¡± I glanced at Mae. ¡°...you¡¯re certainly problematic, but... I owe you a chance.¡±


    ¡°You owe me nothing, I acted on my own will. I admit it, I was not compelled. I am... wishing to see where the future takes me. And as a place to start, here is... not so bad, not so bad at all.¡± I had a feeling if she had tails still, they¡¯d be wagging now. ¡°So, tell your tall tale, assuage our curiosity, and move my frozen heart. And not just mine...¡± She glanced at Shiro again. ¡°...show me something I have never seen, show me that I shall never be bored again, and show me... that indeed, your rescue of me was meant to be!¡±


    At those impassioned words, I surrendered. How can I answer that as a man, without showing off? All right then, you want a tale that moves you, that interests you, that will banish your despair and rekindle your will to live? That shows I¡¯m strong enough to rule you? Here goes then...


    ¡°I¡¯ll skip over the boring parts, like South Africa. We¡¯ve talked about most of it anyway, but... Egil Andersen...¡± I looked down at my wrist, my eyes sparkling with faint orange lights. ¡°...the Seeds within, I was able to extract them...¡±

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Four *Contains Status – Akio ?*

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Four *Contains Status ¨C Akio ?*


    ¡°It worked as I expected. But... I noticed something. The Bracelets that we Chosen were given, which hold the Seeds, they have a connection, with the Truesoul.¡± As I said that, Tan overtook Shiro, wincing.


    ¡°You should not speak of that carelessly. Those of the lower worlds should only speak of the spirit, not which lies beyond even that.¡± she warned.


    ¡°Lower worlds. Yeah.¡± I nodded, amused. Tan¡¯s given us a lot of information by deliberately ¡®not¡¯ saying things, allowing us to figure it out by the gaps. But if she and I could talk earnestly, without barriers... maybe soon...


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m good with connections, and I have experience of my consciousness going to the higher Astral. So I forced it with the bond as I integrated it. There, I met Ortlinde again, as well as some Valkyries I¡¯d met before, one of which helped me a lot while I was away. I wouldn¡¯t have had the ability to get back to South Africa and save Mayumi-san if it wasn¡¯t for Rossweisse extracting the power from my boots and integrating it within me.¡±


    ¡°I did-did notice you were not wearing your treasure from the Tower.¡± Shaeula snickered. ¡°Eleanor will be most-most upset you are destroying her treasures.¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. Besides, even if it was just a one-off, saving my friends and allies matters more than having a treasure. But... Rossweisse is very good with Runes. I don¡¯t understand exactly what they are, but it seems to be some sort of method of manipulating reality, like aether and Qi?¡± I glanced at Tan, but she remained silent.


    ¡°Rossweisse, huh?¡± Kana glanced at Eri. ¡°His tone... it sounds rather... kind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sharp, Kana.¡± Eri nodded.


    ¡°Of course I am. I don¡¯t like to boast.... Okay, okay, I love to boast...¡± Kana smiled as Eri gave her a wry look. ¡°...but I was extremely popular in the past. It was frustrating, guys hitting on me all the time when I was out with my friends, but I became sensitive to affection and ... the dark sides, like lust. A lot of guys just wanted me because I was beautiful. But that doesn¡¯t matter anymore, I¡¯m taken. Of course...¡±


    ¡°Yes, now let Akio tell his story.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°We¡¯re getting there.¡±


    Trying not to laugh at how excited Hinata was at the secret she shared being revealed in spectacular fashion, I nodded. ¡°Anyway, for that to happen, for Rossweisse to integrate such power within me...¡±


    ¡°You would certainly need some sort of powerful connection.¡± Tan observed. ¡°We are our consciousness, to an extent, but it would simply be impossible to make such changes to your subtle bodies that way. The distance is beyond imagining. And moving your spiritual body there would strain and shatter your Silver Cord, the distance and turbulence is far too great. Even your consciousness being transported is a feat likely powered by the Seeds.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right as ever, Tan.¡± I approved. ¡°Lovers¡¯ Link. I was able to connect it to Ortlinde. After all, I have affection for her, without her aid, I wouldn¡¯t have the life I have now, or all of you, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect those I hold dear. And Rossweisse used that. I then gained my new Skill, Seven-League Wings Of The Chooser, which is a powerful spatial movement Skill, for covering huge distances.¡±


    ¡°A powerful Skill.¡± Tan observed. ¡°Yet... the Chooser? That is a... portentous... name.¡± She sniffed, troubled. ¡°For a Valkyrie to risk such efforts, they must have high hopes for you, or... are unwilling to waste the chance their dispersal of the Seeds offers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, most of the bearers of the Seeds are like Egil Andersen or the dead Chosen in Botswana. Only six out of eighteen remain. Anyway, going back to the main point, now you have some context, I returned... and Rossweisse was impressed. She... has apparently gained some insight into the Runes after helping me, and wanted to try out her new abilities. So she wove a spell.¡±


    ¡°And...?¡± Tan breathed, getting up and walking over to me. She was right in my face, so close if I moved a mere fraction our lips would have touched as she peered into my eyes. ¡°What spell?¡±


    ¡°I guess I should talk about what happened when I traced the bond. Oh, too close, Tan...¡± I muttered, but she ignored that.


    ¡°I am Tan?ha?, the Thirst. Do not treat me like one of these little girls. I...¡± She licked dry lips, and faint droplets of spittle landed on my own lips. ¡°...smell secrets. I shall not be distracted by your wiles and excuses. Speak!¡±


    ¡°I knew this day would come.¡± Eri was saying. ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough, but...¡± Her ears flickered and her tail swayed. ¡°...I¡¯m not afraid. Be it a Valkyrie, a nine-tailed fox, or a Goddess, I don¡¯t believe I lose to anyone in how much I love Akio, and how worthy I can be for his love!¡±


    ¡°Excellent sentiments.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°If we are lacking, we simply have to become our best selves, and if our best selves do not suffice, we go beyond our limits.¡±


    ¡°You are certainly worthy of being my disciple.¡± Daiyu agreed completely. ¡°No Cultivator fears taller peaks, we climb them, and look down on our previous weaker selves with pride. And yes, there is always a higher peak beyond, but then... we climb anew.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re so serious.¡± Natsumi giggled to Kana and Tsukiko.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t disagree, do you?¡± Kana asked shrewdly, and Natsumi shrugged.


    ¡°Of course not. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily.¡±


    ¡°I feel quite-quite left out.¡± Shaeula addressed Hyacinth and Asha. Hyacinth merely giggled.


    ¡°I think the ooother mistresses see you as ooone of their great rivals. Yooou are a princess of the Seelie!¡±


    Asha nodded. ¡°Yes. Compared to you, we are quite ordinary, are we not, Hyacinth?¡±


    As the girls bantered, listening to my tale, I explained to the desperate Tan. ¡°Basically, she wanted to see more details about my Bracelet, with the combined Seeds from mine and two others, now. There was a... mishap. My Eye blew up.¡±


    That silenced everyone. Into the sudden quiet stillness, I continued. ¡°She had kept a shard of what she called Skuld¡¯s shears...¡± At that Tan reacted, blinking in surprise.


    ¡°I had heard... no, I certainly cannot speak of this. The Compact we all swore bind us all.¡±


    ¡°She... kind of implied something maybe you¡¯d know about, that Favours were made from... fragments of Truesoul. And that they mimicked that with their own and the Seeds. It¡¯s why I hold Tyr¡¯s Favour unused. Not just his, now.¡±


    Tan, her breath hot on my face, stared at me for a moment, before speaking. ¡°I have not crafted my own Favours, I merely disperse my father¡¯s, as he wills it. But... the princess here, she has a strangely weak Truesoul, and a fractured, atrophied spirit. Or rather, she had such. Now it is strong again, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s as you imagine. Rossweisse sliced a fragment of her Truesoul, and using her Runes, she... managed to draw my Astral body there completely. Ouch, damn it...¡± I wasn¡¯t the only one who cried out, as Shiro was clutching her head, one eye black, as she reeled back.


    ¡°The hell was that, Tan? That hurt, Aki¡¯s solid as a rock nowadays...¡± As she blinked away tears I rubbed my head. My words had made Tan react, and she had moved, our skulls connecting painfully. Shiro¡¯s words were drowned out, as Tan took over.


    ¡°I must possess you now. Be good and quiet.¡± Tan declared, and after Shiro¡¯s grudging agreement, the weight of surging aether, adherence and soullight glittered around us. I hadn¡¯t noticed the soullight component before, but thinking about it, I understood. My eyes glowed, and I could see that while it wasn¡¯t like Tan had cut a part of herself, like Rossweisse had, but while many of the connections were spirit to spirit, their Astral bodies tied together, indeed, as I had deepened, that desperate time I worked Chirurgery and Ether Healing to save Shiro from the backlash of breaking Sancus¡¯ Chains, Tan had also extended her Truesoul into Shiro¡¯s at multiple points, and it was that connection that truly made the Divine Possession as powerful as it was, and as deep.


    Everyone but Hinata and Eri, who already knew this, were watching with awe on their faces, though many didn¡¯t know precisely the magnitude of what had happened. Tan, however, was incredulous. ¡°No, you would have broken, your spiritual body fraying apart, yet... no, you have reached the level of existence where you can independently manifest, without a Cord, yet...¡± Her eyes widened, and while I had amazed and surprised Tan a few times in the past, her beautiful, brown-skinned face had never seemed so shocked.


    ¡°If that is the case, your Cord, no, your Connection...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I agreed. ¡°I can manage to endure. It¡¯s... a good job I did. If I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d be trapped in the upper Astral, within the World Tree Pantheon, with no way back, wouldn¡¯t I? It¡¯s like using a Ring Gate, just over... inter-Pantheon distances, yeah?¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t leave us. Not even to see what lies beyond our world.¡± Eri was proud.


    ¡°I should think not-not.¡± Shaeula scoffed. ¡°What male would abandon us-us? And Akio is far-far from that foolish!¡±


    ¡°Why not simply say he is deeply in love with us?¡± Tsukiko smiled, and as I glanced at her, I could see she had resolved some of her lingering doubts. ¡°Though I confess, were it the Pantheon where Tsukuyomi dwells, I would have dearly loved for Akio to speak to him for me, ask some questions...¡±


    ¡°You think you can just meet a God? Even in the numberless worlds of the Pantheons, true Divinity is rare. It would be like an ordinary citizen of your Japan just wandering in and accosting the Emperor. But... this is true? No lies?¡± she pressed me.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll all become clear soon, but it happened.¡± I confirmed, and Tan let out a long breath.


    ¡°Should you have left us... by us, I mean these...¡± She gestured to those around the room, and while her rich, chocolate skin didn¡¯t show a flush like Shiro¡¯s pale skin did, I could tell she was embarrassed, but she covered it with bravado. ¡°...behind, when I took this world for my own, I would come looking for you, on behalf of the princess, and I would have been most offended.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll never do that. Though... I¡¯d like to visit again, and I¡¯m sure I will.¡± After all, I have to, don¡¯t I?


    ¡°I... have much to say, but... we should clear the room.¡± Tan demanded.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, as everyone started protesting.


    ¡°Because the Compact prevents me from discussing many matters with beings from the lower worlds. You have been to the Pantheons, your actual existence, not merely your consciousness or thoughts. So it should be permissible for us to converse as equals. But these may not hear of such.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... I¡¯m not bound, am I?¡± I pointed our reasonably. ¡°So anything you tell me, I¡¯m just going to share. Therefore, by definition, the Compact¡¯s invalid, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I... do not feel that is the case.¡± Tan narrowed her eyes, stroking her forehead, as if she had a headache. ¡°But... for now, continue your tale. We have much to speak of, at length, later.¡±


    ¡°It is a wondrous tale, no?¡± Shinkume-no-Hana grinned, talking to Mae. ¡°Have his deeds inspired and impressed you, grandmother? Does your heart race anew, the thorns blunting.¡±


    ¡°If I was feeling better, I would surely thrash you, Hana.¡± Mae grunted, though her dull green eyes seemed to have regained some lustre.


    ¡°Yes, later. Now, we should all calm down.¡± I took a sip of my wine, and let Tan compose herself. ¡°I know it¡¯s shocking, but... there¡¯s more.¡±


    Tan narrowed her crimson eyes. ¡°Yes, there would be. Bonds, and a fragment of her Truesoul... I foresee where this might lead...¡±


    ¡°Yes, she helped my eyes recover and change, now both are Mystic Eyes, not just the one. And... she plucked a Seed, which had been dyed with my adherence and soullight as I¡¯ve grown, and she used it to... replace her eye, changing it.¡± At my words, Tan froze.


    ¡°It seems like we shall have a new-new sister.¡± Shaeula chortled. ¡°It was surely only a matter-matter of time. It will be quite-quite entertaining, Shiro and Tan sharing a body, and the love-love of Akio.¡±


    ¡°Hush now!¡± Eri insisted. ¡°There¡¯s no time for your jokes now. This is serious.¡±


    As the other girls chattered excitedly, Tan narrowed her eyes. ¡°And... the result?¡±


    ¡°We have a shared Eye. Though seeing what she sees from so far away...¡± I tried it, and my head ached fiercely, the distance and time too much to bridge, but I felt a cheeky amusement from Rossweisse, and a faint admonition to be careful about where I peeked, lest her older sisters be furious. ¡°...is challenging. But... she can see any information my Eye could. So she¡¯s limited, but... as my Eye grows, so will her ability to see. And... It could work for you as well.¡±


    Tan paused. I knew she was greedy for my Eye, it had a power rare and unusual, especially for her Pantheon, and had carried me far. ¡°You... understand how?¡±


    ¡°Not the way Rossweisse did it. I understand a little about Runes, but... I can¡¯t replicate her prowess or power. But... with a few experiments, I¡¯m certain I can. Though, when I die, it¡¯ll stop working.¡± I teased her. ¡°And if I grow stronger, so will you. Because... I found my Path. A new Path. That of Bonds and Connections, backed by Knowledge, Growth and Fortune.¡±


    My words sounded ordinary, but Tan understood better and could hear the capital letters on the words, and what that meant. Her already shocked face crumpled, and her expression seemed almost stunned. I patiently waited, and when she came back to her senses, she reached out a hand, almost hesitantly, touching my cheek. ¡°You fool, Akio. If I am with you, you shall not die.¡± Suddenly, she realised what she was doing, and her Divine Possession shattered, hair shading to silver, eyes darkening to back in an instant, and Shiro¡¯s laughter could be heard, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°Oh shit, Aki. That¡¯s the first time she¡¯s ever even touched a man intimately... she¡¯s... such a damn shut-in... but... all right, all right! I¡¯ll shut up! But you did it, and what was that declaration of love? Shit, so lame...¡±


    ***


    ¡°I knew Ortlinde was going to be trouble.¡± Eri was saying. We had taken a break to let Tan calm down, and now Eri was regaling everyone with her wisdom. ¡°I¡¯m seldom wrong about these things! She may have chosen Akio blindly, but... when he performs this well, obviously she¡¯s going to fall for him!¡±


    ¡°You did say that!¡± Shiro laughed, remembering, drinking some bright yellow wine, smacking her lips at the sweet flavour. ¡°And I remember Tan responded... oh, quit complaining. You¡¯re embarrassed, but it¡¯s cute. Everyone thought so, right?¡±


    ¡°I have to agree.¡± Kana giggled. ¡°I used to think that Kami were so mystical and ... well, Divine, if they even existed at all. Now, having met Shirohebi, and Tan... my illusions are shattered.¡±


    ¡°I remember Tan saying... what was it, oh yes... You think very highly of him, that a Valkyrie, one of the warriors one step below the Divinities of that Pantheon, who dwell far from here and have endured endless centuries of time, would be interested in him as a man.¡± Shiro imitated Tan perfectly, which made sense, as they shared a body. ¡°Funny how that works out. I guess you¡¯ve got more wisdom than a Goddess, Eri.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take wisdom to know how alluring Akio is!¡± Eri pouted, giving Shiro a hard look. ¡°You fell for him too!¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± Shiro snorted. ¡°But admitting it makes me feel a bit cheap. But you were wrong. It¡¯s two of them, and it sounds like another couple at least are interested. Aki¡¯s a smooth operator. It¡¯s a bit frustrating, but honestly... knowing that the guy who loves me is adored by so many legendary women, it¡¯s a bit of an ego boost. Even you have to admit that, Eri?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Eri pouted, puffing out her cheeks, while Hyacinth matted her back to calm her. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m... not... jealous, oh, I still am. But I¡¯m not upset, I guess. We had this out, didn¡¯t we, Akio?¡± I nodded as she continued. ¡°It¡¯s going to happen, and all that matters is that we are happy. Whether anyone else accepts it is irrelevant. It¡¯s what we think. Besides, in this case, there¡¯s a silver lining. But first... Tan, these Valkyrie, do you think they meant marriage, like we mean it, or something else?¡±


    One of Shiro¡¯s eyes darkened to crimson, and Tan spoke up, though her voice was oddly hesitant and embarrassed, not the cold, confident one she normally used. ¡°They are the daughters of the Gods, great warriors and noble princesses in their own rights. No, if they make a pledge, they uphold it. Though, I believe they are not permitted to marry usually, lest they retire from active duty. Perhaps they feel that as Akio is far from them, they have time to come up with an acceptable argument for their superiors. But if you feel this is a matter of convenience, I fear not. Best accept it. He is bound to them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I also got a Class which is essentially like Fae-Bonded. Only it¡¯s... Ver Valkyrju. I believe that¡¯s Valkyries¡¯ Husband, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°So, matters are no longer so simple. Besides...¡± Tan reached out with Shiro¡¯s finger and tapped under my eye. ¡°...this Rossweisse, if she betrays Akio, the Eye they share will be a shackle and a trap. No, I have no reason to doubt their sincerity, though it... it aggrieves me!¡±


    Tan upended an entire jug of the stronger, vivid purple wine, which was almost the strength of gin or vodka, into her mouth, gulping messily, licking her lips as she finished it. ¡°You have commitments to the World Tree. I very much hoped... the Six Paths...¡± She bowed her head, petulant, and we all exchanged looks. Damn, Tan is rocking the ultra-cute pouty look right now. It¡¯s the gap, so unlike her usual demeanour. Like we¡¯re seeing something only the closest people to her ever would, a side of her she keeps hidden.


    ¡°I always said I wouldn¡¯t be tied to the World Tree, and I still won¡¯t be. I¡¯ll help them where I can, sure, but... I¡¯ll also help your Pantheon, Tan. You know... I have a Path. And to walk it, we need to pave our own way. Besides, are your Pantheons enemies? I didn¡¯t get that impression?¡±


    ¡°No Pantheon is friendly with others, but no, we are more... rivals... than foes. Especially now.¡± Tan conceded. ¡°It still frustrates me.¡± She searched for more wine, but Eri moved the jug.


    ¡°We have a busy day tomorrow. No getting drunk!¡± she insisted.


    ¡°I need to drown my troubles in pleasures!¡± Tan grumbled, before her gaze sharpened. ¡°Your Path. Connection, Bonds and Knowledge, you say? Growth and Fortune?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. Blade That Severs Misfortune was part of the name, and my Path comes from the World Tree Seeds, so...¡± I explained, and Tan frowned.


    ¡°The Seeds. I smell them, the missing one. But how many remain?¡±


    ¡°I have seven of my own. I¡¯ve absorbed four, and Rossweisse took one. Then twelve new, nearly undyed Seeds from Grimgerde. And then I have four from Siegrune, though those are already dyed, so won¡¯t be usable for quite some time, they don¡¯t suit us. I need to pour in my soullight.¡±


    ¡°I see. The numbers are... finite. There are other Seeds to be found, yes, but... eventually they shall run dry. So each must be husbanded carefully.¡±


    ¡°True, but... letting you have a share in my Eye is more than worth it. You know why.¡± I winked, and Tan shut the eye she was borrowing, while Shiro snickered nastily.


    ¡°Come on, Aki. I know you¡¯ve got your heart set on having Tan now, but she¡¯s totally useless with men. Imagine it like this, she¡¯s a shut-in who only ever tried to ask one guy out, at her father¡¯s urgings, and then got shut down totally. She¡¯s no immunity or understanding to flirting. I mean, it¡¯s funny, but...¡±


    ¡°I can speak for myself.¡± Tan sighed, opening her eye again. ¡°My point is... the Seeds nourish you, but each one you share diminishes you and your potential. A Path... there are many Paths, but a Path unique to you, that you are first to tread... that is to be treasured. There are immense benefits to you and those that follow. Do not weaken yourself carelessly.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to back out?¡± I asked, and she shook her head.


    ¡°No. You... win our wager. I do not even need the Eye now.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have it.¡± I insisted. ¡°Because it¡¯s a promise between us. besides...¡± I looked at everyone, paying special attention to Tan and Mae, before turning to Asha. ¡°...you, Asha, are going to be the key to everything. After all... we have Seeds, and the World Tree Pantheon is centred on their Tree...¡±


    Asha gasped, understanding. ¡°You mean to become one with my Tree?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I mean, in a way, we¡¯re already one. I¡¯ve been pulling aether from it through Lovers¡¯ Link until Ortlinde¡¯s massive stats took over. And I¡¯m one with you. But... Tan, I¡¯ve felt the World Tree. Been in its shade, in fact. At a certain point, the Anchor of a Territory isn¡¯t simple, is it?¡±


    Tan groaned. ¡°To speak of such things. Yes. I am not an Astral Emperor. Doi you not think it strange, that I, a Goddess, am trapped with a mere, lowly Rank Five Territory as my own, and would risk much to claim this world? The step to Astral Emperor requires the Truesoul of the world itself to yield, you cannot just go from Rank Five to Rank Six, with mere ether. You still require it, of course, world-shaking amounts of it. And, to go beyond...¡±


    ¡°A focus. Something that can sustain and embody it. The World Tree was surrounded by worlds, Territories.¡±


    ¡°You truly did see much. I can speak of what I know without fear.¡± Tan laughed uproariously. ¡°The One True Throne will know, and seek to censure me, and cast blame upon the Six Paths, but... I am not at fault. They can do little but howl impotently. For you are as I am now. A traveller who has come from above.¡± She winked them, which amazed us all.


    ¡°That¡¯s entirely true, technically. I was in the World Tree, then I came back down to here, so yeah. Being technically correct is the best kind of correct!¡± I quoted piously.


    ¡°So you wish... my Tree, to become the centre of your world?¡± Asha asked again, trembling, and I held her hand with mine, placing the other on her belly.


    ¡°Yes, but... not until the children are born. I wouldn¡¯t risk them for anything. And... I don¡¯t want to risk you either. We¡¯ll experiment, cautiously. We have a long way to go yet, but... just as the Seeds can be integrated to us... what if... we integrated a great number of Seeds into your Tree? Couldn¡¯t we... somehow make it create these Fruits?¡±


    Tan knocked over the wine she was reaching for, Shiro¡¯s hand suddenly trembling. ¡°No, surely not. That... isn¡¯t... possible, else... it would have been... done... before?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think, but... sometimes the obvious gets missed, and we have a lot of advantages here on Earth. Even I can gather advanced knowledge of botany, genetics and other related fields in minutes, and... now we have you...¡± I grinned. ¡°...and you can speak freely, we have Pantheon level knowledge about aether, adherence and soullight as well.¡±


    ¡°I confess... while I read many books, I am not... as knowledgeable as those who are Astral Emperors, higher Gods or the like. But...¡± Tan let out a long breath, as Hyacinth mopped her sleeve and wiped her hand, tutting. ¡°...I shall be at your disposal.¡± She smiled then, heartbreakingly pure in both its embarrassment, anticipation and wickedness.


    ¡°I knew my destiny was to be found in this strange world. Father probably has not even missed me yet, I am... often reclusive. But it would please me to see his face when we return in triumph, a world secured. Though there is much to do!¡± Her smirk deepened. ¡°I shall greatly enjoy defeating those worshippers of the Throne. They shall see just how unpleasant it is to be crushed by the rules they created.¡±


    ¡°I... will do my utmost!¡± Asha agreed, stroking her belly, and my hand on it, my daughters within. ¡°I... want to see my Tree towering above all, and for it to seed a new world...¡±


    ¡°Not just a world...¡± I promised, and her hand tightened on mine.


    ¡°....seed as far as our dreams can reach with beautiful nature, our daughters, a legion of them, running and playing, but in both nature and the world you see. In harmony.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a grand dream.¡± I agreed. ¡°And we¡¯ve lots to do. But...¡±


    ¡°First, detail me your status... as you call it.¡± Tan insisted. ¡°I shall offer you my opinion on your current prospects. Perhaps I can share some insights.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am most-most curious.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Impress me as always. Just-just when I think I am catching up, you pull ahead again, but... that-that just inspires us, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But before Akio does, I have to call a wife meeting.¡± As Shinkume-no-Hana brightened, Eri shook her head. ¡°Not you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯ll let dear grandmother in?¡± she pouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to her.¡± Eri shrugged. ¡°But you... come back when you¡¯re actually likeable!¡±


    ¡°She has you there, Hana.¡± Mae snorted.


    ¡°I am so wounded. My heart bleeds. But... nothing good ever comes easily, yes? I was impatient, for my time was running out. Now... my tail is grasped, and I have time. So, whether you like it or not, I am listening!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°All right. Emergency meeting! We need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Tsukiko asked, and Eri sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accept that naivete from you, Tsukiko. You¡¯re new to this. For Ortlinde and Rossweisse, of course! And the others! They¡¯re beings on the level of Tan, so...¡±


    ¡°I surpass them!¡± Tan insisted huffily. ¡°In both beauty and power! Though without a rank Six Territory, I too am limited...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for pouting!¡± Eri pressed. ¡°Be glad we¡¯re counting you as one of us, since you¡¯re here. Honestly, if I¡¯d have thought I had to compete against a Goddess a few months ago, I¡¯d have lost all hope, but... you¡¯re oddly disappointing in some ways. But that¡¯s... strangely comforting. So, here¡¯s the issue. Valkyries are beautiful, I bet?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The Choosers of the Slain, as they call themselves, are all visions of female beauty, each different yet perfection.¡± Tan admitted.


    ¡°Great warriors too, and noble. Honestly... it¡¯s going to be tough for us to match them!¡± Eri explained. ¡°But we have one big advantage. Akio can¡¯t see them often, and he won¡¯t have leisure to stay high above and love them. We have to hone ourselves to our utmost, make it so Akio can¡¯t dream of leaving us behind! And when we meet them... we have to be their equals, so they don¡¯t start ruling the roost! I won¡¯t have it any other way!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tsukiko nodded, understanding. ¡°Can we do that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a head start in the looks department.¡± Eri snorted. ¡°Can we? Yes. Will we! Yes! Now come on, brainstorming time!¡±


    As Eri and the others began a heated conversation, Mae listening in silence, but clearly paying attention, I met Shinkume-no-Hana¡¯s eyes. With a snort, she shrugged. ¡°She is... very passionate. I can see why my poor idiot junior wanted her as a toy. Though if he had obtained her, he probably would have got more than he bargained for.¡± She hobbled over on her one leg awkwardly, before crashing down beside me. ¡°You may be in a hurry, but I expect they will be talking for a while.¡± Her grin was vulpine. ¡°So, let me keep you company. You can tell me tales of your heroics. Hana will listen! And maybe more?¡± Her two tails lay across my legs, and one hand crept under them. I quickly smacked it away before it could worm its way into my pants, and she grinned sheepishly.


    I can¡¯t compare Eri and the others to the Valkyries. But... it¡¯s good if they want to improve themselves. As it¡¯s going to be rough. The training is going to make Hyacinth¡¯s, Shaeula¡¯s and my efforts to protect ourselves against the Myconid spores seem like a walk in the park...


    ***


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re ready to hear it!¡± Kana chuckled. They had spent an hour and a half talking about their plans against ¡®Valkyrie supremacy¡¯ as Eri called it, and fortunately that wasn¡¯t much Material time, so we still had enough remaining. Shinkume-no-Hana had been hauled off me by Shaeula and was pouting, and I had been lectured, as I had idly been brushing her tails while I listened. For some reason Mae was hugely affronted at that, and I had to bow in apology.


    ¡°Yes, I am most interested in your insights into the Dao and Qi. You said they were part of a Path themselves?¡± Daiyu asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Elements are too. It seems that I was right. Certain things are fundamental, just like in Physics, photons, electrons and quarks, while other things are made from the fundamentals, systems growing ever more complex, yet sometimes also deceptively simple. Anyway... let¡¯s see...¡± Both eyes shining, I read out my up-to-date status.


    [Material Statistics]


    [Intangible Statistics]


    Might


    2295 2630


    Fortune


    42 47


    Fortitude


    2279 2610


    Majesty


    35 36


    Intellect


    2430 2763


    Charm


    54 57


    Resilience


    2821 3185


    League


    35


    Alacrity


    2373 2706


    Determination


    48 50


    Precision


    2475 2083


    Foresight


    36 38


    Aether


    9001 10235


    Fate


    32 35


    [Material Skills]


    Rank


    Class


    Type


    [Aetheric Skills]


    Silver Connection


    Rank 6 Rank 8


    Imperious (6) legendary (7)


    Artifice (6) Law (8)


    Eight Moons Chakra Network


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Aether Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Aether Combat Technique


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Boiling Blood


    Rank 2


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Ether Healing


    Rank 11


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Aetheric Chirurgeon


    Rank 11


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Soullight Manipulation


    Rank 1


    Imperious (6)


    Law (8)


    Split Thoughts


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Rule (5)


    Calculative Predictions


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Artifice (6)


    [Elemental Skills]


    Crown Chakra Of Space


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Space Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Third Eye Chakra Of Full Moon Light ¨C Mangetsu


    Rank 4


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Light Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Throat Chakra Of New Moon Darkness ¨C Shingetsu


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Darkness and Yin Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Heart Chakra Of Wind


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Wind Manipulation


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Solar Plexus Chakra Of Flame


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Flame Manipulation


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Root And Sacral Chakra Of Wood


    Rank 3


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Wood Manipulation


    Rank 4


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water


    Rank 6


    Noble (5)


    Foundation (4)


    Water Manipulation


    Rank 7


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Root Chakra Of Earth


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Earth Manipulation


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    Lunar Chakra Of Seven Primal Elements And Wood


    Rank 5


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    [Cultivation Skills]


    Moonlight Jade Qi Refining


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Artifice (6)


    Spiritually Pure Dual Cultivation


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    Spiritually Pure Physique


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Third Noble Pursuit: Talisman Crafting


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Physical Combat Skills]


    Spatial Perception


    Rank 5


    Powerful (4)


    Rule (5)


    Spear Technique


    Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Sword Technique


    Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Combat Technique


    Rank 5


    Cantrip (1)


    Simple (1)


    Elemental Weapon Technique


    Rank 3


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Void Motion


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Principle (7)


    Tsumura Arts


    Rank 2


    Powerful (4)


    Foundation (4)


    [Practical Skills]


    Soullight Crafting


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Law (8)


    Adherence Crafting


    Rank 5


    Noble (5)


    Law (8)


    Ether Crafting


    Rank 8


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Dvergr Techniques


    Rank 3


    Noble (5)


    Rule (5)


    Alchemy


    Rank 1


    Sufficient (3)


    Foundation (4)


    Shapercraft


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Artifice (6)


    [Unique Skills]


    Mystic Eye Of The Tree Of Knowledge Mystic Eyes Of The World Tree


    Rank 6 Rank 7


    Legendary (7)


    Law (8)


    Kin Bonding And Restoration


    Rank 7 Rank 8


    Legendary (7)


    Principle (7) Fate (9)


    Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze


    Rank 7


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Might Of Indestructible Jade


    Rank 2


    Noble (5)


    Artifice (6)


    The Future Reflected By The Moon


    Rank 3


    Legendary (7)


    Fate (9)


    Prominence Twilight


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Boiling Blood Resonance Link


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Soothing Waters Of Self-Sacrifice


    Rank 3


    Imperious (6)


    Principle (7)


    Seven-League Wings Of The Chooser


    Rank 1


    Imperious (6)


    Law (8)


    [Level]


    154


    [Class]


    Kami-Blessed 12/20 Conqueror 25/50


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 7/10


    Wielder Of Elements, Primal Seven 11/20


    True Faeduine 9/30


    Qi Refiner 2/10 Dual Cultivator 3/10


    Master Of Many Crafts 16/20


    Prodigy Of The Lower Worlds Pioneer From A Lower World 8/10 9/20


    Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit 7/20


    Namebinder 6/20 8/20


    Taker Of Paths Unknown 1/50


    Bondweaver 1/50


    Ver Valkyrju 2/20


    [Mastered Class]


    Fae-Souled 30/30


    Wielder Of Elements, Classic Western 10/10


    Wielder Of A Mutated Element 10/10


    Territory Rank


    3


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly close with a lot of Skills to an upgrade as well. My understanding of spatial element has increased a lot since I became a Ver Valkyrju. I think if I bounce some ideas off Arisu-san we¡¯ll both benefit.¡±


    ¡°I feel somewhat... overawed.¡± Daiyu grumbled, in a rare lack of confidence. ¡°My Dao Companion, our husband... he is quite the monster, yes?¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Kana chuckled. ¡°I mean, even just reading it out takes ages. But... in a way it¡¯s reassuring. It¡¯s like having a good provider as a boyfriend, it brings security. Oh, wait, you¡¯re loaded too. Guess we win.¡± Kana giggled. ¡°Though...¡±


    ¡°Thinking about it, there are-are gaps we can fill in, can we not-not?¡± Shaeula mused. ¡°You are missing lightning and metal for one. Can you not-not learn it from us?¡± She nodded at Hinata.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I intend to. And you¡¯ll all be learning from me. Poor Chiaki-chan, Chiasa-chan and Haru will be working themselves to the bone. But I¡¯ll make sure they benefit too.¡± I promised. ¡°But, as for lightning... I have a different lightning in mind, if it¡¯s even possible.¡± I glanced at Mae, who shuddered, remembering.


    ¡°You...¡± Tan shook her head. ¡°While I do not measure strength in numbers, as you can, not yet...¡± She reflexively raised a hand to her ruby eye, and Shiro¡¯s snicker leaked out of the corner of her mouth. ¡°I have the princess¡¯ knowledge and her information you provided as a comparison. These are not... the abilities of someone who has been struggling for less than a year.¡±


    ¡°At my peak, I still surpass him!¡± Mae spoke, and as her granddaughter sniggered at her, she looked down. ¡°It is true!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... by how much?¡± Motoko asked. ¡°Akio, your strength continues to impress me. Though... your skill with Tsumura Arts disappoints me. You have not been practising!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy!¡± I protested as Natsumi chuckled. They were right though, I did need to find time to train my martial skills. Time, always so short of time.


    ¡°So, impressed yet?¡± Kana asked Mae, who merely shook her head.


    ¡°I can make no judgement until I am restored to my true self. If he is weak enough that I can break his grasp on my tail, I will never submit. The ordinary holds no interest to me. Only that which shines. Caihong¡¯er shone. Hence why I adored her and her daughter. But... their glow was extinguished by that bastard...¡± She ground her teeth.


    ¡°All right, no point being sad. Time¡¯s wasting.¡± I considered it. We likely had long enough to make some progress before we had to be back on the Material for Chirurgery on an awful lot of idols and the guests Yu-mi was bringing, as well as more girls from Hanafubuki. Yeah, no rest for the wicked...


    ¡°First then... Mae...¡± And at Shinkume-no-Hana¡¯s hopeful look and wagging tails, I relented. ¡°...and yes, if I can fix Mae, repairing your shattered Astral body will be easy in comparison so I¡¯ll do it...¡± I examined the seal of time and space that was placed on my Adherence, and memorised every detail my Eyes could see, before I shattered it, freeing up my strength. Immediately, adherence began to drain from me, but the rate was significantly reduced, as my ability to handle and manipulate, as well as the general efficiency of my usage, had been boosted dramatically. So long as I can find hosts reasonably quickly, we can make this work, and if not... there¡¯s always those captives Eri and Suzu-san caught...


    Pulling out the Apple Of Crystallised Immaterium Asha had given me, my Eyes stared deep into Mae, who shivered. ¡°All right then. Shiro, drop a buff on my Shapercraft as well as giving me the general one, and start your Berserk Blessing. I¡¯m going all out.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Mae, my apologies, but... this isn¡¯t going to be comfortable, but... I¡¯ll prove to you I¡¯m not boring!¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Mae shuddered, remembering last time. ¡°...was not the excitement I wished for.¡± As my strength spiked, Shiro¡¯s buffs empowering me, I considered how I was going to do this. There¡¯s several ways that should work, but I think the best way is to combine them all. Apple cool in my hand, I started to weave aether, adherence and soullight, while the maids ran off to fetch me the materials I needed to reconstruct Mae...

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Five

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Five


    With my Mystic Eyes Of The World Tree, I could see more clearly than ever before. The Tree itself was a Path as well as an Anchor, and while it was not a singular path, I knew of at least one other Tree of Knowledge in myths, as my mom and her parents were believers in the Church of England, though mom in particular was hardly fervent, especially not after moving to Japan. The apple that caused Adam and Eve to be booted from Eden was the Fruit of Knowledge... I¡¯m sure there was one in Buddhism as well, right? Tan would know, but I won¡¯t ask. Buddhism and the Buddha is a bit of a touchy subject, although...


    I widened my perception with ether, Tan coming into view. I couldn¡¯t help but smile, and as I did so, Mae scowled at me, perhaps imagining I was about to start tormenting her. I don¡¯t do it because I enjoy it. I¡¯m simply not good enough otherwise. No, Tan... I¡¯ll make sure she forgets about the Buddha who walked on by. When I accepted the wager, I was somewhat hesitant, yet such hesitation quickly became a need to win, and not just for the future of Earth... and when I made that decision, I had to be prepared to go all-in. and I will. Eri¡¯s right. Hesitation and regrets only cause everyone pain. Of course... now I need to be worthy, prove I¡¯m the right choice, not just for everyone, for Tan, but... for Earth too. And I can! These are the first steps!


    The Apple revealed its information to me anew, and I pondered it, coupled with the sorry sight that Mae was right now.


    This Fruit is an agglomeration of highly compressed Ether, Adherence and trace amounts of refined Soullight. Spiritual Materials, such as Territorial Silver, Crystal, and Gold, have also been compressed into this form, which has given birth to a trace of unique Adherence, by absorbing the nearby overspill from the ashes of Tamamo-no-Mae as she burned her imperfectly repaired Astral body to draw upon her true power, if only for mere moments.


    Mae¡¯s network was a ruin indeed. And now, I could see more clearly why. Kitsune had a Chakra network that was in essence similar to other Yo?kai. Seven main Chakras, orbited by the Night Orbs, yet that wasn¡¯t all. The tails, they had their own expanded network. I further widened my inspection, now peering at Shinkume-no-Hana, as it was easy to see the comparison, as her two shorn tails, which couldn¡¯t simply be regrown, were a messy tangle of severed capillaries, and the atrophied remains were causing further damage to her main network. The two remaining tails were connected at her lower back, and they tapped into a point where the root and sacral Chakras conjoined.


    It''s where Daiyu¡¯s Lower Dantian is. Like I thought, there are no coincidences. It¡¯s as if there¡¯s some universal building blocks, Paths perhaps, which are present, just... combined in different ways. If so... there must be a solution. Her connected tails were orbited also by a Night Orb, giving her more than the average Yo?kai, but two lay silent and were cracked and shattered, leaking out a poisonous, reeking mess of aether and elemental energies, which was further damaging her network. Mae had nine of these broken Night Orbs now, and her body was being poisoned by chaotic energies of many flavours.


    As everyone watched on, I tamed the boiling blood within me from Shiro¡¯s blessings, raising my strength to the maximum. As I did so, my Eyes, strengthened by Shiro¡¯s generic buff, seemed almost to sharpen, and I could feel a sense of distant amusement. I see. Rose is looking through my Eyes right now. I wonder... what you can see?


    All I could get was faint, sluggish emotion from her, curiosity and a slight sense of pride, she wasn¡¯t able to share much more than that, but I remembered I could understand a little of her thoughts when I saw through her Eye, so perhaps the reverse was true? I phrased my question, and sadly there was no answer, but a curious faint feeling of approval. Suddenly I blinked, tears sparkling, perhaps my overstressed eyes suffering, but I felt my head shift a little, and I was staring beyond the severed remains of her tails, deeper, to where another tail lurked, this a ghostly, ethereal one, that I couldn¡¯t see well, but... I can... feel it? Is this her name, her ghostly zeroth tail Shinkume-no-Hana talked of?


    I scanned her as well, and yes, she too had this tail, though in her case it was far less magnificent. Concentrating on it, I prodded, and Shinkume-no-Hana suddenly flushed, groaning, her mouth opening wide, a little saliva dribbling from her suddenly slack lips. As that happened, I felt one of my bonds vibrate.


    ¡°So... so... indelicate!¡± she sighed lustily. ¡°That is my core, my... my very self... you so roughly handled. Be gentle with my precious name. If you wish to compel me, simply ask and I shall...¡±


    ¡°Enough, Hana.¡± Mae grumbled. I had only been motionless for a short time, though due to my racing Split Thoughts and significant Intellect, it had seemed a lot longer for me. ¡°This is not the time for your teasing.¡±


    ¡°Jealous, grandmother? Do not be. After all...¡± The red-faced Shinkume-no-Hana... no, might as well call her Hana. It¡¯s a mouthful thinking or saying her whole name at once. After all, auntie is auntie, or mother-in-law... whereas this Hana is just a freeloading nuisance...


    ¡°...I fear his touch on you comes soon...¡± she finished with a relaxed smirk.


    She was right, as I started inspecting Mae¡¯s impressive tail too, as well as Hana¡¯s, and soon both were panting and groaning.


    ¡°Akio, what are you doing?¡± Eri asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Is this time for play?¡±


    ¡°Oh, do not-not be jealous, Eri.¡± Shaeula smirked, her own Mystic Eyes shining. ¡°I can not-not see what he can, my Eyes have fallen behind, I fear, but I can see he is probing their secrets.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but your jealousy is cute, despite your big words from earlier Eri.¡± Shiro scoffed. ¡°Though you might not be the most jealous one soon, as...¡± Her mouth clamped shut so fast she bit her tongue, and she moaned, and I could see her eyes rolling, likely having an internal conversation with Tan. I saw all this, my perception expended, but I had no time to reply, as my investigation was yielding results, though at a cost in embarrassment to the two Kitsune.


    It''s lucky we¡¯re all girls here... well, apart from me, of course. Hana had collapsed, her kimono entirely untied, her chest spilling fee, and her two tails were standing on end, fur sprouting like razors, as she sobbed and moaned disturbingly, Daiyu and Kana discretely stepping away from her. Mae was in a similar state, though despite her terrible condition and my thorough inspection of her hidden tail, her pride was keeping her upright, but her skin was flushed and crimson. Her chest too had heaved so much it had bounced free, and I was disturbed to see her nipples were hard, and I could smell the arousal of the two foxes.


    Yes, this is... a lot like when we share our lunar Chakras. Huh... Rose¡¯s interest was piqued at that, and I could feel her intensity sharpening, willing me wordlessly to investigate that. I could imagine her, high above, in the shadows of the World Tree, surrounded by her sisters, casting Runes to investigate and finding it very hard to explain to them just what was going on. I felt her chagrin at my thoughts, imagining her flushed cheeks, and then I grasped what I was seeking.


    Yes, this tail is different from the others. It¡¯s connected at two points... the second, a much more potent, yet also invisible strand... links to behind the heart, where the lunar Chakra would be, or... the Middle Dantian.


    ¡°There¡¯s always balance.¡± I muttered, understanding dawning on me. ¡°Kitsune seem rather more powerful than a lot of other Yo?kai...¡±


    ¡°Of course we are.¡± Mae managed to speak flatly, though the effort was making her dull green eyes waver. ¡°We stand at the peak...¡±


    ¡°That is not entirely true, grandmother.¡± Hana flopped over, twitching. ¡°Tengu, Oni, Kirin... many of these rival us... the world is fair.¡±


    Daiyu agreed. ¡°While Cultivation is the art of seizing strength from the Heavens and the Earth, there is one law that cannot be avoided. That there is always a price to pay for Heaven¡¯s boons, and the Earth does not favour one above another. With strength comes weakness, and in weakness, hidden strength can be found. Of course, one¡¯s own aptitude, talents and hard work can change fate, but... these constants are universal.¡±


    I nodded, and their words helped me understand. Kitsune are powerful. Their strength grows with their tails, but... that also comes with a downside. Their vulnerability to being controlled by their true names. It... didn¡¯t make much sense, until I see... the invisible tail was deeply entwined with their other tails, as well as with their true self, it was of the spirit, yet also went deeper.


    I could see, if I poured aether into my Eyes up until their maximum limit, that the invisible zeroth tail was actually leaking a little soullight. I couldn¡¯t see it, my Skills still weren¡¯t sufficient, but if there was soullight, I imagined that this tail must have at least intersected, perhaps even contained a strand, of their Truesoul. And if one had a grasp on their Truesoul, above even the spirit... no wonder they can¡¯t disobey without the strength to dislodge that grip, but the greater the number of tails, the harder it is to grasp the strand within their might...


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder I couldn¡¯t fix you before without artificial means.¡± Maids and other weaselkin were rushing in, carrying piles of Kobold bluesteel, Dwarven metals and more, stacks of Etherites also piled up. Seeing that, Mae flinched, remembering last time, but I shook my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have more experience now. And a deeper understanding. So, let¡¯s begin...¡± I crushed the Apple in my grip, and adherence boiled, immediately surging towards Mae, the remains of the apple liquefying to a shimmering silver river, sparkling with a myriad of rainbow colours. It expanded, the volume far greater than what the Apple held, and I guided it into Mae. She shivered, her flush dying down, sweat drying, as the soothing mass of material poured into her.


    ¡°I need to go beyond shaping mere flesh and spirit, because... we¡¯re more than that.¡± Rose, you showed me that, by cutting a part of yourself, and by explaining that was how you made the Bracelets. It¡¯s... honestly a little scary that the Truesoul doesn¡¯t seem as immortal and indestructible as most religions teach. I hope I never find out what happens if someone¡¯s Truesoul is damaged beyond repair or destroyed, but... for now, I can use the knowledge you bequeathed me...


    ¡°...especially Kitsune.¡± Mae collapsed as I carefully sliced at her invisible tail. Aether did nothing to it, but adherence had a greater effect. Even so, it wasn¡¯t enough, so I shaped what little soullight I had, and Mae let out a piteous whimper, eyes rolling up in her head, as I sliced enough of a gap for me to be able to grasp the thread of her Truesoul. Now... follow the connections...


    She had nine others, faint, almost unnoticeable strands, and these were flowing in the opposite direction. While the tails had been burned away, destroyed, the Truesoul threads remained, though they were rather frayed and close to collapse. I then poured my own soullight into them, as well as the adherence of Mae from the apple. It was delicate, painstaking work, and even with my Split Thoughts, the world faded away.


    I can¡¯t fully restore them. Perhaps only someone as skilled as Rose could. But I¡¯ve experience of when she fixed my Eye. I believe... that my Eyes must also have a Truesoul connection. Otherwise, it should have worked transplanting an eye. The Seeds themselves possess a Truesoul. Hence why I can link to Yggdrasil through them...


    Of course, just because I wasn¡¯t skilled enough didn¡¯t mean I was going to give up. Mae... she¡¯d fought to the end for Asha. And whether or not that was sufficient to make amends for her cruelties in the past, I didn¡¯t care. To me, saving Asha and our children was what mattered. I didn¡¯t care if that made me selfish. But... those I loved always came first. I could spend my life Healing the sick and injured, saving hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives each day. Call it half a million a year, five million a decade... perhaps I¡¯m evil for not doing that. But... the world is only worth saving because those I love are living here and making them happy comes first! I may be a Chosen of Tyr, but I¡¯m not going to sacrifice our own happiness, even if its selfish. I¡¯m just doing the best I can!


    Of course, longer term, I would hope to have hospitals staffed with Ether Healers and Chirurgeons, and many would be saved, but just like the man who had hated me for not saving his daughter, until I had, despite knowing it was unfair and selfish, those that missed out wouldn¡¯t forgive. But I¡¯m not God... though what I¡¯m trying to do here, certainly isn¡¯t the work of a mortal!


    Bluesteel and other metals were combined with the prismatic silver from the Apple, and I Shapercrafted it. Creating a repaired Astral version of her nine tails wasn¡¯t that difficult, but even as they sprang into existence, flesh and fur sprouting into nine glorious golden tails, everyone watching on in amazement, they started to break apart internally. Of course they would.


    Next were the shattered Night Orbs. I had studied Shaeula a bit, and Night Orbs, rather than enhancing elemental potency, like the lunar Chakra, they were stores and refineries of adherence. Fae were elemental spiritual beings, whereas Yo?kai were of belief, adherence. There was overlap of course, but at their roots, they were beings of a different Path.


    It¡¯s no wonder Shaeula developed such bizarre abilities, being born half Fae, half Yo?kai. The gap between worthless and wondrous indeed. It just took her strengthening herself enough to support such Skills.


    The Apple certainly helped, and I injected the glowing liquid into the dead, shattered Orbs. It was fiddly work, and faint steam rose from Mae¡¯s cooking flesh. She let out a series of dull, pained moans, and it most certainly looked like I was torturing her, as the Saint of Swallowed Sorrows had. No pain, no gain, remember...


    As adherence sparked to life within them, I worked Chirurgery, repairing her Chakra network. I hadn¡¯t seen her pure state properly, but I could make guesses, and in areas where my Skills didn¡¯t suffice, that was where I Shapercrafted her, cold metal, gems and crystals being integrated within her. One by one the Orbs sparked, and I moved them to the tails, integrating them in orbit around the threads of her Truesoul. I then felt Rose¡¯s excitement, and that made me focus.


    There. Huh? Faint flickers of adherence were being exchanged, the Night Orbs discharging it, and it was consumed by a burst of soullight, equally modest. I saw this happen several times, but as each one flared, Mae¡¯s ragged, painful breathing slowed. Her body was still a wreck, the damage her unravelling of my prior Shapercraft by using excessive power had caused still severe, and even her own network hadn¡¯t been able to contain it.


    Your Class, Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit, Has Become Shaper Of Essences Both Base And Imperishable...


    You have gained a Skill, ???????? Crafting... My Eye surged, and I felt perhaps that Rose¡¯s vision was synchronised with mine, and the question marks vanished, the Skill resolving.


    You have gained a Skill, Truesoul Crafting Rank 1. This Skill is not what you would traditionally understand as Crafting. The Truesoul is also not a matter for beings of insufficient League and wisdom to comprehend, and lesser beings are unaware of the existence beyond the Spirit. The Truesoul is the immutable, enduring core of a being. It should not be damaged, yet... you have seen fragments of it carved away by a shard of Divine Adherence given form and felt the touch of strands from both Seed and Valkyrie alike.


    As a Pioneer, with your own Path to tread, and Eyes with the ability to perceive the Truesoul at its most surface level, you are able to create the most minuscule changes to a Truesoul, though this should be handled with extreme caution, for the Karma of carelessly damaging the enduring is heavy, and you know of no depths beyond to bear such a mistake.


    In addition, more letters flared amber.


    Your Skill, Soullight Manipulation, has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You now release slightly more Soullight from your Truesoul, and your own Soullight is more compatible with those you share bonds of Flesh, Spirit and Soul with. You may use your own Soullight to slowly restore minor nicks and tears in a Truesoul, though as the Truesoul is indestru^&*^%&* *^%&^$&$$%* 98%^*** ^*(&%^& ...


    The explanation turned to utter garbage, perhaps because I knew the Truesoul wasn¡¯t impervious to damage, after all, I had witnessed Rose make such an incision in her own. In fact... I could feel her fragment she had implanted within me starting to melt faster now my Skill had Ranked up, and as that happened, I could feel my bonds with Rose, Lovers¡¯ Link included, starting to strengthen.


    ...though as the Truesoul is close to indestructible, only damaged by nigh-impossible events, or acts of self-harm, either wilful or accidental, the need to repair such should not arise often.


    The amber letters rearranged themselves in an instant, and I grinned. Soaking Mae¡¯s tails with my Soullight, the frayed strands within began to shine, and the Night Orbs stabilised, passing adherence back and forth at a rapid rate, even as I charged them with a great deal of aether.


    Your Skill, Aether Manipulation has increased from Rank 7 to Rank 8, reaching the second wall. Your ability to manipulate and control Aether has significantly increased, and Aether within the body of another can be manipulated with less resistance, especially if they are willing. The quality of Aether you manipulate is fortified slightly.


    Your Skill, Ether Crafting, has advanced from Rank 8 to Rank 9, breaching the second wall. When using materials that contain Ether or Elemental energies as crafting components, the effect is strengthened, and the rejection for crafting biological beings and materials has diminished significantly. Objects you craft have a resonance for Ether, and can slowly draw in surrounding Ether and regenerate, and this ability is multiplied significantly for living crafts. However, there is a clear limit to this, and significant damage will not be restored.


    Your Skill, Shapercraft, has advanced from Rank 7 to Rank 8, reaching the second wall. Your ability to integrate the physical within the spiritual is now far less prone to rejection and is more stable. Flows of aether and adherence through Shapercrafted materials presents less resistance. The assimilation of such materials, becoming truly spiritual, is accelerated significantly.


    Your Class, Master Of Many Crafts...


    Your Class, Pioneer From A Lower World...


    Nice. I didn¡¯t have much time to pay attention to the numerous messages, so engrossed was I in my work. Rose¡¯s presence was both a taxing one, her sharing my Eye, and also a welcome, reassuring one. Her wonder and enjoyment at my efforts inspired me, as did the shuddering breaths Mae was leaking as she wagged her nine tails fitfully, tears leaking from her pain-filled, yet now vividly brilliant emerald eyes.


    ¡°All right.¡± I spoke, my words seeming glacially slow, compared to my racing thoughts as I wove threads of aether, adherence and soullight all at once, Calculative Predictions supporting me. Around us, many piles of precious materials had vanished, consumed by the material the Apple had provided, which had made up for a number of my shortcomings, as it had known Mae, being dyed with her, and had adapted the materials to suit. ¡°Final stretch, so... bear with me!¡±


    Mae blinked, blood running from her lip, silver and crimson, as she gnawed on it. The floor under her was soaked with her sweat, tears and blood, as well as... best not say. For everyone¡¯s sakes, and Mae¡¯s dignity. I¡¯ll cleanse it with some aether. As her network was repaired, the tails connected, there was one issue still, which I only realised now. Her League. It seems... low. Too low.


    League was the calibre of our existence and can be considered the true measure of the Spirit and Truesoul itself. The question marks had vanished from that part of League¡¯s information, once I understood the Truesoul existed. And the Saint was using Mae to Cultivate, draining her of everything. So... It was natural her Astral body was mostly a ruin, but beyond that... yes. While her zeroth tail and the others were connected, there was a third connection. I turned my head, glancing at Daiyu, who tilted hers quizzically.


    ¡°Can I assist you?¡± she asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, you said there was a third Dantian, right?¡±


    ¡°In principle, yes. The Upper Dantian, the Muddy Pellet. It is located here.¡± She tapped her forehead, between the third eye and crown Chakras. ¡°They say it converts spirit into emptiness. Though even the oldest records of our Sect say that few, if any, practitioners from Kunlun ever activated it. The most talented would have two Dantians open for their Foundation and Accumulation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s helpful.¡± I grinned. ¡°So, the Golden Stove creates and mediates energies such as Qi. Then the Crimson Palace energises the spirit, and lastly... the spirit becomes emptiness in the Muddy Pellet. No, it¡¯s not empty... it¡¯s sending energy elsewhere, to the Truesoul. Flesh, Spirit, Truesoul. All three, like three Dantians... interlinked. And...¡±


    Now was the hardest part. I could see that the connection between her Truesoul and her existence had been weakened significantly. The Truesoul itself was likely unharmed, I doubted that bastard had the power to damage it, if even the Valkyries needed outside aid from a Divine tool. But... in separating them, the Saint had been able to feast on Mae¡¯s force of existence, dimming it, starving it.


    So, just how the hell do I kickstart it again? Wait. Connection. Of course. It¡¯s my Path, isn¡¯t it? The connection between Mae and me, the connection between her immutable self and the form she wears today...


    Drawing on every bond I possessed, remembering the effects of the Chaotic Wind Tribulation, and how it eroded, I started to do the opposite. ¡°Mae... can you focus on what matters to you? Caihong¡¯er, Liena, any other happy memories. Revenge, if you need to. Just... hold it all deep in your mind, no, feel it in your spirit! Be yourself, know yourself, and...¡±


    As Mae blinked at me, surprised, I could feel the shift inside her through the zeroth tail I held. She was complicated, incredibly so, and I laughed at my initial fumblings to make a Chakra network within me. Even Shaeula¡¯s efforts, brilliant as they were, had only scratched the surface, and even now...


    All right, stop laughing at me, Rose! I get it. You know more than I do. Else you¡¯d never have conceived of a mad idea to unwind strands of your eternal self and forge Bracelets from them. But I bet you know even you... only know a deeper layer. Layers upon layers...


    ¡°I can¡¯t recreate the link, not perfectly, because I never knew it existed before. Damn...¡± So much more study is indeed, and... some risky experiments. Luckily... I have a willing guinea pig. It surprised me I felt bad at the thought of subjecting Christina Bakker to the potentially dangerous ideas I had planned, but I would still do it. She wanted it herself, and if it could unlock our understanding it was a price she¡¯d be glad to pay. If I think of it as human drug trials, just with... hilariously risky drugs, with commensurably huge upsides if it works...


    ¡°But then, I¡¯m walking this Path ahead of the others. It¡¯s a bond...¡± I offered Mae Lovers¡¯ Link as a foundation. I certainly had enough affection for her now to make it happen, after her injuries saving Asha. ¡°...and also a connection. So...¡± Instead of connecting our spirits, what I wanted was to connect her frayed existence. It would take rather a lot of luck, but... I¡¯m the Blade That Severs Misfortune, right?


    The fading remains of the Apple, I used to strengthen the intangible bond. After all, the Apple was both a physical thing, and also something immaterial. Mae spasmed, but as her long nails dug furrows into the polished floor, which made me wince, I persisted. My knowledge is always growing. My Path isn¡¯t to grow alone, but to grow together. After all, I¡¯m a Loom that Weaves Bonds, and bonds have to be woven from something. Be it affection, trust, love, joy, friendship... as long as I have Strands to Twist, I can make a Connection!


    It was as if I understood for a moment. And then that enlightenment was lost. But amber letters blazed across my vision. Shaeula collapsed, convulsing, and Eri and Tsukiko dashed over to her, but she managed to wave a hand, indicating she was all right, and gasped out that she just felt a great change in herself and Kin Bonding.


    Your Skill. Kin Bonding And Restoration, has advanced from Rank 8 to Rank 9 and shattered the second wall. Your ability to forge Bonds has further increased, and your understanding of the Truesoul has deepened. Bonds that were once sundered can be restored, and your strands of Connection generate their own trickle of adherence. The strength of all abilities that influence Bonds, Connections and emotion has dramatically increased.


    Your Class, Pioneer From A Lower World...


    Your Class, Master Of Many Crafts...


    Your Class, Shaper Of Essences Both...


    Your Class, Namebinder...


    Your Class, Taker Of...


    Your Class, Bondweaver...


    It was an onslaught of strength, and not just that, I felt myself kindle, power surging. It was almost as if I felt unstoppable, invincible. All around me everyone trembled, my full League unleashed, and for a moment I rejoiced, only for my rising strength to stop, rebounding, making me stagger, coughing blood over the floor and the fallen Mae.


    Your League has reached Forty. Your existence burns like a Torch in the Darkness, but your existence has reached its peak, unless you find a way to break the shackles that restrict your Flesh, Spirit and Truesoul.


    Seeing me struggle, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi and the others who weren¡¯t helping Shaeula rushed over to me, despite their bodies trembling in the fury of my League. With force of will, gritting my teeth, I restrained myself, feeling rather like a tin can that had been pumped too full of air and was ready to explode.


    ¡°I¡¯m good...¡± I wiped my bloodstained mouth, silver and crimson, with faint flecks of prismatic colour, soiling my fingers. Hastily using aether to cleanse them, I shrugged. ¡°Sorry about that Shaeula. A bit of a backlash there. Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Fine...¡± she gasped. ¡°I was just-just caught unawares by the sudden change. You can-can check me next, but...¡± Her words were cut off as another massive spike of League filled the room, aether swirling like a vortex. I turned, to see that Mae was struggling to her feet, tails pointed to the skies, elemental energies crackling. I then felt a sharp pain, the bond of me holding her name, her zeroth tail, writhing and twisting in my grasp. Her green eyes met my grey ones, and she grinned, though there was little humour in it.


    ¡°Well then. Hold me tight if you can!¡±


    It was like a thin line of monofilament wire was held between us, and as we stood there, eyes locked, everyone else watching the scene with some confusion, it vibrated, Mae tugging on her own sense of self, of her will. I responded, unwilling to relinquish the bond. It isn¡¯t about control. I... don¡¯t like that aspect of it. But... we¡¯re connected, comrades at the least, friends perhaps, and who knows where the bonds will lead.


    ¡°So eager to dominate me, are you?¡± She licked her lips, eyes narrowing like a predator. ¡°You are strong, but I... am stronger!¡± Her League spiked again, and it surpassed even mine. Though honestly... it¡¯s not that much higher, I think. She definitely feels within a comfortable distance...


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re strong.¡± I agreed. ¡°And your bond cuts...¡± My mind was aching, and damage was accruing within my Astral body, the strain starting to fray it, meridians popping and capillaries splintering, but Ether Healing was able to keep up. ¡°...but for this bond... I¡¯ll grasp tightly.¡± My mind closed in on it like a steel trap, soullight, adherence and aether flaring. It was painful yes, like I was wrapped in a cloak of sharp knives, but I was unyielding. Instead of pulling, trying to dominate it, I wrapped the bond within myself, feeling it, knowing it.


    ¡°...and I¡¯ve no interest in slaves.¡± With a grunt, blood oozing from my skin and turning to a silver and rainbow mist, I changed the Connection with me, mirroring Mae¡¯s as best I could. She paused, surprised, and then began pulling back.


    ¡°If you can hold me tight, go for it!¡± I laughed, despite my dreadful condition. I had seen another set of orange letters, letting me know that I had gained some more Class Levels, which showed my efforts had not been in vain. ¡°Life¡¯s more fun when we hold each other¡¯s hands, not collars and chains!¡±


    Her eyes went wide at that, and she made one more effort to pull on her bond, before sagging to her knees, tails and ears drooping. With a fang-filled smile, she scowled. ¡°What... did you do? You hold my name, yet...¡±


    ¡°...you hold mine too. It cancels out.¡± I grinned, enjoying her confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m he who is going to build a road of Bonds, so you¡¯re stuck with me, I guess.¡±


    At that, she relaxed, rolling onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Her great League settled as she leashed it, the pungent scent of ozone and the sparkling motes of light in the air diminishing. ¡°I see. It seems to be true, yes. If I cannot shake you now, when I am back to my best...¡± She paused, golden fox ears flickering languidly. ¡°...mostly my best.¡± she allowed. ¡°Eighty percent, perhaps. I still feel... rusty, like my body is ill-fitting, like a kimono I have not worn for a long time...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of...¡± Eri pulled up Mae¡¯s nearly shed garment, covering her chest. ¡°...you should stop flashing him. Oh... congratulations, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Yes, congratulations, grandmother!¡± Hana giggled. ¡°You have regained your true self, yet... failed to regain your freedom! I did warn you. Once grasped, your tail would remain his forever...¡±


    Hana then quailed at Mae¡¯s flat glare, before stiffening her spine, standing tall, even as she balanced precariously on one leg and her two tails. ¡°Now grandmother, be nice. Akio likes kind women. If you bully me, he will think less of you!¡± She sniggered, enjoying having the upper hand. ¡°Besides, it is not often I get to say ¡®I told you so¡¯ is it? Have you ever heard such before?¡±


    Mae snorted. ¡°Many a time. I was powerful, imperious, regal... but not infallible. I made many mistakes, Hana, not least the ones you know.¡± She realised she had made a mess on the floor and frowned, but I quickly swept it away with aether and wind while everyone was distracted, and she gave me a faint, grateful smile.


    ¡°This... is not a mistake. Though... you likely made one, Akio.¡± Mae¡¯s eyes narrowed, and they were beautiful again, sparkling with life, vigour and a rainbow of shimmering elemental energies of many flavours, some I had never seen. ¡°You could have held me, without making such a foolish change. To dominate and command me, Tamamo-no-Mae... why, your victory would be near certain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a mistake. I¡¯d rather one friend than a thousand servants.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, how could I enslave you, after you saved Asha? No, this way is better. Our bond exists, and it¡¯ll be strengthened as we grow together.¡±


    Mae snorted then, giving up. ¡°You are a fool, but... I have no hatred for dreaming fools who have the strength to forge their dreams out of nothing. Only those who dream beyond their reach do I despise. Now...¡± She stood, stretching, tails wagging. ¡°I feel we need more wine. Much, much more wine!¡±


    ¡°I certainly agree!¡± Hana snorted, though the way she was looking at me with hopeful desperation was rather painful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m rather... exhausted... but I¡¯ll still have time for you once I¡¯ve recovered a bit.¡± At my words, Hana perked up, but then Tan, Shiro¡¯s hair flaming a brilliant crimson, her eyes scarlet, spoke, her tone rather aggrieved.


    ¡°I enjoy wine greatly as well, I confess, but... Akio. You are ignoring me? And just what has happened here? Your League, your existence...¡± Words failed her, and I grinned ruefully.


    Oh yeah. Tan did concede the wager to me a little while ago. She¡¯s... probably feeling neglected. Washing the blood off my body and clothes with aether, wind and water element, I shrugged. ¡°Well, I can explain while I¡¯m resting. So, it¡¯s like this...¡±


    ***


    ¡°Your Path has progressed already?¡± Tan narrowed Shiro¡¯s eyes. She had consumed pitcher after pitcher of strong blue and purple wins and eaten through whole plates of candied nuts and honeyed fruits. I had worried Shiro might get fat, but Tan claimed it was spiritually her food, so there were no problems.


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t taken stock of all the gains yet, but at the heart of the matter, Mae¡¯s problems weren¡¯t just the damage to her body, but the dissolution of the connections between her natures, her Astral body, her Spirit, and her Truesoul. I also found out more about how the tails of Kitsune work, including the invisible one that is their name. So I made some adjustments, and Mae doesn¡¯t have to obey me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yet I cannot leave you still.¡± Mae snorted, having relaxed. She was idly experimenting with elemental energies, testing out her restored body, working out the kinks and discomfort, and glowing balls of flame, wind, water, light and more were dancing above her tails. ¡°It seems you are quite jealous, Akio.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. But why would you want to leave? We¡¯ll bring Su Caihong and Su Liena back, Hana is here, and we¡¯ll find your other relatives. It¡¯ll be great!¡± I insisted, and she snorted, looking away for a moment.


    ¡°That is... not the issue!¡± Tan slammed the table with one hand, frustrated. ¡°Your Path was decided mere days ago, and already you have taken steps along it? For a Path well-trodden, it might be barely possible, as each step becomes an order of magnitude harder than the previous one, so conversely, the earlier steps are... more lenient. But for a Path yet untaken... are you sleeping with all the Goddesses of Fortune in the Pantheons?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid the only Goddess I¡¯m planning to sleep with is you...¡± As soon as I said that joke I slightly regretted it, but there was just a shocked silence, before Tan¡¯s face was as crimson as her eyes and hair. She looked away silently, and Hinata burst out laughing.


    ¡°Oh my, Akio! To be so direct! But it¡¯s inevitable, and Tan?ha? did agree you won, but...¡±


    ¡°I think that the time and the place must be carefully arranged.¡± Tsukiko spoke up, thinking. ¡°To... become one with a Goddess is a deed of monumental importance. Why, it will rewrite scriptures of your entire faith!¡± Tsukiko seemed rather awed, but that didn¡¯t last, as her face was pink now as well. ¡°Besides, I suspect she will want a... suitably romantic setting...¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡± Kana was shaking her head. ¡°Just because they¡¯re dating doesn¡¯t mean they have to jump right to the sex. Maybe experience a little fun first, get the whole boyfriend-girlfriend vibe going. She¡¯s a woman before she¡¯s a Goddess, right?¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡± Hinata asked, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°Exactly! I mean, I get it. It¡¯s a done deal. It¡¯s the same for me, I¡¯ll give it up to Akio when the mood feels just right. But that doesn¡¯t mean we need to rush it.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that... the Valkyries.¡± Motoko mused. ¡°I am curious as to their intentions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about their martial skills.¡± Natsumi countered. ¡°I don¡¯t know all that much about Norse mythology, though we¡¯ve been studying...¡± Motoko nodded at that, and she continued. ¡°...they are supposedly some of the greatest warriors of their faith. I wonder what weapons they use?¡±


    ¡°All kinds.¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a maul, a spear, and a sword... I¡¯m sure they use others too. Why? Want me to put in a good word for you?¡± Rose had stopped watching, probably as the fun was over, but I could still feel her faintly, so very, very far away.


    ¡°Please do!¡± Motoko agreed with Natsumi. ¡°I wish to make a good impression on them, as their senior as your wife. Though their prowess in combat is surely far greater than ours. We can teach each other!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a great idea!¡± Natsumi agreed. ¡°It sounds to me like they have had no time for learning about romance. We are hardly experts, but... if we study up, we can hold our own. Kana, Eri, Hinata, please teach us!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Eri asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Of course! You know Akio better than we do. Kana, you¡¯re my role model when it comes to these topics, and Hinata... you¡¯re noble like us, but your perspective is fresh!¡±


    As they all started chatting, Asha sat down beside me, a bemused expression on her face. ¡°We Dryads... we are bound to our Trees. We love, yes, once in our lives. But... we often spend our time alone. Few want to stay with us in our lonely groves. Now though... I find myself freer, and enjoying the bustle and noise, and the company.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bond.¡± I agreed. ¡°Between you and your second self, but... bonds can be grown. Just like trees.¡± I grinned at my pun. ¡°So... you can safely see the world, spend time with us. I¡¯ll make it so.¡±


    Daiyu was the next to speak. ¡°This Valkyrie, Rossweisse. You say she aided you?¡±


    ¡°Subtly, but yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°All she could do was see what I saw, and give off vague emotions, but that was enough to direct my vision, and then I saw more details regarding Mae¡¯s severed tails, and how they were once connected.¡±


    ¡°I see. I agree with Motoko and Natsumi. Though they are not Cultivators, they have great knowledge, and knowledge is power, and can give a tiger wings. And a tiger with wings shall not lose to any Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, after that, I fixed Mae, as you saw, and we had a little tug-of-war over our shared bond. We¡¯ll call it a tie, won¡¯t we?¡± I winked, and Mae merely sipped at her wine, deliberately not answering.


    ¡°And so what happened to Shaeula...?¡± Kana asked, and I frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, when my Kin Bonding broke the second wall, it rebounded to Shaeula, and her own Skill has Ranked up too. I suppose it makes sense, considering that it came to me through my bonds with Shaeula, and we¡¯re linked by it.¡±


    ¡°It was quite-quite painful. Weighty perhaps.¡± Shaeula expressed her displeasure, before she brightened. ¡°But I can certainly endure some-some torture for strength. In that we are quite-quite alike.¡±


    I had to shrug. ¡°Yeah. And there¡¯ll be more. But today¡¯s been a good day already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Kana agreed. ¡°You¡¯re making everyone else look bad.¡±


    ¡°There are dangers to that too.¡± Mae spoke up. ¡°Now I have nearly recovered, were I to face such as that foolish trash who accosted us...¡± She nodded at Asha, who smiled back warmly. ¡°Oh... thank you!¡± Mae took a fresh goblet of wine and a plate of fruits from Hyacinth, who had taken over from most of the maids. ¡°...as I was saying... I could crush him as though he were but this fruit...¡± She squeezed the orange fruit, and it burst, juice spraying like blood. As she licked at her fingers and palm, she shrugged. ¡°...though to use my full strength is... problematic. You must beware as well.¡± Her emerald gaze transfixed me. ¡°Your presence is potent indeed.¡±


    ¡°A match-match for my father now.¡± Shaeula agreed. ¡°Perhaps he might-might be stronger still, but there is not-not much between you, I surmise. In the Seelie Court, there are now few your equal in terms of raw strength, though in wisdom and-and knowledge, you may be lacking. Princess Estalian for one, she knows much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t let it go to my head. I¡¯m still confident I couldn¡¯t beat the main body of that damn toad.¡± I grimaced. ¡°And no matter how strong I am, carelessness can kill. If Arisu-san were to use her Room against me and I was caught off guard, well, getting crushed to the size of that fruit in an isolated space, it wouldn¡¯t matter how strong I was.¡±


    I expected Shiro to retort at that, but she and Tan were silent, so I continued. ¡°You¡¯re saying I need to leash my strength on the Material and in the Boundary, Mae?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you understand me well.¡± She nodded, wiping her sticky hands on a cloth Hyacinth handed her. ¡°The force of your presence can not be supported in the more fragile places. And once a pot is smashed...¡± For a second I thought she was going to throw her goblet down, but she merely swirled it, the brightly-coloured liquid within splashing. ¡°...even if it is repaired, it shall never be as strong again.¡±


    ¡°All right, I understand.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, though if it¡¯s the Boundary or the safety of others, the Boundary will have to break.¡±


    ¡°This is all... most... fascinating.¡± Hana spoke up. ¡°But... time is ticking, is it not? In the mortal realms, we have much to do, so...¡± Her gaze was pleading, and I shrugged, giving in.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m tired, but... I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± As I stood, finishing my own drink, I marshalled the reserves I had recovered, only for Tan to speak for the first time in a while.


    ¡°Why... why are you ignoring me?¡± Her tone was accusatory. ¡°You cannot bring revelation after revelation, and speak so carelessly of things you have no business knowing, and leave me both with anticipation and... bah...¡± Tan made an indelicate noise, face still a rich red. One eye winked at me though, and I could tell that Shiro was soothing, or probably teasing Tan, knowing her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I apologised. ¡°I thought you were thinking about what I¡¯d said. I didn¡¯t mean to neglect you!¡±


    ¡°Good. Do not!¡± she complained, and the pile of empty jugs around her was impressive. She had drunk enough strong wine to inebriate an entire group of salarymen at a Christmas party. ¡°It would be unwise, for I am Tan?ha?, the Thirst, and when I thirst for something, I always obtain it!¡± She pouted, sweeping aside her burning hair. ¡°I was thinking, as it happens, Akio, but that does not mean you can forget I am here!¡±


    Okay, she¡¯s not tsundere now, she¡¯s... I don¡¯t know what she is, but it¡¯s actually rather cute. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. I was just telling the story.¡±


    ¡°See that you do not. I can see I shall need to be far, far more proactive now.¡± Tan narrowed her eyes, and in the black one, I could see Shiro¡¯s sympathies. ¡°This is not merely an opportunity to become Astral Emperor. No, it... offers opportunities for beyond that.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Do not grow arrogant. The weasel is correct. You have taken some steps quickly, but... if Paths were easy to walk, they would have little value. However...¡± she narrowed her eyes. ¡°...depending on just how far you have advanced, it might be possible for others to follow, to strengthen the Path. Yet... haste makes waste. While some... urgency... is advisable, I would insist you be cautious. For when one is walking along the heights, the fall is long, and onto jagged rocks...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is not who walks fastest, but who walks furthest.¡± Daiyu agreed. ¡°Though walking fast has advantages. One is less likely to be mired in the swamp of mediocrity if one passes through quickly.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± Tan agreed. ¡°For now... fix that pleading fox of two tails. Her entreaties are aggravating me. Then... we shall talk further.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I can...hardly believe it.¡± Hana held her tail in her arms, her face wet with tears. Her fifth tail. ¡°You... how?¡± The fact she was standing upright, on both legs, had completely slipped her mind. When I had modified the bond I held using her name, she had made no effort to fight back, unlike Mae, and that meant that despite my efforts, nothing had changed. I wonder... if it¡¯s because she knows Eri and Shaeula resent her greatly for her actions? Is it some sort of insurance?


    ¡°It¡¯s... a little hard to explain, but... you had a budding tail, but the thread of Truesoul hadn¡¯t formed, and your adherence was muddled. I just... worked a bit of Bond magic, and some Chirurgery, moved around the adherence, let out a little soullight...¡± Which has left me bitterly exhausted. Using soullight is infinitely more taxing than aether, and the ache it leaves is impossible to ignore. I guess it is the radiance of my soul... yeah. I¡¯m going to let it refill before doing anything else with it. I¡¯d hate to see the consequences of overuse.


    ¡°...and boom, out pops your tail. It¡¯s not perfect though. There¡¯s something missing, but I¡¯m sure you can ask Mae to teach you.¡±


    ¡°Lessons from grandmother, the greatest of the Kitsune. How shocked and envious, and disbelieving... my many kin throughout the ages would be.¡± She wiped at her tears, wagging her tails happily. ¡°I... am whole again. More than whole. Uranai was right. I have gained my fifth tail by freeing you, grandmother. And now my imminent death has been averted!¡±


    ¡°That death. Prophecy is a blade wrapped in silk. It cuts when least expected, and sometimes you barely even feel the sting until your head parts company with your neck.¡± Tan snorted.


    ¡°Yes. You should not be complacent.¡± Tsukiko agreed. ¡°Though it does make me smile, a prophecy coming to fruition. I had thought Akio was here to shatter them all.¡±


    ¡°Only the terrible ones.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to help along the ones that lead to the good ending.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I hardly think it was as trivial as ¡®boom¡¯¡± Tan sniffed. ¡°You did not even have the Apple to aid you this time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but really, the Apple wasn¡¯t necessary. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it helped a lot. It provided me a good chunk of what I needed to repair Mae, but... once I had the method, Hana was trivial in comparison...¡±


    ¡°It still seems odd, you calling her Hana.¡± Eri sighed. She was beside me, while Natsumi was at my other flank, feeding me grapes, while Eri was fanning me, as I was fatigued and drained. It¡¯s like I¡¯m some sort of Sultan, being pampered by my harem. Oh, I guess it really is that. But... the Sultan gets to be lazy, while I work myself half to death. Life isn¡¯t like the stories...


    ¡°You can call her Nebisuki if it bothers you, I guess. But... while there¡¯s a risk to using her true name, as someone stronger than me could wrest control away, in theory... it isn¡¯t happening. I¡¯ve changed the bond, and I¡¯m confident it¡¯s not going to break. Ever.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how you excite me...¡± Hana smiled, wagging her tails at me. ¡°...you know just what to say. Does he not, grandmother?¡± She glanced sideways at Mae, who merely shrugged. ¡°Not honest. But... it seems we now have time to spare. I am not a patient woman, but... I do enjoy the chase. So...¡± Her grin turned sly. ¡°Would you care to pick up where we left off earlier before we were so rudely interrupted? You can continue to brush and stroke my tails, and I...¡± Her expression looked more like a wolf than a fox now. ¡°...will carefully and firmly stroke yours!¡±


    ¡°Back-back down, slutty fox!¡± Shaeula bopped her on the head, making her pout. ¡°Akio has no-no time for your antics.¡±


    ¡°I am not a slut!¡± Hana mock-cried, seeking sympathy. ¡°He holds my name. I even refused to contest him for it, submitting willingly. There is no returning from that! Not that I could have...¡±


    ¡°Yes, not-not that you could...¡± Shaeula agreed, narrowing her eyes, and Hana shrugged.


    ¡°Do not bully me, daughter of Urakaze. Honestly, you resemble her far too much. You said you did not care about the past, only loyalty... well then, desist with your chastisement! My loyalty is bone deep. What, do you wish me to lick his feet? I shall, and maybe some other...¡±


    She banged Hana on the head again, and while Hana might certainly have been able to dodge it, she allowed the blow to land, merely crying more fake tears. As I watched them bicker, I grimaced. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s nearly time we headed back, this took longer than planned. It always does.¡±


    ¡°If I may...¡± Shiro spoke up then. ¡°I have an idea, but... it didn¡¯t come from me, okay Aki?¡±


    I nodded, and she smiled, Tan fading into the background for the first time in a while. ¡°If you can persuade Arisu to use her Room to transport us, it¡¯s not impossible for us to keep up the buffs on Asha¡¯s Tree and snatch a few extra hours each night here in the mansion. She won¡¯t like it though, using her Room that way tires her out.¡±


    ¡°That is a good idea.¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her. Maybe not every day, but...¡± I glanced around at the girls, feeling the Favours within me. With my heightened perception of everyone¡¯s faint, almost entirely indiscernible soullight, I had a better indication of which Favours they might be suited for, and one... one was leaping out at me. I thought it likely. Though it¡¯s a little troublesome. Regardless... we still had other possible Favours to examine, but... not right now. Tomorrow night... no, it¡¯ll be tonight now, won¡¯t it?


    ¡°All right.¡± Eri exclaimed. ¡°Shaeula, can you help me and the others transfer our aether to Akio with Chirurgery? He¡¯s going to need it.¡± She smiled at me warmly, but with a teasing, knowing look. ¡°Serves you right. We¡¯re going to have a lovely, relaxed few weeks touring Japan, while your work... it starts now!¡±


    ¡°Hey, while you¡¯re doing that...¡± Hinata exploded, unable to hold it in any longer, as she brandished a sword with a blade made of a transparent, golden crystal. ¡°...I can¡¯t wait any longer! Please, I need to know the abilities of Clai?omh Solais!¡±


    Leaking a wry chuckle, I nodded. Yeah, maybe it is funny. I¡¯ve barely got my feet back on the ground in Japan and I¡¯ve got more to do than ever. It seems like every time I scratch a task of my list... I glanced at Mae and Hana. ...another two take its place, like that Hydra that kept regrowing double the heads... but... I was humming with barely suppressed League, and even though I was exhausted, it was more than enough for me to see the fruits of my labours. Besides... spending time surrounded by those I love... what¡¯s a bit of work compared to that?

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Six

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Six


    Bowing to the pressure that the weight of expectations Hinata was putting out provided, I smiled and took a look at her new sword. She had gleefully told me the tale of how her Divine Favour had resonated with her Pot Of Faerie Gold, and Clai?omh Solais had appeared to answer her call, devastating their enemies.


    Mortal Clai?omh Solais [Item Class: Imperious] [Item Type: Principle]


    A degraded copy of the sword of Brilliant Light, gifted to heroes amongst both mortals and Fae so that they may banish the Darkness. This sword is infused with a powerful Light Element, and the bearer of this sword must remain faithful, lest the light punish them and burn their face and eyes with the scars of infidelity. The sword can project a beam of purest Light, destroying all in its path that is base, and the crystal of the blade can slowly repair itself when damaged if bathed in sunlight. This blade was lost long ago and has been found due to the unlikely confluence of a Fae artefact and a unique affinity for manipulating and enhancing treasure, drawn back from the far reaches of the Fae realms, where it has languished for many long centuries.


    Hinata had been delighted at the details of her new sword, and had teased Shaeula happily, saying that her blade forbade infidelity, which was a greater shame than mere lying. Of course, Shaeula wasn¡¯t offended, but had pretended to be, amusing everyone. That wasn¡¯t all though, even if I did definitely feel better with Hinata having such a potent weapon for self-defence. The wooden wheel that Mae had seized from the Cardinal she had defeated was brought before me, and I had been both impressed and disgusted by the description.


    It was certainly no weaker than the ring we seized from Mary Stuart. Even if its use is a bit more specialised...


    Rota Iudicii [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Law]


    The Wheel of Judgement, crafted from wood hewn from the stakes that impale sinners who have blasphemed and rebelled against the Throne, is soaked with verum sanguis, the true blood that carries the Spirit, and threaded with a near-complete Truesoul of a willing Sainted Martyr, is a weapon that breaks both the Body and Spirit of the enemies of the Ninth Heaven.


    It can grow and create deadly spikes of wood, stakes to pierce and impale sinners, but its true power is to hold Adherence, magnifying the power within and using it to empower the attacks of the Wheel, as the Spirit and Truesoul within acts as an amplifier and battery.


    It was quite the ominous description, and I ended up checking Shaeula¡¯s ring as well with my new insights.


    Anulus Fortunae [Item Class: Legendary] [Item Type: Fate]


    The Ring of Fortune, forged from a near complete Truesoul of a willing Sainted Martyr, gold from the tributes and tithes taken from the faithful and treasures looted from the blasphemous, containing a potent Adherence, and the refined and processed Adherence of great luck, grants the bearer astonishing good Fortune so long as their belief in such Fortune never wavers. The protection of Fortune and the Adherence contained and imbued within the Truesoul woven into the Ring shields the wearer from great harm, magnifying existing Fortune dramatically.


    I can¡¯t believe they forged living beings into artefacts. Whether they were volunteers, or perhaps injured and dying, we¡¯ll never know. But... Much as I despised such ideas, I could see how it worked, a natural advancement on Shapercrafting and Truesoul Crafting. Worse, I can see how the treasures are so powerful. The Truesouls were still... alive... if that was the word. I could see a faint mist of soullight fortifying the artefacts. It¡¯s no wonder the Church is so enraged at losing Mary Stuart¡¯s ring.


    Setting that aside, our time had run out, so we returned to the Material together. It was around half past four in the morning now, and Shaeula and I were surrounded by those needing Chirurgery and charging up with aether, within a large pavilion-style tent set up on the grounds of Shirohebizumi shrine.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t much fun...¡± the elegant older woman, Narumi-san, who was the heart of AKB0048, sighed, wiping her tears. When I said older, she was only a couple of years older than me, and looked younger, perhaps due to her rigorous diet and exercise regime, and she frowned, so I wiped those thoughts from my mind. ¡°...but I do feel... it¡¯s odd. Like... I¡¯ve had a great sleep and am fully refreshed, even though I know that¡¯s not true.¡±


    She was wearing a tracksuit and t-shirt, basic training wear, as were the other fifty or so girls around us. They weren¡¯t ordinary, though, they were clearly custom made, and very cute, in red, green and gold. Several of the group, namely Keiko-chan, Ema-san and Asuka-san, were watching smugly, beside Daiyu, who was observing the Chirurgery with great interest.


    ¡°I remember that...¡± the youngest, Ema-san, winced. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Rumi-Rumi, it¡¯s totally worth it! We¡¯re idols, no matter how repetitive or hard the training we endure, we can do it for the fans, and... and for Akio-kun!¡± Ema-san winked at me, and I had to return her smile, though mine was rather tired. Even with my massively enhanced stats and the Lovers¡¯ Link I shared with Rose and Lin, having performed great feats in restoring Mae and Hana, I was now feeling the fatigue.


    ¡°For him, huh?¡± Narumi-san gave her a hard look. Unlike the other idols of AKB0048, the three of them were wearing capes and caps in addition to their tracksuits, and they had rank insignia pins shaped like diamonds on their lapels and t-shirts. As Ema-san flushed, she tilted her head, knocking on it with one fist in the common gesture for amused apology girls often made.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit different for you, Rumi-Rumi! But we... we joined Adamant. Of course, the commanders would be happy to have you, but even if you don¡¯t...¡± She glanced at Keiko-chan, who took over.


    ¡°...this is a huge opportunity. The priceless nature of Chirurgery, as well as the potential to gain a Class, isn¡¯t something money can buy. Better still... Matriarch Daiyu will be training all of you in Cultivation alongside us. When we¡¯re done after these couple of weeks, we¡¯ll be idols beyond compare... oh, sorry.¡± she apologised. ¡°I can¡¯t forget you as well, Suzu-chan, Tamami-chan!¡±


    Indeed, Suzu was here too, in her own training wear, which was still goth-loli style, which was a feat in tracksuit and t-shirt, but it was all black lace and cloth-of-gold. Beside her were the three idols from Red and White, my sister¡¯s favourite group, and they were in shrine maiden attire, though the skirts were short with spats underneath to preserve their modesty, and their tops were sleeveless for ease of movement.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tamami-san agreed, speaking for her group. ¡°I am grateful for the Chirurgery. My parents have been pressing for it, since I¡¯m a shrine maiden at Kanda-myo?jin, but... a lot of things happened.¡±


    ¡°They did indeed.¡± I agreed, remembering the disruption to their concert at Kyoto. ¡°Still, you and Daiyu...¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Suzu insisted, and I smiled warmly, remembering her terrible family. Don¡¯t worry, since you don¡¯t want to go home, no, since you made here your home, if they cause trouble I will squash them without mercy.


    ¡°Yes, you too.¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a big job, shepherding around these idols and showing them the ropes, while managing training too.¡± The South Korean contingent would be alongside the idols, as Daiyu was training Kim Eui, and Yu-mi also wanted to start honing her skills. There had actually been five arrivals, two more than planned, and Yu-mi had been apologetic, but Hinata had some leeway for contingencies, so was sorting it out.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than bothering Arisu-chan!¡± Suzu snickered. ¡°She¡¯s going all out, but she¡¯s in a bit of a bad mood. Maybe because you asked her for the unreasonable? She¡¯s still doing it though. She can¡¯t turn down the boss, nor you, Akio-kun! It¡¯s kind of funny how her ice has melted.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Asuka-san shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, she¡¯s awesome, a real star, and I¡¯m glad she had her name cleared from all those lies. Idols like us live in the same world, have the same fears... but... she¡¯s scary!¡±


    ¡°I respect her resolve and talents.¡± Daiyu spoke up firmly. ¡°She is certainly one who can be called a prodigy. In just a short while she has thoroughly mastered her Favour, and it can do things that were doubtless not intended.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our Arisu-chan!¡± Suzu nodded, agreeing, her usual blonde drill-curls bouncing. Oddly enough, they reminded me of the tails Mae and Hana were sporting. ¡°She gives a thousand percent to everything she does. If she was an idol, we¡¯d be totally outshone!¡±


    As we finished up the Chirurgery and charging of the remaining idols, conversation continued on Arisu-san¡¯s preparations. She had a massive film crew, sourced from FujiTV, which had now fallen under Fujiwara house control, though Miyu had told me that FujiTV was going to be rebranded as a news outlet covering Chosen matters and the changing world, and would be under my ownership, as thanks for my help with her and Honoka. I immediately made Arisu-san the manager and shareholder, and so Arisu-san, me and Fujiwara house each had a stake in the company, though mine was the largest. My sis was shocked. She wants to present some programs. I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea though...


    ¡°All right... Daiyu, you¡¯re in charge.¡± The Chirurgery was done at last, and Daiyu nodded. The arrayed idols seemed a little nervous, but as Daiyu started to address them as her new disciples, looking rather satisfied, I exchanged glances with Shaeula, and we slipped out, leaving them to it.


    Outside, the scene could best be described as organised chaos, Arisu-san marshalling her crew, making sure that the burned and damaged training school was in the background of the area set up for the broadcast. Since I had already received Shirohebi¡¯s blessings, while everyone else was starting the Pilgrimage, I¡¯d be having a quick interview with the press.


    I could also see Major Sasaki and Lieutenant Banri, alongside several Special Forces soldiers who had been chosen for this. There were Ministry Police here too, including Detective Kato and Officer Usui. I was about to greet them when my sister came running up, followed by Yae and Rika-san. I paused, blinking, and as Shaeula snickered, clearly amused, Yae spoke up, her face flushed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, all right? Rika-chan and I, we¡¯re grateful that you are prepared to include us.¡± Yae was wearing the coat, skirt and shirt of Adamant, a cap balanced jauntily on her head, though Rika-san was in casual clothes, jeans, jumper and warm coat. ¡°I¡¯m... not going to ask you. I¡¯m too much of a coward, really. It¡¯s rough, they say the first one to fall in love loses, right?¡± Her smile was lopsided and rather full of yearning, but her brown eyes were bold.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s right, or maybe it isn¡¯t.¡± she continued. ¡°But... whether or not the future holds... us... I know I want a future different to what I¡¯ve dreamed of. And honestly, the prospects here are great!¡± Yae winked, and the heavy mood dissipated. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m starting from the bottom as a grunt, Ai-chan wasn¡¯t able to get me in as an Officer...¡±


    ¡°Hey...¡± my sis shrugged. ¡°You need to speak to Hinata for that. And... you know her reasons.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Yae agreed. ¡°And honestly, I understand them. I¡¯ll be... never mind.¡± She suddenly giggled. ¡°All that matters is I¡¯m as determined as any to make this work. Rika-chan and I are definitely moving to Tokyo as soon as we graduate, so... I¡¯m just getting a head-start.¡±


    I nodded, understanding. Honestly, Yae makes me feel a lot of complicated feelings. I certainly don¡¯t feel the urge to romance her, but... as a friend... ¡°Adamant isn¡¯t something trivial, yes, but... the prospects are indeed excellent for a career. Though the rules...¡±


    ¡°No kidding!¡± Rika-san agreed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t join, even knowing that you won¡¯t pull anything, Akio-kun. I don¡¯t have the guts! But... I¡¯m definitely going to work for you when I graduate! My family always said I was too dumb for a career better than waitressing or just being a housewife, but I¡¯ll prove them wrong!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the two of them have knuckled down a lot!¡± my sis agreed, praising them. We talked for a little bit, before they thanked me for the opportunity. I told them to thank my sis instead, as she borrowed the money to pay their share, and as they left, laughing, Shaeula snorted.


    ¡°I very-very much like Yae. She is amusing. And would not-not be a terrible choice...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that. I can¡¯t accept everyone I like! I mean, I¡¯ve got two new Valkyrie brides in the future, and Tan...¡±


    ¡°Tan is not-not a problem, after all, she is within Shiro, is she not-not?¡± Shaeula sniffed, as we headed for the shrine. I caught sight of Hinata, who was accompanied by Miyu, Honoka and Sakura-san, as well as a great gaggle of students from Hanafubuki. There were a few


    noble sons too, Hinata¡¯s cousin Minoru-kun for one, his eyes sparkling, as we were delivering on the early stages of our promise to make him a superhero, as well as Hinata¡¯s brother Hiroto-san. But the girls certainly outnumbered them. I spotted several of those I¡¯d healed, Hazuki-san giving me a polite wave.


    Twenty percent, huh? And she wants more than half? I... get it. If we control virtually all the noble daughters, we essentially control the nobility and its continuation ourselves, but... there¡¯s surely problems. Mayumi-san was with them too, as were a scattering of other people. Honestly, the Pilgrimage had escalated into an event far beyond what I had envisaged, but... if it worked... adherence. Can we generate it in great enough amounts...?


    The Favours I carried were drawing from me steadily, and I planned to deal with one of them tonight, at our first overnight stay. Hinata had of course organised the route, with help from Tsukiko, Kana and also...


    ¡°Oh, she is here-here!¡± Shaeula rushed to greet Yukiko-san, who was with Tsukiko, standing outside Shirohebizumi shrine. ¡°Yukiko, it is good-good to see you! I am most-most curious to see the Imperial Palace and also-also your majestic shrine at Ise!¡±


    Yukiko-san, who was wearing her red and gold shrine maiden hakama, as well as a great deal of clearly antique jewellery of religious significance, nodded politely. She cast a sidelong glance at me for a moment, her cheeks faintly pink, before she looked down for a moment. Then she glanced at me calmly. ¡°Akio-san, Shaeula. Yes, it will be... interesting. Though...¡± Her cheeks reddened again. ¡°The Imperial Palace is going to be rather trying. Awakening the Tsukumogami will be no easy feat... I would have said, but...¡± She took a deep breath, and I felt Yukiko-san¡¯s League surge. ¡°...Tsukiko wasn¡¯t mistaken. You¡¯ve leapt ahead again. Honestly, even looking at you, you¡¯re blinding to my eyes, like the sun.¡±


    As Shaeula snickered, I shrugged. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made progress, but I¡¯ve hit a bit of an impasse. But who knows, the Pilgrimage might be well timed. Anyway, you¡¯ve a lot of responsibility here, Yukiko-san. Though I¡¯m sure Kana and Tsukiko are ready to give their all.¡±


    Tsukiko nodded, her own beautifully detailed hakama barely disguising her explosive figure. She was wearing a veil, but it was a sheer silken one decorated with religious iconography, and it did little to hide her beauty, crimson eyes shining. ¡°It has been a while since I have performed religious duties. I confess, I am looking forward to such again. And... my parents will be accompanying us. I would have them see both my spiritual calling and...¡± Now her veil wasn¡¯t covering her scarlet cheeks. ¡°...my calling as a woman.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really quite selfish, but I¡¯m glad that my parents and Eri¡¯s are coming too. Kana¡¯s grandfather is missing out though, as he has to stay and manage Shirohebizumi shrine, but Kana¡¯s parents are joining us. Having a little extra strength could certainly make our families safer. Though in your case...¡±


    Tsukiko nodded. We had given her parents Chirurgery, as they were old and rather frail, but they were greatly devout, so Tsukiko, despite not being close to her parents, wanted them to experience this once-in-a-lifetime religious event firsthand. Although if this works, I suspect we¡¯ll be running a second Pilgrimage later on...


    ¡°You can go now.¡± Yukiko-san smiled. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy. Everything is in hand. Kudou Shiori-san is gathering up the trainees, with help from the girl from Hisuikomushi shrine. Though...¡± Yukiko-san let out a giggle, and I raised an eyebrow quizzically, so she explained.


    ¡°Seeing as their small shrine is the second stop on this Pilgrimage, she is rather stressed. I sympathise. But at least her stress will be over quickly. Now, continue your inspection. You need to be back to open the Pilgrimage, then... you are on TV again.¡±


    I put up with Yukiko-san¡¯s teasing for a while, before we swept away. She was right, time was wasting. I reached the shrine, where I saw Kana, in her resplendent new hakama, talking to a number of our trainees. Ren-kun was there, as was Chiasa-chan and Chiaki-chan. They both wore their Adamant versions of shrine maiden attire, and as Chiaki-chan spotted me, her sister turned and they both bowed, likely communicating via Telepathy.


    The three Takakura sisters were here too, with Shiori-san, as was someone I wasn¡¯t expecting at all. On seeing me, the young woman put a hand to her mouth, and let out a very unladylike string of curses. ¡°Whoa, fuck me sideways, Shiori-chan, it¡¯s Akio-kun in the fucking flesh again! Be still my heart, I think I might piss myself. Somehow he¡¯s got hotter than before? How the fuck is that fair? Or even shitting well possible?¡± She was wearing casual clothing, blue jeans and a woollen jumper in cream. Her hair was done up in a quite adult style, leaving her neck bare, and she¡¯d clearly put some effort into her makeup.


    As Shaeula doubled over, howling with laugher, I shook my head. ¡°Hotaru-san...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surely a -chan. Shit, just skip right over that and call my by name alone. I¡¯m not the sort of bitch who makes someone like you be all respectful.¡± She winked. ¡°Anyway, big jugs and her sisters...¡± she slapped Mizuki-san on the shoulder. ¡°...were telling me all about your heroics. Fucking amazing! Honestly though, Kana-chan here¡¯s insane too! Everyone¡¯s so fucking brave. Even big jugs here!¡±


    ¡°I keep telling you, I¡¯m not ¡®big jugs¡¯, I¡¯m Mizuki!¡± The girl in question crossed her arms angrily, though that did nothing to dispel the allusions to her nickname, and I glanced away tactfully, as the hakama she was wearing didn¡¯t hide much of her bodyline.


    ¡°Oh, and who the fuck was telling me that she knew Akio-kun would come to heal her, because she has mesmerised him with her whopping melons? It sure as shit wasn¡¯t me!¡± Hotaru-chan teased, as Mizuki-san flushed a deep crimson. Shaking her head, she glanced at me with tears in her eyes and I gave her a reassuring smile, before I turned back to Hotaru-chan, even as Shaeula started teasing Mizuki-san and her sisters.


    ¡°I know you were planning to attend the training school, but the Pilgrimage... it¡¯s... very expensive.¡± I suggested, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Fuck me, yeah. Dad nearly had a heart attack, but shit, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t give him one on the regular anyway. We scraped the cash together, and I went and paid off your rich girl Hinata-chan, so fuck it, I¡¯m all in!¡± She glanced around with great interest. ¡°Shiori-chan¡¯s always going on about her religion, and shit, I¡¯m more an atheist girl, being a modern woman, but...¡± She shrugged at Shirohebi, androgynous as ever, his solemn vestments and broad-brimmed hat making him the archetypal priest. ¡°...I¡¯m also not a fucking idiot. I want in! Dad¡¯s not going to be Prime Minister forever, can¡¯t rely on him to make our family filthy rich!¡±


    ¡°There is more to this than money.¡± Shiori-san warned, and Hotaru-chan shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I fucking know it? There are those girls wearing the uniforms and badges. Adamant, right?¡± Hotaru-chan winked at me. ¡°Way to go, guy! You¡¯re a damn sight better than the modern Japanese men, bunch of pussies can¡¯t even talk to a girl. Men should be bold, daring and fucking handsome and brave!¡± She gave me a thumbs-up, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Yeah, Hotaru-chan is certainly... unique. No wonder Abe-san has such a hard time with her.


    I was going to reply when Ichika-san, dressed in a smart suit, hurried over. She smiled at Shaeula a touch tremulously, before taking a deep breath. ¡°Sorry to bother you when you¡¯re busy. I¡¯m helping out Karen-san, and... there¡¯s a bit of a problem. Can you... come help solve it. Everyone is... getting rather heated.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°All right. Not sure which idiot is causing trouble, but I¡¯ll handle it. Sorry girls, I¡¯ll catch you later once Pilgrimage begins.¡± I hurried off with Ichika-san, who was also partaking in Pilgrimage as one of our staffers, and Shaeula¡¯s friend. That had been a pain, the cost brought back bad memories for her, but when I explained it¡¯d be garnished off her salary interest free over the next year or so, she relented, especially after Shaeula insisted that she could pay for her.


    Really, it¡¯s amazing what a group we¡¯ve gathered. Friends, family, the military and politics, nobility, faith and more... I know that there¡¯s some Fae here too. Prince Aethelathrion was here for the first time, sent over by Nie Ling, and Princess Ffionnan was here again, wanting to see her investment at work. While they were only able to be present for the start of the Pilgrimage, as Nie Ling and Ginneka were too vital to the running of our Territory and the ongoing construction on the Material, even a brief tour fascinated them. Bell and Teare are here too, as is Moira, as she felt taking a look could increase her understanding of mortal matters and help her planning and strategies...


    Reaching our destination, I could see Kana¡¯s mother in her shrine maiden hakama, with a plate of tea and treats. Karen-chan was there too, in a business suit, as was Noboru-san, and beside him was his gyaru daughter Sana-san, who... Adamant uniform, huh? Didn¡¯t see that one coming.


    Noboru-san met my eyes, and I mouthed an apology, but he only shrugged, rolled his eyes and made a waving gesture with his hand, which I interpreted as ¡®she does what she wants, neither you nor I can stop her¡¯.


    ¡°...won¡¯t stand for this. It¡¯s not funny!¡± A familiar voice, Yasu-kun¡¯s, in fact, rang out loudly, and I winced. I wasn¡¯t the only one, as Karen-chan frowned too, eyebrows drooping, and I recognised the signs of a woman getting angry. You need to cool it, Yasu-kun!


    ¡°You might want to calm down...¡± Hayato-kun was saying reasonably. ¡°Your cousin won¡¯t listen if you¡¯re always shouting...¡±


    ¡°Why should I listen?¡± Hisano-san cried, her tone frosty. ¡°I¡¯m simply making a career choice! You should be happy for me, cousin Yasu-kun!¡±


    Now that I could see the situation clearly, it wasn¡¯t just Sana-san who was wearing an Adamant uniform. Hisano-san was as well, and honestly, I thought she carried it off quite well, as she faced down her older relative, meeting his gaze firmly, not even blinking behind her fashionable glasses. Seeing us arriving, Hayato-kun and the gang were relieved, but Yasu-kun wasn¡¯t so easily mollified, it seemed. Seeing me coming, he pointed at his cousin, his temper up.


    ¡°Akio-kun, what¡¯s the meaning of this? You¡¯re drafting little Hisano-chan into your harem after all?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not his harem, dumbass.¡± Shugo-kun shrugged, frustrated. ¡°You¡¯ve had it explained to you. Besides, you think Akio-kun would do that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Aimi-chan agreed. She still looked a little depressed after the events of the Tengokusentou, where her boyfriend was an unwilling pawn of Fujiwara Hidemasa, which almost led to a great number of casualties, but having something to do had raised her spirits a little. I¡¯ll just have to pretend I don¡¯t see she¡¯s used a lot of makeup to cover her pallor and the dark shadows under her eyes. See. Tact. I can learn it. Maybe you should too, Yasu-kun.


    As if to prove my point, Sana-san spoke up. ¡°Hey, like, Kana-chan is totes giving you the stink-eye. If you want to look completely lame and get dumped, go for it, but...¡±


    ¡°Sana! Don¡¯t speak to your elders like that...¡± Noboru-san began, but she cut him off with a withering eyeroll, before pointing one tanned finger which sparkled with cheap rings, at Yasu-kun.


    ¡°Dad, shut up! This isn¡¯t a matter of age, it¡¯s a matter of principle. I¡¯m totes on Hisano-chan¡¯s side. And worse... you¡¯re basically saying that everyone who wears the uniform is a slut just after Akio-kun, right? That¡¯s so epically, totes bold of you! All the fancy rich girls around here, Luciana-chan, even some of the female Special Forces, right? Go up to their faces and tell them that, I dare you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I won¡¯t stand for it!¡± Hisano-san puffed herself up. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to be accepted. Not everyone is! And yes, the rules are there, but... it¡¯s not the rule, but the why, Yasu-kun!¡± She glanced at me, poking at her glasses, suddenly embarrassed. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not alone in that I say... if Akio-kun asked me, I¡¯d happily accept. I don¡¯t have to be in Adamant for that, do I?¡± At our incredulous looks, she flushed scarlet, her glasses steaming up a little, but she took a deep breath, removed her glasses, cleaned them and then replaced them before continuing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to make things awkward, and... I¡¯m not coming onto you. I promise. I wouldn¡¯t have the confidence!¡± Her laugh was bitter, but before I could speak her smile became more genuine, and rather bright. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, and I get it. I... don¡¯t think I¡¯m as bad as I thought. And that¡¯s why I want to be in Adamant. I¡¯ll never know my limits, never know if I can be my best self, what my best self even is... without putting in the effort. I¡¯m fortunate in that I¡¯m a girl, suitable for Adamant, suitable to be one of your chosen few.¡± Her brown eyes were serious now, and even Yasu-kun was listening, which was a point in his favour.


    ¡°I only don¡¯t have the confidence because... do you expect me to compare to Shaeula or Kana-chan?¡± At her praise, Shaeula nodded proudly, winking one amber eye. ¡°I... don¡¯t think I¡¯m that bad a prospect anymore, really. Thanks to Maiko-chan, Kana-chan, commander Hinata-sama... I know what I want to do. So, cousin, it¡¯s none of your business, but... you look out for me in your own way, so I¡¯ll be blunt. There¡¯s not a single person in Adamant who would refuse, rules or no. Even those who had doubts to start with... I mean...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, totes look at him. Akio-kun¡¯s like... supernaturally hot, isn¡¯t he?¡± Sana-san giggled. ¡°Dad, would you really complain if Akio-kun came onto me? Even if it was only a quick one-night stand?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± Noboru-san admitted, troubled. ¡°I know Akio-san is a fair man, and treasures those he loves, but... it¡¯s complicated. In that, I understand Yasu-san.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yasu-san had calmed down. ¡°Oh Hisano-chan, it seems only yesterday you were a shy bookworm who followed me around or just hid in the corner at family gatherings...¡±


    ¡°It was just yesterday you didn¡¯t have a girlfriend, and uncle and auntie thought you¡¯d die alone.¡± she shot back, making those of us who knew Yasu-kun laugh. ¡°And if you don¡¯t improve, Karen-chan will leave you. She¡¯s too good for you, cousin!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it.¡± Yasu-kun admitted, before apologising. ¡°Sorry, Hisano-chan, sorry Karan-chan, sorry everyone.¡± He bowed. ¡°I got too heated. My bad.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to apologise to Akio-kun?¡± Hisano-chan asked, and Yasu-kun shook his head.


    ¡°Hell no! My cousin just admitted she fancies one of my best friends. I¡¯m in shock and upset! Besides, harem bastards must die! Why is it always him?¡±


    I could tell he was joking, mostly anyway, so I played along. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t deserve your apology. After all... I got married to a pair of Valkyries the other day...¡±


    There was silence, before Nagi-san laughed softly. ¡°Oh, more rivals for poor Kana. My daughter will have to step up her game...¡±


    ¡°Valkyries? Seriously? They must be gorgeous... and busty!¡± Shugo-san chortled, and before I could answer, the speaker towers set up around the shrine whined, and I could hear Kana¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Testing, one, two. Seems good. Okay then. It¡¯s nearly time. Everyone please report to the staging area at the front of Shirohebizumi shrine. Akio, you come too, you need to make a speech and start us off, before your TV appearance. All right then... Princess, Tsukiko, do you want to say a few words?¡±


    ¡°I shall.¡± Tsukiko was next. ¡°As the noble Lady Diviner, who reveres and died for the Gods, it makes me so very happy to see everyone prepared to make this Pilgrimage. But... as someone who was reborn and now wants to live my own life... please remember that the Gods and Kami are worthy of our respect and worship, but... we must forge our own future. Nothing is Definite but our bonds with each other!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Yukiko-san was next to speak. ¡°I¡¯ll be brief, as time is ticking, and I¡¯ll no doubt be utterly depressed from all the speeches I¡¯ll have to give during this Pilgrimage, but... I¡¯m more than happy to be entrusted with the task of co-leading this event. I know it might be difficult, as I am the Imperial Princess, but... on this Pilgrimage we are all simply worshipers making offerings and seeking the benevolence of the Gods. Please don¡¯t treat me as anyone special. Besides...¡± Her tone was teasing now. ¡°...I¡¯m not anything special compared to Akio-san now, am I? If you can stay calm around him, I should be easy!¡±


    With that, the speakers let out a momentary buzz of static before falling silent, and I turned to everyone waiting here. ¡°All right then. We should get a move on. If we¡¯re late, we¡¯ll get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°You certainly will.¡± Karen-chan agreed, smiling softly. ¡°Arisugawa-san strikes me as someone who believes in punctuality.¡±


    I nodded. That¡¯s true. And considering we¡¯re relying on her Room a great deal, I should be sure to adequately respect her. I¡¯ll have to come up with some rewards for all her hard work...

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Seven / Side Two Hundred And Three – The Pilgrims

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Seven / Side Two Hundred And Three ¨C The Pilgrims


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to get a bit nervous.¡± I observed, as the Pilgrimage began. It wasn¡¯t just the hundreds of people here, of varying degrees of fame and importance, being marshalled into groups by Kana, Tsukiko, Yukiko-san and Shiori-san. No, due to the events of the past days, the area around Shirohebizumi shrine had been cordoned off by the police and the military, yet that hadn¡¯t stopped crowds gathering. Most were curious citizens or even a few gawking tourists, harmlessly kept back by the JSDF, but there was also a small but bitter demonstration going on, with placards being waved and angry shouting. At least the police confiscated their megaphones.


    Arisu-san had nearly finished preparing for the broadcast, and I would be joining her shortly, but the look on her face as she beheld the protests was cold indeed. I worried that she¡¯d go down there and crush them all with her Room. No, she wouldn¡¯t do that... not... in public anyway. She¡¯s very precious of our reputations. They should think themselves fortunate we have different plans for them...


    ¡°You? You are nervousss? How... almossst mocking!¡± Shirohebi, whose ceremonial vestments and hat were richly appointed, and custom made for this event, hissed at me. Even in their androgynous human form, there was certainly a little bit of a pale snake about them, with their slightly slitted yellow eyes and translucent, pale skin. ¡°I... am mossst sssatisssfied that you kept your promissse to me, that my ssshrine would prosssper... but... I fear I am not ssstrong enough for thisss.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± I insisted, as we watched the groups begin. There were two sites of note here, the first being Shirohebi¡¯s shrine, of course, and offerings were being made, both generic such as sake, rice balls and heaps of coins, but also specialised for the shrine.


    Being a fertility and snake-related shrine, items such as fertility charms, baby clothes and even models of snakes were offered. This is why it¡¯s such an expensive undertaking. Organising different gifts specifically for each shrine and temple... it wasn¡¯t the sort of work we could have done alone. Luckily Karen-chan had support from Hayato-kun and the gang, as well as some Ministry staffers...


    In addition to the offerings, everyone was attaching ema, the traditional wooden prayer tags, to the shimenawa ropes around the shrine that had grown in number just for this event. In the Boundary, the same thing was happening, on an even grander scale. As each one was placed, Shirohebi seemed to shudder a little, his tongue flicking out restlessly, which looked rather odd in their human form.


    ¡°Fine? I admire your optimisssm. I am merely a Kami, you sssurely know that. I am not a God. I am clossser to thossse you call the Fae, or a Yo?kai. Thossse who are truly Godsss, such asss Tsssukiko-sssama worssshipsss... they are no longer here.¡±


    I nodded at that. ¡°It makes sense. Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu... they¡¯re surely part of the Pantheons. But you, the Jade Beetle, Prince Sho?toku, Kofuku Jizo... you¡¯re here. I¡¯d imagine if the Japanese Pantheon won this battle for Earth, you¡¯d be welcomed in easily enough though.¡±


    ¡°Mossst assssssuredly.¡± Shirohebi agreed, starting to sweat. ¡°I praissse the great Godsss and wissshed one day to join their number, to regain passst gloriesss, no, to exceed them. However... we ssshould be careful what we wisssh for. I am ssstrained.¡± They mopped at their forehead with one weary hand. ¡°To give my blessing to ssso many at once... isss trying indeed,¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll manage it.¡± I grinned. ¡°Adherence comes in, and you return it. A cycle of virtue. And since this shrine is the site of the start of the Pilgrimage, you¡¯ll get a huge boost in belief after the coverage we have planned. After all, this is where it all began for us. Besides, it¡¯s the Jade Beetle you should feel sorry for. They¡¯re next. Just... do your best.¡±


    ¡°How... comforting that isss.¡± Shirohebi rolled their eyes, before steeling themselves. ¡°Ssstill, you have done well for my ssshrine. The bloodline of my attendantsss ssshall be combined with yoursss through Kana, and you ssshall have many children. All who pray to me ssshall be blessed by the earth and be fecund and fertile.¡± His yellow gaze was slightly warm as he watched the worshippers tie their ema to the ropes.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit dangerous. There¡¯s a lot of women here.¡± I chuckled. ¡°And most of them are not allowed to get pregnant.¡±


    ¡°You ssshall have your work cut out for you.¡± Shirohebi taunted me, and I blinked in surprise, as their expression was sly. ¡°Not merely with Kana, but... your children ssshall cover the land.¡±


    ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something very badly here.¡± I shook my head, and the snake merely laughed, their good humour restored.


    ¡°You think ssso? Then why?¡± They pointed at the second object of pilgrimage here. Asha¡¯s Tree, far smaller here of course, was also surrounded by shimenawa ropes, and it was already heavy with ema, the wooden tags pulling down at the thick ropes. ¡°I do not hate it, dessspite the Tree being foreign to usss. The rich earth, the promissse of fertility. The children it bears inssside... I desssire the continuation of life, as a sssnake eating itsss own tail, life comes, and life returns to the earth, begetting life once more. Yet perhapsss not entirely...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The sort of life Asha carries... I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be mortal. Though everything dies in the end. Even the sun will burn out one day, and even Gods can perish.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But over any sort of term the mind can comprehend, yes...¡±


    ¡°A Tree that ssshall be the anchor of everything.¡± Shirohebi nodded. ¡°I approve. And my ssshrine isss where it dwellsss now. Perhapsss... I can do thisss after all.¡±


    ¡°I know you can.¡± I agreed, watching as the offerings to Asha¡¯s Tree were made. Seeds of rare plants, spring waters sourced from Japan and indeed all over the world, charms to nature and more. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make Asha and her Tree a Kami, though... the principle is a bit similar. If the Tree is going to be our World Tree, it¡¯s going to need a head start in adherence, I reckon.¡± Especially if it¡¯s going to be a Tree of Connections and Bonds. After all, that¡¯s a bond too...


    Money was also being donated, and building supplies, as the training school would be repaired, and the grounds damaged in the battle replanted, made better than ever. And this is only the first stop on Pilgrimage. This really is a money-pit...


    I was about to speak when one of the staffers Arisu-san brought in rushed up to me, out of breath. ¡°Oshiro-sama, it¡¯s time. Arisugawa-sama is about to broadcast. Your attendance is required.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± I nodded. Turning back to Shirohebi I grinned. ¡±At least being first, you get to relax after this, for the rest of us our troubles are only just beginning.¡± With those parting words I followed the staffer to where Arisu-san was set up. On seeing me she nodded cooly, and I couldn¡¯t help but admire her poise. Yeah, no wonder Shiro¡¯s so fond of her... Shiro...


    I hadn¡¯t seen much of Shiro for the last few hours, but I suspected that was more down to Tan avoiding me out of embarrassment. And also... the Eye... I had to deal with the Favours first, but the Eye was coming, and soon, and after that... I know she conceded the victory in our wager to me after hearing about what Rose did, but... she knows I wouldn¡¯t be crass enough to take her up on that without paying what I owe. Besides... it works both ways. I¡¯m confident that with Tan linked into my Eye, both Rose and I will benefit too...


    As I approached, Arisu-san strode over. ¡°Akio-san, you are cutting it fine. Hmm... I suppose at least you do not need makeup for the cameras. One advantage of your... presence... I suppose.¡± She scrutinised me with her cold obsidian eyes. ¡°Now, we shall be succinct here. You are aware of what you have to say? Do not worry, I shall brief you before our next broadcast.¡± She let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°I am assuredly far too busy, but have no fear, I have paid my respects to Shirohebizumi shrine and also the Tree.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I didn¡¯t want Arisu-san to miss out, especially with how hard she was working for us. I took my seat, and a few moments later the producer was signalling that we were going live in ten seconds.


    Not the first time I¡¯ve been on TV. All right then, here we go... As I took a deep breath, my mind calming down, Arisu-san was the first to speak. Her long hair was bound elegantly into a series of braids, and she wore a white gown with crimson piping and layers in the skirt, in homage to the Pilgrimage, and she looked magnificent, like a black rose amidst white and red petals. I could see she had applied delicate makeup, her lips slightly tinged with crimson, and her cheeks lightly blushed, perhaps to amplify her appearance for the cameras.


    ¡°Good morning. I am Arisugawa Arisu, and I am your host for the first programme on our newly rebranded television station, WTV. Here is our new logo.¡± She gestured to the crew, and the viewers would be seeing our logo on screen. It was of Asha¡¯s Tree, as well as the moon, representing Japan and Tsukuyomi, and a string of silver around the trunk, glittering with the Seeds. It was a strange logo for a TV station, but as our station was World Television, or World Tree Vision, depending on who you asked, it was apt.


    Moments later Arisu-san addressed the audience again. ¡°You must excuse our patchy schedule. As you are no doubt aware, FujiTV conspired to spread unrest and work against the national interest, disseminating harmful lies and supporting terrorists. It is very much a shame. But actions have consequences, and we of course will be reporting on the trial of our former executives and those that aided and abetted them.¡± Her gaze was piercing, and I imagined the viewers would be shivering.


    ¡°Of course, as viewers, you are looking for... entertainment. To that end, we have reruns of the charity concert, footage from events in Britain, including some behind-the-scenes press coverage of the London incident and aftermath never before seen in Japan, and we have permission to show a number of idol concerts and other performances. Our station is... specialised.¡±


    As she talked, I watched in admiration. Her cadence and pitch were perfect, able to capture the imaginations of the audience with ease. It was an effect that entirely relied on her own charisma, not Charm like I did, and I realised I needed to learn how to speak in public better if I was to be Astral Emperor. As Arisu-san explained that our TV station was going to be a twenty-four-hour station dedicated entirely to world and domestic affairs dealing with Chosen matters and the new world order, at least when we had the staff and programming in place, I couldn¡¯t help but practice in my own head.


    ¡°We will deliver unbiased, thorough coverage, of both the political and social aspects. Hence why idols.¡± Arisu-san smiled cooly. ¡°It so happens that we are blessed to have Suzumebachi, AKB0048 and Red and White with us today. Since Red and White are affiliated with Kanda-myo?jin shrine, we will be holding a question-and-answer session with some popular idols, and I daresay there might be some spontaneous performances, though do not expect such polish as the concert.¡± She paused. ¡°But all this begs the question, just what is happening here? To answer that, I shall go to my co-host, who I trust needs no introduction, but out of professionalism...¡± The crew smirked at her cold joke. ¡°...I shall do so anyway, Oshiro Moonstone Akio, Hero of Britain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Arisugawa Arisu. It¡¯s always a great pleasure for me to appear alongside you, I¡¯m just sorry I couldn¡¯t make the concert. Sadly I had business overseas. I¡¯ll be brief, as I don¡¯t want to overrun our timeslot. Arisu-san is trying extremely hard to manage our schedules. She is not only a talented actor, but also skilled at management and organising. She¡¯s a woman of many skills.¡± I lowered my voice conspiratorially. ¡°And I rely on her greatly. You know what, I bet she wouldn¡¯t lose in singing and dancing to any idol either. Now, before she¡¯s embarrassed...¡± I varied my own tone, keeping the words clipped and sharp, and I saw a hint of approval in her eyes, even if she was uncomfortable at the praise. I don¡¯t know why. This is only the truth. She¡¯s genuinely a prodigy.


    ¡°...let me be frank.¡± My tone suddenly dropped, and my air became intimidating. We had worked out that we were going to address the slanders initially in this manner and give full rebuttals during the course of the Pilgrimage. We have several guests scheduled for our later stops today which should counter a number of talking points.


    In fact, not only was Pilgrimage hopefully going to secure everyone a lot of power, it would also serve to bolster our reputation, gain national support, and draw out a great deal of adherence. ¡°...I don¡¯t know if you can hear it, but... there are protesters outside, chanting some awful things. Honestly, it¡¯s rather hard for me to stay calm. Take a look around.¡±


    ¡°We set up the cameras in this specific spot for a reason. We will also show windowed footage of the actions of the terrorist group, the Church of True Revelation, while we talk...¡± At Arisu-san¡¯s words, one of the technical staff ran some footage, and on checking the monitors set into our desk, we could see the overlay was working perfectly, showing the chaos at Shirohebizumi shrine. ¡°...behind us, the damage to the building is severe. This was a school. And not the only school that was attacked. Teachers and students alike perished in one rather famous Academy. Now, the callous amongst you...¡± Her eyes were like black holes, drawing in everyone¡¯s sight, and it would take a brave person to meet that gaze and not be moved by her words. ¡°...might feel they deserved it, or that they have a point, that we Chosen are dangerous, to be feared. Yes, we are


    dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But we need to be.¡± I took over for her. ¡°There were good reasons for secrecy, but that time is over. So here at WTV, we will allay your fears, answer your genuine concerns. But we will also not go easy on our condemnation of those who would suggest innocent lives, be they men, women or children, should be sacrificed, simply for being different.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am no theologian, but I believe it is said ¡®let he without sin cast the first stone¡¯.¡± Arisu-san coldly pronounced. ¡°Sadly, I cannot attend to the matter myself, but a film crew is preparing to go and interview these protestors, and we will be airing that while we set up for our next slot. We are fair. I myself hate lies and deception. I was accused of many crimes I was innocent of, and so... be very... cautious when choosing your words. If you have genuine grievances, we shall listen. But the unrest must stop. We are Japan!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I agreed. ¡°We are orderly, civilised and patriotic. Being stirred up by outside powers is a great shame to us. But I do concede the unknown is frightening, and we Japanese prefer the traditional, the familiar, the comforting... so now, more than ever, what we are doing here is important...¡±


    The cameras that had been set up around Shirohebizumi shrine and Asha¡¯s Tree switched on, showing the Pilgrims offering prayer ema and other religious trappings. ¡°...faith. Have faith in us. It is not simply a matter of religion. Be you Shinto, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, or any number of other faiths, we do not disavow you. But... we are tracing a Pilgrimage. From shrine to temple, sacred site to hallowed ground, we shall offer our own prayers that Japan, and all within it, and nay, the wider world, shall weather the storm. And a storm is coming...¡± As Arisu-san continued, me interjecting at various points, I marvelled at her intensity, the way her pleas for support were so heartfelt and enticing, and I suspected that the shrines and temples would be seeing an influx of visitors when we passed by.


    My gaze then went to Asha¡¯s Tree. Leaving Shirohebizumi shrine unguarded was folly, but we also wanted to allow visitors. A number of the Black Wolf, or rather Fenrir, who weren¡¯t involved in the construction of our underground facilities, would be remaining to safeguard the site, along with a strong military presence. The Seeds burned hot within my wrist, as I considered our next steps. The more adherence the Tree gathers, the better. Our own World Tree, of the Material and of the Astral, nourished by adherence, and spreading branches of Bonds and Connections across the skies...


    ***


    Bellaera


    Prince Aethelathrion, her noble grandfather... When it comes to us Elves, it hardly matters whether one is a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, or even beyond. We live a very long time, and while our offspring are sparse, many generations have been born from the eldest of us... was looking around the shrine with a great deal of interest, though there was some disquiet and disappointment on his handsome face. He swept his moss-green hair back as his nose wrinkled. ¡°It is... not as pleasant as I suspected. The air... it is rather dirty, and the noise...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the bustle of the hundreds of pilgrims that bothered him, but the endless buzz of city noise that was a constant background hum, even out here in the suburbs. As Bellaera exchanged a glance with her friend and companion Soliteare, who merely shrugged, a slight smile on her beautiful face, it was Princess Ffionnan who answered, her coin-filled hair jingling softly as she shook her head, a knowing smile on her elegant yet somehow cheeky face.


    ¡°Oh yes, I understand you well.¡± she agreed. ¡°I was a little disappointed at first too. It is like the great bonfire festivals held to celebrate great victories, the air thick with smoke and dust, yet... all the time. But...¡± Her smile turned into a sly, avaricious grin. ¡°...that is most excellent for my investments.¡± She rubbed her hands together. ¡°I have visited several times now, Aethelathrion, my old friend. And while there are disappointments, there are wonders in equal, nay, far exceeding measure.¡±


    Her chuckle was bright, and Bell felt a pang of envy, and from the look on Teare¡¯s face, she knew she was feeling the same way. It wasn¡¯t often they had the liberty to walk the mortal world. Though their other companion, with her pale skin and raven-black hair, coupled with her fussy, skin-covering clothing, didn¡¯t seem to share that jealousy, she was merely observing, lips pursed prissily, and rather unattractively. Her refined features are going to waste, as always. That¡¯s Moira, the bane Elf, the unlucky one, the crow, for you...


    ¡°Yes, buildings that tower as high as the great Rhyming Trees of the Court, great metal birds that can fly through the skies, snake-like carriages that move like lightning, carrying hundreds of thousands across the lands... and the delicacies. What we have sampled is but a mere portion of all that is to offer. And yes... mortal science... it is crude, and dirty, and rapacious. Primal Forest especially abhors the way that humans mistreat the lands. Though I have different concerns...¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Grandfather agreed with her, peering at the great heaps of golden jewellery that Princess Ffionnan, preeminent of the feykin, wore, torcs, bracelets, rings, necklaces. It was a little comical, but all the Fae knew how attached Princess Ffionnan was to wealth. ¡°Gold is wrung from the earth, so you and the Treekin sometimes are at odds.¡±


    ¡°...that old tree is always so preachy.¡± The Princess giggled. ¡°...but even he is being won over.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Unpleasant, but... it all tastes and smells of profit.¡± Her laugh was wicked, and she was drawing attention from a large group of young, beautiful humans, all dressed in near-identical fashion, though Bell was pleased to note none exceeded her charms. I am a little jealous of these mortal women. They understand and know how to win mortals best. One mortal, anyway...


    As Daiyu forced them all to pay attention to their tasks, offering treasures to Asha¡¯s Tree, which was an interesting and unique idea, one that ironically the Fae Prince they were discussing, Primal Forest, would have found both perplexing and also somehow fitting, the Princess explained. ¡°Mortal technology is inherently unclean. Why, even long ago, before the Boundary, those humans cut down the forests and burned the trees, to cook food, to forge... iron...¡± She shivered a little at that. Bell was an Elf, so her tolerance to iron was far greater than most Fae, but she still found it unpleasant, her skin and spirit itching if in close contact to it.


    ¡°...and more...¡± the Princess exposited. ¡°...and times have changed. These black rocks, coal, the liquid remains of endless eons of life, oil... even strange rocks that they call nuclear, all in service of their need to create the true power that humanity enjoys, electricity. With it all these wonders are made, and their civilization thrives. And yes, the cost is the unclean air, polluted rivers, and denuded forests.¡± She shook her head, coins jingling.


    ¡°Which is why...¡± Princess Ffionnan exclaimed, hands on hips, chest puffed our proudly. ¡°...we shall reverse this and take all the wealth the mortal world has to offer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean Akio and princess Shaeula will?¡± Bell couldn¡¯t resist interjecting cheekily.


    ¡°I am an investor. I have shares.¡± She insisted proudly. ¡°Perhaps I shall not be the richest, which pains me, but my wealth will soar unto heights unknown. For... replace the coal, the oil, the wood, the nuclear... with ingenious, clean, bountiful energy. Who controls this controls mortal civilisation itself. And the air shall become pure, the waters run clean, and the land can be restored. Honestly, old friend...¡±


    Her expression was calm yet intense now, and Bell was reminded that she was one of the Princesses of the Seelie, and despite her avaricious and playful personality, she was a being of great power, her League intense. ¡°...I know you worry. After all, while I am... not old, but... I have lived long enough to see many things...¡± Her gaze strayed over to where Shaeula was, alongside her fey, dangerous maid Hyacinth. ¡°...you are amongst the oldest of the surviving Fae. You know the reasons we broke with the mortals, the wars, the suffering, better than most.¡±


    ¡°I fear our world is changing too fast...¡± he shook his head. ¡°...not all is bad, certainly. I welcome the reclamation of the Spring, certainly, but...¡±


    ¡°Grandfather...¡± Bell couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°...I think you are missing the point here.¡± Beside her, Teare was nodding her agreement, while of course Moira was paying them no mind, merely observing the surroundings carefully, muttering darkly to herself.


    ¡°Oh? Do enlighten me. I have placed a burden upon your shoulders, Bellaera. Yours as well, Soliteare, Moira.¡± Moira merely rolled her dark eyes at that, and Teare looked down, ears slightly pink.


    ¡°It is hardly a burden...¡± She glanced over to the backdrop that had been set up, Akio going in front of what was apparently the mortal world. She still didn¡¯t fully understand all the methods mortals used, and asking Ixitt or any of the other Mortal Engineers usually only left her with a headache, their explanations far too opaque. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel it? His spirit has grown again. It burns as fiercely as any, as yours. It calls to us.¡± Teare nodded her agreement again. ¡°Before, it was your will, and he was handsome enough. Not like an Elf, but enough. Now... now I am serious, for my own desires. I know Teare feels the same.¡±


    Her head turning to gaze at Akio as well, green hair blowing in the gentle breeze that carried the first hints of winter chill, Teare agreed. ¡°Bell¡¯s right. At first, well, it is all just politics, isn¡¯t it grandfather?¡± At his gesture of agreement, she continued. ¡°But now... I find myself wanting to win him honestly. How... meteoric... his rise has been. Even when we first met, he was half the man he is now. And... the prospect of a handsome, brave, and spiritually powerful husband... it appeals. Besides, while I have not spent as much time with him as Bell...¡±


    Bell smiled triumphantly at the envy of her longtime friend and fellow Way-Warden, but let her continue, as she was speaking many of her own thoughts as well.


    ¡°...which is a cause of great envy for me, though... my time will surely come.¡± Teare threw her challenge down, much to the surprise and wry amusement of their grandfather. ¡°Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. He... he is like the tales you tell of the King and Queen, grandfather. I fear if we don¡¯t win his affection soon, he will be too distant from us. Already we feel overawed...¡±


    Bell nodded. ¡°I... am not as pressured as Teare. After all... we¡¯ve shared more together!¡± She winked in a way she knew would tease and irritate her friend. ¡°...life or death struggles and many trials on Mount Atago. And that isn¡¯t the end of our story. I won¡¯t have it. Only Moira here seems unmoved.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. I am here for the furtherance of our alliance, and to strategise and plan.¡± The raven-haired Elf scowled without any humour. Grandfather did think that Moira would be Akio¡¯s type, based on information received, and... perhaps she is. But Moira herself is an iron wall. What would Ixitt call her... oh yes, a robot. And I¡¯m grateful. It gives me more of a chance!


    ¡°I know what you all say of me. Nonsense superstition. I am not a child of misfortune, a black crow. In fact, I have empirically tested my Fortune, and it is no lower than anyone else¡¯s.¡± She frowned. ¡°That aside, I believe I grasp what Bellaera and Soliteare wish to impart to you, Prince Aethelathrion.¡±


    You can call him grandfather, you know. Always so distant. Even Akio won¡¯t approach if you are so thorny, dear cousin.


    ¡°Do explain.¡± their grandfather asked, and Moira nodded slowly.


    ¡°You fear that mortal ways will contaminate the purity of the Fae. Unfortunately, some melding of ideas is inevitable, but... what you fear shall never come to pass. Because Akio respects Fae ways and culture, because he desires to see princess Shaeula fulfilled. Yet... he is also a mortal. So of course he seeks the familiar. But knowing which to adopt and which to reject... it goes both ways. He will change the mortal world as well, to be rather more like the lands of the Fae. And yes, I have seen the reports. It is not hard to grasp the way the mortal economy works. It is on a grand scale, and requires a broad mind to understand, one not fixated on mere trivialities like romance...¡± Her expression was cold.


    I feel personally attacked here! I see Teare feels the same. Maybe we should tell Shaeula that!


    ¡°...essentially, humans do desire nature, but they also desire progress. And the two have been at odds. But now...¡±


    ¡°Progress can be made by restoring nature.¡± Princess Ffionnan finished for her. ¡°And in human terms...¡± She rubbed some of the coins in her hair between her fingers. ¡°...that just makes it more expensive.¡±


    ¡°Quite.¡± Moira agreed. ¡°So to allay your concerns, the war between the Fae and mortals should not happen again. If it does... well, we would simply be annihilated anyway. Yes, there are those such as you, my Prince, who is equal to a mortal host, but... we are so few, and the humans so great in both number and strength. It is simply inconceivable we would survive. Fortunately...¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to.¡± Bell agreed cheerfully. ¡°Akio dearly loves his Fae brides, and he has a sense of wonder and joy at what he has seen of the lands of the Fae. And we are here to ensure that he doesn¡¯t falter or go astray, like the humans, or... her.¡±


    Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you glancing over there. It makes us curious. But I know you won¡¯t tell us.


    ¡°Yes, Bell and I will throw away our chastity and become his brides, further strengthening our ties.¡± Teare giggled.


    ¡°Your ulterior motives are blatant and transparent.¡± Moira sniffed. ¡°But I do accept it is a time-honoured practice amongst both the mortals and we Fae. I have more important matters than such pointless endeavours though. Look around us. This simply will not do!¡±


    ¡°What will not?¡± grandfather asked, and Moira gestured around them.


    ¡°This place is too unguarded. It is no wonder there was trouble here. Worse, Asha¡¯s Tree now has a presence here as well, and to lose it would be unthinkable, potentially killing Asha and her unborn children. That would be deleterious to the mental state of Akio and those around him. Why, it could lead to him following the path of the Unseelie...¡±


    Again, grandfather is glancing over towards Shaeula. No, not the princess. Hyacinth. I know she was Unseelie before, but she has reformed...


    ¡°Worse... this is a point of ingress for the heart of the Territory. I know that the shrine must accept visitors, especially now, but... plans must be made to protect this place thoroughly. This is far, far too lax and worse than I had imagined. I should have petitioned the woman Nie Ling to send me here sooner...¡±


    As their unlucky cousin began to mutter to herself about her plans for overhauling the area¡¯s defences and policies, Bell and Teare exchanged wry glances. Yeah, she¡¯s always such a pain, but... she¡¯s an earnest one, I suppose. Maybe we¡¯ve been too cold to her. But she¡¯s just so hard to like...


    ¡°We strayed from the topic of my wealth a little...¡± Princess Ffionnan giggled. ¡°...but it is as Moira says. Look at the Spring of Clear Reflections. It has been reclaimed and made beautiful again, but it is also... strange to us. Now I have visited the mortal world several times I understand it, and the intent behind it, and I no longer feel discomfort with it. The cafe?s, bars, shops and more, it mimics mortal ways, yet in a way that harmonises with the Spring. I know that little scamp Estalian highly enjoys a soak in the Spring, drawing on the rich water element within, and then drinks herself to sleep with delicious alcohol both mortal and Fae, and buys... souvenirs, as well. The mortal-style clothing they sell is rather endearing... no, we have stagnated, without the King, and with the Queen in seclusion. A reckoning is coming...¡±


    That¡¯s right. Bell and Teare exchanged glances again. ¡°Things have been too quiet. The Wild Hunt raids have diminished to a mere trickle.¡± Bell observed. ¡°As for the Unseelie, there has been no stirrings from their strongholds. It is... a calm before the storm, I fear.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Teare supported her. ¡°The Moon is shifting, and times change. I for one am more than happy with the changes, and we have the opportunity to shape them ourselves, be it through investment, or through our relationships with those that have the strength and the will to direct these shifting tides. Whether that is Akio, princess Shaeula or anyone else.¡±


    ¡°So yes.¡± Bell agreed. ¡°We will press on, but not without caution. Just because humanity and the Fae became estranged, warred in the past... this time it can be different. Will be different. Besides...¡± Her smile was now wicked. ¡°...just what can you do about it, grandfather? Will you fight Akio? Right now, I¡¯m not even sure you could win!¡±


    Prince Aethelathrion¡¯s smile was rueful now. ¡°How cold, my dear Bellaera. Do you think I have grown old and senile? There is more to one¡¯s prowess than the force of their existence, their League, though I do admit it is the foundation of all great strengths. But I have lived long and have picked up a trick or two. I am not so easily beaten.¡±


    Maybe not. But considering that Akio was an ordinary mortal who had never held a true weapon before only mere moons ago, and now he can contend with Barghests and other dreadful foes with ease, I would hardly say he is without tricks of his own. But... as a dutiful granddaughter, I shall let your presumption pass.


    As conversation turned to the Pilgrimage itself Bell found her eyes drawn to Akio again. As she looked away, her ears flushed, she met the gaze of Teare, who was also suddenly shy. Breaking out into giggles, they ignored the cold gaze of Moira, and the rather bemused one of their noble grandfather, while Princess Ffionnan looked on with a knowing, cheeky smile...


    ***


    Zachary Wright


    This is kind of cool. I know we had it explained on the flight, but it¡¯s still hard to wrap my head around. And that¡¯s... not the only thing I can¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°So, I attach the wooden plaque to the rope, and it carries all my prayers, hopes and dreams. I see, I see. How... shockingly unscientific. No, that¡¯s merely the surface level, I can¡¯t be fooled, I¡¯m better than that now...¡±


    Zachary glanced at his sister Beth, who was looking on with equal bemusement. This... this is Christina Bakker. The demon scientist who would simply dissect a person as soon as look at them and wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at acts everyone else considered abominable, with no time for human emotions, seeing them as irregular and useless. And she¡¯s now...


    ¡°...so, obviously, I want to know and understand everything...¡± She scrawled on the wooden tablet rapidly, the ema, as they had heard them called, with a special pen and ink. ¡°...but... hmm, do you think two prayers is a bit greedy, Scryer?¡±


    ¡°Leave me out of it.¡± The woman, who was codenamed Scryer, shrugged, rolling her big brown eyes. ¡°I have no wish to take part in your madness. Mr Oshiro is crazy indeed to take in a viper such as you. Or his taste is terrible. I never thought the Director would let you return here. He must have bargained hard for you, more fool him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean, Scryer!¡± Christina giggled, and her chest heaved, which was a sight as she was wearing the odd red and white garments that many of the women were wearing today, some sort of priestess vestments, though her shirt was red as well, since she had paired it with her usual lab coat, though this one was clean and rather elegant, nothing like her threadbare and stained ones. Zachary then held in a groan as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle, turning to see his sister glaring at him, having booted him in the shin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at her! She might notice you!¡± Beth mouthed silently at him, and he held in a chuckle, even as his ankle hurt. Come on Beth, she doesn¡¯t care. She¡¯s only interested in one guy. If he can even bring low the famed Christina Bakker, he really is a hero, and my role model. I mean, this place is crawling with women. The gender ratio here is like nine to one! I know if I was a superhero, saving the world, I¡¯d do the same. He¡¯s a real man! Oh, well... I guess I could be a hero. But then, there¡¯s a big difference between Superman and Timber Wolf. Both are superheroes with enhanced strength and speed, but... one¡¯s the strongest superhero of all, who makes the other look ordinary in comparison.


    ¡°After all, Akio made sure you were fully healed. Got all your fingers back, yes? You could have done it yourself with your gifts, but for some reason, you can¡¯t quite get it to work on yourself as well as you can on others. Is it because you use your special eyes to see? An area for study...¡± Christina rambled on, Scryer, no, Miss Samuelian, with a scowl as though she was sucking on something sour.


    ¡°...don¡¯t be so cold. I won¡¯t be testing on you!¡± Christina smirked. ¡°I¡¯m quite excited. But first... prayers, wishes... dreams. Oh, I¡¯m a greedy woman, so I¡¯ll go for two. Akio will fall hopelessly in love with me, he¡¯ll finally push me down and we¡¯ll experience all the delights of biology together. At great length and repeatedly. Childbirth... it makes me wonder... my child shall surely be a genius like his mother, and strong like his father.¡± Her giggle was incredibly dirty, and Zachary found himself reddening. No, I can¡¯t let my guard down and start thinking of her as a woman! She¡¯s like a sea anemone, she may be pretty but she¡¯s lethally poisonous. Only Akio will have the strength to rein her in without getting stung.


    As she attached her prayer tag to the ropes, he asked Beth what she had prayed for. ¡°That¡¯s a bit personal.¡± his sister huffed. Honestly, my sister¡¯s wasting her beauty. She¡¯s really bad tempered, but I can¡¯t deny she¡¯s pretty. Even now she¡¯d made far more of an effort to dress up compared to him. Zachary was wearing casual jeans and a shirt, while Beth was in her knee boots, white and red velvet and lame? skirt, and white silk shirt.


    ¡°Maybe I should have wished for you to not embarrass me, Zack.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t be perving on all the women and girls here, okay? If you do, I¡¯m not going to step in. Honestly, he¡¯s a bad man...¡± Beth had been shocked when the entirety of an idol group, rather famous even outside Japan, had trooped in en-masse. I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t shocked either. But Akio¡¯s a real man among men! And...


    Being American, Zachary had a soft spot for royalty. Politicians and important people didn¡¯t seem so special, after all, his father was the head of the FBI. But Princesses... Princess Mikasa of Japan was right here, and he had even exchanged a few brief words with her, feeling rather tongue-tied. Supposedly, we¡¯ll be going inside the Imperial Palace as well, where no ordinary tourist ever gets to see. Awesome!


    ¡°You do him wrong, Bethany.¡± Christina shook her head solemnly. ¡°If he really was as you think, why would he hesitate to have his way with me?¡± She pushed together her chest with her arms, and Zachary felt another surge of pain, this time in his other shin.


    ¡°It was hardly as if little Miss Christina here was playing hard to get. And I am objectively a fine woman. You¡¯re certainly staring enough Zachary. I don¡¯t mind, you can look, but... I¡¯m only for Akio, so don¡¯t get any funny ideas!¡±


    ¡°I think perhaps you have an overinflated sense of ego. Barab glir, you truly are an empty-headed woman. Have you not considered he simply doesn¡¯t like you, and that a relationship with you would be like sleeping with a scorpion? You sting because it is your nature. I accept... you intend no malice, but... that doesn¡¯t excuse the poison now, does it? You are portabujts, a problematic leech. If I was Mr Oshiro, I would have left you in America. You think he lacks for a fine bosom or shapely features?¡± Miss Samuelian gestured to the crowd of attractive women, and Zachary found himself nodding.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I do think my chest is rather magnificent.¡± Christina took the wrong message from the criticism as usual. ¡°And I¡¯m pleased you think I have beautiful features, Scryer. You¡¯re quite decent yourself.¡±


    ¡°That is not what I am saying...¡± she began, but Christina shrugged.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t portabujts rather... unpleasant an insult? I don¡¯t speak Armenian, but I¡¯ve picked up a few words from our time together, Scryer. I¡¯m no parasite! Why, I intend to pay with my very body and soul...¡± Her face was red now, and Beth was backing away quietly, gesturing for Zachary to follow her, but honestly, his fear of Christina, while still lingering, was fading more and more the longer they spent together. It¡¯s nearly impossible to stay scared of her right now. She¡¯s... kind of a hot mess, isn¡¯t she?


    ¡°...tonight, he says he needs my aid. We¡¯ll experiment together, yes, there¡¯ll be pain, but... I hear it hurts a little, the first time...¡±


    Beth gagged. ¡°Shut up, you pervert! I¡¯m almost ashamed to be a woman if you¡¯re one too!¡±


    ¡°I get just how you feel! Truly I do.¡± Miss Samuelian agreed. She wasn¡¯t partaking in the Pilgrimage but was watching the start with some curiosity. ¡°Christina, I understand you have... peculiar... tastes... but are you really eager for... whatever it is you are going to do?¡±


    ¡°Honestly?¡± Her face was still flushed, but her sloppy grin vanished, and now she was looking more like the frightening scientist the rumours made her out to be, and Zachary swallowed, taking a step back. ¡°I find I get a thrill deep inside, a tingling, my chest feels tight and I burn down below, when he is cold to me. But... that¡¯s because I¡¯m confident he¡¯s just a tsundere. He doesn¡¯t mean it!¡± She winked. ¡°But as for the pain... yes, of course I fear it. But... look, Scryer, be honest. Do you think Akio dislikes me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is quite clear he does.¡± She nodded quickly. ¡°Although...¡± she didn¡¯t elaborate, and Zachary glanced at his sister, who shrugged, though her expression was rueful. Yeah, I know, sis. He¡¯s still a bit soft on her. I don¡¯t exactly get it, but... I think if he truly hated her...


    ¡°Much as it pains me to admit it, my past actions, no matter how I justify them... they are at odds with his morality and philosophy. But... nobody can turn back time.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Anyway...¡±


    They moved aside, allowing others past to hang up their own wooden prayer tags and offer tribute, and started heading towards the parked buses, as it was nearly time to head to the next destination.


    ¡°...I am a cold, logical woman. But not a parasite!¡± She glowered at Miss Samuelian, surprising Zachary again. I didn¡¯t think she cared about what others thought of her.


    ¡°No...¡± she continued. ¡°I believed that the ends justified the means, and to save ten, you can sacrifice nine, and the mathematics are in balance. Nai?ve. I disappoint myself, you know. Life isn¡¯t just numbers. I mean, it¡¯s like this!¡± She gestured around her. ¡°It seems unscientific, irregular, inconsistent...¡± Her tone showed what she thought of such unreliable concepts. ¡°...yet deeper order underlies it. And order is shaped by us. I never believed in the quantum theories which said that observation shapes reality, at least not in the new-age sorts of ways the gullible do. Of course it does. Making a measurement is itself interfering with what is being measured. There¡¯s no wish fulfilment involved. Simply science. But... that¡¯s not necessarily the case. Here, if the world bends, we can shape it. That¡¯s partially what this is all for. Imagine it. The weight of belief of more than seven billion people, and what it can achieve.¡±


    Zachary was caught up in her impassioned explanation, and so was his sister, who was listening despite her clear distaste.


    ¡°Akio has decided that to save ten, you can¡¯t give up the nine, no, you save nineteen. Though he is not a fool. He¡¯s had too many failures to believe it¡¯s always possible for a perfect outcome. But that doesn¡¯t mean that trying is futile. It¡¯s idealistic, and before I would have called it hopelessly foolish. But now... I embrace it. I know the one thing Akio does love in a woman.¡± She winked then. ¡°And sadly, it¡¯s not phenomenal breasts or brains.¡± Her laugh was self-deprecating. ¡°No, it¡¯s bettering oneself, and in the case of those of us who have done wrong... redemption. At first, I thought if I acted as if I was sorry, made amends, well, a perfect replica of the thing is the thing itself. But that¡¯s not enough. I don¡¯t want to be a fake, even it it¡¯s indistinguishable from the original. I¡¯m Christina Bakker, and I have more pride than that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Beth disagreed. ¡°The way you throw yourself at him so shamelessly...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s shameless about it? I¡¯m in love, you know.¡± Christina giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t flirt with other men. Maybe you¡¯ll find someone soon, Bethany, then you¡¯ll understand. You¡¯re rather attractive yourself, it shouldn¡¯t be hard. Anyway, where was I... oh yes. I am going to make amends as best I can. I know it doesn¡¯t come down to balance. If I killed five, I can¡¯t simply save ten, or even fifty to make up for it. But... if I do something that saves a million... why, perhaps then the scales will tilt in my favour. But I shall not rest. After all, life goes on. So yes, I¡¯m frightened of the pain, I don¡¯t love it... but... if it¡¯s Akio using me as he needs to, if I¡¯m useful, if I¡¯m unwrapping the secrets of the universe with my own pain and suffering... better me than anyone else. I see that now.¡±


    That¡¯s... surprisingly honourable. I couldn¡¯t make that choice. I don¡¯t think Beth could either.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grin and bear it and try not to shed a tear. If... if I die or break, well, at least he¡¯ll feel guilty. It¡¯s not what I want, but... if it¡¯s a place in his heart and memories, even such a sorry one has value. Of course, I hope that my stoic suffering and totally not-parasitical...¡±


    I think Miss Samuelian really touched a nerve...


    ¡°...aid wins his favour and respect, and why wouldn¡¯t he want to soothe away the tears of this beautiful, tragic scientist? He would hug me, hold me close, wipe away my tears, our eyes would meet, he would lean in close...¡± Her breath was coming fast now as we boarded the bus, her face crimson. The other people aboard were looking at her askance, and he couldn¡¯t blame them.


    ¡°You ruined it. You almost had me feeling sorry for you.¡± Beth grumbled as she took a seat by the window.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. This is what it is to be in love, little Bethany.¡± Christina chortled. ¡°I am Christina Bakker, I don¡¯t believe in half measures. My intentions are still pure, but I am allowed to hope, no? Besides, it... does help with the fear.¡± Her tone was serious again. ¡°Do you know the sorts of things I have planned? Honestly, I¡¯m quite certain I shall certainly die or be broken. I hope it is merely broken, as I trust Akio can put me back together, if not now, when his talents bloom in the future. After all, do you not wonder just where knowledge is held in the brain? Akio can regenerate an arm, but can he regenerate lost memories...¡±


    ¡°Stop, please!¡± Miss Samuelian grumbled. She had taken a seat on the bus, as she was headed that way anyway. ¡°I do not wish to hear about your horrifying experiments. I saw enough before... you truly are an incorrigible fool. Your love is far, far too heavy. This is what happens when a single-minded monster like you blooms late. I worry what will happen when you realise he can never love a woman such as you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think?¡± Christina seemed terribly confident, so Beth couldn¡¯t help but ask, and Christina smirked.


    ¡°See over there?¡± She pointed to the lead bus, in which the true leaders of this Pilgrimage were travelling. ¡°The one with all the tails?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got used to crazy sights, but she¡¯s certainly something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Tamamo-no-Mae, apparently. I looked her up when I heard that. And Akio seems very protective of her. But if you read this...¡± She unveiled her phone. ¡°...her crimes and evils make mine seem like the fumblings of a small child. So...¡± Striking a triumphant pose, until those behind them chided her to sit down. ¡°...if he can forgive her, then I should be no problem at all!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... I hate that your words seem reasonable.¡± Beth complained, blinking in confusion. She couldn¡¯t help but glance over at the beautiful woman half-seen through the window of the other bus, golden tails standing proud behind her. ¡°Tamamo-no-Mae, huh? Give me that...¡± She snatched Christina¡¯s phone and started scrolling through it. ¡°Hey, is this all true?¡±


    ¡°I daresay a lot of it is hearsay, tall tales and myths. But there¡¯s certainly enough true.¡± Christina chuckled. ¡°Now then Bethany, you stick with me during this Pilgrimage, and I¡¯ll see you maximise your benefits. You know, I¡¯m certain you won¡¯t want to leave after you¡¯ve got a taste of paradise here! Perhaps you¡¯ll even fall in love. If so, we can learn together!¡±


    ¡°As Beth was teased by Christina Bakker, Zachary shook his head. The last passengers were on the bus and the doors had shut, and the final buses were being loaded. This sure is something. I don¡¯t know what I expected when I snuck out to meet Akio that night, but... I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s this!


    As Christina was mock-crying as Beth had kicked out to make her let go, he realised he was grinning. Damn, we¡¯ve got nothing like this back in America. I¡¯m glad dad came around and let Akio take care of us. Take care of us, huh? As the lead bus containing Akio¡¯s many fiance?es pulled away, Zachary couldn¡¯t help but glance at the two arguing women once more...

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Eight / Side Two Hundred And Four – Pilgrims

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Eight / Side Two Hundred And Four ¨C Pilgrims


    Takagi Hisano


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Hisano asked as she handed a cold can of soda to her friend Maiko-chan, who took it gratefully. As she pulled open the can, which hissed soothingly, she let out a long sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± Maiko-chan complained, looking around her small shrine that was tucked away in a rather unsavoury suburb on the outskirts of the Tokyo area. In her red and white hakama, Hisano thought she looked rather more confident and content than usual, despite her complaints.


    As if I¡¯m one to talk. Confidence... I never had any. But I¡¯ve changed, and this uniform... it does inspire me to feel braver, more... more like I have a purpose. The Adamant uniform was attractive as well as functional, which made sense as it was a uniform designed for women, but Hisano knew she was fortunate to receive one of the uniforms that was constructed from the special materials, and could serve as effective armour, in both worlds.


    ¡°I can see why.¡± Hisano commiserated. The small shrine was crammed with visitors, when ordinarily, Hisuikomushi shrine was lucky to see more than a handful in a week, and most of them were drunks, gamblers and workers in the adult entertainment industry. Now the guests were their fellow classmates, idols, and the rich and powerful, as well as Fae and other strange creatures. ¡°But... isn¡¯t this better? I...I worried about you, Maiko-chan.¡±


    ¡°I know you did. It was... strange.¡± Maiko-chan shrugged. ¡°We weren¡¯t close. You kept mostly to yourself, as did I, but... you stuck up for me against Kana-chan. That must have been really hard.¡± They both looked over to where Kana-chan was organising the next group of pilgrims to offer their prayer ema and tributes. Currently, Princess Mikasa was taking groups to the Boundary Hisuikomushi as well.


    ¡°It was, but... I didn¡¯t want to see you bullied. Honestly though...¡± Hisano bit her lip, a little ashamed of herself. With one finger she pushed up her fashionable glasses, though the lenses were just plain glass now, her vision had corrected itself after Chirurgery. ¡°...we did Kana-chan and her friends a disservice, didn¡¯t we? Disliking her just because she was pretty and popular is no different to the way we thought they felt about us. Honestly... Kana-chan had a reputation, but she never really picked on other girls, did she?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Maiko-chan agreed. ¡°But for girls like us...¡±


    ¡°Girls like we were...¡± Hisano corrected. I¡¯m not going back to the way things were. I can¡¯t. I... like myself now. It¡¯s ironic that Kana-chan had the same sorts of self-loathing towards herself too, just for different reasons. It goes to show, everyone has their own problems, and we never know what is in the hearts of others. Of course, now... we¡¯ve both changed, Maiko-chan too.


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re pushy nowadays Hisano-chan!¡± Maiko-chan giggled, clutching at her can with both hands as she looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it though. I think... everything¡¯s worked out. Even dad has it good. Unlike everywhere else, Hisuikomushi wasn¡¯t in any real danger. We just sat protected while battles raged everywhere else. It¡¯s for the best, dad isn¡¯t much of a fighter...¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t still pull his weight.¡± Hisano insisted. ¡°If I could offer some advice, your father has a Territory, right? Is he managing it properly to maximise the advantages to Akio-kun? I doubt you can gather enough extra ether to make a difference, not with the numbers Asha¡¯s Tree pulls in, especially with Shiro¡¯s buffs, so focus on utility? What about upgrading your Throne, Akio-kun could use... the... extra...¡± Hisano trailed off as Maiko-chan was staring at her open-mouthed, drink forgotten.


    ¡°Since when did you get so knowledgeable, Hisano-chan?¡± Maiko-chan asked when her surprise wore off.


    ¡°I... pay attention.¡± Hisano hated that she knew she was blushing, and she fiddled with her elegant, black-rimmed glasses to distract herself. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to offer in way of talent, but...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± A voice sounded behind them and Hisano was spooked. Laughter rang out, and Mio-chan, wearing shrine maiden hakama in red and white just like Maiko-chan, hopped over, her black pigtails swinging, a perfect compliment to her cheeky, youthful features. ¡°You¡¯ve got a talent for entertainment!¡± She smirked wickedly. ¡°That scene with your cousin was hilarious. He¡¯s not a bad looking guy in a rough sort of way, but he strikes me as the sort of guy who is always shooting himself in the foot, and...¡± She glanced over to where Kana-chan was standing. ¡°...being good friends with Akio-kun must be a real kick in the teeth nowadays. Guys get jealous easily.¡±


    ¡°Know that from experience, do you?¡± Hisano shot back, a little irritated, and Mio-chan smiled knowingly.


    ¡°How rude. But I like it. You were quiet as a mouse back in the day, Hisano-chan. I was in shock you stood up to Kana-chan that day. Must have been fate. And to answer your question... yes and no. We three got hit on all the time, makes sense as we¡¯re hellishly cute. But we have high standards, you know. Kana-chan most of all. Anyway, Asami-chan¡¯s all lovey-dovey with Ren-kun, which is fine... but you...¡± Mio-chan winked. ¡°...wearing the uniform, huh? A bold choice. You obviously know what it means. You¡¯ve been paying attention, right?¡±


    Hisano¡¯s face was hot, but she wasn¡¯t who she was even a few weeks ago. Steeling herself, she nodded. ¡°Of course I know what it means. But I¡¯m also not an idiot. I mean... our school is actually quite good, isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t have anything to do with the faith, so a lot of the extra-curricular activities were meaningless to me, but it¡¯s cheap, gives a thorough education, and is girls only, which... well, I wasn¡¯t good with boys when I was younger. As my cousin still thinks of me...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t it, Maiko-chan?¡± Mio-chan chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s pouting. Her cousin still thinks she¡¯s that little kid, following him around.¡±


    ¡°I never did that. He¡¯s imagining it!¡± Hisano insisted, embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t hate Yasu-kun, not at all, but... he can be so annoying! I¡¯m amazed Karen-chan puts up with him. He¡¯ll blow it if he¡¯s not careful!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m one of the faces in the crowd really, I mean, my dad¡¯s a Chosen, but compared to the others around, he¡¯s... painfully mediocre. His fighting spirit was crushed when he was enslaved, and he hasn¡¯t recovered. I help out at the training school, and I have awakened my bloodline, so learning elements wasn¡¯t too bad, but... oh, what was I saying? Oh yes.... Karen-chan is very nice, she doesn¡¯t seem her age at all, she¡¯s easy to talk to. But she¡¯s also quite proud. If he doesn¡¯t keep her happy, she won¡¯t stand for it.¡± Maiko-chan agreed.


    ¡°And there you have it!¡± Mio-chan put her hands on her hips triumphantly. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re right, Hisano-chan. Asami-chan and me, we¡¯re the same as you. It¡¯s a good school, but the faith stuff didn¡¯t matter much. You¡¯d think as we were best friends with Kana-chan we¡¯d be invested, but... she hated it before. Now look at her. I¡¯m so proud...¡±


    Hisano and Maiko-chan giggled at that. ¡°You sound like a doting parent.¡± Hisano managed. ¡°It¡¯s... kind of funny?¡±


    ¡°Only kind of? I¡¯m always hilarious.¡± Mio-chan mock-pouted. ¡°Anyway, yeah, it¡¯s good to see that Kana-chan¡¯s happy and fulfilled, and she¡¯s in the spotlight, even if she has to share it. With a Princess and a religious legend, no less. And you want to step up to that too? I¡¯m rooting for you, Hisano-chan, really I am!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± Hisano insisted. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me that everyone wearing the uniform hopes to marry Akio-kun in the end, that would just be outrageous.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but... everyone has to know it¡¯s a possibility he¡¯ll come for you when you wear the uniform. You know it, right?¡± Mio-chan pressed, and Hisano sighed, composing herself. When her flaming face finally cooled, she shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I said to my cousin. I certainly don¡¯t have to wear the uniform to be flattered if Akio-kun is nice to me. He reassured me when I was struggling and felt alone, he¡¯s supported me... all of us really. He¡¯s a role model I can look up to, and... honestly, he is very attractive. I understand it¡¯s hard to get over sharing, but... he¡¯s not just ours, he... belongs to the world. It¡¯s... hard to explain.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it.¡± Maiko-chan spoke up, surprising them. ¡°Take our Kami. Yes, he belongs to our shrine, and our family have worshipped him for centuries... but as a Kami, he belongs to all who pray for his blessings. Akio-kun... he¡¯s like that too. Too many people yearn for him and seek his warmth.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Mio-chan asked, raising an eyebrow, and Maiko-chan shook her head.


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m endlessly grateful he saved my dad. Not just from his imprisonment, but... if he had to be a Chosen by himself, he¡¯d die. No question. I¡¯d have had to drop out of school, my older brother can¡¯t support me. He tried, and it¡¯s thanks to him I survived, but... our money was exhausted. I¡¯d have been forced to work for the yakuza...¡± She gulped, face pale. ¡°...and we know what they make women do. Akio cleared our debts, destroyed the yakuza who ran this district, and gave us opportunities. Even now... we¡¯re being given a priceless gift on this Pilgrimage. We¡¯re one in a hundred thousand. Maybe not like the Chosen of the Gods, but... we¡¯re all still special now. So... I wouldn¡¯t dare. I can¡¯t reach that high!¡± Seeing the serious looks, Maiko-chan managed a wry smile. ¡°What about you, Mio-chan?¡±


    ¡°Me? Nah. I¡¯m like you, Maiko-chan. Akio-kun¡¯s great, but... he¡¯s out of my league. I don¡¯t want to compete with Kana-chan anyway. Got to say, I get what you mean though, Hisano-chan. If Akio-kun came and whispered sweet nothings in my ear, I¡¯d crack, I know it. But I¡¯m not bold enough to put on the coat that invites him. Look at Asami-chan, she¡¯s happy enough. Me... there¡¯s a few boys from really nice families around our age here. Maybe I¡¯ll make a move on one of them? It kind of sucks, being the only one without a boyfriend... seeing Kana-chan and Asami-chan flirting all the time makes me a little annoyed.¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± Hisano sniggered. ¡°My cousin says the same about Akio-kun, that it¡¯s frustrating. I can see it though. I mean, eleven...¡±


    ¡°Not eleven.¡± Mio-chan spoke triumphantly. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re out of the loop.¡± At their quizzical looks, she puffed up, enjoying the attention. ¡°I talked to Kana-chan earlier, and she was grumbling about three more. She¡¯s not really annoyed, but I get it.¡±


    ¡°Three? That¡¯s ... I was going to say amazing, but... nothing surprises me anymore.¡± Hisano was somehow amused by it all. Honestly, I do have a soft spot for Akio-kun. My cousin says I fancy him, I honestly don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true, or if I just admire him. But I do know... I¡¯m not ashamed of myself anymore, and whatever the future holds, I¡¯m ready. She ran a finger over the diamond adamant badge on her clothes, reassured by its cool weight, the weight of her decision. I pay attention, I listen, I learn. I want to be someone. Someone I¡¯m proud of being. And I do want to support Akio-kun. He¡¯s... got the weight of the world on his shoulders. My hands are small, and I¡¯ve always been pathetic, but now... I can lift a little of that weight, and... with enough of us supporting him, he can carry it. I know it.


    ¡°So, do you know who they are?¡± Hisano¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°I know there¡¯s a few relationships I¡¯m suspicious of. Akio-kun is close to a lot of women.¡±


    ¡°Just the one. You know, the Goddess within Shiro. How... does that even work?¡± Mio-chan shrugged, pigtails swaying. ¡°Can she be counted as an extra girlfriend? I mean, it¡¯s still Shiro, right?¡±


    ¡°Tan?ha?...¡± Maiko-chan muttered. ¡°I doubt you pay much attention to the school¡¯s religious classes, I mean, it¡¯s not like that grade matters on your university applications or your job resumes.¡± Hisano couldn¡¯t help but smile as her friend went into lecture mode. But then, she is more knowledgeable than us on these matters.


    ¡°While we mostly covered Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, we did also touch on world religions. And... well, Tan?ha? is actually a Buddhist Goddess. I remember her getting a brief mention...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered, how does that even work?¡± Mio-chan asked. Around them, the crowds were dispersing, and it was almost time to move on from Hisuikomushi shrine, towards central Tokyo, where numerous true shrines awaited, as well as the Imperial Palace. ¡°From the training school, we¡¯re told that the Gods dwell out far away, in other worlds. So... how do we know about her here? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°I guess they sent emissaries to seed their religions and worship. I mean, isn¡¯t the whole point of this Pilgrimage to help us accumulate and manipulate adherence, which is just pure belief and faith?¡± Maiko-chan suggested. ¡°And we can ask those who lived long ago, the Fae and Kami. I¡¯m more shocked that Akio is with a genuine Goddess we can read about in books or online.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s strange?¡± Hisano-chan couldn¡¯t help but remember another argument she had with Yasu-kun. ¡°You see her, the nine-tailed woman?¡± They both nodded. The Kitsune was one of two that was walking about freely, though apparently only the one with more tails could remain manifested here without Nie Ling¡¯s aid. ¡°She¡¯s Tamamo-no-Mae! My cousin was going insane! Apparently she¡¯s not just a mythical figure of which countless tales have been told, but... she¡¯s also in a lot of that silly anime he watches and manga he reads...¡± Hisano shook her head. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t mock it...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say not, or you¡¯ll upset Akio-kun. Remember his room that time? Full of figures and books... hey, come to think of it... I¡¯m sure I saw a woman with lots of fox tails in there...¡± Mio-chan giggled.


    This... this is fun. We¡¯ve only just started, but already... even only on their second stop, it seemed like a festival and a parade combined. So many people pulling together for one goal. And Hisano felt pride at being a part of it. Yet it¡¯s not enough. This has to be a success. A success for me. I¡¯m determined. I¡¯ve just drifted through life, too timid to raise my own head, yet the one time I did... it led to this. So now I¡¯ll be bold, confident... Adamant!


    As they headed towards their bus, ready to be whisked away to the next stop, Hisano couldn¡¯t help but stroke her rank insignia, even as Maiko-chan and Mio-chan were bantering about Tamamo-no-Mae and the other strange yet gorgeous spiritual beings who were accompanying them. Talk quickly turned to idols, and Kanda-myo?jin shrine, but Hisano wasn¡¯t listening, only absent-mindedly replying with single word answers now and then.


    Kami-Blessed Class is just the start. During this Pilgrimage there will be lots of opportunities, especially amongst Adamant, for some special training. I¡¯ll do it all, no matter how hard, no matter whether it hurts or taxes me to the limits. Yasu-kun... I¡¯ll show you just how serious I am, and that I¡¯m no longer little Hisano-chan you have to treat like I¡¯m fragile glass. No, I¡¯m Adamant!


    ***


    ¡°it¡¯s going well so far...¡± I spoke to Kana, who brightened on seeing me, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement. With pride she grabbed my arm, pushing into it with her ample chest, not hidden by her beautiful hakama.


    ¡°Of course it is!¡± she declared. ¡°I¡¯m not going to mess things up when I¡¯m doing this on your behalf.¡± She winked, and spontaneously I kissed her on the cheek. She reddened, a little embarrassed, but didn¡¯t pull away.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± she asked, and I kissed her other cheek this time.


    ¡°Because you just looked so stunning. Really... you were born to be a shrine maiden, you carry it off so well.¡±


    Kana frowned for a moment, before her expression brightened. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. It¡¯s hard to believe how much I¡¯ve trained.¡± After a while she reluctantly released my arm, straightening her hakama. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s all in hand. Leave it to me. Don¡¯t forget to see the Princess, Tsukiko and Shiori-chan too, everyone¡¯s working hard. Oh, and I think Arisu-san was looking for you.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, probably about the next broadcast. We¡¯ve done a half dozen shrines now, so it must be time for more propaganda. I imagine they¡¯ll have aired the interview with those protesters by now.¡±


    Kana nodded. ¡°My grandfather texted me. The shrine¡¯s overrun with visitors, the military are really struggling to manage them. But the protesters down the hill have left, so I guess it went well.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I approved. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t see there are matters of concern that people might be worried about, but to protest against us, when we were the victims and people died... it¡¯s madness...¡±


    ¡°Relax.¡± Kana winked, now kissing my cheek. I got the feeling she¡¯d have wanted to go further, but we weren¡¯t alone, the hustle and bustle of the Pilgrimage was in full swing. ¡°It¡¯s only a few idiots. And Arisu-san will handle it. I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to get on her bad side.¡± Kana shuddered. ¡°Though honestly, she gets on surprisingly well with you, Akio. Best keep her sweet. Shiro tells me she can be really scary when angry.¡±


    ¡°I bet she can.¡± I chuckled. ¡°But you¡¯re right, when it comes to propaganda and getting the truth out there, there¡¯s no-one better.¡±


    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d end up owning a big share of a TV station. You¡¯re just getting richer and richer!¡± Kana seemed proud, so I gently patted her head, careful not to mess up her beautiful black hair.


    ¡°You¡¯d think, but the amount this Pilgrimage cost... even though I didn¡¯t pay for it alone, it¡¯s a shocking sum.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Kana sighed, before touching the hairclip I had bought her in Las Vegas, which was glimmering in her dark hair. ¡°You do love to spend recklessly. But then, I admire a man who knows how to show off.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°So, how¡¯s it going? Is the plan working?¡±


    I looked around, my eyes shimmering amber, faint flecks of light blooming in both. It¡¯s far easier to get Skill information or other knowledge on those who aren¡¯t bonded to me now. Before, I had to know what I was looking for, but as my Eyes strengthen and evolve, I can go further. Every time I used my Eyes, I could feel my connection to Rose, and her distant whispers of emotion. Of course, occasionally it flared up when I wasn¡¯t using them, which surely was when Rose was.


    ¡°Slowly, but then, this is only the beginning, the first morning.¡± I mused. ¡°There¡¯s still a large percentage of people who haven¡¯t gained the Class yet, but there are still a fair few who have, so it¡¯s clearly got potential. It all comes down to affinity and other factors. The Brown Dog of the Mountains explained it to me once. It¡¯s why I didn¡¯t get the Class myself until I went back home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and the Kami we¡¯ve met... other than Shirohebi, of course...¡± Kana defended her Kami playfully. ¡°...haven¡¯t been that impressive. But if it seems to be working, great.¡± She paused, before confiding in me, meeting my glittering gaze. ¡°You know, my Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden, as you call them... they seem to be getting stronger. Or maybe it¡¯s all the practice I¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But the why doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re doing your best.¡± I praised her, and she flushed. I heard quiet giggles, and several of the idols were watching us warmly, as were a couple of noble daughters from Hanafubuki. I recognised one of them and gave her a gentle wave, and in response she blushed and looked away.


    ¡°Lady-killer.¡± Kana giggled teasingly. ¡°Even when you¡¯re with me you¡¯re still managing to flirt with other girls. Oh great Gods and Kami, feel sorry for me, who fell for such a womaniser. I mean... new rivals keep sprouting up like weeds after the rain.¡±


    ¡°I think calling them weeds might get you in trouble.¡± It was my turn to tease her.


    ¡°Tan¡¯s all bark and no bite.¡± Kana smirked. ¡°Honestly... I don¡¯t think she even counts. At least not for now. After all, it¡¯s no different to you spending time with Shiro. But are you certain?¡±


    ¡°About what? Tan? Yeah... honestly, the wager was just pretence. At first I was wary of Tan, even hostile. Understandable really, considering how we met... hmm, I know, we should dip out for a minute. I remember seeing a quiet restaurant near here, we can grab a quick parfait or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Abusing your authority to go on a date with me, huh?¡± Kana smiled charmingly. ¡°I¡¯m game for that. Honestly, we¡¯re almost done at the shrine, and everyone else can manage. Besides, tomorrow you¡¯re Shaeula¡¯s, since it¡¯s her birthday. Although... I¡¯ve booked my slot.¡± As we strode towards the exit, hand in hand, feeling Kana¡¯s warmth through her slender fingers, I listened as she talked, clearly overjoyed to snatch a few private moments with me.


    ¡°Shaeula¡¯s a good sharer. Then, I suppose she¡¯d have to be, after all, without her pushing you, you¡¯d never have ended up with all of us.¡±


    ¡°You have to thank Eri too.¡± I pointed out, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°I do. Despite our rocky start, we get on well together. Maybe we are alike. And I¡¯m grateful for that. If Eri doesn¡¯t like something, usually I feel the same way. It helps me to stop and think.¡± She let out a sigh then as we quickly jogged to our destination. I opened the door, the bell ringing, and a lazy voice called out telling us to take a seat. We grabbed a quiet table by the window and scanned the menu.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m figuring everything out.¡± Kana continued. ¡°Though I don¡¯t want to go too fast, or the fun is lost. Although...¡± Now her face was crimson, and as the waitress, a young-looking, disinterested woman probably a couple of years older than Kana, came over, she hid her scarlet face with her sleeves, as I ordered us some treats and drinks. When the waitress nodded and scuttled off, Kana breathed out. ¡°...I know there¡¯s other fun after that. But I¡¯m a greedy girl. You only get to go through the dating stage once, right? I¡¯m a picky woman, but I¡¯m a loyal one. When you asked me out and I said yes, that was it.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad you did.¡± I leaned back in my chair, my eyes meeting Kana¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m reflecting on it. I treated you poorly. I¡¯m just glad it wasn¡¯t too late to find happiness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well... at the time it sucked, and I was angry and upset all the time.¡± Kana reminisced, her hand on mine across the small table. ¡°But when you explained that it was because you liked me, and genuinely had fun and looked forward to spending time with me... my anger evaporated. And it helped me to like myself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Honestly, if I was still living a normal life, none of this happened, and I ran into you out and about, and we ended up chatting... I think just maybe you could have been the sort of girl I¡¯d be able to fall for.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I probably wouldn¡¯t have given you a chance. You¡¯ve always been quite attractive, but... I was


    terribly shallow. A toxic mixture of insecurity and pride. Oh, thank you!¡± She nodded at the waitress, who was frowning at me as if she couldn¡¯t quite place me, as she set down the drinks, coffee for me, and melon soda for Kana, as well as a pair of delicious-looking ice cream sundae in tall glasses.


    ¡°Wait a minute...¡± the waitress suddenly gasped. ¡°You¡¯re... you¡¯re Akio-sama!¡± Her eyes went wide as she realised, and I felt prickly at the intensity of her gaze.


    ¡°Akio-sama, huh? Another fangirl? I bet if you asked her out now...¡± Kana smirked suggestively, and I shook my head frantically.


    ¡°No way. I¡¯ve got enough on my plate, and... potentially more worries.¡± Tamamo-no-Mae and Shinkume-no-Hana. Each presents their own problems, but... that¡¯s the trouble with bonds, they are a blessing, but also have their curses as well...


    ¡°I... oh my... uh...¡± The waitress was flapping her mouth like a goldfish, before her words came back to her. ¡°Can I get a selfie, and an autograph? Please? Everyone would be so jealous...¡±


    Kana rolled her eyes, but didn¡¯t seem displeased, so I agreed. ¡°All right then. But you can¡¯t put the picture on social media or tell anyone for an hour. I don¡¯t want our business to be disrupted.¡± An hour is more than enough. We should be leaving for the next shrine in fifteen minutes or so. But Kana and I don¡¯t need to take the busses, I can carry her there in an instant, so we can relax a bit...


    ¡°Deal!¡± The waitress nodded frantically, and I gestured for Kana to join the photo. She was on one side of me, the waitress on the other, and as we smiled, Kana making the cute v-sign pose girls did in selfies nowadays, the picture was taken. I then signed a napkin, and Kana did too.


    ¡°So... you¡¯re... one of his wives then?¡± the waitress asked. ¡°I can see why. You have a great figure, and your hair and eyes are gorgeous. You look amazing, like a real shrine maiden.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. His girlfriend, actually, but yeah, we¡¯re serious and going the distance. As for a shrine maiden... that¡¯s because I am one. Have you seen any WTV coverage yet?¡±


    As they chatted, the woman shook her head, and quickly turned on the restaurant¡¯s TV. Seeing the repeat footage of earlier in the day, the waitress was enthralled, and finally left us alone, her napkins clutched like treasures.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to get you a mask.¡± Kana grinned as she started spooning parfait into her mouth. ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t bad. Honestly, you¡¯re too recognisable. And this is with your League leashed, right? Blazing full League, Charm and Majesty, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you can cause traffic accidents.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep a low profile.¡± I snorted, taking a sip of my coffee. ¡°I feel the same sometimes, you know. It¡¯s petty, but when you girls attract attention, I feel rather jealous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Kana snickered. ¡°I¡¯d hate for you to take us for granted. But don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind being admired, but you¡¯re the only one who gets to take me out on dates, kiss me... and one day soon, maybe go a little further. Just a little though. I¡¯m not easy!¡±


    ¡°A shame.¡± I muttered, and Kana flushed crimson, eyes moist. Seeing that, I winked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, I can wait for you. Because you¡¯re worth waiting for!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to melt my heart and make me give in, you¡¯re going about it the right way.¡± Kana said at last, after a long moment of silent eating. ¡°You know... if you really can¡¯t wait...¡±


    ¡°Of course I can wait.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not because I don¡¯t desire you. I love you Kana, just the same as the others. I can¡¯t think of a greater joy than when we¡¯ll finally come together. But you want to experience your dream romance. And I want you to be fulfilled. And honestly, it¡¯s no hardship being your boyfriend, even snatching a quick date here is awesome. I feel... normal? Yeah, normal.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Kana placed a hand on her cheek, considering me, while she tapped the spoon idly against her half-eaten parfait, the glass chiming. ¡°Yeah, sometimes I forget you¡¯re under pressure all the time. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep you grounded. It¡¯s a shame Eri can¡¯t, but much as you love her, and you¡¯ve grown to understand she¡¯s changed, she¡¯ll always be your childhood friend who also is kind of like a little sister. It¡¯s lucky you¡¯re okay with sisterly love.¡± Kana winked, and I snorted, amused.


    ¡°Yeah, tease me all you want.¡± I started eating my own parfait. It was a little sweet, but sometimes sugar helped me think. ¡°Aiko and me, we¡¯re close, but...¡±


    ¡°Close? I¡¯ve heard all Aiko-chan¡¯s stories. She¡¯s seen things no sister ever should. But... nobody cares. There¡¯s just something about her that makes it seem hilarious. It¡¯s comforting.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± I asked, and Kana shrugged.


    ¡°The two biggest worries for a girl are mother-in-law and sister-in-law. If they¡¯re mean or hard to get along with, married life will be hell. Luckily for me, Emily-chan is hilarious and supportive, and Aiko-chan is someone I can definitely be friends with. Of course, some of the mother-in-law¡¯s are harder to deal with than others, but even Eri¡¯s mother doesn¡¯t pick on us. I can live with sighs and eye-rolling, and she¡¯s slowly coming around. Got no choice, has she? Besides, my mother gets on well with her. They can commiserate with each other. I never though she¡¯d accept us so easily, you know. But...¡±


    ¡°Nagi-san¡¯s a good mother.¡± I agreed, and Kana nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. And soon she¡¯ll be your mother. But first... well, don¡¯t feel too bad about having to wait for me. Tsukiko¡¯s resolved herself. Content yourself with making her first time special, okay? And then there¡¯s Tan... really, are you sure?¡±


    This is great. An easy, flirty conversation is relaxing. Even hard topics seem pleasant when Kana¡¯s teasing me.


    ¡°Like I said, not at first, but... when I realised she genuinely cared for Shiro, and that while she¡¯s got very different morality to us, she¡¯s by no means one to do evil for evil¡¯s sake, I started to see her as a friend. And she kept helping us, giving us advice, and... Shiro kept dropping hints Tan was becoming interested in me. Really, she¡¯s... basically been a shut-in, right?¡±


    ¡°I can hardly believe it. Shirohebi isn¡¯t exactly impressive, which is a shame but not a surprise, but knowing she¡¯s Tan?ha?, that really makes me worry that the Gods are lame.¡± Kana sipped at her melon soda noisily through her straw. ¡°If she was from Earth, I¡¯d picture her in soiled sweats, lying under the kotatsu munching on oranges while reading deathly dull books full of dry, technical details. But that aside... she¡¯s still a Goddess! And despite how long she¡¯s lived, she¡¯s never known the touch of a man, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Seems she was so aggrieved by her first ever attempt at seduction being dismissed without her even being recognised, she closed herself off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Lame.¡± Kana nodded. ¡°I bet that guy... the Buddha, he was probably no good anyway. If I¡¯d been there to advise her, I¡¯d have told her the secret to a girl¡¯s happiness.¡± She leaned in close, until her breath was on my ear, warm and making me shiver. ¡°The best revenge is to show them you bagged someone better than they¡¯ll ever be. So I¡¯d say Tan¡¯s halfway there!¡± With that, she playfully nibbled on my ear for a moment, before pulling back, face red. ¡°Just some fanservice from me!¡±


    As I blinked at her, surprised, she giggled. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a lot of fun, this playful teasing. I think when we¡¯ve finally made love it¡¯ll lose a little something, although Shaeula and the others seem happy enough, so maybe I¡¯m overthinking it. Anyway... since Tan reacted so extremely to her rejection, I¡¯m expecting a similar reaction to when you take her. She¡¯ll be incredibly clingy and unwilling to let you go, I¡¯d imagine. She may be a Goddess, but Goddesses are still girls, and I know how we think. You¡¯d better prepare yourself. If you dump her and break her heart, she¡¯ll chase you to whatever Hells there are and back, mark my words!¡±


    Yeah, I can see that. ¡°Luckily, that won¡¯t happen, as I¡¯ve come to care for Tan. It¡¯s true what they say. Guys are a fool for any woman that shows them help and kindness.¡±


    ¡°Women can be like that too.¡± Kana admitted. Suddenly she laughed loudly. The waitress glanced over, before looking back to her TV. Kana then managed to get her laughter under control. When I asked her what was wrong, she giggled again, before explaining.


    ¡°They¡¯ll have to rewrite Wikipedia and a lot of books. After all, Tan?ha? has her own page, right? Nobody will believe it though. Akio, the husband of a Goddess. Well, you¡¯re already romancing Faerie princesses, Valkyries, and mythical Yo?kai from history, so...¡±


    Troubled, I didn¡¯t answer. We fell into a comfortable silence for a minute, finishing our drinks and ice cream, before I spoke up. ¡°You know, your Eyes are changing.¡±


    Eyes Of The Shrine Maiden


    These Eyes are a remnant of a Divine blessing bestowed on the bloodline of a faithful worshipper, and the Adherence that created this blessing is being replenished, new compatible Adherences fortifying and merging with these Eyes.


    These Eyes can perceive Aether and Adherence, as well as other similarly abnormal and esoteric phenomenon, and they can also perceive the surface thoughts of those beheld by the Eyes, though true communication is yet impossible. The Eyes are not entirely controlled at will, though the bearer¡¯s grasp over these Eyes is steadily improving. [Class: Sufficient] [Type: Foundation]


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Kana nodded, impressed. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that as I get more blessings from more Kami, I strengthen the Eyes?¡±


    ¡°I think so. But...¡± I tapped the table, a little nervous. ¡°...Kana, I think I have a way to completely restore your Eyes, no, make them better than before. And the thing is... you really like my sister, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Aiko-chan? Yeah, we¡¯re good friends, despite our short acquaintance. Why, thinking of plucking out my eyes and giving them to her? There are two reasons that would be sad. Firstly, you¡¯d not be able to peer into my beautiful dark orbs...¡± She smiled teasingly. ¡°...and worse... Aiko-chan¡¯s blue eyes are one of her best features. I mean, she¡¯s even called Sapphire, isn¡¯t she? She¡¯d lose her identity. Though... to follow her dreams she¡¯d make that sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Honestly... unlike Shaeula¡¯s Eyes, or mine... I think I¡¯ve got a good chance of being able to transplant yours without needing a Seed.¡± I admitted, and Kana blinked.


    ¡°I was joking. But...¡± She drummed her spoon on her empty glass, thinking. ¡°...I trust you. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t regrow eyes, is it? But... no, never mind.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I promised, taking her hand. ¡°I would never put you or my sis in danger carelessly. I... need to pick something up first, and I need to run some quick tests.¡± On Christina Bakker, I suppose. It... still doesn¡¯t sit right with me. I¡¯d rather test it on myself, but... I don¡¯t think I can in this case. ¡°I¡¯ve also one Favour I¡¯m certain I can give out tonight, after a bit of work. So that¡¯ll be first, and then...¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not greedy enough to ask for more little dates like this. It¡¯s a long Pilgrimage, and you¡¯ll have to spend time with everyone. But... Christmas Eve...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°There¡¯ll have to be some group dates if I¡¯m to show everyone a good time, but I¡¯ll make sure yours is awesome, and I¡¯ll see if I can extend it a little somehow.¡±


    ¡°Great. It¡¯s one thing I missed, rejecting all those guys.¡± As she spoke, both our phones vibrated, and it was messages asking us where we were, as the Pilgrimage was moving on. I fired a message back saying we¡¯d catch up before they arrived, as Kana continued.


    ¡°Seeing everyone out and about on Christmas Eve. It¡¯s not the way I ever imagined it, but... it¡¯ll be magical, I¡¯m sure. My first Christmas Eve with a boyfriend.¡± As we stood to leave, we waved at the waitress, who looked at the clock on the wall, clearly eager to be able to share the selfie.


    Opening the door for Kana with a smile, I spoke grandiosely. ¡°After you!¡±


    ¡°Such a gentleman!¡± Kana laughed. As we stepped out into the street, she glanced into the distance. ¡°So, are we going to run there? I¡¯m not as fast as you.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly!¡± I replied, scooping up Kana into a princess-carry. As she clung to me, face red, I enjoyed the sensation of her body pressed against mine. ¡°No, we¡¯ll fly!¡± And with that, I took a step, and the world blurred around us, purple sparks scattering...


    ***


    Matsumuro Tsukiko


    ¡°I trust my granddaughters are giving you no trouble, Lady Diviner? Oh, you prefer Tsukiko-chan now, yes?¡± the old yet still feisty woman Chiyo-san, the head of Shiba Daijingu? shrine, asked, her tone dry. ¡°I must say, I prefer this veil. I can see your lovely face behind it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I am slowly becoming more accustomed to both my name and my face being shown to the world. But today, I wish to be the Diviner, but... a new Diviner, one that is for the Gods, and also... for myself.¡±


    ¡°And your husband-to-be, no?¡± Chiyo-san remarked shrewdly, clearly amused. ¡°Though perhaps we should call him a God in the making. Or a Kami at the least.¡± She squinted over to where Akio was addressing a group of the nobility who had accompanied us. Most were female, and had been gathered into Adamant, though odd exceptions did apply. ¡°His presence is almost stifling to those of us who are... sensitive. When I first met him, I wasn¡¯t amazingly impressed, I listened to the young Hikawa boy and gave him a chance, but... how fast times change.¡±


    Tsukiko couldn¡¯t help but agree. Only to her, it was far more intense. After all, I am only alive thanks to Akio. He saved me from dissolution, nurtured the dying embers of my spirit, and breathed life into them. Although... Haru-san drifted across the grounds, looking frazzled and harried. She too was participating in the Pilgrimage, as extra strength would be welcome for her, but sadly as always she was working too, clipboard and tablet computer in hand.


    ...I am technically not alive, just like Haru-san always jokes. But... if this is not life, it still satisfies me greatly. Oh, my thoughts wander...


    It was a thrill. She could feel Akio¡¯s League reverberating inside her. She was connected on many levels to him, and as his spiritual presence grew, that feeling only intensified. It was similar to when Tsukuyomi visited her in her visions and dreams. Akio¡¯s spiritual calibre was incomparable to Tsukuyomi¡¯s, of course, but as it was closer at hand, not communicated over impossible distances, it somehow felt more real.


    ¡°Your face is red, Tsukiko-chan. Thinking of something interesting?¡± Chiyo-san teased. ¡°If so, I approve. Honestly, your life, while lived honourably, was a cold one. The Gods are above our mortal matters. I pray that the boy doesn¡¯t lose his humanity, should his strengths exceed the bounds of what is human.¡±


    ¡°He shall not!¡± Tsukiko declared firmly, and Chiyo-san raised one eyebrow, as if to question her words. Tsukiko¡¯s flush deepened, but she was unwilling to relent.


    ¡°He shall not!¡± she repeated for emphasis. ¡°For no matter how far he walks along his Path... it is a path we can walk too, alongside him. Our... our love...¡± Yes. I love him. I do. It is strange, and still surprises me that I can feel this way, but... he is the man who tore down the chains around my heart, and showed me that the Definite is not what I feared. I am a sheltered woman who shall trouble him greatly, yet... I know he will cherish me. Though there is one complication. Finding herself smiling, she persisted. ¡°...will anchor him, as his protection shields us. Besides, it is not just us. Everyone supports him. Even you, Chiyo-san. And to answer your earlier question, your granddaughters are participating without problems. They are cheerful girls and are popular with their peers. Though admittedly, they do not stand out compared to some others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my granddaughters. Always slacking off.¡± Chiyo-san chuckled. ¡°Of course they are popular, they probably play around and encourage others to do the same. So, will it work?¡±


    Tsukiko nodded. ¡°We have had successes already. Though I feel sorry for Akio and Haru-san, who are keeping track. If I had to surmise, after this shrine, they may well have secured their Kami-Blessed Class. I believe they are in the Boundary making offerings as we speak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn shame... this is a shrine to Amaterasu and Toyouke-no-Okami, after all.¡± Chiyo-san smirked. ¡°No doubt our Princess feels very at home here, as we venerate the same Gods as Ise Grand Shrine. Of course, they are far too powerful to dwell here, but it seems some minor Kami do lurk here after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tsukiko agreed. ¡°I met them during my venture to the Boundary here. They were most welcoming and did enjoy the sake and strong spirts we offered, as well as the makeup and beautiful fabrics and clothing.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Chiyo-san sniffed. ¡°This is a shrine renowned for bringing happiness to women. It hardly surprises me the Kami here are enticed by such.¡± She then snickered nastily. ¡°You had best watch the boy closely. If he woos the Kami here, you¡¯ll have more rivals, Tsukiko-chan!¡±


    ¡°I welcome a challenge.¡± Tsukiko surprised herself. ¡°I... went to my own death, if not willingly, then with bravery and dignity. This challenge can hardly be so perilous. Besides...¡± I remember, he finds me beautiful, often praises me. ¡°...I am to his tastes. For he has told me so. And he is no liar.¡±


    ¡°You have it bad, girl. But I¡¯m happy to see it. I am not one to believe that we should sacrifice ourselves without some reward at the word of the Gods. Else we are merely their toys.¡± Chiyo-chan snorted with laughter. ¡°And speaking of things I am happy to see, it looks as if my granddaughters have returned. Though instead of greeting their dear grandmother, they have gone running to your beloved. Jealous?¡±


    Tsukiko shook her head, clearly immune to her teasing. After all, I have known her a long time. Though our relationship has changed, before, she was more... detached, keeping a respectful distance from me. ¡°I know they are simply eager to see if they have succeeded. Only Akio can tell for now. Do you want to ask them?¡±


    Chiyo-san shook her head. ¡°No need. I can tell from here. Speaking of... your parents, how is your relationship? It must be tough, resetting it after so many years, but... you still have the chance. Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of all.¡±


    ¡°It is... different.¡± Tsukiko admitted. ¡°But fortunately, just as Akio will never walk his Path alone, my parents have those who understand them. Despite being older, they have found common ground with the families of the others, Akio¡¯s included. Gradually they are able to talk with me normally, to see me as their daughter, and not just as the Diviner.¡±


    As they talked, Tsukiko saw Akio pat the heads of Chiyo-san¡¯s granddaughters, who, with beaming smiles, rushed off to Haru-san, who began tapping away as they talked. ¡°It seems your granddaughters are the newest successes. Although... gaining the Class is but a single step.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And you are hardly satisfied with just that.¡± Chiyo-san agreed. ¡°But a single step is often enough to change a great many things. So... what step will you take, Tsukiko-chan?¡±


    I am resolved. ¡°At Gassan shrine, under sight of Tsukuyomi, I shall remove all doubt of my intentions, and become one with him. I shall not turn back. I do not want to.¡± Knowing her face was pink under her sheer veil, she narrowed her slightly slanted, crimson eyes. ¡°Because beyond one step, is another, and another... and for the rest of my days, I shall be advancing. My stagnation, my frozen life as the Diviner, it shall thaw. I shall be a new me, and a new Diviner. Tsukuyomi still has my worship, but my heart belongs to another.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Chiyo-san chuckled. ¡°Now, it is nearly time for you all to leave. A busy morning you have had.¡±


    ¡°Yes. More than a dozen true shrines and temples already, with many more yet to come today. We have two more stops, and then... Kanda-myo?jin.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, that shrine. I hear there is something rather... interesting... planned for there.¡± Chiyo-san chuckled.


    Tsukiko nodded. ¡°I shall be speaking. As will many guests. Japan, the world, shall see the truth. For only through truth can we banish evil. I know this well. Secrecy no longer serves our needs. Just as the light of the sun and the moon illuminate all, so shall our words.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly wait to watch. If I was younger, I would follow the route myself, even without the need to participate. But instead, I¡¯ll watch this WTV you have now. How things change rapidly, when I first met the boy...¡± Chiyo-san glanced over at Akio, who was now talking to Yukiko, Tsukiko¡¯s dear friend. ¡°...he was hardly wealthy. Yes, how times change. At least you¡¯ll want for nothing, Tsukiko-chan. A rich husband is a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Even if he had nothing, I would still yearn for him.¡± Tsukiko insisted, and Chiyo-san clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sensitive, girl. It¡¯s true, women in love don¡¯t like their feelings questioned. For you I suppose it is worse than most. Anyway...¡± Chiyo-san yawned, stretching. ¡°That granddaughter of the old fox Yasuhide-san is doing well too. A shame. Susanoo really outdid themselves with their stupidity this time. Ren-kun, that damn fool...¡±


    Tsukiko could only nod. It grieved her, the fates of those of the faith who had been unable to accept the new order. Sadly, I must harden my heart. Just as the faith has dwindled over the last fifteen hundred years, more will fall at this last hurdle. But... As Tsukiko watched, those not of the faith celebrating as Akio told them they had succeeded, those that had not yet won their Class temporarily dejected, she made a vow in her heart. ...those that are no longer with us shall be replaced. And all will respect Akio and the role he has played in this resurgence. Even... even the Gods themselves!

 Five Hundred And Fifty-Nine / Side Two Hundred And Five – Pilgrims

    Five Hundred And Fifty-Nine / Side Two Hundred And Five ¨C Pilgrims


    Kanzaki Keiko, AKB0048


    ¡°You must feel the presence of the ether flowing externally. Just as a bird perceives the invisible currents in the skies, hot and cold rivers of air, so too can you observe the flows.¡± Daiyu was explaining patiently to the packed large coach, containing all the members of AKB0048, as well as some of their management who were supervising, and also the idols of their local rivals, Red and White. I see Suzu-chan has slipped in this one too, instead of heading along with the others...


    Matriarch Daiyu was in her usual Chinese-style white robes, though in deference to the Pilgrimage she had paired that with a red shawl and some red ribbons around her cuffs and hemline. It was a surprisingly cute look, and Keiko approved. She seems cold and expressionless, but she¡¯s actually rather kind to us, if firm. And I¡¯m quite perceptive. I can see her expressions change slightly when she is with Akio-kun, the sudden warmth.


    ¡°I feel a little smug...¡± Ema spoke up beside her. The three of them, Asuka included, were sitting together, and they stood out. Unlike all the other members of AKB, who were in their fancy, custom-made tracksuits, or the girls in Red and White, who wore fashionably styled short-sleeved and skirted hakama, the three of them were in their Adamant uniforms, though they had made concessions to fashion, of course.


    ¡°Thinking that we¡¯ve already learnt this, Ema?¡± Asuka¡¯s smile was wry. She had swapped out the pink ribbons she often wore in her braided hair for red and white ones, and a number of diamond-shaped charms hung from them on thin silver chains. That was one of our ideas too. Hinata-chan... or maybe I should call her Hinata-sama when I¡¯m thinking of her as the commander... she really liked some of our ideas about the uniforms. That cloth though...


    The military coats they wore had been shortened to waistcoats, though they were still frighteningly cute. The shirts underneath were studded with sparkling diamond-shaped sequins and had flowing ribbons attached, but Asuka and Ema were wearing it short, midriffs seemingly exposed. Seeing the direction Keiko was looking, Asuka let out a quiet chuckle. ¡°Yeah, it looks a bit daring on our cute little Ema, doesn¡¯t it? Remember when commander Shiro was ranting about bikini armour?¡±


    ¡°I can be sexy too!¡± Ema pouted, though she soon broke out into a cute, lopsided smile. ¡°But yes, I do remember that. Hinata-chan was insistent we couldn¡¯t compromise on protection, right? But... having everything covered isn¡¯t cute.¡±


    ¡°But our Keiko is desperate to impress.¡± Asuka slapped her shoulder, and Keiko couldn¡¯t help but smile too at the camaraderie. She had always been close to the two other girls in her trio, but since they shared the relief from Akio-kun¡¯s daring rescue when Sora-kun went mad, and their subsequent studies under Matriarch Daiyu, and their induction into Adamant, such bonds had only deepened. And now, everyone is joining us under Matriarch Daiyu. Though... I don¡¯t know if any will follow us into Adamant. That¡¯s... a very big step.


    Watching the terrible scenes that had taken place during the terrorist attacks, everyone had found their resolve, and Keiko was thrilled to see it, though she did feel bad that AKB management were using that as an opportunity to cheat Akio-kun out of the exorbitant fees that Chirurgery would usually have cost the group. Her smile broadened, becoming slyer, as she held in a wicked chuckle.


    They are the ones being swindled though. Yes, Akio-kun isn¡¯t receiving any payment... but we¡¯ll work it off ourselves. The commanders have grand plans for AKB, and honestly... I can see a few following in our footsteps. Juu-chan is endlessly grateful for the healing she received, for one...


    ¡°See? she¡¯s laughing to herself, thinking about Akio-kun!¡± Asuka teased, whispering theatrically to the giggling Ema.


    ¡°I¡¯m not laughing.¡± Keiko shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the new outfits.¡± Ema and Asuka weren¡¯t actually baring their midriffs, instead, a very fine mesh fabric, made from spun metals, was being worn like a t-shirt, but it was so sheer it was practically invisible, totally see-through. It didn¡¯t yet offer the protection of the other clothing, but it was certainly better than baring skin to piercing attacks and blunt-force trauma. Something I¡¯d never have imagined I needed to worry about until recently.


    ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡± Ema agreed. ¡°Though...¡± She flushed, remembering, and the pair of them were soon giggling, only for a dark-eyed glare from Matriarch Daiyu to silence them. Realising they were disrupting the other students, who were still at the early, fumbling stages of Qi Refining, barely able to sense ether, never mind draw it in and convert it, they fell silent, bowing their heads in embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh, we made her mad!¡± Ema whispered. ¡°That¡¯s it for tonight, we¡¯re going to be worked to death!¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Asuka agreed, her diamond charms jingling. Ema had them hanging from her short sleeves and the hem of her skirt, and Keiko likewise had them in a number of places across her clothing.


    ¡°We were going to have to be senpais for the others anyway. Quite the role reversal, considering our trio is the least experienced in AKB.¡± Asuka finished, her voice also a barest whisper.


    ¡°Yes, but... in other matters we have far too much experience.¡± Keiko shuddered, and they all closed their eyes, thinking back to the horrific scene of Sora-kun trying to assault Ema, and threatening to do the same to Keiko.


    ¡°You know... I still can¡¯t believe we joined Adamant.¡± Asuka voiced her thoughts, pensive. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly what I thought it¡¯d be, but then... maybe I can see why you did. After all, you¡¯ve fallen for Akio-kun, right Keiko?¡±


    ¡°I have not!¡± Keiko insisted, face pink. ¡°I simply said he¡¯s my ideal boyfriend, if I was allowed one. It¡¯s true. And I¡¯m hardly alone, am I? Women the world over admire him!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thinking about it... Adamant is like an idol group. Just... less performing, and more... combat, maybe?¡± Ema tilted her head adorably, thinking. ¡°Both have the same rules. No boyfriend while in the group, and if you want one, you have to leave. Although... the rule about Akio-kun...¡± Her face was red, and Asuka nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m surprised. I get why Keiko joined, she likes Akio-kun...¡± Ignoring the protesting whispers from her friend she continued. ¡°...but why did we? Gratitude, or something more? I mean, imagining a man who wouldn¡¯t want to have his way with idols like us, when he can with no questions asked or choice of refusal... wait, that¡¯s not strictly true is it? I mean, we can quit instead, but... it¡¯s hard to imagine any man not taking advantage...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Ema surprised them both with her admission. Seeing their surprise, she pursed her lips, head tilting the other way now, regarding them both with solemn eyes. ¡°What? You don¡¯t either, Asuka-chan, Keiko-chan. Else you¡¯d never have agreed. But Akio-kun¡¯s nice. He¡¯d never force us. He¡¯s not like Sora-kun.¡± Her giggle was soft, almost playful. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s got all the beautiful women around him, like Hinata-chan, Shiro, Shaeula... even Eri-chan and Kana-chan could be idols. I don¡¯t think we lose... well, except to Shiro and Tsukiko-chan. They simply have beauty I didn¡¯t think was possible. But... yeah, Akio-kun doesn¡¯t need us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but also wrong.¡± Asuka rapped her on her forehead with her knuckles. It was gentle, but Ema still clutched her brows, dark eyes sparkling with fake tears. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. A man may have a lot of lovers, but... they always crave something new, forbidden. We¡¯d still be a tasty feast for him! Though... you¡¯re a bit unripe, Ema. It¡¯d reek of crime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m around Hinata-chan¡¯s age!¡± Ema insisted. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly ripe, thank you every much. Ripe and tasty, and good to eat... uh... oh...¡± Realising what she had said, she flushed scarlet, hiding her face with her hands. As Asuka sniggered, well pleased, Keiko shook her head, exasperated.


    ¡°Stop teasing our cute kouhai, Asuka. You know she¡¯s easily led. But... yeah. I wouldn¡¯t quit. I¡¯m not a quitter. None of us are. We wouldn¡¯t have made it in the idol industry otherwise. The brutal dieting, endless repetitions and harsh exercise, the creepy and hateful online harassment... if we can handle that we can handle this. And... honestly, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d have to drop out of AKB, even if we did have a relationship with Akio-kun. He¡¯s... basically exempt from normal rules right now.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Asuka agreed. ¡°My heart throbs when I see him. I know it is just his Charm being obscene, Majesty too...¡±


    Keiko nodded. As Adamant members they had been drilled in Statistics and common Skills, and what they did. ¡°...but it¡¯s not just that. Charm only amplifies what¡¯s there. It can¡¯t make a toad into a prince, or a woman fall for someone she doesn¡¯t care for. We admire and respect him... stop mouthing ¡®love¡¯ at me Asuka, it¡¯s... not that deep yet, I swear... anyway... Shaeula, Shiro, Hyacinth... those who were in London with him, they have all attracted fanbases like idols, and the fact they are with Akio-kun only puts off a few. Motoko-chan, Natsumi-chan too, now pictures from the London gala are in the public eye. Soon to be the others too. Yes, we¡¯d lose the obsessive and the creeps, but... those that genuinely love and respect us would be happy for us. Jealous, but happy...¡±


    ¡°You think Adamant will have fans?¡± Ema asked, finally calm again. ¡°I know we were supposed to be secret, but after the Hanafubuki attacks, the truth is out. Besides, it was a shockingly badly kept secret!¡±


    ¡°You saw the commanders. They are desperate for praise from Akio-kun.¡± Asuka sniggered. ¡°If they had tails, they¡¯d be wagging, waiting for treats and affection. They can¡¯t keep secrets for long, they just want to be rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Besides... it doesn¡¯t work with this!¡± The bus was pulling up to Kanda-myo?jin shrine, the next stop on their journey.


    ¡°Yes. The gathering of faith, of adherence. It needs to be public. Though... I suspect that there¡¯s very much room for undercover Adamant, as it were. Just... there needs to be the public faces too. And we can fill that role beautifully.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± At the front of the coach, Daiyu clapped her hands, signalling a halt. ¡°There is no cause to be disheartened. Ordinarily, it takes many years of hard, unstinting effort to grasp Qi Refining. Of course, with Chirurgery, that process is shortened a hundredfold or more. But it still requires talent and dedication. To ascend the heights, one must climb step by step, bare feet sliced by sharp rocks, hands grazed and sliced by jagged stone. We progress only through blood, sweat and discipline!¡±


    ¡°We appreciate your efforts, Matriarch!¡± Rumi-Rumi spoke for them all, bowing gratefully. ¡°We¡¯re AKB0048, we never fear hard work. If we do anything, it has to be perfect, and that means if we need to practice a hundred times, a thousand, we will!¡± As everyone else chorused their agreement, Daiyu managed a slight smile.


    ¡°I see. I am well pleased. We are Incorruptible Jade, and I shall tolerate no flaws. We shall continue to train between our destinations, but tonight... tonight we shall see if your boasts can withstand my training!¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re in for it!¡± Ema covered her mouth, hiding a slightly horrified smile. ¡°She can be relentless in her teachings. But we¡¯re safe for now!¡±


    The conversation had circled back around, and as they stood to disembark, Keiko shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If anything, it just means we¡¯ll be on a harder, advanced course. Peaks beyond peaks, remember? The foothills may be hard, but the mountains...¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Sharp, jagged. Got it.¡± Ema stuck her tongue out and rapped her head. As she did so, she caught sight of Tamami-chan, the centre of Red and White, who was looking rather pensive. ¡°Oh hey, what¡¯s up? Not enjoying the training?¡±


    Tamami-chan, who was quite tall for a woman, her long legs peeking out from the short hem of her miniskirt hakama, frowned for a moment, one hand idly tugging on her long, reddish-brown ponytail, which gave her a sporty, fresh air. ¡°Oh... it¡¯s hard, but I suppose I know a little more than most here. My shrine bloodline has awakened, meagre as it is, so... I think I¡¯ll get it soon. No, it¡¯s just...¡± She glanced at her fellow idols, Kanako-chan and Tsubame-chan, both also wearing short-sleeved, miniskirt hakama. Kanako-chan sported long dark twin-tails, which seemed even lengthier as she was rather short, if still very pretty. Tsubame-chan was taller and had a rather busty figure, her hakama cut a little more daringly to show that off, and her bangs were in the hime fashion, straight across her forehead.


    ¡°...this is our shrine, you know? Though only Tamami-chan is a genuine shrine maiden.... No, that¡¯s not quite right.¡± Kanako-chan amended. ¡°I mean, Tsubame-chan and I both work at the shrine, selling charms, sweeping up and manning the refreshments stands. But nowadays, shrine maiden means... like, magical, yeah?¡±


    ¡°In that case you count then, right?¡± Ema remarked innocently, and as Kanako-chan froze, open-mouthed, Tsubame-chan spoke up with a rather refined tone, seeming like a well-bred, polite girl.


    ¡°She has got you there, Kanako-chan. I mean, aren¡¯t we training to be magical girls?¡±


    ¡°Cultivators, actually.¡± Keiko had to correct them. It was their turn to disembark, and as they stepped off the coach, joining the gaggle of idols gathering outside the large red torii archway of Kanda-myo?jin, she could see other coaches moving aside, their own passengers disgorged, and also in the distance, held back by barricades and military personnel, were crowds of eager fans and local residents, taking pictures and shooting video.


    ¡°It makes sense.¡± Tamami-chan let out a small, embarrassed sigh. ¡°It¡¯s obvious we¡¯re visiting shrines, and I¡¯m a little proud to say ours is very popular anyway. So I daresay that crowds will be at every shrine in Tokyo, hoping to catch a glimpse of us. Or rather Oshiro-san and his lovers. For once us idols are merely window dressing.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Asuka shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to stand out! But what impresses me more is how Akio-kun can get the military to support him, although I suppose I have seen some soldiers amongst the pilgrims. The female soldiers are buff, all muscles and grim expressions!¡±


    ¡°Aliyah-chan¡¯s here too. I¡¯ve seen her.¡± Ema shuddered. ¡°She¡¯s too intense for me, and she keeps trying to get me to go drinking with her! I tell her I¡¯m under twenty and can¡¯t, and idols don¡¯t indulge anyway... ugh, she needs a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°No kidding!¡± A familiar voice said, and they all turned to see Akio-kun¡¯s sister Aiko-chan bounding up, trailed by a pair of girls her age, one wearing the Adamant uniform, a gal with slightly tanned skin, dyed blonde hair and a pretty face and decent figure. That¡¯s... Yae-chan and Rika-chan, right? We met them backstage at the charity concert. So... Yae-chan¡¯s joined Adamant, huh?


    Aiko-chan was in red and white too, not a hakama, but a similarly styled outfit, and her black hair, which was so dark as to be almost blue, to match her sapphire eyes, was pulled back into short twin-tails, matching Kanako-chan. Those blue eyes were sparkling brilliantly, and as the three of them gave the Adamant salute to the newcomer, who shyly fumbled her hands into the diamond shape, grinning ruefully, Aiko-chan continued, her words coming in a rapid torrent.


    ¡°That Aliyah, she hit on me in Las Vegas. I suppose I¡¯ve got used to her, she just seems a bit pitiful now. I mean, she¡¯s actually quite pretty, in a feral sort of way, but... she¡¯s a hell of a mess. I suppose she must be in paradise now though, a lot of pretty and cute girls around. I know I am.¡± She winked at them all. ¡°Tamami-chan, I¡¯m so glad you finally agreed to join us!¡±


    As Aiko-chan expressed her enthusiasm for idols, the gals with her equally enthusiastic, Keiko shook her head, meeting Tamami-chan¡¯s eyes, enjoying the slightly flustered expression on her face. Deciding to throw her a lifeline, as a fellow idol, even of rival Akiba groups... I suppose that doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re comrades before rivals now, though... I still don¡¯t want to lose.... Keiko halted the rampaging Aiko-chan.


    ¡°We need to wrap this up. We¡¯re on quite a tight schedule here. After all... not only do we have to conclude this step of the Pilgrimage... we have to perform a song for Arisugawa-san¡¯s broadcast...¡±


    ***


    Hanami Tamami, Red and White


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The boisterous idol who claimed she was Japanese, but clearly was American, came bounding over, her blonde drill-tails bouncing spectacularly. She had beautiful, sharp features, quite unlike the usual set of Asian faces, and her blue eyes were a similar shade to Aiko-chan¡¯s. Her outfit was spectacular as well. ¡°If we hold up Arisu-chan¡¯s schedule, we¡¯ll regret it!¡± Every statement she made was a proclamation, perhaps showing her great excitement.


    ¡°Are you sure you should be so happy? I haven¡¯t had much time to see my bro since he got back, I had to make sure Yae-chan and Rika-chan arrived without problems and got everything ready for Pilgrimage, but... I heard your family are causing trouble. If you appear on TV again...¡± Aiko-chan began, and Suzu-chan froze for a moment.


    I wonder what¡¯s going on here. Come to think of it, she¡¯s a few years younger than I am. It does seem odd she¡¯s here in Japan unaccompanied. Even if she is a Chosen of the Gods...


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a family,¡± Suzu-chan shook her head, her expression a blank mask. ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong. Akio-kun, Arisu-chan and the boss, they¡¯re my family. Hey, I guess that makes you mine too, Aiko-chan!¡± Her rather forced cheerfulness had cast a pall of gloom over the crowd, so Tamami spoke up. After all, I¡¯m supposed to be helping organise this chaos, although... at our home shrine, I have another task, the mini concert.


    ¡°Suzu-chan, you¡¯re right. We¡¯re idols. Popular, beloved idols who stand before the world once again!¡± At her words Suzu-chan perked up, and Tsubame-chan gave her a nod of approval, while Kanako-chan gave her a sly thumbs-up. Oh, you two...


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± she agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to shine! And I¡¯m never leaving. Akio-kun promised to look after me, and he takes his promises seriously!¡±


    ¡°That he does.¡± Aiko-chan agreed, before casting an eye over the three idols from AKB0048. ¡°Wow, those Adamant outfits are ultra mega adorable! You¡¯ve even got accessories. Cute little diamonds! I wouldn¡¯t mind wearing something like that, but...¡± Her cute face twisted into a slightly bitter pout. ¡°If I did that, I¡¯d never live the teasing down. Everyone would say I¡¯d only be doing it to get my bro¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°No they wouldn¡¯t!¡± Yae-chan, a friend of Aiko-chan¡¯s they had met at the charity concert, shook her head, giggling wickedly. ¡°Everybody knows you love your brother a lot, Ai-chan. You don¡¯t need to put on the uniform to show you¡¯re willing to dedicate your heart and body to Aki!¡±


    ¡°Rude! And scandalous lies!¡± Aiko-chan protested, and laughter replaced the fading tension. Seeing that was the effect, Aiko-chan pretended to be offended. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think I¡¯m such a brocon. I just... appreciate his good qualities, you know? I mean, you¡¯re the idiot who is so infatuated with my idiot bro that after one date where you didn¡¯t even get a kiss, you can¡¯t forget him. You¡¯d go so far as to join Adamant, to prove you are a girl who has the dedication and drive to be a worthy partner to him? I kind of miss the old Yae-chan, lazy and dumb!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Rika-chan smirked. ¡°Though less of the dumb, Ai-chan! We were, no question, but it¡¯s rude to say it!¡±


    ¡°Tee-hee! My bad!¡± Aiko-chan pulled down her eyelid with one finger and stuck out her tongue teasingly. ¡°Anyway, time¡¯s wasting! Since we¡¯re here with Tamami-chan, Tsubame-chan and Kanako-chan, they should guide us around the shrine for Pilgrimage, give us the grand tour, right, right?¡± Her excitement seemed genuine now, so after exchanging glances with her groupmates, Tamami smiled warmly.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. So long as we¡¯re done in time for the performance. We may be far less famous than AKB...¡± She nodded at her rivals. ¡°...but we¡¯re still professionals, and we perform on time, to the best of our abilities, every time. In fact, the only time we stopped before the end was... Kyoto...¡± She trailed off, remembering that tragedy. That¡¯s one of the reasons we are doing this. It¡¯s not just to be better idols, but... to make a difference. To let our voices be heard condemning violence, and raising support for those who would protect us all...


    ¡°Okay...¡± Aiko-chan spoke up loudly. ¡°...we¡¯ve got to grab our offerings. Really, I¡¯m going to have to start duplicating prayers soon.¡± Her laugh was a bit forced, but everyone latched onto it to once more improve the mood. ¡°...you think the Kami mind?¡±


    ¡°As a shrine maiden, I¡¯d say not.¡± Tamami shrugged. ¡°Though... I¡¯m a little nervous. This will be the first time seeing if there are any Kami here...¡±


    ¡°Oh... I¡¯m such an idiot.¡± Suzu-san knocked her head with one fist, expression rueful. Everyone looked at her, suddenly worried again, so she waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll still perform as well as before. My backup dancers should be being delivered shortly... uh... no, it¡¯s just... this is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Oh... your Territory used to be here, didn¡¯t it?¡± Aiko-chan asked as they walked to one of the large trucks containing the offerings. ¡°Akihabara was where you were staying. Though bro says you were living a risky life. You¡¯re a cute girl, Suzu-chan! You shouldn¡¯t sleep in internet cafe?s and shady love hotels!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson, I promise. It¡¯s great to live with you, Aiko-chan!¡± Suzu-chan giggled, her drill curls swaying as she walked. Kanako-chan was eyeing them with interest, and Tamami couldn¡¯t help but remember the time she had tried to style her own twin-tails into curls, but in the end, Kanako-chan had given up. It looked good, but the time and care required to style them every morning was ludicrous, and the cost in hairspray and wax to keep it shaped was quite substantial, even for idols.


    ¡°But yeah... I had a few run-ins with the shrine. Don¡¯t worry...¡± she waved her hands. ¡°...I didn¡¯t kill any Kami. It¡¯s a shame though... uh... don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s just... well, the Kami there has a number of beautiful attendants, they¡¯d have made awesome backup dancers. But... he wasn¡¯t a pushover.¡±


    ¡°I assume you are talking of Taira-no-Masakado?¡± Tamami asked, proud of her shrine. ¡°It also enshrines two of the Seven Gods of Fortune, Daikokuten and Ebisu, but from my theological training, and what I have learned from others on the Pilgrimage, they would be far too noble and powerful to remain here on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds about right.¡± Aiko-chan agreed. ¡°Okay, we have the usual sake, rice balls, prayer tags, bags of coins... hmm, lucky charms, fishing gear, and also... electronics, huh? That¡¯s an odd choice of offering...¡± There were tablet computers, microchips and more stacked in boxes.


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯d be mistaken.¡± Tamami shook her head as she also gathered her share of offerings. ¡°Since Akihabara has become famous for electrical and computer products, having the name ¡®Electric Town¡¯, it has become a shrine frequented by computer scientists and technology enthusiasts, and prayers for preventing crashes and breakdowns of computers are often left here. Faith... changes with the times. Yes, as a true shrine, we have tried to keep it pure, but...¡±


    ¡°Change isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡± Keiko-chan spoke up, looking around with interest as they passed under the giant torii archway. ¡°After all, even the Kami themselves change, don¡¯t they? Remember the ones we¡¯ve met so far? And... we¡¯ve got to change too.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so profound!¡± Aiko-chan giggled. ¡°I can see why you¡¯re in Adamant. Damn, my bro is such a lucky dog...¡± As Keiko-chan flushed and stammered a weak denial, Tamami nodded.


    ¡°Yes. So long as the faith remains genuine, a little change isn¡¯t disastrous. And...seeing everyone coming to worship, it fills me with pride. Oh... you see those?¡± She pointed to a tall set of steps at the back of the shrine. ¡°Those steps are quite famous. There¡¯s an idol anime where one of the girls is a shrine maiden here, and they train by running up and down the steps.¡±


    ¡°So do we!¡± Kanako-chan declared, clutching her chest as if in agony. ¡°It¡¯s really tiring after the first few times.¡± Tsubame-chan was nodding along too. ¡°That stupid anime gave Tamami-chan the idea we should do the same. It¡¯s the reason we ended up as idols, you know!¡±


    ¡°Life imitating art, huh?¡± Aiko-chan giggled. ¡°Wow, hearing little tales like that really makes us feel like we¡¯re friends, right?¡± Rika-chan and Yae-chan were agreeing, nodding furiously.


    ¡°I think we are friends.¡± Ema-chan observed, tilting her head for emphasis. ¡°Sure, we don¡¯t know each other well yet, but... we¡¯re in Adamant, which is like your brother¡¯s private army, right Aiko-chan? And Red and White here, they¡¯re shrine maidens and he¡¯s kind of in charge of that too, yeah? Plus we all love idols! Being them and watching them! And we¡¯re all super cute!¡±


    ¡°I agree with Ema for once.¡± Asuka-chan giggled, ignoring her protests. ¡°We¡¯re all going to be great friends. Maybe we¡¯ll come and run up and down the steps with you, Kanako-chan! Though since we¡¯ve had Chirurgery it won¡¯t be that taxing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Aiko-chan winked, as they reached the shimenawa ropes where the prayer tags were being hung by other groups. A series of tents had been erected so people could dive into the Boundary in privacy, and a small stage was set up, Arisugawa-san directing a number of camera crews and other station staff.


    ¡°I know my bro, and I know Daiyu. They are both absolute fiends for training. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m eager to grow stronger, but those two won¡¯t let anything stop them...¡±


    ¡°Says the woman who burned her hand just to learn flame element.¡± Rika-chan deadpanned, and Aiko-chan flushed scarlet.


    ¡°Wow, way to bring up embarrassing memories and make me look bad in front of my new friends.¡± Aiko-chan grimaced, as she wrote her prayer ema out. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s see. Electronic themed, huh? Hey... how about this? Bro¡¯s friends are working on some sort of supercomputer than can predict the future. The Oracle Engine. How about we all pray that either it works like they want, or they get some genius to come in and help them? Sound good?¡±


    Everyone agreed, and soon the prayers were hung, and offerings placed, at least the ones for the Material. Great armies of weaselkin and other Fae were moving through the Boundary too, escorting caravans of offerings, as apparently the one who moved items between both worlds couldn¡¯t meet such a huge demand. Oracle Engine? It sounds interesting...


    ¡°Oh, where was I?¡± Aiko-chan spoke up again. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. Training. Don¡¯t be surprised if you are running up those steps covered in weights. I can see it now, massive backpack stuffed with lead bricks, metal bangles around your ankles and wrists... from a biology perspective that¡¯s dumb as hell. I¡¯m a sportswoman, I know that just stresses your joints impossibly, breaking bones and tearing ligaments, but... with Ether Healing, you probably can make it work to build ludicrous amounts of muscles and fitness.¡±


    I think I¡¯ve heard something horrible. As her two groupmates shared amused yet troubled smiles with her, Aiko-chan rambled on. ¡°Huh, so by my reckoning, this shrine¡¯s got a good shot of getting my bro¡¯s friends their Class if they haven¡¯t already, being as they¡¯re all tech nerds. Really, they don¡¯t fit the stereotypes. Aimi-chan and Hina-chan are really pretty, and Shiro¡¯s... you know. Even the guys are decent looking enough, even if they have a ton of otaku hobbies. Worse...¡± She suddenly giggled as they entered a tent that had just seen the return of a group of elegant girls who were surely nobles from Hanafubuki Private Academy. ¡°...if this shrine is frequented by tech-minded people nowadays, doesn¡¯t that mean because Akihabara has become an anime mecca... soon you¡¯ll be a shrine venerating that?¡±


    Tamami choked, though thought a troubling one. I... well, already we get people running the steps, copying that anime... no, surely not... Sweating, she shook her head. ¡°Fortunately, I think this Pilgrimage might put a stop to that. Anyway... uh, how do I do this... I¡¯m not very experienced...¡± Lying down and closing her eyes, it took a couple of minutes, but she soon found herself in the Boundary again.


    Every time, it amazes me, but... this time is special. Why did I wait so long? Oh... I know why. Kyoto. Yes, the thought of being special appealed, but... I think the events of that day definitely shook our resolve. But... there¡¯s no further point in being afraid. Trouble comes whether we reach for power or not...


    ¡°So, I finally set foot in here!¡± Suzu-chan was grinning, looking around with interest. The shrine was full of impressive statues, and Tamami recognised the Seven Gods of Fortune, though Ebisu and Daikokuten had the largest statues by far. A number of women clad in grey kimonos, with long hair trailing to the ground, their faces painted bone white with red lips, like geisha, were bowing, though they watched Suzu-chan with some disquiet.


    ¡°Relax! I¡¯m not here to make you into my backup dancers this time... oh, unless you want to be one?¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± A booming voice echoed, and a man stepped forwards, wearing black robes, belted with golden chains, his head partially shaved and the rest of his hair pulled back into an old-fashioned ponytail, tied with golden wire. His eyes were black and reflected the shimmering rainbow light from above, and he held a long cane made from cherry wood. He took a step forwards, his legs seeming a little slow and unsteady, and Tamami dropped to her knees, feeling a sense of awe she hadn¡¯t felt meeting other Kami.


    Behind her, her groupmates followed suit, though the others remained standing, Aiko-chan seeming particularly unimpressed. Tamami found that just a little sacrilegious, but she could understand it. After all, she deals with mystical beings all the time, and carries the blessings of Divine Kannon. And her brother... It pained her to admit it, but Oshiro-san¡¯s presence clearly put Taira-no-Masakado, for that was surely who this Kami was, to shame.


    ¡°Rise, my worshipper.¡± His voice was cool and melodious, belying his rather frosty, austere expression. ¡°You two as well. Your blood is not of my favoured lineage, yet you have the adherence of worship upon you. I thank you for tending my shrine. For the greater Gods are long since departed. Though... not forgotten.¡± He observed Suzu-chan and Aiko-chan for a moment, before shaking his head and glaring at Suzu-chan fiercely.


    ¡°You, I remember. A troublemaker. But... as per the agreements we have made, I shall offer you my blessing. See you do not come here again.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯ll definitely be back!¡± Suzu-chan ignored him. ¡°I love Akiba! But I¡¯ll not be here for trouble, I promise. Hey... why don¡¯t you come and watch our performance next time?¡± Suzu-chan giggled. ¡°I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be a one-off...¡±


    ¡°True. There¡¯s something totally awesome about performing at a shrine...¡± Aiko-chan agreed. ¡°It¡¯s like... like a religious ceremony. Kagura, maybe, just... modern! Wow, I¡¯m all fired up!¡±


    ¡°Great! I¡¯m fired up too, Akio-chan! Get front row for my performance, okay!¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Tamami coughed loudly, quite amused by their enthusiasm, but exasperated by their forgetfulness. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what we are here for. We are on a tight schedule, and if we hold others up, they¡¯ll get into trouble too.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! Arisu-chan will skin me alive!¡± Suzu-chan snickered. ¡°Okay, give us your blessings! In exchange, take these offerings!¡± Suzu-chan grabbed hers from the supply train, guarded by numerous strange Fae, the sight of which Tamami was quite numb to now, after having seen it more than a dozen times.


    ¡°Very well. My blessing, once carrying the Fortune of the Seven, as well as my own will to resist and rebel, has changed somewhat. Now... I felt your prayers. Oracle Engine... I hardly understand what these computers


    are, but many have great thoughts of fondness towards them nowadays. Perhaps they are as a soroban?¡±


    That¡¯s an old-fashioned counting device using beads on rods, right? An abacus? ¡°Yes, noble and venerable Taira-no-Masakado.¡± Tamami agreed. ¡°Just one of far more advanced craftsmanship, able to calculate millions, billions of times each second.¡±


    ¡°I see. Fascinating. One day I would indeed wish to see the world that I have been apart from for so long. Now, my blessing go with you, child of my shrine, maiden who gives us worship and praise!¡±


    Is that... I can feel... A weight pressed down on Tamami, and she clearly wasn¡¯t the only one, as the others shivered too. As her Kami gave his blessings to Kanako-chan and Tsubame-chan, she barely noticed them both widening their eyes, expressions of confusion and delight crossing their features, so enraptured was she as her spirit surged and boiled. It was as if she felt more real, somehow, and more connected to the world around her. Taking a deep breath, chest heaving, she managed to bow before Taira-no-Masakado, her legs trembling.


    I see. It seems after my performance, I will have to seek out Oshiro-san and have him examine me. I am sure... I have become a Kami-Blessed, and not merely that... perhaps the other blessings I have received have resonated within me, strengthening me...


    ***


    That was quite a boost. It was hard to get my Kami-Blessed Class to gain Levels, but it seemed I was quite compatible with Kanda-myo?jin¡¯s Kami. I was now even more confident that I could master the Class during the Pilgrimage, and not just myself. Not that there¡¯s time to worry now. Arisu-san and I had gone first, and now we were preparing for the first stage of the broadcast here. I had seen the guests, and greeted them, and thinking about it put a smile on my face. She sure is a little angel. How can anyone ignore her words?


    ¡°We are preparing for broadcast.¡± Arisu-san called, and I hurried over. Taking my position, she gave the countdown, and soon we were broadcasting.


    ¡°Good afternoon.¡± Arisu-san began, her tone melodious. ¡°I am Arisugawa Arisu.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Oshiro Moonstone Akio.¡± I added my greeting.


    ¡°And this is the early afternoon WTV update.¡± Arisu-san continued. ¡°I hope you are enjoying our informative and truthful programming. At WTV the truth is paramount.¡± Despite her rich tones, her voice was somehow cutting. ¡°Did you enjoy the interview with the protestors? It shall be replayed after this, for those that missed it. Their... grievances... are something we are happy to address. It just so happens that we have some special guests.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You likely know the first one.¡± I agreed. ¡°Please give a warm welcome to Shinohara-san.¡± The camera swung, and the broadcast was showing her sitting on a comfortable chair, the shrine in the background of the shot. She looked younger than last time I had seen her, being Healed obviously agreeing with her, and in her modest yet well-fitted skirt suit, her hair curled and coiffured, slight blonde streaks in the brown, she radiated both poise and kindness.


    ¡°I am pleased to be here. More than you know.¡± Her smile was knowing and gentle. ¡°It is certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Arisugawa-san. I for one am not a believer in listening to rumours, and I am pleased to see you vindicated. Truth always comes out.¡±


    ¡°That it does. But I thank you for your faith. It is in dark times that one finds out who their true friends are. I certainly found out. And are times now not starting to darken? We can all use friends, now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I fear so. However, I do see light in the shadows. Anyway, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Shinohara Neiko. You may know me from my charitable works. I hardly desire praise for it. After all, there is joy in helping others, I have always believed.¡±


    ¡°Admirable sentiments, but you have faced criticism, yes?¡± Arisu-san pressed, and Shinohara-san agreed.


    ¡°Oh my, yes. I made my fortune with the capital my parents left me, and was lucky enough to succeed beyond anything I expected. Since I had such wealth, I wanted to give back, so started charitable works. It is shameful to brag...¡± she paused, brown eyes sparkling. ¡°...unless of course you have done truly worthy deeds... but compared to putting my life on the line to save a Princess, or rescuing children from a terrible closed-off school of horrors, all I have done is spend my money making lives a little better.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s good enough.¡± I disagreed. Our conversation was planned to have one major talking point, but the rest of it was unscripted. Arisu-san preferred the genuine feel, and she was confident that she could steer the conversation as needed, and I didn¡¯t doubt her. After all, she¡¯s got star quality, and with her stat boosts that¡¯s only intensified.


    ¡°...after all...¡± I continued. ¡°You¡¯ve helped so many, more than most, and never asked for any thanks. But even if you did have impure motives... I think I¡¯d rather have you do good deeds for the wrong reasons, than doing nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± She nodded, her smile wry now. ¡°But not everyone does. After all, many people insist that I should donate far more of my wealth, live a modest life, that I am selfish for maintaining my lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re the selfish ones.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We owe our first duty to ourselves and our loved ones. If we have any leeway after that, I think it¡¯s noble to help others. But sacrificing our own happiness for that is futile. Besides...¡± Now my grey gaze was cold as steel, as I turned to the cameras, hitting the point Arisu-san wanted me to make, and it was one I believed in anyway. ¡°...I find those that cry the loudest about the selfishness of others never reached out a hand themselves. I know the criticisms that have been levelled at me by Uchida Ren and those insane fanatics. Uchida Ren, I owe the courtesy of an explanation. When he¡¯s caught. While I feel great sorrow for the loss of his son, he betrayed many who called him friend and ally. As for the Church of True Revelation... you tried to kill children, tried to kill my family... I¡¯m not a Christian, unlike my mother, so I don¡¯t forgive, and I don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Yes. To make it clear, for the avoidance of doubt, we have not been involved in any of the attacks on prominent Japanese citizens. In fact...¡± Arisu-san looked at Shinohara-san, who agreed.


    ¡°Thanks to Akio-san here, my life was saved. I am deeply grateful. Though some seem upset. After all, my wealth could have done so much were I to die, as most of it would be left to my charitable foundation and the board of trustees. Forgive me my own selfishness, but I am happy to be alive.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are. Now, who is more worthy of trust, those who force obedience with the sword, or those who offer a hand to those in need? Now, I¡¯ve been accused of profiteering, of putting the wealthy first when it comes to Healing. And yes, I¡¯ve done a lot of that.¡± I agreed. ¡°Though Shinohara-san here was not charged. I respected her desire to help others, and thought that she deserved another chance. I also... well, let our next guests speak for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I welcome you.¡± Arisu-san smiled politely. From behind the stage came a man, his hand clasping that of a cute little girl. He was wearing a mask that covered his face barring his eyes, and casual, comfy clothing, jeans and a shirt, appearing entirely unremarkable. The girl however, was gazing around in wonder, and as she saw Shinohara-san, her big brown eyes widened, her smile beaming. ¡°Look, dad, it¡¯s the nice lady.¡± She then turned, blinking in surprise, as she saw Arisu-san. ¡°Oh, and the beautiful one!¡± She waved her free hand, torn about which woman to run to, and it was a heartwarming scene. She was wearing a white, fluffy coat to ward off the cold, and looked like a little snow maiden, with her hair now long and healthy.


    ¡°It seems like you forgot me.¡± I laughed, and little Ami-chan turned, before her mouth made an o-shape of surprise.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the kind mister who made the pain go away and made dad stop crying, and helped the nice lady and the others!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. How¡¯ve you been, Ami-chan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been very good, dad says so!¡± She tugged at her father¡¯s hand, until he released her, and she ran to Shinohara-san, who started fussing over her.


    ¡°You may wonder why he is wearing a mask.¡± Arisu-san spoke to the cameras. ¡°I assure you it is not to mislead. Simply, he and his daughter wish a quiet life. But... they are brave enough to speak out, regardless. We are simply taking precautions. Obviously, via his voice, or his daughter, you could find him. But rest assured, if you do so for malicious ends, we will not remain silent, and WTV will publicise your details, as well as prosecute you with the full force of the law.¡± That warning delivered with chilling frost, she then smiled, her expression now captivating. ¡°Anyway, do tell your story...¡±


    As the cameras focussed on Ami-chan, he cleared his throat, and explained that he wrote a letter to me, begging me for aid. He was resentful, angry, bitter... but his prayers were answered. ¡°It was before any of this came out, so don¡¯t you dare say it was done in response to the allegations.¡± Ami-chan¡¯s father insisted, his tone both embarrassed and angry. ¡°I hate myself enough already. I knew it was wrong to be angry. But I get it. Those of you out there, who wonder why you suffer, why your family suffers... I get it.¡± he repeated. ¡°But in the end, my beautiful daughter survived, as did Shinohara-sama and many others. And the good Shinohara-sama does continues. I can¡¯t fault Oshiro-san for wanting to protect those he loves. We all want that. But... who amongst you can say you saved a life as precious as my daughter, or as worthy as Shinohara-sama?¡±


    He bowed his head. ¡°If he could save everyone, I know he would. But... he¡¯s only one man, and... we¡¯ve seen why he can¡¯t dedicate his all to helping the sick. After all, we¡¯ve seen there are those out there who hate, who destroy. You saw the news reports of dead children. Why condemn someone who helped my daughter live?¡± A tear ran down his chin, under the mask, and the cameras captured his genuine emotion perfectly.


    ¡°Dad, are you okay? Don¡¯t be sad!¡± Ami-chan ran over. As he bent down to grab her she patted his head. ¡°If it hurts, mister can make the ouchie go away, like he did for me. You will, won¡¯t you mister?¡± she asked me, everyone watching WTV capturing the moment.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I waved a hand, let out a little light element as a spectacle, and her father played along, claiming he was ¡®all better now.¡¯ His daughter giggled happily, and everyone watching knew I hadn¡¯t done anything, but it would take a heart of stone not to be moved.


    ¡°So yes. To counter allegations regarding Akio-san¡¯s medical assistance.¡± Arisu-san began. ¡°He has already, in secret, without fanfare, restored a number who were suffering. Yes, he seeks remuneration from the wealthy, but the poor... they were not charged. And he has plans for further miracles. Better yet, to eventually train others, for just as Shinohara-san uses her hard-earned wealth to help the less fortunate, Akio-san¡¯s hard-earned talents, for which he has shed blood, tears and nearly died a number of times, will be shared to save as many as he can. But to demand more...¡±


    Her onyx eyes were intense. ¡°...is to be wretched indeed. Unless you are prepared to dedicate your whole life, all your wealth and strength, to helping the needy, do not demand that from others. I respect anyone who gives of themselves to others, rather than those who take from others, for their own satisfaction. Remember this well. It shall not be the last lesson you learn today on WTV. But next... we have an idol performance, to lighten the mood.¡± Arisu-san smiled at Ami-chan. ¡°Do you like pretty singers and nice music and dancing?¡±


    As Ami-chan nodded her head happily, I couldn¡¯t help but smile myself. As the broadcast ended, the feed on Ami-chan and her father, I slipped away, only to see my sister headed my way, accompanied by Keiko-chan, Ema-san and Asuka-san, Suzu and the three idols from Red and White. Judging by the look on their faces, it seemed like they were confident of some gains here. I guess we¡¯ll see, very shortly... With that, I let my Eyes shine, and seeing Tamami-san, I let out a dull whistle. Kami-Blessed at Level five already? Not bad, not bad at all...

 Five Hundred And Sixty / Side Two Hundred And Six – Pilgrims

    Five Hundred And Sixty / Side Two Hundred And Six ¨C Pilgrims


    ¡°...got justice on our side, go against us you¡¯ve got nowhere to hide...¡±


    Suzu was singing on the modest stage, a new song she had hastily thrown together after the attacks from the Church of True Revelation. Of course, despite the stage being a temporary structure, it¡¯s actually quite decent. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t expect any less from Arisu-san, she¡¯s taking her role as the effective lead producer of WTV seriously. Honestly, I feel a little bad though...


    ¡°...because dance is a battle, and our songs are knives...¡±


    I knew that my mom and the others had greatly enjoyed rewatching Arisu-san¡¯s old films and TV appearances, though sadly I hadn¡¯t had the time for that. It just showed, as did Arisu-san¡¯s efforts here, that she still had a great passion for acting and the arts. I¡¯d be delighted, and I knew Shiro felt the same way, if Arisu-san could rekindle her career. But unfortunately... right now, we need Arisu-san¡¯s strength. Maybe... when things calm down.


    ¡°...against lies and hate our truth will prevail...¡±


    ¡°...so join us, move your body and sing, we won¡¯t fail!¡±


    Suzu finished her song, her smile brilliant, but I could see the shadows of worry in her sapphire eyes. Don¡¯t be afraid. I gave you my word. So long as you want to stay here, the Castor family can¡¯t touch you. I wasn¡¯t the only one watching, of course. Those who had finished their devotions to the shrine had joined us, and that included a number of my uni friends. Hayato-kun, looking as sharp as ever, was accompanying Hina-chan, and seeing them hold hands made me smile. Aimi-chan was here too, and despite her smile as she watched the impromptu and brief concert, I could see that, like Suzu, she had a lot on her mind, and worry in her eyes.


    Seeing me watching, Aimi-chan managed a shrug. ¡°Good song! Suzu-chan is so talented. Though using her powers for idol work... no...¡± She tilted her head, thinking. ¡°...isn¡¯t that actually a good use?¡±


    I glanced to the side briefly, meeting Hayato-kun¡¯s eyes, and he silently urged me to do something, so I decided to change the subject. Suzu had leapt off the stage after a few words, and now AKB0048 were preparing to take the stage for their song, so I wanted to fix Aimi-chan¡¯s mood so she could enjoy it.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Though I remember Arisu-san did worry about her. But then, she¡¯s got very high standards. But enough of that... I had a feeling Kanda-myo?jin would be the one to crack it for you.¡±


    Aimi-chan was silent, so Hayato-kun filled in the gap. ¡°It makes sense, from your descriptions. The best way to become a Kami-Blessed is to get the blessing of our home shrine, or one with a spiritual connection to our personalities, beliefs or talents. And this is the premiere shrine for otaku tech fans...¡±


    ¡°Are you saying we are all nerds, and that¡¯s why we managed?¡± Hina-chan giggled, though it was a little exaggerated. ¡°I¡¯m a touch offended, Hayato.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be!¡± he chortled. ¡°I love you despite your hobbies. I mean, we share them, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°In any case, now you¡¯ve got the Class, it should be easier for you to gain extra Levels in it, though that¡¯ll slow down. By the end it should all work out though.¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t feel any different?¡± Aimi-chan said at last. AKB0048 had launched into their song, another hastily written and practised one that was new, though for some reason Hina-chan seemed particularly excited by it, which was odd, as compared to Aimi-chan, she wasn¡¯t as big a fan of idols. Army of Love, huh? Seems almost like an Adamant-themed song.


    ¡°You won¡¯t, really. Not at first.¡± I agreed. ¡°Unlike Material Statistics, Intangible ones have a rather more subtle effect. After all, it¡¯s hard to measure Charm and Majesty, as they are kind of individual to each person who beholds you, and League... yeah, you can certainly tell high Leagues and the difference between Leagues, but a few points doesn¡¯t have much of a tangible effect.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still better to have it than not.¡± Hayato-kun insisted. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s also the improvement in Aether, and also my Chakra network seems to run a little... cleaner, is that the word for it?¡±


    ¡°Trust you to notice.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, the Class also boosts your Aether stat. Not by a huge amount, but it also seems to have a positive effect on the Chakra network and Silver Cord too. Again small, but as they are foundational, you¡¯ll get an overall boost. Really, Kami-Blessed is a surprisingly decent Class, we¡¯ve just not had leisure to focus on it.¡±


    ¡°Fortune is at least easy to measure.¡± Hina-chan observed. ¡°After all, our work with the Oracle Engine has made us very familiar with that. Uh...¡± She flushed red then, and as I raised an eyebrow questioningly, Aimi-chan cracked a smile, which was a relief to us, as she still seemed a little down.


    ¡°When Shaeula was providing her winds, we ran an automated bot on one of the gambling sites she uses. Let¡¯s just say we won around a year¡¯s salary. For each of us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We put the funds into the project.¡± Hayato-kun reassured me. ¡°There¡¯s no financial impropriety. You pay us well enough anyway. But it¡¯s still shocking to see.¡±


    ¡°Shaeula was telling us about your Las Vegas exploits.¡± Hina-chan pointed out. ¡°It sounded fun. But I couldn¡¯t do it. I¡¯m not cut out for gambling, the stress is too much.¡± As Hayato-kun patted her hand gently, I glanced back out over the performing group. As one would expect from AKB0048, the performance, even improvised and with lacking stage dressing, was excellent, and captured the watching audience, small as it was. And likely those on TV too, I¡¯d say.


    ¡°Kanzaki-chan really is dedicated. And this is her second centre track.¡± Hayato-kun pointed out, as we watched, the crowd around us growing as the activities at the shrine were winding down. Keiko-chan was indeed sparkling, her smile brilliant as she sang, Ema-san and Asuka-san with her as always, the rest of the group formed into cells of three and four, mirroring their moves. ¡°I guess it was her good fortune when she did that interview declaring you were her ideal boyfriend, Akio-kun.¡±


    I shook my head ruefully. ¡°She¡¯s certainly rather bold. I mean... that Adamant-style idol outfit certainly makes an impression. The song too...¡± As I watched the forty-eight women dance together, an intricate choreography that was enhanced by their new gains from Chirurgery, I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that idol culture is a bit... problematic. I know she lost fans after that interview.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, guys can be jerks.¡± Aimi-chan agreed, and that was the opening I needed.


    ¡°Not every guy.¡± I countered, Hina-chan and Hayato-kun urging me with their eyes to get Aimi-chan to open up. Sadly it does make sense why she¡¯s down. She was at the Tengokusentou, after all, though I hear she was brave in helping others to escape...


    ¡°After all...¡± I suggested with a smile. ¡°Hayato-kun and me, we¡¯re not so bad, are we?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not Hayato-kun...¡± Aimi-chan conceded, her smile becoming a little more like her usual one. As she crossed her arms, she raised an eyebrow knowingly as I couldn¡¯t help but glance down, and she managed a weak giggle. ¡°...but you, you¡¯re the sort of playboy that can hardly be called good.¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged!¡± I held up my hands in defeat. ¡°But sometimes it takes a bad man to do good in this world.¡±


    ¡°Excuses as always. You never used to be so silver-tongued. Seducer of idols.¡± Aimi-chan snorted, before she leaked a little sigh.


    Now¡¯s the time. ¡°So, uh... how¡¯s your boyfriend then, Aimi-chan? It must have been rough for him too. Oh, that reminds me, you never said how you met. While he¡¯s not strictly nobility himself, he is a long-term member of a Fujiwara branch family, right?¡±


    Aimi-chan glanced at Hayato-kun, who looked away, while Hina-chan was deliberately engrossed in watching AKB0048. Turning her attention back to me, Aimi-chan let out a long sigh, before her smile was back to her old one, the shadows in her eyes dispersing. ¡°Yes, that was a little clumsy, almost like the old Akio-kun.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I may be a bad man, but I¡¯m not enough of a bastard to steal a girl from someone else, not even a great one like you, Aimi-chan.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Aimi-chan pouted a little as Hina-chan held in a giggle at my banter, but she let me distract her. ¡°Well, compared to Shiro, I know I come up short. But... that¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯ll give in, in deference to your good-natured efforts. Where to begin... yeah, it was a chance meeting. I had finished a job, and at the celebratory party when the project finished, I had a little too much to drink.¡± She winked at me, her crossed arms heightening her assets. ¡°I was dressed quite provocatively too. I¡¯ve always believed in flaunting my best qualities. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡±


    As I nodded, she continued. ¡°Anyway, it was at quite a swanky place in Ginza. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to pay. But I went out for air, and that¡¯s when I ran into him.¡± Her smile was wistful. ¡°He¡¯s quite the handsome man, especially in a suit. He¡¯d also had too much to drink and was looking rather pale. Fortunately, I had a spare bottle of water in my purse and offered it to him. From there, we got talking... I didn¡¯t really know much about his job, only that he worked for an extremely powerful company. Of course...¡± Her expression was wry now. ¡°...I know more about it than I want to now.¡± She turned away from the stage, looking out over the sea of noble daughters who were watching the idol performance with a mixture of emotions.


    ¡°I can imagine. But... he wasn¡¯t malicious, was he?¡± I asked, and Aimi-chan shook her head.


    ¡°No. Obviously Haru-chan checked him. He was just a pawn. It¡¯s... broken him though. He was so proud, he thought he was part of a grand negotiation, bringing honour to himself, and his master at Fujiwara house, this Hidemasa prick.¡± It was unusual for Aimi-chan to be so crude, but we understood. As the performance on stage wound to a close, she continued, her brown eyes distant. ¡°Realising he was just a scapegoat, and that he was likely going to be killed there as a way of tying up loose ends... all that pride is now a weight on him.¡± She then gave a nervous laugh.


    ¡°Of course, we had our troubles before that. In the run-up to this he was stressed and distant, often working every hour, even worse than when we were doing crunch in the run-up to project releases.¡± She shrugged again. ¡°But I wanted to be supportive. I mean, we were serious. We are serious.¡± She let out a mournful sigh. ¡°I just want things to go back to how they were before. But now he¡¯s unemployed, and tainted by association, and... he can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± I insisted. Red and White were about to take the stage, and Tamami-san looked particularly radiant, her miniskirt-and-sleeveless shrine maiden-style idol outfit very fetching. As she began to say a few words for the audience watching, about the significance of Kanda-myo?jin shrine and the faith in general, I focussed all my attention on what mattered, cheering up Aimi-chan.


    ¡°It so happens I have a lot of sway with Fujiwara house. I¡¯ll get him reassigned to an honourable position, it shouldn¡¯t be hard, he was gullible, too trusting, not malicious. And honestly, from what I¡¯ve seen, loyalty and obeying one¡¯s superiors unquestioningly is ingrained in the nobility and their subordinates, even more so than in we Japanese as a whole.¡± I grimaced. ¡°The whole senpai and kouhai dynamic isn¡¯t great. It¡¯s not who is oldest or who has been there longest who should have seniority, but the ones best suited to it. I think... we have to change that.¡±


    Aimi-chan listened as I spoke, and for a moment I worried I was being too preachy, before I dismissed that. Aimi-chan is one of my best friends. If I can¡¯t be honest with her, try and help her, then who can I help? Though... I¡¯d have been far less bold in the past. I¡¯d have subtly nudged her, perhaps distracted her with some of my own woes... but that¡¯s changed.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m being pushy, but... I want all my friends to be happy. Even Yasu-kun!¡± As I hoped, I got a brief snigger from Aimi-chan at that. ¡°Just say the word, and I¡¯ll intervene. Although...¡± I paused. ¡°...maybe that¡¯s not the way to do it. We men have our pride, and his has been wounded. So... I think maybe you


    should be the one to help him. But not to do it for him. Just... point him in the right direction, drop a few hints. Give him some confidence? After all, you clearly had something good together. It¡¯d be a shame to lose that.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you get so good with relationships?¡± Aimi-chan sighed, nodding. ¡°Oh, I suppose you¡¯d have to. Not only are you head of a harem, some of the women aren¡¯t the easiest to handle. Though don¡¯t tell Shiro I said that, or she¡¯ll be upset.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lips are sealed!¡± I promised. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think... I¡¯m grateful to have you all as my friends.¡± Aimi-chan conceded, shaking her head. ¡°We should have plenty of time to have a drink during the Pilgrimage, right? We can hash it out then. Shugo-kun, Shiro and yes, even Yasu-kun, will be hurt if we don¡¯t include them.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Though tonight I have plans, and tomorrow...¡± I began, but Hayato-kun interrupted me, a knowing grin on his face.


    ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Shaeula¡¯s day, right? Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no rush. We¡¯ll brainstorm some ideas. And speaking of...¡± He glanced at Hina-chan, who smiled shyly.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t just win money with the Oracle Engine. It¡¯s a genuine supercomputer. It has a lot of spare processing power. You know... I¡¯m very much an artist at heart.¡± It was true. While all of us could code and create both 3d and 2d art, we all had our specialties and areas of specific interest. Hina-chan was probably the best artist out of all of us. As I nodded, I let her continue.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to be inspired by all the beautiful women around here.¡± She pulled out her phone, and quickly brought up some anime-style images. As I looked at them, seeing Shaeula in a yukata, Shiro in white, a catgirl Eri, I noticed something they all had in common, brilliant platinum borders around them, almost like they were cards...


    ¡°Wait, is that... gacha?¡± I asked, and Hina-chan flushed, giggling.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d see it. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t spent far too much money on those games in the past. But... the merchandise from the charity concert, the gacha there, it made me think.¡± Hina-chan explained. ¡°You want to do good deeds. Now more than ever, considering the lies and slanders that were broadcast about you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But... gacha? It¡¯s all right as a one-off for merchandising, but those games are seriously predatory.¡±


    ¡°It depends.¡± Hayato-kun explained. ¡°We¡¯re actually thinking of how to balance that. But... when we spoke to Shiro about it, at first she was really embarrassed, but then she went quiet, and seemed to come on board. It makes me wonder... do you think that Tan persuaded her?¡±


    ¡°Sharp as ever.¡± I quickly considered the ramifications. ¡°The focus on people trying to roll their favourite... ugh... no, no way! I¡¯m not going to have other people calling my girls their waifus! I don¡¯t like it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather petty, but kind of adorable.¡± Aimi-chan teased. ¡°It¡¯s amusing how you can get so jealous considering you are hardly in a position to criticise. But... we know. That¡¯s why the story...¡±


    ¡°That AKB song would be perfect, and if we used it as a tie-in, we could get huge publicity. Here¡¯s the plot...¡± Hina-chan was rather animated, explaining that obviously there wouldn¡¯t be romance options, and the outfits wouldn¡¯t be overly sexy, though of course, there¡¯d be a lot to collect. Basically, it would follow a new wannabe recruit to Adamant, and their journey to being accepted, rising through the ranks and finally becoming a hero. Along the way, they¡¯d gather fellow Adamant members and other girls, forming teams to defeat rivals and threats. All classic gacha ideas.


    ¡°There¡¯d be base building elements too, and it¡¯d be split over the real world and the Boundary.¡± Hina-chan finished, just as Red and White¡¯s song came to a climax. ¡°We¡¯d also give bonuses to those who meet certain criteria, when certain real-life funding goals are reached, such as a bonus to healing rate when a hospital has been built, or extra in-game currency when a facility to shelter and feed the homeless is opened.¡±


    ¡°I see. Yeah, it seems a big undertaking for such a small team though...¡± I pointed out, and Hina-chan shook her head.


    ¡°Actually, with modern AI, and a supercomputer to run it, there¡¯s a surprising amount we can do rather quickly. But... spending money to hire on some staff wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t.¡± I considered it. ¡°The adherence potential... I see. Look, there¡¯s a lot on my mind right now, and we have to discuss Aimi-chan¡¯s problems, but... it would be an interesting way to get the population of Japan used to all pulling together and contributing to certain goals. Look, you¡¯d have to get everyone¡¯s permission that you wanted to make into characters, and I must insist it remains tasteful. If AKB0048 is prepared to let Keiko-chan¡¯s new song feature, then maybe you could persuade them to do some promos, tie it in with some limited edition AKB gacha...¡± Despite my misgivings, it was impossible to ignore the potential. After all, I have my own shameful history with such games...


    Aimi-chan smirked meanly. ¡°It¡¯s a shame there¡¯s no male version of Adamant yet, or I¡¯d insist on a BL version with you as the star, Akio-kun! But anyway, you¡¯d still have to make a number of appearances, so maybe we can squeeze a tease or two in...¡±


    I groaned, heading that idea off, but I was pleased to see that Aimi-chan¡¯s mood had improved. Glancing at Hayato-kun and Hina-chan, she smiled at me and he winked, showing that had been their intentions as well. Holding in a grin of my own, I nodded. All right then. Though it¡¯s time to go... and I admit to some nerves.


    The next destination was the Imperial Palace, and the Regalia that lay within, and while I was eager to see them, I was also feeling some trepidation... After all, it¡¯s quite likely I¡¯ll meet his Imperial Majesty, and also the head of Japan¡¯s hidden Onmyo?ji, Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon, who Yukiko-san has spoken of quite respectfully...


    ***


    Takatsukasa (Fukumoto) Hinata


    ¡°So how are you finding all this, Sakura? It must be a little overwhelming, being so different to what you are used to, but... if you have any problems, you know you can speak to me or any of the other commanders.¡±


    Her adopted sister, who used to be her cousin, paused. She was wearing the uniform of an Adamant soldier, the black skirt and jacket, paired with a crisp white shirt and a peaked military cap. It was attire the likes of which she had never worn before, and she looked a little uncomfortable, but also... Her eyes have cleared up. Before, she was lost, but... hopefully I can help her find herself, find her way.


    ¡°I... this feels rather strange.¡± Sakura swept back her long, elegant black hair, which was bunched into a neat braid so as not to interfere with her movements. Hinata held in a smile as she beheld her. We are definitely related, we¡¯re both extremely attractive, and our faces share a lot of features. Although... I am more on the cute side, while Sakura is more on the graceful one... before, I think I was jealous of that, of her. But now...


    ¡°I... do not understand everything that is going on, like this... this concert. It seems a little... energetic.¡± She paused. ¡°No, that is my past speaking. I have... thrown it away.¡± Her dark brown eyes were resolved, and Hinata was pleased to see that. ¡°You were right, Hinata. Takatsukasa house was not my future.¡±


    ¡°No need to be hasty.¡± Hinata disagreed, her smile somehow both a little exhausted and reassuring. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to take the wrong lessons from this. You¡¯re certainly right that you were never going to inherit Takatsukasa house, no, your fate was like your aunt¡¯s, after all, there was no good candidate in the Three Great Houses for your engagement, and while many of the upper Fifty-Eight would be happy to receive you...¡± Hinata glanced around at the group she was with. Miyu, Honoka-chan, Sakura, Motoko, Natsumi and lastly, the enthusiastic Mayumi. All the most powerful daughters of nobility. Well, there are certainly a few others who come close, but...


    ¡°...most likely a deal like with my grandfather would have happened, and you¡¯d have been married to a rich upstart. Especially with... circumstances being as they are.¡±


    Sakura¡¯s face fell at that. ¡°Indeed. My shameful birth...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we tell you it doesn¡¯t matter?¡± Natsumi sighed. They were freely able to talk about these matters, as their bodyguards were all moving separately right now, in the Boundary doing their part of the Pilgrimage. After all, there¡¯s certainly no safer place to be than here right now. We have Akio, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Shiro... and even me. I can¡¯t forget, I¡¯m no weakling now. Indeed, Clai?omh Solais was belted at her waist, the weight reassuring, her Pot of Faerie Gold, which was still recovering, tied to the other side of her belt.


    ¡°You are not your birth. Besides, I¡¯ve always respected you, and I¡¯m not alone in that.¡± Natsumi continued.


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°Your elegant grace, your skilful performance at dancing, your kind, affable charm. Even the way you tried to steer Hinata safely through the currents at Hanafubuki. Your kindness is admirable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hinata agreed. ¡°I did get annoyed by what I saw as your condescension, and... no, I¡¯ll make no excuses. It was a ¡®me problem¡¯ as Shiro would say.¡± She chuckled at the thought of her fellow commander of Adamant and fiance?e of Akio. Normally she¡¯d be enjoying this fresh musical performance, she does like these idols, as she calls them. But right now Tan?ha? is in turmoil, so she has to keep to herself. Later... later we¡¯ll talk and tease her mercilessly.


    ¡°I was jealous you had what I wanted... despite us being the same, no matter what people thought.¡± Hinata bit her lip, annoyed at her pettiness. ¡°But fortunately, it wasn¡¯t too late to learn what truly matters, what I truly dreamed of. Nor is it for you. Sakura... I¡¯m proud to call you cousin or sister. When the situation is desperate, and despair is contagious... that¡¯s when the calibre of your heart shows. And you weren¡¯t found wanting.¡± Her grin was cheeky now. ¡°And that¡¯s the sort of girl I want for Adamant. Brave, noble and beautiful. Oh, and of course... loyal.¡± She winked, and Sakura flushed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully her, Hinata.¡± Mayumi chided. ¡°It¡¯s been hard for her. I have enough stress just being your friend, being your cousin must be a nightmare sometimes.¡±


    As Hinata snorted, amused at her banter, Sakura shook her head. ¡°No. I... I was in the wrong too. I never tried to understand you, Hinata, and... I took out my own insecurities on you. What was it we learned in philosophy class? We often despise what we embody. I... felt I was not truly noble, merely a base-born imposter. So when I saw you flout the conventions, approaching Mayumi-sama...¡±


    ¡°Mayumi!¡± she insisted. ¡°We all have to close the distance between us. Now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Mayumi...¡± Sakura struggled to be what she considered as impolite, her face pink. ¡°...I wanted to stop you. Yes, I couched it as guidance, and it was, but... it was also selfishness.¡±


    ¡°Should we be listening to this, cousin Miyu?¡± Honoka-chan asked. She was also wearing a hastily tailored adamant uniform, since she had no place now but Akio¡¯s care, at least for the foreseeable future. Fujiwara house... honestly, this is outside my expectations, but I¡¯m not one to overlook such a golden opportunity. And it plays into our long-term goals almost too perfectly. Fujiwara-sama is no fool. Perhaps he is aiming for this too, to position Fujiwara house just so...


    ¡°I think we should.¡± Miyu was calm and composed, and Hinata was once more struck by how she had changed too. From the selfish, bitter girl who wished her Favour gone, to someone who could stand in front of her enemies and dance, striking them down. Better still, her closed world, just her and Michiru, had shattered, and now she was surprisingly affable and pleasant company, and put on very few airs, probably the humblest of them all.


    ¡°After all, we are all of one purpose here. You need to learn that too, Honoka-san...¡±


    ¡°Too formal!¡± Mayumi insisted again. ¡°At least show your closeness...¡±


    ¡°Honoka-chan... saying it seems strange. Only mere weeks ago, we were near strangers, and addressed each other extremely formally. But... I think this is better. Now more than ever, family is important.¡±


    ¡°I... humbly apologise once more.¡± Honoka-chan made to bow, but Miyu grabbed her arm, stopping her. As she widened her eyes in a rare expression of surprise, Miyu shook her head, her own long black hair flowing as she did so. She wore an elegant furisode, in shrine maiden red and white, since she was going to dedicate a dance later.


    ¡°There is no need. You are not your father. And you had no malice. Besides, just like Sakura...¡± Not using honorifics was hard, but she persevered. ¡°...you were brave during the terrifying siege of Hanafubuki. I am proud you are my cousin, and... I trust Hinata and the others to watch over you and do what is best for you.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I trust Akio too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better. I know you are his Vassal, but it¡¯s time we reorientated our relationships.¡± Hinata insisted. ¡°All of us here... with one exception...¡± she glanced at Mayumi, a cheeky light in her eyes. ¡°...are firmly in Akio¡¯s camp, for various reasons. And as the daughters of the Three Great Houses, as well as Akio¡¯s other fiance?es from the nobility.¡± She nodded at Motoko and Natsumi. ¡°...it falls to us to chart the future course of the nobility.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m his business partner!¡± Mayumi, who hated to be left out, complained. ¡°I¡¯m just as tied too!¡±


    ¡°Then prove it.¡± Hinata smirked, knowing just how to irritate her. ¡°You can put on the uniform, and then I¡¯ll call you sister!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that! I¡¯m Ichijou Mayumi, I can¡¯t lower myself...¡± she began with her usual denials, only to pause. ¡°No, that¡¯s... not exactly true, is it? Look, since it¡¯s just us here, I¡¯ll be honest.¡±


    ¡°This should be good!¡± Hinata giggled to the others, which set Mayumi off again.


    ¡°You cheeky girl! I know you are tyring to rile me up on purpose to make me promise, knowing I won¡¯t go back on my word. I¡¯m wise to your tricks!¡± However... I can concede... marrying Akio-kun isn¡¯t lowering your position. Far from it. Though I still don¡¯t see what the end goal for Fujiwara house is. Miyu, do you plan to inherit?¡±


    ¡°If I must.¡± She glanced at Honoka-chan. ¡°Though... since neither of us would be in charge of our own volition, and we would simply be the trophies that our husbands used to take ownership, I would decline, and I would that Honoka-chan never knows that hardship either. In a way, Hidemasa-san... he did us a favour, twisted though it is.¡±


    ¡°Cousin Miyu...¡± Honoka-chan muttered, a little lost, so Hinata patted her shoulder gently.


    ¡°No tears or sadness. You¡¯re a sister now. Adamant are all my sisters. And yes, some will likely leave us one day, their duties fulfilled, but... I hope many will stay, forever. Miyu isn¡¯t wrong. It¡¯s not a worthy goal, being a trophy wife. None of us want that. Every one of us is striving to be our best selves.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Motoko agreed. ¡°None of us wish to be mere ornaments. Though we equally have no wish to relinquish what makes us unique. The charms of the nobility, the merits... they shall be retained. Besides...¡± Motoko¡¯s face was a little flushed now, her eyes moist. ¡°...Akio very much appreciates our charms when we do our wifely duties. Apparently our noble poise and upbringing makes us quite alluring.¡±


    ¡°I think that subject is a bit spicy for the others.¡± Hinata grinned, enjoying the way that Mayumi, Sakura and Miyu all flushed at the thought. Honoka-chan seemed rather too innocent still to understand. ¡°But the point is... you¡¯re right, Mayumi. But do you think Fujiwara-sama, and Kira-sama, even grandfather Itsuki, aren¡¯t aware of the message they have sent. Akio controls Miyu¡¯s marriage and life, though obviously should Miyu have any wishes, he¡¯ll accommodate them. That goes for you too, Honoka-chan. Though in your case, you¡¯re still young, too young. But in a way, that¡¯s an advantage. By the time you reach our age, you¡¯ll be a skilled Adamant champion, leading others!¡±


    ¡°Please guide me. I understood the oaths and will abide by them. But I am insufficient, and do not find it easy to relate to others, so please forgive me my inevitable mistakes.¡± Honoka-chan admitted.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s our duty to give proper guidance. But my point is... Fujiwara-sama gave Honoka-chan into our care too. Yes, it¡¯s politically expedient, but... expecting Akio to return a gift is unbecoming of such a noble man as Fujiwara-sama. So...¡±


    ¡°So, just who will rule Fujiwara house?¡± Mayumi asked, frustrated. ¡°I¡¯ve wracked my brains over it, and all I can think of is that Akio-kun will take either Miyu or Honoka-chan as a bride in the future. But... then Takatsukasa house and Fujiwara house would merge, and that weakens the nobility perilously...¡±


    ¡°I... understand it.¡± Sakura spoke up, surprising everyone. Seeing their looks, she blushed, but held her ground, taking a deep breath. ¡°I was always watching Hinata. And... I have had a lot of time to think. Yes, originally I was proposed as his fiance?e, and it would have rebuilt Takatsukasa house. But... Hinata alone is enough for that. Hinata alone. Your children will inherit.¡±


    ¡°Yours still can. If that¡¯s a dream of yours.¡± Hinata admitted. ¡°But I always knew you were clever, Sakura. You get it.¡±


    ¡°Asha¡¯s children will not even be fully human.¡± Motoko observed. ¡°We will love them no less for that, and they will be treated with care, afforded opportunities... but they would have no wish to take over all of Akio¡¯s endeavours, I suspect. My child will learn Tsumura Arts...¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡± Mayumi asked, eyes wide, and Motoko hastily shook her head.


    ¡°Of course not. Now is not a good time. But in future it is certain I shall have many children with my dear husband. Hinata and Natsumi too. But... my brother will inherit Tsumura house.¡±


    ¡°My parents were considering calling in a cousin to take over when I marry out, but now they¡¯ve said they might just wait until I have my own child and train them in our family techniques. So, my child will have their hands full with just Hori house. The same goes for the children of the others.¡± Natsumi agreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see? We have room to share.¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°But more to the point... every daughter of decent standing and character will be inducted into Adamant at some point. And yes, I expect most to do a brief tour of service, but during that year or two, we¡¯ll mould them, instil them with loyalty, discipline and respect. Even when they leave and go on to marry the men their family decides for them, or those they find for themselves, as no member of Adamant shall be forced against their will, I detest that, they will remember. And will answer the call. And of course... those who stay, and I hope they are many... they will be ours. His. So to answer your question, Mayumi. You know the answer. It¡¯s why you are jealous. You¡¯re the only one who is on the outside!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... it¡¯s difficult.¡± Mayumi admitted. ¡°I admit it! I¡¯m jealous. The only place I feel safe now is near him. South Africa... it was terrifying. And then it happened again, at the Tengokusentou. You were shining, Hinata, but... it¡¯s not your own strength.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now it is.¡± Hinata disagreed. ¡°But I understand what you mean. It¡¯s strength that would never have been mine without Akio. And now... you get a part of that strength too. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡± Hinata grinned. ¡°A Class, pushed to the maximum. You can¡¯t buy that, not with money, or family history. Only through us... and, here you are. So remember this well... those who join early get the greatest benefits, and... if you truly love Ichijou house, don¡¯t let it be left behind with the times. The same goes for you, Sakura, Honoka-chan. If you are proud of your heritage, your status, make the right choices...¡±


    As the three of them had differing expressions, Honoka-chan a little uncomprehending, Sakura painfully resolute, and Mayumi uncertain, Hinata let her attention stray back to the idols of Red and White as they finished up their song.


    This Pilgrimage isn¡¯t just for strength, though of course the Kami-Blessed Class, and also what we¡¯ll extract from rigorous training, is welcome. No, it¡¯s for unity. The beginnings of Adamant, our clumsy attempts at putting together something Akio would praise us for, has blossomed into an idea, an idea so grand that it almost terrifies me. But... there¡¯s no fear greater for us than being left behind. Many noble families have perished, and Sakura knows what it is to be the daughter of a collapsing, hollow shell, only history keeping it from disintegrating.


    Hinata would never let that happen. Nor would she let her family suffer. Not her blood family, nor her found family. And neither will I abandon my friends. No, we¡¯ll all advance together, into a new world. I can hardly wait... As Hinata suppressed a giggle, she imagined the tangled web of children that would become the new ruling family of not just Japan, but the entire world. No, entire worlds.


    Yes, no wonder Tan?ha? is hiding from everyone. She surely imagines her future wrapped up in this sweet dream too...


    ***


    Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    ¡°You seem... very cheerful.¡± Yukiko spoke to her best friend Tsukiko, who had pulled aside the thin silk veil she wore, carelessly exposing her face, as she took a drink of ceremonial sweet amazake. Once more Yukiko was struck by how inhumanly perfect her friend¡¯s appearance was, with her slightly slanted crimson eyes set in a symmetrical face, pale, flawless skin and delicate yet striking features coupled with her waterfall of midnight-black hair which fell to the ground like a cloak. That¡¯s not even counting her explosive body. She... isn¡¯t wearing her usual corset.


    Before, Tsukiko had kept herself modest, her figure restrained by a specialised corset-style hakama, but now she had let herself free. Of course, she still dressed modestly, like an elegant shrine maiden, and was far from vulgar, but... It¡¯s like she has become honest. I... rejoice to see it, but...


    Glancing down at her own body, she resisted the urge to gnaw at her lips, frustrated.


    ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Tsukiko agreed. Wiping her lips elegantly, she replaced her veil, but seeing the direction of Yukiko¡¯s gaze, she let out a gentle laugh.


    ¡°There is no need for jealousy, Yukiko. You are a charming woman in your own right. Your heart is pure and you are kind and self-sacrificing. Yes, I know you worry you are far too humble for the position thrust upon you, but... despite your misgivings, you have acquitted yourself well. I am proud of you. Please think well of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Yukiko shook her head. ¡°I never thought I would come this far. But... charming in my own right, am I? I would have preferred you to call me beautiful, even as a lie, but you are always truthful. That... must be hard. Sometimes lies grease the wheels of relationships. You¡¯ll... have to learn that now.¡±


    ¡°A lie? I have no need of such.¡± Tsukiko shook her head. ¡°I think you quite striking nowadays. We have both changed. I in my heart, you in your strength.¡±


    ¡°Striking, huh?¡± Those words surprised her. Yukiko had always thought herself plain, with her mousy brown hair and bad eyesight forcing her to wear glasses. Her skin was often bad and she broke out in terrible acne when stressed, and her figure, while not terrible, was certainly only average.


    ¡°Yes. Striking.¡± Tsukiko agreed. ¡°How could you not be? Your inner beauty is merely being reflected without now.¡±


    ¡°Coming from you, that seems a little like mockery.¡± Yukiko sighed, but she wasn¡¯t annoyed. ¡°But I know you mean it. Honestly, I can see I¡¯ve changed. Not just the obvious changes brought about by my increased Statistics.¡± I can¡¯t measure them myself, but I know they exist. The way she thought about being a Chosen had changed. And not just her. Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon will surely be delighted to finally meet Akio. As... as will my parents and grandfather...


    Seeing that Yukiko had fallen silent, Tsukiko let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Yes. Hard exercise and vigorous training has shaped your figure. I never worried about my weight before, such womanly concerns were beyond me, but now I find myself hesitating when dessert is offered.¡±


    I have lost weight. And my legs and arms are far tighter and toned, my tummy too. But still, compared to the others... ¡°I don¡¯t think you have much to worry about. You are truly beautiful, as we would expect from the blessed child of Tsukuyomi...¡± As she said that, Yukiko realised she had made a mistake. No, talking of that will only ruin the mood...


    Surprising her, Tsukiko didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°It is true, though not in the way you are thinking. From knowing Shiro, I can only surmise that if I was not blessed by Tsukuyomi, I would surely be dead now, from the frailties of a body adapted to aether, yet with no way to generate it myself. Fortunately, I will never know for certain, but just as she suspected she would never see thirty before Tan?ha? came for her, I too would have wasted away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was insensitive of me.¡± Yukiko apologised. ¡°I¡¯m just... rather stressed. And not from being one of the leads of this great Pilgrimage, though that is enough of a headache.¡±


    ¡°But I rejoice to see you shining.¡± Tsukiko praised her, and Yukiko felt her cheeks heat up. ¡°My dear friend, you were born for this. If I am the moon, then you are the sun. Both compliment each other, and both... shine with the same light, and overlook the same vistas.¡±


    ¡°You still like your cryptic words.¡± Yukiko couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, even it if was a little bitter.


    ¡°But these are all mine now, not Tsukuyomi¡¯s. Though I do miss his clear voice. But...¡± Her expression softened behind the veil, and Yukiko¡¯s eyes were good enough to pick it out. ¡°...apparently soon I shall be receptive to his unclouded words once more.¡±


    I never thought she could make a face like that. Will I...? Shaking her head, Yukiko helped herself to some amazake as well, enjoying the sweetness. The host of Pilgrims was looking to her with eagerness, though Kana-chan and Shiori-chan were taking some of the focus from her. ¡°You know...¡± she began, hoping her tone was idle enough. ¡°...I never thought you would change so.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I never thought so either.¡± Tsukiko agreed. ¡°But if I remained the same, the only outcome was my end.¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask if you regret it, but that makes it a little hard.¡± Yukiko tittered nervously. ¡°Setting that aside... don¡¯t you think you are moving a little quickly?¡± Ugh, what happened to being subtle?


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tsukiko¡¯s tone was knowing. ¡°That is your question, is it? I understand. Perhaps. But I have denied my own self a very long time. I simply yearn for what I have never had before. And if it proves a mistake, at least it will not be a fatal one. The pain of heartbreak is nothing compared to having one¡¯s spirit torn by the severing of one¡¯s Silver Cord. Trust me on this. Besides...¡±


    Her ruby eyes were almost glowing behind her thin veil. ¡°...I expect to be very happy. It does not come easy to me, these lazy days where my responsibilities have ended. So I certainly seek new ones.¡± Her lips curved into a smile. ¡°But responsibilities must come with rewards, I now believe. Being selfless is all very well, but... it is hollow, empty. You must seek your own rewards as well. As for me...¡± She gave a gentle shrug. ¡°...yes, I have not known him long, but... it is a very pleasant feeling, having someone who would shed tears for you, fight for you, overturn the Definite itself just so you can continue to smile.¡±


    Yes, his bold declaration, that he would never let Tsukiko die, gave me goosebumps. It was wrong, he failed, but... what measure a failure that succeeds in the end?


    ¡°Yes, you understand.¡± Tsukiko continued, her tone almost hypnotic. ¡°It is not the length of time that sparks emotion, but the depth, the richness of it. And my silent heart was moved. Now... I feel happy to be selfish, to cling to what I want. But, just as responsibilities come with rewards, so too must selfishness also come with giving. I choose to give of myself, and just as when I was the Diviner, I gave everything to Tsukuyomi, now I am simply Matsumuro Tsukiko, I shall give my all to Akio. For yes, these feelings, I am sure they are love.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yukiko nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯m relieved. Honestly, I wanted you to have a gentle life, full of joy. You deserved it. I... don¡¯t want to think of you being broken-hearted.¡±


    ¡°If that was to come to pass, it would be an experience of my own, so I would never regret it. But again...¡± She placed a hand to her generous bosom. ¡°...I do not think it likely. For since he saved my life, I have reconnected with my family, found many precious new friends and sisters, and... can I perhaps see your own dream come true?¡±


    Now Yukiko¡¯s face was burning up. Looking down, resisting the urge to hide her scarlet features, she managed to shake her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking because of... that. I just... worry about you.¡±


    ¡°And I am grateful. I too have my concerns for you.¡± she countered. ¡°So we can speak candidly here. For next... is the Imperial Palace. And the Regalia. You know what that means.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Yukiko took a deep breath, fanning her hot face. ¡°Do... you not resent this?¡±


    ¡°How could I? So long as you accept it. If you tell me now you wish to be freed of this burden, I shall make it happen.¡± She pulled aside her veil and gave an absolutely breathtaking smile. Yukiko barely noticed several of the Pilgrims, men and women both, staggering to a halt. One girl even walked into a shimenawa rope and pitched over, eyes still on Tsukiko even as she hit the ground with a dull thud.


    ¡°I... don¡¯t think even you can change it...¡± she began hesitantly, but Tsukiko shook her head.


    ¡°I can. You think me not persuasive enough?¡± Her smile was one Yukiko had never seen. Not that big of a surprise. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve had little chance to see her genuine emotions, but... now I can, I¡¯m actually feeling a little moved.


    ¡°I assure you, Akio will heed my words. After all... he is eager to shower me with love and affection. He is a simple creature. But... I somehow find that adorable.¡± She narrowed her red eyes knowingly. ¡°When we see something as ours, we treasure it, find it lovable. Even if we must share it with others.¡±


    ¡°I... just wanted to be normal. But as an Imperial Princess, and now, as Amaterasu¡¯s Chosen, that¡¯s just a dream...¡±


    ¡°No, it is a reality. If you wish it, Akio could remove the burden from you. Both burdens. But really, you never sought to be ordinary, did you?¡± Her gaze was knowing, and Yukiko met it, though the effort made her tremble. Nobody knows me like you do, Tsukiko. Your crimson eyes see to the heart of me and make all my lies meaningless.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I just wanted... someone to see me for me, and that seemed ever more distant. But...¡±


    ¡°Your status, your power, your responsibilities... to him, they are lighter than feathers.¡± Tsukiko chuckled. ¡°Compared to bearing my continued existence on his shoulders, or the weight of a Goddess he is soon to embrace... you are likely a pleasant distraction. Besides, you got along well, yes? In my absence. I have heard you went drinking with him after my funeral. It seems odd saying that, but it is true, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I admit it. He¡¯s easy to get along with.¡± Yukiko nodded. ¡°But... well, there¡¯s the possibility of closer ties with Britain, so...¡±


    Tsukiko narrowed her eyes. ¡°It hardly needs to be said how that will end. There is one logical path, and to those who listen, whispers on the wind. Besides, I shall never allow you to sacrifice your true dream, as I so nearly did, for this country and the Gods. It may be blasphemous, and rather unlike me, but I find myself agreeing with Akio. Gods that merely demand are hardly worth our respect or worship. And a country that does the same... should be reforged. Now... time is wasting, is it not?¡± Tsukiko veiled her face once more, though it didn¡¯t hide her amusement. ¡°It has been long since I saw the Three Palace Sanctuaries. Few ever get to see them, only a select few during weddings and enthronements. And this time... perhaps we shall see three miracles? The awakening of the Regalia? If so...¡±


    ¡°Stop, please!¡± Yukiko was embarrassed, feeling hot inside. ¡°I understand. Yes, I am just nervous, all right? This Pilgrimage is a big responsibility, and... waking the Regalia could change everything for me and the Imperial Family. And more importantly...¡± He did it for me, I know it. Because I told him how great-grandfather withered away when he was forced to recant our Divinity after the War, he persuaded the Americans to relent. A call from the President himself, and an executive order...


    ¡°...no, nothing is certain. But...¡± The next few hours perhaps will change my fate as much as Tsukiko¡¯s changed. I find that equal parts terrifying and thrilling.


    ¡°Your expression is much better now.¡± Tsukiko remarked cheerily. ¡°I understand what it is to be nervous. The thought of the heights of Gassan make my heart clench and my breath come fast. But that is the savour of life, I have found. Find your own fire that heats your heart and spirit. And if you fear that you are stealing my warmth, remember, the moon merely reflects the light of the sun, our light is the same, and I would wish to share it with no one else.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that! We have to go! If it is us who hold up the tight schedule here, I shall never live it down!¡± Composing herself, she pretended not to hear the amused laughter from Tsukiko, as she adjusted her richly appointed hakama in red, white and gold. ¡°All right then. Gather up everyone and back to the busses! It¡¯s just a short ride to the Imperial Palace...¡±


    Yes, a short journey indeed, but one that makes me shake with every step. But then, if my dear friend Tsukiko can embrace life, despite being more sheltered than even I was... Amaterasu, if I truly bear your blood, then... like the sun, I wish to blaze brightly, and no longer live in the shadows of my own self-doubt and self-loathing. Perhaps... with the wakening of the Yata no Kagami, I can truly see myself, free of my own lack of wisdom... and with Benevolence and Valour, truly learn to love myself and fight for what I truly want...?

 Side Two Hundred And Seven – Pilgrims

    Side Two Hundred And Seven ¨C Pilgrims


    Izumi Kana


    ¡°This... is super amazing, isn¡¯t it, Marika-chan, Hotene-chan?¡± Kana¡¯s cousin Keomi-chan was gushing, as they looked around the parts of the grounds of the Imperial Palace nobody but the Imperial Family and dignitaries invited to weddings, funerals and other state events, ever saw.


    Seeing her enthusiasm, Kana couldn¡¯t help but smile. Even the childish looking Keomi-chan, who Kana sometimes struggled to remember was a highschooler like she was, seemed a different person today. She still wore her hair in pigtails, but she¡¯d been smartened up, and her shrine maiden hakama was worn elegantly and richly decorated, as befitted a shrine maiden of Shirohebizumi.


    I still can¡¯t believe it. Shirohebizumi can now stand proud beside shrines such as Kanda-myo?jin, Hikawa-Kawagoe and even the hidden shrines nobody but the Imperial Family ever gets to worship at. Although... Kana¡¯s gaze was drawn by Princess Mikasa, Yukiko-san, her own hakama was woven with gold and matched with rather expensive jewellery. Personally, Kana felt she looked a little swallowed up by the finery, and seemed rather out of place, which was odd for a Princess, but then Yukiko-san... No, according to Eri she should be Yukiko-chan soon, or maybe even just Yukiko... that¡¯s just... crazy. But then I suppose I should be used to it with Shaeula, but... Yukiko-san¡¯s different. She¡¯s human, and... the Imperial Princess of Japan!


    No, Yukiko-san was amazingly self-abasing for a Princess. In the end, she lacks confidence in herself. But then... I understand. It¡¯s a tough crowd. Kana had been through her own period of self-loathing and subsequent self-reflection and had come out of it stronger and finally able to like herself. Though I suppose having a Divine Favour does help now.


    As she watched, Yukiko-san slipped away with Tsukiko-chan, heading towards the main Palace, while this part of the Pilgrimage group was in the grounds of the Shin-den, the sanctuary of the Kami of Japan. Like almost everyone in Tokyo, and especially the students from a religious school such as theirs, Kana had visited the grounds of the Imperial Palace, but she had never dreamed of entering the non-public, private areas.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s... nice.¡± Hotene-chan managed quietly, her dark eyes a little sad. With her brown skin and small physique, Hotene-chan likely had some native blood in her, but she was just as dedicated to her shrine and Kami as any of them. More so now, perhaps. Losing her cousin, being so terribly injured...


    ¡°Nice? Is that all you have to say, Hotene-chan?¡± Keomi-chan giggled. She too had been traumatised by the events of Kyoto and the massacre of the Susanoo faction shrine maidens and apprentice priests, but fortunately, Haru-chan was able to offer her soothing abilities and understanding, and in time the mental scars had cleared. It also helps that Keomi-chan¡¯s a childish idiot. Cute, but not smart enough to stay down for long. Even Hotene-chan has started to slowly smile again.


    ¡°What else can I say?¡± Hotene-chan was exasperated with Kana¡¯s cousin, but that did make her smile, so perhaps Keomi-chan wasn¡¯t as airheaded as Kana thought. As if to prove her point, Keomi-chan turned, and winked at Kana, before including Marika-chan, as well as the sisters, the two part-time shrine maidens who worked at Shirohebizumi shrine for pocket change and something to do, in the conversation.


    ¡°You could be impressed, Hotene-chan! You are, aren¡¯t you, Marika-chan, girls?¡±


    Marika-chan, the studious, polite and well-spoken little girl who was doing a homestay at Shirohebizumi shrine, nodded. ¡°I am deeply moved, to see the legendary Shin-den, and soon the Ko?rei-den and Kashiko-dokoro. The Three Palace Sanctuaries are legendary to those of us who follow the old ways, a match for Ise Grand Shrine! Oh, how I wish Chairo-sama could see this!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d need to become a Chosen and build yourself a Throne then.¡± Kana winked. ¡°Although... at some point I guess I¡¯ll have a Throne myself. Akio was talking about transferring Shirohebi to me then, though it feels... a bit sacrilegious.¡±


    ¡°You certainly worry too much, Kana-chan!¡± Iroha-chan, the oldest of the sisters smiled. The sisters were decently pretty girls, though not on the level of Kana or her friends Mio-chan and Asami-chan. Those two were with Ren-kun right now, though Kana knew Mio-chan would be frustrated and jealous. Though your future prospects are great, Mio-chan, do your best!


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! I¡¯m sure Shirohebi-sama will be more than happy to be under their most devoted shrine maiden!¡± Iroha-chan¡¯s younger sister, Nana-chan giggled cheekily. The sisters were quite similar in appearance, the younger, Nana-chan, was short with a brown ponytail, and a slender figure, while her older sister Iroha-chan was wearing her hair in buns, and had a more rounded figure, as well as being a couple of inches taller. But what both of them had in common was their cheeky attitude.


    ¡°I heard they were overjoyed at the prospect of you birthing an heir, Kana-chan!¡± Iroha-chan smirked, and Kana choked at that.


    ¡°Just... where did you hear that?¡± she managed, shocked. Keomi-chan was giggling happily, and even Marika-chan was smiling.


    ¡°Where else?¡± Iroha-chan explained, enjoying having the upper hand on Kana for once. ¡°Shirohebi talked to us when we were receiving their blessing. After all, we are their shrine maidens too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all so crazy.¡± Nana-chan agreed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what we were missing out on. I know Keomi-chan¡¯s your cousin, and she¡¯s cute...¡± Keomi-chan blushed at the compliment, giggling, before Nana-chan undercut it, their long friendship and association making their camaraderie easy. ¡°...but then, the dumb ones always are.¡± Nana-chan winked. ¡°Anyway, we were there at the beginning, but got passed over...¡±


    ¡°You know why.¡± Kana rolled her eyes. The sisters were fun but could be a little tiring sometimes. ¡°Back at the start, Akio and Shaeula didn¡¯t have the strength or resources they have now, so numbers had to be limited. Besides...¡± She crossed her arms, frowning. ¡°You think you¡¯re worth it? You know just how much this Pilgrimage costs? Our shrine borrowed the money for you pair off Akio!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t tap your rich boyfriend for a loan, who can you?¡± Iroha-chan sniggered. ¡°As for being worth it...¡± The two sisters exchanged glances, before they looked over to another group of Pilgrims, many of them girls wearing Adamant uniforms. ¡°...sure, it may seem a bit of a waste, but we have to think of our future, Kana-chan!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, those uniforms are really cute, aren¡¯t they Marika-chan, Hotene-chan?¡± Keomi-chan giggled innocently. That¡¯s my airheaded cousin. I don¡¯t think she gets the implications. But I do...


    Marika-chan was clever for her age too, and she shook her head. ¡°While it would be a great honour indeed to dedicate my all to Akio-sama... it would be presumptuous. While being part of Adamant offers many benefits, Hinata-sama is very keen on making sure that the members receive many rewards... the expectation is loyalty, both body and heart.¡± Her face was slightly pink, and Kana found the young girl utterly adorable. ¡°...it is not a decision to be made hastily, even for great benefits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but... you can leave.¡± Iroha-chan shrugged, still watching the Adamant soldiers as they offered libations and treasures to the shrine. ¡°I know the rules, but... it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be held against your will, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... foolish.¡± Hotene-chan spoke up, surprising them, her dark eyes intense. ¡°You call yourselves shrine maidens? No, that¡¯s not fair...¡± Hotene-chan suddenly seemed sad, and Keomi-chan grabbed her hand, reassuring her. ¡°...you weren¡¯t there at Kyoto, you¡¯ve not... put in the work.¡±


    ¡°Fighting is indeed rather terrifying.¡± Marika-chan agreed, taking Hotene-chan¡¯s other hand, showing maturity beyond her years as she gazed at the two sisters solemnly. I see I can leave it to them. Which is good, they are pissing me off a bit. I knew we¡¯re friends and all, but...


    ¡°It is something I willingly do though, to be of help to Akio-sama, and to spread the glory of Chairo-sama.¡± Marika-chan continued. ¡°It... is a blessing to feel the grace of Shirohebizumi shrine.¡± She raised a hand and a small ball of earth rose up from the ground, a ruby light shining. ¡°More... to know that Akio-sama sees me as a little sister...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though that¡¯s dangerous in itself.¡± Kana couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Though I think you¡¯re safe for a few years yet, Marika-chan. But yeah... when you feel Lovers¡¯ Link, it can¡¯t be described...¡±


    Marika-chan nodded. ¡°It is hardly fair, but Hinata-sama, Shaeula-sama, Shiro-sama... all of them are what I aspire to be. Beautiful, powerful, intelligent, driven. Shiro-sama is even the mortal witness of a Goddess!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she or Tan see it that way, but...¡± Looking around at the Shin-den, with its traditional pagoda-style structure, and simple yet elegant architecture, Kana frowned. ¡°...I get it. But I think you¡¯re fine just the way you are, Marika-chan.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but... I refuse to fail to make the most of this chance I have been offered. It is not just for the reasons some suspect that Adamant is an organisation of only women with such rules. Lovers¡¯ Link, and Kin Bonding... Kyoto was terrible. If... in the future it happens again, as it surely will...¡± Her hand tightened on Hotene-chan¡¯s, as did Keomi-chan¡¯s. Everyone was looking at Marika-chan solemnly, as she explained to the two annoying sisters.


    ¡°...it is not simply a matter of gathering women for Akio-sama to love, though that is surely part. Because... to be Kin, it is no easy thing.¡±


    ¡°Who made you so smart?¡± Kana ruffled her hair playfully, before rolling her eyes at her cousin. ¡°If only you were half as clever, I wouldn¡¯t worry so much. But no, you¡¯re more likely to be found face down in an empty cake box than your textbooks.¡±


    As Keomi-chan giggled ruefully, Kana nodded sharply at Iroha-chan and Nana-chan. ¡°You pair... if you request to join with that attitude, I swear I¡¯ll tell Akio to pick you out for a night of passion. You¡¯d not survive it....¡± She paused, turning crimson, face hot. ¡°...or so I hear, I¡¯ve not gone that far myself, but...¡± her brown eyes softened for a moment. ¡°...I¡¯m very much hoping to start getting in some dates during this Pilgrimage. Maybe not tomorrow, that¡¯s Shaeula¡¯s day, but... anyway...¡± She coughed. ¡°You don¡¯t get to join with that half-assed attitude. It¡¯s an honour and comes with responsibilities!¡±


    ¡°Seems like those involve being Akio-kun¡¯s body pillow...¡± Nana-chan giggled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him Akio-kun! You barely know him!¡± Kana sighed, irritated.


    ¡°You¡¯d have him ravage us then, Kana-chan? You¡¯re very accepting of your boyfriend cheating...¡± Iroha-chan snorted.


    ¡°Oh, shut it. It¡¯d be all you deserved, though... honestly, it¡¯d be a reward for you too, so... maybe that wouldn¡¯t work.¡± He¡¯d just make them fall for him, which isn¡¯t the point I¡¯m trying to make.


    ¡°I get it.¡± Keomi-chan giggled, and Kana turned, without much hope of her contributing much, but Keomi-chan surprised her. ¡°Valkyries, yes? Beautiful female warriors, pure and dedicated. Empowered by bonds, and... if they live in Akio-kun¡¯s heart, then...¡± She swallowed, perhaps remembering Kyoto. ¡°...then even in death, it isn¡¯t the end. So long as Akio-kun doesn¡¯t falter... Adamant is indestructible. Right?¡± She tilted her head, and Kana snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Good girl. Maybe your higher stats have kickstarted your brain!¡± She turned to glower at the sisters. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not as easy as that, but essentially, not only with Adamant be able to gain strength via Lovers¡¯ Link, once Akio accepts the group and purpose in his heart, then... yes... I mean, Haru-chan makes her little jokes, but... if you ask her, she¡¯ll admit to being happy with her life now. Tsukiko-chan too. So going in with the wrong motivation and attitude puts the whole project at risk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Shaeula-chan and Hinata-chan will let that happen.¡± Keomi-chan giggled. ¡°I know they¡¯ll keep everyone in line. But they¡¯re very nice so if you do join, Iroha-chan, Nana-chan, you¡¯ll have fun!¡±


    ¡°Her innocence always shocks me. I¡¯m sure mentally she¡¯s younger than Marika-chan.¡± Kana sighed. ¡°Anyway, we should hurry. Shiori-chan will get grumpy if she has to manage everyone by herself, as it seems Yukiko-san and Tsukiko-chan are busy.¡± Smiling wryly, Kana found her gaze drawn to Akio, who was being greeted by a number of maids and a butler from the Imperial Palace. Yeah, I think Akio will be rather busy here too...


    ***


    Mori Junpei


    ¡°This is all so very exciting! Can you feel the difference yet, Taichi? I think I can. Well, maybe


    ...¡± Words were pouring from Emily at a rapid rate, as she giggled excitedly after pouring out a bottle of very expensive sake out over the idols at the Shin-den.


    Seeing that, Junpei couldn¡¯t help but lick his lips. Meeting the gaze of his best friend, Taichi, who was Emily¡¯s husband, he knew they thought the same thing. It might be sacrilegious, but it feels a waste. No, that¡¯s just our old poverty speaking. Before, a bottle of sake this fine would have been unthinkable, or if not, perhaps only for celebrating the wedding of our children. Our children...


    ¡°I... think I can.¡± Matsumuro-san, Tsukiko-san¡¯s father spoke softly. He was an older man, closer to the age of Hana¡¯s parents rather than their own age, and also quite reserved and quiet. His wife was the same way. That was why, even though they were in the same position, their daughter planning on marrying Akio, it was still hard to address them by name. I suppose I¡¯ll get used to it in time. After all... there¡¯s no going back.


    ¡°I too.¡± Daichi-san, the father of Kana-san, and priest of Shirohebizumi shrine, nodded. He raised a hand, and a flame blazed into life, which he used to ignite a stick of expensive incense, fragrance filling the area housing these idols. ¡°My control over the flame is increasing, and the intensity I can manage is also growing. I feel we are finding favour with the Kami here.¡±


    ¡°Lucky!¡± Emily giggled brightly, full of energy as ever. ¡°After this, we really need to work harder, don¡¯t we?¡±


    I was rather shocked when Taichi brought home a foreign bride and a son, a pregnant bride, no less. Glancing at his wife Hana, Junpei knew she felt the same way, though right now she had other things on her mind. Junpei shared her worry, though if he was honest with himself, he had come to accept it, and Hana, despite her shrill protests and complaints, had come around as well.


    It certainly helps that we are not alone. Daichi-san and Nagi-san, they have their daughter too. They are the closest to us in terms of mindset, so... we get on well. Indeed, Daichi-san was a regular at their evening drinks, his father Masaji-san often also joining them.


    That aside, Emily certainly was a breath of fresh air. Though she didn¡¯t exactly fit in with Nishimorioka and the Japanese way of life at first, but quickly, she won us over. My Hana, who was also pregnant, and rather further along than Emily, even decided to name her daughter after her, though it became Eri rather than Emi, as Emily was embarrassed. When the two girls were born, they grew up being very close friends, inseparable. Akio too. We¡¯d... always hoped that Eri and Akio would get married. And now they are. But... this?


    ¡°Yes. I do not approve of being a burden.¡± Taichi insisted, as stern as ever. ¡°All we could do is cower when the mansion was attacked. And while I think it foolish to put ourselves in danger, overestimating our abilities...¡±


    Hana made a sad expression at that, likely remembering the horrific scenes of their precious daughter¡¯s limbs coming off even as they watched on helplessly, her flesh torn and flayed. That Eri was fine now, no, better than fine, didn¡¯t wash out the memories of blood and sorrow.


    ¡°...we should be honing ourselves, so that we do not cause our children to worry about us.¡± Taichi finished. ¡°It is a parent¡¯s job to chastise, guide and worry over their children, not for them to concern themselves over us. Especially now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Taichi, don¡¯t be so stern.¡± Emily had noticed that Tsukiko-san¡¯s parents were troubled, heads bowed. I know they say us Japanese are experts and reading the mood, but Emily is surprisingly empathetic. Perhaps... perhaps it isn¡¯t just that it¡¯s her son rather than her daughter in this whole situation, but that... she understands them better than we do, what they want, what they need.


    ¡°Taro-kun, Kaoru-chan...¡± Emily addressed them informally, casually, despite them being older. ¡°...trust me, it¡¯s not your fault. I mean, honestly, what help do you really think we¡¯ve been to Aki? All we can do is be there for him, a supportive presence. And by that, I mean accepting his choices, and giving him advice when he wants or needs it. Aki... he¡¯s built all this...¡± Emily gestured to the wider grounds of the Imperial Palace, where Junpei knew hundreds of others were here, following Akio¡¯s call, from his own daughter, through to the nobility, military and even mythical, non-human beings.


    ¡°...and he did it through his own strength, and... also from the strength of our daughters.¡± Emily winked playfully. ¡°Without Kana-chan, Aki never would have got involved with the shrines, would he? Besides, your Kana-chan is a really smart girl, Nagi-chan, Taichi-san! She knows what she wants, and what she wants is the best!¡±


    Emily puffed out her chest proudly. With her Caucasian looks and stunning blue eyes, she certainly stood out, especially in shrine maiden hakama, but she seemed oddly well suited to it. Yes, Taichi¡¯s a lucky man. As am I. After all, we have the two prettiest wives in Nishimorioka. Not that we live there anymore.


    ¡°Yes, my daughter is a handful, but she¡¯s always been popular.¡± Nagi-san agreed. Kana¡¯s mother didn¡¯t lose to Hana or Emily, Junpei had to admit, and Kana was certainly as pretty as Eri, though as a father, he always rated his daughter¡¯s beauty higher. But then... He glanced over at Tsukiko-san¡¯s parents. ...sometimes one has to accept reality. But... Eri is still loved. And happy. That¡¯s what matters. And besides... we¡¯re in the Imperial Palace, and... while Hana and I haven¡¯t been a party to the conversations Taichi and Emily have been having with the Imperial Family, of course they¡¯ve told us privately. And here we are today...


    ¡°I admit to being a little concerned, but...¡± Nagi-san shook her head gently. ¡°My daughter knows her own mind, and she talks to me. She¡¯s so proud of her role here during this Pilgrimage. I¡¯ve never seen her so motivated. And that¡¯s all you and father-in-law ever wanted, right darling?¡±


    Daichi-san agreed. ¡°Yes. We are a proud shine lineage. But our daughter found it foolish. Yet... Akio-san... no, I suppose since he is going to be my son-in-law in time, it should be Akio-kun at the least. Akio-kun awakened her pride, and... honestly, he has given her treasures beyond price. More importantly... though it pains me to admit it, considering the circumstances, he loves her, and she him. And while I find the prospect of multiple marriage troubling, unusual... I have no legal, moral or even spiritual grounds to object. Even our Kami, Shirohebi, is eagerly awaiting their union.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s all about love! Eri too. Without Eri opening up Aki¡¯s heart, Shaeula told me that Aki would have stubbornly remained alone. And Eri... has taught Aki the most important lessons.¡± Emily was solemn then.


    Wait... is that... The relics and statues of the Amatsukami, which were enshrined in this part of the Shin-den, seemed almost to glow faintly for a second, as Emily continued to speak. Maybe I imagined it... but it did look like the statue of Amaterasu shone for a moment...


    ¡°Tsukiko-chan too.¡± Emily continued. ¡°Taro-kun, Kaoru-chan... my son was heartbroken when Tsukiko-chan passed. Just like when Eri was injured, my boy wasn¡¯t strong enough, quick enough... it scarred his heart. But...¡± She glanced at Taichi, who nodded, his grey eyes hard yet tender, an expression Junpei didn¡¯t often see when he was thinking of Akio. At least not before...


    ¡°...a man who has not suffered a few setbacks is no man at all. And while there are no rewards for trying, not in the adult world... outcomes matter. Eri recovered, and Tsukiko-san... she lives again. And my son... he is determined to make them happy, and they seem inclined to wish it as well. It is a hard path, but...¡± Taichi mused, struggling to find his words.


    ¡°We have no right to interfere with our daughter¡¯s choice.¡± Matsumuro Taro-san agreed, his wife nodding solemnly beside him. ¡°Though... honestly, if our daughter is finally able to be herself, to shed her veil and her role... and laugh, cry, smile... perhaps even know the joys of parenthood herself in the future... we will accept it. Please, look after our daughter.¡± He bowed, his wife doing likewise, and Emily laughed cheerfully, waving that off.


    ¡°Come on, no need for that! Though I get that you¡¯ve only been living with us for a while, you¡¯ll get used to us in time! Anyway... the point is... we all have one thing in common, right? We love our kids! And they¡¯re all connected through Akio.¡±


    ¡°One day you¡¯ll know how I feel when little Ai finds love.¡± Hana sighed. ¡°Though knowing you, you¡¯ll be fine with whatever.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Emily pumped her fist enthusiastically. ¡°As I said, so long as Ai is happy, I¡¯m happy. And besides...¡± Emily snickered, which made her seem younger. ¡°Aki will never let anyone mistreat Ai! Just as he won¡¯t tolerate anyone hurting your daughters. After all...¡± She winked at Tsukiko-san¡¯s parents. ¡°...didn¡¯t he even defeat death for your daughter? I think it¡¯s so romantic. I think Tsukiko-chan is great! Beautiful daughters-in-law are the best!¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I think...¡± Hana began, before flushing, glancing at Junpei with conflicted emotions, and he coughed, knowing what she was thinking, as she had complained about it while they were in bed together sometimes, when particularly drunk. Sure, it would teach Emily a lesson, but... polygamy is one thing...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eri is a new woman!¡± Emily chuckled, unaware of the conflicted emotions of her close friends. ¡°And she¡¯s thrown aside the shadows of her past failures, hasn¡¯t she? After all, she¡¯s proved she can handle herself. But more to the point... my Aki, he¡¯s always been soft-hearted and kind, but now fortunately he¡¯s grown up, and can be hard when he needs to be. But his heart is big enough for all your daughters, and he¡¯s promised always to make them happy. So who cares what the world thinks? Or what was done before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Nagi-san agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not from the shrine lineage of Shirohebizumi, I married in, so while I¡¯m happy that the old ways have returned, I¡¯m also frightened. As shrines and temples will surely be targets. So... I¡¯d rather Kana was protected by someone she loves. And knowing that if the worst happens, my Kana can be saved...¡±


    ¡°It is not to be relied upon.¡± Taichi warned. ¡°My son has told me that certain fates preclude his strange resurrection. Tsukiko-san almost met that fate, but fortunately Akio was in time to prevent it. But yes, as a safety net... a safety net that our daughters-in-law plan to extend out widely, to this Adamant group...¡± Taichi frowned, as well he might.


    It¡¯s a private army of women, loyal only to their leaders and Akio. A... dangerous concept. As time passes, loyalty might turn into something more... no, Eri isn¡¯t the shy, withdrawn girl she used to be, clinging to Akio and Aiko. She¡¯s changed. Everyone¡¯s changed. We¡¯ve changed...


    ¡°Excuse me...¡± There was a sudden knock at the door, and Junpei realised they had been talking for a while, holding up the next group of Pilgrims. As he turned to apologise, he realised it wasn¡¯t the next group, but in fact was the Grand Steward, the most important member of the Imperial Household Agency, which looked after the affairs of the Imperial Family. He was an older man, in his early sixties, quite short, and wearing black framed glasses which gave him a rather intellectual appearance.


    ¡°Emily-sama, Taichi-sama...¡± The man bowed deeply to the two of them, and Junpei noticed the different reactions they showed. Emily was delighted, though likely not by the formality, she sometimes struggled with Japanese ways in that regard, even after all these years, while Taichi was both resigned and troubled.


    ¡°It¡¯s time then?¡± Emily asked, and the Grand Steward nodded.


    ¡°Yes. His Imperial Majesty is waiting. If you would please follow me...¡±


    ¡°Well then...¡± Emily managed to rein in her good cheer, trying to appear dignified. ¡°We¡¯ll be off then. Hopefully matters won¡¯t take too long, we don¡¯t want to throw off the timetable here, and we have to visit the Boundary here as well. But... that depends on Aki now. Though my boy¡¯s got this!¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Emily.¡± Taichi chided. ¡°This is not merely a political and secular matter, it concerns the spiritual too. And... the hearts of the young. All we can do is lend our support and allow matters to proceed as they will.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed your tune, darling...¡± As Emily and Taichi were escorted out, this part of the Shin-den fell into silence, before Junpei took it upon himself to speak.


    ¡°All right. We should continue on as planned. It¡¯s out of our hands now. Though...¡± Junpei felt the sting of ironic humour as he met his wife¡¯s gaze. ¡°...it¡¯s not like our daughters aren¡¯t involved in this. Eri always said this would happen. Our daughter¡¯s quite perceptive, Hana.¡±


    She nodded, her expression rueful. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know just when little Eri started paying attention to those around her and what they were thinking and feeling, but... love changes a woman, and... she¡¯s an adult now. She¡¯s... done things few others ever have. That goes for your daughters too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nagi-san agreed, sympathetic. ¡°Kana¡¯s a latecomer, so we have no right to complain. But... your daughter was here from the start.¡±


    ¡°Our daughters aside...¡± Junpei grimaced as they moved to the second area of worship here, which rather than the Amatsukami of Tengoku, Heaven, was dedicated to the Kunitsukami, of Japan and the Earth. ¡°...we should feel privileged to be here. Not all of us have talents such as Daichi-san...¡± he nodded at Kana-san¡¯s father. ¡°...but... we can learn. We have to learn. And it should be far easier, once we have this Kami-Blessed Class maximised, supposedly. Besides...¡± His smile was rueful. ¡°...we all have daughters who wish to walk alongside Akio, for the rest of their lives. Long lives at that.¡±


    At the nods of agreement, he wondered just what the outcomes of this day¡¯s events would be. And not just this day. I¡¯m told there are a number of major events happening over the Pilgrimage, and each on its own would be the stuff of legend. No, will be the stuff of legend. It¡¯ll be taught about in schools across Japan, perhaps even the world. And our Eri will be immortalised in history.


    ¡°I for one, want to watch over my daughter...¡± He paused, giving Hana a sympathetic look, clenching his fist, remembering how much it hurt to punch Akio that time. Yes, there¡¯s no way I can chastise him now. Fortunately... he does love Eri dearly and would never choose to hurt her. Eri told me honestly, if she hadn¡¯t pushed for Shaeula, accepted the arranged marriages from the noble girls, Akio would have held fast to monogamy with her. And she claims she doesn¡¯t regret it. I know that¡¯s a lie, of course she has some regrets, but... honestly, compared to seeing her brighter personality now, even when she had just got together with Aki, she wasn¡¯t this cheerful.


    ¡°...all our daughters, for as long as possible. For Kana-san and Tsukiko-san are going to be my daughters too, odd though that is. So, Daichi-san, I know there are training sessions throughout the evenings of the Pilgrimage. Can you assist us?¡± We should ask the parents of Hinata-san, Motoko-san and Natsumi-san as well. They too are on this Pilgrimage, though they are currently at the Ko?rei-den, if I remember the schedule correctly. The Kashiko-dokoro is off-limits for the moment, depending on... what happens next...


    ¡°Of course.¡± Daichi-san agreed. ¡°We should also have time to bond over the evening sessions. It would be better to get aid from the twin daughters of Hikawa-Kawagoe shrine, but I suspect their schedule will be packed, poor girls. But...¡±


    As they continued to talk, crossing paths with a group of soldiers and mercenaries, the big, rather intimidating black woman Aliyah and her brother with them, Junpei shook his head once more. Yes, all of this is an event which future generations will look back on and talk about in the same way as the great events of our time, such as the Moon landings. Assuming we have a future. Though... that will depend on Akio, and also our little Eri. Isn¡¯t that the strangest thing of all?


    ***


    Yukiko, Princess Mikasa


    ¡°Granddaughter. You have arrived.¡± Her grandfather, the current Emperor, greeted her. Despite his advanced age, he still looked healthy, despite his hair long since having turned to grey. In fact, grandfather seems to be growing younger, though that¡¯s surely just because of the events of the past days. While Kyoto broke his heart, and the stolen citizens brought him to a furious rage, the call from America, discussions with Britain...


    ¡°Yes, she has. And she looks rather... warm...¡± her grandmother, also present, softly teased her. Empress Michiko was also worn by the passing of time, yet despite her white hair and the deep wrinkles her age had etched into her face, her smile was gentle, and the elegant ju?nihitoe she wore, a white, formal one for such matters, didn¡¯t hide her frame, showing she could still stand on her own feet without aid, despite it being made of many heavy layers of cloth. I remember wearing it a few times. It¡¯s like wearing a number of kimonos at once. Despite the cloth being of the highest quality, it¡¯s impossible not to feel tired and sweat. Or maybe that was just me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease our dear Yukiko.¡± her father scolded. ¡°She is nervous enough.¡± Her father, Prince Ayahito, smiled at her reassuringly, pride in his expression. Beside him stood her mother, Masuko, her own smile warm. She too was in a traditional ju?nihitoe, while her father and grandfather wore the male formal court dress, the sokutai. The Emperor was in black and white, a golden and crimson phoenix embroidered across his body, the long sleeves tooled in gold, the traditional imperial sceptre, the shaku, in his hand, glittering gold.


    Father was in dark navy and black, the colour symbolic, and Yukiko felt her heartbeat speeding up. Taking a deep breath, she managed to calm herself. Resilience, do your work! She now was completely used to using the terminology from Akio-san and did it almost without thought. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite nervous.¡± Yukiko agreed. Beside her, Tsukiko, who had accompanied her in, reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly, which further helped calm her.


    ¡°I can see why!¡± her female cousin Kaoruko giggled. She was here too, along with her younger male cousin Hodahito, and her uncle and aunt. They were dressed slightly less formally, in delicate kimono, and Yukiko blinked, recognising the styles. It makes me wonder. Are they from Natsumi-san¡¯s family? I know Hori house is one of the most esteemed traditional tailors of Japanese formal attire...


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hodahito agreed. He was a fairly studious young man, but Yukiko wasn¡¯t particularly close with him, as he was still in high school. Sometimes I wish I was young again, when life was simpler. But such is not to be... Tsukiko squeezed her hand again, and Yukiko managed a smile as her cousin addressed her.


    ¡°This is a big day for you. In more ways than one, cousin Yukiko. No, I suppose you should be Princess Mikasa today. This is an historic event, for a number of reasons.¡± In his black kimono, with an austere, straight-cut fringe of black hair and dark eyes, he did cut a more regal figure than Yukiko did herself. But then, I¡¯m not particularly suited for the role. Not like Kaoruko, Princess Takahime.


    Everyone praised Kaoruko for her good looks and cute demeanour, and she had the elegance a Princess required. It makes me wonder just why I¡¯m so plain? If it wasn¡¯t impossible, I¡¯d suspect mother had an affair. But that simply is inconceivable.


    ¡°It is all in your mind.¡± Tsukiko whispered, and Yukiko shot her a glance, surprised.


    ¡°Have some faith in yourself. I understand it sounds mocking coming from me...¡± Yukiko opened her eyes wide at Tsukiko¡¯s words, as she never would have said something like that before. ¡°...but you are quite attractive. Certainly to those who matter. And you only grow more so. After all, many men find bravery and dignity alluring.¡±


    Yukiko flushed again. Before she could speak, her elder brother, the final member of the Imperial Family, spoke. Yes, it¡¯s not fair. Brother Gorohito has the same shade of brown hair as me, the same eye colour, he wears glasses too. But he appears ascetic, tidy, while I just seem... dowdy. Although...


    ¡°Sister, there is no need to panic. But then, you never did like the spotlight.¡± Her elder brother smiled winningly. He was also in a black sokutai, embroidered with the sakura petals of the Imperial seal. ¡°Cousin Hodahito is right. Stand tall and proud. After all, as a family, you are our treasure, aren¡¯t you? After all, who else but you truly shines with Amaterasu¡¯s light?¡±


    ...I have put on some muscle. My arms aren¡¯t bulky, but... no, there¡¯s no time for such thoughts. ¡°Yes. I carry the burden of Amaterasu.¡± Yukiko agreed. ¡°Would that you could brother. After all... we are the descendants of Amaterasu. I... can say that now, can¡¯t I?¡±


    Her brother smiled wryly, his neat, black-framed glasses and well-shaped face giving him a handsome grace, although... Brother is polite, well-mannered and intelligent. But... somehow, he seems a touch... lacking... compared to Akio-san. I suppose... it¡¯s the difference in experience, of expectations. While brother Gorohito is being groomed to rule Japan one day, we as the Imperial Family are largely figureheads. Or... we were. No, times have changed.


    ¡°Yes, it seems we can. Grandfather took the urgent call from America. It was... quite the surprise.¡± Yukiko nodded, only to notice an edge in her older brother¡¯s voice, which was seldom something she heard from him. ¡°One surprise after another.¡± he continued. ¡°So, sister Yukiko, are you ready?¡± He nodded politely at Tsukiko, who had tilted her head downwards, and Yukiko had to stifle a grin.


    She has no issue with Akio or his friends and family seeing her face, but to outsiders... she¡¯s still shy. Or perhaps... no, is that it? If so, Tsukiko is certainly younger in mind and experience than I had believed. It¡¯s certainly cute though. Is this what Akio-san and Shiro would call gap moe?


    ¡°There is no need to be so forward, my Prince.¡± There was the sound of a staff striking the floor, and all eyes turned to the last person in the room. Seeing the elderly man, with bright golden eyes that seemed to belong more to a Yo?kai or a Faerie than a human, his long white beard down almost to his chest, the long-sleeved sho?zoku robes draping his body, half black and half white, symbolising the duality of Yin and Yang, his voluminous sleeves which hid his hands tooled with designs representing the Five Elements of Onmyo?ji, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, Yukiko smiled in relief.


    ¡°Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon. It is good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°And I to see you.¡± The old man was leaning on the ornate staff of his office, it as tall as he was, his hidden hand clasped around the sakura-wood shaft, representing both the Yang of life and the Yin of death. ¡°It seems you have been busy indeed. Yes, so you have.¡± His eyes shimmered with aether, and Yukiko shivered as though she was being seen through. It is like Akio-san or Shaeula, though... not so intense.


    Grandmaster Daimon then turned to Tsukiko. ¡°And you, we finally meet. I can see it clearly. You are forged of Yin and Yang, a blend of life and death. Fascinating. I would dearly love to talk more with you, but... time is precious. And we will have liberty later, depending on... results.¡±


    ¡°Yin-Yang Grandmaster...¡± Yukiko began, only for the old man to wink playfully.


    ¡°My title is a mouthful, and if anyone has earned the right to my respect, it is you, she who wields Amaterasu¡¯s flames. Besides, we of the Onmyo?ji Bureau serve your family and Japan. I¡¯ve told you before, call me Uncle Daimon.¡±


    Fine. ¡°Uncle... I am pleased to see you here. Is there any change?¡± This is the crux of it. Though Akio-san must bear a great deal of the fault too! What he asked for... Feeling her face heat up, she once more steeled herself.


    ¡°No, my fellow Onmyo?ji are at the Kashiko-dokoro, watching over the Tsukumogami. Naught we try has awoken them. In time, I suspect it will happen naturally, but...¡±


    ¡°Time we don¡¯t have.¡± Yukiko glanced at Tsukiko, who nodded, putting on her mask of the Diviner again, standing proud.


    ¡°Indeed. A year at worst, perhaps four at best, and we will be swept away. If power is to be awakened, it should be soon. And Yukiko must wield it, as the Princess of Heaven. Her Sun shall give warmth to the lands below, and succour to the people who wish for salvation. But... that which would swallow the Sun and shatter Heaven is out there. So her saviour, and mine... must be respected.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Uncle Daimon stroked his beard, glancing at the Emperor. ¡°Your granddaughter is certainly powerful. I have tested her Light of Amaterasu myself. From professional curiosity, you understand.¡± He chuckled then, the sakura-wood staff once more banging on the floor idly. ¡°But compared to the old legends, Yo?kai and creatures not from this world... yes, she is vulnerable. As are we all.¡± He then bowed to Tsukiko. ¡°I grieved when I heard of your death. Like me, you were a servant of your calling. Your loss was a tragedy.¡±


    ¡°I find it more saddening that you lost a dear friend, perhaps your only true one.¡± Empress Michiko spoke with graceful, quiet elegance. ¡°We... sheltered you as much as we could, dear Yukiko, you were not cut out for the spotlight. Luckily, Gorohito will shoulder the Imperial weight in time, and should disaster befall him, then Hodahito shall be the next heir. The Imperial Line is patrilineal, after all, even to this day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have no wish to be Empress anyway.¡± Yukiko shuddered. ¡°Priestess of Ise is more than enough responsibility for me. Too much, in fact. If it wasn¡¯t for Tsukiko and Akio-san...¡± She paused realising she might have said the wrong thing.


    ¡°I see. Yes.¡± Her grandfather agreed. ¡°I have no wish to burden you either. But... times are changing. And... depending on what happens here today, we must change with it.¡±


    ¡°The television broadcast is scheduled to go out from the underground studio as soon as matters are decided.¡± Yukiko¡¯s father explained. ¡°Arisugawa-san has been pulled in, as per the request. She was... quite unhappy, but she is a consummate professional, and has adapted. Our... other guest...¡± Father trembled, as well he might, and around the hall, everyone seemed tense, especially brother Gorohito. ¡°...has been summoned, with the aid of his subordinate. I believe your Onmyo?ji are keeping him satisfied?¡± he asked Uncle Daimon.


    ¡°Indeed. It was quite the thrill, seeing that. Honestly, it gives me hope that the Regalia can indeed be awakened. Though either way, our course is set, but... the tides of fate are ever-shifting. Fortunately... there are three.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± her grandfather agreed, his dark-eyed gaze solemn. ¡°The Imperial Regalia are more than merely treasures of this family and this land, more even than what our oldest records say, that they are living creatures too, Tsukumogami, with their own wills and strengths. They are a symbol... of the Imperial Family, and only we can wield them. I shall not bend on this, even now. But also...¡± He glanced at Gorohito. ¡°...to have your sister wielding such when you do not... it would displease the Gods, displease him. Fortunately, we no longer have to merely guess, we can ask.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to feel guilty.¡± Tsukiko whispered in her ear. ¡°Not about this, anyway. I... understand why you have not told him about this, but... we will decide soon. Either way, you wish the Regalia awakened. And should you insist, he will not force the issue of possession. After all, he is your friend, and he likes you. As for ordering about his subordinates... what is his is ours, so my word was enough.¡± She chuckled softly, and Yukiko was once more struck at how less... solemn, aloof and mysterious... Tsukiko was since her return. It was definitely her,


    but it was as if she was learning how to be an ordinary woman. As if I would know what that means...


    ¡°Grandfather, I may not have been called upon by Amaterasu, but I am worthy!¡± Gorohito insisted. ¡°As for allowing this Oshiro Akio to claim one of the Regalia, even through these methods... he does not carry the blood of the Gods! It is unacceptable. Other rewards yes, and... I hardly object to the agreement here, it benefits everyone, although... I am disappointed that negotiations with Britain fell short...¡±


    ¡°You will have your chance, certainly.¡± The Emperor decreed, and Uncle Daimon banged his staff again, before voicing his thoughts.


    ¡°If you are worthy, the Regalia spirits will certainly be yours. Perhaps they might not willingly serve Yukiko¡¯s Akio-kun, even should he awaken them.¡±


    He¡¯s not my Akio-kun! How frustrating... Yukiko was pouting, trying not to hear Tsukiko¡¯s soft laughter.


    ¡°If they don¡¯t, then... I¡¯ll have to insist that Akio-san...¡± she paused meaningfully. ¡°...receives proper compensation. I won¡¯t be the one who breaks my word to him. Not when he¡¯s been good to me, good to Tsukiko. Good to Japan, really.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pleasing to hear you saying that.¡± her mother exclaimed. ¡°I feel terrible about this whole matter, but...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± Yukiko waved a hand. ¡°What will be will be. And... I don¡¯t exactly hate it. He might, though. So we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°I do not need the visions from Tsukuyomi to know what he will do.¡± Tsukiko promised. ¡°Anyway, are we ready?¡±


    ¡°Shortly.¡± A large projector screen had been set up on one wall, and it was displaying a richly decorated room, with a modest yet elegant throne positioned in the centre, as yet unoccupied. Seeing that, Yukiko took a deep breath. Well, while it¡¯s far from impossible for me to choose freely, or at least it was like that... I had options. I still do.


    After a moment, the door was knocked politely, and the Grand Steward entered, showing in two people Yukiko expected, Akio-san¡¯s mother, who was looking around with eager anticipation, and his father, who was stern, composed yet also rather tense.


    ¡°Oh, our honoured guests. Now, take a seat.¡± her grandfather suggested, and as they did so, he spoke gently, trying not to overawe them. ¡°I am glad you could be here. This matter... we of the Imperial Family do favour the old-fashioned ways. Parents should be involved.¡±


    ¡°It is a great honour, one we are surely unworthy of.¡± Oshiro Taichi-san stood and bowed deeply, before retaking his seat. Oshiro Emily-san had an entirely different and unexpected reaction though.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all. Oh, hey Tsukiko-chan, Yukiko-chan!¡± She waved brightly, before addressing the Emperor. ¡°An honour... honestly, I think it¡¯s an honour that my Aki is prepared to help you out. Luckily, he likes Yukiko-chan!¡±


    As Taichi-san froze, open-mouthed, shocked to silence, Emily-san continued. ¡°I found it hard not to tell Aki about this, but I understand... it all depends on how things go, right? But really, I think you are overthinking things.¡± Her blue eyes glittered as she turned to Yukiko. ¡°So, honestly, Yukiko-chan. Do you like Aki? Set aside Tsukiko-chan and the others, you¡¯d have to... what do you think of Aki? Woman to woman?¡±


    Yukiko glanced around the hall, full of her family, and swallowed. Tsukiko whispered to her to be brave though, so, after shaking her head, she spoke her honest feelings. ¡°When he first said that he wanted one of the Regalia, I thought... I thought he meant he wanted me. I was taken aback, but... I was a little happy at the time. I mean, compare me to Tsukiko, or any of the others, setting aside my family, my Favour, I can¡¯t compare. When I realised he was just being... foolish... I admit to being angry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely honest.¡± Tsukiko spoke. ¡°I know my friend¡¯s heart well. She has long dreamed of a relationship where she is Yukiko, not Princess Mikasa. But... she is also a hopeless woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude! You¡¯re the hopeless one! So determined to die, then in the end, you gave yourself to Akio-san, just to make his heart ache, so he wouldn¡¯t forget you! You¡¯re a conniving woman!¡±


    ¡°Gave myself? A simple kiss, nothing more.¡± Tsukiko retorted. ¡°Though soon, on this very Pilgrimage.... Our hearts will beat as one. Why, are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Yukiko shouted, and then amused laughter rang out, but not from the hall, but the projector. The throne was now occupied, and an old yet still feisty woman was laughing happily as she watched the commotion. Her curled white hair and light blue eyes gave her the look of a kindly grandmother, which indeed she was, yet her poise and body language made it plain she was one to be obeyed and used to responsibility.


    ¡°I... I apologise for the lapse in decorum.¡± Yukiko flushed scarlet, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. ¡°To think you saw me acting so shamefully...¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it. We... no, for this, I suppose I should drop the formality. After all, Akihito, we are both equals are we not? Honestly, your family is far older than mine.¡± She chuckled softly as grandfather agreed, and the Queen of the United Kingdom, for that was who she was, then fixed her gaze on Yukiko. ¡°As for you, young woman, you remind me of my own granddaughter. When she talks about young Akio, she gets similarly heated. He seems to have quite the way with Princesses. But better a tempestuous feeling than indifference. Nothing is worse than a romance with no spark to it.¡±


    ¡°I... well, yes. Akio-san is a friend. A good friend. Honestly... I don¡¯t have many friends at all. Akio-san is my closest male friend, certainly.¡± Yukiko admitted. ¡°I... find him good company, and... no, I¡¯m not doing this now!¡±


    As the Queen chuckled, she apologised for suddenly appearing, but she wanted to surprise everyone, pull a modest prank. Turning to Akio-san¡¯s family, she addressed them cheerfully. ¡°Do forgive my informality, Taichi, Emily. But I do feel it appropriate, considering the circumstances. After all, you are one of my subjects, Emily, and your son... he saved my granddaughter, and possibly even Britain as a whole. So to be formal with his family strikes me as rather churlish.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± Fortunately everyone here spoke decent English. Obviously the Imperial Family had to learn it, for English was the language of diplomacy, and even Yukiko, who wasn¡¯t one for socialising or public speaking, had dabbled, and her stats made it effortless nowadays, what she didn¡¯t know she had mastered in passing.


    ¡°It is an honour.¡± Taichi-san managed, face cramping. ¡°As for my son... I apologise if he was rude or offended you or your granddaughter...¡±


    ¡°Oh my yes, my dear Eleanor was utterly offended. But don¡¯t you worry, I certainly chastised her for her rudeness. I met many of his fiance?es, you know. All quite delightful women.¡± She winked at the veiled Tsukiko then. ¡°I believe you are one, no? The woman who returned from the dead, yes?¡±


    ¡°One of them.¡± Tsukiko agreed, bowing solemnly. ¡°Do forgive my veiled face, I know that before royalty it is extremely rude, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have the reports. Don¡¯t mind it. Besides, I daresay I¡¯ll get to see your face soon. I expect you will be attending his Honours Ceremony? Seeing your fiance? become a Knight is something few can boast. Besides... it¡¯s why we are here, yes?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Elizabeth.¡± Grandfather was informal too. The two of them were close as both Monarchs and friends, and grandfather had been awarded the Most Noble Order Of The Garter as a Stranger Knight. It¡¯s strange, that Akio-san will be likewise honoured.


    ¡°Though I apologise for the uncertainties on how we will proceed. The call from the President of the United States has thrown matters off course, and... whether the Regalia can be awoken and who they choose will change the script. However, one thing is certain, we wish closer ties, and...¡± He turned to stare at Yukiko. ¡°...Yukiko, granddaughter, I wish for your happiness, but we also have responsibilities. But I am not so heartless as to sacrifice your future, no more than we already are, by making you bear the burden of Amaterasu.¡±


    What do I really want? Honestly, it¡¯s... not so bad. When I first received my blessing from Amaterasu I was terrified. Tsukiko was there to console me, but... she saw my tragic death, and her own end too. But she also saw hope. ¡°Tsukiko... do you think Akio is the one...¡± Tsukiko, Emily and her parents noticed her sudden lack of honorific. ¡°...the one who you thought would save us Princesses, save the world?¡±


    Tsukiko carefully shifted her veil, her ruby eyes peering into Yukiko¡¯s brown ones. ¡°Honestly... I think maybe he is. Perhaps I railed against him because I had no hope. But... I do not care if he is. Because he is the one I want. I want it for me, and for you, Yukiko. Your Prince may be waiting to swoop in and save you, but he may also never come, choked by the skeins of destiny. Even if he comes... honestly, I do not care. It is Akio in my heart now, and... he looms large in yours too, I know. Eri is right. It is not Destiny, or Definite. No... I instead think it Inevitability. Six Princesses, and already two love him, and he has saved a third.¡±


    The Queen smiled knowingly at that but kept her silence as Tsukiko continued. ¡°And he will save you too, I have no doubt. After all, you are his friend. And he would also not wish for me to cry. And cry I would, were you to perish, my dear friend.¡± Tsukiko¡¯s words were heartfelt and clear, and Yukiko felt her eyes misting up.


    Honestly, I don¡¯t know him that well, but... every moment I have shared is seared within my mind. Conclave, Tsukiko¡¯s funeral, witnessing his heroic deeds... even the quiet drinks we reminisced over, the easy conversation. With him, I felt... comfortable. I felt like myself, Yukiko.


    Before, finding a partner who would truly look at her, it was a near impossible task. Now, with the weight of Amaterasu on top of her, the chances were so pathetic as to be laughable. Could any ordinary man understand her burdens? She wasn¡¯t seeking sympathy, but... support, understanding. And he understands me, and doesn¡¯t sympathise, but offers me a helping hand and aid when I need it, when I want it.


    As the room was silent, all eyes on her, she gathered her thoughts. ¡°There are... less than ideal points. I don¡¯t even care that there are others. At first perhaps I did, but... familiarity makes most things seem acceptable. It¡¯s just... sharing with my best friend...¡±


    ¡°I welcome it.¡± Tsukiko promised. ¡°I see the joy Motoko and Natsumi have obtained and wish that for us too. Besides... Inevitability.¡± Her gaze turned to the screen where the Queen was watching, and her smile was knowing. ¡°Do you not agree, Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. Honestly, I liked the lad from my first meeting. And while it wasn¡¯t a terrible plan to engage Yukiko to one of my grandsons... well, Melissa threatened to cut Henry¡¯s manhood off and throw it in the fire, and Richard... no, that wouldn¡¯t work.¡± She shook her head sadly. ¡°Britain certainly isn¡¯t ready for Richard to get a second wife, I¡¯d have to copy Henry the Eighth and make a new Church. I do have some unmarried great-grandsons and great-nephews, but... just as it¡¯s impractical for my granddaughter Eleanor... it simply won¡¯t work. No, only one solution offers the maximum benefits for all. If we do this...¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s happening, it¡¯s happening!¡± Emily-san was starting to squeak, high pitched and excited, her husband trying desperately to calm her. Seeing that, a faint smile appeared, Yukiko¡¯s lips twitching. Soon she was giggling softly, before it became a full-throated laugh, and then she bent over, unable to contain the gales of laughter bursting from her.


    When she finally got her laughter under control, she wiped her damp eyes, shaking her head. ¡°Fine. Honestly, I don¡¯t hate it. In fact...¡± She bit her lip, actually a little ashamed to admit it. ¡°I¡¯m not bound by my old ways of thinking. Just like the sun illuminates all, Akio casts his rays on many. I... think you are right, Tsukiko. To me, he¡¯s the one. Perhaps I¡¯ll be the light he carries in his hand? But...¡± She glanced over at her brother, slightly troubled. ¡°...I think... if he really is destined to be my husband, then one of the Regalia should answer to him.¡±


    ¡°So, is that your final decision?¡± grandfather asked, and Yukiko nodded slowly.


    ¡°Yes. If Akio can indeed wake the Regalia, and one serves him, it will show he was meant to be a part of the Imperial Family. And I shall marry him. After all... he overturned great-grandfather¡¯s regrets, didn¡¯t he? And that was just because I am his friend.¡± She smiled then, suddenly feeling rather excited.


    I... was running scared of this, scared of my feelings. I grieved so much when Tsukiko died, but he promised me I¡¯d see her again, and I did. When he said he¡¯d protect me from the golden-eyed creature that seeks to harm me, my fear... it went away. He makes me feel safe. Sure, there are many others I have to share his warmth with but... I can live with that. Because Tsukiko is right. There¡¯s the two of us. We can work together to make him fall hard for us!


    ¡°Imagine how much love he¡¯ll lavish on me if we¡¯re a couple?¡± Yukiko smiled radiantly. ¡°Now my mind is made up... I¡¯m finding I don¡¯t know why I was worrying so. But...¡± She suddenly frowned. ¡°I have my pride. I know that politics are involved, but... he¡¯s disdainful of those arrangements now. I... want the opportunity to win him over myself. Not through pity, but... because I¡¯ve long felt myself inferior, undesirable.¡± She shook her head, long braid bouncing. ¡°So, allow me to make the first move.¡±


    ¡°You seem confident the Regalia will awaken, and he will be chosen?¡± her mother asked, and Yukiko snorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m endlessly confident in him. You are too, yes Tsukiko?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Regalia will answer him, and you too, Yukiko.¡± she declared, her crimson eyes showing unwavering conviction. ¡°And I believe your love will be answered. After all... I know him well. Not as well as I yet wish, but... soon.¡± She touched her lips, and Yukiko flushed, before turning to Emily-san and Taichi-san.


    ¡°Please look favourably on me. I may be a gloomy, troublesome girl, with many responsibilities, but...¡±


    Emily gave her a thumbs-up, eyes sparkling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Yukiko-chan! You¡¯re great, and my Aki will certainly love you, I¡¯m sure! He¡¯s got an endless ocean of love inside him! If he¡¯s dumb enough to scorn you, then you let your mother-in-law Emily set him straight!¡±


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re upstaging me here, Akihito. But alas, it can¡¯t be helped. The timing isn¡¯t favourable. So, our agreement still stands?¡± the Queen asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Yukiko¡¯s grandfather agreed. ¡°I would never break faith with you, Elizabeth. Now more than ever. But the exact details depend on what happens next.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I shall be here, watching with great interest. As shall...¡± She glanced over on the screen, and Yukiko held in a snort of laughter, as she saw a faint flash of blue at the corner of the display. So she¡¯s there? I¡¯m mortified, but... it¡¯s for the best.


    Moments later the door was knocked once again, and Yukiko suddenly felt short of breath, her heart clenching. Tsukiko grasped her hands again, and as the door opened, Yukiko found herself inspecting Akio rather more closely, his grey eyes seeming almost to shine, his handsome face, his... oh damn it all. Now I¡¯ve finally decided, everything about him seems different somehow. This... is awful! I must be redder than my hakama! I think... I am going to die of shame...

 Five Hundred And Sixty-One

    Five Hundred And Sixty-One


    I was ushered into the hall within the Imperial Palace proper where I was going to be meeting the Emperor of Japan by the most important member of the Imperial Household Agency, the Grand Steward. I actually wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about meeting the Emperor, strange though that was, because I had already met the Queen of Great Britain, and the President of the United States, to say nothing of truly dangerous figures like Nurarihyon and his strange doll wife Seirei. Speaking of dolls...


    No, the only thing that was worrying me a bit was whether I would be able to awaken the Imperial Regalia. I had ideas, and was reasonably confident, but there weren¡¯t just political concerns in play here. The additional strength that these items could provide to Yukiko-san and me was clearly of huge importance, I had no doubt they weren¡¯t any weaker than the treasures from the Tower of London and were likely on a par, or perhaps even stronger, than Mortal Fragarach or Hinata¡¯s new Mortal Clai?omh Solais.


    Once the door opened, I immediately took in the situation within the hall, my high stats and Split Thoughts rapidly assessing every detail. The Emperor and Empress were there as expected, as was his son and heir and his wife. Yukiko-san too. Of course she¡¯s here. After all... she¡¯s my link to the Imperial Family, as well as the beneficiary of my efforts, when I wake the Regalia.


    There were also another five members of the Imperial Family I wasn¡¯t expecting. It seemed like one group were parents and a daughter who looked a little like Yukiko-san, as well as a school-age son, and lastly... I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s Yukiko-san¡¯s brother? He¡¯s looking at me with an odd expression...


    Speaking of odd expressions, Yukiko-san¡¯s face was red and her breathing was coming rather fast, and Tsukiko, who was there with her, was holding her hand tightly. She¡¯s also looking at me very intently. Hold on a minute... it¡¯s not just nerves regarding this meeting and the Regalia, is it?


    My worries were growing as I saw the oddities in the room. The first was a large projector screen, broadcasting a familiar face, the Queen of Great Britain, who was watching me enter with a wry, teasing smile. That was a surprise, but the bigger shock was seeing my parents here. I froze for a moment, even my Split Thoughts locking, but I quickly put the pieces together, straining to keep a frown off my face.


    Father was watching me, as impassive as ever, though I didn¡¯t fail to notice some faint beads of sweat sliding down his face, despite the temperature in the hall being rather pleasant. Mom, however, was practically bouncing with excitement, her own face flushed, blue eyes sparkling as she looked between me and Yukiko-san.


    I see. So that¡¯s how it is, is it? Well... It was impossible for me to be dense about these matters anymore. And any high ground I had to insist I had reached my limit had been captured when Lin and Rose declared themselves my wives in a manner even the Multiverse seemed to accept. Yes, I can argue that is a problem for the far future, but... it¡¯s done, and I take it seriously, and will accord them the same love and respect I give any of my Earthly brides...


    Those rapid thoughts concluded, I decided that my answer would depend on just why this situation had arisen. I wasn¡¯t a fool, I could imagine the political benefits here, and the presence of the Queen, as well as the trailing edge of a blue gown at the corner of the screen, blue being Eleanor¡¯s favourite colour for clothing, did hint at some other possibilities. But I don¡¯t want to jump to conclusions, and... in the end, it all comes down to feelings.


    Biting down a chuckle at the situation which was unfolding rather closely to how Eri always suggested it would, I bowed deeply. ¡°I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and it is a great honour to meet the Imperial Family. And also...¡± There was one more person in the room, wearing rich, ornate and old-fashioned robes of black and white, chased with elegant embroidery, and while the man was old, he radiated vitality, and his golden eyes didn¡¯t seem to be his natural ones. Resisting the urge to use my own Eyes as that would be a breach of etiquette and I needed to make a good impression, I continued my greeting. ¡°...Your Majesty, and Princess Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Please, I like to think we are friends now, Akio. My granddaughter certainly thinks so. Do come out, Eleanor...¡±


    With an audible sigh, Eleanor entered the shot, pulling over a chair. She was indeed in a rather fetching blue gown, her hair braided into a ponytail with a green and bronze ribbon, reminding me a little of her valiant figure when she wore the armour of the Green Knight. To further emphasise that point, her blue gown had oversized bronze buttons, and she wore an emerald necklace and earrings, as well as green high-heeled shoes.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± Eleanor curtsied elegantly, before sitting. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to interrupt, but grandmother insisted...¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, my dear granddaughter. After all, this is a day of great importance. More than we had anticipated. Although...¡± The Queen rubbed her hands together gleefully. ¡°I...¡±


    I see she¡¯s not using the Royal ¡®we¡¯ here. That means this is either an extremely informal gathering, which doesn¡¯t fit at all considering who is here, though ordinarily the presence of my parents might disabuse that, or it¡¯s a matter where she needs to drop all pretence...


    ¡°...do enjoy the way that things have moved on, and the show we are about to see. Nothing is ever boring with you, is it Akio? My granddaughter says the same.¡±


    ¡°You... certainly have your ways of commanding attention.¡± Eleanor admitted after a moment, cheeks faintly pink. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just here as a witness.¡± As the Queen chuckled at her words, Yukiko-san spoke up quickly, surprising us.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. You do stand out, Akio. I... am very grateful for everything you¡¯ve done to help me, and to help Tsukiko. And that you¡¯re my friend...¡±


    No honorific huh? For a girl as isolated as Yukiko-san, that¡¯s quite a bold step... Deciding not to force the issue yet, I nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m proud to have you as a friend too, Yukiko-san.¡± Seeing her face twist at that, inwardly I groaned. Yeah, her attitude has changed, although... honestly, I¡¯m thankful. It doesn¡¯t seem entirely motivated by politics, judging by her face. What... do I do? No, we¡¯ll see how it develops. There¡¯s no rush...


    ¡°Oh, and you as well, Eleanor.¡± I added quickly, and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Friends are indeed important, in these troubled times more than ever.¡± she agreed, though whether it was just the situation here with Yukiko-san making me paranoid, but I detected an edge in her voice. It could just be that she¡¯s upset at the situation here. She doesn¡¯t approve of my polygamy... it could be, or...


    ¡°Speaking of friends... I assume you must be Yin-Yang Grandmaster Daimon?¡± I asked the golden-eyed old man with the spectacular long beard, even longer than Yasuhide-san¡¯s.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He flourished his staff for emphasis. ¡°Though for the Princess¡¯ sake, feel free to call me Uncle Daimon. Despite my lofty position as the head of the Imperial Onmyo?do? Bureau, I am a simple man. After all, until recently, the position was little more than a hidden and ceremonial one, though we did keep alive the old Arts, even if most were unusable.¡± His golden eyes sparkled, and my own Eyes flared instinctively in counter, my amber and his gold a matching pair.


    You have been subjected to Five Elements, Yin And Yang Insight. Your Eyes have responded to deny access to your information. Your Mystic Eyes Of The World Tree have been strengthened by absorbing some of the remnant energy, and your affinity to Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water Elements, as well as Yin and Yang Elements, has slightly increased.


    Interesting. ¡°Peeking is a bit rude, but as we¡¯re both friends of Yukiko-san, I¡¯ll forgive you. But I suspect we¡¯ll want to have a long talk later. Not that I have much time. Pilgrimage is on a tight schedule, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Uncle Daimon stroked his long beard thoughtfully. ¡°I think we should indeed. Though perhaps there will be time during your task here. But where are my manners?¡± He nodded to the Grand Steward, who introduced everyone to me. It was rather amusing as he even introduced me to my own parents with great respect for them, which made me admire his professionalism.


    That done, the Emperor got straight to the point, which was both a relief and a worry, as Yukiko-san was clearly tense. But there¡¯s no point in rushing things, is there? ¡°Young man, subject of our Imperial Japan, you have done well, and it pains me to ask more of you. But... my granddaughter, Princess Mikasa... no, you know and speak her true name, not her Royal one... Yukiko, she believes you can perform a duty that would forever cement you as a true friend to Japan and our Imperial Family, and the Gods themselves.¡±


    Seeing that Yukiko-san wanted to speak up, the Emperor inclined his head, and after a deep breath, Yukiko-san began. She was looking at me with far greater boldness than usual, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes damp. One hand reached for her long braid idly, but with a force of will she controlled that, trying to seem regal. And she¡¯s doing a good job. That hakama in red, white and gold certainly helps, but... she¡¯s grown into her role. I like to think I had something to do with that, but then... Tsukiko helped too.


    Beside her, still holding Yukiko-san¡¯s free hand, Tsukiko winked at me, and I could see her ruby eyes through her veil. Her lips moved, likely only me able to see them, and I read her silent words even as Yukiko-san spoke. I... see.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, Akio, nobody can. Though Uncle Daimon assures me the Tsukumogami will likely awaken in time, though perhaps not soon. But... we don¡¯t have time. No... Tsukuyomi foretold your coming. I believe that. And... thanks to Tsukiko, you inherited the will and cause of Tsukuyomi. And I... of the direct Imperial bloodline, of Amaterasu, and also...¡± A brilliant halo of flame formed around her, though it was carefully controlled, merely feeling like a warm bonfire rather than a raging inferno. ¡°...the Favour of the Goddess herself. Now, I am not one for superstition...¡± She chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°...but as an Imperial Daughter in direct line of descent from the first Emperor, be that Emperor Jimmu if you believe the myths, which I now most certainly do, or Emperor Kinmei, if you follow the confirmed historical records from fifteen hundred years ago...¡±


    Whoa, she¡¯s right. Another coincidence? It was nigh-on fifteen hundred years ago that we have the first true records of the Imperial Family, rather than mere tales.


    ¡°...must be the Priestess of Ise, a shrine maiden venerating Amaterasu... I am well-versed in religious matters.¡± Her solemn brown eyes looked at me, and I tried to ignore the hot breathing of my mother, and the barely controlled squeaks she was leaking as father held her hand, whispering to her to show some decorum in front of such august company. I think you¡¯re going to lose that one father, mom¡¯s always been a free spirit, my sis gets that from her too. And she¡¯s only got worse recently, since I started my relationships...


    ¡°I found it trite, boring, simply a chore I had to perform. How I sometimes wish that was still the case.¡± Yukiko-san chuckled, before pausing. ¡°Actually, despite everything, I don¡¯t. I find that... surprising. Without Uncle Daimon and his Onmyo?ji...¡± The old man inclined his head at her words. ¡°...dearest Tsukiko, who was my closest friend, perhaps only true one, though she was distant before this, her own heart frozen...¡± Tsukiko chuckled, conceding that point. ¡°...and you, Akio, who was the one to stand up and say that you could protect me, protect us...¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯ve heard speeches like this before. But... I¡¯m actually relieved.


    ¡°...you did so much for me. Little things, such as listening to my complaints, soothing my sorrows at Tsukiko¡¯s funeral, sending me a text here, calling me there, like I am an ordinary woman... even giving me armour and training me to be stronger. But the bigger things too. Restoring Tsukiko to life, saving me from despair. Protecting Japan, the country my family loves. Bringing me new friends and acquaintances...¡± She glanced at the projector screen, where Eleanor inclined her head in agreement. ¡°...the others of your women, your sister, the Fae and many others... to them I am not Princess Mikasa, or even Amaterasu¡¯s Chosen, but they see me through your eyes, as simply Yukiko. A friend. Honestly... in these most abnormal of times, once... once the fear was banished, the existential dread of knowing I would have to face such horrors, that I would die...¡± She took a long, deep breath. ¡°...I now feel the most normal I ever have. It¡¯s a cosmic farce, but... it took this nightmare to free me from my own despair. It took you. And...¡±


    ¡°Have courage!¡± Only I and Yukiko-san could likely hear Tsukiko¡¯s faint whisper, and I instantly remembered her mouthed words from moments ago. Do not concern yourself with how I feel. Simply follow your heart. But... know this was inevitable. Not Destiny, not Definite, but simply a consequence of you thawing Yukiko¡¯s brittle heart...


    ¡°...honestly, I think of you often. I... want to go out drinking again, in an ordinary bar, perhaps alone, or perhaps with the others. Not being recognised, just being Yukiko, not princess Mikasa, although...¡± She chuckled then, and I noticed her family seeming surprised at her attitude, her brother looking as if he had seen a ghost. ¡°...honestly, you are far more famous than I, so you¡¯d have to wear a disguise!¡±


    I nodded at that, and she continued. I let her, as... whatever decision we made, spitting on her resolve here wasn¡¯t something I could do. And Tsukiko would be upset too.


    ¡°I also want to tell you about my day, about me, about my hopes, my dreams, my...¡± She reddened. ¡°...no, you know so many already. The time we have shared has been meagre, but deep. And... I cannot help but think, if I have gained so much, felt so much, in these snatched moments of peace and bliss, how much more could I gain in the future?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I haven¡¯t done much. Just... offered a helping hand.¡± I managed as she fell silent, clearly waiting for a response, and she snickered, amused.


    ¡°Often, that¡¯s all it takes. You really have to stop helping people, or... no, actually that¡¯s wrong. We need you, the world needs you, to continue doing what you¡¯re doing, to be strong, and kind, and shining!¡± She took a deep breath, face still red. ¡°Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were married in the myths. If you ask me... it was meant to be. After all... you¡¯re the one to protect us Princesses of the Six Paths. And... if we are yours and you ours, isn¡¯t that so much easier, doesn¡¯t it make so much sense? Uh... I¡¯m rambling...¡± Her flush deepened. ¡°...yes, I honestly think it fated to be, but... that¡¯s not why. Nor...¡± She glanced over at her relatives. ¡°...is the fact that there is much to gain for us both, Japan and the Imperial Family as a whole, important. But... it does make things sweeter, doesn¡¯t it? Hinata-chan would agree.¡± Her smile was now wicked. ¡°...in the end, it simply comes down to... Akio, I like you. I know you have many others, and... honestly I¡¯m plain, and can¡¯t compare to Tsukiko, but... I see myself making a life with you, with everyone! So... here and now...¡± She turned, looking at my parents. Mom was delighted, and father resigned. ¡°...I¡¯m formally asking you out. Well, I suppose as I¡¯m Imperial Princess Mikasa it¡¯s a bit more... involved than that, but I want to be like Tsukiko.¡± She bowed. ¡°So... sorry for springing this on you.¡±


    As she fell silent, I heard clapping, and it was Queen Elizabeth, Eleanor¡¯s grandmother, who looked positively thrilled, leaning forwards, eyes twinkling cheekily.


    ¡°Such a wonderful example of young love. It moves my crusty old heart to see it. You know...¡± Her words were conspiratorial. ¡°...my eldest son loves his wife, yes, but they have had rocky times. It was more an arranged marriage than a love match, though quite often they work out.¡± She winked knowingly, and I found myself nodding. ¡°...I then resolved that their children would get to follow their own hearts, as best they could. Royalty does come with obligations. Fortunately, Richard and Henry have both found love, and the public is less strict on their opinions nowadays... but... sadly, these last few months have shown us that responsibility never ends.¡±


    As most of the Imperial Family agreed, she continued. ¡°We have many advantages, our wealth, our privilege, but they are paired with grave responsibilities. Britain and Japan, largely thanks to your efforts, Akio, are the firmest of friends now. We had hoped to include South Korea in this, but... well, some dogs are ungrateful and bite the hand that feeds. To that end... alliances. My granddaughter, and Princess Mikasa, though I suspect I should call her Yukiko now, after her impassioned speech rejecting her Royal mask...¡±


    Yukiko-san flushed again but managed a nod.


    ¡°...both are Royal Gods¡¯ Chosen, and both will capture the hearts of the public. It is a time-honoured tradition, though rather out of fashion, to cement ties with marriage. Though it is fraught with issues. Henry was willing, but his fiance?e was certainly not, and the public in Britain, while enamoured of you and your beautiful fiance?es, Akio, is not ready for an Akio of our own in the Royal Family. Besides... Yukiko refused all the offers, and now I see why. Her heart was set on another.¡± She winked at me.


    ¡°Then...¡± she continued, after that bombshell. ¡°...there is my Eleanor. A marriage to one of the Princes of Japan could work, but... Hodahito is too young, and Gorohito...¡± The Queen paused, shaking her head. ¡°There is also the sidereal branch of the Imperial Family, but...¡±


    ¡°I can speak for myself, grandmother.¡± Eleanor sighed, exasperated. She then glanced at Yukiko-san with an expression of understanding and pity. ¡°We are far too alike. We should definitely be good friends. Though I could not make such a declaration of impassioned love, I think. I had heard you Japanese were reserved, but having met Akio, you, Shiro and some others, I am beginning to reevaluate that. But we British are. We hardly talk of our feelings. But... it¡¯s true I rather didn¡¯t fancy an arranged marriage. And... it wouldn¡¯t have worked anyway. Not unless I stayed in Britain, away from my husband. The Tower... cannot be left unattended. And while we have your Ring Gates...¡± She stared at me, her blue eyes earnest, and I realised just how attractive Eleanor actually was.


    Though Yukiko-san is looking rather cute as well. She thinks she¡¯s plain, but just like Hisano-chan, once her confidence grows and she finds the style that suits her best, she¡¯ll bloom like a beautiful lily...


    ¡°...and we are allies, I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s rather churlish of me to expect that to continue without me giving back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a transaction.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We all have to work together for the greater good. You¡¯ve helped us plenty.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Eleanor agreed, a slight curve of her lips giving away her good mood. ¡°It¡¯s good you realise that. I hate a number of things in men...¡±


    Here it comes, lecture time. But I guess I deserve it. After all, it seems I¡¯ve sunk my claws into Yukiko-san without even trying...


    ¡°...firstly, I hate ungrateful men. Secondly, I hate vile, lewd men. Thirdly... I hate men who can¡¯t take a hint. Fourthly, I hate selfish men. And lastly... I hate treacherous men.¡±


    I suppose I might be lewd, but vile is harsh...


    Seeing my confusion, the Queen laughed. ¡°Eleanor, you¡¯ll confuse him like that. Honestly, I wish you had more of the charm of your brothers. I had worried you¡¯d never find a man, what with your sharp tongue.¡±


    Eleanor coughed nervously. ¡°Grandmother! Not in front of the dignitaries! And him...¡± Taking a deep breath, Eleanor explained. ¡°You certainly are not ungrateful. And nobody could accuse you of being a vile wretch like Donovan, driven by wickedly lewd desires. You are lusty, certainly, but... come by it honestly. Yes, I do keep in contact with your fiance?es, as I promised I would.¡± She brandished her phone, her expression wry. ¡°You may be selfish in some respects, keeping so many women close can certainly be seen as that, but... I see your conflicted expression when you look at Yukiko there. Idiot. As for treachery, I warned you. I cannot and will not survive another betrayal. My heart is glass, and already cracked.¡±


    ¡°You missed one...¡± I pointed out, though I had already guessed. Mom had almost passed out, she was so excited, and Yukiko-san was looking conflicted, yet expectant.


    ¡°Yes, I did. But you¡¯re not really going to make a lady say it, are you?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± I scratched my head, rueful. ¡°I can take a hint, at least when I stopped deliberately being obtuse. And while I think the situation is spiralling out of control a bit... no. Why me? Honestly, while I think you don¡¯t hate me anymore, and I¡¯d even go so far to call us friends... it¡¯s not just politics, is it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Eleanor shrugged, slightly offended. ¡°Though if it was, I was lectured to most firmly by Motoko and Natsumi about the fact that arranged marriages can often be extremely happy. I certainly find it... troubling... to consider myself just one of... how many is it now then? Do count Yukiko, for you are a gentleman, no?¡±


    ¡°Not sure it works like that, but... fifteen. No... you¡¯d make sixteen, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God? I know about Tan, but the others? Who? Why don¡¯t I know them? Is it Tamamo-no-Mae and Nebisuki? I don¡¯t know how I feel about that, but...¡± Mom was babbling, and I felt the tug of the bonds I shared with them, their invisible tails that I was unable to relinquish.


    ¡°Oh, well, perhaps it might be one or two higher in due course. As for the other two... they are very far from here.¡± I chuckled nervously and resolved myself to come up with some sort of solution. I don¡¯t want to be the sort of husband that¡¯s always out working, never spending any time with my wife. Though in this case, rather than working, it¡¯d be with other wives. There has to be a way... even using my Material and Astral bodies, that still doesn¡¯t even scratch the surface of my time dilemmas...


    ¡°I¡¯m shocked. But not that shocked.¡± Eleanor frowned. ¡°Honestly, I can hear David laughing now. A lot of it is his fault anyway. Now, I¡¯m not going to give you a long, rather cute speech like my fellow Princess did.¡± Yukiko flushed scarlet again, her expressions and emotions changing fast, far more expressive than I had ever seen her. ¡°I do see you as a friend. And a saviour. But relationships based on being saved are rather pitiful. So disregard that. At least we share a lot in common, have a connection. And you won¡¯t be too distraught if I spend the majority of my time in Britain, you don¡¯t lack for company.¡± She crossed her arms, and I was amused to see she was slightly irritated.


    ¡°I think what my granddaughter is fumbling through saying is... when offered the choice of someone who could match her and understand her, you were the one she decided on.¡± The Queen grinned. ¡°No ordinary man could ever hope to satisfy her now. Men are fragile creatures, to see their wife so powerful, important would eat away at them... and as for the other Chosen of Britain and Japan...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even suggest David...¡± Eleanor shuddered. ¡°...he¡¯s a playboy. I might as well stick with you.¡± She then paused, cheeks and ears a little pink. ¡°That was rude of me. Look, I¡¯m... not used to this. Besides, your other woman there...¡± She nodded at Tsukiko. ¡°...she says it. I am Princess of Humans. And I can¡¯t falter, or Britain and everything I love will fall. But I did falter, yet because of your hand, I was able to grasp it and stand up, on my own feet. Honestly, nobody understands me like you do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me.¡± Yukiko-san agreed. ¡°There will be... two more.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Six Princesses. So I hear. I assume it is not these two so very far away?¡± Eleanor asked, and I shook my head.


    ¡°No, uh... they¡¯re Valkyries, who dwell high in the Astral, on another world.¡± I admitted, and Eleanor narrowed her eyes, snorting.


    ¡°Honestly... I¡¯m actually impressed. You can charm beings who dwell so far away they are but distant dreams. It¡¯s no wonder...¡± She clutched her chest, looking down for a moment. ¡°Actually... I can¡¯t help but wonder. I hate myself sometimes, but... if so many women adore you, then you must be something special. No... I know you are. I know it well. Perhaps that¡¯s what frustrated me so. I wanted to dislike you for your womanising ways, because I always dreamed of a fairytale romance.¡±


    ¡°You can still have that.¡± Tsukiko spoke up. ¡°Precious moments are not measured in number, but in intensity, in meaning.¡±


    ¡°So they are. But... I was not lying when I said if you betray me... I will exact my vengeance in the only way that I can, that I know will hurt you. If... I am not blissfully happy, I shall kill myself, and leave you a note detailing all your failures, why it is your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so dramatic, granddaughter...¡± the Queen began, but Eleanor shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. I... am compromising here. If I am to be one of many, I still wish to be loved earnestly. If I wanted a loveless, hollow union, I had options here. Now, David bade me remind you of his words. He says....¡± Eleanor was now very pink, her breath hitching in her throat as she spoke. ¡°The time has come, accept my hand and bear some of the weight I carry.¡±


    David, you bastard. You knew this was coming, didn¡¯t you? But then, so did I. Though I never thought it would unravel like this. I guess Eri¡¯s Foresight must be tuned to romantic matters...


    ¡°Our thunder has been quite stolen.¡± The Queen grinned. ¡°But I do hope to announce it officially when you are honoured during the New Year celebrations. Be a man, Akio. My beautiful, honourable, rather stubborn, yet cute...¡± Eleanor pouted at her teasing. ¡°...granddaughter had choices, but in the end, she picked you. You¡¯ll not turn her down now, will you? Nor poor Yukiko, who poured out her heart.¡±


    I looked at them both, one in the hall, the other on the screen, and shook my head. ¡°Actually, I like you both a lot. Love... I¡¯m not sure, but honestly...¡±


    ¡°Love develops quickly.¡± Tsukiko nodded. ¡°You love me, do you not?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. I want to make you happy. I want to spend time with you, hold you...¡±


    ¡°Soon.¡± she promised, eyes bright behind her veil. ¡°But... I know you dislike these contractual matters, but... you stepped into Tsukuyomi¡¯s role. You are the one who carries light, darkness and twilight. Or if not, you have usurped him. So, protecting Yukiko and Eleanor is your role. And... good deeds should be rewarded. Give love and protection, receive love and protection.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I get it.¡± I nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re both sure, Eleanor, Yukiko?¡± I dropped the honorifics. At that, Yukiko¡¯s expression brightened.


    ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t, but now I am.¡± she declared. ¡°Because when you said my name without an honorific, my heart clenched. It hurt, but... it was a feeling I¡¯ve never felt before.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not sure.¡± Eleanor admitted. ¡°But who is? Even entering into an ordinary relationship, one never knows if one will get hurt, be cheated on, or it just doesn¡¯t work out. At least I have my resolve. David too. He is training hard, and he says that he¡¯ll teach you a lesson if you make me cry. Oh, and he says he wants another set of bouts, one per woman.¡± She chuckled then. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if his stamina will hold out though. Sixteen or more... by the Gods, that idiot and traitor Donovan thought he was King Solomon, so Shaeula told me, but you might actually be his reincarnation...¡±


    ¡°Before we continue...¡± the Emperor spoke up. ¡°I am most delighted that we have come to an arrangement, but... first, there must be a test.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather... you¡¯d try and ruin my happiness?¡± Yukiko grumbled, surprising us, and the Emperor laughed loudly.


    ¡°So quickly your loyalty turns to your new fiance?...¡± Fiance?, huh? Well, I guess I did offer the same to Eri and the others in no time at all, so... ¡°...but do you think he will fail?¡± he finished, and Yukiko shook her head, before glancing at Eleanor.


    ¡°No, he¡¯ll succeed. You think so too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Much as it pains me to admit it, yes.¡± Eleanor nodded. ¡°I believe if anyone can make miracles, it¡¯s Akio. But be warned, I¡¯m not one to disappoint either!¡± she insisted. ¡°My glass heart is cracked, and it will need care to make me smile honestly again. Can you offer me that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take the feelings of women lightly, not at all.¡± I promised. ¡°So, this test, it¡¯s the Regalia, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Emperor agreed. ¡°Awaken them and be chosen by one. There are three, so you, Yukiko, and ideally young Gorohito, or at least his father, should wield them. Thus showing the power and unity of the Imperial Family for all to see, quelling unrest on our shores.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I have some ideas. Though I¡¯ll need some help. I want Ginneka, Nie Ling and Azuki brought here...¡±


    ¡°Fortunately...¡± Tsukiko began. ¡°...Nie Ling and Ginneka are already on the Palace grounds. Do forgive me, but I had need of them, and I know you would not refuse me.¡±


    I nodded, considering what they could have been needed for. ¡°You know I trust you.¡± I agreed. ¡°Then fetch Azuki. And show me to the Kashiko-dokoro, where they are enshrined.¡± All right, it¡¯s time to put my ideas into practice. ¡°Oh, get me Shiro too. I know Tan is making her avoid me, but I might need Shiro¡¯s buffs, and Tan¡¯s insights could be valuable...¡±


    My mind racing, thinking about the ideas I had for awakening the Tsukumogami to their true forms, I didn¡¯t even hear the laughter of my mom, or the Queen saying this sounded interesting, and she wished to see, and show her granddaughter my good sides, nor Uncle Daimon wondering out loud just what my plans were to spark them to life...


    ***


    ¡°This is... incredible.¡± Shiro muttered, in awe. We were in the Boundary of the Kashiko-dokoro, the shrine that housed the Regalia, and here it was a dungeon, space warped, far larger on the inside. It was filled with images and statues of Susanoo, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, as well as a massive pair that were surely Izanagi and Izanami which towered dozens of metres into the dark, shifting space above, the light of fake stars shining through.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I agreed, turning to Yukiko, who stood beside me silently. In the Material I was also present, examining the Material forms of the Regalia, Azuki beside me, while those who had gone to the Boundary like Shiro and Yukiko were sleeping in a tent. Guarded by me of course. Nobody will interfere with them while I¡¯m sleeping.


    I had performed quick Chirurgery on all the Imperial Family, and given them touch-ups from Ether Healing where needed, as if Gorohito was to bond with a Regalia, his chances were far higher if he had a proper Chakra network.


    ¡°Yes, they... seem so sad, so lonely.¡± Yukiko pointed out. Uncle Daimon and his other Chosen Onmyo?ji were here too, though they respectfully stood at a distance, observing.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Here in the Boundary, the Regalia looked so much more magnificent than their admittedly impressive Material forms. But next to each was a broken doll, no skin, only a few tufts of hair, joints clearly visible and broken and locked with age. Each was far larger than Azuki though, the smallest as high as my chest, the tallest actually the same height as Shiro. Azuki had taken one look at them, and retreated to the Material, saddened by their wretched state.


    So, they¡¯ve wasted away, deprived of ether and possibly adherence, maybe? The first thing to do was examine them. The first item, held in a hand full of broken fingers, was the legendary sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. It didn¡¯t look like the artist¡¯s impressions I¡¯d seen, or in manga. It was actually a straight sword, not a katana, long and slender, yet with impeccable craftsmanship, and in the Boundary, it was larger, and the metal was rippled with white and silver streaks, like clouds. Here we go then, Eyes, don¡¯t let me down.


    Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi [Item Class: Mythic] [Item Type: Law]


    This sword is a weapon once wielded by a true Divinity, but it seems to have been left here for some reason unknown. The Heavenly Sword Of Gathering Clouds was once able to call upon wind, thunder and rain, and could cut through foes like lightning through the skies, yet the strength of this sword was split, its Adherence forming a Tsukumogami spirit. This spirit was beholden to the Imperial Bloodline and the Adherence within, and would refuse to be wielded by any inferior, unworthy hand. Without the Tsukumogami, this sword is simply a well-crafted blade of unknown material.


    ¡°As I thought.¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s basically run down. Though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dead. But...¡± I checked the other two. Both the Yata no Kagami and the Yasakani no Magatama were the same, Mythic treasures that had formed Tsukumogami which only answered to the worthy. Though one point of note was both seemed to have also been left behind by a true God or Goddess, yet one line on the description of the Yasakani no Magatama was interesting. This priceless jewel was snatched from the native Divinities of this land, and imbued with power to bless and strengthen, benevolence personified.


    Curious. But that¡¯s for later. Anyway, in the Material, the Yata no Kagami was a round mirror with a bronze rim, and an odd strap on the back, but in the Boundary it was larger, the size of a shield, and the glass shone with a diamond-like gleam, and the rim was what looked like platinum, while the Yasakani no Magatama was a jade magatama bead in the Material, but in the Boundary it was a crystalline, clear jewel, threaded through the centre hole with a delicate chain of transparent yet incredibly strong material, similar to the Yata Mirror.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? Tan¡¯s... still embarrassed, but she¡¯s prepared to offer you advice.¡± Shiro suggested. ¡°She¡¯s not knowledgeable about Tsukumogami though.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, we are, to an extent. After all...¡± I held the doll body of Azuki in my arms. ¡°...we have Azuki as an example. Right now, she¡¯s occupying her Material body, just like the Regalia are in two places at once.¡±


    ¡°If I may speak?¡± Uncle Daimon interjected, and I nodded, turning. ¡°We considered this too, it simply being a matter of reconnecting them. But... the Regalia are of a duality, but the Tsukumogami, they are not. And the balance is all so very wrong.¡± He tapped his golden eyes. ¡°Yin and Yang are out of harmony, and each Regalia too. For example, the sword... it is of Metal and also of Water, yet... something is missing.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think I see the problem there. But I appreciate your insights. Hmm... it all comes down to one thing. Connections.¡± I glanced at Yukiko. ¡°Really, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Stop asking me that!¡± She pulled an annoyed face. ¡°I know it seems sudden, but... I fell for you, I can¡¯t help it! Tsukiko understands just how easily it can happen.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Surely at this point you can¡¯t still be questioning your virtues? That makes light of us all and our intelligence.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I get it. And anywhere I¡¯m lacking I¡¯ll have to correct it, because... if I¡¯m to be worthy of all of you, then I need to surpass even the Gods.¡± I chuckled weakly. ¡°It¡¯s just with each of you, it seems less understandable you¡¯d want to share.¡±


    ¡°Nobody really wants to share, Aki.¡± Shiro objected. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t seem like it, considering my behaviour, or Shaeula¡¯s, but... we can¡¯t have you all to ourselves, so we have to twist our mindset so as not to go crazy. To me... that¡¯s all about pushing you to your true final form, Aki. And making the world realise you¡¯re the most desirable man around, and you love me. Besides...¡± She winked at Yukiko. ¡°The difference between ten and twenty is less painful than between one and two and damages our chance of spending time with you less than going from two to three, or three to four. You¡¯re a smart guy, Aki, work it out!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right. It¡¯s ironic.¡± Yukiko smiled, and I couldn¡¯t help but compliment her.


    ¡°See, when you smile, you do look cute.¡±


    ¡°Oh you!¡± Yukiko¡¯s face ran hot and crimson. ¡°You save your flattery and pass my grandfather¡¯s test! I don¡¯t want to lose this feeling! But what Shiro said is right. If you had only one woman, then it would feel wrong to step in. Even if it was two or three, it would be... awkward. But... when you hold as many in your arms as you, it seems silly to worry.¡±


    I considered that, and in a warped way, it made perfect sense. ¡°All right. In that case... let¡¯s get on with this. As soon as the supplies arrive, we can begin.¡± I had asked for a great deal of materials from my Territory, and they were being shipped over. ¡°But what I meant was... sorry Yukiko, but... as Shiro will tell you, I may not seem it, but I¡¯m actually quite possessive. If you genuinely want to be with me... it¡¯s forever. And I do mean forever. After all, I¡¯m going to live a long life, and I will find a way for all of you to do the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I want to be treasured.¡± Yukiko admitted. ¡°I may be a gloomy girl...¡±


    ¡°Eri was worse, I hear.¡± Shiro chuckled, and I couldn¡¯t help but nod, even as my Eyes confirmed my read on Azuki. I was examining her in both worlds, trying to understand just what made a Tsukumogami, as despite being a Zashiki-Warashi, she was definitely a sort of Tsukumogami, a doll type, same as the spirits the Regalia had crystalised over time.


    ¡°Yes, though I¡¯d say more... quiet.¡± I defended her. ¡°She¡¯s come out of her shell though. And... at least I don¡¯t have to worry. Eri¡¯s been saying you and Eleanor were going to fall for me for ages.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s very alert to how others think about you, Aki.¡± Shiro agreed. ¡°So, any joy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... complicated, but...¡± Using Split Thoughts to isolate and examine what I was processing, I had an idea of how Azuki functioned. ¡°...it¡¯s a bond, fortunately. A connection. Which somehow seems to be my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your Path.¡± Tan spoke up suddenly, Shiro¡¯s eyes red. As I turned in surprise, Shiro made a wry expression, even as Tan spoke haltingly. ¡°I... find it curious. But I am of the Six Paths, I understand the importance of such. But... it seems most of the problems you face...¡± Tan¡¯s voice was oddly quiet. ¡°...you seem able to break down into the point of connection, of bonds. It is... fascinating, and yet...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I winked. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten your Eye. Perhaps when you see the world like I do, you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°Nope. She doesn¡¯t need your Eye to understand, she needs your...¡± Shiro somehow rolled her eyes that Tan was borrowing so that she was looking downwards at me, and with an indelicate cry, Shiro¡¯s eyes shaded to black in an instant, and she was grinning wickedly. ¡°Tan is such... such a virgin.¡±


    ¡°So were you, only a few short weeks ago.¡± I pointed out, and Shiro shrugged.


    ¡°Pot, meet kettle. Anyway... I¡¯m right. When she does it with you, she¡¯ll get it.¡± Shiro turned to Yukiko. ¡°That goes for you too, but you strike me as far more worldly-wise than Tan.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± Yukiko insisted. ¡°I¡¯m most definitely a virgin! But... it¡¯s not like I¡¯m an idiot. I understand what happens between men and women.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s odd that the Imperial Family is actually less sheltered than the nobility. I suppose it¡¯s a matter of scale. The Imperial Family stands alone... anyway, this is going to take all my Skills, but...¡± I glanced at Yukiko. ¡°...if I have to do this to win your grandfather¡¯s approval, I¡¯m going to do it right.¡±


    ¡°Now my heart is racing. I¡¯m embarrassed!¡± Yukiko giggled, and Shiro slapped her on the back, calling her a comrade.


    ¡°I bring gifts, nya!¡± Ginneka suddenly appeared, hauling a large wagon full of metals, Etherites, wood and more. As she lashed her silver tail restlessly, she sniffed the air, before narrowing her eyes. ¡°Nya, woman in heat, I see. A new one.¡± She then turned her blue eyes on me sullenly. ¡°Why not Ginneka, nya? I¡¯m eager for a tumble, and I¡¯m a good lay, I swear it! Far better an experienced woman than a frightened virgin, nya!¡±


    ¡°Enough out of you!¡± Shiro cuffed her, and she hissed, ears flat against her skull. ¡°You¡¯re still on probation, cat. And your attitude stinks. Even that four-tailed... no, five-tailed now, I guess... fox doesn¡¯t annoy me as much as you do. But...¡± Shiro narrowed her eyes teasingly. ¡°...admittedly, every time you do work for us, we like you a little more. Well, a picopercent more. So work at it!¡±


    As she grumbled, the silver Bakeneko did indeed start transferring some of the treasures to the Material. There, I received them, the Imperial Family watching on with great curiosity. Tsukiko was sitting with my parents, talking to them cheerfully, while the projector screen had been moved, so now the Queen and Eleanor could see what was going on.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± Princess Kaoruko asked me, watching as items began to appear out of thin air. Since Yukiko had effectively proposed to me, she had taken a great interest in me, perhaps curious as to why her shy cousin had been so bold. ¡°Just what is your plan? If you disappoint poor Yukiko now, she¡¯ll be heartbroken.¡± I see that the Imperial family are rather more informal with each other than I expected. But then... they are a singular family, and don¡¯t even technically have a surname, so I suppose lack of honorifics makes sense...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not in the business of breaking hearts...¡± I promised, only for Eleanor to snort loudly. I glanced towards the screen, and she snorted again, rolling her eyes, clear for me to see.


    ¡°Are you not? I see a trail of broken hearts in your wake if you ask me. Honestly, I must have been crazy to choose you.¡± She turned to Princess Kaoruko then. ¡°His Princess quota is filled for now, and you¡¯re not one of the other two he¡¯s allowed.¡±


    As Kaoruko-san giggled, amused, I narrowed my eyes, even as I was assessing the arriving materials, still free to talk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, or like I¡¯m sounding displeased, but... just why did you pick me? No, I get the reasons, and they make sense, but... there¡¯s no rush, is there? We could still keep our alliance going, and if you found a Chosen who you liked further down the line, it wouldn¡¯t be too late them to consider marriage... I mean, you¡¯re young yet, Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Do I have the time?¡± She crossed her arms, and I tried not to look at her cleavage, knowing she was actually a little prudish. ¡°After all, what we do is very dangerous, isn¡¯t it? Even with the grace of the Green Man, I have been close to death many times, and... other troubles.¡± Her face fell. ¡°If the worst had happened, I wouldn¡¯t have the face to dare suggest marriage...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap.¡± I was angry now. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again.¡± I warned, and Eleanor rocked back, shocked at my sudden intensity. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to downplay the trauma or horror of that act, how could I? But... it wouldn¡¯t make you lesser or make me disdain you. Just as I never think any less of Haru. No, were you so abused, I¡¯d soothe away your tears, and help you seek vengeance. But rest assured... I¡¯ll never let harm befall you, or allow you to die, either!¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± Eleanor was taken aback, but her defensive posture dropped, her arms lowered. ¡°Well, it would pain me to take up much of your time and effort. You should save that for those you love. And I... didn¡¯t want to end up dead before experiencing love. I suppose Yukiko and I are rather alike in that. And... you¡¯re not actually that objectionable, really. If you overlook the womanising, which ordinarily, I would cut you in half for!¡±


    ¡°My Eleanor is hardly honest with herself, or you, it seems.¡± the Queen chortled. She was leaning back on her small throne, extremely relaxed, and had found a bottle of brandy, sipping on a large glass of it as she watched my efforts with the regalia. Eleanor was drinking too, and at her grandmother¡¯s words she took a long gulp, face flushed.


    ¡°Honestly...¡± the Queen continued. ¡°...if you were single, after your heroics, and the aid you rendered Aditi Mistry, she would have asked you out right away. But she dithered, unsure, and I suppose I understand that. But the other important fact is that her teammates all think you make a good match. Especially young David, it seems. He is brash and ill-tempered, but he says he can trust you with Eleanor, as you... oh, what was it... yes, that¡¯s right... any piece of shit like that little fucknugget Donovan, or traitor like the redhead, you¡¯ll crush them before they lay a hand on the Princess.¡±


    Hearing the Queen say ¡®fucknugget¡¯ in a fair approximation of David¡¯s harsh tones was certainly an experience, and Eleanor gasped, shocked and stunned, calling her name, but the Queen ignored her, winking at me. ¡°So yes, she¡¯s trying to keep her pride. And yes, the weight Britain and indeed the world has put upon her slender shoulders would crush a weaker person. Fortunately... you are there to hold her hand. And she knows that you won¡¯t ever betray her or let her down. Which is what she desires, with all her heart.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother...¡± Eleanor blushed, hiding her face, while I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Eleanor... this was... well, somewhat of a shock to me, but... look, we have our Quest coming up. We¡¯ll succeed, and I¡¯ll prove to you that I¡¯m, despite my obvious flaws, the one you can rely on, lean on. All right?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eleanor said at last. ¡°And... don¡¯t take this the wrong way, I know this union is certainly at least in part for political gain and benefits, a small part...¡± she insisted. ¡°...but if you could, Mary-Jane...¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Already thinking about it. And don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re trying to trade yourself for that. After all, how can a simple favour, or should that be Favour...¡± I chuckled. ¡°...compare to you?¡±


    ¡°I hate that those words make me feel happy...¡± Eleanor was still covering her face, and my mom burst out laughing loudly. Father tried to quiet her, shocked at her rudeness in front of such dignitaries, but mom wasn¡¯t having that.


    ¡°Nonsense, darling! Whether a Princess or a peasant, a daughter-in-law is still a daughter-in-law! And if she¡¯s cute, I¡¯ll say so! I¡¯m delighted to have you on the team!¡± Mom declared, and Eleanor was rather stunned by that, unsure of how to respond, but the Queen did, snorting happily.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, and I would welcome you treating my Eleanor with kindness. You know, you make me proud, to see that one of my subjects has raised such a fine son.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, my Aki¡¯s the best!¡± mom agreed, and even some of the Imperial Family were chuckling now. As the embarrassing purgatory of my mom and the Queen talking about me as a kid continued, I gathered the remaining materials I required, before taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Will... will they live again?¡± Azuki asked, her tone solemn. I could see Kaoruko-san eyeing the little doll with fondness and curiosity, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t going to let anyone take Azuki away. She¡¯s our secret defence, with Aergia¡¯s Favour.


    ¡°I hope so. They¡¯re quite different to you, Azuki, but there¡¯s enough of a similarity to give me ideas, and... my Eyes see far more than they used to. And I know a lot more about how things work.¡±


    Good. Good.¡± Azuki muttered fervently, her little ruby eyes glimmering. ¡°It would be far too sad if they sit there broken. Just like a home, tools, treasures... they went to be used, to be loved.¡±


    Patting Azuki gently on the head, stroking her dark hair as she squirmed, I promised her I would restore them. ¡°After all...¡± I glanced at the Emperor, my expression cocky. ¡°The Regalia may be Imperial treasures, but they¡¯re not your greatest one I want to take away!¡±


    Kaoruko-san squealed at that, eyes bright, and Yukiko¡¯s mother seemed touched by my strong words. I wasn¡¯t the man I used to be. Now I had decided, now I had the idea in my mind, I would be decisive. No more dragging my feet, which caused Daiyu and Asha a great deal of worry and ended up with the expected outcome anyway. Rose showed me it¡¯s all about being bold... honestly, I can¡¯t wait to go back there and see them again...


    ¡°It seems spring has come for our granddaughters, Elizabeth.¡± The Emperor addressed the Queen, who nodded.


    ¡°Yes, though who would have ever imagined that our houses would be joined in this manner? But I welcome it. Together, we shall ride out the storm that shall engulf the world. It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t retire yet, I would dearly love to pass the time idly, watching our great-grandchildren grow.¡±


    Now, concentrate... I began to craft three new dolls, matching in size and shape to the ones in the Boundary, and while they were plain, with no discernible features, they were well-made. Meanwhile, back in the Boundary, Yukiko was asking me just what I was doing, as I began to tinker with the Tsukumogami.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Their... spirits are dead, honestly. They might reboot if the ether density spikes up enough, but I¡¯m not convinced.¡± I glanced over to Uncle Daimon. ¡°Your eyes could see something missing, right? I think that¡¯s part of the reason they... well, died, for want of a better term.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± he asked, stroking his beard. Here in the boundary his staff was rather magnificent, chased in five different types of metal and studded with pearl and onyx. ¡°I have the records from the Onmyo?do? Bureau over the last fifteen hundred years. The Regalia were cared for flawlessly, but over time they simply... degraded. Even our Talismans and Formations, our Chants and Incenses, all failed to arrest their decline. But... from what I understand, they were not so... broken... before, merely sleeping. Though our records from the last hundred years are incomplete, few able to see the Regalia spirits or enter this world. I assume they can be restored.¡±


    ¡°If I had to guess... they were declining due to the reasons you suspected, but perhaps a sudden shock broke then. After all... adherence shouldn¡¯t be so easily drained. I can¡¯t talk about it yet, though... seems like soon we¡¯ll have no secrets. But... ask Eleanor.¡±


    Shiro nodded knowingly at that, and I knew she understood. Narrowing her eyes, she grimaced. ¡°Tan thinks you¡¯ve understood. So, what¡¯s the point of failure here? If I had to guess... Ningen-sengen, right? The Declaration of Humanity, where the Emperor renounced the lineage of Amaterasu.¡±


    Exactly. ¡°Yes, all the faith of a nation, and these Regalia were Divine treasures, the equal to what the Church of True Revelation possesses.  Their methods of keeping such objects functional in the ether-starved present seem... unpleasant... but I surmise the worship and belief of Japan as a nation nourished the Regalia. And then, when it was suddenly repudiated...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it caused a backlash, all that power, suddenly... changed to the opposite intent.¡± I looked down at the silent Tsukumogami, my expression pensive.


    ¡°So, the Declaration didn¡¯t just break great-grandfather...¡± Yukiko was stricken. ¡°...but it also had such a disastrous effect on our heritage too? Who knows what else could have been damaged by it.¡±


    Even as I worked, I reached out with one hand, grasping Yukiko¡¯s. At first, she seemed embarrassed, before tightening her grip. Her hand was warm, and her face was pink, but she seemed more at ease. And seeing that makes me feel better. Poor Yukiko. She¡¯s had to bear a lot on her shoulders. Well, while I¡¯ve offered to carry it before, now I can without worry. Not that I¡¯ll treat her as fragile glass. Neither she nor Eleanor is the sort of Princess to be pampered and faint at the sight of blood. But even so...


    My mind made up, I smiled reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I can fix them. Maybe... not exactly how they were before, but... I¡¯m confident they¡¯ll wake. And... I¡¯m now glad I asked the President about allowing retraction of the Ningen-sengen, because it¡¯ll make you happy.¡± I winked slyly, and she seemed taken aback for a moment, before managing a wry chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad man, Aki. You¡¯ve reached levels of smooth Yasu can only dream of.¡± Shiro teased, and Yukiko agreed.


    ¡°Yes, he is indeed rather persuasive and charming. But... I honestly really like it. Because... when he says it, it doesn¡¯t just sound like flattery or mere lip-service.¡±


    ¡°Because it isn¡¯t. Now, don¡¯t bother Aki when he¡¯s working. You can hold hands later. Maybe I¡¯ll join in. Tomorrow¡¯s going to be a rough day, watching Shaeula lord it over us.¡± Shiro winked, and Yukiko gave my hand one final squeeze before releasing me. ¡°Question though, Aki. Why did you get Ginneka to move all that stuff to the Material, if the Tsukumogami are here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡± I explained. ¡°The spirits may be dead, but... they seem to have a faint Truesoul, I can see flickers of soullight still.¡±


    Tan suddenly hissed. ¡°You should not speak of such, this world...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not bound to silence, am I?¡± I glanced at Uncle Daimon. ¡°And he doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about...¡±


    ¡°No, but I would very much like to, just as I would wish to know who or what is the being which dwells within this woman here.¡± He pointed his staff at Tan. ¡°Her Yin energy is quite simply immense.¡±


    ¡°In time everyone will know.¡± I promised. ¡°Anyway, to answer your question, I¡¯m nowhere near skilled enough to reignite or fix a Truesoul, I¡¯m not Rose.¡± I smiled at the memory of her. ¡°I can barely even see it, even with my Eyes. But... maybe I don¡¯t need to fix it...¡±


    ¡°I do not understand...¡± Tan blinked, and I conjured a little light element, displaying a pair of frayed wires tangled together by being twisted in opposite directions, and then current flowing through them, the woven metal able to compensate for the breaks in each thread. ¡°...I see. Connections. As I suspected. It is... bold. But no bolder than the gift you shall give me.¡± Her earlier shyness was gone, replaced by curiosity. ¡°What I have seen on this backwater world has proved most intriguing. Most intriguing indeed.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll see more.¡± I promised. ¡°But for now...¡±


    I had fixed up the large dolls and created identical ones on the Material. The next stage was to create true connections between them. That was difficult, and not something I had ever done before, but I had plenty of examples to choose from. Azuki¡¯s connection, Silver Cords, Lovers¡¯ Link, Kin Bonding, the invisible tails, the way items can have a presence in both worlds, like Shaeula¡¯s ring, or the Regalia themselves...


    ¡°Tan, watch closely.¡± I asked, as I began. ¡°After all, you may not have the Eye to see yet, but... this is how I¡¯ll fulfil our wager with you too. So... be ready.¡±


    ¡°I am... a woman of my word. Cheeky mortal man that you are, Akio, I shall not be cowed. I shall sear this into my mind, have no doubts!¡±


    I generated only a tiny trickle of Soullight, but I could supplement it. Adherence was my first thought, but I quickly discarded that. After all, firstly, I need it all for managing the Favours later, and secondly... adherence caused the damage to them, so... I want the same flavour of adherence to restore them fully. All I have to do is wake them, and then... if the Emperor recants the Declaration, and Japan believes in their Divinity again... if I adjust things properly...


    Prominence Dawn flared into existence behind me, a brilliant ring of light, fringed with inky darkness. Violet energies poured from me, a torrent of spatial element, followed by a torrent of brilliant blue light, and Uncle Daimon gasped. ¡°Void? You practice the Godai, the five elements of Buddhist thought?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you know of those?¡± Tan was impressed with his wisdom. ¡°Chi, Sui, Ka, Fu, Ku? Earth, water, Fire, Wind, Void? And Void...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s this void element, or whatever... but... there¡¯s clearly a spatial element to every bond, and light... nothing travels faster. So... if I infuse the light of Mangetsu, the Full Moon, which symbolises the positive, which specialises in buffing...¡± I paused, winking. ¡°...though it pales in comparison to our queen of buffs here...¡±


    Shiro snorted at that, amused and slightly bitter, but they let me continue. ¡°...if I build the bonds... it¡¯s... like a Silver Cord. Spiritual beings who haven¡¯t been Enthroned don¡¯t have one, but then... they don¡¯t have two bodies, a Material and an Astral...¡±


    ¡°Yin and Yang, spiritual and physical.¡± Uncle Daimon agreed, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, and each contains a little of the other. That¡¯s the bond that ties them together. Now... Azuki has a Silver Cord, of sorts. Well, now she has a proper one, but before it was so faint as to be nearly unnoticeable. But it existed, else she never would have been able to regain her Material doll body. These...¡± I tapped the Tsukumogami. ¡°...already have a similar connection, hence why the Regalia can exist in both worlds at once. But... the dolls themselves have lost that, or it¡¯s broken away. But I can replace it...¡± I was starting to sweat, and Uncle Daimon pointed out something pertinent.


    ¡°If so... you will unbalance the Yin and the Yang. Too much light without darkness, even in the Void...¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t, because...¡±


    ¡°...feeding darkness into it, after all, darkness is mind, and emotion, and without that, how can they live and think?¡± I was saying, a second Prominence Dawn shining on the Material, watched by my stunned parents, the Imperial Family, and a very curious Queen, though Eleanor had quickly shrugged and went back to her brandy, muttering to herself.


    ¡°It is all so very dull. It is obvious he will succeed...¡±


    Thanks for the vote of confidence. The way you say it could use some work though. Hyacinth is going to be torn over the events of this day, I¡¯m sure... Not allowing myself to become distracted by that, I poured the inky-blue light of Shingetsu, the New Moon, into the second ring of light, accompanied by the other half of my spatial element. The pair of... well, voids, I supposed, if I listened to Tan and Uncle Daimon, didn¡¯t feel empty, like one would consider a void from the name though, no, instead one was full, and the other was waiting to be filled.


    ¡°This is the hard part...¡± I muttered, and everyone fell silent. I turned to Nie Ling, who was standing there, dressed in casual, comfortable clothes, her hair a mess, as she had been taking it easy, having done her duties this morning bringing some of the Fae to the Material. ¡°...timing is everything. I¡¯ll need you to send these crafted Tsukumogami to the Boundary, then hop down and send the other ones here. Then I¡¯ll tell you when to reverse that.¡±


    Your Skill, Aether Manipulation has advanced from Rank 7 to Rank 8. You generate significantly more aether internally and are able to integrate it with other energies with greater ease and suffer less rejection.


    Your Skill, Soullight Manipulation has advanced from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You generate additional Soullight and are better able to handle the Soullight of others, be they willing or unable to resist you.


    Your Skill, Prominence Twilight has advanced from Rank 3 to Rank 4. When you use multiple instances of Prominence Twilight at once, be it Dusk or Dawn, these instances are connected, and can be linked to create a resonating effect, though this effect will be negligible unless paired Elements are used. In addition, your fine control over the energies released from the Dawn, and the strength of energies released from the Dusk, have both improved significantly, and your understanding of any energies that Prominence Twilight absorbs will heighten, and your affinity increase. [Class: Legendary] [Type: Law]


    Your Skill, Darkness And Yin Manipulation has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 6 and broken the first bottleneck. Your ability to handle Light Element and understanding of it increases as your understanding of Darkness Element does. [Class: Noble] [Type: Foundation]


    Your Skill, Light Manipulation Rank 5 has become Light And Yang Manipulation Rank 6 and broken the first bottleneck. You now convert a portion of your Light Element into Yang Qi, a purer, non-tangible Element focused on positive effects. All your Skills involving Qi are slightly improved. Your ability to handle Darkness Element and understanding of it increases as your understanding of Light Element does. [Class: Noble] [Type: Foundation]


    The working was torturous, not made easier by the fact I was doing three at once, though three was definitely not three times as difficult as one. I had asked Shiro to buff my Chirurgery before this, as at the heart of this working, it was Chirurgery, and I had the generic buff and also her Berserk Blessing, though my own abilities mitigated that, so I was barely feeling the side-effects.


    Weaving together this energy around the fragile, nigh-invisible Truesouls as a core, the soullight the... conductor... for want of a better word, which the spirit would flow through. Then, the insulation would be the two layers of energy Prominence Dawn generated, spun together carefully. It ordinarily seemed rather far-fetched to make this work, like building a person from light, but... aether too, the protective sheath, preventing it all from breaking. The soullight, if I feed it carefully, branches out, drilling into...


    ¡°Go now!¡± I ordered, as the connection I was working on began to fray, as I suspected it might. It¡¯s too fragile, but...


    The crafted Tsukumogami vanished, and moments later so did Nie Ling. She appeared in the Boundary alongside the empty dolls, before desperately sending the ones that dwelt here in the Boundary for so long to the Material.


    ¡°Your working is far, far too fragile...¡± Tan observed. Uncle Daimon and Yukiko could only watch in silence as I laboured.


    ¡°Just like bonds.¡± I agreed. ¡°But when we nurture them, put our heart into them, and work together to make them mighty... then there is nothing as unbreakable. Even diamond can¡¯t compare.¡± I grinned, streaming sweat, my brain, despite my high stats and Split Thoughts, practically on fire. ¡°And these Tsukumogami have their bonds. To Yukiko¡¯s family, to this land... and I have my bond to her. A single thin thread snaps, but twist some together, and...¡± I paused, my Eyes seeing the fracturing, shoring up it desperately. ¡°Go again!¡± I ordered Nie Ling, who sent away the dolls and brought back the original batch.


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want a Silver Cord. I actually need a kind of Silver Connection. As it¡¯s less fragile, and...¡± I murmured. ¡°But a Silver Connection isn¡¯t enough. Because they are both Tsukumogami, and also... the Regalia, which themselves...¡±


    ***


    Your Class, Bondweaver, has increased from Level One to Level Two. Your Aether has...


    ¡°Holy fuck, this is like a Hell-difficulty game blindfolded...¡± I grumbled, as the fourteenth switch of the Tsukumogami was completed. Nie Ling was completely exhausted, and her brown eyes were pleading for rest. Ginneka was in a similarly ragged state, her ears flat and her tail drooping, as once the initial connections had been established I¡¯d had her switching the Regalia around too. Fortunately...


    ¡°I think just a final push...¡± I was sweating blood now, my body cracking under the stress of keeping up so many difficult workings, pouring out every drop of my aether and soullight. The connections, which I didn¡¯t have a name for, were a multilayered one, combining a facsimile of my Silver Connection, the attraction of Kin Bonding, and even the sort of invisible tail that the Kitsune had, though in their case, it was more a shadow of their Regalia, rather than a tail, though it had the same inherent properties. Lastly, I had seen the Grail beneath the Tower, and how it drew adherence to itself, and so I had replicated that, though for now... it was dry.


    ¡°That¡¯s it... last one!¡± I cried, and Ginneka howled in inarticulate despair and she switched the items, Nie Ling crying out likewise. In the Material she collapsed, her job done, and with one final, colossal surge of aether, my League boiling, the last trickles of Prominence Dawn dying down, three brilliant lights kindled, radiating a touch of soullight, before they died down to shining embers.


    Your Class, Bondweaver, has Increased from Level Two to Level Three. Your Aether has...


    Your Class, Taker Of Paths Unknown, has increased from Level One to Level Two. ????????? ??????? ???????....


    Your Class, Shaper Of Flesh...


    Your Skill...


    Your Skill...


    A mass of question marks greeted me, as well as a storm of orange letters searing across my vision, and I felt an immense pressure, as if something was either trying to fill me, or break out of me, it was hard to tell. Exhausted, I collapsed in both worlds simultaneously. Shiro made to move, but seeing Yukiko rushing to me she hung back, letting her catch me. Meanwhile, in the Material, I collapsed to my knees, and then lay on the cold floor, relieved. Mom cried out, but I waved a hand, showing her I was fine, just out of strength.


    Shit, the Pilgrimage is going to have to carry on without me for a bit. I¡¯ll... catch up later.


    ¡°That¡¯s... amazing!¡± Yukiko managed, stroking my hair, mopping my sweat and blood. ¡°They... look so different. But... are they alive, conscious?¡±


    Indeed, a change had happened. Though only I had noticed that the Regalia themselves had disappeared, though that was intentional. They are the Regalia in truth now, but also themselves. I think? I hope I didn¡¯t screw it up...


    I certainly couldn¡¯t have created them from scratch, but enough remained to kindle them anew. Glancing at the three figures, I admired my handiwork, though I was surprised at the forms they took, as I had crafted them as blanks, only the heights matching.


    The first was a young woman who was the height of my chest. She had bright blue and white hair in a side ponytail, and had a face that, while now calm in her slumber, had narrow eyes and a slant to her lips which made me think she would be terribly cheeky and energetic. Her chest wasn¡¯t that large, but it was still full and rounded, and her legs and arms were slim yet muscular.


    Beside her, sat a silent woman as tall as Shiro, her eyes also closed. She had long hair which was a clear, crystalline green, like spun jade, a cascade of it flowing down to her lower back. Her figure was womanly, and her face, while expressionless, radiated a calm kindness.


    The third figure wasn¡¯t in the Boundary but was on the Material. She was of a height in-between the other two Tsukumogami, and her figure was lithe and lean, yet far from muscular. As I watched her there, exhausted, from my spot on the floor, I noticed that her metallic silver hair looked a little like Shiro¡¯s, though it was shorter, and it framed her face rather boyishly, and the set of her face, with a small nose and high brows, seemed rather intellectual and frail.


    ¡°Just... what happened?¡± Yukiko asked me back in the Boundary when she could speak again. ¡°Where did the other one go?¡±


    I was almost too exhausted to explain, but my explanation was forestalled anyway as the first Tsukumogami trembled. Her blue and white side ponytail swung, and her eyelids fluttered. Moments later, they slid open, revealing slightly dazed silver eyes. She looked around, movements slow and sluggish, and met my gaze. ¡°Father?¡± she asked, before speaking again. ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°What the hell, Aki? Making daughters by hand now? Asha will be so disappointed...¡± Shiro doubled up, laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s... incredible!¡± Uncle Daimon muttered, his eyes glowing. ¡°The Regalia spirit, it lives...¡±


    As the Tsukumogami staggered to her feet, Yukiko looked on, delighted. ¡°You did it, Akio! You did it!¡± She hugged me, her face red, not caring about her embarrassment, and I merely grinned weakly.


    ¡°Sure did, though... I never want to do it again, it was utterly exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± the Regalia asked again, coming closer, and I shook my head weakly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not your father, I¡¯m...¡± All of a sudden the girl stumbled, and Yukiko released me to grab her and arrest her fall. However, the Tsukumogami was surprisingly swift, and she reached out for me with eager silver eyes. Ordinarily I could have dodged effortlessly, but in my totally exhausted state, down on my knees, I was helpless.


    ¡°Father!¡± she said again, hands swiftly grabbing at me, only for me to blink in surprise, as she had actually snatched my sword from its sheath. As she looked at Storming Moonlight, she blinked, as if puzzled, then opened her mouth wide, and with a swift motion, swallowed the entire sword as if she was a circus act, the sounds of metal crunching as she chewed.


    What the hell? That was Bjarki¡¯s masterwork...


    With a light giggle, the cheeky smile on the face of the Tsukumogami intensified, and she tilted her head adorably, braid bouncing. ¡°Father! You don¡¯t need another sword. Bad father!¡±


    Shiro, unable to contain her amusement, was soon kneeling on the ground too, tears streaming from her eyes, pounding the ground with her fist, while Uncle Daimon and Yukiko looked on, bemused. Moments later, I had other matters to worry about, as in both the Material and the Boundary, the other two Tsukumogami trembled, eyelids fluttering weakly...